Harlem is back on Amazon Prime for season three. While we are excited to see the return of our four besties, Camille (Meagan Good), Tye (Jerrie Johnson), Quinn (Grace Byers), and Angie (Shoniqua Shandai), we’re also sad to know that this is the final season. That being said, we’re ready to dive into this chapter of their lives and follow them as their stories unfold over the final six episodes.
Join us as we break down Harlem season three, episode 3×01 “Ex…pecting” and 3×02 “Fallopian Blues.”
NOTE: Spoilers ahead.
Goodbye Is Neither Clean Nor Final
At the end of Harlem season two, Camille and Ian (Tyler Lepley) decided to break up… again. Season 3, Episode 1, “Ex…pecting,” picks up with the two engaged in an ex-with-benefits arrangement. It means exactly what you think it does. Apparently, Camille and Ian both thought that this would be something that wasn’t as messy as an actual relationship. And I can’t understand why because if you’re trying to make room for something new in your life, there’s no way you can do that when you’re hooking up with your ex. I love Camille. Really, I do. But she does not always make the wisest choices in her life. And sleeping with Ian was not a wise choice for many reasons.
Camille and Ian’s arrangement turns sour when he ghosts her for two months without reason. She quickly learns the reason when she sees him with Portia (Logan Browning), whom she thought was like a sister to him, engaged in a moment of PDA. Naturally, she’s upset about this, and rightfully so. Look, I get it. I know that there were supposed to be no strings attached to Camille and Ian’s “Ex-sex.” But if these two are adults, Ian owed her an explanation. Not just vague texts saying he’s busy. If he wanted to end their ex-with-benefits arrangement, he should have said so.
This doesn’t mean that Camille was entirely blameless. She, too, needed to realize that this was a possibility and an eventuality. Just because she wasn’t getting involved with other men and starting new relationships didn’t mean Ian wasn’t. Unfortunately for Camille, sometimes hard lessons have to be learned. As for Camille’s career, she’s chosen an entirely new path. Throughout Harlem seasons 1 and 2, she worked hard to convince Dr. Pruitt (Whoopi Goldberg) that she was worthy of tenure at Columbia. After completing her project on Black Joy for the McNeil grant, she decided that while she loved her time at Columbia, it was time for a clean break, so she quit to focus on writing a book. That sounds great, but the unexpected news that she is pregnant may affect those plans.
Harlem episode 2, “Fallopian Blues,” was about Camille wrestling with the decision to keep her baby or terminate the pregnancy and whether she should tell Ian. It was an important episode. And there were some nods to our current climate as it stands with a woman’s right to choose. I appreciate the time dedicated to Camille’s conversations with her OB/GYN and friends. She took everything to heart. And what made the decision even harder was the fact that she had previously been told she had a low chance of becoming pregnant.
For Camille, this may be her only chance to be a mother. Once she told Ian that she was trying to decide whether she would keep the baby, that only added to the stress. Because he’s the father, he felt he had a say in it, which I must agree with. But I also saw Camille’s side of it as well. Ultimately, she decides to go forward with her pregnancy. I will say considering that Ian and his new boo are trying to have a baby, and she has no idea that Camille is pregnant by him, things are going to get very interesting.
MORE: Need a little refresher on what happened in Harlem season 2? Check out our Harlem review of episode 7 “Fall Back to Rumspringa Forward” and episode 8 “Joy, Joy, Joy.”
Making Space For Something New
Like Camille, at the end of Harlem season 2, Quinn, Angie, and Tye were all looking to start new. Quinn has found joy in single-dom, and her business is flourishing. She’s happier than she’s been and is taking it slow with her decisions to start new relationships. That is until she meets MLB player Seth (Kofi Siriboe) at a Leftovers party hosted by one of her clients. She and Seth immediately hit it off. But Quinn clarifies that she’s not looking for anything serious, and Seth seems to be okay with that.
I can honestly say that I do not blame Quinn for choosing to focus on herself. She had a rough year, was in and out of relationships with men and women, trying to figure herself out. And she was dealing with her mental health and depression, which I hope this season does give us a glimpse of. I know that sounds like I’m being a downer, but mental health is a constant battle. So it would be strange to me if Quinn is just happy all season long. Nobody is happy all day, every day.
Quinn throws herself into her career. And while that’s great, it could still be seen as a coping mechanism because the busier she is, the less time she has to sit with emotions. I also don’t see Quinn staying single very long because after Seth suffered a fashion emergency, she’s now his stylist. So we’re about to blur the lines of mixing business with pleasure… again. Seriously, Quinn has already done this with Isabela (Juani Feliz). Hopefully, the result will have a more positive outcome this time.
Angie is currently on a high right now after getting engaged to Michael (Luke Forbes) and is in the process of planning her wedding. She wants a big ceremony, and he wants something simple. He also seems to be ready for kids. But Angie is not so much, as we found out in Harlem season 3, episode 2 “Fallopian Blues.” After getting the lead role in Girls Trip, the musical, she tells Michael that kids are not in her future currently. But I understand her reason why.
Angie has worked hard to become an actress. And she’s not quite where she wants to be in her career, so she is not ready for motherhood. I respect it because every woman’s journey to motherhood is her own. And if she’s not prepared, I hope that Michael will respect that, and we won’t see him putting pressure on her to be a mother immediately after they are married.
Then there’s Tye. My girl Tye. She had quite the year. After some mother/daughter hook-up drama, she’s chosen to remain celibate because she’s “one big red flag.” That doesn’t seem to be an issue for Eva (Gail Bean), a venture capitalist who is working with her on her new dating app “P.” Tye is more than adamant that she needs to avoid all things that have to do with relationships. Which is so hilarious to me because of her success with creating dating apps. I mean, as the saying goes, “Those who can’t do, teach.”
And even after Tye had let all of her dating drama out for Eva, she was still interested. Eva also seems to be someone who likes a challenge. And I think, in a lot of ways, she and Tye may be more similar than they realize. I hope Tye finds some happiness in the relationship department because we already know she’s fully covered professionally.
As you can see, there was a lot to unpack for the first two episodes of the final season of Harlem. We’ve got four more episodes to go. And I’m very interested in seeing if the series will give us a story that feels complete when it ends.
Other Thoughts
- “What happens when there’s no room for new because that goodbye is neither clean nor final.”
- “Your work isn’t just political. It’s necessary.”
- “New Your Weddings are booked for years.” Sounds like New York is a very popular wedding spot. I just learned something new.
- Tye warning Camille to keep her cool so they didn’t get kicked out of a new restaurant that had just opened was so real. You don’t want to be THAT person. Especially at a grand opening.
- Ians voice note… WOW, bruh. WOW.
- Tye comparing her love life to a Maury episode… accurate.
- Quinn guiding Seth to the right personal shopper who knows how to pick clothes for people with dark skin tones was more important than people would think.
- I know Angie wants a big wedding, but I agree with Michael and Tye that big weddings are a bad investment.
- “Sometimes what felt like a messy goodbye is actually a far more complicated hello.”
- “There is no right or wrong, good or bad. Your body, your choice.”
- “My life is not a reaction to you.” YES, Camille! Because for real, Ian… the audacity of you.
- “We don’t have anything to figure out. I do.”
- Camilles mom… I-
- “We’re not destined to repeat our parent’s mistakes. We’re out here breaking patterns, baby.”
New episodes of Harlem season three are released on Thursdays on Prime Video.
