Spoiler warning: We’re talking about Tandy’s interrogation, Carla becoming the new shooting suspect, Dime’s pregnancy fears, Renee’s crazy behind and that ending.
Baby, Episode 7 is called “Cell Block One,” and when Carla realizes Blue and Tommy are coming for her, this woman decides the safest place in Atlanta might actually be JAIL.
Let that sink in.
Madam’s people are apparently so terrifying that Carla looks at the police station and says:
“Yes. Put me in there.”
And honestly?
After seeing what Madam was doing to Tandy at the beginning of this episode, I understand the logic.
Madam Is Still Trying to Fry the Truth Out of Tandy
We pick up with Tandy still in Madam’s custody, and Madam has apparently decided regular questioning is for people with patience.
She is shocking this woman while Tandy keeps insisting she did not shoot her.
Tandy finally reminds Madam that the police have her gun and that the ballistics test will prove whether she fired the weapon.
Madam decides to wait for the results.
But she makes one thing VERY clear:
If that gun connects Tandy to the shooting, the little electrical treatment she just received was the free trial.
Lord.
Tandy leaves that room looking like she has reconsidered every decision that brought Madam into her life.
And at this point, I still don’t think Tandy is the shooter.
Suspicious?
Absolutely.
Messy?
Without question.
But the show is pushing her so hard as the obvious suspect that I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.
And baby, it drops.
Blue and Tommy Finally Find the Valet
Blue and Tommy catch up with Hakeem, the valet who may know something about the gray sedan seen around Eden on the night Madam was shot.
And when I say “catch up,” I mean they throw that man into a vehicle and start asking questions with guns visible.
Human Resources has left the building.
Hakeem finally tells them something VERY interesting.
According to him, Carla likes taking customers’ cars for joyrides.
Not just the fancy ones either.
He specifically remembers her taking a plain gray four-door around the same time Blue and Tommy have been trying to identify that mysterious sedan.
Oh?
Now Tommy’s ears perk all the way up.
Because Madam also remembers getting a shot off at her attacker.
And Carla has an injury that suddenly starts looking mighty suspicious.
Tommy is convinced.
Blue is more cautious.
Because accusing Madam’s own sister of trying to kill her is not the kind of mistake you get to apologize for afterward.
Tommy basically says they don’t need a judge and jury.
Blue reminds him:
Exactly. Madam is worse.
Fair point.
Hakeem Immediately Calls Carla and Ruins Everything
After Blue and Tommy dump Hakeem on the side of the road, he calls Carla for help.
Then this fool tells her EXACTLY what happened.
He tells Carla a mean-looking woman and a big muscular man kidnapped him and started asking questions about who takes cars from the valet stand.
Carla asks how they found out she takes the cars.
Hakeem says:
“I told them.”
Sir.
WHY?
Carla hangs up on him and immediately realizes Blue and Tommy are closing in.
Now she needs somewhere to hide.
And apparently Motel 6 is not secure enough.
Carla Has the Most Carla Solution Possible
Carla walks herself into a police station and says she wants to be arrested.
The officer checks her record.
Nothing serious.
Just unpaid tickets.
They tell her to go home.
Carla insists.
The police still don’t want her.
Imagine TRYING to get arrested and the police saying:
“Ma’am, we are busy.”
Carla finally decides she has to upgrade the crime.
So she urinates on the police station floor.
And THAT finally gets her arrested.
This woman committed a crime because she needed protective custody from her sister’s employees.
Forget witness protection.
Carla created her own.
Meanwhile, Midnight’s Crazy Ex Is Still Crazy
Midnight gets a special VIP request.
The woman wants him to enter without talking and approach her from behind.
Sir.
Given your recent history, maybe we don’t accept mysterious special requests.
Sure enough, it’s Renee.
The same Renee who stabbed him.
She acts like their little stabbing incident was just a lovers’ disagreement.
No, ma’am.
A disagreement is leaving the toilet seat up.
You put a knife in that man.
Things get physical again, and Midnight believes Renee is dead.
So naturally he calls Madam because apparently:
“There’s a dead woman in VIP”
is now a routine workplace issue at Eden.
Madam comes in ready to deal with the body.
Except…
Renee is gone.
That woman gets up and disappears.
Later, Midnight finds another disturbing message from her.
At this point, MOVE.
Sell the furniture.
Change your name.
Go work at Costco.
Because Renee is not giving up.
Dime Sees the Future and Starts Panicking
Dime’s storyline is much quieter, but it might be the most important emotionally.
She imagines what life could look like with Amp and their child.
The baby even has a name: Mackenzie.
Amp is doing dad jokes.
They’re talking about dinner.
It looks sweet and domestic and completely different from the chaos surrounding Eden.
For a moment, Dime gets to see the family Amp seems ready to build with her.
Then reality hits.
She looks at the pregnancy book.
And she starts hyperventilating.
That scene told me everything without her needing some giant speech.
Amp is excited.
Dime is scared.
And wanting to love somebody does not automatically mean you’re ready to become a mother.
I’m interested to see where they take this because Dime clearly has a decision weighing heavily on her.
Carla Becomes Blue and Tommy’s Main Suspect
Blue and Tommy put the pieces together.
Carla had access to the gray sedan.
She had motive.
She had opportunity.
And she has an injury that could line up with Madam firing back at her attacker.
Tommy is ready to march straight into Madam’s office and announce:
“Your sister shot you.”
Blue stops him.
Thank you, Blue.
Because maybe confirm that before Madam turns Thanksgiving into a funeral.
They decide they need to find Carla first and make absolutely sure.
Small problem.
Carla is now sitting comfortably in jail like:
You can’t get me in here!
This woman has accidentally become a criminal mastermind.
And Somebody Bails Carla Out!
Carla is enjoying herself in the cell, talking foolishness, when Detective Davis comes to tell her she made bail.
Carla does NOT want to leave.
That alone is hilarious.
She keeps asking who paid her bail.
Nobody gives her an answer.
And when she walks out?
Carla sees whoever is waiting for her and immediately knows she is in trouble.
OH.
So somebody knew exactly where she was.
Somebody wanted her OUT of that safe little jail cell.
And we don’t get the answer yet.
Rude.
Very rude.
My Take
“Cell Block One” was one of the more entertaining episodes this season because the shooter investigation finally made a sharp turn.
We spent all this time staring at Tandy, and now suddenly Carla looks like she could have been behind the whole thing.
Do I believe Carla did it?
I’m not completely sold.
She definitely knows something.
And her behavior after hearing Blue and Tommy were asking questions screamed:
“I need to disappear immediately.”
But on this show, looking guilty and actually being guilty are rarely the same thing.
I also liked Dime’s pregnancy storyline because it’s not treating motherhood like everybody automatically jumps for joy the second they see two lines on a test.
Dime is scared, and that feels real.
Midnight?
I have no advice left.
If Renee shows up one more time, he needs to pack a bag.
And Carla purposely getting arrested by peeing on the police station floor might be one of the most ridiculous survival strategies I have ever seen.
But guess what?
It worked.
Until somebody bailed her out.
SoulNeekTV Rating: 4½ out of 5 Tea Cups ☕☕☕☕½
This episode gave us a new shooting suspect, Carla acting completely insane, Dime facing a serious emotional decision and Renee refusing to stay gone.
But now I need one answer:
WHO BAILED CARLA OUT?
Because whoever did it clearly wanted that woman back on the street.
And I seriously doubt it was because they missed her.