BLACK-ISH: Spotlight on Rainbow Johnson

black-ish, ABC’s new family show about an African-American family living in Los Angeles in 2014 has at its core a strong couple, Dre and Rainbow Johnson. Rainbow, an anesthesiologist, has her own job and still focuses on her children, her husband and her father-in-law.

In the show’s premiere, Rainbow is seen both before work and around her home. In the home, she’s still aware of her roles around the house and her position as an African-American woman. She may make baked fried chicken, but she also knows that as a mixed woman, she’s still black where it counts (her hair and her butt). She also realizes and notes where she and Dre have let their kids down (see that their youngest boy doesn’t know that Obama was the first African-American President). She supports her children in their choices (not having a problem with Andre Jr being on the field hockey team) but also sees that Dre’s ideas are not always the strongest.

So far, she’s a woman with her own opinion, and also realizing what role her opinion plays in a family where everyone has one and sometimes those opinions are far more outlandish than others.

Only a few more episodes will tell what other traits she’ll demonstrate in her family of strong wills, and just how much she much she might also have her own days like Dre’s when dealing with an issue that doesn’t make sense to him.

black-ish airs on Wednesdays at 9:30 PM Eastern/8:30 Central on ABC.