The Good Lord Bird (2020) s01e04 Episode Script

I had this dream the other night.
I was in church and they was
having a funeral for me.
There was two coffins.
And both of them was me.
In one coffin was my heart, beating,
and all my veins and blood
was moving around,
but with no body.
Looked like some sort of sea creature.
Then in the other coffin was my body.
Uh, skin, muscles, brain and lungs.
My eyes was empty.
The lungs were still trying to breathe.
Like
Like, wheezing-like.
A breathing body with no heart
or blood on one side
and a beating heart
and a box of veins and blood
with no body on the other.
And a preacher said,
"You need your prayers."
And I looked at both
these parts of me and said,
"But who is he?"
Who are you? What are you?
Wake up.
Are we there?
No. Uphill grade.
When the train slows down,
we're gonna jump off.
Bet you never jumped
off a train before. Huh?
Isn't that fun?
See, I want them all thinking
we're out west.
Why?
'Cause we're up
to no good, in their eyes.
But the Lord of lords
is smiling down upon us.
But where are we?
Pennsylvania. The Allegheny
Mountains of my youth.
The Lord put forth his thumb
and pressed these hills
and made these passages for the poor.
Now a small band of Negro revolutionaries
could hide out in here
and fight off an army
of thousands for years.
These the first mountains
I ever seen up close.
They were mine, too.
Now, Mr. Douglass,
he showed me a few tricks
about putting on a show,
speechifying,
so I'm gonna raise us some money
and we'll go back, get the men,
carry on the fight.
- Yes, Captain.
- Mm-hmm.
When I'm giving my talks,
I may ask you to testify,
you know, about your life.
Deprivation and starvation as a slave,
being whipped scandalous and such.
Dutch ain't never whipped me.
And fed me good.
Never been cold
before sleeping in the woods
with you and the boys.
Yeah, well, I-I
I-I wouldn't mention that.
And I ain't never been shot at
till I met you.
No? Yeah, I wouldn't
mention that, either.
Truth be told,
I ain't seen a person murdered
till I met you.
I would stay off that subject
- entirely.
- Mm.
While the old man
was hidded out on the plains,
he was a hero back east.
My name is Osawatomie John Brown
and I am here to fight slavery.
They couldn't get enough of his stories.
You would've thunk that every pro-slaver,
who mostly lived off of pennies
and generally didn't treat
the Negro any worse
than they treated each other
was a bunch of cranks,
heathens and drunks
who run around murdering one another,
while the free staters spend
all day sitting in church
making paper cutout dolls
on Wednesday nights.
We must defeat slavery!
If any are bound, we are all bound!
It made me a bit sad,
truth be to tell it,
to watch all them white folks
crying for the Negro.
There weren't but one Negro
'sides me present.
And we both knew to be quiet as mouses.
Except for Frederick Douglass,
it seemed like everybody got to
make a speech about the Negro
except the Negro.
It has been a long time
since I've had any ice cream.
- Can we afford it?
- I think we can.
I've heard some news.
Federal agents are after me.
Mm. I'm gonna need you to keep a lookout.
Well,
what does a federal agent look like?
The federal man
He smells like like bear.
They use bear grease
to oil their hair.
But they live indoors.
They're clean. Mm-hmm.
- Sickly, pale, yellow.
- Captain,
about half the white folks
up north seem like that.
Mm-hmm. True.
Recognize this?
This is Frederick's old Colt.
He'd want you to have Now be careful.
It's primed and loaded Uh-uh.
Keep it down. There's eyes about.
Look at this.
I'm sorry.
No need to see that
Now, if you see a federal man
while I'm
givin' my show,
I don't want you interrupt me.
Just take out your Good Lord
bird feather and wave it.
I'll know.
Course,
if they try to apprehend me,
start shooting.
You want me to draw down
on a federal agent?
Just Not at first.
Just fire up in the air.
- Okay.
- They'll run, they'll scream,
we'll make our escape
If they arrest me,
I'm gonna need you to, point-blank, fire.
John Brown No, no,
please! Please don't shoot.
I-I'm Deacon Lee, with First Methodist
and the Hartford Abolitionist Society?
A deacon.
And an abolitionist.
- Yes, sir.
- Pleasure.
Likewise. This is my wife
- Temperance.
- Temperance.
- Hello. Pleasure.
- Hmm. What a wonderful name.
- If you are John Brown
- I am.
could you spare a few words
at our meeting this afternoon?
Love to.
Well, uh, l-let me buy you
some ice cream.
Hello.
My name is Osawatomie John Brown
and I'm here to fight slavery!
I have been warned
that federal agents are hunting me
and that there may even be a federal man
here with us this afternoon.
Federal man,
if ye be here, make yourself known!
Good. Now,
I demand the immediate emancipation
of every soul pining for freedom
on American soil!
Those in the fields of Maryland,
the cotton plantations of Arkansas,
Louisiana, Georgia,
Alabama!
Not some, but all,
without limitations,
without restrictions,
for their inalienable right
to pursue their absolute equality!
My grandfather,
he served with General George Washington.
Yes. Thank you, thank you. Yes.
They railed against
a three-penny tax on tea.
Hmm.
They used that to justify
seven years of bloody war with England.
Suspenseful music
Imagine if those men
had the cause that we have.
They would take action.
I know: Violence,
that's not what any of us want.
It's an extreme measure.
However, sometimes, a limb is sick.
It has to be excised.
If thine own eye offends thee,
pluck it out!
I am offended!
And I will pluck it out!
Amen.
Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
Let us, let us pray.
Dear Lord, we thank you
for this time together.
First I want to thank Temperance
and Deacon Lee
for in-inviting me here today.
I What fine people.
We thank whoever made
those, uh, sugar cookies,
that were simply delicious.
I know God must love whoever made those,
because they are inv
I would really like to have some more
when-when this meeting is over.
But first, let us thank the good people
of this town, the good Methodists
that are here tonight.
We feel you, Holy Savior.
We know we share one blood, we know
Captain, I smell bear!
You received my letters.
Indeed.
It's Hugh Forbes.
Hugh Forbes!
At your service, General.
It is an honor to meet
the great warrior of slavery
of whom I have heard so much.
The honor is mine. All mine.
No. Mine.
It's Hugh Forbes.
Onion, you thought he was a bear!
I've studied your war pamphlets.
I dare say they are excellent.
You're the right man for our mission.
Did you really serve
under General Garibaldi?
Mm. With his legions,
through his victories.
In league with your own achievements.
Oh, hardly. In-in Italy and in Brazil?
And Paraguay. Tough terrain,
overwhelming forces.
- Ah.
- But victory.
Oh, I love what you wrote here:
"If these hands used for
fighting would be acceptable
to God, I dedicate them, uh,
to all man's redemption."
- Mm-hmm.
- Strong words.
Your letters convinced me of my own
Our own destiny together,
so I came at once.
- By God's grace.
- Amen.
An expensive endeavor,
but shall be worth it.
Here is your payment.
Captain
This seems excessive, Captain Brown.
Tell me you haven't emptied your pockets.
No. No, no, here's some more.
Maybe we should keep back a bit.
No, no. Mr. Forbes
needs to begin his work immediately.
God will provide.
Please. Accept it.
This is to be the greatest
campaign of my life:
To serve with you, General.
Oh, no.
- I'm but a captain
- Mm.
serving in the army
of the Prince of Peace.
Let's begin at once!
Let us commence this evening.
Over dinner at Keaney House,
- where I am staying.
- Keaney House. Yes, yes.
I have brought regimes and
schemes for you to look over.
Ah, regimes and schemes.
- Ah
- I like the way
you handle a pistol, Miss.
Tell me:
Were you going to pull the trigger?
About to.
Oh!
Such a scary one.
Watch your back.
- All right. Fine.
- Yeah.
Keaney House!
I have been writing
to that man for years.
He'll train the men.
He'll help us plan.
Finally, we'll be able to ride
into battle with an expert.
Sir.
You and your girl must rent a room,
or I shall have to ask you to leave.
No, we are still waiting
for our colleague.
He's a guest at this hotel;
It's all right.
And who might your colleague be, then?
Mr. Hugh Forbes.
Hmm.
May
No
W
I'm sorry, sir,
Mr. Hugh Forbes
checked out this afternoon.
He did?
Yes, sir.
No, he didn't.
Yes, sir, he did.
Are you sure?
I'm quite sure.
What was the final count?
1,700, sir.
We gave it all to him?
Well you gave it all to him.
Yes, sir.
You can always make the money
back speeching again.
Lots of folks willing to part
with their pocket money.
Pocket money.
Yes, sir.
Uh a little here, a little there.
You are so right.
That's the problem.
The soul of this country
can't be bought with pocket change.
You are a gift from God,
- Little Onion.
- I I am?
Yes! It's what you said! You're right!
We need men, not money!
I said that?
Yeah, followers, not funds.
I'm such a fool.
I'm the worst kind of fool.
You know why God punished me?
You know why Hugh Forbes
proved to be a thief?
No, sir.
Spiritual pride.
Amen.
Do you hear that?
Oh! Do you hear that?
Give me your hand. Give me your hand.
There is a hidden oneness
to the whole world, Little Onion.
And it's our job
to help the Lord illuminate that oneness.
Amen?
Amen.
We need to go to Canada.
Canada's a civilized country.
Get your things.
Mm.
- Canada is out the back door.
- See, that's the one
"Every ev"
"God takes the side of the defenseless.
The Christian must also take
the side of the defenseless.
The Christian must be justice,
- must speak justice"
- We in Canada yet?
What?
Are we in
No. Not yet.
Another two or three days, on foot.
Oh.
So we walking all the way to Canada?
Yeah.
Our travel funds are threadbare.
"Every Negro must be free to pursue
his or her own life."
Uh-huh.
"Every Negro"
Dammit, I am a Negro.
And I'm ready to be free.
That is the spirit, Onion.
But you are already free.
- No, I ain't.
- Yes, you are.
You've been free since the day we met.
If I'm so free,
then why do I do
whatever you tell me to do?
Go wherever you says.
Jumpin' off trains.
Eatin' scraps.
Run around like an outlaw.
Getting yanked around by an old
white man?
All right, that is not slavery, Onion.
We are abolitionists.
Warriors. Pilgrims.
We're family.
Aren't we?
Who wants hot bread and cider?
Hey.
Here you go.
Here, have a seat.
Oh, Onion.
I owe you a long-overdue apology.
You must be missing your pa
somethin' fierce.
Yeah, that's my fault.
You, uh, were living
a life without choice.
I come along,
thrust freedom on you
without giving you a deciding vote
in which way your life road went.
I'm no better than Dutch Henry.
I'd like, if I could, to
have a chance to explain to
you why I done what I done.
I was just tryin' to
treat you like family.
The best I could.
You know.
There comes a time,
as a parent,
when you have to let your child be free.
And sometimes, parents,
we we cling too tight.
Out of love.
I've done it to my own children.
And I've done it to you.
And I'm sorry.
Okay.
Anyhow
here we are.
We're in Canada.
And you're free!
Free to make your own choices
and build whatever life you want.
That, right there, is a mission
run by good, Christian women.
I mean, they're-they're
Catholic, but we
we ought not be too
judgmental. They're kind
and they'll look after you and
give you a fresh start.
Oh
That's
how
I really enjoyed your company.
And, um
if freedom ever comes to America,
I hope that you will make
your way to Lake Placid.
Meet my wife, meet my daughters.
Course, the
the boys are gonna miss you.
You forgive me?
Didn't you say we's all already forgiven?
The world's a pretty
confusing place, Captain.
And you don't seem much more
confused than most folks.
Even bein' white.
You don't gotta ask,
for forgiveness from me.
This is my grandmother's Bible.
The devil works hard, Little Onion,
but God works harder.
Are you an orphan?
I guess so.
Join us.
We're going to be hearing
some inspiring words.
The abolitionist John Brown
is gonna be speaking
at the First Methodist.
I've already heard everything
he gots to say.
Thank you.
Hello.
My name is John Brown, and
I'm here fighting to end slavery.
Amen.
I've learned a lot about freedom
since I've come to your country.
You know, at home,
I'm wanted for murder.
Which is funny, because, uh,
for the first 50 or so years of my life,
I lived exactly as my father taught me
Change your mind?
as a non-violent abolitionist.
Then my boys grew up;
They moved away. They wanted
to start a life of their own.
Staked a claim in Kansas.
Mm-hmm. They walked and talked,
speaking as I taught them,
as my father taught me,
to love thy neighbor,
to do unto others
but it seems that
the pro-slavers of Kansas
were not satisfied simply
with raping and murdering
and enslaving Black people.
They wanted to pick a fight
with anyone who was friends
with a Black man.
So they burned my sons' farms,
they destroyed their homes,
and it woke me up!
Now, we can't just wait.
We can't sit around idle
waiting for fear,
ignorance, hatred, and stupidity
to hurt our own little ones.
We're all a part of one family:
The human family.
- Ah.
- And
and to that end, I decided
that I was comfortable
to shed my blood with
my African brothers and sisters.
I was even comfortable
shedding blood for them.
Now, for this,
I have a price on my head.
But I ask you,
do you think it's a crime for a citizen
to stand up and say
each and every one of us is imbued
by our Creator with certain
inalienable rights.
- No!
- No!
If that's a crime,
then the Declaration of Independence
is a call for sedition
and should be burned!
I say it's not a crime.
No, I say to not assert yourself
for the rights of the oppressed is to
fall down and worship
at the Moloch of despotism!
Yes, sir! We hear you!
We must we must join together
and form an anti-slavery movement;
Black folks, white folks,
working together, committed,
for the violence necessary
to end slavery!
- Yes, sir!
- Now, I know.
Violence is not what we want!
I know, good people of Chatham.
Oh, gentle Canada.
I have I have tried America.
America is rife with hypocrites.
Especially the north.
Greed and slavery
has made a trembling coward
of the white man.
He is so rich
and fat and indolent,
he cannot even remember the values
upon which his country was founded!
How
How do I How do I talk to such a man?
How do I affect change in his heart?
I must speak to him
in a language
that he understands.
The language of violence.
- Mm-hmm.
- Gunfire!
The sharp edge of a sword!
Come on! Yeah!
I am not asking
for more talk.
- No, sir.
- I'm not asking
for money.
I'm asking for men.
Brave men!
Oh, Canada!
Do you have any men for me?
We're not afraid, Captain.
- I'm ready.
- Oh, I hear you!
It is time
to meet the slavers
with grape, gunshot and powder!
- Come on! Yeah!
- It is time
to smite him!
No more words!
The time for words is over!
Who wants to sign up?
Yes! Yes!
No more words! No more talk!
Now is the time.
Who wants to sign up?
Who's with me?
We're all for your war on slavery,
but what's your specific plan?
Oh, well, that's
That's That's a very, very good qu
That's a good question.
That's understa
I-I cannot make
that announcement publicly yet.
I can I can, uh, tell you
it will not be peaceable.
What's that spell to us?
I aim to purge America's sin with blood
and do it soon with the help
of the Negro people.
If you will just give
us a little of your battle plan.
I can't sign a contract
- if I don't know even a bit.
- Well, I
Do you want to save your people or not?
Captain, I escaped slavery
and traveled 3,000 miles here
on foot and by boat.
But I hold my life dear,
and if I'm gonna lose it,
I want to know the manner
in which it's gonna happen.
You're safe here, sir.
We're all either free men
or former slaves.
Why you holding back?
Fact is, we heard of you,
but we don't know you.
Now, tell us why we should we trust you.
I move with God's purpose.
And He whispered a battle plan in my ear
to start a war that will end slavery.
And for now,
that whisper must remain secret.
Join me.
Please, sir.
I know. I know you have the fire in you.
You have a fire in your heart,
for justice, I know it!
My work is done.
Hold a minute, Captain.
Rise for the general.
You know me.
My name's Harriet Tubman.
And John Brown don't have
to explain nothing to me.
If he says he has a good plan,
he has a good plan.
You got something for us?
Now, John Brown has took many a whipping
for the colored folk,
and he took it standing up.
His own wife and children
starving at home.
He already offered the life of one
of his sons, Frederick, to the cause.
He here asking you to feed his children?
Hmm?
He here asking you to help him?
He asking you to help yourself.
To free yourself.
Y'all clucking like a bunch of hens.
Sitting here warm and cozy,
worrying about your own skin
while your children cry for their mothers
somewhere else right now.
Some of y'all got your brothers
and sisters torn from you.
Your own families
living across the border
in slavery.
That's why he's here
asking you freedmen to join in.
And you sitting
on the doorstep of change,
lonely and too scared to walk through it.
Mr. Brown asks
who is a man here?
I didn't want to die.
I didn't want to be hungry.
I liked somebody taking care of me.
But Miss Tubman standing there
so firm and so strong
reminded me of Sibonia saying,
"I am the woman, and I am not ashamed."
Suddenly, I heard
a terrible squawking voice in the room.
Sign me up!
I'll follow the captain
to the ends of the Earth.
- Count me in!
- Praise Jesus.
And a child will lead them.
- Yeah!
- Yeah!
Praise God!
My name is Lewis Leary,
and this is my cousin Attucks Copeland.
We both have engineering degrees,
and we are both willing
to give our lives
in the service of humanity.
Well, I like you already.
- Attucks.
- Yes, sir.
Nice to meet you, Attucks. And Lewis.
- Mm-hmm.
- Welcome.
Dangerfield Newby.
Son of a Black slave mother,
white slave owner father.
I'm better at drawing maps than
anyone you met in your life.
Probably even you.
Well, we need maps.
And we need you.
O.P. Anderson.
I'm a freeborn Negro from Pennsylvania.
I've been waiting to meet you
since you first fired a shot.
Well, we will fire shots together, O.P.
Don't you leave, now.
Stay right here, okay?
Oh, are you with us, sir?
Will there be whiskey
on this adventure of yours?
No, there will not.
Never mind, I will provide my own.
To what the matter of, uh
sporting women?
We are looking for men of high honor.
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
Well, it's a minor detail.
Uh, I was warmed by the fire
in your words up there.
The Moloch of depotism!
Despotism.
No more words!
- Uh-huh.
- You put on a good show.
It's poetry.
Uh
I believe I can be the hero
in this, uh, this tragedy of yours.
What's your name?
Uh, that'd be Cook.
And, uh, and you are, again?
Sorry, I was, uh, distracted earlier.
John Brown.
John Brown.
Yeah.
Yeah, that rings familiar.
Yeah.
Welcome aboard.
All right.
I will not let you down, General.
I will not.
I heard your plan.
Mr. Douglass wrote you?
Your plan is good, John.
- Ah, praise Jesus.
- Figure out the date
that works best and let me know.
I will come with all the bees I can hive.
But once that date is
set, do not change it.
Not for anything.
Of course. I will not.
- I will not. Thank you.
- Captain.
We have some questions.
I've seen you before.
In a dream.
Who are you?
What are you?
I don't rightly know.
Slavery has made a fool
out of a lot of folks.
Twisted them all different kinds of ways.
I seen it happen many a time in my day.
I expect I'll see it
in all our tomorrows, too.
For when you slave a person,
you slave the one in front
and the one behind.
You understand me?
Yes, ma'am.
Take this.
And keep it.
It's more than a shawl.
Carries hidden meanings.
You're choosing to go back
into the lion's den.
Might come in handy when you need it.
Just keep being brave
the way you was today,
and do what you can to help the captain.
He's gonna need it.
Yes, General.
General.
Yes?
Thank you for speaking on my behalf.
You have the date?
I do.
John.
Compromise your life
before you compromise the time.
See, the way I figure it,
we make too big of a deal
out of this whole Black and white thing.
Truth be told,
there's only three kinds
of people in this world:
Those who can count
and those who can't.
Onion?
Could I ask you a question?
Yes, Captain.
Have you ever heard of Harpers Ferry?
- No.
- Harpers Ferry, Virginia?
They make rifles there,
thousands of them,
and it's only guarded by two men,
and holding enough weapons to arm 5,000.
There's only two guards,
one on either end.
We'll take them easily.
Then we cut the telegraph wires,
we move through the gate
with the stolen wagons,
we load rifles between 2 and 4 a.m.,
and then
we escape.
We cut the telegraph wires,
storm the guardhouse,
load the rifles, escape right through
here.
And then
- we retreat.
- Retreat where?
South
into the Blue Ridge Mountains.
into the Blue Ridge Mountains.
And as we pull back,
planters won't be able
to withstand the cost
of the Negroes leaving,
and they won't be able
to sleep at night for fear.
I ran those trails as a boy.
I surveyed that land since
before any of you were born.
There are thin passes,
too thin for columns of men,
too steep for cannon.
A small group of dedicated,
trained soldiers
can hold off an enemy for years.
It's happened many times before.
Do you know Spartacus?
We'll arm the first 5,000,
then we move through the mountains,
defeating the pro-slavers as we go.
Father, what if what if we
get these fine men killed?
Wh-What if what we are doing is wrong?
Wrong? We're not talking
about right and wrong.
This country's been wrong
since the beginning,
since the first Thanksgiving
Ask the Indians.
That's not what we're talking about.
We're talking about breathing life
- back into her soul.
- Old man,
the cheese has slid all
the way off your biscuit.
Negroes will hive to
us from near and far.
They'll hive for us.
We have the support
of Frederick Douglass.
We have the blessing
of Frederick Douglass
And the general.
and the general herself.
Why wouldn't they?
Frederick Douglass is coming?
Old man, you puttin' us on.
Father, I don't doubt your word
or study, but our aim has always been
to free the slave
and to harass the pro-slaver.
Pebbles in the ocean, son.
We're no longer simply freeing slaves.
We're hiving them to fight.
Our aim
revolution.
There are 1,200
colored people in Harpers Ferry alone.
30,000 in the surrounding 50 miles.
When they hear that we have
a loaded rifle waiting for them,
we'll make friends fast.
I'm gonna need you
to form the advance guard
at Harpers Ferry.
Onion
will serve as the advance guard,
- with you, Cook.
- You
and Cook, I'm gonna need you
to stake a residence
near the armory,
but far from peeping eyes.
That way you can gather
intelligence on the sly.
Captain,
ain't nothin' intelligent
about that fella.
Hmm. He's a good talker,
and he can mix in with daily life well.
Frederick Douglass will bring thousands.
So will the general.
You just need to hive the locals.
Soldiers, pilgrims,
fellow children of God, that, in short,
is the plan.
Why not keep the fight in Kansas?
We have friends there.
- Mm, we know the land.
- We do,
but if you wanted to kill a lion,
would you chop off its tail?
Kansas is the tail.
Virginia is its terrible head.
We is ready.
- Mm-hmm.
- All we need is a chance.
I know y'all is ready, but
the white folks is more ready.
They got more guns,
and they're gonna donate
all the bullets they
have to elephant hunt
every Negro in this region
five minutes after they kill the old man!
You're talking about
a lot of people dying.
Yes.
I am.
I'm talking about purging
this guilty land with blood.
I'm talking about civil war.
You sure about this, Father?
As He who made me.
I'm with you all.
Unto the brink.
Me, too.
I will come if I can bring my wife.
You said we were made from one blood.
It would be wrong for us to die apart.
If y'all gonna kill a lion,
then I'm gonna be there.
Well, this is a bold and outrageous plan.
I mean that in a good way.
I'm very excited. Let's do it.
Onion
it's not an order.
You're free to
join the fight or not, as you wish.
I'm with you, Captain.