Episode 8 of The Other Black Girl commences with Nella tossing and turning, her mind swimming with her encounters with Hazel. She crafts a voluntary and involuntary board, adorned with snapshots she surreptitiously captured from Hazel's abode. Exhausted, she dozes off on the couch, only to be jolted awake by Malaika's sudden appearance.
In the morning, Owen's worried call to Malaika resonates with concern for Nella. Malaika speculates that Hazel may be amassing these women for some ulterior purpose, prompting Owen to ponder what binds them, both willingly and unwittingly. Nella notes that the women's past lives seem to have vanished, their Instagram timelines truncated to a mere year, mirroring Hazel's own. Owen inquiries about Shani, and Nella admits she hasn't heard from her since their karaoke encounter. Malaika wonders aloud how they can track someone in reverse, leading them to revisit the places where Shani's path crossed theirs, yet yielding no clues.
Malaika and Owen implore Nella to steer clear of work, fearing an unwanted encounter with Hazel. However, Nella's curiosity about Hazel's connection to the other girls overrides their advice. Owen speculates that Hazel must have powerful connections, while Malaika suggests the cult might be financing their PhDs.
Then, a revelation dawns on Nella: Richard Wagner's donation facilitated Ebonee's meteoric rise as Columbia's youngest associate professor of literature. Furthermore, Camille is employed at a Wagner Industries subsidiary. Nella posits that Richard exploits Hazel to recruit women, grooming them into influential figures, only to exploit them further. She believes she is Richard's next target.
Richard dispatches a reporter to interview Nella, but she is absent from work. Consequently, he tasks Hazel with finding her. Disheartened at home, Nella laments that she failed to uncover Richard's true motives. In her attempt to rehabilitate Wagner's image as a champion of diversity, she inadvertently jeopardized Diana's imprint, inadvertently portraying it as a tool to manipulate compliant black women for personal gain.
Frustrated, Nella recalls Jesse's admonition that the only way to triumph over a system is to operate outside its confines. With newfound determination, she vows to bring Richard down. Meanwhile, Hazel arrives with chicken noodle soup, oblivious to Nella's absence due to illness. Owen informs her that Nella is contagious, thus barring her entrance. Hazel expresses her hope that Nella will recover in time for Diana's book imprint party, her concern evident as she fears Nella might miss it. Owen's suspicion prompts Nella and Malaika to discard the soup into the trash, their actions synchronized in unison.
Next, Nella encountered Jesse and spilled the beans about Hazel and Richard's sinister plan to transform black women into corporate pawns. However, she remained clueless about the mechanics of their scheme, suspecting it might involve mind manipulation or worse. She pleaded with Jesse to assist her in uncovering the truth and harnessed his influence to bring the matter to the public's attention. Jesse, contrite over his earlier hostility, expressed relief that Nella had seen the light. As they spoke, Shani kept a watchful eye from a neighboring table.
Despite Owen and Malaika's concerns, Nella insisted on attending the party, arguing that she needed to recruit one more ally. She promised to leave promptly once her objective was achieved. Vera reached out to Nella, offering an apology and congratulating her on the re-release. Nella, determined to warn someone if Richard and Hazel were as dangerous as she suspected, pressed ahead to the party.
During the festivities, Malaika tried to extract dirt on Richard from Vera, but the latter had little to offer. Meanwhile, Nella stumbled upon Diana in the bathroom and divulged Hazel and Richard's diabolical scheme of transforming black women against their will. She revealed that they had targeted her and suspected they had pushed Kendra to the brink. Diana confessed that she had sensed something amiss since Kendra's disappearance, admitting that Kendra had tried to warn her about Richard, but she had been blind to the truth. She advised Nella to survive the night without arousing Richard's suspicion and promised to discuss a plan later.
At the party, Richard hailed Diana Gordon's "Burning Heart" as the catalyst for Wagner's success and introduced Jesse Watson as the imprint's first signee. Nella, taken aback, listened as Jesse praised Wagner's commitment to an inclusive future in publishing, crediting it with aligning with his own goals and values. He thanked Nella for her influence in enlightening him.
Suspicious, Nella pursued Jesse, demanding answers. He confessed that he had reconsidered their conversation, gotten a haircut, and realized that Nella had misjudged Richard. However, Nella suspected Jesse might be playing a deeper game, but he insisted he had truly joined the Wagner family. He said he had changed his mind after hearing Richard's pitch, believing Wagner could be a platform for real change, just as Nella had suggested.
Hazel approached Nella, but she rebuffed her advances. Suddenly, Richard summoned both women to the stage, just as Hazel dropped a bombshell, revealing that Richard might not be the mastermind and that the culprit stood before her.
Elsewhere, Vera imparted another crucial tidbit to Malaika: Richard had been unfaithful to his wife for nearly four decades with Diana. Realizing Nella might be in danger, Malaika rushed out of Vera's abode.
At the party, Hazel and Nella made their way to the stage, but Nella faltered. As she tried to retreat, Diana blocked her exit, forcing her to join Hazel on stage. Nella's patience had run thin. She called Hazel a lunatic, accusing them of harming Kendra Rae. She glanced at the crowd, realizing they viewed her as the madwoman. She left the stage, her reputation in tatters.
Meanwhile, Malaika frantically tried to warn Nella about Diana's involvement. As she called Owen to inquire about Nella's whereabouts, a car slammed into her and sped away. Shan was behind the wheel. Elsewhere, Nella fled the party in a panic, only to be abducted by two unknown assailants, leaving the episode on a cliffhanger.
