RECAP: Being Mary Jane Season 2 Finale ("Reading The Signs," E11 & "Signing Off," E12)

This season of Being Mary Jane has definitely held my attention, and last night’s two-hour season finale had my eyes glued to the TV! Picking up from last week, Mary Jane has an interview with Don Lemon at CNN about her rant with author Elizabeth Foy, where she called the woman “an ugly black woman.” MJ claims that this “ugly black woman” title isn’t dependent upon race, gender, or sexual orientation, It’s about shedding light to those whose stories do not matter. She plans to continue to use her show to showcase these stories.

Afterwards, Mary Jane gets a call from PJ, who tells her that Mama Helen has been bragging about how MJ’s all over the TV. There’s even a new autotuned song that has gone viral (of course)! Literally, this interview is EVERYWHERE, and everyone has an opinion, good and bad. When she gets to the station, there are even supporters with signs there to welcome her and get her autograph! Mary Jane clearly loves the attention. Cynthia, who currently is in the primetime slot, is waiting in her office to talk. Turns out that Cynthia wasn’t sick that day that MJ filled in for her. The executives at SNC told the woman to take a few days sick leave. Cynthia expresses that she feels that the network is using Mary Jane to push her out.  MJ doesn’t agree that that’s going to happen, but Cynthia doesn’t feel like she’s sincere or really concerned.

After her show, Mary Jane talks with Kara, who wants to talk about Cynthia. However, they are both asked upstairs by Greg and a higher up, Cheree, to talk about the viral impact of the interview. Cheree is very happy about the exposure to the network. She tells them that the decision has indeed been made to fire Cynthia, and to have MJ and Kara replace her on primetime in two weeks. Kara is excited, though MJ looks a little apprehensive. Cheree then asks for a moment alone with Mary Jane. Cheree commends MJ on her style, but tells her that some people will be threatened by her. This is still a business, and when it comes to primetime, MJ is told that she will have to tone down the “all-black agenda,” from her show. To an extend, I understood. This is a primetime show, with a wider demographic, and the stories need to cater to a majority. However, again, you can tell Mary Jane isn’t sure about this, but she will keep the offer in mind. After MJ leaves the office, Greg comes back in, and Cheree tells him he needs to keep her on a short leash. They plan to ride her popularity for as long as they can, and if it doesn’t work out, they’ll find someone else.

Afterwards, Kara and MJ talk about the conversation. They know they’re being used, but Kara says they need to use this opportunity to get to where they want to be. However, Mary Jane feels like she’s finally doing work she’s proud of. She feels like she’ll be stifled on primetime, which is true. Right now, other opportunities are coming for her from book deals to speaking engagements, and she wonders if this is right for her. MJ plans to think everything through, determined to make the best decision for both her and Kara.

That night, Mary Jane has dinner with Sheldon, and she tells him about the job offer and that she feels like she’s selling out. Sheldon himself has planned a very nice dinner with candles everywhere and music softly playing. MJ laughs at the fact that he even brought out foreign films, feeling like he’s playing a game to get her in bed. She says that this may impress 25 year olds, but not for someone her age, and calls him corny, which upsets him. I was so mad at her! He did something very nice yet simple, and Mary Jane blasted him for no good reason. Girl, you ought to be happy somebody is putting in any effort with you! Over this past two seasons, you haven’t had that at all, and now it’s “corny?” Okay, Mary Jane.

Back at Mary Jane’s house, Mark scolds her for acting like that. Mark talks about his first experience with a guy, who laughed at him when Mark got naked. In that moment, the guy realized he wasn’t gay and freaked out. That situation upset Mark badly, so he knows exactly how Sheldon feels. Mark tells her that she should reach out to Sheldon soon, because the more time that passes, the harder it will be for them to recover.

Meanwhile, Kara goes to visit her parents in New York, after a cryptic call from her mother. Kara asks her mother what’s really going on. Apparently, her father wants to sell their house, and move to a condo. Her sister Lily wants them to sell as well, arguing that this house is falling apart. The sisters argue back and forth for a minute, but then make up. Kara’s father, meanwhile, is way too into the game on TV, making me think that he’s in deep with some gambling debts.

At work that night, Mary Jane struggles to come up with the right text to Sheldon to apologize. Mark tells her that she’s trying too hard, and ends up writing for her, saying simply that she was wrong and she’s sorry. Meanwhile, Kara talks to her father, stating how they are a lot alike, obsessed with winning and thinking that they can do everything by themselves. Kara tells him to give her a number to help him, knowing that he’s gambling. It turns out he already signed over the deed to the house! He’s been paying rent to someone else, pulling from their savings so Kara’s mother wouldn’t find out, but that’s almost gone, which shocks Kara.

In the bathroom, MJ bumps into Cynthia awkwardly. Cynthia has found out that she has been fired, and harbors some resentment towards Mary Jane for it obviously. Later, at the end of the first half of the finale, Mary Jane and Kara talk about Kara’s family situation. Kara can’t afford to pay that rent, but she would do anything for her parents. Mary Jane did indeed decide to take that primetime slot, which will definitely help Kara a little bit with the bump in pay. Meanwhile, MJ gets a simple thank you from Sheldon from her text, which drives her crazy. She ends up going to his house, and admits how she felt and apologizes again. Sheldon tells her kind of coldly that he’ll call her tomorrow.

*******************************************************************************

In the second part of the finale, Mary Jane wakes up to her alarm going off in the house. She gets a call from ADT, and is scared to death. The police come, and it looks like the kitchen window alarm malfunctioned, but it still freaks MJ out. She calls Sheldon to ask to come over, and he obliges. Before she came over, he was reading some love letters between slaves, and she looks through them. She feels like he should exhibit them, which he is actually planning. She climbs into his bed, but he leaves her, wanting to finish reading the letters. The next morning, as he makes her breakfast, she asks if they are in a relationship, to which he responds that he has been operating as if they are. That night, as Mary Jane still stays with Sheldon, she gets a call from Valerie, asking if David has called. Turns out David’s longtime dog had to be put down, which throws Mary Jane a lot, because she knows David is devastated. Sheldon actually encourages her to call and check on David, but Mary Jane doesn’t feel like it’s her place. After finding out that Sheldon got rid of her toothbrush that she kept at his place, she finds a bunch of different toiletries in his cabinet, as if he prepares to have girls over! It throws her for a serious loop, but she doesn’t say anything.

At the station the next day, Cynthia comes into Mary Jane’s office angry, stating that the higher ups at SNC won’t let her leave with dignity. They want her to do a taped sign-off for her final show, feeling like she’ll probably go off in a rant if she were to do it live. The woman is entirely frustrated with the fact that she’s losing her job, and tells MJ that she has no idea what she signed up for, but she will soon see.

At the Patterson house, Helen makes a speech in celebration of PJ’s graduation and his job offer in Los Angeles, showing that PJ has decided to do the bid rigging anyway. Patrick’s daughter Naime (who we barely see) and her boyfriend Kenny announce that they are newly engaged and will be moving to North Carolina with their family to pursue new jobs. Patrick is a little upset that his daughter is leaving, and Niecy is a little thrown too. Meanwhile, Lisa, who was sitting at the celebration the whole time, and MJ have a brief, awkward conversation in the kitchen, with Lisa congratulating MJ on the primetime spot. I’m honestly not sure if they will ever repair their friendship, or if there was ever really a true friendship to repair.

Later, Mary Jane manages to essentially break into Sheldon’s house and make herself at home, which Sheldon isn’t really feeling but he doesn’t say anything. That night, Mary Jane pees in the bed from stress, which is so embarrassing! She wakes Sheldon up, and as they change the sheets, Mary Jane expresses that she thinks it’s about the dog and David. Sheldon tells her she needs to call him. He feels like if she doesn’t deal with this, it’s going to start affecting their own relationship. He’s a little irked by the fact that he’s changing his sheets, too. He seems like the type that likes his space, and things in order, so I can only imagine what he thought when he woke up to find MJ had peed in the bed!

The next day, at the Patterson house, Helen has a brief conversation with Niecy, letting Niecy that she will figure out her life. Niecy is clearly upset that she hasn’t worked her own life out yet. It’s hard to see people move on with their lives when you feel stuck, but she will figure it out.

That night, Sheldon congratulates Mary Jane on negotiating her primetime deal, and also getting
Cynthia a sign off. She asks about him throwing out her toothbrush, and he tells her he likes things a particular way. “Housing her toothbrush” symbolizes cohabitation, which he isn’t down with. Turns out he doesn’t want to get married or have kids either, which pisses Mary Jane off, because he knew that she wanted kids from watching her go through the egg freezing story. He thought that he could introduce and warm her up to his lifestyle, but obviously not! They end up getting into an argument back and forth about their dating situation, with Mary Jane admitting that she doesn’t want to waste her time. He starts talking about how they could maybe get condos on two different floors, or some kind of compound and live on separate sides. He wants them to want to be together, and not feel obligated to do so, but Mary Jane is not feeling his ideology. She refuses to settle and walks out, and I applaud her!

When Mary Jane gets home, she calls David and gets his voicemail, and leaves a simple message for him offering her condolences about the dog. On her final show, Cynthia gives her sign off, as Kara and MJ celebrate with champagne. Later, Lisa drops off some things to David, and they chat a little bit happily.

As Mary Jane gets ready to leave work, she gets a call from Sheldon again congratulating her. He also apologizes because he knew what she wanted, but thought he could show her his way. However, she doesn’t want him to apologize. MJ recognizes that she may not get married or have kids, but she does know that she wants to at least wake up to someone every day with her toothbrush still there. She tells him goodbye for good. I was SO proud of her! Probably crazy to be that proud of a fictional character, but I really was! Mary Jane has been settling for a while now, I think out of fear that she won’t find anyone else that’s good out there. Now, she’s starting to realize that relationships mean nothing if her standards aren’t met, and I’m glad that she’s refusing to back down. No, you don’t get everything you may want in a relationship, but you ought to have some set standards, and it’s nice to see her sticking to them.

Back at his house, Lisa  opens up about her fight with Mary Jane, and admits that she herself suffersfrom depression but has been seeing a good therapist. However, she also says that David is a trigger for her, because of her feelings for him. She wants to be honest with Mary Jane about it, as well. As they’re having this conversation, David ends up butt dialing Mary Jane, who hears everything! Lisa talks about how she and David had oral sex, and Lisa took care of him when he and MJ broke up. She was the one who told him about about the sperm, and she even gave him $50,000 as an investment in his company. In shock of it all, Mary Jane ends up crashing her car, and it looks very, very bad!

I don’t know what’s going to happen in season three, but I’m mad I have to wait until next year to find out!

What did you think of the season 2 finale of Being Mary Jane?

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RECAP: "Primetime"-Being Mary Jane S2, E10

It’s hard to believe that this season of Being Mary Jane is almost over. It went so fast! Picking up from last week, Mary Jane has another night with her cutty buddy Brandon! They watch a foreign movie, which quickly turns to sex. Afterwards, they talk about the fact that he wants to stay in the NFL though he’s been released from his team, instead of going to school or another country to play. Brandon asks MJ about Sheldon, joking about the fact that Sheldon’s old. He also reminds her that it’s not in their arrangement to have sex with other people while they are involved, though part of me doubts that he hasn’t been sleeping with other women. However, it seems like this friends with benefits thing is working out nicely for them.

The next day, MJ goes shopping, where her favorite saleslady pries into her personal life, Turns out the girl is in law school, and knows Sheldon! Not too long after meeting at the store (Sheldon had the girl try on clothes for another woman he was dating at the time), the two began dating themselves. However, things got weird because he purposely wouldn’t have orgasms during sex, and he would never let the girl stay the night. She says that he normally dates young girls, too, which throws Mary Jane off.

The next day at work, Mary Jane speaks to a gardener, Ron Finley, who plants food for healthy eating in poorer communities in Los Angeles. Though they have a good discuss, Kara tells Mary Jane after the interview that she didn’t dig deep enough. fter the interview, To Mary Jane, good journalism isn’t just about interrogation, but Kara feels like this story was advocacy, not journalism. She gives MJ examples of questions she should’ve asked to kind of push back to get more answers and clarification, The way Mary Jane looked, she knew that Kara was telling the truth a little bit.

Meanwhile, Paul, Jr. speaks to his prime investor, who pulls out of his retirement community deal after he admits that he lost David. She tells him of a new stadium in Inglewood, and asks him to be a project manager and oversee purchases of foreclosed homes. He is to acquire properties from the lowest price point, basically rigging bids, which is illegal. She offers $25 million for him to do it, though he risks jail time. It’s a lot of money, and PJ looks like he may actually be considering it.

Later at the station, Kara comes into the conference room where Mary Jane is working to talk about how she’s been feeling. She thinks MJ pushed her out of something that was theirs from the beginning. They clicked from the very beginning, but, lately, they’ve been fighting way too much,  Kara admits she wants to go after what she wants, and not let their friendship fall apart in the process. She doesn’t know if SNC is the right place for her anymore. Kara doesn’t plan to leave right now, especially since she doesn’t have anywhere to go. She thinks it’s time though, which brings tears to MJ’s eyes. It was a conversation that needed to be had, though. In the same way that Mary Jane is trying to forge a new path and decide what she wants now, Kara needs that too.

Later, Sheldon and Mary Jane go on a date, and MJ is very cold towards him. She opens up about her conversation with the salesgirl. Sheldon admits that he did used to date 20-somethings because of their flexibility and availability. He didn’t want anything serious, because he was focused on his career. In terms of holding back on orgasming, he says it keeps him aroused longer. Though it was a clear-cut explanation, Mary Jane still isn’t happy about it all. She probably feels like he’ll do the same to her, or get rid of her for a younger model.

The next day, Valerie and Lisa have lunch, and talk about Lisa’s relationship with Mary Jane. Lisa feels like people thinks she’s crazy, and that she’s drowning, and nobody wants to save her in fear of going down with her. She claims to want everything out in the open (more secrets?!), but Valerie doesn’t believe that’s the way to go. Something more is definitely going on there, and I cant wait to find out what!

At the station, Kara tells Mary Jane that Cynthia from the primetime show called in sick, and the higher ups are considering Mary Jane to fill her slot for the night! It’s a huge deal! Kara then takes back everything from the night before, and they get happy again! Mary Jane preps for the show, but is visibly nervous.

During the show, Kara tells her that she’s doing great, and they are both so hyped yet nervous still! However, everything goes left when Mary Jane has an interview with author Elizabeth Foy about her book regarding public and private schooling. Mary Jane brings up the fact that the publishing company may be racist, which leads to a big on-air confrontation between the two of them. and I’m completely taken aback. This was really supposed to be a simple interview, but Mary Jane took it too far. Kara tries to have her back on this in the production room, but there’s no way this is going to be okay. Afterwards, MJ and Kara just sit, refusing to look at emails or texts. There’s definitely going to be a fall out later on with this.

Meanwhile, at the Patterson house, Paul, Sr. comes in with a job opportunity with a base salary for PJ, which will get him started in his field the right (and legal) way. However, PJ says that he doesn’t know if it’s right for him, clearly still thinking about that bid rigging deal he was offered earlier in the episode.

Back at home, Mary Jane calls Kara, who tells her that nobody has called about the interview yet, and that they will deal with whatever comes in the morning. Sheldon calls moments later, saying that she can’t shut him out in situations like this. He didn’t want MJ to find out about him that way, but says that she’s unlike any woman he’s ever dated. He wants more in their relationship, and that’s a first for him. Meanwhile, Brandon drops by, and they both agree to pull back from their situation, especially since MJ thinks things might get serious between her and Sheldon. Sheldon’s past is no longer an issue to her, but she wants things to go slow, which he agrees to.

Make sure you watch the TWO-HOUR season finale of Being Mary Jane will air next Tuesday, April 14 at 9 p.m. ET only on BET! 

Images via BET

RECAP: "Line in the Sand"-Being Mary Jane S2, E9

Tuesday’s episode of Being Mary Jane was definitely an interesting one (but then again, that’s every episode!). Picking up from last week, Mary Jane does a story about human trafficking in the United States, discussing various statistics and laws, as well as conducting an interview with Leah Albright-Byrd who went through this, and created an organization dedicated to a friend called Bridget’s Dream. I loved it, because it actually seemed like a natural conversation with Leah explaining her story.

That night at her home, Mary Jane has a small party to celebrate getting nominated for an Emmy for Talk Back. The next day at work, however, there’s tension between MJ and Kara, who feels like MJ needs to give more direction to the writers and producers. She is going in this new direction and loving it, but the ratings are still low, in spite of the Emmy nom. Greg doesn’t want them to wait until it’s too late to change things. At the production meeting, later, Mary Jane wants to go back to her “ugly black woman” story, which Kara feels is dead news. The writers try to spin it, but Kara is not feeling it at all. She’s uncomfortable with dealing with race completely, it seems, so I’m not surprised.

That night, Mary Jane goes to meet Valerie, thinking they were celebrating her Emmy nom, but Valerie is trying to go to bed! Valerie asks about MJ’s drinking, to which Mary Jane admits that she just had a shot of tequila. However, Valerie calls her out on even that, saying that Mary Jane was always the “responsible one,” and wouldn’t think to drive at all after drinking anything. She also advises MJ to maybe take Xanax to help ease her stress, but Mary Jane believes she’s just fine. I think she’s on the road to getting better, honestly. She let go of David finally, is working on a better direction of her show that she’s passionate about, and is talking to Sheldon now. She’s on her way.

At home, MJ calls her cutty buddy for some fun. She tries to walk him through what goes into creating the show with Kara, but he’s just so dumbfounded. Clearly, she’s just in it for the sex.The next day, she asks her father if he has been watching the new shows, and he hasn’t. She explains that she’s branding herself, doing stories that she actually cares about it, which Paul understands. I can tell it bothers her a little bit though that he hasn’t been watching.

Meanwhile, Patrick attempts to do D’Asia’s hair before school, when there’s a knock at the door. It’s D’Asia’s grandmother, who explains that Tracy has been arrested for shoplifting. She also tells him that she’s a little short on rent, and that Tracy borrowed $200 from her last week, looking for him to help her out. Patrick doesn’t really have it, and she asks if he can ask his family. He refuses, but pulls a little together, planning to get her the rest by the end of the week. More and more, I’m seeing that he’s not a bum trying to mooch of Mary Jane, but just a man down on his luck trying to get things back together with his life. It’s rough out there.

At the station, Gary approaches Kara in the lunch room about Mary Jane’s new direction. He openly wonders why black people get so “sensitive over this stuff” and why MJ is so upset. He thinks she should just “do the damn job and shut up.” Kara walks away, without even defending MJ. Literally tells him that the microwave is “all his” to use, and walks out! I can’t deal with her! At this point, it’s not even about just defending Mary Jane. It’s about defending cultures and educating people. I’ve found, just in my short 24 years of life, that, yes, some people are racist, but many are simply uneducated. She is really disappointing. She tries to play it a little too safe all the time. You are an executive producer, so you have a little more room to speak your mind, Kara! Okay, rant over.

As he tries to get D’Asia to school, Patrick’s car won’t start yet again. They have to walk, and, when they arrive, D’Asia asks if her mom is picking her up. Patrick tells her that her grandfather will instead. The kid definitely knows that something is up. After D’Asia leaves, the Vice Principal wants to talk about D’Asia’s tardiness and her lunch. Apparently, D’Asia hasn’t had lunch technically for five months, and the school has been providing it. Of course, because nothing comes free, there is a charge that Patrick will have to pay.

At the store, Mary Jane gets into a dispute with a guy in the parking lot who calls her a “black bxtch” and then an “ugly black monkey,” which tears her up. She literally stands in shock, and then goes home to cry. She gets a call from Valerie, who comes over to chill and celebrate her nomination. MJ asks about Lisa, who is doing yoga with Valerie. MJ asks if she was wrong for what she said to Lisa, and doesn’t understand why she has issues with everyone. At that point, Mary Jane calmy releases everything that’s on her heart. She feels like she’s going through the motions when it comes to her relationships with others. She helps out all the time, but when everything is okay with everyone, no one is checking up on her at all. It’s very true, and that can make a person wonder what is wrong with them to not deserve that love back from the people in her life.

That night, D’Asia sleeps over at Patrick’s place. He gets a call from Tracy in jail, who asks about D’Asia. She reveals that her bail is $3,000. Patrick then texts Mary Jane, who gives him a check  to talk about it, further proving her point, but she does it with peace.

On her show, Mary Jane has a panel on black women’s beauty, about a negative article that came out regarding black women’s beauty. The conclusion was this: People will continually try to debunk that beauty. At the end of the day, black women have to believe themselves that they are beautiful. It was a very interesting discussion that I would have loved to see in real life. As Kara watches, she’s irritated. I can tell that Kara and MJ are going to have a huge argument soon.

Meanwhile, Patrick goes to see Tracy in jail, who admits that she messed up. She looks like she’s been using, and claims to want to get help as soon as she gets out. Tracy is shaking like a fiend, and Patrick lies to her, saying that he didn’t get the money for her bail, but is working on it. He instead uses the money to pay off the balance for D’Asia’s lunches. I don’t blame him at all. Not trying to be unsympathetic to Tracy, because she DOES need help. However, making sure D’Asia is good is more important to Patrick, and it should be

Later, Mary Jane watches a documentary about black women and beauty, and gets a call from Sheldon, who takes her out on the town. They go to a chicken shack, which Mary Jane is a little taken aback by, but she obliges. Again, I LOVE them together! I hope that they are able to form a real relationship, and that she doesn’t mess it up!

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RECAP: "One Is The Loneliest Number"-Being Mary Jane S2, E8

If you haven’t been watching Being Mary Jane, you are missing out! Picking up from last week, Mary Jane gets a call from Sheldon as she makes dinner. He called to talk about their future. They talk about a lot of random things, but actually seem to be getting along well. All the while Mary Jane is making a list of pros and cons, which is pretty even. For one topic of conversation, Sheldon audaciously asks her if she’s barren, which puts a crazy halt on the conversation. However, he compliments her on being brave enough to put her story out there like that. She feels stupid, but that’s the last thing that he thinks she is. They literally talk half the night about any and everything. Sheldon is intrigued by her because she’s bold enough to challenge him, which no one ever really does. He asks her to dinner, which she agrees to. They finally hang up, both happy.

The next day, before MJ leaves for work, she goes over to see Mark. He is a complete mess, revealing that Eric’s gone for good. He hoped that they would work things out, but Eric left a message saying that he met someone else and is moving to London (very random!). They also are raising the other guy’s kid together. It may not even be true, but it hurts Mark regardless, and has him thinking that Eric may have cheated on him. I think he’s more so mourning of what could’ve been in terms of a stable relationship. Mary Jane manages to comfort him, and get him up to get ready for work.

Meanwhile, Patrick goes to see his other daughter Daysha, who apparently was left home by herself all night. Her mother Tracy is nowhere to be found, and this isn’t the first time it’s happened. When Patrick’s car breaks down, he calls Mary Jane for her AAA service. He also asks for the number to a private investigator to find out what happened to Tracy. MJ warns him that it will be expensive, but he plans to take care of it regardless.

At work,  Kara gets a text in the production booth from John who wants more money for their sons. He can’t afford to come out of pocket any more for their private school. She tells them that maybe their sons should go to public school instead, which he refuses, upsetting Kara. At that moment, there is news of a middle school shooting near Richmond, VA, and everything in the station changes. Mark breaks the news, revealing that the shooter barged past security and has been presumably shot dead. However, there are other victims as well. It’s very reminiscent of the tragic Sandy Hook shooting in 2012. It was very upsetting and had everyone on edge. In fact, as Patrick sits in his car and waits for Daysha to finish school for the day, a cop comes over to him and asks for his license and registration. Patrick gets upset, but the cop lets him go, basically telling him to move.

Back at the station, MJ had planned to interview one of the parents waiting for her daughter to come out of the school. The mother had received a text from the daughter that she was fine, but then receives news that her daughter is indeed dead. Kara and the others in the production room watch her get the heartbreaking news off air.  It’s absolutely terrible to watch. After receiving that news, MJ calls Patrick about Tracy, and Patrick reveals that Daysha has apparently spent a few nights alone before this. Shortly after, Mary Jane gets a call from Sheldon about a party he’s having. Nothing fancy, just drinks and conversation. MJ goes off on him because he didn’t call her all day and now she gets this last minute invite. She quickly apologizes, knowing that she’s really just thrown from the hectic and draining day.

Kara calls John to talk to her kids after all of this. As a mom, she’s thrown too. In the wake of all this, they both realize that their fighting is dumb, and agree to keep the kids home from school for their peace of mind. She then calls Gael to go out and spend time together to feel better. Meanwhile, Mark calls Eric and leaves a message, wishing him nothing but the best.

On her date with Gael, Kara is depressed by the movie they saw at the Latin Fest. Gael feels like she uses irony and humor as a defensive shield, afraid to really reveal more about herself. At that moment, Kara breaks down about her kids, and feeling like she doesn’t know what her own purpose in life is, while everyone else does. She’s been questioning everything after the shooting, and this is the most open she’s ever been, at least that I’ve seen.

At home, Mary Jane calls Mark for company to Sheldon’s party, which is very classy. Mary Jane and Mark both have a good time drinking and chatting with Sheldon’s friends. Mark even meets a guy at the party, and starts to flirt a little. Sheldon and MJ sit down and chat. He’s very flirtatious, but Mary Jane doesn’t want to rush into anything. However, Sheldon plans to be patient and take his time in developing a solid relationship with her.

At the end of the episode, while Patrick and Daysha eat cake, he gets a text back from the PI with the expensive cost estimate to look into Tracy’s disappearance. Meanwhile, Gael and Kara have sex, and so does Mark with his mystery guy! Meanwhile, MJ goes home and talks with Sheldon. She had a really great time, and is looking forward to “the next time.” They both attempt to hang up, but don’t, yet again having conversation all night about nothing and everything! It was so cute. I really like them together!

Be sure to check out all new episodes of Being Mary Jane on Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. ET only on BET!

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RECAP: "Let’s Go Crazy"-Being Mary Jane S2, E7

Recaps on Being Mary Jane and The Challenge: Battle of the Exes 2 are a little late, but I still wanted to be sure I got them up. I have a lot to say as always! Picking up from last week’s episode of BMJ, Mary Jane wakes up after having sex with David…and decides to clean house. Literally. David hears her vacuuming and heads out to the living room, where Mary Jane reveals she prayed for forgiveness for her selfish decision to sleep with him. She also made a deal with God that if she is actually pregnant, she will figure out how they (her, David, Anna, and the babies!) will all live together in peace. If she’s not, their relationship is over. Which is absolutely crazy, but this MJ we’re talking about so, of course, she would make a decision like this. David asks her if it’s revenge, but to her, it’s not. She’s been rebounding and making crazy decisions over him, and feels like she needs to move on with or without him. This pisses David off, because now he has to wait on a decision from her about their relationship status based on a pregnancy test.

Before work, MJ plays music and pulls out all her alcohol, cleaning house! She also takes a pregnancy test, but is not pregnant…at least for this test. At work, Mary Jane talks to Dr. Joy on air about the One Year Rule, waiting for a year before dating again after a break up or loss of spouse. Dr. Joy also discusses the Johari Window, which interests Mary Jane. It takes a person through four quadrants of looking at who he is and who he’d like to be. The first window is the open area, what others know about you. The second is the blind area, which are things that people say about us that we refuse to accept. The third is the hidden area, which are things that we are unwilling to share with others. The fourth is the unknown area, things unknown to you and others. Mary Jane is going to do this herself, and definitely needs to!

Meanwhile, David vents to Valerie’s husband Chris about Mary Jane, and begins to complain about black women in general. However, Chris is upfront with him, telling him that this issue isn’t Mary Jane being black. Both she and David are to blame for the childish games they play with each other, even before the news of the baby. David admits that he wasn’t the best communicator but he didn’t lie to her once. Yet and still, if he loved Mary Jane as much as he claimed, he should’ve done better. They both should’ve done better. They’re too old for this.

That night, MJ takes another pregnancy test, but is still not pregnant (I guess the hormones were
supposed to work very quickly?). Later, she goes over to see Niecy, who is very sarcastic with her because of their fight. MJ looks at Niecy’s outfit, and tells Niecy that she should go out like that. Granted it is a tight leopard outfit, so that was warrented, but Niecy is not trying to hear anything Mary Jane says anymore. Surprisingly, Niecy stays calm, but tells her aunt upfront that she feels free from dealing with MJ’s constant judgement and doesn’t care what MJ thinks anymore. Again, Mary Jane apologizes before leaving and tries to do better.

At work the next day, Kara and MJ have a meeting with some of the writing staff, with Kara wanting to  hear new, creative pitches. After hearing some ideas, however, Mary Jane walks out in the middle of the meeting and goes back to her office. When Kara walks in wondering what the world happened, Mary Jane feels like they do what everyone else does, and Talk Back always was supposed to be different. She feels like she never got what she wanted for the show, and is still upset about the egg freezing story and the focus group. If this is indeed the end for Mary Jane and her show, she wants to go down on her own terms. She was wrong to walk out out the meeting, but she wants the “Talk Back” segment of her show to focus on black stories that don’t get heard. I actually hope she is able to, but will she be able to convince her boss and the network?

After talking with Kara, MJ calls Nichelle, who she had a big fight with some weeks before, but gets ignored. She leaves a message hoping to leave things behind them and talk business as well. She wants to better brand herself, and hopefully get a plan together, believing that Nichelle can assist since that’s her niche. However, I’m really thinking that Nichelle won’t be doing this. However, later, Mary Jane works through her own Johari Window some more, and leaves Nichelle another voicemail, wanting to offer “the truth.” She led Nichelle to believe the job was her, but MJ admits to looking at other people as well for the jobs. She also states that they’re not really friends, and that there is no loss on either side with the end of their relationship. Though I personally would’ve been a little pissed to get voicemails like that, I respect Mary Jane for finally being honest with Nichelle and herself.

At work, Mary Jane and Kara talk with Greg about MJ’s new idea, which Greg calls “Talk Black.” He senses a problem with her, which is true, but Mary Jane plays it cool. She calmly states that she wants to take more control over the show, which Greg plans to take this up to upper management. MJ says firmly that she has the last word on her segment. Kara tries to spin this nicely with stats about the great black stories they’ve done in the past, but Greg is obviously hesistant, just stating that everything, including contracts, will be reviewed soon.

Later in the day, Valerie comes over to see Mary Jane. She’s worried about MJ’s whole plan to get
pregnant by David, but Mary Jane reveals she’s not pregnant. She’s also not fine, but she will be. MJ has made a list of all the relationships she needs to repair, trying to clean up her life. She also claims to be done with David, but hasn’t told him she’s not pregnant, which Valerie scolds her for. MJ then just texts him that she’s not pregnant to “close the door” between them. Valerie sees that as foul, but Mary Jane doesn’t want to fight with him or “process” something that’s clearly not going to work out anyway. She is hurt and angry, but refuses to cry about it. In fact, she’s run out of tears.

At the time of the text, PJ and David are going over details about the retirement community again. David sees the text, and reveals he has to pull out of the deal. He doesn’t want to back out because of any issues with the actual project, but because of Mary Jane, which pisses off PJ. He goes off on him for being a constant flip flopper in Mary Jane’s life too, prompting David to kick him out.

That night, MJ takes out her weave to prep for a new one, but her hair stylist forgot to call and cancel their appointment because of a car accident. Mary Jane panics, and quickly calls Niecy to fix her head! Niecy calls her mean while she does her hair, but Mary Jane sees everything she’s said and done with her niece as trying to push Niecy to her fullest potential out of love. Niecy, still hurt, wants MJ to trust her to make the right decisions for her life. Niecy looked up to her aunt so much, but their relationship has been damaged now. MJ opens up to her about the fact that she was terrified of going to work without her weave out of fear of being accepted. She tells Niecy that she’s human regardless of the pedestal Niecy put her on. The two of them share wine, and Niecy admits that she’s worried about Mary Jane. Mary Jane honestly is worried about herself, too.

After getting her hair done, Mary Jane gets a voicemail from David, who thought things were going to be different this time, but obviously not. He talks about how he figured out her thought process that if  if she hurt him or pushed him away enough, he wouldn’t come back. That mission has been accomplished. At the end of the episode, David also tells Anna the truth about what happened, though there’s no telling how that will end. Meanwhile, Mary Jane dances wildly as if she’s free. Hopefully this really is a fresh start with her. I still personally think that she should be dating Sheldon!

Be sure to check out all new episodes of Being Mary Jane on Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. ET only on BET!

Images via BET

RECAP: "Pulling The Trigger"-Being Mary Jane S2, E6

Another great episode of Being Mary Jane last night! Picking up from last week, there is an armed man, Brian Ellis, threatening to kill himself outside of his law firm as Mary Jane watches from home. She calls Kara, and another anchorman is downtown covering it. At that moment, MJ gets a call from the doctor, and reveals she is nervous to take the shot she needs to trigger her ovulation circle. The plan is for her to take the shot, and then meet him to have her egg extraction the next night. She manages to pull it together, and get the shot done.

As Mary Jane leaves to go to work, David is waiting outside for her. He wants to talk to her about Ana, but she’s not feeling the conversation, and rightfully so! David’s had some epiphany that he’s changed his life for someone he barely knows. He’s trying to do the right thing by staying around for the baby, but feels trapped and thinks Ana feels the same way. To MJ, this doesn’t change the fact that David got another woman pregnant. He wants her to tell him that it’s not too late for them, but she can’t do that. At the end of the day, their dynamic has completely changed, and it’s like David expects for them to move forward like nothing has happened! Come on dude!

At the studio, Mary Jane decides to cover the Brian Ellis story from the angle of the effect of stress in
the African American family and suicide rates among successful black men. Sheldon calls MJ, claiming to have some other information into what’s going on with Brian, but they get cut off. A statement comes through from Brian’s firm stating that they are not able to speak on this issue, and AP reveals that he suffers from a mild case of schizophrenia. Sheldon knew this was coming out, and wants to reveal why. At that moment, Brian kills himself live on air! Very graphic!

That night, Kara and Mary Jane talk about MJ’s mysterious source, which Mary Jane promises  to fill Kara on later. MJ then goes to see Sheldon, who’s cooking in the kitchen. It’s seems like more of a date set up than an actual discussion regarding news! Sheldon knows why Brian killed himself, and it leads to an interesting debate between him and Mary Jane. Sheldon believes that black men in America have been smothered as they got their way up the ranks, by racism, greed, fear, etc, This Brian Ellis story is a part of Sheldon’s own story. He feels like the life of a black man is more difficult than any other demographic, including the black woman. Of course, Mary Jane, being the passionate woman that she is, goes off, sparking a heated discussion! She rightfully says that black women have deeply struggled too, and sometimes by the hand of black men themselves. Sheldon stares at her in awe, calling her sexy, and she gets upset again, feeling minimized. However, it’s her passion and wit that he finds attractive, and he feels like she is the best person to share her story with.
At that moment, Mary Jane randomly runs to the bathroom to call the doctor, and reveals she experience a massive orgasm out of nowhere, which apparently is totally normal with the hormones!

Meanwhile, Kara goes shopping, and sees Gael. She tries to hide, but they run into each other anyway. He speaks to her in Spanish as a joke, and blocks her way, but she manages to get by. It’s clear that their situation is not over, as they exchange flirtatious glances!

Back at Sheldon’s, he gives MJ everything that she’ll need for the story, but asks that she keeps it confidential. He also reveals that he started his law career at the same firm as Brian. He then asks her if she’s seeing anyone right now, expressing that he would love to go out with her. She states that’s definitely a possibility. I think they would make a great couple, but MJ still loves David. I know the heart wants what the heart wants, but I really would love to see her with Sheldon. I think they both challenge each other in some great discussion, and are attracted to each other, but I know that Mary Jane is too caught up in David still.

Late that night, Mary Jane goes to see Patrick, who’s been working hard trying to get back on his feet, and asks him if he’s stressed and has ever considered suicide. She tells him that she loves him, and if he ever needs anyone to talk to, she’s there. The story has obviously made her uneasy, and they hug. On air the next day, MJ reveals that the firm knew about Brian’s schizophrenia, but shrugged it off in internal memos, saying that he should basically get over it.  This memo was written three weeks before Brian’s suicide. Mary Jane also quotes a 2014 study that shows that 40% of African Americans feels like outsiders in the corporate world and that a strong percentage feel that they have to compromise their authenticity in order to be successful. Kara chews MJ out later saying that the story wasn’t impartial, but then MJ reveals she knows about the focus group session that went on behind her back. Kara didn’t do anything at all to support her, which angered Mary Jane.

Later, Mary Jane gets a call from Val who’s concerned about Lisa and a voicemail she left Val. Mary Jane quickly goes over to Lisa’s house. Val states that Lisa was disoriented and that Val gave her meds to calm her down. She also asks MJ if Lisa needs to be on psychiatric hold. It’s interesting because Lisa’s situation is similar to Brian’s situation, and Mary Jane reluctantly says that maybe she needs help. Meanwhile, at work, Kara gets a text from Gael who keeps talking in Spanish which is not her first language. She agrees to go out with him.

MJ and Val stay at Lisa’s and talk about Lisa and her potential depression. MJ tries to downplay Lisa’s condition, believing that Lisa can’t be depressed over being lonely and not snagging David. At that moment, Lisa walks in and goes off about how MJ gets everything, but takes it all for granted. Of course, she’s also upset about David wanting MJ as well. Lisa really came off as bitter, though I do think that she may need help, and it wasn’t right of Mary Jane to downplay her situation. However, Mary Jane states that she feels like she’s continually put Lisa’s issues on her back, and can’t handle it anymore. MJ needs to take care of herself, and I agreed with her on that.

That night, Kara goes out with Gael. She felt challenged about her allegiance to her culture which put her on the defense a little bit, but it’s clear that they hope to get over it and start anew. They talk about Gael’s job, who is a geotechnical engineer, looking at the risk of buildings. Meanwhile, MJ makes a call to tell someone to let himself in. Of course, it’s David. She lets him know that she wants him…and his baby, completely ignoring her appointment! I guest she decides to try to do things the natural way! That night, they have passionate sex. I’m all for love and everything, but I feel like we’re back to last season with Mary Jane messing with someone that she can’t technically have. I need her to stop repeating the cycle!

Be sure to check out all new episodes of Being Mary Jane on Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. ET only on BET!

Images via BET

RECAP: "No Eggspectations"-Being Mary Jane S2, E5

Last night’s episode of Being Mary Jane was very emotional to watch! Picking up from last week, Mary Jane takes the cameras with her as she is at the end of her hormone regimen, The doctor does a sonogram for her, and admits that he does not see what he is hoping at this stage for her. He tells her she should try again the process. On live TV. Though she manages to keep it together on air, when they go to break, MJ freaks out, wondering what went wrong! The doctor tells her that her eggs aren’t in the ideal condition, and advises her to maybe do a stronger dosage of hormones. Kara tries to give her a pep talk to close the show gracefully, and MJ manages to pull herself together, but goes off on Kara afterwards for letting her do this. However, it’s partly on Mary Jane herself for making this decision. I think she was fine with it before, but now is upset that things didn’t pan out the way she thought they would.  Kara tries to talk her down, stating that people will be compassionate towards her and those who are going through the same thing, but Mary Jane is clearly too upset to calm down.

Meanwhile, Helen talks to Lisa on the phone, which watching the segment. She’s still very upset that, one, Mary Jane waited this long to consider having kids, and two, that she’s documenting the entire thing. It’s none of her business though! Helen also feels like maybe it’s because of her lupus that MJ can’t have kids, and Paul, Sr. gets irritated that Helen made the entire situation about her instead of worrying about MJ.

Later, Mary Jane gets several voicemails from everyone wanting to check in on her, but she’s clearly emotionally drained. She keeps drinking, which, honestly, could be a reason why things are going wrong. I don’t know. I’m not a egg freezing expert, but if a doctor tells you not to do something with procedures like this, you probably should listen! Mary Jane finds Lisa in her backyard, who proceeds to run her mouth saying that maybe this is a blessing in disguise for Mary Jane and that she may be unprepared for a baby right now with her career. She’s concerned about some of Mary Jane’s choices, and MJ automatically goes on the defense. Lisa’s not technically wrong, but her delivery most times is, which is why she irritates me. Yes, you want friends who will tell you the truth and keep it real with you. However, sometimes, you just need them to be there for support, and I feel like Lisa rarely is. Maybe that’s just me. Turns out there is an underlying issue between the two of them, which could be why Lisa seems so bitter a lot. Apparently, Lisa had feelings for David back in the day (and seems to still have them), but never expressed that to him. He thought they were just friends, and MJ went out with him instead. Their argument goes into that as well, with Lisa eventually storming away.

The next morning, David comes over and brings Mary Jane white tulips, wanting to check on her. He’s worried about her, and wants her to know that he’s there for her if she ever needs him. He grabs her hand before she can walk away, and tells her that their “friendship” doesn’t need to be complicated, in spite of everything else going on with him. In my opinion, he just consistently makes things worse. MJ has feelings for him still, and is working on getting over him. Every time he comes around, he kicks her down a few pegs. He needs to figure out if he wants to be with his baby’s mother or not, but leave Mary Jane alone for now, at least until he comes to some concrete decision about his feelings.

Meanwhile, Cameron struggles with Trayvion, who doesn’t obey Cameron because he doesn’t know him. Niecy tells him to back off with the discipline, which results in an argument. Niecy kicks him out, as Helen watches. Helen correctly tells Niecy that Niecy has to do what’s best for her kids regardless of how she feels. At the same time, Paul, Jr pitches a high-end retirement community, having invested in land with his weed money. Go figure. However, he will need another investor with $3-5 million in capital before he will be taken seriously.

A while later, Cameron comes back over and plays hide and seek with Trayvion, which pisses Niecy off. Apparently, Helen asked him to come back, and Niecy tells him to leave again. Helen pulls her to the side and lets Niecy know again that this is not about her. Though Niecy is mad about Cameron not being in his son’s life like he should, she’s really mad at herself for not doing better. Helen herself knows that Niecy can do better, and wants her to prove her right. Regardless of how she feels, Niecy has to allow Cameron be a dad now. It’s the most honest conversation the two of them have ever had, and we see both of them get out of their spiteful feelings towards each other.

At the office, MJ signs off on the night’s show, and opens up to the audience about her last segment. She thanks them for the flood of support that she’s received, though it’s clear she’s still emotional about this whole thing. She talks with Mark, who opens up too about the fact that he considered adopting with his ex. Mary Jane gets all emotional again, and Mark is there to comfort her. If he wasn’t gay, I would want them to be together. Meanwhile, Paul, Jr. talks to his father about the project and finding the investor he needs. Paul, Sr. advises him not to let his friend get a stake in his company just because of his wealth. Paul, Sr. suggests maybe David, who may just invest to impress Mary Jane.

That night, Lisa and Helen relax in Helen’s room watching TV, and they talk about how Mary Jane isn’t speaking with either one of them. They seem to have a closer relationship than MJ and Helen do, honestly. David comes by to see PJ, and passes by Lisa as she leaves. He asks about MJ, and not her, which upsets Lisa more. After she leaves. PJ pitches the business venture to David, but David states that he will need a good stake in the business in order to invest. Meanwhile, Mary Jane and Kara meets with other staff to figure out how to spin the egg freezing story or prep a conclusion if Mary Jane doesn’t want to continue. Mary Jane just tells her that she’ll let them know and walks away.

Later, Paul, Sr goes to see MJ with some food. He gives her an update on the family, and she opens up to him about the segment. It scares her that maybe she can’t have babies at all. However, he’s not convinced she really wants them. Paul knows that she’s always went after what she wanted and got it, but MJ doesn’t feel like it’s all in her control, which it’s not. Paul tells her that she should go after what makes her happy, and that she should go after David even if things aren’t perfect. Stop chasing dreams you don’t really want. Mary Jane calls Kara later and tells her that she’s going to end the segment, but has ideas for Friday’s show.

At the end of the episode, Mary Jane looks at her stomach in the mirror, and pokes it out to imagine herself being pregnant She decides to take the chance to continue the process, but without the cameras. I don’t blame her. I could tell that she really does want a family, though I don’t know if she will be ready to sacrifice what is necessary to raise a child. We shall see what happens.

Be sure to check out all new episodes of Being Mary Jane on Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. ET only on BET!

Image via BET

RECAP: "Sleepless In Atlanta"-Being Mary Jane S2, E4

Another great episode of Being Mary Jane last night ! Picking up from last week, Niecy meets with Trayvion’s father Cameron. She’s very annoyed by him, since she hasn’t heard from him in two years. He wants to change now that he has lost his college scholarship. Eventually, he kind of wears her down, as they joke with each other. After Niecy breaks her diet and eats chicken wings, Cameron states that they can get back on their fitness together. That sparks a whole discussion of how there is no “them” in Niecy’s mind. Cameron wants to be involved in his son’s life, but Niecy doesn’t plan to just let him walk in without being able to trust him, which is understandable. I’m not sure how this is going to work out!

Meanwhile, Mary Jane babysits Trayvion and Isabelle, and talks with Helen over the phone. She asks Helen when she and Niecy will make up, and Helen says when she learns respect. Apparently when Niecy first started living there, she used to help out, but then she got comfortable. That’s easy to do when you have everybody, especially Mary Jane, catering to you! Though Mary Jane talks about how Niecy is making positive changes in her life, specifically with her health, but Helen has doubts. While Helen rants on, MJ holds Isabelle with such adoration, that it’s clear she really wishes she had a child of her own.

Later, Dante’s mother comes to pick Isabelle up to spend some time with her side of the family. Turns out that Dante is staying with his uncle, and he got yet ANOTHER girl pregnant! Isabelle is going to
have two siblings. When will these kids learn?! Dante’s mom complains about how people don’t do things the right way, and in the right order in terms of getting married and then starting a family. Mary Jane voices her opinion that sometimes things just can’t go that way, but Dante’s mother doesn’t agree.

At work the next day, Kara is shown video from a female focus group from Las Vegas shows that some women don’t connect with Mary Jane. Kara gets very irritated because MJ’s numbers are steady, though it’s pointed out to her that, while the ratings are steady, they aren’t rising. The simple formula with any show, whether it’s news, sitcoms, or reality shows, is simple: ratings equals advertising equals money.  Their specific goal is to get more viewers in the Latino market specifically (is it me or is Kara struggling with her identity as a Latina especially at work?). Mary Jane’s job could very well be at risk. Kara is then told to keep all of this a secret from MJ to not upset her, which I think was unfair to put on her. I realize that Kara is the executive producer, and should be aware of what’s going on, but to give her that information and not be upfront with Mary Jane herself about it, was definitely wrong. After the meeting, Gael (Kara’s little friend from a few weeks ago) comes to ask her to lunch, which she can’t make. However, she does agree to dinner plans for the next night. When MJ walks out to see who this guy is finally, Gael compliments her on her show, and they speak a little bit about immigration reform and the future stories she will do on the subject. Kara herself looks really uncomfortable.

After work that night, Mary Jane walks in on Niecy having sex with Cameron in her bed! Niecy apologizes, but MJ just walks away angry. Even when Cameron leaves, Niecy keeps apologizing, but MJ can’t even deal with it. Later, Niecy asks if Mary Jane is going to kick them out, and MJ says no. Niecy promises not to disrespect her house like that again. However, MJ asks her a very real question. Isn’t Niecy tired of making promises and apologizing for her constant mistakes? Right when Niecy seems to be getting her life together, she messes up yet again. Mary Jane tells upfront that her life can’t revolve around guys, which leads Niecy to angrily bring up the fact that MJ is freezing her eggs and drinking too much. They get into a very heated argument, and MJ tells her off! MJ’s definitely on the defense about the drinking, and tells Niecy upfront that Niecy really doesn’t do anything besides take care of her kids, and that’s not an actual paying job! When Niecy storms off, she calls Paul, Sr., who quickly comes over and gets both of them together. Though they argue back and forth, Paul tells them that neither one of them were raised to act that way. At the end of the night, Paul ends up taking Niecy and Trayvion back to his house, though, before, Mary Jane stresses that she doesn’t have a drinking problem.

At work the next day, MJ is exhausted while trying to edit with Lance. He begins to give her a
relaxing foot massage, which was all well and good until Sheldon Dewitt walks in! Embarrassed, Mary Jane quickly has Lance take him to the conference room. Turns out Sheldon popped up surprisingly to get a feel of who Mary Jane really is and what she can offer him with her platform. He’s never given interviews, because he’d rather do the work and let other people come to their own conclusions. However, his plan is to get his message out to the masses, and sees Talk Back as a potential opportunity to do so, since MJ’s show targets much of the specific audience he is trying to reach. However, MJ refuses to be used like that! As they walk around the studio, they talk more about MJ’s reasoning behind freezing her eggs and allowing the cameras to capture her moment. Sheldon also kind of flirts with her, which makes me wonder if maybe just maybe we’ll see something happen with them later on down the line!

At the Patterson house, Helen is upset with Paul for bringing Niecy back. Niecy hides away with Trayvion, not wanting to deal with her grandmother. Meanwhile, Kara forgets that she was supposed to have a date with Gael that night. She’s late, and almost backs out, but MJ tells her that she’s gotta go! When she gets to the restaurant, Gael is rightfully upset that she was late and didn’t let him know she was going to be. Since Kara refuses to deal with any more guilt about her work schedule, she ends up storming off upset.

At the end of the episode, MJ talks with Mark about Sheldon, and also admits that she feels lost in her own life. She’s honestly glad that she has this job, because it helps to distract her from everything. At her house, she gets a message from Paul telling her that everything is good with Niecy at home, though Helen is still upset. She ends up drinking, though she definitely shouldn’t with the hormones! Sheldon gives her a late night phone call to say that he won’t do a live interview, but will do a pre-recorded one. Though Mary Jane is not all that impressed by the late night call, it’s clear that she’s not too upset either! I see something happening with them in the future!

Be sure to check out all new episodes of Being Mary Jane on Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. ET only on BET!

Images via BET

RECAP: "Mary Jane Knows Best"-Being Mary Jane S2, E3

Being Mary Jane is really heating up! Picking up from last week, Mary Jane’s maid finds a bunch of food under Niecy’s bed, which shocks MJ. She has a conversation with Niecy about her overeating and being overweight. Mary Jane wants to help her niece, becoming her life coach somewhat. Though Niecy feels a little pressed to lose the weight, she obliges. In the new effort to get Niecy healthy, MJ gives her one of MJ’s own famous post-its to read as an affirmation every morning. She teaches Niecy how to cook vegetables, gets her a water bottle to encourage her to drink more water, and goes walking with her and the kids. Though Niecy struggles with the changes at first, she seems to be adapting.

At work, Mary Jane begins her story on freezing her own eggs, having the camera following her for the entire two week process. She speaks with her gynecologist, Dr. Morris, about the process for her viewers. Though Mary Jane is 38, it is not too late for her, though the sooner the better. Mary Jane has to take hormone shots every morning (which, after the first one, leaves her with a rather noticeable bruise), which could cause nausea and vomiting, she’s told. She should also avoid stress, jacuzzis, drinking a lot of alcohol, and second hand smoke.

Later, at the Patterson house, MJ talks to Mama Helen, who doesn’t understand why MJ’s doing this story. She calls the entire process desperate basically, but it’s all about keeping your options open, in my opinion. I personally wouldn’t do it, but I don’t blame Mary Jane for doing it herself. She does want kids, though it took her a while to get to that point. Helen also asks about Niecy, who MJ says is having a breakthrough, though Helen doubts that she’ll change completely. Mary Jane goes to see Paul, Jr who has been invited to a millionaires’ conference, The Gifting Alliance, after selling enough weed to buy a few shares in a business. Civil rights attorney Sheldon DeWitt, whom Mary Jane has been trying to get an interview with for a while, will be the keynote speaker. She wants to be his plus one, but PJ claims to already be bringing his “business partner.” I’m still trying to figure out how he got an invite, though! Shares or not, he definitely ain’t close to being a millionaire!

That night, Lisa asks Mary Jane about the egg freezing and David, while administering MJ’s shot for the day. MJ wants to move on from it all, but Lisa just wants to make sure that MJ is not doing this to try to one up David and his baby on the way. Mad that Lisa would suggest that, Mary Jane ends the conversation by asking Niecy instead to stick her with the shot.

At work the next day, Kara tells Mary Jane to beg Paul, Jr. to get into that conference. She calls him (while he’s having sex, no less), and he tells her no again. However, he does say that David might have an extra ticket since he is a business owner himself. She is surprised that PJ still talks to him, but he doesn’t want to throw away his friendship with David just because of her drama. That’s completely understandable. Kara tells MJ to keep trying to get in, so Mary Jane swallows her pride and calls David, asking if he has additional tickets. He offers her the plus one, and she will meet him there. Though David clearly would love to continue the conversation, Mary Jane promptly gets off the phone with him.

After he gets off the phone with Mary Jane, we see that David was sitting by Anna the entire time! It turns out that Anna got a call from her ex, too. She reveals to David that she will be leaving for Florence for a fashion collective a day earlier than expected, and that her ex will be there to talk to her. She can’t cut him off, and feels like she owes him closure. This leads to a whole conversation between them about the time and energy spent on their exes. It’s very clear to me that, even with the baby, their relationship is not going to last. I don’t see that spark, to be honest.

Meanwhile, Patrick and Paul, Sr. go hit golf balls. Paul asks Patrick about his job, and it turns out Patrick’s boss is lobbying for him to get more overtime. He also has a couple of more months until he can get a new apartment for him, Niecy, and the kids Paul wants to help, and can put in a good word to get him a management position, but Patrick refuses. I understand not wanting people’s help personally. However, you have to be somewhat willing to let your pride go in order to get ahead. I’m not saying lose all of your dignity or look consistently for handouts, but you have to not be ashamed or too prideful to ask for assistance when you need it, or when it could help you advance. It’s hard, but you have to.

Later, MJ is sick from the injections. Niecy gives her another with ease, before MJ gets ready to go to the Alliance. Once she gets there, MJ meets up with, who compliments her beauty. He sent her calla lilies, though her favorites are actually white tulips, but she thanks him anyway. She acts very cold towards him, as if to let him know that this is strictly business. Meanwhile, Kara reveals to their supervisor Gary that the ratings on MJ’s egg freezing segment look good, which is good because the network paid a lot of money for MJ’s medical expenses!

At the Alliance, Sheldon is introduced as the speaker. He speaks on the issue of equality in this country being a commodity, which is actually an interesting concept that would be interesting to hear more about. Sheldon speaks openly about the fact that it’s easier to get money, than change the structure of our communities and world. However, he’s up for that challenge. Mary Jane is in awe, and goes to meet him afterwards. She’s been following his career for years. Though he’s never granted an interview, she believes he should use her platform to express his views.

At home, Niecy has a bath and drinks champagne in Mary Jane’s bathroom. She goes through MJ’s things and finds her sex toys instead of cocoa butter! Niecy also finds a bunch of alcohol, and clearly plans to bring that up with MJ. However, when she sees a security camera watching her, Niecy bolts out quick!

That night, Paul, Sr and Helen talk about Patrick, who is slowly making progress picking up the pieces to his life. However, Paul thinks that Patrick should let people help him. Helen tells him that Patrick wants to do things on his own, even if he doesn’t have to. She encourages Paul to be patient with Patrick and to let Patrick show them that he can do it on his own.

Later, Niecy checks out the security camera footage and sees how much MJ is drinking. She also sees MJ playing with her toys (eek!). Meanwhile, David and MJ talk at the Alliance, and she reveals she wants something different out of a relationship, not this complicated mess. Though David manages to pull her in with a kiss, MJ refuses further advances. She tells him that they always do this–have a passionate night together, but then it’s over. David continues to play games, and Mary Jane doesn’t have time for it anymore. She just wants to feel good about herself, and walks away, telling David to leave her alone. Good for her!

When she gets back home, Mary Jane tries to rest in her room, but it’s clear she’s having a restless night. She puts her dress and shows back on, and leaves to go see another guy! It’s MJ’s cutty buddy, who has no name that we know of, but they have some very passionate sex! He tells her she can spend the night, but she wants to go home. The mystery lover says that he has more to give her besides just sex, but MJ doesn’t want that. I wish she would try to work things out with this guy, and see where things go, but she’ll probably end up still traipsing after David, unfortunately.

Be sure to check out all new episodes of Being Mary Jane on Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. ET only on BET!

Images via BET

RECAP: "Freedom"-Being Mary Jane S2, E2

I am so glad Being Mary Jane is back on TV! Picking up from last week’s season premiere, Mary Jane wakes up to noise in her house,and grabs a bat to approach the intruder! It’s actually David, who makes her breakfast, half naked. He tries to kiss on her, but she backs away from him. Instead, she apologizes for everything, including giving up on him and stealing his sperm. He asks if he can kiss her, and does. However, they are interrupted by an unknown baby, who is David’s son, Andre! Turns out to all be a dream, and Mary Jane wakes up to Isabelle crying.

Niecy is cooking breakfast, and lets Isabelle cry to “teach her independence,” which is ironic because Niecy lacks independence herself! When MJ realizes that Niecy has screwed up her French oven, she continually texts Patrick to figure out when Niecy is going to move back. Patrick ignores her and makes his own breakfast and watches TV. A little later, Patrick comes over, and Mary Jane vents about Niecy staying there, and honestly wants her out soon. Patrick is “working” on a better living situation for everybody, but no telling when that will come. At that moment, we see that Niecy’s son Trevion has drawn on MJ’s walls, and it’s yet another reason why Niecy and her kids have to go!

Later, MJ and a cop watch an abused prostitute, as MJ plans to do a story about sex trafficking in Atlanta. The cop is honest with her, saying that the ones that can usually be saved are the ones that just became a part of this. Pimps literally buy, sell, and trade girls like they were merchandise, and the reason they stick around are because of the threats they get on their lives from their pimps.

Back at work, Mary Jane continues to research stories, and eventually brings a group of girls to tour the studio. Kara comes through, and tells MJ she has found a girl who has been sold in Atlanta who may be able to add to the story. The girl’s name is goes by Polly and is 17. However, she wants to meet MJ before actually going on air. At that moment, Mark comes over frantically, announcing that his parents are in town. Apparently, every time that they have visited him, MJ has acts as his beard. Though she’s busy, she agrees to step in for him again.

That night, Mark’s boyfriend Eric gets mad about this situation, and understandably so. I get that Mark doesn’t want to put himself out there to his family, but I don’t think he’s really fooling anyone. Plus he’s hurting Eric in the process, and himself really. Eric lets Mark know that he needs to own who he is–a black, gay man. It’s literally been years since they’ve been doing this. When his parents arrives, Mark tells Eric to leave out of the back door and head over to Mary Jane’s, which I know has to be so hurtful.

Meanwhile, back at the station, one of the girls touring the studio asks her dad to go to the movies, Her dad thanks Kara, and adds that they met briefly before. As he is about to leave, Kara strikes up a conversation with him. He asks where he can get a drink close by while he waits for his daughter, and she invites him to drink at the office.

At Mark’s, he and Mary Jane make up stories for his parents about their fake engagement. His mom
asks the really good questions (seemingly already knowing that this is all a sham). She asks if MJ’s parents approve of Mark, when will they actually get married, or, at least, when will Mark get a real ring! No one’s that busy. Mary Jane continues the facade as Mark goes to get more wine. Beatrice just comes out and says she knows he’s gay, and wants him to share his life with them, and stop hiding. Mark admits to his father he’s always been gay, but his father feels like this came out of nowhere. Stan is more upset that he’s been lying to him all this time. Even though he is admittedly a homophobe, Stan tells him upfront that the son they raised would’ve had the courage to be whoever the hell he wanted to be regardless of what anyone thought, including them. Mark has been putting his parents off whenever they wanted to visit to hide his life. It’s sad, but there are many in the black community that are homophobic, and those that are of the LBGTQ community, at times, feel like they cannot be open about who they are. I love this show, because it brings up these kinds of topics for open discussion at home, on social media, etc.

Later that night, MJ goes to meet Polly at a diner. Polly reveals that she eats a happy meal every day for cheap from her pimp. Mary Jane asks her about her day, which consisted of watching TV, since she was “on the blob.” The pimps apparently get violent with the girls being on their period like they can help. Polly’s registered in high school, but doesn’t go. It turns out that she’s actually 15, not 17, which makes the sad situation even worse.

At the office, Kara is talking to the guy about her work as a producer and how she often works late to create quality shows. She still considers herself on the  climb in her career, and she wants to win an Emmy for working for a network. She admits that her work and her being the breadwinner affected her marriage, as well as her ex screwing the real estate agent. He asks if he can take her out for a proper drink one night,  but she’s not interested in dating Latino men. He’s a little offended, but he knows she wants to see him again. He gets a text from her daughter saying the movie’s over, and tells Kara to let him know if she wants that drink. He leaves his business card, revealing his name is Gian Montoya.

At the diner, Polly talks about how the men she’s with are gross. Some men don’t even want sex. They just want someone to listen to them. Mary Jane tries to get Polly to tell her her real name, which Polly refuses to reveal. However, she admits that “Polly” was the name of her imaginary friend who “always protected her,” and she uses that to give her strength through all this. Mary Jane tells her that there are many girls who need to hear her story. However, Polly wants money in exchange. When MJ reveals that she can’t pay money but could offer her something else, Polly walks away, saying “It’s always about the money.” As Mary Jane goes after her, Polly’s pimp walks in and angrily tells her to get in the car. MJ asks for Polly’s price to get her out of this, and the pimp wants to sell her for $20,000! Mary Jane reveals she only has checks which angers the pimp and he drags Polly away.

At the end of the episode, Mary Jane looks through clips of other girls who may be able to talk on the show. As she Jane is taking notes, Mark comes over. He tells MJ that he and Eric broke up, after Eric thought long and hard about their relationship, and realizes that Mark and MJ have the better relationship. During the day, they were just marking time. There was no real depth. It means so much that he came out to his parents, but he shared that moment with MJ, not Eric, so it’s for the best that they broke up. As MJ continues to look at a video of another prostitute, she calls Niecy and tells her that everything is going to be fine. Everyone is going to be right there to help her while Niecy figures it out. It’s clear that MJ doesn’t even want Niecy to consider this life.

Be sure to check out all new episodes of Being Mary Jane on Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. ET only on BET!

Images via BET