Everyone has a level of personal and professional acceptance they desire and while Jill is enjoying her newfound popularity the girls are concerned it’s distracting her from the group. Lil Muffin does her best to live among normal people; as awkward as it is, Brianna offers some support to Alexis; and Eric and Jojo start to bond.
(ABC/Daniel Delgado)
Please note this recap contains spoilers for season 1, episode 5 “Do Anything for Clout”
The year is 1700 and men and women are dressed in their regal best complete with poofy skirts and powdered wigs. In walks Lil Muffin aka Lauren (Pepi Sonuga) in a modern outfit for her latest music video, “I’m That Chick.” As the song plays it cuts to her checking out of rehab; Jill (Naturi Naughton) having dinner with Brianna (Eve) and the kids; Naomi (Brandy), Eric (Taylor Sele) and Jojo (Precious Way) spending time together; Valeria (Nadine Velazquez) and Jill out shopping and approached by fans who want Jill to sign their copy of Out. Post rehab, Lauren’s label asks if she’s still that chick?
(ABC)
Eric and Naomi wait for Lauren and talk about their new approach to co-parenting Jojo. As for Lauren, Naomi’s concerned that throwing her back into the spotlight so soon could backfire, but Eric says she’s got it under control and he’s trying to listen to his artists and let them make their own decisions. Lauren, speaking in her regular voice says she wants to try being a “normal” person, keeping herself separate from Lil Muffin.
The group gathers for a meeting and Jill shows up late with Out’s Alicia (Rana Roy) in tow. She also missed picking up Lauren from rehab, leaving Naomi to take that responsibility. Eric says he got Queens a gig at the end of the AMAs (American Music Awards), but they’re anxious about performing since their last show didn’t go over well. Bree gets a text message and leaves.
She meets with Alexis and tells her she fully expects that Alexis and Jeff’s baby is going to be a sibling to her kids. Alexis isn’t sure she wants to keep it for many reasons, like her age (24), student loans, and lack of a support system. Bree tells her it's her choice.
Valeria is feeling insecure about her looks and Naomi says she’s beautiful and doesn’t need to do anything. She encourages her not to touch her face, reminding Val of her last allergic reaction. Val agrees…and gets butt injections instead. The experience was mostly harmless, but she’s having a hard time walking and is jealous that Jill is currently more famous than her.
That night at Val’s home, her security alarm goes off and someone is looking in through her windows. She hobbles to the kitchen to grab a knife as the person drives off. She’s actually a little happy about the incident, singing to herself “someone is obsessed with me.”
Lauren tries her hand at being normal by going grocery shopping. She struggles at the deli counter and fails to get recognized by some teen girls at the checkout. The comment that they couldn’t believe they thought Lit Muffin was as good as Doja Cat, and Lauren storms out of the store.
Jojo and Eric get together to have lunch without Naomi. As they’re talking, some young male fans approach mentioning a mixtape he made in the early aughts and ask for a picture with E-Roc. But it’s a ploy and they take the gold chain he’s wearing. Eric chases them, but they get away. Jojo suggests they report it, but he doesn’t want to call the cops. He tells her the boys were too young to know about his mixtape, and has an idea of who might put them up to it.
(ABC/Daniel Delgado)
In the studio, the girls rehearse without Jill while Val sits in a chair, still uncomfortable from her procedure. They finish the song and pause for a few minutes. Bree says she doesn’t know what to do about Alexis while Naomi mentions she’s not sure how to feel about Jogo and Eric getting along so well. Val wants to get some talk about her circulating and thinks about mentioning her stalker to the press. Alicia comes by without Jill and they group is not happy. She tells them that Darren is good with annulment and Jill is blossoming. Ew.
Alexis meets with Bree again and says she can’t have the baby. Then she asks Bree to go with her for the procedure. Bree argrees.
The next day at Bree’s house, Jill and Alicia are shopping online for expensive gowns. Alicia is excited about Jill performing solo at the AMA pre-party and while Jill’s not sure it’s the best move, Alicia assures her she deserves it. Her credit card is declined and Jill calls Darren, learning he froze the accounts. “You left me for Tina,” but he knows she’s now seeing other women. She asks him to let her go and after a long moment, he agrees, but he’s heartbroken.
Eric takes Jojo with him to see a former friend and now enemy who Jojo recognizes as Jadakiss. Eric thinks he’s the one who had the kids steal his chain in response to a decades old fight. He denies it and sends them away.
Lauren and her creative team sit in the studio talking about her career. She asks, “Am I played out?” She gets mixed messages and they tell her the last video flopped hard, and she’s kinda a stale Muffin. They scroll through social media and see a post from Doja Cat with her latest bejeweled accessory. This gives Lauren an idea.
At the Out Magazine AMA pre-party, Queens show up looking good, in fact Val is back to walking and Jill is rocking some serious blonde extensions. Lil Muffin shows up with a diamond studded unicorn horn attached to her forehead and instantly makes a statement. The girls worry about Lauren and Jill tries to talk to her, apologizing for not being there when she got out of rehab. But before they can get very far, Alicia pulls Jill away to meet some celebrities. Lauren repeats a mantra she learned at rehab: “Serenity. Courage. Wisdom.”
Bree asks about Val’s stalker situation, but there’s nothing on that front, so Val hopes to get some attention and an invitation to Fivio Foreign’s place. He seems to see her and comes over to talk to…Professor Sex aka Brianna! Val walks away and he offers to take Bree to Paris. That night. She says she has five kids. “Bring them.” He gives her his phone number, looks her over and walks away. She’s flattered by the whole exchange.
Alicia goes on stage and welcomes everyone to the party then introduces Jill Da Thrill who performs “Nasty Girl” with Nasty Butches. The rest or the group is not amused. Alicia talks to them and says she’s looking out for Jill hoping to avoid a future “hole incident” referring to their last San Diego show.
Bree goes to Fivio’s place as Professor Sex. She tells him she doesn’t have time for Paris, but she can teach him a lesson. He invites her in.
(ABC/Daniel Delgado)
The next morning back at Bree's, Jojo spots something on her phone that prompts her to contact Eric. She calls him “Dad” and Naomi questions what’s going on. Jojo corrects herself and says Eric is taking her to the movies. Naomi and Bree know something is going on and that Jojo is lying. Naomi expresses jealousy and worries about losing her daughter, but Brianna tells her not to worry.
.
Staked out at the home of the teen thieves, Jojo shows Eric a TikTok video the guys posted as part of a “Chain Challenge” trend. She encourages him to call the cops saying it won’t change the way she views him. He tells her the story of the chain and says he planned to give it to her at their lunch. The boys come out of the house and Jojo is ready to get it back.
With just days to go until their performance, Jill misses the first part of another rehearsal and everyone is frustrated. Brianna seems jealous of all the attention she’s getting and the major shift in her personality. Jill defends herself, feeling for the first time that she can be her true self before walking out.
With the group once again on a timeout, Val heads to the recording studio where Lauren is hanging out and contemplating what to do about her career. Val asks about her horn which cost $5 million to have surgically implanted. Val tells her that people will come and go, the most important thing is whether or not she likes the person she sees when she looks in the mirror.
Following her AMA Pre-Party appearance and debut of the horn, Lil Muffin gained a big following on social media that excites her friends/creative team. They offer her a hit from a bong, but she turns down the offer and leaves the room. She goes to change her shirt and accidentally rips the unicorn horn out of her head. She screams and looks at the blood on her forehead and hands.
Naomi is at her hotel and Jojo comes back wearing Eric’s chain. She thanks her mom for introducing her to Eric and says, “I love you.” Naomi smiles to herself. Meanwhile at Valeria's, her stalker comes around again in broad daylight. She goes to the door and a woman is standing there with flowers. “I’m your mother.”
Brianna sits and waits for Alexis at the clinic, but the girl doesn’t show. Frustrated, Bree goes to her house where her roommate reveals that she packed up everything and left.
Brianna gets home just as Jill is about to leave. They start to argue when Darren shows up to burn the divorce papers and tell Jill, “I won’t let you go.” He leaves quickly just as the girls show up and support Jill in her moment of shock. Finally it’s the night of their AMA performance and they rally before they take the stage. Queens is bonded again. For the moment.
Queens airs Tuesdays at 10pm ET/PT on ABC and streams next day on Hulu