‘The Quad’ recap, Episode 9: Tying up loose ends

Season 2, Episode 9 — The Quad: Holler If You Hear Me

With only one episode of The Quad left this season, the chaos at Georgia A&M University has fans hoping for a third season.

There are intertwining plotlines to keep a close eye on this episode, beginning with Eva and Sydney Fletcher’s complicated relationship. It seemed mother and daughter were working together to mend things, but Eva’s addiction to prescription painkillers is causing a new rift between the two. After an argument last week over the pills, which ended in mom taking her house keys from her daughter, Eva meets with Sydney in the dorm to return the keys. Although the two don’t apologize to each other, there’s an agreement to respect her mother’s house and each other.

Although Eva Fletcher solved one problem, a ton of others are waiting for her as she arrives at her office. Fletcher’s main focus is catching up with Flip Lawson, the man she alleges has stolen money from the school. She meets with Ella Grace Caldwell and updates her about the merger. She also lets her know how much she’s been fighting for the school, and Caldwell finally sees the care and passion Fletcher has for GAMU — or at least she pretends to. Caldwell backs away from the idea of overthrowing Fletcher when she learns of Lawson’s alleged embezzlement, which is a move Cecil Diamond and Carlton Pettiway predicted.

GAMU students have been through a lot in the past few months. Members of the student government association met with members of Atlanta State University’s student government association, but problems still remain between the two schools. Between the proposed merger and the university’s instability, looking forward to football season may be the best thing GAMU students have going at the moment. But for some players, there’s no peace on the field either.

With the spring game approaching, starting quarterback BoJohn Folsom still hasn’t been cleared to train with the team. Coach Eugene Hardwick has warned Folsom to take it easy after he was seriously injured during a fight, but Folsom isn’t trying to hear any of it: He’s been kicked out of the training room. Folsom and Tiesha still haven’t patched things up with their relationship either. In an act of desperation, Folsom suits up anyway and attempts to play in the spring game before being blocked by Hardwick. Hardwick has him forcibly removed from the field in front of fans, parents and, most importantly, his competition: Dwight Jenkins. Jenkins’ father, Lenny, uses the game as an example of the many reasons why GAMU isn’t good enough for his son. The two wind up leaving early, and so do Fletcher’s dreams of having Jenkins as the savior to bring positive attention and money back to GAMU.

After the game, Folsom’s downward spiral continues. He returns to his room, where an angry Tiesha and concerned Junior are waiting. Folsom lashes out at both before having a mental breakdown of sorts. Unnerved and still crying, Folsom calls his father and asks to be picked up from the school. When Hardwick arrives to speak to him, Folsom demands to be left alone. Hardwick, though concerned about Folsom, refuses to tolerate that behavior. He tells Fletcher that he wants Folsom off the team.

In the dorms, Cedric Hobbs is still reeling from the news of Bronwyn’s pregnancy. His best friend, Ebonie Weaver, isn’t speaking to him, and neither is Bronwyn. With no one else to turn to, Hobbs calls his mother to break the news to her. Once she finds out, she hangs up on him. With no one else left, Hobbs returns to his music.

Off campus, things are heating up between Sydney and Jason King. While Jason seeks to get revenge on Eva by dating her daughter, Sydney is falling for the guy she thinks may be the one. She’s vulnerable with Jason and feels comfortable enough to take him back to her mother’s house. They have wine and take things further than Sydney has allowed herself to go in a long time. The problem? Eva Fletcher has made her way home, where Coach Hardwick meets her so they can chat. They walk in to see Sydney and Jason in a rather compromising position, and Eva loses it. With Sydney not knowing the nature of Eva and Jason’s relationship, she turns on her mother and thinks the rage is stemming from the prescription pills. Their relationship has once again deteriorated because of misunderstandings and cover-ups.

It’ll take more than a season finale for these two to patch things up.