Rutherford Falls (2021) s01e10 Episode Script

1
This is dumb, right?
We think this is dumb.
I was your makeup artist for this.
So, that feels like a personal attack.
But honestly, you look great up there.
If you squint, it sorta looks
like I'm patting Wayne's butt.
Huh, that it does.
Okay, RSVPs are rolling
in for the groundbreaking.
I'm also ordering fancy
hors d'oeuvres from Costco.
It's mostly beef patties,
but I'm sticking toothpicks in them.
Reagan, I didn't cut Homeroom
to stand here and be ignored.
Ugh, sorry, it's just Josh's IG stories
are bordering on purposefully hurtful.
He's reheating pizza in a toaster oven.
I know, it's just, it
was kind of our thing.
This is sad and I won't be a
part of it.
I have had a rough
go, Josh was so great.
Yeah, until he threatened
to ruin Nathan's life.
That reminds me, we have some
new business
- that's also old business.
- Bobbie.
- Where is Nathan?
- I don't know,
but if he wants to
disappear for weeks on end,
- that's his choice.
- You guys looking
- for Nathan too?
- Where did you come from?
I am, she doesn't care.
I've called, I've texted,
I DM'ed, I've PM'ed.
I've been scanning his Venmo
transfers looking for clues.
Sometimes they wanna get caught.
Okay, sure, point is
he wants to be alone.
And he also was pretty stinky
to all of us before he peaced
outta here.
I still miss him
and his dumb winter sweaters
he wears year-round.
And the way he gets so excited
about something that you just
have to match his googly eyed
energy, but he's a grown man
and he needs to take care
of his crap on his own.
Nathan needs tough love.
- He also needs love, love.
- And where is he?
When I left, everything
I knew was behind me.
In front of me, an endless void.
Yep, it was a real "Dark
Night of the Soul" situation.
I was hurt, confused and pissed.
And that's when I realized
I needed road snacks.
It's amazing what a blood sugar spike
can do for your outlook.
That's when I decided to
baptize myself in America
and all of its rich culture.
World's largest pistachio?
Uh, yes, please.
Take in the sights, the sounds,
and the smells, make a fresh
start, reinvent myself.
And most importantly, figure
out where I came from.
Now, the idea of actually
seeking out my parents,
it's too much, I'm not ready for that,
but I think my Great Uncle Calbert
might be able to help me.
He moved away before I was born,
but he was always a great
confidant of my mother's.
Maybe he can shed some light
on why she did what she did.
Maybe he can tell me who I am.
Maybe here in Phoenix, I
can rise like a phoenix.
I just need your name.
Right, sorry, Nathan Rutherford,
here to see Calbert Randolph.
He was always kind of an
outcast in the family,
but maybe now that I'm an outcast too.
- Unit 17714.
- Great, thank you.
Wayne, Sally, put down that trash,
and get ready to pick up
a sack of opportunity.
Are you selling Mary Kay,
'cause I buy all my
makeup at the swap meet?
As you know, I'm on the precipice
of an exciting new venture,
and I need folks like you
to help me pull this off.
Reagan, please, I know you're
going through a bad breakup,
- but I'm married.
- What, no?
I want you both to work at the new
and improved Cultural Center.
Picture it, a home base for our people,
a cross roads for all
kinds of Minishonka life,
whether you've got your PhD
or you're still working toward
that GED,
help me create Minishonka Wakanda.
- No.
- No, man.
- Why the hell not?
- We can't be associated
with you. Yeah, people are saying
you're all braggy with that billboard.
But you're on that billboard.
But no one seems to take issue with it.
In fact, people have been
saying I'm inspirational.
You're like a role model now.
Wait, so you'd rather haul
wet garbage than work for me?
- Absolutely.
- No question.
Great Uncle Calbert, it's Nathan.
- Nathan?
- Yeah, we've never met.
Nathan Rutherford, my mom,
Elizabeth, was your niece.
Huh, I was pretty handsome back then.
Yeah, I'd say you were.
How you doing these days?
Ugh, everything kinda hurts.
Well, sure, I'm hurting too, in my soul.
Uncle Calbert, how would you
like to possibly save my soul?
All right.
Great.
Would you be open
to the Cultural Center
offering video poker?
- No.
- Not even in the bathrooms?
Sorry to bother, but
Gary Dupar just emailed
to say he won't be taking the position.
- What?
- Oh, okay.
Okay, Wayne and Sally were one thing,
but now it seems like no no one
will accept a job offer from me.
- Really?
- People have said
she's too taboo and is all
braggy with the billboard.
That sounds like crabs in a bucket.
- What, no?
- Wait,
I don't know that term.
Is this a Minishonka thing
or an old person thing?
Both, it's a metaphor.
When you gather crabs, you
never have to cover your bucket
because if one crap starts to climb up,
another will always pull them
back down.
And that's what we do to each other.
No one can ever get too successful
because then there's always
someone there to yank us back.
So, there's a name for
what I've been doing.
I'm a vicious little crab.
So, who's yanking Reagan?
- It's gotta be Rayann.
- You think?
She would hate seeing me on a
billboard.
Ugh, why do we still do this?
We should be supporting each other,
not tearing each other down.
There's an old saying,
we're all someone's crab.
Um no, not me.
You literally call me a
chilfer bland capitalism,
and you think my life's work is evil.
In the beginning, but I've
also helped you out a ton.
My point is, this is systemic.
I'm a crab to Randy Watson.
The security guard?
He's so nice, he always hands
out candy.
Well, he dated Renee in middle school,
and for that reason he
will never be promoted.
I've gotta confront Rayann.
- Will you talk to her for me?
- No, not my crab,
- not my bucket.
- I don't think it's Rayann.
At least, it's not just her.
"Boo, Reagan Wells, say no
"to the new Minishonka Cultural
Center."
There's a Facebook group?
It's up to 2,259 people.
Wow, they really hate you.
So, I don't know how well you
actually knew Ronnie D'Angelo,
but he's the guy that my mom was
It turns out he's my actual father.
Anyway, I'm just hoping maybe
you can fill in some blanks
on the family tree here.
Very good penmanship.
Thank you, did my mom
ever give you a window
into why she did what she did
and why she didn't tell us?
Why, the $64,000 question.
Why does the sun shine,
why do the birds poop?
- Why are we here?
- Wow, yeah.
Gosh, I guess people really
are one of the great mysteries, huh?
I've got my jacuzzi time soon.
Would you like to come and keep
talking?
Yeah, simmer in the
broth of ancient wisdom?
Count me in.
How can this many people hate me?
All I'm trying to do is protect
our history and culture.
But who chose you for this role?
There are people who know their
language,
who go to ceremonies, and
never get this opportunity.
To be clear, I'm just
reading the comments.
Well, tell me who these people are
and I'll try to hire them.
So they can work under
you, like you're a queen?
I'm also referring to the comments.
This will all just blow over, right?
Like if we just ignore it, it'll
go away.
Hmm, the new museum was supposed
to help convince the community
the casino expansion
would benefit the tribe.
This kinda bad publicity is serious.
I mean, they're selling merch.
Oh my, you bought those?
No, got it for free
because of my position in the
community.
Cool, you're not gonna shut down
the new Cultural Center, are you?
No, no, we're in too deep,
but I may have to consider my options
in regards to who will
run the Cultural Center.
What are my options, do I get options?
I deserve a chance to defend myself
and the good work we're doing here.
Set up a meeting, invite
the leaders of this group
and give me a chance to prove to them
that I'm still the right
person for this job.
Okay, prepare a speech
and I'll call the meeting.
But I can't promise you anything.
I know this hot tub is not
exactly state of the art,
but it sure beats a sink
shower in an RV's bathroom.
This is the most relaxed
I'd felt since I left home.
- In Rutherford Falls?
- Yeah, you know,
when I knew my past, or
I thought I knew my past,
I was at peace, I knew myself.
Without that, I don't even know
who I am.
Past as a young man's game.
When you get old, you realize
it doesn't matter much,
mostly because you forgot it all.
But the past is important.
I mean, history dictates the future.
Nonsense, someone did a
thing with someone else.
What difference
does it make now?
One day you'll be like me, 94,
cataracts, kidney stones
and a patchy groin.
Yep, kinda wish you hadn't told me that.
Here's what's important,
where are you now, who's nearby?
You're a nice boy, Nathan,
a little confused maybe,
but it's a nice life, enjoy the
right now.
Man, Great Uncle Calbert, you get it.
What, what do I get?
It, like everything, life, I find
that people either get it or
they don't,
and I'm kind of a tuning
fork for who falls
into which category.
- You, my friend, get it.
- There you are.
We've been looking for you.
Is this guy bothering you?
Oh no, I'm Nathan Rutherford.
This is my Great Uncle Calbert.
This man's name is Steven Condrake.
Steven, do you know this guy?
You see him too?
Thank God, I thought I was going
coo-coo.
But you said all those wise things.
God damn it.
Mary at the front gate gave
you the wrong unit number.
- She's very bad at her job.
- Yeah.
Your Great Uncle Calbert
is enjoying some recreation.
When's the last time that he spoke?
Well, he had a stroke in 2015.
- So, 2015.
- Mm.
We'll live a life of ease ♪
Seems kinda tough now ♪
- To say goodbye this way ♪
- Hey, Uncle Calbert.
But papa's gotta be rough now ♪
So that he can be sweet
to you another day ♪
Hey Duz, quick update.
Everything's going great.
And I'm super close to figuring out
who I am and where I belong.
I think I'm ready to
embrace my D'Angelo side.
Did you know Ronnie D'Angelo opened
a restaurant 20 years ago?
Yeah, I called and he no longer
owns it,
but maybe someone there can help me tap
into my D'Angeloness, so
that's where I'm headed.
Sir?
- Yeah.
- You cannot sleep here.
Yeah.
You're doing it again, sir.
Yeah, I know, I know, I know.
Sir.
- Ugh, okay.
- Let's go.
- Yeah, sorry, I'm good.
You got me.
This is gonna be good.
People love to talk shit
behind a computer screen,
but once you have to
look a person in the eye,
it's a whole other story.
Totally, you got this.
Hello and welcome.
- Where is everyone?
- Since this was
so last minute, the originators
of the Facebook group requested
a live digital meeting.
So far, we've got about 900 people.
You still got this.
I mean, not as much as
before, but you got this.
Ooh, 960.
What can I get you?
I'm not sure yet.
- Breakfast, lunch?
- Actually, sorry.
I have a question, I'm on kind
of a quest
to learn about my family.
The people on the wall,
are they all D'Angelos or?
Top row is, below that
as this thing we do,
the boot challenge.
They say that when the
first D'Angelo came over
from the old country, he was so hungry,
he ate three dinners in one night.
So, we make large pizza, three pounds
of spaghetti and meatballs,
three pounds of chicken parm,
you eat it in an hour, you're
an honorary D'Angelo for life
- and your meal's free.
- And your picture goes
- on the wall.
- Yeah, but if you don't,
it's a hundred bucks.
Between you and me, it's
kind of a messed up way
to trick people into doing
like--
- I'm gonna do it.
- Oh.
And we're live.
The history of indigenous people
is the greatest story never told.
Now, I know that a lot of
you are probably thinking,
well, who is she to run our
museum and exhibit that history?
Well, I'm a proud Minishonka woman
with two master's degrees,
one in museum studies,
the other in Russian
lit, total waste of time.
Anyway, this isn't about me.
This is about fostering
and protecting our culture.
And now, I would love to
take any of your questions.
SabersFan49 would like you
to count to 50 in Minishonka.
Okay, I admit I can't do that.
But what I can do is create a place
where our youth can
learn to count to 1,000
from fluent language speakers like him.
Ooh, that's a thumbs down.
Once again, Rick LeClaire
is asking permission
to practice speed skating in
the new museum parking lot.
- Sure.
- Okay, now a lotta people
- have a problem with that.
- Oh my God.
- MinishonkaDivaRayann wants
you to address the rumors
that you're snagging a snoopy
white nerd.
Ugh, we broke up, Rayann,
but who the hell are you to judge
when your daughter-in-law buys
sage from Urban Outfitters?
Okay, and SabersFan, everyone
knows that you stole money
from your auntie to buy that
four wheeler.
Let's take a break.
No, I'm seeing hearts and smileys.
She stopping the bleeding.
Keep going, drag them to
the bottom of the bucket,
you beautiful, bitchy crab.
Jackie George, you bought
your traditional outfit.
You didn't make it.
And Mark Francis,
you told everyone you were
going to Standing Rock,
but we all know you went to
Disney World.
And Cameron Jones, you're a vegan.
And all of that is okay.
Except for this sage
thing, that's messed up.
But what I mean is none of us
feel like we're enough, right?
And I know there are
better people for this job,
but I'm the one who got picked.
I really wanted to make
Minishonka Wakanda,
but no matter what, I'm
guaranteed to piss off someone,
because we're not a monolith,
and that's a good thing.
I just want all of us crabs
to get out of the bucket
because the bucket is the problem.
But until then, respectfully,
I'm gonna say (bleep) it,
and make what I make,
and hope that more of
you like it than don't,
because honestly, y'all
can keep on hating on me
and making claims that
I'm secretly Puerto Rican,
but I'm not going anywhere.
Also, I know that my mom is
watching this.
So, I apologize for the swearing.
Thank you so much for your time.
We're 50, 50 thumbs down and smileys.
Most people bailed to go
to the Slipknot concert.
I think we did it.
Ooh.
All right, got ourselves a boot boy.
You sure about this, sweetie?
I'm legally required to ask you that.
At this point, Tiffany,
it's the only thing
- in the world I am sure about.
- Yeah, buddy.
He's got two minutes
to take that last bite,
I think he's gonna do it.
Uh-oh, he's looking pretty sweaty.
Yes, you did it.
Oh, you did it, you're going
on the wall, oh my God.
- What's his name?
- I don't know.
My name is Nathan Collins Rutherford.
Nathan, where are you?
Hey, I'm somewhere in Nevada.
It's kind of a long story.
Cool, I hope I get to hear it sometime.
Yeah, well, a restaurant
is gonna hang a photo
- of me barfing my face off.
- Ooph.
You sure you want that on display?
I don't know, it's what really
happened.
I'm glad you called.
People are getting really worried.
People is me, I am people, I'm worried.
Hey, Reagan, there's something
that I really need to tell you.
I don't get it.
You don't get what?
It, you know, all of it
and any of it, anything.
I don't get it, I thought I
got it for so long in my life.
I thought I was one of
the people who get it,
and I don't get it.
And you tried to help
me, and I see that now.
And I'm really so sorry, Reagan.
I just wanted to tell you that.
- So, you still there or?
- Yeah.
It's so great to hear that,
and I love you for saying it.
But Nathan, this world is way too big
and messy and complicated
for us to ever think
that we could divide people into
one group
that's fully enlightened and another
that is stupid.
See, that's you getting it, you get it.
No, I don't think we get
it, I think we just are.
Hey, when are you coming home?
Home, I mean, I don't
have a job or a house.
I'm not even sure I have a family.
Nathan, you have a
family and the best friend
who really needs you.
Change is hard, even
when it's really good.
And frankly, this town
sucks without you in it.
Thanks, Reags, it just might
need to be that way for now.
I should go, I'm driving.
It's just so good to hear your voice.
Same, I'll be here.
Good luck out there.
I woke up this morning ♪
Didn't recognize the man in
the mirror ♪
Then I laughed and I said, oh
silly me ♪
What is the story of America?
Who gets to write
history, and once written,
why do we cling to it at our own peril?
These were the questions I
carried with me
as I stepped off that
train in Rutherford Falls.
Over the next seven episodes,
we'll explore how one small town
and a nearby native American
reservation
experienced a reckoning
500 years in the making
as members of the
Minishonka tribe struggled
to attain success, a hapless Roo--
- What?
- Representing a
once-revered Mayflower family fails
to prevent his own demise.
Welcome to an American powder keg,
the story of Nathan Rutherford.
Oh, shit.
Then I proceeded to brush
some stranger's teeth ♪
But they were my teeth,
and I was weightless ♪
Just quivering like some leaf ♪
Come in the window of a restroom ♪
I couldn't tell you what the
hell it was supposed to mean ♪
But it was a Monday, no, a Tuesday ♪
No, a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday ♪
Then Saturday came around and
I said ♪
Who's this stupid clown
blocking the bathroom sink? ♪