Previously on Queen Sugar...
I got memories that I'd left in the past
seeping into my bones again.
You're just insecure, lying trash who'll never
be more than what she's always been, irrelevant.
I can get at the real story.
You don't have to do all this on your own.
My past led me to you,
and that led me to want to be a better man.
One minute, you were downing jello shots
before he dragged you upstairs.
Don't no man have the right to take advantage of you.
No means no.
-Am I doing this right? -[Charley] Come on, smile.
-[camera beeps] -Mom, be careful with that thing.
I got the settings just how I like it.
Hush. I'm doing this.
[Hollywood] Charley, don't be messing with the boy's camera.
-Ma, you're not even holding it right. -Okay, all right. Fine, fine.
[Hollywood] A young Prince and Nona Gaye. All right, now.
-[laughter and chattering] - Who?
I poured sparkling cider so we can all toast this gorgeous,
smart couple before they head out.
We celebrate this young queen and king today,
not only for their beauty, but also for their brains.
Round of applause to Keke,
who's going to my Tulane University,
on a full visual arts scholarship!
-[all cheer] -That's right.
Go, Green Wave.
[laughs]
And our dear Micah West,
who's taking his talents all the way across the country
-to... -[all] Harvard.
My baby's going to Harvard.
[Hollywood] All right, now.
Gonna be like my man, um, who's always looking
for people's roots and family trees on TV.
The next Henry Louis Gates. Yes.
Yeah, well, I think we've had enough roots-finding
and done dodged enough trees to fill a whole forest.
[laughter]
Thank you, Uncle Hollywood.
-Cheers. -Thank you, Auntie Nova.
[all] Cheers.
All right, well, we took enough photos at Keke's house.
Can we go? Yeah? We're gonna be late.
For which part? The pre-prom, the prom,
the post-prom, the prom proposal,
the prom entrances?
I mean, it's just so much.
Nah, we're just gonna keep it simple.
We're just linking with some friends before we go to the prom.
Couple of us put in for a hotel suite, so...
Okay, well, ordinarily, I would say be home by 11:00,
but tonight I'm just gonna say have a good time.
Thank you.
Here, let me get in there right quick. Let me get in there.
Flower.
Prom party at the hotel, huh?
-[chuckles] -I remember them days.
Now, all I'm gonna tell you, brother, is just be responsible.
-Okay, young blood? -Yeah, I hear you.
-I hear you. I promise. -All right.
[Charley] Hey, here you go.
-Just in case. -It's fine, Mom.
-Just in case. -No.
The forecast said light showers at most.
Plus, we're gonna be inside most of the night.
Okay.
-I'm good. -Okay. Have fun.
-Have fun. -[Micah] Thank you.
-Shall we? -We shall.
[Vi] Y'all have a good time.
All right. Bye, Auntie.
[Charley] Turn around, and give a little wave.
Just over the shoulder. Just a little wave.
-Gosh. -Just do it!
[Hollywood] Looking like a young El DeBarge over there.
-[all laugh] -Oh, Lord.
¶ Dreams never die ¶
¶ Take flight As the world turns ¶
¶ Dreams never die ¶
¶ Take flight As the world turns ¶
¶ Keep the colors In the lines ¶
¶ Take flight ¶
¶ Dreams never die ¶
¶ Keep the colors In the lines ¶
¶ Keep the colors In the lines, take flight ¶
I remember when Micah was a baby,
just holding him on my shoulder.
He was so tiny.
And now look at him.
He's almost a grown man.
Mm-hmm. You worried about what he might be doing with Keke.
No, I am not worried about that.
I raised him to do the right thing.
And I plan to keep myself very busy
not worrying about it with this town hall
to prepare for.
-Sounds like a good plan. -I just--
I need to be ready for anything
the Landry-Boudreauxs throw my way.
The polls have tightened. I can't take any chances.
Oh, hey, well, the diner is ready for your walk-through.
You've got the key. If you need anything, you just call me.
-Thanks, Aunt Vi. -[Vi] You're welcome, baby.
I know you're worried about the polls.
I didn't want to share this when we weren't speaking,
but now...
What is it?
I learned something on my book tour
that I think you should know.
I figured it's something you could use at the debate
to keep Jacob off balance.
Just in case you need more... ammunition.
[Deesha] Cold and freshly made.
Ah. Thank you. Appreciate it.
And you, of course.
[children laughing]
-Joie! -Whoa! Ahh. Whoa, now.
Joie Sonnier, where are your manners?
You didn't even speak to Mr. Bordelon when he came in.
Hello, Mr. Ralph Angel.
And?
-And thanks. -Mm-mm.
Thank you for bringing Blue over.
You are very welcome, Miss Joie.
Joie, you have to see the spaceship Pops got.
It has flames painted on the wings and everything.
Oh, it's right there.
I can't tell you how sorry I am for missing our last date.
I should have just been real with you
about what's going on.
Things happen.
But is everything okay?
I mean, it took a playdate with our kids for me to even see you.
Is there anything I need to know?
It's just kind of complicated.
Well...
Better get some snacks before these kids get too antsy.
-[thunder rumbling] -[sighs]
[Nova] Try that last bit again.
"My goal in running for city council
is to continue to build a community
that's better for all of us.
Just as St. Jo has made me a better person,
I hope to give back--"
Don't forget the people in the side booths.
Oh, right. Uh...
"I welcome...
I-I-I welcome this opportunity today
to help you get to know me
and how we can use Prop K to stop the incoming highway
and fracking industry--"
Miss Bordelon, Jacob Boudreaux was born here,
raised here. Why should we trust you?
A carpetbagger basketball wife from Tinseltown?
Wait. What? I'm not--
I know, but if Jacob throws you off like that
or if you feel like you're losing the crowd or the local press,
then you have got to change the power dynamic.
Turnabout is fair play here.
-Throw him off his game. -Control the narrative.
Of course. He's going to attack my past.
My life is an open book now, right?
But theirs isn't. Not yet.
This would be the time to use the info from the lineages book.
It's completely unexpected, puts them on the defensive,
and shifts the narrative back in your control.
Are you even sure that it's accurate?
I mean, it's a lot.
It is, but I went back to the show
to see the evidence for myself.
It's legit.
[cell phone buzzes]
Oh, that smile tells me you just got good news.
Calvin.
He's coming for my birthday.
Belated, but he's coming anyway.
Well, better late than never.
Go.
Get home, and freshen up.
You know, light some incense.
-Change the sheets. -Stop!
-Let's just keep-- -Nova, you're blushing.
-Get out of here. -[laughs]
You're not going to be able to focus,
and I'll be better on my own practicing, anyway.
Go.
-[both laugh] -Girl, get it.
Don't hurt him.
-Oh, he can handle it. -[laughs]
[door opens and closes]
[sultry music playing]
¶ Pass it on ¶
¶ Goes back Way before my time ¶
¶ Thinking on ¶
-¶ How you never left my side ¶ -[knock on door]
[giggles]
Happy belated birthday.
¶ Happy birthday, sweet Nova ¶
¶ Happy birthday to you ¶
[laughs]
I made a reservation at your favorite restaurant.
And, of course,
I came bearing gifts.
It's beautiful.
-It's the first of many. -Thank you.
[laughs]
-May I? -Mm-hmm.
Hey. No peeking.
[laughs]
Okay.
Now that's a start.
-[thunder rumbling] -One Mississippi.
Two Mississippi.
Storm is about a mile away.
Well, if it's that close,
my favorite restaurant is right here at home.
I'll cook.
No, I'll cook.
Well, come on, then.
Do your thing.
-[laughs] -[smacks]
Oh!
I mean, you know...
[knock on door]
[all] Hey!
[excited chatter]
Bro. Bro.
You don't have to do it like that.
I have to step out one time, bro.
It's prom, man. Good to see you.
[indistinct chatter]
-He wasn't ready. -They weren't ready.
-What's good, Miss Asha? -Micah, what's good, man?
Yo, what happened to Ant?
I thought he was gonna ride over with you guys.
Yeah, he called last minute saying he wasn't really like, feeling well,
-so he was gonna pass. -Man.
You know, he probably didn't feel comfortable
being around a bunch of people.
We just got to, you know,
-give him time. -Right.
Well, I suggest we raise a toast.
All right, y'all, to Ant.
-And to his future. -[all] To Ant.
Oof. Mm.
Okay, I definitely didn't need...
-That's something. -We should hold up on that
until the after-party.
We at least want to walk into prom sober.
What's the fun of that?
So speaking of the after-party...
so there was a little mix-up when I went to check in.
You know, Micah, Malik. Malik, Micah.
Now, I'm not saying who,
but it seems like somebody in this room
booked themselves a private room down the hall.
I'm assuming for later.
-No, that's not-- -[boys laugh]
No, I just got that one
just in case we couldn't get this one.
-Yeah, okay. Right. -[Micah] Shut up, man.
Davis West's name cuts through a lot of red tape.
-Red tape? I get you. -Red tape? Red tape.
My fault, yeah.
I just forgot to cancel it.
-[indistinct chatter] -[thunder rumbling]
-Whatever you say. -Okay, cool.
Y'all saw that?
Whoa.
[thunder crashing]
-What is going-- -[electricity hums]
Great.
"My opponent would take our land, build a highway,
and decimate our farms
in order to support fracking operations
that will only build wealth for a chosen few.
But together, we can create a future."
[clapping]
Well done, Charley.
Resorting to spying, Jacob.
Your prep walk-through is scheduled for tomorrow morning.
This is my time.
I know.
I wanted to talk to you,
but you've ducked my calls.
Because I don't want to talk to you.
We're competitors.
To say we're competitors
would mean either one of us could win this thing.
But the truth is,
you don't have a chance to win.
At all.
I'm sorry.
You think you've got it in the bag?
Charley, I've been told it's a done deal
and that I've already won.
But I want to urge you to get out before it's too late.
The arrogance of mediocre white men
never ceases to astound me.
It's not arrogance, Charley.
It's power.
I told you,
my family stops at nothing that gets in their way.
My mother, for some reason, is suddenly livid with you.
-I'll bet she is. -Believe it or not,
everything that's happened 'til now is just business.
But she and the people she's working with,
they intend to destroy you and your family...
completely.
Now it's gotten personal.
Now it's gotten personal?
I've heard enough.
Your attempts at intimidation are weak,
and I have got better things to do with my time.
[thunder crashing]
Whew!
Not a single forecaster said nothing about a flash flood.
Your car almost floated off the road.
Can't nobody tell me global warming ain't real, man,
all that craziness out there.
It wasn't like this when we was kids, you know.
I hope that my gloves didn't get wet.
All that stuff for that motorcycle of yours?
Mm-hmm. You know I wanted to ride today
They got all wet.
Now, I got you a helmet in here.
I hope you saved your receipt.
Ah, baby, I'm gonna get you on that road before long,
have your arms wrapped around me,
wind blowing in your face.
Don't that sound nice?
That's a bet you gonna lose,
'cause, like I told you, I ain't getting on that thing.
Baby, you ain't no fun.
I ain't no fun? That's how you feel?
Chère, I'm sorry. You know what I--
-Mm-mm. -What?
Baby, you know I'm just playing around. I'm sorry--
Alexa, turn on Vi's party list.
[sultry music plays]
¶ Mm mm ¶
¶ Oh ai ¶
¶ Oh, my ¶
I'm no fun, huh?
[laughs]
¶ Baby, this is simple ¶
¶ I'm just trying to see What you be into ¶
¶ Remy, jet, or continental ¶
¶ Rollin' up the Lao ¶
¶ Blow it out the window ¶
¶ Mm mm ¶
Are you okay?
You've been a little quiet.
I'm okay.
Just got a lot on my mind.
I'm not mad or nothing.
You want to dance?
What?
I mean, since it's looking doubtful
we'll get out of here safely,
I figured I could show you some of my moves.
[slow dance music plays]
¶ Ohh ¶
¶ Hey ¶
Wow.
¶ You don't know, babe ¶
[laughs]
¶ When you hold me ¶
¶ You kiss me slowly ¶
¶ It's the sweetest thing... ¶
I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the other room.
I just kept it as a surprise.
I know we made plans, but...
I didn't want to assume anything.
I didn't want you to feel pressure.
You know?
I didn't want to be unprepared, though, so I just got it--
It's okay, Micah.
I didn't want to be unprepared, either.
So that's why I went on birth control pills
six weeks ago.
Okay.
[sighs]
So we should get the other room, or...
I don't--I don't know.
It doesn't feel like what I thought it would be.
Yeah, I feel that way, too.
¶ Ohh You're the best part... ¶
How do you know when it's right?
¶ If you love me ¶
¶ Won't you say something? ¶
¶ If you love me, won't you ¶
¶ Won't you ¶
¶ If you love me ¶
¶ Won't you say something? ¶
[knock on door]
-¶ If you love me... ¶ -[thunder rumbling]
[sighs]
Come in.
-How are the roads looking? -Whoa.
Not good.
[cell phones chime]
"We regret to inform you that due to flooding at the venue,
"tonight's prom festivities have been canceled.
Further information to follow when available."
The kids made a tent in Joie's room
after it started to rain.
They'll be be cleaned up in a minute.
Glad they had a good time.
Appreciate you looking after him.
Were you able to stay dry?
Hope you weren't working in this rain today.
Ah...
I didn't make it back to the farm today.
There's, um...
something I've been meaning to tell you.
I ain't been all the way honest with you, Deesha.
I've been going to see Darla every day
for the last two weeks now.
She, uh--
she had a relapse
the night I missed our date.
Is she going to be okay?
How is Blue doing with all of this?
Don't even know yet.
She's trying to, you know...
do all the steps to recover first.
Well, at least she's taking her recovery seriously.
Yeah. She is.
Look, Deesha...
you're an amazing woman.
I just...
I just wish--
You didn't have other obligations?
Thing is, ain't even obligations. I...
I could just see now that...
if she hurtin', I'm hurtin'.
If she bleed, I bleed.
Ain't even sure it's much of a choice at this point.
But...
I'm still in love with Darla.
What you just said is one of the most beautiful things
a man could say to a woman.
But I'm not the woman you're talking about,
and I respect myself too much to play second fiddle.
You deserve more than that.
I know I do.
But I wish you well, Ralph Angel.
[chuckles]
Blue and Darla, too.
We'll work something out with the kids, okay?
[sighs]
[soft music playing]
[Calvin] Oh, yes.
¶ I wanna get closer to you ¶
¶ I wanna get close... ¶
That smells good.
¶ I wanna get closer to you ¶
¶ I wanna Get closer to you ¶
-¶ I wanna get close to you ¶ -[thunder rumbling]
What?
Look at us.
I mean, we've never been like this.
Domestic...
together.
Yeah, guess you're right.
We never had the time.
Or the freedom.
This is good.
And that chicken looks amazing.
You really are good at this.
And you're a good sous-chef.
-Oh, I think I'm head chef here. -Too many cooks, baby.
-Mm-hmm. -Mm-hmm. Please, sit.
-[laughing] -I will be doing the serving.
How about we do this more often?
Like next weekend.
I would love to, but I have the kids next week.
I'm taking 'em camping.
How 'bout the week after?
Can't.
I'm hosting a writing workshop back in Atlanta.
And then you've got the kids again, right?
It's my two-week vacation with them.
-[cork pops -[laughs]
So that's four or five weeks
before we see each other again?
Look, Charley,
I know who I am, where I come from.
I know how I was raised.
Do you?
Really?
[Frances, on recording] You don't get to question me, gal.
I do love this land.
What I love most is that sugar cane.
After it's washed, processed,
and all the impurities are squeezed out of it,
it comes forth as white as snow,
the way it should be.
What...
You needed to be put in your place.
You're nothing more than an upstart mulatta gal
pretending to be white.
But I guess that's your mother's fault.
[thunder rumbles]
That's your mama, Jacob.
Still want to talk about how you were raised?
You know the difference
between you and me?
I know my shame.
I've dealt with my issues.
But, Jacob...
despite the evidence of all of American history...
your history...
you can't even acknowledge that...
your issues around whiteness even exist.
How could I be better?
Drop out of the race.
I can't do that. I want to.
I don't even want to be a councilman,
but it's too late for that now.
Wow, so there's-- there's nothing that you can do?
I can promise to work with you once I'm in office.
No. No, that is not good enough.
Do better.
I can't just drop out of the race.
But maybe I can find a way to make myself unelectable,
you know, throw the race.
I think I can help you with that.
What are you doing with a picture
of my great-grandmother Landry?
Oh.
God bless the rain.
-Oh, we needed this, baby. -Mm-hmm.
No diner, no family.
Just us.
Shoot, I don't even remember
the last time I was this relaxed.
See?
You guys make fun of us ladies
for going for our spas and massages.
You need a little bit of self-care yourself.
You ain't got to convince me, baby.
It's them other Joes you talking about.
I wonder if I could convince them, though.
I been hearing about these places
popping up around the country.
Black men just coming together, sitting around,
talking,
giving each other advice.
Lift each other up when times get tough.
Now, that's something I could get down with.
Ah, a support group?
Nah, I can't call it that, though.
[both laugh]
Thinking about calling it "The Hangout."
That sounds like a place where folks get arrested.
-You can do better. -Okay.
Well, what about-- what about...
the St. Jo's Men's Social Club?
Well, you told me that I'm the only one
where you feel like you could talk to about the real stuff.
Right?
Well, if that's what you want for this place,
well, I don't know,
maybe call it "The Real Stuff."
Well, what about "The Real Spot"?
There it is. I like that.
-[Hollywood] The Real Spot. -[Violet] Yeah.
[thunder rumbling]
Thank you.
Hey.
You didn't have to do that in all this rain.
It's all good.
Just wanted to see how you getting through today.
Like you did the day before last
and the day before that.
Got you some chicken soup before the rain shuts stuff down.
That kind you like from Poppa Joe's.
Yeah.
How you feeling?
I took some time off of work.
I called Marlene.
I'm trying to send her my actions right now
and not my feelings.
That's what's up.
Yeah, that's what's up.
[sighs]
Blue been wondering about you.
Told him you ain't been feeling too good
so you went down to your mama's.
Look, Darla, just...
please don't take too long before you see him.
I really want to see him, but, um...
but I just need a little bit more time
to make sure that I'm in the right condition to do that.
You know, I was never really sure
when we were gonna see each other again.
Didn't bother me so much then.
[laughs]
But...
to be honest and tell my radical truth...
that worked for me.
It was painful to be away from you,
but I convinced myself it was my choice.
At all times, I remained in control.
[thunder rumbles]
But I can't say I was happy.
And now?
One thing about writing a memoir,
you have to face your fears if you're gonna be authentic.
I can see now that every relationship I've ever been in
had a built-in, impenetrable barrier guarding my heart.
With you, it was your race,
your marriage, your kids...
your job.
And now--
Living in two cities.
Maybe our schedules are something else.
So you're saying I have a fear of commitment.
No, I'm saying you were able to commit
because we had distance.
[scoffs]
What if we didn't have the distance?
What if we threw caution out the window?
Maybe our happiness is on the other side
of what we're comfortable with.
And out of living in other people's boxes.
Not even our own.
¶ Starve my heart of ecstasy ¶
[thunder crashes]
¶ When you're not The one in front of me ¶
¶ So I crave no other ¶
¶ Said I'm cravin' you ¶
-Okay, Malik, you start. -[Malik] All right.
Where do I see myself 10, 20 years from now?
Well, by then, I'll have at least five Grammys.
-[Asha] Five? -Mm-hmm. Go big, or go home.
That's what I always say.
-Since when? -[Malik] Since right now.
I'm gonna be living bicoastal,
producing albums for all the top artists,
and all just dying for that Strickland sound, brah.
That Strickland sound.
That actually sounds dope.
-Yeah, it does. -What about you?
I plan to have a whole chain of urgent care clinics
all throughout Louisiana,
just offering low-cost healthcare
to those who can least afford to pay.
That's awesome, Asha.
And you're gonna do it.
[all] Yeah.
And the slogan posted in all my offices
is gonna be, "Do no harm..."
[all] "...But take no shit."
Y'all already know.
And when them whack-ass insurance companies try to shut you down,
I can defend you with my law firm.
Oh, so you're finally going to put that big mouth to--
-I mean, that big voice to use? -All right, whatever.
Wow.
-Right. -But, yeah.
I plan to start a bail bond
for all our brothers and sisters, you know,
the ones locked up for months or years pretrial
because they can't, what, come up with a hundred
or a couple thousand dollars?
-[Asha] Yeah. -Yeah.
Think of it like an Innocence Project and ACLU
-all wrapped in one. -[Micah] Wow, I respect that.
[Keke] Well, in ten years,
I will be flying to New York
to present my latest art installation
right before I jet off to D.C.
to unveil my commissioned collection
in the African-American Museum.
Okay.
That's what's up. That's what's up.
Well, how about you, Micah?
I don't know.
I don't know. I'm...
I mean, I guess I'm...
liking my photography more and more.
I hear a "but" coming.
-But, uh... -There you go.
I don't know. I feel like, when it's all said and done,
I'll be doing something respectable,
like investment banking or hedge funds.
-Hmm. -All right.
I've made up my mind about something,
and I hope you like it.
Now I'm curious.
What is it?
I'm moving back to New Orleans.
I would much rather commute to work in Baton Rouge,
if that allows us to have something real.
I don't want any more strange looks from your family,
whether or not I'm that married cop
who played around on his wife.
That guy in your book, I'm not that guy.
Sounds nice.
Like a dream.
It could be real.
Say yes.
To what?
To us.
To happiness.
This soup hitting, ain't it?
And it's the perfect day for it.
Mm-hmm.
[sighs]
Thank you, Ralph Angel,
for keeping me company.
I know you didn't have to.
It's all good.
[sighs]
[thunder crashing]
You don't owe me anything.
I know that.
But I...
I would like to know...
why do you keep coming?
Just 'cause we ain't together
don't mean I don't care about you no more.
I have to.
For my own peace of mind, really.
What do you mean?
All I could think about...
is them two piece-of-shit bastards
that hurt you.
Ain't nobody was there for you then.
I don't ever want you to feel like
nobody's there for you again.
Keep it a hundred,
relapsing...
man, it scared the hell out of me, Darla,
a lot.
For Blue. Yeah.
For me, too.
[sighs]
It scared me, too.
I ain't felt like that since...
since we first got together...
before we had Blue.
Man, I spent so much time just worrying about you.
"Did she make it in her dorm okay?"
"Hope she had a good breakfast."
Stupid stuff like that.
It's not stupid.
It's sweet.
Thing is,
nobody tell you...
that loving somebody could hurt so much.
Always terrified
of losing all the things you prayed for.
I prayed for you.
I still do.
I pray that...
you could forgive me one day.
I already told you, I do.
I mean it.
I mean...
really forgive me.
-Forgive me enough to go back... -[sighs]
to what we had before.
Think you could ever think about...
us again?
I always do.
I don't think I never really stopped.
Thanks again for that info.
I think it's going to work in ways we couldn't have imagined.
Turn on the news.
[types]
It's come to my attention that Landry Enterprises
has a biased pricing structure based on race.
That is unacceptable to me.
In order to be a better candidate for all of St. Jo,
I know I must own my responsibility
in how things have been done.
That is why I pulled out of tonight's town hall
and instead have ordered an immediate audit
to overhaul the pricing structure
at Landry Enterprises.
Enough talk. It's time for action.
What is th--
Wait for it.
Recently I have received information
that has impacted me to my core.
I share it with you today,
because I believe all of us in St. Jo
should see each other as one big family.
I have learned my great-grandmother Landry
was a proud African-American woman.
She was, in fact,
secretly a member of the Bordelon family.
I never expected this, but I wish to say publicly,
I embrace the diversity of my heritage.
Going forward, my goal is to educate myself
on the histories between our communities
and use that knowledge to be an ally
and support real change in St. Jo.
Thank you.
[Nova] Now, that's a bold move,
but this won't win him more votes?
If we play this right, he'll lose 10%,
maybe 15% of his white voters,
the ones who are blatantly racist.
And the small percentage of black supporters he has
will reconsider their support once they start to feel
he's pandering his newfound ethnicity.
And that should be enough
to tip the race in my favor.
It's bold, Charley,
Risky,
for you and Jacob.
The Landrys, the Boudreauxs,
and whomever else they're working with behind the scenes,
I don't think they handle losing very well.
Yeah, well...
neither do I.
[woman] Go, Ree-Ree.