The Game Season 5 Episode 2 Recap

Mo Money Mo Problems

This episode opens with Bibs serving Malik some breakfast.  Tasha comes in and asks him what is going on with the topiary (you know the bushes that are shaped like things that rich people and botanical gardens have). She has come over to ask him to make an appearance at J.J. Abrams’ (directed Star Trek and other big sci fi movies) son’s bar Mitzvah for $100,000. Malik agrees without hesitation. This puzzles Tasha because she knows that he really doesn’t want to do it.  he says that nothing is wrong and that he just wants to do his part to show how proud he is of her and all the work that she is doing for him.

At the Davis residence… Melanie is making up the bed when Derwin gives her a call. When she has trouble hearing him he comes into the room and asks if she can hear him now because he go the verizon endorsement back.  They are both all excited but she then stops and asks how he got it since Tasha started the deal and it was thought to be dead after they fired her. He goes on to tell her that Irv got it back up and going. Unbeknownst to Melanie, Irv is now back managing Derwin again. Now Melanie is all upset about not being involved in the decision to bring Irv back in or even get a new manager. Derwin hired Irv back right after she fired Tasha. He just never mentioned it to her.  Melanie feels that she can manage him and wants to. If  Tasha can be a manager then even a monkey should be able to do it. Derwin is not thrilled about the idea and doesn’t think that she would do a good job. She then threatens to withhold the va jay jay if he doesn’t allow her to be his manager.  He strikes a deal that will allow her to oversee Irv in an attempt to appease her.

At Malik’s manor…  Malik is in his office with Doug his financial manager. He tells doug that the gardener has quit and asks why he didn’t pay him. doug then tells Malik that he is broke. He signed an $80 million deal, after the government takes their share he is left with $40 million.  He then used that money to build a $40 million home. Malik says that he gets it and that he needs to cut back so he’ll trim his own hedges. Doug wants to put him on a $25,000 a month budget and send his cars and other assets back. Malik freaks out!

At the Davis house…  Melanie is taking a meeting with Irv to discuss some things for Derwin. As they are talking about getting Derwin on Jimmy Fallon, Irv smartly decides that Letterman is a better opportunity because he already has Jimmy Fallon’s demographic and needs to connect with Letterman’s. While they are talking Tasha calls Irv about the Verizon deal. When Melanie asks what’s going on with her he tells her that she is suing Irv and Derwin because she initiated the deal but not to worry about it because he is handling it.

Back at Malik’s $40 million mansion… The trucks pull off with his cars on it as TT is arriving in a new mustang. He hops out and greets them. They chat for a second as Malik makes up a flimsy excuse as to why the cars are going back. TT thanks Doug for some investment advice. Doug wishes TT a happy birthday. They talk for a second about his new car that he treated himself to as present to himself. As they make small talk TT asks Malik if he’s still throwing him a party for his birthday and Malik agrees ashe tries to save face even though Doug has advised him to cut back.

In a conference room…  Irv arrives to see Tasha is already there waiting.  After he takes a seat a judge and stenographer come in behind him. This is the hearing about the Verizon deal. As they are just about to start, in comes Melanie. Irv pulls her to the side and tells her that he has things under control and that she is out of her league with Tasha. She foolishly doesn’t believe him and thinks that she can handle things. Melanie begins by telling Tasha that she really wasn’t involved in the deal, she may have started things rolling but it took Irv to finish the deal. She then slides her a folded piece of paper with a non negotiable dollar figure on it for compensation. Tasha looks at the amount, laughs, rolls the paper and lights it as if it were a joint.  Then she proceeds to give it to Melanie in the worst way possible.  She produces three sets of documents. the first is outgoing calls that she placed to Verizon headquarters, the second is incoming calls that she received from Verizon along with transcripts of the conversations outlining the deal. The third and final document is a transcript of a text from Melanie that said ” great job on the Verizon deal girl. You are my hero. xoxo MBD”.  After that Melanie ask Irv to step in and help but he washes his hands of the situation and says that he is out of it.  Melanie nervously laughs and asks Tasha to come to an amicable conclusion based on their history and friendship. Tasha lets the judge decide. The Judge rules that Tasha is to receive 10% of all earnings from the Derwin Davis and Verizon collaboration in perpetuity aka forever or however long the deal is to last.  Tasha then gets up to leave and tells Melanie to go home and make her husband some fried chicken and have a baby, oh yeah she can’t do either one!

Later at the club… Malik is just figuring out that stuff is expensive when you’re actually looking at prices and on a budget.  Bibs asks why he just doesn’t tell TT that his money is tight, he then goes into this stupid baller’s etiquette crap about the one that makes the most has to pay.  When TT arrives they notice singer Estelle. Malik tries to hide but she see him. She is mad at him because she left him some tickets and he didn’t show up for one of her shows. Apparently the second rule to baller etiquette is that when a female celeb comes into a restaurant that you are already in then you have to send her a bottle.  TT tells the waiter to send over a bottle of Estelle’s favorite champagne before Malik has a chance to stop him.  Bibs sees Shawn Marion and calls him over thinking that since he just won a championship then he’s the bigger celeb and that he’ll have to pay and Malik will be off the hook. This rule only works if they were in Shawn’s town, now Malik has to foot the entire bill.

At the Davis Residence… Melanie comes over to Derwin as he is sitting on the couch for some cuddle time. Derwin shuts it down and asks her what happened today because now he has to pay Tasha and Irv for the Verizon Deal. He told her not to get involved.  He then tells her that he lied to her about being in charge of Irv. he told Irv to play along to make her feel like she was doing something.  She asks why he would lie and he tells her because she can’t handle the truth. She’s not the CEO, president, vice president or manager. she is just his wife. Of course she takes offense to this and goes into this whole thing about him wanting her to be some subservient woman that has no opinion and just spreads her legs whenever he wants her to. He just wants her to relax and take care of her.  She claims that she didn’t sign up for that, she didn’t give up her friendship with Tasha along with her career just to sit on the sidelines. Derwin tells her that he didn’t tell her to give up her career and that was her choice.   She says that she did it for him while he thought that she was just tired of all the studying and just wanted to kick back. She then goes in to this spill about being 50% of the legacy and he wouldn’t be Derwin ‘Boom’ Davis without her. He then quickly interrupts her by telling her that while she may be in the sky box cheering him on, his hands are the one catching those balls on sunday. She then thanks him for letting her know where she stands and sadly walks off.

Back at the club… Everyone is partying and toasting Malik and TT. When the bill comes Malik has this crazy look on his face.

Back to Derwin and Melanie… Melanie is lying in the bed when Derwin enters.  He tries to cuddle with her but she rejects him. He apologizes and tries again but she rejects him again. He tells her that the truth is that he doesn’t know if he would be where he is without her but he knows that he doesn’t want to be where he is without her.  He loves her past the moon and even though he may do some stupid stuff he loves her.  After his little speech they cuddle and fall asleep together.

At the club… Tasha walks in to save Malik since he can’t pay the bill. By now everyone is gone. As she pulls out her American Express black card to pay the bill she asks him if he has to be every black stereotype, walks away leaving him to sulk in his own stew of depression, ending another episode for the week.