04x14 - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Grown-ish". Aired: January 3, 2018 - present.*
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Zoey heads off to college and begins her hilarious journey to adulthood.
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04x14 - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Post by bunniefuu »

♪ Gimme my work ♪
♪ Yeah, I put in work ♪

- ♪ I put in work ♪
- ♪ I do the work ♪

Zoey: You know the saying...

when one door closes, another opens?

Well, in Aaron's case,
when he closed the door


on our relationship to focus
on himself and his future,


the door to his success
at Cal U blew wide open.


He transformed the midnight class,

once considered a joke,
into a spirited, dynamic,


and highly coveted collective

that came to be known
as "The Afro-Salon."


So, instead of spending
time complaining,

we have to challenge ourselves
further, you know what I mean?

We have to get creative
and consider this question.

How do we spend less
time relying on others

to move us forward and spend more time

and focus on how we can
move ourselves forward?

Within just a couple sessions,

Aaron's class became
standing room only,


as word spread across
campus that his Afro-Salon


was tackling hot topics
in a unique environment


where Black students felt
comfortable baring their souls.


Aaron: You know what
the sad truth is, guys?

People are more concerned
about not looking r*cist

than actually being r*cist, right?

Why? Because they don't
want to call themselves out.

And then in the end, it's
us who are left to shoulder

the burden and deal
with this day after day.

And who else feels like they
got to deal with that every day?

I'm sorry for interrupting.

- Yeah, it's never...
- Mr. Jackson,

can I talk to you for a second?

For sure. Is it important?

Should I dismiss the class first?

No, no, no. No.

I-I think they might want to hear this.

Okay. You have been selected

as this year's speaker for Cal U

at the national collegiate Uni Talk.

- (Applause)
- You're serious?

Wait. No, wait. I got it?

In fact, with Aaron's door newly opened,

it made way for the biggest
opportunity of his life


to come knocking.

He had never been more
ready to answer it.


♪ Watch out, world, I'm grown now ♪

♪ I'm grown ♪

♪ Learn something new every day ♪

♪ I don't know, so I'mma feel my way ♪

♪ Got the weight of the world on me ♪

♪ But no regrets, this is what I say ♪

♪ Watch out, world, I'm grown now ♪

- ♪ I'm grown ♪
- ♪ You can tell me ♪

♪ My heart b*ating so loud ♪

♪ Mama, look, I'm grown now ♪

♪ I'm grown ♪

Whether it's students being
asked for their campus ID

when the four white students
in front of them weren't.

Or being told by a professor that
they were surprisingly eloquent.

All of these transgressions
experienced by Black CAL U students

- add up to...
- All right, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop.

- You didn't like it.
- Mm.

What you're saying is powerful.

- Okay.
- Yeah?

- Yeah.
- I... I'm just not...

- It's not moving me.
- Not moving you?

I just... I want you
to say it with feeling.

I need some emotion.

You know what Mary J.
Blige be singing onstage?

She makes all those faces?

Mary's in pain.

Okay, we're talking
about micro-aggression

against Black students at Cal U,

not, you know, getting
crunk up in this dancerie.

All right, that's a bad analogy.
All right, come... come here.

- Peep this.
- All right.

There's this TED Talk
by Brené Brown, right?

Yo, this White woman, you know,

she's talking about vulnerability

to my Black ass, and I'm captivated.

I can't look away. Here look, hold this.

- Brené Brown?
- Brené Brown, yeah.

Yeah.

Look.

(Woman speaking indistinctly)

- You see that?
- Oh. She's good.

- Yep. I can't look away, either.
- She's amazing.

Bro, this is... this is what I'm saying,

and neither could the
rest of the world, bro.

Yo, this speech, yo,

it got her to Oprah's
"Super Soul Sunday"

and it made her a household name.

- Wow.
- Do you want that

- for yourself, Aaron Jackson?
- Come on.

Dude, what living, breathing human being

doesn't want to spend
the Lord's day with Oprah?

But this... bro, this
is what I'm saying.

This is why you have to step it up,

yo, a-and take your
performance more serious.

Yo, you have the words,
you have the message.

I'm just gonna need you
to sharpen the delivery.

and then you're gonna be on your way to

a Super Soul Three-Day Weekend, my boy.

Hi! So, guess who has big news.

Like, Venti big?

I'm listening.

So, you know Joey, right?

Uh, Bada$$? The S's are
actually dollar signs?

- Kind of...
- Yes.

But just you know, I'll never
dress the same man twice.

It's... It's very bad luck.

It's actually very bad
business, but the good news is

I am not asking you to do
that, because Tyler the Creator,

who's friends with Joey Bada$$,
is looking for a new line

to feature as a collab in his store.

- Fuego.
- Mm-hmm!

I'm really glad you think so,
because I may have promised

that we'd have a new
line ready for Tyler

to see when he's in town
in the next three days.

- Bro, are you crazy?
- Yes.

We're, like, maybe three
weeks away from an actual,

physical line, but three days?

That's... That's impossible.

Okay, come on. Luca, this is a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

I could not say no.

Why? Is your mouth broke?

- All right.
- I mean, do you have any idea

what it'll actually take to
pull something like that off?

Of course I do, hence the coffee.

I put sh*ts of espresso in there.

Look, let me put it this way...

between my hustle and your genius,

there's nothing Zuca can't do.

All we actually have to do is
hunker down, bust our asses,

miss a couple days of
class, and give up on sleep.

But if you think about it,
who really needs sleep, anyway?

Come on. We can do this
because we are the dream team.

(Sighs)

- What am I looking at?
- Oh, hey.

Well, since we both kicked
some serious LSAT ass...

Yeah.

... we decided to take a
couple days and do a boozy tour

of law schools we
don't really care about.

Do you want to join?

- Yeah.
- I can't.

Because your boy's a working man now.

Oh, that's right. How's it going?

Is that supervisor dude
still hounding you for dr*gs?

Hmm? No. No. Matt's cool.

Turns out, he asks everybody
for dr*gs, so it's all good.

Well, see? And you were all worried.

Everything's sorted itself out.

Ooh. Our driver Sinqua is here.

Okay, we're gonna go,
and when we're back,

I want a full explanation as to why

you're wearing a doctor's lab coat.

- Bye!
- Bye, bye, bye!

"The rigged systems that surround us,

be it at a university or at
the workplace, won't get fixed

until we eliminate
the tiny grains of sand

that make up the
concrete walls of racism.

So, find your tribe. Find your people.

Share your experiences now.

And in closing, remember this...

Black... don't... cr*ck.

And that is how your survive
being Black at a PWI."

Thank you so much.

(Cheers and applause)

You're just gonna sneak up
on me in the dark like that?

We knew you were doing a
run-through of your speech,

and we wanted a sneak peek.

Yo, dude, that sh*t was fire.

Renard, language, okay?
I'm still your teacher.

Oh, oh, sorry.

- But thank you.
- Can I just say,

when you busted out into
that "Amazing Grace,"

That was avant-garde,
but very satisfying.

Appreciate that.

CARNEGIE: Mr. Jackson.

Can I speak to you for a second?

Be right back, guys.

Was, uh... Was it the "Amazing Grace"?

It was, wasn't it? You know what?

I already got the
note. I can take it out.

Unless you loved it.

We have a much bigger
problem than the hymn.

We need to talk about your speech.

Okay.

The reason you were selected to speak

is because of the positive
experience you brought to Cal U.

- Mm-hmm.
- But what I just heard

focuses on the negative.

Negative?

I was just offering some
useful tools to Black students

on how to navigate
life here. That's all.

The problem is, as Black people,
we get so few opportunities

to talk about our positive contributions

on a platform like this.

You really want to get up
there and air your grievances?

Man, you have created something
amazing for the university.

Don't focus on the negative aspects.

This is your time to uplift what
you've done, not drag it down.

I'm not dragging anything or anyone.

I'm... I'm relaying truths
about what's happening

on a day-to-day basis to my students.

That won't be the perception,
and the administration

cannot allow you to
perform this speech as is.

So, if I decide not to
change it, then what?

Unfortunately, we would have to
select someone else to represent Cal U.



So, I guess giving my
history of protesting

and all that went down
last year at graduation,

they want to make sure
that I'm representing

the school in the best light possible.

- Man, that's some bullshit...
- Language, Renard, again.

I'm sorry. I'm just saying,
they're always trying to censor

your friggin'... bottom.

Okay, you could've just used
"ass" for that one. Seriously.

Anyways, is it censorship, though, guys?

Censorship would be
completely banning me

from speaking at all,
which they're not doing.

Now, I'm not defending them,

but this is an amazing platform for me

to get to discuss all the work

we've been doing with Afro-Salon.

Yeah, but on their terms.

I mean, you're trying to speak
to our experiences at a PWI,

and whether or not
you call it censorship,

they're trying to make you give some,

like, watered-down
version of that experience,

telling the story from their
perspective and not ours.

That's just... It's shady as hell.

Yes, but I'm not saying
that it's not, okay?

But if I don't alter
the speech, I don't...

I don't get to give the speech.

- So, who cares?
- Exactly.

Screw that assh*le's ass!

Renard, go get some water.

And some bars of soap to
wash out your dirty mouth.

Listen, guys, this...

this is a-a launching pad for me.

It's a huge opportunity.

Wow. I just... I can't believe you,

out of all people, are saying this.

You know, I-I don't even want to say

how you're acting right now.

No. Go ahead. Say it. How am I acting?

Okay, um, you're acting like someone

you would call a sellout.



After convincing Luca
we'd be able to meet


our crazy -hour deadline
to complete our first


Anti-Muse line, things
were going pretty well.


But somewhere around hour ,
the doubts began to creep in,


and surprisingly, they weren't
from Luca, but from me.


Dude.

As much as I believe in telekinesis...

and I do... those scissors
aren't gonna cut on their own.

I can't do it.

I know you can't.

There are very few of us that still have

the gift of the Dark Art.

Just... I feel like I'm
paralyzed with self-doubt,

like one wrong cut, then
I mess the whole thing up,

but every second I'm
not doing it, then I'm...

I'm pushing us further
away from this opportunity.

I'm letting us down.
It's just... I don't know.

I don't know. I feel like I'm losing it.

I'm really losing it, honestly.

Okay, well, let's
take a step back, okay?

Close your eyes, take a deep breath,

and now visualize us
being done with our line,

all the hard work is behind us.

Mm.

Now how do you feel?

Nauseous.

Okay, and?

Hopeless.

Disappointed.

Fearful. And...

bloated.

Bloated isn't an emotion.

Yes, it is.

Well, how do you want to feel

when you look at our completed line?

Honestly?

Any way other than how
I'm feeling right now.

I just want to... I don't
want to be paralyzed anymore.

Okay. Let's get your mind right then.

Dude, if I'm being honest,

Kiela has a good point, you know?

If I saw someone else in my situation,

I'd call them a sellout, too.

These kids, they don't know
what you've been through

with the university, but I do.

That's why I'm saying this
isn't about you selling out.

- It's actually you selling up.
- How's that?

'Cause when you give
them the speech that they

want you to give, it's
still gonna be your words.

So when that sh*t hits,
bro, you get all the power,

and you can say whatever you want,

get your true message out there,

and you go and Obama that joint.

So, at the end of the day,

you got to play their
game to get what you want.

Look, I see how playing
the game could help.

I do, but I just don't
think I'd be making

the right decision for my students.

They depend on me.


They count on me to be their voice.

All right, bro, well, yeah,

I'm counting on you to
see the bigger picture.

Yo, this is a huge opportunity,
and yeah, okay, whatever,

it's not on your terms,

but yo, the sacrifice
will be worth it, my G.

Yo, you know how you're
always talking about

how can we move us forward as a people?

Yeah.

Well, you making the
most of this opportunity

is doing just that.

I'mma go back to my pecan pie.

Ah. Wait, where is this guy?

It says Keviv's here,
but I don't see him.

Yeah, I don't know.

- Oh, wait, here.
- Oh.

Hey.

- Okay.
- All right.

Okay.

Vivek?

Oh, no.

What's going on? I
thought you were at work.

Wait, what happened?

Why are you driving a ride share?

Remember the whole
supervisor drug thing?

Uh-oh. Did you sell
more dr*gs and get fired?

No, I didn't sell
him dr*gs and I got fired.

I went straight to HR and
came out with the truth,

you know, about the
misdemeanor, about my expulsion,

even about my lack of
fluency in Cantonese,

and you know how they say
the truth will set you free?

Well, it did. They
immediately set me free.

And that is how your
driver Keviv was born.

- It's Vivek spelled backwards.
- Oh, that's clever.

Damn, Vivek, I'm so sorry.
You really should have told us.

Well, I wasn't exactly proud
to share the news of my new gig.

After all those years of
trashing my dad for driving a cab.

Now look at me. So embarrassing.

If he wasn't already not speaking to me

because of everything else,

he'd laugh in my face about this.

It's probably my karma giving
me exactly what I deserve.

Hey, we're not being
charged for this time, right?

When I had a million negative thoughts

paralyzing me from moving forward,

Luca helped me quiet the doubts,

and with the wind in my hair

and the weightless feeling every time

I hit the top of my swing,

I couldn't help but feel
capable of handling anything.


How you feeling, Chief?
You ready to get to work?

Just five more minutes.



What are you doing here?
Here to drag me some more?

Look, we... we were kind
of being insensitive,

considering what an impossible
situation you're in, and...

and we shouldn't take our frustrations

with the administration out on you.

So...

I'm... I'm sorry.

Well, I appreciate you
saying that. Thank you.

And you should also know that
what you've done this semester

with the Afro-Salon has been
transformative for us, okay?

So, you've earned this moment.

No matter what version of
the speech you decide to give,

me and the entire class support you.



Aaron Jackson created what
he calls the Afro-Salon.

It's an environment that's given me

and other students here the
opportunity to speak freely

and openly about what it's
like to be a Black student

a predominantly White institution.

Before this, a-a space
like that didn't exist here.

There was no course offered
where we could examine

our experiences as we're
living through them.

So, when Mr. Jackson was
awarded the opportunity

to share the intricacies of
the work we've been doing,

what was at first exciting
quickly became a burden,

because the administration had a caveat.

The school must be portrayed
in a "positive" light.

Unfortunately, that
wouldn't be giving you

an honest, accurate portrayal
of our entire experience.

The Black experience.

Because he couldn't bring himself

to read a sugar-coated
version of his speech,

he asked me to read his original one.

This is a guidebook on "How to
Survive Being Black at a PWI".

Wow. I've never had a
ride share driver walk me

to the front door before.

You know, it's both
chivalrous and super creepy.

(Chuckles) Vivek, can I just say that

I'm very proud of you, and I think that

what you're doing, making
an honest living, is noble.

That's so sweet.

And I bet if you talk to your dad,

- he'd be proud of you, too.
- Eh, no way.

You know my dad isn't
even speaking to me, so...

It's been months.

You know they say time heals.

How about you give him a call,

give him a chance to surprise you?

- Eh...
- What do you have to lose?



Uh... hey, Luca?

Should I put this trench over the shirt

so it feels like we have
more of just a complete look?

So, one look is bottomless

and the other one is flasher?

Okay. Well, I really don't
know what our other options are,

because they're gonna be here any minute

and we have three pieces.

Three pieces... just... it's not a line.

Yeah, but it's three fire pieces.

- I mean, quality, not quantity.
- You're being nice.

I'm so sorry I put us in
such an impossible situation.

- You took a swing.
- And I missed.

Yeah, you don't know that. I
mean, we're still up at bat.

And if they can't tell
what we're capable of off

of these three pieces,
they aren't for us anyways.

Yeah?

I mean, look at this coat you made.

You should be proud.



(Pounding on door)

- (Clears throat)
- Uh, I think...

I think that's Tyler's people.

- Mm-hmm.
- We should...

- You should get the...
- I should... Yeah.

Yeah, the door.

I'm sorry, man. I just
couldn't let my students'

experience not be heard.

Yeah, well, the university
is incredibly disappointed

that you went that route.

Smart to have a kid read it, though.

(Both chuckle)

Can't fire a student
for speaking the truth.

Yeah. They're not gonna fire you.

I mean, the response to the
speech was just so positive

that they agreed to look the other way.

- For real?
- Yeah.

Well, I'm glad that they, uh, you know,

decided to do that, but I just...

I don't think I'm comfortable

looking the other way at
this university anymore.

So, what are you saying?

I don't know. I guess
I'm saying, I think I'm...

I think I'm done.

Well...

I don't want to be a
grad student here anymore,

and that means I have to
quit my T.A. job, too, so...

You sure you want to
leave the university?

(Sighs)

I've tried, you know?

I've tried to do the
whole political thing

and make this work,

but it's clear that
me and this university

are consistently on two different pages.

Wow.

It's really disappointing to hear that.

Cal U is gonna lose a great visionary.

And after all of these years, I, um...

I'm gonna lose a great friend.

They say when one door
closes, another opens.


But when you close a door yourself,

it's easy to second-guess that decision.

But as long as you stick
to your convictions


and stay true to yourself,

trust that another door
will present itself.


You just have to have the
courage to go through it.


We do not have to meet these
moments with anger or fear,

but we can meet them with grace.

(Chuckles) Amazing grace.

Amazing grace.

♪ Amazing grace ♪

♪ How sweet the sound ♪

You know the words. Come on. Sing it.

♪ Ama-a-a-a... ♪
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