I’ve been on vacation, so bear with me. No, I didn’t do an official recap for Ep 2 because I can sum it up easily. Ready?
Everybody’s still pissed at Nova, and Charley and Ralph Angel show up at her house to make sure she’s clear about that. Vi’s ex-husband, Jimmy Dale, is making his way to St. Joe’s to start some shit with her. Micah is back from Paris and is WOKE woke now. Ralph Angel might have a new boo on his hands…and she’s a public defender, and Darla is boo-cakin’ with a cutie as well. Now, let’s run back episode 3.
Ep 403: Where My Body Stops or Begins
Creep
Vi’s nerves are already shot because Nova put her business out in the streets by way of her soon-to-be-released book. Then she goes to work and is greeted by an unexpected yet familiar customer – her ex-husband Jimmy Dale. When she turns and sees him, she faints, and like a good citizen, he catches her and holds her close to his chest. When Hollywood comes from the back office and sees Vi, he thanks the man for assisting his wife and tells him he has it under control. Like a true creep, Jimmy tips out of the restaurant real smooth-like and is in the wind. Vi later tells Hollywood who the man with the bald head, white beard, and yellow shirt is. Now you know Hollywood isn’t here to play games with Jimmy. He called the diner and told the employee who saw Jimmy there earlier to call him if he showed up again. And she did.
Hollywood walked up on Jimmy Dale as he read the paper in one of the booths. Though he kept his hands to himself, he let Jimmy know he’d catch those hands if he saw him lurking around his wife again. He strongly urged him to get the hell on because he knows who he is and will get him together just like Ernest did years ago. Jimmy remained calm and cocky as he excused himself, but he didn’t leave without letting him know that he was there first. Hollywood goes home and reports to Violet that he followed Jimmy to the highway to make sure he was gone for real. (What a man, damnit!)
Oh, but Jimmy wasn’t gone. He shows his ass up on Vi’s doorstep asking to be let in “proper” and calling her Sweet Cakes. He swears he’s just trying to get back on the right track with her now that they’ve both grown. A part of her seemed to remember loving the pet name. I’ll be damned if she didn’t let his ass in! He jokes about Hollywood’s name, dismissing him as a boy and reminiscing a bit about their former relationship. There’s a submissiveness or fear that comes over Vi in his presence, and it’s quite the opposite of the strong woman we typically see. When she tells him to leave, Nova happens to walk in. Jimmy says it’s good to see her again, forcing Nova to admit she paid her aunt’s ex a visit for research purposes. You know, that damned book. As they escort Jimmy out the door, Hollywood arrives. While Jimmy was talking smack, Hollywood put the smack down, punching him in his smart-ass mouth. Vi had to pull him off of the cocky bastard.
Jimmy yells to Vi, “I took something from you, you ain’t gon’ never get back” and says he came to apologize but is no longer sorry. If that wasn’t enough, he basically says he should’ve kept her as his ho instead of trying to make her his housewife. Oh!! After he leaves, Nova tries to explain herself, and Vi isn’t here for it. She doesn’t want her in her house, in her life, or a part of her death. Get gone.
Gray Area
So, Micah has started reading Nova’s book and is looking at Charley with a strong side-eye. She explains that everything isn’t always black and white and that there’s basically more to the story. Per usual, he’s all earmuffs. He judges the hell out of his mother. When he later gets a death threat in the mail for being woke and outspoken, Charley shows him the multiple others ones he has received and reveals she’s had security detail following him for quite a while and that the threats prompted her to send him to Paris over the summer. She’s been protecting him like only a mother can do…with his judgmental ass. Tuh. (Micah gets on my damn nerves more often than not if you can’t tell.)
On the business side of things, Charley has learned that Jacob is attending board meetings but she is still unable to, even though they have the same amount of shares. (Now to refresh your memory, Jacob was sweet on Charley and curious about tasting that brown sugar not too long ago. So, their dynamic is quite interesting.) She pays Jacob a visit, interrupting a meeting he’s having with a new consultant. And while she’s demanding answers, he shoots her a text to tell her to meet him in the back of the building because he can’t speak freely with the consultant standing within earshot on the other side of the door. Outside, Charley goes in about not trusting Jacob or his mama and certainly not anyone else. While she rants about his privilege and such, he’s quick to let her know she grew up with something much better: real love. And even though he grew up with wolves, he says he’s different and wants her to finally see that. He urges her to back off because his family has some things he’s not at liberty to discuss in the works and they won’t stop until they get what they want. Yeah, Charley hears what he’s saying, but Jacob is all talk as far as she’s concerned. He’s gone along with the foolishness his family takes part in, so he’s just like the rest of them, sob story or not. But never fear, you know Charley called her insider, Vicky, and has her looking into things.
While hanging with Romero, the topic of migrant workers needing medical assistance comes up. Romero talks to Charley about the lack of services for them due to their illegal alien status. He brings up the migrant workers who were found dead on a farm after the hurricane. Yeah, the ones that died on Bordelon property. Charley didn’t bring that up. Instead, she suggested Romero use his resources and medical expertise to set up a pop-up clinic in the vacant space of her mill. I guess that’s her penance of sorts. Everybody wins, right?
Cleaning Out the Drawer
In the midst of all the negative responses she’s received from her family, Nova gets word that the New York Times reviewed her book and are raving about it. She feels that writing the book was therapeutic and necessary for her healing. She’s purged her “stuff” (and everyone else’s), and wants everybody else to feel the same. Yeah… it’s still a NO from her family members even though complete strangers love it.
Thicker Than Blood
In an intimate moment at the farm, Prosper reveals to Ralph Angel that they have something in common as RA expresses his concern with Nova telling the world that Blue isn’t his biological son. The man who raised Prosper wasn’t his biological father, and when he found out in high school, he didn’t care. He encouraged RA to continue being Blue’s Daddy because a book doesn’t change who he is to Blue.
Ralph Angel warns Darla that the information about Blue’s paternity is in the book. Of course Darla is upset and asks whether Nova wrote about their past as well; you know, about her prostituting and being on drugs. RA isn’t sure because he never read beyond the part about Blue.
Also…
- I’m here for Ralph Angel’s potential new relationship, even though I’m Team Darla.
- What’s up with this hospital bracelet that Vi had in her memory box? Was she pregnant once upon a time with Jimmy FAIL’s baby? After his last statement to her, I feel like she was.
- I still wonder who Vicky really is. Like, how does she know all this information? Let me find out she’s related to the Landry’s or something. Hmmm…
RUN THAT BACK with PORTIA 