All language subtitles for Black.Cake_.S01E08.720p.WEB_.h264-EDITH_eng

Previously, on Black Cake...

B and B,

I told you a story about
a girl with no family

and no past.

But of course, that's not my story.

- What are you doing?

No!

No! Please!

- Do you really think Dad would've
wanted to know everything?

- There must be some kind of mistake.
I'm not adopted.

- Eleanor was your birth mother.

- Did it not occur to you that
I might want to know?

- We didn't tell you certain things
for the same reasons

that you haven't told Gio
the whole truth about his father.

- I can't single-handedly take on racism.

- You can't seem to walk the walk.

- You need me, Benny.

You had the opportunity to
make something of yourself

and you blew it.

At least with me, you were somebody.

I've reached the end of my story.

I realize that I'm leaving you with
so many unanswered questions...

...particularly, about my wedding.

Ma didn't kill Little Man.

This is insane!

- My daughter,
your prime suspect, is dead.

Case closed.

- This case is still open.

She was never the only suspect.

The fact that she turned up overseas,

using her mother's maiden name.

- You don't want to live
a life of secrets.

- We all have secrets.

The police,

they think they know
who poisoned Little Man.

♪ dramatic music playing ♪

Try to understand that
nothing about that night was easy.

But in the end,

it had to be done.

- Pearl! Pear--

- Mathilda, I'm here.

- Mm-hmm. Breathe.

Breathe.

And push.

- You got it.

One more time.

You did it!

You did it!

You did it.

It's a girl.

Look at all of this hair.

So black and straight,

just like your pa. Hmm?

I'm right here.

Mommy is here.

My sweet Coventina.

Coventina?

- Goddess of water.

Pearl,

you are the only one I trust
to look out for her.

- And I will, always.

- As her godmother?

- I'd be honored.

- To run duppy
and ward off evil spirits.

- Oh.

Mm-hmm.

Would you look at that?

Nutmeg fruit.

I'll mash it up and rub some in her navel
to help her heal, for later.

- That's not nutmeg.

Look closer.

- Dear God! It's manchineel fruit.

It's toxic.

- I'm so sorry.

♪ somber music playing ♪

May I help you, Ma?

- No, you may not.

This is my last cake.

I need to do this on my own.

- Please.

- Well, go on then.

- Thank you.

- Oh, Ma.

- For this year.

You have been a gift.

Scoot.

Look, you're stirring
when you should be folding.

- Just let me.

Go on.

- I'll be upstairs if you need me.

- Mm-hmm.

Byron?

- Hmm?

- I hope you'll do this
with your own children one day.

- I wish I could be here
to teach them, but

you'll always have this.

This is your heritage.

Hold onto it.

B and B,

there's a small black cake
in the freezer for you.

Don't throw it out.

Sit down together
and share it when the time is right.

You'll know when.

Love, Ma.

- Okay.

- Ready?

- What the hell is that?

♪ intriguing music playing ♪

It's Ma and Dad back in Jamaica.

Aw, look how young they were.

- Who's the other girl?

"Benedetta 'Bunny' Pringle."

Benedetta was Bunny's real name.

- Ma named me after her best friend.

You know I helped Ma bake this cake?

How the hell did I miss this?

- We both... missed so much.

- I imagine she worked very hard
to keep all this from you.

- Yeah.

- Um, if you don't mind,
I'd like to return to the hotel.

I have a few phone calls to make.

- You can't leave now!

- I have been ignoring my phone
since I got here.

If I don't resurface soon,

I fear my family may file
a missing person's report.

- Okay, but please,
don't leave without saying goodbye.

- I'll see you at the funeral.

- Let me walk you out.

- Bye.

- Hey.

Etta Pringle isn't just a local girl

who's made good,

she's conquered the world
one swim at a time.

- Benedetta "Bunny" Pringle
is Etta Pringle.

- It's that famous swimmer.

Mom used to be
obsessed with her, remember?

- Yeah, I do.

I just thought it was... Jamaican pride.

After winning
her first harbor race in Kingston,

Etta broke records
with her stunning long-distance swims.

As the first Black woman in the world
to have swam the English Channel,

the Strait of Magellan in Chile,

and the icy waters off the Siberian coast,

she still shows no signs of slowing down.

- Ma was watching Etta.

Like Dad was watching me.

- Enjoy.

Thank you, Miss Pringle.

- Alright, who's next?

Bunny, hi.

My God.

All these years,
I thought Covey died in that train crash.

I don't understand.

If she'd been following my career,
why didn't she reach out?

In her final message,
she said there was one person out there

who knew the truth
about what happened on her wedding night.

Do you think... she killed Little Man?

I mean, we wouldn't blame her,

but we just don't understand
why she would tell us all this,

only to leave that out.

- She must have had her reasons,

probably to protect the both of you.

- What about our dad?

- Do you think he could have done it?
- I don't know.

If she didn't say in the recording,

she mustn't have
wanted you to know either.

- But we need to know.

- I don't care.

I'm sorry if I'm not interested
in whatever happened to Little Man.

For 50 years,
I thought my best friend was dead.

What I want to know
is how she could just carry on

without ever letting me know
she had survived.

- You need to hear from Ma.

So why don't you come over
after you've listened to the message?

And we'll talk after the funeral.

- No.

I won't be attending.

I have worked very hard
to put this all behind me.

I'm terribly sorry, I must leave.

- Miss Pringle, please listen--

Benny, let her go.

- We can't let Ma's story end like this.

- We don't have a choice.

- If Etta doesn't want to talk to us,

then maybe we should
just go to Jamaica after the funeral.

- Jamaica?

And do what?
- Ask questions!

About-- About the wedding.
Ab-- About our grandparents.

Ma-Mathilda vanished.
- Yeah.

- But what if she started a new life?

O-Or had more children?

Don't you want to know
if we have family out there in the world?

- One new family member
is all I can handle right now, Ben.

- There's still so much
that we don't know.

- And there are some things
we'll never know.

My dearest Bunny,

where do I begin?

You know better than just about anyone
that untold stories shape people's lives,

both when they are withheld

and when they are revealed.

I can't tell you how wonderful it has been
following you in the news.

You don't know how many times
I wanted to get in touch before now.

So please, forgive me for asking you
to do me this one last favor.

It's about my children.

Cheer up, would you?

Just... look at me.

- You look lovely.

If by lovely, you mean ridiculous.

Come on.

If this won't make you smile,
I don't know what to do.

- There's nothing you can do, Bunny.

We were fools,
thinking we can leave this island.

We're girls.

They tell us how to walk,
how to talk, where to swim,

who to love.

Why did we ever think
things would be different for us?

- Because we are different.

- I used to think so.

I still do.

- Because there's
still hope for you, Bunny.

- You'll swim in the
harbor race next year,

and then you'll be off
to some... exotic country

on a swimming scholarship.

- Promise me you'll do it.

- I will.

And you'll be by my side.

- No.

I'll be with Little Man.

Stop that.

Your pa will come through.

- How do you know?

- Because he always has.

Right?

Because he loves you.

Come in.

- Where have you been?

What are you doing here?

- I'll ask you again.

Where have you been

during all of this
wedding planning nonsense?

- I've stayed away like Covey asked.

- Well, you've stayed away long enough.

Covey still believes
her father will find a way

to stop this wedding,

but you and I both know he can't.

So what are you gonna do?

- Me?

You know I'm leaving for university.

- So you're abandoning her?

Just like her mum.

And now her pa. Is that it?

- What would you have me do?

Little Man will kill us both.
Is that what you want?

- After this wedding,
we'll never see her again.

Is that what you want?

- Of course not.

- Then how can you just leave her behind?

And I thought you loved her.

- I do.

- Prove it.

♪ tense music playing ♪

- You aren't planning
on giving that same eulogy

you wrote before, are you?

- What would you like me to say?

- I don't know.

Something about her life as Covey?

To honor who she really was.

And to acknowledge Mabel.

- We can't acknowledge Mabel
without blowing up her world.

- So you're just gonna get up there
and keep lying like Mom and Dad?

That is not what Ma wanted.

But it is, though.

She helped plan this, Ben.

Eleanor's funeral, not Covey's.

So I have to see it through,

honor the life she chose to
present to the world.

The truth is for us.

- I'll be home in a few more days,
and we can discuss boarding school then,

but... now is not a good time.

Well, when is a good time, Mum?

You're always in-between flights
and, and appearances

and slogging through customs.

Where are you anyway?

- I'm in California.

- You're in the States?

Why?

- We're targeting a few stops over here
for my book tour, so--

Oh, right,
they haven't canceled that yet.

- Giovanni!

I'm kidding.

But why didn't you just tell me?

You left without saying goodbye.

- You're right. I'm sorry.

Things just got a bit heated
with your grandparents.

- Will you just tell me what happened?

It was nothing. Really.

You'll probably laugh when I tell you.

Don't spend another
second worrying. Okay?

I'll be home in a few days, and,

I'll explain everything then.

Okay, darling?

Sure. Whatever.

- Alright. I love you. Bye.

There's your girl.

I'll catch up with Mabel.

I'll see you in there.

- Yeah.

Hey.

Appreciate you showing up.

- Of course.

You know I loved her.

What do you think
she would've said about your mic drop?

- You heard.

- It's all over my feed.

Proud of you.

- Part of the reason
why I did what I did on that panel

is because of what you said to me
about walking the walk.

Come on. Talk to me.

- We'll talk in a few days.

I really don't want to get into it
at your mother's funeral.

- No. I don't want to wait anymore.

- Now's not the time.
- Lynette.

Listen, I'm not gonna let you
just walk away from me again.

Just tell me.

- I'm pregnant.

Okay?

I found out when I was in Illinois.

And I wanted to tell you,
but your mom passed.

Then came the recordings and Benny.

I'm sorry.

- No, no.

We're having a baby.

That's great news.

- Is it?

- What does that mean?

- When's the last time
we talked about having kids?

- I've always seen us with kids.

Imagining parenthood
and living it aren't the same thing.

- Lynette, I realize that.

- And I can't imagine my life
with a child.

- What are you saying?

That you don't want kids?

Or that you don't want
to have kids with me?

- I'm saying, I don't know.

- So,

what have we been doing all these years?

Playing house?

- That's not fair!

- Tell me why I've been thinking
we're building a future

and-and you're
in a totally different place?

- Maybe that's a story
you've been telling yourself.

- Story--

Or maybe it's a story
we've both been telling ourselves.

I don't know.

I'd be lying if I told you
I knew for sure that I wanted this.

I'm sorry.

♪ somber music playing ♪

I wasn't expecting an open casket.

- Why do you think
I'm all the way back here?

- I couldn't even bring myself
to walk into my dad's service.

And here I am, the wayward daughter,

in the flesh.

- Well, I was banned
from my husband's funeral.

Well, rather the service his parents
put on for him, so...

I win.

- Your husband?

I'm sorry. I had no idea he passed.

- That's alright.

It was 16 years ago.

I was still pregnant with Gio.

- He's never met his father?

- Unfortunately, no.

- Why would his parents
ban you from his funeral?

- That's a story for another day.

- I'm leaving.

- What?

- I'm done.

- Done with what?

- Lying.

You were right.

I can't do it anymore.

Good morning.

Good morning.

- Eleanor Bennett was born Eleanor

Douglas, and, uh--

Each of us knew Eleanor Bennett

♪ soft, pensive music playing ♪

in different ways.

Hmm?

Mother.

Volunteer.

Hmm?

Friend.

And a partner.

When my wife died,

I felt like I wanted
to disappear with her,

and then I met Eleanor.

And she said this to me,

"The thing

"about identity, Charles--"

Charles.

- "There's, uh, your family history,

"then here's how you see yourself,

and then there's what others see in you."

Oh, boy!

I'm gonna miss the way she looked at me.

- So you changed your mind, huh?

- Your mum insisted.

- Of course, she did.

I was so shocked
when you told me she had passed,

I forgot to ask when it happened.

- Nine days ago.

I had months to prepare.

And up until today, I thought I had.

How do you grieve for someone
you never really knew?

It's not just Ma.

My dad was the kind of dad
who made the others look bad.

The kind of dad
I used to think I wanted to be.

Now,

I wonder if any of that was even real.

- You look so much like him.

And he adored your mum.

- I know.

That's the one thing
I still know to be true.

- How on earth
did they ever find each other?

- The story they used to tell was that

Ma fainted on a busy street in London,

Dad ran over to help her.

- Yeah.

- Her knight in shining armor.

- Aw.

- I should've known that was just a story.

A lie, like everything else.

- I understand you're angry.

Grief looks different on everyone.

How did you handle it?

When you heard that
she had died all those years ago?

- I stopped thinking about her.

I had to.

There was no body,

no grave,

no celebration of her life.

- So, you never really grieved.

- Did your parents ever talk to you
about a Caribbean tradition, Nine-Night?

It's a ritual for the deceased
on the ninth night after the death,

a memorial our way.

If your parents' funerals were a way
to say goodbye to Eleanor and Bert,

I think it might do us all some good
if we hold a Nine-Night ritual

to say goodbye to Covey and Gibbs.

♪ soft upbeat Jamaican music playing ♪

Alright, hand it over, hm?

- I need you present for this,
in mind and body.

That's the only way
to do Nine-Night right.

- And what do we have to do again?

- Haven't you been paying attention?

We have to release
Covey's evil shadow spirit.

- Oh, right. Yeah, no, of course. Yeah.

- Now, don't make fun.
We're all Jamaicans here, right?

- I guess we are, yeah.

- We believe
that a person has three parts,

body, spirit, and duppy,

the evil shadow spirit
that stays in the body.

If it doesn't leave after nine nights,

it can linger forever,

bringing bad luck
to the family left behind.

Hence, the Nine-Night ritual
to release it.

Oh, now,
it won't be a traditional Nine-Night,

but we'll eat, we'll tell stories,

and later, we'll start a fire out back

and burn tokens
from Covey and Gibbs' past,

releasing them of their regrets
and their mistakes for good.

- Okay, I think
I can wrap my head around all that.

But are you ever gonna tell us
what Ma said in her recording?

- Oh, that's between me and Covey.

- But did she tell you
she regretted the way she treated you?

- Me?

- Yeah, you told her
you had feelings for her,

and she shut you down.

And she never got over that.

- Yeah. Well, it's true, she did hurt me,

but she made up for it.

- How?

- She pulled up to my house
in a stolen motorbike

and took me for a joyride.

Your grandfather won it in the cockfights,
and he was passed out drunk,

and she wanted to take me for a spin
before he woke up.

It was a peace offering.

- I'm sorry for shutting you down earlier.

I know it must've been hard
to say what you said.

- You were right to shut me up.

It's dangerous
for a girl to like another girl.

Right?

- Bunny,

when I said it was dangerous,
I didn't mean it was wrong.

- What does that even mean?

- I don't know.

I just don't want you to feel like
you have to act like someone you're not.

Not with me.

- So I'm supposed to act

with everyone else?

- I don't know.

I wish I had the answers, but--

- It-It's fine.

We don't have to talk about it. I--

I shouldn't have said anything.

Honestly, I don't even know
what I was saying. I--

I only know how I feel.

- How do you feel?

- Scared.

- I can't snap my fingers
and make the world a better place for you,

but I will do everything I can
to be a safe space.

It's the least I can do.

Because you've always been mine.

♪ gentle music playing ♪

- Your mother was many things.

She had a lot of pain in her life,
and loss, of course.

But there were so many good parts too.

She was an extraordinary woman.

There was no one else like Covey
in my parish

who would let me be me.

So when she left for London,

I wasn't sure I could make it on my own.

But if she hadn't left,

I might still be in her shadow forever.

- Where it's easier to hide.

I hid in yours.

And in my girlfriend Joanie's.

And in Steve's.

- I hate that you felt like
you needed to hide.

- For a long time, Steve was
the only person who believed in me.

- Nah.

He made you think that.

We always believed in you, Ben.

- Man, I think I need to figure out
how to believe in myself.

Like you did, Etta, when Ma left.

God, I wish
she would've just told me about you.

I think it would've kept me from running.

- If she had told you about me,

she would've had to tell you
everything about her life before.

- It was all or nothing.

I'm sure my parents
probably felt the same way.

- I don't want this to end.

- You don't want what to end?

- All of us here together.

You'll go back to your jobs
and... your families,

and it'll... just be me again.

- No. It won't.

- No, and you won't be alone.

Whether it's Rome or London,
you'll still have me.

- You'll have all of us.

- Hey, and your art

and your music.

Is that who I am?

My art and my music?

- Because if it is, I'm fucked.

I haven't created anything new in years,

not without a partner.

And then when I try,
I just think it's derivative,

it's not ready.

- That's imposter syndrome,

and we all have that.

- Yeah, but yours isn't holding you back.

You are a famous food guru.

- Ah! On the verge of being canceled.

- Until you tell the world you're Black.

And then someone's gonna
win an Oscar playing you.

Ah, Mabel, we're just giving you shit.

- But I am a fraud.

I couldn't even tell my son
why I came here.

And that's not the first lie I told him.

Or the worst.

I'm afraid if I tell him the truth
about his father and how we met,

he'll never trust me again.

- Do you want Gio
to find out from someone else,

like you found out about your adoption?

Of course not.

But when you learn
that you have been lied to

by the people you trusted the most,

you revisit all the things
you never fully understood,

and you start thinking about all the lies
that you told yourself over the years.

Everything shifts,
and you can't push it back.

And that is terrifying.

- Mabel,

your secret is your duppy.

And whether it's now or later,

you need to release it.

- I'm just not ready to release my duppy.

- I am.

It's Steve.

- Oh, but you've already
let him go, though.

- No.

He came by when you were at that panel.

- What? He broke the order of protection?

- I didn't know what to do.

- You call the police or call me.

- I'm sorry,
you aren't exactly telling me everything.

You haven't told me
what's going on with Lynette or your job.

And then when I asked you
about that promotion, you lied!

- That's not the same thing.

How is that not the same thing?

- No, no, please stop.

Don't you see
how burdened you are by your secrets?

It's not just your parents
we need to release.

It's you, too.

Otherwise,
you'll all do the same to your children.

- Well, I know what it's like.

I've been carrying this burden
for 50 years.

Learning that
Covey had made a life with Gibbs,

and he got to see her flourish

and become
all the things I knew she could be,

stirred up feelings
I didn't even know I still had.

Feelings about... the choices
the three of us made

the night of Covey's wedding.

I don't want you to change
the way you feel about your parents,

especially your father.

♪ foreboding music playing ♪

But it was a difficult situation
for all of us.

But now,
it's time to tell you the full story.

- Two weeks before the wedding,

I went to your father,

and I begged him
to come up with a plan to stop it.

When the wedding day finally came,

I hoped and prayed

that when I walked into the bridal suite,
Covey would be gone.

But I couldn't find her.

Have you seen Covey?

What is that?

- Come.

♪ foreboding music playing ♪

It's manchineel fruit.

Its sap is toxic.

- I don't understand. Wh--

- This... is Covey's way out.

The groom has booked the honeymoon suite
for the night.

After the reception,

the celebratory nightcap
will be sent to the newlyweds.

Little Man will enjoy his drink,

fall asleep,

and then never wake up.

- What?

We can't send Covey
into a honeymoon suite with him.

You know what he'll do.

- We'll fill him up with wine
at the reception

so he's too drunk for any of that.

- And what if he's not too drunk?

- Do you have a better plan?

I've thought this through.

It's the only way.

- So how do we get her out of there?

- I'll be waiting
when the wine is sent to the suite.

I have a bag packed
with everything Covey needs

to get to London,

including a place for her to stay.

But,

in order
to get her off this island safely,

we can't tell her any of this.

If Little Man suspects anything is off,
we'll be done for.

Get dressed, or you'll be late.

Back then, we were taught

to rely on boys and men to save the day,

so I was counting on Gibbs.

But I couldn't tell Pearl or Covey.

I couldn't tell anyone.

I had to play along
until Gibbs arrived with a better plan.

Just

let your mind drift.

I didn't know what else to say
to get her through that day.

But when I saw the results of my advice,
I regretted it immediately.

Ladies and gentlemen. To my wife!

My best friend was disappearing,

pretending,

burying her true feelings,

her true self.

The feeling was all too familiar,

and time was running out.

As the night wore on,
I realized... I couldn't wait for Gibbs.

As much as he loved Covey,

he didn't have any way to save her.

But I did.

♪ dramatic music playing ♪

♪ ominous music playing ♪

♪ ominous music intensifies ♪

♪ foreboding music playing ♪

Back then, there were no cameras.

If you acted innocent,
people believed you.

So that's what I did.

And I never looked back.

♪ soft music playing ♪

I thought I sent her to London
thinking it was her father,

so she didn't feel abandoned.

She must have known it was me.

- And that's why she kept her distance.

To protect you.

Mm-hmm.

- I never discussed that night
with anyone but Pearl.

I... took a life,

and I've

never acknowledged that for 50 years.

But you're living proof
I did the right thing.

Oh, this would have been a dream
if Covey would've been alive to see this--

All of us here together.

I just wish I had been able
to say goodbye at the funeral

when I had the chance.

- Me too.

I just, um,

I wasn't ready.

- None of us were.

- Now that we are,

maybe we can.

♪ Ain't No Grave Can Hold My Body Down
by Odetta playing ♪

- ♪ Ain't no grave ♪

♪ Can hold my body down ♪

♪ Ain't no grave ♪

♪ Can hold my body down ♪

♪ My body down ♪

♪ When the first trumpets sound ♪

♪ I'll be gettin' up, walkin' 'round ♪

♪ Ain't no grave ♪

♪ Can hold my body down ♪

♪ Well, I heard of a beautiful city ♪

♪ And its streets was paved with gold ♪

♪ Well, I had not been to heaven ♪

♪ Oh, Lord, I've been told ♪

♪ When I find the throne of grace... ♪

- What's wrong?

- ♪ Ain't no grave ♪

♪ Can hold my body down... ♪

- If we move forward,

there's something you need to know.

I was there that night at your reception.

I showed up for you, Covey,

thinking that
I could be the hero I thought you needed.

I-I couldn't come up with a way
to get around Little Man.

So... I decided to wing it,

hoping that I could find
a moment when you're alone

to whisk you away into the night.

But,

then I saw him kiss you,

and you smiled.

And I was afraid that you decided
to move forward without me.

- No.

Gibbs.

You don't understand.

I was playing a role to survive.

That's all I could do.

- I understand that now.

I-I do.

I was a coward back then.

I'm sorry.

- I forgive you.

If we're gonna move on,
you have to forgive yourself.

- ♪ Ain't no grave ♪

♪ Can hold my body down ♪

♪ somber music playing ♪

Ma,

I'm here.

- We have the same hands.

- I'll see you out there, Covey.

- Hey, guys!

It's been a minute since I've posted,

but here I am.

This one is for my grandmother,

Mathilda Brown,

wherever you are.

♪ strumming guitar ♪

♪ Have a little song ♪

♪ Won't take long ♪

♪ Sing it right ♪

♪ Once or twice ♪

♪ Oh, lordy me ♪

♪ Didn't I shake sugaree? ♪

♪ Everything I got is done and pawned ♪

♪ Pawned my watch ♪

♪ Pawned my chain ♪

♪ Pawned everything ♪

♪ That was in my name ♪

♪ Oh, lordy me ♪

♪ Didn't I shake sugaree? ♪

♪ Everything I got is done and pawned... ♪

- Dr. Bennett,

tell me about the first time
you experienced racial discrimination

at the Institute.

♪ Pawned everything that was ♪

♪ In my life ♪

♪ Oh, lordy me ♪

♪ Didn't I shake sugaree? ♪

♪ Everything I got is done and pawned ♪

♪ Pawned my chair ♪

♪ Pawned my bed ♪

♪ Ain't got nowhere to lay my head ♪

♪ Oh, lordy me ♪

♪ Didn't I shake sugaree? ♪

♪ Everything I got is done and pawned ♪

♪ Mmm, everything I got
is done and pawned ♪

♪ song ends ♪

♪ tense music playing ♪

Oh, Mabel,

there are so many things
I wanted you to know.

So many things I wish
I could've taught you over the years.

I spent my life wondering
what happened to my own mother.

And I want you to know everything I know,

including your biological father's name.

But I must warn you,

people could get hurt.

You've seen how these things play out
in our volatile, modern world,

but he is part of your story.

What you choose
to do with this information is up to you.

♪ dramatic crescendo ♪

♪ gentle music playing ♪

♪ music fades out ♪