'Power' Season 4 Finale recap “You Can’t Fix This”

At the police station, a bleary-eyed Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.) gives his statement to a detective about his sister's death. The detective asks him to go over the moments before Raina’s (Donshea Hopkins) murder in detail over and over again. Finally, a devastated Tariq exclaims, "Don’t you think I would have told you if I knew something?!” When the camera pans out, we see a grief stricken Ghost (Omari Hardwick) and Tasha (Naturi Naughton) sitting beside their son. Deciding the St. Patricks have had enough for one day, the detective dismisses them to go home. As Tariq and Ghost exit the room, the detective gives Tasha Raina’s things. Tasha learns that her baby's body will not yet be released to the family. Somewhere in Queens, an oblivious Tommy (Joseph Sikora) is chatting with Teresi’s (William Sadler) goon friend. It looks like the old gangster has kept his word and introduced his son to the family. As the men continue their discussion, a trigger-ready Kanan (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) rolls up on them and pops his trunk. After assuring the men with him that Kanan's cool, Tommy peers into the trunk to see the bodies of the guys that tried to take Kanan out. Tommy immediately IDs the dead dudes as Cristobal's (Matt Cedeño) men. He assures Kanan that he doesn't have any beef with him (he knows Kanan saved Tariq's life) —but he does let Kanan know that Cristobal has been tight with Dre (Rotimi) recently. Newly embolden Kanan, takes off to get after Cristobal and his new BFF Dre. In the midst of their discussion, Tommy gets a 911 text from Ghost letting him know about Raina's death.

host, Tasha and Tariq pull into the parking garage of the St. Patrick's apartment building. There is dead silence in the car until Tasha asks her son to tell them what he knows about Raina’s death. In a rush, Riq tells his parents he doesn’t know anything before jumping out of the SUV and heading upstairs. Furious and heartbroken, Tasha and Ghost get into a heated conversation after his exit. Tasha tells Ghost that she knows Tariq’s lying— she can tell. Ghost isn’t convinced. He believes that the Jimenez (finally got the name right!) siblings are behind the hit. As though he's in a daze, he tells Tasha that he’s going to fix it. Enraged and in disbelief, Tasha screams, “You can’t fix this!” Tasha tells him that she carried their child and now their baby is gone. Ghost promises his wife that he will kill who ever did this. She warns him not to get caught or killed.

The fractured couple finally heads into the building and walk into a household full of people all ready to greet them and provide comfort. While Tasha tries to at least engage with everyone, Ghost heads straight to the master bedroom, removing his tux from the previous night. We watch him disrobe— shedding his James persona to embody the ruthless killer, Ghost. In the midst of his transformation, he balls up the program from the Man of the Year ceremony that he had just been so thrilled to be a part of. He also gets a text from Councilman Rashad Tate (Larenz Tate) offering his condolences and telling Ghost to meet him at a well-known church later in the day. (Sir??!! A raggedy text when this man has lost his child?!!) Ghost ignores it and readies himself for war.

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'Power' Season 4, Episode 6 Recap: “New Man”

Ghost (Omari Hardwick) is home — but he’s still being haunted by prison. He startles awake in the penthouse after dreaming about beating CO Marshall Williams’ (RIP Charlie Murphy) head in. Looking over, he realizes that Tasha (Naturi Naughton) didn’t sleep in the bed next to him. Why would she? Showering and putting on one of his usual suits, Ghost tries to become James again, but he’s not quite feeling like himself. Entering the kitchen, Tasha is there, but none of the kids are (apparently, they’re all at sleepovers). In the absence of his children, Ghost tries to approach Tasha about starting over. He promises that everything that went down between himself and Angela (Lela Loren) is a wrap. Tasha is unmoved. She tells her husband that she just watched Angela blow up her life for him. She also informs Ghost that she’s just dealing with him for the sake of appearances. What did he expect?

At Truth, the Feds have unlocked the doors and Ghost is feeling pretty pleased. He smiles for the first time in forever as he turns on all of the lights. That is until Simon Stern (Victor Garber) rolls up on him talking about a business deal and debt owned. Apparently Stern loaned Tasha some coins. In exchange, Stern wants Ghost to be the CEO of a new real estate venture. He needs Ghost’s Black face for the tax credit and publicity. In the midst of their conversation, Ghost’s burner phone rings. It’s Tony Teresi (William Sadler) wanting to know why Tommy (Joseph Sikora) hasn’t been in touch. Ghost tries to buy more time with the old Gangster (if you recall Teresi knows Ghost killed Marshal), he hasn’t been able to get a hold of Tommy since he got out, but Teresi is getting impatient.

In some empty house in Queens Juke Box (Anika Noni Rose) is holding Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.) hostage, but the boy doesn’t know it yet. He’s so damn gullible that he believes he’s just chilling there until his new friend Slim (who is really Kanan (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) arrives. Juke Box is getting annoyed because Kanan hasn’t confronted Ghost yet and she’s had to come up with ways to get Tasha off of Tariq’s back.

In Manhattan, Tasha and Keisha (La La Anthony) are having brunch. Keisha is PISSED! She’s ready to reopen her weave shop and get it back legit, and she’s also irritated that she hasn’t heard a word from Tommy. Tasha tries to talk her friend off the ledge, but it’s clearly not working. Tasha texts Tommy to find out where he’s been but we all know, Tommy doesn’t have his phone.

In Chicago, Tommy meets with Jason Micic (Mike Dopud), the head of the organization. He tells Tommy that Ghost is out of jail (which Tommy didn’t know) and that he’s impressed with the work he’s done thus far. Jason informs Tommy that he thinks he would be a good replacement for Milan (Callan Mulvey) and that he wants him to run both the East and West Coasts. In return, Jason asks that Tommy cut all ties with Ghost (yeah, that’s never gonna happen). Though he’s ready to get back on the road for NYC, (why is he driving 22 hours?! I guess he doesn’t want a paper trail) Jason informs Tommy that he’ll be staying the night to celebrate his potential promotion Chicago style.

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'Power' Season 4, Episode 4 Recap: “We're In This Together”

As I open this recap, I’d just like to acknowledge the fact that Tommy (Joseph Sikora) is even more insane that I’d previously thought which is saying A LOT — but we’ll get to that shortly. "We're in This Together" begins with Ghost (Omari Hardwick) lifting weights in the rec room. Resigned to his current situation, he seems determined to make the most of his prison time. This doesn’t stop Marshal Williams (Charlie Murphy), the prison guard/U.S. Marshall from antagonizing Ghost. In fact, he runs up on G and tries to choke him out with a barbell.

At the St. Patrick’s penthouse, Tommy is sleeping on the couch (They don’t have a guest room?!). He’s taken Ghost’s request to take care of his family to heart, but that doesn’t stop Keisha (La La Anthony) from blowing up his phone. Apparently, he slipped out of her bed in the wee hours of the morning and Keisha is not too pleased about it.

At the Feds, Saxe (Shane Johnson) and Mike (David Fumero) are still reeling from DNA fall out, and they are letting Angela (Lela Loren) HAVE IT. Though John (Sung Kang) sticks up for her at first, when the conference room clears he checks Angela for going behind his back and offering Ghost a deal. He tells her since she wants to be helpful; she needs to approach Tasha (Naturi Naughton) to get more info. Angela doesn’t want to, but she has no other choice.

Proctor (Jerry Ferrara) and Silver (Brandon Victor Dixon) meet with Ghost in prison, and they tell him that both Julio (J.R. Ramirez) and Dre (Rotimi) were picked up and questioned by the Feds. Ghost doesn’t seem too bothered because he knows his men are loyal. Silver reminds him that associating with known felons is not a good look. The attorneys inform Ghost that their new focus is on getting the gun thrown out. On the low, Ghost asks Proctor to look into Marshal Williams, and he reminds him to also inform Tommy about the money drop he needs to make to Teresi (William Sadler). Tommy must find out any info he can on the old gangster.

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'Power' Season 4, Episode 3 Recap: “The Kind of Man You Are”

Ghost’s (Omari Hardwick) legal troubles are now spreading out to his associates. As the episode opens, Tommy (Joseph Sikora), Dre (Rotimi), Julio (J.R. Ramirez) and Keisha (La La Anthony) are all hemmed up by the Feds and brought in for questioning. Though Julio and Dre paint Ghost as a do-gooder who gives back to those from the hood, Keisha inadvertently slips up and gives Angela (Lela Loren) information that could be used to break the spousal privilege between Ghost and Tasha (Naturi Naughton). Anglea wants to paint Tasha as Ghost’s accomplice.

In jail, Proctor (Jerry Ferrara) introduces Ghost to his second chair, Terry Silver (Brandon Victor Dixon). Immediately, Ghost and Silver aren’t feeling one another. Ghost seems desperate to get Silver to see him as an innocent man, but Silver just wants to win. Ghost walks through the day Greg (Andy Bean) died with Silver to try and establish an alibi. He doesn’t have one, but when looking at the crime scene, he does notice a phone in Greg’s drawer that hadn’t been there when he initially broke into his apartment. It’s new info for Proctor and Silver, but it might not actually help. Later, when the attorneys return, Ghost recalls being pulled over by Greg the day Greg died. He’s adamant that Angela knows about the stop. Silver and Proctor try to find evidence since Greg never logged it.

Somewhere in the city, Tommy drops Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.) and Raina (Donshea Hopkins) off at school. After waving Rena goodbye, he tries to have a heart to heart with Riq, but the boy is still on BS. Tommy tries to reassure Tariq that his dad is innocent of killing Greg, but in seeing Tariq’s reaction, Tommy also realizes that something is not quite right with the boy.

Later, after determining the Feds are trying to break spousal privilege, Proctor decides they NEED to get Ghost’s DNA thrown out from the case, and he sets about trying to make that happen. Meanwhile, in prison, Tony Teresi (William Sadler) gets a packet of Ramen noodles delivered to his cell. We discover that a phone is actually embedded in the dry noodles. From the voice on the other line, Tony gets more deets on Tommy, and he learns Tommy runs with a man named Ghost. Though the voice on the other line has no idea who Ghost might be. Tony starts piecing things together.

At the Feds office, John Mak (Sung Kang) is pissed. He’s annoyed that the team got nothing from Ghost’s associates because he is determined that Ghost gets the needle and that Tommy and the whole organization go down as well. Once Angela tells him the info she got from Keisha in order to break spousal privilege his mood does brighten. Angela tries to reason with him about leaving Tasha out of the trial for the sake of the kids, but John wants blood. We also learn that Ghost’s old club manager Kantos (Adam Huss) is willing to talk to the Feds, but he wants full immunity. The Feds blow him off… for now.

In school, some asshole jock named Ethan sends out a mass text about Ghost being up for the death penalty. Rena get’s the text and is distraught, but Riq takes care of it before taking off to hang with Kanan (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson). Crying, Rena tries to run after her brother and is photographed by the paparazzi. At her apartment, Keisha tells Tommy she’s afraid Tasha will give them up if her kids are on the line. Tommy tries to reassure her that Tasha would never do that, but he also looks unsure.

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'Power' Season 4, Episode 2 Recap: "Things Are Going To Get Worse"

Prison looks very rough on Ghost (Omari Hardwick). Injured from his violent encounter with the prison guards at the end of the season premiere, Ghost is now dealing with blood in his urine and a possible broken rib. Gone is the polished and well put together James St. Patrick that we’ve grown accustomed to over the past three seasons of this series. At home, Tasha (Naturi Naughton) is trying to reassure Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.) and Raina (Donshea Hopkins) of their father’s innocence, even though he won’t be home anytime soon. She also warns them to keep their family business to themselves and to NEVER refer to their father as Ghost. Tariq is insolent and rude, and he’s not trying to hear anything that his mother is saying.

Meanwhile, the sexual tension between Keisha (La La Anthony) and Tommy (Joseph Sikora) is building. Disturbed by the fact that Ghost hasn’t been granted bail, Keisha barges into Tommy’s loft to tell him she wants his and Tasha’s hands out of her business. Tommy tells her that he can’t have that, not with all eyes on Ghost and his associates. He assures Keisha that he has her back and that everything will work out in the end.

Back in prison, Proctor (Jerry Ferrara) visits Ghost in jail, he tells Ghost that his hands are tied until the prosecution shows their hand, but he also warns his client to suppress his baser self. Meanwhile, at work, Angela (Lela Loren) should be humiliated since her colleagues are discussing her sex life. In a back and forth split screen Proctor convinces Ghost and AUSA John Mak (Sung Kang) convinces Angela that neither of them can take the stand. The timeline and knowledge of their relationship hurts the Feds’ case and the love triangle between Ghost, Angela, and Greg (Andy Bean) would give Ghost a motive. Instead, John decides that he wants to go for Ghost, Tommy, and their entire drug empire.

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Underground Recap: Harriet Tubman Stands At the Center Of ‘Minty’

As a guide, warrior and no-nonsense champion, Aisha Hinds’ Harriet Tubman has been a visceral force during this season of Underground. Teaching Rosalee how to move cargo undetected and working with Georgia and Elizabeth’s abolitionist sewing circle, “the most notorious runaway" has integrated herself among all aspects of the cause and in “Minty,” we finally get the full view of her life and backstory. In an unprecedented move on television, Underground chose to put the spotlight on one character to drive the entire episode, and Hinds’ performance was exhilarating and masterful to watch. In a 19th century “TED Talk” of sorts, the audience meets the woman behind the legend as she paints an intricate tapestry of her childhood and how she became General Tubman. Born Araminta Ross around 1820, Tubman discusses the sisters that were sold away from her, and the horrendous abuse that she suffered as a child after bring hired out by her master to different estates. Even as a young girl, though she was often sickly, Harriet had a rebellious streak. She was mischievous and would use small acts of defiance to assert herself despite the conditions of her bondage. For Harriet Tubman, Harriet Beacher Stowe’s 1852 novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin didn’t even scratch the surface of the horrors of slavery.

For Harriet, it was not just about abolitionists knowing her story; it was about them contemplating and fully understanding the violence of the institution of slavery and bondage itself. Despite her spunk and acts of resistance, Tubman came to realize that there could be no triumphs under slavery. Bolstered by rumors of her own sale to another plantation, Harriet decided to run for her freedom. However, as we learn in “Minty,” her actual journey to freedom did not begin the very first time she tried to run with her brothers. Though she only got a mile away from her plantation that first time, it sparked an inferno in Harriet that could not be doused. After befriending a white abolitionist, Harriet embarked on the journey that would lead to her tenuous freedom.

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Jacob Asserts Himself & Grace Loses Her Way In 'Greenleaf's "Point Of No Return" (Season 2, Episode 5 Recap)

“Point Of No Return” finds the two older Greenleaf children in polar opposite stages of their lives. Jacob, who has previously struggled to find his footing not just within his family, but also as a head Pastor at Triumph, has finally found his voice and he’s not about to be silenced any time soon. In contrast, Grace seems to have lost both her faith and her calling as she continues to feel paralyzed by her Uncle Mac’s freedom. Her daughter, Sophia’s newfound relationship with the Lord, doesn’t even revive her. Though Jacob is finally standing on his two feet, things aren’t exactly going well in his new home or at Triumph. He and Kerissa’s bungalow has some major electrical issues among other things, and Kerissa is fed up. While she attempts to get their home life in order, Jacob finds himself standing up to his parents and Triumph’s lead Pastor, Basie Skanks. He’s determined that this is a new chapter in his life, and he’s going to make the most of it. Jacob even tells Grace that he’s not going to sit back and pretend that her returning home, didn’t upend his entire life. Despite his enthusiasm and determination, it looks like Jacob’s plans are about to be thwarted in a very big way. Not only have the Greenleafs issued an injunction against Triumph 2.0, but Kerissa also discovers through Pastor Skanks’ wife Tasha, that everything might not be on the up and up when it comes to Triumph’s financials. (I wonder how they paid Kirk Franklin to perform.) Whatever they’ve gotten themselves into is probably going to be really bad. By the way, I’m finally starting to like Kerissa; it took long enough.

While Jacob is standing tall, Grace is wilting. As the episode opens, Sophia catches her mama sneaking in from being with Darius in the wee-hours of the morning, and later, a wedding that Grace is supposed to be officiating crumbles around her. Though the would-be bride is obviously a head case, Grace takes the demise of the relationship to heart, and her internal struggle with her faith seems to have her at an all-time low. Unlike before, there is no option for her to run, so at some point, she’s going to have to confront her feelings head on. I think prayer was a good first step.

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'Greenleaf' Confronts Old Friends & Even Older Wounds In "Revival" (Season 2, Episode 2 Recap)

From her sadistic relationship with her father Henry to her torrid affair with a family friend, it appears that Lady Mae’s secrets run deep. Ahead of Calvary’s annual revival, Bishop James calls on his friend, Bishop Lionel Jeffrey (Tim Reid), to attend and preach in front of the congregation. Nothing seems amiss until we witness the look between Bishop Jeffrey and Lady Mae as soon as he crosses the threshold of the Greenleaf mansion. It was a mixture of both hatred and lust, and I knew then that whatever happened between the two of them, which was so passionate that they actually considered running off together, isn’t buried as deep in the past as they might like it to be. I also don’t entirely trust Bishop Jeffrey. While he seems to be keeping up appearances, the presence of his son, Aaron, definitely caused me to raise my eyebrows. Bishop James and Lady Mae are still desperate to squash Pastor Skanks and Jacob from erecting Triumph 2.0. It just seems all too convenient (even for TV) that Bishop Jeffery’s son Aaron has the solution to their problem. With one call from his father, Aaron comes to town to file an injunction on the construction of Triumph 2.0 with the hopes that Jacob and Skanks will give up on building the new church. Still, Aaron’s presence alone wasn’t the only thing that raised the alarm for me. The fact that Bishop James is so willing to let Aaron move into Jacob’s old quarters made we wonder if he didn’t have some inkling of Lady Mae’s affair with Bishop Jeffrey. There is something much more sinister happening here. I don’t know if Bishop Jeffrey has just sent his son to spy on Lady Mae or if Aaron knows about their affair or what, but things jut aren’t adding up.

Charity and Kevin’s relationship was also at the center of “Revival,” but it looks like there will be no resurrecting their marriage. With a sexy new bob and her music producer giving her the eye, Charity is ready to pull the plug on her relationship, and I can’t say that I blame her. Her look of horror when Kevin tried to come on to her made me laugh and cringe at the same time. Though they have decided that their marriage over, the duo has chosen to keep it under wraps for now. Hopefully, that means Kevin will refrain from taking that toxic poison he was given by his support group to combat “impure thoughts.” Overall, I’m not too worried about these two, they are still really good friends, so perhaps their split won’t be volatile. Hopefully, this will be an opportunity for Kevin to finally be true to himself.

Bishop and Lady Mae aren’t the only one’s getting in touch with old friends. One of Grace’s girlhood friends Rebecca, a fellow Pastor has come to visit for the revival. She and Grace reminisce over old times and Rebecca bonds with Sophia, who seems to be in search of something of her own in the wake of  Zora’s absence. Seeing Rebecca also brings forth old memories for GG. Back in the day, Grace, Faith, Rebecca, and Charity had a singing group called Mystic, and seeing her sister on those old tapes reinvigorates Grace’s desire to do something about the fact that Uncle Mac is just out here in these streets.

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A War Is Brewing On 'Greenleaf' -- Unpacking Season 2, Episode 3 With 5 Questions That Need Answers

Though it had a few hilariously shady moments and a couple of revelations, season 2, episode three of “Greenleaf” (titled “A Mother’s Love”) mostly felt like filler. To be fair, I believe that this episode is setting us up for the next several episodes, which are probably going to be jaw dropping. The episode opens with Grace getting a troubling phone call. She rushes to the hospital, and we find out that Danielle, the young girl Grace was able to convince to come forward and testify against her Uncle Mac for sexual assault, has tried to kill herself. Somehow (even though she’s a minor) her name has been leaked to the public, and the students at her high school are making her life a living hell. The young girl can’t seem to understand why Mac is still out roaming the streets as a free man and neither can I. Seeing Danielle again shocks Grace into action. We know that she’s been littering Mac’s new neighborhood with sex-offender fliers, but after seeing Danielle, it looks like Grace is finally ready to go to war.

Away from his mama and the Greenleaf mansion for the first time in his life, Jacob is finally standing on his own two feet. Desperate to get her son to return home, Lady Mae tells Jacob that Pastor Skanks is out for revenge. She reveals to him that Skanks is the son of the caretaker who died in the church fire. Jacob doesn’t seem all that concerned; he is determined to press forward carving out a path for himself away from his family, even if it is under Skanks’ direction. However, that doesn’t mean he’s going to be a puppet. When Skanks tries to convince Jacob to go con a wealthy dying woman out of her money for some costly unforeseen work on the Triumph 2.0 site, Jacob sticks to his scruples. For the first time, he’s also super present at home scolding his teenage daughter Zora, after she sneaks out of the church to hang out with the worship singer Isaiah. Jacob might survive all of this after all, but I can’t say the same for his wife, Kerissa.

Kerrisa is just miserable. But, what else is new? Though Pastor Skanks’ wife desperately tries to befriend her and offer her help with decorating their new home, the Ice Queen is having none of it. When Grace visits Jacob and Kerrisa’s new house to offer some well wishes, Kerissa flat out tells her that she and Jacob wouldn’t even be there if Grace hadn’t come home. Whatever happened to that teacher who was grinning in Kerrisa’s face? Perhaps she needs to give him a call. Either way, Pastor Skanks’ wife and Kerissa are definitely going to have some words in the future, and it will probably get really ugly.

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Will 'Greenleaf' Take A Stand For The LGBTQ Community? Recapping Episode 2, 'Strange Bedfellows'

In episode 2, “Strange Bedfellows”, the Greenleafs are moving in all different directions. Jacob is determined to move out of the Greenleaf mansion and take charge as the head pastor at Triumph’s second location. However, Lady Mae wants Bishop to talk to him about Pastor Skanks claiming to be the son of Darryl, the deceased caretaker who was killed in the arson James committed years ago. Both Lady Mae and Bishop are puzzled by the claim, since they only remember Darryl having daughters. Meanwhile, Jacob’s transition to Triumph isn’t going quite as smoothly as he would like. Skanks demands that Jacob go door to door in Calvary territory, telling folks about Triumph’s new location. It feels like a cheap move to Jacob, but he does it anyway. In the midst of this, Pastor Skanks’ wife finally shows Kerissa the home she and Jacob will be moving their family into. Kerissa is LESS THAN impressed, and I couldn’t stop laughing.

Despite the upcoming move, Sophia and Zora are still two peas in a pod (for now). Sophia has her sights set on a Triumph singer named Isaiah Hambrick, and the girls plot and plan to attend his rehearsal. The only trouble is, when they arrive, Isaiah only has eyes for Zora. This is going to be bad!

The younger girls aren’t the only ones who are trying to figure out their love lives. I guess Grace’s ex-flame Noah has officially gone back to his fiancée. However, Grace has caught the attention of a journalist by the name of Darius Nash (Hey Rick Fox!). If you recall, he was the writer who aired the Greenleafs’ dirty laundry in the newspaper when Bishop was under investigation. After some convincing, GG goes out with Darius, and they have a great time.

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Underground Recap: A Surprising Return And Unexpected Twist In 'Things Unsaid'

The second episode of the second season of Underground, “Things Unsaid” opens with Daniel (Bokeem Woodbine), the slave we initially met in the season premiere, the one who was teaching himself to read. He enters his cabin to greet his wife and infant child. Excitedly, he reveals to his wife that he’s learned to read and write. His wife stares down at the small piece of parchment where he's etched the word, “LOVE” and rips the paper to shreds, reminding him that this could get them killed. Back in Ohio, Elizabeth sits on the courthouse steps screaming and wailing, staring down at the blood stain where John’s body once laid. Meanwhile, at the Hawkes’ home, Rosalee rushes through her tasks of preparing some herbs for some of the injured escaped slaves to take on their journey, tears steadily falling from her face. Pastor Grant, an abolitionist conductor, arrives to pick the cargo up. Seeing Rosalee in distress, he reminds her to focus on her family. He tells her, “Elizabeth is going to need you.”

At Georgia’s boarding house, Harriet and Rosalee discuss a plan to move forward and help free more slaves. In the middle of their conversation, Harriet passes out, which alarms Georgia. Starring down at the scar on Harriet’s forehead (she was hit in the head with an iron as a child), Rosalee assures her new friend that these episodes are normal. She also asks Georgia to send Elizabeth a wire apologizing for her absence. It looks like Rosalee isn’t taking Pastor Grant’s advice to stay back and help Elizabeth through her grief. When Harriet comes to, she announces, “The plan has changed.”

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5 Burning Questions We Have After Watching The Season Premiere Of 'Greenleaf'

The Greenleafs have returned for a second season in episode 201,”A House Divided,” and quite frankly, the Lord is not smiling down upon them. Despite the heaps of sexual abuse evidence against Uncle Mac, he’s walking free after getting his father Henry to testify against Bishop James. Apparently, back in 1983, James burned down his original church, First Baptist in order to collect the insurance money and build Calvary. Unfortunately, the church’s caretaker, a man named Darryl, was still inside the structure as it burned to the ground. Three months after Mac’s release from jail, things are only sliding further downhill for the Greenleafs. Grace is barely holding it together at the pulpit with her sermons boring everyone to tears. The church’s donations are down forty percent, and it’s not because of the investigation into the Bishop or the allegations against nasty Uncle Mac. Nope! Apparently, people are more worried about the gay choir director and his husband (hey Kyle from “Living Single”) and not the fact that an apparent murderer and child rapist are running around on the loose. <INSERT SIDE EYE HERE.>

We learn that Grace’s baby sister Charity has lost one of her twins, and though she gives birth to a healthy baby boy named Nathan, she and Kevin are still on the outs. Props to her for not going to that horrible pray the gay away therapy group with him. Honestly, Kevin needs to be real with himself, and come out so they can co-parent and move on.

Speaking of moving on, Grace’s brother Jacob has been given the reigns over at Triumph’s new location. Triumph is Calvary’s rival church so this puts further strain on Jacob’s relationship with Bishop. At least he’s finally moving out and becoming his own man. In the midst of all of this, Aunt Mavis is having her own downward spiral. Without a club to tend to, Auntie has set her sights on being a talent manager when she’s not preoccupied with drinking herself into an early grave.

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“Fires Of Heaven” – Recap of ‘Empire’ Season 2, Episode 3

Prosecutor Roxanne Ford is still in her low cut top holding a press conference outside of the courthouse. She is NOT pleased that Lucious has been granted bail, and she’s not afraid to let everyone know. Oh, and she might be running for Assistant District Attorney. Meanwhile, Lucious walks out of the courthouse looking slick and smooth with Jamal and his new attorney Thirsty on either side of him. The only problem is, apparently under his bail terms Lucious isn’t allowed in Empire Entertainment headquarters. This seems insane but Lucious appears to be unbothered.

At Empire headquarters (on the steps, not in the building) Lucious speaks to his fan as Roxanne Ford looks on from her beat-up car. She has it out for Lucious BAD.

At Hakeem’s apartment, it looks like several bombs detonated. (If Lucious hasn’t cut him off yet, he should really consider a housekeeper.) He’s rather disheveled as Cookie beats down his door. Apparently he’s late for something…like that’s a surprise. It seems that the youngest Lyon has been laid up with the new lead singer of Rainbow Sensation, because she pops out of nowhere looking for her draws. After Cookie puts the girl in her place, she tells Hakeem that Lucious is out of jail.

Hakeem makes it to his interview with Sway in the nick of time,  and after his performance, he sits down to chat about his leaked album and Lyon Dynasty. Sway gets Lucious on the line during the interview, but doesn’t have much to say about his youngest son or the leaked album, but Hakeem does provide an update on his girl group. Evidently they are no longer Rainbow Sensation, instead they’re Ménage à Trois.  Sway suggests that Hakeem the girls to his show in a couple of days, and despite Cookie’s horrified glare and headshakes, Hakeem agrees. (Cookie’s broom needs to make a comeback.)

Later that evening Lucious has invited the entire Lyon clan over to break bread. (Why anyone bothered to show up is beyond me.) Lucious tells them all that if they dismantle Lyon Dynasty, EVERYTHING will be forgiven.  It seems that he thinks that no one can eat without him. This is the point when Queen Cookie shows out,. Mama snatches up her bag and proceeds to tell Papa Lyon that she’ll always eat. Prior to exiting, she politely snatches the table runner and all of the food off the table.

Sometime later, Anika foolishly meets Lucious at Leviticus. He lies through his teeth and convinces her to plot against Lyon Dynasty. (SMH Anika I thought you were bright.)

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Image: FOX

“Without A Country” - Recap of 'Empire' Season 2, Episode 2

Note: if you haven’t watched the episode, you may want to skip this recap.

After the insanity of last week’s season premiere, it looks like “Empire” has settled right back into the juicy show that we all love.

The episode opens with Cookie, Andre and Hakeem being put out of Empire headquarters. They all look rather pathetic carrying their personal items as the exit the building. Jamal really isn’t playing games with them. The trio engages in various conversations over the phone about what their next move might be. Hakeem suggests looping Anika into the fold, but Cookie is not having it, and Andre is not trying to be in the middle of them. Cookie and the boys meet at Ghetto Ass Studios, the studio where Jamal recorded some of hits last season.  Neither Andre nor Hakeem look like they’re about this life, but at the moment it’s their only option. It seems like Hakeem ignored Cookie’s wishes (surprise, surprise) because Anika is already in the studio with former Empire recording Artist V.  V is less than impressed with her surroundings because she is NOT feeling Anika or her helpful hints.

In jail, Lucious is attempting to see the doctor for his medication. If you recall, he doesn’t have ALS, but he does have myasthenia gravis, which isn’t fatal but still needs to be monitored and treated.  Unfortunately for him, the doctor can’t seem to find his authorization forms, which means no medicines for Mr. Lyon. Something is definitely amiss here.

Back at his fancy loft, Jamal is singing his ass off and giving an interview with a reporter from “Spilling the Tea”. He lets the world know that Michael is his bae and he’s chatting about the delay in his new album, and his father’s imprisonment when Cookie comes bursting in unannounced (In true Cookie fashion.)  The duo keep it cute for the cameras, but Cookie is there for Hakeem’s album. She doesn’t want Empire holding it hostage. Jamal is still feeling petty it seems, because he doesn’t seem to care what she wants. Oh, and Cookie also takes this time to tell her middle son that she, Andre and Hakeem are starting their own company.

Back on the prison yard, Lucious is acting like the King of Sheba, rapping and carrying on with his crew. Ludacris appears out of nowhere as one of the prison guards (I believe his name is McKnight). It’s clear immediately that McKnight has it out for Lucious, he snatches the crew up off their bench and then proceeds to call them “boys”.  Lucious is wheezing and out of breath and apparently McKnight knows something about his missing medical form.  He’s in Prosecutor Roxanne Fuller’s pocket. (You know the lady with the extreme cleavage from last week.) As much as I despise Lucious, McKnight is truly the worst kind of human.

At Ghetto Ass Studios, Hakeem is auditioning female artists for a girl group he randomly came up with. (Apparently he put an ad on Instagram). One particular Latina artist blows him away, but when he tells her he’s looking for a group, not a solo artist, she is over the entire situation. (I’m pretty sure this story line will somehow tie in with Lee Daniels ‘next venture with FOX, “Star”. It’s an “Empire”spin-of about a girl group based in ATL.) Later on, Hakeem tells Andre and Cookie that he found some girls he likes, but they’re all Latina. His idea was to get a Black, a white and a Latina artist to form the girl group. He wants to call “Rainbow Sensation.” Andre is understandably horrified, and it took me a moment here to stop laughing. In the midst of this, Anika comes strolling in and Cookie comes for her immediately! She knows about Boo Boo Kitty’s escapades with Hakeem, and she is PISSED. She tells Anika she knows marketing because, “She’s made a whole career of selling her ass.” WHELP!! Oh and Hakeem is 20 years old, I don’t think we knew that before.

Continue Reading at Shadow and Act.

Image: FOX

"Heavy Is the Head" - Recapping 'Scandal' Season 5, Episode 1

Note: if you haven't watched the episode, you may want to skip this recap.

In the beginning, I was a huge advocate for Fitz and Olivia’s tawdry affair on “Scandal”. I lived for the longing, the drama and the stolen moments. However, by the third season I’d had enough. Olitz had taken what it means to be on-again, off-again to a whole new level, which is why I rolled my eyes at the end of last season when Liv chose Fitz, over her sanity and well being.

The episode opens with former Vice President Sally Langston Donald Trumping on her “news show”, “The Liberty Report”. She’s terribly annoyed that the White House is hosting a state dinner for the royal family of Caledonia. She’s seems especially pressed about the number of wine options being offered. As irritating as Sally is, she throws epic shade. She called the dinner Fitz’s opportunity to “bathe in his filthy glory.” Sally may know more than she is letting on.

In the White House, Liv and Fitz are tearing up some sheets. It appears that the moment Fitz put Mellie out, Liv moved in. The duo are super cute and whatever, but I still can’t get past all that has happen. Anyway, they arise from their romp to get ready for the state dinner with the Royals.  Liv may be in Fitz’s bed, but their relationship is still on the down low.  Fitz is talking a big game about making their relationship public, but Liv is having none of it. (That would be a mess that even she couldn’t fix.) They make their way down to the dinner separately.

Meanwhile, it looks like Mellie’s invite for the state dinner was lost in the mail because Mama was not invited. Apparently the press and public are supposed to believe she has the flu.

At the state dinner, Abby is aware that Mellie has been officially barred from the White House. Therefore, she cozies up to her BFF to ask about the status of Olitz. Liv shrugs off Abby’s prying, claiming Fitz hasn’t called her. Um, ok girl. (Just so you know, it’s never a good sign when you can’t even tell your bestie about your relationship.)  A few tables over, Fitz is chatting with the Queen of Caledonia; he really wants a naval base in Caledonia.

Liv and Abby take a bathroom break to powder their noses. Abby asks about the Olitz situation again and Liv brushes her off. Abby confesses that she’s on edge at work because in Cyrus’ absence she feels she has no footing at the White House. It looks like she and Lizzie (Fitz’s new Chief of Staff) aren’t playing nice. The ladies get to gossiping about Civil Right Lawyer turned royalty, Princess Emily of Caledonia and her posh life. Turns out, Princess Em is in the bathroom listening to all of this.

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Image: ABC

"The Devils Are Here" - Recap of 'Empire' Season 2, Episode 1

I’ll admit that my head was spinning after the season finale of “Empire” last spring. It seemed like the writers crammed everything they could into a two-hour story block, and it left me feeling off kilter and befuddled.  During last night’s season premiere, I felt the same way almost until the very end of the episode.

The season premiere of “Empire” picked up three months after Lucious’ initial incarceration. With Jamal still in position as the head of Empire; the rest of the Lyons are playing nice for the time being. Cookie and Jamal have put together a Free Lucious concert hosted by Swizz Beats and attended by nearly every black celeb known to man. From Al Sharpton to Andre Leon Talley, it was cameo overload, and not in a good way. When Don Lemon popped up out of nowhere, I really wanted to fight my TV screen.

Still, nothing could have prepared me for Cookie dropping on the stage in a cage while wearing a gorilla suit.  As talented as Lee Daniels is, this was just #teamtoomuch. Though I did appreciate the show driving home the fact that thousands of Black men are unfairly incarcerated, Cookie’s chanting “How Much Longer?!” did not make me feel sympathetic towards Lucious. Even Reverend Al said he was a lost cause.

After Cookie gets the crowd riled up, Jamal takes the stage to perform on his father’s behalf and we cut to Lucious watching all of this on a rather fancy television from prison.  It turns out that Lucious is basically The Godfather of jail and he already has his minions set up to do his bidding.  A shifty prisoner (who turns out to be another one of Cookie’s cousins) Jermel (played by DeRay Davis) begs Lucious to protect him from a gangster named Frank Gathers. Lucious isn’t too keen on the idea, he has no beef with Gathers and he’s not trying to start any. Lucious gives Jermel a swift brush off just in time to see Hakeem take the stage.

Continue reading at Shadow and Act.

'Scandal' Winter Finale Recap: "Where the Sun Don’t Shine"

Jake and Fitz are still at each other’s throats and Papa Pope is in the wind. Fitz has sent all of his man power after Rowan, but to no avail. Instead of finding Big Pappa, they find Olivia’s Mama who Rowan had said he killed. (We all know that he didn't kill her, apparently he's obsessed with her, visiting her every day.)

Mama Pope seems crazed and deranged as usual. Either she’s lost her mind from living in that death hole for so long, or she actually doesn't think that Liv is on to her and her conniving ways. But oh, Olivia is most certainly on. She orders her boys to charge her mother with murder, terrorism and treason, and then she tells them to hunt down her father and kill him.  Clearly someone is not trying to play nicely with her makers.

Liv isn’t the only one whose world is crumbling. Huck and Quinn go after Javi after he witnesses them kill Dan Kubiak. The boy is obviously traumatized, and Huck’s ex-wife is enraged that Huck has been in contact with the boy after she explicitly told him to leave them alone. It's not looking like Huck is ever going to have a relationship with his child; perhaps he should have listened to Liv when she tried to reason with him. (Shonda just let Huck be great.)

Back at 1600 Pennsylvania Fitz is trying to figure out what to do about Angola. He wants retaliate for the attack because doesn’t want to seem weak. However, Fitz really doesn't have the heart for a war.
After cleaning up the mess, Quinn tells Liv about the twisted triangle of Kubiak, Lizzie Bear and VP Andrew Nichols (I really miss Sally Langston, she was a terrifying delight). Liv has barely hung up the phone when Lizzie marches her self-righteous self into OPA to tell Liv she knows was Cyrus Beene bugging her phone, and not the virus that Liv told her it was. Ms. Girl is not happy that she's been lied to, and she basically lets a Liv know that she will destroying Cyrus.

Liv rushes off to the White House to tell Cyrus that ish is gonna hit the fan, but it's already much too late. Liv can barely finish her sentence when Abby rushes in saying The Times has been asking her about sexy pictures with Cyrus in them.

On the defensive, Liv briefs the President's inner circle about Cyrus and Male Escort Michael. She also lets it be known that VP Andrew is screwing Lizzie; tragically poor Mellie is caught surprise. (She really thought her and Blandrew had a sweet thing…smh.)

The press is having a field day, a Republic Chief of Staff is having a tawdry affair with a hooker “Chief of Staffs” one headline reads.   At first the White House tries to stall, but then David Rosen gets wind of what's happening which means congressional hearing and resignations.  (Why must David always be the white hat wearing tattle tell? He has got to start wearing more black.)

Basically all of this is unacceptable. We all know we can’t have Fitz in the White House without Cyrus, and I suppose Fitz realizes this as well because he tells Liv to fight for Cyrus. Liv’s big plan… “Pretty Woman: 2014 edition", she wants Michael and Cyrus to get married. (Basically Cyrus would “own” Michael as opposed to “renting” him. There are all types of gag orders, prenups and contracts at play.) Michael says yes (obviously he's set for life, the man gets something like a million a year for 3 years.) Cyrus however is not here for it.  He calls it “cruel and unfair.” (I'm not sure why he's pissed at Michael, he knew he was for sale so what did he expect.)

Jake has finally been let out of his cage and he's in the streets trying to track down Rowan. He can't seem to figure out how their failed capture of commanded went wrong.  But, Jake isn’t the only one on the hunt, someone is after him as well.

Jake figures out that Rowan is trying to tie up loose ends, which means that he’s killing everyone that was every involved in B613. Quinn, Huck and Charlie are all at risk. Quinn tries to be nice and warn Charlie, which results in a hot and heavy tumble in the sheets. (I really don’t see it for Charlie and Quinn is so disturbing.)

Read more at Shadow and Act

xoxoxox Chocolate Girl in the City xoxoxoxo

Scandal Season 4, Episode 8: Thou Shall Not Forsake Thy Father

I would like to start of by saying that by the end of this episode my stomach was bubbling in fear. I was NOT prepared for went down!!!

The episode picks up right where last week’s dropped off. Now that Tom has admitted that Rowan was the one who ordered him to kill Gerry; Olivia, Fitz and Jake are in a bunker somewhere in the depths of DC discussing strategy.

Unfortunately, because Jake and Fitz refuse to be adults we must contend with this long drawn out pissing contest.  Jake is not happy. He tells Fitzy to call him Captain Ballard and he lets him know he won’t soon forget the poor treatment he received at his hand, especially since Fitz knew he had nothing to do with Gerry’s death. Jake is desperate to kill Rowan and he wants Liv to allow him to do it. Instead, Fitz and Liv are pushing to prosecute Rowan in a secret investigation and trial, which we all know isn’t going to work. Realizing that his freedom is tentative, especially because he’s stuck in a bunker, Jake finally let’s them know about the B613 files that he’s been holding on to.

Back above ground, Lizzie Bear has sought out Olivia and the Gladiators because she thinks her phone is being bugged. Though Liv doesn’t particularly care for Elizabeth, she respects her and agrees to take her on as a client. Huck tries to figure out whose been hacking Lizzie’s phone, while poor Quinn is bored to tears staking out Dan Kubiak.

Meanwhile, Vice President Andrew is nearly blown to bits upon leaving a speech condemning the West Angola liberation front.  Though he isn’t hurt badly in the attack, Cyrus is distraught knowing that his relationship with Male Escort Michael may have led to the compromise in national safety. He looked like he was barely keeping it together.

Despite their last terrifying encounter, Papa Pope is still trying to force Olivia to have a relationship with him. He tells her, “I will always be there waiting for you.” (Quite honestly, I don’t know why she picked up the phone in the first place, especially since he began referring to her vagina as a “spoil” YUCK.)

Finish reading at Shadow and Act.

xoxox Chocolate Girl in the City xoxoxo

'Scandal' Season 4, Episode 7 Recap: Yahtzee!

Ever since Liv told him that there was “hope”, Fitz has been trying to get back into her good favor. He’s taken to calling her again in the late hours of the night, serving her with his best dirty talk. Olivia isn’t having it AT ALL, she doesn’t want to speak with Fitz about anything other than Jake’s well-being. Until, Fitz can give her further information, there will be no hope at all. (Of course, Fitz is sloppy and about as discreet as a neon sign, so Mellie catches him on the phone with Liv.)
After discovering, that someone has been following Liv,  Quinn goes to confront, Jeremy Winslow, the husband of her friend Catherine who is currently in jail after being framed for her daughter’s murder. Quinn doesn’t get much out of him, he simply warns her that no one can stop what’s coming. He subsequently shoots himself in the head.

It’s a new day, which means there is a new scandal in Washington. It seems that Virginia senator Lewis McDonald enjoys engaging in paraphilic infantilism; diaper included.  He promptly resigns his seat, which leaves Fitz to endorse another candidate. Because she’s still outside of the president’s circle, Abby is blind sighted when she’s told at the press conference that the candidate is Charles “Chip” Putney. Chip is Abby’s ex-husband who liked to use her face as his own personal punching bag during their marriage. (I felt so terrible for Abby. I thought that with the information she gave Cyrus last week, he would have at least thrown her a bone every now and then.) The White House’s new “fixer, our favorite Leo Burgen, is backing Chip’s candidacy.

Meanwhile at OPA, Huck is still playing video games with his son. The boy invites him to an arcade to play in person.  Olivia seems to be spiraling out of control, determined to get into super max prison, she’s frantically calling David Rosen who refuses to answer her phone calls.

At 1600 Pennsylvania, Abby enters the Oval Office to speak with Fitz only to see Chip standing there. She’s cool, calm and collected. Abby smiles at Chip and tells everyone that they used to be married. On the way back to her office she vomits on herself and calls Olivia to bring her another dress.  Abby tries to convince Liv that it’s ok and that she can handle his presence once again in her life. Liv isn’t having it. She tells Abby it’s “NOT” ok and she’s determined that Chip will not win his seat on the senate.

Continue reading at Shadow and Act.

xoxoxo Chocolate Girl in the City xoxoxoxo

'Scandal' Season 4, Episode 6 Recap: "The Truth is Like the Sun, It’ll Always Come Out"

I knew this episode of "Scandal" was going to be epic when it opened with The Isley Brothers’ “Summer Breeze”. Let me tell ya’ll that it did not disappoint.

Olivia has gotten back into the habit of swimming. If you recall that’s how she coped when she and Fitz stopped speaking when he discovered her part in the election fraud.  Jake’s fate is still undetermined and she’s having nightmares about him, Fitz and her daddy.

Liv and Abby have come to some sort of a truce after Abby arrives to Liv’s house and finds her in shambles over Jake’s MIA status.  Pained to see Olivia in such a state, Abby puts on her big girl panties and goes to confront Fitz. She bursts in to the Oval Office and tells Fitz, “ I need to talk to you about Jake Ballard.” Fitz tries to intimidate her but then she says, “ I’m not asking the Commander in Chief. I’m asking the married man who use to sleep with my friend what exactly he has done with the man she is currently sleeping with.”  #WHELP Fitz tries to play her by calling her Gabby but this is ABBY’S season and she’s coming for him Gladiator-style.

Despite all of the drama, Olivia’s personal life must be put on the backburner because there are things that need to be handled.  Former President Edward Cooper has died and the man who was convicted of attempting to assassinate him wants desperately to clear his name. Now that Cooper is dead, the bullet still lodge in his head can be extracted for further examination. The convicted assassin is convinced the bullet will help clear his name.

Meanwhile, Cyrus is apparently getting it REAL good. Mr. Beene is over here trying to play Richard Gere in Pretty Woman.  Male Escort Michael has got him so worked up that he’s offering to put him up in an apartment and open bank accounts.  Cyrus is even late for work letting himself be all vulnerable and exposed. I’m not here for this Mr. Beene! He knows good and well that Fitz can’t run the country without him. I’m going to need him to pull it together.

While Cyrus is off tickling his fancy, the Gladiators are working two cases… (well Olivia and Quinn are working, Huck is obsessively playing a video game.)  Though Olivia’s friend’s murder case isn’t at the forefront, Huck and Quinn have discovered that the swallowed key goes to a locker. They just have to figure out what locker it is. Liv has also decided to take the convicted assassin case, in an attempt to establish the man’s innocence.  The Gladiators figure out that in order to get the bullet, they most get the attorney general to charge the attempted assassin with murder.

 Finish reading at Shadow and Act.

xoxoxo Chocolate Girl in the City xoxoxoxo