01x01 - Episode 1

[bunniefuu]

[crew member]
Go ahead whenever you're ready.

My name is Corinne Maillard,

detention director
at Chenoise Correctional Facility,

and I oversee the inmates' daily lives.

[indistinct chatter]

[Corinne]That doesn't stop me
from looking at their futures.

At the end of the day,
that's what I try to do.

I try to plant little seeds of hope.

Nothing grows overnight, except...

except a world of trouble.

Oh, we've got some beautiful squash here,
some leeks over there and...

And look at that.
Two big, beautiful cabbages!

And that, I have no idea what that is.

[grunts softly]

Is that cannabis?

-I'll let the warden know.
-What? No, no, no.

We don't need to bother him with that.

To me, prison is all about rehabilitation.

We're responsible for the inmates
and it's our job

to help them return to society.

[sighs] That's a shame.
It smells incredible.

-[coughs]
-Hmm.

Oh, I love that smell.

To me, the whole mission of prison
can be summed up in two words.

Love and encouragement.

-And supervision.
-[door buzzes]

[prisoner] Officer!

MINIMUM SECURITY

What's up, everybody?
Today, c*ck tutorial.

You'll see, it's super easy.
We're making a Sex On The Beach.

First, a shot of vodka. There we go.

Peach schnapps.
Orange juice, cranberry juice.

Give it a good stir like this.

[sighs softly] Now, that's nice.
Damn, we've got it good here.

[stops video]

Hmm. It's not from here.

-[taps keyboard] Hmm?
-The best c*ck in B1 at Chenoise.

Cheers, y'all.

Well, yeah.
Maybe it's just meant to mislead us.

That'd be pretty smart.

If he was so smart,
he would have hidden his face.

Now, find out who it is, okay?

Make an example out of him.
We don't need this publicity.

We're already short-staffed
since our last intern got assaulted.

Quiet! You're gonna scare the new one.

Nah, don't even worry about me.
The only person who scares me is me.

Oh, she's got grit.
I hope this one sticks around.

[indistinct chatter]

[coffee machine whirs]

-You doin' good?
-Yeah.

Is this your first day?

-Hmm.
-[officer] Yeah.

You'll see. It can seem pretty
intimidating at first, but don't worry.

With me, you're in good hands.

Yeah, having women working here is great.

Especially when 74% of people
end up meeting their partner at work.

[indistinct chatter]

No, women are great.
They've got tact, empathy and patience.

That's all super,
but in a fight, who needs that?

We're still the public's last line
of defense against anarchy and chaos.

You better be shredded!

[indistinct chatter]

Right now, I'm a senior correctional
officer, but I'll make lieutenant soon.

Hmm.

Either way, I'll still be your supervisor.

[officer coughs]

[intern] Hmm.

-c*ck tutorial.
-So... who's that?

It's super easy.
We're making a Sex On The Beach.

-It's hard to tell from that.
-No! Look, that's Charkaoui, boss.

[sighs] That guy's Mr. Snitch.

-Says who?
-[Corinne] First name?

Salem. He's been pulling
all kinds of crap.

Bring him in
for a disciplinary hearing.

Let's make an example of him. I'll show
you how to get an inmate back on track.

Hmm.

New dessert tutorial. We're making
a McFlurry. Prison edition, my friends.

Failure to comply, damaging property,
drug possession.

What are you trying to prove?
You wanna spend your time in solitary?

-What's the plan, man?
-Come on now. Take it easy, Stéphanie.

Look at this. It's actually really good.

[Salem] Add some melted ice cream.

What I see is a young man
sabotaging his own potential

because he's afraid of success.

Isn't that right? There it is.

No, this is impressive.

You did this all yourself,
the editing too?

-[Salem] Yeah.
-Hats off, I'm impressed.

-How many likes did that get?
-Hey, that's not why we're here.

A phone in your cell gets you


And personally, for that stunt,
I'd add another five. Real talk.

Whoa, will you please wait a minute?

I'm not gonna punish him
over a few recipes and a little dancing.

Fine, boss, do what you want.
I know how they are.

You gotta be tough with these guys.
Give them an inch, they'll take a mile.

You're fresh out of the academy.
You wanna do things right.

But nobody's ever helped anyone
by punishing them. Trust me.

[inhales deeply]
So you get a pass this time.

-But knock off the nonsense, okay? Got it?
-[Salem] Yeah.

-Okay, good day, Mr. Charkaoui.
-Thank you.

I don't get it. Weren't you gonna make
an example of him?

Yeah, an example of rehabilitation.

Don't worry, I've got my own method.

-Hmm.
-Yeah. Trust me.

This is the stuff
the academy can't teach you.

[Stéphanie] Okay.

Yeah, my father was a correctional officer
and my grandfather was one as well,

so I guess you could definitely say
prison work runs in the family.

Uh, it's in our blood in a way.

It definitely is, absolutely.

Oh, and that's my son Jonathan
when he was 12.

He wanted to go pro.
Then again, he was so bad at school.

Oh, terrible. Just awful.
Yeah, he completely dropped out.

And I haven't really heard from him
in about a year now.

Well, I still follow him a little
on Instagram.

{\an8}[taps keyboard]

{\an8}[sighs]

Oh, no, I mean, you can probably guess
that I'm not sabryina94.

No, no, no, I had to make a fake account,
otherwise he blocks me every single time.

But that's...

[inhales sharply]
That's to be expected, really.

You know,
kids need their own private world.

Yeah, we've all been there.

♪ My name is Jonny ♪

♪ J-O-double N
See, no one can top me... ♪

[Corinne] Feels weird
seeing him all grown up.

♪ Never was a junkie... ♪

But to me, he'll always be my baby.

♪ Grew up without a father
He was never there ♪

♪ f*ck the counsel, f*ck the judge ♪

♪ f*ck the system, no one really cares! ♪

[indistinct chatter]

Careful, they'll try to hit on you.
I know these guys. They're desperate.

They'll go after anything.

Don't get me wrong.
I'm not saying you're ugly.

Quite the opposite, actually.
You're pretty cute.

Yeah, I'd return the compliment,
but we work together,

so it makes it kind of inappropriate,
don't you think?

Oh, right, I get it. You got a man, huh?

Anyway, if you do,
don't mention it to the inmates.

You never wanna give those guys
anything personal they can use.

Not even your first name.

[door creaks]

-Yo, JP!
-[JP] Mr. Samir Fayed!

-[Samir] You good?
-[JP] How's it goin', man?

-Just chillin', bro.
-Just chillin', homeboy?

Morning, Officer.

Put your shirt back on now, Samir.

Hey, cut him some slack.
I mean, it's freakin' hot.

With a body like that,
I wouldn't be wearing a shirt either.

Are you seriously smoking weed?

JP, talk to your girl, would you?

I ain't nobody's girl. What you do
with the others, that's on you.

But with me, no smoking that sh*t,
and put a shirt on. I mean it.

Okay, Officer.

And maybe clean up your cell.
It's a little messy in there.

You know, whenever you get a chance.

With me, they know.
There's mutual respect.

Today, I'm on the outside of the bars,

but sh*t,
I could've ended up on the inside.

International trafficking, who knows?
Something serious.

I just didn't wanna spend my life
in prison.

You gotta use your head.
You know what I'm sayin'?

[indistinct chatter]

Hey, Jeff, have you met the new girl?
She seems great, huh?

-She's got some real pep in her.
-Yeah, well, be careful, boss.

Those suck-ups who kiss a*s to climb
the ladder? I can spot 'em a mile away.

After you.

[Corinne claps hands] Morning,
Mr. Charkaoui. Time to go to school.

[Jeff] Rise and shine!

What?

Oh, I don't do that anymore.

Come on, life is a locked-up door
and education is the key to it.

[metallic clanking]

[Corinne] Hold on, Jeff.

Instead of blowing our ears out,
why don't you fix him some breakfast?

Beg your pardon?

[Corinne] He can't go to class
on an empty stomach.

-Of course not.
-No, I'm not hungry.

[Corinne] No, no, no.
Come on, school starts in ten minutes!

-Oh God, you're not wearing any underwear.
-Good Lord!

Okay.

Dylan, read the next part.

Sorry to interrupt,
but Salem's missed a few classes,

so I figured it might be good
to have him participate.

I mean, sure, yeah, yeah, yeah.

-That's right.
-[teacher] Go ahead, Salem.

[sighs] Uh... "Forever by my side,
the demon stirs and moves.

He drifts around me like some impal...
impalpable presence.

I swallow...

and I can feel him burning
through my lungs,

and fill 'em with desire."

What's he talking about?
Can't this dude just talk normal?

Oh, yeah, yeah. We got that part
all right. Means you swallow, bro!

-Oh!
-[laughter]

Wow, real mature, guys.
Excellent. Very mature.

[laughter fades]

[teacher] Can we continue now?
Salem, come on. Salem, turn around.

Boris, you keep reading.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! We're gonna have
to start with the basics here.

That's not how you open a cell at all.
Hang on, I'll show you.

Yeah, well, it's still a man's world.

Wouldn't wanna break a nail
just opening a door.

First, look through the peephole.

Okay. Then put your foot here.

A little more to the right.

Like that.

[Jeff] Control to V-1.
Respond to the classroom immediately.

[JP] Man, he's up my a*s.

-What the heck is that?
-It's a call for back-up, uh...

But aren't we the back-up?

Yeah.

Yeah, you're absolutely right.

I don't give a f*ck! [yells]

Bunch of assholes!
I swear to God, come on! [yells]

Come get some! I'll f*ck you all up!
Come on!

Come on, damn it! f*ck!

[Stéphanie] Oh sh*t!

I'll f*ck you all up!
I never swallowed, b*tch!

I swear to God, man! I swear to God!

Well, okay, here's your chance.

Let's see how you do
when things get a little messy.

Oh, for God's sake, what is that?

-It's my personal baton. Why?
-Oh, no, no, that's not allowed.

Hey, you're good.
I'll hang on to it for you.

[Salem] I don't care what anybody says!
I'm not reading that crap again!

f*ck this! Get out!
Come on, you don't want to mess with me!

-[grunts]
-Oh!

[Stéphanie] You got something to say? Huh?

[Salem pants softly]

Yep, I trained her well, didn't I?

Yeah.

No, no, no. We don't hit inmates,
even when they mouth off. Got it?

I know you're not supposed to do that.
Honestly, I'm not a violent person at all.

-She had this on her.
-[Corinne] What's that?

Her baton, ma'am.

All right, back to basics.

[Jeff thumps on table]

Everybody loses their cool sometimes.

But this job is all about listening
and talking things out.

Exactly. This job requires tact,
empathy and patience.

Your problems won't get solved
with violence.

-Well said. Exactly. Thank you, Jeff.
-Maybe this job isn't for everybody.

Nobody will blame you if you quit.
I won't blame you.

What are you talking about?
Nobody's leaving.

You're spending the afternoon with me.
All right?

I'll teach you how to use your head,
not your baton.

Need me to write up the incident report,
ma'am?

-[Corinne] That's very kind. Thanks.
-Happy to help.

All right, come with me.

-What's gotten into you?
-I didn't swallow sh*t.

That's not the point.

And honestly, what you do
is your business, not mine.

You realize this type of behavior
is gonna affect your chances of probation?

Screw getting out early.
I got 100K followers.

-They'll be gone the minute I get out.
-Hey, watch your mouth.

Okay, no, Stéphanie!

We listen, remember?

Mr. Charkaoui, your videos are amazing.
Nobody's denying that.

[Salem] Yeah, awesome.

But until you can make a living from that,
you need a real plan for when you get out.

Yeah, my plan is Top Chef.

Oh, well, that's wonderful news.
Incredible.

Because if you like cooking,

I can help you get a position
working in the kitchen.

[sighs] Just forget about it.

I'm trying to help you here.

You're not my mom.
Just stop it, all right?

Hey, watch your mouth!
What'd I tell you earlier?

No, no, no. Hmm? Just come on.
No! He's right.

I'm not his mom, am I?

I'm not your mother.

-[phone line ringing]
-[Stéphanie] Uh, wait.

Are we actually allowed to do this?

Yeah, yeah, whatever. You'll thank me
in 20 years when you run this place.

Hmm.

-[phone clicks]
-[woman] Hello?

-Hello? Is this Mrs. Charkaoui?
-Yes.

Um, this is Stéphanie Moreno
calling from Chenoise Prison.

I'm at work. This isn't a good time.

-Come on.
-[Stéphanie] I understand.

But this is actually about Salem
and he really needs you right now.

I noticed you're not on his visitor list.
I don't know if that's intentional.

-How is that any of your business?
-Hold on. Give me that.

-Give me that. Hello, Mrs. Charkaoui?
-Yes.

Hello, this is Corinne Maillard.

You're absolutely right.
It's none of our business.

I'm a mother too, and when my son
needed me, I wasn't there.

Work is important, it is,
but when it's too late, it's too late.

Then you wish
you'd spent more time together.

-Did something happen?
-Yes.

Did... Did he try to k*ll himself?

That's right.

Oh, f*ck! How?

Um, no, I just... I'd rather not get
into the details over the phone.

What I can do
is set up a visit with your son,

but for that,
I need you to come as soon as possible.

That would really mean a lot.

-All right, I'm on my way.
-See you soon.

Hmm.

Mom to mom, we get it.

[Stéphanie] Yeah.

Trust me, she'll be here fast.

Normally, this is private, but I think
this situation calls for an exception.

A reunion like this between a mother
and her son is just absolutely beautiful.

This is exactly why we do this job,
Stéphanie.

Okay. Come on.

[Mrs. Charkaoui] I never wanted you.
You know that.

Why am I getting dragged away from work
to come see you?

I don't want to see you. You hear me?

Maybe we should give them
a little privacy.

-Probably better.
-Yeah.

Do you realize what he did?
He assaulted a teacher. That's serious.

This could go up the chain, and we'll get
inspected because of this crap.

It wasn't on purpose.

Oh, come on, don't give me that.
I read the incident report.

If Jeff hadn't stepped in,
he would have torn that rookie apart.

Just doing my job, chief.

If he keeps this up,
the judge could revoke his early parole.

-Then he'll do another year or more.
-Or more.

Do you know what one inmate costs
per day, huh? 105 euros.

Before taxes!

I think he's just a little anxious
about getting out.

That's almost 39 grand a year.

We're at 143% capacity, folks.
We need to clear this place out.

He just saw his mom.
I'm worried he's gonna lose it.

Why'd she even come? In the two years
he's been here, she's never visited him.

Your guess is as good as mine.
That's their private business.

What matters to me is his future,

and sending him to solitary
won't help him rehabilitate.

Rehabilitation...

Hey, that's what your job is!

Yeah, sure. That's one part of it.

I do plenty of other stuff,
but nobody gives a f*ck.

I said make an example of him!

Throw him in the hole for two weeks or
you're the one facing disciplinary action.

Are we clear?

[distant door slams]

All right, I asked you in here
to talk to you about a decision.

It wasn't my decision.

But my hands are tied.

You want some coffee?

No?

A cigarette?

-Both?
-[Salem] No.

Oh, wait.

Here.

Send a message to your followers.
It'll cheer you up.

And look, 80,000 likes on your last video.
Incredible!

When I post something,
I don't get many likes.

Hmm, doesn't matter anyway.

What do you mean?
Didn't you get some messages?

Some likes, some comments?
A few thumbs-ups, a few hearts?

-[Salem] Hmm.
-A few eggplants?

-That's a joke, of course.
-I just deleted my account.

-Oh.
-Yeah.

Didn't you have something to tell me?

Uh...

[inhales deeply]

Let's talk about it later.

Just take it easy in your cell and then
maybe we'll talk about it tomorrow, okay?

-[door closes]
-Uh, excuse me.

Just my opinion,
but shouldn't we put him in isolation?

-[sighs]
-I don't mean as punishment.

Just so he doesn't do something stupid
because he doesn't seem okay right now.

He looks pretty bad.

Listen, Stéphanie,
you're new here, so, okay,

let me handle this, all right?

-I know what I'm doing.
-Sounds good.

Yo, Don Giovanni, what's up, bro?

Good or what?

My brother! Kouame Serge!

Why do I work in a prison?
I'll tell you why.

To help all my brothers from getting
screwed by a two-tier system of justice!

You gotta stand strong.
Don't bend. Don't back down.

We're all family in here.
Keep your head up. Your mother's cute...

I'm not your family.
And what'd you say about my mom?

-Hey, knock it off!
-What'd you say?

No, I'm not built
to sit behind a desk all day,

typing on a computer
and pushing paper around.

I'd much rather work with people.

-Keep talking and see what happens!
-What you gonna do, huh?

Keep it movin'.
Nobody's got time for your bullshit!

-[prisoner] What the hell?
-Keep it movin'.

Keep it moving, everyone.

[JP] I just said she looked cute. I didn't
say his mom was hot or anything like that.

And there's always something going on
at work.

I guess that's a plus.

Hmm.

Is this locker room co-ed?

No.

Hey, maybe we could debrief
your first few days over a drink?

Hell, no. I'm wiped out.
I'm just going home now.

Your boyfriend's waitin' on you?

Come on, man,
are you ever gonna get over it?

No boyfriend.
I'm just really freakin' tired right now.

You can rest up at my place if you want.

You still live with your mom, right?

Yeah. But I got my own little space,
all right? Don't worry.

Little shower, little toilet.

Little fridge, couple beers.

All you need to kick back.
You know what I'm sayin', sis?

Crazy. Real mystery
why you're still single, huh?

[laughs]

Maybe not for much longer.

[prisoner 1] Man, looking at that,
I'd say your ride's f*cked, bro!

[prisoner 2] I leave you guys two seconds
and the car's totaled!

-[prisoner 1] That car is dead!
-[prisoner 2] Call a tow truck!

Good morning, everybody. How are we doin'?

-Here you go, ma'am. Milk and two sugars.
-Thanks, Jeff.

All right, good news.

I did have to call in a few favors,

but I finally got our little Charkaoui
a job offer.

Hmm.

Delivery driver.

-Good job.
-That'll look great on his record.

-Good for him. That's great.
-How was he this morning?

No idea. He wasn't out in the yard.

-Wait, you didn't see him?
-No.

Who did roll call this morning?

Charkaoui, did you see him this morning?
Was he okay?

Hmm?

The door!

[door buzzes]

[panting]

I've got a bad feeling.
I'm sure he's done something stupid.

-Let's go, let's go!
-Come on already!

-Don't push me!
-Hurry up! Come on, guys!

Let me through!

Oh, my God!

But...

was it consensual?

Yeah.

Are you sure?

-Yeah.
-"Yeah" yeah, or "yeah" no?

[sighs] Yeah!

No, because yeah can mean no too,
you know?

Yeah, but right now, no.

No, yeah doesn't mean no
or did your "yeah" mean no?

Man, cut it out. We're a couple. Okay?

We good?

Hmm.

So he's your boyfriend?

Yeah. That means yeah this time.

[laughs]

Sure, they may not get out,
but I mean, love...

has every right to get in.

But don't worry, I'm not splitting
you guys up. You just scared me.

-I thought you might do something stupid.
-What?

No way in hell. What's wrong with you?
I'd never put him through that.

All right, that's a relief.

-So, uh, I put him in the hole?
-Oh, come on.

-I'm not putting him in the hole?
-Oh, come on, stop it!

Always with the punishment.
Come on, that is not the answer!

We can't be on their backs
around the clock!

-Well, yeah.
-[Corinne] Can't you see he needed us?

Can't you see we let him down?

Maybe we missed the signs
you've been trying to send us.

Maybe deep down you're trying to show us
you need structure in your life. Maybe!

-Say what now?
-What I'm trying to say is just...

This is partially our fault,
then it's just downhill from there,

then next, you're in some awful rap video,
mumbling lyrics nobody can make out,

and we're left wondering
how we screwed up,

how we failed you as a mother...
as a detention director!

No, don't worry about it.
I'll go to the hole.

Honestly, I'm better off there
than at my mom's.

-[sighs]
-[Salem] Nah, I get it.

We screw up, we get punished.
It's your job, isn't it?

So... I do put him in the hole?

[sighs softly] Yeah, okay.

You were right. I should've put him
in solitary from the start.

You're gonna make a great officer.

I guess I've taught you all I can.

You haven't. I've only been here
for three days, boss. Come on.

You're a quick learner.

[prisoner] Somebody stole my toothpaste!

-[knock at door]
-[Corinne] Yeah?

This just came from the parole judge.

He took away all of Salem Charkaoui's
sentence reduction credits

because of the whole as*ault thing
with the teacher.

So that's another year for him.

[sighs]

I had a good job lined up for him.

As a delivery driver.

He doesn't have a license.

Well, that's that, uh...

Have a good night, everybody.

If anybody wants to grab a coffee with me,
I'd love that.

[door closes]

[sighs]

All right, then, I'm gonna head out.

-Have a good night.
-[Corinne sniffles]

-[prisoner 1] Who the hell you talkin' to?
-[prisoner 2] To you!

SUBJECT: RESIGNATION

Maybe I'm just not cut out for this job.
That's what my father said.

Maybe he was right.

Anyway...

[sighs]

Oh, don't worry. I've got plenty of plans.

I'd love to run an animal shelter.

Taking care of animals
who've had it rough,

giving them love and affection.

You know, something very different
from prison. Yeah.

Yo, back the f*ck up! Don't touch me!
What the hell you doin'?

You ain't searching me, as*h*le!
I'll knock every one of your teeth out!

Jonathan?

Mother?

[grunts softly]

I mean, somebody's gotta take care
of these inmates.

And if it's not me, then who will?