01x92 - Episode 92

[bunniefuu]

What do you mean
our grandson is drowning?

What's happening
with Martin?

The surviving attacker
came back into the country.

What?

And he recently
made his presence known

at Fairmont Crest.

He got a job as a busboy
at the country club.

Did he approach you? Martin?

No, he watched us.

He was eavesdropping
on our conversations.

We didn't recognize him
because of the plastic surgery.

How is this even possible?

Someone was supposed to be
keeping tabs on him.

Well, that man let us all down.

The attacker's been back in the
country for more than a month.

Vernon, you've known this
for a month?

And you kept it from me?
How could you?

I'm sorry.

I know I should've found a way
to tell you.

Well, tell me now.

Tell me everything.

How can he be dead?

I just saw him a few hours ago
and he was fine.

Angry about you
punching him, but...

You said you had to go out.

Do something to protect
our family's safety.

Oh, God. No, Smitty. [scoffs]

It wasn't me, I swear.

I had nothing to do with it.

♪ ♪

I thought I could manage
the situation

the same way we did before.

Pay the man off,

make sure he went away
and stayed out of our lives.

But that didn't work this time.

Things spun out of control.

The man started trying
to intimidate Martin

through his children.

That monster dared to think

he could touch
Samantha and Tyrell?

They're fine.

The threat was only implied.

But it was enough
to terrify Martin.

I know when I saw that b*stard

in the park with Samantha,
I lost it.

But that was the last straw.

I realized,
to protect my family,

I had to break the hold over me.

But not by k*lling him.

By admitting the truth.

So, Martin scheduled
a press conference.

The plan was that he would
confess to everything

and take all the responsibility
on himself.

But he didn't
go through with it.

Well, thank God you were able
to talk him out of it.

That wasn't what stopped him.

I was standing
in front of reporters

on the verge of admitting a lie

that had been
eating me alive for years.

And no matter what the truth
would cost me,

nothing was worth
putting our kids at risk.

Then I learned...

The man is dead?

Gunned down.

Supposedly in a robbery.

Vernon.

Did you make this happen?

Smitty, I swear.

I didn't know
this was going to happen.

I certainly
didn't want it to happen.

But someone made it happen
for your sake.

To protect you.

You must know who's responsible.

Or are you gonna lie to me again
and tell me that you don't?

I'm so relieved
you wanted to stop by.

Perfect timing.
I need somebody to talk me down.

You know I am
always here for you.

I have showered.

I have done every
relaxation exercise

I've learned in all
of my years of psychotherapy.

And none of it is working
to bring my blood pressure down

after dealing
with that b*tch Leslie.

Leslie? Something happened
with Leslie?

[sighs]

I ran into her this morning

when I was supposed to
have coffee with Ted.

We got into it.

About Ted?

No. Well, not directly.

And he-he has made his bed,
and he can happily lie in it

with all of the tacky bedbugs
that he apparently likes.

I confronted Leslie about
almost k*lling Laura twice.

Not that she would
ever admit it.

You wouldn't seriously
expect her to, would you?

I shouldn't have expected

anything more than
what I got from her.

Disgusting, crass insults

intended to bring me down
to her level.

Ugh! Why didn't I
just walk away?

Maybe because you're human.

Sweetie, cut yourself a break.

So, you lost control
and spit a few insults.

Whatever you said, I'm sure
she more than deserved it.

Actually...

it was a little bit more
than trash talking.

I came pretty damn close
to strangling her.

-What? [stammers] What?
-I know, I know, I know.

It is completely unlike me.

I didn't even realize I had it
in me to do something like that.

There's a lot of that
going around.

Maybe we've all just had enough
of playing by the rules.

Mm. I knew you would understand.

But, please, can we just
leave my little...

foray into violence between us?

You know, with my dad
being a retired senator

and my son being a congressman,

I am expected to walk around

with a certain decorum
in public.

I think you're safe
as far as that goes.

Nobody's talking about anything
other than Martin

after that
strange press conference.

What press conference?

You don't know?

And I came here to find out
from you what's going on.

Oh, well, that was
your first mistake.

Nobody tells me a damn thing
around here.

I would...

ask what happened last night,

but I get the feeling that,
if you wanted me to know,

-you would've spilled already.
-[chuckles]

You're sharp as ever.

I still can't imagine Daddy
being more disappointed

than he was when...

-Than when we split?
-When you left me.

Okay. All right.

Don't you start, too.

One Dupree is enough.

You know, I've met my
"read for filth" quota.

Don't need any extras.

Daddy really got
under your skin tonight.

What did he say exactly?

Only what he knew
would cut me to the core.

If I'm being real,

a part of me still needs
your dad's approval.

-It's always been that way.
-Come on.

You're too cold-blooded to care
what anybody else thinks.

Unless we're talking
about your father.

In which case,

the only reason
he withheld approval

is because he knew
you wanted it so bad.

Yeah, well, I buried those
daddy issues a long time ago.

But respect?
You know, that's different.

And I wanted that from Vernon
more than anyone else.

-You really mean that.
-Yeah.

Look, you're daddy's favorite,
so you'll never understand.

To me, he's...

oh, he's not just
my ex-father-in-law.

I mean, the man has flaws,
sure, but...

I mean, he's the
legendary Vernon Dupree.

The way he came at my throat.

Damned if I didn't admire
how he did it.

I had nothing to do
with that man's death.

I only intended to do the same
thing we did two years ago.

But I wanted to stay completely
an arm's length away from it.

So, I left more
of the details up to Bill.

-That was my crucial mistake.
-No.

You could never have imagined

Bill's response to blackmail
would be m*rder.

I should've known
to keep a tighter rein on him.

Or at least insist that
he cut Joey Armstrong

from the arrangements
altogether.

Oh, God, Joey Armstrong.

And this was their simple-minded
solution to our problem.

They'll probably claim
that this result

is what I wanted all along.

To let them do the dirty work.

You have the kind of moral fiber
they can only imagine.

There are lines
you would never cross.

Bill seems to feel that
we should be grateful,

if you can believe that.
[scoffs]

That this was the only sure way
that they could protect us

from a vengeful
and sadistic stalker.

No, Bill knows
good and well that

this is not how you intended
for them to handle things.

He's just using it as an excuse.

But that's what happens when you
come under the toxic influence

of a man like Joey Armstrong.

Outcome like this
is probably inevitable

from the moment you get involved
with a man like that.

And we tried so hard
to keep Martin

from knowing he was involved.

But I'm sure he knows now.

Oh, oh, he knows now.

That was one of the reasons

he decided he wanted
to come forward,

so that he wouldn't be
in Armstrong's debt.

And now, they're
tied together forever.

One thing I know for sure, my
grandfather wasn't behind this.

He was there,
at the press conference.

I saw his face
when he found out what happened.

And he was just
as stunned as I was.

Even more furious.

Who does Vernon think did this?

You know what? Don't tell me.

I have a pretty good
idea already.

I was really wondering
whether or not

I can trust you
to be honest with me.

This isn't about withholding
information from you.

Not now.

My family didn't even tell me
what was going on.

They insisted I was protected.

Hell, I didn't even know
my father was the one

who performed plastic surgery
on that r*cist.

My dad and I still
haven't spoke about it.

And that's how
out of the loop I was.

You were in the loop
about some things.

Like you knew that Marcel Malone
was involved.

And then you kept him involved

when you asked him
for protection for our family.

Do you think
he's involved in this?

I don't know. I swear.

What about Joey Armstrong?

He was there,
at the press conference.

And I don't think
it was a coincidence.

Smitty, I never spoke
to Armstrong about any of this.

Until recently,

I didn't even know
he had anything to do with it.

Martin, stop trying
to spin this.

Joey Armstrong
being involved is not okay.

None of this is okay.

Okay, what is not okay?

Kids, please just
go back to your room.

Your papa and I
need to finish talking.

You've had long enough, Dad.

Me and Samantha need to know
what's going on.

You're right.

Sit down. Let me fill you in.

Vernon, we have talked
every day since I left town,

and I can't believe,
in all those conversations,

you never hinted at what
you were dealing with here.

And even when
I came home for a visit,

and you could've told me
face-to-face, you didn't.

Why would you
shut me out like that?

I honestly thought we had
the situation under control.

Plus, I didn't want to interfere

with your reunion
with your old friends,

especially since it took you
so long to make it all happen.

Yeah, well, you don't
have to worry about that.

We managed to sabotage it
all by ourselves.

Don't tell me
the reunion is off.

It is.

But I don't need to go
into the sordid details.

We have more important things
to deal with right now.

But you know what?

Maybe that's why it fell apart.

Maybe, deep down, I sensed
that my family needed me.

More than a couple of
unappreciative, bickering,

former groupmates ever would.

Oh, that made you smile, huh?

I missed you so much.

Even if you're angry with me,

I'm just so glad
you're back home.

We need to work out

how to handle this
with the family and the public.

Did the press
get any whiff of...

Martin cut
the press conference short

before he revealed anything.

But it did get a fair amount
of media attention.

Dani and Nicole are gonna have
a lot of questions.

-Oh... Especially Nicole.
-Hmm.

Do you regret
we didn't include her in this?

What with Martin
and Ted involved?

This is just
the worst possible time.

This could blow up
when she's so vulnerable.

And I just pray that

she doesn't react to what we did
by pulling away.

When now is the time
she needs us most.

I'm only seeing snippets
about this conference.

I was there when it happened.

Or rather, didn't happen.

I happened to be at Orphey
Gene's meeting with... a client.

Uh, wait. Here's something.

Why is Bill in this photo?

I was surprised
he was there, too.

For some reason, Martin only had
one staff member on hand.

Bill was acting like
he was his spokesman.

That's strange.
I thought the two of them

were barely on speaking terms
after the way Bill treated Dani.

Not from what I saw.
Bill was very supportive.

He talked up Martin
and what a good job he does

representing his district.

Then Martin started to give
your basic political speech.

How grateful and honored
he feels to have been elected.

How much he wants to live up
to his grandfather's legacy.

Wait. Here's something.

It says he abruptly canceled the
event due to a family emergency.

Which is why
I came to talk to you.

I haven't heard
of any family emergency.

What is going on?

MARTIN:
Around two years ago,

Granddad and I were driving back
from a political event.

While on a country road,
we got a flat tire.

We were changing it, and...

a man in a big truck pulled over

and tried to rob us at gunpoint.

Oh, my gosh.

Granddad and I tried
to talk him down,

but he said some racial slurs
and he knocked Granddad down.

He hurt great-grandpa?

Both of us were scared

we weren't gonna
make it back home.

But I was able to knock the g*n
out of his hand

and fight him off.

I'm glad you're okay.

So is that
what this is all about?

We were lucky.

Things could've been worse.

Did the police catch him?

I hope he's rotting
in jail right now.

Who is this guy?
I want to search him.

You guys are not gonna
understand this, but...

we didn't report this
to the police.

Pop. [stammers]

You always tell us to do that
when we're in trouble.

Yeah, that is some serious

"do what I say
and not what I do."

I know, I know,
but Granddad and I...

couldn't trust that the cops
in that area

would believe I was acting
in self-defense.

We realized that it would be
our word against his.

So, we didn't risk it.

You just let him go?

Yes. And I didn't see him again
until this year.

He got a job
as a busboy at the club.

And again here,

when he showed up and he was
playing chess with you, Tyrell.

Kenny was the r*cist
who tried to rob you?

I see why you were so shook, but
why didn't you just say that?

Yeah, why didn't you tell us the
truth from the very beginning?

You don't know how much
I wish I could.

I mean, this ugly incident,

I thought it was better
for you not to know.

I wanted to protect you.

Sometimes, protecting people
ends up hurting them even more.

I know that now.

And I never imagined
he would follow me here.

Let alone, become a threat
to all of you.

So what do we do
about Kenny now?

Can we, like, get a restraining
order on him or something?

You don't have to worry
about Kenny anymore.

He's gone.

Okay, so here's what
wasn't in that article.

Bill interrupted Martin
when he was speaking

and showed him
something on his phone.

Whatever it was
seemed to hit Martin hard.

He could barely stand.

Oh, my God.
I hope it's not something

that has to do
with the children.

I don't think so because Martin
didn't rush right out.

He stayed for a while and
got in an intense conversation

with Bill and your father.

Then after Martin left,
your dad laid into Bill.

And the look on his face,
Vernon was just furious.

Like I've never seen him.

I couldn't hear what
they were talking about.

I didn't know whether I should
bring it up to you or...

You absolutely should.

And it's more than
my family's doing these days.

I have actual advanced degrees

in helping people
solve problems,

but for some reason,
I seem to be the last person

that my family
wants to turn to for help.

Babe, from what I could see,

Martin's in some kind
of trouble.

I recommend you don't wait for
an invitation to get involved.

Thanks, Vanessa.

I'm gonna find him
and talk to him right now.

Nicole and Dani are gonna
have to understand that,

two years ago,
under extreme circumstances,

we did what we thought best
for Martin and this family.

I know that's not
gonna satisfy Nicole.

We kept a big secret
from her about her own son.

And honestly...

our good intentions
aren't enough

to satisfy me anymore, either.

Thanks to our advice--
let Martin keep this secret--

he hasn't been able to confide
in his mother or his husband

about all he's been through
the past two years.

Because we wanted him to go on
with his life

as if that night never happened,

because it never
should have happened.

But Martin needed
not just to forget.

Martin needed to heal.

He needed his husband's support.

Well, I assume he's told Smitty
about that night by now,

since he was going to announce
it at a press conference

to the whole world.

That conversation
is happening as we speak.

I can only imagine
how upset Smitty will be.

I hope he can find it
within himself

to give Martin
the support he needs.

Our grandson

needs his family now

more than he ever has.

Why did Kenny leave?
Did you pay him to?

-No.
-SAMANTHA: Good.

'Cause I wouldn't want you
to reward him

for being a disgusting r*cist.

Did he leave because
of the press conference?

I didn't know
you knew about that.

It was all over my socials.

Were you planning
to expose Kenny?

Your pop realized
a little too late

that being honest
was the best way

to deal with this situation.

And, Tyrell, if you're
wondering why your pop

scheduled a press conference
without talking to the family

about it first,
you're not alone.

I guess Pop's plan worked.

Kenny probably ran because
he realized how much trouble

he would be in
if the truth came out.

Why didn't you
go through with it?

Why did you end
the press conference early?

Did you and Kenny
make some kind of... deal?

No deals. He's gone.

So, this story can stay private.

And we'll keep it private.

Don't worry, Pop.

I'm just glad that
that Kenny the r*cist is gone

and that you
and Granddad are okay.

And now, things
can go back to normal.

You need to give me
some more time.

Wait, what?

Why are you still
being so salty, Dad?

You wanted Pop to explain,
and now he has.

It just turned out
that his big secret

was that he saved
Granddad's life.

You can't punish him
for being a hero.

It's not about punishment.

Then what?

Maybe the fact that Pop has been
lying to us from the beginning.

But he already said
he was sorry.

What else is he supposed to do?

Hey, I don't want you fighting
with your dad and your brother.

I made some huge mistakes on how
I dealt with this situation.

And they have a right
to be upset.

Okay... [stammers]
you're trying to make it right.

I am. And I'm gonna keep trying.

It's gonna take more than
apologies to undo the damage.

I understand that.

I can't make you
any promises right now.

Right now or ever?

I just can't.

I won't be far. You'll always
be able to reach me.

Take care of yourselves.

All of you.

-Pop, wait.
-It's okay, sweetheart.

It's okay.

[door closes]

I'll... I'll talk to her.

I promise not to make a habit
of stopping by unexpectedly.

No problem from my
favorite mother-in-law.

I have to admit, I am relieved

that everything seems normal
around here.

It is what it is.

Where's Martin?

[footsteps approaching]

Hey, Samantha.

-Hi, Grandma.
-Are you okay?

Did I come at a bad time?

Uh, I thought I heard the door,

and-and I thought that
it might be Pop.

Are you expecting him back soon?

Martin's not
staying here right now.

Martin didn't say
anything to me.

SAMANTHA:
It just happened.

Oh, sweetheart.

I was worried when I heard about
that strange press conference,

but that couldn't have been
about him not being here.

He wouldn't go public
with that before telling me

or the rest of the family.

You are right.

The press conference
was about... something else.

Something that Martin
should explain for himself.

Oh, I will definitely be talking
to him as soon as possible.

You. Remember.

You and your brother
have a family that adores you.

Whatever you need,
we are here for you. Okay?

That goes for all of you.

Thank you, Nicole.

We appreciate that.

Why is it so much easier
unpacking than packing?

Most people
would say the opposite.

Packing is the fun part.

Not if you're happy
to be coming back home.

-[both chuckle]
-What is this, coffee?
At this hour?

I thought no caffeine
in the evenings.

I have a feeling
it's gonna be a very long night.

Have you heard from Martin
since the press conference?

Not yet.

I assume he's telling
Smitty everything.

He will.

I'm sure he will.

Uh, there's one thing
I forgot to mention.

Oh, God. There's more?

On his job, Smitty was assigned

to do a profile
on Detective Marcel Malone.

Tell me you're joking.

It was just intended to be
a glowing send-off

to a soon-to-be-retired veteran
of the force.

But, Smitty being Smitty,
he did a deep dive.

How much did he uncover?

Well, he's looking into Malone's

unsavory connections
to Joey Armstrong.

And he reached out
to Jacob to compare notes.

Now, the two of them
have been digging

into Malone's
internal affairs records.

And Smitty knows there was
a strange man in town

following his children.

So, it's just a matter of time

before he puts
the pieces together.

And if Martin
has told him everything,

what is Smitty gonna do
with that information?

We're talking about a man
who has built his career

on uncovering corruption.

One of the many things
that make him

a perfect partner for Martin.

And he is certainly
not gonna be comfortable

-being part of a...
-Conspiracy?

Oh, please. Don't use that word.

Well, call it what you may,
I'm just hoping that...

Smitty will...

understand more than most

what the consequences
of exposure would be.

And I'm hoping that his sense
of loyalty to his husband

will outweigh
every other concern.

[front door opens, closes]

Hey, Samantha.

I'm going to bed.

That's definitely different
from this afternoon,

when she was eager to be a part
of our conversation.

Yeah, the kids
have had a long day.

I'm pretty tired, too,
if you want to know the truth.

Nah, that's cool.
I won't be long.

I just want to let you know

about a very interesting
development.

An unidentified man
was found dead

at a local park this afternoon.

Single g*nsh*t wound.
Looked like a robbery.

Wow.

That's, uh...

That's terrible, but what
does that have to do with me?

Wait till you hear
who discovered the body.

Marcel Malone.

So, Malone found a dead body.

I mean, it's hardly his first.

And they probably don't
even know who the guy is, right?

No. But I intend to find out.

But it wouldn't surprise me
if the victim somehow had beef

with Joey Armstrong.
Or he got in his way.

That kind of seems
like a stretch, Jacob.

I mean, yeah,
Malone's on the take,

and he does the occasional favor
for Armstrong,

but it's a big leap between that
and what you're suggesting.

Wait, am I hearing you right?

Are you actually defending

Malone's character
and integrity?

No, not at all. I mean,

the guy's as dirty
as the day is long.

I'm just saying that, sometimes,
when you have a theory,

all the information you see
tends to support that theory,

but sometimes,
the dots just don't connect.

You mean, to a hammer
everything looks like a nail?

Look, I don't need a lecture
on confirmation bias.

That's not what this is.

My gut is telling me
this guy didn't just die

because of a robbery.

And Marcel didn't just happen
to stumble across his body.

There's more to this.
I can smell it.

Yeah.

You're right.
Anything is possible.

I'm sorry. I just,
I can't focus on this right now.

I could really use your help
figuring this out.

Jacob, I want to,
but... I can't.

Wait, there's something else
going on here.

Something that has nothing to do
with your work or mine.

I didn't want to say anything,
but...

[clears throat]
Martin moved out tonight.

Oh, man, I'm sorry
to hear that, Smitty.

Is there anything I can do?

I know that sounds trite, but...

It does. Um...
But no, thank you.

I-I just...
I wanted to explain to you

why I couldn't help with
the investigation right now.

Because of what's going on
with Martin. I get it.

Yeah. Yeah, because of Martin.

I don't get why you and Dad
are so mad at Pop.

You feel how you feel,
and I'll do the same.

I bet Dad's spilling all the tea
to Jacob about Pop leaving.

I think he already told Grandma,

but he didn't say anything
to her about why.

If Pop wants her to know,
he'll spill for himself.

How is any of this fair?

Pop's being forced
to put himself on blast

so everybody won't think
that he did something wrong.

Like, he cheated
on Dad or whatever.

Like Grandpa cheated on Grandma

before Aunt Kat was even born,

and now, they're broken up.

What was Dad supposed to do?
Smile and say, "All good,

you capped for me
all these years"? Come on.

He should just forgive him.

They should just
forgive each other.

That's what married folks
are supposed to do.

They're not supposed to split up
like Grandma and Grandpa.

I don't even think
they talk to each other anymore.

Dad will forgive Pop.
They love each other.

Then... Dad should've just
let Pop sleep on the couch

instead of making him leave
so it's everybody's business.

And Dad's just
supposed to hide everything

and keep the lies rolling?

Yeah, that's real healthy.

And you keep it up,
you'll be the next Pop.

I gave the kids a sanitized
version of what happened.

Now that they're involved,

they deserve to know as much
as I can tell them safely.

But I told Smitty
everything, though.

And as you can see,
what his reaction is.

Not that I blame him.

Granddad and I were just
discussing how...

how much we regret
pressuring you

into keeping this from him.

It was deeply unfair
to both of you.

No.

This is not your fault.
I'm a grown man.

And it was my call.

And the fact is,

if I would've come home
two years ago that night

and told Smitty
what I had done...

Mm-mm.

He wouldn't have gone along
with covering it up.

He would've stood by me

and he would've insisted

that I come forward
and face the repercussions.

And he would've been right.

Today's events
have made me realize

I was dead wrong

to set all of this in motion.

I... I know my goal

was to protect my grandson--

and he had just saved my life--

but I was acting out of fear.

And you had every right
to be afraid.

That county has a long
and ugly history.

Every time I read
about a Black man

being assaulted
during a traffic stop,

I shudder to think would've
happened to the two of you

had you admitted
to k*lling a white man

and maiming another,
even in self-defense.

I could've managed the risks

without trying to bury
the story altogether.

I have decades of relationships

and connections we could've used

to ease our way through
the appropriate legal channels.

There would've been serious,

perhaps career-ending
repercussions,

but... but we wouldn't have
the death of another man

on our conscience right now.

Martin, I...

I need to be very clear
about this.

The situation
we're facing tonight,

is not like the situation
back then.

It's even more perilous.

There is no way
that we can come forward now

without implicating
Joey Armstrong.

And he will not hesitate
to retaliate.

Hypocrite much, Tyrell?

I remember you being
the CEO of frontin'

when you didn't want
to tell our dads

that everybody at school
was dragging you.

Not the same.

I just wanted our dads
to stay out of my business.

They had nothing to do with it.

If I had known that
there was a r*cist stalker

coming after them,

I would've
spilled that information.

But I had no clue
who I was dealing with

as I brought him into the house.

And what if Pop didn't
find you at the park with him?

We don't know what
he would've done to you.

Okay, so he should've
just told us sooner,

but now, we have all the tea,
so no harm, no foul.

You sure?

Why not?

How do you know they're not
telling one part of the story

they think we can handle?

Because I was
eyeing them pretty close.

The way they were
"talk without talking."

And there's more going on
that we don't know about.

I guess Martin took it literally
when you gave him the ultimatum

and told him not to come home.

Did you at least have a chance
to talk him out of it?

At this point, I'm starting to
think that it was for the best.

I don't even recognize
the man that Martin's become.

How are the kids taking it?

They're-they're taking it hard,
of course.

I mean, they knew
we had problems,

but they didn't see this coming.

Yeah, I would've never
predicted it either.

Martin adores you all.

It's hard to believe
he'd just walk away.

It's hard to believe a lot
about what our family's

been through lately.

But I hope that you can
understand why I have to focus

on Samantha and Tyrell
right now.

Of course.

If there's anything Naomi
and I can do, just let us know.

Will do.

-Thank you.
-All right.

[door opens]

[door closes]

[sighs]

Smitty understands how
precarious this situation is.

That's why he's upset.

Because he's trapped in this
like the rest of us,

and he didn't have a say
in any of it.

Would it help
if I talked to Smitty,

explained, and apologized?

I appreciate the instinct,

but I think it's best

if we give him the time
and space he asked for.

Let him come to terms
with this in his own way.

You are welcome to stay here
as long as you need.

And the children are welcome,
too. There's plenty of space.

Thanks, Gran.

We are here for you, Martin,
no matter what.

We can depend on each other.

[door slams]

Someone needs to tell me
what the hell is going on here.

♪ ♪