Mae reminds James that she’s not leaving Calvary.
The episode begins with Lady Mae giving Bishop James a revised statement they’re giving to the congregation about their divorce. James gives her a compliment about the statement, however, she doesn’t say anything about her leaving the church.
Mae goes off, saying she’s not leaving the church. She says they both built the church from the ground up, and she’s going to do everything she can to stay on.
In the morning, Charity wakes up on a couch to Mae rubbing her shoulder. Maricel is holding her son and tells Charity she isn’t going near her son until she’s free from pills. Charity pleads that she just took just one pill. However, Mae isn’t having it, giving her a stern warning.
“Don’t put me in the position where I have to agree with Kevin on this.” – Mae
“On what?” – Charity
“Your fitness as a mother.” – Mae
Charity says she won’t and then lays back on the couch.
Sophia goes off on Zora, again.
Meanwhile, Zora heads into Sophia’s room and apologizes for how she treated her. But Sophia isn’t ready to hear it, telling Zora to go to h***.
She tells Zora she doesn’t want an apology from anybody like her. This angers Zora and she storms out.
Darius calls Grace as she tends to Sophia. He asks Grace if the legal defense fund is ready to go. That’s because a woman in a nearby town killed her husband, and is claiming self-defense.
He then drops the front page of his paper on the desk that shows them with a major story on this situation.
James meets with Rochelle as Maxine stops by Calvary.
Later that morning, James meets with Rochelle, as he’s interested in her help with the tax bill. She keeps the conversation business-like, telling him about cryptocurrencies and the blockchain.
Meanwhile, Maricel calls Mae and Mae tells her to turn off the power in Charity’s suite. She cut the call short because her friend, Pastor Maxine Patterson is in Calvary’s lobby surrounded by a crowd. Maxine runs into James as he’s escorting Rochelle out of his office.
He’s quite surprised to see her. Rochelle’s surprised also.
“Maxine Patterson, huh? I wonder what they’re up to.” – Rochelle
“The devil only knows.” – James
Next, Rochelle meets with Darius and Grace to learn about the woman in Collierville who killed her husband. However, Rochelle seems smitten by Darius’ shirt.
Grace notices that Rochelle’s more interested in Darius than the case.
While talking with Maxine, Mae and Maxine have their assistants leave the office. Once outside, Mae tells her about Charity’s plight with pills. Maxine says she knows a “soul doctor” that can help with Charity, but she isn’t discreet.
At the end of their conversation with Rochelle, Grace and Darius escort her out of Grace’s office. Grace tells Darius she noticed Rochelle trying to flirt with her. She also noticed that Rochelle’s trying to play her.
Zora’s caught trying to call Isaiah.
At home, Zora finds an open purse and takes a cell phone out of it. It’s Maricel’s and as she tries to text Isaiah, Maricel catches her red-handed.
Charity’s at home when Mae walks into her suite with a guest. That guest is Iyanla Vanzant.
“Your mom seems to think you have a problem.” – Iyanla
Afterwards, Zora gets chided by Mae for taking Maricel’s phone.
“You know the rules. No phones, no computers, and no contacting [Isaiah], or have I not been clear?” – Mae
Zora slams on the desk, saying she hates it in Mae’s home.
“Oh, what you hate is yourself. Because, if you didn’t, you would not be trying to talk to this boy who has hurt you.” – Mae
She finally leaves Zora’s room, but not without taking the landline phone still installed in the room.
Zora lets out a scream when Mae leaves, slamming her hands on the desk crying.
Iyanla Vanzant meets with Charity.
Charity’s still with Iyanla, and Charity tells her there’s no use to her being there. Iyanla says she’s not going to fight Charity for her healing. She also asks why’s she taking pain pills if she’s not in pain.
Charity eventually comes around, sits on the couch and tells Iyanla that no one cares about her. When she tells Iyanla that Mae just doesn’t want to be embarrassed by her, Iyanla begins to cut into Charity deeply.
“Did you embarrass her by marrying a man that’s gay, or did you embarrass yourself by marrying a man who could never love you the way you want to be loved?” – Iyanla
Charity gets stuck on someone telling Iyanla about Kevin. She asks Iyanla who told her about Kevin, however, Iyanla doesn’t answer.
Charity finally answers Iyanla’s question, saying she didn’t know Kevin was gay. But Iyanla refuses to believe Charity never saw the signs.
When Charity says Kevin made her feel safe, Iyanla cuts deep again. She brings up how Charity associates being unsafe with being unwanted.
In fact, Charity tells Iyanla she never felt safe.
“Maybe the real question is what would it take to feel safe; to feel safe and wanted.” – Iyanla
Sophia’s boyfriend stops by to see her with a big plush, pink teddy bear. She’s been mean to him since leaving the hospital and apologizes.
Sophia tells him that she’ll never have kids and she’s angry with God.
Trying to reason with Sophia, and help her understand he’s on her side, he brings up how there are many examples of women in the Bible that couldn’t have children.
This only angers Sophia even more and he decides to leave.
Later that night, Zora heads into Mae’s suite, asking to call her mom. She actually calls her mom and tells her she wants to come home. Kerissa says she will talk to Jacob about it.
When she hangs up, Mae looks at Zora with disgust. Kerissa tells Jacob that Zora is ready to come home but Jacob says no, Zora can’t come home.
Grace’s shocked to hear Sophia say she doesn’t want to go to church.
Sophia walks into Grace’s room and tells her that she’s it’s not working out with Roberto, her boyfriend.
She then tells Grace she doesn’t want to lead Sunday school, or even go to church.
Grace just sits there and listens to her.
Mae asks James to sit with Iyanla with Charity before church. James takes the moment to also ask why Maxine Patterson came to Memphis. He claims to know what she’s thinking.
“Remember that statement for tomorrow, and add a farewell to it. There won’t be another time to say it.” – James
Mae goes off on Charity and Iyanla.
It’s Sunday morning before church and James and Mae are with Charity and Iyanla. Iyanla asks them to listen to Charity as she talks. She revealed that she felt the same fear that Grace and Faith felt as kids. They are surprised to learn this.
Mae begins to say that she wishes someone showed a backbone in the home. She begins to go off on Charity because she has to go to church and tell the congregation she’s divorcing James. So, Mae’s not feeling much empathy for Charity and her feelings.
She then tells Charity to fix herself, not to come for her.
When Mae leaves, James says they’re there for her.
“After this morning, I doubt you’d be there anymore.” – Charity
Afterwards, James tells Mae she can have the house and he’ll take care of the tax bill. However, he tells her she must leave the church.
She wants to save her “Day with Lady Mae.” He agrees, but she has to move on.
At church, Zora finds an office with an open computer. Zora logs in and calls Isaiah on it. He picks up, and she’s smiles with glee.
Mae makes an announcement at church, shocking James.
The service ensues with Charity singing, and Maxine Patterson’s in attendance with Iyanla.
After Charity’s song, James and Mae head over to the podium to speak. The news is hard to deliver, but they remain poised giving their statement. The congregation yells out in horror when they hear from James they’re divorcing.
“I know some of you are thinking, ‘Well, have they prayed about it?’ We have,” the bishop says.
“We have,” Lady Mae concurs.
“‘Have they tried to work it out?’ And we have,” the bishop continues.
“We have,” Lady Mae says.
“We will always be family. And I’m still your bishop,” the bishop reassured the crowd.
“And I—” Lady Mae says, pausing for effect. “I am not going away just yet. I will continue on as your first lady up through A Day with Lady Mae.”
The crowd cheers when she announces Maxine as her special guest for the event. James gives a subtle yet shady look at Mae as she announces this event.
He reluctantly takes Mae’s hand at the end of her proclamation.
After church, Grace is walking and overhearing everyone have conversations, including Cora, Corrine and Rochelle.
Mae escorts Maxine and Maxine tells her they will build Mae a new church if she can’t get Calvary. Mae than tells Iyanla she didn’t appreciated being “bushwhacked” by what Charity said.
She didn’t appreciate hearing all of Charity’s problems came from her.
“I deal with that from my oldest, I don’t want to deal with that from my baby.” – Mae
Later, Kerissa meets with Zora and tells her she and Jacob decided to keep her with Mae. Zora’s okay with this, as she was able to finally talk to Isaiah. She’s planning something, as she tells Kerissa, “It’ll all be over soon.”
Grace can’t convince Sophia to change her mind about church.
Sophia’s heading out for a walk when Grace walks in. Pastor Moore called Sophia, asking when she’s coming to do Little Saints. “How can I stand there and tell kids God is good when he isn’t?” Sophia says, sobbing.
“Oh, Sophia,” Grace says, taken aback.
“He’s not,” Sophia exclaims. “I’m not going to church anymore.”
Sophia reminds her mother that she quit going for 20 years. Grace tries to explain that she made a mistake leaving the church, but Sophia’s faith has crumbled.
“It’s all just a racket. Things just happen; that’s all there is. I’m not going.” – Sophia
And with that, she exits the room, leaving her mother in stunned silence.
She then heads out, grabbing her side as she walks out of the mansion. She heads down to their dock on the lake, staring out into the distance. Sophia grabs her cross, rips it off her neck and tosses it into the lake.
What are your thoughts of the episode?
