Tag Archives: Bishop Greenleaf

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Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 5 : The Fifth Day…

Hello World,

With all that’s going on in this world, I’m so glad that I have a show that that provides an enthralling escape. So let’s get into another exhaustive and entertaining Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 5: The Fifth Day…And be clear on this…Any.Other.Recap just doesn’t compare…

The Fifth Dimension…

This episode begins with Grace opening the door to her suite and heading into Sophia’s room where Sophia is still in bed. “What are you still doing in bed?” Grace asks her daughter. “It’s eight minutes until your grandmother’s service.” It’s the last Sunday before Calvary is demolished into smithereens and Lady Mae plans to honor the occasion with a worship service at home.

Sleepily, Sophia groans and tells her mother she’s been up all night texting with “stupid girls at Hampton.” So glad texting was not available when I was in college, I imagine there would have many more sleepless nights than I experienced at the University of Georgia. Go DAWGS! Sophia is still sour on faith so she says, “I’ll do the family, not the faith.” Grace says, “I’m sorry. You’re a Greenleaf. It’s the same thing.”

Meanwhile in Jacob’s suite, as he puts on a blazer, Kerissa brings up the fact that they plan to tell Zora about their pending divorce after the service. He makes some kind of joke to which Kerissa responds with, “You make jokes while you’re planning to destroy your children’s lives.” Jacob asks her if she and Fernando were looking at pictures of their children while they had their afternoon delights. Touche, Jacob although I still think he is wrong to not forgive Kerissa for her entanglement while he was a straight philanderer. That’s how some men are though…But at the end of the day, I don’t think they make the best couple anyway, but I will move on from that for now.

On the main floor, Charity is leading the family plus Karine in a song entitled “Starting All Over.” Charity is really in her element when she sings which is why I don’t get her desire to preach. Lady Mae praises her daughter telling her, “That was beautiful.” I’m glad that Lady Mae is forgiving Charity for her lack of allegiance to the family at a critical time. I think Charity has learned her lesson. Then, Lady Mae begins. “Good Morning Family. Every day is a gift full of possibilities even a day like today.” All of the family including A.J. and Noah there.

Since the family is worshiping at home, Lady Mae points out that the first friends of Jesus met in home churches following his ascension. Her sermon is appropriately titled “New Beginnings.” Bishop wonders aloud what is going on at Calvary. He concludes that a conjuring must be happening as Phil and Judee are attempting to “breathe unholy life into a corpse.”

As all of this unfolds, Jacob and Kerissa continue to bicker and pick at each other. But when Bishop reminds Kerissa that ever since he met her, she was a woman of impeccable devotion, she calms down for a bit.

Once Lady Mae’s sermon is over, Sophia and Zora attempt to have a private conversation about the fact that Sophia’s topless photos are still circulating on the Internet. That’s why I never post anything on the Internet that I wouldn’t mind being there forever because that is typically what happens. Charity interrupts the clandestine conversation between the cousins. (I was going for a nice alliteration…How’d I do?)

Through her grandmother, Karine is getting updates about what is going on at Calvary  and tells Charity. Apparently, Judee is singing “I Believe” which causes the two to cackle.

As it is the last Sunday at Calvary, Noah reminisces about the first Sunday at Calvary, Consecration Sunday. Grace says, “I lost my virginity in that church.” And apparently, it happened on that first Sunday. Talk about consecration…(So I had my first kiss in the parking lot of my father’s former church…chalk it up to being a PK.)

Following the worship service, Lady Mae plans to pay a visit to Tara James herself. She tells Bishop that two Greenleaf men caused problems and that she hopes that, “With the help of God, one Greenleaf woman will solve the problem.”

After everything is over, Bishop and A.J. see that Jacob and Kerissa are back to squabbling. “All of this food and all of this family and they still find a way to be miserable.” A.J. says that he learned in the hospital that “some people like to take things apart and see how things work but they don’t mean anything by it.” That was insightful of A.J., right? Sometimes, he seems to be on another dimension…I’m still convinced though that we don’t know all there is to know about about him…And I wonder if Bishop knows about his grandson’s health condition…

Fifth Harmony…

So Lady Mae goes to see Tara woman to woman at New Revelations Memphis Mission. As she watches Tara conduct her ministry, you can see that Lady Mae reflect on her own ministry. She asks her how many children she is able to feed on a typical Sunday. Tara says 20-30. She also inquires about how long Tara has been in the building and Tara says two years. Apparently, she moves quite a bit due to the increasing costs of rent. Once Lady Mae has the answers to her questions, she says, “It never occurred to you to do something more. Saving 1,000 and feeding 10,000?” Lady Mae loves the Lord, and she is also about leveling up.

Tara tells her that she has a more humble approach. “Jesus never built a temple, never asked for donations. But He helped people who came to him.” “But now you want my house,” Lady Mae throws out. Tara tells her she is not after her home but if Mrs. Davis meant for her father to have the home, she can use it as a shelter or a foster home.” And then it hits Lady Mae. “I should have known better,” she says. “I asked God for a new beginning. Well God, has quite a sense of humor. You’re doing good work.” I get what Tara is thinking to a certain extent, but I just don’t think a shelter or a foster home is the best use of the estate. I know I sound bougie at best and worldly at worst, but I just don’t like the idea. What say you?

A.J.’s statement to Bishop made Bishop remember something. The two of them head to an old garage on the Greenleaf property. They stand near a humongous wooden box which apparently contains a GTO Pontiac, Bishop’s dream car. Bishop tells his grandson that when he was 16 years old, he kept asking his father for a GTO Pontiac. Rather than give him the car, his father told him to pray for the car. Six months later, Bishop’s father said that his prayers were answered. His father had bought his dream car for him. The catch was that the car was in pieces inside of the box. He tells A.J. that he was trying to teach him that faith without works is dead. At the time, Bishop never attempted to put the car together. But the time has finally come for him to exercise his faith. He says to AJ, “If you help me put this together, the car is yours.” I love that Bishop is finding a way to bond with his grandson. It was A.J.’s remark about taking things apart that reminded Bishop of this long overdue project.

It looks like Noah is trying to find a way to bond with Grace beyond the fact that they are A.J.’s parents. But first they do have discuss their son. She asks him how did it go with A.J. at his place the night before. “He’s 24. I don’t feel like his Dad.” Grace understands what he means. They discuss Bob Whitmore and Mrs. Davis potentially leaving the Greenleaf estate to Darryl James. “Why would Mrs. Davis have left the house to Darryl to begin with?” I’ve been wondering that too, but Grace doesn’t know the answer to that question.

Also, Noah sees that Grace is fatigued as she hasn’t slept much in the past few weeks. Ordinarily it’s no bueno to tell a woman she looks tired but in this case, I guess it’s okay.  He puts one of the sofa cushions on his lap and invites her to lay down. She says, “This is not Consecration Sunday!” She laughs a little but then she does take him up on his offer.

In another part of the house, Karine tells Charity that Phil and Judee are taking selfies with a wrecking ball that is already on the Calvary campus, although the demolition is scheduled for two days later. Karine’s grandmother, who attended the last service at the church, is telling her everything that is happening. After that, Karine must have gone to the bathroom or something because Charity asks her nieces to watch Nathan for a bit.

But right then, Jacob and Kerissa tell Zora that they need to speak with her. The couple takes her into their suite and breaks the bad news. Zora is hot about it. She blames her father as he was a serial cheater, but Kerissa tries to tell her that she is also at fault. “We both missed the mark,” Kerissa says. But Zora asks what did she do wrong. “Cook too many dinners while waiting for you to come home from Alexa?” Wow. And she even wonders what is going to happen to her mother after the divorce. “Who is she going to get now? Some old dude.”

Zora tries to act hard, but it’s easy to see that the news of her parents’ pending divorce is devastating to her. She storms off, leaving her parents alone. They plan to tell Winkie the next day in a child psychologist’s office. They elected to tell Zora without a child psychologist because she doesn’t like them. Kerissa is on the verge of tears, but she says “I’m still willing to drop this whole thing. But after we tell Winkie tomorrow, it’s over. I will not put him through this for nothing.” She is really, really, really trying to keep them together…

Charity has excused herself to call Marcus DeMars aka Yusef Shabazz. He says, “I told you pastor you’ve got three strikes.” But Charity tells him she is not Grace and was almost Charity DeMars. He tells her that she has two minutes. What’s his deal? Why is he so standoffish?

Bishop and A.J. return to the home. He tells his grandson that some have turned “religion into a rule book” when it isn’t. “It’s an experience. Jesus is real.” I concur. He knows how to reach his grandson. A.J. has had to live by so many rules that a rule-oriented faith wouldn’t appeal to him at all. Smart move Bishop.  As they talk, Lady Mae arrives and Bishop asks her how it went. “I think we have to give her the house.” Bishop is stunned.

An hour later, Grace wakes up from her nap on Noah, and she apologizes for sleeping so long. But that time allowed Noah to recall a journal that the caretaker kept in the cabin where Noah once lived. The journal contained plans and sketches that indicated to Noah that maybe the caretaker thought he would one day inherit the house. Also, Mrs. Davis was white and so was the caretaker. However, periodically Darryl James would stop by, and the caretaker referred to him as “That Negro” in the journal. Anywho, Noah thinks the journal could be of use to her. The two seem to be in harmony with one another for a change…

Fifth Avenue…

Since Lady Mae seems to be ready to just hand over the house, Bishop is back on the case. He approaches Grace about using her inheritance money to buy Tara off. She asks him how much does he need. He replies, “How much do you have?”

Charity has been able to keep Yusef Shabazz on the phone for more than two minutes, but she still doesn’t know how his wife was involved with Eden Vale Lending. And Yusef aine trying to share what he knows. “The river only flows one way, and it has nothing to do with the river.” Huh?

Still upset about the topless photos, Sophia discusses her options with her brother. She’s scared to go back to Hampton because she is pretty much the talk of the campus. Having been abandoned by his parents and spending time in jail, A.J. isn’t all that sympathetic about her apprehension. Exasperated, he finally asks her, “What do you want that you can have?” Sophia says that she would like to stay at the Greenleaf estate with him and Zora. But A.J. tells her that it’s weird that grown adults still live with their parents. “People this old don’t live at home.” You know what, living apart from your family even as an adult is overrated. If you have a home that’s big enough (like an estate) to accommodate extended family, what is wrong with that? You can share expenses and responsibility.

Zora, on the other hand, has returned to her cabin where she cries about her parents’ divorce as she sits on her sofa alone. Grace comes into the cabin and tries to comfort her niece but Zora has to be hard. Once Grace tells her that she came to the house to find an old journal, Zora tells her she can find all of the older stuff in a wooden box in another room.

Speaking of older stuff, Lady Mae’s old wounds are opened up again when Bishop tells her that Grace has offered to give him her inheritance money to pay off Tara. She tells Bishop that the money is evidence of her “biggest mistake” and that as a result, she lied every day for 40 years about her affair with Grace’s real father. She says that their new church will be “founded on truth and built sturdy like every well made thing.” She doesn’t want Grace’s money.

As Bishop and Lady Mae discuss whether they will be giving the house to Tara, Charity shows up and asks if they would like to go over to Calvary. At first Lady Mae is apprehensive about her request, but Charity says, “We’re not going to say good-bye. We’re going to say, ‘thank you.'”

The family minus Noah and A.J. go to Calvary and walk through various rooms until they come to the sanctuary. Bishop recalls the first baptism at the church. The woman who had just turned 92 years old danced on stage following her baptism. Bishop expected to be sad to walk through Calvary one last time, but that was not the case. It was like that “awful Friday that can be called good.” “This visit has been a balm to my soul. Let’s seal this tomb and wait for our miracle,” he says. A little while later, he whispers to Lady Mae, “give her the house if you want to.”

A short time later, Bishop and Lady Mae return to the mission and intend to do just that. Lady Mae assures him that the Lord will provide another home for them and they will truly be starting again like they did the first time. They knock on the door and within seconds of Tara answering it, Rochelle appears out of nowhere and with a sly smile says, “I told you these Greenleafs are like a bad penny. You can’t get of rid of them.” I KNEW TARA WAS STILL IN TOUCH WITH HER SISTER! As Rochelle talks, a few cars pull into the mission parking lot. Are they about to be ambushed? Is Basie really dead? See Lady Mae belongs on Fifth Avenue not in the midst of a bad neighborhood at night…

I wonder what’s in store now that Rochelle is back!!! I guess we have to keep on watching…

Thank you sooo much for reading my Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 5: The Fifth 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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OWN Announces Fifth & FINAL Season of ‘Greenleaf’ to Return in June, Releases Trailer!!!

Hello World,

A LATE BREAKING SUNDAY POST: I guessed it was the final season of OWN’s Greenleaf last year, and now, my suspicions have been confirmed.  Today, actor Keith David aka Bishop Greenleaf shared this post on his Facebook page…So Saints, get your mind right because we will be saying goodbye to our favorite church drama series come June…And I hope it goes out in flames as every season has been hotter than the last! Can I get a witness, Saints? If it’s anything like the trailer below, we won’t be disappointed!!!

Again, if you need to refresh yourself about what happened on the last episode in November before this season final kicks off, click HERE.

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Greenleaf Recap Season 4 Episode 1: Original Sin…

Hello World,

The wait for the return of OWN’s “Greenleaf” is OVER!!! So I won’t make you wait to get this Greenleaf Recap Season 4 Episode 1: Original Sin …

O.G. Original Gangster

Like the original gangster that he is, Bob Whitmore is front and center on the stage between his henchman Phil DeMars and Grace as Calvary’s praise and worship (led by a woman who is not Charity) ushers in Sunday morning service. Once the praise and worship is complete, Bob strides up to the podium and says, “Good Morning Calvary.” He delivers his cheery greeting with all of the sincerity of a snake. “Wasn’t that a wonderful performance? So much energy.” He then proceeds to compliment the congregation on all of the “beautiful hats” he sees in the church. First of all, praise and worship is not a performance. It’s praise to and worship of the Lord. And secondly, he sounds like an original neophyte instead of an O.G. making a comment about church hats. A hat in a church is almost as common as a Bible in a church.

Whitmore goes on with his speech over a podium where the Harmony & Hope moniker is now clearly displayed. “Welcome to the family,” he says before introducing Phil, who is the southeast conference leader of the church stealing conglomerate.  He also said that he was so glad that Deaconness Connie Sykes approached him about taking over Calvary as he had been eyeing the church from afar. He recalls that he said, “I’d like to get in on that.”

Looking on from the audience, Bishop tells Lady Mae that what Bob really meant to say is that he would like to “get in on that money.” It’s so disconcerting to see all of the Greenleafs except Grace in the audience rather than on stage as they were before. And even Grace is not getting her respect as Bob whispers to Grace to keep her sermon short after he introduces her as the interim pastor.  Once the service is over, the Greenleafs critique the service as well as the overall feel of the church now that they are simply parishioners rather in the pulpit. Bishop says he feels like a “ghost moving unseen in a house that I built” while Lady Mae says Grace’s sermon was “concise.” But Grace reminds her parents that they must remain cool if they are to reclaim their church.

Lady Mae agrees but then she approaches Bob anyway. She tells Bob that her daughter’s sermon was more like a “minister’s minute.” When Bob says something to the effect that time is money, she points that “money shouldn’t be a metric when measuring things of the spirit.” Bob points out that a shorter service would pave the way for a third service and that congregants want to know what to expect when coming to a Harmony & Hope church service similarly to a McDonald’s. (I guess this episode was shot before the Chick-fil-A/Popeye’s war teehee.) And then Lady Mae delivers one of her zingers. “There are two things that human beings do together that are best done when done slowly and preaching is one of them.” LOL. I will let you guess the other thing…

Grace meets with Phil to discuss hiring Jacob and Charity as associate pastors. But Phil shuts her down by reminding her about what happened at Triumph although Basie Skanks framed Jacob and what happened with Charity being nearly accused of kidnapping her child. She tells him that they don’t have to be officially associate pastors. They can even be called assistants, but Phil says, “It’s never going to happen.”

You’re An Original…

Although Bob is at Bishop’s desk when Bishop charges into his vacated office, it’s clear that there will never be another like Bishop. In his walk and talk and overall presence, he’s got the ingredients of a beloved shepherd. Bob is just fooling himself if he thinks he is going to erase Bishop’s legacy and steal the flock for himself. Bishop tells Bob that he knows what the man is up to and his reputation has preceded him. Apparently, a pastor friend of his, Mike Evans, who was the shepherd over Jericho Faith Fellowship, was pushed out of his own church due to Harmony & Hope Ministries. The organization hired a private investigator to drum up some dirt on him and discovered that Pastor Mike got addicted to painkillers after injuring himself while helping Katrina survivors. Bob and his gang shared that intel with Jericho’s board and Pastor Mike was pushed out. Harmony & Hope brought down the wall around Jericho and took it over as a result.

Bishop says, “I don’t know what you’re doing here, but I’m going to find out.” He then tells Bob that his “magic carpet of a denomination is going to dissolve like smoke” when he’s through with him. Yaaas, Bishop! Tell him! “Your days are numbered,” are Bishop’s final benediction. Bob says he hopes the Lord releases him from the “spirit of resentment.” And then he really sticks it to him by telling Bishop that he met Bishop’s ex-wife. “She’s a spitfire! How did you let her get away?” I guess that was Bob’s way of saying that if he let his beloved wife get away and then it’s no wonder that his church is being stolen from him. That’s alright, Bishop. You made some mistakes, but you can make up for those mistakes. That’s what repentance is all about.

Speaking of mistakes, since it was revealed last season that Lady Mae’s indiscretion resulted in the birth of Grace, Aaron is as much her brother as Jacob is. And so he calls his big sister and for the first time, she refers to him as her “little brother.” Was I the only one who was a little “weirded out” by their conversation? I know they are related, but I still only see Jacob as her only brother.

Original Prankster…

Zora Greenleaf, our favorite juvenile delinquent, has moved along with her parents back to the Greenleaf home on the estate. But her little brother, who is finally growing up a little, is annoying her as he is always passing gas. She tells her parents that she is a “grown-a$$ woman” and she should be allowed to move into Noah’s old cabin for the sake of her sense of smell and overall sanity. This woman-child is beyond bold. I mean the girl caused her parents to go through hell last season and now she wants to rewarded with her own place rent-free?! I think she should be forced to sleep with her stinky brother.

And speaking of things that stink…When Jacob gets a voicemail from a Dora Saunders, Kerissa is paranoid that Dora is really Tasha Skanks. “How come I’ve never met her?” Kerissa asks Jacob. She wonders aloud if Basie, Tasha and Rochelle, three pranksters for real, are still conspiring to further damage Jacob and Kerissa. She says to Jacob, “Don’t call back.”

Meanwhile back at Calvary, the two new pranksters of Season 4, Bob and Phil, discuss their plan to completely conquer Calvary. Bob is concerned that although the Greenleafs seem to be reasonably compliant, they are likely concocting a scheme as they speak. And Bob is right. Back at the estate, at the family dining room table, Grace reveals to her family that her request to get Jacob and Charity put on as associate pastors has resulted in “dookie” in Charity’s words. (I think she’s still dranking…and she’s  not the only one as you will find out later…)

And Kerissa goes on to say that the Greenleafs have been on a “swift slide down” ever since the prodigal daughter Grace returned. She tells her in-laws that they can “side eye me all you want.” And furthermore, she tells that the family that she is not at all happy that she is living under the Greenleaf roof again before she stomps out of the room. Bishop says to Jacob, “You need to handle your business and keep her out of the wine.”

And then top all of that off, Charity screeches that she should be an associate pastor before she also stomps out of the room like the petulant last child that she is. Lady Mae says, “The sins and stupidity that this poor table has seen. I’m surprised it doesn’t just crash to the floor.” You’ve got to love Lady Mae and her language! Once the room has cleared, Lady Mae goes to Grace. She tells her daughter that she did nothing wrong. Wow! I hope Grace burns her mother’s words in her memory because she may never hear those words slip from mother’s lips ever again.

Grace wants to tell Jacob and Charity that she is really their half-sister, but Lady Mae says, “We will tell them once we have won our church back.” I agree. Right now, their efforts need to be laser-focused and if they find out that Grace is their mother’s love child, they family would be splintered, in more ways than one, in their efforts. She then tells her daughter that she should not ask that her brother and sister be hired. She should tell them they will. And she kisses Grace on the cheek!!!

Per usual, Jacob defies his wife’s instruction and calls Dora Saunders back. Apparently, her son plays NBA basketball for the Memphis Red Devils and needs a spiritual adviser and or life coach. The team’s name alone should get Jacob running not walking in the opposite direction, but the man is without a job so the devil’s offer beckons him.

Later on that evening, Bishop, with his sly self, sees Lady Mae slip off her clothes to reveal lingerie. It’s been all last season since those two became one so to speak and Bishop wants to move back into their bedroom. “When do you see me moving back in here?” Lady Mae replies, “When we’re in love.” Bishop is surprised that Lady Mae didn’t just fall back in love with him and asks her if flowers and a ring will do the trick. Lady Mae levels with him. “You are courting a woman who has had everything. You will have to sweep me off my feet…in ways that I can’t even imagine.” Wow. Although the Greenleafs have to win their church back, Bishop has to win Lady Mae back too.

And even later that evening, in the middle of the night actually, Grace gets a call from some inmate…Is this a prank call?

Get Original…

You must know that Lady Mae is an original. When you think you are getting something that you want from her, you realize that she will always get what she wants first and foremost. She allows Zora to live in Noah’s abandoned cabin. (Remember Noah from Season 1? He was Grace’s original love.) But in exchange for her more free living arrangements, she will resume meeting with her grandmother for their early morning Bible study sessions.  Speaking of Noah, he calls Grace and asks her to call him back per her voicemail…Hmmm…

Charity decides to come up with an original plan to regain Calvary. She, by her lonesome, meets with Phil. She tells him she is better than Grace. Phil picks up on Charity’s frustration and asks her to be his “eyes and ears” among the Greenleafs in exchange for a position.

Speaking of a position, Jacob meets with a member of the Memphis Red Devils management team. He is told he is more likely to get the job as a spiritual adviser and or life coach if he is already on staff at a church, especially after what happened at Triumph. Unlike Charity, he still believes that his sister is working on his behalf to secure a position at Calvary. And Grace is. She tells Bob that she is willing to walk away from Calvary if he doesn’t hire her brother and sister. Bob tells her that he has been following her since her days as a television reporter in Arizona. Uh-oh. You know this means that Bob has dirt on her just like he did on Bishop’s friend Pastor Mike. He tells Grace that “putting family first is a mistake” although he does agree to bring on Jacob as an associate pastor.

Now that Grace has secured Jacob’s position at Calvary, his position as the spiritual adviser and or life coach for Dante Saunders of the Memphis Red Devils is set and Zora tells her cousin that she wants to be Daunte’s love coach. Sophia points out that Zora is always falling for the bad boy. Apparently, this dude drove over a Confederate statue or something while drunk.

But Charity is not satisfied that at least her brother was hired as an associate pastor. When she hears the news, she calls Phil and tells him, “I’m in.”

Grace has more to worry about than her spying little sister though. Noah calls her again and finally reaches her. He says, “Why haven’t you called me back? An inmate from Arizona called me and he says he’s our son!” Well, close my Bible and call Grace a sinner. Lady Mae isn’t the only one with a love child. What we thought was an original sin in the Greenleaf family is actually a legacy sin. Like mother, like daughter…Wow…More will be revealed I’m sure.

In the voice of the incomparable Bishop T.D. Jakes, “Get ready, Get ready, Get ready.” In fact, Saints, cash app me your tithe because I’m about to put in work this Season 4 I can already tell…LOL…

Thank you sooo much for reading my Greenleaf Recap Season 4 Episode 1: Original Sin 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?