Original subtitles

I'm keeping my seat in Congress!

[cheering]

So, she's pregnant.

This is... such an unexpected gift.

I want absolutely nothing to do with Hayley,

her pregnancy, or that child.

Hayley knows your secret,

and she was threatening to expose you.

We've protected you before. We will continue

to do so as a family.

I wanted those women to have their moment.

One more time, please, Devon.

And I gave it to 'em

and I'm glad that I did.

You are absolutely right, Devon.

Over the past year, Tracy and Sharon have seen firsthand

how the Articulettes' fan base has grown.

And now, with the recording of "Shine Together,"

complete with Barbara's vocals,

the fans are buzzing with anticipation.

Oh, oh, oh, that sounds great.

Uh, okay, I will have my publicist

reach out to your team to coordinate.

Thanks for the update.

Okay, talk soon. Bye.

News about the recording?

Apparently, the folks at Devon's label,

his heads of marketing, PR,

and social media want to start generating excitement

around the launch of the new single.

Oh, I'm not surprised.

I'm just so happy that, finally,

I can right an egregious wrong,

and the world will hear Barbara's beautiful voice.

What are we in the mood for?

Rom-com or reality show guilty pleasure?

I don't know about you both, but I could go for some

RuPaul's Drag Racebinging.

Are we really gonna sit here eating popcorn

and watching TV while Dad's life is being turned upside down?

♪ ♪

Vernon Dupree, you did not have Rowena stay late

to make my favorite dessert.

Well, she said she didn't mind.

She said she loves to see our faces

when we take our first bite of her cobbler.

I told her, please, don't stay for that.

[both chuckling]

Mmm! Mmm.

You know,

I remember how much Bill loved this dessert.

And how Dani would get on his case 'cause

he would go back for seconds. [laughs]

-Simpler times. -Yes.

Before that wicked Hayley came into our lives.

♪ ♪

[sighs]

This whole incident with Kalista has helped me

to remember how tired I am of revisiting our past.

The same recriminations, endless apologies.

It's exhausting.

And it harms my happiness.

It's not like I woke up

and suddenly stopped caring about you.

I could never.

But I am putting my energy into

creating the best possible future for myself.

Which means looking 100% forward.

To hell with it.

[line ringing]

I really need you right now. Can you come by?

I thought we agreed to make this a Hayley-Free Zone tonight.

I'm not the one who needs reminding.

Chelsea is the Hamilton sibling

who can't resist making everything about herself.

What a hurtful thing to say.

You want to talk hurtful, Mom?

How about my sister putting my husband on blast

in front of the entire family at the grands' the other night?

How could you do that to Jacob and to me?

Just when I thought Hayley couldn't do any more harm,

she drops this baby bombshell.

Dani and the girls need to lean on each other

at a time like this.

Yeah, well, I don't know how easy that's going to be.

You saw how upset Naomi was when Chelsea tore into Jacob

at the watch party,

blaming him for Martin almost losing the election.

Chelsea had a point.

But if you ask me,

Dani will insist that they make up immediately.

[Anita chuckles]

Our granddaughters are very adult,

very opinionated young women.

It's not like Dani can just demand

that they say "I'm sorry" and hug it out.

Well, no, but...

my money's on Dani giving it the good old college try.

Yeah, well, she'll give it some kind of try.

Yeah. Point is, that we as parents

never stop trying to make things better

-for our children. -And our grandchildren.

And our great-grandchildren.

[both chuckle]

I just wish there was a way we could snap our fingers

and make it so that Naomi never met Hayley.

Then Bill wouldn't be waiting for test results

to see if that baby Hayley's carrying

is our granddaughters' half-sibling.

Thanks for coming by. I know it's late.

An emergency call from you is rare.

I have to admit I was worried.

Yeah, I know. I'm sorry.

Is this about the deposition?

No. No, in fact, uh,

this issue isn't work-related.

Oh. Then what is it? What's wrong?

Everything.

And I have no one else to blame but myself.

Look, sis, I'm sorry.

I shouldn't have come for Jacob like that at the grands'.

No, you shouldn't have.

Naomi, your sister said she's sorry.

[scoffs] I can't just shake it off when she can't seem

to grasp what she did.

I told you that Jacob doubted

Smitty's innocence in confidence.

You had no right to confront him in front of the entire family.

[sighs]

You're right. Okay?

I-I don't know what came over me.

I do.

You're stressed. We all are.

Hayley's being pregnant has thrown our family

for yet another loop.

And I guess it was silly of me to think

that popcorn and streaming could cure what ails us.

Listen, girls,

the worst thing you could do right now

is turn against each other.

You two are sisters.

You have been there for each other your entire lives

and you will continue to be.

You cannot lose sight of that,

no matter what this paternity test reveals.

You're right, Mom.

I'm really sorry, Naomi.

To you and to Jacob.

What are you doing?

I'm texting Jacob an apology. A sincere one.

All done.

You really are the poster child for magical thinking.

What do you mean?

I mean, a couple quick apologies

and all is right in the world.

No wonder I can never stay mad at you.

-Same. -All right, you two.

You know what to do. Hug it out.

Our former son-in-law has only himself to blame

for the predicament he finds himself in.

Well, I don't disagree,

but I can't help but feel for the man.

How so?

I remember the unadulterated joy I felt

both times you told me I was going to be a father.

[laughs] And I remember how doting and supportive

you were during both my pregnancies.

[sighs]

Bill must be feeling anything but joy

at the thought of having to be

tied to Hayley for the next 18 years.

Well, I'm sure he's not too thrilled at the moment.

Yeah, Bill is probably feeling similar

to what his own father felt

when he learned that Bill's mother was pregnant with him.

[sighs] Okay, Bill, talk to me.

Mm.

Where do I even start?

[sighs] How about you think of it as a case?

Albeit the case of your life, and start at the beginning.

My beginning with Dani or with Hayley?

I'm thinking it's your second marriage

that's giving you your biggest headache at the moment.

Start there.

Hayley... Yeah.

I'm giving her her props.

She is one expert con woman.

Only she overplayed her hand this time.

What do you mean?

Well, she knew how much I wanted to have another child,

so she got pregnant.

Not alone, she didn't.

No.

[sighs] Hmm.

Whenever we talked about having a family,

I didn't realize that she never really wanted to be a mother.

She just wanted to be pregnant.

For the college fund and the insurance policy.

Yeah.

How'd I not see it? You know?

I mean, Hayley has no maternal urges.

All she has is greed.

And for her, being pregnant is just an opportunity

for a transaction, or more accurately,

an extortion.

And now, with this baby, she thinks she's got me trapped.

That would've worked back when you loved her

-and you thought she loved you. -Mm-hmm.

[sighs]

But the last thing you want

is to share a child with a woman you detest.

You're right about that.

And one thing Hayley doesn't understand is that

two people coming together making a baby

doesn't automatically turn you into a family.

Dad, Dad, I got great news. I got a scholarship.

I'm gonna play basketball.

I'm gonna get a good education, and it won't cost you a penny.

-How far away is the school? -It's pretty close actually.

I got into UDC.

Damn, I was hoping for California.

That way your old muscle-bound, bothersome ass

wouldn't be tempted to come home.

♪ ♪

You ready for me to spill some tea?

Gossip? From you?

I spied Rowena accepting a delivery

from Orphey Gene's earlier.

Stop it. No.

I'm afraid she opted for the shortcut.

[laughing]: Oh, my goodness.

If anyone can be afforded grace for needing to phone it in

every now and again, it's our long-suffering Rowena.

Yeah, speaking of suffering...

If the baby that Hayley's carrying

does turn out to be Bill's,

I hope it won't mean more heartache

for Dani and her girls.

Aren't you guys worried what'll happen if

Dad keeps refusing to have anything to do with this baby?

I said as much to your father,

but he's adamant about not being involved.

And you know how Dad gets

when he makes up his mind about something.

There's no changing it.

I understand the way he feels now,

in this particular space and time.

It hasn't been that long since he found out

his marriage to Hayley was a huge lie.

But...

I'm worried that he'll come out of this

and regret not being there for his own flesh and blood.

I'm sorry your father treated you so callously.

I got over that years ago.

I think we both know that isn't true or I wouldn't be here.

And sadly, we carry our childhood scars

into our adult lives.

More pointedly, our adult relationships.

You sound like my shrink ex-sister-in-law.

[chuckles] I may not be a psychiatrist like Nicole,

but I've got a handle on the Bill Hamilton psyche.

Do you now?

I've had to in order to do my job effectively.

Hmm. You do know me pretty well.

I guess that's why you're my personal 911.

Bill, if you're worried you're like your father,

you shouldn't be.

You may not be husband-of-the-year material,

but you've been an amazing father to Naomi and Chelsea.

Oh, yeah?

Well, if I've been such an amazing dad,

then how could I allow myself to be mixed up with Hayley?

She was Naomi's friend, Caroline.

That's what con artists do.

They gain your confidence,

they look for the weak spots, then they maneuver you.

Yeah, but I still should've seen it coming.

How?

You're an attorney, not a psychic. I was there.

I didn't exactly trust Hayley,

but I never thought she was capable of trying to murder you.

I mean, who would?

But I had a responsibility, you know?

To my family.

I may not have verbally and emotionally abused my girls

the way my dad did me, but I hurt them just the same.

I betrayed Naomi and Chelsea every time I betrayed

their mother by not keeping it in my pants.

Then Hayley...

Hayley was by far the worst betrayal of them all.

Chelsea, you are jumping the gun.

We don't even know if that baby

Hayley is carrying belongs to Dad.

I can't believe you're being so nonchalant about this.

If Dad is the father-- and admit it,

there's a good chance he is-- that baby will be our sibling.

Hayley tried to trap Dad. It didn't work.

Now, she has no reason to keep the baby.

She'll try to give it away.

Am I the only one concerned about that poor baby?

[phone buzzing]

Oh.

It's Mother.

Hello, Mother.

Hey, baby. How's it going over there?

Just peachy.

Put me on speaker.

Oh. There it goes.

ANITA: Naomi. Chelsea.

-Hey, Gran. -Hi, Gran.

Your granddad and I just wanted to check in.

Well, listen, we-we know you're all worried about Bill.

And what this baby might mean for the future,

but we want you to know that, no matter what you have to face,

your granddad and I are here to support you

every step of the way,

along with everyone else in the family.

VERNON: Absolutely.

And besides, I don't know many people

as resilient as your dad.

If anyone can find their way through this, it's Bill.

I'm not gonna stand here and deny that you made mistake

after mistake when it came to your marriage to Dani,

but I refuse to allow you to paint yourself

with the same brush as your father.

I hurt my family, Caroline.

-Just like my father hurt me. -No, Bill, you didn't.

I've seen the way you light up

whenever your daughters are around.

You adore Naomi and Chelsea.

You want to spend more time with them, as opposed to your father,

who, according to you, couldn't wait to be rid of you.

I've seen you work with Naomi.

Your biggest wish is for her to join you at the firm.

You, my friend, are nothing like your father.

Thanks for saying that.

I'm curious, though.

About what?

Your relationship with your mother growing up.

You never shared much about her or...

either of your parents before tonight.

My mother was an angel.

All right, Mom, I got to go. I'll miss the bus.

A few more minutes won't make you miss it.

I know your father would want to say goodbye.

No, he wouldn't,

and it's time we stop pretending it's otherwise.

-Bill, he just wants to... -No, Mama,

he didn't want me while you were pregnant,

and he sure as hell hasn't cared about me since.

Now, you need to watch all that cussing

in front of your mama.

You ain't too grown for me to take you over my knee.

I love you, Bill.

I know, Mama.

Look at you, my college boy.

Hey, I said I was gonna make you proud one day.

And you have, baby. You have.

But what I mean is, Mama, is there are things

that I'm trying to do.

Like, big things.

You've always been so ambitious.

Yeah, and I'm sure there are heights I could reach

without Dad holding me back.

I could soar, Mama, if it wasn't for him

pulling on my kite tail with all of his disdain and disrespect.

Promise me you'll come back and visit.

[sighs] Only if he's not around.

I never want to see him again.

Uh...

Um, after my mom and dad got married,

he dropped his courtship act.

And he very easily settled into who he really was.

Dismissive, cold, distant.

And my mother believed, like so many people do,

that having a family would

make her and my father grow closer.

She thought a child would solidify their bond.

And it did the opposite?

And then some.

You know, having a family

can bring out who you truly are.

You know, good or bad, for better or worse.

And it did that with my father.

Selfish.

Became even more selfish.

He wanted my mother to serve and devote her life to him.

And I interfered with that.

The decision to keep me cost my mother

a lot, Caroline.

It cost her a lot.

And she saw how he treated me.

She saw it, and...

She tried to make up for it. [sniffles]

Out of love and guilt.

[sighs]

But for a boy-- a man...

...to know that his father never loved him...

[sniffles]

Hey, you were right when you said I'm not over it.

Knowing your parent hated you. [sniffles]

It's not anything you ever get over.

And you know, Vernon, I may have come to you

strong and resilient,

but you helped mold our daughters as much as I did.

Hmm.

If... if they had been sons,

would you have done it any differently?

-Loved them any differently? -Hmm.

Well, I certainly wouldn't have loved them any less.

No, of course not.

But navigating this world is different for a woman,

-as you well know. -[chuckles]

So I tried to teach our girls that

men might say things to them

that they want to hear

in order to get things from them

that they might not want to give.

Oh, sage advice.

Hmm. If they'd been boys,

I would've said the same thing in reverse.

Mean what you say

and don't just say things to see what you can get.

In other words, be ethical human beings,

people whose words mean something.

-Exactly. -Mm-hmm.

Now, they...

still had to make their own mistakes

with life and love,

marriage,

parenting.

Why are you asking this?

I was just thinking about something Bill said to me

right after Naomi was born

and before we knew whether the second child

would be a boy or a girl.

-Chelsea? -Yes. He told me

that he was hoping for another girl.

That he was glad to be a girl dad

because he didn't trust himself raising a boy.

And he said he just didn't know if he could parent a boy

as well as he could parent a girl.

I never realized that.

Well, I'm just hoping that,

if this baby is Bill's,

that he'll let himself love it.

Boy or girl.

Are you saying that if Hayley's baby is yours,

you don't know if you could love it?

Hmm. How's that irony for you?

Are you sure you're not confusing your feelings

for Hayley with what you'd feel for her child?

Right now, Caroline, those feelings

are one and the same, you know?

Am I proud of it? No.

Is it the truth?

Yup. I mean,

and Hayley and everything that comes from her

is literal poison to me.

Including that child.

But...

...you wouldn't let a child of yours know

that you didn't want them, would you, Bill?

Not like your father did.

[sighs] I think having legal papers,

a matter of public record,

drawn up to relinquish my parental rights

spells out my position very clearly,

wouldn't you say?

Wait, so Dad let you deliver the papers to Hayley,

terminating his parental rights to the baby?

To be fair, I asked him to let me do it.

I wanted to throw them in her face.

I bet that felt good.

I said I wanted to.

Then, Hayley started taunting me, calling me dad's courier.

Trying to get you on the defense.

NAOMI: Mm-hmm.

She is amusing herself at all of our expenses.

Okay, that's just it. This isn't a game, you guys.

We're talking about an impressionable child.

Who isn't even born yet, Chelsea.

Well, I've read about how they can hear everything in there.

And, Mom, you've even reminisced about how you used to talk

and sing to us when you were pregnant.

That's true.

As much as I detest Hayley,

I couldn't wish harm on a child,

even if they do have the misfortune of having

that woman for a mother.

You want to know the first time I felt unconditional love

-in anybody's house? -When?

When I first set foot in the Dupree living room.

Yeah.

Yeah, I mean, that place was so...

so full of love, of family.

You know, it just washed over you in waves

the second you walked in there.

I do remember that.

I really enjoyed visiting with your in-laws over the years.

Their holiday parties were so beautiful,

and their home so welcoming.

They never made me feel like just your assistant.

Yeah. Yup.

That's who the Duprees are, you know,

they're the best people I know.

You know, I finally felt like I belonged somewhere

once I met Dani and her family.

And then, what did I do?

Took them all for granted.

-Did you, though? -Sure did. Yeah.

Every time I cheated and had you cover my tracks for me.

I have to admit, it wasn't fun having to lie

to Dani and everyone else to cover for your sins.

Especially since people thought you and I were having an affair.

Yeah. Yeah.

That wasn't fair to you.

-No. It wasn't. -[sighs]

Yeah. I apologized before, but not for the right reason.

Which is?

Well, it was never on my radar that

people assumed that we were sleeping together

or that it was a moment where I mistreated you.

You know?

It was just a classic Bill Hamilton double whammy.

Revised apology accepted.

Do you want to know what I see from my vantage point?

Sure.

That I've never witnessed you fall out of love with Dani.

Don't get me wrong,

you did stop respecting her as a wife somewhere along the line.

Uncontested. [chuckles]

And then, I did the interview with Tia

and all the mess with Kalista.

Oh, you never filled me in about that.

Kalista was Dani's first agent.

You slept with her.

Years ago, but yes, I did.

And that moment just drove home how meaningless

all my philandering was.

I mean, all those other women were just

insignificant until I met Hayley.

[scoffs] What a fool I was.

Because I actually thought she was special.

Look how that turned out.

Well, not to make excuses, Bill, but you're not the first man

who's had his head turned by a younger woman.

I gave up the one woman

who loved me and the family we made together.

[sighs] And I gave that up

for a woman who only wanted me for my money.

A woman who tried to kill me.

God.

Growing up with a father like Louis

must have made you desperate for affection.

Yeah.

Ain't that the truth.

He always... he always made me feel so damn weak.

And I needed to prove that I wasn't.

You know? I had to prove that I was big, bad Bill Hamilton,

top fixer and irresistible ladies' man.

[sighs]

Then, when I met Dani, you know,

she was the whole package.

A beautiful, accomplished woman

with a father who was everything that I didn't know how to be.

Strong, kind,

you know, commanding, yet loving.

See, that was real strength right there.

And what did I do? I didn't appreciate it.

I didn't learn anything from him.

Now, here I am, this-this big, puffed-up suit

having proved just how clueless I can be.

[sighs]

I'm giving you the rest of the night for this pity party.

You have 12 hours for your dark night of the soul.

But tomorrow morning,

I expect Bill freaking Hamilton to walk into his law firm

ready to kick ass and take names.

-Look, Caroline... -No, Bill.

If you really want to make up for all those business trips

I had to lie to Dani about, that's what you'll do.

It's time to stop wallowing

and start rebuilding your life. Clear?

Crystal.

Sweetheart, are you coming to bed?

I'll be along shortly.

A mystery you can't put down?

Toni Morrison.

Uh-oh.

You only break out Miss Morrison

when you can't get that brilliant mind of yours

to stop racing.

[chuckles] You know me too well.

This is God Help the Child.

I'm not familiar with that one.

It's about how the sufferings of childhood

can shape and distort the life of an adult.

That is one of the things I admire about you.

You always read up on something

to help comprehend the present moment.

-I suppose I do. -Mm-hmm.

You are still ruminating on how our granddaughters

might handle the situation

if Hayley is carrying Bill's baby.

My-my father would call that "chewing the cud."

Mm. That's biblical, but isn't that a Southern expression?

Ain't Chicago up South?

[both laugh]

Naomi is pragmatic and logical,

and I think she'll approach it that way.

Yeah, but she was burned pretty badly by Hayley, too.

True. True.

But her essence is levelheadedness,

and she'll be all right with whatever

her father decides about the baby.

Chelsea, on the other hand, is very emotional.

I imagine Bill's situation will

be hard for her for quite some time.

Yeah. Well, then it's a good thing

that our Chelsea has the best granddad

in the world to lean on.

We're out of popcorn, I've finished the wine,

and I don't feel any better about this.

Seriously, Chelsea, you have gotten

patented pep talks from Mom and the grands.

What more do you need to stop being

all up in your feelings about Hayley's spawn?

Don't say that.

-Say what? -"Spawn."

It's what Kat calls Eva, and it's mean.

It is. And you're right,

but you're also kind of obsessing,

so what can we do to make you stop?

[sighs] I don't know.

I-I just want to get in Dad's head.

He was an amazing father to Naomi and me.

He may not have participated in our activities

as much as we wanted, but when he promised to show up,

he did and he was fully present.

Now that I'm an adult, I can see how

challenging that might have been.

Regardless of how awful Hayley is,

Dad would be a great father to that baby, too.

Don't you guys think so?

Do you ever notice how your father

doesn't really talk much about his childhood?

I guess.

It's because he didn't have a very good one.

It did always seem like his life started at college.

Because his father was awful.

He was cruel, condescending.

He never wanted kids, and he let Bill know every chance he got.

And he raged at him for being skinny and weak.

-Dad was skinny? -Mm-hmm.

Before he started working out day and night.

But even when he became this hulking basketball phenom

and a top student, it wasn't enough for Louis.

As Bill tells it,

one day, he got tired of the abuse, and...

So, when he went away to college, he didn't look back.

That's why we never met Grandfather Hamilton.

I wouldn't have wanted you to be around

that kind of negative energy.

Did our grandfather ever try contacting Dad?

Not that I'm aware of.

But even if he did, Bill would've shut the door

in his face or slammed the phone down.

I get it now.

Dad doesn't want to have anything to do with the baby

because he's worried about history repeating itself.

He is worried that he'll resent this child

the same way his father resented him.

♪ ♪

HAYLEY: [squeals] Oh, my goodness.

I get to call this elegant house my home.

-A credit card? -Mm-hmm.

And that card has no limit.

It's good everywhere,

and you'll never have to see a statement.

Thank you.

-Thank you, thank you. -You're welcome.

A lifetime with you all to myself

-wouldn't be a hardship. -For me either.

I love being touched and held

-and kissed by you. -Yeah?

We'll always have that, with or without children.

-You were looking forward to it. -Well, yeah.

Thanks to you and what you said about a kid

being half you and half me.

I actually wanted to meet that kid.

And now that there's no baby?

I'm actually kind of sad, you know?

-So you're definitely pregnant? -Without a shadow of a doubt.

Look, I wouldn't lie about anything so personal.

I can't wait to be a father to our son or daughter.

Mm-hmm.

But if that means that we have to abstain, then...

I'll try my best to be noble.

What do you say we skip the nobility and

get right to the fun part?

-Yeah. -Yeah.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

[shouts]

[grunts]

♪ ♪

[yelling fiercely]

[sobs]

♪ ♪

Captioning sponsored by CBS

Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org