Tariq has a new business idea.
Tariq walks into Stern’s office expecting to meet him to discuss a new idea, instead, he ends up having to speak to Stern’s new husband Bash. He explains his new idea to basically starting an Uber service but it will be for tutoring. He offers Bash 5 percent of the profits if he doesn’t tell Stern about this. Bash agrees.
After the meeting, Tariq gets a call from Tasha. She tells him that she knows he’s been selling drugs to pay for Maclean’s services. So he needs to get a gun. After Tariq says he has nowhere to get one, she tells him to go to one of Tommy and Ghost’s old drop off spots. After they hang up, she texts him the locations.
The fellowship is announced.
After class, Tariq and the other students are told that it’s time to apply for the fellowship. And the internship will be in DC. One of Lauren’s peers asks her if she’s applying since she has a boo in DC. Tariq overhears this and teases Lauren about her love life.
She later asks Professor Reynolds if he can have dinner at her parents’ place to discuss the fellowship, plus her parents are big fans of his books. He thinks she’s a good fit for the fellowship but suggests that she also has Professor Milgram and another student there for “optics.” Tariq overhears and volunteers himself.
Cane handles Guap.
Monet and Cane meet with the GTG crew. They tell them that due to their need to flaunt on social media and bring too much attention to things, Monet has decided to cut back on their supply. This angers one of the members, Guap, who then calls Monet a “p*ta.” Cane snaps and beats up Guap. Monet tells him she approves and she can always count on Cane to handle things.
Tariq tells Brayden about his new “business idea.” Tariq says that in order for it to work, they need smart students who can tutor and sell drugs. Brayden says that they need students who rely on financial aide because they need the money more.
Brayden will do the recruiting and freebies will help them expand faster. Plus, each order made by students will come with actual study guides so they can cover their bases.
It doesn’t take long for the money to start rolling in.
Saxe and Maclean faceoff, again.
Tariq goes to Maclean’s office to give him some money. And Tariq explains his frustrations about the mock trial. He warns Maclean and Paula not to underestimate Saxe. Meanwhile, Maclean doesn’t truly care where Tariq is getting the money as long as he’s paid.
Saxe and Maclean meet with the judge. Maclean brings up all the shady things Saxe has done, including meeting with Tariq while he was minor without his parents being around. The judge then decides that Maclean needs to be able to call in his witnesses. And she warns Saxe that he will have to be recused from Tasha’s case if it comes out that his moves are politically motivated.
Monet updates the kids.
Back at the house, Monet tells the kids that she replaced the GTG crew with Tariq. They are shocked by this decision. But Monet tells Dru to check things out and find out how Tariq is selling the drugs on campus. As for Cane, he’s not happy that Monet made this decision without talking to him. They are supposed to be a “team.” However, Monet reminds him that he’s not a decision-maker. She is.
Dru arrives at Tariq’s dorm room and it’s awkward when Brayden comes in and asks if Dru is the “plug.” Tariq gets out of showing Dru how he’s moving drugs around campus and instead takes him to his art class. Dru decides to stick around and meets another student named Everett. They flirt.
Saxe has a new plan.
Saxe’s niece Riley is brought into his office by police because she was busted for buying weed at the park. To get out of Saxe telling her parents, she agrees to do him a favor. Saxe is now fixated on finding out how Tariq is able to pay for Maclean’s services.
Maclean has Rodriguez as a witness during his meeting with the judge and Saxe. Although Saxe is able to break down Rodriguez and make her seem as dirty as he is, the judge still agrees to have Tate be a witness next.
Brayden has some news.
Tariq is able to find a gun at one of Ghost and Tommy’s old drop off spots. While there, he gets a phone call from Brayden. Apparently, they are out of drugs. The app is blowing up and they need more to keep the business from folding so soon. Stunned, Tariq says he will figure something out.
Paula meets Tariq on campus. She hands back the cash he gave Maclean. She says Tariq must be able to show where he got the money from to keep the firm from getting in some serious trouble. Tariq lies and says he’s been stealing money from his grandmother since she’s the only one who has access to the money Ghost left as for now.
Later on, Tariq calls Bash and says he needs money and half of it must be cash and the other must be wired. Bash says he will only do this if Tariq lets him have 15% of the app’s profits. Tariq reluctantly agrees.
Diana makes her move.
Dru goes back to Everett’s dorm room. After Everett talks about his dreams of becoming an NBA player, they begin to make out. However, they put things on pause after Tariq blows up Dru’s phone. Dru steps to the side and calls Diana, asking her to go to Tariq and give him more product. Monet listens in while they talk via speakerphone. It becomes clear to Monet that Dru may not be as dependable as believed.
Diana goes to Tariq’s dorm room to drop off the product. They talk and she kisses him. A knock on the door is heard and it’s Dru. He asks what they were doing and Diana responds by asking what he was doing. The siblings decide to not answer each other’s questions for now.
Tate frustrates Maclean.
Tate answers questions for Maclean and Saxe in front of the judge. He ends up admitting he lied about knowing that Ghost killed Silver. And he only lied because Tasha threatened him. After this, someone tried to kill him. But he says he’s not sure who was behind this. When he is asked if he told the truth when he said Ghost was a murderous drug dealer, he said he lied because they were political opponents at the time. On his way out, Maclean pulls Tate to the side and calls him a “lying a*s n*gga.”
While Dru is showering, Monet asks him how things went with Tariq. She’s impressed after she finds out Tariq wouldn’t tell Dru anything and he needed more drugs so soon. After locating the cash in Dru’s book bag, she finds the drawing Dru did of Everett. She warns Dru that not all men will understand his family and his life. Plus, she always believed in Dru even when his dad felt he could be too “soft” at times. So Dru needs to be careful and he needs to always come back home because his family will always have his back.
Tariq meets Malcolm.
Tariq shows up late to Lauren’s home. He impresses everyone with his knowledge on the current book for class, “The Prince.” Lauren’s parents are inviting but it’s pretty awkward between Professor Reynolds and Professor Milgram. So Tariq and Lauren go off on their own to talk. Lauren shows Tariq a picture of her brother who struggled with mental issues and drugs. She doesn’t want to end up like him. Tariq says she won’t. They end up kissing but things come to a halt after Lauren’s boyfriend Malcolm comes by.
Tariq plots on Scott.
While Tariq and Brayden are at a party, Saxe’s niece Riley shows up to do her uncle’s bidding. She immediately walks up to Tariq even though Saxe asked her not to. And she asks Tariq if anyone has ever told him he has “dark energy.” He says no and walks off. Brayden then comes over and starts talking to Riley. He eventually asks for her phone number.
Not too long after Tariq walks around and notices another student, Scott, selling pills. So he tells someone else that Brayden is selling pills. That person then tells Scott. He gets into a fight with Brayden and is kicked out of the party. Tariq smirks as his goal was accomplished.
Tameika is dragged back in.
While Paula and Maclean are sleeping together, Paula gets a notification that money was wired from Tariq via a “shady LLC company.” Maclean doesn’t care too much but Paula thinks they should look into what Tariq is doing. Regardless, Paula reminds Maclean to put his wedding ring on before he heads home.
They later have Tameika served at her home with flowers. She’s heated she will have to get involved now.
When Tariq is on his way to class, he runs into Scott. Scott tells him he’s been suspended because he hit Brayden and Brayden’s family has too much power at the school. After he walks off, Tariq smirks. He’s happy with the outcome he set up. Scott was his main competition.
Tasha gets another scary update.
Tariq arrives to class and tells Lauren she doesn’t have to worry about what happened. They’re young and they have options. He’s interested in her and won’t back down because she has a boyfriend. When Diana texts him, Lauren sees this. Tariq tells Lauren that Diana is once again proof that they all have options.
While Tasha is in her cell and finishes up doing pushups, she gets a text message from an unknown sender. It’s the photo Dru took of Tariq while they were in his art class. And the person tells Tasha that Tariq earned another day alive because of all the money he made.
What are your thoughts on the episode?
