01x13 - Nell Goes Home

[bunniefuu]

♪ Gimme a break, I sure deserve it ♪



♪ Gimme a break, I sure deserve it ♪


♪ It's time I made it to the top ♪


♪ Gimme a break, I'm looking forward ♪


♪ Get behind me, pull out every stop ♪


♪ I want a happy ending, I'm tired of pretending ♪


♪ Won't let 'em get the best of me ♪


♪ Whoa, whoa, whoa


♪ Gimme a break


♪ The game is survival


♪ Gimme a break


♪ And plan my arrival


♪ Gimme a break


♪ For heaven's sake


♪ What happened to my piece of the cake? ♪


♪ Gimme a break


♪ Gimme a break


♪ Gimme a break!


Could you speed it up, nell?


I got to be on that plane in minutes.


Chief, if the good lord had meant for me to go any faster,


I would have been born with racing stripes.


Well, get a move on, anyway, huh?


I don't want to be late for that police convention.


Why? Will they work you over with a rubber hose?


Hurry it up, girls. I got to get out of here.


Here.


Just throw everything into the suitcase.


He might not be neat, but he sure won't be nude.


Hey, dad, I love your shorts!


Yeah, all those cute little red ants running around.


I know.


Nellhi, honey.


What's all the fuss about?


Oh, your daddy has to catch a flight to new york.


Oh, yeah. I forgot.


What you got there?


Well, me and dewey mitten are going fishing in the morning.


He's scared of slimy things,


So I have to catch the night crawlers.


A woman's work is never done.


I don't see how anybody could be scared


Of big, fat, cuddly worms.


You know, my teacher says


Someday we'll be eating them for protein.


Well, that's one diet I'm sure I can lose weight on.


I've got some real beauties here.


This one's practically a meal in itself.


[ Chuckles ] and me without a kaiser roll.


Take that outside.


And wash your hands...


Twice.


[ Doorbell rings ] three times.


Oh, whatever happened


To sugar and spice and everything nice?


Someone here call a cab?


Yeah, come on in.


Hey, lady, I ain't got all day. Get a move on, huh?


If I put a move on you, you couldn't handle it.


Come on, chief. Step on it. Come on.


Yeah, I know, I know.


Hey, dad, can I borrow your fishing rod?


What for?


I'm going fishing with dewey over at miller's pond.


Samantha, I don't like you going fishing


Without somebody to look after you.


Well, dewey's brother's going with us.


Oh. How old is he?


Almost .


No, samantha, wait till I come back.


But, dad, by the time -- I'm sorry, honey.


Now, please, don't give me any argument.


I got to run.


Samantha?


Hey, pal, we going or what?


Sweetheart, I'm waiting for my kiss.


We'll kiss in the cab.


Aw, chief, she'll be all right.


I'll have a talk with her.


Bye-bye, honey. Bye, dad.


Bye, sweetheart. Bye, daddy.


Well, see you all next week.


Right.


When you go to bed, make sure


To check that everything's locked.


- .


And just remember one thing --


Don't do anything that I wouldn't do.


Oh, great, girls, a whole week of drinking beer


And lying around in our underwear watching tv!


Why can't I go fishing?


Because your father loves you and he worries about you.


Ha!


Oh, come on, samantha.


You can go fishing when your father gets back.


What am I supposed to do with all these worms?


Ew!


[ Telephone ringing ]


I got it.


Hello?


Yes, it is.



Mama?


Is that you, mama?


Wait, wait. What is it?


A heart attack?


When?


Well, what -- what did the doctor say?


Okay. Okay.


Mama, um, tell daddy I said to hang in there.


I'm coming home.


I love you, mama.


Bye.


They don't think that my daddy is gonna make it.


I haven't set eyes on that man since I left alabama,


Uh, years ago.


Okay, girls, pack up.


We are shipping out, okay?


Nell, I can't go.


Why?


I got a bio test on monday.


Dad will k*ll me if I miss it.


Nell, we're old enough to take care of ourselves.


Besides, I've got a date with ernie tomorrow night.


Isn't he the one


That always cancels out the last minute?


Yeah, but if I'm not here when he calls to cancel,


He'll never ask me out again.


Okay, you two stay.


Samantha, you pack, hon. You're going to alabama with me.


Your father would never forgive me if I left you here.


[ Knock on door ]


Mama. [ Gasps ] nell, it's you!


Hi, mama. Oh, baby! I'm so glad to see you!


Oh, I'm so glad to see you, too, mama.


Marie?


Is that my baby sister, marie?


Welcome home, nell! [ Laughs ]


Wow! You grew up!


And you grew out.


Well, years is too long to be away.


Come on in here, girl.


Oh, mama, it feels so good to be home again.


Well, nell, you never told us you had a daughter.


Um, she's not my daughter, mama.


I thought it was always the man who said he didn't do it.


Marie, sit down and rest your head some more.


Uh, everybody, this is samantha kanisky.


Hi. Hi.


It's weird being the minority.


I know.


Honey, this is my mama.


How do you do, samantha?


This is my baby sister, marie.


Hi.


Oh, you're the one that used to wet nell's bed.


And, uh, this is...


Someone I never met before.


Oh, this is my husband, robert.


Hi. I own my own business.


How nice. How nice.


Bob's bootery.


It's a shoe store.


Thank you, hon.


[ Clears throat ]


Reverend digby.


A pleasure to see you again, nell.


And who is this little stranger we have in our midst?


Samantha, this is reverend digby,


My father's assistant.


This is one of chief kanisky's little girls.


Who? The man I live with.


Is that right? You're living in a state of sin?


No. California.


Marie.


Oh, marie, I'm so glad you turned out pretty.


Oh, thank you.


Mama, how's daddy?


Well, the doctor just left. It could be any time now.


Can I go up and see him now?


Well, honey, you know how angry he's been


All these years since you ran away,


So maybe I better go up and break the ice a little.


Who's that?


Why, that's jesus, child.


Really?


But I thought jesus was white.


You're kidding!


I always thought he was black.


Well, maybe fotomat sent you the negative.


Samantha...


Everybody has his own picture of jesus,


And he always looks like them.


So, whites want him white, blacks want him black,


And kermit the frog wants him green.


Mama, did you tell daddy I was here?


Yes, I did, honey.


Good, I'm gonna go up and see him.


Nell, you can't. Why not?


He doesn't want to see you.


You can't mean that.


I pleaded with him, but he just wouldn't talk to you.



Anyway, I'm glad you're here, sweetheart...


For my sake.


Th-thanks, mama.


Nell?


I'm sorry.


Thank you, baby.


I know how you feel.


You do?


I was just thinking about mom.


What about your mama?


Well, before she died, when she was in the hospital,


They wouldn't let me in to see her.


They said I was too young.


I never got to tell her that I loved her.


I'm sure she knew.


I never got to tell her.


And now dad's in new york,


And anything can happen to him there.


He could get mugged or r*ped.


Or he could elope with a bag lady.


Oh, don't worry, honey. You'll see your father soon.


But what if I don't?


I never even hugged him when he left.


If I ever see him again...


...i'm gonna tell him that I love him...


Every single day of his life.


[ Chuckles ] come here.


Thank you so much. Thank you so very much.


What for?


A little common sense.


That old man upstairs is gonna see me


Whether he wants to or not.


Thanks.


[ Knock on door ] leave me alone, emma. I'm busy dying.


Nellit's not mama.


Then who is it?


It's me.


I know a lot of mes. Which one are you?


Nell.


Nell.


I once had a horse named nell.


It was a loser, too.


Ew, it stinks in here.


What's burning?


My white owl.


Daddy.


Daddy, put that out.


You're not supposed to be smoking.


Look, at this point,


I'm not real worried about stunting my growth.


When I go, you be sure they put an ashtray in my box.


Daddy, don't talk like that.


And make sure it's just a plain wooden box --


No satin lining.


They tilt you a little bit,


And you slide all over the place.


Daddy...


Can we have a talk?


Okay.


Pull up a chair.


[ Sighs ]


Some weather we're having.


Think it will rain?


President reagan sure got this country in a mess.


He ought to be one of the / million unemployed.


Well, been nice talking to you.


So long.


Daddy...


Look, you ran away.


You left me, you left your mother,


And you left the church.


And all three of us think you ought to go suck an egg.


How do you spell "dignified"?


"Dignified"? Why?


I can use it. I'm writing my eulogy.


You're writing your own eulogy?


Well, what about reverend digby?


Well, when I finish mine, I'll write his.


I wish he was going first.


Daddy, look, I ran away, but I came back.


Why can't you forgive me?


'Cause I knew you had something special when you were .


The choir was singing "amazing grace,"


And your voice came out of there like a bell.


You could have been another mahalia jackson,


But you threw it all away to sing in nightclubs.


But you're always saying that god can hear you anywhere.


Yeah, but he doesn't want to pay a cover charge.


You'll never change, will you?


You're still the same stubborn, stiff old man.


I call you. You never talk to me.


I write you. You never answer.


You want to know one thing, daddy?


In all the years I've been gone, I never stopped loving you.


Okay, okay!


You don't have a daughter named nell.


But I have a father.


Daddy...


Daddy.


When you leave...



Which I hope is gonna be real soon,


Send reverend pork belly in here.


I want to teach him how to read this thing.


Bye, daddy.


So long, stranger.


♪ Precious lord, take my hand ♪


♪ Lead me on, let me stand ♪


♪ I am tired


♪ I am weak


♪ I am worn


♪ Through the storm, through the night ♪


♪ Lead me on to the light


♪ Take my hand, precious lord


♪ Lead me home


Where's daddy? How come he's not here?


Honey, he probably couldn't get a flight.


Listen, he said he wasn't sure.


I know.


But he said he'd try.


Shh.


We're here, my friends,


To pay final homage to a great man.


Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.


Many of you are probably expecting me


To give him one of my fine eulogies.


However, the reverend harper wrote his own,


And he gave it to me in a sealed envelope.


He asked that it should be read by his runaway daughter, nell,


If she's still in town.


Nell?


[ Clears throat ]


"First, I'd like to say to the reverend digby,


"There's a reason why you're not delivering my eulogy.


"On a hot day, the last thing people need


"Is a big bag of hot air.


"To my oldest daughter, nell.


"Nell, when you walked into that room,


"I wanted to reach out and hug you


"And say, 'i love you,'


"But I couldn't do it.


"Somehow when you're alive, a man feels like a fool


"Saying, 'i miss you,'


Or 'my heart aches 'cause you're not around.'


"I'm looking out the window now


"At the field where you used to play


When you were a little girl."


[ Chuckles ]


"I can still remember the day you came running up to me,


"Yelling, 'daddy, I caught a rabbit,'


"And you did --


"A big, black rabbit with a white stripe down its back.


"I must have given you baths that day.


"I miss those times, nell, and I miss you.


"Thank you for coming back to me, daughter.


Now, stop this damn blubbering and sing."


[ Piano plays introduction to "amazing grace" ]


♪ Amazing


♪ Grace


♪ How sweet


♪ The sound


♪ That saved


♪ A wretch


♪ Like me


♪ I once was lost


♪ Ooh, but now


♪ Now I'm found


Manamen.


♪ Was blind


♪ But now I see


♪ 'Twas...


♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh


♪ Ooh, ooh


♪ Ooh, ooh


♪ Ooh, ooh


Samantha, can't this wait?


[ Sobbing ] no!


I love you, daddy!


I love you!


♪ I once


♪ Once was lost


♪ Ooh, lord


♪ But now


♪ Now I'm found


♪ Was blind


♪ But now


♪ I


♪ See