Let’s do a quick recap of what we’ve seen of Nicci Gilbert on R&B Diva over the last two years.
Season 1: Repeatedly makes a point of how music doesn’t speak to her anymore; spends most of her time on other business ventures like the fashion line Curvato.
Season 2: Seems slightly back into music but honestly I don’t know that much about it because she spends most of her time fighting with Syleena and causing drama about a possible divas tour which she does not want to do.
The Last Two Episodes: Very suddenly getting Brownstone back together. Because Michael Jackson believed in them! Wants all the divas to sing together like they’re all perfectly happy singing sisters.
I know we don’t get to see everything that happens off screen on a reality show, but I feel like Nicci is a character that’s been written by someone with a very bad sense of continuity.
We begin this week’s episode with her inviting two former Brownstone members, Teisha and Maxee, to her house to discuss a possible reunion. They seem into it as long as it’s an all-in effort. Nicci once again gives sort of sketchy details about what she actually means by a Brownstone reunion, but they clink their mimosa glasses regardless. Which is all fine and good. Get it, Brownstone!
Then, Nicci brings all the divas together to a venue where she’s putting together some type of show. She shares the news with them that Brownstone’s getting back together and will be performing a few songs at this show. Everyone says “Yay!” She also then explains that they’ll be launching the charity she and her daughter have talked about before, Divas and Wildflowers or something like that, kicking it off by giving makeovers to 20 women in Atlanta who have been victims of domestic abuse or poverty. Everyone says “Yay!” Angie steps in and says she’ll donate $100. Angie, by the way, is also rocking some biker chic fierceness this evening.
Then Nicci says she’d love all the divas to come and help perform the finale. Everyone’s faces become sort of blank and confused. Syleena says she’d love to donate to the charity, but will have to think about the singing. Everyone else just continues to sit and contribute to the awkward silence.
The situation seems to be this: it puts people in an uncomfortable position when you’re invited to a charity event, because you look like a big jerk if you say no. But this is also the ladies’ careers, and they all seem to have a lot going on at the moment, so making them perform for free for Nicci’s own personal benefit seems sort of sketchy and manipulative. It wouldn’t be that way if the divas all knew this was something Nicci had been working on for a long time and they were all being supportive of each other, but she sort of sprang it on them all at once. It’d also be different if the event itself was clearer: Is it a Brownstone reunion concert? Is it a charity fundraising event? Is it a fashion show?
LaTocha, Rocky, and Syleena meet the next day to discuss it, and they all pretty much agree that it’s “fraudulent.” Rocky was also under the impression that it would be at a big venue; when he learns that it’s pretty much just in some hotel he really deems it ridiculous. They all agree that the charity idea is just an excuse to con the ladies into doing a show – the same type of show that Syleena and Angie had both previously suggested, that Nicci had crapped mightily on. And TVOne has the video flashbacks to prove it. Now, I don’t want to poo poo on Nicci’s charity or anything, but it is enjoyable to see LaTocha start to voice her opinion on things and to see her and Syleena joking around with each other.
We’ll get back to the Nicci hoopla in a moment, but there are also some very serious personal goings on in this episode that are probably much more worthy of our attention anyway.
First, we return to the storyline of Syleena’s alcoholic mother moving in with her, which I think is an incredibly relevant one. They’ve made it through the first week alive, but probably because her mom hasn’t come out of her room much. She and Syleena stand around Syleena’s gorgeous kitchen to discuss where things stand. Syleena wants to help, but can’t because her mom refuses to talk about the difficulties she’s going through. To her, discussing anything that’s hard for her is a sign of weakness. Syleena assures her that doing so is actually a sign of strength, and that alcoholics don’t get anywhere by just telling themselves they’re going to stop; they need external help. To which her mom retorts, “Where did you get your degree?” Ouch.
Shockingly though, her mom does agree to Syleena’s suggestion of going to family therapy. This is definitely a good sign. And at the therapy session, with Syleecia and Sylette in tow as well, Syleena’s mom tells Syleena that she admires her strength. More good signs! Progress, hurrah! However, when Syleena starts to break down, saying, “I just want to be your friend,” which is maybe the most heartbreaking thing ever, her mom shuts off and says, “This isn’t me.” Because she doesn’t do emotions. Oh, Brenda. At least we had a start.
But, she does acknowledge that she was raised to never show emotions, and that she knows she raised her daughters the same way. There were no hugs exchanged in their family. (Syleena and Syleecia admit they’ve started sneaking hugs to each other.) In the end, Brenda admits she has a lot of work to do on herself. They also laugh a lot during the session, which I think is always a good sign of health. It’s not perfect, but it’s a great scene to show a universal truth that’s not always talked about: families require work.
We also get the briefest of Mo scenes, where she talks to Terez on the phone in her apartment. She tells Terez that she’s excited about the possibility of beginning to act more with Angie’s TV show, and that ATL is becoming a sort of black Hollywood. It’s clear she wants Terez to move to Atlanta, which is something I’ve been wondering about since the beginning of the show. Long distance is hard. As Mo says, “I miss waking up to you.” But Terez has a home in New York, and making that kind of decision is a big one.
This separation becomes even more poignant in the next scene, where we’re transported to a diner in New York and see Terez sitting with a friend. We’ve never had a Terez scene without Mo before, so this should be interesting. And it is. Terez informs her friend that she’s going to ask Mo to marry her.
SQUEEE!
I’ve been waiting for this moment all season! But here’s the rub: their relationship/marriage would be recognized in Terez’s home in New York. But in Atlanta? Honey child, even the dream of that being possible is a world away. God. This sucks.
Her friend says, “I think when you throw the marriage word in, it does something to folks.” Mhmm. Terez responds, “Here’s the thing, though-we’re not trying to change anybody’s beliefs.” Just as she’s not going to let anyone change hers. Mhmm. The dream, she says, is that we can all just co-exist together, peacefully. (What a thought!) Her friend tells her that she obviously has her full support, as she hopes to be in the same place herself someday. She says, “Love is love. People be tripping. Just be happy.” Which I would like to personally nominate as the gays’ new slogan for all time. Also, I am in love with Terez’s friend.
Terez’s next meeting, unfortunately, doesn’t go as smoothly. At another restaurant on a different day, Terez meets with Akemi, Monifah’s daughter. Oh, Akemi, Akemi, Akemi. If you don’t remember her painful episode from last season, Akemi is a huge fangirl of the Bible. This is not going to go well. Still, it says something that Akemi even agreed to meet with Terez, and that it’s clear they have some type of positive, respectful relationship. Terez gives her a good long hug when she walks in, and the conversation begins all smiles. But when Terez drops the marriage bomb, all the light immediately disappears from Akemi’s face. She glances to the side, brushes back her hair, and clearly goes into panic mode.
It’s difficult, to be honest, because of where she stands on it, she says. She believes that marriage was designed after Jesus and his relationship with us, with the church, and that men and women have very specific roles in it, and on and on. Terez, bless her soul, sits there with a warm, open face and takes it, saying that she knows they will have differences of opinion. She also says she knows that things like this can separate families, which causes Akemi to wince slightly, as it does sound almost like a threat. But then Terez continues to say that that won’t happen with them. She believes that God accepts everybody, perhaps even more so those that may stand outside of “the word.” Oh, yes! Akemi nods enthusiastically. God is great! The conversation seems to end with Terez saying that they will all continue to respect each other, and with Akemi saying she will continue to pray for them.
Of course, continuing to pray for someone to change, as this is clearly the type of praying Akemi believes in, isn’t necessarily the best blessing you can have. To be honest, my stomach was twisting in knots during this whole conversation just because of how difficult it all is. I want to respect Akemi, and it’s clear she has some of the gentle spirit of her amazing mother. But it’s also difficult to not want to just shake her. But man, what a class act Terez is for even making this conversation happen.
In any case, we now step away from the serious talk and get back to Nicci Gilbert. And get ready, because some shit is about to go down.
We learn Angie is fully on LaTocha and Syleena’s side, while Mo, always the voice of reason, is like, if you don’t feel right with the charity show, don’t do it. Plain and simple. And, of course, she is totally right.
But I also understand the other divas feeling upset on this one, if just because of how adamantly Nicci has pushed against them in the past on the very same issues. So Angie steps up and confronts Nicci at her office. And hooey, here come the fireworks.
Angie starts it off by saying that she feels Nicci lied to them, because she looked up her charity online and couldn’t find anything about it. “Oh, it’s not established yet,” Nicci responds. Angie thinks she could have clarified this at the meeting when everyone started to throw money at this “charity” for her. Instead of responding to this, Nicci kicks into defensive mode, taking this as an attack on both her business and her family, since the charity was her daughter’s idea. She tells the camera that she wishes she could kick Angie’s “big ass” out of her chair. Now, first of all, one doesn’t talk to Angie Stone that way, and secondly, for someone who works on a clothing line aimed at making plus size women feel sexy, I think it’s REAL messed up to use “big ass” in a derogatory way, Miss Nicci Gilbert.
It then turns into a real screaming match, with Nicci lying every step of the way with TVOne, once again, having the video flashback evidence to prove it. Snort. So over it. I don’t want to completely trash Nicci, and I know she (and her daughter) have a lot of good ideas and good intentions. But without a doubt, she can be the most immature person on this show. Dare I say she can even act more childish than Keke Wyatt. Or maybe it’s just that Keke Wyatt acts childish because of her inherently silly personality, and Nicci Gilbert acts childish in a way that’s mean. And I don’t play that way.
The previews for next week’s episode have me on the edge of my seat. While the Nicci drama continues to blow up, the real dynamite is a scene where Terez finally tells Monifah that she will not move to Atlanta – I repeat, will not – which segues into Mo crying hysterically into Terez’s chest. No! Do not like! No! Why is this happening?! I need next Wednesday to be here right. now.
