Kadeem Hardison guest-stars as a minister who is first attracted to Lynn's music, and then to the fullness of Lynn. Eldon Parks (the minister) and Lynn express instant chemistry, and as a result, instant sex which surprises them both. For Lynn, this is all good, as her reservations about having a relationship with the minister seem to stem from more than the prospect of him trying to 'save her': Lynn is and always has been an extremely physical person, and physical expression is now a deal-breaker for her. If this relationship had been played out over a longer stretch of time, it would have worked better for me. It seemed very rushed. I thought the writers were implying that Lynn's real attraction to Parks was evidenced by her willingness to overcome her own biases in order to work with the children in his church. But the vehemence with which she breaks off the relationship when she'd denied the prospect of more sex makes me think she's not grown as much as I thought over these 7 years. While I get that she's allowed her partner's beliefs/needs to overshadow hers in the past and feels wary of making the same mistake, she's making the mistake of throwing the baby out with the bath water. Maybe I'm simply reading too much into this, or my expectations are too high, but since they've bothered to introduce the character, play the story out! The potential for growth and balance for both characters exists here. I hope this is not a missed opportunity.
I was pleased to see the regret that Parks displayed regarding his impulsive sex with Lynn; that rang true. Some might have taken this slip as a sure sign of going straight to hell in a rowboat and lost themselves completely. The 'b' story about wedding prep wasn't all that engaging either.
Having missed almost the entirety of this season, I was hoping to see some real character development, but I was disappointed.
It was great to see Hardison onscreen, as I like his work most of the time.moreless





