S04.E05: Face Speckled

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Remy reveals he's leaving town, Davis turns to Charley for advice when Nova's book impacts his job, and Charley and Romero's clinic is raided by ICE agents. Plus, Ralph Angel explains to Blue that they are connected by their souls, not by their blood.

Original air date 2019.07.10 

[NowVoyager]

Omigosh, ya'll.

It finally happened. Blue heard in a very innocent way. I boo-hoo cried. 

Nova is cancelled.

Meanwhile, Nova encountered a blast from the past: Cree Summer Octavia. I don't trust her at all. I'm hoping she fucks Nova over in a deeply painful public way just like dat bytch did her family! Um.... how do I say this delicately? Makeup & lighting did Cree no favors. Yes, I'm shallow. 

[Dee]

Charley needs to have several seats.

[AgentRXS]

1 hour ago, NowVoyager said:

Omigosh, ya'll.

It finally happened. Blue heard in a very innocent way. I boo-hoo cried. 

Nova is cancelled.

Meanwhile, Nova encountered a blast from the past: Cree Summer Octavia. I don't trust her at all. I'm hoping she fucks Nova over in a deeply painful public way just like dat bytch did her family! Um.... how do I say this delicately? Makeup & lighting did Cree no favors. Yes, I'm shallow. 

I didn't pay attention to the credits, and was trying to place the face so badly. Thank you! Yeah, the lighting definitely did not work in her favor.

Oh, Blue. I've been there, buddy. I just wanted to hug him so badly. Glad that he understands and gets it, although Darla is in for a time as he starts asking questions when he is older.

Oh, Nova, how nice of you to be focused on your faux-intellectual debates and booty calls, while not giving a shit about all the destruction you caused your family. Fuck you.

Bye, Remy. You won't be missed.

Love the highway/land story, can't wait for that story to ramp up.

[NowVoyager]

31 minutes ago, AgentRXS said:

I didn't pay attention to the credits, and was trying to place the face so badly. Thank you! Yeah, the lighting definitely did not work in her favor.

Oh, Blue. I've been there, buddy. I just wanted to hug him so badly. Glad that he understands and gets it, although Darla is in for a time as he starts asking questions when he is older.

Oh, Nova, how nice of you to be focused on your faux-intellectual debates and booty calls, while not giving a shit about all the destruction you caused your family. Fuck you.

Bye, Remy. You won't be missed.

Love the highway/land story, can't wait for that story to ramp up.

Sorry. Off topic:

I agree with your whole post except! I am going to miss Remy Dondre Whitfield because he is foine! I've had a crush on him since "The Cosby Show" days! He's also pretty funny, too:

[bichonblitz]

Kofi's doing a really fine job this season. First time I've liked him since the show began. His explanation to Blue was perfect. 

Davis, go away.

Vi is always so damn dramatic.  

[Arcadiasw]

When they paired then broke off Remy with Nova, that was a big red flag they didn't know what to do with him and his days were numbered. 

Poor Blue. It wasn't that child's fault he told Blue. His mother should've been more aware her child was around when she was gossiping.

At least someone told Nova her book was a trashy tell all.

I'm curious who told ICE on Charley. I hope I'm wrong but I wonder if that councilwoman can be completely trusted. 

Micah, are you stupid letting your friend who isn't a pro ink you? Nevermind. I answered my own question. He is getting way too many passes from Charley. 

[Empress1]

8 hours ago, NowVoyager said:

Makeup & lighting did Cree no favors. Yes, I'm shallow. 

I also think the black-black hair does her no favors. I'm sure she's covering gray (no shade, she's 50, of course she has gray hair) but a warmer shade would be better for her coloring, I think. I was mad that she was only coming for Nova because she felt slighted that their love affair (OF COURSE) wasn't in the book (which means Nova most definitely did not spill her own tea, which: fuck that). I knew she and Nova had fucked when Nova looked at the other student and said "You have a type."

5 hours ago, NowVoyager said:

I've had a crush on him since "The Cosby Show" days!

Me too. Robert! He was really funny in that role. He was also my favorite of Joan's love interests on Girlfriends.

[gesundheit]

That was so ridiculous listening to Nova defend her bullshit book by saying that black families' stories need to be told, and it was just a memoir, nothing to do with theory, etc! Uh, no honey, you contextualized all your family's dirty secrets in sociological analysis. It wasn't just a family story. Do not hide behind "I'm just telling our stories!" Give me a break. (Although it did crack me up that the one person who wanted to be in the book was the only one who wasn't.)

That ICE raid was heartbreaking. Good lord, can nothing Charley is trying to do ever work for more than an episode and a half? Apparently not. Here she is trying to do good and getting beat down every step of the way, while Nova does something reprehensible and is getting rewarded for it. I guess that's the point, but it's exhausting.

I love Dondre Whitfield but Remy did need to go.

That final scene with Blue and his parents made me cry. I'm weak, what can I tell you! I really hope Darla doesn't relapse.

[AgentRXS]

1 hour ago, Empress1 said:

I was mad that she was only coming for Nova because she felt slighted that their love affair (OF COURSE) wasn't in the book (which means Nova most definitely did not spill her own tea, which: fuck that)

Me too! I was rooting for her to publicly discredit the book as utter trash, and then she came with that "one line!" garbage, and then come to find out they used to fuck. Great.

Yeah, Nova spills everyone elses tea, but no mention of how (since we met her at least) she sleeps with anyone who shows her a little attention? Saving that for the next tell-all? Yeah, right. I so hope this hookup comes back to bite her in the ass.

Edited July 11, 2019 by AgentRXS

[Chick2Chic]

5 hours ago, Arcadiasw said:

Poor Blue. It wasn't that child's fault he told Blue. His mother should've been more aware her child was around when she was gossiping.

That reminded me so much of Big Little Lies having a big secret outed because of phone calls between parents. 

I'm with the folks who don't think the show did any favors with the makeup and lighting for Cree Summer. The petty in me hopes that Octavia brings Nova deserved rewards for her self-serving actions. 

Davis is still trash and I laughed at him trying to kiss Charley. Talk about reading a room very wrong. 

The Darla, RA, and Blue scene at the end was good but Blue never should have found out the way he did. He should have been told when he was older & could understand all the nuances of the situation. 

Do we still know how much Nova put of herself in the book cause when she was battling with Octavia, she was talking about it being her memoir but that's disingenuous cause it ignores that she took others memories & stories to editorialize, While the show is better written this season, TPTB are still playing coy about how much of Nova's own secrets are in the book. She mentioned Too Sweet but I have to think she left out selling drugs to him plus the 10k she stole cause the police would be knocking on her door for that.

[Arcadiasw]

34 minutes ago, AgentRXS said:

Yeah, Nova spills everyone elses tea, but no mention of how (since we met her at least) she sleeps with anyone who shows her a little attention? Saving that for the next tell-all? Yeah, right. What utter garbage she is. I so hope this hookup comes back to bite her in the ass.

I'm giving the benefit of the doubt she revealed some of her dirty secrets but it's looking more and more likely Nova didn't. 

When I saw Nova hook up with her teacher I immediately thought of Chantal and how she would be shaking her head at Nova and so glad she rejected her. 

[LilWharveyGal]

10 hours ago, NowVoyager said:

 Cree Summer Octavia. 

Freddie!!  Next can we have Dwayne Wayne pop in to tell Micah a thing or two?  Pretty please?

It got really dusty in here during that last scene.  Can someone pass the Kleenex?

[gesundheit]

1 minute ago, Arcadiasw said:

I'm giving the benefit of the doubt she revealed some of her dirty secrets but it's looking more and more likely Nova didn't. 

It sounds like some but not all. But to me it doesn't matter whether she did or didn't, that doesn't soften anything she did to someone else. Her secrets are hers to tell. Nobody else's are. So yep, as said above, she's cancelled.

2 minutes ago, LilWharveyGal said:

It got really dusty in here during that last scene.  Can someone pass the Kleenex?

I was talking to a co-worker about that scene earlier today and literally had to pull out a tissue. Even talking about it. At work.

[Arcadiasw]

16 minutes ago, Chick2Chic said:

The Darla, RA, and Blue scene at the end was good but Blue never should have found out the way he did. He should have been told when he was older & could understand all the nuances of the situation. 

Do we still know how much Nova put of herself in the book cause when she was battling with Octavia, she was talking about it being her memoir but that's disingenuous cause it ignores that she took others memories & stories to editorialize, While the show is better written this season, TPTB are still playing coy about how much of Nova's own secrets are in the book. She mentioned Too Sweet but I have to think she left out selling drugs to him plus the 10k she stole cause the police would be knocking on her door for that.

The only criticism I have towards Darla and RA is they didn't prepare Blue first. They knew the book was coming out. They knew others around town will know and talk about it but they waited until a kid innocently confessed to Blue when they had time to talk to Blue. It wasn't gonna be an easy talk either way but when someone did come to Blue he would've been prepared for it. 

I'm still find it hard to believe people outside the Bordelon inner circle actually believe Nova's family is fine with this. Someone on the tour except her former lover should be questioning that.

[Chick2Chic]

5 minutes ago, Arcadiasw said:

The only criticism I have towards Darla and RA is they didn't prepare Blue first. They knew the book was coming out. They knew others around town will know and talk about it but they waited until a kid innocently confessed to Blue when they had time to talk to Blue. It wasn't gonna be an easy talk either way but when someone did come to Blue he would've been prepared for it. 

True. I think they kept putting it off in hopes he wouldn't find out from someone else, which was the wrong call but IMO understandable

7 minutes ago, Arcadiasw said:

I'm still find it hard to believe people outside the Bordelon inner circle actually believe Nova's family is fine with this. Someone on the tour except her former lover should be questioning that.

I would think journalists would smell blood in the water by the fact that her family didn't show up at that big event. 

[gesundheit]

50 minutes ago, Chick2Chic said:

I would think journalists would smell blood in the water by the fact that her family didn't show up at that big event. 

I really want someone at some event to casually be like, "Wow, that's so impressive that your family is so open that they approved you telling all these stories!"

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, Chick2Chic said:

Iwould think journalists would smell blood in the water by the fact that her family didn't show up at that big event. 

And that Charley was ambushed by a reporter when receiving an award. Charley is low-key famous, I'd imagine that would go at least a little viral. It's very unlikely that not one person on any of the stops on the book tour has asked "What does your family think about this?"

The way my petty is set up, if I'm Charley I might use my media contacts to make a statement about how hurt I am by Nova's book, but I could see Charley not wanting to do that because Micah idolizes Nova.

1 hour ago, Chick2Chic said:

Davis is still trash and I laughed at him trying to kiss Charley. Talk about reading a room very wrong. 

In Charley's shoes I don't know if I could have kept from laughing. He showed up at her house with his teenage love child like three days ago and she rightfully dragged him for that, and now she's trying to kiss her? Davis REALLY REALLY ain't shit.

[Arcadiasw]

1 hour ago, LilWharveyGal said:

Freddie!!  Next can we have Dwayne Wayne pop in to tell Micah a thing or two?  Pretty please?

It got really dusty in here during that last scene.  Can someone pass the Kleenex?

Yes on Kadeem coming in to drop knowledge on Micah!

Also if Micah says "That's dope" one more time...

Is that all the slang the writers can think of him to say?

[mrsbagnet]

14 minutes ago, Arcadiasw said:

Also if Micah says "That's dope" one more time...

Is that all the slang the writers can think of him to say?

I have almost no interaction with teenagers. Do they still use "dope" in that sense?

[Sheenieb]

Quote

I really want someone at some event to casually be like, "Wow, that's so impressive that your family is so open that they approved you telling all these stories!"

Right? It's odd that no one has brought this up. Nova revealed deeply personal secrets about her family and the press doesn't make a peep about it?

There's damn near an uprising at the college Davis works at, but the press isn't swarming the mill and the farm to get interviews with Charley and RA? Vi is a local celebrity and no one is coming to the diner to get her opinion on the book? 

The show can't have it both ways. It's an explosive book, but depending on the episode, it's business as usual for the characters. But maybe that's the point. It's supposed to be subtle. Vi feeling unsafe again, Charley now having to deal with her enemies having extra ammunition against her, and RA not catching a break.

I'm so used to seeing Cree with red hair that I almost didn't place her until I heard her voice. The black is too severe. Maybe if she still had the curls it would've softened her up.  

I can't wait until Micah and the rest of the woke crew goes off to college. He's Nova levels of insufferable.

Whew, that scene with Blue, RA, and Darla. TV has me up in my feels this week. First POSE, now this. 

I mean, Davis. Really? You wising up and realizing that you threw a diamond away for stones doesn't mean that you get to move in for a kiss. I'm still annoyed with him from last season when he had the nerve to say that he loved Ernest as more than a father-in-law. Look how he repaid Ernest's love. By betraying his daughter and having a whole-ass secret family. What a fuck boy. 

[Joimiaroxeu]

"The tell-tale mark of an amateur." Octavia hit Nova right where she lives. Nova wants few things more than publicly acknowledged validity, even at her family's expense.

But I guess Nova has a small point. Her book wasn't intended to be a research project. It's basically her opinions presented as facts and wrapped in kitchen-table psychology and sociology, all of which is anathema in academia. She didn't write the book for the academics though. She wrote it for the unwashed masses who don't know any better and either see their own lives in it or are glad their own lives aren't as pitiful.

That ICE raid was timely given current events.

OMG, that sheriff calling Charley "gal." I actually recoiled and wondered if she understood the significance.

Has Cree Summer always resembled an older (just barely) Traci Ellis Ross or am I just now noticing it?

Blue is such a sweet young boy. He doesn't deserve a trash aunt like Nova who'll sell his private life for a buck.

Quote

That reminded me so much of Big Little Lies having a big secret outed because of phone calls between parents. 

Right? Interesting parallel between two very different shows. Gossips out here wreaking havoc from coast to coast. 😉

Edited July 12, 2019 by Joimiaroxeu

[Dee]

I can't stand Blue.

[TVForever]

On 7/12/2019 at 5:27 PM, Dee said:

I can't stand Blue.

Oh gosh, thanks for saying it. His "cuteness" wore off for me by the end of Season 1, I think.

Pour a drink for me, Dee. I'll join you at that table.

[ribboninthesky1]

On 7/11/2019 at 1:31 PM, Arcadiasw said:

Also if Micah says "That's dope" one more time...

I wish Micah would take his wannabe-Killmonger self on somewhere.  Preferably off my screen.  I think there was a way to have Micah exploring his sense of self with more nuance, but this ain't it.  At all. Then again, maybe I'm just tired of Charley coddling him.  Maybe if he was in jail instead of that other boy...

On 7/11/2019 at 1:48 PM, Sheenieb said:

The show can't have it both ways. It's an explosive book, but depending on the episode, it's business as usual for the characters. But maybe that's the point. It's supposed to be subtle. Vi feeling unsafe again, Charley now having to deal with her enemies having extra ammunition against her, and RA not catching a break.

This is why I find the book plot so disjointed and not well-written.  I think the show wanted to do something with Nova and her personal demons, but since she's always been an inserted character, she's rarely felt authentic to me.  More like a cipher for whatever cause célèbre of the season.  

On 7/11/2019 at 1:30 PM, Empress1 said:

In Charley's shoes I don't know if I could have kept from laughing. He showed up at her house with his teenage love child like three days ago and she rightfully dragged him for that, and now she's trying to kiss her? Davis REALLY REALLY ain't shit.

I just wanted to add another REALLY in there. But I would not be the least surprised if the show proceeds with the Davis redemption arc, and this is just the beginning. Who knows, Charley and Davis may reconcile before the show ends. I don't want to see that, but I've noticed a pattern with the black male characters of this show, so we'll see. I don't want to be Team Jacob due to his family ties, but it's tough.  

[sarkygal]

I love seeing a dark skinned woman being appreciated for her beauty and intellect but I also hate the fact that the most reprehensible character is played by a dark skinned actress. 

I find Rutina Wesley luminous and breathtakingly beautiful and I love her being desired by all her exes. But the Nova character is so repulsive I can’t understand why all these exes are still in love with her. 

It’s such an uncomfortable feeling for me. Is anyone else struggling with this?

[MelissaMinion]

14 hours ago, sarkygal said:

I love seeing a dark skinned woman being appreciated for her beauty and intellect but I also hate the fact that the most reprehensible character is played by a dark skinned actress. 

I find Rutina Wesley luminous and breathtakingly beautiful and I love her being desired by all her exes. But the Nova character is so repulsive I can’t understand why all these exes are still in love with her. 

It’s such an uncomfortable feeling for me. Is anyone else struggling with this?

I just keep telling myself that she's the best actress on the show, so she's been given the meaty role. All through this, I've been FURIOUS with Nova, but also just want to hug her a little when she looks scared. 

[ribboninthesky1]

16 hours ago, sarkygal said:

I love seeing a dark skinned woman being appreciated for her beauty and intellect but I also hate the fact that the most reprehensible character is played by a dark skinned actress. 

I find Rutina Wesley luminous and breathtakingly beautiful and I love her being desired by all her exes. But the Nova character is so repulsive I can’t understand why all these exes are still in love with her. 

It’s such an uncomfortable feeling for me. Is anyone else struggling with this?

Rutina was the reason I was interested in the show when it premiered.  I really wish the show knew what to do with Nova.  Silver lining, because the show actually puts forth the effort in proper lighting for dark-skinned black people, she's always luminous.  The art direction is one of the best things about the show. 

[luckyroll3]

On 7/10/2019 at 10:22 PM, NowVoyager said:

Um.... how do I say this delicately? Makeup & lighting did Cree no favors. Yes, I'm shallow.

I agree.  I do think the makeup was harsh and that they may have actually aged her up a bit because I see her on Instagram every once in a while and she still looks gorgeous.  Here's a post from last week:

On 7/12/2019 at 9:29 AM, Joimiaroxeu said:

Right? Interesting parallel between two very different shows. Gossips out here wreaking havoc from coast to coast.

Parents forget their kids are always listening and they are little recorders because they remember every damn thing word for word!  When I was growing up, I was an only child who spent lots of time with adults, who often forgot I was there because I would be reading all the time, and all they did was gossip about err'body.  And you better believe I had one ear open the entire time!  

On 7/14/2019 at 7:58 AM, TVForever said:

His "cuteness" wore off for me by the end of Season 1, I think.

For real.  I keep saying to my friend that he's way to old now to be acting as cutsie as he does all the time.  That being said, the scene between him, Darla and RA this episode broke my cold, bitter heart in two.  

[tennisgurl]

How are people not asking Nova what her family thinks about this? How is it just her one ex girlfriend (the one person in the world who wasn't in the book, who of course wanted to be) called her on using her family? Maybe she can hide behind Micah being her minion and only relative who shows up at her shitty book readings, but eventually reporters or fans will notice that none of her relatives are around for anything, and considering the very personal nature of her stories (and she basically shit talks everyone the whole time) people will want to know what they think. If they find out Nova told these stories without her families permission, even dragging her young nephews paternity into it and finding her aunts abusive ex, suddenly they might not be gushing over her awesome wokeness quite so much, or at least they will find a high key level of drama.

Davis is lucky Nova is around, because otherwise he would have the official label of The Worst among the family, or former family. That guy is a real piece of work, as my mom would say. I cannot possibly imagine how he thought kissing Charlie was a good idea. Read the room dude!

Have I mentioned what a pretentious, self involved, asshole Nova is? I am so torn because I love Rutina so much, and she is doing really great work here (and is so damn gorgeous), but what Nova did and how she is following up on it is so awful and probably unforgivable, that its impossible for me to get behind her. Her going on and on with her faux intellectual bullshit about "telling stories about black families" like she is Rosa Parks reincarnated because of her gossip rag makes me want to just slam my head against the nearest hard surface. Nova, you EXPLOITED a black family and their struggles! Your OWN family! No wonder Micah loves her so much, they both have the same holier than thou attitude and insufferable love of lecturing everyone about how much they suck and how much smarter they are than everyone else. Has Micah really read the whole book? Does he know about Blue and Vis abusive ex? Would he still be all #teamnova if he knew? 

That whole scene between Blue, RA, and Darla just hit me right in the gut.

Edited July 19, 2019 by tennisgurl

[Artsda]

How nice of Nova to run out of town while leaving the mess behind her that her family has to deal with.

And the old professor Nova was hooking up with in school saying she only had 1 line, proves Nova left her own behaviour out of the book.

[jhlipton]

7 hours ago, Artsda said:

And the old professor Nova was hooking up with in school saying she only had 1 line, proves Nova left her own behaviour out of the book.

Yep.  it's fine for her to drag everyone else's past through the mud, but she's not in it.

I kind of like that there's no real conflating of standards, or skin tone, for that matter of beauty and personality.  Nova is gorgeous, and dark, but problematic to say the least.  Charlie is, to me anyway, the next most beautiful, and is largely sympathetic. Vi is about as dark as Nova, and is one of the most sympathetic characters on the show.