S02.E04: My Soul's High Song

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Quote

Charley searches for a more permanent home for Micah. A whitefly infestation threatens the farm. Nova adjusts to a new editor who wants her to change her approach. Darla makes a decision that has serious consequences.

[AgentRXS]

Ralph Angel and Darla are two peas in an "entitled dumbass" pod. RA keeps spouting off that the inheritance is all his and how he wants Charley "to get out his face", but he has no problem accepting her 5 grand to get the infestation problem taken care of though. How can he sit there and watch her pour all this money to get the farm up and running and even begin to think that he could do it all by himself? Have several seats, RA.

And Darla? OMFG. Anyone who skips out on their shift on their new job after their boss specifically told them not to leave should expect to get fired. RA's situation was not a dire emergency where she HAD to be there. Plenty of other folks there to help.

And it seems like they are raising Blue to be just as entitled. Both dodo birds just standing there looking at Charley when Micah gets upset over Blue messing with his calculus binder.  No corrective action to say "It's not proper to mess with other people's stuff, especially without asking". Nothing.  I just can't with these two.

Edited July 6, 2017 by AgentRXS

[Dee]

I want every single woman in Ralph Angel's life to punch him square in the chest.

[rozen]

Aunt Vi gave him his number, but he won't listen. He's letting his pride do the talking and override what little common sense he has left. Even if he managed to snag the farm out from under Charley, he'd be run out of business in under a day by the Landry's. He's a walking sack of liabilities, ranging from his record, to his girlfriend, to his son who he helicopter parents out of inadequacy.  It's telling that for all his boasting about being the one at the farm every  day, he still needed Prosper to point out that 30% of their cane was infested with a common parasite. What is he doing everyday, exactly? If Charley was as messy about constructing this mill business as RA is at running the farm, she'd be bankrupt and living on Davis' porch right now. Pathetic how she literally had to save him from jail in order for him to man up and apologize to Micah. 

Also, Davis & Charley raised Micah 'soft'? Says the man ready to fight the world if anyone looks at Blue sideways, even when it's for being an over-indulged spoiled brat (which he can be).

I can see why Darla would be fired, but I can also see why she risked it. As she said at recovery, all she has wanted since she got clean was to be a part of that family. Any opportunity to appear useful and functional, she will take to try to prove herself to them and scrape out a place. RA is being really un-empathetic by placing all these requests on her time, as if she can make an objective yes/no decision. Darla is basically on parole with the Bordeleon family, one slip and she's out, never to see her son again. RA needs to use his brain, but he's too busy using what few brain cells he has to focus on how oppressed he is by everyone.

Vi and Hollywood pie business? YASSSSSSSSS, do eet!! I love that they shot Vi lotioning up with a wrap on her head. Just these little moments of authentic blackness you almost never see on tv. It's wonderful.

[colorbars]

Ralph Angel sure was working my last nerve this episode. From his ridiculous overreaction to Micah's instinctive reaction to being surprised from behind, to refusing to apologize for it at first, to his judgment of how Charley raised her son, and then his attitude with her after.

It's hilarious to see him say Charley and Davis made Micah soft when one of the recurring themes of the first season was how much his father babied him growing up and now he's doing the exact same thing with Blue. As if Blue isn't going to grow up to be even softer if he doesn't stop letting him get away with everything and attacking anyone that dares to even raise their voice at him.

But all that being said, I still find his dynamic with Charley really interesting, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops as the season goes. Really hope he learns to respect and appreciate her by the end of the season.

[Arcadiasw]

6 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

Ralph Angel and Darla are two peas in an "entitled dumbass" pod.

And Darla? OMFG. Anyone who skips out on their shift on their new job after their boss specifically told them not to leave should expect to get fired. RA's situation was not a dire emergency where she HAD to be there. Plenty of other folks there to help.

And it seems like they are raising Blue to be just as entitled. Both dodo birds just standing there looking at Charley when Micah gets upset over Blue messing with his calculus binder.  No corrective action to say "It's not proper to mess with other people's stuff, especially without asking". Nothing.  I just can't with these two.

Agree! Darla didn't make a smart move and RA was entitled and stupid calling her and telling her he needed her when Darla's at work and knowing she's in the same spot as him in starting her life over. She was right about Blue needing swimming lessons and RA was as usual not smart to see that and he overreacted to Micah. RA calls Micah soft but will turn Blue into a spoiled brat if he isn’t reeled in. He goes into people’s things after he’s been told not to (Micah’s things), wants to play with them when they are obviously busy (Micah doing homework). Blue is old enough to know better.

If RA feels that it’s his farm and his house, he can stop taking Charley’s money and find a way to make the farm a success on his own.

With all his entitlement issues, if the farm makes a profit, does RA thinks he should get all the money?

 

6 hours ago, Dee said:

I want every single woman in Ralph Angel's life to punch him square in the chest.

I really wanted to smack him for that field negro comment.  That and the comment from the other guy was uncalled for.  Among so many things, it screams jealously and “You’re not black like us because you have money. You don't understand the struggle.” It's sad that Charley is trying to help the community with her money and education and she gets these digs from people who aren't as successful as she.

 

5 hours ago, rozen said:

Aunt Vi gave him his number, but he won't listen. He's letting his pride do the talking and override what little common sense he has left.

 It's telling that for all his boasting about being the one at the farm every  day, he still needed Prosper to point out that 30% of their cane was infested with a common parasite. What is he doing everyday, exactly?

Vi and Hollywood pie business? YASSSSSSSSS, do eet!! I love that they shot Vi lotioning up with a wrap on her head. Just these little moments of authentic blackness you almost never see on tv. It's wonderful.

I didn't know RA had any common sense and you're right RA isn't doing too much on the farm since he feels he has enough time on his hands to grow soybeans. He's so concern getting the soybeans growing, he's obviously not checking the fields on a regular basis and with that many acres you have to. To not notice until 30% of your crop is infested is a lot.

 

I totally agree with Aunt Vi and her not wanting to work until she die and how some (unfortunately white and black) can think it’s odd one isn’t working at a certain age. My Dad who retired at 55 and older, retired couples who have their house paid off and go on nice long vacations throughout the year are my inspiration.  

Edited July 6, 2017 by Arcadiasw

[peridot]

Ralph Angel and Darla are truly something.  He was dying to show the letter to someone so that he can justify taking over the farm completely, but didn't even have the cash to remove the flies from the crops. 

Darla is way too passive, she's afraid to stand up to Ralph Angel because of her past mistakes.  I hate to see it when she tries to bring up something for Blue, but Ralph Angel just talks her down and she stays silent in protest.  I wish someone would curse him out!  I hope she doesn't relapse this season.

I'm really interested to see Charley's mom.  She was briefly mentioned and Nova gave a face and walked away.  Enough with the hints, show!

[Empress1]

3 hours ago, Arcadiasw said:

...

If RA feels that it’s his farm and his house, he can stop taking Charley’s money and find a way to make the farm a success on his own.

With all his entitlement issues, if the farm makes a profit, does RA thinks he should get all the money?

...

I totally agree with Aunt Vi and her not wanting to work until she die and how some (unfortunately white and black) can think it’s odd one isn’t working at a certain age. My Dad who retired at 55 and older, retired couples who have their house paid off and go on nice long vacations throughout the year are my inspiration.  

Micah may have been raised with money and Ralph Angel may have been hardened by jail, but Ralph Angel is definitely soft. He's got a sense of entitlement that doesn't come without being babied. "I want the whole farm but you need to pay for it" is nonsense.

My mom just retired; my dad retired two years ago and started a business. They're in their 60s (and divorced). My mom plans to chill. My great uncle and great aunt retired before they were 60 and they've lived a life of leisure since (they're over 80). Not extravagance, but their house is paid off, they travel if they like, they're active in their church, etc. They do as they please - they earned it. Not wanting to work until you die doesn't make you lazy. You're not going to be on your deathbed wishing you'd spent more time working.

Edited July 6, 2017 by Empress1

[riverheightsnancy]

The past couple of episodes have been very good IMO. I was wondering if anyone thinks that Micah will reveal that he got raped/assaulted/molested in jail? I am worried about his reaction and shut down. It seems that they are going towards a reveal of something major. I would have him in therapy (I say that as a counselor) based on his reaction and not eating or talking to anyone. Why is no one considering that something may have happened to him? Why are they so blase about it? I agree that all around they ignored the situation with Micah and Blue when it happened. It needed to be talked about right then, for all involved. 

[Keepitmoving]

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Ralph Angel and Darla are two peas in an "entitled dumbass" pod.

Boy are these two annoying, damn. I busted out laughing when he had the nerve with his spoiled ass to talk shit to Charlie about raising Micah soft. Are you kidding me? Then the eye rolls kept coming as he proceeded to bitch about his four years in prison, whatever. Obviously you quickly forgot about those four hard years, when in season one you left precious Blue in the damn park and went to rob  a store, threatening the clerk for money. Then you took that dirty money to give to your proud, hardworking father, pathetic.Then you got yourself roped into stealing merchandise and your Aunt Vi had to get you out of that one. Yeah, I can't Ralph Angel.  I agree, that Micah walks around as if he has never been given the "talk" and his parents should be knocked upside the head for not arming him, but no way in hell show, do I want to hear shit from Ralph Angel about it.  He picks up Blue and doesn't tell him one word about asking permission and not invading other people's space, talk about raising a soft black man, Blue is going to be a chip off the old block and right now that's not good. Too bad Darla went and screwed up because I think she sees this and knows it's not good and wants to toughen her son up.  Yeah, I don't want to ever hear Ralph Angel criticizing anyone about raising a soft black man, when he shits his diaper continuously every time he doesn't get his own way. If it was Aunt Vi, I could take it, I can't take it from Ralph Angel. 

Darla, oh lord, what the hell happened to her whole needing to work on herself? That apparently went out the window. Is she serious? I don't care about her wanting to be part of the family, Blue is her son, her blood runs through his veins. Did she seriously think that the adults in that family, with the exception of Micah, Blue and dumb ass Ralph Angel, would judge her for staying and doing the job she was currently getting paid to do? Does she seriously think that hard working, responsible  Aunt Vi would even look at her sideways, for remaining on the job after she had been warned NOT to leave? You have got to be kidding me.

Edited July 6, 2017 by Keepitmoving

[Sheenieb]

54 minutes ago, riverheightsnancy said:

I was wondering if anyone thinks that Micah will reveal that he got raped/assaulted/molested in jail? I am worried about his reaction and shut down. It seems that they are going towards a reveal of something major. I would have him in therapy (I say that as a counselor) based on his reaction and not eating or talking to anyone. Why is no one considering that something may have happened to him?

Judging from the previews, Davis asks him if he got roughed up in jail. I hope that they're not going down that route, though. Micah was arrested for no reason. That's traumatizing and scary enough, no need to have an Oz-lite storyline. 

6 hours ago, Arcadiasw said:

I really wanted to smack him for that field negro comment.  That and the comment from the other guy was uncalled for.  Among so many things, it screams jealously and “You’re not black like us because you have money. You don't understand the struggle.” It's sad that Charley is trying to help the community with her money and education and she gets these digs from people who aren't as successful as she.

Yeah, this. I understood both sides of Remy and Charley's argument, but I leaned more towards what she was saying. I get that optics-wise, it'll look bad to the rest of the farmers that she's living high, and it really was too much house for two people, but I can't stand how some black folks are anti upward mobility. There's this idea that if you do well for yourself, you're not allowed to leave the neighborhood. Living well is selling out and it's bullshit. 

Forgot to mention Nova and her editor. Her editor was right. It's fine to highlight problems, but it is important to remember that the world isn't always on fire. That's the annoying part of dealing with people who are "woke" all the time. There's rarely any joy in the world with them. 

Edited July 6, 2017 by Sheenieb

[Keepitmoving]

I also want to know more about how, when and where RA and Darla met; the fact that he didn't know she was an accomplished swimmer confused me. Like do they really know one another?  Like, what did they ever have in common? What else had she accomplished before becoming a drug addict? What led her down that path? That little tidbit about her swimming accomplishments tells me that at one time in her life she was driven, competitive, and focused. What happened? Now I'm really curious. Was RA on drugs? I don't think he was. Maybe he smoked something here and there, but I never got the impression he was ever addicted. How and when did these two connect?

Edited July 6, 2017 by Keepitmoving

[Sheenieb]

53 minutes ago, Keepitmoving said:

I also want to know more about how, when and where RA and Darla met; the fact that he didn't know she was an accomplished swimmer confused me. Like do they really know one another?  Like, what did they ever have in common? What else had she accomplished before becoming a drug addict? What led her down that path? That little tidbit about her swimming accomplishments tells me that at one time in her life she was driven, competitive, and focused. What happened? Now I'm really curious. Was RA on drugs? I don't think he was. Maybe he smoked something here and there, but I never got the impression he was ever addicted. How and when did these two connect?

They should've kept the original story between those two from the book. In the book, RA and Darla (her name was Gwenna in the novel) were married. They were both addicts. She tried to get clean, RA convinced her to get high one last time, and she OD'd and died. I'm fine with keeping her alive on the show, but that's a good point that I didn't even realize. There's no backstory, at least right now, with those two. My guess is she probably fell in with a bad crowd that RA was involved with, they dated, had Blue, and her drug use spiraled. 

[tennisgurl]

So the theme of this week is "Ralph Angel is a dick". First, he shoves around and threatens poor Micah, who clearly didn't mean to hurt Blue when he hit him, and just did it because he's been jumpy lately (which everyone is aware of), and threatens him like a total asshole! And, even worse, his son is literally laying on the floor sobbing his eyes out, and does RA go to comfort him? Nope, Charlie does that, he immediately attacks his teenaged nephew. Yeah he apologized and explained how much prison messed him up, but he waited DAYS to apologize, and that was after Charlie kept his dumbass out of jail. Dude should have been apologizing five seconds after the fact! But, no, he bitches at Charlie about how she raised a "soft" kid, which, as everyone has already mentioned, is hilarious, considering how much RA was babied by his family, and how he lets Blue get away with literally anything and everything, and will go nuts on anyone who so much as looks at Blue in a way that might be considered mildly funny. RA is a million times more entitled than Micah on any given day.

And don't even give me that "Charlie should be grateful she gets to live in MY house" bullshit RA! That house belongs to all of you, no matter what that stupid letter said. And screw you with your "field negro" comments, Charlie is working her ass of to save their business, and you just seem to wonder around the farm acting like a big shot. And you know that letter is going to rear its ugly head the next time Nova or Charlie disagree with RA about something. He will grab it and wave it in their faces and go on about how its "his" land and he's "the boss" and whatever else, while everyone else is hurt, pissed and confused. I mean, lets be real, without his family and community, RA couldn't run an ant farm, let alone his family business.

Speaking of idiots, Darla and RZ really are just a match made in bad life choice heaven, arnt they? I get that Darla wants to show she's invested in the family again, but what did she think was going to happen when she left her new job in the middle of her shift to for what was a total non emergency, literally right after her boss told her she couldn't go. RA probably would have been annoyed with her for not showing, but her job is more important, especially when she's in recovery, and has a kid she's helping to support.

I'm interested in seeing where the stuff with Nova and her new editor is going. Nova's passion for social justice is very admirable and important, but I can see the editors perspective on Nova's constant "Come see the violence inherent in the system!" pieces. People don't just want to hear how much the system sucks, they want to see some progress, good news, or at least some possible solutions. This guy has to keep a paper afloat. I think this could also be a challenge to her writing skills, trying to work with the system instead of just raging against it. The lady she met with being annoyed with Nova probably represents a lot of people who work within the system and their thoughts on Nova. For all the people who are just corrupt and awful, there are also people who are really trying to do their best to help in a broken system, and having Nova printing article after article about what a crappy job their doing wont make them very open to talking to her about their jobs. Of course, Nova has legit reasons to write what she does, but I can see how they wouldn't want to talk with her.

[jhlipton]

Oh, Darla.  I was totally sure that her hard-ass boss, who wouldn't give her 5 minutes for anything would be A-OK with her leaving, and that he would accept her back with a song in his heart.  Uh no.

BTW, one big clue toward seeing how soft RA really is is his not just keeping but emphasizing "Angel".

15 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

Ralph Angel and Darla are two peas in an "entitled dumbass" pod. RA keeps spouting off that the inheritance is all his and how he wants Charley "to get out his face", but he has no problem accepting her 5 grand to get the infestation problem taken care of though. How can he sit there and watch her pour all this money to get the farm up and running and even begin to think that he could do it all by himself? Have several seats, RA.

And Darla? OMFG. Anyone who skips out on their shift on their new job after their boss specifically told them not to leave should expect to get fired. RA's situation was not a dire emergency where she HAD to be there. Plenty of other folks there to help.

And it seems like they are raising Blue to be just as entitled. Both dodo birds just standing there looking at Charley when Micah gets upset over Blue messing with his calculus binder.  No corrective action to say "It's not proper to mess with other people's stuff, especially without asking". Nothing.  I just can't with these two.

All of this.

14 hours ago, rozen said:

I love that they shot Vi lotioning up with a wrap on her head. Just these little moments of authentic blackness you almost never see on tv. It's wonderful.

We're seeing more and more of this and I love it.

7 hours ago, peridot said:

Darla is way too passive, she's afraid to stand up to Ralph Angel because of her past mistakes.  I hate to see it when she tries to bring up something for Blue, but Ralph Angel just talks her down and she stays silent in protest. 

At least she got RA to agree to swimming lessons.  Too many blacks don't know how to swim due to the racist policies at city pools; Blue should defiinitely know how.

4 hours ago, riverheightsnancy said:

I was wondering if anyone thinks that Micah will reveal that he got raped/assaulted/molested in jail?

I hope not.  As said, jail is traumatic enough; we don't need yet another prison rape story.

3 hours ago, Sheenieb said:

There's this idea that if you do well for yourself, you're not allowed to leave the neighborhood. Living well is selling out and it's bullshit.

There's a middle ground between a 4 bedroom condo and a cabin in the woods.  I'm sure they could have found a nice 2 or 3 bedroom home in St Joseph's.

[colorbars]

8 hours ago, peridot said:

I'm really interested to see Charley's mom.  She was briefly mentioned and Nova gave a face and walked away.  Enough with the hints, show!

I forgot to mention that! I think this is at least the third episode so far that has featured a mention of Charley's mother. She's gotta be coming in at some point. I can see that causing a lot of tension or drama with a few characters. Charley, obviously, possibly with Davis depending on their relationship. And for some reason I can imagine her and Vi not getting along as well. I think we know she was the other woman, right? So RA and Nova probably aren't that fond of her either. 

4 hours ago, riverheightsnancy said:

The past couple of episodes have been very good IMO. I was wondering if anyone thinks that Micah will reveal that he got raped/assaulted/molested in jail? I am worried about his reaction and shut down. It seems that they are going towards a reveal of something major. I would have him in therapy (I say that as a counselor) based on his reaction and not eating or talking to anyone. Why is no one considering that something may have happened to him? Why are they so blase about it? I agree that all around they ignored the situation with Micah and Blue when it happened. It needed to be talked about right then, for all involved. 

I've been really curious about this, and trying to decide if I think they're leading to some kind of reveal that something more happened to Micah than what we saw. I think what happened to him, and him being "soft" is enough of an explanation for why he's been upset and jumpy ever since, but the way people keep asking him and he keeps refusing to talk about it, does make me wonder if there's more to it.

[Keepitmoving]

Quote

And don't even give me that "Charlie should be grateful she gets to live in MY house" bullshit RA! That house belongs to all of you, no matter what that stupid letter said. And screw you with your "field negro" comments, Charlie is working her ass of to save their business, and you just seem to wonder around the farm acting like a big shot. And you know that letter is going to rear its ugly head the next time Nova or Charlie disagree with RA about something. He will grab it and wave it in their faces and go on about how its "his" land and he's "the boss" and whatever else, while everyone else is hurt, pissed and confused. I mean, lets be real, without his family and community, RA couldn't run an ant farm, let alone his family business.

Yeah, let's talk about that letter RA and Aunt Vi, because I only heard it read out loud once, but once was enough for me to hear the father mention Charlie and Nova. I know I heard him refer to his other children in that letter, because I remember thinking wait a minute, he left that letter to make sure that Nova and Charlie could NOT sell the land/house right out from under his spoiled brat RA. He knew that RA wasn't steady so at least he would always have that house as a roof over he and Blue's head. But the wording of that letter was definitely not an all out handing over of that house/land to SOLELY Ralph and Blue. I know I heard him mention that land, and all three of his children and his legacy in that letter. It was written so they can't force RA's hand and put him out of that house and off that land, but he also cannot kick them out either, nope, not according to that letter. A good lawyer, can definitely extract that out from that letter for sure. 

The field negro comment, yeah, can't they find another way to deal with colorism? Because this wasn't it. No way in hell did Charlie deserve that shit. And quite frankly, why are they trying to act like Charlie is one of those snooty, bitches who thinks her shit doesn't stink? That's not who she is... yeah, when she's talking business she can cut with that tongue of hers, but I have not gotten an aura from her that she thinks she's better than.  She's simply not a country girl, she likes the modern, finer things in life, and she hasn't committed any crimes to afford that life. Oh, and shut up Remy, by the time they had that convo. she had already shook hands with farmers at the mill, the mill that she built, she doesn't have to put on cowboy boots/hat and pretend she likes dirt under her finger nails to prove anything.  She brings something valuable to the table just like everyone else. It's not like she's a business woman who isn't  interested in learning and listening to parties to make it all a success, get off her back and don't go trying to change her into your beloved deceased wife Remy. You're going to have to appreciate her for her. 

Edited July 6, 2017 by Keepitmoving

[Dee]

I hate how QS keeps removing Nova from the family scenes.

It's a gross way to undercut Charley and to continually empower hypocritical Ralph Angel.

I get Charley and Ralph Angel need to mend their relationship and learn how to work together, but the show keeps emphasizing RA's issues with, and hostility toward, BOTH of his sisters, without ever truly engaging his relationship with one of them, and how their relationship affects the other two, and the rest of the family, as a whole.

The show has highlighted Nova's frequent approval of Charley's various business decisions, and willingness come to her sister's defense, when RA selfishly tears into her; however, as soon as she's in Ralph Angel's orbit, after expressing righteous indignation at RA's recent violent outburst, she coddles him almost as much as Violet.

What makes it even worse is that RA is not even a particularly good farmer. Sure, he understands the basics of farming, and how to leverage a part of the land for a convenient payday, but when it comes to the true nuts and bolts of farming, it's Charley, Prosper and Remy who come to his rescue every single time. Charley's been paying for almost everything & helping RA avoid potential parole violations, Remy resolved the seed cane mess RA created, and Prosper (with assistance from Remy) was the one who identified & handled the Whitefly invasion.

Edited July 8, 2017 by Dee

[Drumpf1737]

Quote

“You’re not black like us because you have money. You don't understand the struggle.” It's sad that Charley is trying to help the community with her money and education and she gets these digs from people who aren't as successful as she.

1

1) Everything isn't about money. Those folks have been poor all this time Charley taking her money away won't put them in an unfamiliar position.  

2) Charley isn't getting pushback because people are measuring her blackness, she's getting pushback because she uses her socio-economic class to condescend to the other farmers and to her family. 

 

I do think Davis and Charley missed teaching Michah some very important lessons which could get him killed if they continue living in the South. Times have changed, but not that much. Money does not supersede race in the USA or anywhere that I know of. Chris Rock famously posted several videos of him being pulled over by police; the funniest being when he was pulled over with Jerry Seinfeld while doing his podcast.

I felt so sorry for Darla because that's a hard lesson to learn. Hopefully, it helps her to gain the confidence she needs to say "no" to RA next time. He can't hold her past over her head forever and build a life with her. Blue may have suffered trauma while living with Darla and that's probably why he's given a lot of leeway.  In season 1 they mentioned her turning tricks with him right next to her.

Edited July 12, 2017 by Drumpf1737

[Artsda]

Darla was such an idiot, she didn't need to leave. She was at work doing her own job, there were so many others helping at the field. She needed her job for her program, she should have stayed when her boss said no. Nobody would have held it against her for not getting out of work. She deserved to be fired, it's her own fault.

RA talks about soft and how the field&house is his when Charley's paying to fix all the things he fails to notice? When he calls Darla at work, knowing she's at work and needs to work with "I need you." He's so selfish.  What does he do all day? He'd have no field or crops or anything without her. He'd be in jail for parole violation if Vi and now Charlie hadn't covered for him. Charley hasn't even been able to get all what she's needed for the farm unless signing Davis's name, does RA expect to do anything alone? He can't do anything.

[Mozelle]

21 hours ago, rozen said:

Aunt Vi gave him his number, but he won't listen. He's letting his pride do the talking and override what little common sense he has left. Even if he managed to snag the farm out from under Charley, he'd be run out of business in under a day by the Landry's. He's a walking sack of liabilities, ranging from his record, to his girlfriend, to his son who he helicopter parents out of inadequacy.  It's telling that for all his boasting about being the one at the farm every  day, he still needed Prosper to point out that 30% of their cane was infested with a common parasite. What is he doing everyday, exactly? If Charley was as messy about constructing this mill business as RA is at running the farm, she'd be bankrupt and living on Davis' porch right now. Pathetic how she literally had to save him from jail in order for him to man up and apologize to Micah. 

Also, Davis & Charley raised Micah 'soft'? Says the man ready to fight the world if anyone looks at Blue sideways, even when it's for being an over-indulged spoiled brat (which he can be).

I can see why Darla would be fired, but I can also see why she risked it. As she said at recovery, all she has wanted since she got clean was to be a part of that family. Any opportunity to appear useful and functional, she will take to try to prove herself to them and scrape out a place. RA is being really un-empathetic by placing all these requests on her time, as if she can make an objective yes/no decision. Darla is basically on parole with the Bordeleon family, one slip and she's out, never to see her son again. RA needs to use his brain, but he's too busy using what few brain cells he has to focus on how oppressed he is by everyone.

Vi and Hollywood pie business? YASSSSSSSSS, do eet!! I love that they shot Vi lotioning up with a wrap on her head. Just these little moments of authentic blackness you almost never see on tv. It's wonderful.

This is what bothers me about Ralph Angel even calling Darla to be an extra pair of hands. He knows (or should know) just how bad things were for Darla before. This job and the NA meetings (in addition to having Blue in her life again) brought her some semblance of normalcy. She was quite clear about why she needed to continue her NA meetings, and yet here RA goes asking her to leave work mid-shift. His aunt just stopped side-eyeing Darla, and now without a job, Darla is in a most vulnerable state, setting her up to have Aunt Vi questioning her and setting her up for a possible relapse as a coping mechanism.

 

15 hours ago, peridot said:

Ralph Angel and Darla are truly something.  He was dying to show the letter to someone so that he can justify taking over the farm completely, but didn't even have the cash to remove the flies from the crops. 

Darla is way too passive, she's afraid to stand up to Ralph Angel because of her past mistakes.  I hate to see it when she tries to bring up something for Blue, but Ralph Angel just talks her down and she stays silent in protest.  I wish someone would curse him out!  I hope she doesn't relapse this season.

I'm really interested to see Charley's mom.  She was briefly mentioned and Nova gave a face and walked away.  Enough with the hints, show!

Same here. I feel like the show is setting up that Ernest lavished Charley's mom in ways that he did not do for Nova's and RA's mom, or that Charley's mom comes from a pretty to-do family of her own, considering she's traveling to Africa and buying really nice gifts for her daughter.

[jhlipton]

6 hours ago, Dee said:

handled the Whitefly invasion.

Yeah, blame everything on the white guys... oh, white flies... never mind!

[AgentRXS]

Quote

Yeah, this. I understood both sides of Remy and Charley's argument, but I leaned more towards what she was saying. I get that optics-wise, it'll look bad to the rest of the farmers that she's living high, and it really was too much house for two people, but I can't stand how some black folks are anti upward mobility. There's this idea that if you do well for yourself, you're not allowed to leave the neighborhood. Living well is selling out and it's bullshit. 

I forgot to mention how much I hate Charley and Remy's conversation also. He was way out of line to tell Charley how to spend her money. I also felt it was a little sexist as well. I highly doubt the farmers would care if it was Ralph Angel instead of Charley that carried the big bucks and resided in a luxury home outside the parish. They would probably be proud of his accomplishments and the fact that he came home to do right by his pops.

I'm not doubting that some men are considered "bougie/sellouts" but I feel that the term is thrown at women way more often then men.  I'm kind of disappointed that this show is trying to tell me Charley is a snob just because she's successful. I've never seen a snob/"bougie" behavior from her. Can she be bitchy?Hell yeah. Driven? Hell yeah. But she has shown time and again she will have her family's back and has never turned her nose up at them.  If she can afford to live in the home of her choice and to have someone else do the household chores/cooking.....then let her do her. Damn.

[Dee]

4 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

But she has shown time and again she will have her family's back and has never turned her nose up at them.  

Charley certainly can be bougie. She practically recoiled when Vi suggested Micah attend public school & when Nova offered Micah a place to stay with her during the school year.  She also believes, more often than not, that her wealth makes her the smartest person in the room. Like when Prosper advised her how to handle herself at the auction and she foolishly ignored every bit of his advice because she assumed she knew better.

The thing with Charley however, is that she's not inexorably wedded to her classist ideals. She's stubborn, controlling and exacting but also she's also willing to heed the advice and lessons from her inner circle. Sometimes it takes awhile, sure, but she eventually comes around. 

I do totally agree, however, that Remy telling Charley how to spend her money was sexist, and also driven, more than a little bit, by his own self interest in wanting to keep Charley closer to him (similar to how RA treats Darla). Like you, I sincerely doubt he would've given that same lecture to a male farmer, nor would have he gone behind the back of a male business associate (the way he did with Charley) to give advice which could be potentially damaging to a male business partner (as he did with RA & the micro loan).

[Keepitmoving]

Let me put it this way, Lynn Whitfield's character on Greenleaf, that's a character who thinks her shit doesn't stink. That's someone IMO who walks around as if she is better than 24/7. That kind of character seems to be Lynn's signature character.  Charley isn't that character. She has her moments, she expects the finer things in life because she's use to them, and she's paid for them and no way am I going to look at her sideways for thumbing her nose at sending her son, her black son, to a public school. Lucky for her she doesn't have to, and if she doesn't have to then why should she? She can't worry about offending the rest of us, when she simply had a instinctive negative reaction to the public school system. Who could blame her? Not that there aren't any decent public schools left in the country but please, no way am I going to judge any parent, especially black parent, for not wanting to deal with them if they can afford not to. 

Edited July 7, 2017 by Keepitmoving

[AgentRXS]

Quote

Charley certainly can be bougie. She practically recoiled when Vi suggested Micah attend public school & when Nova offered Micah a place to stay with her during the school year.  She also believes, more often than not, that her wealth makes her the smartest person in the room. Like when Prosper advised her how to handle herself at the auction and she foolishly ignored every bit of his advice because she assumed she knew better

I took that less as being snobby then just being concerned for Micah.  Her son is sheltered and never been exposed to the public school system or areas like the Ninth Ward. Why unnecessarily put a target on his back (I could see how the wrong crowd would see Davis West's son as a mark) just to show shes down? Not to mention, she is absolutely right that no way could a public school system provide a well-rounded education that a private school can. The funding isn't there, which is why so many lower-income residents apply for private school vouchers if they qualify.

And the auction thing? I just thought she was trying to show off what a great negotiator she is, and she underestimated who she was dealing with.

I'm not saying Charley is perfect, but I do feel she is the only one of the 3 siblings who constantly gets shit thrown at her by the community for no reason.  Aunt Vi cannot not tell me she wouldn't put little Blue in the very best private school herself if she came into money and was still his guardian.

What I'm saying is (from my own personal experience) the people who are quick to judge others with money are the same ones that know that they would do the absolutely most if they had the same money. And not one of these characters is different,IMO.

Edited July 7, 2017 by AgentRXS

[LydiaMoon1]

2 hours ago, Dee said:

7 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

But she has shown time and again she will have her family's back and has never turned her nose up at them.  

Charley certainly can be bougie. She practically recoiled when Vi suggested Micah attend public school & when Nova offered Micah a place to stay with her during the school year.  She also believes, more often than not, that her wealth makes her the smartest person in the room. Like when Prosper advised her how to handle herself at the auction and she foolishly ignored every bit of his advice because she assumed she knew better.

And?  Charlie has the means to send Micah to the best school available.  Why wouldn't she want to give her child the best education possible?  I don't call that being "bougie". I call it good parenting.  And yeah, it was kind of Nova to offer Micah a place to stay during the school year, but she was also selling weed to drug dealers who regularly showed up on her doorstep.  Charley didn't want that around Micah.  He's her child.  She's certainly not wrong for trying to shield her child from potentially dangerous influences.  Again,  Good parenting.  I also have never gotten the impression that she thinks her wealth makes her the smartest person in the room.  She thinks her business acumen and her success at business makes her the smartest person in the room.   Has she always been able to transfer her skills to agribusiness?  No, but she's still learning to operate in this realm.  She's already demonstrated that she has learned to consider Remy and Prosper's expertise before making decisions.  I'd call that pretty smart.

As for this:

7 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

Quote

Yeah, this. I understood both sides of Remy and Charley's argument, but I leaned more towards what she was saying. I get that optics-wise, it'll look bad to the rest of the farmers that she's living high, and it really was too much house for two people, but I can't stand how some black folks are anti upward mobility. There's this idea that if you do well for yourself, you're not allowed to leave the neighborhood. Living well is selling out and it's bullshit. 

I forgot to mention how much I hate Charley and Remy's conversation also. He was way out of line to tell Charley how to spend her money. I also felt it was a little sexist as well. I highly doubt the farmers would care if it was Ralph Angel instead of Charley that carried the big bucks and resided in a luxury home outside the parish. They would probably be proud of his accomplishments and the fact that he came home to do right by his pops.

I completely agree.  Did any these people tell the Landrys and the Boudreaux that they were living too large?  I didn't think so.  They can miss me with that mess.

Edited July 7, 2017 by LydiaMoon1

[Mozelle]

19 hours ago, LydiaMoon1 said:

I also have never gotten the impression that she thinks her wealth makes her the smartest person in the room.  She thinks her business acumen and her success at business makes her the smartest person in the room.

I won't talk about the schooling issue because folks really do have strong opinions about schools and locations of such. That said, I do still get bougie vibes from Charley, and I think that Dee using the above as an example is part of that.

Charley had no experience with farming--certainly none whatsoever with that particular auction or the people who would be at that auction--but she thought she'd overlook Prosper, someone with decades of experience, and his advice because it was going to be her money going toward the tractor purchase. Business acumen would have Charley listening to Prosper's advice since he'd been in the thick of it for far longer than she could have ever imagined. Instead, she let the fact that it's her money make the decision for her. 

I think this is why, even though she's learning to fall back in some arenas, she's still considered bougie by St. Jo denizens. That misstep so early in her time there leaves a lasting impression. 

Edited July 8, 2017 by Mozelle
Because I really was calling Prosper "Proctor" all throughout. Yeesh!

[Dee]

1 hour ago, Keepitmoving said:

I going to look at her sideways for thumbing her nose at sending her son, her black son, to a public school. Lucky for her she doesn't have to, and if she doesn't have to then why should she? She can't worry about offending the rest of us, when she simply had a instinctive negative reaction to the public school system. Who could blame her? Not that there aren't any decent public schools left in the country but please, no way am I going to judge any parent, especially black parent, for not wanting to deal with them if they can afford not to. 

I'm not judging Charley for wanting to send Micah to private school or wanting to rightfully enjoy the spoils of all her hard work.

Where I have a problem is her belief that private school is a better alternative for Micah because she & Davis have the wealth to make it happen.

Sure, private school might provide Micah with more access and advantages, but that's not a given in this day & age, especially for a child of color. And as broken and deficient as many public school systems can be, many are also still qualified to provide excellent education, as Violet pointed out re: Nova being accepted to Tulane after attending St. Joe's High.

But Charley never once concedes that Violet has a point, she just clings to the idea that wealth is the answer to all her problems.

[Dee]

1 hour ago, LydiaMoon1 said:

And yeah, it was kind of Nova to offer Micah a place to stay during the school year, but she was also selling weed to drug dealers who regularly showed up on her doorstep.  Charley didn't want that around Micah.  He's her child.  She's certainly not wrong for trying to shield her child from potentially dangerous influences. 

And yet it wasn't Nova, the Ninth Ward or the La public school system that got Micah arrested & thrown in jail.

It was Davis extravagant birthday gift. A gift, under normal circumstances, Charley likely wouldn't have had a problem with.  

If Micah's arrest was a lesson in anything, it's that children of color are not safe anywhere, and that presuming wealth is a buffer to institutional racism is misguided thinking at best and willfully naive at worst.

[Dee]

19 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

I took that less as being snobby then just being concerned for Micah.  Her son is sheltered and never been exposed to the public school system or areas like the Ninth Ward. Why unnecessarily put a target on his back (I could see how the wrong crowd would see Davis West's son as a mark) just to show shes down? Not to mention, she is absolutely right that no way could a public school system provide a well-rounded education that a private school can. The funding isn't there, which is why so many lower-income residents apply for private school vouchers if they qualify.

And the auction thing? I just thought she was trying to show off what a great negotiator she is, and she underestimated who she was dealing with.

I'm not saying Charley is perfect, but I do feel she is the only one of the 3 siblings who constantly gets shit thrown at her by the community for no reason.  Aunt Vi cannot not tell me she wouldn't put little Blue in the very best private school herself if she came into money and was still his guardian.

What I'm saying is (from my own personal experience) the people who are quick to judge others with money are the same ones that know that they would do the absolutely most if they had the same money. And not one of these characters is different,IMO.

I agree with you that most of the people in Charley's orbit would likely think and/or act like Charley if they had her wealth. But I don't think anyone in Charley's inner circle expects Charley to be perfect.

The fact that she's been shown to be an active listener and willing to learn from her mistakes (and hasn't snatched her siblings bald), is proof that she's making a concerted effort to grow.

I do think the farmers have judged her somewhat harshly, considering the circumstances, but Charley has also encouraged that impression by leading with her purse.

There's a lot to be said for diplomacy and community which is why so many of the local farmers quickly mobilized at Prosper and Remy's behest.

Edited July 8, 2017 by Dee

[Empress1]

I watched the episode again and RA's reaction to Blue and Micah and him calling Micah soft made me madder the second time. I wish my brother WOULD tell me some shit like "it's your fault for raising him like that." How about you teach your son not to take people's stuff or sneak up on people? When you grab people from behind, they tend to flail. There was absolutely nothing unreasonable in Micah's reaction, or his reaction to Blue taking his binder. Micah apologizing to RA for hitting Blue bugged me - he didn't hit him out of anger, he flailed and Blue happened to be at the level where his arm was. It's not like Micah has a history of being mean to Blue - I think he's sweet with him (as evidenced by their last scene - that hug was too, too cute).

I felt sorry for Darla, but I agreed with her boss when he said that part of recovery was being accountable for one's actions. Of course she was fired.

On 7/7/2017 at 4:13 AM, AgentRXS said:

I forgot to mention how much I hate Charley and Remy's conversation also. He was way out of line to tell Charley how to spend her money. I also felt it was a little sexist as well. I highly doubt the farmers would care if it was Ralph Angel instead of Charley that carried the big bucks and resided in a luxury home outside the parish. They would probably be proud of his accomplishments and the fact that he came home to do right by his pops.

I hated it too. Don't tell her how to spend her money, and don't tell her how she should live. He would NEVER say that to RA.

I loved the whole scene with Vi and her friend and Hollywood. When they made their "can you say no to these faces" faces, I fell out.

[jhlipton]

8 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I loved the whole scene with Vi and her friend and Hollywood. When they made their "can you say no to these faces" faces, I fell out.

That bugged me.  'Wood had no right telling her who to make pies for, and if she makes a pie for this one, the next one will want a pie, too.  He was way out of line.  But the faces were cute!

[Dee]

Hollywood has serious boundary issues. The show treats it as a cute quirk, when it isn't.

[Arcadiasw]

On ‎7‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 6:48 PM, Dee said:

I hate how QS keeps removing Nova from the family scenes.

It's a gross way to undercut Charley and to continually empower hypocritical Ralph Angel.

I get Charley and Ralph Angel need to mend their relationship and learn how to work together, but the show keeps emphasizing RA's issues with, and hostility toward, BOTH of his sisters, without ever truly engaging his relationship with one of them, and how their relationship affects the other two, and the rest of the family, as a whole.

 

I've noticed that about Nova and I thought that was odd. I didn't know if it's part of the storyline or the actress shooting schedule. Sadly it shows a disconnect between Nova and her siblings with the farm. Given how RA has been so far thinking the farm and house is his, with Nova's lack of appearance around the farm until last week, who can say RA won't try to cut Nova out of her share of the profits, claiming she didn't work on the land or did as much work as he. 

 

On ‎7‎/‎7‎/‎2017 at 0:59 PM, Dee said:

I do think the farmers have judged her somewhat harshly, considering the circumstances, but Charley has also encouraged that impression by leading with her purse.

There's a lot to be said for diplomacy and community which is why so many of the local farmers quickly mobilized at Prosper and Remy's behest.

Even if they think Charley is bougie, they should have some respect for her given what she's trying to do for the black farmers with the mill. I found it upsetting and sad no one came to Charley's defense when that farmer made that comment. Nova laughed and Remy just smiled. He insulted Charley to her face and her sister and her potential boyfriend did nothing. No way would I stand silent and let someone insult my family member or my guy  in front of me.

 

Unlike RA, Charley seems to have learned from her mistakes. She didn’t listen to Remy or Prosper over the tractor and the hurricane situation which I think was the situation that finally got her to listen to others. RA still hasn’t had his moment yet.

 

Remy would’ve been better off only saying the home seems a lot for two people and hold off on buying a house like that until after the current sugar cane season is over and she learns how much she profits off the farm and the mill. Until that time, she might have to spend more money than expected on whatever else might occur with the farm and mill. If Remy can't handle how Charley spends her money, he needs to think twice before getting involve with her. Charley doesn't need a man like that.

 

I hope Charley adds extra security measures to the mill. With her and Micah living at the mill, it might not be the safest place to be alone in case of any possible sabotage by the Landry’s and Boudreaux.

[Arcadiasw]

25 minutes ago, jhlipton said:

That bugged me.  'Wood had no right telling her who to make pies for, and if she makes a pie for this one, the next one will want a pie, too.  He was way out of line.  But the faces were cute!

The men on the show like to tell women what to do: Remy with Charley and her money; RA and Darla with her job and recovery; and Hollywood and Vi on just about everything. I cringed the previously week show where they made up and he told Vi to not be so quick to give up on them. I'm thinking, "Did you forget your part in the breakup?" 

[Happytobehere]

On 7/6/2017 at 8:01 AM, peridot said:

I'm really interested to see Charley's mom.  She was briefly mentioned and Nova gave a face and walked away.  Enough with the hints, show!

Aside from how Charley came into existence (has it been established that their father cheated on Nova and RA's mother and produced her), based on their comments about Charley and how she always thought she was better and the way she treats them, I always assumed that her mother is a white woman (there has always been something about her attitude that screams white woman to me).  That is what I think RA was talking about -- how she and Davis never raised Micah to believe he was black (he understood it, but was raised to think he was not like "the others") and he now can't handle the reality that smacks down the illusion of better than that Charley and Davis impart in him.  So underlying all of this is the fact that they may have been forced to swallow their feelings for Charley's benefit, there has to be some hostility based on her existence, how her presence impacted their mother and what she represents.  It could also explain the light-bright and white fetish Nova and RA have -- they came by it naturally.

[Mozelle]

6 hours ago, Happytobehere said:

Aside from how Charley came into existence (has it been established that their father cheated on Nova and RA's mother and produced her), based on their comments about Charley and how she always thought she was better and the way she treats them, I always assumed that her mother is a white woman (there has always been something about her attitude that screams white woman to me).  That is what I think RA was talking about -- how she and Davis never raised Micah to believe he was black (he understood it, but was raised to think he was not like "the others") and he now can't handle the reality that smacks down the illusion of better than that Charley and Davis impart in him.  So underlying all of this is the fact that they may have been forced to swallow their feelings for Charley's benefit, there has to be some hostility based on her existence, how her presence impacted their mother and what she represents.  It could also explain the light-bright and white fetish Nova and RA have -- they came by it naturally.

It hasn't been established, but they've hinted at it. There was a comment last season about how Charley only spent summers on the farm. The fact that both RA and Nova are dark skinned (as was Ernest) leads me to believe that they're both from the same mom and dad. I wouldn't be surprised if Charley's mom is white, but I'd guess more that her mom is a (light skinned) Vanessa Williams type rather than white. Given that they're in Louisiana, she could even be of Creole heritage. 

Regarding the second bold, while I have wondered about RA and Darla, I don't know if one light skinned woman he's dealt with since at least high school (? How old is RA supposed to be? I'm saying high school because I know that Kofi Siriboe is only 23, but I don't know if RA is supposed to older than that by several years...) can be classified a fetish. DIdn't he also go out with Roberta super briefly? She's firmly brown skinned.

Nova, on the other hand, I find interesting because we haven't seen her in anything that could even be classified as (remotely) long term with a Black man. She did have something longish (for Nova, I suppose) with Chantal, a Black woman. But for the men, it's largely been non-Black. I wonder if the writers plan to explore something like Nova subconsciously not choosing Black men because her father stepped out on her mother.

Edited July 9, 2017 by Mozelle

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, Mozelle said:

It hasn't been established, but they've hinted at it. There was a comment last season about how Charley only spent summers on the farm. The fact that both RA and Nova are dark skinned (as was Ernest) leads me to believe that they're both from the same mom and dad. I wouldn't be surprised if Charley's mom is white, but I'd guess more that her mom is a (light skinned) Vanessa Williams type rather than white. Given that they're in Louisiana, she could even be of Creole heritage. 

I thoughtit came out when Charley called Nova out for being with Calvin, in the same fight when Nova called her a bougie bitch. Vi asked Nova if she was messing around with someone's husband and Nova said they broke up, and then Vi asked something about if Nova remembered how hard it was for her mother when her father stepped out with Charley's mother. Did I make that up? I think there was a whole discussion about it on the boards. I can't remember which episode it was, otherwise I'd try to find it.

Edit: found it.

Edited July 9, 2017 by Empress1

[jhlipton]

20 hours ago, Arcadiasw said:

I hope Charley adds extra security measures to the mill. With her and Micah living at the mill, it might not be the safest place to be alone in case of any possible sabotage by the Landry’s and Boudreaux.

Security from outside of Louisiana, so she knows they can be trusted,  Because it is totally in the Landreaux's character to try to fire-bomb or otherwise destroy the mill.

6 hours ago, Mozelle said:

Nova, on the other hand, I find interesting because we haven't seen her in anything that could even be classified as (remotely) long term with a Black man. She did have something longish (for Nova, I suppose) with Chantal, a Black woman. But for the men, it's largely been non-Black. I wonder if the writers plan to explore something like Nova subconsciously not choosing Black men because her father stepped out on her mother.

She did seem in interested in Dr Dubois, ao I'm not sure we can make any assumptions.

[Mozelle]

10 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I thoughtit came out when Charley called Nova out for being with Calvin, in the same fight when Nova called her a bougie bitch. Vi asked Nova if she was messing around with someone's husband and Nova said they broke up, and then Vi asked something about if Nova remembered how hard it was for her mother when her father stepped out with Charley's mother. Did I make that up? I think there was a whole discussion about it on the boards. I can't remember which episode it was, otherwise I'd try to find it.

Edit: found it.

Thanks, Empress! I couldn't remember if it had been explicitly stated that Charley was a result of an affair. But even from the first episode when learned of the sibling order (Nova --> Charley --> Ralph Angel) I had a thought that Charley was an outside baby.

4 hours ago, jhlipton said:

Security from outside of Louisiana, so she knows they can be trusted,  Because it is totally in the Landreaux's character to try to fire-bomb or otherwise destroy the mill.

She did seem in interested in Dr Dubois, ao I'm not sure we can make any assumptions.

Oh, Nova definitely seemed interested in Dr. DuBois. I hope they bring him back for some sort of symposium at Tulane or something so he and Nova can link up. I was just thinking that of the men (and woman) we've definitely seen with Nova--whether long(ish) term like Calvin and Chantal, or a quick lay like the others we saw at the start of this season--they haven't been Black men. 

[jhlipton]

23 minutes ago, Mozelle said:

Nova definitely seemed interested in Dr. DuBois. I hope they bring him back for some sort of symposium at Tulane or something so he and Nova can link up. I was just thinking that of the men (and woman) we've definitely seen with Nova--whether long(ish) term like Calvin and Chantal, or a quick lay like the others we saw at the start of this season--they haven't been Black men. 

Based on our sample size of three, it's hard to say.  It's quite possible that Nova has a bias against black men (due to her daddy stepping out).  But I think she'll want Dr Dubois (with that name he should have been a blogger going by Web-Dubois...) to come for a SINposium!

[Happytobehere]

13 hours ago, Mozelle said:

It hasn't been established, but they've hinted at it. There was a comment last season about how Charley only spent summers on the farm. The fact that both RA and Nova are dark skinned (as was Ernest) leads me to believe that they're both from the same mom and dad. I wouldn't be surprised if Charley's mom is white, but I'd guess more that her mom is a (light skinned) Vanessa Williams type rather than white. Given that they're in Louisiana, she could even be of Creole heritage. 

Regarding the second bold, while I have wondered about RA and Darla, I don't know if one light skinned woman he's dealt with since at least high school (? How old is RA supposed to be? I'm saying high school because I know that Kofi Siriboe is only 23, but I don't know if RA is supposed to older than that by several years...) can be classified a fetish. DIdn't he also go out with Roberta super briefly? She's firmly brown skinned.

Nova, on the other hand, I find interesting because we haven't seen her in anything that could even be classified as (remotely) long term with a Black man. She did have something longish (for Nova, I suppose) with Chantal, a Black woman. But for the men, it's largely been non-Black. I wonder if the writers plan to explore something like Nova subconsciously not choosing Black men because her father stepped out on her mother.

I think there is some merit to your comments regarding Nova.  I found Vi's (I think it was Vi) about Nova basically not being around the farm since her mother (which I took to mean the mother's death).  I found that interesting because it's one thing to not be interested in the farm because it is not your thing, but not going around there at all?  Not knowing the time-frame of the mother's death to RA going to jail,  makes it hard for me to speak definitively, but I feel that something is there.

I think you are right about my speculation about fetish in regards to RA.  I put him in there because I have know idea how he and Darla were in a relationship seeing as they don't seem to know anything about each other.  Based on VI's comments last season, it was clear that he and Darla were not childhood friends who just fell into a relationship.  But again, absent more of a back-story, it's too early to call.

I meant to mention this in my original post, but the show needs to do a better job at incorporating Nova into the family dynamic.  For me, her never-ending soapboxes and her rare interactions with her family scream that Nova is a character created for the show, who is there to speak on the issues black people face.  However, this does not make her an integral part of the story.  She comes across as a sideline character whose relationship to the rest of the family is an afterthought.  I also want to know what happened with Calvin because I feel that these white guys she is sleeping with are her ways of finding comfort for Calvin's absence in her life.

[mrsbagnet]

On 7/8/2017 at 6:10 PM, Arcadiasw said:

Even if they think Charley is bougie, they should have some respect for her given what she's trying to do for the black farmers with the mill. I found it upsetting and sad no one came to Charley's defense when that farmer made that comment. Nova laughed and Remy just smiled. He insulted Charley to her face and her sister and her potential boyfriend did nothing. No way would I stand silent and let someone insult my family member or my guy  in front of me.

I wouldn't say the farmer insulted her, or at least, there was no malice in his comment. I thought he was just ribbing her, like you do with people who are part of your family or your group. I think the whole topic was a bit raw for her after Remy's speech at lunch and because of Ralph Angel's comments earlier that day. If those two things hadn't happened, she would probably have taken the farmer's comments as the teasing they were meant to be.

[Dee]

I love Nova (like I love Charley) but she can err on the bourgie side at times too.

She certainly enjoys the privilege and creature comforts her profession affords her, and she doesn't relish arduous farm work any more than Charley, she just gets more of a pass (from the rest of their family & the community) because she remained closer to home than Charley did.

[Sheenieb]

I said what I said and I stand by it. Charley can be hardheaded, though that's a common theme with all of the Bordelon siblings, but I don't read snobby from her. Pampered, sure, but snob, nah. If she were, I doubt she'd give a shit about trying to get the mill and farm up and running. She would've bowed out, sold her share, and gone back to living large in LA. She worked for what she has, she's smart, and she should live wherever and however she wants. Instead of parsing one line of my response, I did say that I understood both sides of her argument with Remy, but I leaned moreso towards Charley's side of things.

[Drumpf1737]

5 hours ago, Sheenieb said:

If she were, I doubt she'd give a shit about trying to get the mill and farm up and running

That's guilt. Her father called her for help and she brushed off his calls (see Season 1). A combination of guilt and the challenge of beating the other family is what sustains Charley not any kind of dedication to or understanding of, this community.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Sugary Ones,

A quick reminder - If you have an issue with a post, report it.  Don't engage.  The Mods will review the post to see if it is inappropriate.  We are all here to discuss Queen Sugar, from the lightweight topics to the much more serious issues that are raised on this show. 

Thanks for posting and adding to the discussion.

PPAL

[Clanstarling]

On 7/6/2017 at 1:01 PM, jhlipton said:

Oh, Darla.  I was totally sure that her hard-ass boss, who wouldn't give her 5 minutes for anything would be A-OK with her leaving, and that he would accept her back with a song in his heart.  Uh no.

I was actually surprised that it seemed he'd have been okay if it had been a "sort of" emergency with Blue, but he was definitely clear that it was not okay for her to leave to help RA. I actually liked his comment (while still feeling sorry for Darla) about how part of the program is accepting the consequences of your actions.  There are a number of characters that applies to on this show.

On 7/8/2017 at 2:54 PM, Dee said:

Hollywood has serious boundary issues. The show treats it as a cute quirk, when it isn't.

I sure thought that story line would go differently. Vi had a seriously pissed off look on her face when Hollywood offered up his help, and I expected she'd give him a talking to when she got home. But she seemed cheerful enough to clean up his mess. I thought it hilarious, though, that she made no comment when he "separated" the eggs just by cracking them open and putting them all in the same bowl.  I noticed, though, that he offered to help with the pies - but not the seriously disgusting toilet. LOL.

[jhlipton]

2 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

I was actually surprised that it seemed he'd have been okay if it had been a "sort of" emergency with Blue, but he was definitely clear that it was not okay for her to leave to help RA. I actually liked his comment (while still feeling sorry for Darla) about how part of the program is accepting the consequences of your actions.

I'm glad Darla didn't lie and say she needed to leave for Blue.  (The National Family Leave Act my have required the boss to give Darla time off for Blue, so I'm not sure it was out of "sympathy".  RA isn't her husband so it wouldn't apply to him.)  And, yes, it was good for her to face the consequences of her actions.