The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey (2022) s01e02 Episode Script

1 All that and more coming up this morning.
But first, we have some local news.
Reggie.
Reggie! Where you at, boy? Reggie! Reggie.
Reggie! I've been looking all over for you, boy.
Reggie! Is you in here? Huh? No! Shit.
You little bitch! I'm gonna fuck you up! Mama, I don't know what this look like but The hell you don't! - I was trying to pick her blanket up - Boy, shut up! Head on back to your room, Hilliard.
Go on! You can put the knife down now.
He tried to get up on me.
- He's just a boy horsing around.
- More like a man trying to rape me! I don't need to hear that right now.
Well, Hilly need to hear it.
I'm just t-trying to sleep.
I can see now that having you here was wishful thinking.
That's on me.
Should have known better.
Between Hilly's age and And you being all All what? You're a pretty girl, Robyn.
Pretty young thing walking around half naked.
The boy can't sleep.
- How's that my problem? - You tell me.
- You're the one with the knife - My mama gave me this knife.
I know how hard it's been for you, your daddy getting killed and and all the men your mother had in the house with you, but - My mama loved me.
- And I loved her.
She was my best friend.
I It's why I wanted you here.
But now I gotta think about what's best for Hilly, and you too.
You got all your girlfriends from the equivalency test study group.
Ask one of them if you can stay for a little while.
But I didn't do nothing wrong.
I know.
It ain't about what you did.
It's about what you ain't woman enough to see yet.
It's our duty to make sure these Black men don't go crazy.
Right or wrong, it's what we got to do.
Mr.
Grey? Mr.
Grey, wake up.
Wake up.
Who are you? - What you doing in my house? - It's me.
It's It's me, Robyn.
B-B Bird? First bird of spring? How you get in here, Bird? I still got your key from last night.
I I came to bring it back, and and when I knocked, you started screaming.
- Oh.
- What'd you dream about? Whoo-hoo! Whoo! It was It was t It was It was terrible.
Yeah? What happened? Hey, hey, hey, hey.
Wait, wait, wait! No need for all that.
Let me get some water for your face.
Where your toilet at? Uh T-Toilet Toilet… … b-broke.
And And And And the sink's sink sink's stopped up.
Then how you go to the bathroom? Uh I do number two when Reggie come take me to the diner.
And And number one in a In an old old old bean can and pour it in the k-kitchen sink and run the faucet after.
- In the kitchen? - Mm-hmm.
No.
No.
Mm-mmm.
Where your toilet at? Uh, it's it's it's down there.
Round there.
Down the hall.
- This way? - Least that's where it used to be.
- Nothing's gonna jump out on me? - Mm-mmm.
- You sure? - Mm-hmm.
Nah.
Nuh-uh.
N-No! - That in there ain't right.
- Uh, well Stop Stop Stop doing what you're doing and go close that door.
No, no, no, no.
You listen! That don't get dealt with, I-I'ma be haunted, you understand? - Mmm.
Mmm.
Mmm.
- Haunted.
- Mmm.
So, where your cleaning stuff at? - My treasures.
Uh-uh.
What are you talking about? E-Every time Reggie say he gonna clean up here in here H-he end up throwing away all all my best things.
- My best things.
- Oh, yeah? Like what? Aw, come on.
Don't do that.
Come on.
I'll show you.
- Oh, you's moving too fast! - Oh, I'm sorry.
Here, sit.
Sit.
Sorry.
I'll tell you what.
I'll show you everything before I toss it, and you get to decide.
- Huh? - You like that? - Oh, uh - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
You like that.
- All right.
You ready? - Uh, I-I guess.
You wanna keep this funky old toothbrush? - No.
No, you throw that thing away.
- Yeah.
Yeah, we can get rid of that.
Thinking we can get rid of this too? Say goodbye? - Mm-hmm.
- Okay.
Uh-uh! All right then.
Throw that in your can now.
Wh-Wh-What that is? I don't know.
"Cough and cold.
" I ain't got neither one of them.
Oh, hell nah! How do you live like this? You can always go on back over to Niecie's.
I don't live there no more.
What happened? They throwed you out? - Yeah.
- How come? Don't even matter.
You can stay here.
I got plenty of tabletops.
You infested, you hear? All these piles, all these boxes, breeding ground.
We gonna have to put a stop to all that.
- Right now? - Yes.
Jesus Tensions throughout the Middle East remain high.
What started as a civil conflict has escalated to violence.
Eyewitness accounts… Come on.
Let me show you how a bathroom's supposed to look.
Why you walk so fast? Voilà! It's magic! Nah.
Your Your float arm was just bent.
And you had junk in the toilet bowl and the sink, but it didn't take much.
How you know how to do all this here? My mama used to get sick, and we ain't had no money, so it would be on me to fix things.
- Oh, your mama's sick? - She died.
Oh, that's too bad.
- Ooh! Whoo! I got to go.
I got to go.
- What? - Now? - Mm-hmm.
Just 'cause there's paper on the roll don't mean wad it up.
The pipes might work, but they're angry about it, you hear? Uh-huh.
Oh, Lord.
Whoo! That's something else.
Mm-mm-mmm.
Go back in there and wash your hands.
Yeah, you.
I can't do this by myself.
You thinking about throwing away more of my stuff? I'm just trying to make things better for you.
Better don't sound so bad, do it? Hmm? So, can you be Can you be cool with me cleaning? - Mmm.
Mm-hmm.
- Mm-hmm.
No throwing fits and And smacking yourself, you hear? Mm-hmm.
- You got the key for that padlock? - No, no, no, no, no.
No.
It ain't Uh-uh, not that.
- No, you ain't got the key? Or - Mm-mmm.
Look, I got to go in here.
There's too many roaches.
- I gotta insect bomb.
- Not in there.
In everywhere.
That's the point.
Well… that's her room.
- Sensia.
- Who? Sensia.
I was I was married to her, and and and she died.
Look, you could lock it back up once I'm done.
You can trust me.
You hear? You can.
It'd be like it never, ever happened.
I promise.
Don't worry.
I'ma make this quick.
It's nice.
You need to come out of there.
Come on in.
Sensie? You coming, or what? Why you standing out there, Pitypapa? You shy? She gone, boy.
Hey, why you lock this up? This is the best room in the house.
Jocko, let me know if you need help in there, aight? Aight.
Hey, you not gonna use this suitcase, are you, Mr.
Grey? You leave my traveling case alone! And leave my bookcase alone, and don't mess with my sounds on my TV.
Okay, okay, sir.
We got you.
You come out that closet, and don't take my books! All right! All right.
They get the message.
Look, we almost there.
See, see, they're in my closet! Nobody wanna go in your closet.
Come on.
It was in a It w It It was in a little trunk made out of made out of wood and metal.
- Uh, and that's what it was in.
- What was? Um, the, um The - No, come on.
No need for all that.
- Oh, I can't I for I-I forget.
Looks pretty good in here, huh, Mr.
Grey? Hey, um, I'd like to take the alligator suitcase.
- I mean, he ain't going nowhere.
- Nuh-uh! Leave my alligator alone.
No! He don't need it.
Hey, hey.
It's his bag, and he gonna keep it.
- That's right.
- See? I told you.
Ain't got nothing to worry about.
- And what your name is again? - Robyn.
- First bird of spring.
- Yes.
If you want them to take this stuff down to the recycling, we gotta go.
Yeah, I hear you.
I'll be out there in a minute, man.
All right.
It was this It wa It was a little box made out of metal and wood behind a red rock way down in the well.
Hey, Robyn.
Talk a sec.
What's up? The amount we agreed on.
- Way more than you bargained for? - Uh… I get it.
But don't worry.
I got you.
Cool.
- Hey! Billy and Jocko are about to go.
- Bye.
Well, we can't do them like that.
We got to pay them first.
Not with Not with Coydog's treasure.
That ain't what it's for.
- Yeah, but what about your can money? - Hmm? Let me look.
Well, why you got a saltshaker? Whatever.
Want me to take these fans, Mr.
Grey? No, uh, we need those.
Aight.
Um… What about those folding chairs? Uh, you know, just, like, take a couple.
Oh, uh, Jocko found this taped to the side of the TV.
If If If you gonna stay, you could You can sleep in Sensia's room.
She won't mind, and and I can sleep out here on this here settee.
Do you know why somebody made this doctor's appointment? You You You You stay in Sensia's room, if you gonna stay.
Hey, why you got to go to the doctor? I don't know.
I ain't I ain't I ain't sick.
Did Reggie make this doctor appointment for you? Hey, wait for me outside.
Where all my stuff at? So, what, you don't like it? All right.
I'ma see Jocko and Billy on their way.
Is you coming back? - I'm just downstairs.
- Yeah, but is you coming back? Yes.
I'll be back.
- Hey.
- Hey, what's up? You need a ride? - Nah.
- Aight.
Did Reggie say anything to you about taking him to a doctor? I don't think so.
You gonna stay here with him? Can't say I want to, but Niecie kicked me out.
- I ain't got nowhere else right now.
- What Niecie do that for? Shit, man.
It was either me or Hilly.
That lady.
- Let me ask you.
- What? Why don't you call Mr.
Grey "Papa Grey" or "Uncle"? 'Cause he ain't either one.
It's It's respect, love.
What for, man? Like he gonna remember no way.
Yeah.
He's still a man though.
He's our elder.
- Got it, Jocko? - Yes, sir.
I ain't I ain't think you was coming back.
But I am.
And guess what? - What? - We going bomb shopping.
You mean foggers? They're not called bombs? All I ever heard people call 'em was bug bombs.
Just fancy spray cans filled with poison.
Well, that's what I want.
Yeah, I think we've still got a few.
Can I have, like, four of them? Where you live at? Do you have what I'm asking for? I like the way it smell in here.
Smell like like iron nails and motor oil.
Hey, look! Look at the stuff they got.
They got It says stop leg and foot cramps in about one minute.
Mister, I don't like the way you be looking at her.
Your eyes bugging out your head, and your nose wide open like a horny dog smell a bitch in heat.
That ain't how you look at a nice young lady like this.
Pay his ass.
How much for all that? Hey! Watch where you going, old man.
Where the fuck you going? Fuck you think you're going? Oh, no! Get your hands off him, bitch! Give me my fucking money! Where the fuck is my money? Enough Sh Fuck you, bitch.
- No.
No! - Cut that shit out! Oh, Lord! Stop it! - Stop! Stop! Oh! No! - Ah, shit! Let her go! Where the fuck is my money? I need my fucking shit.
Where the fuck is my money? Where the fuck is my shit? I'm not playing.
- Where the fuck is my money? - I don't know.
No! No! No! No, no, no, no! Bitch! It's all right.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on.
Get up.
Okay.
Okay.
You owe that fat heifer money? Uh-uh.
Uh-uh.
Uh, she she She came in here one time, and she smacked me down, took my change can.
And that's why Reggie put the extra lock on the door and told me d-don't let nobody in but him.
She lucky I ain't cut her.
Oh, no.
Lord, no.
We don't want that.
Mm-mmm.
Mm-mmm.
You d You all right? I don't I don't know.
Rest easy, Uncle.
Ain't nobody out to kill a bitch today.
- No? - Nah.
Just got about 100,000 of these motherfuckers on my list though.
Don't want the poison out in the hall.
Thanks, by the way.
Thank you for what? For what you said to the man in the hardware store.
What did I say? Where I'm gonna live w-when you blow up my house? Oh, I ain't blowing up your house.
Just pumping it full of poison.
That's good? Depends on whether you're in or out.
And what is we? We out, Uncle.
We out.
This where we live at now? Nah, we just here for tonight.
You'll be back home tomorrow.
Damn, I smell like bug bomb juice.
I still got all my God-given teeth.
- Oh, yeah? - Mm-hmm.
Look at you, boy.
You're just a greedy gut.
Come on, Coy.
I ain't so bad.
Where's what I stole for you? It's… It's It's I I can't remember.
Well, you got to remember.
All a man is, is what he remember.
Okay.
Oh Oh Oh, okay.
I'ma find it.
I'ma I'ma find it.
I promise.
I'll do it, just let me go.
Gotta go.
Let me go.
Let me go.
Let me in.
Let me in! Let me in! I promise.
What you waiting on? - Girl, don't do that! - What? Like her With the dress and the comb.
No, no.
Okay, fine! I'll take this shit off then! - No! - I don't want this shit anyway! Go! Get out! Get! Go! I ain't I didn't steal it! - Go away! - What the hell are you doing? He said He said He said help me.
And I kicked him.
You can't run away from me like that, you hear? I got away.
I bring these? Nah.
Well, it ain't it ain't It ain't got no business being here.
In fact, I I shouldn't have kept it.
They belong to your wife.
Yeah, but she dead.
Maybe Maybe Maybe you can You can take 'em and treat 'em like a woman ought to.
You should go to bed.
It's late.
C-C-Can I listen to the TV? … parts of the United States will be subject to increasing extreme rainfall and flooding.
Meanwhile, warming in the Arctic is also reaching record highs with temperatures surging across the region.
The loss of ice from melting affects not only the animals and wildlife that rely on habitat for survival, but also impacts the polar jet stream which is also directly… I-I-Is we going home now? Is Reggie coming later? Nah, it's just you and me.
But Reggie did want you to go see this doctor, so I guess we heading there first.
Same doctor who had the the woman w-with the head growing out of her neck? - What's up? - What's up? Y'all ready? Watch your step.
- You doing all right, Mr.
Grey? - Yes, I am! All good.
All good.
- How are you? Uh Uh Uh - Got it.
- Billy.
- Billy.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- But… Hip hop hooray, ho Hey, ho, hey, ho Hey, ho You drew a picture of my morning But you couldn't make my day I'm rockin' and you're yawning But you never look my way I'm licking down you, darlin' In every single way Your funny flow is foreign And a green card's on the way Hey! You having fun? Yeah! I I I used to drive an ice truck like this here.
All right, Mr.
Grey in the ice truck, you dig? - Lord! - What? Mr.
Grey, what kind of doctor you going to? The kind of doctor that That that got Dr Pepper, I hope.
Hey, y'all need me to come with? Nah, you're running late as it is.
I got it from here.
- All right.
- Watch your step.
- Well, I'll bring your bags by later.
- All right.
Just holler if you need me, all right? Bye, Mr.
Grey.
Welcome.
Follow me.
Ooh.
Ooh! That That That's nice.
You ever seen anything like it? Hmm? Hmm? Oh! Oh! Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
- Well, come on.
- Look at this.
The doctor will be right with you.
- Can I get you something to drink? - A Dr Pepper, please.
Hello, Mr.
Grey.
I'm Dr.
Rubin.
It is so nice to meet you.
Please, um, have a have a seat.
Um, Reginald Lloyd? No.
Not Reggie.
Robyn Barnet.
Reggie passed suddenly.
I'm I'm so sorry to hear that.
Uh, Mr.
Lloyd was Mr.
Grey's caretaker, yes? I guess you could call him that.
And what should I call you? Just a family friend helping out.
Okay.
Good.
Mr.
Grey, it is so great to finally meet you.
Yeah, I'm I'm fine, thanks.
Well, as you should be.
That's why you were referred to me, because you're so strong.
Damn right, I am.
Although, I have been told that you have been forgetting things.
Uh… I I r I remember what's important.
Such as? I know what's right and And and what's wrong.
That is very important.
But do you remember what you had for breakfast this morning? Or the chores that you had planned for today? Do you remember the way home, Mr.
Grey? There's one thing you need to remember.
Sometimes I just wanna forget.
I understand.
Um Uh, Miss Miss Barnet, I, um I should tell you a little bit about what I do.
I work with a a group of specialists who are trying to cure certain aspects of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, senility.
And we've come very far in our research.
We can virtually, if only temporarily, eliminate almost all forms of dementia.
- When we gonna go home? - Hold up! The doctor not done talking.
After two doses of the drug that we've developed are administered, Mr.
Grey, within a week's time, will remember everything that he has ever known.
He'll know details that you or I or any normal person couldn't possibly remember.
Did you tell Reggie all this? Sadly, no.
No, we were saving this discussion for today's consultation, where we would have also broached the more… complicated aspects of this decision, namely the the drawbacks.
What's the drawbacks? I think that that conversation is best left in a one-on-one between Mr.
Grey and myself.
A one-on-one? How that supposed to work? Um, uh Thank you, Olga.
Um, early on in our research, we developed another treatment.
Mmm.
It doesn't provide 100% lucidity, but it does provide cognizance.
You mind saying that in simple English? Um, in short, the treatment will give Mr.
Grey the ability to think clearly and to make his own decisions.
Maybe we could, you know, come back next week and tell you then.
Um, Miss Barnet, if I if I may.
I know that this is very difficult, but his own doctor's reports tell me that he's on the very edge of what this procedure can reverse.
By next week, maybe even tomorrow, he'll be too far gone.
So, what what you give him? Like Like a pill or something? No.
No, it's a it's a single shot, um, the effects lasting 12 to 24 hours approximately.
There are no side effects.
But the treatment will only work once.
Once it wears off, treating him again will do absolutely nothing for him.
Uh Th This man say he might could help you remember again.
Even Even where Coydog's treasure is at? He wanna give you a shot to help you, um, make sense of all of this crazy shit for yourself.
Is that Is that what you want? Uh… I don't know.
Uh I-I I wanna know.
Don't I? Yeah.
You do, Mr.
Grey.
Uncle, you good? Olga.
The EPA must also determine whether PFAS should be designated as toxic pollutants under the Clear Water Act.
If PFAS are designated as toxic, then the EPA must establish standards to limit discharges as PFAS from industrial sources… Dang, this room is dusty.
Dead roaches everywhere.
You turned the TV off.
Yeah.
That's what I was trying to do.
You ain't worried you gonna lose the channel? How I'm gonna lose it? It's right there on the TV.
Well, do you know who I am? You are my, um No.
You are Niecie's best friend's daughter who was sent over here to help me clean up.
I used to have a lot of stuff in here, huh? Yeah, me and Billy Freres cleaned it.
- Billy? - Yeah.
Reggie's friend.
Yeah.
Right.
And Reggie is dead.
Somebody killed him.
You remember that.
They know who it was? No, nobody know for sure.
The cops don't even care.
Where he get killed at? Down in the alley by Delmar Circle.
Hmm.
Have you got a car? Nah, but I could call one.
Do that.
I wanna go see where Reggie got killed at.
But the shot the doctor gave you only gonna last maybe a half-day, and then you'll forget again.
And you had it about four hours ago already.
Well, I guess you better hurry up then.
- This it? - Yes, sir.
You okay? I am.
It's just, you know, you're so different.
Really? I don't feel no different.
Well, why you walking so fast? Excuse me, sir.
What? Uh, there was a a a shooting around here not long ago.
A man got A man got killed.
I was wondering if you, uh, knew anything.
What's your name? My name's Ptolemy.
The man who died was my nephew, Reggie.
My great-nephew.
Uncle.
Whoo! Whoo-hoo! Whoo-hoo! Ah, that's some that's some powerful shit you're drinking there, partner.
Zelda.
Yeah, Hogie? You, uh You saw when that man got shot, right? Maybe.
This dude here's his, uh, uncle.
He okay.
S-Second puddle down there.
It was a brown-colored man with spiky hair.
You ever seen him before? Either one of 'em? No.
Never seen either one.
Looked like they was meeting or something.
You hear anything? You hear 'em say Say anything like names? I heard shooting and I run.
Uh, I think the shooter had a zig-zag-like, uh, scar.
Over his left eye, I think.
Thank y'all.
God bless you.
Hmm.
Seen enough yet? We need to go back.
I already told you.
Dr.
Rubin is expecting us.
Listen to me.
You need to talk to this man.
Let him tell you everything you need to know about this treatment so you can make a clear choice how far you wanna go with it.
- I already know what he gonna tell me.
- How? You told me already.
Yeah, well, that's just crazy.
What's crazy about it? Because I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about.
Did you cuss this much when I first The doctor said there's gonna be drawbacks to the next shot.
- That don't make no difference.
- Why not? Well, for Reggie.
For you.
For me? I remember when he made this for me.
He blowed it up so he could write the names on it real big so I'd remember.
Did it at his computer at home.
For me.
He was always doing for me.
So, how I'm gonna let folk forget his name? What kind of man would I be… if I didn't recognize the injustice of his passing? Whoever that is, tell 'em I ain't home.
Does Ptolemy Grey live here? Yeah, but he asleep.
Oh.
I'm sorry I'm so late, but I had to work.
Well, come by in a few days, a little earlier next time.
Okay.
I'll come again.
Would you please tell him that W-R-I-N-G stopped by? He'll remember.
I will.
Such a nice man.
Uncle? Are you okay? Uh… Uh I h-had a had a had Had a had a picture book.
- Yeah? - It was blowed up.
And my nephew made it for me.
And And And now I I can't find it.
Uncle.
Look at me.
Do you even know where you are? Oh, no.
- Where is he? - Where's the doctor? This way.
Come.
Hurry.
He started losing it so fast.
- I didn't know what to do.
- Do not worry.
I've brought it.
Ain't no rules, ain't no laws.
- Ain't no rules, ain't no laws, no.
- I have a shot for him.
Why's this happening? It ain't even been 12 hours.
- No rules, no laws.
Oh.
What - He's way worse than before.
What you doing? Uh, who Who's she? Is that gonna hurt? Where the doctor at? Why he ain't here with you? You want us to stop? - Where Reggie? - Maybe we should stop.
Oh, it's hot! - It's hot.
- It'll feel like that at first.
Bird.
First bird of spring? It's hot.
It's hot! Hold him steady.
- Can he die? - Some used to, not as many now.
- What do you mean "not as many"? - Your uncle's a very brave man.
He's willing to take the chance to wake from this condition.
- It is what he wants.
- Coydog? Coydog, don't die! Coydog, don't don't die! Stay with me.
Oh, my mama's on fire.
She burning up! It's okay, baby.
- Oh, no.
Sensie.
- It's all right.
I'm right here.
Sen Sensie! Come lay with me.
- I'm right here.
- Oh, God.
No! Stay with me, boy.
You know what you gotta do.
Coydog! I'm gonna die.
I'm gonna die! I can't do this by myself! If you die, then everything is lost.
You understand that? There's no laws and no rules for Black men like you and me.
There's right, and there's wrong.
As far as white people care, it's a crime we breathing their air.
You u You understand me? Ye-Ye-Yes, sir.
- Huh? - Y-Yes, sir.
All right then.
Why Why this happen, Bird? What you done did to me?