When MJ realizes Greg isn't going to give her her show back anytime soon, she decides to take matters into her own hands. She goes home, makes a $5000 donation to the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and then makes a call to the Coalition and asks to speak with Jesse Jackson! She then sets up a meeting with Greg, herself, and representatives from the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. But she is less than thrilled when they only make Greg consider agreeing to put her back on the show in 3-6 weeks and tell her it is a process and she needs to be patient (in fact, she later goes home and reverses the $5000 donation!!) So when the press circles around her as they are walking out of the building she lies and says she will be back on the air that coming Monday!!
Later, Kara calls her to tell her Greg wants to see her, but fails to tell her she is on speaker and Greg is listening before MJ calls him a fat ass! When she informs MJ that Greg heard her, MJ immediately heads to the office. Greg tells her he's not perfect with race, but he's not a racist. He also tells her he's advocated for her and throws in that he has taken note of her routine tardiness to the office and failure to come in early to prepare, coming in just before the show begins. But alas, he also tells her she will be back on the air on Monday. So she has her hairdresser give her a fresh look with a cute bob, and prepares to return to her audience. On her first day back the teleprompter stops working and she has to freestyle it! Eek! But she keeps her composure and does a stellar job like the pro she is! #MJIsBack Though she isn't too happy about the numbers Kara shared later in the episode. The show is in last place, but Kara reminds her they've always been in last place and are competitive in their demographics (though she acknowledges a small dip). But she receives nothing but compliments on her return from friends, family, and social media. She also starts coming into the office early, beating everyone else in.
Oh, and don't let the preview fool you! MJ doesn't get taken to a sex club by a White beau. Rather, Marcus invites her to a club where some people have slightly less inhibitions, because cameras are not allowed. MJ shares with Marcus how much Brandon has been there for her and how she's been contemplating whether she should settle for Mr. Nice instead of Mr. Right. Marcus advises she let Brandon continue to be who he is, Cutty Buddy, and just enjoy it. He also suggests she be more open to casual relations. It is this pep talk of sorts that probably leads to her returning to the club on another night (Kara was supposed to be meet her there, but now that she's moved back in with her ex and her boys it's harder for her to get out of the house...this time one of the boys has food poisoning) and making out with a complete stranger, the White beau from the previews (who will be returning in the next episode). But the next day she shares what happened with Marcus, and tells him after their long make out session she just went home, and he applauds her for that.
Meanwhile, Niecy is still not here for her father stepping it up as a father by taking on the job his father got for him. He's a soda distributor (and apparently struggling to be on time like MJ), and brought some samples to his parent's house. But when he tries to give one to Niecy she declines and walks away. He goes after her, and she is giving him some attitude until he reminds her he's still her father. He tries to tell her she can't act all grown just because she has had a job for one week, and tells her she should be more grateful that she and her kids are living with his parents. She reminds him that her grandparents also have to watch his younger kids. And so forth, so forth...the more important part is Ms. Jill Scott came through!!
Jill Scott plays Niecy and Naima's mother, Jackie! She comes into town to visit Niecy, and she definitely attempts to share some wisdom with Niecy...like build a portfolio of her hair styling ability so she can help her start a career instead of having a job, and being respectful and on time when others are watching her kids b/c she is not a child anymore. But Niecy is not taking it in at all! SMH!! I agree with Patrick, looks like Jackie may need to come around more, because she has some good advice...but she may need to keep repeating it to Niecy for a while. Though, she might also consider telling Niecy the truth about her own career. She reveals to Patrick she's the hairstylist for Nicki Minaj's dancers, not Nicki Minaj. But as Patrick tells her, it's still NICKI MINAJ's dancers! O and when does she reveal this truth to Patrick? Well she suggested the two of them catch up over dinner before she leaves. We never see the dinner scene, but we do see her at his place. And it goes from her being worried she messed up the girls (we get some backstory...when Patrick was strung out on drugs she took the girls and went to Cali) to him kissing her, to her saying men always think they can have a woman they had before, to him having her! But then the next time we see her on the episode she's just telling Niecy bye and saying she will do a better job of returning phone calls. O...and she and Patrick mention Naima is doing well. She was promoted after being at the pharmacy for only a month. It is definitely interesting to see Niecy grow in some areas (like getting a job), and yet not growing in other ways (seems like the scripts make her seem more and more spoiled...which Jackie suggests is because Patrick babies her). I'm enjoying the more in depth look into Niecy's character, and hope Ms. Scott will be back! Missed Ms. Devine, though! Love me some Cece!
And finally, Marcus also told MJ to allow herself to enjoy her cutty buddy without focusing on finding a relationship in order to have more time to focus on herself. And it looks like MJ is doing just that. The episode ends with MJ relaxing with her feet in the pool and her own rendition of Brandon's grandfather's recipe for peace. She has a cigar, but substitutes a glass of wine for the shot of whiskey.