Season two of the Godfather of Harlem is set to return to Epix on April 18. Given how season one ended, there’s a lot to look forward to and many questions that need to be answered. Before we enter into season two of the Forest Whitaker-led drama, take a look back at season one. Through the “Rewind” series, examine the highs, lows and mind-boggling moments from each episode of season one. A new edition of the “Rewind” series is available each day at 9 a.m. ET. NOTE: The article below contains spoilers for the fourth episode of the first season of The Godfather of Harlem
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Synopsis: “I Am The Greatest”
“Cassius Clay battles local boxing hero Doug Jones in the ring. Mayme insists Bumpy back Jones, an advocate for her Harlem Youth organization, but Malcolm urges Bumpy to back Clay. Meanwhile, Chin engages in a turf war for Harlem with Bonnano and a buried secret fueling their feud is revealed,” EPIX writes.
Four Questions That Need Answers
When will Vincent “Chin” Gigante’s secrets come to light?
In this episode, Chin Gigante reveals that he had Joe Bonanno’s son killed because he had a crush on his daughter, Stella. He then buried Bonanno’s son in the basement of Fiddler’s. There are so many things wrong with this. First, Bonanno’s son was a kid at the time. Second, Gigante hates Stella’s new boyfriend and her old boyfriend. At some point, she’s going to run away for that reason. Third, he could have gotten rid of the body permanently, but he had it buried in a place where it could be discovered. Not to mention, Gigante has a guilty conscience because of the whole matter. Eventually, this is going to come out. It’s just a matter of when, not if.
What was Stella Gigante thinking by bringing cookies to Teddy Greene’s apartment?
Stella Gigante is head over heels in love with Teddy Greene and it’s truly sweet. Unfortunately, love can make us blind at times. Stella loses touch with what Teddy is going through during the record store adution. Now, she’s trying to make up for it by coming to Teddy’s predominantly Black neighborhood with cookies. In 2021, this would probably be a bad idea. However, it’s an even worse idea in the segregation of the 1960s. Stella Gigante bringing cookies to Greene’s mother’s apartment to smooth things over is the equivalent of that time Kendall Jenner tried to cure racism with Pepsi. It’s just not realistic or a good idea. Stella’s heart is in the right place, but no. Just no.
Why were Nat and Del so reckless when destroying the Ali-X recordings?
One of the four major plotlines from this episode revolves around Muhammad Ali, who was known as Cassius Clay at the time. Prior to his bout with Harlem’s own, Doug Jones, he approaches Malcolm X about joining the Nation of Islam. Understanding how joining the Nation of Islam would affect his boxing prospects, he tells Ali not to publicly announce that is a Muslim until he wins the heavyweight title. While this is not entirely how it went in real life, one thing was true in the show and in history — Malcolm X was being monitored constantly. A recording of the conversation between Ali and X eventually makes its way to Vincent Gigante, who uses it to blackmail Ali into throwing the fight. From there, Ali talks to Bumpy Johnson about helping him out. Johnson is apprehensive at first because his wife, Mayme Johnson, is a major supporter of Doug Jones. However, he sees something special in Ali and offers to help. Ultimately, Johnson sends Nat and Del to get the recording back. While the two men do what is asked, they make it very clear Bumpy Johnson’s crew did it. Given the tense relationship between Gigante and Johnson, this will lead to an all-out war. Nat and Del could have at least tried to make it look like Joey Bonanno or someone else did it.
Does Doug Jones want to die young?
At the top of the episode, it is insinuated that Bumpy Johnson once had an affair with a woman who now backs Muhammad Ali financially. While Johnson does a good job of dodging her advances, it is clear that he could possibly be persuaded to head down that path yet again. Towards the end of the episode, it is revealed that Mayme Johnson may be having an affair of her own with Ali’s opponent, Doug Jones. Now, it’s clear that both Mayme and Forest are a team, but they may do their own thing from time to time. However, it’s unclear why Doug Jones would go down this road with Mayme Johnson. If he gets caught, Bumpy Johnson will kill him. If Johnson gets caught with a mistress, the repercussion would probably be bad for Bumpy Johnson’s personal life, but it wouldn’t result in death for the mistress. I understand that the woman playing Mayme Johnson, Ilfenesh Hadera, is beautiful, but is it worth your life Dough? Is it?
If you’ve missed any of your recaps so far, catch up here: Episode One | Episode Two | Episode Three
