Original subtitles

Previously on Bob Hearts Abishola...

How do you break through to an executive position?

Oh, it's simple.

I had to be willing to do whatever it takes.

Do whatever it takes, okay.

Morning, boss.

Hi.

Really, Jared?

-You told them I coerced you? -You said

to do whatever it takes.

Not to me, to other people.

What are you doing here?

Oh, I just had a free afternoon.

You know, for the rest of my life.

-Are you drunk? -Don't worry.

I Ubered.

I may be a sexual predator,

but I am not irresponsible.

Boop. [laughs]

What are you talking about?[sighs]

I was terminated

for having inappropriate sexual relations

with a "subordinant."

No...

You'll get through this.

-Doesn't feel like it. -You will.

And I'll be with you every step of the way.

I love you, Mom.

I love you, too, sweetie.

So, did you use protection

or am I gonna finally get that grandbaby?

-Hello. -Hey, honey.

How did things go at the hospital today?

It was good.

Only two people died.

Your good days and mine are different.

Dele and I had a fun day.

What kind of fun day?

I took him for a haircut,

then I played Xbox while he did homework.

I guess I had a fun day.

E kaale, Mum. Kaale.

What's with the hat? Show your mom your new haircut.

She just got home. I don't want to bother her.

What did you do?

I got to say, it's pretty fly.

You know, that's the same look everyone gave me

when I said it at the barber shop.

Dele. Let me see this fly haircut.

[exclaims softly]

What is this?

Apparently, they're called twists.

I don't care what they are called.

You know better.

Take them out.

I don't want to.

Excuse me?

I like them and I want to keep them.

I did not ask you what you liked.

This is my house. Take them out.

No.

Have you lost your mind?!

All right, let's everybody chill out for a second.

You, go and chill yourself.

Who do you think you are talking to?

Okay, you're overreacting.

Two other kids at the barber shop were getting

the exact same cut.

Did these two other children have foolish stepfathers?

It's a haircut.

Not a face tattoo.

I can't even look at you anymore.

Go to your room.

Hang on, let's just take a minute.

There's no problem so big that we can't talk about.

Maybe there is. Dele, go to your room.

["Ifanla" by Sola Akingbola playing]

[phone ringing]

Dele's phone, his mother is speaking.

Damn, you took the boy's phone?

No, he will not be studying with you tonight, Steven.

Erase this number.

Very smart.

"Studying" could be code

for robbing a liquor store.

I should have dragged him to the bathroom

and combed out his hair myself.

Instead, you let him win,

and now Dele will never respect your authority again.

He's just pushing the limits.

And it's gonna happen more and more.

Especially now that

he knows you have gone soft.

Mm-mmm. I sent him to his room

and I took away all his video games.

-Does he still have a bed? -Yes.

Soft.

I think he's been punished enough for getting a haircut.

Mm-mmm. Dele knows when people see him with his hair like that,

they will make assumptions.

It'll keep him from getting into a good school

or getting a decent job.

Eh. That is not entirely true.

He could play a criminal on CSI.[exclaims]

GLORIA: Are you kidding me?

A hairstyle makes the boy a criminal?

I did not make the rules.

No, white people did.

But just because they're the "rules,"

does that mean we have to play by 'em?

I think so.

You think so?

Soft.

[sighs]

-Oh, my God. -What?

Everyone on Facebook

found out about me and Jared.

They're calling me the Toesey Hoesey.

Oh, big deal.

You know what we called sleeping with a coworker

when I was your age?

-What? -Sex.

It wasn't even that good.

It's like going to prison for stealing a Honda Civic.

Shh, shh, shh, shh.

Mama's gonna fix everything.

It's gonna be okay.

Nothing will ever be okay again.

That's the same thing you said junior year of high school

when you didn't get cast in Oklahoma!

I practiced so hard.

I know you did, sweetheart.

But that night we ate

an entire pound cake and sang

"People Will Say We're in Love."

And you felt better, didn't you?

I did.

But look at me now.

-I'm a total mess. -All I see

is my beautiful little girl with a rat's nest on her head.

-That's nice, right? -Mm-hmm.

♪ Your sighs ♪

♪ Are so like mine ♪

♪ Your eyes ♪

♪ Mustn't glow like mine ♪

♪ People will say ♪

♪ We're in love. ♪

Okay, maybe just let mama sing.

Okay, the router's connected, the Wi-Fi should be up.

Ah. Hold on. I will Google a question.

Success. [chuckles]

Brad Pitt is five, 11.

Tunde, it looks as if the dog is driving the car.

[laughs] That's so funny.[laughs]

Thank you, Bob.

All right, you guys have a fun night.

Would you like to stay for dinner?

Or perhaps until Dele graduates from high school?

You guys hear everything that goes on in our house?

You live with Abishola's mother.

So, yes.

Here is a picture of you sleeping on the couch.

I'm not wrong in how I handled Dele's haircut.

If you're going to insist on having opinions,

I suggest you buy an air mattress.

I get that I don't have the life experience

to deal with raising a young Black man,

but I do know some stuff that could be helpful.

What stuff?

Well, off the top of my head, I know a haircut

is a way of expressing a person's individuality,

and that should be encouraged.

All right, what's for dinner?

[knocking] Hey.

I went ahead and booked us a spot

for the trade show in Chicago.

Wonderful.

Who should we send?

-I was thinking Christina. -Wait.

Christina does not work here.

I know. I'm gonna -throw her a lifeline. -Wait.

You cannot make a decision like that on your own.

You got a problem with me helping my daughter?

Oh, no, I love nepotism.

One day, this building will be filled with Olayiwolas.

Well, then what's the big deal?

According to the company bylaws,

the addition of any executive salaries

must go through the board of directors.

-You read the company bylaws? -Yes.

It is the MaxDot Magna Carta.

[chuckles softly] Look, when you run a business,

you don't always do everything by the book.

Then why write the book?

Because the lawyers said we had to.

Let me give you an example.

Let's say you run a factory

and the wiring isn't up to code.

Is our wiring not up to code?

Don't interrupt.

Now, you know the compliance officer

who's inspecting your factory is a real big football fan.

Would you spend

half a million dollars rewiring your factory

or a couple of grand on Lions season tickets?

Bringing the factory up to code is a better long-term decision.

It's like you're so smart it makes you dumb.

[knocking] Come in.

You got a minute?

I've got a month.

I just want to be clear about something.

You knew your mom was gonna go nuclear

when she saw your hair.

-I did. -And you didn't think

to give me a heads-up?

I was standing there clueless.

I used the word "fly."

She's not mad at you. She's mad at me.

Did you not see me on the couch last night?

But I don't care about that.

If I had known, I could have helped.

How?

I don't know.

Tell her you're quitting school to join the circus.

She freaks out, I say, "Just kidding,"

then you take your hat off

and suddenly your hair's not so bad.

That's a terrible plan.

Is it? We'll never know.

I'm just saying,

I got your back if you let me.

It's good to know.[door closes in distance]

Okay, I hear the front door, which means your mother's home,

so I'm gonna go.

This conversation never happened.

[mutters]

I know it feels strange to be back,

but it'll all work out.

I'll see to it.

Thanks, Mom.

You don't have to thank me.

We were roommates, remember?

I wish I was in there now.

Don't make it weird, honey.

And you wait right here.

-I'll be right back. -Okay.

Try not to sleep with any employees while I'm gone.

Mom!

We have to be able to make a joke about it, Christina.

No we don't.

Bobby, it's good to see you back in the building.

MaxDot CEO in the house.

Kofo, question for you.

You ever think about doing your hair up

in those little twists?

Are you trying to get me killed?

Enough of the chitchat.

Yes, Mr. Olayiwola.

We have called the board together to discuss

the addition of an employee at the executive level.

You mean my desperate sister.

In order to maintain objectivity,

I suggest we only refer to this person as the applicant.

The desperate applicant.

Bobby, can you believe this guy read the bylaws?

We have bylaws?

DOTTIE: All right,

let's do your precious vote.

I'll start with yes.

-Boys, raise your hands. -The voting comes

after the discussion stage.

Oh, for crying out loud.

Does anyone have thoughts on this matter?

I'm just wondering,

Christina's in kind of a fragile mental state right now.

Is coming back here really best for her?

Good question. Yes. Hands up.

We cannot legally discuss a person's mental state

while considering them for a job.

There you go, Bobby.

You can't talk about how crazy she is.

I don't know how I feel about this either.

Oh, shut up.

It's not fair. I've been working my ass off,

and she gets to bail on the family company

and come back and be my boss again?

Boo-hoo. Life ain't fair.

Douglas makes a good point.

This decision could impact employee morale.

Not to mention her morale. Maybe she's better off

taking some time to figure things out.

Oh, go sit in your boat.

Let us try to stay on track.

I would like to -say something. -Yes, Kofo, go ahead.

If Christina comes back and takes my job,

I will sue every member of this board.

Yeah, it didn't work out.

Smells great, buddy.

Ah-ah.

What are you doing out of your room?

Uh, that's on me.

I thought Dele making dinner for the family

would be a nice way to apologize.

If he wanted to apologize,

he would not be standing here looking like...

Snoop Doggy.

Go to your room.

I told you.

Come on, dinner's gonna be ready in, like, five minutes.

Then in five minutes he will eat in his room.

Don't you think there's a better way to handle this?

You are right. We will shave his head.

What? That's crazy.

Is it? Abishola,

do you remember when you came home

with all those terrible ear piercings?

-Yes, Mummy. -And what did I do?

You destroyed my jewelry

and kept me in the house until all the holes closed up.

And you never did it again, did you?

-ABISHOLA: No, Mummy. -Mm.

Didn't you guys have a rough patch where you didn't speak?

It was six years.

Well, is that the relationship you want for you and your son?

-Yes, it is. -Excuse me, I'm talking to my wife.

[music playing on TV][phone vibrates]

Oluwa mi o!

Bob stood up to Ebun.

[clicks tongue]

I'll make up the couch for him.

I want to talk to you.

I want to talk to you, too.

You've told me how to dress

and how to look my entire life.

I'm 15.

I want to make my own choices.

Are those clippers?

This is how your granny suggested

I deal with your haircut.

Did... did you like her suggestion?

I prefer to handle things differently.

Sit down.

I want to tell you a story.

Does it have a happy ending?

Shh!

When I was your age, I also defied my mother.

You did?

One night,

I climbed out of my bedroom window

and went to a nightclub on the other side of the city.

Granny must have been really mad.

She never found out.

[scoffs softly]

And you will never tell her.

Yes, Mum.

While I was there,

someone stole my bag with all my money.

I was so frightened of the way my mother would react,

I could not call her for help.

Instead, I took a ride from a stranger

so I could get home before she woke up.

So, you got away with it.

That is not the point.

I put myself in danger

because I was so afraid of my mother.

I never want you to feel that way about me.

Don't worry. I'm not afraid of you.

Be a little bit afraid.

Yes, Mum.

Here is your phone.

Come and join us for dinner.

Thank you.

[door closes]

I did it.

I won.

Why are all my contacts deleted?

Last piece of business.

I have decided to send Douglas and Kofo

to the Chicago trade show.

Thank you for your trust, Mr. Olayiwola.

Yeah, we won't let you down.

Remember, these shows are about

creating relationships. Taking

new clients out to dinner

and winning them over with that

MaxDot hospitality.

That used to mean cocaine and hookers.

Thanks, Mom. Big help.

They called your father the Snowman.

Okay, enough.

All right, meeting adjourned.

Just one more piece of business.

Hey, it's the Toesey Hoesey.

Yes, it is. And yes, I know I messed up.

First, by leaving this company.

Then, by succumbing to my base animal instincts.

Oh, just say sex.

I can call it whatever I want.

But should one mistake define a person's entire life?

Or should it serve as an opportunity

for personal growth?

I believe it was Jesus of Nazareth

who said,"Let he

who is without sin cast the first stone."

Tell the truth. I'm looking pretty good right now.

Christina, what do you want?

What any human being wants:

a chance.

A chance at redemption,

at rebirth.

Kofo, Goodwin, you guys came to this country

for a chance.

It's the central promise of this nation.

I pledge allegiance to the flag...

A-All right, pipe down, Betsy Ross.

What do you think?

Well, we do need a new janitor.

[scoffs] I move we make Christina the warehouse janitor.

Oh, I second it!

All in favor?

Aye. Aye. Aye.

No, no, no, no aye! No aye.

-Meeting adjourned. -Welcome back.

Where's your Jesus now, sis? [laughs]

♪ Your sighs ♪

♪ Are so like mine ♪

♪ Your eyes ♪

♪ Shouldn't glow like mine ♪

♪ People will say ♪

♪ We're in love... ♪

[vocalizing]

Still can't sing.

Captioning sponsored by CBS

and TOYOTA.

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