HOLLYWOOD—You know it’s bad when a serious that you used to watch, you don’t even know its back on airwaves. That is how I felt about Tyler Perry’s “The Oval.” I was a fan of his series, but that has vastly waned. I adored “The Haves and the Have Nots,” but that ending pissed me off to the high heavens. “If Loving You is Wrong” had an ending so asinine it was not funny and also peeved me because it was unsatisfactory.
So, trusting Perry to deliver a narrative that satisfies the viewers has waned massively. This newest season kicked off with another new face in the mix, this time a Dilva Prinn, some mysterious woman more powerful than Constance, who audiences met at the end of last season. I will admit I liked Constance, but Dilva is a upgrade and feels a bit more fresh and cunning. She came in like a tornado and cleanup a ton of messes in a way that seemed improbable.
Also, that cliffhanger last season made it appear as Eli was dead, and I mean dead dead, I was certain he was shot directly in the chest, but this episode pointed out he was shot in the shoulder. Oh, that was some tricky camera work people.
Dilva Prinn made it clear everyone who was dirty would be clean and with a few conversations and fist fights, Hunter and Donald, Sam and Kyle, and even Eli, Victoria and Simone have come together for the sake of the country; trust me I will get to it, because there is more to the story.
We get TWO more inconvenient storylines, one involving Richard and an escort who he just slept with ending up dead, and Alan being questioned by police over something that made no sense. I’m so sick of these pointless storylines.
Also why are we still dealing with this money Kareem stole and now they are holding Sharon and Nancy hostage. I do not care about this story, and Kareem has been gone for like seasons so why is this even a relevant point? It feels like with a snap of a finger everything has changed and all is well again and it’s a direct result of the United States of America being under attack.
Yes, the nation is under attack, and as a result, Hunter has FINALLY stepped into the role of being the President of the United States and the leader he should be. Max, Eli and Simone were aligned, but they decided they were on the right side of power, while Dilva called out Max, Simone and Eli of treason.
In other words, they had to align with the current administration, or all would come crumbling down. It feels, and I hope, the people the audience was rooting for, are just siding with the current power in an attempt to eventually overthrow the powers that be when the time comes. The first episode felt a bit chaotic, but it worked, this second episode, just fell flat in my opinion. Sam turned into a mouse to say the least, and even I’m questioning who hie is loyal to after having Priscilla captured and assaulted.
Victoria and Hunter had a war of words, where yet again, the question of loyalty came into play. Victoria pleaded to Hunter they must work together otherwise they will go down in flames. Victoria Franklin actually apologizing to Hunter Franklin for all her antics and chaos? It was hilarious, I know Tyler Perry is not about to re-write history and make the audience think these two reunite suddenly and recall their love story? Sorry I cannot buy that one ounce of it.
I’m not pleased with what I’m seeing because it feels like this is endgame and the characters that had so much edge and personality have suddenly vanished into thin air. Like seriously what are we doing here? Victoria pushed the theory of Dilva becoming the Press Secretary, but it raises the question of why a woman with such power would want that role?
Lily was delivered a blow of a blow after she learned everything they learned blew up, Donald is not in jail, and the USA is under attack. Priscilla refused to just turn over a new leaf, as she realized that she has to do something to make things right, which Lily was worried about. Jason overhead Priscilla’s conversation and it looked he was snapping as he went in on attack mode, just as Hunter gave his speech addressing the nation and it appears another attack erupted.
My spidey-sense is telling me “The Oval” might be coming to an end, but we shall see. New episodes of “The Oval” airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on BET.
