Charley went to see the other woman, Nova and Calvin broke up, Ralph Angel found out his job had strings attached and Hollywood is married?!?

Our TV Fanatics Jasmine, Lee, Jenn, and Christine O. had a lot to talk about when it came to Queen Sugar Season 1 Episode 5!

Is Nova a hypocrite by selling weed to her community?

Jasmine: I can understand why Calvin called her that. It doesn't matter what her personal rules or ethics are, she can't control what happens with her product once she's sold it. She wouldn't sell it to an underaged kid but whomever she does sell it to could. She's giving people illegal substances that they can be (and have been)arrested for. Even if it's not her intention, she's still contributing to the corrupt system by giving people something worth getting arrested for.

Lee: I agree with Jasmine. It's not fair for a good kid like Too Sweet to find himself at the mercy of a corrupt justice system, but it definitely doesn't help matters when he has illegal drugs on him. It just gives the police an excuse to arrest them, even if it is only weed, and even if it is only a small amount. It's a minor crime, to be sure, and one knows that if a white boy was found with some of Nova's weed on him, he might not have been treated in the same unjust manner as Too Sweet.

But that doesn't change the fact that Nova put that weed into his pocket, albeit indirectly. I also thought it was really naive of Nova to act so shocked and angry when she found out her customer had sold her weed to Too Sweet. She knows these drugs are going out into the community; she should know that literally anyone could be buying them.

Jenn: I think she is. She is basically a drug dealer and not only putting herself in danger but others, even her family. She is obviously fighting for the right cause. But if the police or local government find out about her, they may think she only wrote the article to keep her drug pushers out of jail and on the street to make her money. Unfortunately, her efforts for something that is very serious, and goes on across the country, will be diminished by her being a drug dealer.

Christine: Yeah, it’s unanimous. Nova is a hypocrite. Albeit, it might be legal in certain states, if it’s illegal in Louisiana, it’s illegal. Anyone using or carrying it risks facing consequences. Nova is more than aware that those consequences can be extremely high for the young, black men in her community, yet she sells it anyway, which makes her a part of the problem.

Do you think Calvin and Nova are really over? Do you want them to be?

Jasmine: I have mixed feelings about the pair. I find it odd that in the years that they've been together this type of conversation has never come up like this. An interracial couple, one a journalist/activist and another a cop? Really? I'm also surprised they ended it so quickly. They have great chemistry and a great connection, but he's married which makes them difficult to root for.

Lee: The opening scene of the pilot of Queen Sugar was a sexy montage of scenes of Nova waking up and getting dressed after having spent the night in Calvin's bed. I can't imagine that a relationship that was used to kickstart the series would be over so soon.

Their relationship seems to be driven more by sexual chemistry than anything else. I am willing to bet that they'll end up in bed together again at some point, but I can't see a relationship between two fundamentally different people, one of whom is married to someone else, having a happily ever after.

Jenn: I don't think the relationship is really over. Clearly they are both filling some type of void with each other. Now, do I think the relationship is healthy? Not at all; not only is he married, but she also has a weed farm in her dining room with which the cop is very familiar. But I do agree with Jasmine. I don't see how they never had this conversation before. Or maybe they choose to ignore it and just have great sex. :)

Christine: I don’t think they’re over because there’s still too much drama to be mined from this pairing. That said, there’s no long term potential here. They’re lives are far too different and he’s married! The person I feel sorry for is Calvin’s wife.

When the truth comes out about Hollywood’s wife, will he lose Violet?

Jasmine: He might. Aunt Vi has a lot going on and that might just push her over the edge. I love them together and I'd hate to see that. But she deserves honesty.

Lee: I just can't believe he didn't tell Aunt Vi about her in the first place. How Mr. Rochester of him to keep the "madwoman in the attic" hidden! It definitely felt like a cliched plot line to me, and it really disappointed me. I love Aunt Vi and Hollywood together. They seem as though they are truly good for each other, so I hope that when she does inevitably find out about his wife, they find a way to make it work.

Jenn: I think if he comes clean with her right away she may be fond of what he did. Because he didn't have to. If he doesn't want to loose Vi, he needs to tell her before Violet shows up at the house, which could happen.

Christine: Oh Hollywood! I was so damn disappointed in him. I get it. He’s trying to do the honorable thing by taking care of his mentally ill wife, but when Vi finds out she’ll be in a horrible position. If she asks him to get a divorce she’s leaving that woman without medical coverage. Then her choices are stay with a married man or end their romance. None of her choices are fair to her.

How do you think Ralph Angel should handle the situation at work?

Jasmine: The shady boss? He should just keep his head down on that. I hate seeing him and the others being taken advantage of. It's disgusting! But they're not in the position to fight it. I really need Ra to do his best to stay out of trouble!

Lee: I think he should tell his sisters. One is a sharp businesswoman, and the other is an investigative journalist. They're both better placed to help him in this awful situation than his fellow ex-con employees, especially one who has already screwed him over once, with the bad sugarcane, and probably shouldn't be trusted. Yes, they do often undermine him and treat him like a child, but telling them about this situation could bring them together, and also prove to the sisters that Ralph Angel is willing to move on from his criminal past

Jenn: He should tell his sisters, but I get that he is tired of them helping him. If he wants to stand up and be the big man, he needs to act like it. Don't fall into the temptation of easy money or getting over on the boss. You have something none of those workers have, which means you have the most to lose. He just needs to do what he has to until the farm is up and running. But obviously from Queen Sugar Season 1 Episode 1 we see its hard for Ralph Angel to not fall back into old patterns.

Christine: I agree that if he’s smart; he’ll tell his sisters, although I understand why he doesn’t want to. If only he knew enough about running the farm, maybe Charley could hire him as the manager and cut him a weekly pay stub to honor his parole requirement. In the meantime, his current job is a disaster waiting to happen.

Should Charley have met with Melina?

Jasmine: No. I feel like that made things a lot worse. I'm not sure if Melina is lying or not, but it made me uncomfortable that Charley went to her home, still treating her like she wasn't being honest. Charley was trying to throw more money at her with the mentality that everyone has a price, especially a prostitute.

Lee: Everything about that scene made me very uncomfortable and from a legal perspective, I can understand why her lawyer was infuriated. Such a bad idea coming from such a smart woman. Charley needs to separate herself more fully from this bad situation with Davis before he drags her down into ignominy with him.

Jenn: As a wife she wanted answers, but it was not a smart decision. She basically showed the women she can have anything. I think something is going to go wrong with this. I thought Charley was being recorded at the end, and we would see Melina sitting with a lawyer. I really want Charley and Micah to move and start a new life. I hope this doesn't affect that.

Christine: It wasn’t smart, but I can understand Charley wanting to look this woman in the eye, and paying her off seems like the quickest way to make this all go away. That said, I think it’s going to blow up in her face. When Melina told her she doesn’t know her husband, I wish Charley would have asked exactly what she doesn’t know, but I’m guessing Charley might prefer to be kept in the dark.

What was your favorite scene from “By Any Chance”?

Jasmine: It was so cliche and I've seen it countless of times before in tv shows and movies, but I liked the Bordelon women smoking and bonding. It was a nice moment of fun and "sisterhood."

Lee: I liked the smoking scene, too. It felt very warm and real. Their dialogue, especially the way Aunt Vi let loose and started talking about how hot she was for Hollywood's body, much to the giggly embarrassment of her nieces, was really funny. Queen Sugar is an incredibly well-cast show, as everyone has the kind of chemistry that makes their relationships feel believable, and so all the easier for the audience to become utterly invested it.

Jenn: I did like the smoking scene as well. But I also like the scene where Charley almost ate the dirt, that was pretty funny. When the sisters loosen up they can actually have some fun.

Christine: I don’t think they had to get high to have that scene but I did love Aunt Vi in it. She was so darn honest and funny when talking about Hollywood that it added to the pain of knowing what’s headed her way when she learns the truth.

Check back Wednesday night for our review of Queen Sugar Season 1 Episode 6 and if you can’t wait until then, you can watch Queen Sugar online here at TV Fanatic.