Grown-ish (2018) s04e05 Episode Script

1 [Kendrick Lamar's "PRIDE.
" playing.]
Love's gonna get you killed But pride's gonna be the death of you and you and me And you and you and you and me And you and you and you and me Me, I wasn't taught To share, but care In another life, I surely was there Hell-raising, wheel-chasing, new worldly possessions Flesh-making, spirit-breaking, which one would you lessen? The better part, the human heart You love 'em or dissect 'em Happiness or flashiness? How do you serve the question? See, in the perfect world, I would be perfect, world I don't trust people enough beyond they surface, world I don't love people enough to put my faith in man I put my faith in these lyrics Hoping I make a band I understand Show empathy from pity parties and functions And you and yours A perfect world, you probably live another 24 I can't fake humble just 'cause your ass is insecure I can't fake humble just 'cause your ass is insecure Me, I wasn't taught To share, but care In another life, I surely was there Me, I wasn't taught To share, but care I care - [Siren chirps.]
- I care - [Heartbeat.]
- Maybe I wasn't there [Man breathing shakily.]
Maybe I wasn't there [Gunshot.]
[Thud, heartbeat slowing.]
[Siren wailing.]
Maybe I wasn't there I surely was there Maybe I wasn't there [Sirens wailing in distance.]
[Exhales sharply.]
Let's do it.
ZOEY: In the days that followed the shooting of yet another unarmed Black man, and in a nationwide effort to have the responsible officers held accountable and to demand justice for the victim, - the incident had gone viral.
- [Cellphone chimes.]
We had all mobilized on social media to raise awareness for this brutal tragedy.
Well, all except one of us.
Doug saw the unjust killing of yet another Black man as the unfortunate status quo, but he had no idea that this was the first in a series of events that would soon shift our culture's consciousness as we knew it.
Yo, are you serious? This is the nonsense you post about in a time like this? Nonsense? Nah, this is a VIP situation.
20 bucks can get you in to see for yourself.
Open bar, DJ, little salami and cheese plate, you know, a little bougie "pinkie in the air" type shit.
Okay, let's just, um Let's establish something real quick.
I'm not gonna pay 20 bucks to get turned up with you and my brother.
Uh, can I ask you something? - Go.
- Do you not even watch the news? Uh, have you not heard about the racist-ass cops who murdered another man in Virginia? Yes, obviously.
It's the only thing people posting about on my feed today.
You posting about a party in a time like this.
Does that not feel tone deaf to you? What? I-I'm tone deaf for not wanting to post some hashtag that's not gonna make a difference anyway? Nah.
Um, o-okay.
So, uh Look, i-if you don't want to post, how about you make a difference another way? You and Luca's party.
Just, you know, make it about raising awareness and money on behalf of Marcus.
I am raising awareness.
I'm making people aware of a poppin' ass function tomorrow night where they can forget about all the bad things happening in the world, you know, where they feast on, you know, boxed wine, little pre-cut cheddar cubes and all that.
So Wow.
Wow.
Cheese and wine.
- The new "good trouble.
" - Mm.
No.
No.
You buggin' out right now, man.
Uh-huh.
[Sighs.]
- Damn.
There you go.
- Yeah.
- Uh-huh.
- You are - Oh.
Vivek - What? you have been nursing that shot for the past hour, okay? That is not what a pregame is about.
Pregame is about paving the way to a brown-out.
It's my first one back in a minute.
I'm trying to ease in.
I'll start crying about having no father.
All right, you know who else doesn't have a father? Luna, all right? Do you see her sitting around and having a little pity party? No.
You know why? - She's a survivor.
- Mm.
Yeah, but she's gonna be real messed up when she's older.
Well, you know what, Jazz? Why don't you just worry about the messiness of going to your ex-boyfriend's party? There is no messiness.
Doug and I are good.
We made amends during quarantine when he had kidney stones and thought he was gonna die.
But they were really big.
Oh.
Why are the two of you looking at each other like you started making love again? - Did you start making love again? - Oh, no.
We're still just doing dry stuff.
Ah.
[Chuckles.]
But Javi just got me the sweetest, most thoughtful anniversary gift.
- Wow.
- Ooh.
- There it is.
- Isn't it beautiful? - Mm-hmm.
- Yeah.
And so sweet.
He got my initials engraved in the back.
It's so pretty.
Where'd you get it? Uh, some dude Mike.
Jewelry district.
He's like "Uncut Gems," but with a good heart.
- Oh.
- Okay.
If you participated in sexual activity, that would prompt for some reverse cowgirl.
- Mm.
- Yeah.
You done good, bro.
- Can I have another shot? - Yes.
Ha, oo, ha, tuh Pull up in the, in the Pull up in the what? Dexter SethInTheKitchen Oh, man, God Pull up in a Bentley S Couped Out - AARON: Hey! - Bad bitch, and she got her tits out This a nice little shindig you got here, dude.
I mean, the cured meats look a little sweaty, but that air freshener in the bathroom whew! It's legit.
That's that Seymour Splash.
- That's fire, right? - Yeah, no, it does the job.
You can't even tell I was in there.
- Right.
That's such a turn-on.
- Thanks, babe.
Man, your boy really might be on to something.
Yo, 20 bucks a head, plus it ain't even midnight yet? Yo, this might be a cool little side hustle.
20 bucks? What? We got in for free.
- Yeah.
- What? Uh, Kiela is waiving the cover charge for anyone who signs the petition to arrest the cops that killed Marcus.
And obviously, I already signed, but I was more than happy to double down for the cause, you know what I'm saying? Plus, saving a few extra dollars didn't hurt.
I'm incredibly poor, cuz.
Is this my king? I gotta handle something real quick.
Oh, this can't be good.
I'm gonna be right back, babe.
Yo, I don't know Yo.
Kiki, what are you doing? I said I don't want to make this party about Marcus, but you letting people in for free? W-What? You want me to be sad and broke? Not a great place to be.
Uh, I don't know if I mentioned it to you guys, but I'm fantastically poor.
Yeah.
See, at first, I was gonna respect your wishes, but, you know, then, I just I remembered this is my brother's loft, which my father pays for, and I don't need your permission for anything.
So, sorry, pal.
Yo, Luca, come get your sister, 'cause I don't want to disrespect you by disrespecting her, 'cause I have a spirit of mad disrespect coming on right now.
And I mean that respectfully, you heard? Dude, chill out.
Maybe catch a little Kundalini fire breath and relax.
I mean, I told her it was cool.
What's the big deal? The big deal is that you didn't consult me before letting people into our party for free.
Mm.
Gotta admit, that sounds a bit disrespectful.
I just didn't think it would be a problem.
I thought you were down to support the justice of an innocent Black man.
Actually, nah, I'm not down.
Okay, now, slow down, my friend.
That kind of sounds a tad bit more disrespectful.
How? 'Cause I don't want to ruin people's mood by talking about some poor Black kid who got killed by the cops? No.
Because turning a blind eye to the issue not only makes you disrespectful, it makes you a bad Black person! [Clears throat.]
Hold up.
I'm I'm I'm a bad Black person? - Are you serious? - Penny for my thoughts Yo, can you believe this chick? Honestly, it is a big swing, but I think you guys need to unpack it a little bit more before I actually weigh in.
You think I'm a bad Black person, too? No.
Of course not.
I-I think you're definitely down for the Culture.
But, I mean, in this particular case, you not wanting people to sign petitions at your party to bring awareness to Marcus' murder does fall under the questionable Black behavior category.
- Thank you! - Yeah.
Man, y'all can miss me with all that.
You know what? Now that I'm thinking about it, you never really do anything when this sort of thing happens.
You don't post, you don't promote, you don't retweet.
Low-key feels like you kind of ghost the cause a little bit.
[Bleep.]
is really patrolling my IG activity mad hard.
Um, hi.
Sorry to interrupt, but we heard people are now getting in here for free, - so I'd like my money back.
- Mm-hmm.
- I can get two whole turkeys for 20 bucks.
- You can do that? - Yes.
Yes.
- Where? Can you take me with you? Can y'all take this poultry talk somewhere else? But what's happening here? Just talking about Aaron being broke and Doug being a bad Black person.
- Oh.
- Uh, sorry, dumb White person question, but - is that, like, a thing? - No, it is.
If someone isn't doing their part to uplift the community, I mean, might as well be holding us down.
But you keep forgetting that our joy in the face of all of this trash is just as important as your little causes.
So I'm not trying to hold anybody down.
I just don't want my party to turn into a damn memorial service, okay? [Clears throat.]
Hi.
Uh, Kiki? I don't think we've met.
I'm Jazz, but you can call me by my legal name, Jazlyn.
Look, no shade, but it seems to me calling someone a bad Black person doesn't make so much for a great Black person.
And honestly, half the people they're just hopping on the social media bandwagon for likes and using Black lives as a trending topic.
Thank you.
This is exactly what I've been saying.
Okay.
Hold on a second.
Yes, there's a performative element to online activism, but you cannot deny that the visibility makes a difference, and it pushes the community forward every time.
As a matter of fact, I think it's holding us back, because people are hiding behind an IG post and not doing anything real.
I mean, hey, look at Zoey.
You know, she reposts every damn thing, and we know she's not doing anything beyond that.
Are you sorry? And I know I haven't had the best track record when it comes to being socially conscious, but, I mean, I obviously care about this.
I have a Black father, three Black brothers, and I've been marching for this cause since high school, which I plan on doing for Marcus.
But since we're on the subject, Jazz, what's your plan? - [Whistles.]
- Okay.
Damn, Zoey.
I stand corrected.
That's my little Angela Davis right here, guys.
Wow.
Congratulations, Big Zo-Zo.
I mean, apparently, you're you're a better Black person than me.
So, if Doug is, like, a "bad Black person," then who would be a good Black person? Will Smith.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Hey, hey, way too fast Hey, quick question Uh, you know, earlier, at the house, when we were talking about my watch, I saw you winked at Javi.
What was the wink for? Oh, no, it was nothing.
Vivek? What was the wink? Okay.
Javi reached out to me for some help, because he said he's been a notoriously bad gift giver with you.
So I gave him a little, you know, guidance.
That's all.
Oh, man.
Your friends are over there deep-diving about what it means to be a bad Black person.
I mean, don't they ever talk about, like, sports or the weather? Only if it's about how college athletes are notoriously undervalued and exploited, or how hurricanes statistically target Black neighborhoods.
They're a fun bunch.
We should hang out with my friends more.
[Indistinct conversations.]
What's up? You good? Yeah.
Yeah, no, you know, actually, I was just talking to Vivek, and he was telling me how he helped you find my gift.
Yeah.
V-Didge came through.
I mean, that's not a problem, is it? No! No, no, no.
I love my watch.
I just I thought it was something that you had thought of, not Vivek, but i-i-it's not a big deal.
I-I love it, and I'm super appreciative of it.
I-I-I shouldn't have said anything.
- You sure? - Yeah! Yeah, totally.
Let's just enjoy the party.
A-Agreed.
Okay? Your boy's trying to forget about his troubles and get back to classic, carefree V-Didge.
Who wants to [bleep.]
?! Living on the road Smokin' it out the O Guys, this is really crazy.
Why are we having this discussion about bad Black people and arguing with each other, when we all know White people aren't sitting around discussing whether or not they're a good White person? That's 'cause White people are inherently bad.
- Not you, though.
You're fine.
- Yes.
- Thank you for that.
- Welcome.
Jazz is right, you guys.
I mean, I've never had to question whether or not I'm being a good White person.
Exactly.
Why would you, when the system was designed to work for you and against me? I mean, there's no point in me trying to change something - that they would never allow me to fix.
- Okay.
It is unbelievable to me how cynical you're being about this whole thing, man.
O-Of course they're not gonna "allow" us to change shit.
They haven't "allowed" us to do anything for 400 years.
We had to take it.
That's why it's our job to push back against the walls they try to put up around us.
Yes! Okay, thank you.
Again.
Imagine if our Black ancestors had just waited for White people to fix their broken system.
Do you realize how little advancement and progress - we would have achieved as a people? - No Emancipation.
No Emancipation, no Black Renaissance, no Black Power, no Civil Rights.
We definitely wouldn't be here at Cal U talking about it.
Shit, we might still be in chains.
All right, I hear you, bro, but at the end of the day, this college degree, a high-paying job, a seat at the front of the bus, o-our freedom, bro i-it doesn't matter if we still have these targets on our backs.
You You get what I'm saying? Okay, then, what's the alternative? - [Cellphone chimes.]
- Just give up? ZOEY: Damn.
Oh, my God.
I can't believe this.
The cops that killed Marcus Jennings are getting paid leave.
There are no charges being brought against them.
It's unbelievable, man.
Is it? Is it? Well You know, I-I guess you were right.
None of this matters.
Enjoy your party.
Take your time - [Knock on door.]
- No need to run Now you're free - Oh.
- Hey.
I just came to check on you.
Things got intense tonight.
Yeah.
You good? No.
Um, not really.
Look, I'm I'm sorry I came at you earlier.
- I was just - [Door closes.]
frustrated and spiraling, so I just kind of I lashed out.
It's fine.
I get it.
And I'm just you know, I'm I'm really embarrassed that I-I was naive enough to believe that I-I could affect some type of change.
It's just You were right.
Yeah, but that that that's the thing.
I don't I don't want to be right.
When I When I see the news of, you know, all these Black men dying, all all I can do is think about, you know, how I'm just like them.
You know, I was just a dude who was out for a run.
You know, Marcus Jennings, he just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
So, the truth is, for for Black men or, shit, Black women or Black people, is that any place is the wrong place [Voice breaking.]
at any time, every damn day.
[Sniffles.]
I don't know.
I-I-I think I just I try to block it all out, you know, as a means of survival.
[Sniffles, sighs.]
You know, maybe I don't, you know, sign a petition or post, you know, because I'm I'm trying to avoid my own fear and anger.
Trust me, it's it's not that I don't care.
I-I just feel like I gotta push all this shit to the back of my mind, you know, so I'm not paralyzed.
[Inhales shakily.]
So I don't break.
[Sniffling.]
[Sighs.]
You're meant for me You I adore I-I-I'm I'm sorry.
[Sniffles.]
You're sent to me Don't be.
For you, I'll do more Ooh [Both sigh.]
Oh, man.
Man, I really dig your dude.
Riding all low in his El Camino, left hand on the steering wheel, right hand on my thigh.
Your thigh.
Yeah, well, your thigh is welcome to his hand - anytime you want.
- You're not still upset about the whole gift-giving thing, are you? Uh, yeah, kind of.
All night, here I am, flaunting this amazing gift like an asshole, thinking that my boyfriend knows me better than anyone, but really, it's you who knows me better, not him.
Well, Javi's a good guy, right? And you're just looking at this from the wrong angle.
I mean, sure, he enlisted my help, but he did it because he cares so much about you that he didn't want to risk disappointing you again.
If you ask me, I feel like that is about the sweetest, most thoughtful thing someone could do, you know? [Sighs.]
Outside of oral in an El Camino.
Yeah.
Maybe you're right.
And honestly, it is the best gift that I've ever gotten, so thank you.
Wait, where are you going? To properly say thank you to Javi.
[Door opens.]
He's gonna get oral in the El Camino, isn't he? [Door shuts.]
[Reporter speaking indistinctly.]
[Sighs.]
What up, doggy? Hold up.
We made all this, even though Kiela let people in for free? Yeah.
I think we might have ourselves a nice little side hustle situation.
- [Gasps.]
- REPORTER: 14-year-old Black male I say hey, sunshine After an anonymous Oh, how the day can be so long Oh, my God.
Another one? I say hey, sunshine Hey, sunshine Oh, how the day can be so long I say, hey America, you need a miracle Beyond spiritual I need a realer view I hold a mirror to it These ain't new problems, they just old ways I see one time turn sunshine into Freddie Gray ZOEY: In a world where the system designed to protect us feels more like a force determined to destroy us, it's impossible to avoid the fatigue of the insurmountable challenges we face as a community.
But when it happens again and again and again, there comes a point where you can't block it out or turn a blind eye.
And after witnessing yet another senseless murder of another innocent Black man within a week of the last, Doug had finally reached his breaking point.
[Knock on door.]
FEMALE REPORTER: The fact that yet another unarmed Black teen life has been taken at the hands of the police.
This is the second such incident within a week of each other.
As you are probably aware, a teen, Marcus Jennings Forget everything I said, bro.
It's time to push back.
Mm, mm Sunshine, sunshine ZOEY: And none of us would ever be able to look away again.
Blackberry molasses One of the things that never change You gotta keep pushin' on The sun don't rain all the time There's gonna be some heartache and pain Blackberry molasses Oh, blackberry molasses One of the things that never change It'll never change You gotta keep pushin' on Pushin' on The sun don't rain all the time There's gonna be some heartache and pain Heartache and pain