Queen Sugar Season 6 Episode 1 Review: If You Could Enter Their Dreaming
Christine Orlando
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Sometimes the best of intentions can lead to the worst possible outcomes. Unfortunately, that seemed to be the case on Queen Sugar Season 6 Episode 1.
Nova's vaccine drive was a fantastic idea that went horribly wrong.
These scenes were a look back to when people were fighting to get a vaccine against Covid-19 instead of fighting against them. How quickly things change.
This entire event could have simply been a learning experience for Nova. If she ran another, she'd obviously know to narrow it to St. Josephine residents and clearly state that ID was required.
Scared, desperate people flocked to the vaccine drive and overwhelmed the well-meaning volunteers running it.
I can't blame people for coming from other parishes to try and get vaccinated. What I can blame them for is acting like entitled jackasses and trying to bully their way to the front of the line.
Nova wasn't prepared for that. In hindsight, it probably would have been smarter to shut the whole thing down when things began to get out of hand. She could have kept the remaining vaccines for another drive or brought the remaining vaccines to a more secure location to distribute.
Instead, Nova called the police to help keep the peace. Unfortunately, the Sheriff's officer's way of maintaining that peace was very different from what Nova intended.
That was when Nova came face to face with the resistance of her Defund the Police campaign.
Nova: You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Sheriff.
Sheriff Officer: You ought to stop trying to ruin cops’ lives before you ruin your own.
Nova: What’s that supposed to mean?
Sheriff Gudry: It means you’ve got a big mouth. Defund the police? Over my dead body.
What had begun with good intentions turned into animosity and chaos, and then things turned deadly.
Why the Sheriff's officer would shove an old man half his size who was volunteering to help at a vaccine drive made little sense until you add in that all of the volunteers would have been seen as Nova's people, and you add in the factor of race.
The fact that Prosper had hope for the future and was doing so well compared to a year ago made this incident all the more tragic and infuriating.
Prosper: When this first happened, it was like the world was saying if you’re old, black, and poor, your life ain’t worth saving. We didn’t matter. A lot of us went to some dark places last year. You’d be surprised the things you begin to believe if somebody starts telling it to you over and over again.
Nova: Well, hear this over and over again, Mr. Prosper. We got you. I got you, no matter what.
Will Prosper survive that fall? I hope so, but either way, this incident will only add to the hostility between Nova, the entire Bordelon family, and the local police. Where that could lead to is downright scary.
I'm curious to discover what Nova means by "Defund the Police" because I've learned that people can have very different things in mind when using those three words.
It's clear Nova is still fighting against police corruption and brutality, and now she has an inside source within the New Orleans Police Department.
Nova: When my audience, my newly expanded audience, reads what one of NOPD’s own has to say about brutality in the department…
Officer Walker: Everyday brutality. Common as a New Orleans flash flood in the springtime. Calvin’s old crew did some damage, but they weren’t the only ones. Not by far.
But Officer Walker is in fear for his life, and he should be. So did Nova really get distracted that morning and leave her keys on the table, or was someone in her home?
And I hope Nova is keeping her source's name safe. It would be far too easy for someone to break into her home, go through her files, or even steal or hack her computer. Walker is putting his life on the line; I hope Nova is smart enough to keep him safe.
As of yet, we know nothing about what happened to Calvin. Is he serving a sentence for his crime? Was there a trial? All we know for now is that he no longer appears to be a part of Nova's life.
But Nova wasn't the only one whose life was in tumult.
Ralph Angel was hanging onto the farm by his fingertips and hiding it from everyone who matters to him, everyone who could help.
I understood the motivation for everything Ralph Angel had done. He quit the job at the nursing home for fear of bringing the virus home to Darla and their unborn baby.
He took out the second mortgage on the farm to make sure he'd have a crop to sell this year. He took pay-day loans to get by week to week, all with the steadfast belief that he could make everything right at harvest.
But Ralph Angel has 30 more days to pay off that loan in full, or he loses that farm. The stress must be overwhelming.
When it becomes clear that he won't be able to make that payment in time, which we can safely assume he won't, I hope he swallows his pride and goes to Charley.
He probably should have done that from the beginning. It's clear that Ralph Angel wants to stand on his own two feet, but it's far better to take a loan out from family who can easily afford it than risk the family farm being foreclosed upon by a bank or corporation that doesn't give a damn.
The two Bordelons who were doing well were Blue and Charley.
Blue is thriving at his new school. I'm hoping we get to see how he's changing and growing from being in a new environment at some point this season.
Unfortunately, Ralph Angel and Violet still aren't speaking. Neither one is about to put their egos aside, but I think Violet is the one who owes Ralph Angel an apology.
Violet can see how much Blue loves going to this school, which should give her reason to admit that Ralph Angel and Darla made the right decision in sending him there. And Vi said some harsh things over their last phone call. I can understand why Ralph Angel wouldn't be quick to forget them.
Hollywood: So you love your pride more than you love Blue.
Violet: I’m not above killing you in your sleep, Hollywood.
And what is Violet up to? She's sneaking around, delivering food to some no-tell motel, and keeping it a secret from Hollywood. That smells like trouble.
Finally, we have Charley back in Los Angeles. She's considering pursuing a political career, and so far, Davis is by her side.
Davis: I want you to be happy, Charley, and I want to make that happen.
Charley: I’m trying to wrap my head around that. I’m trying to trust that.
Davis: I know. It’ll take time, but I’m here for the long haul. Whatever it takes.
If you had asked me a year ago if I thought Charley should consider getting back together with Davis, I would have said absolutely not. But the man has grown. He's admitted his mistakes and put the work into making himself a better man. A man Charley deserves.
Will those changes stick? Only time will tell, and that's unnerving, but I'm hoping for the best. I'm also very excited to see how the rest of the family reacts.
So what do you think, Queen Sugar fans?
Is this the end for Prosper? Is Nova in over her head trying to defund the police in New Orleans? Is Ralph Angel about to lose the farm? And will Charley and Davis find their happy ending or go down in flames once again?
Hit that big, blue, SHOW COMMENTS button down below and tell me your thoughts on the Queen Sugar Season 6 premiere, then check back in for our review of Queen Sugar Season 6 Episode 2!
C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
