01x07 - Godspeed

[bunniefuu]

Which is more important...

Nurture or nature?

That's been a hard question for
me to answer, Professor Moore.

I don't know how much my nature
influences me because...

I don't know where I come from,

at least not yet.

["MADE IT TO THE TOP" PLAYING]

♪ I made it to the top [ECHOES] ♪

♪ Started from the bottom,
hard times, yeah, I got 'em ♪

♪ But I made it to the top [ECHOES] ♪

- What's up?
- What's up?

Yo.

Hey, you heard anything from the...

- From the medical center?
- Said the DNA test could take a week.

Only been a few days.

- [SIGHS]
- You got to chill, man.

That's easy for you to say.

Look, I'm with you.

I'm, um...

I'm free this weekend,
though, if you want to,

- you know, chop it up.
- Naw, I can't do that.

Got stuff to do.

DAMON, VOICE-OVER: I mean,
am I a beast on the mound

because I inherited my skills or...

because I worked my ass
off like the best athletes?

♪ I made it to the top [ECHOES] ♪

♪ Started from the bottom,
hard times, yeah, I got 'em ♪

♪ But I made it to the top [ECHOES] ♪

THEA: All right, listen up, everyone.

Listen up.

The tournament this weekend
is do-or-die, ladies.

We are going to be playing against some

of the best players in our conference.

Now, for those of you

who can impress Coach Loni

and land at least fifth place,

you'll be moving up the team rankings.

Your opponents are listed
outside of Coach Loni's door.

You're dismissed.

♪ I made it to the top [ECHOS] ♪

♪ Started from the bottom,
hard times, yeah, I got 'em ♪

♪ But I made it to the top [ECHOES] ♪

♪ Yeah, I made it to the top [ECHOES] ♪

Hmm.

- Ooh.
- SIMONE: Heh!

That doesn't sound good. Who'd you get?

Oh, I'm not worried about me.

You're playing Helena Adams.

She is the number- player
in our conference,

literally the only player who
made me sweat last season.

[INHALES SHARPLY] Get ready.

DAMON, VOICE-OVER: Nature or nurture?

I wish I knew which one was
more important 'cause when life

throws stuff at us, when we face
our biggest challenges,

it would be nice to know which
part of our identity to draw from.

[WOMAN VOCALIZING]

SIMONE: And I thought Thea
and I were trading in

our frenemies bag for
a full-time friend one,

but she literally tried
to psych me out today.

Key word is "tried."

A bad bitch cannot get
psyched out, and you, my friend,

are a textbook bad bitch.

- I receive that. Thank you.
- [CHUCKLES]

Keish?

You here with us, girl?

Yeah, I'm just not hungry, I guess.

- This Chinese food is not it.
- SIMONE: Mmm, OK.

You want to try again?

You really want us to believe this
mood has nothing to do with Cam?

Have you talked to him
since you stood him up?

No, but...

this mood's not about him. It's...

not entirely...

About him.

This is your mom?

Yeah, her birthday's on Sunday.

In Filipino culture,

birthdays of someone who's
passed away are a big deal.

We go to their grave
and we celebrate them.

'Cause of work, this is
the first year me and my dad

can't fly back to Detroit
for her birthday.

Does not help that he and I
aren't speaking right now, either.

Keish, I'm really sorry,

but you're not alone.

You got us.

- Thank you...
- Mm-hmm.

But I think I really need to
fly solo this weekend, so...

Oh,

if you think we're gonna
let you sulk alone,

then you must have us confused

with your less cute best friends.

- [CHUCKLES]
- KEISHA: OK, fine,

but, no, I... I really do have to go.

I promised Dr. P. that I'd help
her set up for the summit, so...

KEISHA: Love y'all.

- NATHANIEL: Love you.
- SIMONE: Love you, too.

So two days is enough time to research

and plan a traditional Filipino
birthday celebration, right?

I've done medium-sized
box braids in under hours.

There are few things
I cannot accomplish.

- OK.
- Heh heh heh!

BOTH: Period. Ha ha ha!

OK.

It looks good.

Thanks so much for your help, Keisha.

Yeah, of course.

Oh, wow. Look at this.

How can I help you, Coach Marcus?

Hey, hey.

Actually, I want to see if there's
anything I can do to help you.

That's very sweet, but I think
we got it covered.

Tsk.

I'mma go anywhere but here.

- AMARA: Uh...
- KEISHA: Bye.

Since the blackout, look,

I know things between us
have been... heh!

Weird.

Calling it weird is a gross
understatement.

Look, whatever you want
to call it, there's distance

between us now, and I don't like it,

and we're supposed
to be friends, Amara.

You and I have never been anything
as simple as friends, Marcus.

It doesn't mean we can't try.

Look, who knows?

- Maybe this'll lead us to, you know...
- AMARA: I really need

to get back to work.

OK.

You OK?

Feels like someone is doing
the cupid shuffle on my stomach.

DAMON: I bet you
it's that Chinese food.

I told you that -star rating
wasn't legit now.

Actually, it was a . .

- Thank you. Thank you.
- Oh, . , oh.

- Heh!
- You can stop dragging me now.

What exactly is
your assignment, anyway?

I got to do this project

on the nature vs. nurture theory,

like what shapes us into
who we're gonna become.

Is it the family that
we're born into or...

our environment?

My mom knows as much
about my adoption as I do.

My dad, um...

Yeah, my dad, he has Alzheimer's, so,

you know, I can't really get
answers from him.

- I didn't know that about your dad.
- Yeah.

Well, look... [SIGHS]

The assignment is

proving which part of the theory
you find more impactful, right?

Your professor didn't say you had to

use your own personal
experiences, so...

maybe you could interview people.

Like a mini...

- Documentary-type thing?
- Yes.

That's actually kinda dope.

- SIMONE: I know.
- [CELL PHONE CHIMES]

[CHUCKLES] All right, whatever.

OK. I got to go meet the team,

but after my tennis
tournament tomorrow,

you can interview me.

All right. Bet. Heh!

Appreciate your help again.

You know what?

You know who really could help you?

J.R.

[SCOFFS] Yeah.

- Damon, listen.
- Listen, I've al...

Damon, listen.

Yeah, um,

that guy wants nothing to do
with me right now.

DNA test just probably got him shook,

and if you are brothers, I mean...

It'll change everything.

Y'all talked about
what that could mean?

Think about it.

[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]

♪ Knock it out ♪

♪ Knock, knock, knock,
knock, knock it out ♪

♪ knock, knock it out,
knock, knock it out ♪

J.R.: Yo. Wes!

Unless you want flies setting up shop,

don't uncover the potato salad yet.

My bad.

Dude, we're setting up for
Founders' Day weekend, not high tea.

Hey, Q., when the last time
you checked the brisket?

Q: J.R., relax.

- This is mad casual.
- Uh, no.

We have our O.G.
brothers rolling through.

We need to show 'em that we not
just about parties and step shows.

SHAW: If it isn't my favorite
K.E.K. little brother.

J.R.: What are you doing here?

SHAW: Well, you know, I'm still
an active member of the beta chapter.

No, I know...

- [SNIFFS] Whoo!
- But we just assumed,

under the circumstances, you'd
sit this year Founders' barbecue out.

Now, why would I do that?

This whole weekend is about
K.E.K. brotherhood, so...

Let's leave the animosity
out on the diamond.

Speaking of, how my team doing?

I wouldn't know. I quit.

Now, Marcus was always
a blockhead, but him

letting you quit, well, that's shocking.

- [MEAT SIZZLES]
- You want to talk it out?

Naw.

- I'm good.
- [GRILL LID SLAMS]

♪ Oh! ♪

- [DISTANT CHATTER]
- AMARA: Hey.

ZEKE: Our discussion at
the beginning of the semester

was "keep a low profile."

Given everything, the prudent
thing would have been to cancel this.

Look, you can cut my classes,
whoever can tag my door

or slander my name online,
but y'all can't prevent me

from engaging our students
in crucial discourse.

That's not exactly true.

You're on school property.

[RAISED VOICE] Your permission
to hold this event here

in the hall of the HBCU
alumni is revoked.

Zeke, you can't do this.

The summit is tomorrow afternoon.

I'm not going to be able to
find a new venue on short notice.

ZEKE: That's the point.

You have to lay low.

- AMARA: Zeke.
- [FOOTSTEPS RETREAT]

Um, please tell me I did not
just hear my dad correctly.

You can't cancel the summit, Dr. P.

- AMARA: I know.
- SIMONE: Hey.

You guys OK?

My ass of a father just
pulled the venue for the summit.

If I need to host the event
on my roof, I will.

You know what?

I maybe have a place for you
to hold your event tomorrow.

[BIRDS CHIRP]

AMARA: Mmm. Heh!

SIMONE: And I knew that Coach Loni

is so for Black female empowerment,

so I knew she'd be down
to let you use the tennis courts.

She's happy to take on Allen.

AMARA: Please tell
her I said thank you.

And was Damon and friends
your doing, too?

SIMONE: Uh, no.

I think that was Coach Marcus.

Mm-hmm. You know what?

Let me just... let me go before
I make a mess.

- You should go.
- Ha ha!

I love you, baby girl.

- SIMONE: I love you, too.
- DAMON: So,

you ready to kick
some butt at this tournament?

[SIGHS] That's the plan.

You know you got this, right?

You're gonna k*ll it. Heh!

Go show those girls who you are.

- SIMONE: Thanks.
- AMARA: Mm-hmm.

♪ I know you feel the heat ♪

♪ You can see it in my eyes,
in the lines that I speak... ♪

[SINGING CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY]

- [TENNIS BALL BOUNCING]
- ♪ Are you ready for this?

♪ I know you feel the heat ♪

♪ You can see it in my
eyes, in the lines that I speak ♪

[HELENA SCOFFS]

Well, if it isn't Bringston's almost

queen of the court.

Wow.

OK.

So "hello" just isn't a thing anymore.

Oh. Oh, my bad.

Hi. Hello.

I'mma wipe the court with you today.

See ya out there.

♪ I'm here, on fire, long hair ♪

♪ Jump in the car
like I just don't care ♪

COURT ANNOUNCER: A warm welcome
to the Marietta Tennis Invitational.

Our first match up today,

we'll see Helena Adams
versus Simone Hicks.

KEISHA: Simone, we're here.

- NATHANIEL: Go get 'em, boo!
- SINGER: ♪ Considered ♪

♪ Are you feelin' my name?
Gonna take the pain ♪

♪ Gonna play the game with vigor ♪

♪ Pick against which girl's
pride is bigger ♪

[SINGING FADES OUT,
SLOW-MOTION BREATHING]

♪ Can you feel the fear? ♪

- [CROWD GASPS]
- WOMAN: How embarrassing for Bringston.

♪ Go, go, go, go ♪

♪ go, go get it

♪ Go, go, go, go ♪

♪ Go, go get it ♪

♪ Go, go, go ♪

♪ Go, go, go get it ♪

♪ go, go, go, go

WOMAN: Who taught her to swing?

NATHANIEL VOICE-OVER:
A bad bitch cannot get psyched out,

and you, my friend,

are a textbook bad bitch.

AMARA, VOICE-OVER: Go show
those girls who you are.

[SIMONE PANTING]

WOMAN: She is psyching herself out.

- MAN: Ooh. Ha ha!
- [HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYING]

SHAW: Yeah, that's what I was saying.

Ah!

Come on. Ha ha!

Hey.

Hey, what's Coach Shaw doing here?

It's Founders' Day.
He's an active member.

Better question... why are you here?

Uh, look, it...

It don't matter, man, all right?
I just got this...

psychology class thing,
and I wanted to interview you.

Um,

thought I could learn some stuff
about your parents.

Now, what the hell
happened to you chillin'?

They're my parents, man.

You don't even know if we brothers yet.

Dude, it is just for a class.

It's like you're already trying
to carve out a space in my family.

It was you who started this whole...

"I think we brothers" campaign.

So if you didn't want a brother, bro,

you shouldn't have
came looking for one.

SHAW: Man, it sure is good to see you.

Everything OK here?

Yeah.

I'mma leave y'all to y'all little...

Reunion or whatever this is.

[FOOTSTEPS RETREAT]

COURT ANNOUNCER:
Helena Adams is up, - .

The score is love- .

[SIMONE AND HELENA GRUNT]

SIMONE: Yes!

- UMPIRE: Foot fault!
- SIMONE: Wait. What?

WOMAN: It's giving loser of the court.

WOMAN : If I were her, I'd
never show my face on the court again.

SIMONE: Oh, my God! Shut up!

UMPIRE: Racket abuse.
Point penalty... Hicks.

Game, set, match... Adams.

All right, Yara.
Let's start this thing off.

What's been your biggest challenge

as a Black woman in journalism?

For me, it's all the systematic ways

they try to keep us
from excelling in the field.

I hear that,

so how do we rise above?

- YARA: We don't have any other option.
- AMARA: Hmm.

No matter how much we don't have,

there were generations
of Black women before us

who had even less.

We're standing on their shoulders.

SHAW: It's my job to make sure
that this generation

- goes further than mine did.
- [J.R. SCOFFS]

That why you broke the rules
with those paper classes?

- 'Cause that ain't help anybody.
- SHAW: All I did

is use the same tools white folks use

to stay ahead and keep us behind.

There are rules for us

and rules for them,

and of course, we are
judged by a higher standard.

Which is why we need to
remain above reproach.

We can't get distracted
by other things.

Championships.

You tarnished the legacy
of Bringston baseball,

not for us, but for you,

see, with victories

come money, and with money

comes power

and opportunities

that many folks don't want you to have.

I know that you may never believe

that everything I did

was so that you boys
could have the athletic success

that I knew you could
achieve, but it's true.

And as far as our legacy
is concerned... [SCOFFS]

Everything just fine till that
reporter print up that article.

The worst part is all the ways
they try to silence us,

or worse, punish us for speaking truth.

All right.

It's no secret you're taking some heat

for exposing the former
baseball scandal here.

Look, I love this University
with my entire heart.

It has given so much to my life
both personally and professionally.

But I would be remiss if
I did not acknowledge that as

a Black woman,
I haven't always been given

- the same opportunities or respect.
- YARA: Mmm.

But just because I have tough moments

does not mean it's always
going to be this way.

That is why we do this work,

so we soldier on.

- [CROWD CHEERING]
- YARA: Mm-hmm. Heh!

Boom. [SNIFFS]

All right. What do you think has
influenced your identity the most...

Your environment and experience,

or genetics?

Huh.

Um...

I guess my experiences.

Yeah, I've spent my entire life

working hard on courts all over
the world to be the best;

specifically, a Black girl
who's the best.

And...

how do you see
yourself outside of sports?

Um, well...

I... [SIGHS]

I... I don't know. I, um,

Yeah. Off the courts, I guess I'm still

trying to figure out who I am.

Uh... heh!

Maybe part of me is
afraid to discover who I am

without a racket in my hand.

Oh, you... you can, like,
erase that part, right?

No, not a chance.

[SIGHS]

OK, I think your minutes is up, so...

[DAMON CHUCKLES]

Oh, hey,

something tells me that
whoever you become off the court,

she'll be equally as dope.

Thank you.

Yeah, thanks.

Oh, Simone. Perfect timing.

You ready for your interview? Heh!

Cool. Uh, you can sit right here.

[SIGHS]

All right, cool.

Ahem.

So when you think about
who you are as a person,

what do you think influences you more...

Nature or nurture?

I, um...

I don't know. I, uh...

I don't. Uh, not anymore.

I lost my match today,

and even worse, I showed
my ass on the court,

so I...

I don't know what happened, and...

I, uh, I don't even recognize
that version of myself,

so...

I'm sorry.

Wait! Simone!

Simone!

SHAW: Now, you showed
me something a little earlier.

Well, being honest,
you showed me something, too.

Heh! You don't seem like the
same young man I used to coach.

J.R.: Yeah. In a lot of ways,
I guess I'm not.

Well, listen,

you need to talk,

just know that I'm here.

We are K.E.K. brothers, after all, hmm?

Do you mind?

Hmm.

Quick rundown:

My parents are divorcing,

I spiraled,

started getting drunk, high,

quit the team,

and now I'm beefing with
my closest friends.

I always thought baseball
was my dad's thing.

At some point, baseball became
something I was doing for me.

I miss it,

and I need it.

Son,

forget about baseball.

Look, there was a reason
why I had you riding the bench.

You was a decent catcher,
but you wasn't never gonna go pro.

Focus on the things

that will sustain you:

school,

K.E.K.

Now, this is the brotherhood
that needs you now.

This.

This is you.

[RUNNING FOOTSTEPS]

THEA: Running a mile
a minute isn't gonna

help you figure out
what happened today.

- [TREADMILL BEEPS]
- I used to get

really bad headaches
before matches because I...

let my anxiety get the best of me.

That's what happened to you today.

[PANTING]

Wrong.

I was ready for that match.

I had everything under control,

and then I stepped foot
on the court and it just...

I don't know.

I haven't felt like that since...

THEA: The panic att*ck the first week?

Yeah, I overheard you and
Keisha talking about it one day.

I encourage you to discover
your inside voice.

- Look...
- SIMONE: Thanks for the tip.

Simone,

if you had a panic att*ck once,

what made you think you
couldn't have one again?

Because I'm not like some of these
girls who can't handle pressure, Thea.

Helena's strength

is her ability

to pull the anxiety
out of her opponents,

and every single time that
you walk out onto that court,

you have to be mentally
prepared for anything,

and you and I have had some
version of this same conversation

since you visited Bringston
last homecoming weekend,

so when are you gonna finally hear me?!

Having anxiety doesn't make you
weak, Simone.

The weakness

comes from refusing
to work with the anxiety.

So what do I do?

You tell me.

I meditate before matches
to control my nerves.

When Becca chants the ABCS
as loud as humanly possible,

that's her way of
getting into the zone.

Yeah, we all have our thing.

You just have to figure out

what gets you into your zone.

Look,

the consolation matches are tomorrow.

If you place fifth,

you'll still be able
to move up the ranking.

Don't waste the sh*t.

MARCUS: Ah. Ha ha. Look at you, man.

No judgment, but, uh,

ain't doctors supposed to eat better?

Heh! Typically, yes.

It's Aurora's birthday.

[SIGHS]

I'm so sorry.

Every year, on her birthday, I...

eat some of her favorite foods.

Aurora was an incredible woman.

Well,

ain't this a treat?

MARCUS: Coach Shaw,

to what do we owe the
unexpected and unwelcome visit?

Oh, well, I'm just checkin' in
on some frat brothers

and some old friends like you.

Enjoy your day, Coach Shaw.

I know the stresses of
first-year head-coachin'.

Well, it's a lot,

I mean, even for the best of 'em.

I just want to make sure you're OK

'cause if one of my players had up
and quit on me... heh!

I'd probably feel
some kinda way about that.

Team lookin' a little
thin there, Marcus.

You keep this up,

you gonna be pickin' up
players off the street.

Look, Zeke,

I got everything handled,

OK? Trust me.

I hope so

because your funding,
and thus your program, is at stake.

CAM: So I begged my coach
to put me in on special teams.

And when I scored
that -yard touchdown return,

I knew couldn't nobody make
me feel bad about myself.

And that is... that's great, man, but,

I mean, you still haven't
answered my question.

Well, you asked me what's
been more influential, right...

- Nature or nurture?
- Yes.

Well, my identity is tied to
how hard I worked at football.

- [SIGHS]
- Look,

just follow me for a second, all right?

I come from a family of singers,

but I don't see myself as a singer
'cause I don't have to work for it.

I'm the first person in my family
to get out of South L.A.

and go to college 'cause I worked
to be the best wide receiver I could be.

Football was my way out.

The only thing that I
worked for is gone.

Guess I don't even know
who I am no more.

Uh, break that down for me.

So you know where you're from. Like,

how can you not know
who you are, bro? Heh!

Knowing your family tree
ain't everything.

I mean, it's a part of you,
but it don't complete you,

so I still got to figure it out,

attach myself to something new.

Anyways, I guess I'm
team nurture over nature.

Real talk, in your case, I...

I think you need both.

The nature, it's the gift,

and the nurture, that's
what you do with it.

I don't know. I think you...

should take singing seriously.

I mean, what if you poured into,

you know, singing how you do football?

That thing that you're looking for,
that missing piece...

It might have been right
in front of you this whole time.

COURT ANNOUNCER: Welcome back to day two

of the Marietta Tennis Invitational.

OK, girl,

let's find yourself.

ANNOUNCER: Today, we have Simone Hicks

versus Sovale Murray.

[EXHALES]

♪ A, B, C, D ♪

♪ E, F, G ♪

OK, this is stupid.

[EXHALES SHARPLY]

[SIGHS] Come on.

♪ Woman on fire, that woman is me ♪

♪ Cash rules everything around me ♪

[THINKING] That sh*t coulda been better.

SINGER: ♪ The girl,
she gets in the boot ♪

♪ Louboutins on my feet, I win

♪ Your new man wantin'
to be my friend ♪

♪ So you know where I am
headed tonight ♪

♪ All he need to do is drop that pin ♪

THEA, VOICE-OVER: You
know, tennis is a game

of both mental and physical fitness.

You'll never make it if you keep
being so easily psyched out.

WOMAN, VOICE-OVER:
How embarrassing for Bringston.

It's giving loser of the court.

[SIMONE GASPING]

Oh, my God. She's going down again.

ANNOUNCER: Match is tied, apiece.

Murray serves Hicks
with advantage - .

[BOTH GRUNTING]

[APPLAUSE]

[PANTING]

Sorry.

[PANTING]

THEA: Simone.

_

_

[YOUNG SIMONE GIGGLES]

[SINGER VOCALIZING]

[YOUNG SIMONE GIGGLING]

[SOVALE GRUNTS]

- ♪ Go! ♪
- THEA: Good girl.

[APPLAUSE]

♪ Move that feeling, work it ♪

♪ Be it, show it, want to choose it ♪

[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]

THEA: Yeah!

ANNOUNCER: This next one's
for the match.

Hicks serving Murray, - .

[INDISTINCT SINGING]

[APPLAUSE]

Yes! Yes!

Whoo!

Congrats on pulling out that win!

I really couldn't have
done it without you.

Uh, all I did was yell at you,

which is my new favorite
thing, by the way.

SIMONE: No.

You're a badass on the court,
but what you did for me,

that was Thea Mays off the court,

and it turns out she
is freakin' dope, too.

Don't thank me yet;

You still have another match to win.

- Are you ready?
- Hell yeah.

I got this.

Hi. I'm Keisha,

and I guess I'm a part
of the nature camp.

I see myself as a strong
Black and Filipina woman, and

although I'm proud to be from
a two-culture household,

there are still parts

I don't know about
both sides of my family.

When my mom moved to the States
and married my dad,

a lot of her family cut her off, and...

my dad was a m*llitary brat, so he
moved around so much

that his parents never really
planted roots deep enough

to truly grow, so...

But in the absence of those parts
of my identity,

I cling to the parts that I do know.

My love for dance...

Comes from my mom and...

Her culture,

and...

my need to serve

and take care of people
comes from my dad.

And I think that's more
than enough from me. Heh!

Uh...

DAMON: Yeah.

All those little things,

those little parts of my identity,
make up who I am today, so...

DAMON: Yeah, think you're right.

You know, we always focus on...

What we don't know instead of focusing
on what we do.

- Uh, thanks.
- Yeah, yeah.

- [DAMON SIGHS]
- KEISHA: Yo, look,

I know not knowing your
biological family means that

there are parts of you
that you don't have,

and that sucks,

but focus on the parts
that you do know.

You're an incredible athlete,

and you're kind

and funny, sometimes...

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

And loyal.

You have two adoptive
parents who adore you.

Double down on those parts
of your identity.

Heh! Yeah.

- A'ight, a'ight.
- KEISHA: A'ight, a'ight. A'ight.

[BOTH LAUGH]

- J.R.: What?
- Bro,

we mean this in the nicest way
possible,

but you need to take your ass
back to baseball.

I told y'all I was done with that.

WES: That's cap, J.R.,

you need baseball.

Everyone can see how miserable
you are without it.

I overheard you talking with Shaw,

how he tried to talk you outta
getting back on the team.

Bump that dude. Listen to your heart.

Yo...

I'm not gonna say I don't miss it,

but I just can't go to Coach
to tell him I want back in.

Maybe not, but...

you won't know unless you try.

Question is, do you still love
the game enough to fight for it?

- KEISHA: Oh. Ooh. Heh!
- [NATHANIEL SNICKERS]

KEISHA: OK, I know I was a little
harsh on you earlier,

but is this entirely necessary?

NATHANIEL: Yes, it is. Now, hush.

- KEISHA: Oh.
- SIMONE: OK.

Open your eyes.

KEISHA, CRYING:
Y'all remixed family dinner

into a traditional
birthday party for my mom.

Tsk. Since you couldn't celebrate
at your mom's grave,

we brought the celebration to you.

AMARA: We wanted to make this

as authentic and honest as possible.

We hope it's OK that we did this.

It's incredible. [SNIFFLES]

Oh, I don't know what
I did to deserve y'all.

[SNIFFLES] Thank you. I love you.

AMARA: We love you, too.

- [KNOCK ON DOOR]
- Excuse me.

- [DOOR OPENS]
- SIMONE: I love you, too.

[DAMON CHUCKLES, DOOR CLOSES]

ZEKE: Keisha.

I know I'm not your favorite
person right now, but...

we should be together today.

[SOBS]

- [DAMON CHUCKLES]
- AMARA: Cheers.

- NATHANIEL: Cheers.
- DAMON: Cheers.

- SIMONE: Oh, cheers.
- [CHATTER CONTINUES]

ZEKE: Ah, you were such a firecracker,
just like your mom.

There would be times
when the two of you

would share a look and just laugh

telepathically, in sync.

That's what I miss most...

Seeing you with her.

I'm sorry

for the way I acted
and distance between us.

You letting go of medicine was like

losing the last piece of your mom.

She was so excited

that you wanted to go into medicine.

It's one of the last things
we talked about.

I thought, if we stayed
on the path the way we planned,

the pain would stop,

but it hasn't,

and I let that pain overshadow
being a better father to you.

For that, I'm sorry, too.

It may take me a minute to get

fully on board with this dance thing,

but I'm gonna try.

It's a good start, Daddy.

[SNIFFLES]

Yo...

I heard you placed fifth in
that tennis tournament. Heh!

- I did...
- OK. Heh!

Which is just good enough to get me

to jump up to the eighth-place
position on our team rankings.

- Oh, that's what's up.
- Mm-hmm.

Congrats.

Thanks.

Look, I'm sorry I was such
a hot mess yesterday.

Look, it's all good.

I got what I needed. I promise.

So everything went well
with you and J.R.?

Uh, nah. Heh!

I'm sorry.

Don't be.

I'm gonna define
my identity on my own terms,

and there ain't one thing that
DNA test can do

to take me off of that path.

Believe that.

OK.

What you want, Keisha?

To apologize.

[SCOFFS]

For which part...

Standing me up

or not answering my text and calls?

OK, yeah, I...

Deserve that.

My mom d*ed when I was .

Damn.

I'm sorry.

No, no, it's... it's OK. Um...

It's her birthday today,

and...

For the first time,

I think I'm truly realizing the effect

that loss had on me,

and I don't just mean the loss

of my mom and what we had; I mean...

the effect of watching my dad
lose a piece of himself.

I think I'm just...

So afraid of...

Experiencing the pain
that he's feeling,

the pain of...

A loss of a great love, that I...

Push away any chance of it.

So...

What you saying?

I guess I...

Have some stuff to work on

before I can even consider
getting into a relationship,

and I'm not gonna ask you
to wait for me,

but I would... [VOICE TREMBLING]

Really like to not lose
a friend, if that's OK.

You know, I usually
cut sidepieces off...

- [KEISHA CHUCKLING]
- ♪ Take a minute ♪

- But for you, I'll make an exception.
- ♪ Stop and feel that breeze ♪

♪ Sliding on the skin freely ♪

DAMON, VOICE-OVER: Nature or nurture...

I wish I knew which one
was more important

because when life

throws stuff at us, when we face our...

biggest challenges, it would be nice

to know which part of
our identity to draw from.

SHAW, VOICE-OVER: I know the stresses
of first-year head-coachin'.

Well, it's a lot, I mean,
even for the best of 'em.

♪ There's nothing quite
like putting my head down ♪

♪ And why I'd be listenin'
to the sound ♪

♪ Of my own heart b*ating ♪

DAMON, VOICE-OVER: At least
that's what I used to think.

The truth is, it doesn't matter

which part of our identity
we draw from,

as long as we develop
an identity to draw from.

We have to know ourselves,

and as someone who doesn't
know their birth family,

I always felt like there was,

you know, something missing,

I felt incomplete.

I thought that

without knowing all of my identity,

I couldn't have any of my identity,

and a smart person

reminded me today that

the pieces that we do have,

those will always be
enough for the now,

and there's resilience in that.

I mean, just look at Black Americans.

So much of our... our culture
and our connection

to our ancestral homes
was taken from us,

and because of that,

you can argue that we have this
innate lack of our own nature.

But just look at the culture
and identity

that Black Americans have nurtured,

an identity that was born

from nurturing the innate...

gifts within ourselves.

So...

Allow me to introduce myself.

My name is Damon Sims.

I am the adopted son of...

Xavier and Keena Sims.

Um,

apparently I am a...

Pretty loyal and decent friend,

I'm a baseball player destined
to break down barriers,

and I am a proud member

of the HBCU legacy.

♪ I'm gonna own, own this life ♪

DAMON: And until I know
what my nature holds...

That'll be more than enough for me.

♪ Own this life I can't... ♪

- [SETS DOWN DISH]
- Thank you

for what you all did for
me and Keisha tonight.

I know I haven't exactly been, uh,

- favorite person of late, either.
- AMARA: Well...

- But the trustees, they just...
- Mm-mmm.

Let's keep Bringston business
off the table for tonight.

- Bet.
- Mm-hmm.

- Consider it done.
- OK.

- [CELL PHONE CHIMES]
- ZEKE: Oh, excuse me.

[SIGHS]

AMARA: Look, I loathe this university

with my entire heart,

that as a Black woman,

I haven't always been given
the same opportunities or respect.

That video was edited and
taken out of context. I didn't say...

I... I mean, not like that.

This is not who I am, Zeke.
You know that.

In about seconds, my phone
is gonna start blowing up

because someone's gonna
have to handle this.

[SIGHS]

DAMON: Yeah, it's, uh, it's open.

[SIGHS] What are you doing here, bro?

Look, man, I was wild
for how I reacted to you

asking for help on your project.

Now I feel like maybe I owe you
an apology for a lot of things.

Maybe another time.

And just so you know,

baseball is important to me.

Not being on the team
has been like walking around

with a piece of me missing,

and I'mma fight
like hell to get it back.

That's good for you.

I'm glad you figured that out
for yourself, bro.

But as important as baseball is,

family...

Now, that's everything to me,

knowing that I might have
a sibling out there.

It's like walking around with
a piece of you missing.

And that's why I came
looking for my brother.

I just want to say I hope I found him.

["THE BEST AIN'T HAPPENED YET" PLAYING]

- ♪ You say you've been lonely ♪
- [J.R. SCOFFS]

- [CELL PHONES CHIME]
- ♪ Nothing's going your way ♪

- ♪ Life ain't out to get you ♪
- [DAMON EXHALES]

DNA results already.

♪ Take off all that weight ♪

Well? Heh!

Let's do it.

- ♪ Best is yet to give ♪
- DAMON: Let's do it together.

- ♪ Best ain't happened yet ♪
- [DAMON EXHALES]

- OK, um...
- ♪ Best is yet to give ♪

"based on analysis"

and...

- "Results of your test are..."
- ♪ Best is yet to give ♪

"negative"?

Wait. That means that we're...

Not brothers after all.