Now that the smoke and mirrors of She Has Risen dissipated, the women must maneuver around Quad’s immovable and unavoidable presence. If this were Housewives, Quad would just continue to show up at events, tail between her legs, until the next fight begins with someone else, perhaps receiving a passive-aggressive dig here or there. But that won’t cut it on Married to Medicine, where delusional rug-sweeping can lead to a permanent exile (just ask Mariah Huq). In this show, Quad must fall on her sword and answer to The Core Four.
Jackie, Simone, Toya, and Heavenly have proven to be the foundation of Married to Medicine; each woman has been around since the beginning (Heavenly technically appeared in season one), and their dedication to opening up their lives to the camera lends a consistency to the show regardless of the revolving door of other cast members. Sure, there’s an argument that Quad has also been around since the first season, but her constantly fluctuating relationships with the other women and her inability to be fully transparent separates her from the other OGs. In many ways, The Core Four are the last women standing, having ridden the waves together for ten years, and as captains of this ship, they are the only ones who can fully welcome Quad back into the group. But if The Core Four are the captains, the producers are the ones who ultimately decide who gets to be on the boat, and for many reasons, the producers won’t let Quad walk the plank.
Whether The Core Four want her to film or not, like Quad posted regarding her attendance at Tea’s bachelorette, she’s merely doing her job. If the producers want her on the show, she’ll be on the show. It makes for good television, and what makes it especially delicious is watching the cast politics. Like I said, this ain’t Housewives; producer influence or not, these women are not going to hold back their feelings and carry on a fake friendship in the name of reality TV. So a meeting of the minds is scheduled, and for the first time in years, The Core Four gather to strategize the next phase in Operation: Quadriyyah.
Toya, the founder and president of the I Hate Quad Club, calls a summit with The Core Four to discuss a trip to Napa Valley, where they’ll celebrate Toya’s wine subscription. This is the first all-cast vacation, so they must unanimously decide on how to deal with Quad. Before eventually allowing Quad on the trip (not that she has a choice), Toya launches into all the reasons Quad shouldn’t go, pointing out how their beef has been ongoing for years. She specifically cites the shenanigans at the funeral home, pointing out how Quad took no culpability, instead framing herself as a victim. Simone agrees — Quad showed up in all-white and proclaimed to wipe the slate clean on everything they did to her. Heavenly says she feels discarded after Quad befriended Phaedra. Jackie is, of course, silent, but we all know in her head she’s saying how she doesn’t like Quad. Toya proposes that this trip will double as a cessation of hostilities, a truce between parties only if Quad is able to hold herself accountable. Toya knows that as president of the I Hate Quad Club, she can’t be the one to lead M2M’s version of The Treaty of Versailles, so she asks for the backing of the rest of The Core Four to tackle it as a united front.
The Core Four agree that this is one last chance for Quad “to be a sister†and that it makes the most sense for her to come to Napa with Phaedra, as this season, she’s been the closest to Quad. But The Core Four aren’t the only ones meticulously strategizing: Phaedra is a master calculator who has become even more diligent in her stealthiness after her infamous fall from grace on RHOA. Her initial alliance with Quad came naturally as the two are cut from the same cloth, but after realizing that Quad’s refusal to apologize makes her a pariah, Phaedra switches teams. Instead of flying in with Quad, Phaedra abruptly changes her flight, using a half-assed excuse about her son’s birthday. She’s shifty and possibly even paranoid about making the wrong move this time around, but the message of distancing herself from Quad is clear. Jackie clocks it perfectly in her confessional: “Phaedra’s going to cut you off if you don’t make her look good.â€
While Phaedra, Quad, and Jackie fly in separately, the rest of the women travel together, and in the sprinter van on the way to the hotel, Heavenly and Tea get into another altercation. The energy is still icy from Tea’s wedding, and when Tea says it’s her first time in California and Simone points out this is the second big life event of hers they’ve witnessed, Heavenly quips that she wishes she could’ve celebrated her special day. Tea bristles, only prompting Heavenly to go harder. Heavenly says Gregory is “old as dirt,†and when Tea relays the conversation to Gregory later, she tells her husband that Heavenly also says he had worms. Heavenly’s mouth is the gift that keeps on giving.
Once at the hotel, Toya reveals that she “forgot†to get Quad a room because she wasn’t sure if she would really come. Literally everyone refuses to room with Quad (Jackie said no with eight Os), so Alicia is stuck with the pariah, saying “I don’t mind†between pursed lips. When Quad finally does arrive, the reception from Toya is prickly, to say the least, but Simone keeps it cordial. After Quad heads to her room, Toya confronts Simone, accusing her of being fake with Quad. Toya, who wears her heart on her sleeve, often has trouble when the OB/GYNs, in particular, bite their tongue in the name of keeping the peace. But the doctors operate (lol, sorry, I had to) differently than Toya, and once dinner rolls around, Simone is ready to strike.
The dinner starts off wonderfully, with Toya delivering the luxury she promised. Jackie shares that she’ll be having a Zoom meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris to talk about Black maternal mortality. She’s ecstatic to connect with her soror, and I hope she serves a nasty ole silk press in honor of Madam Vice President. The ethereal bubble surrounding the table bursts when Quad makes her entrance. She jumps right in, congratulating Toya on her new business venture. Simone begins speaking on behalf of The Core Four, addressing Quad’s status within the group in relation to the OGs. Quad offers a miniature “apology†while pointing the finger right back, saying she didn’t feel the women created a safe space for her while she was going through hard times. Simone then asks Quad why she’s dead-set on still “hanging around the group†(read as: on the cast of this show) if she doesn’t feel safe or supported.
Quad states this is a “second chance†and that both parties can “clear the slate,†dancing around any words with true meaning or acknowledgment of her part in creating friction. She says she feels emotionally disconnected from the other women but desires to rebuild their relationships. Hearing Quad say she feels “no emotional attachment†puts them all on edge, especially Heavenly, as they feel they’ve tried to hold space for Quad only to be met with silence. Out of the pain Quad’s statement invoked, Heavenly throws a jab, telling Quad that after their meeting at Phaedra’s, she never heard from her. Then, twisting the knife, she informs Quad that Phaedra was adamant about not bringing Quad to Napa and changed her flight, and it wasn’t until Phaedra distanced herself that Quad finally reached out to Heavenly, leading Heavenly to believe that Quad was using her, which Jackie cosigned.
Phaedra, torn between The Core Four’s approval and loyalty to her friend, chooses the popular route, saying she isn’t going to keep inviting Quad to stuff if there is “all this energy.†Quad then takes her shot both in her confessional, telling Phaedra to remember she was her true entry into the show, and at the table, throwing out some spicy tea about Phaedra and Greg. After Heavenly defends Phaedra, even saying that Quad talked shit about Phaedra being a liar, Quad goes lower, sharing that Greg told her that Phaedra demanded $4,000 a month while they dated (which could be true, but I feel that Phaedra has a higher price tag). Heavenly reroutes the conversation back to Quad, stating that the bottom line is that she thinks Quad is a user. Quad stays strong in her victim role as the argument escalates to cussing while the credits roll. It’s looking like a peace treaty is off the table, at least for tonight.
Doctor’s Orders
• I applaud Simone for how she’s handling the apartment with Miles and Michael by doubling it as an investment property. Hitting the two birds that she’s kicking out of the nest with one stone (her words) is on brand for Simone, but I love how she’s giving them freedom, responsibility, and support all in one with that contract, proving you can offer your kids privileges you never had while still establishing boundaries. Let’s see how they’re holding up next season and if Cecile holds up the contract.
• Alaura is a mini-Heavenly but sweeter. Despite the perils of wind and AI, she’s following in her mother’s footsteps and heading to FAMU. Even when she said, “I’m Alaura,†in response to Heavenly saying she should’ve passed down her name, she sounded like her mama.
• My obsession with Alicia is growing; the more her personality slowly starts to unfold during the five words she’s allotted per episode, the quirkier she is. Wearing the “I don’t use the B-word†T-shirt around Heavenly and not knowing to put her kickstand up on the bike was great comic relief.