Ep 5. We've Got All Our Junk

Lou's social and personal life clash in Rise season 1 episode 5, "We've Got All Our Junk." Lou is finding it increasingly more difficult to balance and reconcile his evolving personal life with his professional passion. Being a teacher requires him to be an objective mentor and role model to his students, but tackling the inner terrains of his personal life spills over when he tries to teach some crucial lessons in acceptance and growth.

As the episode progresses, Lou begins to take on more personal struggles. He is confronted by the fact that it is never easy to separate one's social and professional lives. He's caught up in the middle of a life-altering decision and conversation with his spouse, Gail, after their son Danny's emotional breakdown. Lou struggles to handle his new reality. The role he signed up for in his professional capacity as a drama teacher, and the new one he inadvertently assumed as a parent of a child coming out as gay, present a challenging nexus.

Meanwhile, Lou's theater students have their own hurdles to face. As they prepare for their production of "Spring Awakening," they find themselves fighting to maintain their passion amidst personal struggles. They've been urged to use their experiences to fuel their performances. However, the project turns out to not be as inclusive as they hoped for, leaving the students struggling to find the same connections to it that they once had.

In "We've Got All Our Junk," the questions of authenticity and representation come to the forefront. The production's adult figure, Mr. Mazzu, struggles with representing the emotions of a pregnant teen accurately. In turn, Maashous, played by the talented breakout star Diallo Riddle, battles with trying to connect with his character's arc of redemption amid his own hidden and traumatic past.

As the students navigate their inner demons, the parallel narrative on display is enough to spark an emotional reaction from any viewer watching the show. It is excruciating to watch these kids grapple with issues such as sexuality, familial rejection, and budding love, all the while navigating the inner-workings of the strict, traditional communities from which they originate.

The episode also shines a light on the power of music and how it can be utilized to address and connect people as a community regardless of social standing or race. The musical performances in this particular episode felt raw, authentic, and emotive, and one comes out feeling the challenges the characters face or the emotions they convey through music.

One of the standout performances in "We've Got All Our Junk" was Auli’i Cravalho’s rendition of “Mama Who Bore Me,” a heart-wrenching performance that highlights the pain and struggles of young girls growing into womanhood. Later in the episode, Auli’i and Rarmian Newton smashed their duet “All That’s Known,” a musical representation of the spotlight on Melchior's growth and change throughout the production of "Spring Awakening." The most significant strength of "Rise" is the fact that it manages to make the performances come alive and feel so authentic as if watching a real-life drama.

In the end, "We've Got All Our Junk" is a powerful episode that shines a light on authenticity, representation, and growth. It captures the complexities of the characters' professional and personal lives and how they are interwoven. Between Lou's personal struggles and the students' battles against mainstream society's restrictive traditions, "Rise" continues to tell compelling stories about real people struggling to make sense of their larger roles on their respective stages. Catching "We've Got All Our Junk" is a must-watch for anyone that wants to watch a story that will tug at your heartstrings while activating the mind. Catch the episode on NBC, Hulu, or NBC's official website.