ALEX ALL AMBER ANGEL BATISTA BROWN_SKINNED BROWN_SKINNED_CUTIE CARLOTTA CASSIE COTTON CROWD DAVIS DEREK DIANNE DIRECTOR DISPATCH DOCTOR DUKE FEMALE_REPORTER JACKSON LIL_DINI MALE_REPORTER MARY MATEO MAURICE MISS_BRUCE MOSES NOAH NURSE OFFICERS PA PAPARAZZI PAPARAZZO PAPARAZZO_2 PAPS_2 PAPS_3 PROCESS_SERVER PRODUCER RANDALL_LAWSON RASHAD REPORTER REPORTERS SIMONE STAR TOW_TRUCK_DRIVER SIMONE Previously on Star... STAR The intubation bruised my vocal cords. I'm singing the right note. Right? CARLOTTA Gravity Media is going bankrupt. MAURICE Right before Asa's? MATEO The problem is that nobody wants to buy Gravity Media right now. BROWN SKINNED CUTIE Tomorrow, we can go back to our big and complicated lives. But tonight, we're just two strangers. ALEX My dad's trying to make money off of my wedding and wants to use me and my career. CARLOTTA My father was many things to different people. And me? He sexually assaulted. STAR I'm gonna give Davis up for adoption. He deserves something better than us, you know it. ANGEL Do you know that video you dropped went viral? You know, there's a difference between helping people and actively stoking the flames. SIMONE Angel! MARY What? You think you're better than me?! STAR I'm nothing like you, bitch. MARY You're exactly like me. DAVIS MARY And you don't deserve this baby, so I'm gonna take it. STAR Don't touch my baby! Don't touch my baby! Give me my baby! MARY STAR Give him to me! Give him—Ah! Mama’s got you. Stay away from my baby. MARY But he's already gone. STAR Where is… where is he? MARY ? Baby I tried, but I can't, I love you ? STAR Okay. Give me back my baby, I want him. I want my baby. MARY ? So sweet company and your love won't ? ? Let me go ? SIMONE I can't believe that we made it out alive. DISPATCH OFFICERS CARLOTTA Is Angel okay? SIMONE I don't know, he's been talking to police this whole time. DAVIS CARLOTTA Star, are you okay? STAR Huh? CARLOTTA Davis is crying. STAR Oh, I hear him. But are you okay? SIMONE I'm fine. Tend to Davis. BATISTA I was just telling your husband we need to take you down to the station at some point to talk to you about this incident. ANGEL It's not an incident. It's a terrorist attack, they just calling it that cause it's a white man that did it. Are you kidding me? BATISTA We're gonna catch then. Until then, you two need to lay low. SIMONE We've got all those events for Asa's this week. ANGEL He said lay low. SIMONE Look, that idiot wants us to hide and I don't want him to win. CARLOTTA Well, you getting security. That's for damn sure. BATISTA Angel, look ANGEL No. BATISTA This guy is still out there. You see anything suspicious, don't hesitate to contact me. ANGEL Well then, you find him. Before something happens to you. SIMONE Angel. CARLOTTA All right, great. So you got two bodyguards, for Angel and Simone Rivera. All right, thank you. MISS BRUCE Two bodyguards, C? CARLOTTA And I'm paying for it out of my pocket, since Gravity is about file Chapter 11. I’ve got to plan for life after Gravity. I mean, they need sponsorships, they need bigger gigs. They need interest from other labels. That's why we've got to serve at this Young Power Players Gala. MISS BRUCE They need to stop having so many damn parties. Old moose-knuckled, cheap suit wearing ass Asa folk. They would have a damn party for an opening of an envelope. CARLOTTA They better give us that envelope. MISS BRUCE I hope you taking care of yourself. ‘Cause bitch, I don't want to get another phone call from a coffee shop talking about you gone peed on yourself on them people floor. Silence fuels secrecy, we done been down that road before. We ain't doing that again. CARLOTTA I might lose everything. Everything I worked to build. For myself, for them girls, for Noah. MISS BRUCE Jahlil. CARLOTTA Look. It's been taking every ounce of faith I got just to get through. MISS BRUCE Yeah. CARLOTTA You know, sometimes I look up and I say, "One more thing and a bitch’s gonna break." And then, one more thing happens. MISS BRUCE And then, bitch, you don't break. You built like some brickhouse. CARLOTTA MISS BRUCE Speaking of brickhouses, look at you. Come on. ? Hey there! ? CARLOTTA MISS BRUCE Look, let me go put my little Michelle Obama's on my feet, bitch. CARLOTTA MISS BRUCE ‘Cause you know my knees bad. CARLOTTA All right. Today is the day. ALEX Is Ruby actually gonna make it to the wedding? ‘Cause I feel like her and Beau are getting nasty on that cruise that they’re on, and that’s just... DEREK You know she not missing our wedding for nothing. Hey! What the hell are you doing? TOW TRUCK DRIVER Take it up with the owner. ALEX I am the owner. TOW TRUCK DRIVER According to this, a Roland Crane owns it, and he wants it back. ALEX He's trying to punish me for calling him out. DEREK Well, that's messed up. What? Let me talk to the dude. I can get the car back-- ALEX No, no. ‘Cause it's not about the car. This is Asa week and he's trying to publicly humiliate me. Look, can you wait? Okay, fine. He wants the car, he can have it. DEREK Hey! Wait, wait, wait! ALEX I love you, daddy. PAPARAZZI Angel! How are you recovering from your accident? / How are you doing in your solo career? / Is Take 3 back together for good? SIMONE You all right, baby? Everything is gonna be okay, remember that. We also have the Men in Black behind us. MATEO Hey, guys. I got great news. Justice Magazine, they want do a piece on social justice and immigration. SIMONE That's great. It will bring awareness to hate crime. Yes, we're in. MATEO Sounds great. I’ll let the magazine know to get in touch with you. SIMONE Okay. MATEO Enjoy, kid. ANGEL We nearly got blown to pieces. Now you want to put our faces out there, so this terrorist could see all this? SIMONE Angel, this article will be good for us and then show people that we're not victims and we're not going anywhere. I promise. We'll be okay. ANGEL Okay, baby. Go do your thing. SIMONE Hey. ALEX Hey. SIMONE How are you? ALEX Good, just having car trouble. PAPARAZZO Alex, this way please. PAPARAZZI STAR ALEX Where have you been? SIMONE And where's Davis? Why you got that stank ass look in your face? STAR Davis is at home with Cotton, he's good. PAPARAZZO You all look beautiful! CARLOTTA This Take 3 reunion is getting traction. Star was right. Y'all got more power together. MAURICE And Asa week is the time to cash in on that. So look alive ladies, you see the cameras. CARLOTTA All right, look, Take 3 and Noah. Performances at the Asa nominees showcase in two days. MAURICE But it's not just a performance, it's an audition. This is your last chance to woo voters and Randall Lawson is in town. ALEX That billionaire dude that stays lowkey for whatever reason? STAR Oh, he's a billionaire? What he look like? ‘Cause I need a Zetti. CARLOTTA ALEX We're at the Asa's, okay? Not the Hoa's. CARLOTTA He's looking for a headliner for a six month residency at one of his venues. MAURICE Now, landing this residency will be a good way to stay relevant with Gravity going under. STAR That means performing, and I still don't have a voice. SIMONE Star, you know that me and Alex also sing lead, we got you. CARLOTTA Yeah, don't worry. We'll figure out a way to hide your vocal deficiencies. STAR That just means you gonna bury my vocal in the track. That makes me a glorified back up dancer. MAURICE I'll set you guys up with tracks from the hottest producers, don't worry. CARLOTTA Listen, y'all been fighting too hard this year for this, and y'all been dreaming all your lives. Don't give up now. MISS BRUCE Hey. So look, I just got extra to do a pop up interview with y'all. Star, they're gonna ask you questions about the “Breathless” video with Noah. STAR The video I still haven't agreed to do. MISS BRUCE Bitch, do you care about your career? You see Gravity Media is sinking. CARLOTTA What the hell? CASSIE Karma was about me getting my foot in this music industry's door. But now? LIL DINI Mmm. CASSIE I'm ready to make real moves, you feel me? LIL DINI Yeah, I heard you heard about King Dini-ling. Aka Mr. Lick-‘em-low. CASSIE Ew, get off of me, tooth pick! LIL DINI Damn. CASSIE Look, I'm talking real business, Dini, like you collaborating with my gospel artists. LIL DINI Okay look, a gospel artist will never fit on The Enrique Dragon Experience, okay? That album is gonna be nasty as hell. Yeah. CASSIE You know what? LIL DINI CASSIE Stop. Okay, people are watching. All right? LIL DINI What the hell you-- I don't care about these people. CASSIE Your tracks don't have no soul. You need you a real radio single or you gonna end up like Tekashi69. LIL DINI You sound like an industry bitch right now, okay? CASSIE Let me tell you something, don't call me no bitch. LIL DINI I kind of like this. CARLOTTA Hey. What the hell is y'all doing? LIL DINI CARLOTTA Go somewhere. LIL DINI Tell him to call me. Tell him to call me. All right? CASSIE All right. CARLOTTA What is wrong with you? Why you've got to be stuck on stupid? CASSIE I'm not trying to get in your way, I promise. I'm just trying to make moves for Rashad. CARLOTTA I'm trying to take care of business out here. CASSIE The real business that you need to handle is in that envelope you got stashed. Proof that your child is alive. So until you could handle that, don't step to me. Love you, sis. PAPS 2 Amber, over here! Amber, congrats on your new single. And landing the hottest up and coming producer in Atlanta. AMBER Shot straight to number one on the charts, but I can't take all the credit for that. My boy JAX produced it, and now everyone wants to work with him. But, I think I'm gonna keep him for myself. Right, bae? Jax really knows how to work my voice. STAR Oh. Girl, he used to know how to work mine, too. JACKSON Chill. We can be friends now, I'm over it. AMBER PAPARAZZO Jax, Star! Together! STAR I'm over it, too. But you know what's really gonna help me get over you? JACKSON Enlighten me. STAR Dusting y'all for Best Pop Album next week. JACKSON Hmm. Smells like jealousy. STAR That's just the smell of your funky ass spray tan. PAPARAZZO Right here, T-Man. PAPARAZZO 2 Noah! Hey, before you leave, can we get a shot? Noah... NOAH Hey. You ain't been answering my calls, but we gonna talk about what happened the other night. STAR There's nothing to talk about. NOAH PAPARAZZI Noah! Noah, right here. NOAH You trying to give my child away? Have some random stranger adopt him? I'm the father, I have rights. PAPS 3 Noah and Star, smile for the camera. STAR No, what you have is an addiction problem that you constantly put before your child. NOAH Oh, you want to go there, huh? Oh, you ain't walking away from me like that. Star. STAR What you want to do, Noah? You want to do this in front of all these people? NOAH You’ve got a chance to take care of your child, but you're trying to give him up. All this time I thought you were trying to be better than your mama, but you're worse. ALL STAR Put me out there like that. Get off of me! NOAH Get off me. You happy? STAR Get off me! NOAH Huh? It’s what you wanted? STAR Get off of me. NOAH Get off me, I'm good. STAR Get off of me! NOAH Get off me. What?! CARLOTTA Hey. I held my tongue because these limo drivers got ears, but what the hell, Star? STAR Davis deserves a real family. CARLOTTA I'm gonna shake some sense into you, girl. STAR You were with me at that ultrasound. I felt him kick. I love him. I'm his mother, but I'm not going to be a good enough mother for him. So, I get to choose. CARLOTTA Now listen, it was my dream for y'all to go further than me and Mary, and you have done that. You got so much to look forward to. You got your career. You got Davis. STAR What career? Carlotta, what are you talking about? I can't sing. I'm falling apart. The label's falling apart. I'm not doing this to Davis. He deserves better than this. And if Noah pushes me, I'm gonna prove that he's unfit. CARLOTTA Look, I know you’re overwhelmed, but you don't want Davis growing up and wondering why his mother up and abandoned him. STAR I don't want Davis to grow up and wish that I had. I've got to give him away, Carlotta. COTTON Hey. DAVIS STAR I'll go get his stuff. DAVIS DOCTOR I know you're anxious to get your voice back, but the good news is, I see progress, Ms. Davis. STAR That's not good news. I need my voice. I got the Asa Showcase this weekend. My whole life is riding on it. I need a fix. DOCTOR Quick fixes are just that Quick fixes. STAR What are about Cortisone shot? DOCTOR Pushing your voice too soon can cause permanent damage and it won't heal you. It'd be like, playing a sport on a broken leg. STAR But you could still play the sport, right? These vocal therapies you got me doing aren't working. DOCTOR You need to complete at least a month of that before we even talk about cortisone shots. STAR A month? DOCTOR And I wouldn't feel comfortable administering Cortisone shots without consulting your OB/GYN. The answer is no, Ms. Davis. I'm sorry. STAR You know what? I'm gonna do this myself. I've seen my mama use these things a million times. DOCTOR I'm not going to tell you again. The answer is no. DEREK You weren't supposed to be up yet. ALEX But I am. DEREK Just trying out my outfit for the big day. Isn't it bad luck for you to actually see me? ALEX I thought that was just for the bride? Come in. DEREK Who’s that? ALEX Moses. MOSES Oh, look at you. Oh. ALEX Derek is trying on his suit for the wedding. DEREK How are you doing? MOSES It's nice to see you again. ALEX Thanks for coming. MOSES Alex, you're family, of course I came. You know your father loves you. ALEX Stop. He loves himself. He repossessed my car. MOSES And I know the very public repossession doesn't look great for your brand. ALEX No, it doesn't. He's the one trying to make money off my wedding. MOSES As far as he's concerned, this is on you. ALEX I grew up in an emotional graveyard and made something of myself with hard work. He can take my money, but he will not ruin my reputation. If he doesn't come out and admit that he's a horrible human being, I will. MOSES Alex, your father made it very clear that if you speak out against him, he will sue you. DEREK What kind of father sues his own daughter? ALEX Mine. ALEX Is this the one? SIMONE Yeah. ALEX Okay, cool. Now, all we have to do is split Star's vocals to minimize her performance and... we'll be good. What? SIMONE Does nobody care that Star's about to give up her baby? STAR Go ahead and talk about it. To me, for once. I'm here. SIMONE Star, why don't you just give the baby to me? Okay, I'm his family too and I took care of him while you were in jail. I promise I won't let anything happen to him. STAR Simone, you can't promise me that. He almost died while I was in jail. Look what happened to you and Angel. How are you going to protect the baby? ALEX Maybe she has a point. Simone, my dad was never a real dad, and he was way too arrogant to see that. He cared way more about his career than anything else. STAR Don't that sound like somebody you know? SIMONE Star, you've always been about family since day one. STAR That's what nobody seems to get. I want my baby, but I'm giving him away because I'm putting him first. ALEX I'm not saying Star is right, but she has a choice. Just like I had a choice. SIMONE Are you talking about your abortion? MISS BRUCE Why are y'all looking so sad? Did somebody die? Have y'all picked out a track? ALEX Yeah. Yeah, we did. We like the third one you sent. You cool with that one, too? STAR Yeah, yeah. I listened to it on the way over. It knocks. MISS BRUCE Good cause it's by your almost-was baby daddy, Jackson. It's a good song, the boy's talented. Look, I stole the song from the vault, okay? I just need you to get permission for us to use it. I figure with them beats, your lyrics, child, you'll be spilling champagne on your trophy at the Asa's next week. STAR All right, I'll ask him for it. SIMONE Star, why do you care more about this residency than giving up your own baby? STAR Simone, you have no idea what's going on in my head, you can't imagine. SIMONE DUKE I said look after Rashad. Now, he's coming to me with some big dreams about staying in the A and being signed to some record label with Cassie. CARLOTTA Tell me about it. DUKE I mean, I know he's a grown ass man, but this is just foolish. I mean, he's got a good job with good pay. Chasing dreams? That just doesn't pay the bills. CARLOTTA I hear you Duke, but you need to go talk to Cassie. She's the one filling up his head with dreams of a quick come up. DUKE I just don't want him throwing away his job on some-some... some foolishness. I mean, Rashad may not be mine, but he's... he's always been my everything. CARLOTTA Wait a minute, what you mean he ain't yours? DUKE I swore I would take this to my grave, but... Rashad is your father's child. He had some affair and swore your mama would shoot him dead if she ever found out. Brought him to me one summer. Me and Mable have been trying to have a baby and... CARLOTTA Who's the mother? DUKE I don't even know. Just need you to look after him. You're his family. Please. CARLOTTA I got you. Come on in. I got you. DUKE All right. Thank you. CARLOTTA PA Three mark. PRODUCER Playback. DIRECTOR Cut! NOAH That's what you get. STAR Is… is somebody gonna tell him not to get in my shot? NOAH No. No, no. You supposed to wait until I go. STAR This is featuring you! NOAH What you talking about over here, man? MAURICE Hey! STAR This is-- How am I supposed to-- MAURICE Hey! This might be the last music video you have for a while. NOAH MAURICE You're paid to make this look good. What if you don't win your Asa's or Lawson doesn't respond to your performances? What you got then? NOAH I can be professional. STAR I'll show you professional. I'll seduce his little easy-ass, like I do every time, and then take his residency. How about that? NOAH You seduce everybody, don't you? MAURICE Can y'all get it together? NOAH She's trippin', man. STAR Excuse me. NURSE Excuse me, Ms. Davis. Do you have a minute? STAR Yeah, what are you doing here? NURSE I felt really bad after your appointment earlier. I know you're desperate to perform this week, and the doctor can be a bit conservative with his views. That's why some of my patients make other arrangements. STAR So you can hook me up with cortisone? Okay, I'll think about it. NURSE Great. Give me a call. STAR Okay. Chop, chop. Let's go! LIL DINI Try it. Try. Exactly! Exact—Jenga, bruh! RASHAD Bro, you listening to this track? LIL DINI Psyche man, makes your booty shine. The spirit of Dini compels you to get on the wave, church boy. RASHAD With all due respect... LIL DINI Calling on God! RASHAD I'm not feeling this one, but I'm feeling the first one. LIL DINI Why would I listen to you, and you ain't had a sip all night, bruh? RASHAD Bro, I don't-- LIL DINI Sober thoughts are disrespectful to the culture. There you go. Play the first one, bruh. Mm-hmm. RASHAD I got it. Here, here. CASSIE Ooh, that's bomb. RASHAD Yeah. We got an idea already, cuz. CASSIE Mm… Let's see y'all in that booth, though. RASHAD All right. LIL DINI Oh, you're coming right in. Okay. I see how you work. Look, look, grab that drink. I'm gonna grab this here tree life, and we're gonna get to it. RASHAD All right. LIL DINI Stay focused, now. Sip, sip. Sip, sip. CASSIE What's good, sis? CARLOTTA Get Rashad out of here? CASSIE Lottie, Dini can work with whoever he wants to. CARLOTTA I do not want to see his face around this label, you hear me? CASSIE Carlotta. CARLOTTA Don't test me on this, Cassie. CASSIE All right. All right, y'all, let's take a five, okay? SIMONE Wait a minute. What's going on? Everything okay? ANGEL I heard a noise outside. I thought there was a bomb or something. SIMONE Okay. Okay. Give me that. Hey, look at me. Baby, you're being paranoid. ANGEL A car just blew up right in front of you. You can't do these interviews. SIMONE All right. Star's about to give up this baby, and you're freaking out over this racist fool? I'm about to lose it. ANGEL You? You've been out here marching like you had to get on a boat and risk your life to get in this country. You're telling a story that's not even yours, and I don't even understand why. Is it the fame, or is it maybe because you're getting more attention than Star now? SIMONE Angel, you know that's not true. I'm doing because I care. I care about you. Don't be mad and upset that my career's taking off and yours isn't. I didn't mean that. CASSIE What's going on, Carlotta? A lot on your mind or something? CARLOTTA There's a grown-ass men out there. Don't know who he's mother is. Raised by two people whose hearts will crack if they knew the truth. CASSIE Carlotta, you didn't know. CARLOTTA I know now. CASSIE What? CARLOTTA I'm gonna tell Rashad the truth. CASSIE Rashad? What does he have to do with it? CARLOTTA Look at me. Now look at him. Now look at Daddy. Rashad is my child. CASSIE Oh, my God. CARLOTTA Sweet cousin Rashad. CASSIE Damn. CARLOTTA He practically worships that devil who gave him life. I tell him that, what's he gonna do? CASSIE Look, I know you've got to be scared, sis, but... I mean, he deserves to know, like you. CARLOTTA What if he can't accept me? CASSIE Then he's missing out on one of God's greatest gifts. CARLOTTA You're such a good liar. CASSIE No, I'm not. I ain't lying this time. CARLOTTA Cass, remember that song that, um, Mommy used to play? The one we used to sing together? CASSIE Which one? CARLOTTA “Only God knows.” CASSIE Yeah. CARLOTTA Play that for me. CASSIE Yeah. JACKSON Track's hot. NOAH Don't flatter yourself. JACKSON You know I still don't like you. NOAH Yeah, well, I don't like you, either. It's a business. It ain't personal. Word is you are a hot producer, and I need a track to impress this Randall Lawson guy. Speaking of personal, I need to talk to you about what's going on with Star. JACKSON Oh, man. Don't drag me into that. NOAH Yeah, you're right. My fault. Um, can you play it back? JACKSON You look desperate, man. What's going on with her? NOAH Man, look, I don't even know what's going on... STAR Wow. I guess Meek and Drake aren't the only ones figuring it out, huh? JACKSON Star, what do you want? STAR To get out of here as soon as possible, 'cause I can't stand to be in the room with him. Somebody played me a track, they said you made it. I need it to land this residency. JACKSON You can have it. STAR I can just have it. JACKSON I see that you're trying to get your life back together for Davis, and I respect that, so it's yours. STAR Thanks. JACKSON So, how's everything with your vocal cords? Everything's good? STAR Don't do that, Jackson. You don't got to act like my friend. I don't more of those. NOAH Or a son. She's trying to give Davis up for adoption. STAR I'm trying to protect Davis from you, and that's the last time-- JACKSON Wait. Hold on, hold on. What is he talking about, Star? STAR None of your business! JACKSON No, it is my business. STAR You got everything you wanted out of me, Jackson. You got a career, which I gave you. You're welcome. You got an uncomplicated girlfriend, keep that. And don't ask me about my life, because you walked out of it. JACKSON I walked out of your life? Are you kidding me? You know what? STAR What? JACKSON You are a cold-hearted bitch, and I pray your son does not end up like you. STAR What did you just say to me? NOAH No, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no, no. STAR Thanks for the track. DEREK What up? ALEX Hey. DEREK What are you working on? ALEX Jackson actually let us use that track that he produced. DEREK For real? ALEX Yeah. I'm just trying to write lyrics to it now, and I got nothing. My dad’s still bad-mouthing me to the press, so… DEREK Look, I know you're trying to dive into work to avoid talking about how much your father's hurting you. Take your power back. We're getting married, baby. That means your last name won't be Crane anymore. It'll be Jones. You can do things your way. ALEX Yeah, sure, but... how? DEREK Your music. I mean, you've never written a word about your dad. ALEX Not that I've shared. DEREK Well, I know what your heart is made of, and I know what you can do if you go in that booth. Thank me later. ALEX Or not. DEREK You will. I love you. ALEX Love you, too. RASHAD Man, you sure this is herbal? LIL DINI That's that Purple Urkle. RASHAD I can't believe you talked me into this. LIL DINI Cassie was right. We just need some time outside the booth. Let that Mary Jane hit you, and then puff, puff, pass, negro. RASHAD LIL DINI Them the rules. CASSIE Excuse me, Rashad! Are you high? You know what? I can't stand you, Little-ass Dini. LIL DINI Clearly, you forgot my presence is your present. RASHAD You and Carlotta are both trippin'. CASSIE Look, Carlotta is right. You ain't got no business getting your stuff mixed up with this fool. RASHAD Man, Carlotta can kiss my-- CASSIE Show some respect! LIL DINI God don't like ugly. CASSIE Which means God don't like you. LIL DINI You begged me to work with this R&B Evangelist. CASSIE We're putting a pause to all of this, okay? I'm pulling out of the game as your manager. RASHAD I got talent. I thought you believe in me. CASSIE I do, okay, but it's deeper. Trust me, cousin. You've got to stand down. BROWN SKINNED Seems like you've got something on your mind over there, baby. And how many of those have you had before I came? CARLOTTA So what, you're my man now? My knight in shining armor? Don't act like you came here just to talk. BROWN SKINNED You're right. I came here to blow your back out. BROWN SKINNED But I wouldn't mind getting to know you a little better. CARLOTTA I wouldn't mind you getting to know me better, too. BROWN SKINNED No. CARLOTTA CARLOTTA See, I done told you about taking my drink. Hmm? BROWN SKINNED It tastes better after… REPORTER So, how do you two find the courage to deal with people who hate you? ANGEL We take it a day at a time. REPORTER But if you had a chance to face the very people who want to hurt you, what would you say? ANGEL We wouldn't give them the satisfaction. REPORTER Simone, what do you have to say? SIMONE I would like to say to the man who hides behind bombs that, unlike you, I don't run away. So if you want to come out of hiding, come out of hiding and face me, bitch. REPORTERS/CREW ANGEL This interview's over. Turn the camera off. SIMONE Angel. ANGEL Turn the camera off! What the hell was that, Simone? SIMONE She gave us a chance to say what we wanted to say, and so I said it. ANGEL So you bait him on live video? SIMONE I'm trying to make a difference. I'm trying to stick up for you... ANGEL Do you not remember what just happened?! I'm not doing this with you. Oh, my God. STAR All right, so when will I be able to sing. NURSE It's gonna be pretty numb, but you might be able to sing by tonight. STAR Bitch, I'm either singing on stage or I'm singing on that ass tonight. Either way, I'm singing. NURSE I'm gonna do the best I can. CROWD / Star! / Star! / Star! CARLOTTA Lawson's gonna hand you all that residency now. MISS BRUCE You better whip your hair back and forth. CARLOTTA Wow. STAR SIMONE You voice is back. Are you gonna stop trippin' over Davis now? CARLOTTA Yeah, all this talk about you not having a voice, and you can sing. STAR It's just... I didn't want to tell you what was actually going on. My voice isn't really back. SIMONE What? NOAH This got something to do with that lady from the shoot, huh? CARLOTTA Star, what is he talking about? STAR He overheard me talking to a nurse. I was in the doctor's office, he wouldn't give me the shot, so I asked her for it. I mean, she hooked me up. CARLOTTA Why you got to be so reckless? NOAH She don't care who she hurts. STAR I'm not trying to hurt nobody. I just wanted my voice back. I don't know how to live without my voice. I've never done this before. When me and Simone were little, I sang to her to distract her when my mama was passed out. I sang for money. Music is how I survived. I'm gonna do what I have to do to get it back. Today I did cortisone shots, but who knows what else I'll do, or Noah will do. And I'm not gonna let Davis get hurt. That makes me worse than my mama? Fine. At least I can admit it. CARLOTTA So, what you playing at? RANDALL LAWSON It's a hell of a night we're having here, huh? You left your panties in my hotel. CARLOTTA RANDALL LAWSON Oh, I'm sorry. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Randall. Randall Lawson. It's nice to meet you, Carlotta. CARLOTTA Wait, you let me s-- You let me spend several nights with you, doing all them nasty things with you, and you didn't say a damn thing? RANDALL LAWSON Keeping it casual was your idea. I want to get to know you. Even all the things that you try so damn hard to hide. CARLOTTA The sex was good. Don't ruin it. RANDALL LAWSON It was good. CARLOTTA Mm-hmm. So, which one of my artists you choosing for your residency? RANDALL LAWSON Listen, your artists are the real deal. But I'm the real deal, too. And with Gravity out of the way and seeing all that you can do, I want you to work for me and my company. CARLOTTA I can't walk away from my artists. RANDALL LAWSON The offer's on the table, if you want it. DIANNE Great job, son. I haven't seen you perform in a long time. You okay? NOAH I just can't figure out Star. I mean, she snapped. DIANNE When you lay down with someone, you lay down with every ounce of their crazy. NOAH Ma, she's trying to take Davis away. DIANNE Well, we ain't gonna let that happen. Listen, I don't like Star one bit, but I might understand what's happening. When you were born, it changed me. I went through things I never told anyone about. NOAH Like what? DIANNE You were just about three months old, and I was giving you a bath, and you were little enough to fit in the sink. All of a sudden, I panicked. I started thinking about all the ways my life was over. Baby, I almost drowned you in the kitchen sink. Not because I didn't love you, but because I was struggling with a disease, postpartum. NOAH Star ain't dealing with nothing but her ambition. She threatened me with a knife when I tried to talk some sense into her. DIANNE She what? PROCESS SERVER Uh, excuse me. Are you Noah Brooks? You've been served. DIANNE What is this? NOAH It's a subpoena. She's trying to prove that I'm unfit to be a parent. I-I… DIANNE I swear, Star thinks she's crazy, she ain't seen crazy yet. NOAH Mama, no. DIANNE Listen to me. I'm your mama, and I'm gonna always look out for you and never let anything happen. Okay? NOAH Yes. REPORTERS / With that, Take 3 is back together? MALE REPORTER Alex, Alex. Are you broke? FEMALE REPORTER The new song is hot. What's the story behind the new track? ALEX Recently, I found out my dad got upset with me and cut me out of our family trust. He wanted me to cover up what a terrible excuse for a father he is, but I think the whole world should know, so I wrote a song about it instead. That's the story behind the new Take 3 record. And, Daddy, if you want to clap back, I'm ready for whatever's coming. REPORTERS STAR I wish there was another way. I wish I was better for you, baby. But no matter what anybody tells you, your mama loves you. You're gonna understand me one day. STAR Noah, I don't have time for this now. I'm too tired to deal with you. DIANNE Let me tell you something, little girl. You take my grandson away, there is not a crevice of God's green earth that I won't scorch to find you. STAR Well, bitch, this part of God's green earth is called my house. And stand your ground is very real in Atlanta, don't catch no bullets. Listen. DIANNE No! You listen. I've fought to raise a black man in a white world, and it nearly sucked the life out of me. And I almost ruined Noah. Now I get a second chance? A chance to do better? I'll be damned if I let you take that away from me. STAR And I'll be damned if you use my son as a second chance to fail. You don't know who you're messing with. DIANNE No. You don't know who you're messing with. RASHAD You don't believe in me? Is that it? CARLOTTA You drunk? RASHAD Man, you've been blocking me ever since I got to the A. What did I ever do to you? Look at me. CARLOTTA Don't touch me. RASHAD Okay. So, you... you're just gonna blow up my life whenever you feel like it? CARLOTTA It's not like that. RASHAD I thought we were family. Are we not family? Huh? CARLOTTA We're more than family. I'm your mother. RASHAD Uncle Calvin. CARLOTTA Yes. RASHAD No. No. This ain't my life. CARLOTTA We need to talk through this because-- RASHAD No! CARLOTTA Rashad! RASHAD This ain't my life! CARLOTTA