All language subtitles for Rob.Peace.2024.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264 (SDH)

[vehicles passing]

[chattering in distance]

[horns honking]

[siren wailing in distance]

["The Message" playing]

♪ It's like
A jungle sometimes ♪

♪ It makes me wonder
How I keep from goin' under ♪

♪ It's like
A jungle sometimes ♪

♪ It makes me wonder
How I keep from goin' under ♪

♪ A child is born
With no state of mind ♪

♪ Blind to the ways
Of mankind ♪

♪ God is smilin' on you
But he's frownin' too ♪

♪ 'Cause only God knows
What you'll go through ♪

♪ You'll grow in the ghetto
Livin' second-rate ♪

♪ And your eyes
Will sing a song
Of deep hate ♪

♪ The places you play
And where you stay ♪

♪ Looks like one
Great big alleyway ♪

♪ You'll admire
All the number-book takers ♪

♪ Thugs, pimps and pushers
And the big moneymakers ♪

♪ Drivin' big cars
Spendin' 20s and tens ♪

♪ And you'll wanna grow up
To be just like them, huh ♪

♪ Smugglers, scramblers
Burglars and gamblers ♪

♪ Pickpocket peddlers
Even panhandlers ♪

♪ You say, "I'm cool, huh
I'm no fool" ♪

♪ But then you wind up
Droppin' outta high school... ♪

[person] Robert DeShaun Peace.

Graduate school application.

Statement of purpose.

To whom it may concern,

Science is my passion...

♪ It's like
A jungle sometimes ♪

♪ It makes me wonder
How I keep from goin' under ♪

...a passion that perhaps began
the day my father's house
burned down.

At only five years old,
I was unaware

how important this event
would become in my own life...

that I would learn
about cause and effect

and the sequencing of things.

I would learn about
the choices we make,

the dangers we face

for the people we love.

♪ It's like a jungle
Sometimes ♪

♪ It makes me wonder
How I keep from goin' under ♪

♪ It's like a jungle
Sometimes ♪

♪ It makes me wonder
How I keep from goin' under ♪

[song ends]

[vehicle approaching]

[engine backfires]

[tires screech]
[engine switches off]

Mom, Dad's here.

Dad!
Shaun!

What's up, little man?

How you doing? You good? Yeah?

You looking good, boy.
Looking strong.
[Shaun chuckles]

[father]
Yeah. Good to see you.

What's up, Jackie?

Skeet.

Shaun,
go get your coat.

Appreciate you
getting here on time.

Yeah, no problem.

You're looking good, Jackie.

Don't worry. I'm not gonna
ask you to marry me again.

[chuckles]
So, where you guys headed?

He's always talking
about going to the beach.

So, uh, I figured
we could ride out
to Coney Island,

listen to the game there.
Uh-huh.

But this piece of shit
ain't gonna get us there.

Can I use Horace's car?
Nah.

Daddy's taking us to church.

Uh-huh.

Boy should be
coming to church too.

Mornin', Frances.
Skeet.

Okay. I guess I'll take him
down to the park then.

With all the dealers?

Well, you know,
they're not really dealers
on a Sunday, Frances.

Day of rest?

Not in front of the boy,
okay?

What time
y'all getting back?

Won't even be dark.

Come on, boy. Get in.

[car door closes]
[engine starts]

[engine rattling]

If I'm Lou Piniella, right?
And I'm sending out
Rickey Henderson, batting .300.

Not this season.
Okay,
but let's say he's down 25%.

Nah.
He's not doing that bad.
Okay, but let's say he is.

What's his average
gonna be?
.225.

Okay. So, what would that be
on, like, 250 at-bats?

Count me down.

You really think you can do it?
Yeah.

Okay. Five, four...
On 100 at-bats, it's 22.5.

So that's 22.5 times two...

Three...
...which is 45.

Then you have half of 22.5,
which is 11.25.

Uh-huh. Two...

Okay, so 45 plus 11.25
is 56.25, or 56 hits.

Goddamn!
Can't be seven years old
smarter than your old man.

Let's do another one.

[engine backfires]

Hang on.

Shit!

Aw, shit.
This car is dead.

[engine sputtering]
[groans]

[engine switches off]
[Skeet sighs] All right.

[hand brake engages]

[sighs]

All right.

We can walk to my place
from here.

What about the car?
I'll get someone
to look at it tomorrow.

It's not going anywhere.

[sniffs]

[sniffs]
What?

[sniffs]

You mess up the air?
No.

You fart in my car?
I know it's a dump, Shaun,

but that don't mean
you got the right
to take a shit in it.

Get out.
I didn't fart.

Yes, you did. Go on.

[door closes]
Stand over there.

Go on!

[glove compartment opens]

[baseball game
playing on radio]

[Skeet]
What's going on, Irving?

[chuckling]
Hey, look who it is!

The cavalry!

How's the game, Mr. Gaskins?

Uh, Ward and Winfield showed up.

You gonna listen with me?

What you doing out here?
It's my asthma.

Couldn't breathe too well
upstairs.

Carl!

It's the cavalry that's gonna
turn this neighborhood around.

Young people like you.

Carl!

What's up?
Bring some beers down,
will ya?

Some lemonade for Shaun.
[Carl]
I thought we was heading out.

Car gave out.
Gonna listen to the game
with Irving.

Call Mickey.
Sure.

Yo, what's up, Shaun?
Hey, Uncle Carl.

I'ma be there.

[baseball announcer continues]

[Skeet]
That's just the way the game go.

That's bad. That's bad.

Skeet, he's here.

[Skeet] Yo, Mickey.
[Mickey] What's up, Skeet?

Yeah, good, man. Good.

[whispers] Car died. That's why
I still got all this shit on me.

I'll take care of it.
Okay. Thank you.

You want a beer
or something?
I'm good. Thank you.

Thanks, man.
All right.

Thanks.

You look out for people, Shaun,
and they look out for you.

You can patent that.
[laughs]

What the hell
are y'all doing out here?

I wasn't gonna let Irving
listen to the game by himself.

This your son?

Yeah. Yeah, this is Shaun.

He's good-looking.
You're supposed to say,
"Like his daddy."

I know
what I'm supposed to say.

[all laugh]
Whoo!

[friend] Stella!

Stella! Stella!

[Stella]
You been drinking already,
Georgie?

We've been waiting on you.
I'm here now, ain't I?

So where you ladies goin'?
Few drinks. You comin'?

Nah. Well, maybe later.
I gotta take him home, so...

[sighs]

Your loss.

[chattering, laughing]

You know I told you
not to fart in the car?

Don't shit
where you eat either.

Okay? [laughs]
[all laugh]

He ain't lyin'.
You can patent that too.

[Carl] He ain't lyin'.

[coughing]

You okay, Irving?

Yeah, I'm all right. [coughs]

Get some water for him.
Get some water.

You okay?

[siren wailing in distance]

[Rob] And that was the last day

I remember being a child.

[gunshots]
[women screaming]

[screaming, gunshots continue]

[person panting]

[phone ringing]

[reporter]
The East Orange community
is still reeling

from the murders
of two sisters,
Charlene and Estella Moore,

at their apartment
in the early hours
of Sunday morning.

[ringing continues]
Shaun!

DeShaun, get the phone!

I got it.

Daddy,
your bathwater is ready.

Be polite.

Hello. Peace residence.

You know I didn't do this,
right?

You know
I didn't kill those girls?

Say it.
[Shaun] You didn't kill them.

Kill who?
You didn't kill those girls.

That's right,
and it's gonna be okay.

Okay?

All right,
put your mom back on.

[sighs]
So, what's gonna happen next?
What's the process?

I don't even know.
I don't know what's going on.
Just some...

[sighs]
They searched my apartment,
took my gun.

They're not even getting me
a lawyer right now.

They're saying this whole thing
could take years.

[official] I have been
informed that the jury
has reached a verdict

in the matter
of the State v.
Robert E. Douglas.

If it pleases the court,

the verdict should be read
into the record.

The jury finds the defendant,
Robert E. Douglas, guilty...

[cheering]

...on two counts
of murder in the first degree.

[judge] Mr. Douglas,

do you have anything to say
at this time before sentencing?

I did not commit this crime.

I don't even know
why I'm accused of this.

[sighs]
I didn't know Miss Broadway.

I don't know how
she could identify my voice

from an argument
happening down the hall.

First time
I ever laid eyes on her
was the day before.

She was so drunk, she couldn't
have told you whether
it was Hanukkah or Halloween.

Mr. Douglas,
I know that you've
maintained your innocence

throughout this trial.

And I have to tell you
that I'm struggling.

I mean, I'm sitting here
with this verdict, and I...

just don't know.

Your Honor,
I got a ten-year-old son...

who's been coming to the jail
with his... with his mother

every week for years now.

My son's a beautiful child.

He's a brilliant child.

A brilliant child.

I thank God every day.

[Rob] And from then on, I knew

I would need to control
the chaos of life.

[waves crashing]

[waves lapping]

[Jackie's father]
He just never stood a chance.

Once them police
get the lock on you...

At least they gave him life,

not the death penalty.

[Jackie] I'm gonna put Shaun
in private school.

He'll be okay in elementary,

but after that,
he's going to private.

How?
I got three years
to figure it out.

He ain't staying
in these schools around here.

If they only see him
as the son of a convict,

that's the only way
he will see himself.

He didn't do it.
How are we gonna get him out?

The best thing
you could do for Skeet
is to keep being brilliant.

It's the best thing
you could do for me too.

Come here, baby.

[grunts] Getting big.

You know, in this neighborhood,
everybody knows you as "Shaun."

But everybody who knows Shaun
knows about those women

and about your daddy
and what they say he done.

So out there in the world,
you use your first name,
Robert.

It'll keep your daddy
in your heart,

if you want him there.

And at the same time,
as far as anybody knows,

Rob Peace
ain't got nothing to do
with Skeet Douglas.

You understand?

[person]
I wanna ask you a question.

I ask it of all my freshmen
at the beginning of the year.

What do you think
is the most important thing

that you can learn here?

What's the most important idea,
virtue or philosophy

that St. Benedict's
can encourage?

Anyone?

Tavarus?

Uh, kindness?

[all chuckle]

[priest] Kindness.

I like that.

Certainly part of it.

Anyone else?

I wanna be fearless.

Fearlessness.

Fearless? Okay.

Anyone else?

Brotherhood?

Thank you, Rob.

Brotherhood.

"Whatever hurts my brother
hurts me."

In your time at St. Benedict's,

you will come to understand
these words deeply.

They will carry you
through the rest of your lives,

just as they have for me.

[clamoring]

[cheering]
[whistle blows]

Decades ago, when I first came
to this school as a student,

it was for rich white kids.

Years later,
when we reopened
for this community,

we purposely left it,
in many ways,
the same as it was.

Educationally, of course,

but also sports
as well as sciences.

Fencing, water polo,

trips along
the Appalachian Trail.

Why?

To support
the bonds of brotherhood.

"Whatever hurts my brother

hurts me."

[bell rings]

[friend] Wow, Rob!
You are a genius.

I knew it.
You did pretty good too.

Shit!

We'll keep studying together,
Tav.

Whatever.

We'll get your grade up,
no problem.

["Time's Up" playing]

♪ Speakin' in tongues ♪

♪ About what you did
But you never done it ♪

♪ Admit it, you bit it... ♪

[door opens]

[Jackie] You okay?
Uh-huh.

I got some math for you.
You got the ledger?

Yeah.

How much to change your tuition
from yearly to monthly?

Uh, an extra $97 a month,
or just over $1,100 a year.

$1,164.

Why? You lost a job?

Administration cuts
at the hospital.

But I'll get something else.

So, if we get
all the money back now,

then with two weeks' severance
and 875 bucks a month
from the insurance,

how we lookin'?

[Rob] Uh...

We'll be fine for a while.

Just need to bring down
the living costs
by, like, $40 a week.

I could help with that.

Plus, we don't need
all that fresh produce.

Not for me, anyway.
I'll eat whatever.

You'll eat horse meat
if I put ketchup on it.
[chuckles]

What's all of this?

It's Dad's friend,
Irving Gaskins.

Said Dad was innocent.
Died before he could testify.

I'm not killing myself
working three jobs

if you're not even gonna
concentrate on your schoolwork.

I just wanna know what happened.

And anyways, as of right now,
you only got two jobs.

Don't sass me. I'm serious.

I better get to these kitchens
before they fire me too.

Ma?

The school's great.

When I get through it,

I'm gonna take care
of everything, I promise.

When we get through it,
you're going to college.

And after that, be my guest.

Take care of everything.

[chuckles]

[Rob]
Science helped me navigate
the challenges I faced.

[camera shutter clicks]

Science is organized.

[camera shutter clicks]

Results come
from the collection

and analysis of data.

Completing tasks,

interpreting results

and reaching conclusions.

[door opens]

[young Rob] After your house
on Pierson Street burned down,
you didn't have any money.

The public defender
should've seen
that you were indigent

and joined your case
straightaway.

"Indigent"?
[Rob] Yeah.

If they'd seen
that you were indigent,

your trial would've started
three years earlier,

Mr. Gaskins
would've still been alive

and able to testify
that the murder weapon
wasn't yours.

Of course it wasn't mine.

So, what does that all mean now?

I can file this for you.

It means you're entitled
to post-conviction relief

because they violated
your right to a speedy trial.

It means they could let you out.

That's the Sixth Amendment.

[chuckles]

Just like Irving used to say.

You're the goddamned cavalry.

["Thuggish Ruggish Bone"
playing]

[knocks on door]

♪ It's the Thuggish
Ruggish Bone... ♪

There's a lot of leaves
out here.
Want some help?

How much do you want for it?
Uh, $20.

Great.
Knock when you're done.
All right.

Thank you.

♪ You're feelin' the strength
Of the rump, step up ♪

♪ Hear the funk of the jump
That the thugstas feel ♪

♪ Just be thuggin', buggin' ♪

♪ Lovin' yo peoples
'Cause we so real ♪

♪ Chill
Better bring yo weapon
When steppin' ♪

♪ Bring on that ammunition
Trip and don't slip ♪

♪ Not to mention
Never knew no competition ♪

♪ But I gotta get mine
So scream out, mo' ♪

♪ And let me hear ya holla ♪

♪ Not about
That mighty dollar ♪

♪ Roll with the bone
Mo' thugs will follow ♪

♪ Chain gang
Remainin' the same ♪

♪ Flamin' my dank
And drinkin' brew ♪

♪ Thinkin' about that hangin'
Clockin' my bank ♪

♪ And thuggin' with trues
Foo's ♪

♪ It's the Thuggish
Ruggish Bone ♪

♪ It's the Thuggish
Ruggish Bone ♪

♪ It's the Thuggish
Ruggish Bone ♪

[judge]
The Sixth Amendment guarantees
the right to a speedy trial.

And while I accept
the public defender's position

that three years is not uncommon
for a capital crime,

it is my belief that
the death of Mr. Gaskins
in the interim period

was of significant
negative impact in this case.

And as a consequence thereof,

the indictment
which charged Robert E. Douglas

with murder and other offenses
is dismissed.

[whoops]
[shouts]

[gasps, exclaims]

[both laughing]

Shaun! You did it, Son!
You did it!

This decision
is stayed for 30 days
should the State wish to appeal.

We will, Your Honor.

In the interim, Mr. Douglas,
you are free to go.

[music playing]
[people laughing]

[Skeet] I'm telling you,
that was over in Crown Heights.

[Carl] You don't know
Brooklyn from Queens.

[laughing, chattering]

[Skeet] He's talking about me?
[Rob] You? What?

[Carl]
So you weren't in Harlem?

[all laughing]

[Skeet]
It's just good times, man.

Skeet?

You looking good, Jackie.
How long you out?

It'll be a few weeks
before the appeal.

You putting
the band back together?

He said it was cool
if I came through.

Oh, so he's in charge now?

Jackie, let's go talk.
I don't wanna talk, Skeet.

Congratulations on getting out.

On him getting you out.

He's working three jobs
on top of school.

What, you his fourth now?
Ma!

Shaun!

Shaun!

Shaun!

Shaun! Shaun!

You got in!

Shaun!
What?

You got into Yale, baby!

What?
You got in!

You opened my letter?

You got in!

You got into Yale!
[laughing] What?

Yes!
My baby got into Yale.

[Rob laughing] Yes!
Yes, baby! Yes!

[sniffling]

Stop crying, Ma.
I can't stop.

[sniffles] In what universe
are we sitting at this table

working out colleges
for you to go to,
including Ivy League?

"Universe" is right.

I mean, this one don't even look
like it's on the planet Earth.

[Jackie] Because it's not.
Look, I don't even
gotta do all that.

Montclair a good school too.
I'd be around here.
I wouldn't have to leave home.

Montclair?

When you could be
a science major for Penn,
Johns Hopkins or Yale?

With a handout.
It's not a handout.

St. Benedict's
is gonna pay his way because
he makin' them look good.

[phone ringing]

I don't need you around here.

I need you with a future
that people around here
can't get.

Hello?

It's for you.

Now, look, I gotta get to work.

I'm so proud of you. Mmm.
Mmm.

Skeet Douglas.

[person on phone
speaking indistinctly]

Uh-huh.

Okay.

Yeah.

[handset settles in cradle]

They appealed already.

I'm going back next week.

Fuck!

[Skeet]
It's all for nothin'. Just...

Just...

Nah. Nah, nah, nah.

We did it once.
We do it again.

This is temporary.
I promise you. Just...

I promise you.

[sighs]

Okay.

Knowing about
what I've been experiencing,
you know?

Just all these minds literally
being damaged on a daily basis.

The boy was brilliant.
From, like, this big,
he was brilliant.

[friend] This one?
[Skeet] Yeah.

[friend] Is that right, Shaun?
You were always brilliant?

Aw, no, look,
now you're calling me a nerd.

That's like calling me a nerd.

You gotta ask one question.
Where'd he get it from?

[all laughing]

It ain't from him.
It ain't him.

It ain't his genes.
He said, "Yeah."

[all laughing, chattering]

Call me later. All right.
[friend] All right.

You look out
for your daddy now.

I'll try my best.

[friend] Skeet raised him good.
[friend 2] Yeah. Good boy.

Can hardly recognize it now.

Last time I saw it,
it was still all burned out,

before they fixed it up.

I'm gonna go
and talk to him.

[Skeet] I remember my father
talking all the time

about the racist bullshit
he went through

to buy that house
after the war.

It was a white neighborhood
back then.

When he died,
I wanted us all to live in it.

Like a family.

Your mother said no
'cause I was shifting
a little weed.

So I took that apartment
on Chestnut with Carl.

Rented the house out
to them fools
that never paid me a dime.

Ended up
setting the place on fire.

In the end,
Michael Tucker was the only one

who'd pay all the back taxes
and buy it off me.

For a dollar.

Don't get me wrong.
I'm not blaming your mother.

I just don't believe
you can ever be facing
the wrong direction

if you're standing
by your people.

Ever.

I'll patent that.

[chuckles]

[chuckles]

Yeah, patent that shit.

Patent that shit.

[sighs]

[sighs] I'll bring the car back
in a few weeks, all right?

Take your time.
Yes, sir.

Make sure
you enjoy yourself up there.

Thank you.

[Frances, Rob chuckle]

[Rob] All right, y'all.

Now, you know
you don't have to change, Shaun.

We love you
just the way you are.

If you come back here
a white man,

I ain't letting you
in the house.
[all laugh]

Take care of yourself, Son.

Mm-hmm. Yes, ma'am.

I love you.
I love you.

All right.

[engine starts]

[Rob] My passion began
to carry me away from home

with a worry that I was leaving
a part of myself behind.

At Yale,
I would learn how any organism,

finding itself
in unfamiliar surroundings,

relies on one key
biological mechanism to thrive:

evolution.

Chloroplasts
from the second endosymbiosis

have their own genome
and ribosomes,

and, as a result, we have
double-membrane organelles.

Ultimately,
what we're looking at
on this board

are probably
the most important events
in all of evolutionary history.

Okay, let's turn to page 177.

Let's dig into this.

Wow. That was intense.

[both chuckle]

Why are you taking
Intro Biology

if you really wanna be
an English major, man?

Uh, to keep my parents
off my back, mostly.

They're not that excited
about me being a writer.

But, you know,

writing is
a holistic experience.

You gotta know all of it.

I wanna write about
the human heart.

How do you do that
if you don't take biology?

You sound like
you gonna be all right, man.
[chuckles]

What are you thinking about
as a major?

I'm looking at MB&B.

Molecular biophysics
and biochemistry?

Isn't that, like,
the hardest course here?

Like, literally
the hardest course at Yale?

Maybe the physical chemistry
part, but...

Uh-huh.

And that doesn't worry you?
Nah. I mean, it's science.

Most of the time,
things work out
the way they supposed to.

Make it easier
than anything else.
Think about it.

[chuckles]

[ringing]

[Rob] Jeff! Hang on, Jeff.
Hold on. No, it's all right.

No, it's okay.
I got it. I got it.
I got it.

Yeah. It's for me.
[person on phone]
...correctional facility?

[door closes]

Hey, hey, Dad.

[Skeet] Hey, Son.

You settling in okay?

Yeah. You know,
it's, uh, classes,
water polo practice.

I'm working in the kitchen
like Ma.

[chuckles]

Sounds good.

[chuckles]

Get that court date yet?

Nah. I've been talking
to somebody over there
almost every day though.

We'll find out soon enough.

Uh-huh.

You know, you, uh--

You ain't gotta call me here.
I, uh--

I can-- I can reach out to you
when I hear something from 'em,

or I can just come see you,
you know?

Why's that?
There's another guy in the dorm.

I don't want everybody
in my business.
That's all.

No problem.

You can call me anytime, Shaun.
You know where I am.

[buzzer sounds]

[handset settles in cradle]

[indistinct shouting]
[whistle blows]

[beeps]

[whistle blows]

[whistle blows]

Hey.

Nice work, man.

[beeps]
[gate unlocks]

Yo! Yo! You mind
holding the door for me?

Uh, you got a pass?

Yeah. It's in my bag.

No, he's okay. He's okay.

You must be
the brother from Newark.
Yeah, Rob. What the fuck?

Sherman. I was the brother
from Newark last year.

This is Oswaldo.

You gonna walk around Yale
being Black,

you gotta keep
that ID handy.

Damn! It's like that?

[Sherman]
Don't worry. You'll, uh--
You'll get used to it.

You smoke?
Don't everybody?

[Oswaldo] Right?

Are you serious?

Well, I'm just saying

incremental change
isn't necessarily a bad thing.

It's how most things get done.

Why not apply that
to race relations
at Ivy Leagues?

Amen. It isn't always
about revolution.
It's about education.

Isn't that why we're here?

Problem is,
most white people
are addicted to status.

It's their drug of choice.

So a lot of these
racist motherfuckers are just...

high.

[all laugh]

[Sherman] I hear that, Naya.
What about you, Rob?

You're fresh off the boat.
You think we need to rise up
against the man over here?

You wanna know the truth?
You want me to be honest?

Yeah.

I-- Look, I honestly
don't give a fuck.

I don't give a fuck.

About racism?

Here? Mm-mmm.

Well, that's crazy.
[laughs]

Nah. Look. No, look,
if some white boy
took the wrong turn

and ended up
in my neighborhood,

I promise you
his only thought gonna be

how the fuck is he gonna
get back amongst his own people

before something happens to him.
[Oswaldo] Okay.

But, look,
we all took the wrong turn,
and we ended up at Yale. Word?

[all chuckle]

For real, it's some bullshit.
It is.

But I'm not here to educate.
I'm trying to learn.

I'm trying to figure out the
best way to help my community
when the time comes.

The fuck else is there?

I'm not about to
keep my guard up
if nobody's swinging.

[all chuckle]

You could patent that, Naya.

[Jackie] For my baby.

["Free" playing]

[chattering]

You did.
I taught you very well.
[laughs]

So, you were saying
about the course?

Yeah. You know,
with molecular biophysics
and biochemistry,

you got all these
other sciences rolled in.

Like, uh, geology, engineering,
even a-- astrophysics.
You can learn about--

Like space?
Yeah.

We learn how everything work,
everything.

It's incredible.

So what are you gonna do
when you finish?

Then I'm gonna
go into research.

New cancer treatments,
immunology.

When I graduate,
I'll take a PhD,
become a professor myself.

[Frances gasps]

Open my own lab one day.

Curing cancer?

Maybe.

"Professor Peace
cures cancer."

[Frances laughs]
That's a headline.

[Frances] Our grandbaby.
[grandfather laughing]

We got a court date
in five months.
Five months?

That's what they sayin'.
That's the soonest they can do.

With a whole new setup?

That's right, a new judge.

I only got out
'cause of that judge, Shaun.

That judge
knew I didn't do shit
from the start.

I know, but there's
still no case there,
though, Pop.

Well, they sure as fuck
thought there was a case.

How much can you
put together for a lawyer?

I mean a good one.
There's nothing, Pop.

What about the people that
raised your money for school?

That's just tuition.
I'm working in the kitchen
for everything else.

What about
your friends up there?
They're all rich people, right?

I can't ask them.
Why not?

'Cause you don't wanna
tell 'em I'm in here?

Didn't you promise me
you'll get me out of this place?

I am.
Then stop screening my calls
and fucking do it!

They're trying to
send me back to Trenton

and fucking bury me there,
Shaun!

You're the only one
I fucking got!

[buzzer sounds]

[door slams]

[Curtis] Here we go.
[person whimpering]

We got you. We got you.
We got you.

There we go.
It's okay, Dad.

[Curtis] You okay?
[father shouts]

[father groaning]

[sighs] Thanks, Ma.

[door closes]

Um...

Tav's coming over.
You wanna smoke?

Huh. [sniffs]

One day,
we're gonna have to find out

what God has against
the fathers of the sons
of East Orange.

[Tav] I know, right?

[Curtis] I never really know
what's going on with my dad.

He's going back to the hospital
in a few weeks.

I think I'm gonna
drop out of Morehouse.

Come back for a bit.

You for real?

Yeah.

My mom's nervous as shit
to be in the house by herself.

Only white lady
in a three-mile radius.

Man, I told you I could
help her sell this place
if it comes down to that.

How the real estate business
coming?

For me,
it's dog shit mostly.

They still got me
doing title research.

But there's money
in flipping houses.

Or just getting
all these vacant homes
back in circulation.

Yo, that's actually what
I wanted to talk to you about.

Look, if we still had
my dad's place on Pierson,

we wouldn't be
in any of this shit.

I'd flip it in a heartbeat,
get my dad the lawyer he wants

and still have enough money
for grad school.

That's what Yale
got me thinking about, man.

Wealth.
[friend chuckles]

Legacy.

When you start with it,
what it means.

I mean, look at that school.

It took 200 years
for Yale to be what it is.
More.

That's what we gotta do
out here--

change the microenvironment.

[chuckles] The what?
The microenvironment?

[Rob] In cancer research,
you improve immune response

in a microenvironment.

Healthy cells flourish.
Tumor cells can't.

Sometimes I forget how much
of a fucking nerd you are.

[laughing]

[Rob] My father believed
in standing by your people

to fight uncertainty
and chaos.

And I wanted to do the same.

So, inspired by him

and the biological world
I was studying,

I would try and pull all
the divergent areas of my life
together

and create balance.

Be sure the glassware
is all put away.

You can keep the hoods on
for the next class.

Thank you, everybody.

Professor Durham, you mind
if I have a quick word with you?

Of course.

I enjoyed your paper,
Mr. Peace.

Your knowledge
of mitochondrial diseases
is very advanced for a freshman.

Why is that?

I did a couple extra courses

at Essex Community College
my senior year.

[chuckles]
Come on. That's it?

No, I, uh--
I actually got
a bit obsessed with it.

Metabolic disorders,
gene therapy treatments,

that kind of thing.

Some students
can find the increase
in workload here

overwhelming early on.

Doesn't seem to be
bothering you though.

Uh, yeah.
I think I'm doing all right.
I, uh...

That's what I wanted
to talk to you about actually,

if there's anything else
I could be looking at.

Yes, always.
What are you bad at?

What are your gaps?

I guess right now
it's lab work.

I haven't had
that much exposure to it
at this level.

I think that's why
I'm favoring the theoretical

over the practical
side of things.

Well, how about assisting
grad students in the lab?

We don't normally offer that
until the sophomore year,

but if you're committed,
I'm prepared
to make an exception.

Of course.
That'd be great.
Yes?

Thank you.
Okay. I'll set it up.

Thank you.

[whistle blows]
[people shouting, cheering]

[cheering]

["Respect Yourself" playing]

♪ Just get out the way ♪

♪ And let the gentleman
Do his thing ♪

♪ You the kind of gentleman ♪

♪ That want everything
Your way... ♪

Let's go! Let's go, baby!

♪ It's a brand-new day... ♪

Rob!

[laughing]

Hey, uh, don't take this
the wrong way,

but my regular guy didn't show.

You know where
we can get some weed?

Yeah. As a matter of fact,
yeah, I do. Yeah, come on.

You ready right now?
Yeah, I'm ready right now.

My man! Eric, come on.
Come on. Come on.
We're out. We're out.

Are you coming or what?
Come on.

Y'all good? [laughs]
I'm great.

♪ Respect yourself ♪
♪ Na, na, na, na, na ♪

♪ Respect yourself ♪
♪ Di, di, di, di ♪

["Ring The Alarm"
playing on speakers]

You've gotta be
fucking kidding me.

Hey.
This is not cool, man.

It's a sacred space.
[Rob] No, man. It's, uh--

It's time to integrate
the neighborhood.

'Sup?

What is happening?

[Rob] All right, okay.

Let's-- Let's all play nice.
[chuckles]

God forbid
we actually learn something
about each other here.

Rich folk, meet some
slightly less rich folk.

[scoffs]

[Rob]
Hey, no pro bono work, man.

You better pull some money
out your toga.

No problem, man.
[chuckles]

Over there.

["One Life to Live"
playing on speakers]

♪ And I got dreams
How to make it big ♪

♪ I got the vibe ♪

♪ I risk every chance
I take... ♪

You know,
you might actually be
onto something here.

How so?
It's a hard market to break into
if you're not one of 'em.

For the most part,
people sell weed
to their own groups, right?

Gives the white guys
an advantage overall.

You do okay though, right?
Yeah, but I don't need much.

Still do some accounting for
my dad's contracting business
in New Jersey,

and I got that work-study thing
at the library here, so...

Contractor?
Yeah, he does well.

But I don't wanna live off him,
so I move a little.

Off-campus, make sure ends meet.

Wait. On the street?
In New Haven?

Yeah. Small-time though.

[laughing] What? Aight, shit!

White boys sell it on campus?
Mostly.

Even if they got caught,
which they never do,

they got the strings to pull.

But the school
couldn't care less about
throwing my ass to the curb,

or yours for sure.

It's the bullshit
we're in now.

Uh, not "we."
[chuckles]

Equal rights to sell drugs
is not the hill
I'm about to die on, bro.

[laughs]
Fuck that.

[Naya] Hey, guys.

Not sure how much more
of your privileged shit
I can take.

One of your people out there
has a tattoo that says,
"Dominate or drown."

[Rob chuckles]

[mouths] What the fuck?

Hey, it's not my people,
but it's true. [chuckles]

See ya, fellas.

See ya.

[Oswaldo] You good, man?
Hmm?

[laughs]

I'm fine.

[Naya]
So, what's your greatest fear?

I fear failure,
I guess,
like everybody else.

What about you?

Honestly, sometimes I feel
like I'm scared of everything.
[both chuckle]

So it'd probably be easier
for me to tell you
what I'm not scared of.

Okay, what are you
not scared of?

Honestly, I guess
I'm not scared of failure.
[laughing]

[laughing] What?

Like, I'd rather not fail.

But most of the times,
isn't that
the best way to learn?

No, not for me,
if I can avoid it.

And how do you avoid it?

Try to keep things simple.

Harmonize complexities
until a solution
presents itself.

So you're an idealist
is what this means?

No, I'm a scientist.

["Closer" playing on speakers]

♪ I'm moving upward
And onward ♪

♪ And beyond
All that I can see ♪

♪ Stretching out my arms
And I can reach ♪

♪ Oh, so close
It's right there ♪

[song fades]

[Durham]
Okay, for the ELISA experiment,

choose your primary antibody
and your enzyme label

and then proceed
once you're satisfied
with the calibration curve.

[door opens]
[person speaking indistinctly]

[person] Excuse me.

What are you doing
at this station?

Aren't you
the lab assistant?

Yeah. Professor Durham
asked me to come
and check the crystal screens.

Really? Why?

[chuckles]
You gotta ask her that, man.

[scoffs]

Is-- Oh, is that yours
right there?

Yeah.

I had a question
about the protein preparation.

I'm sorry?

You're using
a phosphate buffer.

That's gonna bind, right?

No. Its dialyzed,

so any binding at this scale
will be negligible.

Yeah, it'll be small,
but I don't think
it'll be negligible.

You don't think?
No.

I think it's fine.

Okay.

You know, I actually don't even
trust what you think, man.

Excuse me?

You came in here thinking
I was in the wrong place.

I'm not.

[scoffs]

I spoke with them
about questioning you.
It won't happen again.

I really don't need you
to fight my battles for me,
okay?

Okay.

But it wasn't
entirely for you,
to be honest.

Bias, any bias,

racial or gendered,
it's a... serious challenge
for us here.

Science is almost defined
by its paternalism
and conservatism.

It's a problem,
not just for individuals

but for the discipline
as a whole.

You, for example,

have a brilliant mind
and a unique life experience.

Certainly unique
from most of us here.

And that combination
might make you
just a little more likely

to think of
an alternative solution
to a problem, right?

Rather than just
the incremental evolution
of an existing solution.

To think radically.

And radical thinking
changes the world.

So I'm an experiment too?

Well, we all are
when it comes down to it, yeah?

It's the reason why
we should never lose sight

of fundamental
scientific reasoning.

If complications arise...

try making changes.

You can choose hours
when it's quiet around here
if you want.

[sighs]

Can I ask you something?

Yeah.

What's going on?

I just got a lot on my mind.

I'm just trying to talk.
That's all.

Okay.

[clears throat]

I got a friend back at home.
Mm-hmm.

And he's doing time.

And he has an appeal coming up,
and he's probably...

gonna lose.

And it's just been
stressing me out.

I could raise money
for a lawyer,

but that's just gonna
fuck up everything
I got going over here.

So, you feel like you're pulled
between this place and home.

Yeah.

It's hard to know
what's more important.

Yeah.

I am deeply unsettled
by this case.

And I unequivocally side
with the State's counter appeal.

I see no reason
for the post-conviction relief
to stand.

I can honestly not see
why it was instituted
in the first place.

It is hereby overturned,

and you are to be sent back to
Trenton Correctional Institution

to serve out the remainder
of your sentence.

[sighs]

[lawyer]
This latest judgment is absurd.

For a retainer
of a few thousand dollars,
I can take this on,

and I think we will win.

But I warn you,
it'll get expensive.

And the basis from which
we would now be working

is that your father
was treated unfairly
by the system,

even though he was guilty.

I understand that as a strategy.

It's not a strategy.

Of course, it's possible
that Irving Gaskins
was telling the truth

and the police planted
a murder weapon
on your father.

But it's also possible,
and if you ask me, likely,

he was simply
protecting his friend.

It's not just
Mr. Gaskins though.

There was a lot of questions
about the murder weapon.

I believe the police
destroyed my father's gun
and switched it out.

There's absolutely no evidence
to support that.

And why did your father
have a gun on him at all?

Probably for protection.
He was selling weed back then.

You never asked him.

I don't need to.

Look, I'm sure that I would
wanna believe my father too.

But in this case,

the objective facts
are just not on his side.

[Rob] I spoke to a lawyer.

You can afford a lawyer?

[Rob]
Just wanted to see
what he'd say.

And what'd he say?

He didn't think
Dad was innocent.

Well, what do you think?

I think it's the system.

I think they cover themselves.

They cover their own.

Shaun, it's been over 13 years.
You don't think you should stop?

It don't matter
if it's been 13 years
or 30 years if he didn't do it.

There's no motive.

The murder weapon
is inconsistent.

No history of violence.

"No history of violence."

You tell me then,
was he violent?

Was he?

With you.

It didn't happen a lot,
but it happened.

And when it did, I made sure
we all weren't living
in the same house.

I didn't think there was much
wrong with trying to preserve
a little bit

of the image
you had of your father.

[sighs]
Maybe even that was too much.

[door closes]

[sighs]

[person panting]

Fuck!

Shit!

[breathing shakily]

[crying]

I should've told you
it was my dad in prison, baby.

I'm sorry.

It's okay.

It's okay. I get it.

Rob, you just have to know

that none of this
is your fault.

It's not.

So why is it on you?

I just don't believe
he's a murderer.

You shouldn't have to
carry all of this.

[sighs]

God, you deserve
to live your life.

You deserve to have a shot
at being happy.

[sighs]

[kisses]

[kisses]

When I was a kid, I used to
sit in front of my house
after the rain.

You ever notice how the tires
hit the blacktop after the rain?

[waves crash]

[Rob]
It sounds like the ocean.

Used to close my eyes

and pretend I was on
some beautiful beach somewhere.

Switch off.

I gotta find that spot.

Maybe I can help.

I mean, my mom's from Rio.
My dad's from San Juan.

I do know something
about beaches.

[phone ringing]

[exhales]
[ringing continues]

[ringing continues]

[ringing continues]

[beeps]
Hello?

[beeps]

This is a call
from the Trenton
Correctional Facility.

Will you accept the charges?

Um...

Sure.

I've been getting
these headaches for a while now.

Just...

Just brushed it off.

You never think
it's gonna be something bad.

And I just, uh--

I blacked out.

Keeled over in the dayroom.

They took me down
to the infirmary
for tests, and...

And it came back
with brain cancer.

[Skeet breathes shakily]

[crying]

That's when I called you.
I'm sorry.

It's okay. It's okay.

It's okay. I'm sorry
I haven't been here as much.

I'm gonna take care of you.

I'm gonna get you out of here.

It's too late for that.

It's only gonna be
a few months now anyway.
They said, uh--

[sighs]

They said six.

[exhales]

You let me take care of you,
it'll be a lot longer than that.

I study cancer.

I study cancer.

I know all about
the new medications
and what they do.

I can buy 'em for you.

You'll see me graduate,
for a start.

And way beyond that.

You're not gonna
fight this alone. Okay?

I will get you out of here, Dad.

I love you.

[sighs]

I love you too, Son.

[Rob] The need
for my father's medication

tested everything
I thought I believed.

Tested my commitment
to family...

community...

all of it.

Was I prepared
to risk everything...

that I had achieved

for him?

Watch your head
when you're coming in.

[Rob]
I want this application
to be truthful.

And the truth is,
I'm not proud
of all the choices I made.

A lot of my dad's shit
is still down here,
but you can use the place.

This is perfect, man.
Yeah.

Working in the lab

means I can bring
the equipment back out here.

You bring the bulk weed
from Florida, all right?

And I'll treat the buds,

make 'em more potent.

Everything on campus
is pretty much dog shit,

so it's a huge market
for good product.

There's plenty of
white boys selling.

The school kinda let it slide.

You gonna pack it all from here?

If that's all right.
[Curtis] Sure.

My mom's not coming back.

Not since my dad passed.

[canister hissing]

It's good.

How good? Articulate it.

"Articulate it"?

It's like
I don't feel all fucked up,

but I'm still getting high
as a motherfucker.

You feel like
you could still do shit?

Like what?

I don't know.
Like read a book, drive a car.

[Curtis] Right now?
Hypothetically, bro.

[inhales sharply]

Maybe.

So what,
you mixing different strains
together or something?

Nah, man.
If we had some planters,
I could do some hybridization.

Mmm.

But for now,
I'm just extracting
the cannabis oil

and dropping it
right on the buds.

But mostly butane.

Patent this shit, bro.
Patent it.

You guys wanna open a window?

[Tav] Shit.
[partner]
Or maybe grab me a gas mask?

Sorry, babe.

[clears throat]

[kisses]

[partner]
You coming up anytime soon?
[Tav] I'm coming now.

[clears throat]

You're sitting
on a gold mine, man,
for real.

[Rob] Look, we do this
the right way, man,

we can get to
that other thing too.

Abandoned homes, bro.

Getting a legacy.

I don't want your boy
growing up the way we did.

It's cool. It's cool. It's cool.

[inhales deeply]

[laughs]

Come on!

[laughing] Come on! Yo!

[buyer]
Rob Peace! How'd you know?

In and out of the pool.

[Rob] Gotta stay sedated.

What's that right there?
Let me see.

This is 40?
Yeah, that's a 40.

[guard]
Douglas, medication for you.

It seems plausible
to infer the information

from the differences
in electron densities.

Yes. It's excellent.

Look, I think it'll make
a pretty good subject for a PhD.

I wanna stick to biochemistry
and therapeutic application
postgrad.

Yes! That's great news.

I think you should start
applying for programs
as soon as possible.

You'll have
my full recommendation
to a topflight school,

and now in your final year,

we'll just continue
to support you
in any way we can.

[person] Yo, what's up, bro?

[chattering]

[lawyer] Mr. Douglas.
Hey. How you doing?

Hello.
Hey.

Tom Rivers.
Pleasure to meet you.

Even if somebody opened it,

they still wouldn't know
what's inside.

How much is enough?

Lawyer gonna need 30K
for the next review.

Same thing for another
six months of medication.

You okay?

I just feel like
I came a long way

just to end up
with the biggest dealer
on campus.

But you know
what I'm doing this for.
Yeah. I do.

So why you giving me shit?
Because it feels like
you like this.

I don't like it.
But what the fuck?

Am I supposed to walk around
mad all day?

Ain't this
what you asked me to do?
Live my life, be happy?

Yeah. That's right.
That's right.

But you want me to watch you
not give a fuck

that you could be doing this
for somebody
who killed two women.

He didn't kill anybody!
You're sure about that, now?

Then why is it
such a big secret, huh?

Why don't you go tell everybody?

Do a fucking charity event.
Raise money that way.

You know why you don't?

Because you
don't fucking know, Rob.

What does that say about you?

What the fuck
does it say about me?

This is why I didn't wanna
fucking tell anybody.

Because they'd ask questions.

Fuck.

Remember when you were
the smart guy from New Jersey?

Nobody knew
what to make of you.

Now you're just a drug dealer
from East Orange,
doing stupid shit.

And guess what.

Everybody's cool.

[grunts]

[trunk rattles]

[softly] Fuck.

[metal clatters]

[Durham] I noticed
the bioreactor was missing.

It's $3,000.

I've been
bringing back everything
as soon as I could.

Why would you do this?

What are you using
this equipment for?

[Rob sighs]
You know what?
I don't wanna know.

It's done.

It's...

I didn't wanna let you down.
I'm-- I'm--
I'm the person you think I am.

I am. I promise you.
It's who I've always been.

[exhales slowly]

["Southern Hospitality"
playing on speakers]

[people chattering]

♪ Cadillac grills
Cadillac mill's ♪

♪ Check out the oil
My Cadillac spills ♪

♪ Matter of fact
Candy paint Cadillacs kill ♪

♪ So check out the hos
My Cadillac fills ♪

♪ Pretty-ass clothes... ♪

[chattering, laughing]

♪ Pretty ass, high class
Anything goes... ♪

[song distorts]

[music fades]

[Jeff] Hey, man.

You good?

I just need some fresh air.
I'm just a bit fucked up.

You think Naya's gonna show?

I can't believe
we're almost finished here.

Yeah.

I gotta tell you, man.
Um...

If I hadn't been
living with you,
there's...

a lot that I wouldn't
have seen or--

Please don't
do this to me now.
No. I'm serious.

For real. Like...

I'd have been
another fucking dumbass.

I mean,
it's like... this party.

You've got frat boys
and polo players
dancing to Ludacris...

[laughing]
...with dining hall ladies

and fucking militant members
of the AfAm Society.

You bring people together.
You do.

I'm never gonna know
how you got through all this,

with everything
you got going on
with your dad.

I hope he knows
what you risk for him.

It's all over now.

I've almost raised
all the money I need.

It's all done.

Anybody else
would've done the same.

Uh-huh.

You're telling me you wouldn't
have done it for your dad?

My dad? [chuckles]

Even with all the shit
I got going on with my dad,
he'd...

He'd never ask me
to risk anything.

[groans]

Oh, my God!

[people speaking indistinctly]

[radio chatter in distance]

[gate unlocks]

[person] Let's move!
Right up here on the right.

What the fuck?

Fuck! Fuck.

Hey, yo, Tav!

[groans]

[Rob] Tav, wake up, man.

Hey, come on, man!
Tav, wake up, man!

Tav, man, come on!
Get up, man!
What is wrong--

Tav! Tav! Wake up! Wake up!
[banging doorframe]

I need you to help me
with something, man.
Come on!

Fuck, man. Shit.

Come on, Tav, man.
Get up, man.

Tav!

All right, look,
all this right here,
it's gotta go.

It's gotta go.

Hey, yo, Jeff! Hey, yo, Jeff!

What's going on?
Man, security on their way.
Go stall them for me.

I'll try.
Go, go, go!

Shit, man!

All right.

We good.
It's outta here.

Hold on. Hold on. Hold on.

[Jeff] Master Clark.
Go back.

I'm glad I caught you.
I wanted to talk about...

Open the window.
Open the window. Yeah.

...a couple questions
about my course load
this semester.

I was really thinking...

Hold on.
Let me lock it.

...if it's okay,
maybe a master's program.

If you'll just take a sec.

You want me
to hold on to it?

Nah, it's drug money, man.
It's not safe.

...talk to you about a class
that I would like to add.

Take it to Uncle Carl.
Tell him it's clothes.

...give me a second
of your time?

Please can we
just take a second?

[breathing heavily]

[objects clattering]

[door closes]

Hey.

Jeff told me
what was going on.

What happened?

They didn't find anything.

So Professor Durham
convinced them
to let me graduate, but...

she's, uh, rescinding
her recommendation,

so I won't be getting into
any postgrad programs
anytime soon.

Damn.

That's Yale, right?

Yeah.

Just before they decided
to name the school after him.

We made it though.

Mm-hmm.

Everything else
we can figure out.

I miss you, Naya.

I'm sorry
about the way I've been.

Let's spend more time
after graduation.

No pressure.
I just wanna see where we are.

I'm leaving, Rob.

What do you mean,
you're leaving?

After graduation,
I'm going back to Rio.

My mom got a job at an NGO,
and she asked me to come help.

So...
Well, for how long?

See how it goes, I guess.

Well, I could come see you.

I mean, look,
all that other shit
is behind me.

It's not behind you.

You just hit your target.

It'll never be behind you
unless you really change things.

I can't be with you
if you won't.

You've got
a good heart, Rob.

You don't have to
live like this.

Not for anybody.

[sighs]

[Skeet]
Doesn't feel like sleeping.

Just... [sighs]

...coming in
and out of darkness.

It's the medication.

I wake up surprised
I'm not already dead.

Don't say that.

So you'll graduate?

Yeah.

I really didn't think
I'd be around for that.

I told you.

I'm proud of you, Son.

After they nearly kicked me out,
I've been thinking about you.

A lot.

Yeah?

My whole life been...
dealing with you in here.

One way or another.
I know.

I know. I'm sorry
I can't give that back to you.

[Rob]
No. I don't want you to.

But I need you
to tell me the truth.

"The truth"?

Did you kill those women?

[Skeet breathing shakily]

You didn't...

You didn't believe me
all this time?

No. It's not that. It's just
we never talked about it.

Whether Irving was just trying
to protect you.

Why you had the gun
in the first place.
I'm--

We never talked
about what happened.

[gasping]
I'm dying, Shaun.

What difference
does it make now?

I need to know.

You need to know?

Come on! Get out! Come on!

The last thing I wanna--
Get out of here!

The last thing I wanna do
is let go of you, Dad.
What are you talking about?

But if you can't
tell me the truth,
I got to. I got to.

Get out of here!
What the hell
are you talking about?

[sobbing]
I'm gonna fucking die.

What's that...

[sobbing]

[priest]
God, accept our prayers
on behalf of your servant,

Skeet Douglas.

Do not
count his deeds against him,

for in his heart,
he desired to do your will.

May your mercy join him
to the angels in heaven.

We ask this through Christ,
our Lord.

Amen.

[Rob]
There's no reason East Orange

can't be more like South Orange
or Montclair.

[scoffs]
[Rob] I'm serious.

And we do it without
moving people out

or raising the rent.

It's just gonna take time.

First, we concentrate
between South Orange Ave.

and Central.

And when the banks come in,
we can expand.

Right now,
we're the primary investors.

It's gonna take about 20K each
for us to get started.

We can put that on top
of what I got saved from Yale.

And how are we
getting the money, selling?

Nah. We're past that.
This is legit.
I'm getting a job.

I could get 20
from the refinance
on this place.

Tav, how much you got saved?

Around there.
Mm-mmm.

We'll figure it out.
It's all good.

I'm in.

[chuckles]

[grunts]

[Rob] I still believed
in changing the world
around me.

[whistle blows]

Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!

[Rob]
I believed that all evolutions
could affect the future.

[whistle blows]

And maybe...

Hands up!

...correct the past.

So, what are we looking at?

It's my dad's old house.

It burned down years ago.

It was vacant for a while.

How much
you think it's worth now?

[exhales]

Hard to say from out here.

But, um, if they've done
a reasonable job inside,

I'd say... 200,000, 250,000.

200,000, 250,000?

There's 172
abandoned homes
in East Orange.

Right now,
they're just havens
for gangs and violence.

With your company's
large-scale contracting work
and my knowledge on the ground,

we can buy up
enough of them and turn this
whole neighborhood around.

And what are you
asking for exactly?
Reduced labor costs?

Yeah, for a significant share
of my company, Peace Realty.

Look... [chuckles]
...even with reduced costs,

you'll need the banks
to loan you
a lot of money up front.

I know.
To get that,

you'd have to show
clear and consistent profit

for at least a year,
maybe two.

Are you sure that's
what you wanna be doing?

Right now? Yeah.
Yeah, it is.

Okay.

Well...

Yeah, if you can get the houses
to a decent level,

show the numbers working
and guarantee the spend,

yeah, it's possible
we could come in.

[weed trimmer whirring]

All right, so, uh,
can anyone tell me

what determines
the activity of ions
in an aqueous solution?

Go ahead.
How they're charged.

Good. Good! Good!
And? What else we got?

Their density?

Okay. Um--

Their concentration,

or magnitude,

and their sign.

And what's the Yale version
of all that?

Trust me.
Y'all don't wanna
know that, man.

Come on, sir.
Bring back that knowledge.

[all] Yeah! [clamoring]

Whoa, whoa, whoa!
You don't wanna know that.
It's the Yale version!

[students clamoring]
For real? All right, look.

[Rob] You asked for it.

I want us all to bear in mind
the Nernst equation.

Yeah. Calculating
the ionic equilibrium potential.

So Ecell,
the instantaneous
cell potential...

Y'all don't wanna know now.
[students laugh]

[Rob]
The instantaneous
cell potential...

[hammers pounding]
[machinery whirring]

Y'all working hard. [chuckles]

The neighborhood was pretty good
when you were a child.

No reason why
it couldn't be again.
[Rob] Uh-huh.

That was a long time ago, Mama.

The five places
in Oakwood...
[chuckles]

...you won't even
recognize them by the time
we're done with them.

It's like you got
an umbilical cord
stuck in East Orange,

and no one can shake it off you.

Get some rest, Mama.

She's right.
What we're doing is important.

We're changing things
around here.

You already
changed things, Shaun.

You're the son of a convict,
and you've never been to jail.

You changed things.

You're the son of a convict,
and you went to Yale.

Baby, go to grad school.

The neighborhood's
not on you.

I know you lost your father,
and I lost mine,

and any day now,
we're gonna lose Mama too.

But at least for right now,
for once in your life,

you can just breathe.

Find your dream.

[Rob] Go ahead. [chuckles]

All right, now.

[Rob, homeowner chuckle]

I'll get the sign
out of here soon, okay?

All right.

[chuckles]

All right. Let's do it.

[Oswaldo] Look,
I know you think Peace Realty
could basically run itself,

but there are, like,
15 other Realtors
popping up now.

You were right.

You were first,
but now everybody
sees the potential.

Even some of the guys
who were working with you
started a company.

I trained my competition.
There's no better compliment.

[Oswaldo] Yeah,
but if you wanna stay on top,

you gotta
keep the business growing.

We can help you do that.

And we're prepared
to take on a larger commitment.

It was never about
staying on top.

It was about
changing the neighborhood.

It doesn't matter
if that's with Peace Realty
or with someone else.

Well, it matters to us.

What's going on, man?

You know, we wanna keep
growing this investment.

And I don't mean
for developments

like they got going up
in Jersey City and Newark.

I'm talking about
a-- a community trajectory.

You sound like
you sellin' this to me now.

[laughing] I'm trying to.
[Rob laughs]

Yeah, man,
don't let Peace Realty
fall away.

You're right.
It's not just about money.

But it's that attitude
that's making this successful.

People know it's about heart.

[Rob] I'm thinking about
trying something else.

Even getting inspiration
overseas.

Maybe.

I just wanted
to talk to you about it
before I made any decisions.

What about continuing
with your studies?

Getting your PhD
like you always wanted?

Running your own lab somewhere?

I like that.
I still don't know if I can
get into any programs

with everything
that happened at Yale.

You might not need
those recommendations
anymore.

You graduated with honors,
and you may have been here
long enough

to get into a program
with a teaching requirement.

Let me look into it.

But you shouldn't leave it
any longer.

I've seen people get stuck.

I felt so good being here.

These kids,
they're teaching me a lot too.

That's how it goes sometimes.

It's been wonderful
having you here.

But the kids should be seeing
pictures of you on a wall,

not your face in a classroom.

It's time for you to fly,

so they see they can.

Okay.

[line ringing]

[phone ringing]

[speaking indistinctly]

[beeps]
[person answers in Portuguese]

[speaking Portuguese]

[person speaking Portuguese]

[Naya, Rob speaking Portuguese]

[Rob in English]
I wanna ask you something.

Okay.

I started applying
to grad schools again, and...

I can get a place in a program
with an enhanced
teaching requirement.

That's great, Rob.
That sounds perfect.

How would you feel about
coming to see me?

To grad school?

Yeah. You could study,
or you can work.
We'll figure it out.

So you want me to
just drop everything
and follow you?

No. What I'm saying is
how about you tell me
a place you'd like to visit?

I can see if there's a school
I can get into around there.

Okay, well, I'll tell you this.

If it came down to
Stanford or MIT,

I'd definitely visit California
over Massachusetts.

California, it is.

[chuckles]

[handset settles in cradle]

Whoo!

It's gonna be in the back
over there.

I just put it in the back.
It's in the back porch,
all right?

Just go handle that for me.
I appreciate you, bro.

I spoke to him already.
He said it's done.

It's in the back porch.
Go get it.

Thank you.

That's it right there? Okay.

Let's see.

They're gonna need one
of those boards
around the corner.

Rob?
Yeah?

[speaking indistinctly]

[Rob]
Yeah, let's do it.
Let's go.

[Oswaldo] Yeah?

Good. Let's do it.
[Rob] Thank you, man.

[announcer]
The Dow is down
a record amount.

Last week it gave up
a devastating 1,874 points.

The people that have the most
to worry about in this drop

are people that were
way overexposed to stocks

or overextended
in real estate.

[Rob] No! No! No!
Don't put me on hold again.

Fuck! Fuck!

Hey, what they sayin', man?

They're sayin'
we owe over $200,000,
and they're not fucking around.

So what? Everything's gone?
This place is worthless now?

But hey, look, look, look,

all the properties
are gonna be going down now.

So we should buy more properties
and dig ourselves out.

How?
They froze the loans, man.

Because of what?
Because of subprime?

Fuck!

[Tav breathing heavily]

I put everything into this, Rob!
Everything!

Now, I have nothing left
for my son. [crying]

We'll--
We'll figure it out. We...

[announcer]
...a financial storm
that seems to darken every day.

[crying]

[Rob]
The financial collapse in '08

devastated the neighborhood
all over again.

It felt, like, no matter
how many variables
were controlled for,

chaos was always waiting.

[door opens]

Hey. I'm sorry to bother you,
Mr. Tucker.

Shaun Peace.
You knew my dad, Skeet Douglas.

Yeah. I remember you, Shaun.

I saw the sign out there,
and I...

This house was in my family
for a long time.

I, uh-- I just wanna know
what's gonna happen to it.

[Tucker] Once we paid
all the back taxes on the place

and done some renovating,

we refinanced for the first time
and sent Skeet some money.

Not much,
but we did our best
to help him out.

Thank you.

He thought
we'd abandoned him
at the trial.

I guess everybody did
in the end.

It's crazy what they can do
to an innocent man.

We were really proud of you
finding that loophole,

getting him out
that first time.

Wh-- What makes you so sure...

that he was... innocent?

[Tucker] I mean,
it's not exculpatory evidence
or whatever,

just photographs,
but that was your father's gun.

I knew it pretty well.

After the fire, Skeet kept it
inside the basement door here.

There was rust all over it.
I don't think
it could even shoot.

The gun
the police came up with
was bullshit.

They wanted
to close the case.

And after Irving died,
they could.

We couldn't say anything
in court.

I'd been doing stupid shit.

Police were on me
all the time,
making threats,

even death threats.

Finally, we stepped back.
Only thing we could do.

Your mother never knew whether
to tell you about it back then.

I guess we all decided
it'd do more harm than good.

[door opens]

You okay?

I spoke to
Michael and Sheila Tucker.

Why didn't you tell me?

Why did you hate him so much?
I didn't hate him at all.

You let me think he was guilty.

That's not true.
I never said that, not once.

He died thinking
I walked away from him.

I couldn't get him out, Shaun!

No matter what I did,
the Tuckers
were never gonna testify.

But why didn't you tell me?

Because the little bit of doubt
you always had about your father

was the only reason
you pushed back against him.

Ma!
It was.

God help me,
I loved that man.

But he would watch you
burn to the ground
trying to get him out.

Now, maybe he was innocent.
I still don't know.

But I had a choice
to believe in you or him.

And I chose.

It wasn't your choice to make.

Yes, it was.

Don't do this.

I'm begging you.

I'm not
letting anybody else down.

You need to loan us $10,000
to make some real moves.

[scoffs]
And we're in the clear.

We buy 50 pounds of bulk weed
from the connect in Florida,

convert it downstairs,

serve it in the streets.

That's a 2,000% return.

400K at least.

We pay everybody back,
split the rest,
and we out of the hood.

Or you could just walk away.

I tried that already, Oswaldo.
It doesn't work.

Six weeks, and I pay you back.

Six weeks.

Then it's grad school,
normal life.

How you gonna do all this, Rob?

We just gonna sell
under the noses of
all the gangs in New Jersey?

[sighs] We hire in. Mules.

They serve it real quick.

Tell them we're working
for the Killer Bloods
or some other gang.

We operate out of here,
but we don't sleep in here.

Every deal we make
is in the streets.

We don't tell 'em anything,

not even our real names.

That's the only way.

[scoffs]

I'll lend you the money.

But I can't be around this.

It's crazy.

[sighs]
[door opens]

[door closes]

[Curtis] All right.
Keep going back.

[Curtis]
This way? Straight?

[Rob]
Yeah, very, very straight.

[Curtis]
I'll just take it back this way.
All right. I got you.

Just make sure it can't be seen
from the street.

It's all good.

Here you go.
[mule] Word up.

Why's there so much, huh?

It's a lot.

I thought
you can handle a lot.

I can,
but where's it coming from?

I don't know.

So why's it
gotta move so fast?

That's just the way it is,
okay?

Okay.

[money rustling]

[engine revs]
[tires squeal]

Mules got you spooked, huh?

It's that Kamar.
Questions every fucking night.

Ain't no trial period.

Only way you get rid of him
is with what you got
in your hand right there.

Just make sure
you don't get followed.

All right.

Let's head out.

Can't stay here.

[train passing]

[Rob]
Graduate school application.

Statement of purpose.

To whom it may concern,

Science is my passion.

I believe science
has helped me navigate

the complex systems
that have surrounded me,

the pressures
that I've encountered
in my life.

My interests
have centered on immunology...

[vehicle approaches]
[tires screech]

[Rob] ...and the states
and functions
of nucleic acids.

This area focuses
on origins and environments

to help treat
incurable cancers

like the one
that took the life
of my father.

Fuck.

[Rob] I believe these
therapeutic applications

will aid our understanding
of disease

and eventually
prevent all manner
of catastrophic instances...

before they occur.

[faint chattering]

Hey, yo, Tav.
[gate opens]

Yo. What's up, man?
[chuckles]

It's everything
we made so far.

Except a little bit
I gave to my mom.

It's about 25K.

I'll pay you the rest
of your cut in a few weeks,
all right?

I want you out of this now.

It's enough
for you to get started
on something legit, man.

Money mean you got choices.

Mean your boy
got choices too.

All right.

[Rob] The knowledge I gain
by earning a PhD

will help me achieve
my career objectives...

which include
educating future scientists
as a professor

and continuing
scientific research...

to better understand
the pathways of life.

What's going on?
Kamar's outside.

Shit! He tail you?

I don't know. Maybe.

You want it?

[sighs]
He just want a cut.
All right.

Shit.

[exhales]

What the fuck is going on?
What the fuck are you doing?

You ain't no gangsta.
The fuck's the matter with you?

[vehicle approaching]
[tires squeal]

[gun cocks]

Whoa!

[gun cocks]

[door slams shut]

They're coming.

[door opens]

Get out! Get out!

Whoa!

[shouts]

[gunshot]

[gunshots]

[Father Leahy] What do you think
is the most important thing
that you can learn here?

What's the most important idea
that St. Benedict's
can teach you?

The pursuit
of excellence?

What is excellence?

Why do we pursue it
with the knowledge
that we are all flawed?

There is no excellence.

There is no flawlessness.

It's not excellence
that we should seek.

It is grace.

And grace is reserved solely

for those who have struggled
to move this world forward.

They will succeed.

Eventually, they will.

And through their endeavors,

all of the walls around us
will come crashing down.

That is grace.

And grace...

[waves lapping]

...is peace.

[Rob]
I am forever grateful...

for the love I've received...

the love
I've been able to give...

the places I've found myself

and the knowledge
that these places
were always here and now.

Thank you for considering
this application.

Robert DeShaun Peace.

I wish I could've seen
the world you'd make, Shaun.

The one you'd make
would be beautiful.

["Smile" playing]

♪ If I tell the truth ♪

♪ I would say
That I've been hurt ♪

♪ Many times before ♪

♪ So it's hard for me ♪

♪ To ever wanna give
Anybody, anybody else love ♪

♪ I was bitter and broken
Until you ♪

♪ Jumped inside my heart ♪

♪ I guess God needs you
Where you are ♪

♪ 'Cause the pain
I felt before ♪

♪ Don't exist anymore ♪

♪ You light up my dark, oh ♪

♪ I been broken
For a long time ♪

♪ Now I'm standing
In the sunshine ♪

♪ It's kinda crazy
How you made me smile ♪

♪ 'Cause the winds in my life
Been blowing ♪

♪ But you made me smile ♪

♪ And I wanna know how ♪

♪ 'Cause I never thought
I had enough ♪

♪ I been holding back
A lot of love ♪

♪ But you make me smile ♪

♪ And I wanna know how ♪

♪ 'Cause it's scaring me
Darling ♪

♪ I'm falling and falling
Just make sure you catch me ♪

♪ I'm only thinking
'Bout now ♪

♪ How you make me
Smile, smile, smile ♪

♪ I feel strong ♪

♪ I feel well ♪

♪ I feel confident
Better about myself ♪

♪ Life was dust
Turned to gold ♪

♪ In just a short time ♪

♪ You found
A diamond in my soul ♪

♪ You brighten up my dark, oh ♪

♪ I been broken
For a long time ♪

♪ Now I'm standing
In the sunshine ♪

♪ It's kinda crazy
How you make me smile ♪

♪ 'Cause the winds in my life
Been blowing ♪

♪ But you make me smile ♪

♪ And I wanna know how ♪

♪ 'Cause I never thought
I had enough ♪

♪ I been holding back
A lot of love ♪

♪ But you make me smile ♪

♪ I just wanna know how ♪

♪ 'Cause it's scaring me
Darling ♪

♪ I'm falling and falling
Just make sure you catch me ♪

♪ I been searching
All around for you ♪

♪ I been looking
All around for you ♪

♪ And I finally see the light ♪

♪ Took me a long time ♪

♪ But I'm glad
I finally know the truth ♪

♪ I forgot about
The hurt I knew ♪

♪ I just wanna give
My love to you ♪

♪ 'Cause the mirror
Don't scare me now ♪

♪ I feel strong ♪

♪ I feel well ♪

♪ I feel confident
Better about myself ♪

♪ You really make me smile ♪

♪ And I wanna know how ♪

♪ 'Cause it's scaring me
Darling ♪

♪ I'm falling and falling
Just make sure you catch me ♪

♪ I'm only thinking
'Bout now ♪

♪ How you make me smile ♪

♪ Oh, smile, smile, smile ♪

♪ How you do it ♪

[song ends]