01x07 - What You Wish For

[bunniefuu]

- Previously on Run the World.

- You better?

The "book not selling" stuff, yes.

Being branded a regressive blow

to fourth-wave feminism part,

not so much.

I'm still interested in

the VP of branch strategy role.

I'm gonna talk to Tom and Peter.

Half the female students

in the department

have been trying to lock down

Matthew for years.

What happened to the shoes

I made for you?

Maybe she wants to wear pink shoes

'cause she's a six-year-old.

You could totally dance

on a stage like this one day.

Really?

Really!

Here you go, baby.

Hey, I meant to ask you,

how'd it go with Dr. Forman?

Oh, good.

Hopefully, he can be my committee chair.

Yeah, you know, I always

thought he was kind of a kook.

He's got the kook hair going on.

He's got the same hair

as Malcolm Gladwell and Cornel West.

Yeah. Couple of kooks.

Shh!

Do you still have

those brown ballet shoes?

Mm-hmm.

Okay. Okay. You were right.

Hey, um, how come you haven't

met with Baptiste yet?

I really think she'll be

a good fit for you.

Dad, you guys are not

respecting this environment.

I feel like she was throwing me

a little bit of shade at our party.

Well, I'm sure it wasn't intentional.

She made it sound like

you had dated another student.

All right, look, a couple years ago,

I had a student, she got really flirty,

and people assumed things were going on,

but it was a stupid rumor.

Well, then why would she say that?

I don't know.

We've been friends forever.

She can be a little overprotective.

Look, I'm not gonna lie, Baptiste

can be petty, but she's brilliant.

And I think she'd be

a great mentor for you.

Okay, fine. I'll reach out to her.

It's not like I have a lot of options.

You guys, please.

I can't let you two take me anywhere.

I wanted to apologize.

I did not mean to be rude

the other night.

Oh, no worries.

I hope you didn't take my words

out of context.

I didn't mean any harm.

Well, I appreciate that.

But, I mean, insinuating

that Matthew has a history

of dating students is

kind of harmful.

So you're here

because you need a new advisor,

or you're going to have

to leave the program, correct?

I've read some of the chapters

of your dissertation.

They're compelling and well-written.

But I was wondering

why there aren't any women

in your research sample.

Was that intentional?

I mean, I-I came here to study

under Dr. Powell,

and his focus is

on male mass incarceration

and generational trauma, so I

Um

but, honestly, uh

I would actually love

to expand my focus to explore

how mass incarceration

has forced Black families

to become matriarchal.

Fascinating.

I'd love to read

what you've written on that.

Well, I haven't really started yet.

I was planning on expanding my focus

once I finished studying under Dr

Sondi, your dissertation is

the first indicator

of where your lifetime

of scholarship will focus.

You have to start your career

in your own voice.

Everyone already knows

what Matthew Powell is passionate about.

Wow.

Um, yeah, you're right.

Um, if I wanted to pivot my focus,

would you be interested

in working with me?

I'd strongly consider.

Why don't you put together

a 15-page thought starter

on female-anchored family structures,

and we'll talk again Monday.

I can do that.

Look what I drew

It has a house and two trees

Amari, sweetie, why don't you sit down

and draw another picture?

I don't want to draw anymore.

But you love to draw. Just one more.

You said we'd do one together.

And we will, I promise.

I just need 30 more minutes.

Can we play charades?

Chicken

I really need to get my work done, okay?

How about you draw a picture

for your daddy,

and then we can go get ice cream, okay?

Where's your damn daddy?

Can we walk to the store?

I want something refreshing to drink.

Oh, you want

something refreshing, do you?

Yes. I'm not sure what exactly.

But I'll know when we get there.

Hmm. All right, go get your shoes.

Rock, papers, scissors, sh**t!

- Ugh, got me!

- I thought Daddy was at work.

He is.

No, look.

Daddy!

Hey.

What are my favorite ladies doing here?

- I thought you had a meeting.

- Oh, I did.

Just finished early,

so I figured I'd grab a quick bite.

Oh, well, you realize

I'm trying to turn around

15 pages in three days, right?

Uh, yeah. Yeah.

I was just about to come home.

Tres leches cake for Matt!

Daddy, you better get that to go.

Okay, baby, look, I'm sorry, all right?

I stayed out a little bit

longer than I said I would,

but I don't understand.

Why are you so mad?

I did not risk

my entire academic career

to be at your disposal.

I have a ton of research to do,

and I cannot get anything done

because I am home with your daughter

and you're out having me time

and eating f*cking doughnuts.

It was a scone, but

Do you want to die today?

Okay, look, I know you got

a lot on your plate

Do you?

Because you don't act like it.

Do you know you haven't washed

a single dish

or done a load of laundry

since I moved in here?

I have lived alone for nine years,

and now I wake up

every morning next to you

and that amazing little girl,

whom I love

but needs a lot of attention.

I feel like a married mother,

and I am not married or a mother.

Listen

I'm extremely grateful

for everything you've sacrificed.

Your apartment, us working together.

And you're right, you've

you've done a lot

since you've been here.

The last thing I want is

for you to feel unappreciated.

Well, right now

that's exactly how I feel.

I'm sorry. What can I do?

I just need to be alone.

I'm going to the library.

Renee, it is

a private listening session,

not a birthday party at Lucky Strike.

Listen, tell your homegirl Imani

that you have a friend who's dressed up

with nowhere to go, and she'll love me!

All I got to do is throw my wig on.

Her name is Iman,

and I'm grateful she got me in.

The only press they invited

was Rolling Stone

and Jon Caramanica.

What is a Jon harmonica?

Jon Caramanica.

He's The New York Times music critic.

Renee, I got to go.

Mm-mm! No, no, no!

Come on, I heard

Donald Glover's gonna be there,

and I feel like

he missed out on dating me

when he lived in New York.

He's, like, married with three kids.

Girl, "like, married" is not married.

Let me sh**t my shot.

And that's why I love the moon

Every night It's there for you

You and you and you and you. You.

This is insane.

Thank you so much for inviting me.

Of course.

When I saw your byline on Hot Tea,

I was so excited.

Any chance you can run an exclusive

for the album release?

I'll talk to Barb about it.

- How is crazy Barb?

- Same.

Still telling stories

about partying at the Tunnel

with Craig Mack.

Oh, my God.

And my mind

And that's why I love the moon, yeah

Hey

Because people can Consume my love

Oh

In the wrong way

And so I send it up

Hey

- Iman.

- Yeah.

I'm hanging around for the after-set.

You want to join?

Yeah, sure. We'd love to.

Okay.

Hi, Emmett.

- You rep Emmett Wolfe, too?

- Yeah.

We picked him up after he won

the Globe last year.

I am gonna make him the next Michael B.

Whoa, whoa

Allowing the audience to absorb

into a story about Blackness

that was void of both

exceptionalism and trauma,

so refreshing.

I can see you're a deep thinker.

I'm sorry. I just I'm a fan.

No, thank you.

It was one of the most

important roles I ever played.

Yo, Em, when's Carly due?

Any day now.

I'm anxiously on call, man.

- Oh.

- Oh, nice.

- Aww.

- Oh, she's so beautiful.

Yo, bring that back.

She look like she actually

f*ck with you, bro.

- Shut up, bro.

- A toast.

Let's make some toast, toast.

To the last days of you getting

more than five hours of sleep.

You gonna need it.

I love Black men.

Oh, girl, miss me with that

hopeless-romantic bullshit.

B-T-dubs, I haven't dated men

since the Obama era.

- What?

- Obama.

Okay, where have I been?

- We got to catch up.

- Story time.

Oh, yes.

Ooh, thank you.

Okay, so here we are

dressed like Apollonia

Uh, tah. I was Sheila E.

Whatever. Way too much purple.

Okay.

So we get to the door,

and the woman tells us

that our tickets are counterfeit.

I literally start crying.

Hysterically weeping.

Well at least we didn't pay for them.

- Yeah.

- The dude you were dating

gave 'em to us.

Wait. Damn. What did we call him?

- Rum Punch Bae.

- Rum Punch Bae!

Oh, my God.

Y'all don't even remember

his name, do you?

No idea.

- Excuse me, guys.

- Mm-hmm.

BRB.

Excuse me.

- m*therf*cker.

- Right?

I hate to do this to Iman,

but I have to publish it.

We have to, right?

Of course we have to publish it!

If he's this much of a reckless as*h*le,

then he deserves it.

But his wife doesn't.

- Ugh.

- Don't feel bad.

It's unproductive.

We can publish it

under "DaniSpillstheTea" if you want.

Iman's still gonna know it was me.

Yes, yes. She absolutely is.

I just don't understand

this new relationship contract.

Because you're a celebrity or rich,

I'm supposed to be okay

with you screwing other women?

Is it even infidelity,

or are we now witnessing

the rise of Black polygamy

and just not calling it that?

Whoa. Whoa.

You're about to do the thing.

But I need you to get

the story up and socialized

before we get scooped by

some barback with 12 followers.

Buck up, buckaroo!

We're gonna have the best traffic day

of the year tomorrow!

- I know.

- Okay, I'm hanging up.

Watching you be conflicted

is very boring to me.

Okay, which is better?

"Emmett Wolfe: Unfaithful"

or "Emmett Wolfe: Just Messy"?

Both make your point.

Doesn't really matter.

So what did you mean

when you said it doesn't really matter?

Huh?

Earlier,

when I asked about my headline,

what did you mean?

That I don't care

who Emmett Wolfe is f*cking,

especially when it's

interfering with our f*cking.

But it's a huge story.

Sure, in the world of Hot Tea.

So now you're sh*t-talking my job?

Okay, wait, I-I'm confused.

You talk sh*t about your job

all the time.

I can't have someone inside me

who doesn't respect me.

What is happening?

Are we seriously arguing

over a Hollywood relationship?

Who knows what kind of

agreement they have?

Anderson, this is my job,

and I'm trying to be good at it.

Yeah, and your job is wack.

You know that. You're better than this.

Okay, how about you get the f*ck out?

Deuces.

Okay, what are Tom and Peter

saying about layoffs?

Oh, yeah. At least 25 people.

But don't worry. You're safe.

I better be.

I'm over here playing Black Barbie

at all these new client pitches.

If I'm gonna be the diversity mascot,

somebody should be paying me for it.

I agree.

I did talk to them about your promotion.

And you don't want to hear this,

but just give me some more time.

Abby, I don't have time.

I just became a single-income household.

I don't want to have to start

selling my bags

to pay my mortgage.

- I hear you.

- Jesus.

I was devastated when we had

to sell the Hamptons house

when the market crashed.

Okay, now, Abby,

that was some real privileged

white-girl complaining

you just did right there.

- I did it again?

- You did it again.

- Am I getting better?

- No.

Mia?

Ah!

You look amazing.

You're impeccable as always.

Oh, Abby, sorry.

Spelman screech and a hug.

- Loud.

- Oh, my God, this is Mia.

We went to college together.

She was a few classes ahead of me.

Excuse me, Freshie.

We no longer mention

these age-related things.

Oh, my God.

Remember that Homecoming

when we got drunk

and sang the theme to Golden Girls

in the parking lot for an hour?

One of the best nights of my

Life

Well, ladies, I would love to hang,

but, unfortunately,

on one of the best nights of my life,

I made a bad decision,

and that decision is telling me

he needs baking soda and lighter fluid,

which I hope is for a science project.

Oh. Oh.

Okay.

Here-here I go into my life.

- Okay.

- See you tomorrow, Abby.

- Okay. Love you. Bye.

- Bye.

Your boss?

Yeah, but she's more like my homegirl.

I've been on her team for seven years.

- You still at Eclipse?

- Yep.

Director. Gunning for VP.

You still at L'Oréal?

I am. VP now.

Up for SVP next year.

You got time for a drink?

Girl, I can't.

Most of the women

in the beauty industry are cool.

Your average college-educated

liberal progressives.

You know, they're all about solidarity,

but if you mention Black women

are four times more likely

to die during childbirth,

they say sh*t like,

"What kind of Black women?"

Well, at least they say it to your face.

You know, we've got one of those

CC and BCC passive-aggressive

email cultures.

It's like, "b*tch, whatever

you have to say, just say it!

Why you need invisible backup?"

Right?

- Get on my nerves with that.

- So true. Always.

Just, "Pew pew pew pew pew.

Let me tell you about this."

Oh, that's my packaging redesign.

- Really?

- Mm-hmm.

I love the new tube shape.

Wait, L'Oréal owns NYX?

And Urban Decay, Essie, Vichy,

Kiehl's, and YSL.

Girl, that is literally

everything in my life.

I feel like most consumers are unaware

of the scope of your portfolio.

Oh, the company has been synonymous

with drugstore makeup for so long,

corporate is worried about

diluting the luxury brands.

See, I think it's the complete opposite.

I need an Urban Decay lipstick

from Sephora for vacation

And a Proenza Schouler dress

for New Year's Eve.

It's L'Oréal for your life.

It's the brand

that goes with her forever.

Good line.

It is, ain't it?

Mm-hmm.

Do you think I could come in

and pitch it for you guys?

Maybe.

Let me talk to some of my big bosses

and feel it out.

Okay.

Yeah.

Cheers to that.

Cheers to that.

It's the brand

that goes with her forever.

And they told me that we could

come in next month to pitch.

I am so excited for you.

Girl, I'm so excited for you!

Breaking the Internet,

spilling all that spicy

Emmett Wolfe tea.

Hoo! Had all the ginger, girl.

Crazy.

We had our biggest traffic day

since Harry and Meghan announced

that they were breaking up

with Queen Grandma.

Now, you know I f*ck with that Meghan.

That b*tch is the epitome

of f*cking up, okay?

She is.

I think I might have

overreacted with Anderson.

Okay, you know I don't talk about Satan.

Now, back to me.

If we win L'Oréal,

I can buy Jason out of the condo

and start rebuilding my savings

and just breathe easy.

Oh. I have to land this.

You will.

This is what you do,

and you're really good at it.

If I do, f*ck VP.

This is some

"consider me for partner" sh*t.

Oh, gosh, I'm so excited,

I'm slightly terrified.

Listen, anyone who has

ever stood on the precipice

of world domination has felt fear.

Fear is good. Fear is fuel.

sh*t!

Just give the drink

to the floor, why won't you?

b*tch.

You could've given me a heads-up.

And, seriously, "DaniSpillstheTea"?

There were only eight people

in the restaurant.

Iman, I am so sorry.

I was gonna call you,

but then the story took off

and TMZ had pictures,

so I figured that you would

Emmett dropped me.

Again, I'm so sorry.

Can I buy you a drink or dinner?

I mean, we're next up for a table,

- but you can have our reservation.

- No.

You cannot buy me.

And so you're clear,

I'm never inviting you

to anything ever again.

Also, I will talk sh*t

about you to my colleagues

and others in the industry to save face.

So, if someone says

I'm talking sh*t about you,

it's because I am.

Bye.

Ooh.

I love her.

We should be friends.

I mean, I think you ruined it

for yourself,

but I think she'd like me a lot.

Mm-hmm.

What?

Moving on to new business,

we are thrilled to announce

that Eclipse

will be pitching L'Oréal.

Let's give a big round

of applause to Renee Ross,

who brought this in entirely on her own.

- Thank you.

- All right, Renee.

Tom and I have discussed it,

and we have decided that

Keith Mumford will run point.

Let's give it up for Keith.

What?

That is so uncool. I don't know.

Um, hi. Sorry.

Um, I'm just curious

what about me

you know, the person

that brought this pitch in

entirely on her own?

Peter and I think the account might be

just a little too big for you.

But I'm sure Keith will welcome

your input on the team.

Renee, there'll be a lot of opportunity

for you to learn.

This is so f*cked up.

Seriously, this is f*cked up. f*ck them.

I busted my a*s for you people.

I gave you my 20s.

I worked all the little accounts

that you didn't care about,

and I just brought in a huge opportunity

that White Keith

wouldn't have even tried for!

And to quote the great Maya Angelou

"You may not control

all the events that happen to you,

but you can decide

not to be reduced by them."

I'm sorry. I don't understand.

- I quit!

- Okay, let's just calm down.

We can talk about this offline.

Oh, I am calm, Tom.

Consider this my very calm resignation.

I won't stay somewhere

where I'm not valued.

Me neither.

I also quit.

- Wait, wh-what?

- Yep.

I quit, too.

I am over it.

We are the smartest people in this room,

so f*ck it.

That's a microphone.

You can't see it, but it is there.

Okay. Well yes.

We quit.

It's been nice knowing you guys.

- No, it hasn't.

- It's been great.

It's been bad.

- Black lives matter!

- Yes.

Black lives matter.

Stay woke, Black Keith!

We did that sh*t.

So last week we left off

before we had a chance to talk

about conflict resolution.

Yeah, we really don't fight much.

Well, it's not a bad thing to fight.

Sometimes I pick a fight with my wife

just for the makeup sex.

Do what you got to do

to keep that thing spicy now.

Huh? Huh?

Uh, well, we have no spice issues.

Good. That's good.

And now, what about spending

quality time together?

I mean, you both have

very demanding professions.

Yeah, I-I really don't think

it's been an issue.

Uh, sometimes it can be a strain.

I'm at the hospital all the time,

and Whitney works

incredibly long hours, too.

I have no wiggle room in the ER, so

sometimes I do wish

Whitney could try

to adjust her hours a bit more.

Well, I may not be saving lives,

but my work isn't exactly flexible.

Listen, you both have to prioritize

spending time together.

A little absence makes

the heart grow fonder,

but a lot of absence makes

the heart start to wander.

That's 100% mine off the dome.

All right, any other, uh

Any other problems, concerns?

Nothing here.

Uh, well, I-I do kind of feel

like lately

Whitney's been a bit distant.

Well, planning a wedding

of this magnitude

isn't exactly easy.

I'm doing my best to appease my mother

and my bridesmaids,

as well as Ola's rather large

and opinionated family,

so forgive me for not being perfect.

- Whitney, I'm not asking

- I am flawed, you know.

I have flaws. We all have flaws.

Jesus was flawed.

Flawed is the new kale.

Whitney, I love your flaws.

I just want you to share those

parts of yourself with me, too.

Babe, I just want more of you.

I want all of you.

Mm. Beautiful.

My bachelorette is tonight,

and then I'm out for three weeks,

but I should be reachable

until we get to the Maldives.

Check in with Brett at Eco Cheese

and make sure he got

the new marketing presentation

for the IPO roadshow.

I don't want to push back

any investor meetings,

so if it is something related

to that, call, no matter what.

Understood. Don't worry. It's handled.

Yeah, Whit, don't worry.

I got you covered.

I took the liberty

of familiarizing myself

with your client portfolios,

so I'm available to help Radha

in any way she might need.

Thank you.

Radha's got this under control.

So you can check in with her.

You can close it.

I'm just gonna

Oh, I have been dying to give you this.

You look absolutely divine.

I hope I find someone

to love me like this.

I am so happy for you!

Oh.

Hey.

I need to speak to someone

in a grown-up relationship.

Where are you?

Happy to let you talk first.

- Yeah, I kept my apartment.

- No sh*t.

Matthew's place is great,

but this the holy grail

of university housing.

I mean, I just couldn't.

I have no objection

to that line of thinking.

So what's going on?

I just keep trying

to block out the guilt

from f*cking that guy, but

I'm sorry, you did what to who?

I had sex with Chris Cabrera,

the community-peen guy.

- What, no one told you?

- No!

No one told me sh*t.

Whitney.

You cheated on Ola?

Don't say it like that!

Oh, okay.

You cheated on Ola?

Not on purpose.

Don't respond to that.

I feel like I need to tell him,

but Renee is right.

It's only gonna hurt him.

Oh, I'm still processing.

How does nobody tell me these things?

What if he finds out down the road?

I don't want to get divorced.

And at counseling, I felt like

he could smell it on me.

Well, you do smell kind of skanky

now that I know about it.

I can't stop thinking about it.

And Ola's not making it any easier

with his kind, sexy,

understanding amazingness.

How can I hurt a guy

who genuinely speaks

in John Legend lyrics?

Okay, um, Whitney,

anybody who's ever been

in a serious relationship

is going to run up

against a lie at some point.

Hell, we're standing in a lie right now.

But all lies are not created equal,

and "I cheated on you

right before our wedding"

is not the same thing

as "yes, these are my lashes."

You have to tell him.

You plan on telling Matthew about this?

f*ck, no.

Oh, uh should I still be going home

to get dressed for your

bachelorette party tonight?

- Or nah?

- Yes, everything is still on.

I just need to get my head together.

Why aren't you just

getting dressed here?

'Cause I should go home

to Matthew and Amari.

That is my home.

Plus, I've been at "the library"

for, like, five hours now.

But stay here. Get your sh*t together.

Hey.