Doubting Thomas (2018) - full transcript

When a black baby is born to white parents, a family's life is torn apart as secrets are revealed, their love is tested and the legacy of racism in America hits home.

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♪♪♪

Fucking top flight police
work, motherfucker!

[sighing]

[Jen panting]

Fuck.

Oh.

-Is everything okay?
-Yeah, yeah.
Wa- wa- wait.

-Where is she? Where's she at?
-What happened to your face?

-Is baby okay?
-Yeah, yeah.
No, she's fine.

Baby's healthy.

All right? Calm down.



Everything is well. Look, um,
you just missed Bill and Kate.

-Where is she?
-They left.

Over there.

-First room?
-Yeah, the first room.

Tom. Wait, wait.

Yeah.

[man] Try again.

Nice, nice.

Hey! Is this the baby monitor?

Oh God, I still don't
know why we need that.

It's not like we're gonna
let him sleep in his
own bedroom, right?

Shh. Don't argue with
me about baby shit.

[laughing]

Ya know, that's
gonna be you soon.



All right, all right.

I certainly hope not.

Excuse me?

I fuckin' hate baseball.

[laughing and snorting]

I'm gonna go open this.

[Ron] That's a Buick.

-Right?
-I've never-

Hey, if it isn't the athlete.

Thanks for gracing us
with your presence.

Oh, apologies. On the
call with a client. It was...

Gentlemen, I'll keep this brief.

The Albright case is
the biggest one we've
had in quite a while.

High visibility and we're
gonna have to devote
a lot of resources.

Tom, I want you
to take the lead.

You seem to have developed
a rapport with their
general counsel already.

Ron, we need you on this, too.

We may have to pull you off of
the tower expansion project.

But we already know how
well you two work together.

Well, we-- we really
appreciate that, sir.

Save it. Go. Do your job.

-It's great to see you.
-Yes.

Presents!

Oh! Okay, thank you!
Okay, here we go.

-[singing] ♪Oh, my gosh!
-♪ It's a baby!

[laughs]

-I think she lied that.
-Mm-hm.

-Oh!
-[woman] The mustaches?

-So cute.
-That is so sweet.

Thanks, Ron. I love it.

Well, is the bachelor
comin' over for some
home cookin' tonight?

Jen already invited me.

Jen invited- It's-
Ron, it's Thursday.

It's a standin' invite I- I
get credit for that invitation.

[Ron] You know, she's goin'
real heavy on the spices lately.
Is that a pregnancy thing?

Yes, it is a pregnancy- Uh,
we got Lamaze tonight, by
the way, so I gotta leave early.

Maybe you skip out too, early
dinner, catch the game after.

-Well, shit, man.
You know what I can--
-Yo, what's up, guys?

-Hey.
-Hey.

Hey, is that, uh, the
intern? You kidding me?

Yeah. Walt.

Fucking Walt?

Ron, I didn't say you had to
be the guy's dad or anything.

I don't know, man.

I think he needs it, Tom.

We could play horse
or some shit, huh?

-No.
-I'm good.

-Thanks for the invite.
-Yeah, man.
You're welcome, man.

-It's gonna be good for you.
-Yeah!

[Ron] He's my best friend,
but I like to see him lose
every once in a while.

-How do you feel about that?
-[Walt] Feel good, man.
That's what I'm talkin' about.

Look, look, look...

-I know, I know.
-He plays ball, too.

-He does. He does- Hey.
-Just watch the elbow.

We can argue that they
bought up the property
debt not as a lender,

but to actually foreclose
on the properties.

[man on phone]
You're right, God damn it.

We might have something here.

This might be one
hell of an idea.

I totally agree. Hey, listen.

Let's end it right there and,
uh, I guess we'll continue when
I see you in person on Tuesday.

Thanks, Mike. And to
you too as well, Tom.

- Speak soon.
-Thank you.

Yes, Tom! Yes! Nice.

-Nice.
-Thank you, sir, for just
giving me the opportunity.

-I really, I appreciate
it. Thank you.
-Thank you.

Uh, I actually have
to run, if that's all right.

Uh, Lamaze class.

Huh.

[woman] All right. If
you want to just sit and
find a place to relax...

How are you, baby?
You good? Feelin' good?

[woman] We'll wait
a few more minutes.

We went a little heavy
on the paprika tonight, no?

-Did we?
-Mm-hm.

Mm, [tasting] I don't
think it's bad.

Hey, team.

Smells really good.
I am starving.

-There's the man. Hey.
-Hey, man. Hey.

Man. Hey, babe. Um,
God, I'm sorry.

I- I thought Alex was gonna
give you the message.

She did, uh, about
ten minutes into class.

-Oh.
-Uh, babe, I can't have
this kid on my own.

That's, that's not funny.

I actually think I'm gonna be
done with the Lamaze thing.

I get it. It's easy.

You're-- you're
just done with it.

Yeah, yeah. I'm ready.

Yep. The woman has spoken.
I think you should just...

'Kay. Well, I-- I'm just
not sure you understand
the repercussions

when I have to leave a lot of
people at work,

I mean, I made it to--
Ron would-- would
get what I'm talkin'-

-Are you really gonna come at
me about this? I said I'm sorry.
-No, no.

I'm not. It's not-- I'm sorry.

Okay.

-Salad.
-Yeah.

Thanks, brother.

Um, this looks awesome.

[sighing] My God,
I'm just worried

that Ron's gonna be that guy in
his fifties that's still single.

Boom.

-Yeah.
-Right? It's not bad.

[clearing her throat]

-Yeah.
-Thank you. Thank you.

No, R-- Ron'll find the right
woman, and he will settle down.

How do you know?

Because I did.

And I'm basically like
the white version of Ron,
and we're like the same...

Oh! Did you feel
that right there?

-Mm-hm. Yeah.
-He kicked, right?

Is-- Has he been kickin'
a lot, like, like more than
normal, has he been kicking?

[chucking]

Babe, it's almost ready.

'Kay.

-Babe?
-Yeah.

What's up?

Have you seen my phone?

-I have not seen your phone.
-Okay.

-It's probably in your car.
-Oh.

Do you wanna get it?

I do want to get it in a
couple minutes 'cause
this is almost ready.

Okay.

Mm.

-Oh, you are so good.
You are so good.
-Right?

Mm.

I'll be right back.

-You're gonna get it?
-I got it.

You- you can wait.
I-- I'll totally get it for ya.

-No. I've got it.
-All right.

That's my girl.

[glass breaking]

Hey!

Hey!

Thomas! Thomas!

[grunting] Wha-?
He, he took my purse!

Call the police.

Wait! Don't-- Wait, wait,
wait, wait, wait, no, no!

Stop!

Give me the fuckin' purse.

[grunting]

Hey!

-Hey, are you okay? Hey!
-Yeah, yeah. It's okay.

-It's okay.
-You're bleedin', man.

-I'm all right.
-Are you okay?

-Yeah.
-You need an ambulance
or somethin'?

No. No, thank you. We--
we-- we got it. We got it.

Baby! I got it!

[siren wailing]

Jen!

L.A.P.D.

Hey, Officer. Thank you.

Uh, false alarm. I'm-- I'm fine.

We got a forty-seven,
possible two-seven-three-D.

I'm fine. Uh, we got the guy.

It, uh, it was the purse.
We got the purse.

-Not pressing charges.
-You got some I.D., sir?

I do. I do. Right back there.
I'll-- I can explain.
There was a guy.

He--he took th--the purse.

Okay, why don't
you just take it easy
and show me some I.D.

No, no, no. You don't
understand. I have to go
to the hospital right now.

I-- Look, I'm a lawyer.
I know my rights.

I-- I have to go.
This is my home, all
right? I have to go.

-All right. All right.
Back it up.
-I'm having a baby, right now.

-My wife's having
a baby right now.
-Sit down and calm down.

We can do this the
easy way, sir, or we
can do it the hard way.

-You tell me.
-Okay, let's make it easy.
Let's make it real easy.

I.D.?

-[Jen pushing and panting]
-[midwife] One more!

Oh.

-Is everything okay?
-Yeah, yeah.
Wa-- wa-- wait.

-Where is she?
Where's she at?
-What happened to your face?

-Is baby okay?
-Yeah, yeah.
No, she's fine.

Baby's healthy.
All right? Calm down.

Everything is well.
Look, um, you just
missed Bill and Kate.

-They left.
-Where is she?

Over there.

-First room?
-Yeah, the first room
on your right.

Tom, wait, wait.

-Thank you.
-Yeah.

Are you okay?

Yeah, I'm okay.
Are you okay?

I-- I'm fine, I'm fine.

-I told you not to go, but...
-I'm fine. I'm fine.

Uh,

Liam?

-He's okay.
-[laughing]

-Oh, my God. Um...
-They're gonna bring
him by in a second.

I'm so sorry.

-I can't believe I'm so--
-Hey, it's okay.

No, it's not. I-- I-- I wasn't
here, and I-- I-- I missed it.

[Jen chuckling]

What? Are, are you sure
you're okay? Is-- is, its...?

I'm okay, honey. I'm okay.

Liam is okay.

But there's something
I need to tell you.

What?

He's...

-What?
-[nurse] Here's Mommy!

Uh...

Um,

I don't... uh, I don't
think this one's
ours, right? Because...

Tom...

He's adorable.

But he's probably, I think
maybe the... Is it another room
that he might have been...

[Jen] No, Tom.
He's ours. He's ours.

Oh, no, no. Uh, just look. See.

He can't... Um.

Wha-- uh.

I want to see my boy.
Where's, where's Liam?

Tom, that is Liam.

That's the baby they
took out of me. That's,
that's the one that...

[sighing] He's ours.

He's our little Liam.

Tom.

Tom.

He's your son.

[Liam crying]

It's so hard to just let
him sleep, you know?

Tom.

He can only be
yours, you know?

I need you to know that.

Do you understand
what I'm saying?

I need you to understand
that he's yours.

Yes.

Yeah.

Do you remember our first date?

You don't count Runyon Canyon.

You're the only one who
counts Runyon Canyon.

I mean our first official date.

Do you remember
what you told me?

That you were beautiful?

[sighing]

I don't know, I told
you a lot of stuff.

Um,

about my dad.

Yeah, that-- that was a lot.

I fell in love
with you that day.

I wish he could be here, Tom.

Your grandparents, too.

I'm saying,

Tom, I'm saying that I know

that the only family
you have is the one that
we're starting right now.

And I know that it may
not look exactly like--
like you pictured.

But it is your family.

But I want you to
be sure, so, um...

'Kay.

But [chuckling], what?

Test.

If you want one, I'll get one.

Like a, like a paternity
test, like, to prove...

Yeah, the doctor said
he could give us one, so.

I mean, I don't understand
the genetics behind this.

But I mean, I think it's rare,
and, um, one of us might...

Like one of us could
have a black ancestor.

-Or like a recessive
gene or, or-- right?
-Yeah.

Yeah... Exactly.

I mean,

it's crazy, right?
It's crazy. I just don't...

I don't know, I don't, I...

How well do you really know
your mom's side of the family?

I know my mom,

knew my mom well
enough to know that she--

It's, uh, it's hard to imagine.

Yeah.

When my dad got sick

and my mom just

left,

I didn't think I'd trust
another woman ever again.

And I didn't.

I don't go to church.

You are my faith,

and if I can't believe you,
I can't believe anything. So,

I don't need a test.

I know he's ours.

'Kay.

He's just a...

-He's a miracle, right?
-[laughing] Yeah.

[crying]

[photographer] Ah! You're
killin' me, man! [laughing] Sir.

Yes?

Ah, the picture.

What picture?

Megan's all over me to get
a picture of the baby, and

I'm trying to get all
over Megan, so if
you could help me out.

Oh! Yeah, I know. I forgot.

-Cool.
-Yeah.

I'm startin' to think
this baby doesn't exist.

It's just like a sympathy--
ploy or somethin'.

Do we really need
a picture for that?

I mean, can't we just
do the whole

proud-to-announce-eight-and-a-ha
lf pounds deal?

-Yes, of course.
-Good.

-With a picture, so I
can go out with Megan.
-What?

Look, if you want, I can make it
easy, and I can track down that
announcement Ted Dinsmore sent

everyone, uh, use it as
a template, you know.

Obviously without the DePaul
Blue Demons theme 'cause,

uh, we all know that
Megan will go out
with me if I just chip away.

-Not your problem.
-[Jen] How are you?

Yeah, hey. Uh, will
you send me an email
with--with the baby picture?

- Sure, yeah, I can do that.
-[Alex] Albright on line two.

-I-- I gotta go.
- How're ya doing?

-I love you.
- Love you, too.

Hello, Jim!

Uh, your jumper's
lookin' better, man.

I still don't know how
a black man in America
makes it to his thirties

without touching
a basketball.
I just don't get that.

Gettin' your head
in the books, man.

Academic scholarship.
You should know about that.

And you see this shit right
here? I just use this as a
leisure pastime, like skiing,

like golfing. Like lawn
bowling, you know?

Oh, God, please. Just never
talk like that on the basketball
court again, please.

Just for me, for your safety.

Don't... Uh, speakin' of
leisure, right? Are you goin' to
this party, uh, Mike's thing?

Yeah, nah. I don't think
we can afford to miss that.

Fuck! Give me the fuckin' ball.

Uh, I think I'm fuckin' up
the Albright case, man.

Talk to me.

There's a senior creditor
with a legit judgment.

-What!
-Yeah.

-How much?
-You don't wanna know, man.

-It's a lot.
-No! T-- T-- Tom! How much?

It's two-point-eight.

Million? Oh, my fuckin' God!

It's a cluster-fuck, Ron.
I-- I don't know, what to do.

I-- I-- I can't find a way
around. Not on this one.

I can't.

All right. You know what?
Um, I think I can work it.

Yeah, I'm pretty deep into this.

And this is somethin'
that I think that you and
I sure can't afford to fail,

all right? And we shoulda
been had this in a while ago.

-That's what I'm sayin'.
-Yeah.

-All right?
-Play me one-on-one.

One game, come on.

-Naw.
-Okay, you check out.
You-- you get ball.

-You get ball. Check the ball.
-Man. I'm cool, man.

Look, you--you're too
aggro, you're too
aggro for me right now.

-I'm just gettin' warmed up.
-I'm not trying to
fuck with that shit, man.

-Look, man. You gotta get
your head on straight.
-To seven.

-Let's go.
-No!

-Let's go! Check the ball, Ron.
-Okay? No. I'll see
you at the party!

-Give me--just play to,
like, three! Will you-
-No!

-See ya at the party, buddy.
-Come on, Ron!

[general chatter]

-[Jen] Hi!
-]woman] Hi! You look great.

[Jen] Thank you. You,
too. It's good to see you.

[woman] It's good
to see you, too.

Hi love.

Thank you for doin' this.

Of course!

No, I know it's our
first time leavin' him.

I just, I gotta make
an appearance.

Let 'em know I'm not
gonna be slacking.

Yeah, I know I have
to be here. And I'm here.

-Let's do this!
-Let's do it.

'Kay.

Oh, my God. He's relentless.

[laughing]

-Some wine? Okay.
-Yeah.

[gasping] Oh, my
God. He's so cute.

That is so big of
you guys to adopt.

I mean, I really think more
people should be adopting.

I mean, truly, such a
generous act from you guys.

Uh, no, no.
He's--he's ours.

Like, um, Tom and I
are his biological parents.

Um, apparently there's been
a recessive gene floating
around in one of our families.

[laughing]

Oh, my God, I'm so sorry.

-I didn't mean to say...
-No-- no-- no, it's okay.

I think we're getting used
to people's confusion.

[woman] That's so weird.

-I've never heard
of such a thing.
-Yeah, it's very surprising.

It's rare, but it happens
more often that you...

You know, I read a statistic
the other day about
the number of babies

that get switched
in the hospital, and
it's alarmingly high.

I was shocked! It's something
like seven percent.

I'm gonna go get us
somethin' to drink.

-Yeah, I need somethin'.
-Thank you.
All right. I got you.

[sighing]

I can play, like, any ethnicity.

[laughing]

I'm German, French,
English, Irish, Cherokee
and African American.

-Yeah!
-Excuse me, guys.

I'm Cherokee.

-Really?
-Well, I really, I never
would have had any idea.

[woman] Oh, my God...

If I have to explain my child
to one more white woman
who thinks that she's entitled

to reparations because she's
one-sixteenth Cherokee,
I'm gonna fuckin' lose my shit.

Yeah, so you give them
your DNA and they do
all the tracing for you.

-Hm.
-And apparently, apparently
every person in the world,

in the world, can
be traced back to a
single source in Africa.

[chucking] Africa.

-You have a beautiful family.
-No. Oh, no-- no-- no.

-Um, I'm actually---
-His father's
right over there.

Wait, what?

My friend Eva just got the most
beautiful baby girl from Malawi.

Where's yours from?

My uterus.

-[chuckling]
-Uh, babe?

-Yeah!
-Can we talk a second?

Yeah. People are unbelievable.

I mean, I'm just gonna
stop showing the pictures.

No. You can't do that.

You can't let other people's
ignorance stop us
from celebrating our son.

I'm sorry, but it's not my
responsibility to teach
a racial-genetics seminar.

I'm not saying it's your-- Wait,
what did they say? Did some--?

If anybody says anything
to you you don't like
about our kid, you tell me.

No. It's fine. It's fine!
It's fine. Can we just go?

I have to stay.

There's some people
Mike needs me to meet,
and I-- I have to stay.

It's gonna be weird
if you leave now.

Could ya just--
maybe another hour.

Another hour? Yeah,
I think that it will be
okay if you leave.

People should understand
that because you have
a fucking newborn.

I know that, Jen.

I just, I need them to see how
dedicated I am. I have to-

Hey! All right, you know
what, guys? It's getting late.

I gotta go.

I wanna wake up in
the morning for work.

Got a lot to do and so do you.

All right? So, you
get some sleep,
all right, Jen? All right.

You know what? Actually, can
you walk me to my car?

-Absolutely.
-I think I'm gonna go.

-Well, uh, I'll see you at home.
-Okay. See ya there.

All right.

-Get some rest.
-You too.

T--Money!

Hey, Graham. How are ya?

You know, it's funny. I've met
Jen like nine, ten times.

I had no idea she was black.

Is that weird? I mean
it makes total sense
now when I look at her.

But it's like, whoa, okay.

I think it's cool,
though, man. Interracial
girls are so fucking

beautiful, right? Obviously, I'm
preaching to the choir here.

I don't know, is that-- Like
is it weird for you to have,
like, a baby that doesn't look

-anything like you?
-Yeah, I-- I got a-- a lotta...

Yeah! Totally. Okay, um,

also, uh,

some of the paralegals
were, like, starting
to gossip and stuff.

And I just want you to
know I put a stop to it.

So. I think when
they saw the firmwide,
they kinda freaked out.

I think some people just
need help, like, catchin' up
with the times or whatever.

But, um, anyway, I'm
happy for you, dude.

Uh, I'll see ya.

Ron, you gotta be kidding me!
I'm just-- will you please
get on that call for me?

-I can't!
-[Ron] All right,
I'll try, Tom. I'll try.

I-- I'm tellin' you...

Did you see his email?

I--I never got
an email from him.

- I gotta go.
-Wait--

Ronald, let me know,
uh, about, about that.

[Mike] Tom, you're supposed
to be my point man!

- I'm still waiting on last
week's order of evidence.
-[Tom] Yes, sir...absolutely.

[call ending]

God, I'm-- I'm so sorry
I couldn't be in there with ya.

I just, I had to take
that-- that call.

I just, I couldn't... [sighing]

-It's okay.
-[Liam crying]

But he agrees with the
midwife? He's doin' good?

Yeah, that's what
the doctor says.

Did he happen to say anything
more about, uh---

-[cell phone ringing]
-God damn it! Fuck.

Please try not to
curse around him.

You serious? I thought
he wasn't pickin' anything
up yet, ya know?

Try to get my fill in
while I still can, ya know?

Sorry. You--
you're right. Totally.

Shouldn't be cursin'
around him.

Uh, you're doin' it.

Yeah, I've given up trying to
give it up. It's part of me.

Hey.

Hey.

Why is your wife not
returnin' my calls?

What?

I got a gift for the little guy,

and I wanted to come
by and give it to him.

Damn, you look good.

-What are those,
new cuff links?
-No.

You know, sometimes
I think I look good.

I come to work, I see you,
I think why'd I even try.

[laughing] You'll
never learn, I guess.

You do know that it's
casual Friday, right?

Well, if I tried getting
into this building
dressed just casual,

I'd be mistaken for the
mailroom guy, the
courier, or something.

Okay, is that just something
you think? Or has that
actually happened?

I don't give them a
chance. That's the point.

There are two black guys in
this building, and one of them
is emptying wastebaskets.

What?

Nothing.

What's the edge about?

What edge? What?

Tom, I've known
you for ten years.

[sighing] Okay, uh.

Well, I'm on, like, an
hour of sleep, Ron.

And, and Albright
is--is all over me.

Uh, uh, and Graham is
congratulating me for--
for banging a black woman.

Wh--what?

The idea, I guess, is that
Jen must be black because
I am, just, super white.

-Oh.
-Yeah.

Right.

Um, no, Ron, the-- the--

the main thing
though is just, uh,

at home, it's-- it's,
um, it's...

It's an adjustment.

Take it easy on yourself.

Go easy on Jen.

Okay, and look, if anyone can
handle it, the two of you can.

And look, Graham?
That's just Graham being
Graham, all right? Fuck him.

[chuckling]

I need your note
on the Albright case?

Gotta get that to New York.

You got it.

All right.

[Tom] My man.

♪ Got to be good I can see my baby when I leave ♪

[Jen] Babe, what
are you singing?

It's Pearl Jam.

You know that.

You know that song
is about a car crash and
someone dying, right?

I like it. It has the word
"baby" in it, a lot.

Uh, if you think he's just into
hip hop, that's kinda racist.

[chuckling]

Here.

Let's go, let's go.

Let's go.

-[Tom] It's okay, it's okay.
-[Jen] I can take him.

-No, hey, listen.
I wanted to...
-Uh, no.

It's okay.

Thanks again for--for
getting Kate to babysit.

-That was...
-Oh, that's okay.

You know how excited she
is about being a grandma.

-Yeah.
-Yeah.

That's better.

That's better, huh? Mm-hm.

Uh...

Oh. It's okay. It's okay.

Hey.

-It's time for bed.
-Uh, I--

I can take care of him.

-I-- I can't sleep anyways.
-No, me neither.

Well, then, maybe you and
I could have some time,

just the two of us, without the
little guy, and maybe think
about making another little guy.

[exhales] Um, Tom,
[clearing her throat] you
know I'm pretty sore, right?

Uh, yeah.

Think it could be
a couple weeks.

You're right.
We should probably just
fool around or something.

Tom, I feel really gross.

You know? I'm
just not, I don't...

-It's fine. No,
I'm sorry. It's fine.
-Okay.

Hey, just-- just give me a kiss.

That's all I need.

No, I'm just saying that he was
the one who wanted to meet for
lunch, so he could've texted.

Well, he's point person
on the biggest case
the firm's had in years.

You're lucky he
comes home at night.

Don't make excuses for him.

[man] And as you should know...

What's up, bro? How ya doin'?

I'm really good.

-Hey, how's it goin', Tiffany?
-Oh, it's Jen.

Have a good lunch.

You, too.

Uh, great seeing you.

What the hell did she just say?

I don't know.

Can't imagine why
you, uh, dumped her!

Oh, it was, it was
the other way around.

-What? Tom said it was you.
-Yeah, that's
what I told Tom.

-What?
-Oh, I just... I think
you can do better.

Yeah, I mean, you always
say that, but whenever I...

I mean, do you wanna
settle down? Like, you've
been more involved with...

I don't know.

I just don't get it.

Look. I'm tryin', Jen.

Okay, but most women out here
are not as glamorous as you.

I mean, you set
the bar kinda high.

Seriously.

Stop.

[laughing]

[hip hop music
playing on radio]

Three chicken tacos,
hold the onions.

One cheese quesadilla
with guac on the side.
And two waters, please.

-[Liam crying]
-[Jen] Hey.

-You want something to drink?
-[man] You, by the way, you
guys have a beautiful family.

-Oh...
-Thank you. Thank you.

Kinda weird, right? I mean,
is that something that you
gotta constantly think of, um-

Come here, little boy.

-Oh!
-Ooh.

Is that something that
you're gonna think of, um,
somebody's always talkin' about,

and makes you think that...

Yeah, oh, well, fuck
'em, ya know?

-Yeah.
-Right?

You know what? On that note,

are you gonna tell me
what it's like bein' a
mom? What's goin' on?

-Is it that obvious?
-Hey, big boy.

Uh, hi.

Hm?

I mean, I just-- I don't know
if we can raise a kid, period?

But I really don't know if
we can raise a black kid.

Why not?

Because it's different.

How?

[man] Order up.

I wanted to talk. I didn't want
to get cross-examined.

I'm... Are you just waiting for
me to say something racist?

Look, I'm sorry.

No, I just,

I can't-- I'm having
a really hard time
talking to Tom about this.

And I, um, and I don't really
know how to start with my
parents, so I've just been...

You can talk to me.
You can talk to me.

[man] Order up.

-Okay?
-Oh, sorry.

Got some Cheeto.

Hm.

"Stuck at work. So sorry."

-I-- I can't believe him.
-[man] Order up.

-I'm gonna take
this to go, okay?
-Yeah.

-Here you go.
-Thanks. Hey.

-All right.
-It's okay.

It's all right. Okay.

Here... Ron...

You need some help?

Look, um, I bought
a gift for Liam.

Can I bring it by tonight?

Course. I'll be around. See ya.

Hey.

How's-- how's this?

Uh, the cases they rely
on are hardly dispositive.

Just gotta check out the,
uh, ninety-four Ninth
Circuit case with, uh...

Marcalough--
Marcalough Equity Partners.

Oh.

[sighing]

What?

I like you, Tom.
[clearing his throat]

I've always liked you.

And, um, it's kinda
why this is difficult for me.

Um, I saw something, and you
know, I don't even know if I
should come to you with this,

or if I should just
keep this to myself.
It's not really my business.

But then I was thinking,
you know, if the shoe
was on the other foot,

-what would I want
you to do? Right?
-Mm-hm.

Because I believe in The Golden
Rule, you know, "Do unto others
as you would have them do..."

-I know what
The Golden Rule is.
-Right.

You know what The Golden
Rule is. Okay. Um...

This makes me sick.

I'm sick for you,
Tom, right now.

I'm just-- I don't
wanna say this.

What is it, Graham?

[sighing]

-I was at lunch, and I saw
your wife and Ron, and...
-I know.

Yeah, well, I know that
they went to lunch together.

I was going to meet them
and I got stuck here.

-So, it's, it's really...
-Yeah, uh, I don't think so.

-Man, they were,
uh, they were...
-They were what, Graham?

He was holding her hand.

But it was the way he
was holding her hand.

And then they kissed.

On the mouth.

Why don't you mind
your own fuckin' business
and get back to work?

[laughing] Oh, yeah.

Ah. What up, Big Daddy?

Big Daddy.

You never called me that
once before Liam came along.

Where's Jen?

Outside on the deck.

Ah. That one of
your lady friends?

Oh, you know me all too well.

Yes, I do.

What I love is how, you
know, you like 'em all
shapes and sizes, colors.

Yeah. No, you know what?
I'm good. I'm-- I'm actually
goin' somewhere.

No, no, no.

You-- you gotta have
a beer with me, man.
A man always has time

for a cold one with
his best friend, right?
That's the American dream.

You come home from
work after a long hard
day, to your wife and kid.

And, your best friend.

-Take it. Go ahead.
-C'mon. Oh, no, no, no.

No! Come on,
calm down! Hey, Tom!

You just in the
neighborhood, stoppin' by?
How was lunch today?

Uh, lunch was fine.

Jen invited me over so,
after work, so I could
drop off the gift.

-Hm.
-I think you'll approve.

I'm sure I will.

I'm sure I will.

God! Black kid.

Huh!

I got a black son, Ron. Me!

I did not see that
one comin', Ron.

No, I don't think anyone did.

No, [laughing] I don't
think anyone did.

Hey, you know what, man?
I never really thanked you.

You know, for--
for-- for takin' over.

You know, when
Jen had the baby,

[sighing] you see, it meant
a lot to me, brother.

I gotta ask you somethin', man.

Jen, she-- she offered
to give me a test, like a,

you know, like a paternity test?

To prove that I am the father.

You think I should do that?

You're a grown man.

-Do whatever the hell you want.
-Oh, no. You gotta give
me some advice, man.

I need some advice.
I need some help.
Tell me what to do.

Slow down, Thomas.

That right there,

that is my itinerary
for the Frankfurt trip.
Do you remember that trip?

Hm? No, you probably don't.

Uh, you didn't go on that trip.

I went, and you--
you stayed here.

It was about, uh,
nine months ago.

Is there something you
want to say to me, Tom?

I'm gonna ask you
the same thing.

Okay! Okay.

I'll talk to you later,
Mom. Love ya. Bye.

What's going on?

Where ya goin', man?

You're not going
to finish your beer?

Don't ya want to say goodbye
to Jennif-- Don't you want to
say good bye to my wife?

What the fuck
was Ron doin' here?

What?

I said, what the fuck
was Ron doing here?

He was bringing a
present for our child.

Our child, right.

You know, I think, um, I think
maybe I do want that test.

Can you blame me?

Well, you said that you
believed me, that you
knew that he was yours.

Hm.

Well, I guess I wasn't as
strong as I thought I was.

And you can stop. You
were never really gonna
give me the test, right?

I mean, I'm-- I'm just,
I'm just calling your bluff.

This isn't a poker game, Tom.

This is a child
who needs a father.

Well, a man needs to know.

Yeah, a man does, doesn't he?

-This is not fair. This...
-No, it's not.

I don't want a black kid.

Then you don't have one.

[Jen] Yeah.

It's better. Mm-hm.

What are we gonna do with Tom?

What are we
gonna do with him?

Tom, come in.

What are you doing here?

I asked him to come.

Why?

Well, we need to talk.

[scoffing]

I have something to say, and
everybody needs to sit down!

What is it, Mom?

There's one little fact that
was never really important,
and it still really isn't.

But I think it might help.

And so, Jen,

Bill is your father in every
single way except...

Uh, Katie!

-We don't need to talk. Don't
make this harder than it is!
-Yes, absolutely.

-We need to talk.
-No!

What is going on?

Bill is not your
biological father.

How dare you? [sighing]

What are you talking about?

Um, could I have a
word with you, please?

-[Kate] Don't make
this harder than it is!
-You don't have to do this.

Shut, up, Tom! Let her talk!

There was a man named Rogers
Parker, and the only reason
that any of this is important

is because he just happens
to have been a black man.

And he died
before you were born.

And I didn't want to bring you
into the world without a father.

And I never cheated
on your father, Bill.

I love you, Bill.

And he never asked
any questions, and
he never looked back,

and he loves you
more than anything.

But Rogers,

but you are Rogers' daughter.

Dad, did you know?

No.

No!

I did not know he was black.

So you knew that you weren't
my biological father?

So how come I'm not black?

Technically speaking, that
makes you half African American.

No, I'm not.

Why are you saying this?

So you knew where he came from.

I know where he came from.

-He came from his father.
-[Bill] Jeni...

His father's sitting
right there. That's
all I need to know.

You have every reason
to be upset. Just...

My dad's not my dad,
and I'm black.

Is there anything else?

Can we just discuss
this as a family?

And what do you expect me
to say? [chuckling] I'm leaving.

I'm going,

we're going home.

Jeni, Jeni, Jeni.

Don't come home.

What was his name?

Rogers Parker.

-Rogers, with an "s".
-Yes.

How did he die?

An accident.

Do you know his family?

Where's he from?

Los Angeles.

I'm very worried about
my daughter right now.

Me, too.

[door opening]

[door closing]

Katie.

Katie!

You had no right to do that.

-Absolutely no right.
-You think it's selfish?

You think I wanted to tell
them, or you, or anyone?

No! I think you wanted
to keep it a secret.

-From me, and from everyone!
-You're damn right I
wanted to keep it a secret.

I was protecting my daughter!

But he wasn't a black guy.

That's not what you said.
You said he was a guy
you met at school, that he-

he was trying to
start a business.

He was starting a business,
and he was black.

So if Jennifer had been born
black, that's how you would
have told me he was a black guy?

Well, then you would've
known, wouldn't you?

I slept with a black
man. I loved him.

If you had known, you
would've run for the hills.

-It doesn't make any difference.
But to you, it does.
-What?

How do you know this?

It's m-- Nice, nice.

It's my fault now?
It's my-- I-- I--I-- because
I'm, what, some kind of racist?

Tell me I'm wrong.

Tell me you wouldn't have left.

If you want to stay
on the couch, you can
stay there. Exclusively.

And do not talk to me
unless I talk to you first.

[knocking]

I just IM'ed you those addresses
in southwest LA you requested?

Is this like a pro
bono thing or...?

Yeah.

Well, thank you.
Thank you, Alex.

[soft knocking on door]

I just need to get
some clothes, okay?

I was wrong, and I am
sorry, but you have to...

Don't!

I can only imagine how curious
you must be about this man.

What man?

You...

y-- your father.

Bill is my father,

in every way that matters.

He loved me. He raised me.

He is my dad.

And Mom will tell me
about Mr. Rogers if I
wanna know about him.

Mr. Parker. His name
was Rogers Parker.

I know!

You know, I don't feel much
different now that I'm black.

Do you feel different that--
now that you know I'm black?

I mean, how could
you ask me that?

Well, I figure, you know,

you didn't want a black kid,

so having a black wife
probably isn't necessarily
very high on your list, either.

Okay, that was a
terrible thing that I said.

I said I was gonna be the best
dad ever, and you said you
were gonna be the best mom.

And as soon as you let me
back on this team, that is
exactly what we are gonna be.

Tom, I didn't say I was
gonna be the best mother.

You said that.

I didn't become a mother
so that I could be the best.

I became a mother

because you wanted a family,
and I love you that much.

Okay, so-- so it's--
I forced you into having
a kid. Is that...?

[sighing]

C-- Can we just stop
pretending for a second
that I'm the only one

that has any kind of problem
with the fact that our-- our kid

looks nothing like
either one of us?

I don't have a problem with it!

[Liam crying]

I have a problem with the
fact that my husband thinks
that I fucked his best friend.

That my husband
doesn't want our own kid.

I have a problem with the fact

that the first time any kind
of challenge comes up in our
family, you're ready to bail.

That is my problem, Tom.

I don't trust you.

[crying]

I still want to.

I still want to.

[Tom crying] I'm so sorry.

You can. You can.
You can trust me.

-You can trust me.
-It's okay.

You can trust me.

-Oh, man.
-It's okay, Tom.

He, uh, he-- he has
a sister in Baldwin Hills.

Who?

Rogers. He-- he has a sister,

right here in L.A., and-- and I
found her. We can meet her.

Why?

Why? Because we should
know about, you know, about
our--our--our son's grandfather.

And, you know, he-- he should.

And--and we should,
I mean, we need to know.

How long have you had
to find out something,

anything about your own mother?

Why don't you
try starting there,

instead of coming at me
about something that I've known
about for two fucking days?

Okay, this is not...

He already has a grandfather,
and I already have a father.

Right. And I'm not
asking you to give him
up. I'm just saying...

My mom's been dead
to me for a very long
time, and you know that.

We have more family,
and they're alive,
and they're right here.

You just want to get
the facts so you can
corroborate Mom's story.

What? My God, this is not--

That's not true.

-Thomas.
-That-- that's not it.

That's not it.

[Jen sighing]

-You can't even
admit it to yourself.
-Stop. Just...

I know you better than you do.

You are your own worst enemy.

[scoffing] All we know
about this guy, this-- this man,
is that he was black, right?

Don't-- don't you wanna
define him any more than that?

I need to define us.

And I thought I already had.

Ready to have a day with Daddy?

-What are you doing?
-I'm going to work.

-Right, you work
at home. What...?
-I'm gonna go see a client.

-Well.
-[Liam crying]

-But what about Liam?
-Oh, I'm glad you asked.

Since he's your kid again now,
why don't you take care of him?

-Wha-- where do you do that
in Los Angeles?
-[Megan] There are a few rinks.

-What, are you
Canadian or something?
-No, I'm not Canadian.

I am from Washington,
though, which is pretty close.

Well, it's a logical question
if you go ice skating.

[gasping] Oh.

Well, well, nobody
told me it was bring
your baby to work day...

Back off!

Good morning, good morning.

And good morning to you,
Liam, you good baby.

Um, Albright's already
left two messages.

I got a car coming at 10:30
to take you down to Anaheim,

and I printed out three
copies of your speech,

all in a different size
font, so you can pick.

Anaheim conference,
that's today.

[laughing and squealing]

You're kidding, right?

Yeah. Sure.

Um,

why don't you come along, Alex?

I will grab the company
van, and, um, I emailed
you a-- a new itinerary.

[opening door]

This isn't Anaheim.

[phone vibrating]

Is there a separate, secret
itinerary that I didn't get?

Yeah, just hang in
there for me, Al.

Can you just confirm
that you getting fired
isn't me getting fired?

-Uh, do-- do we have any calls?
-Yes, five.

Uh, okay, okay.

Okay, here's what
we're gonna do. Um, just...

I'm sorry. I can't
hear you 'cause of the...

-Yeah, [yelling] Stop crying!
-[Liam crying louder]

[Jen] Tom?

I called your office, and Megan
told me that you took Liam
to some conference in Anaheim?

I mean, what the fuck, Tom!

When I screamed at him,
back then, I-- I really
didn't mean to, uh...

-[text alert]
-[Alex] That's okay.

The pressure you're under,
it's understandable.

This is the address.

Um, [stuttering] let's--

Let's get out of here, Alex.

Uh, I gotta do this with
my wife, all right? Uh,
we-- we gotta go home.

Um, office. Back to
the office. I'm sorry.

[Alex] It's okay.

You want some gum?

-Hey, sweetheart.
Can I come in?
-Yeah.

Um...

[sighing]

Dad.

Don't worry.

As far as I'm concerned,
you're my one--and--only.

I feel the same way.

[clearing his throat]

She told me that, uh, she
thought that if I knew that, uh,

the child was gonna be from
a black man that I would leave.

And, uh,

I think I-- I-- I would have.

I would have missed
being your father.

I would have missed the
greatest thing that ever
happened to me in my life.

So what are you saying?

I was a different guy. I-- I--

I-- it was a
different time then. I--

I thought differently.

How do you see me now?

I see you exactly the same.

My-- You're my
daughter who I love.

Hey, I'm sorry I yelled at you.

And I guess I'm not gonna
be the best dad ever.

But, uh,

somebody really smart
once said that the best thing
a father can do for his child

is love the child's mother.

And I love your mom so much.

So much like it
hurts sometimes.

But it's like a good hurt.

It's hard to explain.

You'll probably get it someday.

I'm your dad,

and I'm gonna be there.

-[whispering] Hi. It's okay.
It's okay. It's okay.
-[Liam whimpering]

What?

What?

-[Liam crying louder]
-[Jen] No, it's okay.

[Kate] There's no point in you
seeking him out. He's gone.

He was gone before
you were born.

But Mom, it's like I have
this whole other family

that I never even was given
the opportunity to know about.

I'm your family.

And this lovely house
and father I've given you.

You gave me.

It wasn't yours to give.

And the other family
isn't yours to take away.

[sniffing] I didn't want to f--
you to feel like you were a
stranger in your own family.

I was protecting you.

For being black?

Yes.

How can you be so naive?

Tell me about my father.

What do you wanna know?

I don't know. Anything.

He was tall.

He was tall.

Was that his best quality?

He went to a store.
I think it was a Kmart.

And a man came in
and tried to rob it.

And Rogers stopped him, and
he pinned him to the ground.

And when the cops arrived,

they thought he was
a suspect, assaulting
an innocent white man.

They put him in a choke
hold, he blacked out,
and he never woke up.

He was the farthest
thing from a criminal.

He'd probably still be
alive if he were white.

I didn't find out about
it until weeks later.

It was harder to get a hold
of people back then.

You never went to his funeral?

You never contacted his family?

You don't understand.

It's complicated.

Things were different.

I didn't want you
to be black, and you
weren't, and that's that.

[sighing lightly]

You know, I did tell
you about him once.

I think I'd remember that.

You were four.

I was fucking four?

[laughing] Yes.

I don't remember
anything from when I was four.

Well, I told you when
you were four, and I wanted
to see how you would act.

See how you'd take it.

Was he wearing a tie?

In this picture, you had
a picture where he's
smiling, and he's wearing a tie.

Get it.

[sobbing]

Come with me.

I wanna show you something.

Bring Liam.

[distant plane flying]

[Kate] We met in a gallery.

[giggling]

He knew I was pregnant.

He didn't care.

-Oh, sh...
-Oops.

Do you remember this place?

-The coffee shop?
-Mm-hm.

Do you remember what it was
before when you were little?

The old school place
with the jukebox.

You used to take me here
for cheeseburgers when
Dad was out of town.

Yeah, I loved this place.
What was it called?

This was the last place

I
was with Rogers before he died.

Thank you.

Let's sit over here.

[soft music playing]

I was here with
Rogers and his sister.

You knew his sister?

Over there, actually.

What did he like to order here?

-Cheeseburgers.
-[laughing]

And then he'd, um,
get French fries.

And he'd put them
on top of the--

inside, on top of the
cheeseburger with
ketchup on top.

[Jen laughing]

-I do that sometimes.
-Mm-hm.

I need you to take
a look at your email.

I need to get that to D.C.
by the end of day.

-Can I talk to you for a second?
-I'm busy.

Jen's real father was black.

His name was Rogers Parker,
and he died in 1982. So

that explains Liam.

That's great.

I lost my head.

But

that was inexcusable.

Uh, it was stupid.

What I'm tryin'
to say is, I'm sorry.

Yeah. I-- I have a
conference call that...

It was a lapse. It was
a momentary loss of
judgment based on-- on facts.

I mean, it was not a--
a belief, right? It...

I was weak, and-- and

I let out creep...

Well, how can you
pretend that you don't know
me all of a sudden, man?

-How--how can you pretend...?
-I saw your eyes.

They were like the little
old ladies in the elevator
that hug their purse,

the fuckin' cab drivers
that don't stop for me,

the department store
guys that follow me
around the fuckin' store.

That thing in your
eyes, I saw it.

And right, I was in your
kitchen that night. I saw it.

S-- so did I.

I-- I told you that

I lost... that's-- that's
not me. I-- I lost myself.

You revealed yourself.

Yeah.

Well, what do you
want from me, man?

Nothing.

Nothing.

[sighing]

[breathing deeply]

[phone ringing]

-This is Tom.
- Tom, this is Mike.

Meet Ron and I in
the conference room.

We need to discuss
the Albright case.

[sighing]

[Mike] Tom.

Have a seat.

About the Albright case.

As you well know, Ron
has been picking up your
slack, your major slack.

I'm giving Ron the lead.

Thank you, Ron.

Thank you, Tom. That's all.

[Jen] Tom, I plucked one
hair from your head as
he slept in my arms.

It's all I needed.

I got the test a week
after he was born.

You hold the results
in your hand.

I could've forgiven
you for doubting.

I wanted you to know.

I wanted...

you.

I hope Ron can forgive
you for thinking what
you thought about him.

About us.

You two have always
made each other better men.

For me it wasn't about the
choice not to get this test.

It was about the choice
to be a father.

I can't apologize
for what I made him.

And I wouldn't have
him any other way.

I need to know
you feel the same.

I will stand behind
him, and with him.

I can't imagine anyone
but you standing with me.

You can apologize.

You can say you want
to be a family again.

But I don't know if
words can fix this now.

And actions speak louder.

So speak loudly.

Or don't speak at all.

[distant barking]

♪♪♪

♪ I haven't seen
You smile in a while ♪

♪ Are you happy?

♪ Maybe you should spend
Some time out on your own ♪

♪ Find out what you want
To call your home ♪

♪ Call your home

♪ Call your home

♪ We found each other Counting stars and city skies ♪

♪ Finding more with every kiss

♪ You have the blue eyes
And I have the brown ♪

♪ And I talk the best
Without the sound ♪

♪ Without the sound

♪ Without the sound

♪ Buffalos don't always go
The way they should ♪

♪ A heavenly feeling
Might turn into something
Not so good ♪

♪ We were riding all those years In the very same car ♪

♪ Even with the wrong turns

♪ We still went far
We went far ♪

♪ We went far

♪ And will go far

♪ We're still counting
The same stars ♪

♪ Counting

♪ Ooh

[music ends]