HOLLYWOOD—It has been my summer guilty pleasure since catching the first episode. Tyler Perry’s “The Haves and Have Nots” is one explosive drama with more surprises than one can guess. The summer series ended its first season with a jaw-dropping moment that involved Benny (Tyler Lepley) and Hanna (Crystal Fox). In perhaps a finale that will have fans eagerly awaiting until the series returns in January 2014, they want to know is Benny dead?
Veronica (Angela Robinson) caught Jim (John Schneider) and Candace (Tika Sumpter) red-handed, just as the couple continued to deny the allegations. To make the conversation even more tense was the introduction of Veronica’s husband, David (Peter Parros). Words were slung and battle lines were drawn. Jeffrey (Gavin Houston) attempted to barter his relationship with Wyatt (Aaron O’Connell) after he admitted that he was gay.
Hanna and Benny had a tough conversation about where their relationship stands after he was released from jail. He reflected about his life with his mother and his sister. The mother and son exchanged some harsh words about mistakes made in the past. He acknowledged to his mother that he knew about her past misdeeds, but she got caught in a web of deception and revealed that Tony was his father! Hanna assumed Benny knew, but he didn’t. The look of betrayal on his face when his mother delivered the news was devastating, so much it forced Benny to leave home without a single word to his mother.
Wyatt unfortunately relapsed and started using again which is a travesty considering how much he has fought to resist temptation, but it appears Jeffrey’s deception was the nail in the coffin. Jim continued his attempt to get Candace to sleep with him, but she denied his advances. Unfortunately, Jim has no idea that Candace is not pregnant; she is using that as a ruse to blackmail money out of her lover.
Both powerhouses went tit-for-tac with threats to get what they wanted. She decided to cut Jim loose, but something isn’t right. Candace is always up to no good, and things took an interesting turn when Amanda (Jaclyn Betham) came home. Amanda was none too pleased to see her father at their apartment to check up on her condition; that’s Amanda, who is unable to add two things together even if it smacked her in the face. Lucky for Candace and Jim, she didn’t figure out their ruse.
It was a nice moment to see Hanna and Veronica share a bit of small talk about her assistance in helping her son Benny with his criminal case. For once, Veronica wasn’t snipping at someone. This woman does indeed have a heart. Veronica shared a bit of small talk with Katheryn (Renee Lawless) about her husbands affairs. She was stunned to hear that her best friend has no intention of confronting her husband about his affairs. The matriarch is breathing fresh air, and letting family be family. Their meeting was disrupted by a call from Jeffrey who decided to tell his parents about his sexuality.
Candace decided to manipulate Amanda by giving her a copy of her grandfather’s will, which revealed that both she and Wyatt were supposed to receive over $12 million from her grandfather’s trust. She came up with a decisive plan to help Amanda sue her parents to get her hands on that money. A strung out Wyatt crashed his vehicle into Benny! Whoa, that was an unexpected twist. Wyatt continued driving without stopping. This will indeed create a division between the Cryer family and the Young family.
Katheryn was a complete mess when Wyatt entered the house speaking erratically about killing someone with his vehicle. Jim was well aware that his son was high on drugs and attempted to mediate the situation. Hanna was at a loss for words with the incident that just unfolded in front of her. I can only imagine the downward spiral when she discovers the son she nearly loss to a corrupt criminal case, may be fighting for his life again after being hit by a vehicle driven by her employer’s son!
In an emotional moment, Jeffrey admitted to his parents that he was gay, but not before his mother continued to scold him. He informed his parents that Wyatt stole his vehicle. Jesus, Wyatt was driving Jeffrey’s vehicle which struck Benny. I have a feeling that the Cryer family will attempt to blame Jeffrey for Benny’s hit-and-run. It appears David was well aware that of his son’s sexuality, but Veronica didn’t want to hear a word of it. She was adamant that her son was not gay. Her emotions got the best of her and she dismissed her son; she acted as if her son disgusted her. He was stunned when his mother revealed that she called Laura to meet Wyatt at the hospital. Jeffrey finally lashed out at his mother admitting that Candace was right about her.
Veronica admitted in a shattering moment that she had an abortion when she was in college and revealed the heartbreak of her and David’s attempt to get pregnant. She admitted that Jeffrey had a brother who was stillborn. She feared that God was punishing her for her previous sin. She forced her own child to feel unwanted because of his homosexuality. That is quite low, vicious and downright horrid for a parent to do such. The final moments of the episode saw David consoling his son, just as Hanna received shocking news. What that news is can’t be good, but the audience has no idea what? Talk about a gut-wrenching cliffhanger. I have a feeling that all three families will be at odds with one another as the second season gears up in a few months. Audiences have already endured the wrath of Candace Young, but will we get the opportunity to see matriarch Hanna at her worse if her son Benny dies? It will indeed be game-changing to say the least.
By LaDale Anderson
