“When Do I Go From Cute to Dangerous?”
That was the sign Blue made for the children’s march, and it was honest and disturbing enough to really get the point across on Queen Sugar Season 5 Episode 7.
Would Blue, at 10, be old enough to receive that “down payment” beat down that Calvin’s veteran officer talked about?
Nova’s idea for a children’s march was inspired until the permit didn’t go through. When Ralph Angel and Darla insisted on holding up their signs anyway, I was scared for them, and that feeling wasn’t wrong.
The encounter with the police officer was frightening because of how easily it could have turned into another tragedy. And although I’m sure the incident will give Ralph Angel and Darla nightmares, it likely changed Blue’s outlook on the world forever.
Blue had never known that kind of fear before that moment. He’d never been faced with someone in power who wanted to hurt his family simply because they existed.
Darla: He’s 10. His world has to be better than this, and always. We have to make sure that happens, okay?
Ralph Angel: Always.
The flashbacks to a young Blue were poignant in ways I hadn’t expected. He’s grown so much since the show began.
When Blue wanted to play with dolls, Ralph Angel fought to protect him from the world. But Ralph Angel’s ability as a parent to protect Blue is dwindling as the ugliness of the world encroaches.
Darla: We do what we can to bring some beauty into this ugly world.
Ralph Angel: Ugly? Ain’t nothing ugly over here. I mean, we look good. We beautiful, all of us.
Darla: Amen.
In other news, Blue’s IQ scores came back, and he is exceptionally gifted. As Darla and Ralph Angel celebrated their brilliant child, I kept thinking about how even blessings come with challenges.
They will be challenged not just with finding the best path for Blue to reach his full potential but also in handling Darlene as she tries to take over!
Violet and Hollywood were experiencing their own difficulties.
When Violet said she was overdoing take-out orders, and I realized it was only June, it was clear this was going to be a long and difficult year ahead.
But Violet’s real dilemma was trying to figure out how to deal with Hollywood.
She’s so used to Hollywood being the emotional rock for her and everyone else, but that’s changed.
Violet: Well, what about The Real Spot? Does that matter? Let’s talk about that.
Hollywood: Ain’t nothing to talk about. Sitting over there empty on a year’s lease with six months left to go. Draining every little bit of my settlement savings. There ain’t shit that I can do about it, so what I’m going to do is sit here, drink this beer, watch this game, which I already know the outcome of, and wait for my beautiful wife, who happens to be a tremendous cook, go and bring me something to eat.
Hollywood is depressed and grieving, and that’s understandable. The pandemic has destroyed his plans for The Real Spot. Watching the video of George Floyd’s death probably made him feel both fury and helplessness. On top of that, he has to deal with the grief of losing his mother.
Given everything, his negative attitude seems reasonable. Vi doesn’t know how to deal with this version of Hollywood. She wants to fix it, but she can’t, and it’s dragging her down.
Hopefully, Vi can figure out how to hold her head up while giving Hollywood the space he needs to work through this emotional crisis in his own time because I doubt there’s much else she can do.
Elsewhere, Nova took a road trip to bring Courtney back to school.
I had always expected the other shoe to drop with Courtney. I thought she would cause some trouble for Calvin and Nova, but that never happened.
In the end, she was exactly what she appeared, a naive young woman who wanted to do the right thing, even if she didn’t always have the perspective to know-how.
Courtney: I want to be a good ally. I want to be a good person. I thought I was. I feel like I just keep putting my foot in my mouth. I feel like I don’t know anything.
Nova: You’re feeling all the right things. Look at me. Never feel satisfied. Never feel that you know it all. Stay uncomfortable. Stay pushing yourself. Stay asking questions, stay listening. Stay trying. That’s what it means to be a good ally, a good person.
Nova wasn’t easy on Courtney during her visit, but she also recognized that Courtney was trying the best she could. She just had a lot more to learn.
The trip had Nova remembering the highs and lows she’s experienced with Calvin throughout the years. Nova once told Calvin that she couldn’t fully be herself when she was with him because she was black and he was white.
Has that changed? Calvin had opened the door to a discussion about marriage, and Nova didn’t slam it shut. Is a serious commitment something she’s considering, despite all of the obstacles they’ll face?
With the Bordelon family traveling or dealing with their own hardships, it left Charley on her own.
Charley’s ability to let Micah go to Minneapolis without argument, despite her fear, was admirable. She’s truly trying to treat him like the young adult he is.
I was glad Charley called Aunt Vi out on her hypocrisy, considering Vi was the one who told Charley she couldn’t treat Micah like a child even though he was back under her roof.
But it all led to Charley having no one when she needed help the most.
We can only assume that Charley has contracted Covid-19, and of all the characters I predicted would become infected with the virus, Charley was at the bottom of the list.
Perhaps she shouldn’t have been. Charley is as strong as they come. She is indomitable, a real fighter. But this virus doesn’t care what you’re made of; everyone is at risk.
When Charley called Davis, I was shocked, but I suppose it’s not outside the realm of possibility. With everyone else out of state or not picking up their phones and Aunt Vi being at high risk because she already has Lupus, maybe Davis was a logical choice.
Now that she’s made that call, I’m very curious to see how this plays out. They wouldn’t kill off Charley, right? But how sick will she be, and how much time will she end up quarantined with her ex?
Now it’s your turn, TV Fanatics.
Were you as shocked as I was that Charley called Davis?
Had you been expecting the worst out of Courtney?
Was Nova considering marrying Calvin or breaking up with him?
Does Hollywood need time to grieve, or should Violet try to get him help?
Did the encounter with the cop change Blue?
Hit that big, blue, SHOW COMMENTS button down below and tell us how you felt about this installment of Queen Sugar.
C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.