[soft footsteps]
[Man On Television] Yesterday, the body of BFM leader,
Marcus LaCroix, was found hanging from a tree.
At the moment, police are ruling his death as suicide.
Residents of the city are outraged.
- Oh, shit.
- I can't believe this.
I knew something like this would happen.
[tense music]
[Man On Television] Yesterday, the body of BFM leader,
Marcus LaCroix, was found hanging from a tree.
At the moment, police are ruling his death as suicide.
- Turn it off.
- [Man On Television] Residents of the city are outraged.
- What happened Nev?
- I said, turn it off.
[Nev cries]
- Yo, what the fuck, man.
Tell me this shit ain't true.
Somebody tell me this is a trick
they trying to play on us right now.
Now, you know what? It's a rumor.
It's a rumor that they put out there
to try to break us up, right?
- Can't.
- Right, Nev?
[Nev cries]
Somebody say something.
- I know they ain't do my man like that. I know.
- [Woman On Phone] Some conflicting reports are coming in
and now they're saying his brother killed himself.
- Yo, turn that shit off.
- [Woman On Phone] This black man killed himself.
- Wait, wait, wait, what?
Yo, they saying Marcus killed--
- [Nev] Don't.
Don't you dare just fix your mouth
to say some shit like that.
- Nev, look at me.
I swear. I give you my word.
I'm gonna get to the bottom of this shit.
And we all gonna get through this together, alright?
[Nev laughs]
[Nev claps]
- And Ellen ain't got shit on you, Ken.
I mean, that's some Oscar shit, right y'all?
[Nev laughs]
Don't you dare come up in here
parading and performing
like you fucking care.
When everyone in this room heard you threaten him
the last time we saw him alive.
- Whoa, Nev, threaten, really? Yo, what the fuck, man.
That's what you think?
You think that I could hurt my brother?
That's what the fuck y'all think?
Y'all think I could hurt my man?
Alright, look, yeah, we argue.
Shit, we even fight.
But, you really think Nev, that I could,
I could kill my brother?
Word?
- Word.
- Wow.
- You know, Kendrick,
since day one, I had nothing but ill vibes about you,
but Marcus, he always defended you,
said you were one of his day ones.
And not me.
[phone buzzes]
You see from the moment I met you,
I saw nothing but envy in your eyes.
His body ain't even cold yet.
And you already accusing him of some shit
you know he ain't do.
Get the fuck out my house.
- Nev, listen.
- Get the fuck out my house.
[tense music]
[dramatic music]
[door closes]
- Yo, who this?
- What the fuck is going on?
I ask you to set up a meeting with Marcus
and he ends up dead?
This is fucking bad, man.
- First of all, I've been calling you for days
and you haven't hit me back.
Yo, that's exactly what I was trying to tell you.
Marcus--
[door opens]
[dramatic music]
Marcus knew about the meeting before I got there.
- Wait, what?
- He called in an emergency meeting
and by the time I got there,
he was already talking about how he had,
how he had a private meeting lined up with y'all.
Like, I figured that you had another man inside tell him.
- Look, I have to go into a meeting in a few minutes
and you want me to tell the mayor
that Marcus mysteriously disappears
after announcing a meeting with us,
a meeting that you never told him about?
Is that what you're asking me to do?
- Nigga, I don't give a fuck what you do.
I didn't tell Marcus.
Like, this shit is fucked up.
If people start putting together that I was fucking with you
and it might have got Marcus killed,
like, I'm a dead man. I don't--
- Do not tell a single soul we're worried about this.
Do you understand?
Keep your eyes and ears open and don't call me.
I'll be in touch.
[phone beeps]
- What do you mean, don't call?
[dramatic music]
Fuck.
[soft footsteps]
[door creaks]
- Hey.
Long night?
- Ooh, like you would not believe.
It took my queen 10 hours to deliver.
You can never really time these things.
- Hmm.
- So how was your evening with the doctor?
- He didn't show.
His phone keeps going straight to voicemail.
- Yeah. I'm sorry to hear that.
And,
[sighs]
I told you I had a bad feeling about him.
And I am not happy about him standing up my sister.
- What happened to your arm?
- Mm, my mama bear scratched me.
- Right.
- Okay well, I'm gonna take a nap.
I'm exhausted.
You wanna catch a movie tomorrow night
like we were planning?
- I'm doing a graveyard double shift tonight.
I'm gonna be laid out most of tomorrow.
Maybe some other time.
- All right.
Yeah. All right.
Well I'm just gonna
[chuckles]
get some shut eye
and you know, have a great shift.
Maybe I'll see you on campus.
[door closes]
[eerie music]
[man mumbling]
- Fontaned?
- Oh, hey. Yeah. I'm on my way to Freeman lake
going question that Williams kid,
I just had to pick up some paperwork.
- Just an FYI.
We were able to pull a match off one of the other prints.
It belongs to Kevin McNeil.
The leasing manager.
Yeah. He's not a suspect at the moment.
I mean, the guy has no pride
so just keep that one in your back pocket, okay?
- All right. [chuckles]
- Hey, listen.
You wanna take Proctor with you?
- No, sir.
I'm good. I'm good.
- You sure?
- No, I'm good.
I can gamble this one on my own.
[group chuckles]
- Hey Des.
- What's up?
- Don't underestimate Darnell. He's a slick one.
- Gotcha.
- All right.
[tense music]
[eerie music]
[door slams]
[knocking]
- [Woman] Can I help you?
- [Detective Fontaned] Yeah, Detective Fontaned.
I'm looking for Stephanie Love.
- [Rose] [sighs] Come on in.
Lord, what'd he do now?
- How much time you got?
- [Rose] Boy, I done told you
with all these new laws they coming up with,
you gonna get us kicked out of here.
You want us out here on the streets?
- Auntie, I ain't do nothing.
Alright, whatever he tell you, don't listen to 'em.
His ass is lying.
- [Detective Fontaned] So you Stephanie Love's sister?
- Yes, foster sister.
- [Detective Fontaned] I see.
You know when she'll be home?
- We haven't seen Stephanie in about three years, Detective.
- Is she missing?
- No, this is just what Stephanie does.
She disappears for months at a time
and just pops back up out the blue.
But this is the longest she's been away
without reaching out.
We bounced from foster home to foster home
when we were kids.
She got adopted when she was about 14.
She's had it rough.
She's been battling demons her whole life.
- Sorry to hear that.
- [Rose] It's okay.
- Ms. Allen.
- Rose. My name is Rose.
- [Detective Fontaned] Ms. Rose.
Ms. Rose, would you mind if I spoke to Darnell alone?
- I'll be in the room if you need me.
- Look, I'm not here to arrest you just yet.
But if you fuck my intelligence, Bam,
I'm gonna slap these bracelets on you
and take you down to the station.
You understand?
First off, how'd you get into this apartment?
You and your mom, you lived in Samantha Jones' apartment
before they moved here.
- [sighs] I lived there by myself
for a couple months after my mom disappeared.
All right. Police was looking for me.
They was trying to throw me back up in foster care.
So, Auntie came through and got this apartment.
- How you know AJ Jones?
- Who?
- Fuck this, man.
- Oh, oh, oh, alright. Chill.
[clears throat]
I know AJ from B-more.
- Wait, wait, wait.
You're telling me that you knew AJ
before he moved to Freeman Lakes.
- Yeah, we was in the DT-45 program together.
Had a little fallout over something back then,
but we got cool when we met up here.
Both just wasn't feeling that Corey nigga.
Know what I mean?
- Are you a BFM member?
When you guys wore a black mask, the night you jumped me?
Why?
You know, I figured that Bennington set me up
until I realized that AJ was there with me
and pulled my piece on me.
'Cause he wouldn't do that for Bennington.
I know why he did it.
But what was the money transaction
between you and Bennington by the pool?
Hmm?
You don't got an answer?
Look, I'm assuming that you guys were the ones
that cleared out Bennington's apartment.
I mean, that's what he paid you for, right?
- Look, yo, I don't know nothing about that. All right?
- You know, I figured you'd say that.
How you know Fiona Reed?
- I'm sorry, who?
- Bro.
My patience is running thin, all right?
You will come clean about something one way or another,
all right?
So, you lied about AJ and now you lying about Fiona Reed.
Yet we found your prints in her apartment.
- All right, I know her, but not like that.
All right, She's just a customer.
I delivered food to her a couple times. That's about it.
- You work?
- Yeah man. All right.
Don't act so surprised nigga. I work.
I work for Super Eats. That's how I make my bread.
All right. That's why I'm not in school.
I gotta help out with rent and shit.
- All right. All right.
Can anyone attest to your schedule
the night she went missing?
- I was working, but I was in her apartment that night.
- No, no, no.
I love myself way too much to continue this
'cause it's nothing.
[door knocking]
Hold on.
Who is it?
- [Bam] Bam.
- What's up, Bam? Good to see you.
- [Bam] How you doing? Good to see you too.
- Come on, come on in.
- You know, I got your usual.
- You know you always hook me up.
[Bam chuckles]
You can actually set that right over there.
I wanna go grab my purse and I made some Sarro,
so help yourself. Okay?
- Of course.
- Thank you.
No, no. I'm over it.
No, you are the leasing manager for God's sake.
Are you kidding me?
- Look, dead ass yo, I ain't do nothing to Fiona bro.
All right, she mad cool,
always offer me something to drink, treats me very well.
I deliver mad food and groceries to her and that's about it.
She stays at home a lot because she don't be feeling well.
She pregnant.
- Man, how you know that?
- [Bam] Like I said, we mad cool.
And she'll talk to me sometimes,
told me she was messing with some dude who wasn't about shit
and how she regretted getting pregnant by his ass.
You know that new leasing manager?
He ain't shit, yo.
- The leasing manager? Kevin McNeil?
- Yeah, that motherfucker.
She ain't mention him by name, but I know it's that nigga.
- How you know?
- Seen them fighting.
Look, only shorty's I ever argued with like that
are the ones I messed around with.
That was the energy.
[tense music]
- So, just take these in for me.
The yellow ones go to Karen, okay?
And I need the red one on my desk.
Thank you.
- Mr. McNeil, Detective Fontaned.
We met a couple days ago.
Is this a good time to talk?
- Sure.
How can I help you detective?
- Well, I have a few more questions about Fiona Reed.
- Okay, well.
I think I already told you everything that I know.
- Oh, everything man?
Except you didn't tell us that you knew her. Personally.
- Excuse me.
- Mm.
- I knew the victim just as much as
I know all the residents.
- Well, I hope not.
Look, we can save each other a lot of time.
Just tell the truth.
- Do I need a lawyer?
- Well, if you didn't do anything, then why would you?
- I didn't.
- [Detective Fontaned] Okay.
Then tell us what were you doing in her apartment?
I mean, we find your fingerprints
in several places throughout the unit.
- I'm sure.
You'll probably find my fingerprints at all the units.
I'm the leasing manager.
- True.
- I'm a very hands on kind of guy, detective.
Don't let these fly clothes fool you.
I like to get my hands dirty to get the job done.
- Mm. Hands on.
That's a funny choice of words.
- Yeah.
- Yeah. Maybe you're just a little bit too hands on.
The thing is we didn't find any
documented maintenance orders on that apartment.
Yet, we found your fingerprints in the center
and all over the wall above the headboard.
So, either you like breaking in your tenant's apartments
and then tightening up the bed frames
or I'm gonna go with my original hunch.
You and Fiona Reed were fuckin'.
- Okay.
We messed around, but I didn't kill her.
- Kill her. Wow.
This is a missing persons case. How do you know she's dead?
- I didn't, I didn't mean it like that.
I'm just saying that I didn't hurt her, okay?
I know it looks bad.
I just know that these things don't end well.
And the reason I didn't come clean before is because
I could lose my job.
- How'd you feel when she told you she was pregnant?
- Excuse me.
Pregnant?
- Mhm.
- Look, we weren't exclusive, okay?
If she was pregnant, if she is pregnant,
it doesn't mean the baby's mine.
- Mm.
From what I understand, a few days before she disappeared,
you and her had a very intense argument.
It got a bit physical.
So, did that have anything to do with her being pregnant?
- Who the fuck told you that?
- It doesn't matter who told me.
Is it true?
- Look, detective.
I'm married, okay?
- Wow. This just gets better and better.
- Yeah. Yeah. I know. I'm a piece of shit, all right.
But I'm not a killer.
Okay.
So, the night Fiona went missing was my son's birthday.
So, I was home all night with my wife and my kids.
Hey, you can check my phone.
Check the satellite outside my house.
It'll show you I'm telling the truth.
- Okay.
All right, Bennington 2.0. We'll see.
But at some point,
you're gonna have to come down to the station
and follow up on this story, all right?
- Okay.
- Yeah.
[dramatic music]
[phone beeping]
- Hey.
We got a problem.
- Hello. Hello.
For those of you that don't know me,
I'm Dr. Simon Rubido.
I'm a scientist and I'm a philanthropist and entrepreneur.
And I'm the former director
of DT-45 task force committee.
Now, I'm talking to you today
because I believe that we have arrived
at a season of revelation and season of reckoning,
season of judgment,
for which I too will be held responsible for my actions.
Now, much like the Tuskegee experiments,
DT-45 sanitarian project was a complete failure.
It'll leave a stain on the fabric of this nation forever.
We've failed the youth of this country,
particularly the BIPOC community.
And I have a report that over 70% of male youth,
most of whom are African American, are now sterile.
And I'll bet you're asking yourself,
what part does the DT-45 program play in any of this?
And if it did, how?
And why?
Well, okay,
hang on to your seats, boys and girls,
because the truth is gonna be told.
- Who let you in my damn office?
- I pretty much let myself in.
My name is Steve Spencer. I'm with the NSA.
Please, have a seat.
- [clears throat]
So, what's this about?
- I'll cut to the chase, Mr. Mayor.
I'm here to brief you on a myriad of matters,
primarily Marcus LaCroix and Freeman Lake apartments.
[dramatic music]
- Nefertiti.
[sighs]
I suppose, you know by now that the riots are starting.
I assume that you also know that there are
a whole lot of people who are going to be hurt
on both sides,
but none more than the members of your organization.
- And the way that black king was
taken, killed,
disgraced,
and the blame placed on him for his own death.
You should be ashamed.
My higher ancestors must feel about you.
- Nefertiti, I had nothing to do with Marcus's death.
- You're part of the system that killed him.
- Nefertiti, I can assure you,
the mayor played no part whatsoever in Marcus's death.
Now, yes, there are other factors at play,
but they have nothing to do with this administration.
- "The Mother Earth",
it's one of Marcus's most renowned speeches.
He was so concerned about the disappearance of black women.
He'd worry constantly about me
and some of the other sisters,
because of all the attention we were stirring up.
He was so afraid that that's how the enemy would attack.
- That is such a beautiful speech.
Nefertiti, you are such an amazing writer.
I mean, did you write all of his speeches?
Look, I'm just asking because,
do you remember Ms. Bassett?
She was your English professor
when you did your undergrad at Spellman.
Okay, well it just so happens that she and I
were actually roommates when I went there
and she was the very first person who told me about you
and who you are.
And these are her words exactly.
"She has the potential to change the world."
- I know what you're trying to do.
Flattery don't move me.
Marcus was such a brilliant order
who brought all of my words to life.
We lifted each other up.
- No, no, no.
Honey, I was not trying to be disrespectful.
I wouldn't say anything to diminish Marcus' accomplishments.
Life gets so complicated sometimes.
Even this lake,
it's so beautiful on the surface,
but some say that if you listen really closely,
you can still hear the screams of our ancestors drowning.
And the saddest part is that not much has changed.
We are still drowning mentally and physically.
And these riots are going to steal away even more of us.
Nefertiti, I know that you are broken,
but right now you are the only one with the power
to have the BFM stand down
and stop what's happening in our city.
Marcus wouldn't have wanted this.
So, listen,
I am coming here woman to woman to look you in the eye
and let you know that we are sincerely sorry
about what happened to Marcus,
but honey, like it or not,
you are the new leader of this movement.
It was inevitable
that you would have to fill Marcus's shoes.
And I'm letting you know that we are going to
do everything in our power to find out who did this.
Now, you, you are a smart young woman.
So, I'm not gonna candy coat this,
and I'm gonna give it to you straight.
I will be the next mayor of the city.
Now, can you imagine?
Can you imagine two strong black women running this city,
making real change?
Not only the change that Marcus wanted,
but the change that you want for yourself
and for your child.
Yes.
You and your child.
Oh honey,
you might wanna know that you can't
hide anything from a mother.
I'm a mother of two.
You might be able to hide that little bump right now,
but honey,
there is no hiding that beautiful black magic glow
that is surrounding you.
- [sobs]
- It's okay. It's okay. It's okay.
- He would have been such a great father.
Damn, this shit is so painful.
[wails]
Now that I'm gonna have to raise another black child
who doesn't get to know his father,
or be held by his father.
This is too much.
He didn't get a chance to finish what he works so hard for.
- Then you finish it.
You finish it for Marcus.
You finish it for yourself
and you finish it for your child.
Nefertiti, you have to listen to me, okay?
For right now, right now,
it is time for you to rule, queen.
Listen to me,
it is time for you to rule, queen.
It's okay. It's okay.
[owl hooting]
- Okay, staff.
For those of you who are not aware,
Sarah Bell, who started her internship here last week,
has been reported missing.
I'm urging you all to be very careful.
Utilize the buddy system when walking over
to the parking lot at night,
stay off your phones
and remain vigilant about your surroundings.
We are beefing up our security.
However, let's all take responsibility for one another.
Please send prayers up for Sarah and her family
for her safe return.
Thank you, please be careful.
[door slams]
- Daysha, you okay?
- No, I'm not.
- There's something I want to tell you,
but I don't know how to say it without freaking you out.
- What? That you're involved?
- What? - I already figured that out.
- No, listen,
this is gonna sound crazy,
but there is this organization
full of some very powerful people who are out here,
abducting us, and playing God with our lives.
- Just stop.
Stop Shayna.
I'm going to the police.
- Sis, you don't wanna do that.
- Back up,
move any closer and I'll--
- Or you'll what?
You'll scream?
Go ahead.
We've been screaming for centuries.
Ain't nobody listening.
- What the hell is wrong with you?
- The hell is wrong with me?
What the hell is wrong with y'all? Y'all are out here asleep
and I'm over here trying to show you something,
open your eyes to some shit and you won't even let me.
- You really talk a good game about all the sisterhood shit.
Where'd you go last night, Shayna?
And you come back the next morning
with a bloody bandage around your arm.
And now this girl from the complex turns up missing?
No, you did that shit
along with everybody else that you're involved with.
- Just listen.
You can think what you want about me,
but I just want you to know we from the same tribe, sister.
- We're not from the same damn tribe.
I'm not a liar.
- What do you mean, a liar?
- You said you didn't know Eric. You lied.
You have a picture of him with his face all crossed out.
- So, you can sneak into my room, go through my shit
and I'm a liar?
You found a picture.
Now you suddenly think you have cracked the case.
Let me enlighten you, queen.
You have not even scratched the surface.
I'm trying to stop this shit. I am trying to protect you.
- Protect yourself.
[tense music]
[eerie music]
[indistinct shouting]
- [Man] Let's go.
[tense music]
- All right, everybody listen up.
Y'all know what tonight is?
- [all together] Yeah.
- No. Do y'all know what tonight is?
- [all together] Yeah.
- Tonight is war.
- [all together] Yeah. War.
- See, this here.
This here's been a long time coming.
This moment right here didn't just happen overnight.
So the blackface movement will strike home tonight.
- [all together] Yeah.
- Now, contrary to what you might believe, or was told,
Marcus was my best friend.
[Man] Talk to 'em.
- So, y'all don't believe
those divide and conquer tactics of the past now.
See, that's what they did to Huey P right?
- [all together] Right.
That's what they did to Bobby Seal. Right?
- [all together] Yeah.
But I would've died for my brother.
And he knew that.
So, tonight I'm willing to die for my brother
if that's what it takes to get justice.
- [all together] Yeah.
- To get justice.
- [all together] Yeah.
Let's go out there and show who we
and who BFM has always been.
[Woman] That's right.
- BFM.
- [all together] BFM. BFM. BFM. BFM. BFM. BFM. BFM.
[tense music]
- [Mayor] There's no way to stop what's coming.
All we can try and do is contain it
and come out with minimal damage as possible.
- It's time to issue a curfew.
- The public is gonna contest that without a doubt,
our police force just isn't strong enough
to man and enforce a curfew.
- Tell the commissioner execute standard, right protocols.
All prayers help.
Call your loved ones.
It's gonna be a long night.
[dramatic music]
- Yeah, I'm safe.
I'm in the hospital library.
I'm doing a double, so I'm spending the night.
I figured I gotta be safe here, right?
It's like a bad dream I can't seem to wake up from.
- I still can't believe you confronted her about everything.
Did you call the police yet?
- I'm gonna, I just don't have enough evidence yet.
You know black folk
ain't quick to call the police on anyone.
Shit has a way of going left real quick.
Next thing you know,
they're gonna try to make me an accomplice to that chick.
Shoot.
- Girl. You ain't never lied.
- And it's literally the craziest thing.
He was on the manifest and actually landed in Atlanta.
And then, poof, Dr. Matthews just disappeared.
- We are all over here praying
that they find him safe and sound.
The staff has taken it really hard.
- I found all these articles in her bedroom
about Eric and this Corey Bennington.
She had Eric's face crossed out like a serial killer.
I should have taken it for evidence.
- Honestly,
you need to get on a plane and get the fuck up out of there.
I don't care nothing about that contract.
I don't care about what they paying you.
You know, I always have a spot for you Daysh.
- Thank you, girl.
Break is almost over.
I'll be here tonight.
And then tomorrow I'll pack up all my things
and head on out.
- Don't you go anywhere near that apartment.
Homegirl, they wrapped too tight.
You, you need to call the police.
You need to let them handle that shit.
You done done your part.
Let them handle that Scooby-Doo shit.
- Okay. Police. I hear you.
I gotta go. Let me know if you hear anything on your side.
- Gotcha. Okay, girl. Love you. Bye.
[phone beeps]
[crickets chirping]
[dramatic music]
- [Detective Fontaned] Hey captain.
- What you got for me?
- Well, I got Bam and McNeil to both admit
that they were in Fiona Reed's apartment.
And I threw a Hail Mary,
got McNeil to confess that he was fuckin' her.
- Oh, shit.
Wow.
I taught you well, young Jedi.
- Yeah.
Well, I don't think that Bam had anything to do with it.
To be honest, I don't think McNeil did either.
Even though he happens to be a dick.
Bennington. He's at the top of my list.
- Bennington?
- Yeah.
- [Captain] Now, is this Detective Fontaned talking
or is this a compromised individual
who's trying to solve the disappearance
of his missing friend.
Listen, don't be so quick to dismiss Mr. Williams.
He could have got miss Fiona pregnant,
freaked out, had her killed.
- [Detective Fontaned] I don't get that vibe from him.
Plus 85% of the DT-45 boys are said to be sterile.
- [Captain] True that.
[girl whimpers]
FBI just sent us some more information from their lab.
- What'd they find now?
- It's about the third set of prints
and nothing on their database matches with the prints, but--
- What did you do?
- They were able to determine one thing.
- [Detective Fontaned] What?
[woman crying]
- These prints belong to a woman.
- What are you doing?
[woman crying]
[indistinct shouting]
[eerie music]