‘Run the World’ Recap: ‘A Dream Deferred’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Season Two Premiere of ‘Run the World’.
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There is a fascinating trend emerging in television right now. In that, so many shows are forgoing what television used to stand for, which was raw entertainment, and are instead… injecting powerful honesty and realism into the stories they tell. Which is allowing for powerful tales to come to life, the kind that showcase the problems in our world, and provide us with representation and insight into parts of our world we know nothing of… all while teaching us powerful lessons along the way. And one show that has led the charge in this in the past couple of years is Run the World on STARZ. For this series about black women living their best life in Harlem…. accomplishes all of those goals.
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Courtesy of incredible writing and magnificent acting that lets us into the lives of these characters in an intimate and groundbreaking manner that compels us to soak in every single moment we spend with these incredible women, and well… the good news is… the time has come for us to enjoy this refreshing and powerful series once again. For last night saw the season two premiere of this show arrive and ‘A Dream Deferred’ not only provided us with what we love about this series. Such as the comedy that makes its deeper moments feel less heavy, while reuniting us with characters we know and love… but it also set the stage for some grand explorations. The kind that will stay with us for some time.

Take for instance, Renee’s journey in this tale. Since it spoke deeply to how sometimes the decisions, we make for ourselves in life, can hurt those we love deeply and create fallout when we think we know best, and make the call without consulting or communicating. Plus, it spoke to how… we have to figure out how to navigate that hurt and figure out how to heal and avoid vengeance and darkness along the way. Since that always causes more harm than good. But we also need to avoid the ugly stuff after being wounded, because… a level head is the only way to come back from mistakes, and really come to learn if we have something wonderful in front of us or if we are incompatible with the person we love, and our decision simply sped up the inevitable. And it will be fascinating to see Renee and Jason go through that journey of discovery and see if they are indeed the right match that can use their ambition to their advantage, or if this is the end, and that is going to be a powerfully realistic journey, that we have all endured in some form or fashion… or will endure. 

As for Sondi, her journey here set the stage for an incredible exploration regarding love and its imperfections. And how sometimes following our heart and chasing the love we crave… can and will create complications we aren’t sure we can handle, forcing us to decide if the love in question is worth fighting for and keeping. Which this episode set up, by way of the return of Amari’s biological mother. Since that informed Sondi that she will be around often, at inopportune times no less and rightfully so. Because she IS Amari’s mom and no amount of support on Sondi’s part or decision making as she took part in here, will change that. And that will indeed make her relationship with Matthew quite tough and make her an outsider now and again when mom and dad are forced to make decisions about their daughter and that too, will be incredible to follow and watch play out and learn from. Since this too, is realistic and relatable since there are plenty of people experiencing something similar in their love right now.

But of course, the centerpiece of this story was indeed Whitney’s journey. For last season she made the mistake that everyone dreads, infidelity. Not the kind born of malice, since that is somehow easier to reconcile, but out of other reasons that are never clear, and of course… that mistake had her in a tough place in this story. One where she wanted to make amends with Ola and find a way forward… to no avail. Because he decided that the damage done was irreparable and opted to move on. Which means, that Whitney and oddly Ola for that matter, are going to explore what comes next when we dissolve a relationship because of infidelity. Allowing for us to see how people heal from that, or don’t… since those wounds do indeed run deep, and to explore the emotional fallout of such matters. From the perspective of the person that was cheated upon and the person… that made the choice to cheat. A journey that will offer catharsis to so many since cheating is commonplace in our world and will of course… teach us plenty about the why and how and the way forward from it.

All of which, made this a brilliant half hour of television. The kind that wonderfully set the stage for season two’s grand explorations. Which reminded us of the brilliance of this show and how it really does just reflect upon life and its ups and downs and the intimate things we all go through as we walk our path. Also, it reminded us that what makes this show so special and so worthwhile, is that we will explore such matters through a supremely unique lens. Through the eyes of black women, who will offer us fascinating perspective and reflections on these matters, and that’s special and that’s important, and this episode once again leaves us eager for more of this show. So, we can learn from these brilliant women in the weeks to come as they take on these new challenges, all while working to make their mark on the world and conquer it and run it as they see fit. Until next time.    

To learn more about the characters of ‘Run the World’ check out our interview with series stars, Amber Stevens West (Whitney), Bresha Webb (Renee), Corbin Reid (Sondi), Erika Alexander (Barb), Tosin Morohunfola (Ola) and Jay Walker (Jason).

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