Raising Dion: Season 1

October 6, 2019 11:12 AM - Season 1 (Full Season)

A widowed single mom discovers that her son has super powers and tries to figure out how to raise him safely and responsibly. (Netflix)

blackgirlnerds.com:
*Alisha Wainwright on ‘Raising Dion’ and the Importance of Little Black Boys Centered in Stories
*‘Raising Dion’ Tells A Fantastical Tale Steeped in Reality

Rolling Stone Review: A Hero’s Journey Chaperoned by Mom - Netflix’s charming adaptation of the comic book by the same name follows a young boy with supernatural powers — and the single mother who must guide him through the real world

posted by oh yeah! (8 comments total)

Did anyone else binge this yet? I was overall really pleased with it. Decent special effects, good cast, and I think 9 episodes was the right length. I hope that if they get renewed Netflix commits to it though - this seems like the kind of show that is always going to end on a 'to be continued' kind of note unless they know ahead of time that they're doing a series finale rather than a season finale.
posted by oh yeah! at 11:24 AM on October 6, 2019 [2 favorites]

Middling decent.. altho the greatest crime of it's writing is that, just like Lost, they bring up mysteries and leads in the earliest part that they clearly have no interest in following up on. Like... just who ARE the Fart Police?
posted by FatherDagon at 9:51 PM on October 6, 2019 [1 favorite]

Graded in a vacuum, with no context, I'd give it a C+. However, it doesn't exist in a vacuum. It exists in a world inundated with superhero stories and chooses a unique path completely distinct from the normal tropes and pacing. It has a younger hero than we normally get and portrays him respectably well for his age. And it gives consideration to how his mom copes. And takes time to consider how being black has an effect on his story and his mom's. And finally, it's family friendly in a world where so little is family friendly.

So we are liking it a fair bit in our house.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:44 PM on October 11, 2019

Finally finished the season last night and i want more!

The idea of a hero coming into his powers at such a young age is really interesting, and a single mother who has to deal with all that without having powers herself makes for such a great character to watch.
posted by numaner at 2:17 PM on October 17, 2019 [1 favorite]

Every time Nicole Warren says she's out of shape, past her prime, or not what she used to be,my head explodes a little.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:40 PM on October 20, 2019 [1 favorite]

Oh man, Pat's heel turn was perfectly handled.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:13 PM on October 21, 2019

Just finished watching this and I really liked it. The family drama stuff sometimes seemed to have trouble meshing with the superhero stuff, but it had a lot of heart and I could really see it finding its feet if it gets a second season.

I also liked that it played quite earnestly into a lot of old kid-can-do-magic storytelling tropes, while holding itself to our 2019 standards. The gentle, age-appropriate discussions about having to cope with racism and navigate boundaries, plus the final twist - the real villain was toxic masculinity all along!
posted by AllShoesNoSocks at 12:52 PM on December 1, 2019 [1 favorite]

Netflix’s Raising Dion Has Been Renewed for Season 2
posted by Tabitha Someday at 7:59 AM on January 3, 2020 [2 favorites]