S03.E03 Your Distant Destiny

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Description not available yet, so just guessing.

RA is sad some more about the DNA results.  He attempts to offset his sadness with his penis.

Nova continues to look incredible while making decisions that limit her ability to move forward professionally. 

Charlie gets more shade from Remy, who is nowhere near as a great of a man as he thinks he is.

Vi rocks some great wigs while foolishly refusing help from Hollywood.

[mrsbagnet]

Is everyone's DVR set to record the episode? It got erased from my To Do for some reason (again).

[Neurochick]

This family makes me ill.  I mean even MLK sat down with LBJ, knowing the man was racists.  It’s called getting shit done, it’s called being stealth.

[AgentRXS]

The Bordelons are so ignorant sometimes.I am so tired of them ganging up on Charley every time she does something beyond their understanding. None of them are major business players, and none of them are personally invested in the mill (besides RA, who is on her side) so they all need to STFU. I don't see Charley telling Vi how to handle her pie business or schooling Nova on how to handle her book deal. Charley's a big girl and can handle whatever comes her way.

Other then that, this episode just felt like filler, to be honest. This is the first episode that kind of bored me in quite sometime.

[Dee]

I love Charley, but the fact that the only member of the family who was staunchly on her side was Ralph Angel should've been a sign that her plan is doomed.

Also, it was pretty mean of her to insinuate Hollywood isn't family. He's a  jerk sometimes, but he truly is committed to that family.

Micah needs to hop off his high horse. If his mom is willing to trust his judgment, he should be willing to return the favor. It was great seeing Nova set him straight.

Speaking of high horses, Ralph Angel had some nerve acting high & mighty with the ex-con he hired. It wasn't that long ago he was in a similar position.

The show HAS to stop writing Blue like a two year old. It's like nails on a chalkboard.

Hollywood looks way too old to be in his early forties.

Welcome Back, Darla!

[Rae Spellman]

9 minutes ago, Dee said:

Hollywood looks way too old to be in his early forties.

I'm around Hollywood's age. The actors cast to play Hollywood's classmates looked like they would have graduated well before '93. Whatever age he looks, Omar Dorsey is around the age Hollywood is supposed to be. Now we know there's an 18 year difference between Vi (c/o '75) and Hollywood. 

1 hour ago, AgentRXS said:

I don't see Charley telling Vi how to handle her pie business or schooling Nova on how to handle her book deal.

Hollywood told Charley to back off when she gave her opinion about what he should do with his settlement money.  Charley also asked Nova if she wanted a manager. Charley is also misleading the community. So her actions don't just impact her. 

[Arcadiasw]

So Nova didn’t realize all the stories she wrote for her newspaper can’t be used for her book if she leaves? I’m not a published author but even I knew there was a chance of that happening. Also, wouldn’t a publisher want Nova to write new material instead of a collection of her other writing from another company?

Here comes the vultures. As soon as you get money, the vultures come circling. The barbershop idea seems good but Hollywood better make sure he doesn’t get taken. Charmaine knew what she was doing ignoring Vi then later accusing her of being Hollywood’s mother. Another vulture.

Micah gets too much freedom. I wouldn’t allow my kid to quit private school for Micah’s reasons. Asha could be trouble and there’s obvious history between Keke and Asha. Why Keke isn’t giving him a heads up, I don’t know.  

8 hours ago, Dee said:

I love Charley, but the fact that the only member of the family who was staunchly on her side was Ralph Angel should've been a sign that her plan is doomed.

 

That makes me nervous, too! 

 

8 hours ago, RaeSpellman said:

I'm around Hollywood's age. The actors cast to play Hollywood's classmates looked like they would have graduated well before '93. Whatever age he looks, Omar Dorsey is around the age Hollywood is supposed to be. Now we know there's an 18 year difference between Vi (c/o '75) and Hollywood. 

Hollywood told Charley to back off when she gave her opinion about what he should do with his settlement money.  Charley also asked Nova if she wanted a manager. Charley is also misleading the community. So her actions don't just impact her. 

Charley wasn’t giving bad advice. She told Hollywood he should invest his money and make it work for him. Hollywood told her to back off but he seem to have listened since he’s thinking about investing in a barbershop. If Charley was Nova’s manager perhaps she would’ve advised Nova to not quit her job which means Nova could’ve used her stories from her paper for her book.

Edited June 7, 2018 by Arcadiasw

[AgentRXS]

8 hours ago, RaeSpellman said:

I'm around Hollywood's age. The actors cast to play Hollywood's classmates looked like they would have graduated well before '93

I was a little taken aback when I saw that he graduated high school in '93 myself. Omar Dorsey does look a bit older than his age and maybe its the role he is in as well. Hollywood's classmates easily looked like they graduated closer to Vi's year than 1993, including that woman who had the nerve to try and be slick over Vi's age.

[Chick2Chic]

I haven't watched the ep yet but I am just curious... Is the family offering any alternative ways Charley can save the business / recoup money or are they just offering judgment a la Remy for the plan she came up with?

[Joimiaroxeu]

I might could've had some respect for Hollywood's former classmate trying to make a run at him if she hadn't been so obvious about it and needlessly disrespectful toward Vi. He's not married, yet. But those cracks about Vi being Hollywood's mother and not looking a day over 25 were uncalled for.

Guess Nova learned that lesson about counting your chickens before they're hatched.

[Arcadiasw]

42 minutes ago, Chick2Chic said:

I haven't watched the ep yet but I am just curious... Is the family offering any alternative ways Charley can save the business / recoup money or are they just offering judgment a la Remy for the plan she came up with?

Offering judgment. 

[tennisgurl]

So its time for another round of "everyone is an asshole to Charley", everyone's favorite pastime! Poor Charley is trying so hard to do what she can to save their land, and everyone elses, and all she gets is shit because she has to play rough to win. She isnt "selling out her family and people" shes trying to save them, why can they see that?! Yeah, Novas protests and think pieces are great and important, but sometimes that just not enough to make real change. At least Nova showed some understanding when Micah was being shitty towards her, and she realized that dissing Charley and calling her a traitor in front of her teenage son was a crappy thing to do. I mean, does anyone have any other plans they want to put fourth? 

I will say Charley saying Hollywood isnt family was uncool. He might not be blood, but he is clearly a part of their family, despite his mistakes. Speaking of, sounds like the vultures are out to get Hollywood's money already. Also, no way does Vi look like Hollywood's mom. Come the fuck on. 

Sad when RA is the only person who seems to have Charlies back. Of course, RA still manages to act like a dick towards the ex con he hired for the farm. Oh, he was 20 minutes late and didnt wear overalls? At least he probably didnt pay his bus fair with money he got robbing a 7/11 at gun point unlike that some recently released cons I could mention! He could also maybe shut the door while his booty call is over? I did like seeing him support Charley though, at least someone appreciates her. I swear, I will be so pissed if this all falls apart, and everyone I Told You So`s over Charley. Also, how long until he hooks up with the daughter of his new employer? Anyway wanna take bets?

Micah leaving private school for public school to be around a more diverse student population is almost exactly the plot they did with Junior this season on Black-ish. 

Nova looks so great all of the time. Does this show have a fashion blog I could follow? 

[LilWharveyGal]

I must have blinked and missed RA's connection to the dock workers, but run away, Miss Trinh!

[Dee]

6 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I mean, does anyone have any other plans they want to put fourth?

The thing is Charley knew how people, especially her family, would react, hence her keeping her plans secret.

Yes, her intentions are noble, but as Vi told her and her siblings in the past, Ernest spent his whole life trying to extricate himself from the Landry/Boudreaux grip and failed.

Charley has more resources than her father could've ever hoped to have at her disposal, but he was far more experienced and that still wasn't enough.

Charley isn't just trying to make things equal, she's trying to destroy systemic racism as a whole. And that, even under the best circumstances, just isn't possible.

So I can understand why the rest of her family is rightfully concerned about her plans. Change is great in theory, however, it's not always realistic in practice.

[Chick2Chic]

1 hour ago, Arcadiasw said:

Offering judgment. 

Thanks. That's what I thought. 

I don't have an issue if the family doesn't agree with Charley's choice. It happens. I just get annoyed that they want to offer judgment but no alternatives or their own game plans to replace Charley's plan.

They don't like Charley's method then fine but I need the rest of the family to bring something more to the table than sour faces and reproof. Give her alternatives to her plan that she can put in play.  

[tennisgurl]

5 minutes ago, Chick2Chic said:

They don't like Charley's method then fine but I need the rest of the family to bring something more to the table than sour faces and reproof. Give her alternatives to her plan that she can put in play.  

Yeah thats where I am. I can understand why the family doesn't approve of what Charley is doing, and its fine that they think its a bad idea. Maybe it is a bad idea, I dont know. Its more how they handled it than what their actual thoughts were. Not only did they have no other possible solutions, but they all started ganging up on her and telling her what a traitor she was, and acting like she is some selfish money grubber. Charley isnt a perfect person by any means, and you can certainly make a case that Charley is making a bad call, but she certainly isnt doing this to betray anyone, or to just make money and get more power. If she wanted only money and power, she wouldn't still be at Queen Sugar at all. She really is trying to help in the best way she knows how. Really, its just like what Nova said to Micah later. Actually, maybe that tied into the conversation RA had with the dock workers sister about how big sisters and parents are proud, but dont always say it to your face. Nova says nice things about how Micah should be proud of how smart and awesome Charley behind her back, but didnt say that to her face.

[Dee]

Nova has told Charley how smart and awesome she is many times in the past. It was Nova who supported her little sister, wholeheartedly, when she decided to launch Queen Sugar.

Nova's issue, at least in this case, was how Charley handled the situation.

Charley is playing with a lot of lives in her quest for vengeance. Instead of consulting her family prior to making huge decisions, that likely will affect them all, in the future, Charley acts upset that they don't immediately support her plan.

The family was right to feel a certain way about her actions, given all of them (save Ralph Angel), supported her when she was transparent about her motives behind founding Queen Sugar.

Expecting the rest of the family to have an alternative plan to combat the Landrys when they were just learning of Charley/Rah's scheme is unrealistic imo.

Edited June 7, 2018 by Dee

[Chick2Chic]

8 minutes ago, Dee said:

Expecting the rest of the family to have an alternative plan to combat the Landrys when they were just learning of Charley/Rah's scheme is unrealistic imo.

I'll wait to give a full opinion on this post ep watch but at face value, I somewhat disagree. The fam doesn't need a bullet point plan to combat Charley's plan but some people can think on their feet and offer up options in the face of things they don't like / that suck and not just be totally about anger and recriminations. Heck, Remy's offered nothing but judgment and he's been known what's going on.  I think the difference for me is that it seems like the fam usually doesn't have a plan for anything in the face of adversity or problems because a common narrative of the show is about them coming together when bad things happen more than it is being allowed to actually resolve things. I would bet 3 months will pass in the show's timeline and no one else in the family will have come up with alternatives for Charley cause it doesn't seem to be how the show works. And it's not even that I think Charley's plan is all that good. But it's something, at least. 

I will always side-eye Nova judging Charley on things after she unapologetically took that 10k without telling anyone, but I know others have different feelings on that. So while I mostly like Nova, her tendency to get up on a high horse and leap before looking isn't a solid foundation to question others choices on doing what they think is best IMO.  

I did see the promo for ep 4, which looks interesting. Darla! 

[Dee]

The thing is, when Charley wanted to bring about change by starting Queen Sugar itself, the entire family (save Ralph Angel) was on board. Now she wants to destroy the entire system itself, which is a whole other ball of wax. That doesn't mean that meaningful change is impossible, but the degree of change she wants to enact is beyond her reach.

Nova was definitely wrong for taking Charley's money, and she definitely should use some of her advance to pay it back, but that doesn't make her wrong about Charley's current situation. And she's certainly not on her high horse this time, as her later conversation with Micah proved imo. She's willing to trust Charley's judgment, if not her methods.

It's telling Charley confided in Ralph Angel, who has NEVER done anything but supply Charley with grief since Ernest's death, over Nova who has proven to be a trusted and reliable confidant, as well as an intensely loving sister.

Edited June 14, 2018 by Dee

[Arcadiasw]

5 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

So its time for another round of "everyone is an asshole to Charley", everyone's favorite pastime! Poor Charley is trying so hard to do what she can to save their land, and everyone elses, and all she gets is shit because she has to play rough to win. She isnt "selling out her family and people" shes trying to save them, why can they see that?! Yeah, Novas protests and think pieces are great and important, but sometimes that just not enough to make real change. At least Nova showed some understanding when Micah was being shitty towards her, and she realized that dissing Charley and calling her a traitor in front of her teenage son was a crappy thing to do. I mean, does anyone have any other plans they want to put fourth? 

 

Sad when RA is the only person who seems to have Charlies back. Of course, RA still manages to act like a dick towards the ex con he hired for the farm. Oh, he was 20 minutes late and didnt wear overalls? At least he probably didnt pay his bus fair with money he got robbing a 7/11 at gun point unlike that some recently released cons I could mention! He could also maybe shut the door while his booty call is over? I did like seeing him support Charley though, at least someone appreciates her. I swear, I will be so pissed if this all falls apart, and everyone I Told You So`s over Charley. Also, how long until he hooks up with the daughter of his new employer? Anyway wanna take bets?

Micah leaving private school for public school to be around a more diverse student population is almost exactly the plot they did with Junior this season on Black-ish. 

 

1, For all the judgment towards Charley and her “selling out her family and people” I see Nova, Vi and Hollywood had no opinion on the farmers who back out of working with Charley and put her in the situation where she had to make a deal with Landry. I don’t have anything against the farmers who back out because they were being stronghold by Landry and family but I do side eye the farmers who back out because they heard rumors about the mill and refused to go to the Queen Sugar Mill themselves to dispel those rumors. As into the community as Nova claims she is and how Vi and Hollywood are popular themselves, they were very silent when Charley was losing farmers.

2. RA and Miss Trihn hookup? I say mid season break. For the con, he was dressed in jeans and a shirt just like RA. So, why did RA think the con wasn't dressed right?  

3. At least for Junior it doesn’t feel as phony to me as it does with Micah. If Micah’s trying to fit in and live life like kids less privilege than him, how about trading that fancy car for one an average 16 year old does drive, wear clothes that’s not  all name brand and get a part time job, maybe working on the farm on weekends for extra cash instead of getting it from his parents. 

 

 

4 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

 Charley isnt a perfect person by any means, and you can certainly make a case that Charley is making a bad call, but she certainly isnt doing this to betray anyone, or to just make money and get more power. If she wanted only money and power, she wouldn't still be at Queen Sugar at all. She really is trying to help in the best way she knows how. Really, its just like what Nova said to Micah later. Actually, maybe that tied into the conversation RA had with the dock workers sister about how big sisters and parents are proud, but dont always say it to your face. Nova says nice things about how Micah should be proud of how smart and awesome Charley behind her back, but didnt say that to her face.

Micah is too young and too green to act like he knew enough to stand with the rest of his family and not leave with his mother. Even if he didn’t agree, his refusal to leave was cold, especially after the family yelled and criticized Charley the way they did in front of him. Did he care when his mother said she was on the verge of losing everything? It's sad that Micah didn't feel any sympathy for his mother or the need to stand up or at least with her when the rest of the family attacked her. 

 

3 hours ago, Dee said:

Charley is playing with a lot of lives in her quest for vengeance. Instead of consulting her family prior to making huge decisions, that likely will affect them all, in the future, Charley acts upset that they don't immediately support her plan.

The family was right to feel a certain way about her actions, given all of them (save Ralph Angel), supported her when she was transparent about her motives behind founding Queen Sugar.

Expecting the rest of the family to have an alternative plan to combat the Landrys when they were just learning of Charley/Rah's scheme is unrealistic imo.

 

 

The family doesn’t need to have an alternate idea but they really should tone down on the judgement. What gets me is that none of them are considering what Charley is going through. Charley has already invested a lot of money to care for the family farm before she invested even more money on that mill. She was on the verge of losing millions of dollars before she made the deal with Landry and Boudreau. If Charley went broke, would they be helping her financially? Nope because they don’t have money. Charley would’ve been on her own and without her money the family could’ve risk losing the family farm. 

This is probably an unpopular opinion but another issue I have is for all the talk about it being the family farm, the only ones I see working that farm are Charley and RA. I know the others have their own lives but with them only helping once in a while like the fly infestation, I feel to an extent, Vi, Nova and Hollywood shouldn’t have as much say as they think on how things are handled with the farm. When farmers back out of working with Charley, RA was the only one trying to talk farmers to stay with Charley. I didn’t see Miss Activist Nova talking to anyone. I didn’t see Aunt Vi or Hollywood talking either. This was a family crisis where they all should’ve been working together but they weren’t. They all had their own stuff going on and enough time has passed that it shouldn’t have waited until last night’s show for them to question how Charley saved the mill. They kept their heads in the sand. Vi and Hollywood went to Italy. Nova was in New York I think working a book deal and sorting out what's next for her. As long as it didn’t involve them directly, they were fine with how Charley handled it until the truth came out.

 

 

3 hours ago, Chick2Chic said:

I'll wait to give a full opinion on this post ep watch but at face value, I somewhat disagree. The fam doesn't need a bullet point plan to combat Charley's plan but some people can think on their feet and offer up options in the face of things they don't like / that suck and not just be totally about anger and recriminations. Heck, Remy's offered nothing but judgment and he's been known what's going on.  I think the difference for me is that it seems like the fam usually doesn't have a plan for anything in the face of adversity or problems because a common narrative of the show is about them coming together when bad things happen more than it is being allowed to actually resolve things. I would bet 3 months will pass in the show's timeline and no one else in the family will have come up with alternatives for Charley cause it doesn't seem to be how the show works. And it's not even that I think Charley's plan is all that good. But it's something, at least. 

I will always side-eye Nova judging Charley on things after she unapologetically took that 10k without telling anyone, but I know others have different feelings on that. So while I mostly like Nova, her tendency to get up on a high horse and leap before looking isn't a solid foundation to question others choices on doing what they think is best IMO.  

I did see the promo for ep 4, which looks interesting. Darla! 

For this show, the family can only offer opinions and criticism, not solutions. Heaven forbid they try to see things from a viewpoint that differs from theirs. 

 

As much as she loves her sister, I think Nova will always have some resentment towards Charley because of Ernest and Lorna.

Edited June 8, 2018 by Arcadiasw

[Dee]

1 hour ago, Arcadiasw said:

The family doesn’t need to have an alternate idea but they really should tone down on the judgement. What gets me is that none of them are considering what Charley is going through. Charley has already invested a lot of money to care for the family farm before she invested even more money on that mill. She was on the verge of losing millions of dollars before she made the deal with Landry and Boudreau. If Charley went broke, would they be helping her financially? Nope because they don’t have money. Charley would’ve been on her own and without her money the family could’ve risk losing the family farm. 

This is probably an unpopular opinion but another issue I have is for all the talk about it being the family farm, the only ones I see working that farm are Charley and RA. I know the others have their own lives but with them only helping once in a while like the fly infestation, I feel to an extent, Vi, Nova and Hollywood shouldn’t have as much say as they think on how things are handled with the farm. When farmers back out of working with Charley, RA was the only one trying to talk farmers to stay with Charley. I didn’t see Miss Activist Nova talking to anyone. I didn’t see Aunt Vi or Hollywood talking either. This was a family crisis where they all should’ve been working together but they weren’t. They all had their own stuff going on and enough time has passed that it shouldn’t have waited until last night’s show for them to question how Charley saved the mill. They kept their heads in the sand. Vi and Hollywood went to Italy. Nova was in New York I think working a book deal and sorting out what's next for her. As long as it didn’t involve them directly, they were fine with how Charley handled it until the truth came out.

 

Violet was the one who bullied the girls into keeping the farm. Both Nova and Charley were perfectly willing to sell the farm until Ralph Angel threw one of his usual tantrums causing Vi to lay a huge guilt trip on the girls to change their minds, which they did. Nova has been very open, since the very beginning, about not wanting to be a farmer. That said, she did agree to do her share of the administrative work as it pertained to the farm for the duration of the trial run.

If Charley wants to blame anyone for the majority of her bad luck where the mill/farm is concerned, she needs to direct her wrath at her brother. He was the one who allowed her to invest her time and a considerable amount of her money into the farm/mill under false pretenses, all while emotionally bullying her.

The whole thing about the black farmers backing out of their deals with Queen Sugar is a perfect example of Charley not being able to beat the system. She did everything she could, above board, to make the mill work and still lost. What makes her believe she can upend a status quo, that's been in place for decades, if she couldn't even make it through a single harvest season without a major disaster.

Also, a huge part of the farm situation, which is separate from Charley's mill, has been ignored. After Ralph Angel initiated the huge fight with his sisters & aunt about the farm, the show conveniently glossed over the very real questions posed to Ralph Angel from Vi/Charley/Nova about ownership and continued maintenance of the farm.

Edited June 8, 2018 by Dee

[Timetoread]

18 hours ago, Arcadiasw said:

The family doesn’t need to have an alternate idea but they really should tone down on the judgement. What gets me is that none of them are considering what Charley is going through. Charley has already invested a lot of money to care for the family farm before she invested even more money on that mill. She was on the verge of losing millions of dollars before she made the deal with Landry and Boudreau. If Charley went broke, would they be helping her financially? Nope because they don’t have money. Charley would’ve been on her own and without her money the family could’ve risk losing the family farm. 

This is probably an unpopular opinion but another issue I have is for all the talk about it being the family farm, the only ones I see working that farm are Charley and RA. I know the others have their own lives but with them only helping once in a while like the fly infestation, I feel to an extent, Vi, Nova and Hollywood shouldn’t have as much say as they think on how things are handled with the farm. When farmers back out of working with Charley, RA was the only one trying to talk farmers to stay with Charley. I didn’t see Miss Activist Nova talking to anyone. I didn’t see Aunt Vi or Hollywood talking either. This was a family crisis where they all should’ve been working together but they weren’t. They all had their own stuff going on and enough time has passed that it shouldn’t have waited until last night’s show for them to question how Charley saved the mill. They kept their heads in the sand. Vi and Hollywood went to Italy. Nova was in New York I think working a book deal and sorting out what's next for her. As long as it didn’t involve them directly, they were fine with how Charley handled it until the truth came out.

Girl you better preach!!  Here's the thing, Charlie doesn't owe those people an explanation or justification for anything that she is doing.  Even if she is dead ass wrong, it's her money and her time and her risk.  As for the sainted black farmers and her "deception"/selling out of them - they weren't so power to the people when they shut her down last season over a rumor.  It wasn't even true and they could have beat the Landry's THEN.  It was THEIR actions, not Charlie's, that killed the original plan.  And what alternative would they have?  On my last count: 1. What's left of them could mill with Charlie, which isn't enough to keep the mill running, and afterwards crawl back to the Landry's at jacked up prices.  2. Crawl back to the Landry's now at jacked up prices. 3. Stop being farmers, break their lease with the Landry's with penalties, and die homeless paupers.  Or 4.  The GREAT, BRILLIANT, WOKE idea that Remy, Nova, Vi, Hollywood, et al have that nobody's heard yet.  Charlie's deal with the Landry's locked in the prices for the farmers for 5 years and stopped the harassment.  If her plan works, in 5 years the mill will be hers again.  Also I want to clarify something, she sold her mill AND got the 1%.  Selling the mill recouped the money she had put out - some of it money invested by other people.  The 1% is in exchange for HER celebrity.  The Landry's read the room and figured they've got a slave revolt on their hands so they call themselves bribing/shaming Charlie into being the "black preacher" who can calm the slaves and keep them on the Massa's agenda.  Charlie's got another idea though - shades of Nat Turner.  Why didn't she tell everybody?  Because the way to guarantee your plan won't work is to tell everybody about it.  I'm not sure why she told RA - maybe she just needed someone to talk to. 

 

17 hours ago, Dee said:

The whole thing about the black farmers backing out of their deals with Queen Sugar is a perfect example of Charley not being able to beat the system. She did everything she could, above board, to make the mill work and still lost. What makes her believe she can upend a status quo, that's been in place for decades, if she couldn't even make it through a single harvest season without a major disaster.

Because something is hard and hasn't been done before, it couldn't possibly work.  Because it is a female's plan, it couldn't possibly work. Because it is a minority plan, it couldn't possibly work.  So let me answer why she believes she can upend the status quo.  Her plan didn't work BECAUSE it was above board counting on the faith and promises of regular folk. The status quo does not upend itself, it is self perpetuating.  It was bound to fail.  But the Landry's aren't gods or super geniuses, they are simply old southern racists with old southern money who have a monopoly in a pissant, socioeconomically depressed area that nobody cares about - big sharks swimming in a small pond.  They've never had to fight for their business, certainly nobody black and certainly nobody female.  On face level they underestimate her - though I think she got their attention and they did the math and figured that it's cheaper to keep her.  They've never had to deal with a challenge from real money before but they are playing their chess game accordingly.  But I think this show has hidden the real shark and called it a fish.  Charlie isn't rich because Davis was a baller.  Davis was richer than most ballers because Charlie was running his business.  Charlie is a big shark from a big pond.  She's fought industry titans AND mafioso types like the Landry's and she's won.  But you can't win a dirty game by playing clean.  She's got to play dirty and is willing to do so since they've now royally pissed her off.  But she wants to hide that side of her from her family - who seems to generically disapprove of her because they don't understand alot of what she brings to the table.  She is foreign to them and they seem to always require her to prove herself to them.  Except for RA who I think has wised up on which horse to bet on.  I reckon there is only one person in the world who knows the REAL Charlie, and that is Davis.  Davis fucked up, but does not actually fuck WITH Charlie.  He knows..

 

So yeah, this plan has a high potential for failure but not a guarantee of it.  If she wins, she will eliminate the Landry's and most likely take over their monopoly so that the Louisiana sugar business will be black-owned and operated.  You have to risk big to win big and most people don't have the resources to risk big, but Charlie does.  If she loses, the status quo that everybody is so comfortable with will return and she can pack up and start over somewhere else.  The non-players need to just take a seat, get some popcorn and watch it go down.

Edited June 8, 2018 by Timetoread

[Arcadiasw]

20 hours ago, Dee said:

Violet was the one who bullied the girls into keeping the farm. Both Nova and Charley were perfectly willing to sell the farm until Ralph Angel threw one of his usual tantrums causing Vi to lay a huge guilt trip on the girls to change their minds, which they did. Nova has been very open, since the very beginning, about not wanting to be a farmer. That said, she did agree to do her share of the administrative work as it pertained to the farm for the duration of the trial run.

If Charley wants to blame anyone for the majority of her bad luck where the mill/farm is concerned, she needs to direct her wrath at her brother. He was the one who allowed her to invest her time and a considerable amount of her money into the farm/mill under false pretenses, all while emotionally bullying her.

The whole thing about the black farmers backing out of their deals with Queen Sugar is a perfect example of Charley not being able to beat the system. She did everything she could, above board, to make the mill work and still lost. What makes her believe she can upend a status quo, that's been in place for decades, if she couldn't even make it through a single harvest season without a major disaster.

Also, a huge part of the farm situation, which is separate from Charley's mill, has been ignored. After Ralph Angel initiated the huge fight with his sisters & aunt about the farm, the show conveniently glossed over the very real questions posed to Ralph Angel from Vi/Charley/Nova about ownership and continued maintenance of the farm.

 

All three Bordelon children were on board to sell the farm once it made a profit or they got a high bidder. When the Bordelon children learned the history of their family with the farm, they all agreed they were keeping it. That changed everything. Whatever Nova agreed to do until they sold the farm didn’t count anymore since she wanted to keep the farm. I think it was after that family history revelation that Charley decided to create her own mill and make her stay a little more permanent. 

I don’t think Charley should direct her wrath at RA. It is her money and she decided to invest in the farm and mill. Regardless of the emotional pressure, it was her choice and whatever consequences that comes with that, Charley will pay. When pushed against a wall, all of them made questionable choices to do what they considered was the right thing to do. Nova stole 10k to get her friend out of jail. Vi buried stolen phones to save RA from going back to jail. Charley made a deal with Landry to save her mill. Whatever happens with Charley and this deal I think there will be a win but a loss somewhere.

The farm ownership can be easily decided by splitting it equally or having whoever want it to work for a piece of the land. That work can be physical, financial, or whatever way to contribute to the farm. That would mean RA will need to disregard the letter Ernest wrote, grow up and not think, “Mine. Mine. Mine.” Who knows if that can happen! 

7 hours ago, Timetoread said:

 Charlie's got another idea though - shades of Nat Turner.  Why didn't she tell everybody?  Because the way to guarantee your plan won't work is to tell everybody about it.  I'm not sure why she told RA - maybe she just needed someone to talk to. 

 

Because something is hard and hasn't been done before, it couldn't possibly work.  Because it is a female's plan, it couldn't possibly work. Because it is a minority plan, it couldn't possibly work.  So let me answer why she believes she can upend the status quo.  Her plan didn't work BECAUSE it was above board counting on the faith and promises of regular folk. The status quo does not upend itself, it is self perpetuating.  It was bound to fail.  But the Landry's aren't gods or super geniuses, they are simply old southern racists with old southern money who have a monopoly in a pissant, socioeconomically depressed area that nobody cares about - big sharks swimming in a small pond.  They've never had to fight for their business, certainly nobody black and certainly nobody female.  On face level they underestimate her - though I think she got their attention and they did the math and figured that it's cheaper to keep her.  They've never had to deal with a challenge from real money before but they are playing their chess game accordingly.  But I think this show has hidden the real shark and called it a fish.  Charlie isn't rich because Davis was a baller.  Davis was richer than most ballers because Charlie was running his business.  Charlie is a big shark from a big pond.  She's fought industry titans AND mafioso types like the Landry's and she's won.  But you can't win a dirty game by playing clean.  She's got to play dirty and is willing to do so since they've now royally pissed her off.  But she wants to hide that side of her from her family - who seems to generically disapprove of her because they don't understand alot of what she brings to the table.  She is foreign to them and they seem to always require her to prove herself to them.  Except for RA who I think has wised up on which horse to bet on.  I reckon there is only one person in the world who knows the REAL Charlie, and that is Davis.  Davis fucked up, but does not actually fuck WITH Charlie.  He knows..

 

Maybe Charley told RA because she knew he would understand her decision or he was the only one who knew what she was going through with farmers backing out and what that would mean for the mill and even the family farm.  Maybe in some ways he's starting to grow up and see the big picture as he tried to explain to the family. 

I agree with the bold so much. What's really sad is that Landy knew how to play the farmers and it was so easy with hardly any effort. A rumor had farmers running. If Landry tried that rumor game in a big city with a good economy, he would've been laughed out of town. Since he's in debt already, in a bigger city, he would've been bankrupt years ago. 

With the writing on the show goes, I think with Charley and Landry whatever happens will be bittersweet.  

Until Vi, Nova and Hollywood open their eyes and look at everything from all sides instead of their own, they will never see Charley's viewpoint which is a huge problem with the family in general. 

[Sheenieb]

Quote

1, For all the judgment towards Charley and her “selling out her family and people” I see Nova, Vi and Hollywood had no opinion on the farmers who back out of working with Charley and put her in the situation where she had to make a deal with Landry. I don’t have anything against the farmers who back out because they were being stronghold by Landry and family but I do side eye the farmers who back out because they heard rumors about the mill and refused to go to the Queen Sugar Mill themselves to dispel those rumors. As into the community as Nova claims she is and how Vi and Hollywood are popular themselves, they were very silent when Charley was losing farmers.

3

Say.that.shit. I loved your entire post because it was so spot-on. Especially this part. Everyone talks about "selling out" and "what about the community?" but the community showed their ass to Charley. The farmers that backed out never trusted her, so of course, when they heard rumours about the mill, they didn't investigate it themselves. They were waiting for "failure" because they expected it. 

Micah inherited the Bordelon judgmental attitude I see. I'm trying to give him teenager leeway, but I'm over his petulance. He had the nerve to parrot Nova's argument that Charley sold out for 1%. If they listened, they would've heard that 1% gets her foot in the door, and if her plan goes well, it will lead back to full ownership. Charley didn't get to where she is by not thinking five steps ahead.

Quote

 Charlie isn't rich because Davis was a baller.  Davis was richer than most ballers because Charlie was running his business.

 

Indeed. Charley wasn't your average basketball wife who's out lunching and shopping. Davis lost out big and he knows it.

Edited June 11, 2018 by Sheenieb

[Artsda]

Micah is such a brat. After all his mother has accomplished and done with her life, he has the audacity to say he wished she'd be like her sister? The one who stole money from her & yet still tries to act holier than thou. 

48 minutes ago, Sheenieb said:

For all the judgment towards Charley and her “selling out her family and people” I see Nova, Vi and Hollywood had no opinion on the farmers who back out of working with Charley and put her in the situation where she had to make a deal with Landry.

ITA! Nobody says a word against them, but everything is on Charlie. She has a plan, she tried to explain that and none at that table would listen. Like Charley would only take 1 percent unless she didn't have a plan. 

[bichonblitz]

4 minutes ago, Artsda said:

Micah is such a brat. After all his mother has accomplished and done with her life, he has the audacity to say he wished she'd be like her sister? The one who stole money from her & yet still tries to act holier than thou. 

I can't stand that kid. I really don't care to see time wasted on his high school life and his equally bratty friends. 

Has RA always had this job outside of the farm? I swear he decided a while ago that he was going to give 100% to running the farm and quit his other job. 

[candall]

Aaaack, kill me now, Ralph Angel has developed Olivia Benson Syndrome:  any sentence that requires any emotional depth at all is now delivered in a raspy throaty whisper.

And when did he start working on the docks for a Vietnamese family-owned business?  RA has Blue, 800 acres in sugar cane, a fishing job and now he's going to start mentoring parolees?  Uh-huh.

 

Charley sold the whole damn sugar mill for one lousy percent of Landry Inc??  I thought she had craftily inserted that 1% clause into the contract.  Yikes.

 

And just to round everything out for the Bordelon siblings, it never occurred to Nova that her work product might belong to her employer.

 

<triple facepalm>

[jhlipton]

On 6/7/2018 at 1:23 PM, tennisgurl said:

Its more how they handled it than what their actual thoughts were. Not only did they have no other possible solutions, but they all started ganging up on her and telling her what a traitor she was

Just like Darla. And if Darla isn't family, why should Hollywood be?

On 6/8/2018 at 9:00 AM, Timetoread said:

But the Landry's aren't gods or super geniuses, they are simply old southern racists with old southern money who have a monopoly in a pissant, socioeconomically depressed area that nobody cares about - big sharks swimming in a small pond.  They've never had to fight for their business, certainly nobody black and certainly nobody female

 Davis was richer than most ballers because Charlie was running his business.  Charlie is a big shark from a big pond.  She's fought industry titans AND mafioso types like the Landry's and she's won.

YASSS to both parts.  Charlie has faced a LOT tougher opponents than the Landry's!

[UNOSEZ]

So.. We taking bets on how long before Micah and keke break up now that he go to school with baby nova/Angela Davis??...  2 to 3 episodes at most... And she got history with keke.. And she light skin and keke dark... Ah man... Ima wait to see how they deal with Charley after an episode if they still all on the high horses ima be upset.. But being mad in that moment was understandable... Plus it was Charley not cluing them in beforehand 

[Timetoread]

13 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

So.. We taking bets on how long before Micah and keke break up now that he go to school with baby nova/Angela Davis??...  2 to 3 episodes at most... And she got history with keke.. And she light skin and keke dark... Ah man... Ima wait to see how they deal with Charley after an episode if they still all on the high horses ima be upset.. But being mad in that moment was understandable... Plus it was Charley not cluing them in beforehand 

Not a single one of them can talk about not being forthcoming with the truth.  I’m looking at you Miss Nova, stealing 10 grand to bail out a boy who went to jail holding YOUR drugs.  She still hasn’t fessed to that shit.  I’m looking at you Mr. Hollywood, lying for multiple years about your institutionalized wife.  I’m looking at you Miss Violet, letting all the kids believe that Charley’s mother was some evil homewrecker when she didn’t do anything but love your brother and have his child and be white.  I’m looking at you, Ralph Angel, though you’re innocence here is the only time you have been.  Let’s just count: convenience store, iphones, inheritance. Yeah.  Even your ungrateful ass, Micah, who took months to tell your parents what that cop really did.  So pardon me if I can’t spare a micro violin to play for y’all’s indignation at Charley tending to her own damn business without asking your sorry asses for permission.  Looking at this whole family out the entire side of my eye!

Edited June 11, 2018 by Timetoread
It’s hard to angry post from an iPhone.

[Chick2Chic]

I finally saw the ep and my opinion hasn't changed. I get why the family was upset with Charley but then I get frustrated cause they follow up their anger by doing absolutely nothing and going back to the status quo. So it just is all empty to me watching them be irate but then do nothing about it. They can not like what Charley is doing but it seems like as soon as that family meeting ended, nobody was talking about ways to do something that was less offensive to them than Charley's plan and it all seemed brushed under the rug. UGH. 

Micah's petulance is tiresome. My mother would've had my butt leaving with her, my being angry or not. I get folks are still somewhat on eggshells towards Micah's feelings after what happened with the cop but Imma need some of Charley's inner dragon to breathe fire towards Micah's sullen ass and get him right. He seems to appreciate Nova's belief in the community, which is great, but her idealism has had limited impact on top of her otherwise flighty behavior. I am shaking my head that she quit without thinking about intellectual property. Charley isn't perfect but she has been a good mother to Micah and his behavior the last few eps has bugged me a lot. 

12 hours ago, Timetoread said:

Not a single one of them can talk about not being forthcoming with the truth.  I’m looking at you Miss Nova, stealing 10 grand to bail out a boy who went to jail holding YOUR drugs.  She still hasn’t fessed to that shit.  I’m looking at you Mr. Hollywood, lying for multiple years about your institutionalized wife.  I’m looking at you Miss Violet, letting all the kids believe that Charley’s mother was some evil homewrecker when she didn’t do anything but love your brother and have his child and be white.  I’m looking at you, Ralph Angel, though you’re innocence here is the only time you have been.

This is fair too. That 10k really bugs me cause the show acts like viewers have forgotten about that or that it doesn't matter, which is incorrect IMO. Nova still thinks that because it was for a good reason that is makes her actions totally ok and the show has glossed over it.  Anywho, all of these points about honesty and the family are relevant AFAIC.

On 6/9/2018 at 9:58 AM, Sheenieb said:

1, For all the judgment towards Charley and her “selling out her family and people” I see Nova, Vi and Hollywood had no opinion on the farmers who back out of working with Charley and put her in the situation where she had to make a deal with Landry. I don’t have anything against the farmers who back out because they were being stronghold by Landry and family but I do side eye the farmers who back out because they heard rumors about the mill and refused to go to the Queen Sugar Mill themselves to dispel those rumors. As into the community as Nova claims she is and how Vi and Hollywood are popular themselves, they were very silent when Charley was losing farmers.

YES TO ALL OF THIS.

This is what I was saying initially but not as eloquently. I get being mad at Charley's plan but the family has done almost nothing to counteract or help with what Charley has been going through with the mill. If it's about the community, as respected as Nova, Vi, and Hollywood are in it, they could've helped sway opinion or talked to the farmers about their concerns to help Charley. What have they actually done prior to help? Now it's just judgment and reproof towards Charley about her plan.

18 hours ago, jhlipton said:

Just like Darla. And if Darla isn't family, why should Hollywood be?

On 6/8/2018 at 12:00 PM, Timetoread said:

This is also a fair point.

[TVForever]

On 6/9/2018 at 3:59 PM, candall said:

And just to round everything out for the Bordelon siblings, it never occurred to Nova that her work product might belong to her employer.

 

<triple facepalm>

Or even more so, the prospective publisher? Even if we buy Nova being weirdly naive about such things, the book publisher definitely wouldn’t be. Her articles were published in the paper, weren’t they? Seems like a no-brainer.

But why publish a book of previously seen articles anyway? I thought the point of the book (of any book, really) would be NEW work from an established voice.