01x06 - Nigrescence

[bunniefuu]

Thank you for finding my bike.

It's too bad you didn't find
my money, officer.

Hmm.

Well, normally we'd never
actually make a house call.

But you wanted to be sure

I got this busted tire, right?

But everybody at the precinct
heard about how you saved that dog.

I really appreciate the effort. Yeah.

Bye now.

Well, we gotta go down south.

Why would anyone go down south?

'Cause I need to get a legit job, son.

And I can't get that
without a Social Security card.

And I can't get that
without a driver's license.

And I can't get that
without a birth certificate.

And my birth certificate
is in Union Springs, Alabama.

That does not sound
like a place with 5G.

It's not like any place
you've ever been, that's for sure.

But you know what Richard Wright said?

"I was not leaving the south
to forget the south,

but so that someday
I might understand it."

Am I supposed to know who that is?

You're messing with me.

He say that recently or something?

Let me ask you.

Do you know who, uh,

Bayard Rustin is?

No.

Fannie Lou Hamer?

What about Amiri Baraka?

Damn, Finn.

What Black people do you know?

Like Obama.

Yeah.

Zendaya.

David Williams.

Who the hell is David Williams?

David Williams is a famous
Magic: The Gathering player

who became a famous poker player.

Damn public schools.

Hey. Look here. We gotta go down south.

No, we need to start
knocking on doors--

Boundaries. Boundaries. I know.
Yes. Yes.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

But since you're here,
can I ask you a question?

Sure.

Have you ever tried
being with a nice woman?

Or were they all hot meanies?

Don't knock a hot meanie, Paige.

Why are you askin' me that?

I'm just, I'm working on something.

Why-why are we going down south?

Because with my bike gone,
I need to get my birth certificate.

Okay, I gotta ask you something.

Are you aware that your son
doesn't know Black history?

Might not even know he's Black.

He knows he's Black.
This is South Minneapolis.

When he walks out of this house,
his head is on swivel.

Why do you need a birth certificate?

Are you thinking about getting a real job?

Because if you are,

I would like to send
a gift basket to the bicycle thief.

So it's your fault your son
doesn't know who Bayard Rustin was.

- He-- He doesn't?
- He does not.

Oh, that's fine. Identities are complex.

There are a lot of
different kinds of ways to be Black.

Your way is not more valid
than his way or my way.

But I like this
whole down south adventure idea.

I'm into it.
Good.

'Cause y'all need some nigrescence.

Um, what the f*ck is nigrescence?

Okay, everybody,
so we are here in Alabama

because my dad needs
some official paperwork

so he can get a real job.
Woo-woo!

And so that my son
can get some nigrescence.

What's nigrescence?

I had the same question, so I Googled it.

I told you what it was now.

What you're hearing is
this man's frustration.

Because even though my child and I

have been Black people
our entire lives-- Yes, Finn?

Yes.
- Yes.

Apparently we are doing it wrong.

So, nigrescence
is the process of becoming Black

or developing one's racial identity
as a Black person.

I learned about that
from my celly Harold.

Shout-out to Harold.

Yeah. Shout-out to Harold.
Shout-out to Harold.

Okay, so there's five stages
to nigrescence.

The first is pre-encounter,

then encounter.

Then it gets a little tricky
because you have--

Wait, hold up.
This is not a college lecture.

- I know, but I'm--
- Ah, ah!

We are talking about an experience.

Right.
Not an idea.

And are we gonna be
on our phones the whole time?

That's kind of the plan.

Paige, can you put that thing down

for even just a minute, girl?

I cannot, because this is
really important and amazing.

And I wanna document it for us
and for all my followers.

So, hi, guys. This is the house
that my dad grew up in.

It's not what I expected at all.

I don't know what it is you expected.

Just, I didn't imagine this exactly.

Oh, hell, no.

Who's that?

Cousin.

You're not gonna answer?

We came all the way down here.

Boy's a pain in the a*s. No.

I wanna just--
I wanna take this in right here.

You know how long it's been since I

smell this air?

- It smells like--
- Dial-up?

Yeah, you wish you could have
grown up here, boy.

Catching tadpoles,
balancing on the train tracks.

It's a whole different type of freedom.

If it was so great,
then why'd you leave?

Wasn't up to me.

My mama came home one day and said,

"Time to go."

This place has been empty ever since,

what, '66?

That cannot be true.

Who's trying to move
to Union Springs, Alabama, Paige?

Actually, that could be true.
Hey.

Alright, let's go
find this birth certificate.

Well, don't we need a key?

Nobody uses keys down here, Paige.

I'll be in in a second.
I'm just at three percent.

Okay.

Text from Mal.

"I'm your boyfriend now
and a good boyfriend

"tells you how he misses you
and sees how your trip is going.

So how is it going? Kiss emoji."

Do you want to reply?

I don't know.

Sorry, I didn't get that.

I said I don't know because he is great.

He's almost perfect.

Sorry, I didn't get that.

I want to accept the love
of an emotionally available man

who's interested in me.

Sorry, I didn't get that.

Do you want to reply?

Now you're just being rude.

Just one bar, that's all I ask.

You need to put that down
and come help, son.

Need to?

My mom always gives me options.

Yeah, well, your mama
was never on the streets.

Just do what I say.

Hey... look here.

This is me right there. Yeah.

Right there.

Why are there no white people?

'Cause the white people were
across town in the school with books.

Yeah, segregation 101, Finn.

Of course. I just didn't know
you were that old.

That ain't that long ago.

Just that all the pictures
they show you of segregation,

in black and white.

On purpose.

Ah. Let me try that.

Hey, this is like a field trip,
but interesting.

You know, when I meet other Black kids,

they don't always know.

Like, it's just weird
to go up and be all like,

hi, I, too, am Black.

Don't say it like that, Finn.
That sounded kinda weird.

I mean, it's facts, though,
you know, I just,

I feel like I have to
prove that I'm Black.

Let me tell you something.

Defending your Blackness
to other Black people?

That's one of the Blackest things
you could do.

Wasn't Martin Luther King around here?

You ever go to a march?

My mama always had to work.

I remember when they k*lled him, though.

Whoa.

Yeah, man. The way that brother talked.

You really believed you could have
all the things he said you could have.

Then right when you starting to feel,

yes, I can have these things,

they shot him down in broad daylight.

That f*cked a lot of people up.

Me included.

Being in here is making my dad so real.

Like, more real
than he even is in real life.

If that's possible.

Oh, my God.

Okay, I think that this is his room.

I mean, I think he slept here, right?

Look at these tiny, tiny beds.

Oh, my God.

Was my father ever this small?

Mommy, I'm cold.

I'm scared.

What are you doing down there?

Hiding.

What's your name?

Eddie Alexander.

Oh, God. Oh.

I don't wanna go.

Oh.

Hey. Uh, what is he doing?

Messing with his phone again.

Paige, I can't find
this birth certificate anywhere.

Why-why-why-why did
Grandma Martha leave?

I already told you, we just left.

No, but that doesn't make sense.

And when something doesn't make sense,
it's because somebody's lying.

That's what Judge Judy says.

She loves Judge Judy.

I do.

Ju--

Paige, why would I lie to you?

I don't know. You tell me.

It's a long time ago
and I don't remember everything.

The sheriff and his brother,
they came to the house.

Daddy was away, preaching.

And mama was real upset.

They wanted to terrify my mother.

And they did.

But the next thing I remember,
we moved to Birmingham.

And that's it?

That's it.

And I thought you wanted to help me
find this birth certificate, girl.

So, look, that church I told you about?

We gotta go there.

Come on.

Come on. They might have Wi-Fi.

Stop.

But probably not.

What?

Text from Mal.

"Hey, baby, you're not
replying to my texts, so--"

That boy is so sprung.

Low-key. It's pretty hilarious.

"Guess I'll have to tell you

what I'm planning to do to you
when you get back."

Oh. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

I want to pull your panties to the side--

- Oh, my God! Mom!
- Okay! Thank you. No, no, no!

No, sorry, sorry. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry! I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

Sister Annie?

Oh, good afternoon.

Can I help you?

I don't know if you remember me. Um--

Uh, my name is Edwin, and my family and I,

we-we lived around here
a long, long time ago.

The Alexander boy?
Oh, my God.

Yes, ma'am!

- Yes, ma'am.
- Well, I'll be.

- It is you.
- Yes.

It's good to see you.

- Is this your wife?
- Oh, no, no, no, no.

This is my daughter and my grandson.

Where'd the time go?

Oh, I ask myself that every day.

If I'd known y'all were coming,
I'd have made some Folgers.

Oh, no, no, no. We're good. We're good.

Um, but there is something
I was hoping you could help me with.

Is there any chance at all
that you have my baptism records?

Well, now, that's going a long way back.

I know.

But we can look.

You know, that flood
took everything from us back then.

But if I have it, it's in there.

Thank you, ma'am.

Come here, you.

Yeah.

Look at you.

Oh, my. You're so handsome.

Oh, thanks.

You want some Folgers?

I'm okay. Thank you.

Um, Miss Annie, can I ask you
just a couple of questions.

Don't bother the lady now, Paige.

Um--
- What do you wanna know, baby?

I just wanna know what happened.

You know, why-why did
Grandma Martha leave Alabama?

I tried to ask my dad,
but he doesn't remember.

What? Of course, he remembers.

He saw everything.

What do you mean?

Back then, honey,

the sheriff would come up
in the middle of the night,

lights off and everything.

And they dragged that poor woman
out of the house...

- No! No!

...in front of all the kids.

The next morning when Martha came back,

she was limping and full of bruises.

The whole family left that very day.

Is that true?

It's not here.

I'm hungry.

Anybody else hungry?

Thank you.

Sister Annie, I appreciate it.

Mm!

Bro, this soul food is the juice.

Why doesn't yours taste so good?

What?

It's true.

Maybe because I was
raised by Scandinavians,

and they care more about pickled herring.

Well, this is all I wanna eat
for the rest of my life.

So we gonna talk at all

about what happened with Deacon Annie?

What is there to talk about?

If you keep pretending
that you have no traumas,

they are gonna
keep coming out sideways.

Ancient history, Paige.

History maybe.

But perhaps part of why
you don't wanna talk about it

is because that was the first domino
that led you to prison.

- You doing therapy on me, girl?
- Me?

And I'm not even convinced

that that sh*t works with white folk,
and here you come.

No, it works.

It works for white folks.
It also works for us.

Everybody needs therapy.

- If therapy was so great...
- Yeah.

...you wouldn't be asking me
if I ever fell in love with a nice woman.

You're worried about yourself, Paige.

No, I'm not worried.

I just don't like hot meanies.

And you don't like a nice guy either.

'Cause if you were,

Mal Kennedy would not be texting me

looking for you.

Oh, but what do I know?

You're the professional.

So can I have your cornbread?

Oh, my. Yes. Thank you.

Oh, damn it.

Oh, here you go, buddy.

Thank you.

I'm happy you're cleaning up.

Not like them moon crickets.

Moon crickets?

Probably before your time.

Never mind, kid.

You have a good one, huh?

Look, Bumpy,
we just finished lunch, but, uh,

I still got this other thing.

I may have to see you next trip.

Yep.

Hey, Mal, I am really sorry

that it's taken me so long
to get back to you.

This trip with my dad is a lot.

I'm just watching him
try to avoid all his trauma.

It's like he thinks the past
is actually in the past, you know.

And you and I know
that it doesn't work that way.

That sh*t happens
and you shut down a little bit here

and you shut down a little bit there,

but the trauma doesn't go anywhere, right?

And then before you know it,
you're grown up

and you've passed your trauma down.

Just like my dad gave me
his weird knuckles and his ashy skin.

Oh, sh*t.

Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
Oh, my God. I think, um--

I think that he might be right.

I think that maybe I am
a little bit worried about myself, and I--

Oh, God, I don't even know
why I'm still talking

because I'm definitely gonna delete this.

Although maybe I shouldn't.

I probably will.
But I don't know. Maybe I won't.

I-I think I shouldn't decide right now.

I think I should decide later.
Okay. Thank you. Bye.

You reach Mal?

Uh, no. But you know what?

I just had a really big breakthrough,

so I think I'm going to
at some point, eventually.

Therapy sounds real helpful.

Um, I think we should go
to the courthouse. You ready?

Not really.

This place has got bad vibes, man.

Maybe it's bringing up something deeper.

Yeah, I got no time
for something deeper right now, baby.

I think this is, uh--

Good luck in there.

Yeah.

- Come with me.
- Okay.

Grandma Martha was a maid,

and she was accused of stealing jewelry.

Who are the Vickers?

Uh, I think just some
white people she worked for.

She didn't do it, did she?

I don't know. Um, I hope not.

Excuse me. What does it mean
that they "stayed sentencing"?

That usually happens when
the prosecutors know that it was bullshit.

And based on that date,
you know, the type of time they were on.

You're saying
they dragged her out of her house

in the middle of the night
on a fake charge

and then beat her in front of her kids?

You want me to make you a copy?

No.

Thank you. Um--

I wouldn't wanna remember that either.

Come on.

Hey.
Hey.

They found me.

- They did?
- Yeah, they did.

Wow!

We might make our flight.

Thank you, Jesus.

Oh, wow. It says here
that your actual name is Eddie.

Eddie?
Oh.

When did that happen?

Wh-- Why didn't I know that?

I changed it, Paige.

I wanted a name
with some dignity and respect.

Not the name of a scared little boy.

- What's a moon cricket?
- No clue.

Uh, wow,
that's one of them OG slurs, man.

Back in the day, they used to say
that the sl*ves sang at night

like moon crickets.

Why is that funny?

You gotta laugh
to keep from crying, girl.

Some guy
at the barbecue place called us that.

What? That's awful.
I'm so sorry that happened.

Wait now. That may not be a bad thing.

My grandson just said
they called us moon crickets.

Which means the nigrescence is working.

Hey, you a Black man, son.
Come on over here.

sh*t, I guess.
Ahh!

Ha!

Okay. All I need from you
is ten dollars,

your signature and some ID.

Now, that's a, here's $20.

Great.
- Um--

I don't have the ID,

but I do have a letter
from my parole officer,

and it says that I am, uh,

who I say I am.

Well, unfortunately
in this township in Alabama,

I can't... release this without photo ID.

Uh, it was good enough
to get on the plane.

I mean, but it's not
good enough for y'all?

I mean, come on, man. Come on.
There must be something you can do.

Sorry, there is a lot of identity theft
going around.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
I'm not an identity thief.

I am me, it says it right here.

This is my, this is my daughter
and this is my grandson.

Sir, you need to calm down.
I'm calm.

I need the birth certificate
to get the ID

so I can fix my daughter's roof.

- Come on, man.
- Sir. Sir.

I need you to come back
when you get the ID,

there are signs everywhere.

Here's the deal, Eddie.

Oh, stop. My name is Edwin Alexander.

Okay? And you need to have some respect!

I am trying to help you.

- You ain't done sh*t for me!
- Please. Please.

Mr. Alexander, I'm trying to help you out.

Thank you.

Paige, I don't know what else to do.

I mean, why they let me out
if they go--

if they gonna do me like this?

And I'm trying to help you.

I don't want you to worry
about my roof.

Baby, it's my job
to worry about the roof!

And these m*therf*ckers,

they gonna block me,
they gonna block me,

they gonna block me every time.

No, it is not fair
that you don't get to help me,

but I'm okay.

We're okay because we're safe.

We don't have to run away
in the middle of the night

to escape the things that scare us.

That stops here with us.

I don't trust that therapy sh*t
but I trust you.

I trust you.

Let's go catch our flight.

Oh. Paige.

Yeah.

I told Cousin Bumpy
we'd be stopping by real quick.

Baby, it's been 20 years.
I should at least go see the man.

I have my TED Talk tomorrow
and Finn has school.

- I can miss school.
- No, you cannot.

But you should go. You should stay.

You know, it's cool. I trust you.

And... I think you need
to see your cousin Bumpy.

Promise I'll get
the first thing smokin' tomorrow.

I know you will.

Alright, Paige.

Everything I've ever done is for you.

Right or wrong.

I just hope you know that.

Yeah, I think I'm starting to see that.

Also, I'm gonna text Mal.

Oh.

Because I think that one of us
should try to be with someone nice.

You're right about that.

Can we bring soul food on the plane?

Yes.

Sick.

Nigrescence at work.

Get the man some soul food.

Would you like a side order
of hypertension?

Can I still get soul food?

So, sometimes we look at people

and we think that we see them.

But... trauma is on the inside.

Trauma is like the rings inside a tree

where if you open us up,
you could say like,

oh, that's where the fire happened.

Or over there,
that is where the drought was.

And you don't ever
really get "past" your trauma

because your trauma is always inside you

just like that precious little child
is always inside of you

trying to work it through,

and they need you.

That work of hearing them,
that is what allows us

to carry our trauma forward
in a totally new way,

in a way that connects us
and doesn't separate us

from the people that we love.

Or even from really nice people

because everybody deserves nice people.

You deserve nice people.

Me, too.

I'm Bumpy.

Edwin.

It's just a car, right, nothing else?

Don't get pulled over.

Woo-hoo!