Three seasons weren’t nearly enough to capture the reality of the biggest crew in Hip-Hop history. Like the actual group, the final episode showed how pulling this series off was always going to be a complicated blend of fact and fiction giving each member some time to shine. When the 2019 Of Mics and Men documentary dropped, the behind the scenes showed a tension that was readily available for those who lived through the big screen concert movie The Show. When The Show dropped it was apparent there was an internal conflict. The Hulu series avoided playing up the problems between the brothers and focused on the difficult reality of building a business between friends in a five-year time frame.
All bands carry an aspect of confrontation, but Wu-Tang was unlike any other group. As the RZA character on the Hulu show states in the final episode, “9 alpha-males and their egos” makes for a combustible mix of personalities and lifestyles. Like most reviews from those who are diehard fans, this series could have gone on and into greater detail on each artist in the group. A Son alone is a biopic waiting to happen and the actor T.J. Atoms could easily pull off a feature film based on Unique G. ODB’s son might have the chance to do that film as well. The final season compresses the most important solo releases into an episode for each album, except Tical, which is noticeably missing. Method Man’s explosive solo release set the table for the other projects. The absence of an episode focused solely on Tical and Meth feels like there is most certainly a more expansive universe that could be born.
The allegorical representation episodes kick off with Dirty Dancin, but shifts back to stories around individual members even touching on U God’s son being shot. A less heavy aspect of the series’ focus on the lesser-known members focuses on a story that has become urban legend. There has always been a story about one of the Wu-Tang members driving a cab after Enter the 36 Chambers was released. In the series the viewer learns about how difficult it is to get what is called a token for a cab through Masta Killa’s story. The small touches make the series shine. The allegories continue with a play on mob movies with an episode named Criminology focused on the legendary Purple Tape. The final allegory is Liquid Swords. The RZA gets to extend the connection to Kung Fu with this episode focused on the best of all of the solo releases from the GZA. The final episode nails the difficulty in bringing the story of the double CD Wu-Tang Forever to life. The series was entertaining, but it felt too short. There is an opportunity for a deeper dive, or they could leave the legend of the Wu to this series covering the five years that the members were under contract. If you’re a fan, watch it. It pulls you back into that moment when you first popped a tape in the deck and push the volume as high as possible while listening to the violins on Reunited.
