All language subtitles for Good Times s04e19 A Stormy Relationship

Good time, any time you need a payment.
Good time, any time you feel free.

Good time, any time you're up and under.

Not getting hassled, not getting
hustled. Keeping your head up for water.

Making a wave when you can.

Temporary.

So? So, so fill it.

Hey, look here, girl.

I'm tired of you bossing me around like
this.

Look, JJ, we made a deal that whoever
would break the New Year's resolution

first would have to do what the other
one said for a week, right? And you

You resolved not to insult my boyfriend.

Hey, Thelma, I don't consider that an
insult. I consider that a compliment.

All I said was that I enjoyed your
latest movie, Mr. Kong.

JJ, I don't think that's very funny at
all. Just fill this glass up now.

You want it filled, huh?

Yes, I do. That's what I called you in
here for.

Okay, I'll fill it.

Oh, my God.

JJ, look what you did. You messed up the
floor.

Look, you clean up this house
immediately, and you start with

right now.

Okay, Miss Scarlet, but I don't know
nothing about birthing no babies.

Oh, boy.

All right, look at all this junk
Michael's got in here.

She's throwing away junk.

She's keeping junk.

It's future junk.

What's this?

It's a letter from Michael's school.

Addressed to Ma.

Addressed to Ma? What is it doing to
Michael's school? Let me see this.

Dear Mrs. Evans, we are sorry to inform
you that your son, Michael Evans, has

been replaced as leader of the Honor
Assembly because of the stance he has

taken. The militant midget strikes
again.

This is very important. Ma doesn't know
about this letter. And she's downtown

now buying them new clothes for the
assembly.

Well, I hope she buys them a suit with
two pair of pants because she's going to

beat a hole in the other one.

Ma's coming now. Oh, my goodness. What
am I going to do with this letter? Do

what all good spies do when they're
caught with incriminating evidence.

Eat it.

The president says the economy is
suffering.

There must have been at least 1 ,500
people in that store today.

They was all looking for jobs.

I'm sorry we're so late.

I guess I better get dinner started.

Well, Anna, why don't you stay?

We're having stew.

Oh, I had dinner with you last night,
and it was stew.

I sure appreciate that, Flo, but I got a
pressing engagement.

Oh, the girls down at the shop are
having a meeting tonight.

We're thinking about forming a union,
you know, because we are sick and tired

the exploitation.

And the long working hours.

And the poor salary.

And something that's got to be done
about it immediately.

Tonight the stew has meat in it!

Well, time to think of it, honey. I can
wait till tomorrow, can't I?

Let me have my apron, please.

With moan pleasure.

Moan pleasure.

What are you doing?

Nothing, ma.

Well, I mean, what is all this about?

Oh, what's I doing all that?

That's a new dance, ma. It's called the
funky finger.

See? You can do it like this, or you can
do it like that.

I can't keep up with these dances.

If it ain't the...

shaky finger is to hustle your bustle.
No, that's a shake your booty.

Whatever.

Michael isn't home yet?

He's probably working late, Ma. You know
how excited he is about his new job at

the repair shop, right?

And his new boss. I know.

Everything is Mr. Dixon says this, Mr.
Dixon says that.

You got that right.

If Mr. Dixon told Graham that the world
was flat, he wouldn't go north of the

loop for fear of falling off.

Well, I hope he gets here soon.

Thelma, will you stop your dance and
help with all this at the table?

Uh, Ma, you know, you've been working
too hard around here.

You know, it's up to the family members
to take the load off your apron. I mean,

uh, your shoulders.

Uh, Thelma, you cook.

Thelma cook.

Honey, I'm going to the meeting.

Hey, stop your foolishness and give me
back my apron.

Hi, everybody.

Oh, hi there, Michael.

I bought you a new sweater and a new
pair of pants to wear to the honor

assembly.

Oh, that's great, Ma.

Come here, man of the hour.

Oh, I'm not proud of you, Gramps. We all
are.

Thanks, Milona.

Oh, so many good things have been
happening.

Michael leading the Pledge of Allegiance
at the honor assembly, holding down a

job.

You know, Michael, you have hands just
like your father's.

He had strong hands, too.

Boy, did he have strong hands.

Michael, this is your father's tool
belt.

I think it's about time you should have
it. You can use it in the repair shop.

Yeah, Ma, this will work great. I'm
going to go down to the shop and show it

Carl. Well, first, I want you to try on
your new clothes, honey. But, Ma, I can

try them on tomorrow.

No, no, no. I want you to do it now.
There may be some alterations. We can do

later.

Oh, Michael.

You're going to look so good.

I might go to that assembly myself.

Hey, that's a good idea. No, it isn't,
Ma.

Why is it?

Because of the no mamas at the assembly
rule.

See, what happens is any mamas caught at
the assembly will have to get a note

from their children.

Ma, but that's the new law, you know?
Yeah, Michael here voted against it, but

he was outnumbered.

Something's going on.

Thelma, you've been doing strange things
with your hands.

And JJ, everything you do is strange.

Now what's going on here?

Uh, strange, you should ask that
question, Ma.

Especially when I don't have an answer.

Thelma? Uh, well, you see, Ma, it's like
this.

Mom, what was the question again?

Now, look.

I want to know, and I want to know now.

Mom, it's not them. They're trying to
protect me.

Protect you from what?

The letter in my drawer will explain
everything.

It's not in my drawer?

Where is it?

Oh, so that's what the new dance craze
is all about.

Michael.

hear that you won't be leading the honor
assembly.

Why? And don't give me any fancy
answers.

Ma, take it easy. Hey, Thelma, don't
worry now. Your mother will handle this.

Well, I'm only trying to get some
information from Michael.

And I'm asking him in a nice, calm,
gentle, motherly way.

Just what have you done to upset that
assembly?

Well, um, um, I'm waiting, Michael.

Well, Ma, they wanted me to say
something I didn't believe in.

You don't believe in the Pledge of
Allegiance? Michael, have you lost your

Carl doesn't think so.

Carl? Carl Dixon? Yeah.

What has he got to do with this? Well,
Ma, he says it's a hypocrisy to say one

thing when you know in your guts you
feel something else.

All right, Michael, let's pin this down.

Just what is it about the Pledge of
Allegiance that upsets you and your

Probably the part about liberty and
justice for all.

No, it's that mumbo -jumbo about one
nation under God.

What? Yeah.

Carl says there is no God, and I'm not
going to say there is.

What did you say?

Michael, don't say anything.

It's having a chance to hide.

Maybe I can get out of the lightning
striking place there.

There is no God, and I'm not going to
say there is.

Michael, that's blasphemy.

into you. Oh, take it easy. You know,
just a kid with wild ideas don't mean

nothing, honey. Yeah, remember the time
when he wrote President Nixon and said

that the south side of Chicago should
become an independent black nation?

Remember that?

Yeah, and then Nixon wrote back and
said, where's Chicago?

No, no, this one is different.

Michael, you're my child and your
father's child, and we believe in God.

And so did you before you were
brainwashed.

clear yeah mine's clear but the way i
feel i don't want to hear anything

yes mama i believe in god

no

mama michael was it carl dixon who told
you to say there is no god

ma carl didn't tell me to say anything
he just opened my eyes Well, look, we

talk about that later. Let's have dinner
now. Yeah!

We can't talk about it later, Wilona.

Michael, Carl Dixon is a stranger.

Now, you letting a stranger change
everything this family has always

Ma, Carl says if you can't see it, hear
it, feel it, or touch it, it's not

there.

God is everywhere.

And you can feel it here.

How do you know it's not heartburn?

I realize this is upsetting you, but as
far as I'm concerned, I'm not going to

say One Nation under God, and that's
that.

Michael, baby, baby, there is a God.

A kind, loving, merciful God.

Ma, if he's so merciful, how can we
still live in the ghetto?

Right.

Hey, Carl.

What do you want me to do with this?

Throw it away.

I spent 20 years in the Army, and I
learned that whenever you had something

over, throw it away.

Otherwise, they'd grind it up and serve
it to you on a shingle the next day.

Ah, hello there, Mr.

Barnes.

All right.

Can't complain.

Got a TV and a wife, and they're both
working.

Something I can do for you?

My hearing aid cuts off and on. I have
to keep hitting it.

You know, I got a hearing aid, false
teeth, an electric pacemaker in my

I'm a regular $8 million man.

Mr. Barnes, don't you mean a regular $6
million man?

Oh, no, sonny. Don't you know things in
the ghetto cost more?

Well, Carl, I'm going to go deliver this
griddle. See you later, Mr. Barnes.

What's the kid mumbling about?

I don't know.

I'm going to have to send it back to the
factory.

I'll put a rush on it. No hurry.

Starsky and Hutch are just as funny
without the sound.

Well, it's closing time.

Closing time.

It's closing time, Mr. Barnes.

We're closed.

Another one with a hearing problem.

Lady, I'm trying to tell you we're
closed.

I'm sorry, but this is important.

Okay, what's so important? I am Michael
Evans' mother, and we quit.

You can't quit. You don't work here.

Well, as of now, neither does Michael.

Oh, boy, I don't want to miss this.

Why don't you want Michael to work here?

Because you're a bad influence. You have
turned Michael into an atheist.

Oh, come on. He made up his own mind
about that God jazz.

Mr. Dixon, God exists. And I don't like
expressions like that God jazz.

That God rock and roll.

You're not funny, Mr. Dixon.

God exists.

Where? Where is he?

He's everywhere.

He's even in this shop.

Don't look at me, lady.

I may be old, but I ain't God.

Boy, atheist one, believer zero. You
want to take another shot at it, Mrs.

Evans? Now give me some proof that God
exists.

You. You're here.

Of course I'm here. It's my shop. I
mean, he created you.

In all these years, I've been sending a
tie to my dad on Father's Day.

Atheist two, believer zero.

Look, lady, bomb kills four in Belfast,
starvation in India, two -week -old baby

dies in its crib.

If God existed, would he allow these
things to happen?

And another thing, would he allow the
Boston Celtics to beat the Chicago Bulls

116 to 104?

Mr. Dixon, did you bet on the game?

Yeah. Did you win?

No. Ha!

There is a God.

You want me to believe in a God that
plays favorites?

Tell me something.

Who's he picking at Arlington in the
fifth?

Look, I don't care what you believe, Mr.
Dixon.

I just don't want you changing anything
my son believes. And Michael believes in

God. If Michael believes in God, he's
the lousiest atheist in town.

And if there's one thing we atheists
cannot abide, it's a backslider.

Well, it looks like this game is running
into overtime.

I am leaving. I get a gracious plenty of
God on Sunday. Now, don't forget to fix

this. I won't.

Mrs. Evans, look.

I've had it up to here.

I'm a busy man.

If God exists, I wish he'd make his
presence known.

I have.

Hello? Yeah.

What?

Okay.

That was a man upstairs.

Before you get carried away, it wasn't
your man upstairs, it was my man

upstairs.

Mr. Jennings, he lives above the store
and he wants to know if his radio is

fixed.

Mr. Dixon, Michael is at a very
impressionable age.

He was sure of his beliefs until he met
you. I haven't influenced him one way or

the other. Oh, yes, you haven't. There's
no need to yell. I'm not yelling. You

are so yelling. I guess I should know
yelling when I hear yelling.

Mrs. Evans, what do you see here?

Look, Mr. Dixon, I'm in no mood to play
games. Come on, come on. What do you see

here?

Two screwdrivers.

Now, what do you see?

Two screwdrivers.

Now, what do you see?

Two screwdrivers.

I say there are three screwdrivers.

I'm sorry, Mr. Dixon, but there are only
two screwdrivers there.

You say there are two screwdrivers?

I say there are three screwdrivers.

Now, will you admit that I wasn't
yelling?

If I'm wrong?

Well, certainly.

I'm wrong.

Okay, Mr. Dixon.

You flim -flammed me.

You're right, Mrs. Evans.

That's just what I did.

Well, if you can do that to me...

don't you think you can influence
Michael?

You made your point, Mrs. Evans.

And you did it without a screwdriver.

Mr. Dixon?

I'm telling Michael he can't work here
any longer.

You're his mother, and I can't stop you.

But, uh, do yourself a favor.

Let me do the dirty work.

If you lower the boom on Michael, he's
gonna resent it. If I do it, what the

hell?

He doesn't have to see me again.

Thank you, Mr. Dixon.

You're very thoughtful.

For an atheist?

Good night, Mr. Dixon.

Good night, Mrs. Evans.

Good night.

Here's the money from the griddle.

Anything else you want me to do before
we knock off?

How do you like that?

Worked all day, and all I took in was
$10.

Don't worry, Carl. You got a lot of work
coming in.

Damn oil company.

Huh? You know what they've done to the
price of oil?

On a little can like that?

Michael, on a little can like this,
you're multiplied by eight more, and

you get? Bankrupt.

Michael, I mean it.

I'm going to have to cut down on
expenses.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to let you
go.

Michael, Michael, you don't understand
business. It starts somewhere at the top

with some guy digging in the desert and
it works itself down.

And it's always the little man who gets
it in the neck.

Yeah, but around here, I'm the little
man.

There are only two of us, Michael.

Who am I gonna fire?

Me?

Tell you what, I don't have to come in
every day. I just come in three times a

week.

I'll take a cut in my salary.

I'll work for nothing until the price of
oil goes down.

Damn. Oh, come on, Michael. It's only a
part -time job.

Look at J .J. He's been fired more times
than a Saturday night special.

You got that right. It's just a part
-time job. He'll get another one, honey.

Yeah, it's just a shame it had to happen
50 years before retirement.

Oh, it never fails.

Now, who could be so inconsiderate as to
come calling just at the dinner hour?

Mr. Dixon.

I brought Michael's tool, Del. I thought
he might need it.

Won't you come in?

Thank you.

Ma, may I be excused? You certainly may
not. We have company.

Mr. Dixon, these are my children, JJ,
Thelma, and my neighbor, Wilona Woods.

Hello. How are you?

Hey, uh, look here, Mr. Dixon.

There's word out in the street that you
got a job opening.

J .J., how could you?

Ain't for me, Ma.

For Thelma. I figured we ought to get
her out here working.

Michael.

Michael, I thought you might want this.

Michael, you're being rude.

But he fired me. He said he was my
friend, and then he fires me for no

all. Michael.

Michael. Mr. Dickson didn't fire you.

I did.

Ask Mr. Dixon to let you go.

Ma, how could you? Honey, I was trying
to do that for your own good.

Michael!

Help, soldier!

Bad face!

Knock it off.

Michael, when I read that letter about
the Honor Assembly and heard your

newfound views on religion, I had to do
something about it. Your mother was

doing what she thought was best.

You're right, Mr. Dixon. But she cost me
a good job.

You're right, Michael.

Well, now, how can Mr. Dixon and Michael
be right?

I'm a shut -up.

I'm a peacemaker.

Mom, the way I see it, you're trying to
make me choose between you and Carl. Oh,

that's not true, Michael.

Michael, look me in the eye and tell me.

Do you believe in God?

Well, Ma... Michael, you've lived in
this house for 15 years. There's no

way you don't believe in God.

Michael, I don't believe in... God.

But you don't have to do my thing to be
my friend.

I'm going to love you just as much
anyway.

Is it okay if I leave that assembly
tomorrow?

You got it.

What about my job?

You got it. Hey, right on.

Damn it, the moneymaker.

Well,

That's all cleared up. Thank God.

Oh, gotcha.

What? You said, thank God.

Madam, when I say, thank God, that
doesn't mean I believe in a supreme

more than when you say, holy mackerel.

You're gonna kneel down to a fish.

Now look, Mr. Dixon.

Uh, Ma, please, no halfling on an empty
stomach.

Let's eat!

There's something I want to say.

We've had our differences, but I admire
a woman who can stand up to me the way

you did.

Are you kidding?

Ma can stand up to Howard Cosell.

Well, that being the case, and seeing
the group that has gathered into this

room, and knowing how much meat there is
in the stew, I would say, won't you

please stay to dinner?

Well, I... Oh, we have plenty, and I...
Talk me into it.

Come on.

at Borgin's Market. You wish you might
come to the most.

J .J., would you say the grace?

Okay.

Lord, for the fool we're about to
receive, we thank you.

By a vote of five to one.

Just looking out of the window, watching
the asphalt glow,

thinking how it all looks and it dies.
Good times, good

times, keeping your head above water,

making a wave when you can.

Temporary layoffs, good times.

Good times is videotape in front of a
studio audience.