Queen Sugar: Season 2/ Episode 14 “On These I Stand” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)
As Darla and Aunt Vi deal with the revealing of their secrets, Nova and Charley find themselves having to really think about the next step of their careers. Previous Recap: Episode 13 “Heritage” Director(s) Christina Voros Writer(s) Jason Wilborn & Anthony Sparks Characters Introduced Mother Brown Beverly Todd Mia Naomi Mack Rid Dominic “Tax” Alexander…
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As Darla and Aunt Vi deal with the revealing of their secrets, Nova and Charley find themselves having to really think about the next step of their careers.
Previous Recap: Episode 13 “Heritage”
| Director(s) | Christina Voros |
| Writer(s) | Jason Wilborn & Anthony Sparks |
| Characters Introduced | |
| Mother Brown | Beverly Todd |
| Mia | Naomi Mack |
| Rid | Dominic “Tax” Alexander |
| Martin | Shawn Parsons |
Seeing Something Through: Micah, Nova
Touching on all the confederate monuments being torn down (Which Vox has two interesting videos on here [external] and here [external]), Micah finds himself faces with one at his private school. Something which disturbs him but to his white classmates is just part of history. A history which doesn’t negatively affect them so even Micah’s “Woke” friend doesn’t take it that seriously. However, Micah does and with Keke giving him a little push, he may very well make a stink about it.
As for Nova? Well, now it isn’t just her love interest pushing for Nova to do more than do articles and be seen. A local leader, possibly government representative for the 9th ward, known as Mother Brown, wants Nova to become part of the seeing through what she started. That is, with a grant she secured, making sure the money is put to good use. Something Nova isn’t for, possibly showing her commitment issues go beyond relationships, but she is asked to think about it.
Yet, as she gets called out by some youngins, friends of Rid, like Mia, so comes the question of whether she should take Mother Brown’s thought seriously or not. Mind you, it isn’t because Mia calls her out for causing worry and putting her on the defensive. More so it seems that with Mia echoing the criticism that Chantal had, perhaps not thinking things through, it forces her to reevaluate more than simply her romantic life but also what she says she is willing, able, and committed to being her life’s work.
Dealing With The Devil: Charley, Remy
With two farmers forced to pull out of working with Charley for their leases get threatened, Charley finds herself having to get in bed with Martin. Someone who, with the way he flirts, seems like he wouldn’t mind getting in an actual bed with Charley. Mind you, he isn’t sexual but makes his desires to know her personally clear.
Which, for Remy, the whole situation is a major red flag. Never mind Charley is working with a Landry, even if they are the black sheep of the family, but he is sending her 18-year-old wine baskets? He gets she has good business acumen, and once again alludes to her being calculating, but something doesn’t sit right with him. However, to avoid a fight after having a very productive night of talking about their future, he avoids going too far with his opinion.
Take It God: Aunt Vi, Hollywood, Darla, Darlene, Ralph Angel
As you can imagine, everything that is going on with Ralph Angel and Darla, alongside her having Lupus, is too much for Aunt Vi to bare. So, in a moment of trust, she reveals to Hollywood her diagnosis. Leading her to, as always, push him away as there is a reminder that she is an older woman and he a young man. Leading to, naturally, Hollywood reminding her he is in for the long haul. Of which Aunt Vi counters with her desire to not be his new Leeanne and Hollywood fires back that he doesn’t plan to be her ex-spouse either.
But, even with this affirmation comes the confession that he can’t handle the situation alone. Much less, after seeing what all the secrets thus far revealed have done, he doesn’t want Violet having Lupus to be the newest one. But with Ralph Angel coming in drunk, probably delivering the news of Blue’s unknown parentage not too long after he is sat down somewhere, Vi’s Lupus reveal will probably be put on the backburner.
Leading us to Darla. After the reveal, Ralph Angel doesn’t say much besides “What home?” in regards to him coming home, yelling at her or whatever is needed to be done for them to reconcile. Luckily though, Darlene is still in town, sans her husband it seems, and she offers support and a tinsy bit of guilt.
The guilt stems from how, after looking for Darla 9 times after she disappeared, she broke her 23 years of sobriety. But with the reveal she too has problems with addiction, that reveals to us it is hereditary. And with that, there might be some relief for Darla in knowing that it wasn’t just a weakness that was hers alone.
Though, as they talk more a few thoughts and ideas come up. One being that Darla isn’t even sure if Blue’s paternity is the case of Ralph Angel or just one other guy. It could possibly be more than just one for that is how messed up she was. But then comes the very drastic idea: With all that is going on, why not come home to DC? Darlene and Quincy desire to get to know Blue and introduce him to the other side of his family and with Ralph Angel likely needing time, it seems like a good idea right?
Well, Darla isn’t strongly for it but it is a possibility.
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- What kind of circles does Quincy travel
Collected Quote(s)
It seems when you’re black, living in fear is just good common sense
Maybe you see history. All I see is hate.
Highlights
Addiction is Hereditary and Manageable
Darlene revealing her past bouts with alcoholism helps remind you that Darla becoming an addict wasn’t a flaw in her character or maybe even her being some wild party girl. Simply put, she was experimenting with stuff and because she was preconditioned for addictive behavior, that was her downfall. But, as seen with Darlene, you can not only be sober for decades but also reinvent yourself in a way. For while Darlene is still fairly new to us, there has been nothing presented which implied she doesn’t have a happy life.
Which leads to the hope, despite how complicated Blue’s paternity has become, maybe Darla could have a happy life as well.
Seeing Things Through
One of the consistent critiques of political pundits and what are known as “Social Justice Warriors” is that they are willing to always stand at a pulpit or shout to a crowd about injustice, but never do the real work. That is engaging with people with money, being in the boardrooms, and doing more than being the loudest person venting about needs for change.
As we have seen with Nova, she has repeatedly been given the opportunity to be more than another voice but a true leader or figure in the movement, yet she usually passes on it due to pressure. Even in terms of her relationships, she uses them trying to better her as a reason to slip out of them under some guise of them making her into something she is not. When really it might just be someone she is afraid to be. Yet, there seems to be a world of difference between her peers and lovers critiquing or pushing her vs. Mother Brown. With only one scene, she has planted a seed which may very well grow. Something I’m hoping for since Nova has always played the type of character who just wasn’t in the forefront.
When it came to her relationship with Calvin, the Too Sweet saga, the Chantal relationship, and her relationship with Robert, there was never a period when Nova got to be as front and center as Rutina Wesley is when it comes to Queen Sugar’s marketing. Yet, Nova getting into politics, maybe heading into the business side, maybe that could be the push her character needs? For at this point, even with Lorna’s reveal, she seems stagnant in a way. Something I’d argue she has been for a long time.
Aunt Vi & Hollywood
That quote from the fourth part of Black Love still rings true. To just go over what Viola Davis said again:
“[Talking about Golden Girls and Betty White’s character asking Bea Arthur’s what she wants in her next husband] ‘I want someone to grow old with’ and I thought, ‘Of course’ and she said ‘Because Stan never wanted to grow old with me.’ And for some reason, it struck me much later that is what most people don’t want. They want the young, they want the cute, and as soon as you stay that way with your body, your sensibility, it’s all great. And then when you get older, you change. You change physically, you change emotionally, and a lot of people aren’t in it for the long haul. They’re not in it for the changes. They’re not in it for the health scares or, I don’t know, death. They’re not in it for that. And I literally want someone to grow old with, I do. I understand what all those elements are. I saw it with my mom and dad when she had to sit next to his deathbed. That’s marriage. That’s love. That’s commitment.”
All of how Viola Davis explains love, real, sometimes pain in the behind love, you see that with Aunt Vi and Hollywood. Hell, with the mention of Leeanne, we’re reminded that despite her being bi-polar, he still loved that woman. It is just with her not staying on her pill regimen, driving him nuts in the process, he couldn’t be with her. But, even then, to make sure she still had insurance, he hid their marriage!
So here is hoping that eventually Aunt Vi will get it through her thick head that Hollywood isn’t going anywhere.
On The Fence
Charley Dancing With The Devil
While Martin tries to make it seem like he isn’t like his kin Sam Landry, the way he is talking to and making moves on Charley, even after mentioning she is in something serious, is mad disrespectful. What makes things worse though, Charley, for the business, is kind of entertaining this. Yet, with seeing what Charley is going through, especially in light of all scandals going on in Hollywood, it does push the idea of how complicated it is for a woman to do business. Especially if the industry is male-dominated.
I mean really, Charley was presenting nothing but business opportunities, one which was probably fairer to Martin, but then this man asks her out for dinner to get to know her better – personally? The audacity! And I get, “How else would you get to know someone to the point of dating if you weren’t bold every now and then?” However, timing is everything. Plus, when Charley said she was seeing someone, and it was serious, why you then follow that up with her divorce and try to downplay this new relationship? Never mind sending expensive wine when you didn’t even sign a deal?
Is it just all Landry family members, whether they have the last name or not, are so used to getting what they want that they just dig their heels in and push? For we haven’t seen Remy’s dark side but it seems between him having to set Martin straight to maybe keeping things just business with Charley, something has to give. Whether he is in love with Charley or not.
Again Amari I want to remain positive, but for some reason, I feel like they may go down that route. Where the writers would give us that lingering question of “Was it really rape if both parties we drunk, and high?” Which again, I agree that it would be the beginning of the end. Not saying that things like that don’t happen in real life, but it seems like the writers would be giving the man in question a bit of a safety net by saying “Well he was just as messed up, drunk, and high as she was” which I feel may take away a bit of what happened to Darla. Ya know, like it wasn’t as bad or really rape if both of them were gone that night, which doesn’t really set right with me. (Again all just speculation).
But we are due for a man without complexity. Especially a black man. Though Davis wasn’t given an out, they made him pitiful. For Ernest, vi and Lorna gave him an out and Remy has mostly been a good dude. I think they’ll stick to it being rape and showing another complication for Darla.
That is, bring a rape survivor and dealing with desires for intimacy. Also, having a partner try to navigate through that.
True, which brings up the question of will RA be able to handle yet another dark demon from Darla’s past, especially something has traumatizing as this? We had the whole situation with “Star”, now the paternity questioning of Blue, and now this, I just hope that despite everything that goes down RA can be there for her. At least have some sort of understanding that this wasn’t just some random dud who Darla slept with, like he is really able to understand that she didn’t willing or voluntarily allow for him to do what he did to her.
Like the article you sent said, his relationship with Darla is making him grow up faster than what would be a comfortable rate for him. So it is hard to tell.
The fact that Darlene herself had a bout of addiction too really brings even more layers into Darla’s story and her own bout of addiction. Generational curses are real and can happen. I do believe that addiction and alcoholism can be hereditary. I don’t do drinking and drugs, from watching and seeing the darkness that those things can bring, from withing my own family. It sucked to see these things as young kid, but it shaped me and my own personal stance when it comes to those things.
I just wonder if Darla may have gotten this information from her mother earlier if it would have made a significant change in the path that Darla with down. Despite the peer pressure, knowing her own mothers battle, maybe should have been a bit more cautious when it came to drinking and drugs, and trying to stay away from all of that stuff.
I doubt the father would have allowed that. With how it is noted by Darlene how much Quincy is into image, I’m sure he has long guilt her into keeping her addiction problems, maybe the history of it for generations, to herself. Really pushing the need to get to experience Quincy since while he likely helped Darlene back to sobriety, there comes the question of who he is through our eyes and not just through assumptions. If not casual comments.
True, I don’t know. That was me just theorizing I guess lol
I still, low-key, want Ms. Velez to comeback.
Talk about adding drama lol
But like honestly do you really believe that the writers are going to make Blue NOT be RA’s? Like for me, RA is the biological dad of Blue. I don’t see the why writers would change that.
With the way Ava talking and injecting some of her own life into this, I am doubtful that Blue is RA’s. I fully believe the idea here will be pushing that a father doesn’t have to be someone you share blood with.
Especially to set up future drama like Blue’s biological father fighting for custody and exposing Darla’s past and even RA’s maybe.
I’m sorry but this paternity thing I see as the tip of the iceberg for more network TV drama.
I thought the exact same thing Amari! I guess that I was just doubtful because I wanted to remain positive and hopeful, but your right, that interview Ava did pretty much says it all in terms of where the show may go come season 3. Can Darla just have a bit of happiness though like damn! How many times is Darla’s past going to be exposed, and thrown back in her face. She has gotten it from every side it seems like. But Blue’s bio dad (I would hope) would have some sort of human decency to NOT PART HIS LIPS in judgement towards Darla, when it comes to her past considering, the way that his son (shudders) was conceived was in NO WAY consensual. You feel me on that Amari.
But I wonder if they going to have that “Well, we were both messed up that night” kind of excuse…
When I really think about it though, if they do go down this line, I think it will be the beginning of the end.
Can I just say that the scene between Darla and her mom at the piano was BEAUTIFUL! ? Got me a little teary eyed. ?
I need her and quincy to have a moment too. I just need them to, as a group, have dinner, bring blue, and be cute together. A moment’s reprieve.
A lot of people on twitter have reacted really STRONGLY towards Quincy. I read a lot of tweets and fb posts of people who feel like something is off between Darla and Quincy. Like there is something more to why their relationship is so tense and uneasy, like it goes beyond her whole drug addiction ordeal. I don’t really get what they are all seeing, but with these next 2 episodes and come season 3, I do hope that we get a bit more with Darla and her father. I do believe that there is a reason why the writers are having Darla and Darlene bond more, and regain their relationship back, as opposed to showing her and Quincy, at least I think that it is intentional, it could just be that the actor playing her father could only guest spot for one episode this season. Cause come season 3, they could have him in a lot more episodes if his schedule is cleared up.
Well, there does remain the reason Darla experimented with drugs in the first place. The addiction we saw was due to her hitting rock bottom, not from the original jump.
Plus, we are seeing Darlene without Quincy’s influence. How she is when he is around is a whole different story. Nevermind how or what Darla’s relationship is with him.
I get the vibe that he might be the source to Darla’s original drug use. Fingers crossed that there isn’t a sinister reason.
I actually forgot about that. A lot of D & D moments have been without Q. So, I am curious to see how things are with the three of them together. Because despite what Darla thought of her parents and how she felt like she was abandoned while she was going through her addiction, the comment she made about her dad being in control of the house, and her mom not ever speaking up is something she clearly witnessed as a young child growing up and something that was clearly going on well before she was separated from her family, so she clearly didn’t make that up. Fingers crossed nothing sinister went down between the two of them either. ?
P.S. Check out my comment about what Vulture had to say about BL’s acting for this episode.
Will do! Also, you have to ask about Darlene’s alcoholism and what that may, or may not, have to deal with Quincy.
Very beautiful words from the Vulture recap about our fave character!
“The episode does give Bianca Lawson a lot of material, which she handles wonderfully. Some of my favorite scenes involve Darla alone, her body shuddering with utter sorrow as she struggles to reckon with the fact that she may have wrecked her life.”
Vulture always writes great things about Darla’s character, and BL’s acting.
That’s the thing people are saying that Darla doesn’t have rights if she did want to leave with Blue for D.C., but she does. Darla never lost her parental rights by the courts, RA did. Which is why Aunt Vi had to sign the papers for him to get his rights back for Blue. Remember in season 1, Aunt Vi was mad that RA was asking for her to sign the papers, when she just saved his but with those stolen phones, she said if she signed the papers and something happened to RA, the courts would give Blue to Darla. Aunt Vi said the courts don’t know what we know. So, Darla allowed for Hollywood and Aunt Vi to take Blue away from her, but she wasn’t ever taken to court, nor did she personally sign away her rights. So, yes she has legal rights over Blue. Unless, the writers switch up on us and say she signed away her rights or whatever. But from what the show told us, back in season 1 episodes 7, she still has her rights.
Your memory for these things are astounding.
But, really thinking about it, Darla don’t want war. Because that would be one nasty court battle between her family and RA’s family who knows all of Darla’s dirt. I mean, would it be entertaining? Yeah. However, to truly commit to that would make this the Darla show.
I wouldn’t mind watching the Darla show lol Jk ?
But I only remember these things because this story line is such trash to me, so I’m like going through the old episodes trying to see if anything connects or leads up to what we have now…..it doesn’t. ?
But I get what your saying about the courts and all that, RA having Charley in his back pocket also helps. But within these last like 9 months or however long it’s been everyone knows that Darla has been a present and competent mother. She has been sober, and she has been working. We have seen even in her most stressful of times Darla didn’t BREAK nor FALTER so the B family can’t say that she has been strung out since she’s been back in Blue’s life. Darla just got her 2 year sobriety chip, and she also has her sponsor to vouch for her as well. I don’t want a court story line involving baby Blue, cause he doesn’t need all of that, but Darla will have people on her side if the writers decided to go down that path. Also, if the B family tried to use Darla’s past against her in court, than of course RA’s past will also come up as well. So, they both have pasts, but their path’s aren’t who they are now, as individuals or parents. ?
There is something I am waiting on to happen: Blue’s involvement. He has been this cute little knot which brought them back together but I do think there will be a point he is going to have to be a real participant. I’m talking him bringing his feelings about things in and not with someone referencing them. I’m talking him being vocal and crying, lashing out, and etc.
Do you think they may allow Blue’s side of things? I personally wouldn’t mind an episode, or just some time spent, having us see all this family drama from Blue’s point of view.
That’s bound to happen, Ethan (Blue) is getting older now and the show is going into its third season, so I do see them using Blue A LOT more. It also depends on how things go down within these last two episodes, Blue’s presence should be more dominant. Also, they haven’t told Blue of what is going on, so he just doesn’t know. Once he is told ( If RA isn’t his real dad) or some other big story line goes down next season that does involve him directly, then for now it is understandable why Blue who is only six right now, is left in the dark about what all of the adults around him are going through.
I feel like it may be both. Although it sounds like Charley pretty much straight up fires Darla because of the whole who’s the daddy situation in regards with Blue. I feel like Darla should go for a bit, RA’s family will pretty much be done with her anyway. So no job, no more family she might as well go home, as for taking Blue with her, that is yet to be seen. I doubt RA and the family are going to let Darla take Blue, along with the question of if Blue even wants to go as well. Also Blue is still in school so how would that work?
Well, Darla fighting for custody I want to say was a topic in the first season wasn’t it? Or her doing what she had to in order to see Blue. I really want to say that was brought up because I remember Aunt Vi or RA getting agitated about it.
So maybe they’ll revisit that idea?
A tweet that BL not only liked, but commented on as well. ??
https://twitter.com/BiancaLawson/status/926121246978228224
Seems like we were right that Darla did not consent and was more or less unconscious and taken advantage of. Although, we now know that it wasn’t just one man but several. Kind shows just how far gone Darla was that night. Also, since Darla was with her high school “friends”, she probably felt safe, but ultimately she wasn’t protected or taken care of. The fact that there were several men who took advantage of Darla that night, yet her “friends” were no where to be found says A LOT! ??
Makes me wonder what life was like for Darla growing up. She was clearly close to her mom, at least okay with her dad, but what about everything else?
Because this whole drug thing, how and why she started makes me think it was peer pressure or to prove she isn’t a goody two shoes maybe. Oh my God! Imagine if they set Darla up!!!
Yeah, it is hard to tell really, when exactly did Darla’s drug use began and why. But a lot of people on twitter are saying that from what we know that, Darla was definitely taken advantage of.
Darla getting set up also doesn’t seem so far fetched unfortunately. Jealously is a very fickle and dangerous emotion. One of Darla’s “friends” was probably jealous, two faced and fake with Darla. Getting Darla drunk or even drugged to humiliate her and all of that is something that very much could happen in real life. Peer pressure as well can be a real bitch as well, so Darla probably refused and said that she wasn’t going to drink and get crazy, she either finally gave into the pressure, or she very well could have been drugged at the very least.
Which makes me wish Ava D would have kept the colorism out of this. Take that odd comment out and you got a quality story here. Even if they quickly made it so Darla remained the sort of victim character who rarely does anything wrong.
Exactly! The whole colorism thing and questioning of who Blue’s father is really didn’t need to be done honestly. Having Darla be raped and drugged and all of that is story in itself, adding that Blue may not be RA’s feels just kind of like a cheap cop out as well. Like with everything that Darla has been it could be a possibility that not all of the sex that she was having was consensual. But the show itself with these last two seasons, never gave us any reason to doubt that Blue was RA’s you know.
But now with Darla being fired upon us, you think it might be because she decides to just leave and go back home to DC? Maybe taking Blue with her? If not because Charley simply can’t afford to keep Darla as an employee (she seems to be the only admin staff so that is unlikely, but still)?
Very beautiful words from the Vulture recap about our fave character!
“The episode does give Bianca Lawson a lot of material, which she handles wonderfully. Some of my favorite scenes involve Darla alone, her body shuddering with utter sorrow as she struggles to reckon with the fact that she may have wrecked her life.”
http://www.vulture.com/2017/11/queen-sugar-recap-season-2-episode-14.html
Vulture always writes great things about Darla’s character, and BL’s acting.
Read it and I am glad they got someone at Vulture to follow the series. I was more into their look into Nova and Micah than BL to be honest. If only because we talk about her extensively but not so much the other two.
True, I guess for me really like I said before, nothing that Nova has really done this season has interested me ya know. I felt like she had SOMETHING with Dr. D, but they ended that before it really began, they had Calvin make a cameo, and now that is done with, and other than her activism, which other than the premiere episode for this season, we haven’t really seen much of either. I just hope that with these last two episodes they give Nova something that will stick with me and help me to get hyped to see what goes down with her character come season 3. Cause I love Rutina, I think that she is a great actress ( True Blood), but I felt like this season she has kind of been a bit disconnected from the stories, and from the other characters as a whole.
Although, with Micah I’m ready to see his anger come out about what happened to him. We saw the shock, sadness, and him just wanting to forget that the incident ever happened, now I feel like with him still feeling angry about the ordeal, I think that we will get even more development for Micah. And I am HERE FOR IT! P.S. Him and Keke, still adorable.
Him and Keke are goals
Hollywood and Vi are cool too. Now that, Aunt Vi finally came clean about her Lupus. Hollywood really is a stand up guy. Question: Will we ever see his (Ex) wife again? Like I mean I don’t think that it would be so far fetched for her to show up again. I mean the reason why Aunt Vi was so pissed in the first place, is because Hollywood, was never honest with her, so I don’t think that Maxine Shaw attorney at law coming back would cause so much strife this time around.
But for what purpose? Because Hollywood is moving on? I dig her too but her being brought back can only be a repeat of what we saw or her better. And If she is better than, do we really want her trying to compete or trying to be friends and vi getting jealous?