[♪ gentle music playing]
[Melissa laughs]
Do I have a New Year's resolution?
I mean, every day I watch people.
I see them on the street,
at the airport, all these different stories playing out.
[shutter snaps]
But you know what, I'm tired of watching life happen to everyone else but me.
You know this year, it's their turn to watch,
and it's my turn to start living,
even if it means making a huge mistake.
Because at least when I die
and my whole life flashes before my eyes...
I'll finally see something.
- [street noise] - [♪ gentle music playing]
[airport chatter]
- [♪ alert chimes] - [gate agent on PA] Aloha, and welcome
to Flight 408 to Hawaii. We're about five minutes from boarding,
and we have a very full flight,
so we are asking for anyone with...
Why am I doing this?
[gate agent on PA] ...please check your bag.
- Hi. - Hey. Hey.
This is more awkward than the time
I saw my fourth-grade teacher on OnlyFans.
[snickers]
You good?
I know this is your first flight,
and that's kind of a big deal.
Yeah, it's that and... [sighs]
Truth?
Last night, I told Alex I still had feelings for him.
Truth? Holy fuck. [laughs]
Uh, what'd he say?
He asked me if I loved him,
and I couldn't say the words because I was scared.
Oh, my God!
Talk about a twist. I mean, Simone Biles could never.
[giggles] Right?
Why were you scared?
I don't know.
[sighs]
Is it possible that you... don't love him?
I mean, maybe?
- If I don't, why do I feel like this? - Can I--
I'm sorry. Can I just ask the obvious question?
Why are you still going to this wedding?
- Just to punish yourself? - Everyone here,
like, came together to get me on this flight,
I don't wanna disappoint them.
Plus, I promised my mom a pound of Kona coffee,
and my niece and nephew souvenirs. It's...
I just built this trip up so much.
Well, look, I want you to fly more than anyone,
but it doesn't have to be this flight...
You don't have to go.
[Ben] Rory...
- Hey. Here you go, babe. - [Rory] Hi...
- Hey, um, uh... - Hey.
[laughs] I'm Ben.
Oh, I know. I'm Mel.
Oh, I know. [giggles]
You're the reason we go to sleep to The Office every night.
Sorry about that.
- No, you're not. [laughs] - No, I'm not. [laughs]
[gate agent on PA] We're ready to start with our priority boarding,
those in first class and anyone needing special assistance.
[Rory] Shit. Babe, we gotta beat John and Kate Plus 8.
- You coming? - Uh, I need a second.
Okay, well, don't take too long,
otherwise, your overhead's gonna be their diaper bin.
[giggles]
[sighs]
[♪ alert chime]
[gate agent] Again, with our flight being completely overbooked,
we are looking for volunteers who can opt for a later flight,
and we are now offering a $1,000 voucher.
[♪ pensive music playing]
[♪ alert chimes]
We are now offering a $2,000 voucher.
- [♪ alert chimes] - Okay, it's a $3,000 voucher
to anyone willing to give up their seat.
[Melissa on PA] Is there seriously not one dumb bitch
willing to give up their seat to save their dignity?
Some dumb bitch who's waiting for a sign from the universe
not to get on this flight?
Well, guess what?
[echoing] I'm the universe, bitch.
[♪ pensive music continues]
I'm that dumb bitch!
- [♪ music stops] - Excuse me, um...
I can give up my seat.
Okay...
- Ms. Jackson, you're flying first. - [Melissa] Yeah.
If you were to give up your seat, you'd be doing coach with layovers.
Okay.
[quietly] It's not worth it. [laughs]
This voucher, it probably won't even cover what you spent on this ticket.
Okay, well, sis, this flight is taking me
to the wedding of a man I wish I was marrying.
The wedding is tomorrow, so I'm gonna need as many stops as possible
so that way I can miss the wedding, and ensure that by the time I get there,
he's long gone.
Say less. Okay. I usually don't book like this,
unless it's for drunk anti-vaxxers.
- [typing] - How's this?
JFK to Charlotte, Charlotte to Atlanta,
Atlanta to Austin, Austin to LA,
and then LA to Maui.
You won't get to Hawaii within the next 48 hours.
- Book it. - [beep]
[ticket printing]
♪ Ooh... Ooh... ♪
[applause, cheering]
[mouthing]
[♪ vocalizing]
[applause, cheering continues]
[♪ vocalizing continues]
- [applause, cheering stops] - ♪ Lover, if you only knew ♪
♪ The times that train has fooled me, too ♪
♪ And tears me from a place I know ♪
- ♪ It helps me to surprise myself ♪ - [sighs]
[flight attendant chatter]
[bins clicking]
- Welcome. - Thank you. I--
- This is my first time flying, like, ever. - Oh wow.
- Um, 32B? - Yeah,
- straight to the back, to your right. - Thank you.
- Enjoy. Welcome. - Excuse me.
[sauce squelches]
Sorry.
Ooh, boy! Just gotta... Excuse me, sorry.
This is not at all like the simulation.
It's all a simulation.
[passenger] Yeah, I know that. You know, you're 17.
- Come on now. [giggles] - It's a bump.
That's, uh, me right there, I'm afraid.
Excuse me.
Alright.
[mutters]
It just, uh, don't even touch.
Would you like a seatbelt extender?
Yeah, yeah, thanks.
[sighs]
I believe they make these plane seat belts short
- just to mess with people. - [laughing]
That's why we bought our own. Never fly without 'em.
- Pew, pew, pew. Pew, pew, pew. - [laughs]
You guys know each other, do you want me to switch seats? Or...
- No, we're good. - Oh, mm-mm-mm-mm, no, ma'am.
We've been married 17 years, mm-hmm.
I'm a window, he's an aisle.
We usually keep an open seat for the Holy Ghost.
Oh, well, I guess I'm sitting on him.
- No, he's sitting on you. - [laughs] Okay!
Sorry, I feel like I'm spilling over into your seats.
Oh, hush. We always welcome a fellow fat.
- [laughs] - You want more room?
Uh... yeah.
- Leon. Oh. - I got it.
- [grunts] Oh... - [giggles]
- Yeah. - [attendant] Here you go.
Oh, thank you so much.
[seatbelt rattling, clicks]
Okay, now that's much better.
Good. Should've been that long to begin with.
Set those thighs free, baby.
- Get comfortable. - [laughs]
Ooh, I'll try. I-It's my first flight ever, so...
Listen, I'm a nervous flyer, too. Here's what I do.
If we hit turbulence, I look for the flight attendants.
If they don't look scared, I'm not scared. Mm?
That's a good plan.
[hydraulics whirring]
[sighs]
- [engines whir] - [PA beeps]
[attendant on PA] Flight attendants, prepare for takeoff.
[plane engine rumbling]
They should warn a girl. [nervous laugh, grunt]
[engine roaring]
- [sighs, emotional laugh] - [♪ gentle music playing]
[sighs]
[plane humming]
- [seatbelt sign chimes] - [passenger] Potato chip?
Oh, no thank you. [giggles]
So, what brings you to Charlotte?
I guess... a breakup.
I figured I'd treat myself to a getaway.
To Charlotte? You must be in a dark place.
Kind of.
Not everyone finds the aisle to their window seat.
Oh please. Do you know how long it took him
to see what he had in me?
- Four years. Mm-hmm! - No. No, no, no, no.
First, she was into me, but I wasn't into her.
Then I was into her, but then she was with Bernard.
Bernard's our dentist.
Lucky for me, he died.
- May he rest in peace. - [laughs]
Because it was at the funeral, I figured out
Ronita's the one I want eulogizing me.
She's the one I wanna be with,
the one I wanna tell my stories to,
the one I wanna make new stories with.
That's how I knew.
[Ronita giggles]
So, what happened to your guy?
- How much time do you have? - [Ronita laughs]
It was my boss,
and we dated for... a little bit.
[plane rumbles, rattles]
- Oh God... [panting] - [attendant] Ladies and gentlemen,
we are currently experiencing some turbulence.
For your safety, we kindly ask that you remain seated
with your seatbelt securely fastened. Thank you.
- [rumbling] - [Melissa yelps]
[attendant] Flight attendants, please take your seats.
[gasping] Everything is fine!
- [concerned chatter] - [gasping] Totally fine.
I wanna get off!
[Ronita] Everything's gonna be okay, dear.
Leon.
- [Leon] Ronita, I love you. - [Ronita] Love you, Leon. Oh.
- [rumbling] - [Leon and Ronita yelp]
[deep breathing]
- [PA beeps] - [captain on PA] This is your captain.
We hit some birds, but nothing to worry about, folks,
unless you were one of the birds.
I heard about the bird thing, so I guess that's normal.
[captain] The aircraft is operating normally
and we anticipate a smooth ride for the duration of our flight.
[seatbelt sign beeps]
Are you okay, honey?
It's just the flight attendant, her face, she looked so panicked.
Oh, Tracey?
Ignore her. She's got resting scared face.
Never get discount Botox.
Right.
I only give these to good fliers.
That was a pretty big rough patch.
Yeah. But now, you're on the other side.
You made it through, and you're okay.
I'm proud of you.
Thanks.
[♪ triumphant music playing]
[plane roars]
[quiet airport chatter]
Bam! Right? So then, look, she pull up on a dragon,
but her boyfriend is her uncle.
I'm like what? But, they both got dragons though.
- [phone chimes] - So, I'm wondering is the dragons related?
'Cause they got, like, dragon eggs. Bro, it's crazy. They like--
- Pow! Right? Stab him... - [line ringing]
- [phone ringing] - [giggles]
[sighs]
[Terrance on phone] So, you didn't go to the wedding.
- Nope. - Is that a good thing?
Yeah. I mean, Alex and I are over.
We've been over,
and I figured if I'm gonna take my first flight,
it probably shouldn't be to the past.
[laughs]
- [DeShawn] What you laughing at, nigga? - So, Charlotte, huh?
[Melissa] Yeah. You know, I didn't wanna waste the ticket,
so I thought I'd play a little airport hopscotch.
How about those rocking chairs?
Ugh! They are quaint as fuck!
[Terrance] Right? Downright provincial!
Now, please, please tell me you're getting Bojangles.
[Shaun mocking]
[Melissa] Get it? A bitch done got it, and gonna get it again.
- [giggles] - [Terrance] I'm proud of you.
I'm getting misty-eyed over here. Downright teary.
You know what's gonna make you tear up? For dessert...
- More Bojangles. [laughs] - ...mo' Bo-jangles. [laughs]
I don't know why you so hell-bent on making me jealous, Jackson.
[Melissa laughs]
So, where to next?
[♪ gentle music playing]
[quiet airport chatter]
[Elise] You gotta stop caring about what people think,
and start doing shit that scares you.
Hi.
I need to change my flight.
[♪ "Blues Before Midnight" by Manuel Galvin playing]
[traffic noise]
[door bells ring]
- [♪ song continues on radio] - [diner chatter]
Do you know what you want?
Oh, um... What are the specials?
- Everything's special. - Oh. [laughs] So...
You know what, I'll try the chicken and waffles.
- [griddle sizzling] - New around here, aren't you?
Is that obvious?
My friend recommended the place, so that's why I'm here.
Friend's got good taste.
[Melissa] Yeah.
You okay? You look like you saw a ghost.
I know that woman.
- Wait, you knew Elise? - Yes! Elise Robinson.
[Melissa] She, um,
she passed a while back.
Yeah, I figured I'd...
honor her by coming here.
- Well, the devil finally got her. [laughs] - [laughs] Yeah.
- When did she pass? - October.
Yeah, good for her for living that long.
She was something.
Yeah, she was.
Were you close?
- As close as she'd let me get. [laughs] - [laughs]
Yeah, we used to...
Okay!
[both laugh]
- That's a long time ago. - Mm.
At the time, I thought she was the love of my life.
Turned out I was one of many.
- Oh. Many? [laughs] - Oh yeah.
I wanted her to choose me, but she chose herself.
Oh. Sorry.
Oh [scoffs], it's nothing.
It was a good thing.
A lot of love in this world.
[laughs] She's the one who got my, uh,
bum ass to open up this diner.
Turns out, the hipsters still love their greasy spoon.
The price at least.
Elise really had a way of knowing
who she needed to push,
even if you didn't wanna hear it.
And that's what I loved about her, you know? Her fight.
[bell dings]
[grunts]
Uh, can I... tell you something?
Confess something, really. Um...
After Elise passed,
I used...
her credit card to pay for this trip.
I should call the cops.
But,
you let me have this picture,
I'll forget everything I just heard.
Thanks. You must think I'm a terrible person.
No.
You sound lost.
[♪ gentle music playing]
[inhales]
Make her proud. Hm?
- Know better, do better. [laughs] - [laughs]
Yes, sir.
Thank you.
Ooh, now that was special. [giggles]
[customer] Hell yeah. Yeah, let's do this.
[laughter, customer chatter]
- What is all that about? - Penguin bath.
White folks jump in the lake every New Year's.
- [giggles] Why? - I don't know.
Whole lot of shit they do that I don't understand.
Eggplant, shiplap, uh, freckles.
[both laugh]
- Thanks again. - Keep fightin'!
[giggles]
♪
[phone buzzes, notification chimes]
[sighs]
[laughs]
[notification chimes]
[laughs]
She didn't go to Hawaii!
- She went to Chicago! [laughs] - What the fuck?
[laughs]
Yes, bitch, you better do you. Okay, you got shit to do, too!
♪
[text bloops]
The game's afoot.
- [DeShawn] Hm? - Guess who just slid in my DMs.
- Okay, calm down, lemme see. Oh. - [Shaun] Kaya.
Jesus Christ, Shaun, have some decency.
Why you always trying to yuck my yum, bro?
What?
Are y'all planning on getting to work today at all or not?
Man, there you go, Rihanna. Work, work, work, work!
- Goddamn! - Where'd you come from?
Got two birds need blue juice, we got two unloads on the other side.
♪
[Melissa] Live from Edward's Diner and Grill!
♪
Wow.
♪
Well, I guess a bitch ain't gettin' her Kona coffee now.
♪
[host] Alright, make way, divers!
Get your feathers ready!
♪
Do one thing that scares you.
♪
Holy fucking shit!
♪
Oh! Fuck you! Oh, my God!
Oh, fuck you, Elise!
[laughs]
Woo! Woo!
Oh, hey!
Hey. [laughs] Hold it...
Ma'am, I have a scheduled pickup, and I'm therefore unable to provide
- further assistance at this time. - I'm TRAX.
I worked at JFK for almost four years.
- Oh. [giggles] - My name is Mel.
Oh, Angie. You need a lift?
You know, maybe. I got an early flight,
and I'm trying to find a good sleep spot.
Oh, well you found it.
C24 right here is the quietest gate in Terminal One.
- Oh, bet. - [Angie] Where you headed next?
New York, home.
Ugh, what I wouldn't give to work at JFK.
Bright lights, big city.
- [laughs] - Well, why don't you?
Oh, I don't wanna do it alone, that's mad terrifying.
Well, I did this trip alone.
And the shit was scary, but I did it.
And I'm glad I did. You know why?
- 'Cause I met someone. - Who?
- Me. [laughs] - [laughs] I see what you did there.
It's giving me boss bitch energy.
- Mm, it's giving me maybe. [laughs] - [laughs]
I don't know. I just graduated High Flyers,
so I'm just taking it one step at a time.
- Oh yeah, that management program. - Mm-hmm.
Maybe if I get my shit together, I can get a transfer to JFK one day.
Mm, hold up. You can transfer with that?
Yeah, girl, that's the whole point.
- [scoffs] - [phone chimes]
- [Melissa] Oh, sorry. - It's okay.
I know you aren't loving yourself that much.
Who got you smiling?
Ooh. This nigga is fine as hell.
You better shoot your shot.
[inhales]
Maybe. [laughs]
- Alright, sis. - Alright.
- Well, if you need anything, hit me up. - Okay.
And, Angie, listen. Take High Flyers.
- We could use someone like you. - Okay.
[both giggle]
[♪ upbeat music playing]
[plane roaring]
[plane idling]
[text notification chimes]
[Melissa] Ms. Jackson, after reviewing your request
for a settlement pertaining to an incident involving a METSA wardrobe,
a check for $17,000
will be sent to the address provided.
Excuse me, could you read that,
tell me what it says?
Looks like you just got $17,000.
Must be nice.
[echoing] Must be nice... Must be nice... Must be nice...
[tape rewinding]
♪ Birds flying high ♪
♪ You know how I feel ♪
♪ Sun in the sky ♪
♪ You know how I feel ♪
♪ Breeze drifting on by ♪
♪ You know how I feel ♪
♪ It's a new dawn ♪
♪ It's a new day ♪
♪ It's a new life ♪
♪ For me ♪
♪ Hoo ♪
♪ And I'm feeling good ♪
[♪ jazz music playing]
♪ Fish in the sea ♪
♪ You know how I feel ♪
♪ River running free ♪
♪ You know how I feel ♪
♪ Oh, freedom is mine ♪
♪ And I know how I feel ♪
♪ It's a new dawn, it's a new day ♪
♪ It's a new life ♪
♪ For me... ♪
♪ I'm feeling good... ♪
[♪ holds note]
- [♪ song ends] - [ding]
[attendant on PA] Ladies and gentlemen, we are making our final descent
- into JFK... - Hey, big head,
it's me. Guess what.
Ümlaüt came through with legit coin.
[laughs]
[phone] So, I guess you have one less kid to take care of.
Unless you're still cheating on Sarah,
and you got one you don't know about. [laughs]
Oh, did Mom tell you about Julissa?
She lost a foot.
- Anyway, love you, dummy. - [nervous laugh]
I guess I can say it. I love you.
[flight attendant] Ma'am. Airplane mode.
Oh, yes. [giggles]
On a plane, so...
[plane roaring]
And honestly, nothing wakes you up more than a penguin dive.
It's cold as hell, but I think I might do it every year.
You should absolutely--
What part of my face looks like I care? So I can tell my plastic surgeon.
For what it's worth, it really is a cool story,
and I'm sure somebody will wanna hear it.
[♪ bright hip-hop playing]
[♪ music picks up]
[inaudible]
- [♪ music stops] - [gasps]
- [crowd murmuring] - [Melissa] What the fuck, Timothy.
I told you I worked here! Jesus--
- Relax. - You have the right to remain silent.
Wh-What did I do?
You're under arrest for credit card fraud.
That's forgery, identity theft, and grand larceny.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, that's gotta be some kinda mistake, Officer. Mel, what--
- I'll explain later. - [♪ "Feeling Good" by Nina Simon playing]
[♪ vocalizing]
[snickering]
[♪ vocalizing]
- [sniffling] - ♪ I'm feeling good ♪
[♪ holds note]
♪
♪ Fish in the sea ♪
♪ You know how I feel ♪
♪ River running free ♪
♪ You know how I feel ♪
♪ Blossom on the street ♪
♪ You know how I feel ♪
♪ It's a new dawn ♪
♪ It's a new day ♪
♪ It's a new life ♪