02x17 - Strictly 4 My...

[bunniefuu]

♪ I'm too cocky for my shirt ♪

♪ I'm too cocky off two... ♪

♪ I'm too cocky, I know my worth ♪

♪ I'm too cocky ♪

♪ I'm too cocky for my shirt ♪

ZOEY: The pursuit
of higher education aside,

there are so many reasons
people go to college.

Some go to find love...

♪ Yes, I'm too cocky ♪

...others to find their purpose.

♪ It shocked me,
they say you poppin'... ♪

♪ Where the paparazzi? ♪

♪ "YG, how you like your..." Hibachi ♪

And for Vivek Shah,
the number-one reason he went

was to reinvent himself
and finally fit in.

But don't get me wrong...

there'd been some bumps along
the road to his reinvention.

What's up with you and being
so close to my body, bro?

Bro, you make it so hard
to root for you.

Bitch, I will slap you.

But despite the growing pains,

Vivek had finally found his way.

I'm sorry. I couldn't hear you.
Is that a domi-yes? Hm?

Or a domi-nos, bitch?!

- [Groans]
- [Cheering]

Whoo!

And since being kicked out
of Winthrop house

by the rich kids
and crashing at Hawkins,

he had really started to fit in.

But on the road to reinventing
yourself and trying to fit in,

is it possible to fit in too well?

Get at me later, my [bleep].

♪ I'm too cocky, I know my... ♪

What the hell just happened?

♪ Watch out, world, I'm grown now ♪

♪ I'm grown ♪

♪ Learn something new every day ♪

♪ I don't know, so I'm-a feel my way ♪

♪ Got the weight of the world on me ♪

♪ But no regrets, this is what I say ♪

♪ Watch out, world, I'm grown now ♪

- ♪ I'm grown ♪
- ♪ You can tell me ♪

♪ My heart b*ating so loud ♪

♪ Mama, look, I'm grown now ♪

♪ I'm grown ♪

[Indistinct conversations,
hip-hop music playing]

Hold up.

Did anybody peep that?

Why is nobody trippin'?

Trippin' on what? Somebody do something?

Your boy, "V-Didge."

Yo, it seems like he's starting to feel

a little too at home at Hawkins.

Well, I mean, the dude's
been crashing here,

so technically, he is home.

No, no, I'm saying, like, homeland home,

motherland home, "For Us By Us,"

but he ain't... one-of-us kind of home.

Yo, he's starting to get
a little too comfortable, man.

Well, I can argue Vivek
has always... been comfortable.

Hey, Queen.

We do it for the culture!

Excuse me, Queen,
you thirsty this evening?

[Door slams]

You mad.

♪♪

- Yeah.
- No, I'm saying my problem is,

we're all a little too comfortable

with him being that comfortable.

Somebody's gonna have to check his ass.

What? Whoa! Can you...

Dude, this is our boy
we're talking about here, okay?

Not some stranger.

This is harmless, sweet-faced,
chipper-ass Vivek.

The dude's like a buff little
Disney prince or something.

No, no, no. Did you not hear
what Rafael just called him?

That's not Vivek's fault.

You cannot blame him
for Rafael's dumbass comment.

[Cackles]

Plus, everybody knows Rafael
says the N-word all the time.

The dude's got a serious problem.

[Engine sputtering]

Come on, [bleep]. Come on!

- [Engine starts]
- Ooh!

My [bleep].

Talkin' bout.

[Engine sputters]

Come on. Unh-unh. Don't do that.

But that doesn't excuse
Vivek's behavior.

Bro, he's appropriating
our culture... period.

How can Vivek be guilty
of cultural appropriation?

By definition, it means taking

the elements of someone else's culture

without knowing anything about it

or having any respect for it.

Vivek isn't stealing anything,
and you are buggin'.

Yo, when I watch old boy brush his hair

with the little wooden brush like that,

I feel mad disrespected.

From the way he brushes his hair?

Yes, and you don't find it odd
that when we text each other,

he sends me the black thumbs-up emoji?

♪♪

Honestly, I find it more odd

that two grown-ass men text with emojis.

Okay.

And in his defense, Vivek is brown.

What the hell color
is he supposed to use?

Not the Wesley Snipes thumb.

- [Chuckles]
- Yo, and... and... Okay.

How do you explain
the whole video game thing?

[Cheering]

[Whistle blows]

Doug, it's a basketball game.

The majority of the players are Black.

Here.

Yo, he had the option
to customize his player

to look exactly like himself,

and he went and made it
look like 2 Chainz.

Yo, I just think you're
too close to dude to see it.

I guarantee you if this was
anybody else besides your BFF,

you would find this whole thing mad sus.

- [Exhales sharply]
- Just sayin'.

So, after learning
that a little volunteer work

would not only help society
but also help me boost my grade

so I could get off
of academic probation,

I decided to scour the Internet.

You know, it's too bad
that Cal U won't give you

extra credit for the type
of volunteer work that I do.

Which is...?

Writing sizeable
tax-deductible donations

to private school students in Israel.

Wow. How noble of you.

I'm pretty much like the Jewish Oprah.

[Laughs] Okay, you're insane.

Well, I'm big on giving back, too.

Once a year, I go with my church

into low-income neighborhoods
to paint poor children's faces.

You guys, you should see
the smile on their faces.

After we paint them on.

[Chuckles] Okay, and you're insane, too.

Ah. Damn it!

The puppy rescue is full.

You know, I would have k*lled

to rescue a poor little
discarded golden retriever

named Hector.

- Ohh.
- That woman looks so fulfilled.

Okay, well, is there
another site you can check?

Uh...

Actually, you know what?

There's a site my father uses.

- Arts and culture...
- Yeah.

And ZIP code...

[Gasps] Oh! "Project: Ballgown."

This is actually pretty perfect.

Not only can I stack extra credit,

but I can also stack the confidence

of high school girls
who can't afford prom dresses.

- That's perfect.
- Mm-hmm.

I mean... it's no face paint.

Yo, what's poppin', my people?

This is your boy V-Didge,

and we outchea in these Cal U streets!

AARON: Mm-hmm.

Ooh, God, what is that?

- Who taught him that?
- DOUG: I'm telling you.

Brrrratt!

Brrrr, brrrr, brrrr, brrrrrr...

Mm! Mm!

Oh, see? Look. Look.

Right there, Vivek just built
the best defense for himself.

Black people don't let dogs
kiss them on the mouth.

- That's just not a thing that we do.
- All right, cool.

But none of the rest of that
seemed sus to you? Come on.

I mean, sure, yeah,

Vivek, as a human,
makes me feel very sus,

conflicted, confused,
about a lot of things,

but as a Black person, no.

And besides, he's a minority, dude.

He can't steal from us.

It still doesn't give him
an all-access pass

'cause he's not White.

But it does give him
a limited-access pass,

because as a minority,

we know what it's like
to have to assimilate.

We don't trust cops,

we know the difference between
a well-seasoned piece of meat

and that bland-ass bullshit

White people cook for Thanksgiving.

What the hell is a turducken?

- Okay, I'm sorry, but, bro...
- Hm?

...if you're not Black, right,
it doesn't matter

how similar our taste buds
or our hardships are.

You stay in your lane, I stay in mine.

It's simple.

But how can you tell which lane is which

when everyone's trying to be us?

Black culture is pop culture.

It's not Vivek's fault

that the lines are so blurred, you know?

[Cheering in distance]

What was that?

Who turnt up over there?

[Indistinct talking]

AARON: What's happening?

"Wave Cap Wednesday."

And these [bleep] about
to be seasick! You hear me?

[Claps] Ohhh!

Oh!

ALL: Ohh!

Man, I don't know about that.

Come on. Come on.

ALL: Ohh!

RAFAEL: Come on. Don't let me down.

Don't let Daddy down.

ALL: Ohh!

[Laughter]

My man! Unh!

He won. He won that one.

♪♪

RAFAEL: Yes, sir, hold up!

Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh! Whoa! Whoa!

Hold up!

What?

Here we go. Here we go.

ALL: Ohhhhh!

♪♪

- Ooh! Ooh!
- Man, how you like that?

But the lines aren't
so blurred now, are they?

♪♪

Welcome.

The Zoey Johnson Styling Experience

has officially gone philanthropic.

I'm giving back
in the best way I know how...

fashion.

[Gasps]

[Inhales sharply]

[Voice breaking] Oh, my God!

She looks... stunning!

She is possibly the second
most beautiful prom princess

I have... God, I've ever seen.

Uh, it's just... a little big on you,

but I can fix that easy-peasy.

- It's fine.
- No, it's super simple.

All I have to do is take in
the waist, pull up the straps.

Seriously, it doesn't matter.

It's fine.

Oh.

Thank you.

Okay, um...

...you're welcome?

♪ I got a lotta the drip, huh ♪

♪ It's deep like a bottomless pit, ay ♪

♪ I need to rocket this ship ♪

♪ New 4G outta the whip, hey ♪

♪ I need a bottle to sip, hey ♪

♪ Bad little model and... ♪

♪ Ay, need so much money around me ♪

Hey, you know that we don't
have to sit with Aaron, right?

We can totally get our own table.

No. No. I'm... I'm good.

I'm good, because I am pivoting myself

back into the friend zone with him.

See?

Pivot. Right back.

So good.

Yeah. Pfft. You're so good.

And, look, you dodged a b*llet, okay?

I mean, the dude has beads
in his rattail.

- [Laughs]
- Hey.

- Hey.
- Hey.

Yo, Vivek.

I see you ditched the waves.

Yeah, dudes was getting nauseous.

Your boy was too wavy.

Yeah.

Hey, ma, can I get
a Crown and Coke, please?

Out of curiosity, uh,
why'd you order that?

I don't know.

'Cause it's a delectable cocktail

that you introduced me to.

And if I haven't thanked you
before, I'm thanking you now.

Good lookin' out, homey.

- Mm!
- No prob, homey.

[Eclip$e feat. Rozay Royce's
"Can't Lose" plays]

[Crowd cheers]

Oh, snap! This is my joint!

Mm! Mm, mm!

Mm-hmm!

Mm!

Mm! Mm-hmm!

Hey.

Hey!

You look great.

Thanks.

It's good to see you. I, uh, missed you.

Thanks.

Uh, you want to dance, maybe?

I can get you a drink.

No, thanks.

♪ ...cash is being real ♪

♪ I need that loaf, and ♪

- ♪ I'm just being honest ♪
- Right.

Hey, hey, hey, peep your boy.
Look. He knows all the words.

♪ I know you wanna ride with me, shorty ♪

♪ Road to success and swervin'
lanes like I'm Tory ♪

And since when has memorizing
rap lyrics been a crime?

I didn't say that it was.

But I guarantee you
when that N-b*mb drops,

he's not gonna stop rapping.

- Look.
- ♪ ...my life to get no average pension ♪

♪ So I'm-a make you get the point ♪

What are you idiots doing?

Waiting on Vivek to drop the N-b*mb.

Because he's a cultural appropriator.

- Alleged cultural appropriator.
- Thank you.

Doug has been trying
to convince us all day.

Fun!

I feel like we missed a lot.

Here it comes. Here it comes.

♪ Can't hate me if she choose ♪

Young [bleep] can't lose!

- Oh, my...
- Damn it, Rafael!

- Every time.
- ANA: Wait. I don't get it.

Why do you guys think
Vivek is appropriating?

Think about it...
from the Gucci he rocks...

- Right.
- ....to the music he listens to.

Right!

All the dr*gs that he deals!

Huh?

Uh... Uh, which have...

absolutely nothing to do
with Black culture at all.

Right. Right.

But neither is rocking Gucci.
We didn't create that.

If anything, the guy's guilty
of flexing too hard,

not robbing us of our culture.

If you ask me, I say he's just
celebrating, not appropriating.

O-Oh, okay, but none of y'all
find it weird

that out of all the things
he celebrates, it's our sh*t?

Maybe those are just his preferences.

[Laughs] Oh, Sky, no.

We have to stay woke.

I mean, knowing the deep history

of fetishization of Black culture,

and especially Black women,

as an ally of the struggle,

I find it deeply problematic
to excuse Vivek's behavior.

Do you want to take this?

No! No. I'm-a sit shotgun on this one.

Okay, Nomi, so,
as an ally of the struggle,

would you consider
your own behavior problematic?

Because I would.

Some would say
you're very similar to Vivek.

I mean, you hang out
with a mostly Black crew,

you're rocking bamboo earrings...

And apparently, now you give
lectures to Black people

on how to stay woke.

- [Chuckles]
- Mm.

Oh, my God.

I've failed as an ally of the diaspora.

ANA: I'm sorry. I just
don't even see the big deal.

Why can't people just dress
they that they want to dress

or talk the way they want to talk

or do their hair
the way they want to do it?

I mean, I don't care
that Doug is always dressed

like my 50-year-old Cuban Uncle Pepe.

Imitation is the highest form
of flattery.

JAZZ: Okay, there is nothing flattering

about picking and choosing
elements of my life

that you want to take.

My body, my music, my hairstyles.

All of a sudden,
all of these White girls

are rocking cornrows and want
to call 'em boxer braids,

and everyone's acting
like they're making

a brand-new trend or something.

Then we're the ones
who get penalized for it.

Yeah.

Okay, okay.

But isn't Black culture so much bigger

than cornrows and unlaced sneakers?

I mean, it feels like you guys

are minimizing the entire culture

by focusing on something
so... so trivial.

But it's not trivial to us... at all...

because it's all we got.

This is a culture
that we've been forced to create

because the first one
was robbed from us,

and now it feels like we're
at risk of losing it again.

Wait, wait. Hol... Hold up.

How is it that you can
clearly see the problem

but you don't see what Vivek is doing?

'Cause I don't think
he's doing anything wrong.

Okay.

So if you don't think
he's doing anything wrong,

I'm-a just go check him myself.

No, Doug. Whoa, whoa. Wait.

What are you gonna do...
walk up to him and say,

"Hey, Vivek, stop trying to be Black"?

What?

♪♪

You guys feel like
I'm trying to act Black?

Huh? No. What?

We're just... It's fine.

Nah, nah, nah, it's not fine.

Yo, look, man.

There's just a few things about you

that don't sit right with me.

Like the whole wave cap business

and some of your language and...

you use the Black
Santa Claus emoji, bro.

You can't do that.

Wow.

I'm, uh...

I'm so sorry.

It was never my intention
to hurt anybody.

And if I'm making anybody feel
uncomfortable, I'll fall back.

Know what?

I'll even move out of Hawkins.

Deuces.

I mean...

goodbye.

AARON: Vivek.

Vivek, come on...

♪♪

So, Cameo's enthusiastic
"yes to the dress"

was more of a "meh, sure,
whatever to the dress."

And after my styling disaster
with the twins,

I'd promised myself

I'd never let a client
walk away unhappy again.

[Knock on door]

Oh. Hey, Cameo. Good morning.

Hey. I saw all your missed
calls and texts

saying you... wanted to see me...

at 1:30 in the morning.

Yeah. Uh, no.

Thanks for not reporting that
to any adults.

Okay, listen, uh,
I had a couple thoughts

about your prom dress,

and it's just really
got me thinking that...

You know, I just don't think
I quite nailed it for you yet.

And because this is your prom,

I really do feel like I really
[Chuckles] gotta nail this.

For you, o-of course.

I mean... sure. I guess.

O-Okay, I can work with an "I guess."

♪♪

Nice.

Nice.

"Nice."

Okay.

This?

Great.

"Great."

Ooh.

This one is it.

[Chuckles]

It's cute.

Mnh-mnh.

[Laughs]

I'm sorry... Cameo, this dress...

this dress is not cute.

This dress is amazing.

It is a vintage beaded gown
worn by Cher.

Matter of fact, I actually had to
lie to the guy at the rental house

and tell him I was Sasha Obama
so he would let me take it.

My point is... this dress
is friggin' beautiful!

To you, maybe. But not to me.

It's just not who I am.

Um...

Wow.

This whole time,

I've just been feeding her
options that work for me,

but I've never once stopped to ask...

Who are you?

[Sighs]

♪♪

[g*nf*re]

♪♪

- [Controller chimes]
- Don't worry, man.

Just came to pick up
my satin pillowcase.

It's good for my waves.

Yeah. I know.

Right.

Yo, Vivek. [Sighs]

Stop, man.

Look, it was never my intention

to have you bounce from Hawkins, man.

I was just trying to put you
up on game. That's it.

Yeah, well, I can assure you,

I've never been more
"up on game" in my life.

Hey, I'm killin'
the "up on game" game right now.

O-Okay, I'm... I'm sorry, man.

Look... maybe I was too harsh.

You know, I'm the new dude here,
so who knows?

Maybe the people in the crew
know you more than I do

and you were just being yourself.

Nah.

Not entirely.

Truth is, I've always
struggled with who I am.

All this extra stuff, you know...

the labels, the drug dealing, it's...

it's all part of running away

from the poor, nerdy kid
who never fit in.

So, yeah, you know,
maybe I did borrow some things

from the people here at Hawkins,

but not because I was trying
to steal anything, you know?

I just think you guys are...

dope.

I-I get it.

Black people fly as [bleep], man.

[Both chuckle]

So, bottom line is, you know,

when Aaron invited me to crash here,

everybody embraced me like I was family.

I felt like I belonged, so, yeah,

I guess I did get
a little too comfortable,

but only because I felt like
I was part of the community.

No, bro, you are... definitely.

It's just...

some things are

maybe more reserved for my community.

Exclusively, you know?

I get it.

You should probably have this.

Ohhh.

No. I-I-I should not.

Uh, but you could pocket the wave cap

and, you know, put your little
satin lady pillow down

and come over here

and get molly-whopped
in some bones, man.

I'd loved to get
molly-whopped by you, man.

- Come on.
- [Laughs]

Oh. Hugs. Okay.

Ay, these [bleep] in here huggin', yo!

Uh-huh. I seen that.

Shoulder-to-shoulder, nipple-to-nipple.

[Cackles] Y'all are nasty.

♪♪

Come on.

♪♪

♪ Oh, yeah ♪

♪ Whoa, oh, oh, oh ♪

It's amazing.

♪ Baby, tell me all your secrets ♪

You heard it here first, folks.

The streets love the
Zoey Johnson Styling Experience.

[Sighs]

Now, let's just pray that when
Luca gets back from New York,

he does not notice

the very expensive bespoke red tux

that he wore to freshman formal
is missing from his closet.

Sometimes in life,

fitting in isn't always the best,

because it can prevent us
from standing out

and shining
as our true, authentic selves.

♪♪

♪ And I make 'em say ♪

♪ Baby, tell me all your secrets ♪

But other times,

it's exactly what we need
to get the sense of community

that makes us feel like
we're part of something bigger,

something special.

- Take that one time.
- Set me up.

Hey, hey, man, something's bothering me.

Is there something in my nose?

- What?
- Uh, no, I don't see anything.

Me, neither.

Oh, wait, sorry. I don't mean that nose.

I mean my domi-nose, bitch! Unh!

Are you kidding me?
We should've never let him stay.

We shouldn't have.

Hey. I've been outside
for, like, 30 minutes.

What happened to Wave Cap Wednesdays?

Pfft, [bleep], today is Thursday!

Thursday?!

Y'all made me waste a wave cap!

[Banging rhythmically]

TOGETHER: ♪ He thought
that it was Wednesday ♪

Ay!

♪ He thought that it was Wednesday ♪