Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Between blackmail, backstabbers, someone getting fired, another resigning, and more, like Karine said, “This sure don’t feel like church.”
| Network | |
| OWN | |
| Director(s) | Allan Kroeker |
| Writer(s) | Karen Corneille |
| Air Date | 10/29/2019 |
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Recap
By Any Means Necessary: James, Connie, Mae, Kerissa, Jacob, Dante
Desperation is starting to hit hard, and with that comes James blackmailing Connie with knowledge of that check H&H gave her. That was a piece of information Mae wanted to hold onto since she doesn’t want to do things as they were done before and be punished for it. Yet, what can she do? James is tired of being stuck in the house like her and seemingly only stepping off their property when they go to church. So, naturally, he is going to do something foolish.
Yet, he isn’t alone. Kerissa continues to poke the bear as she searches for a means to get out of Mae’s house. Be it asking to be bought out or hoping Jacob would inherit the house and find a means to cash in that way. The desperation is real, and you can tell since she even talks to Grace in a friendly manner. Think about the last time that happened.
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However, a gift has been bestowed on her, and surprisingly it is from Jacob. You see, with Dante needing to get off the bench, but refusing to apologize, donating money to Kerissa’s school is a good look for him. Thing is, there is the need to question when Jacob hands the check to Kerissa, will she put it into the school’s pocket or her pocket? Remember, she is desperate to get out of that house, and the money Dante has to throw around could be more than enough. But would she cross that line?
Comment Down Below
- What was Jacob and Kerissa, during their courting period, like? Was she checking into what he could give or provide, or was there love involved?
- What are the chances Mac is the father of Connie’s child, and her beef with the Greenleaf family was her being forced to keep the child’s paternity a secret and either lacking support, or it getting cut off when Mac died? Which, due to him being a rapist, she is conflicted about – in terms of now losing that money stream yet not having to associate with someone who raped girls?
What’s Done Was Done: Nikki, Sophia, Zora, Charity, Judee, Phil, Dante
Relationships on Greenleaf have always ranged between bound to end and a matter of convenience. Happy, healthy, and stable relationships don’t really exist here. I dare say, not even in a platonic sense. But, focusing on the romantic side, Judee makes it clear, during a coerced dinner threeway, that she and Phil had something, and this leads Charity to raise an eyebrow. However, Phil came prepared. Between a key to his apartment, with notable things for her to look at, boasting how he loves her, and saying the actual word “love,” Charity is shackled and so foolish that she thinks she has on a bracelet.
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Though with that said, considering the Connie situation, while Judee may not like Phil with another woman, she does see how Charity can be useful in the long run. Plus, with her being as spoiled as she is, do you think she is really going to give up now? After all, while Bob might be her daddy, she owes all that she has to Phil, and that makes him too valuable to let go.
But, considering the value Nikki presented in Dante’s life, does it truly matter how value a person can be for you? Especially when they so easily can find someone new and think they have something? Case in point, Dante and Sophia are seemingly on their way to being a thing, and when confronted by Nikki and Zora, all Sophia has to offer is attitude. I’m talking about her saying, “I’m grown” despite the fact she has no job, lives in her grandparents’ house, and the sole struggle she can name is losing the ability to have children.
Which we’re not downplaying, for that really messed her up, as it would any woman who wanted to have kids, but the point remains – her saying she is “grown” is worth an eye-roll.
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Comment Down Below
- Considering how grown she thinks she is, and with her faith now meaning less to her, you think Sophia is going to have sex with Dante?
Your Momma Or Your Child: Mae, James, Phil, Charity, Grace, AJ, Sophia
With Phil blackmailing Grace, with Charity’s consent, so comes the question of what to do? Mae advocates for coming clean and basically begging for the mercy of the church, come what may. However, in doing so, as James pushes, it may lead to AJ going to jail and a similar fate for Grace.
With this all in play, Sophia decides to stop her summer at Hampton to be there for her mom. Also, she tries to beg AJ to come clean for while she gets AJ wants to punish Grace, there is the collateral damage of Sophia. Someone who welcomed him with open arms and yet will end up suffering due to his vendetta.
And seemingly, her pleas breakthrough since AJ shows up at the church. Thus, Grace decides she’d rather resign and believe Phil’s word that he won’t say anything if she does so, than drag her name through the mud hoping it would vindicate her person.
Comment Down Below
- Did Grace make the right decision? Would you do the same?
Collected Quote(s) & .Gifs
If I don’t stay for this, what would I stay for?
— Sophia
You do what’s best for your soul. Everything else is noise.
— Mae
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Review
Highlights
Grace Resigning
While perseverance is a wonderful sight to behold, the fall of the Greenleaf family isn’t truly complete until Grace hits rock bottom. At least, that is assuming the show may play up the term “Fall From Grace” and use the destruction of the golden child as a means to renew every character. After all, Grace is a crutch at this point.
When it comes to Charity’s hatred, it relies on Grace getting something she doesn’t in order to feel good about herself. For as long as Grace is the enemy, she has something to funnel her anger for her situation. So if Grace is made powerless, that means Charity has to take off her blinders and look around. Perhaps see not just what she did to others, but herself, all in the name of trying to act as a judge, jury, and executioner.
But she isn’t alone. James and Mae have long relied on Grace. In previous seasons, it was to stir drama for their characters, and now, they are reliant on her to save the church. Well, at least save it long enough so they can be reinstated in some form or fashion. However, without her, it means Mae and James have to step out, apologize, or explain themselves.
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One of the best examples of that is Mae noting being raped by her father and how that blinded her to what Mac was doing. For with that being uncovered, it did a few things. First, it made it so Mae wasn’t almost bound to being at home. Second, it led to her interacting with people beyond her family or those she perceives as enemies. Lastly, it did something this show hasn’t really done much lately: It developed her character.
For while we are 4 seasons in, there is still so much unsaid about these people. Kerissa’s past remains on a need to know basis, there is so much building that can be done with a post-faith Sophia, Charity could do therapy and get to the root of her issues, maybe even confront her family on how they contribute, and so much more. Yet, everyone is so focused on the latest drama to distract them, it takes away from what once made this show neck and neck with Queen Sugar. A program which also likes to be messy, but is messy with depth.
Low Point
Charity Dickmatized & She Hasn’t Even Got Any
You gotta hate when a woman’s intuition is clearly going off, and she knows it, but she decides not to handle the situation. It’s like someone more worried about the smoke detector going off, making a whole lot of noise, than the fire that is happening in the kitchen. Leading to the question, does Charity’s world have to burn down for her to get a clue, or will she eventually tend to the source of her issues?
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Sophia, What Is You Doing?
When the season began, I thought Sophia was going to be written off or take a backseat. I genuinely wish Greenleaf took that road now. Why? Well, let’s consider the tumultuous season 3 she had where she lost her ability to have kids, renounced her faith, and didn’t know what to make her next move. We could have built off of that. Be it her looking into other religions, maybe connecting with her nephews we hardly see and try to live vicariously, or anything else which seemed very Sophia.
But I guess having her rebel and become a bit of a bad girl is the idea here. Which I get, but I also don’t support since I don’t have much faith in how they will handle this situation. For just taking note how the adults are being processed right now, it makes the idea of the children fairing better unlikely.
On The Fence
Judee & Kerissa
While there could be enough for two separate topics, I think they share the same issue of just being people who are around to cause trouble. But, not even the kind of trouble that could cause growth, more so the kind of trouble that makes them feel expendable. With Judee, being that she just popped up, and has her job due to nepotism, the possibility of her sticking around long, is optional for she isn’t needed.
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Sadly, the same applies to Kerissa, at this point. What value does she bring to the show beyond being a warm-up for Mae? While her and Jacob have sex for the first time in a long time, their relationship still lacks chemistry or us seeing it at a place to long for. The woman has been about status so long that if it wasn’t for the fact we’ve seen her job, in earlier seasons, I’d think she was lying and was a straight-up gold digger.
I mean, think about it, Kerissa’s whole character has devolved from being someone who works hard, and is trying to fit in with her husband family and their industry, to being someone about status. Be it having a grand house, being the pastor’s wife, being loved and popular, and all kinds of superficial things. Which, if they built up the relationship with her mother more, could be refuted, but outside of that one rant to Mae, Kerissa has rarely ever been more than Jacob’s wife and Zora’s mother. And that’s a damn shame.
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