Aahana Swrup
As summer rolls around in ‘The Chi’ season 7, danger continues to brew on the horizon. The heat sends most people, from Emmett and his family to the closest of Pastor Zeke’s congregation, out to enjoy the summer breeze by the docks. As a result, Alicia finds the perfect networking opportunity to further her investment in Bakari’s future by introducing the aspiring author to one of her publisher friends. Tiff, on the other hand, handles the other side of the business as her mushroom farms finally yield results. Meanwhile, across town, Detective Toussaint catches a whiff of Reg’s return from presumed death, which inevitably sends her back on a hunt after the man. As a result, while things remain relatively calm in episode 5, aptly titled ‘Safe Harbor,’ trouble seems to be only a few steps away. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Reg Makes His Official Comeback
Since Reg’s return to the city, he has made his intentions clear to take over the local mob. Yet, before he can challenge Nuck substantially, he needs to build his foundation first. So far, all he has is a right-hand man he can trust: Jake, his younger brother. Therefore, it isn’t long before the two brothers take to the streets of Chicago, pulling robbery jobs on local ATMs and securing cash for themselves. Unlike Nuck’s gang, where a no-bling rule is enforced with the pull of a gun’s trigger, Reg and Jake allow themselves the comfort of an occasional luxury purchase.
However, unlike Nuck and his second, Bakari, who get to enjoy the summer sun on party boats, the brothers have to resort to dark corners and incognito stakeouts. Even though Douda, Reg’s primary source of threat, is gone, the latter still has plenty of enemies to look out for. Although he doesn’t know it, one of these enemies has managed to set their sights on him. Detective Toussaint, who previously went after his illegal operations, gets reliable information from her incarcerated son, which confirms that Reg is actually alive. As a result, she’s prepared to come after him once again, which is bound to put an unpleasant barrier in his desired ascent to the top.
Bakari Receives the Chance of a Lifetime
Alicia’s boat party is a hub for all her richest friends and acquaintances to come together. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the woman chooses this opportunity to further the future of the latest young soul she has taken under her wing. Thus, while Nuck gets an invite to his new secret business partner, Zeke’s party, Bakari attends his benefactor’s event. There, he gets to meet with Alicia’s friend, Hannah, a book publisher who is always on the hunt for a new story. Better yet, once he makes the pitch about his autobiographical book idea, she’s interested in the project from the jump.
However, Hannah’s interest in Bakari’s story comes from a purely financial place. She’s only interested in the book sales and movie deals that this could lead to. In fact, rather than offering him a book-signing deal, she demands the opportunity to buy the rights to his life’s story. Naturally, this raises many red flags for the young author. Bakari’s aspirations of storytelling come from his desire to share his life and truth with the world. For the same reason, he isn’t comfortable with letting someone like Hannah exploit his trauma for a quick buck. Expectedly, this doesn’t go over well with Alicia. Nonetheless, when he shares the same concerns with Professor Gardner, he offers him helpful advice about self-publishing. Thus, it seems like Bakari will have to make a crucial decision about his life’s work in the coming days.
Several Characters Find Themselves Forming New Connections
In this rare moment of relative city-wide respite, several characters get the chance to pay attention to their interpersonal relationships. While Emmett goes out to relax on a boat with Darnell and Damien, he deliberates the future of his relationship with Keisha. Although he has been running away so far from the idea of tying the knot, he realizes that he wants a marriage to be in the cards for them in the future. Meanwhile, a recently engaged Dom and Jamal fly through their marital ceremony with the same speed they have maintained throughout their relationship.
On the other hand, Tiff finds the rare moment for a day of relaxation with Keisha, taking the opportunity to discuss her rather tumultuous love life. So far, Nuck has made his interest in her known while her dynamic with Victor continues to remain romantically promising. Nonetheless, since she’s mourning Rob’s death, she’s determined to stay focused on her role as a mother-to-be. Simultaneously, Tracy, who also seems to have earned herself two suitors, gravitates toward her flirtatious dynamic with Charles. Yet, given the various entanglements he seems to have with various other churchgoing ladies, the likelihood of a relationship between them remains to be seen. On a completely different side of the coin, Pastor Zeke walks the precarious line of striking up a deal with Alicia to help her eradicate deathly violence from the streets of Chicago.
