01x08 - No One Wins When the Family Feuds

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Bel-air". Aired: February 13, 2022 –; present.*
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Re-imagination of the beloved sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" set in modern-day America.
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01x08 - No One Wins When the Family Feuds

Post by bunniefuu »

Previously on "Bel-Air"...

I've always been
enamored with your work.

I'm not sure I'm ready

just to show any of
my latest pieces yet.

You made that choice to
set your art aside, not me.

Part of me resents you for it.

People are even saying that
you'd be an ideal candidate

for the Neeman Artistic Fellowship.

What? That's quite an honor.

- "Thirsty Chef," huh?
- Ugh.

People are loving "the Thirsty Chef."

I don't know. It just
didn't seem like you.

It's not.

I don't understand why it
matters if my dad's a cop.

He's the chief of police.

And if it didn't matter,
why didn't you tell me?

It's not like you told me
what your dad did for a living.

Oh, sorry. I can't answer that question

'cause I haven't seen
the sorry-ass n*gga

since he walked out.

Will's been floating the idea
of heading back to Philly.

Think of all the opportunities
that he could have here.

Sounds like you tryna take my place.

Hey, uh, you seen Will?

- No, sorry.
- LAPD!

We need to speak with
the owner of the house.

- You're Chief Wilkes' daughter?
- Yes.

Party's over.

[SMOOTH MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Whoo!

Look at that baby fly.

Yeah, ol' Yamacraw still got it.

All right, come on, son.

Let's catch up with
Assemblyman Hernandez.

Can we use the golf
carts on the back nine?

They're complimentary.

Walking's good for my spirit,

and it's part of your punishment.

♪ ♪

[SIGHS]

- All right, let's go.
- Yes, sir.

Hey, uh, remind me again.

Why isn't Will being punished, hmm?

His punishment's on hold
because it's his birthday.

Look, this whole thing is being blown

way out of proportion.

There was minimal damage to the house.

Plus, the cops only got
us on a noise violation.

You were lucky Lisa was
there and called her dad

and I was able to persuade
the police commissioner

to keep the matter quiet.

Wait, you cut a deal with
the police commissioner?

I just pointed out that
my opponent in the election

is the police chief,

and that it might appear
that our family was targeted

the night of your party.

Holy sh*t, uh...

thanks, Dad. I mean it.

You're welcome. Consider
it an act of grace.

I'll do everything in my
power to safeguard your future.

You understand?

[YOUR GRANDPARENTS' "GROOVE"]

- ♪ Ooh, we in a ♪
- ♪ Groove ♪

♪ Your skin, your moves,
that sh*t's so smooth... ♪

Look, I really appreciate
you and Uncle Phil

putting my punishment on
layaway for a little bit.

This gonna be the best
birthday gift ever.

Well, you only turn once, right?

Oh, and maybe we shouldn't
talk about the party situation.

Trust me, I'm not
tryna stress my mama out

any more than I already have.

Mm-hmm.

- Hey!
- Oh!

Look at her! Hey, Mama!

[BOTH LAUGHING]

- Hey, you made it.
- I love you, baby!

Oh, boy, I wouldn't
dare miss your birthday.

Look at you. Ooh, I missed you.

I missed you. I missed you so much.

Hey, sis.

Oh. Oh.

[AWKWARD LAUGHTER]

Seriously, Viv,

it is... it's real good to see you.

And thank you and Phil
for flying me out here

and for putting up with this one.

We're just doing what families do:

looking out for each other.

- All right, let's go.
- Okay.

Oh, boy. Wow.

Boy, I swear you done got taller.

Oh, yeah. No, our coach
be having the whole team

do Pilates and stuff, you
know, strengthen our cores

and align our backs and all that.

It's one of the best
schools in the country.

Look at that. Fancy schmancy.

[SOFT R&B IN BACKGROUND]

Yeah.

Tell me this is the follow-up video

to the one that put you on the map.

No, not yet.

Gotta build up anticipation.

Otherwise, it can get played out quick.

Yeah, but the numbers

on that sexy chef video, though...

million views and counting.

And these regular old tutorials of yours

get a fraction of those hits.

I don't want you to lose momentum.

I won't.

All right.

Well, what's the holdup?

I told my parents it
was a one-off thing,

so I need to prepare them for more.

Your parents?

What, you want them to
sign a permission slip?

Kylo, there are knives within my reach.

Do you really wanna go there?

[LAUGHS] No, it's my bad.

I'm playing.

But I'd hate to see an opportunity

slip through your fingers.

♪ Let's go party ♪

♪ I'ma comin' to get you ♪

♪ Why you worry 'bout
the little things? ♪

Boom.

Don't you know you're supposed to

let the highest-ranking politician win?

Well, Assemblyman, I
never learned to lose.

Why don't we let the caddies

stretch their legs
while we ride on ahead?

If you say so.

We will see how we do
at this hole, all right?

[LAUGHS] You're feeling really good.

So, Assemblyman Hernandez,

can I count on your endorsement?

I like you, Phil, but
you're in a tight race,

and you don't appear to
have your family in order.

My family isn't on the ballot.

But they are in the voters' minds.

From what I hear, your wife's vanished

from the campaign trail

since her outburst at a charity event.

Your daughter's posting
thirst trap videos,

and your son's throwing parties

that get shut down by the police.

All that's irrelevant, okay,
as I'm the one running for DA.

There's no stain on me.

These are the realities.

If you want to win...
get your family in line.

'Cause I tell you what,
them jawns was good,

but ain't got nothing on a cheesesteak

from a good Papi store.

What? Oh, come on now.

I wouldn't go that far.

- Oh, wow.
- Pssh. I know, right?

Ha. But look, I'ma
take your bags upstairs.

You get comfortable.

Mom, we gonna have so much fun here.

- Okay.
- [BOTH CHUCKLE]

Oh.

There's Dianne.

- You know, her youngest daughter
- [PHONE CHIMES]

just started at Howard
on a tennis scholarship.

- Oh, wow. Well, good for her.
- _

I haven't seen Dianne in years.

How long has it been
since you were last here?

- years? It was...
it was your wedding.

And you couldn't send for
a private plane back then.

We were all broke.

Girl, I remember. I
mean, we ate the leftovers

from that reception for two weeks.

Yeah.

Well, you don't have
that problem anymore.

You're right.

A lot has changed.

Well, for one, our kids
insist on growing up.

Will is almost a man.

And I think I might...

I might tell him about his father.

Tell him what?

Well, everything.

The whole story.

Wait, have you thought long and hard

about how this might affect Will?

I realize that it... it may hurt him,

and he might be upset,

but if we explain our reasons...

Reasons? He might hate us.

Are you prepared for that?

[UPBEAT CHORAL MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[GROUPTHERAPY'S "WATERCOLOR" PLAYING]

♪ ♪

♪ Hold on a minute ♪

♪ Slow it all down for
a second, right quick ♪

♪ You know there's a limit ♪

♪ The goal is the limit ♪

♪ Hold on a minute ♪

♪ sh*t goes down when it get like this ♪

♪ You know there's a limit ♪

♪ The goal is the limit ♪

♪ Wait ♪

♪ ♪

- What?
- As much as I want to do this,

we shouldn't, 'cause
my mom just got here.

I haven't seen you smile
this big since the day we met.

I mean, hey, I'm a mama's boy,

and I ain't afraid to admit it.

That's sweet. I'm sure
your mom is so great.

She is.

You should go see her for yourself.

She just got here.

You think she wants some random girl

infringing on the time with her son?

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, flag on that play.

You're not some random girl, all right?

But you're right. You're right.

Maybe, uh... or maybe
you can meet her tomorrow

at my birthday dinner.

Okay.

I can sneak past my dad,

but you're gonna have to handle Carlton.

Ever since he found out about us,

he's been freezing me out.

- Okay.
- I'll deal with Carlton,

and you just focus on
charmin' my ma, okay?

- Drive safe.
- See you later, Phil.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

What's wrong? Is he not
going to endorse you?

No.

No, he doesn't wanna choose between

two Democratic candidates.

He's afraid that Wilkes and I

are gonna split the party and the vote.

All right.

Is there anything we can do about that?

Well, I need to get
Wilkes out of the race.

See, I was running before him,

and it's his late entry
that's complicated things.

All right. Yeah. Yeah.

Is there anything I can do to help?

Yeah, you can try and stay
out of the kind of trouble

that brings police to our door.

Wait, are you seriously
gonna ride me about that?

Yes, I am.

You don't throw what
Will did in his face.

Will's new to our world.
You know, he's still learning

about the scrutiny we live under.

This should be second nature to you.

So Will can make mistakes, but I can't.

Got it.

[PERCUSSIVE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Aunt Vy!

Come hug your most devoted follower.

Okay. No, you really don't play.

I think people literally follow me

just to see your comments
under literally every post.

Yo, I swear she be doing the
same thing on my basketball posts.

Like, can you chill?

I love to support my
family. How can you blame me?

And look, on Hilary's page,
you gotta let people know

that most of those recipes

are time-tested, going
back three generations.

Grandma Smith could cook?

Oh yeah. Meemaw used to throw down.

She used to cook for us,
like, every other Sunday.

Yo, I used to skip lunch
just to eat her meals.

Vy, I didn't realize you
follow Hilary on social media.

Yeah. Yeah. You don't?

I got banned.

Mother was sneak-dissing
in the comments, okay,

and I had to set up some boundaries.

So now she's blocked with love.

Well, I love your videos,

although that most recent one is...

Yeah, she's having the post removed

as soon as she straightened
things out with her boss, Kylo.

Ooh, Kylo. He's so cute.

- Aunt Vy!
- I follow him.

Yo, what did I hear. Excuse me?

I know you ain't out here
sliding in DMs and all that.

Don't be messing with my phone.

- Where your phone at?
- You better not fool...

Hey, Auntie Vy.

Oh, my goodness. You
are so handsome, Carlton.

I have always appreciated your honesty.

And congratulations on your high honors.

Will tells me that you are
at the top of your class.

Actually, I'm tied for third, but yeah,

I'm hoping to get valedictorian.

I'm sure you will.

- Vy.
- Philip.

- So great to see you.
- Glad you made it safe.

Oh, I am so happy to be
here and to be with my son.

I'm happy we're all
here, matter of fact.

All right? One big ol' happy family.

I think the last time we did this

was the reunion at Grandma's Molly's

back in Philly, right?

Yeah! Oh, I used to love those.

And her mac and cheese used to slap.

Why did we stop doing them?

Well, Mom... Grandma...

she got sick, just really sick.

And I had to take care of her.

I tried to help out

as much as I could, but
our lives were out here.

We sent money.

Yeah, well, checks pay bills,
but they don't change bedpans.

I had to do that on my own.

You could have hired a
caregiver, as I suggested.

We would have covered that too.

Hire a stranger to
look after our mother?

You know, I thought we
owed her more than that.

A'ight, chill. A'ight?

I remember y'all doing this

when... when Grandma Molly was dying.

It didn't change anything then.

It's not gonna change anything now.

[MELANCHOLY MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Black and brown women... we are degraded

if we're even a little bit sexual.

We show some skin, and
automatically we're THOTs.

Meanwhile, white girls?

They're brave whenever they bare it all.

Okay, Hilary, we don't need a lecture

on how racism shapes gender politics.

Now, you told us you
were going to take down

this "Thirsty Chef" video.

Now it sounds like you're not.

No, I want to re-examine
what it could mean for me.

Well, have you considered
what it might mean

for the rest of us? For my campaign?

I gotta answer questions

about you being naked
all over social media.

I'm not even naked, Dad.

And your campaign,

they should be unashamed
of my body-positive post.

And if anyone doesn't get
it, they can go to hell.

Okay. So the bottom line is,

you're keeping up your posts,

and I imagine making more of them.

Yes.

Hmm.

Well, I guess it's settled.

Now, if you'll excuse me,
I got a narrative to spin.

Daddy, I know it's hard to understand,

but I'm making good business decisions.

Sure.

[SOMBER MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Mom, don't you get
what I'm trying to do?

I don't.

But I love you, and
I've learned with you

that it's better to argue
less and listen more.

Here's my question.

Does this really reflect who you are?

Your aunt Viv and I have a
lot of history to work through.

And as much as we love each other,

we've always clashed.

We're very different.

Mm. Not really.

You both always got all the answers,

and you always gotta have the last word.

You're actually like... too much alike.

All right, well, you
might be onto something.

Mm-hmm. [LAUGHS]

Listen, I came to celebrate
your birthday, okay?

The focus is you.

I don't want you
worrying about me and Viv.

Okay.

I mean, as long as everyone gets along.

I'll do my best.

Oh, boy.

I am fading, baby.

Jet lag. So good night.

Good night.

You know, Will, I cannot
get over you remembering

me and Viv arguing.

I mean, you were maybe six or seven.

How far back do you remember?

[SMALL LAUGH] Uh...

I think I remember... [LAUGHS]

Jasmine kissing me on the playground

when I was, like, four.

Yeah, that was cool.

[CHUCKLING]

Do you remember your father?

Um...

little bits and pieces.

But hey, is he even worth remembering?

I love you, Mom.

I love you too.

[MELLOW MUSIC R&B]

♪ ♪

♪ Don't know when you caught my eyes ♪

♪ ♪

It's quite late.

Are you coming to bed tonight,

or are you making a
habit of sleeping in here?

I'm under the g*n, Phil.

Painting for Reid.

I'm painting to apply
for the Neeman Fellowship.

Hmm.

Art deadlines.

I recall how this goes.

I could've used your help with Hilary.

You said almost nothing.

There's no use arguing
in circles with her.

♪ ♪

It's the last thing that either
one of us needs right now,

but we potentially
have a much big issue.

Vy is considering
telling Will about Lou.

- You're f*cking kidding me.
- No.

I advised her against it.

Good, 'cause it's a horrible idea.

Well, yeah, it's horrible
for us, but I mean,

Will deserves to know
the truth about his dad.

Yeah, someday. Yeah. But
on his th birthday, no.

Listen, Viv, we gotta
stand together on this one.

Phil, he's gonna find
out about it one day.

And the longer we keep him in the dark,

the worse it'll be for all of us.

[UPBEAT MUSIC]

Ooh, do I smell... ooh,
the grilled ham steak

with the... the smothered potatoes

and the biscuits and gravy?
Okay. Going crazy in here.

All your favorites on your special day.

Happy birthday.

Thank you.

Oh, I know it's only been a few months

since you've been gone, baby,

but, gosh, I just feel
like so much has changed.

Look at your face.

Gosh, baby, you're starting
to look a lot like...

Like who?

Like a man.

Like a man and not my baby boy.

I ain't been a baby in a minute, Ma.

But, uh... I been thinking
about this for a long time,

but I've been meaning to ask you,

and I feel like maybe you were
about to bring it up, but...

Do I kind of look like my pops?

Like my eyes and my ears, something?

I'm not sure how to answer that,

being that all your
good looks come from me.

- Ah.
- I mean, come on.

- It's like looking in a mirror.
- Right.

- [YAWNING] Good morning.
- Good morning.

What's all this?

Well, this is all just a
slice of heaven on Earth.

Here. Try one of these.

- Oh, my God.
- Mm-hmm.

This is the best
biscuit I've ever eaten.

Just you wait. She gonna
put the gravy on it.

It's gonna change your life.

Okay, wait. Mom doesn't cook like this.

Well, that's because
while I was perfecting

my skills in the kitchen,

your mother was too busy
running out in them streets.

All right, I need details. Spill.

Did she ever tell you about the time

that she climbed up on
stage at a D'Angelo concert?

Okay, excuse me. I did not climb up.

He invited me on stage.

No, I don't recall him
asking you anything.

He invited me up with his eyes.

[LAUGHTER]

So, Auntie, you have any more secrets

about my mother that
you care to divulge?

- Okay.
- Oh.

Ooh, did she tell you,
ooh, about the time

that I bought her her
first canvas and paint set?

Okay, to distract me so you
could go talk on the phone

when you were supposed
to be babysitting me.

That's a lie.

I did it because I saw you had talent.

You never give me credit for that.

Mm. What you can take credit for

is taking me to the
beach on my birthday.

It'd be dope. It'd be cool.

- Okay.
- Yeah.

I can meet you both for
lunch, if that's okay with you.

Yeah, of course, it is. Yeah.

It'll give us all time to catch up.

Wraps. And let's get into this food.

Okay. Let's do it. Let's eat.

Look, I grated some cheese.

Oh, you grated the cheese this time.

- Yes, you know...
- Wow!

She got to Bel-Air, she
started to use the grater.

- I'm trying to step it up.
- By the way,

- happy birthday, Will.
- Hey, thanks, man.

So? Did he agree to meet?

Yeah. It's all arranged.

No press. Just you and Wilkes.

Good. Good. Thank you, Geoffrey.

You look knackered, man.

What else is going on?

Well...

Vy might tell Will about his dad.

And you don't want
that. For good reason?

Well, it might derail all the progress

he's made, you know?

Yeah. I suppose it could.

Which is why I need your help.

[QUIET DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪ ♪

I need you to see to it that
Lou doesn't come near Will.

I mean, the last thing
he needs in his life

is more hurt and disappointment.

♪ ♪

♪ Don't try to fight it ♪

♪ I know you like it

♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah ♪

♪ Taking over like a virus ♪

♪ Let's start a riot ♪

♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah ♪

Ooh!

See, Ma?

A piece of home is always
near, no matter how far I go.

Mmm. Mmm.

A little bit of Philly
definitely goes a long way.

- Mm-hmm.
- Mmm.

Shh, this is crazy.

It is beautiful.

Sky and mountains and ocean.

- Mm-hmm.
- Really is like a dream.

Exactly.

Definitely took a minute,

but I think I'm starting
to like Cali now.

I'm proud of you, son.

Despite how much I miss my baby,

I am happy to see you thriving out here.

Yeah, I mean, if it wasn't
for Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv,

if they hadn't stuck by me,
I don't know where I would be.

Wait, hold up.

You just gonna give all the props

to your aunt and uncle
for the past few months

when I'm the one who
raised you on my own?

Yo, no way. I see you, Ma.

I mean, if it wasn't for
you sending me out here,

I probably would've never
made it to this birthday.

So thank you.

No, thank you, baby.

Thank you for being the man

that I always knew you were meant to be.

I just don't want you to
ever forget the whole story

of where you come from, okay?

[PEOPLE ON RIDE SCREAMING]

I hear you.

Come here.

I love you, baby.

I love you too. Wanna
go ride that first one?

- I do.
- All right, let's go.

Yeah.

[SOFT, PUNCHY MUSIC]

♪ ♪

♪ Remind me what the caddy say ♪

♪ She know I'm a sunny lemonade ♪

♪ For the low, what
you do for the money? ♪

♪ Oh no, oh no, oh, can't
play me for no dummy ♪

♪ I need VVS... ♪

Does this really reflect who you are?

♪ ♪

♪ Care if I'm crazy, who she swervin'? ♪

♪ Mm mm ♪

♪ Mm mmm ♪

- You're late.
- Police business.

See, I'm already a public servant.

You can quit preening.
There's no cameras around.

Well, unlike you, I
take the law seriously.

I don't bend it or buy
my way out of following it

like you did at Carlton's party.

Your daughter was a guest,

yet no one checked her alcohol intake.

So you can quit the saint routine.

We both know why it doesn't suit you.

Assemblyman Hernandez
said you had a proposal.

I do.

This special election
has gotten complicated

since you jumped in.

Now you and I could
split the Democratic vote,

pushing Crawford to the win.

Here's how we avoid that.

Our debate should decide
which one of us continues

to stand in the election.

Whoever's leading afterwards

becomes the sole Democratic candidate.

Loser bows out,

throwing his full
support behind the winner.

The debate decides it all.

Exactly.

Do we have a deal?

♪ ♪

- Hey, Kylo.
- Yo.

So I came up with four other video ideas

outside of "Thirsty Chef,"
and they're all fire.

Yeah.

I was worried you were
gonna be like this.

What is that supposed to mean?

It means I did some
research on you, Hilary.

You dropped out of college.

You left two or three jobs, internships.

You even quit those online personas

you used to try on just for fun.

Yeah, so what?

I... I've been finding myself.

Well, you have a pattern.

As soon as something
doesn't go your way,

you're pretty quick to
take off on another venture.

It's an easy habit to form

when you never have to pay a bill.

You know what? f*ck you, Kylo.

Don't try to psychoanalyze me

just because I don't do what you want.

Don't spin this on me.

You hated that video till I
posted it and it skyrocketed

and earned you all your sponsors.

And I will keep all my sponsors, okay?

I can do it my way without you.

Yeah, except if you leave,
all the content you've created

in this house belongs to me,
and you owe me a k*ll fee.

Pretty big one.

You didn't read your contract, did you?

Hello, Mrs. Banks. So
good to see you again.

Oh, thank you so much, Chef Armstrong.

I'm so looking forward to
another great meal today.

You know I won't let you down.

Sorry, guys. Sorry for being late.

No biggie, Aunt Viv.

It gave us enough time
to spot Christina Aguilera

walk into this fancy jawn.

Yo, we saw Riri last time we were here,

- right, Aunt Viv?
- Oh.

- She was dope.
- Oh, she sure was.

And she made sure she
got her money's worth.

Oh, so you... you come here often, baby?

Yeah, yeah. We try to bring the kids

out somewhere nice for
dinner at least once a week,

you know, to broaden their palate.

Yeah. The seafood here is bussin'.

So, Viv,

tell me what's got
you so busy these days.

Well, there's a gallerist
who's nominated me

for a Nieman Fellowship.

It's basically like a genius
grant to visual artists.

So you're painting again?

Yeah. Yeah. Aunt Viv's art is crazy.

She be having people paying
like Gs for her stuff.

- Shh.
- Really?

- Yeah.
- Well, that's great to hear.

I... I was kind of disappointed
when you stopped painting,

you know, especially
after all the sacrifices

that me and Mama made so
you could become an artist.

Oh, forgive me for letting you down.

Not like you knew what
I was going through.

After all, though, you were
so busy running after Lou.

- Let's... let's not go there.
- Go where?


Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman.

May I take your order?

Yes. Yes, you may.

And we will enjoy this
lunch on my birthday.

No side orders of
extra energy necessary.

Happy birthday.

Thank you.

[EDGY MUSIC]

I've been thinking, Phil.

Maybe you should try a different
tack with Will's dad, huh?

If you knew Lou, you wouldn't say that.

He's not someone Will
needs in his life right now.

Why should you get to decide that?

Why not Will? Why not his father?

I think about my son.

You take a minute and think
about Carlton and then tell me

what you would do if you
were in Lou's position, huh?

♪ ♪

Just do what I asked.

I'm not that kind of brother.

Doesn't sit right with me.

Too bad.

You work for me.

Understood.

Ma, can we talk, like, straight up?

No holding back?

About what, baby?

About my dad.

You and Aunt Viv got
me thinking about him

and what I remember.

She shouldn't have drudged him up.

Honestly, I've been
thinking about it for years,

but I just feel like
you never talk about him,

and every time I try to bring him up,

you just constantly put me off.

I mean, it's because I
didn't wanna... I didn't wanna

bad-mouth him in front of you,

especially when you were younger.

Well, I'm older.

All right?

And I wanna know everything.

What was he like? Good and bad.

What qualities do I get from him?

I mean, there's gotta be a few, right?

[CHUCKLES]

[SIGHS]

Your daddy, Lou...

he was complicated, baby,

and you don't need his failures

and his shortcomings in your head.

You know, you're gonna be a better man

- than he could ever be.
- Mom, Mom, Mom, stop.

Stop, all right?

I see what you're doing. It's not okay.

I'm tired of stonewalling, all right?

I'm now. I'm not .

I wanna know the full story, a'ight?

The real one.

[MELANCHOLY MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Okay. Um...

Tss. Ha.

Your father was a half-ass dreamer

jumping from one get-rich-quick
scheme to another.

And I believed his
promises and his lies.

He owed a lot of money all over town,

and I paid his debts.

He created mess, and I cleaned it up.

- Why?
- Because I was young.

♪ ♪

I just can't imagine you putting up

with no man's bullshit.

Sorry.

That's because I changed.
I changed once I had you.

I mean, it was like Lou's
spell had been broken, and...

You became my world.

And that's why he ran off,

baby, because... he
couldn't use me anymore.

[SEAGULLS CALLING]

[LAUGHTER, CHATTER]

[FALSETTO R&B MUSIC]

'Sup?

So... I'm very sorry
that I went off on you.

That wasn't cool. I apologize.

Well, I appreciate that,

but I would much rather hear, like,

"Jazz, you were right."

What about, "Jazz,
you're a pain in the ass"?

- But no, you were right.
- Okay.

I haven't told my parents yet,

but I told Kylo to f*ck
off, and I quit the house.

Mmm! I bet it felt good to
stand up to Fuckboi .

It really did. It really did.

But now I'm in a situation
where I'm staying at a hotel

until I find my new place,

and I owe Kylo $ ,
for breaking the contract.

Gs?

You got that type of bread?

I'm gonna figure something out.

I know you will. You always do.

And you fine like Chloe Bailey.

Have mercy.

- Hey, girl.
- Hey, Vy.

How you doing?

Carlton, so what'd you get him?

Um...

- Ankle weights.
- Mm.

It's for his vertical.

He's been saying that he
wants to get his bunnies up

so he can catch more
bodies on fast breaks.

Okay.

I... I don't know what it means, but...

It's very thoughtful.

I don't know if Will told you this,

but when he was about five or six,

he used to beg me to give him a brother.

That's funny.

I remember, after Ashley was born,

I used to beg my parents
for a brother too.

And now you both have
gotten what you wanted,

and the universe is doing its thing.

I guess so.

[MELLOW R&B PLAYING]

♪ ♪

Yo, Ma, I want you to meet someone.

This is Lisa.

- Hi.
- Lisa.

Come on in here.

Give me a hug.

It's such a pleasure
to meet you, Mrs. Smith.

And I've heard such
great things from Will.

Same. So tell me this.

Is my boy treating you
like a gentleman should?

Mm-hmm.

Well, you know I wouldn't
be with him if he didn't.

Okay, see? I like her.

She's not afraid to speak her mind,

and that is exactly what
you need in a young woman.

'Cause, see, he gets wild ideas.

Every now and then, you know,

you just gotta tell him to
go and sit down somewhere.

- What you doin'?
- [ALL LAUGH]

Unfortunately, dinner's
gonna be delayed.

Phil is caught up in the traffic.

Wait, where's the food coming from?

- Roscoe's.
- Damn!

It's my favorite. It's really good.

In that case, we might
as well get it cracking

with the gift opening, huh?
Let's cr*ck open these gifts.

But maybe we should
wait until after dinner.

Of course you can open your gifts, baby.

Here. Start with mine.
Yup, yup. Your mama.

Okay. What you say? What you write?

"My baby boy, my son," 'cause you...

- BOTH: Shine like one.
- Yeah.

♪ ♪

Ma. Wow. Wow.

Yo, this is beautiful.

I've never seen this one before.

This is great. Thanks, Ma.

- You're welcome.
- It's great.

Hey, yo, Aunt Viv, you...
you took this picture?

Oh, no, that was taken before I came.

Oh, okay.

So... so, Ma, who too...
who took this picture?

You know, you wanna open up mine next?

Yeah. Yeah, I'll open it up.

Where do I start? [LAUGHING]

All right. Ha ha.

Oh, see?

I think I know what this is. Let's see.

Whoo! Ooh. Wow.

Yo, these are the... the
limited-limited editions.

Whoo! Whoo! Thank you. Oh, my God.

- What?
- Oh, of course.

Where'd y'all get these from? Thank you.

Hold up, hold up, hold up, hold up.

I gotta... I gotta test
these. I gotta test these.

"For a brother," signed by Jordan.

Yo, the GOAT blessed these, bro.

- Is that what that is?
- Oh my God.

That is wild.

How much do signed
Jordans cost these days?

Vy, I swear I didn't know

the shoes Phil bought were so expensive.

Just couldn't let me have
this moment, could you?

For once, please do not
make this about our issues.

Will is happy with his gift.
That's all that matters.

Let's drop it.

Not when you throw your money around

to disrespect me in front of my child.

I just don't understand
you, how you got like this.

Like what? Being successful?

'Cause that's what you're mad about.

Because more of my dreams came true,

so now you gotta cut me down
whenever you get a chance?

Girl, your dreams came true
because Mama supported you,

Because I supported you,
and then Phil supported you.

You didn't climb no
mountain. You were carried.

And what I gave to
you and now to Will...

it ain't flashy or dramatic
enough to be remembered

or even given credit for.

[UNDER BREATH] I am not trying to

outshine you or deny credit.

[SHOUTING] God, I am not your enemy!

But you just got it fixed in your mind

that that's what I am.

You know what's clear?

What's clear is that before...
before this fancy house,

I was the one who helped you
find your voice as an artist.

When you needed materials,
I bought them for you.

I helped you move to L.A.,
and I paid your bills.

And the second you didn't need me,

you just... you erased me.

You erased me from your life.

[MELANCHOLY MUSIC]

And you want my son
to do the same thing.

♪ ♪

Sorry, dawg.

It's always been this way with her.

The more I get, the happier I am,

the more resentful she becomes.

Mom, take a deep breath.

I'm just so sorry you
even had to witness that.

Auntie Vy said a lot of hurtful things.

Awful things.

Have you ever stopped
to ask yourself why?

Maybe, underneath all of that... anger,

- she's just hurt.
- What?

Vy is made of steel.

Vy put herself through college.

Vy raised Will on her own.

Vy... took care of Mom on her own.

She's just been doing everything.

Yeah.

And that's just a heavy expectation

to put on someone, don't you think?

And I've been doing this
to her her whole life.

Mom, I think that,
uh, you and your sister

need to have a talk, you know,

without all the insults, of course.

[SMALL LAUGH, SNIFFLES]

So when did you get so wise?

Uh, I think it was the
hundredth time you told me

to make it work with Will

because we're family.

♪ ♪

I didn't mean to ruin
your party like that, son.

I really didn't.

Ma, you do know that
there's no way in hell anyone

could ever erase you from my life, ever.

Thank you, baby.

In my mind, I had planned
this wonderful trip

to celebrate your birthday,

and your Aunt Viv
just got under my skin.

Look, I love you, Ma,

but you can't put that all on Aunt Viv,

'cause you was throwing
some low blows in there too.

Only when I was trying to defend myself.

You know, she crossed the line first.

Hmm. So what?

You out here waiting for an apology?

I guess this is the
part where you tell me

I should be the bigger person.

I mean, it's good advice.

Will, do you mind if I speak
to my sister alone for a moment?

Make me proud.

- I...
- You were right.

I haven't always acknowledged
how much I received

and relied upon you and Mama.

I've been unfair to both of you.

I mean...

you were always the strong
one looking out for me, and...

I'm so sorry for seeing past that.

Can you ever forgive me?

Yes, of course. You're my sister.

[SMALL LAUGH]

Besides, I can't pin all
my disappointments on you.

I made my choices, and
one of them was Lou.

I'm sorry I didn't listen to you.

I'm sorry that I held it
against you all these years.

You were right about him.

- Believe me, I wish I wasn't.
- Me too.

But he did give me a gift that
I will always be thankful for.

- Will.
- He is something special.

Yeah. He's a fine young man.

And that is why I've decided

not to do anything to tamper with that.

So we're gonna wait to
tell him about Lou...

Yeah. Maybe down the road.

I love you, Viv.

- I know.
- [CHUCKLING]

Girl, I love you too. Come on.

♪ ♪

Look, after seeing our moms today,

I can honestly say I have no intention

of having a decades-long
grudge with you, Will.

Me either.

But I don't know how we can move forward

if you can't accept the
fact that I'm with Lisa now.

All right.

This isn't just about Lisa, all right?

You coming here sent me into a spiral.

I was already having
a rough time at school

getting good grades

and leading my lacrosse
team to state championships.

And my parents need me to
be basically f*cking perfect,

all right? It's exhausting.

And you just show up
and hook up with my ex.

So me being with Lisa

is the straw that
broke the camel's back?

Exactly.

You just strolled up in here,
and my parents loved you.

The girls at school pretty
much couldn't get enough of you.

And it's like, everything that
I had to work really hard for,

you just had without even trying.

I hear you.

So basically, what you're saying is,

you're a hater?

Yo, yo, I'm playing. I am joking.

And I feel you. I get you, sort of.

But I guess, I mean,
my only question is,

moving forward,

do you still have a problem
with me being with Lisa?

'Cause I can't be
looking over my shoulder

every five seconds, bro.

I mean, look, um...

[SIGHS]

honestly, it hurts, but
me and Lisa are over.

We have been for a while, and...

and who she dates next
is none of my business.

Just promise me you
won't hurt her, okay?

She got enough of that from me.

You have my word.

[SOFT MUSIC]

♪ ♪

For real.

[EDGY MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Yo, G.

I need you to do me a favor.

A huge one.

[LAUGHS] Them ones, yeah?

All right. How huge?

You think you could look into my pops?

Huh.

You're right. That is a huge ask.

I know. I know.

But I'm just trying to figure out

where he went after he left me.

You know why, where he's at.

I don't know. Something, man.

Look, I'm not sure there
are satisfactory answers

to the questions
concerning why, you know?

People's motives are
difficult to pin down.

[EBONY TUSKS "SCHUYLER"]

But as to where your father is now...

♪ ♪

♪ Rebel yet appointed ♪

I'll do what I can to find out for you.

♪ What's your name and where you from ♪

♪ And where you headed
half a block from home ♪

Hey, man. Thank you, G.

Don't thank me yet. Wait
to see if I deliver first.

Yeah, man. I know you will.

.

♪ Ample reinforcements ♪

♪ Attributes you never
knew applied to you ♪

♪ Until you fit a portrait ♪

♪ Vague enough for you to
fade away behind a badge ♪

♪ And brittle motive,
rebel put on notice ♪

♪ Hands up in the air
as if you ever doubted ♪

♪ Not another word, we got
you and your man surrounded ♪

♪ This is what it is and
you can never stop us ♪

♪ Catch us riding
circles 'round your hood ♪

♪ I'm 'bout to tear your block up ♪

♪ Block up, block up, show
me where the cash is at ♪

♪ Hey, 'cause once you disappear ♪

♪ Ain't no comin' back ♪

♪ That's just the way it is ♪

♪ And you can never stop us, catch us ♪

♪ Ridin' circles round your hood ♪

♪ I'ma 'bout to tear your block up ♪

♪ This leper colony is bogus ♪

♪ Little boys that never grow up ♪

♪ Disembodied from the floor up ♪

♪ Sneaker game a bit atrocious ♪

♪ Pants that sag a little lower ♪

♪ Honor roll at every quarter ♪

♪ A pickup game to hit a floater ♪

♪ Your mother call
you in for supper ♪

♪ Gobble up a double portion ♪

♪ Eat enough to feed an army ♪

♪ But lil' man is not a soldier ♪

♪ Mix the sodium and the sulfur ♪

♪ You're Marie Curie with the soda ♪

♪ Got night employment in the summer ♪

♪ You save enough to
cop a suit and tie ♪

♪ For winter formal ♪

♪ Scoop a date up, now we rollin' ♪

♪ ' Toyota Corolla ♪

♪ That Sremmurd bumpin' got him open ♪

♪ Lights and sirens pulled him over ♪

♪ He fish a license from his wallet ♪

♪ A w*apon discharged in his ♪

♪ Hands up in the air
as if you ever doubted ♪

♪ Hey, life is but a dream ♪

♪ For those who never counted ♪
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