Being Mary Jane Recap: Justin Tells MJ a Dark Secret + Niecy Checks Patrick

MJ is feeling insecure about her connection to Justin.

Mary Jane and Justin have some pillow talk and another passionate moment now that he has returned from Paris. She tells him that she’s changed a lot since he’s been gone.

At work, Kara and MJ discuss her night special but MJ isn’t really listening.

She tells Kara that Justin doesn’t look her in the eyes when they are making love and it bothers her.

Kara tells MJ not to worry because Justin cares about her.

“Caring is very nice but we both know it takes a lot more than that to go the distance.” – MJ

Later, Dani approaches Kara and rejects covering a story about Aids. Dani says that she has way too many followers to not be able to discuss the topics she’s passionate about.

Justin tells MJ that his deceased ex Simone’s sister Tiffany will be trying to get in touch with her because she wants MJ to talk him out of donating all of his $30 million away.

Ty, who happens to be doing MJ’s hair at the time, passes out after hearing this.

Patrick is still being cold towards Paul, Niecy checks him.

While in the kitchen, Patrick and Niecy catch up.

She tells Patrick that she’s been having problems with Amika and Amika hasn’t been dependable. She’s been asked to open the shop by Claudia, and she needs to take the kids to Amika’s early but she can’t depend on Amika to answer the door half the time.

Niecy believes that the new car seat business is becoming too much for Amika and Patrick tells Niecy he’s very proud of how hard she’s been working and the fact that she gave Amika a great business idea.

“Keep it up.” – Patrick

“I will.” – Niecy

Paul walks in and Patrick is cold towards him when he offers to fry eggs for everyone. After Paul walks away, Niecy checks Patrick and tells him that Paul is still her grandfather and he’s been taking care of Patrick and his kids for years.

“You really need to work this out. It is uncomfortable being around you two.” – Niecy

“Oh, you the one handing out advice now?” – Patrick

“Yes, I am. You mad because that old, drunk guy didn’t get a chance to raise you? Not only did Grandpa take you in, he took in your children and grandchildren, and called them his own. That does not deserve the silent treatment. You really need to get over yourself.” – Niecy

Kara and Justin are forced to put their differences to the side and work together.

Back at work, MJ and Justin check on Ty to make sure he’s okay after passing out. He says he’s ok and only passed out because he didn’t eat after spin class. Justin leaves to get Ty a medic and Ty tells MJ not to let Justin give away all of is money. She tells him she’s on it.

Kara recaps MJ on her conversation with Dani until they see a man sitting in Garrett’s old chair in his old office.

Justin tells them it’s Pete Binswanger, and he used to run the amuse park division of the company who owns GDU.

MJ feels like white privilege is at play and Justin says Pete is an out of box pick and over confident white male who used to run local stations before doubling profits at theme parks.

“He has no national news experience.” – Kara

“Sounds like an election I seem to recall.” – MJ

Kara says Pete will most likely secure Garrett’s job if they don’t push him out. MJ says she has an idea on how to handle him but they will all need to work together.

In MJ’s office, MJ tells Justin and Kara it would be best to use Dani to push out Pete, therefore taking down both in one sweep.

She says they should give Dani a story she can’t refuse and push Pete to put Dani under his wing. When she self destructs, she can take them both out.

MJ says she thinks she has the right story for Dani.

This leads to Justin and Kara arguing, much to the annoyance of MJ who then leaves, but not before telling them Pete will be their new boss if they don’t learn how to work together.

Justin and Kara head to a bar to figure out how to take down Pete. They decide to communicate by writing down their thoughts, instead of talking so they won’t argue again.

Patrick goes by to pick up Jovan in the hood. He tells Patrick he’s living there because it’s cheap. They head to a BLM meeting.

Niecy reaches her limit with Amika.

On her way to Amika’s place, Niecy’s boss Claudia calls her and tells her that Amika never dropped off the rented car seat to the shop for her friend Shawna and Shawna is heated.

Claudia warns Niecy that word of mouth is important and Amika’s business will get a bad reputation if she keeps up her antics. Before hanging up, she tells Niecy she won’t refer anyone else to Amika’s business.

Niecy exits her car and knocks on Amika’s door. An unknown man answers. He tells Niecy that he lives downstairs and Amika pays him to come up and watch the kids for her when she gets too busy.

This does not sit well with Niecy.

He confirms that Amika isn’t home and he watches the kids for her regularly.

Amika then walks in with another man and introduces him as Cedric.

Niecy pulls her to the side and they argue. Niecy makes it clear that she doesn’t want strangers watching her kids and Amika says that the man who answered the door is studying to get his childcare license.

This doesn’t move Niecy and she tells Amika that it wasn’t part of their deal to have men she doesn’t know watch the kids.

She also tells Amika about leaving Claudia’s friend hanging. But Amika says that she didn’t take the car seat to the shop because Cedric want to hang out since he got off work early.

Niecy says she’s done helping Amika but she will watch Amika’s son Marquis this weekend like they agreed, but that’s it.

“After that, it’s over. I can’t leave my kids with you anymore.” – Niecy

Patrick and Jovan are about to walk into the BLM meeting when a man calls out to Jovan. Jovan doesn’t speak to him, but Patrick says the young man is welcome to attend the meeting. Jovan scoffs.

Kara and Justin meet with Pete at a bar.

They fill him in on what’s going on with Mary Jane and the show. They tell him their only problem is getting Dani to do the stories she’s assigned to.

They say they were thinking about having Dani interview Marci, a blogger who renovates old homes in Middle America, and Pete says he will get Dani on board.

Patrick learns the truth about Jovan.

After the BLM meeting, Patricks walks in on Jovan kissing the man he wouldn’t speak to earlier.

When Jovan notices Patrick, he acts embarrassed. Patrick still offers to give Jovan a ride home, but Jovan says he doesn’t need a ride back.

Patrick heads home and Jovan is upset that Patrick now knows he’s into men.

Pete pitches the interview with Maci to Dani who happily accepts the assignment. MJ, Kara and Justin are secretly thrilled their plan has been put in motion.

MJ tells Justin that she wants to meet with Tiffany just to get to know her. But Justin asks her not to because he just wants to leave the past in the past and forget his relationship with Simone ever happened.

Dani’s interview with Marci goes as planned.

During the interview, Marci tells Dani that she hires refugees to help her renovates homes. When she confirms the refugees are from the Middle East, Dani gets predictable.

Dani asks Maci if she ever thinks the refugees could turn out to be terrorists because they are Muslims, but Maci tells her that they aren’t terrorists and they are just people looking to build a better future for their children just like anyone else in America.

Maci also says it’s the Christian thing to do anyway, and Dani says that with the right provisions in place, Maci’s strategy does seem to make sense.

Kara and MJ get cocky after they realize they were able to get Dani to shoot down the Muslim ban and upset her own base.

They high-five.

After the interview, an angry Dani confronts Pete and accuses him of setting her up.

Justin, MJ and Kara head to the bar to toast to Dani and Pete’s blowup at work.

Pete is now out of the running for Garrett’s old job as a result of clashing wth Dani and getting multiple complaints from other staff members, including MJ.

She also tells Justin and Kara that she recommended that Garrett’s replacement is someone who has been at GDU.

Patrick and Jovan talk it out.

Patrick goes to pick up Jovan for another BLM meeting, and Jovan tells him he thought he wouldn’t want to keep talking to him since he now knows he’s gay.

Jovan says he’s always been gay and it’s why his dad doesn’t talk to him.

But Patrick tells him that there is nothing wrong with him being gay and he has a lot to offer the wold.

Justin tells MJ a dark secret.

After Kara dips out, MJ and Justin remain at the bar. MJ tells Justin that she responded to Tiffany’s invitation to hang out and Tiffany then walks in to sit with them.

Tiffany tells Justin that Simone left him a lot of money to enjoy his life, not give it all away. Simone left her a lot of money too. She shows him and MJ photos of her vacation house she uses with her husband and kids.

Justin steps away to get a drink and Tiffany tells MJ that she believes he’s not over Simone. She also tells MJ that Simone wasn’t a saint, and she’d be on her second divorce if she wasn’t dead.

When they get back to his place, MJ and Justin argue about how he hasn’t really moved on from Simone.

He says Simone was weak for refusing treatment for her cancer.

“In the end, she was just a coward.” – Justin

Justin then tells MJ that Simone asked him to kill her and end her suffering and he did so by cranking up her pain medication. He feels guilty for doing what she asked, but MJ tells him he did a loving thing.

They lay down on his bed and stare lovingly in each other’s eyes.

Kara tells MJ that her nightly special is in trouble because they lost Michelle Obama as a guest. Oprah got wind of their idea thanks to Pete, and he was able to give her the info and secure a new job with her streaming service.

Niecy fills Patrick in on her fallout with Amika and Patrick tells her that everyone has to grow up at some point. She tells him that he does too. This causes Patrick to think about some things.

Justin tells MJ not to worry about the nightly special because they will survive and when he gets Garrett’s old job, she will have nightly specials every week.

Dani gets dragged by her own followers for her interview. They says she’s turning ‘liberal.”

Justin confronts his feelings for MJ.

Justin meets with Tiffany and she asks him if he would love MJ if she wasn’t a well known anchor.

Justin tells her that’s not the case and he really does love her.

“I love her. Not her success.” – Justin

Tiffany isn’t buying it and tells him that she thinks he’s just trying to force himself to pretend he’s over Simone.

Patrick and Paul make up.

Jovan comes to the house after his pipe bursts and he has no where else to go.

Patrick explains to Paul that Jovan has no family members he can depend on. He apologizes to Paul for how he’s been acting and Paul says it’s been difficult to see Patrick in so much pain emotionally.

“I know they say you can’t choose your family but you actually did choose me. You made a big sacrifice. That’s the kind of man you are.” – Patrick

“I’ve never regretted a second of it.” – Paul

They hug it out.

Justin comes over and tells MJ that he’s not going to donate all of his money away. He wants her to help him figure out what they should do with it as a couple.

They hug and kiss.

Garrett calls while MJ is hanging out with Aaliyah and Ty.

He tells her that he convinced the superiors to allow her to take a vote on who should replace him and he did this to make up for her losing her special.

This is bad news since it forces her to pick between her boyfriend or her best friend.

What are your thoughts on the episode?