Original subtitles

[soft music]

Mr. Payne, we're invested in all of our students.

We strongly believe in meeting the young people where they are.

But that said, we're also committed

to pushing them to be their best,

both academically and personally.

And you're unhappy with Junior's progress?

I think "unhappy" is a bit strong.

Okay, so what's the word?

I'm definitely concerned.

Okay, and what are your biggest concerns?

Thank you. Uh, his temper.

You have to understand, all kids need correction.

Some get it immediately,

conform, apologize, show remorse,

and then there's others that buck it.

Mm, and you think Junior is one of those kids?

Absolutely.

Yeah, I know that.

But would you say that's a bad thing?

Well, it is at a school

that's committed to pushing all students to be their best,

academically and personally, yes.

Okay, I get that. But wouldn't you agree

that some of the most successful people in the world,

they're known for bucking authority?

Well, yeah, I can't argue with you there.

I was one of them.

Okay, so you understand.

[sighs] Yeah, listen, this visit is just a check-in.

And it's a chance for me

to communicate the school's concerns.

Okay, well, I don't want anybody concerned about my children.

Understandable.

Mr. Payne, when you enrolled him and Christian into the academy,

you knew that it would be a challenging curriculum?

Yes, yes, ma'am, I did. That's why we wanted them there.

Exactly. And it's also why we're on a three-year wait list,

a wait list which, frankly, your family averted

because of the relationship

with our board member, Tim Slomkowski,

who works with Mr. and Mrs. Walker,

your parents, Laura.

Yes, and we are grateful

for the blessing that you have afforded us.

My parents told me all about it, and we're grateful

for what you've given to us.

Yes, we are grateful. Thank you.

Okay.

So we're committed to pushing Calvin to be his best.

But it needs to be a partnership.

Absolutely. You have our full support.

Yes. We have been working with Calvin Jr. a lot.

And now Calvin has primary custody of him,

and we are committed

to helping him through his anger issues, truly.

I'm glad. I think you have a lovely son.

I do.

Where we need to see marked improvement is his behavior,

because he's often disrespectful

to his teachers and his classmates.

Yeah, well, Mrs. Morgan, I hate to hear that.

I do, but I can assure you that we're good people,

and we demand the same from our kids.

Oh, I don't doubt that, Mr. Payne.

There's no judgment here.

Do you have any suggestions for us?

Uh, I mean, surely other parents have gone through this, right?

Yeah, I always suggest counseling.

Argh?

I'm sorry. Uh, counseling?

Well, yes, counseling.

I think that it can help you and your son get to the bottom,

you know, the root of his anger.

Well, in my family, we usually just go to church,

and usually God got us.

Mrs. Morgan, we will consider all options.

That.

-Thank you. -[Laura] Yeah.

I do these visits whenever we have a student

on academic or disciplinary probation.

Wait, I'm sorry. Is Junior on probation?

Oh, you didn't see the email, Mr. Payne?

Yes, your son is on disciplinary and academic probation.

Oh, my gosh.

-He's on both. -He's on both.

Okay, well, do people usually get on both?

Mm, almost never.

Damn.

[theme music playing]

[birds chirping]

[airplane flying overhead]

[siren wailing, horn honking]

[sirens wailing]

[helicopter blades whirring]

Wow.

Well, we are very sorry to hear this, Mrs. Morgan.

Look, look, it's not the end of the world.

Calvin and Christian are still enrolled at the academy.

And how is Christian doing?

Christian is excelling.

He seems to have meshed really well with our school community.

We're very pleased.

Well, that's great, but I want both of my sons to excel.

Of course. And, Mr. Payne, I believe that they will.

I like to stay positive.

You know, if we see marked improvement,

we will be thrilled

to invite Calvin back to the academy next term.

Okay, so there's still time to turn this around.

Yes, of course.

And I think if we're all willing to do the work,

I believe Calvin Jr. will be very successful with us.

Okay, well, we will assure you that there will be a change.

Thank you. Now, I'm off to a board meeting.

Okay. Um, one last question.

Does Junior know that he's on probation?

Uh, no, he does not.

We usually leave that information

for the parents to deliver if they choose.

Ooh. [chuckles]

Mrs. Morgan.

Uh, Junior, what do you say?

Hello, Mrs. Morgan.

Calvin. Christian.

Ms. Walker, Mr. Payne.

Ms. Morgan! Hi.

Hi. You guys enjoy your evening, okay?

-Thank you. -You too. Thank you.

[Mrs. Morgan] Thanks, guys.

I'll get the door.

[Junior] What was she doing here, Dad?

Am I in trouble?

So, what? Do we play into her crazy

and call it "The Bad Neighbor Barbecue"?

And then people can come over and they can have good barbecue

and see we're not that bad.

But see, what that does is

that makes Mrs. Wellington's campaign backfire

-the way Unc said it would. -Right.

Trust me, all this is going to backfire on that witch.

I don't think we should double down on her description of us.

I mean, we're not bad neighbors.

Yeah. You know what? I agree with Malik.

I want to start by correcting the false narrative.

Well, there you go, Glo.

Just call it "The Good Neighbors Barbecue."

Oh, you know what, Uncle Curtis? I like that.

With a nice little subheading underneath it.

Yeah. "The Good Neighbors Barbecue,

an afternoon with our wonderful HOA president, Ms. Glo."

-Thanks. -It's got a nice ring to it.

It does. I like that. I like that.

Now, you said "wonderful HOA president"?

Yes, sir.

Yeah. I thought we said we weren't

gonna put lies on the posters.

Uncle Curtis.

'Cause either we gonna do lies or we not gonna do lies.

-[Jazmine] Chill. -You know what? You know what?

The only lie is "good barbecue."

You know all that meat is killing people, right?

Okay. Okay, now. Let's not get started, you two.

No, no. This grizzly bear over here

always starts with me first!

Now I'm a bear. Now I'm a bear.

-Listen, time out. Excuse me. -[Glo] Stop-- Yes, you are.

-Didn't you-- Hey. -Sorry.

Y'all agreed on a truce to get through this election, right?

-I thought we had. -[Janine] We did.

I don't remember that.

You said it. [imitates Curtis] I'ma be nice.

That's exactly how you said it.

She does not sound like that.

That's howyousaid it.

You.

Actually, she does. [indistinct].

Okay, you know what? I will get the flyer designed.

Yeah, and I'll plaster them on everybody's doorstep

the way she plastered her whack flyers on ours.

And I'll do an email blast on the flyer, like, twice a day.

Okay, okay, and I'll prep some kind of gift

or swag bags to give to everyone who comes by.

-See, now we thinking. -[Malik] Exactly.

I guess I better get to cooking.

You're going to need some help with that, Unc?

-Yes, sir. A lot of prep. -[C.J.] Okay.

Well, seems like we got a great plan, everybody.

Yes. You know what?

Thank you.

I feel like I'm part of the family.

Yeah, see, there you go. Your feelings are way off.

That's right. You always off. She off.

[indistinct chatter]

No, I can't go today.

Uh, no, I need to be here for when my stepsons arrive.

Yeah.

But I don't know, maybe next weekend.

Oh, speak of the angel.

Listen, though, I got to go.

I'll talk to you later. Okay, bye.

-Hey, sweetie. -Hey, Momma Laura.

-How you doing? -I'm not good.

Oh, my goodness. Why are you not good?

-Where's your brother? -I don't know.

What do you mean you don't know? How don't you know?

My mom tried to reach Dad, but she couldn't reach him.

Oh, your dad is at a seminar today.

-Uh, where's your mom? -She's in the lobby.

She said she wanted to talk to you.

She wants to talk to me about Junior?

Yes, ma'am.

Go get your mom.

-Yes, ma'am. -[Laura] Okay.

Calvin.

Calvin, listen.

I need you to...

I need you to call me, okay? Love you.

Hey, Miranda.

Hey, are you sure you're okay with this?

Yes, I'm okay. Just come on in.

Um, Christian said you wanted to talk to me about Junior?

Yeah, there was a problem

when I picked them up from school today.

A problem? Is everything okay with Junior?

He's okay, yeah. Um, Christian, baby, do me a favor.

Can you go in your room for a moment

so I can talk to Miss Laura?

-Yes, ma'am. -Okay, baby. No, it's okay.

So what's going on?

Okay, so when I got to the school,

they had tried to call Calvin. They could not reach him.

And then they called Tracey, and Tracey had to come up

to the school and pick up Junior early.

I just don't want Calvin to be alarmed.

Yeah. Well, I get it.

And I appreciate you letting me know. Thank you.

So why isn't Calvin answering the phone?

Well, he has a big presentation today for a seminar.

And so he said his phone

is going to be off for a few hours.

-I see. -[Laura] Yeah.

Um, so what's going on, Miranda?

Junior got suspended from school.

-Suspended? Oh, no. -[Miranda] Suspended.

And when I got to the school,

Miss Morgan and all the parents were talking about it.

And they were really upset.

Oh, my gosh.

I mean, I just, I cannot believe this.

He's already on academic and disciplinary probation.

I know. Calvin told me.

Gosh. Oh, so, ah, what happened? Like, what did he do this time?

Well, there was a nasty fight.

A fight?

Do you mind if I sit?

Oh, no, please, have a seat.

[Miranda sighs] A fight?

Yes.

And, um, I saw the other boy,

and his lip was busted up pretty bad.

Whoa.

[light hip-hop music]

[sighs] I am so disappointed in Junior.

[sighs] Yeah, I am too.

I just, he's been doing so good, I thought.

No, no, he has been doing really well.

I've seen a really big difference

since he's been living with Calvin full-time.

Yeah.

And I just want to say thank you.

Thank you for allowing me to come up today

because I really didn't want

to have this conversation through Christian.

No. Thank you for letting me know.

Can I get you something to drink, Miranda?

Oh, no, no, no. I'm fine.

-I'm fine. -You sure?

-I'm sure. -Okay.

Um, Miranda, can we talk?

Sure.

Calvin said that you wanted to speak with me.

I just, Laura, I just want to bury the hatchet.

Miranda, I am sorry.

This has been such a tough time dealing with you

and Calvin's family and this whole thing.

I mean, I get it.

At this point, everyone is feeling some kind of way.

But at the end of the day,

if we're going to co-parent these boys,

the line of communication has to stay open.

I don't disagree.

But you just don't want me in your house.

It is my house now, Miranda.

Laura, listen. I never mean to disrespect you in your house.

Oh, Miranda, you have popped up unannounced

on several occasions, all hours of the day.

I mean, that sometimes can feel

like it's a little disrespectful.

I've popped up because my child was here and needed me.

Or the other person who lives in this house needed something.

I can say that a lot of my issues happened with Calvin.

But I also need you to consider me when you pop up over here.

Okay, listen, Laura.

I don't want any problems, Okay?

But what I do need is a responsible example from us

for these two boys to see.

I can appreciate that.

And I can agree with that.

And I can agree that when I come to pick up or drop the boys off,

I'll wait in the car. Not a problem.

No, Miranda, I appreciate you saying that,

but you don't have to do that.

You should be able to come up here

and speak with me at any time,

especially if it's about the boys

or even if it's about Calvin.

You should be able to do that.

And, Laura, that's all I ask.

-And you have my number. Okay. -[Miranda] I do.

Calvin, the school has been trying to reach you.

I know. I just hung up with Mrs. Morgan.

-Oh. -Good.

So you know that Tracey picked up Junior earlier.

Yes, I-- I called Tracey.

I'm picking Junior up when she's finished talking to him.

Well, perfect. Then my work here is done.

Uh, you two...

Oh, don't look so perplexed. We talked.

Everything good?

Everything's fine, Calvin.

I just need to grab Christian.

Christian! Come on, baby. It's time to go.

Hey, Dad.

Hey, Son. I love you, man.

I love you too, Dad.

Bye, sweetie.

-Bye, Momma Laura. -You be good.

Hey, Miranda.

Thank you for being such an amazing mother to Christian.

I do my best.

Thank you for being such a great dad.

-Come on, baby. -Bye, Miranda.

-[Miranda] Bye. -Take care.

You Okay?

Laura, I don't know what I'm going to do with Junior.

We'll figure it out.

[warm music]

I vow to run a positive campaign.

We are about positivity over here.

All right? You enjoy.

Oh, here are some plates.

Feel-good food for feel-good vibes.

[Glo] Yes.

Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, meet my beautiful wife, Ella.

Hello, Mr. and Miss Jackson.

Thank you all for coming. I'm Ella Payne.

-Eat up. -Eat up.

[women laughing]

Y'all come back now, you hear?

[women laughing]

So how's it going, you two?

Oh, better than I could have expected.

Girl, we have had a steady stream of visitors.

-Well, look at that. -[Glo] Mm-hmm!

So, good things can happen

when you two stop fighting and work together.

-Huh? -I guess.

Don't push it, Glo.

Baby, can you bring me some more to-go trays, please?

-Right away, Sauce Boss. -Thank you.

Ooh, I thought you were changing that name.

Oh, no, ma'am.

Curtis, don't you change that name.

I love "Sauce Boss."

Miss Glo, Uncle Curtis, this is Miss Olivia and Charlotte.

They live right around the corner.

-[Glo] Hi, Olivia. -Hello.

I'm Glo. This is Chief Payne.

Oh, yes, you used to be the fire chief.

Yes, ma'am.

We have lived around the corner from you

for about five years now.

My daughter, Charlotte, and my grandchildren

also live with me.

Well, it's nice to meet you, Charlotte.

You like barbecue?

I love barbecue.

And for free barbecue, you got our vote, Miss Glo.

My uncle Curtis is famous for his barbecue.

It's good.

Listen, I have a bag here.

It has a little gift and some information about me.

I really appreciate you coming by.

Oh, and we appreciate you having us.

-[Glo] Thank you. -Thank you.

-Thank you. -Don't forget your barbecue.

Don't forget your barbecue.

It's finger-licking good.

-Yeah, it is. -[laughter]

Aunt Ella told me to bring this out to you, Unc.

-Oh. Thank you, CJ. Thank you. -Yeah.

Jazmine, maybe you might want to give me some more sauce.

-I got you, Sauce Boss. -Thank you.

Excuse me, Daddy.

So, how's it going?

Ah, it's the best thing we ever could have done.

I'm hearing good things. I'm proud of you two.

Well, I believe you always beat negativity by being positive.

Yeah, that too. But at the end of the day,

you cannot run a campaign on a lie. Okay?

Now, we are good people, and that's the truth.

-Mm-hmm. -And that will stand

no matter how much they try to smear our name.

Amen to that.

Welcome. Welcome.

Hi, I'm Glo, and this is Curtis, the Sauce Boss.

Hey, baby.

Hey, Mom.

What's wrong, Calvin?

-Calvin Jr. -I know.

Miranda told me.

He got into another fight today?

Yeah, and his school principal had already came by

and told me and Laura

he's on academic and disciplinary probation.

Wait, so what does that mean?

It means if he doesn't get his act together,

he's out of that school.

Okay.

All right, well, Calvin, what are you doing about it?

You name it, I'm doing it.

I help him with his homework. I took away his video games.

I'm making him go to sleep early.

I'm talking to him as much as I can.

Those are the things I will tell you to do, babe.

So, you're doing right. You're doing well.

Yeah. Well, his principal thinks he needs counseling.

Okay. Well, what do you think?

You and Dad never sent me to counseling?

-I don't know. -Who cares about that?

If they say he needs counseling, Calvin, that's okay.

You are his daddy.

And, ultimately, you know what's best for him.

Mom, I feel like I've done everything I can do.

Well, keep doing it, Calvin.

Don't you give up on that boy.

-No. -[Ella] Okay.

Okay.

Now, out of your list that you gave,

you were missing one thing. [scoffs lightly]

What's that?

Sometimes, Calvin, we just got to pray.

Yes, ma'am.

Hey, babe, uh, Miranda's on her way up.

-She has to tell us something. -Oh, okay.

-Well, I hope everything's okay. -Yeah, me too.

[knocking on door]

Sorry.

-Hey, Miranda, come in. -Hey.

-Hey, Miranda. -Hey, guys.

Just thank you guys for letting me come up.

And I just really felt that I needed to talk

to the two of you in person.

Christian's at your mom's house, Calvin.

-Okay. -Okay. What's going on, Miranda?

Okay, so I pressed Christian

about what really happened with Junior.

Junior didn't just beat that kid up.

Ah, see, I knew it.

I didn't believe it for one second.

-Yeah. It didn't seem like him. -[Laura] Mm-hmm.

So, Christian was being bullied,

and Junior was just protecting his brother.

-Bullied? Oh. -[Miranda] Mm-hmm.

So Christian was being bullied.

He didn't want to tell us.

He told Junior, and Junior handled it.

Wow.

I wish he would have told me that.

I wish he would have told us too,

but he was afraid that Christian was going to get in trouble.

Calvin, Junior already thinks that you think he's bad.

And he just took the fall for it because he didn't want Christian

to be cast in a bad light.

Wow.

Dear God, I hope you hear my prayer.

I know it's been a minute.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Hey, Dad.

Hey, Junior.

What are you doing out here in the dark?

I was just thinking of how great my son is.

Come here. Give me a hug.

Hey. Are you okay, Dad?

Yeah.

-Yeah, I love you, Son. -I love you too.

[upbeat music]

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