Queen Sugar: Season 2/ Episode 14 “On These I Stand” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers) (2024)

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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”

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 9^th 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

1. 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.

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