Atlanta (2016–…): Season 3, Episode 4 - The Big Payback - full transcript
An office workers world is turned upside down when he learns his past ancestors were slave owners.
MAN [over radio]: Wait, wait.
You're listening... [laughs]
- WOMAN [over radio]: Okay?
- MAN: All right.
- WOMAN: Okay?
- MAN: All right. [Clears throa]
- WOMAN: You're listening...
- MAN: Listening...
WOMAN [echoing]: ...to Radio lab.
- MAN 2: Radio lab.
- WOMAN: From...
- MAN: WNYC.
- WOMAN 2 [echoing]: C.
- WOMAN: C?
- MAN: Yup. - [Woman 2 giggles]
WOMAN:
And NPR.
JAD ABUMRAD: I've learned...
How would you describe this on?
ROBERT KRULWICH: My sense is
that you walk into a wild plac.
Then you hear the wind
and the trees,
and you hear these chirps
and sounds and calls,
and they're just part of the...
they're part of the wild.
They're wildlife, but there's
now a group of scientists
- who listen much more closely
- [muffled chatter]
and who are reducing wildlife
to wild talk.
- It's-it's, uh...
- ABUMRAD: Yeah.
KRULWICH:
There are words in there.
ABUMRAD: When you find the words,
as the people we will meet do
in these stories, you end up
not just understanding
but actually entering that
wild space in a very cool way.
- KRULWICH: Right.
- ABUMRAD: Yes.
KRULWICH:
Or as a dolphin might say...
ABUMRAD:
How would a dolphin say it?
KRULWICH:
I don't know.
ABUMRAD:
Well, then, then you know what?
That is exactly kind of the
question of this next segment.
I mean, the dream
that a human being
can talk to a dolphin
or any animal...
- Sorry?
- Your order.
Sir, you can get back in line.
Bae, whatever.
It's all right.
You could go, or...
Nah, it's whatever.
Go ahead.
Could I get a large coffee,
please?
Mm-hmm. Is that all?
Yeah. Thanks.
[sighs]
♪ Say what you want,
say what you want to say ♪
♪ I already know you're mine ♪
♪ Take what you want,
take a piece of me ♪
♪ It seems to ease your mind ♪
♪ You don't have to explain. ♪
[child shouting
in the distance]
- [sighs]
- [door opens]
Katie, he's here.
- She's coming.
- Great. Thanks.
Are you using the, um,
the standing lamp?
The-the shaker beige one
in the guest room?
No, not really.
Uh, any chance
I could borrow it?
I-I could use a little bit
more light in my place, and...
- Hey, Dad.
- Hey, kiddo.
All right.
I'll-I'll just grab it later?
- Sure, that's fine.
- Okay.
All right, let's do it.
How you doing?
- KATIE: I'm good.
- That's nice.
HOST [over radio]: ...substantially impact
racial matters
- in modern day society.
- GUEST: Well, yes.
In the case of the Tesla trial,
you have a Black man suing
Josh Beckford,
an early investor at Tesla,
due to the fact
that his ancestors were enslavd
by relatives of Mr. Beckford's.
That human capital and profit
can be directly linked
to the financials
of the company,
so I do think there's merit,
and he could win the lawsuit.
HOST:
Not could win. Did win.
Mr. Mbaye did win the lawsuit,
a scenario that seemed
impossible to many beforehand.
And you have to think
this decision will have
very far-reaching consequences
all around the world...
- Dad?
- Especially in America due...
Yeah, sweetie?
Mom sprayed herself
with that flower perfume
before you picked me up.
I think she wants you
to come home.
Did she say that?
No. I just think so.
Okay. Got it.
[children shouting, laughing]
All right, have a good day
at school, sweetie.
[car radio playing]
HOST [over radio]:
The Marvin Gaye
versus Robin Thicke...
KATIE:
Hey, Dad?
Yeah.
Can you stay over
at Mom's soon?
You know what?
I'll talk to her about it.
[indistinct chatter on radio]
HOST: Don't you think this might
actually heighten tensions
between Black and white people?
- It feels divisive...
- [phone buzzing]
GUEST: The Tesla investor
was the owner
of this Black man's ancestor.
So, also the owner
of that man's future.
You're right. It's-it's never
gonna be solved easily.
[whistle blowing]
[doors lock, car beeps]
[elevator bell dings]
[scoffs]
Can you believe this guy?
Now this Tesla exec owes him
a ton of money.
He'll be set for life.
[sighs]
This whole thing is crazy.
Do you even care? It's unfair.
[chuckles softly]
Uh, whatever.
I mean, it's not like he's even
gonna notice. He's rich.
[elevator bell dings]
We're meeting.
Uh, what for?
Come on in.
All right, I think
that's everybody.
As some of you might have heard,
I did get word from the CEO
and head executives
that we'll be having
some layoffs.
[group murmuring]
GREG:
How soon?
We'll get into that later today.
I've been told that HR will...
WOMAN:
This is ridiculous!
[woman clears throat]
Now, I know a lot of you
will have many questions,
and we want to be sure
and answer all of 'em,
but at this point in time,
that's all
the information I have.
[group murmuring]
[inhales deeply]
[pen clicking]
PAULA: There's a rumor they're being
sued with the same clause
that got the Tesla guy.
This shit's bonkers, right?
Bonkers.
Well, and it's cleared the way
for personal litigation now.
They can just look you up
and force you to pay.
[laughing]:
What? No.
- Really?
- Yeah.
It's scary. I'm looking
at my family tree right now
to make sure I'm in the clear.
Everybody else is, too.
- [indistinct chatter]
- PAULA: Lucky them.
Not a care in the world.
Aren't you worried?
Nah. I don't yell "fire"
unless I see flames.
There's no smoke on my end.
[phone buzzing]
PAULA:
You gonna check your background?
Nah. I never signed up
for that stuff.
PAULA:
Oh, you don't have to.
One of your relatives
could have signed up.
I can show you how to look.
[laughs]
I'm fine.
All... good.
[woman sobbing]
[sobbing continues]
WOMAN [over radio]:
Mm, shout-out to his lawyer.
- This is crazy, right?
- MAN: It's crazy.
He's got to put his money
where his mouth is now.
- [cash register dings]
- So what you gonna do
- with your apolo-cheese?
- WOMAN: Oh.
MAN: No more apologies,
just apolo-cheese.
WOMAN:
Apolo-cheese! I like that.
I'm gonna hit the mall and sped
some of this apolo-cheese!
MAN: Yeah. Uh, you better get
some Nike stock, though, right?
WOMAN: Okay? I'm about to go hire
that same lawyer.
I'm sure somebody owes me
about $50 million.
- [laughs]
- MAN: Mm-hmm, this is se...
[turns off radio]
[sighs]
You got a lot of homework today?
No, not too much.
Well, that's good.
You tired?
No, not really.
I'm thinking spaghetti
for dinner tonight.
Huh? Maybe a little
of my famous garlic bread?
Are we racist?
What?
A kid at school said
we're racist.
[laughs]
That's not true, Katie.
That's...
[sighs]
Right now,
Black people are just... [sighs]
Don't listen to that kid
at school, okay?
You are not racist.
Were we slave owners?
[laughs]
No, we... Do you see any slaves
in our backyard?
Mr. Pedro.
Mr. Pe...?
No, I pay Mr. Pedro.
You... [sighs]
Listen, that stuff happened
a long, long time ago.
All right?
We-We're Austro-Hungarian.
We were enslaved
during the Byzantine Empire.
Uh, what? Should I fly
to Hungary and demand money now?
That would be ridiculous, right?
[laughing]:
Right?
[soft rock music playing
quietly]
Sweetie, dinner's ready.
Hey.
All right. Let's do it.
Want cheese?
Tell me when to stop.
[chuckles]
Mm-hmm.
[phone buzzing]
Ugh.
Dig in.
[knocking]
[♪]
Eat.
[lock clicks]
Marshall Johnson?
Yes?
You've been served.
- I'm sorry. What is this about?
- [phone camera dings]
My name is Sheniqua Johnson
of the St. Louis Johnsons.
Your family owned
my great-great-grandmother
and father for 12 years.
You owe me money.
Uh... I... [chuckles]
There... there-there must be
some kind of mistake.
Uh, you know, can we just
talk about this outside?
- Uh-uh. There ain't been no mistake.
- Excuse me.
- Ooh, look what we got here.
- Excuse me!
- KATIE: Who is it, Dad?
- Uh, ma'am? - Now, we got
- one, two, three bedrooms.
- Uh...
- Look at this bathroom.
- Uh, ma'am, could you... could you
- please get out of my house?
- They got that good stuff in here.
- [laughs] Oh.
- Excuse me!
You know what?
You owe me about $3 million.
Ma'am, hey, hey, hey,
hey, stop it!
Get out of my house!
Uh-uh. This is my house,
and I'm live streaming
the entire thing.
I want what's owed
to me, Marshall.
You know what?
- If you don't get out right
now, I'm calling the police.
- Hmm.
- I'm calling the police right now!
- You know what?
Your family's got blood
on its hands.
And don't bother
calling the police
because I already been there.
Ooh! Now,
Jamal's gonna love this spot.
And don't slam my door!
MARSHALL:
Uh-oh.
Maybe...
don't tell your mother
about this.
Okay, let's do it.
Here we go. Hold on. W-Wait...
Just wait for me.
Okay.
Okay. All right, come on.
Let's do it.
Let's go.
[phones ringing]
Hey.
- Where's...?
- All the Black people?
Besides Willy and Lester,
they didn't come in today.
Did... did you get
your results back?
69% Ashkenazi Jew, baby.
You're Jew...?
Uh, you're Jewish?
The world can finally know.
We were slaves, too.
Austro-Hungarians were slaves
as well.
Come on, Marshall.
That was like
a million years ago.
[phones ringing]
[toilet flushing]
[indistinct chatter]
[quietly]: Hey, um, the guy, uh,
with the shirt, uh...?
- [quietly]: Oh, Tim in Accounting?
- He... yeah.
Yeah, the, um,
Black family suing him decided
that they just wanted him
to acknowledge it,
so he's got to wear that shirt
twice a week.
One of them has to be Sunday.
I don't know. Personally,
I-I think he got off
kind of easy.
- [mutters]
- [feedback squeaks]
SHENIQUA [over megaphone]:
Marshall Johnson,
- you owe me money.
- No.
- No.
- $3 million, and you have to pay up.
What do we want?
Compensation.
- No.
- When do we want it? Now.
Marshall Johnson's
great-great-granddaddy enslaved
my great-great-granddaddy, and
he owes me a lifetime of pay!
- No.
- [Sheniqua speaking indistinctly]
No, no, no, no. No. No. No. No.
Pay up!
- Marshall Johnson.
- [door opens]
- Hey, excuse me.
- Paging Marshall Johnson.
- Hey, excuse me. Excuse me.
- Marshall.
All right, all right,
listen, I work here.
All right? You can't come
to my place of work.
Marshall Johnson,
you owe me money.
I-I'm not the Tesla guy.
Okay? I don't have
that kind of money.
How much money
do you make a year?
What? Uh...
- [feedback squeaks]
- How much money
do you people in there
make a year?
- I bet you it's more than I do.
- Could you please...
I'm begging you... could you
please just leave me alone?
[chuckles] That's exactly what
my great-great-grandmother said.
- [feedback squeaks]
- Marshall Johnson's great-great-granddaddy
- was a slave owner.
- No, no, no. Not true.
He owned
my great-great-granddaddy.
- Not true.
- You need to pay up!
$3 million.
$3 million.
What do we want? Compensation!
When do we want it? Now!
Marshall Johnson's
great-great-granddaddy
enslaved
my great-great-granddaddy...
[laughs]
Get me a new car, get Sierra a new car.
You gonna get a Cadillac
or one of them, uh,
- those Cybertrucks?
- [mutters]: I don't know.
You know,
Jamal can get a new phone.
Get Tangy and Sierra's mom
a new place,
'cause Lord knows I can't be
dealing with that anymore.
- Her mama?
- [laughing]: You already...
- Hey, Lester?
- [laughing]
Could I... could I talk
to you for a sec?
- [laughing]
- Yeah. What's up?
Hey, man. How you doing?
- Pretty good.
- Ain't no such thing
as free labor, Marshall.
Pay up!
Uh... look,
I know this is a crazy time
and everything,
and, uh, I-I really don't
know what to do.
Uh, no, thanks. Thank you.
Um, I'm just a guy,
you know, trying to get by.
And I feel like this woman
is harassing me, you know?
She's kind of ruining my life.
Uh, so...
I-I just don't know what to do.
You honestly want my advice?
Uh, yes.
Look, man,
I grew up with Black women.
Right. I figured.
The only thing you can do is
say you were wrong
and give her as much money
as you can.
She'll probably want to meet
with you one-on-one,
cut you down a bit...
I just don't know what to do.
- Hmm.
- Honestly, my advice?
You got to fight that shit, man.
Come in as hard as her.
- It's the principle.
- [shouting over megaphone]
PAULA:
I looked her up on Instagram.
All she's talking
about is the fact
- that you owe her a lot of money.
- [woman gasps]
100% Nordic?!
How is that even
fucking possible?
[Willy laughs]
This concerns all of us,
Willy.
No, it don't, Ashley.
[laughing]
WILLY:
No, it don't.
[phone buzzes, chimes]
What?
[car door sensor dings]
Uh, I was supposed
to pick her up.
What's going on?
Is it true?
Is wh...?
Oh, my God.
Was Sheniqua here?
Did, did she talk to you?
- Marshall, I can't believe you.
- Okay.
Let's just go inside
and discuss this.
Look, you can't come in here.
Seriously, Natalie?
[scoffs, mutters]
Have you checked
your background?
This could have
easily happened to you.
I'm Peruvian. This
would never happen to me.
Per...
You were white yesterday!
Okay, look, Natalie,
please, can we just...
c-can we just go inside
and just sit down
and-and just talk about...?
Can I... can I say good night
to Katie?
Marshall...
I can't have my finances
take a hit.
We have
to make the divorce official.
[stammers]
Wait. What?
[door closes]
This is not happening.
[muttering quietly]
♪ The way you make me,
make me, make me feel ♪
What the...?
♪ Oh... ♪
- [Marshall gasps]
- There he is!
That's the guy right there.
Oh.
Go get him, Jason!
♪ End... ♪
[back-up sensor beeping]
No, no, no, no.
Oh, shit, shit, shit, shit,
shit, shit, shit.
♪ Your touch... ♪
[tires squeal]
Oh, my God.
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.
Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck. Oh.
♪ That's what I feel
when I'm with you. ♪
[tires squeak]
WOMAN: Well, sir, you know,
my time was wasted, too...
[door opening]
[woman continues speaking
indistinctly]
[fan rattling]
[TV playing quietly]
We didn't do it, but we can
help you get your money.
Don't know if you owe
restitution taxes?
We can help you with that.
[commercial music plays]
- [changes channel]
- [sighs]
[music playing]
[music continues]
[crying]
[indistinct chatter]
[laughter, chatter]
♪ The first time ♪
[sighs heavily]
♪ Ever I saw your face... ♪
Hi. Would you like something
to drink?
Uh, uh, I'll just have
what he's having.
Okay.
♪ Rose in your eyes... ♪
[Marshall sighs]
How long are you here for?
Honestly,
I am not quite even sure.
Just checked in today.
Yeah, I flew in a few days ago.
Looking for a new place.
They can't find my bag, though,
so I look like hell.
[laughs]
Name's Earnest.
Friends call me "E."
Marshall.
I have a feeling we're
in the same boat, Marshall.
You owe a lot?
This woman... she...
follows me everywhere,
won't leave me alone.
- Thanks.
- You're welcome.
♪ I felt the earth... ♪
Just... can't believe
this is actually happening.
Two days ago,
I had a good life,
and now I'm being fucked by
some shit that I didn't even do.
I'm losing my wife, my house,
my daughter.
I don't know.
Didn't fucking do anything.
♪ Ever I kissed ♪
♪ Your mouth... ♪
[quietly]:
As I was saying, I don't know.
[Earnest sniffles]
♪ Move in my hand... ♪
What?
I don't know.
♪ Like the trembling heart... ♪
My grandfather used to tell me
how his father built everything
we had from the ground up,
pulled himself up
by his own bootstraps, you know?
Turns out, he didn't.
Turns out he had a lot of help.
And a lot of kids.
[laughs softly]
♪ My command... ♪
Maybe it's only right.
E, we don't deserve this.
Well, what do they deserve?
We were treating slavery
as if it were a mystery
buried in the past,
something to investigate
if we chose to.
And now that history has
a monetary value.
Confession is not absolution.
And in the case of this
person... What's her name?
Sheniqua.
To Sheniqua, to them...
slavery is not past.
I mean, it's not a mystery.
It is not
an historical curiosity.
It is a cruel,
unavoidable ghost that haunts
in a way we can't see.
None of us are perfect.
So now you're what?
You're separated from your wife?
She's taking your kid?
Now she has to be raised
without a father?
She has to build wealth
and success
from the ground up, right?
It's similar
to the position we put them in.
♪ The first time ♪
But we're gonna be okay.
♪ Ever I saw... ♪
Your daughter's gonna be okay.
The curse has been lifted
from her.
All of us...
We were running from it,
but now we're free.
[taps Marshall's leg]
Excuse me.
♪ Your face. ♪
[door opens]
["It Never Entered My Mind"
by Miles Davis playing]
Come on! Come on, babies!
Come on!
[laughs]
You got it!
[laughs]
Yeah!
Ooh, I'm so proud
of my babies.
[gunshot]
[quiet gasping]
[screaming]
Holy shit.
There's more
where that came from.
[♪]
[♪]
MAN:
All right, guys, uh,
I got a decent-sized reservation
in the main dining hall,
so I'm gonna need
all hands on deck for that,
full hands in, full hands out.
You know the routine.
Uh, make sure to push
the daily specials, okay?
I don't want to ask
about that again.
And if anyone has a portion
of their paycheck going
to restitution taxes,
stay after.
Everyone else, hit the floor.
Simon, ten percent?
- One second, please.
- [writing on paper]
Okay, you're good. Thank you.
- [clears throat]
- Hey.
Uh, name of payee?
Uh, Sheniqua Johnson.
- [writing on paper]
- Okay. And percentage?
- 15%.
- 15%?
Ouch.
Well, at least
tips aren't garnished.
[laughs]
There's that.
- Uh, you're good.
- Cool. Thanks.
And you're doing ten again?
[indistinct chatter]
[sighs]
Basura blanca.
Hey, huevón.
Get to work.
Te vi llegar tarde, pendejo.
Ah! [Laughs]
Okay. Keep talking like that,
they're gonna make you a busboy.
["Les Fleurs" by Minnie Riperton
playing]
♪ Will somebody wear me
to the fair? ♪
♪ To the morning,
sing a lovely flower ♪
♪ Will a lady pin me
in her hair? ♪
♪ Will a child find me
by a stream? ♪
- ♪ In the lovely, in the sunny shower ♪
- ♪ Ooh ♪
♪ Kiss my petals,
weave me through a dream... ♪
All right, good evening,
ladies and gentlemen.
- All right.
- ♪ A flower was born ♪
- Hey.
- ♪ It blooms to spread love and joy ♪
♪ Faith and hope
to people forlorn ♪
♪ Inside every man ♪
Okay.
♪ Lives the seed of a flower ♪
Ooh.
♪ If he looks within ♪
♪ He finds beauty and power ♪
♪ Oh... ♪
♪ Ring all the bells, sing and
tell the people everywhere ♪
♪ That the flower has come ♪
♪ Light up the sky
with your prayers of gladness ♪
♪ And rejoice
for the darkness is gone ♪
♪ Throw off your fears,
let your heart beat freely ♪
♪ At the sign
that a new time is born ♪
♪ May mosaydee Kaylie
low ya roses ♪
♪ May mosaydee
Kaylie low ya roses ♪
♪ Say money ain't
na na no oh na ♪
♪ Mm-hmm, mmm ♪
♪ Looking for vayda
tay breeze ♪
♪ Looking
for the vayda tay breeze ♪
♪ May mosaydee
Kaylie low ya roses ♪
♪ Mm-hmm. ♪
Captioned by
Media Access Group at WGBH
You're listening... [laughs]
- WOMAN [over radio]: Okay?
- MAN: All right.
- WOMAN: Okay?
- MAN: All right. [Clears throa]
- WOMAN: You're listening...
- MAN: Listening...
WOMAN [echoing]: ...to Radio lab.
- MAN 2: Radio lab.
- WOMAN: From...
- MAN: WNYC.
- WOMAN 2 [echoing]: C.
- WOMAN: C?
- MAN: Yup. - [Woman 2 giggles]
WOMAN:
And NPR.
JAD ABUMRAD: I've learned...
How would you describe this on?
ROBERT KRULWICH: My sense is
that you walk into a wild plac.
Then you hear the wind
and the trees,
and you hear these chirps
and sounds and calls,
and they're just part of the...
they're part of the wild.
They're wildlife, but there's
now a group of scientists
- who listen much more closely
- [muffled chatter]
and who are reducing wildlife
to wild talk.
- It's-it's, uh...
- ABUMRAD: Yeah.
KRULWICH:
There are words in there.
ABUMRAD: When you find the words,
as the people we will meet do
in these stories, you end up
not just understanding
but actually entering that
wild space in a very cool way.
- KRULWICH: Right.
- ABUMRAD: Yes.
KRULWICH:
Or as a dolphin might say...
ABUMRAD:
How would a dolphin say it?
KRULWICH:
I don't know.
ABUMRAD:
Well, then, then you know what?
That is exactly kind of the
question of this next segment.
I mean, the dream
that a human being
can talk to a dolphin
or any animal...
- Sorry?
- Your order.
Sir, you can get back in line.
Bae, whatever.
It's all right.
You could go, or...
Nah, it's whatever.
Go ahead.
Could I get a large coffee,
please?
Mm-hmm. Is that all?
Yeah. Thanks.
[sighs]
♪ Say what you want,
say what you want to say ♪
♪ I already know you're mine ♪
♪ Take what you want,
take a piece of me ♪
♪ It seems to ease your mind ♪
♪ You don't have to explain. ♪
[child shouting
in the distance]
- [sighs]
- [door opens]
Katie, he's here.
- She's coming.
- Great. Thanks.
Are you using the, um,
the standing lamp?
The-the shaker beige one
in the guest room?
No, not really.
Uh, any chance
I could borrow it?
I-I could use a little bit
more light in my place, and...
- Hey, Dad.
- Hey, kiddo.
All right.
I'll-I'll just grab it later?
- Sure, that's fine.
- Okay.
All right, let's do it.
How you doing?
- KATIE: I'm good.
- That's nice.
HOST [over radio]: ...substantially impact
racial matters
- in modern day society.
- GUEST: Well, yes.
In the case of the Tesla trial,
you have a Black man suing
Josh Beckford,
an early investor at Tesla,
due to the fact
that his ancestors were enslavd
by relatives of Mr. Beckford's.
That human capital and profit
can be directly linked
to the financials
of the company,
so I do think there's merit,
and he could win the lawsuit.
HOST:
Not could win. Did win.
Mr. Mbaye did win the lawsuit,
a scenario that seemed
impossible to many beforehand.
And you have to think
this decision will have
very far-reaching consequences
all around the world...
- Dad?
- Especially in America due...
Yeah, sweetie?
Mom sprayed herself
with that flower perfume
before you picked me up.
I think she wants you
to come home.
Did she say that?
No. I just think so.
Okay. Got it.
[children shouting, laughing]
All right, have a good day
at school, sweetie.
[car radio playing]
HOST [over radio]:
The Marvin Gaye
versus Robin Thicke...
KATIE:
Hey, Dad?
Yeah.
Can you stay over
at Mom's soon?
You know what?
I'll talk to her about it.
[indistinct chatter on radio]
HOST: Don't you think this might
actually heighten tensions
between Black and white people?
- It feels divisive...
- [phone buzzing]
GUEST: The Tesla investor
was the owner
of this Black man's ancestor.
So, also the owner
of that man's future.
You're right. It's-it's never
gonna be solved easily.
[whistle blowing]
[doors lock, car beeps]
[elevator bell dings]
[scoffs]
Can you believe this guy?
Now this Tesla exec owes him
a ton of money.
He'll be set for life.
[sighs]
This whole thing is crazy.
Do you even care? It's unfair.
[chuckles softly]
Uh, whatever.
I mean, it's not like he's even
gonna notice. He's rich.
[elevator bell dings]
We're meeting.
Uh, what for?
Come on in.
All right, I think
that's everybody.
As some of you might have heard,
I did get word from the CEO
and head executives
that we'll be having
some layoffs.
[group murmuring]
GREG:
How soon?
We'll get into that later today.
I've been told that HR will...
WOMAN:
This is ridiculous!
[woman clears throat]
Now, I know a lot of you
will have many questions,
and we want to be sure
and answer all of 'em,
but at this point in time,
that's all
the information I have.
[group murmuring]
[inhales deeply]
[pen clicking]
PAULA: There's a rumor they're being
sued with the same clause
that got the Tesla guy.
This shit's bonkers, right?
Bonkers.
Well, and it's cleared the way
for personal litigation now.
They can just look you up
and force you to pay.
[laughing]:
What? No.
- Really?
- Yeah.
It's scary. I'm looking
at my family tree right now
to make sure I'm in the clear.
Everybody else is, too.
- [indistinct chatter]
- PAULA: Lucky them.
Not a care in the world.
Aren't you worried?
Nah. I don't yell "fire"
unless I see flames.
There's no smoke on my end.
[phone buzzing]
PAULA:
You gonna check your background?
Nah. I never signed up
for that stuff.
PAULA:
Oh, you don't have to.
One of your relatives
could have signed up.
I can show you how to look.
[laughs]
I'm fine.
All... good.
[woman sobbing]
[sobbing continues]
WOMAN [over radio]:
Mm, shout-out to his lawyer.
- This is crazy, right?
- MAN: It's crazy.
He's got to put his money
where his mouth is now.
- [cash register dings]
- So what you gonna do
- with your apolo-cheese?
- WOMAN: Oh.
MAN: No more apologies,
just apolo-cheese.
WOMAN:
Apolo-cheese! I like that.
I'm gonna hit the mall and sped
some of this apolo-cheese!
MAN: Yeah. Uh, you better get
some Nike stock, though, right?
WOMAN: Okay? I'm about to go hire
that same lawyer.
I'm sure somebody owes me
about $50 million.
- [laughs]
- MAN: Mm-hmm, this is se...
[turns off radio]
[sighs]
You got a lot of homework today?
No, not too much.
Well, that's good.
You tired?
No, not really.
I'm thinking spaghetti
for dinner tonight.
Huh? Maybe a little
of my famous garlic bread?
Are we racist?
What?
A kid at school said
we're racist.
[laughs]
That's not true, Katie.
That's...
[sighs]
Right now,
Black people are just... [sighs]
Don't listen to that kid
at school, okay?
You are not racist.
Were we slave owners?
[laughs]
No, we... Do you see any slaves
in our backyard?
Mr. Pedro.
Mr. Pe...?
No, I pay Mr. Pedro.
You... [sighs]
Listen, that stuff happened
a long, long time ago.
All right?
We-We're Austro-Hungarian.
We were enslaved
during the Byzantine Empire.
Uh, what? Should I fly
to Hungary and demand money now?
That would be ridiculous, right?
[laughing]:
Right?
[soft rock music playing
quietly]
Sweetie, dinner's ready.
Hey.
All right. Let's do it.
Want cheese?
Tell me when to stop.
[chuckles]
Mm-hmm.
[phone buzzing]
Ugh.
Dig in.
[knocking]
[♪]
Eat.
[lock clicks]
Marshall Johnson?
Yes?
You've been served.
- I'm sorry. What is this about?
- [phone camera dings]
My name is Sheniqua Johnson
of the St. Louis Johnsons.
Your family owned
my great-great-grandmother
and father for 12 years.
You owe me money.
Uh... I... [chuckles]
There... there-there must be
some kind of mistake.
Uh, you know, can we just
talk about this outside?
- Uh-uh. There ain't been no mistake.
- Excuse me.
- Ooh, look what we got here.
- Excuse me!
- KATIE: Who is it, Dad?
- Uh, ma'am? - Now, we got
- one, two, three bedrooms.
- Uh...
- Look at this bathroom.
- Uh, ma'am, could you... could you
- please get out of my house?
- They got that good stuff in here.
- [laughs] Oh.
- Excuse me!
You know what?
You owe me about $3 million.
Ma'am, hey, hey, hey,
hey, stop it!
Get out of my house!
Uh-uh. This is my house,
and I'm live streaming
the entire thing.
I want what's owed
to me, Marshall.
You know what?
- If you don't get out right
now, I'm calling the police.
- Hmm.
- I'm calling the police right now!
- You know what?
Your family's got blood
on its hands.
And don't bother
calling the police
because I already been there.
Ooh! Now,
Jamal's gonna love this spot.
And don't slam my door!
MARSHALL:
Uh-oh.
Maybe...
don't tell your mother
about this.
Okay, let's do it.
Here we go. Hold on. W-Wait...
Just wait for me.
Okay.
Okay. All right, come on.
Let's do it.
Let's go.
[phones ringing]
Hey.
- Where's...?
- All the Black people?
Besides Willy and Lester,
they didn't come in today.
Did... did you get
your results back?
69% Ashkenazi Jew, baby.
You're Jew...?
Uh, you're Jewish?
The world can finally know.
We were slaves, too.
Austro-Hungarians were slaves
as well.
Come on, Marshall.
That was like
a million years ago.
[phones ringing]
[toilet flushing]
[indistinct chatter]
[quietly]: Hey, um, the guy, uh,
with the shirt, uh...?
- [quietly]: Oh, Tim in Accounting?
- He... yeah.
Yeah, the, um,
Black family suing him decided
that they just wanted him
to acknowledge it,
so he's got to wear that shirt
twice a week.
One of them has to be Sunday.
I don't know. Personally,
I-I think he got off
kind of easy.
- [mutters]
- [feedback squeaks]
SHENIQUA [over megaphone]:
Marshall Johnson,
- you owe me money.
- No.
- No.
- $3 million, and you have to pay up.
What do we want?
Compensation.
- No.
- When do we want it? Now.
Marshall Johnson's
great-great-granddaddy enslaved
my great-great-granddaddy, and
he owes me a lifetime of pay!
- No.
- [Sheniqua speaking indistinctly]
No, no, no, no. No. No. No. No.
Pay up!
- Marshall Johnson.
- [door opens]
- Hey, excuse me.
- Paging Marshall Johnson.
- Hey, excuse me. Excuse me.
- Marshall.
All right, all right,
listen, I work here.
All right? You can't come
to my place of work.
Marshall Johnson,
you owe me money.
I-I'm not the Tesla guy.
Okay? I don't have
that kind of money.
How much money
do you make a year?
What? Uh...
- [feedback squeaks]
- How much money
do you people in there
make a year?
- I bet you it's more than I do.
- Could you please...
I'm begging you... could you
please just leave me alone?
[chuckles] That's exactly what
my great-great-grandmother said.
- [feedback squeaks]
- Marshall Johnson's great-great-granddaddy
- was a slave owner.
- No, no, no. Not true.
He owned
my great-great-granddaddy.
- Not true.
- You need to pay up!
$3 million.
$3 million.
What do we want? Compensation!
When do we want it? Now!
Marshall Johnson's
great-great-granddaddy
enslaved
my great-great-granddaddy...
[laughs]
Get me a new car, get Sierra a new car.
You gonna get a Cadillac
or one of them, uh,
- those Cybertrucks?
- [mutters]: I don't know.
You know,
Jamal can get a new phone.
Get Tangy and Sierra's mom
a new place,
'cause Lord knows I can't be
dealing with that anymore.
- Her mama?
- [laughing]: You already...
- Hey, Lester?
- [laughing]
Could I... could I talk
to you for a sec?
- [laughing]
- Yeah. What's up?
Hey, man. How you doing?
- Pretty good.
- Ain't no such thing
as free labor, Marshall.
Pay up!
Uh... look,
I know this is a crazy time
and everything,
and, uh, I-I really don't
know what to do.
Uh, no, thanks. Thank you.
Um, I'm just a guy,
you know, trying to get by.
And I feel like this woman
is harassing me, you know?
She's kind of ruining my life.
Uh, so...
I-I just don't know what to do.
You honestly want my advice?
Uh, yes.
Look, man,
I grew up with Black women.
Right. I figured.
The only thing you can do is
say you were wrong
and give her as much money
as you can.
She'll probably want to meet
with you one-on-one,
cut you down a bit...
I just don't know what to do.
- Hmm.
- Honestly, my advice?
You got to fight that shit, man.
Come in as hard as her.
- It's the principle.
- [shouting over megaphone]
PAULA:
I looked her up on Instagram.
All she's talking
about is the fact
- that you owe her a lot of money.
- [woman gasps]
100% Nordic?!
How is that even
fucking possible?
[Willy laughs]
This concerns all of us,
Willy.
No, it don't, Ashley.
[laughing]
WILLY:
No, it don't.
[phone buzzes, chimes]
What?
[car door sensor dings]
Uh, I was supposed
to pick her up.
What's going on?
Is it true?
Is wh...?
Oh, my God.
Was Sheniqua here?
Did, did she talk to you?
- Marshall, I can't believe you.
- Okay.
Let's just go inside
and discuss this.
Look, you can't come in here.
Seriously, Natalie?
[scoffs, mutters]
Have you checked
your background?
This could have
easily happened to you.
I'm Peruvian. This
would never happen to me.
Per...
You were white yesterday!
Okay, look, Natalie,
please, can we just...
c-can we just go inside
and just sit down
and-and just talk about...?
Can I... can I say good night
to Katie?
Marshall...
I can't have my finances
take a hit.
We have
to make the divorce official.
[stammers]
Wait. What?
[door closes]
This is not happening.
[muttering quietly]
♪ The way you make me,
make me, make me feel ♪
What the...?
♪ Oh... ♪
- [Marshall gasps]
- There he is!
That's the guy right there.
Oh.
Go get him, Jason!
♪ End... ♪
[back-up sensor beeping]
No, no, no, no.
Oh, shit, shit, shit, shit,
shit, shit, shit.
♪ Your touch... ♪
[tires squeal]
Oh, my God.
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.
Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck. Oh.
♪ That's what I feel
when I'm with you. ♪
[tires squeak]
WOMAN: Well, sir, you know,
my time was wasted, too...
[door opening]
[woman continues speaking
indistinctly]
[fan rattling]
[TV playing quietly]
We didn't do it, but we can
help you get your money.
Don't know if you owe
restitution taxes?
We can help you with that.
[commercial music plays]
- [changes channel]
- [sighs]
[music playing]
[music continues]
[crying]
[indistinct chatter]
[laughter, chatter]
♪ The first time ♪
[sighs heavily]
♪ Ever I saw your face... ♪
Hi. Would you like something
to drink?
Uh, uh, I'll just have
what he's having.
Okay.
♪ Rose in your eyes... ♪
[Marshall sighs]
How long are you here for?
Honestly,
I am not quite even sure.
Just checked in today.
Yeah, I flew in a few days ago.
Looking for a new place.
They can't find my bag, though,
so I look like hell.
[laughs]
Name's Earnest.
Friends call me "E."
Marshall.
I have a feeling we're
in the same boat, Marshall.
You owe a lot?
This woman... she...
follows me everywhere,
won't leave me alone.
- Thanks.
- You're welcome.
♪ I felt the earth... ♪
Just... can't believe
this is actually happening.
Two days ago,
I had a good life,
and now I'm being fucked by
some shit that I didn't even do.
I'm losing my wife, my house,
my daughter.
I don't know.
Didn't fucking do anything.
♪ Ever I kissed ♪
♪ Your mouth... ♪
[quietly]:
As I was saying, I don't know.
[Earnest sniffles]
♪ Move in my hand... ♪
What?
I don't know.
♪ Like the trembling heart... ♪
My grandfather used to tell me
how his father built everything
we had from the ground up,
pulled himself up
by his own bootstraps, you know?
Turns out, he didn't.
Turns out he had a lot of help.
And a lot of kids.
[laughs softly]
♪ My command... ♪
Maybe it's only right.
E, we don't deserve this.
Well, what do they deserve?
We were treating slavery
as if it were a mystery
buried in the past,
something to investigate
if we chose to.
And now that history has
a monetary value.
Confession is not absolution.
And in the case of this
person... What's her name?
Sheniqua.
To Sheniqua, to them...
slavery is not past.
I mean, it's not a mystery.
It is not
an historical curiosity.
It is a cruel,
unavoidable ghost that haunts
in a way we can't see.
None of us are perfect.
So now you're what?
You're separated from your wife?
She's taking your kid?
Now she has to be raised
without a father?
She has to build wealth
and success
from the ground up, right?
It's similar
to the position we put them in.
♪ The first time ♪
But we're gonna be okay.
♪ Ever I saw... ♪
Your daughter's gonna be okay.
The curse has been lifted
from her.
All of us...
We were running from it,
but now we're free.
[taps Marshall's leg]
Excuse me.
♪ Your face. ♪
[door opens]
["It Never Entered My Mind"
by Miles Davis playing]
Come on! Come on, babies!
Come on!
[laughs]
You got it!
[laughs]
Yeah!
Ooh, I'm so proud
of my babies.
[gunshot]
[quiet gasping]
[screaming]
Holy shit.
There's more
where that came from.
[♪]
[♪]
MAN:
All right, guys, uh,
I got a decent-sized reservation
in the main dining hall,
so I'm gonna need
all hands on deck for that,
full hands in, full hands out.
You know the routine.
Uh, make sure to push
the daily specials, okay?
I don't want to ask
about that again.
And if anyone has a portion
of their paycheck going
to restitution taxes,
stay after.
Everyone else, hit the floor.
Simon, ten percent?
- One second, please.
- [writing on paper]
Okay, you're good. Thank you.
- [clears throat]
- Hey.
Uh, name of payee?
Uh, Sheniqua Johnson.
- [writing on paper]
- Okay. And percentage?
- 15%.
- 15%?
Ouch.
Well, at least
tips aren't garnished.
[laughs]
There's that.
- Uh, you're good.
- Cool. Thanks.
And you're doing ten again?
[indistinct chatter]
[sighs]
Basura blanca.
Hey, huevón.
Get to work.
Te vi llegar tarde, pendejo.
Ah! [Laughs]
Okay. Keep talking like that,
they're gonna make you a busboy.
["Les Fleurs" by Minnie Riperton
playing]
♪ Will somebody wear me
to the fair? ♪
♪ To the morning,
sing a lovely flower ♪
♪ Will a lady pin me
in her hair? ♪
♪ Will a child find me
by a stream? ♪
- ♪ In the lovely, in the sunny shower ♪
- ♪ Ooh ♪
♪ Kiss my petals,
weave me through a dream... ♪
All right, good evening,
ladies and gentlemen.
- All right.
- ♪ A flower was born ♪
- Hey.
- ♪ It blooms to spread love and joy ♪
♪ Faith and hope
to people forlorn ♪
♪ Inside every man ♪
Okay.
♪ Lives the seed of a flower ♪
Ooh.
♪ If he looks within ♪
♪ He finds beauty and power ♪
♪ Oh... ♪
♪ Ring all the bells, sing and
tell the people everywhere ♪
♪ That the flower has come ♪
♪ Light up the sky
with your prayers of gladness ♪
♪ And rejoice
for the darkness is gone ♪
♪ Throw off your fears,
let your heart beat freely ♪
♪ At the sign
that a new time is born ♪
♪ May mosaydee Kaylie
low ya roses ♪
♪ May mosaydee
Kaylie low ya roses ♪
♪ Say money ain't
na na no oh na ♪
♪ Mm-hmm, mmm ♪
♪ Looking for vayda
tay breeze ♪
♪ Looking
for the vayda tay breeze ♪
♪ May mosaydee
Kaylie low ya roses ♪
♪ Mm-hmm. ♪
Captioned by
Media Access Group at WGBH