Original subtitles

[King] Previously on Work in Progress.

[Jamal] Your dad's in the ICU.

Was he trying to--

[Abby] It would appear so, yeah.

I just want answers from him, you know,

and we can't even see him. I mean, what is that about?

But with COVID, they're being extremely vigilant.

There's a lot that we still don't even know.

Something doesn't add up.

Hi, Bobby. [chuckles]

[Abby's mom] Everything's fine.

Everything's okay.

[Abby] What's in the boxes?

-[Alison] Mom. -Hear that, Mom? We miss you.

[Abby] I just can't wrap my brain around that you're

moving back to your apartment tomorrow.

[Campbell] Are you gonna be okay on your own?

[explosion]

[message chimes]

[message chimes]

Ugh... [mutters] What the fuck, brain?

Fuck!

[Audie] Good morning, Abby.

What the--?

From NPR News, I'm Audie Cornish.

Where shall we begin?

-Uh... -Perhaps with the numerous

Black Lives Matter protests across the country.

"In the nation's capital,

a homeowner sheltered dozens of protesters in his house

while police surrounded the property

waiting to arrest and take them--"

You know, um, I didn't sleep

so good last night so...

Well, how about local?

"Mayor Lightfoot is drawing harsh criticism

for her 9:00 p.m. curfew announced

just 30 minutes before it went into effect,

trapping thousands of protesters downtown

to be tear gassed and arrested--"

I don't think that's the one.

Or we could pivot to COVID-19.

"Cook County's infection numbers are steadily increasing

as Governor Pritzker--"

Hey, Audie. [chuckles]

I--I'm so sorry.

I l... love you.

And I have like six NPR tote bags,

and I can show them to you if you don't believe me.

And I'm really aware that this is

a very privileged thing to say,

but I have news fatigue.

And I honestly don't think I can listen to any of that.

It's wrecking me.

Abby, it's absolutely okay to have boundaries.

And it's okay to turn off the news

and give your brain a break.

It-- It is?

I promise.

[exhales] Hey, do you want a cup of coffee?

-Love one. -[chuckles] Okay.

Nobody ever offers.

Rude.

How do you take it?

Black.

BEZ.

[chuckles]

I am a supporter.

[Audie chuckles] Well done.

Cheers.

[alarm clock rings]

Fuck!

Oh, fuck, fuck.

[sighs]

[blows]

Shit.

Shit.

Pah! [vocalizing]

[exhales deeply]

[Zoom chimes]

Oh, there she is, my girl...

Hey, Susan.

[Abby chuckles]

Oh, Eli.

Yes, so glad you could make it.

I thought this was mandatory.

Hey, Abby.

Hi, Eli.

-[Susan] So Abby? -Uh-huh.

I have a very special job for you.

[mutters] Oh, no.

In these unprecedented and challenging times...

Oh God.

...we at Equi Resi want to show togetherness

and unity with the community.

-Hey, Susan? -And--

What community exactly are you talking about?

All of them.

Well, anyways, since you are our

internal communications specialist,

in addition to being, well, diverse,

we chose you to write our company's solidarity statement.

Hey, Susan.

Actually, an individual can't be diverse.

But following that logic,

shouldn't Eli write the statement?

I mean, he is "diverse."

And also and probably more importantly,

he's the copywriter.

Well, Abby, it was actually Eli's idea

-to have you write it. -What?

Oh... [chuckles]

So we want our statement

to show that we're progressive

but not too progressive.

We're not anarchists, you know?

Don't burn down Target.

I need my Bullseye's Playground

and my coconut caramel soy lattes.

I only allow myself one of those a week as is.

I remember.

Anyways, the team would like a draft ASAP.

I will get you a draft

ASAP at the very latest.

Super-duper.

All right, well, I got to zoom to another Zoom, you guys.

Oh, and Black lives ma--

[Zoom chimes]

Jesus Christ.

[faint sirens in distance]

-[teeth chatter] -[laughs]

-[chuckles] -[Abby] Oh, my Go--

Hi, Travis.

What the hell are you doing?

Well, you know how your girl hates to take multiple trips.

Uh-hmm. What do you got there?

Women and Children First, Semicolon Bookstore.

-Uh-hmm. -Let me guess;

you bought out one of those anti-racism reading lists

that are circulating.

Do not tell me there's more than one.

I can't afford it! [chuckles]

Aw... Actually, I'm so glad I ran into you.

-I have a favor to ask. -Name it. Of course.

Well, I'm headin' down to see my mom for a couple of days.

-Okay. -Maybe more.

Is everything okay?

She went to Urgent Care, and they refused to test her

because she doesn't have a fever.

But she's got a bunch of other symptoms.

So I'm gonna go down there and have her seen by somebody

and I'm gonna wait until I get some answers.

-So... -Okay.

I was wondering if you could water my plants for me again?

Oh, my God. Of course.

Don't mention it.

Just leave your, uh, keys under my mat. Okay?

Abby, you never gave my keys back the last time.

-What? -Yeah.

Um, I know exactly where they are.

-Great. -I'll find 'em. Don't worry.

[both chuckles]

And also, just leave me a list of the plants

that you really don't love that much,

and I'll kill those first, okay?

Okay. Maybe I should find new friends in the building.

-[Abby] Don't you dare! -[chuckles]

Okay, take care. Okay, Travis?

-[Travis] Later. -All right, see you later.

[reporter on TV] The three other officers

who were fired along with Chauvin

have not been charged even as new video appears to show

two of them also kneeling on...

-[typing] -...George Floyd's body

as he laid on the pavement and Chauvin

had his knee on his neck.

On Saturday, Minnesota governor Tim Walz

said he'd fully mobilized the National Guard

for the first time in his state's history,

adding another 1,000 soldiers to the 700

he'd already ordered into the streets of Minneapolis

and St. Paul.

-[woman] Ugh... -Hi, Ma.

We headed out.

Where, exactly?

People are gathering in Grant Park.

So we're startin' there.

CPD are arresting folks

left and right at these marches,

whether they have cause or not.

Mom, we're grown men.

We'll be careful.

Well, what's the plan if you two get arrested

or separated?

Mom, the plan is to not get arrested.

Or separated.

Wow. Great plan.

Turn on Find My Phone, right now.

What? Why?

So I can track you if something happens.

Jamal, take that chain off.

What for?

Because it makes it easier for someone to yoke you up, stupid.

You should worry about someone punching you in the face, dummy.

Knock it off.

Show me where you wrote my number down.

Mom, you don't have to worry about us.

We can handle ourselves.

I'm not worried about what you will do.

I've never been worried about what you will do.

[Mark] Okay, Ma. Love you.

Oh.

Be smart.

Be safe.

[woman 2] I also want to applaud our police officers

for maintaining their professionalism and restraint.

[protestors] Hands up! Don't shoot!

Hands up! Don't shoot!

[echoing] Don't shoot!

George Floyd!

[echoing] George Floyd!

[man] The policeman isn't there to create disorder.

The policeman is there to preserve disorder.

[cellphone chimes]

[sighs]

Oh... fuck you, Susan.

Hey

Look at the people on this bright day

Oh, we're merrily, merrily, merrily

On our way

I can't seem to see...

[Campbell] We know you're at a fucking party,

posting these pictures.

Like what the fuck is that, you know?

Abby?

Abby? Abs.

I'm...so sorry.

[whispers] I'm so tired.

-I'm so tired. -I know.

I mean, when you came down the stairs I was like,

"Yikes." Not in a good way.

[chuckles]

Oh, I was confused for a minute.

[chuckles]

Of course you're gonna be tired.

It's a really hard time right now.

Right. But compared to 99 percent of the population,

I have it so much easier.

Give yourself a fucking break.

Your dad tried to kill himself

and you haven't been able to see him.

Yeah, I know.

[cellphone rings]

I can only imagine.

Yup, fuckin' Alison.

She's driving me fucking crazy.

Listen to this, she called me yesterday and was like,

"I'm so nervous about you living in the city

with all the protests."

And I was like, "I'm not goin'

and livin' in a fucking basement with Jags."

Wait, what?

Jags is in their pod?

-Oh, yeah. -[chuckles]

And I made some offhand joke that they were in a throuple

and Alison flipped out, so I kind of think it's true.

Well, you do know that the suburbs is orgy country.

Oh, God, I can't.

Please have never have said that.

[cellphone ringing]

[chimes]

[sighs] Ugh...

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.

[groans]

Fuck.

Okay.

Thank you, Travis.

I like you the most so far.

Oh my Lord. It's hiding.

What the fuck is that?

[hoots]

[groans]

It's exhausting.

You are beautiful, Travis.

Earth is ghetto

I wanna leave

Can you beam me up

I'm out on the street

By the corner store

You know the one on 15th

Got a bright shirt on

So I'm easy to see

I been down here stranded

Indefinitely

I can't reach my planet

But I need to leave

You should see these people

It's hard to believe

How they treat each other

It's hard to conceive, ohh

Earth is ghetto

I wanna leave, ohh

Earth is ghetto

I wanna leave...

[exhales]

I wanna leave

They got their hungry starving

Nothing to eat

And the homeless living

Out on the street

And the sick are dying Crooked police

Politicians lying

Criminals on the street

I got five on fuel

If you need it from me

Roll the windows up

So we can ride off in peace, ohh

Earth is ghetto

I wanna leave...

[sirens blaring]

[ominous music playing]

[wind howls]

[lights switch on]

I have...

rape-colored skin.

My light-brown Blackness

is a living testament to the rules,

the practices, the causes of the Old South.

If there are those who want to remember

the legacy of the Confederacy,

if there are those who want a monument,

well, then, my body is a monument.

My skin is a monument.

I am a Black Southern woman,

and of my immediate white male ancestors,

all of them were rapists.

My very existence is a relic

of slavery and Jim Crow.

[thunder rumbles]

As far as family history has always told,

and as modern DNA testing has allowed me to confirm,

I am the descendant of Black women

who were domestic servants

and white men who raped their help.

What is a monument but a standing memory?

An artifact to make tangible

the truth of the past?

Well, my body and blood

are a tangible truth of the South

and its past.

The Black people I come from

were owned by the white people I come from.

The white people I come from

fought and died for their lost cause.

So I ask you now,

who dares to tell me

to celebrate them?

Who dares to ask me

to accept their mounted pedestals?

[campus cop] Eyes front!

Good morning, new students.

My name is Brian Flanagan. I am an officer

with the University of Chicago police force.

We are real police

with real police powers.

Now, I know you kids are smart.

Otherwise you wouldn't be here.

But I'm here to talk to you about somethin'

you might not know about keeping safe

in an urban environment.

Should I have gone to Vassar?

Ha! You didn't get in.

Chicago is one of the best cities in the world.

But it's also an extremely dangerous place,

especially here on the South Side.

Why didn't anybody tell me this when I submitted my application?

Can't you see how overtly racist this cop is?

Insinuating you're in grave danger

just because you're in a Black neighborhood?

I mean, he wouldn't have said it if it wasn't true.

[mouthing] Oh, God.

Do not, under any circumstances,

travel south of 60th, west of Cottage Grove,

north of 53rd or east of Stony Island.

Because if you do, we cannot protect you.

See?

[campus cop, faintly] Turn to page 32 in your handbook...

Hey, level with me.

Chicago's not that bad of a place, right?

How would I know? I'm from Waterloo, Iowa.

[mouthing] I'm sorry.

I am so sorry.

She is very sheltered.

[student] I'm sure.

Exactly where did your adoration of The Man come from?

What are you lookin' at me for?

[school bell rings]

[first graders reciting] I pledge allegiance to the Flag

of the United States of America,

And to the Republic for which it stands,

one Nation under God, indivisible...

with liberty and justice for all.

Of fucking course.

[Mrs. Thomas] Okay kids, listen up.

Please welcome to the class...

Officer Friendly.

Thanks, Mrs. T.

All right.

How are we doing, kids?

I'm Officer John Durge.

I'm here to introduce you to NARC which stands for

Narcotics, Abuse, Resistance, Counseling, okay?

And you better pay attention, or I'll lock you up!

Jesus Christ!

The three Rs-- Recognize, Resist, Report.

Say it with me now.

[all] Recognize, resist, report.

Good!

[all] Recognize, resist, report!

-There we go! -Recognize, resist, report!

And they accuse the homos of indoctrinating kids.

You.

But what does that mean?

Good question, kid.

Uh, so first,

you want to recognize

when someone is taking drugs, okay?

Next, you resist taking that drug. Right?

And lastly, you call 911 immediately,

and report the person taking that drug.

And what if it's their mom or dad?

Are you really telling them to narc on

the very people who provide them with food and shelter

and safety just for taking some recreational drugs?

What are we going to tell them to do, class?

[all chanting] Report! Report! Report! Report!

-Two hands! Report! -Report! Report!

[chanting continues]

[voices fade]

[sirens blaring]

Baby, I'm sorry.

I can't be here for you anymore.

What's wrong, Bobby?

Did you-- did you know that the word "malus"

means both "bad" and "apple tree" in Latin?

Did you know that?

Are you--

Are you ending this?

Yeah.

Somebody's gotta tip the first domino, you know,

even if it's just a symbolic one.

It's gotta be done.

It's gotta be done.

[crunching]

[indistinct chatter on TV]

[Death] You know what?

[slurps drink]

Ah.

I don't even miss sports.

[chews]

Can you make sure that you don't get that orange stuff

on my dead mom's couch?

[crunches]

[announcer] In these challenging

and uncertain times, we at EqRes

are committed to change and fighting injustice

while also communing with community.

What do these words mean?

[announcer] This country is in pain,

and we embrace the responsibility

to do this important work.

Can you please explain

what work a faceless corporation

that exploits the most marginalized people

in this country plans to do?

[announcer] Stand against inequality and end racism.

-How? -By standing.

Okay. Go on.

-In unity. -Ugh!

Together!

It's for America, Abby!

[inhales, exhales]

[exhales]

Be still

Be

Still

Be still my heart

[cellphone rings]

Fuck!

Oh, hey. I didn't know you were home.

I'm sorry. I got home last night. I forgot to tell you.

Don't be sorry. If you look around, you can clearly tell

your plants are in love with me.

How's your mom?

She...

she died.

What?

Oh, my God, Travis.

Wh-What happened?

Uh... [exhales]

When she went to Urgent Care two weeks ago,

they told her to hydrate

and take some Tylenol.

Tylenol.

I knew something was wrong.

I knew something was wrong. Why didn't they?

She was already so sick by the time I got down there,

and then she was gone.

You probably shouldn't be in here.

I got tested but I won't have my results for another few days.

Will you let me know right away?

I mean, I could, like, order you something to eat,

-or some groceries. -Yeah. I'll let you know.

Or anything you need. I'm just upstairs, okay?

Oh, Jesus. I'll leave your keys right there.

And Tra-- I...

I'm so sorry, Travis.

I'm really, I'm so sorry.

Cunt.

[sobbing] Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you.

Fuck you!

His mother dies and you back away?

What the fuck are you thinking?

My God, you're a fucking piece of shit!

You are a fucking worthless cunt!

Oh, God.

[sobs]

[cries]

[sniffles]

Mom?

Chickadee.

Oh...

[crying]

Hey, now. Hey, now.

It's gonna be all right.

I know. Shh.

You're okay.

I don't think I am.

Abby,

I promise that you are gonna be okay.

Whether or not you believe that right now,

that's something I know for sure.

[chuckles]

-Dorothy Allison. -Dorothy Allison.

Mom...

[sobs]

Come on, honey.

Let's get you to bed.

It's cleaner than I remember.

I blame Campbell.

[both chuckle]

I miss you so much.

I reach for the phone, it seems like every day.

I just want to hear your voice.

Everything's fine.

Everything's okay.

[cellphone rings]

One minute, please.

-What now? -Don't blame me.

I'm not the one calling you at six in the morning.

I'm not here.

It's your father.

What?

He has your phone number?

Dad?

[Edward] Hey, kid.

In the rain

Ain't no pain

I've seen days

Dark in shame

My heart aches like an AK

In my chest that's a heartbreak

I can't see but I can't rest

Wake me up, when I ain't pressed

Press my suit, early wake guest

Seen first last, first blessed rest

Tears turn rain to oceans

Pain floats high, we deep in

I don't mind

Dancing in the rain

[thunder rumbles]

Baby

Can't we

Drop our worries and dance in the rain

Baby

Let's be free

Drop your worries and dance through the pain

Baby

Can't we

Drop our worries and dance in the rain

- In the rain - Baby

- Ain't no pain - Let's be free

Drop your worries and dance in the...