02x03 - Compromised

[bunniefuu]

Previously on "Bel-Air"...

No one expects you to jump right into

- the deep end that fast.
- I'm back.

Yeah. Yeah.

I mean, no one expected that either.

My anxiety medication is
giving me more anxiety.

Weaning off meds isn't something

we want him doing on his own.

There are side effects...

headaches, dizziness.

So if you have any stress or triggers,

- you have to come to us.
- Yeah, yeah. I promise.

We could be, like, the kings of Bel-Air.

- Hey, Carlton.
- Hey.

She's feeling you, man.

Our paths don't really cross naturally.

Well, that sounds like
something I can fix.

Is this the, uh...
the Black folk meeting?

Look who's the president.

There's a process, Ms. Hughes.

Here we go, the process again.

- Ms. Hughes got fired today.
- What?

I think that rallying
to save Ms. Hughes' job

is a cause worthy of our BSU.

- I agree.
- I think we should protest.

- [ALL CHEERING]
- So we're gonna run

- the plays that I call.
- Yo, I can win this for us.

It's not about you,
Will. It's about the team.

That fancy Bel-Air team
got you and your game soft.

Tonight, I'm showing the real Will,

West Philly Will.

There it is, Will. Set it up, set it up!

[CROWD CHEERING]

[YELL ECHOES]

♪ 'Ey, 'ey, 'ey ♪

♪ 'Ey, 'ey ♪

Good practice, guys, good practice.

That's good work.

Let's see if you actually
pass the ball in the clutch.

Wow. We're going back there?

Yeah, let's look forward,
not back, all right?

We live and die as a team.

One more win and we're
in the state tournament.

Hey, that's right, Coach.

We're all about getting
the W, right fellas?

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

I'm glad to hear it.

Well, we need to stay
focused, all right?

- All right?
- Yeah.

- Okay.
- Got you.

See you guys tomorrow.

Bye, Coach.

♪ I'm about some fly sh*t ♪

Yo, Ty. Can I talk to you for a second?

- Yeah, what's up?
- Look, man,

you're supposed to be my ace
gunner on this squad, okay?

So if you're against me,
who's gonna be with me?

I'm sorry, Will, all right,

but we called you on the
selfish sh*t last game,

and then you just went
out and did it again.

Look, man, I apologise.

I just wanted to get the win,

put us in the position
we're in right now.

But we're about to go to the playoffs.

I want to believe you, all right?

But when the game is on the line,

can you really put the team first?

Look, you have my word.

All right. I trust you.

♪ I used to get high before class ♪

♪ They wondered what was up with me ♪

♪ I acted up, I barely passed ♪

♪ The teachers didn't f*ck with me ♪

♪ I made the team, they barely passed ♪

♪ Games were never fun for me ♪

♪ I was kind of a
loser, not a cool kid ♪

♪ I was too smart, they were stupid ♪

♪ Went to school,
thought I was clueless ♪

♪ 'Cause I knew that it was useless ♪

♪ I had a big heart, where was Cupid ♪

♪ I wanted the new chick,
she was too thick ♪

- Hey.
- Hey.

I hear everyone's all fired
up to go to your house.

Yeah, you know, we're,
uh, turning the mansion

- into protest central.
- [CHUCKLES]

- Coming through?
- I was hoping to.

- You okay with that?
- Yeah, why wouldn't I be?

I mean, I know we're not together,

but we're still cool, right?

Oh, yeah. Of course.

- [CLEARS THROAT]
- [CLEARS THROAT]

The trophy they give out now
is way bigger than that one.

Well, that's good.

It's gonna look even better
when I hold it over my head.

Everyone cheering you on and...

I can see it already.

See, this is why we
just click, you know?

You see, everybody else
around here would've

gotten on my ass about being too cocky.

Oh, yeah? Well, you're a
little cockier than usual.

You good?

Yeah, I'm just being myself.

Maybe it's time everybody
sees a little bit more of that.

Right, the West Philly Will.

[CHUCKLES]

That why you're so into
this protest with Ms. Hughes?

Look, where I come from,
we look out for our own.

Just 'cause I'm in Bel-Air,
that's not gonna change.

Okay, but this is definitely
new territory for Carlton.

Leading the entire BSU on a
walkout for a Black teacher?

That's a lot.

Look, Carlton will be fine.

This is exactly what he
needs to get his swag back.

- Trust me?
- [SCHOOL BELL RINGS]

Look, I tried to talk the
BSU out of going through

with the walkout, but no one's gonna

back down at this point.

Everyone's all riled up now.

Because they think this is a game.

Private school students cosplaying
as protesters for the day.

Shouldn't you be on our side?

I am.

And as the faculty advisor for the BSU,

I'm advising you all
to think this through.

You all have worked so hard.

You've got such bright
futures ahead of you.

Does this have anything to do

with the Associate
Head of School position

that they just announced?

Let me guess, you've already applied.

Your name has come up

in faculty discussions
about the Founder's Award.

President of the student body
and the first Black student

to win the school's highest honour.

You'd love that, right?

Yeah, of course I would.

Then shut this protest down,

and find a way to convince your cousin

and the others to get with the program.

Yo, C, you, uh,

ready to go?

Uh, yeah.

One sec, I just... let me get my stuff.

Will, I hear we're gonna
need to pull off an upset

in order to b*at Stratus.

Yeah, they may be, uh, ranked higher,

but that'll make the
dub that much sweeter.

Ready?

[ VR'S "GUILTY"]

♪ My guilty conscious said ♪

♪ Fallin' for you ♪

I'm ordering some food for tonight.

What do you want?

I wanna know what program

Mrs. Bassin wants me to get with.

[SIGHS] You heard that.

Mm-hmm.

Look, she's just concerned

that we might not be
accounting for how embarrassing

a walkout would be for the school.

[SCOFFS] Yo, they're so
scared of being embarrassed.

They might as well just
give Ms. Hughes her job back.

Do you really expect
the school to just cave?

Well, they will if our
side sticks together.

But for that to happen,
you have to stay strong, C.

How am I all of a sudden
in the centre of this?

Like, a week ago, I was the
Clarence Thomas of the BSU.

You put us on to
fighting for Ms. Hughes.

And that got you your Black card.

You gave the BSU something
legit to fight for.

Look, C, this is about you
finally becoming the leader

that you always wanted to be.

And think about your little sister

and what she's going through.

You want her to blame
herself for Ms. Hughes?

[SIGHS]

No.

Okay, you're right. You're right.

We're gonna go through with the walkout.

Okay. That's my cousin.

[SCOFFS]

We gonna show this
school a thing or two.

Trust me.

[UPBEAT MUSIC]

♪ ♪

I wanna be able to see the banner

from across the street.

Pull the wrinkles out before
you lay it down, please.

Uh, yes, ma'am.

Take you back, Geoffrey?

- [CHUCKLES] Yeah.
- What?

Mum used to boss y'all around?

What? I never bossed anyone around.

They were always happy
to help me with my art.

- Right, Geoffrey?
- You don't know.

It was a joy and a privilege.

[LAUGHTER]

Ashley, you okay, honey?

I just keep thinking that Ms.
Hughes got fired because of me.

Ashley, sweetheart, none
of this is your fault.

Honey, you can't put that on yourself.

We're here to take this on together.

Look, Ash, don't stress, okay?

When your school sees this,
they're gonna be so sorry

they ever messed with Ms. Hughes.

Yeah, you gotta have hope
that justice will prevail.

[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]

But what if it doesn't?

♪ ♪

Okay, if you wanna
help make protest signs,

that's happening over here.

If you wanna help write our
open letter to the school,

you can join Yazmin over at the table.

Yep, we got enough pizza
and pasta for everybody,

and, uh, you can help yourself
to whatever's in the fridge.

But stay your ass out
the wine cellar, a'ight?

If you wanna help make some calls,

reach out to other students and clubs,

you can head over to the couch.

Yaz, am I missing anything?

Um, well, I just wanna thank
each and every one of you

for joining this cause.

I mean, we need to stand up,

not just for our
teachers, but for the books

that depict the Black
experience honestly.

Yo, what up, Ty?

Yo, I'm here to help with the protest.

Okay. I see you on your ally ish.

Welcome to the party, man.

Yeah, I figured you
might need my expertise

since I've been in trouble
with the head of school

more than anyone here.

Also I loved Ms. Hughes,

so I'm not about to just stand by.

That's what's up.

Yo, real rap, we, um...

we really appreciate you being here.

Of course.

Uh, one second.

I'ma stop a travesty in progress.

What the hell are you doing?

Oh, uh, I'm making some calls,

trying to grow a coalition.

- Look, it dawned on me...
- Mm-hmm.

That if we can get support
from the entire student body...

- Right.
- We could win this

before we even have to walk.

Well, I have an idea that's, like,

ten thousand times better.

Get your ass over there
and work in Yazmin's group.

Oh, what, you expect me to flirt

while we're trying to
save Ms. Hughes' job?

Pretty sure Ms. Hughes
believes in Black love.

You know what I mean? [CHUCKLES]

Look, I'm just saying,
start some in her honour.

- You're ridiculous.
- [LAUGHS]

Go, man. You'll thank me later.

Get out of here, pinky.

You got this.

Hey, Carlton, right on time.

I have an idea I wanna run by you.

- Uh, yeah.
- Hey, Will.

- Great. I'm all yours.
- You got a sec?

Uh, uh, yeah.

What, am I in trouble again?

[CHUCKLES] No.

No, not at all. Um,
your aunt and I, we...

we need your help, Will.

It's about Carlton.

You're aware he takes
medication for anxiety?

Yeah, he told me that a while back.

Good.

Well, you know, usually,
we respect his privacy

when it comes to this
kind of thing, but, um,

Carlton started weaning
off the medication,

and we just wanted you
to keep an eye on him.

Let us know if you see anything off.

- Off?
- Yeah.

[CHUCKLES] Well, I mean,
we're talking about Carlton.

He's always a little off. [CHUCKLES]

No, seriously, Will.

Um, what do you mean?

Well, you know, just, like,
anything out of the ordinary.

As far as I'm concerned,
there's nothing too small

you could let us know
about at this point.

Oh, okay.

Well, if C needs my
help, I got his back.

All right. Appreciate that, Will.

Yeah. Hey, um,

did you, uh, look into the
stuff I sent you about Doc?

Yeah, um, yeah, he seems to be involved

in a lot of things that
could be helpful for you

when it comes to basketball,

but, you know, we gotta discuss
it with your mother first.

But you all feel good about it, right?

[SIGHS]

We feel open to it, Will.

Uncle Phil, come on. I
mean, the dude's legit.

I'm not sure he's the type of guy

you need in your life right now.

Look, you've come a long way.

We just don't want you to
rush into anything that's not

gonna be in your best interest.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Hey, Mum.

Hey, baby.

You have a sec?

Yeah, honey, what is it?

So it's been a couple
days, and I was wondering

if you or Dad had
anything to say about Jazz.

Why do you think we
have anything to say?

Mum, come on. [SCOFFS]

Don't act like Dad
hasn't said something.

I swear he hasn't, but if
you want to know his opinion,

- you should ask him.
- I can't do that,

'cause he's just gonna say, Honey Bee,

if you're happy, I'm happy.

Maybe that's actually how he feels.

Listen, your father and I decided

after you and LaMarcus broke up

that we were not gonna
be in the business

rooting for or against
any of your boyfriends.

You know y'all wanted
me to marry LaMarcus.

[LAUGHTER]

And now you have nothing
to say about Jazz?

I love Jazz, you know that.

And Dad?

I am not gonna be the
messenger between you two.

Okay. Thanks, Mum.

But wait a minute, I
have a favour to ask you.

After you just curbed me?

Okay, favour is the wrong word.

It's more of a job opportunity.

So you want me to give a
speech during the protest?

What happened to the
whole open letter idea?

People have short attention spans

for things that are important.

They'll read three sentences
and then jump on Shade Room.

We need them to stay focused.

Okay, well, as the president of the BSU,

why don't you give the speech?

Well, it's expected coming from me.

Got it, but coming from me,

it'd be such a surprise since
I'm the school's model n*gro.

Well, that's way harsher
than I would have put it,

but you can't argue with the logic.

Look, Carlton, we're trying
to fight a system here.

And I'm sorry if that
offends you, but...

Look, no, I... I get it.

I see why it'd be effective. I'll do it.

Really?

[LAUGHS] Thank you.

Thank you.

So Carlton and I are
gonna go draft the speech,

but I'm sure there are other groups

that could use your help.

Uh, is there somewhere we could go

that's a little quieter
where we could be alone?

Uh, yeah.

- Yeah, follow me.
- Okay, cool.

Wow, you actually went to Minneapolis?

Yeah. Yeah, my mum's
family's from there.

So we flew up to protest after
George Floyd was m*rder*d.

[SUCKS TEETH] That was,
uh... that was intense.

I had no idea.

Well, yeah, you know it
happened during summer,

and we don't really talk
much about it at school, so...

Summer. Don't you have all

your track meets and stuff then?

Yeah, but you know, you make time

for the things that matter.

I wish I could've gone.

But my dad...

Yeah, probably not the easiest thing

to convince a police chief
to go to a protest, so...

- [LAUGHTER]
- No.

It's okay. There's...

there's a million ways you
can fight the good fight.

Drew is like clockwork.

Every year, he makes play for Lisa.

Mm.

Boy just keeps on getting curbed, huh?

Yeah, but who knows?

I mean, before, Carlton
was in the picture.

Then came you.

Drew's a pretty cool dude.

Maybe Lisa can finally
start seeing him now.

[CHUCKLES] Yeah, maybe.

What, you still into her or something?

No, of course not.

Okay, if you say so.

[SCOFFS]

Yo, what up, Lisa?

Oh, um, James, right?

Drew. Close.

Drew, right.

Um, y'all finished the
banners out back, yet?

Not yet, just taking a break.

Taking a break? [LAUGHS]

Okay. Well, if you need some help,

I'll show you how it's done.

Got you, man.

Yeah? You paint, Will?

Yeah, man, I'm pretty good. Ask Lisa.

- She'll tell you about it.
- Mm.

Well, Drew's gonna
help us out for a bit.

You wanna join us?

Join you?

Uh, no, no. Y'all got it.

I don't wanna take up too much space.

All right.

Keep making those signs, though.

Will do.

Got you.

I'd give you full control
to curate all my work,

and I'd give you a competitive rate.

What do you think?

Mum, I would love the opportunity.

I just don't have the
bandwidth right now.

Bandwidth?

Wow, things are going that well?

Yes, they are.

I actually have a meeting tomorrow

about the house promoting
this new Simply Spiked drink.

[SQUEALS] So yeah, I'm
kind of swamped right now.

Yeah, I guess that's
good news, I suppose.

You know what you need? An assistant.

[BARELY AUDIBLE] Yeah.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

[LAUGHTER]

I think you're on to
something, Miss Bandwidth.

Hey, Lisa.

Can I talk to you for a second?

That's a good idea. That's perfect.

What's up? Hey.

Yeah, well, I've been
doing some thinking,

and I really need someone to help me

with my upcoming art show.

And I was wondering,

would you be interested
in being my assistant?

- [LAUGHS]
- Oh. [LAUGHS]

- I guess that's a yes, then?
- Absolutely.

Period. That's perfect.

Pardon me, but, uh,
Ms. Hughes has arrived.

I know.

Mr. Banks was equally surprised.

Who invited her then?

I'm so glad you could make it.

Oh.

Seeing so many of my students
using their collective voice

to fight for your principles,
it just... it fills my heart.

I love you all.

We love you too, Ms. Hughes.

And that's why we're gonna try
to get you back in class with us.

[APPLAUSE]

I will let you all get
back to your organising.

And everyone, good luck tomorrow.

[APPLAUSE]

So I talked to Ms. Hughes
to get a little more insight.

You think she has a chance here?

I'm not sure. She said she was just

trying to hold the school accountable

for what they promised they'd do.

Which is what?

Update the curriculum
to be more inclusive.

They just weren't moving fast enough.

So she found a way to do it herself?

Yeah, even though she was well aware

that the readings on every syllabus

were supposed to undergo an
extensive approval process.

And she was warned... several times.

[SIGHS] So this does
not look great for her.

And some parents felt the
books weren't appropriate.

And the extra credit she chose
to give out didn't help either.

Even though she went
about it the wrong way,

she clearly believed in it.

- And so do I.
- Yeah, me too.

But all these kids, Ashley,

they might be out there
fighting a losing battle, Viv.

Or maybe they need to find a bigger one.

♪ ♪

Okay, we... we cannot
allow our beloved school

to whitewash this crisis of conscience.

Mm. That's a strong closing line.

- You think it's too much?
- No.

No, I think it's perfect.

And I think you'll
deliver it like a king.

A king?

Thanks, I'll take it.

But you know you're kind
of the queen of all of this.

I mean, president of the
BSU is pretty damn cool.

[LAUGHS] I mean, yeah, I suppose it is.

But it's not really about one person

or one point of view, you know?

I mean, just look at
all the incredible energy

you brought to the
group just by showing up.

It's pretty impressive.

I'm just trying to do my part.

I know, and I appreciate it.

♪ I plant the seed and let it grow ♪

♪ I plant the seed and let it grow ♪

♪ I plant the seed and watch it grow ♪

♪ I plant the seed and watch it grow ♪

- [DOOR OPENS]
- Hey, Carlton...

Oh.

Oh, uh, sorry, I was just gonna tell you

that Mum and Dad want to talk to you.

Y'all just carry on as
if I wasn't even here.

Sorry.

[DOOR CLOSES]

[LAUGHTER]

Um...

♪ I plant the seed and watch it grow ♪

To be continued?

Yeah, to be continued.

You should demand more.

Changing the curriculum
is a much bigger issue

than one person's job.

Absolutely.

I mean, we had a petition
about this last year,

and they just swept it under the rug.

Yeah, Bel-Air Academy has to realize

that they can't control how Black we act

or how real we are.

Okay, but Dad, what do you think?

Well, it's really a matter of
focusing on a clear message.

And I'm a fan of gathering all the facts

before rushing into action.

And there's a lot about this
situation that's still not clear.

But you do feel that Ms.
Hughes deserves better.

What I think doesn't really matter

when it comes to the protest.

This needs to be a
student-driven decision.

Okay, then we're doing it.

Look, we can sit around all day

and worry about what might happen.

But the point of a protest
is to let people know

that there's a problem,
and I think we can all agree

that Bel-Air Academy has a problem.

Exactly. We can't cave now.

Look how much energy is around us.

Everybody came out because
they wanna do what's right.

We can't just stop now.

[LAID-BACK MUSIC]

That's right.

Look, this is bigger than Ms. Hughes.

It's bigger than all of us.

Changing the curriculum
att*cks the problem

on a systemic level,
not just a personal one.

And...

♪ ♪

We're gonna take a stand.

Yeah, that's right. See?

But we're walking out tomorrow.

♪ ♪

So, uh, I seen you and
Yazmin snuck away last night.

What, y'all have some protest sex?

We wrote a speech, Will.

Oh, speech sex.

Okay.

Y'all out there speaking in tongues.

I see you. [CHUCKLES]

Y'all nasty, man, I swear.

Yo, what up, Ash? You ready?

Hey.

Um, I just wanted to give you these.

- Wait, you're not coming?
- No.

Just got a email from the middle school

saying no students
are allowed to protest.

And if we do, we'll be suspended.

Damn, that sucks.

Well, look, I'm not backing down.

Yeah, me either.

I just hate that I can't see it through.

Yeah, well, you will

because I'm gonna hang this

right outside your classroom
where you can see it.

Promise.

Thanks, Carlton.

May not be everything,
but it's something.

That's right. Keep your head up, a'ight?

It's okay.

See you at school.

[UPBEAT MUSIC]

♪ Money, money, money,
money, money, money ♪

As you can see, we're
still redecorating.

But in addition to each influencer's

individual spaces, I've
designated these areas

for group videos, where we
can cross-pollinate ideas

and market to each other's audiences.

I've seen a few of those.

Really loved the one
where you and Phanta did

the culinary tour of Milan.

Yes, I'm very proud of that one.

And we're just getting started.

So what do you think of the product?

It's amazing.

And I know when we
put our heads together,

we can come up with some
great ways to market it.

Okay, then.

The new Simply Spiked Peach
flavour launches next month.

So I just need to know, if
we do decide to move forward,

would Ivy be willing to participate?

Of course she would.

Does a collaboration depend on that?

It's just that Simply Spiked would need

to know that a partnership
like the one you discussed

will reach the right-sized audience.

And Ivy's ten million
followers will make that

an easy sell for me with my bosses.

Great. [CLEARS THROAT]

Great, let's move forward then.

- [SCHOOL BELL RINGS]
- Wait, hold on.

What do they mean, "in
addition to suspension"?

What else can they do to us?

It's all in the email
they just blasted out.

Any student involved with the walkout

is gonna be suspended from school

and extracurricular
activities indefinitely.

Yo, this is some bullshit.

We haven't lost anybody though.

Yet. And with how hard

the school's coming down on us,

I don't know if anyone would
want to risk it for this.

[SIGHS]

What? Coming over here to tell us

you're not gonna protest with us?

No. We talked it over,

and it's like Coach said,
we live and die as a team.

So if you walk out, we're
walking out with you.

A'ight, then. I knew I liked you.

- My guy.
- [CELL PHONE DINGS]

Swim team and lacrosse is still with us.

Track team's still in.

All right, let's get back inside.

I called an emergency BSU meeting

to decide if we should
still do the walkout,

and I'm guessing every Black
student's gonna be there.

Earth to Carlton.

I see you, man.

I know Mrs. Bassin got in your head.

Just remember, we have
to take a stand together.

I get that. I'm just trying

to consider both sides here.

All right, let me help you out with it.

On one side, there's Black people.

On the other side, people who
wanna hold Black people down.

It's up to you to decide
who you wanna stand with.

[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]

[SIGHS]

No, okay? We still need to protest.

This is about more than just Ms. Hughes.

Drew's right. If we back down now,

then nothing changes.

I'm not getting suspended over this.

Yeah, me neither.

We're not gonna get suspended
for going to a protest.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!

The only way they can
win is if they divide us.

Ain't no way they gonna suspend

every Black student from this jawn.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Nah, Will's right.

They would catch way too
much social media heat,

more than they could imagine.

Look, if we can point that out,

I think we'll be in a strong position

to negotiate a deal that's
a win-win for everyone.

Well, that's not exactly
what I was saying.

Yes, we have the most
leverage right now.

Mrs. Bassin, can you get us

a meeting with the head of the school?

I'm sure he'll meet
with a small delegation,

perhaps you and Carlton.

Okay, so is everyone in favour
of committing to the protest

so we can negotiate
with the administration?

ALL: Yes.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

♪ ♪

♪ Bring the entourage
when I'm stepping out ♪

- Right there, nice.
- ♪ You know who I am ♪

♪ Please don't make me spell it out ♪

♪ I'm the one you read about ♪

♪ All my haters heading out ♪

♪ If you want to see the shining ♪

- ♪ Come on and check it out ♪
- Right there.

♪ Always bring the entourage
when I'm stepping out ♪

Thank you, Greg.

I appreciate it. [CHUCKLES]

Thank you.

- Everything looking good?
- Yes, awesome. [LAUGHS]

Thank you.

Hilary.

- Hey.
- What are you doing here?

Listen, I know you're
doing your photoshoot

and everything, I hate to interrupt,

but I needed to talk to you about...

Oh, I'm okay for now.

Thank you.

I want to talk to you about
this deal that I'm working on.

Uh, you said a deal? [CLEARS THROAT]

So like I was saying,

I had this great meeting
with this marketing exec

about a collaboration
opportunity for the house.

- I feel like it's the perfect...
- Uh, I'll do it myself.

I don't want it too shiny.

Oh, and for the next look,

- let's go with matte.
- Sure.

Can you show me what you have?

Yeah. Here you go. I
have the palette here.

Um, Ivy,

can you just listen to me
for, like, five seconds?

Girl, you came down here
in the middle of my workday.

Okay, but when I was hitting you up,

you weren't responding.

Again... [POPS LIPS]

Working, Hil.

I'm working too, and I'm trying

to get our house to the next level.

So I need you to pay attention

when I'm talking about
this company, Simply Spiked.

Oh, I love Simply Spiked.

Thank you.

Um, look, I gotta go back to work,

but I'll be done in a couple hours.

Let's meet later. Sound good?

- Yeah. Yep.
- Okay, bye.

- Okay.
- See you.

How's it looking?

Oh, my gosh, I love it.

[LAUGHING]

[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[KEYBOARD CLACKING]

- [COMPUTER BEEPS]
- All right, appreciate it.

Thanks again. Talk soon.

Okay, buh-bye.

Geoffrey?

Phil, what's up?

Just getting up to
speed on a few things.

I thought you were going
in to the firm today.

Yeah, yeah, well,

a few meetings got canceled,

so I figured I'd work from home.

But now that you're here...

[CHUCKLES]

Cohiba Behike.

What's the occasion?

A fresh start.

You didn't have to do this, you know?

Yeah, I want to.

I'm happy to have you home, brother.

Thank you.

Now, I hope you're ready to get to work

because I need you.

- Of course.
- [SIGHS]

James Lewis...

there's something not
right with him at the firm.

- James?
- Mm.

You think you can trust him?

Well, I mean, I want to, but...

get into it for me, will you?

- I'm on it.
- Cool.

And I'll put these in
the humidor for later,

because you know how we do.

[CHUCKLES]

♪ ♪

[DOOR CLOSES]

[SIGHS]

We understand from your perspective

it seems like the administration acted

hastily in f*ring Ms. Hughes.

But we can assure you,
it's been a lengthy process.

Mr. Hartwig formed a DEI committee

to review our curriculum,
which I chaired.

And substantial changes were made.

All that is true, but we
still feel it isn't enough.

Right, and...

and look, we understand your position

and want to work with
you to find a solution.

Look, we have a bunch of
ideas about how we can work

to make our voices heard,

but also spare the school from some, uh,

embarrassment about the issue.

I'm listening.

Listen up, everyone.
We've got some great news.

We can go through with the walkout,

- and no one will get suspended.
- Hey, all right.

[CHATTER AND APPLAUSE]

Also, the school has
agreed to review the policy

that got Ms. Hughes fired,
and they're gonna start

a curriculum review board
with student members.

- Nice.
- [EXCITED CHATTER]

- That's a good start.
- Good job.

Tell them the rest.

Uh, yes, of course.

Uh, we, um...

We just also have to agree
not to make any signs,

chant, or have any speeches.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa.
- What?

Whoa, they're trying to put us on mute?

It's a compromise, Will.

There's a give and a take.

Well, there's a lot of give on our part.

Silent protests can be
incredibly powerful, Will.

Yo, what they're talking
about is not a protest.

That's a f*cking fire drill.

It's the administration's
best and final offer.

Reject it and they'll
suspend anybody that protests.

- [SCOFFS]
- Listen,

it's all we've got, and
we're running out of time.

We can still make a powerful statement.

Let's put it to a vote.

All those in favour of the compromise.

Okay. Those opposed?

[DOWNBEAT MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Will. Will! Are you
seriously just gonna leave?

Protests are supposed to
f*ck with authority, Carlton.

If they're okay with
doing what you're doing,

then you're doing it wrong.

Can't you see they f*ckin' with you?

He's right.

So why don't we play them right back?

What are you thinking?

Uh, it doesn't matter

'cause we already have a plan.

No, see, I didn't want
to say it in there,

but once they allow us to walk out,

they won't be able to stop
us from holding our banner

or Carlton from giving a speech.

What, so you mean just, like,

pretend to go along with the compromise?

I like that. I like that a lot.

So what do you say, Carlton?

You ready to go viral?

Come on, we need you, Carlton.

Yeah.

Yeah. f*ck it, let's do it.

Great.

Okay, let's, uh, keep it between us.

We don't want this to leak.

See?

We wanted to be kings of Bel-Air.

Now this is some sh*t that
they won't forget... ever.

Yeah. Dynamic duo, full effect.

[CHUCKLES] It's gonna be great.

Trust me.

[HIP-HOP MUSIC]

♪ Uh, yo, baby, you know what it is ♪

♪ Uh, I just came to shake it up ♪

Girl, I'm telling you,
I'm trying to be here.

It's been an hour.

[LAUGHING]

It's gonna be great.

Ivy, are you serious?

I'll see you guys inside, okay?

Where have you been?

We were supposed to meet an hour ago.

Right, uh, well, these
ad execs wanna pitch me

their take on the H Ivy campaign.

- Can we make it fast?
- Yes, okay.

We need to talk about
the Simply Spiked collab.

I already told them I'd call
them by the end of the day,

and I really do not want
to lose this opportunity.

Yeah, uh, about that,

didn't we agree that H Ivy would be

the official drink of the house?

Agree? No one agreed to anything.

There was no agreeing.
You didn't even ask me.

Okay, well, it doesn't matter,

because I talked to my lawyers,

and they've advised me not
to endorse the competition.

[SCOFFS] The competition?

Ivy, be for real.

[SCOFFS] What?

Simply Spiked is an international brand.

No one even knows what H Ivy is.

That's not true.

Okay, they're talking
about a billboard on Sunset.

Okay, that's great for
you, but this opportunity

is great for the house.

I mean, Simply Spiked basically
already agreed to be partners.

Well, I didn't.

So you're gonna have
to find somebody else,

because I don't want to do it, period.

I gotta go.

♪ Basic, medium, hell, nah ♪

♪ Them ain't none of my ingredients ♪

♪ I'm made of sugar,
spice, and a big-ass bite ♪

♪ Uh, sugar, spice, and a big-ass bite ♪

- ♪ Uh, average, basic, medium ♪
- Okay.

♪ Hell, nah, them ain't
none of my ingredients ♪

♪ I'm made of sugar,
spice, and a big-ass bite ♪

♪ Sugar, spice, and a big-ass bite ♪

So to find the answer, it's
best to look at the problem

as simply finding the
area of a right triangle.

♪ Ticktock, ticktock,
ticktock, ticktock ♪

[SAMPA THE GREAT'S "TIME'S UP"]

♪ ♪

♪ Yuh, time's up, m*therf*cker ♪

♪ Ticktock, ticktock ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Yeah, it's the return
Black excellence ♪

♪ Don't sit next to us, lay
it down like scripture ♪

♪ Jah bless God invest in us ♪

♪ Blackface industry,
lying don't invest in me ♪

♪ f*ck the dance, f*ck the
list, f*ck the ARIA's ♪

♪ 'Cause I've seen the industry ♪

♪ k*ll dreams of a dreamer ♪

♪ And I've seen the industry
scheme and it's a k*ller ♪

♪ It's a master plan to break you ♪

♪ I'm the scheme, they the schemer ♪

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

If you're participating
in the school walkout,

right this way.

You coming?

Hell yeah.

Let's do this.

♪ Time's up, m*therf*cker ♪

- ♪ Ticktock, ticktock ♪
- ♪ Time's up, m*therf*cker ♪

Oh, oh! Carlton, you did it.

Yeah, um, I kind of can't believe it.

But, um, look, it wasn't
just me, all right?

The rest of the BSU deserves the credit.

All right, everybody's here.

Time for some devious sh*t.

Shut up, Will. Just be patient.

What are y'all talking about?

Nothing. Um, hey, everyone.

This is amazing.

Well, we got good participation, yeah.

But, um, what exactly

are we supposed to
do, just stand around?

Uh, just take lots of
pictures and videos.

All right, all these
people are gonna make

a huge impression once
we post about this.

For an isosceles triangle,

the area can be easily
calculated if the height...

So we hope that seeing all
these students out here

rallying behind former
Bel-Air Academy teacher,

Ms. Donette Hughes, inspires
you to use your voice

and rally for her reinstatement.

Um, thank you so much for your support.

Uh, okay.

Yeah, I fe... I feel really,
really good about that.

That video was boring as f*ck.

- Drew.
- Yo, Tyler.

- Get a picture of this.
- We promised no signs, Will.

Yeah, yeah, I got you. I'll post this.

My guy. Big ally tings.

[TENSE MUSIC]

sh*t. Uh, excuse me.

Are you serious?

Look, you should be
getting that on camera.

- Come on.
- What are you doing?

- Uh...
- We said no signs.

Y-yeah, just, um,

um, uh, my... my
phone's just messed up...

Seriously? Yeah, I got it.

Give me the banner.

♪ ♪

[SOUND DISTORTS]

- [ECHOING]
- Carlton!

♪ ♪

[NORMALLY] Carlton!

Did you see that?

They took away the banner.

But you can still do the speech.

- Speech?
- Yeah, like we talked about.

Just jump up on a
table and start talking.

- That's a great idea.
- Yeah.

Even if they drag you away,
just... we'll just record it,

and it'll have the same effect.

Carlton, what are you waiting for?

- You could totally do that.
- Uh, okay.

- Okay, yeah.
- So...

Yeah, just... uh, just
give me a second, okay?

- Are you okay?
- I'm fine. I'm fine.

[HIGH-PITCHED RINGING]

[VOICE SHAKING] Just...
just give me a second.

Just... f*ck.

- Carlton, where are you...
- Please.

What the hell is wrong with him?

[PANTING]

[MUFFLED VOICES]

Carlton, we're trying
to fight a system here.

Founder's Award.

This is some sh*t that
they won't forget.

Yo, C!

What happened to all the signs
and the speeches and all that?

- I can't.
- What do you mean, you can't?

I can't do the f*cking speech, Will.

Carlton, we have all these people
out here waiting for something.

You better not f*cking tell Mum and Dad.

Okay? Please, I'm letting everyone down.

I... okay?

Okay.

Carlton, look, it's
gonna be all right, okay?

I got you.

Just breathe.

Just breathe.

[PANTING]

♪ ♪

f*ck.

All right, everyone.

Thank you for participating.

Now it's time to get back to class.

Start heading back to...

♪ The revolution won't be televised ♪

♪ Too long, we the ones
that they terrorised ♪

♪ Yo, sunset on another
day, 'nother day ♪

♪ Feel it in my blood,
ain't no other way ♪

Point's been made.

Let's all get back
inside. Let's go, come on.

Let's all get back
inside. Back to class.

Let's hustle. Back to class.

♪ Tell my little homie,
Daddy said it's useless ♪

♪ I tell him, boy, you got
a voice, you better use it ♪

♪ Don't be confused with these
other people's blueprint ♪

♪ Protest's about
American as apple pie ♪

♪ You can't deny ♪

- Hey, look.
- Look, guys.

[EXCITED CHATTER]

Yo, is that Will?

Yes.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

No, no, no, no, no, no,
no, what... what's he doing?

♪ ♪

♪ The revolution will not be televised ♪

♪ Not be televised ♪

♪ The revolution will not
be televised, brother ♪

♪ The revolution ♪

♪ ♪

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

♪ Will be live ♪

Black teachers matter.

Black teachers matter.

ALL: [CHANTING] Black teachers matter.

Black teachers matter.
Black teachers matter.

Black teachers matter.

Black teachers matter.
Black teachers matter.

Black teachers matter.

Black teachers matter.

He did it.

Ashley, please put away your phone.

- Ashley?
- He did it!

Please take a seat, Ashley.

Ashley Banks!

ALL: Black teachers matter.

Black teachers matter.

Black teachers matter.
Black teachers matter.

Black teachers matter.

Black teachers matter.
Black teachers matter.

Black teachers matter.

Black teachers matter.
Black teachers matter.

[CHANTING CONTINUES]

Black teachers matter.
Black teachers matter.

ALL: Black teachers matter.

[CHANTING CONTINUES]