‘The Quad’ recap: There’s no easy way to say goodbye

Season one, episode nine: The Quad — “The Caged Bird”

After a season full of twists and turns, proud moments and the exposing of some of Georgia A&M University’s (GAMU) darkest secrets, we’re pretty sad to see this successful first season of The Quad come to a close.

But we can dry our eyes for the time being. The drama doesn’t appear to be over just yet, especially with the season finale’s dramatic opener of Eva Fletcher’s office being transformed into a gentlemen’s club. Members of GAMU’s faculty are ogling Fletcher, who’s in the center of the room, scantily clad, showing off her impressive pole work as an exotic dancer and being “rained on” by dollar bills. The scene is interrupted by Fletcher awaking from her dream — or nightmare — that seemed rather symbolic of her relationship with GAMU.

On campus, Cecil Diamond is determined to keep working despite his cancer and recovery from his fall. Diamond receives a visit from Noni Williams, who returns her GAMU practice step and attempts to make small talk as if she hadn’t just betrayed the band leader and wasn’t partially responsible for his trip to the hospital.

For the first time since the sexual assault, Sydney Fletcher is back in her dorm room on GAMU’s campus. While speaking to her best friend, Madison Kelly, Sydney gets a visit from Trina, head of the sexual assault group that has been looking for Sydney since the incident occurred. Trina asks Sydney if she’s ready, presumably to carry out a plan to take down the alleged assailant, Terrence Berry. Berry, on the other hand, is losing control of his team and life.

Before GAMU’s homecoming banquet, Berry was confronted by teammates for not being much of a leader and failing to keep it real with the players about the sexual assault allegations. Berry thought that he’d have a moment to breathe and forget about his problems at the banquet, but Sydney and her crew had other plans. Sydney, Kelly and members of the sexual assault group charged into the room in the middle of coach Eugene Hardwick’s speech. The group, dressed in shirts with his face plastered on the front, surrounded Berry and chanted, ‘I did not consent!’ as the star quarterback attempted to worm his way out of the thick crowd.

In the dorms, Williams seems to be a glutton for punishment as she searches to find Ebonie Weaver, her ex-roommate and friend, to apologize and explain herself. Weaver answers the door and glares at Williams as she tells the story of how joining the band was the only way she’d be able to get revenge on Danny Brown, who beat Weaver unconscious at the beginning of the season. Williams admits to Weaver that she was the one who sent a picture of Brown’s music sheets to the rival university to get Brown fired. Weaver finally breaks her cold demeanor to embrace Williams in a hug, which was the acceptance Williams had been seeking.

Meanwhile, Fletcher can’t seem to resist her favorite “Six Pack,” Jason, who says that he wants to be more than just a booty call. A hesitant Fletcher begins to tell Jason about her problems and how she hopes to solve them with the help of Dominique Briggs, but she soon shuts down after Jason warns her about Briggs’ shady ways. It wasn’t the first time Fletcher heard this about her new friend, but she continues to shrug off the warnings. Later on, Jason wants to make their relationship official — real official, but Fletcher doesn’t. After Fletcher declines his marriage proposal, Jason makes it known that he’s tired of being used. It looks like Fletcher will have to find another boy toy for the new season.

In Hardwick’s office, a conversation between him and Berry reveals that Berry seems to have no real knowledge of what consent is. Hardwick questions him about the women who have come forth, and the ones who haven’t, all of which Berry responds to in a hostile manner. Seeing that Berry refuses to take responsibility for his actions, Hardwick instructs him to clean out his locker and kicks him off the football team. Bojohn Folsom would now be GAMU’s starting quarterback.

As the camera pans to the festivities happening across campus, GAMU looks healthy, active and, dare I say, normal.

That is until a loud pop is heard, stopping everyone in their tracks. Everything appeared to be fine on the yard. Security footage showed no unusual activity. As campus security investigated, a phone call from a hysterical, unidentified woman leads them to the body of Terrence Berry. Unable to cope with the recent series of events, Berry ended his life with a single gunshot.

Although we shouldn’t be shocked by yet another devastating curveball The Quad’s writers decided to hit us with, we still are. And now there are only two things for us to do as we mourn the close of the season: watch The Quad a million times and hope for a Season 2 release date.

We’re missing it already.