Queen Sugar’s Best Episodes That portray Black Capitalism

Black capitalism has power-posed itself into the mainstream by way of television. Many shows that use blackness as a central point either subtly or overtly reference the concept. Black capitalism is known as a movement of African-American people attempting to build affluence through gaining ownership and the creation of new businesses. Media involving narratives of Black people that omit systemic issues as a characters’ motivations tend to lounge by the symbolic American dream pool where these characters can leisurely bathe in the excesses of their class. Story arcs that involve sexual exploits, relationship issues, and friendship sprinkled throughout the shows fall into this new mainstream. However, there is a show that deals with similar themes while investing in storylines not confined to feel-good endings.

Queen Sugar, an Oprah Winfrey Network original TV series, chronicles the lives of the three Bordelon siblings Nova (Rutina Wesley), Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe), and Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardener) as they attempt to carry on their deceased father, Ernest’s (Glynn Turman) legacy, by tending to his farm. Every season finds each main character and the offshoots of other families connected to the main three dealing with the functioning of the farm, the mill, other familial drama, and the racial biases that they face due to being one of the only Black-owned sugar cane mills in their parish. All of these factors congregate into select episodes of the series that exemplify the themes while guiding the story forward.

Here are five essential episodes dispersed throughout the five previous seasons that grapple with the idea of black capitalism and its possible pitfalls while giving voice to the humanity of black people on screen through tender family drama.

1. “Where With All” Season 1, Episode 8

The first season of Queen Sugar acclimates its viewers to the world of the rural community of the St. Josephine parish while providing hints of the wider world the main characters resided in before the beginning of the series. Charley formerly lived in California, Nova traveled as an investigative journalist, and Ralph Angel spent some time in prison, all in different corners of the US. But, subsequently, they were abruptly brought back to their father’s home due to his death. This spread of the cast across these areas worked to display the estrangement of their family as it is a leading factor in much of the conflict that fueled the beginnings of the series. Nevertheless, this underlying tension and separation come to a full head in this episode. The Bordelons prepare for a fast-approaching hurricane by boarding up their farm and mill and wait out the storm at Aunt Vi’s (Tina Lifford) house. In other words, this episode becomes a bottle episode where the main characters’ storylines all intersect. What makes this episode essential lies in its insistence on every character coming to speaking terms with each other with the added anxiety of the hurricane destroying the crops planted at their farm. Concerned with the welfare of their livelihood (which is now wrapped up in their father’s farm) and trying to connect despite the many wounds accrued over the years is the first major instance of the idea of black capitalism clashing with family values. The aftermath of the episode found the Bordelons discovering two dead migrant workers at their farm hitting on the theme of choosing between humanity and rigid business values.

2. “Dream Variations” Season 2, Episode 16

A season full of regretful choices were caused by each character’s adherence to their black capitalist ideals. Ralph Angel forces a relationship with Darla (Bianca Lawson) because of his return to school and life getting back on track. Nova clashes with her editor and deals with relationship affairs. Charley is hit the hardest as she undergoes a divorce while her only son, Micah (Nicholas L. Ashe), is haunted by an encounter with a police officer all while trying to keep her family’s mill and farm running. This particular season finale sees the reveals of plot threads that were held over from the previous season making it an integral viewing. The theme of black capitalism as it pushes against the family values that the Bordelons possess is tested deeply within this episode by the storylines that indicate variations on dreams…dreams deferred. Key pinches in the story like Charley unable to save her family’s Mill from the land-grabbing Landrys or Ralph Angel handling the idea that his son, Blue (Ethan Hutchison), may not be his, biologically, manifest the dichotomy found within the series that drives its central conflicts.

3. “The Tree and Stone Were One” Season 3, Episode 9

A contemplative episode, the family is almost entirely separated throughout this episode, and the storyline pertain closely to the themes of black capitalism. Each character falls into different camps within this episode and appropriately is tested on their ideals. Charley is offered another raw deal concerning her father’s farm and mill though this is co-opted in the episode with a revelation of a betrayal (in Charley’s perception) from her sister. Betrayal is a theme persistent in this episode, a silent betrayal precipitated by reality-shifting secrets. Entangled in the Landry family’s politics (a family of landlords who are after the Bordelons’ farm), Charley chooses her family as opposed to the path that her formerly black capitalist ideals would guide her towards. However, Nova ogles contentious desires, finding love for Charley’s ex-lover and writing pieces that interrogate her family’s past traumas. This episode is unique in its building of tension between family members through secrets; almost like a storm front brewing chaos on the horizon. This episode situates the two ideals present in Queen Sugar to question their influence on the characters that are usually removed from them.

4. “I No Longer Imagine” Season 4, Episode 2

Lighting in the form of an essay collection travels throughout the Bordelon family tree when Nova’s manuscript about her family is complete. A season-long rift is created in the family by Nova’s actions. Being a proud black farming family, Nova’s choice to release her essays that chart the lives of her immediate family over the years severely harms their relationships with Nova. This episode deals with the aftermath of Nova’s black capitalistic choices, how broadcasting her family’s truths to the entire world was an ultimate betrayal. The episode affirms the violent effects black capitalism can have on a family unit if its ideals are held too closely, becoming something akin to greed. Nova saw the recognition she would gain from her book but not the actual people that she wrote about.

5. “May 19, 2020” Season 5, Episode 5

The pendulum between greed and humanity tetters endlessly to either within Queen Sugar. This episode shifts the pendulum towards the heart of the show by depicting the wedding of Ralph Angel and Darla. In the fashion of many cool breeze episodes that this series creates, the wedding is a reminder of tempering desires that conflict with the humanity found in a family. A celebration of family, this episode involves a joy not often found in series surrounding Black characters.

Queen Sugar is a show that deals with the image of Black people on screen through questioning the ideals of black capitalism as a way of progress concerning familial ties. Its a series that is strongly invested in the agency of Black characters while understanding the balance between their ambition and humanity, Queen Sugar acknowledges the need for Black capitalism but alleviates its coldness with the warmth of family.

Queen Sugar’s sixth season airs on the OWN network every Tuesday at 8pm ET.

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