And so we are gonna have
a beautiful, fancy pianist at the ceremony, Ms. Ella.
And then...
And then DJ Beat Box for the reception.
[laughing]
Go ahead, babe! Get it! Get it!
[Ella] Wait, wait, wait.
They're not gonna play anything inappropriate, are they?
Oh, no, Ms. Ella, of course not.
Well, not till after 10:00, when the old folks have left.
Old folks? Ha! I know you talking about me.
But I'll have you know, baby,
I've been known to shake, shake, shake
a tail feather or two, two, two.
Shake, shake a tail feather or two, two, two.
Excuse me. There was only coffee in that mug, right?
Curtis, you know what?
I have camcorder tapes of you
doing way worse than I, I, will ever, ever do, do, do...
Woman. Please. Ms. Do-Do.
Please come on, let's go. I got things to do.
Eating chips in front of the TV
is not things to do.
Ms. Ella, before you leave,
I want you to check out these menus
that the caterers were considering for our reception.
Okay, all right. These are they?
Yes, these are they.
Okay, oh, now this sounds nice.
-[Laura] Mm-hmm. -[Ella] Is this chicken breasts?
So we're going for, uh, uh... Babe, what was it?
We're going for elegant simplicity.
That.
What the hell is this stuff?
I don't know what half of this stuff is.
Mr. Payne, you cannot be afraid to try something new.
Look, you might find something on there that you like.
Or I might upchuck.
Wow, you know what? All of this sounds amazing.
-Thank you. -[Ella] Yes.
Well, I think you could use...
I think, if you don't have anything nice to say,
don't say nothing at all.
Well, in that case...
Curtis.
[theme music]
[fire hydrant spraying]
[birds chirping]
[airplane flying]
[car alarm blaring] [horn honking]
[fireworks whistling, bursting]
[siren wailing]
[music]
I got it.
Curtis.
That wasn't very nice.
Oh, I'm sorry, baby.
I'm talking about at Calvin's.
Curtis, you could not find one nice thing to say
about the menus?
No.
Okay, Curtis, Calvin and Laura
need our support,
not our criticism.
Baby, I know that, okay? And I'm trying.
I really am.
The truth is none of those menus were good enough.
Okay, baby, what are you talking about?
Baby, there was nothing special about that food.
Now, come on now. You know that.
There wasn't no soul, no love in them.
So if that's how you feel, baby,
why didn't you try to make some type of helpful suggestions?
[grunting]
Okay, so what do you suggest I do?
Huh, I mean, what you want me to do?
If they wanna go throwing money at caterers and, yeah...
Hey.
Mm-mm, what?
Baby, I could cater their wedding.
-[Ella] Curtis . -Everybody know
I put the "cue" in "barbecue," ya heard me?
Baby, catering a wedding is not a joking matter, babe.
Okay? That's a lot of people.
Nobody cares about that, baby.
Didn't I... Do you remember
I made a feast for Floyd's family reunion?
-Didn't I do it? -Yes, you did.
And you ran out of ribs.
I'm just saying.
Baby, that's the way it works with a good barbecue joint.
Okay, you gotta get there early, you heard me?
I mean, there's only so much room on the smoker.
Come on now.
Everybody know that.
Besides, everybody got fed, didn't they?
Yeah, and you bought a bucket of chicken.
If you'll excuse me,
I have a menu to prepare.
Curtis...
[music]
Come on.
Hey. What took you guys so long? How was school?
What took so long is they took forever
coming out to the carpool lane.
Ms. Johnson wanted to talk to us.
And guess what, Dad?
I got a part in the Black History Month program.
We got parts.
Woah, now that is amazing. Congratulations.
I know you guys are gonna knock it out of the park.
[apathetically] Woo-hoo.
Are you already getting into character
or are you just not excited about this, Jayden?
Jayden has stage fright!
Shut up, Hayden!
Ho, ho, wait, wait. We don't do that here.
Okay, Hayden, wash your hands and eat your sandwich.
Come on, big guy. Let me talk to you.
-All right. -Jayden, what part you playing?
Frederick Douglass.
And I'm Sojourner Truth. "Ain't I a woman?"
No, you are not. And stop ear-hustling.
So, buddy, uh, Frederick Douglass?
Man, he was really important.
Mm-hmm, that's true.
I actually just wrote a paper on him
for my African American studies class.
I know how important he is.
That's why I'm so nervous. What if I mess it up?
You probably will.
Just kidding, bro.
Tell me more about the part.
I have to give a speech.
-Ooh. -[C.J.] Yeah, wow.
-That's a lot. -[Jazmine] Mm-hmm.
Okay, well, listen, man.
Frederick Douglass was amazing and some say
that he was the father of the abolitionist movement.
Mm-hmm, who knows where we'd be without his contribution.
Not helping. I'm gonna go hide under my bed until this is over.
Well, listen, today happens to be your lucky day
because your dad knows a lot about Frederick Douglass,
and it sounds like your sister does too.
Thanks, you guys, I really do.
And we gonna help you get ready too, little girl.
Oh, no, thanks. I was born ready.
I can't with her.
I can't.
Here are the rest. Off the printer.
-Thank you, baby. -[Ella] You're welcome.
Love that smell.
[knocking on door]
-Coming. -[Curtis] Just in time.
-I got it, I got it. -[Ella] Okay.
Hold up. Hold on, y'all.
Okay.
Hello. Come in, come in.
-Hey, Pop. -Come in.
-Sit yourself down. -What was so urgent?
Can I get you something to drink?
Uh, sure. I'll have a water, Ms. Ella, thank you so much.
[Ella] Water?
Baby, don't worry. I won't start without you.
Please, don't stop on my account.
Okay. Y'all sit down.
Okay, all right, okay.
Okay.
Okay, first of all, first thing
I'm gonna do, I'm gonna apologize
for my behavior earlier.
Oh, my God. Dad, are you dying?
You sound like you trying to get right with God to me.
I am not dying.
I just... I realize I was a little rude, okay,
and unprofessional.
Unprofessional?
What?
Yeah, to my everlasting shame.
Uh, it's cool, Pop.
Yeah, Mr. Payne, it's fine, no worries.
Okay, so we good?
-We good. -[Calvin] Yeah, of course.
I like it. Okay.
Okay, um, I wanna run something by you, okay?
-Okay, sure. -Okay.
Bam.
-This for us? -[Ella] Mm-hmm.
-Thank you, baby. -Thank you, Ms. Ella.
You're welcome, you're welcome.
-Where we get all this? -Curtis, continue.
Thank you, baby.
-Your momma. -Thank you.
Bam.
Bam?
Pop, this is a receipt for a bulk order
of milk of magnesia.
What?
I'm sorry, baby. That's your momma's.
Turn it over.
The lies you tell.
You know I don't waste paper.
Woah, when is the cookout 'cause I am so there.
Huh, you wanna go there?
-Let me see. -[Calvin] Yeah.
Ooh, wait a minute now.
-What? -Oh, this looks delicious.
You wanna sit at that table?
I wanna sit at all the tables.
-You need a couple napkins. -I need all the napkins.
Why don't you tell them what it's for, Curtis?
Baby, why don't you stop interrupting my sales pitch?
What is this?
You two are looking at the new menu for your wedding.
-Oh. -Oh.
Yeah, see, we already sent in the down payment
with another caterer, Pop.
Yeah.
[music]
What the hell are y'all talking about?
I mean, we was just talking about this a few hours ago.
I know, Mr. Payne,
but when you guys left, we sent the deposit in.
I'm sorry, Pop, I didn't even...
We didn't even know you wanted to do it.
It's all right, son, I guess you didn't know
your dad, who's a barbecue-ologist
in the food industry,
would wanna make food for people.
Well, I... I, uh...
Curtis, it's okay.
It's like I said earlier.
You have never catered for a wedding.
So what, Ella?
Cooking food is cooking food,
whether it's for one person or 100.
But it's 200, actually.
Laura has a big family, Pop.
Yeah.
Baby, baby, do you remember I cooked for the church function?
Yes, Curtis, and you ran out of food for that too.
Doggone it, Ella.
What the hell? Are you keeping a list?
Look, I'm telling you. Hand before God, I can do this.
Look, Pop, like Mom said,
you don't do weddings.
Okay. You're right.
I don't do weddings.
So I guess that mean I won't be doing yours.
[music]
-Morning. -Hey, Dad.
Where the twins at?
They ready. They just grabbing their book bags.
Okay. The still, they working on they speeches?
Hayden hasn't started and Jayden hasn't stopped.
What?
You know they only got a couple more days
before they gotta do this. Hayden! Jayden!
You guys ready for school?
-Sure. -Sure.
What about rehearsal?
-Well... -Can't wait.
All the practicing I've done has been a really big help.
That's right, I've been seeing you.
That's amazing, Son.
I see how much work you put in. I'm proud of you.
Thanks, Dad.
Well, Ms. Lady?
You don't sound too upbeat about all of this.
What's going on?
No, it's fine, Dad, terrific.
More like horrific.
-Jayden! -It's true, Dad.
Well, let me hear it.
My name is Sojourner Truth.
I was born a slave in...
1797.
1797 in... Ohio?
Ulster County, New York.
I was an abolitionist.
And that's it.
Needs a little bit more than that, baby girl.
No, I mean, that's all I know.
-Hayden. -I'm sorry, Dad.
It's okay. All right, come here.
Hayden, there's still time for you to learn it.
I will even help too.
I won't make fun of you, I promise.
Thanks, guys.
Now, that's what families are for.
You know, I know there are a lot of people telling you guys
how smart and talented you are.
Yeah, I thought that would be enough.
No. No, Hayden.
See, baby, there's a lot of people out there
who are really talented,
but they can't make their dreams come true
'cause they don't put in the work.
That's so true. Talent will only take you so far.
Yeah.
Because Jayden was terrible.
Hey.
But then you worked hard and got really good.
I did, didn't I?
So what you wanna do?
Put in the work.
-That's what I'm talking about. -[Jasmine] Mm-hmm.
So, babe, you got plans today?
Oh, yeah, baby.
I was thinking,
I think you should call Calvin
and apologize. Give me your cup.
Apologize for what?
Oh, yeah, that's right, for not believing in him.
But, wait, it's me that he didn't believe in.
That's not the way it happened, Curtis,
and you know it.
Oh, do I?
Yes, baby, for one thing,
you took this way too personally.
Since it was me, personally, who was insulted.
Calvin and Laura did not insult you, Curtis.
They didn't. Babe.
This is their special day, not yours.
So they should have a right to choose what they want.
Yes, Ella, they should.
But I guess I'm just a little hurt
that they didn't want to choose me.
Curtis, that is no reflection on your cooking.
Oh, see, you ain't got to tell me that.
I know my barbecue is good.
Lord knows, Curtis, that's the point that I'm making.
You're still making this about you.
So what, Ella? So?
So, okay, Curtis.
Did you ever stop to ask Calvin and Laura
what they wanna serve at their wedding?
-No. -[Ella] Okay.
I know your brisket is good and your ribs are too.
And don't forget my potato salad.
With bacon in it.
But did you think about what they may want?
Well... Okay.
Said they wanted crab cakes.
Right.
I could make rib cakes.
No, think again. Think harder.
Nobody want rib cakes.
Call them, baby.
[grunts]
Apologize.
Let's go.
-Yes, yes, big fella! -Come on, take your bow.
You are too kind.
Yes, that's my man.
He put in the work.
-Let me get some. -[Jasmine] Give me one.
Okay, young lady, you are up next.
Oh, don't be nervous.
You been practicing like crazy.
My name is Sojourner Truth.
I was born a slave in 1797 in Ulster County, New York.
I was an abolitionist, a suffragist, and an...
Come on, you got it.
Author!
-Yes! -[Jasmine] Yes! Let's go!
-[C.J.] There she is. -[Jasmine] Let's go.
There she is. I gotta get some.
I gotta get some. Yes.
Give me one too.
-Come on. -I got it, I got it.
You expecting somebody?
This late? [scoffing]
No, I am not expecting anybody this late.
You know what they say, the freaks come out at night.
I thought it might be one of your friends.
-[Ella] Oh, hi. Hello. -How you doing?
Hi, Mr. Payne.
Oh, it's you.
Uh, we're sorry to barge in on you guys like this,
but we have been doing some thinking.
[Ella] Excuse me, baby.
Yeah, and we wanted to say sorry
if you were offended.
Yes, because that definitely was not our intention.
Well, I definitely was offended.
I mean, Calvin, you been eating
my delicious food your whole life.
And it hurt me, you didn't even think about me.
Dad, we know, and you are right.
Will you forgive us?
Pretty please.
I suppose.
Aw, isn't that sweet?
Yeah.
Curtis.
Yes. Um, and I guess, possibly,
little slight chance
that I may have taken things a little personal.
-Wow. -And we got one more thing.
You know that we having a rehearsal dinner.
That's right.
And it's gonna be a meet-and-greet
for both of our families.
Sounds exciting.
No?
What? And what?
And we want you to cater it.
-[Laura] Yes! -Oh, wow.
They want me to cater the after-party after the party.
Okay.
And it sounds like a consolation prize.
I think it's a wonderful idea.
And you know Laura's famous uncle is gonna be there.
Mm-hmm, that's right.
Does the name Terry Foshay mean anything to you?
Never heard of him.
Oh! [scoffs]
-Mr. Payne. -Okay.
You mean Terry Foshay, the NFL Hall-of-Famer?
-Yes! -I don't know Terry Foshay.
He will be there, and you know what?
I think he is gonna become a big fan of your work.
You talking about how I cook?
-Yes. -Okay.
I'm talking about when he try your food.
Okay, you think he might like it?
Oh, he gonna love it.
He might like it.
-Okay! Okay. I'm in. -[Laura] Yes.
-[Laura] All right. -I'm in, huh?
Yes, yes, yes. Mom's famous pound cake.
Thank you, Calvin.
Aww, that looks so good.
-Thank you, baby. -Here you go, baby.
-Thank you, baby. -My goodness.
-Thank you. -Thank you, Calvin.
Thank you.
You know what I was thinking?
What's that?
I bet I can make a wonderful wedding cake for you two.
-Uh... -Mm-hmm!
-I could put strawberries in it. -[Curtis] Ooh, baby.
Chocolate on top. White chocolate.
You know, I can drizzle with the...
Let me just think. What can I do?
Um, Ms. Ella, we already hired a bakery.
That's done.
Oh, okay, then.
Yeah, baby, don't take it too personal.
That's what it is, their wedding after all.
No, I know it's their wedding. I hear that.
-[Calvin] Mom. -Ms. Ella.
No, that's all right.
You want to make the cake, you can make the cake.
No, no, no, I don't have to make your funky wedding cake.
[music]
[BET theme]