[faint car horn honks]
[sirens wailing distantly]
[fireworks whistling]
Hey, Nancy.
Happy New Year's.
Thanks for watching Sean.
Uh, could Sean sleep over tonight?
We just need some alone time.
Okay, thanks. [chuckles]
Nancy, I'll call you back.
What happened?
[man] Exactly, what happened?
You don't know, 'cause I kept this from you, baby.
I'm so sorry.
I found him flushing these. Hey, back up.
Oh, fuck!
-And you're so pissed. -I am so pissed at you.
How could you leave drugs in the house
-without telling me, you dick? -Such a dick.
How many of y'all are in my house?
Y'all are rolling deep as Adele.
Let's go!
-Oh, okay, okay. -Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Um, where is our-- our credit card and wallet?
Uh, it's on the coffee table in the house.
Can I at least give him a shirt, please?
-I would love a shirt. -Ma'am, step back, please.
-Okay, all right, man! -He is freezing!
Can I at least give him my jacket?
All right.
-Okay, give him a jacket. -Hold on.
Hold these.
Happy New Year's.
-Hey, baby. -Hey.
I mean, it's a little romantic, right?
All right, let's go.
Um, do you want me to get you a toothbrush
-or toiletries or anything? -Let's go!
I'm not going to summer camp, baby, I'm going to jail.
I don't know--what is our online banking password?
Baby, I'm not gonna yell that on the street!
[car door shuts]
Happy New Year.
Fuck!
[siren wails]
Oh, fuck!
My keys!
[sighs]
[fireworks exploding]
[somber percussive music plays]
♪ ♪
Before we begin, let me remind you.
You don't know these people.
Stick with me and I'll guide you.
We were so close to the way we had hoped for our lives to be,
so I remind me don't let no brick walls divide you.
I have to be strong for these minutes,
tough mom to these bitches.
It might just break me, but I was born to sew stitches.
So, Lord, help me, I will show just how solid
I roll with my business.
Ya dig?
[buzzer buzzes]
-Hey. -Hey, baby.
You know you left your keys in that jacket, right?
Yeah, I know.
Are there gonna be any charges?
Yeah, there's gonna be charges, baby.
They found me with a bag of drugs.
Mr. Wallace saw the raid and we can't get evicted, Miles.
We'll never get another apartment in the Bay.
-We need to move. -I know, I know.
Look, I called my mom.
She said you and Sean can move over there
with her and Trish just until the hearing.
So just do that, you know?
Dust off that hood pass, girl.
It's not dusty.
Okay, so maybe it's got, like, a little,
a little layer, thin layer.
Thin, little visible layer of dust.
[chuckles] Okay, well, good.
Sean can stay in his school district on her address.
That, plus my paycheck,
and I think I should be straight till you're out.
Yeah.
And when is that, you think?
A month?
Damn it.
We were so far away from this shit.
Dual income, new place.
We just leased that fucking car.
Yeah, and we never got to fuck
on our brand-new couch that we just got.
-[laughs] -What's that shit called?
It got the little buttons on it, it's um...
-Tufted? -Tufted.
The mustard tufted lounge sofa.
We still need to break that in.
Break it in, damn right. I'ma break you in, girl.
-You nasty. -You nasty.
Yeah, well,
I'll be nasty in February, I guess.
Yeah.
Are you scared?
Ooh, baby. [mouths words]
Nah! Nah.
Yeah, baby, I'm scared as fuck.
What you talking about? Uh...
What're we gonna tell Sean?
Nothing. Just not right now, okay?
Just let me get settled.
-All right. -Oh, what about Trish?
I can't survive too many days with your sister.
I can try to talk to her,
try to taper some of that shit off.
But a certain amount of fuckery
is inevitable with my sister, okay?
Miles, establish a fuckery cap!
[officer] Ma'am,
watch your mouth, or you will be removed.
Uh, fuck you talking about, watch her mouth?
Shut your little bitch-ass up!
[muffled] You little midget-ass motherfucker,
little camp counsel looking-ass bitch.
He says we're sorry.
Very passionate about apologies in our family.
Rent-a-cop motherfucker.
-Miles, get down. -"American Psycho" bitch-ass.
-Sit down Miles. -Come over here and get your ass knocked the fuck out.
Are you done?
I just don't like it when people talk to you like that.
What?
Look, you should probably go.
Call Yorkie and the boys and have them help you move.
Yeah, if Yorkie can try not to fuck someone
long enough to lift a box.
-I believe in him. -I believe in him too.
He's not a myth. He's just a ho.
-[laughs] -Hell, yeah.
[chuckles]
I love you.
[soft melancholic music]
Look at me.
I love you. You'll be fine.
Avoid the bullshit, okay?
Yeah.
Okay? Goodbye?
Yeah, go.
♪ ♪
[laughs softly]
Bye, baby.
Goodbye.
I still don't wanna leave. I like my room.
But you love Grandma's.
And Grandma says she needs a tough guy, just like you.
Is Dad gonna come to Grandma's?
Um,
Dad is with Uncle Collin in Montana,
and they are doing a very, very big move.
But as soon as he can, he will be home.
-Okay. -Okay.
[chuckles]
[object vibrating]
What is that, Mommy?
Uh, you know, nothing,
but why don't you go in the other room and--
quick, Sean, put on your gi for class,
and then after that we can go see Grandma and Tía Trish.
Go, go, go!
Yes! Tía!
Yes. Oh, God.
Um...
[vibrating stops]
[car horn honks]
Smashley Rose, what's up, bitch?
I hear you was talking shit the other night.
[laughs]
Holy shit, Janelle?
Yeah!
-You're back? -Yes, girl!
When did you get back?
I thought Nancy was supposed to pick us up.
No, no, no, I figured I'd surprise you.
Shit, you know, Mom's got, like,
some new tenant dude moving into Collin's old room today.
-Just some guy? -Yeah.
Some dude that's about to be on house arrest in our house.
Girl, I don't know. You know Nancy, so...
-Yo, that Janelle? -What's up?
All right? It's been, like, five years!
-Hey, Yorkie. -Yo, you looking all
-exotic and shit. -Oh, thanks, Yorkie.
All right, you know I'm just trying
to get my jungle fever on.
-What's up? -Okay.
Nothing the fuck is up, Yorkie.
Can we talk for two seconds
without you trying to figure out
what your dick has to do with it?
-Oh! -And stop being so creepy.
I'm not being creepy. I'm confident, what you mean?
Bye, nigga, thank you. Next contestant.
-All right, okay. -Okay.
[laughter]
Uh, you heard about Miles?
Ooh, girl.
Obviously, I heard about Miles.
I mean, Miles, really? Like, come on, now, bruh.
Girl, come on, don't do that. You don't know.
Damn. Sorry.
Look, hey, man, you don't need to apologize
-for speaking your truth. -Mm.
And, you know, I'm always here to listen, so...
Yorkie, why are you like this?
[laughs]
[man] Uh, what you want us to do with this couch?
Can I have it? It matches my wallpaper.
No, put it in the garage
with everything else, opportunist ass.
I, like, really fucks with mid-century modern.
Sean, get your car seat and let's go.
Say, "Bye, house."
Bye, house.
Say, "Bye, Rob."
-Bye, Rob. -Peace, little man.
Got you.
Say, "No one cares about Brooklyn, Yorkie."
No one cares about Brooklyn, Yorkie!
This is the Bay. Take that hat off.
-Thanks for helping. -All right, yeah.
-Mad funny. -Bye.
Hey!
["We Came to Play" playing]
♪ We came to play♪
♪ Must be midnight Yeah, yeah♪
♪ We came to play♪
♪ Now do the get down Play the funky sound♪
♪ We came to play♪
♪ We came to play We came to play♪
♪ We came to play Yeah♪
♪ We came to stick Blow the horns♪
♪ ♪
["Blue Hunnids" playing]
♪ All up in them jeans♪
Oh, fuck! Okay.
-Okay. -Okay.
Okay, okay. Hey, girls.
[all] Hi, Mama Rainey.
Hey there, Trishy.
See, y'all look so fucking good,
like, real talk, beauties.
Like, for real, all you--
ooh, here, Jacque, here, mama, here.
Poke it out just a little bit more, there you go.
And just--and stop. Stop making that face.
[Rainey] Honey, you said this was gonna be over at 3:30.
This is not even almost over.
I thought you couldn't put nipples on your site.
They are covered. Nipples are implied.
They're not implied.
-Viv's nipple is right there. Hi, sweetie. -Hi.
Well, it won't be in the pictures, Ma.
It's just--you know what?
You don't take these kinda photos.
You don't know what kinda photos I've taken.
I've worn very small things.
In fact, I have a picture.
-Would you like to see? -No.
-Are you sure? -Yes.
'Cause they used to make underthings
not quite as small back then,
so it was a one piece, but a whole lot was implied.
I mean, the emperor wore more fabric than this.
Mom! Please, just not right now.
Exactly, not right now. Ashley will be here any minute.
You're in my workspace, and you're over your time.
That's two breaches of an agreement we just made!
We are working the space, Ma!
I'm Trappy Leibovitz. They are my rock star muses.
Click, click, click, art, art, art.
You know she went SF Art Institute?
Mom, we are working.
Not exactly a work attire sort of thing.
We're sex workers.
I was in the room with Carol Leigh--
whose book you still have not read--
when she coined that term!
Put some pants on!
Mom, we are in the business of sex, okay?
The thoughts of sex, the tease of sex,
almost sex, so sex work.
[scoffs] It's the new Gold Rush.
Great. Are you the gold?
No, we're the new Madams.
See, that sounds a lot like a brothel, and we've got to--
It's a metaphor.
I'm the newly appointed house mom.
-Not a metaphor. -Okay, okay, Mom.
The club system, it's fucked up, okay?
It's fucked up!
So, we post our little pictures,
get our little clientele loyal to us,
create our own cooperative union,
then open our own club, a safe club for girls,
run by girls.
It's progressive.
Yes, sounds a lot like the Lusty Lady.
Have you told them about the Lusty Lady?
-No. -What's the Lusty Lady?
-Fantastic! -No, don't!
Okay, so the Lusty Lady
was a cooperatively run strip club here in the Bay,
owned by the dancers and the staff.
It was the first unionized sex business in the U.S.
It was peep shows and girl-on-girl stuff mostly,
some great film screenings, erotic art,
but power and idealism are not great roommates.
-What happened to it? -So it closed!
It didn't work. Union stuff got ugly.
It was a failed experiment.
-It failed? -Okay, but thank you, Mom.
Ours, ladies, is definitely going to be different.
I just definitely need it to not be in my workspace.
Why can't you just be fucking supportive?
Oh, I'm so fucking supportive of you!
-No! -[knocking on door]
-It doesn't seem like it. -[Yorkie] Commander Moving.
Shit!
[sighs]
[lively music plays]
♪ ♪
I just want everyone to feel comfortable, at least.
Okay, well, I'm uncomfortable.
Look, I don't know why
we're rearranging our whole shit for Ashley.
Maybe Miles' baby mom should find somewhere else to live.
Why?
Why are there so many naked women here?
She's family. This is what we do.
Who's family? Sean is family.
Sean can stay here as long as he wants.
But Ashley? Yeah.
I ain't never seen Miles put no ring on that bitch finger.
You know what? This is happening--
What kind of operation requires this level
of casual nudity on a Wednesday at 4:00 p.m.?
I-I need to know.
What are you doing?
Posting pictures. Look.
-You're posting that? -Yeah!
-Ugh. -Yeah, it's fire.
Right?
[gong rings]
Bow.
First punch. One.
[all] Hyah!
-Two. -[all] Hyah!
-Three. -[all] Hyah!
All right, let's bring it to the front.
-What is Trish even doing? -Attention!
Am I moving my son into some sort of crazy sex den?
-[grunts] -Good! Come on.
-[grunts] -Good.
The last thing I need is Sean picking up habits
from Trish and her little thot mafia.
Now, beat it.
[all cheering]
Ash, would you be in this moment with me?
Now, sis, we are having a cosmic rebirth, okay?
There is an old Indonesian proverb that says:
"Be a beetle that lives in a flower garden.
Don't be a fly that lives on trash hills."
-Bitch. -What?
-How high are you? -Oh.
Fuck you talking about beetles for?
You dummy lit?
Shit, girl. Is it obvious?
[giggles] Listen.
I ain't been un-high since I got back, a'ight?
Shit, you can't even smoke where I just came from.
They be giving bitches life sentences out there,
-just for weed. -Uh-uh.
RIP Kyle. Ooh, which reminds me.
I will be hallucinating a lot this year, you feel me?
You living that no-kids life. Get it in.
[all yelling, screaming]
[gong rings]
Look. They finishing up.
-Oh, okay. -Oh, uh-uh.
We gotta get out of here before the white capoeiristas
start singing slave songs.
-Oh, bitch, not the slave songs. -Sean!
[both vocalizing]
[Janelle] Oh, okay, I know that one.
[all yelling]
[hip-hop music]
♪ I can't lie, I've been watching with some villains ♪
♪ Fucking with that Hennessy ♪
Pants, please.
I will do no such thing.
I'm not setting a pants precedent.
Pants, now.
Ugh, you are letting them change our way of life.
We are liberated legs. We are well-ventilated coochie.
Honey, I love your coochie. It came out of mine.
But I don't need it to be the first one your nephew sees!
Ugh, shit! Tell me to put on pants.
Every day, every day, you got something to say.
[Janelle] Mm.
Guess that's, uh, my new roommate?
I should probably go over there and introduce myself,
maybe set some ground rules.
Mm.
[sighs]
Here we go.
[indistinct chatter]
[sighs]
[vacuum whirring]
[doorknob rattles]
Hello?
-Hey, hey! -Grandma!
Hi, my love!
Oh, my God, that's such a big hug!
You are such a tough guy!
What's up, nephew?
You ready for more adventures with your Tía?
[Sean] Hi, Tía!
Rainey--no, sorry. Uh, the cig?
Ah, yes.
I only smoke one a day.
This is my one. It's the last one in the pack!
You know what? Doesn't matter.
[Trish] That's your second one. You had one this morning.
[Rainey] I absolutely did not.
[Trish] You absolutely did, at the kitchen table.
[Rainey] No, that was yesterday.
-Sean, not indoors, please. -Damn, Ashley.
Don't be so uptight already.
You want the Wi-Fi? It's TurfDance85, password...
[Trish] Fashiggadale.
Spelled like it sounds.
I figured both of you could be upstairs in Miles' old room.
The bed's a little small, but the two of you can--
Oh, I'll just crash on the couch.
We think it'll just be a month.
First real offense.
You haven't told him?
No.
Okay.
Um, Miles has a green shoebox filled with stuff.
I left it in the room for you.
Try and get it. Can you get it? No, you can't, you can't,
'cause I'm too fast, 'cause I'm too fast--um...
-[laughs] -Yeah.
Trish, he really shouldn't be doing that in the house.
Damn, Ashley. Chill out.
You act like you ain't got dick in a minute.
[Rainey] He's fine, these floors are a disaster already.
I know you're fine, I-- Sean, what did I say?
Hey, Trish, you have zero towels.
Just these tiny little hand ones.
Oh, hell, no.
Oh, hello, little boy!
-You are not wearing clothes. -Shit, girl.
I forgot she was in the shower.
Y'all, this is Jacque. Jacque, this is y'all.
Oh, my God, I just heard. I'm so sorry--
Stop talking and put on some clothes.
Here, hon.
Oh--oh!
This is so soft, Rainey!
What fabric softener are you using?
Girl, if you don't put some f-ing clothes on
and get out of this room--
Right, sorry. Sorry.
Yeah, so we creating content for my business remotely
until we get a permanent location.
And is remotely in the living room?
-[scoffs] Probably. -No.
Great.
[breathes deeply]
[ambient music plays]
Let me breathe.
A lockbox are I and he.
A 12-year clock got us, we bonded deep.
We criss-crossed ourselves a doctrine
'til it was our policy.
We built a church of truth with rough tongues
and hid the gun from company.
We just built ourselves a temple from the ruins
we grew up in and now the rug's pulled free.
[sighs]
But I am my man's left hand, and right eye, and both ears,
and he is my...
he is my...
But he is a box today, in a box today,
and I am still unpacking some of why.
Until then, I'm here.
♪ ♪
[gasps]
[sobbing]
[melancholy music plays]
♪ ♪
[knocking on door]
Ashley, I wanted to ask you something. I--
What happened?
Oh, my God!
Oh, my God, he's proposing!
Oh, my God!
He should be here.
If he was here,
the setting is all wrong.
So you picture the place.
And you imagine it's Miles.
I'm just gonna say the words.
Hey, babe. [chuckles]
Ashley Rose.
You know you my ride or die--
No, no, Rainey, this is weird.
I-I'm sorry. I-I'm fine.
-It- it's fine. I-- -Okay, okay, help me up.
It's okay.
[breathes deeply]
Do you wanna go to the taco truck with me?
[laughter]
-Sure. -[laughs]
[upbeat trumpet music plays]
So, my friend Rick Ayers was Miles' high school teacher
and his preschool cook, and he's an ordained minister.
-He could marry you guys in jail. -Oh, God, Rainey.
Please, please, can we just act like you didn't see that?
-Just keep it to yourself. -All right, I'm zipping my lip.
Nice to have Janelle back, right?
Yeah, I mean, we'll see how long she stays, but yeah.
I am gonna sit on my porch, eat, have a smoke,
if I can find my emergency pack.
Give me a ten-minute head start.
-Hey, Ashley. -Hello, Trish.
Look, see, I know you probably confused.
-You see all these cars? -Mm.
[Trish] Now, a sideshow probably about to go down.
Now, a sideshow--
Is something that I've been going to
since you were six years old, yeah.
Oh, well, 'cause I ain't seen you
pull up here in a few years, so...
You still working at that little plantation hotel,
responding to that little white privilege bell?
Okay, get that out my face, and it's the Alcatraz Hotel.
Yes, Trish. I'm still working there.
I'm the concierge.
How French!
[man] Hey, bro, let it swing!
Ghost ride that shit! Show little bro how it go!
-What up, Stroy Boy! -Hey, what's up, little blud?
I heard your pops got--
Hey, don't talk what you don't know to my son!
Hey, you hella mean. Calm down, shit!
-Pops got what? -[sighs]
Hella handles swinging cars, baby!
He's a pro! [chuckles]
[engines revving]
Yo, get me a taco!
Rev that shit up!
[engine revving]
["Thizzle Dance" playing]
♪ ♪
♪ Hello, everybody ♪
♪ I'd like to introduce you To the thizzle dance ♪
♪ Thizzle dance? ♪
♪ Thizzle dance, I said ♪
♪ Can you do The thizzle dance? ♪
[all] Hey!
♪ ♪
Whoo! Swing the car!
[tires squealing]
♪ First, I do like this♪
♪ Put a look on my face Like I smelled some piss♪
♪ Bounce to the beat Till it start to hurt♪
♪ Then I dust all the smirk Off me shirt♪
♪ Dip to the ground As I catch the bass♪
♪ Then I wipe all the sweat Off me face♪
♪ Hop back up Then I start to slide♪
♪ Popping my collar As I glide♪
♪ Then I break the thang down♪
[gentle music plays]
♪ ♪
[tires squealing]
[Ashley] Look to your left. Look to your right.
Boys with long hair. Long-haired boys everywhere.
Big boys, little boys, boys with hair.
Okay, that was ten minutes of story time.
It's time to go to sleep. That was the deal.
What about five more minutes? I'll go right to sleep.
Oh, you old re-negotiator.
No. Come on, bed.
This is bed!
[chuckles] Sleep.
[smooches]
[cell phone ringing]
Sleepy time, mister. I mean it.
Hello?
[Miles] Baby.
Miles.
How are you calling so late?
No, you are not using a butt phone.
Oh, yeah, I'm definitely using one of those
illegally-smuggled butt phones.
This shit is so small.
You won't believe how tiny this little thing is.
Anyway, I braved the dangers of foreign ass
to call you and tell you I love you.
And, uh,
I just wanted to check in and see how you're doing.
I love you too.
Um, hey.
Don't let that touch your face.
[mouths words]
[chuckles]
[sighs]
How'd the move go?
Uh, we did it.
We're here.
-Hey, um-- -Hey, by the way, uh,
my mom, uh, might try to give you this shoebox.
Um, there's nothing bad in it or anything.
I need you to not look inside, okay?
There's--there's nothing bad.
I just--I just gotta go through it first,
so just--just don't look, okay?
-Okay. -Okay, I love you, bye.
Bye.
[uneasy music]
♪ ♪
Hey, come up off that ring, bitch.
-No! -Take the ring off.
Now! Right the fuck, now!
-What the fuck? -[Trish] Hey.
Hey, who the fuck is that? Antonio?
Nigga, what the fuck you think you doing jacking my sister?
Nigga ain't your fucking sister.
-You don't even have a sister! -[scoffs]
Boy, you ain't no shooter. I know that!
What he take from you?
My engagement ring.
Y'all are engaged?
Nigga, give her her shit back.
[scoffs]
Tone,
you know I really know you from Albany, right?
You was the lead in The Music Manat AHS.
Played the fuck boy flute in elementary school.
Nigga, give her her shit back.
-[mutters softly] -Yeah.
Whatever, why don't you get your family?
Didn't I, though? Bye.
Quit playing me, my niggas will air this bitch out.
Thank you, Trish.
You are not my sister.
Let's make that 1,000% clear.
You are my brother's fucking luggage
that he dropped off here.
And now you staying in our fucking house
and you have a fucking ring?
You wanna go air out to your brother, go do that.
But don't wait until he's gone and go blaming me
for whatever the fuck you're mad at us about.
Just whatever?
It's just whatever, Ash? You know what?
How about we air all this shit out right now?
Did you talk my brother
out of helping me with my business idea?
'Cause that sound like some you shit to do.
-Look how you operate, Trish. -Wow! [scoffs]
I can't have that in my house.
Well, you don't have a house.
So now what, with your broke ass?
Oh, Jesus fucking Christ. You are so mean!
-See, this is why! -Oh, oh.
You always trying to flex on somebody!
Bitch, flexing just stopped you
from getting your fucking pockets ran!
So whatever happened to that real-ass bitch you used to be?
A real-ass bitch.
Look, being a real-ass bitch isn't the key ingredient
to parting the fucking sea of your life!
You can't just flex on anybody
whenever the fuck you want to when you're an adult.
And if I flex on that dude, I end up dead or in jail,
and my son is left with you and Rainey,
and that is my goddamn nightmare, Trish!
Him smoking a cigarette on a pole by second grade.
That's ridiculous. We'll have age restrictions.
Trish, you ain't gonna have shit.
'Cause you don't know the first thing about running anything.
So excuse me for not wanting you on our credit
while you were trying to figure that out.
Well... [clears throat]
Now, you live with us
while you try to figure this out.
Miles is a fucking ghost until the judge says he isn't.
For all you know, Ash, it could be years.
It's not.
[scoffs] You don't know.
But what you do know,
you a 32-year-old homeless,
baby daddy in jail,
who almost got her pockets ran until I put you on my credit.
Yeah. [scoffs]
You real grown, Ash. You got it, though.
Fuck wrong with you? You in the fucking hood.
Bitch, get real.
[door slams]
-[clears throat] -[gasps]
Congratulations.
The ring.
Thank you.
[gentle music]
♪ ♪
[indistinct chatter]
[slow quirky music]
♪ ♪
All right.
Yo, yo, my man.
Hey, man, can you get me a burrito?
This dude right here.
Yeah, you, right, you kinda look like John Legend.
Could you get me a burrito?
Can you get me a burri--
How you gonna hide behind the pole?
Come on, man!
[gentle music]
♪ ♪
[vibrator buzzing]
[panting softly]
[footsteps approaching]
Honey, do you want me to close these?
-Oh, Jesus! -They close, if you want.
-[vibrator clattering on floor] -That one's stuck.
-Guys, what is that noise? -There we go.
-Rainey, I'm so sorry. -No, no, it's totally fine.
It's your home too. It's been a long day.
I get it. Good night.
[Trish] Mom. Mom, what was that noise?
Oh.
She was masturbating.
Oh, hey.
[laughs] Get it, girl.
♪ Every day I'm countin' Blue hunnids♪
♪ Broke niggas always wanna Hold somethin'♪
♪ She don't smoke, But she gonna roll somethin'♪
♪ Got a bad bitch, She ready to fuck some♪
♪ How you get that ass All up in them jeans?♪
♪ She threw it back I went deep♪
♪ How you get that ass All up in them jeans?♪
♪ She threw it back I went deep♪
♪ She made one cheek move♪
♪ She made The other cheek move♪
♪ Booty like ooh, Tell me what you're tryna do♪
♪ She made one cheek move♪
♪ She made The other cheek move♪
♪ Booty like ooh Tell me what you're tryna do♪
♪ She gon' shake it For them blue hunnids♪
♪ Yeah♪
♪ ♪
♪ Yeah♪