STAR 3×04 Review: “All Falls Down”

Carlotta has reached her breaking point on STAR. After weeks of working non-stop and not processing Jahil’s death, the pressures have driven her to drink and breakdown. The character pushed herself beyond her limits to make the dream of Gravity Records a reality, but she needed to focus on her mental health and life first. The warning signs were all there and things kept getting worse and worse. Could this reaction be what ends it all for her control of the record label?

All of the bad things that happened to Carlotta were completely out of her hand. She couldn’t plan Joyce Sheree pulling the gun on Star, Olivia ambushing Alex’s solo performance, or Andy dying as a result of his injuries. As the president of Gravity Records, she had to pick up the pieces and make the messes into a positive. That’s a lot of pressure to deal with, especially while grieving. Her best course of action was having the power over her reaction. Carlotta didn’t need to fight Cassie at Karma during last week’s episode and she didn’t need to push herself into her work. Carlotta should’ve focused on her well-being instead.

Creating the music festival will help cement her legacy, especially if it becomes a success. However, with this breakdown, Mateo will use it as an opportunity to oust her from the company. Take 3, Miss Bruce, and Cotton have to bring her back into the mindset if they want any hope of saving her job.

Speaking of Cassie, she made a lot of progress for her character development. Setting Andy free and refusing to launder Xander’s money were two instances that went against her typical criminal behavior. She’s really trying to go straight. Hopefully, she can stick with it and that Xander won’t get inside of her head. I like this new side of Cassie because she’s not the typical nefarious villain she started out as.

Regardless of what anyone says, she’s making a big effort and she can’t be blamed for Andy’s accidental death, especially since she let him go. Carlotta will no doubt use the death against her, but fate played a part that made the loss completely out of her hands. This accident shouldn’t set her back.

Maurice’s ex-wife, Megan, seemed like she’ll play a part in the growing tensions between him and Noah. He clearly still had feelings for her–he pined for her with puppy dog eyes, even after she shot him down about his infidelities. Noah played a smart tactical move against him in the negotiations by getting the new lawyer, but he needs to be careful if he crosses the line. Maurice won’t hesitate to destroy his career if he makes a move on Megan.

While Maurice was a slimy businessman about Noah’s contract, he did deserve his win about regarding Star’s royalties check. Don’t get me wrong, I prefer Take 3 more than Maurice, but Star was in the wrong here. Maurice created the track beat, he edited the song and arrangement, and he released/marketed it. He did all the work to warrant the producer credit and fees. He may have released it at first without Star’s consent, but she accepted the track and owned it in her life/career. She didn’t want to give him the money because it was Maurice.

Star needs to pick her battles and go after the bigger fights. Take 3’s days are numbered and eventually she’ll be off to be a solo act with a baby. Her energy should focus on more important things. Her and Jax coming together to steal the Super Bowl ring helped her reaffirm an important relationship that will help her later on in life. These two have great chemistry together, so please bring on all the couple scenes!

Alex shouldn’t have forgiven Olivia so quickly. Regardless of the excuse, she ruined a big moment in Alex’s career like it wasn’t a big deal! (Also, did Olivia really use her dead sister as an excuse?! That’s cold.) Olivia crossed so many lines in the short time they’ve hung around each other. But, now that Olivia has the sex tape of Alex, blackmail seems like the next obvious step. Alex and Derek need to be careful what they say next–their new stalker clearly wants him gone.

Last Musical Notes:

• “Be Blessed” is the Queen Latifah cover of the Yolanda Adams’ song. Her soulful vocals add a lot of heart to this already stunning song. During the actual episode, the blending of the original track and her singing at the same time felt more chaotic than harmonious.
• “Breathe” is the first duet between Alex and Olivia, as mentioned above. Their smooth and sweet vocals combine for a gentle bop. How can you not laugh their high notes and harmonies?