The Carmichael Show – Shoot-Up-Able

By starrymag | July 4, 2017

By: Jessica Wolff

 

Maxine (Amber Stevens West) sings as she does chores around the house.  Jerrod Carmichael (Jerrod Carmichael) comes in, but she doesn’t stop singing.  Jerrod claps for her as she breaks, but soon goes into the next verse without acknowledging him.  When she finishes her performance, she kisses him and asks him about the mall.  He tells her that there was a mass shooting and three people are dead.  Maxine is horrified by the news, but Jerrod acts like it’s not a big deal.  She confirms that three people are dead and he corrects her that it’s four including the shooter.  He tries to distract her by singing a verse of the song, but it doesn’t work.

 

Maxine asks what happened, but Jerrod tells her not to make a big deal of it.  He explains that this is the society we live in and that some places are just shoot-up-able.  According to Jerrod, a shoot-up-able place is a crowded place with little security that makes it vulnerable to attack.  Bobby Carmichael (LilRel Howery) comes in and is so relieved to see that Jerrod is alive and hugs him.  Annoyed, Jerrod asks how Bobby knew he was at the mall.  Bobby tells him that a friend that works at the mall told him.  Maxine tells Jerrod to sit down, but Jerrod refuses.  Bobby announces that he needs to sit down and joins Maxine on the couch.  He asks if they know how scary it is to get a text that their brother is in a mall shooting, but Jerrod points out that it’s scarier to be in the shooting.  Bobby explains that the bullets missed Jerrod, but the text messages hit him in the heart.

 

Maxine asks Jerrod what happened and he tells them that he heard gunshots and ducked behind a kiosk.  She tells him to relax and they can talk about it after she’s made him some tea.  He insists that there’s nothing else to talk about, but Bobby says that he wants tea and to talk.  Bobby makes Jerrod focus on him and tells him that he means everything to him.  Jerrod quips that he’s making being alive less enjoyable.  Bobby tells him that he was so nervous that he took three Vicodin.

 

As Jerrod insists that there is no need to be dramatic, Cynthia Carmichael (Loretta Devine) bursts in and announces that God prevented the angel of death from taking her son away.  She tells Jerrod that Joe Carmichael (David Alan Grier) called her and told her that their son was involved in a shooting.  However, the line cut out before he could tell her which son it was.  She announces that it was Sophie’s Choice, but notices Bobby in the room before she can say which son she preferred to lose.  Cynthia admits that she didn’t see him there and Bobby asks her to finish her sentence.  Jerrod tells Cynthia that he’s fine, but she doesn’t believe him.  She pulls Dunkaroos and Strawberry Nesquik out of her bag to comfort him.

 

Jerrod continues to insist that everyone is overreacting, when Joe bursts in and is relieved to see him.  Joe asks if he knows how hard life is for a grieving parent and explains that they have to light candles, dedicate themselves to anti-gun laws, start a foundation and get a Jerrod law passed.  He explains that Jerrod’s death could have ruined their lives.  As he says that he can’t live without his preferred son, Bobby stands up angrily.  Joe remarks that he didn’t see him there and Bobby asks if it is the camouflage he’s wearing.  Cynthia gives Jerrod some Nesquik and then asks Bobby what mass shooting he was involved in when Bobby asks for some as well.  Cynthia announces that she’s going to draw a bath for Jerrod and Maxine tells her that she’s not bathing her adult son in her apartment.

 

Joe asks what Jerrod was thinking going to the mall like a hero and that he knew that it was ISIS happy hour.  Maxine argues that they don’t know who the shooter is.  However, Joe insists that it’s ISIS, racist white or an Asian pushed to the brink by their mother.  Cynthia explains that is the reason she didn’t push her sons so hard in school.  Joe tells Jerrod that he should have known better and Maxine points out that he shouldn’t blame Jerrod.  Joe asks whether they should blame the shooter, the NRA or the Republicans that continuously block gun control legislation and Maxine said that those are all good places to place blame.  Jerrod continues to insist that they stop making a big deal out of this.

 

Bobby remembers that he texted Jerrod yesterday about hanging out and never got a reply back.  He wonders if he would have also been at the mall if Jerrod had texted him back and Jerrod replies that he never texts Bobby back.  Joe remarks that Bobby could be dead if he was more fun to hang out with and Cynthia tells him to make himself some Nesquik.  Jerrod tells them to stop making Bobby a victim and that everyone who’s suffered a tragedy has several relatives making it about them.  Maxine tells Bobby that Jerrod is the victim, but Jerrod insists that he is not.  She explains that there is nothing wrong with being a victim and that he needs to rely on the people he loves to overcome it.  Cynthia makes sure that he knows that she loves him more than anyone else.

 

Bobby comments that a lot of people are giving Jerrod love on Instagram and Jerrod is mad that he posted about it.  Bobby points out that near-death experiences get the most likes on social media.  Jerrod says that he doesn’t want to be the guy that posts everything on social media to see if people care and Bobby tells him that ninety-three people liked the posts.  Jerrod demands that Bobby untag him from the post and that he doesn’t want his identity to be defined by this.  Bobby says that it’s nice that he was handed an identity, because he’s been trying to find his for years.  Cynthia tells him that he’s the guy with the cool hats, but Joe says that isn’t enough.

 

Nekeisha (Tiffany Haddish) comes in and comments that Jerrod got his shootout cherry popped.  She explains that her first shootout was scary, but now she jokes about the gunshots.  Joe tells him that the shooting will be good for him, even though it will haunt him for the rest of the life.  When asked for clarification, Joe explains that he feels everyone should be haunted as it builds character.  His abusive father haunts him, and this will now haunt Jerrod.  Bobby asks if this can be his as well, but Joe says that this is Jerrod’s thing.  Cynthia tells her sons that she coddled them so that they wouldn’t be haunted and tells them that their father sits outside sometimes and looks at the moon.  Maxine offers to listen to his problems and Joe asks why he needs her if he has the moon.  Jerrod gets frustrated, but Nekeisha notices blood on his jacket as he stands up.  Tired of their concern, he storms out to be alone.

 

Jerrod tries to rub out the stains in the laundry room and Maxine goes to talk to him.  She tells him that she’s here for him and he kisses her.  He pushes her against the laundry machine and she asks what he’s doing.  He says that having sex in the laundry room has always been a fantasy of his.  She gives reasons why it’s a bad idea and Jerrod tries to turn them into positive reasons.  Maxine tells him that he can’t use sex to hide his feelings, and Monica (Miriam Flynn) interrupts their conversation.  Jerrod lets her in and she comments about Bobby’s Instagram post.  He tries to downplay it, but she tells him that they have tragedy in common.  She explains that she was in New York during 9/11, but later clarifies that she was living in Queens.  When Jerrod points out that Queens is far from Ground Zero, she comments that New York was a small city.  She assures him that he is not a victim, but a survivor and that he should take care of himself.

 

Bobby comes in and tells Jerrod that an Officer (Carlos Jacott) wants to talk to him about the shooting.  He asks Monica how she’s holding up after 9/11 and she responds that she takes every day as a gift.  In the apartment, Joe and Cynthia are nervous at the officer’s presence.  Despite his assurances that he’s just there to talk to Jerrod, Joe and Cynthia believe that they should put their hands up.  They announce that they’re putting their hands up and Nekeisha announces that she is filming this.  The officer insists that it won’t be necessary, but Nekeisha walks forward and announces to the camera that the officer’s name is G. Zimmerman.  The officer says that his name is Greg and Nekeisha announces that he’s George Zimmerman’s brother.

 

Jerrod and Maxine are alarmed by the fact that everyone has their hands up.  Joe tells Maxine that she has nothing to worry about and that they would close the police station if the officer shot her.  The officer insists that he’s just there to question Jerrod and asks him to describe what happened.  He repeats that he ducked behind a kiosk when he heard gunshots, but the officer tells him to be more specific.  Jerrod explains that he was in line to get a pretzel and the couple in front of him let him cut in front of them.  He heard the first shot and ran behind the kiosk, but couldn’t figure out where the shots were coming from.  He looked back and saw that the man who let him cut in line had been shot.  Afterwards, everyone ran out of the mall.

 

Bobby clarifies that if the man hadn’t let Jerrod cut in line that Jerrod might have been the one shot.  They are all horrified and Joe announces to the officer that he and Cynthia are moving forward to hug their son.  Everyone embraces Jerrod, but Nekeisha keeps her camera focused on the officer. The officer leaves and  Nekeisha follows him with the camera announcing that she won’t let any more Zimmermanns get away.  Maxine apologizes that he had to go through that, but that he can’t deny he was affected anymore. Jerrod admits she’s right and that he is a victim.  Maxine believes that it’s progress, but Jerrod believes that it means he has no control over his life.  He asks why they should feel anything or anything actually matters.  Joe decides that it’s time to leave and Cynthia says that he’s asking profound questions.  She agrees that they should go and comments how dark things got on their way out.

 

Bobby takes the Dunkaroos and leaves.  Maxine asks if he wants space, but Jerrod asks her to join him on the couch.  She starts kissing him and he asks if she’s trying to have sex.  Maxine admits that there’s something about seeing him so vulnerable and asks if he can cry during it.  He declares that she’s sick and she tells him they can do it the laundry room if he cries.   Watching the news, they find out that the shooter was a woman.  Cynthia asks if that’s progress and Nekeisha remarks that they should take what they can get after Hillary.  Joe and Bobby make fun of Jerrod getting shot by a girl and Jerrod leaves to look at the moon.