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So before we get into all the messiness that happens in this episode, can we take a minute to just say HEEEY MISS PATTI! (Suddenly, I’m in the mood for some pie.)

Anywho, there’s a party going on at the Greenleafs tonight and it is LITTY! Bishop (Keith David) and Lady Mae (Lynn Whitfield) put together this grand ol’ affair as a token of gratitude for the Bishop’s roundtable at Calvary. Unfortunately for some, mostly just Mae and Bishop, the roundtable includes the likes (or dislikes) of Rochelle Cross (LeToya Luckett).

Everyone from the church and the family is there dressed to the nines, and so is Ms. Cross, who shows up at the most inopportune time of the evening. Just as Bishop is clinking his glass to gather the attention of everyone in the room, and profess his undying love for his wife, in walks Rochelle – dressed in all black, with lipstick to match, because she’s evil.

Bishop isat the front of the room with all eyes on him as he lays it on so thick during his speech about how he just loves his wife, how they met, and how he can’t wait to spend the rest of their lives together as husband and wife.  It all sounds so good and looks so believable as he stands there next to Mae, gazing into each other’s eyes, and putting on a show for the entire room. He even gets some applause from those in the room, including Rochelle, who catches the tail end of the speech and manages to bitterly, and reluctantly, clap her hands together.

But as sweet and endearing as that speech may have been, it means absolutely nothing to Mae. Her mind is made all the way up that their marriage is over. She’s more determined now than ever to go through with the divorce and the only reason she is even putting up this façade is so the wealthy church member, Clara, who’s supposed to be giving them a check to clear up this IRS mess, will see that they’re still happy and in love.

That’s anything but true. Happy and in love is far from where they are. Before the party that evening, Mae is in Atlanta visiting that college best friend she’s been going on and on about, Maxine Patterson (Patti LaBelle), who’s now a successful pastor.

Mae tells Maxine that she’s divorcing Bishop, going back to school and starting her own church. Maxine asks why start a new church when you already have one at Calvary?

That turns on some light bulbs in Mae’s head and now she’s gunning for the church.

She’s also gunning for Rochelle. Or, maybe she just looks like she wants to grab a gun when she sees Rochelle sashay into her home for the party.

Mae tells Bishop she wants that woman out of her house so Bishop asks her to leave. She eventually does but not before a brief exchange of words with Bishop.

It’s clear that he’s been playing with her emotions and Rochelle’s not too comfortable with that. Despite how wicked she is, she does manage to leave the party without making a scene. But not before getting in Clara’s ear and making her think twice about helping the Greenleafs with their financial issues.

Rochelle doesn’t even know what Clara is helping them out with because Clara’s so tight-lipped. All she says to Rochelle is that it’s a personal matter. Their three-minute conversation convinces Clara to rethink her generous donation to the Greenleaf IRS scandal. Clara tells Mae that she’ll get back to her after they sit down and talk to her “money people.” Something tells me her “money people” is about to be Rochelle Cross.

Meanwhile, Mae’s granddaughter Zora (Lovie Simone) is straight TRIPPIN’! She is still slippin’, slidin’ and hidin’ to talk to that boy Isaiah. She’s sprung! She’s even lost her mind enough to be fighting with her own family, in her grandparent’s house, over him. She and Sophia (Desiree Ross) get into a physical fight after Sophia catches Zora using her laptop to chat with Isaiah. Zora starts going off calling Sophia all types of names like, “God’s little B*tch,” and so on. Zora even tells her that her life was so much better before Sophia came around.

They get all up in each others face and next thing you know, they’re rumbling and Kerissa (Kim Hawthorne) has to break it up.

Kerissa sees the laptop and reads what Zora and that boy have been chatting about. They’re planning on moving in together when she turns 18 and Zora says there’s nothing that anyone can do to stop her.

Jacob (Lamman Rucker) and Kerissa just don’t know what to do with her. Kerissa wants to send her to a boot camp. My bad, I mean a behavior modification program, because her behavior definitely needs to be modified. Zora is out of control. Mae convinces Jacob to let her move in with her for a few weeks to straighten her out a bit. If anyone can get through to her, it’s her grandmother.

Meanwhile, another Greenleaf woman who’s out of control is Charity (Deborah Joy Winans)! Charity done up and ran off with the baby y’all! She’s telling everybody she’s still on tour and not answering the phone when Kevin (Tye White) calls.

Kevin is losing his mind. He’s threatening to call the police and say Charity kidnapped the baby but Grace (Merle Dandridge) convinces him to just hold off for a while. She suggest that he give her a minute to figure things out just like Charity gave him a minute when he disappeared and didn’t know if he wanted to be a father.

He keeps calling but she’s not answering. But, when Grace calls, she answers. She’s been sitting poolside at some resort drinking Georgia Peaches while on-site nannies look after her baby. Grace can only hold Kevin off from calling the cops for a minute. At the end of the episode, while Charity is in the resort lounge belting out “I Will Survive,” the police roll up on her and tell her to come with them. (Damn shame!)

While the Greenleafs are busy trying to sort out family matters, the news of Calvary’s tax problems hit the internet. With the IRS on Bishop’s back, the church wants to make sure they have a Greenleaf as head pastor and they want Grace to step into the position. But she may just have to fight off her mother for that spot.

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Wanda J. Coppage is a full -time Music Director at an Urban AC radio station, journalist and proud Virginia State University alum – Go Trojans! As a music enthusiast who can’t go a day without hearing R&B/Soul or Classic Hip Hop as well as a TV passionista, why not live a life that covers both?  

 

‘Greenleaf’ Season 3, Episode 4 Recap: “Party With A Purpose”  was originally published on blackamericaweb.com