Original subtitles

Everyone loves summer.

It's when the whole family gets to travel, see concerts,

and take in the wonders of the world.

And 2020 was the greatest summer of the Johnsons' lives.

I'm playing.

You know we haven't done a damn thing since corona hit.

The virus literally said,

"Y'all better stay your Black ass inside

before I whoop y'all ass."

And we did.

Coming into the year, I didn't think

some virus half a world away was gonna be a big deal.

But then March hit.

And it's official.

The NBA will be the first major sport to shut down.

Damn you, Rudy Gobert!

This is all your fault, you nasty-ass French bastard!

It was a dark time,

but I had to admit... I was lucky to have my job.

And best of all, I formed a tighter bond with my family.

Earl, is my negligee dry yet?

Why don't you drag that wagon in here

- and see for yourself? - Nothing brings you closer

than experiencing a shared trauma.

Like watching my mom and Pops

treat quarantine like a honeymoon.

Come on, girl, let's get to folding.

So we were getting through it.

Dr. Rainbow Johnson was working on the front lines,

but she didn't let that slow her down.

I finally got off of work,

and I got everybody dinner!

Okay, that's, uh... that's nice, babe,

but I think we're gonna, uh...

I think we're gonna eat cereal for dinner.

Ohh... come on, babe.

I've got six bags of sushi!

Your heart is in the right place,

but, uh, nobody wants to eat your...

your nasty corona food.

And remember, before you come in...

- hose off. - Uh-huh, of course.

You know what, it's fine! Means there's more for me!

I've always wanted to drink a gallon of miso soup!

Good morning, everyone.

- Good morning. - Ah, there she is...

our American hero.

It doesn't have to be 7:00 for me to applaud you.

- Thank you. God, I love that. - Mm.

A-Are you still doing this, son?

Still clapping for my mother

who is fighting a deadly virus?

I will never grow tired of honoring your sacrifices, Mom,

- unlike this one. Right? - Hmm. Talk to me.

I honor your mama every night

- she allows me to. - Junior, it's okay.

All right. I know how you support me.

You don't need to clap out loud.

You can clap in your heart.

You don't mean that.

No, I don't. Let me hear it!

Go, go! Hey! Hey! Hey!

Hey! I'm essential! I'm essential! Hey!

- Don't do that. - C'mon, man...

I am sorry, Dad.

I am just proud to be the son

- of an essential worker. - Yep.

Two... essential workers.

- Two? - Mm-hmm.

Where? Where?

Me.

- You? - Oh.

Yes. Yes, me.

Oh. Oh!

I gotta get this.

It is Olivia.

We have been doing pandemic video dates...

- Hi, Olivia! - Hey, girl. What's up?

Are you trying to get her to break up with you?

- Leave him alone. - Oh, oh, hey! Hey!

Olivia! Olivia.

Would you consider

a senior advertising executive

an essential worker?

No. Not at all.

Why would you even ask me that?

Hmm.

- Sorry, sweetheart. - What does she know?

She dates Junior.

Look, I make inspirational commercials

- that give people hope. - Mm-hmm.

You mean to tell me that's not essential?

Essential to maintaining

the basic needs of society?

Let me think on that. No.

Of all the haters out there,

I would have never thought that you would become one.

Now, if you'll excuse me,

I've got to get to my essential job

where I place a blanket

on the shoulders of America.

Um, Dre.

Essential workers

do not wear basketball shorts on the job.

Usually I have time to stop by Starbucks

and get my caramel Frapp to take my mind off home drama,

but my five-second COVID commute changed that.

You guys are never gonna believe this.

My family thinks that what we do isn't essential.

Wait, why does your office look different, Stevens?

Oh, I decided to move to my Palm Beach house.

It's, uh... quality of life is so much better here.

I have a full staff of cooks, maids, seamstresses, and farmers

who tend to the land,

and they work with the animals...

Wait, wait, wait, wait. Is that safe?

All those people in and out?

We don't let them leave.

So, where do they live?

We keep them in, uh, smaller, poorer-quality homes

here on the plan... the property.

Stevens, are those people sl...

Look, Dre, let's go back

to talking about your family, okay?

They are way off base, by the way.

We are 110% essential.

Yep.

In a world where you don't know who to trust,

we're the ones telling you that it's safe

to order takeout from Astro Burger.

Yes, we do that,

but we have a bigger influence, too.

We craft powerful images

that deliver messages to people that feed the soul!

Exactly, Dre.

People need to know that there's a brighter tomorrow.

And in that brighter tomorrow, they are gonna need stuff.

No, what they need is a sense

that things are going to get better.

We are comforting people in a time of crisis.

Yes. Comforting them with the message...

"Don't forget what's important.

Stuff."

- Mm. - Yeah.

"Go get it."

I don't think you guys are hearing me.

We give people hope.

Exactly, Dre.

We sell cars and mayonnaise to people

that "hope" their jobs are coming back...

But they're not, though.

Hey, Junior, what is all that honking?

Did your grandmother forget to close her robe again?

No, Janine is having one of those drive-by birthdays,

but it's more like a drive-by stop-and-talk.

Look at all those maskless savages.

Junior, don't be so hard on them.

Come on. No, no, no, no, no.

The government is falling down on its job, okay?

People are getting totally mixed messages,

and they don't know what to believe

about what's safe and what's not.

- So, you know. - All right.

But I m... Wait. Oh, my God, are they hugging?

Oh, my God, they're hugging!

Hey! You can't hug!

How do they know the fibers from their coat

aren't passing the virus?

We don't know how long the virus lives on coats.

They just don't think it's real.

They don't. But I know it's real because I see it every day.

And when I clock in in a few hours,

I'm gonna see it again.

And that's why there are not enough pots in this house

for me to bang on.

- Mm-mm-mm. - This is upsetting.

- Thanks, Junior. - Oh.

I should go wash my hands.

Hey.

That's my boy.

Hey!

While Junior was draining

our supply of hand sanitizer...

Hey! Put a mask on!

...I decided to test my influence

on a real audience...

In these unprecedented times,

it's easy to feel like your entire life has slipped away.

But even in these darkest of days,

there's one thing we'll always have...

home.

Homestead Mayo.

We will rise again.

So, how did the ad make you feel?

We were...

- We were supposed to feel something? - Yes.

What about you, Jack?

Um... It made me feel, um...

Can you come back to me?

Both of you felt nothing?

But what about the message?

"We will rise again."

- Oh, yeah, I heard that. - Hmm.

Sounds like something a dictator says

as he's walking up the steps of the gallows.

- But, hey, that's not my criticism. - Yeah.

Oh, so you guys didn't feel anything?

Sad.

For you.

You know what?

We should give Dad some space.

Privacy is very important in these trying times.

Yeah.

Hey.

- Mm. - What did I miss, guys?

Nothing.

- It's been real quiet in there. - What is wrong with you?

You don't say "It's real quiet" in a hospital

during a pandemic.

Go away, Larry! Go away! You're banned!

Go!

And not more pizza. My God.

They call us heroes,

but I bet you when Batman saved Gotham,

he got more than Hot 'n' Ready.

Yeah. This hero needs a vegetable.

- Yeah. - Yeah, forget that.

Pay off my med school loans.

Right. Uh-oh, uh-oh.

A stranger at my door.

That's just what you want

right in the middle of a highly infectious virus.

That's nice.

Oh.

Wait, is that...

No...

Olivia?

Who's Olivia?

Larry!

Go.

- That can't be her. - Who?

Junior's girlfriend.

There's no way he's gonna sneak in a girl

in your house during quarantine.

- Right? - I'm kidding.

It's definitely her. They're smashing.

Can you not talk about my son that way, please?

We're just jealous.

He's got no job, lives with his parents,

and, clearly, his mom doesn't hold him to any standards.

You know what? You sound dumb.

Both of you sound dumb, and you sound like dentists, okay?

Junior knows that he cannot break our family bubble, okay?

And I'm gonna prove it to you.

Yes, I am.

Hey, Siri, call my emergency contact.

My husband's an idiot.

Hey, Mom.

Hey, sweetheart.

I was just looking at the doorbell cam,

and I thought I saw Olivia.

She wasn't at the house, was she?

- Olivia? - Yeah.

Here? No, no, no, no, no.

That's what I thought, okay.

I'll see you at home later, all right? Bye, honey.

See?

- Yep, you showed us. - Mm-hmm.

Showed us that your son has no problem

lying to your face.

- What? - Pop!

That's your bubble.

While Bow was fighting with nerds,

I was fighting to light up the soul of a nation.

Hey, son.

- Yeah? - Tell me this.

What was the most inspirational commercial

that you've ever seen?

Hmm...

Oh, that one where the dog

has to figure out where to invest his bone.

Oh... that was a good one.

Yeah.

You know, but I got to go bigger than that.

I've got to create a campaign

that's just as powerful as the "Be Like Mike" ad.

- Wow. - It...

It had me thinking that anything was possible

as long as I was willing to put in the work.

To inspire people to that degree

so I can know I'm making a difference

while I'm sticking it to your mama...

that's what I need to do.

Hey, son, what is the world in need of right now?

- A vaccine. - Okay, what's after that?

Universal healthcare.

Rent forgiveness. Universal basic income.

Say something that's possible.

That's the thing. Everything that I want is impossible.

I want to take my lady by the hand and whisk her

to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

I want to get a gentle adjustment

from my yoga teacher.

I want to dap up my friends.

That's it.

What?

That's it, son!

People want to be touched.

Th-The power... of hands!

Yes! The human touch! I got... Hey!

Hey. Where you going?

It's... It's probably for the best.

I... I didn't want to take another shower anyway.

Well, now I have to go shower my hand.

- Excuse me. Excuse me. - All right, okay.

Excuse me. Six feet.

All right, the blades again?

Six feet. Yes, again.

You don't understand Junior, all right?

There is no one that is more committed to our safety

than my Junior.

Well, everyone is, right, to a certain point.

Until it comes to that haircut or that birthday party.

Plus no one believes how sick you can get

until you've seen what we've seen.

Well, Junior does.

- Does he? - Yeah.

Okay, all right, look.

It's probably just a delivery person.

The camera's really vague.

You can't really see, but he said it's not her.

- Mm-hmm. - That's all the proof I need. Just look.

Hey, babe. It's Olivia.

I'll meet you out back.

Ooh, where do you think she's dropping the package?

Thank you all for coming.

Oh, look how handsome our son is, Earl.

You look like RuPaul out of drag.

- Mm. - Hey. Yeah.

Thank you, Mama. All right.

I-I know you're probably all wondering

where I've been for a little while.

I haven't.

I firmly believe it's every father's right

to disappear for as long as he sees fit.

I've been working on my masterpiece,

and I'm finally finished.

You know, it's a delicate marriage

between art and commerce

that birthed a baby named hope.

- Mm-hmm. - I call it: "Touch."

Hands.

We all have them.

And we ask them to do a lot.

But really, hands are meant to touch.

Today touching is a weapon.

Touching is dangerous.

But one day soon, we'll return to normal.

And your hands will touch again...

And we'll be ready

with Soft Hands Lotion.

Powerful, right?

Take a moment to... to gather your emotions.

Okay, uh, nobody has anything to say?

I'm sorry, a-are you selling people hands?

Look, I'm just gonna say it, baby.

- Hey, that wasn't it. - What?

But, Mama, that was my best. I gave you all that I had.

M-Maybe it just needs a... a new tag line.

You know, something that reminds you

even in this unprecedented time,

now more than ever, that even when we're apart,

we're together.

Oh, no.

And there it was. I wasn't making art.

I was just lazily throwing together tag lines.

Whatever "essential" was, I was the opposite.

Looks like he's thinking over

those terrible life choices he's made.

What do you say you and me get out of here?

Mmm. Tasty.

Listen, baby, if it makes you feel any better,

your ad has inspired me

to put my hands on your Daddy right now.

Hey.

Thank you, son.

Yeah.

Come on, Earl. I'm gonna wear you out.

We don't know that she went inside.

They're probably just out in the backyard.

They're socially distanced.

- Bow, come on. - What?

You're the smartest person I know.

Hey!

It's... it's fair.

Why are you having such trouble

accepting what's happening under your roof?

I know it's happening, okay?

But I can't do my job if I have to think about that.

I don't know about you,

but I did not sign up to fight a deadly virus

with one arm tied behind my back.

And if I can't believe that every member of my family

is doing their best to keep us safe,

especially my most reliable family member,

then I'm sorry, but we're screwed.

And I don't know if I can get through this.

So I'm not focusing on that, okay?

Dr. Alvarez to emergent care.

- Code Black, let's go. - Okay. Let's do this.

- You guys ready to be "heroes." - Let's do it.

Okay.

Hey, Mom.

- Oh! - You need a hand?

- Step back. - Is everything all right?

- I said step back, Junior! - Sorry.

God.

Listen, when I tell you something,

you need to listen to me, okay?

I'm saying it for your own good.

Okay...

I know that Olivia came over here today,

and I know that you lied to me.

Okay, I... I understand that this is bad,

but it's been extremely hard to be apart.

And she lives alone,

and she's been being really careful,

and I've been being really careful...

That's what everybody thinks, Junior!

But they're not seeing what I am seeing at the hospital.

Today, I went from COVID patient to COVID patient

to COVID patient.

I intubated a woman that was my age, Junior,

and she was awake.

She was just looking in my eyes, terrified.

She got COVID working at the supermarket.

She had to go to work. She had no choice.

The same way I don't have a choice as a doctor!

And having Olivia over here is...

is disrespecting everything that I'm fighting for.

You know that I think you are a hero...

Stop with the hero stuff, Junior.

I'm afraid!

Afraid!

I'm doing everything in my power

to protect myself and my patients and my family,

and you are...

you're endangering all of it...

all of it,

just so you could see your girlfriend.

I'm sorry, Mom.

I'm really trying believe that we can get through this.

But it is so hard

when people won't do this simple thing

for the greater good,

and it is even harder when my own son...

...won't do his part.

I'm so, so sorry.

It's gonna be okay, right?

We're gonna look back at all this and say,

"I can't believe I was there," right.

I'm not gonna want to look back, Junior.

Mom.

I think I'm just gonna go home.

Yeah, I think that's best.

Hey.

How's my favorite essential worker?

Too tired to rehash that debate.

Uh, no rehash, babe.

I just...

You know, I'm struggling.

I know.

There's so much pain going on right now,

and I can't do anything to ease it.

And you are over here on another level.

Ugh! Dre, you do not want to be on my level.

What I see every day is so hard...

It's hard to stay hopeful.

Well, let me see if I can help you out.

Now, more than ever,

the world needs its sexy doctors.

Oh.

And I am proud to say

that I am the husband of an essential...

Yes.

...first-ish responder.

Ish?

Come on, babe.

It's not like you're in the "ambalance" with them.

It's am-bu-lance.

Not if you want them to come fast.

Nope, you just can't help yourself. It's okay.

Oh.

Let me see who this is.

Oh. Wow.

What?

Chrissy Teigen just tweeted this photo

with my billboard in the background.

Oh!

She said it's gonna be

"the definitive image of the pandemic in L. A."

- That's cool. - Yes!

What... What d... What exactly does that mean?

My billboard, it's saying that despite the desolation,

we will rise again!

Yes! I am inspiring the city!

I am essential!

You are the real hero, Dre!

Yes.

At this point it may be cliché,

but these are unprecedented times.

So we're all just trying to get through it

the best that we can...

with courage, with hope, and with our humanity.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

You saved my life.

You're heroes.

I intubated him last month.

And now he's going home.

Good work.

In the absence of leadership,

it takes everyday people to step up.

- Ready to go back to work? - Yep.

I wish I could've said things got easier.

But even through the darkness,

Bow somehow managed to find some light.

That's what makes her a hero.

Hey.

How's day three of the quarantine going?

Hey, do you have enough liquids in there?

Yep, my super-strict quarantine

is going great.

My closet is extra organized,

Jack and Diane are bringing me Lunchables

three times a day,

and, you know, by the time I am out of here,

my sourdough starter is gonna be ready.

I'm not gonna break your trust or this quarantine.

Thank you. And, hey, will you thank Olivia for me, please?

She sent an Edible Arrangement to the hospital.

Turns out, it was an arrangement of edibles.

We found Dr. Paul putting makeup on corpses in the morgue.

Very awkward.

Again, we are both so sorry.

But hey, I've talked your ear off.

It's probably time for you to go to work.

Junior, I'm about to go to bed.

Oh, my God.

I've lost all concept of time.

What day is it?

Can someone give me another Lunchable?!

Someone help me!

Help!

Jack!