HOLLYWOOD—This was an episode full of so much emotion on “Queen Sugar” tackling the death of George Floyd with gripping storytelling. The episode, ‘May 27, 2020’ was a major trigger for Micah who was unfairly targeted by the police for being Black while driving. The news of Floyd’s death traveled quick and fast, and the grief and disappointment our core characters were enduring as a result was palpable.

Nova reading off the list of Blacks killed just further haunted the issue of concerns about policy brutality in the United States. Micah was absolutely suffering from post-traumatic stress order from his previous run-in with the cops. Charley did her best to console her son whose grief I felt it trembling through my bones. This was an interesting conversation between Nova and Calvin.

Nova being Black and Calvin being White, as well as a cop opens the floor for an interesting discussion. Nova chatted about the issue of Whites simply watching Blacks be killed without intervening and for Calvin, there was nothing he could say. He was quiet, it was apparent he didn’t want to say the wrong thing. Nova confronted Calvin if he felt ‘ashamed’ about George Floyd’s murder. He admitted he was disgusted by what he witnessed, but he did not feel shame.

It was an awkward moment to watch, but it was powerful, how Blacks had a collective conscious, whereas Whites don’t endure the same responsibility in Nova’s perspective. The series just further reiterates the awkwardness we all encounter when talking about race with those of the opposite race. It is not just a Black and White thing, it is all races.

The chaos erupted as riots started to transpire. Micah was all for it, while Charley wanted her son to understand that rioting is not the answer. Charley’s intent was so clear and promising. Gosh I wish so many people would understand her reasoning. Destroying one’s neighborhood or personal property does NOT solve the problem. Micah organized a protest as a way of getting his voice heard.

During all this drama, Darla and Ralph Angel were enjoying their honeymoon, unaware of the drama that is about to rip this country apart, that was until he heard about George Floyd. Hollywood alerted his pal of what transpired which broke the tough guy down to tears. Violet, Prosper and Hollywood took precautions to board up their property in case the mayhem gets out of hand.

Violet spotted a gun in Hollywood’s toolbox and it rocked her to the core. She was upset and it looks like Hollywood was sent to the principal’s office. She made it clear that she did not want a gun in her home because it leads to violence and heartbreak. I am with Violet on this one; there are way too many guns in this world and if we had less access to them that might help decrease the level of crime.

Wow, Nova called Calvin out on an incident from his past where he watched a Black male being beat by White officers and did nothing to stop it. Ugh, this is a major black mark on Nova and Calvin’s relationship. I mean his daughter was ashamed by his actions and Nova was seething made people. Micah was ready to head to the protest and he was surprised to see that Charley was going to join him in the fight.

Ralph Angel confessed to Darla he was not ready to rush home. He wanted to have a moment of peace, and not worry about everything happening in the world that he cannot control. Darla was worried about Blue and wanted to be with her son during this difficult time to ensure he was well. Ralph Angel and Darla had an interesting interaction, just as the protest in St. Joseph had all of its residents in full participation.

Ralph Angel and Darla were forced to have a very difficult conversation with Blue about race and being Black in America. Darla was NOT ready to have the conversation with her son, but Ralph Angel thought he could no longer shield his son from the world. It was a gut-wrenching conversation for Ralph Angel and Darla to have with their son about fighting to stay alive and having the talk about with their son about interactions with the policy and how to handle the situation. It is the reality America. Next week we see the battle for peace and justice intensify “Queen Sugar” lovers!