HOLLYWOOD—There have been teasers for this legal drama on the OWN network, and I must admit I was intrigued and after watching two episodes I have a new guilty pleasure. I’m referring to “Delilah,” which stars two African-American women in leading roles for a legal drama. Hello, sign me up because it’s something rarely seen on the small screen courtesy of its creator Craig Wright, the same guy who developed the series “Greenleaf” that ran for five seasons on the network before recently coming to an end.
Our title character, Delilah Connolly is portrayed by Maahra Hill, who is an accomplished attorney who fights for those who cannot fight for themselves. Her bestie, Tamara Grayson is portrayed by “Girlfriends” alum Jill Marie Jones. The pals have managed to focus on their careers without going toe-to-toe in the courtroom against one another, until now and let the fun begin. Delilah is a busy working mom caring for her kids while juggling her legal career.
A ton of the chaos for this premiere episode involves a woman named Leah Davis (Saycon Sengbloh) who is a friend from the past who has been coined as trouble by Delilah, Tamara and a host of others. Leah was fired from her position because she started digging into a potential conspiracy theory. Looks like Delilah has a heart for the underdog even if she presents the picture that she does not.
Wow, Delilah ex, Gordon (Lyriq Bennett) is down on his luck and struggling to pay child support. I will admit seeing Jones in the role of Tamara reminded me of her feisty character Toni on “Girlfriends.” However, it is apparent that Tamara and Delilah’s relationship is thick as thieves. Our heroine was busy nurturing an up and coming lawyer in Demetria Barnes (Susan Heyward), who is eccentric and poised at the same time. I like this character people. The more Delilah dug into Leah’s case the more surprises she discovered, that Leah might sign paperwork giving them access to her email and phone accounts in order for a major settlement.
Leah dropped the tea that it was apparent that her employers knew Delilah was potentially considering this case and reacted before someone else could do more digging. The legal pro knows that something is not as it seems with Leah’s case, just as Delilah’s nephew is worried about his parents, which includes Delilah’s brother, Nate (Leonard Harmon). People are indeed watching and Delilah got a first glimpse of it America.
Looks like Tamara is about to get entangled in this mess and she is not happy because she knows her pal Delilah will be a foe not easy to take down. Look only 45 minutes in and this series is full of juicy drama, and we still have a second episode, ‘Toldja’ to get thru. The thing about Tamara she seems driven and I mean driven to make partner at her firm and will do almost anything to obtain that title.
Gary Shay is willing to speak, but scared to the core to talk out of fear for his family. Mace (Joe Holt) is a private investigator who seems to be Delilah’s right hand man who is able to find all the right information if needed, but the bomb was dropped by Mace that Gary Shay is dead. Hmm, that does not seem like a coincidence people, and somebody got to him before Delilah could chat with him.
Oh, this relationship between Delilah and her nephew Dion is so heartwarming, but it can be taxing on a woman caring for her own two kids and her nephew because his absent mother and his father who is recovering from injuries as a result of fighting for his country. Tamara was not happy when Delilah spilled the tea that she is taking Leah’s case, and that this legal battle is going to be a dogfight. As it became apparent as a viewer that Leah is not a likeable character, and we’re getting the opportunity to see more Demetria because she is being hired.
I can understand Delilah’s motivation because her brother was injured in war, so it might be collected to this conspiracy and Tamara is trying her balance to leave work and her personal friendships out of the drama. So what we thought, Leah did have an affair with Fred Osborn who was hoping to settle to keep things quiet and not hit the press. That energy tells me Tamara is in a major pickle people. Well things just keep getting better, Delilah has an estranged relationship with her father, Wes (Nigel Gibbs), who just happens to be the Chief of Police. Man, now I want to know what caused the fracture between father and daughter people.
The audience got to meet Casey (LaMonica Garret), Tamara’s lover, and Delilah was introduced to Casey’s pal, Jamal (Michel Curiel), who Tamara was attempting to make a love connection. It is apparent that Marcus, Delilah’s son is a bit resentful that Dion has been staying at their home. Tamara pushed the settlement angle, but Delilah was not buying what her friend was selling, and just as things were getting goo, they got better when Cindy requested the lawyer’s presence.
Delilah got a first look at what Gary was working on courtesy of his wife, which was a secret location, where he has been keeping information secured. So Gordon is a serial cheater people and Marcus is a bit of a brat. So we see the infamous Christine, who has been abandoned from her son, Dion. So Christine has been cheating on her husband, and it looks like Delilah is learning that Leah is full of surprises that just don’t stop giving. Now this is how you kick-off a new series, deliver all these little tidbits that will lead to a major bomb that will continue to grow with each episode.
I’m all in on this legal drama and cannot wait to see what other chaos transpires on “Delilah.” New episodes air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on OWN.
Written By LaDale Anderson
