“I saw what you did at TSA,” Al tells him once they’ve boarded. “Just know that’s exactly what I’m talking about.” He proceeds to touch upon the mind-set for which the episode is named, saying people will do whatever they have to do — to whomever — in order to survive. “They ain’t got no choice. You ain’t got no choice neither.”

“You my family, Earn,” he went on. “You the only one that knows what I’m about. I need that.”

And Earn needed that affirmation. After witnessing his cousin’s decidedly gangster move of covertly planting the gun in another bag, Al is now seeing him in a new light. Until then, Earn’s firing seemed imminent. However, his quick thinking and willingness to be cutthroat when necessary brings some eleventh-hour respect. (Meanwhile, both men solidify their already iffy impression of Clark once it’s revealed that he double-crossed Earn’s double-cross, leaving Lucas behind to take the rap for the concealed weapon.)

“Crabs in a Barrel,” one of the most cleareyed episodes of the series, was filled with grounded, real-world developments that make it easier for viewers to envision a way forward for the main trio. The writer, Stephen Glover, eschewed the surrealism and shock tactics that have shaped this season and replaced them with thoughtful tête-à-têtes and straight talk.

Take, for example, the way education inequality is addressed. Lottie’s teacher is brutally transparent in her assessment of her predominantly black public school. When Earn and Van try to find alternatives to transferring to the (better, whiter) private school, they’re met with a hilariously frank reply: “Stay here? No. This school is awful.” Furthermore, the teacher admits she wouldn’t have been as honest if their daughter was a non-gifted student: “If I see a steer smart enough to get out of the pen, I leave the gate open.”

The uneven playing field comes up again later when Earn and Darius apply for an expedited passport in an all-Jewish neighborhood. The clerk — who has correctly pegged them as members of a rapper’s entourage — offers to connect them with his cousin, an entertainment lawyer. Earn’s interest is piqued, as Al has been pressing him to find a Jewish lawyer (a status symbol touted in many a rap lyric). Then he asks if the guy believes there might be a black lawyer who’s as good as his cousin. Here, another blunt response: “There definitely is. But part of being good at your job is your connections and black people just don’t have the connections my cousin has … for systemic reasons.”

Even hazy-headed Darius is more direct this week. He tells an anxious Earn, “I see you learning. Learning requires failure. Al’s just tryin’ to make sure you’re not failing in his life. Y’all both black, so that means y’all both can’t afford to fail.”