Armored in Hope in Queen Sugar’s “The Horizon Leans Forward”
Season 3 Episode 12 | Grade: 9.2/10
Writer: Mike Flynn | Director: Kat Candler
The day of the long awaited St. Josephine parish council meeting about the correctional facility arrives in tonight’s episode “The Horizon Leans Forward.” The future of the lively hood of the black farmers — including the Bordelons’ land — hangs in the balance.
Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) watches the Wake Up, NOLA segment about Aunt Vi’s (Tina Lifford) pie business with glee. She announces how pie orders have sense flooded Vi’s Prized Pies much to her happiness for her aunt to Prosper (Henry G. Sanders) who’s on the phone with his daughter. The comment about him getting his house back quietly stung Charley.
It’s the day of the parish council meeting to vote on the new correctional facility that Sam Landry (David Jensen) implemented with the government and Charley is nervous. Prosper expresses how he has spoken to the black farmers in agreement that Charley should speak on their behalf but she’s rejects the idea much to his confusion. She breaks down and tells him the truth about her selling her sugar mill in exchange for helping secure affordable rates for the black farmers. He’s horrified but she defends the intentions of her actions to protect them all.
“But you’re in business with the devil, Charley. That’s the only way they gone see it.” — Prosper
It’s going to be a long day for her.
Darla (Bianca Lawson) and Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe) come face-to-face since their ugly custody battle that made Aunt Vi and Darlene (Michael Michelle) bumps heads. Darla is taking the Blue to school and will have him for the rest of the day, and she tells him that her mother has returned to Washington D.C.
While at school, Micah (Nicholas L. Ashe) meets one of his friends KJ (SteVonte Hart) in an empty classroom to look over his pictures. The rest of their friends are a no show, “radio silent” as KJ suggests as they don’t want any communication used against them. Ever since being clear from the arson and Ant’s arrest they’ll separated out of fear. The conversation turns to Micah’s privilege as KJ says that he’ll never be in Ant’s situation and even if he was on house arrest that his mansion is still cozy living.
“This is about surviving and for you, surviving is taking this picture instead of being in it.”
“Really, KJ? I’m in this with you!”
“We gotta keep our heads low ’til we can get out. Escape to college.”
Charley and Nova (Rutina Wesley) have not been seen together since episode nine and they act civil around it each other while at Aunt Vi’s house. Now we all know that Aunt Vi can feel when the energy if off with her nieces and nephews. Charley asks for a plus one (most definitely for her friend Romero) and of course Aunt Vi asks Nova about her “mystery man or woman” as her plus one. She asks about the weird energy between the both of them and Nova says that she was seeing Remy (Dondre L. Whitfield) but she ended it.
Aunt Vi has been a voice for the Queen Sugar viewers and their disdain for Nova getting closer to her sister’s ex. Your voices have been heard and Aunt Vi checks Nova on behalf of all of you — and me too — who were against this. Nova is defensive, asking her if she has ever made a mistake that she wish she could take back.
“You ended it? When did that ever start? [To Charley] While y’all were together?” — Aunt Vi
“No! You know me better than that.” — Nova
“I’m not sure I know you at all right now!” — Aunt Vi
The turnout for the council meeting is bigger than she expected and Landry has the nerve to greet Charley with pleasantries before walking away. He’s clearly rubbing in her face of his control from the prison to swaying members of the council. The overall energy of the entire scene was intense as Remy and another black farmer voiced their opposition of uprooting their neighborhoods and lively hood.
Ralph Angel urges his sister to speak up as the owner of the correctional facility reads “a note” from a woman who is in favor who works at the facility. It was at that moment that Charley shot up and asked a pointed question that was met with resistance from the farmers. “What about the mothers of the son you locked up so Lauren’s sons could have a job? Got any letters from them or do you go town to town reading these same generic quotes over and over again?”
“She got some nerve,” one farmer mouths as shouts for her to sit down and “traitor” comes from the farmers. Charley stands her ground and continues to talk about what she has seen and the farmer challenges her, saying that she’s no different than the Landrys.
“I tried to keep farmers working. I gave up my mill to leverage fair rates for you. To keep you in business! They were going to keep coming at us. I did it so we could all live to fight another day but this prison, if they build it, that day will never come! They’ll make sure of it.” — Charley
She continues to question the owner and drop facts upon facts and statistics. As she continuously drill with solid points, she wins over the once hostile crowd that gave her a standing ovation. “The soul of St. Joe is not for sale,” she says. “All you want is to put more bodies into more prisons to make a profit.” Gardner’s performance and her monologue was strong and reminds us of the resilience of Charley Bordelon as a woman of color and business owner.
The day of the council’s decision, Charley is at the sink of the women’s bathroom next to Parthena (Rhonda Dents), one of the farmers, and is uneasy about how she may fill. “Thank you,” she tells Charley before walking. Then strolls in Frances Boudreaux (Annalee Jeffries) who asks how Charley is holding up since yesterday and assures that if the council members had sense they would consider the points Charley made.
To be honest, though the two have things in common, I’m still side eyeing Boudreaux. Things have been a hit and a miss for her take down of her brother from missing the initial vote in the previous episode and now she’s confident in council member Ward who may be the deciding vote in their favor. Now we’ll get to that in a minute. Charley is weary and questioning everything.
The moment has come and the anticipation is overwhelming almost. The Bordelon family sit together as the votes are in and are announced one by one. The seventh and final vote from council member Ward is in favor (four votes in favor and three against) for the construction of the prison and the heartbreak across the screen is too much.
Nova hugs her sister and holds the hand of both of her siblings as I can imagine thoughts of their father comes to mind. Charley and Prosper locking eyes was even more saddening. Later that night, Prosper sits in his rocking chair back at Charley’s house deep in thought. He pulls out his phone, swallows his pride, and calls his daughter Billie.
“I’m fine. It’s just things get a little shaky for your dad. Yeah, it’s probably time you come down. Time to come get me.” — Prosper
The heartbreak reverberates to Charley as she sits on the edge of her bed crying at the weight of her defeat when she boldly set out to win. All the work she did from the season premiere, her chess moves to overthrow Landry to liberate the black farmers, and her efforts to slay the dragon up close burned her and the community she served. I wonder how she will bounce back from this loss as now the siblings are faced with their father’s land and home in jeopardy.
Ralph Angel and Darla showing Blue (Ethan Hutchinson) how to ride his bike again outside of his house shows just what this prison would be taking away. “Can both of you hold on?” Finally, after struggling he finally is able to ride his bike and the two hug one another as joy happily rides around the yard.
Candler showing the shot of the house was an intentional moment as Ralph Angel tells Darla — after they agree to 50/50 custody — when he’s off parole of all the things he wants to show Blue. Him looking to the positive and the two of them finding peace as parents.
“I just wanna show him places. I just wanna show him everything. I’ll be a free man. That’ll be the day” — Ralph Angel
Other Episode Notes:
- Ralph Angel noticing the distance between his sisters and calls a thing a thing: “Y’all messy.”
- The smirks on the officers’ faces during the vote was like venom dripping from a snake’s fangs. The thought of more incidents like what Micah endured from a officers to make more arrests is unsettling. Queen Sugar has never been shy about addressing subjects of police brutality, and incarceration as it intersect with black lives.
- Landry’s face said so much during Charley’s monologue at the council meeting as well as Frances Boudreaux, who sat beside her brother quietly.
- In such a heavy episode, it was nice to see Romero (Walter Perez) show up to help Charley and her siblings with pie orders. It was just heavenly to see Charley smile and laugh after so much she’s been going through. He again offers to cook her dinner and she agrees. Yes, a win for Charley.
- Also, did you peep how Charley eyed Nova after she shook Romero’s hand? Mmhmm.
- Sadly, Aunt Vi’s health takes a turn for the worst as her and her team are tackling large orders. She clutches her chest in pain as she lowers herself to the floor, scaring her assistant Roberta who drives her to the hospital. Later surrounded by family, Hollywood (Omar J. Dorsey) suggests that she has something to share and she finally reveals her lupus diagnosis to them. In the midst of their concerns, she’s worried about fulfilling her pie orders but Charley insists that they’ll help her team. Like her niece, Aunt Vi has trouble not being in control but she has no choice but to rest on her family for help. The shot of Hollywood bathing her as she rested her face on his hand was a lovely moment of vulnerability.
- Moved by the council meeting, Micah takes heed to his aunt’s advice by Googling how to assemble a rally. Micah also takes a step in visiting his friend Ant while he’s on house arrest and assuring that he’ll be there for him. It’s more effort than the other three friends are doing and Micah’s guilt over Ant taking the fall makes him want to be there for him more. It’s noble on his part that he wants to make things right.
The hour and a half season finale of Queen Sugar airs Wednesday, August 22 10/9c on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.
