01x07 - Happy Earthstrong!

[bunniefuu]

MUSIC: Birthday Sex by Jeremih

It's your birthday

so I know you ♪

Morning, beautiful.

Huh? Frank, why would you

how'd you get in here?

Happy birthday, baby girl.

W-Wait. Why are you here?

I've got a little

present for you.

For me?

You want passion, I

think you found it ♪

I don't understand.

Ready for action ♪

Something you've

been waiting for.

Are you giving it to me now?

You feel surrounded ♪

If that's what you want.

I think it is.

Girl, you know I-I-I ♪

Then here I come.

KNOCKING Queenie?

Go away.

Queenie.

Queenie. KNOCKING

No, I said go away. I'm busy.

Hello, hello!

Just cos it's your birthday don't

mean you don't have things to do.

Come on, get up.

I run you a bath.

Mm.

Morning, Grandma. Thank you.

You'll be late for

therapy. Let's go.

Grandma encouraging therapy?

Oh, how times have changed.

And when you get back, I

want you to tidy your room.

But the chores remain the same.

Frank Ssebendeke the Second?

Queenie!

Well, strong black

women don't cry, Janet.

Oh, I think they do, Queenie.

Hmm. Maybe I'm not as

strong as you think I am.

On the contrary, I think

you're very strong.

To keep coming back here week

after week shows great fortitude.

I know this isn't easy for you.

Go on.

Do you think all this started

because I-I could've been a mum?

How do you mean?

Being pregnant and then

not. Do you think that that,

like, threw up all

of my mum issues?

It's certainly a

possibility. Pregnancy,

whatever you choose to do,

won't just pass you by

without having an effect.

Has it made you feel

differently about your mother?

Mm, yeah. No,

I I have to think about it,

but for now, no.

Well, our time is up,

but hold on to those thoughts until

next week when we start talking

about forgiveness. My mum my

mum doesn't deserve my forgiveness.

We'll see how you feel about

that the further we get into it.

Oh, and happy birthday. Mm.

What are you doing to celebrate?

Nothing. Er, I'm going

to go swimming, I think,

and then back to

my grandparents.

Can't spend my whole summer

with Grandma and Grandad.

Wish me luck.

Cos the sun's

engaged to the sky ♪

Why did I choose this as

my first outside activity?

I never liked swimming before,

and I don't have a

swimming cap. Right,

focus. Regroup. No negativity.

Swimming is a normal and fun

thing to do in the summer.

Everybody's falling in love

and I'm falling apart ♪

Not another black

body in sight, though.

You wouldn't know I was 'round

the corner from Brixton.

Seriously? We haven't spoken

since she dogged me out over Guy.

That's all she has to say?

Stepped outside and

burned my skin ♪

Right, so where was I

this time last year?

I spent my 25th on a surprise

trip to Greece with Tom.

Now he's spending my birthday

with his new girlfriend,

which is horrific.

I also had a job last year

and now I'm on some kind

of forced or extended leave

for something I didn't do,

and haven't heard from

The Daily Reader in

so long they've probably forgotten

about me and promoted Ted.

Did you hear what I said to

him, Stella? I said, "Cosmo,"

we are going to have to sell the

second flat." The Brixton one.

Because we cannot be dealing

with these tenants any more.

Every minute it's,

"Oh, the flat is damp."

"Oh, we think we've got

carbon monoxide poisoning."

"Oh, the mice are in

our cereal boxes."

Oh!

Hello. Little

girl, are you lost?

No, stupid. I'm a sea creature.

Oh! And so are you.

Tabby, darling, come here.

Oh, my God, what a little sh*t.

Oh, my God. Obviously,

that's her mum.

I mean, are are you seriously

going to let your child

behave like this?

WOMAN SIGHS

Come on, Tabitha, we're leaving.

I will not be attacked at my local

pool. My MP will hear about this.

Do you know what? Don't bother.

Well, I tried.

Are you all right, darling?

Yeah?

I'm definitely not ready

for the outside world yet.

SUDDEN BANGS

Happy birthday, Queenie! Oh,

yeah. Happy birthday, niecey.

Thank you, Auntie Maggie.

Mum, you know that Queenie

don't like physical

affection. Hmm.

I got you tickets to that

exhibition you keep talking about.

Black History Double X,

the one about the women?

Ah. Oh, thank you.

I didn't I didn't

think you remembered.

Listen, I'm young. My memory's

not going, like you lot.

Can we all go outside and stop

congesting the hallway, please?

Check out the

surprise motive. Well,

not motive, but you

get what I mean.

That I planned for

my big cousin's 26th.

26 years old and my

housemates are in their 70s.

Three years from now and I was

meant to be getting married,

maybe meant to be stable,

and maybe thinking

about popping babies.

I know what you're thinking.

You do? Yeah. But it's cool.

I didn't get the money

for all this illegally.

Oh. I wasn't even thinking that.

Guess who I found.

Please, not my mum. Please,

not my mum. Not just yet.

Happy birthday, girl! Argh! OK!

Mm. Mm. Argh!

Oh, God, that one looks burnt.

Therapy still going good? You're

skinnier than I'm used to,

but you look finer every

single time I see you.

Do you know what? These

last few weeks were hard.

Like, there was one session

where I didn't think

I was going to go back.

But, you know, Grandma,

Grandma miraculously changed her

mind, and she makes sure I go.

Love that. I know.

And your therapist is giving

you, like, tools and sh*t.

She's giving me tools and

sh*t. How did you know?

It's how I know anything,

Queenie. TikTok.

QUEENIE EXHALES

Do you know, it's it's

weird, because it's, like,

even though she's

giving me the tools,

and as much as I can feel

better, I can feel worse, too.

You just got to

take it day by day.

Oh! Oh, my gosh, Kyazike!

I haven't seen this

picture in years!

Oh, Miss Chestnut's

parties were the best.

Frank found it when

he was painting behind

the cabinet in the front room.

What? When are you lot going to

stop treating Frank like the help?

Why would we ever stop

treating Frank like the help?

God. How is he? I haven't

heard from him in a while.

He's all right. Uh,

he's gone quiet on me,

too, though. I think

he's got a new girl.

Oh.

G er, yeah. Nice.

Good, er, good for him.

Don't watch that. He's

a hoe. No, y-yeah.

He should hoe all he likes.

Darcy. Hello!

Erm, these don't really go

with my colour schemes,

but I'll allow it. Oh.

Like, they're just blowing in my

face and hitting

me and hitting you.

You and Janet talked

about this. Deep breaths.

Mm-mm.

Happy birthday, Queenie.

Acceptance acceptance.

Hi, Sylvie. Sylvie!

Come back here and help

me in the kitchen, nuh?

I'm coming. I'm just

saying happy birthday.

Ah. Na worry yourself.

I'm coming. I'm

coming. I'll be back.

Kyazike, lovely to see you.

You've grown into such

a beautiful young woman.

Thank you.

You OK?

Yeah. I'm good.

Kyazike, come and help in the

kitchen, too. I'll be back. OK.

Sorry, I've been quiet for

a while. Just needed to,

you know, just not

think about work.

Which feels weird, because

I'm still getting paid,

and I'm still having therapy.

I just feel like I

don't matter to a place

and to people that I've

been with for years.

Mm. No, I understand.

But you know,

we never have to talk

about the office.

I'm your friend

outside of all of that.

I know. Thank you.

I know that these past few weeks

have been hard for you, too.

I wasn't a good friend.

I wasn't a good anything.

No. Come on, don't be silly.

I love you, Queenie. I

wouldn't just abandon you

because you're going

through a hard time.

Oh Oh.

I think you should start

writing, you know? Mm.

I'm sure that freelance

things are still allowed.

Sorry to break this up. Erm,

Queenie, quick one. Mm-hm?

You guys definitely do

wash your chicken, innit?

How dare you? Kyazike, go,

go in the kitchen and go

and ask my grandmother.

It's it's a question. Yeah.

Doesn't washing chicken

spread salmonella?

What? No? No. Good.

Had to go and get

the good-good china.

Because, you know, we

have a white guest.

OK. Thank you, Auntie

Maggie. Christ.

Oh, sh. Maggie, the

candles? Where you put them?

What'd I do with the

candles? I've got a light.

And why do you have

a light? Huh, child?

What did you say, Grandad?

She's coming. OK.

THEY SING: Happy

birthday to you

Happy birthday to you ♪

Guys, can I just get a minute?

Happy birthday,

dear Queenie ♪

Hold it down. Hold it down.

Happy birthday to you. ♪

Why does she have to be here?

I-I wish she'd disappear.

I wish she'd just

Yay!

Hey, there's food outside

that needs finishing.

Yeah, let's go. Let's

do that. Come on. Move.

Queenie, I've, erm,

I've got something

..for you.

But don't open it now, though.

It's fine, Sylvie. Don't

make a big deal out of it.

All right. Take

your time, Wilfred.

What? What is this?

Let's let's talk about it

later. It's not a lot, but

Oh, I haven't had a chance

to meet your friend properly.

Oh, yeah, of course. Erm, well,

Queenie and I have worked

together for three years now.

Yeah. I'm the picture editor, so

that means I'm in charge of

Do you know what? Darcy,

it's fine. Do you know what?

We were actually just

going to get some

Oh, well, I do have a

question, actually, Sylvie.

Erm, why did you name

Queenie "Queenie"?

Wow. Darcy's really not

reading the room, is she?

That's an easy question.

When I was growing up, I

always wanted to be a princess.

Aw. All the books I'd

read, they were so perfect,

pretty and delicate.

When I was pregnant, I

thought, "Oh, she's here."

The princess I'd been

dreaming about was right here.

Well, that's before I found out

her dad was already married.

Well, that's one thing

I got from Sylvie.

The inability to spot when someone

has a wife. Oh, my goodness.

When I got back from

the hospital with her,

all I could do was cry.

I wasn't even thinking about a

name. How is my birthday about her?

This is meant to be the

day that I get to reflect,

that I get to think about my

life. To look at where I am now

and have a chance to be

sad about where I am now.

But instead, I'm having to think

about her feelings instead of mine?

This is why I don't

want her in my life.

This is exactly why I don't

answer her calls or her messages,

because I end up having to feel

bad for her instead of bad for me.

So I called her Queenie. I think

it I think it suits her.

Darcy, just give us a minute.

Yeah.

It's Kadija's. She

left it in my bag.

And if Kadija said to jump,

would you say, "How high?"

It depends on the reason

why she's asking me to jump.

Oh, what a rock. You all

right, darling? Yeah, all good.

I think Queenie wants to

talk to her mum in private.

I know. Erm, there's

there's there's

..there's nothing that I

Queenie, I, erm I'm so s

You can't just buy my love!

No, I know! Look, wait.

You think a cheque is going

to undo all the damage?

No no, that's not

what I mean by

So you let that man take your

money, but you let him take

your relationship with

your daughter, too!

She need to let it

out, Maggie. I I

Look, you can't

just keep turning up

and popping into my life

until you acknowledge,

and properly, that you

left me alone. Stop.

No, no.

I wish that she,

Maggie, Grandad, Janet,

all of them, knew

how painful this is.

Do they know what it's

like to love someone

as much as you can't

bear to be near them?

Are you all right?

Well, obviously you're not all

right, but are you all right?

I need to get out of here.

Do you want to touch

that exhibition?

We've still got time to go.

Yeah, let's do it. OK, cool.

MUSIC BLARES OU

Yo, wake your a*s up,

fam. We're leaving.

Oh, what, your little

pro-black event's done, yeah?

You have fun in there?

Ah, shut up, man. Look,

it's an exhibition

shedding light

on, like, black

lives, black history.

Nah, miss me with all that, bro.

You thought Queenie was

going to be in there, innit?

Bro, did you eat before

you left your house?

Ooh. I just never thought

I would see the day where

a man like Frank is acting shy.

You with all your hungry

talk, man. Enough.

Bro, just sh**t the shot,

bro. What you waiting for?

Where else are you going to find

a girl who cares about

neeky sh*t like exhibitions?

Kyazike already said

Queenie's a no-go.

She's got stuff going on, innit?

I I've got to

respect her word, innit?

Don't you think that is

down to Queenie to decide?

Stop looking at me, fam.

Just face your front, cous.

So basically, if

you sign the form,

you tick off my work experience

for me without me actually

having to do any work. Mm.

"Work experience with top

British Jamaican journalist

Queenie Jenkins." There's no way

your teachers are falling for this.

Tell me you don't like the

way I bigged you up, though.

What would Diana say if

she knew that this top

British Jamaican journalist isn't

actually on a sabbatical from work?

Maybe that's how you

ended up so depressed.

Sorry. I just mean you need

to loosen up a bit more.

Stop taking life so seriously.

Get inside before

I knock you out.

Love you, Queenie. Thank you.

Sign at the bottom

of the form, please.

Just means we have to be inventive

about ways we can diversify

the curriculum ourselves.

Because no offence,

we're not your generation or our

mums'. Definitely not Grandma's.

We're not just going to wait

for change. I mean, yeah,

but is that what you really

think people have been doing?

Like, sitting on their backsides

waiting for change? Come on, Diana.

What are you going to

do about it, then? Uh

Cos, don't you work

at a newspaper?

Why haven't you done

anything about it?

Because I'm not even sure

that I work there any more.

Also, listen, I'm

I'm fed up with writing.

OK. Take some inspiration

from me for once.

Make a video.

Hmm. Maybe the little

cous is onto something.

I think you'll be a

good mum, you know.

How is it for you guys?

It's always good to know

what the youngsters think.

I thought it was cold.

I-I also, I also

thought it was cold.

And? Well

..I'm I'm obviously interested in

the place of women in black history,

but when we often

focus on black history,

it's either through the

male lens, or it's

..we just focus on

the big names. Like,

yeah, thank you to Mary Seacole

for everything you did, but it's

What do you mean?

I just meant that it was nice

to see Nanny of the Maroons

and Altheia Jones-LeCointe

and Jocelyn Barrow

..and even Dawn Butler.

Oh, and Khadija Saye.

I think it's important to

break this tradition of what

a black woman has

always been. Also,

to shift the focus away from

what she did for white people.

Yeah. But then, you

know what they say.

Tradition is peer pressure

from dead people, so Yeah.

What was your name? Queenie Jenkins,

top British Jamaican journalist.

Makes sense. I'm Jasmila.

I'm her cousin, Diana.

And, sorry, where do

I know your face from?

Er, I write books.

Take my card, Queenie.

Let me know if you

ever want to talk more.

I will. Thank you.

It's OK.

Oh, look, see? These one's are

important. Which one? I like this.

You should hire that

girl. She's smart.

She reminds me of me

when I was that age.

I can't talk about

Sylvie any more.

Diana, is that you?

Listen, can you just

..just tell them that I went

upstairs for a nap, OK? Diana.

Come in here a minute,

babe. Got you. Thank you.

Come.

I'm coming.

"To my dear daughter,

Queenie Veronica Jenkins.

"Happy 26th birthday.

"My hope is that

you use this cheque

"to get yourself somewhere

to live. It's not a lot,

"but it should be a start.

Love, your mum, Sylvie."

You back, Queenie? "PS. I

hear you're in therapy."

"That is only a good thing."

Queenie. Uh yeah, but

I'm I'm going to my room.

There's someone here for

you. He's in the garden.

He?

Why is he here?

OK, don't read too much into it.

Maybe it's time for me to look

forwards instead of backwards?

Ah, the bigger the fish,

the more butter it take.

Bigger assignments

take greater effort.

But look, it's all

worth it in the end.

Yeah, no, I really

appreciate that one, Uncle.

I'm, uh, yeah, I'm going to

hold on to that one still.

Not interrupting, am I?

Yo, big Q. It's it's

your birthday today, innit?

Yeah, well, erm,

Happy Earth-strong.

My guy. Yeah. How

did he remember?

And and the-the-the smaller di

fish, the more cleaning it take.

Grandma, can you come

and get your man, please?

Wilfred.

Get yourself up here

and leff the young

people to talk na.

QUEENIE CHUCKLES

In a bit, Grandad.

Nice boy. Bye, Frank.

What'd he say to you?

Oh, you know, just, er, just

some life lessons and that. Mm.

Yeah. Important ones,

too. Oh? Yeah, man. Mm-hm.

Saying something about

how he really likes me.

Yeah, me too, if that

dream is anything to go by.

Look, I, erm, I got

you a little something

from the exhibition

I was at earlier.

BOTH: Black History XX.

Yeah, I was there! Oh, yeah?

Yeah, but my my family

threw me a surprise today.

You don't like surprises,

though. Not really.

Not when they're in

the form of a person.

What, your mum?

One and only.

You want to talk about that?

Not today.

Is that all right?

Yeah, of course.

What exactly is

going on between you?

Diana, are you serious?

Frank's my friend.

OK, well, just be careful,

innit? Cos I saw a video online,

and it spoke about male/female

friendships. OK, thank y OK.

Yes, all right. Thank you.

Diana. Come. Fine.

I'm so sorry about my

cousin. She has no filter.

PHONE VIBRATES

HE TUTS

Er, I can't stay anyway, so.

Oh? What, you got a hot date?

Oh. OK.

That's nice.

Going anywhere nice? Look, it's

nothing serious or anything.

That's nice. Er,

Frank's going on a date.

Hot date. Erm, I

got dates, too.

Next week. Oh, yeah?

All next week, actually.

Dates with who?

Do you know, erm

..thank you for my gift.

It's thoughtful of you.

I'm not my mum, and

Frank's not Roy.

He could never be that man.

Er, well, er I

need to trust that.

Be easy, Big Q.

Got me falling on myself

But I don't resent you

Shaking to Deftones,

glitter in my bones

Love you like I

don't know better ♪

Yeah, cool.

Frank's not just your friend.

Queenie, for once in

your life, say something!

Frank?

I'm wide open

Hmm

All yours, baby

Come down like

a million tonnes

All yours, baby

Flood me with

your nervous love

All yours, baby

Come down like

a million tonnes

All yours, baby

Now I got my shot glass

out the punch is stickin'

Tryna deduct blue,

why do I trust you? ♪