‘Greenleaf’ spin-off named ‘Delilah’

OWN is dropping nuggets about the ‘Greenleaf’ spin-off one at a time. No specific details have been revealed except the series will revolve around Lady Mae and will be titled ‘Delilah.’ It’s not known what other characters from the previous series will he involved but viewers can glean from the title that this show will be different from its predecessor. The name Delilah comes from Judges chapter 16 in the Bible and is in the story of Sampson whose super strength was in his hair. He had killed so many Phlistines that five of theit leaders each paid Delilah 1100 silver coins to find the secret of his strength. Delilah tricks Sampson into telling her the secret which is to cut his hair. Because of this story the name Delilah has been come to represent bribery and deception.

The bottom line is Delilah was a bad girl so the question would be if the spin-off is going to tarnish the reputation of Mae Greenleaf? Wil she stray from her morals now that her husband is dead and will she become drunk with power? In the ending of season 5 her husband admitted his flaws so will she now add notches to her belt of sins? I don’t see any way that the name of the spin-off can denote anything good but many people do love a bad girl. According to The Jewish Women’s Archive, the etymology of the name Delilah is a wordplay on the Hebrew name layla, which means “night,” “for as the night overcomes the mighty sun.”

The name Samson, or Shimshon, is associated with the sun or shemesh. In other words Delilah overcomes the strongman of Thebes, Samson. Since the new OWN series is going to be called ‘Delilah’ and revolves around Lady Mae, then I think it’s safe to say that Mae or someone close to her is going to do something treacherous like the Biblical Delilah. Perhaps widow Greenleaf will find her own Samson to dethrone. This might be why her husband, Bishop Greenleaf was killed off. Oprah and creator Craig Wright have been evolving Mae since season one. It’s obvious now that they felt she could not become fully who she is as long as she was side by side with her husband.

In decades gone by the Greenleaf couple probably would have continued together as an example of a strong marriage. We are now in a time where there is less value on marriage as is evident in the fact that more couples live together. We are in a era where women are being celebrated as they are now in positions of power that they once would not have qualified for. Kamala Harris a woman of color, (oriented Jamaican and Asian) is the VP candidate which would not have been a reality decades ago. For these reasons fans of the new show should not be surprised if down the road Lady Mae herself becomes a Bishop. The promo for the new series which simply said “ Delilah” coming soon, has fans talking. One said she hoped the show was based on the Biblical story because that would be exciting. Another said Lady Mae would now be the master of her church. Yet another said the title indicates nothing but trouble so it seems some Greenleaf watcher are thinking the same way.

There will be some who prefer Lady Mae to take a walk on the wild side although that would be a stretch from the character thus far. Without knowing any more details it’s difficult to even attempt to figure out what will happen. Craig Wright and Oorah said of the initial series that they wanted to emphasize that preachers have flaws and that people should not put too much faith in them. Some First Ladies became angry and said on social media that their husbands were preachers and did not drink alcohol or have it in their homes. Others were upset that Lady Mae had cheated on Bishop and had Grace by another man. These pastors wives said they had been virgins when they married and remained faithful to their husbands.

There were also a few complaints about Jacob and Karissa cheating, and Charity and Grace having sexual while not married. If Lady Mae gets too far out of line the new show may lose some viewers but it probably will not retain 100% of the previous audience anyway. Based on social media posts and comments a number of fans wasn’t to see a continuation of the original series. A large number of individuals have expressed desiring to see Grace in the staring role. The spin-off might go in a completely different direction and this may cause some devotees to not even give the new series a chance. On the other hand “Delilah” could become an instant hit. She Be on the lookout for updates, breaking news, and teasers related to “Delilah.” The Greenleaf fans have been loyal and should be given the curteousy from OWN of having a few more details.