Original subtitles

Doobie Doobie

This is Marsha Sanders.

Today is February 19, 1990.

I am here with my client.

Can you state your name?

My name is Leon Banning.

I'm 10 years old.

Why don't we start with why you're here?

I don't know. Why am I here?

You're here because both of your parents have passed away.

You witnessed both of their passing.

Can you tell me about that?

Well...

Um,

my stepfather, he...

I had a heart attack while he was

beating me.

Why do you make me do that to you?

Why?

I hate you.

You ain't even mine.

Please. Son.

You said it yourself.

I'm not your son.

I thought you were different.

But you're just like everybody else.

I'm sorry I had to do this.

This way you can't hurt anybody else anymore.

Oh, Tico.

Tico, buddy.

It's okay. It's okay, buddy. It's okay.

You're going to be all right.

It's all right. It's okay.

You're a good boy. You ate your supper, right?

So about 30 seconds.

You should fall out, okay? Just breathe.

Just breathe, okay? Look at me. Look at me.

Just breathe.

It's okay.

It's okay, okay?

Good boy.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

20, 19, 18. There we go.

Let it go. There we go. There we go.

There we go.

It's my family.

I'm going to miss you guys.

Why is this happening to me?

A smile for you, a smile for me.

We can be happy, a happy you, a happy me.

So you were... Going to the grocery store.

Going to the store. It was my turn to cook.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

I went upstairs and... Took up on Tina.

To ask her what she wanted from the store. Because she's so... When it comes

to her food, she's really civic.

But she told me she didn't want anything specific, but just to hurry home because

she was hungry.

Can you tell me what happened next?

When I came downstairs, I shook up on Beverly.

She was resting in her favorite chair.

And I kissed her.

I didn't know it was going to be my last time.

Mr. Hawkins, we can continue. No, no, no.

No, no, no.

I'm good.

Father,

I went to the store.

Her favorite is salmon and veggies.

And her favorite, soya.

So I got the salmon and I got the veggies. Oh, I have the receipt in my

pocket.

The salmon and veggies.

It wasn't even gone an hour.

As I came back, I saw it.

Mr. Hawkins, would you like to cool off a little bit? Let me get you some water.

Would you like some water?

Thank you. I'll get you some water.

I'm sorry for your loss.

So what do you think?

Electrical fire.

No signs of any foul play. There's no way this guy did it. I mean, you should

see him.

He's a mess.

If he did it, he deserves an Oscar for that acting job he's putting on.

The alibi adds up.

Grocery store has him on surveillance.

Well, what do we do now?

We find the bastard who did this.

You know what?

This is why it won't work.

I try my best, and all you do is complain.

Tim, you have two daughters.

All I ask is that you spend some time with them.

I work, okay?

And if I didn't do that, I wouldn't be able to provide this house, the food,

the clothes on your back.

Look, I don't need you to throw that in my face.

I can take care of myself if need be.

I don't need you for that.

Oh, yeah.

That's right.

Well, everyone ain't got daddy's money, though, Asia. Some of us have to

actually get up off our asses and work. Funny.

What isn't that supposed to mean?

It means since we got married, all you do is sit around and complain about your

life. But you ain't doing nothing to change it. All I do is sit around?

All I do is sit around?

You are the one who wanted me to be a housewife and take care of your kids.

And now it's a problem?

Everything's a problem, Major.

And that's why I'm leaving you.

I can't do this anymore.

I'm worn out from this marriage.

Who the hell is she?

There you go.

Assume it again.

Look, I'm not an idiot.

I know when I'm being replaced. Who is she?

You don't know her.

Does it matter?

And I didn't cheat.

Do you think I believed it?

It doesn't matter what you believe.

Because I... She just makes me feel special.

She makes you feel special.

Am I not good enough?

According to you, I'm the one who's not good enough.

Bye.

Can you cook something else tonight?

We literally only cook Spanish food, and we're not even Spanish.

Okay, well, when you can pay the bills and buy the food, you can choose to cook

whatever you want. Other than that, we're having Spanish food tonight.

Plus, your sister loves it.

Don't even hear all this.

She's in college.

Yeah, well, she'll be back for spring break soon.

How can you make what she likes when she gets here?

What about what I like?

Okay, Sasha, what would you like?

Um, I like hamburgers and spaghetti.

See, your taste buds is all over the place. Me and Melanie, we got the same

taste buds. You, you get your non-taste buds from your daddy.

I miss dad.

So sorry to hear that.

Um,

please pardon the interruption.

Um, I think I overheard little mama complaining about the flavor of food, if

that's the case.

Might I suggest one of these?

So sweet, so flavorful. That should take care of the issue.

I'm sorry, sir. Nobody complains about the flavor of my food. Thank you.

She did.

I'm sorry. What's your name, young lady?

Sasha. Okay.

Sasha.

Why don't you convince your mother to listen to me and have food with flavor

as opposed to...

You know, the flavorless stuff that you were complaining about. Y'all not both

getting on me about my cooking.

Now, you do this all the time. You don't even know me. You're trying it. No, I

don't know you yet.

Darnell Simpson.

Okay.

Asia.

Asia Dixon.

Asia Dixon. Asia and Sasha Dixon. What?

My last name is Joan.

Oh, Jones.

Well, excuse me, Miss Jones.

Yeah, that's her daddy's last name. They still call this a long story. Right.

Yeah. I'm hoping it's not too long to share with me a little bit later.

Later.

So what are we doing here? Are you going to listen to me, a fairly well-known

cook, or are you going to keep doing what you have always been doing that

Sasha hates?

Oh.

A very known chef.

A very known cook.

Where?

Who? Everyone who's had it. Oh, okay. But you haven't. Nope.

Had it.

So you're new here, huh?

I am. Just moved here. Nice. Oh, right. Right. I heard her say that she missed

her dad.

Yep. That's why we moved.

Oh. Yeah. Oh, good for you. You left him. All right. No.

Nope. He left us.

You know, someone younger, hotter, spicier. I don't know.

Whatever.

Younger and hotter? Younger and hotter is what he said.

I don't mean to be creepy, but I find that hard to believe.

You are one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen in my life. I don't

mean to be creepy, though.

OK, Mr. Player Player.

I sure hope there's no wife or no children that you have in your back

pocket while you're all up on me like that.

No, no, no.

I don't have either.

Like you, I moved here a while back.

My wife passed on a while, but a couple of years ago, so.

Oh, I know.

Yeah, car accident.

Time and unforeseen occurrences affect us all.

Yeah, I truly believe that also.

Yeah, it's going to keep moving forward.

Yep, sure do.

Well, Mr. Darnell, it was a pleasure meeting you.

Pleasure's all mine.

Will I see you again?

Maybe.

Take care.

Thank you. I don't trust him.

What?

Do you dance now?

With a vibe. With a vibe. It's good tonight.

I still can't believe I wasn't invited to the ceremony.

Oh, please stop it. We eloped, okay? No one was invited to leave.

Well, you got my number, and I got a car. I could have drove to wherever y

'all got eloped. Baby boy, listen, we woke up, we went to the courthouse, and

then we got married. That simple, okay?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever, man.

Wow.

Look, I'm really happy for you, sis, for real.

I mean, we all know that the first one wasn't what any of us expected, so.

Yeah, well, everything happens for a reason, right?

That's true.

That is.

Yes, God.

Oof, baby, and this is my reason right here. Uh-oh.

I want to walk in too. All right.

Brother Brad.

Yes, yes.

What's happening? You enjoy the party?

Most definitely. I was about to ask the same about you.

I'm just trying to keep your sister happy.

Full-time job. And you're doing a good job at it too, bro.

I mean, I'm happy for the both of y'all. For real.

Congrats again, man. Thanks. Thanks.

I'm glad she can make it.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, like I was telling your wife here.

Don't you start.

You better stop.

Look,

I'm still sorry I didn't get the invite.

But I get it. I get it. I get it.

I told her she could have a plus one. I don't know. I'm playing. I'm playing.

I'm playing.

For real? For real. For real.

I'm going to hold you to it. Hold me to it. Look,

I'm going to go get me another drink. Please do.

I'll watch y'all do y'all thing. I'll see you out there. Look, man.

It's cool.

Yeah. He's like one of my favorite people in the world. He's great. Oh, for

real? Not over me, though, right?

Nobody's over you. Nobody's over me. Hey, come here, big daddy.

Now, start.

Here we go.

I was able to go on break early, and I didn't want to meet your wedding. Oh,

yes, yes. And I'm, look.

Oh, my gosh. Oh,

wait. Did I say dad?

Uh-oh. I'll take it. Bring it in. Bring it in.

It's so great to finally meet you in person and not over FaceTime. I know,

right? So excited.

Your approval means a lot to me. You know, you supporting this relationship

is important to us. Yes.

Are you kidding?

My mom is so happy.

She hasn't been happy in years.

Oh. You make her happy, and, well, that makes me happy.

Okay, I guess we're all happy then. Happy, exactly.

Who's this guy?

Oh, my gosh. This is my boyfriend, Brad.

Nice to meet you guys.

Brad.

Done now.

Hey, man, look at me.

Give me your hand.

You see this, boy?

When you shake a man's hand, you look him right in the eyes.

That shows respect.

But it also shows no fear.

You don't fear any man but God, you hear me?

I hate you. I wish you were my dad.

I'm glad you don't get to kick your family.

But when you get older, you can't.

Maybe then you'll have a better life.

When you shake hands with a man, you look him in the eye. It shows respect.

I'll keep that in mind. Oh,

Dad, you don't have to be so hard on him. I like him, so you've got to like

him, too.

If the daughter likes you, then I like you.

Cool? Cool.

Let's party, y'all. Let's go.

Take that.

Good morning, baby. Hey, what a beautiful morning it is, my queen.

Yes, yes, yes. What do we owe this beautiful breakfast to? I just wanted

everything to be just right.

Oh, you know, you don't have to do all of this. She already loves you. I know

she loves me. I love her, and I love Sasha, and most importantly, I love you.

I love you, too. You do? I do.

I said, you know, I never had a family before, so I want everything to be

perfect. Well, you know, everything's not going to always be perfect. I know,

I know. But I would like to think what we have is perfect.

Oh, we do. You, me, the kids.

All right.

Okay, what are we eating? What are we having for breakfast? Okay, we got

turkey bacon over here. We got some scrambled eggs and cheese.

Yum. Oh, of course, freshly squeezed orange juice. Oh, my favorite.

And I was watching, I don't know what show it was, but... So?

No pancakes?

Oh. Do you think I will forget my favorite person's favorite breakfast

meal? Pancakes.

Bada.

For you.

Special.

Thanks, Arno. You know, you don't always have to call me Darnell.

I know. I just, um, I'm not trying to be offensive or anything, but I have a dad.

It's just a little weird. Maybe one day.

Absolutely right.

No pressure.

And maybe someday.

You're absolutely right.

You are correct.

Well, Dad, you don't got to worry about her because you got me.

There she is.

My wife, good morning.

How's y'all sleep?

Like a baby.

Thanks for letting Brad stay over. No hanky-panky while I'm around.

Yeah, I know.

Where is he, by the way?

He's asleep. He's a late sleeper. I'm the early riser. Just like me, we wake

with the sun.

We do, because we like to wake me.

And I need my beauty rest.

Oh, is that why she's so fine?

Beauty rest?

That's the secret?

Beauty rest.

I don't remember that.

You guys are too cute.

Sorry, sorry.

Let me just say something right quick.

This is the first time I've ever spent a morning with a family.

I didn't grow up with any of this, so it's... I...

I'm going to do whatever I can to be the best husband and father.

Sorry, stepfather. The best husband and stepfather that I can.

How about that?

Great. Well, I'm starving. Okay.

What was your first impression of me when we met?

To be completely honest, I was really scared. Yeah.

You handled it well, man. Thank you. You handled it well.

I want to make a good impression. Yeah, you did.

You did. And she's into you.

Yeah. She's really into you.

Cool. Yeah.

You like me, pussy?

Sorry? Huh?

What was that?

I said have you seen our little cat, Pussy?

Oh. You're not allergic, are you?

No, no, I'm not allergic to anything. Okay, good.

I actually did. I saw the cat near the pool.

It was... She was outside the pool, though, right?

Yeah. Okay.

Yeah, yeah. Not in the pool. Okay. If she was in the pool, I would have said

it. You would have said it. Okay, good. Good answer.

His

name

is Leon Banning, 47 years old, wanted in three different states for three

different murders.

Also known as Kennedy Hawkins, which is who murdered Beverly and her two kids.

The same guy that we let go.

Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico.

Three different families all murdered in the same way.

Poison. Made it look like an electrical fire.

But the autopsies all show poison.

Dead before the fires even started. Okay, blah, blah, blah.

There's a lot of information on this killer dude.

It's like a movie, right?

I mean, where can we find him? Where is he so we can lock him up where he

belongs?

Who are you?

I'm Detective John Simmons.

Rookie, probably smartest person in this room. No offense to anybody else.

That arrogance will get you nowhere in this department.

Sorry, Pops.

And where has your humbleness gotten you?

What, triple homicides?

Women and children dead by the guy you let go?

Sorry for my forwardness, but you guys are going about this the wrong way.

Okay, rookie.

So what do you suggest?

I mean, it's all in the past, right?

It goes after widowed women and children so nobody likes.

We just don't know why.

Well, if you weren't so cocky, you would know that we already understand the why.

Oh, yeah.

School remarks.

Uh, excuse me, little boy. I'm no one's mother.

Well, I mean, you look like one.

Early 40s. I mean, at least, honestly.

Isn't it your school night? Shouldn't you be in bed?

Don't you want to tuck me in? You know what?

Bite me, punk.

All right, you two, knock it off and focus.

Andrews is right.

We know that Leon's real father died in a gang shooting when Leon was only four

years old, right in front of him.

So he watched his dad die?

Mm-hmm.

Yes.

And he would have survived, but Leon was too young to die on 9-1-1.

That's something he's had to live with.

A couple of years on their own, bouncing around from homeless shelters to family

members, before Leon's mother met his stepfather, Harold James.

You're my son, not Leon.

I'll make sure you never have to worry about anything again, okay?

Okay, I won't.

Call me Dad.

Okay, Dad.

So how do we know all of this?

Well, it's all in Leon's report that the LAPD gave us.

He told all of this to his therapist, Marcia Sanders, when he was in foster

care. He was 10.

Okay, so that's where we start.

What do you mean?

With the Marcia lady. I mean, he had to...

Visitor lately, right?

That's a good idea.

Andrews, why don't you take Simmons and see what you can find?

I'm not going anywhere with this boy scout.

Look, Ma, I'll be home before sundown.

Enough, rookie.

Don't push it.

Sorry, Pops.

Leon was a quiet child.

When he came to me, he was only a boy.

a boy who had witnessed his father murdered and who murdered his own

stepfather.

He had already seen so much, even before becoming a preteen.

So he trusts you?

I mean, has he come to visit you lately?

As a matter of fact, not a visit, but a call.

He told me he was finally happy and that he had found the perfect family.

Yeah, that was three families ago.

What do you mean?

Every time he would meet someone new, he made sure to call and tell me that he

was happy and that he found the perfect family.

You see, Leon suffers from extreme trauma caused by his stepfather, which

caused him to resort to substance abuse at a very early age, which led to

schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, triggering states of psychosis.

A lot of times he would have these episodes where he would see himself

doing something violent, but it was all in his head.

Hallucinations? Yes.

And as you probably know, hallucinations are false perceptions, where you sense

an object, a person, or event, even though it's not there or hasn't even

happened.

It seems very real to you.

Sometimes you may know you're in a hallucination.

Other times, you may be sure it's for real.

For Leon, he couldn't differentiate if they were real or in his head.

The reasons for the murders.

Exactly. And the worst part is, he didn't even know what he had done

afterward.

It was like he was totally oblivious.

That would explain his performance in the interrogation room.

Like he had no idea what he'd done.

Because he didn't.

Wow, and this is all from his stepfather's abuse?

Yes.

There would be times when he would sit in my chair and just repeat, Too bad you

don't get to pick your family, but when you get older you can.

Maybe then you'll have a better life.

All he ever wanted was the perfect family, the one he never had.

And when the family he created didn't turn out to be what he wanted, well,

then he'd get rid of them.

Now, I know it's really sad for the families he's done this to, but Leon is

troubled.

He doesn't need to be locked away in some jail.

He needs help.

So then he'd call you when he's happy.

Yes, he also called every time he wasn't.

I've always tried to talk him out of it, but it just never seemed to work out.

Once his mind was set, there was nothing you could do about it.

So why didn't you ever call the authorities?

He's very smart.

Clever guy.

He never tells me where he is.

Calls from a blocked number. Stays on the phone for less than a minute.

Always just calls to tell me he's moving on.

Then hangs up.

So if he reaches out to you again, you give us a call.

Keep them on the phone as long as you can.

Alright? You're a shrink. You talk to people for a living.

Okay.

I'm really going to miss you.

I know. I'm going to miss you, too.

Are you sure you can't stay a little longer? I would, but, you know, I have a

family, too.

I promised my mother I'd spend a few of my days off with her.

You know.

My dad has to get lonely.

No, I totally understand. I get it.

What do you think about your stepdad?

He seems a little weird to me.

Really? No, he's amazing.

I think he just gets a little overprotective with his girls. That's

all. Yeah.

That's what it is. I get it.

Coming into a family of old girls must be tough.

Yeah, well, my real dad's an asshole.

He left us for his secretary, and they don't even get along.

I've had to watch my mom cry for months because of him.

But Darnell makes me really happy, so I like him.

That's a good point.

Happy wife, happy life, right?

Well, you remember that when we get married.

All right, love you, babe.

I'll call you when I get there. You better.

Love you, too.

I'm sorry.

I came out to get something to card.

Looked like I was fine on you. He seems nice.

Yeah, he is. I really like him. Yeah, yeah. You two are really cute together.

My mother and I were just talking about how I...

How great it's been to have you around.

Dang, you got to go.

I know.

I've been having a blast with you guys. Really? And just seeing you and her so

happy. Just amazing. Everything seems so perfect.

Right? Yeah, look.

It's like a perfect family.

Yeah.

We should try to do something before you leave.

Oh, no.

Uh, I'm actually terrible at planning anything, so I think I'll leave that to

you. Okay, I got you. All right. I got you. Night, Pop.

Good night.

Good night.

What's going on here?

Why'd this have to happen to me?

Sweetheart, don't worry about it. Every woman goes through this, okay?

Why'd it have to be me?

Because you are a young woman. That's why.

Mom, I'm not a young woman.

I'm only 14.

Hey. I'm barely a teenager.

Uh-oh. What war zone did I just walk into?

Call a waiter now.

Okay.

What happened? What happened?

I was just trying to period.

Shut up, Mom. You're such a bitch. I bet you might not say that word.

I bet y'all beat your ass today. You ain't that grown.

I hate all of you.

Girl.

Can I try? Yeah, please.

Stop laughing at your sister. I'm sorry.

No, but you know how serious that is. That's not nice. You went through it. I

didn't do all that. Yes, you did, baby.

You were worse.

You ever speak to your mother like that again, and I will end you.

You will not ruin my perfect family.

You will not ruin my perfect family.

I just wanted to check up on you, make sure you were okay.

If you ever need to talk, I'm here.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And what a good morning it is.

Oh, no.

I forgot she's leaving today.

I'm bummed.

I'll be back soon, though.

Oh, that's Brad.

Man, he's punctual. I like that.

Let me get the door.

Oh.

Dad. That ain't Brad.

Can I help you? Dad?

Hey, Mel. I'm here to see your mom.

Wait, dad who left you and your mama? Dad?

Look, man, I don't know you and I want no problems, okay?

Just here to see my wife.

First off, it's ex-wife, and I don't think she's expecting you.

Hey, man, like I said, I don't want no trouble.

I hear you.

Just get off the property and we won't have any trouble.

Dad. Huh?

Not you.

Melanie, don't be like that. I never did anything to you or Sasha, okay?

I'm gonna stop you right there.

Please leave or I will force you.

Okay.

Please tell your mother I stopped by.

What

did

he want?

I don't know.

He didn't really say much.

I admit, I wasn't too friendly.

Well, I'm glad you weren't. If I was you, I would have punched him right in

his neck.

I tried to be respectful, but he really took me there.

How does he know where we are? live this house is not even in my name i called

him you did what i'm sorry i called him when i first started to you know

and darn out i like you and i really appreciate what you did last night and i

know we're building or whatever but it was before that and i'm sorry but you're

just not my dad she's right and i'm not

And I need to stop pretending to be.

I need to run to the store.

Darnell, please. Just let me be, Beverly.

Who's Beverly?

Asia, I'm sorry.

We'll talk when I get back from the store.

I'll deal with you a little later.

Mom, I can stay if you need me to. Don't worry about it, baby. You can go back to

school. I can deal with Daryl and this one when I get back.

Well, where are you going? I'm going to go get my husband.

Watch your sister for me.

What? Mom, I don't need to be watched. I'm 14.

Tim. Asia.

Look, you can't just come back into my life like nothing has happened.

I made a mistake, Asia. People make mistakes. No, you didn't make a mistake.

You left me for another woman.

That was a choice.

No, I'm sorry. It was the one choice I wish I never made.

Well, you made it.

And it's too late for that now.

I'm married.

And he loves me, and he takes good care of our kids.

Apparently not good enough.

or our daughter wouldn't have reached out.

Sasha loves her dad, and I love that.

But she misses you.

I don't.

Asia, I know you're married now, but do you really love him?

He cares about me.

And he loves me.

That's not what I said.

I said, do you love him?

Timothy had no business being there in the first place and Timothy is your ex

-husband.

What do you think?

And why were they fighting?

Darnell walked in on him trying to kiss me.

They fought.

End of story.

From the looks of your ex, Timothy, who got taken off in an ambulance, it didn't

look like much of a fight to me.

More like an attack.

So... Your neighbor said you attacked the guy.

My neighbor? What neighbor?

I don't think that's important, Mr. Simpson.

Um... Okay, I didn't attack anybody.

All right, this dude forced himself on my wife, and I tried to get him off of

her, and we started fighting.

And he just ended up in the hospital?

No, we were fighting. He came at me, and I was defending myself.

I didn't mean to hurt him.

All right, I did.

I was trying to protect Asia.

You do realize that if he presses charges, Mr. Simpson, where?

not going to allow you to leave. You will be processed, and you will spend

time in jail.

Let me get this straight.

This dude is in my house, on my property, assaulting me, and I'm the one

that could possibly go to jail?

For real?

Wow.

Did you hit your wife, Mrs. Simpson?

Yes, it was an accident.

Look, I tried to break them up, but I got caught in a crossfire between two

men fighting.

I can't say it was the smartest thing, breaking up a fight.

You think?

Are you pressing charges?

Of course not.

And I'd like it if you let my husband go.

Oh, no.

We can't do that.

We will be keeping him until we can properly question Mr. Timothy Jones.

What do you mean?

Why can't you question him like he's doing us?

Timothy was severely beaten.

He has three broken ribs and a concussion. Now, I don't think he's in a

proper position to answer our questions right now.

Look, I know you don't want to press charges, but Timothy's injuries are

serious.

This was not a little squabble, Mrs. Simpson.

See?

That tempers why you're here in the first place.

What would you do, huh?

What would you do if your wife was being groped by her ex-husband?

What would you do?

Now she was being groped.

That's not the story she's telling.

Not at all.

Has Mr. Simpson ever done anything like this before?

No.

Actually, he's the calmest, most understanding man I've ever met.

This is out of character for him.

But given our circumstances, I can see why he would be so upset.

Why would you say that?

Well, I didn't kiss my ex, but I didn't exactly stop him either.

Oh, well, you got caught cheating. He lashed out and attacked Mr. Jones.

No, you're putting words in my mouth. I didn't say all that.

Look, I've given all I got. Can I go now?

Yes, you can.

But we will be keeping your husband.

Can I at least see him?

We'll see if we can arrange that.

You stay put.

You and the people are done.

Hi.

Hey.

Can we talk?

You should have thought about talking before you were kissing your ex-husband.

Darnell, don't do that.

I did not kiss him. He kissed me. Come on, what are we, in third grade?

You know, it doesn't even matter.

It doesn't even matter.

They're holding you. I know.

You can't let them.

I can't be. You know how I am. I can't. I know. I know. I know.

I mean, it could be much worse. No, no, no. I know. I know.

I know.

Will I see you at home later?

Yeah. Sure.

Asia. Yeah.

I'm sorry for...

I just saw red and I couldn't help myself.

Listen, you don't have to explain.

I'm sorry for causing you any trouble. I didn't mean to. I just miss you.

It's okay, Sauce.

I know I screwed up with your mother.

But I promise we're going to put our family back together again.

We just have to get rid of your mother's husband.

That guy's crazy.

Actually, no, no, he's a pretty cool guy.

It's just not my dad, you know?

Oh, I know.

What do you know about him, anyway?

Um, I don't know much about him other than he loves my mom and my mom loves

him, too.

Your mother's confused.

And it's all my fault that you have to deal with the guy.

If I had done things better, we'd still be a family.

Yeah.

Anyway, the past is the past.

We need to focus on the future.

Listen, why don't you and me hang out today?

I'll come pick you up this afternoon, and we can have father-daughter time.

Just you and me, like it used to be?

I would like that.

Me too.

Well, I love you, little one.

Love you too, Dad.

Shit scared me.

I'm sorry.

I hate when that happens.

Sorry.

Who was that on the phone?

Oh, um, a friend. We're going to go to the movies later. Oh, sounds like fun.

Did you end up by your mom and me?

I asked my mom.

Uh, no offense, I don't need to ask you. You're not my father.

I know I'm not your father.

But I am your mother's husband.

And that means I'm the man of the house.

And that means you better respect me.

The next time you want to do something, run it by your mother and me.

Or you won't be doing anything at all.

You understand me?

Yeah, sure.

You already have one strike.

Two more and you're out.

Got you.

Make sure you're home by dinner.

And tell your pops I said hi.

I'm so sorry.

But this is what happens when you get in the way of my perfect family.

You gots to go.

Can we talk?

Yeah.

I'm sorry.

I let my anger get the best of me, and I just couldn't see straight.

Yeah, I mean, I never should have let Timothy come that close to me in the

first place.

Do you still have feelings for him?

Honestly, Darnell, I will always.

Love just doesn't die like that.

But that's my past.

And... I love you, and that's why I

chose to marry you.

I understand.

Okay. I thought you were the one, but I guess I was wrong.

What is that supposed to mean?

Well, you just said you still had feelings for Timothy.

I mean, let me rest into this.

I don't know how I can trust you.

What do you mean? Of course you can trust me. But how do I know?

How do I know that you're not going to hurt me like everybody else?

You mean like Beverly?

Huh? Yeah.

Call me Beverly before everything happened. Who is Beverly?

I don't want to talk about her.

Well, I think I deserve to know the truth about her.

Who is Beverly?

You're right.

Beverly is, was, my ex-wife.

We met and everything was perfect.

We started dating.

She was everything I ever thought I could want.

Dry scotch, please.

Dry scotch.

It's a strong choice.

Yeah, well, if you knew the day I had, you'd be wondering why it wasn't a

double.

Talking about bad days.

I bet yours doesn't even compare to mine.

Try me.

What's that?

You tell me about your day, I'll tell you about mine, and whoever had it worst

buys the next round of drinks.

Deal.

Deal.

You go first.

So we got married.

And it wasn't until after that that she told me she had kids.

And that's when things started to get weird.

This is something you're supposed to talk about on a first date, not after

we're married.

I already told you.

Jeff lived in Europe.

He took the kids in the divorce, and I made me sign a document that I would

never come after them.

There was no reason to tell you. I was never supposed to see them again. I

know, but they're here now, aren't they? They're here right now.

How was I supposed to know that when he died, he left me with the kids?

Okay.

Okay.

We're going to get through this, all right? There's something we have to get

through. We're going to get through this. We're going to get through this

together.

Okay? All right, come here.

Are you sure, baby? Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're going to get through this

together.

Okay, I love you.

I love you, too.

Okay? Okay. Okay.

Kids?

Tina, Tico, me, Kennedy, your stepfather.

Hi.

Hello.

Hey.

It's okay.

You're going to be all right.

You're a good boy. You ate your supper, right? So, uh...

In about 30 seconds, you should fall out, okay?

There we go.

There we go. There we go. There we go.

She ended up cheating on me with my best friend.

And, uh, I was crushed.

I'm sorry to hear that.

What happened after?

I thought you were indifferent.

I divorced her.

Well, I haven't heard from her since.

Well, that's why you were so triggered by what you saw.

Sorry.

Azar, I love you so much.

If you think you're still in love with Timothy, please tell me.

I would rather end it now.

Then move forward in a lie I Just I can't I can't take pain like that

anymore. Look Donna. I can't tell you what's gonna happen in the future All I

know is that I love you and I choose you I choose us

Thank you

But that's not good enough

Are you going to give her another chance?

What are you thinking?

Oh, she is such a nice lady.

Things are going so great.

But, uh, baby girl Sasha, she just will not get on

board. If there's a way I can get rid of her, this thing could work.

Ah, listen up, both of y'all sound like two sissies. Oh, she's such a nice lady.

I don't know. Ah!

She cheated on you, homie.

We don't forgive that.

She's done.

You know what to do.

Yeah, but I'm not like you, Leon.

I don't want to hurt anyone.

Come on, will you man up?

Sometimes we got to do what we got to do.

Get ready.

You already killed Timothy.

No, no, no, no, no, no.

You killed Timothy.

I didn't have nothing to do with that.

Come on, man.

Do you guys want my advice?

No. Now, Kennedy, I'm proud of you.

You did what needed to be done. Now tell him to unbunch his panties and get to

business.

Come on.

Listen, that's not nice, okay?

I did everything I was supposed to do. I've done everything the right way.

I just don't want to hurt anybody.

We're not just going to be over. When we find the perfect family, then we can be

happy. Until then, we do what we need to do to find the perfect family.

Just like Harold said, too bad you don't get to pick your own family.

But when you're older, you can.

Maybe then you can have a better life.

I know, I know. You remind us all the time.

Well, I'm glad you remember.

Now get dressed.

Do what you got to do before they find us.

Sorry, Donnell.

That's just the way it has to be. I know, I know. I understand.

Any good luck?

Yeah.

Like, no text, no call, no nothing. Like, he just disappears.

I mean, you did technically tell him that you were still in love with your

ex. Shut up, Britt.

You talk too much. Look, I'm for real, though.

Think about it. I mean... Man, we got emotions, too.

First, Sasha bring him back into y'all lives, and then the man disrespectfully

enters your home.

He kisses you.

And look, if I was Darnell, I'd have killed both of y'all, for real.

Man.

It's all right.

Oh, my God. But what do I do now?

Do you love him?

Who, Darnell?

Yeah, silly.

I do.

He's a good man.

But?

But I'm still in love with him, baby.

You see, this is exactly why you need to be honest with yourself and be honest

with Darnell.

Look, don't go stringing this man along if you're not ready to commit.

It's not fair, Aja.

I know.

Right, well, how about I'm already married? What am I supposed to do now?

Okay, divorce them.

Look, trust me, you'll be a lot happier.

Okay.

Yeah, but, come on, Timothy was horrible. He left me for a whole other

woman. What if it doesn't work?

This is Marcia.

Hi, Marcia.

It's me.

Leon? Don't hang up, don't hang up.

How you doing?

I think I should be asking you that question.

Ah, well, you know why I'm calling you.

Come on in, Marcia.

Leon, wait.

What if things could be different this time?

Oh, yeah, yeah.

We got it.

It doesn't always have to end in blood, Leon. No, it does.

That's how it ended with Dad.

Because he died, I could live. If he were to live, then I

would die.

That's why I'm here today.

To find the perfect family.

I'm trying to find the perfect family.

You still there, Marsha?

Okay.

There's so many horrible people out there.

How many families am I going to have to go through before I find the perfect

one? I've tried to explain this to you throughout all these years.

Leon, no one is perfect.

You know, maybe this isn't about you being with Timothy, but more about

you healing before you go and jump into another relationship, trying to...

Forget about your last one.

Yeah.

I'm going to talk to Darnell.

You can reach him.

All right, all right, all right. For real, sis. Seriously, talk to him. Be

honest. I mean, he a good dude.

He deserves that at least.

I'm tired, Marsha.

And honestly, seriously,

I don't want to do this anymore.

I just wanted to be happy and I thought finding my perfect family would make me

happy, but I'm still not happy.

I guess it's just not in the cards for me.

Happiness is not perfection, Leon.

I didn't get to make choices.

I didn't get to choose to be born.

I didn't get to choose my parents or my dad, and I didn't get to choose to be

abused.

So, so can we trace it?

Almost got it.

Ten more seconds.

I gotta do this.

I gotta do this, Marsha, because...

I know you're not going to agree, but I got to do it because it's... I got to

do this because it's my purpose.

People that do what Asians did don't deserve to live.

You can't go around just hurting people for no reason. It's selfish.

It's selfish.

Calm down, Leon. It's going to be okay.

She was selfish.

Sam. Wait, what?

He's in a motel in Cedar Creek that's an hour and a half away.

Looks like we got a road trip.

Thank you, Marcia.

You were the only one I could trust.

And I'll always be there for you whenever you need me.

Like now, you need help.

Let me help you.

No, that's okay, Marcia.

You can't help me.

You can't help me, Marcia.

Bye.

You did great, Ms. Sanders.

Andrews and Simmons are on their way to get him now.

Thank you.

What's going to happen to him?

This is a very dangerous man, Ms. Sanders.

We have to expect the worst.

Hey, Mom.

And Uncle Brett. Hey, baby. Hey.

What's up? Have you heard from my dad?

No. I don't hear from your dad ever.

Well, it's just weird because we made plans to hang out today.

Well, I'm not surprised your father never keeps his promise with his baby

girl. Yeah, but this was different. We made plans. Dad never makes plans.

Well, maybe he just forgot.

Well, no. He said he was on his way. He just stopped answering his phone.

Do you want me to call him? I've tried a million times. I've called. I've texted.

I even told Mel to call him. And nothing. He just ghosted us.

Baby girl, your daddy is dealing with a lot right now.

He might have had good intentions, but the truth is your daddy is selfish.

Okay? Get it?

He probably just made other plans and just didn't have the heart to tell you.

Whatever.

Whatever. Ooh.

Sasha is feisty.

And she's my mom.

You got your hands full.

And, dude, I mean, she caused all of this in the first place.

Like, that man coming to my house, like, is she serious? Was she thinking?

I mean, she's a teenager. She definitely wasn't thinking.

And wasn't.

For real.

Wow. Oh, my God. You want some more wine?

Actually, I'm cool. I have an early appointment that I cannot cancel

tomorrow. So, yeah,

can't cancel tomorrow.

Well, you know my ex-husband and my husband is missing, so you're the only

person I got to talk to.

Will you call me again?

I will. Bring it on.

Everything gonna be all right, sis. I promise.

Okay, love you, bro. Love you, too, sis. See ya.

Okay, bye. Bye-bye.

Hey, man.

Didn't mean to scare you.

All good, man.

She's just been tripping all day since you left.

I want to talk to her.

She needs you, man.

Will do.

Hey. So, uh... I've been thinking about things.

Yeah?

Me too.

Okay, well, you first.

No, you go first.

Okay, um... So, before I met you, my life... was a wreck.

But after I met you...

My life started getting a lot better, and I just don't want to give

that up.

Me either.

I love you a lot, and you're so good with the girls.

I don't want that to go away either.

But...

I think we rushed into this marriage.

I really, really love you. I do.

But I still have feelings for Timothy.

And I have a lot of emotions that I need to work through in order for me to love

you the way that you deserve.

So what do you say?

I'm saying I think we need to take a break.

So you want a divorce?

No. No, I don't want a divorce.

I think we need to take a break.

You know what?

It's the most honest that anyone's ever been with me.

So I can appreciate that.

You know what?

What? Why don't we have one last farewell family dinner?

Yeah? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Okay. I'll throw down for old time's sake and, you know, have the whole

family there, Mel, Sasha, and we can just try to celebrate

what we had.

Have a good time.

Yeah, that's cool. Are you sure?

Yeah, we'll have a time that we will never forget.

You're not mad at me? No, no, no.

It's all good.

I mean, like you said, nothing's perfect, right?

How can I help you guys?

I'm Detective John Simmons.

I'm Detective Andrews. Nice to meet you. How can I help you? Is there a Darnell

Simpson staying here?

Yes, there is, actually.

Do you see anything strange?

Nothing too terribly strange. He came in about three or four hours ago, paid all

cash for his room, and went in there for a while, came back out. He hasn't even

checked out yet.

We need access to that room, sir.

Oh, man, I cannot give you access to that room.

It's against our policy.

If you guys bring me a warrant, I can let you in.

Look, I appreciate that you take your job so seriously, but I can arrest you

and you can spend your time in the cell, or you can let us in that room and get

back to your lovely minimum wage job that you care so much about. All right,

look. Room service cleaned his room earlier, and they found this.

I thought you said he didn't check out.

I don't know if this guy is getting floppier if he wants us to find him.

He's way too smart. There's got to be a reason why he left it behind.

Plus, we don't know who this woman is. It could take days to find her.

Let's start now. I want facial recognition on her right now. Let's go.

There you go.

Bad time of the year again, huh?

The cheese traps, they're just not doing their thing.

I'm so embarrassed having a rat problem. I promise you I'm clean.

It's the area.

We all got them.

Around this time of year, it gets worse.

Really? I don't have time to take care of them myself, so I just call my

brother Gus. Yeah.

He's an exterminator.

I can give you his number if you want.

Oh, no, thank you. I'm kind of a do-it-yourself type of guy.

I'm not mad at that. Would you like a receipt?

No, I'm good.

All right.

Thank you. Well, I hope it worked out for you. Appreciate that.

Hey.

Hey, hey, hey.

The bride!

Uh-oh.

What's going on here? Hey, I wanted to bring Brad with me. I thought we said it

would just be family.

Brad's family.

Okay. All right, come on in. All right. There's more than enough to go around.

Thank you.

Where do you see what I prepared for y'all?

Wow. It is to die for.

It smells amazing.

What do you take there?

Where's mom?

Oh, Sasha and she, they went to the grocery store to get some last minute

ingredients. They'll be back.

Have a seat, y'all. All right.

Actually, I'm going to go to the restroom.

OK. I'll be back.

OK. Big bread.

Sir, I'm really sorry, Mr.

Simpson. I don't mean to impose. I just thought, you know, it would be okay if I

joined. Yeah, you did. He didn't mean to impose.

I mean, you invited yourself, but it's all good.

We got plenty of food here. Actually, can you help me with the wood for the

fire thing? Yeah. All right, cool.

Let's use those muscles. Follow me, young man.

Come on now. Yep.

I appreciate this. Oh, of course. I mean, tweak my back.

Doing all this shopping.

Just maybe it's right over there by the set. Just two or three.

Okay. Two or three guys here.

Right by the set.

Maybe get one more?

Yep.

Grab a couple extra?

Here. There we go. Thank you. Hey!

I never liked you anyway.

This is... Hey.

Hey.

Where's Brad?

Yeah, it was strange. He ran out of here. He was in a rush. Some family

emergency with his mother.

I guess he said he would call you back.

Yeah. Um... Uh, okay. Well, that would make sense if his mother was still

alive.

Um... Huh.

I don't know why he would... Why he would lie to me.

All I know is he ran out of here. He was in a rush.

Yeah.

Quick, fast.

Okay.

That's not really like Brad to just leave and not say anything. Yeah, well,

you were in the bathroom, so he said he couldn't wait.

That's weird. Yeah, that is weird.

Hey,

just in time.

I wouldn't break. We'll call you soon.

All right.

All right. Have a seat.

Darnell, I sure hope this tastes as good as it looks.

I'm sure it does.

Ooh, this reminds me of when we first met.

You remember? I do, I do. Little mama was making fun of your cooking.

You remember that, Sasha?

Um, yeah.

Whatever. Can I go to my room now?

No! Sit your ass down!

This is family dinner!

Sit down so we can be like a family. I'm sick of your goddamn attitude, you

little asshole.

I don't know who you think you're talking to. You ain't my daddy.

Yeah, sure. I guess your mom can call you when dinner's ready.

OK.

Darrell, you have really outdone yourself. This looks amazing. I can't

believe you did all of this. Oh, it was nothing. It was nothing. I just thought

it was important to have one last meal.

Before I left.

What do you mean, before you left?

Oh, your mother didn't tell you?

No. What's going on? Do you want to know?

Darnell and I decided that we're going to take a break.

Yeah. You know, just given all the things that transpired between us, like,

we just thought it would be the best of all of us.

Oh, my gosh, that's so sad. Why didn't you tell me? We didn't want to include

you guys in all of our drama, right?

Yeah. Yes, well said.

But no, it's all good.

I'm just grateful to have this one last family farewell dinner, so.

Wow. I don't really know what to say.

Well, Dad, you're always good in my books.

Well, I appreciate that, Suda.

Okay, let's stop all of this sappy stuff.

It's time to eat. What have we got? Okay, we got lamb chops.

Mel's favorite.

I know you love the crab mac and cheese. That's for you. And even though Sasha

hates me, I prepared some beef for her.

Yeah. You didn't have to do all of this.

Actually, I did.

Okay. We got a match. Her name is Asia Dixon. Her registered address is 5526

Porter Street.

How far is that from here? 20 minutes. All right, let's go.

No, we're good. Thank you.

Dad,

where are you? I've been calling and texting for the past day.

Are you okay?

Call me back.

Hey, Sasha, what's up?

Hey, Uncle Brad.

Can you please do me a favor?

Depends on the favor.

Could you drop by his house and check on him?

I just want to make sure he's okay.

Uh, you know what?

Uh, you might have the perfect timing because I'm, like, about five minutes

from there.

Thank you.

You got it, kid.

Okay.

Dinner is...

Ready. Sasha!

Time for dinner.

There she is.

Yo, Tim.

Yo, Tim, it's me, bro.

Yo, Tim.

Hey, yo, Tim.

Tim, Tim.

I have prepared three very special dishes for my three special ladies.

Oh, thank you so much, Tim.

Thanks, Dad.

Thank you.

That's still turned on.

At least it's not in bed, huh?

Can I help you? Hi, I'm Detective Andrews, and this is Detective Simmons.

We're looking for Asia Dixon.

Does she live here?

No, she moved a few months ago.

Do you have a phone number or a forwarding address?

No, I'm sorry.

Okay. Thank you, ma'am.

Well, that was a dead end. Yeah, we got the name from the dress.

Yeah. Well, we can head back to the station and keep looking. We're close.

John.

Really? Oh, on the way. What happened?

Apparently, the ex-husband of our Asia Dixon was found dead.

Get this. Her brother found him.

Bingo. We got him.

Before we eat, can I just say something real quick?

Okay, I've had an amazing time with you three.

You might not know this, but I've never had a real family of my own.

So for the past years, I've been trying to create my own perfect version of a

family. But through Asia and y'all, she's taught me that sometimes things

don't happen the way they're supposed to, and that's okay.

You can still have love and family.

Even if it's not perfect.

So thank you.

No.

All right. Let's eat.

Let's eat.

Okay.

Hey,

Brett. Hey, Asian.

Come on. Tim is dead.

What? And Sasha told me to come check on him, so I did.

Look, I found him with a broken neck. No.

Asian, what's going on? No.

Yeah.

What? What's wrong with Dad? Is he okay?

No,

he's gone.

What are you talking about?

No. What are you talking about?

What do you mean?

No, Dad.

Hold, wait.

Let's just, okay, let's just eat. Can we eat?

I told you he should have killed them all. Shut up, Leon.

I got this.

Okay. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Darnell, boo.

is Leon.

Shut up, Aza.

I hate how you're always questioning me.

You cheated on me. Did you think you could get away with that?

Did you think you could get away with cheating on me?

Donald, stop it. You're scaring me.

Who's done now?

Forgotten. This is so confusing.

It's so confusing.

You, pretty boy.

I don't know what's going on. It's not a joke. It's not a joke.

This is not a joke. You're scaring us. Look, I tried.

I tried to be the perfect husband. I tried to be the perfect father.

But your slutty mother had to go and kiss her ex-husband.

I want to die. So I had to take care of him. You killed our father.

I did, and I killed... I'm sorry, but I killed you with a boyfriend, too. No!

They were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

You know what happens to people who get in the way, right?

They die!

Melanie, call the police!

Brad Dixon?

How can I help you?

Your sister's Asia Dixon, correct?

Yeah. Why? She's in trouble.

We need you to take us to her now. What do you mean she's in trouble? She's a

man who killed several people, and we don't want her to be next. I mean, we

can give you more explanation, or you can go save your sister. Your choice.

Look, I need to know what's going on. 911 call from a 1907 Bruce Street.

Female reported a crazy man trying to kill her mother.

This is Asia's house.

See, I tried to tell you. What's going on?

I got kids for sale.

Mel, come on, come on out.

I don't even want to do this. You're my favorite. Listen, you are my favorite

daughter of everybody.

Because, uh, Roxy treated me like a father.

A real father, and I appreciated that.

Not like Sasha.

What's a bitch she wouldn't come around I tried I tried but I

had to

Stop it. Stop.

Stop.

He's on foot. He's not in the house, apparently.

We have to go. Let's go.

Handle this.

I'm Detective John Simmons. This is Detective Andrew. So you say you shot

him? Yes.

And are you sure he's dead?

I don't know.

It was a lot of blood, and I assumed that he was dead.

But you didn't check to see?

No.

I got my girls and I got the hell out of there.

I'm sorry if my initial reaction wasn't to check on the man that I shot to make

sure he was dead.

It's so good. It's just we checked the entire house and we didn't find him.

What does that mean?

That means we're going to do everything in our power to find this monster before

he hurts anyone else.

It's all right. Pizza would have been better. Hey, be nice to your father.

Dead father.

He's not my dad.

I'm so sorry, Javon.

You know, teenage boys, the food is perfect.

It's okay, Linda.

But no good thing is perfect, you know.

Eat up.

On a time like this When the rain goes away

The sun comes out Shines down on me To be happy

A smile for you A smile for me

We can be happy A happy you

A happy me We can be happy

sun comes out, shines down on me.

To be happy, a smile for you, a smile for me.

We can be happy, a happy you, a happy me.

We can be happy.