Original subtitles

-Mmm. -Hey, Mama.

[Leslie chuckles]

Hello, beautiful. How are you? Look at you.

So pre-- Ooh.

Mama, you don't need to wear all the haute couture

like it's a competition.

Never heard of ladies who lunch?

Well, we are those ladies.

Yeah, well, we used to make fun of those ladies.

Yeah, because we never thought we could be them.

That's not why.

Just please try not to spend it all in one week, okay?

I'm a one-percenter,

and you are the heir to two fortunes, baby.

You are a princess and I am a queen.

-Okay, Your Highness. -Yes.

Okay, so next time we'll have a proper tea somewhere fancy.

Oh, and those little sandwiches

on Bridgerton do always look good.

-Yes. -But are they secretly bland?

And are rich people just fronting?

Let's find out.

And we could raise our tea glasses

to Miss Barbara.

And to our sugar mama Anita Dupree.

Oh, hello, love. How'd it go with Kendal?

Oh, he wants me to do a guest lecture for his new class.

Good. This generation could use your wisdom.

Oh, stop fluffing me up, woman. What's going on?

Nicole and Kat have been in there for a good hour.

Well, Kat's resilient.

We'll be there for both of them. How's my wife doing?

Disappointed I let that woman push my buttons

and I suddenly became the "bitch-slap first,

think later" type.

You waited all these years to get some peace about Barbara,

and just the second you could breathe,

you find out that the trust that you had established

has been passed on to your daughter's worst enemy.

Come on, even the grace personified Anita Dupree

would crack under that.

Anita Dupree does not crack.

And we can say her name.

Leslie is not the bogeyman or Satan.

Nicole might not agree.

Have you had a chance to tell her?

Oh, we'll tell her together.

No guilt.

That woman attacked you in your own home,

and you fought back.

Have we strayed so far off the path

that we condone violence now?

No.

But we'll never be unprepared again.

We're on the offensive.

That's not a speech. That sounds like a plan.

That contract binds us

to a woman who set herself against us.

Plans must be made.

Well, please share.

I am completely calm.

No more slaps.

Don't make promises you can't keep.

♪ ♪

I just wanted a few more minutes where you didn't know.

But I can't risk you finding out from anybody but me.

You're not sick, are you?

In a way.

I'm sick of all of this back and forth with your father.

We're getting a divorce.

TED: Neph.

How can you look more miserable

than the last time I saw you, hmm?

Maybe because your pickleball outfit is blinding me.

Hey, man has to find endorphins where he can.

Nurse Ashley still keeping you guessing?

Nope.

I know exactly why

she can't get away from me fast enough.

She walked in on me and Dani and thought we were about to...

I thought you'd hit pause on Dani to see

where you stood with Ashley?

-Yeah, I did, but she... -Hey, no judgement.

Getting out of something casual can be... sticky.

It wasn't at all sticky, Uncle Ted.

I was comforting Dani, and I put on the brakes.

I tried to explain that to Ashley, but she was done.

There is so much wrong with this picture.

Not you, you're hella fine.

But you seeking advice from your uncle?

-Say it ain't so. -Dani, come on.

I just don't want you to end up

with a long-lost secret love baby who is shockingly good

at dressing wounds and changing catheters.

I do miss your razor-sharp wit, Dani.

You know Nicole doesn't need a dime,

but I do know a designer who can melt down

your pickleball trophy and make it into something real pretty

after the settlement.

-Andre. -Yeah.

Call me later, all right?

-Hang in. -Yeah, thanks.

-Dani. -Scum.

Do you ever dial it down a notch?

with Ted or in general?

-Oh, with-with Uncle Ted. -Never.

You weren't actually seeking advice

from that cheater, were you?

Uncle "Can't Keep It in His Pants" is your love guru?

-Mm-mmm. -Uh, what are you doing?

Righting a wrong. Put this on my tab.

We're jumping in my Maserati and driving to my place.

And what happens there?

Relax, tiger. Not everything in the world

needs to be solved with sex, even the way we do it.

I was offended just now.

You can talk to your uncle about whatever's got you twisted,

but you can't talk to me?

No way.

You're getting a divorce for real?

I am.

It's been a long time coming.

Now, whatever you're feeling--

sad, mad, angry-- it's all okay.

Mm, all of the above.

I'm so sorry, Kat.

It's not your fault.

Do you know...

that, growing up, everybody wanted to hang

at our house because Martin and I had the cool parents?

[both laugh]

-We just had the good snacks. -Mm-mmm.

We had you and dad separately, but you were also, like,

this entity-- "mom and dad."

The ones that took care of us,

that made us into who we are.

And you were so in love.

It-it washed all over everyone else.

You made us feel so loved all the time.

I hate that it was a lie.

I hate it for Martin and me

and I hate it for you.

Baby, no couple is perfect.

And I did myself and you a disservice

by serving up that fairy tale.

If it wasn't real...

-...is love real? -Oh, baby, love is so real.

Your father and I were so very real until we weren't.

Until he...

I am not gonna tear him down.

I will never forgive him for what he did to you.

But you will always love him,

and I am not gonna take him away from you.

Well...

you can vent about the other elephants in the room.

Pardon?

Well, you wouldn't be facing

the big D if it weren't for the Leslie

and her little evil spawn.

You do know that I am starting to let go of my anger for Eva.

And I will never understand that.

Leslie damn near ruined that girl,

just like she helped ruin my marriage.

I am putting your dad in my rear view one day at a time.

But that woman-- at night, when I go to sleep...

-Nightmares? -[scoffs]

I dream about Leslie getting what's coming to her,

and I'm not the one delivering the blow.

You remember when Anita was on the reunion stage

and she got all cryptic about what she owed Barbara?

The Duprees don't do guilt

the way regular people do guilt, baby.

They supersize it.

And now you're the one who...

This is crazy.

Wait, do the Duprees know you're Barbara's heir yet?

Oh, I can still feel the sting of Anita's

badly-manicured hand across my precious cheek.

Oh, Mama, what did you do?

Me?

I've met Anita Dupree, okay? She doesn't ruffle.

Karma is the bitch, so I don't have to be. Hm?

Ah, it's for me.

-Dana Leslie Thomas. -Confirmed. And you must be...

-Here from Dabney Law regarding the trust. -Yes. Okay.

-Identification? -Uh...

Absolutely.

Thank you for meeting me.

-Your initial disbursement. -Oh.

Thank you so much.

-Pleased to be of service. -Pleased to be served.

Okay, okay.

Is the solution worth the cost?

That's yet to be determined.

But we've seen what Leslie Thomas can do

with no resources.

God only knows what she'll do when she's armed

to the teeth with all your money can buy.

Am I making the call?

All right, I am all yours, but we do have to watch the clock.

Tonight, my baby girl is making fashion history.

Yeah, I'm taking pictures for the launch, remember?

Hey, we can just skip the whole Call Her Daddysession

-and just... -Oh, no, you don't.

I had to watch you court that quaint nurse,

which was less interesting than the least interesting

season of any medical drama ever.

And now you're trying to shut me out

of the plot twist like I'm some extra?

You are certainly not a background player.

Mm. What, did you run out of the good stuff?

Straight club soda. You had two drinks at the club.

You're counting my drinks?

I don't want you to turn into me.

Come on. Talk to me, Andre.

Don't take this part of us away.

What part?

The part where we're completely naked with each other.

The truth and nothing but.

Okay. Be careful what you wish for.

Just drop your boxers, metaphorically speaking.

Okay, um...

Ashley doesn't want to be with me anymore

because she saw me with you,

in my apartment the other night,

and she thought we were gonna be the other kind of naked.

I hate to leave Mom like this.

I've never seen her so...

Sad?

Messy.

Well, I would be more worried if she wasn't.

But you need to focus on this dazzling enterprise

you started with your cousin.

We artists must celebrate our wins.

Chelsea's the artist, not me.

Every girlboss alive's an artist and a mother.

You birthed your dream into life.

Now, get to mothering.

You have a million things to do.

A million and one.

But get your cute self back here in time

for the family toast. And Kat?

Promise me you'll call

when the sad hits.

I want to spoil you with all your favorite things.

That's why we love you the best, Gran.

Oh!

You love me the best because I'm fabulous.

It's a trait that's passed down to all Dupree women,

and I can't wait to see you and Chelsea shine.

Bye, Gran.

[door closes]

How did she seem to you?

Bruised, but braving it. Like her mother.

The only thing worse than seeing your child hurt

is being the one to bring the bad news.

Oh, Mother.

What is it now? Who is it now?

It's all of us, I'm afraid.

[doorbell rings]

Damn it. I wanted to get this out first.

Vernon.

Bill.

Of course you're invited to whatever fresh hell this is.

Come on, Nicole. This is a tale as old as time.

The Duprees find themselves in a bind and they call me.

Sweetheart.

This is about Leslie Thomas.

This is the first payment,

and then the checks are gonna keep coming,

forever and ever. Amen.

But, Mama, the reason rich people are rich

is because they're careful with their money.

Baby, I've been making moves

a really long time.

All to get us where we're supposed to be.

But this isn't that.

Look at where we are now.

So, no big moves?

I'm going to deposit this check,

and I'm going to take a little me

and a little you money out as cash back.

And what are you gonna do with your "me money"?

I'm finally zipping the lip on that little voice

in the back of my head.

The one that whispers to me in the grocery store and tells me,

"Put that back."

The one that's kept me outside

of the department store windows,

telling me

not to try that on,

not to look at it, not to touch it,

not to even dream about it.

I'm not listening to her anymore.

That little voice wasn't you, Mama.

-It was me. -Yeah.

Well, I need you to give her a rest, okay?

I'm good. No policing needed.

But you know the money's money, not magic.

Yeah, we'll see.

Oh, wait.

I think I hear the bank calling my name.

Yes. On the way.

I'm going to deposit this check.

And...

-I-I can come with. -Uh, no, no, mm-mmm, no.

It's okay. I have some things I need to handle

that have been a long time coming.

-Love you. -Love you too.

Ciao.

Yeah, and I'd be the biggest ass in the world

if I even texted her right now after what happened to Derek.

Didn't Naomi tell you what happened with the accident?

Poor guy. Naomi and Jacob adore him.

Yeah.

There's no way she wouldn't have been there for him, you know?

But...

I don't think she would've actually

jumped back into that relationship if it wasn't--

You are seriously doing the time and you didn't do the crime.

-You slept on the couch. -Yeah.

-I told her, but she-- -Didn't believe you?

No, she did, but she couldn't get past my player rep.

Even her mom said that I was all shine and no substance.

Ashley defended me, of course, but I think seeing me

in the arms of a supermodel cemented her worst fears.

Things are always messy before you lock someone down.

No risk, no reward.

Big talk from the woman who wouldn't risk it with me.

Listen, I've always been up-front. I'm not ready.

Honestly, it's the Derek of it all that's the clincher.

You could've done everything right,

but as soon as he fell,

Ashley would've had to be there for him.

Yeah, well, I'll never know that, will I?

You know what? I'm devoting way too much time

and alcohol to what might have been.

We never even got off the ground.

-[stammers] C'est la vie. -Hey.

The heart wants what it wants,

even if what it wants is a vanilla milkshake.

This girl woke your heart up and you get to mourn that, Andre.

And I do hate if I cost you that.

No, no, no, this is not on you.

But you don't need to see me

hanging around being depressed either,

not on Chelsea's big night.

Listen, you walked me through all of my heartbreak with my ex.

Let me share in your almost.

It's the least I can do.

Yeah.

Is knocking not in your repertoire of tricks?

You know, I have been here so many times,

and I am just now noticing how small this room really is.

Maybe because you take up so much damn space.

Is this some sort of false modesty

the rich have to punish themselves?

I mean, you can't have nice things while pining over Nicole.

That it?

The penthouse was taken.

And I'm not in the mood to be judged for where I've been

forced to live because you blew up my marriage.

Or maybe slumming it was always your M.O.

What's this about, Dana?

You know, men who cheat, they...

they usually pick the same girl, just younger, but not you.

Maybe eating from that silver spoon for so long

made you want something different.

Something from the streets.

There it is. From insult to come-on in seconds.

You think I'm trying to seduce you? Hm.

You are so sure of our places, aren't you?

But you know what you haven't thought about?

How things can change just like that.

All I see is the same old Dana

playing the same old tired hits.

Us not being together has nothing to do

with our places in the world.

We're not together because you're not where my heart is,

Dana, or...

Leslie?

Yeah, well, I've got a new song for you, Teddy Boo,

and it goes a little something like this.

I'm just as rich as you are, Doc.

Probably richer.

How you like me now?

Sit back down.

My dad's office said you'd be here.

Oh, gosh, what now, Kat?

My mom and dad's great love story is no more.

They're getting a divorce

thanks to you and your crazy-ass mother.

Mother's good deed in funding that trust can't end

with Leslie getting her sticky fingers on it.

I believe that's why they call it a twist of fate.

Money's power, and in the wrong hands...

Oh, and there aren't any hands more wrong than hers.

The question is action.

ANITA: Can the trust be reversed?

No, the trust is ironclad.

Leslie will keep getting checks until that trust

runs out of money or she runs out of lives.

Do I get a vote on which option?

Bill, we need a solution

that strips her of the money, not her life.

Understood. And unworkable.

So you're just saying we're screwed?

Yeah, well...

the only thing left is to protect yourselves.

You know, be on the lookout for the new.

New deals, new people.

Yeah, she can hire a honey trap, a hit man,

anything that her little mind can dream up and outsource.

Double your security. Keep your eyes open.

Now, she is new to money,

so she's bound to make some mistakes.

And you'll need someone who can spot her coming.

I can do that for you.

And what's the price of your vigilance this time?

The same invoice that's been sitting in front of you

for years, and it's still unpaid.

I want your respect.

I never truly had it, and today that changes or I'm out.

If you think we're gonna to bow down,

you can just turn around and walk right out that door.

I gave you respect by inviting you here in the first place.

After that last fix, I should've lost your damn number.

No, you called because you needed another job done.

That's not respect, that's ringing the bell for help.

No one ever forced your hand, Bill.

I was your son-in-law.

You could see how much I needed a father.

Especially since my actual father

left so much to be desired.

Cold, withholding,

giving just enough praise to keep me hanging on.

You know, I never noticed how much you two have in common.

You know what the real secret of the Duprees is?

Only those with Dupree blood

flowing through their veins truly belong.

Maybe that's why Ted sought validation elsewhere.

-Bill! -We don't need you.

Ah, well, Nicole, well, actually, you do.

There's some things even you can't fix.

I used to show up here every Sunday after church,

trying to make myself useful, trying to make myself family.

Is that your excuse for stepping out on Dani?

I'll own my crimes,

but my greatest sin is being so in awe of all of you.

But, hey, we're all down in the dirt now.

I don't need you to bow down now.

I need you to look me in the eye every time

I walk into a room in this town.

I want the nod, the handshake, and that goes for my wife, too.

She's not wearing some scarlet letter.

She's wearing my ring. Now, that's my retainer.

And you can take my terms or you can leave them,

and that crazy woman will be your problem and yours alone.

So Anita's your benefactress?

Yeah, better watch your step.

You don't want to be on the wrong side of Anita Dupree.

You can't tell me how to navigate my new sugar mama.

But you do think I have some insight, don't you?

You're here because you want lessons.

What can you teach me?

You want me to show you how to fit in

with Fairmont Crest's finest.

For all the good it'll do you.

Oh, you don't think I'm smart enough?

Smarts you got,

but it's the bloodlines that count.

You'll never be one of us.

I probably have more zeros

on my bank statements than you have.

That's a good start,

but money will just get you in the door.

You can buy all the right clothes.

I can even clue you in on the list of who's who.

But belonging to Fairmont Crest is in the details.

It's how you enter the room. It's which fork you use.

It's what you do and you don't do.

And the toughest part for you--

it's what you say and you don't say.

Wealth is nuance, and you--

you couldn't buy subtle with all the money in the world.

And contrary to what you think,

I actually came here to give you your money back.

How's that for class?

Keep it.

Take it.

Oh. Oh, you have so much money that...

that you don't care about taking mine.

So is this what wealth looks like? Hm.

Well... I don't know.

How's that for not caring

about money?

Look, I've done everything I can

to repair my relationship with Nicole.

Okay, she's such a saint. She's actually trying to forgive me.

And me and Ted, we're getting closer,

even though you tried to stop that from happening.

So, yes, hearing about the divorce, it breaks my heart.

I'm sad just like you.

Yeah, you're sad, all right.

They looked like "happily ever after" goals.

Like every day they just took comfort in knowing

that they'd be in each other's arms in bed again at night.

Because it just felt...

-right. -Ew.

Why are you digging into my parents' sex life, creep?

I didn't say anything about sex. You went there.

I was talking about love,

about touch, about affection, about basic compatibility,

which either a couple has or they don't.

-What are we doing? -What we do.

You get hurt, you call me. I get hurt, I call you,

and we make each other feel better.

No, we make each other feel amazing.

Dani.

Maybe we've done this a lot.

We're not doing this now.

You said you'd evolved, that you'd moved on

from friends with benefits and from me.

Then that doesn't work out, you think you can just

pluck me out of the friend zone and pick up where we left off?

Dani, wh-- you are giving me whiplash right now.

Just a second ago, you were right there with me.

So...

So are you saying that you're evolving, too?

That you want something more with me now?

I have been crystal clear

about the level of commitment I'm capable of.

We will always be friends, no matter what.

But if you want those benefits back,

you're gonna have to put in some work.

[knock on door]

You've made enough of a mess, Dana.

EVA: It's me.

-Oh. -Why'd you think it was my mom?

You don't want to know.

She said she needed to do something

after she was done at the bank. I guess this was it.

Yeah, I think I may have hurt her feelings, if they exist.

Well, I'm more concerned with yours at the moment.

Kat told me Nicole filed.

Oh, Eva, you are nothing like your mother, huh?

You say that like it's a compliment,

-and I hate feeling like it is. -I'm sorry.

So she told you about the trust, huh?

Why the Benjamin confetti?

She wanted to show me she had money to burn.

I'm just lucky she didn't bring the matches.

Well, any chance this is just the closure

she needs to finally start moving forward?

I don't know.

I just know when she...

was moving back into town, I was worried about what she would do.

But now that she has cash,

I'm not less worried, I'm more.

-Ms. Thomas. -Call me Leslie.

-And thanks for the pass. -I could've come to you.

Uh, no, it's fitting. Full circle moment.

I see.

As I tell all my clients,

no investment is too small

when it comes to building your future.

I don't handle starter homes myself,

but someone on my team would be happy to take great care of you.

You're gonna want to handle this one.

This transaction is the opposite of small.

I can't believe she gets to keep all of that money.

And did you notice that Bill had no real solutions to offer?

Well, the hard truth is,

there really is nothing that can be done.

The trust is irreversible.

Your mother made her feelings clear.

That slap was so loud, I'm surprised

that all of Fairmont Crest didn't hear it.

Mother, you slapped her?

-Go ahead. -I am not proud of it.

This can't be valid.

There has to be a way that

Leslie got into the system or...

She's legitimate.

She's Barbara's daughter.

Leslie, the daughter of the lost Articulette.

Well, that doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter whose daughter she is.

She is still the woman who blew up my marriage.

Still the one who tried to kill my assistant twice.

She has tried to take everything from me.

And now we're just gonna reward her

by giving her untold millions?

Your mother never could've anticipated this.

Mom, I know you regret the Articulettes

leaving a member behind, but it wasn't murder.

-This guilt that you feel... -Is inescapable.

I'll be in my office if you need me.

What you don't know

is Barbara died by suicide.

Oh, Mom.

I'm sorry.

-Did Leslie tell you this? -No.

Barbara did.

In a letter she left behind for me.

She said my ambition killed her. She was right.

That's why that trust was made irreversible.

It reflected my deliberate intent.

It was the right way to correct past wrongs.

And we don't get to change that

simply because we disagree with who is receiving it.

This is Leslie Thomas.

You owe nothing to that woman.

We'd just hit our stride.

I'd shaken off my sad. We were all fun and fire.

Then you decided to move on to more beige horizons.

If you want this back, show me you deserve it.

So you want me to beg?

Begging isn't sexy.

No. Nursie got the full Andre experience.

You wined and dined her,

you just told me you made her a fake Paris.

What'd I get-- Uptown take-out?

Okay, you want it, you got it.

But wouldn't romance put us in danger of something less casual?

-I think I can handle it. -Okay.

So, what are we thinking, exactly?

-Figure me out. -Mm-hmm.

My wants, my whims.

What makes me blush.

What makes me burn.

There is gold at the end of this rainbow,

but you got to follow the signs.

Uh-huh.

I think I can do that.

Mm.

Force of habit.

I'm sorry. Uh, it won't happen again.

Until you say so.

Now, scoot. Can't have you making me late.

Yeah, right.

Dani.

Thanks.

I appreciate your optimism.

And I hope your mother can see all

the possibilities for her and for you.

But I don't think you can put the genie

back in the bottle. Because if we could,

-that would be... -Amazing?

Miraculous.

So, you think that a leopard can't change his spots?

[laughs]

Dana won't even change her spots.

She'll just add new ones.

I hate this, Nicole.

I never thought that the sins of your mother

would be visited upon you.

-I understand, but I just... -Last night,

I tried to put Leslie in her place.

Make it clear that she couldn't hold this over me.

But that slap didn't fix a thing.

And a few songs doesn't wash away what I did.

My heart, my conscience won't let me off that easy.

And I just have to wonder,

if I hadn't done what I did to Barbara,

would her daughter be the person that she is?

Oh, you can't honestly believe that Leslie

is the way she is because of some girl group drama

that happened way before she was even born.

You cannot take the blame and you can't give her your money.

A mother's first instinct is to protect her child,

and I always will.

But my life didn't begin the day you were born, Nicole.

I made a promise to Barbara and to myself.

And that's what that trust is:

a commitment without conditions.

But now, every time I look at that woman,

I am reminded of the promise I made to Barbara.

You made a mistake with Barbara.

But giving Leslie that money doesn't make it right.

-Cut her off. -I've tried.

The trust attorneys have tried. Bill tried. It can't be done.

And you're ambivalent about it.

I'm furious.

And heartbroken.

Nevertheless...

That money is hers to keep, and I have resigned myself to that.

But Leslie Thomas' entitlement ends there.

She's owed not another cent or second from me, you,

or anyone else in this family.

She is not allowed to infringe upon us any further.

And yet, somehow, some way,

whatever Leslie wants...

...she'll get.

Now, I know every zip code in the DMV you'll want to consider

with your substantial budget.

We'll find something that suits you.

I picked you because you have more listings

in Fairmont Crest than anyone else.

This is the only zip code that interests me.

I want to live behind the gates.

Captioning sponsored by CBS

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