Queen Sugar - S1E4 - The Darker Sooner

Previously on Queen Sugar, “Inherit the Earth”

Queen Sugar S1E4 – “The Darker Sooner” | Starring: Rutina Wesley, Dawn-Lyen Gardner, Kofi Siriboe, Tina Lifford, Omar J. Dorsey, Dondre Whitfield, Timon Kyle Durrett,Nicholas L. Ashe, Greg Vaughan, Ethan Hutchison, Marycarmen Lopez, Bianca Lawson

The seed cane isn’t even in the ground and Ralph Angel has already learned taking over his father’s farm won’t be easy: In the course of one day, he’s swindled out of $15,000 in a shady seed purchase. This could be chalked up to his over confidence and inexperience - Remy did offer to help and Ra declined - but we can’t overlook his sisters’ parts in this failure. Charley may have had good intentions, but her constant phone calls and need for reassurance that Ralph Angel wouldn’t screw up certainly added to the pressure he was under. On the other hand, Nova’s lack of interest, choosing to chase down leads on a new story instead of helping him, didn’t help either. Ralph Angel makes sure to point this out, accusing his sister of caring more for the locked up strangers than she does her own brother.

Back in Los Angeles, Davis’ indiscretion threatens his future with his team and his endorsements, but worst of all, it’s affecting Micah’s life at school as well. His girlfriend’s mother is openly hostile towards Micah and Charley, but things get ugly when she finds a picture of a boy’s penis on Stella’s phone. As Micah is blamed and faces expulsion from school, he realizes Stella has been cheating on him since he never sent any dick pics. Thank goodness, too, because I really didn’t want to learn Micah was that damn dumb.

In the first episode, character after character praised Charley for her business savvy. In “The Darker Sooner,” we get to see this for ourselves. The Gladiators are trying to distance themselves from Davis, and the other accused players are mounting a joint defense without him. Charley manipulates a friend and learns which power attorney they plan to hire, and then hires that attorney for Davis. She doesn’t blink when this attorney mentions the possibility of paying the accuser to go away. Unfortunately, the escort isn’t interested in Davis’ money.

I can’t quite figure out where this storyline is going. It didn’t make sense that Davis wasn’t named in the initial accusation, yet he was very clearly there. The refusal of a payoff suggests there may have been an actual relationship between the prostitute (Goldy) and Davis. Clearly Charlie doesn’t believe that Davis raped the woman if she’s willing to part with hush money instead of letting the victim seek justice. At least, I hope that’s not the case.

Nova uncovers corruption within the police department and prosecutor’s office, coercing black teens to take plea deals on bogus charges, and all to line their pockets from for-profit prisons. Once the story runs, she apologizes to Ralph Angel and promises to make an effort to show up when he and the farm needs her.