![]() At a time when she feels controlled by her mother and other adults around her, being a leader of these factions has given her a sense of control, respect, and identity that she is unwilling to give up. We’re not given too much of a background story for the majority of the characters, but we learn enough about Selah to deconstruct her actions. Lord John Acton once wrote, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” As we learn more about Selah (including an unraveling mystery of what happened to an unseen character named Tila), we see how this power has gone to her head. Being the leader of The Spades has provided Selah with a certain power that, at times, is utilized in vicious and unforgiving ways. Paloma’s arrival amidst growing tensions between some of the factions at the school sets the rest of the story in motion as she is befriended (or, arguably, targeted) by Selah who sees the younger girl as a potential protégée to her legacy once Selah graduates and moves onto college a big step in her future that she isn’t quite ready to take. No one’s consequences are more brutal than Selah’s, who encourages violence as a lesson. RELATED: Amazon’s Selah and The Spades Trailer: Power Needs a Protégée Selah’s crew, consisting of her right-hand man Maxxie (Jharrel Jerome) and newcomer Paloma (Celeste O’Connor), supply the booze, pills, powders, and fun, considering it “a kindness” to “push you past your limit.” The biggest rule among the factions is not being a rat, for the “only consequences they’re concerned with are the ones they impose themselves.” ![]() The groups themselves essentially run like an adolescent crime syndicate, each playing a part in allowing the student body to engage in their respective vices. My expectations of Selah and The Spades were quickly subverted as the tale plays out like a gangster movie embroiled in a high school cliquey drama, one that takes some seriously dark turns as we learn more about Selah and why The Spades are the overall rulers of the school. As the leader of the most powerful faction, Selah walks a fine line between being feared and loved, struggling with the icy judgments and demands of perfection from her mother (played by Suits’ Gina Torres) and the unimaginable standards those closest to her are required to live up to. ![]() Tayarisha Poe’s feature directorial debut centers on Selah Summers (Lovie Simone), the head of The Spades, one of the five factions who run the underground life of Haldwell School, a prestigious east coast boarding school. CS Review: Amazon’s Selah and The Spades from Tayarisha Poe
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