Queen Sugar Season 7 Episode 12 Review: Be and Be Better
Christine Orlando
at
.
We've dreamt of the day we'd see Sam Landry get evicted from his own property, and it finally happened on Queen Sugar Season 7 Episode 12.
So why did such an epic moment in this saga feel like such a letdown?
Despite watching the Bordelons battle the Landrys for seven seasons, Sam Landry's eviction fell flat due to a lack of buildup.
In one episode, we learned that Sam was in debt and not paying his bills. In the next, we got one scene of Ralph Angel testifying in front of the USDA, and then Ralph Angel, Darla, Billie, and Prosper watched the Sheriff's officers remove Sam's furniture from his home.
It should have been satisfying, but it wasn't because there was no drama in these scenes.
Why didn't we see Sam sweating this moment as he tried to call in favors from everyone he knew to keep the wolf from his door?
Given how many times Sam Landry has used the Sheriff's office to do his bidding, it could have been incredibly gratifying to witness Sam's reaction to the officers arriving to remove him and his belongings from his home.
But none of that happened. The only thing we saw was Sam, at a distance, and Ralph Angel yelling at him from the sidelines.
What a disappointment.
We understand that the battle isn't over. All of Landry's land, including the Bordelon farm, is about to be auctioned off, and Sam has his associates trying to buy it up for him.
How far will Sam's supposed friends go to win him back his property when he no longer has the money to pay for it? Will the co-op be able to outbid them?
It's hard to say, and we'll have to tune in to find out, but the suspense is less than overwhelming.
As much as we'd like to see Ralph Angel farming his family's land again, out of all of the Bordelons, it only makes a life-altering difference to him. Charley is off in California, while Nova has her own life and career away from the farm.
But it would be sad to see the family lose everything they've fought so long to maintain at the end of the series.
Elsewhere, Nova took Aunt Martha's death hard. This was a wake-up call for Nova, who realized how much of her life had been spent trying to earn her father's favor over pursuing the interests that aligned with her mother's.
Nova: Looking at this, I realize I spent a lot of time living up to his expectations, and I lost track of hers. How could I let this happen?
Ralph Angel: Pops had that effect on us. It felt like it was a struggle trying to be who I wanted to be and be who he wanted me to be.
As Nova walked through her mother's family home, it bothered me that Dominic was with her. It felt like a reprieve when the door wouldn't open.
It was also a sign of things to come.
For a moment, I worried that Nova would take off for Africa with Dominic, so it was a relief when she turned him down.
But Dominic, this is your destiny, not mine. This is your path, and you have to follow it. My path leads here.
Nova
On the surface, Dominic seems like a great guy. He says and does all the right things, so much so that he makes me roll my eyes. But he's not right for Nova.
It feels like she's telling herself she should love Dominic because he's a good, smart, steady man who cares about her. But she's not in love with him.
Thankfully, this relationship is over without too much angst, and barely a tear shed on Nova's part. Will she find a new love before the series ends?
Micah was offered the job of his dreams in New York City, and he did a wonderful job of explaining why this felt like the right move to Keke in this Queen Sugar quote:
LA is my parents’ city. Like, I grew up there, but it was their way of life. It’s not necessarily the way of life I would choose for myself. Then I took that trip to Paris for the summer, and that was cool, but again, something was missing. And New Orleans is beautiful and comfortable and amazing and magical, but I’m trying to step outside of my comfort zone. That’s exactly what I felt when I went to New York. In the best way.
Micah
But I wish he would have done a better job of explaining it to his parents.
Micah continuously complains that his mother doesn't respect him enough to treat him like an adult, but can he blame her?
Didn't Micah recently publish an image of Charley on one of the worst days of her life to garner fame and money for himself? He didn't think about how that would affect her campaign or her personally. Then he didn't even have the courage to own up to it and dodged her phone calls for weeks.
Micah wants to be treated like a grownup, but he hasn't acted like much of one up to this point. Instead of leading with the fact that he was dropping out of college, perhaps he could have told Charley about the opportunity he was being offered and what it meant to him.
Micah made Charley out to be the bad guy before he even picked up the phone, and then he framed the conversation in a way that ensured she'd react the way he expected.
That probably makes him feel self-righteous, but it doesn't say much about his character.
Finally, we get to Vi and Hollywood, who appear to have things finally going their way.
Vi's pies are about to be sold in grocery stores. They're approved to be foster parents, a role they couldn't be better suited to take on. And Hollywood is on the cusp of being elected to the school board.
Violet and Hollywood have love to give and the desire to help their community. More people should emulate them in real life.
And Blue returned home for a visit! Although nothing was decided about whether he should be told about Chase, it was fun to see him interact with his little sister.
So what did you think, Queen Sugar fans?
Was Sam Landry's comeuppance all that you hoped it would be or were you disappointed too?
Will Nova find new love, or is it okay for her to be single when the show ends?
Was Micah too hard on Charley?
And will Ralph Angel win back the family farm?
Remember to check back for our review of Queen Sugar Season 7 Episode 13 here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
