Party of Five (2020) s01e01 Episode Script
Pilot
1 Hey, dude.
Milo! Emilio! You and the guys are up next, right? I'm warming up here, man.
BLAKE: A group of us are going to Satellite after.
You wanna come? You're welcome, too, uh It's Maria! Actually, Marnie.
Really? It's Marnie? Sorry, my hearing's for shit.
- Occupational hazard.
- It's okay.
As long as you know it tomorrow morning.
Okay.
You know what, Blake? Marnie and I are gonna need a rain check.
- [CROWD CHEERING.]
- Dude, you're on! ANNOUNCER: Please give it up for tonight's opening act.
The Natural Disasters.
- [CHEERING.]
- Hello! We are the Natural Disasters! Homegrown here.
City of Angels, baby.
[CHEERING CONTINUES.]
GIRL: With the hat or without the hat? - With, definitely.
- Oh Come on, Luce.
Get in here.
You guys promised that if I came over, you'd quiz me.
We will.
Don't make that sexy face.
You look like you swallowed a bug.
- Come on.
- Okay, I got out of family dinner - saying I was gonna study.
- GIRL: So? - Who's gonna know you're not? - Well, me if I fail.
Like you've ever failed anything in your life.
GIRL 2: Yeah, seriously, you're fine.
So, wait a minute.
Coach cut you-cut you for, like, ever? Or did he say he'd let you back on the team if you get your grades up? Not grades.
Grade.
One grade.
Dude, shouldn't you know how to speak Spanish? Shouldn't it be easy for you? My parents didn't speak much Spanish to me, alright? Is that my fault? So, you doing okay in your other classes? No, but I'm not failing.
Really, Beto? Pre-calc? You're doing okay in pre-calc? I have a 65 in pre-calc.
- Actually, bro? - 65 is pretty much failing, dude.
WOMAN: [LAUGHING.]
9th grade math? 9th? [LAUGH.]
Oh no.
I can't believe it! - You're amazing, my love.
- Our little genius.
So, now what? Maybe you can tutor your brother? Maybe if I move up to algebra 2 and Beto gets held back, I can help him.
Poor Beto.
He struggles so much with math.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
Luis! Luis! [SPEAKS SPANISH.]
[SPEAKS SPANISH.]
Ah.
[MUTTERING IN SPANISH.]
Nesto! Nesto! Let's get the Garcias fed, and throw in some taquitos on the house.
- Okay.
- Oscar! Oye A pitcher of sangria for every table.
[SPEAKS SPANISH.]
- We're celebrating.
- In Valentina's honor.
You got it, boss.
Table four, amigos! Where are the appetizers? [PHONE RINGING.]
- [SPEAKING SPANISH.]
- Cheers! Cheers, to my daughter.
- Now, may your gifts give - [PHONE RINGING.]
Ignore it.
We're celebrating.
It's the Pizzeria della Posta across the street.
Lemme check.
Hello? Yes? Cómo? - [HITS TABLE.]
- Yeah.
SÃ.
Yes.
Thank you.
You know the drill! Move! We need to speak to Javier and Gloria Acosta, please.
[YELLING IN SPANISH.]
[INDISTINCT WHISPERING.]
[MURMURING.]
I'm Javier Acosta.
What can I do for you? You were here a few months ago.
Feel free to check the kitchen.
All my employees have papers.
We're not here for your employees, Mr.
Acosta.
We're here for you.
And your wife.
- JAVIER: I don't understand.
- OFFICER: Lemme see your papers, sir.
- Did we do something wrong? - Are you Gloria Acosta? - Yes.
- Lemme see your papers, ma'am.
JAVIER: There must be some mistake.
We have been in this establishment for 18 years.
I see.
So, you think that the rules don't apply to you.
Officers have been here before.
There's never been a problem.
Well, things have changed, Mr.
Acosta.
- I need to see your papers.
- Mami? Everything is gonna be alright, mi amor, okay? OFFICER: Not gonna ask you again.
I don't have any papers.
Alright, cuff him.
- Can you please turn around, sir? - No, we have a baby.
- Mami! Papi! - Not in front of our children! - Here you go.
- No, Papi! - Everything's gonna be alright.
- Papi! No! Don't take them! Please! Please! Valentina, call your brothers and your sister.
What do we do? - [MURMURING.]
- What are you doing? Please, stop! Mami, Papi! [BABY CRYING.]
[PHONE RINGING.]
[PHONE RINGING.]
[CROWD CHEERING.]
Thank you! Good night, LA! Guys! The dishwasher still isn't working! Has anyone called Mr.
Rodriguez yet because the situation is officially disgusting? Hello? Um, which one are you? GIRL: Huh? I'd check the date on that.
- Oh.
- LUCE: Not happening.
- Get away from me.
- It's Friday.
Fridays are yours.
LUCE: Not if you bailed on Thursday.
Which one are you, and is that my T-shirt? It is.
Sorry, we EMILIO: We came by last night to do laundry.
Not the laundry.
Clearly just your laundry.
Everyone.
Guys, Alice.
- What happened to Lily? - Natasha? Erica? Alice here very kindly offered to watch the baby while I'm at rehearsal.
Oh my God.
He's adorable.
You want him? He's got a major load.
[BABY TALKING.]
We've got an audition for a gig, so we gotta practice all weekend.
We're seeing Mami and Papi this weekend, Emilio.
- Did you forget? - No, I did not forget.
We'll hit the road at 10:00, okay? LUCE: No, not okay.
Visiting hours start at noon, and it's a three hour drive.
We should leave at 8:00 in case there's traffic, or maybe you were hoping to sleep in.
I don't have much of a sense of smell.
Ever since I hit my head on a seesaw in 3rd grade.
I can smell gasoline, but only through my mouth.
Let's get this cutie pie changed! His room's upstairs, Milo? Yeah.
That may explain why she ate all that yogurt.
Uh, Milo? Who's Milo? Pawning Rafa off on the flavor of the week? Hey, she happens to be a very nice girl.
She's doing all of us a huge favor, so I don't wanna hear any of your comments.
Maybe, you should send her shopping, too, since you're never around.
The Martinezes stopped dropping off groceries a couple weeks ago, and now, we're low on everything.
Cereal, eggs.
We went through that whole box of ramen Hey, you know what? Luce and Beto have credit cards, too.
Ask them.
- No, you said you'd take care of it.
- No, you said you'd go shopping, and I was gonna handle the dishwasher.
And have you? It's on my list.
What? What, I've been busy, okay? Okay, not so busy that, what, I didn't buy you those sneakers? Hm? And I didn't find a daycare for Rafa? Oh, and I'll be ready to leave for the detention center at 8:00 AM sharp.
If I ever get a report from another substitute about misbehavior like that ever again, it's gonna be an automatic zero for all of you.
And a piece of advice.
If you're gonna cheat off each other, copy off somebody who knows how to spell the Treaty of Westphalia.
You can grade the test I took yesterday.
[SIGH.]
Because you are the student you are, LucÃa, I'm gonna be lenient about this.
You can stay after class to retake the test, or you can come back after school.
I didn't cheat off anyone yesterday.
I knew all the answers.
You want me to fail you.
Is that what you want? I have an A in here.
I do all my work, never cheat.
Isn't that enough not to be punished? - LucÃa - You know what? Do whatever you wanna do! I don't care.
Your rules are full of shit! [CLASS MURMURING.]
[MEXICAN MUSIC PLAYING.]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
Hey, Oscar! What's going on up there? Where's Linda? Linda quit this morning.
BETO: Without saying anything? You mean something like, "If you don't start paying me on time, I'm gonna quit?" Right.
That was Linda.
Um - How behind am I with you? - Two weeks.
You're not gonna quit, are you, Oscar? Not this week.
Okay, cool.
Um I'll take over Linda's job today and look for someone new tomorrow.
Good idea.
Val, can you do me a favor? There's a box of payroll stubs in the office.
Will you start organizing them? I need to figure out how much we owe everyone.
One of these days, I'll be gone.
Then, what are you gonna do? I have no idea.
[SPEAKING SPANISH.]
[KISS, SPEAKING SPANISH.]
I know it's not a substitute for seeing him.
They get him a haircut.
Did you see, Javier? Eh? Ah, sà sÃ.
Man at the barbershop wouldn't take any money for it.
He said he heard what happened.
- JAVIER: Hm.
- Hey, I'm so proud of you.
You're managing so well looking out for each other.
Yeah, we are.
Yeah, nothing for you guys to worry about.
And you're still having dinner together on Sundays? - Every week.
- Good.
JAVIER: And the restaurant? It's been busy? Uh, people in the neighborhood heard about, you know, so people are coming in more often.
Ah, charity.
- We're a charity case.
- Javier.
We just miss you both so much.
Oh, me too, mi amor.
Me, too.
Hands! - LUCE: Ridiculous.
- Uh What does your lawyer say? We're one of maybe 100 cases he's handling But that means he has a lot of experience - with hearings and - JAVIER: Yes.
he's hopeful.
Really? He's hopeful? He said that? But cases like yours only get reversed 8% of the time.
- I looked it up.
- EMILIO: Luce LUCE: And it works against us that Emilio is DACA because, technically, he's old enough to take care of us.
Who knows how long his status will hold.
Which is why I want you to go to church, mijos, okay? And every case is different, you know? Look at us.
We've never not paid our taxes.
We employee American citizens.
I got that citation from the Policemen's Benevolent Association.
- Remember that.
- [ALARM BUZZ.]
- Already? It's 3:00 already? - Okay, times up.
Let's go.
- Emilio, a word.
- We'll wait to celebrate Rafa's birthday until you guys are back home.
But, do a little something on that day, okay, mi amor? And we have a big party when we're back.
JAVIER: Mijo, uh, I was just going to thank you for stepping up.
Were you expecting me not to? - I know your music thing - It's not a thing, okay? - It's taking you - It's a career.
I'm a musician.
It's crazy how they keep husbands and wives separated.
It's inhumane is what it is.
What do they think they're gonna do, plan a jail break? Hey, Milo, did you tell what's her name that we'll be home in time for dinner? Emilio? I gotta drop you guys and then take off.
- What do you mean? - Got that gig.
Two nights, it's good exposure.
Place is feeder for bigger venues, which pay better, so If all goes well, we're set.
I'll be back on Wednesday.
- [BABY NOISES.]
- [ALICE BABY TALKING.]
ALICE: Open wide! - [BLOWS RASPBERRY.]
- Ah, good boy! Hey, you two.
Your brother has thrush.
Oh no! [BABY NOISES.]
Sorry you had to deal with that.
- On the plus side, I'm home.
- Yeah, you are.
[BABY NOISES CONTINUE.]
- Did you miss me? - Not so much.
But apparently, Francesca does.
- Who? - Francesca.
The girl you've been texting all morning.
Piece of advice.
Don't leave your tablet on the counter.
Alice, it's less bad than it looks.
Right, we were at the bar, - and the guys - And you ended up signing her breasts.
Yeah, but just the very top part! Alice.
Alice, come on.
Your brother has a pediatrician appointment in an hour.
Daycare starts at 11:00.
Oh, and you got a call from the school from the vice principal's office.
Guess she wants to see you.
- In person! - Alice! - I can be good! I promise.
- [DOOR OPENS.]
[DOOR SLAMS.]
What the hell is thrush? - [HIP HOP MUSIC PLAYING.]
- WOMAN: I'm studying psychology.
Part-time, to get my masters.
I know I don't have the experience for the job, but figured you have to start somewhere, right? You may think that I'm a flirt, flirt, flirt Right, yeah.
That's, um, extremely well put.
So, you don't actually have any jobs listed on your resume.
Yeah, well, my parents have, you know, been very generous.
But, I've decided it's time to stop taking gifts from people and start taking care of myself.
Please don't think that I'm a flirt, flirt, flirt, I just wanna be I'm wasting your time.
Sorry.
No, no, no! You, um, you have qualifications that you probably aren't aware of.
I just wanna give you work, work For example, you study psychology, which means you understand people.
That's a big plus for a hostess.
- Right.
- I usually find that zero experience is actually the way to go in this particular position.
People love that.
I really need you Trust me.
I had no experience when I inherited this job from my deadbeat brother.
Look at me now.
I run the place.
Well, I mean, you seem a little young.
I'm not that young.
I just wanna be, be for you First time in detention? What are you in for? I hooked up with Lena Cardenas in the girls' bathroom.
Oh Cool.
- I told a teacher to go - I know what you did.
- [OFFICE CHATTER.]
- [PHONE RINGING.]
WOMAN: Emilio Acosta? Dana Franzetti.
Won't you come in? I'm really concerned about your sister.
LucÃa? What, did she do something wrong? Well, at this very moment, she's in detention for an incident that occurred in her history class.
Seriously? You sure we're talking about the same girl here? Your sister's always been a straight A student, but as of late, I've been getting reports that she hasn't been handing in her assignments, and in her world history class, she blatantly disrespected a teacher in front of the entire class.
The thing is, LucÃa well, you know, we're all under a lot of pressure.
You know, stuff's been going on with our family these days.
- I don't know if you've heard.
- [BELL RINGING.]
It's bullshit.
If it had been a hetero couple getting it on, you think they would've broken a sweat? I guess not.
You guess not? You're the expert on all this.
All I know is most rules are hypocritical and pretty much everyone who makes them is lying to you, so I'm guessing you're right.
You're, like, president of the student council.
Not anymore.
That was stupid.
More vending machines on campus.
That was my campaign promise.
You're responsible for the vending machine outside the library.
That was me.
If you kick it in a certain spot, it spits out quarters, so thank you for your service.
Look at that.
I did some good.
Yeah.
So we should hang out some time.
Uh, sure.
My place if you want.
My parents are away.
Oh yeah.
I heard about that.
My folks split up a couple years ago.
That's not the same thing.
Anyway, they'll be back soon.
But, until then, it's just me and my siblings.
So, you guys have the run of the place, huh? Yeah, it's great.
No curfews, no rules, no one tells me what to do.
Well, I mean, I know he's always struggled in Spanish It's not just Spanish.
He's now failing English and math.
He's missed five days of school this month, including today.
Look, we've all been cutting corners these days.
I'm sure you're doing your best, but when I see a sharp decline in grades or in attendance, I have a responsibility to examine what's going on in the home.
Yeah.
How are these children being parented? Are they being parented? And if I can't answer those questions to my satisfaction, I'm required to report those concerns to the Department of Social Services.
Oh no, that's That's not necessary.
Okay, please don't do that.
Look, I wasn't aware of how bad things have gotten, okay? But now that I'm aware, you don't have to concern yourself or call anybody.
Alright? I'm on the case.
When was the last time you took a look at these books? - [PHONE CHIMES.]
- Hold that.
[MEXICAN MUSIC.]
[TYPING.]
- What? - The books? They're kind of a mess, and I can't tell how much money we have in the bank.
[PHONE RINGING.]
[PHONE RINGING.]
[HANGS UP.]
VOICEMAIL: This is Beto.
You know what to do.
Thank you.
Sir.
As I said, there's really no point in waiting.
She's leaving the office in just a few minutes for dinner.
Ms.
Santos? - I'm not done for the day? - Yes, you are.
This gentleman has no appointment.
I told him I know this isn't normal procedure! Okay, but my parents are being held for deportation.
They have a pro bono lawyer, and he's a good guy, but he has hundreds of cases.
I'm sorry.
No, you're not.
No one in this entire goddamn system is sorry! Look.
My brother's failing school.
Okay, my sister, who used to be perfect I'm telling you, perfect, is so angry at the world and I don't know how to make that better.
Okay, my little sister's gonna need a bra any day now without a mom to get her through that.
And the baby, the baby has thrush, and I don't know if it's something I did.
Ms.
Santos, we have no other family here.
Okay, besides my parents, it's just me.
I'm telling you, I won't be good enough.
They need my parents.
I'm asking you.
Please.
- [PHONE RINGING.]
- [RESTAURANT CHATTER.]
VOICEMAIL: Hey, it's Luce.
Leave a message.
I'm actually going to kill her.
Looks like she has somewhere more important to be.
Posted five minutes ago.
It's bad enough Mami and Papi aren't here for his birthday.
Hey, it's gonna be okay.
- Okay, they'll be home soon.
- That's not what LucÃa thinks.
Okay, listen, I was gonna wait till she got here to break the news, but I have reason to believe we're gonna be in pretty good shape tomorrow.
What's that supposed to mean? Well, this afternoon, I hired the best immigration lawyer in town.
Laura Santos.
Her office is, like, filled with cases she turns down every day.
How'd you manage that? By refusing to leave her office until she said yes.
She knows every judge.
Completely tapped in.
Oh, and get ready, Val.
She's gonna want you as a character witness.
I can definitely do that.
Now, who do you love? Huh? [HIP HOP MUSIC BLASTING.]
[PARTY CHATTER.]
[MUSIC BLASTING.]
Hella bandz hella grands, you could see it in her face Are you the weed guy? What? No, who the hell are you? - Who the hell are you? - I happen to live here.
Well, I happen to be a friend of Kenny's.
Who's Kenny? BETO: LucÃa! [PARTY CHATTER CONTINUES.]
- LucÃa! - [GLASS BREAKS.]
But look at where I come from, from Los Angeles Everybody flossing, everybody say they got it Everybody tryna impress somebody that don't even want 'em Oh, hey! Beto! - Take Rafa and go upstairs.
- Why? Just wait for me in your room, alright? - Beto! - About time you showed up.
What's going on here? Where are your manners? Say hello.
- What are you - Where you been, bro? FRIEND: Missed you! Who said you could throw a party? I didn't know I needed your permission.
It's my house, too.
We waited at the restaurant.
It was Rafa's birthday.
We're not really celebrating until Mami and Papi - get back anyway.
We agreed.
- You can't do this, Luce.
You can't just not show up.
You didn't answer your phone.
Val was certain something happened to you.
Okay, well, I'm sorry.
Family dinner is the one thing she should be able to depend on.
Why? Hm? What does it matter if we have dinner at the restaurant? What kind of tradition is it, sitting around a table, when Mami and Papi's seats are empty? So she should just look at her sister's empty seat, too? - Well, I'm entitled to have some fun! - Not at her expense.
Or mine, or Rafa's.
We need to keep some things the same.
Well, that's impossible, Beto, because nothing's the same anymore, okay? Nothing.
VAL: [SCREAM.]
Beto! Come quick! EMILIO: LucÃa! LucÃa! LucÃa! - We need to shut this down.
- Says who? Someone's having sex in Mami and Papi's room.
At least two people.
What's gotten into you? Will you chill out? It's about to wind down anyways.
CROWD: Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! [CHANTING CONTINUES.]
- [CLICK.]
- [PEOPLE YELLING.]
[CAR HORN.]
VAL: We never got in trouble.
Not one of us, not ever.
Because all we ever wanted was for them to be proud of us.
I'm in 7th grade right now, in 9th grade math.
You wanna know why? Cause my Papi taught me.
Every day, after school, at the restaurant.
Even if he was busy.
I'm a good girl because my parents made sure of it.
And I still need them.
And I'm gonna need them for a very long time.
Thank you, Valentina.
Mami.
JUDGE: Ms.
Santos, do you have a final statement? SANTOS: Your Honor.
The standard for overturning a deportation ruling is exceptional and unusual hardship.
This court has used that standard before.
It was meant for families like the Acostas.
Javier and Gloria Acosta have no other relatives in this country, their home for the past 23 years.
If they are sent away, their five children, and their restaurant, becomes the sole responsibility of a 24-year-old, who is, himself, a DACA kid.
If the burden becomes too much for Emilio Acosta, or if the status of the dreamers should change, then 20 American families would find their breadwinners without a job, a thriving business would become an empty storefront, and the Acosta children would be separated and sent into the foster system, and that, Your Honor, is exceptional hardship.
Ms.
Santos, the law is more specific than that.
The hardship must be substantially different from or beyond what is ordinarily expected.
It needs to be very uncommon and limited to truly exceptional situations.
Unfortunately, heartbreak is anything but uncommon in these cases.
So is the wrenching apart of families Your Honor, the children in this case, and the age of the only responsible adult Ms.
Santos, the law is clear.
Valentina, LucÃa, Beto, Emilio, I'm sorry.
Mr.
and Mrs.
Acosta, my hands are tied.
- The former ruling stands.
- [BANG.]
- No! - [MURMURING.]
Your Honor, please.
Don't punish our children for something I did 23 years ago! - Please! - Mr.
Acosta, there's nothing I can do.
- That's it? - I'm so sorry.
BAILIFF: Come on! JAVIER: Emilio, I'm sorry.
Sorry, mijo.
BAILIFF: This way.
Maybe we can appeal.
We'll appeal.
LUCE: On what grounds? I mean, what argument can we make that wasn't already made? So, that's just it? They just get put on a bus? It's gonna be okay, Val.
How is it gonna be okay? What are we supposed to do? [STAMMERING.]
We'll take care of each other, we keep the business running.
Do you know how to run a restaurant, Bey? 'Cause I don't.
Even Papi didn't manage so good.
What do you mean? We went through the books.
There's barely enough payroll to cover next month, plus whatever we owe the lawyer.
VAL: How much was that? How much money did you spend on the lawyer, Emilio? Seven - thousand.
- What? VAL: We don't have that! We don't have anywhere near that! Bey, how much? There's $3,100 in the checking account.
- Jesus, you spent $7,000? - Hey, I was trying to help.
Okay? I was trying to give them every possible advantage.
- And what good did it do? - You blew $7,000.
She had a track record, okay!? She said she could help! BETO: And if she asked for $20,000? You would've forked that over, right? Anything to not get stuck with us.
They're gonna split us up! Hey, no, they're not.
Okay, we won't let that happen.
Right, Luce? Never.
Hey Hey.
No one is going to split us up.
I'll sublet my apartment.
Move back home, full time.
I'll take care of things.
Promise.
[CHATTER.]
Gloria No.
Mi amor, son quatro.
Eh? [PLAYING ACOUSTIC GUITAR.]
- [SCOFFS.]
- VAL: Okay, done.
- Anyone wanna take a look? - At what? I made a GoFundMe page for us.
- No, you didn't.
- Why not? I saw a story of a family whose father got washed away by a rogue wave on vacation, and they raised over $200,000.
Seriously? Lemme see.
[CHUCKLES.]
Nice.
- Way to take some initiative - Just forget it.
Okay, no one cares.
- There's a ton of families like us.
- [DOOR OPENS.]
- A lot of them are way worse off.
- [DOOR SHUTS.]
EMILIO: Hey! - Saved you some pizza.
- I already ate.
VAL: You look nice.
- Thanks.
- EMILIO: Where were you? Out with those friends of yours? Have you been smoking? EMILIO: Look, I don't wanna see them in this house again.
Is that clear? And no more staying out late on school nights either.
Okay, things are changing around here.
Go to hell, Emilio.
- [DOOR SHUTS.]
- Come on, Val.
Time for bed.
No way.
I never go to bed this early.
Yeah, I'm sure 'cause this place was a circus.
Now, go to bed.
You can't tell me what to do.
Yes, I can.
I'm the parent now.
Oh, shut up with you being the parent, Emilio.
You're the oldest.
Good for you.
Doesn't make you anyone's parent.
You know what? I'm sick of your attitude, okay? You don't want me coming in here making the rules? That's fine, I'll go.
But they'll come in here, and they'll split you guys up.
Is that what you want? I'm responsible for this family now, and I'm gonna take that responsibility seriously Gimme a break.
Okay, you wanna take care of us? Go to work.
- I have a job.
- What? Being a musician? That's not a job.
Two night gig once a month is not a job.
It's a fantasy! And we can't afford that right now.
We need the money.
So, why don't you act like the grown-up you claim to be, suck it up, and go run the restaurant like Mami and Papi? I don't wanna be like Mami and Papi! Neither do I! But here we are.
It's getting late, Val.
Why don't you get ready for bed? [CHATTER.]
Uh, this is everything, and the box is for Rafa's toys.
If we forget anything, we can bring it to you.
- Oh, sure you can.
- [BABY NOISES.]
[CLEARS THROAT.]
We'll call you as soon as we get there, okay? Guys, I I needed to ask you something.
- [SNEEZE.]
- Salud, mijo.
You have to look after Rafa.
What? Yeah, we won't be able to give him what you can.
- This is his home now.
- I know it's huge No, no.
If you're sure, Mami, then it's nothing to ask.
Okay, you did it for us.
Oh, my boy.
VAL: We'll bring him to visit you every time we can.
And we can Skype every day.
OFFICER: The buses have arrived.
You'll be boarding shortly.
No, we're not done yet.
- It's okay, it's okay.
- No, it's not.
- You've done nothing wrong.
- [ALARM BUZZ.]
- Gotta go.
- No, get your hands off her! She's not less of a person than you are! - What's the matter with this country!? - LucÃa! Dignity, mija! Show them who we are! They don't care who we are, Papi! Don't you understand that by now!? Then we show ourselves! Oh no.
Don't look at me that way.
- Bye, Mami.
- No, don't break my heart.
JAVIER: Take care of your sisters, okay? I'd come visit you every chance I could, but they wouldn't let me back in the country.
[SPANISH CHATTER.]
- I love you.
- Hey, little one! I love you.
OFFICER: Ma'am.
A fierce little girl we raised, yes? Yes? - [CRYING.]
- Mami! [GLORIA CRYING.]
GLORIA: Oh God, please look after my children.
[CRYING.]
Please.
You have to stick together, okay? No matter what happens.
Promise me.
Promise me you're gonna stay together.
Sorry, Papi.
I'm sorry.
No! No, no, mijo! No! You don't remember.
You were so tiny, yeah.
We carried you.
We carried you across the desert, across the border.
August, 106 degrees.
We thought we were going to die there.
Now, look at you.
Here you are, look at you! You're so big and smart and talented.
You be what you wanna be, okay? I'm so proud of you.
Okay, Emilio? I'm so proud of you.
OFFICER: Okay, we have to go.
I love you, mijo, I love you.
- [INDISTINCT.]
- [SPEAKS SPANISH.]
Fight it.
You have to be strong.
Oh, I love you so much.
- [CRYING.]
- No! No! No! I'm not ready to go! - OFFICER: We gotta go.
Gotta go.
- [CRYING.]
- I don't want to! I don't want to! - JAVIER: It's okay.
[CRYING.]
EMILIO: Our parents were deported to Mexico yesterday.
They wanted you all to know, because they didn't get the chance to say themselves, how much they'll miss you.
They care for you and appreciate all you've done for this place they love so much.
Hey, they still have their phones, so I'm sure you'll be hearing from them.
[CHUCKLE.]
Plenty.
Probably way more than you'd like.
Marta.
The menu still changes every month.
- Mm-hmm.
- Count on it.
If you guys are worried about your jobs, don't be, alright? My brother and sister will be going back to school, but as for me, I'll be here, running things every day, just like my father did.
Alright? That's it.
Here we go! [KITCHEN CHATTER.]
Alright, Oscar.
What now? Ernesto didn't show up.
The busboy!? [SIRENS, TRAFFIC NOISE.]
Seat taken? Free country, they claim.
There's this thing we learned about in English.
The pathetic fallacy.
You know what that is? It's like when you use an emotion to describe something that can't have emotions, like angry storm clouds, or Jumbo shrimp? No, not jumbo shrimp.
[LAUGH.]
I was thinking the sunshine in LA feels dishonest.
Like, it just goes on shining without any regard for how unhappy the people are who are getting shined on.
It's insulting, really.
I could turn the sprinkler on you, if that'd help.
You remember when we used to play in the sprinkler? We'd turn it off right before Val ran through it.
[LAUGHS.]
We made a good team.
Us? Beto, we never got the team thing down.
- What do you mean? We're twins.
- No.
Twins have a connection, read each other's minds.
We don't have that.
We were like strangers in the womb.
What am I feeling right now? Right this second.
You're afraid.
And guess what, Luce.
Me, too.
[SCOFF.]
The thing is I don't know how to raise a baby or be a parent to a 12-year-old.
Me neither.
You do, too.
You're better than I am.
Good at it, in fact.
At last.
Something I'm good at.
Look, Mami and Papi weren't much older than us when they came here, and they managed.
With a lot less than what we have.
Just two bags BOTH: A $50 bill, and a Spanish to English dictionary.
And they figured it out.
So will we.
How do you know? I just do.
[BABY CRYING.]
[GROANS.]
- Did you try his binky? - I tried his binky.
- Is he wet? - LUCE: No, he's not wet.
[YAWN.]
Did you try his binky? [YAWN.]
Uh huh.
[CRYING CONTINUES.]
I think he just misses them.
- [CRYING CONTINUES.]
- We take turns? [BABY CRYING.]
[BABY NOISES.]
[GUITAR PLAYING.]
EMILIO: If I needed you Would you come to me Would you come to me And ease my pain? And if you needed me I would come to you I'd swim the seas For to ease your pain Si me necesitaras - Yo vendria por ti - [STRUMMING.]
Cruzaria el mar Para aliviar tu dolor ANNOUNCER: This season, on "Party of Five.
" They say you can't keep a good man down The world hasn't been very kind to us lately.
You milked the restaurant for 16 years.
I'm just trying to protect the family.
What did you order? Personal lady stuff for my lady regions.
If I can't cut it academically, they'll be on all of our asses.
- Can I help you? - Department of Social Services.
A file's been opened.
That's going to be ongoing.
But you can't keep a good man down, down - Turn it on.
- It works.
That little girl has already lost her parents, okay? And some court's going to decide because she's upset about that, she might lose me too? We have never had to say goodbye to each other before.
I get it.
You're afraid.
The way I see it, haven't we all earned the right to have a little fun? - Rise, rise up - [LAUGHS.]
Maybe I'll try and write some new songs.
How about that? We've done so well that they don't need us anymore.
No.
No, that's not
Milo! Emilio! You and the guys are up next, right? I'm warming up here, man.
BLAKE: A group of us are going to Satellite after.
You wanna come? You're welcome, too, uh It's Maria! Actually, Marnie.
Really? It's Marnie? Sorry, my hearing's for shit.
- Occupational hazard.
- It's okay.
As long as you know it tomorrow morning.
Okay.
You know what, Blake? Marnie and I are gonna need a rain check.
- [CROWD CHEERING.]
- Dude, you're on! ANNOUNCER: Please give it up for tonight's opening act.
The Natural Disasters.
- [CHEERING.]
- Hello! We are the Natural Disasters! Homegrown here.
City of Angels, baby.
[CHEERING CONTINUES.]
GIRL: With the hat or without the hat? - With, definitely.
- Oh Come on, Luce.
Get in here.
You guys promised that if I came over, you'd quiz me.
We will.
Don't make that sexy face.
You look like you swallowed a bug.
- Come on.
- Okay, I got out of family dinner - saying I was gonna study.
- GIRL: So? - Who's gonna know you're not? - Well, me if I fail.
Like you've ever failed anything in your life.
GIRL 2: Yeah, seriously, you're fine.
So, wait a minute.
Coach cut you-cut you for, like, ever? Or did he say he'd let you back on the team if you get your grades up? Not grades.
Grade.
One grade.
Dude, shouldn't you know how to speak Spanish? Shouldn't it be easy for you? My parents didn't speak much Spanish to me, alright? Is that my fault? So, you doing okay in your other classes? No, but I'm not failing.
Really, Beto? Pre-calc? You're doing okay in pre-calc? I have a 65 in pre-calc.
- Actually, bro? - 65 is pretty much failing, dude.
WOMAN: [LAUGHING.]
9th grade math? 9th? [LAUGH.]
Oh no.
I can't believe it! - You're amazing, my love.
- Our little genius.
So, now what? Maybe you can tutor your brother? Maybe if I move up to algebra 2 and Beto gets held back, I can help him.
Poor Beto.
He struggles so much with math.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
Luis! Luis! [SPEAKS SPANISH.]
[SPEAKS SPANISH.]
Ah.
[MUTTERING IN SPANISH.]
Nesto! Nesto! Let's get the Garcias fed, and throw in some taquitos on the house.
- Okay.
- Oscar! Oye A pitcher of sangria for every table.
[SPEAKS SPANISH.]
- We're celebrating.
- In Valentina's honor.
You got it, boss.
Table four, amigos! Where are the appetizers? [PHONE RINGING.]
- [SPEAKING SPANISH.]
- Cheers! Cheers, to my daughter.
- Now, may your gifts give - [PHONE RINGING.]
Ignore it.
We're celebrating.
It's the Pizzeria della Posta across the street.
Lemme check.
Hello? Yes? Cómo? - [HITS TABLE.]
- Yeah.
SÃ.
Yes.
Thank you.
You know the drill! Move! We need to speak to Javier and Gloria Acosta, please.
[YELLING IN SPANISH.]
[INDISTINCT WHISPERING.]
[MURMURING.]
I'm Javier Acosta.
What can I do for you? You were here a few months ago.
Feel free to check the kitchen.
All my employees have papers.
We're not here for your employees, Mr.
Acosta.
We're here for you.
And your wife.
- JAVIER: I don't understand.
- OFFICER: Lemme see your papers, sir.
- Did we do something wrong? - Are you Gloria Acosta? - Yes.
- Lemme see your papers, ma'am.
JAVIER: There must be some mistake.
We have been in this establishment for 18 years.
I see.
So, you think that the rules don't apply to you.
Officers have been here before.
There's never been a problem.
Well, things have changed, Mr.
Acosta.
- I need to see your papers.
- Mami? Everything is gonna be alright, mi amor, okay? OFFICER: Not gonna ask you again.
I don't have any papers.
Alright, cuff him.
- Can you please turn around, sir? - No, we have a baby.
- Mami! Papi! - Not in front of our children! - Here you go.
- No, Papi! - Everything's gonna be alright.
- Papi! No! Don't take them! Please! Please! Valentina, call your brothers and your sister.
What do we do? - [MURMURING.]
- What are you doing? Please, stop! Mami, Papi! [BABY CRYING.]
[PHONE RINGING.]
[PHONE RINGING.]
[CROWD CHEERING.]
Thank you! Good night, LA! Guys! The dishwasher still isn't working! Has anyone called Mr.
Rodriguez yet because the situation is officially disgusting? Hello? Um, which one are you? GIRL: Huh? I'd check the date on that.
- Oh.
- LUCE: Not happening.
- Get away from me.
- It's Friday.
Fridays are yours.
LUCE: Not if you bailed on Thursday.
Which one are you, and is that my T-shirt? It is.
Sorry, we EMILIO: We came by last night to do laundry.
Not the laundry.
Clearly just your laundry.
Everyone.
Guys, Alice.
- What happened to Lily? - Natasha? Erica? Alice here very kindly offered to watch the baby while I'm at rehearsal.
Oh my God.
He's adorable.
You want him? He's got a major load.
[BABY TALKING.]
We've got an audition for a gig, so we gotta practice all weekend.
We're seeing Mami and Papi this weekend, Emilio.
- Did you forget? - No, I did not forget.
We'll hit the road at 10:00, okay? LUCE: No, not okay.
Visiting hours start at noon, and it's a three hour drive.
We should leave at 8:00 in case there's traffic, or maybe you were hoping to sleep in.
I don't have much of a sense of smell.
Ever since I hit my head on a seesaw in 3rd grade.
I can smell gasoline, but only through my mouth.
Let's get this cutie pie changed! His room's upstairs, Milo? Yeah.
That may explain why she ate all that yogurt.
Uh, Milo? Who's Milo? Pawning Rafa off on the flavor of the week? Hey, she happens to be a very nice girl.
She's doing all of us a huge favor, so I don't wanna hear any of your comments.
Maybe, you should send her shopping, too, since you're never around.
The Martinezes stopped dropping off groceries a couple weeks ago, and now, we're low on everything.
Cereal, eggs.
We went through that whole box of ramen Hey, you know what? Luce and Beto have credit cards, too.
Ask them.
- No, you said you'd take care of it.
- No, you said you'd go shopping, and I was gonna handle the dishwasher.
And have you? It's on my list.
What? What, I've been busy, okay? Okay, not so busy that, what, I didn't buy you those sneakers? Hm? And I didn't find a daycare for Rafa? Oh, and I'll be ready to leave for the detention center at 8:00 AM sharp.
If I ever get a report from another substitute about misbehavior like that ever again, it's gonna be an automatic zero for all of you.
And a piece of advice.
If you're gonna cheat off each other, copy off somebody who knows how to spell the Treaty of Westphalia.
You can grade the test I took yesterday.
[SIGH.]
Because you are the student you are, LucÃa, I'm gonna be lenient about this.
You can stay after class to retake the test, or you can come back after school.
I didn't cheat off anyone yesterday.
I knew all the answers.
You want me to fail you.
Is that what you want? I have an A in here.
I do all my work, never cheat.
Isn't that enough not to be punished? - LucÃa - You know what? Do whatever you wanna do! I don't care.
Your rules are full of shit! [CLASS MURMURING.]
[MEXICAN MUSIC PLAYING.]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
Hey, Oscar! What's going on up there? Where's Linda? Linda quit this morning.
BETO: Without saying anything? You mean something like, "If you don't start paying me on time, I'm gonna quit?" Right.
That was Linda.
Um - How behind am I with you? - Two weeks.
You're not gonna quit, are you, Oscar? Not this week.
Okay, cool.
Um I'll take over Linda's job today and look for someone new tomorrow.
Good idea.
Val, can you do me a favor? There's a box of payroll stubs in the office.
Will you start organizing them? I need to figure out how much we owe everyone.
One of these days, I'll be gone.
Then, what are you gonna do? I have no idea.
[SPEAKING SPANISH.]
[KISS, SPEAKING SPANISH.]
I know it's not a substitute for seeing him.
They get him a haircut.
Did you see, Javier? Eh? Ah, sà sÃ.
Man at the barbershop wouldn't take any money for it.
He said he heard what happened.
- JAVIER: Hm.
- Hey, I'm so proud of you.
You're managing so well looking out for each other.
Yeah, we are.
Yeah, nothing for you guys to worry about.
And you're still having dinner together on Sundays? - Every week.
- Good.
JAVIER: And the restaurant? It's been busy? Uh, people in the neighborhood heard about, you know, so people are coming in more often.
Ah, charity.
- We're a charity case.
- Javier.
We just miss you both so much.
Oh, me too, mi amor.
Me, too.
Hands! - LUCE: Ridiculous.
- Uh What does your lawyer say? We're one of maybe 100 cases he's handling But that means he has a lot of experience - with hearings and - JAVIER: Yes.
he's hopeful.
Really? He's hopeful? He said that? But cases like yours only get reversed 8% of the time.
- I looked it up.
- EMILIO: Luce LUCE: And it works against us that Emilio is DACA because, technically, he's old enough to take care of us.
Who knows how long his status will hold.
Which is why I want you to go to church, mijos, okay? And every case is different, you know? Look at us.
We've never not paid our taxes.
We employee American citizens.
I got that citation from the Policemen's Benevolent Association.
- Remember that.
- [ALARM BUZZ.]
- Already? It's 3:00 already? - Okay, times up.
Let's go.
- Emilio, a word.
- We'll wait to celebrate Rafa's birthday until you guys are back home.
But, do a little something on that day, okay, mi amor? And we have a big party when we're back.
JAVIER: Mijo, uh, I was just going to thank you for stepping up.
Were you expecting me not to? - I know your music thing - It's not a thing, okay? - It's taking you - It's a career.
I'm a musician.
It's crazy how they keep husbands and wives separated.
It's inhumane is what it is.
What do they think they're gonna do, plan a jail break? Hey, Milo, did you tell what's her name that we'll be home in time for dinner? Emilio? I gotta drop you guys and then take off.
- What do you mean? - Got that gig.
Two nights, it's good exposure.
Place is feeder for bigger venues, which pay better, so If all goes well, we're set.
I'll be back on Wednesday.
- [BABY NOISES.]
- [ALICE BABY TALKING.]
ALICE: Open wide! - [BLOWS RASPBERRY.]
- Ah, good boy! Hey, you two.
Your brother has thrush.
Oh no! [BABY NOISES.]
Sorry you had to deal with that.
- On the plus side, I'm home.
- Yeah, you are.
[BABY NOISES CONTINUE.]
- Did you miss me? - Not so much.
But apparently, Francesca does.
- Who? - Francesca.
The girl you've been texting all morning.
Piece of advice.
Don't leave your tablet on the counter.
Alice, it's less bad than it looks.
Right, we were at the bar, - and the guys - And you ended up signing her breasts.
Yeah, but just the very top part! Alice.
Alice, come on.
Your brother has a pediatrician appointment in an hour.
Daycare starts at 11:00.
Oh, and you got a call from the school from the vice principal's office.
Guess she wants to see you.
- In person! - Alice! - I can be good! I promise.
- [DOOR OPENS.]
[DOOR SLAMS.]
What the hell is thrush? - [HIP HOP MUSIC PLAYING.]
- WOMAN: I'm studying psychology.
Part-time, to get my masters.
I know I don't have the experience for the job, but figured you have to start somewhere, right? You may think that I'm a flirt, flirt, flirt Right, yeah.
That's, um, extremely well put.
So, you don't actually have any jobs listed on your resume.
Yeah, well, my parents have, you know, been very generous.
But, I've decided it's time to stop taking gifts from people and start taking care of myself.
Please don't think that I'm a flirt, flirt, flirt, I just wanna be I'm wasting your time.
Sorry.
No, no, no! You, um, you have qualifications that you probably aren't aware of.
I just wanna give you work, work For example, you study psychology, which means you understand people.
That's a big plus for a hostess.
- Right.
- I usually find that zero experience is actually the way to go in this particular position.
People love that.
I really need you Trust me.
I had no experience when I inherited this job from my deadbeat brother.
Look at me now.
I run the place.
Well, I mean, you seem a little young.
I'm not that young.
I just wanna be, be for you First time in detention? What are you in for? I hooked up with Lena Cardenas in the girls' bathroom.
Oh Cool.
- I told a teacher to go - I know what you did.
- [OFFICE CHATTER.]
- [PHONE RINGING.]
WOMAN: Emilio Acosta? Dana Franzetti.
Won't you come in? I'm really concerned about your sister.
LucÃa? What, did she do something wrong? Well, at this very moment, she's in detention for an incident that occurred in her history class.
Seriously? You sure we're talking about the same girl here? Your sister's always been a straight A student, but as of late, I've been getting reports that she hasn't been handing in her assignments, and in her world history class, she blatantly disrespected a teacher in front of the entire class.
The thing is, LucÃa well, you know, we're all under a lot of pressure.
You know, stuff's been going on with our family these days.
- I don't know if you've heard.
- [BELL RINGING.]
It's bullshit.
If it had been a hetero couple getting it on, you think they would've broken a sweat? I guess not.
You guess not? You're the expert on all this.
All I know is most rules are hypocritical and pretty much everyone who makes them is lying to you, so I'm guessing you're right.
You're, like, president of the student council.
Not anymore.
That was stupid.
More vending machines on campus.
That was my campaign promise.
You're responsible for the vending machine outside the library.
That was me.
If you kick it in a certain spot, it spits out quarters, so thank you for your service.
Look at that.
I did some good.
Yeah.
So we should hang out some time.
Uh, sure.
My place if you want.
My parents are away.
Oh yeah.
I heard about that.
My folks split up a couple years ago.
That's not the same thing.
Anyway, they'll be back soon.
But, until then, it's just me and my siblings.
So, you guys have the run of the place, huh? Yeah, it's great.
No curfews, no rules, no one tells me what to do.
Well, I mean, I know he's always struggled in Spanish It's not just Spanish.
He's now failing English and math.
He's missed five days of school this month, including today.
Look, we've all been cutting corners these days.
I'm sure you're doing your best, but when I see a sharp decline in grades or in attendance, I have a responsibility to examine what's going on in the home.
Yeah.
How are these children being parented? Are they being parented? And if I can't answer those questions to my satisfaction, I'm required to report those concerns to the Department of Social Services.
Oh no, that's That's not necessary.
Okay, please don't do that.
Look, I wasn't aware of how bad things have gotten, okay? But now that I'm aware, you don't have to concern yourself or call anybody.
Alright? I'm on the case.
When was the last time you took a look at these books? - [PHONE CHIMES.]
- Hold that.
[MEXICAN MUSIC.]
[TYPING.]
- What? - The books? They're kind of a mess, and I can't tell how much money we have in the bank.
[PHONE RINGING.]
[PHONE RINGING.]
[HANGS UP.]
VOICEMAIL: This is Beto.
You know what to do.
Thank you.
Sir.
As I said, there's really no point in waiting.
She's leaving the office in just a few minutes for dinner.
Ms.
Santos? - I'm not done for the day? - Yes, you are.
This gentleman has no appointment.
I told him I know this isn't normal procedure! Okay, but my parents are being held for deportation.
They have a pro bono lawyer, and he's a good guy, but he has hundreds of cases.
I'm sorry.
No, you're not.
No one in this entire goddamn system is sorry! Look.
My brother's failing school.
Okay, my sister, who used to be perfect I'm telling you, perfect, is so angry at the world and I don't know how to make that better.
Okay, my little sister's gonna need a bra any day now without a mom to get her through that.
And the baby, the baby has thrush, and I don't know if it's something I did.
Ms.
Santos, we have no other family here.
Okay, besides my parents, it's just me.
I'm telling you, I won't be good enough.
They need my parents.
I'm asking you.
Please.
- [PHONE RINGING.]
- [RESTAURANT CHATTER.]
VOICEMAIL: Hey, it's Luce.
Leave a message.
I'm actually going to kill her.
Looks like she has somewhere more important to be.
Posted five minutes ago.
It's bad enough Mami and Papi aren't here for his birthday.
Hey, it's gonna be okay.
- Okay, they'll be home soon.
- That's not what LucÃa thinks.
Okay, listen, I was gonna wait till she got here to break the news, but I have reason to believe we're gonna be in pretty good shape tomorrow.
What's that supposed to mean? Well, this afternoon, I hired the best immigration lawyer in town.
Laura Santos.
Her office is, like, filled with cases she turns down every day.
How'd you manage that? By refusing to leave her office until she said yes.
She knows every judge.
Completely tapped in.
Oh, and get ready, Val.
She's gonna want you as a character witness.
I can definitely do that.
Now, who do you love? Huh? [HIP HOP MUSIC BLASTING.]
[PARTY CHATTER.]
[MUSIC BLASTING.]
Hella bandz hella grands, you could see it in her face Are you the weed guy? What? No, who the hell are you? - Who the hell are you? - I happen to live here.
Well, I happen to be a friend of Kenny's.
Who's Kenny? BETO: LucÃa! [PARTY CHATTER CONTINUES.]
- LucÃa! - [GLASS BREAKS.]
But look at where I come from, from Los Angeles Everybody flossing, everybody say they got it Everybody tryna impress somebody that don't even want 'em Oh, hey! Beto! - Take Rafa and go upstairs.
- Why? Just wait for me in your room, alright? - Beto! - About time you showed up.
What's going on here? Where are your manners? Say hello.
- What are you - Where you been, bro? FRIEND: Missed you! Who said you could throw a party? I didn't know I needed your permission.
It's my house, too.
We waited at the restaurant.
It was Rafa's birthday.
We're not really celebrating until Mami and Papi - get back anyway.
We agreed.
- You can't do this, Luce.
You can't just not show up.
You didn't answer your phone.
Val was certain something happened to you.
Okay, well, I'm sorry.
Family dinner is the one thing she should be able to depend on.
Why? Hm? What does it matter if we have dinner at the restaurant? What kind of tradition is it, sitting around a table, when Mami and Papi's seats are empty? So she should just look at her sister's empty seat, too? - Well, I'm entitled to have some fun! - Not at her expense.
Or mine, or Rafa's.
We need to keep some things the same.
Well, that's impossible, Beto, because nothing's the same anymore, okay? Nothing.
VAL: [SCREAM.]
Beto! Come quick! EMILIO: LucÃa! LucÃa! LucÃa! - We need to shut this down.
- Says who? Someone's having sex in Mami and Papi's room.
At least two people.
What's gotten into you? Will you chill out? It's about to wind down anyways.
CROWD: Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! [CHANTING CONTINUES.]
- [CLICK.]
- [PEOPLE YELLING.]
[CAR HORN.]
VAL: We never got in trouble.
Not one of us, not ever.
Because all we ever wanted was for them to be proud of us.
I'm in 7th grade right now, in 9th grade math.
You wanna know why? Cause my Papi taught me.
Every day, after school, at the restaurant.
Even if he was busy.
I'm a good girl because my parents made sure of it.
And I still need them.
And I'm gonna need them for a very long time.
Thank you, Valentina.
Mami.
JUDGE: Ms.
Santos, do you have a final statement? SANTOS: Your Honor.
The standard for overturning a deportation ruling is exceptional and unusual hardship.
This court has used that standard before.
It was meant for families like the Acostas.
Javier and Gloria Acosta have no other relatives in this country, their home for the past 23 years.
If they are sent away, their five children, and their restaurant, becomes the sole responsibility of a 24-year-old, who is, himself, a DACA kid.
If the burden becomes too much for Emilio Acosta, or if the status of the dreamers should change, then 20 American families would find their breadwinners without a job, a thriving business would become an empty storefront, and the Acosta children would be separated and sent into the foster system, and that, Your Honor, is exceptional hardship.
Ms.
Santos, the law is more specific than that.
The hardship must be substantially different from or beyond what is ordinarily expected.
It needs to be very uncommon and limited to truly exceptional situations.
Unfortunately, heartbreak is anything but uncommon in these cases.
So is the wrenching apart of families Your Honor, the children in this case, and the age of the only responsible adult Ms.
Santos, the law is clear.
Valentina, LucÃa, Beto, Emilio, I'm sorry.
Mr.
and Mrs.
Acosta, my hands are tied.
- The former ruling stands.
- [BANG.]
- No! - [MURMURING.]
Your Honor, please.
Don't punish our children for something I did 23 years ago! - Please! - Mr.
Acosta, there's nothing I can do.
- That's it? - I'm so sorry.
BAILIFF: Come on! JAVIER: Emilio, I'm sorry.
Sorry, mijo.
BAILIFF: This way.
Maybe we can appeal.
We'll appeal.
LUCE: On what grounds? I mean, what argument can we make that wasn't already made? So, that's just it? They just get put on a bus? It's gonna be okay, Val.
How is it gonna be okay? What are we supposed to do? [STAMMERING.]
We'll take care of each other, we keep the business running.
Do you know how to run a restaurant, Bey? 'Cause I don't.
Even Papi didn't manage so good.
What do you mean? We went through the books.
There's barely enough payroll to cover next month, plus whatever we owe the lawyer.
VAL: How much was that? How much money did you spend on the lawyer, Emilio? Seven - thousand.
- What? VAL: We don't have that! We don't have anywhere near that! Bey, how much? There's $3,100 in the checking account.
- Jesus, you spent $7,000? - Hey, I was trying to help.
Okay? I was trying to give them every possible advantage.
- And what good did it do? - You blew $7,000.
She had a track record, okay!? She said she could help! BETO: And if she asked for $20,000? You would've forked that over, right? Anything to not get stuck with us.
They're gonna split us up! Hey, no, they're not.
Okay, we won't let that happen.
Right, Luce? Never.
Hey Hey.
No one is going to split us up.
I'll sublet my apartment.
Move back home, full time.
I'll take care of things.
Promise.
[CHATTER.]
Gloria No.
Mi amor, son quatro.
Eh? [PLAYING ACOUSTIC GUITAR.]
- [SCOFFS.]
- VAL: Okay, done.
- Anyone wanna take a look? - At what? I made a GoFundMe page for us.
- No, you didn't.
- Why not? I saw a story of a family whose father got washed away by a rogue wave on vacation, and they raised over $200,000.
Seriously? Lemme see.
[CHUCKLES.]
Nice.
- Way to take some initiative - Just forget it.
Okay, no one cares.
- There's a ton of families like us.
- [DOOR OPENS.]
- A lot of them are way worse off.
- [DOOR SHUTS.]
EMILIO: Hey! - Saved you some pizza.
- I already ate.
VAL: You look nice.
- Thanks.
- EMILIO: Where were you? Out with those friends of yours? Have you been smoking? EMILIO: Look, I don't wanna see them in this house again.
Is that clear? And no more staying out late on school nights either.
Okay, things are changing around here.
Go to hell, Emilio.
- [DOOR SHUTS.]
- Come on, Val.
Time for bed.
No way.
I never go to bed this early.
Yeah, I'm sure 'cause this place was a circus.
Now, go to bed.
You can't tell me what to do.
Yes, I can.
I'm the parent now.
Oh, shut up with you being the parent, Emilio.
You're the oldest.
Good for you.
Doesn't make you anyone's parent.
You know what? I'm sick of your attitude, okay? You don't want me coming in here making the rules? That's fine, I'll go.
But they'll come in here, and they'll split you guys up.
Is that what you want? I'm responsible for this family now, and I'm gonna take that responsibility seriously Gimme a break.
Okay, you wanna take care of us? Go to work.
- I have a job.
- What? Being a musician? That's not a job.
Two night gig once a month is not a job.
It's a fantasy! And we can't afford that right now.
We need the money.
So, why don't you act like the grown-up you claim to be, suck it up, and go run the restaurant like Mami and Papi? I don't wanna be like Mami and Papi! Neither do I! But here we are.
It's getting late, Val.
Why don't you get ready for bed? [CHATTER.]
Uh, this is everything, and the box is for Rafa's toys.
If we forget anything, we can bring it to you.
- Oh, sure you can.
- [BABY NOISES.]
[CLEARS THROAT.]
We'll call you as soon as we get there, okay? Guys, I I needed to ask you something.
- [SNEEZE.]
- Salud, mijo.
You have to look after Rafa.
What? Yeah, we won't be able to give him what you can.
- This is his home now.
- I know it's huge No, no.
If you're sure, Mami, then it's nothing to ask.
Okay, you did it for us.
Oh, my boy.
VAL: We'll bring him to visit you every time we can.
And we can Skype every day.
OFFICER: The buses have arrived.
You'll be boarding shortly.
No, we're not done yet.
- It's okay, it's okay.
- No, it's not.
- You've done nothing wrong.
- [ALARM BUZZ.]
- Gotta go.
- No, get your hands off her! She's not less of a person than you are! - What's the matter with this country!? - LucÃa! Dignity, mija! Show them who we are! They don't care who we are, Papi! Don't you understand that by now!? Then we show ourselves! Oh no.
Don't look at me that way.
- Bye, Mami.
- No, don't break my heart.
JAVIER: Take care of your sisters, okay? I'd come visit you every chance I could, but they wouldn't let me back in the country.
[SPANISH CHATTER.]
- I love you.
- Hey, little one! I love you.
OFFICER: Ma'am.
A fierce little girl we raised, yes? Yes? - [CRYING.]
- Mami! [GLORIA CRYING.]
GLORIA: Oh God, please look after my children.
[CRYING.]
Please.
You have to stick together, okay? No matter what happens.
Promise me.
Promise me you're gonna stay together.
Sorry, Papi.
I'm sorry.
No! No, no, mijo! No! You don't remember.
You were so tiny, yeah.
We carried you.
We carried you across the desert, across the border.
August, 106 degrees.
We thought we were going to die there.
Now, look at you.
Here you are, look at you! You're so big and smart and talented.
You be what you wanna be, okay? I'm so proud of you.
Okay, Emilio? I'm so proud of you.
OFFICER: Okay, we have to go.
I love you, mijo, I love you.
- [INDISTINCT.]
- [SPEAKS SPANISH.]
Fight it.
You have to be strong.
Oh, I love you so much.
- [CRYING.]
- No! No! No! I'm not ready to go! - OFFICER: We gotta go.
Gotta go.
- [CRYING.]
- I don't want to! I don't want to! - JAVIER: It's okay.
[CRYING.]
EMILIO: Our parents were deported to Mexico yesterday.
They wanted you all to know, because they didn't get the chance to say themselves, how much they'll miss you.
They care for you and appreciate all you've done for this place they love so much.
Hey, they still have their phones, so I'm sure you'll be hearing from them.
[CHUCKLE.]
Plenty.
Probably way more than you'd like.
Marta.
The menu still changes every month.
- Mm-hmm.
- Count on it.
If you guys are worried about your jobs, don't be, alright? My brother and sister will be going back to school, but as for me, I'll be here, running things every day, just like my father did.
Alright? That's it.
Here we go! [KITCHEN CHATTER.]
Alright, Oscar.
What now? Ernesto didn't show up.
The busboy!? [SIRENS, TRAFFIC NOISE.]
Seat taken? Free country, they claim.
There's this thing we learned about in English.
The pathetic fallacy.
You know what that is? It's like when you use an emotion to describe something that can't have emotions, like angry storm clouds, or Jumbo shrimp? No, not jumbo shrimp.
[LAUGH.]
I was thinking the sunshine in LA feels dishonest.
Like, it just goes on shining without any regard for how unhappy the people are who are getting shined on.
It's insulting, really.
I could turn the sprinkler on you, if that'd help.
You remember when we used to play in the sprinkler? We'd turn it off right before Val ran through it.
[LAUGHS.]
We made a good team.
Us? Beto, we never got the team thing down.
- What do you mean? We're twins.
- No.
Twins have a connection, read each other's minds.
We don't have that.
We were like strangers in the womb.
What am I feeling right now? Right this second.
You're afraid.
And guess what, Luce.
Me, too.
[SCOFF.]
The thing is I don't know how to raise a baby or be a parent to a 12-year-old.
Me neither.
You do, too.
You're better than I am.
Good at it, in fact.
At last.
Something I'm good at.
Look, Mami and Papi weren't much older than us when they came here, and they managed.
With a lot less than what we have.
Just two bags BOTH: A $50 bill, and a Spanish to English dictionary.
And they figured it out.
So will we.
How do you know? I just do.
[BABY CRYING.]
[GROANS.]
- Did you try his binky? - I tried his binky.
- Is he wet? - LUCE: No, he's not wet.
[YAWN.]
Did you try his binky? [YAWN.]
Uh huh.
[CRYING CONTINUES.]
I think he just misses them.
- [CRYING CONTINUES.]
- We take turns? [BABY CRYING.]
[BABY NOISES.]
[GUITAR PLAYING.]
EMILIO: If I needed you Would you come to me Would you come to me And ease my pain? And if you needed me I would come to you I'd swim the seas For to ease your pain Si me necesitaras - Yo vendria por ti - [STRUMMING.]
Cruzaria el mar Para aliviar tu dolor ANNOUNCER: This season, on "Party of Five.
" They say you can't keep a good man down The world hasn't been very kind to us lately.
You milked the restaurant for 16 years.
I'm just trying to protect the family.
What did you order? Personal lady stuff for my lady regions.
If I can't cut it academically, they'll be on all of our asses.
- Can I help you? - Department of Social Services.
A file's been opened.
That's going to be ongoing.
But you can't keep a good man down, down - Turn it on.
- It works.
That little girl has already lost her parents, okay? And some court's going to decide because she's upset about that, she might lose me too? We have never had to say goodbye to each other before.
I get it.
You're afraid.
The way I see it, haven't we all earned the right to have a little fun? - Rise, rise up - [LAUGHS.]
Maybe I'll try and write some new songs.
How about that? We've done so well that they don't need us anymore.
No.
No, that's not