Kevin meanwhile announces that Nicole is one of his favorites in the house. Not his favorite mind you, ONE OF. Does Kevin realize that there are only seven people, six not counting himself? You simply can't have more than one favorite. It's like when little kids say they have three best friends-it just doesn't make any sense.

Nicole talks a little about her roots. Her mom hooked up with a bad man early on and it is obvious this still effects Nicole. And why wouldn't it. This man abused both drugs as well as her mother, and as a result Nicole still doubts her self-worth. She feels her own mother must have not believed in her enough to subject her to that kind of a life. All of this made me feel sorry for Nicole. That feeling quickly dissipated however as the episode progressed.

Kevin then announces that him and Malik are both, "laid back and cool." Malik agrees but he says they are both, "laid back and calm." But since both of them are so laid back, neither harped on the issue of how you to word it. They are just too laid back, cool, and calm for all of that.

The race card is once again dealt when Nicole and Coral want to know the why behind Malik's bizarre dating rituals (i.e. dating white women). This time Nicole says her beef isn't with the fact that he dates white women, but that he has not officially dated a black woman (dating here defined as sexual intercourse). On this one point I understand their frustration. Everything after that though is just one big ole' racist mess.

Two quotes from Nicole that sum up the conversation:

- "How can somebody believe in Marcus Garvey and date white girls? That's like somebody wearing a Ku Klux Klan shirt and dating Patti La Belle."

- "You know what the saying is. If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. So brother please, let me know what you stand for because I don't know."

Amazingly enough Malik sits there and just takes it. But then again he is laid back and calm. (And Kevin says, "Cool! Don't forget cool!") The only real thing Malik interjects is that he does intend to marry a black woman one day. This only aggravates the African Queens (no, I'm not being degrading, they have referred to themselves as such) even more. Coral is surprisingly less vocal during this whole...well I can't really call it a debate because Malik isn't really fighting back. Nicole leads the way on this one as well as with much of the drama in this episode. Nicole, who up until now, has been the mute roommate. I guess it's true when you say you have to watch out for the quiet ones. This time around though I think it's personal with Nicole being extra sour since she's sweet on Malik.

But wait! This just in! Neither Malik NOR Nicole are 100% black! So the question is posed, if you are only half-black, can you ever really be a traitor to your culture? And if that preposterous idea were even true, then mixed raced individuals will always be screwed. Not that this matters much because Nicole must have refused to argue this point anyhow.

In a bizarre and unexpected field trip the boys run off to be extras in a rap video. After the shoot is over, they invite some of the guys back to the crib to hang. I sure hope that Malik did the inviting because I'm pretty certain that in racist etiquette, white boys are officially banned from using the word crib in a sentence without direct connection to an actual baby. Anywho, some guys come back and the girls are immediately hostile and defensive. So, I'm thinking- "Now what? Is it just that anyone on your turf bothers you, or is it that you have a quota for many times you get pissed off in one day?"

Right about now Kevin starts singing a different tune where Nicole is concerned. He sees the way both Coral and Nicole have been disrespectful not once, not twice but much more than three times from these non-ladies. So Kevin attempts to speak to the easily enraged Nicole who now has taken on the air of the wizard in The Wizard of Oz or in plain English, she's become a lot more like Coral. Before you know it, fingers are pointed and voices are raised- but only of course, by Nicole. Kevin remains his laid back and cool self. (Malik reminds us to note he's calm as well). Kevin's aloof demeanor only angers the wizard, I mean Nicole, more. The one-sided fight escalates before Kevin walks away telling Nicole that he feels sorry for her. Nicole tells him not to talk to her for the rest of the time they are there.

Nicole now decides her issues with Malik's dating preferences are irrelevant. She is insulted because he talks with his boy (namely Kevin, his white friend) about their business. Kevin and Malik argue that she is not really mad about Malik talking to others but that he is talking to others outside his race. So now it ain't even about dating white people, just relating to them. "Umm...I'll take ridiculous and deranged racists for 500 Alex."

Kevin makes the point that Nicole, who says her problem is with Malik talking behind her back, is probably doing that same exact thing. The camera pans to Nicole who is doing just that but with Coral. Hmm...so let me get this straight. It's cool for you to talk to Coral about Malik but it isn't cool for Malik to talk to, well, just about anybody. Oh ok, I get it now. That seems fair.

Nicole informs Malik how hurt she is but says she wants to get in to it later. How she's really upset and feels they could never be friends again...but how they should discuss it further tomorrow. That she believes Malik isn't a brother anymore but she will elaborate when they go on a walk alone. Man, all this talking about talking, what is there possibly left to say for the big lecture, err, discussion?

Malik and Nicole go on their walk in the a.m. It isn't pretty. Nicole rolls her eyes and does some more finger pointing. She tells Malik she does not respect him. Malik tells her the feeling is mutual. Nicole informs Malik, "Bottom line, I don't like you." And with one swish of her magic wand she serves up the same deal to Malik that she did to Kevin...don't talk to Nicole.

The duo, so close, just yesterday (or the beginning of this review), walk home in anger separately. Nicole admits in the confessional that she hates that she sounds like she's the preaching, angry black girl yelling at the boys. She also says she feels so bad about that. I don't really know if that means deep down she knows where she was wrong or not. Either way the calm, cool and laid back Malik will still sleep like a baby.

Janet Branagan is a freelance writer and pop culture addict from New Jersey.

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