Since the pilot episode of Ava Duvernay’s adaption of the Natalie Baszile novel Queen Sugar, the OWN drama series has captivated audiences with themes of race, family and love. Centering on the Bordelon family—Nova, Charley, Ralph Angel, Aunt Vi and Blue—and their close family and friends, the narrative has journeyed through heartbreaks, shocking revelations and celebrations.
The same can be said in the land of sugarcane for season three, but this go ‘round involves deeper betrayals and more growth for each character. If you missed it, don’t spoil your sweet tooth and go binge the season. However, if you’ve already indulged in the Bordelon’s most recent highs (and lows), check out the top moments from season three below.
Vi’s Prize Pies
Episode 2: “Not Another Day”
Aunt Violet is still the matriarch of the Bordelon family — strong, determined and independent. When she gets an offer to showcase her Prized Pies in a local grocery store, she’s elated to finally be living a dream she’s long put on hold amid. But her moment of celebration shifted as she noticed her pies were stacked in the corner and not displayed prominently. In an act of sheer resistance, perhaps, Vi and the rest of the Bordelon move her baked goods to their rightful place. With just this line, Vi’s conviction sets the tone for her storyline for the remainder of the season: “I will not be sidelined, sidetracked, or sidestepped or put in the damned corner to wait my turn,” she says. “Not another day. It’s my time.”
Still A Bordelon
Episode 3: “Your Distant Destiny”
After Darla’s shocking bombshell about Blue’s paternity at the tail end of Season 2, it was only right that this season picked up where she left off. Though Ralph Angel never wavers on whether he is Blue’s father, a DNA test confirms the precocious child, who begins acting out in the absence of his mother this season, is not biologically a Bordelon. The revelation sets Rah into a tailspin. He beds a few flings, dates Trinh Phan (Vivien Ngô) and grows impatient with Blue as he avoids confronting his feelings for Darla’s mistakes. Upon her return, however, he stands his ground in a custody battle that ultimately ends, thankfully, in peace.
The Kiss That Never Should’ve Been
Episode 5: “A Little Lower Than Angels”
What’s considered girl code amongst girlfriends is law amongst sisters. But Nova must’ve missed the memo. While it was foreshadowed a few season prior with a extended hug, Remy and the youngest Bordelon daughter ignite a love affair that’s much more than casual. Their connection, which solidifies over stories of her father on a fishing trip and her vulnerability surrounding her book, seems genuine but ironically it’s also a means to escape facing herself. Later (“Here Beside The River”), Aunt Vi urges Nova to “come to yourself” after learning that Nova would rather air her family’s dirty laundry than to write her story. It takes that cautionary warning, and tension with Charley over Remy, that sets Nova back on track.
Burn, Baby, Burn
Episode 6: “Delicate and Strangely Made”
Fire signifies a major change for both Charley and Micah this season. After Davis reveals his affair and secret love child he didn’t bother to mention for 13 years, Charley completely falls apart. Not only is she trying to heal emotionally from a series of bad breakups, but she is also stealthily trying to overthrow the Landrys to give power back to Black farmers in St. Josephine Parish. The emotional burden is stacked against her, and it isn’t until she sets Davis’ basketball keepsakes ablaze like Bernadine in Waiting To Exhale, that she begins anew.
Past Meets Present
Episode 9: “The Tree and Stone Were One”
Micah is transformed after he and his crew of friends-turned-activists accidentally set fire to slave quarters on plantation grounds during a protest. Micah has become more woke since his traumatic experience with a police officer in Season 2. But as he begins to turn his rage for racial injustice into actions things take a sharp downturn that land his friend Anthony in trouble (he’s certainly looking at jail time).
St. Josephine Parish Protest
Episode 13: “From on the Pulse of Morning”
Micah’s intentions were good before but now they’re backed by cleared, organized action. During a protest against the prison that’s scheduled to be built on the land in St. Jo, Micah finally found his voice, giving a moving speech that inspired the entire community. Something like this coming out party, he’s finally a woke bae in the making.
A Return Home
Episode 13: “From on the Pulse of Morning”
The fight Charley put up all season to beat the Landrys and win back land for Black farmers was finally won. In the final scenes of the season three finale, Charley leverages her seat at the table to not only get her mill back, but also to make sure Proctor is safely back in his rightful place — his home.
I Choose You
Episode 13: “From on the Pulse of Morning”
Simply put: Aunt Vi and Hollywood put rings on it! In a surprise wedding, the two exchange vows in front of the family. And it is the sweetest moment of the season.