01x01 - They Called Me Magic Hands

[bunniefuu]

And I don't know how

many times I told you

that I can't stop.

But I'm gonna miss you.

And I was obsessed with

that true crime podcast

about Dolores, but I couldn't imagine it

being done like this. She's

such an unlikable character.

I mean, I almost understand

why she did it all

- almost.

- But you gave her

such humanity, you

made her a real person.

I really appreciate it.

I had to really crawl inside her skin

to pull the rabbit out of this hat.

Ugh, let me tell you something,

this sh*t is heavy.

Gonna be ready to be

done with her real soon.

Done? This stuff is, like, blowing up.

I can't go a day without seeing

- 20 posts about the girl.

- Did you see that thing

this morning about the cafe in Taipei

serving human flesh dumplings?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, and

the human bone marrow

in that bistro in Paris.

- That's got to be her, right?

- Facts.

The real Dolores is still out there.

Mm-mm. No.

Ooh, car's here.

Are you coming to the "partay"?

Am I coming to the party? Of course.

I just have to wash

I just have to wash

- this blood.

- Congratulations.

You were so brilliant.

- Thank you for coming. Thank you so much.

- See you there.

- See you later. Thank you.

- I love you.

- Love you, too. Bye.

- Bye.

Ooh, don't be scared.

It's just me.

I'm not the monster you're

making me out to be, seriously.

I'm just like you,

if everything went wrong.

- I thought you were

- Dead?

Yeah, I know you did,

and that would be pretty

convenient for you, huh?

'Cause you're just

throwing my name around,

making me f*cking famous

for all the wrong reasons.

Making everybody money,

except me.

Wh-What happened to your hand?

My hand?

I thought you crawled inside my skin.

You missed that part in

your little "research,"

huh?

Are

are you gonna k*ll me?

No.

No.

Worse.

I'm gonna tell you sh*t

you could never un-know.

sh*t you can't wash off.

And then

you're gonna help me.

- I'm-I'm-I'm gonna help you?

- Yeah.

How?

By setting the f*cking record straight.

'Cause, see,

I was never some blood-hungry sociopath

people say I am.

I was just some chick

in Washington Heights.

Washington Heights, back in the day,

best years of my life.

You remember those years

after 9/11, when everybody

was trying to come

together and love and sh*t.

But it was still

Giuliani time, you know?

And the city was cracking

down hard on some of us.

There's your house in Hoboken, baby.

Dominic was the king of this block.

So, all right, you, uh,

you got some customers?

Yeah.

And for those five years,

I was his queen.

I loved that man so f*cking much

I would've done anything for him,

and I did.

Antonio? You here?

Oh, can you just

stay right there, though, please?

Dominic said this guy's

gonna buy a sh*t ton of weed.

Freeze.

Hands in the air.

Dominic Arfonso.

I never heard of him.

Dominic?

- Dominic, can

- We're sorry.

You have reached a number that

has been disconnected or is no

If you feel you have

reached this recording in

- We're sorry.

- Dominic

- You have reached a number that has been disconnected.

- Dominic!

Sixteen years they locked my ass up.

Sixteen years

at New York State Correctional

for possession with intent

and assaulting a cop.

Sixteen years in a cell with a

handless masseuse from Philly.

My girl Tabitha.

And then, one morning, in 2019

they gave me back my clothes

that I was wearing when they took me.

They gave me $200 in gate

money and a train ticket.

And they dropped me off

at the train station,

like they're doing me a favor.

With all these suburban m*therf*ckers

who probably think I

deserved what I got.

This is the train to

Grand Central. Tickets.

- Tickets, tickets.

- Oh.

- Ah Yeah. Yeah, I got it.

- Tickets.

- Here.

- That's your receipt.

Oh, I'm sorry. Oh.

First stop in Manhattan,

Harlem-125th Street.

Harlem-125th Street.

Oh, my God.

My New York City.

So I start walking north

to the only place in the world

there might be a bed for me tonight.

'Cause I got no family left.

Both of my parents d*ed

when I was still in school.

Dominic's the one who

took me in after that.

I mean, I know he

must've moved on by now,

but I protected his ass for 16 years.

He owes me a place to stay.

Here we go. Washington Heights.

What the f*ck?

It's gentrified.

Okay, not totally gentrified.

If the closest thing to

family I had isn't here,

I'm gonna need a miracle.

What the f*ck is this sh*t?

Hello?

Hi. Hello? Hi, is-is, uh, Dominic there?

Who?

Does Dominic still live here?

Um, I don't know him. Sorry.

Hello?

- I never used to mind these five flights in my 20s.

- Ugh. Okay

Hi.

Hi. Look, I'm so sorry.

Um, I used to live here.

And I would have never

let nobody up, either.

This is totally inappropriate of me.

But I just got out of the country.

I've been out for 16 years,

and I'm just, like, praying

that my boyfriend might still live here,

or you might know Oh, hi.

- Hi, thanks.

- You don't know where your boyfriend lives?

Um

I guess he's not my

boyfriend anymore, huh?

- Babe!

- It's fine.

- Babe, I got this.

- You know what? I'm so sorry.

So embarrassing.

But do you have, like, a tampon?

- Oh, uh

- Or anything, anything.

I'm just trying real hard

not to bleed on your floor out here.

No, no, no. Uh

- Thank you.

- Come on. Uh, it's just under

the-the sink in there.

Tile behind the toilet.

Please, God.

- Did you let in a f*cking Jehovah's Witness?

- Shh!

Come on, come on.

f*ck.

Yes.

f*ck.

I must've known it'd all be gone by now.

I'm not stupid.

But I had to see for myself.

There's your house in Hoboken, baby.

He left me to rot.

The one person I had left in the world.

You left me to rot.

You f*cking

You f*cking left me to f*cking rot!

You left me to f*cking you f*cking

You left me to f*cking rot.

Oh, my God.

Hey, are you okay in there?

Yeah, I'm okay. Yeah,

I'm-I'm okay, thank you.

I am not okay.

- So we were thinking

- I'm so sorry.

I think I had a little incident

with your shower curtain in there.

When did you move in here?

- To this place?

- Uh, last June.

Right. Uh, do you guys know

who used to live here before?

- Nope.

- What about the landlord?

Can I have the landlord's number?

- Mm, no. The building was sold about a year ago.

- Yeah.

- It's a different landlord now, so

- Yeah. Right. Okay.

We can't help you.

- Okay.

- Sorry.

I hope I didn't make you nervous.

I really don't want to be that person.

- Hey, sexy mami.

- Jesus Christ.

Oh, you're not gonna talk to me now?

'Cause I was gonna help you out.

Who you looking for?

- I'm looking for Dominic.

- Dominic?

Dominic who?

Dominic Arfonso.

You know, I've never seen

you around here before.

Well, I used to live right here

for five years with Dominic.

You say that like I know

who the f*ck that is.

So what the f*ck you ask me for, then?

He used to run this block,

that's who the f*ck he is.

And he would have never let

anybody who worked for him

handle cash out in the

open like you just did.

I saw you do it.

You know what, do me a f*cking favor.

Don't blow your smoke

in my face, please.

So you a bitch, huh?

- What the f*ck you say to me?

- You're a f*ckin' hard-ass bitch.

- Hey, m*therf*cker!

- Hey!

Do not give me a m*therf*cking reason

to go back to prison today. Don't do it.

Don't tempt me, you stupid m*therf*cker.

sh*t, bitch!

You tried to light me on f*cking fire.

What the f*ck is wrong with you?

f*ck you, you stupid ass.

Nobody used to dare

f*ck with me around here,

but now?

It's all gone.

Except

Like a mirage in the desert,

Empanada f*cking Loca!

Hey, hey, hey!

f*ck!

You don't see me here,

either? sh*t. God!

Oh, Jesus!

I am so sorry, young lady. You okay?

"Young lady."

My dad used to call me young lady.

Well, mine would call me young man,

but only when I was in trouble.

I would take being in trouble

if I could see him right about now.

I know the feeling.

- Thank you.

- You're welcome.

Welcome to Empanada Loca.

We got a special going on:

- three for five dollars.

- What?

Oh, God.

sh*t, it's not called

Empanada Loca for no reason.

Can I help you?

Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm

so sorry. It's just

This is the first place

I've been that's still here,

and it's exactly the f*cking same.

I know, it's so sad.

No! Oh, my God, my God,

there used to be, like,

people in here all the

time, lines around the block.

sh*t, I missed this place.

Mm-hmm. Cute.

Damn, girl, you're tall.

You could be, like, a model.

Oh, here it is. Right

there, that's my favorite.

This one. Guava and

cheese. Oh, I love this one.

Can I have one, please?

Oh, here we go.

One eighty-five.

- Here you go.

- I can't break a 50.

- Oh, that's all I

- Is it even real?

Yeah, it's real. They

gave me $200 in 50s.

That's all I have. Uh, you really can't?

Sorry.

Policy.

Really?

I just want to crawl

into a hole and die,

but I don't even have

a hole to crawl into.

Dolores Roach?

Luis?

Holy f*ck, it is you.

You're all grown up.

Oh, my God, Dolores Roach

in the f*cking flesh.

It's been, like, forever, mami.

And, yo, mami, you ain't,

you ain't aged a day.

Nellie, Nellie, this fine

lady right here and I,

yo, we go back!

- Mm-kay.

- Yo, don't worry

about a thing, Dolores, I got you.

You know you have VIP access

at Empanada Loca para siempre.

Come on. Vente. Let's go!

Thank you.

Thank you.

- Wow.

- My pride and joy right there.

Mmm! My guava and cheese.

Same secret recipe since

my pops opened up this place

back in '87.

- Oh, what

- Oh

Uh, sorry, sorry, so sorry.

I forgot to warn you

about the splash zone.

sh*t.

- Guess it's not my day.

- Come on.

- When did you get out, anyway?

- That would be this morning.

You You just got out this morning?

Mm-hmm.

And you, uh

You-you came right back here?

I know. Well, I guess

- You guess?

- I know, I thought

I just I thought

You thought, uh What did you think?

That I would crash with Dominic.

Dominic?

Mm-hmm.

Do you know where he is?

I mean, uh, I ain't seen Dominic

since the last time I saw you.

Seriously?

Yeah, nah.

You know where he is?

No, I don't know.

That's why I just asked you.

I don't know where he is.

Well, I remember, like,

right after you went in,

I heard he had, like,

some kind of heart att*ck.

Oh, my God, what?

Then I also heard,

like, he moved to Oregon

to work at a f*cking grow house.

So no one knows what

they're talking about.

They just know that he ain't here.

g*dd*mn it.

- g*dd*mn it!

- Hey, hey, hey, hey.

- It's okay. It's

- No, it's not okay.

I gave up 16 years of my

life to protect his ass.

And now we got these f*cking

kids living in our apartment.

And all our money is gone.

Everything I saved up for five years.

And I don't got sh*t, Luis.

Are you in, like, a halfway house or

Halfway house? sh*t, I wish.

You have, like, a parole

officer to check in with?

No, no. Parole? No, no parole.

I have fulfilled the

maximum requirements

of my determinate sentence.

So stick a f*cking fork in me, I'm done.

sh*t, man.

Yo

on the plus side,

you're not gonna get, like, drug tested?

Not drug tested.

Yo, Nellie!

Keep an eye on our customers

up here for a minute.

- Okay.

- Yo, come on.

I still live down in the basement.

Oh, sh*t, that's right.

He lives below the shop.

I remember this place.

Where's your pops?

Is he still the super here, too?

Oh, no, he, uh, he passed

away a few years back.

His kidneys shut down.

Aw, I'm sorry, Luis.

- I really liked that old guy.

- I appreciate that.

Sixteen years stolen just

for this f*cking plant.

Here goes nothing.

Mmm, so this strain right here

is called Sour Apple Pop.

Whoa, sh*t. Sorry.

Yo, hold on. Hold on real quick.

- Oh, God.

- Don't worry, I got you.

I got you, I got you.

I think my lungs

lungs are out of practice.

f*ck.

f*ck!

- What? What happened?

- The water's out again.

Yo, I-I'm sorry, girl, it's f*cking

The building got sold a few months back,

and the new landlord's, like,

f*cking with my water and sh*t.

You're getting harassed

by your landlord?

- You got to move?

- Oh, no, no, no, no.

No, no, no, no. I'm good. I got a lease.

Yo, man, that weed is mad strong.

Yeah, 'cause it's that

medical-grade sh*t.

You still can't buy it

legally in New York yet,

so I found myself, like,

this, like, albino dude, right?

He gets his sh*t from a

dispensary in Colorado.

You kidding me?

Even the drug business got gentrified.

What was that? Oh, my God.

Jesus, what

Oh, God.

Ugh.

Thank you.

Yo, I swear to God

- I'm gonna k*ll this f*cking guy.

- Who?

Who? The landlord, the

f*cking piece of sh*t, man.

You know? This place has

always changed hands before,

but you know, it's never

been worth more than

what we were f*cking paying, you know?

But now this area, this area

is, like, blowing the f*ck up

- and sh*t, you know?

- How stoned is he?

- I could've taken f*cking

- How stoned am I?

This place was an empanada

shop when I was born,

and it's gonna be an

empanada shop when I die.

Dude sounds nuts like my dad did

by his second whiskey.

But just like then, I

got nowhere else to go.

Oh, oh

Oh, my God, Luis, wha-wha-what's

the matter with you?

What?

- I

- What do you Come on.

- No. Oh, my God.

- Oh, got all tingly.

- Oh, sh*t. Oh, sh*t.

- Let's sit down.

Relax, man.

That sh*t is strong.

- No, I think I'm having a panic att*ck.

- Okay. All right.

I'm having a f*cking panic att*ck.

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

Your shoulders are jacked up.

So is your neck.

- What?

- Yo.

Your hands.

How you get so good at this?

Oh, sh*t.

Man, I've been giving

massages for commissary

for, like, a decade.

And I was in there

with some angry b*tches,

let me tell you.

But not one of them I

couldn't turn into Jell-O.

They called me "magic hands."

- Magic Hands Dolores.

- Yeah.

I thought maybe that I could

do this, like, for real.

You know, like like be a

legit masseuse out here, you know?

Yeah. That-that sounds amazing, D.

You got a plan.

Well, my plan was to find Dominic.

'Cause he owes me a place to stay.

You know, at least he owes me that sh*t.

Yo, f*ck that dude.

Why don't You could stay here.

Really? 'Cause I'm not gonna lie.

When I saw this couch, I thought that,

I could just, I could

crash here for, like,

- you know, tonight.

- Oh, no.

- You know, even on your floor.

- No, no, no. My dad's room

is just sitting there empty.

- You know?

- I don't I don't care.

- It's just sitting there empty.

- Listen, I got like, $200 in 50s.

- No, no, I wouldn't charge you no rent.

- I promise you that

- I'm gonna find a job, I swear to God.

- No, no, no. Stop.

- ASAP, I'm gonna find a job.

- Stop.

Dolores, stop.

All right?

You can have that room

for as long as you want.

You know, I could feed you, too.

Smoke you out. Huh? Nah, just kidding.

Or not.

You know, it'd be really nice

to have you around, Dolores.

So many people gone now.

You would really let me stay here,

just for a minute, for free?

I'm not letting you

I'm asking you to.

Why would you do that for me?

I miss you, Dolores Roach.

And I've been thinking

about you a whole lot.

If I had any other options right now,

that might creep me out.

Alone

with the door locked

stoned.

It's a miracle.

This bedroom is where

Luis said his old man d*ed.

But it feels sort of safe down here.

Like sort of safe.

Luis's pop's old shirts and sh*t.

And I get all curled up

thinking about Tabitha,

'cause this is about to be

my first night without her

in a very f*cking long time.

And thinking about Dominic

the love of my life.

Thinking about Luis's dad

dying in this room peacefully.

Of course I had no idea

how many more people

were about to die in that room

maybe not so peacefully.

Flora?

You coming to the party?

Yeah. Um

I'll meet you there.

You're such a good listener.