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    Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 2 : The Second Day…

    Hello World,

    If you’re looking for an exhaustive and entertaining Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 2: The Second Day, you’ve got the right one! So let’s get into this thang, ya’ll…

    Seconds…

    First of all, I’m thinking that since the first episode of Season 5 was named “The First Day” and this week’s episode is “The Second Day” and next week’s episode is entitled “The Third Day,” something is going to break next week as Jesus rose on the third day and what was thought to be dead was resurrected! Will the truth about the real A.J. be revealed next Tuesday? I’m thinking so…But back to this particular episode….

    “The Second Day” begins with Jacob in his uncle’s storage locker looking for some documentation that will help him refute the will that his estranged wife Kerissa is holding over his head. But he finds nothing of interest except a fishing rod and tackle box that he takes with him as he leaves in frustration. He only seems to be there for a few seconds, but this is TV time so…

    Thankfully, Grace found A.J. just in time as he seemed to be already dead from cutting his own wrists in last week’s episode. But the seconds mattered and A.J. is now in a hospital room recovering from his injuries while Grace and Sophia wait for news of the prognosis in the waiting room of the facility. A nurse or a doctor or some medical staffer tells Grace at A.J. is “stable” although “he lost a lot of blood.” She asks Grace was she cut with the razor blade that A.J. used to cut himself. It’s a standard question according to the woman, but Grace is bit disturbed by it. She says that she wasn’t. And the woman tells her that A.J. will now have to be held for 72 hours for observation, that he will have to see a psychiatrist AND that it will be up to A.J. if he wants to see Grace or not.

    Since Grace convinced everyone else to go home, the next scene takes place at the Greenleaf estate. Lady Mae is still fasting! “You need to eat something,” Bishop tells her. Lady Mae replies, “I will eat when my Lord tells me to eat.” If only it were that easy for me. I try my best to eat when the Lord tells me to do so, but chile I can be so disobedient. That’s why I punish my sins with exercise! LOL…But I digress…Then Bishop pressures Lady Mae about setting a date since their City Hall wedding was sidelined with A.J.’s suicide attempt. “I can’t get married while A.J. is in the hospital,” Lady Mae tells Bishop. But Bishop is not to be deterred. Lady Mae finally tells him she will marry him on Flag Day! That’s a random day, but y’all know Lady Mae just says stuff sometimes….

    Grace shows up then and passes a key to Mavis’ club to her father. Apparently, the club has been empty for a year. Bishop has plans for the club and if you keep reading, you will find out more. Charity and her self-centered self shows up then and laments that Grace isn’t really trying to communicate with her. But Lady Mae is never at a loss for words. “You almost had her son arrested and you gave away our church,” Lady Mae says to Charity. But she’s not done. She tells her daughter that she should be sitting in a “dunce’s cap in the cold swinging shadow of your favorite Bible hero, Judas.” Again, she’s got the most eloquent bless outs ever! She doesn’t need a knife to cut, that’s for sure…

    In Jacob’s suite, Kerissa and Zora fold clothes together. Kerissa takes the opportunity to tell her daughter that she can always discuss her problems with her mother. In Zora fashion, she spits out, “I talk to Jesus every day.” We know that’s not true and Kerissa does too. “Don’t make jokes about Jesus, ” she says. Jacob comes in and the tension between the couple is palatable. Zora knows her parents are about to have some sort of meeting, and she correctly guesses this meeting is not about therapy. Yeah, Zora, your parents are past therapy at this point…no use in prolonging the pain for a second longer…

    As Grace gets on her laptop in her suite, Darius calls. She tells him that A.J. attempted suicide. He feels bad for calling about investigating Harmony & Hope Ministries, but she tells him that she needs to be distracted anyway, particularly as A.J. will be off limits for a while. At her request, he comes to pick her up and they go over to the home of Cal Weaver, a Harmony & Hope Ministries pastor. Without even giving Grace more than a few seconds of an explanation, he sputters, “Bob told us all not to talk.” Whoa. What is that about? Especially since Cal has already told Grace that he is not going to be a part of the church merger…And none of the H&H pastors are allowed to speak to the press?… Cal shuts the door on them and shuts down the conversation.

    At this point, Grace wants to get back to the hospital where she will meet Noah, A.J. father. Darius is obviously still checking for Grace because he wonders aloud if Noah and Grace plan to couple up again since they now have a son to care for. But Grace tells him that he shouldn’t be worried about that. They’re just concerned about their son. “I’m sorry I’m not more fun,” she tells Darius.

    Darius is chasing Grace but unfortunately, Grace’s daughter is chasing Dante who doesn’t seem like he wants to be caught. She calls him and leaves this kind of whiny and wandering message asking about his relationship status with Nikki…Obviously, with her brother nearly dead, she is in an emotionally fragile state and it shows…

    Second Chance…

    Bishop and Lady Mae have moseyed over to Mavis’ blues club in another part of Memphis. Is the club on Beale Street? As they enter the abandoned club, Lady Mae doubts that this “den of iniquity” can be transformed into a new location for Calvary! That is if they intend to call the church the same name as before. Despite the fact that they own the property fee and clear (well Grace does anyway since Mavis left it to her), Lady Mae reveals, “I’m a little bit daunted by starting over.” She looks around the dusty and smoke-infused club and doesn’t see what Bishop sees. She says a either a “wrecking ball or a match” is what the club needs. “That this building can become a church is a stretch” particularly since it is probably built on “bodies and barrels of bootleg liquor.” And furthermore, Lady Mae plainly tells Bishop, “Gut it, start fresh or I’m out.” Do it Bishop! Your second chance with Lady Mae is depending on it!

    Phil DeMar’s second chance relationship with Judee is giving Charity the blues. When she shows up at Calvary, she sees that her office is being painted “plantation pink” and “confederate gray.” What in the Gone With the Wind is going on?! And to add insult to injury, the reason that the office is being painted in such ghastly colors is because Charity’s office will now be Judee’s office! Charity storms Phil’s office where she confronts her ex fiance’! Phil reminds her that she is an associate pastor while Judee will be the First Lady. Charity excuses herself to the bathroom where she collapses in tears while sitting in a bathroom stall.

    Jacob aine tryin’ to give Kerissa a second chance so it’s full steam ahead with their divorce. They finally meet with Kerissa’s lawyer and the lawyer promptly instructs Jacob to sign paperwork that will give Kerissa primary custody of  Jacob Jr. aka Winkie. How many times in these five seasons have we seen Winkie anyway?! I would guess like five episodes…like an episode a season…Anywho, Jacob momentarily pushes back and says he wants shared custody. Kerissa’s attorney says to Kerissa, “I thought you said this was settled.” Jacob’s memory is revived then…That’s right Jacob. You better get down or lay down because Kerissa will have your parents in the pokey if you act up! He signs those papers and that’s that.

    Back at the hospital, Noah joins the mother of his only child and brings coffee to her. “So what happened with Isabel?” Grace asks. He tells her that she wants a divorce and that it’s okay because he was “holding onto something that was never really there.” And now, Noah is staying with his mother. There’s something about the way he told this news to Grace that leads me to believe he’s trying to make a little family with Grace. More on that later. They don’t get to explore my suspicion any more because the two find out that A.J. doesn’t want to see either of them. And they are told to come back the following day.

    Zora and Sophia may have a second chance to restore their severed cousin relationship. Sophia stops by Zora’s home (you know the smaller home on the property where Noah used to live) to ask Zora for a play list that she can give to A.J. “I’m not entirely cool with you,” says Zora. I swear she has a perpetual attitude. I really don’t know why she is more loyal to this Nikki rather than her own flesh and blood. Still, despite the fact that Sophia is no longer saved and sanctified, she still seems to be a peacemaker. She tells her cousin to cut her some slack. “I lost my virginity to a guy who cut me off three days later.” That bomb softened Zora’s stance…at least for the time being…smh…I would not care at all if Zora were on my side…she’s tew murch…

    I do think that Charity and Phil will be able to give their relationship a second chance but not right now. While Charity and Phil are discussing some sort of ramp that needs to be constructed as a part of the new church, Judee shows up and clutches Phil in such a way to stick it to Charity. Charity can’t take the heat and spews out the truth like hot water! “He’s only marrying you because your father is making him. He’s still in love with me.” Judee quotes Proverbs 12:15-16 but changes some of the words to suit the situation. She tells Charity to “move the eff on.” That’s right Judee mixed with Scripture with Satan’s Language! Then Judee flounces out of Phil’s office. “You have a good Christian woman, pastor,” Charity remarks. “You should be proud.” Well, Charity aine no Moral Mary nor Martha either so…

    Speaking of names that begin with M, Bishops calls some place to speak with Mavis. While he’s waiting for her to pick up the phone, there is all this din in the background. But mysteriously, Bishop just hangs up without speaking to his sister in law…(Oprah, Oprah, where art thou?)

    As I said before, Noah is trying to get with Grace and have a second chance at having a family. He says to her,”Can we talk tonight? How are we going to dealt with all of this? I want us to be a family.” Noah sounds as crazy as he looks. Can I get a witness? Grace replies, “I’ve been here for three years, and I still don’t feel like I’m a part of the family.” Noah tells Grace, “that’s how you work.” For some reason, that remark perturbs Grace. “Take it back,” she demands. Grace is a loner. That cannot be denied.

    A little while after that, Lady Mae finds Grace sitting on the steps of their palatial home. Lady Mae is coming back from visiting Faith’s grave. She says to Grace, “This whole thing with A.J. has got me thinking. You get a second chance to know your child.” Ever since Grace’s paternity was revealed, and it was revealed that Grace had a secret child, the two have finally been able to fix their relationship because of their common ground. And now the two have something else in common. Both of them have children who are suicidal…(except for the fact that the young man thought to be A.J. is really not….That will be revealed next week on “The Third Day”…mark my words…) Grace reveals to her mother that not only did A.J. attempt suicide, he doesn’t want to see her. Lady Mae tells her daughter about why she goes to Faith’s grave and how she fantasizes about seeing her in Heaven…Grace still says, “All of that is different from being told that you’re not wanted.” Was she talking about herself or A.J.?

    While Lady Mae and Grace are exploring this unique mother-daughter connection, another daughter walks up on them…You already know…Instead of recognizing what was happening between the heartbroken women, Charity makes the moment about her. When she approaches them and Grace walks off, Charity laments, “Is this how it’s going to be for the rest of our lives?” Lady Mae pulls no punches per usual. “I’m fresh from the grave of Faith. You don’t know what real problems are.” And then she leaves like Grace did. Will Charity get a second chance with the family? Does she deserve one?  That’s the charitable thing to do…but Charity does work the nerves, right?!

    Second Heartbeat…

    Unless God touches the relationship of Jacob and Kerissa, their relationship is lifeless and without a heartbeat. The two argue in front of Winkie just after Zora leaves the suite. She takes medication for her chlamydia and Jacob refers to the pills as “slut meds!” LOL And he threatens to tell Zora about her mother’s moment of indiscretion, but she reminds him that he has 20 years worth of moments of indiscretion. And she reminds him of that will once again. “I will march that will down to the police, and we will see how soon Bishop gets a phone call.”

    In Grace’s suite, she is once again disturbed by Charity. Charity brings a poem to her that she wrote about her daughter Eden that she lost. Remember her son had a twin sister. Grace reads the poem out loud. Once she finishes, Charity says, “I’ve lost a child too. I know how you feel.” And then Grace blows up as she should. Grace tells Charity that she has found a way to make her “son’s” attempted suicide all about Charity. Instead of trying to see Grace’s point, Charity gets defensive. “You and Mama deserve each other.” So now she’s mad that Grace and Lady Mae have something in common. She is such a petulant child. In five seasons, Charity still manages to be childish! What is it gonna take?! Have heart girl and just leave your sister alone…

    Maybe Charity gets her persistence from Bishop. He is always trying to get Lady Mae to see things his way. In another part of the house, he tells her that he’s called some contractors to get some estimates for redoing the club. “You’ve got my sister’s permission?” Lady Mae asks. “Who needs it?” Bishop says. Uh oh…I’m sure his response will lead to some trouble later in this season. Then, he presses Lady Mae to set a wedding date! Huh? While I’m watching this, I’m like, Lady Mae said that she would remarry Bishop on Flag’s Day. And Lady Mae confirms what I was thinking. “I told you earlier today.” She told him Flag’s Day on June 14. He then kinda seems to remember and says he will put the date on every calendar in the house? She’s puzzled as to why Bishop doesn’t remember. Now, I’m sure this is important. I wonder if this means that Bishop is showing symptoms of dementia…I want to be concerned, but I’m not…reason being that Bishop’s Parkinson’s Disease was supposed to slow him down seasons ago, but that hasn’t come to pass so…

    Speaking of things not coming to pass…Sophia calls Dante again and Nikki answers. Then, she hangs up on Sophia…She gave up the goodies only to get got. She better go back to God and soon…

    Sometime later, Marisol catches Lady Mae savoring the flavor of week-old pasta salad. “You’re eating,” she exclaims. “The Lord informed me that I need strength for the days ahead.” (Aside: I’v got some pasta salad in the fridge that I plan on enjoying tomorrow. Not that you care, but’s it’s rare that someone mentions a particular food on a television program that you have in your fridge at that very moment.)

    Anywho, Jacob and his second heartbeat, aka Winkie, go fishing on the Greenleaf estate. But the fish aren’t cooperating. Jacob opens the tackle box and wouldn’t you know it, he finds a weathered envelope containing a will for a Loretta Davis. Who is she?  Whoever she is, she is certainly the key to stopping Kerissa from blackmailing Jacob.

    Speaking of underhanded, Zora calls Sophia and asks Sophia if she sent a topless pic to Dante! She may have only sent it to him but now the image is everywhere. God is trying to tell you something, Sophia.

    God is trying to tell something to Grace too! He delivers a message to Grace through Cal Weaver. He calls Grace and simply says, “Eden Vale Lending.” He also tells Grace to stop Darius from ever contacting him again. I can’t call it at this moment. I guess I will just have to keep watching…

    And I’m glad I kept watching this episode because the shocker comes in the final moments. Jacob goes by the apartment of Tasha Skanks (remember her?). “Tasha, I need to find Basie,” Jacob says. “Jacob, Basie is dead.” What?!!! Basie was my favorite short man on TV since George Jefferson! Yes, I’m a ’70s baby. Millennial readers, Google “The Jeffersons.” What does Basie have to do Loretta Davis? Saints, do y’all know? It looks like we will just have to run on (or watch on in this case) and see what the end will be…Can I get an “Amen” on that?!

    Thank you sooo much for reading my Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 2: The Second Day… and my other recaps so far. If you would like to keep up with OWN’s “Greenleaf,” and my recaps, please click on this link to subscribe to my blog 🙂!

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    Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 1: The First Day…

    Hello World,

    Y’all, as the opening episode for Season 5 of OWN’s Greenleaf just ended minutes ago, my mouth is still agape…So much to think about for this new season, but I won’t waste another minute considering the possibilities because I need to get on with writing this Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 1: The First Day…

    First Time I Met the Blues…

    Y’all it’s a sad day. Bishop is readying himself to say goodbye to Calvary now that Harmony & Hope Ministries is going to demolish the building. Dressed in all black everything, he is alone in the sanctuary and goes up to the glass podium at front where he surveys the expanse of the empty sanctuary. It’s undoubtedly a majestic space. Too bad it will be turned into rubble. Grace, who is also dressed in black, shows up at his side and lays her head on his shoulder. They eventually walk down the stairs of the stage together. They’re wearing black, but they’re most definitely blue.

    In the next scene, they are outside the church where a Harmony & Hope journalist is reporting on the progress of the demolition. As Bishop and Grace watch, posters with Bishop’s image on them are thrown into a dumpster as if trash is simply being thrown away. Grace says to her father, “Why did you make us come here? Doesn’t that break your heart?” At first, he eloquently disagrees with Grace until a cross structure is thrown into the back of a truck with absolutely no grace at all. “That makes me sad,” Bishop says. “To see a cross handled like that. Maybe you’re right. Maybe this was a mistake. Let’s go.” (Did y’all see the cardboard cutout of Bishop though? That was kind of funny.)

    Lady Mae, who is at the Greenleaf estate, is handling her blues in another way. She is fasting. Marisol the maid attempts to give her some sustenance. “At least, let me make you some tea,” she says to her. But Lady Mae refuses. Marisol points out that she could be fasting for at least 40 days regarding this matter. Of course, Lady Mae has a quip for that. “Jesus saved the whole human race in 40 days,” she points out. Then Charity shows up, and of course, she has more to say. She calls her daughter “Little Miss Benedictine Arnold” and tells her she is a “traitor to her whole family.” Wow. She’s right though…

    And then Aaron, Grace’s half-brother, shows up. Now that the truth of Grace’s parentage has been revealed, she seems to be at peace with all that the revelation entailed. In other words, she is absolutely fine with Aaron the attorney now when before his presence used to perturb her. He tells her that he is at the estate to see Grace but until she shows up, the two talk. She tells him that she is fasting to get a sign from God regarding what the Greenleafs should do about the fact that H&H is demolishing the church. And if you remember from the final episode of Season 4, Lady Mae has agreed to lead the church along with Bob Whitmore as Bob requested. However, it seems that Lady Mae only agreed to Bob’s proposition to buy some time to hear from the Lord about what to try next. And the fast seems to be working but not in the way that was expected. She tells Aaron, “…But right now, I don’t even want that old church back.” With a quizzical look on his face, Aaron says, “Is the fast making you loopy?”

    Bishop walks in then and addresses Aaron without saying a word Lady Mae. “He’s upset with me about a misconception,” she explains. Grace walks in next, and Aaron tells her he has something to tell her but he thinks A.J. should be there too.

    You know who else has the blues? Jacob and Kerissa. In their suite, the two continue to “discuss”the terms of their divorce. Jacob calls Fernando Kerissa’s “Latin Lover” and says he is passing out wills and chlamydia! LOOOOLLLL!!! Kerissa ignores Jacob’s verbal jabs and plainly tells him that if she does not get what she wants in the divorce settlement, the will that somehow implicates the Greenleafs will be made public. Apparently, through the will, it is revealed that Uncle Mac was the executor of the estate and that a botched burglary led to the Greenleafs getting their home.

    Speaking of challenged couples, Dante the basketball player and Sophia make plans to get together at his house later in the evening. However, Sophia lets it slip that Nikki, Dante’s former girlfriend, is still staying with Zora at the Greenleaf estate. Obviously, this situation is bound to cause conflict in this new season…

    The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face…

    The plans to demolish the Calvary building and build the Memphis location of H&H Ministries continues. Inside the Calvary building, Phil DeMars and Charity see each other face to face for the first time during this episode. If you remember from the Season 4 finale episode, he tells Charity that instead of marrying her, he is marrying Bob Whitmore’s daughter Judee. I bet Charity regrets the first time she ever saw his face. He says, “God is good,” and she replies, “All the time.” (Does every churchgoing black person know that phrase?) He tries to figure out if she is going to cause any problems as the plans continue to proceed. A meeting with the deacons and other church leaders is coming up, and they will both need to meet with them. She says, “My family hates me. I have no love life.” Her associate pastor position at H&H is pretty much the only thing she has to look forward to going forward, she says. In other words, she doesn’t plan to make any trouble, but we know that couldn’t be true. Phil says, “I just want us to present a united front.” Charity responds with, “It will definitely be a front.” Bloop….

    Back at the Greenleaf estate, Aaron meets with Grace to tell her what is going on regarding her son A.J.’s case. Also, A.J. is at the meeting. Aaron tells them that they no longer have to worry about A.J. turning himself into the authorities. Apparently, the A.J. doppelganger was discovered as the one who has been robbing pharmacies and selling drugs. Sadly, Aaron also reveals, the doppelganger (remember he was in all black in the Season 4 finale) was shot and killed the night before in some type of shoot-out. “The fact that the guy they’re blaming is dead is basically a miracle.” Aaron expects Grace and his nephew to be relieved at least about the fact that A.J. no longer has to turn himself in. But they seem to have mixed emotions…neither sad nor happy…Aaron says, “Should I call the cops and have them reopen the case?”

    Speaking of unsolved mysteries, Darius Nash, Grace’s former boyfriend, is back. I thought they made a great couple, and it’s mystery to me why these two couldn’t make it work despite some of the issues they had. For right now, at least, Grace shows up at newspaper office where Darius works for professional reasons. “Tell me you’re not my new editor,” he says. When she tells him,”No,” he responds with, “Thank God.” He tells her that getting over her was difficult, but that doesn’t stop Grace from asking him for a “favor.” They discuss the A.J. doppelganger among other things. Grace wants Darius to use his sources to get to the truth regarding these matters. Just by their similar facial features alone, they would make at least a great looking couple!

    Former couple Phil & Charity meet with the deacons and other church leaders and tell them that church members will be meeting in a gym for a year while the new church building is constructed. Charity makes it her business to tell them that they don’t have to fear being sheep without a shepherd although they are being temporarily displaced. She says she will feed them through her sermons. Charity, Charity, Charity. Aine nobody tryin’ to hear you preach. However, she does tell them that she is going to preach a series entitled “The Cornerstones of Faith: The Forgotten History of Black Women in the Church.” It sounds like a great series, but coming from Charity…Anywho, Phil gets a little uncomfortable with all the black stuff since H&H is supposed to be a multiracial church going forward. But Charity tells Phil that when Judee shows up and brings white members with her, she can preach about “vanilla, white Jesus and snow.” However, until then, it’s black like that. LOL. That was funny.

    So Darius isn’t the only blast from the past as long we’re discussing couples. Remember Jacob and his mistress Alexa from Season 1? She’s baaack! Jacob goes to see her at her place.  And she doesn’t live alone. “You’ve got a kid?” “Yes,” she says with an attitude, “Her nap time is almost over so what do you need?”

    Speaking of needing something, Carlton, Calvary’s choir director, shows up at Charity’s office. As much as he loves Charity, he tells her that he cannot “serve up Pinkberry hymns in a gym.” She starts crying when she realizes that he is quitting! He attempts to console her by saying, “We will still see each other socially.” But Charity says, “I wish I could quit too.”

    Back at Alexa’s place, she can’t believe that Jacob is up in her face asking her for something. “You got me fired and thrown out of my church and the next church.” Jacob wants to find out what Alexa knows regarding Mac and this will since she was his assistant. Jacob reveals that he and Kerissa are getting a divorce. “She finally got sick of it,” Alexa says. Jacob says, “You married?” “Do you see a ring?” Alexa responds with as she holds her hand up in the air.

    All the while, Jacob is staring at Alexa’s daughter, who is clearly biracial. Alexa finally addresses what Jacob is scared to ask. “Is she yours?” she says. “I would have never kept her if she had been yours.” Ouch. But I don’t believe her. (I guess we will find out more later.) In the mean time, Alexa does reveal that Mac kept a storage locker where Jacob can probably find out more information about this mysterious will. He then apologizes for the way things ended between the two. Obviously, Jacob will being seeing more of Alexa’s face as this season continues.

    In the next scene, we see A.J.’s face. He is clearly troubled as he keeps throwing a small ball to the wall and back I guess to get rid of his nervous energy. Grace comes into her suite and can tell that A.J. is agitated. He says, “I did it, and we both know that I did it.” But Grace tries to convince him that his guilt doesn’t matter anymore. “No one knows who this kid is, and for whatever reason, it’s over. You’re free, and this guy paid the price.” At this point, I could not help but think of the sacrifice that Jesus made when He died on the cross. We are the sinners, but yet He paid for our sins with his death. Jesus’ sacrifice leads me to a theory about A.J.’s doppelganger that I will reveal later. Keep reading…

    Grace finally says, “You’re free. I cannot pretend that I’m not incredibly happy about that.” Remember she gave up her position at Calvary to ensure that Phil DeMars didn’t tell that she made up an alibi for A.J. so this A.J. doppelganger seems like a blessing from God to her…even if somewhere inside of her, she’s not completely at peace either…

    In another part of the house, Bishop meets with his former assistant Karine, her grandmother Clara and Misty, another woman in the church, about what is happening to Calvary. Apparently, they didn’t realize that they are going to be displaced for a year while the new H&H building is being constructed…That’s how the devil works. You think you’re signing up for one thing, and it’s only later when your decision can’t be undecided that you realize that there is a catch…

    Speaking of someone else who is likely not a catch…at least Sophia’s catch…She shows up at Dante’s house for their planned evening, but his almost ex Nikki is there. Dante tells her what’s going on, and it’s clear that their relationships is not quite over. He offers to call her when Nikki leaves. She says, “I’m hurt, but I’m not mad.” Oh Sophia. And she is clearly no longer the saved and sanctified church girl as her back is all out in her outfit…

    First Love…

    Obviously, it’s good that Sophia’s plans are aren’t coming together as Grace is making dinner reservations for her and her children to celebrate. While she tries to make the reservation, however, Darius calls and tells her he knows why Bob Whitmore even came to Memphis in the first place…

    Bishop, however, seems to not be worrying about Bob Whitmore anymore and you will know why soon. Marisol told Bishop about Lady Mae’s fast and what she wants to do – look for a new tactic to get the Whitmores to leave Calvary alone and a sign from God about how to proceed. So now that he knows that Lady Mae did not truly align herself with Bob, he wants to get aligned with her again. He goes to her and tells her about his meeting with the women from Calvary and how felt when he saw Calvary’s cross just being tossed in a truck like random trash.

     

    He says they need to forego a “master plan” and instead, start a “day to day journey” toward a “new church.” And he says, he wants her to helm the church with him as the “sheep” still need shepherds, and her last “A Day With Lady Mae” showed him he had a powerful preacher in his helpmeet. He tells her the first thing they have to do to start this new journey is to get remarried in City Hall! “How’s that for a sign?” he says with a grin. Lady Mae says, “Are you crazy?” Bishop responds with, “At my age, the word is demented.” Awww…

    So Bishop isn’t the only one pining away for lost love…I guess…In his swanky and contemporary digs, Phil stares at a picture of Charity…As if on cue, she shows up and Phil attempts to hide the picture of her so that she doesn’t realize that she has been on his mind…She attempts to give him his engagement ring back, but he tells her to keep it. He also tells her that he will always love her. Charity is rightfully confused and says she doesn’t know how he feels about anything much less her. “I don’t know how you feel about oxygen.” She concludes that he must at least like oxygen since he’s breathing, but other than that, she can come to no conclusions. Finally, Bob reveals why he has to marry Judee. If he doesn’t, Bob will not allow him to lead the new church, he reveals to her.. “I’ve been working for this for 20 years.”

    In the mean time, Grace has arrived at the newspaper office and Darius reveals what he knows about Bob. The Phoenix, Arizona resident bought a home in Memphis roughly a year ago although he has yet to move in. Additionally, he has made donations to several local charities. Apparently, Bob, who is a Republican, is interested in running for a Senate seat. He needs to establish his residency and a reputation as a giver. And a multicultural church led by H&H would convince potential voters that he is for everyone…Hmm…But Grace thinks it’s too late to use this information to stop the demolition of Calvary, but Darius says to Grace, “Have a little faith.” So is Darius returning to his Christian roots? If I’m remembering correctly, I think he left the church due to church hurt…Saints, help me out here…

    But before the two can put their heads together to work out a plan to overthrow the Whitmores, Grace gets a text that she has been invited to a wedding. And when she goes back to the Greenleaf estate, she realizes that all of her family has gathered there for this wedding. Bishop tells them that he and Lady Mae are heading to City Hall, and they are invited to come along (even Charity) in a caravan of vehicles from the estate. In his joy, Bishop tells Zora that he wants their wedding on Instacart…LOL…He meant Instagram…And Zora fixes her mouth to call her cousin a “skank.” As if she can talk…

    But in all of the hubbub, one person is missing: A.J. Grace goes up to her suite and cannot find him. However, a bathroom door is locked, and she suspects he is in there. When she frantically calls his name, and he doesn’t respond, she slams against the door until it comes open. To her shock, there is A.J. on the ground. He is clearly dead or nearly dead as he slit his wrists I think…That was a jarring scene, right? How very sad…

    Well, I have a theory about this. As I said before, what this A.J. doppelganger did for A.J. reminds me of what Jesus did for all of us. Judas Iscariot from the Bible felt so guilty about betraying Jesus that he later killed himself. I think that the A.J. doppelganger was the real A.J. and somehow the real A.J. told the fake one what happened to him and the fake one assumed the real one’s identity. Maybe they were in jail together at one point. And when the real A.J. was killed, it was too much for the fake A.J. to handle and so he committed suicide. How else did the A.J. doppelganger know Grace’s name when he “wandered” onto the Greenleaf estate?

    Do you have a theory?!

    At any rate, and I say this every season…but’s true every season…this is gonna be an exciting season for sure…

    Thank you sooo much for reading my Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 1: The First Day… and my other recaps so far. If you would like to keep up with OWN’s “Greenleaf,” and my recaps, please click on this link to subscribe to my blog 🙂!

    Any thoughts?

     

     

    Posted on

    Join Me Tomorrow on Twitter Live at Our Own Write’s Virtual Book Fair!!!

    I Will Be Reading an Excerpt of My Debut Novel 'Destination Wedding'

    Hello World,

    So as the world is still navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, I’m reasonably sure that every industry has been affected in some way. One industry that has definitely been negatively impacted is the book publishing industry. Authors typically are able to promote their work in person at various book fairs, festivals, signings and other book-related events throughout the country and the world. Although I’m just a debut novelist as the author of Destination Wedding, I, too, was scheduled for various appearances that have now been cancelled. (Don’t cry for me Argentina though. There are worse things to be upset about but…I’m just sayin’…)

    But thankfully, one organization – Our Own Write – has taken it upon itself to help authors who have found themselves without in-person events such as book fairs through its Virtual Book Fair!!! Below is Our Own Write’s story:

    As any great movement does, Our Own Write started with one woman and a box of books.

    In the midst of the current pandemic, many authors from the Twitter #WritingCommunity are experiencing cancelled book tours and fairs, and closed book stores and libraries. They can’t sell their books using traditional methods for the foreseeable future—so it’s time to get creative.

    That’s where we met Rachel Churcher, YA author from the UK. Her biggest book event of the year was cancelled, and she wasn’t sure what to do with the boxes of her own books that were waiting to be hauled to the event. After chatting with Rachel and a few other authors, Our Own Write was born just days later.

    Our #VirtualBookFair is a way to connect authors like Rachel with their readers, while giving everyone a chance to engage their global community and share their love of art.

    These are strange times, and strange times call for creative re-thinkings of the norm.

    Won’t you establish a new normal with us?

    Isn’t that awesome? And you know what else is awesome?! I’m one of four writers who will be reading an excerpt of our work tomorrow on Twitter as a part of Our Own Write‘s #VirtualBookFair!!! So join me at 9:30 a.m. EST on Twitter on my account @jackiehwrites to watch me read an excerpt of Destination Wedding! And if you have read Destination Wedding, please suggest a passage that I should read!!! Comment or send me an email at jacqueline@afterthealtarcall.com.

    Finally, I will be having a hectic 24 hours as I will be watching the Season 5 premiere of OWN’s Greenleaf which starts tonight at 9 p.m. and recapping the episode afterward!!! (Will I get any sleep tonight? Pray for me!!!) And if you want to find out behind-the-scenes details about Season 5 and the Greenleaf Spinoff, read:

    OWN ‘Greenleaf’ Creator Craig Wright & Executive Producer Kriss Turner Towner Share How ‘Greenleaf’ Started, Secrets from Season 5 & the Spinoff & MORE (MY INTERVIEW)

    if you haven’t already…

    Any thoughts?