Unprisoned (2023) s01e06 Episode Script

1
Thank you for finding my bike.
It's too bad you didn't
find my money, Officer.
Hmm.
Well, normally we'd never
actually make a house call.
But you wanted to be sure
I got this busted tire, right?
But everybody at the precinct
heard about how you saved that dog.
I really appreciate the effort. Yeah.
Bye now.
Well, we gotta go down south.
Why would anyone go down south?
'Cause I need to get a legit job, son.
And I can't get that without
a Social Security card.
And I can't get that
without a driver's license.
And I can't get that
without a birth certificate.
And my birth certificate is
in Union Springs, Alabama.
That does not sound
like a place with 5G.
It's not like any place you've
ever been, that's for sure.
But you know what Richard Wright said?
"I was not leaving the
south to forget the south,
but so that someday I
might understand it."
Am I supposed to know who that is?
You're messing with me.
He say that recently or something?
Let me ask you.
Do you know who, uh,
Bayard Rustin is?
No.
Fannie Lou Hamer?
What about Amiri Baraka?
Damn, Finn.
What Black people do you know?
Like Obama.
Yeah.
Zendaya.
David Williams.
Who the hell is David Williams?
David Williams is a famous
Magic: The Gathering player
who became a famous poker player.
Damn public schools.
Hey. Look here. We gotta go down south.
No, we need to start
knocking on doors
- Boundaries. Boundaries. I know.
- Yes. Yes.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
But since you're here,
can I ask you a question?
Sure.
Have you ever tried
being with a nice woman?
Or were they all hot meanies?
Don't knock a hot meanie, Paige.
Why are you askin' me that?
I'm just, I'm working on something.
Why-why are we going down south?
Because with my bike gone, I
need to get my birth certificate.
Okay, I gotta ask you something.
Are you aware that your son
doesn't know Black history?
Might not even know he's Black.
He knows he's Black.
This is South Minneapolis.
When he walks out of this
house, his head is on swivel.
Why do you need a birth certificate?
Are you thinking about
getting a real job?
Because if you are,
I would like to send a gift
basket to the bicycle thief.
So it's your fault your son
doesn't know who Bayard Rustin was.
- He He doesn't?
- He does not.
Oh, that's fine. Identities are complex.
There are a lot of different
kinds of ways to be Black.
Your way is not more valid
than his way or my way.
But I like this whole
down south adventure idea.
- I'm into it.
- Good.
'Cause y'all need some nigrescence.
Um, what the fuck is nigrescence?
Okay, everybody, so
we are here in Alabama
because my dad needs
some official paperwork
so he can get a real job. Woo-woo!
And so that my son can get some
nigrescence. What's nigrescence?
I had the same question,
so I Googled it.
I told you what it was now.
What you're hearing is
this man's frustration.
Because even though my child and I
have been Black people our
entire lives Yes, Finn?
- Yes.
- Yes.
Apparently we are doing it wrong.
So, nigrescence is the
process of becoming Black
or developing one's racial
identity as a Black person.
I learned about that
from my celly Harold.
Shout-out to Harold.
- Yeah. Shout-out to Harold.
- Shout-out to Harold.
Okay, so there's five
stages to nigrescence.
The first is pre-encounter,
then encounter.
Then it gets a little
tricky because you have
Wait, hold up. This is
not a college lecture.
- I know, but I'm
- Ah, ah!
We are talking about an experience.
- Right.
- Not an idea.
And are we gonna be on
our phones the whole time?
That's kind of the plan.
Paige, can you put that thing down
for even just a minute, girl?
I cannot, because this is
really important and amazing.
And I wanna document it for
us and for all my followers.
So, hi, guys. This is the
house that my dad grew up in.
It's not what I expected at all.
I don't know what it is you expected.
Just, I didn't imagine this exactly.
Oh, hell, no.
Who's that?
Cousin.
You're not gonna answer?
We came all the way down here.
Boy's a pain in the ass. No.
I wanna just I wanna
take this in right here.
You know how long it's been since I
smell this air?
- It smells like
- Dial-up?
Yeah, you wish you could
have grown up here, boy.
Catching tadpoles, balancing
on the train tracks.
It's a whole different type of freedom.
If it was so great,
then why'd you leave?
Wasn't up to me. My mama
came home one day and said,
"Time to go."
This place has been empty ever since,
what, '66?
That cannot be true.
Who's trying to move to
Union Springs, Alabama, Paige?
- Actually, that could be true.
- Hey.
All right, let's go find
this birth certificate.
Well, don't we need a key?
Nobody uses keys down here, Paige.
I'll be in in a second.
I'm just at three percent.
Okay.
Text from Mal.
"I'm your boyfriend
now and a good boyfriend
"tells you how he misses you
and sees how your trip is going.
So how is it going? Kiss emoji."
Do you want to reply?
I don't know.
Sorry, I didn't get that.
I said I don't know because he is great.
He's almost perfect.
Sorry, I didn't get that.
I want to accept the love of
an emotionally available man
who's interested in me.
Sorry, I didn't get that.
Do you want to reply?
Now you're just being rude.
Just one bar, that's all I ask.
You need to put that
down and come help, son.
Need to?
My mom always gives me options.
Yeah, well, your mama
was never on the streets.
Just do what I say.
Hey look here.
This is me right there. Yeah.
Right there.
Why are there no white people?
'Cause the white people were across
town in the school with books.
Yeah, segregation 101, Finn.
Of course. I just didn't
know you were that old.
That ain't that long ago.
Just that all the pictures
they show you of segregation,
in black and white.
On purpose.
Ah. Let me try that.
Hey, this is like a field
trip, but interesting.
You know, when I meet other Black kids,
they don't always know.
Like, it's just weird
to go up and be all like,
hi, I, too, am Black.
Don't say it like that, Finn.
That sounded kinda weird.
I mean, it's facts,
though, you know, I just,
I feel like I have to
prove that I'm Black.
Let me tell you something.
Defending your Blackness
to other Black people?
That's one of the Blackest
things you could do.
Wasn't Martin Luther King around here?
You ever go to a march?
My mama always had to work.
I remember when they killed him, though.
Whoa.
Yeah, man. The way that brother talked.
You really believed you could have
all the things he said you could have.
Then right when you starting to feel,
yes, I can have these things,
they shot him down in broad daylight.
That fucked a lot of people up.
Me included.
Being in here is making my dad so real.
Like, more real than
he even is in real life.
If that's possible.
Oh, my God.
Okay, I think that this is his room.
I mean, I think he slept here, right?
Look at these tiny, tiny beds.
Oh, my God.
Was my father ever this small?
Mommy, I'm cold.
I'm scared.
What are you doing down there?
Hiding.
What's your name?
Eddie Alexander.
Oh, God. Oh.
I don't wanna go.
Oh.
Hey. Uh, what is he doing?
Messing with his phone again.
Paige, I can't find this
birth certificate anywhere.
Why-why-why-why did
Grandma Martha leave?
I already told you, we just left.
No, but that doesn't make sense.
And when something doesn't make
sense, it's because somebody's lying.
That's what Judge Judy says.
She loves Judge Judy.
I do.
Ju
Paige, why would I lie to you?
I don't know. You tell me.
It's a long time ago and I
don't remember everything.
The sheriff and his brother,
they came to the house.
Daddy was away, preaching.
And mama was real upset.
They wanted to terrify my mother.
And they did.
But the next thing I remember,
we moved to Birmingham.
- And that's it?
- That's it.
And I thought you wanted to help me
find this birth certificate, girl.
So, look, that church I told you about?
We gotta go there.
Come on.
Come on. They might have Wi-Fi.
Stop.
But probably not.
What?
Text from Mal.
"Hey, baby, you're not
replying to my texts, so "
That boy is so sprung.
Low-key. It's pretty hilarious.
"Guess I'll have to tell you
what I'm planning to do
to you when you get back."
Oh. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
I want to pull your
panties to the side
- Oh, my God! Mom!
- Okay! Thank you. No, no, no!
No, sorry, sorry. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry! I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Sister Annie?
Oh, good afternoon.
Can I help you?
I don't know if you remember me. Um
Uh, my name is Edwin,
and my family and I,
we-we lived around here
a long, long time ago.
- The Alexander boy?
- Oh, my God.
Yes, ma'am!
- Yes, ma'am.
- Well, I'll be.
- It is you.
- Yes.
It's good to see you.
- Is this your wife?
- Oh, no, no, no, no.
This is my daughter and my grandson.
Where'd the time go?
Oh, I ask myself that every day.
If I'd known y'all were coming,
I'd have made some Folgers.
Oh, no, no, no. We're good. We're good.
Um, but there is something I was
hoping you could help me with.
Is there any chance at all that
you have my baptism records?
Well, now, that's going a long way back.
I know.
But we can look.
You know, that flood took
everything from us back then.
But if I have it, it's in there.
Thank you, ma'am.
Come here, you.
Yeah.
Look at you.
Oh, my. You're so handsome.
Oh, thanks.
You want some Folgers?
I'm okay. Thank you.
Um, Miss Annie, can I ask you
just a couple of questions.
Don't bother the lady now, Paige.
- Um
- What do you wanna know, baby?
I just wanna know what happened.
You know, why-why did
Grandma Martha leave Alabama?
I tried to ask my dad,
but he doesn't remember.
What? Of course, he remembers.
He saw everything.
What do you mean?
Back then, honey,
the sheriff would come up
in the middle of the night,
lights off and everything.
And they dragged that poor
woman out of the house
No! No!
in front of all the kids.
The next morning when Martha came back,
she was limping and full of bruises.
The whole family left that very day.
Is that true?
It's not here.
I'm hungry.
Anybody else hungry?
Thank you.
Sister Annie, I appreciate it.
Mm!
Bro, this soul food is the juice.
Why doesn't yours taste so good?
What?
It's true.
Maybe because I was
raised by Scandinavians,
and they care more
about pickled herring.
Well, this is all I wanna
eat for the rest of my life.
Just one kiss would do so much ♪
It would drive away all my fears ♪
These ain't raindrops ♪
So we gonna talk at all
about what happened with Deacon Annie?
What is there to talk about?
If you keep pretending
that you have no traumas,
they are gonna keep coming out sideways.
Ancient history, Paige.
History maybe.
But perhaps part of why you
don't wanna talk about it
is because that was the first
domino that led you to prison.
- You doing therapy on me, girl?
- Me?
And I'm not even convinced
that that shit works with
white folk, and here you come.
No, it works.
It works for white folks.
It also works for us.
Everybody needs therapy.
- If therapy was so great
- Yeah.
you wouldn't be asking me if I
ever fell in love with a nice woman.
You're worried about yourself, Paige.
No, I'm not worried.
I just don't like hot meanies.
And you don't like a nice guy either.
'Cause if you were,
Mal Kennedy would not be texting me
looking for you.
Oh, but what do I know?
You're the professional.
So can I have your cornbread?
Oh, my. Yes. Thank you.
- Oh, damn it.
- Oh, here you go, buddy.
Thank you.
I'm happy you're cleaning up.
Not like them moon crickets.
Moon crickets?
Probably before your time.
Never mind, kid.
You have a good one, huh?
Look, Bumpy, we just
finished lunch, but, uh,
I still got this other thing.
I may have to see you next trip.
Yep.
Hey, Mal, I am really sorry
that it's taken me so
long to get back to you.
This trip with my dad is a lot.
I'm just watching him try
to avoid all his trauma.
It's like he thinks the past is
actually in the past, you know.
And you and I know that
it doesn't work that way.
That shit happens and you
shut down a little bit here
and you shut down a little bit there,
but the trauma doesn't
go anywhere, right?
And then before you
know it, you're grown up
and you've passed your trauma down.
Just like my dad gave me his
weird knuckles and his ashy skin.
Oh, shit.
Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
Oh, my God. I think, um
I think that he might be right.
I think that maybe I am a little
bit worried about myself, and I
Oh, God, I don't even
know why I'm still talking
because I'm definitely
gonna delete this.
Although maybe I shouldn't.
I probably will. But I
don't know. Maybe I won't.
I-I think I shouldn't decide right now.
I think I should decide
later. Okay. Thank you. Bye.
You reach Mal?
Uh, no. But you know what?
I just had a really big breakthrough,
so I think I'm going to
at some point, eventually.
Therapy sounds real helpful.
Um, I think we should go to
the courthouse. You ready?
Not really.
This place has got bad vibes, man.
Maybe it's bringing up something deeper.
Yeah, I got no time for
something deeper right now, baby.
I think this is, uh
Good luck in there.
Yeah.
- Come with me.
- Okay.
Grandma Martha was a maid,
and she was accused of stealing jewelry.
Who are the Vickers?
Uh, I think just some
white people she worked for.
She didn't do it, did she?
I don't know. Um, I hope not.
Excuse me. What does it mean
that they "stayed sentencing"?
That usually happens when the
prosecutors know that it was bullshit.
And based on that date, you know,
the type of time they were on.
You're saying they dragged
her out of her house
in the middle of the
night on a fake charge
and then beat her in front of her kids?
You want me to make you a copy?
No.
Thank you. Um
I wouldn't wanna remember
that either. Come on.
- Hey.
- Hey.
They found me.
- They did?
- Yeah, they did.
Wow!
We might make our flight.
Thank you, Jesus.
Oh, wow. It says here that
your actual name is Eddie.
- Eddie?
- Oh.
When did that happen?
Wh Why didn't I know that?
I changed it, Paige.
I wanted a name with
some dignity and respect.
Not the name of a scared little boy.
- What's a moon cricket?
- No clue.
Uh, wow, that's one
of them OG slurs, man.
Back in the day, they used to
say that the slaves sang at night
like moon crickets.
Why is that funny?
You gotta laugh to
keep from crying, girl.
Some guy at the barbecue
place called us that.
What? That's awful. I'm
so sorry that happened.
Wait now. That may not be a bad thing.
My grandson just said they
called us moon crickets.
Which means the nigrescence is working.
Hey, you a Black man,
son. Come on over here.
- Shit, I guess.
- Ahh!
Ha!
Okay. All I need from
you is ten dollars,
your signature and some ID.
Now, that's a, here's $20.
- Great.
- Um
I don't have the ID,
but I do have a letter
from my parole officer,
and it says that I am, uh,
who I say I am.
Well, unfortunately in
this township in Alabama,
I can't release
this without photo ID.
Uh, it was good enough
to get on the plane.
I mean, but it's not
good enough for y'all?
I mean, come on, man. Come on.
There must be something you can do.
Sorry, there is a lot of
identity theft going around.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
I'm not an identity thief.
I am me, it says it right here.
This is my, this is my daughter
and this is my grandson.
- Sir, you need to calm down.
- I'm calm.
I need the birth
certificate to get the ID
so I can fix my daughter's roof.
- Come on, man.
- Sir. Sir.
I need you to come back
when you get the ID,
there are signs everywhere.
Here's the deal, Eddie.
Oh, stop. My name is Edwin Alexander.
Okay? And you need to have some respect!
I am trying to help you.
- You ain't done shit for me!
- Please. Please.
Mr. Alexander, I'm
trying to help you out.
Thank you.
Paige, I don't know what else to do.
I mean, why they let
me out if they go
if they gonna do me like this?
And I'm trying to help you.
I don't want you to worry about my roof.
Baby, it's my job to
worry about the roof!
And these motherfuckers,
they gonna block me,
they gonna block me,
they gonna block me every time.
No, it is not fair that
you don't get to help me,
but I'm okay.
We're okay because we're safe.
We don't have to run away
in the middle of the night
to escape the things that scare us.
That stops here with us.
I don't trust that therapy
shit but I trust you.
I trust you.
Let's go catch our flight.
Oh. Paige.
Yeah.
I told Cousin Bumpy we'd
be stopping by real quick.
Baby, it's been 20 years. I
should at least go see the man.
I have my TED Talk tomorrow
and Finn has school.
- I can miss school.
- No, you cannot.
But you should go. You should stay.
You know, it's cool. I trust you.
And I think you need
to see your cousin Bumpy.
Promise I'll get the first
thing smokin' tomorrow.
I know you will.
All right, Paige.
Everything I've ever done is for you.
Right or wrong.
I just hope you know that.
Yeah, I think I'm starting to see that.
- Also, I'm gonna text Mal.
- Oh.
Because I think that one of us
should try to be with someone nice.
You're right about that.
Can we bring soul food on the plane?
Yes.
Sick.
Nigrescence at work.
Get the man some soul food.
Would you like a side
order of hypertension?
Can I still get soul food?
So, sometimes we look at people
and we think that we see them.
But trauma is on the inside.
Trauma is like the rings inside a tree
where if you open us
up, you could say like,
oh, that's where the fire happened.
Or over there, that is
where the drought was.
And you don't ever really
get "past" your trauma
because your trauma is always inside you
just like that precious little
child is always inside of you
trying to work it through,
and they need you.
That work of hearing them,
that is what allows us
to carry our trauma forward
in a totally new way,
in a way that connects
us and doesn't separate us
from the people that we love.
Or even from really nice people
because everybody deserves nice people.
You deserve nice people.
Me, too.
I'm Bumpy.
Edwin.
It's just a car, right, nothing else?
Don't get pulled over.
Woo-hoo!