‘The Quad’ Season 2 finale recap: The end of an era

Season 2, Episode 10 — The Quad: Fledgling

There’s good news and bad news that comes with the latest episode of The Quad.

The good news? The writers were able to create unique storylines filled with cliffhangers and enough drama to keep loyal followers coming back for more.

The bad news? This episode marks the season finale, and there’s no word whether BET’s nighttime drama will be renewed for a third season. But let’s jump into the highlights of this week’s episode, shall we?

After president Eva Fletcher caught her daughter being intimate with the man who helped tear her marriage apart, it was all-out war. Fletcher wouldn’t let Sydney out of the house, and the two stayed in the kitchen arguing until the sun came up. Finally Fletcher reveals to Sydney exactly why Jason is trouble. Sydney agrees to leave Jason alone but also disrespects her mother in the same breath. After receiving a slap to the face from Fletcher, Sydney makes it clear that she wants to have nothing to do with her mother. Their brief interactions throughout the rest of the episode remain cold.

During Fletcher’s battle with her own demons, she receives a call from her assistant, Chrystal, who lets her know dean Carlton Pettiway’s wife has died after suffering a heart attack. Fletcher visits but is blocked by Cecil Diamond, who is acting as Pettiway’s doorman. Meanwhile, Pettiway’s grief slowly begins to overtake him. After returning home from making funeral arrangements, Diamond pops by once again to check on Pettiway. Frustrated, Pettiway asks him to leave. The visitors had become overwhelming, and Pettiway makes it clear that he needs time alone to cope with the loss of his wife. Before Diamond can make it to the front door, Pettiway breaks down.

Back on campus, Cedric Hobbs receives a surprise visit from his mother, who has come to make decisions for him regarding Bronwyn’s pregnancy. After manipulating both kids, his mother talks Bronwyn into getting an abortion. When Hobbs meets Bronwyn at the clinic to talk her out of it, he learns that his mother told a few lies to get Bronwyn to the clinic, which makes Hobbs fight even harder to preserve the life of his unborn child.

Down the hall, BoJohn Folsom’s parents have come to pick him up. Although he says he wants to leave Georgia A&M, his heart is still with the school that gave him a second chance. His father, who has a tendency to be blunt and pretty racist, calls his son crazy and tells him that he’s stuck at “Colored U.” After a screaming match, Folsom’s mother calms him down and encourages him to pay coach Eugene Hardwick a visit. Folsom takes his mother’s advice, and Hardwick lets Folsom know he has already scheduled an appointment with a therapist. Thinking of his own trauma, Hardwick decides to call a psychologist to schedule an appointment for himself as well.

Through all of the personal plot twists, students are still unhappy with the merger. They know Fletcher has been working hard to preserve the school’s legacy. But it hasn’t been enough to keep investors from closing in on buildings and mergers from happening. As the battle becomes even uglier, Fletcher is given two options: resign or be fired. Not one to give up easily, Fletcher presses on until she’s notified via the school’s website that a decision has been made for her. Fletcher has been fired, and the merger is set to continue without her.

Fed up, the student body is set on being heard — by any means necessary. If GAMU can’t have Edward W. Smith Hall, then nobody will. Clad in all black and armed with lighter fluid and gasoline, members of the student body use Molotov cocktails to set the building ablaze.

Petitions have already started for season three. Hope a renewal means we’ll learn what happens to the future of GAMU.