The transformation of Frieza and why he is the rival Vegeta could never be.
Dragonball Super has come to a close for now. It’s final saga, The Tournament of Power, brought us the highest stakes ever to be wagered in Dragonball. For the uninformed, Dragonball Super’s tournament saw the summoning of the strongest warriors across the Dragonball multiverse per the request of Zeno the Omni King. What is the wager you ask? Any universe that loses all ten competitors will be erased from existence. That is right. They’re out of here; now and forever. Don’t get the wrong idea about Zeno. He’s a joyous guy but as the Omni King, he has a job to do which is scrub out those things in the multiverse that aren’t cutting it. Initially, he had planned to simply eradicate all the participating universes but thanks to our hero Goku, a tournament was designed to give each universe a fighting chance. The original Dragonball or the Z series; Goku and friends reside in Universe 7, overseen by Whis and the God of Destruction Beerus. Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, Master Roshi, and Tien are easy picks for the Universe 7 roster. The reformed Android 18 and Majin Buu also agree to join the Z fighters in the fight for universal survival then came a twist when Goku enlisted the help of a character we had not seen since DBZ, Android 17, but that’s not where it ends. When Majin Buu falls asleep it leaves Universe 7 one man short; meaning they’d have to forfeit the tournament. But per usual Goku has something up his sleeve. With the permission of Beerus, Goku entered the underworld to enlist the assistance of the fallen Emperor of the Universes himself, Lord Frieza.
I have to go on the record to say that my commitment to Dragonball Super was flimsy, to say the least, but once I got wind of Frieza’s return, I absolutely had to see what the hell was going on. The last we saw Frieza was in the film/arc, Resurrection of F. In this arc, Frieza's minion Sorbet retrieved the Dragon balls and revived the villain. Upon his return, Frieza vowed vengeance against Goku for his defeat on Namek but first, he would need to become stronger. For the first time in his life, Frieza set out into the universe to train himself. In retrospect, this could be foreshadowing of Goku’s effect on Frieza. The all-powerful and perfect finally realizes there is always room for improvement and this wouldn’t be the first time Goku had this kind of effect on a foe. Where have we seen this transformation before? In the prince of Saiyans himself of course. Back in the Saiyan Saga, when Vegeta comes to Earth we are left to believe that his ability has been uncontested until his bout with Goku. After catching that soft L, Vegeta retreats into space where he begins training hard in preparation for his next encounter. By this point, we all know Vegeta later takes residence on Earth and becomes Goku’s “rival.” If Goku is getting stronger, Vegeta is hot on his tail trying to find a way to also increase his power.
Now we have Frieza experiencing the same thing. In Resurrection of F, when Frieza finally returns to Earth he has a new golden form and you can see the excitement in Goku as the two battle across the skies. Goku even takes a break to let Frieza know that if he wasn’t evil as shit, he’d be a great sparring partner. By the end of the film, Frieza realizes that he didn’t quite train hard enough and once defeated we do not hear from him again. Until Goku visits him in the underworld and offers him Buu’s place in the Tournament of Power. This is where things get a bit interesting. Frieza accepts but only if Goku promises to revive him with Earth’s dragon balls upon their victory. Frieza takes it a step further by showing the power he’s amassed while in the afterlife, further tempting Goku. Frieza suggests that Goku’s weakness is his interest in the villain's evolution. Frieza goes on to say that he had wished to battle with Goku once more. Not kill but battle and that’s pretty rival like if you ask me.
Now, what makes Frieza much different than Vegeta is that it remains evident that the former will not take the course of the latter. Frieza will not be moving to Earth and starting a family. If Frieza is brought back to life, he will continue to increase his power until he is strong enough to finally defeat Goku. Frieza is the Emperor of the Universe and Goku is in his way. Vegeta, of course, would like the same but I think in his time on Earth he has become a bit too comfortable with being Goku’s number two. Beerus stated that if Goku and Vegeta were able to work together in battle, the two would be unstoppable but even at the end of Dragonball Super we never quite got that moment.
And I think that is what makes Frieza the true rival of Goku. Goku has sparked interest in Frieza and caused a transformation of the creature. When we first met Frieza on Namek, his disgust was evident. He hated the Saiyans for the potential they held and what they could become but once he came face to face with this he didn’t fall back. Instead, he went off to develop himself further and each subsequent battle saw a shift in Frieza. By the time Goku visits him in the underworld, I’d say that Frieza has respect for Goku brewing… probably even trust, considering he believes that if he assists with the Tournament of Power then Goku will restore his life. Maybe it’s Vegeta’s pride that stops him from staring at Goku’s back. Whatever it is Frieza doesn’t have the same drawback. Height difference aside, he’s staring Goku straight in the eyes with a fire burning between them.
Before the credits would roll on Dragonball Super’s final episode we get further confirmation of the changes in Frieza. In the tournament, Frieza saves Goku, not once, not twice but THREE separate times while Vegeta was too arrogant to lend his power when Goku needed it for his Spirit Bomb. Furthermore, as the last minute winds down we get to experience something I couldn't have ever foreseen. Backs against a wall, beaten and nearly defeated, Frieza and Goku have a moment of reconciliation. Universe 11’s Jiren has proven too much for both of them as individuals and at that moment Frieza shows he is nothing like Vegeta. Reassuring Goku will keep his promise to revive him, Frieza relinquishes him needing to be the one above all and from that, we get the explosive tag team Beerus believed Goku and Vegeta should be. Goku and Frieza, despite their differences, unleashes a side by side assault that not only overpowers their opponent but assures Universe 7’s victory. Vegeta has long been one of my favorite characters but he would never.
Following the victory, per Beerus’s request, Whis restores Frieza’s life. Even then, he doesn’t celebrate with the team. He instead offers Goku a reminder that he will be out in the universe training and raising his army. Although Goku declares that whenever Frieza decides to initiate any evil doings he will be there to stop him, a mutual respect seems to caress the air. It may not be fair to Vegeta to demote him to secondary rival, but I must point out that he offers Goku little risk or reward. Frieza, on the other hand, comes carrying death and the opportunity for Goku to exert his full power and if the Dragonball series has taught me anything, that's just the way he likes it.
We Should Talk: How Donald Glover’s Atlanta Addresses One of Life’s Toughest Conversations [SPOILERS]
“Atlanta is an honest show”, is what my brother said to me as we sat exposed by the resolution of the fourth episode of the shows much anticipated second season. Earnest Marks and Vanessa Keefer are calling it quits… more specifically, Vanessa is fed up. I read somewhere that “at one point in life you were playing outside with a friend unaware that it would be your last time.” A more adult version of this would be, at one point you were being intimate with someone you may have thought you’ll spend your life with, again… unaware it would be the last time. Atlanta’s “Helen” opens just then. That last round of moments of intimacy for Earn and Van.
I don’t know if it’s intentional or not but the airing schedule of the show adds a little more weight to their end. When we last saw the pairing it was a night out of good times. Earn seemed hell-bent on making sure Van got the date night she was worthy of. But as Hov and Too Short said: “It was all good just a week ago.” This week the strains of the situationship are pulled tight as ever and what you’d think would be a blissful trip to Oktoberfest ends in just that… the end.
In my short life, I’ve experienced these things in some capacity. A few times a relationship has ended merely days after my version of a “ball out” date. It leaves you sitting there confused and wishing you could get your money back. I’ve also had to suffer a breakup mid-trip, leaving for what I’d hope strengthen the situation only to return with it being over completely. Being so, I can tell you one thing for sure… it’s Earn’s fault. Granted he shows at least some desire to provide for Van, I can’t say for sure his motivation is out of love more than comfort. Throughout the course of the “Helen”, Earn seems completely disoriented in the trip and it's clear this is something of Van’s choosing. There is a huge disconnect in experiences, granted Earn does eventually make an attempt to enjoy the outing by challenging Van to a game of table tennis. He said it himself “this arrangement works for me”, thus it’s only natural he do what he feels necessary to maintain the arrangement and I think that happens to a lot of people. We end up with someone for so long that we just stick to the arrangement for many reasons. On my end, it was often fear and insecurity. You cuff a girl that you’ve long fantasized about and get some time under your belt, you don’t want to be the idiot that loses it. Added to that, no fool is unaware of the number of prospects waiting readily for you to mess up. I don’t want to call it a pretty privilege because even women I do not find conventionally attractive also have a slew of options that are ready and willing from what I’ve seen.
I could also be speaking from the place of an average guy. Maybe more attractive and more wealthy man don’t experience these complications. Most of the men I know do though. And while its a burden to bear, it's still unfair to women or whoever you’re involved with. There are many men that if his spouse were to sit him down and ask him “What do you want out of our relationship”, he’d probably clamor to say something he feels will is sufficient enough to maintain the status quo. Earn’s firm “I don’t know”, was honest because of a lot of times… you just don’t know. One would think at this point, if you don’t know then don’t waste my time trying to figure it out and to my surprise that's exactly what Earn did. Instead of trying to keep a grip on what little he had with Van, he let it go. I don’t think there was anything he could really do about it but it takes maturity to be able to accept that you aren’t what someone wants. Rather, you may be the person they want but you aren’t capable of providing the relationship dynamic they desire. While I consider myself a person of high emotional intelligence, I’d argue that it's still difficult to make those mature decisions. We are a social society and no matter how much we proclaim ourselves loners, most require human interactions in some capacity.
For a better idea of what Earn could have done in this situation, we can look to Lawrence from Issa Rae’s HBO series Insecure. I’ll take a moment to say I’ve seen many proclaiming that Lawrence’s flaws began with his lack of job, motivation, and forgetting his spouse’s birthday. I hear you but navigating the wonderland known as the job market in your 20’s isn’t easy. Coupled with the fading dream and deteriorating mental health, I stand firm on the idea that anyone could be a Lawrence in this phase; male, female and beyond. If you aren’t one to deal with a person as they work through that, by all means, you have the right to walk. That was not the case here but I digress. Lawrence’s true brand of bullshit came later, post Issa. Much like Earn, Lawrence is figuring it out and on the journey, he falls into a situation with Tasha, a teller at his bank. Lawrence, like Earn, does not know what he wants. Unlike Earn, Lawrence does not have the moxie to say that. So for a time, we follow Lawrence as he drags Tasha along with his mess. From making plans he doesn’t keep to backsliding to his ex, he opens the door to a relationship he clearly is not interested in. Praise to the Old Gods and the New for Tasha’s realization of Lawrence immaturity and getting out of it because I’m sure he would have let it drag out as long as it was convenient. This could be the difference that makes Earn a better man than Lawrence, although both can be terrible nevertheless. More importantly, both characters display behaviors that are all too real.
But what can you do when a woman is fed up? By the time Van and Earn meet for a rematch at table tennis, you can already see its over. Van gives Earn an ultimatum: If she wins, its done beyond the required communication for raising their child. Earn knows it. Men know when it’s over. We know when we can no longer pull the strings we pull to play the games we play. Kudos to Earn for not even trying it, bigger kudos to Van for using table tennis as a way to show just how fed up she was. By the time we hit the credits, we are left to believe that she has dominated Earn at his last chance game, made a clear statement that she won’t stick around for his nonsense and, from how intense she looked while playing, we see a clear display of the laser-like focus a woman has when she’s made a definitive decision.
I don’t watch much television but when I do I look for two things: relatability and continuity. In its second season, Atlanta has been pumped with both. Along with Atlanta, shows such as Insecure and Friends from College also offer this perspective and its refreshing. It’s been a real slice of life almost too triggering to watch but I like it. It gives you a chance to look at yourself, present and past, and make a fair assessment of the way you navigate through the courses of life in the future.
