Queenie (2024) s01e06 Episode Script

MUSIC: Dancing
Close by Rita Joyce
I am longing to hear from you.
Why won't you reply
to my letters?
While it has only been four
months since I saw you last,
it feels like a lifetime.
I will work until my hands
are worn to the bone,
so that I can be
by your side again.
Please, write back to me.
Love always, your Albert.
What you reading, Mummy?
Mind your business, Maggie. It's
just a letter from a friend.
What friend, Mummy?
A friend I left
behind in Jamaica.
Oh! Daddy!
Hey, baby.
Whapp'n, Wilfred?
My, suttin' smell good!
It soon ready.
Dish some up fi' for you
and Maggie when it finish.
Mi ah guh lie down.
You still not on
English time yet?
You been here two
months already.
Why that never tek me so long?
Mm, it must be that.
I haven't been feeling too
good since me get here.
Man, hold on, nuh, hold on.
You nah waan' fi know
what's in the bag?
Oh, what's inna di bag, Wilfred?
Is it for me?
It's for your mudda.
Open it, nuh.
It's so your mudda can
listen to her songs.
I know, I know you're
missing home, baby.
But this is home now.
It's nice, innit? Mm. Mm.
Oh!
Oh, she is a beauty, Veronica.
So how was Maggie?
Oh, you know, she's
always good as gold.
Chats me ear off, but,
sure, I do the same back.
Ah, Maggie, why don't you help
me run a bath for your mudda?
But me wan' play
with baby Sylvie.
You can play with
the baby later.
Now, we need to look
after your mudda.
MUSIC: Little Queenie
by Chuck Berry
Come on. Come on.
She's a lot lighter than
the rest of yous, isn't she?
Well, her colour
will come in soon.
It's going to be OK, pet.
We can make it
Come on, Queenie,
let's shake it
Go, go, go, little Queenie
Go, go, go,
little Queenie ♪
Sylvie! How many times do I have
to tell you? Stay out of my room!
Sorry, I know, but you took the
record player out of the front room.
What else was I meant to do?
Yeah, well, it's
mine till I move out,
so that means go
and buy your own.
With what money?
Why don't you get your likkle
boyfriend to buy you one?
He's not likkle, Maggie.
Why a man my age is running
'round with a 17-year-old,
I will never know.
Here we go again.
Fine, I'm going, but
I'm taking this with me.
HORN HONKS Sylvie!
Oh
And stay out of my room.
Is that you, Sylvie?
I'm just going down the road.
Down the road
where? And with who?
I'm meeting Sandra at HMV.
She wants to go halves
on a Sister Nancy record.
She has some money saved up
from her hairdressing job.
You know how I
know you're lying?
You talk too much.
Mum! Ah, just let
the girl go out, nuh.
She can't spend the whole summer
holiday arguing with Maggie
about the blasted record player.
Just be home by eight.
Thanks, Mum. Thanks, Dad.
Go. Quick, quick, quick.
You should get talking!
Hey, baby.
I have to be home by eight.
Nuh worry yourself.
You're safe with me.
She needed you there, Veronica.
She should have listened to me.
And now, look.
I wanted better for her.
Go and talk to her, Maggie.
No, give the baby to your mudda.
Veronica
This is your grandchild.
ANSWERING MACHINE: You've
reached Romero. I
MUSIC: Never Ever
by All Saints
I just don't understand why
he won't answer the phone.
Because he's a coward.
But he told me he'd
always be there.
He was always there from the
day I found out, even though
He wasn't going to leave
his wife. I told you.
But he said he would.
He said that his parents
forced him to marry her.
Listen, when I see that
man, it's curtains for him.
I'm going to twist up his
balls so hard he won't be able
to have another
child in this life.
You promise?
I promise.
Sylvie, you know I've
always got you, yeah?
And the same goes for the baby.
Thank you.
Have you thought of what
you're going to name her yet?
Mm.
Hmm I was thinking
..Princess.
Absolutely not! No way.
I was going to say that I
want her to be strong
..and brave
..like a queen.
So I was thinking Queenie.
Yes, man.
Mi like it.
Now, go and get yourself
cleaned up and come downstairs.
Your daughter is
waiting for you.
ALL: Happy birthday to you! ♪
Wow. Blow it!
ALL: Yay!
11 years old, my
big granddaughter!
Happy birthday!
So what have you two been
doing for Queenie's birthday?
Well, we were supposed to go to
the cinema, but Mum had a date
Oh? Er Queenie!
Wow! Date? Date? With whom?
Never you mind.
He's just a friend.
His name's Roy.
Oh, my gosh! Oh, is it?!
Anyway, stop chat
your mudda business.
Right. You can
stay here, Queenie.
I will make you a big birthday
breakfast in the morning.
Her birthday's over now,
Mum. Stop spoiling her.
Of course I have to
spoil her. She's my baby.
Er, no, Mum, it's MY baby.
I'll run you a bubble
bath before bed.
Oh, God, Maggie, please!
Dad, it's a breast. Get over it.
Talk to your daughter
now, Veronica!
About what?
If we were back home
What is it that you said
when we first come here?
"This is home now."
Go and cut the cake.
Ugh!
LAUGHTER
BABY BABBLES
I think I'm going into me shed.
Is he missing Sylvie that much?
You know the two of them close.
And he really, really
nuh like that Roy.
Who does? I don't
trust him at all, Mum.
None of us like him, it's true.
But he's worried about her.
He's not even sleeping.
But it's Queenie I worry about.
SHE SIGHS
No. No, let her stay, since
she loves her mother so much.
Roy! I never signed
up to be anyone's dad.
Sorry, Roy, I
It's cos of her I can't get a
minute alone with you. Please
MUSIC: Up by The Saturdays
Queenie.
I've been calling
you for dinner.
I'm not hungry. Queenie, please.
Can't we just go to Grandma
and Grandad's for dinner?
No.
I've told you, we're
a family now, OK?
Me, you and Roy.
Queenie, look, I know, OK?
I know that you and
Roy don't get on.
I know that he
can be particular.
And if you don't
listen to him
..he can get cross.
And I know that's not nice
..but can't you see if you do listen
to him, things will get easier?
He's not my dad.
Well, your dad
isn't here, is he?
But Roy is.
Please Queenie.
Xxxx
She has no respect for me.
I bring you into my house
..under my roof
..I even let you bring this
likkle girl, who has no manners,
and this is how you repay me?
By making me sit and wait
until my food gets cold?
I said I'm sorry, Roy.
Queenie didn't even know.
She-she was just doing
The reason why your girl has no
manners is cos you never teach her
how to respect her elders.
MUSIC FADES OU
You're lucky I let this
likkle girl into my home.
You will always be stupid,
just like your mother.
When will you be back? I
don't like being here alone.
As soon as I can, Queenie.
Roy just wants to
talk things through.
Well, why can't I go to Grandma
and Grandad's or Aunt Maggie's?
Because, Queenie, they
will ask questions.
And what happens at
home stays between us.
Where is home, Mum?
This is home, until me
and Roy sort things out.
Now, remember what I told you -
do not open the door to anyone.
There's food in the fridge
if if you get hungry.
OK.
OK. I'll see you tomorrow.
Please
..come back.
That's how it goes with
the women in our family.
I've never really
known how anyone feels.
If I learned one thing from them,
it's to be strong, whatever that is.
It usually means
covering things up.
There's no room for feelings.
Is that why you've been saying
"I'm fine" or "I was fine"
since we started
seeing each other?
I was fine.
I, erm was safe enough,
and my mum would pop in to make
sure I had enough food and
And for how long were you
left alone in that flat?
I don't remember exactly.
A few months.
Once Auntie Maggie found out,
I went to live with her
and Diana for a while,
when Diana was just a baby.
That was fun.
Diana was like my little dolly.
And then my grandparents, and
..then my dad, which was
It was not good.
His wife wasn't very welcoming when
the daughter that she'd always tried
to ignore turned up on their
doorstep and asked to stay.
Sounds like you were always made
to feel like you were the problem.
How did that make you feel?
It's like you said.
Like I was the problem.
OK. Well
..Roy rejected you, which,
of course, he shouldn't have.
Your mum rejected you.
And the first relationship you
were in that felt safe ended,
which would've felt like the
biggest rejection of all,
so this behaviour,
this casual sex,
is you looking for
constant affirmation.
Affirmation that you're wanted.
All right.
Your ex-boyfriend
moved on quickly.
You lost one of
your best friends.
No.
Cassandra lost herself.
And then you felt
rejected by your boss.
That one just
That one didn't surprise me.
How do you mean?
Well, she
..she stuck with
her own, didn't she?
She wasn't going to believe the
silly, little black girl whose work
was slipping over the
office heart-throb.
I don't understand why it's all
about me being rejected instead of
the people that are
doing the rejecting.
And what if I liked the casual
sex that I was having then?
Respectfully, Queenie, you yourself
told me you weren't having much fun
during those sexual encounters.
So what? Are you Are you
saying that I had casual sex
because nobody ever loved me?
No.
But the love you had
growing up was inconsistent
and unreliable, and so now,
love to you feels like something
that's always about to go.
Well, just
That's just how it is for
girls like me, though.
What do you mean,
girls like you?
Loud, brash, sassy,
confrontational, bitchy!
That's the problem - I can't not
be a strong black woman, Janet, OK?
I I can't walk into any
place and not be a black woman.
On the bus, on
the Tube, at work,
in the canteen, in
the car, it's
No, I-I don't need your water. I
don't need it because guess what?
I'm I'm a strong black woman,
and we don't need anything.
We don't need anything
and we don't need anyone.
We can just take everybody's
shit and it doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter how
much we've been through,
and it doesn't matter how much
we can't take any more, and it
SHE PANTS
I can't
I can't breathe.
Is this a dream?
No, it's my nightmare -
coming all the way
to North London
because my granddaughter is doing
things I told her not to do.
What happened?
You fainted. It happens.
Queenie will be fine.
Let's see how fine she is
when I finish with her.
Come on. The cab
is waiting outside.
I'm sorry about before. I
I think I've been
holding a lot in.
I just I don't know why
I don't know why it
came out like that.
There's no need to apologise.
I'll see you next week.
I doubt it.
And how many times do I
have to tell you to listen?
Because if you had just
spoken to your mother,
like I already told you,
you wouldn't have to pay
some woman we don't know
to talk about family business.
And I wouldn't have to pay to
jump in a taxi across London
because she phoned me to tell
me that you'd fainted, Queenie!
You know how much pain I
had to tek tru my yout?
No good will come
of all this digging.
Sometimes we have to
leave things in the past.
We're here, Grandma.
Where Queenie?!
I'm here, I'm here.
Oh!
What a journey.
Oh
Right.
How much, driver?
That'll be �70.
Lord, have mercy!
Me whole pension finish.
Actually, do you think you
could take me somewhere else?
Where else? You live here now.
Not to live, Grandma, I'm
just going to go to Kyazike's.
Oh, are you now?
I don't think so.
Queenie, you need to come
inside. We need to talk about
Can we please just
talk tomorrow?
I can't do any
more talking today.
Make sure.
This discussion is not finished.
TAXI DRIVES AWAY
DOOR OPENS
It's just me.
Where Queenie, deh?
You kill her for fainting?
She gone to her friend.
The African one.
Sit down.
Let me make you a cup of tea.
I just don't understand
why the girl don't listen.
It's for her own good.
Ever since Queenie was young,
she let her emotions run her.
She's just like her
mother in that way.
They're the same, but different.
She too soft.
You will have to
speak to her, Wilfred.
The same way Sylvie
always listened to you,
Queenie might hear you over me.
Hmm?
Maybe if all of we had learned to
talk about our troubles back then,
we wouldn't carry so much on our
shoulders all the way to the grave.
I wish we had spoken
more when we was young.
Whatever you'd have told me,
whatever you'd have said
..I would have loved
you the same way.
Queenie will keep
going to therapy.
I think we have to learn from
this new generation, Veronica.
SHE SIGHS
Hm. What are you doing here?
I'll give you a clue.
Mm.
It's nice to see you too.
Where's Kyazike?
She went out.
Apparently the paint fumes
were getting her high.
Why are you painting
in the house at 8pm?
Well, I was working all
day, and Kyazike wanted
to surprise her mum before she
got back from work in the morning,
so here I am.
That's nice of her.
Yeah.
Talk to me, Big Q.
Hmm? What's happening?
I had therapy today.
OK.
Heavy session?
Yeah, you could say that.
I'm tired.
Want to talk about it?
Not really because
..if I tell you everything,
you won't want me.
Nobody really wants me.
DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES
You still haven't finished? Shh.
Queenie's sleeping.
How you mean?
I mean she came
over and she just
I don't know, she just
looked bare tired, like
..more tired than
I've ever seen anyone
so, yeah, I just put a
blanket on her and that.
I can see that.
What?
Cool. Erm, listen.
If you fuck about Queenie
Oh, man, this she's not going
to indirect you on her socials
and move on with the next guy
the next week.
It's going to break her.
And why you telling me for?
And I know you're my family,
my cousin or whatever,
but I'm not the one
with commitment issues.
Queenie doesn't need
someone who's going to
chat to the next
girl every week.
Our girl's vulnerable.
She's not good.
She will be, but
just not right now,
so you need to leave her alone.