Star – Code of Silence

By: Gladys Luna

While the girls at the salon discuss that night “Taylor Bros Hair Battle” contest where the girls will be performing a Gladys Knight remix. Carlotta (Queen Latifah) pours a cup of coffee and hands it to an “unknown man” that happens to be slightly caressing a picture of Simone (Brittany O´Grady), Star (Jude Demorest) and Alexandra (Ryan Destiny) that is pinned to the wall. The man asks her if one of the girl is hers while pointing at Simone in the picture to what Carlotta answer no, but confesses to him she´d might as well be. Apparently, the man came to the salon asking for a job and when Carlotta confronts him with the question of why he wants to work there, he turns to face her, revealing himself to be none other than Otis (Darius McCrary), Simone´s foster father. He tells her she needs men around to make the salon more appealing to others. While the whole exchange is taking place downstairs, Simone is woken up by the distant yet familiar voice. When she realizes that Otis is actually that near she runs to wake Star up, but she doesn’t believe Simone. She thinks she is going crazy because she is sure that she stabbed him to death. Star follows her downstairs anyway only find Carlotta alone. Otis has already left. When Simone asks Carlotta about the man that was there a moment ago, she explains that he was applying for the vacancy and nothing else. Star reminds her sister that Otis is dead since she stabbed him and asks her to let her go back to sleep.

Jahil (Benjamin Bratt) is having breakfast with Eva (Sharlene Taulé), the Hispanic girl he rescued from being trafficked and asks her how is that she found him. She tells him that she just jumped in the back of his truck while he was making a call. Eva lets him know that she went to the US looking for a new life, but “the coyote” just tricked them and did horrible things to all of the girls that were in the van. Jahil gets up and goes to his safe. He brings out a yellow envelope containing a bunch of drivers licenses and he finds the one that belongs to Eva, handing it to her adding, “Ahí está tu vida nueva” (“There´s your new life.”).

Star and Alexandra are rehearsing the song for their performance at the Taylor Bros Hair Battle while Simone is sitting aside still concerned about that morning’s experience. She is suddenly dragged by Star to the center of the room and joins to the rehearsal when they are interrupted by Jahil who has come to bring them the good news. He hands them his phone so they can read the notification he had received saying they were accepted into the second stage of the Atlanta contest and in order to be part of it they need to send a live performance video. Star suggests they can use their act at the hair battle contest, which earns her a kiss on the cheek from Jahil yet makes Alexandra clearly uncomfortable. They go back to rehearse as Jahil watches them from aside.

Jahil goes back to his apartment and he is surprised when finds some of his stuff is upside down. He makes his way in search for Eva. She finally comes out from the bedroom where she apparently has been hiding and tells Jahil a man was looking for him. She wants an explanation as to why “that man” was there and Jahil confirms her that he helping them escape the other night is the real reason. Once again, he goes to his safe to take his gun saying they should go away from there as Eva watches him still in awe from behind.

Everyone begins to gather at the Taylor Bros Hair Battle event and as the girls are getting ready for their performance. They are interrupted by the sudden appearance of Gladys Knight (herself) who greets them joyfully. Alexandra and Gladys exchange some memories as Gladys recognizes her as Roland´s (Lenny Kravitz) daughter. Before Gladys leaves the room, Star stops her asking her for a favor.

Gladys Knight takes the stage welcoming everyone in the audience and then proceeds to introduce God´s Blessings who is in running for best beauty salon. The girls hit the stage and kick off with their performance leaving everyone in the audience more than satisfied.

Slowly familiar faces begin to appear as we see Hunter (Chad James Buchanan) Star´s love interest, Jahil, Gladys Knight, Miss Bruce (Miss Lawrence), Derek (Quincy Brown) and Carlotta cross our screen. When their performance is done and they are walking out of the stage, Star spots Otis in the middle of the audience and he throws a smirk at her as she starts to walk away. Star freezes for a second as images of her stabbing Otis began to haunt her mind. Star asks Alexandra to take Simone away from there to avoid Otis running into Simone, who refuses to leave the event. This makes Alexandra confess to her why they’re leaving so suddenly. Simone decides to go back and face Otis herself, disappearing with everyone else in there.

Star is in the bathroom talking to someone on the phone, warning them that Otis is also at the event. Suddenly, Otis walks in locking the door behind him and tosses the phone away from Star´s hand. Fortunately, this happens before the call is never ended. He gives Star fifteen minutes to deliver Simone. He turns her against his front and threatens her knowing that there´s nothing she could do since she tried to kill him. So, if she tells the police she might be the one ending up in jail. As the scene goes on, it is revealed that the person at the other end of the line it was Cotton (Amiyah Scott). She listens to the whole arguing and decides to go in search of Star. When Otis decides to leave the bathroom he is met by Carlotta. He grins at her and waves goodbye. Carlotta walks in the room to meet a very unsettled Star who ends up telling her the whole truth.

Carlotta is talking to Jahil asking him to meet her on the second floor of the place when she watches Otis waiting for the elevator at the distance. Once again, they share a quick look, but before she moves to stop him he walks into the elevator that would lead him to the parking lot. When he leaves the elevator, without turning his back, he says: “You did a really good job up there. Have a good night” and walks away revealing a not so thrilled Alexandra standing in the back of the elevator.

Jahil meets Carlotta and she explains him the whole situation. They go in search of Simone and Jahil prepares his gun in case he needs it. Otis is walking towards his car in the parking lot when a familiar voice stops him right on his tracks. When he turns around he sees Simone pointing a gun at him. He scares for a minute before he begins to tell her that he has missed her and that no matter where she goes he´ll always find her cause she belongs to him.

Star finds a knife and heads to the parking lot. When she is walking through the cars she spots Otis inside of his car on the driver´s seat. She opens the door and moves closer to him only to find out that he was shot to death and without any remorse or concern she walks away.

Alexandra meets with Star and tells her Simone had disappeared. When they are about to look for her, Carlotta shows up telling them that her gun had gone missing. After finding out Otis is dead, Star and Carlotta share a quick glare that implies they imagine Simone was the one who killed him. In the meantime, we are presented with an image of Jahil putting a dead body wrapped in plastic in the back of his car.

Star and Carlotta find a very disturbed Simone alone in a corner holding Carlotta´s gun. Star informs Cotton that they have found her while Carlotta comforts Simone telling her that the chapter that belong to Simone´s past is already over. Carlotta leaves Simone and her sister alone and Star tells her that in order to make all of those bad experiences go away, she needs to find something to focus on and suggests she use the music in order to make that happen.

Back to the contest, the presenter announces the winner as God´s Blessings as Miss Bruce comes to the stage to receive the award. The girls are called up next to do another performance. So, they wear their best smile and “sparkle” as suggested by Carlotta before they go onto the stage.

As the musical show unravels, we find Jahil somewhere out there trying to bury Otis dead body while a curious Eva watches from inside his car. The girls keep singing and Simone cries while doing it. Back to Jahil, once he is done he goes back to his car and tells Eva: “Ahora los dos tenemos secretos” (“Now we both have secrets.”).

Back to Jahil´s apartment, he is silently sitting at a table thinking about all that had happened earlier when Eva finishes her shower and walks towards him, only wearing a towel which she gets rid to the amazed gaze of Jahil. He stand up from the place he was at, slowly reaches for the towel and his gaze travels all over Eva´s body. He hands the towel back to her stating, “Never do that.” Eva walks back to the bathroom and closes the door behind her.

Out on the street, a man is sitting inside his car talking on the phone and telling that Jahil just lied to them about being attacked when trying to deliver the women in the van and saying they´ll have to keep an eye on him. As he is about to hang the call up the name of “Maggie” is revealed as the other caller.

Star, Alexandra, Simone, Cotton and Carlotta are gathered at Carlotta´s kitchen while discussing what happened at the contest. Simone confesses that even though she tried to kill Otis, but she didn´t do it. Star doesn´t believe her at first, telling her that they will protect her. But based on Simone´s insistence, Star ends up believing her sister´s innocence. Carlotta and Cotton leave the room and the three girls are left alone in the kitchen as Carlotta´s voiceover kicks saying, “Sometimes it all comes down to what you don’t say. That night, we all agreed: the devil is gone, for now.”