Parish (2024) s01e05 Episode Script

Kumba

1
Before I met your mother, I
led a different kind of life.
You swore a promise over there,
that the old you was never coming back.
We can provide you up to 500
employees with valid H-2B visas.
You can't trust the Africans.
They want me to kill Horse.
We need to get out of here.
[GRUNTING]
GRACIÁN: You owe me your life.
I'm taking mine back.
You wanted my head. Take it.

[DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE]
[BREATHES SHAKILY]
- We have to call the police.
- No, we can't do that.
What do you mean? What else would we do?
Mak, believe me. I know
what you've been through,
but it's not as clear cut as you think.
Why not? It was self-defense.
And that's what the police need to hear.
There's no sense putting it off.
No, no, hold on, hold on.
There are two dead bodies in this house.
Gray, I killed them, not you!
- No, I
- Rose! Rose! Just hear me out.
You can tell them whatever you want
- when they get here.
- Rose! Rose!
- But I'm calling.
- You need to think this through.
We call the cops, then what?
We give our statement, we spend
three years in a courtroom.
You and Mak on the stand. For what?
None of it'll stop Anton.
He was in our living
room. Those were his guys.
You don't know him like I do.
With the kind of reach he
has, he will walk, and we'll be
looking over our shoulders
for the rest of our lives.
Now, I just I just wanted
you to have the information.
Now you want that?
Look, I messed up, alright?
I'm willing to tell you everything.
Yeah, well, I'll hear it
when the detectives get here.
- We both will.
- Fine. Okay, fine.
Let's just call them.
[CELLPHONE BEEPS]

What's the plan?

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS,
PIANO PLAYING CLASSICAL MUSIC]
Normally I'd ask how we got here,
but we both know how.
- You stole from me.
- Mm.
I only took what was mine.
Which was bought and paid for by me.
So fascinating how white
men think they own my people.
You're the one who put a price on them.
I gave you a chance to revisit
the terms of our arrangement.
You laughed in my face. Remember?
So you started a war?
[SCOFFS]
Ungrateful piece of shit.
Shall we?
- Tom. Carla.
- Good to see you.
Alright.
You know, there were, uh,
other items in that safe
that you have no claim to.
Mister Deputy Mayor, Shepherd Tongai.
Pleasure to meet you.
Ah.
You know [CLEARS THROAT] why don't we
Let's go in here. Come on.
Please.
- Anton
- Alright, Billy.

Hmm. I like that one, too.

Come on.
We gotta go.

[ZIPPER ZIPS]
Sorry I'm late. I had to make two stops.
This shit's expensive, man.
Yeah, put it down right there.
Come on, this way.
Just the one?
He's got a buddy upstairs,
dreaming the same dream.
Hi, Mrs. Parish.
Rose, you remember Colin, don't you?
Mm.
Come on, we gotta get to it.
COLIN: Yeah.

ANTON: Five years, I've been
putting your people to work.
I made you relevant.
I am relevant.
Relevant enough for my people
not to need you anymore.
[CHUCKLES] What?
You think you're some kind of savior?
You're a human trafficker.
I mean, without me,
hoteliers, casino boys,
none of these men would
be in business with you.
I'm trying to be civilized.
Y'all going around, bashing
skulls in with crowbars
and threatening to light us on fire.
Civilized?
Mm.
And I suppose attempting to kill a man
and his innocent child is what?
Par for the course?
No, you're right.
I was acting emotionally.
There is a lesson there, one that, uh,
you would be wise to contemplate.
Since we've been in this room,
I've only contemplated one thing.
Mr. Valmont, the candidate is ready.
Did you need more time?
Uh, no, darling, Mr. Tongai and I,
we're we're just wrapping up.
Be right there.
You know, Anton, this conversation
isn't the only thing that's wrapping up.
Your time running this city is, too.
You know, the difference
between you and me
is that I know what it's like
to fight for my life and survive.
You simply don't.
No, the difference between
you and me is, uh, information.
And right now,
what you don't know is
so much bigger than you.
[COUGHS]
You mind if I ?
[LINE RINGS]
ANTON: Hey, now.
Yeah, it's me.
There's someone here
you need to talk to.

Baba?
- [LINE DISCONNECTS]
- [CHUCKLES]
That's the thing about family.
They'll keep you in check.
It stings, I know.
But, uh, stick around
for the stump speech.
You'll find it revelatory.

Shepherd, you alright?
I need you to do something.
[BOTH GRUNTING]
Okay.
[SNIFFS]

[BOTH GRUNTING]

Yeah, come on.
[BOTH GRUNTING]
[BOTH BREATHING HEAVILY]
[TRUCK BED DOOR CLOSES]
Thanks for this.
So what's next?
All goes well, you'll
never see me again.
Look, man, if I could
do it all over again,
I never would've brought
you into all this.
Stop apologizing and live your life.
Go to Cuba.
Get yourself a girl and a mojito.
Get lost.
Nothing for you here. Me neither.

Alright. Come on, now.
Yeah.
Don't get pulled over.
No, I got this.

[ENGINE STARTS]

[VEHICLE APPROACHES]
Horse wanted you to have this.
Whatever it is, tell
him I don't want it.
- [TIRES SCREECH]
- Hey! Hey!

[DOOR OPENS]
[DOOR CLOSES]

- Is everything okay?
- Yeah. Yeah.
We We should get going before
Anton knows what's happening.
I can't believe we're
going through with this.
[TRUNK CLOSES]
You and Mak say your goodbyes?
Do it.

[PUNCHES LANDING]
Ruler of my heart ♪
Yeah, that's it.
Robber of my soul ♪
Come on, hit it!
- Hit it like you mean something.
- Where can you be? ♪
Not from your shoulder.
From here. Come on. See?
- I wait patiently ♪
- Move. Come on.
That's right.
My heart cries out ♪
Pain inside ♪
Where can you be? ♪
I wait patiently ♪
[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
When you're lost ♪
The going gets rough ♪
Come back, come back, come back ♪
I've had enough ♪
[MADDOX CRYING]
Make me a queen ♪
Happy again ♪
Hear my cry ♪
He struck out three times.

MADDOX: Whoo!
[LAUGHTER]
Mm ♪
Mm-mm ♪
[LAUGHS]
GRAY: Checking my moves out.
Son checking my moves out.
You're so bad.
I'm bad, I'm bad, I'm bad.
Mm, mm-mm ♪

Because you won't let anybody in!
GRAY: I let you in! I
have to talk about this!
- No!
- You didn't want to talk about it!
Not like this!
- It's not
- Rose!
They're fighting again.
Uh Th-They're in pain.
So am I.
Mm, mm-mm ♪
Mm-mm, mm-mm ♪

- [GIGGLES]
- Mm, mm-mm ♪
Mm-mm, mm-mm ♪
When you're alone ♪
The going gets rough ♪
A-come back, a-come
back, a-come back ♪
I've had enough ♪
Make me a queen ♪
Happy again ♪
[DOOR OPENS]
Hear my cry ♪
[DOOR CLOSES]
Ease my pain ♪
Mm-mm, mm-mm ♪
[GEAR SHIFTS]
Mm-mm, mm-mm ♪
Mm, mm-mm ♪
Mm-mm, mm-mm ♪
[LIQUID POURING]
Where's Shepherd?
Always asking for him, never me, huh?
If I didn't know any better,
I'd think you favor him.
Careful.
Your insecurity is showing.
Well, he's not coming back.
You're the impimpi.
I'm my father's son.
Horse tried to step out
from under Baba's shadow,
and instead, he started a war.
A war you supported.
Baba wasn't pleased,
so he offered Horse's head to Anton.
You nearly killed Luke!
I restored order.
I showed our family's
business comes first.
Luke wasn't supposed to be there.
I'll have to live with that.
Oh, I'm sure it'll be
terribly difficult for you.
I'll give it to you, Sister.
You've always had it, huh?
The silent one.
You've been playing
the Good Angel so long,
you've convinced yourself you didn't
plant the seeds of
doubt in Horse's mind.
Hmm?
I see you, Sister.
And in my heart, it was always
you who set it all in motion.

After all these years,
you still don't know me.
[SCOFFS]
Oh, on the contrary, Good Angel.
I know you'll always do as you're told.
The last thing you want to
do is to disappoint Baba.
Now get to work. Our guests
will be arriving soon.

[FOOTSTEPS DEPART]
ANTON: It is an honor for
me to introduce someone
who embodies the American Dream
and who will ensure
that it not only survives
but thrives the right way.
Ladies and gentlemen,
the next Attorney General
of the great state of Louisiana,
here she is Laura Abidemi-Smith!
- Can we hear it?
- [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
That's right!
LAURA: Thank you.
Thank you, all, thank you.
Thank you, all.
My parents fled Nigeria 50 years ago.
But I can still see the
fear in my mother's eyes
when she talks about it.
Not the bombs that
tore her village apart,
but the memory of arriving
in New Orleans with my father,
$20 in their pockets, a
single suitcase between them,
and no papers.

Their dream of a new life
soon became a nightmare.
[PLANE FLYING OVERHEAD]
Stripped of their dignity,
exploited at every turn,
they worked for slave
wages and lived in squalor.
And because they were illegal,
they couldn't turn to the police,
which only made them more vulnerable.
That's why I will enforce Congress' new
Seasonal Workers Solidarity Act
not to punish people like my parents
[APPLAUSE]
but to protect them.

- [SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
- Welcome.
And more importantly, to ensure
that those who arrive
with proper documentation,
those who come to our
shores the right way
can reach for the American
Dream without fear.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

[THUNDER CRASHES]
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
REPORTER: Taking a peek at
our regional weather now
[DOOR OPENS, CHIME RINGS]
you can see that low-pressure front
is bringing us all this rain.
[DOOR CLOSES]
Well, that front is slowly moving out
and being replaced by upper
level high pressure
You got a room, two double beds?
How long you stayin'?
Oh, well, depends on how much
there is to see in Lafayette.
I'll put you down for two nights.
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
[MAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ON TV]
- Thank you, ma'am.
- Mm-hmm.

[FIZZING]
[SMOKE DETECTOR BEEPING]
[EXPLOSIONS, GLASS SHATTERING]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

You said Baba would be back soon.
Very soon.
Finish your muboora.

It's time.
[GLASS CLINKS]
[CONVERSATIONS STOP]
[CLEARS THROAT]
Huh?
[APPLAUSE]
This village you speak of,
uh, does it have air-conditioning?
[LAUGHTER]

[THUNDER RUMBLES]
ROSE: Are we safe here?
Yeah, we're safe. I was careful.
Metairie Nouveau is
probably looking for us now,
but we got a head start.
So, say this works out
the way you want it to
and we get the insurance payout,
you sell your stake to Amjad,
and we start fresh somewhere new.
- Where'd you say?
- Santa Fe.
That was just a suggestion,
but the point is that we start over.
Together.
Find some place where they'll
they'll never catch up to us.
Gray?
How can we trust you?
How do we know this'll
never happen again?
I made a promise.
No more secrets.
I plan to keep my word.
Then why don't you start right now, Dad?
What do you want to know?
Everything.
She can handle it.

[INHALES DEEPLY]
[EXHALES DEEPLY]
I didn't grow up the way you did.
I didn't have
I didn't have lots of things.
I stole my first car at 16.
'68 Chevelle SS.
Like the one you were
building with Maddy?
Still my favorite ride.
I always wanted to be good at something.
But I was great at that.
I was running my own
crew by the time I was 20.
We started by boosting high-end cars,
swapping the VINs,
driving them to New
York, Dallas, Chicago.
Mom's from Chicago.
That's where we met.
In a café.
I was writing my thesis.
He bought me a cup of coffee,
and he left his number on the cup.
Within a few years, word got out
that I was good behind the wheel,
I could be trusted,
that my crew worked fast
and didn't make noise.
Jobs started to find us.
Big ones, big risk.
I became someone who
could thrive in that world.
Scariest part is I was
great at it, and I loved it.
Then your mom and I got together,
and we decided to have a family.
Any business I had I squared up,
and I put it all in my rearview.
At least I thought I had.
Nyasha Mambo?
[KEYBOARD CLACKING]
I'm Nyasha.
This'll give you
access to your job site.
And this should help you get settled.
Is it alright if we
hold on to your passport,
for safekeeping?
I-I don't see why not.
Wonderful.
Tambu Moyo?
Oh. Excuse me.
This is only $150.
It should be $400, shouldn't it?
I can show you the contract that
What do you mean, the rent?
We're not a charity.
You'll get your full
rate once we've covered
the cost of bringing you here,
putting you up, and making you legal.
Oh, you don't like it?
Then you take it up with Immigration.
I apologize on behalf of my brother.
I'm sure there's a solution
that could work for all of us.
You'll hear from me soon, Nyasha.
Tambu Moyo?
MAK: [SIGHS, SCOFFS]
So, this whole time,
you knew about this?
I knew he had a past, mm-hmm.
But I guess I didn't
really ask for specifics.
Guess I didn't want
to compromise myself.
I'm a social worker. I
have people depending on me.
[SCOFFS]
That's convenient.
That's the truth.
I'm just hoping it's enough
to convince you to
give me another chance.
Both of you.
We said no more secrets, right?
[SIGHS]
[ZIPPER UNZIPS]
It's the gun I used to kill that man.
It was Maddy's.
I found it in his bedroom
a few days after he died.
I don't know where he got it or
why he had it. I have no idea.
And you waited till now
to tell me about this?
Jesus Christ, Mom.
I was trying to protect you.
- Both of you.
- Protect us from what?

Maddy wasn't who we
wanted to believe he was.
No, no, no, n !
Gray, if you want to start over
with me and with Mak,
you need to stop lying
to yourself, alright?
Our son was slipping away,
had been for a long time.
Bullshit!
He wasn't slipping away.
You pushed him away! Both of you.
I watched it.
You You coddling him.
And you
you know what you did.
It's no wonder he was
breaking in to cars!
I guess the apple doesn't
fall far from the tree.

What?
What, you didn't know that, either?
Did you have any clue as
to who Maddox really was?!
Do you even know who I am?
Mak.
Oh, my God.
Gray
[DOOR SLAMS]
I need to go.
[DOOR OPENS]
[DOOR CLOSES]

[CAR ALARM BLARING]
[SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE]
[WOMAN CRYING]
Last door on the left.

What is this place?
Kumba.
What were you expecting?
The Four Seasons?
I want to speak to Madame Tongai.
Good. Because she wants to speak to you.
[WAILING CONTINUES]

[RECORDER BEEPS]
MAN: Um, I-I just came
out of this bar on,
uh, I don't know, the corner
of Poland and Dauphine?
Um, I saw someone. He
was breaking in my truck.
And I Ugh, I-I went up to him.
I-It was dark.
It looked like he had a gun,
man, and I I shot him.
I shot him.
I think it was a kid.
You gotta help me.
[SOBBING]
[RECORDER THUDS]

[KEYPAD BEEPS]
Go.

This is more like it, yeah?
Just remember, these luxuries
are reserved for those who
help the family the most.

Enjoy your stay.
[DOOR OPENS]
[DOOR CLOSES]

[PIANO PLAYING]

[PIANO STOPS]
Under the Flame Lily.
Always.
Yeah.
You pay attention.
Mm.
There's another reason
I'm your favorite.
Do you know what I was thinking
about just before you came in?
That summer we spent on
the beach in Muizenberg.
I must've been, what, 12?
I wasn't the greatest swimmer.
But somehow I got it into my head
to swim out way past the sand banks
into the open sea.
I would've drowned in the riptides
if you hadn't swam out to save me.
Then it occurred to me.
It was your idea in the first
place for me to swim out there.
All so I could beat Zenzo.
I don't have time for reminiscing.
So if you have something to say, say it.
That Baba chose the business over you?
Of course not.
You are as much to blame.
By doing nothing, you abetted him.
By doing nothing, you
turned your back on me.
By doing nothing, you turned your back
on my son and the future of this family.
Now, tell me one more
time you didn't know.
I was 10. And you were 8.
And, no, I didn't
have you swim out there
so you could beat Zenzo.
I did it so you could beat life.
So you could have a
chance at surviving the one
we were born into.
And for the record, by
the end of that summer,
you were the strongest
swimmer of us all.
So I could care less
if you don't believe me.
It's nothing new.
You trusted the driver over me!
So go on.
Do what you came here to do.

I came here, Sister
pleading for your help.

[THUNDER RUMBLING]

ROSE: You have every right
to feel the way you feel.

Believe it or not, we always
had the best intentions.
I realize now that, trying to
protect you and your brother
we built our lives on a lie.
I'm ready to listen to you.
I'm ready to know you.

[VEHICLE APPROACHING]
[BRAKES SQUEAL]

[CAR DOOR OPENS, DOG BARKS]
[CAR DOOR CLOSES]
[RADIO PLAYING]
Oh, come on, now.

[DOOR CREAKS]
What are you doing?
Why are you sneaking around?
Uh, I just needed something.
I'm headed back out.
Where you going?
Dad, I know when my curfew
is. It's not 11:00 yet.
No, I asked you where you're going.
To Clint's house with Trey and Jimmy.
Is that okay with you?
You better fix your mouth,
or you're not going anywhere.
What's going on, Maddy?
Mom told me you quit Mock Trial.
It was four nights a
week. I don't have time.
Oh, but plenty of time
to hang out with your boys
on a school night.
Whatever happened to our
project in the backyard?
We were supposed to do that tonight.
Together.
[WHISPERING] This shit again.
What did you say?
[NORMAL VOICE] This shit again?
You know who you're talking to,
boy? You're talking to Dad like that?
Shut the hell up, Mak!
Maddy, what's gotten into you?
Look, your private school friends,
they can do whatever they want
'cause there's a big net to
catch them when they fall,
but you, you got to work
twice as hard for half as much,
and even then, you may not get it.
I don't need financial advice
from a broke-ass cab driver.
Oh!
Jesus Christ, Gray!
Oh, my God! Mak: What is wrong with you?
- Maddy!
- I love you so much.
I Maddy, I
[FOOTSTEPS DEPART]

ROSE: Gray, are you in here?
[WATER STOPS]
Gray, we need to talk.
What?
Jesus Christ, are you okay?
Sweetheart.
What?
No more secrets.
I saw someone. He was
breaking in my truck.
And I Ugh, I-I went up to him.
I-It was dark.
It looked like he had a gun,
man, and I I shot him.
I shot him.
I think it was a kid.
You gotta help me.
[RECORDER CLICKS]
Where did that come from?
How do you know it's even real?
I don't.
B-But I'm gonna find out.
- You can't just leave us here.
- No.
Gray, we need to talk about this.
It's my fault!
My fault!
[SIGHS]
[TIRES SCREECHING]

[ENGINE REVVING]

[SIRENS WAILING]

No, no, I got to! You don't understand!
[WAILING CONTINUES]
[SOBBING]

No!
[ENGINE REVVING]

[SNIFFLES] My boy.
No.

- [SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]
- Right.
[ENGINE REVVING]

[GEAR SHIFTS, ENGINE SHUTS OFF]

I'm glad you called, brother.
Cut the "brother" shit.
Is this real?
Is this the man who killed my son?
It is.
Who is he?
What's his name?
Gray, I could tell you.
But what are you willing
to do for me in return?

MAN: I will help you find your peace.
I just need you to help me find mine.
Gray, you have a family.
Everything I've been through,
everything I put them through.
It's gonna be for nothing you do this.
This thing between us,
it won't go on forever.
You'd risk years of future
business for your ego?
GRAY: You think you can own people?
But you'll never own me.

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