Star – Take It To Church

By: Gladys Luna

Star (Jude Demorest) wakes up startled from a nightmare where she ends up stabbing someone. As Simone (Brittany O’Grady) sleeps peacefully in the other couch next to her, she decides to go outside the house and take a walk. As soon as she steps out, she sees Derek (Quincy Brown) who also seems to be having some “matters” of his own that are keeping him awake at night. After a quick chat when they discuss about the guy´s therapy and Alex (Ryan Destiny) and Noah´s (Luke James) affair. Star decides to finally continue with her walk. She is strolling on the street when suddenly is stopped by a woman´s voice singing on the inside of a bar. When she approaches to it, the woman stares back at her. Star freaks out when their eyes meet making her turn around in an attempt to leave the place, stumbling into Jackson (Matthew Noszka) to whom she pays no attention to when she realizes that what she just saw, was only in her imagination so she runs away immediately leaving the guy dumbfounded behind her.

Alex (Ryan Destiny) is waiting for Simone, Star and Carlotta (Queen Latifah) outside of Derek´s house. She doesn’t dare to go inside since things with Derek didn’t end on very good terms. As they are discussing about the ways to convince Charles Floyd (Richard Roundtree) to produce them a record, Carlotta sees from afar that her sister Cassie (Brandy Norwood) is there on the other side of the street talking to their cousin Brick (Marcus Lewis) as he apparently had decided to keep an eye on Carlotta after the fire incident. The woman faces them and asks them to leave her alone.

Later that day, the four of them pay a visit to Ayana (Michael Michele) in order to pick up Simone´s stuff where they happen to find the woman in a very drunken state. She apologizes to Simone and tells her that she will no longer pursue to be her legal guardian given her current situation. Simone is visibly affected by Ayana´s state and also worried about her future but manages to stand her ground and still she offers to help her whenever she needs it. After a brief heated encounter between Star and Ayana, Carlotta decides to take the girls out of there.

Charles confirms to Noah (Luke James) that he will be sent on tour for half a year starting next month. Noah believes he is not ready to hit the stage yet, but Charles is not taking “no” for an answer. Right that moment, Carlotta and the girls walk in and Charles gives them the “good news.” He also tells them that Alex will be joining Noah on the tour as they already have a single on the radio and the audience loves them. He believes it is a good thing to use on the label´s favor. Alex expresses her disagreement with the man´s decision alleging that she is part of a group, but he confirms that the decision has already been made and if she refuses to go his lawyers will take care of the situation at hand. Carlotta is mad at Maurice (Lance Gross) for not having her back in front of Charles, but he tells her he will try to help them some way or another.

Maurice tries to talk to Charles as the man starts to throw a bunch of compliments about his work and how he reminds him of himself when he was younger. The young man attempts to sell him the idea on how sending the girls of “Take Three” on tour with Noah will be of great help as they will gain a fair amount of publicity when Jahil (Benjamin Bratt) walks in and tries to convince him to do the same for his boys, Andy (Elijah Kelley) and Angel (Evan Ross). When Carlotta realizes what he is trying to do she shows up and defends her girls. So, Charles decides to give both an opportunity and suggests hem to do a sing off and show what band is the best.

Later that day, Charles talks in private with Jahil and tells him he needs his help as he wants to get revenge on the man that helped Ayana to betray him. He assures Jahil that if he helps him with said task, his boys will go on tour with Noah.

The girls are rehearsing for the sing off when Noah walks in the room and watches them from the side. When they are done, Simone asks Star to take her to get something to eat while she is still a free woman, but Star assures her that she will not be taken back to juvie again. Noah asks Alex to stay a little longer with him as he wants her to give it a listen to a song he just made. Alex tells the girls she´ll catch up with them and goes with Noah. Once in the studio, Alex helps Noah to make some quick changes to his song and tells him that he could´ve done that himself and that he doesn’t need her. Noah comes clean to her by confessing he can´t do his new album without her, but Alex also says that she doesn’t want to go on tour with him as she has already sacrificed enough and doesn’t want to lose her group as well.

Cotton (Amiyah Scott) is taking out the trash of the house when all of a sudden she is faced with Omari (Justin Marcel McManus) who has been watching her. He asks her to leave town with him and tries to make her remember of the good times they have spent together. So, Cotton (who is obviously a bunch of nerves in front of him) decides to go with him.

Later that night, Simone is taking a walk with Angel and talking about how is very likely that she goes back to juvie if she doesn’t find another foster home any time soon. Suddenly, he asks her about some “vibe” he´s been feeling lately from her and just like that they kiss. In the other hand, Star is sitting on the stairs outside Derek’s porch looking thoughtful when Derek comes out as well and questions her about being outside on her own again in the middle of the night. They catch up on each other´s day until the girl decides to take a walk once again. She goes straight to the bar she went to the other night and meets with Jackson who happens to be the keyboard player. She tells him that she is an artist at Midtown Sound and has a song stuck in her head. He explains he needs to get her out of her head so he helps her with it as she begins to sing in front of the bar audience. As she is performing, images of herself stabbing a man start to hit her again so she walks down the stage and throws up at the trash can outside the bar. Jackson follows her, but she runs away once again.

Carlotta meets with her sister, Cotton and mother (Patti LaBelle) where she confesses that Omari has returned and is intending to take Cotton with him. Carlotta is tired of the situation, so she decides to call the cops, but her sister stops her telling her that it will only make it worse. So, she suggests taking things on their own hands again and Carlotta assures Cotton that she won’t let anything to happen to her again.

Jahil has been following Ramona (Healy Lange) just as asked by Charles in order to get revenge on the woman´s father. He approaches her at a bar and invites her a drink. The woman doesn’t seem to fall easily into the man´s trap and walks away taking with her the drink he just bought for her. Jahil is left in there with his thoughts when he suddenly he sees that Ramona has left the key of her hotel at the bar and he follows her immediately.

Star, Simone and Alex are gathered at a coffee shop rehearsing their song for the sing off when Simone confesses that she doesn’t like it. Star tells her that she has a lot in her mind lately and that is why she´s been feeling that way about it. They are interrupted by Jackson and Star introduces him as a “random guy she just met in a bar.” Simone and Alex decide to leave her alone with the guy. Jackson seizes the opportunity to compliment Star on her voice and asks her to join as the lead vocal of his band, but Star says she has a group referring to the girls that just left. However, she shares her number with him when he asks her to listen to one of his songs. Still, Star intends to make it pretty clear to him that she is not someone he wants to meet as she messes up people´s lives for a living (he´s been warned).

Contest day has arrived and before everything starts Jahil tells Charles that he just did his task as requested so Charles announces that after giving a careful thought on the situation, he has decided that Jahil´s boys are the ones that will be touring with Noah. As expected, Carlotta and the girls get mad at the situation leaving a very thick environment in the room. Carlotta awaits for Jahil outside the label and lets him know that she is aware he played dirty in order to get that chance. He apologizes to her, but she is taking none of it. Later that day, Carlotta and Ayana meet at the salon (or what´s left of it after the fire) and make a payback plan against Jahil and Charles.

Alex is buying herself a coffee when Noah walks in and apologizes for not been able to help “Take Three” to go on tour with him but Alex knows is not his fault. She agrees to go with him on tour and help him with his songs but she won’t let him come between her and the girls. Ayana meets with Charles and demands to put “Take Three” on tour. He laughs shamelessly at her for such request but soon the smile fades away as she threatens him with losing the sponsor she found when she unveils the harassment he´s been put some women under. She walks out of the place leaving a very unhappy Charles behind. Star is listening to a song on repeat when Carlotta walks in and ask her about it. The girl confesses that the song is the one she´s been listening on her dreams as well and she attempted to get it out of her head by singing it at the bar the other night, but it didn’t help. Then, Carlotta confesses that the song was playing in loop the night that Mary died and that she believes the nightmares she´s been having are actually memories.

Charles calls Jahil and Maurice to celebrate with him on their victory. Carlotta meets her sister and her mother at church and they perform a song together. While they do we see Derek finally making an effort at therapy to walk again, Cotton meeting Omari as a fake attempt to escape out of town, while Brick and other two guys try to choke him with a plastic bag but then they are stopped by Miss Bruce (Miss Lawrence) meanwhile Cotton confesses his love for him as well as the reasons they can´t be together just to let him go again. We also see Simone marrying Angel to avoid going back to juvie and then realizing that there was no need to rush into that when Star and Alex tell her that they are actually going on tour with Noah. And finally, Jahil watching the news as Arlene´s (Nealla Gordon) sister is saying that she will find the one who killed her sister. Right that moment, Brody (Stephen Dorff) shows up at Jahil´s trailer saying they have a problem.