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Greenleaf Recap Season 1 Episode 12: Veni, Vidi, Vici…

ONLY ONE EPISODE LEFT!!!

kevin

Hello World,

The Greenleaf family has almost as much drama as this year’s presidential election, and it’s certainly more fun to watch! That is for doggone sure!!! So let’s get to this week’s Greenleaf recap!!!

Chile, this episode of Greenleaf begins and ends with Kevin Satterlee, husband of Charity Greenleaf-Satterlee…Also, before I go any further, the Greenleaf – The Gospel Companion Soundtrack Volume 1 will be officially released THIS Friday! If you want to hear a sample of the album and read more about Deborah Joy Winans, who portrays Charity Greenleaf-Satterlee, this blog post is for you – “‘Greenleaf’ Star Deborah Joy Winans Shares About New Greenleaf Gospel Album, Her TV Husband & Her Aunt CeCe: My Interview (With Audio…

Comin’ Out Hard…

Alright back to Kevin…We all know that Kevin is struggling with his sexuality, but when is he going to tell Charity? That is the real issue…When this episode begins, Kevin has spent yet another night on the coach and sees Charity coming down the stairs, ready to head out of the door. He asks where she is headed, and she tells him she is going out for a walk on the lake…And he’s not invited nor permitted to come after he invites himself…

Kevin isn’t the only man in the Greenleaf estate struggling with how to tell something. Jacob Greenleaf is scheduled to meet with his father and Pastor Skanks about being hired as a pastor at Triumph, the rival church of Calvary…(So you know a church shouldn’t have a rival, right? Okay, back to the recap..) and Kerissa is right to worry about Jacob defecting. His move may cost them their home in the Greenleaf estate after all, but Jacob ferreted out another reason for Kerissa’s apprehension: Alexa. His former sidepiece is now attending Triumph after Bishop fired her. He assures her that she is his only one and even compliments her on her sexy arms while Zora is upstairs playing gangsta rap so loudly it thumps through the ceiling…PKs are always causing a ruckus LOL…And I should know since I am one 🙂

Rome is Burning…

Although Lady Mae already contributed $4500 out of her pocket to secure the grand Peabody Hotel for her Women’s Day event in last week’s episode of Greenleaf, there is still trouble afoot. Connie, head of the deacon board of Calvary, comes to see Lady Mae and asks her to consider moving the event to a less prestigious hotel, the River Bluff, as fewer women will be attending the event. At the smaller hotel with smaller rooms, Connie can still make the event look like a big deal. At the larger hotel, the lower turnout will be more apparent, she explains. However, Lady Mae is not having it and insists that the event remain at Peabody.

Connie then attempts to make a deal with Lady Mae. If she allows Grace (who inspired Calvary members to give the most they have given in recent times) to preach for at least three months , she will be able to calm down the rumblings of discord and disapproval she’s heard from members regarding all of the drama that has gone down at Greenleaf lately…

Instead of considering Connie’s deal, Lady Mae lets loose of one of her one-liners. “If Rome is burning, then she is the one who set it on fire!”

Here Comes the Judge…

Grace and her baby daddy Ray, who has been clean and sober for eight years, head to court to settle their dispute about where their daughter Sophia lives. Although Sophia testifies that she would prefer to stay with her mother at the Greenleaf estate, the judge decides that after school is out in two weeks, she will return to Phoenix with Ray for 90 days. Despite wanting to stay with mother, Sophia feels caught between the two and is having a hard time dealing with the dichotomy that is her family…

While the Bishop is not an official judge, Jacob along with Pastor Skanks finally meet with the Bishop for Jacob to explain why he wants to be a pastor at Triumph. Pastor Skanks tells the Bishop that spreading the gospel is the most important thing and if Jacob can help spread the gospel, even if it is at Triumph, then that is good. Even if the Bishop sometimes has questionable motives, he usually comes off as a respectable man of God while Pastor Skanks just comes off as a shyster. Something tells me that spreading the gospel is last on his list of priorities…He’s up to something…I wonder if we will find out what before the season is over…

Although Bishop undoubtedly does not agree with Jacob preaching for with his rival, he gives him his blessing but he tells him that he will be one to tell his mother…

Green Light…

Adrian believes that Kevin has given him the green light to get his flirt on as the two meet for a cozy dinner at a restaurant…Lights are flickering and glasses are clinking so it seems that is what Kevin had in mind…But when Kevin gets Adrian straight so to speak, Adrian says, “Why are we at dinner?” before leaving in exasperation…

Exasperated in her own right and needing some direction, Grace goes to see her Aunt Mavis. Aunt Mavis, portrayed by Oprah, says, “Well look who exists.” Clearly, a visit from her favorite niece is overdue. Grace discovers that her Uncle Mac used his influence with the city government to have her club shut down, but she still manages to give advice to Grace. She says now that she accomplished what she came to do…i.e. Veni, Vidi, Vici or  you came, you saw, you conquered (with Mac in jail) she has the green light to head back to Phoenix where she can co-parent with Ray. But for some reason, Grace feels compelled to stay in Memphis…

You Da Man…

In a conversation with her father, Charity notices that the Bishop’s hand shakes. Not wanting to be the last one to know everything as she usually is, she confronts her mother about her father…Incidentally, she seems to be the only Greenleaf child that notices her father is exhibiting symptoms of an illness. While Lady Mae neither confirms or denies her daughter’s suspicion, she does tell Kevin to “man up” and explains him it’s up to him to make things right with Charity…

Later when Lady Mae sees Bishop, adorned in a cream FILA jogging suit, lounging on the coach before bed, she tells Bishop that she is no longer content to be the woman behind the man. Rather than have Grace in the pulpit, she can be in the pulpit as a Greenleaf does need to be in the pulpit and Bishop agrees that Grace is not the best choice. And at the same time, Bishop knows that speaking once a year at a Women’s Day event does not make one qualified to preach. Lady Mae also pleads with him again tell her what Mac has on him, but he still doesn’t want to say…

The Whole Truth…

But finally, there are some that do want to tell the whole truth. Even as Grace fights for her daughter, she is also still grappling with her feelings for Noah. He comes to see her after he explains that Isabel is coming back to town and what that they mean for their relationship…Although Grace and Noah look nice together, maybe too much has happened for them to be the couple they once were as teenagers…

Meanwhile, Kevin goes to the nursery where he is ready to tell the whole truth to Charity. He tells her that although he loves her and wants to be a father to their twins, he’s been having feelings and that he’s prayed about the feelings but they won’t go away. Charity asks, “What kind of feelings?” Kevin responds with “Feelings about men.” When she asks him if he is gay, he says he doesn’t know. By this time, Charity is crying and is so overwhelmed with emotion that she falls to the ground.

Grace hears sirens from her room and in the next scene, everyone is out front as an ambulance has arrived in front of the Greenleaf home for Charity! After Charity and the twins are stabilized at the hospital, she tells Kevin he can go home…

Speaking of feelings, I really felt that scene! That was the best scene of the season for Deborah Joy Winans and Tye White, who portray the challenged couple…And that was the end of the episode…

Check out that bombshell moment between Charity and Kevin below…

So I’m expecting more explosions in next week’s episode of Greenleaf…Will the Bishop tell his children AND the church that he is ill and what does Mac have on him anyway? Will Charity tell her family what Kevin told her? Will Jacob get back with Alexa now that the two will be reunited at Triumph?

What do you think of my Greenleaf recap of episode 12?

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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‘Greenleaf’ Star Deborah Joy Winans Shares About New ‘Greenleaf’ Gospel Album, Her TV Husband & Her Aunt CeCe: My Interview (With Audio)

Charity Greenleaf

Hello World,

So my favorite new show is OWN’s Greenleaf which I’ve been faithfully recapping each week! I’m especially excited about tonight’s episode because it looks like Charity is finally going to confront Kevin about why he is on that dang phone so much! But I’m even more excited that I recently had the opportunity to interview Deborah Joy Winans (yes, of the dynamic Winans family) about release of Greenleaf – The Gospel Companion Soundtrack Volume 1 in conjunction with Lionsgate (the full 14-track album will be released on CD and digital on August 26), having a TV husband and a real life husband, controversy in the church, playing her Aunt CeCe in the stage play Born for This: The BeBe Winans Story and more! Read and or take a listen below!

greenleaf soundtrack

1. I know that you are primarily an actress, but I wanted to find out with this new gospel album coming out, is this your first album?

Absolutely. It is absolutely my first album. I’ve never even recorded a song before I did Greenleaf.

So what was it like to make this album considering that you’ve never sung on an album before and yet you have this powerhouse musical family?

It was very daunting. It was very challenging. It was exciting. It was definitely fun to find another way to give Charity a voice as a character, you know, not just in different scenes speaking, but she could actually show you who she was through her music. So that was fun to kind of uncover that and see where that could lead. So it’s been a lot of things – challenging but amazing.

Did you get any advice for your family members about singing?

Oh absolutely! BeBe actually Uncle BeBe was executive music producer on the show so the first time I had to record it was with him. And he gave me quite a few pointers and was just really helpful and really boosted my confidence and taught me how to work the studio so it was really great.

Did you get a chance to meet anyone else on the album?

No, I did not. I know Melinda Doolittle, and we are pretty cool. And Desiree Ross who sings one song that’s on the record she sings it in the show. I think it was last week’s episode where she sang. You know we’re cast mates and so I know her very well. But nobody else I think that worked on the record.

2. What is it like to play Charity Greenleaf-Satterlee, a minister of music?

It’s very exciting! It’s not extremely far from my own life where I was surrounded by music. I grew up in church. I love the Lord. My dad was an elder in the church so it’s not too, too far from my own life but with Charity, it’s been fun to not just watch other people sing but for that to be more of the core of who she is. I’ve been able to learn a lot about that. Praise and worship is my favorite part of service anyway. And so being able to be the leader of our worship was really, really cool. And just bringing her to life in all aspects. She’s married on the show. I’m married in real life. So it was really exciting to see the similarities and also the differences and how to make it work. It’s been incredible.

Did you even have to audition considering you come from such a powerhouse musical family?

Oh, absolutely because it wasn’t necessarily about the singing, and I think that’s just been a really, really cool by-product of working on the show and being able to sing. I’ve been able to sing a lot of things through the course of the show so it’s been really cool. But I definitely had to audition you know because Charity is more than singing.

3. Obviously, Kevin, your TV husband, has a big secret that has yet to be revealed. What can we expect from Kevin and Charity in future episodes? I know you probably don’t want to give everything away but just kind of give us a little teaser.

I can’t give everything away, but I think through all of the little things that are kind of being shown to the audience, I think the bigger picture is that he really loves her. And she really loves him. So I think you will continue to see their love story but also the trying…He’s complicated. He’s very complicated and so you’ll see that unfold but you’ll also see the love they share unfold and how that’s going to work. Will it work? Will it not work? We’ll see.

4. You mentioned that you are you married in real life. What is it like to have a TV husband and a real husband?

(Laughter) Well, you know the real husband always wins! My husband is amazing. He’s so supportive and just incredible. He’s smart. I definitely feel I have the best husband in the world. But it’s been fun because we talk about being married for three years on the show, and I’ve actually been married for just a little over three years in real life and so I’ve learned quite a bit. I’m sure that there is quite a bit more to learn but being able to have that background and bring it into the show where I’m working with Tye who plays Kevin was just really fun. When we did our research and our homework, I was able to tell him some things about how married life works. It’s really a great parallel to have for working on this specific character.

And now you’re pregnant on the show, do you have any children in real life?

I do not. I’ve got two nieces and three nephews so that’s about all of the kids I have right now. I spoil them rotten and send them back home. Hopefully, in the future if the Lord blesses us to have kids of our own, that would be awesome.

5. Considering all of the drama on the show, do you think the show is casting a negative light on megachurches, the church in general or even faith and Christianity? I’ve heard some feedback regarding those issues so what do you think about it?

I don’t think so. First, I think we have to recognize is that it is a show written for TV. So it’s drama. And it’s not based on any real life scenario. It’s a show about family, but church is really the backdrop. It’s a show about a family and all of their flaws. I think that people relate to the show. And I think that they like it because they see real people and they see real people dealing with real problems. And they see how they deal with it. Sometimes, they deal with it the right way and sometimes they deal with it the wrong way. But that’s life. And I think that’s the attraction to the show. It’s real life. You see this beautiful family and all of their flaws and how they handle it. It’s about them. It’s about their family. They just happen to run a church.

6. And you mentioned that it’s entertainment and so with all of the issues the show has already addressed from greed, child molestation, the Black Lives Matter movement, what do you feel or what has been communicated to you is the intent of the show beyond entertainment? Is it supposed to be an exposé type of thing or what do you think?

I don’t think so. I just think that it hits on certain things that touch people whether it be bad or good. If we were all in a room and we had to show every flaw that we had, who would want to do that? What human would want to do that? I think it sheds a light on human life whether that is the good stuff that we go through or the bad stuff because we go through it all. And we have to figure it all out. And sometimes we don’t always make the right choice. And sometimes we don’t have the right motivation. And then sometimes we do. And I think that ultimately, it shows you that love wins. It doesn’t promote anything crazy. It’s just a show. It’s a well-written show. And I think it’s a show that shows people that you can make a mistake and get back up.

7. I know you’re currently starring in Born For This: The Bebe Winans Story.What is like to play your Aunt CeCe in the stage play? And you do look a lot like her.

I know. It’s crazy. It’s been such a wonderful and humbling experience. I think she’s incredible. Clearly nobody can be her but her, but it’s been really beautiful to try to fill those shoes every night and give people this person that they’ve loved for so long. Just touch a little bit on some of the music and a little bit of who she is. I think she is one of the most incredible people in the world. I call her Mama C because she’s been like a mother to me. And it’s a real honor. And for her to tell me that if anyone was going to play her, she hoped that it would be me. That just made it all the more exciting to do.

 

 

For more information about Greenleaf – The Gospel Companion Soundtrack Volume 1, see below…

Malaco Records, the legendary Jackson, Mississippi-based soul/blues/gospel label, has announced the release of Greenleaf – The Gospel Companion Soundtrack Volume 1 in conjunction with Lionsgate, a premier next generation global content leader. The album is a musical reflection of the hit OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network original drama series Greenleaf.  Malaco’s dominant role in the gospel music field led the series’ producers to join forces for the creation and release of this very special album. The album’s tracks, produced by Tim Lauer, Russell Ziecker and BeBe Winans, are rolling out digitally on a track-by-track basis. 

Greenleaf – The Gospel Companion Soundtrack Vol. 1 track listing is as follows:

1)    The Root (feat. Mavis Staples) (Greenleaf Main title)

2)    Ring Them Bells (feat. McCrary Sisters)

3)    (God Bless the) Broken Road (feat. Deborah Joy Winans)

4)    Testimony (feat. Deborah Joy Winans)

5)    Say Something (feat. Melinda Doolittle)

6)    Satan, We’re Gonna Tear Your Kingdom Down (feat. Shirley Caesar)

7)    Let Love Find a Way (feat. Deborah Joy Winans)

8)    The Master’s Calling (feat. Deborah Joy Winans)

9)    Battle Hymn of the Republic (feat. Deborah Joy Winans)

10) Get Your House In Order (feat. Dottie Peoples & The Peoples

 Choice Chorale)

11) Take Me To the Water (feat. Deborah Joy Winans)

12) Blessed (feat. Deborah Joy Winans)

13) River (feat. Deborah Joy Winans)

14) (We’ll Understand It Better) By and By (feat. Desiree Ross)

Click HERE to hear The Master’s Calling (which is beautiful) featuring the voice of Deborah Joy Winans who portrays Charity Greenleaf-Satterlee in the series.

Greenleaf – The Gospel Companion Soundtrack Volume 1 is executive produced by Oprah Winfrey, Craig Wright and Russell Ziecker. Ziecker and Tim Lauer are soundtrack producers.

Any thoughts?

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Greenleaf Recap Season 1 Episode 6: Good Morning, Calvary

grace

Hello World,

Yes, I am writing recaps for each episode of “Greenleaf” for this first season at least and yes, I know I missed last week’s episode. But I have a great reason why I was unable to do so last week. I was getting my hair done and the appointment ran late. Yes, that late…smh…

Anywhow, I swear Oprah, her team of “Greenleaf” writers and OWN are determined to unearth every issue that has ever happened at somebody’s church throughout these not-so United States (right now, anyway). You will see what I mean…

Sisters of Tamar (not Tamar Braxton although she was named after the biblical Tamar I’m sure)…

This episode begins with a meeting of a sexual abuse survivors group that Grace formed. During this meeting, a woman named Stacy shares how her life seemed doomed from the moment she was born as her father felt he couldn’t afford another child. After her parents divorced, her mother began dating a man who became a father figure and began sexually abusing her. When Stacy’s husband comes to get her after the meeting is over, his aggressive tone suggests that although Stacy may no longer be abused by mother’s boyfriend, her husband has taken his place.

Jacob’s Ladder…

When you think of a ladder, you typically think about using it to climb higher, but if you’re already high, you can use a ladder to go lower even if you would rather not do so. That is the position that Jacob finds himself in during this episode. After Kerissa reveals that Jacob was getting it on with Alexa, Bishop Greenleaf’s assistant, in last week’s episode, the Bishop is now ready to deliver his punishment. Jacob will be relieved of all of his ministerial duties for 90 days.  Oh, by the way, the Bishop has fired Alexa as well. Jacob accuses his father as using his infidelity as a reason to make GiGi (Grace), obviously his favorite, a preaching pastor rather than just a pastor on the Calvary staff.

When the Bishop tells his wife Lady Mae that Jacob is on punishment, she says that Jacob is only human and it’s not like the Bishop hasn’t been human before. Was she insinuating that the Bishop has cheated on Lady Mae before? Could be….But I’m not sure at the moment. Like Jacob, Lady Mae is afraid that this is the Bishop’s chance to get Grace in the pulpit as he obviously wants.

The Bishop wastes no time in approaching Grace about preaching to the 4,000 people that come to Calvary’s Memphis location the following Sunday as he will be preaching in Calvary’s Birmingham location. Apparently, they have churches in Birmingham, Alabama; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Knoxville Tennessee. She says so, but then he commands, “You’re going to do it.”

When Lady Mae realizes that Bishop has convinced Grace to preach on Sunday, she goes to see her daughter privately and asks that she does not use her sermon as a “switch to punish us publicly.” I wonder why Lady Mae is so threatened by her daughter’s presence. I’m thinking she is uneasy with how much influence Grace has over her father and the fact that Gigi tells the truth whether or not church folk approve…

Trapped in the Closet…

Charity Greenleaf continues to clash with Greenleaf choir director Nigel so much so that she complains to her husband. I’m surprised that Kevin is able to tear himself away from his phone, as he obsessively peruses various gay dating sites, long enough to give her advice, but he does.  He suggests that he simply fire Nigel and find a suitable replacement. When she takes his advice, she is overwhelmed by the number of applicants. Kevin suggests that she treat the process like dating and simply and quickly subtract the applicants she knows she is not interested in and interview the remaining applicants. He should know since it seems he may be dating someone and not his wife in the near future. She bonds with one applicant so much that after they sing an impromptu rendition of “Jesus Be a Fence Around Me” (Jesus be a fence around your husband because he is going to get out…), she offers him the job during the interview. However, before he accepts her offer, he tells her he is openly gay and will be bringing his partner to church. Charity doesn’t mind his candor she says and he accepts her offer.

However, once Kevin learns of Charity’s selection, he does not approve as the choir director’s openness with his sexuality demonstrates how closeted he is…

Swing Out Sister…

With his sister poised to be hottest new preacher pastor at Greenleaf, Jacob realizes that he must have a plan B to secure his position. He meets some sort of business executive who could potentially guarantee that Calvary becomes a televised ministry. I’m surprised that as big as it is, the church is not already televised but maybe I’m missing something…Anywho, Jacob invites the business executive, whom he has bonded with over fantasy football, to the Greenleaf estate so the business executive and his wife can spend some time with Jacob and his wife. Well, the wife starts throwing herself at Jacob while her husband makes a play for Kerissa. When the evening is over, the flirty couple invites Jacob and Kerissa to enjoy their hot tub in a cabin as a foursome. Yes, they swing like that…

Once they leave, Jacob asks Kerissa if she is down for what this couple is proposing. She answers, “Who knows what your stock is going to be once [Grace] closes that Bible on Sunday?” Kerissa is such a team player! And Jacob appreciates her willingness to be on his team so much so that he tries to start something with his wife (hey Alexa is gone), but she is not trying to do that…In other words, Kerissa is willing to get down with another man for her husband but not actually with her husband…That’s deep and even Jacob realizes that…

So on the night that they are supposed to get together with The Swingers (since I don’t know their name) with Kerissa in a strappy little purple number, Jacob decides that he longer wants to meet them. He tells Kerissa he doesn’t want another man touching his wife and says, “You’re mine.” And just like that, Kerissa happily dissolves in her husband’s arms…Great scene!

Sermons on Demand…

As Gigi never wanted to preach a sermon in the first place, she is stumped about what what she will say on Sunday. Zora, Jacob’s daughter, says when her father doesn’t know what to say, he buys a sermon online and reads it in front of the church. Gigi doesn’t believe her and decides to google buying sermons. To her surprise, she finds a site where she can download a sermon on demand for a small fee of course. But before she can continue to think about her sermon, she gets word that Stacy was beaten up by her husband and needs a place for her and her daughters to stay for a while. When she cannot find a suitable location, she puts them up at a hotel. She is surprised to discover that Stacy doesn’t intend on staying away from her husband forever as she wants her daughters to have a father as she didn’t have one. Still Grace continues to hope that Stacy will have the strength to be able to stay away from him anyway.

At church on Sunday, Lady Mae, who is happy to see Jacob and his wife smiling and happy together, tells him that Grace will not be able to get the upper hand although she is preaching. She says, “Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God and believe in me.” So that is a Bible verse: John 14:1 and refers to Jesus, but it seems that Lady Mae was referring to herself…So obviously, she has got a scheme planned. Her husband may be the head, but she is the neck which is how she was able to get Deaconess Connie Sykes back on as the head of the deacon board in this episode after the new head of the deacon board would not approve of the purchase of a new plane that the Bishop plans to buy…

So when Grace gets up in the pulpit, she begins to preach what seems to be a rather innocuous sermon she bought based on Matthew 6:28, but when she sees Stacy, donning sunglasses, sitting next to her abusive husband in the pews, she backs away from the New Testament and heads back to the Old Testament with Job 3:26.

I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

Yes, Lady Mae has every reason to be scared of her daughter Grace which is why the Bishop met with Grace’s favorite aunt Mavis. He believes she can tell him why Grace really came back to town, but instead of answering his question, she tells him he already knows the answer to her question…What happens at night is always revealed in the morning….my words not her words…Good Morning, Calvary…

Check out Aunt Mavis and Bishop Greenleaf discussing Grace below…

I cannot wait until next week…

Any thoughts?