Black-ish (2014) s07e03 Episode Script

1
Everyone loves summer.
It's when the whole family gets
to travel, see concerts,
and take in the wonders of the world.
And 2020 was the greatest
summer of the Johnsons' lives.
I'm playing.
You know we haven't done
a damn thing since corona hit.
The virus literally said,
"Y'all better stay your Black ass inside
before I whoop y'all ass."
And we did.
Coming into the year, I didn't think
some virus half a world away
was gonna be a big deal.
But then March hit.
And it's official.
The NBA will be the first
major sport to shut down.
Damn you, Rudy Gobert!
This is all your fault,
you nasty-ass French bastard!
It was a dark time,
but I had to admit
I was lucky to have my job.
And best of all, I formed
a tighter bond with my family.
Earl, is my negligee dry yet?
Why don't you drag that wagon in here
- and see for yourself?
- Nothing brings you closer
than experiencing a shared trauma.
Like watching my mom and Pops
treat quarantine like a honeymoon.
Come on, girl, let's get to folding.
So we were getting through it.
Dr. Rainbow Johnson
was working on the front lines,
but she didn't let that slow her down.
I finally got off of work,
and I got everybody dinner!
Okay, that's, uh that's nice, babe,
but I think we're gonna, uh
I think we're gonna
eat cereal for dinner.
Ohh come on, babe.
I've got six bags of sushi!
Your heart is in the right place,
but, uh, nobody wants to eat your
your nasty corona food.
And remember, before you come in
- hose off.
- Uh-huh, of course.
You know what, it's fine!
Means there's more for me!
I've always wanted to drink
a gallon of miso soup!
Good morning, everyone.
- Good morning.
- Ah, there she is
our American hero.
It doesn't have to be 7:00
for me to applaud you.
- Thank you. God, I love that.
- Mm.
A-Are you still doing this, son?
Still clapping for my mother
who is fighting a deadly virus?
I will never grow tired of
honoring your sacrifices, Mom,
- unlike this one. Right?
- Hmm. Talk to me.
I honor your mama every night
- she allows me to.
- Junior, it's okay.
All right. I know how you support me.
You don't need to clap out loud.
You can clap in your heart.
You don't mean that.
No, I don't. Let me hear it!
Go, go! Hey! Hey! Hey!
Hey! I'm essential! I'm essential! Hey!
- Don't do that.
- C'mon, man
I am sorry, Dad.
I am just proud to be the son
- of an essential worker.
- Yep.
Two essential workers.
- Two?
- Mm-hmm.
Where? Where?
Me.
- You?
- Oh.
Yes. Yes, me.
Oh. Oh!
I gotta get this.
It is Olivia.
We have been doing
pandemic video dates
- Hi, Olivia!
- Hey, girl. What's up?
Are you trying to get her
to break up with you?
- Leave him alone.
- Oh, oh, hey! Hey!
Olivia! Olivia.
Would you consider
a senior advertising executive
an essential worker?
No. Not at all.
Why would you even ask me that?
Hmm.
- Sorry, sweetheart.
- What does she know?
She dates Junior.
Look, I make inspirational commercials
- that give people hope.
- Mm-hmm.
You mean to tell me
that's not essential?
Essential to maintaining
the basic needs of society?
Let me think on that. No.
Of all the haters out there,
I would have never thought
that you would become one.
Now, if you'll excuse me,
I've got to get to my essential job
where I place a blanket
on the shoulders of America.
Um, Dre.
Essential workers
do not wear basketball shorts
on the job.
Usually I have time to stop by Starbucks
and get my caramel Frapp
to take my mind off home drama,
but my five-second
COVID commute changed that.
You guys are never gonna believe this.
My family thinks that what we do
isn't essential.
Wait, why does your office
look different, Stevens?
Oh, I decided to move
to my Palm Beach house.
It's, uh quality of life
is so much better here.
I have a full staff of cooks,
maids, seamstresses, and farmers
who tend to the land,
and they work with the animals
Wait, wait, wait, wait. Is that safe?
All those people in and out?
We don't let them leave.
So, where do they live?
We keep them in, uh, smaller,
poorer-quality homes
here on the plan the property.
Stevens, are those people sl
Look, Dre, let's go back
to talking about your family, okay?
They are way off base, by the way.
We are 110% essential.
Yep.
In a world where
you don't know who to trust,
we're the ones telling you
that it's safe
to order takeout from Astro Burger.
Yes, we do that,
but we have a bigger influence, too.
We craft powerful images
that deliver messages to people
that feed the soul!
Exactly, Dre.
People need to know that
there's a brighter tomorrow.
And in that brighter tomorrow,
they are gonna need stuff.
No, what they need is a sense
that things are going to get better.
We are comforting people
in a time of crisis.
Yes. Comforting them with the message
"Don't forget what's important.
Stuff."
- Mm.
- Yeah.
"Go get it."
I don't think you guys are hearing me.
We give people hope.
Exactly, Dre.
We sell cars and mayonnaise to people
that "hope" their jobs
are coming back
But they're not, though.
Hey, Junior, what is all that honking?
Did your grandmother forget
to close her robe again?
No, Janine is having
one of those drive-by birthdays,
but it's more like
a drive-by stop-and-talk.
Look at all those maskless savages.
Junior, don't be so hard on them.
Come on. No, no, no, no, no.
The government is falling down
on its job, okay?
People are getting totally
mixed messages,
and they don't know what to believe
about what's safe and what's not.
- So, you know.
- All right.
But I m Wait.
Oh, my God, are they hugging?
Oh, my God, they're hugging!
Hey! You can't hug!
How do they know
the fibers from their coat
aren't passing the virus?
We don't know how long
the virus lives on coats.
They just don't think it's real.
They don't. But I know it's real
because I see it every day.
And when I clock in in a few hours,
I'm gonna see it again.
And that's why there are not
enough pots in this house
for me to bang on.
- Mm-mm-mm.
- This is upsetting.
- Thanks, Junior.
- Oh.
I should go wash my hands.
Hey.
That's my boy.
Hey!
While Junior was draining
our supply of hand sanitizer
Hey! Put a mask on!
I decided to test my influence
on a real audience
In these unprecedented times,
it's easy to feel like your
entire life has slipped away.
But even in these darkest of days,
there's one thing we'll always have
home.
Homestead Mayo.
We will rise again.
So, how did the ad make you feel?
We were
- We were supposed to feel something?
- Yes.
What about you, Jack?
Um It made me feel, um
Can you come back to me?
Both of you felt nothing?
But what about the message?
"We will rise again."
- Oh, yeah, I heard that.
- Hmm.
Sounds like something a dictator says
as he's walking up the steps
of the gallows.
- But, hey, that's not my criticism.
- Yeah.
Oh, so you guys didn't feel anything?
Sad.
For you.
You know what?
We should give Dad some space.
Privacy is very important
in these trying times.
Yeah.
Hey.
- Mm.
- What did I miss, guys?
Nothing.
- It's been real quiet in there.
- What is wrong with you?
You don't say "It's real quiet"
in a hospital
during a pandemic.
Go away, Larry! Go away! You're banned!
Go!
And not more pizza. My God.
They call us heroes,
but I bet you when Batman saved Gotham,
he got more than Hot 'n' Ready.
Yeah. This hero needs a vegetable.
- Yeah.
- Yeah, forget that.
Pay off my med school loans.
Right. Uh-oh, uh-oh.
A stranger at my door.
That's just what you want
right in the middle of
a highly infectious virus.
That's nice.
Oh.
Wait, is that
No
Olivia?
Who's Olivia?
Larry!
Go.
- That can't be her.
- Who?
Junior's girlfriend.
There's no way
he's gonna sneak in a girl
in your house during quarantine.
- Right?
- I'm kidding.
It's definitely her. They're smashing.
Can you not talk about my son
that way, please?
We're just jealous.
He's got no job, lives with his parents,
and, clearly, his mom doesn't
hold him to any standards.
You know what? You sound dumb.
Both of you sound dumb, and you
sound like dentists, okay?
Junior knows that he cannot
break our family bubble, okay?
And I'm gonna prove it to you.
Yes, I am.
Hey, Siri, call my emergency contact.
My husband's an idiot.
Hey, Mom.
Hey, sweetheart.
I was just looking at the doorbell cam,
and I thought I saw Olivia.
She wasn't at the house, was she?
- Olivia?
- Yeah.
Here? No, no, no, no, no.
That's what I thought, okay.
I'll see you at home later, all right?
Bye, honey.
See?
- Yep, you showed us.
- Mm-hmm.
Showed us that your son has no problem
lying to your face.
- What?
- Pop!
That's your bubble.
While Bow was fighting with nerds,
I was fighting to light up
the soul of a nation.
Hey, son.
- Yeah?
- Tell me this.
What was the most
inspirational commercial
that you've ever seen?
Hmm
Oh, that one where the dog
has to figure out
where to invest his bone.
Oh that was a good one.
Yeah.
You know, but I got to go
bigger than that.
I've got to create a campaign
that's just as powerful
as the "Be Like Mike" ad.
- Wow.
- It
It had me thinking
that anything was possible
as long as I was willing
to put in the work.
To inspire people to that degree
so I can know I'm making a difference
while I'm sticking it to your mama
that's what I need to do.
Hey, son, what is the world
in need of right now?
- A vaccine.
- Okay, what's after that?
Universal healthcare.
Rent forgiveness.
Universal basic income.
Say something that's possible.
That's the thing. Everything
that I want is impossible.
I want to take my lady
by the hand and whisk her
to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
I want to get a gentle adjustment
from my yoga teacher.
I want to dap up my friends.
That's it.
What?
That's it, son!
People want to be touched.
Th-The power of hands!
Yes! The human touch! I got Hey!
Hey. Where you going?
It's It's probably for the best.
I I didn't want to take
another shower anyway.
Well, now I have to go shower my hand.
- Excuse me. Excuse me.
- All right, okay.
Excuse me. Six feet.
All right, the blades again?
Six feet. Yes, again.
You don't understand Junior, all right?
There is no one that is more
committed to our safety
than my Junior.
Well, everyone is, right,
to a certain point.
Until it comes to that haircut
or that birthday party.
Plus no one believes
how sick you can get
until you've seen what we've seen.
Well, Junior does.
- Does he?
- Yeah.
Okay, all right, look.
It's probably just a delivery person.
The camera's really vague.
You can't really see,
but he said it's not her.
- Mm-hmm.
- That's all the proof I need. Just look.
Hey, babe. It's Olivia.
I'll meet you out back.
Ooh, where do you think
she's dropping the package?
Thank you all for coming.
Oh, look how handsome our son is, Earl.
You look like RuPaul out of drag.
- Mm.
- Hey. Yeah.
Thank you, Mama. All right.
I-I know you're probably all wondering
where I've been for a little while.
I haven't.
I firmly believe
it's every father's right
to disappear for as long as he sees fit.
I've been working on my masterpiece,
and I'm finally finished.
You know, it's a delicate marriage
between art and commerce
that birthed a baby named hope.
- Mm-hmm.
- I call it: "Touch."
Hands.
We all have them.
And we ask them to do a lot.
But really, hands are meant to touch.
Today touching is a weapon.
Touching is dangerous.
But one day soon,
we'll return to normal.
And your hands will touch again
And we'll be ready
with Soft Hands Lotion.
Powerful, right?
Take a moment to
to gather your emotions.
Okay, uh, nobody has anything to say?
I'm sorry, a-are you
selling people hands?
Look, I'm just gonna say it, baby.
- Hey, that wasn't it.
- What?
But, Mama, that was my best.
I gave you all that I had.
M-Maybe it just needs a
a new tag line.
You know, something that reminds you
even in this unprecedented time,
now more than ever,
that even when we're apart,
we're together.
Oh, no.
And there it was. I wasn't making art.
I was just lazily throwing
together tag lines.
Whatever "essential" was,
I was the opposite.
Looks like he's thinking over
those terrible life choices he's made.
What do you say you and me
get out of here?
Mmm. Tasty.
Listen, baby, if it makes you
feel any better,
your ad has inspired me
to put my hands on your Daddy right now.
Hey.
Thank you, son.
Yeah.
Come on, Earl. I'm gonna wear you out.
We don't know that she went inside.
They're probably just
out in the backyard.
They're socially distanced.
- Bow, come on.
- What?
You're the smartest person I know.
Hey!
It's it's fair.
Why are you having such trouble
accepting what's happening
under your roof?
I know it's happening, okay?
But I can't do my job
if I have to think about that.
I don't know about you,
but I did not sign up
to fight a deadly virus
with one arm tied behind my back.
And if I can't believe
that every member of my family
is doing their best to keep us safe,
especially my most reliable
family member,
then I'm sorry, but we're screwed.
And I don't know
if I can get through this.
So I'm not focusing on that, okay?
Dr. Alvarez to emergent care.
- Code Black, let's go.
- Okay. Let's do this.
- You guys ready to be "heroes."
- Let's do it.
Okay.
Hey, Mom.
- Oh!
- You need a hand?
- Step back.
- Is everything all right?
- I said step back, Junior!
- Sorry.
God.
Listen, when I tell you something,
you need to listen to me, okay?
I'm saying it for your own good.
Okay
I know that Olivia came over here today,
and I know that you lied to me.
Okay, I I understand
that this is bad,
but it's been extremely hard
to be apart.
And she lives alone,
and she's been being really careful,
and I've been being really careful
That's what everybody thinks, Junior!
But they're not seeing what
I am seeing at the hospital.
Today, I went from COVID patient
to COVID patient
to COVID patient.
I intubated a woman
that was my age, Junior,
and she was awake.
She was just looking
in my eyes, terrified.
She got COVID
working at the supermarket.
She had to go to work.
She had no choice.
The same way I don't have
a choice as a doctor!
And having Olivia over here is
is disrespecting everything
that I'm fighting for.
You know that I think you are a hero
Stop with the hero stuff, Junior.
I'm afraid!
Afraid!
I'm doing everything in my power
to protect myself
and my patients and my family,
and you are
you're endangering all of it
all of it,
just so you could see your girlfriend.
I'm sorry, Mom.
I'm really trying believe
that we can get through this.
But it is so hard
when people won't do this simple thing
for the greater good,
and it is even harder when my own son
won't do his part.
I'm so, so sorry.
It's gonna be okay, right?
We're gonna look back
at all this and say,
"I can't believe I was there," right.
I'm not gonna want to look back, Junior.
Mom.
I think I'm just gonna go home.
Yeah, I think that's best.
Hey.
How's my favorite essential worker?
Too tired to rehash that debate.
Uh, no rehash, babe.
I just
You know, I'm struggling.
I know.
There's so much pain going on right now,
and I can't do anything to ease it.
And you are over here on another level.
Ugh! Dre, you do not
want to be on my level.
What I see every day is so hard
It's hard to stay hopeful.
Well, let me see if I can help you out.
Now, more than ever,
the world needs its sexy doctors.
Oh.
And I am proud to say
that I am the husband of an essential
Yes.
first-ish responder.
Ish?
Come on, babe.
It's not like you're
in the "ambalance" with them.
It's am-bu-lance.
Not if you want them to come fast.
Nope, you just can't help yourself.
It's okay.
Oh.
Let me see who this is.
Oh. Wow.
What?
Chrissy Teigen just tweeted this photo
with my billboard in the background.
Oh!
She said it's gonna be
"the definitive image
of the pandemic in L. A."
- That's cool.
- Yes!
What What d
What exactly does that mean?
My billboard, it's saying
that despite the desolation,
we will rise again!
Yes! I am inspiring the city!
I am essential!
You are the real hero, Dre!
Yes.
At this point it may be cliché,
but these are unprecedented times.
So we're all just
trying to get through it
the best that we can
with courage, with hope,
and with our humanity.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
You saved my life.
You're heroes.
I intubated him last month.
And now he's going home.
Good work.
In the absence of leadership,
it takes everyday people to step up.
- Ready to go back to work?
- Yep.
I wish I could've said
things got easier.
But even through the darkness,
Bow somehow managed to find some light.
That's what makes her a hero.
Hey.
How's day three of the quarantine going?
Hey, do you have
enough liquids in there?
Yep, my super-strict quarantine
is going great.
My closet is extra organized,
Jack and Diane
are bringing me Lunchables
three times a day,
and, you know, by the time
I am out of here,
my sourdough starter is gonna be ready.
I'm not gonna break your trust
or this quarantine.
Thank you. And, hey, will you
thank Olivia for me, please?
She sent an Edible Arrangement
to the hospital.
Turns out, it was
an arrangement of edibles.
We found Dr. Paul putting makeup
on corpses in the morgue.
Very awkward.
Again, we are both so sorry.
But hey, I've talked your ear off.
It's probably time
for you to go to work.
Junior, I'm about to go to bed.
Oh, my God.
I've lost all concept of time.
What day is it?
Can someone give me another Lunchable?!
Someone help me!
Help!
Jack!