All language subtitles for The Chi s02e09_English

[Brandon]
Previously on The Chi...

523 candy bars later,
I finally made it!

Kevin Williams,

you're gonna meet
Malcolm Whitman.

[Gasca] Used to be one
of my students at Hopkins.

now he buses up
to Chicago North Side Academy

from the South Side.

Suddenly, Brandon's got his own

mini-Secret Service detail.

Maybe he's selling dope

off the truck for the gang.

You need to listen to me.

You're the subject
of a criminal investigation

involving the 63rd Street Mob.

[Emmett] What you think
about these?

[Brandon] I thought you sold
most of your collection.

These ain't for me.
They for Kiesha.

I been hitting her up
for the past week.

She ain't call me, text me,

sent me a pigeon or nothing.

Ain't you a little old to be,
uh, running track?

I'm not on the team.
I'm the coach.

[Douda] The people who are
guarding your truck--

they work for me.

But Reg is 63rd Street Mob.

We're all a part
of the Company.

I'm from Family C Realty Group

and we're here following up
on our eviction notices.

Oh! Oh!

Oh!

[woman] Lauren Reddick.

Resides on Belmont,
North Side.

I'm looking forward
to tonight.

Mm.

Me too.

You are drunk.

Get the fuck out of here.

Get the fuck out of here,
Ronnie!

[indistinct muttering]

Get the fuck out.

♪♪♪

What the fuck?

♪♪♪

Oh, uh, that ain't mine.

North Side Academy's
full of drugs.

Can you get more of it?

I don't think
getting more of it's

gonna be a problem.

♪ jaunty percussive music ♪

♪♪♪

[Emmett] Welcome to Sonny's.

We have open seating

wherever you like.

Y'all good?
Y'all need anything else?

- How was your meal?
- Good.

All right?

Y'all come back

and see us again real soon.

Oh, playa, you need a fork.

Thanks, man.

Oh, let me take that from you.

Hey, hey, you need some napkins

with those ribs.
Quit playing.

Oh, you need some sauce.
You need it.

[Emmett] Try it now.
Trust me.

[Emmett] My man!

[Emmett] All right.
Welcome to Sonny's.

♪♪♪

Yeah.

That's nice.

I like that.

♪♪♪

What the hell you say
this Yelp crap is again?

How the hell we only got three
out of five stars?

My chicken is the best
in all of damn Chicago.

Ah, calm down, Sonny!

We can learn a lot
from the comments.

What anybody gonna tell me
about cooking

this yard bird?

So--okay, look.

This one wasn't
the greatest review.

All right.
"This chicken is too salty.

Fried chicken is the death
of the black community."

- [laughs]
- What?

I'll bet they won't come down
and say it to my face.

No, see, this is where
we take a negative comment

and use it
as an opportunity.

And how you figure you do that?

We can introduce
a baked chicken option

for folks that are more
health-conscious.

That way, we get
a whole new clientele

up in here.

Boy, don't make me take
that name tag.

Nothing wrong with my chicken
like it is.

♪♪♪

- Here's your check.
- Ooh.

Yes, yes.
[laughs]

♪♪♪

Damn!

[Sonny] That child support

is a killer, ain't it?

Welcome to fatherhood.

Yeah, it's more
than I was taking home before,

but--plus, I got insurance
for the kids,

and no more baby mama summits.

Feels good
to handle your business.

I can't lie.
It does.

Oh, welcome to Sonny's!

♪ ominous music ♪

♪♪♪

I hear you serve

the best stewed chicken taco
in the city.

[Brandon] Well, you know,
a brother don't like to brag,

but you might've heard right.

Then I'll take two,

and a red pop.

Bet.
Coming right up.

[Toussaint] How long
you been in business?

Oh, long enough to know
people like my food, but...

not long enough to buy me
a boat on the lake,

so word of mouth
is a good thing.

Yeah.

I invested in a restaurant
once, a long time ago.

Mm.
Where was it?

[Toussaint] West side of town.

Anyway, it was tough,
and I never did make

my money back.

Too hard keeping up
with the trends.

Well, that's the thing
about this restaurant business.

Worst thing you can do
is follow a trend.

Gotta be an original.

What'd you do,

pull this taco down
from heaven?

[laughs]

Coogie, you got a new fan.

Well, actually, I'm Brandon.

Coogie's my little brother.

He passed away.

Oh.

I'm so sorry.

It's all good.

[Brandon]
His memory keeps me going.

Pleasure meeting you, Brandon.

Oh, I didn't get your name.

Alice.

Well, you'll have to come
check me out again, Alice.

[Brandon]
Ah, don't forget your pop.

♪ dramatic hip-hop music ♪

♪♪♪

[sighs]

Told you you were gonna get
in trouble,

hanging with them fools
Jake and Papa.

I don't need to hear your mouth
right now, Maisha.

Don't you gotta be in class?

Yeah, but I heard you went
all Nino Brown,

so I decided to come

see what was going on.

Why haven't you called me
since my party?

[Maisha] Heh,
not that I'm pressed.

So what happens now?

I'm not sure.

My mom's on her way here.

Got a meeting with Mr. Gasca
and Dr. Hurns.

I guess I'm getting suspended.

Or expelled.

Look, I don't care.
They can do whatever,

as long as Mr. Gasca know

I'm not going
to Chicago North Side Academy.

What's wrong with
Chicago North Side Academy?

Their college prep program
is bomb.

Man, who cares
about college, anyway?

- I'm in middle school.
- I do.

My mama may have
a bunch of kids,

but [laughs] I don't want any.

FAMU, right?

Or Fisk.

They have a really good
business program.

I don't know.
I keep changing my mind.

Well, uh...
[laughs]

Let me know what happens.

Uh, hopefully, you don't go
to jail

and end up
another black male statistic.

♪ disquieting music ♪

♪♪♪

What letter?
I never received any letter.

Kevin, there was a letter?

I threw it away.

Threw it away?
What?

Mrs. Williams,
Kevin's always been a good kid.

His behavior is shocking
to us as well.

You need to tell us.
Who gave you the drugs, Kevin?

I'm not snitching.
I'm done doing that,

so you can forget it.

Kevin Miles Williams,
you better start

talking right this second.

Malcolm's mother said
she found the drugs on Malcolm,

and that Malcolm said
he got the drugs from Kevin,

which means that Kevin,
having no past incidents

with drugs,
I'm guessing got them

from somebody
here at this school.

Who was it, Kevin?
Jake?

What the hell has gotten
into you?

[Gasca] Mrs. Williams,
this is exactly why

I recommend you consider
sending him

to Chicago North Side Academy.
He's clearly acting out,

not being influenced
by the right people.

North Side is a great school,

with a rigorous
academic program.

It might do him some good

to be in
a totally new environment.

I know he'd hate
leaving his friends,

but after what happened here,
I'm not opposed

to exploring the idea.

Mom!

I'm not going

to that fucking school!

♪ synth music ♪

♪♪♪

Would you like us to step out?

♪♪♪

Can't believe you got me
out here in public

acting a fool.
Hurry up!

♪♪♪

And if you think this was bad,
wait till we get home,

and you're grounded too.

♪♪♪

[sighs]

♪♪♪

♪ desolate music ♪

♪♪♪

What happened?

♪♪♪

Fuck am I doing in here,

with you?

Found you by the corner store,

car keys in hand, so...

slapped you with a DUI.

I'm starting my paper trail
to build a case

for putting you
right back where you belong.

I'm gonna call my lawyer.

Lawyer's not going to be able

to help you this time, Ronnie,

because understand this:

I am going to be on your ass

every minute of every hour

of every day.

You're a fuck-up,

and sooner or later,

you'll fuck up,

and when you do,

I'll be there to put you
under the jail

for killing
Charles Coogie Johnson.

♪♪♪

[man] Okay.

[lock clanking]

♪♪♪

[man] There you go.

♪♪♪

[R&B music over speakers]

♪♪♪

Uh, can I help you?

Let me get

the three-wing special
for myself

and then, for my lady here,

she'll take
the dark meat special.

[laughs]

[Ricky] Wait.

Ain't you short dude

I ran into at the school?

Yeah.
[clears throat]

[Ricky] What's good?

So you the manager

up in this piece.

Yeah.

That's what's up.

Probably saving
your little money

for that new PlayStation, huh?

That's a good look.

[laughs]

[Emmett] Nah, bro, I'm
a little old for PlayStation.

Playing with kid's...games--

looks like that's your thing.

♪♪♪

[laughs]

Go over there
and get us a table.

Okay.

♪♪♪

There you go.

[Ricky] Look, little man--

Don't call me "little man."

♪♪♪

I got you.

Look, whatever you think
this is...

...it's not.

What you talking about?

I ain't thinking nothing.

Good.

♪♪♪

Nah.

Pocket that change
for yourself.

You're gonna need it, working
in this raggedy-ass joint.

I'll bring you guys' order up
when it's ready.

♪♪♪

What's this?

All of Lauren Reddick's
computer files.

There's an Excel spreadsheet

with her real estate territory
on it.

Might help you
with the Davis case.

- Good looking out.
- Mm-hmm.

By the way,

he's everything you said
he was.

Who is?

Brandon Johnson.

[Toussaint] I understand

why you're so fond of him.

Got acquainted today.

Death of his brother

is still pretty raw.

And for that reason,
I really wish

you hadn't questioned him.

Didn't question him.

I got tacos.

[Toussaint] Wanted to get
a sense

of who he is, and I did.

Will you admit
he's not a banger now?

[Toussaint]
I can do you one better.

He's a respectable young man--

definitely not
the gangster type.

Good.
You can back off now.

Absolutely not.

There's gang activity
all around his truck

and still no explanation why.

I'm also trying to figure out

why there's gang activity

around Perry's Pizza as well.

Perry's Pizza?

Delivery guy from there

dropped off a free pizza
to the Cutlass.

Both greeted each other
with gang signs.

And Brandon did mention
Otis Perry

as being
one of his investors.

Guy does a lot

of big business deals
in the city.

There's gotta be
a little dirt on him.

See?
That's what I'm saying.

Brandon may be able
to fill in the blanks,

give us some insight
into what the gang is doing.

He won't be the first good guy
to be flipped.

How are you talking
about flipping Brandon Johnson

after one conversation?
That's crazy.

He's got a round-the-clock
63rd Street Mob security

and a brand-new $75,000 truck.

He's got everything to lose,

and a lot to gain
by helping us.

Look, I appreciate
your tenacity,

but Brandon's family's
been through enough.

I'm asking you
as a professional courtesy:

back off Brandon Johnson,

find another way
of breaking into your case.

You tell Brandon
we were looking into him?

I went to ask him

some questions.
It came up.

Son of a bitch.

You jeopardized my case
after I asked you not to?

I don't know
what your problem is,

but if this case goes unsolved,

and I never find justice
for Ethel Davis,

you'll have to answer to that,

and then you can add that

to your mountain
of fucking guilt.

How are y'all not upset?
We had to sell candy bars

in the hot-ass sun
to go to the aquarium,

while their rich asses jumped

off of a Beyoncé tour bus.

I mean, what do you expect?

Chicago North Side Academy

has an endowment.
They're drowning in money.

It's not that serious
to us, Papa.

Tell me there's no injustice
in being forced

to eat bologna sandwiches.

[Papa] Do you know
what's in bologna?

I read labels.
Don't make me tell you.

So what do you want to do?

We never gonna be North Side,
but we need more resources.

What's in it for us?

I see why you lost
the fundraiser.

A cleaner colon, iPads,
and a nice bus.

I was thinking more like
that flat screen.

Keep dreaming.

I'll spring for brownies

for the rest of the week

for all three of y'all.

Interesting offer.

Stand by.

- Maybe we could boycott.
- Or start a petition.

I don't know.
Both of those things

would interrupt my studies
too much.

[Stacey] I'm not flunking

my pre-calculus test for Papa.

What about we write
the school board a letter

and tell them
about our experience?

No.
There's a school staff meeting

every Tuesday.
We should crash that.

[Emmett] Do you see this shit?

[smooth music over speakers]

♪♪♪

Now let me get this straight.

This is
your girlfriend's boyfriend.

Yes, except Kiesha's
not my girlfriend anymore.

So this is
your ex-girlfriend's boyfriend.

Yes.

Tell me again how this

is any of your business.

'Cause his grown ass
is the track coach,

who's sitting with another girl
on the track team,

who can't be no more than 15.

That girl is 15?

She look older than
my 19-year-old granddaughter.

Right, tell me about it.

And if he's dating Kiesha,
and this girl, too,

how many high school girls
is this dude dating?

It ain't right.

R. Kelly started this shit.

Well, unlike R. Kelly,
I ain't letting dude

get away with it.

I agree.

Siri, call police.

Sonny, man, what you doing?

Calling goddamn police,

like you're supposed to

when you see a crime
in progress.

Psh, no, man.

Let me handle it.

I'll...figure something out.

♪♪♪

[cell door buzzing]

♪ tender music ♪

♪♪♪

[man] There you go.

♪♪♪

You got my message.

♪♪♪

Thanks for coming, Trace.

Don't worry about it.

You've always been there
for me.

I'm happy to return the favor.

♪♪♪

Found something?

Nothing you can help me with.
You've done enough.

Can we put that aside
for a second?

If it's about the case,
I'm all in.

I want to find out who beat up
Miss Ethel and why, too.

Okay.
Fuck it.

[Toussaint]
Several of the addresses

where there were
home invasions

match the addresses
in Laura Reddick's territory.

[Toussaint] Remember,
the home invasions

all had the same MO.

63rd Street Mob corner boys,

causing some sort
of disturbance,

shortly followed by a break-in
and/or an attack.

So you're thinking
the corner boys

are deliberately put
outside these homes

to cause a disturbance?

Give them eviction notices.

Sell them
on an elderly living brochure.

[Toussaint]
If they refuse to move,

offer a not-so-gentle nudge.

Those that don't fall in line
get attacked, like Miss Ethel.

Yes.

Family C Realty
is using the 63rd Street Mob

as muscle
to acquire these properties.

If you wanna come,
I was gonna hustle

over to the cathedral
on Belmont.

Lonnie Gaines is in town

for Lauren Reddick's
memorial service.

Lonnie Gaines.

Name rings a bell.

He's the owner
of Family C Realty.

Lauren's parents told me
he's footing the bill

- for the service.
- Hmm.

Check this out.

You gotta be shitting me.

[Jake] Damn, she whooped
your ass at school

and took your TV?

So exactly what type
of ass-whooping was it?

I don't know.

I wasn't thinking about that.

I was just trying
to stay alive.

Was it the switch?

What's the switch?

You know, where she goes
and pulls an aerodynamic branch

off the tree
to whoop your ass with.

It's even worse
when they make you pick it out,

and you better not come back
with a small one, neither.

Ooh, or was it the broomstick?

My mama whooped me so hard
with a broomstick once,

her wig fell off.

[laughs]
That really happened?

- Real talk.
- Yeah, he told me about it.

Then there's
the extension cord.

It's effective,

but it might get Miss Williams

a DCFS visit these days.

No shame either, Kev,
'cause me myself--

I've had all three.

Nah, it was the leather belt.

Ah, she got medieval
on your ass.

I could see Miss Williams going
for whatever

was in her reach
at the time.

Y'all not even supposed
to be over here.

My mom's coming home soon,
and I'm not trying to get

another beat-down.

Look,

we just wanted to stop by

and make sure you was okay,

and...

...I came to apologize.

It's my fault
this all happened, anyway,

and I won't even be mad
if you ratted me out.

Thanks, Jake.

It was my decision to sell it.

Guess we'll see you around,
Kev.

Yeah, see you around.

♪ smooth synth music ♪

♪♪♪

- Bro, bro.
- [laughter]

All right.

♪♪♪

Like I said, ma'am,
I'm her brother Kevin.

I lost my house keys,
and I have to get in.

It's really important.

Kiesha's in class right now,
and can't be pulled out

because you can't keep up
with your house keys.

Ma'am, if you don't get her
out of class,

I can't get inside
to get the medication.

What medication?

Our mom is
a diabetic,

and she needs her insulin kit.

She left it on the kitchen
counter this morning.

I gotta get it
and take it up to her job.

Do you want our mama
to fall into a diabetic coma?

Kiesha, Kiesha, come here.
Come here.

What the hell
are you doing here?

Why you at my school?

Shh, stop.

Just take these, be cool,
and I'll meet you later.

What are we meeting later for?
What?

J--'cause we need to talk

about something.

Look, no bullshit.

This is--this is serious.

All right?
Just open these real quick.

Real quick.

Emmett!

You remember how much
I love Marion Jones.

Oh, my God.

These are her vintage cleats.

Yes, I did.

Have dinner with me.

You say I've never taken you
out on a real date.

Well, let me,

and I'll tell you
everything there.

I'll text you the address.

Well, I don't know why you had
to come all the way up here

and pull me out of class
for that, but....

...fine, Emmett.

- Okay?
- [annoyed] Okay.

Get out of here, please.

- Cool.
- [laughs]

[melancholy
organ music playing]

♪♪♪

Oh, hi.
How are you?

♪♪♪

Mr. Gaines?

I'm Detective Cruz.
Uh, that's Detective Toussaint,

[Cruz] We're investigating
Lauren's case.

[Cruz] My condolences.

We were hoping
to speak with you briefly.

[Gaines] Yeah, it's senseless.
Oh, Lauren

was ambitious and hard-working.

Salt of the earth.

She didn't deserve this.

I'd be happy to do
whatever I can to help.

How did Lauren end up working
at Family C?

Well, I don't recall exactly.

Her résumé came to my desk
from HR.

She came on and quickly became
one of our top realtors.

Um, I'd be happy to connect you

with our HR department,
if that would be helpful.

Oh, yeah, thank you.
We'd--we'd appreciate that.

Mr. Gaines,

Family C's acquired
several properties

on the South Side of Chicago,
right?

Yes, of course.

[Toussaint] Well,
many of those properties

have been the target
of home invasions,

yet your company hasn't filed
a single police report

or seemed to be interested
in these incidents.

Is there a reason for that?

Detectives,

I buy property
here in Chicago,

Atlanta, Baltimore,

Raleigh-Durham area.

I buy 'em cheap
and flip 'em fast,

and most of these flips

are in poor communities,

and unfortunately,

these things are bound
to happen.

Are you familiar
with the 63rd Street Mob, sir?

♪♪♪

Come on, Detective.

You wouldn't ask the question

if you didn't already know
the answer.

I like to hear you say it.

Okay.

I'll play.

I'm a South Side native,

and, yes, I am familiar.

In my neighborhood,
you had no choice.

You didn't choose the gangs.
The gangs chose you.

- But that was a lifetime ago.
- [Cruz] Hmm.

That before the cowboy hat?

Is there anything else
I can help you with

before I return
to this grieving family?

Yes.

Is Family C using
the 63rd Street Mob

to intimidate renters
and homeowners

into abandoning
their properties

so they can buy it
and turn a profit?

That's
the most ridiculous thing

I've ever heard.

If you'll excuse me...

♪ disquieting music ♪

♪♪♪

[car engine turns over]

Mr. Gaines.

Glad you could make it.

Thank you, sir.
Appreciate it.

The new policy
has been downloaded

to the faculty website.
I suggest you all review

the information,
as it affects us all.

Go, Papa.
What are you waiting for?

Me?
It was your idea

to crash this staff meeting.

After your ra-ra speech

about clean colons and iPads.

Yeah, Papa, this is your idea.
Get in there and be Obama.

[teacher] This says we don't
get paid

if we take our sick days.

- Come on!
- No!

[Dr. Hurns]
Only if you don't use them.

- Excuse me.
- [Dr. Hurns] Now, we're

trying to find money
in the budget.

- Can I have your attention?
- [Dr. Hurns] In order to--

- [general clamor]
- No, you need to relax.

Yo!

I have something to say
on behalf of the student body.

Stanley Jackson, the right time
to address matters

is in the classroom

with your teacher.

Actually, the right time
is now, Dr. Hurns,

because the staff meetings are
where you discuss the budget,

and the budget is what
I want to talk about.

Uh, isn't this your student,

Mr. Gasca?
Can you get him, please?

No, I think
you should let him speak.

♪ percussive music ♪

♪♪♪

First off, I want to point out

that the aquarium field trip
was enlightening

and educational.
Shout-out to Mr. Gasca.

But we didn't appreciate
feeling like the poor kids.

Chance the Rapper
gave $1 million

to Chicago public schools,

so my question
for all of you is

where the money at?

[all murmuring]

'Cause we still got
raggedy books

and bologna sandwiches,

and the library
still can't afford a librarian.

So again,
where the money at?

[girls]
Yeah, where the money at?

Students should be able
to go on field trips

without having the burden
to sell 1,000 candy bars.

[girl] You tell 'em, Papa!

Papa out.

[mic drop feedback]

[general murmuring]

If you want to see
a R. Kelly wannabe,

it's this dude.
He's grooming young girls.

That's fucked up.
What you gonna do?

I'ma talk with Kiesha
over dinner

and tell her I saw Ricky
with another girl.

[Brandon] That's the worst
fucking idea ever.

How is that?

[Brandon] You're gonna tell
a woman

her man is cheating on her

over dinner?

No, I'ma tell her
her grown-ass man,

who is too grown
to be dating high school girls,

is cheating on her.

[Brandon]
Don't you know anything?

The messenger always gets shot.

Okay, so what are my options?

You know her little brother
Kevin, right?

Tell her damn mama.

And have her hate my guts
for the rest of my life?

Hell, no.
I could call the police.

That's what Sonny wanted to do.

Man, what this dude really
needs is his ass whooped

before he preys
on someone else's daughter.

I got an idea.

♪ syncopated
percussive music ♪

♪♪♪

Shit fire, boy.

♪♪♪

But, um,

that's fucked-up,
what old boy on.

I can handle it, though.

You say he drive a Beamer, huh?

- What series?
- [Emmett] Uh, a 750.

Wait--wait--wait a sec.

We not--we're not
talking about

killing nobody, are we?

No, bro,

but the point

is to send a message
to the motherfucker, right?

Yeah, a--a message,

not a murder
or any kind of funny business.

Trust me.

His ass won't be laughing

when it's all over.

It's gonna be cool, man.

Reg is fucking with you.

[Brandon] But seriously,

he just want to scare him,

so he stops messing
with these young girls.

No homicides.

I gotcha.

But in the meantime,

what do I get from you
in return?

Do I get, like, a ghetto pass

up in the joint or something?

Reg and his boys

like the word "free"--

a lot.

Oh, well, yeah.
I mean,

come in any time
I'm working here.

I got you.

[clears throat]

See?
I told you.

Being a company man
has its privileges.

It ain't even like that.

[Brandon] I'm just helping
my boy.

We'll see.

♪♪♪

I had to cash in a few favors
to get this.

Somebody went
through a lot of trouble

to keep this file closed.

Finally got it cracked.

[Toussaint] He did a stint
in Statesville back in '89.

He said he wasn't a Boy Scout.

At least he was
straight-up about that.

Gang affiliation.

63rd Street Mob,
just like he said.

Get the fuck out of here.

What?

Guess who his cellmate was
back in Statesville.

Walter Burkes,

founder of the 63rd Street Mob.

This guy?

That guy.

I told you about him
a while back.

He's in prison for 100 years.

He'll never see
the light of day.

Gang leaders are usually given
preferential treatment

when it comes
to their cellies, right?

Burkes would absolutely
sign off

on his cellmate.
It also means

Gaines had to be high-ranking.

Gaines was calling shots
for 63rd, and maybe still is.

So Lonnie Gaines really is
using the 63rd Street Mob

as muscle to take possession
of these homes.

It looks that way.

Then, if Brandon Johnson
is somehow connected

to the 63rd Street Mob,

and Otis Perry's
his money man,

employing gang members

to watch the truck

and deliver free pizzas,

then Mr. Perry's our next stop.

[siren blaring in distance]

[knocking]

Who is it?

[Brandon] Hey, Ms. Williams,

it's Brandon Johnson.

- [Nina] Brandon?
- Yes, ma'am.

- Hey.
- He's not allowed

to have visitors.

Yeah, I heard.

It's--[sighs]

He texted me
about what happened.

He did.
Well, did he tell you

he tried to sell drugs

and threw away a letter
about an offer

to go to a nice school
on the North Side?

Okay, I knew about the drugs.

Didn't know about the school.

Then you can understand
why he can't have company.

Any company.

Miss Williams, please.

Kevin came to me

after his father died,

and I just figured it'd be good

to holler at him,
man to man, you know?

He reached out to you?

Yeah.

He's been acting
so strange lately.

Well, could be girl problems,
too.

What girl?

He should probably be the one

to tell you that.
I don't--

[sighs]

Thank you.

[knock on door]

Why'd you do it?

[Kevin grunts noncommittally]

Well, we gotta figure out why,
'cause this ain't you.

[Brandon] You don't need
the money.

You got nice house,
clothes,

so why you fucking with drugs?

I don't know.

[Brandon] Stop making this shit
harder than it is, Kev.

I ain't trying to.

[Brandon] Yes, you are!
Your life is good.

Stop trying so hard
to fuck it up.

Somebody like me wish
I had it like you

when I was a kid.

Your mom told me
about the North Side school.

If I was you,
I'd think about it.

Why, though?

What's so bad about Hopkins?

I get good grades there.

Come on, Kev.

You're sitting
on a lottery ticket

and just afraid to cash it out.

You know that school got better
things to offer than Hopkins.

Yeah?

But I ain't trying to be
nobody's sellout.

♪ tranquil synth music ♪

There you go
with that bullshit.

Letting what other people say,
your boys,

affect what you do.

First you let them
pick your girl.

Then you let them
pick your school.

You probably got the weed
from Reg's little brother.

You gotta do what's right
for you.

♪♪♪

Fuck what other people think.

So I care
what other people think,

sometimes.

Look, I get it.

♪♪♪

But exploring life
outside the neighborhood

don't got to be a bad thing.

♪♪♪

Your friends, the South Side,
ain't going nowhere,

so you're not selling out
for choosing a different path.

You're selling out
if you don't.

♪♪♪

You see my ride out there?

Yeah.

Did a great job.

It looks nice.

It's getting there.

Too bad I can't drive it now.

A DUI's the end of driving
for a while.

[Tracy] It's not the end
of the world, Ronnie.

So let me know if you need
a ride to the center

or wherever sometimes.

Thanks.

Now you want to tell me
what happened?

Oh, what can I say?

I fell off the wagon.

The last time I saw you,
you seemed

to be doing so good.

Yeah, I was.

Was even dating a woman--
Jada...

...and I managed
to fuck that up, too.

Guess I was doing
all right until...

I was just struggling
to adjust,

maybe pressing too hard
with Shanté and the baby,

and she--she pushed me away.

It's not just you.

She pushed me away, too.

Said she's thinking
about moving down south

with her dad
and the rest of his family.

[Tracy]
Says she needs the support.

She has support here.

Why can't we be there
for her and Jordan?

It's not our call.
[sighs]

♪ melancholy synth music ♪

Guess you were too much
and...I was too late.

No, it's my fault.

♪♪♪

Well, you know what you need
to do to fix things, Ronnie.

♪♪♪

I ain't trying to deal
with no drama, so...

There--there was this kid,

the number-one-recruited
basketball player

in the entire country
as a sophomore.

How crazy is that?

Coaches from everywhere
wanted to bag him.

♪ melancholy music ♪

He was incredible

had an amazing life
all set in front of him.

His name was Jason.

♪♪♪

What any of this got
to do with me?

I'm a homicide detective,
Brandon.

♪♪♪

That might not mean a thing
to you,

but sometimes, there's...

...that one--that one case

or that one dead body
that makes you...

...weak.

I've had a couple of those.

♪♪♪

And you're here to tell me

that my brother
was one of them?

♪♪♪

I'm here to say...

♪♪♪

...I'm the one that told
Ronnie Davis

that Coogie was standing
over Jason's body.

♪♪♪

Jason was Ronnie's son.

♪♪♪

[Cruz] That's the truth.

I'm the one you should hate.

♪♪♪

[indistinct chatter]

[boys] Yo!

Yo, Papa, you the shit, man.

Heard Hopkins is getting
its own bus.

Yeah, man.
Calling out CPS did the trick!

The hell's going on?

You went viral!

[on phone]
♪ Where the money at ♪

What the--

♪ Where the money at,
the money at ♪

Damn, Papa.
You went viral

for real this time.

♪ Where the money at ♪

♪ W-W-Where the money at ♪

♪ tense hip-hop beat ♪

♪♪♪

Nigga, what the fuck
are you--

[Ricky] What you doing, man?

Shut the fuck up.

♪♪♪

[men grunting]

[Reg] Damn!
Damn!

You about to get knocked
the fuck out!

[Reg] Oh, my. Oh.

[Reg] See, that's what you get
for fucking around

with little girls.

No wonder that damn track team

can't win no races.

[Reg] Oh, you're gonna need to
put some cocoa butter on that.

[Reg] Hey, uh, Big Mike,
he had enough.

- Bitch!
- [Reg laughs]

Get back to the [indistinct].

- Yo' bitch ass.
- Thanks for the ride, bitch.

[tires squeal]

[laughs]

[groans]

♪♪♪

[cries]

♪♪♪

[Douda] I met Brandon Johnson
and was immediately impressed.

I saw in him
a younger version of myself.

We talked, I believed
in his vision,

and I wanted to support it.

What else can I tell you?

Brandon recently acquired
a $75,000 food truck.

That's quite an investment,
Mr. Perry.

Have you tasted
that man's tacos?

That truck'll pay for itself
in no time.

Are you protecting
that investment

with security provided
by the 63rd Street Mob?

♪ disquieting music ♪

♪♪♪

Detective Toussaint...

...Or should I call you Alice?

Toussaint is fine.

Are you really here
to insult me like that?

I certainly wouldn't want
to tarnish the reputation

of an upstanding citizen
like yourself.

Mm.

But detectives are paid
to ask questions

and good detectives ask
the tough questions.

♪♪♪

Good businessmen

don't entertain accusations

that are baseless.

♪♪♪

Are they really baseless?

♪♪♪

Toussaint.

♪♪♪

The general who led
the slave revolution

against Napoleon.

I'm not so different,
Detective.

I'm helping my people
become free.

♪♪♪

Thank you for stopping by.

I should get
back to business now.

♪ ambient music ♪

♪♪♪

[hip-hop music playing]

[Emmett] All right.
Watch your step.

[Kiesha] Okay.

♪♪♪

Okay.
Walk straight.

- Straight.
- Okay, uh,

don't make me fall.

I got you.
I'm...

Now make a left.

There.

Step a little bit
right there.

Straight.
Straight.

Slow.
Watch your step.

Here.

Oh.
Come. [laughs]

All right, sit.

♪♪♪

Voilà.

Okay, I know
this ain't your place.

Damn, Kiesha.
You could raise

your expectations.

- I am a manager now.
- Oh, okay. Sorry.

This my boy
Brandon's apartment.

Okay.
[laughs]

So are we doing dinner here?

Hi, Miss Kiesha.
I heard

a lot about you from Kevin.

[Brandon]
Tonight, you'll be dining

on citrus jerk chicken

sautéed greens

topped with sweet onions,

and crispy plantains.

You did all this for me?

I mean, yeah, I sure did.

What you want to drink?

Uh, you can run Brandon ragged.

He's, uh, our butler tonight.

Okay, I'ma ignore
his ignorant ass.

[Kiesha laughs]

[laughs]

Would you like

the peppermint lemonade

or apple spritz, Miss Kiesha?

Um, the apple spritz, please.

Coming right up.

♪♪♪

[Brandon] I'll be plating
dinner after appetizers,

and I'll leave you two to talk.

Enjoy.

My God, this is...

This is really beautiful,
Emmett.

I just...

What? What--what--what?
What's wrong?

- You allergic to jerk?
- No. I--

Look, it's just not fair,
me accepting

gifts like this from you.

I'm not over the guy
I was dating.

"Was" dating?

Yeah.

We broke up.

He's just going through a lot.
Somebody beat him up

and stole his car.

♪♪♪

Damn, that's--

that's messed up.

You okay?

Yeah, I will be.
I mean, I guess it worked out,

'cause I didn't know
you was doing all this for me.

[Kiesha laughs]

That's right.
It's his loss,

whoever he is.

♪♪♪

Okay, so what was so important
you had to go through

all of this just to tell me?

[Emmett] You know what?
I--

I honestly--

I just missed my friend.

You deserve to be treated
like a lady.

It's long overdue.

♪♪♪

♪ grave music ♪

♪♪♪

Okay, we're gonna
get started now.

♪♪♪

You look like a new face.

Welcome.

♪♪♪

Thanks.

[sponsor] You ready
to come on in,

or you need some time?

♪♪♪

You come in
when you're ready, okay?

♪♪♪

[sponsor] Okay, welcome.

This is the regular meeting
of the South Side group

of Alcoholics Anonymous.

My name is Jeff and...
[continues indistinctly]

♪♪♪

Man, I can't thank you
enough, bro.

Like, tonight was great,

and it sounds like it's a wrap
on Pedo-Ricky.

[laughs]

All good, dog.
Just glad I could help.

Yeah, well, enough about me
and Kiesh.

How you and Jerrika?

What's up
with these wedding plans?

[Brandon] Oh, we doing
the damn thing,

although my girl's never home
these days.

She's volunteering
for some dude

running for alderman.

Supposed to be like
the new Barack.

Well, you better hope
he ain't Barack-ing your woman.

You know how these chicks
be turned up over Obama.

[laughs]

No, me and J good, dog.

♪♪♪

All right, man.

I'm up out of here.
All right?

[Brandon] Hey, um,

I wanted to ask you something.
It's kind of serious.

Sure.
What's up?

I always thought Coogie
would be around forever,

and since my cousin Hannibal

doesn't believe
in the tradition,

I was wondering if you'd be
my best man.

[scoffs]
So I'm, like,

your fallback plan?
Like...

I mean, no.
It ain't like that.

- It's...
- [laughs] No,

I'm just fucking with you.

[both laugh]

Man, I'd be honored

to be your best man.
What?

- Come here.
- Thank you.

Sure.

But you know what this means.

What?

Bachelor party.

[barks]

[both scatting]

♪♪♪

[laughter]

Ah!
[laughs]

♪♪♪

Seriously...

You wanted to see me, Sarge?

What?

We need to talk to you.

Okay.

We got a call from Juvie.

[Cruz] It's your son.

He's been attacked.

♪ desolate music ♪

♪♪♪

Oh, hey, Tiff.
What up?

Guess you got my text.

Boom!
How you like that?

I got that healthcare swag.

Now you can get EJ's teeth
checked whenever you want.

- Thanks.
- Well, not as much

as you want,
'cause them deductibles

ain't nothing to fuck with,

but you get what I'm saying.

All y'all baby mamas
been riding me

for child support,
so don't be so overjoyed.

Whoa, Tiff, w-what's wrong?

I'm late, Emmett.

I'm pregnant.

♪ desolate music ♪

♪♪♪

[school bell rings]

[girl] Twinsies! I know, right?
They jealous.

Hey, Papa.

Damn, Papa!

- You a celebrity now.
- He been getting that all day.

It's a gift and a curse.
I'm trying to be selective.

[scoffs]

[girl] Hey, Papa.

Wanna get pizza with me
after school?

Shoot, I'm down,

but only if my boys

can roll with your girls.

Jake is cool,
but ain't nobody

trying to get beat down

messing with Maisha's man.

I ain't Maisha's man.

What--what the hell

you talking about?

Don't be coming at me
all crazy.

Everybody saw y'all kiss
at her party.

What the fuck?
What party?

Forget the party.
What kiss?

I--

So Kev is creeping around
with Maisha?

[Jake] Damn!

Ain't nobody creeping around
with Maisha.

Listen, private parties?

Public displays of affection?
Oh, you creeping.

They gonna be wearing
matching outfits next.

He probably sending her
love poems and heart emojis.

Man, fuck both y'all!

Look, don't be mad, Kev.
Look at the bright side.

You get a girlfriend
and a bodyguard in one.

- That's one-stop shopping!
- [laughs]

Look, I kissed her

but I only did it

'cause I felt sorry for her.

♪ Denzel Curry's
"TABOO/TA13OO" playing ♪

Yo, Kev.

Maisha, look,
I didn't mean--

♪♪♪

♪ Denny Cascade ♪

♪♪♪

♪ Denny Cascade ♪

♪♪♪

♪ Denny Cascade ♪

♪♪♪

♪ Yeah, yeah ♪

♪♪♪

♪ Welcome to the darker side
of taboo ♪

♪ All I got is permanent scars
and tattoos ♪

♪ Take another step
in the path that you choose ♪

♪ Make a bad choice
in your path then you lose ♪

♪ Welcome to the darker side
of taboo ♪

♪ All I got is permanent scars
and tattoos ♪

♪ Take another step
in your path that you choose ♪

♪ Make a bad choice
in your path then you lose ♪

[typewriter clacking,
bell dings]