I’m back again with a recap/prediction for the upcoming episode of Queens! This past week’s episode of Queens was entertaining and funny! As usual, I like to discuss the happenings for each Queen and offer my commentary on where I see things going soon for their character. Without further ado, let’s chat about it below!

We’ll start with Brianna: Homegirl’s stress just won’t let up!

After dealing with the sudden loss of Jeff and the awkward run-in with her deceased husband’s mistress/former student, Brianna deserved the much-needed reprieve from her life. In fact, Valeria told her that she deserved to take a break from reality as long as she wanted. And to cap off this moment of freedom and stress lessness, the girls went out to celebrate their upcoming AMA performance! I’ll get more into that later. (Sidenote: The outfits during this episode were fabulous as always but the ones included in the club scene were everything. Brianna a.k.a. Professor Sex looked radiant in gold!)

The “golden” moment of this scene was her interaction with rapper Fivio Foreign! He laid on the charm and even extended his number to Brianna and her kids to join him on an impromptu trip to France! Lol However, being the strait-laced mom and woman that she is, she initially declined. Until she decided life was too short and he looked too good not to enjoy some non-parental company. The sound effect of the cougar when she arrived at Fivio’s hotel room took me out! I audibly yelled out YESSSS! YOU.DESERVE.IT.QUEEN! (It was the last yell for the night!)

But this momentary night of freedom and bliss was abruptly cut short as she also had to deal with the indecisive mistress and the unborn baby. Throughout the episode, Brianna has tough conversations with Alexis on whether she would consider keeping the child or not. Alexis expressed that she had no one to support her and wanted to know if she would accompany her with a scheduled appointment. Reluctantly at first, Brianna agreed to go with her. But what she didn’t expect (nor did I) was the plot twist of Alexis skipping town without a trace!

With all of the madness going on, Brianna has too much on her plate. The world of being a single parent to five children is catching up with her. Which makes sense to me now that her husband has passed and all of the chaos is going on in her world. It’s been announced recently that actress Eve will be taking a maternity leave from the show with the upcoming arrival of her first child in February. According to entertainment reports, Eve’s character will appear in the entire 13-episode season order. They also have shared that her character’s transition will be smooth should she decide to return if the show is picked up. (Prayers up for renewal!)

Naturally, the wheels began turning in my mind, and I thought about the potential good tv this could cultivate! Since Queens has shown us that they are willing to cover, tackle and highlight all of the issues, injustices, triumphs, and trials of the music industry, why not give us group shake-up for good measure? (Side note: I’m about to go on a creative tangent) Think about it. Brianna is more than likely saying that she needs a breakaway because of her recent topsy turvy world. The girls will all understand, but….in comes the idea of continuing forward with the momentum they’ve built. Perhaps the girls will give us a Destiny Child moment? Or they could try and replace her? It would be wild if they let Lil Muffin stand in to test the waters. She could bridge the gap with their reach towards a younger audience. And then, as everything is riding smooth, Brianna bops back into the mix with the line, “So yall thought you could just replace the OG Nasty B*tch?” LOL

In all, I think this created storyline break will be good for entertainment. I’ll continue watching to see how all of this unfolds for my girl.

Speaking of unfolding, Valeria’s world came to a head this past week!

Comically, Valeria talked about how she wanted to have more press about her stalker. But typical to the trending world, the press she liked didn’t pan out the way she hoped. Before I get into the plot for V, I just want to state that Valeria was entertaining in this episode! Her comedic contributions throughout this particular show were a much-needed break from the heaviness of the weeks before. I mean, Valeria actually got butt shots! (Quietly screams so I don’t wake up my child.) One of the episode’s best moments was during rehearsals, and she couldn’t stand to do the routine. The tears were rolling down my face because I couldn’t holler the way I wanted to during the show!

But, on a more serious side, Valeria once again showcased motherly wisdom in this last episode. She seemed to connect to Lil’ Muffin, a.k.a Lauren, about her rash decision to get a diamond-encrusted unicorn horn in her head. (Side note: The timeliness and accuracy of them placing Lil’ Muffin in a Lil Uzi Vert moment was everything! I love this show!) I should’ve known all of this motherliness coming from Valeria was foreshadowing the return of her own mother. Towards the end of the show, Valeria finds out that the alleged stalker is her estranged mother. In the preview of this week’s episode, Valeria tells the girls that her mother has returned and all of them state that she’s probably only back for money. I’m excited to see what’s coming up next for this scene/story arc. I personally don’t know how I’d respond if someone came face to face with me after abandoning me at the age of 2. Phew! The feels!

While we’re on the subject of feels, let’s talk about Naomi’s budding family!

In the last episode of Queens, it appeared that Old wounds are beginning to heal…at least for now. Although I’m still side-eyeing this paternity situation, I’ll admit that seeing JoJo and Eric this past week gave me all of the daddy/daughter duo feels I could hold! Naomi decided to grant Eric more opportunities to interact with JoJo without her. During the episode, Naomi expresses that she fears she might lose her. My mommy senses started tingling. By now, we know this is foreshadowing something wild with this show! Overall, Eric and JoJo’s companionship was both adorable and a much-needed television representation. In fact, this season, I’m proud of both Queens and Our Kind of People for showcasing beautiful black father/daughter narratives. Given the stereotypical rap on the black family and black fathers, I’m so grateful for this year’s positive examples. Despite whether or not they have been long-lasting relationships, it’s beautiful to witness.

But the operation “get my chain back” caper that Eric invited JoJo on was scary. I think his world might inadvertently affect her soon. I did, however, chuckle at JoJo telling her dad that despite almost getting killed, that was one of the best moments she’d ever had! Unbeknownst to Naomi, JoJo and Eric started having mini-movie moments.
(Side note: I noticed something I think is pleasantly unique to Naomi’s character. Her interactions with the girls this week were fantastic. She appears to tailor both their interaction and responses based on whichever Queen she’s around, which I think is a particular characteristic for Naomi. Her presence is naturally leading, but she also fills in the space of sister, friend, and mother when need be. Probably one of the reasons why this resonates so powerfully is based on Brandy’s beautiful spirit.)

Just as all seems sound again for our girl, I think her happiness will be short-lived. I can’t wait to see how everything goes down with Naomi and the family crew this week!

And last but not least, let’s discuss we are not family, Jill.

Unlike the classic uniting sister anthem, We Are Family by Sister Sledge, Jill said she came to let us know who’s the boss b*tch now! Each week we’ve seen Jill’s character run through a myriad of emotions. This week we experienced arrogant Jill, and trust it was not a thrill. Someone, anyone, please get rid of Alicia ASAP! Her presence on this week’s episode as Jill’s “assistant” made me so upset. She clearly does not have Jill’s best interests in mind. And once again, it appears that Jill is allowing yet another person to influence her and her actions.

Although I want and live to see Jill express herself, it’s coming off as more arrogant than authentic. And apparently, the fans are seeing this trend as well. In this week’s episode preview, Jill’s credibility as a member of the LGBTQIA community comes into question as cancel culture seeks to cancel her and the group. Plus, her infamous on-set assault resurfaces as impending trouble. (Side note: I’m glad the show is tackling the confines and nature of cancel culture as well. This is very timely given the amounts of people each year that social media society decides to cancel.) Yet, despite the drama that Jill brought this week, The Nasty Butches moment sent me! (Side note: Once again, I had to stifle my laughter because this scene in the club was too much. Between the choreographed performance and the rest of the group and Lil’ Muffin’s reaction was priceless!)

So, there you have it! That’s another weekly recap of Queens from me! Check out tonight’s brand-new episode 10/9c on ABC! And don’t forget that you can stream the show on HULU the next day! Be back next week with a new recap!