Queen Sugar (Recap) | Where With All (S1 E8)

by Nichole Perkins | via Vulture

If there’s a major weather event on a television show, you can be sure it’ll be paired with big revelations. “Where With All” is no exception to this trend: As a hurricane approaches the Gulf Coast, another storm is brewing among the Bordelon family. Reunions and new beginnings form, while a particular relationship grows more distant.

Tropical Storm Peter gathers strength, quickly becoming Hurricane Peter, and Violet focuses on getting the family all together for safety. Nova keeps ignoring her calls as she takes her neighbor to a shelter, and Violet can’t help but think the worst. During Hurricane Katrina, Nova had to chop through her roof to escape the flooding waters; she was stranded for a day before being rescued. In the present, Nova tries to remain calm but she’s clearly nervous about the possibility of reliving that terror. Violet’s worries make her a jittery mess, and it’s a reminder that the trauma of Hurricane Katrina lives on.

Charley goes to the farm and refuses to let the workers leave early. She wants them to finish planting the remaining ten acres of seed cane, despite their obvious disapproval. Even Remy and Ralph Angel tell her to let everyone go home for their own safety, but Charley seems to think she knows better than the men who’ve been doing farm work all their lives. It doesn’t endear her to the workers and it’s sure to come back to haunt her later. She doesn’t trust the people who make a living tending the land, but because she’s the money, they have to do as she says. I wouldn’t be surprised if the workers don’t come back after the storm, giving the Bordelon farm yet another setback.

Darla arrives with a late birthday present for Blue, feeling hopeful about the chance to seek shelter with Ralph Angel. The family, including Remy, Hollywood, and Darla, all end up at Violet’s, who is not pleased with the latter two guests. She hasn’t forgiven Hollywood or Darla for their respective betrayals. Meanwhile, Charley and Nova are still snapping at each other. After a spades game full of liquor and laughs, tensions explode between the two sisters. They trade ugly names before the fight boils down to its essence: Charley hates that Nova had an affair with a married man and she thinks she’s the only one who knows how to keep promises and fidelity.

Now that’s all well and good, but Charley has been crushing on Remy since the moment she laid eyes on him, even before she knew the extent of Davis’s infidelity. She hangs on Remy’s every word and laughs at all his jokes. Charley may be shaming Nova (and Hollywood), but she’s not as perfect as her high horse would indicate. She never even let Nova explain her situation with Calvin; she just assumes that her sister is still seeing him. It would be nice if she had given Nova the same benefit of the doubt she gave her husband, but the wound is too fresh for Charley to be compassionate to anyone else. And so, Charley and Nova remain distant.

At the end of the night, Charley hides her wedding rings in a sock and searches for Remy, and the two share a kiss. Her marriage is just a technicality now, much like Hollywood’s marriage to LeeAnne was. The only difference is Remy is fully aware of her situation. And what does it say about Remy that he’s willing to kiss a married woman? Will Charley’s judgment rain down on him or is it okay since this is about her needs? Charley has a right to be an emotional mess, but it’s not okay for her to cast judgment on others without knowing their stories. (Remember how she didn’t know the full story with Melina?) She keeps making the same mistake and it’s an annoying character flaw.

Violet talks to Nova about her affair, and we learn that Ernest had an affair with Charley’s mother. Infidelity keeps moving through the Bordelon family. Ernest cheated. Nova was Calvin’s mistress. Charley was the betrayed wife; Violet, a betrayed lover. Even Micah felt the sting in his own teenage relationship when his girlfriend exchanged racy pictures with someone else. The idea of generational curses may be too biblical, but maybe all this cheating exists to reveal how common and painful it is.

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