TNT's "Claws" Nails It

Executive produced by Angie Tribeca star Rashida Jones Claws centers on Desna Niecy Nash pictured atamp160top right who owns a quality South Florida nail salon with her three best friends amp160Each member of this eclectic quartet has a uniquely appealing style of her own with Desna serving as the fierce mama bear who runs their operation and protects her familylike crew amp160Besides Desna the group includes Jen Jenn Lyon Quiet Ann Judy Reyes of Scrubs and Polly the always amazing Carrie Preston of True Blood and The Good Fight pictured at top leftJen is the modernday iteration of the classic southern wife and mother trope amp160She does nails in the shop and her loyalty to her husband and two daughters is only rivaled by her loyalty to Desna and the crew and she takes no shit amp160Polly also does nails at the shop and is the redheaded member of their crew who has just returned from being amp8230 away for a bit Her softspoken delivery is almost innocent in nature but like her past thereamp8217s more to her than meets the eyeThen thereamp8217s my personal favorite Quiet Ann amp160Reyesamp8217s transformation into this particularly butch character is as astonishing as it is convincing Sheamp8217s the muscle in the mix serving as both foot masseuse and security guard for the salon amp160In contrast with the rest of the group she dresses in more malecentric clothing and doesnamp8217t talk a whole lot but my favorite of her traits is how unapologetically Latina she isamp160 Reyes talked withamp160Jackie Cutler of MediaVillagecom about playing this lively characterThereamp8217s a scene in the pilot in which as they open the salon Quiet Ann turns on the radio and begins lipsyncing and dancing to a bachata song and properly I might add amp160In that moment it occurred to me that Iamp8217d never seen someone do that on American television before amp160When it comes to representation in American media most Latin and Spanishspeaking cultures are combined into some sort of amalgamation meant to represent them all in a halfassed manner amp160It meant a lot to me that such a specifically cultural action was given the spotlight no matter how brief the moment wasAdditionally thereamp8217s a typical urban Millennial type named Virginia whoamp8217s played by Karrueche Tran Tran is pictured above left with Preston Nash Lyon and Reyesamp160amp160Virginia is a nail technician who took Pollyamp8217s place in her absence amp160Upon Pollyamp8217s return she began exuding a pretty stank attitude and asking questions about the salon39s extracurricular work that initially gets her kicked out altogetheramp160That extracurricular work by the way is money laundering amp160See Desnaamp8217s salon is one of many legitimate businesses utilized by Dixie Mafia crime boss Uncle Daddy yes you read that right whoamp8217s played by Dean Norris Breaking Bad in order to amp8220cleanamp8221 the money made from prescription pill sales amp160His nephewadopted son Roller Jack Kesy manages the nail salon crewamp8217s portion of the operation and his sexual relationship with and empty promises to Desna about her compensation for her salonamp8217s services are the catalyst that set the storyamp8217s most significant events into motion Both Uncle Daddy and Roller are unsurprisingly abhorrent people but itamp8217s their familial relationship with the crew via Jenamp8217s marriage to Uncle Daddyamp8217s other son Bryce Kevin Rankin that makes things extra messySupporting players like Dr Ken Jason Antoon whose medical clinic works in tandem with the nail salon and Dean Desnaamp8217s mentally disabled yet hyperintelligent brother undeniably contribute to the seriesamp8217 appeal Harold Perrineau is known for Criminal Minds Lost and The Matrix Reloaded but my personal favorite of his many fine roles was Mercutio in Romeo Juliet amp160Dr Ken contributes through constant comic relief and Dean contributes through his endearing relationship with his sister and her need to take care of him at any costWhich brings us to Desna amp160Niecy Nash breathes so much life into this character that I canamp8217t imagine anyone else doing it amp160The show itself is bright dark colorful ambitious authentic and overthetop all at once and so is Desna amp160She is the hilarious owner of her salon the fearless leader of her crew and the determined creator of her own destinyClaws besides being a clever name for nails is a reference to the metaphorical claws that the aforementioned women will brandish to protect their own amp160This show simply checks off too many of the right boxes for me not to watch itClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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TNT's "Claws" Nails It

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Ainsley Andrade

Breaking Barriers: Nada Bradbury’s AD-ID Strategy for Advertising Effectiveness and Women in Tech - By E.B. Moss

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TNT's "Claws" Nails It

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Ainsley Andrade

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