Ivy shares a story about David. She tries to present it as a happy memory, but beneath her smile, you can sense she's still hurting.
The topic shifts to Melvin, who is coming into town. Poppa warns that his brother is a seasoned con artist. Despite Poppa’s caution, Melvin remains Junior’s absolute favorite uncle. Ivy, ever hopeful, insists that people can change. Poppa sarcastically anticipates Melvin’s perfectly-timed entrance—and sure enough, in walks Melvin, looking like a completely new man.
Melvin and Junior immediately greet each other by playfully pickpocketing one another before laughing and sharing a bro hug. Melvin quickly turns his charm towards Ivy—it's nice to see Marlon Wayans bringing charisma to the show. Poppa isn’t having any of Melvin’s charm, prompting Melvin to teasingly call Poppa a "grumpy old man."
Melvin shares stories of his world travels, claiming that his street smarts are now world wide. Poppa sees straight through this and bluntly questions what Melvin wants, even reminding him of his lengthy criminal résumé. Melvin tries shifting Poppa’s attention to his latest venture—a new tech startup developing an app. Melvin glances slyly at Ivy, and on the go, redirects his vision, describing the app as some sort of "psycho-analytics app," essentially Uber Eats, but "for the mind."
Poppa doesn't buy Melvin’s slick presentation, and Nina shares his skepticism. However, Junior is immediately enthusiastic, much to Melvin’s pleasure. Melvin smoothly suggests they discuss the details later—away from Poppa’s negativity. Poppa firmly forbids everyone from investing or getting involved with Melvin’s latest scheme, which naturally only piques their curiosity even more. Poppa, frustrated, warns them he'll soon be saying, "I told you so."
Later, Melvin meets Ivy for coffee, attempting to win her over with his app concept. Ivy listens politely, but the moment Melvin mentions only having Bitcoin to get out of paying for coffee; she firmly announces that it's a huge red flag and immediately withdraws. Next, Melvin presents his overly complex pitch to a very gullible Junior, using a whiteboard filled with confusing diagrams and jargon. Junior eagerly shares exactly how much money he has—ignoring all of Poppa’s earlier warnings. Everyone tries to caution Junior, but he's stubbornly determined to prove Poppa wrong. Unfortunately, we can clearly see exactly how this is going to end.
Poppa finally confronts Melvin directly. He urges his brother to be honest with Junior. Poppa almost succeeds in getting Melvin to open up, but when he meets with Junior again and sees all of the money, he rethinks honesty. Junior shows enthusiastic designs for the app. His genuine excitement seems to spark something honest in Melvin—but instead of encouraging Junior’s sincerity, Melvin shifts gears and pitches a different idea—one clearly illegal. Melvin lays everything on the table truthfully for the first time, leaving the final decision entirely in Junior’s hands.
Ultimately, Junior surprises everyone by making the right choice. As the episode closes, Poppa tells another heartfelt story from his younger days as an older brother. Poppa and Melvin share a rare, honest moment—offering a genuinely sweet and touching conclusion. In my opinion, it’s the most heartwarming episode of the season.
What did you think?
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