03x04 - The Big Payback

[bunniefuu]

MAN [OVER RADIO]: Wait, wait.
You're listening... [LAUGHS]

- WOMAN [OVER RADIO]: Okay?
- MAN: All right.

- WOMAN: Okay?
- MAN: All right. [CLEARS THROAT]

- WOMAN: You're listening...
- MAN: Listening...

WOMAN [ECHOING]: to Radiolab.

- MAN : Radiolab.
- WOMAN: From...

- MAN: WNYC.
- WOMAN [ECHOING]: C.

- WOMAN: C?
- MAN: Yup.

- [WOMAN GIGGLES]
- WOMAN: And NPR.

JAD ABUMRAD: I've learned...
How would you describe this on?

ROBERT KRULWICH: My sense is
that you walk into a wild place.

Then you hear the
wind and the trees,

and you hear these chirps
and sounds and calls,

and they're just part of the...
they're part of the wild.

They're wildlife, but there's
now a group of scientists

- who listen much more closely
- [MUFFLED CHATTER]

and who are reducing
wildlife to wild talk.

- It's-it's, uh...
- ABUMRAD: Yeah.

KRULWICH: There
are words in there.

ABUMRAD: When you find the
words, as the people we will meet do

in these stories, you end
up not just understanding

but actually entering that
wild space in a very cool way.

- KRULWICH: Right.
- ABUMRAD: Yes.

KRULWICH: Or as a
dolphin might say...

ABUMRAD: How would
a dolphin say it?

KRULWICH: I don't know.

ABUMRAD: Well, then,
then you know what?

That is exactly kind of the
question of this next segment.

I mean, the dream
that a human being

can talk to a dolphin
or any animal...

- Sorry?
- Your order.

Sir, you can get back in line.

Bae, whatever.

It's all right. You could go, or...

Nah, it's whatever.

Go ahead.

Could I get a large coffee, please?

Mm-hmm. Is that all?

Yeah. Thanks.

[SIGHS]

♪ Say what you want,
say what you want to say ♪

♪ I already know
you're mine ♪

♪ Take what you want,
take a piece of me ♪

♪ It seems to
ease your mind ♪

♪ You don't have
to explain. ♪

[CHILD SHOUTING IN THE DISTANCE]

- [SIGHS]
- [DOOR OPENS]

Katie, he's here.

- She's coming.
- Great. Thanks.

Are you using the, um,

the standing lamp?

The-the shaker beige
one in the guest room?

No, not really.

Uh, any chance I could borrow it?

I-I could use a little bit
more light in my place, and...

- Hey, Dad.
- Hey, kiddo.

All right. I'll-I'll
just grab it later?

- Sure, that's fine.
- Okay.

All right, let's do it. How you doing?

- KATIE: I'm good.
- That's nice.

HOST [OVER RADIO]: substantially
impact racial matters

- in modern day society.
- GUEST: Well, yes.

In the case of the Tesla trial,

you have a Black man
suing Josh Beckford,

an early investor at
Tesla, due to the fact

that his ancestors were enslaved

by relatives of Mr. Beckford's.

That human capital and
profit can be directly linked

to the financials of the company,

so I do think there's merit,
and he could win the lawsuit.

HOST: Not could win. Did win.

Mr. Mbaye did win the lawsuit,

a scenario that seemed
impossible to many beforehand.

And you have to think
this decision will have

very far-reaching consequences
all around the world...

- Dad?
- Especially in America due...

Yeah, sweetie?

Mom sprayed herself
with that flower perfume

before you picked me up.

I think she wants you to come home.

Did she say that?

No. I just think so.

Okay. Got it.

[CHILDREN SHOUTING, LAUGHING]

All right, have a good
day at school, sweetie.

[CAR RADIO PLAYING]

HOST [OVER RADIO]: The Marvin
Gaye versus Robin Thicke...

KATIE: Hey, Dad?

Yeah.

Can you stay over at Mom's soon?

You know what? I'll
talk to her about it.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER ON RADIO]

HOST: Don't you think this
might actually heighten tensions

between Black and white people?

- It feels divisive...
- [PHONE BUZZING]

GUEST: The Tesla
investor was the owner

of this Black man's ancestor.

So, also the owner
of that man's future.

You're right. It's-it's
never gonna be solved easily.

[WHISTLE BLOWING]

[DOORS LOCK, CAR BEEPS]

[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]

[SCOFFS] Can you believe this guy?

Now this Tesla exec
owes him a ton of money.

He'll be set for life.

[SIGHS]

This whole thing is crazy.

Do you even care? It's unfair.

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY] Uh, whatever.

I mean, it's not like he's
even gonna notice. He's rich.

[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]

We're meeting.

Uh, what for?

Come on in.

All right, I think that's everybody.

As some of you might have heard,

I did get word from the
CEO and head executives

that we'll be having some layoffs.

[GROUP MURMURING]

GREG: How soon?

We'll get into that later today.

I've been told that HR will...

WOMAN: This is ridiculous!

[WOMAN CLEARS THROAT]

Now, I know a lot of you
will have many questions,

and we want to be sure
and answer all of 'em,

but at this point in time,

that's all the information I have.

[GROUP MURMURING]

[INHALES DEEPLY]

[PEN CLICKING]

PAULA: There's a rumor they're
being sued with the same clause

that got the Tesla guy.

This sh*t's bonkers, right?

Bonkers.

Well, and it's cleared the way
for personal litigation now.

They can just look you
up and force you to pay.

[LAUGHING]: What? No.

- Really?
- Yeah.

It's scary. I'm looking
at my family tree right now

to make sure I'm in the clear.

Everybody else is, too.

- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- PAULA: Lucky them.

Not a care in the world.

Aren't you worried?

Nah. I don't yell "fire"
unless I see flames.

There's no smoke on my end.

[PHONE BUZZING]

PAULA: You gonna check your background?

Nah. I never signed up for that stuff.

PAULA: Oh, you don't have to.

One of your relatives
could have signed up.

I can show you how to look.

[LAUGHS] I'm fine.

All... good.

[WOMAN SOBBING]

[SOBBING CONTINUES]

WOMAN [OVER RADIO]: Mm,
shout-out to his lawyer.

- This is crazy, right?
- MAN: It's crazy.

He's got to put his money
where his mouth is now.

- [CASH REGISTER DINGS]
- So what you gonna do

- with your apolo-cheese?
- WOMAN: Oh.

MAN: No more apologies,
just apolo-cheese.

WOMAN: Apolo-cheese!
I like that.

I'm gonna hit the mall and
sped some of this apolo-cheese!

MAN: Yeah. Uh, you better get
some Nike stock, though, right?

WOMAN: Okay? I'm about to
go hire that same lawyer.

I'm sure somebody owes
me about $ million.

- [LAUGHS]
- MAN: Mm-hmm, this is se...

[TURNS OFF RADIO]

[SIGHS]

You got a lot of homework today?

No, not too much.

Well, that's good.

You tired?

No, not really.

I'm thinking spaghetti
for dinner tonight.

Huh? Maybe a little of
my famous garlic bread?

Are we r*cist?

What?

A kid at school said we're r*cist.

[LAUGHS]

That's not true, Katie. That's...

[SIGHS]

Right now, Black people
are just... [SIGHS]

Don't listen to that
kid at school, okay?

You are not r*cist.

Were we sl*ve owners?

[LAUGHS]

No, we... Do you see any
slaves in our backyard?

Mr. Pedro.

Mr. Pe...? No, I pay Mr. Pedro.

You... [SIGHS]

Listen, that stuff happened
a long, long time ago.

All right? We-We're
Austro-Hungarian.

We were enslaved during
the Byzantine Empire.

Uh, what? Should I fly to
Hungary and demand money now?

That would be ridiculous, right?

[LAUGHING]: Right?

[SOFT ROCK MUSIC PLAYING QUIETLY]

Sweetie, dinner's ready.

Hey.

All right. Let's do it.

Want cheese?

Tell me when to stop.

[CHUCKLES]

Mm-hmm.

[PHONE BUZZING]

Ugh.

Dig in.

[KNOCKING]

Eat.

[LOCK CLICKS]

Marshall Johnson?

Yes?

You've been served.

- I'm sorry. What is this about?
- [PHONE CAMERA DINGS]

My name is Sheniqua Johnson
of the St. Louis Johnsons.

Your family owned my
great-great-grandmother

and father for years.

You owe me money.

Uh... I... [CHUCKLES]

There... there-there must
be some kind of mistake.

Uh, you know, can we just
talk about this outside?

- Uh-uh. There ain't been no mistake.
- Excuse me.

- Ooh, look what we got here.
- Excuse me!

KATIE: Who is it, Dad?

- Uh, ma'am?
- Now, we got one, two, three bedrooms.

Uh...

- Look at this bathroom.
- Uh, ma'am, could you... could you

- please get out of my house?
- They got that good stuff in here.

- [LAUGHS] Oh.
- Excuse me!

You know what? You owe
me about $ million.

Ma'am, hey, hey, hey, hey, stop it!

Get out of my house!

Uh-uh. This is my house,

and I'm livestreaming the entire thing.

I want what's owed to me, Marshall.

You know what?

If you don't get out right
now, I'm calling the police.

Hmm.

- I'm calling the police right now!
- You know what?

Your family's got blood on its hands.

And don't bother calling the police

because I already been there.

Ooh! Now, Jamal's gonna love this spot.

And don't slam my door!

MARSHALL: Uh-oh.

Maybe...

don't tell your mother about this.

Okay, let's do it.

Here we go. Hold on. W-Wait...

Just wait for me.

Okay.

Okay. All right, come on.

Let's do it.

Let's go.

[PHONES RINGING]

Hey.

- Where's...?
- All the Black people?

Besides Willy and Lester,
they didn't come in today.

Did... did you get your results back?

% Ashkenazi Jew, baby.

You're Jew...? Uh, you're Jewish?

The world can finally know.

We were slaves, too.

Austro-Hungarians were slaves as well.

Come on, Marshall.

That was like a million years ago.

[PHONES RINGING]

[TOILET FLUSHING]

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

[QUIETLY]: Hey, um, the guy,
uh, with the shirt, uh...?

- [QUIETLY]: Oh, Tim in Accounting?
- He... yeah.

Yeah, the, um, Black
family suing him decided

that they just wanted
him to acknowledge it,

so he's got to wear
that shirt twice a week.

One of them has to be Sunday.

I don't know. Personally,

I-I think he got off kind of easy.

- [MUTTERS]
- [FEEDBACK SQUEAKS]

SHENIQUA [OVER MEGAPHONE]:
Marshall Johnson,

- you owe me money.
- No.

- No.
- $ million, and you have to pay up.

What do we want? Compensation.

- No.
- When do we want it? Now.

Marshall Johnson's
great-great-granddaddy enslaved

my great-great-granddaddy, and
he owes me a lifetime of pay!

- No.
- [SHENIQUA SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

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

Pay up!

- Marshall Johnson.
- [DOOR OPENS]

- Hey, excuse me.
- Paging Marshall Johnson.

- Hey, excuse me. Excuse me.
- Marshall.

All right, all right,
listen, I work here.

All right? You can't
come to my place of work.

Marshall Johnson, you owe me money.

I-I'm not the Tesla guy.

Okay? I don't have that kind of money.

How much money do you make a year?

What? Uh...

- [FEEDBACK SQUEAKS]
- How much money

do you people in there make a year?

- I bet you it's more than I do.
- Could you please...

I'm begging you... could you
please just leave me alone?

[CHUCKLES] That's exactly what
my great-great-grandmother said.

- [FEEDBACK SQUEAKS]
- Marshall Johnson's great-great-granddaddy

- was a sl*ve owner.
- No, no, no. Not true.

He owned my great-great-granddaddy.

- Not true.
- You need to pay up!

$ million. $ million.

What do we want? Compensation!

When do we want it? Now!

Marshall Johnson's
great-great-granddaddy

enslaved my
great-great-granddaddy...

[LAUGHS] Get me a new
car, get Sierra a new car.

You gonna get a Cadillac
or one of them, uh,

- those Cybertrucks?
- [MUTTERS]: I don't know.

You know, Jamal can get a new phone.

Get Tangy and Sierra's mom a new place,

'cause Lord knows I can't
be dealing with that anymore.

- Her mama?
- [LAUGHING]: You already...

- Hey, Lester?
- [LAUGHING]

Could I... could I
talk to you for a sec?

- [LAUGHING]
- Yeah. What's up?

Hey, man. How you doing?

- Pretty good.
- Ain't no such thing

as free labor, Marshall.

Pay up!

Uh... look,

I know this is a crazy
time and everything,

and, uh, I-I really
don't know what to do.

Uh, no, thanks. Thank you.

Um, I'm just a guy,

you know, trying to get by.

And I feel like this woman
is harassing me, you know?

She's kind of ruining my life.

Uh, so...

I-I just don't know what to do.

You honestly want my advice?

Uh, yes.

Look, man, I grew up with Black women.

Right. I figured.

The only thing you can
do is say you were wrong

and give her as much money as you can.

She'll probably want to
meet with you one-on-one,

cut you down a bit...

I just don't know what to do.

- Hmm.
- Honestly, my advice?

You got to fight that sh*t, man.

Come in as hard as her.

- It's the principle.
- [SHOUTING OVER MEGAPHONE]

PAULA: I looked her up on Instagram.

All she's talking about is the fact

- that you owe her a lot of money.
- [WOMAN GASPS]

% Nordic?!

How is that even f*cking possible?

[WILLY LAUGHS]

This concerns all of us, Willy.

No, it don't, Ashley.

[LAUGHING]

WILLY: No, it don't.

[PHONE BUZZES, CHIMES]

What?

[CAR DOOR SENSOR DINGS]

Uh, I was supposed to pick her up.

What's going on?

Is it true?

Is wh...?

Oh, my God. Was Sheniqua here?

Did... did she talk to you?

- Marshall, I can't believe you.
- Okay.

Let's just go inside and discuss this.

Look, you can't come in here.

Seriously, Natalie?

[SCOFFS, MUTTERS]

Have you checked your background?

This could have easily happened to you.

I'm Peruvian. This would
never happen to me.

Per... You were white yesterday!

Okay, look, Natalie,

please, can we just...
c-can we just go inside

and just sit down and-and
just talk about...?

Can I... can I say good night to Katie?

Marshall...

I can't have my finances take a hit.

We have to make the divorce official.

[STAMMERS]

Wait. What?

[DOOR CLOSES]

This is not happening.

[MUTTERING QUIETLY]

♪ The way you make me,
make me, make me feel ♪

What the...?

♪ Oh... ♪

- [MARSHALL GASPS]
- There he is!

That's the guy right there.

Oh.

Go get him, Jason!

♪ End... ♪

[BACK-UP SENSOR BEEPING]

No, no, no, no.

Oh, sh*t, sh*t, sh*t,
sh*t, sh*t, sh*t, sh*t.

♪ Your touch... ♪

[TIRES SQUEAL]

Oh, my God.

sh*t, sh*t, sh*t, sh*t, sh*t.

Oh, f*ck. Oh, f*ck. Oh.

♪ That's what I feel
when I'm with you. ♪

[TIRES SQUEAK]

WOMAN: Well, sir, you know,
my time was wasted, too...

[DOOR OPENING]

[WOMAN CONTINUES SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

[FAN RATTLING]

[TV PLAYING QUIETLY]

We didn't do it, but we can
help you get your money.

Don't know if you owe
restitution taxes?

We can help you with that.

[COMMERCIAL MUSIC PLAYS]

- [CHANGES CHANNEL]
- [SIGHS]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[MUSIC CONTINUES]

[CRYING]

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

[LAUGHTER, CHATTER]

♪ The first time ♪

[SIGHS HEAVILY]

♪ Ever I saw your face... ♪

Hi. Would you like something to drink?

Uh, uh, I'll just have what he's having.

Okay.

♪ Rose in your eyes... ♪

[MARSHALL SIGHS]

How long are you here for?

Honestly, I am not quite even sure.

Just checked in today.

Yeah, I flew in a few days ago.

Looking for a new place.

They can't find my bag,
though, so I look like hell.

[LAUGHS]

Name's Earnest. Friends call me "E."

Marshall.

I have a feeling we're in
the same boat, Marshall.

You owe a lot?

This woman... she...

follows me everywhere,

won't leave me alone.

- Thanks.
- You're welcome.

♪ I felt the earth... ♪

Just... can't believe
this is actually happening.

Two days ago, I had a good life,

and now I'm being f*cked by
some sh*t that I didn't even do.

I'm losing my wife, my house,

my daughter.

I don't know.

Didn't f*cking do anything.

♪ Ever I kissed ♪

♪ Your mouth... ♪

[QUIETLY]: As I was
saying, I don't know.

[EARNEST SNIFFLES]

♪ Move in my hand... ♪

What?

I don't know.

♪ Like the
trembling heart... ♪

My grandfather used to tell me

how his father built everything
we had from the ground up,

pulled himself up by his
own bootstraps, you know?

Turns out, he didn't.

Turns out he had a lot of help.

And a lot of kids. [LAUGHS SOFTLY]

♪ My command... ♪

Maybe it's only right.

E, we don't deserve this.

Well, what do they deserve?

We were treating sl*very

as if it were a mystery
buried in the past,

something to investigate if we chose to.

And now that history
has a monetary value.

Confession is not absolution.

And in the case of this
person... What's her name?

Sheniqua.

To Sheniqua, to them...

sl*very is not past.

I mean, it's not a mystery.

It is not an historical curiosity.

It is a cruel,

unavoidable ghost that
haunts in a way we can't see.

None of us are perfect.

So now you're what? You're
separated from your wife?

She's taking your kid?

Now she has to be
raised without a father?

She has to build wealth

and success from the ground up, right?

It's similar to the
position we put them in.

♪ The first time ♪

But we're gonna be okay.

♪ Ever I saw... ♪

Your daughter's gonna be okay.

The curse has been lifted from her.

All of us...

We were running from
it, but now we're free.

[TAPS MARSHALL'S LEG]

Excuse me.

♪ Your face. ♪

[DOOR OPENS]

["IT NEVER ENTERED MY MIND"
BY MILES DAVIS PLAYING]

Come on! Come on,
babies! Come on!

[LAUGHS] You got it!

[LAUGHS] Yeah!

Ooh, I'm so proud of my babies.

[g*nsh*t]

[QUIET GASPING]

[SCREAMING]

Holy sh*t.

There's more where that came from.

MAN: All right, guys, uh,

I got a decent-sized reservation
in the main dining hall,

so I'm gonna need all
hands on deck for that,

full hands in, full hands
out. You know the routine.

Uh, make sure to push
the daily specials, okay?

I don't want to ask about that again.

And if anyone has a portion
of their paycheck going

to restitution taxes, stay after.

Everyone else, hit the floor.

Simon, ten percent?

- One second, please.
- [WRITING ON PAPER]

Okay, you're good. Thank you.

- [CLEARS THROAT]
- Hey.

Uh, name of payee?

Uh, Sheniqua Johnson.

- [WRITING ON PAPER]
- Okay. And percentage?

- %.
- %?

Ouch.

Well, at least tips aren't garnished.

[LAUGHS] There's that.

- Uh, you're good.
- Cool. Thanks.

And you're doing ten again?

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

[SIGHS]

Basura blanca.

Hey, huevón.

Get to work.

Te vi llegar tarde, pendejo.

Ah! [LAUGHS]

Okay. Keep talking like that,
they're gonna make you a busboy.

["LES FLEURS" BY
MINNIE RIPERTON PLAYING]

♪ Will somebody wear
me to the fair? ♪

♪ To the morning,
sing a lovely flower ♪

♪ Will a lady pin
me in her hair? ♪

♪ Will a child find
me by a stream? ♪

- ♪ In the lovely, in the sunny shower ♪
- ♪ Ooh ♪

♪ Kiss my petals, weave
me through a dream... ♪

All right, good evening,
ladies and gentlemen.

- All right.
- ♪ A flower was born ♪

- Hey.
- ♪ It blooms to spread love and joy ♪

♪ Faith and hope
to people forlorn ♪

♪ Inside every man ♪

Okay.

♪ Lives the seed
of a flower ♪

Ooh.

♪ If he looks within ♪

♪ He finds beauty and power ♪

♪ Oh... ♪

♪ Ring all the bells, sing and
tell the people everywhere ♪

♪ That the flower has come ♪

♪ Light up the sky with
your prayers of gladness ♪

♪ And rejoice for
the darkness is gone ♪

♪ Throw off your fears,
let your heart b*at freely ♪

♪ At the sign that
a new time is born ♪

♪ May mosaydee kaylie
lowya roses ♪

♪ May mosaydee
kaylie lowya roses ♪

♪ Say money ain't
na na no oh na ♪

♪ Mm-hmm, mmm ♪

♪ Looking for vayda
tay breeze ♪

♪ Looking for
the vayda tay breeze ♪

♪ May mosaydee
kaylie lowya roses ♪

♪ Mm-hmm. ♪