Disclaimer: Spoilers for this Episode of Ava DuVernay and OWN's "Queen Sugar" after the jump! If you haven't seen it, do not click any further (until you've seen it, then definitely read)!
We start of with Charley in a meeting, trying to get a loan for the mill she (expertly) schemed her way into buying. Just when things are looking up, one of the guys tells her that she needs to get Davis to co-sign on the paperwork in order for them to help her out because it's "his brand" that they're really doing business with. Seeing Charley's mental shift as she tried to keep it together when they told her that was rough to watch. This man has put her through the ringer and she still needs him in order to successfully do anything business related. Ever since she moved back home it's clear that Charley's the type of person that throws herself into work to move forward with her life, keeping herself busy so she doesn't crumble under the weight of everything. She pours herself into her work but Davis is the one thing she can't escape. It doesn't just affect her business life, but it also affects her personal life with Remy, who refuses to build a relationship with her until she's done with Davis. All of this building up makes it obvious why she blows up on him the way she does, multiple times throughout the episode. Finally, at the end of the episode (while I was shouting "BITCH NO"), she forges Davis' name on the paperwork.
Darla's character made a complete turn around for me this episode. I'm still a little skeptical of some of her behavior that begun to pop up towards the end of last season, but she's really making strides. Bianca Lawson nails it in every scene as Darla, especially the emotional ones were you can see her start to break down. Her scene with Vi and Hollywood during the storm last season is still one of my favorite scenes from the entire show. Like I said before, it's much easier to sympathize with her not having seen all of the horror she seemed to have cause when she was at the peak of her addiction. Seeing her character growth, from the desperation to get back into Blue and Ralph Angel's lives to her recognizing that she was and will always be an addict is stellar. At one point, Ralph Angel compares her attending N.A. meetings to him hanging out with felons, since he's been to prison. Seeing Darla shut him down was great to watch. Darla, as a character, is right where she needs to be and I loved watching her arc.
Nova's a bit trickier to pin down. After being spat on by one of his colleagues, it seems as if she's called it off with Calvin. The cold opening at the beginning of the episode showed her wrapping up some presents while she, basically, kicks some white dude to the curb. It turns out the presents were gifts for her friend that's having twins. The interesting thing is that she's chosen to go on the journey of parenthood alone, which sparks an interesting debate between her, Nova and a few other women. One would prefer to have a man, Nova reminds her that she doesn't need a man and then starts telling them to try and date outside their race (and in their gender). It's a really interesting angle the show is playing, having Nova preach all of this while stays on white dick (respectfully kicking another guy out at the end of the episode). It remind us those judging her that there are two sides to ignorance.
Not having Aunt Vi and Hollywood together just feels wrong. They were a big part of the fun of last season, but all the characters have a journey to go through so it's cool for the meantime. It's a bit hard for me to completely be on Vi's side. On one hand, Hollywood shouldn't have just packed his bags and left, but Vi should not have iced him out at every turn and given him a chance to explain himself. In an effort to cheer everyone up, Nova suggests that the two of them and Charley go to the club together. Aunt Vi is going through it. She's got her good wig on and she looks like she's on her fourth drink while drunkenly explaining to the girls that she feels like Hollywood has completely gone off the grid (it was hilarious to hear her complain about him not updating his Facebook). Everything is good and fun until Charley sees Davis with some random girl and decides to confront him. During their disagreement, drunk Aunt Vi steps in and I got my life. She's already fiercely loyal to the ones she loves but drunk Aunt Vi having your back is the type of back up you need!
And now we get to the real meat and potatoes of the episode: Micah. I criticized Micah for being a 1-dimensional character but I left out something very important with him. First, and foremast, I love the way Queen Sugar goes against the grain of social expectations. Nova's romantic life, clashing with her activist life. Ralph Angel fully supporting his having a doll. And just as importantly, Micah's reaction toward everything going on in his life. He's been stripped of his privacy, his father isn't who he says he is and, while he could bottle all of that up, he isn't afraid to show his emotions. Seeing an adolescent black guy confronting his emotions, the show allowing him to display his anger towards his dad, is one of the many reasons this show is breaking fabulous new ground. I just had to get that out.
While Micah is on a drive, he's stopped by a police officer who tells him to turn his engine off then idiotically tells him to roll his window down. Micah tells him that he would have to turn the engine back on but the cop just yells at him to roll the window down. We don't see what happens after but we don't have to. He's arrested and stuck in jail until Charley, Nova and Davis show up. Micah's name isn't in the system so Davis puts on the celebrity charm for the guys while they go and bring Micah out. Everything after that is just heartbreaking to watch. Outside the station, Charley and Davis start yelling at each other while they forget the entire reason they were there: to keep their son safe. Nova is the only one who sees how traumatized he is, covering his pants up with her jacket when she notices he peed himself. In a brilliant move by the sound team, as Nova embraces him, the sound of Charley and Davis fighting is drowned out to focus on Micah and what he's feeling inside. Absolutely nothing. With the recent news of the cop who shot Philando Castile found innocent, it's a very tough scene to watch. Seeing how this is going to affect him moving forward is going to be an interesting journey to watch.
This whole episode was a great way of reintroducing us to the characters while pushing the story forward.
EPISODE GRADE: A-
Stray notes:
-Welcome to regular coverage of Queen Sugar!
-The new opening credit sequence is gorgeous. It fits more aesthetically with the way the show is shot. Last season's opening kind of just felt like an acid trip.
-I loved the scene where Ralph Angel showed Blue, and Kenya, his corner of the farm!!
-"Get a selfie." BITCHHHHHH.
