Mary J. Blige’s Strength Of A Woman’s Time Jump Delivers On Bendra’s Second Chance At Love

And a lot to our delight, Kendra and Ben discovered their manner again to 1 one other.

Mary J. Blige’s Strength of A Woman was a worthwhile companion piece to Mary J. Blige’s Real Love, even when it veered nearer to Lifetime’s ordinary fare with a few of its plots.

Despite roughly 15 years aside, the true, sincere, first, and actual love between Kendra and Ben lastly prevailed, and so they’re all the higher for it.

It was nice that we acquired to meet up with an grownup Kendra and Ben, not solely following them after they’ve endured many issues of their life and had been much more seasoned, however dropping in throughout a time after we acquired to see the 2 battling these real-life issues that include maturity, relationships, and expertise.

Again, Ajiona Alexus has actually shined on this double characteristic, sufficient in order that I genuinely stay up for her future initiatives and what she chooses to partake in subsequent.

It was such a powerful distinction between the Kendra from Real Love — the younger girl who was coming into herself and maturity, discovering her footing, and taking the world on as a contemporary, younger expertise with nothing however nice issues forward of her, and the established, seasoned girl who discovered some success and was nonetheless battling highs and lows in life.

Alexus did an awesome job capturing the totally different phases of Kendra’s life whereas preserving her true to the character we had come to know.

Although, there have been moments when the films felt like two completely various things unrelated to 1 one other. It was simple sufficient to observe one movie with out the opposite.

Whether or not it is to the saga’s profit that each work as standalone stays within the air, however the movies did have two distinct vibes.

In some ways, Strength of a Woman felt like the same old Lifetime fanfare, which is not unhealthy, but it surely made the movie considerably predictable.

They threw a bunch of the same old bits at us, from a philandering husband who gaslights and basically disappears midway by means of the film to a tragic miscarriage, betrayal of an in depth pal, and a second likelihood at love with the proper completely satisfied ending.

Some of this stuff work properly sufficient, but it surely shifted from Real Love‘s contemporary, unique vibe and have become formulaic.

Kendra was a profitable businesswoman who wished to begin a household in a failing marriage with a person who wasn’t proper for her within the least and prompted her nothing however ache and harm.

His therapy and betrayals prompted her to spiral and lose sight of herself for a bit, and solely by means of the loving assist of these round her did she make it by means of all of that.

She suffered the tragic loss of a kid after making an attempt so arduous to have one. She practically tanked her profession due to her spiral, alienating herself and extra.

It all felt very formulaic, virtually as in the event that they had been checking widespread tropes for all these motion pictures off of a listing, which set free among the air from this movie, killing the momentum the primary one constructed up.

Fifteen years later, Kendra had an ideal life; that is the way it appeared on the skin. She discovered success as a photographer, operating her personal studio and taking footage of celebrities for magazines.

She married a profitable physician, lived in a stunning home, and hoped to begin a household. Everything appeared good, but it surely was simple to see the cracks when Kendra spent a number of seconds along with her husband, Kevin.

Credit the place it is due, Riverdale’s Hamza Fouad did an awesome job taking part in a whole and utter waste of area and a horrible man. There was completely nothing likable or redeemable about Kevin.

He was such an offputting character that it was genuinely a shock that Kendra ever ended up with him within the first place. He did not appear concerned about having a child along with her and blamed their fertility journey for his infidelity.

And regardless of his infidelity, he discovered a approach to be jealous about her reconnecting with Ben, projecting his actions and poor judgment onto her as a substitute of displaying a modicum of grace or humility about her forgiving him and giving him a second likelihood.

He wasn’t even good at dishonest, which by some means made him much more loathsome. It did not even appear to be he knew Kendra properly or cared about her in any respect, so the concept that they ever reached a degree the place they had been contemplating beginning a household felt unbelievable.

And one of the vital offputting moments of the movie was his conduct throughout that dinner. He was the one who wished to spend time with Ben, then he spent the whole meal tipsy, making digs, and being inappropriate.

It’s one factor to behave that manner when it is simply the adults, however his rudeness and offensive remarks whereas Sonny and Miles had been there have been unforgivable.

How do you make digs a few man having a baby early and implying that he was irresponsible and ruined his life in entrance of that man’s little one?

It did not appear to be he’d get any decrease, however then we acquired that unsavory twist of him being the daddy of Terry’s little one. By that time, it was evident that Kev was a slimeball, so it wasn’t even surprising that he fathered a child outdoors his relationship with Kendra and by no means instructed her about it.

But to know that he slept with and shared a baby with Kendra’s solely finest pal for years, with neither telling her the reality was a particular sort of low.

Terry being a part of this was one of the vital disappointing facets of the movie. Part of the difficulty is that Kendra is depicted as not having some other significant friendships at this stage of her life.

It’s solely Terry, the lady who was nothing however a pal and assist to her again in school. It does not even really feel true to the character that her finest pal, who helped her by means of a sexual assault and all the time had her again by means of the roughest of instances in her life, would contribute to inflicting her any strife.

It did not really feel true to what we have realized of Terry that she would preserve this big secret, disguise that Kevin fathered her son, and even go so far as making Kendra the godmother to this child.

She stored this secret for what? Eight years?

It was such a cliched and contrived flip of occasions that was pure drama for the sake of it. It alienated Kendra in a manner that felt pointless, making it to a degree the place Ben was the one one that wasn’t household she may lean on.

It was one thing that we may’ve executed with out. Unfortunately, it required so many facets of Kendra’s life to crumble earlier than she may discover her manner again to Ben romantically.

But amid all of that, Kendra had some sturdy moments. Before Angela Bassett was slaying us on 9-1-1 as Athena Grant, one among her most iconic film moments was setting her dishonest husband’s garments and automotive on hearth. Kendra was channeling Auntie Bernadine from Waiting to Exhale by doing one thing related.

Kendra toppling down the steps, coping with a dishonest husband, a pal who betrayed her, and happening career-ending drunken benders had been elements of the story that weren’t compelling.

But her moments as an aunt, spending time with Sonny, had been nice. The two of them had such an awesome rapport and bonded so properly, and it was candy to see her cross on her ardour for images to Sonny.

It was genuinely good that they’d one another to lean on after Kendra’s father died.

Obviously, her moments with Ben had been additionally a spotlight of the movie. The chemistry between the leads is the strongest promoting level for this saga, and each time they share a scene collectively, every thing else appears to fade away.

It was shocking to listen to that Kendra had appeared at Ben’s door someday after she left and hoped to rekindle issues and be collectively.

It did not work out then, and he wished to stay issues out with Connie for Miles’ profit, however that appeared a degree of competition for them once they crossed paths once more on the school reunion.

But Ben, he all the time says the most effective issues. He’s the very antithesis of men like Kev, making him the proper romantic lead. When he instructed her that each time she instructed their love story, he wanted her to chorus from ever implying that he did not all the time select her, a lady could not assist however swoon a bit.

It felt like Ben disappeared on this film in some ways. He had some moments that evoked blended emotions too.

On the one hand, it was disappointing that he turned a lawyer, understanding that he basically gave in to his dad and mom in some capability.

As a lot as his story was about what impressed him was touching, there’ll all the time be that risk that he subconsciously acquired worn down and ended up giving in to his guardian’s needs, permitting them to affect him in that manner and consider that he made this resolution himself.

In some ways, it will’ve been a stronger motivation if his personal brush with the regulation had impressed him after what occurred with Kendra in school.

But no less than he is a public defender, which fits him properly and what he needs to do in his life, serving to folks.

I want we had spent extra time on Ben, regardless that that is so clearly Kendra’s story.

Unsurprisingly, we had been aware of his and Connie’s relationship not figuring out, the vindictive issues that Connie did, and so forth, however Connie did not even seem.

And whereas it was good to see that his mom wasn’t nonetheless that classist, snobby girl who handled Kendra like filth, it will’ve been higher in the event that they shared extra screentime collectively and possibly had an in-depth dialog in order that his mom’s sudden turnaround wasn’t handed to Kendra secondhand by means of him.

For him and Kendra to be collectively, seeing her in his world a bit extra would’ve been refreshing.

Nevertheless, it was satisfying to see the pair work issues out. Kendra selecting to be with Ben and never operating away on the hardships and problems of what his life brings as a father was a mark of her development and skill to decide on her personal happiness.

Kendra discovered some empowerment and love by means of her experiences.

One of the movie’s finest scenes was her, her sister, and her niece singing, dancing, and bonding. It was this lovely show of womanhood that tapped splendidly into feminine bonds, energy, and assist.

Those are treasured moments that the movie may’ve used extra of because it lived as much as its title in all facets.

It was a strong conclusion to this love story, Kendra selecting to go along with Ben to North Carolina, to be with him and the opposite individuals who matter to her.

Because there’s nothing mistaken with making selections like that for oneself with out it reflecting poorly or being overly simplified as a lady following a person. Kendra adopted her coronary heart and happiness.

Over to you, Lifetime Fanatics. Did you benefit from the conclusion to this saga? Sound off beneath!

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