TV Recap: Being Mary Jane, Season 2 Premiere

Written By: Jihan Dempster

‘People in Glass Houses Shouldn’t Throw Fish’ Plot Summary:

Gabrielle Union returns as the powerhouse that is TV news anchor Mary Jane Paul. Season 2’s premiere episode provides a continuation of the gripes Mary Jane’s experiences in work, love, family, and with her personal demons.

While we’re used to the raw and truthful nature that is Mary Jane Paul (Gabrielle Union),  in ‘People in Glass Houses Shouldn’t Throw Fish’  she takes realism to another level. The episode begins in a communal discussion between Mary Jane’s friends and co-workers about everything from love to black history to politics, to sexism, religion and music. When her brother (B.J. Britt) voices his opinion, Mary Jane’s defenses ignite, ruining the entire night as she openly bashes her brother for his transgressions in front of everyone. Although we are used to her dramatic aggression, (especially when it comes to her family) Mary Jane’s lack of patience towards her family appears again to be a very permanent emotion in this season.

The season two premiere is an extremely sensitive episode. Many of Mary Jane’s past conflicts resurface, especially in her love life. In Patrick’s (Britt) retaliation, he fires back at Mary Jane confirming why David (Stephen Bishop) married someone else. Now we all know how sensitive Mary Jane and David’s relationship was — Ouch! Sadly, the casualty in this war was the poor goldfish who got chucked through the window. It’s scenes like these that we recognize just how much Mary Jane’s bad ass character is really a façade. Although she is a successful journalistic powerhouse, it doesn’t compensate for the losses she experiences in her family and love lives.

While most of her family is fairly absent from the premiere episode, we finally see a breakthrough in the relationship between Mary Jane and her niece Niecy (Raven Goodwin). Last season, they just couldn’t get it right. Mary Jane would never hesitate to espouse her unabashed opinions on just how disappointing Niecy’s life turned out to be — a teenage girl with two children and an absent father for her kids. Tragedy. In this episode, the atmosphere levels out as Mary Jane turns from enemy to savior. When Niecy runs into problems with Helen (Margaret Avery), Mary Jane comes to rescue picking her and the kids up from the bus stop in the middle of the night. Her invitation inviting them into her home is a rarity one would never expect based on their relationship from the last season. I like the sacrificial side of Mary Jane, she seems much more humane in this episode and her growth is recognizable from the instant you see her interaction with Niecy and her new baby.

The episode is wrapped by a new surprise from David. This isn’t really that surprising, but the reaction from Mary Jane will make you smile. All in all I would rate this episode 8/10 because it picks up exactly from where the excellent Season One finale. The conflicts are different, the relationships are different, and we still have the: drink all night, pee the bed, weighing herself, drinking red wine while cradling the baby Mary Jane. To be honest, that’s the Mary Jane we all really love.

Being Mary Jane airs Tuesday nights on BET.

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