The Harlem Series Finale Is An Ode to Love

What A Journey It Has Been!

The hit television series Harlem has come to a close. While season three has fewer episodes than its predecessors, the cast and crew knew how to work the script and the screen to the fullest potential, leaving viewers with a few words that encourage us to learn from the series’ characters.

Season two of Harlem ended on a high note, leaving us wanting more. Ian and Camille were calling it quits after finding out life forced them to walk two separate paths, Angie rekindling her relationship with the amorous Michael (shoutout to him) as he proposes to her, Tye finding out one of her recent sexplorations is the daughter of the woman she left, Quinn alone but not lonely, and an emergency room visit with news of the pregnancy of one of the group members. That season finale had me wanting season three more than ever to premiere. If I knew season three would be the last season, I would have yearned a little quieter. However, the season three opener came swinging, picking up shortly after season two’s finale.

After binge-watching the series, I was met with tears and some life lessons that I can apply to what I’m going through. It wouldn’t be fair not to share the lessons learned, so I wanted to bring them to you, my readers.

• Walking In Your Purpose
• Say No to What Does Not Fulfill You
• Being Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable
• Community Is Everything
• Love Is At the Root of It All

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Walking In Your Purpose

Life is a scary thing that many individuals, such as myself, are still trying to figure out. This is especially difficult for individuals like me who are creatives at heart. Finding out what your passion is and how it aligns with your purpose is no small feat. But when you discover that purpose, you must lean into it. For the viewers of Harlem, we know what Angie has gone through and how hard she’s worked to return to her spotlight. This season, she secured a role playing Dina from the film Girls Trip in the highly-anticipated Girls Trip: The Musical. Through all trials and tribulations, Angie found a way to put her passion into purpose… and to work with Idris Elba. The trials and tribulations she had to endure and the sacrifices she had to make were not easy, but it all paid off in the end.

Angie faced fear and criticism from her fiance and the musical director. She questioned whether she was meant to play this role—if this role was even for her and if she should follow through. With some encouragement from her friends, Angie overcame it all and devoured her performance as Dina for the musical. She was then offered a life-changing deal at the expense of her big day. Michael attempting to give her an ultimatum pushed her to break things off and take the role (with Idris Elba).

Angie was rewarded with the opportunity to do something she loves from the universe by overcoming her doubts. She beat fear, imposter syndrome, and compromises. She received this opportunity from the universe because she finally took her passion and walked into it with purpose. This inspiring message brought me out of my creative funk to write this. Don’t let the negatives of life veer you away from your purpose. Find out what you like to do, perfect it, venture into the unknown, and you’ll be rewarded in abundance for staying the course and walking in your purpose.

Say No to What Does Not Fulfill You

Season one Quinn would be pleased to learn who season three Quinn became. Quinn has always had difficulty with relationships. Not just romantic but also familial. Quinn walked into the era of not caring about what someone thinks of the decisions she makes for herself. She overcame her biggest hurdle—her mom. This season, Quinn was introduced to a tantalizing relationship with a star MLB player, Seth. What started as nothing but casual sex and rendevous evolved into a full-fledged relationship. That is until she discovered the terms she thought she agreed to were for a casual, monogamous relationship—not an ethically non-monogamous relationship. Quinn tried and found this wasn’t for her—this wasn’t her idea of having the dream family. After a hilarious conversation (if you can even call it that) with Seth’s secondary partner, Quinn said no and went on her journey of starting a family on her own. If love finds her, then so be it. And it did. My favorite ex of hers re-appeared at a workshop she attended—and now, I believe things will work for her with this new mindset.

There are individuals in the world who would submit to staying in an uncomfortable position to please the people in our lives (people pleasers, for short). Learning to say to yourself, “No, this won’t work for me,” is an underrated superpower that I cannot wait to fully hone in on. Seeing Quinn overcome her people-pleasing anxieties around relationships inspired me to do better.

Being Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable

Tye’s lesson this season was one that I am taking to my next therapist. Tye went on a celibacy journey to mask the fact that she cannot deal with uncomfortable feelings surrounding romantic relationships. A woman named Eva gave her the much-needed push out of the nest and into her arms. Eva’s straightforwardness and willingness to call Tye out put her in a position to love again while also tackling the uncomfortable feelings she battled within the first two seasons. Tye made a major mistake but made up for it. Had it not been for her learning her lessons, she may have lost Eva forever. Now, Tye and Eva is endgame (in my head, they are, but I don’t know because this is the last season).

Although Tye’s journey to being comfortable with her comfortable feelings in a romantic sense, that doesn’t just apply to relationships. Day by day, we continuously cycle through emotions we wish we didn’t have to. Whether it applies to relationships (romantic, platonic, etc.), mental health, or overall life problems doesn’t matter. As long as we (mostly me) learn to sit with these feelings and push past them, then we can be better partners to ourselves. Self-love is the best love; it dawns new confidence and helps you deal with tough times you experience within your relationships.

Community Is Everything

Just as Camille’s irrational thinking and impulsivity ended, another wave came. She held onto the notion that she could have casual sex with Ian despite traveling two different paths—not knowing that she was still holding on to what could have been a perfect relationship. After Ian moved on and accepted that, Camille discovered that she was pregnant at one of the hardest times of her life. She’s no longer working at Columbia University, living off a book advance, and dealing with not having insurance for her appointments. While Ian wasn’t the best example, he showed up for her [almost] every step of the way—and when he didn’t, her friends did. The baby shower Quinn threw Camille opened her eyes to see that she is truly not alone on the journey of motherhood. It also showed her how many people she’s met throughout her life that pushed her in the right direction. A mother, an anthropologist at heart, and recently a successful author, Camille learned that her community is everything.

We tend to romanticize individualism and downplay the importance of community. With America’s current state, community should become our top priority. Help those in need, pass on resources, lend a helping hand with projects, do more community outreach, etc. This even applies to my fellow content creators. There is power in collaboration.

Love Is At the Root of It All

The four lessons that we’ve taken away from our beloved characters all have one thing in common: love is at the root of it all. You must embrace loving what you want to do to reach your purpose. You must embrace loving yourself enough to walk away from what does not fulfill you. Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable pushes you in the direction of loving authentically and unapologetically. As long as individuals love helping their community, we can continue to grow and show up for one another. Love brings us closer together. Love triumphs all.

While I am sad that Harlem is ending, they have left me with a few life lessons that will lead me to a better me—and I hope these lessons help you as well. Did you enjoy the show? If so, what were some of your favorite moments? Comment below or comment on Instagram.

All three seasons of Harlem are now streaming on Prime Video.

It’s the Journey,
Tisha Campbell