If something happens in public, best believe there is another story that’s playing out… behind closed doors.
Episode 4 figures a way to address current events such as reactions to police shootings of unarmed black people and the Black Lives Matter movement.
The mayors office approaches Bishop Greenleaf about hosting a “Back the Blue” tribute during church one Sunday. Bishop isn’t inclined to speak out for or against the shooting of an unarmed teen boy, so the mayor’s rep sweetened the deal. With land…
Episode 4 figures a way to address and weave current events such as police shootings of unarmed black people and the Black Lives Matter movement and weaves it into the fabric of the Greenleaf family’s lives and political dealings.
So back to the land, which could be on the table for Calvary… If they publicly show support for the local police department, it’s implied the land would be made available for purchase. Bishop hasn’t seen enough of a compelling reason to jump into the controversy surrounding Officer David Nelson, even though Nelson is one of his congregants. But adding land to expand and build a community center? That’s a different story, so Bishop considers being the one black church in Memphis to declare support for the police department. Basie Skanks of Triumph church has outspoken against the shooting and police brutality while Calvary church remains silent. Should they or shouldn’t they back the blue? Uncle Mac reminds Bishop “Basie Skanks ain’t got no pool.”
So therapy dollars aren’t being wasted, exactly. Jacob is being more open. Just not with his wife.
Cheater and the Shrew
Kerissa and Jacob go to therapy… Kerissa doesn’t want a divorce. Jacob doesn’t answer that question when the therapist asked him if he wants a divorce. A communicative one, he is. Therapist gathers Jacob still wants to stay married but they need to figure out how they will relate to each other. So they start getting to the nitty-gritty… Jacob’s other women. But Jacob’s expressive words are all folded and put away deep in his mental drawers. The therapist asked why he cheats… that fool don’t even know. Or maybe he does, but we sure don’t find out.
So here’s what I want to know…Kerissa is kinda shrew-like, but we don’t know if that’s how she’s always been or if she’s morphed into that person after being exposed to the Greenleafs (or is it Greenleaves)… and/or exposed to the knowledge of Jacob’s side pieces and thighs. That’s a story I want to know.]
Other notes:
- Gigi asks for Noah’s help looking at surveillance video footage near a fishing lake where Mac reportedly took one of his victims. At the end of the exchange she tells him it’s nice to know she’s not alone in this ordeal. They exchange a look that was a tad too tender in my opinion, before Jacob kind of chuckled and walked away.
- Bishop meets with Officer David Nelson. If he’s going to back the blue he wants to hear about the shooting from the officer ‘s mouth, but Nelson informed him he can’t discuss it.
- Jacob lays up with Alexa. Yes, after that therapy session. Alexa tells Jacob he’s never gonna leave Kerissa. So he asks what she’s doing laying up with him. “Having fun,” she replies, then tells him to go home.
- In the meeting room, Calvary ‘s church board is split on this Back the Blue tribute. Some members threaten to walk out of church if Bishop honors the police force during church service.
- Meanwhile, Jacob is learning to be more communicative from his therapy sessions…. After another counseling session where his tongue and lips and communication skills are at rest, he lays up with Alexa. But he’s sharing more of his inner world with her, such as his feelings after being followed by security at a department store. Then at the counter at the same store, during the same shopping trip, the clerk who rang up his merchandise was flirting hard with him. He felt both the security guard and the clerk only saw him as a body, not a nuanced person. Jacob says he also felt like just a body when Alexa told him she was having fun with him. So Alexa clarifies. She knows what their arrangement is all about, is realistic about it. But she likes when Jacob shares his feelings. So therapy dollars aren’t being wasted, exactly. Jacob is being more open. Just not with his wife.
- At church, Bishop honors the cops, and weaves in a message about excessive police force, black lives, black deaths. Both Officer Nelson and Kenny Collins the unarmed teen are black.
But something struck Bishop later… Even the prospect of a sweet land deal wasn’t enough to completely sell out for a plot. He turns down the land, and tells the mayor’s representative that police should “do a better job. Kill fewer of our children.”
But he said that Behind Closed Doors.