October 17, 2025 • 22 mins
The family is ready to put Jason’s old bedroom to good use.
But when Jason moves back in unexpectedly, everything changes. Randy smells a cover-up…
Will Jason come clean, or will the truth go up in smoke?
The character Dejuan Coleman (JARED J. LEE) crosses over from the sci-fi podcast, Lucidus Somnia.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
♪♪ Bargo Productions chime ♪♪
(00:04):
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
[Randy]Okay, the day has come for us to decide what to do with this extra bedroom
[Randy]now that Jason's moved into the dorms.
[Pete]I'm telling you, Randy, this has “home office” written all over it.
[Randy]Because more paperwork is exactly what this family needs.
[Randy]What we actually need is a man cave - a place where we can unwind...
(00:26):
[Randy]Sports, beer... No kids allowed!
[Beth]What if we turn this room into a Moroccan-themed lounge area?
[Beth]It'll have cozy cushions, a reading nook. Total Zen vibes!
[Kaylie]Zen vibes? More like snooze vibes!
[Kaylie]I need a clubhouse for my toys!
[Aisha]You've got an entire room to yourself, Kaylie.
(00:47):
[Aisha]You don't need another one for your stupid toy collection!
[Aisha]No offense, Beth, but I'm the one who actually needs this space.
[Aisha]Sharing a room with you is fine, but I'm older now.
[Aisha]I need my own sanctuary.
[Kaylie]But I already called dibs!
[Aisha]How about I dib you in the face?
[Pete]Enough! No one's dipping anyone in the face!
[Pete]This room will not be zen. It will not be a toy clubhouse.
(01:10):
[Pete]It will be an office for me and Randy. End of discussion!
[Randy]"End of discussion?" Care to explain?
[Pete]Because I bought new desks and they're arriving on Tuesday.
[Jason knocks at the door.]
[Jason]Knock, knock.
[Pete]Jason. What are you doing here?
[Randy]And what's with the bags?
[Jason]Oh, there was a fire at the dorm, so... Looks like I'm moving back home!
(01:32):
[Everyone]What?!
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
♪♪ Theme Song ♪♪
Bargo Productions presents"Thank Goodness It's Family"
starringDexter Howard as Pete
Blair Greene-Osako as Aisha and Kaylie
(01:53):
Georges B as Randy
Connor Steed as Jason
andBriana Lee as Beth
♪♪ Theme Song ♪♪
♪ Under one roof, we laugh and we grow ♪
♪ Our love story’s quite a show ♪
(02:15):
♪ Hand-in-hand, through thick and thin ♪
♪ This family bond is where we begin ♪
♪♪ Theme song ♪♪
I'm Ric de Barros, creator of this podcast.
(02:35):
This is Season 1, Episode 4 -"A Different World"
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
[Pete]A fire at the dorms?
[Randy]You okay, Jason?
[Randy]You didn't inhale any smoke or anything, did you?
[Pete]Maybe a checkup wouldn't hurt. I'll go call Dr. Salas.
[Jason]No, I'm good, Dad. I was actually out when it happened.
(02:58):
[Pete]Oh, good. But what about everyone else? Is the whole dorm shut down?
[Jason]No, it was just a small fire. Nothing major.
[Jason]Only two rooms were hit. Mine and someone else's. They handled it pretty quick.
[Pete]Well, as long as you're okay, that's all that matters.
[Pete]We'll figure out the rest later.
[Randy]Did your stuff survive?
[Jason]Yeah, yeah, it's all in my car. I just brought in the essentials for now.
(03:20):
[Jason]Figured I'd set up and, you know, get settled in.
[Pete]Any idea when your dorm will be ready again?
[Jason]Not really sure. There's still, you know, assessing the damage.
[Jason]Could be two weeks, maybe more.
[Randy]I'm guessing the school's refunding your room fees for the time being, right?
[Jason]Yeah, about that. They're working on it.
[Jason]Bureaucracy, you know, lots of red tape.
(03:42):
[Pete]Just make sure you stay on top of it, all right?
[Jason]Oh, for sure. But, hey, it's been a long day.
[Jason]And I thought I smelled dinner when I walked in.
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
[Aisha]You guys, I had the best, best dream last night.
[Aisha]I finally had my own room! It had style, it had sophistication!
(04:05):
[Aisha]And the best part? A door with a lock!
[Kaylie]Did it have a Moroccan-themed lounge area?
[Aisha laughs.]
[Aisha]Yeah, right. Definitely didn't have one of those.
[Beth]Are you making fun of me, Kaylie? My idea was solid!
[Jason enters the kitchen.]
[Jason]Morning, folks.
[Pete]Well, good morning, Jason. Please have a seat. Breakfast is almost ready.
(04:25):
[Jason]Thanks, but I actually gotta run.
[Jason]I'm meeting up with my...study group!
[Everyone]Study group?!
[Randy]And on a Saturday morning?
[Randy]Since when did you become the poster child for academics?
[Pete]And since when have you ever turned down food in this house?
[Beth]Who are you and what have you done with my brother?
[Jason]Hey, just trying to stay on top of things.
(04:45):
[Jason]There's a big test coming up and I gotta be ready.
[Kaylie]You sure you're not secretly meeting up with Rhona instead of a study group?
[Jason]Wow, Kaylie, you caught me.
[Jason]"Study group" is code for my secret rendezvous with Rhona.
[Randy]Don't overwork yourself, Romeo.
[Randy]We're gonna go see the Terminator 2 later on if you wanna join us.
(05:06):
[Jason]Maybe. Depends on how much studying I get done.
[Jason]Gotta run. Bye, everyone.
[Jason leaves the kitchen.]
[Beth]Is it just me, or has he been acting weird since he got back?
[Pete]Yeah, but in a good way. Maybe that fire was a wake-up call.
[Aisha]Anyone know how long he's staying?
[Aisha]I'm gonna start redecorating my new room the second he's out of here.
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
(05:31):
[Jason]Hi, I'm here for my interview.
[Dejuan]Jason Harper.
[Jason]Dejuan Coleman, is that you?
[Dejuan]It is. Right this way. And please have a seat.
[Jason]Dejuan, why are you acting like we don't know each other?
[Jason]You literally live right next door to me.
[Dejuan]That's "Mr. Coleman" to you now, Jason. We have to maintain professionalism here.
(05:56):
[Dejuan]This isn't high school anymore.
[Jason]Professionalism?
[Jason]Dude, you're a shift manager at Burger Castle serving food.
[Jason]You're not running for mayor.
[Dejuan]First off, Jason, we don't just serve food here.
[Dejuan]We create culinary experiences. This is serious business.
[Jason]Right, because nothing says "fine dining" like a $1.99 combo with soggy fries.
(06:21):
[Dejuan]Let's just get down to business, Jason. Did you bring your resume?
[Jason]Resume? For flipping burgers? What else do you need? A blood sample?
[Dejuan]Joke if you want, Jason, but I need to know you can handle the pressure when there's a line out
[Dejuan]the door,,the fryer's on the brink of an explosion, and some 5 -year-old's throwing a
[Dejuan]tantrum over cold nuggets. Can you rise to the occasion?
(06:44):
[Jason]Of course. Sounds a lot like home.
[Dejuan]It's not for the faint of heart.
[Dejuan]Now tell me, how have you matured since high school?
[Dejuan]You know, personal growth and all that.
[Jason]Matured? Dude, you're 16. I was tutoring you in algebra like six months ago.
[Dejuan]Mock all you want, Harper. Do you want this job or not?
(07:05):
[Jason]Yeah. Yeah, I do, actually.
[Dejuan]Good. Because here at Burger Castle, we serve legacies!
[Jason]Right, legacies...
[Dejuan]Can you start tomorrow?
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
(07:35):
[Jason]Great.... 10 minutes late.
[Jason]Just gotta clock in before....
[Dejuan]Well, well, well.
[Dejuan]Look who finally decided to grace us with his presence.
[Jason]Come on, Dejuan. Traffic was brutal today. You know how it is.
[Dejuan]"Mr. Coleman" while you're on the clock, Jason, and this is the third time you've been late this week.
(07:56):
[Jason]Just cut me some slack, okay?
[Dejuan]Slack? This isn't our days on the Vanderbilt basketball team together, Jason.
[Dejuan]This is a job. You're not in high school anymore.
[Jason]I'm not, but you still are!
[Dejuan]Would you be a doll and get that lobby mopped up?
[Dejuan]I'm not paying you to stand around and make excuses.
[Jason]Sure thing, Mr. Coleman. Right away...
(08:19):
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
[Doorbell rings.]
[Aisha]I got it! It's probably Grammy.
[Aisha opens the front door.]
[Grammy]All right, ladies, who's ready to shop till they drop?
[Aisha]I know that's right!
[Aisha]I need to start gathering stuff to take over Jason's room.
[Beth]You mean the room he's currently living in?
[Beth]Planning your hostile takeover a bit early, don't you think?
(08:41):
[Kaylie]Wow, calling dibs while the guy's basically homeless!
[Kaylie]Cold, Aisha... Real cold.
[Aisha]He's already been back two whole weeks.
[Aisha]It shouldn't be that much longer for his dorm room to be ready.
[Grammy]All right, enough chit chat!
[Grammy]We've got malls to raid, sales to dominate, and I'm not getting any younger!
[Grammy]Now move it, troops. Malls don't conquer themselves!
(09:05):
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
[Randy]You hear that, Pete?
[Pete]Hear what?
[Randy]Exactly. That's the sound of silence.
[Randy]No kids, no fighting.
[Randy]Just peace.
[Pete]I could get used to this.
[Pete]My mom needs to take those girls to the mall more often.
[Randy]Amen to that. Uhh...
(09:26):
[Randy]Not to bring this up again, but you still haven't told me whether or not
[Randy]you believe Jason's whole "fire at the dorm" story.
[Pete]That's intentional, Randy.
[Randy]Why won't you at least humor me?
[Pete]Randy, can't we just let things be for once?
[Pete]Not everything has to turn into a "Scooby Doo Mystery" for you to solve.
(09:46):
[Randy]Trust me, Pete, where there's smoke, there's usually a fire.
[Randy]Except in this case, because I don't think there was a fire at all.
[Pete]You really think Jason made that whole story up?
[Randy]Yep. Classic misdirection.
[Randy]Talk about a fire, get everyone worried, then boom.
[Randy]No one asks the real questions.
[Pete]Okay, Sherlock, so what exactly are the real questions?
(10:10):
[Randy]Elementary, my dear Watson.
[Randy]For starters, why didn't we hear about this alleged fire on the news?
[Randy]It's been two weeks and not a single story.
[Pete]Well, if it was just a small fire like Jason said, then that's nothing newsworthy.
[Randy]News 11 ran a week-long story on a raccoon getting stuck in a recycling bin.
[Randy]I'm telling you, a dorm fire, no matter how small, would have been a lead story.
(10:34):
[Pete]I hear you, but Jason's an adult now.
[Pete]He's gotta handle whatever's going on without us stepping in.
[Pete]Besides, the truth always comes out. We just gotta let it.
[Randy]But in my experience, when a story smells fishy,
[Randy]the truth is usually what ends up stinking up the place.
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
(10:57):
[Beth]So what's the plan?
[Beth]Grammy and Kaylie are probably knee-deep in stuffed animals by now.
[Beth]We've got at least an hour to kill.
[Aisha]All right, this might sound weird, but how would you feel about curtain shopping?
[Beth]Curtain shopping? Seriously? That's the top of your list?
[Aisha]Yeah, for my new room! Gotta make it feel like mine.
[Aisha]And maybe pick up some other knick-knacks while we're at it.
(11:20):
[Beth]You really are banking on getting Jason's room, aren't you?
[Aisha]Let's be real. No one else in that house deserves it more than me.
[Aisha]That room is as good as mine.
[Beth]Fine, fine. I've already mourned the loss of my Moroccan-themed lounge.
[Beth]I guess it's only fair that you get your own room.
[Aisha]Hold up. Is that who I think it is?
(11:41):
[Beth]What the? What's he doing working at Burger Castle?
[Beth]I thought he was studying with his study group.
[Aisha]Huh. Looks like Mr. Study Group's got some explaining to do.
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
[Customer]Excuse me.
[Customer]Yeah, I've been waiting for 15 minutes.
[Jason]Uh, right. Sorry. How may I help you?
(12:02):
[Customer]I said no pickles. But this receipt says "extra pickles." How hard is that to get right?
[Jason]Oh, I. I'm really sorry about that. Let me get that fixed for ya.
[Aisha]This isn't good. I've never seen him flustered like this.
[Beth]Me neither. Should we do something?
[Aisha]What are we gonna do? He's barely holding it together.
[Beth]Maybe if he sees someone familiar, it'll help.
(12:24):
[Aisha]I don't know, Beth. He looks like he's drowning.
[Jason]Thanks for your patience.
[Customer]Patience? Yeah. I'm allergic to pickles.
[Customer]So, you could have killed me. Yeah. I'm never coming back here again!
[Customer storms off.]
[Jason]Enjoy your meal!
[Jason]Welcome to Burger Castle, where everyone's royalty. How can I...
[Jason]Oh no. What are you two doing here?
(12:44):
[Aisha]Just grabbing lunch.
[Jason]Are Dad and Randy with you?
[Beth]Nope, it's just us. Grammy and Kaylie are at the toy store.
[Aisha]We just thought you could use a friendly face.
[Jason]You have no idea. But you cannot tell anybody you saw me here.
[Beth]Why? You're working. That's nothing to be ashamed of.
[Aisha]Yeah, Pete and Uncle Randy would be proud your doing something other than mooching off of them for once.
(13:09):
[Jason]Trust me, flipping burgers isn't exactly a step up.
[Jason]But I need the money. Let's just leave it at that.
[Aisha]Got it. Your secret's safe with us.
[Jason]Thanks. Lunch is on me. I already know what you both want.
[Dejuan]Hey, Aisha. Hey, Beth.
[Aisha]Dejuan? You work here?
[Dejuan]Not just work. I'm the shift manager now. Got promoted three weeks ago.
(13:30):
[Aisha]Well, look at you! All moving up in the world and stuff!
[Dejuan]Jason, may I have a word?
[Jason]Sure, Mr. Coleman.
[Beth]Mr. Coleman?
[Dejuan]Yeah, at work, I'm Mr. Coleman.
[Aisha]I guess we'll leave you to it, Mr. Coleman.
[Dejuan]Jason, we've got a kid's birthday rolling in in 30 minutes.
(13:51):
[Jason]Yeah, I know. I'm just a little behind, but I'll catch up.
[Dejuan]One problem. The week's supply of ice cream you were supposed to put in the freezer...
[Dejuan]It's been sitting out back in the sun...melting.
[Jason]Crap! I'm so sorry, Dejuan. I mean, Mr. Coleman. I'll take care of it right now.
[Dejuan]It's too late. Ice cream is included in the birthday party package,
[Dejuan]so we're gonna have to give them the entire party for free.
(14:14):
[Jason]I...I'm really sorry.
[Dejuan]I can't let this slide, Jason. You've had way too many slip-ups since you started.
[Dejuan]Not to mention all the times you've been late the last couple of weeks.
[Dejuan]I'm gonna have to let you go.
[Jason]You're firing me?
[Dejuan]It's not personal, but this just isn't working.
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
(14:37):
[Jason enters the front door of the house.]
[Jason]Hey, Dad. Hey, Randy.
[Randy]Look who's home from the hallowed halls of academia.
[Pete]You okay, son?
[Pete]You look like you've been through a meat grinder.
[Jason]Yeah, just had a long day, that's all.
[Pete]And we're not blind, son.
[Pete]We can see you wearing a Burger Castle uniform.
[Randy]And I can smell the Double Royale with cheese all the way from here.
(14:57):
[Pete]Jason, what's going on with you? Do you want to talk about it?
[Jason]Alright, alright.
[Jason]I haven't been meeting my study group the last couple of weeks.
[Jason]I've been working part-time at Burger Castle, trying to make some money.
[Pete]Wait, that's your big secret? You've been working?
[Pete]Well, why didn't you just say so? This is great!
[Jason]Well, hold your applause. Cause there's more.
(15:21):
[Randy]I told you so.
[Pete]Randy!
[Randy]What? I'm just saying!
[Jason]Look, there was no fire at the dorms,.
[Pete]Okay...I need more words, please.
[Randy]So no fiery inferno? No smoldering ruins?
[Randy]What a plot twist!
[Jason]No, the truth is I was expelled from school.
(15:45):
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
[Pete]You mean you got kicked out of school? For what?
[Jason]I went to a party right after school started.
(16:06):
[Jason]Things got out of hand, campus police showed up, and because I
[Jason]drank alcohol while underage, they expelled me and a few others.
[Pete]Underage drinking?
[Jason]Yeah.
[Pete]Oh, son...
[Jason]I know, Dad. I messed up. I'm sorry.
[Randy]Hold on. School started almost a month ago.
[Randy]You mean to tell me we're just now hearing about this?
(16:28):
[Jason]I was scared.
[Jason]After everything went down, I didn't really know how to tell you guys,
[Jason]so I moved in with Rhona. But... Well, we broke up a couple weeks ago.
[Jason]And that's why I'm back home.
[Pete]So if you and Rhona hadn't split up, we still wouldn't know about any of this?
[Jason]Dad, I tried to fix it.
[Jason]I enrolled at Austin Community College right away and was trying to pay
(16:48):
[Jason]for it myself with the job I just lost.
[Randy]And what about the money we shelled out for your tuition and dorm fees?
[Jason]Non-refundable.
[Pete]Son, I raised you better than this. I need some air.
[Pete leaves the house.]
[Randy]This isn't easy for him, Jason. You know how much he's got riding on you.
(17:09):
[Jason]I know. I didn't want to disappoint him. Or you.
[Randy]Disappointment's a part of life, Jason.
[Randy]But you should have come clean when it happened.
[Randy]I'll go talk to him, alright?
[Jason]Thanks, Randy.
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
[Randy]Hey...
[Pete]Hey...
[Randy]Pete, you've gotta breathe before you lose it.
(17:30):
[Pete]I'm trying, Randy, but I can't wrap my head around it.
[Pete]I don't know what pisses me off more. The fact that he hid everything.
[Pete]The wasted tuition money or that he was out there drinking.
[Pete]I...I thought we raised him better than this.
[Randy]We did, Pete. And look, yeah, he screwed up big time.
(17:51):
[Randy]But he didn't crawl back here for us to fix it.
[Pete]But he lied to us, Randy... About everything!
[Pete]He let us think everything was fine at UT while he was expelled and
[Pete]crashing at his girlfriend's apartment? How do we trust him after this?
[Randy]He didn't lie because he wanted to hurt us.
[Randy]He lied because he was ashamed.
(18:12):
[Randy]And, yeah, it took him a while, but he finally came clean.
[Randy]You got to give him credit for that.
[Pete]I'm just so angry right now.
[Randy]I am, too. But let's face it.
[Randy]He's been kicked out of school, dumped by his girlfriend,
[Randy]and was just fired from his job. He's rock bottom.
[Randy]What he doesn't need is us burying him even deeper.
(18:34):
[Pete]But what about the money we spent on his tuition and dorm fees?
[Randy]Oh, he's going to pay back every cent.
[Randy]I don't care if we have to garnish his wages.
[Pete laughs.]
[Pete]Only one thing about that.
[Pete]He just lost his job, so there aren't any wages to garnish.
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
(18:55):
[Beth]Jason?
[Jason]Hey. What's up?
[Beth]We're sorry about what happened at Burger Castle,
[Beth]and we know you're not ready to talk, but when you are, we're here.
[Aisha]Yeah, no matter what, we've got your back.
[Aisha]You don't have to deal with whatever you're going through alone.
[Jason]Thanks, guys. Seriously.
[Pete]Jason, we need to talk.
[Beth]Should we leave?
(19:16):
[Randy]No, this is a family matter. You all need to hear what we have to say.
[Aisha]What's this about?
[Pete]All right, here it is.
[Pete]Jason didn't move home because his dorm caught on fire.
[Pete]He was expelled from school.
[Beth]Expelled? What? Why?
[Randy]There was a party, and Jason here made the genius move of underage drinking.
(19:36):
[Randy]The school didn't take it lightly and kicked him out.
[Jason]Yeah, so I got into ACC and was paying my tuition with that job at Burger Castle.
[Randy]We're not here to make you rehash the whole story.
[Randy]We're here with a solution.
[Pete]Randy and I discussed it, and you're welcome to move back home
[Pete]full-time, but you will pay us back every single cent that we lost this semester.
(20:02):
[Jason]Really? But I don't even have a job anymore to start paying you back.
[Randy]Lucky for you, we're hiring for a position in the mailroom at the ad agency.
[Randy]It's yours if you want it.
[Pete]The pay should cover your tuition at ACC, no problem.
[Pete]But the rest of it is ours until you cover all the money we lost at UT this year.
[Jason]Really? You'd do that for me? I don't even know what to say.
(20:25):
[Pete]You don't need to say anything. Just, please do better.
[Randy]Let this be a lesson to all of you. Bad decisions come with consequences.
[Randy]And this is why we always tell you to think twice.
[Randy]Being left out of trouble is better than always being stuck in it.
[Beth]Understood.
[Aisha]Wait! Does this mean I'm not getting my own room?!
(20:47):
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
[Aisha]You know, I was thinking.
[Jason]Well, that's always dangerous.
[Aisha]Shut up, Jason, listen to me!
[Aisha]If you're gonna be at the ad agency all day, doesn't that mean you'll barely be home?
(21:10):
[Jason]Does this story have a point?
[Aisha]I'm getting there.
[Aisha]With you being gone so much, your room could technically still be mine.
[Jason]Nice try, Aisha, but even I know squatters rights don't work like that.
[Aisha]Can't blame a girl for trying.
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
(21:32):
♪♪ Theme Song ♪♪
You've been listening to "Thank Goodness It's Family," created and written by Ric de Barros
It stars Dexter Howard as Pete
Blair Greene-Osako as Aisha and Kaylie
Georges B as Randy
Connor Steed as Jason
andBrianna Lee as Beth
(21:53):
with guest starJared J. Lee as Dejuan Coleman.
featuringChelsea Krause as Grammy and Customer
Casting by Robert Garzaand Jennifer Roush
The theme song was composed by Fran Fuzz
♪♪ Theme Song ♪♪
(22:18):
This podcast was directed, produced, sound designed and audio engineered by Ric de Barros
Copyright 2025 Bargo Productions
For more information about this podcast,please visit TGIFpodcast.info
♪♪ Bargo Productions chime ♪♪
♪♪ Bargo Productions chime ♪♪
(00:04):
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
[Randy]Okay, the day has come for us to decide what to do with this extra bedroom
[Randy]now that Jason's moved into the dorms.
[Pete]I'm telling you, Randy, this has “home office” written all over it.
[Randy]Because more paperwork is exactly what this family needs.
[Randy]What we actually need is a man cave - a place where we can unwind...
(00:26):
[Randy]Sports, beer... No kids allowed!
[Beth]What if we turn this room into a Moroccan-themed lounge area?
[Beth]It'll have cozy cushions, a reading nook. Total Zen vibes!
[Kaylie]Zen vibes? More like snooze vibes!
[Kaylie]I need a clubhouse for my toys!
[Aisha]You've got an entire room to yourself, Kaylie.
(00:47):
[Aisha]You don't need another one for your stupid toy collection!
[Aisha]No offense, Beth, but I'm the one who actually needs this space.
[Aisha]Sharing a room with you is fine, but I'm older now.
[Aisha]I need my own sanctuary.
[Kaylie]But I already called dibs!
[Aisha]How about I dib you in the face?
[Pete]Enough! No one's dipping anyone in the face!
[Pete]This room will not be zen. It will not be a toy clubhouse.
(01:10):
[Pete]It will be an office for me and Randy. End of discussion!
[Randy]"End of discussion?" Care to explain?
[Pete]Because I bought new desks and they're arriving on Tuesday.
[Jason knocks at the door.]
[Jason]Knock, knock.
[Pete]Jason. What are you doing here?
[Randy]And what's with the bags?
[Jason]Oh, there was a fire at the dorm, so... Looks like I'm moving back home!
(01:32):
[Everyone]What?!
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
♪♪ Theme Song ♪♪
Bargo Productions presents"Thank Goodness It's Family"
starringDexter Howard as Pete
Blair Greene-Osako as Aisha and Kaylie
(01:53):
Georges B as Randy
Connor Steed as Jason
andBriana Lee as Beth
♪♪ Theme Song ♪♪
♪ Under one roof, we laugh and we grow ♪
♪ Our love story’s quite a show ♪
(02:15):
♪ Hand-in-hand, through thick and thin ♪
♪ This family bond is where we begin ♪
♪♪ Theme song ♪♪
I'm Ric de Barros, creator of this podcast.
(02:35):
This is Season 1, Episode 4 -"A Different World"
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
[Pete]A fire at the dorms?
[Randy]You okay, Jason?
[Randy]You didn't inhale any smoke or anything, did you?
[Pete]Maybe a checkup wouldn't hurt. I'll go call Dr. Salas.
[Jason]No, I'm good, Dad. I was actually out when it happened.
(02:58):
[Pete]Oh, good. But what about everyone else? Is the whole dorm shut down?
[Jason]No, it was just a small fire. Nothing major.
[Jason]Only two rooms were hit. Mine and someone else's. They handled it pretty quick.
[Pete]Well, as long as you're okay, that's all that matters.
[Pete]We'll figure out the rest later.
[Randy]Did your stuff survive?
[Jason]Yeah, yeah, it's all in my car. I just brought in the essentials for now.
(03:20):
[Jason]Figured I'd set up and, you know, get settled in.
[Pete]Any idea when your dorm will be ready again?
[Jason]Not really sure. There's still, you know, assessing the damage.
[Jason]Could be two weeks, maybe more.
[Randy]I'm guessing the school's refunding your room fees for the time being, right?
[Jason]Yeah, about that. They're working on it.
[Jason]Bureaucracy, you know, lots of red tape.
(03:42):
[Pete]Just make sure you stay on top of it, all right?
[Jason]Oh, for sure. But, hey, it's been a long day.
[Jason]And I thought I smelled dinner when I walked in.
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
[Aisha]You guys, I had the best, best dream last night.
[Aisha]I finally had my own room! It had style, it had sophistication!
(04:05):
[Aisha]And the best part? A door with a lock!
[Kaylie]Did it have a Moroccan-themed lounge area?
[Aisha laughs.]
[Aisha]Yeah, right. Definitely didn't have one of those.
[Beth]Are you making fun of me, Kaylie? My idea was solid!
[Jason enters the kitchen.]
[Jason]Morning, folks.
[Pete]Well, good morning, Jason. Please have a seat. Breakfast is almost ready.
(04:25):
[Jason]Thanks, but I actually gotta run.
[Jason]I'm meeting up with my...study group!
[Everyone]Study group?!
[Randy]And on a Saturday morning?
[Randy]Since when did you become the poster child for academics?
[Pete]And since when have you ever turned down food in this house?
[Beth]Who are you and what have you done with my brother?
[Jason]Hey, just trying to stay on top of things.
(04:45):
[Jason]There's a big test coming up and I gotta be ready.
[Kaylie]You sure you're not secretly meeting up with Rhona instead of a study group?
[Jason]Wow, Kaylie, you caught me.
[Jason]"Study group" is code for my secret rendezvous with Rhona.
[Randy]Don't overwork yourself, Romeo.
[Randy]We're gonna go see the Terminator 2 later on if you wanna join us.
(05:06):
[Jason]Maybe. Depends on how much studying I get done.
[Jason]Gotta run. Bye, everyone.
[Jason leaves the kitchen.]
[Beth]Is it just me, or has he been acting weird since he got back?
[Pete]Yeah, but in a good way. Maybe that fire was a wake-up call.
[Aisha]Anyone know how long he's staying?
[Aisha]I'm gonna start redecorating my new room the second he's out of here.
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
(05:31):
[Jason]Hi, I'm here for my interview.
[Dejuan]Jason Harper.
[Jason]Dejuan Coleman, is that you?
[Dejuan]It is. Right this way. And please have a seat.
[Jason]Dejuan, why are you acting like we don't know each other?
[Jason]You literally live right next door to me.
[Dejuan]That's "Mr. Coleman" to you now, Jason. We have to maintain professionalism here.
(05:56):
[Dejuan]This isn't high school anymore.
[Jason]Professionalism?
[Jason]Dude, you're a shift manager at Burger Castle serving food.
[Jason]You're not running for mayor.
[Dejuan]First off, Jason, we don't just serve food here.
[Dejuan]We create culinary experiences. This is serious business.
[Jason]Right, because nothing says "fine dining" like a $1.99 combo with soggy fries.
(06:21):
[Dejuan]Let's just get down to business, Jason. Did you bring your resume?
[Jason]Resume? For flipping burgers? What else do you need? A blood sample?
[Dejuan]Joke if you want, Jason, but I need to know you can handle the pressure when there's a line out
[Dejuan]the door,,the fryer's on the brink of an explosion, and some 5 -year-old's throwing a
[Dejuan]tantrum over cold nuggets. Can you rise to the occasion?
(06:44):
[Jason]Of course. Sounds a lot like home.
[Dejuan]It's not for the faint of heart.
[Dejuan]Now tell me, how have you matured since high school?
[Dejuan]You know, personal growth and all that.
[Jason]Matured? Dude, you're 16. I was tutoring you in algebra like six months ago.
[Dejuan]Mock all you want, Harper. Do you want this job or not?
(07:05):
[Jason]Yeah. Yeah, I do, actually.
[Dejuan]Good. Because here at Burger Castle, we serve legacies!
[Jason]Right, legacies...
[Dejuan]Can you start tomorrow?
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
(07:35):
[Jason]Great.... 10 minutes late.
[Jason]Just gotta clock in before....
[Dejuan]Well, well, well.
[Dejuan]Look who finally decided to grace us with his presence.
[Jason]Come on, Dejuan. Traffic was brutal today. You know how it is.
[Dejuan]"Mr. Coleman" while you're on the clock, Jason, and this is the third time you've been late this week.
(07:56):
[Jason]Just cut me some slack, okay?
[Dejuan]Slack? This isn't our days on the Vanderbilt basketball team together, Jason.
[Dejuan]This is a job. You're not in high school anymore.
[Jason]I'm not, but you still are!
[Dejuan]Would you be a doll and get that lobby mopped up?
[Dejuan]I'm not paying you to stand around and make excuses.
[Jason]Sure thing, Mr. Coleman. Right away...
(08:19):
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
[Doorbell rings.]
[Aisha]I got it! It's probably Grammy.
[Aisha opens the front door.]
[Grammy]All right, ladies, who's ready to shop till they drop?
[Aisha]I know that's right!
[Aisha]I need to start gathering stuff to take over Jason's room.
[Beth]You mean the room he's currently living in?
[Beth]Planning your hostile takeover a bit early, don't you think?
(08:41):
[Kaylie]Wow, calling dibs while the guy's basically homeless!
[Kaylie]Cold, Aisha... Real cold.
[Aisha]He's already been back two whole weeks.
[Aisha]It shouldn't be that much longer for his dorm room to be ready.
[Grammy]All right, enough chit chat!
[Grammy]We've got malls to raid, sales to dominate, and I'm not getting any younger!
[Grammy]Now move it, troops. Malls don't conquer themselves!
(09:05):
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
[Randy]You hear that, Pete?
[Pete]Hear what?
[Randy]Exactly. That's the sound of silence.
[Randy]No kids, no fighting.
[Randy]Just peace.
[Pete]I could get used to this.
[Pete]My mom needs to take those girls to the mall more often.
[Randy]Amen to that. Uhh...
(09:26):
[Randy]Not to bring this up again, but you still haven't told me whether or not
[Randy]you believe Jason's whole "fire at the dorm" story.
[Pete]That's intentional, Randy.
[Randy]Why won't you at least humor me?
[Pete]Randy, can't we just let things be for once?
[Pete]Not everything has to turn into a "Scooby Doo Mystery" for you to solve.
(09:46):
[Randy]Trust me, Pete, where there's smoke, there's usually a fire.
[Randy]Except in this case, because I don't think there was a fire at all.
[Pete]You really think Jason made that whole story up?
[Randy]Yep. Classic misdirection.
[Randy]Talk about a fire, get everyone worried, then boom.
[Randy]No one asks the real questions.
[Pete]Okay, Sherlock, so what exactly are the real questions?
(10:10):
[Randy]Elementary, my dear Watson.
[Randy]For starters, why didn't we hear about this alleged fire on the news?
[Randy]It's been two weeks and not a single story.
[Pete]Well, if it was just a small fire like Jason said, then that's nothing newsworthy.
[Randy]News 11 ran a week-long story on a raccoon getting stuck in a recycling bin.
[Randy]I'm telling you, a dorm fire, no matter how small, would have been a lead story.
(10:34):
[Pete]I hear you, but Jason's an adult now.
[Pete]He's gotta handle whatever's going on without us stepping in.
[Pete]Besides, the truth always comes out. We just gotta let it.
[Randy]But in my experience, when a story smells fishy,
[Randy]the truth is usually what ends up stinking up the place.
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
(10:57):
[Beth]So what's the plan?
[Beth]Grammy and Kaylie are probably knee-deep in stuffed animals by now.
[Beth]We've got at least an hour to kill.
[Aisha]All right, this might sound weird, but how would you feel about curtain shopping?
[Beth]Curtain shopping? Seriously? That's the top of your list?
[Aisha]Yeah, for my new room! Gotta make it feel like mine.
[Aisha]And maybe pick up some other knick-knacks while we're at it.
(11:20):
[Beth]You really are banking on getting Jason's room, aren't you?
[Aisha]Let's be real. No one else in that house deserves it more than me.
[Aisha]That room is as good as mine.
[Beth]Fine, fine. I've already mourned the loss of my Moroccan-themed lounge.
[Beth]I guess it's only fair that you get your own room.
[Aisha]Hold up. Is that who I think it is?
(11:41):
[Beth]What the? What's he doing working at Burger Castle?
[Beth]I thought he was studying with his study group.
[Aisha]Huh. Looks like Mr. Study Group's got some explaining to do.
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
[Customer]Excuse me.
[Customer]Yeah, I've been waiting for 15 minutes.
[Jason]Uh, right. Sorry. How may I help you?
(12:02):
[Customer]I said no pickles. But this receipt says "extra pickles." How hard is that to get right?
[Jason]Oh, I. I'm really sorry about that. Let me get that fixed for ya.
[Aisha]This isn't good. I've never seen him flustered like this.
[Beth]Me neither. Should we do something?
[Aisha]What are we gonna do? He's barely holding it together.
[Beth]Maybe if he sees someone familiar, it'll help.
(12:24):
[Aisha]I don't know, Beth. He looks like he's drowning.
[Jason]Thanks for your patience.
[Customer]Patience? Yeah. I'm allergic to pickles.
[Customer]So, you could have killed me. Yeah. I'm never coming back here again!
[Customer storms off.]
[Jason]Enjoy your meal!
[Jason]Welcome to Burger Castle, where everyone's royalty. How can I...
[Jason]Oh no. What are you two doing here?
(12:44):
[Aisha]Just grabbing lunch.
[Jason]Are Dad and Randy with you?
[Beth]Nope, it's just us. Grammy and Kaylie are at the toy store.
[Aisha]We just thought you could use a friendly face.
[Jason]You have no idea. But you cannot tell anybody you saw me here.
[Beth]Why? You're working. That's nothing to be ashamed of.
[Aisha]Yeah, Pete and Uncle Randy would be proud your doing something other than mooching off of them for once.
(13:09):
[Jason]Trust me, flipping burgers isn't exactly a step up.
[Jason]But I need the money. Let's just leave it at that.
[Aisha]Got it. Your secret's safe with us.
[Jason]Thanks. Lunch is on me. I already know what you both want.
[Dejuan]Hey, Aisha. Hey, Beth.
[Aisha]Dejuan? You work here?
[Dejuan]Not just work. I'm the shift manager now. Got promoted three weeks ago.
(13:30):
[Aisha]Well, look at you! All moving up in the world and stuff!
[Dejuan]Jason, may I have a word?
[Jason]Sure, Mr. Coleman.
[Beth]Mr. Coleman?
[Dejuan]Yeah, at work, I'm Mr. Coleman.
[Aisha]I guess we'll leave you to it, Mr. Coleman.
[Dejuan]Jason, we've got a kid's birthday rolling in in 30 minutes.
(13:51):
[Jason]Yeah, I know. I'm just a little behind, but I'll catch up.
[Dejuan]One problem. The week's supply of ice cream you were supposed to put in the freezer...
[Dejuan]It's been sitting out back in the sun...melting.
[Jason]Crap! I'm so sorry, Dejuan. I mean, Mr. Coleman. I'll take care of it right now.
[Dejuan]It's too late. Ice cream is included in the birthday party package,
[Dejuan]so we're gonna have to give them the entire party for free.
(14:14):
[Jason]I...I'm really sorry.
[Dejuan]I can't let this slide, Jason. You've had way too many slip-ups since you started.
[Dejuan]Not to mention all the times you've been late the last couple of weeks.
[Dejuan]I'm gonna have to let you go.
[Jason]You're firing me?
[Dejuan]It's not personal, but this just isn't working.
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
(14:37):
[Jason enters the front door of the house.]
[Jason]Hey, Dad. Hey, Randy.
[Randy]Look who's home from the hallowed halls of academia.
[Pete]You okay, son?
[Pete]You look like you've been through a meat grinder.
[Jason]Yeah, just had a long day, that's all.
[Pete]And we're not blind, son.
[Pete]We can see you wearing a Burger Castle uniform.
[Randy]And I can smell the Double Royale with cheese all the way from here.
(14:57):
[Pete]Jason, what's going on with you? Do you want to talk about it?
[Jason]Alright, alright.
[Jason]I haven't been meeting my study group the last couple of weeks.
[Jason]I've been working part-time at Burger Castle, trying to make some money.
[Pete]Wait, that's your big secret? You've been working?
[Pete]Well, why didn't you just say so? This is great!
[Jason]Well, hold your applause. Cause there's more.
(15:21):
[Randy]I told you so.
[Pete]Randy!
[Randy]What? I'm just saying!
[Jason]Look, there was no fire at the dorms,.
[Pete]Okay...I need more words, please.
[Randy]So no fiery inferno? No smoldering ruins?
[Randy]What a plot twist!
[Jason]No, the truth is I was expelled from school.
(15:45):
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
[Pete]You mean you got kicked out of school? For what?
[Jason]I went to a party right after school started.
(16:06):
[Jason]Things got out of hand, campus police showed up, and because I
[Jason]drank alcohol while underage, they expelled me and a few others.
[Pete]Underage drinking?
[Jason]Yeah.
[Pete]Oh, son...
[Jason]I know, Dad. I messed up. I'm sorry.
[Randy]Hold on. School started almost a month ago.
[Randy]You mean to tell me we're just now hearing about this?
(16:28):
[Jason]I was scared.
[Jason]After everything went down, I didn't really know how to tell you guys,
[Jason]so I moved in with Rhona. But... Well, we broke up a couple weeks ago.
[Jason]And that's why I'm back home.
[Pete]So if you and Rhona hadn't split up, we still wouldn't know about any of this?
[Jason]Dad, I tried to fix it.
[Jason]I enrolled at Austin Community College right away and was trying to pay
(16:48):
[Jason]for it myself with the job I just lost.
[Randy]And what about the money we shelled out for your tuition and dorm fees?
[Jason]Non-refundable.
[Pete]Son, I raised you better than this. I need some air.
[Pete leaves the house.]
[Randy]This isn't easy for him, Jason. You know how much he's got riding on you.
(17:09):
[Jason]I know. I didn't want to disappoint him. Or you.
[Randy]Disappointment's a part of life, Jason.
[Randy]But you should have come clean when it happened.
[Randy]I'll go talk to him, alright?
[Jason]Thanks, Randy.
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
[Randy]Hey...
[Pete]Hey...
[Randy]Pete, you've gotta breathe before you lose it.
(17:30):
[Pete]I'm trying, Randy, but I can't wrap my head around it.
[Pete]I don't know what pisses me off more. The fact that he hid everything.
[Pete]The wasted tuition money or that he was out there drinking.
[Pete]I...I thought we raised him better than this.
[Randy]We did, Pete. And look, yeah, he screwed up big time.
(17:51):
[Randy]But he didn't crawl back here for us to fix it.
[Pete]But he lied to us, Randy... About everything!
[Pete]He let us think everything was fine at UT while he was expelled and
[Pete]crashing at his girlfriend's apartment? How do we trust him after this?
[Randy]He didn't lie because he wanted to hurt us.
[Randy]He lied because he was ashamed.
(18:12):
[Randy]And, yeah, it took him a while, but he finally came clean.
[Randy]You got to give him credit for that.
[Pete]I'm just so angry right now.
[Randy]I am, too. But let's face it.
[Randy]He's been kicked out of school, dumped by his girlfriend,
[Randy]and was just fired from his job. He's rock bottom.
[Randy]What he doesn't need is us burying him even deeper.
(18:34):
[Pete]But what about the money we spent on his tuition and dorm fees?
[Randy]Oh, he's going to pay back every cent.
[Randy]I don't care if we have to garnish his wages.
[Pete laughs.]
[Pete]Only one thing about that.
[Pete]He just lost his job, so there aren't any wages to garnish.
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
(18:55):
[Beth]Jason?
[Jason]Hey. What's up?
[Beth]We're sorry about what happened at Burger Castle,
[Beth]and we know you're not ready to talk, but when you are, we're here.
[Aisha]Yeah, no matter what, we've got your back.
[Aisha]You don't have to deal with whatever you're going through alone.
[Jason]Thanks, guys. Seriously.
[Pete]Jason, we need to talk.
[Beth]Should we leave?
(19:16):
[Randy]No, this is a family matter. You all need to hear what we have to say.
[Aisha]What's this about?
[Pete]All right, here it is.
[Pete]Jason didn't move home because his dorm caught on fire.
[Pete]He was expelled from school.
[Beth]Expelled? What? Why?
[Randy]There was a party, and Jason here made the genius move of underage drinking.
(19:36):
[Randy]The school didn't take it lightly and kicked him out.
[Jason]Yeah, so I got into ACC and was paying my tuition with that job at Burger Castle.
[Randy]We're not here to make you rehash the whole story.
[Randy]We're here with a solution.
[Pete]Randy and I discussed it, and you're welcome to move back home
[Pete]full-time, but you will pay us back every single cent that we lost this semester.
(20:02):
[Jason]Really? But I don't even have a job anymore to start paying you back.
[Randy]Lucky for you, we're hiring for a position in the mailroom at the ad agency.
[Randy]It's yours if you want it.
[Pete]The pay should cover your tuition at ACC, no problem.
[Pete]But the rest of it is ours until you cover all the money we lost at UT this year.
[Jason]Really? You'd do that for me? I don't even know what to say.
(20:25):
[Pete]You don't need to say anything. Just, please do better.
[Randy]Let this be a lesson to all of you. Bad decisions come with consequences.
[Randy]And this is why we always tell you to think twice.
[Randy]Being left out of trouble is better than always being stuck in it.
[Beth]Understood.
[Aisha]Wait! Does this mean I'm not getting my own room?!
(20:47):
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
[Aisha]You know, I was thinking.
[Jason]Well, that's always dangerous.
[Aisha]Shut up, Jason, listen to me!
[Aisha]If you're gonna be at the ad agency all day, doesn't that mean you'll barely be home?
(21:10):
[Jason]Does this story have a point?
[Aisha]I'm getting there.
[Aisha]With you being gone so much, your room could technically still be mine.
[Jason]Nice try, Aisha, but even I know squatters rights don't work like that.
[Aisha]Can't blame a girl for trying.
♪♪ Stinger ♪♪
(21:32):
♪♪ Theme Song ♪♪
You've been listening to "Thank Goodness It's Family," created and written by Ric de Barros
It stars Dexter Howard as Pete
Blair Greene-Osako as Aisha and Kaylie
Georges B as Randy
Connor Steed as Jason
andBrianna Lee as Beth
(21:53):
with guest starJared J. Lee as Dejuan Coleman.
featuringChelsea Krause as Grammy and Customer
Casting by Robert Garzaand Jennifer Roush
The theme song was composed by Fran Fuzz
♪♪ Theme Song ♪♪
(22:18):
This podcast was directed, produced, sound designed and audio engineered by Ric de Barros
Copyright 2025 Bargo Productions
For more information about this podcast,please visit TGIFpodcast.info
♪♪ Bargo Productions chime ♪♪
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