'AJ and the Queen' Episode 5: Robert makes a fabulous Diana Ross, he and AJ need a time-out from the madness
This article contains spoilers for 'AJ and the Queen' Season 1
In the previous episode, Damien Sanchez (Robert's ex-boyfriend) and his criminal friend, Lady Danger, are still tailing Robert aka Ruby Red and his 10-year-old sidekick AJ as they continue their cross country club tour. Robert, still reeling from his breakup and in a moment of weakness, asks his best friend Louis if there was any chance he was actually special to Damien Sanchez. Given an honest and much needed, "no girl!" from Louis, Robert stops picking up Sanchez' calls. In this episode, the duo, make it to Mt. Juliet, Tennesse, in search of some sparkle and Bob Mackie's.
Traveling six hours of their way, Robert insists on seeing the Bob Mackie museum. Trying to make Robert happy, AJ uses her stolen money to rent out the mahogany suite for the night in a museum that is just a house holding the famous creations of Bob Mackie. While on phone call to inform Louis about how he was in the presence of legendary dresses of legendary singers, Robert finds out who AJ's mother really is. Living just above them and having been recently evicted, Rober and Louis find out that the drug addict woman on their stoop is in face Brianna Douglas, AJ's mother. Deciding that AJ was much safer with him, Robert decides to keep AJ until he can figure out what would be best for her.
As Robert fan girls about the iconic pieces around him, AJ finds her way to a pet store. Wanting a dog that costs $200, she decides to scam a girl scout. When the girl's mother finds out, she drags AJ to Robert who asks AJ to apologize to the woman and give her the money back. In her frustration, the woman asks AJ, "didn't your mother teach you right from wrong?" triggering Robert, who had just found out the lifestyle that AJ's mother prefers: Drugs and sex.
Robert tells the woman that she was wrong in talking o a child in that manner and that AJ doesn't have a mom, he meant an actual mother that takes care of her child. Hearing this AJ gets beyond pissed, "I have a mother" she screamed, and the duo takes much needed time apart with Robert in the museum and AJ in the RV.
In the episode, there are flashbacks of how AJ and her mom ended up apart. Having been evicted from their home, and their belongings being thrown on the street, AJ comes home one day to no home and no parent. Grabbing a painting from the trash where the rest of their stuff lay, she walks away crying. Flashforward, to a little girl who's craving her mother's love, and longing for a family.
Meanwhile, museum owner Lloyd and Robert have a Diana Ross and Lionel Richie fantasy as Robert gets to wear one of the Bob Mackie dresses that Ross had worn during her fame. During their musical number, Robert realizes that Lloyd was coming on to him and decides to go back to the RV and bunk with his only sane friend, AJ.
A friendship involving chatting about the darkness of life, Robert dwells in the sparkling old times of Diana Ross and Bob Mackie with AJ in tow.
All episodes of Season 1 of 'AJ and the Queen' are now streaming on Netflix.