["Quiero" by Divino Niño playing]
[McEnroe] Like me with the Australian Open of 1990,
Devi was asked to leave… her school,
and Nalini was making sure that a week off of school
did not feel like a holiday.
No friends, no phone, no video games, no internet.
The only thing Devi was allowed to do was help out her grandmother, Nirmala.
In some ways, it was a window into how people lived in the past,
-in a slower-paced, technology-free world. -Watch it, okay?
Oh! Who am I kidding? This was boring as hell.
♪ I wanna be with you The way that you are ♪
[vocalizing]
[song continues in Spanish]
[shushing]
Yes.
Now, put it all back.
[song continues]
Ow! Ow!
[McEnroe] Honestly, between you and me, I might just call in sick this week.
I'm not sure how much more of this I can take.
[music continues]
Kamala, are you feeling okay?
[sighs] It's just boring work politics. It's not worth getting into.
Yes, it is. Please, I'm desperate for any sort of gossip.
I spent three hours sorting Pati's blood pressure pills today.
Give me something!
Fine. My boss didn't credit me on our lab's paper,
even though that nimrod used all my research for it.
Welcome to the workforce.
There's always gonna be men who take credit for your work,
and undermine you, and choose the exact moment
when you're making a meaningful point to completely interrupt--
-[knocking on door] -[Ben] Devi! Let me in!
Ben?
How could you start that rumor about Aneesa?
I didn't mean to. It was an accident!
Of course you didn't.
You don't mean to ruin lives, but you keep doing it!
Benjamin, what is the meaning of this dinnertime hubbub?
I'm sorry to barge in like this, Dr. Vishwakumar,
but it's an emergency.
-Wow! Dinner smells amazing by the way. -Thank you, child. Now, was that so hard?
This ten-year-old boy was able to give me a compliment.
Not now, Pati.
Aneesa's changing schools again.
She is?
Because of what Devi did?
Her college transcript's gonna be a mess.
You've sentenced her to a mid-tier Division III liberal arts school.
Uh, I don't know. She could spin that into a pretty good essay.
Devi, you need to make things right.
[sighs] How am I supposed to fix it? I'm suspended, and she hates me!
If you don't figure it out, she's gone by the end of the week.
So figure it out.
Madam Vishwakumar, Elder Madam Vishwakumar, Cousin Kamala,
I am sorry for interrupting your evening.
[door opens, closes]
[sighs]
So then, he just burst into my house
and bitched me out in front of my entire family,
including my old-ass grandma!
Well, what you did was pretty messed up.
What? You're gonna dunk on me too?
You're supposed to be on my side, Doc!
I am on your side!
But that means being honest with you and dunking on you when it's appropriate.
-[sighs] -So, Ben's still mad at you, huh?
Big mad. He's angry about so much at this point,
I don't think I'll ever be able to win him back.
And it sucks because I know he's right about all of it too.
Do you feel guilty about what you did to Aneesa?
No doy. I feel like shit.
Aneesa's dope, and I basically curb-stomped our friendship.
Even if I could go to school, I bet she wouldn't wanna talk to me.
And if I don't get her to stay at Sherman Oaks,
Ben will hate me forever too.
Devi, I think, for your own good,
you should find a way to apologize to Aneesa.
It's the right thing to do.
And it'll give you what you most desperately want.
What's that? Ben?
What? No!
Peace!
Inner peace and moral clarity!
But also Ben, right?
If I get Aneesa to stay at Sherman Oaks,
that will prove to Ben I'm a good person, and he'll like me again!
No, no, no!
Devi, we don't apologize to get something in return.
For sure. For sure. I am obviously apologizing
because I feel horrible about what I did to Aneesa,
and I want her to be my friend again.
But…
if I also got Ben, that wouldn't be so bad, right?
And our time here is up, and I have failed once again.
[sighs]
Hey, real quick. Can I check your phone? I just want to watch three TikToks, max.
Bye-bye.
Chris, we got your mail accidentally again.
All right, yes.
Derm magazine! I've been waiting on this issue.
I'm listed as one of the best doctors in LA.
But, um…
I don't see you anywhere.
[sobbing]
Whoa, hey, I… I'm sorry, I was just kidding around.
Are you okay?
If it makes you feel any better, my picture is by an ad for foot cream.
Look.
I'm not crying 'cause of your silly magazine.
[sobbing] I'm crying because I'm a terrible mother!
I work all the time. I haven't raised my daughter properly.
Hey. Come on, have a seat.
Want a jade roller for puffiness?
No, those are the stupidest things-- Okay, just give me one.
So talk to me. What's going on?
My daughter is acting out all the time, and it's getting worse,
and she bullied a girl so badly in school that that girl is now leaving school,
and I do not know what to do because I truly do not understand her.
I get it.
My son is not speaking to me
because I offered to send him and his friends to Vegas for his birthday.
What? That sounds very nice.
Not to him.
He says he became a socialist in college, and Vegas steals from the working poor.
I just wanted him to get drunk and see Penn & Teller.
[sighs]
My husband would've known exactly what to do.
Those two were two peas in a pod, and I was Mommy, the workaholic.
Here's my advice.
Sometimes I come home dead tired from a long day at work,
and my son asks me for something I can't even wrap my mind around.
And I just say yes.
If your child needs you, you just say yes.
[solemn music playing]
Okay, so I thought we could look through my pictures of our family,
and I'll tell you who's dead.
Sounds fun! But, Pati, do you feel well?
You look very, very pale.
I think I've been running myself ragged cleaning up after everyone.
Mm-hmm.
-Have you tried a Gravity Blanket before? -No.
They're like a regular blanket except it's very, very heavy.
Oh, it is heavy and comforting.
-It's like being held! -Uh-huh.
I haven't been held in…
-[snoring] -[McEnroe] And she's out.
With Devi's new mission to win over Aneesa,
and thereby, win back Ben,
she needed a jailbreak from her suspension prison.
She had to get over to the school,
but that meant creating an elaborate scheme
to ensure that her grandmother would never know she was missing.
If everything went according to plan,
Nirmala would be occupied for the next six or seven hours,
and Devi would be free to make some apology magic.
Let me just finish this one email, and then we can go and eat outside.
I've been dreaming of those bean chalupas all morning!
I know. I got a trio of salsas for us.
-[laptop chimes] -Damn it.
Should I have just gotten one salsa?
Guess that would've been more decisive and confident.
No! I'm mad because Evan's submitting the paper to the journal tomorrow,
and my name's not on it.
Really? He left you off?
I followed your advice about playing the game,
but he still doesn't respect me.
The only thing I've gotten out of this rotation
is a subscription to a Dungeons & Dragons newsletter.
[sighs] I'm so sorry. That sounds awful.
I tried talking to Dr. Peters about it, but he didn't wanna get involved.
Wait, you complained to Dr. Peters?
Yeah, I thought that maybe he would help.
Why? Was that wrong?
No, but you don't want to burn bridges this early in your career.
I didn't burn a bridge. I just asked for what I deserved.
Of course, but you also don't want
someone like Dr. Peters to think you're difficult to work with.
So you don't think that I should do anything about this?
I'm just saying that you're almost done with this rotation.
If I were you, I'd put my head down and get through it!
Keep your chin up.
So just to be clear. Put my head down, but keep my chin up?
Exactly. Should we go eat our chalupas?
[gentle music playing]
Yeah.
-He doesn't fart. -[Fabiola] No.
-He doesn't! Never in his life! -[Fabiola] Who doesn't fart?
[screams] Get away from me, pedophile!
It's me! Your friend. Devi? From school?
Wow, you really look like a pervert.
Anyway, I need your help.
I need to figure out a way to apologize to Aneesa so she doesn't move away.
My dad always said, "If you mess up big, you have to apologize even bigger."
And you messed up huge! Like, crazy huge.
I'm just saying you need to make a serious overture.
Ooh, I love an overture.
I'm thinking upbeat apology with a pinch of school spirit,
a splash of pageantry.
What are your thoughts on the marching band?
Honestly, I really like them.
I do too!
No doy! They're the coolest.
Okay, something is percolating.
Let's go to the costume room and look for inspiration.
[McEnroe] The girls hadn't quite landed on the perfect apology yet,
but luckily, they had plenty of time,
because back at home,
Nirmala had slowly puttered straight into the elaborate web
that Devi had spun for her.
Devi!
Aw.
[sighs]
Mm.
I wonder what this next one is.
[McEnroe] They're all cookies, Nirmala! But take your time.
Devi?
Oh, Nalini. I suppose Nirmala has to fix everything.
Devi?
♪ So let me go and I'll put you to bed ♪
[Devi] And please bless my grandmother.
She's my inspiration and the only reason this house hasn't fallen apart yet.
And if you could give her the idea
to make some of her famous neer dosas for dinner tonight…
I know they take her hours to prepare,
but they would really bring this family some much-needed cheer.
-[school bell ringing] -[band playing]
-Whoo! -[students cheering]
[Eleanor] Ready? Okay!
[both] S-O-R-R-Y,
she ain't got no alibi! She's sorry!
-Hey, hey! She's sorry! -Whoo!
[students cheering]
[band continues playing]
[students cheering]
[students laughing]
Aneesa, don't go to another school because you know you're a Cricket in your heart!
[scoffs]
Is this your way of apologizing to me?
Yeah, did you not see the sign?
Wait, why are you sorry, Crazy Devi?
It's 'cause she told everybody that she's anorexic.
-[all murmuring] -[Trent] I forgot all about that!
But now I remember.
[chuckles nervously]
Thanks for the apology, Devi.
You've now ensured my final week here is about how much of a freak I am.
Great work.
[delicate music playing]
In what world was that a good apology?
I thought she would like it, and I worked really hard on the dance.
David, use your brain.
Oh, wow! Vishwakumar, this is really impressive,
but I am gonna need to see you in my classroom like, right now.
Hi, excuse me. I'm here to pick up Devi.
[sighs]
You're Devi's mother?
No. [scoffs] I'm her cousin, Kamala.
Kamala, it's nice to meet you. I'm Mr. Kulkarni. Manish!
-So, uh, your cousin's a nerd. -Rude.
She couldn't stay away from school for more than ten minutes,
-so she's now officially a trespasser. -Yeah, that sounds like her.
So if you could, I don't know, lock her in a closet
and make sure she never comes back, we'd really appreciate it.
We have an old spooky shed. Will that work?
Spookier the better. 'Cause you know what?
It's actually a bad look for our people
to have an Indian kid be this obsessed with being at school.
[laughs] Yeah, it's also not a great look for our people to have an Indian kid
dress up like a giant insect and do a mediocre dance routine.
[both laugh]
Can I not be roasted by India's Last Comic Standing, please?
Okay, let's go, you little maniac. It's nice to meet you, Manish.
You too, Kamala.
Mister K, you did me dirty, and I will not forget.
How did you get out of the house?
I sort of Ferris-Bueller'd it.
You never take no for an answer, do you?
You never let anyone get in the way of what you want.
Hmm, I guess not. [scoffs]
Let me ask you a question.
You know how I was left off my research paper?
What would you do if you were me?
Hmm, I don't know, but maybe we could run a simulation and gauge my rage level.
Okay. Imagine you made the discovery that the whole paper was based on.
That's messed up.
You had to work late every night,
missing dinners with your handsome boyfriend.
Blood's starting to boil.
You're the only girl in the lab,
and you have to work for a rude, sexist jerk,
and that jerk has made you play the kidnapped daughter
of the maharaja in many different LARPing quests.
Damn! I'm pissed!
Huh.
Kamala, you've been wronged, and it's okay to demand it be righted.
Everyone thinks Asian women will take all kinds of crap,
like bow or hand them a cup of tea or some shit. You can't let them.
Wow, Devi. I'm impressed that you've been able to take your rage problem
and attach it to systemic racism and sexism.
-Hmm. -But I'm more impressed that you're right.
[Kamala reading]
[McEnroe] Later that night,
Devi couldn't stop thinking about what she'd done to Aneesa.
She knew how shitty it felt to be labeled the school freak.
[somber music playing]
As she looked at her dad's picture,
she realized she might've misunderstood his advice about apologies.
Maybe it wasn't that the apology needed to be physically bigger than the mistake,
but be bigger in heart.
And then she remembered the greatest apology her father ever gave.
[Nalini] How could you not show up?
When we first came to this country,
I thought I was going to do something great.
Now here I am, unemployed,
while my wife is receiving professional awards.
-Mohan… -[Mohan] But…
I should've been there for you, Nalu.
I was acting petty and selfish.
I should've been able to look at your success
without seeing my own failure.
My success is your success. You're my husband.
I know that, and I will never make that mistake again.
From now on, I will always show up, I promise.
[gentle music playing]
[sighs]
[McEnroe] Devi knew what she had to do.
[indistinct chatter]
[whispering] Psst! Aneesa.
Bro, what are you doing back here?
Can I talk to you in private?
Oh, you want to apologize again?
Please, go off. Publicly humiliate me again.
Well, this is probably gonna be worse for both you and me.
But you call the shots, so… All right.
-No one told you to get on a chair. -Well, I'm already up here, so here goes.
Hi!
Devi Vishwakumar here,
from school.
Many of you know, I have wronged Aneesa.
Multiple times.
Yes, multiple times.
And it's only because, well…
When Aneesa came here, I felt threatened by her.
I was like, "What the hell?"
"Another Indian girl who's prettier, cooler,
and has figured out her eyebrow shape."
But, Aneesa,
I really don't want you to leave.
I want us to be friends.
I think you're awesome,
and if you stay…
[sighs] I promise to be a really great friend to you.
Well, do you forgive her, Crazy Aneesa?
Uh, nah-uh! There's no "Crazy Aneesa."
I'm the only crazy one. Remember that time I fought a coyote?
Hey, that was my house!
Yeah! And how about the time
I almost killed the captain of the swim team
because I was cheating on him with this little dude?
Hi.
Wow, you are crazy!
Right?
Devi, what the hell? What are you doing back here?
Get off the couch!
-Come on! -Yeah. Yeah. Sorry.
[Mr. Kulkarni] Why are you dressed like a white nerd?
[weatherman on TV] There is a moderate risk of severe storms…
Hmm, a chance of T-storms across the plains.
Do we know anyone there that we should warn?
-[sighs] -[doorbell rings]
[weatherman] …and then exit the area as this whole…
-Hi. -[exhales]
I don't know whether to be scared or excited to see you.
[laughs] Relax.
Yeah.
I just wanted to say that I appreciated what you said today.
You're kind of a pain, but I think your heart's in the right place.
I swear it is.
I'm aware that I sometimes have a problematic personality,
but I'm trying to be better.
I'd love it if I didn't have to spend most of my day apologizing.
[scoffs] Yeah, you could add another extracurricular.
Maybe, uh, entomology club?
Hey, I'm not that big of a dork.
[laughs]
Are we good?
[sighs]
We're good.
-So you'll stay at our school? -No.
-Excuse? -We're good,
but the ship sailed of me staying at Sherman Oaks.
My mom's mind is made up, and there's no changing it.
But there's got to be something we can do.
I'm a pro at manipulating my parents, and they're not budging.
Thanks for trying.
I'm glad we at least cleared the air before I left.
[bittersweet music playing]
[sighs]
[McEnroe] Devi felt hopeless.
Aneesa said her mom wouldn't budge on transferring her,
and who could possibly convince a hard-hearted, stubborn Indian woman
-to change her mind? -[gasps]
Hello, I'm home!
Mom, help me. Convince Aneesa's mom to let her stay at our school.
Devi, that's their family business. I don't want to meddle in it.
Do you want me to have an Indian friend or not?
Please, I need you.
[McEnroe] And just then, Nalini remembered what Dr. Jackson had said.
Not about how we should destigmatize BOTOX for men,
but about how, when your children say they need you,
you just say yes.
[sighs]
Okay.
[doorbell rings]
Good, because they're already here.
What?
-Go. -Devi! I'm not ready!
Hello! I'm Devi's mother, Nalini. Please come on in.
-Hello, I'm Noor. -[Nalini] Hi.
Um…
Can I get you something to drink or anything?
No, we won't be here long.
Mom, relax.
Noor, I understand why you're so angry. I mean, Devi was way out of line.
So out of line.
Like, the line was here, and I was freaking way over there.
Devi, sweetheart, why don't you take Aneesa up to your room?
Mm.
Goodbye.
I am so, so sorry for the situation.
This was supposed to be Aneesa's fresh start.
[sighs]
I never expected her to be stabbed in the back
by the only other Indian girl in school.
It's excruciating to see your child go through that.
I completely understand,
and I… I have to believe that the reason Devi did that
is because she herself is so hurt.
Um, I don't know if you know,
but she lost her father suddenly, not long ago,
and we've struggled a bit with it. Um…
I'm very sorry to hear that.
And that's not an excuse, Noor,
but I promise you we are a good family. We've just gone through a hard time.
I understand.
Please, give the school another chance.
We'd be so lucky to have you in our community.
Holy crap, you did it!
That was like the WWE Smackdown of Indian moms,
and you pile-drived her ass!
That's not what happened, Devi.
We actually had a very civilized conversation about motherhood.
Hmm. Well,
whatever it was, thank you so much.
You are the best mom ever.
Okay, okay! Your suspension isn't over, young lady.
You still have to clean out your grandmother's CPAP machine.
-[groans] -Come on! Come on.
[gentle music playing]
Hey, everybody! I did a little java run for my fave bro-dogs. [chuckles]
Evan, I got you your usual pumpkin spice latte
-with oat milk in the shape of a heart. -Aw!
What a masculine drink.
-I agree. Thank you, Kamala! -[laughs gently]
How long does it usually take for it--
Oh, okay! I got-- I'm gonna make a quick phone call.
[exhales]
Cow's milk runs right through him.
You might as well just pour it straight into the toilet.
You have 20 minutes, give or take.
[suspenseful music playing]
I forgot my magazine!
Uh, for the, uh, back-end of my phone call.
What are you doing?
I put my name on the paper and submitted it to the journal.
You did what? That's fraud.
No, it's not.
I have a stack of papers with my research over there,
and if you take my name off it, I will--
[McEnroe] How would Devi put it?
I will go ham on your ass!
I will file a complaint with the administration.
I will mobilize the Association of Women in Science.
I will write a scathing article in Jezebel, and I will--
[McEnroe] Kamala had gotten so fired up, that she had accidentally made a list
of four things without knowing what the fourth was.
-So she went witchy. -I will put a curse on you!
[gasps] Oh..
[exhales]
Whatever.
You can have your name on the paper…
but you are out of my lab today.
Who cares?
I start my new rotation next week anyway, with Dr. Logan,
who's a woman, and not a bitter, untalented man
who steals ideas of those who work under him.
Wow, all right. You know what? Just for that,
you're no longer invited to my Settlers of Catan tournament.
Evan, let me be clear.
I would rather barf to death than go to that.
[McEnroe] Wow. It felt pretty invigorating to be Devi for a moment.
That's why we hotheads do it, guys.
It's fun to freak out.
-[beaker shatters] -No, no!
[all cheering]
Stop cheering. Stop cheering.
[McEnroe] Devi returned to school the next week an exonerated woman.
Finally, all that messiness with Aneesa was solved,
and she could go back to obsessing about other things, like--
[Ben] Well, well, well.
Heard what you pulled off with Aneesa's mom.
Pretty excellent. I guess you're not such a jerk after all, David.
I'm a goddamn sweetie-pie!
Mm. I wouldn't go that far.
You definitely have an undiagnosed mood disorder.
Uh.
[McEnroe] And even though she made up with Aneesa for the right reasons,
Devi still hoped it might bring her closer to Ben.
[both laugh]
No, I'm… I'm serious.
You did good.
And now, who knows? Maybe we can date.
-You and me? -What?
No, me and Aneesa.
Now that she's staying, I'm gonna ask her out.
Later, loser.
[sighs]
[funky music playing]
[laughing] Chris! It worked! I took your advice.
I said yes to my daughter, and now she thinks I'm a hero!
I… I cannot believe I'm saying this, but you, my friend, are a genius.
I know! I'm also handsome, so feel free to compliment me in that area as well.
[laughs] Seriously, though, thank you so much.
You made me feel so…
I don't know.
Were you going in for a hug?
I was.
["Frankie" by Barrie playing]
[vocalizing]
♪ Wait for the break When we get some rain ♪
♪ Swim in the creeks That the New Deal laid ♪
♪ Can’t break even but can’t complain ♪
♪ Pushed right back to try it again ♪
♪ Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah ♪
♪ They get you to give it up ♪
♪ Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah ♪
♪ They get you to give it up ♪
♪ Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah ♪
♪ They want you to give ♪
♪ Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah ♪
♪ They get you to give it up ♪
♪ Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah ♪
♪ They want you to ♪