Good Trouble (2019) s02e16 Episode Script
Fragility
And we're live! Thank you for believing in me and ACT-ivism.
Sometimes, I like, kinda get a feeling So I was wondering if you would like to get a drink with me sometime? Guys, you're gonna wanna look at your phones We used to be best friends.
Until Mariana showed up, and you chose her.
So you're like in love with her? You into magic? Hmm I love magic.
Hey, would you say it's normal to fantasize about another woman during sex? Is the woman Mariana's new roommate? The development company we are trying to sue is owned by a Chinese company.
The company that owns the development group you're suing, I represent them.
I know you're invested in this case, but you're not a lawyer on it.
If I give up this case, am I always going to be expected to put your career first? Guess who I ran into? Heather.
- Oh.
- Jamie's ex-girlfriend.
You know what they say about Sig Pis and Kappas.
They go together.
Jamie, I love you but I'm not ready to get engaged.
I didn't buy that ring for you.
It was meant for my ex.
Okay, Andre.
Principal's office.
Now.
I can't go to the principal's office again.
Well you should have thought about that before you threw something at a teacher.
I'm sorry but I don't know how to teach kids - who don't want to be taught.
- You mean black kids.
In a racially separate, and unequal society, white people are the ones who benefit.
But when we try to talk about race, white fragility quickly emerges.
This is the problem with recruiting white college grads - to teach at diverse urban schools.
- Oh my God Y'all can't relate to your students! And you have no clue what their real home lives are like.
So now you wanna educate me.
The racial status quo is comfortable for white people.
We don't have to deal with racial stress and feel entitled to our advantage.
So you have feelings for me? It was no big thing.
But it's not a small thing.
You must have loved her to propose.
When white people are confronted with their racial prejudice, we think we're being told we're bad people.
And feel like we have to defend our character.
I'm not racist, okay? I'm a good person and I have feelings too.
Hey.
I know you heard me! As a white person, are there racial dynamics that I can't see? What up, gumboot Becky? Am I open to that possibility? If we were willing to consider the possibility of us getting married - Hypothetically.
- Sure.
We have the same values, don't we? Where it counts.
Aiming to be colorblind denies the reality of racism.
- We're watching you.
- I am so sorry that they did that to you.
Don't act like you care.
I don't know how to teach kids who don't wanna be taught.
You mean black kids.
No.
In my classroom I don't see color.
I'm colorblind.
Yeah, well, that's your problem.
White tears is how our fragility presents, as we cry about how hard racism is for us.
I tried to tell you You lied to me.
We need to feel grief about the brutality of white supremacy and how we benefited from it.
But our grief must lead us to action.
It's not enough to acknowledge racism.
We must act to interrupt it.
Okay.
Let's talk about gumboot Becky.
What? Why did Heather say no? I think she knew we weren't really a match.
Well, I heard that Kappas and Sig Pis just go together.
It was no big thing.
But it's not a small thing.
You must have loved her.
To propose.
She was the kind of girl I was expected to marry.
- I'm certainly not.
- Exactly.
- Oh, I'm your act of rebellion.
- Am I yours? I think the best matches are the unexpected kind.
And I don't want a marriage like my parents'.
I would like a relationship as strong as my moms.
Who are very different people.
True, but they have the same values.
If we were willing to consider the possibility of us getting married.
- Hypothetically.
- Yes.
We have the same values, don't we? Where it counts.
Yeah.
So, why'd you hold on to the ring? Just thought you'd dust it off and try it on the next girl.
Yeah, depended on who the girl was.
Hmm.
But, if say that girl was you Nah, it's not your style at all.
What's my style? Somethin' vintage Simpler, but elegant.
Not flashy.
You think you know me.
So well Don't I? I think we got up too early this morning.
Definitely.
- We should go back to bed.
- Mm-hmm.
- We're gonna be late for work.
- We'll skip the foreplay.
Hey, Principal Solomon, can I have a word? Davia, yes, come in.
Have a seat.
And please, call me Dan.
Oh, uh, thanks, Dan.
What can I do for you? Uh, I wanted to talk to you about one of my students, Andre Johnson, and this diversion program that he's in.
Sure.
What would you like to know? Well, apart from roughing students up in the hallway and confiscating their permanent markers, I'm not really sure what this program is all about.
It's a pipeline to prison.
- Targeting mostly students of color? - Pretty much.
Well, this program is about diverting kids who are getting in trouble at school from getting in trouble with the law.
The only contact most of these kids have with the law, is these probation officers treating them like criminals.
We're trying to keep these at-risk kids out of gangs.
What they're at risk of is racial bias.
We're giving them tough love here.
That's the whole point.
They're being too lazy to come up with real solutions outside of law enforcement.
These kids, they need discipline.
Right? They need to be told what's right from wrong.
Some of them need more discipline than others.
You treat a kid like a criminal, they're more likely to become one.
We're telling these kids that you can be somebody.
These kids are in middle school.
Is getting in trouble with the law really that much of a concern? Trust me.
I've seen it happen with so many of these kids.
And it just Breaks my heart.
Well, I think I overreacted the last time I sent Andre to your office and I would like that struck from his record.
Davia, you're not the first teacher to send him to my office, okay? He's obviously not getting the kind of parenting he needs at home.
You did him a favor.
Ugh I really screwed up.
The whole system is screwed up.
The whole purpose of public education was to promote social equality.
Here you go.
Every single one of my students deserves a chance at success in life.
But not every one of them gets that opportunity.
Well how can I help Andre and my other students? You can join the Equity Committee.
We're a group of teachers.
We meet a couple times a week.
We work on a plan to do better by our kids and close the achievement gap.
I'm in.
Whatever I can do.
Okay! Well we're meeting tonight at my place so I'll just text you the address.
Sounds good.
How's it feel? Being the first all-female team at Speckulate.
- Amazing.
- It's great.
So empowering.
There's this perception that women don't work well together.
Yeah, like we're gonna cat fight instead of code.
Right? But I've had so much less drama working with these ladies than any primarily male team that I've ever worked on.
- Same - Same.
I've launched apps before.
Where's my photo shoot? You see, when a woman launches an app, it's so rare, it's news.
Because the opportunity is rare.
When's your glamour shoot? You're green team-ish, right? He's whatever Mariana wants him to be.
She's green.
He's blue.
She's blue.
He's green.
Can we talk about my privacy proposal for the new app? No.
Evan is not gonna like it.
What we can talk about, is this salary laddering bullshit.
And how it's gonna turn a meritocracy into mediocrity.
What can you tell me about the new salary laddering plan? I understand that's another project you all took on.
Well, laddering levels the playing field and ensures income equality for women and people of color doing the same work, as say, their white male counterparts.
It's not just about the women.
I'm finally being paid as much as Sam for doing the same work.
- But is it the same work? - No.
I rest my case.
- Raj's is better.
- What? How so? Oh.
Look who's ready for his close up.
Is my work even good? It's your girlfriend's boyfriend.
Uh, Mariana.
Can you have a seat there, maybe.
- Looks great.
Feel good? - Yeah.
Uh, yes So Evan, an activism app doesn't seem like an obvious choice for Speckulate.
Well, maybe not the old Speckulate.
So Mariana's enlightened you.
Ah, she has, uh, definitely opened my eyes to many things that needed fixing.
And, Mariana.
You've only been here a short time.
What was it like pitching your idea to uh, the boss? Oh.
Well, I was terrified.
Really? Huh.
Seemed cool as a cauliflower.
Um, no, I wasn't cool as anything.
I was a nervous wreck.
And, uh, what was your first impression of Mariana? Uh well I thought she was incredibly bright.
And confident.
Enthusiatic.
Everything I'm looking for in an engineer.
You-you were kidding about Raj's work being better than mine - right? - Nope.
He's more focused than you.
Yeah, sure, I'd be focused on work too if I had to watch my boss do publicity porn with my girlfriend.
There's so many things wrong with that statement.
First, the idea of you even having a girlfriend.
- Someday - And two, can I finish? Two, how would being distracted make you more focused? Have you ever tried to like cook or shower Evan, let's lose the jacket.
Maybe pull up your sleeves a bit.
Just loosen you up.
You know? Here.
Got it.
You gotta play music so you can distract yourself then you get the task done faster.
This is how you're backing up your argument? - This stuff that we're working on - Stop.
I've stopped listening to you.
Well whose fault is that? Callie.
Do you know what this meeting with the CC Hastings lawyers is about? No, um, I'm not working on the case anymore.
I ju I really have to focus on passing the bar.
And doing the job I was hired for.
You aren't bailing because you think we're gonna lose? No.
Absolutely not.
I-I really believe in your case.
And you're in great hands with Marcus and the ACLU.
Where were you this morning? Sorry, I, uh, was running late.
Well, we're shorthanded today.
Can you get the lunch order? Sure.
Lisa, thanks for coming in.
Let's chat in my office.
Um, any idea what's up? - You know as much as we do.
- Which is sad.
Because without you inside the room where it happens, we're all in the dark.
Callie.
Can you grab coffee for a dozen people for this afternoon? Sure.
Hey, um, I was just looking for, uh Mmm.
She's, uh, in the laundry room.
- I'll wait in the lounge.
- Oh! Don't be silly.
Have you ever tried yoga? I'm Indian so we kind of invented it.
Oh, right.
But, no, I have not.
Come on.
I'll show you some poses.
- Come on.
Easy ones.
- Uh Okay.
Knees head width apart.
And we'll start with cat cow just to warm up the spine a bit.
Arch your back.
- That feel better? - Uh-huh.
Uh, so - I have a favor to ask you.
- Uh - A favor? - Mm-hmm.
I need a wood elf.
You know, like the kind from Middle Earth.
- Oh, okay.
- Mm-hmm.
You might also need a doctor, you know, like from a psych ward.
Feet flat.
- Oh.
- Hips up.
- Oh! - This one's called downward dog.
- Head down.
- Oh, okay.
So as a side gig, I do kids' parties.
I'll dress up as a princess or a fairy and we'll do face painting, and games.
Okay, uh, puppy pose.
- Mmm.
- Puppy pose So, I usually do it with this guy and he's totally bailed on me.
So I was thinking maybe you could be my new partner.
Well, I have zero wood elf training.
Okay.
Easy pose.
That may be true, but you do have some special skills.
Magic.
When did you learn that? I'm glad you asked.
To tempt you, I got a magic kit.
It's literally a bag of tricks.
Okay, so you could do a magic show and I could be your assistant.
Come on.
We could do this.
You can do this.
Oh, you look amazing.
Thanks.
- So do you.
- Ah.
Thank you.
Are you ready? Let me just get my bow and arrows.
Okay, let's talk about gumboot Becky.
I know it was pretty dumb of me to teach you a dance about black oppression.
- I thought it was funny.
- I didn't.
It was awkward.
And I hear that.
I just wanted to find a way for this class to connect to the material.
But it wasn't cool how you put on a costume and dance like you understood what you were doing.
You're right.
And I'm sorry.
Look, sometimes I don't get it because Well, as a white person I'm not forced to think about my whiteness and how that might allow me to be clueless about some stuff.
But I want to do better.
And I want you all to feel like can call me out For real? - Absolutely.
- Your perfume smells hella cheap.
Constructively.
Seeing somebody who does the dance for real would have been dope.
You're right, and I should have tried to reach out to someone who understood the culture and the history.
Okay, but my dancing aside what did you all think about the gumboot and how it was used as a communication tool? I thought it was cool.
I read that a lot of the miners didn't speak the same language.
So even if they were allowed to talk, they couldn't.
So the dance kinda like, bridged the language gap too.
That's right, Andre.
So downloads for ACT-ivisim have been growing which has generated a lot of amazing feedback.
But I do think that we could expand on that buzz.
The article's gonna be great Does she want people to know that her app is shitty? What? Sorry.
I fell asleep.
So if we could reach our target users, we'll see more traffic.
Agreed.
We'll talk to ad sales.
Thank you.
Seriously, he's throwing more money at this loser? How? Oh.
Um, I would love to bring Rachael on the team to help with outreach.
Okay.
Approved.
What about my request for additional coders for the new social media project? Shouldn't that be our priority seeing how it could actually make the company some money? The social media project has all the resources it needs.
But when your team starts working as hard as the green team to meet its deadlines, then maybe I'll consider investing additional resources.
Oh, you found me! Should we go see if we can find some other fairies? - Yeah! - Yeah, come on! Let's go! Oh, be careful! Oh look.
Here's some.
Hi, ladies Okay.
Should we all play? Oh! Try to keep it in the air.
What are you supposed to be? I'm a wood elf.
Magician.
Make me a giraffe.
Oh, sorry.
I don't rea Okay.
Well, yup.
Um - Hello.
- Where are you? Uh.
I had a personal matter.
Okay, well I need you to pitch your privacy feature.
I'll put you on video chat.
What?! No, wait.
What! And you have Evan.
And everyone.
Um, hello everyone.
Hi Raj.
Where are you? We can't see you.
Uh Hey.
So, uh Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Back up, man.
We can see up your nostrils.
What? I can't hear you.
So.
The privacy feature will give you just complete control to opt in for any algorithm.
Something no other social app allows.
Whi Sorry about that.
Here I am.
Cosplay during the day.
So lame.
Cosplay anytime is lame.
Yeah, no, it's lame always.
Raj.
This is Evan.
Are you dressed as an elf? Hmm? Pfft.
Yes.
Yes, I am, sir.
Okay.
Well, I'm intrigued by this idea.
You're intriged by the elf costume or the privacy feature? Privacy feature, of course.
Carry on.
Well, we have have dreams.
I know I do.
One thing I dream about is social media that doesn't invade my privacy.
Bye.
See ya tomorrow.
Hey.
Can I talk to you for a second? So I wanted to apologize for the part I played in getting you placed in this diversion program.
And I spoke to Principal Solomon on your behalf.
Okay.
I just wanna figure out how best to support you.
And I would love to meet your parents to figure out how we can do that together.
It's just my mom.
Well I'd like to meet her.
If that's okay with you.
- I-I guess.
- Great.
I'll set it up.
What took you so long? The order wasn't ready when I went to pick it up.
And I couldn't call 'cause I left my phone.
- Yeah.
It's on your desk.
- It's been blowing up.
And a Jamie Hunter called a couple of times.
- Left word to call him back.
- Okay.
Thanks.
Come on.
You all know that these intimidation tactics are breaking the law.
So if you don't tell him to back off until this matter is settled, then we're gonna take legal action against him.
My clients deserve to live in peace.
Not in constant fear.
Gary.
Can you stay to take notes, please? Yeah, sure.
Callie.
We good? Uh, yes.
Greetings, young maidens.
I've come all the way from the enchanted forest with my very good friend, Neldor the Wood Elf! You're not an elf.
Elves are really small.
I'm not that kind of elf.
I'm an elf giant.
Neldor.
And - He's magic.
- Elves aren't magic! Oh really? Are you sure Wow And now watch as I, Neldor the magical Wood Elf, turn water into ice.
Right before your eyes.
Voila.
Whoa He just made ice! Feel how cold And now, I will need the birthday girl.
All right, Ava.
I want you to pick a crayon from the box.
Don't let me see it.
And I will now read Ava's mind to reveal the secret crayon color.
- No way.
- It's true.
When a kid turns 8, their psychic aura becomes instantly readable to magicians and wood elves and moms.
Watch and be amazed, young skeptics, as I read her mind.
I'm seeing a color.
I'm sensing something Warm.
Bright.
Like fire.
Is your crayon orange? Wow Wow! That was amazing.
We'll be in touch.
- What happened? - Not your case anymore, Callie.
So? What's going on? I really shouldn't speak out of turn.
But of course I will.
Mariana.
Good job today on the photo shoot and the interview.
Thank you.
The reporters has some follow-up questions for you tomorrow.
Okay.
About the Amanda situation and the wrongful termination lawsuit.
- I thought that went away.
- It did.
But somehow the reporter found out about it anyway.
And we'd like you to set the record straight.
- How? - Just tell them that you've worked closely with Evan and that he's never crossed a line.
Assuming that that's true.
- It is.
- So, let them know.
That he's not what Amanda and her lawsuit tried to make him out to be.
And that he's been nothing but professional with you.
Okay? - Okay.
- Okay.
Hey! Andre was really great in class today.
He took part in the discussion and he had some really great insights into the book that we're reading.
Oh.
Maybe the diversion program is making a difference.
I'm planning to meet with his mom.
To see how we can work together to come from a place that's, you know, less punitive.
Sounds encouraging.
Yeah I'm also joining the Equity Committee.
I'm excited about coming up with ideas to address the achievement gap.
You know they're not a school-sponsored group, right? And the administration isn't exactly thrilled about their ideas.
Instead of helping us improve what's already in place, they just want to blow everything up.
Oh well I didn't know that.
Look, your review is coming up and any recommendation I make, it still has to be approved by the administration.
I'm really impressed by your passion and the progress you're making with the students.
I'd hate to lose you.
See you tomorrow.
Look, if I just leave, then you can still fix it.
I don't wanna lose you.
You wanna talk about dating? Not even sure there's someone out there for me.
Oh, of course there's someone out there for you.
Oh, okay.
Thank you.
- Merry Christmas.
- Merry Christmas.
May I? Please.
- Is everything okay? - No.
Kendra asked me to talk to the reporter again about the whole Amanda situation.
I thought that was settled.
Yeah, well, I guess the story's out.
Look, I don't know what happened between you and Amanda.
I wasn't there.
So I can't defend you without discrediting her.
And I can't contribute to the narrative that women shouldn't be believed.
You don't need to defend me.
Just speak to our relationship.
Yeah, but I can't exactly defend that either.
Like, Kendra asked me if you've ever crossed a line and I lied.
I can't honestly say that a professional line hasn't been crossed between us.
And not just by you.
What do you mean? We both crossed a line? I think that we have feelings that are more than professional.
Hey, do you have a second? Uh, sure.
Okay, so, as someone who's dealt with a bunch of inequities at work.
Uh-huh.
Would you rather have an ally for the long term helping change the culture, or would you want that ally to fall on their sword by like, joining an Equity Committee and risk that ally being fired as a result, and not being able to help at all.
I'm not sure under-the-radar allies are much help.
Soft support doesn't really help make the change that's needed.
Okay.
Thanks.
You wanna know what I think? No I think if we all fall on our sword, who will be left on the battle field? I also think we should abolish government, taxes, Fox News.
Definitely that blouse you're wearing.
Hey, that's just me.
Can you put your bowl in the sink? Actually, can you? That'd be great.
You're drinking milk and whisky? Yeah.
Hey.
Hey.
So, uh I have to talk to you about something.
Me too.
So I need to talk to you about the CC Hastings lawyers.
Um, one of them, Jamie Hunter, is the person I told you about.
That I'm seeing.
Did you know he was gonna be at the meeting today? No.
I didn't think that he represented Anwei's subsidiary companies.
- Well, he presented the offer.
- Which they doubled.
I made him tell me.
So, Lisa's gonna take the offer back to the other plaintiffs? It's a lot to ask these tenants to fight gentrification when the bottom line is, they're renters.
They don't own their homes.
And that much cash in hand can solve a lot of short-term problems.
Okay, but what about the long-term ones? It's hard to focus on the long-term when you're living hand-to-mouth like most of these folks.
So, you think the lawsuit's dead? I think no one else is gonna offer them this much money to move.
What is so special about this particular building? I don't know.
Why don't you ask your boyfriend? So you're okay with me and Isabella? Yeah.
Of course I am.
I fell back that Raj is stuck on blue team and I'm getting all of this attention for the app.
I just wish that there was something that he as passionate about, that made him happy.
Well, he loves magic.
I mean, he could get good enough to perform.
He's terrified to get up in front of people.
Even pitching at work gives him heart palps.
But what about people who aren't adults? I think I may have an idea.
You don't need my approval to do kids' parties with Isabella.
You get to perform your magic which I know you love.
I did crush it.
- You sure? - Yes.
If it makes you happy, it makes me happy.
Okay.
So what did you want to tell me? - What manifesto? - What? Hey, guys.
Hi.
"Why the women engineers at Speckulate aren't equal to the men"? I tried to tell you.
You lied to me.
I didn't lie to you.
You said that you have nothing to do with this case, or CC Hastings, that you represent Anwei's other interests.
And that was true, until at the last minute, they asked me to step in on this negotiation today.
Why didn't you tell them it was a conflict of interest? Because, technically it isn't.
You're not on the case anymore.
Because you said that they would get their day in court with our without me.
I was unfamiliar with the Ellis Act which allows building owners to evict tenants because they're claiming they're going out of the rental business.
Well there are exceptions.
They've already gotten approval, Callie.
You can stall the inevitable but you won't win.
Wow.
It sounds like you were very persuasive.
Where I was persuasive was in convincing CC Hastings to double the money they're offering the tenants.
and to increase the number of affordable living units.
It's still wrong.
They're powerless and they're being taken advantage of by powerful companies lining their pocket.
I don't disagree, but until the law changes, this is a whole lot better than what they were gonna get.
I'm sorry I blindsided you, but I tried to do right by those people.
"Salary should be based on merit, skill and competency and not reverse discrimination against white males".
"Men are better suited to high-stress jobs because women are more interested in life-work balance, relationships, and starting a family".
"If women engineers were qualified and could do their job better than male engineers, they wouldn't have to get special favors from their bosses who use $10,000 of their own money to bail them out of an app failure like Mariana Adams Foster and her ACT-ivism app".
I never asked Evan to bail me out of that glitch.
- I wanted him to garnish my wages.
- I know that.
Now everyone's gonna think that he did me some special favor.
Wait.
How did whoever wrote that know about the 10K and the glitch? Oh, she swears Evan's not into her.
Dude, Evan wants her.
- We all want her.
- Right?! Wait.
Not no, no, no.
Not like technically but like conjecturally.
Right.
Right.
I mean, why else would he bail her out with his own money? Whoa, whoa, whoa Like out of jail, like she got arrested? No, no, no.
We had a code glitch during the beta test.
Yeah, it doubled the event donations by $10,000 and Evan picked up the tab.
That's like Yeah.
Right.
Did you tell anyone? I might have I mean I forgot, but now I remember.
I was really drunk.
And upset after you had drinks with Evan and didn't tell me and so I did, I told Alex.
Wow, um, you told the one person who's been horrible to me since my first day at Speckulate and still calls me Mary Anna? I'm so sorry.
- I can go.
- No, stay.
I might need you to keep me from killing Raj.
- I was really drunk.
- Bad excuse.
Now everyone's gonna think that Evan gives me special treatment.
And none of my hard work is gonna matter at all.
For the record, I told Alex the glitch was my fault.
And it was whiskey Okay, still bad, Raj.
At least we know it was Alex.
We have no proof.
I'm sure he covered his tracks.
There no way to trace it back to him.
I'll get the proof.
I'll find a way.
I'll make this right.
I promise.
So you have feelings for me? I do, uh have some feelings sometimes.
But I have a boyfriend who I really love.
What if you didn't? I still wouldn't act on those feelings.
Why? Because you're my boss.
And everyone would assume that any success I've had at Speckulate was based solely on my relationship with you.
- It's what they think now.
- Well they're wrong.
You've earned everything at this company.
I know.
And I intend to keep it that way, so I don't want you to invest any more money into my app.
I'll find a way to get the word out and get us more downloads without help from ad sales.
So these feelings? We just don't feel them anymore? We can't.
Agreed.
Sometimes, I like, kinda get a feeling So I was wondering if you would like to get a drink with me sometime? Guys, you're gonna wanna look at your phones We used to be best friends.
Until Mariana showed up, and you chose her.
So you're like in love with her? You into magic? Hmm I love magic.
Hey, would you say it's normal to fantasize about another woman during sex? Is the woman Mariana's new roommate? The development company we are trying to sue is owned by a Chinese company.
The company that owns the development group you're suing, I represent them.
I know you're invested in this case, but you're not a lawyer on it.
If I give up this case, am I always going to be expected to put your career first? Guess who I ran into? Heather.
- Oh.
- Jamie's ex-girlfriend.
You know what they say about Sig Pis and Kappas.
They go together.
Jamie, I love you but I'm not ready to get engaged.
I didn't buy that ring for you.
It was meant for my ex.
Okay, Andre.
Principal's office.
Now.
I can't go to the principal's office again.
Well you should have thought about that before you threw something at a teacher.
I'm sorry but I don't know how to teach kids - who don't want to be taught.
- You mean black kids.
In a racially separate, and unequal society, white people are the ones who benefit.
But when we try to talk about race, white fragility quickly emerges.
This is the problem with recruiting white college grads - to teach at diverse urban schools.
- Oh my God Y'all can't relate to your students! And you have no clue what their real home lives are like.
So now you wanna educate me.
The racial status quo is comfortable for white people.
We don't have to deal with racial stress and feel entitled to our advantage.
So you have feelings for me? It was no big thing.
But it's not a small thing.
You must have loved her to propose.
When white people are confronted with their racial prejudice, we think we're being told we're bad people.
And feel like we have to defend our character.
I'm not racist, okay? I'm a good person and I have feelings too.
Hey.
I know you heard me! As a white person, are there racial dynamics that I can't see? What up, gumboot Becky? Am I open to that possibility? If we were willing to consider the possibility of us getting married - Hypothetically.
- Sure.
We have the same values, don't we? Where it counts.
Aiming to be colorblind denies the reality of racism.
- We're watching you.
- I am so sorry that they did that to you.
Don't act like you care.
I don't know how to teach kids who don't wanna be taught.
You mean black kids.
No.
In my classroom I don't see color.
I'm colorblind.
Yeah, well, that's your problem.
White tears is how our fragility presents, as we cry about how hard racism is for us.
I tried to tell you You lied to me.
We need to feel grief about the brutality of white supremacy and how we benefited from it.
But our grief must lead us to action.
It's not enough to acknowledge racism.
We must act to interrupt it.
Okay.
Let's talk about gumboot Becky.
What? Why did Heather say no? I think she knew we weren't really a match.
Well, I heard that Kappas and Sig Pis just go together.
It was no big thing.
But it's not a small thing.
You must have loved her.
To propose.
She was the kind of girl I was expected to marry.
- I'm certainly not.
- Exactly.
- Oh, I'm your act of rebellion.
- Am I yours? I think the best matches are the unexpected kind.
And I don't want a marriage like my parents'.
I would like a relationship as strong as my moms.
Who are very different people.
True, but they have the same values.
If we were willing to consider the possibility of us getting married.
- Hypothetically.
- Yes.
We have the same values, don't we? Where it counts.
Yeah.
So, why'd you hold on to the ring? Just thought you'd dust it off and try it on the next girl.
Yeah, depended on who the girl was.
Hmm.
But, if say that girl was you Nah, it's not your style at all.
What's my style? Somethin' vintage Simpler, but elegant.
Not flashy.
You think you know me.
So well Don't I? I think we got up too early this morning.
Definitely.
- We should go back to bed.
- Mm-hmm.
- We're gonna be late for work.
- We'll skip the foreplay.
Hey, Principal Solomon, can I have a word? Davia, yes, come in.
Have a seat.
And please, call me Dan.
Oh, uh, thanks, Dan.
What can I do for you? Uh, I wanted to talk to you about one of my students, Andre Johnson, and this diversion program that he's in.
Sure.
What would you like to know? Well, apart from roughing students up in the hallway and confiscating their permanent markers, I'm not really sure what this program is all about.
It's a pipeline to prison.
- Targeting mostly students of color? - Pretty much.
Well, this program is about diverting kids who are getting in trouble at school from getting in trouble with the law.
The only contact most of these kids have with the law, is these probation officers treating them like criminals.
We're trying to keep these at-risk kids out of gangs.
What they're at risk of is racial bias.
We're giving them tough love here.
That's the whole point.
They're being too lazy to come up with real solutions outside of law enforcement.
These kids, they need discipline.
Right? They need to be told what's right from wrong.
Some of them need more discipline than others.
You treat a kid like a criminal, they're more likely to become one.
We're telling these kids that you can be somebody.
These kids are in middle school.
Is getting in trouble with the law really that much of a concern? Trust me.
I've seen it happen with so many of these kids.
And it just Breaks my heart.
Well, I think I overreacted the last time I sent Andre to your office and I would like that struck from his record.
Davia, you're not the first teacher to send him to my office, okay? He's obviously not getting the kind of parenting he needs at home.
You did him a favor.
Ugh I really screwed up.
The whole system is screwed up.
The whole purpose of public education was to promote social equality.
Here you go.
Every single one of my students deserves a chance at success in life.
But not every one of them gets that opportunity.
Well how can I help Andre and my other students? You can join the Equity Committee.
We're a group of teachers.
We meet a couple times a week.
We work on a plan to do better by our kids and close the achievement gap.
I'm in.
Whatever I can do.
Okay! Well we're meeting tonight at my place so I'll just text you the address.
Sounds good.
How's it feel? Being the first all-female team at Speckulate.
- Amazing.
- It's great.
So empowering.
There's this perception that women don't work well together.
Yeah, like we're gonna cat fight instead of code.
Right? But I've had so much less drama working with these ladies than any primarily male team that I've ever worked on.
- Same - Same.
I've launched apps before.
Where's my photo shoot? You see, when a woman launches an app, it's so rare, it's news.
Because the opportunity is rare.
When's your glamour shoot? You're green team-ish, right? He's whatever Mariana wants him to be.
She's green.
He's blue.
She's blue.
He's green.
Can we talk about my privacy proposal for the new app? No.
Evan is not gonna like it.
What we can talk about, is this salary laddering bullshit.
And how it's gonna turn a meritocracy into mediocrity.
What can you tell me about the new salary laddering plan? I understand that's another project you all took on.
Well, laddering levels the playing field and ensures income equality for women and people of color doing the same work, as say, their white male counterparts.
It's not just about the women.
I'm finally being paid as much as Sam for doing the same work.
- But is it the same work? - No.
I rest my case.
- Raj's is better.
- What? How so? Oh.
Look who's ready for his close up.
Is my work even good? It's your girlfriend's boyfriend.
Uh, Mariana.
Can you have a seat there, maybe.
- Looks great.
Feel good? - Yeah.
Uh, yes So Evan, an activism app doesn't seem like an obvious choice for Speckulate.
Well, maybe not the old Speckulate.
So Mariana's enlightened you.
Ah, she has, uh, definitely opened my eyes to many things that needed fixing.
And, Mariana.
You've only been here a short time.
What was it like pitching your idea to uh, the boss? Oh.
Well, I was terrified.
Really? Huh.
Seemed cool as a cauliflower.
Um, no, I wasn't cool as anything.
I was a nervous wreck.
And, uh, what was your first impression of Mariana? Uh well I thought she was incredibly bright.
And confident.
Enthusiatic.
Everything I'm looking for in an engineer.
You-you were kidding about Raj's work being better than mine - right? - Nope.
He's more focused than you.
Yeah, sure, I'd be focused on work too if I had to watch my boss do publicity porn with my girlfriend.
There's so many things wrong with that statement.
First, the idea of you even having a girlfriend.
- Someday - And two, can I finish? Two, how would being distracted make you more focused? Have you ever tried to like cook or shower Evan, let's lose the jacket.
Maybe pull up your sleeves a bit.
Just loosen you up.
You know? Here.
Got it.
You gotta play music so you can distract yourself then you get the task done faster.
This is how you're backing up your argument? - This stuff that we're working on - Stop.
I've stopped listening to you.
Well whose fault is that? Callie.
Do you know what this meeting with the CC Hastings lawyers is about? No, um, I'm not working on the case anymore.
I ju I really have to focus on passing the bar.
And doing the job I was hired for.
You aren't bailing because you think we're gonna lose? No.
Absolutely not.
I-I really believe in your case.
And you're in great hands with Marcus and the ACLU.
Where were you this morning? Sorry, I, uh, was running late.
Well, we're shorthanded today.
Can you get the lunch order? Sure.
Lisa, thanks for coming in.
Let's chat in my office.
Um, any idea what's up? - You know as much as we do.
- Which is sad.
Because without you inside the room where it happens, we're all in the dark.
Callie.
Can you grab coffee for a dozen people for this afternoon? Sure.
Hey, um, I was just looking for, uh Mmm.
She's, uh, in the laundry room.
- I'll wait in the lounge.
- Oh! Don't be silly.
Have you ever tried yoga? I'm Indian so we kind of invented it.
Oh, right.
But, no, I have not.
Come on.
I'll show you some poses.
- Come on.
Easy ones.
- Uh Okay.
Knees head width apart.
And we'll start with cat cow just to warm up the spine a bit.
Arch your back.
- That feel better? - Uh-huh.
Uh, so - I have a favor to ask you.
- Uh - A favor? - Mm-hmm.
I need a wood elf.
You know, like the kind from Middle Earth.
- Oh, okay.
- Mm-hmm.
You might also need a doctor, you know, like from a psych ward.
Feet flat.
- Oh.
- Hips up.
- Oh! - This one's called downward dog.
- Head down.
- Oh, okay.
So as a side gig, I do kids' parties.
I'll dress up as a princess or a fairy and we'll do face painting, and games.
Okay, uh, puppy pose.
- Mmm.
- Puppy pose So, I usually do it with this guy and he's totally bailed on me.
So I was thinking maybe you could be my new partner.
Well, I have zero wood elf training.
Okay.
Easy pose.
That may be true, but you do have some special skills.
Magic.
When did you learn that? I'm glad you asked.
To tempt you, I got a magic kit.
It's literally a bag of tricks.
Okay, so you could do a magic show and I could be your assistant.
Come on.
We could do this.
You can do this.
Oh, you look amazing.
Thanks.
- So do you.
- Ah.
Thank you.
Are you ready? Let me just get my bow and arrows.
Okay, let's talk about gumboot Becky.
I know it was pretty dumb of me to teach you a dance about black oppression.
- I thought it was funny.
- I didn't.
It was awkward.
And I hear that.
I just wanted to find a way for this class to connect to the material.
But it wasn't cool how you put on a costume and dance like you understood what you were doing.
You're right.
And I'm sorry.
Look, sometimes I don't get it because Well, as a white person I'm not forced to think about my whiteness and how that might allow me to be clueless about some stuff.
But I want to do better.
And I want you all to feel like can call me out For real? - Absolutely.
- Your perfume smells hella cheap.
Constructively.
Seeing somebody who does the dance for real would have been dope.
You're right, and I should have tried to reach out to someone who understood the culture and the history.
Okay, but my dancing aside what did you all think about the gumboot and how it was used as a communication tool? I thought it was cool.
I read that a lot of the miners didn't speak the same language.
So even if they were allowed to talk, they couldn't.
So the dance kinda like, bridged the language gap too.
That's right, Andre.
So downloads for ACT-ivisim have been growing which has generated a lot of amazing feedback.
But I do think that we could expand on that buzz.
The article's gonna be great Does she want people to know that her app is shitty? What? Sorry.
I fell asleep.
So if we could reach our target users, we'll see more traffic.
Agreed.
We'll talk to ad sales.
Thank you.
Seriously, he's throwing more money at this loser? How? Oh.
Um, I would love to bring Rachael on the team to help with outreach.
Okay.
Approved.
What about my request for additional coders for the new social media project? Shouldn't that be our priority seeing how it could actually make the company some money? The social media project has all the resources it needs.
But when your team starts working as hard as the green team to meet its deadlines, then maybe I'll consider investing additional resources.
Oh, you found me! Should we go see if we can find some other fairies? - Yeah! - Yeah, come on! Let's go! Oh, be careful! Oh look.
Here's some.
Hi, ladies Okay.
Should we all play? Oh! Try to keep it in the air.
What are you supposed to be? I'm a wood elf.
Magician.
Make me a giraffe.
Oh, sorry.
I don't rea Okay.
Well, yup.
Um - Hello.
- Where are you? Uh.
I had a personal matter.
Okay, well I need you to pitch your privacy feature.
I'll put you on video chat.
What?! No, wait.
What! And you have Evan.
And everyone.
Um, hello everyone.
Hi Raj.
Where are you? We can't see you.
Uh Hey.
So, uh Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Back up, man.
We can see up your nostrils.
What? I can't hear you.
So.
The privacy feature will give you just complete control to opt in for any algorithm.
Something no other social app allows.
Whi Sorry about that.
Here I am.
Cosplay during the day.
So lame.
Cosplay anytime is lame.
Yeah, no, it's lame always.
Raj.
This is Evan.
Are you dressed as an elf? Hmm? Pfft.
Yes.
Yes, I am, sir.
Okay.
Well, I'm intrigued by this idea.
You're intriged by the elf costume or the privacy feature? Privacy feature, of course.
Carry on.
Well, we have have dreams.
I know I do.
One thing I dream about is social media that doesn't invade my privacy.
Bye.
See ya tomorrow.
Hey.
Can I talk to you for a second? So I wanted to apologize for the part I played in getting you placed in this diversion program.
And I spoke to Principal Solomon on your behalf.
Okay.
I just wanna figure out how best to support you.
And I would love to meet your parents to figure out how we can do that together.
It's just my mom.
Well I'd like to meet her.
If that's okay with you.
- I-I guess.
- Great.
I'll set it up.
What took you so long? The order wasn't ready when I went to pick it up.
And I couldn't call 'cause I left my phone.
- Yeah.
It's on your desk.
- It's been blowing up.
And a Jamie Hunter called a couple of times.
- Left word to call him back.
- Okay.
Thanks.
Come on.
You all know that these intimidation tactics are breaking the law.
So if you don't tell him to back off until this matter is settled, then we're gonna take legal action against him.
My clients deserve to live in peace.
Not in constant fear.
Gary.
Can you stay to take notes, please? Yeah, sure.
Callie.
We good? Uh, yes.
Greetings, young maidens.
I've come all the way from the enchanted forest with my very good friend, Neldor the Wood Elf! You're not an elf.
Elves are really small.
I'm not that kind of elf.
I'm an elf giant.
Neldor.
And - He's magic.
- Elves aren't magic! Oh really? Are you sure Wow And now watch as I, Neldor the magical Wood Elf, turn water into ice.
Right before your eyes.
Voila.
Whoa He just made ice! Feel how cold And now, I will need the birthday girl.
All right, Ava.
I want you to pick a crayon from the box.
Don't let me see it.
And I will now read Ava's mind to reveal the secret crayon color.
- No way.
- It's true.
When a kid turns 8, their psychic aura becomes instantly readable to magicians and wood elves and moms.
Watch and be amazed, young skeptics, as I read her mind.
I'm seeing a color.
I'm sensing something Warm.
Bright.
Like fire.
Is your crayon orange? Wow Wow! That was amazing.
We'll be in touch.
- What happened? - Not your case anymore, Callie.
So? What's going on? I really shouldn't speak out of turn.
But of course I will.
Mariana.
Good job today on the photo shoot and the interview.
Thank you.
The reporters has some follow-up questions for you tomorrow.
Okay.
About the Amanda situation and the wrongful termination lawsuit.
- I thought that went away.
- It did.
But somehow the reporter found out about it anyway.
And we'd like you to set the record straight.
- How? - Just tell them that you've worked closely with Evan and that he's never crossed a line.
Assuming that that's true.
- It is.
- So, let them know.
That he's not what Amanda and her lawsuit tried to make him out to be.
And that he's been nothing but professional with you.
Okay? - Okay.
- Okay.
Hey! Andre was really great in class today.
He took part in the discussion and he had some really great insights into the book that we're reading.
Oh.
Maybe the diversion program is making a difference.
I'm planning to meet with his mom.
To see how we can work together to come from a place that's, you know, less punitive.
Sounds encouraging.
Yeah I'm also joining the Equity Committee.
I'm excited about coming up with ideas to address the achievement gap.
You know they're not a school-sponsored group, right? And the administration isn't exactly thrilled about their ideas.
Instead of helping us improve what's already in place, they just want to blow everything up.
Oh well I didn't know that.
Look, your review is coming up and any recommendation I make, it still has to be approved by the administration.
I'm really impressed by your passion and the progress you're making with the students.
I'd hate to lose you.
See you tomorrow.
Look, if I just leave, then you can still fix it.
I don't wanna lose you.
You wanna talk about dating? Not even sure there's someone out there for me.
Oh, of course there's someone out there for you.
Oh, okay.
Thank you.
- Merry Christmas.
- Merry Christmas.
May I? Please.
- Is everything okay? - No.
Kendra asked me to talk to the reporter again about the whole Amanda situation.
I thought that was settled.
Yeah, well, I guess the story's out.
Look, I don't know what happened between you and Amanda.
I wasn't there.
So I can't defend you without discrediting her.
And I can't contribute to the narrative that women shouldn't be believed.
You don't need to defend me.
Just speak to our relationship.
Yeah, but I can't exactly defend that either.
Like, Kendra asked me if you've ever crossed a line and I lied.
I can't honestly say that a professional line hasn't been crossed between us.
And not just by you.
What do you mean? We both crossed a line? I think that we have feelings that are more than professional.
Hey, do you have a second? Uh, sure.
Okay, so, as someone who's dealt with a bunch of inequities at work.
Uh-huh.
Would you rather have an ally for the long term helping change the culture, or would you want that ally to fall on their sword by like, joining an Equity Committee and risk that ally being fired as a result, and not being able to help at all.
I'm not sure under-the-radar allies are much help.
Soft support doesn't really help make the change that's needed.
Okay.
Thanks.
You wanna know what I think? No I think if we all fall on our sword, who will be left on the battle field? I also think we should abolish government, taxes, Fox News.
Definitely that blouse you're wearing.
Hey, that's just me.
Can you put your bowl in the sink? Actually, can you? That'd be great.
You're drinking milk and whisky? Yeah.
Hey.
Hey.
So, uh I have to talk to you about something.
Me too.
So I need to talk to you about the CC Hastings lawyers.
Um, one of them, Jamie Hunter, is the person I told you about.
That I'm seeing.
Did you know he was gonna be at the meeting today? No.
I didn't think that he represented Anwei's subsidiary companies.
- Well, he presented the offer.
- Which they doubled.
I made him tell me.
So, Lisa's gonna take the offer back to the other plaintiffs? It's a lot to ask these tenants to fight gentrification when the bottom line is, they're renters.
They don't own their homes.
And that much cash in hand can solve a lot of short-term problems.
Okay, but what about the long-term ones? It's hard to focus on the long-term when you're living hand-to-mouth like most of these folks.
So, you think the lawsuit's dead? I think no one else is gonna offer them this much money to move.
What is so special about this particular building? I don't know.
Why don't you ask your boyfriend? So you're okay with me and Isabella? Yeah.
Of course I am.
I fell back that Raj is stuck on blue team and I'm getting all of this attention for the app.
I just wish that there was something that he as passionate about, that made him happy.
Well, he loves magic.
I mean, he could get good enough to perform.
He's terrified to get up in front of people.
Even pitching at work gives him heart palps.
But what about people who aren't adults? I think I may have an idea.
You don't need my approval to do kids' parties with Isabella.
You get to perform your magic which I know you love.
I did crush it.
- You sure? - Yes.
If it makes you happy, it makes me happy.
Okay.
So what did you want to tell me? - What manifesto? - What? Hey, guys.
Hi.
"Why the women engineers at Speckulate aren't equal to the men"? I tried to tell you.
You lied to me.
I didn't lie to you.
You said that you have nothing to do with this case, or CC Hastings, that you represent Anwei's other interests.
And that was true, until at the last minute, they asked me to step in on this negotiation today.
Why didn't you tell them it was a conflict of interest? Because, technically it isn't.
You're not on the case anymore.
Because you said that they would get their day in court with our without me.
I was unfamiliar with the Ellis Act which allows building owners to evict tenants because they're claiming they're going out of the rental business.
Well there are exceptions.
They've already gotten approval, Callie.
You can stall the inevitable but you won't win.
Wow.
It sounds like you were very persuasive.
Where I was persuasive was in convincing CC Hastings to double the money they're offering the tenants.
and to increase the number of affordable living units.
It's still wrong.
They're powerless and they're being taken advantage of by powerful companies lining their pocket.
I don't disagree, but until the law changes, this is a whole lot better than what they were gonna get.
I'm sorry I blindsided you, but I tried to do right by those people.
"Salary should be based on merit, skill and competency and not reverse discrimination against white males".
"Men are better suited to high-stress jobs because women are more interested in life-work balance, relationships, and starting a family".
"If women engineers were qualified and could do their job better than male engineers, they wouldn't have to get special favors from their bosses who use $10,000 of their own money to bail them out of an app failure like Mariana Adams Foster and her ACT-ivism app".
I never asked Evan to bail me out of that glitch.
- I wanted him to garnish my wages.
- I know that.
Now everyone's gonna think that he did me some special favor.
Wait.
How did whoever wrote that know about the 10K and the glitch? Oh, she swears Evan's not into her.
Dude, Evan wants her.
- We all want her.
- Right?! Wait.
Not no, no, no.
Not like technically but like conjecturally.
Right.
Right.
I mean, why else would he bail her out with his own money? Whoa, whoa, whoa Like out of jail, like she got arrested? No, no, no.
We had a code glitch during the beta test.
Yeah, it doubled the event donations by $10,000 and Evan picked up the tab.
That's like Yeah.
Right.
Did you tell anyone? I might have I mean I forgot, but now I remember.
I was really drunk.
And upset after you had drinks with Evan and didn't tell me and so I did, I told Alex.
Wow, um, you told the one person who's been horrible to me since my first day at Speckulate and still calls me Mary Anna? I'm so sorry.
- I can go.
- No, stay.
I might need you to keep me from killing Raj.
- I was really drunk.
- Bad excuse.
Now everyone's gonna think that Evan gives me special treatment.
And none of my hard work is gonna matter at all.
For the record, I told Alex the glitch was my fault.
And it was whiskey Okay, still bad, Raj.
At least we know it was Alex.
We have no proof.
I'm sure he covered his tracks.
There no way to trace it back to him.
I'll get the proof.
I'll find a way.
I'll make this right.
I promise.
So you have feelings for me? I do, uh have some feelings sometimes.
But I have a boyfriend who I really love.
What if you didn't? I still wouldn't act on those feelings.
Why? Because you're my boss.
And everyone would assume that any success I've had at Speckulate was based solely on my relationship with you.
- It's what they think now.
- Well they're wrong.
You've earned everything at this company.
I know.
And I intend to keep it that way, so I don't want you to invest any more money into my app.
I'll find a way to get the word out and get us more downloads without help from ad sales.
So these feelings? We just don't feel them anymore? We can't.
Agreed.