The final two episodes of Harlem Season 3 are out now, and they seem to have come so quickly. That’s probably because we knew we were saying farewell to our favorite foursome this time. It’s a bittersweet goodbye because this series has done an excellent job authentically showcasing these beautiful Black women. We’ve followed Camille, Angie, Tye, and Quinn’s stories for three seasons and have rooted for them throughout. Season 3, Episode 5, “Fear Factor,” and Season 3, Episode 6, “Dear Harlem,” found a way to close out each of their chapters in life while delivering a beautiful love letter to Harlem.
MORE: Harlem Season 3, Episodes 3 & 4? Here’s our review!
Quinn
Harlem Season 3, Episode 4, “Foot Rub,” delivered a gut punch when Quinn overheard Seth having an intimate conversation with a woman named Sabrina. In Harlem Season 3, Episode 5, “Fear Factor,” she confronted him to find out what was happening. Seth is completely honest with her and tells her he believes in an “ethically non-monogamous relationship,” which is basically saying he wants an open, polyamorous relationship. Of course, Quinn was disappointed and hurt because Seth was seeing another woman while professing his love. That is precisely what I was afraid of and have been since Harlem Season 3, Episode 1, “Ex…pecting.”
Facing Fears
Quinn has not had a lot of luck in the love department, so when she met Seth and told him that she wasn’t looking for anything serious, I worried that would not last. Quinn wears her heart on her sleeve, and she wants a family. I wouldn’t necessarily blame Seth for having another lady on the side. Before you come for me with pitchforks, hear me out. Seth took what Quinn said to heart when she said she didn’t want a serious relationship. Therefore, he assumed, wrongly, in my opinion, that she was also dating around. This could have been solved if they had a real conversation early on when they realized their relationship was shifting into something more serious. After five months of dating, yeah.. that’s more than just a fling.
The biggest reason Quinn started to consider Seth’s arrangement was because, in her mind, she was afraid that he was as good as she would get. She believed that if she couldn’t be with Seth, nobody else would be left out there to love her. It broke my heart to hear that because Quinn has much to offer. Once she met with Sabrina, she learned that she deserved so much better than what Seth wanted to give her, and I am happy. I’m even more glad that Quinn came out of it okay and discovered she didn’t have to have Seth in her life to get the future she wanted.
Life And Love Aren’t At All As Easy And Romantic As The Fairytales Make Them Out To Be…
Angie
Harlem Season 3 was all about Angie’s journey to become a successful actress, and she accomplished that and more. Her role in the Broadway production of Girls Trip the Musical gained her some attention from Malcolm D. Lee, who wanted her to star in his film. It’s just what Angie wanted and dreamed of. Unfortunately, she also faced having to make some sacrifices in her relationship. As she was planning her wedding to Mike, it seemed there was obstacle after obstacle, and they could never agree. And it was clear that Mike didn’t seem to be as supportive of her career as he claimed.
Mike wanted a wife who would stay home and have hot meals on the stove. Ultimately, he turned out to be such a jerk, which surprised me. Interestingly, I had a feeling they were not going to get married, but I did not see their relationship going downhill the way it did. I know Mike felt like Angie was too busy for him, but he could have approached everything better. He was downright nasty and disrespectful to her. The man said, “I didn’t know you were so ambitious,” as if that was bad. Angie knows her worth, so she has no problem telling Mike as much. The two parted ways, and I couldn’t have been happier.
Tye
Tye spent lots of time working on her relationship with Eva throughout Season 3 of Harlem. This was her first serious relationship in a long time, and she had a few missteps, including standing Eva and her mom up in Harlem Season 3, Episode 5, “Fear Factor.” After that, Tye learned a valuable lesson in honesty because Eva made it clear in Harlem Season 3, Episode 6 “Dear Harlem,” that though she knew who Tye was, lying would never fly with her.
I understand why Tye stood Eva and her mom up, but it was still a messed up thing to do. With Eva’s mom being a clinical psychologist with a history of making it known that she wasn’t a fan of her daughter’s girlfriends, anyone would freak out. Tye is not used to confronting her feelings. But to get Eva back, she has to take a step back and reevaluate her choices and what she wants for her relationship. I think Tye had a lot of growth this season, and she learned to let down her walls a bit. Eva was the first woman to feel she could be herself, and I loved that for her.
Camille
Every single one of the ladies went through some changes in their lives, but Camille’s life changed in a big way when she got pregnant. She dealt with many challenges, from changing her career to finding a way to co-parent (can you co-parent during pregnancy?) with Ian as he struggled to maintain his relationship with Portia (sure, you can figure out how well that went).
Though Camille initially was fine going it alone, when Ian stepped up to help, it re-ignited her feelings for him. And vice versa. This didn’t surprise me, because they rekindled their friendship. The more time they spent together, the closer they got. And once their baby girl arrived, Ian realized he had always had the woman he wanted right before him. Though they had a messy and bumpy ride, it couldn’t be denied that the two were meant for each other, and they got their happily ever after.
It Was Always Supposed To Be You
All in all, I have to say that I enjoyed Harlem Season 3. However, with only six episodes, some stories wrapped up too quickly, and I could feel the rushed pace at some points. Unfortunately, this led to missing out on many story beats. One of my main issues was the lack of POV from Ian’s girlfriend, Portia. When we saw her in Harlem Season 3, Episode 1, “Ex..pecting” and Harlem Season 3, Episode 2, “Fallopian Blues,” she and Ian were dating and trying to have a baby.
Once Ian learned Camille was pregnant with his child, it was like they had forgotten about Portia. We never saw her reaction to learning that Camille was pregnant by Ian. It was never clear if Portia knew or even how she felt about anything really until Harlem Season 3, Episode 5, “Fear Factor,” and then by Harlem Season 3, Episode 6, “Dear Harlem,” they were breaking up.
I think if there wasn’t enough time to develop Portia’s story, then her character shouldn’t have been written to simultaneously be trying to have a baby while Camille was pregnant by Ian. It did nothing to move the story along. It left me with more questions than answers. I also would have liked to have seen Tye reunited with her family, but we didn’t get that either. And based on her conversation with Eva in Harlem Season 3, Episode 6, “Dear Harlem,” it didn’t seem like she ever went home after she bought a plane ticket in Harlem Season 3, Episode 3, “Can We Talk… For A Minute.”
Despite these things, I still think creator Tracy Oliver gave us a show we needed. Black women need to see more stories that feature us in healthy friendships, living successful lives, loving people, and being loved right back. Harlem checked off many boxes for me, so here’s hoping more people realize we want more shows telling authentic stories.
Other Thoughts
- “Does New York have one honest (expletive) guy?”
- Ian was really excited about buying a minivan.
- Still stumped by the lack of POV for Portia.
- It Would have been nice to see more interaction between Camille and her mom.
- “Facing fear is never easy because it’s not only the obstacle in front of you that you must overcome but the underlying fears that come along with that obstacle…”
- Camille and Portia’s encounter at Camille’s last appointment was incredibly awkward, and it only made me wish for more of Portia’s POV.
- “I feel like I’m trying to understand the existence of a ghost.”
- “I have a real problem with the ease with which you can lie to me.” I do love the writing on this show!
- Camille really said Portia was “Ruining everything” by being around. GIRL!
- “You can knight in shining armor your a.. somewhere else.”
- Quinn meeting Sabrina… yikes. There is an incredibly high cringe factor.
- “Hard-fought wins are even sweeter than ones that come easily.”
What did you think of Harlem Season 3 Episodes 5 & 6? Share with us in the comments below!
Harlem is available to stream on Prime Video.
