[pastor] My family and I have spread the word of the Lord
all over this country,
and we have seen great joy and great suffering.
Many people will tell you that we no longer live in an age of miracles.
"Preacher man, I lost my job. Preacher man, I go hungry.
My children go hungry. I don't see any miracles here."
But my children, John and Elizabeth, they're miracles.
Us being here together is a miracle. You are a miracle.
That sign that you have been waiting for, it already happened.
First you must believe, then come the miracles.
Not the other way around.
- So do you believe? - [congregation] Yes.
I said, do you believe?
- [congregation] Yes. - Yes, Lord. We believe.
Now, I ask you, Lord, if I can serve as your vessel,
give us a sign.
- [flame pops] - [gasping, murmuring]
[pastor] God is good.
[cheering]
[young Elizabeth] John, when I grow up,
will I be able to talk to God and help people like Daddy does?
Lizzie, you don't wanna be like Daddy.
What do you mean?
Daddy doesn't speak to God. It's all for show.
He's just a real good liar.
I don't believe you. What about the fire?
You watching?
[gasps]
[chuckles] It's pistachios.
Whenever Dad needs a sign from God, I just use these.
Chemistry. That's the real magic.
Will Daddy go to hell for lying?
Well, I guess that depends on whether you think hell is real.
What do you think?
I think that...
living a lie will eat you up inside.
And whatever hell is...
must feel something like that.
[congregation chattering, chuckling]
Hallelujah. Praise God.
[applause]
["Wham (Re Bop Boom Bam)" playing]
[applause]
You know, I knew it from the moment I saw her.
I said to Walter, "That is a star right there." [chuckles]
Oh, I'm seeing that we have two more minutes before we wrap up.
How about a, uh, quick Q and A with the audience?
[murmuring]
Are those pants? Why is she wearing pants?
[director] Cameras, follow her.
How about you?
Hello, Miss Zott.
Hello, Miss...
Fillis. Mrs. Carol Fillis.
I could be way off base here. My husband likes to say
what I lack in smarts I make up for in effort. [chuckles]
- [chuckles] - [Carol] But when you said
osmosis was the movement of a less concentrated solvent
through a semipermeable membrane to another more concentrated solvent,
I found myself wondering
if my leg edema might be a by-product of faulty hydraulic conductivity
in my own plasmas.
What kind of medicine do you practice?
Oh, no, I'm not a doctor. I'm just a housewife.
"Just" is a lousy word second only to "actually."
Do you want to be a doctor?
Oh, heavens, no.
I-- I've got my boys and Peter to take care of.
Then let me reask the question. If you were to be a doctor, what kind?
An open-heart surgeon.
[chuckling, muttering]
I'm only kidding, of course. I--
How could someone like me even begin--
The public library. And then MCATs, school and residency.
You really think I could do it?
Dr. Fillis, open-heart surgeon. Sounds entirely plausible to me.
[sighs]
[audience applauding, cheering]
It appears I am not alone.
Thank you.
All across the South,
we've been seeing young folk participating in what they call "sit-ins."
I'm here at the Montgomery courthouse,
where one of the lead agitators and proponents of this method,
the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., was arrested on charges of loitering.
- [sighs] - [reporter, indistinct]
Him wasn't doing a goddamn thing
but standing on the corner in broad daylight.
His mere presence is powerful, and they know it.
The only thing more dangerous than being Black in public
is when you start inspiring people.
- Linda, Junior, upstairs, please. - [Harriet] No.
They need to see this too.
Yeah, Dad. Claudette Colvin is my age.
[sighs]
[clicks tongue] All right. [sighs]
- How was school? - Good.
That's it? That's all I get?
[sighs]
How about you tell me one new thing you learned today?
Did you know that the line between the numerator and the denominator
is called the vinculum?
I did not know that.
I wonder what the etymology is. I'll get the dictionary.
I'm a little tired. Could you let me know in the morning?
Of course.
I love you, bunny.
I love you too.
[whispering] Hi, Dad.
[sighs]
[congregant] I loved watching you up there. You're so inspiring.
Bless you.
Thank you.
I clocked seven whole minutes of seeing your face tonight.
Well, you got about one minute more.
Where are my charts?
[Harriet clears throat]
[chuckles]
[sighs]
I can't stop thinking about the news.
The way they pushed that brilliant, decent man down the street
like he was a criminal. [sighs] I need to--
[groans] I need to channel all this inside me somewhere good.
[Charlie] All you do is good, hon.
We're gonna stop traffic.
College students in the South have been kneeling at churches,
sitting in at lunch counters. Why can't we do the same on the freeway?
Harriet, you can't be serious.
It's a form of peaceful protest.
We both know there is no such thing when people like us carry signs.
[scoffs]
I know that you want to save the world, but we're barely seeing each other...
- [sighs] - ...as it is.
Now he's concerned.
That's what I said would happen if you took that Kaiser job.
We've got our careers, yes,
- also our kids to worry about. - [sighs]
I see. I see. I see. So... [sniffs]
...you're scared of what your white colleagues will think
about your radical disobedient wife.
Do not put those words in my mouth.
Oh, I'm sorry, husband dear. Did I talk out of turn?
That's not fair.
[phone ringing]
This conversation isn't over.
I agree. I'll see you in the morning.
I love you.
[clears throat]
- Sloane residence. - Did you watch the show today?
- Uh, sorry, no. - [door opens]
I didn't catch it.
I wore pants on national TV.
I could actually feel Phil's arteries constricting in real time. [chuckles]
[scoffs]
- Wow. - [sighs]
My team and I have been planning it for weeks.
I can't believe we pulled it off.
I finally feel like I'm making a difference at the studio.
I've never been more tired... [indistinct]
Uh-uh-uh-uh. Hold it right there, you two. Hold on.
Oh! [chuckles] Congratulations.
Supper at Six is now brought to you exclusively by Swift & Crisp.
Elizabeth Zott's and America's favorite choice in shortening.
Where are my fucking coupes?
Shari! Where are my fucking coupes?
No, Swift & Crisp is not my favorite choice in shortening.
Have you ever inspected the lipid dispersion
at a microscopic level? [stammers]
The reason why the dough rises high and fast
is because it is hydrogenated synthetic vegetable oil.
To say nothing of the taste.
[Phil] Yeah. Inspecting the lipids is on my to-do list
right after not giving a single shit.
Walter.
[clears throat] Here we are.
No. I will not lie to my audience.
They tune in because I'm honest, because I treat them with respect.
[sighs] Liz.
Do you know why people watch television, hmm?
Because it's on.
If you have a problem with this, well, then we'll just find another lady chemist
to cook us a pot roast tomorrow, and we'll call it Feasting at Five.
- Okay, okay, everyone take a breath-- - Shut the fuck up, Walter.
[clears throat] You do Swift & Crisp, or you're out.
Have a great show, everybody.
[Harriet] All right, ladies.
We've got to start spreading the word about this protest.
Marge, I need you to reach out to our guy at the LA Times.
If they pick it up, Washington Post follows suit.
Shirley, put that keen eye to use on some flyers for me
and mimeograph at least 300 copies.
Start with the college campuses and then get them all out into the local stores,
offices, diners. What am I forgetting?
- Gas stations. - [Harriet] Yep.
Oh, and I need to reach out to Ella Baker. She's been working closely with students,
and I want to involve the groups who have already been doing the work.
- Mm-hmm. - All right. Thank you, ladies.
- [breathes deeply] - [Elizabeth] Welcome to Supper at Six.
[audience applauds]
Today is an exciting day here on the show,
because I will be introducing you to one of my favorite ingredients.
[sighs]
There has been a recent craze surrounding vegetable shortening,
also known as hydrogenated cottonseed oil.
However, I will be making strawberry shortcake with...
beef tallow as our source of fat.
- High-quality beef tallow... - [sighs]
is extremely nutritious.
- However, if money is an issue... - I'll talk to her at the first commercial.
[Walter sighs]
Beef tallow is not only highly nutritious,
but it also has an uncommonly high smoke point
- at 400 degrees Fahrenheit... [indistinct] - [snoring]
[dialing]
[line ringing]
- [secretary] St. Luke's Boys' Home. - Hello.
I'm calling to find out if my father, Calvin Evans, lived there around 1931.
Can you hold, please?
Yes, I'll wait.
- [congregation vocalizing] - I called all the St. Luke's
from Delaware to Wyoming.
Fifty-six St. Luke's Boys' Homes.
Forty said my dad never went there. Seven didn't pick up.
And nine wouldn't tell me, because it's policy.
Mmm. It seems this case has gone cold.
What does that mean?
A cold case means you hit a dead end.
Oh. So it's an idiom.
That's right.
I hate idioms.
Can I tell you a secret?
I-- [clicks tongue]
I have only read the Bible twice back to front.
Why is that secret?
It's because I'm a minister.
And because I have read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
at least 20 times.
It's my favorite book by my favorite author, Agatha Christie.
Her detective, Hercule Poirot, doesn't believe in dead ends.
According to him, the truth is already within us,
somewhere inside of our brains. We just have to unlock it.
How can something be inside of my brain if I haven't learned it yet?
You start with what you already know. I bet you'll surprise yourself.
Hello, Liz.
Care for a piece of cake, Phil?
Thank you. I will.
Great show today. You're suspended for three days.
Uh, may I have your attention, everyone?
We will be airing reruns over the course of the next three days.
All nonessential personnel will be suspended without pay.
Any questions? Ask your star.
[producers, cameramen whispering]
[mayor's wife] We've never had a celebrity in our home before.
Your father has a gift.
[Ezra] Well, it's not a gift.
I'm just a vessel for the good Lord. [chuckles]
[mayor's wife] Would you say grace, Reverend?
Of course.
[Ezra] Huh? You could've put my whole livelihood at risk.
You disgust me. You make me sick.
And I swear to God, if I catch you with another boy, I'll kill you myself!
- It's enough! I've had enough! - [grunting]
[spits]
[Ezra] I'll deal with you later. Now get up. We got a show to do.
I feel the darkness growing.
- An evil possession among us! - [inhales sharply]
[congregation gasping, murmuring]
[Ezra] Come to me.
- Oh! Holy Spirit! Holy Spirit, consume me! - [screaming]
Save this child's soul!
[congregant] Praise Jesus!
- Hallelujah! God is good. God is merciful. - [congregation cheering]
[Fran grunts] Oh. Pardon me.
Sorry.
Oh, Elizabeth. [chuckles] Oh, my goodness. I can't believe it's-- it's you.
I think I'm a little starstruck. [chuckles]
Oh. How are things? Are you still at Hastings?
No. Oh, I left shortly after you did.
I've been looking around for work, but I haven't found the right thing yet.
- Hmm. - I-- I hate how we ended things.
I've thought about calling you, but I figure, you know,
you probably despise me.
Hastings wasn't an easy place for any of us to be.
No, but that's not much of an excuse, is it?
Anyway, it makes me genuinely very happy to see you become so successful, and--
You know, after everything that you-- you went through.
Mmm. Well, don't get used to it, but thank you.
Mmm.
Um, anyway, my daughter will be coming home from school soon.
Oh, of course. Go, go, go.
If you'd like to come to a taping, I can leave a ticket with my office?
I would be delighted. Yeah. Thank you. [chuckles]
[chuckles] Okay.
Bye. [clears throat]
Looking for more boys' homes?
No, that was a dead end.
Could you please help us look up any documents
that include the name Calvin Evans?
Private individuals are the hardest to cross-reference.
He was a famous scientist, if that helps.
[clicks tongue] Write his name here and check back in a few days.
I'll see what I can find.
[crew member] Welcome back.
[stylist] I can't believe she wouldn't just do it.
[Shari] If they would pay me as much as her,
I'd say whatever they wanted me to say.
[stylist clears throat]
[Shari] Excuse me.
Um.
So, how was Johnny's play?
[clicks tongue] I'm not sure.
I had to leave him with my sister
while I was picking up shifts sweeping hair
to make up for this week's losses.
I'm so sorry. I didn't know Phil was going to do that.
Those decisions are above my pay grade.
But maybe next time you want to stick it to the man,
you give the people who actually need the money a second thought.
Excuse me.
Tonight's show will begin a little differently than what you're used to.
[director] Go B camera.
I am announcing a new relationship
with our partners at Swift & Crisp.
America's number one choice in shortening, and mine.
To kick things off, I will be making Oysters Zott.
My spin on Oysters Rockefeller
prepared with my one and only better baking secret weapon,
Swift & Crisp.
[audience murmuring]
And that is Oysters Zott.
Mmm.
It looks like we have time for some questions.
[mumbles]
[stammers] I'm trying to lose weight.
Um, is Swift & Crisp also your secret to staying so thin? [chuckles]
[sighs] No. Uh, my weight is due to genetics, likely, and stress.
Do you moisturize before bed or first thing in the morning?
Um, there are no substitute for natural oils.
Are there any other questions?
[clicks tongue] Oh, so many.
That was sensational.
Radically different experience being in the room.
The smells, the sounds, mmm.
It was extortion, pure and simple, but thank you.
And the Q and A, genius.
I do have a couple thoughts. Minor, nothing notes. If you're amenable.
Please.
You don't have to answer every question. That's all.
But that defeats the purpose of a Q and A.
A Q and A on your show.
You should have someone screen the questions ahead of time
so you aren't asked about your moisturizing routine.
They can get those tips from Woman's Daily.
And frankly, I would never go to you for beauty tips.
But what do I know? [chuckles]
Thank you again for the-- the ticket. It was-- It was a treat.
Fran. You said you're looking for work?
Do you have a minute?
Walter, I'd like you to meet my new chief of staff Fran Frask.
Oh, hi.
Hi. It's a bit drab in here.
Oh, yeah. Well, it's an office.
Most people spend more time with their coworkers than at home,
so wouldn't you want it to be more warm, welcoming, fragrant?
Are you two related?
- Hmm? - [stammers] Joan, can you--
- Joan can help you. - Yeah.
- [stammers] Why don't you-- - Hi.
- [Joan] Nice to meet you. - [Walter] See if she can--
Walter?
Is something wrong? You seem particularly sweaty.
No, nothing. I, uh-- uh, I-- I-- How are you?
I-- I know what you just did was-- It was difficult. Uh... [inhales sharply]
It was excruciating.
Well, that's how you know you're succeeding in showbiz.
[chuckles]
[mutters, stammers]
[stammers] You did the right thing, Elizabeth.
The lesser of two evils is still evil.
[librarian] Psst.
There were several news filings on record under the name Calvin Evans
and one public record of a cease and desist.
But that was it. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.
Wait. This is it.
I need to tell Linda and Junior.
Wake up, Mrs. Waterhouse.
- It's time to go. - Huh? Oh, my goodness.
[phone rings]
[secretary] Hollis, Morrison and Douglas.
Oh, one moment. Let me try one.
[Harriet] And that's the real issue here.
Now, the transportation authority has provided us with this map,
trying to show that going through the West Adams neighborhood
is going to be more beneficial for the freeway.
But in actuality,
- anyone looking at this map... [indistinct] - [Linda] Hello, sir.
- [gasps] Found him. - Let me see.
Junior, don't you think Mad should see first?
Let's go.
[Harriet] Linda and Charles Sloane Jr., you better stop where you are.
Explain yourselves.
If Mad had questions about Calvin, why wouldn't she just ask me?
What kind of answer do you want? Vague moral support or honesty?
Honesty, always.
She probably didn't ask you
because she knows you don't like talking about him.
But I've been talking with her about Calvin since she was a baby.
But she's not a baby anymore.
[sighs] God, I'm wiped.
Did Charlie ever come around on the protest?
[chuckles] Not quite.
But we've got an official flyer now. [chuckles]
You mind passing these out around the studio?
[sighs]
Harriet, I-- I can't come to the protest. I'm so sorry.
You know I would. I-If I could, I would.
[sighs] Déjà vu.
It's the studio. They-- They didn't just suspend me.
They suspended everyone. And they'll do it again.
But don't worry. I will make it up to you.
Oh, my God.
It's not about me. It's--
It's not about Elizabeth and Harriet.
[stammers, sighs]
This protest is about people all over this country struggling to be seen,
begging to be treated with dignity.
You're always talking about the things that keep women down.
But who does that include?
Have you looked at your audience lately?
Now, I'm-- [scoffs] I'm working my corner of the ring,
but you-- you've got something almost no one has.
You have a platform. What you say matters.
And what you don't say matters just as much.
You wanna make it up to me?
Think about the kind of person you wanna be.
[clothes rustling]
[door opens, closes]
Stay where you are.
You had enough yet?
What's it gonna be, huh?
You had your fill of disgracing this family?
Yes, sir.
I don't think you have.
[John] No, Dad. Please. [muffled] No, Dad, please!
- [banging on trunk] - Dad! Dad, please! [cries]
Dad, please! Please! Please! Please, Dad. Dad, please.
- [gunshot] - [Ezra] Jesus Christ!
[parent screams, breathing shakily] Oh, oh, J--
[breathes shakily] John. No. No.
[cries, screaming]
No, no, no, no, John. [crying]
- [Ezra breathing shakily] - Daddy?
Daddy, what happened?
- [parent crying] - [sniffles] He made his choice.
- [sniffling] - [door opens]
- I think that living a lie... - [door closes]
...will eat you up inside.
And whatever hell is...
must feel something like that.
[Phil] As you can see,
- month after month, the numbers don't lie. - Remarkable. [chuckles]
I mean, look at this long-term ratio.
Elizabeth, come over here and say hello to Jameson from Swift & Crisp.
We couldn't have done it without our girl. And this is just the beginning.
[director] All right, places, everyone! Places!
We're live in five, four, three... [mouthing] ...two, one.
[Elizabeth] Before we begin,
I would like to announce a change to the Supper at Six program.
Next Monday, we will be airing a rerun instead of a new show.
I will not be here with you because I will be joining
a peaceful protest against the construction of a freeway.
A freeway that threatens to tear apart a thriving, predominantly Black community.
- What the fuck, Walter? - [stammers]
So, in solidarity with the thousands of other people
who will be peacefully protesting for their rights, I stand with you.
[stammers] Ed, could you please bring the camera closer?
Do not move that fucking camera.
Ed, push in.
Have you lost your mind?
[sighs]
I hope you will join me. And now, we may begin.
Congratulations.
- [Elizabeth] All right. - Your star just flushed
- both your careers down the toilet. - Now, for today's show,
we will be making pork ribs with a dry rub.
Notice how the flavors blend, yet remain separate entities.
- [sighs] - [viewer] That sounds good.
That's four days suspension.
Hmm. 22,300.
I'm sorry, what?
That is exactly how much another four days will cost you.
And now that we're exclusive with Swift & Crisp,
we have no other ad buys to supplement reruns.
I also know exactly how much it would cost me
to pay every crew member's salary for four days, six days, a month.
But you won't last that long
before the entire studio's bottom line is in in the red.
If my research proves correct.
- Listen, you can't-- - So, go ahead and suspend me.
I won't feel it nearly as much as you will in your bottom line.
[Phil sighs]
[protesters chanting] Save our homes! Fight the Freeway!
- Save our homes! Fight the Freeway! - [car horns blaring]
[chanting continues]
- Fight the freeway! Fight the freeway! - Save our homes!
- Fight the freeway!
- [siren blaring] - [chanting continues]
[chanting stops]
[cop 1, through megaphone] This gathering is unlawful.
[protestors murmuring]
Disperse now or you will be in violation of the law.
[protestor 1] Stand strong.
[Harriet clears throat]
Disperse immediately.
Clear 'em out!
- All right. [grunting] - [protestor 2] Take your hands off her.
[cop 1] Get up. Get over here.
Hey, get your hands off of her, man!
- [cops, protesters clamoring] - Sanford! Sanford!
[groaning]
- [groaning] - [protestor 4] He didn't do anything.
[Sanford yelps, grunts]
We just wanna stay in our homes.
We just wanna stay in our home-- [screams, grunts]
- [cop 1 grunts] - [screams]
- [baton thwacks] - [protestor 5] Please.
- [screaming, crying] - [cop 1] Get over here. Come on.
You, punk. Come here.
- We wanna stay in our homes! - [cop 2] Come on. Let's go.
- Come on. - [protestor 6] Oh, no. [crying]
Hey! This one.
- Get that one. - [cop 2 grunts] Come on. Come on.
- [breathes deeply] - [car approaching]
- [car engine stops] - [car door opens, closes]
[Charlie sighs]
[exhales deeply]
[Charlie] Hmm. [sighs]
[sniffles, sighs] Is Sanford okay?
He's all right. [sighs]
They, uh, roughed him up on his way in.
[inhales sharply] Made me wait three hours for no reason to pay his bail.
But he's home safe with Agnes.
Broken bones?
Shiner on the brow.
We should go there tomorrow. We can bring them food,
- take the kids off their hands-- - Harriet, can we just--
Can you just sit here for a second, plea-- I just need a second.
Yeah. Yeah. I-- I can-- I can sit.
[Charlie sighing]
[sighs]
When I was sitting outside the holding tank...
I kept thinking what if it was you instead of Sanford they got violent with.
- But they didn't. - But they could've.
What about the next march? The next sit-in?
Do I worry about my job? Of course.
We have worked so hard for this life we've built.
We deserve whatever happiness and success that we can hold on to
and that we can give to them.
But what does it matter if you're not here?
[exhales sharply, sniffles]
Hey... [sniffles] ...I'm not going anywhere.
I'm not going anywhere. I'm here.
[sniffling] I'm here.
[exhales deeply]
"She must be a clairvoyant. Clairvoyant."
Hmm. Yes. Precisely.
Can you read now?
I can.
But I'd like to talk with you about something.
It's my job to protect you from anything that can hurt.
But I can't protect you from your feelings or mine.
So, here goes.
I-- I miss your dad.
I miss him so much that it's hard for me to talk about sometimes.
But you are teaching me that not talking about the people that we miss
does not make it better, I think.
I think it makes it worse.
I'm sorry I lied, Mommy.
Oh. It's okay, bunny. It's okay.
You know how you used to research the origins of life?
I wanted to do that too, but for me.
I want to know my abio--
abigen--
Your abiogenesis?
If you feel ready, will you show me what you've learned about your dad?
I'd like that very much. [sniffles]
[Mad] This is how I remember Dad.
I found this magazine in Dad's study.
I read it sometimes before I go to bed.
Hold on.
This is how I remembered your uncle John when I was your age.
Pistachio shells.
- Why? - [chuckles]
Your uncle John and I, we used to light them on fire.
[both chuckle]
Mad, will you show me what else you found?
[Mad] I also found this little toy in one of his desk drawers.
I've never seen that before.
You try to get the ball into it. That little hole there.
- [chuckles] - It doesn't work easily.
- [Elizabeth] You got it. [chuckles] - Wakely, the case is hot.
Read it.
Linda and Junior stole these letters from their mom's office.
People asking my dad for money, except this one person.
Someone named Avery Parker.
Get to the part where it mentions St. Luke's in Modesto.
How could this man know about St. Luke's?
Mad...
your dad is Calvin Evans?