The Kings of Napa: Season 1/ Episode 5 “How Stella Got Her Pinot Back” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

As more secrets are revealed and become common knowledge amongst the characters, you become privy to new secrets to replace them.

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Aired	2/8/2022
Network	OWN
Directed By	Bosede Williams
Written By	Yael Galena, Lisa Michelle Payton
Introduced This Episode
Sheila	Monique Paul
Sandra Pierce	Diane L. Johnston
Jason	Glen Michael Grant

Recap

This Whole Having Kids Thing – Dana, Yvette, Rose

While Rose is excited about the idea of having kids, Dana isn’t. In fact, it seems, despite them trying, something isn’t working. So, Dana finds himself having to go to a fertility clinic, and with Quincy not the type of friend he can talk to, he ends up opening up to Yvette. Leading to him revealing how worried he is that his child could end up a dwarf-like him.

The Forgiveness Tour – Sandra, Melanie, Bridgette, August, Vanessa, Sheila, Christian, Grace, Yvette, Jason

Seemingly, for business reasons, Vanessa finds it in her heart to forgive Bridgette. Because the alternative is allowing Christian, who continues to flail, to continue to fail and force the company to lose more than half a million dollars. All while he worries about a young woman named Sheila, who seems to be his main focus.

But, as you can imagine, Bridgette is skeptical about this 180, considering all Vanessa has said and done and August has co-signed. Yet, with the offer to take her to New York for a Wine Convention and genuinely missing being part of Kings Wines, Bridgette says she will return!

With this, Yvette was hoping she could be forgiven too, but Vanessa will only forgive Yvette if she lands Jason, a major wine distributor. Well, mission accomplished since the only reason Jason has previously rejected the Kings family is because they were bougie and obnoxious. Yvette, from Oakland, who was selling wigs out of her trunk at church? She isn’t like that. She’s cool people, sexy too, hence why Jason and Yvette sleep with one another, and Yvette is able to secure the deal and get her room back.

Which brings us to that New York trip. To truly show her hand and try to create the death blow to Melanie and Bridgette’s relationship, Vanessa introduces Bridgette to Sandra Pierce. Now, who is Sandra Pierce? She is Bridgette, Christian, Dana, and August’s maternal grandmother, who has always missed weddings, birthdays, even her son-in-law’s funeral. The reason? Well, the way Vanessa tells it, after Melanie got their father so angry that he had an aneurism, Sandra had a mental break when he died and thus had to be put in a psychiatric facility. A secret Vanessa expects Bridgette to keep to herself.

It’s All About Misdirection – Christian, Dana, Bridgette, Rose, August, Kelvin, Quincy, Otis

The blackmailer storyline continues as Otis wakes up and reveals that the only thing he took from Reginald was some of the vines to start his own wine. Something Reginald said he would help with but never followed through. As for extortion? That wasn’t Otis.

So with Christian having evidence it could have been Bridgette and him bringing this to August and Dana, so comes getting Quincy involved to plant cameras. This doesn’t lead to Bridgette exposing herself, as much as it exposes Rose is having an affair with Bridgette, or maybe Bridgette is rekindling something that was there. Also, upon discovering her home was bugged, August confronts Quincy, who points her in Dana’s direction.

That information leads to August facing Dana, who openly admits it, and he notes that he knows about her trying to hire a new CFO. Her reason? She was going to be co-presidents with Dana to squash their beef. However, now she’d rather have war because of his betrayal and their father cheating on their mom? It’s starting to create the kind of baggage which makes being with Kelvin increasingly difficult. For now, she feels she has to be worried about getting too comfortable and then being screwed.

Yet, despite what she says to Dana, she still hangs out with Kelvin like she trusts him with all her heart, and after a cute moment at their high school alma matter, reminiscing about when he played football, and she was a cheerleader, one thing leads to another.

Collected Quote(s) & .Gifs

Time heals some wounds. Others heal like keloids.
— Vanessa

Things To Note | Question(s) Left Unanswered

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. Have Rose and Bridgette been a thing before and maybe talked about running away together?
2. How did Bridgette originally find out Reginald was her dad?
3. Who was Bridgette talking to?
4. Was Melanie assaulted by her father, hence her acting like she did previously yet seeming rather calm now?
5. So can we officially say Yvette made her money without her brother’s help?
6. What does Sandra know about her family, or is she stuck in the past?
7. Was Otis stealing from Sean and Shawn too, or just Reginald? Also, was his wine really popping in the hood that much for him to have the money Quincy found and the boat?
8. So we know Vanessa’s dad is dead and mom where she is, but what about Reginald and Yvette’s parents?
9. How come Vanessa’s main focus seems to be Kelvin and August having babies when Rose and Dana don’t make it a secret that they’re trying?
10. Why didn’t Bridgette wait until she was out of the room to do that suspicious-sounding call?
11. Should it be seen as offensive that Melanie went to a rural part of Africa, and they’re labeling that as a reason she may have a disease? I know there are many diseases that American-born citizens would need to get prepped for when going to Africa, but I’m torn between the narrative that creates and the truth of the matter.

What Could Happen Next

1. Vanessa and Melanie arguing over Vanessa trying to turn everyone against her, including her own child – especially with the potential of her being sick
2. Dana showing a more vulnerable side, despite Rose cheating on him
3. Can you imagine August getting pregnant before Rose?
4. Jason moving quicker than Yvette is comfortable with

Review

Highlights

How Baggage Is Affecting Kelvin and August’s Relationship

Okay, maybe Kelvin and August aren’t notably affected by the chaos in August’s life. Hence them having sex in public, but we can pretend, right? We can pretend that August is genuinely affected by the men in her life spying on her, lying to her, undermining her, and giving her reasons to have trust issues. Also, we can pretend that these two being corny can be seen as cute.

Which, I know, sounds very sarcastic, in a certain tone, but because I want more for these two, I’m pretending that what we see and what is said will go from fantasy to reality. Even though what August says to others and what we are meant to perceive doesn’t match. For if she was starting to feel insecure about this relationship, I don’t know why she would have sex with this man, in public, on school grounds, without a condom.

August, you know that man is fertile and could get you pregnant.

More To Melanie’s Situation Than It Seems?

Wild child Melanie, who was always jealous, has long been Vanessa’s narrative and the only narrative we have really gotten. But, consider this, what if Melanie was acting up for reasons beyond Sandra being a bully? What if their father was touching her, molesting her for her entire life, and her acting out was a response to that? Because, if you notice, Melanie is calm, cool, and collected, and even when around Yvette, who seems akin to how Vanessa describes Melanie in the past.

So here is hoping we get Melanie’s side of things, especially as the show preps Melanie to potentially be sick with something due to her trips to Africa.

Dana Being Well-Rounded

When it comes to people who are dwarfs, you have a very limited scope of actors out there. You have Peter Dinklage, Warwick Davis, Verne Troyer, and Jason “Wee Man” Acuna as some of the biggest names. However, none of them are Black. The only Black one that we’re familiar with is Tony Cox. So for Dana to be not only prominent, but the show to address his insecurities, fears about his child being born a dwarf, and balancing that out with making him as lovable as he can be hateful, you have to appreciate that.

Calling Itself Out

All I’m saying is, between Dana mentioning Lionsgate, the home of Tyler Perry movies, and Jason noting the arrogance and privilege of the Kings and why he doesn’t like them, I think the writers are making it clear they know what’s up. They realize this show is definitely overdramatic with bougie, borderline annoying, rich people front and center. Yet, it wants to make fun of that. There is a desire to put a spin on the Black, rich, and powerful to bring a new and different kind of messy. The kind that isn’t about sympathy, but quality entertainment featuring the type of backstories and personalities to make you hooked and wonder who will screw over who next?

Low Points

The Blackmail Situation

Can this just be resolved? This whodunit mystery isn’t adding much, if anything, to the show, and Bridgette’s place in it just seems questionable. I mean, if you are blackmailing people, why talk to someone on the phone and sound suspicious? Especially after leading them on about what you may know about their mother?

Never mind, whether it was a dream or not, the whole break-in scene? Now, I know no one likes a plot hole, but if they magically dropped this storyline, I would not be mad at all.

Christian

I’m just wondering what the plan for Christian is? His girlfriend is established, him being bipolar, wanting to create a liquor brand, yet there is little to no traction. There are just ideas that go undeveloped as if we’re in a pitch meeting and no one is sure what direction to go in. And with him bringing in Dana and August into the whole Bridgette thing, it is like they gave away what could have brought him notable screentime as he could have tried to prove he could handle being in the family’s inner circle. Yet, now he is back to where he started.

On The Fence

This Bridgette x Rose Secret

Here is the thing, I love that OWN has two bisexual female characters who are series regulars being intimate. Yet, with Rose married, a part of me fears this could play into the idea of bisexual people not being trustworthy and unable to control themselves. But, in the constant to and fro, there is also this need to recognize that not every depiction of a group needs to be respectable. Yvette is a highlight on this show because she is a bit hood in a very bougie world, just as much as Bridgette and Rose are a highlight since OWN hasn’t had, to my knowledge, two series regulars in a queer relationship.

Which, I know, is jumping the gun since Bridgette and Rose are in a complicated situation more than dating. However, it’s hard to not have mixed feelings about all this, considering all it means for them to be on this show and network, alongside it being two dark-skinned, Black women.

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