The will


So...did Earnest intend for RA, alone, to inherit the farm? If so, why did he tuck the letter away? And will there be a power struggle between him and Charley?

Love the show but the cliffhanger sucked.

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RA's gonna be a problem.

While he was accusing Charley of making everything about herself, it's all he was doing. He's such a f____ baby. He annoyed the crap out of me in last night's episode.

But I don't see how whatever he does with the farm will hurt Charley down the line. If her plan works out, she'll process everyone else's crop. If RA still chooses to use refrigeration trucks and haul his crop hours away when he could save by using his sister's mill, that's his stupidity and idiotic pride. I just hope he'll man up and pay Charley back all the money she's invested in his farm.

If she doesn't get the mill operating on, RA devised a great Plan B for his and their neighbors' crops.

Regarding "the will": It was a beautiful letter from father to troubled son. I hope it helps RA with his self worth and he gains a strong appreciation for the land. I just wish Ernest had left everything to Blue.




Some have such a low esteem they create reasons to hate everyone else.

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Excellent answer. Thanks!

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RA is right to be cautious, though.

It'd take time to renovate the mill before they could get it working. Remy said it might take at least six months to have it up and running, but Charley argued that she could speed it up somehow, to something like two months.

Even with their estimates, they still don't know whether the mill would be ready in time for harvest. They don't even know if the mill could operate.

As Remy explained, the mill is fundamentally solid but hadn't operated for 30 years. It went out of business during the 1980s, due to the Landry/Boudreaux family's manipulation.

So, Ralph Angel reasons that they could harvest, transport and grind this year's crop elsewhere. Meanwhile, they could renovate Charley's mill over the year, to have it ready for the next year's harvest. No rush, no risk.

His proposal makes perfect sense. Practical, realistic and affordable, too.

Charley's proposal is highly risky, time-sensitive and expensive. If her plan falls apart, like maybe the mill doesn't perform well, that's their crops wasted. $1.4M down the drain.

Charley did say she'd pay the crop estimate if it doesn't work out, but this doesn't offer satisfaction for anyone who's invested.

The only person who hasn't invested is Nova, so she basically has nothing to lose. Everyone else? They have a lot to lose.

Remy - they are using Remy's experimental sugar seed at no charge, which makes it his investment. RA - he works his ass off as a farm manager and he has his son to consider. Charley - she already spent a lot of money on the farm. If I remember rightly, she so far spent $2.3M, plus the purchase of a mill and the future renovation costs of said mill on top speed (remember, it should take at least six months, but she wanted it fast, which would cost more).

So yeah, I don't blame RA for wanting to be cautious.

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Included in my previous remark:

If she doesn't get the mill operating on *time, RA devised a great Plan B for his and their neighbors' crops.




*word was unintentionally omitted from original post

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I agree with most of your points as far as your take on things but some of the info you gave was never stated in any of the episodes.

but Charley argued that she could speed it up somehow, to something like two months.
Charley said "we could do it in less time" but she never gave an approximation of how much time.

As Remy explained, the mill is fundamentally solid but hadn't operated for 30 years. It went out of business during the 1980s, due to the Landry/Boudreaux family's manipulation.
None of this was shown or said.

If I remember rightly, she so far spent $2.3M,
I do not think that she spent that much, nor was it mentioned. She spent $250,000 on a piece of equipment at the auction. She paid twice the value for it by trying to go toe to toe with Landry, so technically she needs to eat the cost of half of that because it was her fault that she over spent the money. Not sure how much Remy managed to secure the tractor for, but I believe it wasn't more than $90,000 to $100,000. Then there is the $100,000 that was put on the Farm Account that she originally set up for them to handle expenses. There's also the money she uses to pay the undocumented workers that she has to pay in cash. I would say that so far she's probably had to spend about $400,000 no more than $450,000 (if that much)

But I agree with all your other points. Her mill idea is risky and I don't think they have enough time to execute and deal with whatever the Landry.Boureauxs are gonna throw their way, while also continuing to work the farm.

"They told you you were stupid, ugly and doomed to fail............and you believed them." 

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Top_Shelf, I agree with all the good points you made -- especially

He's such a f____ baby. He annoyed the crap out of me in last night's episode.
. Frankly, I will characterize him with a stronger term -- he is a perennial *beep* I say that because I cannot forget the first image of him robbing that store in Ep1. Then he got entangled with the thieves at the warehouse. Aunt Vi pulled his fat from the fire during that fiasco.

So, my feeling is that it is the best for all concerned that RA not be the sole heir to the Bordelon farm. I suspect that RA could end up with some criminal charges (real or contrived) and the land might be lost forever. He has a hair trigger temper and someone always has to calm him down, as Charley had to get in between RA and the Boudreaux guy that offered $4 million for the farm.

I see Charley as the one with the business savvy who knows how to strategize. RA thinks short-term, but he does think and clearly is engaged in making the farm a success. He just needs to recognize that few things come overnight. Nova appears to operate easily in both worlds. As a journalist she can analyze what Charley plans and see the end in sight.

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If her plan works out, she'll process everyone else's crop.


That is one humongous "if".

"They told you you were stupid, ugly and doomed to fail............and you believed them." 

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Yeah, after the way you and Zerose spelled it out, especially with the opposition's shenanigans which I didn't consider thoroughly, RA's Plan B is looking more like the immediate plan of action. Charley's enterprise will come later IF [ <--there's another one ] Davis's money comes through.

But considering how she feels about Remy, I think she'll have a change of heart and separate completely from Davis. She won't like how she looks after she sees herself through Remy's eyes.



Some have such a low esteem they create reasons to hate everyone else.

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But RA can't do anything with the farm without Charlie's money. I don't think she'll give up her portion without him paying her back everything she's already spent. That's gonna be a real issues next season

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It's all BS anyway. There is no way that will holds in court so Boohoo, I mean Ralph Angel, had better pray his sisters don't drop him like the little bitch he is.
He can't do nothing without Charley's money and he doesn't even care about the land, he just wants to be the one who saves the day, like a 5 year old playing Batman.

For every lie I unlearn I learn something new - Ani Difranco

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He didn't expect to die! He also didn't think Charley would return home or that Nova would involve herself with the farm.

So he assumed Ralph Angel would clear out his farm house to sell it, which would have him finding the box. I think he was hoping the revised document will give RA a chance to start afresh. He thought Charley was happy as the manager and wife of a basketball star, and Nova as an investigative journalist.

It's also worth remembering that he did notice RA's attempt to turn his life around. Like getting a job, looking after Blue and the like. He also noticed RA's lack of confidence, especially during their conversation outside the farm (the scene where Blue played in a field while they were walking with Prosper). I'm pretty sure this is what prompted him to write the letter.

And will there be a power struggle between him and Charley?


They are already engaged in a power struggle, mostly due to Charley's insistence on leaving him out of her decisions, which is hurting both.

They are equally owners of the farm, but she acts as if she is the major stakeholder with the other two are minor stakeholders, probably because she has the money.

They wouldn't be having this problem if she had allowed him and Nova to be part of the decision-making process from the start.


All that said, I'm pretty convinced that Ralph Angel will keep the letter a secret because a) he got what he wanted: the encouragement and approval from his partly estranged father, and b) he doesn't want to deprive his sisters their shares of the farm.

I think he or Darla probably will accidentally reveal the secret during a fight with Charley or Nova. No, I take that back -- I actually think Darla will do something stupid. She might think she's doing the right thing for Ralph Angel, but it could backfire on her.

I'm guessing that because Aunt Vi has repeatedly said Darla couldn't be trusted and that she's manipulative. When Ralph Angel and Darla talked about their childhood, one of them said Darla was frequently in trouble and it was always RA who bailed her out. All this suggests Darla will do something rash that could hurt RA.

Let's not forget that there are hints that there could be something between Ralph Angel and Blue's school teacher. Perhaps Darla notices, which could trigger a chain of events involving RA's secret. But I digress.

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This was fun to read. Good points.

And your digression, I fought the temptation to go there by deciding to start a new thread about it but real life got in the way. lol

Since you started, I'll vent here. Why can't I warm up to Darla? I hate the look in her eyes and she seems to slither. I understand a woman's desire to build up her man, but she does it falsely and feeds his acrimony.

I can't wait for them to tell her story. And I also can't wait for her to get out of the picture -- not the show, but the "happy family reunion" veneer. I just think something bad will happen to Blue again before RA dumps her.




Some have such a low esteem they create reasons to hate everyone else.

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Why can't I warm up to Darla? I hate the look in her eyes and she seems to slither. I understand a woman's desire to build up her man, but she does it falsely and feeds his acrimony


I feel the same way. Seems like there is something sinister with her. It's in the eyes like you said.

"when they go low, we go high" - Michelle Obama

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She probably forged that letter. What was she looking for up on that shelf? Seem she set all that up and trying to separate RA from his sisters. I don't quite like her either.

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OMG!!! I thought I was the only one who thought she may have set that whole thing up. I think her intentions are questionable to some because she is just way too perfect right now. She says all the right things, looks at him so lovingly (in RA's eyes).

I was rooting for them at first, but it does look like she is trying to pit the family against each other (at least RA and Charley). I'm not sure, though, what she would gain from it, especially because I don't think RA can succeed without his sisters' help (financially).

I cant wait for next season.

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Darla is definitely Lady MacBeth, but I can't imagine she could pull off forging a letter. I don't know about the Bordelons, but I would have recognized my own father's handwriting in a second, not to mention a forgery of it.
Having said that, why wasn't Ernest open about his intentions? Why would he squirrel the letter away in a place where it might never be found?
He may well have written it, but I get the feeling from this that he was very conflicted about following through on it.

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I agree with this. I don't believe 100% that Darla did this, it was just the first thought that went through my mind and it was interesting to see that other(s) thought the same thing.

I suppose its possible that someone tucked the container away thinking there was nothing of value in it? Or perhaps she had already read the letter (cant remember if it was sealed) and set it up for RA to find it at that moment. Not sure.

You are so right, though, it would have been nice if Ernest were more clear about his intentions. He appeared to be a very private man, but it would have been more prudent for him to share his intentions with someone. Aunt Vi seems like she would have been a good confident.


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Don't forget, Ernest wasn't an old man. He even stated in the letter " I hope it's a long time" referring to him dying the death was relatively swift and unexpected

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but it does look like she is trying to pit the family against each other (at least RA and Charley)


She had nothing to do with Ralph Angel's issues with Charley so how is she trying to pit them against each other? She basically encouraged him to believe in himself when he felt discouraged because of whatever his issues were with Charley and she told him not to worry about Charley but to take pride in knowing what he did.

She also encouraged him to go to the meeting. And punctuated that message by telling him to "respect yourself"

"They told you you were stupid, ugly and doomed to fail............and you believed them." 

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Good point. I think I'm looking for drama where there may not be any. 

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She probably forged that letter.


She did not forge the letter. The letter was written in the dad's penmanship and the writer (Ava Duvernay) spoke to it as being authentic and explained the purpose for it. The only question put forward was - will Ralph Angel tell others about the letter. So no Darla didn't forge Ernest's handwriting.

"They told you you were stupid, ugly and doomed to fail............and you believed them." 

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When Ralph Angel and Darla talked about their childhood, one of them said Darla was frequently in trouble and it was always RA who bailed her out.


This was never said or implied. Ralph Angel never talked about their childhood. And Darla only told the Oscar and Olivia story that shed light on the fact that she didn't have a good father who was able to take care of her. Also that she and Ralph Angel became good friends turned lovers, and then he went to jail and she ended up on drugs.

Aunt Violet keeps saying that she can't be trusted but never says anything about other things she has done outside of referencing what was done to Blue when Darla was on drugs. Now during the storm, after Ralph Angel asks Aunt Violet to "stay out of something for once", Aunt Vi said "I told you about her and I did stay out of it, and look what happened" and Ralph Angel said "Blue's what happened". So what I got from that, is that Aunt Violet always thought she was a trouble maker and didn't like Ralph Angel hanging around her but still not sure why.

There's a lot to be told from their facial expressions though. Ralph Angel is clearly in love with Darla and she with him. I also get that despite her initial timidity in approaching the family and Ralph Angel, that she is a strong individual that had some control over him at one point (and still does), but now she channels it more positively in order to uplift him. I personally never saw anything between he and the teacher from HIS END, except him asking her for favors with regard to Blue. So I just hope that they explain the relationship and the cause of all the animosity some more next season.

Same thing with Charley's mother 'vs' Nova and Ralph Angel's mother.

"They told you you were stupid, ugly and doomed to fail............and you believed them." 

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Sadly, this aspect of the story was very realistic. Parents often make these unfortunate errors in judgement. In this case, the father thought Ralph Angell needed the farm as an inheritance more than Charley and Nova.

But given RA's background, a wiser parent would have built-in a fail-safe mode. Their father should have left the farm as a split this way 50% RA, and the other 50% divided equally between the 2 sisters.

This way, Ralph Angell would have had the larger share, and more negotiating power to get at least one of the sisters to go along with his desire or pov for the farm. The 2 sisters, by pooling their shares, can at least forestall any disastrous decisions on RA's part. This at least compels him to stop and think through any decisions.


Charley, rightly or wrongly, has invested a great deal of her own money. She should not have done that, but nonetheless she has. Basically, she has invested and owns nothing. I think a court would definitely take that into consideration. If RA cannot repay Charley to get her out, he would have to pay her in shares for the farm. It's all the assets he has. So he is going to have to make a deal with her at the very least.

That leaves poor Nova out in the cold unless RA divides it up the way it should have been in the first place, 25% between the two. Although, I doubt Charley would go for that, an equal share with Nova. Knowing Charley, she would play hard ball to get a larger share. About the best Charley can hope for, IMO, is forcing RA to a 40% split between her and RA leaving 20% to Nova.

Charley is not going to own more than RA. If RA is smart, he would force Charley to accept a 30% share with Nova getting 20% and leaving him with 50% of the farm.

The last thing RA should want to happen is for Charley to force him through legal channels to sell the farm. Considering that rich family in the county wants it, with their political connections, it's no stretch to believe that a judge could be manipulated into forcing him to take the best offer.

That's why the family needs to sit down and work this out.

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Sadly, this aspect of the story was very realistic. Parents often make these unfortunate errors in judgement. In this case, the father thought Ralph Angell needed the farm as an inheritance more than Charley and Nova.


I don't think that Ernest made an error in judgement - except in not taking his letter to the lawyer. Because honestly aside from the thought that Ralph Angel needed it more, let's remember that neither Charley or Nova wanted the farm at first, and were actually trying to sell it and get back to their lives. Ralph Angel basically had to have a breakdown (a near psychotic episode) for them to see how important it was to him, before they considered not selling it. I suspect that Ernest saw this as being the issue in his later months - that the girls had moved on with their own lives and had their own homes/property. Consider too that Violet also doesn't have shares in the farm and Ernest was the sole owner. Clearly she was never interested in the farm either. Ernest's thought to even include his girls in the inheritance - he was probably the first in his family to do that.

But given RA's background, a wiser parent would have built-in a fail-safe mode. Their father should have left the farm as a split this way 50% RA, and the other 50% divided equally between the 2 sisters.


This is a good suggestion, but I would go so far as to say give Ralph Angel 55% - 60%. Because if the sisters both agreed - as was the case with selling the farm and even with this risky mill thing - then they would be in a headlock over a final decision. Someone has to have the controlling percent. People act as if Ralph Angel is unreasonable and he isn't. He can be hard headed and emotional at times, but he has not been unreasonable.

Charley, rightly or wrongly, has invested a great deal of her own money. She should not have done that, but nonetheless she has. Basically, she has invested and owns nothing. I think a court would definitely take that into consideration. If RA cannot repay Charley to get her out, he would have to pay her in shares for the farm. It's all the assets he has. So he is going to have to make a deal with her at the very least.


I agree they will have to come to some kind of compromise but for right now I do want Ralph Angel to have the final say on the farm. I personally don't think Nova deserves anything more than 10% because so far she has done very little to assist, outside of her presence at meetings.

That's why the family needs to sit down and work this out.
In Ralph Angel's defense he was trying to talk to Charley but she was off galavanting with Remy and telling Remy all the plans like Remy has some kind of shares/ownership in the farm. Not only that - she answered Nova's call (despite her lack of interest in the farm) and wouldn't even take Ralph Angel's call.

"They told you you were stupid, ugly and doomed to fail............and you believed them." 

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So there are a couple things I have a problem with...

If I'm not mistaken...the will was read to them by a professional...most likely his lawyer...they always have the most updated version of the will because copies can be misplaced or lost. So I highly doubt that the will/letter that RA read is the true will. Maybe at one point in time but now not anymore. But I could still see how RA may still try to use that to his advantage...originally he wanted RA to have the farm but then thought otherwise to include the girls.

Also....this whole mill thing gives me a strong side eye. It is clear the Landry's (I can't spell the B name and won't embarrass myself trying to lol) are a force to be reckoned with. Charley is a fool if she thinks that plan was gping to work out. Even if she buys the mill (which will p*ss them off even more since they already bid on it) and gets it working I'm record time...all it takes is for one or a few men to come by in the middle of the night, wreck ish up and then hers and everyone else's crop is damaged for good.

RA's plan is risky but you could be looking at a small lost than losing the entire crop.

I'm really surprised at Charley I get that being a businessperson you have to be cutthroat at times but they've painted her in too much of an angelic way...she's risking her family and possible relationship with Remy with a plan that will most likely fail. Yet she can donate a million to SWAP in an ex prostitute's name.... -_-

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I don't see Charley as angelic, I see her as a good woman scorned and now her claws her out.





Some have such a low esteem they create reasons to hate everyone else.

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