HOLLYWOOD—The pandemic has hit the residents of St. Joseph in the latest episode of “Queen Sugar” America. Wow, this was a FANTASTIC episode, one that captured the chaos, the fear, the frustration and the despair that the Coronavirus pandemic has left so many Americans reeling from. If you ever wanted an episode of a TV show to captured the pandemic in the best and worst possible late, ‘Late-April 2020’ did that. We opened with Ralph Angel worried about the impact of the pandemic on his able to produce crop for the farming season and by the end of the episode it became a realization that the crop season was not happening this year.

Nova and Calvin were busy delivering care packages with all the essentials to those in the community who were in desperate need and who were NOT able to get out and could NOT get out as a result of the threat of the virus. Hollywood and Violet were busy doing the same thing, delivering food for the community, while worrying low long the shutdown was going to impact their bottom line. Complaints were issued during a City Council meeting where Charley learned her Aunt Vi might not be following state protocol, and as a result she was forced to warn her aunt to be careful otherwise bigger problems could loom her way.

Nova became worried sick about Prosper who appeared to be okay, but in reality he was suffering; the isolation and the fear from catching that deadly virus. With that said, Ralph Angel and Darla were dealt devastating blows when she revealed that she was laid off from her job and would eventually be furloughed. With that said, no income would be coming into the household. Ralph Angel was forced to sell farm equipment to ensure that he had enough overhead to keep his family afloat.

Back to Charley, she was happy to see Micah back home from college as a result of the pandemic. However, Charley got a rude awakening as her Aunt Vi noted, Micah is not a kid anymore he’s an adult and you could see the changes in his demeanor and behaviors. The mother-son bond was not as strong as it has been in the past people so be aware of that moving forward for the rest of the season.

Hollywood had major worries about his mother’s health that seemed to assure him all is ok, but he sensed something was wrong and decided to pay her a visit to ensure all was well. Prosper was indeed in a deep depression ignoring calls from loved ones concerned about his wellbeing.

I mean the despair about food shortages, basic essentials and income this episode captured with such intensity and compassion. It was almost like reliving the first few weeks of the pandemic and that notion of losing your insanity of being locked away, not being able to get out and feel the touch of anyone. It was even worst for those who have been completely isolated during unprecedented times.

Ralph Angel took a job at a nursing home as a custodian to ensure money was on the table to care for his family, while Darla utilized her sewing skills as a way to bring in revenue for the family. Things look dire, but as we all know there is always light after darkness. Powerful episode people, this is the type of storytelling we need more of. Until next Tuesday “Queen Sugar” lovers!