AMBER ALERT: David is missing!
Okay, we’re being by dramatic. But by “missing,” we really just mean he’s holed up in his apartment. The man hasn’t even been checking for people on Instagram so that’s how you know this is not a drill. With the help of a little wine, Jason’s Lyric, and some tears for Jada’s untimely demise in the film, David had sex with Elaine…twice. He is now officially the preacher who doesn’t practice what he preaches. On the bright side, he’s definitely not the first. But that’s all in the past, so now it’s time to move on and that starts with a little housekeeping. Everyone knows that the start of beginning to detox your contaminated soul is to ensure that you’re in a clean and Pine-Sol polished environment. Seeing as David is smelling like nasty secks and last week, these fellas have work to do.
Convinced that the devil has sent Elaine along to test him, David has seemingly given up on everything leaving Ari and Bryson on friend duty to lift their brother up again. They are willing to be there for David for as long as it takes or until Ari wants to dip out and go to a day party. Still, on a directorial high from Tia’s video shoot, Ari is ready to get back to work and has his sight set on bigger dreams. He wants to lend his talents to Bryson’s next project Woke. Since it is Bryson’s first shot to prove to the Graham Agency that he has what it takes to be probably even better than Marcus, he’s not willing to gamble with it by letting his “friend” shoot new content for the campaign. The reason is simple: He doesn’t feel Ari is phenomenal. Yikes. So much for putting your friends on. In Bryson’s eyes, all he sees is an unfocused man with a hobby. It’ll be time to grow up sooner than later and a 47-year-old party promoter is not a good look.
Just because he’s down, Pastor David is not out. He’s still here for counseling to sort out Ari’s feelings. His boy Bryson has been a little too tough. To him, Bryson — who’s jamming to “Return of the Mack” while on FaceTime with Simone — is nothing but a hater. David hates to admit it but Ari has been all over the place since forever, but that’s no excuse for Bryson to be as condescending as he has been. In an effort to lessen the tensions between his two best friends, David asks Bryson to throw Ari a bone and just give him a shot at being something great, too. But Boss Man Bry is not throwing him sh**. In case he forgot, there was a time when Bryson relied on a recommendation from someone else (cough, cough *his mommy* cough, cough) so he could get his start. Therefore, he shouldn’t be so quick to be dismissive. If you’re not willing to invest in your friends, why call them that?
With the help of a little Mary Jane, an overly hungry Ari begins to get on Bryson’s nerves once again because not only is he undriven, but he’s also a greedy brokie. (Sidebar: Have you ever noticed that it’s the friend who puts down zero coins for the Postmates delivery who eats most of the food…and never helps clean up afterward?) Anyway, this, of course, leads to yet another argument of why Bryson is resistant in his support of Ari’s dreams.
As David deals with his guilt, Ari and Bryson get a chance to speak one-on-one. The two catch up on life, well, mainly Simone, before diving into the heart of their growing resentment towards one another. Tired of it all, Ari bows out telling Bryson not to worry about it, but Pastor David’s words might’ve pulled on some heartstrings. Bryson finally admits that he’s willing to give Ari a shot but it’s not the time for Ari yet anymore. As Bryson previously advised, he has a lot of work to do and that starts with producing more work of quality.
Although we’re no longer in biblical times, David is determined to keep his vow of celibacy, meaning no more link-ups with Elaine. The devil is a liar. Torn between avoiding his seductress and succumbing to his inhibitions, David has no clue what to do. Ever since he and Crystal divorced, he hasn’t been with anyone until now. The first step to getting out of this funk is to watch Love Jones so he can regroup and find his way back to that righteous path. If anyone can uplift a mood, it’s Nia Long and Larenz Tate’s bright a** smile.
A sudden feeling of the Holy Spirit leads David into a prayer for forgiveness, one that Ari is already familiar with. You know the Lord continues to test us, right? As He does, David receives an essay-length text from Elaine. Instead of hitting her back with a few blue bubbles of his own, he decides to privately call her to sort things out. Right now, Elaine is asking for way more than David is willing to give her or anyone right now. It’s been a long day for poor David. Instead of hitting the skrip club, he needs time to think and that means spending less time with his boys and more time with God.
Meanwhile, Ari’s shirt hit it on the head, “God is Dope.” And by His mercy, David will figure it all out if and only if he continues to avoid temptation. With Elaine still texting him, though, can we really trust that he told her about this “me time” he’s so desperately seeking? The fact that he put his Bible down to respond to her makes you wonder how strong David can really stand during this trial. The last thing we need is hood David to return. He’s been doing a lot of good work with bridging the gap between Christianity and today’s culture. It would be a shame to lose him now.
