01x01 - The Calling, Pt. 1

[bunniefuu]

[bus engine revving, heartbeats]

[bus engine revving]

[bus engine revving]

[Terrell] Yeah.

[bus engine revving]

Young man...

I'm not in the mood.

Yo.

Pay your fare.

You want a problem,
you found the right one.

Who you talking to, pops?

Drive this bus, n*gga.

[engine humming]

Yo, chill, pops,
I'm gonna pay you.

Let me get it.

[Paul] Off the bus, young man.

[Darrell] Hey, can you spot me?

What?

I'm short $2.25 for my bus fare.

Spot me.

Naw, dude.

[blowing a raspberry]

What the f*ck you mean,
"Naw, dude"?

What, you can't help a n*gga out?

Bro...

Roshawn,
you hear this m*therf*cker?

-Who? This pretty boy?
-[Darrell] Yeah.

I asked him to spot me $2.25
for my bus fare.

"Naw, dude."

You look like a b*tch.

[William laughing]

-[Roshawn] Yeah, n*gga.
-Y'all leave pretty boy alone.

You suck d*ck, n*gga?

Yo, all of you, off the bus.

All of who?

I showed you my bus pass, n*gga.

What the f*ck is wrong with him?

You see, I was trying
to be nice by asking you.

'Cause I ain't just want
to take your sh*t.

Oh, I think he ignoring you, D.

[Darrell] You ignoring me,
pretty boy?

Leave that young man alone.
He ain't done nothing to y'all.

I said, you ignoring me?

Y'all should be ashamed
of yourselves.

You gotta be ashamed
of that wig, b*tch.

[William laughing]

Oh, sh*t, chill, man.

That's it. All of you.
Off the bus. Off the bus now.

I don't know what's goin' on...

[commotion, men and women shout]

[Paul] Yo!

[Man] Holy sh*t!

Y'all take this foolishness
outside.

[Elaine] I'm calling 911, sir.

[William] Oh, D, chill.

[Elaine screams]

[Elaine] Oh my...

[angry shouting]

[Darrell] Why are you f*cking
with me, man?

You're f*cking with me, man.

Out the door!

[Elaine] Oh, God.

[Paul groaning]

[Man] Come on, chill!
You already got him!

[shouting]

[Sheila] Oh my God.

What the hell just happened?

You okay, sir?

[emotionally]
No, I'm not okay.

Sick of these young dummies
on this route.

Sick of it.

You really need to go get
your back checked out

'cause they pushed you
pretty hard.

I usually don't work this route.

Somebody's always
calling in sick.

[Sheila] Why are they messing
with him for no reason?

Don't he go to our school?

Yeah, he's on
the basketball team.

He wasn't even doing
nothing to them.

I'm so sick of this sh*t.

[bus engine roaring]

[Sheila] Oh my God.

-Open the door, sir.
-[Cammie] Oh my God.

[Elaine] It's the young man.
They're after him.

[Sheila] Oh my God!

-Oh my God! They stomping him!
-[Sheila screams] Oh my God!

[Cammie] Oh my God.
They stomping him.

[Sheila] You can't just leave.

Damnit.

[indistinct]

[Paul] Get off that boy now.

[Man] [indistinct]

I'm leaving, bye.

[Man] [indistinct]

[indistinct]

♪ When I was young
It was rough ♪

♪ Didn't know how little I had ♪

♪ I walked the streets
of the city ♪

♪ Saw what happens
when life goes bad ♪

♪ Every day
my pop would say ♪

♪ Go away and don't look back ♪

♪ So I left
to find my dream ♪

♪ But this is where
my heart is at, yeah ♪

♪ In the city's rain
is where I see things ♪

♪ And the mess it makes ♪

♪ On the street ♪

♪ No shield for me
I keep walking ♪

♪ Just like grass grows out
of the stone looks like me ♪

♪ It keeps growing
out of old concrete, yeah ♪

♪ Yeah, looks like me ♪

♪ Oh Lord,
I said it looks like me, yeah ♪

♪ Looks like me, yeah ♪

♪ I'm trying to see me ♪

♪ Hmm, mm, mm,
In South Winslow ♪

[Mason] Once upon a time
in South Winslow,

there was a young boy
who always dreamed

of being a news reporter.

He had seen a movie
on Edward R. Murrow,

one of the best to ever do it.

I knew in that moment that
I wanted to be a journalist.

I dreamed of telling
all the stories

in my once beloved city,
South Winslow.

What happened to this place?

I was taught in school
about Hughes' poem

that dreams deferred can dry up
like raisins in the sun.

It turns out the same thing
can happen to dreams realized

when others don't appreciate
the essentiality of the dream.

Unending budget cuts
have destroyed

the last newspaper in this city.

I fear what the loss
of a free print press will mean

to a democracy
already struggling.

Understanding this reality,
I fought on for years.

That fight is lost.

Thus, it is with great sadness
that I report to you today,

next week will officially be
the last edition

of the South Winslow Times.

Signing off, yours truly,

Mason James.

[dramatic music]

[Terrell coughing]

[Terrell groaning]

[dramatic music]

[moaning]

[dramatic music continues]

[soft music]

[soft music]

♪ I'm only singing this song
for all my survivors ♪

♪ You can say what you want,
the one came to find us ♪

♪ See, on the day
the plane crashed here ♪

♪ I lost everything,
but I ain't passed yet ♪

♪ What is life
for the hunting type ♪

♪ It's a rebel site ♪

♪ It's what it's like
when you're born to fight ♪

♪ For what's better than life ♪

[Reporter] A sh**ting here

at this
Tacoma Heights Apartment Complex

in South Winslow
has left one woman dead

and an infant fighting
for his life at this hour.

Police say the sh**ting
was the result

of a domestic dispute.

Tamika Charles
and her estranged boyfriend

got into an altercation late
last night.

A little after that,
neighbors heard the sh**ting.

[Man] [indistinct]

[Emp] Yo, Big.

Go get the m*therf*ckers, man.

♪ Welcome to Menace Land,
Menace Land ♪

♪ Welcome to Menace Land,
Menace Land ♪

♪ Menace Land, welcome
to Menace Land, Menace Land ♪

♪ Menace Land, welcome
to Menace Land, Menace Land ♪

♪ Ay, welcome to Menace Land,
Menace Land ♪

♪ Ay, welcome to Menace Land ♪

♪ Run away, head shot, feel
the pain, best buy, hurricane ♪

♪ No rest stop stunning man ♪

♪ Fresh style, what a day ♪

♪ Take a look
at what the drummer say ♪

♪ This is that feeling
no one can play ♪

♪ Once you feel it,
ain't no other pain ♪

♪ Yeah, what would
your mother say ♪

♪ Say it doesn't matter,
there's no other way ♪

♪ There's another chapter
on the other page ♪

♪ All this suffering
making me suffocate ♪

♪ That's enough of fear,
no to f*ck ♪

♪ If it's luck, I'll take it,
chuck it to the lake ♪

♪ All this talking making me
want levitate ♪

♪ While you stuck, I'll press
the button, terminate ♪

♪ Wait, what did you wanna say ♪

♪ Couldn't hear you,
what were all the stains ♪

♪ Crying for me,
I don't know your name ♪

♪ Just another vessel
on the way ♪

♪ Fear take over your body ♪

♪ Only if the love
was built to break ♪

♪ There's a rhythm
in the way of shade ♪

♪ Goodness sake, listen
to the whistle lane in a way ♪

♪ Yeah, welcome to Menace Land,
Menace Land ♪

♪ Ay, welcome to Menace Land,
never change ♪

♪ Hey, welcome to Menace Land,
Menace Land ♪

♪ Ay, welcome to Menace Land,
Menace Land, Menace Land ♪

♪ Welcome to Menace Land,
Menace Land, Menace Land ♪

♪ Welcome to Menace Land,
Menace Land ♪

♪ Ay, welcome to Menace Land,
Menace Land ♪

♪ Ay, welcome to Menace Land,
Menace Land ♪

♪ Menace Land, welcome
to Menace Land, Menace Land ♪

♪ Menace Land, welcome
to Menace Land, Menace Land ♪

♪ Ay, welcome to Menace Land,
Menace Land ♪

♪ Ay, welcome to Menace Land ♪

Emp?

[Emp] Yeah?

You got a customer up there.
Jose had to leave early.

[suspense music]

[Emp clearing throat]

[Emp] All right, Big, look,

you watch the m*therf*ckers, man.

Q, you come with me.

[suspense music]

Big, get your fat a*s up

and watch the m*therf*ckers, man.

Just sat down, yo.

n*gg*s be lazy, yo.

f*ck you.

[soft music]

[upbeat music]

-[Mason] T-Jay.
-[Emp] Mr. News Reporter.

You a news reporter, dog?

-[Mason] I am.
-What channel?

Oh, no, I'm a print reporter.

What's that?

Life does seem to punish me.

[Mason laughing]

Look, he writes
for the newspaper, Q.

-Not on TV, n*gga.
-Oh, the newspaper.

-They still got them hoes?
-Hoes.

[Quentin] What paper?

I'd cry if I didn't have enough

of a sense of humor
to understand that

this is good fodder for a story

on the state of journalism today.

[Mason laughing]

Huh?

Look, he be talking to himself
and sh*t, man.

You hilarious, Mason.

What newspaper you write
for again?

Uh, the South Winslow Times.

Um, I didn't get your name.

It's Q.

-[Mason] Mason James.
-[Quentin] What's happening?

[Mason] Nice to meet you, Q.

So what can I do for you, Mason?

Oh, uh, two of my tires are
completely bald.

I'm about to k*ll myself
in all this rain.

Well, sh*t, that ain't good.
Let me take a look at it.

[Mason] All right.

Whew.

-Mason, you okay?
-I'll live.

Well, you're limping
or something, man.

I'll live.

Look like you need
to go to the doctor.

Doctor?
That would just be another bill.

All right.

Let me see what you got here.

[Mason] Oh my God.
This weather is nuts.

My tires are wrecked.

Yeah, it's pretty bad, Mason.

Wow, okay.
You see how bald they are?

Can you fix them?

I got you, man.

Yeah, yeah, you know what I'ma
do with you when I get back.

-Yo, Q.
-What's good, Emp?

What'd you just call me?

[Quentin laughing nervously]

[nervously] Yo, my bad, man,
T-Jay.

My bad.

I need 225.



[Quentin] All right, uh, 55 R-18.

Two of them.

[Quentin] All right.

Two.

[suspense music]

Take a seat, Mason.
We'll be right with you.

[moaning]

[moaning]

Damn, b*tch, watch your teeth.
f*ck.

[moaning]

[moaning]

[whispers] f*ck.

-Oh, sh*t. Oh, sh*t.
-[Reesie] Yeah, baby.

[Devon] sh*t, don't move.
Don't move.

[Reesie] f*ck that p*ssy.

Shh, shh, shh. Just, just, just.
f*ck.

[Reesie] Hurry up.

[Devon moaning and grunting]

[Reesie] Where's my $10?

[Devon] sh*t, b*tch, hold on.

Damn.

[automotive engines revving]

[thunder rumbling]

[soft music]

[soft music]

Yo, let me have a number 15.

And then let me get one
of them blown wraps.

[Amad] $12.87.

-You need bag?
-Nah.

[soft music]

[Woman] Yes, we are sad.

[engine revving]

D!

D, hold up. Hold up.

-D?
-What?

[Lamisha] Have you heard
they jumped your brother?

-What?
-[Lamisha] Terrell.

Jumped him? Who?

I don't know. He was on the bus.

-[Devon] When?
-After school.

My friend sent me the video.

[suspense music]

The f*ck?

[suspense music]

The f*ck?!

[Devon panting]

[suspense music]

f*ck.

sh*t, Terrell.

f*ck.

sh*t, answer the phone, Terrell.

I don't know what's wrong, man.
Answer the phone.

f*ck!

[suspense music]

[Quentin] Ah. You all set,
Mr. Reporter.

[Mason] Ah, thank you, Q.

Uh, what does the Q stand for?

-Quentin.
-Quentin.

There you go. I like that.

Hope it's okay
that I call you Quentin.

Do you, playa.

[Mason] What was that?
Do? Oh... do me?

[Mason laughing]

So many places to go with that.

But anyway.

Well, uh, thank you, Quentin.

Uh, how much do I owe you, T-Jay?

Just give me 40, Mason.

God bless you, my good man.

-Thank you, Mason.
-[Mason] No, thank you.

It's quiet around here today.

Yeah, so far.

You looking
for a story or something?

Always looking for the story.

At least for another week.

Another week?

What, you quitting or something?

More like forced retirement.

I'm sorry to hear that.

No respect
for us newspaper guys anymore.

But if you got a story
for my last edition,

please share.

Well, we know it should be
plenty going on

-in South Winslow.
-You would think.

Our troubled city.

Hey, hey, Mason?

[suspense music]

Look, word on the street is...

Black girls have been coming up
missing.

You got some info on that?

Or is it the same
online conspiracy

that the woke
brothers are pushing?

I don't know what they say
online.

But the streets are talking.

But look, I gotta get back
to work.

Yes, yes, and so must I.

Uh, until next time.

[rap music]

♪ God gives me more with
the things I'm blessed for ♪

That n*gga weird, son.

He g*y?

What?

Come on, man, I don't know
that man's business, man.

[suspense music]

[Devon] T! T!

[panting]

f*ck, come on, n*gga.
Answer the phone. Damn!

Damn!

[suspense music]

[suspense music]

Terrell! Terrell!

Terrell!

[suspense music]

Terrell?

Oh my God! Oh my God. Oh my God.

Oh my God! Oh my God. Oh my God.

Help! Help!
Please, somebody help me!

Everything okay back here?

They jumped my brother.
He won't wake up.

Please help me. Please.

[suspense music]

[Roosevelt] Your Honor,

Ms. Henderson has made
great strides

since her last appearance.

Uh, she has a job now at
the dollar market as a cashier.

Um... I have here a certificate
of completion

of phase one of her anger
management program.

Anyone here representing DFCS?

Yes, um, Ms. Toriella Martin
from DCFS.

Ms. Martin, could you come
forward, please?

This b*tch.

[Toriella] Good afternoon, judge.

Please state your name.

Toriella Martin.

[Judge Proctor] And what is
your position, Ms. Martin?

I'm DCFS case worker,
South Winslow,

badge number SW5613.

And have you heard the testimony
regarding case, um...



the State versus
Ms. Tamara Henderson,

regarding her children,




and 6-year-old Tayshon Davis?

Yes, Judge.

[Judge Proctor] And what say you?

We request that the court deny
all visitation at this time.

All three children are thriving
in their foster home,

and we recently asked
Ms. Henderson

to complete
all three phases of the program

before the court would consider
visitation.

Mr. Rollins, I'm inclined

to go with the recommendation
from DFCS,

especially considering
Ms. Henderson's violent past.

Y'all some bum-a*s m*therf*ckers.

-Hey, hey!
-And now I am further inclined.

Ms. Henderson, request
for visitation is denied.

That's f*cked up y'all won't let
me see my kids!

They're my kids!

And I know where you live, b*tch.

What's your dry-a*s weave?

[Judge Proctor] And now
I am holding you

in contempt of court.

I sentence you to one night
in county jail

and a $1,000 fine.

Anything else, Ms. Henderson?

[Roosevelt] Stop.

[Tamara] Wait, so now I gotta go
to jail?

And you're just standing there?

You're supposed to be
my f*cking lawyer!

Please take Ms. Henderson
out of the court, please.

Old, fat-man-looking b*tch!

Will there be anything else,
Mr. Rollins?

No, Your Honor.

[Judge Proctor] Court's
adjourned.

[judge banging gavel]

[murmuring]

-[Celia] Miss Mims.
-Oh, hi, Celia.

[Celia] You have several calls
from your son's coach.

Well, thank you.
Your hair is cute.

Thank you. Trying something new.

[Lisa] It's cute.

He called several times.

-He said it's urgent.
-Oh, okay.

Thank you.

[soft music]

[soft music]

[indistinct chatter]

Okay, uh...

listen up.

Everybody please listen up.

Let me get this out.

Uh... I don't wanna keep you
long.

I know you wanna get out
on your routes.

Uh... I wanna thank you for...

coming in a few minutes early.

How is Paul?

We heard he got attacked
on his route?

Paul? Paul who? Crawford?

Uh, yeah.
That's why I called you in here.

Paul Crawford is a regularly
scheduled afternoon driver.

He was subbing for Route 87.

He was assaulted by a g*ng
of th*gs this afternoon.

[Pearl] Is he okay?

[Albert] I don't have any
information on his condition.

-He's in County General.
-They found out who did it?

Well, that's why I have WTA
Police Captain Garcia here.

-He wants to speak to you.
-Hello, everyone.

Sorry to come before you under
these circumstances, but yes.

Approximately 3:26 this
afternoon,


bus from concerned patrons.

Paul had gone outside
to break up a fight

when the young men turned on him.

The young men are still at large.

We're looking for three
Black males in their early 20's.

If anyone hears anything
about this,

we're asking
that you contact us immediately.

Hey, 87 is my route.

People call it 187, right?

Yeah, it's dangerous.
Always has been.

I've been saying this
for years now.

Your safety is this department's
number one concern.

Yeah, right.

That's why Captain Garcia
is here.

You give him
the respect he deserves.

I wanna remind everyone
of our protocol.

At no time should you ever leave
your bus

to break up an altercation
or to confront anyone.

Always call us on your
radio dispatch system.

Yeah, if it's working.

-[laughing] Good luck.
-[Garcia] Okay, please!

Listen up, please!

Always let WTA police handle
any problems you encounter.

Now we are going to add
another patrol to route 87,

and we are working
with Winslow PD

in getting these guys
off the street.

This is crazy.

You guys, go on.
Get on your routes.

[music]

Be careful out there.

And you don't know anything

about Mr. Crawford's condition?

I believe it is not good.

[suspense music]

Come on. Get to work.

[music]

Excuse me.

I'm sorry, but my son...

One moment, ma'am.

The line starts behind
that lady there.

But my son is here
and I'm just trying...

[Nurse Brown] Ma'am,
I understand that.

You will need
to wait like everyone else.

Ms. Riley, this card is expired.

Do you have a valid card?

[soft music]

-[Coach Lowe] Ms. Mims.
-Coach Lowe, where's Terrell?

-Come on back, Ms. Mims.
-[Lisa] Well, what happened?

[Coach Lowe] Well...

Well, he got
into it with some boys.

Well, some men on the bus,
is what I'm hearing.

Got into it? Some men? What men?

I'm still trying to figure
that out.

-Where's Terrell?
-I'm trying to see if I can see

a doctor so he can come
and talk to you.

Okay, well, where is Terrell?

I think that's
the head nurse right there.

He's okay, isn't he?

I'm going to see if she can come
talk to you.

Ma'am, this is Ms. Mims.

I need to know where my son is.

-What's your son's name?
-[Lisa] Terrell Coleman.

[Coach Lowe] The young man
that came in with...

I understand, Coach.
I wanna speak to his mother.

Hello, Ms. Mims.
We have been trying to call you.

I will have the doctor come
see you as soon as I can.

-Okay.
-[Nurse Mary] Your son came in

with very serious injuries,
Ms. Mims.

Serious?

How serious? He's okay.
Where is he?

Come. Let's sit down.

I don't wanna sit down.

[Nurse Mary] Okay,
then I will have the doctor

come talk to you.

Is everybody around here deaf?
Where's my son?

We took your son into surgery.

-Surgery?
-[Nurse Mary] Yes, ma'am.

He came in with very bad injuries

from some sort
of fight or something.

Fight?
My son wouldn't be in no fight.

Who did this?

[Nurse Mary] We don't know that.

Is there anyone we can call
to be here with you?

Call? No.

I mean, well, yes.
I tried to call his father,

but please tell
me that he's gonna be okay.

Honestly, ma'am, your son
has life-threatening injuries.

We are doing the best we can
for him.

He's having emergency surgery.

I will have the doctor
come talk to you.

Oh my God.

-[Devon] Ms. Mims.
-Oh, Devon,

what happened to your brother?

They jumped him, Mama Lisa.

Jumped him?
Who jumped him? Were you there?

No. I don't know.

Some dudes on a bus did.

They stomped him out.

Stomped him?

[suspense music]

Oh my God.

I can't do this.

I can't breathe.

[Lisa gasping for air]

[Coach Lowe] Hey, hey, Rodney,
get up. Get up.

Let Ms. Mims sit down.

[dramatic music]

[music]

[music]