02x03 - N*ggaz and Jesus

[bunniefuu]

[ALARM BUZZES]

You won't believe what happened
last week on Blindspotting.

Let's go.

[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]

[KID] His daddy in San Quentin.

My n*gga, your whole
family with the shits?

Hey, I'm with the shits now.

We'll deal with that tomorrow.

[MILES] Ashley Reynolds,
will you marry me?

Yes.

[RAINEY] There's this hour

weekend visitation program

for married couples at San Quentin.

- Sex!
- ♪ Sex in jail ♪

After you and Sean
do this first weekend,

I thought maybe I
would take the next one

to get a little time with Miles.

Really catching me off
guard with this sh*t, Rainey.

[RAINEY] We moms get to
keep our secrets, don't we?

[INDISTINCT LOUDSPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT]

Only linens in here, right?

Yes, sir.

Okay. Right through security, please.

[INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER]

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]

♪ ♪

Don't be scared, baby.

[GROWLS SOFTLY]

I'm good.

♪ ♪

[ALARM BUZZES]

Come on, come on!

Is this where we're gonna be staying?

I can't believe I'm gonna see Dad!

- Come on, come on!
- What's up, man?

- Dad!
- [MILES] What's up?

Big hug! Big hug!

Hey, baby.

Damn, you look good as hell, girl.

Oh!

- I'm gonna go pick my room.
- b*at it.

[SEAN TRILLING]

Well, what are we gonna
do for hours alone?

I wonder, I wonder.

- Wait.
- [MILES] What?

- What, what, what? No.
- Baby, wait, wait, wait.

What is so important that you...

[ASHLEY] Turns out,

if it's under $ ,

you can wear your wedding ring.

[SOFT MUSIC PLAYS]

♪ ♪

You know I love you, right?

I love you too.

[SEAN CHATTERS INDISTINCTLY]

[SEAN] Dad, what's the Wi-Fi?

Um, there is no Wi-Fi
here, my man, unfortunately.

Damn, this place kinda busted, my n*gga.

- What?
- What?

[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]

♪ ♪

[UPBEAT ORGAN MUSIC PLAYING]

- [RAINEY] No, I'm not staying.
- _

I was just walking here with Nancy.

It was really nice to meet everyone.

[NANCY] I'll walk her out.

[CHURCHGOER] All right.

You said it wasn't a Black church.

[NANCY] It's not.

Everyone in there is Black.

I don't want to be the only
white person in the room

talking about my problems

when everybody else has my problems too,

but they're also, you know...

- Black.
- Yeah, it's a Black church.

- It's not. Now...
- It's right in the name.

Moses the Black Episcopal Church.

It's not "Moses, the
Black Episcopal Church."

The saint's name is Moses the Black,

and then it's a church.

I appreciate you looking out
for me, Nancy, I really do,

but I'm fine.

And if I wasn't, my
first stop isn't church.

I love to paint. That's my happy place.

Let's go paint then.

Because you seem... off.

I'm not off.

And I would love to paint with you.

- Fine.
- Fine.

[ASHLEY] That is an adult word.

You are not allowed to say that word.

Only mommy can say it.

- Not Dada?
- [MILES] Oh, boy.

Ugh, no.

You cannot say that word.
That's all that matters.

But why?

Okay. Baby?

I think this may be one
of those teachable moments

that AOC talks about.

So, uh, take it away.

[ASHLEY SCOFFS]

Why do I have to explain it?

Well... you're Black.

[ASHLEY] Oh.

Okay, well, your people made it up.

I think we should
stick together on this.

Yeah, okay.

You just can't say it.

You just can't, my bruh.

[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]

♪ ♪

[RAINEY] No... f*ck!

m*therf*cking g*dd*mn stool!

m*therf*cker!

This yo' happy place?

Yes, Nancy. I'm just
out of that tea now.

Okay, look, while I stand by the idea

that you should come with me to group,

I apologize for dragging you there.

I just don't do the Jesus thing.

I wish. I really do.

It seems way better.

I just can't do it.

Okay, I'ma get a rag.

I'm fine.

- We're gonna smoke.
- [NANCY] Okay.

But you chant. You meditate.

You got some God stuff going on.

Nope, no God.

[NANCY] No God?

Not a single amen uttered earnestly.

sh*t.

Miles wears a cross on his neck.

Nah, he just likes the shape.

He says it's a T for Turner.

But if it's a bad word
and it hurts people,

then why does Auntie Janelle
say it, and Tía Trish?

Well, Black people can
say it to each other

because it means something different.

But it doesn't matter
because you can't say it

until you're older.

But why?

- Miles, we are not doing this.
- He's asking.

- No, he asking.
- We're not doing it.

Um, well, it's hurtful

when white people say it to Black people

because of sl*very and,
uh, systemic inequality,

generational trauma, my bruh.

- But Black people...
- Adult Black people.

... Adult Black people

have reclaimed the word,

and it can now be a term of endearment,

like "bruh," my bruh.

Okay, all you need to know is that

you cannot say that
word until you're ,

and then we can revisit it.

Understood?

- Okay.
- Okay.

Strong mama. Strong mom energy.

Just momming the whole situation.

What's Satanic geometry?

I think you mean systemic
inequality, my bruh.

Um, why don't you go

get that box over there in the corner

and, uh, clear off the
big table over there,

because Papa needs to do
a little bit of explaining

in a fatherly way. Come on.

Okay, let's just assume for a moment

that Jesus was even a real man.

You sure you want to have
this conversation without weed?

I just don't trust the church.

I mean, I go to church,

but I don't necessarily
trust "the church" either.

Look, if you grew up in Arkansas in

like my mother,

you could get k*lled
on the side of the road

for no reason at all.

So your faith has to be unshakable,

even if it was founded
through the only religion

we were allowed to practice,
which didn't quite fit.

Amen, or preach, or
whatever you people say.

- Uh...
- [RAINEY] You church people,

not you Black people.

Oh, my God, f*ck everything.

[DAUNTES] Can I say something?

[RAINEY] Of course.

Rainey, it's totally fine
and okay to be angry in life.

We all get angry sometimes.

You just need to let
it out on a cup of tea

till you figure out where to put it

so it doesn't get in your way.

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

Thank you, Dauntes.

Where have you been hiding that?

[MILES] It's time for Gold Rush Hour.

[SWEEPING WESTERN MUSIC PLAYS]

Okay, now that the
board is nice and level,

give me all your gold.

Give me all that gold
and give me all that gold.

- No, this is my gold.
- Right here.

- You're not taking it.
- Move the gold.

I'm trying to teach the boy a lesson.

- No. No...
- [MILES] Uh-uh, come up off it.

Come up off it.

Phew. Do not look at this board.

This board, this is an old, old game.

This is very r*cist.

Cover these up. [CHUCKLES]

All right, Papa goes first.

I'm gonna be the boot.

Uh-huh.

One, two, three, four, five, six.

I struck gold.

That's gold rush, baby!

Gimme that bag right there.

That's my haul. Give me my haul.

Give me my haul. All right, we got that.

Now I'm gonna go ahead and go again.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]

Oh, struck gold again!

Give me that.

Ah, ah.

Gold!

Come on, give it to
me. Give it to me now.

Oh, look at all this gold.

Look at this whole stack
of generational wealth.

I'ma throw this over my shoulder.

I'm gonna go start a family empire.

Oh, yeah.

Is it my turn yet?

No.

And that, my boy, is
systemic inequality.

That's one of the many reasons
why you can't say that word

we were talking about, okay?

This game takes place in .

It's not gonna be another years

before you're even in the game.

And when you're finally in
it, it's still totally rigged.

I wonder if they have Monopoly here.

'Cause if they do, I
can use that to explain

redlining to him when
we get up to the s.

I mean, I'm gonna make
my way there slow...

[ASHLEY] Okay, okay, okay,
we get it. You've been reading.

Bedtime. I'm taking all this gold.

Taking it back from the
man trying to hold us down.

[MILES] That's not how
white privilege works.

We're going to bed.

This is a... this is a
new world you're building.

[ASHLEY] Pack it up!

[WHISPERING] Just let me touch it.

[MILES] No, we can't. He's
still... he's still up.

Let's just wait a little.

[ASHLEY] Oh, I don't care.

[MILES] Okay, what if he's scared

sleeping in the other room?

Oh, oh, hey... Ooh, girl, cold hands.

- Cold hands, cold hands, okay.
- [BOTH LAUGH]

- Okay, let's just go for it.
- Oh.

Let's just go...

[ASHLEY] Just...

[DOOR CREAKS]

[SEAN] Can I sleep with you two?

I want to hang with Dad.

[WHISPERING] No, no.

No. No.

You want to hang with Dad?

[WHISPERING] He wants to hang with Dad.

[WHISPERING] f*ck.

[NORMALLY] Yeah, man, climb in.

Climb up.

- Oh.
- Oh, no, no, no, no.

No, no, no, no, no. Uh...

Go over. Go over.

- Over, kid.
- Come on. Come on.

Okay, I'll just turn out a little.

Okay.

Sleepover.

Let's go, kid. Sure, sure, sure.

You don't wanna, you know,
sleep in your own room

or in the living room with the TV?

Nah.

[BOTH SIGH]

Cool.

[QUIRKY MUSIC PLAYS]

♪ ♪

- [SIGHS]
- [GRUNTING]

[EXHALES DEEPLY]

[ALARM BLARING]

[MILES SIGHS]

[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]

♪ ♪

[ALARM BLARING]

♪ ♪

[ALARM BLARING]

[ALARM BLARING]

♪ ♪

[SOFT MUSIC PLAYS]

♪ ♪

[WALKIE TALKIE CRACKLING]

Hey! [LAUGHS]

♪ ♪

[SEAGULLS CALLING]

[ASHLEY] Ooh, bugs.
What's your favorite bug?

[SEAN] It's a scorpion
fly. It's really cool.

[ASHLEY] A scorpion fly? Does it sting?

[SEAN] It actually doesn't sting.

But it has the butt of a scorpion

and the face of a fly.

Isn't that wild?

Ooh, I was in that pillow.

What time is it?

It's noon.

Noon?

- [SIGHS]
- [ASHLEY] You slept in.

It seems like you needed the rest.

I can't believe they wake
you up at : a.m. like that.

[MILES] We wasted so much time.

Why don't you... why
didn't you just wake me up?

- f*ck.
- Baby, chill out.

We're all here now.

Your son is telling
very interesting stories.

And we've got plenty of time.

Dad, are you gonna have waffles too?

[MILES] Waffles?

Yeah, well, if I'm gonna have waffles,

we gotta have waffles
the way I made them

when I was growing up, all right?

In order to do that, I need two waffles.

Hit me.

First thing we're gonna do,

little bit of peanut
butter on each side.

'Cause we don't want that jam sogginess

to mess up the delicacy here.

Then gonna put a little
bit of jam just on one side.

We're gonna grab a banana,
put some of those banana slices

all up in the middle.

Then we're gonna take both sides,

we're gonna smoosh 'em together.

And then with chef-like precision,

we're gonna cut that thing in half.

Sha-blow.

Breakfast PB and J... for lunch.

- What say you to that?
- [GIGGLES]

I-I want one.

[RAINEY] Hey, Nancy.

Sorry. Sorry.

Mine are sitting right
by the door, I know it.

It's okay. What are neighbor's for?

Doesn't Trish have a key?

Yeah, it's too embarrassing to call her.

Thank you.

Oh, there's no reason to be embarrassed.

I lock myself out too, plenty of times.

It's not necessarily dementia.

- Okay, don't say it.
- Okay.

You don't have to say the word.

Sorry. Sorry.

The D word.

Why don't you walk with me for a while

till my date picks me up?

You know, I get flustered and forgetful

when something is really bothering me.

Is there anything...

Ashley won't let me come
with them to family visitation

to spend the weekend
with my own f*cking kid.

Well, that came right out.

And she knows about the D-word.

[NANCY] Well, you need to
sit her ass down and be like,

"Little girl, I'm coming
to the next visitation."

And just sign yourself up.

She is not in charge.

Yeah, but she is, though.

To her, I'm just crazy old Maurice.

- Bonjour!
- Bonjour!

- [LAUGHS]
- Whoa.

- Whoa.
- Oh.

You okay?

[RAINEY] Yes. [CLEARS THROAT]

Yes, I'm fine.

Okay. No, no. You need to sit down.

- Come on.
- [SIGHS]

[LIGHT PERCUSSIVE MUSIC PLAYS]

♪ ♪

[ALL GULPING]

[ALL SIGH]

[CHILDREN CHATTERING]

I wish the boys were five again.

So many great child memories.

Collin ran that maze so many times.

He peed himself and
just kept on running.

Little nasty-ass boys.

Remember when they
took the sailing classes

over at the boathouse?

I'm still boycotting that place.

They wouldn't let Trish sign
up for the teen sailing program

'cause they claimed they caught her

teaching the other girls how to...

- [CHUCKLES]
- Whatever.

- We can't support that place.
- Oh.

I say this with love, but
y'all are hella stubborn.

Why hold a grudge for a decade?

Someone fucks with you,

it's the only power you have left.

You can't win a grudge
match with Ashley.

Or prison, or time.

Sometimes it just is
what the f*ck it is.

And you gotta get right with that.

[DRAMATIC GUITAR MUSIC PLAYS]

♪ ♪

[MILES] All right,
you handsome scoundrel,

this town ain't big enough
for no yellow-bellied bandito.

And I'm the quickest draw

this side of the Sierra mountains.

Now you put those pistols down!

Never!

- Fine! Blaow!
- [g*nshots RINGING]

[ALL MIMICKING g*nshots]

[ALARM BLARING]

Pause, everyone.

Count. Just the count. [GRUNTS]

Time out, family.

[ASHLEY] Hey, Sean,
you want some cookies?

Can we have... ice cream?

[ASHLEY] I'm sorry, baby.

We're not allowed to have that in here.

Wow, this place is busted.

[MILES] Hey, enough chitchat.

Now, I got five in the chamber.

And I aim to use 'em. One,
two, three, four, five.

It's time for the final showdown!

Ahh!

[YELLING]

- [g*nshots]
- [BOTH MIMICKING g*nf*re]

[MILES] Come on!

Oh! Oh!

[GRUNTING]

- Blaow!
- Oh, no!

Fake-out. Oh.

- [SEAN] Blaow!
- Pow.

[LAUGHS]

But the boy was a zombie cowboy!

[ASHLEY] Not zombie cowboys!

[ALL YELLING]

- Zombie cowboy!
- [SCREAMING]

- [MILES] I'm alive again!
- [SEAN] Zombie!

[ALL YELLING]

Good night, baby.

Night, kid.

I'm still thinking about that
word you said I can't say.

Like, why?

Why is it so bad?

There's plenty of other bad words.

- [MILES] Mm-hmm.
- Why is it badder than f...

You better not.

- Fudge?
- [LAUGHS] Well played, sir.

Okay. Um...

[SOFT MUSIC PLAYS]

We are going to tell you

a very, very, very long story.

You might not understand all of it.

But... we're gonna try.

[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYS]

♪ ♪

[LAUGHING]

♪ ♪

[AUCTIONEER SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY]

♪ ♪

[MUFFLED LAUGHTER, CHATTER]

♪ ♪

Sold!

♪ ♪

[MUFFLED LAUGHTER, CHEERING]

♪ ♪

[POLICEMAN SHOUTS]

[SIRENS WAILING]

♪ ♪

[SHOUTING]

[MUSIC INTENSIFYING]

♪ ♪

No!

- [DISTANT g*nshots RING]
- [ALL SHOUTING]

♪ ♪

So your people did that to my people?

[SIGHS]

Um...

I am your people, man.

I always will be.

You are my people too.

But it is complicated.

So... till it makes a
little bit more sense...

... you can't use that word, okay?

It's like Voldemort.

Oh!

[BOTH LAUGH]

[MILES] Hit me.

My man, give me a hug.

Ooh!

I love you.

Love you too, Dad.

Go to sleep.

We'll talk about this more later.

"It's like Voldemort?" Really? Okay.

- Well, it worked, didn't it?
- Baby, come on.

Get out of here before
he does something else.

[DOOR CREAKS]

Earl?

Rainey?

- Is this how you know Nancy?
- Eh...

Everybody's at this
f*cking church but me.

- Well, I don't think...
- Let me ask you something.

Do you consider this a Black church?

It's a very Black church.

- It's hella Black.
- I know.

But it's not... It's
not my sh*t, though.

I just deliver trays here.

The pastor, he orders food from me

for, like, events and stuff.

And I just say a prayer on
my way out the door to myself

so I don't feel terrible
about the in-and-out.

So no God for you either?

This is my theory.

God...

God is like the N word to me.

Both were given to us unwanted,
reclaimed, reappropriated,

and now they're whatever
Black people need 'em to be.

So you do pray on the way out?

Well, my kind of prayer, yeah.

I just say... what's on my mind.

And as long as I'm honest about it,

then I feel like I'm giving
an adequate amount of faith.

Doesn't sound entirely terrible.

I'm walking your way. Wanna come?

No, I'm just gonna have
a seat for a few minutes.

[EARL] Okay.

Later, Rainey.

[LOW RUMBLING BUILDING]

[RUMBLING STOPS ABRUPTLY]

[SIGHS]

Hello.

I'm me.

I will suppose a you, I suppose.

I think I am... hitting a wall.

Or boiling over or spilling out.

It's gotten heavy... is what I mean,

this relentless dread of uncertainty

draped like a cape.

I can smell the metal and bleach still

from the floors where blood and spit

and love and death fall,

and my son is behind
the looking glass there.

[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]

I am a vagabond

of hollowed wisdom I can't share

and a growing anger I can't bear.

All the many who's, you know?

Who puts a mother's heart
behind a jagged wire?

Who traps memories in the desert heat?

What might evaporate
before I get him back

laughing in our kitchen seats?

What can I feed an anger
enough of to make it weak?

What truth to this
powerful powerlessness

can I speak?

Because it has made me weak.

I feel... angry

at this... weak.

♪ ♪

[INDISTINCT CHATTER ON TV]

[ASHLEY] I just checked on him.

He's out.

Out out?

Mm-hmm.

[MILES] sh*t. Come here.

- Let me get this.
- [ASHLEY] Oh.

[MILES] Shield children's eyes.

Mm-hmm. Some of that.

Okay, okay, take-take this off.

Okay.

- Oh, ow!
- sh*t. Sorry, sorry.

Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.

Okay, okay.

Oh.

Let's see, let me get my pants...

Oh, sh*t, this drawstring's real tight.

- [ASHLEY] TV up.
- [TV CHATTER GROWS]

- Okay.
- [SIGHS]

[BOTH BREATHING HEAVILY]

[BOTH WHISPERING INDISTINCTLY]

Okay.

[SOFT MUSIC PLAYS]

♪ ♪

God damn.

God damn boy, yo' mom fine!

- Shh!
- [LAUGHS]

♪ ♪

[BOTH BREATHING HEAVILY]

[WHISPERING] I love you.

[WHISPERING] I love you.

Oh, sh*t.

[MOANING]

♪ ♪

Okay, let's go to sleep now
so I can be in a deep sleep

before the "bzzt" at midnight, please.

Nah, come on.

I made coffee.

I got all of Sean's snacks out here.

We can just stay up and eat 'em all.

Come on, stay up with me.

It's our last night.

Baby, I can't. I'm exhausted.

I have to go to work tomorrow.

Okay, well, if the buzzer's
gonna keep you up anyway,

what's one tired night
every three months

so we get a little bit more time?

Come on, just have coffee with me, eh?

- Come on.
- [ASHLEY LAUGHS]

Baby, I don't wanna have coffee.

It's gonna make it impossible
for me to go to sleep.

Let's just lay in bed together.

[MILES] I don't want to lay.

I did that last night, all right?

I overslept. I want to spend
some time with you and me, just us.

He's asleep.

Can we hang out, please?

My eyes are half-closed already.

It's my sex ritual, sex and sleep.

Are you gonna make me
f*cking beg you right now?

Miles, chill.

Okay, we can just wake
up early tomorrow morning.

Don't tell me to f*cking chill.

Don't tell me to f*cking
chill in here, all right?

We don't have tomorrow.
You go to work, and I stay here.

We don't have tomorrow, okay?

- This is almost over!
- Miles, lower your voice.

[ALARM BLARING]

[TENSE MUSIC PLAYS]

♪ ♪

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

You hiding out up here?

Uh, I got home from work.

Just been laying here.

Well, I'm playing bones with Sean,

who keeps saying he's playing Dad rules,

so I don't get a turn.

I need a break.

I brought you some tea.

Yeah, I know he's a
handful right now, I get it.

No, I'm glad you guys had
a great family weekend.

I'm happy you're both back.

It's a big house.

[ASHLEY] Thanks, Rainey.

We did have a happy weekend.

You're welcome.

Good.

What's that?

Oh, it's Nancy's painting
of Collin and Janelle's dad.

No! No, no, no.

[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]