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
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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
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