Original subtitles

So, girl, she thought he was dead, and he was just taking a nap. But--

Yeah. Barb, I know. That story happened at my house. I'm the she.

- Yeah? I know. - Girl, I forgot.

Hey, Debbie. Two appointments for mani-pedis.

- Hello, ladies. - Hi.

Unfortunately, I have no one for you today.

I tried you earlier but didn't get an answer.

Yeah, 'cause I don't answer calls from numbers I don't know.

Or numbers I do know.

And I thought it was just a reminder call. Where's Julie?

SEPTA strike. They all rely on public transit. It's a mess.

Yeah, I knew today was gonna blow.

I'm sorry. The ladies wanna work. They just can't get here.

Well, I will see about that. Give me Julie's address, please.

- Uh... - You might as well do it.

- I'm gonna find it anyway. - She will.

One minute.

- The hell going on in here? - Julie could not get to work,

so I had to go pick her up and bring her here.

Why didn't you take her to the nail salon?

- Because that would be scabbing. - Eh.

- Well, how is Julie gettin' home? - I can take you two next if you want.

- Oh, hell yeah. You do cat eye? - Don't mind if I do.

For feet that size, I charge extra.

Used to it. Break out the big bucket.

All right, y'all, the SEPTA strike is officially in full effect.

That means no buses, trains, subways, trolleys, you name it. It's shut down.

Now, obviously, that doesn't affect me, I drive a Lexus.

But it does affect our students.

Have we checked to see if there's anything the district can do to help?

They says it's business as usual.

There will be no additional buses for the kids that rely on the city.

Sorry. Sorry I'm late.

Melissa made me ride my bike because she didn't wanna scab.

- Yeah, that's not why. - I knew this was gonna happen.

Barbara, you and Melissa said this wasn't gonna happen.

But it did, Gregory. It did.

Yeah. How is that helpful right now, pal?

I think it's helpful to be told what you said, but whatever.

Do we have any idea how long this is gonna last?

The strike is gonna last as long as it takes

for the workers to get their money.

Wait a minute. Are you on the side of labor?

Yeah. I hate bosses. That's why I became a principal. So I don't have any.

You have bosses.

Point to 'em.

This is gonna be a mess for attendance.

Guys, the parents know how important school is.

They'll find a way to get their kids here.

Wait a minute. Where the hell is that dunce Morton?

He couldn't get here. He uses SEPTA. And he lost his car in the divorce.

- I thought his ex-wife had a car. - Now she has two.

Yeah, well, serves him right. Am I right, guys?

- Oh. - Go change.

No, I'm-I'm gonna teach in this.

- No, no, you should change. - No. No. No.

All right. We're missing one from Mercury, Mars

and two from Neptune. Not too shabby.

We are doing our big solar system project this week.

Since I learned my class responds more to a hands-on approach,

we're creating live models where the kids will build and act as the solar system.

We are missing a few planets due to the strike,

but the music of the spheres plays on.

Oh, hey, Lila. Not only yellow but some red too?

It's a hot spot. And I'm gonna do a solar flare on the other side.

Oh!

I'm so happy you're so into this project.

Did you know that the sun is a star?

- I did know that. - And it's dying.

All right.

Oh. Now we're only missing one from Neptune.

- Good morning. - I'm sorry I'm running behind.

She usually takes the bus,

so I had to call in late to work to drive her here.

- Thank you for going the extra mile. - An extra six miles.

And I can't do it again, so I don't know if she's gonna be here tomorrow.

Oh. [chuckles] I'm sure they'll have this figured out by then.

You know, all the city has to do is say,

"We'll meet your very reasonable demands."

Lady, this city tried to merk Santa Claus. They aren't meeting anyone anywhere.

- Hey. Melissa, what's your attend-- - Shh. Janine, Janine, be quiet.

I'm watching strike coverage.

One of the captains is wearing a GoPro, and it's like I'm really there.

Oh, my God, I feel so alive!

Well, hope it's over soon.

I hope it never ends.

Two, three, four...

There's seven of us. You don't need to count.

- It's all right. - I mean, I knew RJ took SEPTA,

but I didn't realize, uh, most of the class did.

Okay. Um. Everyone close your eyes.

We're gonna manifest getting everyone back here tomorrow.

It's not gonna work, Mr. C.

Yeah, without rides, it's over. It's too far to walk here.

Man, I did walk here this morning, and I'm tired as crap.

Okay. Um...

Well, uh, Brandon, where... where are you going?

I just came here to drop off the homework.

Because if I'm gonna make it back before dark,

then I better start walking home now. See ya, Mr. C.

Damn. [chuckles] Who gave you a promotion?

Shanae texted and said she couldn't make it,

and all the Ubers are backed up, so I'm filling in.

Man, who the hell is Shanae?

Your instinct will be to grab the chocolate milk.

Don't. Regular milk is better for growth.

He lyin'. Look at me.

I drink chocolate milk and I grew five pounds last month.

A lot of people think that growing is just for kids,

and that's what Big Coffee wants you to think.

As soon as you put down the chocolate milk and pick up the bean water,

the growing stops.

Ava, I-I'm... I'm really concerned about attendance, okay?

I only had seven students in my first period,

- six in second, five in third-- - Jacob, we get it.

Your students don't like you enough to find a way to show up.

Several of my students are absent, and they love me.

So just do remote learning.

Oh. Remote learning is so difficult.

And the Internet here is terrible, okay?

The deli guy we steal it from, he just refuses to upgrade.

Fine. I'll text O'Shon and have him make sure everything is updated.

Problem solved. Thank you, Ava.

I bet he's a terrible texter. You know, 'cause he's so hot.

He's a good texter with me.

All right, guys. So you're just gonna have to use your imaginations a little bit

and pretend that the Saturn group is over there, okay?

So it's day two of the strike, and, um, I have to admit,

attendance did get slightly worse.

But I did hear that the union and the city

are sitting down at the table to negotiate.

So, I think this is gonna be over really soon.

Ms. Teagues, it's not our solar system without all the planets.

I know. I know. But the Saturn and Jupiter groups take SEPTA,

so we're down a few.

But on the bright side, you guys get to do more work.

But they'll all be here tomorrow?

- Very soon, hopefully. - The universe is falling apart.

- Oh. No. See that's... - Whoo!

Yes!

- Yeah! - Ah! What happened? Is the strike over?

No, no. Union walked away from the table. They told the city to suck it.

Whoo!

Yeah!

I was really hoping this strike would be over by now. I'm down to 12 kids.

Yeah, well, those are the pains with a strike, Janine.

You want the workers to quit striking,

tell the city to quit being greedy bastards.

Everyone, O'Shon is here.

He did not take the bus because he owns a car.

I actually lease a pre-owned.

Anyway, he's here to set everything up for remote learning if you need it.

Perfect. I plan on spending the rest of the day remote cleaning.

Um...

I'm working on upgrading the routers and putting in range extenders.

Although, it seems like your router is already in great shape.

Everything about me is.

Modernized remote learning.

Great, I'll finally be able to see every booger.

I wish that was an option but that won't work for my class.

I just learned they respond best to hands-on learning.

And we're in the middle of our big solar system project.

There's got to be something else we can do.

Yeah. Well, there is another way.

- Lay it on me, sister. - Okay.

First, you gotta recruit union-friendly city council candidates.

Help them run their campaign,

get 'em elected so they can unseat the incumbents and there you go,

end of the strike.

- Guess I'll just try remote learning. Mmm. - Mm-hmm.

Hello, class.

Um. Mrs. Howard. The computer's blocking your face.

Okay.

Hello, class.

Hi. Hello.

Tyler, I'm told if you want to speak,

you have touch that little microphone button.

Tyler, this is no laughing matter.

I can't see you again.

Oh. Hazel. Sweetheart, please, for the sake of the class, please stop.

Stop! Hazel!

Mrs. Howard, can I play music too?

Samuel, you have no rhythm.

All righty.

Hazel! You are disrupting the class.

Oh!

Mrs. Lawson, you and your derriere are on camera!

Ah. Okay, everyone. Our hybrid class is now finally in session.

Okay. Yep, I said class is in session,

so can we all go ahead and turn our cameras and microphones on?

Yes. Great.

Uh...

That means you too, Chloe.

Chloe, can you turn your camera on, please?

Sorry, Mr. C. I really wanna have on my camera,

but I got a lot of stuff to take care of while I'm home.

All right. I don't want you to fall behind,

so any chance you can do it after class?

I'm sorry. I gotta go. I gotta go, Mr. C.

All right. Well, um...

Everybody else just give me a thumbs up

and let me know that you're paying attention, okay? Yeah.

No. Not that finger, Jordan.

Okay. No one else seems to be coming in.

But like I always told my college roommate,

"Just because no one's showing up, doesn't mean we can't party." Right?

Okay. So, um... So-So for my kids at home, just try to remember

what planet group you're in, okay?

And then pretend you're holding a planet.

And, um, just imagine rotating, right? Imagine rotating with the planet, right?

Okay, so who remembers how many moons Mars has? Right?

How many moons does Mars have?

What's funny?

No, guys. No animal filters! Guys, please, I need you to focus please.

Ms. Teagues, Mars has two moons.

Yes. It does. Mars has two moons. Thank you, Lila.

So, our Mars group is not here.

They're on the computer. And they have cow heads.

You know what, class? I think that... I'm sorry.

We're gonna have to push this project, all right?

So we'll push it to another time. Just give me your planets.

No, Ms. Teagues, we can still do it.

I know you want to--

I can be the sun and the moon, and the planets.

Please, I've been looking forward to this all year.

Lila made me realize that if even one kid wants to do this,

then maybe it's worth it to keep going.

She can be the sun and the moon, and the planets.

She just can't be the Milky Way because she's lactose intolerant.

Which I can relate because, uh... ...Milky Way.

More like, milk, get out of my way. [chuckles] Right?

Yo. Everything good? Tablets running smooth?

Uh. Yeah. Yeah, I think we're all good. Thanks.

Ooh.

You hoop?

I mean, I dabble.

Aight. Well, look, I play with some friends

before work at the rec on Chestnut if you want in.

- Uh... - We could use some guys with fresh ACLs.

Yeah, I've been looking for a new regular game. What time?

Early. Like 6:00 a.m.

Perfect. I can still get my workout in beforehand.

- Cool. Drop in if you want. - Aight. Bet.

Bet.

Aw. Mr. Eddie made a friend.

Wait, wait, wait. No, no, no. Wait, wait. Please, stop.

It was funny though.

Stop running.

- Ms. Teagues. - Yes?

- Is Lila here today? - Doesn't look like it, Charlie.

Oh, man. I don't wanna do the project without her. This sucks.

Oh.

You know what? This... This cannot stand.

What are you yammering on about?

We lost Lila.

The kid our entire solar system revolves around isn't here.

We can't accept this.

Yeah. Okay. So the workers are supposed to accept a bad contract?

Listen, Janine, like a raging river barreling through a canyon,

we just gotta let this thing run its course.

Okay. Well, I got news for you, Melissa, all right?

I am a kayaker and I'm splashing through those rapids.

And I'm gonna come out on the other side bone-dry.

Barbara picked up her nail lady.

I'll pick up the kids in the morning and bring 'em here.

Yeah. It's a great idea. With your car, it'll only take about nine trips.

Wait. I can pick 'em up in a city bus. I have a commercial driver's license.

Janine, if you drive a city bus, you're a scab.

Well--

The lowest piece of garbage known to Philly.

And we got a lot of pieces of garbage here.

Listen, kid, I know it's tough, but... [stammers] ...it is what it is.

It ain't the lowest piece of garbage. Not even close.

It's minestrone soup.

This hybrid learning is rough.

Having trouble with the tech, Barb?

'Cause I've got things running smoothly in my class,

and I will happily volunteer Jacob to help.

No, it's not that.

It's one of my students. Hazel.

In class, she is calm and focused.

But with this remote learning, that child is out of control.

I'm having a similar issue. Well, actually, it's the opposite issue.

But similarly, I am having a problem.

One of my students, Chloe, she's on and off camera every few minutes.

She's got so much going on at her house that I can't seem to keep her attention.

Yeah. You know, Hazel has a sibling that is helping her settle in.

But as soon as she leaves, Hazel is, oh, bouncing off the walls.

Wait, she has a sibling? How old?

I don't know. The sister's off camera.

- What's Hazel's last name? - Calton.

Oh, my great goodness. My student is Chloe Calton.

What are the odds they'd have the same last name?

Wait, no! They... They must be sisters.

When Chloe turns off the camera in my class,

it's to go help Hazel in your class.

Revelations! And when Chloe goes back to turn on the camera in your class,

- that is when Hazel has her horseplay. - As long as we're teaching,

they can't pay attention at the same time.

Whoop! There it is.

You know, I figured this out, like, two minutes ago,

but it was really fun watching you guys work through it.

- Okay. Take the chips. - Thank you.

O'Shon seems nice. I'm happy you made a friend.

Why doesn't anyone think I have friends? I have friends.

Okay. Um, you sure I can't come watch you play?

No, you cannot come watch me play pickup basketball.

I need something to distract me. This strike is driving me nuts.

There's nothing we can do to help our kids without hurting the workers. It's just--

Look, I get it.

These are larger problems than we can solve.

And it's not like the solution is gonna pop up out of nowhere.

A party bus? At Rubenstein's?

Wait. I recognize those lights.

Girl, he talking about Saint-Tropez. I said, "Yeah, you gon' pay."

Hi. [chuckling] What are you doing here?

It's a New Year's Eve pub crawl.

It got postponed because Sydney had an emergency wisdom tooth extraction.

How often are you renting a party bus?

I don't rent anything. It's like a time-share situation.

No.

No. He-Hey. No.

Yes.

Shut the [bleep] up!

Okay. I emailed all the parents last night.

They know the plan. I have my route.

It's 6:00 a.m., and I have two hours

to pick up 20 students and get 'em to school.

Ooh. Hour and a half.

You have to get the kids to school in time for breakfast, right?

Right. Yes. I will live my life a quarter mile at a time then.

Uh... Good morning, Melissa?

Hi. What're you doing here?

I'm making sure you don't scab.

We're picking up students only, right?

No stops. To and from the school. That's it. Okay.

You guys are taking this to an unhealthy level.

- Gotta break it in. - Yeah.

Excuse me.

Have fun at basketball installing screens or whatever.

Setting screens. But thank you. Good luck.

- What's in his mouth? - Mouthguard.

Okay, looking pretty good so far. It's time for the first stop.

Okay. It's not a stop, it's a pickup.

A stop is what a bus makes, which this is not.

- Well, it is a party bus. - What's that now?

I said we're here.

Hi, guys.

It's Lila.

Okay, stop. And door, open.

- Hey, kids. - Hi, guys.

Come on up.

Hi, Ms. Teagues.

Hi, Lila. Please take a seat.

Hey. Uh, can I just get a ride to work. I...

Nope.

Mmm.

- Ah! - Uh.

So, once we realized that these two are siblings...

We decided to problem-solve. Because we're teachers. That's what we do.

- That's right. Us working together. - Mm-hmm.

The dream team.

Golly, maybe we should get a drink after work or something.

Don't... Don't answer now. Just think about it.

No.

All right, Chloe. I know it's not ideal,

but if you let your sister play from 7:00 to 8:00,

I can go through an abbreviated lesson plan with you,

and you'll have work to do throughout the day.

And that way, you won't miss anything.

And then at 8:00, you can be there to help Hazel get focused for my class.

Do you think you can do that, Chloe?

Yeah. It's not gonna be fun though.

I know. It's not gonna be fun.

But hopefully, the strike will be over soon.

And then everything will go back to normal and nobody will have fallen behind.

- Mm-hmm. - Okay?

- Okay. - Thank you, Chloe.

Hi, Mrs. Howard. I'm eating cereal.

Well, good morning, Hazel.

Good morning.

- Hurry up. Find a seat. - Here, guys.

- We gotta get to school. Come on. - Everybody take a seat where you find one,

- and stay seated, okay? Whoa, whoa, whoa. - All righty. Come on, guys.

Wait a minute. You're not a kid.

- Well, that's not a grown-up. - Ah!

All right. This is for Abbott students only.

- Get out of here. - Get out! Goodbye!

Take a walk.

Okay, guys. Only two more stops,

and we'll be at Abbott in time for breakfast.

- Yay! - Yay!

Get down! Philly is a union town! Get up! Get down!

Janine, don't even think about crossing that picket line.

- But that's the way to school. - Okay, I know a shortcut.

It's only five minutes longer. That way. Pull a U-ey.

All right, um, everybody hold on tight,

- okay? - Okay.

Whoa. Hold on.

I can't wait to be a fireman!

You are intense, man.

Yeah. I mainly play for cardio and the love of taking charges.

Oh.

Dang. Some people really be partying till 7:30 in the morning.

We only have a few minutes left.

Ms. Teagues, I don't think we're gonna make it.

Oh, yes, we are.

Oh. Oh.

Oh!

Whoa. This is so cool.

7:32. I made it.

I can't believe you pulled it off, kid.

Yeah, me neither.

Hey. You need to re-stank this bus when you're done using it.

I have a reputation to maintain.

Look, I support the drivers striking,

and I hope they get what they're asking for.

But as educators, you know,

we're always gonna go the extra mile for our kids.

Even if that means finding creative ways to get them to class.

Come on.

Or waking up really early to make sure a student doesn't fall behind.

Or problem-solving on the fly to adapt to a kid's needs.

So we do whatever it takes.

All right. So, the motion of the planets around the sun is called...

Revolution!

That's right. Okay, everyone. Let's see your moves.

- Okay. - Ready.

Yay! Don't forget to stay in your orbit.

This is awesome!

- Neptune is a disco ball. - Mm-hmm.

Ms. Teagues, can you turn on all the fun lights when you drive us home?

Oh, my God. That's right. I forgot I have to drive you guys home.

Yeah! Mm-hmm.

Okay, and the paper's supposed to go in the trash, or just around it?

Just...

- Obviously in. - Okay.

Oh...

Ok-Okay. I'm more of, like, a defense and intensity guy.

- Right. - Not something that shows on a stat sheet.

- But it doesn't mean it's not good. - No, of course.

You can't have five shooters on the court at one time. It wouldn't work.

Yeah, no. But you are supposed to, like, get points to win, right?

- That's what I think. - You know, you shoot. I play defense.

- Okay. I will. Fine. - Yeah. Go.

Get that out of my classroom!

- I'm sorry. That was really intense. - It was very intense.

- Okay. - I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.