In the aftermath of her heart attack, Regina attempts to bring Bennie to therapy with her. An overwhelmed Lucretia starts to miss having her own space.
Regina has made a lot of progress after a month talking with her therapist, Dr. Pearl Edmunds. However, she still doesn't want to return home. The doctor thinks that's understandable given she had a heart attack there. Regina doesn't believe that's the reason why. She was struggling with depression before that traumatic event. That only amplified it and made the rest of the family aware of her struggle. She has been so driven for so long. She hit her breaking point. She doesn't know how to bounce back in order to return to the world she loves without falling into the same pattern. She's grateful Bennie and Lucretia have stepped up to pick up the slack at home. However, everyone is desperate for things to return to normal soon. They expect so much from Regina. The physical and emotional labor she provided was overwhelming. No one knew how much she has actually providing for this family. They supported her dream of returning to school. They want that to happen. They also expect so much from her at home. Regina has spent a month sharing her side of the story in therapy. That's not enough time for her to fully heal. She's on the mend. She has also grown comfortable at Lucretia's apartment. That annoys Lucretia. The sisters have different understandings of cleanliness and privacy. Lucretia has sacrificed so much of her life for Regina. She is happy to do so. She is always quick to blame Bennie for every problem that comes up. He's not to blame in this particular situation. In fact, he has a lot of value to provide if he is open and honest about what's going on. He doesn't want to see a therapist. The doctor isn't looking to analyze his behavior and tell him how he's doing everything wrong. That isn't the purpose of this session. It's all about providing a new perspective to the situation. The therapist needs to know more about what's going on at home. She understands that Regina isn't sharing something. Regina doesn't even know it herself. As such, she can't provide any insight to the trained professional tasked with helping her during this difficult moment. Bennie isn't helpful because he's so reluctant to embrace the help Regina is asking for. He listens to his wife. He believes he doesn't have to follow through because she'll never know either way. He wants his freedom. He wants time away to enjoy a basketball game with his friends. Of course, it's pure dysfunction from the start. They don't have good seats. The attention they receive only creates more problems. It takes being thrown into a cell once more for Bennie to realize how he is suppose to be helping his wife. That realization dawns on him. It doesn't result in any new insight being provided. Nothing ultimately changes within the family. This new dynamic is here to stay it seems.
Lucretia doesn't want Regina to be sad. And yet, she appreciated how her sister treated the apartment when she was spending most of her time in a room by herself. Now, Regina is engaging with the world once more. That means delighting in the luxuries Lucretia was saving for herself. She needs the time away from the family to recover in order to return as her charming self later on. That break has always been provided to her. She feels no pressure to treat Kelvin as part of the family. They aren't related. He just happens to be living in the Upshaw house now. He adds to the chaos. The family essentially goes through the same routine every morning. Mistakes are made. Details are overlooked. They are just living moment to moment. School provides some structure to the kids. Meanwhile, work is a distraction for the adults. Even then, Bennie isn't all that committed to these responsibilities. Instead, it's all in service of presenting a happy face for Regina. No one wants to do anything that could possibly set off her depression again. They are annoyed by how long it's taking for her to return home. That result hasn't happened yet. Regina's fears remain. She goes to the house only to see Bennie and the kids. She continues to engage in those dynamics. She even has the tools to ensure she doesn't spiral with anxiety once frustrations emerge. It's easy to be furious with Bennie. He didn't do what Regina wanted him to do. He has never taken therapy seriously. It's not something he wants to do. Everyone knew that. Everyone knew precisely how he would react to this request. As such, it's a little lame to build an entire plot around getting him to that point of comfort. The realization has to be dragged out of him. Meanwhile, the comedy comes from Lucretia being annoyed over how Regina is treating her living space. She has low expectations. She wants to be a loving and nurturing sister. She's annoyed too. She wants to enjoy her privacy. Regina disrupts that. Even when Regina leaves for awhile, it still leads to an unfortunate sight. Again, it's all about the visual and absurd humor. Bennie walks in on Lucretia dancing naked in her living room to Chaka Khan. That's the freedom she has every right to enjoy. Bennie expects to find Regina at the new place she is calling home. And yet, everything pivots back to the house they share with their family. That's where Regina expects answers from her husband. It's also where Bennie professes to be a changed man all over again. Some of these patterns are repeated. Regina is taking the time to grow. That's acknowledged frequently. She's not the only one who needs some insight into why they behave the way they do. That analysis could change so many lives. It doesn't seem likely because of the resistance these characters put in the way to avoid changing what has always made them happy and comfortable. It just so happened to come at Regina's expense most of the time.
