"Previously on "Being Mary Jane"..." "We're gonna keep this a secret... from everyone." "We're kind of on shaky ground at work, so..." "So, we wait." "AMIKA:" "What are you doin'?" "NIECY:" "I'm changing my search to New York." "Havin' a long-distance with some New York Negro ain't gonna feed your kids." "HELEN:" "Something is up." "Sorry I haven't been able to get more out of her." "You could go visit her." "HELEN:" "Oh, no, I can't do New York." "But you could, Niecy." "God, it's so great to have you back!" "I'm still in shock." "Listen, not only do I have my job back, but Garrett bumped me to senior producer." "I don't know what you did, girl, but, oh, my God..." " Oh, no, no, I didn't..." " Just shhhh!" "Just accept my thanks, already, please, okay?" "BOTH:" "[laughing]" "MARY JANE:" "You are willing to share your title with her?" "I thought that meant so much to you." "♪♪" "♪♪" "[knock at door]" "Emergency meeting." "Let's go." " After you two." " JUSTIN: [clears throat]" "Kara..." "AARON:" "Justin, you look tired." "Late night?" " KARA: [roaring]" " GARRETT:" "Oh, Kara, get..." "Our main goal at the moment is to reverse the ratings slide the show experienced during the somewhat bumpy transition from Ronda to the lovely Mary Jane here." "Our numbers still aren't where we would want them to be, but when you look at the demos, there are some promising trends." "With that said, I would like to formally welcome" ""Great Day USA" 's newest correspondent, Dani Hollins." "[clapping hands]" "Dani, anything you'd like to add?" "Just how wonderfully excited I am to be here." "I mean, last week, I was making YouTube videos off of my iPhone and look at me now!" "GARRETT  DANI:" "[laugh]" " Miracles really do happen." " GARRETT:" "Yeah." "Well, anyway, I wanna do a great job here and learn from each and every one of y'all." "GARRETT:" "[clapping hands]" "Oh." "GARRETT:" "Today also marks the return of producer Kara Lynch." "ALL:" "[applauding]" "GARRETT:" "Kara, we all make mistakes." "But your work as a producer here at "GDU" was invaluable, and I, for one, am thrilled to welcome you back into the fold." "You're screwing him!" " Kara, I wanted to tell you." " Don't give me that shit, okay?" "Because the fact that you didn't tell me means that you knew that you were wrong." "You dumped Lee for that piece of shit, snake-in-the-grass who had me fired?" "Yeah, that snake also got you your job back." "Yeah, that was Justin, not me." "That's because you told him to." "What were you thinking?" "This is insanity." "Kara, we're trying to keep this quiet at work." "We just need a little more time to get on better footing with Garrett, okay?" "Please?" "You know what?" "It took me all of five minutes to figure it out, so... [clicks tongue] good luck with that one." "MARY JANE:" "Kara knows." "We've gotta make sure that she keeps this under wraps." "I've got Garrett's ear now." "Any rumor about the two of us could jeopardize that." "Kara wouldn't betray me." "Can you be certain of that?" "[cell phone bings]" "Oh." "It's Garrett." "Conference room." "♪♪" " KARA:" "Oh." " GARRETT: [clears throat]" "Have a seat, you two." "♪♪" " Excuse me." " JUSTIN:" "Oh." "GARRETT:" "Emma." "Hey, guys." "GARRETT:" "[clears throat]" "So, we have a big problem." "We are all God's children, but I would be shirking my responsibility if I did not call out this sin and perversion." "If a man locks lips with another man, or, Heaven forbid, touch his penis, you are going to hell!" " KARA:" "Wow." "Isn't that..." " Sandra Curtis." "Television's premiere home-decorating diva slated to appear on "GDU" to launch the viewer home makeover contest." "MARY JANE:" "Yeah, I mean, the contest is huge." "It's multiple segments airing over four weeks." "GARRETT:" "Exactly, and because this is a delicate issue," "I've invited Aaliyah from PR and brand strategy." "So, what do you all think?" "Should we dis-invite Sandra Curtis?" " Absolutely." " I agree." "You know, she's toast." "She's Paula Deen 2.0." "[palm slap]" " DANI: [sighs]" " Dani, you disagree?" "I do, and not just because it's my segment." "It's censorship." "You're taking away this woman's right to freedom of speech, freedom of religion." "This fool is about to be the next Martha Stewart mogul and she's got nothing better to do than to rag on lesbians and gays at her coffee klatch?" "Well, if you're a Christian, that follows the teachings of the Bible." "KARA:" "If you're a Christian who follows the teachings of the Bible, you shouldn't be judging anybody anyway." "Garrett, it's too controversial." "DANI:" "Controversy draws viewers, and she has a huge following." "It could be a ratings bonanza." "The only discussion we should be having here is what are we gonna replace that home makeover contest with?" "The segment is gone." "We can do better, okay?" "Right, Justin?" "I actually agree with Dani." "I think we should have her on." "If Trump's surprise victory taught us anything, it's that we cannot squash the conversation and ignore what's going on out there, otherwise, we end up just getting blindsided." "Yep." "JUSTIN:" "Fox News has done some vital reporting on this subject." "You don't really believe that, do you?" "Chris Wallace, and others, have called out this administration's disinformation campaign, and I think they deserve credit for that." "GARRETT:" "Justin might be right." "Many in America still agree with Sandra." "Yeah, just like the church-going people in your community, Mary Jane." "Oh, I didn't realize you were an expert on the Black community." "Look, all due respect, Garrett, this debate is lunacy." "GARRETT:" "Aaliyah, what's your opinion?" "Will this hurt us?" "Her social media followers are already defecting." "Her network is this close to axing her." "As the story grows, it's only gonna get worse." "Having Sandra Curtis on "GDU" would be a PR nightmare." "I don't think it's worth the risk." "GARRETT:" "Fine." "She's axed." "Provisionally." "Now we need to come up with a replacement segment, something with legs." "So, if you think you can, in Mary Jane's words," ""do better," you have until the end of the day to prove it." "MARY JANE:" "So, what happened to us being a united front?" "That is the aim." "But in practice, it's gonna be a little bit tricky." "Yeah, now that I know you watch Fox News." "Does that mean I cannot add "Fox  Friends" to your DVR?" "♪♪" "♪♪" "Just wait here." "I'll go get Ms. Paul." "NIECY:" "Okay, thanks." "♪ Drinking Henny out the bottle ♪" "♪ Ooh ♪" "Oh." "Don't mind if I do." "♪ All that talking, I hear nada ♪" "♪ Nothing ♪" "♪ When every... want you ♪ [gasping] Auntie!" "Oh, I've gotta take a picture." "♪ All these haters actin' reckless ♪" "♪ But what the..." "They gon' do ♪" " [cell phone camera clicking] - ♪ They won't do nada ♪" "MARY JANE:" "Oh, Niecy!" "Auntie!" "MARY JANE:" "Welcome!" "NIECY:" "Hi!" "It's so good to see you." "Oh." "This is so cool." "Everything looks so different." "Right." "I wish I had time to give you the full tour," " but we are in a crisis." " Oh, no, it's cool." "I already checked everything out anyway." "Oh, good." "Well, I've made arrangements" " for you to see all the sights..." " What?" "The Empire State Building, the 9/11 Memorial, the MOMA." " I even got you a torch ticket." " Torch ticket?" "Oh, yeah, you get to walk around the Statue of Liberty's torch." "Most people have to wait a year to get those tickets." "Girl, that's too cool." "Go." "Enjoy." "Have a good time." "I will, but I'll see you tonight, right?" " Yeah." "Of course." " Okay." "I'm so glad you're here." "Yeah." "I don't even know what to do first." "All of it." "Let me take that." " All right." " I gotcha." " Be careful." " See you later." "♪♪" "♪♪" "That is amazing." "I owe you big time." "Thank you." "Okay, bye." "Garrett." "Mm?" "I found a replacement for the Sandra Curtis story." "Wow, you work quick." "Who is it?" "James Bond." "As in Daniel Craig, the actor?" "As in the new "Bond" girl, Anastasia Petrov." " GARRETT:" "Mary Jane." " Yeah." "Did you hear this?" "Kara got a lead on the new "Bond" girl, the Russian supermodel." "An exclusive, actually." "She just landed a lead role in the next Spielberg movie, and she's starring opposite Will Smith in his next blockbuster." "Well, that's perfect." "I mean, come on." "You've got James Bond, you've got Will Smith, Spielberg." "It doesn't get any more A-list than that." " Yeah." " DANI:" "I'm sorry." "Are we really gonna scrap a segment that could be an important piece of social commentary for some Russian Amazon that no one's ever heard of?" "Look, that Russian chick is obviously the next big Hollywood "It Girl," and we got her first." "I mean, I'm sorry, correction." "Kara got her first." "I'm inclined to agree with you." "Uh, Justin, um, do you wanna weigh in on this?" "Uh..." "weigh in on what?" "We're trying to decide between Sandra Curtis and the, uh, new "Bond" girl." "Well, look, uh, the "Bond" girl definitely has some heat." "But I did hear that Diane Sawyer's been sniffing around for an exclusive with Sandra Curtis." "Now, we have the jump because we already have her booked for the makeover segment." "I just don't think that we should be scared of a little controversy." "Well, then, I think the choice is obvious." "We will move forward with the Sandra Curtis" " interview as planned." " DANI:" "Awesome." "GARRETT:" "Mary Jane will do it." "Oh, but the home makeover segment was my assignment." "No, no, no, it's a hot-button political and social issue now." "That's different." "Justin, uh, you can work up some questions?" "Sure, but you know, uh, Kara doesn't have a segment in the 7:00 o'clock hour, so maybe she can do it." "GARRETT:" "Oh, no, Kara's gonna do the consumer report segment with Emma." "You're okay with that, right, Kara?" "I'll get right on it." " GARRETT:" "Great." " KARA:" "Yeah." "♪♪" "♪♪" "♪♪" "♪♪ *BEING MARY JANE* Season 04 Episode 13 Title: "Feeling Exposed"" "♪ Oh oh oh ♪" "No, nothing yet, Grandma, but I'm watching her like a hawk." "Gotta trust." "[laughs]" "Whatever Auntie is hiding," "I'ma get to the bottom of it." "Don't worry, okay?" "All right, I'll talk to you later." "Kiss Isabelle and Treyvion for me, okay?" "Love you." "Bye." "♪ Eat bacon and ice cream hoppin' ♪" "♪ A time machine ♪" "Go ahead, give it a try." "Okay, let me see what this hitting' on." "Well, what you think?" " It's a'ight." " It's a'ight?" "It's a'ight." "This is authentic, New York City pizza." "It don't get no better than that." " Mm-hm. [laughs]" " I blame that response on the lack of culture down there in ATL." " Oh, lack of culture." " Uh-huh." "Akili, do you mind if we take a seat for a little bit?" "Oh, yeah, of course." "Here, have a seat." "So, how are you?" "These are the wrong shoes for all this walkin'." "You ever think about buyin' a car?" "A car?" "In New York City?" "Nah, cars are for rich people." "But in Atlanta, you'd be hard-pressed gettin' around without a vehicle, okay?" "MAN:" "A rose for your lady?" " How much?" " MAN:" "One dollar." " This is for you." " Thank you." "No problem." "You know what?" "I knew that's why this park looked familiar." "This is where Sidney and Dre ate hot dogs in "Brown Sugar."" " You want a picture?" " Yeah." "There we go." " [phone camera clicking]" " AKILI:" "One more." "Check those out." "Thank you." "Mm-hm." "[kisses]" "♪♪" "What's all this?" "The consumer report segment." "Are toilet paper brands telling the truth about their sheet count?" "We find out on "Great Day USA."" "Oh..." "From "Bond" girl to two-ply." " Kara, I'm..." " Save it." "The only reason I'm stuck in the toilet paper doghouse is because Garrett thinks his golden boy Justin can do no wrong." "So, I wonder what's gonna happen when he finds out what the two of you have been doing behind his back." "Kara, you wouldn't." "Kara." "♪♪" "♪ Yeah ♪" "♪ That's right, babe ♪" "♪ That's right, babe ♪" "♪ That's right, babe ♪" "♪ Yeah ♪" "NIECY:" "Uh... no offense, but your neighborhood's a little ratchet." " AKILI: [laughs]" " You sure it's safe?" "You see the White folks out there?" "Gentrification at work." "Ah, good point." "You know, in Atlanta, it's either nice or 'hood." "Take a seat and I'll get you a drink, okay?" "♪ You be acting like you on one ♪" "♪ You be acting like you don't want it ♪" "♪ How you gon' lie to me ♪" "♪ Don't I stay a hundred if it's some over ♪" "♪ It's something like you on top of me right now ♪" "♪ Breathin' on me and I'm breathin' on you ♪ [phone camera clicking]" "♪ It's like making love ♪" "♪ But it's more like making magic ♪" "♪ We be stopping traffic ♪" "♪ We be going this hard ♪" "♪ Oh but you already knew that ♪" " Thank you." " Mm-hm." "♪ You already knew that ♪" "♪ You already knew that, girl ♪" "♪ You already knew that ♪" "♪ But you already knew that ♪" "♪ You already knew that, girl ♪" "♪ Yeah yeah ♪" "♪ Oh oh oh oh oh ♪" "♪ Oh oh oh oh oh oh ♪" "MARY JANE:" "[laughs]" "She's gonna tell Garrett." "What makes you so sure?" "Her team is literally unspooling toilet paper right now, all because you opted to side with Dani." "We need to get back on the scoreboard." "Sandra Curtis can do that for us." "And I did not side with Dani, I agreed with her, but for very different reasons." "MARY JANE:" "Mm-hm." "JUSTIN:" "Look... our heads are spinning, all right?" "Let's just go back to your place." " Let's get something to eat." " My niece is in town." "Oh..." "Yeah, I forgot." "Okay." "So, we'll focus on the interview." "That's key." "We get a homerun with Sandra Curtis, then you'll have Garrett eating out of the palm of your hand." "And then we can spring it on him." "If we don't turn the tide, I'm next on the chopping block, and I will be damned if I give Ronda that satisfaction." "Garrett's main concern is the ratings." "All we need to do is promote the hell out of this interview." "How?" "There's no time, Justin." "The network's gonna throw together their usual 30-second spot and that's it." "You don't need a spot." "We can certainly milk the controversy around her comments." "But this is the age of the ground game." "We need something that's gonna create the same kind of buzz as her rant..." " ♪ GotYouBitch. ♪" " Okay." "JUSTIN:" "[laughs]" "All right, you got something?" "How bad do you want it?" "By any means necessary?" "Yes." "Well, no, wait, no, no." "Well, I..." "Just promise us one thing." "Our hands remain clean." "No fingerprints." "Leave it to me." "[glasses clink]" "Oh, you're about to get it." "Here we go." " MEN: [laughing]" " Yeah." "MEN:" "[laughing]" "ORLANDO:" "Are you kidding me?" "Hit the button right now." " [game bell ringing]" " You missed it." "Come on!" "KARA:" "Are you kidding me right now?" "Is this my Mofongo?" "ORLANDO:" "I don't know." "Is this my leftover Mofongo, yes or no?" "I told you I was gonna have this for dinner tonight." "Don't touch anything!" "All right, we're gonna let you two do your thing." "Later, Orlando, Kara." " Go." " Vamos." "KARA:" "[heavy sigh] [door closes]" "They even got into my freakin' secret stash over here, all up in my damn refrigerator!" "Pepperoni." "You do remember me." "Mm-hm." "Babe, I don't understand." "Why do you guys insist on hanging out in my apartment, when you have that huge penthouse with all those fancy electronics?" "Isn't it obvious?" "We don't have all this delicious food." "[laughing] I'm sorry." " You..." " Baby... come here, come here." "KARA: [sighing] [kisses]" "How was your first day back?" "Hell." "[heavy sigh]" "The demonio was there." "[quiet laugh]" "You know what else I found out today?" "Mary Jane is sleeping with Justin." " What?" " Yep." "That's why she broke up with Lee." "Yep." "And I lost a story because of it." "Shit." "Yep." "I mean, that's the... that's the guy that got me fired, you know?" "Where is her friendship?" "Where is her loyalty?" "And Garrett's treating me like I'm a damn stranger, like he doesn't even know who I am." "Hey, you got the job back." "Your rep's intact." "You've been wanting to make a move to nightly news." "[heavy sigh]" "Maybe do it now." "And start all the way from the bottom?" "No." "I just got promoted to senior producer." "Babe, maybe you can court Garrett, huh?" "Invite him to a game, maybe even an after-party." " I don't know." " Come on." "You can show Mr. Repressed how you have fun." "You know I don't like to hang out with fans after the game, when I'm all keyed up." "Come on, can you imagine my cousin Marco and Garrett hangin' out in the same room together?" "You need to leave those clowns at home, okay?" "Listen to me." "Baby, listen to me." "Garrett knows a lot of people." "You need to think about this like your down payment for your future broadcasting career." "Baby, this could be a win-win for both of us." "Think about it." "I really need this, Papi." "I really need this." "All right." "You'd better remember me in your memoirs." "Oh, baby, you're gonna get a whole chapter." "[laughs]" "♪♪" "Now, if you'll excuse me," "I am going to go and disintegrate with my pizza... into a hot bath." "Papi, if you rub my back, you can join me." "[knock at door]" " Hi." " Hi." "Auntie, oh, my goodness, this is gorgeous." "Well, thank you, baby girl." "I know you must be exhausted from all that sightseeing." "You had a long day." "Yeah, well, it was amazing." "I cannot wait to show you all the pictures." "Well, make yourself at home." "Okay." "Where's the guest room?" "Oh, this is it." "Oh, but I thought you were makin' bait now." "This place costs twice as much as the old one." "But it's smaller." "You got played." "No, you don't understand New York real estate." "This is the goddess treatment." "Mm, well, even the Cosbys had a guest room." "Well, the Cosby house is actually not far from here, if you wanna go see it." "What?" "You just seem different than what I expected." "And what were you expecting?" "For you to be all salty and soap opera-like." "Because of Lee?" "Oh, honey, when you've had as many break-ups as I have, you develop a thick skin." "Hm, that's not my experience, but if you say so." "[cell phone ringing]" " Oh!" " Yeah." "Is that the guy from your office?" "Yeah, Justin, Justin, uh-huh." "You know, but I'm not discussing work right now." "This is family time." " You want some hot cocoa?" " Yeah." " I've got salted caramel." " Okay." " Okay." " Okay." "Um, why is he facetiming you if it's for work?" "♪♪" "Justin, Mary Jane, have you seen this article?" "[clears throat]" ""Home  Garden Guru Sandra Curtis'" "Secret Lesbian Past Revealed."" ""Homemaking Homophobe's Hidden Lesbian History."" ""Decorating Diva Loves the Carpet and the Drapes."" "All right, this is begging for a segment on fake news stories." "It's really, really gotten outta hand." "Yeah, now Sandra wants to use your interview to clear up this rumor." "Oh, yeah, I don't..." "I don't know." "I mean..." "Maybe this gives us the ratings boost we need, though." "Urnalists are we?" "We are literally generating fake news." "We didn't generate this, remember?" "Not directly." "Look, this woman's comments are vile." "Don't waste your guilt on her." "Do you use a high-powered microscope to split those hairs or..." "She's gonna come on the show." "She's gonna dispel the rumors, and a lot of people who don't normally watch the show will." "I wish this just didn't leave such a bad taste in my mouth." "It's a means to an end, right?" "Right?" "Right." "Good." "Now if we can just get Kara to keep her mouth shut in the meantime." "Popular culture wants to normalize this behavior." "But our young people need to know if they allow themselves to be seduced by the evil homosexual spirits, they will be subjected to eternal damnation." "TY:" "Ugh." "Oh, I'm sorry." "I was just taking some additional notes." "Please." "That woman didn't say nothing" "I haven't heard from my parents every damn day since I came out." "I'm sorry to hear that." "Don't be." "Just bury that bitch." "SANDRA CURTIS:" "I have never, in my entire life, been involved with a woman "that" way." "But what would you say to those who... found your comments in that video to be hateful and anti-gay?" "JUSTIN:" "That's good." "Don't let her off the hook." "Go hard, but keep it respectful." "I was raised to believe strongly in the word of Christ." "The Bible is very consistent." "Homosexual acts are a sin." "The Bible also forbids tattoos, and the wearing of mixed fabrics, and eating pork, premarital sex, the seeding of lawns." "Do you also take those condemnations literally?" "People in the African-American community who share similar religious views as mine feel the same way about homosexuality." "And some would argue that they are just as wrong as you." "That they, too, are cherry-picking Bible verses and using them to restrict the gay community's civil rights." "You shouldn't get special rights because of who you sleep with." "Equal, not special." "See?" "This is the problem." "God-fearing people can't preach the word without fear of some mob-mentality backlash." "Is religious freedom really being attacked, Sandra?" "Or has that just become the go-to dog whistle for anyone who has been called out for bigotry?" "Just look at what's happening now." "I am basically being criticized for believing in Christ." "I would imagine that the backlash has been difficult for you." "It has." "I love my work... and now..." "It has been hard." "So, what about those in the gay community that you've worked with in the design and decorating industry who feel injured by your comments, or those who've purchased your products?" "What do you say to them?" "Jesus loves you." "JUSTIN:" "[scoffs]" "Sandra Curtis, thank you for coming on." "Great job, Mary Jane." "That was great TV." "Nice work." "You and Mary Jane are really hitting your stride." " Thank you." " Mm-hm." "KARA:" "Hey." "What's this?" "You like to support the hometown team, don't ya?" " Field level?" "!" " KARA: [laughs]" "Kara, uh..." "It's just my way saying thank you for bringing me back." "Yeah." "Enjoy." "Hey." "She was really great today." "Yeah, she was great." "And, oh, my goodness, the camera just loves her." "[chuckles]" "Oh, I sure would like to sink my teeth into that Georgia peach, you know what I'm sayin'?" "[chuckling]" "DANI:" "MJ!" " Oh!" " Oh!" "You did such a great job." "Oh." "It's Mary Jane, and thank you." "To be truly fair and balanced is to adequately explore an issue from both sides without letting your personal ideology cloud your piece." "Exactly." "You know, I am so curious." "Dani, are you gonna give tips to all of our guests, or just Sandra Curtis?" "Oh, you didn't expect me to believe that she came up with the whole Black community comparison on her own, did you?" "If you wanna be a part of the "GDU" family, it would behoove you to remember on what side your Wonder Bread is buttered." "♪♪" "♪♪" " Good job on the piece." " Garrett is thrilled." "Thank you." "That was so hard 'cause I'm..." "I'm pretty sure that there's some truth to the story." "I mean, home girl was protesting a little too..." "Stop." "I paid you a compliment." "That doesn't make us friends again." "Kara, I screwed up." "It's not charming, but I'm..." "I'm human, and I owned up to it." "No, you don't get to play a victim, Mary Jane." "You're entitled to mess up, but I'm entitled to make that mess up my last straw." "♪ This is for my future baby mama ♪" "♪ Hope your skin is black as midnight ♪" "♪ I'll take you out that Honda, I can put you in a Benz ♪" "♪ I can balance out your chakras ♪" "♪ Fornication is a sin ♪" "Hamptons, you havin' a good time?" "Friggin' awesome, awesome." "Best night of my life." "Hey, here's to proving you can hang with the big boys." "GARRETT:" "Hm..." "ORLANDO:" "Salut!" "She's pretty hot, huh, Hamptons?" "You wanna meet her?" "GARRETT:" "What?" "No." "I'm good." "I'm good." " MARCO:" "Let me ask her." " GARRETT:" "I'm good." "I'm good." "MARCO:" "Garrett, I want you to meet Esther." "Esther, meet my man, Garrett." "But you can call him Hamptons, 'cause we all do, right?" "[slurring speech] It's nice to meet you, Esther." "My God, you are beautiful." " [kisses hand]" " ESTHER:" "Oh." "[sighs]" "Come on." "[gasps]" "Oh, my God!" "Oh, hell, no!" "Oh, no, no, no, no, no." "Oh!" "[phone ringing]" "Okay, I'll be right back, Hamptons." " KARA:" "Yo te dije a ti..." " What's up, Mama?" "KARA: ¿Por qué no me escuchas, ah?" "Whoa, whoa, hold on." "Calm down." "KARA:" "Ya, déjame..." " Everything's cool." " KARA:" "Ya sal de ese sitio." " Garrett's enjoying himself." " KARA:" "Enjoying himself?" "Obviously, I've seen all the photos, Orlando." " Hey, calm down." " I'm telling you right now." "I can't understand you when you talk like that." "I should have never let you guys go out together." " ¿Por qué te dejé salir con él?" " You don't trust me?" "KARA:" "Concho." "My boys are behaving themselves, all right?" "I'm telling you, mi amor, trust me." "Your precious Garrett is perfectly fine." " [heavy punch]" " ESTHER:" "Oh!" " MARCO:" "Maybe not do that." " Oh, shit!" "What the hell is goin' on?" "What are you doin'?" "What it look like?" "I'm paintin' you." "Unh-unh, not like this you ain't." "My hair is all messed up." "I got sleep in my eyes." "Are you crazy?" "Girl, hush all that up." "You look beautiful." "NIECY: [sighs]" "So, wait, you're a painter?" "I thought when you said "artist,"" "you were trying to be a rapper or whatever." "[scoffs] Nah." "[laughs]" " You paint all these?" " Mm-hm." "So, you've obviously got a thing for big girls." "AKILI: [laughs]" "Is that why you responded to my profile?" "I mean, I'm not gonna lie." "Your profile was sexy." "But I read your tweets and you seemed like a real woman who's about something." "Well, these ain't bad, Akili." "[laughs] Thank you." " How much you sell 'em for?" " Nothing yet." "I do maintenance in the building in exchange for rent." "That gives me time to work on my art." "It beats working at some crappy desk job, or busting' tables at a restaurant." "Well, a place this size, they should be paying you to live here." "You don't ever get claustrophobic?" "Nah." "That's New York." "In a city with 9 million people, space comes at a premium." "At least I have my own spot." "I used to live with my mom, up until about a year ago, if you can believe that." "NIECY: [laughs]" "My aunt lives in Manhattan, and she could buy a mansion in Atlanta for what she paid for a regular-sized apartment here." "Your aunt." "That's, uh..." "that's Mary Jane Paul, right?" "Maybe she'll be interested in my work." "A high-profile person like that would really help a brother out." "Look, come... come check it out." "♪♪" "Like a Black Botticelli angel." "Bota-who?" "Aw, y'all wouldn't know what I mean." "So, what you think?" "Can I get the introduction?" "Hi." " Kara." " Yeah." "Last night was so... awesome!" "I mean, look at this." "Lookit." "What am I looking at?" "That's my battle scar." "Wow, that looks like it hurt." "Oh, it hurt." " It hurt so good." " Oh?" "And then, afterwards, there was this woman," "Esther, with the... she was... please don't sue me for talking about this." "Oh, no." " She was so gorgeous." " Oh!" "What a night!" "[heavy sigh]" "I can't wait to do it again." "Oh?" "Okay." "Um, I'll, um..." " I'll talk to Orlando." " Would you really?" "That would be amazing." "Sure, um, I'll be in touch." " Thank you." " Absolutely." "Absolutely." "I'm sorry we didn't have a chance to spend any time together." "Did you enjoy the sights at least?" "Oh, yeah, the sights, they were good." "But, um..." "I've got a confession to make." "Okay." "There was a guy." "Niecy, a guy?" "You were here all of, what, two days?" "Where did you meet a guy?" " The normal way..." " Online." "Oh, goodness." "Well, was it good?" "Were you safe?" "Tell me you were safe." "Just tell... please?" "Yes, of course, I was safe." "I'm not gonna be dumb again." "And the sex..." "it was pretty good." " And?" " And he a'ight." "I mean, he's just as poor as those broke-ass dudes in Atlanta." " Oh, is that right?" " Mm-hm." "Comin' at me, like, baby girl, I've gotta draw." "Boy, handing' out paintings on the stoop of your apartment building, ain't no damn job." " But he did give me this." " Mm-hm?" " Oh, wow." " Yeah." "Niecy, this is gorgeous." "Your boy has some talent." "If you wanna buy it, it's $999." "His broke-ass only wanted help gettin' his art out there." "And what did your broke-ass want?" "You wanted to come to New York and find a sugar daddy who was gonna solve all your problems and take care of you?" "Right?" "Look, your broke-ass artist, he might not have any bank, but he... he found his passion." "Maybe it's time to get real with yourself and find that thing that makes you wanna get up in the morning." "Yeah, but what if I can't find it?" "Auntie, you have all of this, you know?" "What if I'm just, I don't know, just regular?" "Regular?" "You don't know that." "How come I don't?" "'Cause you haven't even tried, have you?" "Now another piece of advice." "Hold on to that painting." "If old boy ends up the next Basquiat, that's gonna be worth some coin." " Oh, please." " I'm serious." " Please." " Hey, sorry to interrupt, um..." "Uh, Justin, this is my niece, Nicole." "Nicole, this is my producer Justin." "Hi." "Oh, everybody calls me Niecy." " Nice to meet you, Niecy." " Nice to meet you, too." "JUSTIN:" "I just wanted to go over that story about the 11-year-old boy who's building robots." "Okay, give me just a second." "I've gotta see my niece out." " Okay." "Nice to meet you." " NIECY:" "Likewise." "What?" "Hm." "So, what you want me to tell Grandma?" "Nothing." "What are you talking about?" "You're a terrible liar, Auntie." " ♪ LightEyes.♪" " MARY JANE: [laughs]" "Yeah, you know, he seems to be a little too deep in the game for my liking." "However, so are you, so, it might be a match made in Heaven." "Did Grandma send you out here to spy on me?" "Well, she said, if you cheated on Lee, it had to be with somebody fine, so..." "She knows I cheated on him?" "[sighs] Look, Grandma is only in your business because she's worried about you, Auntie." "Yeah, 'cause she thinks I'm gonna end up alone." "Basically." "Well, tell her that I..." "I have not given up on love." "No, no, no." "Don't..." "Don't... don't say anything." "Just... just give it a little time." "Or I can tell her why you really came to New York." "Don't worry, I won't go bumping' my gums just yet." "Well, you're lucky that Garrett had a good time, okay..." "Which I still can't believe." "I mean, what the hell is wrong with him?" "Oh, he doesn't get out much." "I mean, I totally thought I was gonna get fired again." "How did his goofy-ass manage to get laid, anyway?" "Well, she liked him, you know, in a pity party kinda way." "[laughs]" "So, everything was real nice, huh?" "Mama, you have nothing to worry about." "KARA:" "Yeah, this time." "But I promise you, Orlando, if you think continuing to pal around with all your Animal House frat brothers is gonna get you the broadcasting career that you want, you have a rude awakening coming, okay?" "You know, I don't think I heard" ""Thank you, Orlando" once in this conversation." " Thank you, Orlando." " Mmm..." "I'm serious, Papi, okay?" "I do appreciate your help, all right?" " But my point is still valid." " What point?" "KARA:" "You're never gonna have a grown-up life, if you keep draggin' around that posse of lost boys." "That's the point." "JUSTIN: [clears throat]" "Ratings came in." "And?" "They're even better than we thought." "Let me see, let me see!" "Oh, my God!" "Oh!" "Oh, my God!" "Wow!" "I always knew we were a great team." "MARY JANE: [laughs]" "Garrett just saw the ratings as well." "I don't mind a pat on the back, do you?" "Not at all." "GARRETT:" "I don't like to be kept in the dark about what's going on on my show." "What do you mean?" " You two." " You're involved." "Romantically." "We... we are seeing each other, but it's..." "I can assure you it'll have no effect on our work." " You've seen the numbers." " I did." "But just because this has not negatively affected your work yet, there are a million other reasons why this thing is a problem." "We're not breaking any rules that haven't already been broken." "I mean, "GDU" is literally a graveyard of Aaron's conquests." "This is an egregious double standard, Garrett." "You're not going to attack Aaron's character based on unsubstantiated rumors." "Besides, Justin is a senior producer, not some intern or production assistant." "He needs to rule on story assignments, work details." "I mean, how can I believe that he is going to be fair, balanced and impartial?" "Because I always am." "Look, relationships are messy, and after what happened with Kara, the execs are concerned about anything that could result in a lawsuit." "Disclosing our relationship eliminates that concern, so, we can't sue..." "But that doesn't eliminate their concern about you, Mary Jane." "Trust me." "You don't wanna give them another reason to question your suitability on this show." "Now, I need to assure everyone upstairs that I run a tight ship." "So, Justin, I'm taking you off Mary Jane's stories" " effective immediately." " What?" "And that's not all." "Justin, I'm sending you to Kansas with Sylvia to cover a developing story." "An uprising is brewing over the fiscal mismanagement in the state's capital." "With all due respect, this feels like a... bit of an overreach." "I'll be sure to relay that to the News Director when I see him, but until then, it's Kansas." "Your flight leaves this afternoon." "[door closes]" "KARA: [typing on keyboard]" "Can I see you in my office, please?" "I know you were upset about my relationship with Justin, but I never thought you would rat me out." "Excuse me?" "Admit it." "You told Garrett." "I should have." "I had plenty of reason to." "But just because you've been a shitty-ass friend to me doesn't mean that I am." "I don't need to crap all over somebody to get ahead, Mary Jane." "That's Justin's MO." "Why are you so mad about my relationship with him, anyway?" "I'm not mad, I'm hurt, because it's only been a few days and look at you running around trying to clean up all of his shit." "It's just like Andre, and David, and Sheldon." "But what you don't seem to realize, Mary Jane, is that I'm on this rollercoaster ride with you, so, when you decide to jump off, I feel the scrapes, too." "But you know what?" "I'm done." "That's it." "You hear me?" "Done!" "Kara." "So, you didn't tell Garrett." "That's the thing about making so many enemies, Mary Jane." "When you get stabbed in the back, you don't know which one did it." "♪♪" "♪♪" "♪♪" "AARON:" "Kansas, huh?" "You heard?" "A word of advice." "You might wanna work on your poker face." "It's too strong." "It's an obvious talent." "I don't follow." "When I made that comment about Mary Jane's ass, you didn't so much as flinch." "It was you that told Garrett." "If you and Mary Jane think you're gonna get rid of me as easily as you got rid of Ronda... [chuckles]" "JUSTIN:" "It was Aaron." "That snake." "How did he even know?" "I don't know." "He figured it out." "Getting on top is gonna be harder than we planned." "Now that we've got the dynamic duo of Aaron and Garrett to contend with, yeah." "[cell phone bings]" "My car is here." "I can't believe you're gonna be gone for a whole week." "At least." "If the story blows up, it could be longer." "Oh, geez." "♪♪" "♪♪" "I feel like the cat is all the way out of the bag now." "Yeah." "♪♪" "Hey." "Be careful out there, okay?" "♪♪" "♪♪"