[light electronic music]
[relaxed music]
♪ ♪
- [grunts]
- What? First, Stephen complains
when I clip 'em in bed, and now you too?
Good morning to you, too, babe.
- [grumbling angrily]
- Everything okay?
You usually leave the cabinets open,
and I have to close them, and then we fight.
- Sorry, I'm already having an imaginary fight in my head.
- Love those kinds. I always win.
So who we fighting? - Ankh.
He's gonna give me credit for my beats,
and he's gonna pay me. - With interest.
That's where the real bread is at.
Ain't that right, student loan?
- Just because you got all the clout in Chicago,
Ankh, doesn't mean I have to stand by
and let you crush my career. I will not be a pariah.
I just don't know who I am or what I would do
without my music. - You talking to me or Ankh?
- Sorry. Talking to you, actually.
- You know, one time, the salon was closed for, like,
three days 'cause of a gas leak,
and I almost faked like it poisoned me
so I could get the week off, but right before I fake died,
I realize my life is about more than just Sister Locs.
- Can we have one existential crisis at a time please?
- I'm a woman. I can multitask.
Like, look how depressed you are.
I wish I had a calling so strong that it made me
sad and miserable like you.
- Uh, thank you? I think.
- What's my legacy? What am I gonna leave behind?
What comes after the comma in the headline of my death?
Angela Young, comma, local hairstylist,
widowed mother of three, killed in shark attack?
Nah, that's not it.
- I have--I don't even know where to begin--
- Come, child, let Miss Zuri tell you your fortune...
for just 99¢ a minute.
- Can you tell me if Mom has two other kids in Hawaii
who live on a shark-infested beach?
- I don't see Hawaii,
but I do see you're about to have a terrible day.
[ominous music]
♪ ♪
- [gasps]
- [snarling]
- Your bad attitude is like a flat tire,
and you ain't going nowhere until you fix it.
Wait, I didn't write that.
- Big support from the fam today.
Hey, thank you both.
I gotta change.
- Okay, you went over by two seconds.
That'll be a dollar.
[school bell rings]
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
[bright music]
[groovy beat]
- [laughs]
This beat is sick.
♪ ♪
- [laughs]
[car thuds]
[tire hisses]
Man, how is the city
always under construction,
yet there's potholes on every block?
[bright music]
- I told you, Dad, The cootie catcher knows.
Your attitude did this.
- Or a nail.
Now get to school.
[line ringing]
- Maury's Tow. - Hey, I got a flat tire.
How much would it cost for a tow?
- That's gonna be around $300.
- How much? What the hell?
I need to go seven blocks, not to Japan.
- Oh, you want to go to Japan?
That's at least gonna be a two, three day job.
- I'll hit you back when I have the money.
[clattering]
[tires hiss]
[smooth pop music]
- ♪ Why you always acting like... ♪
- All right, so I have a question.
You think Dadawn is a cute baby name?
- Girl, sounds like the beginning of "Law & Order."
[laughs] "Duh, duh." - Anyway, anyway.
I'm glad I took your advice and went.
It was a nice christening.
[bell chimes] - Marie.
You were just here Monday.
I mean, I know I'm dope,
but you want me to do your hair again?
- No, I came here to thank you.
Remember when you said, "I'm no doctor,
but you don't look so good."
- Actually, I said you look like
something that had been dug up once
but buried twice.
- Damn, and you ain't lying, girl.
- Yeah, I was ready to tussle about that one,
but because of you, I went to the ER,
and I had appendicitis.
That baby was about to blow.
You literally saved my life, Angela.
Come and get some hugs. Come here, let me hug you.
Yeah, take it. [applause]
Take it. [grunts]
But to be clear, if you talk that talk again,
you'll be seeing these hands. Love you, girl.
- Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, you do give the best advice, Angie.
Remember when you told me
to stop chewing with my mouth open?
Well, I stopped, and now I drive an Audi.
- Oh. Those things are... definitely related.
- Not me find out you low-key a life coach, Angela.
- [chuckles] I mean, I ain't no Iyanla Vanzant,
but, uh, I do be changing y'all life.
Oh, prices are definitely going up.
Guess I better change my bio.
- Ugh. - Hey, relax, king.
This is homeopathic.
They used leeches to cure the plague.
Old blood cells ain't the wave.
I need that new, new hemoglobin.
- And just where'd you get that new, new hemoglobin?
- Arteries a little raw, bruh. My whole squad on that.
That's how I roll.
What that blood type do, Stephen?
- Uh, it do B negative?
- Well, you need to be positive
and get your blood game up, guy.
[leech grunts]
- Yo, Ankh, I tried to fill the bag,
but I kept passing out,
but your bathroom looks like a crime scene.
Stephen, what up?
You here to work? - No, Star.
I wanted to talk to Ankh about the mixtape.
- Uh-oh. - Hey, litty, right?
I mean, we up.
- Funny you say, "We up," Ankh,
'cause I didn't get any credit
or payment for my beat set
you used without my permission.
- Bruh, are those hate frequencies
I'm feeling resonating from your heart chakra?
I'm the one that got your music out there
banging in the universe like the Big Bang.
Now stop getting the pressure in my new blood up
and get back to work! - Bro, this is crazy!
I'm way too talented to be going through this.
- Then don't. - Wait, what do you mean?
- If you got the talent,
then you don't need me, Stephen.
Or are you just trying to convince yourself
that you got what it takes
because, deep down inside,
you think that you don't.
Because if you did have what it takes,
you'd be living in a house with a moat
getting your blood sucked by million dollar leeches,
but instead, you're here trying to leech off me,
and you know what? I think I've given you enough blood.
- Ugh.
[ball squeaks]
[bell rings]
[enchanting music]
♪ ♪
- [sighs]
♪ ♪
[bright musical flourish]
- You will get an unexpected surprise.
I bet you find gold.
- I bet I find glitter in my stuff
for the next four weeks.
Thanks, Zuri.
Just know this stuff isn't real.
A psychic told me I'd have a ring on my finger by 30,
but all I got was the cute guy at Little Caesar's
naming a take-out special after me.
[sighs]
BJ, stop playing with the lights,
and, Angel, no gong till music time.
- That's pretty sad, Ms. Anderson,
but I'm still gon' have to charge you.
[upbeat music]
- Love is the foundation of happiness.
But this is not a story of love,
for how can you plant the seed of love
in a pot of regret?
What is a life truly lived?
Not Darryl Waterhouse's life. - It's true though.
- His is a life of pain where there should be passion,
panic where there should be peace,
paralyzation where there should be paddleboarding.
♪ ♪
- Okay, so I been seeing this girl,
but she got mad at me 'cause I never invite her over,
but my place is messy.
I'm afraid if she sees it, she'll know I'm a mess too.
- You're on an ocean of change, Darryl.
Pick a direction.
All that matters is that you are not still.
- [grunts] I'm moving.
I will no longer be still.
I will no longer be still!
[screams]
♪ ♪
I went home and cleaned up my house,
cleaned up my life. [sobs]
But then she told me she didn't even want to come over.
She said I was nothing more than her afternoon delight,
a plaything, it wasn't that serious.
- This is a story of navigating negativity,
of knowing your needs, of naivete and kneeboards.
- Whoa. Ah!
[crisp drumbeat]
♪ ♪
- [sighs]
♪ ♪
[soft dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- [gasps]
♪ ♪
Huh? Dad?
♪ ♪
- You're still trying to make your music career work.
You got a better chance getting your money from Lil' Ankh.
- And all this time, I thought you didn't have a job.
Well, I was wrong.
You're a full-time loser, Stephen.
[laughs]
- This is why I'm moving to Hawaii
to find a man who can support me
with muscles like Jason Momoa. Mm.
- My new dad is gonna be Aquaman!
Well, aloha, Dad, in the goodbye way.
[mellow music]
♪ ♪
- You know, I feel really good about that conversation we had.
Thanks for your guidance. I appreciate you.
- Oh, well, it is my thing.
Ooh, I love having a thing.
Okay, once we pick Zuri up,
we can go talk things out with your lady,
and honesty really is the best policy.
- Do you and Stephen talk things out?
- Oh, constantly.
Just this morning, he was upset
and maturely articulated his emotion.
I received them without judgement,
and we left the conversation better people,
and that's the same thing you need to do
with your girlfriend.
- Oh, she's not my girlfriend.
She won't let me call her that
or call her ever or see her in public.
She just texts, "Come over,"
and I drop everything I'm doing.
[sighs] She's the best.
- Oh, you didn't tell me all of that.
[bell ringing]
You know what? Let me grab Zuri,
and then we can maybe formulate a new plan of attack.
- Uh, Mom, why is Mr. Darryl with you,
and why is he holding all those balloons
[smooth pop music]
♪ ♪
- ♪ My whole life has changed ♪
- Rebecca, I love you.
I've loved you since the moment I swiped right on your face,
and I want to call you my bae on Instagram officially!
♪ ♪
- Get down from there, Darryl.
[record scratch]
I told you never to visit me at work.
This is not a daytime relationship.
What we had was like vampires.
The sun was never supposed to touch it,
and now that it has...
we're done.
I'll mail you your toothbrush and clippers.
- ♪ My whole life has changed ♪
[balloon pops]
[bird caws]
[bright music]
- [sighs]
[haunting electronic melody]
[soft dramatic music]
♪ ♪
[knock at door]
- We don't want any.
- Here are all those applications you gave me.
Cat bather, golf ball diver, and Taco Bell.
I'm ready to "live más."
- Gigi, go get my Breathalyzer.
- I'm not drunk, just stupid.
[sighs] You were right.
I do need to grow up and think outside the bun.
- This is all true, but what's going on?
- Lil' Ankh released my tracks on his mixtape
and didn't pay me or give me credit.
Now I got nothing, but it's whatever, man.
I need to be done with this dream.
Tell your friend at the golf course
I can start Monday.
I need time to go shopping since I don't own a...
[sighs] Pair of khakis.
[groans]
- Come with me, boy.
- Look, I know that didn't end well with Ms. Anderson,
but honestly, I have served on the PTA with her,
and I can confidently say you dodged a big, old bullet.
We made so much progress. Don't give up now.
- [sighs] I don't know, Angela.
I feel like my heart fell into my stomach,
got churned up with my lunch,
and now it's on its way to my colon.
- Not physically possible but kind of poetic.
Hey, look, this is how progress works.
You hit rock bottom and, bam, a breakthrough.
Life is about persevering and standing up for ourselves.
I fought my illness, and now I'm back better than ever
helping you.
- So you're ready to give up the dream, huh?
- Yep. Figured I can get a job for now
and, I don't know,
maybe own some properties like you.
What is all this? - [sighs]
It's my past. - Whoa.
- I had a life before owning properties,
the USPS, before Angela even.
I was a pretty darn good musician.
- Are you for real?
[funky drumbeat]
I was a drummer for a funk band
that was getting pretty hot around Chicago.
- No way, you opened for Buddy Guy.
- Man, that night, we were something else.
All of us were just in a groove, and it felt...
- Transcendent?
Yeah, I know the feeling.
- Best night of my life.
Don't tell Gigi I said that.
♪ ♪
- Yo, this is signed?
- Mm-hmm.
After opening for Buddy, we started
getting a whole lot of attention.
Man, we were hot.
- So what happened?
♪ ♪
- Well, I realized I had two choices.
Spend my life on tour busses and in empty hotel rooms
or build a life here with Gigi, the life she deserved.
And when I took some time away from the music,
I realized I didn't need it to fuel my soul
in the same way other people do, like you.
- Well, did they go on to be successful without you?
- You ever hear of Earth, Wind & Fire?
Well, it was Earth, Wind, Fire, & Water.
[laughs]
I know I give you a hard time.
That's because I see it in you.
Saw it the first time I saw you play.
Music is what I did,
but music is who you are,
and if you have that, well,
you can't let any of this crap get in your way.
You can't give up.
♪ ♪
I believe in you.
♪ ♪
If you try to hug me right now,
I swear to God, I'll-- - I would never.
[upbeat funk music]
♪ ♪
- There, officially through with Ankh.
Now I just gotta start over from scratch...
and get a whole new catalog.
- Look on the bright side.
You good on rent for the next two months.
- [gasps]
[bright music]
[straining] - [meowing]
[dramatic music]
- [sighs] I can't believe today.
- I don't know why.
What have I told you a million times
about meddling in people's lives?
- [mocking] Mind your business and leave well enough alone.
[normally] I know, but don't you think
well enough gets lonely? [shattering]
I was having a moment of panic.
Stephen made me realize that, apart from this family,
I don't have a real passion in my life,
and that scares me.
- I know your illness had you feeling like life is short,
but it's also long.
It's okay to feel a little lost.
You'll have time to figure out your thing.
You just need to trust the process.
Be patient.
- Okay.
It's just like, ugh, can the universe hurry up?
- Sorry, I have to get rid of a demonic portal, stat.
- [grumbling]
- I don't know what's going on, but I'ma go pray for her.
- Please do.
Thanks for this, Mom.
You should be the life coach.
- Should be?
Why do you think your father's still alive?
[laughter]
- Good riddance, child.
[dramatic music]
- No. - Ah!
- You're gonna throw a demonic cootie catcher
down the toilet
just because he's ruining everybody's life?
That's really mean, Zuri.
I'm out of here.
- Phew. - [sighs]
[relaxed beat]
♪ ♪
- Dad, oh, my gosh,
I'm so happy you're okay.
I thought your bad attitude destroyed you.
- No, baby, I got rid of that attitude
thanks to your grandpa.
How was your day, Ange?
- Good. - Mwah.
- Except I might have ruined Darryl's life.
TBD. You?
- I didn't get money or credit for the mixtape.
- Mm-mm, start the car.
I'll grab my brass knuckle-- no, wait.
I can do more damage to him online.
Hand me my phone. - It's actually--I'm okay.
- So did burglars have a change of heart
midway through their job, or do I need to
put this somewhere? - I got it.
- Dad, can you teach me something new on the piano?
The other ones are getting kind of old.
It's like, we get it, Mary had a little lamb.
What else did she have, a fulfilling career?
- How 'bout we learn some chords?
Once you know chords, you can do anything.
This one is C.
[bright chord]
And she's gonna hold you down when you need her,
like Mom does.
[dreamy electronic music]
♪ ♪