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One of the few good things you can say about the finale is how the club fight between Renaye and Siya doesn’t take up the focus of the episode. Granted, stupid reasons led to it — Renaye’s drunkenness and jealousy — but it was a generally minor confrontation. Last week, the sudden planning of the season-ending showcase seemed like this was all rushing to a forced conclusion. Another strength with the finale, however, is its lack of resolution.
Siya and Diamond have been the stars of the show in these last couple of episodes, so it’s no surprise that an episode focused on them made for a better entry than last week. While the show doesn’t have the answers, the audience ought to be comfortable that the two women are resolved to finding their own. Siya, fed up with Renaye after her outburst at the bar (because Siya didn’t fit an, “I love you,” as she was performing. Girl’s got issues), finally decides to break up with her.
This isn’t because of situational heartbreak. This is cleansing: She’s moving the dark clouds so the shine could come through, because the momentum from the showcase performance is too big not to. “I’m finally receiving the blessings that I’ve been blocked my whole life,” Siya eloquently puts it before she dumps her. “You don’t have to explain yourself,” Renaye responds tersely. Even she knows.
And yes, Diamond can still get it turned up. Because Siya’s her girl, she confronts Renaye right after Siya gets pushed back (she looked like she was really about to hit Renaye). “I asked you nicely,” Diamond warns. An indignant Renaye combined with Diamond’s low threshold for drama leads the rapper to throw both of her drinks at her. This results in security holding back a furious Renaye as Diamond mocks her while standing on a couch.
So Diamond isn’t perfect when it comes to playing it straight. Thankfully, the main takeaway from the finale is that she isn’t simply a drama queen. She’s the only cast member who doesn’t take part in the showcase even though mentor Eve showed up. Diamond gives her explanation to Nyemiah Supreme in a scene that slowly reveals its irony. While Supreme originally separated herself from the girls because of personal issues, the normally cocksure Diamond is actually self-conscious as an artist. It turns out she’s trying new music directions and wanted to perfect them before going onstage.
Although you wouldn’t have bet on it at the series’ beginning, Diamond pretty much goes through the most development in the series. The woman inside her shines with a hands-on approach to media relations in episode six, while the artist still reveals herself to be a work in progress. This isn’t a blind step in a new direction, however; Diamond has a little something going for her during that private live band performance for Brianna Perry.
Going into the series, the main concern was if this show could become an entertaining look at women in the industry without become a ‘Love & Hip Hop’ soap opera. ‘Sisterhood of Hip Hop’ is decent at that after stumbling during its first three episodes. Instead, its main trapping is character development. Supreme finally revealed herself in the past three episodes, but Perry and Bia remained remarkably static throughout. The latter got it particularly bad — there’s maybe 20-25 minutes of decent Bia scenes. That flaw is particularly frustrating because they both seem likable, so you’d want to root for them.
Side Notes:
- Siya isn’t just interesting to watch. She’s also actually a very good rapper — definitely the best of the cast. Check out ‘Real MVP.’
- Renaye’s list of unresolved grievances now includes Diamond.
- Nyemiah Supreme’s mother’s solemn turn-up during her daughter’s performance is a nice goodie — and somehow majestic.
- We’re still holding hope that Siya somehow resurrects Murder Inc. just for old time’s sake. What would I be without my babaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy?
