02x02 - Token of Unappreciation

[bunniefuu]

Oh, hey, Dad, this is Jennifer, Ashley, and Piper.

Hi.

Ladies.

Hey, Mr. Lopez.

What's up, Toby?

Cumulus, nimbus, and stratus.

I always love a good cloud joke.

What's with all the Britneys?

Shh.

Harlan and Toby finally made some new friends in high school.

This is big.

I think they're gonna be popular.

Tim, I've got a big surprise for you.

I spent the whole day on the Internet,

and I think I found your father.

What? That's amazing.

I know.

I just found out he's alive,

and you already found him?

Where is he?

In here.

Dad!

I didn't think he'd be white.

Oh, stop it.

I've got 500 phone numbers in there.

every Manny Lopez in California.

That's great, honey, but, uh,

I'll have to get to it after I finish my report.

I got a big pitch meeting tomorrow, you know.

Wow, the Powers brothers are letting you go in

and pitch on a contract?

We might have something to celebrate tonight.

Mm-hmm.

But not if you keep doing that.

Look, I'll start calling the Manny's.

You go and eat with the girls.

Oh, this is perfect.

those kind of girls wouldn't let me sit with them in high school and now they

have to mind if I join you ladies kinda I'm married to that they don't hurt no

more

did you guys hear that Justin Barnes took his shirt off in gym class today

Can you believe we were in love with Justin in kindergarten?

Ugh.

You guys have been friends since kindergarten?

Best friends.

Hello?

Hold on, I'll ask her.

Do you have a cell phone?

Megan wants to ask you something.

No, my dad won't let me have one.

Call her back on her dad's phone.

Then he can ring the bell

and she'll come in from the fields to answer it.

Wow, you're gonna make somebody a great first wife.

Well, I don't have a cell phone, but I've got a pager.

You can get news updates on it.

Newsflash, nobody cares about the news.

Well, I'm stuffed.

Let's go up to your room, Carmen.

Can we have some waters?

Oh, I want bubbles.

Okay.

Carmen, you want to fit in so badly with these girls

that you're making fun of Toby?

We're just messing with her. She'll be fine.

Hey, Dad, do we have water with bubbles?

Yeah. It's called beer and you can't have any.

All my friends know the lowrider.

The lowrider is a little higher

I'm here.

Come on, George, we're up.

We need the cost reports.

I got copies for everybody.

Now, my plan is to lay back.

And when you give me the nod, I'll jump in with the numbers.

Well, George, you're not going in.

We just need you to bring down the reports.

I knew that, man. I was just joking.

Then why'd you bring a laser pointer?

Because sometimes I need to make points.

Like you and you go in there and get that contract.

I will be over here in that chair.

Don't take it to heart, George.

They just want to hear from the big boys.

Oh, yes.

Well, well, well, if it isn't the Powers brothers.

Mm-mm, mm.

You boys shined your shoes for nothing.

We got this contract locked up.

You said the same thing when you came out of the Grumman meeting.

We got Grumman.

Mm-hmm.

Have we met?

Ben Adams, Aero Corp.

Hey, George Lopez, Powers brothers.

Mm.

What do you do over there?

Run the plant.

Well, don't say it like my old auntie.

Just say it like you mean it.

I run the plant.

Damn, you run the plant.

Hmm. How long you been there?

Well, I've been manager for a couple months,

but, uh, phew, man, I've been on the line for, like, 15 years.

Hmm. Self-made man.

I do all right.

Well, I think George Lopez can do better than all right.

I see George Lopez as a vice president at AeroCorp.

I see him with a bigger house, better car,

an ugly nanny if you love your wife,

and a hot one if you don't.

Thanks, but you know what?

I'm doing all right where I am now.

Oh, oh, so you like standing outside the big meeting.

Mm.

Just hanging around like a skin duck in Chinatown.

George.

Excuse me.

Looks like I'm needed.

Hey, looks like rain.

Could you put my top up?

Oh!

It's a big storm brewing,

and I'm the only guy that could deal with my boss's overhead situation.

George, I heard.

I know. That was for me.

Oh, my God. I got an e-mail from Here's a Hint.

What's that?

It's this cool website where you can send anonymous compliments or insults to people.

You've got great eyes.

We should all check your e-mails.

Yeah.

Toby, look. You got one.

Your eyes have a special sparkle.

Well, that's sweet.

Whenever you see tater tots.

Excuse me.

Vicious.

Thank you.

Wait, you guys sent those emails?

Why would you do that?

Because it's funny.

I don't think it's funny.

Carmen, chill.

If I was fat, I would want someone to tell me.

You should see what we've got planned for the party Friday night.

What, like say I'm sorry?

But spell it out in tater tots.

Are you our friend or not?

Come on, Tobe. I know what'll cheer you up.

Let's go make a CD for my party.

Okay.

Carmen.

Are you coming?

Yeah, okay.

Angie.

George, I'm on the phone with Manny Lopez.

You found my dad?

No, he's a lonely 19-year-old kid stuck at home with mono.

You got mono, dude. You can't be that lonely.

So what happened with the pitch?

I wouldn't know.

They made me wait in the lobby.

Do you know how humiliating that was?

Honey.



I think I know why they're treating you like this.

I do, too.

Maybe it's your fault.

You see, I had something different.

George, they still see you as a guy from the line.

They don't see you as management yet.

Well, other companies do.

I met this guy, Ben Adams, from AeroCorp.

Angie, he said they were looking for people like me.

Look, George, you don't have to jump ship.

You just have to make the Powers brothers see you as one of them.

They gotta look at George Lopez and see executive.

Why does everybody say George Lopez like I'm not even here?

But you're right. George Lopez has gotta do something.

You know what they said?

They said the meeting was just for the big boys.

I'm sorry, honey.

I'm a big boy?

Yes, you are.

You are a big boy.

You're my big boy.

Don't patronize me.

But don't stop doing that. That's nice.

Look at you.

Will the defendant please rise?

I'm not g*y.

But, uh, I've never been tested like this before.

All right, last call on the suit.

Uh, that suit is so sharp, it's a safety violation.

Thank you, Ernie.

Hey, speaking of safety violations,

no more Walkmans or boomboxes when you're working.

You're kidding, right?

No.

When that work belt rings, I want to hear nothing but machines.

All right, now that's a really good start.

But if you want them to fear you, fire Alberto.

What did he do?

Nothing.

I hate his lazy eye.

It follows me around like a painting.

I'm not firing Alberto.

He does follow you like a painting.

George, I need you to do something.

All right.

Think I got the floor under control?

What do you need?

Jimmy's still sick.

We just can't afford a backlog.

So hop on his machine, would you?

Go back on the line?

Well, yeah, just for a few days.

Why don't I just train somebody?

Well, it's your old machine, George.

It's easier this way.

This is just temporary.

What are you looking at, Alberto?

I don't know.

Good news, honey.

Only 400 Manny Lopez's left to call.

Wait a second.

Why are you wearing a work shirt?

They put me back on my own machine today.

That's horrible.

No, it's the best thing that could have happened.

I finally found out what they think of me over there at Powers.

So I'm going for that job at AeroCorp.

Look, George, I don't know what happened down there today,

but you put in a lot of time over at Powers.

Angie, Ben Adams promised me a vice presidency.

A bigger house, a better car, a ugly nanny.

An ugly nanny?

That's our big dream, but...

But it's a big risk.

And that should be Ben returning my call.

Trust me.

Everything happens for a reason.

Hello, Ben?

Yeah, man.

Hey, I called about setting up that interview.

Lie about your salary. Lie about your salary.

No, that's not your imagination.

That's my wife telling me to lie about my salary.

Angie, I'm not gonna lie to the man.

Now, please!

Go to the bank and cash my average weekly paycheck.

Get 2,000 in hundreds

and the rest in small bills.

What's that, Ben?

He says we're lying too low, baby.

He says we're lying too low!

You know, you've been acting kind of weird the past few days.

Are you nervous about the party tonight?

Yeah, in a way.

You remember the time when you were more popular than me

and everyone wanted to hang out with us to make fun of me

and you didn't know how to tell me because you didn't want me to get hurt,

but then you told me and I was happy you did?

That didn't happen.

What are you trying to say?

You know those emails you got?

Piper and the other girls sent them.

And if you go to that party tonight,

they're only going to make fun of you.

Oh.

Are you OK?

Yeah.

We don't need to go to their party.

We'll just do something else tonight, right?

You want to go without me?

Toby.

What's up, Vato?

I'm gonna nail this interview.

Toby!

I didn't say that.

You didn't have to.

What happened?

I told her the other girls were making fun of her behind her back.

So why is she mad at you?

Because she thinks I still want to go to Piper's party without her.

Well, why would she think that?

Because I kind of do.

But they're mean to Toby, and Toby is your best friend.

But she won't be there.

Oh, see, that only makes sense because you're using teenager logic.

It's the same kind of logic that gets your kind k*lled in horror films.

But I'm a freshman, and I'm already in with the cool kids.

Look, honey, I know what you're going through.

There was a time when I had to choose between the popular crowd

and a sweet, pudgy kid eating all by himself.

Who's that?

You don't know him.

Carmen, this is about loyalty.

Hey, you can either pick the cool kids or your best friend.

That's your choice, Carmen.

No matter how popular you want to be,

you don't bail on your best friend.

No, you don't.

By the way, you didn't pick the pudgy kid.

The pudgy kid picked you.

Check it out.

The executive gym.

Nice.

Damn, I wish I worked out.

So, what do you think of AeroCorp?

Well, I've seen the gym,

the executive dining room, the putting green.

Where do you guys make the planes?

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Back your nose off the grindstone.

Hey, how about we pick out a corner office for you?

Without an interview?

Wait a second.

I'm not gonna be unbuttoning my shirt and crying in a minute, am I?

I mean, I'm serious.

I mean, isn't there anything you want to know about me?

My background, my experience?

I mean, what was it about me that interested you in the first place?

Your name.

What about my name?

Lopez.

What about Lopez?

Come on, man, you gotta know.

You're Latino.

Excuse me?

Look, George, you know it's a numbers game.

We need someone like you in the executive ranks

if we're gonna land the government contracts.

So you don't care if I can do the job?

I'm sure you can do the job. That's not the point.

The point is, we need Lopez.

So any Lopez would do.

Well, hell, we had a Rodriguez,

but he could pass for Italian.

You, look at you.

You are a dark brown Mexican hermano.

Oh, yeah? Well, you can watch these dark brown Mexican nalgas

walking away from you.

Don't look at me like that. Wait, wait, wait.

You're looking at this the wrong way.

How many times have you been denied something

because you're Latino?

It's payback time.

Now, what do you say we go grab a smoothie

on the white man's dime?

Once again, I refer you to the nalgas.

Sure, sure.

Look around.

All this can be yours.

And you want to know the best thing?

We...

can't be fired.

Check this out.

CEO.

Hey, you better stop shredding the paper

and start shredding that big a*s, cr*cker.

Ben, let me make this clear.

There is no way in hell I would take this job.

I'd rather go back on the line forever

than to be somebody's token.

You know what, man?

I don't want to live in a world

where I can't be fired for slapping a white man's nalgas.

Hey, Curtis, let me ask you.

What's up, Paz?

Would you take a job just because you were black?

Wow, what you got?

For the first time in my life,

I got offered a job because I'm a Latino.

Nah, nah, you can't go for that stuff, man.

Look, no amount of money they offer you

is worth your dignity.

Gentlemen, I need to talk to you.

Uh, hold on, George.

One more set.

All right.

Go feel the burn.

Do you know I almost quit this morning

and took a job over at AeroCorp?

Why?

Why would you go there?

Because I don't think I've been getting enough respect around here.

Hey, we respect you.

Out of all the guys on the floor, we promoted you.

Then how could you send me back down to the line?

Oh, we didn't do it permanently.

We just asked you to do it for a couple days.

You don't get it.

I spent 15 years trying to get off the line,

and in the blink of an eye, you send me back down, man.

You know how that makes me feel?

It's like finally joining a country club,

then after a week having to play at a public course.

Sweet Mary, we are so sorry.

Listen, you are off the line immediately.

No, see, I don't want to hurt production.

I just don't want to lose my authority with the guys out there.

Don't they understand that when we're behind,

even management pitches in?

If you mean that, come and work on the line with me.

That says that when there's problems,

we're all in this together.

Jack, do we want to say that?

Consider it done. It's done.

Great.

And next time we're bidding on a contract, I'm in the meeting.

I know the numbers better than anybody.

And, man, I got a laser pointer.

There we go.

Hey, just out of curiosity,

you guys didn't promote me because you needed a Latino, did you?

Oh, George.

If we could find a white guy who could do your job as well as you do,

we'd hire him in a minute.

Thank you. That means a lot.

Congratulations, Manny. Good luck to you.

Who's that?

Not your dad. Manny Lopez from Oxnard.

He just landed a job as VP at AeroCorp Aviation.

That'd be a lot funnier

if we were kicking it in our mansion with our hot nanny.

Why is she hot now?

Because you made that joke.

Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Lopez.

Hi, Toby. Hey, Toby.

So you guys just hanging out?

Yeah. Piper's having a party tonight,

but we're having our own party instead.

We don't need those girls to be cool.

Yeah, we're styling.

You made the right call.

I know.

But now the popular girls hate me for ratting on them.

You realize the next four years of my life are gonna suck?

Honey, we're proud of you.

You know, when you do the right thing like this, Carmen,

it almost makes me want to get you a cell phone.

And then I think, she's got no friends.

Who's gonna call her?

Man, how'd you get the bosses to work on the floor?

Hey, when we're behind, everybody works harder,

from the bottom to the top.

Well, I don't know how you did it,

but you just bought yourself some major respect, mister.

I'm taking a smoke break, princess.

you