Original subtitles

Previously, on Clean Slate...

My son's coming home.

I've always been Desiree.

It's good to see you.

Desiree opening up like that? That was a major step.

I'm still waiting for Louis to talk to me, and we live together.

I know, I know. "Come out, live your truth."

Grindr in Alabama?!

Desiree, have you met Mack? He just got out of prison.

Can I get your number?

Most kids go to Career Day. Mine runs it.

What's your pronoun sitch?

I like this one.

If I wasn't going to church, I'd say it's a sin to look this good.

Good morning, Dad.

What the hell is this?

Chia seed pudding. It's an excellent source of fiber

and great for your cholesterol.

Chia seeds? They need to make up their mind.

You either be a pudding or be a pet. But you cannot be both.

What about non-binary chias?

Mm-hmm. Where you goin' this early on a Sunday morning

looking like a bowl of oatmeal with legs?

This coming from a dime store Steve Harvey.

I am dressed conservatively because I, too, am going to church.

I thought it'd be nice to support Louis and his choir.

You sure you want to come?

Because if I remember correctly, the last time, you hated it.

I always loved the singing and the picnics.

It was just the constant threat of eternal damnation I wasn't a fan of.

How come you always hear about eternal damnation?

What happened to temporary damnation?

Could be exciting getting damned for just a week or two.

I still remember when to stand, when to clap and when to say "amen."

Oh, we clap less these days because everybody's got arthritis.

But we gotta make a pit stop along the way, okay?

Let's roll, Quaker Oats.

Let's roll.

This place is a total ghost town. Why are you even open on Sunday morning?

'Cause you gotta stay ready so you don't have to get ready.

- Good morning. - Mr. Harry.

Nice cufflinks. Mr. Jesus will be very impressed.

You know Mr. Jesus?

Everything is filled, fueled, and ready to go.

I learned from the best.

Thanks, kiddo.

Oh, I was talking about Mr. Harry.

Ha ha! Appreciate it, freckles.

So, if Opal runs this joint, what exactly do you do around here?

I'm a part-owner of this fine establishment.

Hey, stop puffin' out your chest, it's only 15%.

And I'm the manager.

Where, sir, is your Ferrari parked?

Okay, we gotta roll.

I gotta beat that Deacon to my favorite seat closest to the bathroom.

And you, Mr. Fancy, find a way to make money on Sundays.

Man, I'm bursting at the seams with ideas.

- Later, Mr. Fancy. - Toodles.

Bye, freckles. I'll tell Mr. Jesus you said, "What up?"

My seat!

- Hey. - Hey.

Good to see you, man.

Ooh-wee.

I want to thank you for being delivered here this morning.

Amen!

And I'd like to invite any visitors to please stand.

What? She ain't new. She's just renovated.

All right, all right. If there are no visitors...

What are you doing back here?

Come. Come sit with the Girlfriends of Grace.

Are you sure?

It's what your mama would've wanted.

You can't hide all this beauty back here.

Well, well, well, it seems like the Girlfriends of Grace

have dropped their age requirement.

Shall we make a joyful noise?

Amen!

Thank you.

- ♪Every praise ♪ - ♪Every praise is to our God ♪

- ♪Every word of worship ♪ - ♪Every word of worship with one accord ♪

- ♪Every praise ♪ - ♪Every praise ♪

- ♪Every praise ♪ - ♪Every praise is to our God ♪

Why don't we go to church on Sundays?

Well, some people are churchgoers, and that works for them.

Me, I've always seen it as more of a... con.

So, you don't believe in God?

Look, when I was in prison...

Does anyone lose a hand in this story?

Uhh... not this one.

Okay, lay it on me.

Well, I was immediately expected to join a, uh, a group.

Kinda like a club.

You mean a gang?

The White Kings and the Pure Boys.

There were two white power gangs?

Only way to avoid being in either one of them,

- was I had to hide in the chapel. - Did it work?

Yeah. By the end of my time there, I was literally giving sermons.

Folks called me Pastor Mack.

Well, just about everyone in this town goes to church on Sundays.

Not everyone.

There are plenty of non-churchgoers out there in Mobile.

What if we did something to bring those folks to the wash on Sundays?

Make sure Mr. Harry doesn't regret that 15%.

I like the way you think, baby girl. Let's go.

The choir sounded amazing.

Oh, I didn't realize you were coming today.

I texted you.

Oh, uh, I turned my phone off.

Grindr's blowing up!

These men are thirsty.

Shh! Shh!

Don't squeal like that! Gossips hone in on squealing.

- I'll squeal on the inside. - Or not.

Hey! Are you okay?

- What? - Why are you so sweaty?

Oh, uh... Singing falsetto makes me sweat.

- Only one way to quench that thirst. - Please, stop.

In the name...

In the name! Let's go meet that pastor.

You have a great day, huh?

Thank you, pastor, thank you!

Mm-hmm, yes, sir. Yes, yes, sir!

Brother Jones. I heard about your grandson.

Full scholarship. Won't He do it? Won't He do it.

What a lovely sermon, Pastor Hughes.

Yes, yes, always, Sister Ella. Thank you so much.

- Thank you. - Mm-hmm!

- It's so good to meet... - And thank you for coming.

Thanks for visiting. Yes. Thank you so much. Mm-hmm.

Have a blessed week.

I ain't even got to say nothing to you!

You know what I want, I want this hug.

You look bright and sunny!

A sunny delight. Go on and have a good week, girl.

Hey, Pastor, you did it again. God bless ya.

Thank you, brother. See you again next Sunday.

Ooh, Pastor Hughes is full of the Spirit, isn't he?

Oh, he was full of it.

Hey! It's a beautiful day, isn't it?

Shoes.

You know what? This no-shoe policy of yours is just stupid!

It's a sign of respect. Plus, dog shit and such.

Well, I get that. Anyways, I made you some green tea.

You did?

- Sure did. - Why?

Why? 'Cause I was concerned about you going to church on Sunday,

but then, to see you embrace it...

Yes, a glorious 27-minute embrace...

before the communion wafers hit the fan.

What happened when I went to the bathroom? Damn prostate!

I'm over it, and I'm moving on.

Girl, you better tell me what happened or I'm gonna put my shoes back on

and I'm gonna moonwalk all over this damn floor.

Fine. After service, Pastor Hughes greeted the men with a handshake

and the women with a hug and a kiss.

- So? - So...

he greeted me with a handshake.

Even if that did happen, maybe the pastor don't like kissing new women.

Don't gaslight me, Dad.

I wouldn't do that because I don't know what that is.

But I know the pastor's handshake meant nothing.

You might not think it's a big deal, but Ella definitely did.

Ella. Trust me, if anything ruffles that old hen's feathers,

she'd be squawkin' right now!

What Pastor Hughes did to our sister, Desiree, will not stand.

- No! - Amen!

So, what's the plan?

- Child, we gonna have us a food strike. - Oh...

The Girlfriends of Grace

will be withholding the usual post-Sunday Service provisions.

- Ooh! - Yes!

Pot roast? Definitely not roast.

Lamb chops? When the injustice stop.

- That's right. - Deviled egg?

Not even if he begs.

Now, my son Louis, he's gonna lead the choir in a boycott.

Um, you may want to discuss such matters in advance with, I don't know,

the director of said choir, Mama?

Not when the choir director still uses my Prime password, son.

Amen!

Now, Harry, what are you gonna do?

What do you mean, what am I gonna do?

To sit back and do nothing after what Pastor Hughes did,

- is to be complicit. - Mm-hmm.

Desiree is our daughter. Her fight is our fight!

- Amen! - Hey, hey!

Y'all wait a minute. Hold on, hold on. I think this is a misunderstanding, here.

Y'all let me go down there and talk to the pastor, man to man, okay?

Before y'all start burnin' your bras. My Lord!

Someone's gonna burn my bra?

Child, there ain't enough gasoline in the world to burn that bra.

I know that's right.

- There she go. - Mm-hmm.

I can't believe everyone just trashed our flyers right in front of us.

Do these heathens have no decorum? No respect?

- Can I tell you a story? - Why?

It's about an underdog no one respected. He tried to fit in.

But then, this evil teenage karate gang decided to make his life a living hell.

- What? - But the boy had heart.

And he was able to rise up. How?

Because he had a kind, Asian handyman who believed in him.

But most importantly, he believed in himself.

Try to believe that the going gets tough,

you've gotta hang tough to make it!

Or history repeats itself! You'll try and you'll succeed!

♪ You're the best around Nothing's gonna ever keep you down ♪

Never doubt that you're the one, and you can have your dream!

Thank you.

So, you just rip off old movies and turn them into sermons?

Yeah.

But it made you feel better, didn't it?

- ♪You're the best around ♪ - Sing it, girl. Let's go!

Hyah! Come on, I'll race ya!

Well, they're all up in arms.

They're saying you weren't treating Desiree like a woman.

So, thought I'd come down here and see you face to face...

and, uh, clear the whole thing up.

Well, thank you, Brother Harry. And since we're being candid,

I don't like being made a fool of in front of my congregation.

Made a what now?

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked.

Are you hitting me with the Galatians on a Saturday, Pastor?

My daughter did not deceive you. Or God.

You know what name is on your child's baptismal certificate.

And your child... has chosen to do things...

differently.

If you go against the Lord's intentions, you go against me.

Pastor, she's just being who she is.

Brother Harry, I want to thank you for coming here.

And please, don't come back unless I send for you.

What in the Holy Spirit just... Wucker flucker just...

Okay, you want to play games. You want to play games?

I got games.

Thank you.

Oh! I didn't know you were here already.

Then again, I haven't exactly heard from you since church last Sunday.

Well, you know, those Grindrs keep a-grindin'.

Had to turn my notifications off.

You never miss a Real Housewives alert.

What's really going on?

My mom's been on me about this whole thing

that went down between you and Pastor Hughes.

I didn't know you wanted to go full Black Panther on his ass.

This is the first I'm hearing about all this.

Well, it's too late. Ella Exton got her beret out of the closet.

And she's gonna "by any means necessary" the whole church.

Louis, this isn't on me. I did my whole...

"I've been wronged once more"...

skincare routine.

And I let it go.

You showed up with all your look-at-me energy,

forcing me to join Grindr. It's all put a giant spotlight on me!

I was just trying to help my best friend.

Well, maybe I don't want your help.

I'm not about to tear down every wall I put up

to protect myself, just because you show up here for a hot second.

Well, some of us don't have the privilege of hiding in plain sight.

I'm sorry I've been such a burden to you, Louis.

Child, your daddy's in a mood.

Yeah, I'm in a good mood! I'm in an eat mood too!

'Cause I'm about to down a few bowls of Earl's mac-n-cheese.

Too bad they don't have all-you-can-eat anymore.

You're the reason they stopped.

Sittin' up in here for six hours.

M-A-C-K.

This low-rent joint can't even spell the "mac" in mac-n-cheese correctly.

Would you tone your voice down? You dissing Earl gonna get me in trouble.

He's been known to ban people before.

Then, y'all better eat up 'cause us Girlfriends of Grace

will not be serving lunch after tomorrow's Sunday service.

About that...

Don't you even worry. We've got plenty more ideas

about how to tell that Pastor Hughes we are not playin'.

Hey, y'all, maybe, we should just let this be.

We got you, Desiree.

Please, I didn't ask for any retribution.

If I let every microaggression become a dagger,

I'd be dead.

I'm not gonna just stand there while someone micros my child's aggression.

Amen!

In... Two, three, four...

What in the Whitney and Bobby Brown are you doing?

I'm doing my box breaths to reset.

Desiree, we're your family.

And family means you don't have to ask us to have your back, we just do.

Mama...

I got a feeling that our message to Pastor Hughes

gon' come across loud and clear.

Dad? What did you do?

What did I do? I'll tell you what I did.

Lord have mercy.

Is that from Pastor Hughes's car?

He's sitting there waving your baptismal certificate in my face.

Taunting me.

So, I slowly walked by his luxury sedan, and I kidnapped the Son of God.

- Yes, I did! - Give me some!

- Yes, I did! - Oh!

None of this is about me. You have made this all about you.

Not one of you has had the decency to stop and ask me what the hell it is I want!

To hell with all your help! To hell with the church!

And to hell with this watery-ass mac-n-cheese!

Hey, sizzle! In the place to be!

- Thanks for bringing your friend, Stacy K. - Okay, girl.

- See ya next week. - Playin' hooky from church already?

Fully support that.

Seems Pastor Hughes doesn't look too kindly on... my kind.

I'm sorry.

It's just sad when people use the pulpit to spew hate.

Especially when it can be used to inspire.

Let me tell you a story about a kid I once knew.

He found himself at the mercy of a gang of ruthless teenage martial artists.

He could have stayed away 'cause no one wanted him there,

but he dressed up in a shower curtain and went to the Halloween dance anyway.

Don't let anyone go Cobra Kai on your fabulous self.

You gotta do you, wherever and whenever it makes you happy.

I appreciate that, Opal. But real life's not like the movies.

You're right.

But I've never met anyone braver or stronger than you.

Are you really gonna let some narrow-minded pastor

keep you from being happy?

Thank you.

Yo, Macky, that girl of yours, she's a keeper.

Thank goodness. Return policy's no joke.

Where you going?

I'm going to do me. Hey, Opal!

Remember to wax on, wax off on this Chevy Volt.

I'd like to begin today's service with a question.

- What is it that we... - S'cuse me, Pastor.

Um, the choir has a new song they'd like to perform.

Ooh, of course, carry on.

- Thank you. - Carry on.

♪ Everybody needs a little time away ♪

♪ I heard her say ♪

♪ From each other ♪

♪ Hold me now ♪

♪ It's hard for me to say I'm sorry ♪

♪ I just want you to stay ♪

♪ After all that we've been through ♪

♪ I will make it up to you ♪

♪ I promise to ♪

Brother, it's good to see you. Welcome home.

Fool me once...

Welcome home.

Sister, I love this dress.

Take care of this, sister. I know you are

because I saw...

It is so good to see you, Sister Desiree.

Oh.

God bless, God bless.

Thank you so much for my library card, Mrs. Phipps.

It really meant the world to me.

Don't be a stranger now, you hear me?

You be blessed.

So good to have you back home where you belong.

Mwah.

And, uh, sorry for acting without asking.

It's okay.

- Love you. - It's okay.

I'm sorry I flipped out on you. You didn't force me to do nothing.

I love you.

I love you, too.

Mm... Thanks, Dad. I needed that.

I need a little something, too.

Can you go down to the Copper Trough and apologize to Earl

so I can eat there again?

Your outburst got me banned.

Seriously?

Come on! Help a macaroni addict out.

Because Earl is better at his craft than Kraft.

Fine.

Hey, Pastor.

Uh-huh?

Peace be with you.

If I'm being honest, the whole thing with the Pastor

bothered me more than I wanted to admit.

Oh, hell, I knew that. I knew it, mm-hmm.

See, your pops here, I got a special sense about these things.

Okay. Miss Know-it-all right here, yeah, she explained it to me

for an hour and a half.

It's Earl. Say you're sorry.

I heard someone at this table wanted to apologize to me.

Pastor Mack?

Say what? Pastor? Who?

Kilby Correctional. I used to sit in the back left pew.

Holy shit!

You guys were in the joint together?

Yeah. We were thick as thieves. I'm an actual thief.

Your sermons gave me hope.

Got me through the darkest time of my life.

This guy?

Why do you think I named my signature dish after him?

Mack and ch...

So, it's definitely not a typo.

Well, I'm glad I could help.

This meal's on the house.

Say what?

- We love... - What?

Order me a banana split. I gotta hit the head.

I cannot believe those sermons actually helped someone.

One man's bullshit is another man's fertilizer.

Hey, you know what. From now on, Mack, everywhere I go, you go.

Can you imagine all the free stuff we could get?

Oh, my God, Mack! Can you get me a free tiger?

Now, wouldn't I look cool as hell walkin' with a tiger?

Gonna go to Lulu Lemon and get some free lemons.

On the next Clean Slate...

I have got to learn to drive. Maybe Louis can teach me.

Ex-squeeze me? Your instructor is in the car with you right now.

Slow down a little bit, slow down. Don't hit the cones!

Opal, tell me that'll never be us.

We were just playing Dungeons & Dragons!

With my arch nemesis? You know what those words are like?

It's like a dungeon on the dragons of my heart.

We have a yam purée with a sautéed spinach and seared tofu.

This looks like baby food.

Don't make me do that spoon and airplane thing,

'cause I sure as hell will.