Recap: Let It Burn in Queen Sugar’s “Delicate and Strangely Made”
Season 3, Episode 6 | Grade: 9.0/10
Writer: Channing Godfrey Peoples| Director: Christina Choe
As this season of Queen Sugar has been progressing, the writers have thoughtfully unearthed and layered the experiences of the characters that has become more complex but with purpose. Last episode in “A Little Lower Than Angels,” Charley (Dawn Lyen Gardner) was delivered another emotional blow from her ex-husband Davis (Timon Kyle Durrett) who revealed he had an affair that produced a 13-year-old daughter.
While the lingering effects of her failed marriage presented another devastating secret, viewers have also witnessed the bubbling tension between Nova (Rutina Wesley) and Charley’s ex-boyfriend Remy (Dondre L. Whitfield) — the two acting on their feelings by sharing a kiss. It feels wrong and I expect a troubling encounter between the two sisters when the secret comes to the light. Not only for Nova — who encouraged her to date Remy — but Remy himself for pursuing Nova after their falling out in the season two finale over her calculating plans to work with the Landrys.
We see Nova laying in bed, deep in thought of what happened between her and Remy as she stares at the photo of her and Charley on her nightstand. The guilt and sense of breaking their sister loyalty which director Christina Choe captured with a shot of her reflection in the mirror staring at the photo and reading his text messages.
Later in the episode when Nova helps Aunt Vi (Tina Lifford) with a large pie order after she urged her to. This moment between auntie and niece reminds me of how generations of women have bonded and talked over cooking, which Nova takes advantage of by recording their conversation to use for her book. Remy, unbeknownst to Aunt Vi, texts her throughout the day and she can’t help but to take notice.
Nova: It’s complicated.
Aunt Vi: It always is with you. Baby I just want you to be open to love. If all this is coming to me, I know your happy is out there. Just gotta give yourself permission.
What stood out to me was Aunt Vi being taken aback by the amount of good coming her way and wanting to have it all: her man, her business, her good life. “I just didn’t know that I deserved all this good coming and I wanna take it. That ain’t wrong, is it?”
Micah (Nicholas L. Ashe) and Charley have been privately processing the actions of Davis as now the news has hit the internet, acting like they’re okay but they’re not. Like Micah, she stares at the article in a daze with old magazine covers of Davis and their family is scattered on the counter. She’s actively avoiding phone calls from Boudreaux (probably still hot and bothered from kissing her) and her mother Lorna who let’s her thoughts be known: “Davis is unbelievable.” Micah dealing with classmates ridiculing because of Davis which bothers me. Charley and Micah can never catch a break because he’s too dense to think of how his actions effects them.
“Vicky with the tea” returns as Charley comes over after discovering that Trent, who greeted Boudreaux at the bar, was a surveyor not a member of the EPA as she noticed them on Prosper Denton’s land.As always she delivers but she voices her concern of Charley looking “chewed up and spit out” after finding out on the news. If we know anything about Charley, she hates liars.
“Thirteen years. I didn’t see it on his face not once in 13 years.” — Charley
“You need to realize that you can’t change what Davis did. You can only find peace with it.” — Vicky
The peace is that Davis is cancelled.
Micah’s boldness has continued to progress since he was racially profiled, dealing with his parents’ issues, and becoming friends with the four teenage activists from his school. Two white guys in a truck with a Confederate flag rolls by the teenagers as they taunt them for being in their spot, even going as far as to calling his friend Asha (Nikko Austen Smith) a “black bitch.” It sets him off to dare him to say it again as he snatches the flag off and hits their truck. Whew, lord.
The confrontation between Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe) and Darla (Bianca Lawson) comes to ahead over the care of Blue (Ethan Hutchinson) who shared that he acted out because a classmate suggested that Darla didn’t love him anymore due to her absence. She promises that she will never leave nor stop loving him as she has now bought a new home for a fresh start. Darla, despite her transgressions, is flawed but possess a quiet strength. Now I’m not excusing her for keeping a secret like that but I do respect how she’s honest about her faults and wants to make amends.
She arrives to Ralph Angel’s house where she sees four random men gambling and drinking to her shock as the parolee Benny (whose been staying with Ralph Angel) says they’re just friends coming to see him. I got a bad vibe when he sat on Ralph Angel’s porch asking to crash though there were good intentions. Darla can stare fiery holes into people as she confronts Benny on why he’s there. Just then, glass breaks and the men fuss over the game, and Darla is not having it. She gathered her strength and screamed at them to get out. Low key, I thought she was about to smash the end of a bottle off on the counter and let the Washington D.C. in her out.
Ralph Angel kicks Benny out and Darla confronts him over his contradiction of him blocking her efforts of being there for Blue. He immediately hits below the belt saying she’s been in and out of Blue’s life and puts all the base in the world in his voice. Super base. Enough to bring Blue out of his room to defend Darla and declare that he wants to live with her.
I admit that my sense of humor is different because the shot of Charley bundled in a blanket, eating cereal (with whole milk and not almond as Micah’s friend suggested in a previous episode) as she has her own bonfire with the magazines made me chuckle. Micah joins her and they sit in silence, symbolic in a sense of them cleansing Davis out of their lives. Also, symbolic of how much actor Timon Kyle Durrett’s mentions continues to be in flames.
I wonder for the rest of season three how Charley will maintain her focus while her personal life has crumbled again and what role Nova will play in that.
Other Episode Notes:
- Ralph Angel and Trihn getting to know each other revealed that he was a track star in high school and had the potential of being in the Olympics. Their bike ride date to the park was a nice touch.
- Nobody other than Charlamagne The God from The Breakfast Club is perfect to give Davis the “Donkey of the Day” for his careless infidelity.
- Nova showing up at Charley’s house after hearing the news was too little too late especially when she couldn’t talk to her when she needed it. Her telling her to go home was a sting to Nova who I know is guilt ridden from her secret that could hurt her. Nova finally answers Remy after staring at the picture again: “We can’t do this.”
- Aunt Vi has continues to triumph despite her health issues as Jarrett Rawlings sees the vision of her pie business and her ability to “create something special out of nothing.” He has been full of blessings so far as now he wants to invest in her business and make her dreams come true. Oh course, not like the Aunt Jemima story (watch the movie “Imitation of Life”) as she thought. I’m so happy for her and the writers blossoming her story by showing that it’s never to late to dream.
- Aunt Vi’s words of wisdom is something that I’ll carry with me. “Surviving and dreaming are two separate things.”
