It’s Halloween in The Ville. Something tells me there’s gonna be way more tricks than treats.
We start the episode in the past. Dai runs up to Shenobi’s building and loudly asks if Sky is around. Shenobi is highly bothered because Dai is putting their business on front street. Folks can’t be knowin about there whereabouts and whatnot. Sky comes out and tells Shenobi to chill and “go find some calm.” Dai slips right past Shenobi and Sky puts his arms around Dai and leads him to the apartment. Shenobi just looks. The apartment is basically a gangsta’s den. Sky sits with David and reminds him to never let anyone know of his next moves. It’s a real father/son moment.
And now we are back in the present. Shenobi comes to the same apartment and tells Raynan that Dai wants to talk to him. Raynan is sitting in the same chair his father sat in. There’s also a little boy in the apartment that looks to be around JG’s age. I guess they are grooming him for the game. And I think that’s the same little boy that JG was fighting in one of the first episodes. Dai has summoned Raynan because they need to get their plan together for these prescription drugs they are about to be selling. Dai did the unthinkable and stole Dr. Bree’s prescription pad, so now they have to figure out how to use it. Dai is clearly the brains in this operation and he is doing the math and using his magnet school education to make decisions. Raynan is questioning it, but since I ain’t seen Raynan read not nary a book on this matter, he should prolly let Dai handle this. Dai tells Raynan that they can’t do anything that will have the pharmacy calling the police on them. He also reminds Raynan that this ain’t Tio’s operation anymore and they aren’t dealing with just samples. If they mess up, somebody could die or go to jail or both. This is big. While Dai is educating Raynan, his cell phone keeps ringing. It’s Seren. Raynan thinks it’s a girl. Raynan is ready to wrap the convo up because Shenobi has to go and Dai was like…so…let him dip…errbody ain’t got to know our business. Real G’s supposed to move in silence anyway. The problem was that Shenobi was standing right outside the car and took offense. He ain’t everybody and he been looking for a reason to tear Dai’s azz up anyway. Raynan tells him to chill and they both reassure Shenobi that all is well. Dai and Raynan dap it up. They are ready to make some paper. Dai looks over to see the little boy who was in Raynan’s apartment. He had to be thinking about JG and what he’s getting himself into.
It’s Halloween and it fell on Sunday. It’s also the Sunday that Seren has his solo and DJ promised Seren he would go. Gloria is more worried about the “spooky surprise” she has planned for them later. As DJ walks to Seren’s neighborhood, he is met with looks and suspicion by white residents and the security guard at the front gate of the neighborhood. I am sure he was about to cause David some problems, but Ray pulls up in the nick of time. DJ joins the family in the car and notices that things are all wrong. Seren barely speaks when DJ gets in the car, DJ notices a bruise on Seren’s mom’s face, they tell him that it’s a “love tap” from Seren (that we all know Seren has paid for that) and DJ notices a cut on Seren’s finger. Yep. It’s gonna be a great day. The boys ride silently in the back. They finally get to the church where it’s clear that Seren’s family is the model family of the church. Smh. In the church, Seren fixes DJ’s tie. His dad taught him this. Don’t you mean stepdad? Nah. They think I should call him dad now because it’s time. Ughhhhhh. I hate Ray and I hate Seren’s mama (don’t know her name) with everything in me. Everything.
It’s preaching time. There’s nothing like going to church on Halloween. The preacher is ready with his sermon about this day – a day for the devil’s delight. Rev says that this is another day to remember that no ghost, goblin or ghoul shall defeat our King, the Son of Man! He loves all of the Father’s people. It’s His duty to carry the legacy and be a savior to His people. God knew that his Son would walk among sinners and live with the hungry and poor and would befriend the lame and the derelict. He left his Son to deal with those things that were overtaken by pride and jealousy that sought power by evil means. DJ has flashback of good times with Sky. The preacher continues. Not everyone can see God, but they can see his Son, plain as day (like how only David can see Sky, but everyone can see him?) He led by following and serving and sacrificed his own life so that one day his people can find forgiveness. And DJ jumps up and screams, “I am the Son of Man!” The flashbacks got the best of him and he excuses himself. On the way out of the church, he sees everyone. Marissa, JG, Gloria, Dr. WT, Ms. Hertrude, Shenobi and Raynan (who shoots an imaginary gun at him.) Every part of his life, seated in the church. In the restroom, he tries to recover, but suffers from hallucinations. He sees the back of Sky’s head with a bleeding bullet wound. He hears Sky’s voice. I asked you not to look. I told you to run. DJ heads back to the church just in time to hear Seren’s solo. “There is a Fountain Filled with Blood.”
And then Seren and the boys’ choir sings…
There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains;
Lose all their guilty stains;
Lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains
The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away;
Wash all my sins away;
Wash all my sins away;
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away…
Whew! I got chills when Seren sang that for so many reasons. One is that they used to sing that at my grandmother’s church all the time. Another is that I know what Seren is going through. I know what his stepfather is doing to him. Does Seren feel guilty and like a sinner who is stained for life? Is he wishing and hoping that all of his sins will be washed away? And this song is for David, too. Lord knows he has made some terrible and illegal decisions as of late, but can all of his sins be washed away, too? DJ is impressed and proud of Seren, as evidenced by a huge smile. Seren’s mom is proud, too, but she couldn’t even give Seren a proper compliment. She chose to find all the things he did wrong (a voice crack, breathing when he shouldn’t have.) DJ jumps in and tells Seren it was great. After church, Seren persuades his parents to drive DJ home. I think Seren was just trying to buy a few more minutes of safety and peace. At The Ville, Gloria meets their car. Gloria is so hype and invites Seren to stay for the party in the hood. Seren begs to and his parents finally agree. I was so happy for Seren. That boy needs some time away from his “parents.”
Alright now! Seren is about to have his first Halloween in the hood. They have to take him by Mx. Elijah’s so she can hook him up with a costume. On the way, Gloria tries to get some tea from Seren. Does Dai have a lil girlfriend? Cause he don’t tell us nothin. LOL. At that moment, Tare comes out in a beautiful costume (it’s real Misty Copeland Firebird-ish.) She can’t join them because she is going somewhere else, but she asks the crew to help Dai have fun. Poor Dai. He can’t even be a child because his brain is filled with grown man thangs. I want Dai to have fun tonight, too.
And then Ms. Elijah’s come on out and gives the people what they been waitin’ for, dressed like Celia Cruz and speaking Spanish. Yassss, honTey! I know Ms. Elijah gon get Seren right. She used the suit he had on had him looking like Victor/Victoria (I think.) Half woman, half man. Now, for the final touch…some makeup. Seren is very apprehensive about this part. Boys don’t wear makeup. Mx. Elijah says das a lie! What do you think the movie stars wear? Ya’ll know Mx. Elijah got the gift. She can always tell what’s going on with people. She picks up on Seren’s vibe, too and tells him that she leaves her door open for young people. Seren hears what she’s saying and allows her to work her magic. Seren joins the gang and they give him props on the costume. Dai ain’t got no costume and that ain’t gon work. Elijah puts a clown wig on him but Dai tells her it’s itchy. Well…you can’t leave without no costume, sir! Dai sees something that might work. A crown – tilted to tha side. The gang heads out to get this Halloween started – JG, Starry, Seren, Dai and Elijah. They funny. Halloween quickly takes a left turn when someone gave them peanuts. JG was like…wtf…she gave us peanuts and yall actin like this is ok? I love JG. LOL. Anywho…on to the next. Ms. Hertrude. SMH. You know she got a slick mouth. The first thing she wanted to know was why Elijah had Seren outchea in the streets looking like that. Don’t be infecting him with your sissy ways. Ya’ll. I do not know why Ms. Hertrude continues to come for Elijah. Every single time she tries it, he drags her. And this time was no different. Elijah said…oh…you wanna talk about infections? I’d mind my business and T-cell count if I was you. See. She asked for it tho. Elijah immediately tells Seren not to listen to her.
Back in Sky’s old apartment/the drug headquarters, Raynan is in the Halloween spirit, too. He is dressed like a Roman God…Julius Caesar-ish. He’s counting money…with his back to the door and headphones on. I ain’t never been in the drug game, but I know that all of this is foolish. Tio’s right hand man comes in and scares the ish out of him. He watches Raynan count money and questions him about the odd burner phone on the table. Where did he get that one from? It looks like the phone that was in the pocket of a snitch. Raynan looks guilty. Ole boy continues to go in and it’s getting real tight up in there. But then ole boy says he was just playin. But why do I think he wasn’t?? Is Raynan a snitch? He leaves ole boy in the apartment. They will meet later.
The party is in full swing at The Ville. The people are having a good time. JG is giving folks the low down on where to get the goodT candy. Raynan comes out and cranks up the music in his car. Dai sees Raynan dance with his mom. And then he sees ole boy who was just with Raynan exit the apartment. He jumps down from the stairs and Dai is triggered. He sees the night that Sky was killed. That man looks just like the one who did it. And he jumped from the middle of the stairs, over the railing, just like that. Is this the dude who killed Sky? I think so.
Gloria has been working hard on her “spooky surprise,” and Dai walks into their apartment and into a haunted house. He isn’t happy tho. Why did she spend all this money for this party? We can’t afford a party! Gloria tells Dai to chill and just have fun. He screams, “we can’t afford fun!” She tells him she is aware of their financial reality, but she has it all under control. And…tomorrow they can go back to struggling and crying about it. But, tonight, they gon have fun. Got it? I felt Gloria. Sometimes you just want to forget about the struggle. Sometimes you just want to do something for your kids so they will have those memories. I get it. And poor Dai. I get what he was saying, too. Last week, JG was out here selling shoes to pay the rent, Dai decided to get in the drug game and Gloria sold some drugs herself to keep a roof over their heads. I get it.
The night is over and Dai and Seren wait on the curb for Seren’s parents. He can see why DJ wants to go to Hurston. The Ville is a straight madhouse. Wayment, Seren! I live here. Didn’t you have fun? He did. He had the most fun that he has ever had. Seren apologizes and even he is confused about what to call David. Now that he has been in Dai’s world, can he call him Dai? Idk. He goes with both. DJ…Dai? Seren thinks DJ is mad, but he’s not. Seren is relieved because he can’t take anyone else being mad at him. DJ takes some of the blame for what’s going on with Seren’s parents. They are still mad about the fight, but Seren tells him that it doesn’t matter. DJ says it does because he is worried about Seren. Seren knows that DJ worries and he is worried about DJ too because DJ is his best friend. With a tear running down his cheek, DJ tells Seren that he is his ONLY friend. Seren says they are more than friends. It’s better than just friendship. And then, Seren tells DJ that he will miss him sometimes. And, my heart broke. Is he planning to kill himself? Does he think his parents will kill him? Is he planning to run away? What is going on? DJ wants to know, too. He’s not going anywhere…but where is Seren going? He says he doesn’t know and then his parents pull up. Immediately, his mother wants to know what he did to his suit and he tells her he did whatever he wanted to do. So, we know that when he gets home, there’s a full night of terror waiting for him. He frantically hugs DJ, cries and gives him a note. I ain’t gonna make it, yall. I need for Seren to make it. I need for him to tell somebody besides DJ. All DJ can do is tell Seren to be careful. Seren tells him it “don’t matter.” *insert tears here* Mx. Elijah sees Seren’s peeps drive off and the tears on Dai’s face. She tells him he can’t save everyone…sometimes you have to give people their problems right back to them. I understand. But, yall…what’s gonna happen to Seren?
After all of that goes down, Dai runs. He keeps running and he sees all of the scenes from the night Sky was killed. He hears the gunshot and he hears Sky tell him not to look. But he does look. He snaps out of the memories and is at Sky’s apartment door. He walks right on in. Shenobi is surprised. Oh, you ain’t scared no more? And again, the memories come back. Memories of Sky sitting in the chair and smiling and giving him advice. Raynan is there and he’s sitting in the chair. Dai tells him he hasn’t been up there since Sky’s death. Shenobi chimes in about how Dai thinks Raynan’s daddy is his daddy, too. Raynan tells Shenobi to chill and tells Dai he needs to move on. Life goes on. They just need to continue the legacy. Dai notices that Shenobi is packaging their product in napkins. Really, Nobi? Water will cause the product to dissolve. Both Shenobi and Raynan still think it’s a smart move. What will they do when it rains? It WILL rain. They say that’s the cost of doing business…gotta break some eggs to make an omelet. *le sigh* And then…Dai “the Daybringer” arrives. Yall can play with Tio’s samples, but not my ish. He pulls out some plastic bags and shows them how it’s done. Eggs cost money and EYE need my money. And now Shenobi is ready to lay hands on Dai. Raynan stops him. You gon let him run up in the house I built? I make this ish work. You just a kid! Dai doesn’t back down and almost dares him to come with it. And Raynan continues to stop it…which I think Dai finds amusing and expects to happen. Then Dai leaves with a new air of confidence.
The next day is here and Shenobi is laying up philsophizing…while Mx. Elijah pleasures him? What in the hayle is going on here. Shenobi and Elijah got a thang going on. Lawd. I wasn’t expecting that at all. Elijah be knowing what’s going on with alludem because she all up in it. Shenobi tells her they are expanding the business. They need a number, just in case the pharmacist calls…just to look legit. Elijah is down, but only if they give her 20% of all sales, access to all prescriptions and some free prescriptions. Shenobi told her she was doing to much, but Elijah comes with receipts. This is a felony and she knows how to get this done without getting caught. She is true to this, not new to this. You don’t want to risk giving this job to a novice. Shenobi wants to know if he can trust her. Well…Elijah reminds him that they both have secrets…especially after the lil “activity” they just had. On his way out, Shenobi runs into Starry and Dai. He calls Starry a faggot, which is muy interesting considering what just went down between Shenobi and Elijah.
In the closing sequence, we see everyone’s wounds. Ms. Hertrude takes her meds, which I assume are for HIV/AIDS. Seren takes care of his busted lip, which he no doubt got last night from his parents. Dai sits in his room and reads Seren’s letter. He heads to Gloria’s room, where she is sitting by a window and totally out of it. Dai asks if she’s ok and she says her hip hurts. Dai looks out the window and sees kids riding their bikes, a woman hanging clothes on a clothesline and Sky’s dead corpse. And then…David is in Sky’s old apartment, sitting in Sky’s chair and putting his crown from Halloween night on his head. King David has been crowned. But didn’t Sky quote some Shakespeare to Dai before…”uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.”
Ya’ll! This episode was A LOT. I woke up the next morning with King David on my mind. And in a move that I am sure made my grandmothers in heaven proud, I headed to the Bible for a little Bible Study. I needed to refresh my memory on King David. King David was a warrior and writer of psalms (sounds familiar, eh?) Also, Jonathan and Saul were huge figures in King David’s life. Jonathan was the son of King Saul and David’s friend. In DMM, Jonathan is David’s brother and Saul is JG’s grandfather. Hmmm…interesting.
The story of King Saul has lots to do with jealousy. He was jealous of David. David and Jonathan were friends, but that didn’t matter. There’s tons of jealousy going on with these dudes, too. Shenobi is jealous of Dai and the relationship he had with Sky. Raynan is jealous of Dai because Sky was HIS father…yet he has to acknowledge how much of a son Dai was to Sky. Eventually Saul and Jonathan died, but there was one son left, Ishbaal, who was crowned King. Ishbaal was murdered by his own people and David became King of Israel. Is that what’s going on here? Based on the convo between Raynan and Tio’s right-hand man, I am starting to think Raynan may have been in on his own father’s murder. Was he that pressed to take over the kingdom? Was Sky killed by his own people? And, even tho Raynan has appointed himself king of Sky’s legacy, it’s David, an unlikely king, who actually took over the thrown. Hmmmm. And on a Biblical SN: Elijah was a prophet. He knew everything. Just like this Elijah. Interesting.
Besides all the Biblical stuff, I was also getting Biggie and Jean Michel Basquiat vibes from the crown and the art on the wall in the apartment. How can there be such an eclectic mix of messaging? I love it.
So…what’s next?
In a huge surprise, Mx. Elijah is all up in the drug game, too. Who would thunk? I trusted her!! I am low key disappointed. The only bright side I can see in this is that she is in a position to help protect Dai.
Did Gloria take some drugs? She seemed so out of it when Dai came to her room. I am scared.
Did Tio (Sky’s brother) and Raynan (Sky’s son) know what was going down with Sky’s murder?
What was in the letter that Seren gave to DJ? I was hoping we were going to find out.
Is DJ going to get that letter from Dr. WT? Will he get to Hurston? I need him to get outta The Ville. For real.
How will King David rule? According to 1 Chronicles 18:14, “King David reigned over all of Israel; and he administered justice and equity to all his people.” Will David/Dai/DJ do the same?
Until next time…
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