'Greenleaf' Season 5 Episode 8 Review: Megachurch drama series finale proves it was always Grace's story
Spoilers for 'Greenleaf' Season 5
The highly anticipated series finale of 'Greenleaf' finally rolled by and it was once again an elaborate portrayal of the force that binds them together — Grace Greenleaf. Perhaps it is Merle Dandridge's portrayal of the prodigal daughter, but it wasn't just Bishop James (Keith David) this time. It was Lady Mae (Lynn Whitfield) thanking her out and aloud for the one thing she had asked her daughter not to do — blow chaos into her peace.
A death, a sermon, a song, and a farewell later — it's all a series of deja vus for the finale. In the middle of the calmness of an ocean full of sadness, as Grace sails away towards a future in New York, the 'Greenleaf' finale ultimately falls back to its roots, ending it with her open-ended voyage and the family returning to God.
Perhaps the best aspect that really worked to the finale's benefit and its followup reunion special's too is that there weren't any grand fast forwards to a somewhat near future or even an elaborate epilogue of sorts. The finale, Season 5 Episode 8, opens with the heartbreaking realization of the Bishop having died. Lying in his bed, there's Lady Mae by his side as she bids her finale goodbye. Then she walks down to the rest of the family and they know what is coming.
They say their goodbyes, Lady Mae gives a final sermon where she addresses the future unknown, and Jacob (Lammar Rucker) and Kerissa (Kim Hawthorne) agree to not confuse their kids by staying together even though they don't have the Church anymore. Which of course changes by the end of the episode, with Tara James revealing she does, in fact, want them to stay and in the end, things take off just the way it had begun — on the steps, with the entire family standing on one side, greeting Grace only this time it's goodbye.
Throughout the ongoing family circus of trust and tragedy, her father's death was perhaps an eye-opener for Grace. She took off to pursue a dream and resorted to being just Grace Greenleaf and nothing more than that. That whole problem-solving tendency no matter whose issue it is sees its rise one last time as Grace gave her family their mansion back.
Her journey with her son AJ also ends with closure, even though AJ moves in with Noah and Grace takes off with Darius. The Bishop's death gives AJ a new sense of direction and conviction as he engages in the church life to keep the legacy alive. And while Grace has to leave Sofia in Charity's (Deborah Joy Winans) guardianship, there was a moment of reconciliation between the sisters that hints all will be well on that department too.
Of course, Grace had to fix everything and after five seasons, just remind us once again how the story started with her, and despite the Bishop's booming sermons and Lady Mae's anti-heroine turned matraich-in-shining armor development, it always remained about Grace. The few moments following the Bishop's death were a fitting follow up to the final moments they had together in the previous episode.
The goodbye is as emotional as one can expect an OWN show to be, and the funeral in the family yard is perhaps one of the most sublime moments on the show ever. Whitfield does most of her commentary and dialogue through smiles, tears and salient little nods. If there's anybody who should have been the star of the show should Grace not intervene in every matter, it's Lady Mae and all of that is Whitfield's credit.
Yet, in the end, as the story wraps, we see Grace come back even stronger with a future that triumphs over all of the recent coming-of-power duties her mother has had to brave. Trying to solve every clue, every piece of the puzzle, getting their house back, bringing the family together, and ultimately, even soaring off to her own individual journey leaving possible hopes for a spin off — it always remained about Grace, with sparing nods to her siblings in the series finale.
'Greenleaf' Season 5 Episode 8, the series finale, aired on August 11 at 9 pm on OWN.