Reporter: We are live on the scene tonight
of yet another officer-involved shooting.
Although we don't have a lot of information right now,
the Los Angeles police department tells us
they first got the call to arrive to the scene
because of loud music coming from a house.
We're not sure what happened from that point on
that led to one officer opening fire here on the street
and killing one man.
A witness provided cellphone footage.
We have to warn our viewers...
The content you're about to see is graphic,
and it is disturbing.
Man: Show me your hands!
Gun! Gun!
Major 6-7. Shots fired.
Reporter: We are hearing reports on social media
that man has been identified
as LAPD police officer Brian Stanley.
We'll continue to keep you updated
as more information becomes...
Our neighbor?
Our neighbor.
I'm... I'm shocked.
I'm not.
Do you remember what he said when I moved his garbage cans?
We still don't know if he meant it like... like that.
James, how else would you interpret
"you people move in here and have no respect"?
Vanessa, that doesn't exactly translate
into "I want to murder an unarmed motorist today."
No. He said "you people," James.
It's not about the trash. It's about the mentality.
Okay.
I need a real drink.
You want one?
James: Yes, please.
Whiskey?
Wherever you're having, babe.
Fuck
oh, my god.
It's exhausting.
Here.
Thank you.
Fuck
and now we wait for him to be exonerated.
If there's proof he did something wrong,
then we'll see.
Did we just watch the same footage?
Yes, that very grainy, shaky footage
taken from more than 20 feet away?
Yes, we did.
That little boy's back was turned.
Now he's a little boy?
Well, whomever he was, that was murder.
That video was the tail end of whatever transpired, okay?
- Oh, my god, James. - We have no idea what led to it.
No idea.
Wow.
I'm just legally speaking, Vanessa.
Yeah. Yeah.
- That's what I do. - Legally speaking.
Well, psychologically speaking, you've been desensitized.
You know what? Let's, um...
Let's just wait.
See what happens with the investigation.
Vanessa: Mm. Yeah.
Investigators are all part of the same police state, James.
You know this.
I mean, you, you know know this.
How many of the boys you grew up with ever saw any justice
after being shot down by the 5-0?
The 5-0, Vanessa? Really?
- The 5-0? - Well, I'm just saying.
You, of all people, know exactly what went down in that video.
So if you're not angry about it...
- Oh, wow. - No.
I don't know who the fuck is supposed to be.
I can be angry and realistic simultaneously.
I am highly capable of that.
- Realistic? - Thank you. Yes. Realistic.
Okay, James. Okay.
"Okay, James. Okay."
So, what does one do, Vanessa?
Like, what does one do?
We're here. This happens. We're hurt.
Now what?
Oh, you're really asking me? How refreshing.
I mean, you know, we got to just...
We got to take a stand.
James: We do. We do.
I'm tired of it, too.
I just want us to do something.
Well, then let's do something.
Let's... let's do something big.
What if we do a post?
Say something?
Yes.
Really?
Fuck yes.
Yes. Let's, uh, let's make a post!
- Okay. - Make a post.
Vanessa: Yes.
Let's make a post.
- Okay. - Let's do that.
All right.
- All right. - No, no. I'll type.
You put that obscene-hourly-rate mind of yours to work
and give it to me, okay?
- Yes, ma'am. - Okay.
Here you go, darling.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
All right. Here we go.
Okay. We got to start...
Vanessa: No, no. I got it. I got it.
- You got it? - Yeah.
"Friends and neighbors."
"It appears another hate-ass, nigger-hating cop..."
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
- Yeah? - Whoa. Whoa.
No. Okay? Think, all right?
Do you want your colleagues reading that
before your annual eval, Vanessa?
You want to just give Ted that kind of opening?
- Fucking Ted. - Fucking Ted. Right?
You know how he's always on your page, fake-liking everything.
Friend requests.
Just another way they control us.
- Mm. Tell me about it. - Yeah.
Should we, uh, should we give him the old Dr. King quote?
Oh. Which one?
Which one?
"I have a dream" is played out.
We need some of that small, sweaty-church Martin.
- You know what I'm saying? - Yeah.
What's that one with the mouse and the elephant
and the mouse is oppressed but the elephant
isn't just guilty alone because those...
That won't get enough likes. Plus that's Desmond, babe.
Oh, yeah. I know.
I know that.
You know, I don't think it should be king anyway.
You know? Like...
What about that Iranian poet we like on insta?
Like rumi or something?
No. It's too esoteric, right? Yeah.
I know, baby. Why don't we just flip it?
Churchill.
Vanessa:
I married a genius.
- I'm glad you recognize that. - Yeah.
Let's, uh, let's flip the script on them, right?
Illustrate the depth of our shared lexicon.
Vanessa: Yes.
Yes.
Okay. I got it.
If you're going through hell...
Vanessa: Mm-hmm?
Keep going.
- No, no, no, no. - Yeah.
I know. It's a misdirect, babe, right?
You don't want to start off all soapboxy, right?
Good old Ted. He sees this.
And he thinks he's about to get a look
into some sort of, uh... I don't know...
Some sort of dysfunction in our marriage.
And then, boom, we hit him with the injustice,
with the oppression, with the plight of the black people
in the self-destructive, cyclical cesspool
they call a country.
You feel me? Yeah?
I feel you, baby.
Yeah. You like that.
Mm-hmm.
I do.
See, this... this...
This is the James I used to know.
Used to?
Yeah.
Used... um...
I'm a volcano, baby.
Always have been. Always will be.
- Is that right? - Yes.
That's... that's right.
I value my lava, right?
I got to let it slowly seep out.
'Cause they... They want me to erupt, right?
I erupt, and they can look me up.
They can throw away everything that I've worked for.
But that's not me, right?
They don't know what I'm coming with.
I'm... i'm... I'm a trojan horse, huh?
Trojan lava, if you will.
See, crooked-ass cops,
they get to erupt wherever and whenever they want.
Probably was a kid, you know?
Yeah.
He didn't look that big in the video.
- Probably just chilling. - Yeah.
Listening to music and then... game over.
It's not fair.
See, this is why I... I really don't want to bring a kid
into this crazy world.
James:
Are you writing that quote, babe? Hmm?
We didn't pick one.
You know what?
You know what, babe?
Fuck that nigga Ted.
You remember that time at that dinner party?
What was it?
He said that... that...
That Larry bird was a smarter player than LeBron.
- Huh? You remember that? - Yeah.
Same dinner Marissa touched my hair
and said it was surprisingly soft.
- See?! See? - Yeah.
Fuck all them niggas.
Just write what you want. Write... write what you want.
Go ahead.
If they want to try and fire you for it,
I'll just hit them with a discrimination lawsuit
that'll turn their white-ass office fucking invisible.
Wait a minute.
Why are we fiddling with Facebook
when he's right next door?
Huh?
We should go over there.
We should go over there
and tell angry neighbor, black-man-killing officer Brian
about hisself in person.
Yes.
- You know what? You're right. - I know.
We don't need no punk-ass Internet.
- No, we don't. - Like in the good old days.
You have a problem with the man next door.
- What do you do? - You go next door.
- Yes. - Yes.
- James? - Huh?
You should bring your gun.
Are you crazy?
He's just killed a black child.
So what do you think he's gonna do
when a beautiful, strong black man
shows up at his house unannounced?
- Yeah. - Yeah.
James:
I don't want to use it.
Of course not, babe.
You remember everything, though, right?
What do you mean, do I remember everything?
All those hours that me and you spent at the gun range?
You... you asking me to go
and me fucking taking you to go and all that shit?
It's been a while.
I know my "call of duty," babe, all right?
I can get... I can get technical on his ass.
What if you got gangster?
Oh, you want gangster.
You want gangster.
Show me.
No. Show me.
Point it at me.
Pretend I'm him, James.
Tell me what I need to hear.
Tell me.
- Tell me. - Shut the fuck up!
You want me to tell you about yourself, motherfucker?
Huh? Well, I know all about you.
I can do that in my sleep, all right?
I know how you get off on power.
-Hmm?
You get off on the superiority, right?
But I see you.
And you want to know the truth?
- Tell me. Tell me. - You want to know the truth?
I know you're scared.
Yeah. Look at you. Look at you.
Shaking.
Vanessa:
What are we gonna do?
I don't know.
But I'm gonna protect you.
And who's gonna protect you?
You.
- You. - Yeah.
Yeah?
Yeah.
Vanessa: Yes.
Come here. Come here.
Come here.
Vanessa:
James: Yes.
What should I cook for them tonight?
For whom?
Your brother and his baby mama.
I forgot.
I'm sure Jamal and candy, his fiancee,
will be happy with whatever you decide.
Well, I'll have to go to the store after work.
I'm fine with anything.
Thank you. That's very helpful.
Look at me.
Man: Hey, man.
But she was looking at... You know the...
Woman: Instantly devolves into conversation about porn.
Man: Where they have the little pictures of people.
Woman: With attitudes towards sexuality...
Jesus. Okay.
I'm going. I'm going.
Woman: Negative, filled with shame...
Man: With this intense look in his eye.
And you can tell he was smart.
Did you get my ping about the hutchinson and Kennedy meeting?
Good morning, Olivia.
Apparently, Arnold had to go to Taiwan
to do some fire-extinguishing on the xihao acquisition,
so they moved it to today.
When... when was that decided, Olivia?
Last night. When I pinged you?
Last night.
Yo! V!
Vanessa.
V-nessa.
Uh, I just went downstairs to grab the journal,
and on one of the other covers, there was this actress.
Um, you know her.
Uh, fuck. Fuck me. What is her name?
She's in that slave movie.
She's also in that other, like, slave revenge-horror thing.
Is there something you need from me, Ted?
Just a little colleague support.
So, I am thinking
that my ideas to trim the fat from the quarterly
are actually pretty good.
I put together a little pitch.
I was just hoping you could just quickly skim
some of those reports before the meeting.
Might help back your boy up.
Um, I mean, I don't just skim through things.
And the meeting's in an hour?
Right. Right. Yeah.
How about you do me a favor and back me up?
And I'll do you a favor.
I'll call James and suggest to him
that he start putting you in a better mood in the morning.
Yeah. All right. Thank you.
I'll see you in there. Thanks, v.
Vanessa.
Woman: I love your shoes.
Thanks.
Nice.
So, why haven't we closed on this acquisition, everyone?
This should have been tied up yesterday.
I, um... James has, uh, been the lead on this one,
so... I will let him answer.
All right. Uh, nght
um, well, from what I understand,
the acquisition is being held up by the audit, all right?
That's business as usual for us.
But I connected with our client on the phone before coming in.
Quelled their fears quite a bit, I might add,
and, um, I believe we'll be closed by the end of the week.
Well, actually, I think we've been expending
way too much energy combating the wrong issue.
I also had Vanessa here dig up some previous precedents
in our own client base.
Right.
When putting together a graph that delineates
the discrepancies of each finance report,
I think our overall model...
Where's O'Leary?
Sorry. H-Hold that thought, Linda.
I just remember that he had done some excellent research on this,
and he put together a deck that has everything we need on this.
Can we... can we pull him in here asap?
He's on paternity leave.
Wow. Doing the Irish proud, I see.
That's very funny.
Um, but a-as I was saying, I think we do it,
just at a much higher premium.
Wait, wait, wait. Something just came to me.
I got an idea. So, um, I think we do this.
We just make the premiums higher.
If that's the case, I suggest we break for now.
Thanks, Ted.
James, James, James.
I'm watching you. Yeah.
Keep it up, brother.
Vanessa: J“ love me j“
j“ love me j“
j“ lo-o-o-ve me j“
j“ you're gonna lo-o-o-ve j“
imel
J' get out the way j“
j“ get out the way, get out the way j“
j“ get out the way, get the fuck up out my way j“
j' you either wit' me or... j“
Big plans this weekend?
Oh, you know, just, uh, probably get some work d... oh.
My my brother and his pregnant fiancee
are coming over for dinner tonight.
Oh, your brother and his baby mama.
Nice.
And, you know, didn't mean to put you on the spot in there,
but per usual, you killed it, 'cause you're a baller.
Just doing what I do, man.
No worries. No worries at all.
Have a good weekend.
You're one of the good ones, brother.
Have a good one.
J“ get out the way, get the fuck up out my way j“
J“ yeah j“
you're either wit' me or against me, yo.
You either wit' me or...
J“winj“
win, win, win, win.
J rock: J“ fuck everything else j“
j“ win, win, win, win j“
j“ these niggas ain't shit j“
j“ win, win, win, win j“
j“ stop chasing that bitch j“
j“ win, win, win, win j“
J“ yeah j“
You stay right there.
Not a lot of time, but we'll make it a quickie.
It's just me and you, baby.
Woman: Are you ready to climb these mountains, James?
- You know I am. - I don't know.
I need you to say it to me. Say it like you mean it.
I am ready to climb the mountains.
Yes, you are. Okay.
- Okay. - All right.
- Let's sweat it out. - Sweat it out.
Whoo!
Push it.
- Excuse me, ma'am. Excuse me. - I'm sorry. I can't.
Don't you care about innocent children dying from hunger?
I-I can't.
I don't know if you know this.
You can change a life today, ma'am.
Trainer: Yoo! All right. Let's go.
Harder. Harder.
- Do you have more? - You know I do.
Turn it up seven clicks and give me more, then.
Yes, James. Keep going.
Push it. Push it.
I am. Oh, I am.
James?
James:
This!
Keep going, James.
Keep it up for me. Yes.
James!
And up. And right back down.
And up. Stay up for a bit.
There we go.
Vanessa:
I'm Vanessa, your neighbor.
But I'm sure you already know that.
Okay.
I saw you on the news last night.
And I guess I just wanted to ask you a question.
I got nothing to say to you.
I'm sorry.
I'm a concerned citizen, and you're a police officer.
What's your point?
My point is that you killed a child.
Brian: You're crazy.
Says the officer who killed an unarmed kid.
- No. We're done here. - As your neighbor,
as a taxpayer, and as a person of color...
Person of color?
Well, person of color... As an officer of the law,
I suggest you take your high-yellow ass
back to your nice little house over there and drop it.
What did you just say to me?
You take another couple steps,
you're gonna be on my personal property.
And what?
You're gonna shoot me?
You'll be in violation of California penal code 602.
You'll be subject to arrest.
James: Whoo-ooh!
I am the master of all obstacles!
- Trainer: Faster. Yes, James. - Come on! What you got?
Faster for me. Whoo!
Yes, James. Keep going.
James: Yes!
A little bit faster. Come on.
Sure you're ready to quit?
- No! - Yes.
Why'd you do that?
I was just accosted by our neighbor.
What? What neighbor?
The murderer, James.
How? What... what happened?
Can you please just get off the bike?
Just calm down. Hey. Listen. Calm down.
- Tell me what happened. - I was...
I was just unloading the groceries from the car,
and I saw him on his front lawn.
And so...
Jesus.
H was perfectly polite.
I-I just wanted to talk to him, and he told me...
He told me to take my "high-yellow ass"
inside the house.
Why'd you... Why'd you approach him?
To talk to him.
To ask him why.
This is ridiculous, Vanessa.
I agree. Completely unacceptable.
You started in with a cop.
Are you seriously blaming me?
You don't like him, and he doesn't like you.
So I'm trying to understand
what would compel you to talk to that man.
Oh, the fact that another little black boy is dead
and he's just standing there on his lawn
smoking a cigarette like nothing happened.
You do not know what transpired.
I know enough, James, and so do you.
You are being...
What am I being?
Stop.
I will go, and I will calmly resolve this.
Stay here.
James?
What?
Back away from my fucking door.
Sorry to bother you, my man.
It's James from next door.
Listen. I was just hoping that...
I know who the fuck you are. Back away from my fucking door.
Okay. Backing up.
Listen. I don't want any problems.
I told my wife I would come over here,
and I wanted to resolve whatever might have happened amicably.
Well, you control your wife, and there won't be any problem.
Keep her off my lawn, okay? And out of my business.
All right. Okay.
Listen, Brian. M solve problems for a living.
- Yeah. All right. - I think if we just go ahead...
Get your fucking hands off me and get the fuck back.
Vanessa: No.
You will not be shooting my husband today.
Baby.
You were reaching. I saw you.
James: Vanessa, put the gun down, please.
Listen to your husband.
Vanessa.
Now you're going to come over to our house.
I'm going to talk, and you're going to listen.
I am going to go inside.
And I'm gonna give you the opportunity
to pretend like this never happened.
- All right. Yes. That's fine. - Stop.
You first.
Into my house.
Okay.
James, grab the chair.
What do you mean, get the chair? We're not doing this, Vanessa.
Vanessa: Sit.
There's tape in the top drawer.
Tape? I don't think you understand.
This is happening.
- Tape, Vanessa? - Yes.
Just tape him up while we figure out what to do.
He's a cop. Who knows what he'll pull?
We... we need a minute, okay?
So just tape him up for now
so we can figure it out without him able to do anything.
He's a cop.
Please.
Please, honey.
Put your arms down.
Put... put them on the sides.
Thank you.
Fuck fuck, man.
This is by far the dumbest fucking thing
you could possibly be doing right now.
- You realize that, right? - Shut up.
Let me talk to her, okay?
I'm gonna figure this out. This is very out of character.
More tape, baby.
Clearly.
Come here.
Come here!
Have you gone completely insane?
I just want to talk to the man.
- He brought this on himself. - Did he?
I want him to answer my questions.
- Why? Why? - Exactly. Why?
You have any idea how much fucking trouble you're in?
- Can we talk? - We're talking.
- Vanessa: We're talking. - James: We'll be right back.
- Why are you being polite? - Hey!
Okay.
This is too much, Vanessa.
Too much this time.
- Not far enough, if you ask me. - Oh?
So, what's next on your agenda?
Should I go and waterboard him, babe?
James.
This is a man who has exhibited no regard for common decency
or human life.
This is a man who yelled a racial slur at your wife.
And this is an officer who gets off killing black kids.
There are people who are hired
to take care of people like him, okay?
We... we are not those people.
Do you trust those people or do you trust me?
What's your plan? Hmm?
We are going to have a civilized conversation...
I just used fucking shipping tape
to duct-tape the man to the back of a fucking chair,
and you're talking about civilized?!
Civilized?! Oh, my god!
Oh, my fucking god.
Fucking shipping tape.
Fine.
James: What do... What do you mean, "fine"?
Just fine.
Do as you see fit,
man of the house... King of it all.
I'll follow you, oh, he who stands when urinating.
That is bullshit, and you... you... you know it.
I think that you are missing the magnitude of this,
the potential.
Black people, brown people, lgbtq people,
poor people, immigrants...
He was probably taught to fear all of them!
Your kidnapping him at gunpoint,
I'm sure that quelled all of his fears, okay?
Mission accomplished.
No, James.
No. We have a captive listener.
We are capable of having a rational conversation
with a man who is stuck.
He is stuck in a generational cycle of hate.
- No. - Yes.
No.
Yes.
This right here.
This is what you do.
You create a necessity for chaos
so that your projections can thrive.
Yep.
I've been seeing a therapist.
- What? - I've noticed some of your...
Our... our patterns.
You get all worked up, and then you get me there, too.
And then my feelings and my frustrations,
they have to be yours or they're... they're not valid.
What therapist? When?
You escalate everything until we're stuck
in this counterproductive cycle,
until all that's left is my anxiety and my bitterness, babe.
And Sheila thinks that's part of our co-dependency.
- Sheila? - And honestly, I'm starting...
Of course it's a Sheila.
- Don't say it like that. - Like what?
Like you're having a secret rendezvous with Sheila?
That is not fair, Vanessa, okay?
Do not talk to me about fair.
James: Listen. I started doing this because of you.
- Vanessa: You made that clear. - James: No, not... not b...
Not because of you, babe.
For you so that I could be a better man.
Thank you so much.
I feel great that my husband is seeing a woman behind my back.
How can you talk to him rationally about all this
but you can't even talk to your own husband
about his fucking mental health
without accusing me of fucking my therapist?
Does Sheila know you're keeping therapy a secret?
What does Sheila think about that?
James: Okay. Okay.
Okay. Listen. Um...
We're not foreign adversaries, babe.
All right? We... we are domestic allies.
Let's not forget that.
Did you get that from therapy?
- That is not from therapy! - Then where is it from?
It is not from therapy. It is from Sheila.
And Sheila happens to be a therapist.
I don't want to talk to Sheila!
- Fuck! - James!
James!
Vanessa: Stop.
Get up.
This is fucking ridiculous.
Vanessa: You're right. It is.
It should never have to come to this.
James, can we please just continue our sidebar
so we can have the necessary conversation
with officer Brian afterwards?
Jamal.
- Shit. - Fuck.
Help! Help! I'm being held against my will!
Cover his mouth. Tape his mouth.
James: My god.
- Let's just not answer. - He has a key.
You gave him a key?
- For emergencies, Vanessa. - What kind of emergency?
In case we run out of rolling papers?
Is this what you were reaching for?
Hurry up. Hurry up.
Okay. Okay. Okay.
Vanessa, put the gun away.
Oh. Okay. Okay.
Okay. Open the door.
James: Brother!
- What's happening? - What's up?
Hi, guys!
Brother.
Jamal: What's up?
Hey.
Oh, come on in.
Candy: Okay.
James: How you doing? What's going on?
There it goes. What's up, man?
- You want to... - Oh. Sorry. Yeah.
Jamal: Wow.
Oh, snap.
Since when do y'all play piano?
I'm sorry. I have to use the bathroom.
Onyx has me going nonstop.
- Onyx? - Jamal: We landed on the name.
Yeah. Onyx is one of the most powerful healing stones.
It balances chakras. It promotes energy flow.
It's a grounding gem. Harmonious.
Yeah. It's black like the motherland, baby.
My king. I see you.
-The bathroom's just up- -candy: To the right, right?
Okay. Thank you.
Jamal: Man, I haven't been here since y'all remodeled.
- Shit look fly, though. - James: Thank you.
Vanessa, she handled most of it.
Just, uh, blew out the wall and added a bathroom.
Jamal: All kind of shit.
Got new floor and everything. Can I get the rest of the tour?
- You told me about this office. - No.
The office actually isn't finished yet, right?
Bedroom's the same.
We broke the bank on the living room.
Tell me about it, right? And the kitchen, of course.
- We should go right in there. - This shit was expensive.
Vanessa: I'll make a drink and...
Are we too early?
It looks like dinner's still in the grocery bags.
Uh, yeah.
We are, um, running a little behind.
I... work went late,
and there was this guy with a clipboard at the grocery store,
and then I had to get... Get gas.
I thought those things was electric.
Right. I had to go to the gas station with the car wash
to get my car washed.
In the meantime, there is alcohol.
Jamal: You know, it's funny.
I read this article the other day.
- You read an article. - Yeah. I read all the time, bro.
Okay? That's all I do.
That's why I have one of these location devices on me,
'cause you can get information in a snap of your fingers.
As I was saying, I read this article the other day.
Couples who maintain different opinions
on things of little consequence
are more likely to stay together.
That's the title I read. I didn't read the whole thing.
But you know what I mean, right?
Babe, you didn't tell them.
Tell us what?
- Jamal: Sorry, babe. - Candy: It's okay.
I'm vegan.
I thought they knew, sweetie. I'm sorry.
It's okay. I'm carcass-free since 2010.
Yeah.
Well, I'm sure James knew and just forgot to tell me.
It is free-range and organic.
Well, not really free if you're born to be slaughtered, right?
Free range just means they're being let out their cages.
But being in a cage?
That's a mind-set.
You know what I'm saying?
Hardly ever, Jamal. Hardly ever.
Oh, I'm interested.
You really want to get him started
on his back-to-Africa conspiracy shit right now?
Candy, what can I get you to drink?
Uh, water, please.
We have juice.
It's vegan. Certified organic.
Oh, they just give that sticker out
to anybody who's the highest bidder.
Water will be fine. Thank you.
James, you would be the one to dismiss my thoughts
as a conspiracy, right?
Easiest way to invalidate somebody
and discredit them is calling them crazy.
Makes you look good at your job but limits your skull, bro.
We understand that you're a successful black man and all,
but you're just living under the white man's thumb.
Not always.
- Vanessa: There you go. - Thank you.
I'm sorry.
I... I didn't know you were on the whole vegan trend.
I do have pasta.
Gluten-free, too, actually, so...
But this is great.
- Thank you. - Jamal: It's good.
Oh, Vanessa, I got you something.
Hold on.
- Here. - Vanessa.
It's sage.
For me?
Candy: You burn it.
You know, to cleanse the energy of the house.
Out with the bad juju, in with the...
Setting off the smoke alarms.
Smoke alarms.
I'm sorry. I just thought it could help with your flow.
- That's all. - Oh.
My flow. Right.
I'm so sensitive to energy right now.
I guess 'cause of the pregnancy, it just heightens.
That's very thoughtful of you. Yeah.
How's work at the shop, candy?
Candy: Wellness center. It's going good. Yeah.
It's nice to work in a place
that fosters such a sense of peace
while I'm pregnant, you know?
Jamal: Pay ain't good, but, you know,
come home with a lot of rocks.
- Candy: Crystals. - Crystals, baby.
I'm sorry. Crystals.
Candy: And my work isn't about money.
- It's about fulfillment. - Jamal: Yeah.
But you do have health insurance.
- Candy: Of course. - Jamal: We got health insurance.
For the most part, we plan to bring our baby
into this world the homeopathic way.
You know, hospitals are so, so bad for women of color.
- Oh. - Candy: It's weird.
It's bad vibes, bringing a life into a place where people die.
- Right. - That's crazy.
So, how are you going to...
Natural birth.
So... so no hospitals, no vaccines.
Just the doula, midwife, and my baby daddy.
Candy: I mean, I did the research, though.
And by no means am I anti-vaccine.
I'm just pro-natural immunity.
That's great.
Jamal: Oh.
- No. It's fine. - It's fine.
So they got the house-nigga phone and the field-nigga phone.
I'm just playing. I'm playing.
Candy: Get the phone, James. We don't care.
- It's fine. - Jamal: It's fine.
Django! No. I'm just playing.
I'm joking. I'm joking.
Excuse me.
You didn't turn off the sound?
We have got to get them out of here.
Yeah.
I have a plan.
Go check on him. Call me.
I'll pretend it's a work emergency.
- Okay. - Right?
Yeah.
How...
I didn't know y'all had this painting.
Oh. Yeah.
Your mom gave it to us for our fifth wedding anniversary.
We never had a spot for it till now.
My aunt painted that, baby.
I remember, babe.
It was vibrant. You can almost hear the colors.
Yeah.
Yo, j, I didn't know you, uh, you had that painting, man.
Oh, yeah.
Ma gave it to us for our second anniversary.
Right, babe?
We finally have a wall to put it on.
Yeah. I didn't think you liked it.
Vanessa loves it. It's grown on me.
Jamal: True.
I'm gonna, uh, I'm gonna put this somewhere.
- Yeah. - Right? Just put it away.
Candy: Okay.
James, is everything all right with Vanessa?
Yeah. She... all good.
She's just, uh, stressed, you know, with work
and a tough week.
The weekend, so...
Well, I'd be happy to do a home smudge.
Maybe later.
Candy: All right.
Shit.
My brother-in-law's baby mama
thinks there's negative energy in my home,
and she gave me this to fix it.
Isn't that fucking idiotic?
Oh, pardon me.
You're tugging on the leash hard, huh?
Okay. This is the office, so I've got to take this one.
You got James.
Vanessa: Yes. Hello, James.
This is your boss from down at the firm.
What? When?
No, no, no. I-I understand, sir.
It's just that i-I'm about to have dinner with my family.
No, I s... I suppose I could send them to a nice...
A nice restaurant.
- I'm sorry. - Vanessa: You know what?
They can pay for their own damn meal.
Maybe candy can smudge the restaurant
in exchange for free food.
I'm sure...
I don't know who that was.
- I know who it was. - Oh, me too.
I knew it. I knew it.
I knew it as soon as I came up in here. Yeah.
If you didn't want us here, you didn't have to invite us.
Okay. All good?
- My speaker. - What?
I accidentally hit speaker.
You know what?
This don't even have nothing to do with us.
We don't need this type of toxicity.
- We can go. - It wasn't like that, okay?
- I didn't mean... - You didn't mean to what, James?
Invite us over here and...
And prepare food for my girl you know she can't eat
and putting on one of the worst performances
I've ever seen in my damn life?
Zero fucking stars.
No. No. It was... it was me.
Okay? It was me.
I'm sorry.
You know, we're trying to get pregnant.
And... I thought I was strong enough to be happy for you both.
But then I saw you, candy, and your glow, and I...
I'm sorry.
Vanessa.
I'm 9 o nn a 9 o
Brian:
Are you okay?
Speaker? Really?
I know. It was a bad plan anyway.
He's a fuck-up, not an idiot.
- What's wrong with him? - Do you think they've left?
I'm gonna take the tape away.
- Why? - He looks pale. Okay, Vanessa?
- Doesn't he look pale to you? - I don't know.
But I think my performance warranted their exit, right?
You're the one that wanted to talk to him, okay?
Look at me.
Sitting in that room is my brother.
And believe me when I tell you the only thing
a cop's ever done for him is cause him trauma and trouble.
So trust you do not want him in on the situation.
- Do you understand me? - We should just tell them to go.
They believed the baby thing.
The gun.
Brian:
Okay. Listen. Hey. Look at me.
Lockin. You're looking at me now.
I'm gonna take the tape away temporarily.
You tell us what you need,
and when our guests have left, we'll finish our...
Oui', um, oui'...
Unresolved issues.
- Business? - Conversation.
We'll finish our conversation.
But you try anything, Brian,
and my wife will put a bullet through your head.
- Chest. - Chest.
Look at me.
We on the same page?
Shh!
Please text my daughter.
Just text my daughter and tell her...
Tell her daddy's sorry.
Tell her I had to work.
Please.
Hey, uh...
And I got to piss, like... Like now.
Oh, you're gonna have to piss in your pants.
Uh, not on this rug.
Give me the gun.
You ready?
Brian: Yeah. Thank you.
Yeah. Well, thank my, uh, thank my wife's expensive taste.
Yeah. I know. I get that.
No.hey we're not talking.
All right.
It's just my ex-wife was... Well, she is a lot, you know?
I mean, I think a man should do things for his wife, but...
Hey, man. Stop. Okay? Just stop.
You don't know shit about me,
and you definitely don't know shit about my marriage.
So let's just piss and let's... Let's move on, okay?
Move on to what?
Walk.
Are you good, baby?
Vanessa: No. No, no.
Aah! Aah!
Vanessa: James!
Oh, shit.
What the fuck?
I'm being held against my will. Listen...
Jamal!
Brian: Hey!
Jamal, stop!
Vanessa, do something!
- What do you want me to do? - He bit me!
- He fucking bit me! - Vanessa: I-I know!
Not the vase!
We need to kill him.
He's a cop. Nothing more to it.
Nobody is killing anyone.
I knew it.
I-I knew something was off
the minute we walked into this house.
I could feel it. I could sense it.
Okay. Great. So which magical crystals will fix this?
The only way to fix this is getting rid of the man.
I just want to talk to him.
The path of least resistance.
You passed that path a long time ago, man.
Face it, y'all. There's only one way out of this.
Jamal, no.
- Yeah. - No.
Yeah.
I mean, you want to get vindicated,
not to mention stay out of prison?
- Then we got to do one thing. - Candy: Jamal!
- What? - Hold up. You are a father now.
So everything you do, onyx can feel...
Your patterns, your authenticity,
your anger, and your grace.
Okay? You know what?
I cannot believe you two are bringing a baby into this world.
I can't.
Oh, it's okay.
The universe gave us this gift.
Maybe your negativity is blocking yours.
My negativity?
Brian: How long you plan on carrying out this debate?
Just curious.
We can figure this out on our own.
Thank you.
Clearly.
You feel that?
The longer this goes on, the worse it gets for you two.
This is bad.
You two, you know,
you had no involvement in the kidnapping.
As far as I'm concerned, you can go unblamed
for this whole thing.
Your word means nothing in this place.
- You know that, right? - My word?
My word is the only word separating the three of you
from this clearly unstable, volatile woman
who dragged me from my home... At gunpoint, no less.
I say crazy is a good defense.
- Call me crazy one more time. - Jamal: Shoot him.
- Vanessa: Do it. - Jamal: Shoot him. Shoot him.
Shoot him.
Hey.
I'm sorry.
I know my ex would have loved
to have been in your position a time or two.
And I'm not saying it's a...
It's a black-woman thing at all, which she is, by the way.
What? That's some bullshit, man.
Jamal. Listen. He's apologizing, okay?
- This is good. - I don't want him to apologize.
I want to know why you shot the kid.
Let him speak, Vanessa.
Open dialogue requires open minds.
- I'm open. - I took a call, ma'am.
I took a call.
It was 8:00, and I took a fucking call.
It was a neighbor.
He was complaining about a car and some loud noise.
Oh, you mean hip-hop.
I mean an idle car in a quiet neighborhood
and loud music.
Mm-hmm.
And I see a-a person in the passenger seat,
and there's smoke coming out of the windows.
Where there's smoke, there's a violent criminal.
You do what I do for a living, motherfucker,
every day could be your last.
We're really familiar with that feeling.
- You know that, right? - What is that supposed to be?
- An excuse? - It's context.
I'm giving you context. You don't... you can't...
You... you civilians, you don't get it!
We understand your job is difficult,
but we also know you can do better.
- A lot better. - Brian: We can all do better.
I am not a racist. It doesn't make me a racist.
And I sure as fuck didn't go hunting.
I didn't go hunting.
May I please have some water?
- I don't think so. - Can I get some water, please?
- Can we get him some water? - Jamal: No. No. No. No.
He's playing games.
James: Brian, listen.
Please keep going, man. Help me help you.
I asked him to get out of the car
and put his hands on top of the vehicle.
He got out of the car,
and I swear to god, lady, I did not see his face.
I swear to you.
You didn't see his face.
I didn't see his face.
Thank you.
Candy: It's okay.
Brian. Brian, listen. Just... just keep talking, okay?
- M m-hmm. - Keep talking.
We can work through this.
I didn't see his face.
James: Mm-hmm.
- You don't know. - Candy: Something's wrong here.
- Vanessa: What did he say? - We... we don't know.
- Candy: Something's wrong. - Brian: It's unlocked.
He's shaking.
The door's unlocked.
- Candy: What? - Jam es: What?
- Candy: He's shaking. - I'm epileptic.
Jamal: Oh, my god.
Brian: I'm epileptic. The door's unlocked, okay?
The door to my house, it's unlocked.
I need somebody to go over there and get my meds.
- I'm gonna have a seizure. - What is he talking about?
That's what he's doing. He's buying time.
Look at his hands. Does that look like buying time?
- Nothing is happening! - The door's unlocked.
- He's not faking it. - James: Where are they?
Where are they? They're in my medicine cabinet.
- I'm going. - Jamal: Why? Let's play it out.
Send him back to the house and then boobity-boom-boom.
Jamal Franklin, no. This is a life.
I'm not gonna sit here and watch this man die.
- I can't... I can't do it. - James: Candy, listen.
Nobody's gonna die, okay? Nobody is gonna die.
- I'm gonna go now. - I'm going, too, then.
Candy: Wait a minute. Why? Stay with me.
I got to watch his back.
Look out for neighbors, okay?
- Keep the gun on him. - I will.
Candy: I think you should loosen the tape.
Let's just wait for them to get back.
- Shit! - I'm sorry.
Candy: Vanessa, you know, the way we treat others
is just a direct reflection of our own self-worth.
Okay.
Thank you for that wisdom, candy.
I don't mean to get in your business,
but I'm sensing this anger and all this frustration.
It can only be conquered if you learn to love yourself.
Would you please just shut the fuck up?
If I wanted to be psychoanalyzed by someone named candy,
I would go to the strip club
or the perfume stand at the fucking mall.
So please do not come for me in that way.
Fuck the chicken.
Yo. This shit is depressing.
Shh! Shh!
Shh. Be quiet.
- It's not here. - What?
- It's not here. - I told you he was playing us.
He was confused.
Don't... don't fucking touch it.
Why are you touching it? Don't fucking touch shit.
- What are we supposed to do? - Look.
We're looking. We're looking.
Look... look some more there.
Vanessa: Oh, my god. I am so sorry.
I can't believe all this.
Candy: I understand.
- Wow. - I'm sorry too.
And we thought our childhood was fucked up.
- You know about my childhood? - Oh, please, candy.
The one thing our men have in common is talking about us.
Vanessa: You know, I never told my father,
but I spoke to my mother a few times over the years.
Woman: Oh, yeah! Fuck me like a dirty slut.
Oh! Yeah.
Vanessa: And the last time, I'd just got my mba
and she called to congratulate me.
She said she was in town
and wanted to take me on a celebratory lunch.
And I'm thinking, "fuck this bitch."
No. Actually, I'm thinking, "fuck this white bitch."
But on the call, I said yes.
I said, "yes, I'd like that," and we went to lunch.
I'd met James a week before
at some party I didn't even want to go to.
And I don't know why, 'cause I did not know this woman.
I think I hated this woman.
But something made me want to tell her.
So I did.
I said, "I think I've met the man I'm gonna marry."
Vanessa: Now, at this point,
this woman's been married and divorced twice.
Three kids she deemed worthy of raising.
But in that moment, it was just us and whatever we were.
And she asked me. She said, "how do you know?
How could you possibly know
that that is the man you're going to marry?"
And I said, "the moment I met him, I knew.
I just felt right."
Wow.
That's nice, Vanessa.
Isn't it?
Oh, fuck.
- Who is it? - I don't know.
- Some white-cop-looking dude. - What?
Jamal:
Jamal: Okay.
Oh, shit.
Tell... tell him... Tell him he's with a girl.
- In this house? - Yeah.
I mean, what else are you gonna say?
No. Wait. Give it to me.
James: "Drowning my sorrow in some pussy.
See you tomorrow." Seriously?
What? What?
"Why didn't you just say that? I'll be back tomorrow.
Give it to her good."
He's gone.
Vanessa: So, then my mother smiles,
and she puts her hand on mine,
and she gives me the only piece of advice
she'd ever given me my entire life.
And it didn't matter that she had no right to,
'cause I let her.
She said, "the trick is don't marry a man who won't cheat.
Marry a man who doesn't know how."
Oh. And you thought I had a habit.
Just, uh, say the names and I'll... I'll look them up.
Okay. Uh, Wellbutrin.
Depression.
- Triamterene. - How you spell it?
- E-r-e-n-e. - It's blood pressure.
- Ambien. - Sleep.
- Come on. Come on. Come on. - Let's see.
Acet...
Acet what?
- Oh, god. That's... - Acet what? Keep reading.
That's his daughter. That's his family.
- Oh, shit. - Jamal, keep reading.
That's that motherfucker's white ex-wife right there.
I told you. I told you!
Oh, come on.
Just keep reading, Jamal. Just...
Can you please acknowledge now that I was right?
While we're breaking and entering into a cop's house?
Is that what you need from me right now, Jamal?
Is that what you need?
You being for real right now?
- Are you being for real? - Don't play dumb, nigga.
I ain't playing with you. Come on.
You believe that motherfucker
like you believe in that corporate plantation, huh?
Can we revisit this, man?
Please.
Candy: Why are you telling me this?
Might have something to do with the fact
that I kidnapped a cop today.
Or maybe it's because I'm almost certain you fucked my husband.
He said you came over for legal advice.
I did.
And what?
You paid him the only way you knew how?
Did the universe tell you to do it?
To put his aura inside of yours?
I'm really just trying to understand here.
I i-love Jamal.
Okay.
So then why did you come into my home and fuck my husband?
I don't know.
Well, you can try.
This one says epilepsy.
There it is. Let's get the fuck out of here.
I got a plan when we get back over here.
Just trust me.
Candy: You know, uh...
Jamal helped mix the colors for that painting.
He told me he used to sit with his auntie
and she'd tell him exactly how much red, how much yellow,
how much brown was needed to get the colors just right.
He told me that when we saw it at his mother's house.
And when I saw it on your wall...
I knew it killed him.
Because James got to have it.
James earned it.
James deserved it.
You and James have a beautiful wall
to hang such a beautiful thing.
You make love to the people who see you.
Sometimes you fuck the people you want to be.
Are you gonna tell him?
We burned the chicken.
Brian:
Vanessa: Shh. I'm just cleaning you up.
Are you gonna let me go?
Everything's gonna be okay.
I got to tell you.
Tell me.
I really am sorry.
And I believe you.
You really are beautiful. You know that?
And I don't just mean the way you look.
Do you want me, Brian?
Yes.
Are you laughing?
Why are you laughing?
Y'all, you got to get in here and see this!
Why are you laughing at me?
Don't call them in here.
Why are you laughing at me?
Don't call them in here. What are you laughing at me for?
I'm normal! Don't you call them!
Why are you laughing at me?
Brian?
We all think we've found a solution.
My mail?
Says here that a police officer makes
between 50 to 90 grand a year.
So with these mortgage payments and alimony alone,
there's no wonder that you're so far behind.
Right?
I can write you a check right now for 50k.
And then I can do it again next year.
Then we can forget this day ever happened.
We'll do five years.
Three. Yeah?
And I'll pay for a housekeeper for a year.
Okay.
Jamal: Oh, shit.
Look up officer Brian.
- James: Hmm? - Look him up.
Why?
Why didn't you tell us?
Brian: Why didn't I tell you what?
That the kid you shot was white.
Does that matter?
Candy: No. No, no, no.
It's... it's too early. It's too early.
- What? - It's too early.
It's too... it's too...
Uh, are you having contrac...
I'm gonna time your contractions.
Are you having contractions?
- I know. - This isn't what we planned!
I'll time the contractions. I will time the contractions.
- I read it in the article. - It's too soon.
Can you do something, please?
Marley? Hello? Wrong number. Oh, shit.
- Get the fucking number right! - James: Who's Marley?
- Marley's our doula. - When is she due?
She's due, um, in a month. In a month.
You'd better tell Marley to meet you at ucla.
- I'm gonna call Carol. - Candy: I can't lose my son.
- I can't lose my son. - You're not gonna lose him.
Just back off. Back off, okay?
Marley. Hey. It's happening. It's happening.
This is what it is, okay?
Onyx is just ready to meet his mother, all right?
Carol. Carol, thank god you picked up.
My sister-in-law just went into early labor.
Thank you so much.
Okay. Yes. Thank you.
Carol's on her way. She's gonna meet you.
We should be there. I should be there.
You are not gonna be there, James.
Jamal: I got this, baby.
Next to his car, okay? Back seats go flat.
- You're not gonna go? - This one is not yours.
It's mine. Go get my nephew here safely.
Carol... Carol's on her way.
- He's not gonna take the money. - What do you mean?
I know you think I'm full of shit, but I-I know energy.
I know people. He's lying. He's lying.
- Don't let James miss that. - Baby, we got to go.
You're not full of shit, baby. You're good. Come on. Ready?
There you go.
Candy:
I need you to do me a favor...
And let me talk.
Can you do that?
I'm a man...
That made a choice to give you everything you desire.
Everything.
I wanted to put a baby in you since we first met, Vanessa.
But I can't father a child.
I found out a few years back, and when I found out,
there were only two thoughts that ran through my mind.
The first thought was you.
And it's important to me that you know that.
I mean, you drive me crazy, woman.
But, god, I need every ounce of it.
Every ounce of you gives me life.
Jamal: You're doing so good. It's okay. Breathe, baby.
Marley: Here's a little lavender.
- Good, baby. It's all good. - Here's a little lavender.
Don't push yet, candy. Only push with the contractions.
Oh, I feel like I need to push right now.
Dr. Stevens: I only want you to push with the contractions.
Marley: You are doing great.
Just follow the rhythm of your body.
No. I need you to follow me.
Jamal: Look at me. Look at me. Look at me.
You're the aura, baby. All right?
His aura.
Something's... Something's wrong.
- I can't do it. - Dr. Stevens: No, no, no, no.
I can't do this. I can't.
James: You wanted to be a mom.
I wanted to be a father.
But more than that, I wanted to give you everything.
And I know there are options.
Fuck the options. I'm a man.
Not like with candy.
I made the first move. You should know that.
Why? Why did you do that?
I wanted to feel like a man, Vanessa.
But it made me feel like even less of one.
What was the second thing
that you thought about when you found out?
The irony.
I spent my whole life taking care of business.
Trying to take care of family
so I could build a legacy, you know?
And one little test tube said that it was meaningless.
A lot of nothing.
You know?
I don't know.
Vanessa: We need to figure this out.
Dr. Stevens: All right, candy.
Your baby needs a little help right now, okay?
I need you to push through this next contraction.
- Can you do that? - Marley: Oh, the arrival's near.
Jamal: Come on. Come on.
Another good one.
Dr. Stevens: Oh, beautiful.
I-I need you to keep breathing.
Marley: In the nose, out the mouth.
We may need the or. He has a nuchal cord.
Wait. Can't you try it manually first?
- What is a nuchal cord? - Jamal: What's that?
The umbilical cord is wrapped around his neck.
Jamal: Damn.
I forgot to give this to Jamal and candy.
Jamal had one like it when he was a baby.
Dr. Stevens: I need you to give me one more really big push.
Marley: You are strength, candy.
Here we go. And breathe.
Ready? Let's go.
Don't worry, baby. You got this.
Yes. There you go. Yes.
- Marley: Yes. - Dr. Stevens: That's it.
- Marley: Beautiful. Yes. - Dr. Stevens: That's it.
He's out. He's out.
That's it.
Marley: He's out.
Dr. Stevens: Here you go. Right here.
If you want to cut the cord, you need to do it right now.
If you want to cut it, cut it now.
- No. Is he okay? - Dr. Stevens: There we go.
Candy: What's... what's wrong with him?
Why is he not breathing?
Marley, why is he not breathing?
What's happening?
James: You lied about your wife, man.
You lied about your wife,
but you didn't tell us that the kid that you killed was white.
It is what it is, right?
I mean, you had to have known that...
That... that telling us that he was white would...
Would what?
I don't know. That it'll mean something.
Wow.
You know, I've had dinner in your kitchen.
Not your kitchen, but the kitchen in this house.
Yeah, my mother... My mother worked a lot,
so I had a lot of nights alone, right?
Mrs. Henderson would always make me a plate,
and I would have dinner with her boys.
And she would talk to us,
and she would talk about the golden rule.
The real golden rule.
He who has the gold... you...
Makes the rules, right?
That's me.
- That's me. - That's you?
Yeah.
That's the house I remember growing up,
not this fucking... Whatever this is.
That's what I remember.
And then you people move in, and you...
- Wait. Wait. - Your wife, your friends.
You move in, and you make everything so fucking soft.
What do you mean, "you people"?
The fucked-up part about the whole thing
is you think it's okay.
You think it's yours to make better.
- Seriously? - Seriously.
You tore the whole fucking house down.
I bought the whole fucking house.
I bought the whole fucking house, okay?
It's mine. I earned it.
Okay.
Yeah.
You know I...
I became a cop because I felt like I knew the language
better than anyone else.
And I thought that I could speak to people
better than what I saw growing up.
And now here I am. I'm looking at you.
I don't know what the fuck is going on.
I killed a child. Yeah.
Not a black kid. Not a white kid.
I killed a kid.
Truth is, I'd do the same thing if I was in the same situation.
That's the truth, and that's me being real with you.
You're one of the good ones, brother.
Candy: Okay. Shh.
Nina Simone: J“ baby, you understand me now? J“
thank you.
J“ if sometimes you see that I'm mad j“
little man.
Looks like you.
J“ don't you know no one alive can always be an angel j“
j“ when everything goes wrong, you seem so bad j“
j“ I'm just a soul whose intentions are good j“
-j“ oh, lord... j“ -little sleepyhead.
J“ ...Please don't let me be misunderstood j“
j“ you know sometimes, baby, I'm so carefree j“
j“ with a joy that's hard to hide j“
j“ and then sometimes again... j“
damn.
What?
"He's beautiful.
I'm so proud of you.
You're gonna be a great father.
I love you."
J“ oh, lord, please don't let me be misunderstood j“
first time he's ever said he's proud of me.
J“ if I seem edgy, I want you to know j“
j“ I never mean to take it out on you j“
j“ life has its problems j“
j“ and I get more than my share j“
j“ but that's one thing I never mean to do j“
j“ 'cause I love you j“
j“ oh, baby, I'm just human j“
j“ don't you know I have faults like anyone j“
j“ sometimes I find myself alone regretting j“
j“ some little foolish thing j“
j“ some sinful thing that I've done j“
j“ 'cause I'm just a soul whose intentions are good j“
j“ oh, lord, please don't let me be misunderstood j“