S02.E08: Freedom's Plow

[PrincessPurrsALot]

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Darla reaches out to her family to share her big news; Violet's condition worsens; Nova's Zika story causes concern in the community; Micah finally comes to terms with his emotions; Charley receives an unexpected visit from her mother, and the two have an honest conversation about Charley's upbringing.

[Dee]

Ralph Angel remains the worst. He's spent a whole season & a half bitching about wanting the farm all to himself & now that he's got it, it's still not enough.

And I'm over Violet advising her nieces to entertain the foibles of the unworthy men in their lives. Her choosing to be a doormat for Wood, isn't their problem.

Edited August 3, 2017 by Dee

[mrsbagnet]

Darla's sponsor is my new favorite character on this show.

I was disappointed to see the Charley/Remy and Ralph Angel/Darla reconciliations. Now Darla has agreed to marry Ralph Angel? Just uggh.

When Darla told Blue that her event was just for adults, my first thought was, "Then Ralph Angel won't be able to go either."

It looks like the episode description that was released is for the next episode, whenever that will be.

Not sure how I feel about Nova/Robert. It isn't fair to blame him for the shittiness of his acquaintances (those weren't his friends), but I'd be seriously bugged if I was taken to a party like that, especially without a heads-up. He's Nova's second partner who has tried to push her to a larger platform. I'm curious to see how it plays out.

[Sheenieb]

Charley and Remy's reconciliation bothered my spirit. I didn't like that she was begging for his love. I especially didn't like that he didn't apologize for calling her calculating and, even worse, bringing up her father to do so.

And motherfucking Ralph-Angel. Talking all that shit about doing what he had to do to run the farm, but then turns around and still hits Charley up for funds.

Wow, Micah's confession. I teared up. Both actors did excellent work.

I still like Robert, but I don't know what he was thinking bringing Nova to that dinner.

[AgentRXS]

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Charley and Remy's reconciliation bothered my spirit. I didn't like that she was begging for his love. I especially didn't like that he didn't apologize for calling her calculating and, even worse, bringing up her father to do so.

This.

Charley: If you need to beg the man (in tears, no less) to be with you at the start of the relationship.....that's huge RED FLAG. Turn around and walk away immediately. I know Charley mentioned wanting to feel taken care of, but Remy is not the man for her. And honestly? She should be playing the field a bit and not getting involved seriously with anyone. She and Davis not even divorced yet, and Remy is too full of bullshit and drama to be a light-hearted fling. I wish that we could get scenes with Charley and Nova going out alone, and Nova helping Charley pick up men.  I think Charley needs a good no-strings-attached screw.

Vi was irritating me with talking Nova into staying with Robert, just because he's a "good man".  What does a being a "good man" have to do with compatibility? He could be the best man in the world, but maybe he's just not right for her. I, too, am tired of Vi trying to get the girls to compromise with the men in their lives.

I don't think either Ralph Angel or Remy even apologized for their asshole-ish behavior, but Charley is supposed to hand-wave all that because they're men? Fuck that. After last week, if I were Charley, I would have told Ralph Angel that I would be providing a payroll check for his probation for Blue's sake only but he would be best to find a real job and quick---unless he agrees to honor his father's original will. The agreement would be made that if he tries to make a legal play for sole ownership of the land, the purse would be shut from here on out.

 The Micah/Davis scenes broke my heart. I don't think Timon Durrett (Davis) is all that great of an actor, but he sold me in those in his reaction scenes to Micah.

So Darla JUST got done telling Blue why her independence is important to her sobriety, and Dum-Dum Ralph Angel goes off and proposes the very next day? Ugh. I hope Darla  makes it clear to RA that she wants a LONG engagement----if not, then at the very least, until he gets to a good place in his relationship with Charley. Last thing she needs is to constantly be in the middle of the Boredelon bullshit.

Edited August 3, 2017 by AgentRXS

[colorbars]

Yikes @ that Charley/Remy development. You know, after the end of last week's episode, I was worried they were going to make Remy be in the right for his little speech, but I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. But wow, the way it played out this episode was even more disappointing and frustrating than I could have ever imagined. Not only did Remy not apologize for the way he spoke to her and the things he said to her, they had Charley apologize to him and BEG him to be with her. I am... disgusted.

I went from being indifferent to their relationship last season, to tired of them earlier this season, to annoyed with this last episode, and I'm out right rooting against them now. I really, really, really, hope that their kiss/talk was just part of the theme of all three siblings making up with their love interests in the midseason finale, and the rest of the season will be spent tearing that down as Charley realizes how much of an self important asshole Remy is. He does not like her for who she is, they cannot possibly last long. 

As for the Darla/RA reconciliation... It was slightly less enraging, but Darla still deserves better. Didn't even get a RA apology for his awful behavior last episode? He just proposes and suddenly all is okay? Whatever.

Micah's confession was horrifying to watch, but the actor did so well with it. I've been wondering if there was more to the story or not, and I've been imagining all kinds of different terrifying scenarios, but that wasn't one of them. I'm glad he got that off his chest, and I hope Davis finally does something right in his life, and takes the steps to make sure Micah gets the help he needs to deal with that.

[NowVoyager]

Ok, that dinner party scene creeped me the fuck out. Yikes! I cannot under any circumstances imagine sitting down to break bread with somebody who's that racist. It was eery... surreal how civilized the whole conversation was on the surface. Eugenics? Bleech!

Ralph Angel is controlling. A ring & some tears doesn't change that.

The episode description said something about Charley's mama. Wha happen? Did I miss it?

[Neurochick]

I agree that the men aren't great in this show; but I don't think the women are either.  Sometimes I get tired of Nova's self-righteousness, and sometimes I want to smack Charley and tell her that everything isn't about he, there's nothing shameful about asking for help and it was HER choice to move she and Micha back to her home.

I don't know what to think about this episode.  Sometimes I wonder when people say to anybody, "you can do so much better" maybe.  But where are these magical people who are "so much better all the time?"

The truth is that at some point everybody will act like an asshole, or be controlling or say the wrong thing.  Darla's sponsor was wonderful because you know Darla has told her sponsor EVERYTHING about RA.  She saw right through him and she basically said, "if you don't shape up and support her, she WILL leave your sorry behind."  

At first I was upset with Charley begging Remy to love her, but then I realized that Charley has been so tightly controlled, so tightly wound up.  Notice in this episode she didn't blow dry her hair straight, but wore it natural.  Her life with Davis was perfect and calculated; she controlled his image, she controlled the narrative.  In that scene with Remy, I felt she finally gave up control, "I need help, you take it for awhile."  I likened Charley's breakdown to Micha's, both of them were telling another person the truth.  

I guess I feel this way because I had a friend who married a man who, in the beginning, I couldn't stand.  I didn't think he was right for her, but in the end I was wrong and he was very right for her, and he stayed with her until she got sick and died.  Sometimes I feel my perceptions and beliefs are based more on fantasy and wishful thinking than what really is.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Is it me or does the singer Davis is wooing sort of look like Alicia Keys?

Poor Nova (loved her earrings), caught in that putrid sea of MAGA-ites. Is Robert a Blue Dog or just a double-agent, as it were? And wow, the coincidental timing of the conversation about immigration and the reference to the quote on the Statute of Liberty. Art imitates life, indeed.

Heh, Alexander Dumas an "undercover Black dude." Oh, Micah. But I guess it's great that he's literate and into classic writers of color.

"Break him in two like a chocolate biscotti." Well, you can't live on cookies, Aunt Vi. Some of us have certainly tried...?

Ugh, just stay failing, Ralph Angel. You actually had your son living in a house with no electricity because of you just had to be the HNIC.

Sorry to say, I was expecting Micah's story about getting arrested to go in a worse direction though what did happen was horrific enough.

No, Darla! No!

Excellent midseason ender.

[AgentRXS]

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Sorry to say, I was expecting Micah's story about getting arrested to go in a worse direction though what did happen was horrific enough.

When he told Davis that the cop said "I'm going to take the spoon out of your mouth and put something else in", I totally thought the cop forced Micah to give him a blow job and even raped him anally. But what happened is just as psychologically damaging.

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The truth is that at some point everybody will act like an asshole, or be controlling or say the wrong thing.  Darla's sponsor was wonderful because you know Darla has told her sponsor EVERYTHING about RA.  She saw right through him and she basically said, "if you don't shape up and support her, she WILL leave your sorry behind."  

At first I was upset with Charley begging Remy to love her, but then I realized that Charley has been so tightly controlled, so tightly wound up.  Notice in this episode she didn't blow dry her hair straight, but wore it natural.  Her life with Davis was perfect and calculated; she controlled his image, she controlled the narrative.  In that scene with Remy, I felt she finally gave up control, "I need help, you take it for awhile."  I likened Charley's breakdown to Micha's, both of them were telling another person the truth.  

I get what you're saying, but Remy's comments have shown that, at his core, he just doesn't like who Charley is. Last season, he fell in love with a weakened version of Charley---one that depended on him to help her through the double whammy shock of losing her father and the Davis situation. Now that Charley is getting back to herself and who she is, he can't stop criticizing her.

As for RA and Darla, they could work IF RA actually learns to listen to her and allow her equal footing in the relationship. RA is stuck to this idea of having the farm to himself with Darla as his ever dutiful wife by his side.....without putting in the actual work with either. Darla stated repeatedly she needs her independence right now to maintain her sobriety, and he proposed by saying "I want you here with me tonight, and every night for the rest of my life". What he should have said was : "Darla, I want you to be my wife. I want you to know I'm committed to you. I know you need your independence right now, but I want you to know I'm always at your  side. I know I have some things to work out myself right now too(especially with my sister). When both of us are fully on our feet, let's gets married". But no, typical RA is tone-deaf to anyone else's needs and think its fully appropriate to propose to wed someone when he's not even able to keep the lights on in the house without relying on his sister's assistance.

As for Nova/Robert.....he has the potential to be "The One" for her, if she can overlook how he manages his career. If its a dealbreaker for Nova, then it is what is. Its not up to Vi to try  force Nova to stay in a relationship she's not feeling, because he's a good man on paper. But it looks like it isn't a dealbreaker so I do hope those two work it out.

Edited August 3, 2017 by AgentRXS

[Mozelle]

Thanks to a jailbroken Firestick gifted to me earlier this year, I get to watch Queen Sugar in the morning as I get ready for work. Do you know how burdensome it makes for makeup application, watching the show the morning after? I'd finished my makeup and was in the kitchen loading the dishwasher slooooowwwwlllyyyy while watching Micah finally share what happened that fateful evening. I had to blink away tears so as not to wet my mascara or streak my foundation. Like AgentRXS, I thought that Micah was going to say that the officer had raped him, but I was still just as heartbroken that he'd had to endure such sadism by not only having a gun shoved in his mouth but for having the trigger pulled. 

The worst thing about it is that there really is no recourse for him. Sure, Davis could march down to the station and make demands, but realistically speaking? There isn't much, if anything, they can do. I was also really glad that Micah decided, rather than to roll with his friends, to stay with Keke and LaKeisha to make sure there were witnesses to whatever happened to the guys handcuffed on the curb.

And Nova and Robert. Goodness. That dinner party was something awful, but it rings so true to life. I mean, I haven't been to any such dinner parties, but just seeing how shit is going down in these here United States, I have no trouble believing that these kinds of discussions happen between courses and among titters around the piano. I was giving the meanest of mugs to Robert during that dinner scene lol. I mean, I guess I can see his "Play the game stance," but it's so icky. That said, I still am interested in seeing just how the two find balance with each other. 

[Sheenieb]

53 minutes ago, AgentRXS said:

Remy's comments have shown that, at his core, he just doesn't like who Charley is. Last season, he fell in love with a weakened version of Charley---one that depended on him to help her through the double whammy shock of losing her father and the Davis situation. Now that Charley is getting back to herself and who she is, he can't stop criticizing her.

That's my problem with him as well. Even in this episode he had an issue with her interview. I just get the sense that she's going to have to diminish who she is and walk on eggshells so she doesn't run afoul of his standards. I would've appreciated their reconciliation if he would've apologized for out how of line he was, and if she would've apologized for making him feel like an after thought and they go from there. But the crying and "forgive me" (forgiveness for what?) really made me feel some kind of way. 

Davis's love interest could be Charley's sister. I finally remember where I saw her. She was Daughter Maitland. Chalky's mistress on Boardwalk Empire. 

I don't know whether Dawn Lyen-Gardner's hair is fine or if she has heat damage. The blow dryer can be the devil if you overuse it. 

[sereion1]

Oh Micah; he needed a hug--what he went through with that racist cop was horrifying. I hope Davis rains holy he!! on that police department; especially that officer. I was channeling Georgina from "Get Out" at Charly's begging and Darla's accepting the proposal. Especially Darla; she's become more self assured and confident since her sobriety, I was hoping she'd tell RA to kick rocks. I'm glad her sponsor read him, though. I agree with the original post regarding Charly and men; she in the process of a divorce, she should enjoy being single and date other men. Remy ain't the only professional brotha in LA.

[Keepitmoving]

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As for Nova/Robert.....he has the potential to be "The One" for her, if she can overlook how he manages his career. If its a dealbreaker for Nova, then it is what is. Its not up to Vi to try  force Nova to stay in a relationship she's not feeling, because he's a good man on paper. But it looks like it isn't a dealbreaker so I do hope those two work it out.

I really hope this works out for Nova, she deserves it IMO. But note to Aunt Vi, who I know loves her nieces and nephews dearly, but, just because a good black man is that way on paper, doesn't mean he's a match for your niece. So, trying to force and make it work, when it doesn't, would be that loving in "desperation" you spoke of.

Oh lord Darla, do not marry Ralph Angel, DO NOT, at least not any time soon.

I could see the positive side of Remy and Charlie's scene as her loosening up and showing her vulnerability, but I'm not inclined to do so. I just feel like the show is trying to get me to see all that is wrong with Charley and not enough of what's right. I think her son and Nova might have been the only ones to say they were proud of what she accomplished. 

Aunt Vi is sick, I'm pretty sure of it. 

Oh and Micah, my jaw was clenched the entire time anticipating that he had been sexually assaulted. Quite frankly, he was, in a figurative way, with all that shit that cop was saying about putting something else in his mouth. Oh, the trauma, the boy is suffering a real case of PTSD as are many black folks in black communities around this country. That's what that reaction was to Blue, it was a PTSD reaction. After he was done with is story all I could think was, and once again there is nothing this black family can do about it in the way of getting any justice, not a damn thing.

Micah still has his little girlfriend, she's absolutely adorable.

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The episode description said something about Charley's mama. Wha happen? Did I miss it?

They posted the wrong description. I think that this episode summary that mentions her mom and also something about Vi's health I believe will be the first episode when the show returns in October. 

Edited August 3, 2017 by Keepitmoving

[rozen]

I still hate Remy and that Charley had to literally beg for his forgiveness...buttttttt

If the genders on this were reversed, I think I would feel differently? A business man is going through a tumultuous divorce, and the humble widow falls in love with him.  But she is pulled closer and pushed back repeatedly, and their relationship is kept a secret. All the while he leans on her to help build a company from the ground up using her expertise. He relies on her connections and advice, until he decides to pull rank and embarrass her in front of colleagues. Business man caps it all by getting a big flashy feature where he talks about everything but her, and keeps up the Power Couple image he has with estranged wife. Yea, I think I would cheer for the widow to make the business man beg forgiveness in this situation. The difference is that we're seeing more of the drama that goes into Charley's decisions than the typical TV drama where the Business Man would be a Cold, Aloof, and Emotionally Unavailable cipher. 

Soooo, RA got read for filth by Darla's sponsor, and all he can take from it is that she should be by his side forever because he needs her? Ugh, he is trash. So pathetic he talked big last episode, but comes slinking to Charley to keep the purse strings open while he pretends to be a man. Boy, bye.

Aunt Vi totally has cancer, or something. She is done with everyone's bs and I love it.

Nova vs Robert is an encapsulation of the neverending debate on how to deal with oppressive power structures. Nova is 'the master's tools cannot dismantle the master's house' to the extreme. Robert thinks ascending the ladder and being in the room where these horrific things are decided upon can be used to our advantage. I think they can complement and enhance the other, as long as they can respect the other's strategy. I think you need both angles, personally, but there are no clean answers, imo. When he picked her up and put her on that counter! When she climbed in the back of the car and purred, 'you said right here' ! When he had 'Queen' written on this card at the airport! OMG, they are even hotter than she and the cop were.

Oh, Micah. When he was crying and saying, 'he didn't have to do that' I lost it. I am ready for Davis and Charley to rain cold hellfire down on that police department. Ofc, it will be next to impossible because there are no witnesses and Micah waited so long to say what happened to him (which is not his fault). Ugh, just, ugh. The scene where Micah's white friend obliviously proposes going to a movie while Keke and her friend are so tense you'd think a war was about to break out, was so compelling. Two worlds, and one doesn't even pretend to acknowledge the other exists.

Edited August 3, 2017 by rozen

[colorbars]

2 hours ago, rozen said:

I still hate Remy and that Charley had to literally beg for his forgiveness...buttttttt

If the genders on this were reversed, I think I would feel differently? A business man is going through a tumultuous divorce, and the humble widow falls in love with him.  But she is pulled closer and pushed back repeatedly, and their relationship is kept a secret. All the while he leans on her to help build a company from the ground up using her expertise. He relies on her connections and advice, until he decides to pull rank and embarrass her in front of colleagues. Business man caps it all by getting a big flashy feature where he talks about everything but her, and keeps up the Power Couple image he has with estranged wife. Yea, I think I would cheer for the widow to make the business man beg forgiveness in this situation. The difference is that we're seeing more of the drama that goes into Charley's decisions than the typical TV drama where the Business Man would be a Cold, Aloof, and Emotionally Unavailable cipher. 

Their relationship isn't really a secret because they aren't really even in a relationship? They've kissed once or twice, but he told her to take time to grieve and deal with her divorce after realizing he was being too pushy. And now he's criticizing how she's handled it. Honestly, he's been pushing and pulling Charley more than she has him. What does he want from her? Last week he was looking down on her for daring to use her divorce in relation to the mill, and now this week he's pissy that she didn't mention the divorce in the article? I don't recall any mention of her using Davis or their Power Couple status in the article, just that the divorce was not mentioned. Surely if there was mention of Davis or any indication of them being together, Micah's question at breakfast about if they were working things out would've been about that, and not simply the lack of divorce mention.

Also, genuine question because I'm blanking, when did Charley "pull rank and embarrass Remy in front of colleagues"?

 

8 hours ago, Neurochick said:

The truth is that at some point everybody will act like an asshole, or be controlling or say the wrong thing.

For me, it'd be different if these were isolated incidents, or mistakes, but they're not. With RA and Remy, they're pattern behaviors. Patterns that do not lend well to healthy, long lasting relationships if they're not dealt with. And so far, we have not seen either man do anything to fix their attitudes. Charley apologized to Remy and begged him to be with her, so I see no reason to believe that Remy won't get all condescending and judgey with her the next time he doesn't like or agree with a choice she makes with her business or personal life. Darla at least stood her ground with RA, but we didn't see him acknowledge how irrational and unfair he was with her last episode, or apologize for it. So again, I see no sign telling me that he's gonna try to be better or more fair with Darla going forward. Had we seen either man own up to their shitty behavior, I'd be more hopeful and open to these relationships going forward.

Edited August 3, 2017 by colorbars

[tennisgurl]

No! Don't do it Darla! Just say no to Ralph Angel! It was nice of him to come to her meeting to show some support, but that doesn't make up for what a total and complete asshole he's been the last few episodes. He didn't even apologize! I think Darla's sponsor might be my new favorite minor character on the show, she sees right through RAs bullshit, and said so to his face. She was polite about it, but she clearly knows what's up. More people need to be ready to give him reality checks, and tell him what an asshole he's being right to his face.

I don't think Vi was right in telling Nova that she should hold onto Robert just because he's a good, successful black man(even if they aren't compatible) but she wasn't really wrong about Nova running off to fix the world when she doesn't want to deal with problems in her own life. She really does seem to prefer fixing other problems than her own, and I think she would be well off if she spent some time on herself, instead of her causes. That being said, I do think Robert/Nova can work as a couple, and they could be really good for each other, if they bring balance to each others styles of activism. Robert wants to work the system, while Nova wants to tear the system down and start fresh, so maybe they can find some kind of compromise. I can see both points of view, especially when they both have positions of influence and power in both the black community, and in the world at large. However, I definitely question Robert taking Nova to a party with guys like that, at all. He HAD to know that something like this was going to happen. I knew the second they walked into that party that something like this was going to happen, but it was even more awkward and messed up than I expected. This is exactly why I don't let people talk politics at dinner parties! Someone always storms off in disgust! Granted, I've certainly never invited any obviously racist eugenics loving weridoes to my place, so I find it hard to blame Nova for storming off and getting out her fighting gloves.

Poor Micah. What an awful thing to happen to a person, especially a rather sheltered and innocent teenager. Granted, when he started talking about the asshole cop taking him to an ally, I thought this was going to be even MORE awful, but that was bad enough. I might not normally like Davis much, but I do think he really loves Micah, and if he decides to rain fire and brimstone all over that police station, I would be 100% Team Davis.

Were we seriously supposed to think that Remy was in the right last week when he was such a dick to Charlie? Sorry, nope. Still on her side. Her divorce, and how she conducts it, is none of his damn business.

[Dee]

My problem with Remy and Charley is two-fold.

First, Charley owns the mill, which means she is the boss and what she says goes. Remy has been operating as a consultant to QS, not a partner. The fact that he felt he had as much say in QS business dealings as Charley is ridiculous. If QS fails, Charley is the one who's going to take the hit, not him. And since he was the one who wanted to separate business from pleasure, he has no reason to be upset if/when Charley conducts herself like a competent CEO.

Second, she has been pretty content to follow his (and Prosper's) lead(s) (after the tractor debacle) in the farming/agricultural sphere, so the fact that Remy was more worried about soothing his wounded ego, after being overruled, than finding out the reasons behind Charley's abrupt change in mood, means he's no more interested in an equitable relationship with Charley than Ralph Angel is with Darla. Using Ernest's memory to shame her later is emotional abuse. He had no other examples of her being calculating (where he was personally concerned), so he attacked her self esteem to punish her. A tactic which becomes even more repellent when one considers that she's never done that to him, even when she's fiercely disagreed with his actions/feelings.

Edited August 3, 2017 by Dee

[mrsbagnet]

7 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Ugh, just stay failing, Ralph Angel. You actually had your son living in a house with no electricity because of you just had to be the HNIC.

 

7 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

But no, typical RA is tone-deaf to anyone else's needs and think its fully appropriate to propose to wed someone when he's not even able to keep the lights on in the house without relying on his sister's assistance.

Wait, whaa? I thought the candles were supposed to be a romantic gesture. I do remember him talking about the utilities, but did he really not have any lights? Now I'm mad at Darla. Why would you accept a proposal from a dude who can't provide basic necessities? Chile, please.

[Happytobehere]

I knew Dubois was a Hotep the minute I saw that Queen sign; and in true Hotep fashion, he is right at home with white supremacists.  They might hate each other, but they are united in their hatred of eveyone and everything who is not them.  Nova best beware of Mr. I Loves My People.

I love Vi, but her pushing Nova towards Dubois has me side-eying her.  I mean this is the woman who still coddles and covers for Ralph Angel, and then seems surprised when the over-gown man-child she helped create plays at being a grown-ass man, while still wanting to play the role of a pampered baby.  So her views on men and what makes a good one are suspect.

I love shows that surprise me in a pleasant way and even though I have issues with Darla (her throwing away Kenya because she was jealous of the doll, show she has a ways to go), I find myself liking her more and more.  I liked when Darla's sponsor told RA that if he couldn't be the support Darla needs, he needs to do her the favor of walking away.  I hope the marriage to Ralph Angel doesn't go through because the turmoil in his life will be what leads her back down the path to addiction.  Although I do have to say that Bianca Lawson needs to eat a burger.  Even with the weight the camera adds, she is practically skeletal.

Remy continues to show his behind.  Charley certainly has a type when it comes to men, she just might be trading in Davis to wind up with Davis the second coming. 

As I watch this episode, I can't get over the fact that the actors who play RA and Micah are just about the same age.

[Arcadiasw]

A better mid-season finale would be to leave the relationships unresolved. I shook my head at Remy and Charley’s reconciliation. I didn’t like she apologize. I hated even more that Remy didn’t apologize which he should’ve.  Just because he’s a “good man” are we supposed to accept what he said to Charley or the fact, he’s not liking who Charley really is? I knew Darla would say yes but I’m hoping for a long engagement. And must RA cry all the time? His crying should replace the Crying Jordan meme.   

RA is unbelievable. He tells Charley and Nova he can run the farm but whines when Nova and Charley ignores his calls and how he needs money to pay the bills. He can’t keep the lights on but he proposes to Darla? How behind is RA on his bills? They wouldn’t cut him off if he’s a month late so this has been ongoing for a while. Given he is on Charley’s payroll I have to assume she pays him enough to cover bills for the month and then some. How can he think he can run a farm when he can’t manage his money to pay the electric bill on time?

That dinner. As awkward as it was, we all know those conversations are going on at fancy gatherings the one Nova went to. Dubois is a little suspect but no man on this show is perfect. I rolled my eyes at his "I love my people." Nova needs to figure out of if she wants a relationship with Dubois and not because of Vi. Flying/driving to Atlanta and Louisiana will get very expensive after a while.

Vi can just sit down with her snide remarks to Charley and Nova over them not talking to RA. After what happened, why should they talk to him anytime soon? Even though she called out RA she’s still ready to run to his aide by talking to Charley and Nova for him. She’s part of the problem for enabling him all these years to the whiny crybaby he's grown up to be. That said, maybe Vi fainted from hypertension. She could be on her way to a heart attack. It seems only Charley and Nova were made aware of what happened to Vi. Not RA. Why?

So glad I was wrong about Micah and the cop. Like others, I thought he forced a BJ on Micah. 

One on hand I understand the farmers concern about Charley and how long she will stay but with her owning and running the Mill, isn't it safe to assume she will stay for a while? She has invested a lot of money into the mill. She's not leaving until it's a success or she gets back all she has invested and that may take years. If she decides to leave Louisiana given what she knows of the history of the area, why do the farmers not think Charley would leave the mill in capable hands? 

[peridot]

I'm glad Charley was able to let go and wear her hair naturally for a while.  Remy is a self-righteous asshole.  She should not be crying and begging him to love her.  Even at the end, he was hesitant about kissing her.  I hope he does turn out to be her rebound.  She's only been with one guy, right?

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Ralph Angel was begging for handouts.  I'm glad Charley and Nova ignored his calls.  It's too bad Violet didn't hold on to the "staying out of it attitude" when she cut RA off on the phone.  I wonder what's wrong with her.

I don't know what Dubois was thinking.  He should have warned Nova about the crowd, so that she wouldn't be put on the spot.  Hearing that racist speak made my stomach turn.

I'm glad to hear what really happened to Micah.  Like others, I thought he was raped by the cop.  I hope Davis and Charley put that sadistic monster down.  It will take Micah a long time to process what happened to him.  I'm glad Davis confronted him about his behavior, although he should start being more careful about lying to his son.

I was glad to see Darla's sponsor stand up for her. I was hoping RA would be booted by Darla, but she's determined to stay with his broke ass.

[mrsbagnet]

4 hours ago, Happytobehere said:

I knew Dubois was a Hotep the minute I saw that Queen sign; and in true Hotep fashion, he is right at home with white supremacists.  They might hate each other, but they are united in their hatred of eveyone and everything who is not them.  Nova best beware of Mr. I Loves My People.

The Queen sign bothered me, too. I don't know if he's a full-blown Hotep, but I'll be watching for other indicators.

 

3 hours ago, Arcadiasw said:

A better mid-season finale would be to leave the relationships unresolved.

I got the impression that they were tying everything in a nice bow so that we can watch it all unravel during the rest of the season. All of those relationship won't survive (I hope).

[AgentRXS]

Quote

Wait, whaa? I thought the candles were supposed to be a romantic gesture. I do remember him talking about the utilities, but did he really not have any lights?

Yup, he mentioned something about either not being able to get an extension for the light bill or forgetting to call to ask for an extension (I can't remember the exact wording). But little Ms. Independent said yes anyway. My darn cats have more common sense then RA/Darla put together. Poor Blue.

[Clanstarling]

On 8/2/2017 at 9:49 PM, Sheenieb said:

And motherfucking Ralph-Angel. Talking all that shit about doing what he had to do to run the farm, but then turns around and still hits Charley up for funds.

The boy is not the sharpest tool in the shed, is he? Proclaiming "this farm's all mine" then "hey, give me some money so I can run the thing you don't own."

On 8/3/2017 at 1:18 AM, colorbars said:

Yikes @ that Charley/Remy development. You know, after the end of last week's episode, I was worried they were going to make Remy be in the right for his little speech, but I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. But wow, the way it played out this episode was even more disappointing and frustrating than I could have ever imagined. Not only did Remy not apologize for the way he spoke to her and the things he said to her, they had Charley apologize to him and BEG him to be with her. I am... disgusted.

I was all "no, no, no!" when she started apologizing and he stood there with his damn smug stone face. 

On 8/3/2017 at 3:08 AM, NowVoyager said:

Ok, that dinner party scene creeped me the fuck out. Yikes! I cannot under any circumstances imagine sitting down to break bread with somebody who's that racist. It was eery... surreal how civilized the whole conversation was on the surface. Eugenics? Bleech!

I know, right? Theoretically, these are supposed to be people of differing opinions, but there's some shit you can't just sit still for. There's agreeing to disagree with rational people, and then there's having dinner with psychopaths with genocidal tendencies.

23 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

When he told Davis that the cop said "I'm going to take the spoon out of your mouth and put something else in", I totally thought the cop forced Micah to give him a blow job and even raped him anally. But what happened is just as psychologically damaging.

I get what you're saying, but Remy's comments have shown that, at his core, he just doesn't like who Charley is. Last season, he fell in love with a weakened version of Charley---one that depended on him to help her through the double whammy shock of losing her father and the Davis situation. Now that Charley is getting back to herself and who she is, he can't stop criticizing her.

I think Micah said the cop pulled the trigger (empty gun/cylinder, whatever, I don't know guns). Which means he thought he was going to die. I also thought it was going to be what you said - and I don't know, but wouldn't thinking you were going to die be more psychologically damaging, just a notch more?

22 hours ago, Sheenieb said:

That's my problem with him as well. Even in this episode he had an issue with her interview. I just get the sense that she's going to have to diminish who she is and walk on eggshells so she doesn't run afoul of his standards. I would've appreciated their reconciliation if he would've apologized for out how of line he was, and if she would've apologized for making him feel like an after thought and they go from there. But the crying and "forgive me" (forgiveness for what?) really made me feel some kind of way. 

This. She's going to second-guess every choice she makes, just to stay with a man who didn't respect her and felt entitled enough to scald her with his words, just because she wanted to control a freaking reporter? Remy hasn't worked at her level, he knows nothing about how things can be destroyed by the wrong quote.  Speaking of which, why no info about the divorce - wasn't that her agreement with the reporter?

19 hours ago, colorbars said:

Their relationship isn't really a secret because they aren't really even in a relationship? They've kissed once or twice, but he told her to take time to grieve and deal with her divorce after realizing he was being too pushy. And now he's criticizing how she's handled it. Honestly, he's been pushing and pulling Charley more than she has him. What does he want from her? Last week he was looking down on her for daring to use her divorce in relation to the mill, and now this week he's pissy that she didn't mention the divorce in the article? I don't recall any mention of her using Davis or their Power Couple status in the article, just that the divorce was not mentioned. Surely if there was mention of Davis or any indication of them being together, Micah's question at breakfast about if they were working things out would've been about that, and not simply the lack of divorce mention.

For me, it'd be different if these were isolated incidents, or mistakes, but they're not. With RA and Remy, they're pattern behaviors. Patterns that do not lend well to healthy, long lasting relationships if they're not dealt with. And so far, we have not seen either man do anything to fix their attitudes. Charley apologized to Remy and begged him to be with her, so I see no reason to believe that Remy won't get all condescending and judgey with her the next time he doesn't like or agree with a choice she makes with her business or personal life. Darla at least stood her ground with RA, but we didn't see him acknowledge how irrational and unfair he was with her last episode, or apologize for it. So again, I see no sign telling me that he's gonna try to be better or more fair with Darla going forward. Had we seen either man own up to their shitty behavior, I'd be more hopeful and open to these relationships going forward.

This, so much.

16 hours ago, Dee said:

My problem with Remy and Charley is two-fold.

First, Charley owns the mill, which means she is the boss and what she says goes. Remy has been operating as a consultant to QS, not a partner. The fact that he felt he had as much say in QS business dealings as Charley is ridiculous. If QS fails, Charley is the one who's going to take the hit, not him. And since he was the one who wanted to separate business from pleasure, he has no reason to be upset if/when Charley conducts herself like a competent CEO.

Second, she has been pretty content to follow his (and Prosper's) lead(s) (after the tractor debacle) in the farming/agricultural sphere, so the fact that Remy was more worried about soothing his wounded ego, after being overruled, than finding out the reasons behind Charley's abrupt change in mood, means he's no more interested in an equitable relationship with Charley than Ralph Angel is with Darla. Using Ernest's memory to shame her later is emotional abuse. He had no other examples of her being calculating (where he was personally concerned), so he attacked her self esteem to punish her. A tactic which becomes even more repellent when one considers that she's never done that to him, even when she's fiercely disagreed with his actions/feelings.

Again, this. (so many great observations this week from all of you - I have nothing much to say, cause ya'll said it so well)

Although I hated that Darla accepted RA's proposal, and that RA didn't apologize or even seem aware that he should, I thought it was some great acting and very touching. Even as I was saying "don't say yes, don't do it."

Edited August 4, 2017 by Clanstarling

[mochamajesty]

Vi's advice re: men should not surprise anyone.  Many women feel that as long as a man has a job, a car, and his own place (not staying with his mama), that makes him a 'good man' - character traits be damned.  Many black men feel this way, too. How many of you have met the brothas who think that they walk on water and that women should worship at their feet just because they are halfway decent looking with a job and a car? And if they have an education it's turned up to 100. 

Dubois (Really? How on the nose) strikes me as one of these.  I am waiting on him to come at Nova with class differences.  I may be wrong. I hope I'm wrong. But something is wrong with the dude - if it's only a lack of common sense for bringing Nova to that undercover Klan party.

Edited August 5, 2017 by mochamajesty