This 2010s Sitcom Had One Of The Most Perfect Valentine's Day Episodes Ever

Black-ish was centered on the marriage between Andre “Dre” Johnson and his wife, Dr. Rainbow “Bow” Johnson, as they tried to raise their Black kids in a predominantly white upper-middle-class neighborhood, but it also has the best Valentine's Day episode for a comedy. With 20 years of marriage and 5 kids together, Bow and Dre exemplify how a stable couple can bring humor and heart to a show even without the natural tension of will-they-or-won’t-they relationships. However, a solid marriage still has conflicts, and Black-ish’s first Valentine’s Day episode is exactly what a sitcom holiday special should be.

The ABC sitcom loved a themed holiday episode. Black-ish had the best Halloween episodes too and celebrated love with an incredible Valentine’s Day episode that used Black-ish’s stylized comedic absurdism to great effect. Black-ish had one of the best Valentine’s Day sitcom episodes in season 1, “Big Night, Big Fight,” which perfectly captured and escalated the powder keg that Valentine’s Day can be.

Black-ish Season 1's "Big Night, Big Fight" Set A Gold Standard For A Sitcom Valentine's Day Special

Dre And Bow Turn Valentine’s Day Into Their Annual Fight Night

Dre and Bow in military garb Big Night Big Fight Black-ish

Black-ish tackled Valentine’s Day in season 1, episode 13, “Big Night, Big Fight” with an exaggerated stylization that elevates it above many of the best TV Valentine's Day episodes. Dre’s innocent question of whether Bow is going to change before dinner is the first domino that leads to the unraveling of their night before it begins. Black-ish stylizes the escalating fight as if it were stages of a nuclear armament, with Chyron lettering showing the “stages” of the fight, like “Stage 2: Evasive Maneuvers” when Dre lies about securing a reservation at a trendy new restaurant.

Black-ish Valentine’s Day Episodes
Episode	Logline
Season 1, Episode 13, “Big Night, Big Fight”	Bow and Dre’s get into a big fight on their Valentine’s date.
Season 3, Episode 14, “The Name Game”	Zoey’s plan to have an Anti-Valentine’s Day with the girls is thwarted when Junior develops a crush on her friend
Season 4, Episodes 21-23, “Blue Valentime,” “Collateral Damage,” and “Dream House”	Bow and Dre reach a breaking point and separate.
Season 5, Episode 12, “Dreamgirls and Boys”	Junior gets outdated dating advice from Dre and Pops. Diane’s crush looses interest when she is cast as the lead in the school play.
Season 6, Episode 15, “The Gauntlet”	Dre and Bow compete to give each other the best Valentine’s Day presents.

Black-ish uses comedic exaggeration to show how Valentine’s Day can feel like a ticking time bomb for every couple. Dre meets with a “war council” of men in the restaurant bathroom, all on the brink of a fight with their wives. After their blow-out argument, Dre and Bow realize they want to embrace Valentine’s Day as their “annual fight night” —a healthy way to air their grievances— leading to “Stage 6: Naked Peace Talks.” In a perfect sitcom Valentine's Day episode, Black-ish resolves their “mutually assured destruction” in 22 minutes.

Black-ish Season 4's Valentine's Day Story Was Quite Different To "Big Night, Big Fight”

Black-ish’s Divorce Arc Lasted For Three Harrowing Episodes

Season 4, episode 21, “Blue Valentime” could not be more different from “Big Night, Big Fight.” Before, Bow and Dre were passionate about everything, but in “Blue Valentime,” they are resigned and lackluster. Bow and Dre are not fighting, but drifting slowly apart. One of Black-ish's most powerful episodes, “Blue Valentime” is a visually stunning color-coded episode that shows Dre and Bow working through two kitchen remodels, and the flashbacks are warm-toned to show how happy they used to be, while the present timeline is cool-toned to show how the color has drained out of their relationship.

Dr. Rainbow Johnson is based on creator Black-ish Kenya Barris's wife, Dr. Rania "Rainbow" Edwards-Barris. Barris and his wife have filed for divorce several times, always reconciled. Dre and Bow's separation storyline was "an amalgamation of challenging moments from their past" (via Entertainment Weekly).

Dre says “renovations are so much work,” a parallel to their relationship. Rather than solving their problems conveniently by the end of the episode, Bow and Dre acknowledge they need space, leading to a three-episode arc where Bow and Dre begin to build separate homes and lives. Learning that they can be parents separately makes their eventual reconciliation more meaningful, as they actively choose to be with each other again. Black-ish broke sitcom rules by making the audience wait for three episodes for the happy ending.

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Source: Entertainment Weekly