Godfather of Harlem (2019–…): Season 2, Episode 1 - The French Connection - full transcript

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We needed a fresh start.

Harlem's mine.

- Times have changed.
- I haven't.

They are inclined to
give Bumpy a pass.

I can't kill a nigger who
fires a shotgun in my place?

- Bumpy Johnson.
- Malcolm X.

I wanna shut it down.

- I got guns.
- I got soldiers.

But association with the man

who puts poison onto our streets

doesn't square
with your work here.



I'm high, Daddy. Leave me alone.

I can't.

Reverend Powell
is like a movie star.

She wants $200,000.

I'm being shaken
down by a bag lady.

Did you kill Zambrano?

Of course not. He's a made man.

- Hey, Stell.
- Ernie Nunzi.

You're even more beautiful.

I've been with a lot of girls,
but this is something different.

If you go after Chin,
anything can happen.

You're not safe in
Harlem right now.

I'm gonna get Chance
to take you down

to my sister's in Spartanburg.



I can't believe I'm
leaving Harlem.

I would ask for her
hand in marriage.

She doesn't fuckin' love you!

She loves that
fuckin' Black bastard!

- We could make a move on Bumpy.
- How?

I got a guy in Palermo, Sicily.

- Zip?
- Yeah.

He's a specialist.
Best zip there is.

You killed Zambrano.
You lied to me!

It's not safe for you here.

I ain't going nowhere...

Teddy?

You have ignored half
a dozen subpoenas.

I can't get arrested in Harlem.

Chickens coming home to roost.

In other words, you
reap what you sow.

That was a very bad statement.

I would never
knowingly challenge you.

But you did.

I would like to ask
the commission

for a Five Families sanction
to kill Bumpy Johnson.

- Salute.
- Salute.

Fuckin' guineas.

Fuck!

Cut that nigger off!

Bravo, this is Delta.
Friendlies inbound.

Alpha's on the block.

Secure the perimeter.

Whoa, whoa! What happened?

Guineas spotted me.

Chased me all the
way from the waterfront.

You're bleeding.

Yeah, well, so is he.

- Ho!
- Shit!

Monsieur, s'il vous plait.

Je ne parle pas Anglais.

Get him upstairs.

What do you want?

The word on the
street is that the Italians

are taking down payments on
a very large shipment of dope

coming out of Marseille.

You're Jehan's right-hand man.

You're his chemist.

You arrange the
shipments for him.

If you're here, then he's here.

I don't know who
this Jean Jehan is.

- I do not know this man.
- Where is Jean Jehan?

I just told you. I
don't know this guy!

Okay. We'll do
this the hard way.

Just tell me where he is,
and I don't have to hurt you.

Putain de connard,
tu vas mourir!

Where is Jean Jehan?

Aah!

Three fuckin' months.

I'm going crazy.

I feel like I got
bugs in my brain.

Things aren't much
better for us down here.

The only thing keeping me sane

is knowing that you
and Margaret are safe.

I gotta make my move.

I can't go on like this.

I gotta put the
squeeze on the guineas,

get them to lift these
sanctions from my head.

Messing with them is what
got us here in the first place.

I got us into this, and
I want to get us out.

You hear me?

But if my plan doesn't work,

I want you to promise
me something.

That you'll tell Margaret
what kind of man I was.

The man you know.

Not the man the world knows.

The man you know.

She needs to hear from
you what was our story.

So, what are you planning?

The guineas...

They care more
about their heroin

than they do about
seeing me dead.

I'm gonna sever the
French Connection.

One fuckin' nigger.

You can get Oswald
to kill the president.

You can't bring me
one fuckin' nigger?

It ain't one. It's
all of Harlem.

They protect him.

Anytime we get a drop
on where Johnson's hiding,

we go out there, and,
poof, è fumo Nero.

Yeah, è fumo Nero.

They got fuckin' walkie-talkies.

They're on rooftops.
It's impossible.

He moves from one
apartment to the next.

He never stays more
than two, three nights.

What can we do?

Fuckin' idiots. Get
a radio. Listen in.

We did that. They speak
in some fuckin' code.

Yeah, how's he get his
food? Who brings it to him?

How's he check in on his
numbers, his gambling?

Are you following the
cars out of Palmetto?

These are questions
that you should be asking.

The other families
can't find him neither.

The other families don't
control Harlem. I do.

It's humiliating is what it is.

I should have never
sent Benny to Florida.

Johnson would be
six feet under by now.

Brother Minister.

Good day, Captain Henry.

Thank you, Sister Marny.

Thank you, Sister.

Malcolm.

Thank you for taking the time.

What can I do for you?

My 90-day suspension is up.

Has it been 90 days?

Wow.

Damn, I guess it has.

I'm ready to return
to the temple.

We received no approval
from the Dear Holy Apostle,

which, of course, is necessary.

I've written him three
letters, haven't heard back.

He's a busy man.

Or perhaps he
never received them.

Now, I'm aware that there are
people in the Chicago mosque

who are against me.

They seek to fan
the flames of discord.

You created discord when
you disobeyed his edict

not to speak of the
Kennedy assassination.

Look, Henry...

Come on, Brother. You
and I were friends once.

I need to set this straight
so I can come back.

Listen, right now,

you are not his first priority.

Now, you probably heard the lies

of his alleged
sexual infidelities.

Lies indeed.

Spread by the white devil

to cast aspersions
on his leadership.

What if they're true?

What if they're true, Malcolm?

He's gonna need
a strong defense.

Then I'll defend him.

I brought your man back.

Is this Bumpy Johnson I
see underneath that beard?

C'est moi.

What happened to Monsieur 98?

Took some convincing to get
him to tell me where you were.

He's a good man.

Are you okay?

Bordeaux?

I'll have a ginger ale.

We fought side by
side to liberate Corsica

from the Germans.
Never got a scratch.

Then he met you.

Your friend's stubborn.

Hopefully, you're
more reasonable.

What do you want from me?

I want you to be my supplier.

You know me, Jean.

I helped Lucky Luciano
move the first loads

that you brought
into New York City.

Lucky trusted me because
I'm a man of my word.

I'm developing a
distribution system

that will expand your business.

Ten Harlems,
rather than just one.

What does that
mean, "Ten Harlems"?

I have a relationship
with all the Black dons

in every major city.

We cut out the
Italians as middlemen,

sell to the user directly.

We expand our territory,
and we make a fortune.

If I make enemies
of all Five Families,

I end up like
you... with a price.

The Italians have been trying
to kill me for three months,

et voilà, I'm still here, no?

Harlem is mine.

Harlem is not yours, Bumpy.

It's theirs.

I mean, I find your
proposal intriguing.

But you are a desperate man,
and that's why I have to say no.

Know it or not, you
will be my supplier.

Good morning, my beauty.

You ready for some food?

Yes? No? Maybe?

When are you gonna
let me out of this room?

Stella

we have been
over this 100 times.

When your father is sure

that you are not a
danger to yourself.

Come on.

I want you to eat something.

Come on, get up.

Look. Nice peppers and eggs.

Coffee.

And your favorite
homemade biscotti.

Stella

I want you to look at me.

We are gonna forget
all about Teddy.

We're gonna forget
about everything bad

that has happened.

You understand?

And I want you to
know me and Daddy

are so happy that
you are back home.

This isn't a home. It's a jail.

- My God.
- I hate you!

- My God!
- I hate all of you!

Stella!

Jesus Christ, have
mercy on my soul!

President Johnson has been

trying to push the
legislation through

since President
Kennedy was assass...

How you doing, Minister?

Girls still at school?

Yes.

I fixed you a lunch,
even though it's late.

Thank you.

Things didn't go well?

I don't believe Elijah has
ever even received my letters.

And I'm still silenced.

The girls will be home soon.

You'll feel better
when you see them.

Did you hear what I said?

Of course I did.

It's just, what can we do?

They throw rocks
through our windows,

block my letters,

put poison into Elijah's ears.

Elijah hears what he wants to.

Betty, can't you see
what's happening?

The mosque is my home, and
my enemies are pushing me out.

No.

This is your home.

I know the past few months
have been hard on you,

but we've never spent
so much time as a family.

The kids are finally
getting to know you.

I've never seen
them smile so much.

Maybe we can take them to
the park when they get back?

Maybe.

Yes, I know.

You have work to do.

Okay, as per the agreement,

this is a million
and a half dollars,

which represents half.

Now, this was
collected by the families.

The rest is due on delivery.

Bumpy Johnson
came to see me today,

after having cut the face
of my chemist to find me.

He wants me to be his supplier.

What the fuck are
you talking about?

How could it be that you
had a bounty on his head

for three months
and he's not dead?

One single Negro
against Five Families.

That's on you, Chin.

Fuck you, Joe.

You control Harlem.

He's got a whole community
watching out for him.

Then put some more
buttons on the street.

That's a great fuckin' idea.

More white guys.
What's that gonna do?

I might as well put a-a
sign on their chest saying,

"I'm a hit man."

Come on, Joe. You
ever been to Harlem?

It's easy to spot a white guy.

I gotta stand here and
listen to this ex-chauffeur

with his bullshit excuses?

Basta!

Capito. Enough.

Hey, Boss.

We have more important
things to do here.

I think I got something, right?

There's this Negro
up on hun-forty,

said he's seen this chick in
a white habit delivering food

to all these
different apartments.

Some Muslim.

And she's been going
straight to Bumpy Johnson.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

I got the DeMarco
brothers up there right now.

Mark my words, Johnson's
a fuckin' dead man.

We cannot afford
to continue like this.

No disrespect.

Maybe you're good
for something after all.

It's a big concern.

You know what
I'm fuckin' tired of?

Frogs from the
Corsican countryside

questioning how we
run things in New York.

Yeah. Well, I'm
tired of listening

to your big fuckin' mouth.

Bumpy Johnson's gonna
be dead by the end of the day.

I give you my word.

"It is darkness,
and it is night,

and all beasts of the
forest do creep forth."

D-Doesn't reading in a
car make you nauseous?

Not when I'm contemplating
the word of God.

Wingate, what is the
cause of that sour look?

Washington is
where you're needed.

We have an opportunity to pass

an even stronger
Civil Rights Act

than with Kennedy,
God rest his soul.

Gosh!

Harlem is in my blood.

Now, if I can't
be on the streets

delivering the word
of God to my people,

I won't have the strength to
fight those southern Dixiecrats.

The second you set foot back
in Harlem, you'll be arrested.

Not on Sunday.

You think the
Sheriff's Department's

gonna let you go 'cause you're
giving a sermon on Sunday?

No, I think the
Sheriff's Department

is closed on Sundays.

I can't stand
Washington anymore.

I wanna be home with my people,

order my ribs at
the Red Rooster,

water my plants.

Well, then you should
have paid off Esther James

instead of fighting
her in court.

We'll set a meeting.

Friendlies inbound.

Pennsylvania plates.

Let me get this straight.

You wanna steal his fuckin' duji

just to get him to agree.

Gotta keep the pressure on him.

Get this contract on my head
lifted and my family home.

You understand that, right, Sam?

Yeah, I do understand
wanting to leave this shithole.

What the hell is that?

That's... that's home security.

Home security?

Yeah, man. I don't know, man.

How you expect me
to steal 500 keys?

You got the best hijacking
crew on the whole East Coast.

The Corsicans process
the duji in Marseille.

They pack it into cars,
and they ship it to New York.

I bribed a customs agent to
give me the plate numbers.

My man Chance here...
he's a helluva sniper.

Take him along.
He'll watch your back.

Even if I was to
do this crazy shit

what's my cut?

If my plan works, you'll
get the duji at half the price

that you pay the guineas
in Philly right now.

Risky.

Risk equals reward.

Shit's getting old, man.

The white man running
things that should be ours.

The ghetto buys the product,
then the ghetto should sell it,

not the white man.

My brother Malcolm
X... he's got a name for it.

What's that?

Black economics.

I just don't know how
much more I can take of this.

I know.

She's resting.

Ricciarelli?

Best in the world.

Mind if I

I made them for you.

It's even better than Mama's.

Better than Mom's.

Stella's grieving,

and she blames you for
that Negro boy's death.

Yeah, well, I didn't have
nothin' to do with that.

Hey. You want a glass of milk?

No, thank you.

She's confused, Vincent. She...

She needs to feel safe.

I need to feel safe.

She almost cracked my
head open this morning.

My suggestion is to allow
some incremental freedoms.

She's been locked in that
room for almost a month.

Show her you trust
her, and she will,

with God's blessing,
do the same.

What if she tries
to kill herself again?

Stop.

Stella has a
strong faith in God.

I don't think that she believes
suicide is any longer an option.

Give her time. Give her freedom.

She needs one of
those... whattayacallit...

Chaperones.

So, why you lookin' at me?

I cannot go near her.

I can't go near her anymore.

I'm sorry, Vincent.
I can't do it.

Hand me one of
those fuckin' cookies.

Thank you.

It's good to see
you, Brother Minister.

It is good to be seen, Sister.

90 days of silence

it has been difficult.

I missed our talks.

And I'm starving.

Yeah, me, too.

Boy. Let's see.

Hey, I, um

I ran into your father
not too long ago.

At one of his hideouts?
How'd you find him?

Well, he found me.

Yeah, he told me about
how you saved his life.

By killing a man.

It was kill or be killed.

You're a strong
woman, Sister Elise.

Able to defend yourself
and those you love.

You are an asset to the Nation.

But taking a life...
it can harm the soul.

I don't want to see
that happen to you.

There are many men
in the nation who kill

for one reason or
another, Brother Minister.

I assure you, my
heart remains open.

But what about yours?

Captain Henry said
you were defiant today.

He's a liar.

If you don't submit, they
aren't gonna let you back in.

Let me tell you about
Captain Henry Jones.

Now, this man is
a criminal so stupid

that after he went over and
punched a safe on Delancey,

he went back in because
he forgot his smokes

next to the safe.

Two years he got for that, now.

The Nation saves you
from Satan but not stupidity.

Yeah, he may be stupid,
but he has Elijah's ear.

We need you back in the Nation.

I need you.

What do you feel like eating?

Yeah, keep after it.

All right, let me know
when you're here.

All right.

Anything on Johnson?

Yeah.

They're trailing
that Muslim lady.

It's looking good.

Hang on a sec. I-I
got another job for you.

Have a seat.

- What is it?
- Yeah.

I want you to take
my daughter out.

What are you, fuckin' crazy?

Easy, ya mamaluke.

Not on a date.

I need you to take her
for a walk in the park,

you know, get
her some fresh air.

Like

like a health walk.

- A health walk?
- Yeah.

She hates me.

Your daughter fuckin'
hates me. You realize that?

You want me to take
her on a health walk?

Look.

I got a daughter in my
house who tried to kill herself.

She wants out.

I can't keep her
locked up forever.

I just need somebody
to keep an eye on her.

Butter!

It's like butter!

Hey, Elise. What you got for us?

You wanna take Bumpy
Johnson's meal, you go right ahead.

Ooh. Shit.

I ain't got no death wish.

- Come on, I'll take you up.
- Thank you.

You hear this?

You wanna grab
something to eat, Junie?

Yeah, I could eat.
Let's go to Well's.

Well's it is. Back in 20.

- Don't take too long.
- All right, Chance.

How you doin', Daddy?

Hey. What you got there?

Rice and gravy, geechee-style.

You ask me

it's over already.

What do you mean?

Malcolm turned the
Nation into a force.

Elijah knows it.
Malcolm knows it.

Nation ain't big enough
for the two of them.

I can't imagine Malcolm
gone from the Nation.

Question is, what are
you gonna do when he is?

Hey.

Hey, Daddy. I miss you.

I miss you, too.

It's so boring out here.

It's slower down
there in Charleston.

Try to enjoy it, all right?

Okay.

Your aunt makes the
best peach cobbler.

Yeah, I could go for some
of that right about now.

Serve the Lord!

Is Elise with you?

I miss her. I wanna talk to her.

All right, honey.

Talk to your
daughter... your sister.

- Hey, Margaret.
- Hey, Elise.

Hey. Come on. Let's go.

Get in the bathroom.
You'll be all right.

You good?

Good.

Fuck it, then, fuck!

Fuck.

Elise?

Hello?

Hello?

How's it going?

That feels wonderful.

But I've got to finish this.

What are you doing?

I'm attempting to regain
the Dear Holy Apostle's trust.

Seems to me, he should
be trying to regain yours.

Well, those rumors
about his infidelities...

They needn't hurt him,

'cause even if they were true,

they can be justified
by the Koran itself.

So I'm preparing a document
of verses that will expiate

any wrongdoing,
real or imagined.

But he's denied it.

If the rumors are
true, he's a liar.

Watch your tongue, woman!

Please show respect.

If those rumors are true

and he took advantage
of young girls,

don't those girls matter?

My entire purpose is to
serve the Dear Holy Apostle

and to spread the word of Islam.

Without that, who am I?

A father and a husband.

Isn't that purpose enough?

Flowers?

Bad idea.

You want a drink of booze
before you go in there?

Trust me, you're gonna need it.

- How is she?
- How is she?

Violent.

She's got a loose screw, okay?

So, if I was you,

I wouldn't even try
to reason with her.

I don't know.

Well, I just gotta take
her out, keep her safe.

Yeah, well, I wouldn't
worry about her.

I'd worry about you.

Hey, Stell?

What are you reading?

"A Moveable Feast" by Hemingway.

You read it?

It's his memoirs
about his life in Paris.

I'd like to go to Paris someday.

You been there?

No.

Right.

All you bastards never
leave East Harlem.

Your father just wants
you to go out, so

I gotta go with you.

Why you?

I don't like this any
more than you do,

but it's not about me.

He wants what's best
for you, so I don't know...

Shopping, fresh air.

So, where do you wanna go?

Paris.

All right. Seriously.

I'm serious.

Look

it cannot be good for you,

cooped up in this
room like this all day.

So we can go for a walk.
We can get some fresh air.

I can take you
for a bite to eat.

I can take you shopping,
whatever you want.

Can you come here?

I wanna ask you something.

You think I'm a
danger to myself?

I didn't say that.

Well, everyone else does.

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

Come on, just

take a guess.

Maybe.

All right.

That's fair.

Hey.

I wanna tell you a secret.

It's just between you and me.

I don't want them to hear.

When Teddy died.

I died, too.

What the fuck?

Stell, what the
fuck are you doing?

I'm getting out of here
one way or the other.

Whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

You spoiled little bitch.

You have fuckin' everything.

You realize that?
You have everything.

You got a beautiful
fuckin' house.

You got a family that loves you.

You got a father willing to do
anything in the world for you.

Teddy knew what he
was getting into with you.

You think this is
what he'd want?

For you to blow your fuckin'
brains all over the floor?

I'm gonna take
you to lunch, Stella.

You don't like the food,
you can kill yourself after.

You looked really scared there.

You pull that trigger, I'd
be as good as dead, too.

That's good to know.

My God.

Come on. Let's go get some food.

I'm starving.

Now, don't say
anything to inflame her.

I mean it.

That woman came out
of the womb inflamed...

With the fires of hell.

She agreed to the $40,000
payout. That's a win.

That's gravy on top of the steak

the mob gave her
to take me down.

Miss James.

Mr. Wingate.

Miss James, I wanna thank you

for agreeing to
meet with me today

so that we can finally put
this unpleasantness behind us.

Don't give me no
sermon, Reverend.

Just hand over the cash.

Of course.

But before I do that,

I wanna make sure we
have an understanding.

I need you to cease
all legal proceedings

and make no mention to the
press about our settlement.

You ashamed of doing
what's right? Why?

The publicity generated by you

and your
Mafia-supported legal team

are getting in the way

of passing important
civil rights legislation.

See, there you go again,
associating me with mobsters.

I assure you, the
Reverend misspoke.

I only want a guarantee
that if I give you

what amounts to
every last dime I have,

you'll keep your mouth shut.

And here I was,
expecting an apology.

$40,000 is apology
enough, especially when...

I

Will also apologize

to you.

I

Am.

Sorry.

So, can we forgive
and forget like Jesus?

Jesus never called
me a bag lady.

And Jesus was never bent
over a barrel by the mob.

But even if He was,

I'm sure he'd turn
the other cheek.

As I'm about to do.

Well, now, that sordid
business is behind us.

After I count my money.

And if anything is missing,
you'll be reading about it

in "The New York Times."

I was able to find
19 Koranic verses

that can be used as a
defense if necessary.

Let's hope it's not.

Now, I'm hoping this
makes the Dear Holy Apostle

very clear on my
willingness to submit.

Have a seat.

I was thinking about what
you said to me yesterday,

about how we used to be friends.

Yeah, it makes me think
about how the Dear Holy Apostle

found us, like so
many others, in prison.

He took us from the big
house to his house, didn't he?

Yeah.

In the spirit of
humility, forgiveness.

I admit, I was jealous over
your close relationship with him.

I want to apologize for that.

I appreciate that.

I'm looking forward
to you coming back,

Brother Minister.

It's time to take Harlem back.

I got my pieces in position.

500 kilos of heroin are
docking as we speak.

It may be crazy to
steal from the mob,

but this is a game of chess,

and I'm putting
their greed in check.

Come on.

If my plan works, you
can finally come home.

I love you, Ellsworth.

I love you, too.

Thank you for coming.

You stole the dope, didn't you?

Let's just say I know
the people who did.

Easy, 98, or I'll have to cut
the other side of your face.

I know the folks
who stole your dope.

It'll take some convincing,
but I can get it back for you.

What do you want?

Your supply and your support.

I'm gonna get these Mafia
sanctions taken off my head,

and you get my Ten Harlems.

What makes you think I
even agree to that proposal?

You and me are more
alike than you think.

We're both visitors
to this country.

The only difference is
you came here by choice.

I'm a second-class
citizen in my own country,

and I gotta fight
for what's mine.

I'm assuming you
leave me no choice?

That's right. You have
no choice in the matter.

Welcome to America.

That frog ran off
with our money.

You don't know that, asshole.

Listen, I'm sure there's
an explanation for this.

Well, what the
fuck does it matter?

The The dope
wasn't at the drop-off.

I say we hit Jehan and those
fuckin' Corsican bastards

before they leave the country.

What?

Speak of the devil.
You believe this shit?

You're fucking kidding me.

You're kidding me, right?

You come here?

Hey, that would not be wise.

- If you want your heroin...
- Shut the fuck up!

Chin, put the fucking
gun down. Put it down!

Sure.

Sure, but they're not
walkin' out of here alive.

You guys been trying to
kill me for three months.

Make it easy for you.

I'm here. I turn myself in.

But if you shoot me,

you can kiss your
shipments goodbye.

This Johnson's
crazier than you, Chin.

If this commission votes to take
these sanctions off of my head,

then I get you your dope
back, every single key.

Fine.

And then we'll kill ya.

If you do that, I might
just go home, for good.

Without him, you lose
your connection to Marseille.

Without me, the thieves
will sell your dope,

and you won't even
see a dime of it.

So, what's it gonna
be, gentlemen?

500 keys of heroin

or one more dead
Negro in Harlem?

One dead Negro.

Chin.

There is a set of
laws by which we live.

If the commission votes this
way, we're obliged to obey.

That way, we're obliged to obey.

- We took an oath to that.
- Yeah, yeah.

All right, so, let's
put it to a vote.

I say we kill him.

Come on!

I know what you greedy
bastards are doing.

He killed Zambrano,

and he stole our dope.

You care more about your money

than this thing of ours here.

He should die like a dog!

Listen, Chin.

Fuck you. I'd rather
have my dope.

- Fuck.
- Then it's settled.

You may leave, Mr. Johnson.

Good day.

What, may I ask, is this
place we call "home"?

Home is not a place,

not a roof with four
walls, but a moment,

and then another,
building on each other

to create a solid shelter

that you take with
you your entire life

wherever you may go.

We leave something
of ourselves behind

when we leave a place.

And there are things in us

that we only find
when we return.

Tend mightily to your home,

lest it fall into disrepair.

I'm sorry.

A home devoid of love

invites the devil
into its foyer.

Dear Holy Apostle, I believe
your suspicions are correct.

Malcolm has taken
it upon himself

to suggest that
the rumors are true.

I have the proof.

Just as a home with love,

be it a shack or a mansion,

has God as its
shield and protector.

Home is an idea that only the
homeless can fully appreciate

and the uprooted comprehend.

And in every home...

Amen.

There's a little bit of heaven.

All right...