Original subtitles

♪ ♪

Oh, I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Mother.

-No problem. -Hi.

I couldn't sleep.

Even after your phone call and your incredible pep talk,

the girls and I could not get Bill and Hayley

off of our minds.

Any new developments on the situation?

Bill drew up papers terminating his rights to custody.

Before the paternity results are in?

A judge approved them.

His support will be financial. That's it.

Leaving that child in Hayley's clutches.

He's worried, Mother.

He has so many emotional scars from his own childhood,

he doesn't want to inflict it on another generation.

He would rather live without his own child than risk...

hurting them the way he was.

If it is determined that this is Bill's child,

he and I are going to have a long talk.

Now, as many faults as that man has,

he adores his children,

and allowing the child to have Hayley

as the only parent would be worse than...

-letting it be raised by wolves. -Preach.

But I don't even think that's going to happen.

After Hayley heard what Bill had in mind,

she told Naomi she has no intention

of being a mother to this baby.

♪ ♪

Hmm.

I see you already got coffee and a muffin...

-for one. -[chuckles]

I know you don't expect me to cover your damn cravings,

not after I only got a fraction of the bag

we had in mind when we started the Hamilton con.

Oh, I will gladly give you every dollar of my share

if you can find a way to be the one

carting around Bill's big-ass baby in your belly.

You need to stop complaining about your golden goose's egg.

Crack that egg and fry it for all I care.

Bill's already signed away his parental rights.

Just wait.

When Bill sees the results and knows for a fact

that he's the father, he's gonna change his mind.

[door opens]

CHELSEA: Dad?

Oh, my God.

Oh, my... Dad, are you okay?

Chelsea, what are you...?

I'm fine.

It doesn't look like it.

Did somebody break in or something?

Oh, looks pretty bad, doesn't it?

But no. I did this.

Why?

The paternity test results came back,

and the baby's mine.

♪ ♪

So, Mom, Chelsea and I really got into it last night.

Yeah. I had a feeling.

Chelsea just couldn't understand why Dad wouldn't want

to be a part of this new baby's life if he is the father.

Well, I'm Team Chelsea on this one.

Deliberately cutting your child out

of your life is pretty harsh.

Well, it's...

it's because of how badly my dad was treated by his father.

And I mean, Chelsea and I didn't know half

of what he went through growing up.

You know Bill and his dad didn't get along.

And that they were estranged, yes.

That's why we never met our paternal grandfather.

But Dad never wanted to discuss any of the details.

Suffice it to say, nothing he ever did was going

to be good enough for that man.

Yeah, I know a little bit about growing up

with a hard-ass for a father.

Well, look, I know Elon is tough,

but at least you know he loves you.

According to Mom,

Grandfather Louis didn't even like Dad.

He made him feel like he should have never been born.

Damn.

Yeah. So I get why Dad is afraid

he'll repeat the cycle with Hayley's baby.

I mean, the last thing he wants is

to turn into a terrible father

and make an innocent child suffer.

[phone buzzing]

Hey, Ma. What's up?

Really?

Uh, hmm, um...

Yeah, I'm-a have to get back to you on that.

I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving.

It'll be great to have Tyrell back home,

and now that the election is over,

we can have some uninterrupted family time.

Me, too. I'm going to cherish every moment

in case it's the last family holiday

we spend together for a while.

I wish you'd stop being such a pessimist.

I mean, I won the election, which means

you're due for some good luck, too.

[phone chiming]

It can't be Samantha's phone.

She's not home.

Wait. That sounds like my burner.

And the only one that has that number is Max.

Max, it is good to hear your voice.

-[quietly]: Hey, hey. -MAX: I got your message.

Look, I told myself I wasn't going to call,

that it was too big of a risk, but I couldn't

stop thinking about you and your situation.

-[bells ringing] -I owe you, Smitty.

So what happened?

The Impaler planted pills in my house.

They were the same ones that killed Lia Whitmore.

I was arrested, in large part,

because of a video that the police have

of you handing me a pouch that was full

of those same pills.

You know, I never gave you any kind of pouch,

let alone with pills in it.

That video is a stone-cold fake.

Yeah, that's exactly what I need you to tell the police.

Can you come to D.C. and make a statement?

I'll make all the arrangements.

Look, I'm sorry, but...

I can't. That's too big of a risk.

We'll protect you.

Look, it sounds to me like that video sets me up

for giving you the drugs that killed Lia.

If I go back now, I'm likely to get arrested or wind up dead.

Look, I'm not about to sign my own death certificate.

Martin's family has resources,

and they can make sure that doesn't happen.

What, like they did for you?

I know I owe you a favor, Smitty, but this...

I-I can't do this, okay?

I'm-I'm sorry.

Damn it! [groans]

I guess we're back to square one.

Maybe not.

Is Hayley actually saying

she will not raise this child if Bill refuses to be involved?

I don't think she ever wanted Bill's baby.

If a pregnancy happened, she planned to have as little

to do with parenting as humanly possible.

Like those mothers who just hand the children off to the nannies.

Nicole and I had help along the way.

Help, yes, but it's different

when you can't even remember the child's birthday

or even what grade it's in.

I've known mothers like that,

and the children grow up to be needy, miserable people.

Now, why would you mention the Belleclaires?

[both laughing]

At any rate, now that Bill has made it clear

that his contribution will only be financial,

Hayley wants out of parenthood altogether.

Or so she says.

This is probably a ploy to get Bill to reconsider.

If it is, she's doomed to disappointment

because he is immovable on this.

It's crazy.

When Hayley's pregnancy was fake,

Bill was all about being a father.

But now that their marriage turned out to be a sham...

He wants nothing to do with having a child with her.

I guess, for him, fatherhood is just the cherry on top

of a happy marriage, like we used to have.

And once again, you have slipped back

into the role of being Bill's confidant.

Maybe Hayley's not the only one being manipulative here.

Could be Bill is using this as a way

to drag you back into his life.

I am so sorry, Dad.

Hmm. You're not the only one.

I, uh... I heard you don't want any involvement with the baby.

Is that still true?

Even now we're sure it's yours?

I hope that's not a problem for you.

Don't get me wrong. The last thing I want

is for you to be tied to Hayley's criminal behind

for one minute longer.

But... Dad, you might want to reconsider this decision.

-Chelsea, listen. -No.

I know from personal experience what a loving dad you are,

and I'm pretty sure you have much more of that kind of love

left in you, more than you realize.

This is what's best for everyone, okay?

Especially that child.

Maybe just take a little more time to process?

I'm all processed.

Now, I've made my decision,

and I'm sticking to it, all right?

[sighs] I can't stand you seeing me like this.

Like a man who's hurting?

[Bill groans softly]

Look, let me walk you out so you don't...

step on any of this glass.

Okay, okay. You are not okay.

Baby, I just had a little too much to drink.

I'll... I'll sober up,

and I'll just give you a call later.

I'm not going anywhere until I know

-you're feeling better. -[door opens]

Neither am I.

Caroline, what are you doing here?

And without calling first?

You missed this morning's deposition

in the Landon Hecht case.

Oh...

Damn it.

Opposing counsel's going to tear me a new one for this one.

Well, fortunately, I came up with a cover story

and rescheduled for this afternoon.

But if anyone asks, be prepared to vent

about how your tire blew out

and you're looking into suing the manufacturer.

Okay. Yeah. Well, thank you, Caroline.

Well, thank me by going upstairs and taking a shower.

I'll make coffee while you're getting cleaned up.

This is all Hayley's fault.

You need to let Bill come to terms with the fact

that he's going to be a daddy again,

so don't go making any decisions

till you actually talk to him first.

Easy for the not-pregnant man to say.

You told Naomi what you're going to do, right?

And I told Joey that you are not down with keeping this kid.

So the Dupree family group chat is probably lit right now,

talking about this poor innocent kid

that you're just going to give away.

Okay, if word actually does get to Bill,

he'll probably be "Yippee"

about never seeing the kid he kicked to the curb.

But, look, don't get it twisted.

If there's any way to make some serious money off this kid,

I am all for it.

You know, Bill stomping off and giving up his rights

could net you a bigger payday.

How do you figure?

Well, any judge will feel sorry for the lonely single mother

-whose rich baby daddy is in the wind. -Okay.

I am not wearing the lonely single mother label.

No way, no how, not ever.

You see, I am going to be the generous woman

that saw to it that her perfect baby landed

in a happy home with a rich couple

who just happened to pay me a whole lot of money.

Man, I got to get out of this town.

It is so cold, and since I'm incubating this kid,

I-I might as well take that fake ID you got me

and go barf and bloat in sunny California.

And after the baby is sold...

born,

maybe my new identity will be a-a movie star.

Hmm?

[phone chimes]

What's wrong?

It's from an unknown number.

"Little Mama, I like having you in town

"where I can keep an eye on you.

Otherwise I assume you broke the rules"?

Just texting Mom to come help clean.

Don't. The last thing your father would want is

for Dani to see him like this.

Yeah, you're probably right.

[sighs]

So just how much do you know

about what's going on with my dad?

He invited me over to talk last night.

He was in an unusually introspective mood.

This situation is getting crazier.

Don't worry.

After years of working for Bill,

discretion becomes a way of life.

You can count on me.

I'd have stayed longer if I'd known

he was on the verge of wrecking the living room.

You know, as ugly as things got

when he left Mom for Hayley...

I've never seen him like this.

Yeah.

I'm hoping work will snap him out of it.

But him coming back to this mess won't help matters.

You need help?

Nah, I'm just pushing the broken glass aside

so that nobody gets hurt.

Then I'm calling a cleaning service.

Caroline,

I'm grateful that my dad has you in his life.

He needs somebody he feels comfortable talking to.

I'll sweep. You call the cleaning service.

Okay.

What good does having a recording

-of Max's phone call do? -It's something.

Max verified that the video is a fake.

Well, the police will probably say our recording's a fake.

Talk about ironic.

I know you want me to stay optimistic, Martin,

but I don't see a way out of this

for myself without Max's testimony.

Well, Naomi already hired experts

to analyze the video footage.

Well, they can't do that until the state's attorney's office

releases that footage.

Am I the only one that thinks

these stalling tactics aren't a coincidence?

No. The Impaler is determined that I go to prison

so that my investigation doesn't reveal his true identity.

He's managed to beat us at every turn, Martin.

I don't know. Is it time that I start accepting my fate?

No way in hell.

And you're forgetting your biggest weapon-- Naomi.

You know, when I spoke with Hayley,

she seemed way too confident

that she had my dad right where she wanted.

So I am relieved that he plans

on relinquishing his parental rights.

Okay, that's going a little too far.

I mean, it's the only way to make it impossible

for Hayley to sink her claws back into my dad.

I want him to start a new chapter in his life

without being weighed down by his own baggage.

Exactly.

Look, this child is his.

Moving on from your own child just doesn't make sense to me.

Well, agree to disagree in this case.

Well, is your mother just as eager

for your father to move on?

No, but she is keeping her distance.

She's not using this whole mess

as an excuse to spend time with Dad.

You know, I don't want to jinx it,

but I think my father finally has no hold over my mom.

This has to be from Joey.

Is he listening in on our conversation?

Show me your phone.

Not through me, I swear.

Does that damn man have eyes in the sky on me?

Probably on Joey's payroll.

But since I clocked him, you won't see him again.

But that doesn't mean Joey won't put somebody else on your tail.

Why did you tell him in the first place?

Now Joey's watching every move I make.

Probably 'cause the man knows that you have information

that could bring down some important people in this town.

Cuz, that baby is not just a meal ticket.

It is the one thing that is keeping you safe.

Then the baby is born and what? I'm dead?

Joey would never admit this,

but he actually has a soft spot for kids.

So if Bill is really out of the picture,

Joey's not going to want to make your kid an orphan.

But you're going to need to keep this baby

wrapped around your neck until it's old enough to drink.

Your life is on the line if you don't, cuz.

Then you better start hunting for nannies

who are willing to work 24-7.

Naomi, hey. Max finally called me.

Did Max agree to give you a sworn statement about the video?

Unfortunately, no.

He doesn't want to come back to the U.S.

Damn it.

I could subpoena him, but that's kind of hard

since we don't know where he is.

Did he give you anything at all? Any information?

We're not sure.

But there could be something we missed.

We recorded the conversation.

You can come and listen to it for yourself.

You have audio of Max?

All right, I'm on my way.

Hey, babe. Sorry. I got to get going.

Wait. What was that about Max?

You know I can't disclose any communication with my client.

I will see you at home.

Oh, thank you, Chelsea, but

you shouldn't be cleaning up this mess that I made.

It's my responsibility.

As many times as you've helped me over the years,

I can do something for you, just this once.

-Hmm. -Besides, Caroline hired a cleaning service.

Hmm.

He can add a bonus to my next paycheck.

Okay, well, yes to the cleaning service.

And, uh, you know,

why don't you hire a crew to come in and get rid

of all this hideous furniture Hayley picked out?

And have the place fumigated as well.

I want to remove every trace of her...

betrayal from in here.

Consider it done.

Hmm. And did I miss anything else this morning?

Bring me up to speed.

I'll let you two talk law.

Hey, take care of my dad, okay?

Because I love him.

I love you, too, baby.

Of course, my deepest sympathies are with Bill. Thank you.

For the terrible situation that he's in.

But that's as far as it goes.

Hmm. You're sure no tender feelings are reemerging?

The only tenderness I feel is for Andre,

and I will not do anything to mess up our marriage.

Good, because not long ago, there was a time

you couldn't resist the siren call of a single Bill Hamilton.

I like to think I've grown, maybe changed for the better.

And I hope Bill manages to do that, too.

I was talking to the girls

last night about how Bill hides his vulnerabilities

because he doesn't want to be seen as weak.

When true strength is illustrated

by how we navigate our challenges.

I think Bill turned himself into the fixer

because there wasn't anyone in his life

who would help him solve his problems.

-Hi, Mrs. Dupree. -Hello.

-Dani. -Hi.

So, I've confirmed with the country club

that the December date still works for them for WinterFest.

-Excellent. -I will mark my calendar.

Thank you again for helping out, Laura.

I can't imagine doing this without you.

Mm. I've taken the liberty of bringing my binder with me.

[Dani laughs]

Well, then, let's get busy.

All right, I will leave you two to it,

un-unless you need any help.

Oh, no. I... I'll sing out if I do.

-[laughing]: Okay. -Thank you, baby.

Well, thank you. Love you, Mother.

-Love you, too. -And, um, later, Laura.

-Bye, Dani. -Bye.

Oh.

Appreciated, Caroline.

Now I need some brutal honesty.

-As opposed to? -Do I look hungover?

Not at all. The coffee and shower worked wonders.

Okay, good. It's bad enough

that I'll be winging it, but if opposing counsel thinks

I have a drinking problem, then I could become the subject

of some highly unflattering gossip.

And there's already enough of that going around,

thanks to my messy divorce.

Well, I've seen you do some of your best work under pressure.

Oh, thanks, but...

all this that I'm going through right now--

this is a whole different type of stress.

I'm not sure if even I can pull this off.

Hello, Dani.

Aren't you going to congratulate me,

mother to mother?

We're short one mother.

I hear you plan to hand your kid off to...

Do you even know?

Hmm. Looks like Naomi didn't waste any time

sharing my little outburst with the family.

It matters to the entire family,

so of course she shared it with me.

Well, here's a little something

you can be the first to share on the Dupree group chat.

I am reconsidering my initial emotional impulse.

So now you plan to raise this baby?

Of course.

Those pregnancy hormones are starting to kick in,

and every day I...

I fall more in love with my little angel.

The prospect of being a single mother

is frightening, of course,

but maybe just... just maybe

I may not end up having to do everything on my own after all.

Well, I hope you still don't think Bill is an option.

Because he's made it very clear

that he wants nothing to do with your child.

And even less to do with you.

-What's up, bro? -Yo.

I just got the craziest phone call just now.

Yeah, there's a lot of that going around today.

Ma just officially invited me to Thanksgiving dinner.

Okay, but that sounds more polite than wild to me.

Nah, she gave me a whole detailed itinerary of the day

and then told me greens would be my responsibility.

Oh, man. Well, I guess I lucked out bringing the dinner rolls.

-Yeah. -Which will be bought.

Now, how you expect to get away with that?

Come on, man. Everybody knows me and Naomi are not the ones

to be trusted with cooking.

And if Eva doesn't have her own recipe,

maybe Ma will give you hers if you ask her nicely.

No, no, no. Hey, I got my recipe, all right?

I know how to cook.

Since when? You've been taking cooking classes

when you were living up there in the Pacific Northwest?

Something like that.

But Ma being all type A reminded me

how every time I stepped foot in that house, all my...

all my old tensions with Pops come down on me.

Let me hear the recording of Max.

MARTIN: Here you go.

Wait. Martin, you recorded it?

Yes. I seized the opportunity.

You realize, if I try to get this admitted into evidence,

that I'd have to call you to testify.

This means you're officially part of the case,

and I know that's the last thing you wanted.

Look, I didn't think through the ramifications.

Smitty ran downstairs carrying the phone

that Max called him on, and I reacted.

Max didn't call you on your regular phone?

No, it was on a burner that I had

during my investigation with Jacob.

I gave Max the number in case of emergencies.

You kept a burner

and used it to contact the guy

that the police think gave you the pills

that killed Lia, and you're just

-now mentioning this? -Max never

called me back, so I didn't think it was relevant.

Not only is it relevant, the optics are abysmal, Smitty.

It's just another argument

why this recording shouldn't be used as evidence.

But there still could be relevant information on it.

Just listen.

-[bells ringing over phone] -MAX: I got your message.

Look, I told myself I wasn't going to call,

that it was too big of a risk, but I couldn't

stop thinking about you and your situation.

I owe you, Smitty.

You're right. This could be useful.

How does Max saying he got my messages help my case?

It's not what he said.

It's the bells in the background.

Chelsea Bear. What's wrong?

What's happened?

I went by Dad's to check on him.

Is he all right?

The paternity test results are back.

Hayley's baby is his.

We all knew that was a possibility.

How is he taking the news?

Mom, I have never seen him like that.

Look, it's okay.

-We want fabulous but, you know, chill. -Mm.

I want WinterFest to be an escape

from all the stress of the holiday season.

Obviously, the former Mrs. Bill Hamilton

will not be receiving an invitation.

-LAURA: Understood. -ANITA: Mm-hmm.

I heard that.

And for the record, I will be overjoyed to skip WinterFest.

It was lame and incredibly boring last year.

But you know, I-I won't be socializing much anyway.

You remember how exhausting pregnancy is, don't you, Anita,

back when you were pregnant around, mm, 100 years ago?

But you know, I-I suppose I should get used to it, though,

because you know, motherhood will be even more tiring.

So now you are planning to be a mother?

Since the story keeps changing.

It's been a very confusing time for me and my little one.

As I'm sure you've heard, Bill has rejected his child.

And, yes, it is definitely his.

So you say.

Proven fact.

Look, I was scared I couldn't handle motherhood,

especially not all on my own.

But now I'm reconsidering.

You know, you can stop the charade.

Obviously, you're using this baby as a bargaining chip.

I mean, are there no depths to which you won't sink?

That is rich coming from you.

Apparently,

the queen of Fairmont Crest is the queen of hypocrisy.

When Jacob gave me that trip to Mexico

for Christmas last year--

the vacation we have yet to take--

I started doing research.

And the algorithm started popping up

all these Mexican tourism posts every time I open social media.

And the bells in that recording sound so familiar.

I think it's from... a video of a church.

I-I bookmarked it because I thought

the building was really beautiful.

Yes, here. Here.

The St. Columba church

in the El Tezal district of Cabo San Lucas.

-[bells ringing over phone] -Granddad's FBI contact said

that Max's cousin lived in Mexico,

so Max could be there, too.

And based on that recording,

I bet he's in the vicinity of that church.

If Max isn't willing to come to us, we'll go to him.

I thought that you and Pops were getting along,

especially with you two going

to the Banneker football games together.

Ah, that stadium is neutral territory,

but our parents' home, not so much.

[phone buzzing]

Hey, babe.

I'm going to Mexico to talk to Max.

I should be back in a day, two at the most.

Excuse me, bro.

Wait. Did you say Max is in Mexico?

That's what my

information indicates, and I'm going down there.

Naomi, you can't.

Jacob, this trip is my best shot

at getting a sworn affidavit that the video is fake.

And with that, maybe I can create reasonable doubt

and get the jury not to convict.

While putting yourself in danger.

Without getting into details,

my biggest danger is overpaying for meals in a tourist trap.

Don't downplay this, Naomi.

You're showing up uninvited to see a man

who's hiding from an organized crime syndicate.

Look, instead of going out there,

I'll contact the Mexican authorities,

-and we'll figure this out. -If Max

gets wind that there's any official involvement,

it'll spook him.

I have to do this.

Is there anything I could do or say to change your mind?

You know there's not.

Smitty is family, and I am determined to clear his name.

All right, well, just please stay safe.

I will. And please try not to worry.

I will.

I don't like the idea of you going alone.

If my bail didn't prevent me

from leaving this jurisdiction...

But it does... so I'll go to Mexico with Naomi.

Damn. Whatever Naomi told you clearly set you off.

For the sake of that poor, innocent cell phone,

you should probably talk it out.

I can't. Not to you.

It's about a police matter.

-Is Naomi okay? -Yeah.

She is. I just hope it stays that way.

Okay, heard.

Uh, call me if there's anything non-classified

you want to talk through.

I appreciate you, bro.

And I have faith in your ability to handle a family Thanksgiving,

collard greens and all.

Keep that hope alive, brother.

All right, man.

[indistinct radio transmission]

Hola, Bernardo.

How's everything going in Mexico City?

Good. Listen, I need my old amigo to keep an eye on someone.

If the media gets wind of this trip, they will go crazy.

We'll keep everything very low-profile.

And if necessary, I can release a statement,

saying I had personal business in the area.

There's a good chance Max is going to slam the door

in both your faces.

Martin and I can be pretty persuasive.

And, Smitty, we have to take this chance.

It's our first major break, and your freedom is at stake.

When I got there, he was drunk.

And surrounded by glass.

He'd completely trashed the living room.

And when he looked at me, it was like he was in a fog.

Did you leave him like that?

Of course not.

Caroline came by to check on him,

and between the two of us,

we made sure his place was cleaned up.

Dad was showered, sobered up,

and Caroline was getting ready

to take him to the office when I left.

I'm glad you and Caroline were there to take care of him.

If I had known what he was going through,

I would have been a hell of a lot nastier

to Hayley when I ran into her.

So you know, she said

she's considering keeping the baby after all.

[laughs] I can't even.

I just feel so numb.

I know it would have been eight different kinds of wrong

to deck a pregnant lady,

but I wish I had punched that witch

right in her lying little face.

Just wait till the baby's born

and be sure to invite me along.

And Naomi, too.

-It'll be a very special girls' night. -[laughs]

I'm glad you came to tell me

what's going on with your father.

I needed to talk about it.

Would you mind if I just hang here for a minute?

I really don't want to be alone right now.

And you won't be.

It's going to be okay, Chelsea Bear.

You'll see.

I think that witness actually

choked back tears a couple of times.

No, not entirely.

I saw a little one come out of his left eye.

You know, that felt good to be back in my element.

You know, the rest of my life might be a mess,

but I've still got my work.

Mm. You'll figure everything else out, too.

Yeah. I really owe you, Caroline,

and not just for the rescheduling and the prep

but for picking up your phone last night

and coming over and putting up with me...

when I was a total mess.

You've more than earned your right to drown your sorrows.

Hayley really did a number on you.

Yeah, she did.

But as God is my witness,

that is the last time I allow that woman to drag me down.

You Duprees act all high and mighty,

but I was married to Bill long enough to know

that you aren't anywhere as near morally pure

as you pretend to be.

I bet you know plenty of their dirt, too, don't you?

You're either lying or crazy.

I've known this family a lot longer than you have,

and they're the best people I've ever known.

Oh, poor Laura.

I guess they don't trust you enough to keep you in the loop,

but I've seen their dirty laundry, and it stinks.

ANITA: Hayley,

you do not want this fight, because I will end you.

Ooh, is that a little Cabrini-Green

coming out to play?

Everybody knows you fought

and clawed your way out of the projects,

even willing to ruin your own friend's life over it.

But you see, the difference between us, Anita,

and the little wide-eyed poor Lauras of the world

is that we are willing to do whatever it takes

to come up from the bottom.

Careful, little girl,

'cause those secrets you claim to know could end up biting you.

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Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org