Season 4, Episode 4
It’s another day at the church and Bob is in town with his latest foolery and plans for H&H to expand yet again, at Calvary’s expense. There’s a church called Fairview that has been on a steady decline. Since the church is close by, Bob wants Grace to go by the church and talk to their pastor about joining Calvary. Grace agrees. And, oh, by the way…Fairview is a white church. This should be interesting.
Remember last week, Grace told AJ to come on home. So now AJ is in Memphis and Grace is getting him all set up in an apartment. She is helping him get moved in and he is in the kitchen cooking. Grace is impressed. He learned to cook from one of his foster families. His foster dad was a chef. Grace tells him that Sophia’s dad is one, too, but he already knows that. AJ has been doing some “research” on his family.
It looks like Jacob’s talk with Kerissa didn’t stop her from moving forward with plans to sell the land. After a presentation from the developer, Jacob reluctantly agrees to sell. The developer is happy and while shaking hands with him, Kerissa notices that he has on some very nice cufflinks. I didn’t think much of it, but it becomes important later. Kerissa thanks Jacob for agreeing and tells him this will be good for them. Prolly not. But, we shall see. The closing is all planned for Sunday. Later, while printing some docs for Excellence, Kerissa lets Mae know that she is meeting with Phil to talk about the school. Hmmm. That’s interesting. Mae lets that one go and asks about the land. Kerissa happily tells her that they accepted an offer. Oh…so the advice that Bishop gave Jacob didn’t work, eh? Kerissa tells Mae that it’s their land and they were free to sell it. Mae tells her that Eve was free to eat that apple, too — and you see where that got us. LOL. I love Mae.
At the mansion, Bishop gets a call from one of their church friends in Atlanta. She has asked him to fill in for their pastor while he’s on a mission trip. Bishop is excited. Mae…not so much. This is unwise for them. Their goal is to impress the people of their church. Mae asks Bishop if he misses the spotlight that much and Bishop tells her it ain’t about that – it’s about him “molding in the shadows.” Bishop needs something to do, yall. Since this season started all he does is work out, follow Mae around and give his kids advice. I want him to get out tha house, too. Just as Bishop and Mae were about to get into it, Grace comes thru will the latest news from Bob. He wants them to fold a small white church into Calvary. Mae’s face tho. LOL. They assume that the deacons have no idea that this is going on. There’s no way anyone would go for this. They discuss. How would this work? Per Mae, church is one of the few places black folks can go and be themselves. Bishop says it’s not about race, it’s about H&H and Bob. Bob gets to swoop in on a failing church and cash in on the property. Grace is trying to play devil’s advocate. Maybe this will be good. Maybe this is a step towards racial reconciliation. Wayment there, Gigi. Bishop comes with receipts. There has never been a multi-racial megachurch with a black pastor. So…if Bob’s big plan is to turn H&H into this kumbaya of a diverse megachurch, you can bet that a Greenleaf won’t be leading the flock. Bishop has spoken. But…Mae isn’t finished. She makes a call to Karine. Who is in charge of Bob’s schedule? It’s Karine. Mae got a plan.
At the church, Charity is practicing that ear trash of a piece of music to get ready for Sunday at H&H. Phil comes thru for tea from his favorite family snitch. Charity has none. Phil is feeling the heat from Bob. He really isn’t sure what’s going on but he is clearly scared that he will lose his job. He needs some juice on Grace or neither one of them will have a job at H&H. Charity and Phil were sitting mighTy close on that piano bench and I thought they were going to kiss for a second, but they didn’t. Charity goes back to practicing the travesty of a song.
Grace heads to her neck of the mansion and Sophia is there. What are you doing here? She came to see her brother. Apparently, they have been talking. No one else knows Sophia is there and she wants to keep it that way. She is being incog-Negro and staying in the cabin with Zora. AJ told Sophia about the deal and how he is supposed to stay in the shadows until Grace tells him to come out. Sophia is BIG MAD about this whole situation. Grace still wants to wait until the church is secure to let this big secret out. Sophia proceeds to read Grace. You are not worried about the church, you are worried about protecting yourself. You shot your mouth off for 40 years and now you have to admit to yourself that you are as bad as everyone else. Admit it and get it over with. Le sigh. I have questions. Sophia may be right, but her tone ain’t. The way these TV kids talk to their parental units always makes my teeth itch. And, the way she just drove off to Hampton is still sitting on my last nerB. Besides that, I really need to know where Sophia gets her funds from. Who paid for the flight home? Ray?
Sophia struggles to explain to Zora why she took off the way she did. She can’t really say much about it without getting into the details of the secret. Zora allows Sophia to slide, as long as she helps her with her stuff for the Little Saints. Sophia tells her she can’t because she has plans with Roberto, but promises to be around tomorrow to help her get it done. Sophia isn’t headed to see Roberto. She is headed for a reunion with her brother, AJ. They spend the entire night getting to know each other and drinking. SMH. AJ shares stories about his foster families and how his last family just kicked him out after he turned 18. Sophia is clearly not a drinker, but she goes along with it. She apologizes for Grace’s behavior, but promises AJ that she will be there for him. AJ tells Sophia that she is just like Grace. They are both “all in” and here to save the day. It’s easy to show up and make promises. The hard part is keeping them. Sophia denies being anything like Grace. She is at Hampton, but that will not stop her from being a great little sister. She is in this thang with him. Forever. And then, the alcohol gets to her and she goes to sleep. I was lowkey scared for a minute because I don’t know AJ like that. But, he instantly becomes a big brother and covers Sophia up with a blanket and watches her sleep. Sophia sleeps through the night and comes back to the cabin the next morning to a salty Zora. Zora calls Sophia a lying bish. She did her research and Sophia wasn’t with Roberto. So where did you stay last night? And…Roberto doesn’t drink, but you smell like liquah. Sophia can’t say anything, so she doesn’t.
At the church, Grace meets with Fairview’s pastor, Cal. They both don’t understand what Bob is trying to do here. Cal had recommended several other white churches in the area as potential partners for his church. Bob told him to “get back on the paper,” …like a puppy. Cal seems defeated. He is ready to give in and be “realisitic.” Grace tells him that being realistic has nothing to do with Jesus Christ.
Down the hall, Kerissa is meeting with Phil. Apparently, Excellence could fit right in with Harmony & Hope. He will talk to Bob and see if they can work together. And then she shakes Phil’s hand…and notices the cufflinks. The same ones that the developer had. Kerissa inquires and finds out that Bob gave them to Phil and they are custom. Jacob might get some soon…if things work out. Uh oh. Kerissa has made a connection. They are about to sell that land to H&H! Kerissa checks in with her realtor. A few hours before the closing, Kerissa got her answer. The developers ARE H&H. Kerissa knows this ain’t the move, but she continues on with the closing. She hesitates to sign the papers, but she ultimately executes the docs. And now the land across from Calvary belongs to H&H to do whatever they please. And Jacob doesn’t know.
At the church’s coffeeshop, “Charity the Spy” finds “Karine with the Tea” to see what she can dig up on her sister, Grace. She tells Karine that she’s found someone special. Karine automatically assumes that she’s talking about Phil. See. I am not the only one feeling those Charity/Phil vibes. Charity denies it and says she’s found someone for Grace, but she needs to know if Grace is single or not. Karine tells her to ask Grace. I concur. Charity presses on. Is it over between Darius and Grace? As far as Karine knows, yes. What about Noah? He did come back for a “reunion.” Karine says he did come back for “something,” but Noah is married. So that’s the answer. But Karine isn’t good at holding tea, so Charity takes her cues from there. There’s something going on. Smh. Charity takes the new information she got and makes a pretty bold move. She calls Noah’s house and leaves a message for him. Hey, Noah…it’s me…Charity…how dare you come to Calvary and not stop by to say hello? Lawd. Charity is out here blowing up people’s marriages. This bish. The saddest part about this move is that Charity doesn’t know what’s going on at all. His visit could have been innocent. She doesn’t care.
Mae worked something out with Karine and got a lunch meeting with Bob. She asks Bob straight up what his long-term goals were with Fairview. What’s up with this church mixing you’re trying to do? Even though Fairview is a “small and sickly” church, folding them into Calvary “could quench the spirits of both congregations in ways that would be so problematic.” And…this whole thing can be labeled as “spiritual sabotage.” Bob is amused by Mae. Mae is not amused by his amusement. Mae gives him some historical receipts. Our worship goes back to slavery. The church has always been our safe haven. Bob says he understands, but proposed it because the world is changing and people are mixing, so the church should reflect that. Mae says she’s fearful of what they will lose in the process and where someone like Grace would fit into that mix. Bob tell Mae that if God called Grace to be a voice for the wypipo, it will be. If not, God will find someone else. And, to top it off, Bob says that he knows this because he was inspired by the transcript of the sermon from a “Day with Lady Mae.” Per Bob, Grace didn’t get her gift from her dad (this is true), she got it from Mae. Mae didn’t let the compliments sway her and Bob basically shuts down the convo. Let Grace and Cal work this thing out.
Sophia has had enough of sneaking around and heads back out to Hampton (Go, Pirates!) On the way out, she runs into Mae who is happy and shocked to see her. Mae still wants answers about Sophia’s abrupt exit, but Sophia can’t give her any. Grace is standing by and can’t say anything either. Sophia whispers to Grace that she will keep the secret, but she will not lie for her. Adding to an already emotional moment, Mae tells Grace that she had lunch with Bob. Grace is upset. Grace tells Mae that she met with Cal and Fairview doesn’t want to merge either. Mae knows that and she also knows that it’s Grace’s job to kill it. And then the old Lady Mae returns. Grace…you always see stuff from everyone else’s POV…how about you see it from ours for once. Please. Ours or yours? Grace wonders. Grace tells her that she’s just gon pray on it. Mae tells her that they are LOSING the church. PERIODT. Grace takes that as an insult. Thanks for your vote of confidence, Moms.
And it’s Sunday. Judy and Charity are up front singing that awful song. Charity is doing her best to hold it together. Judy is singing for the glory of Gawd. Calvary is confused. It’s a mess. Charity tries to add some soul to the song. It’s sad. Grace preaches about the 12 Tribes of Israel and how they were different tribes, and somehow Moses got all of them to agree to slaughter their first born lamb and paint the doorways with its blood and it worked. They walked out of Egypt and the sea parted out of respect for their unity of purpose. How did Moses do it? Maybe it wasn’t Moses. It was God. Pharoah was moving people against their wills and in doing so, he united them against their enemy. But when they rose up, it was mighty. Anyone out there in the world who thinks that they can get away with playing around with God’s people better watch out (I’m looking at you H&H). Woe to you, when we rise. Rise up, church. Rise, up! Woe to you when we rise, because it is going to cost you everything! In the beginning, the H&H people were here for this little sermon. But then Bob and Phil figured it all out and they were not pleased. But the people of Calvary got a good word. Bishop is proud. Mae says it was well done. But now Phil rolls up and tells Grace that Bob wants to see her in Phil’s office. Bob says he chose Phil’s office because it will remind Grace that this is not her church. She is an employee of H&H and they own it all…down to her robes. Cal just told Bob that he is going to stay put. He was inspired by Grace’s sermon. So now, she has messed up his plan. Grace doesn’t see the issue. Why is this so urgent. Bob says he’s trying to make the world a better place. What is Grace doing – indulging her own righteousness at the expense of the people she values the most? Say what? What does that mean? One more move and she is fired and so is the rest of the fam. Keep playin.
Noah phones Grace. He is at a bar trying to forget his troubles. He tells Grace that Isabelle threw him out because Charity left that message about his whereabouts. Isabelle assumed that they saw each other and Noah came clean. He had no choice. Isabelle wasn’t here for any of the reindeer games and gave Noah the boot. And guess what? Now, he’s moving back to Memphis to get to know his son. Charity’s plan worked. After the call ended, Grace stands and looks at the woman in the mirror.
What next??
Kerissa deserves everything coming to her. She is DEAD wrong for her recent shenanigans. She knows the fight that the family is up against, and she didn’t care. And when it all comes out, Jacob will look like the fool. Wonder how and when Jacob will find out. And will that be the end for them? That marriage has been on shaky ground now for a while anyway.
It looks like Lady Mae and Kerissa go at it next week. I am here for ALL OF THAT.
Charity. Charity. Charity. She can catch these hands. She gives absolutely no dambs about anything but becoming a pastor at H&H, which will probably never happen anyway. But, her plan worked, so now Noah will come barreling back in town mad as hell. I look forward to a scene where Noah confronts Charity about her foolery. She was all outta order.
I believe AJ has a drinking problem. I wonder if Sophia will start drinking, too. And, will Sophia just be hopping planes to and from Hampton all season anytime she feels like it? And when will Grace tell Sophia to watch her tone? The people want to know.
Bishop needs to gon head and accept the offer to come and preach for one Sunday in Atlanta. He is feeling mighty useless around there.
Looks like Phil is skating on thin ice, too. I wonder if tea on Grace will save his job or if Bob is just over him, too. Wouldn’t it be interesting if Phil joined the Greenleafs and turned the table on Bob?
Did Grace hear what Sophia had to say? Is she ready to be done with her hypocritical ways and tell all her secrets? I am waiTing for the day when the family finds out about AJ. My lawd.
So Noah is coming home. That should be interesting. When all of the dust settles around the AJ situation, I wonder if Noah and Grace will find their way back to each other.
See yall next week.
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