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Network
Showtime
Director(s)		Roxann Dawson
Writer(s)		Casallina Kisayke
Air Date		2/18/2018
Characters Introduced
Shante	Aeriel Williams
Becky	Melissa Carlson

Redemption Moves: Emmett, Amir, Ronnie, Detective Cruz

Ronnie really is trying to do his best. Tracy may not see it, and Detective Cruz definitely doesn’t see it since he is getting closer to knowing Ronnie killed Coogie, but Ronnie is really trying out here. He heads down to the basketball court, hoping to find someone who knows Jason, and ends up learning about Jason’s girlfriend Shanté.

Now, during most of Ronnie’s investigation, you are kind of pushed to think Ronnie might have overestimated his relationship with Jason. However, upon speaking to a 7-month pregnant Shante, it seems the man did have a special place in Jason’s heart. He was the one who taught Jason to play ball, and while they may have become distant, they were still cool in Jason’s book. But as for whether anything on Jason’s phone may provide answers? Well, based on a 911 number that wasn’t 911, Detective Cruz, who confiscates the phone when he interrogates Ronnie, is going to find out.

As for Emmett and Amir, with Amir having two dozen cousins and a whole lot of other family to send money to and Emmett having three kids, there is a strong desire for this shoe thing to work out, especially since Amir decides to “borrow” money from his uncle Habib to finance the operation. This comes out to around $5,000 since the woman selling the shoes, Becky, is trying to get back at her husband for cheating on her with her sister.

At first, it seems Emmett is true to his word. They buy low, sell high, and the profits are coming swiftly. The problem is that Emmett is selling under a bridge, and he puts the word out that he is selling rare and fancy shoes. Leading you to wonder: Is this boy stupid? For it isn’t like he and Amir are selling together. You have Emmett and EJ selling shoes in a place where it looks like he is asking to be robbed – which, of course, happens. Leading to Amir freaking out and us wondering what consequences will come of this.

O.G. Movements: Quentin, Trice, Reg, Tep, JB

As has been made clear, Quentin does not care about Trice and whatever he thinks he has going on. He took his dog, and even renamed her, and has no issue with son’ing him in front of his crew. All the while passively reading his newspaper and not so much poking an adult bear but more so making it look like he is poking a cub.

And with it being clear Trice isn’t about that gangster life, at least with an OG like Quentin, he continues to get played. Quentin and JB kill his people and steal his weapons, with Tep being the getaway driver, and now we await Trice’s response. Which, considering Reg got told to calm down once, who knows if he may get told to do so again. Much less will let him get disrespected vicariously through Trice again.

Jerrika Who?: Brandon, Sarah, Laverne, Greavy

Laverne and Greavy got married. This is Laverne’s third marriage, and with Brandon having already gone through the heartbreak of two and still skeptical of Greavy, he originally doesn’t make much of an effort to be part of their celebration BBQ, especially since things start heating up with Sarah. Not because of those texts Hannibal inspired, mind you; seemingly, it is just her knowing she can rely on him at work.

But, as Brandon has talked about, things go a bit left between the two. First, in terms of favoritism, which gets him an extra gig, and then what follows is him inviting her to Laverne and Greavy’s party. Well, more so trying to use the food she was going to trash for the party, but her company is valued too. And while Laverne and Greavy don’t know this girl well, and I’m sure Laverne will likely feel about her the way she does Jerrika, probably worse since Sarah is married, everyone has a good time.

Too good of a time, in fact, since Sarah and Brandon end up making out before the night is over.

Other Noteworthy Facts & Moments

• Ethel and Jada have a ladies’ day out on Ethel’s dime so that she can thank Jada for helping Ronnie. This leads to us learning Jada hasn’t had a real date in 5 years, and though Ethel knows some people who could check Jada’s plumbing, it seems Jada is good with her shower hose.
• Amir and his family are from Palestine.

Collected Quote(s) & .Gifs

“We all walk at different speeds. Sooner or later, you catch your breath.”

“You never lent nobody nothing but bad advice.”

Highlights

Jason Matters Again

Sometimes, it is easy to forget that the catalyst for so much we see going on is because someone shot Jason. Coogie’s death, Ronnie being shot, and Laverne speeding up her relationship with Greavy, all because of Jason. Yet, with hardly any movement on who killed him, and this not being a mystery kind of show, that case has gone cold for a while. Yet, with Detective Cruz having Jason’s phone and introducing Shanté, we may get some answers.

If not, at the very least, his death won’t hit the backburner again. For just learning he got some girl pregnant, that Tracy knows, and seemingly just ignores it, has me raising an eyebrow. Not because I can’t imagine Tracy being cold towards a local girl who could hold her son back, but because the only thing left of Jason is that grandbaby, and it seems she wants no parts of that girl.

Making you wonder if perhaps she might be at fault.

Quentin

As said in a previous recap, you have to love that Quentin isn’t about grand gestures and being boisterous. He is petty, as shown by him going outside with Trice’s former dog. But even in that moment, the way he handles Trice was hilarious. Especially since Trice ultimately backed down.

Then, to add insult to injury, Trice and Reg got all these guys but are getting handled by three middle-aged men? It makes you wonder what this show would be like if it focused less on the younger cast members and had those Jada’s age and above be the real stars.

Low Points

Emmett, You Must Be Stupid

You have sneakers worth around $10,000 in a van. All things considered, a more controlled environment to sell the shoes would have made more sense, especially in The Chi. I mean, it isn’t like people don’t know Emmett sells sneakers, so he already probably has a target on his back. Plus, I’m sure Reg wouldn’t mind robbing Emmett so that he and his whole crew could have the freshest kicks around.

But let’s not let Amir off the hook here. Considering how big of an investment he made in this situation, the fact he didn’t ask his cousin Kasim to look after his investment was stupid, even if that required him getting some of his cut. Hell, selling them out of Kasim’s warehouse would have given Emmett the perfect environment to not only sell the sneakers but also have protection and some form of legitimacy, especially with the way Kasim and his boys appear.

On The Fence

Brandon & Sarah

It’s hard to move on from Brandon and Jerrika because they had such a ’90s Black couple vibe. I’m talking about the kind you would see in Love Jones or one of the other films, minus a ridiculous amount of drama. Yet, I must admit the idea of Sarah and Brandon is growing on me. That is, until I remember she is married, and there being this vibe she may just like Brandon because he is from the hood, but not of the hood. As in, he has gangster appeal, but he has a job that pays taxes.

But, who knows, maybe this isn’t just Sarah working out a fetish, but she could very well care about Brandon. Though, considering how the head chef is, Brandon better watch himself. People in the kitchen, like Denise, are already talking.