‘The Bobby Brown Story’ on BET Part 2 Recap: Humpin’ Around

The Bobby Brown Story: Part 2 took on a lot of huge events in the life of Bobby Brown: his stint behind bars, his path to sobriety, and the tragic deaths of those he loved and cherished. In the conclusion of this two-part TV event, Bobby finally learns how to navigate the business and balance family life, but not without some tough life lessons.

Trouble with the Law & His Health

Bobby starts off still waist deep in drug use and on the heels of a New Edition reunion, gets into a horrible car accident. It is this event that really triggers a series of additional encounters with the law. In one instance, he is so high on his tour bus that he is hallucinating, believing that Whitney’s nail file is a knife and she is out to kill him. After this, he collapses in his home after preparing some drug cocktails for Whitney and himself. Whitney thinks he playing, but it ends up being serious (we later find out he suffered a stroke) and during that stint in the hospital, Whitney says they need to get clean for themselves and for Bobbi Kristina AKA Krissy (Donshea Hopkins).

Once he’s out, they take a Caribbean family vacation, violating his parole. Bobby goes to Florida and is forced into sobriety through withdrawal while behind bars. Once he’s out, the biopic asserts that his new lifestyle isn’t favorable to Whitney, who is still using. This is particularly evident at Christmas when Whitney rushes Bobby to go catch his flight. Bobby leaves to go get in the car with Tommy but then turns around to talk with Whitney on more time. She has snuck in a drug dealer behind Bobby’s back and, while beating up the guy, he also accidentally hits Whitney. Whitney doesn’t press charges, but this is still a violation of his parole. At this moment, Bobby needs an image rehab more than he knows.

Limelight & Fallout with Whitney

After firing his brother Tommy, who seemingly only had his best interest at heart, Bobby rehires him once he is sober. During the time that Tommy was no longer his manager, Bobby stopped working as much as he used to and was relying pretty heavily on Whitney for all of his needs. It seems like Whitney never lets Bobby live down the fact that she is still working and her income is what provides for their family. Tommy suggests a reality TV show as a way for Bobby to not only earn income but to change the public’s perception of him. The show gets bad reviews and Whitney says a lot of them are about her and affecting her media image. They are arguing non-stop and eventually separate. Bobby’s main concern during their split is getting time with Krissy. The biopic makes it seem like Houston was allowing Krissy to have too much freedom not parenting her enough. While this concerned Bobby, his only way to Krissy was through Whitney it seemed, causing a strain on their relationship.

New Management & New Love

When Bobby walks away from Whitney, he tries to get back to himself personally and professionally. He runs into Alicia backstage at an event and asks her to be his new manager since she has a fresh vision. When she agrees, she also firmly lets him know that it is his responsibility to end his professional relationship with Tommy. In true Bobby fashion, he avoids direct communication and Alicia ends up seeing Tommy and has to tell him herself. So, once she checks Bobby for this, they begin a personal relationship before his divorce is finalized, against her better and initial judgment. Bobby, no longer getting high, is still struggling with alcoholism and it’s not until she becomes pregnant with their first child that Bobby starts to get on track. Bobby starts to spend more time with this children and things seem to be on the rise for him until things take an unfortunate turn.

Deaths

Bobby’s parents, now older, are both struggling with their fair share of health issues. Bobby wants to move them out west with him to L.A. for a better quality of life and access to healthcare. His mom passes away first, with Whitney singing at her funeral. His father, not only struggling from cancer but also heartbreak, passes away shortly after. While dealing with this, Bobby is back on tour when he gets the news of Whitney’s untimely passing. This spurs a lot of additional hurt, pain and when he brings his kids to her funeral, they are asked to move and eventually opt to leave. Bobby isn’t even allowed to see Krissy during this day and period of intense grief. Two years pass by without any real communication between them. Once they’re back on track, Bobby suffers another unexpected loss in Krissy. When he rushes to Atlanta to be by her side while she’s in a coma, he makes it clear that he believes Nick Gordon is not only responsible for Krissy’s state, but Whitney’s death as well. He tries 6 months’ worth of treatments and has to come to terms that this is the end of her life. Death is traumatic for anyone, but having to manage the deaths of both parents, a great love and your child, is enough to send anyone spinning back to old habits, but Bobby continued to preserve and got through with the love and support of family.

The End

While The Bobby Brown Story: Part 1 had shockers (at least the Janet Jackson part for me), Part 2 didn’t really reveal any new shockers. Part 2 mainly focused on how at the lowest of lows in Bobby’s life; after making the same mistakes more than a few times, he eventually overcame and is still trying to be a better version of himself. For me, The New Edition Story is my favorite biopic of the two, but most of this has to do with the pacing of this story, Part 1 felt too slow and Part 2 felt rushed.

While I would’ve loved a deeper dive into his family life during childhood and how he has managed his mental health diagnosis, I still learned more about Bobby through his narrative than I have ever known before, so it truly served its purpose. Whether you agree with his life choices or not, Bobby is and will always be a member of one of the best R&B groups of all-time, as well as a chart-topping solo hitmaker. I may need to watch again, but his rise to fame, fall from grace, and subsequent balance of industry and family, has led to a more peaceful existence that seems to suit Bobby and was definitely an interesting watch.

Kay-B is a journalist, writer and podcaster living in New York City. She enjoys all things TV & film, world travel, great food and delightful books.

Where to stream The Bobby Brown Story