01x01 - The Woman Who Disappeared

[bunniefuu]

To our Black community: We see you.

We stand against racism.

How is that?

It's really intense.

My book club's reading it.

Wanda! Wanda.

Hi. Blake.

- Hey.
- Hi.

It's so great
to finally meet you in person.

It's been so fun
to respond to your emails.

When you're chained to a desk,
you gotta find some joy, right?

Yeah. How was your flight?

It was good, yeah.

Okay.

- Can I blow up your spot? 'Cause homegirl…
- Oh, my God. Please don't.

- She has the whole--
- I have not gotten used to this yet.

Well, you better get used to it.
You're on every best seller.

- Let me take the bag.
- I got it.

No, please, honey. Come on.
You're the talent.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

Watch those boots.

ASOS.

Can I tell you something?

I didn't know you were Black.

Okay.

Because of-- Yes, I know. I know.

"Blake" gives off
some serious colonizer vibes.

Okay, so here's the story.

My first name is Ugandan.

My mother was in the Peace Corps.

Yeah. So no one I know here
can pronounce it,

so I just go by her maiden name.

It's just, you know, easier career wise.

So, you changed your name for them?

I mean, I changed it for me too.

It's just less of a headache, you know?

Sometimes we have to compromise.

You know
they tried to airbrush my picture?

For my book jacket photo.

They sent me some picture that looked like
Miley Cyrus with Black girl hair.

But I was like, "No."

The whole point of a memoir is
to be authentic.

Now, I know you're all humble and sh*t,

but wait until you see this hotel
I'm taking you to.

Actually, I booked a rental.

I was just really creeped out at the idea
of staying at the Beverly Hilton.

-'Cause of Whitney--
- Whitney?

- Did you say Whitney?
- Get out of my head.

- W-H-I-T-N-E-Y?
- Yeah. Yes, I did.

I cannot write without her.

- Yeah.
- I love her so much.

Okay, so then where am I heading?

Echo Park. Is that a place?

I hope we're not going
to some sad writer apartment.

No, it's cute.

It's got a nice little side patio--

- I'm gonna pull up the address.
- No, no, no, no.

I don't-- I don't want to see it.

Whatever you're gonna show, put it down.

My reservation was canceled. What?

How could they not verify my ID?

Do they think I'm two different people?

Okay, they clearly do not know
how Black hair works

because one photo is--

sh*t!

To be honest,
this trip is making me so nervous.

- And LA freaks me out, so…
- Okay, how about this?

I'ma book you a rental on this VIP app

that Brad Pitt's assistant
gave me access to.

No. That sounds way too fancy.

Would you like a pool and a hot tub?

Maybe a pool?
If it-- If it's not too extra.

And the hot tub.

Okay.

See?

La Casa de "We Give a sh*t."

What?

I can't stay here.

You can, and you will,
because the studio is paying for it.

I'm gonna text you the door code.

And I will send a car for you
tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m.

Do you need anything else?

Groceries?

Weed?

If I do, I'll just walk.

- What did you say?
- I'll walk.

She said "walk."

We don't say that word in LA.

New Yorkers.

- Hey.
-Tell me everything.

Can you see the Hollywood sign
from inside your infinity pool?

I don't know.

I've been working since I got here.

They put you in a $15 million house,
and you're sitting on the couch working?

I'm prepping for tomorrow.

Hold up. This place is legit 15 million?

I'm an expert googler. You know that.

Are you taking a dookie right now?

Rude. I'm hiding from the twins.

Quick, give me a tour before they find me.

Okay.

I mean, I'm kind of afraid to touch stuff.

It's like I had a stroke
and woke up with Kanye money.

If your book gets turned into a movie,

I'm quitting my job
and working as your assistant.

Mom, we know you're in there.

I'm pooping.

Gross.

Mother of the year over there,
lying to those kids.

Will you please keep me updated
while you're there?

They're turning your book
into a f*cking movie.

I know. It's amazing. I just--

I wish I felt less itchy about it,
you know?

Come on. Impostor syndrome.

You've spent years grinding it out,
writing and teaching.

And we watched every sad white girl memoir
get scooped up by Hollywood.

You mean, Glass Castle,

Wild, Eat Pray Love,

Girl, Interrupted, Julie & Julia?

Don't f*ck with my Nora Ephron, but yes.

And now we're finally paying attention
to your much more talented Black butt,

and what are you doing?

I came to LA.

Wanda, make the most of this moment.

I'm telling you, you earned it.

Thanks.

Here you go.

Hi. Wanda Shepard.

I'm here to see a bunch of people.

- Have their names right here--
- That's okay.

Just your ID,
and I can look you up in the system.

I'm gonna grab a quick picture.

Smile. Right there. Yeah.

A little photo sh**t?

Perfect.

- Take that while that prints.
- Thank you.

Whoops.
Sorry, let's just try that one more time.

Great.

Perfect.

Here we go.

This camera's been acting up all day.

I'm so sorry.

You know what,
I-- I'm just gonna write a note.

N/A?

You know what? Can I get that pen
so I can write a W in the middle?

Sure.

Like N.W.A?

That's okay.

I'm going to just grab a seat. Thank you.

Sorry.

I just wanted to say I'm a huge fan.

So sweet. Thank you.

Read your book months ago.
It blew my mind.

Thanks.

You too?

Yeah. It was only mildly humiliating.

Well, that's some bullshit.

It's the algorithm.

Certain facial recognition programs have
a hard time detecting darker skin tones.

I'm a sci-fi writer.
I know a lot about technology.

Well, you should see this house
that I'm staying at.

Real Jetsons vibes.

You probably get asked this
all the time, but--

If you have the time,
I would love to send you my script.

What's it about?

It's a psychosexual rom-com
about two f*cked-up cyborgs.

But it's also really grounded.

You know,
it's kind of like the stuff you write.

Oh, my God, Wanda.

Girl, why didn't you text me?

Nobody got you a latte.

Good luck with that.

Come. Thanks.

Well, is there anything I need to know?
Things to avoid?

Okay.

Doug, head of development,
his wife is Mexican.

She used to work
for the Obama administration,

so he gonna talk to you like he down.

- Lot of talk about "the movement."
- Okay.

Brian is in charge of scripted
and fresh off of a Me Too scandal.

Do not get stuck
in an elevator with Brian.

Okay.

Nick is new.
From what I can tell, not too important.

Do not waste your eye contact on Nick.

Aaron, never spoken to me.

Pretty sure he doesn't know my name.

I love my job. Here we go.

Full disclosure…

We were all, like,
very nervous about this meeting.

- Nervous? Because of me?
- Yeah.

Oh, please. I am so flattered right now.

You guys pulled out all the stops,
and I'm so impressed.

We're f*cking thrilled
we got the option on your book.

And now we want you to like us
and think that we're smart.

Look. I'm a white guy.
From Maine, no less.

And I'll be honest with you,

I was not the first one in the room
to come to your book.

But, once I read it, man,
it just, like, opened my eyes.

I mean, your whole take
on intersectionality

and your complicated feelings around BLM,

it just was like…

It just must be, like, really validating

to have so many people just, like,
really vibing on your work.

It's a little bittersweet.

I mean, I kinda gave up on the idea
of being a novelist after school

and then kind of just dabbled
in daily stories.

Then my dad died a few years ago,

and… I don't know.

It finally gave me the stamina I needed

to write about what happened to him
when I was younger.

And then, you know, the floodgates opened,

and here we are.

Nineteen scenes from my life,

dedicated to my dad.

We're so psyched
to be doing this with you.

Thank you.

And I'm so excited for these stories
to reach a bigger audience.

Not that books aren't big,
but y'all know what I mean.

No, we love books, but, like…

You know, it's like, you know, we get it.

I don't know how you guys usually do this,

but I drafted an outline

that I can take you through for the movie.

I was thinking about how,
chapter 6, I explore the--

Look, Wanda.

We could make a very, like,
quiet adaptation of your book

that would win Best, like, Cinematography
at the Spirit Awards,

but we think there's a potential
for something much more profound, special.

Okay.

That's actually why I invited
Aaron Fishman to join the meeting today.

Aaron is the head
of our newly souped-up VR team.

What's up?

VR?

Like virtual reality?

"Virtual embodiment" is actually
the phrase we've been using.

Wow, okay. So, like, a video game?

No, no, no.

Imagine if people could actually
walk a day in your shoes.

Experience the world as you,

a Black woman.

It is an extraordinary opportunity
for empathy.

Yeah, I hear you.

- But that's not how racism works.
- Exactly.

- That's exactly what we're saying.
- But, like, we'd step that out for people.

Hold the audience's hand a little.

In 360 degrees,
with some pretty sick parallax.

I'm sorry. It feels like I'm being pitched
a version of Being Black for Dummies.

So…

who would play me
in this fancy VR version?

And how would it work?

Like, who would play me?

What would you see?

Are you all right?

You're not saying anything.

- We're here to answer any questions.
- What?

I was talking.

My voice craps out
when I get stressed out too.

There's nothing to worry about.

I'm not worried, and I'm not stressed.

I just don't understand why you guys
aren't answering any of my questions.

Who would play me?

Look.

We've thrown a huge curveball at you.

I totally get that this might take
a second to process.

Let's do sup-- Let's have dinner.

Let's do it. Okay. You know what?

Everyone's coming over
to my house tonight.

It's a pretty dope pad.

You can check out the prototype.

And my assistant will tell you
the address, okay?

Hey, Little Miss Hollywood. How'd--

They wanna turn my f*cking book into
a r*cist science experiment.

Wan, slow down. What's happening?

It's not a movie.
It's a-- It's virtual reality.

Okay.

Not what we expected,
but my kids love virtual reality.

And it's f*cking funny
watching them punch at the air.

And there must be tons of money in that.
Did they give you a number?

I didn't ask.

You're way too modest.
That'd be my first question.

Well, they weren't interested
in questions, Lu.

The minute I asked something
remotely challenging,

their eyes glazed over.

And the one time I asked a question,

they pretended like they didn't hear
anything I said.

Okay, breathe. They adore you.

They flew you all the way out there.

They wanna whitewash my story, Lu.

So tell them that won't fly.

No, I know. I will, but--

Wan, you're a big shot now.

You're in the driver's seat.

So just go back in there

and tell them that your life isn't
some f*cking Sims game.

Or, if it is, then they have to pay you,
like, $800 million.

I'm supposed to go to this dinner tonight.

Perfect. You'll drink some wine,
be more relaxed.

Says you.

I gotta walk in there like a boss,
and I only brought one cute outfit.

I don't have any bad b*tch clothes.

Girl, you got pocket money. Go spend it.

Get your little butt off of me.
Are you out of your damn mind?

sh*t. I didn't see you.

You didn't see me here?
I'm sitting right here.

I'm so sorry. My bad.

Okay.

See, that's how they get you.

- Next.
- Hi.

- Hey, good choice.
- Thanks.

- Hopefully it fits post-baby.
- Excuse me. I was here first.

This color looks fantastic.
It looks great on everyone.

Excuse me.

Thanks.

You are going to look fantastic
this weekend.

- When did you say you're due?
- Okay. Since y'all wanna be Karens.

Y'all are lucky I have somewhere to be

and I can pay for this dress
with my fancy per diem.

Blake!

Blake!

Jesus!

Blake-- Wait!

sh*t.

f*ck.

Okay. It's only four miles.

Doug, can we talk?

I've been thinking a lot about this, and--

Has anyone seen her?

- No.
- What?

So weird.

I'm here.

- So, should we just get started?
- No, I'm here!

I guess so. Yeah.

Let's try out the demo.
Let's test it, right?

Yeah, it might even be
more comfortable without her.

Comfortable for who, Fishman?

I can hear you. I'm right f*cking here.

Okay, everybody.

We're gonna try this out,
but just a heads-up,

there's some pretty heavy stuff here,
so consider this your trigger warning.

Spoiler alert.
Ruin the ending, why don't you?

Okay. Look, Aaron,
a lot of sensitive material here,

so if anybody is uncomfortable with that,
please know you don't have to watch.

We want to know about what you think
about the experience.

Which chapter should we start with?

I mean, let's start with chapter 6.

That's the big one.

So let's just dive
right into the deep end.

Wow.

Here we go.

Holy sh*t.

This is next level.

Where--

Dad?

Oh, my God.

Hey, Wanda.

Hi, Mr. D!

Carl. Haven't seen you for a minute.
You doing okay?

You know, still breathing.

Oh, my God.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Hey. Hey, hey.

- We got a report of a robbery on Lenox.
- Dad, no.

- Suspect is armed. Can I see your ID?
- No, no. Excuse me--

- You have the wrong guy!
- Stop!

- I know him.
- Leave him alone!

Daddy!

- Look, I know my rights.
- Hey!

- I haven't done anything wrong!
- Hey! Get off him!

Get off of her! Get off of her!

Get up, baby. Baby! Baby!

- No, get off of her!
- I know him! It's--

Look. I know my rights. You can't do this.

I know him!

Wait, why'd it go dark like that?

That's when she lost consciousness.

Yeah. What happened to her again?

She had a giant panic attack.

Was taken to a local hospital.

It's so weird.

Wanda?

You can see me?

Yeah.

Can I sit?

What are you doing out here?

Are you okay?

No.

I don't know what I am.

Yes, you do.

You know what?

f*ck this.

I'm going back in there.