Category Archives: Fathers

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Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 6 : The Sixth Day…

Hello World,

That was a doozie of an episode, right?! A lot of questions for the Greenleaf family were answered though…So let’s not wait another second to get into another exhaustive and entertaining Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 6: The Sixth Day…And let me know if you find a recap better than what you will read right here starting right now…

The Sixth Sense…

This week begins with Bishop and Lady Mae in a tizzy! Rochelle is back and Bishop doesn’t know what to do first. For the time being, he is on the phone with an FBI agent regarding Rochelle. Lady Mae wonders how this woman is “zipping around Memphis like she has a key to the city” when she is really supposed to be in jail.

But Rochelle is not the only thing on Lady Mae’s mind. Bishop is supposed to getting a physical especially since he’s been somewhat forgetful lately. But Bishop aine tryin’ to hear about going to the doctor when “there is a woman out there who wants me dead.” Who wants to get healthy when you’re going to get dead?! And Bishop is especially incensed that Lady Mae still trusts Tara. In fact, Rochelle’s sister is meeting with Lady Mae at the estate, Lady Mae says. “She said she didn’t know Rochelle was back from Mexico. The woman deserves a fair hearing.” I don’t know about that Lady Mae. Blood is thicker than water, and you can’t drink blood…unless you’re a vampire I guess…

Anywho, Bishop doesn’t plan to be there when Tara gets there as he is heading out to meet a building inspector at Mavis’ old club. (Oprah, you coming back soon?)

During this conversation, Grace comes in, but she is not in the convo for long because Darius calls her. He calls her from a new phone as someone stole his phone and laptop while he was in Vegas. Bob Whitmore really, really, really doesn’t want this truth to come out whatever it is… Darius figures he can still salvage what he has discovered so far as he asks Grace to locate some emails on her laptop that he can use. She goes to her suite, gets her laptop and finds what he needs. But as she looks at the emails, somebody is deleting them one by one. Hillary, is that you?

So this next thing really shocked me considering how standoffish he is. So Marcus DeMars aka Yusef Shabazz shows up at the Greenleaf estate just outside the gate where he meets Charity. Something crazy is gonna happen for sure with him around. As Yusef sees the palatial property that is the Greenleaf estate, he says, “All this comes from religion?” Charity tells him that their parishioners likes to see them living good, and Yusef says, “That sounds like something folk tell themselves.” Does your pastor have to be well off for you to look up to him or her? For me, that’s not the case especially at the beginning of his or her career. But I do think that a pastor’s life should reflect wise decisions in every area of his or her life. You may not be rich, but you shouldn’t be robbing Peter to pay Paul if that makes sense…Also, before Yusef does want he came to do, he reminds Charity that what he reveals to her “reporter friend” will not be on the record…

Speaking of crazy, Jacob and Kerissa are still negotiating their separation. Now that they’ve told the ugly truth to Zora, Winkie is next up. From last week’s episode, they plan to tell him in front of a child psychologist. The little boy has decided to don a tie without the input of either of his parents. I guess he has a sixth sense that the death of his family is imminent so he may as well dress up for this funeral. Kerissa makes it clear that this meeting is not an arbitration, but Jacob can’t help but remind her that he does want shared custody. Kerissa replies, “You’re not going to get it.”

Via text, Sophia has been summoned to the cabin by Zora. She wants to send an audition video to a school in New York City, and she needs Sophia’s help to film it. Apparently, her flight is for the next day as Sophia sees a notice on Zora’s phone. In shock, she asks, “Where are you going to stay?” “I’m leaving that open,” Zora replies. Zora’s parents’ divorce has really shaken her up although she is still trying to front like her family breaking up isn’t huge for her. “This divorce has given me so much clarity,” she says. So much clarity that she is literally fleeing to another state without a place to stay…smh…But Zora gonna Zora…We should know this by now…

The Sixth Part of the World…

So Darius and Yusef finally meet. And of course Grace and Charity are there. Yusef reveals that Bob through Edenvale Lending sold second mortgages to people who needed cash, and when they couldn’t pay their bills, Bob took their homes! Its asked who Bob was targeting, and Yusef responds, “Who goes out of his way to look like a friend to the black church?” Grace gets it. “Poor black families.” Bob used Phil’s mother as the “black face” to get to this target. “He was one greedy white man bleeding everyone dry.” The funny thing about this is that Bob is still using a black face to get what he wants. Poor Phil…Not really…Yusef tells them that he never told any of this to his son Phil. “I never wanted him to see his mother like that.” After all of that revelation, Yusef still doesn’t want to go on the record. “My legal situation is such that I’m just background.” What did he do? Hmmm….However, he does tell them that if one person tells the truth about what happened, he will confirm that it is the truth. Also, Yusef hasn’t spoken to Phil in years…Again, what did he do?

Speaking of father-son relationships, Grace tells Darius that Noah has gotten A.J. to take his meds and that they even have a family doctor’s appointment. At this point, Darius makes sure to tell Grace, “Once we get to the bottom of this, we’ll talk about that future.” Obviously, he sees Grace in his future. So are you Team Darius or Team Noah? To me, Noah is Grace’s past although they share a son, but Darius is the man for her future. Despite everything, Charity still sees herself having a future with Phil, in my opinion. That’s why she wants Yusef to speak with him.

Tara finally shows up at the Greenleaf estate to meet with Lady Mae. Again, she reiterates that she didn’t know that Rochelle would make her way back from Mexico to Memphis. “She just showed up!” Tara says. But Lady Mae points out that Tara was in communication with Rochelle and told her about the Greenleafs getting up in her grill. “If she found out that overtures were being made, and I didn’t tell her…” Is Tara scared of Rochelle? As they continue to talk, Tara says, “I’m convinced now more than ever, that God wants to do something with this.” She is referring to the Greenleaf home. If I were Lady Mae, I would say, “Back up, baby girl. Too much blood, sweat and tears have been spilled by the Greenleafs for anyone to reap the harvest of our life’s work.”

And since building a church has been Bishop’s life work, he is moving ahead with his plans to start a new church in Mavis’ old club. He meets with the building inspector to find out what he needs to do to get the building up to code. Rochelle slithers in. “What do you want Rochelle?” Bishop asks. “You do know this is an old bar?” She then says, “It may be easier for you to burn the place down with me in it.” Wow…Again, Bishop tells her that he did not have anything to do with her father burning down in that church. “I had nothing do with that fire.” Do you believe him?

Rochelle tells him that he can keep denying the truth, but the fact that his life is now in  shambles is proof enough that something is amiss in the spiritual realm when it comes to him. “Success is the evidence of holy favor.” She points out that he’s been tossed out his church, he’s about to be evicted from his house and on top of that, he’s building a church in a “stinky bar.” She does make a compelling point. What say you? “Bishop, beware. Until you admit the role you played in the death of my father, nothing you do will stand. Basie should have killed you when he had the chance.” Ouch…So was I the only one that was reminded of that classic line in “The Color Purple?” “Until you do right by me, everything you think about is gonna crumble.” And the fact that this line is spoken in Mavis’ aka Oprah’s club. A coinkydink? I don’t think so…

So Noah and Grace accompany A.J. to the doctor. While he is in with his doctor, Grace tells him that she did find that journal that Noah told her about and that the caretaker was fixated with “that Negro” that kept visiting. And again, she wonders if “that Negro” was Darryl James. Noah says he will check with the neighbors of the estate and see if they remember or know anything about “that Negro.” Grace also asks Noah how he was able to get A.J. to see the doctor, but he says that he thinks Bishop’s officer to have the GTO is what has made him amenable. A.J. has even been showing pictures of GTOs to Noah’s mother, his paternal grandmother.

“Look at you two,” A.J. says with a smile as he comes up to them. He teases them about how he was created. “Boys will be boys,” Grace says, “even at 24.” That was a nice moment. Speaking of nice, Noah tells Grace that if the Greenleafs do give up their home, he has secured a new home nearby for himself and A.J. and that she is welcome to stay with them. Of course, she is. Grace better get ready, Noah and Darius may scrap trying to win her heart.

So Sofia tells her Uncle Jacob and Aunt Kerissa about Zora’s plans and the estranged couple do unite to confront Zora. She confirms that she is moving to NYC. “New York City has a tradition of welcoming young, independent women into its bosom.” That’s true. I once seriously considered relocating there in my early 30s, but I never did make the move. Jacob is careful to say that they don’t want to keep her from pursuing her dreams, but they do need some time to help her think this drastic move through. “Is your ticket still refundable?” He’s relieved when he finds out it is. Additionally, he wants her to consider moving to Hoboken, New Jersey to live with Kerissa’s cousin. “That’s not New York,” she says. Still it’s close enough for Zora to have the NYC experience and create another world for herself which is what she is trying to do…

The Sixth Happiness…

After meeting with Rochelle, Bishop comes back to the estate guns a-blazing. He says to Lady Mae, “You’re not going to give this house to those con artists.” Lady Mae tells him that she had a “fairly reasonable” meeting with Tara. However, she says, “Do you think I want to give her this house?” She is, however, puzzled by the events that led up to them getting the house, particularly since Aaron the attorney thinks the first will looks legitimate. “Rochelle made up a website. She could have made up a will too,” Bishop says. “Why did she leave it to us?” Lady Mae asks. She points out that Bishop didn’t even know Loretta Davis. That is weird. But why would she have left it to Daryl James either? All of this is so weird. “I’m trying to find a holy way through this. Aren’t you?”Lady Mae says.

Just then Jacob interrupts them. He tells his parents that Kerissa is getting ready to leave with Winkie as they will be staying with a family member. He wants them to see her off to make it “somewhat normal.” Lady Mae says, “Marry someone you love next time and be faithful. Then we wouldn’t have to worry about this normalcy.” Another great zinger, Craig Wright!!! And she was right to say that too…


But Bishop is also right in what he says next. After Jacob leaves, he says, “You want to talk to me about holiness, try confessing your sins. You’ve lived a lie for 40 years, and you’re still living it. Keep your holy admonitions to yourself.”In the words of Linnethia “NeNe” Leakes, Bloop…In other words, Lady Mae is a living hypocrite. I know what she needs to tell. Do you? In her defense though, we’re all hypocrites to some extent, but she does need to come all the way clean…

Speaking of coming clean, Judee says some documents that she and Phil are examining in the dark at Calvary appear to be pretty clean. Apparently, the documents have been tampered with I guess. By Darius? Hmmm… Just then, Charity comes in and turns on the light. “Be careful. Everything you say in the dark will be heard in the light of day.” Good line. She walks in with Phil’s father Yusef. Yusef tells his son what happened. “Bob used her Phillip. She used herself.” He says the two were involved in predatory lending. Judee says, “This is all Satan. Daddy loves the black people.” Uh, say what? After all that, Phil says he’s going to call the police and tells his father that he doesn’t want to see him ever again. As she storms out, Charity tells Phil she is going to pray for him. Judee says, “I cannot wait until this building comes down. They’re like pigeons these people. They keep coming back and making noise.” I liked that line as well although I loathe Judee.

So just before Kerissa’s ride shows up, Jacob and Kerissa have a parting discussion. She compliments him about he handled the Zora situation. “We had to break up for you to be the husband I thought you would be when we met.” And Kerissa is so hurt by the end of their marriage that she wonders if they should have ever come together in the first place – even if it means that Zora and Winkie would have never been created by their union. But Jacob tells her that if procreation only happened between two perfect people or a perfect union, everyone would have “stayed in heaven with the angels.” Amen.

How we got here matters, but it matters more that we’re here, I think.  That’s a reason for happiness, right. That we made it here despite everything that could have stopped it. “I’m glad we met,” Jacob finally says. And I believe that he is telling the truth. Kerissa says, “You can have shared custody.” In that moment, I think Kerissa realizes that while he may have never been in love with her, he does love her. And that has to be enough for her as she moves on with her life…

As the entire family sees Kerissa off as they stand on the steps of their home, Lady Mae says, “I have something to say as we enter this season of new beginnings.” First, she says that Grace already knows what she is about to reveal. Then she says, “Grace is the product of an affair between Lionel and myself.” And then, as if she hasn’t just detonated a bomb, she announces that dinner is at 7:30 and goes back inside while her family stands there, frozen in place.

Later on, the three Greenleaf adult children sit outside on the veranda. “That might have been the quietest dinner that table has ever seen,” says Charity. Jacob recalls how much his mother put him through for cheating on Kerissa. Charity continues to marvel that what she thought was perfect was not perfect at all. Maybe this revelation will free Charity from thinking she has to be preacher. I think she is trying to live to the ideal of what she thinks her parents are, but now, she knows the full truth – both of her parents are flawed. Preaching is something that you’re called to do not something you choose to do. And hopefully this means that Jacob will be free to pursue who he really wants to be with rather than choose a woman who he feels is as honorable as his mother because his is mother like everyone else – subject to sin or “freaky” as Zora says in a future scene. LOL

Jacob finally says, “I really don’t care. You’re my sister, Gigi.” But he does go on to say, “I’m glad to know where you got that light skin. Mama’s light, but she’s not that light!” LOL. Charity is upset that Kevin knew the truth before she did, but Grace points out that it was her mother’s secret not her secret.

In another part of the house, Zora discovers Sophia reading the Bible and tells her that she has gotten her back for revealing her “escape plans” to her parents by telling Grace about Sophia’s topless photos. The most important part of this scene, however, is that Sophia felt led to pick up the Bible once again. Maybe knowing about her grandmother’s indiscretion despite her devotion to God shows that loving the Bible and being a person of faith doesn’t mean that you will be perfect nor live a life without pain.

In the midst of all this family time, Darius calls Grace. One of the names that Yusef gave to Darius has proven to be a great source for him. Apparently, this person is willing to tell how Edenvale took his or her house. He asks her to meet him at his house, but when she shows up, he’s not there. Instead, Fernando, Kerissa’s lover,  drives up and offers to take her to see Darius. Where did he come from? When she refuses, he says, ” You better be careful. No one cares about journalists anymore. No one likes a squeaky wheel. Stay out of it.” What happened to Darius?!!! He better still be alive…Is Bob Whitmore capable of murder? Again, well, I guess we will have to keep watching to find out what happens!!! And again, thank God for new content in these COVID-19 times!!!

Finally, thank you sooo much for reading my Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 6: The Sixth Day… and my other recaps so far. If you would like to keep up with OWN’s “Greenleaf,” and my recaps, please click on this link to subscribe to my blog 🙂!

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Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 5 : The Fifth Day…

Hello World,

With all that’s going on in this world, I’m so glad that I have a show that that provides an enthralling escape. So let’s get into another exhaustive and entertaining Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 5: The Fifth Day…And be clear on this…Any.Other.Recap just doesn’t compare…

The Fifth Dimension…

This episode begins with Grace opening the door to her suite and heading into Sophia’s room where Sophia is still in bed. “What are you still doing in bed?” Grace asks her daughter. “It’s eight minutes until your grandmother’s service.” It’s the last Sunday before Calvary is demolished into smithereens and Lady Mae plans to honor the occasion with a worship service at home.

Sleepily, Sophia groans and tells her mother she’s been up all night texting with “stupid girls at Hampton.” So glad texting was not available when I was in college, I imagine there would have many more sleepless nights than I experienced at the University of Georgia. Go DAWGS! Sophia is still sour on faith so she says, “I’ll do the family, not the faith.” Grace says, “I’m sorry. You’re a Greenleaf. It’s the same thing.”

Meanwhile in Jacob’s suite, as he puts on a blazer, Kerissa brings up the fact that they plan to tell Zora about their pending divorce after the service. He makes some kind of joke to which Kerissa responds with, “You make jokes while you’re planning to destroy your children’s lives.” Jacob asks her if she and Fernando were looking at pictures of their children while they had their afternoon delights. Touche, Jacob although I still think he is wrong to not forgive Kerissa for her entanglement while he was a straight philanderer. That’s how some men are though…But at the end of the day, I don’t think they make the best couple anyway, but I will move on from that for now.

On the main floor, Charity is leading the family plus Karine in a song entitled “Starting All Over.” Charity is really in her element when she sings which is why I don’t get her desire to preach. Lady Mae praises her daughter telling her, “That was beautiful.” I’m glad that Lady Mae is forgiving Charity for her lack of allegiance to the family at a critical time. I think Charity has learned her lesson. Then, Lady Mae begins. “Good Morning Family. Every day is a gift full of possibilities even a day like today.” All of the family including A.J. and Noah there.

Since the family is worshiping at home, Lady Mae points out that the first friends of Jesus met in home churches following his ascension. Her sermon is appropriately titled “New Beginnings.” Bishop wonders aloud what is going on at Calvary. He concludes that a conjuring must be happening as Phil and Judee are attempting to “breathe unholy life into a corpse.”

As all of this unfolds, Jacob and Kerissa continue to bicker and pick at each other. But when Bishop reminds Kerissa that ever since he met her, she was a woman of impeccable devotion, she calms down for a bit.

Once Lady Mae’s sermon is over, Sophia and Zora attempt to have a private conversation about the fact that Sophia’s topless photos are still circulating on the Internet. That’s why I never post anything on the Internet that I wouldn’t mind being there forever because that is typically what happens. Charity interrupts the clandestine conversation between the cousins. (I was going for a nice alliteration…How’d I do?)

Through her grandmother, Karine is getting updates about what is going on at Calvary  and tells Charity. Apparently, Judee is singing “I Believe” which causes the two to cackle.

As it is the last Sunday at Calvary, Noah reminisces about the first Sunday at Calvary, Consecration Sunday. Grace says, “I lost my virginity in that church.” And apparently, it happened on that first Sunday. Talk about consecration…(So I had my first kiss in the parking lot of my father’s former church…chalk it up to being a PK.)

Following the worship service, Lady Mae plans to pay a visit to Tara James herself. She tells Bishop that two Greenleaf men caused problems and that she hopes that, “With the help of God, one Greenleaf woman will solve the problem.”

After everything is over, Bishop and A.J. see that Jacob and Kerissa are back to squabbling. “All of this food and all of this family and they still find a way to be miserable.” A.J. says that he learned in the hospital that “some people like to take things apart and see how things work but they don’t mean anything by it.” That was insightful of A.J., right? Sometimes, he seems to be on another dimension…I’m still convinced though that we don’t know all there is to know about about him…And I wonder if Bishop knows about his grandson’s health condition…

Fifth Harmony…

So Lady Mae goes to see Tara woman to woman at New Revelations Memphis Mission. As she watches Tara conduct her ministry, you can see that Lady Mae reflect on her own ministry. She asks her how many children she is able to feed on a typical Sunday. Tara says 20-30. She also inquires about how long Tara has been in the building and Tara says two years. Apparently, she moves quite a bit due to the increasing costs of rent. Once Lady Mae has the answers to her questions, she says, “It never occurred to you to do something more. Saving 1,000 and feeding 10,000?” Lady Mae loves the Lord, and she is also about leveling up.

Tara tells her that she has a more humble approach. “Jesus never built a temple, never asked for donations. But He helped people who came to him.” “But now you want my house,” Lady Mae throws out. Tara tells her she is not after her home but if Mrs. Davis meant for her father to have the home, she can use it as a shelter or a foster home.” And then it hits Lady Mae. “I should have known better,” she says. “I asked God for a new beginning. Well God, has quite a sense of humor. You’re doing good work.” I get what Tara is thinking to a certain extent, but I just don’t think a shelter or a foster home is the best use of the estate. I know I sound bougie at best and worldly at worst, but I just don’t like the idea. What say you?

A.J.’s statement to Bishop made Bishop remember something. The two of them head to an old garage on the Greenleaf property. They stand near a humongous wooden box which apparently contains a GTO Pontiac, Bishop’s dream car. Bishop tells his grandson that when he was 16 years old, he kept asking his father for a GTO Pontiac. Rather than give him the car, his father told him to pray for the car. Six months later, Bishop’s father said that his prayers were answered. His father had bought his dream car for him. The catch was that the car was in pieces inside of the box. He tells A.J. that he was trying to teach him that faith without works is dead. At the time, Bishop never attempted to put the car together. But the time has finally come for him to exercise his faith. He says to AJ, “If you help me put this together, the car is yours.” I love that Bishop is finding a way to bond with his grandson. It was A.J.’s remark about taking things apart that reminded Bishop of this long overdue project.

It looks like Noah is trying to find a way to bond with Grace beyond the fact that they are A.J.’s parents. But first they do have discuss their son. She asks him how did it go with A.J. at his place the night before. “He’s 24. I don’t feel like his Dad.” Grace understands what he means. They discuss Bob Whitmore and Mrs. Davis potentially leaving the Greenleaf estate to Darryl James. “Why would Mrs. Davis have left the house to Darryl to begin with?” I’ve been wondering that too, but Grace doesn’t know the answer to that question.

Also, Noah sees that Grace is fatigued as she hasn’t slept much in the past few weeks. Ordinarily it’s no bueno to tell a woman she looks tired but in this case, I guess it’s okay.  He puts one of the sofa cushions on his lap and invites her to lay down. She says, “This is not Consecration Sunday!” She laughs a little but then she does take him up on his offer.

In another part of the house, Karine tells Charity that Phil and Judee are taking selfies with a wrecking ball that is already on the Calvary campus, although the demolition is scheduled for two days later. Karine’s grandmother, who attended the last service at the church, is telling her everything that is happening. After that, Karine must have gone to the bathroom or something because Charity asks her nieces to watch Nathan for a bit.

But right then, Jacob and Kerissa tell Zora that they need to speak with her. The couple takes her into their suite and breaks the bad news. Zora is hot about it. She blames her father as he was a serial cheater, but Kerissa tries to tell her that she is also at fault. “We both missed the mark,” Kerissa says. But Zora asks what did she do wrong. “Cook too many dinners while waiting for you to come home from Alexa?” Wow. And she even wonders what is going to happen to her mother after the divorce. “Who is she going to get now? Some old dude.”

Zora tries to act hard, but it’s easy to see that the news of her parents’ pending divorce is devastating to her. She storms off, leaving her parents alone. They plan to tell Winkie the next day in a child psychologist’s office. They elected to tell Zora without a child psychologist because she doesn’t like them. Kerissa is on the verge of tears, but she says “I’m still willing to drop this whole thing. But after we tell Winkie tomorrow, it’s over. I will not put him through this for nothing.” She is really, really, really trying to keep them together…

Charity has excused herself to call Marcus DeMars aka Yusef Shabazz. He says, “I told you pastor you’ve got three strikes.” But Charity tells him she is not Grace and was almost Charity DeMars. He tells her that she has two minutes. What’s his deal? Why is he so standoffish?

Bishop and A.J. return to the home. He tells his grandson that some have turned “religion into a rule book” when it isn’t. “It’s an experience. Jesus is real.” I concur. He knows how to reach his grandson. A.J. has had to live by so many rules that a rule-oriented faith wouldn’t appeal to him at all. Smart move Bishop.  As they talk, Lady Mae arrives and Bishop asks her how it went. “I think we have to give her the house.” Bishop is stunned.

An hour later, Grace wakes up from her nap on Noah, and she apologizes for sleeping so long. But that time allowed Noah to recall a journal that the caretaker kept in the cabin where Noah once lived. The journal contained plans and sketches that indicated to Noah that maybe the caretaker thought he would one day inherit the house. Also, Mrs. Davis was white and so was the caretaker. However, periodically Darryl James would stop by, and the caretaker referred to him as “That Negro” in the journal. Anywho, Noah thinks the journal could be of use to her. The two seem to be in harmony with one another for a change…

Fifth Avenue…

Since Lady Mae seems to be ready to just hand over the house, Bishop is back on the case. He approaches Grace about using her inheritance money to buy Tara off. She asks him how much does he need. He replies, “How much do you have?”

Charity has been able to keep Yusef Shabazz on the phone for more than two minutes, but she still doesn’t know how his wife was involved with Eden Vale Lending. And Yusef aine trying to share what he knows. “The river only flows one way, and it has nothing to do with the river.” Huh?

Still upset about the topless photos, Sophia discusses her options with her brother. She’s scared to go back to Hampton because she is pretty much the talk of the campus. Having been abandoned by his parents and spending time in jail, A.J. isn’t all that sympathetic about her apprehension. Exasperated, he finally asks her, “What do you want that you can have?” Sophia says that she would like to stay at the Greenleaf estate with him and Zora. But A.J. tells her that it’s weird that grown adults still live with their parents. “People this old don’t live at home.” You know what, living apart from your family even as an adult is overrated. If you have a home that’s big enough (like an estate) to accommodate extended family, what is wrong with that? You can share expenses and responsibility.

Zora, on the other hand, has returned to her cabin where she cries about her parents’ divorce as she sits on her sofa alone. Grace comes into the cabin and tries to comfort her niece but Zora has to be hard. Once Grace tells her that she came to the house to find an old journal, Zora tells her she can find all of the older stuff in a wooden box in another room.

Speaking of older stuff, Lady Mae’s old wounds are opened up again when Bishop tells her that Grace has offered to give him her inheritance money to pay off Tara. She tells Bishop that the money is evidence of her “biggest mistake” and that as a result, she lied every day for 40 years about her affair with Grace’s real father. She says that their new church will be “founded on truth and built sturdy like every well made thing.” She doesn’t want Grace’s money.

As Bishop and Lady Mae discuss whether they will be giving the house to Tara, Charity shows up and asks if they would like to go over to Calvary. At first Lady Mae is apprehensive about her request, but Charity says, “We’re not going to say good-bye. We’re going to say, ‘thank you.'”

The family minus Noah and A.J. go to Calvary and walk through various rooms until they come to the sanctuary. Bishop recalls the first baptism at the church. The woman who had just turned 92 years old danced on stage following her baptism. Bishop expected to be sad to walk through Calvary one last time, but that was not the case. It was like that “awful Friday that can be called good.” “This visit has been a balm to my soul. Let’s seal this tomb and wait for our miracle,” he says. A little while later, he whispers to Lady Mae, “give her the house if you want to.”

A short time later, Bishop and Lady Mae return to the mission and intend to do just that. Lady Mae assures him that the Lord will provide another home for them and they will truly be starting again like they did the first time. They knock on the door and within seconds of Tara answering it, Rochelle appears out of nowhere and with a sly smile says, “I told you these Greenleafs are like a bad penny. You can’t get of rid of them.” I KNEW TARA WAS STILL IN TOUCH WITH HER SISTER! As Rochelle talks, a few cars pull into the mission parking lot. Are they about to be ambushed? Is Basie really dead? See Lady Mae belongs on Fifth Avenue not in the midst of a bad neighborhood at night…

I wonder what’s in store now that Rochelle is back!!! I guess we have to keep on watching…

Thank you sooo much for reading my Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 5: The Fifth Day… and my other recaps so far. If you would like to keep up with OWN’s “Greenleaf,” and my recaps, please click on this link to subscribe to my blog 🙂!

Any thoughts?

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Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 4 : The Fourth Day…

 

Hello World,

So Charity quits her AP job and Jacob Greenleaf is a male chauvinist hypocrite, but before I break all that down, let’s get into another exhaustive and entertaining Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 4 : The Fourth Day… For real dough, any other recap just doesn’t compare…

Four Walls…

It’s time to break out A.J. out of the four walls of his hospital room as his treatment is officially over, but the issue is where will he go afterward AND with whom…Grace wants A.J. to leave with her and Noah, but the medical personnel suggests that he be placed in a residential facility in Cordova for people living with HIV. AJ walks in on the powwow and tells the group that he has been stuck with so many needles that he feels like a voodoo doll. Once he realizes what’s being discussed, he shocks Grace and Noah. He says, “I want to go with him.” I’m not really surprised though because boys typically want to spend more time with their father as they mature. I’ve read that this happens around age 13. A.J. is beyond that, but he clearly wants to make up for lost time. By her downcast disposition, it’s clear that Grace is both shocked and saddened by A.J.’s decision.

Speaking of shocked and saddened, in the next scene, Bishop is going off on Jacob at the Greenleaf estate. “What did I ever do to make you think I was capable of murder?” he says. He cannot believe that Jacob just didn’t come to him first regarding the will situation. Jacob explains to his father that Kerissa was blackmailing him so he was trying to get to the truth before it got to be a big to-do. Lady Mae is incensed that Jacob went to speak with Tara Cross, sister of Basie Skanks and Rochelle Cross, without telling them first. Although Jacob attempted to sing her praises as the leader of a mission in a bad neighborhood, Lady Mae is none too impressed, calling her God’s Florence Nightingale handing out sandwiches and needles! Ha! Jacob says she is doing good work, but Lady Mae points out that the Greenleafs have been doing good work for 40 years.

The couple points out that Tara may think she has a claim to the house because of Jacob coming to see her. “You planted something in her head.” Just as a reminder, Loretta Davis, the original owner of the Greenleaf estate, may have left the house to Darryl James and not the Greenleafs. And you know that Lady Mae is going to blame Kerissa for this. “Her bony, wiggly hand set this whole thing in motion,” she says. She says Kerissa is conniving like “David Duke in a head wrap!” LOOOL!!!

But Lady Mae and Bishop set aside that discussion for a bit to discuss Calvary’s last Sunday in the building! Apparently, they had been discussing this before Jacob showed up, but Lady Mae had to remind him of that. Obviously, Bishop is getting to be somewhat forgetful, and I’m sure more will be revealed about that later in the season. But for now, Bishop tells Lady Mae that he doesn’t want to attend the last service. I don’t blame him. Even if I could, I don’t want to attend my own funeral. Because a funeral is what will be going on at Calvary because the spirit of that church died when Grace and her family left it. Still, Lady Mae wants to hold a Bible Study at home. “This is no time to stop praising God,” she says. She’s such a force, right?

Speaking of Calvary’s last Sunday, Charity, Phil and Judee are discussing the program for that last service. Judee wants to show a video about what the new church campus will look like once it is completed while Charity wants to show a video in which the history of Calvary will be highlighted. Judee doesn’t understand her need to recount the history of Calvary as it was the location where Bishop shot a man and Charity’s uncle touched girls’ privates. I really dislike Judee but that is a valid point. Charity warns that this new church won’t survive in that “stank-foot gym without a Greenleaf.” When Judee walks off in a huff, Charity explains to Phil that she is “just trying to protect [him] from [himself.]” She points out that the 4,000 people who made the church need to be recognized or they will just leave when the “white people show up for church.” Phil is not moved. “We’re going with Judee’s idea.” Why does Charity think that she needs to protect Phil? He’s obviously not protecting her.

Typically, the three bicker without an audience, but this time Grace shows up and sees the exchange. She hopes that Phil and Judee’s treatment of Charity will give her some leverage in what she is about to ask of her. She tells her that she knows that Phil DeMars’ mother, Gladys, will somehow enable the Greenleafs to get Calvary back. She interrogates her sister. Some kind of way she did a favor for Bob and Eden Vale Lending has something to do with it. But she needs Charity’s help to find out the identity of Phil’s father, who is also a piece of the puzzle. Grace says his name is Marcus DeMars. “Help us find his father.” Do you know that dizzy chick Charity fixes her mouth to say, “Look, I’m finally an AP (associate pastor).””At an H&H church,” Grace says. She then attempts another way to get at her. Grace knows that Charity still loves Phil, but a critical component is still missing. “Do you respect Phil?” And then Grace tells her that for all of her contempt for Judee, she will be like Judee in 10 months. “Let’s find a way to get her out.” Well, that’s all Grace has to say. Open sesame. Charity tells her sister that Marcus DeMars no longer exists because he changed his name to Yusef Shabazz and is now a Black Panther.

Four Letter Words…


You know that Lady Mae doesn’t lose an opportunity to unleash on Kerissa. Since Jacob told her that Kerissa is using the will to blackmail Jacob and by extension his parents, she has to get Kerissa told. After making sure that Winkie is not in Jacob’s suite, she tells Kerissa that she wants her out of the house (as long as she has it anyway…). “You are blackmailing this family for a few extra hundred dollars in a divorce settlement.” She also wants to know why Jacob and Kerissa are getting divorced in the first place. At first Kerissa doesn’t want to give up the goods, but she finally relents. Despite the fact that Jacob got down with various women including Malise, Lady’s Mae cook before Marisol came on board, he cannot find it in his heart to forgive Kerissa for her one indiscretion. Jacob is a male chauvinist hypocrite for that, right?

Lady Mae is stunned, particularly by the fact that Jacob got around even to the maid. But still Kerissa really doesn’t want to divorce Jacob. “If you can get him to forgive me and move on, I will let it go. But if he wants to play rough, game on.” I knew it. For better or worse judgment, she does love Jacob although she has a funny way of showing it sometimes. But still, I don’t think they should stay together anyway. They just don’t seem right together…Do you agree or is that just me?

In another part of the home, Aaron the attorney, Grace’s half-brother, discuss the will with Bishop and Jacob. The second will in which Loretta Davis gave the home to the Greenleafs supersedes the first will, but the court of public opinion may render a different decision. And it doesn’t help that Basie, Mac and Darryl James are dead and gone. But Bishop believes that he can reason with Tara and get her to see things his way. “I talked Basie out of killing me with a bullet in a chamber. It couldn’t be any harder than that,” he says. “Famous last words,” Lady Mae says once she joins the discussion.

Gigi has a hard task to complete as well. She calls Yusef Shabazz. She reaches the man, who is wearing a beanie and playing some sort of board game with other people, like at a home or something. She tells him she wants to ask him a few questions and tells him she is not a reporter although she used to be a pastor. Phil’s father says that is her first strike. When she mentions Phil’s mother and how she worked for Eden Vale Lending, Yusef points out that she is his ex-wife and has been dead for 20 years. Yusef says that’s her second strike. And when she mentions Phil, Yusef says that’s her third strike and then hangs up on her.  It looks like she will have to see him face to face in the Nola to find out what she needs to find out. And I’m sure that Darius will ride out with her when the time is right…

Well, now that Lady Mae has found out the deets on the impending divorce, she now has to confront her son. She mentions Mark 11:25, Romans 3:23 and John 8:7 which all suggest that you should forgive even if you can’t forget. She cannot believe that for all of his antics that Kerissa endured over the years, Jacob cannot forgive Kerissa for the one time she got entangled. “You bought all of us a ticket to the poor house,” she says. And furthermore, “You go and forgive that woman. This is about you and what you think about women and what you think about me. You forgive her and move on.” Obviously, Lady Mae is talking about the fact her oldest child is not Bishop’s child.  What she did was worse than what Kerissa did actually. At least Kerissa didn’t get pregnant by another man and pass that child off as her husband’s child for years…

But nobody makes more stupid decisions than Charity does. At Calvary, she approaches Connie the deaconness about her idea to highlight Calvary’s history in the final service. She tells her that Phil and Judee told her, “No.” “I’m saying, ‘No” too,” says Connie. “I can’t think of anything worse.” Welp. What a traitor Connie is.

Four Leaf Clover…

Now that Bishop is free of Calvary’s business, he has more time to roam about and that is just what he does. He finds himself in the bad neighborhood where the New Revelations Memphis Mission (I wonder if the New Revelation has to do with the will) is located. Tara James can’t believe that Bishop came to see her. “This is the second day in a row that a Greenleaf  paid me a visit,” she says. Bishop says, “I want to set things straight once and for all.”

He tells Tara that he did not make the call that led to Darryl James being in the church the night of the fire. He believes that it was most likely Mac. “Why would he have wanted Daddy dead?” she asks. Bishop points out that Mac was the one who amended the will. “Is there any way we can get past this, the both of us, once and for all?” Bishop asks. I believe in God and not luck, but some luck wouldn’t hurt in this situation, right?

Another delicate situation is unfolding at the Greenleaf estate. Noah and Grace are with A.J. to help him gather his things to move in with Noah. Grace makes Noah promise that he will see about getting Noah to a doctor and on medication. “He’s not asymptomatic.” That’s a word we’ve become more familiar with than we’d like to be, right? AJ gets mad that Grace is talking his condition. Although he is sick, I’m kinda sick of him. I want all of his truth told, and I’m just not convinced that it has been at this point. What say you?

And I’m sick of Judee too. She confronts Charity about going to Connie and fires her for trying to usurp her authority. “I’m Bob Whitmore’s daughter.” After all the ways that she disgraced herself to become an associate pastor, of course, Charity is hot about this. She confronts Phil as if he’s going to side with her. “You’re going to let her do it?” she asks. “What you did was unproductive,” Phil says. He then says something using the phrase, “truly, madly, deeply” which is Judee’s favorite movie, he reveals. Charity says her favorite movie is, “You can’t fire my black a$$, I quit.” Okay, den, Charity. Then she compares her bosom to Judee’s less than buxom bosom and says they can have their “oreo church.” “How I wish you were the man that I thought you were.” And despite the fact that she wants to hate him, she can’t because hating him would be like hating a sponge – a “passive, porous thing.” She ends with, “What a waste.” Well, I’m glad she is developing a bit of a backbone.

Back at the estate, Bishop drives on the property where he finds Grace walking alone.  I wonder how many acres they own? The property on which the show is filmed must be huge. It’s season five and we’re still seeing new vantage points on the property. Bishop picked up some Memphis barbecue on the way home because he is feeling good after his discussion with Tara apparently. He discovers that Grace is feeling some kind of way about A.J. “You’re afraid that everything you broke will never be put back together again.” He assures her that there is still hope. “Leave some room for God.” He reminds her what she did. “You came back. Don’t forget that. After 20 years, you came home. No one saw that coming.”

Speaking of seemingly impossible impasses, Jacob approaches Kerissa with the intention of telling her that he has forgiven her, but he can’t get the words out. Kerissa tries to help him by literally telling him what to say. “Here’s all you have to say. Kerissa, I’m sorry that I left you so alone in our marriage that you defiled yourself with another man to feel something.” Still, even with the words supplied for him, he cannot fix his mouth to say that. Kerissa realizes that they can’t get past this no matter what she threatens. She says, “I will lay off of the will because Mae knows I’m right.” Still, she tells him their marriage is over. Sorry not sorry.

What a dismal episode, right? But Zora and Sophia try to lighten the mood by horsing around with A.J. until they collapse on a bed with laughter. It’s really nice to laugh with your cousins. They try to convince him to stay and tell Grace that he has decided to stay when she comes in the room. She ask the girls if she can speak with her son alone. He makes sure that he tells her that he is not staying despite the girls’ audible wishful thinking. “You know you can always come back,” she says. “I’m not,” he says. But as he leaves, he kisses the top of head in her hair. That bit of affection causes the mother to dissolve into tears. (I have to wonder if this is the writers way of writing him off the show because you know that Noah tends to say gone for long periods. It took him whole season to get to Memphis from Denver. Remember? I think Denver is where he was…)

Judee aine crying about Charity leaving Calvary at all. “It’s for the best,” she tells Phil as they relax at his home. “Daddy is counting on you.” Phil, on the other hand, can’t shake it off as easily, particularly as Charity said that H&H won’t make it past Calvary by Tuesday. “It was almost like something is in the works,” he tells Judee. Judee aine trying to hear all that and wants to get affectionate with Phil but he blocks her. “Is it because I’m not legally divorced? I’m never going back to Ken,” she whines.

Although Phil is troubled about Calvary and what is ahead, Bishop is no longer thinking about Calvary. He has gathered his family in the dining room to tell him that the Spirit was present in his meeting with Tara and that their home is safe. “This is the day that I take back my joy.” Charity is feeling good too and tells her family she is no longer working at Calvary. “Free at last, free at last,” she nearly sings.

Bishop tells the family that the next morning, they will worship in church at their home and that Lady Mae will lead the service. In fact, he tells them that he wants Lady Mae to lead the church going forward. But before the episode can end on this seemingly triumphant note, Tara James calls Bishop on his cell. The family listens as he says, “I’m sorry to hear that.” Once the call is over, he says that Tara James wants to talk again about the house AND as soon as possible. Gulp…That doesn’t sound good…Now I have to wonder when Bishop meets Tara again will Rochelle show up…Because Tara did call someone after she met with Jacob… Well, I guess we will have to keep watching to find out what happens!!! Thank God for new content in these COVID-19 times!!

Thank you sooo much for reading my Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 4: The Fourth Day… and my other recaps so far. If you would like to keep up with OWN’s “Greenleaf,” and my recaps, please click on this link to subscribe to my blog 🙂!

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