“Greenleaf” Season 3 Episode 8 Recap: Fractured Families

The episode opens with Zora being in the process of leaving as Mae tries to convince her to stay. How’s Zora going to leave without a properly working suitcase? She has tocarry it all the way to the gate. Isaiah isn’t even waiting at the gate when she gets there. Her parents show up first, thinking they’re going to take her home. Nope. She reminds them she’s grown now.

Here comes Isaiah yelling at Zora to get in the car. He hops out as Jacob approaches and turns on his Facebook live in case he gets another butt whooping. Jacob can’t hit the kid, so he gets in front of the camera and tells Isaiah’s followers that Isaiah is an abuser. Then Charity shows up, acting like she wants to do something. Isaiah is bold, insulting Jacob and Lady Mae. Kerissa is acting most sensibly, because Jacob’s beat his a—approach would only cause more trouble. She gives Zora her phone in caseZora wants to reach out. Isaiah of course throws the phone out of the window. But hey, Kerissa tried. You can’t save anyone who doesn’t want to be saved. Speaking of phones, Jacob gets a text on his. His office boo, Tasha,wants to know if he can talk. He deletes the message.

Kerissa calls Isaiah’s parents, who don’t know where he is. (She uses Jacob’s phone because hers is broken.) She and Jacob argue about how to handle the situation. She doesn’t agree with his use of violence and again says she won’t let Zora go out like Faith. Kerissa really needs to stop bringing up her husband’s dead sister. If Kerissamentions Faith one more time…talking about she won’t let Zora turn into Faith. She tells Jacob to stay out of it, as she and Mae leaveto go to Isaiah’s parent’s house. Jacob gets his phone back before they leave, because he can’t have Kerissa seeing Tasha’s texts.

Bishop runs into Charity at Percy Lee’s funeral home. She apologizes for being late due to the drama. James asks what drama, and Charity tells him not to worry about it. He reminds her he is still her father, so she informs him about Zora. That prompts him to call Mae, who commands him to leave it alone because the mothers are handling it.

While all this is happening, Grace and Rochelle are at the prison to pick up Coralie. Rochelle tells Coralie she’ll call her “friend” at Child Protective Services to get Coralie visitation with her kids. Grace wants to know who Rochelle knows at CPS. Rochelle isn’t giving up a name, though.

When Kerissa and Mae show up at Isaiah’s parent’s house, the parents aren’t home, so the ladies wait. Mae says she did everything she could to get Faith back home. Kerissa apologizes. They discuss how much control a parent has, which is only so much. All the parents in this episode are losing control of or their connection with their kids.

Tasha is texting Jacob again as he walks into her office, explaining how crazy his morning has been. She wants to comfort him, behind closed doors.However, he gets a little sense and leaves the door open, saying the kiss was a mistake. Sure, she’s great and sexy but he can’t choose her at this point in life. He follows that complimentary, yet sort of insulting speech with a demand that she stop texting him. Poor Tasha seems to have real feelings for Jacob. This isn’t her being a pawn in Rochelle’s game. This is her falling for a man who is present, pays attention to her, compliments her, and seems to value her. Joe said it best when he said, “all of the things your man won’t do, I’ll do them for you.”

Tasha tells Jacob she misses him. He tells her to stop because people might think something is up. Watching Tasha getting curved is sad. Where’s Iyanla when you need her? This beloved needs help! She thinks nothing goes right for her, and she likes Jacob so much. This declaration and her hand on his chest lead him to close the door. Score one point for Tasha. But now that they’re behind closed doors things don’t go as she might have hoped. Jacob yells as her that he’s her boss. She’s in tears. Thank God James walks right in and interrupts. Hedoesn’t quite buy Jacob’s story about Tasha having lost a friend. He sees the looks. He knows those tears are about Jacob.

Grace and Rochelle get back to the church, and they see the DA in Grace’s office. The DA is offering Coralie a plea deal of 20 years for second-degree murder. He claims that’s better than trial, where he thinks she will get a life sentence without parole. He warns Grace that she could also be on trial. Now his previously veiled threat is unveiled.According to him, if all the facts of Grace’s case were to come out, killing Mac might look pre-meditated. He blames the #MeToo movement for empowering women to, according to him, take the law into their own hands. According to Coralie’s lawyer, the judge isn’t a fan of the movement either.

Rochelle made good on her promise about visitation. Grace again asks who Rochelle’s friend is at CPS. It’s someone Rochelle used to work at Big Sisters. Rochellethinks she and Grace have common ground because they see themselves in lost souls and will continue to fight for those people. Grace says it sounds like Rochelle wants revenge (she doesn’t know how right she is). Rochellesays she sees it as justice. The meeting with her children has Coralie feeling like the deal is not worth it, and she’ll take her chances at trial.

James wants Jacob to call his deputy mayor friend, as if that would help. Jacob forcefully tells James to stay out of it. He doesn’t have time to make his father feel helpful. People have been telling James to stay out of family business all day, so he’s salty. James tells Jacob his temper is out of control, and divorce or no divorce he is still his daddy.

Isaiah’s parents still haven’t shown up, but Isaiah and Zora pull into the driveway. Kerissa goes to talk to Zora. She apologizes for her lofty expectations, but she just wanted to give her baby the world. Kerissa asks Zora to come with her one last time, but Zora’s not budging. She’ll take her chances on her own with Isaiah.

Tasha is boxing up her things when Jacob comes in. He apologizes for lashing out in anger. The former first lady grabs her box and heads out to her Uber. Jacob thinks she’s quitting because of him. She says she’s quitting because she doesn’t belong, and she likes him too much. Before she leaves, she apologizes, though Jacob doesn’t know for what.

Percy Lee tells Charity she has a gift for comforting people. He offers her a job as his apprentice and future owner of his funeral home. Charity at first declines, but she’s glad to be seen and valued.

James can’t get in the house because Mae changed the gate code. When she lets him in, he acts like if he was included he really could have done something to get Zora back. He still views himself as the head of the family, but Mae tells him he is head of nothing. She says she is the sole provider, the foundation for the family. Mae tells him when he wants a friend, he should talk to Jesus.

Grace gets back to her suite and exhaustedly slumps into the chair. Sophia comes out of her room and announces she doesn’t want to go to Rhodes (where she and Roberto, who sent her a scrapbook of their love, planned to go). Grace rolls her eyes hard when Sophia says she doesn’t want to go to a Christian school. Sophia points out that she is almost eighteen and will be able to do what she wants like Zora.

Back at Percy Lee’s house, James starts praying that the Lord’s will be done. It’s about time someone prayed, because the Greenleaf family is fractured.

What do you think it will take to mend the parent-child relationships in the Greenleaf family? Comment below with your thoughts!