“How much of yourself are you willing to sacrifice to succeed?” That’s the question showrunners Jordan Reddout and Gus Hickey were seeking to answer when they adapted Zakiya Dalila Harris’ novel “The Other Black Girl” for TV with executive producer Rashida Jones.
Where most would assume competition ensues, the two instead forge a friendship under the guise of “seeing each other win.” But beneath the surface, Hazel’s intentions are more sinister than Nella could have imagined. Nella and Hazel’s bond wasn’t something that was written in Harris’ novel, but was born through the collaboration on set between Daniel and Murray.
Certain parts of Nella and Hazel’s relationship are meant to mimic that of lifelong best friends turned enemies, Kendra Rae Phillips , Wagner Books’ only Black editor, and Gordon. As seen in flashbacks, the two worked together on “Burning Heart” shortly before Phillips’ mysterious disappearance. Perhaps the biggest change from the novel takes place in the show’s twist ending, in which Nella takes the hair grease and presents herself to the office as one of Diana’s girls — an adjustment that was done with the blessing of Harris, who also served as a writer on the show. Diana’s proposal is a test of dedication – if our goal is to change this system, are your values so precious that you can’t stand by me to do it? Nella’s decision suggests that her answer is nuanced and layered.
They added: “We wanted to differentiate Nella’s decision from everyone else, to show that what she was willing to sacrifice looked different than the previous generation and her contemporaries. We wanted to have the audience see that Nella has learned to ‘play the game,’ but now she knows how to win. And that hopefully her path might help the people coming up after her not have to make the same difficult choice.