Bernie Sanders and Shonda Rhimes are stuck in Submarine on Lockdown and forced to have a deep conversation.

Bernie: Look, these one-percent subs are all the same: over-engineered, isolating, and completely disconnected from the struggles of the working class, who’d be lucky to see the ocean, let alone be trapped in it.

Shonda: Bernie, honey, even in a tin can at the bottom of the sea, people are still making choices, driven by ambition, fear, and the desperate need to be seen.

Bernie: Seen by whom? The wealthy elite? We need to build a society where everyone has a chance to be heard, not just those who can afford a deep-sea adventure.

Shonda: Opportunity is messy, Bernie, a tangled web of privilege and grit, and sometimes the most compelling stories come from the darkest depths.

Bernie: Stories don’t feed families, Shonda; healthcare, education, a living wage – these are the stories that truly matter.

Shonda: But even in the fight for those necessities, there's still room for love, betrayal, and the agonizing choices people make when pushed to the edge.

Bernie: The edge is where millions live every single day, and we need to pull them back before they're swallowed whole by a rigged system.

Shonda: I write about the edges, Bernie, because that’s where humanity reveals itself, in all its glorious, flawed, and utterly captivating chaos.

Bernie: Captivating chaos doesn't pay the rent; we need systemic change, not just compelling characters dealing with the consequences of inequality.

Shonda: Perhaps, Bernie, but even in the face of systemic failure, the human heart, stubborn and resilient, will always find a way to beat.