SHOWTIME’s The Chi returns for its seventh season with “Black Friday,” and the South Side drama wastes no time throwing viewers into the deep end. The series—known for its sprawling ensemble and intersecting storylines—comes back more layered (and more crowded) than ever, grappling with the fallout of two major deaths, fraying alliances, and a city teetering between redemption and revenge.
Directed by Nancy C. Mejia and co-written by series creator Lena Waithe and co-showrunner Justin Hillian, the premiere plays like a pressure cooker set to explode, though not every storyline gets the time it needs to simmer.
SPOILERS FOLLOW
Violence, Grief, and the Need for Escape
The episode picks up in the aftermath of Douda and Rob’s deaths, and the ripple effects are immediate. Fatima wants out of Chicago entirely, while Victor is determined to make his political ambitions matter. Tiff, crushed by grief, struggles to get out of bed, while Alicia wants answers—and vengeance.
On the other side, Roselyn and Bianca want nothing to do with bloodshed, but their resistance to retribution could complicate Alicia’s plans. The episode captures a community splintering in response to trauma, with characters either bracing for the next blow or plotting how to strike first.
New Power Players and Shifting Alliances
In the street hierarchy, Nuck finds himself ascending into leadership—and quickly realizing that loyalty is fleeting. Zay, eager to rise in the ranks, oversteps and pays the price, not just with Nuck, but with Victor and Jake. Meanwhile, Ezekiel seeks new ways to keep his spiritual and financial institutions afloat, leveraging connections and negotiating power with Nuck as a “$1000/session” spiritual guide. His interactions with Charles, a man clearly present for leverage, add a slick political dimension to the chaos.
Future Moves and Fractures
Elsewhere, Bakari’s storyline takes a surprisingly hopeful turn. A scholarship opportunity, orchestrated through Professor Gardner and Michelle, offers him a path out—though Alicia makes clear it comes with strings attached. In the world of The Chi, no good deed goes un-leveraged.
Emmett, meanwhile, tries to broker peace with Nuck—for the sake of co-parenting—but his fragile truce is complicated by Keisha moving their son in with her. With every character trying to protect their turf, either physical or emotional, even small decisions carry weight.
Review: A Sprawling, Sometimes Suffocating Start
There’s no denying that The Chi continues to reflect a vibrant, multifaceted Chicago, with characters representing wide-ranging experiences—from faith and politics to street life and family struggles. But with each passing season, the cast ballooning becomes more of a double-edged sword.
“Black Friday” tries to juggle too much—introducing new plot threads, revisiting old ones, and moving pieces around the board so quickly that even major deaths and emotional moments don’t have time to breathe. That leaves storylines like Tiff’s grief feeling emotionally flat, not due to the performance, but the pacing.
This isn’t a bad episode, but it is a bloated one. There’s so much happening that viewers may struggle to connect with anything in a meaningful way. The city is full of life, but the heart of the story risks being drowned in its own ambition.
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