Everyone stop what you’re doing and go watch “Dear White People”.

I know that a lot of people will be instantly turned off by the title, but trust me give it chance. It is the single greatest show I’ve seen this year (although to be fair “Rick and Morty” season 3 isn’t out yet). But, I won’t give an in-depth analysis of the entire show…yet. Today, instead, I want to focus on the relationship between two of the most interesting characters on the entire show: Sam and Coco.

Sam and Coco’s relationship is easily the highlight of the first season for a lot of people, and it’s easy to see why. This is the first time we see that the two are more than mortal enemies who have a deep-seated difference of ideologies. In fact, we learn that the two girls were once best friends and roommates which makes their tension so much more interesting to watch going forward. They were best friends, they did look out for one another, and they loved each other, so now when they exchange snide comments back and forth we understand its significance. They explore their relationship so well, that I genuinely feel sad that they aren’t friends anymore.

But, why do they have such a divide?

For one thing, they both have very different ways of approaching the racial problems around them. Coco and Sam are both very aware of the racial climate around them, so the problem isn’t ignorance. Sam is aware of the racial divide all over campus and in the world, but she is dedicated to trying to remedy it and do anything she can to help people see the problem. Coco is also aware of the racial tension, but she is resigned to it. In her mind it will never change, so rather than change the system around her she manipulates it for her own benefit. Sam wants to voice her concerns, film the racism, and make people see the world as so many black people have to see it every day. But, Coco wants status, she wants the power, and she will ignore or acknowledge any racism if and when it benefits her and only then. That would make for a good conflict in and of itself, but there’s also their difference of complexion.

While both girls are perfectly aware of the struggles of black women there is a difference in their experience solely because one is, light skinned and one is dark skinned. Sam never ran from her black identity. If anything, she struggled early to affirm her blackness because of her mixed racial heritage and light skin tone. The fact that people don’t initially assume that Sam is down for the movement is a direct result of her complexion and leads her to be more outspoken and prove herself. Coco, however is dark skinned and has known from an early age that being darker comes with more restrictions.

People assume Sam isn’t with the movement because she’s light, but people assume that Coco is uneducated, quick to anger, or ghetto because she’s dark. The same complexion driven politics that drive Sam to be unapologetic ally bold about her blackness also drive Coco to restrict her black identity. In fact, at several points in the show Coco routinely points out the role that Sam’s complexion plays in her ability to speak so radically or be accepted. In many ways, the divide between both girls is a reflection of the long-standing divide between black people of different complexions.

It also can’t be ignored that Sam so easily got the status and acclaim Coco strived for so desperately. Sam came to campus and, in a short time, garnered the respect of the community because of she was so outspoken. Coco tried so hard to fit in, but was denied the same respect that came so easily to Sam. Coco was seeking a man to care for her while Sam was pushing men away, Coco was trying her best to please a sorority that didn’t respect her while Sam had their respect without even wanting it, and Sam was enjoying adulation while Coco suffered in obscurity. Moreover, the fact that Troy dated Sam before he was with Coco and claimed her openly in a way he has never done with Coco has got to frustrate her.

So, yes, the divide between Coco and Sam is surely an interesting part of the show and I don’t think it will be fixed next season. Sam is always trying to help the black community and will do any and everything to further her goals. But, at several times in the show Sam is too radical and the argument could be made that she isn’t always helping. Coco, while clearly aware of the struggles of being black, seems content to help herself. There are moments when Coco does seem to genuinely want to help her community like when she comforts Reggie or when she tries to stop all the protesting in an effort to save the black dorm, but she is still, overall, self-serving. The best part about this divide is that neither character is completely right. Sam can be too radical and who’s to say that someone who came from Coco’s poor, struggling upbringing shouldn’t do everything they can do to be successful in life.

But, what do you think? Is Sam right, is Coco, are they both, or are neither?