The final two episodes of Harlem season two were all about the girls trying to recapture some good times and some joy. In episode 2×07, “Fall Back To Rumspringa Forward,” the ladies were on a mission to have the best girl’s trip. In episode 2×08, “Joy, Joy, Joy,” the episode was about black joy.
Join us as we break down Harlem season two, episode 2×07, “Fall Back To Rumspringa Forward,” and episode 2×08, “Joy, Joy, Joy.”
Harlem episode 2×07, “Fall Back To Rumspringa Forward,” picks up with Camille, Tye, Quinn, and Angie preparing to take a girl’s trip to Puerto Rico. In their younger days, the ladies took a trip there and had the time of their lives. The goal of this trip was to recapture those feeling all over again. Though it seemed like a good idea, they quickly realized they were not the same people they once were.
Camille, Tye, Angie, and Quinn planned to forget their troubles back home, but as we all know, even on vacation, sometimes our reality still gets in the way. Camille thought taking the trip would take her mind off her ex-boyfriend Jameson whom she woke up in bed with at the end of episode 2×06, “Out of the deadpan and into the fire” I don’t know how she thought she’d be able to stop thinking about him when she was working on her Motherhood project while on the trip. For goodness sake, she’s working with Jameson on the project.
As it turns out, Camille never actually slept with Jameson. At least not in the way we initially thought. When she talks to Angie about what went down with her and Jameson, we learn she and him only took a power nap for 10 minutes, resulting in her ending up spending part of the night in his bed. We get how she wouldn’t divulge that information to Ian. Spending part of the night in bed with your ex-boyfriend is not a good look, even if it was an accident.
Tye is on a mission to live her best life in Puerto Rico. Her attempts at getting the other ladies on board don’t work, so she’s left alone. She spends the trip chasing her youth by doing a few outdoor activities that don’t go well. Things got so bad that she ended up injuring herself. On the plus side, she gets a call from plant lady Aimee, which seems to brighten up her trip more than the trip itself.
Angie, who is in a new relationship with Mike, decided that going to Puerto Rico would be her “booty farewell tour,” where she’d go and hook up with some good-looking men. She tries to make it happen while on the trip, but her feelings for Mike are stronger than she thought, so she can’t bring herself to sleep with anyone else. I was glad she didn’t hook up with anyone because Mike is nice, and he makes her happy.
Quinn, who planned the girl’s trip, is still masking her problems. Before going to Puerto Rico, she was prescribed medication for depression, but she chose not to fill the prescription. She just wanted to go on a trip without thinking about anything and hoped for her eat, pray, love moment. She might get it when she runs into an old flame named Keith (Trai Byers), NYU Keith. The two spend some time together, and sparks start to fly again. Quinn is enjoying herself with him until her mom Patricia shows up.
Angie, the good BFF, was worried about Quinn and her not taking her medication, so she called Quinn’s mom to see her. Quinn isn’t thrilled to see her mom while she’s trying to have a vacation, but it is good that she is there. Quinn learns from her mom that her father also has depression and is taking medication for it. She’s stunned to hear this and mad at her mom for keeping something like this from her. She’s still not set on taking medication, but Patricia tells her how much it’s helped his father and ultimately helps Quinn decide to start hers.
Despite the girl’s trip drama, all four women experienced a beautiful moment of clarity together. Before ending the trip, they partake in the Noche De Juan tradition of walking back into the ocean to cleanse their sins. All that they went through is reflected in flashbacks as they walk out of the water into the newness of their lives.
Episode 2×08, “Joy, Joy, Joy,” the finale of Harlem season two, does a bit of a time jump. I’m not sure by how much, but it’s clear that a few weeks have gone by. Quinn has been taking her medication and is feeling better than she has in a while. She has also been dating NYU Keith. That’s why I thought it was strange that she was so upset with Angie when she found out about her relationship with Mike. When Patricia tried setting Quinn up with Mike in episode 2×03, “An Assist From The Sidelines,” she made it clear she didn’t want to date him.
Angie felt so wrong about how Quinn thought about the situation that she broke up with Mike. Her friendship with Quinn means a lot to her, so she puts Quinn’s happiness above hers. Mike is so in love with Angie, and he’s not ready to accept that, so he goes to Quinn’s shop to confront her. He made some valid points that Quinn took to heart, making her look deeper within herself about some things.
One of the things Quinn ultimately realized was that she had spent so much time feeling like her happiness was contingent upon who she was with. She broke up with Keith because she needed time to learn to love herself again. We can respect that because it is important to love yourself first.
Going back to Angie, she’s doing amazing things in her career and has been cast in her first lead role. Even though she was happy about that, she was still heartbroken over not being with Mike. Thankfully, once Quinn realized the error of her ways, she helped Mike set up a marriage proposal. Now, I have to say I did say “aww” at the moment, but I also thought to myself, “Isn’t this a little fast?” that being said, I’m interested to see where this goes.
While the Harlem season two finale was filled with some joyful moments, there were some unexpected ones. Tye has now launched a new dating app called “P” for polyamorous ladies, and she’s even looking for love herself. Plant lady Aimee has gotten to know Tye and likes her, so she decides to take the plunge by asking her on a date. Tye is all for it and doesn’t even care that she has a daughter. That’s until the daughter turns out to be Zoe, the girl Tye hooked up with after finding her on the SheBToxic website we mentioned in episode 2×01,” Takesie Backsies” To say that things are about to get interesting is an understatement.
After Camille’s trip to Puerto Rico with the girls, she changed her project for the McNeil grant to one about Black Joy instead of focusing on Motherhood. The project is a huge success, sparking something in her and making her rethink what she wants in life. That included her relationship with Ian. Throughout the episode, it seemed like everyone was talking to Camille about kids. She realized that kids were not something she saw in her future and that her career was her baby. She tells Ian this because she knows what he wants in their future and no longer wants the same things.
Just as I predicted when I watched episode 2×02, “If You Can’t Say Anything Nice…” the two ended up breaking up. That’s not where episode 2×08, “Joy, Joy, Joy, “ ends. There’s an epilogue where all four ladies are seated together at a doctor’s appointment, and we learn that one of them is pregnant. Just which one of the ladies is pregnant remains a mystery, and I can’t wait to find out who it is.
Harlem season two was full of many laughs and some emotional moments. I wish we had seen more of Camille and Ian navigating their new relationship because I don’t feel there was enough of that. I also feel like some of the storylines were a little rushed, like the Angie/Mike love story and even Quinn and Isabela. They didn’t get nearly enough story as I felt they should have. I know that sometimes pacing can be tricky for shows with multiple characters because you have to balance telling all of their stories. I did enjoy this season, though, and I’m looking forward to the next.
Harlem season two is available to stream on Prime Video.
