Ralph Angel: Previously on "Queen Sugar"...
The Landrys have the power and the influence.
That time is coming to an end.
They're trying to intimidate us,
but these black bodies... are real.
It's important that I'm in his life.
- His father. - You ain't shit, Davis. You know that?
- I want joint custody. - No.
I'm tired of going to Charley every time I need something.
Pops wanted me to keep farming,
and that's what I wanna do.
What did they say, Roberta?
That rig Hollywood's on just had an explosion.
[ Violet laughs ]
All these juicy berries need is some chocolate.
Aw, wait till you see what I got.
[ music playing on radio ]
Bam! What about this?
Oh! Well, that'll do just fine, baby.
Besides, you can't handle the chocolate you got.
What you talking about?
I'm talking about you. Baby, you still got it.
I'm just saying you might be a little bit out of practice.
Me?
[ laughs ]
You the one breathing hard.
Mm-hmm.
Acting like you on your way to glory.
[ laughs ]
You know it takes two to tango.
All I'm saying is...
[ giggling ]
One day away from you is one day too long.
Baby...
don't give up on us again.
I need you, chère.
- Where you going? - I am a lady.
And it is time for me to do my lady things.
Then I'm coming back.
And when I do,
I do not intend to be a lady.
Understood?
I understand.
[ theme music playing ]
♪ Dreams never die
♪ Take flight as the world turns ♪
♪ Dreams never die
♪ Take flight as the world turns ♪
♪ Keep the colors in the lines, take flight ♪
♪ Dreams never die
♪ Keep the colors in the lines ♪
♪ Keep the colors in the lines, take flight. ♪
- [ sizzling ] - This stuff'll be ready in a minute.
Sure you don't want something hot?
Stick to them ribs.
Thanks. Just gonna inhale this.
Get some rest before I have to leave.
I feel you.
You know that, right?
I do, but...
- I'm okay, so... - And I know you don't want to hear this right now...
but remaining silent
when one must speak...
is the slow death of freedom.
I want you to be free.
Um...
I'm just tired.
[ doorbell rings ]
- Hey. - Hey.
How is he?
He's okay. He's good.
Been sleeping a lot.
I guess that's to be expected.
Well, I think there's more to it than that.
Charley: Where you going?
I got invited to a symposium
on mass incarceration in Atlanta,
sponsored by the NABJ.
Well, that's great! Congratulations.
Thanks. I'm looking forward to it.
Hmm.
About Micah...
I'm worried about him.
I know.
I am, too.
I just think he needs some time.
He's not eating.
He's not talking.
He slept the whole time he's been here.
And you know Micah wet himself the night the police took him?
[ cell phone ringing ]
- [ cell phone beeps ] - Hey, Rah.
Nah, I-I didn't mention it yet.
But she over here right now if you wanna get at her.
Rah needs to talk to you.
Hey, Ralph Angel. Need something?
I already talked to Nova, and she cool with it.
Look, FSA got a program.
Now I can get that loan, plant them cover crops.
The cover crops we didn't agree to.
Am I running this farm or not?
Day to day, but the big decisions, we're still needing to--
They gonna let me put up my part of the farm for collateral.
We just convinced a bunch of sugarcane farmers
to take a chance and grind with us.
How's it gonna look that we're using part of our land
as a side hustle?
[ car door opens ]
Ralph Angel: My parole officer here. I gotta go.
- Kevin: What's up, little man? - Blue: Hey.
Give me a low five. There you go.
- [ door opens ] - Your daddy home?
- What's going on? - Man.
- Good morning. - What's up?
- You good, Blue? - I'm awesome.
All right, awesome. Awesome. Cool.
Zoom!
[ music playing on car stereo ]
You sleep okay?
Mm-hmm.
You wanna talk?
- About what? - How you're doing.
You went through something, and-- and it's okay--
Mom, I'm good.
So, you're divorced now.
No, not yet.
I'm sorry, babe. I know this is hard on you.
So you're, like, fighting over money.
No, we're arguing over you.
Did you tell your father that you wanted him
to have shared custody?
Yeah, I mean, I did tell him I wanna see him
more than I have the last few months.
But did you say you wanted him
to have legal shared custody?
That's what I thought.
You're the only person I know to ask
that don't know my whole family.
It's okay that it's handwritten?
Um...
[ chuckles ] Wow.
Good for you, Ralph Angel.
- This is incredible, man. - I know, right?
- Thanks. - Yeah.
- [ sighs ] - Well, it's signed,
it's partially dated, but the intent is clear.
- Mm-hmm. - I mean, I'm no lawyer,
but it should stand up in court as a will.
Court? Nah.
I mean, they might be a little hurt,
- but my sisters won't sue me. - You sure?
Land may look like dirt, but, really,
it's just brown money.
I've seen some ugly things.
Just keep an eye out.
Be careful.
[ paper rustles ]
This is about your future... and his.
[ Blue humming ]
Oprah on TV: I feel the presence of God when I breathe...
This like service. It's good.
My life force is most fulfilled...
I ain't never seen nobody drinking beer at church.
...when I'm praying.
- Yeah. - Oprah: I experience love when...?
[ both laugh ]
[ phone ringing ]
Hush.
- [ phone beeps ] - Yeah, this Hollywood.
Hey, man, what's happening?
[ chuckles ] Yeah.
Pretty good having these last couple days off, you heard me?
Damn, already?
No, no, that's good.
Oh, yeah, man, everything fine.
Um... see you in a couple days.
All right.
[ beeps ]
Sounds like we on the clock.
Shipping out in 48 hours.
Well...
Then I think we'd better get to work.
[ music playing ]
- Hmm? - [ laughs ]
- Hollywood: Mm. - [ laughing ]
[ buzzing ]
[ drone buzzing ]
- [ crashes ] - Blue: Pop!
Blue!
Hey! Blue!
Stand back from there.
- It fell down. - You okay?
I didn't do nothing to it.
- [ phone ringing ] - Woman: Excuse me, sir? Sir!
Sir, Mr. Boudreaux is not available!
[ chatter, laughter ]
Why don't y'all take a breather?
This ain't gonna take that long.
[ clears throat ]
No, like you said,
this ain't gonna take that long.
How can I help you, Ralph?
Ralph Angel.
How's Charley?
Y'all's farm up and running yet?
[ chuckles ] You know God damn well
exactly how things going on my farm.
You and your uncle Sam Landry.
Stay out of my business
and away from our land, you hear me?
- Stay away? - Mm-hmm.
I ain't stepped foot on your farm in months.
Look, I think it's high time we all let bygones be bygones.
So you ain't gonna be a man and say what you,
your uncle, and your brother, and your whole clan is up to?
[ drone clatters ]
But you keep trying to play me for a fool,
and me and you,
we gonna find out who the real one is.
You oughta be careful about your boy playing outside by himself.
Don't want him to get hurt.
Go ahead. Do it.
Be the quickest way to put you away for a long while...
convict.
Okay.
Here it is.
You even look my boy's way...
there ain't no jail big enough
or bad enough to keep me from hurting you.
Watch yourself.
[ doorbell rings ]
Hey, Charley.
Micah didn't ask you to share custody, Davis.
You lied.
No, I didn't. He said he wanted--
Charley: To get a burger with you on the weekends!
That's not the same as asking you for joint custody.
- You twisted his words. - Come on, we're talking about our son, okay?
You weren't thinking about our son when you were messing around with those hookers
or when you publicly humiliated us.
Come on, Charley, you know my background, okay?
I didn't have what you had.
There was no father figure in my life,
not until I met you and then Ernest became my father, too, okay?
And look, even though Ernest had Nova and Ralph Angel,
even though he was with True and not Lorna,
and even though he lived in Louisiana and you were all the way in California,
he was there for you while you grew up.
You know why?
He had access to you.
He was allowed, and without drama.
That's one thing Lorna got right, and you know it.
I need that.
I need that if I'm gonna be
what you say you want me to be for Micah.
You almost convinced me that you're sincere.
I actually have to remind myself
who you are every time you speak.
I'm not sharing custody.
And if Micah doesn't say he wants it,
there's no way you're getting it.
And don't ever compare yourself to my father again.
You don't even deserve to be in the same sentence as him.
I know you signed my name to get your loan, Charley.
Yeah.
My lawyer put alerts on my financials when you filed.
Just let me be in my son's life, Charley.
Or I swear I'll tell the bank.
See if you get your mill up and running in time
without that money.
I may have forged your name, but you were the team pimp.
You wanna go to court? I'll wear a new suit every day.
Let's see who wins once it's all out in the open.
[ both laughing ]
I can't believe you got me out here drinking wine coolers.
- [ gasps ] - This might as well be a cream soda.
I'm just making best from what the store had.
How old are we right about now? 19?
Well, I feel like I'm 19.
Me and you against the world.
- Mmm. - Yeah?
[ music playing ]
Shoot, I don't need nothing to make me high except for you anyway.
Well, no matter how young we feel right about now...
we're both old enough to know
when a good thing has to come to an end.
Ah, don't say that.
But you know?
I bet you five months will go by real fast.
I'm sure it will.
[ music playing ]
Charley: Hey. What's so urgent?
I don't wanna talk about this loan thing again, Ralph Angel.
I would have called Nova if she was here.
Trust me, I don't wanna sit here talking to you neither.
But you need to know something.
Landry been messing with the farm.
What do you mean "messing with the farm"?
What does that mean?
He been having drones fly over.
Wait, what?
Since when?
I don't know how long he been at it.
Blue saw it first,
just flying over like it wasn't no thing.
The audacity of these people.
Yeah, pretty damn audacious.
[ chuckles ] So, I went over to his office.
You-- why didn't you call me first?
It's done, Charley.
He was trespassing. I did what I should've done.
I stepped to him man to man,
warned him not to do it again.
Man to man, huh?
[ chuckles ] I'm afraid to ask what that reallymeans.
See, this is why I can't sign those loan papers.
What happens if you make a decision on your own
that puts all of us at risk?
See, you just don't understand, ever.
No, youdon't understand.
Next time there's a problem with the Landrys,
I need to know before, not after,
you do something you don't know enough about.
[ music playing ]
[ chatter ]
Ms. Nova Bordelon.
- Good to see you. - Dr. Cobb. Good to see you, too.
Congratulations on all your good work.
Oh, well, thank you for that.
We're so happy you accepted our invitation
to participate in the symposium.
I'm really looking forward to hearing what you have to say tomorrow.
- No pressure. - [ laughs ]
Speaking of the panel,
there's someone I want you to meet.
Oh.
- Robert Dubois. Hi. - Nova Bordelon.
Robert is an epidemiologist with the Center for American Progress.
- Good brother. - Thank you.
And Nova is an award-winning journalist
with the "New Orleans Daily News."
Good sister.
Excuse me, folks.
[ chuckles ] So now I say I love your work
and you pretend that you've actually read my papers.
Is that how this all goes?
Okay.
I've been to a few of these "we're the only ones
smart enough to save the world" soirées lately.
Not as bad as you might think.
A lot of business cards swapping, though.
My business tends to be about my people back in Louisiana.
Kind of hard to fit in my purse.
Okay, so you're the one who's gonna keep us honest
and on our toes.
Well, my mother always said when someone invites you
to a new room, make sure you show up.
Don't go with somebody else.
She would have loved all this.
- Sounds like a wise woman. - And complicated.
She never saw much outside Louisiana.
Well, on behalf of the folks outside of Louisiana,
I am happy that we're seeing her daughter.
- Nice to meet you. - You, too.
Jelani: Dr. Dubois, in your recent work,
you've been making the case that,
while not often thought of as such,
mass incarceration is actually a public health crisis in black communities.
Yes, all the data shows that when we tear up a family through incarceration,
we eventually get devastating health outcomes,
and the high recidivism rates mean that the problems that come
from the poor healthcare received by inmates in prison is just recycled
right back into those vulnerable communities.
Shouldn't we be asking how those communities
become vulnerable in the first place?
Yes, the "necropolitics" of it all.
You sound "skeptical," Dr. Dubois.
Jelani: Well, Mbembe's term can be defined in different ways.
How do you see it, Ms. Bordelon?
Necropolitics is the question.
Who does society say is disposable or trash?
Who are the real-life walking dead?
- [ sighs ] - If not through physical death, then social death,
economic death, or political irrelevance.
Okay, so long story short, we should just say
that the manis locking the brothers up
and has his foot on the neck of the sisters left behind?
It's not semantics.
Saying it plain keeps us from normalizing
what is essentially genocide.
[ applause ]
Respectfully, I think "genocide" is a bit much.
Our Jewish, Rwandan, our Syrian brothers and sisters,
they might beg to differ.
- [ applause ] - Man: Right.
I disagree with the narrow definition that you're using,
but moving back to your original point about the man.
Okay.
You mock the term
like you don't believe in the systems of oppression
that "the man" is a euphemism for.
I wasn't-- that--
[ chuckles ]
Okay, all right, of course I believe in,
I understand, and I grapple with
the systems of oppression that have us where we are.
But I also believe in us.
I know our greatness
and I also believe that we can be better than we are,
farther along than we are despite whatever the man believes about us.
He's never believed in us.
We are a dynamic and a mighty people,
and we need to act like it at every turn
with some strategy, with synergy,
with some strength.
[ applause ]
I disagree, Dr. Dubois.
He always believed in us.
He always knew our greatness.
That's the very thing he feared
and the very thing he worked so hard
all these generations to destroy.
Look, I'm here today simply because
I had a bail fundraiser in New Orleans.
It was peaceful. It was respectful.
It was beautiful.
It was self-determined, self-empowered.
At the end of the day, we're not disagreeing.
Your beautiful and your vibrant work...
that actually proves my point.
Jelani: We'll have to leave it there.
Thank you to this incredible panel
and to Spelman College.
[ applause ]
Voilà! [ laughs ]
This is good eating right here.
Mmm, mmm, I think this is the first full meal
we've had in two or three days.
- [ chuckles ] - Now, this is living.
- [ both chuckle ] - Mm-hmm.
You know, I've been doing some thinking
about changing some things.
Changing a whole lot of things.
Seeing where we are, how we need to rebuild things.
This three weeks on the rig and two weeks off,
it's just not what I need to be doing right now.
Okay.
I need to be in St. Jo's
with you full-time.
Quit the rig?
For a minute, yeah.
Wow.
I don't know, baby.
Are you sure about that?
I mean... you thought it through?
Baby...
I ain't never been so sure about something
in my whole life.
You matter most.
This thing, me and you,
we gotta make it right.
I don't need to be going nowhere.
We are too important.
[ car approaches ]
[ car doors close ]
Oh, hell, no!
[ shotgun cocks ]
Man: That's it. Move.
Let's get it and get out of here.
[ indistinct chatter ]
Whoa! Let's go!
Go, go, go!
- Go, go! - I'm coming.
No, no, wait, wait!
Wait, wait! Hey!
Wait for me! Hey! Hey!
Wait! Oh!
Henry Lee?
Henry Lee's voice: There ain't a whole lot more I can say except,
again, I'm sorry.
We've been hurting since Sheila got laid off in '08.
Every day, I ain't got farming to do.
I get up, and I go out
and I tell Sheila and my kids
that I've been picking up extra work,
but there ain't none to be had.
Not at my age.
S-So I...
I-I got what we needed
from Sam Landry.
P-Please don't tell Sheila, Prosper.
She don't know. Please, she don't know.
Were you gonna grind from Charley's mill,
or was this whole thing just a setup?
He sent me to join the collective
so he could see what y'all was doing.
I thought that's all I had to do.
Then he said he wanted some of Remy's new cane,
and he sent us over here to get it.
I am so sorry.
I will never do anything like this again.
Yeah, tell that to the police.
- I'm calling the police. - Wait a minute.
- And then I'm calling Remy. - For what?
He ain't even get what he came for.
I'm just saying maybe we could go about this a different way.
Would you excuse us for a moment?
[ door opens, closes ]
This is how we shame the Landrys in public,
let everybody know what they're doing
and let Landry and Jacob know they're gonna be watched
just like they're watching us.
You're right, but--
Don't tell me you're falling for this.
I know a sob story when I hear one.
And I know what it feels like
to have to look in your kid's face
and say you can't do right by them,
to need help,
and can't even think of where to get it from.
It'll make a man do bad things, Charley.
Believe me.
Somebody just came onto your land,
to your home in the middle of the night
while your son was sleeping to steal from you,
and you're just--
you're gonna let him just walk away?
I just think sometimes people deserve a second chance.
Blue: Peekaboo, Daddy! Wake up.
Ralph Angel: I'm up, I'm up, I'm up.
I'm gonna make breakfast for you.
- You gonna make breakfast? - Know what I'm gonna make?
It's a pancake and a bunch of tickles.
- Ralph Angel: Tickles? Tickles like that? - [ Blue giggling ]
- Blue: More tickling! - All right, tickles.
[ Blue laughing and squealing ]
Can't get in! No, you can't!
See, that's what you wanted. See, that's what you wanted.
[ Blue giggling ]
More. More, more, more, more.
Stuff in it and then--
and we need some ticklish pancakes.
[ Blue shouting, giggling ]
[ giggling continues ]
[ music playing ]
Took me all night, but I finally have a comeback.
A comeback for what?
Dr. Dubois, don't you believe in the man?
[ laughs ] Okay. Okay.
Yeah, sorry.
Maybe I should buy you breakfast.
I know we're on the same side. I see that.
Yes, yes, we are.
And I guess I could've had a smoother answer,
you know, been more suave with it,
put some swagger on it, right?
[ both chuckle ]
I was-- I wasn't thinking that.
Not at all.
Real talk, how much money did you raise at your bail fundraiser?
As hard as you worked, as beautiful as it was,
as powerful as your words were in the face of those cops,
how many people can you help
before you have to pass the plate again?
I do what's necessary at the time.
That's hand-to-hand combat. It's tactics.
You're rescuing babies out of burning buildings.
I wanna stop those buildings from being set on fire
in the first place.
You're macro.
Yes, and--
And I know you're not about to call me micro.
No, ma'am.
I'd, um-- I'd never put it that way.
Can, um-- can I take you somewhere right now?
Where?
I don't know.
Just outside, you know, under the sky.
The light in here is-- it's just not right,
you know, for this.
You would argue that this erasure happened
because people have been deemed disposable.
You're the epidemiologist. You know patterns.
Calling folk disposable is always the first step to getting rid of them.
I wonder if one day people will have this same conversation
about the Ninth Ward in New Orleans.
Did you know black people once lived here?
[ chuckles ]
You know, you're right.
We were still pulling dead bodies out of abandoned houses
when the country got tired of talking about Katrina.
You said "we."
I was involved in some of the early work.
Spent a couple of years in NoLa, so.
Way to bury the lede, Dr. Dubois.
Honestly, I try to forget it.
It was gruesome.
That was a gruesome time.
I'm sure you remember. [ scoffs ]
The pictures, the news footage they show every anniversary,
it doesn't even come anywhere close
to doing it any justice.
I know.
[ phones ringing ]
Sam, Jacob.
Hey, boys.
Charley.
Welcome.
Been a while.
To what do we owe this visit?
Well, it's daytime.
Daytime?
What do you mean?
What she means is she wants you all to know how it feels
to have folks roll up unannounced.
But we do it in the light of day,
not at night like cowards do.
- [ laughs ] - Something funny?
The point is, if you come after
one of us again, you come after all of us.
You don't want that.
- Is that a threat? - Charley: Yeah.
It is.
[ sighs ]
Gal...
we've been in the sugarcane business over 100 years.
You've been in it, what, three months?
Do you really think you can beat us at this game?
[ laughing ]
Boys...
that's the question you should be asking yourself.
[ door opens, closes ]
[ Violet laughs ] What would I do without you?
I don't know what I'd do without you either.
Back home, baby!
Violet: Oh, what was--
- [ all shout ] - [ laughter ]
Ralph Angel: We did that, boy.
How did you guys know we were coming back tonight?
- Doesn't matter how we knew. - You know these streets talk, Aunt Vi.
I knew it was trouble
- when we ran into Boogie at the gas station. - Boogie.
He cannot hold a secret to save his life.
Now, you know things around here don't feel right
unless you all are okay.
So, are you...?
Everything is "copastetic."
- Okay. - We're wonderful. Everything's wonderful.
- How are you, Hollywood? - I missed you. How's my baby Blue?
- He good. - Yeah?
Everybody's getting some hugs up in here today.
[ all chattering ]
We got something to celebrate! Come on!
[ music playing ]
[ laughter ]
He wasn't doing none of that before I got there.
I sure wasn't.
I got it now, though! Unh!
[ laughter ]
Violet: You dope.
[ laughter continues ]
- [ water running ] - [ dishes clanking ]
Oh, baby, I got it. You don't have to do that.
No, no, it's your special night.
I got it.
Well, now everybody knows that you hate to clean.
Been that way since you were a girl.
Yes, but even I know that taking care
of the things and the people that you love
is what makes a house a home.
I miss that feeling.
Well, ain't nothing to miss.
You're home, long as you want it.
[ chattering ]
- [ distant dog barking ] - [ distant train horn blaring ]
- What's up? - What's going on?
Hey...
you gonna be okay?
I think so.
Keep your head up.
You hear me?
Gonna be fine.
We'll see y'all.
Thank you for that.
Ain't nothing.
I want you know I get it.
You need to stand on your own.
Daddy left you part of the land, and...
you should be able to do with it what others do.
Leverage it. Build credibility.
Use it to get ahead.
I'll sign the papers for the microloan.
Thank you.
[ indistinct chatter ]
Oh, wh-- where are you all going?
You and Micah don't have to go nowhere.
Yes, we do.
You and Hollywood have been apart for a while.
We're gonna get out of here
because no one wants to hear all that.
No, no, no. I-- I won't have it.
- You don't have to-- - No, she got a point.
Grown folks gotta be grown.
And now that you're back, I think it's time
I start looking for a place, too.
Baby, you don't have to do that.
See you lovebirds in a couple days.
Bye.
- Love you, Micah. - Love you, too.
- Love you, Vi. - Love you, Hollywood.
Mmm...
Hey. How are you?
Fine.
I'm gonna be in my room.
I'm surprised you brought him back.
You said you want a chance to be a father to our son.
And I don't like it.
But we'll share him because I think he needs it.
Maybe you do, too.
You know, I would have never called the bank
about your mill loan, Charley.
I know that you did what you've always done,
and that's whatever you had to do, so.
I got word the loan funds tomorrow,
so... thank you.
But you should know...
if you mess this up, I will find a way to end it.
I will do right by our son.
I hope so, Davis.
I hope so.
- Checking out. - Okay.
Room 716.
- Here. - Thank you.
Well, hello there.
Good morning. Coffee?
You just happen to have two?
Well, you know,
I took up a lot of your time yesterday.
I-- felt only right that I give you a proper sendoff.
Thank you, Dr. Dubois, for our walk
and especially for our conversation.
I enjoyed it.
Likewise.
If you ever get away from Atlanta and make your way
to New Orleans, I'll have to return the favor.
Okay. All right. May I?
- Yes. - All right.
Listen...
I could take you to the airport if you'd like.
I'm okay, thank you.
All right.
Um, if you ever need some epidemiological...
[ laughs ]
No, no, seriously, expertise, I just...
You'll be my first call.
Yes, ma'am. I look forward to that call, Queen.
- Travel safe. - Yeah.
- Okay, all right. - Thank you.
♪ ...overhead, swift courage ♪
♪ Shoot it down, down
♪ Fill the lung that loves the phosphorescent ♪
♪ Absorbent time spent on few ♪
♪ And all of you
♪ I'll offer myrrh and murder ♪
♪ The preferred method of doubt that sways about. ♪