Grandpa Jeremy: You haven't told him.
You've had a good life, haven't you, KJ?
Yes, sir.
You know why that is?
It's because I instilled
in your father at an early age
the importance of family and duty.
You are who you are because of him.
He is who he is because of me.
Not everybody is so lucky.
Some of us, well--
some of us had to build ourselves from nothing.
- Dad, please. - Look, he needs to hear this.
He will, all right, from me privately.
Please. I want to talk to my son privately.
Well,
look who finally grew a pair.
Just remember, you called me.
I didn't have to drive down here, but I did,
so when both of you
are ready to finish what we started,
I'll be at the hotel.
Why didn't you tell me that you invited him?
With all due respect, Dad,
you don't get to ask questions right now.
Since the moment we landed in L.A.,
something has been different about you.
Okay. I tried to chalk it up
to you and Mom's separation
and nerves over this new gig,
but clearly something else
has been going on here, so the next words
and the only words I want to hear
from you right now is the damn truth...
please.
Okay.
[Exhales]
You know, Billy Baker had a half-brother, right?
Yeah.
I mean, what does that have to do with--
Ohmygod.
Wait. Grandpa Jeremy is--
Are we related to the Bakers?
Billy Baker and Grandpa shared a mother--
Mary.
She had a--she had a kid in high school,
dumped him in foster care,
and went on with the rest of her life.
So--so if Grandpa Jeremy
and Billy Baker are brothers,
wouldn't that make you and Jordan cousins?
And you and Jordan second cousins.
Does he know this?
No.
Why?
Why haven't you told him?
Why didn't you tell me,
and how long have you known about this?
All my life.
Grandpa had a rough time
growing up in the system,
and he never let me forget that
or who was responsible.
Grandpa said something about a plan.
What plan?
Look, it's complicated, okay? I--
What plan, Dad?
To take down the Baker legacy,
to strip them of everything
that should have been Grandpa's,
and prove that the Jeremy line
was always the stronger one.
So lemme get this straight.
You uprooted me from my life in Oakland
for revenge?
Do you know how crazy
you sound right now?
Look, you don't understand.
What don't I understand?
That you and Grandpa came up
with this wild, half-baked
revenge plot that I can tell
you're not even sold on,
all because, what,
because Grandpa has abandonment issues,
because he was a crappy father?
I thought we came out here to L.A.
and you became a coach here at Beverly
because it was a better opportunity
for the both of us,
but that was all a lie.
Forget the Bakers and Grandpa
and this Mary woman for a sec.
You and I made a pact
that we would never lie to each other,
and you broke that.
KJ, if you just give me a chance to explain--
No.
You lost every chance you had
when you broke my trust.
No.
Please, man.
[Footsteps retreating]
[Cell phone vibrates]
[Door opens]
[Cassius exhales]
Hey, um, I got us some dinner.
Know you're still mad, but...
you got to eat something.
Where you going?
To stay with someone I can trust.
Look, KJ, we still need to talk.
There are layers to this
that we still got to unpack.
You wanna unpack? Bet.
Let's talk about how far you and Grandpa
were willing to go to take down the Baker legacy.
So, like, we get the state championship title.
You prove that you were a better coach
than Billy Baker, and then what, huh?
You go after Jordan's job,
we go full politician and just rewrite
Billy Baker's history at Beverly,
oh, and then we--
we take their house in Beverly Hills next, right?
[Scoffs, chuckles]
[Zips bag]
You were my hero, Dad...
my best friend.
I looked up to you.
I trusted you,
but it turns out, the whole time,
I was being played.
You're nothing but a second-rate Killmonger
who just dragged me into some mess
that I never asked to be a part of.
KJ, I need you to understand that I--
I didn't know Jordan or Layla when I got here.
All I knew was what Grandpa told me
and that my duty was
to make things right for him.
Even though everything in you
was telling you that it was wrong?
[Scoffs]
You know, actually, I don't even care
what your reasons are anymore.
I just know I can't be around you.
Look, KJ, I--
I need you to just
keep this between us for now.
Please, just-- just trust me.
[Scoffs]
[Door opens and closes]
"We feel you would make an excellent addition
to our boarding school"?
What? [Knock on door]
[Sighs] Thank God it's you.
Amina: I think my dad is trying to get rid of me.
It turns out my dad has been
lying to me my whole life,
and I just moved out.
[Sobs]
[Crying]
You sure I can't get you anything else?
Um, no. Thanks.
So...
what happened, exactly?
I, um...
I can't get into specifics,
but, um, my dad and grandpa
have been keeping something big
from me my whole life,
and now I feel like maybe I owe the truth
to the other person this secret affects.
Does this secret have
life-and-death implications?
No, not exactly.
Okay. Okay, look,
I know you're angry and upset.
Take this from someone who--heh!--who knows
her fair share of family secrets and big bombs.
You don't want to make any decisions
in this state, so take the night.
Get some sleep. And cool off.
[Forrest Frank's "Good Day" playing]
♪ Sun is shining down on me ♪
♪ Birds are singing praise... ♪
One for me, one for you.
Do I want to know what that is
or what it's made of?
Okay. Come on.
It is obviously a pancake...
kinda,
um, but more importantly,
it is a little tradition
that my dad started
to celebrate birthdays in Casa de Baker.
Hold that thought.
[Scoffs]
Happy eighteenth birthday.
- Thanks, Coach JB. - Mm-hmm.
How'd you know?
Well, as your coach, I now have a file
with everything I need to know about you, like how
you had chickenpox at thirteen, ugh.
Look. I appreciate the love, Coach,
but, look, we don't got to do nothing special today.
Actually, I got some errands to run, so--
Is one of those errands
visiting your dad in prison?
I could join you if you wanted the support.
Nah. That's, um...
that's the last person I'm trying to see today.
Okay, well, uh, you can go run and do your
errands as long as you are back here in two hours.
I'm guessing I don't have a choice, huh?
Celebrating birthdays are non-negotiable
underneath this roof-- I'm sorry--
unless you want to finish your pancake.
So, yeah, I'll see you in two hours, right?
Ha ha ha!
Appreciate you, Coach.
Woman: ♪ I'm feeling good ♪
Man: ♪ I'm feeling good ♪
Woman: ♪ I'm feeling good... ♪
I'm actually glad you dragged me here.
My stomach started growling five minutes ago.
Yeah, felt like a breakfast burrito
would be good for you.
Female singer: ♪ Electrical currents running ♪
♪ Through my veins are burning up ♪
Mom?
Your timing is amazing.
How did you--
I took a guess you need your mom,
so I called her after you fell asleep.
Your guess was right, and thank you.
Bye, Mrs. Jeremy.
Bye, sweetie.
Anthony Lazaro: ♪ The dust of moss and the taste of... ♪
Your dad told you all of this?
Yeah, after he asked Grandpa to leave.
I'm...
I'm speechless.
But not angry?
Mom, he lied to you too.
[Sighs]
Baby, trust me,
I have a lot of feelings circulating right now,
and anger is definitely one of them.
But, I'm choosing to put those feelings aside
because you are what is important.
How am I supposed to live with Dad?
How am I supposed to play for him?
We're just gonna take this
one step at a time.
Last night,
I was ready to call it quits
and come back to Oakland...
but then I thought about my team
and how hard they worked to get to the playoffs.
Well, you see that right there--
your loyalty
and consideration for others--
that is just two of a million reasons
why I am forever proud
of the man that you are becoming,
so focus on your team
and finishing this season
like the champions that I know you are.
I'm here now.
I will handle the rest.
- Hey. - Hey.
Is everything okay with KJ?
Honestly, I don't know,
but at least he's with his mom now.
Thanks for letting him crash.
I mean, technically,
I'm a roommate in y'all's house,
and you didn't need my permission.
Mm, technically, you're an extension
of my dad while he's out of town,
so, yeah, I did. [Coop sighs]
Speaking of my dad... did he mention anything
about a boarding school in Monterey?
Actually, yes.
He said something about hyping you up
to an admissions director he met.
Okay, is he trying to get rid of me
because of all of my questions
about my mom and everything?
Stop it.
You know better than anyone your dad
does not move around with any ill intent.
In fact, I distinctly remember him saying
that it was a feeder to your dream school--
Stanford.
But, hey, let him speak more on it
when he's back from the Ninth Grade Retreat.
Okay.
Ah, I'm late,
and I still have a gift to wrap.
Late for what, and a gift for who?
What, I didn't get no invite?
Yo, how did you pull all of this off in two hours?
Y'know that whole being a football coach
comes with its perks, right?
Yeah, so does living in Beverly Hills.
[Pop]
All: Surprise!
Damn, y'all loud.
What's up, bruh? Player: Happy Birthday.
Well, hold on a minute.
You haven't even gotten to the main event.
Take a look.
- Is that-- - Your favorite dessert?
Why, yes, Coach. Yes, it is.
[Doorbell rings]
Maybe you should get that.
[Chuckles]
Deion, yo, how the hell you get here?
Bruh, it's called a plane,
and you can thank Coach Baker
for getting me a ticket.
How else was he gonna know how to throw you
the perfect bday party?
[Scoffs]
[Knock on door]
Ava.
[Door closes]
Mm!
[Exhales sharply]
So, KJ told you.
Of course he did.
He's running low on people he can trust.
Okay, look, I--I deserve that, but let me just--
Shut up. Just shut up.
You know, for the longest time,
I didn't understand why you started
to put distance between us.
You stopped confiding in me
not just as your wife, but as your best friend,
and now it all makes so much sense.
I never meant to create distance between us.
Secrets have a way of doing that,
regardless of your intention.
[Scoffs] Let's not forget
that you asked for the separation.
I asked for the separation
because I no longer recognized
the man that I was married to,
but at least now I know why.
We know that your father is a master manipulator,
but I never thought that you would become him.
[Sighs]
Ava.
I'm still me... okay?
No, you're not.
And the fact that you can't see that
makes me sad for you.
Whatever went down between your father
and his birth mother has nothing to do
with you or this generation of Bakers.
If you would've let me in,
I would have shown you that.
That's exactly why you kept me in the dark.
You didn't want to hear a voice of reason.
No. Now, look, I was trying to protect you,
and I know now how wrong I was about all of it.
I know I messed up, but it's like I told KJ.
Look, I--I am gonna clean this mess up.
I hope you do, for you.
But as far as me and KJ are concerned,
the damage is done.
- Ava-- - You betrayed
our nuclear family--
me and you and KJ--
the one thing that you took vows
to protect with your life.
- Yeah. - That's why
as soon as this school year is over,
KJ is coming back to Oakland, and he's living with me.
- No, Ava-- - You made your bed.
I hope you and your father enjoy lying in it.
[Door opens and closes]
Male singer: ♪ Good God, good God ♪
♪ Hey, oh, you know I gotta get it... ♪
Nah.
Bruh, will you stop cheating, dawg?
Yo, quit whining.
I ain't going easy on you 'cause it's your birthday.
- Bruh-- - Yeah.
Give them fingers a rest. [Both chuckle]
So what you been up to?
I need to download on everything I missed.
For once, I'm not worried about getting held back.
Your boy's even on track for honor roll this semester.
First-string varsity and honor roll?
Yo, who are you?
All right, so you got
any special shorties in your life,
or you still big pimpin'?
[Laughter]
[Door closes]
- What? - You know, when I said
to look after Meen, I didn't mean date her.
Bro, we are not dating. [Scoffs] Far from that.
Yeah, okay, whatever.
Ha ha! Ohmygod, Deion's home.
Oh, wait. Hold up, one second.
I just wanted to check
that you're actually good
with the whole school thing.
You ain't say much in the car.
I guess I'm still processing, but come on.
It's a big change that I wasn't even considering.
So just think about it.
Um, I'm sorry, Auntie Coop.
I'll be right back.
Hey, what are you doing here?
What happened with your mom?
She's with my dad,
and I ended up taking a walk to an Uber,
and now, apparently, I'm at a birthday party.
Yeah. Yeah.
It's for Khalil, which, no offense,
means you'd probably be
the last person on the invite list.
I'm actually looking for Jordan,
but I--I see now is not a good time.
Wait.
Is Jordan the person your secret affects?
I should go.
Yeah, this was impulsive and dumb.
No, no, no, no. Wait, wait, wait.
Can I just say, whatever this is,
maybe talk with your family first
so that whenever you tell Jordan--
I mean, if you tell Jordan--
you'll have all the answers
to questions that he will inevitably have.
You're really good at this.
- What? - Keeping me calm,
saying the right thing.
Yeah, I guess I'm gifted like that.
Jordan: KJ, my man.
Look, I'm so sorry I forgot to invite you,
but I am glad that you are here.
Is everything okay? You good?
Yeah. Yeah. I was just leaving.
Something came up, but, uh, y'all have fun.
Khalil: You go. Singer: ♪ But I'm up now... ♪
Amina: If it ain't big head in the flesh.
Meena Meen!
Hi. Ha ha!
Ha ha! Hey.
Happy birthday, Khalil.
Thank you.
What the hell was that?
Now, I didn't fly all this way
for some tepid nonsense.
Bring it in.
Amina: Oh, ha ha!
Amina, I can't believe
you're all big meesh on campus
as Stu-Co president.
Whatever. I'm still the same old girl.
Unlike you, Denzel.
I hear you got the lead role
in "Dreamgirls" at your new school?
Now, we gotta pop out and see that.
Yeah, you do.
Ha ha!
Hold on. What's that?
Oh, it's called a present.
You know, you typically
get them on your birthdays.
You can open it with the others.
Ain't no time like the present.
What's up? Come on.
Please, Amina. Amina: Okay.
- [Chuckles] - Fine.
Look, I know this year hasn't been
the easiest for you,
and you've had to pivot a lot,
but, I mean, through it all,
you've kept moving forward.
This arrow is to remind you
that when life throws you a curveball,
follow the arrow and keep moving forward.
The path is yours to choose.
Heh!
Thank you, Meen.
It's beautiful. Amina: Mm-hmm.
[Chuckles]
You know, I've been thinking a lot
about turning eighteen lately.
Was even out earlier applying for jobs,
looking for apartments.
Why? You ain't happy
living in a mansion?
I'm an adult now.
It's time I stop mooching off the Bakers' generosity
and start taking care of myself.
I seriously doubt Uncle Jordan
or Auntie Layla are kicking you out tonight.
[Doorbell rings twice]
Jordan: Ooh, Khalil, you mind grabbing that for me?
[Scoffs] Another surprise.
Yo, it better be Spencer back from New York
and he's taking us to a NFL game.
Ha ha ha!
- Dad. - There's my boy.
How did you--
Come on, man.
You know I ain't never missed a birthday.
Happy eighteenth, son.
[Door closes]
Coop: So the good news is, he didn't break out,
but all charges against Marqui were dropped,
but the D.A. can refile at any time.
So it's not that he's innocent, it's just,
that, what, they don't have enough evidence right now?
Yeah.
This is the last thing Khalil needs.
Why's that?
Look, I know Marqui ain't perfect,
but he's still Khalil's pops,
and he made sure he showed up today.
That's gotta count for something.
I mean, as much as I hate to admit it,
Deion's got a point.
I'm sorry, guys, but are we talking about
the same guy that sent gangbangers
to flex on his son at a family fun zone?
Hey, listen. I get it, all right?
If it was up to me, he'd be back in jail
as far away from Khalil as possible,
but that's not up to us.
It's up to Khalil what relationship
he wants to have with his father.
And not for nothing,
forgiveness is a powerful healer.
Hmm.
[Inhales deeply, sighs]
There you go. Them exclusives.
I had to cop from the homie.
It wasn't easy, but you only turn eighteen once,
so, you know, you're welcome.
So we just gonna act like everything's just normal, huh?
Aye, man, this is me tryin',
aight? So how about you
quit judging me and just introduce me
to some of your little friends, man?
Dad, I just want to enjoy my party.
Heh! Your party?
Oh, you call this a party?
Man, what you call these little--
little wiener dogs and churros?
Heh! Yo, man. I'm kidding.
Loosen up. Jordan: Khalil.
You good? Khalil: Yeah, I'm straight.
You know, you could step to me since
that's what you wanted to do anyway.
Jordan: Oh, that's not a problem.
If Khalil wants you to leave,
it's time for you to go. Marqui: Or what?
Pretty sure, what, one charge
sends you back to prison?
Should we go with trespassing?
[Inhales]
[Exhales]
You know, lucky for you,
I ain't planning on staying.
All right.
I just wanted to make sure my son
was still planning on keeping
our birthday tradition.
Since I'm on this side of town,
we can hit that bougie spot you like.
What you say?
Aight, I'll hit you after the party.
All right. Sure thing.
Happy birthday.
You good?
- Yeah, yeah. - All right.
KJ: I called this family meeting
because I want to hear the truth,
Okay, the whole truth.
Mom and I deserve that.
Grandpa Jeremy: Well, good, but this is
Jeremy family business, so why is she here?
Last I checked, her last name is Jeremy.
Oh, so she hasn't filed
those divorce papers yet.
Ava: Always good to see you, Frank,
and I'm staying.
All right. Kingston,
you want the truth.
You are the best thing
that ever happened to the Jeremy name.
You are my legacy.
Everything I do is in protection of you.
- Come on, man. - Yeah.
Your dad wasn't cut out
for the grit on the field.
The boy, he lacked that It.
Then you stepped in the picture,
and I could see
when I saw you on that pee-wee field
that you was destined for greatness,
much like I would have been had my mother
given me what she gave Billy
instead of throwing me away
like yesterday's trash.
You, my boy,
you...
are my living legacy,
and all I needed your father to do
was to clear a path for you
and expose the Bakers for who they really are.
Now, clearly,
he couldn't even get that right.
Hey, if you want me to keep listening,
you gotta lay off my dad.
Look, it's all good, KJ.
Let him keep showing you who he really is.
Unless you've walked in my shoes,
you don't get to judge me, boy.
KJ, greatness is your birthright.
That's why I'm depending on you
to carry the mantle.
This is about showing the world
what we are made of.
The world or the Bakers?
You know what?
Look, you're right about one thing.
My son is destined for great things,
but his legacy, that's his own.
Ava: Exactly, not yours to wield as a weapon
over the bloodline of a teen girl who made
a very difficult decision
over fifty years ago.
That's the same weak logic Billy tried
to use when he called. Cassius: Wait, hold up.
Billy called you?
When?
Coop: Yo, you really about to dip?
What about Khalil?
I mean, party's over, right?
And you said it best... we need to give him space
to make the decision that's best for him.
Besides, playoffs are
right around the corner, you know?
Work calls. Coop: You want company?
I do not need a babysitter, Coop.
Oh, okay, so you out here
flexing on ex-cons, feeling bulletproof.
Heh heh! Jordan: I wouldn't say that,
no, but Marqui doesn't scare me,
but you had mentioned something
about his charges being refiled.
What does that entail?
- I'm not sure. Why? - Well, I mean, I just
want to be prepared for the best and the worst
so I can support the kid. Coop: I'll find out.
Okay.
[Distant chatter]
He's lucky to have you.
I'm lucky to have him.
I mean, that kid deserves to have
the future that he's been fighting so hard for.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
Coop: Okay.
- All right. - Aight.
Male singer: ♪ I've been solo, I've been solo ♪
♪ I've been solo... ♪
How's he doing?
He ain't really said much.
'Cause there ain't nothing to say.
Sorry. I was trying not
to disturb your peace.
What peace?
My father, who left me unprotected
and fed me to the wolves,
shows up on my birthday, and I'm the one
that still wants to spend time with him.
What's wrong with me?
Nothing is wrong with you.
It's okay to be mad at your dad and still love him.
Everybody keeps saying that, but it don't feel okay.
Because you keep judging yourself for it.
Khalil, you've got to quiet the noise
in your head and follow your arrow.
You'll end up in the right place
for you, wherever that is.
[Sighs]
You never told me that Billy called you
and tried to make things right.
Or that you were actually put up
for an adoption that fell through.
You lied to me.
Doesn't feel great, does it?
Grandpa Jeremy: Why does any of that matter?
It was too late. None of it changed
the hell that I went through. [Cassius scoffs]
You know, my whole life, you have been this--
this giant that I was scared to death to disappoint.
I realize now that you are just an unhealed man
that let his pain become his whole identity.
Don't.
Don't you dare feel sorry for me.
You are and forever
will be my greatest disappointment.
It's time you leave, Frank.
I walk out that door, I'm not coming back.
That what you want, boy?
If that's how it has to be.
[Door closes]
That gift you got Khalil was hella thoughtful.
Just remember, my bday's coming up
in a couple months. Amina: Ha ha ha!
Okay. Well, we'll see
what inspires me by then.
You know, Khalil deserves it.
As annoyed as I get with him,
he's really had my back since you've been gone.
He's good at keeping a promise,
that's for sure.
Yeah, but the promise he made me
ain't the reason he's had your back.
- [Scoffs] - He has feelings for you.
Trust me, he doesn't. We're just friends.
I've known him a long time, Meen,
and I'm telling you, he does.
- Okay. - The question is,
do you still?
Honestly, I'm working on me right now.
Ah! Does that evasive-ass answer
have anything to do with that light-skinned dude
you were talking to earlier?
- KJ? - Yeah.
No. He's also just a friend.
Look, I'm just a quiet observer
pointing out the obvious.
Yeah, you've been real quiet, all right.
[Both chuckle]
Can I ask you something?
What's up?
How'd you feel when you left for your new school?
Why? You thinking about leaving?
I wasn't, but an interview
for a really cool opportunity
came up unexpectedly, and...
and I don't know what to do.
- What's holding you back? - I'm needed here.
But what do you need?
To have all the answers
so I can make an informed choice.
So do the interview. Explore the opportunity.
And if I get accepted, then what?
[Chuckles]
You follow your arrow.
[Both chuckle] Amina: Hmm.
We get out slowly at them, we actually have a chance.
Yo.
Please tell me you're not planning
on spending the rest of your birthday
working out. Khalil: Actually, uh,
I came to see you.
Oh, okay.
Please know I'm grateful to you
and Mrs. LB for everything y'all have done,
but I'll be out of your hair
as soon as I lock down a place.
I see, and, uh, do you have
"locked down a place" money, or--
- I'm working on it. - Okay, look, I know
that you are a legal adult,
and if you want to move out,
get your own place, I will not stop you,
Okay? But we were kind of hoping
that you'd stay through graduation.
- [Chuckles] - And, between you and me,
I think, uh, Layla prefers
your blueberry pancakes to mine.
[Both laugh]
You are not a burden, Khalil.
You are extended family.
Put 'er there.
All right.
[Exhales]
Go on.
Go celebrate the rest of your birthday.
- Yes, sir. - Okay.
And, um... actually,
I think I'll take my dad up on that dinner tonight.
It's one of the few traditions we have.
All right, yeah. You don't have to
justify that to me, all right?
I mean, I get wanting to have
your dad back in your life.
I just hope that it's what you really want
and that he is respecting
the boundaries that you put in place.
- Yes, sir. - Mm-hmm.
- I won't be out too late. - Mm-hmm.
And, Coach...
thanks again for today.
It really meant a lot.
[Chuckles]
Ava: Where's KJ? Cassius: Ah, he went for
a walk, clear his head.
I figured we could both use a glass
while we wait for him. Ava: Hmm.
Fill 'er up.
[Chuckles]
Um...
thank you for today,
you know, for standing by us,
even though it's the last place
you wanted to be.
I know you did it for KJ.
I did it for you, too.
I forgot just how manipulative
your father can be.
He sucks up all the oxygen in the room,
leaving everyone spinning, not knowing up from down.
Yeah, still, I shouldn't have
let it get as far as it did.
I'm sorry.
I think... [Sets down mug]
you need to cut Little Cassius in here...
some slack.
He's doing the best he can
with a lot of healing left to do.
But... today,
you did something huge.
You chose your son over your father
and the ghosts of his past.
I just hope it's not too late.
My money is on you and KJ.
Yeah.
What about me and you?
Let's focus on one bet at a time.
What?
That wasn't a no.
Well, that wasn't a yes either.
Ah.
Marqui: Ha ha! What's up, son?
- What's up, Pop? - Good to see you, bro.
All right, so check it out.
We got some onion rings.
We got some tater tots.
We got some flatbread,
which is really, like,
the white folks' version of pizza.
And then we got some lemon pepper wings.
Hopefully, they understood what I meant
when I said "extra wet."
[Both laugh]
- Thanks, Pop. - Oh, man,
you ain't even seen the best part yet.
Check that out.
Ha ha ha ha ha! Yeah.
That's that grown man medley right there,
now that you an adult and whatnot,
and you know what your rite of passage gonna be.
Don't I have to be twenty-one for the strip club?
Not with me, and, look, after we get you
that lap dance that's gonna change your life,
we'll go ahead and get that baggage up out
of that Beverly Hills prison you in and get you
back moved in with your pops, huh?
Pop, um...
I want to stay with Coach.
[Sighs]
[Scoffs] Look, son, I--
I know things haven't been the best,
but I promise, this time will be different.
I'm gonna look for a real job with benefits.
I--I need my son back. Khalil: So what?
I just forget your homies came for my neck and you let them?
Come on, man, you know I ain't got no control
over that when I'm locked up.
That's why I'm out now, man.
I'm here to protect you, man.
And I don't need your protection.
I'm playing football now.
My community got my back.
Miss Ocia made sure of that.
Sound like you got it all figured out, huh?
Bet.
Why don't you go ahead and, uh, wash your hands,
and, uh, we'll get back to this dinner,
or we're not allowed to do that, too?
Hey, Coach.
Yo, you won't believe what I did.
I stood up to him.
You were right. I--
Coach?
Coach! No, no, no, no.
Coach?
[Breath trembling]
Somebody help!
Help, please!
[Distant siren]
[Door closes]
Cassius: How was your walk?
It was fine. Good to get some air.
[Refrigerator door closes]
Uh, listen, son. Um...
There is no excuse
for me lying to you or for letting
Grandpa get in my head the way that he did.
I was wrong. I'm owning that.
I've never seen that side of Grandpa.
Was he always like that growing up?
Sometimes worse, depending on
how well I did on the field that day.
Then where did you learn to be a father?
From you.
- Thank you. - For what?
For breaking the cycle.
But I just--I--
I don't know how this trust thing
between us is ever gonna be the same.
Look, I will earn back your trust, no matter
how long it takes. I promise you that.
Ava: This family is worth fighting for, KJ,
as long as we are all committed to putting in the work.
You included?
Me included.
Okay, then. I'll try...
but what I won't do is be complicit
in a lie. Okay, Da--
[Ringtone playing]
[Ringtone stops]
Dad, the Bakers are good people.
They deserve to know the truth.
What's up?
Uh, I don't know.
Hey, Amina, what's...
Whoa, whoa, wait. What happened?
[EKG beeping]
All right, we need to stop this bleeding now.
I need an ultrasound.
He might be bleeding into his stomach.
Both stab wounds are deep, definite blunt force trauma
to the upper torso and back. I need blood!
Damn it, someone call up the O.R. again.
We got to get him in there. Now!
Okay, come on. Stay with me.
[Beeping continues]
[Footsteps approach]
- Any news? - No.
And they won't let me beyond those doors,
but I think they're taking him up to surgery.
I still can't get through to Layla at Elle's cabin.
- Well, what about Auntie Liv? - Well, she's at JFK
getting on the first flight that she can.
If only I got there sooner.
If only I followed my gut and just
went with him to school this morning.
[Woman speaking indistinctly on PA]
Um, is, um-- is Jordan okay?
How did this happen?
We think it was Marqui or one of his boys.
[Khalil sobbing]
KJ: Is he gonna make it? Amina: We don't know.
We think he's in surgery.
Doctor: I wish I had better news, but Jordan's
lost a lot of blood, and, unfortunately,
he's AB negative. Coop: Why is that bad?
Cassius: Because it's rare. Doctor: Exactly.
We're trying to find a match so we can get him back to the O.R.
to get his liver under control, but we're running out of time.
You said he had a twin?
Yeah, but she's still six hours out.
Amina: Can't you give him
some universal blood or something?
Doctor: In some cases, yes, but it's a little
more complicated in Jordan's case.
Any other family close by?
[Sighs]
No.
Yes.
Um, test us.
My son KJ and I.
Bro, what part of "family" didn't you understand?
Look, just test us.
We're his family.
Our fathers are brothers, and...
I'm his first cousin.
Greg, move your head.