STAR 3×03 Review: “A Family Affair”

Karma is the hottest new club on STAR, thanks to Noah Brooks signing up as its headliner. The superstar performer has sided with Cassie and Maurice for the one thing he’s always wanted: freedom. Unfortunately, Noah’s loss is a big hit to Carlotta’s and Gravity Media’s futures. The last-minute decision will no doubt impact the label, as well as Mateo’s actions against our favorite record label president. Carlotta should be very worried about what might happen next.

Carlotta has had a lot of pressure on her plate these last few months. She took over the label from Ayanna to make it profitable again, she’s pushing the careers of all her artists (not just Noah and Take 3), and she’s had to deal with Jahil’s tragic death. Her schedule and life have been going a mile a minute. So, it’s understandable why she snapped at her grandchild when she thought she lost her voicemail messages. Losing those messages could’ve lost her important deals to stop Mateo from ousting her, but her biggest obstacle has always been Cassie.

We all knew sooner or later their war of the words would turn ugly. If Carlotta had just accepted Cassie, or if she didn’t constantly put her down, their relationship wouldn’t be so tarnished. After their blow-up at the club, they’re beyond the point of repairing their relationship any time soon even though the fight is one of the best that STAR has ever had! Cassie and Carlotta went for it and they didn’t care about all the people watching. The claws really came out after weeks of petty words. Cassie may have won the battle, but Carlotta is going to finish the war.

“A Family Affair” introduced a new side to Cassie that helped explain why she wanted to prove herself. Cassie has a major inferiority complex when it comes to Carlotta and Xander–she never felt that she could measure up to them. When she sat alone and thought about all the negative words against her, you could feel her anxiety and hatred rise. She wants to shove it in Carlotta’s face that she is the more successful sister and that she isn’t a failure like everyone thought.

In the case of Xander, she’s settling for the love she thinks she deserves. Xander is no good for her and he’s going to ruin the good thing she has going at the club. If she wants to truly go legit, she has to walk away from him after she makes enough money on her own. Also, Andy needs to go free. That loose end plot will only come back to haunt her in the future.

The same goes for Noah’s decision! Neither Mateo nor Carlotta wanted Noah to leave Gravity Records. If he had debated his contract and fought for it in an office, he could’ve won them over. Don’t get me wrong, his father had the right advice about searching for freedom, but his record label contract would’ve given him more opportunity to express his creativity on a grander scale. Noah made a reckless decision.

Star should give Jax a chance now that he’s around more. He truly cares about her, and the two do have chemistry together. He was right about how to handle the sad news. Brody’s death destroyed the hopes of Star having the “perfect family” for her child and his death was a lot to take in. She needs to rest, relax, and laugh during this emotional time. She pushed herself too much physically and emotionally and it showed on stage. She needs more sultry dances from her man! (He should start studying up on his Magic Mike skills ASAP.)

In regards to Alex, she should not trust Olivia at all! There was something about her keen fangirl attitude that came across as creepy. And, the fact that her song “coincidentally” was playing in the background when Alex arrived to apologize was too opportunistic. Olivia either wants to take over Alex’s life or she’s going to parlay the grief of her sister’s death into a record deal. Plus, she’s definitely going to blackmail Alex with footage recorded from the secret camera. Alex needs to watch her back.

“A Family Affair” laid the groundwork for bigger plot points that will come up down the road. Characters were introduced that either pushed the plot or connected characters’ stories together, like Cassie’s lover Xander, Cassie’s new hitman (who was also Ruby’s attacker), and Olivia. The hour didn’t hit the same high notes as the previous two episodes, but the development was needed for the story as a whole.

Last Musical Notes:

• “Spotlight” reminded us how beautifully Brandy and Queen Latifah harmonize as artists. The song isn’t as catchy as some of STAR’s other big hits, but it’s a smooth bop nonetheless.
• “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” captured a new vibe from Luke James. The song takes him out of his wheelhouse with a funky beat and retro tone. He hits every note with his smooth voice.
• “Yours” was the first single from Olivia and it’s only heard in the background. Sweet, angelic, and poppy–this is a tender pop tune if your heart melts for love songs.