Original subtitles

- Previously on "Bel-Air"...

- Let me help you.

- Fighting? Stealing liquor? Talk to me.

- I'm not trying to spend my high school years

living in the shadows of Hilary and Carlton.

- I ain't the same man you used to know, Phil.

I wouldn't be here if I was.

- Thanks for coming through.

- My man.

- Watch out, old man.

You reach, I teach.

- I've done everything I can, Phil.

There's only one solution here.

- I'll clean your money my way.

- Happy to be in business with a man

of your caliber, Mr. Banks.

[dramatic music]

* *

[car alarm blaring]

- My protection is the only reason

you and Carlton haven't faced consequences.

You understand?

- These last few days have, unfortunately,

left me questioning your loyalties.

So I was forced to make a call

to some of my besties at the LAPD.

- We have an arrest warrant for Will Smith and Carlton Banks.

* *

- I understand that my actions have consequences.

If I could go back to that day, I would do it all differently.

I just want to show that I can learn from my mistakes

and move forward in a healthy way

as an upstanding citizen.

Thank you for your time, Your Honor.

- Mr. Smith.

- Uh...

Right, um...

I take full responsibility for my actions, Your Honor.

100%.

And, um,

I was just caught up in the moment and not thinking.

I want to take the right path,

and I know this is my wake-up call.

I appreciate you giving me the time

and the chance to speak, Your Honor.

And again, I really regret my actions.

- I see you have an interest in studying business in college

and that you were a basketball phenom?

- Yes, sir.

I want to combine business and sports as a career.

That's my goal.

- And young Mr. Banks, top of your class

with aims to attend an Ivy next fall?

- Yes, sir.

Princeton.

I hope.

- [sighs]

So here's my verdict.

Trust me, this was dumb.

If there was a hall of fame for bad decisions,

y'all would've made the highlight reel.

* *

But you won't be serving jail time.

- [exhales] Thank God.

- Don't start celebrating just yet.

I'm assigning you to a youth diversion program

called Promising Choices.

You'll be doing community service.

Driving privileges will be suspended.

You will be on time,

you will participate,

and you will finish it.

If you mess this up, you'll be standing here again,

and next time, I won't be so nice.

[gavel bangs]

- Thank you, Dad.

- Defendants Banks and Smith are remanded to their guardians

and are free to leave.

* *

- Wait, where's Mom?

- Uh, she wasn't feeling too well.

- OK.

* *

- Hey, Lou.

Didn't know you were coming.

- Yeah, neither did I,

until your mama called me.

- Yeah, I know I let her down.

- She'll be glad that you're not going to see

the inside of a cell.

I never want that for you.

Ever.

- Look, I'm--

[sighs] Sorry about all this.

- You ain't got to apologize to me.

Remember, I know what it's like

to have your freedom in the hands of a stranger in a robe.

That's punishment enough, ain't it?

- Yeah.

- Hey, keep your head up as you walk out of here.

Don't give him your dignity.

I'm going to let you get to it, all right?

- Hey, Lou.

What are you doing for Thanksgiving?

[Easy McCoy's "Deja Vu"]

* *

- * It's like déjà vu *

* I see it all the time *

* *

* Yeah *

[mellow music]

- You excited to spend the holiday with Lou?

- Oh, yeah.

We haven't been able to hang out much since he moved here.

Hey, my mom was right sending him to that courtroom.

He is exactly the person I need to be talking to right now.

Oh, uh, do you still have those courtside seats?

I'm thinking maybe I could take Lou to a Lakers game sometime.

- Sure, sure. Yeah.

You know I'm-- I'm here to help you through this, too?

We all are.

- Thank you.

Look, uh,

I'm sorry that it got this far.

I mean, Geoffrey said he would take care of it, but...

- [sighs]

You know, from now on, why don't you rely on me?

That's best right now.

- Yeah. Got it.

[chuckles]

I'll see you downstairs. - OK.

* *

- I know, I know.

I really wanted to be there,

but all the flights out of Costa Rica are grounded.

I'm sorry.

- No, no, no, just be safe.

We love you.

- I love you, too.

[phone chimes and clicks]

- No Hil?

That's a first. - I know.

I'm going to miss her so much.

And she's the one who usually does the menu, preps the food.

Oh, and she does all the cooking.

- Uh, Dad mentioned that

you weren't at the courthouse yesterday

because you weren't feeling well?

- I wasn't sick.

I just couldn't stand to see my son

and my nephew throw their futures away.

- Mom.

I know we disappointed you.

But with the Promising Choices program,

it actually kind of turned out OK.

- This time!

It doesn't matter.

Y'all are going to be leaving the house soon.

You're going to have to learn these life lessons

on your own now.

- Dad said Hilary might not make it to Thanksgiving.

- Yep, that's what it seems.

- Well, is there something we can do?

- Yes.

Do better.

Both of you.

- What did I do? - What?

You're Little Miss Having Fights in the School Hallways,

you're stealing alcohol from the house,

you're rolling your eyes, and you're talking back.

- Oh, my God, that was weeks ago.

How much longer are we going to keep talking about this?

- Oh.

I'm done.

- Ash.

Ash.

Hey.

Hil's stuck in Costa Rica, all right?

And Mom clearly needs our help.

And you heard her. You've been an awful daughter.

- Mostly, I heard you've been a terrible son.

- [mutters] Let's not point any fingers.

We know Mom doesn't really thrive in the kitchen,

so why don't we chip in?

- Pass. - Hey.

Hey, come on.

We already have all the groceries.

We can make this a memorable Thanksgiving for Mom.

- Ugh.

* *

- OK, let's go.

All right, you're in charge of candied yams.

- Easy. - And Ash--

- Easy. - You can do, stuffing, right?

- Stuffing?

- So,

seems like Carlton has rallied the troops.

- Yeah, he's really taking charge this year.

He even got Ashley to come out of her bedroom.

- Good. They should all be helping.

They know they're in the doghouse.

- Yeah.

And I was in a funk too, but you know what?

Today is a day to be thankful.

So I meditated. - Hmm.

- And I am choosing joy.

- Hmm.

- God knows this baby could use some positive energy.

- Good.

- How do you feel about Lou coming to dinner?

I know he's not your favorite person.

- Uh-uh, don't project that onto me.

It's you and Lou with the history.

- Will thinks that Lou can relate to him more than me,

I guess.

- I mean, he does have a point.

- Look, all that matters

is today is a day for family.

Mm-hmm?

All right, let's just focus on that.

- Mm.

- Joy.

- Joy.

[smooching]

[indistinct chatter]

- Hey.

Biggest bird at the market.

- That's what I'm talking about.

Thanks.

You sticking around?

- Unfortunately, I've got to miss dinner.

Duty calls.

Nothing for you to worry about.

Our business starts after the holiday, yeah?

- Do you.

Turkey flying in. - Here comes the bird.

- All right, well, this dinner

isn't going to cook itself, so come on, family.

Chop, chop. - Yes, chef!

- Will, catch. - I'm making the potato salad.

[soft dramatic music]

* *

- Old Hillside Select.

Neat.

Keep it open. - You got it.

[bassy hip-hop music]

* *

- I'll take your well bourbon,

preferably in a dirty glass.

- A dirty glass?

- Bourbon is an experience, brother.

I'm in a dive bar...

[chuckles] Had a long-ass day.

And DC hawk is out.

- Shitty-bourbon, dirty-glass kind of day, innit?

- [laughs] - Here you go, sir.

- I'll take one for him, too.

Put it on my tab. - You got it.

* *

Here you go.

- To pricey bourbon

and clean glasses one day.

[glasses clink]

* *

- [grunts] Shit.

That tastes like--

- Like the struggle for freedom.

[both chuckle]

- On a dirty glass. That's some American shit, huh?

- Hey. - Yeah, nah.

- I'll school you. - You Americans, man.

- I'll school you.

[laughter]

- I'm Phil.

- Geoffrey.

- It's good to meet you.

- You too, bro. I got the next one.

- Yes, you do. [laughter]

- Will, how are these yams coming?

- I already told you, real yams don't need marshmallows.

Get them away from me. - Where is the Lawry's ?

- Here you go, Mom.

[Marvin Gaye's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" plays]

all: Oh. - Mom, you love this song.

Let's send Hil some joy.

Will, take it away.

- * Listen, baby *

- Hey!

- * Ain't no mountain high *

* Ain't no valley low *

* Ain't no river wide enough, baby *

- Mom, take it away.

- * If you need me, call me *

* No matter where you are *

* No matter how far *

- * Don't worry, baby *

- * Just call my name *

* I'll be there in a hurry *

* You don't have to worry *

all: * 'Cause baby there ain't no mountain high enough *

- Come on, Ash!

all: * Ain't no valley low enough *

* Ain't no river wide enough *

* To keep me from getting to you, babe *

[laughter]

- All right, all right.

Back to dinner duty.

All right, y'all, I'm about to baste the turkey.

Stand back. - Drum roll, please.

- All right. [drumming]

- Boom. - Oh.

- What? - It's cold.

What-- - It's white.

- Wait, wait, wait. - What?

- Who turned off the oven? - Wasn't me!

- Oh, my God. That's mighty light skinned.

Wait a minute.

Baby, you adjusted the temperature,

but you didn't press start?

- Dad, you said you had the turkey.

This isn't having the turkey.

- I'm sorry, son.

- Damn, Phil.

- Hey! - Hey, oh!

Lou!

Hey. Muah.

- You made it.

- How you doing?

Yeah, man.

Thank God I brought the mac and cheese,

'cause that's some salmonella shit right there.

- Hey, what's up, Lou?

- What's going on, old man?

Look like you having some turkey problems.

- Nothing I can't fix.

Maybe we can order out.

- Well, everything's closed.

- I mean, we could just fry it. It's fast and delicious.

- You hear that? We could just fry it.

- Yeah, but we don't have a turkey fryer.

- [chuckles] You don't need one.

- [laughs] You hear that? We don't even need one.

- Look, all I need is a deep container,

some grease, and a flame.

Take about an hour, 90 minutes tops.

I'm happy to roll my sleeves up and do it for y'all.

- And we still get to be on time for dinner?

I mean, that has my vote.

- Look at Lou, saving Thanksgiving.

- Yay!

- Yeah, just walked in and already fixing Phil's mess.

[laughs]

- OK, now turn up the music.

- All right, be easy, easy, easy.

[sizzling]

Boom.

She's in there. - Like that.

[distant music playing]

* *

- I'm glad you could make it.

And this obviously means a lot to Will.

- Yeah.

Me, too.

You know, since, uh--

since Will reconnected us,

me and Vy, we could hold a conversation

without going at each other.

- Wow.

Never seen that before.

- You know them Smith girls got a temper.

She classy now, but Viv can go there, too.

- Oh, yeah.

- So anyway, she had mentioned to me what happened with Will.

And we got some concerns.

- So what, you and Vy co-parenting now?

- I mean, if Will's going to get his ass

snatched up out the streets out here,

he might as well be back in Philly.

- Well, that was an unusual situation.

- I just need to know my son is safe here.

- Something going on?

- I got a job opportunity in Philly.

I just got to figure out how to break the news to him.

* *

- Um, what?

Grandma Nita's recipe isn't even a recipe.

A pinch of cinnamon? A handful of brown sugar?

It says three scoops of flour.

Whose hand? What scoops?

This is crazy.

- I guess that separates the real cooks from us.

Oh, well. We tried.

- Ash what-- what's going on with you?

Is this, like, some emo phase?

- Could you not sound like Mom right now?

She always wants to talk. "What's going on?"

"How's your day?"

She's been on one lately.

- Well, after what she went through with me,

she's probably just scared to death

that you're headed down the same path.

- Grabbing a few bottles of champagne

doesn't mean I'm turning into a coke head.

No offense.

- Fair.

You should be judged by your own evil doings

instead of mine.

But I am on my way out.

And you're Mom's last hope.

- What do you mean?

- I mean you're the last Banks sibling left.

And you're about to be a big sister.

The big sister.

Mom's going to need you.

Most importantly, I'm going to need you

to start cutting these peaches.

Get to work, emo lady.

* *

- How many J's you got?

- Yeah, Uncle Phil gets me a new pair

for every straight-A report card I get.

- My daddy made me get a job.

I guess we was raised differently, huh?

- Nah, with Blackccess, I make my own money, too.

But ever since the arrest, our investor has been

re-evaluating, taking a little step back.

Hey, but Uncle Phil's been helping me out

with investing in stocks and keeping my money up.

- Good old Unc.

- My little library right here.

[chuckles] - Oh, yeah? What you got?

- Man, this book right here changed my life.

Uncle Phil put me on to this.

[laughs]

- "The Four Agreements."

- Yeah, it's about how to stop overthinking

and take control of your emotions.

- If you really want to learn about taking control

of your life, I need you to read

"Makes Me Wanna Holler" by Nathan McCall.

See, dude went from prison

to becoming a journalist for the "Washington Post."

- "Makes Me Wanna Holler." - "Makes Me Wanna Holler."

- OK. I'll write that down.

Sounds like exactly what I need to be reading right now.

- [sighs]

Hey, um--

- Nathan McCall.

- I wanted to holler at you about something.

- Yeah, what's up, Dad?

[phone clacking]

- Dad?

That's a first.

- Uh-- [chuckles]

Yeah, I guess it just didn't feel natural

until now.

Anyway, what's up?

- [scoffs]

You kept my MVP trophy.

- Oh, yeah, right next to mine.

- Wow. - Scored 32 points this game.

- Word. - Dropping buckets.

[laughter] - Like father, like son.

- Yeah.

We got a lot of catching up to do.

- Yeah, we do.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

- Hey, you know what we should do?

We should go get some soul food,

My Two Cents or something like that,

go to a Drew League game this summer.

Hey, I heard Lil Uzi's going to be in town.

You like concerts?

- Uh, yeah.

- Local concerts,

Lil Uzi.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah, we got to go to this. [laughs]

- OK, go. - OK, son, you ready?

Saturday mornings, everybody will stop

what you're doing to watch this.

- Uh, cartoons. - No, no.

- Solar eclipse?

- Before cell phones, before TikTok, before YouTube.

Everybody would sit around the TV and watch real talent.

Afros. Bell bottoms.

Good music. - What are--

MTV? What are you talking about?

- Think, son. More soulful.

- Ah, ah, ah, can't say soulful if the word is "Soul Train."

- That's against the Black taboo rules.

- "Soul Train," Dad? Really?

Why didn't you say the dance that mom was obsessed with?

- He's right.

It's all about the specificity, Phil.

- That's a big word for you, ain't it, Lou?

- Ooh, you're going to talk smack when you're losing.

We up. - That's all right.

Don't underestimate the power of the Smith boys.

Let's go, son. Let's get 'em.

- Let's do it. Ready?

- Go.

- Not pumpkin but-- - Sweet potato pie.

- Yes, sir. - Oh, my God.

- Big teeth and a fine-ass step daughter.

- Steve Harvey. - Yes, sir.

Gone too soon. - Tupac.

- The other one. - Biggie.

- Yes, sir. Um, uh--

"You told Harpo to beat me." - "The Color Purple."

- Yes, sir. Uh--

Red.

- Kool-Aid. - Yes.

- Time. Time.

- Damn - Whew!

- Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, that's the way to rock, son.

- Yes, sir.

- Way to go.

[laughter]

- Dinner's ready.

- Oh, thank God.

Break out the Trivial Pursuit next time.

- Ain't nobody playing no damn Trivial Pursuit.

- Go eat.

[hip-hop music]

- You mad?

- * Me, me, me, me *

- And thank you, God,

for the hands that helped prepare this good-looking meal.

- Mm-hmm.

- We're so grateful for our family gathered here today.

- Mm-hmm.

- Viv.

Ashley.

Carlton.

And Will.

- [clears throat]

- And even Lou.

In Jesus's name we pray.

- Amen--

- God, thank you for the Banks family

for opening up their home and hearts to me.

Psalms 133:1 says,

"how good and pleasant it is

when God's people live together in unity."

all: Amen.

- That's exactly what today feels like.

- Mm-hmm. - Mm-hmm.

- A true blessing. - Mm.

- Well said. - That's beautiful.

- Wow, that was the perfect prayer.

- Thank you, Lou. - That was perfect.

- And I believe Proverbs 17:17 says that

"friends love at all times,

but a brother is born for adversity."

- He's a preacher now?

- Apparently.

- So I'm thankful for Lou being here with us for the first time

despite his absence for so, so, so many years.

- [laughs]

And I am thankful to God

for allowing me the opportunity

to whoop Phil's behind in Tabu.

[laughter]

And him finally seeing me as a man worthy

of welcoming into his home after so many years.

- Dear Lord, I would be so, so grateful

when we can sit down and eat because Lord knows I'm hungry.

- Amen. Amen. - Amen.

- Amen.

- Oh, this food looks amazing.

- The mac and cheese has got my name on it.

- Everybody know that's my potato salad.

- Relax. Relax. - Hey, hey.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa. - Wow.

- You gonna get some of this.

- Hey.

I know you're probably out, but, um...

I just wanted to check in on you and Frederick.

I miss you.

[tense, somber music]

* *

Same again.

[knocking on door]

- Geoffrey.

- Thanks again for having me.

- Sure. Come on in.

- Everyone, this is Geoffrey.

- I'm Viv.

Glad you could join us for Thanksgiving.

- Thanks for having me.

Phil's told me wonderful things.

These are for you.

- Oh, thank you.

- The lavender is supposed to help soothe baby and mum.

- Oh.

- Anything for me?

- Don't be rude, Hilary. - [chuckles]

- These kids.

- I'm-- I'm so sorry...

that I didn't give you your gift first.

It's a honeybee.

It's to remind you that you're special

and to always follow your own buzz.

- [giggles] Honeybee!

I love it. Thank you.

- You're welcome.

- You like it? He gave you a honeybee?

Let me see what he got you.

- Take your jacket off. Make yourself at home.

- You want to help mommy with these flowers?

- Yeah.

[laughter]

- We had to make the moonshine in the toilet.

[laughter]

- So what was prison like, anyway?

"Love After Lockup" is my favorite show.

- OK, that's not appropriate for you to be watching.

- That inmate pen pal program, that's the real deal, though.

I had a few ladies writing me letters

and sending me pictures.

They smell all good. - OK, OK, now,

I think that's definitely inappropriate.

- Well, um, actually, while we're here

riding the elephant in the room,

I wanted to hear more about prison.

If things had gone differently with Will and I,

that could've been us.

- Mm-hmm. - Facts.

- Nothing but God's grace.

- Hey, you don't have to answer that if you don't want to.

- Nah, it's good. It's cool.

Look, man.

Prison is hard.

You know?

Somebody telling you when to get up,

when to eat, when to go outside.

But the hardest part is knowing that

you disappointed everybody that was counting on you.

That's the part that keeps you up at night.

- Yeah.

Me, too.

- I got to say, Carlton,

I'm surprised you had your boys back out there.

I didn't know you had that dog in you.

Yeah, come on, man.

I see you, boy.

[laughs]

- Yo, C's a real one.

- OK, nothing to be smiling about.

- Viv's right.

There's nothing funny about ruining your future.

[gentle hip-hop music]

- [whispers] Good job.

[laughter]

- Food's delicious, Viv.

Very kind of you to include rice and peas, Jamaican staple.

- I wanted you to feel at home.

But credit goes to Oohs & Aahs on U Street.

- That's all right.

I didn't marry Viv for her cooking.

- [chuckles] - Philip.

- How long you two been married?

- Six years.

We had Hilary when we were fresh out of undergrad.

- You have a beautiful family.

- A beautiful growing one.

Viv is due next month.

I was hoping we'd be packing up for Cali by now, but...

- Yeah?

Why California?

- Me and a few of my Harvard buddies

want to start a law firm, Black owned,

helping our people.

- So what's the hold up?

- Need the financing to buy in.

Been turned down for every loan.

- Big dreams.

That's why I married him.

- That dream will happen, Phil.

Even if it feels out of reach now, it's not a question of if,

just when.

- Oh.

Baby agrees with Geoffrey.

- Girl, I thought we had to go to the hospital tonight.

[chuckles]

- Yeah, y'all were broke.

I mean, y'all had that one bedroom in DC.

Me and Vy used to take the bus down to come visit.

- Oh, we used to have our breakfast-for-dinner nights.

[laughter]

Pancake mix was so cheap.

- I just can't believe you guys actually lived like this.

- You never heard these stories before?

- No.

- Mm, those were good times, though.

Simpler, for sure.

- You know, there's value in remembering

where you came from.

That's good lessons for these kids.

- Yeah, we built a great life.

There's lessons in the struggle.

But there's also lessons in moving on from it.

- Mm.

You know, great life or not,

both our sons were standing in front of the same judge.

- Not all of us need to get locked up

to learn a life lesson.

- Right,

because teaching life lessons only count

if you're wearing a suit.

- OK, y'all.

- And when life punches him in his mouth,

we're going to see which lessons stick.

- Oh, yeah? You think because you've been through hell

that makes you a good father?

- You think because you write a check

it makes you a better one?

- [scoffs]

- Maybe that's why my son comes to me

when he wants to hear the truth.

- [chuckles] The truth?

You can't even tell your son you're leaving.

- Leaving?

What is he talking about?

[tense music]

- I was going to tell you. - OK.

Why don't you tell me now?

- I got a--

I got a job opportunity back in Philly.

Cutting hair just ain't cutting it no more, you know?

- Yeah.

OK.

- Son.

- It's cool.

Do what you got to do.

* *

[light somber music]

* *

- Dinner was so much fun that no one even tried my cobbler.

[chuckles]

Taste test?

Yo. - It's not bad.

[laughter] That's pretty good.

You going to be on peach cobbler duty

every Thanksgiving, C.

- Oh, fuck no.

Man, this was way too labor intensive.

[laughs]

You were right about your dad having timely advice.

Hearing all about what he came through

makes me feel good about turning our situation around.

- Wow.

My dad helped you.

Don't tell Uncle Phil.

- [laughs]

Oh, having a dad is so much fun, huh?

- A bit like a roller coaster.

- Yeah.

I think...

that it's not about the ride being perfect.

Sometimes it's just about staying on.

- Yeah.

- I was going to go up and talk to him.

- He just needs a little space.

- Of course.

I-- I didn't mean to...

ruin your dinner or your holiday.

I'm sorry.

- Thank you.

- It's just that,

that Phil, man, he just--

he just got this way of crawling under my damn skin.

It's like he got this little shiv,

and he just keeps jabbing at me every chance he gets.

And I swear to God--

- Are you ever going to grow up

and take a little accountability?

- Me? For what?

- Look, you love to reminisce.

Here's what I remember.

Every time you and Vy got into it,

she came crashing on our couch, wanting to leave your ass.

But it was Phil who was there defending your choices,

telling her to give you another chance because,

even though you messed up, the one thing you got right

every single day was loving that boy up there.

Work through this shit, for Will's sake.

- There it is,

that Smith girl fire.

- [sighs]

[gentle, tense music]

* *

- Hey, son.

I know how hard you tried to make today perfect

for your Mom, and it got ruined.

But that's Lou for you,

bringing the drama wherever he goes.

- When Will first got here,

I was so jealous of the way you two had this instant bond.

- You were at each other's throats every day.

- I was competing so hard to be the better son,

kind of like how you're competing

with Lou to be the better dad.

- I guess we're cut from the same petty cloth.

- [laughs]

You told me that it wasn't a competition,

that we both have different things to offer.

And you were right.

Me and Will are better together.

[pensive piano music playing]

* *

- Let me guess.

You learned to play that in prison, too.

- You got jokes.

Actually, church.

I ain't sat at one of these things in 35 years.

- You know, Will's pretty good, too.

- Got to add that to the list of things I missed out on.

Lakers versus Celtics?

- You can take Will before you leave.

I'm not trying to replace you.

- I know, but...

y'all found your ways to connect.

Finances. Investment.

It's funny, when he was facing sentencing,

I was like, wow, OK.

Now it's my time to shine.

I felt like I would show up and, you know,

give him some street wisdom, drop some prison pearls.

Because let's face it.

What else do I have to offer him?

- A lot.

You being here,

asking me tough questions.

You did exactly what a father should,

making sure his son is safe.

And...

[sighs]

I could've done a better job.

Yeah, I feel like I--

I let him down.

And when he was leaning on you,

it kind of stung.

- [chuckles] Damn.

[laughs]

Loving somebody, man,

it can bring out the worst in you.

That's why I ain't never getting married again.

[laughter]

- I'll give you two a minute.

- Yeah.

Thank you.

[sighs]

Hey.

You know I wouldn't leave if I didn't need to.

There's just not a lot of people

hiring ex-felons these days.

- You know, we don't have to be in the same city

to keep this going.

- Boy, we ain't never going to stop this.

I promise you.

Yeah?

Come on.

- All right.

You better go make that money, then,

'cause the new Jordans is coming out,

and I'm going to be hitting you up about it.

[laughter]

- Hey, one, uh-- one last thing.

Um, I know you're still

trying to figure out this college thing.

And, uh, your mama's dead set

on not having Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv pay for it.

Now, I back her on that 1,000%.

- Yeah, it's just a lot harder than I thought it would be.

- I know you got a lot of bad feelings

toward basketball because of me.

I just want you to remember you were--

you were a hell of a prospect.

Still are.

So don't let anybody have that kind of power over your future.

- Yeah.

[scoffs] It feels like I don't have power

over anything nowadays.

- One of my coaches taught me

control your controllables.

Right?

I couldn't control my teammates

nor my opponents.

Only thing I could focus on was my game.

Focus on that,

and just let everything else go.

- Yeah.

Yeah, I like that. - All right.

Now, word on the street is, uh,

you inherited some of my musical talents.

- [laughs]

- So I want to hear you up on these keys, man.

- All right, I'll show you a little something, something.

I'll show you.

- All right, show me a little something.

- All right, watch this. Watch this.

Watch this.

Yeah.

[resonant piano music playing]

* *

[hip-hop music]

* *

- Oh.

It's been a while since you've done this.

I thought you were done cuddling up with your mommy.

- Oh, I can leave if you're going to make this a big thing.

[laughter]

I just want to say I'm sorry,

and rebel Ashley is going to chill.

- Well, definitely glad to hear that.

- And when the baby gets here, you can depend on me.

- You're going to be a great big sis, Ashley.

Oh.

- High school's hard.

I just can't find my people.

Not the queer kids.

The Black kids.

The creative kids.

I mean, besides Eli, nobody gets who I am.

Sometimes I don't even know.

- Come here.

You may have forgotten who you are,

but I haven't.

You are a brilliant,

extraordinary,

curious young lady with strong beliefs

and remarkable passions

that's just going to change the world.

You just keep doing you.

The right people, they're going to find you.

- Thanks, Mom. - Mm-hmm.

[soft music]

[muffled speech]

* *

- So the craziest shit happened.

A bank approved me

for a business loan I never applied for.

- [chuckles] Yeah.

Funny how life works.

- [scoffs]

Not going to tell me how you did it?

- I see a need, I fill it.

Just wanted to say thank you.

* *

- For what?

- I was in a bad way the other night.

My son and his mum back in London...

They mean the world to me.

But I'm never going to see them again.

- Can't even imagine.

- Life just didn't seem worth living.

Then you sat down.

Let me into your home. Meeting your family.

You saved my life, Phil.

[soft dramatic music]

* *

- So, uh,

want to tell me more about what you're running from?

- How much you want to know?

* *

[door shuts]

- You still up?

It was a good day, G.

So...

why'd you really skip out?

- Will's trauma.

The boys' arrest.

All of that's on me.

I don't deserve a seat at your table, Phil.

- Here's what I know.

Judge Miller has a reputation for harsh sentencing.

But he gave the boys a diversion program instead.

- Funny how life works.

- Yeah, funny.

You know, I was reminded of something else today, too.

You and me,

we're better together.

You'll always have a seat at our table.

[somber rhythmic music]

* *

- Remember how bad we used to pray for all of this,

how stressed we were in that tiny apartment?

Maybe it was simpler then.

- It's like we traded one kind of stress for another.

I'm sorry for this laundering mess.

I'm going to get us back to those simpler times.

I promise.

[hip-hop music]

* *

I have a plan, Viv.

I just need you to trust me.

- I'm listening.

- * I be wildin' on them, man *

* All them know what's up *

* They say money talks *

* But my money talks too much *

* Man, that boy different *

* I'm him when I wake up *

* I don't lose, boy, I don't *

* I don't lose * - I don't lose.

[heartbeat thumping]

- Control your controllables.

Focus on that.

And just let everything else go.

* *

[dramatic music]

- All right, listen up. Person you sit next to,

that's your accountability partner.

Your partner fails, you fail.

* *

- I'm not letting you drag me down,

or I can kiss Princeton goodbye.

- Only got a couple more months to get recruited.

- What about this guy? Gavin White?

- Oh, I think you just found my in.

- Let's go!

- All right, let's do it.

- Capital is the biggest roadblock.

A quarter mil to start.

- I just don't have that lying around.

- 50 million.

We'll clean the cash slow.

- Can you tell me that this is all gonna end well?

- This is my family. I'll protect them at all cost.

- We're family too.

- This will be all wrapped up real soon.

- It better be.

- We gotta go, now.

Babe, I need you to drive this car

like your life depends on it,

'cause our lives literally do.

- [screams]