Original subtitles

"Who alone suffers, suffers most in the mind."

That's King Lear.

Preach, man. Preach.

Buffalo Stance by Neneh Cherry

♪ Who's looking good today?

♪ Who's looking good in every way?

♪ No style rookie

♪ You better watch, don't mess with me

♪ No moneyman could win my love

♪ It's sweetness that I'm thinking of... ♪

You know, your beauty is like a time machine

transporting me back to an age

when magnificent black women reigned supreme.

Amina.

Nefertiti.

Kandake Amanirenas of the Kingdom...

..of Kush.

But there's no-one I would rather devote my loyal service to

more than you.

Hey, Mum.

Just up in my room, OK?

SHE EXHALES SHARPLY Oh, God.

What is it you want, Barry?

You know what I want.

Goodbye, Barry.

Oh, Lord.

I was very clear about that.

They know what's expected of them,

so if they don't adhere to the options,

we'll just have to schedule another meet.

Look, let's talk about this tomorrow when I'm back in the office, OK?

OK. All right. Bye. Bye-bye-bye.

What are you doing here?

You know, Mum wasn't fee...

I mean, I wasn't feeling great, so I decided to come back home.

Oh. OK, well, let me just...

You don't feel too hot.

Maybe I'll just give Dr Lee a quick call.

Mum, don't.

I'm fine. Yeah? Yeah. Sure?

All right. Well, I'm working from home today anyway,

so I can keep an eye on you... You know what?

The paracetamol I popped is starting to work,

so I think I'll probably go in.

Are you sure? Yes.

Do you want a lift? No.

I mean, I don't mind. I'm fine, Mum. Thank you. Goodbye.

Really? Daniel?

It Was Over Before It Even Began by Stephane Huguenin

Oh, what this?

Excuse me?

Huh.

What's all this?

You got a date or something?

As a matter of fact, I have.

♪ It was over before it even began...

With whom?

With my most favourite man in the whole wide world.

What? What are you looking at me like that for?

Well, soon you'll be off to uni. To Oxford, God willing.

Starting a whole new life.

And where will I be? Abandoned and alone.

Oh, God, not this again. So until then, until then,

I intend to spend good quality time

with my one and only son, who I raised all alone, all by myself.

So... sit.

Are you seriously trying to make me have therapy?

Don't be so ridiculous.

All the parents go on dates with their kids.

Um, no.

They don't.

It's all the rage.

Rage being the emotion felt after the shame, no doubt.

♪ It was over before it even began

♪ Yeah...

Well, this is nice, isn't it?

♪ Since the day I saw her walkin' around

♪ I know you never meant to hurt me... ♪

No.

I'm sorry, but if you want a date so bad, then,

well, it's time you went out and found yourself a man.

♪ I never found all the words to tell you... ♪

Morning, beautiful.

I made you some breakfast.

Uh, you shouldn't have.

It's the least I could do after last night.

No, really, you shouldn't have.

There's about a week's worth of shopping on that tray.

No. Besides, I've got a lot of work to do.

I really need to crack on this morning.

I've got things to do, businesses to build, so...

OK. Yeah. OK. Thank you.

I'll just put my clothes on, then.

Grazie.

Um...

It's Ted. Ted.

Ted. I knew that.

It's really, really nice to meet you, Ted.

Enjoy your breakfast. Thank you. I will.

Oh...

Morris?

It's OK.

I'm here.

What do you want, Maxine? Oh!

Come on, Daddy's girl. Oh.

What's up?

Look, I'm going to need some help drawing up a business plan.

No, do you know what? I've got a lot on my mind at the moment

with work and Daniel.

Do you know what? I might give Dr Lee a call because he has been

under the weather.

Oh, Donna, please, I really need your help.

I don't know where to start.

All right. What did you say?

So I was thinking that if we open up...

Ooh! Whoa! Whoa... Let me see. No!

No, no! Whoa, let me see this.

Get off! MAXINE SHRIEKS

Give it... give it back!

No, stop! Maxine... Oh! Honest...

I think this is great. This is great because, personally,

I don't know how you've lasted so long without, you know,

being seen to! This is good.

If I need help finding the local STI clinic, I know who to call.

Oh, really? Slut shaming?

Well, if the shoe fits.

Even Cinderella should have sampled a few more balls before settling.

Come on, D, let me help you.

OK. OK, great.

Jesus! You don't ask for much, do you? What?

Criteria.

"A Caribbean man or of Caribbean descent..." Mm-hm.

"..with no children from previous relationships."

Oh, come on. Yes, of course.

"Must be very intelligent and educated

"to at least degree level." Yep.

"Tall, ideally six-foot-plus,

"of muscular build and without a potbelly."

Right. Did you need to put that in?

Yes, because he needs to go gym, at least.

"Handsome, but not so handsome other women will chase"?

MAXINE CHUCKLES D, come on.

Do you not think you're being a tad... excessive, maybe? Well...

You know what they say - you've got to crawl before you can walk.

Don't you think I've done enough of that already?

Anyway, do you know what? Let's just forget it.

No, no. Come on, come on, come on, look.

Not every man is going to be Frankie, yeah?

You've got to put yourself out there.

Let's carpe these DMs.

Oh. Oh, you got matches!

SHE GASPS Ah-ha! No, you did not just put that.

Oh, come on! No! Oh, live a little. It's fine. There.

See how you feel. You might change your mind.

Mm-hm. Mm-hmmm!

Donna.

It's lovely to meet you.

Oh, thanks.

Can you transfer my drinks to the table, please?

No problem, sir.

Would you...? Yeah.

You look amazing.

Thank you.

Don't look too bad yourself.

As we say in Yoruba -

It's good to try new things.

Mm. You're African?

Nigerian? Well, my parents are.

What about you? I'm Antiguan.

Oh, fungee and pepperpot.

Oh! Spicy.

OK. Yes, that's right.

No.

No, no.

No, no.

Oh, Barry, Barry, Ba...

Jesus Christ, Barrington.

Goodnight, Baz.

Goodnight, Morris.

You have always been... my Morris.

OK. A good hearted man, eh?

A special man.

A sexy, sexy man.

A history-loving man.

A man of many moods.

Yeah?

And a drinking man.

A man with whom I can be myself completely.

You about to burst into song?

I might, I might, I might, I might, because I want to sing your name

into the night.

You see, that rhymes.

Well, um...

..you forgot soon-to-be-divorced man...

..going back to his one-bed bedsit... alone.

Hey, hey.

Don't you know you free?

You free, and it makes you a richer man than most.

Far richer man than me.

Eh?

You think so?

I think so.

I'm in social care.

Well, I work in social care.

Do you enjoy it? Pays the bills.

I like to think that what I do is important, anyroad.

Makes a bit of difference in some way, at least.

Mm, I hear that. What about you? What do you do?

Doctor. Well, consultant.

Wow. OK. What kind?

Gynaecologist.

Oh.

What made you choose to do that?

Was it, like, some weird teenage fantasy, looking at muffs all day?

Well, it's not all day.

You know, we've got the fun of X-rays and lunchtime seminars.

No, but seriously, what made you choose that particular field?

You're funny.

Mr Walker.

Miss Merle?

Are you that?

Oh, Lord, what a sight for sore eyes.

Is everything all right?

Oh, yes. Yes, yes, Miss Merlie Merle.

I'm very good.

I'm just, um...

I'm a likkle locked out right now, but it's nothing

that a good kick to the hinges or some tap-tapping on the window

panes wouldn't fix.

But I dare not do it.

Perchance old Bobby Blue will come through here

and mistake me for a burglar,

thus forsaking me not only my liberty, but very possibly

also my life.

Haven't lost your taste for the dramatic, I see.

Well, you know what they say -

all the world's a stage. Mm.

Well, let's get you back inside before it's your final curtain call.

For true? Mm.

Step aside, Uncle. Uh-huh.

Oh Chichorina Andrea Litkei, Ervin Litkei

♪ In your eyes I seek

♪ Lies the promise of... ♪

Look at that.

Come on in.

That is amazing.

Still enjoying your cooking, I see.

Well, it don't look good, but it taste amazing.

Try it. You should try some.

I'm all right, ta.

No, really. Try some.

Well, Miss Merle, I owe you big time.

You owe me?

Are you serious,

after what you did for me?

It's a long time in the past.

Still. It's the least I could do.

Do you want a little, um...

..something-something?

Si, va bene. BARRY CHUCKLES

Mm.

Let me give you my details.

You know where I am, in case you ever get locked out again.

And this place is a lot fancier than the last one.

What, are you fancy now?

Mm, maybe.

How's Donna?

Donna is... Donna.

And he's my world, has been for 17 years.

Wow.

So, no longer a boy, but a man ready to leave the nest.

And...

..I bet he doesn't even want hugs any more.

Oh, sorry.

Sorry.

Do you know, it's... It's OK. It's like what you said.

I'm just proud of him.

Especially being Oxford-bound.

Rah, you have raised him well.

I hope my girls can do just as well when they're the same age.

You have kids?

Well, my divorce from their mother was actually quite amicable,

so I get to see them regularly now.

Who left who? How do you mean?

Well, you know, when people say it was amicable, someone

still has to instigate it.

It's usually the man.

No, it wasn't like that.

No?

Marriage is hard, you know?

Marriage is nothing but a vehicle for female oppression.

So, go on, then.

So, tell me how you learned to break into folk place so easily like that?

Let's just say before your kind intervention...

..there were times I was forced to do things I didn't necessarily

want to do.

Well, we all must do what we have to do to survive, eh?

Don't make us bad people.

Mm.

Not quite enough.

Shukria.

You are welcome.

You know something, Miss Merle? Mm?

I did always greatly admire you.

Really.

Right from the first moment we did meet.

You is free, Morris. That makes you a richer man than most.

I think so.

All right.

Hello, Mr Walker.

I'm Merle.

It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Merle.

And you.

I'm a lesbian.

That is fine with me.

You do as you want. I'm not a bigot.

You girls, you have my blessing.

But I can't speak for the wife.

You're really cool. Thank you.

Wish I had a dad like you.

Mine kicked me out a year ago when he caught me with my ex.

Yeah? I had to move into a hostel.

No?

You love your children, no matter what.

So where your mother?

Back in Montserrat. They divorced when I was young.

Well, as far as I am concerned,

you girls can do as you please.

I greatly admire your courage.

You know, most folk, they just pretend that they're the same

as everybody else. But you, now. You...

You stay true to who you are.

And there are precious few of us who are brave enough to do that.

However, the day will come when even the biggest coward must stand up...

Don't be so bloody patronising.

And save us the lecture, Dad.

I don't need your approval or permission.

Merle, let's go inside.

We need to talk.

Bless you for living your true self, Miss Merle.

You are fearless.

You were always very kind to me.

Ha.

It sounds funny, but I always felt like you understood me in ways

most others didn't.

Tell her you're a raging poofter, Barry.

She won't care. Probably love you even more.

Well, um...

..never mind that.

And, uh, give my love to Morris.

I will.

I know Morris will be sad he didn't see you.

Mm.

It's good to see you, Miss Merle. You, too.

Why is it that all men, without exception,

are vampires?

Is this a set-up for a joke?

Oh, they can be charming.

My Lord, they can be charming, but their sole remit,

ultimately, is to suck the life out of a woman.

Take my dad - king of the vampires,

charmiest of the charmers.

He's... Is charmiest even a word?

I don't think so.

You should see what he's reduced my mum to with all his lies.

Doesn't matter how much of her life she sacrifices, he's always found

a way of letting her down.

I know it, my mum knows it -

heck, I bet even your wife does, amicable as it may have been.

And one day, pretty sure your daughters will too.

Please don't talk about my daughters as if they're you.

Cos they're not.

Just like I'm not your father.

I'm sorry for wasting your time tonight.

I'll sort the bill.

Morris?

Hello?

He's dead, Barry.

Papi, he's gone.

Lord, I'm so sorry, Carmel.

I feel like an orphan, Barry.

Mm-hm.

What?

When you coming for the funeral?

Barry?

You know I don't business with funeral.

Yes, but, this is me papi.

I need you.

I really need you to come out.

Sorry, Carmel.

I sorry, but...

..I just can't.

Your father not coming. I can't believe it.

I can't believe he's doing that to you, Mum - again.

I said it before, Donna.

Men, they're not to be relied on.

Could you come out?

I know it's last-minute, but...

Oh, don't be silly, Mummy.

I'm not doing anything important anyway.

Well, if you're sure.

You need me, Mum, that's all that matters.

I can't do this alone. Thank you.