Previously on Twenties...
Are you late with your rent again?
Now I've hit rock bottom.
So you want to be my assistant.
Don't fall under her spell.
She's a showrunner, not Prince.
-SVP is now up for grabs. -I just don't want
the only two Black execs at the studio
trying to kill each other over a promotion.
I have an audition.
Do you have a monologue?
Go to your desk and pack up all your shit.
What were you talking to that waiter about?
He handed you his business card?
Babe, I don't even know where that card's at.
Will you marry me?
What are you doing here?
I want a
Sunday kind of love
Etta James' "A Sunday Kind of Love" playing
A love to last
Past Saturday night
And I'd like to know
It's more than love at first sight
And I want a Sunday
Kind of love
Oh, yeah, yeah
I want a
A love that's on the square
Can't seem to find somebody
You're gonna make a beautiful bride one day.
What?
I had a dream about you.
What was I doing in this dream?
You were walking towards me
in this beautiful wedding dress.
You had a veil on, this long-ass train.
My little cousins were throwing rose petals at your feet.
Your face was beat for the gods,
and your hair was so snatched,
it--it looked like you got a face-lift.
And Anita Baker was singing you down the aisle.
You're my angel
It's my jam.
- My angel -Mm.
Do you think T.D. Jakes would marry us?
Are you crazy?
Yeah, I mean, I'm crazy about you.
-W-where you going? -Home.
Well, I was gonna send your ass home soon anyway,
because this ain't even my bed.
What?
Yeah, this my girl's room.
-Are you homeless? -No, I ain't homeless.
I don't pay a landlord rent,
but I do help Chuck and Marie with the groceries,
and I chipped in
on that new sectional that they want to get.
Oh, God. You're a child. What was I thinking?
Yeah, what were you thinking?
Because you accosted me, remember?
Well, if I accosted you, you seemed to enjoy it.
Oh, you absolutely had my consent.
But I had yours as well, for rounds two, three, four--
All right, don't be crass.
I can be crass if I want to. It's a free country.
-Yeah, it ain't that free. -Now, that's a word.
-Oh, shit. -Who was that?
It's the people who actually live here.
--Hattie!
Why is he calling you like that?
He probably needs help bringing Marie in the house.
I need help bringing Marie in the house.
Wow.
If you don't want your business in the street,
I suggest you sneak out the back.
upbeat jazz music
Hattie!
"You may write me down in history
"with your bitter, twisted lies.
"You may drive me in the very dirt,
but still, like dust, I'll rise."
I cannot believe she got Maya Angelou drunk.
Hattie, do you know why the caged bird sings?
I don't, but I have a feeling you gonna tell me.
Okay.
"Just like moons and like suns
with the certainty of tides"...
Oh, God.
"Just like hopes springing high,
still I'll rise."
-Okay. Oh.
upbeat music
Come on, help me get her in bed.
Uh, uh, let--let me fix it up first.
Fix it up?
I deep-clean that room twice a week.
-It's fine. -Yeah, but I just wanted
to make it real romantic for y'all,
like a '90s music video.
I figure y'all would want to have a nice, sexy night
after deciding to spend
the rest of your lives together.
You know, I seen them beads in there.
I know what you like. Y'all nasty.
I feel like I'm gonna throw up.
Nope, just hold it a little longer, honey.
Hattie just wants to make sure
that the bedroom is perfect for us.
Mm-hmm, yep. Just give me ten seconds.
-Ten... -Ten--okay.
-Give me ten. -Nine...
Okay.
A little ambience.
frantic music
-Time's up.
Hey.
Thanks for all this, but I can take it from here.
Okay, yeah, yeah. Y'all have a good time.
Hattie tried to make our room a romantic getaway.
She is really growing.
That's mine?
No. It's too small.
By a cup and a half at least.
Oh.
So Hattie wasn't in here making our bed?
No, she was having sex in our bed.
Last straw? Oh, yeah, I'm done.
somber pop music
There's nothing left to say about it
Lesson learned, let's agree it's all on you
Maybe we should pray about it
'Cause only God knows what we've been through
There's nothing left to say about it
'Cause I was so alone loving you
Now that I think about it
I would say "grand rising," but the sun hasn't risen yet.
Marie tripping again. Can I stay with you?
Come on.
Damn!
How does my stuff always wind up on the street?
She kicked you out in the middle of the night?
Damn, that's cold.
I did accidentally have sex in her bed.
How'd you do that?
Well, I couldn't make love to Ida B. on the futon.
-You made love to Ida B.? -Oh, my God.
-Wait, when? Tonight?
That's why you left the party early?
So is she gay? Or maybe she's bi.
Or maybe she's one of those late-in-life lesbians.
I saw a documentary about that. It was fascinating.
Nia, you got way too much energy
and way too many questions for me right now.
This woman is my boss. You can't just give me
this kind of tea and expect me to act like everything's cool.
Well, you're gonna have to.
'Cause I woke up this morning dreaming about our future,
and it was clear she was thinking about something else.
Of course she was. She's toxic as hell.
Have you seen her shows?
All the women have daddy and commitment issues.
That's her shit.
I don't know, I thought if I loved her hard enough,
then I could fix all of that, I guess.
You know I'm all about manifestation.
Yeah, and I did manifest her into my bed, didn't I?
You manifested a woman that enjoys your attention
more than she enjoys you.
And that was Marie's bed, not yours.
Do you want me to comfort you
or help you come up with a solution?
I just want comfort. That's it.
Okay.
And maybe some weed?
The expensive kind littered with lavender
and rolled in grape-flavored rolling papers?
-Oh, my God. -What, you ain't got none?
No. I have some CBD pre-rolls.
CBD?
Don't nobody want that diet weed.
relaxed music
What are you doing?
Greeting the sun and finding my center.
At 00 a.m.? Why?
It's how I practice self-care.
Must you do it so early in the morning?
We have to normalize Black women doing
whatever they want whenever they want,
so, yes, I must.
-I respect that. -You don't have a choice.
You a guest in my house, you idiot.
Damn, why you got to come at me like that?
I'm not talking to you. I'm practicing my lines.
Oh, okay.
Well, you're gonna be amazing.
You want me to say a quick prayer for you before you go?
I would love that.
Let's go.
All right.
-Your time has finally come. -Mm.
The Lord saw fit for you
to stop praying for your purpose...
-Mm-hmm. -...and to start walking in it.
-Not on your time. -Mm.
-Mm-mm. But on His time. -Mm.
His schedule is the one we should be following.
-Not ours. -Mm-hmm.
He said, let there be--
My God is a She.
Say less.
She wanted you to know
what it felt like to be in the valley
so that when you reach the mountaintop,
you would not only celebrate the victories,
but you'd also celebrate
the steps that it took for you to get there.
Have you been watching T.D. Jakes on YouTube again?
He was in my dream last night.
It's a long story.
-Amen. -Amen.
Hallelujah.
sweeping music
smoky jazz music
Good morning. I'm Nia.
Oh, morning.
Hi. I'm Nia. I'm here to embody Valentina.
-You're early. -I'm Jamaican.
Good for you.
--Hey.
tempo increases
I love a Black wedding. I can't wait.
Are you gonna be jumping over the broom,
or are you leaving
mixing trauma and matrimony in the '90s?
-It's a family tradition. -Just be careful.
You might offend some of your guests.
It's my wedding.
Not according to Finstagram.
Your stories are full of engagement photos.
This isn't for you. This is for our enjoyment.
What?
This is a conversation I don't have time for.
What do you got? Hit me.
Well, there's a book I'd like to option
about a Black nurse in World War II
who falls in love with a German POW.
No, sorry.
Last time I checked the Internet,
Black folks aren't really here for the interracial-love thing.
Yeah, more Black-on-Black love,
less Black-on-Black crime narrative.
It's old, and we're tired of it.
Okay, well, I recently heard of a pitch from a kid
who lost his mother to cancer last year,
and when he was seven,
he was shot in the leg during a drive-by.
Why does every story about a Black person
have to end in sadness, pain, or drive-bys?
He's white.
Oh, okay. Well, set the meeting, then.
Oh, so white stories
can have pain and triumph, but ours can't?
We deserve more triumph.
There has to be a trial first.
We can't have a movie without some sort of inciting incident.
And why can't our inciting incident
be bubble baths or back rubs?
Well, it could, if we were making porn.
We've been marginalized and fetishized
in that community as well.
-Okay. -Anyway, let me know
when the "white menace to society" meeting's set.
Mm-hmm
They can never name another badder than me
Take your bitch all week just to try to compete
Yeah, baby, I know what you're thinking
When you're looking at me
But I'm costly
You ain't getting nothing for free
I'm a diamond
Georges Bizet's "Habanera" playing
Nah, that's wack.
bass-heavy music
Good morning, everyone.
Let's welcome the newest member of the cast,
playing the part of Valentina, Nia Baptiste.
Let's begin.
Uh, Lauren, would you read the stage directions today?
Yes, queen.
"Interior salon, morning.
"Cocoa is laying the tracks
"of her regular customer Chandeleera,
"a basketball wife with a brick-house body.
"Cocoa spills the tea,
as Chandeleera hangs on every drop."
I said, "Oh, no, brother.
"Put away that crooked candy cane D
because you ain't gonna mess up my perfect tunnel of love."
"Valentina, a stunning, confident stylist
"in her mid-20s, enters with a rolling bag
full of flat irons and a heart full of hope."
Morning. You must be Cocoa.
And you must be Valentina.
You ain't as cute as your picture.
You know, I don't usually hire assistants off the 'Gram.
-Don't make me regret it. -You won't.
I'm 'bout to become your next Wizard of Weaves.
Okay, then, that's your station over there.
Remember, you on probation,
but you know all about that, because from what I hear,
your baby daddy just got sprung.
Yes, my man did time, and I ain't ashamed,
'cause I love him.
My love is like a lace front.
You can't tell me it ain't real.
"Valentina starts unpacking her bag."
smooth music
Somebody came to play.
She's hard to impress.
I've heard.
Thanks again for writing such a beautiful monologue.
I'm not gonna lie-- it was triggering
to hear you read it.
You turned your pain into something beautiful,
and it got me here.
So I'm grateful.
Also, you're glowing this morning.
I don't know what your nighttime routine is,
but it's working.
I'm gonna go rehearse my lines.
Yes, you do that.
2020. That was an interesting year.
Yeah, I figured you and Chuck could open it
on your 20th anniversary,
and then it would really be fancy.
Nothing says "I'm sorry" like cheap wine.
Cheap now, expensive later, right?
Think about it.
I sent your script to Fiona in our TV department.
Oh, my God. Thank you.
It probably won't amount to anything.
Okay, let's think positive. It could.
You're right.
You're. Y-O-U-apostrophe-R-E.
-I know. -Yeah.
I was just making sure that you knew that I knew, too.
That's all.
Have you been sending your script out?
You have to do that, you know?
You can't just write something and then hold on to it.
I don't do that anymore.
I've been sending it out to my new writer friends,
and I submitted it to the Brownlist
and a few other writing programs.
I'm on it. I got this.
-Okay, good. -Okay, good.
I'm proud of you.
-What'd you say? -You heard me.
I just don't hear it often, so...
I am sorry for what I said last night.
As you should be.
I wasn't wrong.
Look, I don't mind you telling me about myself,
but you really need to work on your delivery.
I know you slept at Nia's last night.
Well, I didn't have a choice, did I?
If you want to come back, you can.
Nah, I think I'ma just stay at Nia's
until I find my own place.
-You sure? -Yeah.
I'm sure you and Chuck have
a lot of newly engaged sex to have,
and I don't want to be all up in your way, you know.
Y-O-U-R, your.
-Yeah, I know. -Yeah, I know that you know.
I was just making sure that you knew that I knew, too.
-Is something wrong? -No, of course not.
I just wanted you to know that I love you
and that I'm happy for you and Chuck.
This wedding gonna be lit, right?
You think you gonna get T.D. Jakes to marry y'all?
I really haven't thought that far ahead yet.
Makes sense. Take your time.
Well, all right, I'll let you get back to work.
hip-hop music
Chandeleera, I know you love him,
but don't let yourself be done in by that kryptonite D.
I know you love him,
but don't let yourself be done in by that kryptonite D.
-Chandeleera...
I know you love him, but don't let your--
Damn it, Hattie, you messed me up.
My bad.
-What'd you get? -Some real snacks.
I got tired of eating cauliflower puffs
and seaweed crisps.
Keep it down. I have lines to learn.
So how was work today?
You mean how was Ida?
No.
Ain't nobody thinking about her.
Just asking you how your day was, you know,
and what happened, and, you know, that's it.
-Hmm. -Mm-hmm.
Okay, come on. Give me something.
She was icy, yet warm.
Relaxed, but very much in control.
And even though she made me feel like
I was the only person in the room,
she still kept me at arm's length.
That's her specialty.
She's a good character study.
Yeah, if you're studying to play a psychopath.
If you're asking me about her,
what does that make you?
Whatever.
I seem to make these premonitions
I know just what you've been missin'
Need a pacifier, baby bottle
Boy, you need a whippin'
Caught up, boy, you've been trippin'
Heard everything you've been sayin'
Make a move and make it smooth
You see this Glock, it gets to spraying
Welcome home.
It looks like somebody's happy
to have the house to ourselves.
I've been waiting for this day for so long.
I can't wait to marry you.
I'm sure it'll be a beautiful day.
Alexa, set the mood.
We don't gotta get complicated
I'm here when you want me to be there
I know you think it's cute to tell your friends
all your business, but I have a brand to protect.
And that's much more important
than you getting a few slaps on the back.
Slaps on the back?
Is that what you think I'm looking for?
Girl, you crazy as hell.
Excuse me?
Man, look, I ain't never cared about a woman
the way I care about you, and, honestly,
I don't want nobody to know about what we got going on
because it's not for them.
This is for us.
There is no us.
Well, what about last night?
We had some fun together. That's it.
Wow.
Is that why you fired me?
I fired you because you violated my privacy.
And judging by the conversation I had with Nia this morning,
you've done it again.
I'm sorry.
You need to start keeping some stuff to yourself.
Can I keep you to myself?
Can you get your own place?
Well, it might be kind of hard to find a new place,
seeing as though I just got fired from my last job.
-This'll never work. -How you know?
Because I'm older and wiser than you.
So what you saying, I'm young and dumb?
You don't seem to know the difference
between your and you're.
I know the difference. I was just typing too fast.
-Stop being so eager. -I'll work on that.
Mm. Careful now.
We're in a public place,
and you got a brand to protect.
hip-hop music
I got the moves, I got the groove
I got the ooh
I got the moves, I got the groove, I got the...
upbeat jazz music