Tyler Perry's The Have and Have Nots is the first of two scripted series that resulted from a business deal between Perry and Oprah Winfrey for her Oprah Winfrey Network(OWN). The second show, Love Thy Neighbor premieres the next day, May 29. This soap opera-like series follows the wealthy Savannah, Georgia Cryer family--Jim (John Schneider), Katheryn (Renee Lawless), Amanda (Jaclyn Betham), and Wyatt(Aaron O'Connell). In its May 28 series premiere, Jim is seen talking on the phone with his wife, Katheryn. Jim is out of town on business, and is shown in a hotel. Back at the Cryer home, Hanna Young (Crystal Fox), gets hired by Katheryn as a new maid, and thanks her friend Celine Gonzales (Eva Tamargo), the house's other maid, for getting her the job interview.
Jim welcomes an escort named Candy (Tika Sumpter) into his hotel room, while at the house Katheryn gets Hanna settled in as a maid and shows her around the house. Hanna has the displeasure of meeting Veronica Harrington (Angela Robinson), Katheryn's wealthy friend, and comments that she "hates Black people like that", referring to the way in which Veronica handed her a hat and coat. While Katheryn speaks to Veronica about her husband's upcoming birthday dinner, her son, Wyatt, comes in (after a stint in rehab) with his life coach Jeffrey (who also happens to be Veronica's son), played by Gavin Houston. In a desire for attention, and because he is forced to be watched after by Jeffrey at all times, Wyatt decides to take off all of his clothes. Jim returns home, and after finding a naked Wyatt in the kitchen, finally puts an end to his act. In comes their daughter Amanda, who's in college, to introduce her friend Candice, who turns out to be the escort Jim spent the previous night with.
At the dinner, Veronica, now with her husband David (Peter Parros), joins the Cryer family and gives Jim his birthday gift. Hanna, while doing her maid duties, notices Candice at the party. In a conversation with Veronica, Candice is asked what her mother does, and answers that she is dead. Over comes Hanna with champagne, and while hearing about Candice's 'dead' mother, spills some champagne on Candice's dress, which angers Katheryn and makes her question hiring Hanna. At this point, it is almost obvious to viewers that Hanna is really Candice's mother. Those speculations are pretty much confirmed when Hanna finds Candice alone and confronts her about her actions and her intentions with the Cryer family. Hanna seems to already have suspicions that Candice is only up to no good. It is in their conversation that it is revealed that Candice has a son, and her mother is worried about him. Celine is concerned about the champagne incident with Hanna, so she asks her about it, but Hanna tells her that Candice is really her daughter.
Hanna goes back home after work and tells her son, Benny (Tyler Lepley), that about Candice and all the lies she had told back at the Cryer home. However, Benny seems to know more about Candice than Hanna, and seems to keep in touch with her. On her way out, Veronica reveals her suspicions about Candice to Katheryn. Back at the Young household, Benny calls Candice to make sure she is okay, and to see if she really is up to anything. He also tells her that he finally bought his tow truck so he can now start his company. Jim quietly wakes Candice while she's sleeping in Amanda's bed to straighten out the mess he's gotten himself in, and to get her out of his house. While leading her into his study downstairs, Wyatt, who also snuck downstairs for a drink, hides but sees them. In the middle of this, Candice blackmails Jim and threatens him to give her $100,000 and a sports car or she will "burn his playhouse down", meaning she will reveal to the family about their brief affair.
The second episode, that premiered directly after, starts with Hanna entering the laundry room, only to find Katheryn crying by a sink. She quickly brushes it off and gives Hanna clothes duty. Katheryn continues to cry elsewhere, while Jim gets ready for work. Candice barges in on Jim when he's about to leave, and again Jim warns her to leave his house. Of course, the adamant Candice stays, and while studying with Amanda, Wyatt and Jeffrey enter the room. Already suspicious of Candice after the previous night, Wyatt starts to grill her about the types of guys she likes and also tries to convince her to go out with Jeffrey. When asked about it later, Candice tells Amanda that not only is she not interested in Jeffrey, she also thinks he's gay. Even with the knowledge of her daughter possibly having bad intentions at the Cryer home, she decides to keep the job because she needs the money.
Jeffrey confronts Wyatt about grilling Candice so harshly, but Wyatt ends up blowing up on Jeffrey and is tired of being looked after 24/7. At his job, David talks to Jim about a possible run for governor, but Jim confesses that Candice is an escort that he had an affair with, and that she is now blackmailing him. David advises that he just pay her, but Jim believes that his wife would notice the missing money. Seeing that Jim is desperate, David says he'll handle the situation. Candice sneaks off into the Cryer's master bedroom, but is caught by her mother. Annoyed with her daughter's recklessness and disrespectful attitude, they engage in a heated argument that ends in Hanna slapping Candice, and Candice destroying the bed, then storming off.
Surprised at Candice's earlier answer, Amanda asks Wyatt whether or not Jeffrey is gay, to which he says no, but Wyatt doesn't seem completely sure. In Katheryn's bedroom, Hanna tries to make up the bed after Candice's fit, but then Katheryn comes in. She tells Hanna to leave, but then falls on her way to the bed. Hanna helps her to the bed and asks her what's wrong, but Katheryn brushes this off too. To be sure about Jeffrey, Wyatt sets up a camera in his room, and when Jeffrey is about to come in, Wyatt pretends to sleep. Seeing that Wyatt is asleep, Jeffrey leaves, but on his way out, he sneaks a peek at Wyatt's body and licks his lips. When Jeffrey is gone, Wyatt is surprised that when he watches the video footage, Candice's suspicions are confirmed. Back at Hanna's house, Benny comes in to take Hanna to church and seems to have forgotten most of the days problems that had taken place with her daughter. At the Cryer home, Wyatt finds Candice in Amanda's closet, and tells her that he saw her with his dad the previous night, and that he can't wait until his mother finds out. She denies this, and after Wyatt asks her to go pick some drugs up for him, she calls him a fool and an idiot (among other things) for getting into drugs in the first place. He grabs her, but she's not phased, and pushes him. She pushes him again, but in the face this time, and he leaves. Candice meets Jim in his study, and he shares the story of one of his cases as a judge where he let a serial killer go despite evidence because he wasn't guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and basically threatens Candice by saying he still has the man's contact. Despite his consistent warnings, the episode ends with Jim and Candice kissing heavily in the study.
Image Courtesy of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network