
Mamas and Papas
Season 5 Episode 2 | 17m 26sVideo has Closed Captions
A daughter adjusts to her new life living with her estranged father.
After her mother’s passing, a daughter comes to live with her estranged father and the two attempt to reach an understanding on how to move forward. Written by Kamilah Bush and filmed at The Fire This Time Festival at the Wild Project.
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House Seats is a local public television program presented by WLIW PBS

Mamas and Papas
Season 5 Episode 2 | 17m 26sVideo has Closed Captions
After her mother’s passing, a daughter comes to live with her estranged father and the two attempt to reach an understanding on how to move forward. Written by Kamilah Bush and filmed at The Fire This Time Festival at the Wild Project.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship[footsteps tapping] [footsteps tapping continues] [phone whirring] [phone whirring continues] - Kid, it's me.
[ laughing] Nah, I think he's asleep.
Come on and get me, baby.
Let's go on down to the rooster, coo-coo!
[ laughing] Oh baby, I'm going on down to the rooster whether you come or not, you ain't the only ride in town.
I ain't never been above [indistinct] on the city bus.
Child!
And we'll be the baddest thing on four wheels, okay?
Come on now.
[ laughing] Okay, okay, okay.
Do a honk when you get here, do it loud.
We five floors up, okay?
I'll see you soon.
[footsteps tapping] [Dot gasping] - Wouldn't be cold if you had come to supper.
- Don't do that.
- At seven.
- Oh, don't do that.
I don't like folks sneaking up on me.
- Oh, this is my house.
I don't gotta sneak and I say supper at seven.
I know Madea taught you that.
- Except she would've thrown it in the garbage.
- Yeah, well we evolve as people generation after generation.
Give it here.
I'll pop it in the heater.
- Ain't no need.
I'm going out tonight.
- Excuse me?
- Out.
Going out with some, a friend.
[audience laughing] Charles, I'm not gonna eat that.
I'm going to The Rooster.
- [Charles] Mm-hm.
You want water or juice?
I got red drink.
- Charles.
- Water it is.
[dinnerware thudding] Sit down.
We gonna have to come to some understandings here.
- About what?
I ain't gotta be here.
- Yeah, but you is here.
You here and I want you here, but everywhere got rules.
- Rules are for people who need to be taken care of.
I don't need no looking after.
- I know Madea raised you- - Yes, Madea raised me.
I'm raised.
[audience laughing] You are not my parent.
- I know now she gone, you think you free, huh?
I've been out her house almost 17 years.
Let me tell you something, miss Dottie.
You ain't going to be free.
You ain't literally never going to be free.
- You know, she was right about you.
- Wasn't wrong about much.
- She said you sad, when I asked about you.
She just say that boy a sad case.
[car honking] I'll be back.
I shouldn't be too late.
[shoes rustling] Thanks for not throwing my food in the garbage.
[footsteps tapping] [door thudding] [footsteps tapping] [upbeat music] [upbeat music continues] [upbeat music continues] [Charles exhales] [lighter flickering] [footsteps tapping] [phone whirring] [phone thuds] [Charles exhales] [phone ringing] - I shouldn't have called.
Oh girl, it's you.
I told you not to call.
[audience laughing] No, of course I didn't call Phil.
Don't worry about what I meant.
I didn't call him.
Nope, don't you, don't you- [phone thuds] I got you.
[Charles humming] Ooh, okay.
[audience laughing] [Charles groans] Shake, shake.
[liquid sloshing] - Oh, oh, oh.
Yeah.
Where is she?
- [Charles] She just left.
- What do you mean 'left?'
- Went out and said she'd be back hours ago.
- She's 16.
- I know.
- It's 3:00 AM.
You never let me stay out till 3:00 AM.
- Yes, well, I knew what you'd get into if I did.
[Billy purrs] [audience laughing] - You put her back here.
- Leave her stuff, Billy.
- Oh my god, mama!
You did not tell me she was a 'lil queen.
Oh, you think I can fit in this?
Girl, oh mama.
Oh, oh!
Her waist.
It's just centimeters.
- She's a model.
She really is.
- Must have got her look from her mother.
- You actually not wrong.
- Oh Mary.
Come on, tell me everything.
- Overheard her calling some piece named Kid.
Called him baby.
Must have had a car 'cause he came by here and honked for her like she was a sweet Saturday night, child.
Overheard her say they was going down to the Rooster.
- Oh, not the Rooster.
- Yeah, the Rooster.
- Remember the Rooster?
- Hm, how could I forget?
That's where I found yo' ***.
- Barely 17, high as a flag on the 4th of July.
Hanging on some man twice my age.
The Rooster.
- Mm-hm.
- Oh, you just let her go?
- What could I do?
- Well, you snatch her *** up out of there like you did me.
I don't know why you never acting like you didn't raise a degenerate.
- Yeah, well, that's different.
- Yeah, the other difference is you didn't know me from Adam when you picked me up and took me in.
You're her father.
- Well, she's made it abundantly clear that I am not.
- I don't think that's something she gets to decide.
- Well, it's definitely not something I get to decide either.
- Oh, Mary, 16 years ago you did.
[Billy grunting] [audience laughing] - Well, I'm sorry.
We can't all be purists like you.
- Yes.
[Billy gasps] And that's the real difference between me and you.
Yeah, I don't fault you for loving who you love, but you seem to get a kick out of it.
- She was coming to live with me for the first time in her life.
Never even spent the night before.
- And so, me and Phillip just gets wiped out?
- Nobody got wiped out.
- His picture ain't even on the wall no more!
- I asked him to give me some time to work it out with her.
- And then what?
I mean, it's not like she doesn't know about you.
I mean, uh.
[audience laughing] That's not the problem.
The problem is she doesn't know about him.
- What am I supposed to do?
Say, 'Hey, I know Madea dying is the second time in your young life you done lost a mama.
I know just the thing.
Hey, here are two papas.'
'Here's two people who love each other.
Who will love you, who will take care of you.
Here's your big sister, Billy.
She's the best.'
That's what you say.
- Everything is always so simple for you, so easy.
It ain't that simple for me.
- Simple, for me?
- You know what I mean.
- You like suffering, Charles.
You love it.
It makes you feel good.
But just because the rest of us don't want to join your pity party don't make us the bad guy.
Now you got this girl living here now.
Her mama dead, her grandmama dead.
You all she got.
And she gonna need somebody to remind her that the sun still shines if you open up those tacky *** velvet curtains I been beggin you to get rid of.
Because what I won't do is stand by here as she sinks into your chosen darkness with you.
You being stuck in your mama's house growing up all gay and alone is what made you this way in the first place.
And I know you thought she was doing what was best, but leaving her there to be stuck with that woman is what made her what she like.
So if you think I'm gonna let you turn this house that you and papa Phil built together into a museum of suffering like the one you grew up in, you got another thing coming.
- Why are you the way you are?
- Because you need for me to be.
Oh.
So make me another and tell me about your plan.
- My plan?
- You ought to have a plan.
Got this girl living here.
Must have a plan of attack, mama.
- Yeah, well, it ain't a war.
- I know it's been a few decades, but you when you were hiding [indistinct] teenager.
It is battle, honey, and she is winning.
[Billy gasping] - Where have you been?
- Why are you up?
- Oh my God.
This is everything.
- Who are you?
- I'm the lady Billy Holliday with two Ls in both.
It's kind of my signature.
- Billy!
- I'm your big sister...I can't.
- Okay, this was something.
I'm going to bed.
- Hey- - Look, just please stop!
I'm in one piece.
That means you have achieved your duties as parent.
10 fingers, 10 toes.
Congratulations, it's a girl.
- Dot Marie.
- I'm very glad that you are home.
I'm glad that you are in one piece.
And I love you very much.
I'm sorry I wasn't there when you was growing up.
The problem was I was growing up too.
Me and your mama was about your age when we first met and had you.
And you see how that turned out.
In this house at a decent hour from now on and invite Kid over for supper tomorrow.
That's your fellow, right?
I wanna meet him.
And I want you to meet my fellow too.
Phil, his name is Phillip.
And he's going to adore you as much as I do.
- Phillip, with two Ls.
[audience laughing] We're family.
- You have a family now.
I know how lonely it was growing up in Madea's, but you're not alone anymore if you'll have us.
Such as we are.
- Such as we is.
Which is ****** great.
- She's not wrong.
We're ****** great.
[audience laughing] - Kid's a vegetarian.
- Oh, okay.
[audience laughing] - Goodnight, Charles.
- Goodnight.
[Billy giggling] - We'll work on it.
[Charles and Billy cheering] [Charles crying] Oh, oh, mama, it's all right.
[Charles crying] It's all right.
[Charles crying] [audience applauding]
House Seats is a local public television program presented by WLIW PBS