04x02 - Mother Nature

[bunniefuu]

Dre: New life. A miracle.

One cell becomes two,

then four, then... boom... a baby.

As proud as we are as dads,

it can't compare to the way
a mama feels about her baby.

Being a new mom is the happiest
time in a woman's life.

Mother Nature has given women
everything they need

to sustain life with comfort and ease.

And Bow was no exception.

Her time with her new babies
was always magic.

Until now.

Oh.

♪

Dre: Say "Jumpman."

Say "Jordan."

Come on, DeVonté.

Say "Jordan."

Hey, babe, look. His first Jordans.

[All talking baby talk]

Huh?

Cute.

Yep, something was off with Bow,

and it was starting to make me nervous.

It was starting to make us all nervous.

So we all know that Dad
is an unreliable parent.

- Inept.
- Useless.

Embarrassing.

And we've all noticed

- that Mom's been a little off lately.
- A little?

♪

I've noticed it, too.

Zoey! Freeze!

Where you going?

A party.

Here's a fun idea.

Take your brother.

Yep.

Oh.

Perfect.

Have fun.

I don't know, guys.
She seems fine to me.

♪

[Sobbing]

That's why it's so important

we help Mom get back on her feet.

We can't let Dad be DeVonté's
sole provider.

- God no.
- Nightmare.

- Doomed.
- Se we all need to help out.

Make this house warm,

nurturing, and safe.

Right now, it's a death trap.

I don't know, guys. It seems fine to me.

♪

I can do "thank you" notes
for the dumb baby gifts we got.

Perfect. Zoey?

I'm thinking my role is gonna be

more like his cool aunt.

How about I skip this
and let him sleep on my futon

after he gets a girl pregnant?

Um... okay.

I guess this means I need

to nurture this baby myself...

- [Gasps]
- Oh, my God.

...by giving him as much

skin-to-skin contact as possible.

♪

He's not right.

I don't know, guys. He seems fine to me.

Bow was so down,
I resorted to an old move...

straight-up lying.

There's my radiant queen!

How are you, beautiful?

Fine. I went to the store today.

[Sobbing] But I don't need
this many potatoes!

[Sobbing]

That's great, you know.
They... 'Cause you've, uh...

You've always been a good shopper.

What's that you now you say?

degrees?

degrees. That seems warm.

Is that too warm? Is too warm?

Babe, if it is, just...

just turn it down
if you're worried about it.

Well, I can't turn it down, Dre.
I got to dry the tubes.

- I got to dry the tubes, okay?
- Okay, okay.

You know what? You want a massage?

'Cause I can call Yvonne,
and she can come by and give...

Is he breathing?
I can't tell if he's breathing.

Is he breathing?

- Um...
- Let me go check. I can't see.

- Okay. All right.
- He doesn't look like he's breathing.

Uh, b-babe, you're... you're glowing!

You're glowing, babe!

Mm.

- I'm worried about her.
- Yeah, you should be.

Clearly, she's cheating on you.

No, this is what new
motherhood looks like.

She's just weak.

Look, I don't even recognize her.

She's not acting like her normal self.

And... And I don't know what to do.

This never happened when
any of the other kids were born.

Well, the twins were born
a long time ago.

Earl was still on his original
Social Security number.

Hmm. ...

... ...

Mm. It's nice to know that

I can always come talk to you guys.

- Uh-huh.
- We're always here for you.

Yeah. Appreciate it.

No, Jack, if something has
a skull and crossbones on it,

it's not for pirates.

It's poison.

Ooh. Sorry about that.

The kids are trying to help out
by babyproofing the house.

Back in my day, "babyproofing" meant

demanding proof the baby was yours.

[Laughs]

Zingo! Mm-hmm.

Uh, but, seriously, though,
why are we so overprotective?

You know, when do we stop
babying the kids

and just let them fend for themselves?

Bup-bup-bup! Did you clean your hands?

- Yes, Papa.
- Mm?

- No, Papa.
- No.

Here you go.

All over. In between. There you go.

Back of your neck.

Good boy.

Babyproofing.

Remember when we were young,

and you'd ride around
in the trunk with your air hole,

hoping that they remember to let you out

so you could see the fireworks?

Mm. Luckily for our kids,
we know better.

Yeah, I never threw Eustace in the trunk

and drove to Tulsa for
Fourth of July weekend,

so stop asking me about it!

Uh... Dre, why are you making
your kids babyproof the house?

Oh, I'm not making them.
They want to help.

Bow's been having a hard time
since the baby.

You know, anxious,
not sleeping, crying a lot.

This may help.

It's my divorce attorney.

She's super hot.
You know what I'm saying?

- Call her.
- Oh, my God.

Um, Dre, it just sounds like
Bow's got the baby blues.

- Mm.
- What?

Cat Stevens got it after
she had her litter.

Been there. My wife, she had it bad.

For two years after Eustace was born.

Booked a trip to Acapulco
with my brother.

Hard seeing her like that.

Dre: Yeah, I just wish there was a way

I could find out what's wrong with Bow.

Y-You know, I-I keep asking her,

but she just keeps saying she's fine.

Well, as someone who hates
talking to women,

I find that reading ladies' magazines

is a great insight
into where their heads are at.

- Really?
- Josh: For sure.

I took a Cosmo quiz once to find out

if I was a wallflower
or a night-blooming jasmine.

- Mm-hmm.
- But I got kicked out of Curves

before I could finish it.

♪

Oh, I'm done babyproofing.

Shh!

[Whispering] Let's have a look.

♪

You call this babyproofing?

Loose Legos?

Do you want him to choke?

Or get strangled?

♪

Is this broken glass?!

Is this a joke to you people?!

I locked the cabinets.

Impenetrable.

Look at this open pen,

just sitting here for anyone to grab!

Babies don't have control of their arms!

They just wave them all around, like...

[Giggles]

[Pen clatters]

See?

That could've easily been the baby.

We can do better.

I can do better!

Then show me.

In my good eye.

I listened to my co-workers

and read a bunch of women's magazines.

Some of them talked about
postpartum depression.

It sounds like it might be
what was going on with Bow.

And they also said a lot of women

don't realize they have it,
so I had to be gentle.

There's my blushing bride.

Dre, that's very sweet,

but could you please stop looking at me?

- You okay, babe?
- Yeah, I'm...

I don't know why my eyes
won't stop watering.

I'm sorry.

You know what might be fun?

What?

If we take this
postpartum-depression quiz

together.

[Sighs] Dre, I don't want to do that.

I'm... I'm okay.

Totally. Totally.

But I think we should...

we should take it just in case one of us

has a debilitating mood disorder, okay?

So, I'll go first.

"Do you feel sad, hopeless,
overwhelmed, empty?"

That's a "nope" for me.

How about you?

Uh... well, I don't know. I feel sad.

Mm-hmm.

[Voice breaking] And I feel hopeless,

and I feel overwhelmed,

but I don't feel empty,

so I guess it's a "no" for me.

Okay. This is fun.

- Yep.
- All right, number two.

"Are you crying more often than usual?"

I'm just gonna put a "yes" for you.

Dre, I'm fine. Okay?

It's just, the baby came early,

and he's not sleeping,
and he's not eating.

I just... I think he might be cursed.

Ah, that takes us down to question .

"Do you think your baby is cursed?"

"Yes" for you.

♪

Hmm.

... , .

Wow!

out of .

[Chuckles] Babe,
you still acing quizzes.

Yep. According to this,
you just might have postpartum.

Dre, I don't have postpartum.

I am a doctor, and I would know.

Totally. Totally.

But maybe we should talk
to another doctor

to confirm that you don't have it.

Fine.

If that's gonna make you
feel better, fine.

Babe.

Maybe you just need some help.

All right.

And that's what we're gonna get you.

I...

Hey, and you don't have to worry.

I'm not gonna leave you.

[Stammers]

Well, I hadn't thought of that.

[Scoffs]

Me... neither. Ha!

Okay, so, the anxiety
and the insomnia and the crying

and the, uh... constant insecurity,

that's all postpartum?

Most likely.

I mean, that's exactly
what the quiz said.

You want a copy of this for your files?

We actually have our own

clinically tested and approved
diagnostic protocols,

but thank you.

Huh. Okay.

Um, postpartum manifests itself
differently in every mother.

Some women even have trouble
bonding with their baby.

Really? So...
So bonding is a part of it?

Mm-hmm.

'Cause I've been...

been feeling really guilty

'cause I can't seem to connect
with DeVonté.

That is very normal.

But it didn't happen
with any of my other kids.

W-W-Well, w-with Junior,
it happened with me.

Well, every pregnancy is different.

And every treatment is, too.

The sooner we figure out
the right medication for you,

the sooner you will start
feeling like yourself again.

[Sighs] No, you know what?
I-I can get through this.

I d... I don't want medication.

Obviously, the decision is yours,

but postpartum depression
is a mood disorder.

It's not something
you can just power through,

and it is nothing to feel ashamed of.

Can I still breastfeed?

'Cause that's really important to me.

Plus, breastfeeding helps her
lose the baby weight,

and we want to make sure
we keep that going.

- What? I'm your advocate.
- My God.

Nursing's completely safe

on the one I'm thinking of.

It takes time to find
the right dosage of medication,

but this is a good first step.

Uh...

So, does this mean
that she'll stop crying

every time she sees me?

I'm not entirely convinced
that's the postpartum.

♪

Hey.

Hey.

How are the "thank you" notes going?

Good.

Here.

"Thank you for the dumb wood thing

that has already been thrown away.

Regards, Rainbow Johnson."

[Sighs] Okay. Are they all that harsh?

No.

- Here.
- [Sighs]

"Babies hate pewter spoons.
k*ll yourself."

That was my gift!

Oh, then you saved me a stamp.

♪

Hey, babe. You look great.

How you feeling?

It's been two days, okay?

So I know you mean well,
but you have to stop asking.

Cool, cool. I totally understand.

- Okay.
- Hey, how about we take a run together?

You know, because the doctor said

it might make you feel better if...

- [DeVonté cries]
- Please stop trying to fix me.

Okay.

Okay, I'm... I'm gonna go get the baby.

[Crying continues]

Are you sure you want to leave
her alone with that child?

They left me alone with you for years.

Yeah, well, I didn't go
to some quack doctor

because I was mentally ill
with some made-up disease.

It's a real thing
that lots of women get.

And Bow is taking medicine
to get better.

Wait a minute.

She's doing dr*gs
and nursing my grandson?

- She's not doing dr*gs.
- Dre, a lady at church nursed on dr*gs,

and her son can only make
friends with loose dogs.

Her milk was poison.

So you're a doctor now?

Because you were smoking a cigarette

while I was being born.

[Scoffs] So was the doctor!

♪

We finished babyproofing!

Yeah, the house couldn't be safer.

DeVonté isn't gonna get into anything.

♪

[Door bangs]

♪

[Groans]

♪

[Grunts]

Wow. Well, I'm glad
you guys handled everything.

I mean, I didn't even think
to do any of that, so...

Why didn't I think of that?

I am the mom.

Why isn't she getting any better?

She will. She's gonna be okay.

Are you sure?

She put sunscreen and a steak Kn*fe

in Diane's lunchbox today.

Turns out I needed both at recess.

I swear to God and sweet black Jesus,

y'all put a lock on one more
damn thing in this house,

and I will whip all four
of your asses at the same time!

♪

[Sighs]

Oh, he's sleeping.

How'd you do that?

I gave him a little something to eat,

knocked him right out.

[Stammers]

Wait.

Why... Why is all of this still here?

Yeah, I gave him some formula.

What?

Ruby...

he's never had formula.

I-I'm just breastfeeding.

Well, I thought your milk
might be keeping him awake,

- on account of the medication.
- Oh, my God.

And from the looks of it, I was right.

Are you kidding me?

What the [bleep].

Okay, just calm down.

No, I'm not gonna calm down, Ruby.

You know what?
I put up with so much from you.

You make fun of my hair.
You make fun of my clothing.

You make fun of my cooking.
You make fun of my blackness.

- It's more your whiteness.
- I'm not joking!

You walk all over me, and I let you.

In my home!

But you've crossed a line.

- Hey, I was just trying to help.
- No, you weren't.

You're never just trying
to do anything, Ruby.

You were trying to make me feel bad.

- Oh, come on.
- Hey, hey, hey.

- No, stay out of it. Stay out of it, Dre.
- What's going on?

Do you think this is easy for me, Ruby?

Do you?

Motherhood is the most
natural thing for a woman.

And I've had four kids,

and somehow, I am struggling right now.

I cannot seem to make enough milk.

I feel filled with anxiety. I feel weak.

I feel embarrassed because of
all the things that I can't do.

And you are making me feel
so much worse!

Okay, now, it was just a little formula.

- Oh, my God.
- Don't you think

maybe you're overreacting?

[Voice breaking] I'm not. I'm just not.

I'm not.

And you need to get out of my home,

because there's no way I'm gonna
get better while you're here.

So you need to leave, and you
cannot live here anymore.

You need to go.

Andre, she's acting crazy.

And you need to talk to her, okay?

No, Mama.

Not this time.

You got to go.

♪

- [Cries]
- It's okay, baby.

It had been a little while
since we saw the doctor

and things in the house
were still messed up.

My mother was gone.

My kids were freaked out
about their mom...

Everything's gonna be all right.

...because Bow still wasn't herself.

I felt like I was the only one
holding it together.

Can't handle a baby gate, son?
[Chuckles]

What happened to your hand?

[Groans]

Damn!

I was gonna sweep it up,

but I couldn't get into the pantry.

You're looking at me like
you want to say something.

You might as well go ahead
and spit it out.

Look, I would usually talk
to Bow about this,

or Moms, but I can't.

I have nobody else
to talk to, obviously,

which is why I'm talking to you.

Oh, and I'm a bad choice.

I'm just worried, Pops.

We really doing this?

Pour me another drink.

All right.

I feel like I'm in this alone.

You know, the kids are scared.

I'm trying my best to comfort them,

but I'm just as scared as they are.

I barely recognize my wife.

What if she's never herself again?

Well, why are you borrowing trouble?

All you can do is support her now

and give her a little time
to get back on track.

Everybody says that... "Give it time."

I want to do something.
I feel so powerless.

You've been doing everything you can do.

I've been watching you.

You've been holding it down.

That's... dangerously close
to praise, Pops.

Well, I lost a lot of blood.

[DeVonté cooing]

[Whispering] Why is there so
much broken glass in this house?

♪

[Sighs]

Ruby, what are you doing here?

I hope it's okay
I used my key to get in.

Look, I just felt like
I really needed to talk to you.

Okay.

I've been doing a lot of thinking,

and I realize you were right.

I overstepped with the formula.

What are you saying?

[Sighs]

I crossed the line.

I would've thrown me out, too.

You listen to me, Rainbow.

You've got nothing to be ashamed of.

- You're a good mother.
- Unh...

- I do not feel like a good mother.
- Well, you are.

And you're not weak,
because you got help.

I'm weak for not being there
to help you get it.

So I'm sorry.

[Voice breaking] I'm sorry.

I don't think
you've ever said that before.

Me, neither.

Wow. Well... thank you, Ruby.

That means a lot to me. It really does.

I hope I can earn your trust again.

Oh, Ruby.

I never trusted you.

[Chuckles] Smart lady.

[Chuckles] Can I have my key back?

♪

Hey, babe.

How are... You know what?

I'm not even gonna ask you that.

Nor pry into your personal writings.

As a matter of fact, I don't
even know why I came out here.

My therapist is making me write
in this journal.

It's actually helping.

Especially after the first
pages of writing,

"My therapist is stupid

for having me write in this journal."

[Laughs]

- Well, I'm glad it's helping.
- Yeah.

It's nice to see you smile again.

Babe.

Hmm?

[Sighs]

I really appreciate
how you've been there for me,

especially with your mom.

Of course.

You think I'd ever take her side
over yours?

That's exactly what I think.

You're my wife...

the most important person in my life.

But you're gonna let my mama
move back in, right?

Eventually.

I'm not gonna let her stay
in that hotel forever.

Yeah, well, they're not gonna
let her stay long, either.

She's already been banned
from the hotel pool

for sunbathing topless.

What? Ugh.

The restaurant, too.

Same reason.

Wow. Okay.

♪

Rainbow: Where's DeVonté?
Where's DeVonté?

[Gasps] Where's DeVonté?

Oh, God! Mom lost the baby.

Don't worry. We'll find him.

There he is.

Oh, hey, guys.

Hey, Mom, do you want me to take him?

No, that's okay. Keep your shirt on.

Thank God. He keeps trying to latch.

So... [sighs] guys, I really appreciate

everything that you've done.

I know it's been really hard around here

and maybe a little scary, too.

But this is just something
that sometimes happens to moms.

It's a part of life.

It's a really crappy part of life.

And I'm gonna be okay.

I promise.

And, Diane...

maybe we should take a little break

from the "thank you" notes.

You've b*rned a lot of bridges.

You're welcome.

Oh, okay.

Dre: Oh, hey, guys. There you are.

Hey.

So I didn't have to ask Bow
how she was feeling anymore.

I could see she was on her way.

Diane: "Dear Josh, thank you for
the baby blanket you made by hand.

We will hold it up to DeVonté

to show him that sometimes
trying isn't enough.

Best, Rainbow Johnson."

"Dear Mr. Stevens, thank you
for the soul food delivery.

You really know black people."

I really do.

♪

"Hello, Charles.
I now have your home address.

It's the last mistake you'll make.

Soon, Diane Johnson."