Accentuate The Positive

Story by: Eric Overmyer and Anthony Bourdain
Teleplay by: Eric Overmyer
Directed by: Anthony Hemingway

On All Saints' Day 2006, a young boy, Robert, is shooed away by his mother who is tired of hearing him practice the same notes on his trumpet.

Antoine Batiste plays at Danny Nelson's grave. Elsewhere, Albert Lambreaux lays a flower on his wife's headstone. LaDonna Batiste-Williams and her mother, Mrs. Brooks, visit the grave of Damon "Daymo" Brooks.

Antoinette "Toni" Bernette and her daughter enjoy some lemon ices at the newly re-opened Angelo Brocato's; Sofia tells her mother she wishes her father was with them. Outplayed by an ensemble of musicians nearby, Sonny dismisses them as poseurs.

In New York City, Janette Desautel hustles in a kitchen as the chef changes his menu on the fly. Her new colleague advises her not to make eye contact with Chef Enrico Brulard.

Sofia records a rant in the style of her father, calling herself Sofia B Real. She rails about how 14 months have now gone by without things getting fixed.

WWOZ Station Manager Darnell Nichols warns DJ Davis McAlary to start mixing up the music on his show so it's not just bounce.

Sonny discusses dress-up holidays with a French Quarter bar patron when two young black guys open fire on the crowd and run. Later, Lt. Terry Colson shares background information with a reporter from the New York Times about a shooting: Five people were shot, with one fatality. He complains to his sergeant Percy Bechet that the papers remain overly interested in the horrors of Zack and Addie. Bechet hands him information about the latest incident in the Quarter. The two discuss the forthcoming indictments regarding the Danziger Bridge shootings.

Arnie Reyes picks up his cousin Nelson Hidalgo at the airport, and brings him to a construction site where they meet Thad Riley. Riley marvels that the well-heeled Hidalgo is related to Reyes.

DeSautel's roommates in Brooklyn tease her for about her one-night stand. She refuses the joint they offer - in Brulard's kitchen, she needs to stay sharp.

Sonny wakes up to discover a drug deal going on in his living room.

Poke returns to his bar and is critical of the work Lambreaux has done. While Poke offers to let the Indians practice in his bar at any time, he evicts them all.

Desiree and Batiste salvage what they can from her family home, now that her mother has decided to give up the house. Desiree is concerned that collecting Road Home money will be difficult since a deed is required and the house was won in a card game generations ago. Tired of the long commute to work, she pressures Batiste to find a job so they can move into town. Toni brings her assistant up to speed about her caseload, including a suit against the city for charging second line permit fees. Bernette is also representing a family on the Danziger Bridge case, and given everything else that's going on, she has no plans to take on any new commitments.

After performing in a Manhattan jazz club, Delmond Lambreaux and his New York girlfriend Jill mingle with the crowd. Delmond at first basks in the praise, but is then offended when the other guests begin discussing how New Orleans will never be the same and how Delmond's playing "transcends" New Orleans. Furious, Delmond walks away from the group and complains to Jill the others have no idea what they're talking about. Jill points out he's made the same arguments himself, but Delmond pouts, "I get to say it. They don't."

After a successful performance at Tipitina's, Batiste asks Matt Perrine if he ever regrets the choices he made - what if they had picked up different instruments? Batiste ponders becoming a band leader himself, reviving the retro look of old time soul music.

McAlary races around his apartment, hiding dirty laundry and tossing dirty dishes. When Annie walks in, she is stunned and touched he cleaned for her.

Reyes drives Hidalgo downtown to meet with a kingmaker, real estate developer CJ Ligouri, who Hidalgo explains is a friend of a friend. The two discuss their shared Catholic background and their desire to fix New Orleans properly. "Never let a disaster go to waste," says Hidalgo.

Lambreaux and his Indians return to his house and find it in complete disarray. Going through his paperwork, Lambreaux stares at a $450 insurance check.

LaDonna and her husband spend the night alone in her mother's house. Although Larry Williams would rather see his wife return to Baton Rouge, LaDonna insists she has no plans to sell the bar, and changes the subject by re-engaging him in some love making.

The staff hustles around Brulard's kitchen, setting up plates for him to garnish before sending them out. Dissatisfied, Brulard sweeps all the plates on to the floor and orders everyone to start over.

Sonny watches as Annie sits in with John Boutté at The Spotted Cat. Later, he joins them on stage for another number. After the show, Davis greets Sonny and catches him up on Annie, who is just back from touring. "Sky's the limit," Davis says about Annie. He rejoins her and their friends, leaving Sonny feeling left out.

Toni watches Sofia's rant on YouTube.

Hidalgo returns to Reyes' work site in a newly leased Jaguar. In search of a lunch spot, he rejects his cousin's suggestion of a local burrito wagon. At Luizza's, Hidalgo can't stop talking about the Frenchaletta and chastises Reyes for not fully appreciating the city: "There's more to life than money."

Bernette has lunch with Lt. Colson. Besides discussing the Danziger Bridge incident, the two talk about their teenage children and how distant they've become. Bernette reminds Colson that as far as Sofia knows, her father's death was an accident.

Toni and Sofia eat supper silently. When Toni tries to start a conversation, Sofia rejects her efforts and tells her, "Everything's status quo."

Reyes takes Hidalgo to Gigi's in search of live music, but settles for the juke box, charming LaDonna with his dance moves.

McAlary takes Annie to a show at Tipitina's and suggests she try sitting in sometime to expand her possibilities as a musician.

Desautel spends her afterhours in an Irish bar. Sonny watches other musicians play in the Quarter. The young boy Robert continues to struggle with his trumpet, and a nearby man assures him "it'll get easier." Nearby, Lt. Colson inspects the scene of another homicide. Spotting Robert, he waves him off and warns him about the curfew in place.