Original subtitles

Uh, excuse me?

Are you the owner of this place?

Well, that depends.

Do you have a complaint or a compliment?

No.

N-Nothing but compliments.

Then, yes, I am the owner, Calvin Butler.

Ah, Grant Yelvington.

And I'm on the mayor's Green Business Initiative Council,

and I got to say,

this place is incredible.

How would you feel if we recognized you

in our new press release?

You can recognize me all day long.

Well, the service here is amazing.

Did you know they give you free lattes?

Oh, in fact, I do.

I'm "they."

Marty Butler, co-owner.

Father and son!

I-I should've known.

Hey, you got your daddy's good looks.

Hey, watch out now.

You should see my other son.

Uh, so each bay has its own charging thing, huh?

Uh, what-what do you call those?

Oh... It's uh, they're called the, uh,

nemo-tratonics 14, uh...

It's the NEMA 14-50s.

And you have it set up so you can upgrade

every car's software from one computer?

Yes. No.

Well--

To an extent.

Not even a little bit, no, no.

I love the way you two mix it up.

Oh, well, what in the world is that thing?

What does that do?

Oh, uh, this detects dangerous

temperature variations in electrical components.

Oh, well, I guess I've met the real brains of the outfit.

Oh!

Grant Yelvington.

Courtney Pridgeon, lead diagnostics engineer.

Well, Courtney,

can you tell me what other gizmos you're responsible for?

Oh, Courtney just ordered-- You know what, you know,

we all, uh,

have the same knowledge, all of us.

Okay, Calvin, uh, what else you got?

Well, there is the, um...

We have, um...

uh...

You know what?

I'm gonna let her say it.

That's called delegating.

* Welcome to the block, welcome to the neighborhood *

* Welcome to the hood. *

So should we do individual orders?

Oh, just order stuff.

You know what I like.

Oh, great.

Oh, but nothing fried. Ooh, get the skewers, though.

And I want dumplings. With peanut sauce.

But I want them steamed... And get me some hot noodles.

Not the cold noodles. And can you get fried

and regular rice?

We're gonna do individual orders.

Just order stuff. No, yeah, just order it.

Hey, Mama, I need to borrow Pop's lucky cuff links.

Okay, well, what is the occasion?

Well, the creative writing program at USC is hosting

a meet-and-greet so we can connect with book agents.

Oh, well, what do they do?

Well, if you don't have an agent,

no publisher will even read your work.

And I am very excited about my new story.

Okay.

You got a new story? Yeah.

You got to let me read it.

Oh, sure, Dave. I'll email you a copy.

Great. You know, I will read it ASAP.

It's always good to have fresh eyes on your work.

Okay, cool, but just so you know,

it's already been submitted.

Before you got my feedback?

I don't know why he asked me to read it.

Dave, he didn't ask you to read it.

Marty, I mean, you...

Dad, you literally hogged the camera space.

Hey, guys, we're ordering Chinese.

Let me know what you want.

Can't you just order a bunch

of stuff and we all just share it?

Oh, share? You mean, like, credit?

Oh, wait, you don't know how to share that.

We are doing individual orders.

Oh, well, I want shrimp spring rolls,

but I don't want just that.

You know what, I will take some potstickers.

You know what, I'm gonna go with the fried wontons.

I have yet to hear an entree, people.

Enough!

I'm gonna order food, and you all will eat it.

Huh.

That's weird.

What's weird?

That Grant guy from the Fusebox today.

He just messaged me on LinkedIn.

He wants to discuss a "business opportunity."

Let me see.

Huh.

Okay, generic profile, no picture.

It doesn't say anything about the mayor's office.

Huh.

Do you think that guy was spying on us?

Well, now that you said something, I do.

I mean, think about it.

He's smiling,

and asking to take pictures of our equipment.

Yeah, our thermal imaging system.

Yeah, I mean, what guy comes into your shop

and starts asking you all about your thermalities?

That's not even a word.

Look, that's super shady.

So, obviously, I won't take the meeting.

No, no, no. You're gonna take that meeting.

Yeah, we got to figure out what this guy's up to.

Mm-hmm, and then

we gonna get all up in his thermalities.

I mean, the nerve of that dude.

And asked me in front of my ther--

I got all my employees in there,

and he going, "What's your thermality?

What's your therm--?" I said, "Boy,

you don't know me like that!"

Ah, Malcolm Butler.

Lisa Chatsworth, Vision Literary.

Oh, nice to meet you.

I'm so grateful you guys are taking this--

What's your deal?

Nutshell.

Uh, nutshell? Mm.

Well, I-I hope to be a novelist one day.

Oh, no, I'm so sorry. I mean what's your thing?

Your hook.

My, uh, my hook?

Yeah, you are the oldest student here by a decade.

Oh, veteran.

Thank you for your service.

I am not a veteran. Don't salute me.

Okay, I've got it.

You are a recovering addict.

Reborn, finding redemption through education.

I love it.

No to all of that.

Look, until recently, I was a baseball coach.

Oh! Yeah.

That's... that's nothing.

Frankly.

Sports and books, it's like oil and water.

Sports people don't read.

I'm a sports person and I read.

Oh, I've offended you.

I forget how sensitive artists are.

Okay, Malcolm.

Your story is "The Devil's Testimony."

Great title.

Thank you. Exorcist stuff?

Nope. Post-apocalyptic?

How about you read it?

Oh, okay.

Making me work for it.

I love it.

* *

Oh, is that Malcolm's story?

It's great, right?

I'm so happy for him.

Gemma, this is not good.

Dave, come on.

It's natural to feel envy

when your friend becomes a writer,

but can't you try to be happy for him?

Envy?

What are you talk--?

Gemma, I'm a writer, too.

Of course you are.

If I'm not a writer, why do we have 75 copies

of my self-published book in our house?

I have no idea.

I just think we should be supportive of Malcolm.

I, for one, loved his story.

Yes, I did, too.

The first time I read it when it was called

Gone Girl.

What are you saying?

I'm saying it's the exact same story.

Now I know Malcolm would never

plagiarize something on purpose, but

don't you remember Gone Girl?

It's about the missing woman who--

Who frames her husband for her own murder.

Oh, damn.

Well, we have to tell him before he shows it to agents.

I knew Malcolm should have waited for my feedback!

Okay, he's still not here.

Can you hear me?

Testing. Testing.

Yeah, Silver Spoon. We've got you

loud and clear here at HQ.

You've got the Big Battery and the Small Battery right here.

We're listening in. Over and out. Big 10-4.

Dad, she is not a truck driver.

Courtney.

I can't tell you how glad I am that you took me up

on my little invitation.

Uh, Courtney Pridgeon, this is my associate,

Jim O'Doherty.

We call him Big Dog.

It's-it's a long story.

I have a big dog.

Oh, is that why?

Oh. All right, all right.

Courtney.

My name is not Grant Yelvington.

It's Grant Grinderlin, and I don't work for the mayor.

What?

No way. Are you being serious right now?

She's laying it on too thick. Okay, yeah, yeah.

We've got to pull her out of there.

We can't do it now.

Big Dog and I work

in new ventures for a little company you might've heard of.

Motor Boys.

Motor Boys.

I hate them. You know,

they were my biggest competition when I ran the Pit Stop,

and now, they're coming after me again.

Dad, you are spitting all over me!

Courtney, we see untapped potential in the EV market,

and when I see untapped potential,

I can't help tapping.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Somebody stop me.

It can't be done. Can't stop tapping.

Now, don't misunderstand me. Uh, your Fusebox, it's cute,

but it's bush league. Small potatoes.

A mom-and-pop shop.

Mom-and-pop? A mom-and-pop? You know what?

I'll pop you and your big dog.

Dad, Dad, Dad. Listen,

I think he's laying out their business plan.

We're getting into the EV repair business in a big way.

Motor Boys style.

You know that old Bed Bath & Beyond you passed on Lincoln?

We're about to lease that space.

It's gonna be

the first Motor Boys Volt Zone,

and we want you in on the ground floor.

Wow. But why me?

You have a master's degree in electrical engineering.

You worked at JPL.

Help settle a bet for me.

That battery health check system,

that had to be yours.

Well, yes, it was.

Ah! You owe me a Coke, Big Dog.

Reckon I do.

Now, did you get any credit for that, Courtney?

Not really, but it's not about the credit.

Oh, really?

Well, I guess it's not about the titles either.

They got you at lead diagnostics engineer?

That's a dadgum crime.

Courtney, someone with your qualifications

should be in charge of your own division.

But at the end of the day, we all know

what it's really about. Tell her, Big Dog.

Dadgum respect.

It is.

It is about respect, Big Dog.

Sometimes I feel taken for granted.

Do you guys know I don't even have a dadgum parking space?

Oh, good Lord.

- Criminal. - Look, um,

I don't want to overstep, but, um,

we'd like to offer you a package.

He's offering her a package.

Dad, wait, wait, wait.

She's probably not even gonna look at the package.

It wouldn't hurt to look at the package.

She's looking at the package. She's looking at the package.

Wow.

Wow? She just wowed the package.

Well, it-it-it could be a bad wow.

Son, you don't wow a bad package.

Hey. Hey. What are you two doing out here?

We're looking for Malcolm. Oh.

By chance, did you read his story?

I did. Isn't it amazing?

It is, but have you ever seen the movie Gone Girl?

Is that the one with Reese Witherspoon?

No, actually.

Oh. What's the one that Reese Witherspoon is in?

That's kind of a hard question.

She's been in quite a few things.

I know, she's the one who adopts that huge football player.

No, that's Sandra Bullock.

Oh. Well, she's the one who worked for that mean lady

at the fashion magazine?

That's Anne Hathaway or Emily Blunt.

Uh... No, I'm pretty sure it's Reese Witherspoon.

Tina, how do you not know any of these movies?

- Well, do you know Harlem Nights? - No.

Drumline? No.

Any of the Barbershops? No.

At least one Tyler Perry movie?

Uh, maybe once on cable.

But Tyler Perry is in Gone Girl.

He was?

Right, with pants on. Yes.

I did see that one. Oh, my God.

Malcolm totally ripped off Tyler Perry's Gone Girl!

We can't let this happen. We can't just lay down

and let Motor Boys take our concept and blow it up.

I can't believe she would actually entertain their offer.

She's not just an employee here. We have a personal relationship.

She and I have had sex nine and a half times.

Does that mean nothing?

Why are you counting?

I was bragging.

Well, we have to make things right with her

because we're gonna need her if we're gonna expand.

Expand? We're expanding?

Son, we have to.

You know, years ago,

when Motor Boys first moved in,

I sat on my hands.

I should've expanded the Pit Stop,

but I was too afraid to take the big swing.

Yeah, but, Dad, now I'm afraid to take a big swing.

Look, you don't have to be afraid, son.

I don't say this often, but...

you are damn good at your job.

Thank you. I really appreciate you saying that, Dad, 'cause...

Quiet, quiet, son.

Look, here's the thing,

there are more EVs on the West Side of L.A. than anywhere else.

And we got to stake our claim before they do.

Okay, so how are we gonna do that?

I'll show you how we gonna do that.

Yeah, we gonna...

Yeah.

What the hell is that?

"Bed Bath Beyond."

We're gonna take their lease and steal it right from under them.

Wait, won't that cost a fortune?

Look, uh...

I'll take some equity out of this place,

but you let me worry about that.

You just make sure that we don't lose Courtney.

And, uh, son?

Stop counting how often y'all have sex. It's weird.

Okay, we're almost to double digits, but whatever.

Hi.

Uh, hi, everybody. What's happening?

Hey, Malcolm, so, uh,

you know the story you asked me to read?

I did not, but go ahead.

Okay, well, you know, sometimes

writers can absorb things without realizing it, right?

Exactly.

And even if you did it knowingly,

well, the writing world is a real pressure cooker.

Believe me, I get that.

What the hell is he talking about?

Your story, Malcolm.

It's got the same plot as Gone Girl.

As what?

Eh, you know, the movie with Reese Witherspoon.

For God sakes, Tina,

not every white actress is Reese Witherspoon.

Prove it!

What? How am I even supposed to respond to that?

Okay. Okay.

The point is, Gone Girl is about a woman

who fakes her own murder to frame her husband.

What?

How? I...

I've never even heard of that movie.

We're sorry, Malcolm.

We just wanted you to know before you let an agent see it.

Ah, it's too late, Dave.

I have a meeting in an hour with an agent who's reading it.

Man, this is gonna be humiliating.

Well, you know, I mean, none of this would've been an issue

if you'd just waited for me to give you feedback.

In!

I'm sorry, what?

In! I'm in!

Yeah... what are you in?

The Malcolm Butler business.

I read your story. Brilliant. Chills.

Let's do this!

Okay, look. Let's, uh,

slow down for a beat, all right?

Have a seat. Okay.

Look, Lisa, there is something that you should know.

It turns out that my story--

completely by accident, I had no idea--

but it has some similarities to...

to something called Gone Girl.

Some similarities? Malcolm, it's Black Gone Girl!

That's why I love it.

It shows me you know how to read the marketplace,

but you also know how to change things up just enough

to avoid getting sued.

But that is not how it happened.

I never read the book or saw the movie.

Man, this is hard. I really want to say yes to you

because I have got a lot on the line.

I just blew up my baseball career.

But if the only reason you want to sign me is

'cause you think I'm good at copying other people's work,

well, then I'm probably still gonna say yes.

But I really don't want that to be true.

Wow. Okay.

Look, Malcolm, I admit, I was impressed when I thought

you were just a skilled borrower.

But if this story, this great story,

came out of you?

Well, that's a million times more impressive.

A million is a lot.

Okay, settle down. A thousand.

So I'm in. Are you in?

What the hell? I'm in.

Yes! We need to celebrate.

Okay. We need champagne.

You. Champagne.

This is a coffee house.

I'll order delivery.

I have the high ground!

Oh!

Hey... Courtney.

Hey... Marty.

You were great today.

You were so great, so great, my dad actually thought

you were seriously considering taking that job.

Why wouldn't I consider it?

Those guys saw how valuable I am here, and they respect it.

And they made me a real solid offer.

How solid?

You know what? It doesn't matter.

I'll match it.

Per year?!

That-that is quite solid.

They know what I'm worth.

So do I.

I'll still match it.

You will?

Yes. My dad and I are taking a big swing.

We're opening up a whole new Fusebox.

And the thought of us doing that without your brilliance

and expertise...

I need you. W-- like...

We-we need you. The company needs you.

The, like, the-the Fusebox family needs...

You know what I'm trying to say?

Yeah, I know. Okay.

I know.

And thank God.

That Big Dog guy?

He invited me to Texas to go boar hunting.

Boar hunting?

Okay, all right.

I see teeth, so this must be a good sign.

Well, Dad, you were right, I am good at my job.

Turns out I am quite charming and persuasive.

Yes. And how could I say no

when you guys are gonna match the Motor Boys offer?

The "wow"?

The "wow."

Oh, uh, how-how much "wow" are we talking?

Right there.

Per year?! Yeah.

Wow. Wow!

Wow...

Wow...

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