Twenties (2021) s01e07 Episode Script

1
- Previously, on "Twenties"
- What you
getting into tonight?
- You trying to link?
- No, I'm just curious
what you doing.
- I'll keep you posted.
- You do that.
- The audition was awful.
- You just have to go really
hard
and be super committed
to the craft.
You'll get there.
- I receive that.
- You know, you guys
are lucky to have her.
- You are preaching
to the choir.
- I'll be in touch.
- I basically told him
that if he wants
to work with me
he needs to earn it.
- What do you mean, you?
- I'm sure if he signs with
us, I'll be his day-to-day.
- Relax. I'm still your boss.
- For now.
[dramatic orchestral music]
- Here we see a Todd
in his natural habitat.
You can have a Todd sighting
anywhere
because Todds believe
they belong everywhere.
- The Todd species
is not to be confused
with a Michael or a Jeff.
- Jeff is such a nice guy.
- Jeff is mad cool.
- I dated a Jeff
once or twice.
- A Todd is a guy
who thinks
his mediocre ideas
are brilliant,
and he somehow manages
to convince other people
that his basic ass
is a genius.
♪
- A Todd is a guy
who walks into any room
like his ancestors
have owned it
for hundreds of years.
And, yeah, they probably have.
But that's not a good thing.
♪
- Todds take up so much space,
they don't leave no room
for the rest of us.
And we stay letting them
get away with this shit.
♪
Back in the day,
there used to be a law
that said you had to
step off the sidewalk
when you saw
a Todd walking by.
♪
- Good morning.
[slurping]
- Mm.
[slurping]
- Do you have to do that?
- Mmyep.
All the vitamins and nutrients
are at the bottom.
- All right, ladies.
I have to go to class.
- I gotta go to work.
- Yeah, me too.
- I'll wish you ladies
a Todd-free day.
[laughter]
["OMG" by Sampa the Great]
- Flow ♪
- Oh, my gosh ♪
- Where man go? ♪
- Oh, my gosh ♪
- If a man see me ♪
- Oh, my gosh ♪
- I guess you never know
what you got till it's ♪
- [inhales]
Improv is the key
to a happy life.
Because with improv,
you have to say, "Yes, and"
Now, you shouldn't just be
saying, "Yes, and" in here.
You should say it out there
as well.
Otherwise, you will end up
a divorced, middle-aged man
who lives in a studio apartment
and teaches acting
to a bunch of people
that don't
have that much potential.
- [man coughs]
- Now, everyone,
I want you to say "yes"
as loud as you can.
all: Yes!
- Yes!
- Good. And now, class,
you will tell our two actors
who they are
and what they're doing.
And actors,
you will say, "Yes, and"
Take your pick.
- Boyfriend and girlfriend.
- Yes! Good.
Uh, and now, where are they?
And let's give 'em
some detail to work with.
- A dark alley
during a zombie apocalypse.
- Good. Now
Begin scene.
- I can't believe
we're in a dark alley
during a zombie apocalypse.
- Here, lean on me.
I saw you twist your ankle
when we were running away.
- Oh, my God,
you're bleeding.
- Ahh!
Uh, yes, and when we
jumped out of the window,
I fell into some glass.
I'll be okay.
Everything will be okay.
- There's nothing we can't
get through together.
- You're right.
We got through that time
you called me by
your ex-girlfriend's name
during sex.
- [laughter]
We got through that time
you tried to set up
a surprise threesome.
[laughter]
The time you forgot
our anniversary.
- Wow. I'm an asshole.
- Yes. Yes, you are.
Can you hop away from me?
Because I don't wanna spend
my last moments on this Earth
near you.
[laughter]
- And, scene.
Class, this is what happens
when you say yes.
[applause]
- That was really good.
- Thank you.
- And
And now you gotta
get out of here
before my next class
comes in, okay?
Do it quickly.
Nia.
Youare so talented.
- Thank you.
- Yeah, you've really
grown a lot
since you've been
coming to class.
You're good.
- Do you think I'm good enough
to get an agent?
- Uh, sure.
- I'm, uh,
I'm a little nervous
about the showcase.
- [laughs]
Don't worry about that.
The big agents, they never come
to these things.
Only their assistants.
Yeah.
Don't worry about the audience,
you just dance
like nobody's watching.
You just get out there,
and you have fun.
You're good.
Enough.
See you next week.
- I wanna feel the joy,
the magic of it all ♪
Ooh, baby ♪
♪
[phone chimes]
[dramatic music]
♪
- Ben got the promotion.
Ben got the promotion.
- What are you thinking?
- I'm not good enough.
- I figured that's what
you were thinking.
Then why did you ask me?
- Because I want you to know
it's not true.
- Yes, it is.
- No. It just means
that you work at a place
that doesn't value
what you bring to the table.
- That doesn't make me
feel better.
- Well, it's not supposed to.
- It's your job
to make me feel better.
- No, it's my job
to tell you the truth.
And the truth is
This business isn't fair.
It was never meant to be.
This industry will always
be frustrating for us.
That's not gonna stop us
from pursuing our dreams.
- What if I quit?
- You're not gonna quit.
- Of course I'm not gonna quit
because I am not a quitter.
- Nope.
- I am a warrior.
- Damn right.
Don't do that.
- What?
- Acting like it doesn't hurt.
[somber music]
It's okay to be disappointed.
- [voice breaking]
I know that.
[sobs]
- I just wanna remind you.
- I know that.
- I know.
♪
♪
- To Ben!
all: To Ben!
To Ben!
["Wonder Woman" by Lion Babe]
- Go ♪
- Whoa, oh, whoa, oh ♪
- I'm feelin' funny ♪
Feelin' high ♪
They lookin' at me ♪
I don't mind ♪
Now it is easy ♪
To walk on by ♪
♪
I don't want what you got ♪
So you better move along ♪
♪
- How's the writing going?
- Not too well.
I just got a lot on my mind.
Kinda hard to focus.
- What you writing about?
- Love.
- No wonder you can't focus.
It's a little vague.
What kinda love?
- What do you mean?
- Is it about a romantic love?
A friendly love?
A familial love?
Or is it about
an unrequited love?
- Most of my love
has been unrequited.
- Ditto.
[both laugh]
So which one is it?
- I guess it's
a complicated love
where no one
really knows what they want.
Or they do know what they want,
but they're too scared
to say it.
So everybody
just goes through life
not saying anything and
spending all of eternity
with the wrong person.
- Ah, that's deep.
- I know.
- What's the love interest
like?
- Vintage Eartha Kitt.
- You think Eartha Kitt
would be into you?
- Hell yeah.
- Please.
Vintage Eartha Kitt would
chew you up and spit you out.
- And I would enjoy
every second of it.
[both laugh]
- What a nice surprise.
- Uh
- Hey.
This is Connor.
- Good to meet you.
[slapping hands]
- What's up?
- Cool, cool, cool.
- [clears throat]
- Hi. I'm Lorraine.
- I'm Idina.
- Yeah, she works here.
We don't know each other
like that.
- Well, it's nice to meet you.
I'll see you soon.
♪
- We don't know each other like
that?
- We don't.
- Bye, Hattie.
- What?
What did I do?
- I don't, I don't,
I don't need you ♪
I just,
I just want you ♪
Ooh ♪
- [sighs]
- I thought you said agents
didn't come to these things.
- I know.
I think they got forced to.
You know, for inclusion
or Me Too stuff.
You know how it is.
Let's just have fun. Don't
Don'tdon't blow this for me,
okay?
- Yeah.
- Um, I would just like
to thank our guests again
for coming.
You know, tonight, we're gonna
switch it up a little.
Your scene partner
will tell you who you are,
where you are,
and what you're doing.
Which one of you
wants to go first?
- We're co-workers
at an office supply store,
uh, stacking shelves.
- Okay.
- Okay.
- And you just got a new weave.
- Yes.
- And all she can talk about
is this new weave.
- Okay.
Andbegin scene.
- Hey, you look different.
I just can't put my finger
on what it is.
- What do you mean?
- Did you change your hair?
- Yes.
Apparently I got a weave.
[low whooshing]
- Jesus may have saved my soul,
but this weave saved my life.
[laughs] Like, yesterday,
I was sitting up in the house,
and my weave was like,
"Bitch."
And I was like, uh, uh,
yes, weave.
And my weave was like, "Bitch!
You better take that chicken
out the freezer for dinner."
- That was a good save,
because what were
your five kids gonna eat?
- And you know they all
have different daddies.
- DeMarcus, my favorite
of the baby daddies.
[laughter]
- Mine too!
Not only because he pays
his child support on time,
but he always gives me
that good D whenever I need it.
Ah-ha!
- Oh, wow.
[crowd clamoring]
- Do you think
I could ask your weave,
Marquesha, a question?
- Sure, but she only
talks to me.
- Weave, should I make love
to a black woman?
[laughter]
[whispering]
[both laughing]
- My weave said
you're not worthy
of being inside a black woman.
[laughter]
- And scene.
Yeah! All right.
[applause]
[somber piano music]
♪
[all breathing heavily]
- As you reflect
on your practice today,
remember how you are
on the mat
is how you are off the mat.
Everyone can't be good
at everything.
Maybe there are things
you should just let go of
because they aren't meant
for you.
Some of you will never
be good at inversions.
You can hardly do Child's Pose.
♪
Namaste.
♪
all: Namaste.
♪
- Really liked your class.
- I'm glad you enjoyed it.
- I see you got
the Oshun candle burning.
- What you know about
the Oshun candle?
- I know that it represents
beauty and sensuality.
My dad's Nigerian.
- Oh, I didn't know that.
- AhI just wanted to say
I'm not an Uncle Tom,
I'm just competitive.
- Nobody thinks
you're an Uncle Tom.
- I see how y'all look at me.
I'm always hanging around
my white boss,
and y'all feel some type of way
about my white girlfriend.
- Becky?
- Her name's Lauren.
- To be honest, I don't really
think of you at all.
- I think of you often.
- Is that right?
- Yeah.
I know you're getting back
into acting, and I wanna help.
- How are you gonna help me?
- I just got a promotion.
I wanna make some
quality black content.
- That's not what I've heard.
- I know I'm not Marie's
favorite person right now,
but I only pretended to like
the same shit as the white
boys to get promoted.
And now that I'm in
the room where it happens,
I'm gonna go Nat Turner
on they ass.
- So you shucked and jived
to get ahead?
- [laughs] Yes.
That's what
all the greats did
Flip Wilson,
Sammy Davis Junior,
Tyler Perry.
Give the white folks
what they need
till you're so rich
you can do whatever you want.
- Huh.
- Let's have a general meeting.
- But we already
know each other.
- So what?
And when a new VP
asks you to have
a general meeting,
you should say yes.
- Yes. Yes, I will.
- Wow, cool. Sweet.
I'm gonna go.
[light orchestral music]
- [exhales] And, scene.
♪
- Yo, guess who walked into
the coffee shop
with a Todd today.
both: Lorraine.
- Yup.
- And no one is surprised
by that.
- I still want y'all
to feel sorry for me, though.
- I'm tired of feeling
sorry for you.
- Wow.
Just for that,
I'm taking back
my "sorry you didn't
get promoted gift."
- It was a $10 gift card
to Radio Shack.
- You used to love Radio Shack.
- I can't believe Lorraine
would rather date a Todd
than be with you.
- That's my question.
- I hate Todds.
- Me too.
- And not all Todds are white.
- Speak on it.
- Ben is such a Todd.
- Ben's not that bad.
- Yes, he is.
He Todded his way
to that promotion.
- He a Uncle Todd.
[laughter]
♪
- What if for a whole day
we acted like Todds?
♪
What if you walked into every
room like you belonged there?
What if we took up space?
What if we made sure
our ideas were heard?
- I'm down.
- I ain't trying to get fired.
Shit.
[upbeat percussive music]
♪
- I want something new,
something fresh.
Give it to me.
- What if we had
a gay character?
- Oh, yeah.
Like a sassy, gay black dude
who everyone loves
'cause he's so funny.
[laughter]
Right?
- That's good!
♪
- Yeah ♪
Yeah ♪
Yeah ♪
Yeah ♪
Yeah ♪
Yeah ♪
[chatter, laughter]
- If you really wanna do
something new,
you should write a character
that's a queer black woman.
And, you know, just write her
like she's a person.
- We did the black lesbian
thing.
- Yeah.
- Her name was Donna,
and she had a lot of tattoos.
- Oh, yeah, I must've forgot
that she was a lesbian
'cause I never saw her
kissing a woman.
- She kissed her roommate
on the cheek once.
[laughter]
- What's your job description
again?
- To make your life easier.
- You're not doing that
right now.
[upbeat hip-hop music]
♪
- Whoa! What is wrong with you?
- Please, if Todd had lost
the promotion,
he would've blown your car up.
- Who the hell is Todd?
- Why didn't I get
the promotion?
- [sighs]
First of all,
it's not just my decision.
Okay, and secondly,
there are a lot of factors.
- Like what?
- It's all very political.
- Obviously,
because you're talking
but not saying anything.
- Okay, hold on, hold on.
Look, look, look, look,
if it were up to me,
you would've gotten the job,
all right?
- Don't lie to me.
- I'm not.
I can't.
I respect you too much.
- Then why did you promote him
instead of me?
- Because my colleagues
aren't afraid of him.
They see you as a threat.
- So Ben got the job
because he's not as good as me.
- Precisely.
- That's ridiculous.
- I know.
I totally understand
if you quit.
You deserve better than this
- Is that what you want?
You want me to leave?
- You know that I don't.
♪
- All right, class
to quote the patron saint
of entertainers,
Beyoncé,
what goes around
comes back around.
Nee, you will choose
who you both are,
where you are,
and what you're doing.
Actors have the stage.
- You're playing a white guy.
- What?
That's not a thing.
- You know, like a Ken doll,
Mitt Romney-type dude.
- Huh?
- You've just been invited
to your old black nanny's
cookout!
- Wait a minute,
I don't know about this.
- Uh, class,
what does he need to do?
all: Say yes.
- Say yes, boo.
- Now walk in.
Perfect, you look like
you have a stick up your ass.
[gasps] Oh, hello, Todd!
It's nice to see you.
Oh, boy. You shakin'.
- Yes, I
am a bit nervous.
- Right, 'cause you never
been around so many
black people before.
[laughter]
You are terrified.
- No, I have black friends.
- Oh, mm-hmm.
- [mouthing]
- Oh, Todd, honey.
I don't count.
I'm just your nanny.
I remember when you was
just a baby.
You had the cutest pink butt.
And it's still
as flat as a pancake.
[laughter]
You grew tall.
But you know what part of you
never grew?
Your little wee-wee.
- What?
- Ooh!
[laughter]
- Looks like you have a dish.
- Uh, yes, I brought
potato salad for the barbecue.
- That nasty stuff
your mama makes?
Ain't nobody want potato salad
with raisins and apples.
- Oh, well, I'm sorry.
I tried.
Yeah, you have a lovely pool.
Maybe we could go for a swim.
- I'll get my swimsuit.
- Oh, that's right.
You can't swim.
- Okay.
Well, you can't get wet,
'cause you'll come out
smelling like a wet dog.
- Ohh!
- You hear those sirens?
Did you call the police
on your old Opalene
and her black family
'cause they having
too much fun at the cookout?
- No, I would never do that.
- That's not a yes.
- Okay, yes,
I hear the police sirens,
but someone else
must have called them.
- Now why would they do that?
What's that sticking out
your backpack?
Is that an assault rifle?
Did I hold a mass murderer
to my bosom?
You was such a sweet boy.
[laughter]
- And, scene. Scene. Scene.
Huh?
[applause]
- You know, I feel like
this is reverse racism.
- I'm just trying to help you
build a character.
- That was bullshit.
- Yeah, it was.
- I said it with my chest ♪
And I don't care
who I offend ♪
Uh-huh, ha ♪
[breathing deeply]
[light piano music]
♪
- I wanna thank you all
for being here
and sharing your practice
with me today.
Everyone has a reason
for being here.
You could've made
a different choice.
You could've been anywhere
right now,
but you're here.
I want you to close your eyes.
What do you want to get
out of your practice today?
What do you want to get
out of life?
Breathe in and out.
And set your intention.
Open your eyes.
Now let's walk in our purpose.
["Dedication"
by Nipsey Hussle]
- Look, my [],
this is dedication ♪
This is anti-hesitation ♪
This a real []
celebration ♪
This a Dime Blocc
declaration ♪
59th and 5th Ave. ♪
Granny house
with vanilla wafers ♪
Hard work plus patience ♪
The sum of all my sacrifice,
I'm done waiting ♪
I'm done waiting, told you
that I wasn't playing ♪
- Oh, he gonna get it now,
get it, get it, get it now ♪
[upbeat hip-hop music]
♪