[Brenda Lee's "I'm Sorry"]
KEEF: We are not Kubby!
[crowd clamoring]
Yeah, okay.
♪ ♪
[heavy impact]
BRENDA LEE: ♪ I'm sorry ♪
♪ ♪
KEEF: Okay.
I think I need to see somebody.
BRENDA LEE: ♪ I'm sorry ♪
‐ Keef Knight got knocked the fuck out!
‐ Who is this somebody he's talking about?
‐ I hope he's a boxing coach,
'cause that punch was slow as hell.
VOICE 1: Ooh, that's good.
‐ I think he's talking about a professional.
You know...
[whispers] A therapist.
‐ Hell, no.
‐ Who better to cure his ills than us, baby?
[laughter]
‐ Now that's the kind of therapy I could use‐‐ a little drinky‐drink.
‐ There you go again, stigmatizing therapy.
‐ Come on, now.
You know the minute you let somebody in your head, they take over.
How come he can't walk it off just like any other self‐respecting Black man?
‐ Because that walk never ends.
‐ Hell, if it wasn't for pain,
Black people would've never invented the blues.
‐ ♪ Da, dun, a da‐da, got punched in the face ♪
‐ [laughs] ‐ ♪ Da, dun, a da‐da ♪
‐ ♪ By a big‐ass koala ♪
‐ And that is why he needs to go to therapy.
‐ Uh‐uh, this bitch talkin'. ‐ I see, so you know everything.
‐ What if it cures him and he never talks to us again?
‐ Bam!
‐ Mm, look who. Where have you been?
‐ Minding my own goddamn business, that's where.
‐ You should talk to your boy. He's gonna do some things.
‐ I'll try.
But it ain't about him talking to us.
It's about him doing what he needs to do to get right with this shit.
And if that means doing it with others, so be it.
'Cause I got plans for Keef Knight.
[mellow rock music]
♪ ♪
‐ [sighs]
MRS. CHANG: Hello, there.
What are you doing, Keef Knight?
‐ Oh, just basking in the glow
of my own artistic achievements, Mrs. Chang.
‐ No, I mean in the drawing, what are you doing?
‐ Oh, being tackled by the police.
‐ Well, I don't like it.
‐ Yeah, I didn't like being tackled, either,
but my shrink said I should draw about it, you know?
It's actually been pretty cathartic‐‐ writing about myself.
‐ I meant I don't like the drawing.
Oh, tell Gunther if he misses one more mahjong night,
he's out of the league.
♪ ♪
[door opens] ‐ Yep.
Sweet.
‐ Oh. Oh, shit.
Look at that, right?
‐ Yeah. ‐ Shit.
[chuckling] Oh.
Hey.
Please do not be alarmed by any repositioning of items in the flat.
I am practicing the ancient art of bong shui.
KEEF: Oh.
Well, nothing has changed.
‐ Yeah, it's a subtle art.
‐ All right, well, you do you.
I'm gonna get started on my journal.
‐ Awesome.
CLOVIS: As much as she making off that journal,
Dr. Peggy need to be writing that shit for him, you feel me?
‐ Yeah, you can't put a price on self‐care, you know?
CLOVIS: I'm not. That's why I got a barber.
‐ You are absolutely right, Clovis,
but at least I'm not taking advice from a marker anymore.
♪ ♪
Any final remarks?
[chuckles]
GUNTHER: I love you. ‐ Well.
[knock at door] Cool.
Anybody? ‐ I have a cell phone.
If they wanna meet, they'll probably just text or call.
‐ Yeah, I'm high, and I just sat down,
so I won't be standing up for a while.
[knock at door]
Oh, no, don't get up. I got it.
‐ Keef Knight, the comic Avenger.
‐ Do I know you?
‐ No. No one ever remembers.
That's for you.
You've been served.
Again. [chuckles]
Yeah, but hey,
way to keep it 100 with your comic in the Bay Arean.
That's‐‐that's pretty dope.
CLOVIS: Discombobulated. Look at you.
GUNTHER: You know, for being a freelance cartoonist,
you sure do a lot of dealings with the legal system.
CLOVIS: You definitely do.
Bloom and Hill coming back for what, round two? [chuckles]
GUNTHER: More like round three. Are you‐‐
‐ No, it's the cop who tackled me.
He's suing me.
‐ What? KEEF: He's suing me.
GUNTHER: For what?
Did you hurt his hand when he punched you in the back of the head?
‐ Uh, no, for defamation.
He's claiming that he was triggered by the comic strip.
GUNTHER: Wow.
That is actually more absurd than what I just said.
‐ Well, how is he saying that he was triggered?
I‐‐I was the one who was slammed on the ground.
‐ Okay, when people say that cops aren't trigger happy,
show 'em that shit, man.
‐ I think I have to get a lawyer or something,
somebody who's not gonna charge me an arm and a leg.
‐ Don't go back to the Lawyers for the Arts.
They keep fucking you, man.
‐ Okay, for the last time, they're not fucking me over.
I gave up the rights to Toast‐N‐Butter.
I let 'em go.
But yes, I do have to find a different lawyer
than these people, 'cause they‐‐ they keep fucking me.
CLOVIS: Mm‐hmm.
Hey, well‐‐hey, hey, look. I ain't worried, man.
I ain't worried. I believe in you.
[door slams]
[whispers] Hey.
I'm worried.
[door bell jingles]
TRINA: You just had to go sit at our table, huh?
‐ Yeah, I wanted to make things as awkward as possible.
‐ Smart of you to call me. I'm sure it wasn't easy.
‐ Well, you know, we didn't necessarily end on the greatest of terms,
but I have not had much luck with lawyers.
‐ No.
My mom said he's either really broke
or he's got zero understanding about what he put me through.
‐ Ouch.
‐ Well, you know, she never liked you.
‐ Really?
Now so many small, innocuous incidents make so much sense now.
[both chuckle]
‐ I'm happy that you're doing well, Keef.
I‐‐I mean that.
I‐‐I thought I got it, but I didn't, not fully.
But this comic, Keef, it says it all.
It's raw and it's powerful.
People are really paying attention.
KEEF: Yeah.
Apparently, Officer Wyatt agrees with you.
‐ Mm. Good news on that front.
So I spoke with the reps at the SFPD,
and the department feels just as blindsided by Wyatt as you do,
and they want nothing more than to make this whole thing go away.
‐ Oh, my God. Oh, my God, thank you.
I knew you were the right person to call. Thank you very much.
Why did you bury the lede, by the way?
‐ [chuckles] They‐‐they want something from you, first, though.
KEEF: Okay.
‐ So they want you to sit down with the officer and have
a frank discussion about police‐community relations.
‐ [chuckling] Like, over a beer?
[laughs]
‐ Actually, yeah. They did mention beer.
Plus the press.
They also want a social media presence at the Brighton Sports Bar.
‐ Wait, hold up, hold up. Let me just rewind for a second.
Wanna make sure I'm hearing you correctly.
In order to squash this,
they want me to have a beer summit with the guy,
like, Obama with the professor and the cop?
‐ So you say your piece. He says his. What's the harm in that?
KEEF: I mean, it's bullshit.
They're using me so they can make it seem like they're doing something.
‐ And if you turn them down, you spend the next three years in court.
You're finally back on track.
You don't want this lawsuit hanging over your head.
You're a smart guy, Keef.
Make the smart choice.
[slow bassy music]
‐ Yeah, you know, I don't know, dude.
‐ Okay, what's the worst that could happen?
I have a beer with the guy, he drops the lawsuit,
and this whole thing goes away.
‐ You both get drunk, he pulls his gun,
blows your head off all over the walls.
‐ That's your concern? Really?
‐ Yes. CLOVIS: Word.
‐ My main concern is that you're letting SFPD
have their way with you in a public forum.
‐ Man, I say do it, man.
Dude, you go in there, you smile your smile, you sip your beer,
drop a couple smoke pellets, poof.
Disappear like Bruce Wayne right into the night.
‐ Okay, well, first off, it's gonna be daylight.
Secondly, where's he gonna get smoke pellets?
They're very hard to find. I've looked, and‐‐
‐ And third, you have to give in order to get, right?
And I think this is the smartest give.
Well, that's what Trina thinks.
‐ [chuckles] ‐ Mm, yeah, real good.
She want him. She want the D.
‐ Stop it. She's my lawyer, okay?
She gave me advice. Good advice.
‐ How good was the advice? ‐ You know what?
I think you should do it.
Make them think they're using you,
and then you take that platform and you hijack it
and you say everything you've ever wanted to say about community‐police relations.
You make them squirm.
I'll draft up some, uh, talking points for you.
‐ I'm good. Don't need talking points.
‐ I've seen you talk. You need talking points.
‐ Yeah, you definitely need talking points.
If not, you start fumfering, bro.
‐ Start what? ‐ Look, you start fumfering.
I ain't got time to explain it. Your word of the day.
See, and what happens when you start fumfering,
you have a slide down a slippery slope to, "What the fuck is Keef on?"
‐ Okay, okay.
Just to clarify, you say don't do it,
you say get in, get out, get it done,
and you say blow this entire thing up using my rage and indignation.
‐ Yeah. ‐ Absolutely.
[Pher's "Murky"]
‐ My head hurts.
♪ ♪
SINGER: ♪ It gets so ♪
♪ Murky ♪
♪ Loving what you know ♪
♪ But I keep on swimming ♪
♪ Swimming, babe, further up the road ♪
♪ ♪
[vocalizing]
‐ [sighs]
♪ ♪
[sighs]
Psst.
You mad at me?
[scoffs] I don't care.
Bah.
Hey.
I don't care what Dr. Peggy says.
I need you to do‐‐okay.
Look, I know I always act like I don't need you around.
I always throw you in the trash.
Always make fun of you. I get it.
That's on me. That's my bad.
But right now, let's just forget about that
because I need you, you see?
I need you to do that thing, that marker thing
that‐‐that, uh, that‐‐that you do.
Okay, look, I'm... [sighs]
I'm scared, all right? I'm very scared.
I just don't wanna do the wrong thing again,
so I need you to tell me what to do.
Or Trash Can, you know?
Like, where has he been? Just‐‐
‐ Yo, whoa. ‐ Huh?
‐ Who the fuck are you talking to?
‐ I'm just, uh‐‐ I'm practicing for tomorrow, so...
[sniffles] You know, what I was gonna say and, like...
‐ Oh, shit. Um, you're gonna do it?
‐ Yeah. I think it's the smart move.
GUNTHER: Wait, who thinks it's a smart move?
‐ I think it's the smart move.
‐ Yo, can I sway your vote?
‐ Nope. ‐ Gonna do it. Okay.
Well, can you practice quieter?
‐ Okay. ‐ Good night.
‐ Yeah, good night.
‐ You shouldn't be drinking soda this late.
‐ Yeah.
♪ ♪
[door closes]
I'm not crazy, dude. Just fucking...
The fuck.
[The 1865's "John Browns Gat"]
[sirens wailing]
[overlapping police chatter]
♪ ♪
[camera shutters clicking]
LIEUTENANT SVOBODA: This is your chance to tell your side of the story.
Everything's gonna be okay.
Hey, Keef Knight.
Michael Svoboda. ‐ Hey.
‐ Lieutenant in charge of public affairs.
This is Officer Wyatt.
‐ Yeah, we've met.
‐ [chuckles] Right, okay.
‐ Look, if we could just get this over with...
SVOBODA: Yeah, yeah. You know what?
It'll be great.
‐ [inhales] He's just asking for trouble, man.
‐ Trouble? ‐ Yeah.
He's behind enemy lines.
What happens if a cop reaches out for a handshake,
Keef freaks out and just collapses on the floor in fetal position?
‐ [chuckling]
What? I'm sorry, dude.
Keef in the fetal position, though?
Come on. ‐ I don't think you get it, man.
This is a dangerous game he's playing.
‐ A'ight, well, what's the worst thing that can happen to him?
[Jade Stone & Luv's "Come Home With Me"]
‐ Keef orders a Guinness.
Cop mistakes the can for a pistol.
[indistinct chatter]
They shoot him with a gun.
‐ Damn.
What's the second‐worst thing that could happen to him?
‐ Cop at the bar's eating some mixed nuts.
Peanut goes down the wrong tube. He starts choking.
Keef pops up, ready to administer the Heimlich.
They shoot him with a gun.
♪ ♪
‐ [coughs] ‐ Hey.
‐ Keef gets a phone call. He picks up his cell phone. [cell phone trills]
They shoot him with a gun.
Keef gives a friendly wave to a person at the end of the bar.
They shoot him with a gun.
Keef sneezes. ‐ [sneezes]
GUNTHER: They shoot him with a gun.
Keef quietly reads a book.
They shoot him with a gun.
Keef takes a bite of his house salad.
♪ ♪
They shoot him with a gun.
♪ ♪
‐ Damn.
‐ He's dead.
♪ ♪
‐ We smoke too much weed.
‐ I don't even think that's a real thing. ‐ Mm‐hmm.
[camera shutters clicking]
[indistinct chatter]
‐ [takes deep breath]
So you, uh, draw comics?
‐ Yeah. ‐ My kid likes to draw.
Well, maybe not. [chuckles]
I don't know what the hell he likes anymore.
But you don't want to talk about my kid.
‐ I‐‐I don't, no.
Uh, look.
There's so much that I need to say to you.
‐ Yeah, I know. ‐ So‐‐[sighs]
‐ It's just‐‐it's my kid.
I was always this badass hero cop,
and then he saw that thing you drew, and‐‐and‐‐
well, all of a sudden, I'm the thug.
Which, I know, me complaining about being stereotyped is,
"It's all so unfair." [chuckles]
But‐‐ ‐ Yeah, okay, look.
There‐‐there are some things that I would like to say to you
if you'll allow me to say those things.
‐ Well, sure. ‐ Okay.
What I wanted to say on a card so‐‐
‐ Well, that's a good idea.
"What happened to protect and serve?"
‐ Which is a question that I was gonna ask you, so‐‐
‐ Yeah, hey‐‐ ‐ 'Cause I wrote it, so‐‐
‐ Failed you on that one.
[soft dramatic music]
"I did nothing wrong, yet found myself tackled to the ground."
‐ And it was not soft. It hurt a lot.
‐ I bet it did. I'm a pretty big guy.
Oh, that's a good point. ‐ Which one?
‐ "We, the untrained civilians, have to be calm and unflinching
with guns pointed in our faces."
Huh, I never looked at it that way before.
[note cards slap on bar]
Well, I'm thirsty as balls.
We grabbin' beers or what?
[sighs]
‐ Turns out, she called 911 on her own gardeners. [chuckles]
‐ [chuckles sarcastically] Funny cop stories.
‐ Oh, I got a million.
‐ The six you told were just fine.
So...
Okay.
‐ Oh, we're done?
All right, whatever, man. It's your show.
‐ It's a show, that's for sure.
It's just not my show.
[camera shutters clicking]
‐ Come on, everybody's watching.
[camera shutters clicking]
That wasn't so hard.
‐ Everything good?
You feel heard, Keef? We can put this to bed?
‐ The sooner, the better.
[overlapping crosstalk]
‐ Guys, guys, guys.
Uh, please remember to tag this with SFPDDaresToCare.
Okay?
‐ A lot was said behind closed doors,
but something that deserves to be said in public is I'm sorry.
‐ Yeah.
‐ Now it's your turn, Keef.
‐ My turn to what? ‐ Apologize to Officer Wyatt.
‐ Oh, I get it now.
‐ Oh, you hear that, folks? Mr. Knight gets it now.
He better understands the challenges facing the SFPD.
JOURNALIST: Mr. Knight, Mr. Knight, I have a question.
‐ That's not what I‐‐ that's not‐‐
I didn't say those things. I mean, it's not that I don't‐‐
JOURNALIST: Mr. Knight, we'd like to hear it from you.
‐ [chuckles] Okay.
I'm so sorry to do this to you, folks, but, um,
everybody out.
This is between me and Wyatt. If you could just...
‐ Okay, okay, folks. Thank‐‐thank you so much. Thanks, guys.
[indistinct chatter]
Thanks, everybody.
All right. [sighs]
‐ Oh, no. That includes you, too.
‐ What?
‐ Oh, you can go as well. I mean, he's fine.
You're fine, right?
You're safe. He's safe.
[camera shutters clicking]
SVOBODA: All right, guys! Everybody's good.
[indistinct chatter]
‐ Did you mean any of those words you said earlier?
I mean, that's all I need to leave here with right now,
is the truth, and then‐‐ then I can go.
‐ Look, my boss said come down here.
I say sorry, you say sorry.
And I don't have to keep riding a desk.
So just fucking apologize so I can get out of here.
‐ Nice to meet you, Officer Wyatt.
I've been wondering where you were hiding.
‐ [chuckles] I don't hide from shit.
You need to apologize.
I was my kid's fucking hero.
Now he's all confused 'cause of that comic strip you drew.
‐ I'm out, man.
‐ Hey, cartoon man! You don't get it.
We're under siege out there.
We've got seconds to assess whether a threat is genuine.
‐ You're under siege?
I just‐‐I'm so sorry. I didn't‐‐don't think I heard you correctly.
You're the one under siege?
‐ Yep.
‐ I was stapling fucking flyers to a wall.
‐ Yeah, a stapler could be a potential threat.
‐ [scoffs and laughs]
You know, just when I thought this day
couldn't get any more stupid and absurd,
you went and said that shit.
‐ Go ahead, make jokes.
You got off easy this time.
Next time, we're not gonna be so nice,
so you better fuckin' lighten up.
[slow dramatic music]
♪ ♪
‐ Let's talk about those perceived threats, shall we?
Those nuts, for example.
If I were to throw those nuts in your face,
could that be perceived as a threat?
If I were to splash beer on you,
would that be considered a threat?
‐ If it's intentional, then yes.
‐ Okay.
Well, in that case,
it's a good thing you don't have your gun on you because
I would be dead right now.
‐ [chuckles]
[indistinct chatter]
Don't push me.
‐ That is for giving jaywalking tickets to poor people.
And that is for answering Cookout Karen's 911 calls
when Black folks are just trying to get something to eat.
‐ Consider yourself warned. ‐ Ooh, I've been warned.
That one is for all the times your police report
didn't match the video.
‐ One more flick, and I will arrest you for assaulting an officer.
♪ ♪
Don't do it.
♪ ♪
[The Jolly Boys' cover of "I Fought the Law"]
♪ ♪
[door buzzes, locks]
SINGER: ♪ Breaking rocks in the hot sun ♪
♪ I fought the law and the law won ♪
♪ I needed money 'cause I had none ♪
♪ I fought the law and the law won ♪
♪ [screams] ♪
♪ ♪
[cell phone ringing]
‐ Hello?
‐ [as Rocky] Hey, yo, Adrienne.
[chuckles]
How you doin'? It's me, Rocky. [chuckles]
[normally] I'm sorry. I know how much you hate that.
Um, got a lot to catch up on, you know?
‐ Where are you, Keef? You sound totally weird.
‐ Uh, figuratively, um, I'm in a better place.
Literally, I'm in jail.
It's just me, a couple of drunks,
and kind of a old, white dude here.
Could be a professor.
He also could be a domestic terrorist.
Anyway, that is, uh, all just a precursor to say,
look, I know we said that we would spare each other
the heartache of our fucked‐up selves,
but are we really that bad?
I think we should‐‐ I think we should give it a shot.
‐ You sound like a completely different person.
‐ Well, same Keef, but, uh, I'm in a better place now,
so I'll let you‐‐
‐ Time's up, beer flicker.
‐ Uh, and I have got to go.
‐ W‐wait. KEEF: All right?
‐ W‐w‐what were you‐‐ KEEF: Bye.
‐ Okay.
[line clicks]
[mellow music]
Beer flicker?
[chuckles]
♪ ♪
KEEF: Okay.
♪ ♪
[sighs]
Thank you.
Thank you for not helping me.
I appreciate that. [chuckles]
All right, then. Okay.
[door buzzes]
GUNTHER: Oh!
‐ There we go, my boy. ‐ Okay!
‐ So what was it like? Did you get some prison tats?
‐ I was in there for an hour and 15 minutes, so no.
‐ That was a long way to go for some street cred.
KEEF: [chuckles] ‐ Street cred?
This nigga ain't Gucci Mane.
Shit, he ain't even Martha Stewart. Look at him.
‐ Mm, fun fact.
I snitched on all three of you.
‐ Are you serious?
‐ You'll be fine. It's not cocaine, right?
‐ So was it worth it?
‐ I don't know. Maybe.
Just wish I'd made a bigger impact, you know?
‐ Uh, well, kind of think you did.
[DUCKWRTH's "WAKE UP!"]
♪ ♪
JOURNALIST 1: Mr. Knight, Mr. Knight.
JOURNALIST 2: How does it feel to stand up against the police department?
JOURNALIST 3: Mr. Knight, are you going to use your comic to fight racial injustice?
[indistinct chatter] JOURNALIST 4: Are you going to run for office?
JOURNALIST 5: Is this the start of a new movement?
‐ Yeah! [laughs]
And so it begins.
SINGER: ♪ One, two, three, wake up ♪
♪ Whoa ♪
♪ Wake up, whoa ♪
♪ Oh, wake up ♪
♪ Whoa ♪
♪ Wake up, whoa ♪
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
RAPPER: ♪ This is your wake up call ♪
♪ Courtesy of my fist ♪ SINGER: ♪ Yeah ♪
♪ That purposely met your jaw ♪
♪ And nigga, no, I never miss ♪
♪ This is a courtesy warning ♪
♪ Know that the wolves are swarming ♪
♪ And know if it rains tonight ♪
♪ You probably won't make it till morning ♪
♪ Good damn, I'm the man with the whole world in his hand ♪
♪ From LA up to Iran, we just blitzing through the land ♪
♪ Good damn, I'm the man ♪
♪ With the whole world in his hand ♪
♪ If you're sleeping we're the reason ♪
♪ Why you woke up once again ♪
SINGER: ♪ Wake up, whoa ♪
♪ Wake up, whoa ♪
♪ Oh, wake up ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Wake up ♪