Greenleaf | Point of No Return | Season 2 | Episode 5 | (Recap)

The show opens with Grace (Merle Dandridge) sneaking in at 5 in the morning. Realizing Sophia (Desiree Ross) has caught her Grace asks why she’s up so early. Sophia lets her mom know that she is up saying her morning prayers.

Jacob (Lammon Rucker) and Kerissa (Kim Kawthorne) have a power outage. Kerissa doesn’t want Jacob calling the Greenleaf’s handyman about the issues they are having at the house. Basie Skanks (Jason Dirden) calls to let Jacob know that Calvary has file an injunction to stop construction of Triumph 2.

When Jacob states that he is on his way, Skanks, says no, meet him at Calvary.

Skanks and Jacob arrive at Calvary and in true arrogant fashion, Skanks sashays through the halls like he ownd the place. The two barge into Bishop Greenleaf’s (Keith David) office and declare that they are there until the matter is resolved. The Bishop tells them to post up because it’s going to be 28 days.

Lady Mae (Kynn Whitfield) is taking Aaron (William H. Bryant Jr.) on a tour of his suite at the Greenleaf estate. After showing him the wraparound terrace, swimming pool and other amenities, she tells him that she can’t understand how Jacob found it so easy to leave. Lady Mae shows a sign of weakness by sharing that she is concerned that if Calvary fails they will have to sell the place.

Charity (Deborah Joy Winans) is fussing over the baby after learning he may have a virus. She asks Kevin (Tye White) if he can watch the baby while she goes to meet with Jabari Sean Dominic) and when she is done she will comeback so he can go into the office. Kevin is anxious to work-out the details of their separation, but agrees to the arrangement.

At the church Charity is blushing over Jabari. He suggests to her that she sign with his publishing company because she is too gifted to let her talents go to waste. Jabari is returning home and won’t be back until the release party in three weeks. The two engage in a very weird embrace that is interrupted by Lady Mae.

Lady Mae lets Jabari know via her body language that she doesn’t approve. After Jabari leaves Charity lets her mom know she and Kevin are divorcing. Lady Mae responds with a sage that says you can bend marriage but once you break it, that’s a loss. She recommends to Charity that she and Kevin should sit down with her and the bishop and talk.

Lady Mae also lets Charity know that no parent wants sadness for their child.

Grace is set to perform her first wedding, while Sophia accuses her of having Darius Nash (Rick Fox) as a friend with benefits. Grace lets her know that they were up talking about how to put Mac away for good, not fooling around.

Darlene (Roxzane T. Mims) comes in to let Grace know that the couple whose wedding she will be presiding over is in her office. As they are walking off they joke about Sophia’s new found religion and Darlene warns her that new converts think they know it all.

Grace asks Darlene if she talked to Vita about testifying against Mac, but Darlene tells her that Vita wants to leave what happened in the past.
In her office Grace listens to the couple bicker about everything from what school their unborn children will attend, will they be raised Baptist and what their views will be on gay rights, although they have no children and none on the way. Grace asks if they can postpone the discussion until after the wedding rehearsal, which is in 6 minutes.

At the wedding rehearsal Grace tells the couple to rehearse their vows. Preston, the groom-to-be says thet he doesn’t mind going first but doesn’t want Simone to pick his vows apart. Simone, the bride-to-be becomes upset and accuses Preston of not being sincere. She has a breakdown and runs away.

In Grace’s office, Simone says she wanted the Bishop to preside over their wedding not Grace. She asks how Grace could be a real Christian if she walked away from the church. When Grace offers to explain she tells her to save it. Simone gives Preston her engagement ring and walks out.

The Bishop goes to see Aaron to let him know Skanks and Jacob have invaded his office. Aaron recommends ignoring them because according to his dad, the devil can’t stand being ignored.

Back in the Bishop’s office Skanks is trying to get the password for the Wi-Fi, while rallying Jacob to fight for Triumph 2. When the Bishop walks in Skanks asks him for the Wi-Fi password, which annoys the Bishop even further. Lady Mae walks in to speak with the Bishop and mentions to Jacob that Stan told her the hot water heater at his place isn’t working.

After Lady Mae and the Bishop walk out, Skanks asks Jacob about the hot water heater, but he dismisses it as not being an issue.

Out in the hallway Lady Mae reminds the Bishop of his Deacon’s meeting and tells him Jacob and Skanks need to be gone before they arrive or it will be an issue. She then fills him in about Charity and Kevin.
Lady Mae says she is sure it has something to do with Jabari. However, she is more concerned about a scandal than their marital issues.

Back in the Bishops office Jacob is ready to leave but Skanks wants to talk. He shows Jacob a picture of his dad and shares that before his dad died in the fire he had signed him up for baseball. He says he played shortstop. He described the morning when his mother told him his daddy was killed in the fire. She came into his room with a cup of hot cocoa.

The Bishop comes in and asks them to meet him in the conference room. Skanks believes they have him where they want him. The Bishop goes to get Aaron and when he tells him what he needs; Aaron asks what is the game plan? The Bishop says whatever it takes to end the standoff.

In the conference room Lady Mae and Jacob have some time alone. She lets Jacob know that she has been paying Stan for all the repairs he’s been doing at his house, and she expects in return he will end the standoff.

The Bishop, Aaron and Skanks enter. Aaron proposes that if Skanks and Jacob leave that the church will be willing to withdraw the injunction in 7 days and enter into arbitration. Skanks calls his bluff letting him know by the time all that happened the 28 days would have come and gone.

Jacob interjects and calls his father out for what happened when the church burned down. He says that on the night of the fire he and Skanks lost their father’s, it just took him longer to find out. Jacob gets up to leave but decides to warn Aaron about trying to stop God’s work. He believes God wants the church to be built.

Lady Mae tries to intercede but Jacob goes off on her letting her know that all these years when she took his side, she still had her hands in the Bishop’s pocket. He also lets them know that God doesn’t hate his children and they would mourn the day that they could have had pride in him but instead they pitied him. He says he now pities them because they can’t raise him any higher but he will still grow up.

Basie Skanks declares the sit-in is over and follows Jacob out. In the hallway Grace comes out to see why they are there. Grace tells him he’s being childish, so she now has to feel the wrath of Jacob. He calls her out, and tells her she should be thanking him for not hating her after she came home and stole his life from under him.

Lady Mae lets Aaron know that Charity and Kevin may be divorcing and they may need his help.

At the house Kevin is reassuring baby Nathan that he will never leave him. He makes his way to the church and Aaron calls him in to let him know he heard about the divorce and once he finds a lawyer to let him know because he wants to help in any way possible.

The Bishop goes into the Deacon’s meeting and announces that after the fall revival they are now in the black. He also shares that Aaron has come on board and is helping stop Triumph from building their new church across the street.

Tasha ( Asia'h Epperson) shows up in a bedazzled denim jumpsuit and toolbox to check the electricity. Kerissa is annoyed that Tasha is downplaying the issues with the house. Tasha tells Kerissa that now is not the time for them to be spending extra money to fix up the place.

Kerissa goes off on how she perceives Tasha views her. Stating that she doesn’t think she is better than anyone else, she simply wants to be able to turn on the heater and the microwave at the same time. Tasha breaks down and tells Kerissa that Triumph is in financial trouble.

Kerissa gets them coffee and lets down her guard. Tasha reveals that Shanks is spending a lot of money and is involved in a lot of side deals. She says she will find the money to get the house repaired.

That night over a candlelight dinner, because they have no power, Kerissa lets Jacob know that an electrician is coming the following day to rewire the entire house. She also lets him know that Tasha shared information about the financial dealings of Triumph.

At the Greenleaf Estate, Lady may goes up to see Aaron with coffee and homemade grapefruit pound cake that his mom used to make. Aaron says he loves it. When Lady Mae prepares to leave, Aaron lets her know he will never tell anyone about her and his father’s affair.

The show ends with Sophia letting Grace know how her new convert class went and asks if she can attend Simone and Preston’s wedding as part of her homework assignment. Grace lets her know the wedding was canceled but she can’t say why, that it was a long and confidential story.

Sophia offers to pray for them but Grace says it won’t do any good. Shee then offers to pray for Grace saying a pastor who does not believe in the power of prayer needs prayer. She thanks God for her mom and says she needs support and assure her that He’s there and loves her.

Grace becomes emotional.

Let me know what you thought of the episode, below. Also, please subscribe to the blog as well as my YouTube channel.

Love & Blessings,

Tracy

Tracy L. Darity is the author of three novels, He Loves Me He Loves Me Not!, Love...Like Snow in Florida on a Hot Summer Day, and The Red Bear Society. Available in print and e-book. To learn more, visit www.TracyLDarity.com or Amazon.com

 

 

 

Shots Fired | Hour 4: Truth | Season 1 | Episode 4

The show opens with Preston (Stephen James) getting a call. He goes to meet Ashe (Sanaa Lanthan), who is with Cory (Marqus Clae).
Cory tells them that he witnessed Joey Campbell’s murder. He says two cops held Joey down while an old white man in black military gear came over and shot hm. He also shares that he went into hiding because the same people tried to run him over, he didn’t know if it was because they knew he saw what happened to Joey or because they saw him talking to Preston.

Preston is now ready to call Julian Carroll about opening (Mike Pniewski) an investigation but Ashe says they can’t rush into it, because they need to verify Cory is a credible witness.

The two have a video call with Carroll, in which he asks about Cory’s background. Preston tells Carroll that Cory doesn’t have a record but he is a drop-out and African American.

Carroll doesn’t give the go ahead because he says the public won’t support a black man who dropped out of school as credible. When Preston tries to press the issue, Carroll says he is starting to question how the investigation of Jessie Carr’s death is going.

Ashe steps in to pull Carroll back to the subject at hand and says they want to place Cory in protective custody. He says he will think about it.

Over at Joshua Beck’s (Tristan Mack Wilds) house his son hears something outside and puts on his super hero cape and goes outside, causing the alarm to go off. Beck gets his gun and goes outside where he finds his son staring at the side of the house where someone has painted “Killer Cop” in red paint.

Preston and Ashe are at breakfast and they are at each other’s throats again over how Preston handled the situation with Carroll. She tells him he needs to trust her instincts.

Ashe goes to the college campus to find Jessie’s weed dealer. The guy she is told to talk to says Jessie wasn’t into weed and he wouldn’t have gone to the hood when his weed is just as good.

Preston goes to see Sheriff Platt (Will Patton) to ask for documents on all the officers who worked the Carr and Campbell cases. The sheriff says it will take a few days but Preston says he needs them immediately. The two have a brief exchange when Preston calls Platt out after he feels the Sheriff is telling him to know his place.

Outside Joshua’s dad has stopped by the sheriff’s office to let his son know he and his mother are going to mortgage their house to help pay his legal fees, but Beck turns him down.

Preston is walking out with the records when the Sheriff asks him to go for a ride. While out they pull over a pick-up truck with 3 white men. On the back of the truck is a sticker that reads “Armed.” Platt pulled the driver over for not wearing a seatbelt.

Once he has the men get out of the car he tells Preston to search them. The whole point of the exercise was to show Preston how hard it is to police people who do not like you. Again, Preston over speaks and accuses the sheriff of protecting officers who are killing innocent citizens.

A town hall meeting is being held on education with Governor Eamons (Helen Hunt). Shameeka Campbell (DeWanda Wise) arrives with Shawn (Kylen Davis). The governor acknowledges Pastor Janae (Aisha Hinds) and thanks her for bringing the issues of West Gate School to her attention.

In her address to the audience of mostly white citizens, Eamons talks about ow test scores and overcrowding. She says that she is ready to put $3 million dollars towards addressing the issues, the moderator asks her how will she fund it. Eamons announces that Arlington Cox and the Cox Group Financial have pledges the money. The announcement is met with a mix of sarcastic laughter and gasps of disbelief.

When the audience begins to speak they spew racist rhetoric. Stating they do not want the poor black kids coming to their school, and that they will have to install metal detectors at all the entrances. Shawn gets upset and walks out.

Preston and Ashe meet to go over the Carr case. Preston thinks Jessie was upset that his frat brothers sent him to a black neighborhood for barbecue and weed, after he was beat-up by a black guy. Ashe says that the shooting may not have been racially motivated, Carr may have simply had a bad attitude when confronted by Beck.

Preston points out that Lieutenant Breeland (Stephen Moyer) was the first cop on the scene for both Jessie Carr and Joey Campbell’s shootings.
Preston and Ashe bring in an elderly black woman who claims Breeland killed her husband. Says he harassed them for years, and then arrested her husband on bogus charges. He died a month later from the stress.

A white man goes to the apartment where Cory was staying. He breaks in and then opens fire with a gun that has a silencer on it. When he turns on the lights he realizes there was no one in the apartment and that he had actually shot into some pillows.
The scene switches over to Cory and his family being taken into protective custody.

Preston and Ashe go to the station to talk to Deputy Brooks (Beau Knapp) about Lieutenant Breeland. Brooks reminds them that Breeland is his superior and informs them that if they want to question him he will need a union lawyer present.

Governor Eamons goes to visit Arlen Cox (Richard Dreyfuss) to discuss the prison complex. After joking about the debacle of a town hall meeting she had, Cox hands out a report on his prison complex but wants to up the percentage of guaranteed inmates from 85% occupancy to 88%. Eamons won’t agree to raise the numbers, because it would require more stops, profiling and bogus charges.

In the report we learn the state will receive 50% of the profits from the prison, while Cox will be paid $30K per prisoner.

Preston and Ashe confront Lt. Breeland about racial profiling. Breeland is still preaching that he is doing what’s best for everybody and how parents call and thank him for his work. He then tells a story about his dad and how he thought he was a bad guy who was a horrible husband and father, but at his funeral people came to him sharing what a great guy his dad was and all the great things he did in the community. Breeland admits he no longer believes in good and bad because it’s all relative.

Breeland tell the two they don’t belong there and that Ashe is trying to make a name for herself, while Preston is trying to rid himself of demons…or vice versus.

Shawn is arguing with his mom about going to his new school. Shemeeka breaks down and says he has to go because she doesn’t want him to end up dead like Joey. Shawn hugs his mom and lets her know it is going to be okay.

Shawn and several other students arrive for their first day of classes and are surprised when they are welcomed by the students at Lofton. The kids come out with school t-shirts and introduce themselves to their new classmates.

Meanwhile, Governor Eamons is catching it from all sides. Katie (Madison Thompson), her daughter, calls her out for being a hypocrite. She tells her mom she can’t send her own daughter to a $30K dollar a year school while telling other people they have to deal with poor school conditions. Her husband doesn’t even want to consider the daughter going to school in a poor neighborhood.

There are over 600 strands of marijuana in North Carolina but the weed from the college guy doesn’t match the weed found in Jessie’s car, but Jessie’s weed matches the weed that was found in Joey’s room. This leads Preston and Ashe to believe the weed was planted because Jessie was nowhere near where Joey lived or allegedly sold weed.

Carroll finally agrees to open a case on Joey Campbell’s death and Preston and Ashe go out to celebrate. At the blue’s club Preston asks Ashe if she took this case because she is trying to atone for the kid she shot and killed. Ashe replies that she really doesn’t know.

Ashe gets up to dance and asks Preston to join her. Preston was moving a little too slow and another guy stepped in. The guy is being too aggressive and a brief moment of tension arises when his friend comes over after Preston tells the guy to back-off. However, in true form Ashe steps in and the guy and his friend think she is crazy so they walk away.

The show ends with Pastor Janae preaching about truth when a white family comes in and she welcomes them. Deputy Beck, his wife and kids are all in bed together, and Lt. Breeland is reviewing Ashe’s police files.

Let me know what you thought of the episode, below. Also, please subscribe to the blog as well as my YouTube channel.
Love & Blessings,

Tracy

Tracy L. Darity is the author of three novels, He Loves Me He Loves Me Not!, Love...Like Snow in Florida on a Hot Summer Day, and The Red Bear Society. Available in print and e-book. To learn more, visit www.TracyLDarity.com or Amazon.com

 

 

 

American Crime | Season 3 | Episode 5

The show opens with Diego (Clayton Cardenas) being interrogated about the farm and the conditions of the workers. He is upset that they aren’t investigating Isaac’s (Richard Cabral) death. He breaks and reveals that people die all the time on the farm. He also talks about the living conditions and how they are housed off the farm owners property so they aren’t held accountable when incidents occur.

The investigator asks about Teo and whether Isaac killed him in the river. Diego let’s her know a lot of people have died in the river.
Shae (Ana Mulvoy Ten) is talking to two guys at the shelter about becoming a webcam girl to make extra money. They tell her that it is real simple and a way to make easy money.

Before going to sleep, Shae is in bed looking at her ultra sound, obviously considering the webcam gig, which would require her to abort the baby.

Kimara (Regina King) and Shae go to the abortion clinic and there are protesters lined up with signs and yelling that she reconsider. Inside there are posters and pamphlets about alternative measures. She decides she doesn’t want to have the abortion. Kimara asks her how will she care for the baby, but Shae responds that it’s her right and Kimara needs to mind her own business.
Exhausted, Kimara offers to take her back to the shelter.

The scene moves over to Nicolas (Timothy Hutton) and he is trying to make decisions about who to cut from his business. The guy with him says they can’t go name by name; they have to cut entire departments and shifts.

Jeannette (Felicity Huffman) has decided to leave Carson (Dallas Roberts) but before she goes she cooks him enough preplanned meals to hold him over, and leaves a note.

Jeanette checks in a hotel room using a credit card. In her room the phone rings and it is Carson. He was able to track her down by the credit card. Carson is upset and says he doesn’t understand why she needs time away. He begs her to come home but Jeannette hangs up on him.

Jeannette checks out of the hotel and tries to rent a room somewhere else. She has to complete an extensive application that requires her banking information. When she explains she is avoiding her husband the clerk suggests she go to a shelter or suck it up and go home if he is not abusive.

Next she goes to see a lawyer and he is trying to understand what she wants. Jeannette wants money to live off of until she can decide what to do. The lawyer lets her know that North Carolina requires a couple be legally separated for a year before they can get a divorce, but Carson isn’t required to pay her spousal support.

He tells Jeannette if she files for the separation she can apply for spousal support but it could take months. He is willing to do the work contingent on her getting the support.

Gabrielle (Mickaëlle X. Bizet) is at the park with Nicky (Aidan Wallace) when she looks in her purse and realizes her wallet and passport are missing. She panics as she looks for the items. Back at the house she and Claire (Lili Taylor) are talking and she says she found the items, they had fallen out of her purse and were under the bench.

Claire is surprised to learn that Gabrielle carries her passport with her and insists that she is allowed to put it in the safe. Gabrielle knows that she shouldn’t do it but Claire forces the issue.

Nicky asks his mom why she won’t teach Gabrielle English. Claire says it’s because she wants Gabrielle to teach him French. She then asks Gabrielle about her family in Haiti.

Gabrielle says she has a son name Yves but they do not have a relationship. She hasn’t spoken to him in years because he is very independent.
Later, Claire looks into the refrigerator for some left over fish. When she asks Gabrielle about it, she admits that she ate it. Claire reprimands her for not asking.

Claire and Nicholas attend a fundraiser. She mentions to Nicolas that he didn’t say goodnight to Nicky.

At the event Kimara is pitching her organization. Nicolas is approached by someone named Brent Welch (Ed Francis Martin). Welch jokes that he remembers when slave labor was called having a job. He also says when he divorced, he added 3 extra hours to his day.

Welch is surprised that Nicolas owns the furniture manufacturing company. Nicolas shares with him that he has to make significant cuts and all the woes of being a business owner these days. The two exchange sob stories about their wives and kids. Nicolas says it is their burden but they don’t get a hashtag to bring awareness.

Claire introduces herself to Kimara and she asks questions about human trafficking. Kimara lets her know the issues are real and people are really living the way she explained. The conversation turns to Nicky and how he’s Claire’s miracle baby. She tells Kimara the treatments were expensive but was worth it.

Claire decides to make a large donation in honor of Nicky.

Nicolas is livid when he learns she donated $5000.00. He tells her that for a business to get a chartable tax write-off they have to turn a profit. It’s obvious that Nicolas hasn’t shared with her what is going on with the business.

Claire offers to come back and help at the business but he continues to complain about Nicky and her hiring a nanny. When Nicolas asks why she needed a nanny when she doesn’t do anything all day, she replies so there is another person in the house to help raise their son.

Kimara is at the bookstore when she decides to buy a baby book for Shae. When she goes to drop it off she learns Shae has left the shelter. She then goes to the Assistant District Attorney (ADA) for help finding her. The ADA (Zylan Brooks) lets her know she can’t help because the DA has shifted focus from the exploitation of teen sex workers to the illegal labor trade.

We have Shae and the guy who told her about doing the webcam and they are in an apartment. He is showing her how to access the site and set-up her account. A girl named Tracy (Gideon Adlon) comes in and tells Shae she should use the name Cassi instead of Brandi.

Jeanette and Carson meet at a diner. He tells her that he doesn’t understand what’s going on. He asks if it is because he wouldn’t let her help those people. As a consolation he says that they can volunteer at a shelter.

Jeanette asks for money to live on for the time being. She says she just wants to be on her own. Carson says he gave her everything, but Jeanette reminds him she has nothing because everything is in his name. The two have an intense conversation and Carson says they should have had children, as if that would have prevented all of their problems.

Carson lets her know about the investigation and blames her and JD for stirring things up. He says that he will give her a monthly allowance until she gets over herself.

Jeanette goes to Raelyn’s and asks if she can stay with her and the girls.

Gabrielle is teaching Nicky a song in French when he hits her. She grabs him by the arms and admonishes him for hitting her. Claire runs over and pushes Gabrielle. She apologizes and then tells Gabrielle they may discipline children in Haiti that way, but in America they don’t do that.
Gabrielle looks terrified as she apologizes and says she understands.

Nicolas is meeting with one of his employees. He is terminating employees at their Burlington and Charlotte locations without severance packages. The guy who has been assisting him says that the union will probably picket at the other plants but after a week they will go home.
He assures Nicolas that he is doing the right thing, although it is apparent Nicolas doesn’t share his assessment of the situation.

Kimara is awakened by her phone ringing. It is the girl Vanessa (Daleelah Sada) that she met at the drug store. She is in an altercation with a John. She says she wants to go home. Kimara goes to the motel and when the John chases Vanessa downstairs Kimara sprays him with mace so they can escape.

Afterthoughts:

Shae is so accustomed to this cycle of abuse there is no way to save her. I hope this decision doesn’t cost her big. I also found it interesting that recruiters are everywhere, even within the shelters that are supposed to be there to protect the kids.

This episode was so strong in that it highlighted the plight of women of various socio-economic demographics but no matter where they fall on the scale the all have so many issues to deal with.

I am surprised Nicolas hasn’t had a stroke dealing with all the pressures hove having to cut millions from his operating budget and still produce a quality product. Then to have to be in a house where you’re paying the bills, but people are speaking in a language that you don’t understand.

Let me know what you thought of the episode, below. Also, please subscribe to the blog as well as my YouTube channel.

Love & Blessings,

Tracy

Tracy L. Darity is the author of three novels, He Loves Me He Loves Me Not!, Love...Like Snow in Florida on a Hot Summer Day, and The Red Bear Society. Available in print and e-book. To learn more, visit www.TracyLDarity.com or Amazon.com

 

 

 

Greenleaf | Revival | Season 2 | Episode 4

The Greenleaf family is gearing up for revival at Calvary. The Bishop (Keith David) is in such a good mood he’s singing old hymns. Lady Mae (Lynn Whitfield) is in her glory as she directs the staff in getting the house ready for a pre-revival party. The Bishop leaves to go pick-up the guest speaker, a man named Pastor Jeffries.

There is a brief scene of Sophia walking into the house. She speaks to her grandfather and goes over to speak to her mom, Grace (Merle Dandridge), and Pastor Rebecca (Sharon Conley) an old friend of Grace’s, who is in town for the revival. The two are reminiscing over glasses of champagne and Sophia asks if she can have a glass.

Next we have Kevin (Tye White) and Charity (Deborah Joy Winans). Kevin walks in as Charity is talking on the phone with Jabari (Sean Dominic). She looks annoyed when he walks in and tells Jabari she has to go. Kevin lays his cards on the table and asks Charity if they can start having sex. Charity is surprised that he wants to sleep with her, but Kevin assures her that he loves and desires her.

The Bishop and Pastor Jefferies are heading back to the house. The two are talking about life. Jefferies wife has recently passed and he talks about finding a suitcase in the closet that was full of shells. The Bishop starts talking about Jacob (Lammon Rucker) when they pass a billboard with his picture on it. Jeffries was in awe or shocked.

Back at the Greenleaf estate the party is in full swing. Pastor Rebecca tells Sophia that she Grace, Faith and Charity used to have a gospel group. The Bishop brings Jeffries into the den to see Lady Mae and when he leaves to get them some champagne we learn that Jeffries and Lady Mae have history.

After the party Lady Mae lets the Bishop know that he needs to go see the doctor. She points out that the shaking in his hands has gotten worse and was noticeable at the party. He tells her that he did go to the doctor but the medicine he prescribed made him nauseous. She lets him know he needs to do something because it was embarrassing and Jeffries noticed.

Charity is still wearing the clothes that she wore to the party, but Kevin is already undresses and ready to make love to his wife. The two have a conversation about the babysitter and it is evident that Charity is upset that the baby isn’t asleep. She tells Kevin that she is overwhelmed and it feels strange to make plans to have sex with your husband. Kevin says that he understands.

At the church the Bishop and Jeffries are talking. He shares that Basie Skanks (James Dirden) says he is the son of Darryl James and he lured Jacob to lead Triumph 2, to get back at him for his father’s death. Jeffries says that his son, Aaron (William H. Bryant Jr.), works in zoning in Nashville and he can have him come to Memphis and walk the site to see if there are any improprieties. The Bishop thinks it is a good idea and they call Aaron.

In the sanctuary, Charity and Jabari are performing and the two are looking very comfortable together. Kevin is enjoying the performance until he senses something is amidst. The Bishop comes up and welcomes everyone. He introduces a Comedian by the name of Rev. Adenoid.

Back at the house Kevin confronts Charity and asks if there is something going on between her and Jabari. Charity laughs at first and then realizes he is serious. She denies that there is anything between the two and dismisses what Kevin saw as a mutual passion for singing. Baby Nathan starts crying and Charity goes to see about him.

The following morning Kevin apologizes to Charity for questioning her, and she says she appreciates the apology.

Grace is stalking Uncle Mac (Gregory Alan Williams) again. He returns home from a date and when he goes upstairs Grace runs over to the woman’s car and tells her that Mac is a child molester. He comes back and tells the woman to leave. After she drives away he tells Grace she needs to leave him alone. Grace says she will never do that and Mac calls her Christianity into question. As he walks back inside Grace looks on as if his words have convicted her.

The next day Grace and Pastor Rebecca are reminiscing and she asks Grace why she isn’t preaching any longer. Before she can answer Darlene (Roxzane T. Mims) walks in and lets Grace know there are two police officers there to see her. Pastor Rebecca asks what’s going on.

The officers tell Grace that if she doesn’t stay away from Mac and his apartment she will be arrested. Grace wants to know why they are protesting a child molester, but they let her know it is her they are protecting.

Lady Mae goes in to confront Jeffries about the information the Bishop shared about running across Aaron’s name and giving him a call. She knows it is a lie and Jeffries made the suggestion. Jeffries asks if she wants him to call Aaron and tell him to forget about coming, she says no.

Jeffries assures Lady Mae he is not there to cause her any trouble. He says after he preaches and Aaron reviews the property, they will be on their way. Lady Mae affirms that what happened between them was a mistake and she is sorry she couldn’t run off with them.

On the second night of revival, gospel artists Mary Mary are the guest performers. Jacob is at home watching the service online.  he says he doesn't know why he's watching.  Kerissa (Kim Hawthorne) agrees and closes the laptop before taking it away from her husband.  Pastor Jeffries preaches on folks who sleep when the pastor is going through his biggest trials. Lady Mae sheds a tear and the Bishop hands her his handkerchief.

Aaron reports that the land Triumph is building on has some issues, and if a hurricane of Katrina proportions hit the church, it wouldn’t survive. He adds that Calvary is in the same boat but because the church was built before the new zoning laws went into effect they can file for an exception. He tells them how they can delay Triumph from building and cause them to lose enough money that Triumph will give up on the plans.

That night, Kevin tries to make love to Charity but she says that she can’t make love to him and she doesn’t want to try and make their marriage work. She declares that it is over between them.

In their room, Lady Mae apologies to the Bishop for he must be feeling having Jeffries there. He tells her it is okay and that he is looking forward to bringing the heat to Skanks.

Sophia finds a video of the gospel group Grace, her sisters, Pastor Rebecca were in.

The following evening before revival, Kevin walks into the bathroom where Charity is getting dressed. He asks her what they will tell people, and she tells him nothing for now, they have time to figure something out. The two share an intimate moment.

The Bishop is doing alter call and Sophia decides to give her life to Christ. Pastor Rebecca walks her up to the pulpit and Sophia tells her grandfather she wants to get baptized. Sophia returns after changing into a baptismal gown. Charity is singing I Surrender All as the Bishop leads Sophia into the baptismal pool. He tells her to hold her nose and then dips her back into the water.

After the service Grace asks Sophia how she feels. Sophia say “infinite” is the only word that comes to mind. She hugs her mom and says she loves her. Outside Lady Mae tells Jeffries that she is glad he came. The Bishop comes out with good news. Aaron can work remotely from his job in Nashville, so he has invited him to move into Jacob’s old suite. This will allow him to be nearby to help bring Skanks down.

The show ends with Lady Mae standing outside in disbelief and then moves to Grace standing inside waiting on Detective Ivy Sutton (Tess Malis Kincaid) to discuss how she can get back at Uncle Mac.

Afterthoughts

•  If Lady Mae and Jeffries has a past, why did he invite him to Calvary
• Why does Lady Mae seem so bothered by the presence of Aaron
• Grace is showing worldly characteristics dealing with Uncle Mac. Is she going to drive herself over the edge seeking revenge
• I wish Charity would let Kevin go if she really doesn’t want to be with him. It’s evident he chose her because she has the same domineering personality as his mother.
• Jacob was watching the Calvary service being live streamed on the internet.  How is this different from having the service televised, which the Bishop was against

Let me know what you thought of the episode, below. Also, please subscribe to the blog as well as my YouTube channel.

Love & Blessings,

Tracy

Tracy L. Darity is the author of three novels, He Loves Me He Loves Me Not!, Love...Like Snow in Florida on a Hot Summer Day, and The Red Bear Society. Available in print and e-book. To learn more, visit www.TracyLDarity.com or Amazon.com

Shots Fired | Somebody’s Son | Season 1 | Episode 3

The show opens with Ashe (Sanaa Lathan) and Preston (Stephen James) going to visit Cory’s dad to ask if he’s seen him. Ashe asks if he filed a missing person’s report. He says no because when the two get into it Cory usually goes to his sister’s house. While they are talking shots are fired in the distance.

When they arrive at the scene Deputy Brooks (Beau Knapp) and Lieutenant Breeland (Stephen Moyer) are standing over the body of a black teenager who has been shot and killed. Ashe and Breeland have a brief exchange that ends when he tells her that he can guarantee that the kid on the ground was killed by a black person.

At the pool hall Brooks is asked about Deputy Beck (Tristan Mack Wilds), by a retired cop. He is offended that the department filled his spot with the likes of Beck. The guy pulls out a petition demanding Beck be fired and he wants everyone there to sign. Brooks refuses to sign it and Breeland steps in. There is a brief scuffle and the retired officer leaves.

Kerry Beck (Clare-Hope Ashitey) is trying to get the kids in the car but things are really stressful with the media camped out in the front yard. She heads back inside to get everyone together when Joshua comes out and lets her know he will catch up with her later. He places his earbuds in his ears and goes for a run.

Ashe gets a call that she can talk to Kai. She and Preston go to visit Pastor Janae (Aisha Hinds). Ashe brings up the rumor they heard about Joey Campbell and Pastor Jane suddenly tempers her socially conscious speech. When they ask about Cory she becomes a little concerned that they are learning too much about her dealings.

Politician Penn Moder (R. Keith Harris) shows up at the Carr home. He tells Alicia (Jill Hennessy) that he is going to introduce the Jessie Carr Call First Bill, which is a law that would require police officers to call the parent or guardian of anyone they stop who is under the age of 21. Ailica is offended that he wants to use her son’s death for a political platform, and refuses to throw her support behind the idea. After Moder leaves the house he goes out to the street and is interviewed by a reporter.

The toxicology report shows Jessie Carr’s blood alcohol level was 0.8. Ashe and Preston call the parents in and ask how long had Jessie struggled with alcohol. Alicia says he didn’t have a problem, but Ashe brings up that he was in rehab before. The mom says there was an incident where he and a friend were caught drinking. She sent him to rehab as a precaution.

When asked why they would send him to rehab after one incident, the dad acknowledges that he is a recovering alcoholic. He also shares that Jessie called him a week earlier looking for advice regarding an incident that happened at school. Jessie had gotten drunk and was involved in a fight. Alicia shares that the car Jessie was driving was his high school graduation gift.

Alicia wants to know if he was pulled over for drunk driving the day he was killed. When Ashe says no, Alicia accuses her of trying to come up with a story to make Jessie look bad. She also wants to know when she can get Jessie’s car out of impound.

Pastor Janae and Governor Eamons (Helen Hunt) are having lunch together. Pastor Janae says she called the governor because she would listen to what she has to say. She tells the governor that in her election speech she said she was a champion for the upper class and middle class, but what about the lower class. There are a numerous people looking through the window of the restaurant and this seems to annoy Eamons.

The scene Scene goes to Alicia arriving at Moder’s campaign headquarters. When he comes out to greet her she lets him know that she is in and wants to support him.

Ashe goes to see Alicia and is surprised that there are cameras and make-up artist at the house. She came to give her the release for Jessie’s car, but Alicia lets her know that she no longer believes Ashe is there to seek justice in Jessie’s death.

When someone calls for her, Alicia goes before the camera and begins reciting a statement about the Jessie Carr Bill and how Penn Moder is the best candidate for mothers and will ensure that the police are held accountable regardless of race.

Governor Eamons goes to see Shemeeka Campbell (DeWanda Wise) after talking to Pastor Janae. She is accompanied by her aide, Sarah Ellis (Conor Leslie). She meets Shemeeka’s youngest son Shawn (Kylen Davis). He is very mannerable and offers their guess a choice of tea or lemonade. They are all in the bedroom that Joey and Shawn shared. Eamons looks around and notices tape on the floor. Shemeeka shares hare the floor was damaged and that she decided to keep the tape to remember Joey.

Shawn is asking the governor a lot of questions letting her know that he is a smart kid. In return she asks him about the Hornets basketball team. Shawn lets her know that was Joey’s thing and not his. The governor decides she has been there long enough and says she has to leave. Before she goes, Shemeeka asks if she can help get Shawn into a better school because the one he’s in is closing. Eamons says she will see what she can do and shakes Shawns hand. She seems shocked that he has a nice handshake.

Ashe and Preston go to talk to Cara (Jenna Kanell), Jessie’s girlfriend. She shares that Jessie started drinking after pledging a fraternity. He became intoxicated one night and got into an altercation with the Resident Assistant.

Ashe goes to the dorm to talk the RA. He tells them that Jessie got drunk one time. When she asks him to tell her what happened, he says he’s not a snitch. Ashe says if she had a dollar for every time someone said that before they snitched she’d be a millionaire. The guy tells her that Jessie was “White boy wasted.” They got into a fight and he had to beat his ass. Ashe asks if it was in front of his frat brothers, and he replies, no in front of everybody.

At the storyboard Preston and Ashe debate whether or not Jessie was a racist. Ashe receives a call that a friend tracked Kiana’s (Antonique Smith) mobile phone. Preston is worried that she used illegal means to find her. The two are bickering about college and frats when Preston tells her he is a Sigma. Ashe is shocked. Preston then tells her how many politicians, judges and members of the DOJ that are Sigma’s.

Ashe goes to see Kiana and she is set-up in a nice place, fully furnished and full of shopping bags. Outside someone is listening to their conversation. On her drive back the next day, Ashe calls Preston to fill him in. When they disconnect she gets a call that Javier forgot about the call so it may be 2 -3 hours before they can connect.

Preston goes to the frat house to inquire about Jessie’s plans on the day he was killed. The guy who comes to the door says that Jessie was on his way to Gate’s barbecue. Preston states it was a long drive for some barbecue, but the frat brother says that was what he wanted.

Lieutenant Breeland goes to visit Shemeeka at the request of the Governor. He apologizes for the way he came across the first time he visited. He says he means well and wants to be the first person she calls if she hears anything.

Back at the college Preston attends a party and engages with one of the fraternity pledges (Elijah Marcano). The kid lets Preston know that after Jessie was beaten the frat brothers started harassing him, saying it was an embarrassment for him to get beat-up by a black guy.

Beck finally returns home and his dinner is on the table and Kerry is trying to fix the plumbing under the kitchen sink. She called the plumber but he refused to come. Beck believes that it’s because he is the black cop that killed the white guy.

When Kerry says they are already being given the side-eye by everyone else, they can’t do it to each other; Joshua implies that she isn’t being looked at sideways.

Kerry says that she went to get fitted for her bridesmaid’s dress and was all but asked to bow out by the wedding coordinator. She assures Joshua that they can get through anything together.

Ashe goes to the Sheriff’s office to ask where she should turn in the paperwork for Jessie’s car. Without ever making eye contact the deputy tells her it goes to the impound lot. As she walks away she overhears and officer speaking to Cory’s dad. He is there filing a missing person’s report.

Later Ashe tail’s him as he leaves the house. Her daughter calls and begins to tell her about Paula taking her shoe shopping. This strikes a nerve and Ashe goes off about Kai talking in Spanish and missing her call to go shoe shopping. Kai begins to cry and Javier gets on the phone. He hangs up on Ashe and then blocks her number.

Preston is at the batting cage when Sarah shows up. He shares with her that he may have placed Cory’s life in danger. Sarah reveals that when she was in college at Duke she learned a Frat had a slut book, so she organized a slut walk and got the fraternity shut down. The event got the attention of the governor’s office and earned her an internship. Preston asks if her name was on the list.

Jessie’s car is delivered, the scene fades to Joshua and Kerry in the shower, and then goes back to Alicia as she gets in Jessie’s car and begins to cry.

Ashe has followed Cory’s dad to a gas station. When he leaves there he heads over to an apartment. Ashe goes into the apartment gun drawn and gets into a physical altercation with someone. The lights are out so she only knows that it’s a male. When she gets the person down she realizes it is Cory.

Let me know what you thought of the episode, below. Also, please subscribe to the blog as well as my YouTube channel.

Love & Blessings,

Tracy

Tracy L. Darity is the author of three novels, He Loves Me He Loves Me Not!, Love...Like Snow in Florida on a Hot Summer Day, and The Red Bear Society. Available in print and e-book. To learn more, visit www.TracyLDarity.com or Amazon.com

 

 

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Greenleaf | A Mother’s Love | Season 2 | Episode 3

NOTE: My blog is only a recap of the show, in my video recap I share my thoughts on some of the scenes.

The show opens with Grace (Merle Dandridge) rushing to the hospital. Danielle (Carlacia Grant) attempted suicide by taking a handful of pills. Danielle says she feels dumb, but the kids are bullying her in school and on social media after learning about the accusations against Uncle Mac. She says someone broke into her locker and wrote slut on her underwear.

Danielle wants to know why Uncle Mac is not in jail and is feeling as if coming forward was a waste of time. Grace doesn’t really have any answers.

Lady Mae (Lynn Whitfield) is mourning the absence of Jacob (Lammon Rucker) and his family. They took every piece of furniture out of their suite when they moved out. Sh is running her fingers over the height markings on the wall when the Bishop (Keith David) comes in and suggests she paint the suite a new color.

Uncle Mac (Gregory Alan Williams) has had to move from his condominium and is now living in an apartment that looks to be beneath the lifestyle he is accustomed to. He is looking out the window when a mom and her two kids walk by. They are looking at a flyer and then up at him. He smiles at the family but this causes the woman to hurry her kids along.

It turns out the flyer is a copy of his mugshot with the charges leveled against him. Someone, probably Grace) has gone through the trouble of placing the flyers on the windshield of all the cars.

Jacob goes in to see Basie Skanks (Jason Dirden) who is going over graphics for a billboard. Jacob is there to let him know there are issues at the construction site that will cost about $400K to fix. Skanks suggests that Jacob go visit a Calvary member who won the Powerball a few months back, and ask her for the money.

Jacob arrives at the home Clara Jackson (Donna Biscoe) to try and get her to donate, but after she starts to talk about the money being a curse, he has a change of heart. She asks how he is doing at Triumph and states that she hasn’t seen a Greenleaf in a while. She also says there is room for two churches in the area and she isn’t upset that Jacob went to Triumph. After a brief pause she asks Jacob why he decided to visit after so much time has passed. Jacob replies that he just wanted to see her.

Sophia (Desiree Ross) and Zora (Lovie Simone) are having lunch but Zora is receiving text after text after text. Sophia asks who is texting her. When Zora replies “Isaiah (Roshon Fegan),” a sudden sadness comes over Sophia. Zora is totally oblivious to the violation she has committed and to the fact that she has hurt Sophia.

Grace goes to pick-up Sophia from Jacob’s and asks Kerissa (Kim Hawthorne) if she can make some connections to get Danielle into another school. Kerissa doesn’t seem happy to see Grace. When Grace says that the house isn’t that bad, Kerissa tells her to save her pity, because had she not come back to Memphis, they wouldn’t be in this house. They would still be living at the Greenleaf estate.

The following day Zora and Sophia arrive at an event at Triumph. Isaiah is performing and Zora doesn’t try to hide her infatuation. She is totally smitten by Isaiah. Sophia lingers in the background hurt and disappointed. Isaiah asks Zora if she wants to go somewhere with him. She asks Sophia is she wants to tag along. Sophia declines the offer and the two sneak out leaving Sophia to cover for them.

While listening to a female speaker (Kat Logan) a young guy sitting behind Sophia introduces himself as Roberto (Antonio J Bell) and the two engage in conversation about the speech. Tasha Skanks (Asia'h Epperson) comes up looking for Zora and Sophia says she is in the bathroom. Tasha replies that she has been in the bathroom for two hours, to which Sophia replies she is having female issues.

When Kerissa arrives to pick up the girls, she is met by Tasha who asks again if she can help decorate the house. Again Kerissa brushes her off. Tasha tells Kerissa she has plenty of things to keep her busy and just wants to help, but Kerissa is still cold and distant. In response, Tasha decides to let her know that Zora made like Elvis and left the building for several hours, and that Sophia covered for her. There is definitely some tension between these two that probably stems back to Kerissa’s insecurities, coupled with her not wanting to move.

Kerissa goes in to see Grace when she drops Sophia off to let her know that Sophia covered for Zora so she could sneak off. She also lets Grace know she found a spot for Danielle at another school.

At home, Jacob tells Zora she is forbidden from seeing Isaiah again.

Kevin (Tye White) is at his support meeting and he opens up about his mom coming to visit. He sees Charity’s (Deborah Joy Winans) willingness to host his mother as a step in the right direction.

Sidney (Neko Parham), the leader of the group hands all the participants a bottle of Ipecac syrup, a drug that is generally used to induce vomiting. For the purpose of the group, he wants them to take a dose every time they begin to have unwanted feelings or desires. We see Kevin take the medication at least two times.

Kevin’s mom Ethlin (Denise Burse) arrives at the Greenleaf estate and is so happy to see her grandson. When the two are alone she asks Kevin why it took so long for her to be able to visit. She believes the delay is due to Charity suffering from Post-Partum depression. Kevin lets her know that was not the reason. Ethlin tells Kevin she needs to go to the grocery store to get the ingredients for some chicken bouillon stew (guessing that is what she called it), but he lets her know Marisel (Vickie Eng) has gotten everything she needs. His mom is not impressed with the lifestyle the Greenleaf’s have exposed her son to.

Later Ethlin is alone with Charity and it is an awkward moment. She tells Charity with all the help she has, motherhood should come easy.
Grace has lunch with Darius Nash (Rick Fox). They order crab legs from a food truck but its obvious Grace knows nothing about eating crabs. She shares with Darius that Danielle attempted suicide after being bully, and describes her angst with knowing Uncle Mac is still free.

I am wondering when will one or all of these “off the record” comments are going to come back and bite Grace in the behind.

Darius tells her that when she gets down and distraught Mac wins. He then offers to take her to work off some steam. The two end up at a batting cage where he teaches Grace, how to hit. These two are becoming very comfortable and Grace reveals that she feels like she has all this weight on her trying to clean up her family’s mess.

Lady Mae, the Bishop, Darlene (Roxzane T. Mims) and Karine (Chevonne Hughes) are listening to the interview the Bishop did at a local radio station. Lady Mae is upset when she learns that the Bishop’s interview was only a snippet and they will have to go to the internet to hear the entire show. It seems they were bumped by Basis Skanks and Triumph.

As she and the Bishop are in her office planning for a counter-attack, Karine comes in to let them know that Nana Clara called to say hello and to let them know that Jacob came by to visit. The Bishop asks Lady Mae if she is ready to paint the room now.

Lady Mae goes to visit Jacob at the construction site to confront him about going to see Ms. Clara. She lets Jacob know that Basie Skanks is actually Darryl James son and the only reason he hired him was to get back at the Bishop. Jacob lets her know he is 40 years-old and has nothing to show for his life but his kids. Despite why Skanks hired him, he wants to take full advantage of the opportunity to do something with his life.

Lady Mae says she is embarrassed that he would rather stay at Triumph and make things work with Skanks than come back to Calvary. She lets him know that both he and Grace have disappointed her. Jacob responds that he was afraid that in her tirade she wasn’t going to mention Grace.

Before dinner, Grace lectures Sophia about covering for Zora. Sophia is really in funk and snaps at Grace. Grace orders her to get ready for dinner after Sophia says she doesn’t want to go downstairs and eat whatever the cafeteria smelling stuff is that is stinking up the house.

At the dinner table Ethlin gets a few things off her chest. She lets the Bishop know that she had been trying to visit for some time but Kevin wouldn’t give her a due date for the twins. Poor thing, she just wanted to request time off from her job and buy her bus ticket to Memphis.

Ethlin shares that she felt unwanted and that Kevin was ashamed of her. Lady Mae and the Bishop try to calm her spirit after Kevin walks out. Ethlin excuses herself to go see what is going on with her son. Lady Mae turns to Charity who has been quiet the entire time and accuses her of acting as if nothing is amiss. Charity gets upset and leaves the table also.

Upstairs Kevin confesses to his mom that he had been staying in a hotel and only recently moved back into the Greenleaf home. The two have an unspoken conversation and the mother surmises that Kevin has come to terms with being gay.

Ethlin leaves the following day and she seems to be in a better place, she repeats to Kevin that he is her only son and she is proud of him. Inside, Lady Mae has chosen a color for the suite and the painting has begun.

Jacob is leaving the church when Skanks asks him about his visit to Ms. Clara. Jacob lets him know he didn’t ask for the money. When Skanks asks how he plans to cover the shortfall, he says he will figure it out.

Grace let’s Janice (Tonia Jackson), Danielle’s mother, know that they found a school and although she can’t promise the kids will be nicer, she is there is they need her. Later she overhears Darlene on the phone with her daughter. She is trying to calm her down after the daughter ran into Uncle Mac.

The show ends with Grace going to Uncle Mac’s apartment building. She sits in her car waiting for him to arrive home. After he goes upstairs she takes a bat and busts out all the windows in his SUV. Uncle Mac comes down and the two have an intense stare-off.

Let me know what you thought of the episode, below. Also, please subscribe to the blog as well as my YouTube channel.

Love & Blessings,

Tracy

Tracy L. Darity is the author of three novels, He Loves Me He Loves Me Not!, Love...Like Snow in Florida on a Hot Summer Day, and The Red Bear Society. Available in print and e-book. To learn more, visit www.TracyLDarity.com or Amazon.com

 

 

 

American Crime | Season 3 | Episode 4

The show opens with Luis (Benito Martinez) talking about Teo to what appears to be an investigator. The man gives him a huge photo album full of files on dead migrant workers. Teo was pulled from the river and has been cremated. The guy tells Luis he can have the ashes if he wants them.

A badly beaten Coy (Connor Jessup) goes to someone at the farm and asks how much he owes in order to leave. The guy tells him over $300. When Coy asks how is he supposed to pay off the debt, the guy tells him to work harder and work faster. Coy calls his brother to ask for money, but the brother doesn’t want to help him anymore.

Shae (Ana Mulvoy Ten) tells Kimara (Regina King) she wants to have an abortion. She also lets her know she has had one previously while living in DC. Kimara lets her know that in NC minors have to have parental consent to have an abortion, or they will need to go before a judge to receive court ordered approval. Shae is confused by the information but Kimara lets her know that it is the law.

Kimara goes back to the fertility clinic to discuss another treatment. Things are really adding up and there is no guarantee that with a new more expensive plan that she will get a refund if it doesn’t work.

Shae is talking to one of the males from the shelter. He tells her that he saw her steal the phone. The two talk briefly before he asks to see the device that Kimara gave her. She shows him the device but when he suggests they go take some pictures she shuts down and says no.

Shae and Kimara meet with a court officer to talk about getting a waiver for the abortion. Her request is denied and she is told she will need to get a waiver from her parents. Shae asks if there is any other option and is told that if she can prove that going to her parents to get consent will cause her harm, the courts may give the waiver. However, she can’t be more than 20 weeks pregnant.

Shae has an ultra sound and she is 14 weeks. Kimara becomes emotional when she hears the baby’s heartbeat.

JD (Tim DeKay) is crying on Jeanette’s (Felicity Huffman) shoulder. He said he went to see his dad but he wasn’t allowed to visit because Laurie Ann (Cherry Jones) told the facility not to allow him in. He pleads with her to talk to Laurie Ann and Carson (Dallas Roberts).

Jeanette meets with Laurie Ann and Carson to plead JD’s case. Laurie Ann says he showed up at the hospital with liquor on his breath. She also confronts Jeanette for using the family’s money to make a donation to the organization fighting for the migrant workers. It turns out Carson placed a stop payment on the check.

Luis calls home but he can’t bring himself to say that Teo has been killed. Instead he lies and says that he is working on a farm and that everyone liked him. The following day he gets a gun.

Coy is back in the fields and he passes out again. Isaac (Richard Cabral) takes him to a bootleg doctor who gives him some pills and says he’s okay. The visit costs $35, which will be added to the $300 plus he already owes. Diego (Clayton Cardenas) is there also and tells the doctor to give him extra pills. Alone, Isaac says he remembers when Coy laughed at him when he first met him on the street and suggested he come pick tomatoes.

Later that night Luis goes to Coy and asks him to text Isaac and have him come to where Coy is staying. Luis asks if he has family and tells him there is nothing keeping him at the farm and encourages him to leave.

When Isaac arrives, Luis asks him to tell him about Teo. Isaac says he didn’t do anything to Teo, he did it to himself. While he’s talking we get flashback scenes of the altercation between Isaac and Teo. Luis then shoots Isaac multiple times killing him.

At the same time Coy takes all of the pills and OD’s on the side of the road, but the paramedics arrive and give him Narcan. They assure him that everything will be okay and they are going to get him to the hospital.

Luis tosses the gun into the lake where Isaac drowned Teo, and then calls his wife to let her know he is on his way home.
The show is introducing new players.

At the airport a Haitian woman, Gabrielle Durand (Mickaëlle X. Bizet) is entering the United States and the process is a little complicated. She has come into the country to work for Claire (Lili Taylor) and Nicholas (Timothy Hutton) Coates as a nanny.

Nicholas runs a furniture manufacturing business. He is meeting with a buyer and the man is upset that the quality of the pieces has diminished. The stitching is off and the chair was made with plywood. Nicholas is facing a similar dilemma as the Hesby’s. He has to figure out a way to cut costs but maintain the same quality of his product.

Nicholas and his wife go to dinner and he is unhappy that she hired a nanny who only speaks French. Later we see the nanny come in to check on Claire but she orders her back into her bedroom. It is evident that their marriage is strained in more ways than one and will be interesting to see how their storyline plays into the human trafficking and servitude topics.

This was a great episode but I am hoping we haven’t seen the last of Luis, I really need him to be a part of bringing down the Hesby family.

NOTE: In my previous recaps I indicated that Laurie Ann was Carson’s mother and JD was a cousin. It turns out they are all siblings. Also, I didn’t realize that Diego and Isaac are brothers, which explains why Diego talked so much trash to him, but never did anything. Last, I thought it was a phone that Kimara gave to Shae, but it appears to be a camera of some kind…or not.

Let me know what you thought of the episode, below. Also, please subscribe to the blog as well as my YouTube channel.

Love & Blessings,

Tracy

Tracy L. Darity is the author of three novels, He Loves Me He Loves Me Not!, Love...Like Snow in Florida on a Hot Summer Day, and The Red Bear Society. Available in print and e-book. To learn more, visit www.TracyLDarity.com or Amazon.com

 

 

 

American Crime | Season 3 | Episode 3

On episode 3 Luis(Benito Martinez) arrives at the Hesby farm and learns the truth about his son's tragic end. After a deep and revealing conversation, Jeanette (Felicity Huffman) and JD (Tim DeKay) attend a workers' rally.

The show opens with a female migrant worker being raped out in the fields by Diego (Clayton Cardenas). Coy (Connor Jessup) sees what is going on but doesn’t say anything, he just walks away after a brief stare-off with Diego.

The scene moves over to the shelter and we see Shae (Ana Mulvoy Ten) getting acclimated. She has to give a urine sample for drug testing, work in an industrial size kitchen (is this free labor), and attend chapel where the speaker is preaching a fire and brimstone message.

Jeanette is on the phone with Carson (Dallas Roberts). She has sent him photos from the migrant camp to get him to understand the inhumane conditions that the migrant workers lived and died. Carson treats her like she is wrong for caring, and asks why she does this to herself. He continues to maintain that the fire was not on the farm so they have nothing to worry about.

Later that day Carson tells Jeanette that he spoke to JD and Laurie Ann (Cherry Jones). They have agreed to review their policies on the migrants, and write up new procedures. When Jeanette offers to help Carson says no. She explains that she has nothing to do and with his dad being ill she can see the extra pressure on everyone else. Carson says he will ask JD if he needs help, but he doesn’t want this issue to become an issue in their marriage.

Diego sees Isaac (Richard Cabral) out in the fields talking to Coy. The two get into an argument about Isaac and his relationship with Coy. Diego believes that Isaac is being too soft on the “white boy” and wants to know why Isaac cares so much. He tells Isaac that if he’s talking to Coy then Coy isn’t working. He also says he saw Coy snooping around earlier and when Isaac replies that he had Coy come in early so he can earn extra money, Diego is livid. He tells Isaac that Coy is a junkie and he doesn’t have the authority to pay him for extra work.
Diego has no use for Coy and this will prove to be a point of contention between him and Isaac.

Luis is asking a work at another farm about Teo. The worker tells him to be careful in front of the overseers and to put the picture of Teo away. He promises to ask around and see what he can find out.

In the fields, the worker comes over with someone who remembers Teo. The guy tells Luis that someone named Jorge El Gallinero (Mike Hernandez) runs the houses for single men and may know more information. He tells Luis he can find Jorge at night in the labor camp.

Coy is telling Isaac stories about overdosing on drugs and dying. Isaac seems to be really intrigued by the stories. Coy says dying was like a high itself because they learned that the paramedics had a new drug that thy inserted in your nose and it revives the patient. He and his friends started OD’ing closer to the fire stations so the paramedics could get the Narcan to them quicker.

Isaac educates Coy on his white privilege. He tells him that when crack cocaine was prevalent in the inner cities there was no drugs to revive the blacks and Mexicans; they just died in the streets. Now that white kids have Heroin, there is suddenly a magic treatment to save them.
Isaac is annoyed that Coy doesn’t get it. Coy then starts mouthing off about how hard his life is and that he doesn’t see what Isaac does that is so hard. He even goes so far as to say that he sees a lot of bad things happening on the farm and he doesn’t see Isaac doing anything about it.

Isaac gets up and starts walking away, but stops and comes back. He hands Coy some money and when he reaches for it, Isaac throws the money at him.

In group therapy one of the male teens is telling a story about how a John almost killed him. Shae raises her hand and shares that she has gone through similar things. She says her dad’s girlfriend forced her to have an abortion because she thought she got pregnant for the attention. She tells the group that she misses Billy and that she’s pregnant again, but won’t keep it.

Shae has some warped fantasy about her and Billy having a baby together and being a family one day. The group leader thanks her for her honesty. Outside Shae and several other participants are standing around when one guy notices that she stole someone’s phone.

Shae is called into the counselors office and Kimara (Regina King) is there. They found out she has the phone and are ready to kick her out of the facility. Shae says she stole the phone from one of the counselors so she can take pictures. Kimara looks through the phone and when she asks Shae what the pictures are of, she says she doesn’t know; they were just beautiful images. Kimara tells her she has to return the phone.
Kimara and Reggie (Sean Blakemore) are discussing him being her sperm donor, but he tells her he can’t do it. Kimara thinks it is because Denise, his wife, said no. Reggie explains that he could not have a baby with someone he cares about and not be a part of the child’s life. He tells her being a parent is a lifetime commitment. Reggie doesn’t think with her job, Kimara can be a full time committed mother.

Kimara breaks down and tells him what she feels when she thinks about never having a child. Reggie says he empathizes, but can’t father a child for her. He offers to help her financially with the treatments but that is the best he can do.

At a drugstore, Kimara witnesses an interaction between a girl and guy. When the guy walks away she walks towards the girl and bumps into her. In the brief interaction she slips the girl a card with her information.

Jeanette goes to see JD. JD tells her that Carson called and said she was looking for work. When Jeanette mentions that Carson told her JD and Laurie Ann were going to review the procedures, JD seems surprised, but tells Jeanette that Laurie Ann has already taken care of it.

Jeanette pulls out the pictures from the fire to show JD. He doesn’t want to look at them and share that he’s seen it before and that there have been many fires and many deaths since he was a boy growing up on the farm.

JD believes he should be running the farm and Jeanette counters that if he gets himself cleaned up maybe Laurie Ann would trust him. She tells him she knows what addiction looks like and offers to help him.

Kimara goes to visit Shae and sneaks her a device she bought from the drugstore. She tells her to hide it and hide it good.

At the migrant camp, Luis walks up on some guys looking for Jorge. He tells them that he is looking for work. Jorge asks if he has money and when he says yes he takes him to the sleeping quarters and tells him it is $200 a week. Luis pulls out a picture of Teo and says he heard he was staying there.

Jorge questions Luis, reminding him that he said he isn’t a drug dealer he is no good at picking crops. Luis replies that he is an accountant, and Jorge asks if Teo owes him money. Jorge says that he remembers Teo and wants to show Luis something. He tells him to stay put and he will be back.

Luis realizes something isn’t right but suddenly he is grabbed from behind. Jorge comes back and asks why he is looking for the boy and adds that Teo left owing him money. A woman appears and ordered them to let Luis go. She asks why he is looking for Teo.

Luis cries out Teo is his son and he wants answers. He accuses the three of not carrying and only wanting money for themselves.

The woman tells him that Teo was there a few months ago but disappeared. He became involved with a Nahuatl girl named Itzel. After getting the information Luis walks away.

Luis walks up to a bus that has been converted to living quarters, looking for Teo. A guy comes out and tells him Teo is not there. He asks about Itzel and he says she is not there either.

Luis says he came to talk to someone and somebody has to talk to him. He pulls out some money and tells the guy to take it. The guy says he doesn’t want his money and walks away. Luis follows him to a tent where a woman is tending to a baby. It is Itzel (Nitzia Chama). She gives the baby to an older woman in the tent and follows them outside.

Luis pleads with her to tell him what happened, good or bad. Itzel says that Teo made her very happy but the bosses couldn’t stand to see her smile. One day they drag her out to the “Green Motel” the name they call the fields when the women are raped. Teo tried to defend her but the boss became angry and dragged him off. This was the last time she saw him.

Luis asks what the boss’s name is. The scene cuts away to the following day and Diego is in the fields calling out to Isaac.

Diego shows Isaac that Coy is slacking and his basket isn’t full. Coy says he is trying. Diego knocks the basket out of his hands and Isaac goes to help Coy. Diego says that Coy is Isaac’s little bitch but he needs to learn how to work on his own. Coy picks up the tomatoes but Diego kicks the basket over again and again.

Coy stands up to Diego and says he’s not going to pick it up again. He then puts Isaac on the spot telling him he should do something. When Isaac doesn’t say anything Coy walks away. Diego looks to Isaac, as if to say, you’re just going to let him walk away. Isaac goes after Coy and beats him up really bad.

Luis is looking on and thinking the same thing happened to Teo and Isaac must be the boss that Itzel was talking about.

The show ends with a room full of people listening to a speaker. He is trying to speak to their conscience on how the migrant workers are treated. We get a shot of Shae riding on a bus, and then the scene goes back to the speaker. The camera pans across the room and we see JD and Jeanette in the audience.

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Love & Blessings,

Tracy

Tracy L. Darity is the author of three novels, He Loves Me He Loves Me Not!, Love...Like Snow in Florida on a Hot Summer Day, and The Red Bear Society. Available in print and e-book. To learn more, visit www.TracyLDarity.com or Amazon.com