Original subtitles

Hayden, you got me again.

Look, if you don't like the

Food, you don't have to spit up

On me.

Just leave a bad tip.

I feel you.

What's the matter?

Oh, you're gonna have to

Take her.

There. What's wrong?

Well, she obviously does not

Respect the uniform.

[ laughs ] She got you good.

She got me good, baby.

Well, don't worry, baby.

One day she will be older and

That uniform will have the exact

Same effect on her as it has on

Me.

And that will be the day that

She will be banned from police

Stations, firehouses, and

Parades and anywhere else there

Are men in uniform.

You got me?

I am going to get you

Upstairs and get you changed,

And then we can check on your

Brother, okay?

And I ain't knocking neither.

Uncle curtis!

Watch out, watch out, watch

Out.

Don't even play.

You know I save those for

Special occasions.

Every day is a special

Occasion, unc.

Why are you in such a happy

Mood?

Life. I mean, life is

Finally treating me right

Instead of kicking my butt.

Well, looks like life threw

Up on your shirt.

[ imitates retching ]

Anyway, I got a good job --

Yeah, my job, which is

Exactly how I wanted it.

My kids are fine, my wife

And I are clicking together like

A team, and we live in our own

Home.

Whoo!

A tingle came over me.

That is wonderful, c.J.

You are right.

That does inspire happiness.

Would you like some

Breakfast, uncle curtis?

I don't know if I'd like it,

But we'd sure be on speaking

Terms.

C.J., set an extra place for

Uncle curtis, please.

Why can't he set his own

Place?

He's moving chairs around.

Just go get the doggone

Stuff.

So, you know now that you have

Your own place, I'm gonna be

Dining here every day.

You know that, right?

Every day?

Well, except for when I'm

Down at calvin and miranda's,

Since I have a lifelong

Squatter's discount over there.

Well, uncle curtis, you are

Always welcome here, okay?

Thank you so much. Excuse me.

I will take a payback omelet

With eternally indebted cheese

Mixed all in it.

All right.

I'll get going on that right

Now, okay?

Thank you.

All right.

We have eggs --

Yes!

Yes!

What are you doing?

Ew! That's not eggs.

Uncle curtis, this is egg

Substitute.

It's good.

Why does an egg need a

Substitute?

The job's not hard.

You crack them, you fry them,

They satisfy.

Bam! Breakfast is served.

Unc, don't knock it till you

Try it.

We want eggs! We want eggs!

We want eggs!

Hey, unc.

What's happening?

I need to holla at you.

You just hollered at me,

C.J.

You hollered at me at your

House.

What?

I need to holla at you again.

Okay. What's happening?

Well, I need some advice.

Okay. Well, what kind of

Advice you want?

I got a little problem with

One of my guys -- perkins.

He's been dragging in the last

Few calls, and I need to talk to

Him about it.

Well, that's what you're

Supposed to do, c.J.

It's your job.

You're the chief.

There's more to it than walking

Around, looking dashing in your

Uniform.

Of course, I did rock mine, but

You're not me.

Well, he's missed three

Training sessions and was late

For two more.

What?!

C.J., let me tell you something.

When I was chief, if anybody

Missed that much training,

They'd be putting out a grill at

The steak shack at closing time.

Well, actually, that's why

I'm here.

I invited him over to my house

So I could have the talk with

Him, and I wanted you to be

There, you know, to observe and

Critique.

Well, good. Good.

I will be there.

Let me tell you something.

I'm gonna shape you into the

Kind of chief I was back in the

Day.

Round and mean?

No.

A firefighting machine.

Okay? I was the man.

You don't remember?

We went to a concert one time.

They didn't introduce them as

"Earth, wind and fire."

They introduced them as

"Earth, wind and no fire."

Hmm.

Runway model.

I can do that.

Just got to have a little

Swagger in your walk.

Swagger in your walk.

[ humming ]

Oh, look -- it's america's

Next bottom model.

Please get your pumpkin off

The counter.

Where's ella?

She's in school.

She had class today.

I'd love to be able to say

That.

Well, you never will because

You've never had class.

Hey, mr. Payne, we came to

Talk to miss ella about this

Book she asked us to read.

What book?

It's called

"Women in tough positions."

What are you talking about?

Let me see what you all are

Reading.

Aah!

The devil.

That's miss ella.

She didn't give you this

Book.

Stop lying.

Why I ain't never seen this?

What -- how they even doing it?

How'd they--

I'm gonna have to pour it.

Ooh, no.

What the devil?

This is crazy!

Well, no wonder calvin stayed in

School so long.

Shoot, I need to sign up for

Class.

A hot mess.

Talk about no class.

Come on, miranda.

Oh, no. Oh, no.

And it got a dvd! It got a dvd.

Now, I'm gonna handle this,

And I need you to let me handle

It.

Don't say anything, all right?

I just need you here for moral

Support.

You got to handle it.

Handle it, chief.

[ knock on door ]

Hey, chief. What's up?

Man, I heard you want to holla

At your boy!

Oh, chief, ain't that the old

Guy hanging in the picture on

The wall at the firehouse?

Man, what's up?

What's up, chief?

Perkins, have a seat.

Perkins, this isn't a

Conversation I enjoy having.

Oh, boy.

So, I guess I'm not gonna enjoy

It that much either, huh?

Probably not.

But I might.

It's just moving kind of slow.

Definition of "Observe" is

"To watch without comment."

What fun is in that?

Let's try it and see if it

Works.

Okay. Sounds boring.

[ sighs ]

Oh. I'm sorry, chief.

Perkins, what is going on

With you lately?

I mean, the absences, the

Tardinesses.

It's my boo, chief.

I'm having problems with her,

You know?

It's distracting me, man,

I know.

We all been there, okay?

That's not an excuse.

This is an important job, man.

I know. I know.

I dig it, man, you know?

And I'm down with you, chief.

You know.

Oh, really?

You down with me?

Well, you don't act like it.

You've been dragging your tail

On the last few calls.

I know, man.

I'm sorry, chief.

I just been off my game, man.

Well, I need you to be on

Your game every time we get a

Call, all right?

I don't need any excuses.

Now, we trust each other with

Our lives.

Mm-hmm.

And I want my men to give

100%.

And since you've been lagging

Behind, I'm gonna need 200% from

You.

You got it?

Um, yeah, man.

I'm gonna see what I can do.

[ imitates buzzer ]

Wrong answer!

I'm with chief --

Wrong answer.

That answer got you a "D."

Now I want you to think about it

And come up with something a

Little better than that.

You're right, chief.

And from now on, from today on,

I promise -- I promise to do

Better.

Okay. All right.

Get out of here.

Yup.

Whoop.

All right.

See you on shift.

Yeah, it was pretty rough.

Yeah, but we pretty much got it

Under control right now.

Search and rescue just finished,

And we're about to do our final

Sweep.

All right.

We're about to pull out now.

Gather all our people.

Chief [coughs] It's perkins.

Do you read?

Perkins, what's your 20?

Chief, I'm in the northeast

Wing of the structure, sir.

I'm still trying to find that

Missing person for you, chief.

What? What are you doing?

You know better than to go into

A structure with no backup.

No, it's all good, chief.

I'll be out in no time.

What the hell?

We're gonna have to talk about

This, perkins.

Hey, chief, just getting on

My game, right?

Taking my job seriously, like

You told me to, chief.

200%, sir.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, perkins.

Just hurry up, okay?

You got a description?

Yes, sir. It's a custodian.

White, 50s, gray hair, chief.

You work in this building?

You a janitor?

I prefer "Custodial

Engineer."

Were you just inside this

Building?

Yeah. That was a heck of a

Fire, huh?

Whew!

I left when you guys pulled up.

[ sirens wailing in distance ]

Mayday! Mayday!

I need a rit crew, stat!

Perkins, get out of there now!

We got the guy!

Get out of there right now!

[ coughing ]

On my way out, chief.

I'm on -- oh, my --

[ explosion ]

I hope there was nobody in

There.

Perkins.

They didn't even know who he

Was.

I could have told them who it

Was.

I could have told them.

It's the man I killed.

No, c.J.

I killed him.

C.J., no, no, no, no.

That's not true, baby.

What's wrong with me?

Nothing.

What is wrong with my life?

Every time I try to be a good

Man -- janine, I try to be a

Good man.

I know.

But every time I turn around,

Life is just kicking me in my

Stomach again.

C.J., baby --

Again.

It's just kicking me again.

Baby --

And I just -- I try to face

The challenge.

I see the challenge.

I want to face it head-on, and I

Get into the fight.

So, I start fighting, but while

I'm fighting, the lights come

On, and when the lights come on,

I realize who I'm fighting.

I'm fighting me.

I'm fighting me the whole time!

That's why I can't get ahead,

'cause I'm always fighting me!

Wait, wait, wait.

Listen, listen, listen, listen.

Listen, baby.

There's really nothing I can

Say, I know, but, baby, you have

To understand that sometimes

Things like this happen and it's

Just not gonna make any sense.

Okay? But it's not your fault.

It's not your fault.

Okay, okay, okay.

The man is gone.

I know.

The man is gone, baby.

He gone.

I know.

And he's gone on my watch --

On my watch.

I'm responsible for this.

What am I gonna do with that,

Huh?

I don't --

I'm responsible for this guy.

I told the man to give me 200%,

And now the man is gone.

C.J., where you going, baby?

Don't leave --

I don't know what to do with

That.

Don't -- baby, don't go.

I don't believe miss ella

Made it past page 5 in this

Book.

Oh, yes.

Miss ella read the whole book,

Thank you very much.

And I have a lot to say about

Some of these positions.

And you know what?

I'm actually surprised that you

Two finished it.

Oh, please.

I couldn't put it down.

It stayed on my nightstand every

Night.

You know what surprises me?

I didn't realize how much of

This I already knew -- and do.

Really?

Honey, I may be new to

School, but I could have written

This little book.

Just because I'm a housewife

Does not mean I do not know

Tough positions.

I take tough positions with

Curtis all the time.

Ask him.

Ella, I am shocked.

I can't believe this is you

Talking.

Yup. [ giggles ]

I know it. I know this stuff.

Ella.

Okay, miss ella, I was

Surprised when you recommended

This book,

"Women in tough positions," but

You cannot let this school

Change you.

Miranda, you have not seen

Nothing yet.

Ella, hold on to your

Principles.

I am.

Hold on to your god.

I do.

'cause this liz lustin is a

Freak, and she is lusting after

A whole lot of sex.

You mean lisa leston.

No, no, no, no.

I mean liz lustin.

Liz lustin? Aah!

Miranda, I -- who -- I didn't

Tell you -- this is not the

Boo--

"Tough positions."

Ooh!

Janine told me you hadn't

Been home all day, so I figured

You might be here.

Look at that.

Boy, I've seen my share of fire

Scenes, sat there just like you,

Trying to figure out why a man

Died.

Never got an answer that suited

Me, though.

I don't think you will, either.

Perkins had a scout troop --

535.

The guy belonged to...

A fantasy football league.

Had a wife that he met at a

Cellphone store at the mall.

8-year-old daughter.

A good guy, man.

The guy couldn't cook worth a

Damn.

[ chuckles ]

Oh, man.

I'm sitting here.

I'm -- I'm trying to find

Something.

I'm trying to make sense of it.

I'm trying to -- I'm looking for

Answers.

You know, they give us a lot

Of speeches for us to use as

Fire chiefs.

Yeah.

But they never give us one to

Explain why young men die.

Don't you ever wonder?

Yeah.

On my way to every fire, I would

Read "The firefighter's prayer."

Prayer? You?

Yeah.

"When I'm called to duty, god,

Whenever flames may rage, give

Me strength to save some life,

Whatever be its age.

Help me embrace a little child

Before it is too late or save an

Older person from the horror of

That fate.

Enable me to be alert and hear

The weakest shout and quickly

And efficiently to put the fire

Out.

I want to feel my calling and to

Give the best in me, to guard my

Every neighbor and protect his

Property.

And, if according to my fate,

I'm to lose my life, please

Bless with your protecting hand

My family and friends."

A fireman wrote this after

Watching three of his men die in

A fire that he was called to

Fight.

It was his way of talking to

God.

You know, I've had that talk

More than once.

I don't know.

I don't know if can do this.

I can't -- I don't know if can

Just keep doing this.

Yeah.

That's how you feel now.

I did, too.

First you're sad, then you're

Angry.

Then you even feel a little

Guilty.

Guilty?

Look, c.J., if you respected

That man as a friend, liked him

As a firefighter, and loved him

As a brother in arms, then don't

Make his sacrifices small by

Making it about you.

He died a firefighter.

That's what it's about.

That's all.

Yeah!

[ chuckles ]

All right, class.

Yes, professor payne?

I like that.

Now, I told you, for your

Homework you got to memorize

Page 53...

Curtis!

...Through page 79.

And if you want extra credit --

Bam! -- hop on the payne bus.

Come on, baby.

Hop on it.

We're going to detention.

Come on!

Curtis.

You're gonna miss the bus.