Roots (1977) s01e04 Episode Script

1 He's got to be made a lesson of.
You let him get away and every nigger on your place will be hightailing it first chance they get.
Can't find a way to run, then I just lay here and die.
You surely are some brave Mandinka fighting man, Toby.
Just what is it you're fighting now? You gonna make it, I think you gonna make it! Toby, Lord be praised, you gonna walk! I'm gonna do better than learn to walk.
I gonna learn to run.
Genelva.
What you doing here? I's come to see you, Toby.
You ain't never talking to no one, I thought you might need a little coaxing.
Harlan be looking for you.
He looking in the wrong place.
He think I'm looking to old Luther.
He don't know nothing about what a gal really wants.
Uh What? What you talking about? I ain't talking about nothing, Toby.
I done all the talking I'mma gonna do tonight.
See, talking don't do nothing that feels good.
Doing.
That's what makes me feel good.
Luther.
I've been looking all over for ya.
What you been doing out this time of night? Felt the need, captain, I was in the outback house.
Not with Genelva? Don't you lie to me, now.
She don't care beans about me.
I'm too old, she says.
You know, Toby's the one that's got her scratching and howling.
Toby? Gimp foot and all, Toby.
Guess you don't limp in bed, do ya? One thing solved, Genelva.
Good to know I won't have to waste my time keeping an eye on you and Luther no more.
You get in back to your own cabin, for now.
I'll speak to Dr.
Reynolds in the morning to see if it's all right with him for you and Toby here to make the beast.
You one lucky nigger, Toby.
One lucky nigger.
Here the melons you want.
I think come noontime they'll still be cool.
You really don't care none? 'Bout what? Every no count nigger on this place is snickering and laughing at ya.
They saying Genelva teased you into horsing into bed with her.
Helping her and Luther to trick Mr.
Harlan so's the two of them be able to skip off.
Was you horsing into bed with her, is that so? Could be.
You think she pretty? I suppose she pretty enough, but me, I likes a different kind of face.
What kind? Kinda face you got, Bell.
That Mandinka face.
Mandinka? Uh-huh.
What fool's stuff that you talking about, that's African? - I ain't no African.
- I'm Mandinka.
- We are proud people.
- And I'm American.
I was born here, my mammy and my daddy was born here, and my daddy's daddy, and I ain't no African.
Bad time all around.
Genelva running off like that, knows more sense than a milly worm.
Luther too, old fool.
Make Massa mighty angry.
Got no driver.
Just a bad day.
On top of all that, you call me an African.
I won't do it again, Bell.
Never.
Toby.
Toby? And you think Toby would make a good driver for me, now that Luther's run off, eh? Please, Massa? We're living in strange times, Bell.
We're at war, we're fighting the British.
I heard about that.
Nearly two years, longer than anyone expected.
Now the British are offering freedom to any slave who'll join their army and fight for them.
Toby driving for me, we'd be gone from the plantation overnight.
For days at a time, sometimes.
Could be a great temptation for a certain kind of a slave.
One with runaway blood.
You see the connection? Yes, sir.
It just seems funny, though.
What seems funny? You trust Luther and he run off on you.
You don't trust Toby none, and he probably loves you better than anybody else on this whole place.
It just seems funny.
Bell, how sure are you? I wouldn't be talking, Massa, if I wasn't sure.
Get out.
You win, Bell, but he better not run off.
He damn well better not run off.
Driver.
Ain't that a thing, now? I expect it's good enough.
You expect, that all? Well, Fiddler, how come Bell talk the doctor into this? - How come she do that? - I don't know, ask Bell.
- Maybe she like you, that's all.
- I don't want her liking me.
I don't want nobody liking me.
Well, you liable enough to get your wish, you keep talking like that.
Fiddler, don't you see? This the land of the tubab.
I'm Mandinka warrior.
I can't walk with these people and talk with them, man, I can't do it! Lord, lord, lord, lord, lord.
Horse.
I hear tell that you ain't a horse at all.
I hear tell that you think you're a mighty crow.
I hear tell that you fly from here abouts, all the way to Annapolis and back again.
For a horse, you look mighty like a horse to me.
And you sure smell mighty like a horse.
I'm saying to you, that you is a horse.
What you think you is don't matter a damn bit.
The Mandinka talk don't matter a damn bit, neither.
You give it up, let it go.
You is a nigger, Toby.
Plain, old nigger, is all.
Massa Reynolds is waiting, let's go.
But, Why? You told Bell you could drive, didn't you? Yeah, I can drive.
You better drive this horse pretty fast and pretty quick.
How come? Barn door still closed.
Hey, hey.
I'll go fetch Master Reynolds.
You look fine, way up there like that.
Bell, why you do this? Why you do this for me? I see you crippling by the vegetable garden with Fiddler, I know you don't like that.
You, with your runaway blood.
Driving for Massa, you be all over the country, far and wide.
Maybe you get your fill of wandering and won't think about escaping all the time.
You're a good woman, Bell.
I told Massa I'd be responsible for you.
You wouldn't run off.
You promise? Africans.
Americans.
Toby, pull off to the side for a bit.
Yes, sir.
Whoa, now.
Whoa.
Whoa, boy.
Whoa.
- I'm going for a walk.
- Yes, sir.
You wait here.
- I’ll be back shortly.
- Yes, sir, I'll be right here.
How's little Anne? She's more like you every day.
She has your eyes, you know? No, no, you have my eyes.
Oh, God, you feel so good.
Hold me close.
Closer.
- You know what I dreamed, last night? - No.
Last night I dreamed I wanted to be a darkie.
Why on Earth would you wanna be that? So an overseer could come fetch me for you.
So an overseer could say, "Here's a comely wench, Dr.
William.
"Do you want her? "If you want her, here she be for you.
"Here she be.
" And then I could run away.
But only so you could come after me.
Would you like that? I never see white folks carry on so.
They all so happy, they can't believe it.
They keep saying over and over, "The British have surrendered, the war is over, the war is over.
"Freedom is won.
" Ain't that just fine, though? White folks be free.
I been worrying and tossing in the night about them getting their freedom.
Been the mostest thing on my mind.
Sure am one happy nigger, now.
Don't have to worry about the poor white folks no more.
You funny, Fiddler.
And I know it, but you best not let them catch you doing it.
Ah Nanny Bell? Missy Anne.
Uncle William said I could have more cookies.
You sure can, honey.
Your Mammy Bell let you have anything you want.
Little angel, doctor loves her just like she was his own.
Maybe she is, way I heard it.
That's just gossip.
That ain't the doctor's child, that's John Reynolds' child.
Ain't no proving that kind of foolish talk one way or the other.
It's just nigger gossip.
Mmm-hmm.
I got to drive early.
I like driving.
Everybody's got to get up early, Fiddler.
He was thanking you, Bell.
He was just saying why he had to get to bed early, is all.
Goodnight, Fiddler.
Goodnight, Bell.
But what's this? That's for you.
What's it for? It's for grinding corn in.
Where's the part to grind the corn with? Well, I thought I'd bring the grinding part by your cabin tonight.
Well, I usually eats my supper around about sunset.
And I usually cooks way too much.
Then I'll bring the grinding part by tonight.
I made cornbread.
I like cornbread.
You like chicken and dumpling? I do.
And there's a stew made with peanuts, and yams with butter.
Ah.
We had them in Africa, I liked them.
Well, we can eat now if you want, or we can sit and talk.
That'd be fine.
Which one be fine, eating or talking? Whatever you wanna do.
Massa just sit in his study and do his papers all day.
They all going over to the Ame plantation for the big Thanksgiving celebration.
Fiddler say Massa's gonna take him along to play for people.
You probably drive him.
That's right.
White folks gonna choose General George Washington for President.
I heard that.
Bread.
What you say? - What you made me to grind corn with - Uh-huh.
First time in 22 years since I been on this plantation any man ever made something for me.
I made something for you, too.
Oh.
That be fine.
That be right fine.
Ain't seen you after dinner much, lately.
Turning in early, uh? - Uh-huh.
- Uh-huh.
Driving's hard work, uh? Hard, that's right, hard work.
- Uh-huh.
- Uh-huh.
- I found out something last night.
- What's that? Find out how come Luther cry when him and Genelva got themselves sold off to different places.
How come, you think? Wasn't strong enough.
On account of he ain't wanna be by himself, no more.
Think a man being by himself make him strong? I do.
- Tell you what I think.
- What? I think you the biggest fool I ever saw on two legs.
Why, on account of I wanna be strong? On account of there ain't nothing in this world make a white massa happy than seeing a nigger all by himself.
Ain't no bigger battle he can win than keeping niggers apart.
Strong and stubborn ain't nowhere near the same.
Nowhere near.
We just giving the white folks the most biggest victory ever.
I ain't never gonna be no Christian man.
I know that.
Won't never eat pig meat.
I know.
And I expect sometime I ain't easy to be with.
I know you ain't.
Now, lam asking you all here, to pray for this union that God done made.
And pray that they stays together.
And that they don't do nothing, nothing, to get themselves sold away from one another.
And pray that they have good, healthy youngins.
Ya'll sure ya'll wanna get married? - I does.
- I does.
Then in the eyes of Jesus, jump over the broom into the land of matrimony.
Now that you bought the cow, Toby, you can get all the milk you want.
Toby? How come you leaving the wedding? It's yours, too.
You jumped the broom along with me.
I was just sitting here thinking - about my village and my family and - Shh I'm so happy, I don't want to hear none of that African talk.
You're not Kunta Kinte, you're Toby and you belong to me.
And I belong to you.
And we both belong to Dr.
Reynolds.
Dr.
Reynolds.
- My dear Emmett.
- I'm so glad you could come.
Oh, pleasure as always, my dear sir.
I think you'll find some friends.
Woah, now.
Whoa.
Seems like all I clone all my life, was to wait to jump, when the white folks call.
Fiddler? Fiddler, you all right? Course not.
But that don't matter none.
You know what would happen if I up and died - in the middle of fiddling a hoedown? - Hmm? The white folks would be mad as all get out, 'cause the fiddling had stopped.
All right boy, sit now.
Don't be talking the old ways.
Only make the trouble.
Is you Mandinka? Mine are the Akan people.
But the white folks, they gave me the name of Pompey, but my real name is Boteng Bediako.
- They calls me Toby.
- Hmm.
My name Kunta Kinte.
I heard of a village named Jenay Kinte, once.
The name of my father's brother, that's his own village.
Never forget those things, Kunta Kinte.
We got to remember the old ways and pass them on to the children.
I feel sorry for these blacks that's born here.
They don't know who they is.
- They from Africa, and yet they ain't.
- Hmm.
They from the white folks land, and they ain't.
It seem to me like Like there's a whole tribe of strange new people that is lost.
They got no remembering of the old ways, to help them, to tell them who they are.
The most ways I wanna be helped, is back to my own land.
You're talking escape? But they catches niggers and sends them back.
Not if you smart.
Not if you got a plan that will get you north to some people they call the Abolitionists.
They hides niggers.
And then they makes them free.
And when the time come, I'm heading north.
But you will go alone? Doesn't you wants to come with me? Me never wanted nothing more in my life, Boteng Bediako.
Nothing.
You listen for the signal.
When you hear that, you follow the sound of the drum.
Come as quick as you can.
When I hear the drum, I will come, quick as I can.
This drummer, he gonna send a message.
By drum.
- We head north, to freedom.
- Stop that, stop that.
But don't you want to be free, Bell? Just Just stop all that African talk about, about drums and all that stuff.
Yeah, but wait now, the drummer said if He don't know.
I know.
I never tell nobody this before.
Not nobody here.
Before I come here, I was I was on another plantation, you ain't my first man.
The first was when I was just a girl.
We wasn't married Christian, that massa didn't believe in Jesus for niggers.
I loved that man.
His name was Ben.
We had two little baby girls.
One night, he run off, I helped him.
He was gonna get free, and then fetch me and the babies.
And we'll all be free.
But they catched him.
They catched him, and they hanged him.
And they sold off my They sold off my babies.
Never seen those sweet babies, for the rest of my whole life.
You keep talking about Africa, and getting free, and something terrible is gonna happen.
One more terrible thing happen in my life, Toby, and I'll just die.
I just die.
Bell.
Why you tell me this now? Why? Well, Toby, had a hard time.
Bell is not a young woman, but she's all right.
And you have a beautiful young daughter.
Ah.
Ha.
- You can go see her now.
- Yes, sir.
Fiddler.
Go.
Toby, look.
Ah Ain't she pretty? Got a name for her already.
Just the right name.
We're gonna call her Kizzy.
Kizzy? In Mandinka talk, it means she stay put.
She never be took from you.
Just you rest easy.
Master Reynolds, he bound to wanna know where we get the name Kizzy.
He gonna wanna know whether or not it's a Christian name.
I don't know what I ought to tell him, Fiddler.
I don't know much about this lying.
It come easy, after a time.
White folks make it so.
Say it's a family name.
Bell's side.
He'll believe that you think? Pretty, ain't it? Shine like a baby's behind.
Yeah, he'll probably believe it.
Now hush up.
"Probably.
" I can't take no chance on no "probably," Fiddler.
"Probably" is as good as it gets for a nigger, Kunta.
Make your peace with that.
If you wants to talk, you go right on ahead and talk, I can hear you.
Play me some music.
Play me a song I wants to hear.
Tired of all the time playing white folk's song.
My own song to play.
I just got to name her Kizzy.
And when she grow up, I tell her what Kizzy really mean.
Tell her about her grandma.
And her grandpa.
And the village back in Africa.
Tell her about her peoples back there.
So she'll know, she wasn't born to be no slave here, in the white folk's land.
Yeah.
That's what I'll do, Fiddler.
Fiddler, what you think? Fiddler? Fiddler? Fiddler.
Now you know how it feel to be free, Fiddler.
Now you know what I always talking about.
Ain't free a fine way to be, Fiddler? Being free.
Ain't it a fine way to be! Fiddler.
Fiddler.
How come? It's the way I was named.
And my father.
And his father.
And it's the way this child going to be named.
But she got to know about her peoples and their ways.
I the only one that can teach her the Mandinka way.
Proper naming of her, that the first place to start.
Make this child stand strong and tall.
You ain't never give up, is you? Not for me, not for nobody.
I love you, Bell.
I ain't never loved no one the way I love you.
But don't ask me to give this up.
Not unless you really wanna hear my answer.
Only answer I can give.
Kizzy.
Behold, the only thing greater than yourself.
The drums.
What you gonna do? You ain't gonna leave us here, Toby? This is your home.
No, it's not my home.
But this my child.
And we family.
Oh Girl, your name is Kizzy.
You from special people, baby Kizzy, special.
And you gonna be a special kind of woman, too.
Your name means, "Stay put.
" But it don't mean, "Stay a slave.
" It won't never mean that.
You is the daughter of the African, Kunta Kinte.
Of the village of Juffure, on the banks of the river, called the Kamby Bolongo.
The father of Kunta Kinte is the Mandinka warrior, Omoro.
His mama is Binta.
The warrior, Omoro, was the son of the holy man Next, Roots continues with Leslie Uggams as the young woman, Kizzy.
- Papa.
- Kizzy.
And Sandy Duncan as her best friend.
My friend, my dearest friend.
I beg you, please don't sell her.
- Please, Massa.
- Don't split up the family, Massa.
You ain't never been that kind of man.
- No, no, I don't wanna go.
- Oh, God.
- My baby.
- No! No, Mama! Mama, Papa! Roots, the triumph of an American family, continues.