The Bordelons Are Stronger Than Ever In 'Queen Sugar' Season 4 Finale [Recap]

After the blowup in last week's episode with Micah (Nicholas L. Ashe) telling his mother Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) that he will be attending Xavier University instead of Harvard University, things are tense in their home. Micah apologizes for telling her the news the way that he did and Charley apologizes for her reaction, citing the stress of the city council election. She also tells Micah that she needs more time to process his choice. As she watches her only child exit the room, someone bangs loudly on the front door.

As Charley opens the door, several St. Josephine deputies burst inside with a warrant for her arrest. Charley is being arrested for arson and intent to defraud. This is connected to the fire at Queen Sugar Mill. Whew, these people get bolder every single day.

The entire Bordelon family has gathered at the police station to await news on Charley. Micah is on the phone with his mother's lawyer while Aunt Vi (Tina Lifford) and Nova (Rutina Wesley) sit anxiously in the waiting room. Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe) isn't anxious, he's pissed. He's ready to pick a fight with anyone who tries him, including the police officers or Nova. Before things descend into total chaos, Charley is released and mostly unruffled. Charley's lawyer is able to get her released on a fixed bail. As the Bordelons go to exit the police station, Nova warns Charley that reporters are waiting outside.

After using Aunt Vi's compact to get her face together, Charley holds her head high and confronts the reporters. She labels her arrest a shame while also calling out the corrupt sheriff by name and warns everyone who will listen that if they are going to come for her and her people, they should be certain they aren't going to miss.

At Vi's Prized Pies & Diner, Vi is waiting as Sam Landry (David Jensen) enters the establishment. If you recall, several episodes ago she told him she was calling in a decades-long favor he owes her. It looks like Sam is FINALLY coming through. He has a stack of papers that prove his sister Frances Boudreaux (Annalee Jefferies) has been up to no good. It turns out Sam's secret is that he has a Black daughter. Back in the day when his father found out he'd fallen for a Black woman, he tried to kill Sam. Vi stepped in and helped the woman and child escape St. Josephine unscathed. Though Vi hasn't spoken to the mother of Sam's child for 15 years, she does inform Sam that his daughter is a Spelman College and Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania graduate.

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"How Dare You?!": 'Queen Sugar' Season 4, Episode 12 [Recap]

The episode opens with Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe) and Blue (Ethan Hutchison) at home attempting to do some spring cleaning. While cleaning RA finds a large wrapped gift in the back of one of the closets. It's a gift addressed to Blue from RA's late father, Ernest. Unable to deal with it right that second he pushes the box back inside the closet.

Just as he's stuffing his memories and the gift out of sight, Nova's (Rutina Wesley) car rolls up to the house. Blue is delighted by the prospect of seeing his auntie, but RA isn't having it. He informs Blue that Nova is sick and won't be coming inside and instructs him to continue cleaning up. Ralph Angel meets Nova outside before she can make it to the door. She tries to apologize for laying all of RA's business bare in her book Blessing & Blood, but Ralph Angel is still pissed. He informs Nova that Blue is in therapy because he knows RA isn't his biological father. Ralph Angel also tells her that Darla (Bianca Lawson) has experienced a relapse. He informs her that he will never have to worry about enemies with a sister like her. Cold-blooded, but true. Nova is stunned and heartbroken, but she also understands Ralph Angel's anguish. 

Elsewhere, Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) is decked out in her Harvard gear while she decorates for Micah's (Nicholas L. Ashe) college acceptance party. This is the most gleeful Charley has been in weeks, but Miach seems reluctant. Something is obviously bothering him.

Back in New Orleans, Nova is relaxing and researching at home. She stumbles on a name in her reading that's connected to the Old World Energy company that seems determined to build a highway through St. Joesphine. She calls in a favor to the New Orleans Daily News to get it looked into. Just as Nova hangs up the phone, there's a knock at her door. It's Violet (Tina Lifford).

Nova is shocked to see her auntie. After being invited in, Vi demands that Nova give her Jimmy Dale's (David Alan Grier) address. Nova, being nosy, wants to know why. Violet tells her to mind her business. In the end, Nova agrees to give Vi the address if she drives her and IF they can talk. Vi agrees to the driving but not the talking.

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There's A Reckoning In 'Oh Mamere': 'Queen Sugar' Season 4, Episode 10 [Recap]

Episode 10, titled "Oh Mamere", opens with Violet (Tina Lifford) doing her thing at her restaurant. Unfortunately, she has an unwelcomed guest. Nova (Rutina Wesley) has commandeered one of the booths for herself and she has no plans on leaving until she and Aunt Vi hash some things out. When Vi confronts her, Nova refuses to cower. She knows that after bringing Vi's violent ex-husband Jimmy Dale (David Allen Grier) to her doorstep and writing about all of Vi's personal business in her book, she needs to beg for forgiveness. Vi tells Nova that past memories are haunting her spirit and her marriage and it's all because of Blessing & Blood. Nova FINALLY gives Aunt Vi a true apology, before her Auntie hits her with some food for thought. Nova then realizes that she would have published her memoir even if Vi had asked her not to.

We see Darla (Bianca Lawson) at home getting Blue (Ethan Hutchinson) ready for a day out with Micah (Nicholas L. Ashe). Darla ties her son's shoe and makes sure his overnight bag is packed. When Micah arrives to pick up his baby cousin, the two boys look excited about a day at the fair. Darla seems better than the last episode when we saw her clutching on to a bottle of liquor and her sobriety teetering on the edge. But she still has an uneasiness about her. Almost as soon as Blue and Miach leave Darla gets a call from her mother. She informs Darla that her former best friend Jordan is in New Orleans from D.C. and though Darla seems uneasy about this information she still takes Jordan's contact information.

Back at Vi's Prized Pies & Diner Nova is still reeling from her conversation with Vi when Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) drops by. She has an early birthday gift for her big sister and gives thanks for Nova taking care of her when she had nearly fallen apart after the burning of the Mill, her lover Romero's (Walter Perez) rejection and the attacks against herself and her family from St. Joesphine's most elite families. Nova is visibly touched by the gesture, to the point of tears. The ladies have a strained conversation until Charley invites Nova on a women's retreat with her. It will be the last opportunity Charley has to relax before the City Council campaign kicks into high gear.

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Brutal Blows & Breakthroughs: 'Queen Sugar' Season 4, Episode 9 [Recap]

As "Stare at the Same Fires" opens we find a wilted Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) sitting at some bar in New Orleans drinking away her sorrows. She begins venting to the bartender in a very un-Charley-like fashion and though he tries to suggest that she slow down or call someone to help her Charley simply puts on her sunglasses and keeps on drinking. Charley has given up. After the fire at the Mill, Romero's (Walter Perez) rejection, Blessing & Blood and everything in between, she has nothing left to give.

Somewhere else in Lousiana, Nova (Rutina Wesley) finds herself on the doorstep of her mama's cousin, who lives in a large white house in a rural area. As Nova approaches the house, the two women gleefully greet one another. Ms. Martha is a regal woman who works as a healer. She tells Nova that she is the spitting image of her late mother, Trudy. Nova seems grateful to have a family member to grasp on to. She also tells Ms. Martha that the place feels familiar to her. It turns out that Trudy used to bring Nova to visit her cousin. Those visits stopped once Nova turned three.

The women have a long sit down where they discuss family, healing, and Ms. Martha's past. Nova also reveals to Martha that her mama has been visiting her in her dreams. Martha, in turn, reveals some things that shake Nova to her core. She learns that she was never a burden to her mother. She also learns that her father buried her mother's body on their land. For years, Nova was under the impression that her mama was cremated.

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There Is Only Suffering Here: 'Queen Sugar' Season 4, Episode 8 [Recap]

As "All the Borders" opens, it's clear that Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) has faded into herself. She, along with Ralph Angel (Kofi Sirobie), Romero (Walter Perez) and Micah (Nicholas L. Ashe), sit helplessly as the fire department finally gets the fire at Queen Sugar mill under control. Keke (Tanyell Waivers) even comes running up desperate to see if Micha is OK. The fire has devastated the building. The structure is unstable, and to add insult to injury, it took the firemen 30 mins to get to the scene. The Fire Chief claims they never received the alarm. He also informs Charley that the fire was an arson--and that she should key herself up for a criminal investigation.

In the midst of this Nova (Rutina Wesley) runs up on her family out of nowhere asking about the mill and their wellbeing. Unfortunately, she can't help but make the moment about her. Amid the destruction, she begs her siblings to meet her halfway. Ralph Angel simply looks at her uninterested while Charley reads her for filth. Charley and RA leave Nova standing there with the burnt mill in the background as they get into RA's truck.

At Vi's Prized Pies & Diner, Vi (Tina Lifford) has much of her fire back. As she eats her breakfast, Sam Landry walks through the doors like he owns the place. The two trade a few barbs back and forth and Vi tells Sam that he's crossed the line with the mill fire. Sam insists that it wasn't him but Vi has had enough--these two have a history. She tells him that she's calling in the favor he owes her and that he must end this war with her family. Sam looks shook.

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'Queen Sugar' Returns With A Bang, Literally: Season 4 Episode 6 [RECAP]

After a week-long hiatus, Queen Sugar has returned and things are only becoming more complicated for the Bordelons.

"By The Spit" opens with Nova (Rutina Wesley) in Atlanta for her book tour. Octavia Laurent (Cree Summer), her old professor, is by her side for emotional support and schmoozing. Nova seems to revel in Octavia's attention. She is finally allowing herself to be taken care of and she has no qualms about her luxe amenities, room service and champagne. However, things begin to shift for the women when Nova receives word that she's been shortlisted for the National Book Award for Blessing & Blood. Immediately, Octavia tries to downplay the prestige, which jilts Nova. She thinks the award may help her reconnect with her estranged family.

Later, during an interview with a publication about her novel, Nova is shaken when the journalist reveals that Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) is running for city council. As Nova sits and tries to process her thoughts Octavia highjacks the interview. It is becoming increasingly clear that she has ulterior motives.

Back in St, Josephine's parish, Blue (Ethan Hutchison) is still coming to terms about his parentage, as much as any kid can. Darla (Bianca Lawson) and Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe) are being supportive by allowing him to take the day off from school. However, Darla wants to be proactive about Blue's emotional wellbeing and urges RA to call in a counselor for Blue. Though Ralph Angel seems reluctant, he puts Blue's happiness over everything.

Later, a therapist sits with Blue and his parents to discuss his emotional state following the revelation that Ralph Angel is not his biological father. After speaking with all three of them, the therapist determines that Blue is handling everything well. She urges RA and Darla to write down some dreams they have for their son's future.

The next day, Blue seems to be in brighter spirits following his therapy appointment. Both Ralph Angel and Darla can take a deep breath for now but with this show, who knows what the future will hold.

Meanwhile, Charley was very serious about running for city council. With the support of Councilwoman Barrera, she's found a space for her headquarters. Romero (Walter Perez), Micah (Nicholas L. Ashe) and Mr. Prosper (Henry G. Sanders) have all gathered around her to help. With very little time before she announces her intent to run, Charley will be working overtime to get a real foothold in the community. Meanwhile, Romero, ever the gentlemen, wants to be sure Charley knows what she's up against. This might be a moot point as a woman named Genevieve from St. Thomas parish arrives to help Charley as her community also has a vested interest in making sure the highway does not get routed into St. Josephine. Genevieve's presence puts a pep in Mr. Prosper's step.

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Skeletons Never Stay Buried: 'Queen Sugar' Season 4 Episode 5 [RECAP]

"Face Speckled" opens with Nova (Rutina Wesley) in New York for her book tour. As she has spilled everyone else's tea except her own, she is still being haunted by her past. She's been dreaming of her mama, her teenage self and the regal white outfit she wore to her father's funeral. Since her family has iced her out, Nova is going to be forced to deal with herself--one way or another.  Startled awake by her dreams--Nova makes a record of what she remembers on her bedside tape recorder. It appears that the eldest Bordelon sibling is also working on another project.

Back in St. Joseph parish--Darla (Bianca Lawson) is stricken by the horrors that Nova revealed in Blessing & Blood. She's barely functioning, ignoring her new bae, and allowing Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe) to do the heavy lifting when it comes to parenting Blue (Ethan Hutchison). At the last hour, Darla begins to pray feverishly for a way forward.

At Vi's Prized Pies & Diner--Violet (Tina Lifford) seems to be getting a handle on things again. Though she's not quite back to her old self--her euphoric spirit is slowly seeping through. She's further delighted when Remy (Dondré T. Whitfield) comes sliding through her new place of business. (High-key we almost forgot he existed.) After his less than gentlemanly behavior with Nova and Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) last season, Remy has had to do some real soul searching. He tells Vi and Hollywood (Omar J. Dorsey) that his time in St. Joesph has run its course. With a packed lunch from Vi Remy looks like he's ready to embark on a new path.

Meanwhile, Charley is at home working when Davis (Timon Kyle Durrett) brings his BS to her front door. Blessing & Blood has brought up his past behaviors and the assault allegations that he and Charley buried in Season 1. Students are boycotting at the university where he's just been hired to coach, and Davis is panicked--begging the woman who used to "fix" his life to help him again. Because Micah's (Nicholas L. Ashe) world is also entangled with his father's legacy, Charley agrees to meet Davis and hear him out. Amid Davis' begging and pleading, Romero (Walter Perez) drops by offering lunch and romance. As much as we want this for Charley we just don't see it working out. Life isn't a fairytale.

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Skeletons Never Stay Buried: 'Queen Sugar' Season 4 Episode 5 [RECAP]

"Face Speckled" opens with Nova (Rutina Wesley) in New York for her book tour. As she has spilled everyone else's tea except her own, she is still being haunted by her past. She's been dreaming of her mama, her teenage self and the regal white outfit she wore to her father's funeral. Since her family has iced her out, Nova is going to be forced to deal with herself--one way or another.  Startled awake by her dreams--Nova makes a record of what she remembers on her bedside tape recorder. It appears that the eldest Bordelon sibling is also working on another project.

Back in St. Joseph parish--Darla (Bianca Lawson) is stricken by the horrors that Nova revealed in Blessing & Blood. She's barely functioning, ignoring her new bae, and allowing Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe) to do the heavy lifting when it comes to parenting Blue (Ethan Hutchison). At the last hour, Darla begins to pray feverishly for a way forward.

At Vi's Prized Pies & Diner--Violet (Tina Lifford) seems to be getting a handle on things again. Though she's not quite back to her old self--her euphoric spirit is slowly seeping through. She's further delighted when Remy (Dondré T. Whitfield) comes sliding through her new place of business. (High-key we almost forgot he existed.) After his less than gentlemanly behavior with Nova and Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) last season, Remy has had to do some real soul searching. He tells Vi and Hollywood (Omar J. Dorsey) that his time in St. Joesph has run its course. With a packed lunch from Vi Remy looks like he's ready to embark on a new path.

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Photo by Skip Bolen © 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. / Courtesy of OWN

Nova Is An Island: 'Queen Sugar' Season 4 Episode 4 [RECAP]

Deep pain is festering for the Bordelons in Season 4, episode 4 of Queen Sugar, "Skin Transparent." Directed by Jezebel director Numa Perrier in her TV debut, "Skin Transparent" shows Nova (Rutina Wesley) about to embark on her book tour for Blessing & Blood--which is already garnering critical acclaim. As she gears up to leave, she enlists Micah (Nicholas L. Ashe) to house sit for her. Having read her book, Micah is proud of his aunt and doesn't seem to understand the hurt and anguish that it's causing the rest of his family. However, Nova is finally getting how badly she's screwed up--though she hasn't yet admitted it. Aunt Violet (Tina Lifford), Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) and Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe) are freezing her out, and it's killing her. With her upcoming book launch, Nova is desperate to see some familiar faces in the audience, but her siblings and her aunt won't even return her phone calls.

Still shaken by Jimmy Dale (David Alan Grier) crashing through her world, Violet is utterly traumatized. She's barely functioning, and Hollywood (Omar J. Dorsey) can tell that Jimmy Dale's short reemergence into Violet's life has left her off-kilter. Vi can't even bring herself to leave the Vi's Prized Pies & Diner's kitchen. She snaps at her favorite employee and has Hollywood and Rhonda run interference to keep Nova away from her place of business. Despite Hollywood's urging to talk things out, Violet can't bring herself to face her past or her present feelings.

Meanwhile, Charley and Romero's (Walter Perez) clinic for undocumented workers is already up and running in the barracks behind Queen Sugar mill. Romero seems thrilled by the operation, but Charley's still spiraling from Nova's book and from her secret about the men who died on her land. As a result, she isn't able to be authentically joyful. At the clinic, Micah meets Romero by chance, and after so much buildup, it's clear that it's not exactly the encounter Charley had been hoping for.

There is some good news in the midst of this. Charley's investigator has found the man who's been sending death threats to Micah, and he's been arrested. Also, Ralph Angel has started the Ernest Bordelon Re-Entry Program for formerly incarcerated people. It's something his old friends have been urging him to do for some time. However, amid the positive things happening in his life, RA has also begun getting questions about Blue's paternity.

Of course, the Landrys and the Beaudreaux are up to their old bullshit. Charley's investigator has discovered that the prominent families have come together to help fund a federal highway that will cut right through St. Joseph's county and the lands of many of its farmer. The plan is so massive and well thought out that they've already begun infiltrating the city council. There's a lot at stake here, and even Charley with all of her tenacity, brilliance, and risk-taking might not be able to stop it.

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Violet, You In Danger, Girl: 'Queen Sugar' Season 4 Episode 3 [RECAP]

Season 4 episode 3 of Queen Sugar, "Where My Body Stops or Begins," chronicles the continued of the fallout over Nova's (Rutina Wesley) forthcoming memoir, Blessing & Blood, which drags up all of her family's secrets without permission. Her sister Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) and brother Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe) were devastated by Nova sharing their lowest moments with the world in last week's episode, and this week, it's Aunt Violet's (Tina Lifford) turn to feel destroyed and betrayed by Nova's words. Without considering her aunt's feelings, Nova has drudged up Vi's past as a domestic violence survivor at the hands of Vi's ex-husband, Jimmy Dale (David Alan Grier). Vi buried that past some 30 years ago--and that's not Nova's dug up for her aunt, but we'll get to that later.

After spending the entire night reading Blessing & Blood cover to cover, despite Hollywood (Omar J. Dorsey) urging her not to, Vi is unsettled and exhausted. Not to mention, Nova hasn't returned any of her phone calls. Though Aunt Vi heads to Vi's Prized Pies & Diner, determined to press onward, her day is quickly cut short when she encounters the one person she wants to see least in the world, Jimmy Dale. He's come to town for who knows what and Vi is so terrified, she faints in his arms.

In the West/Bordelon household, Micah (Nicholas L. Ashe) and Charley are at odds. Micah has immersed himself into his aunt's book, and with the attitude that he's brought home with him from Paris, he and Charley can't seem to find any middle ground. All of Charley's worst fears about her son, especially his turning to Nova for guidance instead of her, are coming to fruition.

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The Past Catches Up To The Bordelons On 'Queen Sugar' Season 4 Episode 2 [RECAP]

"I No Longer Imagine," the second episode of the fourth season of Queen Sugar, opens right where the premiere left off.

After reading preview copies of Nova Bordelon's (Rutina Wesley) memoir, both of her siblings, Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) and Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe), are absolutely gutted that their sister has willingly and eagerly spilled their personal pain and secrets onto the page for the world to see. Though she's shaken, Charley goes into fixer mode, something she has mastered well following the implosion of her marriage to her NBA baller ex-husband Davis (Timon Kyle Durrett). As she frantically tries to gather the forces she needs to prevent the memoir from going to print, she's also avoiding a confrontation with her big sis.

Ralph Angel, on the other hand, has turned to rage. Nova, the sibling he was closest to, has put his darkest humiliation on display for the world to see, exposing not just him, but also his son Blue (Ethan Hutchison) and his ex, Darla (Bianca Lawson), who is recovering from addiction and just now finding her footing. Never one to back down from a fight, Ralph Angel confronts his eldest sister. But instead of the woman who has been there to embrace him and soothe his ailments as she has so many times before, what he finds his indignation and self-righteousness.

Aunt Vi's (Tina Lifford) focus is on her new business, Vi's Prized Pies & Diner. She is oblivious to the storms that are barreling right towards her. She is stable and content for the first time in her life, with a man so profoundly devoted to her that he tries to shield her from Blessing & Blood. However, Aunt Vi has never been a fool. After seeing the haunted looks on Hollywood (Omar J. Dorsey), Charley and Ralph Angel's faces, she knows that whatever ugly secrets of her own that Nova has decided to serve up to the masses are going to be gut-wrenching.

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Image: Skip Bolen © 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. / Courtesy of OWN.

Truth And Betrayal Have The Same Face In The Season 4 Premiere of ‘Queen Sugar’

In the Season four premiere of Ava DuVernay's critically acclaimed, family drama Queen Sugar, under the ruse of revealing her truths—Nova Bordelon (Rutina Wesley) betrays her loved ones, shattering the safe, familial space that she’s been building with her brother Ralph-Angel (Kofi Siriboe), half-sister Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) and Aunt Vi (Tina Lifford) for the past several years, in the wake of her father’s sudden death.

Titled, "Pleasure Is Black," the premiere shows the Bordelons all in very different spaces than we've seen them previously. No longer weighed down by the pain of loss, struggle, or suffering, they are a thriving family with a sugar cane farm and mill, on the cusp of harvest season. Charley in particular, who has carried the weight of the world on her shoulders since season one seems lighter. Back at the helm of the Queen Sugar Mill, Charley is glowing from her summer romance with Romero (Walter Perez). Dewy and carefree, Romero and Charley have returned to St. Josephine from summer vacation, and they are teetering on the cusp of a full-blown love affair.

Aunt Violet and Hollywood (Omar J. Dorsey) have also returned home from their Thailand honeymoon. With an expanded palette and a slew of ideas running through her head, Vi is eager to open Vi’s Prized Pies & Diner. Her new business is a culmination of everything she’s worked so tirelessly for her entire life. Like his middle sister and aunt, Ralph Angel is also in a space of hope and anticipation, celebrating the end of his lengthy parole and the return of his freedom. RA and Darla (Bianca Lawson) have also found their rhythm when it comes to co-parenting their son, Blue (Ethan Hutchison).

Unfortunately, Nova brings a reckoning to them all. Having stayed quiet about the imminent release of her memoir, Blessing & Blood and the contents of it—Nova looks increasingly sick to her stomach as the book release date approaches, and her press tour begins. Though she sees her memoir as triumphant, she knows that her family won’t feel the same. Instead of offering her siblings and her aunt the opportunity to read her words prior to releasing the manuscript, Nova cowers, allowing the people she claims to love most in the world to be taken by surprise and thrust into a humiliating firestorm. For Charley, Ralph Angel, and Aunt Vi—Nova’s truth looks a lot like betrayal.

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Images: Skip Bolen © 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. / Courtesy of OWN.