Edward begins public school, an overwhelming experience for him. Shay guides him through the halls and welcomes him to Riverview.
Dee Dee continues to try to wade through all of Charles’ things, such as cancelling his cable and internet services. She is surprised to find a teen named T wandering in her front door and stating they used to live there. Apparently Noelle sent out a group text saying anybody who was staying at Charlie’s apartment has to go and get their stuff. She asks T why they were living there, and T says Charlie allowed them to live there until they found a better living situation. Everyone in L.A. knows “Charlie” as a good guy. While she has the change, Dee Dee asks T who the man in the photo with Charles is. T says his name is Evan, but he and Charles were not dating and he never asked if Charles was gay.
John and Lacey go through the letters to Edward. John maintains it’s wrong to open them, and Lacey wants to open them for Edward’s safety – she already opened a few, from crazy people. John mentions the one that came through the door – from the girl in the store who handed Edward the doll head. Since opening someone else’s mail is a federal crime, and Lacey says burning them is also a crime, the pair decide they’re going to need a bigger storage box – at John’s work, where Edward won’t find them.
Natalie, Adriana’s campaign manager, is surprised to find Becks wandering around Adriana’s apartment. She’s also surprised to see Kojo. Adriana tells Natalie that Kojo and Becks are her “housemates” and Natalie reminds her this could look weird for campaign optics. Kojo takes Becks to school and tells her how in Ghana, funerals are different. They like to decorate the casket to reflect the person who has passed. He asks Becks for input on the design, but she is unsure. She agrees to think it over.
Lacey picks Edward up – he survived his first day of public school. Shay informs Lacey that he’s a little shell-shocked. Edward chooses to go to Shay’s house instead of the shop, and before he gets out of the car Lacey holds him back for a talk. Edward, still a little out-of-it, refuses to look at her. When Lacey presses him for a reason why, Edward admits it’s because sometimes Lacey looks like his mom, and he’d rather not see Jane’s face every time he’s around her. Ouch.
Dee Dee goes to the North Hollywood LGBTQ center where Charles spent so much time. She asks to see Noelle, who is apprehensive after her first meeting with Dee Dee, but invites her into the office and shares that Charles would help abandoned, abused, homeless kids who had nowhere else to go. Dee Dee asks point black if Charles was gay, and Noelle dodges the question by telling Dee Dee she didn’t really know, but she believes Charles was exploring his sexual identity. Dee Dee informs Noelle she will be selling the condo, and leaves. It’s clear Dee Dee has had barely any exposure to LGBTQ people before this, so she doesn’t know terminology and how much Charles meant to Noelle and these kids.
Edward finds a box of Jordan’s clothes in storage and takes out an orange jacket. It’s a little big for Edward, but he’ll grow into it. It’s nice that he still has some things that belong to his brother. He imagines Jordan talking to him, telling him not to score too high on the school placement exam like a nerd. Edward wears the jacket to school the next day, taking a little piece of Jordan with him. He seems happier, more confident this time. He pops the collar just like Jordan used to.
Amanda, one of the ladies from group, confronts Steve, the brother of her fiancée who died in the crash. The two don’t get along at all, and Amanda vigorously opposes Steve joining the grief group. Steve didn’t know his brother, Brent, was even engaged. Linda watches on as Amanda forces Steve to leave, emotion raw on both of their faces.
Lacey tells the group about many things Jane could do. Hot wire a car, knew CPR, was a lifeguard who saved a woman’s life. Lacey often felt jealous of Jane, who could do so many things – and later in life, Jane had children while Lacey struggled. One of the guys in the group, Sam, really identifies with what Lacey is saying, and asks what Jane was gone and Lacey had never recognized her for everything that she was? It’s possibly the first time Sam has spoken in the group.
Edward tells Shay he deliberately tested lower on the entrance exam to stay with kids his own age. Shay questions his logic, informing him she would test high and graduate faster rather than staying back to try and appear cool.
Becks and Kojo are still at Adriana’s apartment. He asks if Becks has had any ideas about how to decorate her mom’s casket. Becks shows him a drawing of butterflies, bees and dragonflies. Kojo chuckles, and says Akua will love it. Adriana continues to work on her campaign. Kojo comes to invite her to Akua’s funeral on Saturday and how in Ghana, everyone wears specific clothing, there’s music and dancing, they have a party. Adriana promises to be there – though when she learns where the funeral is being held, she informs him the place is… a dump. Kojo confesses his budget for a funeral isn’t big, and Adriana’s problem-fixer mode powers up as she offers to help find a more suitable location. When are these two going to admit they have feelings for each other?
Edward’s first day of scheduled classes gets off to a rough start when he refuses to take off his orange jacket despite visibly sweating. His teacher encourages him to take off the jacket. Shay defends him and earns herself detention. Edward leaves class instead of taking off the jacket. Not a great start.
Dee Dee soon finds herself face to face with Evan. He asks her to come talk in his office and tells her he and Charles met a little over a year ago, after Charles lost his job. Charles pinned his hopes on a deal that was too good to be true, and lost a lot of money. Evan says Dee Dee was his princess, and he was scared of failing her. Evan struggled with an eating disorder, and Charles supported him. In turn, Evan supported Charles through his money struggles. They propped each other up. Dee Dee asks for clarification, and Evan admits they had a relationship. Dee Dee takes it well, and leaves graciously.
Adriana meets with a Reverend, who asks how she’s doing and says her grandmother basically raised him. The two both clearly miss Rose very much. The Reverend encourages her entering the game of politics, even though it’s a little earlier than he thought. Life happens, Adriana says. She asks him for a favor: Akua’s funeral. She tells him how she met Kojo in group, and how they need a church and reception hall this Saturday. Eric – the Reverend – quickly accommodates her wish at no charge. The two share a kiss. It’s clear he has feelings for Adriana, but with her having feelings for Kojo – a love triangle may be coming.
Shay waits to talk to Lacey as she gets home from work. Edward is hiding out somewhere after his rough day at school, and Shay gives her the heads up to find him and talk it out. Lacey asks what happened, and Shay fills her in on Edward walking out of class and not answering any of her texts. Shay also asks Lacey to have Edward let her know that he’s okay. It’s sweet that Shay cares about Edward so much.
Lacey asks Edward what happened. He avoids the question. Lacey says if school isn’t working out, they can figure something else out. The most important thing is that Edward is okay – but he says he likes this school, he just got a bit overheated. Edward tells Lacey she doesn’t need to worry about him. Lacey mentions some memories she has of Jane. Halloween one year where Jane was a belly dancer, and Lacey was a panda. After Lacey protests, Jane later gave her the costume. Edward smiles at the funny story. A beautiful moment between the two.
Dee Dee goes to see T at the food truck they work at. She gives them Charlies’ Rolex watch, telling them it’s worth $7,000 and she doesn’t care if they keep it or pawn it. This is Dee Dee’s strange way of trying to help. A parting gift. T takes the watch, and makes Dee Dee some food. She’s finally realizing that despite his betrayal to her, Charles helped a lot of people.
It’s Saturday, and Akua’s funeral is underway. Her casket is decorated like a butterfly, as Kojo promised. Adriana stands with Kojo and Becks as “How Great Thou Art” rings out around the church. Becks approaches the casket and sits beside it. Adriana sits next to her, and Becks lays her head on her shoulder and holds her hand for support. Later, the drums, music and dancing are underway as everyone celebrates Akua’s life. The Reverend notices Adriana dancing with Kojo and is clearly jealous.
Steve somehow finds Amanda again and tells her he’s not a bad person. He had issues with Brent because he was an addict. Amanda says Brent cleaned himself up. Steve argues that Brent stole from their parents and broke their mother’s heart. Amanda points out Brent tried to make peace with Steve, but Steve blew him off. It’s clear Steve is feeling very guilty about it now. Amanda relents and tells him they can co-exist in group therapy.
Edward goes to see Shay before he goes to bed. She was worried about him. He holds the orange jacket in his hands, and confesses it was Jordan’s jacket. He’s not sure it will ever fit him, so he offers it to Shay. She accepts it, but only after making sure it wasn’t still covered in sweat. Edward curls up on the floor of Shay’s room once more.
