04x05 - A Boy Is a g*n*

[bunniefuu]

[Kendrick Lamar's "PRIDE." playing]

♪ Love's gonna get you k*lled ♪

♪ But pride's gonna be the death
of you and you and me ♪

♪ And you and you and you and me ♪

♪ And you and you and you and me ♪

♪ Me, I wasn't taught ♪

♪ To share, but care ♪

♪ In another life, I surely was there ♪

♪ Hell-raising, wheel-chasing,
new worldly possessions ♪

♪ Flesh-making, spirit-breaking,
which one would you lessen? ♪

♪ The better part, the human heart ♪

♪ You love 'em or dissect 'em ♪

♪ Happiness or flashiness? ♪

♪ How do you serve the question? ♪

♪ See, in the perfect world,
I would be perfect, world ♪

♪ I don't trust people enough
beyond they surface, world ♪

♪ I don't love people enough
to put my faith in man ♪

♪ I put my faith in these lyrics ♪

♪ Hoping I make a band I understand ♪

♪ Show empathy from pity parties
and functions ♪

♪ And you and yours ♪

♪ A perfect world,
you probably live another ♪

♪ I can't fake humble just
'cause your ass is insecure ♪

♪ I can't fake humble just
'cause your ass is insecure ♪

♪ Me, I wasn't taught ♪

♪ To share, but care ♪

♪ In another life, I surely was there ♪

♪ Me, I wasn't taught ♪

♪ To share, but care ♪

♪ I care ♪

- [Siren chirps]
- ♪ I care ♪

- [Heartbeat]
- ♪ Maybe I wasn't there ♪

[Man breathing shakily]

♪ Maybe I wasn't there ♪

[g*nsh*t]

[Thud, heartbeat slowing]

[Siren wailing]

♪

♪ Maybe I wasn't there ♪

♪ I surely was there ♪

♪ Maybe I wasn't there ♪

[Sirens wailing in distance]

♪

[Exhales sharply]

Let's do it.

♪

ZOEY: In the days
that followed the sh**ting

of yet another unarmed Black man,

and in a nationwide effort

to have the responsible
officers held accountable

and to demand justice for the victim,

- the incident had gone viral.
- [Cellphone chimes]

We had all mobilized on social media

to raise awareness
for this brutal tragedy.

Well, all except one of us.

Doug saw the unjust k*lling
of yet another Black man

as the unfortunate status quo,
but he had no idea

that this was the first
in a series of events

that would soon shift
our culture's consciousness

as we knew it.

Yo, are you serious?

This is the nonsense you post
about in a time like this?

Nonsense? Nah, this is a VIP situation.

bucks can get you in
to see for yourself.

Open bar, DJ,
little salami and cheese plate,

you know, a little bougie
"pinkie in the air" type sh*t.

Okay, let's just, um...

Let's establish something real quick.

I'm not gonna pay bucks

to get turned up
with you and my brother.

Uh, can I ask you something?

- Go.
- Do you not even watch the news?

Uh, have you not heard
about the r*cist-ass cops

who m*rder*d another man in Virginia?

Yes, obviously.

It's the only thing people
posting about on my feed today.

You posting about a party
in a time like this.

Does that not feel tone deaf to you?

What? I-I'm tone deaf for not
wanting to post some hashtag

that's not gonna
make a difference anyway?

Nah.

Um, o-okay. So, uh...

Look, i-if you don't want to post,

how about you make
a difference another way?

You and Luca's party.

Just, you know, make it about
raising awareness and money

on behalf of Marcus.

I am raising awareness.

I'm making people aware
of a poppin' ass function

tomorrow night where they can forget

about all the bad things
happening in the world,

you know, where they feast on,
you know, boxed wine,

little pre-cut cheddar cubes
and all that.

So...

Wow. Wow. Cheese and wine.

- The new "good trouble."
- Mm.

No. No.

You buggin' out right now, man.

Uh-huh.

[Sighs]

- Damn. There you go.
- Yeah.

- Uh-huh.
- You are...

- Oh. Vivek...
- What?

...you have been nursing that sh*t

for the past hour, okay?

That is not what a pregame is about.

Pregame is about paving
the way to a brown-out.

It's my first one back in
a minute. I'm trying to ease in.

I'll start crying
about having no father.

All right, you know who else
doesn't have a father?

Luna, all right?
Do you see her sitting around

and having a little pity party?
No. You know why?

- She's a survivor.
- Mm.

Yeah, but she's gonna be real
messed up when she's older.

Well, you know what, Jazz?
Why don't you just worry

about the messiness of going
to your ex-boyfriend's party?

There is no messiness.
Doug and I are good.

We made amends during quarantine

when he had kidney stones
and thought he was gonna die.

But they were really big.

Oh. Why are the two of you
looking at each other

like you started making love again?

- Did you start making love again?
- Oh, no.

We're still just doing dry stuff.

Ah.

[Chuckles] But Javi just got me

the sweetest, most thoughtful
anniversary gift.

- Wow.
- Ooh.

- There it is.
- Isn't it beautiful?

- Mm-hmm.
- Yeah.

And so sweet. He got my initials
engraved in the back.

It's so pretty. Where'd you get it?

Uh, some dude Mike. Jewelry district.

He's like "Uncut Gems,"
but with a good heart.

- Oh.
- Okay.

If you participated in sexual activity,

that would prompt
for some reverse cowgirl.

- Mm.
- Yeah.

You done good, bro.

- Can I have another sh*t?
- Yes.

♪ Ha, oo, ha, tuh ♪

♪ Pull up in the, in the ♪

♪ Pull up in the what? ♪
♪ Dexter ♪

♪ SethInTheKitchen ♪
♪ Oh, man, God ♪

♪ Pull up in a Bentley S Couped Out ♪

- AARON: Hey!
- ♪ Bad bitch, and she got her tits out ♪

This a nice little shindig
you got here, dude.

I mean, the cured meats
look a little sweaty,

but that air freshener
in the bathroom... whew!

It's legit. That's that Seymour Splash.

- That's fire, right?
- Yeah, no, it does the job.

You can't even tell I was in there.

- Right. That's such a turn-on.
- Thanks, babe.

Man, your boy really
might be on to something.

Yo, bucks a head,
plus it ain't even midnight yet?

Yo, this might be
a cool little side hustle.

bucks? What? We got in for free.

- Yeah.
- What?

Uh, Kiela is waiving the cover charge

for anyone who signs the petition

to arrest the cops that k*lled Marcus.

And obviously, I already signed,
but I was more than happy

to double down for the cause,
you know what I'm saying?

Plus, saving a few extra dollars
didn't hurt.

I'm incredibly poor, cuz.

♪

Is this my king?

I gotta handle something real quick.

Oh, this can't be good.
I'm gonna be right back, babe.

♪ Yo, I don't know ♪

Yo. Kiki, what are you doing?

I said I don't want to make
this party about Marcus,

but you letting people in for free?

W-What? You want me to be sad and broke?

Not a great place to be.
Uh, I don't know

if I mentioned it to you guys,
but I'm fantastically poor.

Yeah.

See, at first, I was gonna
respect your wishes,

but, you know, then, I just...

I remembered this is my brother's loft,

which my father pays for,

and I don't need your permission
for anything.

So, sorry, pal.

Yo, Luca, come get your sister,
'cause I don't want

to disrespect you by disrespecting her,

'cause I have a spirit of mad
disrespect coming on right now.

And I mean that respectfully, you heard?

Dude, chill out. Maybe catch
a little Kundalini fire breath

and relax.
I mean, I told her it was cool.

What's the big deal?

The big deal is that
you didn't consult me

before letting people
into our party for free.

Mm. Gotta admit, that sounds
a bit disrespectful.

I just didn't think
it would be a problem.

I thought you were down
to support the justice

of an innocent Black man.

Actually, nah, I'm not down.

Okay, now, slow down, my friend.

That kind of sounds a tad bit
more disrespectful.

How? 'Cause I don't want
to ruin people's mood

by talking about some poor Black
kid who got k*lled by the cops?

No. Because turning a blind eye
to the issue

not only makes you disrespectful,

it makes you a bad Black person!

♪

[Clears throat]

Hold up. I'm... I'm...
I'm a bad Black person?

- Are you serious?
- ♪ Penny for my thoughts ♪

Yo, can you believe this chick?

Honestly, it is a big swing,
but I think you guys need

to unpack it a little bit more
before I actually weigh in.

You think I'm a bad Black person, too?

No. Of course not.

I-I think you're definitely
down for the Culture.

But, I mean, in this particular case,

you not wanting people
to sign petitions at your party

to bring awareness to Marcus' m*rder

does fall under the questionable
Black behavior category.

- Thank you!
- Yeah.

Man, y'all can miss me with all that.

You know what?
Now that I'm thinking about it,

you never really do anything
when this sort of thing happens.

You don't post, you don't
promote, you don't retweet.

Low-key feels like you kind of
ghost the cause a little bit.

[Bleep] is really patrolling
my IG activity mad hard.

Um, hi. Sorry to interrupt,

but we heard people are now
getting in here for free,

- so I'd like my money back.
- Mm-hmm.

- I can get two whole turkeys for bucks.
- You can do that?

- Yes. Yes.
- Where? Can you take me with you?

Can y'all take this poultry talk
somewhere else?

But what's happening here?

Just talking about Aaron being broke

and Doug being a bad Black person.

- Oh.
- Uh, sorry,

dumb White person question, but...

- is that, like, a thing?
- No, it is.

If someone isn't doing their
part to uplift the community,

I mean, might as well
be holding us down.

But you keep forgetting

that our joy
in the face of all of this trash

is just as important
as your little causes.

So I'm not trying to hold anybody down.

I just don't want my party

to turn into
a damn memorial service, okay?

[Clears throat] Hi. Uh, Kiki?

I don't think we've met. I'm Jazz,

but you can call me
by my legal name, Jazlyn.

Look, no shade, but it seems to me

calling someone a bad Black person

doesn't make so much
for a great Black person.

And honestly, half the people...

they're just hopping on the
social media bandwagon for likes

and using Black lives
as a trending topic.

Thank you. This is exactly
what I've been saying.

Okay. Hold on a second.

Yes, there's a performative
element to online activism,

but you cannot deny that the
visibility makes a difference,

and it pushes the community
forward every time.

As a matter of fact,
I think it's holding us back,

because people are hiding
behind an IG post

and not doing anything real.
I mean, hey, look at Zoey.

You know, she reposts every damn thing,

and we know she's not
doing anything beyond that.

Are you sorry?

And I know I haven't had
the best track record

when it comes to being
socially conscious,

but, I mean,
I obviously care about this.

I have a Black father,
three Black brothers,

and I've been marching for
this cause since high school,

which I plan on doing for Marcus.

But since we're on the subject,
Jazz, what's your plan?

- [Whistles]
- Okay. Damn, Zoey.

I stand corrected.

That's my little Angela Davis
right here, guys.

Wow.

Congratulations, Big Zo-Zo.
I mean, apparently,

you're... you're a better
Black person than me.

So, if Doug is, like,
a "bad Black person,"

then who would be a good Black person?

Will Smith.

♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪

♪ Hey, hey, way too fast ♪

Hey, quick question...
Uh, you know, earlier, at the house,

when we were talking about my watch,

I saw you winked at Javi.

What was the wink for?

Oh, no, it was nothing.

Vivek? What was the wink?

Okay. Javi reached out to me
for some help, because he said

he's been a notoriously
bad gift giver with you.

So I gave him a little,
you know, guidance.

That's all.

Oh, man.

Your friends are over there deep-diving

about what it means
to be a bad Black person.

I mean, don't they ever talk

about, like, sports or the weather?

Only if it's about how college athletes

are notoriously
undervalued and exploited,

or how hurricanes statistically
target Black neighborhoods.

They're a fun bunch.

We should hang out with my friends more.

[Indistinct conversations]

What's up? You good?

Yeah. Yeah, no, you know, actually,

I was just talking to Vivek,

and he was telling me how
he helped you find my gift.

Yeah.

V-Didge came through.

I mean, that's not a problem, is it?

No! No, no, no.
I love my watch. I just...

I thought it was something
that you had thought of,

not Vivek, but i-i-it's not a big deal.

I-I love it, and I'm
super appreciative of it.

I-I-I shouldn't have said anything.

- You sure?
- Yeah!

Yeah, totally.
Let's just enjoy the party.

A-Agreed. Okay?

Your boy's trying
to forget about his troubles

and get back to
classic, carefree V-Didge.

Who wants to [bleep]?!

♪ Living on the road ♪

♪ Smokin' it out the O ♪

Guys, this is really crazy.

Why are we having this discussion

about bad Black people
and arguing with each other,

when we all know White people
aren't sitting around

discussing whether or not
they're a good White person?

That's 'cause White people
are inherently bad.

- Not you, though. You're fine.
- Yes.

- Thank you for that.
- Welcome.

Jazz is right, you guys. I mean,
I've never had to question

whether or not I'm being
a good White person.

Exactly. Why would you,

when the system was designed
to work for you and against me?

I mean, there's no point in me
trying to change something

- that they would never allow me to fix.
- Okay.

It is unbelievable to me
how cynical you're being

about this whole thing, man.

O-Of course they're not gonna
"allow" us to change sh*t.

They haven't "allowed" us
to do anything for years.

We had to take it.
That's why it's our job

to push back against the walls
they try to put up around us.

Yes! Okay, thank you. Again.

Imagine if our Black ancestors
had just waited

for White people
to fix their broken system.

Do you realize how little
advancement and progress

- we would have achieved as a people?
- No Emancipation.

No Emancipation, no Black Renaissance,

no Black Power, no Civil Rights.

We definitely wouldn't be here
at Cal U talking about it.

sh*t, we might still be in chains.

All right, I hear you, bro,
but at the end of the day,

this college degree, a high-paying job,

a seat at the front of the bus,
o-our freedom, bro...

i-it doesn't matter

if we still have these targets
on our backs.

You... You get what I'm saying?

Okay, then, what's the alternative?

- [Cellphone chimes]
- Just give up?

ZOEY: Damn. Oh, my God.
I can't believe this.

The cops that k*lled Marcus Jennings

are getting paid leave.

There are no charges
being brought against them.

It's unbelievable, man.

Is it?

Is it?

Well...

You know, I-I guess you were right.

None of this matters.

Enjoy your party.

♪

♪ Take your time ♪

- [Knock on door]
- ♪ No need to run ♪

♪

♪ Now you're free... ♪

- Oh.
- Hey.

I just came to check on you.

Things got intense tonight.

Yeah.

You good?

No. Um, not really.

Look, I'm... I'm sorry
I came at you earlier.

- I was just...
- [Door closes]

...frustrated and spiraling,

so I just kind of...

I lashed out.

It's fine. I get it.

And I'm just... you know,
I'm... I'm really embarrassed

that I-I was naive enough to believe

that I-I could affect
some type of change.

It's just...

You were right.

Yeah, but that...
that... that's the thing.

I don't... I don't want to be right.

When I... When I see the news of,

you know, all these Black men dying,

all... all I can do is think about,

you know, how I'm just like them.

You know, I was just a dude
who was out for a run.

You know, Marcus Jennings,
he just happened to be

at the wrong place at the wrong time.

So, the truth is, for... for Black men

or, sh*t, Black women or Black people,

is that any place is the wrong place...

[Voice breaking]
...at any time, every damn day.

[Sniffles]

I don't know. I-I-I think I just...

I try to block it all out,

you know, as a means of survival.

[Sniffles, sighs]

You know, maybe I don't,

you know, sign a petition
or post, you know,

because I'm... I'm trying
to avoid my own fear and anger.

Trust me, it's...
it's not that I don't care.

I-I just feel like
I gotta push all this sh*t

to the back of my mind,

you know, so I'm not paralyzed.

♪

[Inhales shakily]

So I don't break.

[Sniffling]

[Sighs]

♪ You're meant for me ♪

♪ You I adore ♪

I-I-I'm... I'm sorry.

[Sniffles]

♪ You're sent to me ♪

Don't be.

♪ For you, I'll do more ♪

♪ Ooh ♪

[Both sigh]

Oh, man. Man, I really dig your dude.

Riding all low in his El Camino,

left hand on the steering wheel,
right hand on my thigh.

Your thigh.

Yeah, well, your thigh
is welcome to his hand

- anytime you want.
- You're not still upset

about the whole
gift-giving thing, are you?

Uh, yeah, kind of. All night, here I am,

flaunting this amazing gift
like an assh*le,

thinking that my boyfriend
knows me better than anyone,

but really, it's you
who knows me better, not him.

Well, Javi's a good guy, right?

And you're just looking at this
from the wrong angle.

I mean, sure, he enlisted my help,

but he did it because he cares
so much about you

that he didn't want to risk
disappointing you again.

If you ask me, I feel like
that is about the sweetest,

most thoughtful thing someone
could do, you know? [Sighs]

Outside of oral in an El Camino.

Yeah. Maybe you're right.

And honestly, it is the best gift

that I've ever gotten, so thank you.

Wait, where are you going?

To properly say thank you to Javi.

[Door opens]

He's gonna get oral
in the El Camino, isn't he?

[Door shuts]

[Reporter speaking indistinctly]

♪

[Sighs]

What up, doggy?

Hold up. We made all this,

even though Kiela
let people in for free?

Yeah. I think we might have ourselves

a nice little side hustle situation.

- [Gasps]
- REPORTER: -year-old Black male...

♪ I say hey, sunshine ♪

After an anonymous...

♪ Oh, how the day can be so long ♪

Oh, my God. Another one?

♪ I say hey, sunshine ♪
♪ Hey, sunshine ♪

♪ Oh, how the day can be so long ♪

♪ I say, hey ♪
♪ America, you need a miracle ♪

♪ Beyond spiritual ♪

♪ I need a realer view ♪

♪ I hold a mirror to it ♪

♪ These ain't new problems,
they just old ways ♪

♪ I see one time turn sunshine
into Freddie Gray ♪

ZOEY: In a world where the
system designed to protect us

feels more like a force
determined to destroy us,

it's impossible to avoid the fatigue

of the insurmountable challenges

we face as a community.

But when it happens again
and again and again,

there comes a point
where you can't block it out

or turn a blind eye.

And after witnessing
yet another senseless m*rder

of another innocent Black man
within a week of the last,

Doug had finally reached
his breaking point.

[Knock on door]

FEMALE REPORTER:
The fact that yet another

unarmed Black teen life

has been taken
at the hands of the police.

This is the second such incident

within a week of each other.

As you are probably aware,
a teen, Marcus Jennings...

Forget everything I said, bro.
It's time to push back.

♪ Mm, mm ♪

♪ Sunshine, sunshine ♪

ZOEY: And none of us would ever
be able to look away again.

♪

♪ Blackberry molasses ♪

♪ One of the things that never change ♪

♪ You gotta keep pushin' on ♪

♪ The sun don't rain all the time ♪

♪ There's gonna be
some heartache and pain ♪

♪

♪ Blackberry molasses ♪

♪ Oh, blackberry molasses ♪

♪ One of the things that never change ♪

♪ It'll never change ♪

♪ You gotta keep pushin' on ♪
♪ Pushin' on ♪

♪ The sun don't rain all the time ♪

♪ There's gonna be
some heartache and pain ♪

♪ Heartache and pain ♪