Key Player

Content Warning: This section of the guide features depictions of racism, gender discrimination, illness and death, and bullying.

Mia and Hank ride home in silence. Back at the motel, Dad reveals that the house inspection found asbestos. Dad knows it will be too expensive to fix and they will have to rebuild the house from scratch. Mia wonders why everything is so hard. She reads another entry from Mr. Yao and learns his parents wouldn’t let him apply to Berklee but allowed him to apply to Boston University if he agreed to major in accounting. He planned to change his major to music when he arrived.

Mom and Lupe arrive and reveal that the math team won their competition. The other team had fancy polo shirts and matching pens and believed Lupe’s team won because of beginner’s luck. Lupe thought of the Chinese women’s team and how they fight back against negativity. Mia pulls Mom aside to tell her about the asbestos. Mom suggests they call Josie and look for another house.

Josie is surprised that the Tangs intend to walk away from the house. Josie thinks that in their price bracket there will always be something wrong with the houses.