Sinners spoilers but does anyone else think Slim was a griot like Sammie? Maybe this has already been discussed but I haven't seen it talked about anywhere so I'm gonna chime in.
Right before "I Lied to You", we see a flashback of Delta Slim telling Sammie, "Blues wasn't forced on us like that religion. Nah, son, we brought this with us from home. It's magic, what we do. It's sacred... and big." And then we cut back to Annie's monologue from the beginning explaining what a griot is as the ancestors start to join Sammie - "there are legends of people born with the gift of making music so true it can pierce the veil between life and death."
The continued use of "we" by Slim when he's actively referencing the kind of music that he and Sammie sing suggests to me that Slim and Sammie have the same abilities. We brought this, it's magic what we do. He's not just referring to the blues, he's referring to the magic itself.
Also, when Sammie blames himself for Remmick's appearance, Slim immediately corrects him. He says the devil's more likely to come for himself first, since he's been doing what they're doing far longer than Sammie has. We also see a connection between Slim and Sammie even though for the first time at the train station.
And just as a last little plus - in the Southern Gothic genre, the older person who has some sort of special abilities who drinks to make their life easier is a well-established trope. Maybe Slim drinks because he's seen his abilities weaponized against him before (with Rice and the KKK/cops). Maybe his abilities are dampened when he's drunk, and that's how he keeps himself safe.
germansingergirl
kianamaiart
snowghoul
turnnoffyourmind
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
yousharknotpass
