My Place (2009) s01e03 Episode Script

1988 Lily

(INTRIGUING PIANO AND CELLO MUSIC) I'm a witch.
Brrrmmmm! I am the magician! I'm not weird.
You're gonna get in so much trouble! (LAUGHTER) GIRL: Oooh! (GIRL SQUEALS) One two, three, turn.
(IMAGINARY CROWD ROARS) And Lily Nguyen wins Australia's first gold medal in Olympic gymnastics with perfect 10s.
My name is Lily and this is my place.
(BRIGHT MUSIC) You'll need a wheelbarrow for all those books, Lily.
Tomorrow, I will have a real live girl to look after.
Phuong is cuter than a china doll.
I will have the best show and tell in history.
There has never, ever been a mouse brave enough to sneak into Me and Bo's kitchen, but Me sets 20 mousetraps every day just in case.
Poor little miceys.
Filthy, disgusting animals.
Here it comes! This is a nose that always knows.
Why didn't you and Fatima eat with Anisha today? Amazing, huh? She can smell who I ate lunch with.
Anisha's relatives are visiting, so she's allowed to take time off school.
To miss school? (TUTS) (EXCLAIMS) Shocking.
Me is shocked a lot.
Ugh! I can't eat with chopsticks.
Mick! What? Ugh! Hey, it's very good.
See you.
Just think, Bo - tomorrow, Phuong will be here and I'll show her how to make goi cuon and you'll have two helpers.
And you'll look after her, won't you? (SPEAKS VIETNAMESE) Lily, your teacher is here.
Mr McGrath is the bestest teacher in the whole wide world.
You know why? Lily Nguyen, the cleverest and most beautifully behaved student I have ever taught.
Chao co, Lily.
(WITH INFLECTION) Chao co.
Um, I'm trying to say hello in Vietnamese.
My accent must be terrible.
Yep, terrible.
No, you sound really good.
Lily's teaching me Vietnamese.
(GIGGLES) Look, Me, I've put all my old clothes on this side of the cupboard for Phuong to wear.
Phuong will have her own clothes.
I'll show her how to use these when I do her hair.
Perhaps she can do your hair.
Oh, she's so cute! I'm gonna teach her how to read.
Phuong is 1 0 year old, Lily.
But she won't know Australian.
(DOORBELL CHIMES) Phuong! (DOOR OPENS) Phuong! (ALL SPEAK VIETNAMESE) OK, so she's changed a bit since the photo.
Hi, Phuong.
I'm Lily.
Come with me, Phuong.
Come.
(SINGSONGS) Come with me.
(CHANTS QUIETLY) This is our room.
And this is your bed.
You see, it's out at night, but during the day (RUMBLING) ta-da! Um, these are for you.
(GASPS) And I found this when I was digging in the garden with Bo.
It's lived here longer than I have.
(GUTTURAL VOICE) Hello, Phuong.
Welcome to my place.
Are you thirsty? Ban có muon nuroc? (ADULTS SPEAK VIETNAMESE) 'Pay attentior is the same as 'nghe tôi'.
You know? (SLOWLY) Pay attention.
My first day at school, I thought I had to give them money.
I flipped.
Ban dang dau Don't talk Vietnamese.
The kids at school give you heaps if you talk funny.
But it's OK.
I can talk for you.
(DOOR OPENS) And keep away from the big tree.
Garbage bring every mice in Sydney.
Shocking! Yes, Me.
You know, there's laws against turning your house into a refugee camp.
Good morning to you too, Mrs Benson.
So your famous cousirs finally here.
Phuong, this is Anisha.
A-ni-sha.
She doesn't speak Australian.
Oh.
Hey, Phuong.
I'm Fatima.
She's sort of funny-Iooking.
I think she's cute.
Are you sure she doesn't speak Australian? She's shy.
Arert you, Phuong? (LOUDLY) Shy? Don't worry.
She'll get normal soon.
(GIRLS LAUGH) GIRL: Who's she? Where are you from? Do you like my show and tell? Hey, everybody.
Lily's cousirs here.
She's a boat person.
Shh! It's alright.
She doesn't understand.
Don't crowd her.
She hasn't seen a school before.
BO Y: A person who lives on a boat? And because she's my cousin, they're allowed to have family reunions.
So my dad saved up the money to send to Vietnam to his brother, Tuan, who is Phuong's dad and my uncle.
Thank you, Lily.
Does anybody have any questions for Phuong? Um, Phuong can't speak Australian, Mr McGrath.
I'm sure you can translate for her.
When you were escaping from Vietnam, were you attacked by pirates? No way.
There aren't any.
Yes.
Yes.
Pirate come on boat She CAN speak Australian! Children, shh, shh.
Lights (HISSES SOFTLY) : : no more: Men take the knife.
Women pray.
"Listen.
" The tricky little rat.
"We only fishman.
" Pirate go away.
Thank you, Phuong.
Càm on ban.
Very well spoken.
Cam on các ban, giáo viên.
I should be saying càm on ban? Yes.
I'll have to get you to teach me some Vietnamese.
But but that's my job! Course I knew Phuong could speak Australian, but she's shy.
OK.
There's no need to be shy.
We'll take care of you.
Don't worry.
You'll be one of us really soon.
Score my routine.
OK.
Seven.
Seven? You've got to be kidding me.
It's always difficult to please that Russian judge.
Look! Cool! (APPLAUSE) Hey, Archibald.
Is YOUR cousin a bit of a rat too? (SPEAKS VIETNAMESE) Uh-oh.
I forgot the nose.
Have you been playing with the mouse again? Go wash yourself.
Archibald is a really clean Wash! Me.
(SPEAKS VIETNAMESE) Oh.
So it's like that, is it? So what? She had a head start.
No way! She must be cheating.
(BOTH SPEAK VIETNAMESE) Rât tôt, con.
You learn from Phuong.
Like this.
I show you.
No, thank you.
Well, that's a face like a wet week.
Oh, hi, Mrs Benson.
What's got your knickers in a knot? It's Phuong.
She's not like I thought she'd be.
Yes, well? Well, it's embarrassing to have someone follow you around and always being, like, in your face.
You know what I think? Young people today do nothing but complain.
Take my advice - cheer up.
Nobody likes a whinger.
What mean 'be-centennial'? Bicentennial? Oh, um, like, 200 years since the convicts came.
What is 'convict'? Like, bad people that came here on boats and stuff.
What is 'and stuff'? I don't know.
Like soldiers to guard the convicts and Governor Phillip, and whips to flog the convicts called a cat-o'-nine-tails.
You lying.
Teach yourself.
What happened to cat? After they cut their tails off, they fed them with chopped-up convicts.
No! I told you - convicts were bad people.
They had to do something about them.
I see land! Hooray.
Soldier, unload the convicts.
Alright, convicts, do what you're told or you'll feel my cat-o'-nine-tails.
BO Y: This place sucks.
It's flogging for you.
Ah! Ah! I think I'll call it Australia.
Ah! Great play.
Very good play.
So the bicentennial reminds us that boat people have been coming to Australia for a very long time.
So what can anyone tell us about the bicentennial, class? Anything? Anything at all about the bicentennial? Phuong.
Uh-oh.
I've got a bad feeling about this.
Um, 200 year ago, convict come to Australia on boat.
And and soldier have whips made of cat tail.
(KIDS GIGGLE) And And when convict very bad, um, soldier chop them up and feed the cat.
(ALL LAUGH) That's not funny, class.
Nor is it funny to make up stories to fool people who are from another country.
Not funny at all.
Wouldrt you agree, Lily? Yes, Mr McGrath.
(BELL RINGS) Thank you, everyone.
Have a good evening.
Oh, and remember, everyone, tomorrow is uniform-free day.
Phuong, you understand uniform-free day? Uh, you wear whatever you want to school.
Play clothes.
Play? Yes.
You wear your play clothes to school.
Lily will help.
She can't be serious! All the girls will be wearing this.
Boring.
No.
I wear this.
Oh, no, Mr McGrath will kill me! It's for bed.
It's a dressing-gown for when you go to sleep.
Or when you feed convicts to cat? That was a joke.
You liar.
Phuong, please, please, please don't wear that.
It's not too late.
We can go home and change.
Come on, Phuong, please! No way! No way.
Oh, my God.
Lily, what were you thinking? It wasrt me.
Come on, I'll take you home.
(LAUGHTER) Let's go.
(BELL RINGS) No.
I want to wear this.
Well, don't blame me if you look like a dag.
Good morning, Phuong.
You look lovely.
GIRL: Why has she got pyjamas on? Lily Nguyen, I am very disappointed in you.
But I told her not to wear it.
She wouldn't listen.
Come on, Phuong.
Do it with us.
I can't.
You can do it.
You're great.
Come on.
Ready? And a-one and a-two.
(UPBEAT GUITAR AND KEYBOARD MUSIC) Pose! Again.
Yeah, again.
Anisha, you volunteered to look after Archibald for the weekend? I can't, Mr McGrath.
We're taking our cousins down to the country.
Sorry! Would anybody else like to take Archibald home this weekend? KIDS: Me! No, no, no! Phuong, you can take him.
No! I'll write your name on the roster.
We are so dead.
Lily.
Go away.
This is my tree and you aren't welcome here.
Please, Lily.
You've stolen my bedroom.
You've stolen my bed.
You've stolen all my friends and Mr McGrath and Archibald.
I want something that is just mine.
Cage is heavy.
Idiot! You can't bring a mouse into Me's house.
She'll kill it - right after she's killed you.
I hide him? Just go, Phuong.
Take him back.
(SNIFFS) Chuôt.
Have you been playing with that mouse again? Not me.
Phuong? You teach her bad habits.
Wash.
(SNIFFS) This one different.
(SNIFFS) Take him home.
No.
Take him home and hide him in the back shed.
He's scared all by himself in new place.
All different.
He's scared.
OK, I'll do it.
No.
Archibald! Did I leave my glasses here? Um, no, you werert wearing them, Me.
Phuong, did you see them? No.
Aunty Thi Mai! The mousetraps! Lily, Phuong, what are you doing? Stop playing games.
Time to set the tables.
BOTH: Ah! You hit.
Watch where you're going.
Archibald! We've got him now.
Gotcha! (DOOR OPENS) (MAN CHUCKLES) Too early for dinner? Mr McGrath, come in.
W-would you like to sit here? Mm-hm.
(MOUTHS) No, not there.
Here.
Actually, um, the best table is here.
WOMAN: Thank you, Lily.
Uh, I think we'll start with rice paper rolls.
How do you say that in Vietnamese? Chuôt.
Ch LILY: Phuong, why don't you take Mr McGrath's order while I fix this wobbly table? Um (LAUGHS NERVOUSLY) MR McGRATH: Uh, we would like two serves of chuôt.
Yes.
One chuôt for Nerine and one chuôt for me.
I'm not sure what we'll have for main course.
What goes after chuôt? OK.
Mèo and rice, please.
Mr McGrath, I show you math problem.
Here, long division.
Long division.
Uh Yeah? (FAINT SQUEAKING) That's ME: Lily! What are you doing down there? LILY: Um (GASPS) I found your glasses, Me.
(LAUGHTER) And the look on Me's face when she saw Mr McGrath had ordered chuôt and mèo! (BOTH LAUGH) Tell me about the pirates.
Pi-pirate? The pirates that attacked your boat.
(LAUGHS) I make up.
What? I make up story to fool people from other country.
You ARE trickier than Archibald.
That's my cousin Phuong and this is our place.
(BOTH GIGGLE) (INTRIGUING MUSIC) (GIRLS LAUGH) GIRL: Wait for me! GIRL: It's just like heaven.
(GIRL SQUEALS) Duck for cover! Cover!
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