Reel

In an excerpt from the script, Dessi rushes around her room packing to leave for a tour of Europe with Cal and his band. She can’t find her passport. Tilda is upset that Dessi is leaving. Dessi kisses Tilda and promises to return. When Cal calls for Dessi, Tilda pulls Dessi’s passport from her pocket and bids her goodbye.

Monk teases Canon about spying on Neevah and Trey as they play cards on a filming break. Jill informs Canon that Trey has a girlfriend and is not pursuing Neevah. Canon is embarrassed that Monk and Jill have guessed his attraction and asks them not to say anything since he doesn’t want gossip to harm Neevah’s reputation.

Neevah looks forward to a break from the rigorous filming schedule and spending time with her mother over the holiday. She’s been told that Terry and Brandon will be visiting his family in Virginia. After Christmas, Neevah plans to return to Los Angeles and spend New Year’s alone. Canon comes to the apartment she shares with Takira, and Neevah gives him cookies that she baked for the cast and crew.

Canon invites her to spend time with him over the New Year. He confesses that he thought he could wait, but he was wrong. Neevah consents eagerly. He suggests going to Santa Barbara, where he rents a place. She knows they are taking a risk, but she thinks, “In his arms, risk weighs less than this necessary passion” (196). Takira sees them kissing.

Neevah arrives at the house she grew up in. She takes out her house key and wonders “if the key, like [her], no longer fits here” (198). The house is empty, and Neevah wanders through it. There is a stocking with the name “Quianna” hanging over the fireplace. Neevah acknowledges her resentment that their mother took Terry’s side and that Terry got more of their mother’s love.

Terry walks in with groceries, and Neevah realizes that while Brandon’s betrayal doesn’t hurt anymore, Terry’s betrayal is something she might never get over. She thinks, “[Terry] betrayed me. She stole from me, but I’ve been the one in exile” (201). Terry taunts Neevah for how she has stayed away, suggesting that she thinks she’s too good for the rest of the family. Neevah reminds Terry that she slept with Neevah’s boyfriend and got pregnant. Quianna overhears this and is upset. Terry complains about her marriage and that she is stuck in this town, while Neevah has it all. Neevah tells Terry that she took everything: She took Brandon, she took their mother, she took Neevah’s home, and she broke Neevah’s heart.

The next day, Terry, Brandon, and Quianna are not present for Christmas dinner. Neevah is torn between feeling at home and feeling like an outsider. She is pained by memories of how much she loved her sister as a child and how happy their home was when their father was alive. Neevah talks with her mother and finally expresses her hurt that her mother chose to support Terry. Mama confesses that she always thought Neevah was self-sufficient and didn’t need her. Neevah says that she did.

Her mother apologizes, and Neevah feels like they are on the path to healing their relationship. For Neevah, it feels like a new beginning, but she wishes she could repair things with Terry, too. Neevah tells her mother about the past years, including that she has been diagnosed with discoid lupus. She also tells her mother about Canon.

Canon talks with Neevah about her visit home. She confesses that it was awkward to see her sister. She says, “I’ve been basically without my family since I was eighteen years old. It’s like a divorce, and she got custody of everyone” (210). They are both looking forward to their time in Santa Barbara, unable to resist the attraction between them any longer.

Neevah’s sense of anticipation at spending time with Canon is like what she feels before a performance. She and Takira talk briefly about Takira’s feelings over being single during the holidays. Neevah asks herself if it’s wise to be having sex with Canon while they are still filming, considering the consequences if things go sour, but she wants him. Takira reminds Neevah that Canon is breaking his own rules for her.

Canon comes to the door, and they kiss. Neevah thinks that she wants not just the sex but “the secrets behind his guarded eyes; the sentiments locked away in his heart” (217). She decides that she’s willing to risk what it takes to have him.

While he drives them to Santa Barbara, Canon tries to wrap up a call with Evan as they discuss filming locations that could stand in for the French Riviera. Canon doesn’t want Evan to find out that Canon is with Neevah. Neevah tells him directly that what she feels is not a crush: “I don’t need this to advance my career. And this isn’t some misplaced hero-worship actor-director complex. I like you. I respect you. I want to know you” (220). She adds that she also wants to have sex with him. Canon warns her that if people find out, things could get messy, and he’s seen other relationships fizzle under the pressure. Neevah insists that she doesn’t care what people say.

Neevah is impressed by the house that Canon has rented. She showers and then puts on a dress, leaving off undergarments. Canon makes dinner, and they dine on the balcony. He’s prepared salmon since he’s seen that Neevah doesn’t eat red meat. They dance to the music of Luther Vandross. They then have sex, and Neevah thinks, “I’m branded his however he wants me” (232).

Canon and Neevah swim in the pool, enjoying their time together. Canon suggests that they keep their relationship a secret until the movie is done. He tells himself that he has to focus on the movie until it’s done; then, he can focus on Neevah.

Neevah notices a rash developing on her skin, possibly from exposure to the sun. When Canon approaches her in the bathroom, she is startled and breaks a mirror. She says that she’s frustrated with herself for forgetting about how her skin reacts to the sun.

Neevah and Canon venture out into Santa Barbara to join in the New Year’s Eve festivities, and Neevah enjoys dancing with him. She thinks, “Canon is like a supernova when you’ve been staring up at an empty, starless sky, and I cannot get enough of him” (240). They walk back to his house along the beach and kiss, and Canon is recognized by a woman who is Camille’s publicist.

In her trailer, Neevah tells Takira that she and Canon had great sex, but now they’re back to being distant on set. On Sunday, Neevah is sleeping when Canon wakes her and invites her on a date. He’s dressed casually with a shirt advertising the movie I’m Gonna Git You Sucka. Neevah teases him that she was going to spend the day relaxing and reading Their Eyes Were Watching God. As Canon drives her to their date, they discuss how they’d like to travel somewhere after Dessi Blue wraps. They arrive at The V and have the open-air restaurant all to themselves.

As they dine, Neevah asks about Canon’s relationship with Camille. He tells her about how his impression of Camille, which led him to get involved with her, turned out to be incorrect. He knew he didn’t love her, and after he heard her making plans to undermine another Black actress, he broke up with her. Out of hurt pride, Camille insisted that Canon be fired from the movie. Canon says that Camille’s image wasn’t real, but the light that fills Neevah is. They have sex in one of the rooftop cabanas and make plans to see each other the next Sunday.

As Neevah is getting ready for filming, she realizes that she’s been gaining weight and getting puffy. Takira notices that Neevah is losing hair. Worried about a flare-up of her lupus, Neevah agrees to contact Dr. Ansford. Neevah wants to handle things herself and not tell Canon unless she has to.

Dr. Ansford is worried by Neevah’s symptoms, which include fatigue, muscle aches, and joint pain. She asks Neevah to get bloodwork done. Neevah approaches Kenneth to ask for time off for a doctor’s appointment. She is concerned about causing trouble for production, but Dr. Ansford warns her that she has to take care of her health. Canon is concerned and finds Neevah to steal a kiss.

Canon talks with Kenneth and Jill about the challenges of shooting on film for their exterior shots of the French Riviera. They’ve selected Santa Barbara as their locale.

Evan informs Canon that a podcast has been released in which Camille revealed that Canon is sleeping with the lead actress on Dessi Blue. Evan reminds Canon how this looks: He is the director with all the power, and Neevah is the unknown actress looking for a big break. Lawson Stone, the executive from Galaxy Studios, is not pleased. They discuss how Canon should handle the gossip that is going to follow. Canon believes that he can deal with it, but he wonders how Neevah will be affected.