BAKARI CUSTOMER DARNELL DEJA DEV DEVANTE DOUDA DRE EARTHA_KITT EMMETT FATIMA JADA JAKE JEMMA KENYA KEVIN KIESHA LYNAE MAISHA MARCUS MESSIAH MS_BARRY NINA NUCK PAPA PROPERTY_MANAGER QUENTIN QUINCY ROB RONNIE SHAAD TIERRA TIFF TRACY TRIG WALLA ZAY KEVIN Previously on The Chi... QUENTIN You're early, youngblood. Any reason you want to get there so quickly-- NUCK Hey, your uncle's dead. NUCK You know who Douda is? ROB Know the name. NUCK He gonna give you a call off a private number. I'll let you know the new arrangements. DOUDA Emmett, right? I want to turn Smokey's into a franchise. EMMETT So do I. DOUDA If you trust me, I will make you a very rich man. EMMETT Look, I found an investor for Smokey's, and they wanna franchise it. KIESHA Who is it? EMMETT Um-- It's Douda. DOUDA I need somebody to be my eyes and ears on the street. I need somebody young and unafraid. BAKARI What I gotta do? LYNAE Your moms are so nice. Why are you trying to get away from them? KEVIN I just want my freedom. NINA Your adoption papers are completed. DRE NINA All that's left to do now is sign. DRE NINA KEVIN Welcome to the family. KEVIN I want to move out on my own. JADA I never thought we'd be here. But at the same time, today feels like a long time coming. WALLA DARNELL Oh, Jada, I love you. That's all I know. TRIG The truth is... Tierra and I are not in love. We're not even a real couple. The relationship was fabricated for the campaign. TRIG I am officially announcing my candidacy for city council. And I'm not gonna pretend to be something or someone I'm not just to get your votes. TRIG And I also want you to know that I have recently fallen in love. And I hope that she and I can build a beautiful life together, based on truth and commitment to pouring into our community. WALLA EMMETT Come on, Kiesha. KIESHA Hold on. KIESHA You there yet? EMMETT Not yet. Damn. KIESHA Don't bark at me while you're in me. EMMETT Then don't tell me to hurry up. KIESHA If you stop talking, you can get there. EMMETT KIESHA EMMETT If you called me Big Daddy like I told you, I would have been came already. KIESHA I told you I'm not calling you that. EMMETT Come on then. EMMETT DEVANTE Daddy! RONNIE EMMETT Fuck! Hold on. Sorry, come on. RONNIE KIESHA Do you not hear them? EMMETT They'll be aight. KIESHA I can't be the only parent in this house. EMMETT What you trying to say? KIESHA I'm not gonna let them cry just so you can finish. EMMETT But sometimes kids need to cry, Kiesha. They can't always get what they want. KIESHA You can't always get what you want either. KIESHA Hey. DEVANTE I'm hungry. KIESHA Okay. I'll be right out. Go wait for me at your table, okay? DEVANTE Okay. EMMETT EMMETT I'm getting in the shower. KIESHA I'm getting in the shower first. EMMETT No, I'm going first. My showers are a lot faster than yours. KIESHA You're just trying to rush in there so you can finish off. EMMETT Get out my business. KIESHA Can you get the babies some breakfast, please? EMMETT It's gonna be some dry cereal and some fruit snacks. KIESHA You can at least whip up some eggs. EMMETT No, 'cause if I do, I'ma be late for my own reopening. KIESHA You can't be late but I can? EMMETT It won't be every day, baby. KIESHA No. I can't be late for a job interview. EMMETT I thought you had the job already. KIESHA No, I don't. They gotta observe me with the kids and the staff. EMMETT Okay, fine. I'll whip up some eggs. KIESHA Next time, just say that so we don't gotta go back and forth. TRIG So... you think I'm gonna win? TRIG Oh. FATIMA FATIMA I thought we agreed not to talk about work in the bedroom. TRIG TRIG I'm just nervous. TRIG FATIMA FATIMA Look, don't stress about things you can't control. Okay? You and Quincy ran a great campaign. TRIG Guess I'm just-- I'm just scared. TRIG And if I don't win, I-- I don't know what I'ma do with my life. FATIMA Hey. Your life will go on whether you win or you lose. TRIG FATIMA JADA You know I love a good massage. DARNELL DARNELL Yeah, I figured I'd step my massage game up so I don't get replaced by one of these young boys with dreadlocks and a six-pack. JADA Darnell, if you don't shut up... DARNELL DARNELL Hey, we can't get lazy now. You gotta keep doing what you was doing before we got married or, shit, we ain't gonna stay married. JADA We've been married a few months and you already got us in divorce court? DARNELL Mmm, I just don't want us getting comfortable. You know me. I need my excitement or else I get bored. JADA JADA Ain't nothing wrong with being bored. DARNELL DARNELL Mm-hmm. JADA Mmm. Bring your boring ass on up here. DARNELL See, that's what I'm talking about. JADA Mm-hmm, Mr. Bored. Mm-hmm. DARNELL Mmm. TIERRA Yes, Daddy. Just like that. MARCUS MARCUS There? TIERRA Yeah. MARCUS TIERRA Just like that, Daddy. JEMMA DEJA Can you please take that outside? I can't go to work smelling like weed. SHAAD Are you kidding me? It's brick out there. DEJA SHAAD Besides, who cares if you smell like weed? Shit, I'd rather smell like weed than cigarettes. DEJA DEJA I don't want to smell like either. SHAAD Oh, there you go. DEJA Thank you. DEJA SHAAD Know what? If I catch pneumonia, it's gonna be your fault. DEJA Well, you know, I'd rather you catch a cold than my whole house smell like weed. SHAAD Your house? DEJA Come on, you know what I mean. SHAAD Yeah. SHAAD SHAAD JEMMA JEMMA Mm-mmm. MARCUS Good morning, sweetheart. JEMMA You know, I'm the only woman in this house that should be calling you Daddy. JEMMA Mmm. MARCUS Oh, shit. MARCUS PROPERTY MANAGER All right. Apartment is all yours. KEVIN PROPERTY MANAGER Take a look around. KEVIN Oh. Whoa. PROPERTY MANAGER Now, make sure you call the gas company so your stove will work, and then call the cable company so you can have Internet. PROPERTY MANAGER Here are your keys. KEVIN Uh-huh. KEVIN Oh. KEVIN PROPERTY MANAGER Nice catch. PROPERTY MANAGER Uh, the trash gets picked up on Thursdays, and then, uh, there's permit parking out front, so call me if you need any passes. I can get 'em to you. KEVIN Yeah, yeah, yeah. I will. PROPERTY MANAGER Okay. Uh, and then put your name on your mailbox, uh, so that way folks know how to find you. KEVIN Yeah, yeah, yeah. For sure. For sure. PROPERTY MANAGER Okay, well. KEVIN Yeah. PROPERTY MANAGER Let me know if you need anything, okay? KEVIN Of course. PROPERTY MANAGER Okay. PROPERTY MANAGER Enjoy. KEVIN Have a good one. PROPERTY MANAGER Call me. KEVIN Mm-hmm. KEVIN KEVIN KEVIN KEVIN Whoo-hoo-hoo! EMMETT Good morning. What y'all doing here? DOUDA Now, is that how you want to greet your business partner? EMMETT Nah. I'm just running behind for our grand opening. DOUDA Oh, hey, don't worry about that. We got all the time in the world. And besides, they can't start without you. DOUDA DOUDA DOUDA NUCK Nigga, get in the car. EMMETT Ooh, shit. EMMETT Oh, my God. Ooh. DOUDA There he is. DOUDA Mmm. EMMETT Hey, I-- I love it, but I can't afford this. DOUDA No, no. No, it's on me. EMMETT Really? EMMETT What? DOUDA DOUDA You are an investment, Emmett. I can't just invest in your business. I have to invest in you as a man. DOUDA EMMETT Aight. DOUDA Gentlemen. DOUDA EMMETT Ooh. DOUDA This is to new beginnings... and new friendships. EMMETT Yeah. DOUDA Cheers. NUCK Cheers. EMMETT Cheers. NUCK EMMETT Ooh, shit. Fucking expensive. DOUDA EMMETT Yeah. NUCK Yeah, I like these pants, D. DOUDA Yeah? DOUDA Yeah, well, they look like they may need to be tailored a little bit. NUCK Tailored? NUCK Mmm. EMMETT DOUDA Relax. Relax. NUCK Hey, hold this real quick. EMMETT EMMETT NUCK Yeah. EMMETT Uh, I got it. EMMETT EMMETT EMMETT EMMETT EMMETT WALLA MS BARRY You're late. KIESHA I know. I'm sorry. It won't happen again. MS BARRY Better not. KIESHA Me and my boyfriend had an early morning and we got our wires crossed. MS BARRY Just don't let it happen again. I'm used to checking parents for not being on time, not teachers. KIESHA It won't happen again. I promise. TRIG How come you didn't call to tell me we were behind in the polls? QUINCY Fatima and I wanted you to have a nice morning. TRIG I don't like y'all talking behind my back. QUINCY It's for your own good. TRIG I don't pay you to converse with her. QUINCY You don't pay me enough, for one. And for two, this is a steep hill to climb. TRIG So you're saying I'm not a good candidate. QUINCY I'm saying you're a good guy with a past, and you admitted to not being completely honest with voters about your personal life. So we spent your entire campaign getting folks to trust you again. TRIG I never wanted to lie in the first place. QUINCY Well, I'm a man of honesty, and I have to be honest here. You need a viral moment. TRIG What? QUINCY You need to be caught doing something nice, relatable and family-friendly. TRIG So-- So you want me to concoct a fake viral moment? QUINCY No. I want to put you in an environment where you can be your authentic self and pray that it catches fire. TRIG You know, the last time I went viral, it didn't end in my favor. QUINCY Yeah, because you were caught punching some kid in the face. QUINCY Look, I'm not a fan of losing campaigns either. QUINCY If I still didn't think you could win, I would tell you that. TRIG So you think I can win? QUINCY I do. TRIG KEVIN KEVIN KEVIN Mmm. KEVIN KEVIN DRE Whoa, whoa, whoa. KEVIN Oh. Oh. NINA Boy, this ain't no grocery store. If you don't put my shit back... DRE Yeah, man. Having your own place means buying your own shit. KEVIN KEVIN You know, I would buy my own stuff, but-- but, uh, you know, most of my money went into renting furniture and-- and-- and my new car note. DRE Mmm. DRE Oh. KEVIN Yeah. NINA Welcome to adulthood. DRE KEVIN Why do I feel like y'all two against me? NINA Nobody's against you, Kevin. You're just dealing with reality right now and it's not always fun. KEVIN DRE Mm-mmm. NINA But if you're having second thoughts, you can always come back. DRE DRE Babe. KEVIN Nah, I think I'm good. I'll figure it out. DRE That's what I'm talking about. KEVIN KEVIN NINA Get out, Kevin. KEVIN Okay. Um... NINA Hey, ju-- just go. NINA NINA CUSTOMER You got this in a extra large? JAKE Uh, nah, we just sold out. But I'll have some more next week. JEMMA Nah, you got another one. It's just in a different color though. JAKE I don't see it. Uh, thanks, baby. JEMMA Right there. JAKE Yep, you in luck, bro. CUSTOMER Yeah. Thirty dollars, right? JAKE Mm-hmm. JEMMA You need a better system to keep track of your inventory. JAKE What you mean? You the system. JEMMA I don't work here full time. JAKE Oh, so what? This your side gig? JEMMA Well, I mean, technically it's an internship because you damn sure ain't paying me. JAKE I'm paying you with love. JEMMA Boy, that don't pay no bills. JAKE You count. JEMMA JEMMA Crazy. MARCUS Hey, hey. TIERRA Hey. MARCUS Um, my daughter heard you this morning. TIERRA And? MARCUS What do you mean, "and"? We were both embarrassed as hell. TIERRA Okay. Well, at some point she's gonna have to realize that you are not just her father, you're a man with needs. MARCUS But she doesn't need to know what you call me during sex. TIERRA Mmm, okay. Well, I can try to be quiet, but she's not a baby. Didn't she have a pregnancy scare last year? She knows what sex is. MARCUS I am not ready for this. TIERRA Not ready for what? MARCUS Whatever this is. TIERRA Let me ask you a question. When's the last time you felt the way you felt this morning? TIERRA Mmm. Exactly. MARCUS What do you want me to do? TIERRA I want you to grow a pair and make a choice. MARCUS I'm not gonna choose between you and my daughter. TIERRA That is not what I'm asking. I'm asking you to introduce me to her and stop treating me like a fuck buddy, when you know that I'm more than that. WALLA MS BARRY Okay. Okay, everyone, settle down. MS BARRY Now, who would like to be our first reader? MS BARRY Messiah, you haven't read for us in a while. Why don't you get us started? MESSIAH Nah, I'm good. MS BARRY Messiah. MESSIAH I don't like that book. MS BARRY Fine. Then you can go choose the book you'd like to read. MESSIAH Y'all don't have the book I wanna read. MS BARRY Messiah, I'm not doing this with you today. MESSIAH Doing what? MS BARRY Going back and forth. Now, please go find a book and start reading. MESSIAH Why? MS BARRY Because I asked you to. MESSIAH What if I don't want to? WALLA Ooh! He in trouble! MS BARRY MS BARRY Then you'll have to go take a seat at the time-out table. MESSIAH Fine. MS BARRY Is that what you wanna do? MESSIAH Yep. MS BARRY Okay. Fine. Please excuse yourself. KIESHA ms barry, um, can I talk to you for a second? MS BARRY Okay, everyone, please read to yourself silently till we return, okay? KIESHA When I was growing up, none of the boys wanted to read in front of the class because they weren't good at it. They weren't trying to be defiant. They just didn't wanna be embarrassed. MS BARRY These children will never grow if we don't push them out of their comfort zones. KIESHA I'd rather encourage than push. MS BARRY Excuse me? KIESHA I just think it can be traumatizing to force a kid to read in front of a class if they're not ready. MS BARRY I respect your opinion, but I don't think it's smart for you to criticize how we do things here when you're looking to be hired for a position. KIESHA No, I wanna work here. But I also wanna express myself and if I can't do that then I can't-- MS BARRY Then maybe you're not the right person for the job. DOUDA How's everything? ROB It's good. Business is good. Weed ain't really going out of style. DOUDA Yeah, business is steady but could always be better. You've seen what we've done with, um, Emmett's business? We've grown it and now his earnings have doubled. ROB Don't compare me to other niggas and especially not that nigga. DOUDA Oh, shit, that's right. You fucking his baby mama right now, right? ROB We live together. DOUDA Oh, okay. So it's serious. ROB Look, I-- I just came to get the product and that's it. NUCK ROB Appreciate it. DOUDA So, Rob, you have no desire to make more money? ROB When you come from money, you don't feel the need to chase it. DOUDA Yeah, your Uncle Q felt the same way. ROB He was also good at losing it. DOUDA Oh, yeah, because that gambling shit is a-- is a hell of a drug. ROB He owed some people money. That's probably what got him killed. DOUDA Yeah. Probably. DOUDA I wanna make you a new deal. ROB I ain't come here to negotiate. DOUDA Okay. Slow down, bro. I mean, your numbers are good, but they could always be better. And to motivate you, I want to give you 15% of whatever you make. ROB It's a better deal than my uncle gave me. DOUDA Blood ain't always thicker than water. ROB I already knew that. DOUDA I wanna make sure you're around for the long haul. ROB Just make sure you pay me right, and we good. DOUDA Well, I look forward to doing business with you. TIFF Thanks for the ride. Dang! EMMETT Of course, you know-- you know I got you. TIFF If you really had me, you would give me a car. Okay? 'Cause you... EMMETT Don't Rob got money? Why he can't get you a new car? TIFF I don't have a child with Rob. EMMETT You see me with a new car, now you want one? TIFF I don't need a Benz. I just need something to drive our son around in. EMMETT I thought the weed business was booming. TIFF It is booming, but I don't work for myself, so I'm not making as much as I should be, but... EMMETT You thinking about starting your own business? TIFF Little bit. EMMETT Well, you definitely need to be your own boss, 'cause you don't like taking orders from nobody. TIFF No, I just don't like taking orders from you. EMMETT Well, you free now. TIFF Boy, bye. EMMETT TIFF Come on, EJ. You ready? EMMETT 'Ey, love you, man. TIFF All right. TIFF Tell Kiesha I'ma call her later. EMMETT Bye, man. EMMETT Aight. WALLA KIESHA "Santa asked Mrs. Claus to make him something to eat, because he was craving a really sweet treat." KIESHA You wanna take the next page? MESSIAH Yeah. MESSIAH "And Mrs. Claus told Mr. Claus that she had a lot of work to do. She was busy with the reindeers and preparing gifts too. While every night a little child asked Santa for their favorite toy, they didn't know that Mrs. Claus was the reason for their joy." KIESHA Very good. Can you tell me what you just read? MESSIAH Basically, Mrs. Claus is the real MVP and Santa been stealing her shine. KIESHA Period. Very, very good. You read really well. Why didn't you wanna read for your class? MESSIAH I don't like reading in front of people. KIESHA Why didn't you just say that? MESSIAH I didn't think I could. KIESHA You can always be honest about what you're feeling. WALLA EMMETT Hey, welcome to Smokey's. Hey, how's your mac and cheese? It's macking, huh? You get what I'm saying? EMMETT Hey, what's u-- Don't shoot me. BAKARI I won't shoot you, man. EMMETT Hey, All right, all right, all right, my m-- DOUDA There he is. The man of the hour. EMMETT Ah! Man, yo, I couldn't have done it without you. DOUDA You know what, check your bank account. EMMETT Bank account? DOUDA Yeah. EMMETT Okay. EMMETT Damn. Hold up. I ain't-- I ain't never seen this much money in my bank account before. DOUDA DOUDA Well, that's because the New York location is doing really, really well. They are loving Smokey's out there. EMMETT I see. Shit! DOUDA And that's your new Benz outside? EMMETT Uh, yeah, yeah. Your broker gave me a really great deal. I appreciate you. DOUDA Come on, look at you, bro. Look at you. It's important for a man to treat himself. EMMETT Yeah. EMMETT Hey. EMMETT You know what I mean? DOUDA Mmm. EMMETT Yeah, I fucked around and gave my baby mama a ride in it and now she want one too. So, I gotta figure that out. DOUDA Well, that's the mother of your child, right? Right? So whatever she need, it is your responsibility to make sure she has it. That's what bosses do. EMMETT Right. KIESHA Hey. EMMETT Hey, baby. DOUDA Now, y'all make a beautiful couple. KIESHA I know. DOUDA Okay. Have a great day. DOUDA Let's go. EMMETT KIESHA I can't stand them. EMMETT You gonna wanna be nice after you see my bank account. KIESHA I don't care about that shit, Emmett. EMMETT I do. Look, Douda investing in me is the best thing that ever happened to us. Everything he promised is coming true. We got a whole new location in New York. KIESHA That we haven't seen yet. EMMETT He gonna fly us out. KIESHA Mm-hmm. EMMETT Do you trust me? KIESHA Yeah, I do. EMMETT Good. Okay? Calm down. Damn. We got this. How did your interview go? KIESHA I got the job. EMMETT Ooh! See? Come here. KIESHA EMMETT Damn. See, you coming in here all mad and shit, and you got good news. Congrats, baby. Wow. Like, you a teacher now. Damn. That's fire. I'm proud of you. KIESHA KIESHA I'm proud of you too. EMMETT Yeah, that's-- Wow. KIESHA Where you get the suit? EMMETT Douda got it for me. KIESHA He buying you clothes now? EMMETT He told me I should dress how I want to be addressed. KIESHA EMMETT Mmm? KIESHA You clean up nice. EMMETT Okay, you better stop flirting with me then. KIESHA Look, I don't fuck with Douda, but I'm gonna give him a chance. EMMETT All right. BAKARI Man, hell nah. That shit not gonna happen, my G. PAPA Don't kill my dreams. BAKARI PAPA Hey, watch this. KENYA Took out the trash and refilled the carbonation on all the sodas. So, what else you need me to do? PAPA You took out the trash? Girls never wanna do that shit. KENYA My dad made me take out the trash growing up, so I'm kinda used to it. PAPA And how old are you again? KENYA I never said. PAPA Okay. My bad. But how old are you? KENYA I'm 19. BAKARI Exactly. KENYA What? BAKARI You just, uh, settled a bet for us. That's all. BAKARI Fuck. Um, I-- I gotta go, bro, right? PAPA PAPA Yeah. Go run after your boss, you little underling. BAKARI Hey, don't talk shit, aight? PAPA If it wasn't for me, your ass would still be homeless, so I can talk all the shit I want. BAKARI Aight, bro, have fun with Miss 19. PAPA Mmm. KEVIN So, what was the bet? PAPA Oh, it was nothing. KENYA He caught you staring at me, didn't he? PAPA Uh... Nah, nah. KENYA Well, I was trying not to stare at you too. PAPA You can stare at me all you want. KENYA I like your podcast. PAPA You listen to Papa's Pulpit? KENYA Haven't heard every episode, but I heard the one you did with your friend Jake. PAPA Yeah, that was a special episode. KENYA Yeah, I never really hear dudes talk to each other like that. I mean, I could tell he didn't really wanna do it at first, but after a while it's clear that y'all needed to talk. PAPA Thanks. That m-means a lot. KENYA And how old are you? PAPA I'll be 18 this summer. KENYA Good to know. PAPA LYNAE When you gonna get some furniture in here? KEVIN It's coming. LYNAE I can't believe you really moved out. KEVIN Yeah. You know, it gets lonely sometimes, but once I get the Internet working, I could just play video games and Zen out. LYNAE Call me when you get a couch. KEVIN Oh, I am having a kickback later. LYNAE How? Ain't nothing in here. KEVIN No, people don't care about the furniture. They just wanna vibe. LYNAE If you say so. KEVIN WALLA DARNELL Whoo. Easy come, easy go. DARNELL My man. SHAAD Hey, what's up, big timer? DARNELL What's up, slayer? SHAAD Shit, trying to get like you. DARNELL What? Old and married? SHAAD Eh, whatever. Hey, I've been meaning to tell you, man. DARNELL Yeah? SHAAD Congratulations on all your son's success. I know you're proud. DARNELL DARNELL Yeah, yeah. You know for a long time, man, we didn't know how that boy was gonna turn out. SHAAD DARNELL I wasn't really guiding him the way I should have when he was younger, but his mama did a good-ass job keeping him in line. SHAAD That she did. Hmm. Hey, by the way, Darnell. DARNELL Yeah? SHAAD If you hear of any jobs out there, can you let me know? I'm still looking for a gig, Joe. DARNELL Yeah, shit man. It's real tight right now. SHAAD Tell me about it. DARNELL Look, I'll keep my ear to the ground for you. SHAAD Man, I appreciate it. 'Cause right now my lady paying for everything. DARNELL Damn. So-- So you losing all the arguments, huh? SHAAD Yeah. DARNELL Hey, is she making you smoke your weed outside? SHAAD Hell yeah. DARNELL Hell yeah. SHAAD DARNELL Ah. Hey, man, keep your head up, dawg. Something will come along. But until then keep laying that pipe right. So at least she got a good reason to keep your ass around. SHAAD I'll try my best. DARNELL Well, you better, 'cause these new vibrators about to have all our asses out on the streets. SHAAD You-- You nasty, dawg. SHAAD All right, man. DARNELL Hey. TRIG Hey, sup? SHAAD Surprised to see you, G! TRIG You know I couldn't miss this. Sup, man? SHAAD You been missing a lot lately, man. TRIG Yeah, I've-- I've been busy. SHAAD Yeah. EMMETT Hey, there he go, Mr. City Council. TRIG Oh, man. EMMETT There he is, yeah! TRIG Not yet. Not yet. SHAAD Hey, hey, hey, it's in the bag man. You got this, Vic. TRIG Yeah? Well, I appreciate the support, fellas. And, look, I'm sorry I haven't been around lately, you know? Between campaigning and trying to spend quality time with my lady, bro. By the time I get home, I ain't got nothing left to give. EMMETT Shit, you telling me. What? SHAAD TRIG EMMETT Hey, you want some food? TRIG Nah, but I-I'll take-- I'll take a red pop, though. SHAAD Hey, hey, Emmett, can I get a red pop, too? EMMETT Yeah, got you. SHAAD Appreciate it. TRIG Whoa. SHAAD It's good to see you, man. TRIG It's good to be seen. SHAAD TIERRA QUINCY Hey, Victor, how about you say a few words? TRIG Uh, okay. Yeah. TRIG TRIG You know, Smokey's... Smokey's isn't just a place to come get a plate of food, even though it is delicious, right? But it's also a place to come find community. You know, it can feel like a place you can call home when you don't have nowhere else to go. So, um, I want to thank Emmett for giving us all a place to call our own. Cheers. SHAAD Yeah, damn it. That's beautiful, bro! WALLA KENYA Congrats Emmett. So good to be back. PAPA Hey, Emmett! KENYA WALLA Oh! SHAAD Oh! SHAAD Damn it, Papa. PAPA Don't worry, I can get you a Smokey's shirt. EMMETT I'm sorry about that, Victor. TRIG Man. EMMETT Gonna hook you up with a shirt. TRIG Mmm. TRIG TRACY I'm just trying to figure out what my next move is gonna be. NINA What you mean? TRACY I mean after that whole Douda fiasco, I don't think I have the energy to start dating again. JADA DRE Aw, you know Tracy, there are a lot of good guys out here. And ladies. NINA Mmm. TRACY Uh-uh, see, listen, I have enough issues with men. I cannot afford to add ladies to my roster. Let me-- DRE I'm just saying-- Don't knock it until you try it. Try it, that's all! TRACY Mm-hmm. TRACY I think I'ma try to be by myself. Is that okay? JADA Don't give up on love just 'cause your last dude didn't work out. TRACY I'm not giving up on love. I think I just need to spend more time loving on myself. NINA Mmm. DRE Ooh. JADA Hmm. Well, I'm just saying from somebody who's been single for a long ass time. NINA Oh. Oh, yeah. Oh. JADA Uh, yeah. Just a little bit. Uh, Marriage is where it's at. Just give it a little bit. Be patient. DRE Ooh. TRACY I'm not waiting 20 years for some man to be like, "You know what? Now I want to be with you for the rest of my life." NINA JADA Whoa, whoa, whoa-- Hold up. 20 years? 22, baby. Don't forget the two, baby. DRE That's better. TRACY I think I'ma choose to be by myself on that note. JADA I think you're choosing it because you're scared you're gonna get hurt again. NINA Oh, girl, you could be in love and still get hurt. DRE Yeah, that's real. TRACY Exactly. NINA Mmm. JADA You want to die alone? TRACY Uh, we die alone anyway. But is it better to die holding some man's hand? JADA Yes. DRE That's a good point. JADA Don't push her towards the single life. TRACY Why do people think that women can only be happy in romantic relationships? What about friendships? This is my community. I love y'all. Friendships matter. NINA Aw. DRE You're making some good points. Look, I got clients that want to stay in relationships and trying to make it work just so they don't have to be alone. NINA I've learned a lot about who I am because this relationship forced me to grow. DRE Okay. TRACY I think I'm gonna find some ways to grow on my own. I'll keep you posted. DRE Yeah. But eventually, the right partner is gonna come along and put that mirror up to your face, you know, so you can see your own shit. TRACY Why can't hold the mirror up to myself? DRE Because eventually, you might not like what you see, and you're gonna want to put that motherfucker down. TRACY I did not pay for this session, counselor. NINA TRACY No, I'm not gonna put anything down. I think this is something I need to do for me. For myself, by myself. TRACY Hey... DRE By myself, for myself! Let's go, I got some-- WALLA KEVIN Hi. How are you? JAKE Damn, bro went and got his own crib before me. JEMMA LYNAE You should have seen it before I got here. BAKARI Papa, what you doing? PAPA I'm about to DM Kenya. BAKARI Bro, don't do that shit. You done already followed her. Liked 18 of her motherfucking pictures. Now you about to DM her, too? Chill, bro. You're getting fucking thirsty, dawg. MAISHA Boy, shut up. MAISHA Bakari doesn't know what he talking about. BAKARI I don't know what I'm talking about, huh? MAISHA No. BAKARI Shit, well last time I checked, I got me a woman. BAKARI Ain't that right, baby. LYNAE Please, if Papa didn't write that note for you, we wouldn't even be together. BAKARI Those were my words, though. PAPA Two of those are your words. Two of 'em. BAKARI Man, whatever, nigga. PAPA It's not my fault you don't know how to write in cursive. BAKARI You can do it for me, huh? KEVIN Damn. Who is that? BAKARI Bro, some old-ass chick that work at his job. MAISHA She only two years older than me. MAISHA Oh, so we like older women now. PAPA I mean, you ain't got time for me no more. MAISHA I never said that, Stanley. PAPA You ain't have to. JAKE Mmm. LYNAE Oh. BAKARI Damn. KEVIN All right, let's not bring up old shit. Okay? We're supposed to be cool, zenned out, chill. So can we be on that vibe. Please? JEMMA Yes, I am so happy that I'm no longer on the market, 'cause that... KEVIN Hmm, you wasn't really on the market when you got with Jake, so... JEMMA See? No. JAKE I-I thought we weren't bringing up old shit. JEMMA No. JAKE Exactly. JAKE What happened to "zenned out, cool and kicking it"? KEVIN I-- PAPA And our past is always in our present. KEVIN Right. JEMMA Look, if you wanna DM her, just do it. Just keep it smooth. KEVIN Yeah, bro. You got it. EMMETT Surprise! TIFF Wait, you really bought me a car? EMMETT You said you needed one. TIFF Yeah, but I didn't think you was gonna do it. EMMETT Hey, and it's paid off. EMMETT Yeah, that's yours. TIFF TIFF Where you have time to buy me a whole-ass car? EMMETT Dude, I got me a broker. He gave me a good deal, so... TIFF EMMETT What's up, G? ROB So this-- This new or-or this shit used? EMMETT Oh, it's fresh off the lot. ROB Bet. TIFF Oh, my God. Oh, my God. EMMETT Yeah, business been good to me, so least I could do. ROB For sure. EMMETT I'ma get to the crib. EMMETT Hey, Tiff! Drive safe. TIFF What you trying to say? EMMETT Don't be getting no speeding tickets. You guys like to drive fast and shit. TIFF Boy, whatever. TIFF Rob. Come on, let's take it for a ride. DEJA If you need to smoke in the house, can you please at least open the window? SHAAD I'm sorry, babe. I'm sorry, I forgot. I forgot, okay? My bad. Hey, hey. How was your day today? DEJA Man, someone walked up to my white coworker today and assumed she was the curator, again. That's the third time this week. SHAAD Man. I'm sorry, babe. DEJA It's not your fault. DEJA How you doing? SHAAD I'm good. I'm good. DEJA Hmm, that's good. Seeing the guys? SHAAD Oh, I saw them yesterday at Smokey's. DEJA That's good. SHAAD Yeah. DEJA I feel like you haven't gotten a chance to spend that much time with them. Like you used to. Especially since we moved in together. SHAAD Aw, I know. DEJA You know, you can invite them over whenever you want. I love to host. SHAAD Yeah, I know, baby, but come on, now. We some real niggas, man. We like to smoke, drink, talk shit. Now, I feel bad bringing that raucous in your house like that. DEJA Uh, it's our house. SHAAD I know. DEJA You okay? You seem a little down lately. SHAAD Nah, I'm good. SHAAD It's just that-- I don't know. It's real inspiring to see the men in my life doing so well. DEJA Mmm. SHAAD I mean, Darnell, he's-he's married and content. DEJA Mm-hmm. SHAAD Emmett, his business is taking off and booming, and-and this nigga Vic may actually win that election after all. DEJA Oh, wow, that's amazing. SHAAD It is. It's just real inspiring, but it also made me look at my own life. And I-- I just can't help but to think, you know, maybe I'm not-- maybe I'm not doing enough. DEJA Well, you've been locked away most of your life. I mean, you can't compare your journey to anyone else. SHAAD I know. Just... That shit just got me thinking, that's all. DEJA About what? SHAAD Hey. Hey, nothing. I'm good. You hear me? DEJA Um, how about we go out to dinner tonight? Hmm? You know, it could be good for us to get out of the house a little bit. It's my treat. SHAAD I-- Well, babe, I-- I already prepared dinner for you. I-I got your plate in the oven. DEJA Oh. Okay. Thank you. SHAAD Ah, hey-- Hey, come on, now. Hey, come here. That's the least I can do is prepare a home cooked meal after you've been working hard all day. DEJA Hmm. SHAAD You dig? DEJA SHAAD DEJA Hmm. DEJA You wanna watch a movie? SHAAD Oh, hell yeah. You know what? I've been meaning to look at Menace II Society again. Let's do that shit. DEJA I was hoping that we could watch something a little lighter. SHAAD Oh. Well, like what? DEJA Mmm. Ooh! Maybe Devil Wears Prada. SHAAD For sure. DEJA SHAAD Yeah. Look, I'll get that queued up and, uh, you go and warm your plate up, yeah? DEJA Okay. SHAAD All right. SHAAD Oh, shit. NUCK Jackpot, nigga. ZAY Don't be so basic, nigga. DOUDA Mmm, mmm, mmm. Vintage cars are hard to come by. DOUDA It's a good get, Nuck. NUCK Thanks. You know, this was Zay's idea. DOUDA Nice work. DOUDA What made you pick a car from the '70s? ZAY Easier to lift and the parts are harder to come by. So I knew it'd be a good choice. DOUDA I almost want to keep this one for myself. NUCK Shit, we could swap the plates out. ZAY This car is in great condition. Probably belongs to a collector. If I was you, I wouldn't chance it. I'm sure the owner got folks combing the city as we speak. DOUDA You're right. ZAY I can break it down tonight and get you some bread by the morning. DOUDA You like cigars? ZAY Never smoked one. ZAY But now is a hell of a time to start. DOUDA A hell of a time. Hell of a time to start. I agree. DOUDA I agree. DOUDA Let's go. TRIG Are you sure you don't wanna come with me to this? FATIMA It's my job to critique public figures. Not become one. TRIG Ah. TRIG I thought you said you didn't want to, uh, be a secret. FATIMA In your private life. TRIG Well, you know, if you don't come with me to these public events, people gonna start to think I'm single. FATIMA I'd rather that than people attack me. TRIG No one's gonna attack you. FATIMA You don't see my DMs and all the transphobic comments on my page. TRIG Just block that shit. FATIMA I'd be blocking folks all day. TRIG So what you saying? This is my fault? FATIMA What? No! Thi-- this is just my reality. TRIG Wh-- TRIG Well, what can I do? FATIMA FATIMA You can't fix this. FATIMA But you just go ahead and I will be here when you get home. FATIMA Okay? TRIG Okay. TRIG All right. FATIMA TRIG TRIG What the fuck? TRIG Quincy. What the fuck is this? QUINCY It's your viral moment. TRIG Are you serious, man? QUINCY Listen, your numbers are looking good. TRIG Are we in the lead? QUINCY It's neck and neck, but it's better than where we were. TRIG I'll take it. JEMMA Why are you here? TIERRA Um-- MARCUS I invited her. TIERRA Your dad and I have gotten very close over the past few months. JEMMA I've heard. TIERRA Um, I hope that we can get to know each other a little better. JEMMA Mmm, I'm good. TIERRA Okay, well, I'm not going anywhere so I suggest that you get used to me being around. JEMMA Okay. Well, love interests come and go, but daughters are forever. TIERRA You have to move out at some point. JEMMA No, I don't. MARCUS Yes, you do. JEMMA Daddy. MARCUS Sweetheart, I'm not saying that you have to move out right now. But I'd imagine at some point that you want to move out. Start your own life. JEMMA So you're taking her side? MARCUS I have a great deal of love and respect for both of you. So, we're gonna have to figure this out. JEMMA Wait, you love her? MARCUS That's not what I said. TIERRA That's what I understood. JEMMA Uh-uh, I'm leaving. MARCUS Where are you going? JEMMA To my room, okay? TIERRA KEVIN So, you and Papa really over? MAISHA I'ma always love Papa, but I think we're better as friends. KEVIN Cool. MAISHA Where's Simone? KEVIN Uh, she dumped me. MAISHA For somebody else? KEVIN No. Said she couldn't be with a Virgo for longer than three months. MAISHA Ooh. KEVIN Yeah. MAISHA Well, I mean, everybody can't handle being with an earth sign. MAISHA I'm serious. Seriously, it's not in the stars. KEVIN I'm gonna steal it. KIESHA The next time you want to buy your ex a car, can you talk to me first? EMMETT Are you serious? KIESHA Yes, that's a big spend. EMMETT I got her an Altima. KIESHA So what? EMMETT It's my money. KIESHA I thought we were in this together. EMMETT We are, bu-- EMMETT But if I want to do something nice for the mother of my child, I don't need your permission. KIESHA It's not about getting my permission. It's about us having a conversation. EMMETT I can't have a conversation with you about everything. KIESHA Then what are we doing? EMMETT What do you mean, "What are we doing?" We're a couple. KIESHA Not if you can't talk to me. EMMETT She asked for a car, I got her one. That's it. KIESHA Okay. If it's that simple, I want a bigger place. EMMETT Fine. KIESHA That's not what I mean. I'm trying to make a point, Emmett. EMMETT I'm tired, okay? I ain't got time to get into this with you right now. KIESHA You don't get to run from this because it makes you uncomfortable. This is what couples do, they talk. EMMETT EMMETT I'm too tired to talk. KIESHA Great. Let's just both get some fucking sleep. EMMETT KIESHA Where are you going? EMMETT Out. KIESHA This motherfucker. WALLA QUINCY We're just waiting on the votes from one more center. Should be any minute now. QUINCY Uh-huh. We did? QUINCY We did it, yo. WALLA Did you hear? Victor won! QUINCY We did it! By a really slim margin but a win is a win. TRIG We won? QUINCY Congratulations, new city councilman. QUINCY Congratulations. TRIG Thank you. FATIMA Congratulations, baby. TRIG Thanks for never giving up on me, man. QUINCY Thanks for trusting me with your campaign. TRIG No, no. I-I obviously made the right choice. QUINCY You got a job to do. TRIG Yes, I do. TRIG But you know I can't do it without you. Will you be my chief of staff? QUINCY What's the salary? TRIG Eh, it's-it's a little low. QUINCY Lucky I like you. TRIG My G, my G, my G. Thank you, man. QUINCY Thank you. TRIG Yes, thank you, baby. FATIMA Mm-hmm. TRIG Cheers! NUCK I'm not really sure I want to stay with Riley, but I don't know if that's really-- DOUDA Hey, look who it is. DOUDA Welcome. DOUDA Have a seat. Let me, uh, let me get you right. EMMETT ZAY Now the key is not to inhale. EMMETT What's the point then? ZAY It's rich nigga shit. DOUDA DOUDA Here's a lesson. You're gonna take your cigar, you're gonna hold it at about a 45-degree angle like this, right? Then, what you're gonna do, is rotate it in a circular like motion. Not allowing the flame to touch the cigar, we're just toasting the foot off the cigar. We're warming it up to make it a little easier to light, okay? DOUDA Slowly, slowly let it just toast the cigar. You're warming those tobacco leaves. DOUDA There it is. DOUDA I'm gonna allow you to take a puff on that. DOUDA Puff it until you can taste the smoke. EMMETT DOUDA EMMETT ZAY Oh, did you hear what Zay said? He said not to inhale. DOUDA Hey, um, uh, Dev. DOUDA Excuse me, can you keep it down a little bit? I'm trying to teach the young men here how to smoke a cigar. DEV I ain't chewing that loud, bro. DOUDA So Emmett, are you all right? EMMETT I took your advice and got my ex a car. DOUDA Oh, shit. See? That's wonderful. EMMETT Now my girl mad at me. DOUDA So, now what you have to do, is get her whatever she wants. EMMETT She want a bigger place, I'm like-- DOUDA Emmett, then get her one. EMMETT I ain't made of money. DOUDA But I am. EMMETT Come on, man, you ain't-- You're not gonna buy us a house. DOUDA No, nigga, I'm not gonna be buying you no motherfucking house. DOUDA But I will introduce you to my Realtor. He'll help you find something. EMMETT I'm just not ready to buy a house, like, I'm still, like, getting my shit together-- DOUDA Damn it, Emmett. EMMETT Stop being a fucking pussy. Come on, bruh. DOUDA Jump in the deep end. It's nice over here. EMMETT You're talking crazy, man. DOUDA Emmett. DOUDA If you listen to me, I promise you I will make sure you have enough money to keep all your women very, very happy. EMMETT I only got one. DOUDA You have four. The mothers of your children? They will always be your women. DOUDA Whether you like it or not. DOUDA I got three on my roster. DOUDA DOUDA All right. DOUDA Can you hand me my coat, please? DOUDA You all right? EMMETT Yeah, uh-- DOUDA You wanna take a handful of cigars for the road? EMMETT Nah. DOUDA It's good seeing you, buddy. I'll see you soon, okay? EMMETT Okay. DOUDA Good night. NUCK WALLA TRACY What do you want, Otis? DOUDA I texted you. TRACY I know, I ignored it. DOUDA Wait, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. DOUDA All right. Okay. DOUDA Well, let's consider this a wellness check. TRACY You don't wish me well. DOUDA Now you know that's not true. TRACY I'm taking some time for myself. TRACY That's what I need. DOUDA Okay. TRACY Okay. DOUDA Hey. DOUDA I miss you. DOUDA Hey. TRACY DOUDA Do you miss me? DOUDA Mmm. DOUDA Hey. EARTHA KITT A man comes into my life and you have to compromise? For what? For what? A relationship is a relationship that has to be earned, not to compromise for. EARTHA KITT And I love relationships. I think they're fantastically wonderful. I think they're great. I think there's nothing in the world more beautiful than falling in love. But falling in love for the right reasons, falling in love for the right purpose, falling in love, falling in love when you fall in love... EARTHA KITT What is there to compromise about?