01x01 - Losing My Religion

[bunniefuu]

I don't know.

Oh, I think this book is broken.

You're so silly. You see?

Oh, good, good.

You're so smart.

Okay, Black Beauty ,

Chapter 9: Merrylegs.

"Mr. Blomefield, the vicar, had

a large family of boys and girls

sometimes they used to come

and play

with Miss Jessie and Flora.

One of the girls

was as old as Miss Jessie"

That's where it all started.

A little girl with a love

for horses and big dreams.

So, you see, I've been working

towards this moment

my whole life,

but I'm so nervous.

Every athlete feels this way

before a competition, right?

I mean, Serena Williams

looks perfect,

but she's not above anxiety.

Even when you're built

for greatness,

your mind can cr*pple you.

C'est juste toi et moi,

Clémentine.

We got this.

Is he coming?

When it comes to my son,

I don't expect much.

He would be here if he could.

Dumont with

a 12-year-old Holsteiner,

Clémentine.

She is making it look

qu ite easy.

And every rider

has their eye on her now.

We know she has

her sights set on Paris,

and I've got to say, she's

proving to be an Olympian today.

At just under eight minutes,

Dumont has just secured

first place.

With a performance like this,

I am sure we'll be seeing her

at the qualifiers next year.

Thank you, Clém. I love you.

Go on in.

- Jolie!

- Norah!

You k*lled it out there.

Qualifiers are next.

Then Paris.

Then world domination?

I'm I'm so close.

What if I fumble it?

What if you don't?

What if your hard work pays off?

You do exactly what you've dream

of doing since you were four.

Love you.

Mean it.

You did so well, baby girl.

I'm proud of you.

Thanks, Mom.

Um, Papa?

Stuck at work.

But he never misses

a competition.

I know.

He sends his love.

You're almost an Olympian now.

And by you, I mean we.

Your win is my win.

Come on, celebratory dinner.

Lobster and caviar!

Don't wait up, Mom.

Thank you, Janelle,

for selling her to us.

I can't wait to play

with Clémentine, Papa.

- She's beautiful.

- Mom.

What the hell is going on?

You're early.

What did you do?

Jo, we need to talk.

Come on over. Don't be shy.

She don't bite.

She's a ten-year-old

Quarter Horse.

I can't use her.

She's useless to me.

You look like you're in

the market.

Give you a good price.

How much you asking?

Two grand.

She's got a strong

build, that's for sure.

This man's about to buy her

unless you got your own green.

Twenty-one hundred.

- Twenty-five.

- Twenty-six.

And now, before you consider

throwing another number at me,

I'd like you to consider whether

or not it's really worth it.

After I report him

to the Humane Society

for clearly abusing his horse

and selling her to a k*ll buyer,

your employer

will undoubtedly be fined

thousands of dollars,

probably footing you

with the bill.

Sold to the little lady for 26.

Here's two grand.

You're welcome.

Don't worry, girl.

You're safe now.

Jolie.

We're here.

This is Baltimore?

You're gonna like it.

I promise.

Easy for her to say,

she's from here.

But this place is new for me,

and I'm scared.

Of course, she won't

tell me anything.

She just keeps me in the dark,

then wonders why I go

to my papa for everything.

She wants me to call

this place home,

but home is thousands

of miles away,

where everything

and everyone I love is.

So I was right,

it all fell to pieces,

and life, well,

it doesn't feel so good now.

Who are you calling?

Papa.

Hello, you reached Cédric

He should get custody, since

you've clearly lost your mind.

Stop being dramatic.

You sold my horse without

telling me,

you kidnap me and bring me

to the States

for God knows what reason,

and now you wanna act like

this place isn't a dump.

Jolie, you haven't even

given it a chance. It's home.

No, it looks, feels,

and smells like the ghetto.

My little sis, in the flesh!

Oh, look at you!

Well, now, the last time

I saw you,

- I mean, you were barely walking

- Yeah.

Now look at you.

Almost grown.

These are your cousins,

Khalil Jr. and Ronnie.

But all my friends

call me Lil' Man.

All right, well, you know us

folks from the hood.

We's got work to do.

Welcome.

Ow! No!

Beautiful horse, Von.

Just got her.

She doesn't seem to like

it here. She just bit him.

Well, there's always

an adjustment period.

Even for horses.

Mm, welcome home, sis!

Okay, I'm gonna go work

with that one over there.

Okay.

- Lil' Man, be a good host.

Uh-uh, I got it.

I got it. It's just like riding

Okay.

Fix your face.

Ma chérie. I miss you.

Sorry I missed your departure,

but, uh, work is crazy.

I know, I know I always say that

but it doesn't make it less true

Your mom and I

are asking a lot of you.

But if I'm being honest,

you've always been fearless.

More than any of us.

So be brave, ma chérie.

I'm always with you.

Je t'aime.

Get me out of this fresh hell.

She's keeping something

from me, Norah. I can feel it.

Yeah, well,

maybe a week in Baltimore

will remind her

of what she's giving up.

What about your dad? What's his

excuse for making you a cliché?

I wish he'd pick up my calls, bu

he's drowning himself in work.

Shocker.

Babe, this is your life now.

What else can you do?

Get my old life back.

I see I raised you well.

Love you.

Mean it.

Declined?

I won't tell anyone.

- What?

- That you might actually

like it here.

What do you think

of our new horse?

She's beautiful, but unnamed?

No wonder you're angry.

I get it, girl.

Both of you.

Difficult for no reason.

Come on, let me give you

the five-cent tour.

Often imitated. Never duplicated

We're the sixth generation.

Kinda cool if you

think about it.

I've never seen this photo.

We're all cowboys.

Even Auntie Janelle.

Maybe even you.

Von, she needs a little space.

I'm trying to desensitize her

from the very thing

that causes her anxiety.

It's a traditional technique.

Well, tradition

doesn't seem to be working.

I'm just saying.

Typical Janelle Chambers.

Stirring the pot.

Rashaad.

I thought Von was lying when she

said you were coming home,

but here you are.

Yeah.

It's good to see you.

- You too.

I'm glad to see that you two

haven't missed a beat,

but what are we gonna do

about her?

Still uneasy, huh?

And this is where you hide

from manual labor.

Ronnie is the family accountant.

She pretends to know math

so Mom doesn't make her do

any of the hard stuff.

Slumming it

with us today, Jolie?

Good for you.

What the hell is your problem?

You're a stuck up bougie broad

who expects

everything to be handed to her.

Don't know how we're related.

Trust me, the feeling is mutual.

Whoa, whoa!

Hey, watch out!

I don't see her.

We should split up.

Whoa, whoa.

You're okay. You're okay.

I'm here.

Just look at me.

You're all right.

Whoa.

Give us a minute!

Whoa. Whoa.

Don't be afraid.

You need a name, girl.

Beauty.

Black Beauty.

What do you think of that?

Jolie!

We didn't need a party.

A reunion like this

deserved a celebration.

We all missed you.

- No. No.

- What?

- No.

- What?

He's happy.

Good. I'm glad.

I'm not looking to wade

in old waters.

Good. You got enough

stuff on your plate.

So you're the horse whisperer

everyone's talking about, huh?

I'm sorry, what?

It wasn't easy to do

what you did.

It was brave.

Some wild horses, man,

they can't be tamed.

Thanks.

I'm Alvin.

Jolie.

See, that wasn't so hard,

was it?

The party's kinda nice, huh?

Your fam really came through.

I mean, I guess.

It's not really my thing.

Well, you know what?

I've been coming here

since I could walk,

and I can tell you that

the place really grows on you.

Becomes home, you know?

Ah, it doesn't really matter.

I don't plan on staying.

That's a shame.

See you around, Calvin.

Going somewhere?

Just a little stroll.

Oh, yeah? Where to?

To steal more money from family?

A $900 ticket to Belgium.

Really?

I just borrowed it. Relax.

And in case you haven't noticed,

I don't belong here.

Just trying to get home

to see my family,

If this is how you treat family,

guarantee nobody's missing you.

Why do you even care?

God, you are selfish!

That doesn't sound good.

So I guess the apple doesn't

fall far from

the tree then, huh?

Hey, Ronnie.

No.

I'm the bad guy?

She called us ghetto

and her father's a criminal,

and so is she.

What are you talking about?

My father's done nothing wrong.

Oh, yeah? Tell that to his

clients he claims to help,

but then takes

every last penny they have.

Mom?

I wanted to tell you. I was just

waiting for the right time.

Your father,

he made some bad decisions.

But he's figuring out how

to fix it, okay?

It's just gonna take some time.

Well, it sounds a lot bigger

than some bad decisions, Mom.

Is he the reason

why we had to come here?

There's nowhere else to go.

Why would you keep that from me?

Literally, everyone else

knew but me.

Did you even consider

my feelings?

Your feelings?

Yes.

What else is there, Jolie?

There's no room

for anything else.

You've been given everything

you've ever wanted.

Coddling has done you

no good, little girl.

I'm so tired.

We're both so far away

from what we know.

Our happy place.

We're in this together, Beauty.