HOLLYWOOD—This second season of the OWN series “Queen Sugar” has been exceptional. Rarely do I see a series elevate the drama to a level where it is so palpable that you cannot turn your eyes away from the screen. I mean this season audiences learned the devastating news of Aunt Violet being diagnosed with Lupus, Nova seeing a relationship crash and burn and her dedication to the African-American community being questioned. Charley has been in constant battles with the Landry family to ensure her mill doesn’t go down under, and perhaps the biggest bombshell transpired just a few episodes ago: Blue might not be Ralph Angel’s son.
Now, that was indeed a devastating blow to say the least. That was a curveball that threw me off and I never imagined Darla dropping a bomb of such magnitude that totally changes EVERYTHING about Ralph Angel as we know him. This was a loaded season finale so let’s start at the beginning, with ‘Dream Variations’ where Nova made certain to ensure the story about Charley’s mill was told without causing the smoke to turn into fire. Things became tense between Nova and Darla, as Nova delivered a harsh truth to the woman who fractured her brother’s world. Charley confronted Jacob, where the two continued a dance around their tactics, but Charley was not buying anything Jacob was selling.
I honestly felt for Darla, but at the same time that is a tough pill for anyone to swallow; coming to the realization that a child that you’ve raised may not be yours? I have the greatest admiration and feel Ralph Angel’s emotional battle. Hollywood got some stellar news that he just had to share; he was coming into some major money that was life-changing. That news led to Hollywood proposing marriage to Violet, who accepted. Whew, for a second I thought she was going to say no!
Charley was dealt with devastating blow after devastating blow as more farmers ended her partnership with the mill. Is this really happening? Could a relationship be burgeoning between Nova and Remy? That hug and those stares change everything? That is going to create some major family drama between the sisters! Charley and Ralph Angel realized drastic measures had to be taken to ensure the survival of the Queen Sugar mill. Rarely do these two ever agree on anything, so to see them bond was a great moment. As angry as Ralph Angel was with Darla, his heart is still tied to this woman and he wants to prevent her from spiraling out of control.
When Remy learned about Charley’s plan, he was livid, and she showed a bit of emotion that Remy was perceptive to. He warned her about dancing with the sharks, but once Charley has an idea implanted in her head, she never lets it go. Like that, this relationship fizzled into thin air. Ralph Angel feared that Darla resorted to her old habits, but was stunned to see that instead of getting high she swam to relive stress. I was happy to see the writers not take the typical route and have our flawed character resort back to bad habits. It was a tense conversation, where Darla shared her truth and Ralph Angel was forced to listen, but he also poured out his heart to her.
Watching this is breaking my heart, because I really want to see these two stick it out, but the level of trust is broken and Ralph Angel needs time to heal. For him to take care of Blue, even if he turns out to not be his son is admirable as hell, because I’m not certain many other men would do such a thing. That may have been the most gut-wrenching 10 minutes of TV that I have witnessed in a very long time. Powerful acting from Kofi Sirobe and Bianca Lawson, major kudos to both!
Charley had a meeting with Jacob where she shared a bit of her past with her enemy, to initiate a ‘partnership.’ What is it with the Landry family, always wanting to hook-up when it comes to business? Thank God Charley didn’t fall for it. Man this episode is delivering the tear drops, especially watching Ralph Angel have that conversation with Blue about how his name came to be. I have come to adore “Queen Sugar” because of its heart and riveting storytelling. It’s a show that just stirs emotions in the viewer that you never expect. I cannot wait until season 3 of “Queen Sugar” kicks off in 2018.