The Chi Season 7 Episode 1 Recap: Black Friday

The Paramount+ drama show ‘The Chi’ returns for another exciting adventure with season 7, bringing new players to the forefront of a dangerous game. Episode 1, ‘Black Friday,’ begins with a notable shift in power across the city’s underworld. With Douda gone, Nuck eagerly fills in the power vacuum in the 63rd Street Mob, asserting his leadership with deadly action. Meanwhile, Alicia, out for the blood of her son’s killer, prepares for a war. However, in her rage, she runs the risk of falling for parlour tricks and misdirections. On the other hand, Rob’s girlfriend, Tiff, grieves over his tragic passing and finds an unexpected support in her ex, Emmett. Thus, even after the monumental overnight change in the streets of Chicago, the city continues to stay the course in its scheming ways. SPOILERS AHEAD!

Nuck Turns His Own Cousin Into a Scapegoat

Last season, Nuck made big waves with the murders of Douda and Rob. Although the former’s death brings him the top spot in the city’s lucrative Mob, the latter only threatens to bring him a brand-new deadly enemy. In the aftermath of her son’s death, Alicia jumps straight into avenging the loss by delivering the killer to their fate. Naturally, this brings her to Nuck’s house in the dead of the night, armed with a gun. However, he manages to exploit her irrational rage by conning her into believing he never killed the man. In reality, Rob died as a result of his adamant defiance against the new chain of command in the Mob. Yet, the new gang leader rewrites the story and feeds Alicia lies about the incident.

Establishing himself as an innocent bystander, Nuck effectively throws his cousin, Zay, under the bus. Although the latter is unaware of this betrayal, he can sense trouble brewing on the horizon. He can feel Nuck sidelining him in favor of other young blood like Bakari. Initially, he tries to confront his cousin about it directly, convinced that their shared blood will spare him from any tangible harm. Nonetheless, he makes it clear that Zay could either work for him as an underling or see himself out the door. As such, danger seems to surround the young man, especially once Alicia buys into the whole thing and begins hunting after him, blinded by her need for revenge.

Bakari Tries to Secure a Safe House For Himself

The shifting power dynamics across the Mob and Nuck’s trigger-happy tendencies naturally create a dangerous landscape for anyone, especially Bakari, who is so close to the action. As a result, he realizes he needs a safer place to crash at the end of the day that would keep him safe from the violence that runs rampant in the city streets. In fact, the danger reaches such a height that Fatima becomes eager to leave the city, much to Victor’s dismay. Eventually, this brings Bakari to Professor Gardner, his unofficial mentor, who is eager to help the teenager find a good life for himself. Consequently, he pitches the idea of enrolling in college to use the campus as his home base. Yet, one crucial problem remains: Bakari simply doesn’t have the academic background to pursue higher education in a tangible way.

Even so, Gardner remains determined to find a solution for his mentee. As a result, he manages to convince his wife, Michelle Bradley, to use her exclusive connections for Bakari’s benefit. The Judge is friends with Alicia, who puts out a yearly college scholarship for one lucky student. Even though the death of her son clouds the future of this program, Michelle still tries her luck and asks her friend for a favor. The idea of saving a young man from befalling the same fate as Rob convinces Alicia to give Bakari a chance, but only if he can prove that he’s worthy of the opportunity. Consequently, the two finally cross paths in a meeting that will decide the fate of the latter’s future. Given his history, Bakari knows a thing or two about avenging a loved one’s death, which sparks a connection between him and the feared leader. Still, as Alicia grants him the scholarship, she makes it clear that he might end up having to pay a price for the favor down the line.

Zay Meets His Brutal End

Once Nuck throws Alicia off his scent by sending her after Zay, a world of possibilities opens up for him. He establishes ties with the local clergy through Ezekiel and begins working toward earning the loyalty of his subordinates. Meanwhile, his cousin continues to stir trouble, unaware of the storm that is waiting for him at the end of the line. With Shaad after him, it only takes so long before Zay is brought in front of a vengeful Alicia. Even though he tries to explain that he had nothing to do with Rob’s death, the woman jumps the gun and shoots him dead before he can provide any substantial information.

It seems that at the end, she and Shaad can tell something is wrong with the picture and that true vengeance hasn’t yet been achieved. However, with Zay dead, there are a few people who can reveal the truth to Alicia about her son’s murder. One of these people turns out to be Bakari, Nuck’s newfound confidant. Naturally, once the boy learns about the latter’s manipulation against Rob’s mother, he’s horrified and scared of the consequences. Still, Nuck remains relaxed about the ordeal since he’s confident his actions will remain in the dark. Yet, little does he know, Bakari has already pledged his allegiance to his enemy. Therefore, it seems it will only be a matter of time before Alicia figures this out as well and uncovers the truth.

Tiff’s Grief Brings EJ and Emmett Closer

In the aftermath of Rob’s death, Alicia delivers the tragic message to his girlfriend, Tiffany, in person. Inevitably, the news breaks the latter down and sends her into a depressive spiral, where she can hardly even get out of bed. Although she has her mother and her friends to look out for her in this trying time, she knows she needs extra support, especially when it comes to taking care of her son, EJ. After she shares this problem with Keisha, the latter ends up offering to take the kid off Tiff’s hands full-time until she can get back on her feet.

While it would be a big change for Emmett, who usually only co-parents EJ in doses, Keisha is determined to help out the grieving woman in any way possible. As a result, EJ ends up living with his father for the foreseeable future, giving his mother some space to work through her grief. However, as it turns out, Rob’s death will be affecting Tiff in more ways than one. At the end of the episode, she can be seen reminiscing about her fairytale relationship with the man while holding onto positive pregnancy tests in her bathroom. Thus, it seems she’s pregnant with Rob’s child, who will unfortunately never get to know their father.