Praise jujubes, our ATL divas are back! The ladies are hotter than ever, and the shade is even shadier. Let’s begin with a quick update on our Season Three cast. First off, Faith Evans and Nicci Gilbert are out. We already knew about Faith, and honestly, we hadn’t seen her much since the very first episodes of Season One anyway. But I’ll never stop missing her. She was the warm but level and professional mamma that started it all, and I still wish she could pop in every now and then. But like life, sometimes people move on and you just can’t get them back.
But getting rid of Nicci’s ridiculous drama? Sounds just fine by me. Even though she’s still behind the scenes as an executive producer, when it comes to the actual show, girl, bye.
What they don’t spend time acknowledging in this episode, however, is the quiet disappearance of Latasha Scott, the sweet diva who was brought in last season. Maybe the drama was too much for her and with too little payoff, considering that three seasons in, there’s still no tour or any other major artistic accomplishments as a group to really stand by. (The one exception is the original, mainly-Faith-penned R&B Divas album, which seems like it will reemerge as a plot point later in this season.) Still, I thought her quiet demeanor was a nice addition to the divas, and it’s too bad that she’s gone.
To fill those diva shoes, though, we have two new ladies in the house this season. One is LaTavia Roberson, former member of Destiny’s Child. While she left the group in 2000, she’s quick to mention the two Grammys that she holds from her time with them. She also maintains that “my beef was was always with management, not Beyonce.”
The other new ATL diva is Meelah Williams, former lead singer of the ’90s girl group 702, whose most famous song was the fantastic “Where My Girls At.” From the front to back, is you feelin’ that?
We first meet LaTavia and Meelah at a “Gratitude Tea” which is organized by Angie Stone, obviously, as no one else would organize something called a “Gratitude Tea.” Well, except maybe for Monifah, but Monifah has a slightly difference face in this first episode of the third season. It’s been at least six months since any of the divas have seen each other at Keke’s disastrous birthday party that ended out last season, and apparently they haven’t been all that chummy in the time since.
While Monifah has frequently been the peacemaker in the past, it appears that in the six months since that party, and also since getting engaged to Terez, she’s turned heavily inwards, focusing on cleansing her life and body of all negative influences. This includes becoming vegan, which completes the circle of True Lesbianism. It also includes distancing herself from negative people in her life. And one of those people turns out to be Keke Wyatt.
This silence between Keke and Mo is actually the first thing we learn about in this episode, as Keke stares at her phone in her kitchen, wondering why it’s been so long since she’s heard from the Purple Princess. She’s surrounded by Michael, her brother Keever, some of her adorable children, and her mom, Lorna, who is currently living with her for reasons we’re still unclear on. But being that she’s the woman who produced Keke Wyatt, I am positive that Lorna’s inclusion in this season will be amazing.
While Keke thinks Mo might be throwing some shade, Michael and Lorna and everyone else can see the real root of Keke’s problem: she’s just hurt. Without the divas, it seems like she’s back to square one, not having any female friends or life outside of her family and career, and that makes her insecure. And when she shows up at the Gratitude Tea and tries to bring it up to Mo, from Keke’s point of view, it does like seem Monifah’s being cold and a little weird. But at the same time, Keke is apparently unable to present it the way Michael had encouraged her to. Instead of just saying, “I miss you,” she instead says with a frowny sassy face, “I haven’t heard from you,” making it accusatory from the start.
But hey, in better news, Keke’s chopped hair right now is totally the best!
After Keke and Mo’s slightly awkward beginnings, the tea is a time to start getting to know the new divas. Monifah feels an immediate bond with LaTavia when she shares that the last decade or so post-Destiny’s Child has been rough, that she’s sabotaged herself again and again and had some substance abuse problems. She’s also a brand new mother, raising her recently born daughter on her own.
Meelah gives gratitude for her son, who she was told had only a 10% chance at life when he was born. But he’s now four years old, and was also just recently diagnosed with Autism. She presents this news with the same thankful smile she had when she talked about how he beat the odds at birth, and I’m really interested to see more about her son and their journey with Autism in the future.
And then they sing a little, which is what we’re all here for, hallelujah. Angie Stone presents her Big Idea that she brought everyone together for. Since most of them don’t actually have a lot going on at the moment, she wants to get things started. She thinks they should do a showcase. Which everyone unanimously and immediately hates. A showcase is normally an event for emerging artists, and they think they’re all past that point. Oh, Angie Stone. Still trying so hard! Still failing utterly!
Meelah and LaTavia meet up later at LaTavia’s apartment to discuss how the tea party went, and they reveal themselves to be slightly sassier than they appeared at the tea house. Essentially, they know that involving themselves with the divas is a good thing, but they’ll also take off the gloves if they need to. LaTavia is also rocking some badass glasses, and with her gorgeous hair pulled back, she is giving me a major Cosima vibe. Meaning, I already love her.
There is one diva that Monifah has definitely not cut out of her life, though, and that’s Syleena. When she and Mo catch up at the gym one day, Syleena announces that she’s planning on throwing her and Terez an engagement party. Mo cries in response, which reassures us a little that Mo is still pretty much Mo.
Terez is still living in New York, but when she comes down to visit, Monifah shares Syleena’s plans. While Terez thinks it’s sweet of her to throw them a party, she’s also slightly apprehensive, perhaps knowing that if all the divas do show up, the night will end up not actually being about Terez and Monifah’s union at all. Because Terez is a smart cookie and can see the future.
Syleena has turned into the peacemaker now, first visiting Monifah at the studio to make sure it’s OK to invite Keke and Michael to said engagement party. Monifah, by the way, has already laid down 10 tracks for an upcoming album and is feeling really good about it all. Yay music! Yay Monifah! After the slightest bit of hesitation, she says that of course it’s fine if they come, so then Syleena goes over to Keke’s house to talk about the party in person, to make sure it’ll all be cool. Michael shows some increased maturity on his part about the whole gay thing, because he says, “We will be there, because we support their union, and we support the love that they share.”
Keke, however, has Stink Face on, and remains quiet as Syleena tries to lay down what’s what. Meaning, either get over it, or talk about it with Monifah one-on-one. Don’t ruin the engagement party that’s just supposed to be about love. However, when Keke does show up at the party, her Stink Face is on FULL FORCE from the moment she walks in the door. She’s wearing combat pants, and it’s like she’s shown up ready for a battle that only she wants to fight.
There are a few moments of potential good times for this party, like the super hot photo of Terez and Monifah kissing that Syleena has had projected all over the club, and the fact that Syleena’s sisters are there too and I love them, and that Mo will show up rocking leather pants and a shiny gold shirt, and the fact that Syleena has had the club make a custom drink for the evening called the Mo’rez. The Mo’rez! How come I never thought of this myself!
But when Syleena shares that the Mo’rez is non-alcoholic because Mo doesn’t drink anymore, and says it like it’s a well-known fact, it’s actually not a well-known fact to Keke, since she hasn’t talked to Mo in so long. And it’s like when Emily Gilmore learns that Lorelai broke her leg and she never knew, and it sets off something inside her.
Once the happy couple shows up and Angie asks for details about the wedding, Mo says that they don’t really have any. Now, this does seem a little fishy, that they got engaged months and months ago (at least, if the timing the show has presented is correct) and they don’t have ANY plans at all. But then Keke suddenly goes off about lying and liars in the lake of fire in hell or something, I don’t know, and everyone’s like, what are you talking about, and then she just starts cursing and giving everyone the middle finger and doing her intense eye roll thing in an angry way and Monifah is like, wait one damn minute, no.
By this point, everyone’s hackles are up and the ladies are alternately standing up and trying to talk sense into Keke or sitting around looking bewildered about what’s going on. This causes Keke to retreat into defense mode, saying that she just “made a joke” and “didn’t do anything wrong” and then she ends up repeating lines she’s said before, about how her family and her Christianity is more important to her than this, which seemingly has nothing to do with anything. Basically, she is making no sense. Life with Keke Wyatt is like ten steps forward and ten steps backward, all the damn time, and I do get Monifah’s point of view here, because it gets exhausting after a while.
Monifah said earlier when talking to Syleena that she just wants Keke to “do better,” because she just doesn’t have time for it anymore. I think we all want Keke to do better. Because she shows such potential for it. But then certain public situations just send her into another sphere.
As Syleena says, the night ends up being, overall, a total disaster. Syleena tries to make a nice speech about love not being about gender or race or color, but it falls flat because everyone is so busy being annoyed with each other. Sad face! And then too soon the episode is over, and we segue into a preview of what’s in store for us in the rest of Season Three.
And hoo-ee, there is a lot of stuff in store for us! There are concerts and family heartaches and drama and, most excitingly, a LOT of Terez and Mo wedding plans. It looks like we will indeed get to see the wedding, and that the wedding will take place in-dun dun dun-Hawaii! Hells to the yeah. The divas in Hawaii? I am so. there.
What were your thoughts about the explosive Season Three premiere? Was it too much drama off the bat? Do you like the addition of Meelah and LaTavia? Will Keke and Mo be OK? Tell me your thoughts! I’m so happy our ladies are back.
