01x05 - Happy Birthday, Traci!

[bunniefuu]

♪♪

So Tay, what are you working

on these days?

What are you excited

about? I am [Clears throat]

wrapping up my album.

Tamar: I haven't put out

a album since Bluebird.

Bluebird.

How long ago was that?

Five years ago.

I'm so nervous about it.

Look who I have.

What's been going on?

Towanda: We've all been

concerned about Kevin.

We just need to let

him know ASAP

that he doesn't have

to go through this alone.

My father, he feels as though

maybe she wasn't

in her right mind

in her will.

Like, it was an influence

on my mother's condition.

She knew exactly

what she was doing

about who she wanted to be

her executor.

It was me.

It was you.

Toni:

She didn't want a funeral.

She wanted to stay private

for that part of her passing.

But Tracy's husband decided

to have a funeral anyway

and put it on

the internet.

She said, "I don't want people

to have to grieve that hard,

looking down on me."

I think y'all

maybe should talk to his dad.

Trina: He chose what he wanted

for himself personally

over what she wanted.

By no means do I ever want

that individual

to have any type of platform

on our platform

ever again.

Don't push me.

♪♪

Trina: Oji!

Yo! Oji!

Oji: I'm coming!

I'm coming! I'm coming!

What he don't want me

to do is really tell the truth.

You see what I'm saying?

Don't push me.

And we didn't notgo

to her funeral.

We did not attend

that thing that

he set up

Towanda: That she

did not want.

That she did not want.

She said it,

and she put it in her will,

that she did not

want a funeral.

Right.

Are you kidding me?

But you want him

to be on the [Bleep] show?

Never.

I think that the audience

and the fans need to understand

that this platform

is not for anyone else

other than the people

who respect Traci's wishes.

Y'all didn't want

the scene to happen?

Hell no.

No.

And it didn't happen.

Good.

No.

So that's what we do.

Will it happen?

It won't happen.

Okay.

It won't happen.

I always fought for Traci.

And I'm gonna continue

fighting for Traci

till the day I die.

Absolutely.

And beyond.

There's so much

We didn't leaveour sister.

This situation is facts.

When we did

"Braxton Family Values",

when we signed in 2009

and then we came out in 2011,

everybody gave Traci that

they called her The Wannabe.

whatever

said about you.

That was That

was her name.

And then it was

it was played upon,

is what I'm saying.

It was played upon,

and then it was fed.

Traci: Okay, Trina,

let's put it down.

I ain't worth [Bleep] to

y'all. That's what I feel.

I'm not worth [Bleep]

to y'all

'cause of the choices

I made.

I feel Okay,

Trina had a child

way before me.

She was pregnant.

I got pregnant.

Trina got to sing.

I couldn't sing.

But it was told to me

I had to

"Well, Traci,

you made that decision."

Come the freak on!

The whole time,

everybody has a narrative

of "we left Traci behind."

We signed without Traci.

Right.

Now that part is true.

We did sign without Traci.

But the fact is this,

we signed in August.

Traci was pregnant

with Little Kevin.

Back in the 90's,

you could not be a female

and be pregnant.

And what they said is they want

every woman

to want to be like you,

and for every man

to want to be with you.

That was it.

And honest to God,

me and Trina was like,

"Damn, we don't wanna sign."

Traci was like, "Go ahead."

So we signed it.

It's true.

So after that,

we toured with Luther.

We didn't do the second half

with God dadgum Luther.

Yeah.

'Cause Toni said we were

gonna go overseas with her.

So when it was time for

being on that stage to perform,

guess who was there?

Traci.

We left our sister.

Get the [Bleep] out of here.

We left our [Bleep].

No.

Right.No, [Bleep],

we left you.

Oh, no.

It's not Yes.

Okay. Okay.

Yes.

I don't usually see Towanda

go off in that way.

Actually. Towanda

Towanda is not that person

like that.

'Cause

This part of the narrative

was never told.

The truth was never told.

Normally, I wouldn't put

our business out there,

but our issues

are always made public.

So we wanna clear them up.

And this difference in opinion,

not even an opinion,

it's a fact,

because it was written

about Traci's funeral

is just one example

of how our family has

had to defend itself publicly.

And later on,

Traci became a very successful

solo artist and actress,

and we were in her corner

the entire time.

You know, I just want

Traci to be celebrated.

Mm-hmm.

Amen.

She was funny, independent,

and she was fighting.

She was fighting

every day.

She fought

until the very end.

Very last breath.

Amen.

[Exhales deeply]

Rest in peace, Traci.

Rest in peace, Traci.

♪♪

♪♪

Hey, friend.

How are you feeling tonight?

Mad about failing.

I'm mad at the world.

Yeah.

I don't want to feel sad.

I don't want to feel memories.

Yeah.

I don't want to feel nothing.

You ever felt like that?

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, that's how I feel.

And I'm pissed

'cause I have feelings. Yeah.

Tamar: Traci's birthday

is this week.

Of course

I'm gonna have feelings

about it being my sister's

birthday.

It's only the second year.

Back in 2020

when we had our first session,

I talked to Traci

and I told her,

"I had a had a session today

with your sister."

She's like, "No,

my sister is super talented.

She's super sweet.

You better make

some dope a*s songs on her

and you better treat her sweet,

or I'm-a kick your a*s."

She always talked about

how much she loved you.

The fact that "Notice Me"

did what it did,

it's on purpose.

This is her.

You know that's her.

I know you tearin' up.

I see.

My single "Notice Me"

going number one

is very bittersweet.

On one hand,

I'm excited about,

you know,

the success of my new record.

But on the other one,

I'm just so sad

that my sister is not here.

It's almost like I feel guilty

about being happy

'cause I don't wanna be happy.

I want to remember

my sister,

and I don't know,

it's it's a lot.

Tamar: "Walk Away"

Can I hear that?

Yeah.

'Cause I just be

going back and listen to stuff

and see what I can change.

[Sighs deeply]

[R&B music plays]

♪♪

Is this the live version?

Mm-hmm.

It's the li Yeah.

My next album

is just a continuation

of amazing R&B music,

but the good thing

about the Love and w*r tour

and the success of it,

is that every single night,

I got to pay homage to Traci

and her music

that she started

and didn't get a chance

to finish.

Every single night,

I play "Last Call"

so everyone can be reminded

of her journey musically.

I don't want them

to forget about that.

When we had that call,

you had had the person

add the strings to it,

I

That wasn't me.

That was my baby daddy.

Okay.

Vince is still Vince.

He still has one

of the most magical ears.

Now, I don't know

about everything else.

It's really not my business.

However, there's not a record

that I had

that I don't play for him.

He and I called "Notice Me".

We would walk around the house

like this

and play it and just be

walking around, just like this.

I swear to God, he'll tell you.

Where my phone at?

Robin Thicke says something

to me, every time I see him,

he'd be like, "You know, there's

only a couple of people ears

that I trust, is Andre Harrell",

God rest his soul.

"It's Ellie

and your hus"

Everybody still calls him

my husband.

That's fine with me.

What you got on my 40,

homie? Vincent: Where you

at?

I'm in the studio.

How the [Bleep] you know

where I'm at?

You don't have

no [Bleep] GPS on me.

I know the bad wall.

That's in Atlanta.

Yeah, that's the studio.

You don't know everything.

Okay?

First of all,

you look at my page today?

Look at my page right now.

What's on your page?

b*tch, you be on my page

anyway.

You be in my story

all the time.

Catch you in my story.

[Laughs]

I don't be in your story

all the time.

Yeah. I catch you

in my stories all the time.

Tamar, congratulations.

How you feel?

I don't feel anything today.

Maybe tomorrow.

You should be happy

for yourself.

You did it by yourself.

No record labels. All you.

I'm Congratulations.

I'm very, very proud of you.

Very happy for you.

Vince has and will always be

an intricate part of my life.

My parents did a great job

at showing us

that even if you are not still

romantically involved

with someone, you can

still have a respect for someone

and come together

for the right reasons.

Can't just have one record

out like we did 10 years

ago.

You got to work multiple

records at one time.

Stop being so nervous.

You got this.

Just put the music out.

Right.

Send me a CashApp.

No, you send me a CashApp.

[Laughter]

Bye.

So Vince is a record company

person and a manager.

His conversations with me

in regards to my records

that I'm putting out

is coming from that place,

you know, stop getting

in your way

artists think too much,

you know,

just believe in the music

that you make

and put it out and step aside.

So "Make sure we did

our best to hurt each other."

[Singing] Make sure we did

our best to hurt each other ♪

Make sure we d

Make sure ♪

I can't hear

because it's like a reverb.

Make sure we did our best

to hurt each other ♪

What do you think about that?

I thought it was fine.

I know said you wanna redo it.

It sound good to me.

For now ♪

I didn't say

I said "Oh, now ♪

Yeah. So get that

[Singing] For now ♪

It's okay to walk away ♪

For now ♪

I like that one. Yeah.

Okay. I like that. I like that.

♪♪

Y'all don't know something

about this Toni Braxton.

She's funny as hell.

Okay, guys, I have a joke.

[Booing]

Please don't tell nobody

you comin'.

Kevin: I'm-a try not to.

Unh-unh.

It's a surprise.

Yes, it's a surprise.

His father

is seemingly thinking

that she wasn't

in her right mind.

Some of these conversations

should not be happening

in front of my mother.

That is her child.

I'm just gonna do

a little tribute to Tra.

Traci would be so happy

to see everyone.

We were all in the living room

with the hospice doctor.

That's when I found out.

Yeah, because at the time,

you and Traci

were kind of at odds, though.

Do you know something

I don't know?

♪♪

Towanda:

Hey, Trini-Weenie.

Your nails look nice.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Thanks. They're not

press-ons, either.

They look nice.

Did you talk to Mommy and Tamar

and tell 'em about what

happened when we went to DC?

Or you gonna wait

for all?

No, we just waitin'

for everything.

What would you

have changed?

Hmm.

I would have changed

that I wasn't really able

to sit and enjoy my crabs.

[Laughs]

Oh, I was thinking

the same thing.

Look at Baltimore.

Hey.

Hey, Towanda.

Hey.

Hey.

What's poppin?

Hey, baby girl.

You look like Easter.

Towanda: I'm excited

to see Mommy and Tamar,

but I haven't seen Tamar

since we filmed

grief counseling.

Obviously, we're gonna

have to meet with you again.

Reconvene for what?

Why you say that?

Because I don't think

we're open

to receiving

anything right now,

but maybe she can talk to you

individually.

I-I went to grief counseling.

Listen, I'm all here

for advocating

for a healthy mental health.

It's always important

to respect a person's boundary.

However, I love my sister

immensely.

If she calls me,

I'm going to answer.

If she texts me,

I'm going to answer.

If she needs me,

I'm gonna be there.

And that's just a fact.

[Cellphone ringing]

Miss E: Hey, you. Look.

Hey, look.

Toni: Hey, girls.

All: Hey.

Are you gone already?

I'm on my way

to Marseilles.

Oh, Marseilles.

The south of France.

Okay, I'm in France, Okay?

I have a show,

so I'm here for just a few days.

But I have to be honest, I do

miss my family and my sisters.

And I remember

when we would tour together.

Traci, too. And I've been

thinking about her

even more lately,

since her second

heavenly birthday

is coming up soon.

Well, you enjoy yourself.

Yes, have fun.

Are you gonna visit

the castles over there?

No.

Trina said, "No."

[Laughter]

I'm gonna need proof.

I don't know what Trina's

talking about.

I just might get out there

and tour Castle.

There's a chance, however,

that Trina is correct

and I don't find the time.

But no, I am not the fun police.

I am the fun headquarters.

Whoo! Funners. Funners.

Funners.

Au revoir! Mm.

Wha What'd you say?

Oprah?

Unh-unh.

[Laughter]

She said, "Au revoir."

Towanda: Au revoir. Au revoir.

I thought she said "Oprah".

[French accent] Oprah.

Miss E: Okay, baby girl.

[Normal voice] Love you.

Have a safe flight.

Tamar: Bye, Toni.

Have a good day.

Bye.

Trina: She boardin'.

She the only one that do,

when you say bye,

she keep talkin'.

Yes. [Laughs]

Yes.

Stay with it.

Okay. So what happened?

So we went

to the DMV area

to lay our eyes

on Scratchy.

You know, let 'em know that

we eat there to support 'em.

I mean, he was really,

really happy to see us.

So you meet him at his house?

He's not there.

Oh, okay.

Yeah. [Clears throat]

So And he was talking about

how he really wants his family

around him right now.

This is a really

hard time,

and he's fighting for his wife.

He's fighting

for his marriage.

He's confused

about some stuff.

And he said

that his father,

um, is is seemingly

thinking that the will

that Traci put together,

she wasn't in her right mind.

♪♪

Traci knew exactly

what she was doing.

She did.

Yeah.

And she knew

that her son

was gonna get

some type of

Yes.

She knew that because

we talked about that.

Mm-hmm.

Me and Traci

talked about that.

And I said, "Traci do you think

Kevin is strong enough

to fight against his father?"

Guess what Traci said?

"Mommy,

this will give him some ba*ls."

[Laughter]

That's what she said.

My son have to grow up

when it come to his dad.

Is this conversation

too much for you?

No, not too much for me at all.

It's just that I remember

the intimate times

when we talked about it,

you know what I mean?

I said, "Well, you know

what you're doing, baby girl.

You do what you need to do."

Tamar: I just feel

like some of these conversations

should not be happening

in front of my mother.

'Cause you have to understand,

this is our sister,

but that is her child,

you know?

And as parents,

we view things differently.

You know, there is no other side

when it comes to our children

and whatever has happened.

And that's more pressure

and stress to the parent.

No.

Well, Traci's birthday

is coming up.

Trina and Towanda: Yes.

So what are we doing

for her heavenly birthday?

I don't know, you know,

she loved crabs.

You wanna have a crab feast?

Yes.

We should have

a birthday party.

Yes. That'll be fun.

I think so.

That would be so much fun,

you guys.

What's she up to?

She can't come?

Um, I can see.

I talked to her today

on the way here.

I'll call her.

Miss E: Who? Denise?

I initially met Denise

when I was 12 years old.

We went to college together,

and Traci and Denise

became really close.

So when Traci got sick,

Denise was there,

every single day,

every step of the way.

I can call Denise,

make sure she can come.

Miss E: She'll come.

Tamar: My single?

[Cackles]

Thank you, thank you.

All: Yay!

Thank you.

You broke down

the fourth wall again.

Again.

He in a hurry. Yeah.

Yay!

Tamar: Thank you.

I was It's crazy that I

I just thought about this

driving up here.

Even with all the drama that's,

like, surrounding, you know,

all the kind of Traci stories,

like,

there's amazing Traci stories

as well.

Like, I feel like the way that

Nye and I are coming together,

making amazing music,

like, I didn't know Nye,

and I had no idea that Nye

was a good friend of Traci's

until Mommy told me.Mm-hmm.

All All of this time

that they've known each other,

um, he had been trying to, like,

you know, get a break.

And it just so happens that

I'm about to cry.

Miss E: That's alright.

Towanda: Good.

Crying is healthy.

It's okay.

What you What's wrong?

Okay. Go ahead. Get it out.

Yeah.

[Sobbing]

No. 'Cause you know what?

She shows up.Mm-hmm.

You know.

Undoubtedly.

And that's the truth.Mm-hmm.

And I'm just so grateful,

you know.

Yeah. She shows up.

Yeah. It's just

She does show up.

Like, even on the other side,

she's just as kind

and looks out for people.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Yup.

I'm just so grateful, like

[Sniffles]

I don't know.

She just don't like that.

[Sniffles]

I am extremely blessed.

"Notice Me" was one

of the most incredible records

that I've written

in a long time,

and I knew it was her

showing up for people.

And, you know, it was

just a testament of who she was

and who she still is today that,

you know,

it doesn't have to be

her family.

If she loved you,

if she cared about you,

she's gonna always show up

for you.

Alright. It's getting cold.

It's 9 o'clock.

The street lights is on.

And Tamar need to go home.

I'll take care

of the bill.

We We ain't drink nothing.

You the one got a drink.

You should be taking care

of the bill.

Agreed.

[Crowd cheering]

Nye: Tamar Braxton!

All your dreams

are coming true.

But did you feel like it was

at the cost of your marriage?

Towanda:

Let me get the surprise.

It's a surprise.

Y'all gonna love it.

Oh, my God!

Surprise!

Both of your sons are adamant

about not having kids.

I told them you need to take

matters into their own hands.

You told my children

get vasectomies?

If they don't want kids,

then yeah.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Oh, my God.

That was worse than mine.

If I hit the bull's eye,

I get a grandbaby.

My sonsand

Von and I,

we decided that we

were gonna do something fun

together as a family.

And so, we decided

to go axe throwing.

Grandbaby for me.

Eric: Oh, man.

Now, mind you,

I don't have the best

coordination in the world.

And that's something

that I can live with.

Grandbaby! Oh!

Hey!

Eric: Okay.

♪♪

Okay, if Caleb

hits the bullseye,

I get a grandbaby.

Oh, man!

That was purposeful.

Look at my babies.

Yeah, it's nice

to see them hangin'.

Come and sit.

Sure.

Let's take a break

from the axe throwing.Please.

Get you a beer

if you want one.

Eric doesn't

drink anymore.

So what's this

no drinking for how long?

For a year.

[Laughs]

You gonna make it?

I'm three months in.

You know, it's really good

for your SC, though.

What?

Oh. In that case

We wanna get that

as low as possible.

It'll be two

years married.

You guys have been together

for seven

before you even got married.

This would be nine years.

Where's my grandbaby?

In the ether,

where they will remain.

[Laughs]

Eric's a little tree hugger,

but I want him to take that tree

and remove the tree

and hug his wife

and give me a grandbaby.

But they are not tryna

do that right now.

They have dogs.

Yeah, we got dogs.

Traci, which is so amazing

with her grandbaby,

she lovedbeing

a grandmother.

I want that experience.

I really, really do.

Not just for me,

but for my son

and for his brother

to be an uncle.

I wanna be a grandfather,

but not at the expense

of your happiness.

You know what I mean?

But I will tell you this.

That decision isn't really up

to either one of you two at all.

True.

It's up to them.

If you really don't want kids,

like, you're sure

you don't want kids,

you better take that part of

the decision out of her hands.

So And that's that's

I mean that wholeheartedly.

Good luck to you.

I'm glad I'm done.

Well, for the record,

I'm just really proud of

the men that you both have

become.

Amen.

I'm still gonna harass you.

I'm not gonna lie.

'Cause I really want to be

a duchess or a mumsy.

I'm not gonna lie. Um

You know what?

She just gave you

another reason not to have kids.

A mumsy? What ?

Yeah.

Mumsy.

That's dreadful.

[English accent] Oh, mumsy.

Where are you?

[Laughs]

Really?

That's what you wanna be?

Whatever.

♪♪

Towanda: You stayin' in?

Oh, no.

Okay.

♪♪

♪♪

Call Scratchy.

Automated Voice:

Calling Scratchy.

Scratchy iPhone.

[Phone line trilling]

Kevin: Hey, Auntie.

[Sing-song voice]

Hey, nephew.

What are you doing?

Nothing much.

How about you?

Um

You know that your

mama birthday is coming up,

so I thought

as a surprise,

I could have you flown

out to Georgia

and have you be here

for a little, you know,

a little family,

a little small,

little quaint celebration

for her for her birthday.

What do you think about that?

Oh, yeah, I love that.

Okay.

And I know you gotta be back,

like, soon

because you have court,

so I'm gonna make sure that,

you know, you're back

before court, okay?

We decided to have Traci's

second heavenly birthday party

at a hall, and it's going to be

really, really small and quaint.

And we decided that we should

get some crabs and some drinks.

Do you think that Tamar

took care of the crabs?

No.

I don't think so either.

Well, I don't think that

she didn't take care of the

crabs.

Honestly, I don't think

that there are places here

that have crabs like that.

Especially not last minute

when they're off season.

You gotta get 'em shipped in.

And Scratchy

is a surprise.

He's the biggest surprise

as the cherry on top.

Well, good, I'm gonna

go ahead and book the flight.

Yay! I'm excited.

And please don't tell nobody

you comin'.

I'm-a try not to.

Unh-unh. Unh-unh. Ain't no try.

You cannot tell nobody

that you comin', for real.

So it's a surprise?

It's a surprise.

Yes, it's a surprise,

even for my mom.

Please. Don't tell nobody.

Alright. I'm not.

I'm-a send you

all the information. Love you.

I love you, too.

Okay, bye.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Ooh. Excuse me.

Yawned all big.

My mouth was, like, real big.

♪♪

Such a pretty day.

Yeah. It's beautiful.

[Sighs] I haven't spoken to Eric

since we went axe throwing.

Mm-hmm.

You know how Eric is.

Eric is all about family.

Yeah.

And he would be such

an amazing dad.

Well, that's probably

not going to happen.

They're adamant,

both of your sons are adamant

about not having kids

and they make good points.

But what if something happens,

you know what I mean?

'Cause he is married,

he's a married dude.

And sometimes that just happens

when you're married.

I told I

told them both,

whether or not you have

a baby with your wife

is really not up to you.

It's gon' be up to her.

If you don't want her

to have 100% of that power

and that decision making,

then you need to take

matters into your own hands.

What does that mean?

That means get a vasectomy.

That's what it means.

You told my children

get vasectomies?

If they don't want kids,

then yeah.

Von has absolutely

overstepped his boundaries.

You can't tell my sons

to get vasectomies.

Didn't you have children?

Maybe I would like to see

what my grandbabies

are gonna look like.

That's not fair.

Not only

was your advice not sound,

that's a big negative, soldier.

We're talking about the kids.

If they both know

they don't want kids,

wear a condom.

Or have one procedure

and not worry about that

for the rest of your life.

I'm just saying.

But that's what I'm saying,

the rest of his life?

No, no.

Then I won't have a grandbaby

for the rest of my life

because he has

his vas deferens cut?

He doesn't want children.

Right now.

He doesn't want children.

Right now.

Stop pushing.

Leave him alone.

You can't influence this.

I'm not trying to

influence Yes, you are.

Okay, but you know

how you give advice?

I get to give advice.

And when I understand

that they're not listening,

I shut up.

Hmm.

These dudes have decided.

I leave 'em alone.

Even though Eric and Caleb

right now

say that they don't want

children,

I think they're gonna change

their minds one day,

because we all know pillow talk

is a M-Fer.

When a woman feels

like her biological clock

is ticking like that,

she could talk a man

into anything.

It's the truth.

At least, I'm hoping that it is.

[Stomping]

[Laughter]

This dog park is really

dog parking right now.

What does that mean?

The smells,

the "scenturization",

the odoriferousness.

It's odoriferous, though.

Alright, let's go.

I need something stronger

than water today.

Do you want me to drive?

No. I wanna actually

make it home.

Ha!

It's supposed

to be a blind date.

And, guys, he has to have a bag.

And not a colostomy bag.

[Laughter]

No one would tell me.

There was a time that

Tamar and Traci were at odds.

You remember that?

Because then you and Traci

got into it for a second.

Towanda: Not my business.

I have nothing

to say about that.

♪♪

Hey!

[Indistinct chatter]

Towanda: Hey, y'all!

Woman: Hey, you!

Hey, stinky face.

It's so great to see me.

Hey, everybody. Hey!

I'm feeling very heavy

coming into this party.

Hey, you.

Mwah!

Her first

heavenly birthday

was only a few weeks

after she passed,

and it felt like a funeral,

actually.

Where's the shots?

Man: Well, there's a bar.

This is a birthday party.

This year, I'm still sad,

but it's more like

a life celebration for her.

And, you know,

Traci was the party girl.

You know,

she liked to get everybody,

you know, in a good mood

and have fun.

♪♪

Somebody send

the harp player home.

What is bothering you?

This is blowing me.

Why is it?

[Laughs]

It's just soso sad.

LikeI'm gon' snap

one of them things.

[Laughs]

Traci would be like,

"This harp is sad."

[Laughs] "And it's wrong.

Turn it off."

She wanted a party

and do the Electric Slide.

Excuse me, Mr. Harpist.

You play whatever you like,

whatever's on your playlist.

But But it was a little sad,

though.

Very at the gates of heaven.

Please.

It's Traci's

heavenly birthday party,

and Toni's unable to make it

because she's in France

and she's doing a show.

It's gonna be an emotional

night, and that's okay.

I'm just so glad we're

together and doing this.

Towanda: Let me get

the surprise.

You want me?

No, I said let me get

the surprise.

What's the surprise?

It's a surprise?

Huh?

Towanda said she has a

surprise. We got a surprise?

So 2 minutes?

So yeah, I'm-a bring in

the surprise in one second.

Towanda, how long

for the surprise?

You know I don't like surprises.

Trina, just hold

your little bit of horses.

Let's do more action,

less talk.

Well, why don't we sit and

wait for the surprise, surprise.

Y'all gonna love it.

Come on.

Surprise!

[Laughing]

I don't feel connected to

this whole production again.

Because at the time,

you and Traci

we're kind of at odds,

though.

She was upset for a second.

You remember that?

Tamar:

It's shedding season, baby.

It's time to let go

of some things.

We're sisters.

Were sometimes at odds.

And sometimes we're not.

Trina: Well, why

don't we sit and wait

for the surprise,

surprise.

Come on.

Towanda: Surprise!

[Laughing]

Oh, my God!

My God!

Oh, my God!

Hey! [Laughing happily]

My boy.

Hey, Ziggy, baby!

Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!

Kevin: Cousin!

I missed you.

Aunt T!

Tamar: Hey!

Tamar: It's so cool

seeing the Little Kevin.

I just think it's

important for him to be there,

to watch people celebrate

his mom.

You know,

because that's my sister.

But that's his mother.

Trina: Alright, I'm 'bout to

tear into some crabs, y'all.

Towanda: Awe!

And they're not crabettes.

Except for that one.

Trina, a little bit.

[Stammers]

I didn't do this, though.

I didn't do it.

I guess I'll get

a little crabette.

Trina: Towanda, you know what?

Now, a crabette is a crab

that's very small.

It's so small that you have

to eat, like, so many of 'em.

Not even to be filled,

to be satisfied.

You can't really get

any meat out of it, you know?

you're just pickin',

and pickin', and pick,

pick, pick,

pick, pick, pick.

It's like you can't enjoy it.

Are those crabs good?

I mean, we are

Marylanders, and we are all crab

snobs.

I'm such a connoisseur,

I can tell.

I mean, they are as good

as they can be for some Georgia,

you know, last

minute crab.

You have to be passionate

about your crabs.

Or else don't call yourself

a Marylander.

End scene.

Do y'all remember the last time

we had those big old

colossal crabs?

Miss E: They're delicious.

Big and juicy.

Your mom was in her chair

crocheting.

We were talking and

having beer and having crabs.

And I promise, you would, like,

not know

that she didn't have a crab.

[Laughs] Remember that?

Trina: She was living her life

vicariously.

Towanda: Just wanna watch us.

'Cause she couldn't eat it.

She would always say,

"Eat some for me."

Trina: Yep. Exactly.

Yeah.

That's how she used to do.

Right here.

She was enjoying the moment.

Tamar: Denise,

can I ask you a question?

And it might be too personal

to answer now.

But what made you stop your life

and just be there for her

24 hours a day?

I mean, it's something

about when she tells you

she don't wanna be

by herself,

and you're like,

"I'm not gonna let you."

Miss E: Right.

'Cause I got there

when I found out.

So that's late in the game,

so I wasn't

I didn't show up because

I didn't wanna show up.

I didn't find out until then.

I found out by mistake.

No one sat me down

and told me anything.

I was at home in Encino,

and she helped me

put my closet together.

Miss E: Mm-hmm.

And maybe like

a couple weeks after that,

mommy was in the kitchen

cooking.

But then I heard, like,

um, the stress.

Does that make sense?

Mm-hmm.

Have you ever seen

your parent not cry, but weep?

Mommy was weeping.

And I was like, "What's wrong?"

I was like, "What, what, what?"

And Mom said, "Well,

I'm not at liberty to tell you."

I was like

I don't know what that means.

And I called everybody,

and nobody would tell me.

I called Trina.

I called Towanda.

I called my brother.

I called my dad.

No one would tell me.

And I remember we were all

in the living room with the,

um, hospice doctor and

nurse. Denise: Mm-hmm.

That's when I found out.

He said that she had

about two weeks.

Y'all remember that?

Yep.

You know, for me,

there's something

that I still struggle with.

Because I don't understand

why I was the last to know.

I still feel

like it was a bit unfair for me

because I lost time

with my sister,

and I feel like

anybody would feel that way.

I-I couldn't tell you

because Traci asked me not to.

Traci said, "I will tell her."

And what could I do?

Just me?

Not you.

Toni, too.

No, Toni knew.

No, no, no.

Not at that time.

Yeah, because at that time,

you and Traci

were kind of at odds,

though.

It wasn't

No, we wasn't at odds.

Oh.

Do you know something

I don't know?

Yeah, because at that time,

you and Traci

we're kind of at odds,

though.

It wasn't

No, we wasn't at odds.

Oh.

Do you know something

I don't know?

I just told you she came,

and she

she and I

did my closet together.

[Stammers]

I'm not talking about that time.

But like you said,

your timeline is different.

So what what were you saying?

Well, no,

you said that we were at odds.

What do you mean?

I'm talking about

when you guys were at

odds, especially from that show.

Remember in D.C.?

Nye will remember that.

You should call Nye,

because I wasn't at odds

with Traci at that show.

Nye, come here.

She opened up for me at my show.

Towanda: I want

something to drink.

Towanda: I have no idea

what Tamar's talking about.

That's why I got up

and excused myself.

Because that's

Tamar's story.

That's Tamar's journey,

and that's it.

That's her truth.

I have nothing

to say about that.

Nye, remembers,

because Tamar was like

that she didn't know,

at the time,

when Traci was

sick and stuff.

And I said,

well, there was a time

that Tamar and Traci

were at odds.

You remember that?

Because then you and Traci

got into it for a second.

Talkin' 'bout that

Howard University

Howard Theatre Show?

Yes.

Oh, yeah.

Something happened?

Oh, you're talkin'

about Yeah.

Yeah, but Trina, that was,

like, a year before.

But what I'm saying is

that she was upset for a second.

You remember that?

♪♪

We're sisters.

We're sometimes at odds.

And sometimes we're not.

It's just what happens

in our family.

And for me to say that

Traci and Tamar were kind of at

odds,

it was a

statement of fact.

When was that?

Thank you.

The Trina situation

is a little difficult, right?

Because on one hand,

she's right.

Traci and I

did have a lot of disagreements,

if I'm honest about it,

but we still very much

loved each other.

I just would have liked to have

more time

being in the space

that we were in when she passed,

and that is what I hold on to

more than the times than

when we didn't get along,

the times that it was

beautiful and sisterly

and and the laughs

that we had

and the understanding

that we shared.

I would have liked

to have more time with that.

Trina: Why do you feel

like Traci didn't tell you?

I don't know

why she didn't tell me.

[Stammers]

I don't have that answer.

I can tell you

on the end

being at the

house with her,

she did not

wanna bother you all.

'Cause I kept saying,

"Traci, call your sisters,

have 'em come in

and have 'em"

So she, in her way,

was was expressing love

by not burdening anybody.

Yeah.

Truth be told, Traci and I

got quite close.

I got to know

a different side of Traci

than to how our relationship was

on television.

It was very adult.

It was very sister-like.

And the closer

that we got,

did I realize how much of this

relationship that I would miss.

I'm just gonna do

a little tribute to Tra.

How about that?

You gonna dance for it?

I'm-a dance for this.

Today

Is about Tra.

is about Tra.

Keith: At the end of day,

mom-mom,

you did a wonderful job

at your daughter's.

Thank you, baby.

And let me tell you

that you have been

a great mother,

and my mother cherished you.

Thank you.

I appreciate you.

You're welcome.

Okay.

after that, we're gonna do

Electric Slide.

Tamar: Electric slide?

Come on, guys.

Let's go.

♪♪

Come on guys,

come on, come on, come on.

We can do it

in front of Tra's picture.

Get that.

Hey! Hey! Hey!

The grandchildren

don't know how to do this?

Trina: Of course

they don't.

All: [Shouting, cheering]

[Laughter]

Miss E: Oh!

Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!

Towanda: Trina!

Trina! Trina! Trina!

Miss E: [Laughing]

You watch

too much television.

You watch too much TV.

[Laughing]

[Cheering]

We gon' be alright,

we gon' be alright ♪

Miss E: Don't

play with me.

[Laughter]

Where the kids?

Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!

Hey! Come on, guys.

We can do it

in front of Tra's picture.

Get that.

We gon' be alright ♪

Happy birthday, Traci.

Trina: You know,

life is just way too short.

And I'm learning to be grateful

for the wonderful family

I have today.

So thank you, Traci.

Traci's birthday is a day

of remembrance for me.

I-I want nothing more

than to celebrate her.

Happy birthday, Traci.

You are so missed by so many.

I think you're even missed

by your enemies, baby,

because you got it

and had it like that.

Mwah.

Toni: I get happy

when I think of Traci's memory,

or I just crack up

laughing at some of the things

she says, and it helps.

I'm definitely

there in spirit.

Happy birthday, Tra.

To Traci!

[Cheering]

[Vocalizing]

We gon' be alright ♪

Miss E: Traci is

a strong woman.

♪♪

Man: The Braxtons are back.

[Cheering]

How has filming been so far?

It's messy Monday, huh?

Aren't you setting something up

for me?

I'm-a get you a date.

It's supposed

to be a blind date.

You haven't seen him?

Denim: I'm always gonna be

Toni Braxton's son.

But Denim Braxton, I want

that to mean something as well.

You know what I mean?

What?

I feel, like, betrayed.

They were talking, and then

the phone blacked out.