Queen Sugar Season 3 Episode 5 Review: A Little Lower Than Angels
Christine Orlando
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Ralph Angel and Darla had to break the bad news to Blue on Queen Sugar Season 3 Episode 5, and it was more difficult to watch than expected.
It's soul-crushing to see a small child's heart break right in front of you.
Despite Darla's temporary disappearance, Blue still expected his parents to get married, and nothing but hearing the words from his mother and father were going to quash those hopes.
I'm so sorry for breaking your forever.
Ralph Angel
But this had to be done for everyone's sake. Ralph Angel and Darla are mature enough to successfully co-parent, even if the rest of the family aren't ready to give Darla another chance.
Violet turning her back on Darla was expected, but Hollywood's silent treatment was more surprising. He's always been the one to see both sides, and he was the first to give Darla a second chance when she returned after finally getting clean.
Unfortunately, lying about Blue's paternity for five years may be the straw that even broke Hollywood's goodwill.
But Ralph Angel was moving on by getting to know the Phan family and Trinh better.
Hearing Trinh talk about her family's struggles to come to this country as they viewed photos of her deceased relatives on a makeshift memorial altar in the dining room was a reminder of how similar the human struggle is, no matter what your culture or background.
I'm not sure about Trinh and Ralph Angel as a couple, but I'm open to seeing more of them. It would be great to see Ralph Angel happy, and the Phan family certainly appears to have embraced him.
Elsewhere, Davis completely blindsided Charley with the news that he'd had an affair and fathered a daughter 13 years ago.
I'd been assuming that the affair had taken place someone on the road, but the fact that it took place in Los Angeles, and he'd hidden it all of these years had Charley devastated.
I know I've done you wrong, Charley, I have, but I've been a damn good father. I'll make amends. You'll see, I promise you that. I promised Micah.
Davis
If you can separate cheating on his mother, Davis has been a good father to Micah, but if he's mostly ignored his daughter for 13 years to save his own ass, then he's fallen way short of the "damn good father" he's claiming to be.
Charley was completely overwhelmed by this revelation. It feels as though she's just found some emotional stability when it comes to Davis, where she isn't furious with him all the time for betraying their marriage with prostitutes.
Finding out he had an affair and fathered another child sent her on an emotional spiral, and there was no one available to pull her out of it.
Watching Charley get drunk, swap stories, and then kiss Jacob Boudreaux was stomach turning, especially since it was clear she wasn't completely in control of her emotions. I don't think I allowed myself to breathe until she sent him home alone because it was clear he was hoping for more.
The only upside of the entire encounter was that Charley learned that Jacob has a mysterious brother. I have no doubt she'll have her private investigator digging up dirt on Paul soon.
My one complaint about Charley was that she could have been friendlier to Micah's new friends. I know she wasn't expecting a house full of teenagers, but her reception was downright frigid.
Micah's visit to the historic plantation gave me a whole new perspective. I've never been to one, but I'll admit that I've considered visiting those striking antebellum homes with their tall columns, weeping willow trees, and tour guides in stunning costumes of the Old South.
But this scene had me considering the human cost of that idyllic Southern picture. Real people were held as prisoners for their entire lives on these very plantations. Entire generations of human beings were forced into slavery, families ripped apart, and their own language, religion, and culture were taken from them.
Many people were beaten and tortured, and it was all perfectly legal at the time so that these beautiful plantation farms could continue to exist.
I don't think I will look at them the same way ever again.
Finally, Remy and Nova got to know one another better while fishing and the conversation and affection went farther than I expected.
It's clear that Nova's feelings about her mother influence her decisions about her own life.
She made the most of a life she was talked into. I don't ever want to be talked into anything. Not again.
Nova
Nova feels her mother stifled her dreams and potential when she decided to stay in St. Josephine with Ernest and their children.
This entire conversation made me think of Nova with Robert. I enjoyed them as a couple at first but as time went on it became clear that he expected her to play a certain role. The fancy gifts and TV appearances never made Nova comfortable, but Robert pushed because he felt she was meant for more.
Unfortunately, Nova and Robert's ideas for her future didn't coincide, and the more time that passes, the more I see that Nova was right to break up with him.
On the flipside, Remy appears to like Nova for exactly who she is as he made clear in this Queen Sugar quote:
Let me tell you something. You deserve to be with someone who wants to be with you. Nova. Not Nova the activist, not Nova the journalist, just Nova.
Remy
The more time Nova and Remy spend together, the more I like them. They feel like kindred spirits.
But how will Charley react to Remy moving on with her sister? And will Nova change her mind about having children if it's with someone as supportive of her aspirations as Remy or will this be the issue that breaks these two apart?
Check out my review for Queen Sugar Season 3 Episode 6, and until then you can watch Queen Sugar online here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
