Original subtitles

- Hi, yes, I am just calling to see if C.J. Payne

is still in--yes, chief-- yes, that's it.

Is he still in your unit?

Oh, he's been transferred to the tenth floor?

Okay, well, ma'am, please, can you transfer me

to the tenth floor?

You can't?

Okay, thank you.

They can't transfer me to the tenth floor!

- The tenth floor!

- What's on the tenth floor?

- He's alive! - ELLA: Yes!

Come on, come on, come on, come on!

- Oh, this is bad, baby.

- Please don't tell me he in the burn unit.

- Oh, no, no, that's the first place I looked.

See, one of my boys a custodian over there.

- Did you see him?

- No, I didn't see him.

But I'll see him next week when he picks up his catering order.

- C.J. Curtis, did you see C.J. in the burn unit?

- No, baby, he wasn't there.

- Is he in the ICU?

I mean, we need to get over there.

- That's the second place I looked.

One of my classmates is a surgeon over in ER.

- And did you talk to him?

- Did I talk to her?

I know, it sounds crazy, but women can be surgeons too.

Don't be sexist, baby.

- Curtis!

Have you seen my C.J.?

- No, baby, he wasn't there.

- Were you at the right hospital?

- He's not at the hospital. - Curtis!

We want to know about the fire!

- Okay, baby, well, one of the firefighters got hurt

pretty bad.

But I'll tell you what,

C.J.'s gonna be a hero in all this.

- How?

- Everybody was leaving the building,

he went back inside. - Oh God.

- And saved a guy. - Oh.

- And he didn't have to go back in there.

- That's it.

This is the last firefighter in this family.

I cannot do this anymore.

- Ella. - Curtis.

- Come on, baby, now you know what this is.

We Payne men. This is what Payne men do.

Now if you don't mind, I gotta go to the restroom.

- ♪

♪

♪♪

- Okay. String beans. Corn. Chicken.

Nothing, nothing, nothing...

can heal your body up like a home-cooked meal.

- Hey, come on, you look fine.

Don't even worry about it. Just come on.

Step over the thing, be careful.

- C.J.? C.J.

- Come on, C.J., sickness is in your head, come on.

You look good.

- Careful. - There you go.

Lift up. There you go. - C.J.!

What happened?

- Are...you...okay?!

Are you in pain?!

Are you hungry?!

We cooked for you!

- He can hear you. He's not deaf.

- Not right now. Not right now. I'm good.

- Are you gonna sit down? - Yeah.

- Okay, sit down. - Careful.

Get the pillow. - Sit down.

Jump in the water, son. - Hold on, hold on. Uh!

- Whoa, whoa, with that! Come on, that's too dramatic,

C.J., come on.

- Help me up. Help me up. - Give me these.

- Come on, come on, sit up a little bit.

- C.J., wait a minute, she's gonna put the pillow

behind you, baby.

- Okay, you alright with that?

- Yes.

- I'm praying for you, Mr. Payne.

I think I saved your life.

- Thank--thank you, Lisa.

- You know, this could have been a lot worse.

And I've seen it happen.

This could have gone the wrong way.

C.J., son, you can't be taking

unnecessary risks like that.

Do you understand me?

- Yes, I hear you, Unc.

- C.J., what is all of this?

Did you hurt your head?

- Doc--Doc says I sprained my neck and my back,

but I'll be okay, but, uh, I--I'm in a little shock,

and my adrenaline is running like crazy right now.

- Okay, okay.

- The urgent care doctor said he needs pain meds and rest,

and we're gonna make sure he gets a lot of it.

- Yes. - But, Unc, I know

you gotta get ready for your barbecue tour, man, so--

- Mm-hmm, don't you worry about that.

I'm not leaving you like this, man.

Don't worry, I already rescheduled anyway.

What I'm gonna do is I'm gonna go back to the house,

and I'm gonna get you some home remedies, okay?

- I appreciate that, Unc.

- Curtis, what home remedies do you have for back pain?

- The same ones I have when I watch the football game.

Alright, son? - I'm good.

[groans]

- Lisa, could you just let me sit right there?

Get him some water. - Okay.

- Thank you, baby.

♪ Hey, C.J.

♪ Hey, Mama's baby

C.J., I just wanna say I'm sorry.

I know we had a bit of a tiff on yesterday.

But I just want you to know...

I didn't mean any harm, baby.

I really didn't.

Things were crazy over here, and I just--

I just took the kids to my house.

- It's okay, Auntie. I wasn't even thinking about that.

It's over. I apologize too.

- Okay.

So, C.J., I know I'm not a firefighter.

And I don't know procedure.

But I do know common sense.

And you didn't have no business

going into that building.

- Thank you.

- You sip a little bit?

Just a little bit.

Ooh.

- Thank you, that's very quenching.

It's just instinct, Aunt Ella.

That's all.

- ♪

- Hey, do you have everything for your dad?

- Yeah, I think we're good.

Again, thank you so much for everything you're doing

for us, we really appreciate it.

- Look, no worries.

When Calvin was injured,

I wished that I had someone to help me out.

Listen, I know things are gonna hard,

so anything that you all need, just ask.

- You know, that's good to know.

I was thinking, I'm gonna need a midwife

for when I go into labor. - Huh?

- A midwife? What?

- Oh, no, no, I am...

woefully under qualified to deliver a whole human being

in a baby blowup pool in the living room.

I--I don't do that. - We can do it in the kitchen.

- Okay, um, so listen...

Malik, do you have everything?

All your dad's favorite snacks? Favorite foods?

- Uh, yeah, I think we're good.

- Okay, good, good. - Hey, I really don't

know what we would do without your help, so thank you, really.

- My pleasure. - You know, I had a cousin

who got hit by a hearse on a way to a funeral.

- What does--what does that have to do with anything?

- I had to take care of her.

She had no legs.

- The hearse crushed her legs?

- No, diabetes did.

- What does that have to do with my dad?

- I know how to take care of the sick and shut-ins.

- Okay, I think we got it, with Miranda and Auntie Ella,

I think we're good.

- I don't even know why I try.

- What do you mean?

- I try to fit in. I don't think his family likes me.

- What?

- Okay, listen, I have been where you are.

I literally had to go on a hunger strike so they would

let me sit at the adult table on Thanksgiving.

- [chuckles]

Now you know that's impossible.

They love you, especially Uncle Curtis.

- They love me just as much as a Montague loves a Capulet.

- Okay, Shakespeare.

Go on with the beauty and the brains. [laughs]

- Did you just use a "Romeo and Juliet" reference

to describe a Black family in the South

and how they feel about you?

- Wow.

You know, I expected that from them, but not my own man.

- Wh--what do you mean?

- You think because I used to shake my ass,

I don't read Shakespeare?

- I mean, I don't really read him I've never shaken my ass.

I mean, not--not that it's bad that you, you know,

shake your--I'm--I'm gonna put the soup on.

- Now, Lisa, you know that's not at all what I'm saying.

- You don't have to.

And neither does your family. I see how they look at me.

- Come on now, you're overreacting.

- No, I'm not.

And I guess I was wrong about people looking past my past.

- Okay, guys, listen.

Can I please give you some advice?

- No disrespect but-- - Okay, listen.

Whatever you say, I'm sure it's about to be

disrespectful, okay? - Okay. You're right.

- You guys sit down. Just sit down.

[sighs]

As someone who has been in a long-term,

serious relationship, you guys,

you have to talk to each other.

You have to listen to each other and understand.

And you have to compromise.

Because if someone had given me that advice...

I don't think things would have turned out the way they did.

You all talk.

- ♪

- Malik, I wanna do better for my life.

- I--and believe me, I know that.

And I wanna be a part of it. I wanna be in your life.

- Well, you and your family are gonna have to stop judging me.

- [sighs]

Come on, bae, I thought we were #RelationshipGoals.

- Stop being so nerdy.

- I'm the nerdy one?

You were just referencing "Romeo and Juliet."

- "My only love sprung from my only hate.

Too early seen unknown and known too late."

That's from the first act.

You ain't gonna be around for the third

if you don't quit trippin'.

- ELLA: Lisa! What's taking so long, baby?

Chop-chop, he needs it. - Turkey sandwich

and a glass of water, per your request.

- [laughs] I said toasted, Havarti cheese,

room-temperature water. - You know what?

It's fine. - No, it's not.

No, it is not. We have got to do everything we have to.

We have got to do everything to get you back on your feet.

And I need you to have exactly what you need.

- Okay, thanks. - ELLA: Yes.

- I see why Uncle Curtis is always parked in his chair.

I could get used to this right here.

- Get used to what? Yes.

- All this care and comfort.

You know, it could take months

to recuperate from a back injury.

- I will not be moving in this house for a month

to take care of you.

- That's what me and Malik are here for.

- That's right.

I do have two grown kids living in my house.

- And we are here to do whatever you need.

- What I need is for y'all

to get jobs and move out.

- And while you're at it, get married,

and stop all this shacking up.

- I was just trying to help. - Lisa.

Can you check on the bathrooms for me, baby?

Just make sure they're clean.

- I sure can.

And while I'm at it, I'm gonna do my sisters' dresses,

and my pumpkin, get it ready for the players' ball,

and milk the cow, and get dinner ready and do all--

- Thank you! That's perfect!

- [phone ringing] - Oh. Oh, that's my wife.

- Oh. Hi, honey. - Hey. Hey, baby.

Huh? No, I'm fine. I'm a little sore,

but I'll be alright.

Uh-huh. Say what?

No. Oh, okay, well, thanks for letting me know.

Alright. Love you.

- Here you go. - [exhales]

- Everything alright?

- Well-- - Put your hand out.

- Janine--Janine says that, uh, she working on a PR firm.

And the media has called a city council meeting because

the mayor's asking questions about a breech in procedure

during the fire.

- Why?

- They looking for somebody to terminate. A scapegoat.

- [laughs]

Well, who are they looking at?

- I don't know.

But Janine is looking into it.

I don't know, whoever it is,

they sure gonna wish they hadn't come out of that fire.

- ♪

- ELLA: C.J., sit down. Baby, you--

You're never gonna get better if you keep moving around.

- Yeah, but while you're up,

can you grab me another home remedy?

- Curtis! - It's okay, I, uh--

I need to keep moving around to keep from getting stiff.

I wanna walk tall into my meeting.

- I cannot believe that they are investigating you.

This is why you never should have run into that building.

- I'm gonna tell you what, I've seen how these things

can become witch hunts.

It happened to one of my boys.

- What did he do?

- Threw a back-to-school fundraiser in Magic City.

- [laughs]

- And that thing was lit!

You heard me? - That's crazy. That's good.

Hey, how did he get caught?

- An audit revealed they made more money

than a Falcon home game.

- Hey, look.

I can appeal, right? - Yeah, of course you can.

Burger appealed his termination.

- Burger got fired. - And lost his severance.

- C.J., did the city say why you're being investigated?

- No, they just said something about, uh,

department protocol and procedure.

- Get out of there!

- I didn't do anything wrong.

- Except play Superman without a cape.

- Every man in that company would have done the same for me.

I hired Andre, so I'm responsible for him.

I want to make sure that he gets home to his family every night.

- I wouldn't have done that for Andre.

- C.J., who's gonna come in here and take care of your family

when you don't come home?

Who's gonna live in your house? - Ooh.

- Put your hand down. - Put your hand down,

Uncle Curtis.

- I'm just saying, why trust a stranger?

Might as well will it to family.

I am in your will, right?

- ELLA: C.J.

Curtis said that these review boards

almost never work out for the person being investigated.

- Well, I'll let you know when I walk out of there,

cleared, with my head held high.

- Or on the chopping block.

- "Good morrow, my lady.

"Reputation is an idle

"and a more false imposition,

oft go without merit and lost without deserving."

- Don't be coming out here trying to make up.

That ain't even "Romeo and Juliet."

- [laughs]

I know it's not.

It's "Othello." - "Othello."

- I performed it when I was in elementary school.

- Okay, I didn't really take you as like the "Othello" type.

- What does that mean? - I don't know.

It just--Othello is more like a James Earl Jones.

Or like a LeBron James or...

a Barack.

- I could be all of those dudes.

Besides from LeBron.

- Yeah, 'cause he has like multiple championship drip.

- So now the judged is becoming a judge.

- I'm not judging you. - No, that's exactly

what you're doing.

You were just doing what you got mad at me for doing earlier.

- Babe, no, I'm not. - Yes, it is.

You literally told me that I couldn't be LeBron.

- No, I said LeBron is more like Othello than you are.

- I can absolutely be Othello.

I was Othello.

And I Othello-ed the hell out of "Othello."

- Okay, now you're talking crazy.

- [laughs] No, what's crazy is that we're arguing about

Shakespeare with my baby mama who was a dancer. [laughs]

It's crazy, but it's one of the things

that I love about you the most.

- Don't try to hustle a hustler.

- [laughs] Look, it's no hustle.

There's no shade. It's just all facts.

Lisa, you take chances.

You know how to survive. - Mm.

- Me, on the other hand, I normally like to play it safe

and do what's comfortable.

- And that's what I love about you.

You're grounded and stable.

You're normal.

- That don't sound like a compliment.

- Ain't nothing wrong with normal.

I mean, I want that in my life.

I've never been with anybody like you.

- No, see, that's a real compliment.

- "This above all, to thine own self be true."

- "For she had eyes and chose me."

- I sure did. And I'd do it again.

- ♪

- Okay, I have filled out all of your workers' comp paperwork.

However, I do need you to just sign right there--

- Oh. - --for me, please.

And your confirmation should be in your email.

- Oh, that is great.

I really appreciate that.

I don't know what I would do without you.

You guys are being so helpful.

- Oh, you'd be dead. [laughs]

- Wow. Can't wait to get rid of me, huh?

- Oh, no, no, no, you know we're just kidding.

I would give you a kidney if you needed it.

You don't need a kidney, do you?

- [laughs]

If there is one thing that I have learned from this family

is that we always help each other in a time of need.

Oh, and how to make a bomb snickerdoodle. Mm.

- Pot roast.

- I hate to be the old man in the bed

ringing the dinner bell, but y'all are making me hungry.

- Well, C.J., I'll make you a snack if you want something.

What would you like?

- Anything that will help me get my strength back.

I wanna be able to get up, walk into that meeting

with my head held high, state my case,

and get my name cleared. - C.J.

I would be lying if I said I was not worried about you...

going into that meeting.

- Why? I got a stellar record,

and I didn't do anything wrong.

- This is different, C.J.

You're gonna have to do what I learned

going through this divorce. - Don't use DIY legal services

for a prenup? - [laughs]

No.

You just--you have to learn what you can control.

And what you can't control, you just have to surrender to it

and just keep moving forward.

- That's good advice.

- You know, like you say, Miss Ella.

May God's will be done.

Sometimes, all you can do is pray about it.

- Amen.

- Romeo. Hey, yo, Romeo! - [laughs]

- What's up, Juliet? I'm right here.

- That ain't how that go.

- Well, sometimes you have to rewrite history

so you have a better future.

- So you don't mind my past, and my flaws,

and my scars, Othello?

- As long as you don't mind my snoring and passing gas

in the middle of the night, Desdemona.

- Hell yeah, I do.

You gotta stop doing all that.

- Well, I will truly work on that, my love.

- I do.

- Oh, but--baby, this not-- this not the time.

I thought we was--I thought we was playing.

- Why would I play like that? - Okay, but we--

we could work on that. We can work on that.

- Why would I play like that? Like that's dumb.

Why would I play about that? - Well, that's--

- I love you. - I love you, too, but--

that's a part of the role play.

I thought-- - [growls]

You're so frustrating.

- ♪

- ♪