‘Greenleaf’ Recap: A Woman Tempts Bishop Greenleaf + Grace Clashes with Her Siblings

Mae calls Mavis, and Grace learns about Darius’ job offer.

The episode opens with Mae calling her sister Mavis. However, she has to leave a message. She lets her know that they are meeting at Moss Lake for Mac’s service next Saturday. She lets her sister know everyone will be there but Grace. She ends the message by pleading with Mavis to reconnect so they can mend their relationship.

Meanwhile, Grace slept over at Darius’ place and he slept on his couch. Darius asks if she’s going to church and she says she is uncomfortable going. She doesn’t want to be gossiped about.

Grace notices Darius is replying to a friend via email about being offered a job in New York. He lets her know that he is pondering it and he hasn’t considered Grace’s feelings in it. Grace is disappointed.

Jacob is on the land he got from Pastor Skanks. He is preaching to a growing crowd.

James and Mae walk across to see Jacob preaching. James scoffs the whole time Jacob preaches.

Back at Darius’ place, Grace is getting dressed and heading out. She confronts him about the job offer. Darius isn’t too sure that he’s going to take the job. She also wants to know where they stand in their relationship. Darius tells her that he is going to consider taking the job in New York. He also lets her that the paper he writes for wants him to write a story about Grace’s altercation with Mac.

“You won’t go on record and I accept that.” – Darius

Despite this, Grace still thanks him for allowing him to sleep over.

James confronts Jacob. 

When he finishes preaching, James walks to Jacob who is currently passing out sandwiches. James pleads with Jacob to come back home. He wants Jacob to come back around and stop preaching from across the street. James also tells Jacob that Mae needs his support now that Mac is dead. However Jacob isn’t listening.

“I don’t want to talk about Mac right now.” – Jacob

Mae asks if they learned anything from their time with Basie Skanks. Jacob and Clarissa insist that they aren’t like Skanks.

Sophia is teaching a Sunday school class and Grace walks in. This puts a smile on Grace’s face, as she witnesses Sophia interacting with the children, as Faith once did.

Charity is being grilled by Mae about what happened with Kevin. She tells Mae that she hasn’t heard from Kevin since he left. Mae insists that she wants Kevin around for the ceremony.

At home, Zora finishes setting up Jacob’s church website. She also uploaded a video of Jacob preaching, and Kerissa is impressed. A clip plays of Jacob preaching and Kerissa tells Jacob that he need to be on TV.

Charity releases her anger about Kevin on his voicemail.

Charity is in her room calling Kevin but she is getting his voicemail. She goes off on him on the voice mail, calling him out for leaving her and Nathan behind.

“Hey. It’s me. The person you used to call your best friend. Your wife before you stopped being a husband. I’m handling everything you left behind. It isn’t right what you’re doing. Just disappearing like this. It isn’t right.” – Charity

Zora and Sophia are bowling with Sophia’s boyfriend and his friend. Zora isn’t really impressed with him.

The kid tries to talks to Zora, but she brushes him off.

When she tries to bowl, Isaiah, her ex, texts her. Sophia and her boyfriend take notice.

Charity is rocking Nathan to sleep when she runs into Aaron. She asks for his help to look for him Kevin. He tells her it was wrong for Kevin to ditch her and he looks into his contacts to find someone who can find him.

Charity and Zora are leaving the bowling alley and Sophia’s boyfriend kisses her goodbye. Zora’s date got the cold shoulder to end the night. When her boyfriend Roberto leaves with his friend, Zora grills Sophia for telling Roberto about Isaiah.

“You don’t sell out your cousin for chemistry notes.” – Zora

Darius and Grace are video chatting. He got off the phone with his friend and he is contemplating the job in New York. Grace says he should take it. Darius says that Grace could end up in New York after Sophia graduates. Grace tells him that she’ll think about it.

James sees Rochelle Cross, a donor who flirts with him. 

James and Mae are talking about his upcoming meeting with younger pastors, and her plans to fill Kevin’s old job. He invites out her to lunch and compliments her improved attitude.

When he gets into his office, he learns a $10,000 check cleared and calls Rochelle Cross, thanking her for the gift.

Zora is at school when she gets a text from Isaiah. She tells her to check the Go Help Me page that her dad is using to raise money for his church. She smiles when she sees the text.

Later on, James asks Mae if Rochelle can join them for lunch, and she wants Rochelle to take her place for lunch. Mac’s ashes were delivered and they dampened her mood.

Aaron calls Kevin and leaves a voice mail message, letting him know that Charity wants to find a PI to find him. He pleads with Kevin to call. He promises not to tell anyone where he is, if he doesn’t want anyone to know.

Grace is walking with James and he tells her about Jacob preaching in the lot across the street. James pleads with Grace that Mae needs her more than ever. However, Grace isn’t so sure.

“I’m not sure I believe that daddy.” – Grace

James then uses Bible verses to explain that Mae is telling the truth and their bond is stronger than she realizes.

James gets to the restaurant for lunch to meet Rochelle. Rochelle asks about Mae not being there. James tells her Mae had other obligations and Rochelle smiles.

Grace meets Charity for coffee and asks her if she wants to go over to Jacob’s with her. Grace lets her know that she wants to talk to Jacob about preaching across the street from Calvary and how it’s putting off their parents. Charity feels the same way.

Rochelle and James are talking over lunch. Rochelle tells James that she wrote the donation to make up for all the times she did not go to church while she was married. James is very thankful for this gift and there appears to be a mutual attraction.

Rochelle begins to flirt with James and he begins to feel uncomfortable.

James wipes the sweat from his brow as Rochelle heads to the powder room.

Grace lets them know she is considering leaving Memphis again, Charity, Kerissa and Jacob scold her for it.

At Jacob’s house, Jacob and Kerissa are thankful for the food Grace and Charity brought over. They make small talk over Grace’s recovery and Charity’s time in the studio. When Kerissa asks Grace if she’s getting therapy, Grace says she doesn’t need it. Charity does begin to break down when she speaks about Kevin. Things get a little tense at this point and Zora leaves the table to let the adults talk unfiltered.

When Jacob and Kerissa ask about Kevin, Charity comes out and says Kevin is gay. She repeats it and begins to laugh hysterically, while saying, “It’s awful.” Although Chasity is laughing, she’s also fighting back tears. This confuses Kerissa, but Jacob and Grace begin to laugh as well.

When James gets home, Mae asks how the meeting with Rochelle went. James says it went well but she won’t be joining anytime soon. She asks why she wrote the big check and James says, “To settle a debt with the Lord. That’s how she put it, anyway.”

Mae asks if she coming to church Sunday and says she is looking forward to meet Rochelle. Mae then goes back to contemplating what she’s going to say at her brother’s memorial.

Charity tells her siblings that Kevin doesn’t want to be gay and has been stressing about it for a while. Jacob asks why they came over. Grace jumps right into the question and asks how long he’s going to keep up the street preaching across from Calvary.

Clarissa defends Jacob about it and says because Grace came back, the land is all they have.

Grace refutes this and says she didn’t make anyone leave.

“No, but you made it impossible to stay.” – Kerissa

Jacob insists that God is giving him a message to preach. Grace tells him to take her job. Charity grills Grace about what she would do if Jacob takes the job. Grace then lets them know that she is looking into moving to New York.

Charity, Kerissa and Jacob all scoff at this notion, but Grace feels that this is best because she feels she isn’t good at what she does.

In her room, Zora calls Isaiah to thank him for posting the donation link on his Twitter account. They admit to missing each other. Downstairs, Jacob is insistent that he won’t take the offer.

“God doesn’t want me to preach on Sunday to pay the electric bill.” – Jacob

Grace then says to Jacob that you can’t just go desert the family. Kerissa refutes by saying, “Like you?”

This angers Grace, who defends her choice to leave the first time.

“I was 18 years old. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” – Grace

However, Jacob is still standing his ground about not going back to Calvary.

At home, Charity grills Grace about revealing she may leave.

“Grace, you’re leaving again. Jacob never had that chance… You’re the only one. You were gone for 20 years, and you want to accuse Jacob of deserting the family? What did you do?” – Charity

Charity says it’s Grace’s turn to put in the time with the family.

Darius changes his mind about the New York job offer.

Jacob is impressed with Isaiah’s help in raising $3,100 in two days. They talk about what to do with the money, and Jacob says the money will be spent when God gives him a sign. Zora is impressed with her father’s change of heart.

Aaron tells Mae he is leaving, and Mae is saddened by this. He tells Mae he has to go. Although she doesn’t want him to leave, she understands as he is insistent on it.

When Charity is getting ready for bed, she heads into the bathroom and sees a spit-up stain on her robe. She stares into the mirror, expressing anger with Kevin leaving.

Grace sits down with Darius for an interview about her incident with Mac. When they’re done, Darius tells Grace that he is not taking the job in New York. He wants to keep Grace in Memphis with her family and church. They celebrate this news with a kiss.

At the memorial ceremony at Moss Lake, Mae is about to read her scripture when Grace arrives. This moves Mae and she embraces Grace.

“I’m so glad you came baby.” – Mae

Mae then hands Mac’s ashes to Jacob to be poured into the river. Grace sheds tears.

What are your thoughts on the episode?