Sunday Matinee #83 Foxy Brown
Regret, reconciliation, and revenge!
2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33 | EnterTheBible.org
Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost | 08.11.2024
Context: War! Through the horrors of murder, rape, and battles, King David and his sons are in a constant struggle. Now, David’s son, Absalom, has been killed. Though he sent his forces against his father, David wanted him spared. Yet now he is dead, by an extra layer of shameful embarrassment and debasement. When David gets the news (or half of it, anyway), he is crushed. His enemy - and his son - has been killed.
31 Then the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, “Good tidings for my lord the king! For the LORD has vindicated you this day, delivering you from the power of all who rose up against you.” 32 The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” The Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up to do you harm, be like that young man.” David Mourns for Absalom 33 The king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
Foxy Brown | 1974
IMDb | Letterboxd | RRMC
Context: “When Foxy Brown (Pam Grier) comes to town, all the brothers gather 'round! 'Cause she can really shake 'em down!” Foxy has saved her brother, Link (Antonio Vargas) from rival drug dealers, only to have Link sell out her undercover agent boyfriend, Michael (Terry Carter), who is killed. Later, Link is killed by the very gang who he finked for, and now Foxy gets the news from her ally, Oscar (Bob Minor).
Foxy Brown: What? Link too?
Oscar: Yeah, they say it was those Steve Elias people.
Foxy Brown: Was he dealing again?
Oscar: Yeah, coke.
Foxy Brown: I told him to stay away from them.
Oscar: Yeah, but once those people pull you in, there's only ONE way they'll let you go.
Link gets Michael killed:
Link gets killed:
Foxy seeks revenge for Michael and Link:
The Story So Far:
Sunday Matinee #73 - Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
1 Samuel 3:1-20 - God tells young Samuel to give his mentor, Eli, a message.
Sunday Matinee #74 - Night of the Living Dead
1 Samuel 8:4-11, 16-20 - The Israelites tell Samuel they want a king, he tells God.
Sunday Matinee #75 - The Godfather, Part II
1 Samuel 15:34-16:13 - God is not pleased with King Saul, Samuel meets young David.
Sunday Matinee #76 - Commando
1 Samuel 17:32-49 - The giant warrior Goliath taunts King Saul's army, David kills him.
Sunday Matinee #77 - Goodfellas
2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 - David grieves the death of Saul and his son, Jonathan, in battle.
Sunday Matinee #78 - Army of Darkness
2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 - David is made king of a united kingdom for the Israelites.
Sunday Matinee #79 - Kill Bill Vol. 1
2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 - King David celebrates while Saul's daughter, Michal, is upset.
Sunday Matinee #80 - Heat
2 Samuel 7:1-14a - Nathan tells King David that God believes in him.
Sunday Matinee #81 - Donnie Brasco
2 Samuel 11:1-15 - David sends his lover's husband to war, knowing that he'll die.
Sunday Matinee #82 - Heat
2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a - Nathan tells King David that God is upset with him.
Sunday Matinee #83 - Foxy Brown (You are here!)
2 Samuel 18:5-33 - After a family war, David mourns his son and rival, Absalom.
Commentary:
As we’ve seen time and again all summer long with these stories from 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel, family is complex. And it’s no less complex for Foxy Brown and her brother, Link.
Perhaps that’s oversimplifying this Biblical story of a king and his sons at war with one another. Maybe that is understating the king’s desire for his son who wants him dead to be spared. It’s possible I’m downplaying grief for a son turned enemy.
Likewise, perhaps that’s oversimplifying this Blaxploitation film of a sister and brother on opposite sides of the drug trade. Maybe that is understating the sister’s desire for her brother who got her boyfriend killed to be spared. It’s possible I’m downplaying grief for a brother turned betrayer.
Over, under, down, or otherwise, this family system - like many family systems - is complex.
Absalom didn’t rebel without reason. He killed his brother, Amnon, after learning that he’d raped their sister, Tamar. Their father, King David, tried to cover up the story, too, and Absalom lost respect for his father. First, he spoke out against him. Then, he said it’s time for a new king. Finally, he raised an army of his own against his father’s army. Tragically, Absalom found himself caught in a tree while riding. His father’s officers found him there and ran him through. Did they obey their king’s orders? Kind of. King David said don’t kill him. Joab rolled his eyes and threw a few spears at him, anyway, and his armor-bearers finished him off. What’s the story they told David? It was… lacking a few details. But it’s clear: his son is dead because of their strained relationship and he is upset about it.
Link didn’t cross Foxy Brown without reason. He recognized her boyfriend, Michael, as “Dalton,” an undercover government agent and likely informer. He’s in debt to the loan sharks for $20,000 and he is desperate to get out of the situation. He informed on Michael and gets him killed. Foxy figured out Link betrayed her and Michael and after threatening him, she sought her revenge. When Miss Wall and her goons find out Foxy isn’t working for them but against them, she sends Eddie and Elias to find her but they kill Link instead. Does Foxy know exactly what happened? Sort of. It could be the loan sharks, could be the drug trade, could be Miss Wall. It was… lacking a few details. But it’s clear: her brother is dead because of their strained relationship and she is upset about it.
Despite betrayal, even in the face of differences and disappointment, both King David and Foxy Brown express their regret and their sorrow. David weeps to the point of suggesting he should have died instead of his son. Foxy knew her brother was flawed, yet he was still a beloved family member - her only family member. Family loyalty is often at odds with the pain of unresolved conflict. There is living grief in that, of course, particularly if the road to redemption is challenging.
Neither David nor Foxy get a chance to reconcile with their loved one. For Foxy Brown, her motivations of revenge deepen. I’m not sure if the conclusion of the movie and what Foxy Brown did would’ve changed if Link had lived, but his death at the hands of goons looking for her propels her to the third act of the story and to seek a broader coalition of support.
And that ending is quite satisfying, if you enjoy revenge stories that are quite the pickle…
What does it take to overcome family complexity to seek reconciliation? How do we redeem ourselves from our past mistakes? What path - besides revenge - can lead to restoration?