Category Archives: Mothers

Posted on

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?

Posted on

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 🙂!

Any thoughts?

 

Posted on

Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 2 : The Second Day…

Hello World,

If you’re looking for an exhaustive and entertaining Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 2: The Second Day, you’ve got the right one! So let’s get into this thang, ya’ll…

Seconds…

First of all, I’m thinking that since the first episode of Season 5 was named “The First Day” and this week’s episode is “The Second Day” and next week’s episode is entitled “The Third Day,” something is going to break next week as Jesus rose on the third day and what was thought to be dead was resurrected! Will the truth about the real A.J. be revealed next Tuesday? I’m thinking so…But back to this particular episode….

“The Second Day” begins with Jacob in his uncle’s storage locker looking for some documentation that will help him refute the will that his estranged wife Kerissa is holding over his head. But he finds nothing of interest except a fishing rod and tackle box that he takes with him as he leaves in frustration. He only seems to be there for a few seconds, but this is TV time so…

Thankfully, Grace found A.J. just in time as he seemed to be already dead from cutting his own wrists in last week’s episode. But the seconds mattered and A.J. is now in a hospital room recovering from his injuries while Grace and Sophia wait for news of the prognosis in the waiting room of the facility. A nurse or a doctor or some medical staffer tells Grace at A.J. is “stable” although “he lost a lot of blood.” She asks Grace was she cut with the razor blade that A.J. used to cut himself. It’s a standard question according to the woman, but Grace is bit disturbed by it. She says that she wasn’t. And the woman tells her that A.J. will now have to be held for 72 hours for observation, that he will have to see a psychiatrist AND that it will be up to A.J. if he wants to see Grace or not.

Since Grace convinced everyone else to go home, the next scene takes place at the Greenleaf estate. Lady Mae is still fasting! “You need to eat something,” Bishop tells her. Lady Mae replies, “I will eat when my Lord tells me to eat.” If only it were that easy for me. I try my best to eat when the Lord tells me to do so, but chile I can be so disobedient. That’s why I punish my sins with exercise! LOL…But I digress…Then Bishop pressures Lady Mae about setting a date since their City Hall wedding was sidelined with A.J.’s suicide attempt. “I can’t get married while A.J. is in the hospital,” Lady Mae tells Bishop. But Bishop is not to be deterred. Lady Mae finally tells him she will marry him on Flag Day! That’s a random day, but y’all know Lady Mae just says stuff sometimes….

Grace shows up then and passes a key to Mavis’ club to her father. Apparently, the club has been empty for a year. Bishop has plans for the club and if you keep reading, you will find out more. Charity and her self-centered self shows up then and laments that Grace isn’t really trying to communicate with her. But Lady Mae is never at a loss for words. “You almost had her son arrested and you gave away our church,” Lady Mae says to Charity. But she’s not done. She tells her daughter that she should be sitting in a “dunce’s cap in the cold swinging shadow of your favorite Bible hero, Judas.” Again, she’s got the most eloquent bless outs ever! She doesn’t need a knife to cut, that’s for sure…

In Jacob’s suite, Kerissa and Zora fold clothes together. Kerissa takes the opportunity to tell her daughter that she can always discuss her problems with her mother. In Zora fashion, she spits out, “I talk to Jesus every day.” We know that’s not true and Kerissa does too. “Don’t make jokes about Jesus, ” she says. Jacob comes in and the tension between the couple is palatable. Zora knows her parents are about to have some sort of meeting, and she correctly guesses this meeting is not about therapy. Yeah, Zora, your parents are past therapy at this point…no use in prolonging the pain for a second longer…

As Grace gets on her laptop in her suite, Darius calls. She tells him that A.J. attempted suicide. He feels bad for calling about investigating Harmony & Hope Ministries, but she tells him that she needs to be distracted anyway, particularly as A.J. will be off limits for a while. At her request, he comes to pick her up and they go over to the home of Cal Weaver, a Harmony & Hope Ministries pastor. Without even giving Grace more than a few seconds of an explanation, he sputters, “Bob told us all not to talk.” Whoa. What is that about? Especially since Cal has already told Grace that he is not going to be a part of the church merger…And none of the H&H pastors are allowed to speak to the press?… Cal shuts the door on them and shuts down the conversation.

At this point, Grace wants to get back to the hospital where she will meet Noah, A.J. father. Darius is obviously still checking for Grace because he wonders aloud if Noah and Grace plan to couple up again since they now have a son to care for. But Grace tells him that he shouldn’t be worried about that. They’re just concerned about their son. “I’m sorry I’m not more fun,” she tells Darius.

Darius is chasing Grace but unfortunately, Grace’s daughter is chasing Dante who doesn’t seem like he wants to be caught. She calls him and leaves this kind of whiny and wandering message asking about his relationship status with Nikki…Obviously, with her brother nearly dead, she is in an emotionally fragile state and it shows…

Second Chance…

Bishop and Lady Mae have moseyed over to Mavis’ blues club in another part of Memphis. Is the club on Beale Street? As they enter the abandoned club, Lady Mae doubts that this “den of iniquity” can be transformed into a new location for Calvary! That is if they intend to call the church the same name as before. Despite the fact that they own the property fee and clear (well Grace does anyway since Mavis left it to her), Lady Mae reveals, “I’m a little bit daunted by starting over.” She looks around the dusty and smoke-infused club and doesn’t see what Bishop sees. She says a either a “wrecking ball or a match” is what the club needs. “That this building can become a church is a stretch” particularly since it is probably built on “bodies and barrels of bootleg liquor.” And furthermore, Lady Mae plainly tells Bishop, “Gut it, start fresh or I’m out.” Do it Bishop! Your second chance with Lady Mae is depending on it!

Phil DeMar’s second chance relationship with Judee is giving Charity the blues. When she shows up at Calvary, she sees that her office is being painted “plantation pink” and “confederate gray.” What in the Gone With the Wind is going on?! And to add insult to injury, the reason that the office is being painted in such ghastly colors is because Charity’s office will now be Judee’s office! Charity storms Phil’s office where she confronts her ex fiance’! Phil reminds her that she is an associate pastor while Judee will be the First Lady. Charity excuses herself to the bathroom where she collapses in tears while sitting in a bathroom stall.

Jacob aine tryin’ to give Kerissa a second chance so it’s full steam ahead with their divorce. They finally meet with Kerissa’s lawyer and the lawyer promptly instructs Jacob to sign paperwork that will give Kerissa primary custody of  Jacob Jr. aka Winkie. How many times in these five seasons have we seen Winkie anyway?! I would guess like five episodes…like an episode a season…Anywho, Jacob momentarily pushes back and says he wants shared custody. Kerissa’s attorney says to Kerissa, “I thought you said this was settled.” Jacob’s memory is revived then…That’s right Jacob. You better get down or lay down because Kerissa will have your parents in the pokey if you act up! He signs those papers and that’s that.

Back at the hospital, Noah joins the mother of his only child and brings coffee to her. “So what happened with Isabel?” Grace asks. He tells her that she wants a divorce and that it’s okay because he was “holding onto something that was never really there.” And now, Noah is staying with his mother. There’s something about the way he told this news to Grace that leads me to believe he’s trying to make a little family with Grace. More on that later. They don’t get to explore my suspicion any more because the two find out that A.J. doesn’t want to see either of them. And they are told to come back the following day.

Zora and Sophia may have a second chance to restore their severed cousin relationship. Sophia stops by Zora’s home (you know the smaller home on the property where Noah used to live) to ask Zora for a play list that she can give to A.J. “I’m not entirely cool with you,” says Zora. I swear she has a perpetual attitude. I really don’t know why she is more loyal to this Nikki rather than her own flesh and blood. Still, despite the fact that Sophia is no longer saved and sanctified, she still seems to be a peacemaker. She tells her cousin to cut her some slack. “I lost my virginity to a guy who cut me off three days later.” That bomb softened Zora’s stance…at least for the time being…smh…I would not care at all if Zora were on my side…she’s tew murch…

I do think that Charity and Phil will be able to give their relationship a second chance but not right now. While Charity and Phil are discussing some sort of ramp that needs to be constructed as a part of the new church, Judee shows up and clutches Phil in such a way to stick it to Charity. Charity can’t take the heat and spews out the truth like hot water! “He’s only marrying you because your father is making him. He’s still in love with me.” Judee quotes Proverbs 12:15-16 but changes some of the words to suit the situation. She tells Charity to “move the eff on.” That’s right Judee mixed with Scripture with Satan’s Language! Then Judee flounces out of Phil’s office. “You have a good Christian woman, pastor,” Charity remarks. “You should be proud.” Well, Charity aine no Moral Mary nor Martha either so…

Speaking of names that begin with M, Bishops calls some place to speak with Mavis. While he’s waiting for her to pick up the phone, there is all this din in the background. But mysteriously, Bishop just hangs up without speaking to his sister in law…(Oprah, Oprah, where art thou?)

As I said before, Noah is trying to get with Grace and have a second chance at having a family. He says to her,”Can we talk tonight? How are we going to dealt with all of this? I want us to be a family.” Noah sounds as crazy as he looks. Can I get a witness? Grace replies, “I’ve been here for three years, and I still don’t feel like I’m a part of the family.” Noah tells Grace, “that’s how you work.” For some reason, that remark perturbs Grace. “Take it back,” she demands. Grace is a loner. That cannot be denied.

A little while after that, Lady Mae finds Grace sitting on the steps of their palatial home. Lady Mae is coming back from visiting Faith’s grave. She says to Grace, “This whole thing with A.J. has got me thinking. You get a second chance to know your child.” Ever since Grace’s paternity was revealed, and it was revealed that Grace had a secret child, the two have finally been able to fix their relationship because of their common ground. And now the two have something else in common. Both of them have children who are suicidal…(except for the fact that the young man thought to be A.J. is really not….That will be revealed next week on “The Third Day”…mark my words…) Grace reveals to her mother that not only did A.J. attempt suicide, he doesn’t want to see her. Lady Mae tells her daughter about why she goes to Faith’s grave and how she fantasizes about seeing her in Heaven…Grace still says, “All of that is different from being told that you’re not wanted.” Was she talking about herself or A.J.?

While Lady Mae and Grace are exploring this unique mother-daughter connection, another daughter walks up on them…You already know…Instead of recognizing what was happening between the heartbroken women, Charity makes the moment about her. When she approaches them and Grace walks off, Charity laments, “Is this how it’s going to be for the rest of our lives?” Lady Mae pulls no punches per usual. “I’m fresh from the grave of Faith. You don’t know what real problems are.” And then she leaves like Grace did. Will Charity get a second chance with the family? Does she deserve one?  That’s the charitable thing to do…but Charity does work the nerves, right?!

Second Heartbeat…

Unless God touches the relationship of Jacob and Kerissa, their relationship is lifeless and without a heartbeat. The two argue in front of Winkie just after Zora leaves the suite. She takes medication for her chlamydia and Jacob refers to the pills as “slut meds!” LOL And he threatens to tell Zora about her mother’s moment of indiscretion, but she reminds him that he has 20 years worth of moments of indiscretion. And she reminds him of that will once again. “I will march that will down to the police, and we will see how soon Bishop gets a phone call.”

In Grace’s suite, she is once again disturbed by Charity. Charity brings a poem to her that she wrote about her daughter Eden that she lost. Remember her son had a twin sister. Grace reads the poem out loud. Once she finishes, Charity says, “I’ve lost a child too. I know how you feel.” And then Grace blows up as she should. Grace tells Charity that she has found a way to make her “son’s” attempted suicide all about Charity. Instead of trying to see Grace’s point, Charity gets defensive. “You and Mama deserve each other.” So now she’s mad that Grace and Lady Mae have something in common. She is such a petulant child. In five seasons, Charity still manages to be childish! What is it gonna take?! Have heart girl and just leave your sister alone…

Maybe Charity gets her persistence from Bishop. He is always trying to get Lady Mae to see things his way. In another part of the house, he tells her that he’s called some contractors to get some estimates for redoing the club. “You’ve got my sister’s permission?” Lady Mae asks. “Who needs it?” Bishop says. Uh oh…I’m sure his response will lead to some trouble later in this season. Then, he presses Lady Mae to set a wedding date! Huh? While I’m watching this, I’m like, Lady Mae said that she would remarry Bishop on Flag’s Day. And Lady Mae confirms what I was thinking. “I told you earlier today.” She told him Flag’s Day on June 14. He then kinda seems to remember and says he will put the date on every calendar in the house? She’s puzzled as to why Bishop doesn’t remember. Now, I’m sure this is important. I wonder if this means that Bishop is showing symptoms of dementia…I want to be concerned, but I’m not…reason being that Bishop’s Parkinson’s Disease was supposed to slow him down seasons ago, but that hasn’t come to pass so…

Speaking of things not coming to pass…Sophia calls Dante again and Nikki answers. Then, she hangs up on Sophia…She gave up the goodies only to get got. She better go back to God and soon…

Sometime later, Marisol catches Lady Mae savoring the flavor of week-old pasta salad. “You’re eating,” she exclaims. “The Lord informed me that I need strength for the days ahead.” (Aside: I’v got some pasta salad in the fridge that I plan on enjoying tomorrow. Not that you care, but’s it’s rare that someone mentions a particular food on a television program that you have in your fridge at that very moment.)

Anywho, Jacob and his second heartbeat, aka Winkie, go fishing on the Greenleaf estate. But the fish aren’t cooperating. Jacob opens the tackle box and wouldn’t you know it, he finds a weathered envelope containing a will for a Loretta Davis. Who is she?  Whoever she is, she is certainly the key to stopping Kerissa from blackmailing Jacob.

Speaking of underhanded, Zora calls Sophia and asks Sophia if she sent a topless pic to Dante! She may have only sent it to him but now the image is everywhere. God is trying to tell you something, Sophia.

God is trying to tell something to Grace too! He delivers a message to Grace through Cal Weaver. He calls Grace and simply says, “Eden Vale Lending.” He also tells Grace to stop Darius from ever contacting him again. I can’t call it at this moment. I guess I will just have to keep watching…

And I’m glad I kept watching this episode because the shocker comes in the final moments. Jacob goes by the apartment of Tasha Skanks (remember her?). “Tasha, I need to find Basie,” Jacob says. “Jacob, Basie is dead.” What?!!! Basie was my favorite short man on TV since George Jefferson! Yes, I’m a ’70s baby. Millennial readers, Google “The Jeffersons.” What does Basie have to do Loretta Davis? Saints, do y’all know? It looks like we will just have to run on (or watch on in this case) and see what the end will be…Can I get an “Amen” on that?!

Thank you sooo much for reading my Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 2: The Second 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?