Star – Mrs. Rivera

By: Gladys Luna

Star (Jude Demorest) is on her laptop watching Alex (Ryan Destiny) talk to the paparazzi about the recent events where Star and Noah (Luke James) sang together. Simone (Brittany O’Grady) is laying on the couch while her sister is complaining at what she is seeing. Alex announces that she is now focused on a new solo track she’s working on and assures them there is nothing wrong between her and Star.

Ayanna (Michael Michele), Carlotta (Queen Latifah), Noah and along with other people are discussing about the man’s new record. Noah seems to be really happy that he was given another chance to prove himself. Later that night, there will be a party that some members of Sound House will be attending to just to listen to his new album.

With a loud bang at the door, Jahil (Benjamin Bratt) calls for his nephew Angel (Evan Ross) to open the door. The guy has been in the inside of the RV staring for a while at the letter he received from immigration a few days ago so when he hears the loud knocking he thinks the worst and takes the gun he was hiding under his bed and opens the door only to see Jahil standing there and questioning him about the weapon he is holding. Jahil attempts to give him the contract that he and Angel had as a way to let them be free, but Angel didn’t care at all. He tells Jahil that he was going to be deported and when the man offers his help Angel refuses it and asks him to stay out of his business.

Carlotta and Ayanna are discussing the party that will be taking place later that night. Ayanna thanks her for supporting Noah and encourages him to keep going. Carlotta says that the whole credit wasn’t entirely hers as the girls from Take Three have been helping as well. So, Carlotta manages to convince Ayanna to give them an album release date as a way to pay them back.

Alex arrives to the studio where they were supposed to be recording almost an hour ago. The girls start an argument that was interrupted by Carlotta, but only briefly as they keep yelling at each other. Simone has enough of the fighting and leaves the room saying she quits.  She is followed by the others and the arguing continues. Finally, Carlotta gets mad and says they can do whatever they want as, for starters, this is their dream not hers.

At the hospita Cotton (Amiyah Scott) and Nakisha (Ashani Roberts) are updated about Jayden’s (Trayce Malachi) current condition. The good news is that the kid has been listed as a “priority case” on the donor’s list, but still may take some weeks in order to find a match for him. Both of his moms don’t seem to be entirely content at it, but they accept it nonetheless.

Star visits Maurice (Lance Gross) and complains about the fight she just had with the girls. He is listening to the track that Jackson (Matthew Noszka) had asked the blonde to give to Maurice and he tells her that her voice would be great on that tune. He also lets her know that the project Alex has been working on is being produced by Jackson.

Jahil is waiting for Andy (Elijah Kelley) in order to give him the contract when he eavesdrops on his conversation with Cassie (Brandy Norwood) and how he’s asking her to leave him alone. He tries to warn Andy about her, but the guy doesn’t seem to care about anything Jahil has to say. Carlotta passes by and shares a light conversation with Jahil. Then, out of the blue, a black van passes by them and someone starts to shoot from the inside. Jahil protects Andy with his own body and he ends up hurt. Carlotta sees him and runs towards him. He lies on the ground, still conscious, while she is calling for help. Later that day, Jahil has decided to skip going to the hospital so Carlotta has been taking care of his wounds instead. She questions him about who might’ve wanted to kill him, but he is not sure about it. Jahil starts to flirt with the woman and even though she seems reluctant to go any further, she gives into the man´s charm.

Simone assures Angel that she won´t let ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to take him away from her so she suggests to escape town to a place where they can be happy. She lets Angel know that music has never been exactly her dream and that she’s realized that there’s more to life than chasing fame.

Derek (Quincy Brown) is leaving his grandma’s (Juanita Jennings) house when he crosses paths with Cassie. The woman tells him that she knows what he’s been doing recently like trying to help other guys to get real jobs while they are on parole, help them move with their lives and take them off the streets. Cassie tells him she wants to help him, so he believes her and agrees to start working together.

Just as expected, Noah’s party is crowded. People keep arriving while Ayanna greets them. Finally, Noah walks in and the woman takes him immediately to the center of the room where she starts the presentation. She asks Noah about the reason behind his inspiration for his new album, but he just babbles while staring at Alex who is happily talking to someone at the end of the room. After a while, Lena (Tiffany Dupont) from Sound House approaches to them and asks him the same question, but the man seems to be on the same position as before. He asks for a moment and then takes a drink and sits on a couch nearby, still unable to put his thoughts in order.

Back at Carlotta’s place, she and Jahil are half naked in bed enjoying their time together. Between them, time hasn’t seemed to pass by the way they reconnected with each other. Jahil tells her that he still has their marriage paper and opens up about his feelings for her. He knows that she feels the same way about him since she never asked for divorce either. He asks her to get dressed as he wants to take her somewhere.

Star has another encounter with Alex that, as expected, didn’t end well. The blonde leaves Noah’s party in a haste while been followed by Maurice. She walks into the studio and begins to rant; Maurice plays the tune he was listening to before and asks her to sing to it as a way to release from her anger. So, Star gets in and begins to sing her whole life story much to Maurice’s content. Maurice assures Star that the track she just recorded could be a hit and also a way to prove that Alex is not the only one with talent.

Jahil takes Carlotta to a record booth where he shows her one of the first tracks that they made together. He had made some arrangements to the tune and the woman loves it. They start to dance and laugh and then when they split apart Carlotta looks at him in shock. When he looks down, he notices that his wound has started to bleed again. Jahil goes to the hospital and is taken into surgery while the girls, Noah, Cotton, Andy and Carlotta are waiting for him. Star tries to ease the tension and tells them that they know Jahil and what a fighter he is, so she believes he would just be fine. Simone has been trying to make Angel to go to the hospital, but he refuses to do it. Cotton goes to check on Carlotta and together they start to pray for their family’s well-being. Carlotta has been advised that Jahil has come out of surgery, so she immediately goes to see him. She grabs him by the hand and he moves his fingers. He is half awake and smiling at her. He confesses to her that it’s always been her the one he loves. Then, the monitor starts to beep and the woman is taken out of the room. Carlotta and Cotton are waiting at an empty hallway when they are informed that, unfortunately, Jahil didn’t survive the surgery. Carlotta falls apart in her daughter’s arms, unable to believe what she just heard. The woman goes to the waiting room and lets the others there know about the bad news. The girls hug her and cry with her. Andy has moved on to another part of the hospital when he sees Angel walking in. He stares at a teary-eyed Andy who is unable to say a word and then Simone shows up behind the man and stares directly at him. She walks to Angel and holds him tight as a way to let him know what happened to his uncle. A moment later, Carlotta is told the reason why Jahil died and also is informed that his kidney is a match for Jayden. Right that moment, Cotton walks in saying that they have found a donor for her son and then she realizes that the donor is actually her father.

Alex is leaving Carlotta’s house when she sees Derek on his grandma’s porch. She waves awkwardly at him and then he tells her that they don’t have to feel weird around each other anymore. He also expresses how proud he is of her for all the things she has achieved and lets her know that if she ever needs something he will be there.

Later that day, Ayanna is on her way to Jahil’s funeral. The woman is holding a positive pregnancy test in her hands looking all worried. Then, she receives a call from Lana from Sound House telling her that they have decided to finance Noah’s tour. In the meantime, Alex and Noah are also on their way to the funeral. Noah is acting weird and his driving is not good at all so Alex realizes that he has been drinking. Suddenly, a police car starts to follow them when they are pulled over. It is shown that Noah is no longer the driver but Alex. They are left with only a warning.

At the funeral, Carlotta gives a heartfelt speech and ends up confessing that Jahil is the only man she has ever loved. She asks Angel if he wants to say something, but the man can´t find the right word so he requests to help him play a song called “Soon and Very Soon.” As soon as he starts to sing, his voice breaks and Carlotta steps in singing along with him. Star, Simone, Alex and Noah do the same.

Andy decides to take a break and walks out of the church and is immediately intercepted by Cassie who questions him about not answering her calls. She knows he stole money from her and is giving him and ultimatum to pay it back saying that the next time they won’t miss (referring to the gunshot where Jahil was caught up and had him killed). Right in front of Jahil’s coffin, the girls make amends and decide to give it a try again. Star calls Maurice and tells him about her decision on not moving forward with dropping the demo she recorded, but the man asks Natalie (Meagan Good) to do it.

When the memorial is done and while Angel is helping to carry Jahil’s coffin outside the place, a van arrives in a haste and parks next to the church. An immigration officer (Chris Marks) walks towards Angel and apprehends him in front of everyone’s astonished looks. Simone screams and cries for him as she sees him taken away.

What an unexpected and heart-breaking episode this was. Farewell to Jahil Rivera! He will certainly be missed. What’s next for the Star family? Let´s find out next Wednesday at 9/8 c on Fox. ¡Hasta la próxima!