01x03 - the chicken or the egg

[bunniefuu]

Yo, Zay Zay.

Meet me in the bathroom, Zay.

Yo.

[LIGHT MUSIC]

What's something that says, like,

"I love you, but also,

I respect that you're

my professional superior"?

Why would you get a gift for somebody

that makes more money than you?

Is she your girlfriend?

[DAN] She's the vice principal

where I teach,

but we have very good chemistry.

She not his girl.

- I know Zayna sh*t.

- Uh-huh.

I was clapping her sh*t

in the bathroom.

This kid Will in your class,

you know where he live at?

Mr. Joseph, the Administration

for Children's Services

has an open case

on one of your students

whose safety may be at risk.

[JAZZY SAXOPHONE MUSIC PLAYING]

[RAPPING ON DOOR]

[CLAIRE] Keep ignoring me, Lester,

but you're gone tomorrow,

so stop playing and start packing!

[RAPPING ON DOOR]

What's going on?

[CLAIRE] Lester, I will

call the police!

What's going on?

[CLAIRE] This doesn't concern you.

Well, we're concerned, so

[CLAIRE] An eviction, okay?

Owes too much in rent.

Yo, Lester's lived here forever.

You can't evict him.

I keep seeing you.

Who the hell are you?

- Does he live with you?

- Who, Kev? No, he's just

[CLAIRE] 'Cause I'm charging

rent for one person.

If there's two of you,

I'm charging more.

It's it's just me.

Kevin is just visiting.

I see him all the time.

I visit a lot.

How 'bout I inspect your apartment?

- You can't do that.

- No, no, hang on, hang on.

- [CLAIRE] Can't I?

- Hang on, hang on. No.

He's my trainer. He's just my trainer.

You train him in house slippers?

[SAXOPHONE MUSIC CONTINUES]

Yeah. I'm not the one training.

- [RAPPING LOUDLY ON DOOR]

- Open this door!

Leave me alone, woman.

Lester ain't done nothing wrong.

- Leave him alone.

- [CLAIRE] Okay, I'm sorry.

Are you gonna pay me

the tens of thousands he owes in rent?

There has to be more to rent

than money.

There's been a hole

in his roof for a month.

Why you ain't fixed that yet?

That's something he's noticed

while training me.

I'm evicting him in the morning,

and then I'm dealing with you two.

Say goodbye, Lester!

Goodbye, you white h*nky b*tch!

- [CLAIRE] Good riddance!

- [DOOR SLAMS]

Nobody trains in house slippers.

- He's unorthodox.

- [CLAIRE LAUGHING] Oh!

And I'm unconvinced.

[PERSON] Are they really

thinking about people,

or they thinking about money?

It has to be the money.

Do you have a place to stay?

I've been trying

for that housing lottery.

We'll see what happens.

Don't worry about it, young bloods.

When it's your time,

it's your time, right?

Like playing at Minton's

[CHUCKLES]

And f*ck' the same women as Dizzy

To getting kicked out of

my own g*dd*mn apartment.

- Oh, let me help you.

- Nah.

You're going to my room,

though, so let me just

[LESTER] No, God damn it.

[DAN] Okay, well, I'm just

gonna help you, so

[LESTER] No, you h*nky b*tch.

[DAN] Jesus.

You know, when I moved in,

he was the only one

who introduced himself.

This same sh*t happened

to Jasmine grandma,

- but she stopped it.

- [DAN] Call her.

Maybe she can come help.

It's too early for that.

What do you mean, it's early?

It's for Lester.

That's worth it.

Plus, you can spend time with her.

[GROANING] Mm-mm

Did did you not get groceries

yesterday?

Oh yeah, I started to,

but then I didn't.

You finished two dozen eggs already?

[KEVIN] I'm a growing boy.

I don't know what you want.

- [DAN] Can you get stuff today?

- You want me to do that?

Or you want me to call

Jasmine and help Lester?

- 'Cause

- I mean, can you do both?

[JASMINE] Yo, you ruined my podcast.

- What you want?

- Damn. I can't get a hello?

[JASMINE] Hello.

What you want?

[KEVIN CLICKS TONGUE]

You stay in a Myers building, right?

[JASMINE] Yeah. Why?

[KEVIN] They trying to evict

my neighbor.

How you finesse it when they

was getting on your grandma?

[JASMINE SIGHS] It's a lot.

[KEVIN] Okay. I'm listening.

[JASMINE] All right, so first, you

Yo, it's kind of early

for that; you okay?

[JASMINE] When you file

a complaint, they gonna ask

[DAN] I-I'm getting fired today.

What?

Jess wants me to meet

to discuss the Child Services case

after school, so I'm

Just play dumb.

It has to be Zayna.

There's no one else it could be.

I already lied about going

over to a kid's house,

so I'm just I'm f*cked.

Look, just don't lose your job,

'cause if you lose your job,

then we both gonna be homeless,

and I can't support us

on this roti check.

- Like

- Okay. Yeah.

I'll tell her that.

That'll mean a lot to her.

- [JASMINE TALKING INDISTINCTLY]

- I'll get groceries

before I have to meet with her at 5:00.

- [KEVIN] All right.

- Let me know about Lester.

- [KEVIN] Mm.

- [JASMINE] Get a mob.

Do a protest. Do all that sh*t.

And then if you do all of that,

then maybe he'll be a'ight.

You follow?

Uh, yeah, I follow,

but I ain't really follow.

Can you can you just come

over here and help me, please?

[ZAYNA] What you think they gonna do?

I don't know.

When we got caught hoppin' the train,

what your uncle do to you?

Man, he said, "Stop getting caught."

You know what my people did to me, bro?

Uncooked rice, my n*gga.

Straight out the box type sh*t.

[IJEOMA] Your mates are inside

studying for Harvard.

You, you are jumping trains.

Keep your arms up! Spider-Man.

[WILNER] That's your daughter.

I was there for, like, two hours.

Wait, so

do they keep extra rice for punishing,

or y'all eat and punish

from the same box?

What?

[SAXOPHONE PLAYING JAZZY MUSIC]

[PROTESTORS CHANTING FAINTLY]

Evictions must stop!

No landlords, no cops!

Evictions must stop!

- No landlords, no cops!

- [CAR HORNS HONKING]

- Evictions must stop!

- [JASMINE] Here we go.

[PROTESTORS] No landlords, no cops!

Say what?

[PROTESTORS] Evictions must stop!

Okay.

[PROTESTORS] No landlords, no cops!

I just can't believe you got

all these people out here so fast.

[PROTESTORS CHANTING]

No landlords, no cops!

Hey, you should make this your thing,

'cause if you could do this in a day,

- you could f*ck', like

- I could what?

Make a living

off of other people's pain?

Not like Al Sharpton,

but you could do it.

You good at making people care.

Nah, yo, this not even some sh*t

I would want to make bread off of.

I feel like this is the type of sh*t

that everybody's

supposed to care about.

You could do the same thing.

You just don't know

how to talk to people.

You not wrong. I mean

[PROTESTORS] Evictions must stop!

No landlords, no cops!

Evictions must stop!

[KEVIN] Hey yo,

thanks for picking that up.

Yeah, no worries. I got extra eggs.

What's going on?

sh*t, Shirley Chisholm over here, man.

I'm weak. [LAUGHS] Not Shirley.

Nah, Jas really went crazy.

Lester gonna have to come

down here and thank her,

'cause she given him

the only chance he got.

- This is crazy, Jasmine.

- [JASMINE] Thanks.

You know, we just out here

trying to occupy

and put pressure

on these shady-a*s landlords.

I mean, the Myers, they own

most of the buildings in Flatbush,

and they stay trying to kick out people

who been living here their whole lives.

I'm not gonna lie.

It's nice to see you showing up

to support the community.

I I actually have to change

and go back to school.

So I can't

I can't stay, but this is

this is awesome, really. I

Sorry, like, this is really

really cool that

sorry, I don't wanna

This is really great.

Thank you. I'm definitely

No landlords, no cops.

Evictions must stop.

[KEVIN] You didn't get no Doritos?

What yo, why you friends

with that white boy?

I don't know.

That's the homie.

I need a place to stay.

I'm broke. It makes sense.

I know, but that sh*t

is just mad weird.

Why? 'Cause he's white?

Yeah.

Like, dead a*s, I don't even

be feeling comfortable

being naked in your crib.

I could just feel his

white aura just hovering.

The f*ck is a white aura?

What are you talking about?

I don't know. It's a feeling.

- You don't feel it?

- No.

That's 'cause you probably done f*cked

so many white girls,

you don't even notice no more.

[CLICKING TONGUE]

I mean yeah.

Uncle Drew!

Can you get us some Sprite?

- [SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]

- Yes.

- Uh

- What's this?

[DREW] Good for you. That's what it is.

- Ew!

- I wanted Sprite.

Your parents know you over here?

Yes.

- [DAMI] Yeah.

- I don't think they do.

[DAMI LAUGHING]

- The f*ck?

- [ZAYNA] Tastes like poop.

- It smell like poop.

- [ZAYNA] Close the lid.

Yeah. That sh*t is a no-go.

- Ugh.

- God, bro.

No, he didn't f*ck

- What?

- Yo!

I wish I could get a new iPhone!

[DREW] Where that homework at?

We just got home!

I like doing my work on Friday.

Then, like, you got

the rest of the weekend

to do whatever. That sh*t be lit.

See, this why I love you,

'cause now I could just

copy yours on Monday.

- Zay, I'll be right back.

- All right.

[DAMI] Bro

your uncle, like,

he be keeping weed in the crib?

[ZAYNA LAUGHS]

[PROTESTORS] Housing is a human right!

- Fight, fight, fight!

- [SAXOPHONE PLAYING]

Housing is a human right!

Fight, fight, fight!

Yo oh. Sup bro-sorry.

What's going on, guys? Sorry sorry!

Tight squeeze. Awesome.

You out?

Yeah, I got that Jess meeting.

I'll be back.

Wait, so you not gonna

help your neighbor?

I would.

I I just have to go to work.

What?

Isn't this your building, though?

Like, does this not affect you too?

I mean, it does.

It I just have to do my job.

I'll I'll come back.

I I told Kev to call you.

So you help by getting

other people to do the work?

Okay.

That's that's not what I said.

Okay.

Well, I do have to go to work,

but it was really

It was nice seeing you, Jasmine, okay?

Later, Kev.

Yo, she just be talking, man.

How you feeling?

Um, I mean, I'm stressed,

but I'll just face Jess,

and it'll it'll be done.

They're not gonna fire you, bro.

Yo, um, what time you think

you're coming back tonight?

I don't know. Why?

I need the apartment.

Okay. Yeah, I can

I can find somewhere to crash.

I don't really know where, but

- Cool.

- Wait, wait.

If you if you use my

if you use my bed,

can you just not

whatever, it's fine.

- Have fun.

- All right. Appreciate you.

- Yeah, yeah.

- [KEVIN SCOFFS]

See, it's that white privilege.

n*gga, you gentrifying too.

How? I'm sleeping on a couch.

Yeah, but you be at Drip

ordering $8 oat milk mochas and sh*t.

[PROTESTORS] Fight, fight, fight!

- Drip is Black-owned.

- So?

Black capitalism is still capitalism.

[PROTESTORS] Housing is a human right!

- Fight, fight, fight!

- You be on Twitter too much.

- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]

- [JESS SIGHS]

Okay, so this Child Services stuff

[DAN] Yeah.

Right.

Okay.

Look, I am really sorry.

I should mention it was about Dami.

She called ACS on her own parents.

Dami!

[SLAPS TABLE]

Dami!

- It was about Dami.

- [JESS] Yeah. Yeah.

- Who did you think?

- I don't know.

I mean, you never know

who things are about, right?

- You okay? You good?

- I'm just taking it all in.

I'm taking in what you said,

which was Dami.

This is about Dami.

So we're here to talk about her.

- [SLAPS TABLE]

- So let's get into it.

Is she okay?

Is she o is she doing okay?

Yeah, yeah, she's okay.

She reported them

over some rice t*rture,

but ACS found no evidence

there's anything wrong at home.

Mm, I've never met her parents.

Can I get your advice

on the Dami stuff?

Just because, you know,

I really don't

Yeah, I think that

Oh, I'm sorry, I was just gonna launch

into initial advice

that might not be helpful.

Yeah, sure. Take a broad swing at it.

I was just gonna say that

ACS cleared it, so there's

- no real threat, right?

- [PHONE BUZZING]

Like, we'll just monitor her and

[PHONE BUZZING]

Hello?

Oh, God.

Wait. Just now?

Or I just saw him this morning.

No. Okay. Yeah.

I'll come there.

Oliver died.

God damn it.

Oh, I'm sorry, Jess.

Was was he family

or a friend or a

No, Oliver the chicken.

He's a chicken

in our community farm program.

Where where do we have a farm?

Does no one even realize

that we the-the-the-the-

the farm that I set up

in the back of the schoolyard

this this year, literally this year?

That's cool. I haven't gotten a chance

to see it yet, but I'll

I should check it out.

Hmm. Okay.

I gotta go collect Oliver

before his corpse traumatizes the kids.

I'll be right back.

Okay. I I wouldn't worry.

I don't think they knew

about the farm either.

Oh, man.

[LAUGHING]

Bro, your uncle is cool as hell.

I could never do this sh*t in my spot.

[LAUGHS] He a'ight.

[BOTH LAUGHING]

Bro, wait.

You be making those?

I thought you was buying 'em

on the ave and reselling 'em.

Nah, I made all of these.

How much you make selling 'em?

It depends.

One bag of beads costs, like, $10,

and the string is, like, $2.

So I make, like, what, $80 in profit.

But all the bags don't be having

the same amount of beads.

Some b*tches be like,

"Oh, you could

stretch it out," but, like, no.

You shortchange your customer,

you shortchange yourself.

As far as my YTD go, I make,

like, $800 in profits.

- $800?

- Yes.

But you got to factor in your COGS

cost of goods sold,

materials, plus my labor,

because you got to pay yourself.

You know, I'm my own

manufacturer and distributor.

It's simple.

Bro, where did you learn all that?

It's the f*cking businesswoman for me.

- [DAMI LAUGHS]

- Drew taught me.

- [DAMI LAUGHING]

- Come here. Look.

[DAMI LAUGHING] What's this?

Uh

Bro. Nah.

- What?

- [ZAYNA LAUGHS]

Girl, let me work for you.

What the f*ck? You rich. Like, bro.

Nah.

Let me work for you, like dead a*s.

A'ight. Bet.

- Bag these.

- Money.

- Uh.

- Money.

Those birth control?

Where you get that?

I know some people, bro.

I can get you some. You want some?

Nah, my mom would k*ll me

if she thought I was f*ck'.

[DAMI LAUGHS]

When the last time you talk to her?

We talk every week. Why?

I don't know, like, if I would

talk to mine that much.

Like, if I'm actually on my own, bro,

like, maybe my dad, but my moms

she be OD, like straight tryin' sh*t.

- Like, bro

- [ZAYNA LAUGHS]

She's really the reason

why I called ACS.

Like, I can't live with her.

I can't do that sh*t.

- [UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]

- Hey, come through.

Hey, with the spin, hey!

- Ahh! With the spin, hey!

- [PHONE BUZZING]

[JASMINE SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

Don't f*ck with me. [LAUGHS]

Hey, hey.

- It's lit.

- Yo.

- Tryin' to go upstairs?

- Right now?

Yeah.

I'm having fun right here.

- Come on.

- [CLICKS TONGUE] Stop.

That is not even your bag.

[CLICKS TONGUE] You

don't know what's in my bag.

- Stop it.

- Yeah, I do.

You're broke.

You broke too.

Yeah, but you look broke.

At least you don't try

to impress n*gg*s.

Like, you know, you don't

care how you dress at all.

Like, most n*gg*s, they try to front,

try to borrow they

homies' clothes and sh*t,

but you don't even

be trying to pretend.

That's what I like about you.

- [PHONE CHIMES]

- Oh, f*ck. Wait.

[CLICKS TONGUE]

f*ck.

I gotta cook dinner for my grandma

and my little brother.

I'm out.

You can't Grubhub it?

You gonna pay for it?

- [SIGHS]

- Exactly.

My grandma is going gambling

with her church next weekend.

So pull up then.

[KEVIN] Okay.

[CANDY BLEAKZ'S "WON LA" PLAYING]

- [SINGING IN YORUBA]

- [PHONE BEEPS]

[JESS] I just don't know why

I'm doing all this stupid

grunt work sometimes.

It's like I'm climbing

a ladder to nowhere

and every other

administrator is old and jaded

and visibly sad.

- The administrators?

- [JESS] Yeah, well, not you.

You're younger and jaded

and visibly sad.

It's not that visible.

[JESS] You know, half the time,

Principal Douglass isn't even here.

I'm sure he's got a second job.

Like, I think I saw him

working at Target,

and we're all just playing

an unwinnable, rigged game.

It's like Wall Street.

[JESS] Some people win on Wall Street.

Right, but we would lose

It's all unwinnable, okay?

I-I'm-I'm covering for the dance coach

and the school play, and I wanted

to change the curriculum

and make some difference,

but I can't touch that.

No, we can't even teach

them Lincoln was g*y.

You can say that.

I read a Wikipedia article about that.

When I said it to the principal,

he just said, "Ey-yo."

So I just can't change the system.

No, you can't.

You know, some of the kids

are going through some real sh*t.

And when I I'm stuck

behind all this red tape

where nothing changes.

Who cares about all the red tape?

We have to care. It's our job.

No, I mean, if you wanna help the kids,

just help; that's fine.

Like, forget your title.

Like like on top

of teaching them science,

like, frankly,

as well as anybody, it

it's also just reaching out to the kids

who, like, want to be reached.

Like, there's

all these bureaucratic rules

or whatever, and they're

just, like, nonsense.

You just, like, have to

tend to your little corner.

[JESS CHUCKLES]

I'm sorry for getting so personal.

- It's all just a lot.

- Sorry.

Maybe this is weird, but I have, like,

a benzo, if you want.

It's like an anti-anxiety pill,

if you would like one.

I can keep saying

comforting words, but I just

I know myself, and I feel

myself running out of them.

- I didn't know you took those.

- Not often.

But when when you said,

"It's all just a lot,"

when I've said that,

that's been the time I've taken them.

- I'll take one if you do.

- You want me to take one too?

Yeah.

Um okay.

So I'll take the other

[JESS CHUCKLES]

[DAMI LAUGHING]

- [DREW] Yo.

- What you doing?

Bro, he don't care.

[MAGNA CARDA'S "PROPAGANDA" PLAYING]

What's shakin' and bakin'?

[INDISTINCT RAPPING]

Who rolled this?

Let me show y'all how to do this, man.

[ZAYNA LAUGHS]

[DREW] I can't be wasting gas

like that.

You take your tobacco leaf

and the marijuana

pack in as much as if you

was on a picnic to the beach.

- [LAUGHING]

- [KNOCK AT DOOR]

I ain't lyin'

All right, look.

Hold it right there. Wait.

Right there.

- Bro

- [BOTH LAUGHING]

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

I'm sorry, bro,

this is all I could get, man.

It's fresh groceries, bro.

We just got them today.

Son, what happened to the roti?

You just cleaned out your fridge?

Look, man, that Tupperware

is really sturdy.

It's brand-new. You can keep it.

It's supposed to last

for, like, five years.

Yo, I'll really slap the sh*t out you,

you bring this to my crib again.

You lucky my niece in here studyin'.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

Oh, sh*t. Here.

Take this out. Recycle it.

All right.

Where was we at? Let's go.

- Tuck and roll.

- [DREW] Tuck and roll.

You already know. Niecey-poo know.

We halfway there

to a perfectly rolled blunt.

Voilà.

- [DAMI] Mm.

- Boom.

- [LOUD POUNDING ON DOOR]

- The f*ck?

[CLICKS TONGUE]

Somebody don't want us to smoke.

That's gonna be a good one.

[LOUD POUNDING ON DOOR]

Oh. Y'all, get in the room.

- Get in the room, y'all.

- sh*t.

- [DREW] Go get in the room.

- Oh, sh*t.

[DREW] You good?

No, I'm not good.

Where's my daughter? Dami?

Calm down. Let me grab her.

Hold on. Let me

She was supposed to

be home from school.

Dami, make yourself present.

Dami?

She was supposed to go

to school, then go home.

My wife is going to k*ll all of us

if I don't collect my daughter.

Please, where is she?

Dami, what are you doing here?

Eh?

Didn't we tell you

to come home after school?

Dami, are you deaf?

You turn my baby into a crackhead?

- [BANG ON DOOR]

- Damilola Oluwafabiola!

What the f*ck?

You called Child Services on me?

- Relax.

- Huh? Me!

I will show you today

that I'm your mother.

- In fact

- Ijeoma.

You ain't gotta do all of that.

- Ijeoma.

- Eh, eh, eh, eh!

You, you, you, you.

You, you, you, you are wicked.

You smoke weed around my child, huh?

- I

- Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh!

Don't even try it, devil.

Don't try it.

Come here. [SNIFFING]

You are smoking?

When I was your age,

I had my third business.

You, you're smoking weed.

[WILNER] Let's go.

Is Greta Ton-berg smoking weed?

Mm? Mm?

- It's Thunberg, Mama.

- Don't talk back.

Shut up there.

Eh-eh, let's go.

- Let's go.

- [IJEOMA] Let's go. Come on.

Before I slap you here.

- [WILNER] Please, Ijeoma.

- [IJEOMA SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]

[WILNER] Let's go.

Brother, the church

has moved to Rogers.

You should visit sometime.

[IJEOMA] This is all your fault.

- You spoil her.

- [WILNER] Let's go.

It's just another day ♪

Until the sun sets ♪

Then I lose control ♪

I'm just tryin' to soothe ♪

my soul ♪

[JESS] That pill really helped.

That's probably why I go hard ♪

Live hard ♪

Just sorry, there's no strap.

[JESS SCOFFS]

I can never live no lie ♪

- In case we're dying ♪

- [YAWNS]

- Mm. Um

- It's okay.

- You seem tired.

- No, no, no, I'm awake.

I'm super awake. I'm very awake.

It's okay. I was also up at 6:00.

No, no would you have, like,

a Red Bull?

We could both have Red Bulls.

[JESS] Uh

Let's just can we just talk?

Is that okay?

- Yes.

- You awake enough?

Yeah, that's cool.

What, um

[MUSIC CONTINUES QUIETLY]

[DAN BREATHES DEEPLY]

What's up?

Uh, the Dami stuff is just

really stressing me out.

- Wait. Which stuff?

- The Dami stuff.

Mm. Yeah.

I mean, we'll watch her

and keep her out of rice, hmm?

Which doesn't even sound

like it would hurt, honestly.

Well, the rice is uncooked.

But they said she's not

in real danger, and

[SIGHS] I f*cked up.

What do you mean?

Well, Dami told me,

when we were at the hospital,

after, you know,

she and Zayna had that fight,

that she needed birth control,

and I know how her parents are,

so I I took her to get some, and

- Totally.

- I'm just worried

that what if someone saw and

and if they did, then, I mean,

I I could lose my job

if if anyone

Found out.

I'm sorry. I actually am feeling tired.

- I don't wanna

- It's okay.

[DAN] I know you said stuff there.

Um, it was about Dami.

So

I'm just dead.

I'm sorry. I'll head out.

I don't want to, like,

be in your space.

Everything true, everything true ♪

Ask about me, I said everything true ♪

So from here on out, ♪

it's no more apologies ♪

[SAXOPHONE MUSIC PLAYING]

Lady called security.

It's some bullshit.

I'm out of here in the morning.

[PLAYING JAZZY MUSIC]

[GRUNTS, LAUGHS]

[CHUCKLES]

[LESTER LAUGHING]

[GRUNTS]

[LAUGHING]

[JAZZY SAXOPHONE MUSIC]

I'm sorry that, you know

Yeah. I mean

How'd your night go?

Hmm? It was it was fine.

I hung out with Jess. It was

Did Jasmine stay over?

No.

[CAR HORN HONKS]

Oh, we out of eggs.

f*ck, man.

[JAZZY MUSIC]