BY MUNYA VOMO
THERE is a general agreement that whatever film or TV production that Oprah Winfrey is involved in is usually gold. Think of Precious or Selma, both of which she produced.
They did well, making her someone to watch. It is just the way it is and to add to this list is the addictive drama, Queen Sugar, which was released through her platform, Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). In the show, we meet siblings Ralph Angel Bordelon, Nova Bordelon and Charley Bordelon-West, who find themselves in the predicament of how to proceed after their farmer father has died.
The old man’s last will and testament sees these young adults inherit the farm he had worked on all his life. With the exception of Ralph Angel, the two sisters do not support the idea, as they do not know the first thing about farming. In fact, one of them starts shopping around for farmers who would like to buy the farm, in turn causing a rift between herself and her siblings.
Nova is on the fence in many ways. She still stays close to the rural town near the farm, but has moved on with her life as a journalist. Charley, whom the family love to call “Hollywood” is a successful wife who manages her NBA-star husband. They have a son and clearly live a life of opulence, a far cry from her upbringing, which she somewhat frowns upon.
She is the last person who would be seen on a farm, tilling the land, so she automatically suggests that it be put up for sale. This is the general story and if you are not into farming, you will probably be bored by now. Yet, that’s not all that Queen Sugar is about. Actually, that’s just the surface. It is the individual stories that make the entire process of watching this drama worth it. There are a number of infectious sub-plots that make the drama stronger, so much so that you even forget about the battle over the inheritance.
Ralph Angel is the only one willing to work on the land, as he has had that experience with his father all his life, while his sisters have moved on. His storyline starts with him and his addict ex, who is the mother of their child. The motivation to keep farming is more of an emotional than a practical move, because we soon discover that he doesn’t know as much as he thought he did. Then there is Nova, who blocks out her own pain from relationships and chooses to bury herself in her work.
She is the coldest of the trio, but it also comes out that she’s the most vulnerable. Charley has by far the greatest problems. Around the time her father died, she found out that her husband, the NBA star, was caught on tape fondling an unconscious woman. The woman then cried “rape”, so they have had a huge scandal on their hands. It takes you back to that time when Kobe Bryant had legal troubles when a woman accused him of sexual assault and the ex-LA Laker’s wife threatened to leave him. With all these ingredients in place, Queen Sugar might not be Roots or Empire, but it makes for good viewing.
Queen Sugar airs every Sunday at 9pm on Vuzu AMP (DStv channel 103).
