Aahana Swrup
In the wake of Zay’s sacrificial death, things begin to cool down in season 7 of ‘The Chi.’ Alicia receives the ecstatic news of Tiff’s pregnancy with enthusiasm, eager to welcome the new heir to her dynasty into the family. As a result, the latter’s life undergoes a drastic overnight change, as she’s handed responsibilities and duties which bring new connections her way. Meanwhile, Emmett and Keisha struggle with their recently increased parental responsibilities, which interfere with their other businesses. However, a real shift in the tide makes itself known when Jake’s carelessness threatens to air out Pastor Ezekiel and his wife’s dirty laundry. Thus, as secrets and unmade in episode 7, ‘The Fall Out,’ new bonds are formed while some old ones end up dissolving. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Tiff Becomes an Official Part of Alicia’s Family
After Nuck had offered Zay to Alicia as a sacrificial lamb to save his own skin, both individuals find some level of peace. For the latter, this notably comes from Tiff, her late son’s girlfriend, who is pregnant with his child. The discovery of the pregnancy in the aftermath of Rob’s death is bittersweet since it ensures the child will never get to know his father. Even so, both Alicia and Tiff are overjoyed that they get to keep a part of Rob alive through this kid. The elegant crime boss, in particular, is ecstatic at the idea of having an heir to her ever-growing empire. As such, she eagerly opens up her house to the expecting mother, encouraging her to move in with her.
However, moving in with Alicia seems to come with its own challenges. The woman is uniquely overbearing and anxious to ensure the mother of her future grandkid doesn’t engage in any unhealthy habits. Ironically enough, while this extends to her diet, it doesn’t spare her from joining in on the responsibilities of the family business. Ever since Bianca’s recent exit, Alicia’s affairs have developed a vacuum that needs filling. As such, she ends up assigning the responsibility of the cigar shop and lounge to the other woman. On her part, Tiff takes the job like a fish to water and even ends up accepting Victor’s offer of help by employing him under her management. Thus, it seems she has big changes in store for her future.
Nuck Confronts His Guilt
Once Tiff moves in with Alicia, it doesn’t take long for her to share the news of her pregnancy with Keisha. Even though she wants to keep the development a secret for now, she allows the other woman to loop Emmett into the mix. While the couple tries to find a new normal now that EJ is living with them full time, this news elicits some complicated feelings in the father. Even though his relationship with Tiff is in the past, this pregnancy feels like a firm end to their chapter. Therefore, he ends up sharing these convoluted thoughts and feelings with Nuck over a visit to the doctor’s office for Ronnie. This ends up sending Nuck into a spiral as it fills him with guilt about Rob’s fate.
Nuck had killed Rob in cold blood to establish his dominance as he took over Douda’s mob. While he was already tormented by the sheer act of taking a life, the knowledge that he had orphaned a kid further plagues his conscience. Naturally, this brings him to Paster Ezekiel as he takes the clergyman up on his offer for spiritual guidance. Yet, the inner work the other man suggests in order to help him get closer to God proves to be too much of a challenge for him. Therefore, for now, Nuck does his penance by reaching out a helping hand toward Tiff, regardless of whether or not she wants it. He decides he won’t be taking any money from her business and encourages her to rely on him for help from time to time. This dynamic has the potential of working out in a variety of ways, all of which are bound to only complicate these two characters’ lives.
Jake and Tatiana’s Secret Comes Out in the Open
Jake and Tatiana have had a complicated run from the start. When the Pastor’s wife begins her affair with the much-younger man, she has certain expectations from their relationship. In turn, the latter seems to be significantly more emotionally invested in their connection, which poses an inevitable problem for the older woman. Eventually, they get stuck in an uncertain place. During this time, Jake continues to see other people and remains exclusively interested in the physical aspect of his relationship with his hook-ups. He remains forthright about the same with his newest situationship, Remi, who seems to be looking for a deeper connection with him.
Therefore, when Remi inadvertently learns about Jake’s affair with a First Lady of the Church through his text messages, she decides to run with the story. She deduces that the other woman must be Tatiana from Pastor Ezekiel’s church, and blasts their affair all over social media, making allegations of grooming. Even though Jake remains unbothered by this turn of events, it poses a great complication for the First Lady. Not only does this affect her own standing in the city, but it also risks Ezekiel’s reputation. However, his right-hand man, Charles, advises him to stand by his wife’s side in the public eye, even if it means letting go of personally delivered sermons for a while. Coincidentally, this opens up the space for Charles to take center stage, a development which might blow up in the Pastor’s face in the future.
Tierra and Marcus End Their Relationship
Tierra and Marcus have been a significant nucleus in both characters’ storyline for a while now. It offers a unique kind of stability to the latter’s otherwise chaotic life. However, it seems that just because something is good doesn’t mean it will last forever. Even though the couple has an ideal relationship, they discover that they want fundamentally different things out of their lives. Tierra has always wanted to be a mother, and she has reached a point in her life where she wants to pursue pregnancy and motherhood for herself. Yet, when she broaches the topic with her partner, she’s surprised to learn that he doesn’t want the same things from his future.
Marcus already has a child, Gemma, and he knows the struggles and blessings of parenthood. Simply put, he has no desire to go through the experience again and is looking for a different kind of domestic stability in his life. Since this is a non-negotiable topic for both of them, the only logical solution is to end their relationship. Eventually, that’s exactly what the couple ends up doing, amicably breaking up and going their separate ways. For now, both of them have their own support systems in place to help them through this emotionally taxing separation.
While Marcus and Tierra are able to accept this change in their lives with relative ease, the same isn’t true for other characters. Kenya, Zay’s girlfriend, is already starting to feel his absence in the city and is considering moving away to live with her grandmother. Similarly, Maisha, who is in a long-distance relationship with Kevin, seems to have made the decision to leave Chicago to reunite with her boyfriend in LA. Thus, big changes continue to loom on the horizon as people fade in and out of each other’s lives.
