08x12 - If a Black Man Cries in the Woods…

[bunniefuu]

POPS: The success of a Black man
can be measured in many ways...

grip strength,

growing a beard that connects,

and providing for and
protecting your family,

which has never been
easy in this country.

From the time we got
here, a man's family

could be separated and sold.

You could be harassed,
driven off your land.

- ♪ Yeah ♪
- Dignity was never guaranteed,

and Lord knows the world
didn't make it easy on me.

But I did okay.

Because I believe the truest measure

of a Black man's success

comes from the success
of his own children.

My son has it all,

and I like to think I'm responsible

for at least most of it.

♪ Everything, everything ♪

Uh. Hey, Pops.

You know when they say "Casual Fridays,"

they don't mean that casual.

I'm taking a sick day.

You're sick? Oh, regular sick,

or slide my meals under the
door for the next days sick?

I'm not actually sick, Pops.

But if you don't use your
days, they go to waste.

[TELEVISION TURNS ON]

Huh. [SIGHS]

[SPORTS ANNOUNCER SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

O.J.

"O."

Olivia.

[SIGHS]

- Hmm.
- [REFRIGERATOR DOOR CLOSES]

Hey, Pops.

Mm-hmm.

Aw, hell.

We got one mid-life crisis
and one love-sick chump.

Looks like my work is never done.

That's it.

Grab enough underwear to
get through the weekend

and your alcoholic beverage of choice.

We're taking a man trip.

♪♪

♪♪

All right. You all about ready to go?

- Mm-hmm.
- Yeah, we're just finishing up

these sandwiches real quick.

How many do you think we need?

Well, let me see how many you got.

- We got one, two...
- Uh-huh. Two.

$ worth of prosciutto
just gone, but okay.

This ain't no picnic.

We're gonna live off the land.

Look, sometimes we men
have to go back to basics...

fresh air, hunt your own
food, build your own fire.

So I'm taking you two
to a little cabin I know.

Come on, we got to go.

We don't want to be on
motorcycles when it's dark.

Motorcycles? Pops.

That sounds a little dangerous.

No, it's a lot dangerous,
and that's the point.

By the time we return,

our senses will be honed
to a razor-sharp point.

Man trip!

- Yeah!
- Yeah!

Man trip!

Grab your gear while you can!

You're leaving with ten
fingers and ten toes.

Can't guarantee you're
coming back the same way.

[DMX'S "RUFF RYDERS' ANTHEM" PLAYS]

♪♪

♪ Uh ♪

♪♪

♪ Something new ♪

This is, uh, probably a
good time to tell you guys

I don't know how to ride a motorcycle.

♪ Stop, drop, shut 'em
down, open up shop ♪

♪ Oh, no ♪

♪ That's how Ruff Ryders roll ♪

So, I organized my college list

- by rank, state, and weather.
- [GASPS]

You know, you can just say,

"Mom, I don't want to go to Brown."

- I can take it.
- I don't want to go to Brown.

Oh.

Hey, Jack. Where's your college list?

Uh, just cut and paste my name

onto Diane's list. We'll be good.

Uh, that's not how it goes, friend.

But I'm sure we can
look at my top colleges

and find community colleges
within a five-mile radius.

That works for me, too.

Ah, you know,

you guys don't have to
go to the same school.

[LAUGHS] What?

- Yo, Mom's got jokes.
- Yeah.

No, no, I'm not joking. I
know you guys are used to

doing everything together,
but I think college

is an opportunity for you guys to see

what it's like without each other.

Yeah, no, I don't know, Mom.

It just, uh... It might be easier

if we just go to the same school.

- Yeah.
- Maybe.

Um, okay, so maybe I can go to,

uh, Spellman. That looks good.

That's an all-women's school, so...

- I am not mad at that.
- Y... Oh.

I'm gonna go apply right now.

[CLEARS THROAT]

After a motorcycle
ride where I found out

being that close to the ground
gives my grandson anxiety,

we were finally here.

JUNIOR: Ah, nature.

It might be great just to
leave it all behind, you know?

Just a man in the woods finding himself.

[GASPS] Ooh, ooh!

Take a picture of me chopping wood.

I'm-a post it on Instagram
to flex on Olivia.

Yeah. I got you.

[PHONE THUDS]

I should have seen that
coming after the sandwiches.

You need to get over that girl, Junior.

- I'm helping you.
- You know what?

You're right.

I have tried everything else.

[GRUNTS]

Let me get at that axe.

That's it, son.

- [GRUNTS]
- Mm-hmm.

Wow, that was amazing!

Can an axe solve all
my problems in life?

Hey, Pops, while he works on the fire,

- I got a question for you.
- Uh-huh.

What's stocked in this cabin, huh?

We got steak? Wild-caught salmon?

[GASPS]

Did your boy field-dress
a deer from last spring?

No, no, there's nothing in there.

The only things that we eat

are what we can hunt
and fish and forage.

- What?
- That's part of the fun.

Fun?!

See, that's what your problem is, Dre.

You focus on the wrong things.

Like back home, you're worried
about the "work-life balance"

or missed e-mails.

Out here, boy, one wrong
move and you wake up dead.

So we have no dinner plans.

No, we don't. [LAUGHS]

Now, maybe I was being
a little hard on them,

but my son and grandson
needed a swift kick in the ass

to realize life wasn't as hard

as they made it out to be.

You know, Junior is doing
a lot better than I thought.

I'll admit, I'm feeling
a lot better, too.

See? I told you.

It's the cool mountain air.

I'm feeling it, Pops.

- Hey, does the beer get colder up here?
- [LAUGHS]

Because this is the best
beer that I've ever had.

Is this an IPA? Because I
think I'm an IPA guy now.

See? All you needed was to
get away from everything.

Don't get caught up in the news

or what folks around you are doing.

- Hmm.
- See, as a man,

the way to fix things
has always been the same.

You're right. You know, I can't wait

to get a couple of
swings of that old axe.

Oh, it'll be good for you. Go ahead.

- Check on it.
- [SIGHS]

JUNIOR: [SOBBING]

Oh, God.

I think he's crying.

♪♪

Is it out of effort?

I doubt it.

[CRYING]

♪♪

Dammit, this boy is out
here crying on our man trip.

[CRYING]

Oh, Pops, I wonder
what's going on out there.

Maybe he's got some
wood chips in his eyes.

I don't think so.

Your boy is soft.

Look, I'm not saying that
you're failing as a father,

but I'm not not saying it either.

- Hey.
- Look, you need to handle this

because this trip starts
when the waterworks stop.

Mm.

[CRYING CONTINUES]

You know, I thought about
it, and you were right, Mom.

Thank you. About what now?

About colleges.

- I finished my list...
- Ah. Ooh.

... and, uh, I don't want
to get ahead of myself,

but I think I'd be
happy with any of these.

Unbelievable. This is great.

And what... and what... what
are your top picks, babe?

- Um...
- University of Michigan?

- Mm-hmm.
- Where did that come from?

Uh, they're the Wolverines, Diane.

I think they've figured
out the hand claws

in the comic books, so
it's at least worth a try.

Yeah, yeah. Well, okay.

That is a really good start. It is?

Jack, yes, and, uh,
just keep working on it.

- Okay, I will.
- Okay, yeah.

All right. All right.

What is this?

[SIGHS]

Diane, look,

we've been a combo meal
for all our lives, right?

Maybe it's time we go à la carte?

Wow.

The one time anything Mom
said sinks in, this is it?

This?

Okay.

Look, what we have has
been going pretty well.

- Mm-hmm.
- Why mess with that?

Because I can handle it.

And I decided to become a snake guy

to make myself stand out
on my college application.

[SIGHS]

♪♪

Hey, Junior.

Come on, man. [CHUCKLES]

You can't cry on a man trip.

- I'm not crying. [SNIFFLES]
- Yeah.

Hey, man, you lost your girlfriend.

Don't lose your dignity, okay?

Okay. I thought I was
gonna come out here

into the middle of nowhere and chop wood

and it was gonna fix
everything, but it didn't.

All right? I still feel horrible.

So what?

You're a Black man.

Suck it up and play through.

All right, we don't
get to cry in public.

That's not what we get to do.

You have to have thicker skin.

I know, I-I know.

Do you, son?

Because this seems like a lesson

that I've been trying to
teach you your entire life.

♪♪

What?

[GASPS]

♪♪

I'm so hard on you, son,
because the world is hard,

and I feel like if you can handle me,

then you can handle it.

It's my job to make sure you
are armored with what you need.

But do I always have
to keep my walls up?

What if I'm sad?

We don't get to be sad, son.

What if I'm scared?

We don't get to be scared either,

and we can't believe in trust

because we never get
the benefit of the doubt.

Look, I've heard my entire life

how there are a million reasons

I can't show vulnerability to the world.

But the world isn't
out here chopping wood.

Right? Right now it's just you and me.

So why can't I be vulnerable out here?

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

I don't know.

All right. I want to try something.

Come on.

I've read that the most
vulnerable thing you can do

is look into somebody's eyes
without breaking eye contact.

Dad...

... do you see me?

Yes, I see you, son.

No.

Do... you see... me?

♪♪

♪♪

[GASPS]

♪♪

[VOICE BREAKING] I'm sorry, son.

♪♪

I'm sorry.

Oh, damn.

Now, that ain't on the
list of none of the things

we're allowed to cry about.

I brought my son and
grandson out to the woods

to connect them back
to what makes them men.

But I was failing.

You know, when I was with Olivia,

I just felt like I was k*lling it.

We moved in together.

We talked about marriage, kids.

I felt like a real grown-up.

Ah, you were doing all right.

Yeah, kind of.

When she left, I really
realized I had stalled.

I'd already moved back in three times.

Hey, son.

I stalled, too.

Thinking that the most important thing

was getting the same opportunities

as my White counterparts.

But it didn't make me feel any better.

And, you know, I don't
know what the future holds,

and that terrifies me,

and I've never told that to anybody.

I'm really glad you told me.

Yeah, you told him, you told me,

you told every damn woodland creature

in the Sierra Nevada.

And if you two don't be quiet,

we're going to bed
without any dinner tonight.

Pops, we found something
way better than food.

We found each other.

Oh. Now I know

who's been watching all those
White girl movies on Netflix.

[LAUGHS] Pops.

Pops, let's try something.

All right, they say

the most vulnerable and
intimate thing you can do

is look into someone's
eyes without looking away.

Son, waiting and exhaling

is for the two of you, not for me.

Hey, Pops. [SIGHS]

That's what I thought.

I thought the same thing
before it brought us together.

- Mm.
- All right?

And now, I've never felt so free.

So, come on, Pops, let's do it.

- [SIGHS]
- Come on, man, look at me.

Do you see me, Pops?

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

Oh, hell, no, I do not like this.

- Nope.
- Hey.

♪♪

You do know how to get back
to the cabin from here, right?

Yeah, son, uh, just, uh...

check that tree for
some moss. [SNIFFLES]

[CRICKETS CHIRPING]

[OWL HOOTS]

[SIGHS]

You finish your "Red Table Talk"?

We just came out to sit around
the fire for a little bit.

You know, warm up. We'll keep quiet.

Oh, no, no. It's all right.

You know, I...

I only saw my dad cry one time.

It was at his brother's funeral.

At the end of the service,
he broke down sobbing.

He was the strongest man I'd ever known.

Seeing him like that, boy...

[WHISTLES]

It really shook me.

Hey.

Pops, I had no idea.

When I looked into your eyes back there,

that shook me, too.

And I didn't like it.

I didn't make that much eye contact

with your mother at the wedding.

But I looked into your
eyes, son, and I could see...

- Pops.
- [SNIFFLES]

It's okay.

I could see how much you've forgiven me

for all the mistakes I've made. I...

- Pops, hey, man.
- No, no, let me finish now.

That you could open your
home to me, share that with me

when I wasn't there for you
the way I should have been...

Man, I don't deserve it.

We were happy that you were there.

I appreciate you saying that, son, I do.

[BREATHES DEEPLY]

But it doesn't take away the
shame that I feel, though.

Wow, Pops, um...

... I don't know if you've ever been

that vulnerable with any of us.

That's huge.

Thank you, Pops.

♪♪

You... saying that

has given me something I
didn't even know I needed.

♪♪

I wish we came to the
woods a lot sooner.

It's definitely cheaper than therapy.

[LIGHT LAUGHTER]

♪♪

[BREATHES DEEPLY]

Well, I was gonna sneak off, but, um,

usually when I come out here and
I don't catch anything to eat,

there's this diner I go to.

- Yeah.
- What?

- Y'all coming?
- Oh.

Hell yeah, I'm starving.

♪♪

Why'd you tell Jack
he'd be fine without me?

Because he will be.

You have no evidence
to support that theory.

Oh, come sit down.

Did I ever tell you
about when you and Jack

learned how to walk?

- Yeah.
- Mm-hmm.

A million times.

I walked first, so Jack would
sit in the middle of the floor

and make me bring him stuff
from all over the house.

Mm-hmm. Well, part of that's true.

But actually,

Jack was the first one
who learned how to walk,

and he just thought it was funny

when you brought him stuff.

So he tricked me?

[CHUCKLING] No. He didn't trick you.

He just liked it better when
you guys did stuff together.

That's why I'm not worried.

I'll be lucky if Junior and Zoey

come home for the same holidays,

but with you and Jack,

you're never gonna miss a
chance to see each other.

Hey.

I know you're scared

because you two haven't been apart

for longer than a day or
two in your whole life.

But I promise you

that if you guys go
to different schools,

nothing is gonna break the
connection that you have.

Thanks, Mom.

You're welcome.

You know he thinks
Morehouse is gonna teach him

how to build big houses.

Yeah. Uh, we still have
to look out for him.

- Mm-hmm.
- Mm-hmm.

JUNIOR: Hey, Pops, what made
you start coming out here anyway?

Well, growing up in Detroit,

didn't get a lot of opportunities

- to kind of be on my own.
- Mm.

[SCOFFS] Eight people live in my house.

- I know the feeling.
- Mm-hmm.

And when I found this place,

it became my spot to come and do that.

It is nice. Makes everything slow down.

- Mm-hmm.
- All right, guys, let's get going.

All right. Hey, hey.

Come here. Come on.

- Mm-hmm.
- Come here.

All right.

♪♪

Mm, mm, mm.

♪♪

Let's not wait another years

to have these conversations, huh?

♪♪

How about next year?

I'm in.

♪♪

I love you, son.

I love you, too, Pops.

♪♪

I love you, son.

I love you, too, Dad.

And I love you, too, Junior.

But, uh, y'all better not
tell Ruby about this place.

Yeah, I wouldn't.

You'd better not tell your mama.

I won't. And for God's sakes, please,

nobody tell Diane.

- Oh!
- She'll ruin it for everybody.

Hell no!

[LAUGHTER]

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION]

POPS: The success of a Black
man can be measured in many ways,

but the most important one is the
love you feel from your family.

♪♪

I'd had to put up
walls my entire life...

[ENGINES REVVING]

JUNIOR: Man trip!

But I am not going to do that anymore.

Hey.

Oh, uh, hey.

BOTH: I wanted to apologize.

Jinx! You owe me a soda!

[BOTH LAUGH]

It's... weird thinking about
not seeing you every day.

That's why I'm trying not to.

Why did you put that in my head?

It's gonna be okay.

I mean, it's not like
we're leaving tomorrow.

Yeah, not even close.

Besides, every time I try
to think two weeks ahead,

my brain starts to hurt, so... I know.

- Yeah.
- But you know what I like to think about?

All the chances we have
to hang out before then.

Huh.

You care if I read in here?

Uh, make yourself at home.

Mm.

[BRUNO MARS' "COUNT ON ME" PLAYS]

♪ Uh-huh-huh ♪

♪ If you ever find yourself
stuck in the middle of the sea ♪

♪♪

♪ I'll sail the world to find you ♪

♪ If you ever find yourself lost
in the dark and you can't see ♪

This is what they're coming to see.

♪ I'll be the light to guide you ♪

♪♪

♪ We'll find out what we're made of ♪

♪ When we are called to
help our friends in need ♪

♪ You can count on me
like one, two, three ♪

♪ I'll be there ♪

♪ And I know when I need it ♪

♪ I can count on you
like four, three, two ♪

♪ And you'll be there ♪

♪ 'Cause that's what friends
are supposed to do, oh, yeah ♪

♪ Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh ♪

♪ Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh ♪

♪ You can count on me
'cause I can count on you ♪