Our Kind of People (2021) s01e02 Episode Script

1
Previously on "Our Kind of People"
PIGGY: This is where your
mother started doing hair.
Swore she'd never come back
after what happened with your father.
ANGELA: She never
even told you his name?
She died with that secret.
When are we gonna spread her ashes?
I know all your dirt.
I have a dossier filled
with your dirty deeds.
Your father's retiring?
LEAH: I'm gonna control
all of it, including Darmon.
My mom's opening a
store on Delois Street.
It's like hair care.
ANGELA: The Franklins
can help Eve's Crown.
Where have I heard that name before?
I applied for the small
business incubator program.
TYRIQUE: Leah can be tough,
especially if you're trying
to join the Graceties.
I'm just here to show
the new kid around.
I nominate Angela Vaughn.
I would be honored to
be in this sisterhood.
You've been lying to gain
access into this club.
Evelyn Vaughn she was arrested
for intent to distribute.
Teddy Franklin is my father.
She wanted me to find
out what he did to her.
That's what I'm gonna do.
LAUREN: Taylor!
- What the hell just happened?!
- We were arguing!
OFFICER BARRY: But our focus
is on how the accident happened.
You want me to go around and
slap pronouns on my chest?
- Well, we don't get to do that here.
- Shh. Be quiet.
LEAH: I hear you wanted to
pick the wig up yourself.
Got to secure the crown.
["FREE AT LAST" PLAYS]
[BREATHES DEEPLY]
Hey, everybody. You good?
All right, somebody asked what
my first memory of hair was.
I was sitting between my mama's legs
getting my summer braids, looking cute,
screaming bloody murder
'cause I was so tender-headed.
And one day, she put the comb down.
She told me a story.
We gonna be free at last
ANGELA: That back in Africa,
hair patterns were as
good as fingerprints.
Braids could tell you a person's tribe,
marital status, wealth,
or social position.
Our crowns were our identity.
When the colonizer ships came,
one of the first things
they did was shave our hair
so we couldn't tell kin from kin.
So when those of us who survived
the Middle Passage landed here,
a new hair culture needed to be born.
We grew our hair back.
We took back what was stolen.
We used our hair to communicate.
We found power in hair.
That's what my mother taught me
that no one can take your identity
or make you forget who you really are.
Head high
Confident
Strong mind
Resilient
You can't break me,
I was born to rise
Our kind of people
Ooh, ooh
Our kind of people
Ooh, ooh
PASTOR JOHN GRAY: This morning,
I'm focused in on Exodus 12,
where we find Moses leading
the children of Israel
out of 400 years of bondage.
In the middle of the night,
they were led to leave
the only life they knew
for a land that was promised.
Midnight, running towards a promise.
ANGELA: I can't believe
we share the same blood.
It takes everything in my Christian soul
not to tell that heifer what
our grimy-ass father did.
We know the truth.
Your mother never dealt
a drug a day in her life.
Amen.
Quiet as hell in here.
- Can we get a little call and response up in this?
- [SNORTS]
Can I offer to you this morning
that perhaps the fight is not simply
for you to vanquish your enemies?
- The fight was designed to reveal you to you.
- WOMAN: Oh.
Oh. Amen!
You're gonna have to fight.
You're a warrior by
nature. It's in your DNA.
You couldn't escape it if you tried.
[CONGREGANTS APPLAUD, SHOUT "AMEN!"]
I've come to learn that sometimes,
if you don't take it by force,
you won't take it at all.
Whoo! Amen.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Choir, come on and sing that song.
Y'all need to stand up and
bless the Lord. Come on!
Jesus
Hey
Bless that wonderful name of
Jesus
No other name I know
- Mmm.
- Okay.
[BELL TOLLS]
That's the most fun I've
had in church in a long time.
The Holy Spirit moved me.
And you moved me.
I was gonna ask you for a
referral for a contractor
a decent one who's not gonna rip me off.
- You know anybody?
- I absolutely know a guy me.
Okay, this is not a
sitting-in-a-glass-office,
drawing-pretty-pictures type of thing.
This is a "get your hands
dirty" renovation at Eve's Crown.
Trust me, I can get a little dirty.
Oh. Okay.
Then you're hired.
That damn Vaughn woman is
a menace just like her mama.
You need to handle it
so we can get back to
more pressing concerns.
Lauren's partying
behavior is out of control.
I will not have her
embarrassing this family.
MACY: Leah!
Congratulations.
Not many Black women become head
of a billion-dollar corporation.
- [SNAPS FINGERS]
- Mm, well, my father decided to retire.
It was unexpected.
ALITA: We should honor
you at the Graceties
Black Women in Business Gala.
- Why not?
- [LAUGHTER]
ANGELA: Hi, Leah.
Oh. Uh
Can we clear the air?
[SIGHS] Look.
We got off on the
wrong foot last week
You called me the maid.
You pulled my dead
mother's police record.
Your mother didn't exactly have
the best experience on this island,
so I'm trying to figure out
why you want into this life so badly.
To provide a better
future for my daughter.
Is that your story? Because
I've seen your type before.
Social climbers who save
their money for a summer house
to come here and floss
when the families on this island
hold it down all year long.
'Cause we don't just have a
summer fling with Black excellence.
We are Black excellence,
on the front lines of
this country every day.
[LAUGHS]
We all know who's on the
front lines of this country.
They look a lot more like me
and my mama than you and yours.
Yeah, well, we'll see
about that, Ms. Vaughn.
Everyone's so excited that
I'm taking over Franklin.
[CHUCKLES] If only they knew.
Knew what?
My father didn't just step down.
I pushed him out.
I mean, he was doing some things
that I'm too ashamed
to even tell you about.
You're not gonna say anything?
It's your father. I'm not surprised.
[CHUCKLES]
And whatever it is,
I'm glad that you
confronted him about it.
You're about to do the damn thing, baby.
Mm, I mean, on the cover
of Forbes, okay?
Cover of Forbes.
You know, I was thinking. Hmm?
Since this is the summer of us, right?
Mm-hmm.
With the help of the Franklin bailout,
Darmon is back on its feet.
I know
exactly what to do
to make sure it stays that way.
Okay, well, you know,
I get why you'd want your company back.
So shall we negotiate?
[CHUCKLES]
[GASPS]
Starting low, I see.
Mm.
Low
and slow.
- But I have to warn you.
- Hmm?
I'm not gonna stop until
you give me what I want.
ANGELA: Y'all, that Leah,
she really thinks she's better than me.
She's gonna have to pick up
her lip off the floor when
What is it?
I, um
I took a piece of Leah's hair
from the wig she wore
at the fashion show
and had it tested against mine.
Must've came in yesterday's mail.
[SIGHS]
Nikki, can you open this, please?
It says likelihood the
two specimens tested
share a common parent is 99%.
[EXHALES SHARPLY]
[LAUGHS]
Well, now we have proof.
Angela, all you have is a DNA test.
That don't prove that
she took the rap for him.
No, I'll get more evidence.
First, I have to get into
the Franklin small business
incubator program
Leah's not gonna let
you near that program.
Well, Raymond might.
And once I'm on the inside,
I can get all the information I need.
Okay, none of this is
gonna bring Mama Eve back.
She's still in that box,
and we haven't done one thing she asked
since we got on the island.
Nikki, I'm not scattering her
ashes anywhere near this place.
It's what she wanted.
I'm her daughter.
It is my decision.
I'm doing this for Mama Eve, y'all.
[SIGHS]
[QUAKE MATTHEWS' "THIS LIFE" PLAYS]
Big money
Now hit the button, open the gates
What is this? Is this
business or pleasure?
- Business.
- Mm.
I'm getting Darmon back.
That's great, but what about Ole Teddy?
Let's just say Teddy is a non-issue.
For real? 'Cause that is fantastic.
I know.
I mean, especially this
last quarterly report,
Darmon's on the road to
recover what we lost last year.
No, no, no. We didn't
lose anything last year.
You lost that, Jack.
120-year-old company,
you almost destroyed it in one summer.
It's funny how you're hell-bent
on never letting me forget that.
No, I'm hell-bent on Darmon rebounding,
which has all been me.
And now I have to make some adjustments
pertaining to your involvement.
Did you forget the story?
It was our great-grandfathers
who so believed in their partnership
that they took their
names, Dupont and Harmon,
and made them one.
They ran Darmon as equals,
just like every generation has after,
and they would expect us to do the same.
You know I consider
you my brother, right?
We grew up together,
in and out of each other's homes.
We played ball together.
We we would always change classes
so we were in the same one.
You want to blow all that
up, or you just forget?
- Oh, no, no, I remember.
- Yeah.
I remember you never having
to take life seriously.
I remember me busting my ass
while your father let you
use the corporate credit card
like your personal bank.
And every single time you messed up,
which was a lot,
you never had to suffer a consequence.
- Maybe I'm just a lucky guy.
- Yeah.
You were a privileged white
kid being raised in America.
Meanwhile, I had to do everything
damn near perfect just to survive.
So, yes, you are right.
We were raised as a family.
But we're not the same.
LEAH: Beautiful bouquets, ladies.
Oh.
Easy on the baby's breath, Angela.
I mean, just because
this is charity outreach
doesn't mean it can look cheap.
- Oh.
- [CHUCKLES]
[DOOR SLAMS]
Why is it this bright in here?
- Oh.
- Oh, my gosh.
Do you see how short that dress is?
WOMAN: My Lord. That is
- Really.
- a trainwreck.
Get it together, girl.
Okay, her best friend
is still in the hospital.
Show some class.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
You're late and clearly hungover.
Lauren, I know that you're
worried about Taylor,
but your behavior lately
has been unacceptable.
You're just partying all night
and you're skipping church?
Hey, I have my Forbes shoot tomorrow.
Why don't you come with me?
We can grab lunch
after and maybe talk.
Yeah.
But I think that there's
gonna be some things
that you don't so much like about me.
You can tell me anything.
I'm never gonna not love you.
- [GAGS]
- Like
- I'm sorry.
- Oh.
I don't feel so good.
[DOOR OPENS, SLAMS]
ALITA: [CLEARS THROAT]
Leah, we are so excited
to plan this gala in your honor
for getting the July cover of Forbes.
We're all so very proud
of you, aren't we, ladies?
Come on.
[APPLAUSE]
Okay, okay.
Enough, enough. Stop.
[LAUGHTER]
Thank you, ladies.
Since the prospective
members are taking the lead,
how sold are we on calling it
the Black Women in Business Gala?
- What if we change it up
- Mm.
and honor some sisters
who never get recognized?
How about we call it
The Black Diamonds Ball
and honor women not only in business,
but in art, tech, philanthropy?
They are our black diamonds.
I love it.
It's fantastic.
Yes.
Well, looks like it's decided.
All right, ladies, let's bring our
arrangements over to the container.
Traci, I'm gonna need you
to make a special delivery
to my mother, Rose.
Oh, well, I have my
son's riding lessons.
Leah?
You know what?
Traci, don't even sweat it. I got you.
But you owe me one.
Thank you, girl.
It's my pleasure.
Bye.
[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]
Hey. Working on a Sunday?
Well, it wouldn't be summer
without a Graceties flower delivery.
Hey, I'm I'm glad that you're here.
I wanted to talk to you about
the Franklin incubator program.
Well, I saw your application,
and you're hungry, right?
But what's gonna be the thing
that excites the committee
and shows us that you're on the map?
So, I got to be on the map
for y'all to help me get on the map?
Business is all about minimizing risks.
And all of the participants
in the incubator program,
they need to be solid
business investments
- with a clear brand structure.
- Okay.
So I will make sure the committee
reviews your application,
but I can't promise you anything.
Okay, well, good, 'cause
I don't trust promises
I trust myself.
And I will make sure that you see
my brand and I are
as solid as they come.
I like that confidence.
You'll see a lot more of it.
Take that to the bank.
Hi.
I have a personal
delivery for Rose Franklin.
[DOOR CLOSES]
[WAVES LAPPING, SEAGULL CRIES]
Hello?
Oh, the little bitch came to visit.
[CHUCKLES]
Hello, Leah.
ROSE: To what do I owe this honor?
Must need something since you
never come to visit me, Leah.
Rose, I'm not
ROSE: Can you make me presentable?
I have a Graceties tea at 4:00.
ANGELA: Sure.
ROSE: So, what do you want?
Do you remember the Graceties'
Grand Illumination Ball in 1984?
I was inducted into
the Graceties that year,
and your father was
inducted into the Kingship.
We were young, Black,
rich, and fabulous.
I think you were about 2 or 3.
There was an arrest that night.
Mm?
Evelyn Vaughn.
Did your father send
you here to humiliate me?
No. I just want to know.
She was my friend.
She worked for me for two summers.
Then she reverted to stereotype.
I kept telling your father,
you lay down with dogs, you get fleas,
and he got a bastard.
That woman was not fit to be a mother,
no more than she was fit to
clean the bottoms of my shoes.
You don't know a thing about her.
I know that she was the kind of woman
who would give up her baby for $50,000.
What?
Debra Ann Washington brought
that baby home from the hospital.
You're a liar.
I was the president of the Graceties.
I know every secret,
and trust me when I
say that Evelyn Vaughn
was no more than a broken-down,
money-hungry, drug-dealing con!
- [VOICE BREAKING] I have to go.
- No, Leah, no!
You helped your father put me in here.
- [DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
- You got to get me out, Leah!
ANGELA: Her name was Evelyn Vaughn.
She gave birth to a
baby girl March 4, 1985.
I need to know when she and her baby
were released from the hospital.
[DOOR OPENS]
Hello?
[DOOR CLOSES]
Well, the outside structure looks fine.
No need to spend money there.
Good.
You good?
No, actually. [CHUCKLES]
But it's not something you
can fix with a hammer and nail.
But thank you for asking.
Here, come here. Check this out.
- See this this line right here?
- Mm-hmm.
- Slightly thicker than the wall line?
- Mm-hmm.
That's your water system.
Okay.
Grab dinner with me tonight.
I'm actually going to a party tonight.
[CHUCKLES]
Okay.
If you want to come,
I'll pick you up at 6:00.
You know, I did notice, uh
there's supposed to be
another room right here
behind your staircase.
Mm.
Yeah, you can blow this out
and create a bigger salon.
[SLEDGEHAMMER POUNDING]
Angela, you got to see this.
TYRIQUE: What is all that stuff?
ANGELA: Must've been
my mother's. [GASPS]
[CHUCKLES]
[SNIFFLES]
[SIGHS]
["LION" PLAYS]
I been through the fire,
I been through the fire
Oh, oh
Through the fire
I been called a liar,
I been called a liar
I know this is probably all
really trivial to you right now.
What? Mom, no.
You have always wanted Forbes.
[CHUCKLES]
Yes, but it's not just a cover.
I mean, being named chairman
is me finally coming out
of my father's shadow,
me telling the world who I am.
If I'm honest, I'm a
little nervous about this.
Stand up
You get
I'm sorry. You get nervous?
I'm human, too, baby.
TEDDY: Your first cover of Forbes
lets the world know
that you have arrived.
Hey, [SMOOCHES] little brown girl.
- LAUREN: How are you?
- I'm doing fine. How about you?
Hey, Lo, can you give your
grandfather and I a second?
Yeah, sure.
- I'm not here to start any trouble.
- Mm.
No, no, they just want
me to do an interview
about your rise to power, you know,
then maybe take a couple of shots.
I have been thinking
about how I raised you,
taught you, right at my knee.
And here you are,
standing in the lobby of our
family's eponymous University
shooting the cover of Forbes!
Damn, girl!
[LAUGHS]
I dreamed that for you,
but I never let you
see the reason for it.
The why.
Well, money is the why.
Power is the reason why.
Without power,
you can be forced to do anything.
My father thought I was too caught up
in making sure that my power
looked like any white man's,
yet he couldn't tell me why it
was wrong to want that power,
why it was wrong to
sometimes dabble in the gray
to ensure that power.
Gray like how you cheated on my mother?
Right, see, Daddy, I've
been remembering things, too,
like tagging along with you
on business when I was 8.
I remember we visited a small
apartment building in Boston.
What do you remember?
A young girl in the rain.
She must've been about
two years younger than me.
Your hands were shaking
when we drove off.
I had never seen you like that.
Enjoy the Forbes treatment.
You never forget your first.
[SCOFFS]
TEDDY: [CHUCKLES]
[CHUCKLES]
Damn.
This heifer is everywhere.
I am looking to see when my mother and I
were released from the
hospital after my birth.
Uh, how can I help you, Leah?
You've been speaking to my husband
about the Franklin
small business incubator,
and I just wanted to see
your place for myself.
I mean, it's a Franklin program,
so you'd be representing my last name,
and I just realized
I don't know that much about you.
Or your business.
You're from Boston, right?
ANGELA: Uh-huh.
- Whereabouts?
- East Side.
- You know it?
- Why would I?
Hey, Lauren. Good to see you.
Nikki tells me Taylor's stable.
Nikki sees Taylor?
She's been to the hospital every day
since the accident, I think.
You know, let's not talk
about Taylor right now.
LEAH: She's a party girl.
Maybe this tragedy will break this hold
she seems to have on you.
Mom, what hold?
I've seen pictures of the two of you.
You look at her like she's
I love her?
Because I do.
You told me you would
love me no matter what.
Here I am.
Of course I love you.
But I can't support this.
[SCOFFS]
[DOOR SLAMS]
- ANGELA: Leah, that was
- Don't.
You have no idea the pressures
that we have to deal with.
But I do know this.
Mother to mother,
what you say to her next matters.
I just
I have no idea when I stopped
knowing how to talk to my daughter.
That is a symptom of
Working Mothers' Syndrome.
I suffer from it, too.
If you find a cure, let a sistah know.
Well, I'll leave you to
finish up planning that event,
because your membership depends on it.
Got it.
[DOOR OPENS]
[DOOR CLOSES]
[CELLPHONE RINGS]
- Hello?
- HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATOR: This is Boston General.
My mother gave me away.
Some lady named Debra Ann Washington
signed me out of the hospital.
I called the hospital. It's true.
It was only six months.
You knew?
You knew about this?
Why didn't you say anything?!
I promised your mother that I
Did you know about the drug charge?!
Did you know about my father?!
No. Of course not.
And the only reason that
I know about Debra Ann
is because your mother
nearly had a breakdown
- after it happened.
- No, she sold me for $50,000.
- No, no.
- What, is this what she bought with the money?
- Angela, listen.
- Is this what she bought?
- Is this what she bought? Is this what she bought?
- No.
Is this what I was worth?
No.
[DOOR OPENS]
[DOOR CLOSES]
Where were you?
ANGELA: I went for a walk.
I'm just trying to process.
All this time, I
thought he threw me away,
when she did, too.
I feel like a fool,
trying to save her name.
She lived with that
mistake for six months.
She didn't feel like she
could do right by you.
I mean, your father
was ignoring her calls,
work had dried up.
And then some rich woman
who wanted kids more than
a free pass into heaven
offered to take you.
She insisted on paying your mother.
But she couldn't sign the papers.
She took you back.
And kept the money?
She wanted to give it back.
But I'd already used it.
I was in some trouble,
and because of me,
she worked to pay that
woman back for years.
Your mother didn't want to fail you,
but you are failing her now.
You are more focused on
getting in with the Franklins
than honoring your mother's last wishes.
And I'm telling you, if you
don't scatter them ashes soon,
I'mma do it my damn self.
I'm so sorry about earlier.
So, what's the plan for tonight?
I just got to figure out
how to get into Franklin
so I can find out the truth
about what Teddy did to Mama.
I just need that interview.
Then I'll meet you at
the party with Nikki.
That's the last thing that you need
is a peanut gallery in the back seat
when you go to pick up your thang.
It's a first date.
- Oh, honey, it's life. It's
- [LAUGHS]
And we need to grab it all while we can.
ANGELA: Tonight's for you, Mama.
They never see me coming
LA, LAPD undercover
PHOTOGRAPHER: Can you
get a little closer?
But I stay selective
I'm so boujie boujie,
gotta stay connected
[SIGHS] It's warm.
You're not warm?
I swear, more than ten
Black folk get together
and the temperature rises.
You sure that's not just you and me?
Negro, slow your roll.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Leah, over here!
REPORTER: Leah, congrats
on your honor tonight
and the launch of Franklin Athletics,
and your acquisition of the Boston Tides
- is groundbreaking.
- Well, thank you
[SHOUTING, CHEERING]
- Whoo! Angela!
- [LAUGHS]
ANGELA: This is This
is Bertie Nickerson,
small business owner from Boston.
She's one of our honorees tonight.
Angela, this is fancy!
What an honor.
Look at me standing here
between Mrs. Franklin-Dupont
and the woman behind the Forbes cover.
- The who behind the what?
- I asked her to use my product
and mention me in the "styled by."
Besides, the mention was buzzy.
And these days, it's all about buzz.
Buzz, buzz.
"Bertie's Cakes" on the count of three.
- One, two, three!
- ALL: Bertie's Cakes!
[LAUGHS] All right, girl,
it's not about me tonight.
Go have fun. Ooh, you look beautiful!
[LAUGHS]
Oh, no, no, no, stay on in here,
sweetie, with your fine ass.
[CHUCKLES] Okay.
I got all this juice
Let's get loose
And you're all invited
Aww, yeah, aww, huh
Aww, yeah
We gon' call a truce
Bring the D'ussé
And you're all invited
So, I guess congrats are in order.
You're getting a mention in Forbes.
You wanted me to show
you that I'm on the map.
There it is.
My product is a feeling. It's a vibe.
It It makes a woman see herself
and believe in her power.
That's what I do,
and I really think that your program
could help me do it bigger.
I got all this
juice, let's get loose
I'm gonna have my office call you
and schedule your
interview for tomorrow.
You're one step closer
to the incubator program.
- Thank you.
- We gon' call a truce
Bring the D'ussé
And you're all invited
Oh, yeah
Oh, so you're ready to
get this party started.
[LAUGHS]
WOMAN: Hello, everyone.
I would like to introduce Masego
and Tiffany Gouché to the stage.
- [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
- I see Lupita
You know I got the
jones for my own Rashida
Can you put me on with Danai Gurira?
She stay on my dome
She gon' pull on me, pull like weed
Entice me
She my queen
Yeah, whoa, yeah, whoa, yeah
She my queen
Holding you up to a higher state
Oh, baby girl, look at
that tall, dark chocolate.
Fine glass of water over there.
You were made to reign, girl
Sunshine in my world
I do it all 'cause
you're my queen
She gon' pull on me
Pull like weed, entice me
She my queen
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Hey, Nikki. You, uh
You been kind of quiet
since Taylor's accident.
I'm glad you're here.
Kissing cousins ain't godly.
Listen, Quincy, uh,
I I think you're
you're you're awesome,
and I want to be friends,
but I I I think there's
You told my mother about me and Tay?
I didn't tell your mother anything.
You don't belong here.
Well, I mean, unless you're
trying to serve me a drink
like your grandmother
Yo, Lo, leave her alone.
No, no, no. No one needs to protect me.
I belong here just as much as you,
and I got receipts.
My mother isn't just some
broke ass from Boston,
and neither am I.
- We're here
- Hey, what are you doing?
What the hell are
You know, I sat in Mama Eve's
lap, too, getting my hair done,
and she told me the same
thing she told you
that they they shaved our hair
'cause they wanted us
to forget who we are,
just like you want
me to forget Mama Eve.
- Nikki.
- WOMAN: Ladies and gentlemen,
Teddy Franklin and our
honoree, Leah Franklin-Dupont.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
TEDDY: Good evening.
TEDDY: I have been asked
to honor my princess,
but you know what, I shouldn't
call her that anymore.
She is a queen, a
queen in her own right,
and I knew that this day would come
when she would set her sights
on my spot as head of the company.
The apple will fall,
but it does not roll far from the tree.
But I'm afraid there has
been a misunderstanding.
I am not retiring.
Although we are honoring Leah,
I am still chairman
of Franklin Holdings,
and she is still my very
capable second in command.
To Leah!
- ALL: To Leah!
- [GLASSES CLINKING]
WOMAN: Once again,
congratulations to Teddy Franklin
and your exquisite daughter, Leah.
Franklin Holdings will surely be
You should've looked a little closer
at those papers that
you think you have on me.
The shell company that
I used to do my dirt
could prove particularly
destructive to your husband.
If you try and take me down,
your husband's company goes down, too.
I told you.
I am better at this than you are.
[LINA LOI'S "GOOD GIRL GONE" PLAYS]
I gave it all away, I
gave my love away for free
And you sure played the game,
I was a fool, I couldn't see
- Daddy!
- How was I to know?
I was so young and so naive
I believed in what I felt
in your empty promises to me
You see, I was your angel
So loyal
Hey, hey, hey, hey. You disappeared.
Hey, what's wrong? You okay?
Just leave me alone, please.
My blue heart is cold
Your good girl is gone
And you can catch me in
the wind out on a yacht
- I'm making friends
- NIKKI: Mom?
I'm taking shots
- Mom.
- Out in them streets, I'm living fast
I couldn't say a word to him.
What you did to me
Not a word.
Whoo, gone
What you did to me
Look at what you did to me
Your good girl is gone
RAYMOND: You told me
that you would give me
back full control of Darmon.
- Did you say that?
- LEAH: Yeah, I told you that,
but that was a rash decision, right?
Because I didn't even get a
chance to talk to the board,
and you know how these shareholders are.
No, no, no, no, no, nope.
Don't give me that red tape BS.
I need my company back.
Raymond, I know that, okay?
And I will help you.
I will help you get it back,
but you just need to roll with me.
Just let me go through
the proper channels
and we can just bring this in together.
And this is all about your father.
That man, he needs to have control
of any and everybody
that's within his orbit,
starting with you.
Can you just just give me some time?
Because I will run Franklin.
So you think Teddy's just gonna
give you control of Franklin
just because you're his queen?
Baby, you ain't his queen.
You're his princess.
You are living in a fairytale
if you think he gonna
let you run Franklin.
Wake up!
- Don't be cruel, Raymond.
- And don't be gullible!
I just wish you would
stand with me for a change.
[DOOR OPENS]
- JACK: You all right?
- [DOOR CLOSES]
LEAH: Oh. Hey, Jack.
Sorry, I didn't see you there.
You don't need to apologize.
I'm just walking up.
You know he doesn't
mean what he says, right?
You know, I don't know anything anymore
because he seemed
pretty damn convincing.
Well, trust me, he's lucky to have you.
- He knows it.
- Mm.
Just a little on edge is all.
Thanks, Jack.
No thanks needed.
Yeah. [EXHALES] Ooh.
LAUREN: Mom?
Oh, my God.
Lauren, wait!
- Daddy.
- Honey, what happened?
You're shaking, baby.
What happened? I just
Baby, I-I think we should just
discuss this at home, okay?
- Hypocrite.
- No, Lauren.
Lauren, wait.
OFFICER: Ms. Franklin-Dupont?
What is this about?
We need to talk with Lauren.
Taylor Woods is awake,
and she said that her
fall wasn't an accident.
She's released an official statement
saying she was pushed by Lauren.
No, she wouldn't say that.
You were there. You saw it. Tell them!
I don't know. I didn't see.
I'd think again before you
roll up on my baby girl.
OFFICER: I'm placing you under arrest
for the attempted
murder of Taylor Woods.
[CROWD MURMURS, CAMERA
SHUTTERS CLICKING]
- Daddy.
- Lauren.
Daddy, I didn't I didn't
I'm gonna fix it, sweetheart.
Daddy!
You're hurting me.
Hey, take it easy!
Hey.
Hey.
I, um
I just wanted to say sorry
for how I left you at the ball.
A lot of things happened tonight.
That's all you got to say about it?
What else is there to say?
[SCOFFS]
You know, I'm trying to
figure out what I think I saw.
One minute, I'm thinking
you're feeling me there,
and then you're running out of
that room chasing Teddy Franklin.
I mean, do you got business with him?
Are you involved with him?
I was just asking him a
business question, but
You know, it was cool
watching him honor
his daughter like that.
You can tell he really loves her.
Of course he loves her. He's her father.
I wouldn't know.
I just found out who my father was,
and to be honest with you,
it has been a mind trip.
And now that I know, I'm
questioning everything.
Meanwhile, Leah Franklin-Dupont
is just walking down easy street.
They're not bad people, Angela.
I've known the Franklins
for a long time.
My father worked for
Teddy, died for Teddy.
He was the head of security,
and he caught a bullet
in the line of duty.
Oh, I'm so sorry.
I was young,
and my father was my whole world.
And Teddy made sure I was straight.
Just like that, huh?
[CHUCKLES]
He just took care of
somebody else's son and not
I mean, you know what?
It is late.
I'm gonna go.
You know, when I lost my pops, I
I used to do this thing to
forgive him for dying on me.
What?
He'd talk to me every time I floated.
You need to learn to just
just float.
One kiss is never enough from you
So perfect, there's no
way there could be two
You hold me down like
an anchor, I swear
So if there's a storm,
I ain't going nowhere
All I want and all I need is
Is your loving next to me
So take my heart and you can keep it
'Cause I believe that
I'm yours forever
THE VAUGHN WOMEN: "You may
write me down in history
with your bitter, twisted lies,
you may trod me in the very dirt
but still, like dust, I'll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
weakened by my soulful cries?"
ANGELA: "Out of the
huts of history's shame
I rise.
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise.
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
welling and swelling
I bear with the tide.
Bringing the gifts
that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and
the hope of the slave.
I rise.
I rise.
I rise."
[SCREAMS, LAUGHS]
I put a call in to the firm.
But I need you to make sure
that we don't have some first-year
associate on Lauren's case.
I can't fail Lauren again.
Well, whatever trouble Lauren
has gotten herself into,
I will handle it as I always do.
Your concern should
be protecting our legacy.
Your memory of that night
in Boston is correct.
I was there to say
goodbye to a woman Eve.
Angela's mother.
I chose you and Rose, my family,
over an affair that had to end.
But there's no denying that
Angela Vaughn is your sister.
And I look like a damn fool.
[CHUCKLES]
Again!
Because of you.
[SIGHS]
Well, get it out of your system,
then reset the board
so we can start a real chess game
before she uncovers skeletons
that could ruin this family.
I will let you know our next moves.
[DOOR OPENS]
[DOOR CLOSES]
[GASPS]
[GUN COCKS]
[LAUGHS]
You get the hell out.
Now, now, is that any way
to talk to an old friend?