The Chi (2018) s07e08 Episode Script
A Bet is a Bet
1
[KIESHA] Previously on The Chi
Your cancer has metastasized
to your pancreas.
[DARNELL] Are you OK?
What's going on?
The cancer's back.
You survived it once.
You'll you'll survive it again.
No. Not this time.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
I can't be a full-time
mom, a personal chef,
and a porn star every night.
I'm not asking you
to do backflips, baby.
I just I just want you to
put your phone down sometimes.
That's hard to do when you're the mom.
Why the hell would you post that picture
without talking to me first?
I thought you said we didn't
have to be a secret anymore.
In my real life, not online.
If you need some male attention,
I don't mind you getting it from Victor.
♪
[DOM] Well, the good
news is he's still alive.
They're gonna keep him comatose
until his vitals improve.
♪
Detective, do you
know a Reginald Taylor?
If you can bring him to me,
I will make sure that
your son is a free man.
Understood.
Where's my money, nigga?
Just give me a few weeks, OK?
You got a few days.
If I was you, I would borrow
some of that secret stash money
and replace it before
anyone knows it's gone.
[EMMETT] Why is there
money missing from the safe?
[DAMIEN] I'm gonna pay it back.
I can't believe you would
steal from your own family.
[DAMIEN] Am I still employed?
You're on thin ice.
Mop the fucking floors.
♪
[CAR ENGINE RUMBLING]
[SIGHS]
All right now, son.
I need you to go in
there and tell them people
about your gambling problem.
That's not how it works, Dad.
Well, whatever it is that you do,
I need you to pay attention
and confess all your sins.
[PERSON] I'll see you inside!
I'll do my best.
Hey, this ain't no joke.
I know.
Dad, I want to get better.
Yeah, I need you to get better.
I love you.
I love you too, son.
[SIGHS]
[JAZZ MUSIC]
[DOOR OPENING]
♪
What you doing?
♪
Oh, I love you, but I
don't trust your ass.
So you're gonna come inside with me
and make sure I go to the meeting?
Oh, you better believe I am.
I know better not to trust no gambler.
All y'all do is bullshit people.
And you better not steal
from your brother no more.
You're lucky he letting you
stay with him and Kiesha.
He only doing that because
he wants to keep an eye on me.
Man, you wouldn't need a place to stay
if your mama didn't
have to throw you out
for gambling again.
Well, I don't understand
why I can't just
come live with you and Jada.
I love y'all's house.
Y'all couch is comfy,
and y'all fridge always full.
We got a lot going on at
the house right now, son.
You OK, Dad?
Yeah, yeah, I'm good.
Don't worry about me.
Now come on.
I don't want you being
late for your meeting.
[JOHN] I lost control that day.
It was my rock bottom.
I haven't played poker in two years.
I don't even shiver when
I drive by casinos anymore.
I just focus on my family now.
These meetings,
they remind me of where I used to be
[LAUGHING]
and where I don't want to be again.
[SOFT MUSIC]
♪
[SINGER VOCALIZING]
I want to, first of all, welcome you
to Grieving Partners.
There's no judgment here.
Tonight, feel free to share or not,
and it's totally fine.
I've sat in those exact same
chairs where you're sitting.
[DRAMATIC JAZZ MUSIC]
♪
Harold had a big heart
and a contagious laugh.
I never met anyone like him.
And when he asked me to
prom, I almost fainted
'cause he was that fine and popular.
And he made me feel like
I was the first lady of our high school.
And we were everybody's favorite couple.
And after a while, it was
like we became one person.
You know, if you told me something,
it was just like you were telling him.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
We were that close.
♪
We were high school sweethearts.
And everybody knew that we
were gonna get married and
and we were gonna stay together forever,
but, um
cancer had other plans.
He was my everything.
And then one day
he was gone.
No one ever loved me like he did
[CHUCKLES]
and no one ever will.
But I found peace in
the fact that, um
I may never find love again.
And I'm OK with that.
I'm OK with it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You didn't share.
- And neither did you.
- [BOTH LAUGHING]
It's my first time at this one.
You know, I just I gotta warm up.
Mm. I've been coming
here for three years.
Been behaving yourself?
You are not supposed to ask that.
Well, I just wanna know
if it's a good meeting.
I mean, I'm still coming, aren't I?
I'll keep coming if I get to see you.
That is not why you're supposed to come.
[DAMIEN LAUGHS]
What, do you want to make me come?
It was Goyard totes
and Carhartt tees ♪
And art talk, the Coldplay
carpet 'round my feet ♪
The Dolce scarf, it's 'round
my face, forgot my mask ♪
Fuck ♪
You know we're not supposed to do this.
Come on, everybody does it.
Yeah, suppress one
addiction for another.
That's not what I'm doing.
It's been a while.
Yeah, for me too.
So what do you bet on?
Sports, mostly.
You?
How quickly I can get a guy to fuck me.
Ah, hell nah ♪
Here go another young nigga ♪
Makin' trouble ♪
Young nigga makin' trouble, wait ♪
Young nigga makin' trouble, huh ♪
♪
How long has it been
since your partner passed?
Can I tell you a secret?
Sure.
My partner is still alive.
Then why did you come to the meeting?
Are you here to meet women?
Because we had a guy in here like that
and we had to kick him out.
Oh, God, no. No, I
my wife's cancer came back.
Oh, my God.
I'm so sorry.
No, that's all right.
[RILEY] Is it terminal?
We don't have that much time left.
And I saw the sign, Grieving Partners,
and I just, I don't know.
Just
I understand.
Thank you for sharing with me.
Yeah.
No, I'm sorry.
I didn't want to make it seem like
I was trying to get with you.
I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions.
And I'm sorry about your wife.
And remember,
doctors don't have the last word.
God does.
Thank you for that.
I'm sorry, your husband seems like
he was a really wonderful man.
My condolences to you.
- [RILEY] Thank you.
- Dad.
Boy, don't you see I'm
trying to talk to somebody?
Just
Sorry.
[JAZZ MUSIC]
[DARNELL] My son.
He's got, like, a
gambling problem, so
My dad did too, only we didn't have
resources like this for him to go to,
so I'm glad these kids do.
Yeah, me too.
♪
Well, it was nice meeting you.
Really nice meeting you too, Riley.
And I won't be crashing
any more of your meetings.
Oh, well, there's a group for partners
of terminally ill spouses.
It meets down the hall on Wednesdays.
- On Wednesdays.
- [RILEY] Mm-hmm.
OK.
Thanks for letting me know.
[RILEY] All right.
♪
Dad?
Yeah?
Why were you coming out of
a Grieving Partners meeting?
[SOMBER MUSIC]
[DARNELLSIGHS]
Jada's dying.
♪
[DAMIEN] Dad
[JADA] Oh, goodness.
Hey.
[JADA] Hey.
What's all this?
Just doing some organizing.
[BOTH LAUGHING]
I want to leave some things to Kiesha.
Mm. Now, what she gonna do
with all these auntie robes?
When she is tired and breastfeeding,
this gonna come in handy.
[DARNELL] Oh, yeah.
What?
I might not be here when the baby comes.
Oh
You know what someone told me today?
What?
That the doctors don't have
the last word, God does.
Oh, who told you that silly shit?
I just
I just want you to be optimistic.
Look, I just want to be realistic.
Yeah, but Jada, you
can still fight this.
Darnell, I'm tired.
[SIGHS]
I am tired of fighting.
I'm tired.
I know. I know.
Let me fight for you.
We need to tell Emmett and Kiesha.
We ain't gotta tell them right now.
We can't keep it from them.
I know, but they
they're finally happy.
I know that.
Then just please, let's
let's just wait.
How long?
[SIGHS]
I don't know.
Just a few weeks.
[ZEKE] Moses had to walk alone.
He had to trust God was leading him
in the right direction.
Even when everybody
thought he was crazy,
he continued to walk.
[CHUCKLES]
He held on to faith and
and and and trusted
that God was leading him
in the right direction.
That's what we must do
in times of peril and confusion.
We must hold on to God's mighty hand
and be guided towards the light.
I'm holding on to God's hand right now.
I'm trusting in His plan,
not worrying about my plan.
No, no, no.
My plan doesn't matter.
It's it's His plan that will get us
through to the promised land.
Amen.
[KENYA] That's good, Daddy.
[ZEKE LAUGHS] What are you doing here?
[LAUGHS]
- [KENYA] Good to see you.
- [SIGHS]
Why didn't you tell me you were coming?
I wanted to surprise you.
Wait, you moving back?
Yeah.
Couldn't take living with
your granny, could you?
Nah. She's way too strict.
Why you think I snuck away
to Chicago when I was young?
And Mom was missing me and Miles, so
[ZEKE] I bet she was.
And Grandma Renee
just moved back in too.
Oh, Lord.
- Don't be like that.
- [LAUGHS]
Sounds like your mother's
gonna have her hands full.
[KENYA] She doesn't mind.
So she says.
Yeah, I noticed last service,
most of the Black women parishioners
aren't showing up anymore.
Yeah, they don't like Sarah.
[KENYA] I figured.
It was nice seeing
Papa on stage with you.
He's been holding his own around here.
His office is right down the hall
if you want to say hello.
Don't you walk away ♪
Though I hurt you, babe ♪
I need you to tell me ♪
[TOUSSAINT] Why you got me
all the way out here in the boonies?
[NUCK] I can't be seen talking to you.
[TOUSSAINT] Understood.
So what the fuck you want?
I want Reg.
OK, why are you telling me?
You know, you two
aren't exactly friends.
I don't like the motherfucker,
but I'm not a snitch.
All right?
He wants your spot.
I know.
He can either come for
it or he can continue
smoking weed on his couch.
Not a problem for me right now.
No.
But he could be.
He wants you dead.
I've heard.
Though I hurt you babe ♪
I need you to tell me
that you're here to stay ♪
I have a son.
I know.
We have that in common.
Yeah, we do.
You have pictures?
That you're here to stay ♪
♪
[CHUCKLES]
♪
I would do anything for my son.
Me too.
Will you live for him?
I'm still breathing, ain't I?
For now.
So what you want with Reg?
I want him behind bars
so I can set my son free.
You look out for me, and
I'll look out for you.
I don't have to tell
you cops and robbers
go hand in hand in this city.
Let me think on it.
I'm moving back.
Thank God.
You miss me?
[PAPA] Of course.
You miss me?
Eh
yeah.
[BOTH LAUGHING]
I guess I was wrong about
you working for my dad.
You seem to be doing
pretty well for yourself.
Yeah, he's really been
looking out for me and my mom.
I heard he bought your dad's church.
He did, but he made sure
it was still in our name.
That's nice of him.
[PAPA] Yeah.
I really like your dad.
[KENYA] I see.
[PAPA] But I like you too.
I know.
Did you want to come to my
mom's for dinner tonight?
You want me to meet your mom?
Yeah, and my grandma.
Not gonna lie, I'm nervous.
[KENYA] You should be.
I'm just teasing.
They don't bite, but they are feisty.
Now I see where you get it from.
Hmm.
[SINGING INDISTINCTLY]
- [TIFF CLEARS THROAT] What?
- [LAUGHING]
Did I just catch you stealing?
No, no, no. I was gonna pay you back.
I just needed something for tonight.
Where are you going?
My boy BJ's in town.
I was gonna see him.
BJ the Chicago kid?
Mm-hmm.
Why you acting like you know him?
Oh, we used to bump into
each other every now and then.
Mm-hmm.
[BOTH LAUGHING]
Who you going with?
Nobody.
I like his music.
Oh. So you trying to go?
You want me to come with you?
Of course.
Then why you ain't ask me?
I guess I assumed you
wouldn't want to go.
That's why you shouldn't assume shit.
[LAUGHS] Let me go get my purse.
[JAZZ MUSIC]
♪
[BOTH MOANING]
Oh, shit, I gotta get ready.
Why?
I got sister circle.
I'm hosting.
Shit, my mom coming over?
Well, she said she
was, but then she called
and said she wasn't feeling good,
so she was staying home.
Told me to still go on without her.
I didn't know she wasn't feeling good.
I ain't talked to her in a while.
- I'm gonna call her.
- Yeah, you should.
So since you're doing
the sister circle thing,
does that mean we can get rid of this
expensive-ass therapy bill?
[KIESHA] Well, I still need therapy.
- You need to go too.
- I'm good.
I got the men's circle. Trust me.
The men's circle is great,
but therapy is about you
and why you're the way you are.
[EMMETT] How am I?
You a little fucked up.
What you trying to say?
[KIESHA] Well, we all fucked up.
I ain't as fucked up as you.
It's not a competition.
If it is, I'm winning right now.
You good, my baby's good, Smokey's good.
I don't need no damn therapy.
I love you.
I love you too.
I'm getting the hell out of here
when the sister circle pulls up.
What you gonna do?
[EMMETT] I might just
holler at my brother.
Well, give him a kiss for me.
He's so cute.
I ain't giving his ass
no damn kiss for you.
I caught his ass stealing last week.
You tell me this after
he moves into our house?
I'm just trying to
keep an eye on his ass.
Don't let him get you in trouble.
My goal is to keep him out of trouble.
[KIESHA] Just be careful.
He's my brother, Kiesha. I got it.
Trust me.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
[INDISTINCT TV CHATTER]
I know Michael Jordan's
stats better than anybody.
[DAMIEN] Not better than me.
- Stop it.
- Heck, y'all be quiet.
What number was Michael selected
in the NBA draft to the Chicago Bulls?
Third pick, 1984 draft.
Ahead of him was Hakeem
Olajuwon and Sam Bowie.
OK, that was easy.
[LAUGHS] Keep going.
What was Michael's highest
scoring game with the Bulls?
69 points.
117 to 113 overtime win
against the Cleveland Cavaliers
in 1990.
- [SNORTS] Got that nigga.
- [LAUGHS]
Hey, look, I bet you
the next one you ask me,
I'm gonna get it right.
I bet you won't.
I ain't really betting right now.
- You scared, nigga?
- [LAUGHS]
No, I'm just
I'm just chilling off the gambling shit.
It ain't really gambling.
It's a basic bet.
That's gambling.
You nervous, nigga?
[LAUGHS]
Why we can't just
make a gentleman's bet?
[REG] What the fuck is that?
No money exchanged, just mutual respect.
Man, fuck that. I'll give you five bands
if you answer my next question right.
Five bands, nigga?
I got it.
You need some money?
Uh[SIGHS]
I could I could use it.
Take the bet then, boy.
What if I get it wrong?
You owe me five bands.
I don't have that right now.
Where'd all that cockiness go?
[LAUGHS]
You in or you out?
Ugh.
Don't do it.
Mm. Bet.
Four nothing.
[HANNIBAL] You know this
ain't gonna end well.
[DAMIEN] Ugh.
- Ask me the question!
- Don't rush me.
Better make it hard too.
Pause.
[HANNIBAL] Come on, dog.
[LAUGHS]
How many points, rebounds,
assists, steals, and blocks
did Jordan have during his full game?
Thirty-eight points, seven rebounds,
five assists, two steals,
one block.
Easy. [LAUGHS]
Oh, shit!
He got the five bands off of you, nigga?
Hell yeah, D.
Three steals, nigga.
Guess you ain't the
superfan you thought you was.
- [DAMIEN] Fuck.
- Yeah.
Oh, my God, this is so dumb.
No, a bet is a bet.
Ugh.
I'ma have to beg, borrow,
and steal to get that money.
[INDISTINCT TV CHATTER]
You better start begging.
When you want it by?
Tomorrow night.
Can I at least get a week?
[REG CHUCKLES]
If you don't have my
money by tomorrow night,
I'm gonna beat the shit out you.
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
Don't look at me, nigga.
♪
Bro.
Go get my money, Damien.
Told your dumb ass.
Tell your mama and your
grandmother I said hello.
Now, that's just disrespectful.
Papa, this does not concern you.
Yes, it does.
You're supposed to lead by example.
Come on.
If you saw me doing what
you're doing right now,
you'd scold me for it.
And Grandma Renee is cooking.
Don't bribe me with food now.
I'm wholeheartedly yours, my love ♪
I'll meet y'all there.
You're the beat in my soul ♪
You're all I'm thinking of ♪
When I'm with you, I'm soaring ♪
Thank you for this.
I needed a break from changing bandages.
We understand.
We got you.
[DOM] Thank you.
How are you feeling?
I'm exhausted all the time.
I'm always worried
about the kids, you know?
And not just my own, all of our kids.
I mean, I know I didn't
birth his other sons,
but when they're with me,
they feel like they're mine.
You know, I love them like they're mine.
It's a beautiful feeling.
Then that love and worry takes over,
and I just get overwhelmed.
Sometimes I can't believe
how many kids we're raising.
And my pregnancy on
top of that, it just
it drains me.
And at the end of the
day, I don't even have
anything left to give.
Not to myself, not to Emmett.
God, Tracy, I do not mean
to complain about motherhood
to you when you've lost a son.
I'm so sorry.
Listen, we hear you,
we see you, we love you.
It's OK.
Yeah, and if you ever want
me to come over and cook,
I got you.
I might take you up on that.
[DOM] Please do.
Thank y'all for listening.
And just because I lost
a child doesn't mean
you can't complain to me about yours.
I didn't realize how much
I cherished those moments.
Hearing how exhausted you are,
it takes me back to when Jason was
little Ronnie's age, so I get it.
When are you and Jamal having kids?
I don't want any.
Is that weird?
[KIESHA] No, of course not.
I mean, I've never heard a woman say it.
I think for so long people
thought they had to have kids,
and now we know we don't.
So if I don't have to do something,
then why would I do it?
I don't know what my
life would have been like
if I never had Jason.
[DOM] I mean, don't get me wrong.
I think babies are a beautiful thing.
I just have no desire to be a parent.
I love my life.
I love my man.
I love my body.
And I don't want to add
a baby into that equation.
I ain't mad at you.
Baby. [LAUGHS]
Kenya, you didn't tell me
you were bringing company.
It's just Daddy.
[CAROLYN] Zeke, don't be
coming around here uninvited.
Since when do I need an
invite to a house I paid for?
Hi, I'm Papa.
I've heard a lot about you.
Only good things, I hope.
I know you broke up with my daughter
- after your father passed.
- [KENYA] Ma!
And that was wrong.
I told you, he apologized.
[CAROLYN] Well, you
were crying for weeks.
[KENYA] No, I wasn't.
[ZEKE] Stop embarrassing her.
Where's Grandma Renee?
[CAROLYN] She's getting ready.
What is she doing here?
You're the one who wanted
me to move in with you
after I retired.
I guess you forgot.
[JAZZ MUSIC]
♪
Well, that was before we got divorced.
Well, I still want her here.
Do you?
Excuse me.
What's this I hear about you
laying up with a white woman?
I'm not doing this with you today.
You're doing this with me today
because Carolyn has shown me
the pictures of the two of you
on the World Wide Web.
- Mom, please.
- Really, Carolyn?
You know social media
is the devil's work.
Devil being the operative word.
[ZEKE] Don't do that.
Do what?
Make everything about race.
But race is still an
issue in this country,
unless you forgot that too.
Trust me. I know.
Grandma, this is my friend Papa.
Oh, I've heard a lot about you.
OK, I swear I never meant to break
your granddaughter's heart.
Y'all never do, but
somehow, it always happens.
Well, you might as well stay for dinner.
I made pot roast.
Can't.
I got a sermon I need to work on.
Always putting that
church before your family.
[ZEKE] That's not true.
You remind me of my ex-husband.
Which one?
[RENEE] The one who left
me for a white woman.
Oh, that's why you're pissed.
I'm pissed because you're out
here embarrassing this family.
Papa, would you like to stay for dinner?
[PAPA] Yes, ma'am.
Pastor Zeke,
you don't want Papa
left outnumbered here,
do you?
[PAPA] She is feisty.
Told you.
- Kenya?
- [KENYA] Hmm?
Papa, come help me set this table.
How's Jamal doing?
He's getting better every day.
What?
What do you mean?
Why are you hovering over me like
you want to ask me something?
I I'm kind of in a bind.
What kind of bind?
I lost a bet.
How much you owe?
Five racks.
Damn.
I know, but I'll pay you back.
Why you don't ask Emmett?
I can't.
And please don't tell him I asked you.
You better not be on drugs.
No, no, no.
I promise, I'm not.
But if you don't help me,
this guy's gonna fuck me up.
Serious?
Yeah.
Well, I can't do five, nigga.
I'm not asking you
for the whole thing
just, you know, whatever
you could contribute.
I can give you one.
I'll take it.
All right, but you better pay me back.
I will.
What you really know about me ♪
[SINGING INDISTINCTLY]
Thank you.
Raised from the streets, she was ♪
♪
I am so tired of this
"Black men and white
women" conversation.
Then let's stop having it.
Well, we could stop
having it if so many of you
prominent Black men would stop
letting it ruin your lives.
White women are not
holding a gun to our heads,
forcing us to do anything
we don't want to do.
Then you're the problem.
Why am I the problem?
Can I answer that?
I'm talking to your mother.
But you're in my house.
Ma, stop.
Why are you telling me to stop?
She's a daddy's girl, just like you,
which is how you wound up with this one.
Renee, I am a man of God.
You say you are a man of
God, and that's one thing,
but it's a different
thing to live like one.
So I'm not living like a man of God
because I'm with a white woman?
You're living like a man who
doesn't want to be challenged
when he comes home from work.
No, I don't.
I'm exhausted by the time I get home.
Well, I'm exhausted from
the moment that I wake up.
- Well, Sarah has lots of energy.
- [RENEE] Mm-hmm.
Most white women do.
I don't care if you date a white woman.
Neither do I.
That's because you children
are too young to understand.
Understand what?
That Black men would
get lynched for just
looking at a white woman.
Like Emmett Till?
Yes, like Emmett Till.
So are we just supposed to
live the rest of our lives
in the past?
No, but we should speak the truth.
And what is that?
The truth is you abandoned
your wife and child
for a fancy church and a hussy
with a proclivity of getting
it on with a young boy.
See, I have seen the
video with some child
talking about her messing
around with a boy named Jake.
Papa, do you know him?
Yeah, I do.
But I ain't have
nothing to do with that.
I'm just focused on
my own walk with God.
Kenya, I like him.
But back to you.
You should be ashamed of yourself.
For what?
You threw away my daughter
thinking you were gonna
find something better.
But then you realized
she was a gift from God.
I don't know how you
thought you were gonna find
anything better than that.
I am grateful
for the life we had together, but
She cheated. We know.
- Ma, that's enough.
- Whoa.
- Kenya, go to your room.
- [ZEKE] She can stay.
Whoo-hoo! There he is.
The man that I remember.
Should I go? Because
No. No, no, no.
You're fine.
Fine.
Me being with a white woman
has nothing to do with you.
It has everything to do with me.
I'm just at a place in my life
when I want to try something new.
With hopes that you
will become someone new?
I'm not who I used to be.
[CAROLYN] Are you better?
I'm richer.
That's not what she asked you.
White women have been the downfall
of many a Black man.
Hope we don't have to
add your name to the list.
You won't.
Good.
I made cheesecake.
Hope you left room for dessert.
[LAUGHS]
Y'all play the game ♪
Some just don't play the same ♪
♪
Well ♪
Oh, oh ♪
Babe, the way you play ♪
Make a nigga just want to change ♪
Yeah ♪
Your mind ♪
Oh, mind ♪
Hello, babe ♪
I thought I saw you out just now ♪
I know it's been a minute ♪
I know it's been a while ♪
And it's never too
late to tell the truth ♪
Couldn't lie even if I tried ♪
Inside I wish sometimes ♪
Sometimes I wish you were mine ♪
Mine ♪
All to myself ♪
Yeah, yeah ♪
But baby, in the back of my mind ♪
Mind ♪
- I know ♪
- I know ♪
I know, I know ♪
♪
Y'all play the game ♪
Welcome back to Papa's Pulpit.
It's been a minute.
Some of y'all been paying
the $5 while others,
y'all being cheap. But that's OK.
That's OK, because as Corinthians says,
"Whoever sows generously
also will reap generously."
So here's a little teaser of what
you'll get if you open yourselves
to giving back to God's word.
So there's been a lot of
talk about Pastor Zeke being
with a white woman, a lot of opinions,
a lot of online conversations.
And I've been listening.
I've been reading the comments.
Maybe I shouldn't, but
I do from time to time.
And and y'all got a lot to say about
somebody else's love life.
And I know this topic
isn't one that's going away.
This conversation is
drenched in history and pain,
and it's not going to be
one we can all agree on,
but I will say this.
President Barack Obama
is a really cool guy,
and he got a white mama.
So on that note, I'm keeping us
all in prayer until next time.
Amen? Amen.
[INDISTINCT RAP MUSIC PLAYING]
If anybody knew I was
working with the cops,
I would be a dead man walking.
[ZEKE] Death is always at your door.
Yeah, 'cause Reg is still alive.
Working with the police will keep you
from killing somebody else.
You said you were trying to do better.
I know.
If I was you, I wouldn't
mind being locked in
with somebody who could protect me.
Cops protect gangsters more
than they protect civilians.
[LAUGHS]
Just something to consider.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Let me put Ronnie in the
tub before I fall asleep.
No, baby, I got it.
You go to bed.
For real?
Yeah, you're growing a whole ass person.
The least I can do is handle bedtime.
Thank you, that's really sweet.
Love you.
I love you too.
- You all right?
- [KEISHA] Mm-hmm.
[FUNK MUSIC]
I got superpowers, superpowers ♪
♪
Superpowers, like Superman ♪
♪
Superpowers, superpowers ♪
You ain't got to worry ♪
♪
I can do it all, baby ♪
♪
I got superpowers, superpowers ♪
♪
[INDISTINCT TV CHATTER]
I know ♪
- I know ♪
- I know, I know ♪
I know ♪
That we ♪
Y'all play the game ♪
Some just don't play the same ♪
♪
Well, oh ♪
Oh, oh ♪
Babe, the way you play ♪
Make a nigga just want to change ♪
Yeah ♪
Your mind ♪
Then we ♪
Oh, play the game ♪
It make a nigga just want to change ♪
And make you mine ♪
Thank God for regular weed.
Hell, yeah.
I only want mushrooms
on my pizza from now on.
That's it.
Talk to me, man.
What's going on with you?
Tiff.
You know Nuck trying to hit that, right?
I ain't worried about that, nigga.
Shit, you should be.
Man, he kills niggas for fun, man.
And if he finds out you trying
to push up on his girl
She ain't his girl.
What, you trying to make
her yours or something?
I don't know.
You better get permission
from Emmett first.
Why?
The fuck you mean, why?
That's his ex-wife.
You're right.
I mean, they've just
been a apart for so long.
I hear what you're saying, man,
but you still got to talk
to him about that, man.
Just can't pull up to that man's crib
with Tiff on your arm
like it ain't no big deal.
- You're right.
- This ain't Love Jones.
OK, I'll talk to him.
Yeah, so make sure you
get your speech ready.
I mean, I think that Emmett's
locked in with Kiesha, right?
I don't see no ring on her finger.
[VICTOR] Oh, that's cold.
You cold, bro.
Hey, man, I'm just keeping it real, Joe.
Look, these women ain't loyal to you
unless you get them a ring or a house.
Niggas be broke.
Who you telling?
Broke and homeless, nigga.
Oh, shit.
You had to move out
of Alicia's crib, huh?
[SHAAD] Hell yeah, man.
Your couch still open?
Of course, nigga.
Come on.
I can use the company.
Ah! [LAUGHS]
And I'll keep your
ass out of trouble too.
No, you'll be getting me into trouble.
Just like old times, baby.
No, no, no.
We not going back there.
[SHAAD] Oh, shit.
What you gonna do about Reg, though?
I don't know.
I think he gonna fuck some shit up, man.
Yeah, you and me both.
He got trouble in his eyes.
He always has.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Yo.
Can I borrow a rack?
Damn, nigga, for what?
I owe somebody some money.
Who?
I call the shots ♪
Reg.
Man, he's a killer.
- You know that, right?
- I didn't.
I mean, now I do.
Honestly, I'm even more scared now.
Please don't play me ♪
Run, run city ♪
I can give you a rack.
If you coming up, sure,
I got some for your ass ♪
Thank you.
[BAKARI] Sure.
That's my money, know that ♪
If you want some excuses ♪
You wanna die ♪
[SIGHS]
So how much you got?
Well, with your friendly donation,
I still need three racks.
Where you gonna get the rest?
The only other person I know
that even had money like that
is my stepmom.
Jada?
Yeah, but
I ain't trying to play that shit ♪
You gotta pay me ♪
You know I keep that on me ♪
You all right, bro?
I call the shots, get to the money ♪
Who gonna check me ♪
Pull up on you where you stay ♪
I don't know.
I ain't trying to hear that shit ♪
She's sick right now.
Jada's sick?
You know I keep that on
me, please don't play me ♪
I'm not supposed to tell anyone,
but
she's dying.
She ain't gonna get better.
Damn.
Nigga, you can't ask a
dying woman for money.
I don't have a choice.
If I catch you in the streets ♪
I'ma fill you with the heat ♪
This is what it's like
having a gambling problem.
I'll do anything to pay off a debt.
Just might make tonight your last ♪
I call the shots, get to the money ♪
Who gonna check me ♪
Pull up on you where you stay ♪
You trying to finesse me ♪
I ain't trying to hear that shit ♪
You gotta pay me ♪
You know I keep that on me ♪
Please don't play me ♪
[KNOCKING]
Damien, what are you doing here?
[SIGHS]
I made a stupid bet.
I thought you were
going to meetings again.
I am.
And you still gambling?
It's a process, but
trust me, I learned my lesson.
I don't think you did.
I don't want to disappoint
my dad and my brother.
[JAZZ MUSIC]
♪
Here.
That's $2,000.
And don't tell Darnell.
He's dealing with enough right now.
I know.
You need to stop this.
I will.
I promise.
I'm really sorry about
everything that's going on.
♪
[EMMETT] Hey, how is
it working with Tiff?
Oh, it's great.
We we work really well together.
Nice.
Man, Lord knows she can be a handful.
Yeah. Yeah.
What'd you want to talk to me about?
Come on.
Safe space.
You can tell me anything.
I know.
I think of you as like another brother.
We kissed.
Oh, shit.
I wanted you to hear
it from me, you know?
Yeah, I can respect that.
As a man.
Of course.
I mean, because next time we come here,
I don't want it to feel like
you know, I don't want
you to feel like
Who said there was
gonna be the next time?
Oh, shit.
I'm just fucking with you.
You seemed serious.
[LAUGHING]
Nah, man.
We good. Come on.
[VICTOR] OK.
Nah, I'm happy for y'all.
That's all right.
Yeah.
Whoo!
Happy for y'all.
And look, just so you know,
we're not boyfriend or
girlfriend or nothing.
I just wanted to talk to you
before things got too serious.
How serious are you trying to get?
I don't know. It's up to her.
I know I'm not the only one
that's coming at her, you know.
Who else coming at her?
Nuck?
To be fair, bro, I don't
know, and I don't care.
OK, you trying to be,
like, the main one.
No, I'm just trying
to spend time with her.
That's all?
[VICTOR] That's all.
Well, you want another drink?
No, no, no.
I gotta get up out of here, man.
- Come on, man.
- No, no, really, really.
No, I gotta get up out of here.
I already had too much.
I still gotta drive.
A'ight, a'ight
Shit, be be safe out there, hey?
[VICTOR] Always.
Yeah, yeah.
- [VICTOR] I'll see you around.
- Yeah.
Yeah.
And you know where I'm at.
All right, now.
- Later.
- [EMMETT] Yep.
[JAZZ MUSIC]
♪
I heard you have a student
who's writing a book.
Yes, his name is Bakari.
I pulled his file.
He's not doing so well
in the grades department.
Yes, well, his home life
has been hectic lately,
and he hasn't been focusing
so much on his book.
You know how that can be.
I read a few pages.
He has a voice.
Yeah, I know.
He's got some growing to do.
I know that too.
I heard Alicia awarded
him her scholarship.
She did.
[KING] I know she and
your wife are friends.
They are.
[SIGHS]
Make sure your students can handle
their coursework as well as their
extracurricular activities.
If we are going to make
an exception to the rule,
let's make sure that student
we're bending the rule for
is exceptional.
I think he is.
Elijah, if he is going
to be a reflection of you,
he should lean in a little more.
I hear you.
I'm on it.
[SMOOTH MUSIC]
♪
I'm in.
What made you change your mind?
My son.
It's important Reg is alive
when you bring him to me.
So I got to befriend his ass?
Yeah.
I don't fuck with him.
I don't give a shit.
If this is gonna work,
I need you to text me back faster.
I don't be checking my phone like that.
Well, I'm gonna need you to start.
- That's you, girl ♪
- That's you, girl ♪
♪
You know what I've been thinking?
[DOM] What?
If I were to die, I wouldn't have a kid
to carry on my legacy.
I think we should have kids.
I don't want to have kids.
Did you tell me this?
No.
That's not something
that we talked about.
[JAMES BLAKE'S "RETROGRADE" PLAYING]
[VOCALIZING]
♪
You're on your own ♪
In a world you've grown ♪
Few more years to go ♪
Don't let the hurdle fall ♪
I'll wait ♪
So show me why you're strong ♪
Ignore everybody else ♪
You're short.
We're alone now ♪
Suddenly I'm hit ♪
It's the starkness of the dawn ♪
And your friends are gone ♪
And your friends won't come ♪
So show me where you fit ♪
♪
So you show me where you fit ♪
You crazy!
♪
[VOCALIZING]
♪
[DOOR CREAKING]
♪
What the fuck?
Kiesha!
What the fuck happened
to your face, man?
What the fuck?
Oh, my God. What happened?
Who did this to you?
- Reg.
- [KIESHA] Reg?
I thought that nigga was dead.
He's not.
Where he at? Where he at?
- Jake's apartment.
- Fuck.
No, you're not going anywhere.
I'm fine.
I can smell the whiskey on you.
Take care of my brother. I'll be back.
Emmett!
♪
Oh. Put your head back.
[GROANING]
[KNOCKING]
We run in and run out ♪
Who is it?
You come in, won't come out ♪
- [KNOCKING]
- Hey, who the fuck is it?
I dump in, you dump out ♪
[KNOCKING]
Blood in and blood out ♪
We run in and run out ♪
Hey, man, what the fuck?
What the fuck is you doing?
Why you beat up my brother?
Man, he owed me money, nigga.
[GRUNTING]
Emmett, get the fuck off me, man.
Blood in and blood out ♪
- Blood in and blood out ♪
- Emmett, stop!
Get the fuck
[GUNSHOT]
[HIGH-PITCHED RINGING]
[HEART BEATING]
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
[GASPING]
I feel myself slip into the old me ♪
I keep, I keep it on me ♪
You better run me,
run me what you owe me ♪
I don't want no
bitches and no homies ♪
You don't, you don't know me ♪
On the station, cousin, I'm an OG ♪
I'm 'bout to go come for you, bitch ♪
You know I don't play that ♪
You a little too comfortable, nigga ♪
I'ma find where your
mama done stay at ♪
You don't want me to come for you ♪
These niggas go
crazy, they ain't that ♪
My nigga, I don't fuck with you ♪
Who the fuck these
niggas think they are ♪
You act like a nigga
won't come for you ♪
You know I'ma find you, nigga ♪
You know I don't play that ♪
You a little too comfortable, bitch ♪
I'ma find where your
mama done stay at ♪
You don't want me to come for you ♪
These niggas act
crazy, they ain't that ♪
My nigga don't fuck with you ♪
I'm too far gone ♪
Don't play that ♪
Why would you play with me, nigga ♪
'Cause I ain't gon' play ♪
Watch what you say, lil nigga ♪
Today is the day ♪
I don't wanna come
spit on you, nigga ♪
But you too late ♪
I had to spit on the nigga ♪
He dug his own grave, bitch ♪
I feel myself slip into the old me ♪
I keep, I keep it on me ♪
I don't want no
bitches and no homies ♪
You don't, you don't know me ♪
On the station,
cousin, I'm an OG, nigga ♪
[KIESHA] Previously on The Chi
Your cancer has metastasized
to your pancreas.
[DARNELL] Are you OK?
What's going on?
The cancer's back.
You survived it once.
You'll you'll survive it again.
No. Not this time.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
I can't be a full-time
mom, a personal chef,
and a porn star every night.
I'm not asking you
to do backflips, baby.
I just I just want you to
put your phone down sometimes.
That's hard to do when you're the mom.
Why the hell would you post that picture
without talking to me first?
I thought you said we didn't
have to be a secret anymore.
In my real life, not online.
If you need some male attention,
I don't mind you getting it from Victor.
♪
[DOM] Well, the good
news is he's still alive.
They're gonna keep him comatose
until his vitals improve.
♪
Detective, do you
know a Reginald Taylor?
If you can bring him to me,
I will make sure that
your son is a free man.
Understood.
Where's my money, nigga?
Just give me a few weeks, OK?
You got a few days.
If I was you, I would borrow
some of that secret stash money
and replace it before
anyone knows it's gone.
[EMMETT] Why is there
money missing from the safe?
[DAMIEN] I'm gonna pay it back.
I can't believe you would
steal from your own family.
[DAMIEN] Am I still employed?
You're on thin ice.
Mop the fucking floors.
♪
[CAR ENGINE RUMBLING]
[SIGHS]
All right now, son.
I need you to go in
there and tell them people
about your gambling problem.
That's not how it works, Dad.
Well, whatever it is that you do,
I need you to pay attention
and confess all your sins.
[PERSON] I'll see you inside!
I'll do my best.
Hey, this ain't no joke.
I know.
Dad, I want to get better.
Yeah, I need you to get better.
I love you.
I love you too, son.
[SIGHS]
[JAZZ MUSIC]
[DOOR OPENING]
♪
What you doing?
♪
Oh, I love you, but I
don't trust your ass.
So you're gonna come inside with me
and make sure I go to the meeting?
Oh, you better believe I am.
I know better not to trust no gambler.
All y'all do is bullshit people.
And you better not steal
from your brother no more.
You're lucky he letting you
stay with him and Kiesha.
He only doing that because
he wants to keep an eye on me.
Man, you wouldn't need a place to stay
if your mama didn't
have to throw you out
for gambling again.
Well, I don't understand
why I can't just
come live with you and Jada.
I love y'all's house.
Y'all couch is comfy,
and y'all fridge always full.
We got a lot going on at
the house right now, son.
You OK, Dad?
Yeah, yeah, I'm good.
Don't worry about me.
Now come on.
I don't want you being
late for your meeting.
[JOHN] I lost control that day.
It was my rock bottom.
I haven't played poker in two years.
I don't even shiver when
I drive by casinos anymore.
I just focus on my family now.
These meetings,
they remind me of where I used to be
[LAUGHING]
and where I don't want to be again.
[SOFT MUSIC]
♪
[SINGER VOCALIZING]
I want to, first of all, welcome you
to Grieving Partners.
There's no judgment here.
Tonight, feel free to share or not,
and it's totally fine.
I've sat in those exact same
chairs where you're sitting.
[DRAMATIC JAZZ MUSIC]
♪
Harold had a big heart
and a contagious laugh.
I never met anyone like him.
And when he asked me to
prom, I almost fainted
'cause he was that fine and popular.
And he made me feel like
I was the first lady of our high school.
And we were everybody's favorite couple.
And after a while, it was
like we became one person.
You know, if you told me something,
it was just like you were telling him.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
We were that close.
♪
We were high school sweethearts.
And everybody knew that we
were gonna get married and
and we were gonna stay together forever,
but, um
cancer had other plans.
He was my everything.
And then one day
he was gone.
No one ever loved me like he did
[CHUCKLES]
and no one ever will.
But I found peace in
the fact that, um
I may never find love again.
And I'm OK with that.
I'm OK with it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You didn't share.
- And neither did you.
- [BOTH LAUGHING]
It's my first time at this one.
You know, I just I gotta warm up.
Mm. I've been coming
here for three years.
Been behaving yourself?
You are not supposed to ask that.
Well, I just wanna know
if it's a good meeting.
I mean, I'm still coming, aren't I?
I'll keep coming if I get to see you.
That is not why you're supposed to come.
[DAMIEN LAUGHS]
What, do you want to make me come?
It was Goyard totes
and Carhartt tees ♪
And art talk, the Coldplay
carpet 'round my feet ♪
The Dolce scarf, it's 'round
my face, forgot my mask ♪
Fuck ♪
You know we're not supposed to do this.
Come on, everybody does it.
Yeah, suppress one
addiction for another.
That's not what I'm doing.
It's been a while.
Yeah, for me too.
So what do you bet on?
Sports, mostly.
You?
How quickly I can get a guy to fuck me.
Ah, hell nah ♪
Here go another young nigga ♪
Makin' trouble ♪
Young nigga makin' trouble, wait ♪
Young nigga makin' trouble, huh ♪
♪
How long has it been
since your partner passed?
Can I tell you a secret?
Sure.
My partner is still alive.
Then why did you come to the meeting?
Are you here to meet women?
Because we had a guy in here like that
and we had to kick him out.
Oh, God, no. No, I
my wife's cancer came back.
Oh, my God.
I'm so sorry.
No, that's all right.
[RILEY] Is it terminal?
We don't have that much time left.
And I saw the sign, Grieving Partners,
and I just, I don't know.
Just
I understand.
Thank you for sharing with me.
Yeah.
No, I'm sorry.
I didn't want to make it seem like
I was trying to get with you.
I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions.
And I'm sorry about your wife.
And remember,
doctors don't have the last word.
God does.
Thank you for that.
I'm sorry, your husband seems like
he was a really wonderful man.
My condolences to you.
- [RILEY] Thank you.
- Dad.
Boy, don't you see I'm
trying to talk to somebody?
Just
Sorry.
[JAZZ MUSIC]
[DARNELL] My son.
He's got, like, a
gambling problem, so
My dad did too, only we didn't have
resources like this for him to go to,
so I'm glad these kids do.
Yeah, me too.
♪
Well, it was nice meeting you.
Really nice meeting you too, Riley.
And I won't be crashing
any more of your meetings.
Oh, well, there's a group for partners
of terminally ill spouses.
It meets down the hall on Wednesdays.
- On Wednesdays.
- [RILEY] Mm-hmm.
OK.
Thanks for letting me know.
[RILEY] All right.
♪
Dad?
Yeah?
Why were you coming out of
a Grieving Partners meeting?
[SOMBER MUSIC]
[DARNELLSIGHS]
Jada's dying.
♪
[DAMIEN] Dad
[JADA] Oh, goodness.
Hey.
[JADA] Hey.
What's all this?
Just doing some organizing.
[BOTH LAUGHING]
I want to leave some things to Kiesha.
Mm. Now, what she gonna do
with all these auntie robes?
When she is tired and breastfeeding,
this gonna come in handy.
[DARNELL] Oh, yeah.
What?
I might not be here when the baby comes.
Oh
You know what someone told me today?
What?
That the doctors don't have
the last word, God does.
Oh, who told you that silly shit?
I just
I just want you to be optimistic.
Look, I just want to be realistic.
Yeah, but Jada, you
can still fight this.
Darnell, I'm tired.
[SIGHS]
I am tired of fighting.
I'm tired.
I know. I know.
Let me fight for you.
We need to tell Emmett and Kiesha.
We ain't gotta tell them right now.
We can't keep it from them.
I know, but they
they're finally happy.
I know that.
Then just please, let's
let's just wait.
How long?
[SIGHS]
I don't know.
Just a few weeks.
[ZEKE] Moses had to walk alone.
He had to trust God was leading him
in the right direction.
Even when everybody
thought he was crazy,
he continued to walk.
[CHUCKLES]
He held on to faith and
and and and trusted
that God was leading him
in the right direction.
That's what we must do
in times of peril and confusion.
We must hold on to God's mighty hand
and be guided towards the light.
I'm holding on to God's hand right now.
I'm trusting in His plan,
not worrying about my plan.
No, no, no.
My plan doesn't matter.
It's it's His plan that will get us
through to the promised land.
Amen.
[KENYA] That's good, Daddy.
[ZEKE LAUGHS] What are you doing here?
[LAUGHS]
- [KENYA] Good to see you.
- [SIGHS]
Why didn't you tell me you were coming?
I wanted to surprise you.
Wait, you moving back?
Yeah.
Couldn't take living with
your granny, could you?
Nah. She's way too strict.
Why you think I snuck away
to Chicago when I was young?
And Mom was missing me and Miles, so
[ZEKE] I bet she was.
And Grandma Renee
just moved back in too.
Oh, Lord.
- Don't be like that.
- [LAUGHS]
Sounds like your mother's
gonna have her hands full.
[KENYA] She doesn't mind.
So she says.
Yeah, I noticed last service,
most of the Black women parishioners
aren't showing up anymore.
Yeah, they don't like Sarah.
[KENYA] I figured.
It was nice seeing
Papa on stage with you.
He's been holding his own around here.
His office is right down the hall
if you want to say hello.
Don't you walk away ♪
Though I hurt you, babe ♪
I need you to tell me ♪
[TOUSSAINT] Why you got me
all the way out here in the boonies?
[NUCK] I can't be seen talking to you.
[TOUSSAINT] Understood.
So what the fuck you want?
I want Reg.
OK, why are you telling me?
You know, you two
aren't exactly friends.
I don't like the motherfucker,
but I'm not a snitch.
All right?
He wants your spot.
I know.
He can either come for
it or he can continue
smoking weed on his couch.
Not a problem for me right now.
No.
But he could be.
He wants you dead.
I've heard.
Though I hurt you babe ♪
I need you to tell me
that you're here to stay ♪
I have a son.
I know.
We have that in common.
Yeah, we do.
You have pictures?
That you're here to stay ♪
♪
[CHUCKLES]
♪
I would do anything for my son.
Me too.
Will you live for him?
I'm still breathing, ain't I?
For now.
So what you want with Reg?
I want him behind bars
so I can set my son free.
You look out for me, and
I'll look out for you.
I don't have to tell
you cops and robbers
go hand in hand in this city.
Let me think on it.
I'm moving back.
Thank God.
You miss me?
[PAPA] Of course.
You miss me?
Eh
yeah.
[BOTH LAUGHING]
I guess I was wrong about
you working for my dad.
You seem to be doing
pretty well for yourself.
Yeah, he's really been
looking out for me and my mom.
I heard he bought your dad's church.
He did, but he made sure
it was still in our name.
That's nice of him.
[PAPA] Yeah.
I really like your dad.
[KENYA] I see.
[PAPA] But I like you too.
I know.
Did you want to come to my
mom's for dinner tonight?
You want me to meet your mom?
Yeah, and my grandma.
Not gonna lie, I'm nervous.
[KENYA] You should be.
I'm just teasing.
They don't bite, but they are feisty.
Now I see where you get it from.
Hmm.
[SINGING INDISTINCTLY]
- [TIFF CLEARS THROAT] What?
- [LAUGHING]
Did I just catch you stealing?
No, no, no. I was gonna pay you back.
I just needed something for tonight.
Where are you going?
My boy BJ's in town.
I was gonna see him.
BJ the Chicago kid?
Mm-hmm.
Why you acting like you know him?
Oh, we used to bump into
each other every now and then.
Mm-hmm.
[BOTH LAUGHING]
Who you going with?
Nobody.
I like his music.
Oh. So you trying to go?
You want me to come with you?
Of course.
Then why you ain't ask me?
I guess I assumed you
wouldn't want to go.
That's why you shouldn't assume shit.
[LAUGHS] Let me go get my purse.
[JAZZ MUSIC]
♪
[BOTH MOANING]
Oh, shit, I gotta get ready.
Why?
I got sister circle.
I'm hosting.
Shit, my mom coming over?
Well, she said she
was, but then she called
and said she wasn't feeling good,
so she was staying home.
Told me to still go on without her.
I didn't know she wasn't feeling good.
I ain't talked to her in a while.
- I'm gonna call her.
- Yeah, you should.
So since you're doing
the sister circle thing,
does that mean we can get rid of this
expensive-ass therapy bill?
[KIESHA] Well, I still need therapy.
- You need to go too.
- I'm good.
I got the men's circle. Trust me.
The men's circle is great,
but therapy is about you
and why you're the way you are.
[EMMETT] How am I?
You a little fucked up.
What you trying to say?
[KIESHA] Well, we all fucked up.
I ain't as fucked up as you.
It's not a competition.
If it is, I'm winning right now.
You good, my baby's good, Smokey's good.
I don't need no damn therapy.
I love you.
I love you too.
I'm getting the hell out of here
when the sister circle pulls up.
What you gonna do?
[EMMETT] I might just
holler at my brother.
Well, give him a kiss for me.
He's so cute.
I ain't giving his ass
no damn kiss for you.
I caught his ass stealing last week.
You tell me this after
he moves into our house?
I'm just trying to
keep an eye on his ass.
Don't let him get you in trouble.
My goal is to keep him out of trouble.
[KIESHA] Just be careful.
He's my brother, Kiesha. I got it.
Trust me.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
[INDISTINCT TV CHATTER]
I know Michael Jordan's
stats better than anybody.
[DAMIEN] Not better than me.
- Stop it.
- Heck, y'all be quiet.
What number was Michael selected
in the NBA draft to the Chicago Bulls?
Third pick, 1984 draft.
Ahead of him was Hakeem
Olajuwon and Sam Bowie.
OK, that was easy.
[LAUGHS] Keep going.
What was Michael's highest
scoring game with the Bulls?
69 points.
117 to 113 overtime win
against the Cleveland Cavaliers
in 1990.
- [SNORTS] Got that nigga.
- [LAUGHS]
Hey, look, I bet you
the next one you ask me,
I'm gonna get it right.
I bet you won't.
I ain't really betting right now.
- You scared, nigga?
- [LAUGHS]
No, I'm just
I'm just chilling off the gambling shit.
It ain't really gambling.
It's a basic bet.
That's gambling.
You nervous, nigga?
[LAUGHS]
Why we can't just
make a gentleman's bet?
[REG] What the fuck is that?
No money exchanged, just mutual respect.
Man, fuck that. I'll give you five bands
if you answer my next question right.
Five bands, nigga?
I got it.
You need some money?
Uh[SIGHS]
I could I could use it.
Take the bet then, boy.
What if I get it wrong?
You owe me five bands.
I don't have that right now.
Where'd all that cockiness go?
[LAUGHS]
You in or you out?
Ugh.
Don't do it.
Mm. Bet.
Four nothing.
[HANNIBAL] You know this
ain't gonna end well.
[DAMIEN] Ugh.
- Ask me the question!
- Don't rush me.
Better make it hard too.
Pause.
[HANNIBAL] Come on, dog.
[LAUGHS]
How many points, rebounds,
assists, steals, and blocks
did Jordan have during his full game?
Thirty-eight points, seven rebounds,
five assists, two steals,
one block.
Easy. [LAUGHS]
Oh, shit!
He got the five bands off of you, nigga?
Hell yeah, D.
Three steals, nigga.
Guess you ain't the
superfan you thought you was.
- [DAMIEN] Fuck.
- Yeah.
Oh, my God, this is so dumb.
No, a bet is a bet.
Ugh.
I'ma have to beg, borrow,
and steal to get that money.
[INDISTINCT TV CHATTER]
You better start begging.
When you want it by?
Tomorrow night.
Can I at least get a week?
[REG CHUCKLES]
If you don't have my
money by tomorrow night,
I'm gonna beat the shit out you.
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
Don't look at me, nigga.
♪
Bro.
Go get my money, Damien.
Told your dumb ass.
Tell your mama and your
grandmother I said hello.
Now, that's just disrespectful.
Papa, this does not concern you.
Yes, it does.
You're supposed to lead by example.
Come on.
If you saw me doing what
you're doing right now,
you'd scold me for it.
And Grandma Renee is cooking.
Don't bribe me with food now.
I'm wholeheartedly yours, my love ♪
I'll meet y'all there.
You're the beat in my soul ♪
You're all I'm thinking of ♪
When I'm with you, I'm soaring ♪
Thank you for this.
I needed a break from changing bandages.
We understand.
We got you.
[DOM] Thank you.
How are you feeling?
I'm exhausted all the time.
I'm always worried
about the kids, you know?
And not just my own, all of our kids.
I mean, I know I didn't
birth his other sons,
but when they're with me,
they feel like they're mine.
You know, I love them like they're mine.
It's a beautiful feeling.
Then that love and worry takes over,
and I just get overwhelmed.
Sometimes I can't believe
how many kids we're raising.
And my pregnancy on
top of that, it just
it drains me.
And at the end of the
day, I don't even have
anything left to give.
Not to myself, not to Emmett.
God, Tracy, I do not mean
to complain about motherhood
to you when you've lost a son.
I'm so sorry.
Listen, we hear you,
we see you, we love you.
It's OK.
Yeah, and if you ever want
me to come over and cook,
I got you.
I might take you up on that.
[DOM] Please do.
Thank y'all for listening.
And just because I lost
a child doesn't mean
you can't complain to me about yours.
I didn't realize how much
I cherished those moments.
Hearing how exhausted you are,
it takes me back to when Jason was
little Ronnie's age, so I get it.
When are you and Jamal having kids?
I don't want any.
Is that weird?
[KIESHA] No, of course not.
I mean, I've never heard a woman say it.
I think for so long people
thought they had to have kids,
and now we know we don't.
So if I don't have to do something,
then why would I do it?
I don't know what my
life would have been like
if I never had Jason.
[DOM] I mean, don't get me wrong.
I think babies are a beautiful thing.
I just have no desire to be a parent.
I love my life.
I love my man.
I love my body.
And I don't want to add
a baby into that equation.
I ain't mad at you.
Baby. [LAUGHS]
Kenya, you didn't tell me
you were bringing company.
It's just Daddy.
[CAROLYN] Zeke, don't be
coming around here uninvited.
Since when do I need an
invite to a house I paid for?
Hi, I'm Papa.
I've heard a lot about you.
Only good things, I hope.
I know you broke up with my daughter
- after your father passed.
- [KENYA] Ma!
And that was wrong.
I told you, he apologized.
[CAROLYN] Well, you
were crying for weeks.
[KENYA] No, I wasn't.
[ZEKE] Stop embarrassing her.
Where's Grandma Renee?
[CAROLYN] She's getting ready.
What is she doing here?
You're the one who wanted
me to move in with you
after I retired.
I guess you forgot.
[JAZZ MUSIC]
♪
Well, that was before we got divorced.
Well, I still want her here.
Do you?
Excuse me.
What's this I hear about you
laying up with a white woman?
I'm not doing this with you today.
You're doing this with me today
because Carolyn has shown me
the pictures of the two of you
on the World Wide Web.
- Mom, please.
- Really, Carolyn?
You know social media
is the devil's work.
Devil being the operative word.
[ZEKE] Don't do that.
Do what?
Make everything about race.
But race is still an
issue in this country,
unless you forgot that too.
Trust me. I know.
Grandma, this is my friend Papa.
Oh, I've heard a lot about you.
OK, I swear I never meant to break
your granddaughter's heart.
Y'all never do, but
somehow, it always happens.
Well, you might as well stay for dinner.
I made pot roast.
Can't.
I got a sermon I need to work on.
Always putting that
church before your family.
[ZEKE] That's not true.
You remind me of my ex-husband.
Which one?
[RENEE] The one who left
me for a white woman.
Oh, that's why you're pissed.
I'm pissed because you're out
here embarrassing this family.
Papa, would you like to stay for dinner?
[PAPA] Yes, ma'am.
Pastor Zeke,
you don't want Papa
left outnumbered here,
do you?
[PAPA] She is feisty.
Told you.
- Kenya?
- [KENYA] Hmm?
Papa, come help me set this table.
How's Jamal doing?
He's getting better every day.
What?
What do you mean?
Why are you hovering over me like
you want to ask me something?
I I'm kind of in a bind.
What kind of bind?
I lost a bet.
How much you owe?
Five racks.
Damn.
I know, but I'll pay you back.
Why you don't ask Emmett?
I can't.
And please don't tell him I asked you.
You better not be on drugs.
No, no, no.
I promise, I'm not.
But if you don't help me,
this guy's gonna fuck me up.
Serious?
Yeah.
Well, I can't do five, nigga.
I'm not asking you
for the whole thing
just, you know, whatever
you could contribute.
I can give you one.
I'll take it.
All right, but you better pay me back.
I will.
What you really know about me ♪
[SINGING INDISTINCTLY]
Thank you.
Raised from the streets, she was ♪
♪
I am so tired of this
"Black men and white
women" conversation.
Then let's stop having it.
Well, we could stop
having it if so many of you
prominent Black men would stop
letting it ruin your lives.
White women are not
holding a gun to our heads,
forcing us to do anything
we don't want to do.
Then you're the problem.
Why am I the problem?
Can I answer that?
I'm talking to your mother.
But you're in my house.
Ma, stop.
Why are you telling me to stop?
She's a daddy's girl, just like you,
which is how you wound up with this one.
Renee, I am a man of God.
You say you are a man of
God, and that's one thing,
but it's a different
thing to live like one.
So I'm not living like a man of God
because I'm with a white woman?
You're living like a man who
doesn't want to be challenged
when he comes home from work.
No, I don't.
I'm exhausted by the time I get home.
Well, I'm exhausted from
the moment that I wake up.
- Well, Sarah has lots of energy.
- [RENEE] Mm-hmm.
Most white women do.
I don't care if you date a white woman.
Neither do I.
That's because you children
are too young to understand.
Understand what?
That Black men would
get lynched for just
looking at a white woman.
Like Emmett Till?
Yes, like Emmett Till.
So are we just supposed to
live the rest of our lives
in the past?
No, but we should speak the truth.
And what is that?
The truth is you abandoned
your wife and child
for a fancy church and a hussy
with a proclivity of getting
it on with a young boy.
See, I have seen the
video with some child
talking about her messing
around with a boy named Jake.
Papa, do you know him?
Yeah, I do.
But I ain't have
nothing to do with that.
I'm just focused on
my own walk with God.
Kenya, I like him.
But back to you.
You should be ashamed of yourself.
For what?
You threw away my daughter
thinking you were gonna
find something better.
But then you realized
she was a gift from God.
I don't know how you
thought you were gonna find
anything better than that.
I am grateful
for the life we had together, but
She cheated. We know.
- Ma, that's enough.
- Whoa.
- Kenya, go to your room.
- [ZEKE] She can stay.
Whoo-hoo! There he is.
The man that I remember.
Should I go? Because
No. No, no, no.
You're fine.
Fine.
Me being with a white woman
has nothing to do with you.
It has everything to do with me.
I'm just at a place in my life
when I want to try something new.
With hopes that you
will become someone new?
I'm not who I used to be.
[CAROLYN] Are you better?
I'm richer.
That's not what she asked you.
White women have been the downfall
of many a Black man.
Hope we don't have to
add your name to the list.
You won't.
Good.
I made cheesecake.
Hope you left room for dessert.
[LAUGHS]
Y'all play the game ♪
Some just don't play the same ♪
♪
Well ♪
Oh, oh ♪
Babe, the way you play ♪
Make a nigga just want to change ♪
Yeah ♪
Your mind ♪
Oh, mind ♪
Hello, babe ♪
I thought I saw you out just now ♪
I know it's been a minute ♪
I know it's been a while ♪
And it's never too
late to tell the truth ♪
Couldn't lie even if I tried ♪
Inside I wish sometimes ♪
Sometimes I wish you were mine ♪
Mine ♪
All to myself ♪
Yeah, yeah ♪
But baby, in the back of my mind ♪
Mind ♪
- I know ♪
- I know ♪
I know, I know ♪
♪
Y'all play the game ♪
Welcome back to Papa's Pulpit.
It's been a minute.
Some of y'all been paying
the $5 while others,
y'all being cheap. But that's OK.
That's OK, because as Corinthians says,
"Whoever sows generously
also will reap generously."
So here's a little teaser of what
you'll get if you open yourselves
to giving back to God's word.
So there's been a lot of
talk about Pastor Zeke being
with a white woman, a lot of opinions,
a lot of online conversations.
And I've been listening.
I've been reading the comments.
Maybe I shouldn't, but
I do from time to time.
And and y'all got a lot to say about
somebody else's love life.
And I know this topic
isn't one that's going away.
This conversation is
drenched in history and pain,
and it's not going to be
one we can all agree on,
but I will say this.
President Barack Obama
is a really cool guy,
and he got a white mama.
So on that note, I'm keeping us
all in prayer until next time.
Amen? Amen.
[INDISTINCT RAP MUSIC PLAYING]
If anybody knew I was
working with the cops,
I would be a dead man walking.
[ZEKE] Death is always at your door.
Yeah, 'cause Reg is still alive.
Working with the police will keep you
from killing somebody else.
You said you were trying to do better.
I know.
If I was you, I wouldn't
mind being locked in
with somebody who could protect me.
Cops protect gangsters more
than they protect civilians.
[LAUGHS]
Just something to consider.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Let me put Ronnie in the
tub before I fall asleep.
No, baby, I got it.
You go to bed.
For real?
Yeah, you're growing a whole ass person.
The least I can do is handle bedtime.
Thank you, that's really sweet.
Love you.
I love you too.
- You all right?
- [KEISHA] Mm-hmm.
[FUNK MUSIC]
I got superpowers, superpowers ♪
♪
Superpowers, like Superman ♪
♪
Superpowers, superpowers ♪
You ain't got to worry ♪
♪
I can do it all, baby ♪
♪
I got superpowers, superpowers ♪
♪
[INDISTINCT TV CHATTER]
I know ♪
- I know ♪
- I know, I know ♪
I know ♪
That we ♪
Y'all play the game ♪
Some just don't play the same ♪
♪
Well, oh ♪
Oh, oh ♪
Babe, the way you play ♪
Make a nigga just want to change ♪
Yeah ♪
Your mind ♪
Then we ♪
Oh, play the game ♪
It make a nigga just want to change ♪
And make you mine ♪
Thank God for regular weed.
Hell, yeah.
I only want mushrooms
on my pizza from now on.
That's it.
Talk to me, man.
What's going on with you?
Tiff.
You know Nuck trying to hit that, right?
I ain't worried about that, nigga.
Shit, you should be.
Man, he kills niggas for fun, man.
And if he finds out you trying
to push up on his girl
She ain't his girl.
What, you trying to make
her yours or something?
I don't know.
You better get permission
from Emmett first.
Why?
The fuck you mean, why?
That's his ex-wife.
You're right.
I mean, they've just
been a apart for so long.
I hear what you're saying, man,
but you still got to talk
to him about that, man.
Just can't pull up to that man's crib
with Tiff on your arm
like it ain't no big deal.
- You're right.
- This ain't Love Jones.
OK, I'll talk to him.
Yeah, so make sure you
get your speech ready.
I mean, I think that Emmett's
locked in with Kiesha, right?
I don't see no ring on her finger.
[VICTOR] Oh, that's cold.
You cold, bro.
Hey, man, I'm just keeping it real, Joe.
Look, these women ain't loyal to you
unless you get them a ring or a house.
Niggas be broke.
Who you telling?
Broke and homeless, nigga.
Oh, shit.
You had to move out
of Alicia's crib, huh?
[SHAAD] Hell yeah, man.
Your couch still open?
Of course, nigga.
Come on.
I can use the company.
Ah! [LAUGHS]
And I'll keep your
ass out of trouble too.
No, you'll be getting me into trouble.
Just like old times, baby.
No, no, no.
We not going back there.
[SHAAD] Oh, shit.
What you gonna do about Reg, though?
I don't know.
I think he gonna fuck some shit up, man.
Yeah, you and me both.
He got trouble in his eyes.
He always has.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Yo.
Can I borrow a rack?
Damn, nigga, for what?
I owe somebody some money.
Who?
I call the shots ♪
Reg.
Man, he's a killer.
- You know that, right?
- I didn't.
I mean, now I do.
Honestly, I'm even more scared now.
Please don't play me ♪
Run, run city ♪
I can give you a rack.
If you coming up, sure,
I got some for your ass ♪
Thank you.
[BAKARI] Sure.
That's my money, know that ♪
If you want some excuses ♪
You wanna die ♪
[SIGHS]
So how much you got?
Well, with your friendly donation,
I still need three racks.
Where you gonna get the rest?
The only other person I know
that even had money like that
is my stepmom.
Jada?
Yeah, but
I ain't trying to play that shit ♪
You gotta pay me ♪
You know I keep that on me ♪
You all right, bro?
I call the shots, get to the money ♪
Who gonna check me ♪
Pull up on you where you stay ♪
I don't know.
I ain't trying to hear that shit ♪
She's sick right now.
Jada's sick?
You know I keep that on
me, please don't play me ♪
I'm not supposed to tell anyone,
but
she's dying.
She ain't gonna get better.
Damn.
Nigga, you can't ask a
dying woman for money.
I don't have a choice.
If I catch you in the streets ♪
I'ma fill you with the heat ♪
This is what it's like
having a gambling problem.
I'll do anything to pay off a debt.
Just might make tonight your last ♪
I call the shots, get to the money ♪
Who gonna check me ♪
Pull up on you where you stay ♪
You trying to finesse me ♪
I ain't trying to hear that shit ♪
You gotta pay me ♪
You know I keep that on me ♪
Please don't play me ♪
[KNOCKING]
Damien, what are you doing here?
[SIGHS]
I made a stupid bet.
I thought you were
going to meetings again.
I am.
And you still gambling?
It's a process, but
trust me, I learned my lesson.
I don't think you did.
I don't want to disappoint
my dad and my brother.
[JAZZ MUSIC]
♪
Here.
That's $2,000.
And don't tell Darnell.
He's dealing with enough right now.
I know.
You need to stop this.
I will.
I promise.
I'm really sorry about
everything that's going on.
♪
[EMMETT] Hey, how is
it working with Tiff?
Oh, it's great.
We we work really well together.
Nice.
Man, Lord knows she can be a handful.
Yeah. Yeah.
What'd you want to talk to me about?
Come on.
Safe space.
You can tell me anything.
I know.
I think of you as like another brother.
We kissed.
Oh, shit.
I wanted you to hear
it from me, you know?
Yeah, I can respect that.
As a man.
Of course.
I mean, because next time we come here,
I don't want it to feel like
you know, I don't want
you to feel like
Who said there was
gonna be the next time?
Oh, shit.
I'm just fucking with you.
You seemed serious.
[LAUGHING]
Nah, man.
We good. Come on.
[VICTOR] OK.
Nah, I'm happy for y'all.
That's all right.
Yeah.
Whoo!
Happy for y'all.
And look, just so you know,
we're not boyfriend or
girlfriend or nothing.
I just wanted to talk to you
before things got too serious.
How serious are you trying to get?
I don't know. It's up to her.
I know I'm not the only one
that's coming at her, you know.
Who else coming at her?
Nuck?
To be fair, bro, I don't
know, and I don't care.
OK, you trying to be,
like, the main one.
No, I'm just trying
to spend time with her.
That's all?
[VICTOR] That's all.
Well, you want another drink?
No, no, no.
I gotta get up out of here, man.
- Come on, man.
- No, no, really, really.
No, I gotta get up out of here.
I already had too much.
I still gotta drive.
A'ight, a'ight
Shit, be be safe out there, hey?
[VICTOR] Always.
Yeah, yeah.
- [VICTOR] I'll see you around.
- Yeah.
Yeah.
And you know where I'm at.
All right, now.
- Later.
- [EMMETT] Yep.
[JAZZ MUSIC]
♪
I heard you have a student
who's writing a book.
Yes, his name is Bakari.
I pulled his file.
He's not doing so well
in the grades department.
Yes, well, his home life
has been hectic lately,
and he hasn't been focusing
so much on his book.
You know how that can be.
I read a few pages.
He has a voice.
Yeah, I know.
He's got some growing to do.
I know that too.
I heard Alicia awarded
him her scholarship.
She did.
[KING] I know she and
your wife are friends.
They are.
[SIGHS]
Make sure your students can handle
their coursework as well as their
extracurricular activities.
If we are going to make
an exception to the rule,
let's make sure that student
we're bending the rule for
is exceptional.
I think he is.
Elijah, if he is going
to be a reflection of you,
he should lean in a little more.
I hear you.
I'm on it.
[SMOOTH MUSIC]
♪
I'm in.
What made you change your mind?
My son.
It's important Reg is alive
when you bring him to me.
So I got to befriend his ass?
Yeah.
I don't fuck with him.
I don't give a shit.
If this is gonna work,
I need you to text me back faster.
I don't be checking my phone like that.
Well, I'm gonna need you to start.
- That's you, girl ♪
- That's you, girl ♪
♪
You know what I've been thinking?
[DOM] What?
If I were to die, I wouldn't have a kid
to carry on my legacy.
I think we should have kids.
I don't want to have kids.
Did you tell me this?
No.
That's not something
that we talked about.
[JAMES BLAKE'S "RETROGRADE" PLAYING]
[VOCALIZING]
♪
You're on your own ♪
In a world you've grown ♪
Few more years to go ♪
Don't let the hurdle fall ♪
I'll wait ♪
So show me why you're strong ♪
Ignore everybody else ♪
You're short.
We're alone now ♪
Suddenly I'm hit ♪
It's the starkness of the dawn ♪
And your friends are gone ♪
And your friends won't come ♪
So show me where you fit ♪
♪
So you show me where you fit ♪
You crazy!
♪
[VOCALIZING]
♪
[DOOR CREAKING]
♪
What the fuck?
Kiesha!
What the fuck happened
to your face, man?
What the fuck?
Oh, my God. What happened?
Who did this to you?
- Reg.
- [KIESHA] Reg?
I thought that nigga was dead.
He's not.
Where he at? Where he at?
- Jake's apartment.
- Fuck.
No, you're not going anywhere.
I'm fine.
I can smell the whiskey on you.
Take care of my brother. I'll be back.
Emmett!
♪
Oh. Put your head back.
[GROANING]
[KNOCKING]
We run in and run out ♪
Who is it?
You come in, won't come out ♪
- [KNOCKING]
- Hey, who the fuck is it?
I dump in, you dump out ♪
[KNOCKING]
Blood in and blood out ♪
We run in and run out ♪
Hey, man, what the fuck?
What the fuck is you doing?
Why you beat up my brother?
Man, he owed me money, nigga.
[GRUNTING]
Emmett, get the fuck off me, man.
Blood in and blood out ♪
- Blood in and blood out ♪
- Emmett, stop!
Get the fuck
[GUNSHOT]
[HIGH-PITCHED RINGING]
[HEART BEATING]
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
[GASPING]
I feel myself slip into the old me ♪
I keep, I keep it on me ♪
You better run me,
run me what you owe me ♪
I don't want no
bitches and no homies ♪
You don't, you don't know me ♪
On the station, cousin, I'm an OG ♪
I'm 'bout to go come for you, bitch ♪
You know I don't play that ♪
You a little too comfortable, nigga ♪
I'ma find where your
mama done stay at ♪
You don't want me to come for you ♪
These niggas go
crazy, they ain't that ♪
My nigga, I don't fuck with you ♪
Who the fuck these
niggas think they are ♪
You act like a nigga
won't come for you ♪
You know I'ma find you, nigga ♪
You know I don't play that ♪
You a little too comfortable, bitch ♪
I'ma find where your
mama done stay at ♪
You don't want me to come for you ♪
These niggas act
crazy, they ain't that ♪
My nigga don't fuck with you ♪
I'm too far gone ♪
Don't play that ♪
Why would you play with me, nigga ♪
'Cause I ain't gon' play ♪
Watch what you say, lil nigga ♪
Today is the day ♪
I don't wanna come
spit on you, nigga ♪
But you too late ♪
I had to spit on the nigga ♪
He dug his own grave, bitch ♪
I feel myself slip into the old me ♪
I keep, I keep it on me ♪
I don't want no
bitches and no homies ♪
You don't, you don't know me ♪
On the station,
cousin, I'm an OG, nigga ♪