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On The Fence
Did They Really Talk?
Two of the biggest relationships on the show, Charley and Remy, alongside Darla and Ralph Angel, got real this season. In that process, we got to see both relationships exit the honeymoon stage and get tested. Of which the biggest test seemed to be communication. For Charley and Remy, their relationship blossomed almost solely because they complimented each other well when it came to business. Yet, when it came to their romantic relationship, outside of making out, we saw the cracks.
Despite having so many conversations, including Remy talking about his wife who died while in the military, it seemed, for some odd reason, not until they were about to have sex, their future was talked about. Of which made it seem, despite Charley talking about to Davis, and in general, how important Remy is, or perhaps was, to her, she didn’t really think about marriage. Never mind children. Oh my god! Micah is almost grown so imagine having another one?
But while Remy and Charley had it rough, when it came to Darla and Ralph Angel, you almost had to question if the sole reason they were together was for the sake of Blue. So, despite Ralph Angel’s issues with Darla, he tried to make it work. This thought began with him not knowing about her being a champion swimmer in late high school and evolved as it became clear he didn’t know about Star. Now, while both seem to want to move on from their past, arguably they didn’t so much seek to move on from it but rather avoid it.
Hence why there was perhaps so many blow ups on Ralph Angel’s part because he never communicated his needs until they became demands. Also, let’s add even at Darla’s request, like when she pushed them to do marriage counseling, he followed the teachings for one episode and then let it go. Pushing the idea it isn’t just communication but inconsistency that was a problem. But again, with it appearing that Ralph Angel was going through the motions, trying to make the family he didn’t have, he kept trying to cram Darla into this box of what he thought would be perfection. That’s the only way to explain his marriage proposal.
I mean, in my mind, with how immature Ralph Angel is, there came a point where he was just manipulating Darla. Something he has been kind of doing since season 1 when he treated Darla like a piece of ass. Going to her trailer in the middle of the night yet still acting rather cold to her. Then in this season, he just sort of evolved that to almost making her pay penance for all she did by predominately placing the blame on her for everything, even when she tried to explain herself. Like with the paternity issue. It has been conveyed to us that she more than likely was raped, possibly by multiple people. However, this lack of consistent empathy made it so all Ralph Angel saw was the lie. The reason, both in terms of Blue having a good family and Darla not wanting to admit to what happened that night, it doesn’t matter. He hones in solely on how he feels, how Darla never seems to care about his feelings, and that’s it. Add in Aunt Vi and the rest babying and validating him, and you see a grown little man. Someone utterly stunted in his development. Probably barely better off than before he went into prison.
The Way It Complicates Its Characters in The 2nd Half
Everyone loves complicated characters. People who can’t necessarily fit into the adjectives of saint or sinner because people are more complex than that. However, in the 2nd half of the season, with the paternity drama, the Landry family getting ultra-petty, Nova’s romance with Dr. DuBois and Calvin coming back, and I’d even throw in Aunt Vi’s Lupus too, it seemed like we were venturing into network TV drama territory. Almost as if, with the critical acclaim gotten, now OWN wanted more viewers, mainstream awards like the Emmy’s and Golden Globes and not just the cultural or niche awards. Heck, my interpretation of an interview Ava Duverney did with Buzzfeed made it seem that while the paternity storyline was “intentional,” it wasn’t solely for the sake of story. It was so Ava could push Bianca Lawson and Kofi Siriboe, her two strongest actors with the most interesting characters, into major award consideration. Even if it meant a multitude of sacrifices the other cast members just had to deal with. Especially story wise.
Charley
There is this quote from season 1 of Being Mary Jane.
“I don’t want to talk about sisterhood. I know there are a lot of professional women here, but I want to talk to the younger girls. You’re in this mentorship program because you want to succeed. You want to be your mentor and everyone says do your best to be number one, but there’s another position. I’ve found that being number two gives you all the glory of being at the top without any of the pressure of the number one spot. And the job of any good number two is to figure out what the number one is missing; what they refuse to see, or what they’re doing wrong. Take your time and learn. Be patient. Get better. Because I guarantee you, your opportunity to be number one will come but you have to be ready. I’ll use myself as an example. I’m here as a fill-in speaker for the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, but she wasn’t meant to speak to you today; I was. I want every girl here to know that no matter whether you’re number two or thirty or one hundred, you’ll end up where you’re supposed to be if you do the work. So do the work. Because remember, if you don’t, someone else will. I’m Mary Jane Paul. And I thank you for listening.
— “Mixed Messages.” Being Mary Jane
Consistently Charley has had the 2nd best storyline. Whether it was season one and all the drama with Davis or now her dealing with the Landry family and Remy, she consistently has the second most appealing storyline. Of which, one of the most interesting, which carried over from season 1, was her trying to find a sense of community. Something she got in a multitude of ways.
The main way we saw was all that Remy did or inspired with the festival and growing closer to the farmers. However, the one which left me so happy and then puzzled when it ended was her relationship with Darla. Those two connected in ways no other characters have done in a platonic way. Heck, they were the only friendship on here which we consistently saw since Nova barely sees her group of friends. So for them to relate their upbringing, Darla to help with the business, and for them to open up as they did, it made it when she sided with Ralph Angel and fired Darla, effectively cutting ties, seem like it was purely done for drama. Darla’s number two pushed her struggle to greater heights and cutting that bond allowed her to fully focus on a storyline devoid of her.
One in which, honestly, the whole Landry battle is hit and miss. The hit is seeing Charley stand up to them as a Black woman. However, with them all seemingly jockeying for who can sleep with Charley first; her low-key seemingly partnering with them to be vindictive against the farmers who pulled out, alongside maybe destroying them from the inside; and us not being clued, fully, about her plan, really makes it hard to see this being something to look forward to. But, as Remy often has said, Charley is a calculating woman and while she has had her falls and stumbles, she has yet to stay down. So, with Darla likely taking a break from being the lead, number 2 might very well become number 1.
Davis
Davis was kind of the first taste of what Darla is going through. With the divorce, and the secret which caused it, we saw how devastating it was to be kicked out of the family – in an expedited fashion. Though with Davis not having a family to fall back on, it should have hit harder. Yet, Davis is in this weird place on the show. It seems like he could get fazed out, if not just demoted to reoccurring, but they just won’t let him go yet.
Ralph Angel
At this point, after all that has been said, the main thing with Ralph Angel is seeing who he is without Darla. For while the storylines are rich on this show, character development isn’t universal. The only thing we learn about Ralph Angel, devoid of Darla and Blue, is that he didn’t like school. That and he had a trans friend in high school who is the likely reason Ralph Angel is understanding when it comes to Blue’s relationship with his doll.
One could add there were layers added to his relationship with Charley and Nova. Be it exposing Nova as being a selective social justice warrior or Charley and his relationship barely existing. But perhaps the one thing good which may come out of his breaking up with Darla is it will force him to be by himself and hopefully grow. Maybe catch up on the time he lost in prison.
Overall: Positive (Watch This)
Has Another Season Been Confirmed?: According to Variety, Season 3 is confirmed.
Episode List
| Episode 1 |
| To say the least, Queen Sugar remains an emotional roller coaster ride that as soon as it is over, you want to get right back on. |
| Episode 2 |
| Grieving isn’t only for the dead. Loss of innocence, relationships, these are worth grieving over. But from the richness of once was life, blooms new. |
| Episode 3 |
| “What Do I Care For Morning” provides a reminder what each character fights for. Be it another day to love, be with their kids, or surmount expectations. |
| Episode 4 |
| In “My Soul’s High Song” the focus is on what makes a person feel happy or whole. Especially in times when you aren’t necessarily thriving but surviving. |
| Episode 5 |
| As Aunt Vi and Nova continue to relish in the support the men in their lives give them, Davis and Darla reach out to help heal old wounds. |
| Episode 6 |
| It is going to be a long and arduous journey for this family to go from the state it is, as of the end of the episode, back to some form of copasetic. |
| Episode 7 |
| Old festering feelings, of which Ernest seems to be the root of, sprout and are harvested this episode of Queen Sugar. Leaving the family fractured. |
| Episode 8 |
| The midseason finale covers all the fallout from what happened since the season began. Be it Remy and Charley, what happened to Micah, and RA’s reveal. |
| Episode 9 |
| For Queen Sugar: Season 2B, it seems the focus will primarily be the relationships between parent and adult child and the layers to these relationships. |
| Episode 10 |
| Love is in the air for Nova and Micah but sadly, as sweet as things are going for them, the opposite is true for Ralph Angel and Darla. |
| Episode 11 |
| Everything you knew about Lorna and Ernest’s relationship is rewritten and Remy picks up the baton Ernest left in passing. |
| Episode 12 |
| As one door closes, and another gets locked, it makes the few happy relationships that remain a welcome focus. |
| Episode 13 |
| Darla’s parents come about and like when Lorna came to Louisiana, we are led to believe everything we were told is not true. |
| Episode 14 |
| As Darla & Aunt Vi deal with their secrets revealed, Nova & Charley find themselves having to think about the next step of their careers. |
| Episode 15 |
| Nearly everything goes to hell. The Mill is in trouble, due to slander, the Blue paternity situation rocks everyone and Micah is in trouble. |
| Episode 16 |
| Queen Sugar’s season 2 finale answers hardly any pressing questions, besides if Darla relapses, and leaves quite a few unresolved stories. |
TV Shows We’re Covering This Season
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