My Netflix Obsession: Raising Dion

My latest Netflix obsession lands right on Raising Dion. This Netflix Original is about a Widowed single mother, played by Alisha Wainwright (that I recognize from Shadow Hunters), who is doing her best to raise a son with superhuman abilities that seem to keep growing. While we are at NO shortage of superhero movies and shows right now, this one breaks the average mold by being the story of a child of color. Without giving you too many spoilers, this is why you should start binging right now.

First, second and third of all MICHAEL B. JORDAN. Thank you, and goodnight folks. That smile moves mountains and can get me to watch anything! BUT, I got caught up and sucked in before I even realized he was in this so it was a delightful bonus. Unfortunately, we learn early on in the movie that Michael’s character, Mark, was killed in a storm saving someone giving us the hero factor right out of the gate. The characters of this show are SO easily loveable. Dion, played by Ja’Siah Young was so instantly endearing to me. Since I’m a single mom myself, I see my son go through life daily without superpowers and that sometimes seems hard enough! Watching Dion deal with emotions, friends, family and the hero aspect all while taking in life lessons made it so easy to quickly fall completely in love with this show. Every character from Esperanza, Dion’s best friend to Pat, his God Father, finds a way to warm our hearts and root for them at one time or another.

The representation in this show is AMAZING! We already know the cast is lead by Black actors, which is phenomenal and so exciting, but we also get to experience Esperanza who is Dion’s best friend (whether he knows it or not) played by Sammi Haney, a young girl in a wheelchair who has brittle bone disease*. This was my first time seeing ableism played out and it shook me so much that it opened my eyes to a way of life I definitely have never been exposed to before. While we get a small look at how Black parents have to explain to their children why they may sometimes be treated differently in a negative way, we also see how a loving gesture from one person could be crushing to the recipient. For me, this particular moment definitely made me look at the moves I make from the perspective of the person on the receiving end because sometimes it might not always be the thought that counts.

Raising Dion gave me every emotion. I laughed…a lot! I cried, I was afraid, I was shocked and more than a few times shouted out “I did NOT see that coming!”. This is a great show from every angle, filled with amazing messages and safe for the whole family. There will be a few uncomfortable topics if you have kids that are open to asking questions about difficult situations such as race issues, disabilities, and relationship boundaries but I think it’s a dope way to open up perspectives and introduce ideas about humanity that you may not have exposure to in your daily life.

I can’t tell you anything else! You will have to tune in on Netflix whenever it is convenient for you and stream the season. Netflix has 9 episodes available, and each and everyone deserves your full attention! So start streaming right now. Watch Raising Dion on Netflix today.

Have you already watched the entire first season? What did you think? Did you love it as much as I did? Do you have other opinions? Let me know on social media! @ me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. I am @NikkiOnVegas on every platform. I can’t wait to hear from you! Don’t use social media? You can send me an email to Netflix@NikkiOnVegas.com or drop a comment down below.

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🖤 Nikki