02x09 - Hard Place

[bunniefuu]

SIMONE: In the winter of ,

on the coldest night of the
year, women came together...

On the campus of Hawkins University

to form a public service
organization dedicated to...

The social, political,
and educational uplift

of the Black community
and to the ideals of...

Service, scholarship, sisterhood.

Greek alphabet. Go.

Alpha, beta,

gamma, delta, epsilon,

zeta, eta, theta...

- theta...
- AQUEELAH: Mm-hmm.

Clearly, you poppyseeds
need a little water to grow.

AQUEELAH: Melody will send
you details on the next set.

Dismissed.

I'm so sorry, you guys.

It's all good, girl.
We'll just keep studying.

Yeah, 'cause one day,

we're gonna have a set where
they can't even touch us.

Hey, girl.

I'm so sorry I'm late.

I got caught up running errands.

You sure do have a lot
of errands this week.

Some has kept you out till a.m.

But I tell you, they are
putting a girl through it.

Late-night sets, assignments,

no drip policy,

and no one-on-one time
with the opposite sex.

Ohh. I'm a fan of that one.

- Anyway...
- Heh!

I'm here to help my girl
take down Nico Logan.

Well, in that case,

I should introduce you to
candidate Nathaniel Hardin.

You don't like it?

Uh...

I... the look.

It's giving "Politician
Barbie." I'm sorry.

Simone, I'm just adjusting
to the world of politics.

The Greeks vote as a bloc,

so if I win them over,
that's half the battle.

Plus, I haven't really
found an audience yet,

so I'm pitching myself
at Dr. P.'s pancake thing.

All right, then. Well,
I will see you there.

And don't forget, we are dorm
storming together this weekend.

- Ohh. Thank you. My goodness.
- You're welcome.

Get ready.

♪ You can't win ♪

♪ You can't break even ♪

♪ And you can't get out of the game ♪

♪ Everyone's saying ♪

♪ Things are gonna change ♪

♪ But it looks like they're
just stayin' the same... ♪

SIMONE: OK, what is happening?

Oh, Keisha didn't tell you before
she went out of town with her daddy?

Cam is running errands, too.

CAM: ♪ Say things are gonna change ♪

♪ But it looks like they're
just stayin' the same ♪

♪ You can't win... ♪

REPORTER ON TV: There are
sure to be plenty of surprises

as we announce the NCAA's
top baseball rankings.

All right. Should be any minute now.

J.R.: Yo, where you think
we fall on this list?

We don't even know if we on the list.

All right? Don't jinx it.

Come on, bro. This is our moment.

- Check the facts. - record.
- We're riding a -game win streak.

And let's not forget
you throwing absolute gas

to no-no a top team with Lando's help.

Come on, now.

REPORTER ON TV: The NCAA
has released the list.

MARCUS: All right, boys. This is it.

REPORTER ON TV: Merrion
State College is th.

And perhaps one of the biggest
surprises we're going to see,

the HBCU that's one year removed
from their program being suspended

has landed the th spot on that list.

- The Bringston Lions...
- [CHEERING]

Yes!

ATHLETE: Whoo!

[CHEERING CONTINUES]

- Uh, hey, Rachel.
- Hi, Damon. How are you?

Uh, I'm good. I'm good. Uh,

how's my dad doing today?

- You think he's up to talk?
- I think so. And he's right here.

Hey, son, it's good to see you.

[CHUCKLES]

Hey, Pops, it's good to see you, too.

Uh, look, I got some news, some,

like, really incredible news.

Bringston's in the top .

That's, uh...

that's wonderful to hear, son.

I know. Like, you and I been
talking about this for so long.

Now the dream's real.

Let's celebrate.

When the bus drops you
off, let's order pizza.

You keep this up, you're
on your way to becoming

the best high-school
freshman in the country.

Yeah. OK, um, I will.

Look, I... I got to go. The bus is here.

All right, then. Hey, I am proud of you.

I'll see you soon.

[HANGS UP]

THEA: Aah!

Thea, congrats on being
cleared to play again.

- Thank you, Coach Marcus. I'll see you around.
- No, wait a minute.

You still haven't signed up for
your session at the Wellness Circle.

[CHUCKLES]

Honestly, the idea of
people talking about

their feelings in a circle
is just kind of ridiculous.

I can't believe Coach Loni is

forcing me to attend before
I'm allowed to compete.

A lot of athletes find it helpful,

so let's just try to
keep an open mind, Thea.

I mean, with all due
respect, I have an open mind,

but your little circle is
cutting into my practice time.

J.R.: Oh.

MARCUS: Before y'all get changed,

- new sponsors have reached out.
- This fast?

MARCUS: Yeah. They
must've got the heads-up

on the top NCAA list.
Come on. Get in here, y'all.

- [MARCUS CLAPS, EXCITED CHATTER]
- ATHLETE: Oh!

- Here we go.
- Check this out, guys.

I am the new face of Mind,
Body, Stomach: Healthy Meals.

Ha ha! And I'm reppin'
all this cool tech.

Bringston on top.

I guess we better get
used to this feeling.

Well, spots away from
the top, but we climbing.

- Well, you know...
- Yeah. Right there.

Look, I want y'all to enjoy the moment

because you've earned it.

All right? Now,
practice starts at : .

I need y'all to stay focused, now.

All right? Tomorrow's the
first game of a -game series

with South Carolina Central.

Congrats.

- Hey, J.R., I want to talk to you.
- Yes, sir.

- Where's Damon?
- He on the field. He got there early.

Everything seemed all
right with him today?

Yeah. I think something's
going on with his pops.

I seen them on video chat earlier.

He's seemed mad subdued ever since.

Check me out, Coach.

- You know I like the gold.
- You like the gold. OK.

AMARA: Thank you all for coming

to this first Pancakes
with the President.

[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]

Something special happens
when people gather around food.

Growing up is where my family talked
about our days, discussed the news,

but we also listened to each other.

So let this be where we gather

to talk, listen,
discuss, and eat. Ha ha!

[EXCITED CHATTER, APPLAUSE]

Thanks for coming, baby girl.

- Of course, Auntie.
- Ha ha!

- NATHANIEL: Hot off the presses.
- AMARA: Uh-uh, Nathaniel.

I play no favorites in
the SGA president's race.

Oh. I respect your neutrality,

- but I know deep down, you're Team Hardin.
- Hmm.

- I'll never tell.
- [SIMONE CHUCKLES]

Well, you said you need
support from the Greeks, right?

Aqueelah's coming over
here. sh**t your sh*t.

Aqueelah, do you have a moment

- to hear my platform for SGA president?
- Um, sure. Go ahead.

I'm passionate about student government,

and I will apply that
passion by providing

new avenues for students
to get their voices heard,

towards increasing funding

for obscure arts and cultural groups.

And, also, did you know that

% of buildings on campus
don't have wheelchair ramps?

I did not know that. May I have a flyer?

- Oh, of course! Take several. Take several.
- OK.

- Oh!
- Thank you.

Well, I'm off to spread the gospel
of Nathaniel Hardin to the masses!

[SIMONE CHUCKLES]

You should know the
Greeks are supporting

Nico Logan in the president's race.

What? But why Nico? Nate
has a great platform.

Oh, Nico is the devil we know.

We backed him last year. He made
sure all of our funding was approved.

I'm not sure who Nate is trying
to be or what she's about.

She just told you.

She wants to provide
more access to students.

Simone, I know you
don't think I came here

to ask for your opinion
on campus politics.

I've given each of your sisters
a stack of flyers and pamphlets.

Your assignment is to put
these up all over campus.

Nate is my best friend. I can't...

Yes, big sister.

Thank you.

Hey, Lando.

Uh, why do I get the feeling
that you been, uh, avoiding me?

- No. Lando, look. It's not what you think.
- Listen, Simone,

if you don't want to talk to me
no more, just say so, all right?

- Lando, I promise it's not like that.
- [LANDO CHUCKLING]

Look at you getting all flustered.

I really had you going, huh?

- Where are you?
- LANDO: Look up.

- Hello. Heh heh!
- SIMONE: Hello.

- So you know.
- That you're on line? Yeah.

How did you figure it out?

You've been walking
around, hair in a ponytail,

no makeup, sweats.

My sister's PKZ, so I know the deal.

When your sister was on line,

did she ever have to do
something she didn't agree with?

All the time. But that's the gig,

just like no hook-up time.

See, with that, we gonna
have to be creative.

No, thank you.

You are not getting
me to break the rules.

So my door is closed to you for weeks.

[SCOFFS] Man, that ain't right.

[CHUCKLES]

- Oh, hey, Simone?
- Mm-hmm?

You're late for your
team meeting on the court.

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

"Leaders of all,

agents of all,

we shall eclipse all."

That is KEK's motto,

but you will not utter
any of our motto's words.

You dogs ain't KEK. You got to earn it.

Laundry duty,

yard work.

And, you, grab a toothbrush.

The upstairs toilets need a good scrub.

And where's my breakfast?

Why is my food cold?

Well, it would be warm if I didn't
have to walk all the way there.

Change of plans, dogs.

Since aneurysm boy likes to bike,

you guys get to eat my breakfast

off the floor now.

Ah, ah. Not you.

You watch.

Y'all are late for warm-ups.

Sorry, Coach. I had a thing
with the meal prep people.

- It went over a little bit.
- I got caught up with some KEK stuff. My apologies.

I don't care.

You boys just earned
yourself extra laps. Go.

Go!

Come on, now.

So much for staying focused, right?

[CHEERING]

♪ Yeah, I'm winning the
game with nothing to lose ♪

♪ I'm turning the tables... ♪

- UMPIRE: Strike!
- [CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]

♪ I'm playing outrageous,
nothing to lose ♪

♪ I'm here to break down every ball... ♪

That's outs!

♪ Practice every day,
we've already won ♪

♪ We're the champions ♪

- ♪ You know we're the champs... ♪
- CROWD: Oh!

[CROWD BOOING]

Strike! You're out!

- ♪ We've already won... ♪
- DAMON: I got it. I got it. I got it.

[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]

♪ Oh oh oh oh ♪

♪ We've already won ♪

♪ Ain't even begun ♪

♪ Yeah, won't make the mistakes ♪

♪ Take 'em how they come
and shake up the plate... ♪

♪ Then we'll grind until
we run at the greats ♪

- ♪ The point is I do whatever it takes... ♪
- Yeah!

[CHEERING]

♪ We've already won ♪

♪ Oh oh oh oh ♪

- ♪ Oh oh oh oh ♪
- MARCUS: Yes!

- You see that?
- [CHEERING CONTINUES]

SANTIAGO: Whoo! -game win streak, baby.

Winners are gonna win, man.

I don't know about y'all,
but I'm feeling unstoppable.

DAMON: Why y'all acting
like we did something?

Yeah, we may have won the game,

but we didn't b*at the team.

We played like straight
trash. I was tripping, man.

SANTIAGO: I don't get you, Damon.

When we were losing,
you called us trash.

Now we're winning and
you still call us trash?

Yeah, well, I don't celebrate luck.

A win is a win, Damon.

We just want to enjoy this moment.

This team lost everything last season.

LANDO: All right. All
right. All right. All right.

Today was sloppy, all
right. I'll give you that.

But we'll tighten it up.

MARCUS: We will figure it out, OK?

Because that's what great teams do.

All right. Game is
tomorrow. We'll reset then.

J.R.: All right, Coach.

MAN: OK.

Tell us more about that, Kendrick.

People see me on the football field,

they see physical strength.

I don't want them to know
that I'm soft up here.

THERAPIST: I suggest we take
a look at how we define terms

like "strong," "weak."

KENDRICK: When you're an elite athlete,

you got to stay tight
physically and mentally.

They... they connected.

- THERAPIST: I agree.
- KENDRICK: But what if it takes too long to figure out

what's going on in your head?

What if it... what if it hurts your game

and you miss out on opportunities

you've been working your whole life for?

My answer to questions
like that will always be

you do good work

and keep doing the work.

- Thea, right?
- Yup.

I understand you're just
coming off an injury.

Does any of this resonate with you?

No. I've, um...

my body might get a
little banged up, but, um,

my mind's never failed me, so...

Yeah. I have somewhere to be, actually.

Is... is this why you canceled
on our meeting yesterday,

- so you could campaign for the enemy?
- Nate, I'm sorry.

This is on PKZ's orders.

They're backing Nico.
All the Greeks are.

- Nate, you know I didn't have a choice.
- That's a lie.

You have a choice, and
you're choosing them?

You know, I deluded
myself into thinking that,

"Oh, pledging, it wouldn't change you."

I guess I was wrong.

Nate, I...

- GABBY: Hey, Cam.
- Hey! What? I'm good. I'm here.

Easy, tiger. It's just me.

Who'd you think I was?

Mind your business, man.

Oh, wow. Someone's feisty.

I thought I was coming in hot.

You missed a week of ATL rehearsals.

Yeah. Um, I'm sorry.

I just started a new...

job.

And it's a bit extra.

My dad had one of these
"jobs" when he was in college.

[EXHALES]

Well, I was super hyped about it,

the business meetings and making
connections with co-workers.

But some of the guys are a bit
extra in our orientation meetings.

- Is it that bad?
- I'm used to intense initiations.

I come from football, you know?

But my supervisor uses me to make things

more difficult for my co-workers.

So I don't know. I think I'm about
to put in my two weeks' notice.

Look, when my dad used
to talk about his "job,"

um, he said, "Our greatest joys

come from the other side
of our greatest hardships."

The bonds you're creating
are gonna be forever.

Yeah, but that's just it.

I don't know if I want to create
that kind of bond with my supervisor.

Oh. I got to head out.

My boss needs aneurysm boy
to do some extra training.

_

Simone, come on, girl. Pitch in.

- Vote Nico Logan.
- Why? What's he gonna do for me?

It's in the pamphlet.

You know what?

I know what Nico Logan's not gonna do.

He's not gonna address the
needs of all campus groups,

but there's a candidate that will.

You should look her up.

Please excuse us. And don't mind her.

Vote Nico, OK? Heh heh.

- What are you doing?
- I'm just telling people the truth.

Girl, put your personal issues
aside and get on the same page.

J.R.: These weekend
series ain't no joke.

I can't remember the last
time I felt this stiff.

This is what happens when
you're late to warm-ups.

I had some KEK stuff that ran late.

Speaking of KEK,

you remember how I told
you that my dad was frat?

Yeah. He one of the O.G.s.

Right. Well, every now and then,

he would talk with his
boys about, you know,

singling out guys, using
intimidation and humiliation

to mold young men.

The grind is what fuses us together.

My dad and my grandad,

they all went through the fire.

It is what it is.

But why does it still have to be?

I mean, saying "It is
what it is" isn't an answer

to why you continue
to break down pledges.

You know I can't talk
about this with you, right?

I'm not asking for
your secret handshake.

I'm questioning your
personal ideologies.

I get this is about
Cam and he's your boy.

All I'mma tell you is,

he's protected because of his aneurysm.

That's a problem, too.

You're not always here, J.R.

Giving Cam special treatment
is gonna put a target on him.

Look, you're dean of pledges,

so you have a choice.

Bond KEK through positivity

or negativity.

[DAMON BREATHING HEAVILY]

_

[SIGHS]

You got that "Damon, I'm
disappointed in you" look.

What happened with you and
your teammates earlier, Damon?

I was setting them straight.

I was waiting on you to give
'em a speech of something.

Yeah, I had one ready,
but I was saving it

'cause now it looks like you the
one that needs a speech, Damon.

Wait. Me?

Look, I'm the one who's
focused. They're not.

Do your little

Coach Marcus thing and
teach them a lesson.

But some lessons need to be
learned through the experience.

All right?

This team has never had
a winning streak before.

You have, so use your
experiences to guide them

because as you know,
no team wins forever.

- This is just great.
- Hey.

- Uh, what's up?
- Hey.

I heard you're back
on the tennis courts.

Um...

- it's legit. Heh.
- Mm-hmm. Yeah.

OK. Well, if you'll excuse me.

- MARCUS: Thea, about your session.
- No, no, no, no. I'm not...

I'm not in the mood for this,
especially not here and now.

Look, I went to your session.

- I'm done.
- Look, I get it.

I went through the same
thing back in the day.

You don't want to talk about anything.

I'm sure there's another
form of therapy that...

I don't... I don't need therapy.

I know about mind and body.

Not everyone wants to sit in a room,

talking with a bunch of randos.

Some of us can just power through.

♪ If you a diamond and you know it ♪

♪ Let me see you shine ♪

♪ Girl, your confidence is glowing... ♪

AQUEELAH: Would anyone like to explain

how flyers you were
supposed to distribute

ended up in the trash?

Hmm?

Oh, so no one has anything to say?

No, big sister.

OK. So you let PKZ down and
refuse to take responsibility.

How about you search your memories

while you give me push-ups...

each?

Happy now?

Everything we're learning about
sisterhood, scholarship, and service,

none of that applies to Nico.

How can PKZ ask us to support him?

If you felt so strongly about it,

all you had to do was come to your line.

We would've covered for you.

No offense, but the last time
I came to you with a problem,

you sent me to an empty room.

You're right.

That was foul of me. I acted out of
my desperation. Simone, I'm sorry.

But we are line sisters now.

And being on a line is
about bonding as a unit.

What happens to one happens to all.

And if you don't get that, then...

maybe PKZ isn't for you.

♪ Shine, shine, shine ♪

♪ All my women, shine ♪

♪ Shine, shine ♪

♪ It's your time to shine ♪

♪ All my women, live that life ♪

♪ Let me see you shine ♪

Are you Thea?

Yeah. I'm kind of in
the middle of something.

Sorry. Marcus said I
should just walk in.

- Hey. I'm...
- Iris McDonald, Grand Slam winner.

Top -ranked for, like,
years running, too!

You're... all-around goals.
[CHUCKLING] How are you here?

Marcus Turner's an old
friend of my trainer.

He said you could use some support.

Of course he did.

Look, one thing I know as an athlete,

your support system is everything.

Right. Well, I like to
handle issues on my own.

Nice court.

- Want to play?
- No.

Nothing competitive.

Just get out of our
heads, have some fun.

OK.

- All right.
- OK.

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

[CHEERING]

? I got trophies up on every wall... ?

Mine, mine! Got the
ball, got the ball...

CROWD: Oh!

DAMON: It's OK. That's all right.

Hey, shake it off. Shake it off, fellas.

CROWD: Oh!

All right. That's all
right. Hey, it happens.

Safe!

- ♪ Got to get up, shake it up... ♪
- Your serve.

- Right. [CHUCKLES WEAKLY]
- ♪ Fallin' apart right now for any reason ♪

♪ All my friends grown and
they changin' like seasons ♪

♪ Looks like I made it,
but looks are deceiving... ♪

One sec.

You know, you don't have to
carry your burdens alone, Thea.

- I just...
- Not with me.

- I don't judge.
- Like, physically, I can serve,

but mentally, like, my mind
shuts down whenever I try.

I just... I can't...

I can't find a way to push past this.

Maybe you don't need to push past it.

Maybe you need to
rest in it, explore it.

I know you're, like, you, but
that doesn't make any sense.

Anytime I'm facing
something that scares me...

a Slam or a tough opponent...

I journal.

I visualize every serve,
every groundstroke.

If I can imagine the
things that scare me,

I give them less power, and then...

- You can imagine a way to overcome it.
- Right.

I just... I don't know
if that'll work for me.

Give it a try.

You have nothing to lose
but everything to gain.

Nate...

you've been giving me the
silent treatment since yesterday.

- Can you talk to me?
- I got somewhere to be.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry I went behind
your back about Nico.

Then why did you do it?

Pledging is a lot,

and I lost sight of what
was most important to me

for a moment.

I should've put our friendship first.

You don't have to do that.

I don't want you to give less
than your best to PKZ. I just...

I just wish you told me.

Well, let me tell you this.

Our friendship is more
important and bigger than this.

- You and me, we are here for life.
- I know. It's...

it's good to hear.

So when it comes to PKZ,

you do what you got to do.

Girl, I already did that.

I threw Nico's flyers in the trash.

- That's my bitch.
- [BOTH CHUCKLE]

It didn't go over well with PKZ, though,

but going forward,

I am toes down for Team Hardin.

I... I appreciate that,

but it may not be necessary.

My platform's not breaking through.

Nate, people don't vote for the
platform. They vote for the person.

You are more than a poster or
this laundry list of issues,

so stop fighting to be
this perfect candidate

and just be the perfect Nate.

And if you can figure that out,

then you got this.

OK. Period.

[CHUCKLES]

[CHEERING]

UMPIRE: Strike !

- What?
- Ballgame!

- Really?
- Good game, man.

How are you gonna call
that a strike? Rea... ?

[SIGHS]

Yo!

Hey, you need to cool it out with
all this dramatic sore loser stuff.

- It's not gonna fly here, bro.
- It's not gonna fly?

What's not gonna fly is losing
to a scrub team like them.

We're in the top . There's
no way they legit b*at us.

Yeah. They didn't b*at us.

All right. We b*at ourselves, man?

And the only one acting
like a scrub here is you.

Get out of my face, Damon.

Ain't nobody teach
you sportsmanship? Huh?

LANDO: Now, I know y'all
ain't about to come to blows.

We supposed to be on the same team.

Yeah, why don't you tell Damon
that before things get ugly?

What you say, bro? Hey, D.,
let's just walk this one off.

Wait. Hold on. "Things get ugly"?

You know your mouth
is about to cause you

- some problems, Santiago?
- Oh, really?

- Yeah. Yeah...
- Really?

- Let's go, man. Come on.
- MARCUS: All right. All right, everybody.

Hey, hey, hey, hey.

Hey! Break it up!

Everybody hit the showers, OK?

And not another word out of any of you.

You got that?

SANTIAGO: Excuse me.

CAM: I don't know what
Julian's got planned,

but if he pulls another stunt,
I'm throwing this food in his face.

You ain't got to worry about that.

CAM: Ah-hoo!

Permission to speak, big brother.

Ain't this kind of in the open?

J.R.: For this, we're fine.

We're just young men talking
to a distinguished gentleman.

Whose name is Fox. I don't got all day.

Who taught you how to introduce people?

He's part of KEK's Golden
Years Outreach Initiative.

KEK delivers groceries,

helps with pick-ups and
drop-offs at medical appointments,

whatever makes their lives golden.

Most people look at old
folks like they're a bother,

but not KEK.

J.R.: That's right. I'm just
showing Fox around campus.

After that, I'mma take him
to dinner. Isn't that right?

CAM: Hold up. If you're
taking him to dinner,

why we got groceries?

Excuse me?

'Cause you delivering that to his house.

I'll text you the address.

Don't take nothing.

This is how KEK gets down.

Hold up, Fox.

Put the burger down, son.
You and I got to talk.

You want to talk to me? He's the
one who was acting like a clown.

'Cause there's more than
feuding over baseball etiquette.

All right? Now speak.

Did J.R. tell you about my pops?

Now I want you to tell me.

Me and my pops used to always
talk about being on a top team.

You know, taking a team,

turning things around,
making them a contender.

It's special to build something.

Yeah, but now I can't
share what we've built

because of his Alzheimer's.

Part of me doesn't
think that he deserves

to have this joy because
of all the lies he told.

Don't get me wrong, Coach. I know
he was a good father. It's just...

I'm struggling with
if he was a good man.

Look, I know, son, but I
can't answer the latter.

Only you can.

And as for the rest,

you got to talk to him
while you still can.

Share your achievements.

And even if he doesn't remember,

you will.

Simone Hicks alone
with a boy? [CHUCKLES]

What happened to obeying PKZ's rules?

I've already broken a
few, so what's one more?

You OK? What happened?

I didn't do what I was supposed to,

so my ace went off on me for doing
my own thing and not telling them.

You don't trust your line sisters?

Honestly, I didn't think
they'd have my back.

There was already so much drama
before going on line anyway.

Is it possible

that this has more to
do with you than them?

That doesn't make any sense.

I think you held back
with your line sisters

because the last group
of women that you trusted,

things haven't gone so well.

I hate to say that you may have a point.

No. You brought me
here to make that point.

Deep down, you knew something
was holding you back.

I guess I just didn't
think about how much PTSD

I may have had from the tennis team.

And you can work through that by
taking a chance on your line sisters.

Look, everybody got punished
'cause of you, right?

Nobody ratted you out?

No.

Sounds like sisterhood to me.

- You're wise, Dr. Johnson.
- [CHUCKLES]

- I might think about keeping you around.
- Hmm.

Aqueelah...

I know PKZ and the rest of the
Exquisite Eight are supporting Nico.

I just need minutes to
tell you why that's a mistake.

It's really not necessary, Nate.

Given how PKZ treated me
when I tried to pledge,

I think the least you
owe me is minutes.

I lied earlier.

I'm not passionate about
student government, but,

I mean, I am passionate
about this school,

about creating a Bringston

that embraces diversity
and inclusion of all forms.

I know what it's like to be excluded,

to be denied, to not
even be taken seriously.

All this fabulousness comes at a cost.

comes at a cost.

I want to use it to carve a path
for other students to follow.

And as a leader of an organization

that's about uplifting the community,

you know what I think?

I think you'd be on board with that.

Real talk, I've never
been a fan of Nico Logan's.

I don't have the power to
change our endorsement on my own,

but I can get you set up with
the other Exquisite Eight members

to hear your pitch. Hmm?

- Wonderful.
- [BOTH CHUCKLE]

I have faith in your
powers of persuasion.

[CHUCKLES]

J.R.: What's with the team text, bro?

LANDO: Warm-ups is not for a few hours.

Yeah, Coach Marcus
already chewed us out,

- so if you have more to say...
- Look, look. I'm not here to chew anyone out.

All right. I called this
players' only meeting

for two reasons.

First is to tell you guys
that I'm sorry, all right?

Now I realize that,

you know, my anger
wasn't meant for y'all.

Look, real talk, fellas,

in order for us to survive,
we gonna have to learn

how to win and lose the right way.

LANDO: He's right.

And losing the right way means

showing our opponents respect,

- even when they b*at us.
- And winning the right way

means staying focused

and not hot dogging and letting
the outside noise derail us.

LANDO: What about the inside noise?

We got stomped on our own field.

That's not easy to get over.

You know, my pops used to have this way

of getting me out of my
head after a bad loss.

He would say the best
way to get over ourselves

is to think of other people.

Yeah, my... my dad was flawed, but,

you know, he had some good in him.

And so you know what? That's
exactly what we gonna do, fellas.

We gonna get over ourselves,

and which brings me to the second reason

why I brought y'all here.

Look. Yeah? Ha ha.

I thought it'd be dope if
these little leaguers learned

from a top team.

So what do y'all say? Y'all in?

BASEBALL PLAYERS: Yeah, man.

- I said, are y'all in?
- Yeah!

♪ Going faster around my
place, I'm thinking... ♪

All right. See? Good, man.

♪ Drivin' fast, think
I'm ready to roll ♪

♪ O-oll ♪

♪ It's like a roller coaster, baby ♪

♪ Put your hands up and go ♪

♪ Feels like a good
day for celebration ♪

- ♪ Feels like a good day for celebration ♪
- ♪ Hey, hey, hey, hey... ♪

THEA, VOICE-OVER:
I bounce the ball times...

then a slow, deep breath.

[EXHALES]

And when I lob the ball in the air,

I know what's going to happen.
There's no doubt in my mind.

Yes! Ha ha!

[PERSON APPLAUDING] Yeah.
That's what I'm talking about.

- Oh, my God.
- Look at you.

You brought in a world-ranked player

to help with my mental
block? Way to flex.

Was Iris able to help?

Yes. Definitely.

Thank you.

It's my pleasure.

But you didn't ask to
meet me just to say thanks.

No. I, uh, looked into something
called mindfulness therapy.

No circle of people, not
a lot of conversation.

Sounds more like your style.

Yeah. It's perfect.

Um, I... I do need help
finding a therapist, though,

- so would you... ?
- I'd be happy to help, Thea.

- All right?
- Thanks.

JULIAN: Dogs, round up.

Where's aneurysm boy with my food?

J.R.: Yo, cool it with that extra heat.

We ain't got to inflict what
was inflicted on us, you feel me?

Nah, I don't feel you.

We got here by walking through fire.

And I'm telling you there's
different type of fires.

We doing it differently now.

JULIAN: You telling me or ordering?

Whichever helps it sink in.

OK.

I got you.

Thanks, Cam.

What'd I do?

Nothing. It's what I did. The
process is gonna change a little.

- But I can handle it.
- It doesn't matter, Cam.

Doesn't mean things
didn't need to change.

[WHISTLES]

Just 'cause things are
changing doesn't mean

we're not gonna have fun with you.

- Seriously?
- Yeah.

Walk me to the game.

You know, hit me with one of
those musical theater joints.

- Oh, so you ain't joking?
- [J.R. CHUCKLES]

PKZ PLEDGE: Xi, omicron,
pi, rho, sigma, tau,

upsilon, phi, chi, psi, omega.

- [LAUGHTER]
- Good job!

AQUEELAH: Hmm. I must say,

it's nice to see this line united.

Well done. [CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

Good job.

Hey, y'all got a minute?

SIMONE: So I owe y'all an apology.

For those of you who don't know,

it was me who dumped the pamphlets.

I let my personal issues with
Nico affect you, and I'm sorry.

I should've just been more open
with my concerns, but instead,

I let my trust issues get in the way.

But y'all took that hit,

y'all saved my ass.

And I promise I'm gonna
give y'all that same energy.

PLEDGE: You already did.

You're the one who stayed up
with me all night to study.

Which means, because of you,

- we're all dry, so...
- We're all dry. Ha ha!

SIMONE: So, does that mean we're good?

MELODY: Of course.

We're line sisters. [CHUCKLES]

Line sisters, talk to me.

- Hey!
- Whoo!

[LAUGHTER]

Whoo!

We closing out the series with a win.

That's because we kept
our heads in the game.

Way to lead the team, man.

[ATHLETE CLAPS]

How you doing?

Still thinking about your pops?

[CHUCKLES] Yeah, man.

He would've really
loved a series like this,

winning, you know,
coming back from a loss.

I'm gonna tell him in person.

[CHUCKLES] Yeah, I
reached out to my mom.

I'm going back to
Chicago for a couple days.

It's like Coach Marcus said:

Even if he doesn't remember, I will.

Well, that's some good advice.

♪ Livin' in the shadows of your mind ♪

♪ Watchin' all the motion from behind ♪

♪ Who-oa ♪

♪ Everybody tells you, lift the blinds ♪

♪ Easier said than done ♪

- _
- ♪ All the light... ♪

♪ This new day brings for me ♪

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

It's open.

What you doing here, Coach?

What's up?

There's something you
should know, Damon.

All right. What's going on?

We couldn't find you after
the game. You just rolled out.

Your mom called me.

Uh-huh.

Damon, it's your dad.

He's gone.

I'm sorry, son.

♪ ... Right now, I burn every cell ♪

♪ That made this your life ♪

♪ I am not afraid, no ♪

♪ To let my inside out ♪

It's all right.

♪ To let my inside out ♪

Greg, move your head.