‘The Chi’ Recap: Everything Is Possibile In A World Of ‘Smoke & Mirrors’ In Season 6, Episode 14

(WARNING: Spoilers for The Chi season 6 will be found below.)

The Chi is just a couple of weeks away from completing its sixth season, one that began with part one last summer. The season continues with the fourteenth episode “Smoke & Mirrors” where Emmett and Nuk are adjusting to the new family dynamic that places the latter into Emmett and Keisha’s world after they learned Nuk is Ronnie’s father. There’s a lot of work for Emmett to do, mainly because he and Nuk have never got along. That couldn’t be clearer as the two butt heads over Nuk joining the family so that he can take Ronnie trick or treating. After another disagreement over candy for Ronnie, Emmett tries to set things straight with Nuk but their egos get in the way of what could’ve been a productive conversation.

“Smoke & Mirrors” also brings us up to speed with Papa’s new role as assistant to Pastor Ezekiel at his New Hope On Zion church. Things seem to be going well until Papa inquiries about Pastor Ezekiel’s wife Tatiana and whether or not he trusts her. Papa doesn’t explain to Pastor Ezekiel why he asks these questions, but it after he saw Tatiana being a bit flirty with Jake at his Halloween party. Nonetheless, his inquiries end with a rather tense moment between Papa and Pastor Ezekiel.

Elsewhere, Britney comes clean to Maisha and Jemma about Douda paying her to spy on Bakari, Jake experiences some frustrations in his relationship-on-the-side with Tatiana, Maisha steps aside from music to explore photography, Keisha keeps it real with Nuk, Darnell tells Emmett to give another person a job at Smokey’s, and Nina rekindles an old flame with a past lover.

Let’s dive into a recap of the fourteenth episode in The Chi season six with a few takeaways we have after watching “Smoke & Mirrors.”

Emmett And Nuk’s Issues Are Connected To Their Lack Of Respect For Each Other

'The Chi' 614 'Smoke & Mirrors' w/ Cortez Smith as Nuk, Birgundi Baker as Kiesha, and Jacob Latimore as Emmett
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'The Chi' 614 'Smoke & Mirrors' w/ Cortez Smith as Nuk, Birgundi Baker as Kiesha, and Jacob Latimore as Emmett

Emmett and Nuk never seem to get along, but that didn’t matter to either of them as they rarely had to interact with each other. All of that’s changed now that it’s confirmed that Nuk is Lil’ Ronnie’s biological father. In the flash of an eye, Nuk is now in Emmett’s family circle, showing up unexpectedly to take Ronnie trick or treating, disrupting the established family dynamic. Emmett assumes Nuk is ignorant to some extent and tries to set him straight, but Nuk isn’t having it as he thinks Emmett is beneath him. That’s exactly where the issue lies between the two: they don’t respect each other. They both share the common interest of doing what’s best for Ronnie, but their stubbornness and egos are getting in the way of them seeing that in one another. As with most things like this, it may take a scare of some sorts for them to finally set aside their differences and grow up.

Britney Couldn’t Have Seen This Playing Out Any Differently

'The Chi' 614 'Smoke & Mirrors' w/ Amari Noelle as Britney
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'The Chi' 614 'Smoke & Mirrors' w/ Amari Noelle as Britney

We’d have to assume that since Britney was born and raised in Chicago, that she was somewhat aware Douda’s rep and history around the city. With that being said, there’s no way she thought a deal like the one she struck with Douda would end with her somehow not living up to the end of her bargain with him and not betraying her brother. Yet, here we are. Britney confesses her deal with Douda to Maisha and Jemma and the two girls are in shock. The timing of her confession isn’t surprising as Bakari figured out that Britney was the one who told Douda about his book, which resulted in Douda violently breaking Bakari’s laptop. There’s no way Britney gets out of this without facing some type of repercussion from either Douda, Bakari, or both of them. At this point, it’s a matter of which person is worth pissing off (more than she has already) more than the other.

Victor’s Free! But At What Cost?

'The Chi' 614 'Smoke & Mirrors' w/ Luke James as Victor
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'The Chi' 614 'Smoke & Mirrors' w/ Luke James as Victor

For the better part of two episodes in The Chi season six, Victor scrambled to figure out what to do as he was hit with a murder charge for the shooting death of Quentin, Alicia’s brother and Rob’s uncle. The murder was actually done by Douda, but Victor helped to get rid of the body, which is how he got roped into the murder case. To his surprise in “Smoke & Mirrors,” the murder case get dismissed thanks to a Brady violation. Victor later figures out that Alicia had something to do with it and he recalls a prior conversation with Shad who said Victor needed Alicia’s help. Well, he got it, but at what cost? No favors go without being repaid for Alicia, so we can be sure that Victor will be left with another tough decision to make thanks to Alicia.

Douda And Alicia’s Power Struggle Has Reached Its Climax

'The Chi' 614 'Smoke & Mirrors' w/ Curtiss Cook as Douda and Lynn Whitfield as Alicia
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'The Chi' 614 'Smoke & Mirrors' w/ Curtiss Cook as Douda and Lynn Whitfield as Alicia

Speaking of Alicia, she brought her cold war with Douda to his front step by paying him a visit at his lounge and bar. In a tense conversation with Douda, Alicia acknowledged that she sent Rob to kill Douda before warning him that his workers will be turning on him soon. Douda lashes out and chokes Alicia, but that doesn’t last long as Shad appears with a gun point straight to Douda’s head. The war that we were promised at the beginning of The Chi season 6, part 2 is finally here, and with just episodes left in the season, we can expect its events and conclusion to be explosive.

‘The Chi’ season 6, part 2 is now streaming on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME. Seasons 1-5 as well as season 6, part 1 are available now to stream on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME