After The Storm – The episode opens in Nella Rogers’ (Sinclair Daniel) nightmare in which she is trapped at Wagner. After several passes by the “wall of editors”, the headshots animate and repeatedly tell her to leave. Upon reaching the elevators, she wakes in bed next to Owen (Hunter Parrish). In the bathroom, she keeps replaying the Colin Franklin (Brian Baumgartner) conversation in her head.

Later at breakfast, Owen notices Nella’s preoccupation with “Burning Heart.” She voices concern about getting fired but doesn’t feel she was wrong to apologize. He says it is okay to apologize without meaning it.

On the subway, Nella listens to Jesse Watson’s (Langston Kerman) podcast in which he encourages people to be themselves because they will be hated regardless. Realizing the note is still in her pocket, she pulls it out to read it. A man asks who is Wagner. She scoots away without a response.

Wagner Offices –Sophie (Kate Owens) meets Nella at the elevator to ask if she received Hazel-May McCall’s (Ashleigh Murray) note. In the conference room, Nella has an awkward conversation with Bridget (Zele Avradopoulos) and Shannon (Adena Brumer) about the Colin incident. Nella encounters Hazel en route to her cubicle. After promising to have her back, Hazel says yesterday wasn’t the right time. Vera

Nella thanks Vera Parini (Bellamy Young) for valuing her opinion. Vera tells Nella that she appreciates her apology. Nella suggests getting a third-party sensitivity reader to polish Colin’s novel to ensure there are no future issues. Vera warns that it would upset Colin even more before telling her to book him a table at a fancy restaurant.

Malaika’s House – Nella shows Malaika (Brittany Adebumola) the note. After describing the note as a “hate crime,” Malaika assures her that Colin is behind it. Malaika tells Owen about the note. Owen asks Nella if that is why she was acting strange at breakfast. Nella voices concern about her two years of hard being for nothing. Owen and Malaika urge her to quit.

Wagner Offices –While working, Nella gets spooked. Brandishing a stapler, she creeps around the office looking for prowlers but finds the archives instead. She spends the rest of the night reading Diana Gordon’s (Garcelle Beauvais) “Burning Heart.”

Reinvigorated, Nella greets her co-workers en route to her workstation. Hazel comments on energy. Ignoring her, Nella leaves to speak with Vera about releasing the 35^th-anniversary edition of “Burning Heart” again. Seeing Vera is unenthusiastic, Nella suggests Diana Gordon and Kendra Rae Phillips (Cassi Maddox) co-authoring a new foreword for the book. Vera accuses her of trying to avoid apologizing to Colin.

Vera shows Nella several jacket designs for Colin’s “Pins and Needles.” Nella assures her that she is only doing her job. Sighing, Vera asks Matt (Jonathan Baron) for privacy. He reminds her that she’s in his office but agrees to leave. Once alone, Vera says an editor’s job is to see what others need before they know they need it. She urges Nella to truly consider her future before leaving.

Hazel finds Nella having a meltdown in the restroom. Nell accuses Hazel of betraying her. Hazel claims to have been trying to encourage her to do the right thing. Nella asks why she didn’t back her up. Hazel assures her that she tried.  When Nella shares her idea of a sensitivity reader, Hazel vows her support.

Colin admits to feeling guilty about not seeing all of Shartricia’s layers before thanking Nella. Later, Nella sends Malaika a text informing her of Colin’s apology. She contacts Jesse to offer her help in working on a book.

Conference Room – Vera, Richard, Hazel, and Nella select a photo for Colin’s author profile. Vera suggests bringing in a sensitivity reader. Richard Wagner (Eric McCormack) admits to loving the idea. Hazel asks if it was Nella’s idea. After a quick apology, Vera says Nella recommended it.

On the subway home, Nella looks through the “Burning Heart” archive to find Kendra’s apology note – “It didn’t have to be this way, please” – from Diana. Later, Owen invites Nella to watch “Bake Off.” Hazel secretly watches them embrace as the episode ends.

 

The Other Black Girl Review

Character development is nearly nonexistent which could be contributed to the 30-minute episode. The mystique surrounding Wagner and the “Burning Heart” book is incredibly captivating. It will may end in disappointment but the buildup is surprisingly satisfying. Character development may be lacking but not character depth. Appreciate the smaller cast and shorter episode as leaves little time for fluff.

The episode deserves a 5.8. Get more The Other Black Girl recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by donating. Our onsite advertising builds brand awareness, click the link to learn more.