1
00:01:14,655 --> 00:01:16,448
"Comrade Commandant,
2
00:01:16,448 --> 00:01:21,871
"I pick it up in America,
but with my heart still in my homeland."
3
00:04:53,999 --> 00:04:55,709
Do you have any rice starch?
4
00:04:59,546 --> 00:05:03,467
Nope. We got cornstarch.
5
00:05:03,467 --> 00:05:06,637
'Cause this is America, not Japan.
6
00:05:11,016 --> 00:05:13,143
Can of cola, 88 cents...
7
00:05:13,143 --> 00:05:15,938
And so it was that Man,
with his rice starch,
8
00:05:15,938 --> 00:05:18,190
and I, with my cornstarch,
9
00:05:18,190 --> 00:05:22,945
each of us wrote a coded letter
using a product appropriate to our locale.
10
00:05:22,945 --> 00:05:24,488
{\an8}...and a kiddy plane.
11
00:05:25,823 --> 00:05:27,574
That's 10.62.
12
00:05:29,618 --> 00:05:32,412
I would send the letter
to my contact in Paris,
13
00:05:32,412 --> 00:05:34,289
my so-called "Parisian Aunt,"
14
00:05:34,289 --> 00:05:38,502
and that contact would
relay it on to Man in Hanoi.
15
00:05:38,502 --> 00:05:41,713
It comforted me to imagine
Man reading my letters
16
00:05:41,713 --> 00:05:43,632
in his efficient new office.
17
00:05:57,771 --> 00:06:01,692
"Ma chère tante, Texas is scorchingly dry,
18
00:06:01,692 --> 00:06:04,528
"which helps to evaporate
any doubt I might have had
19
00:06:04,528 --> 00:06:06,530
"about leaving my home.
20
00:06:07,614 --> 00:06:10,367
-"Tragically"...
- ..."in our escape,
21
00:06:10,367 --> 00:06:12,578
Bon lost his family."
22
00:06:12,578 --> 00:06:17,416
"The rockets from the savage commies
spared neither woman nor child.
23
00:06:17,416 --> 00:06:20,419
They were both buried in Guam."
24
00:06:23,172 --> 00:06:25,215
To form my coded message,
25
00:06:25,215 --> 00:06:27,843
I'd scan that repulsive
book by Richard Hedd
26
00:06:27,843 --> 00:06:29,636
to find the right words.
27
00:06:31,221 --> 00:06:35,350
Once the word was found,
I'd make note of the page.
28
00:06:37,644 --> 00:06:43,192
Then, like coordinates,
I'd count the line and the word.
29
00:06:49,823 --> 00:06:51,742
Forty-two.
30
00:06:55,829 --> 00:06:58,540
Six, six.
31
00:07:02,961 --> 00:07:07,633
The coded numbers would reveal themselves
with a brush of iodine solution.
32
00:07:07,633 --> 00:07:12,596
With three sets of numbers for each word,
the sentences had to be concise.
33
00:07:13,430 --> 00:07:16,516
Even Hemingway would've
had to restrain himself.
34
00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:31,740
In international news,
35
00:07:31,740 --> 00:07:35,369
it has been two months now
since the fall of Saigon.
36
00:07:46,421 --> 00:07:48,924
Surrendering myself
to the merciless prodding
37
00:07:48,924 --> 00:07:52,177
of the magic fingers and the nightly news,
38
00:07:52,177 --> 00:07:56,640
I couldn't help thinking about the General
and that awful incident.
39
00:07:57,266 --> 00:07:59,977
Wait, I'm sorry. I forgot.
40
00:08:05,899 --> 00:08:09,069
Saigon, April the 30th, eight o'clock.
41
00:08:09,069 --> 00:08:10,529
I need to go back to Fort Chaffee
42
00:08:10,529 --> 00:08:13,198
and tell you about
the refugee camp in Arkansas,
43
00:08:13,198 --> 00:08:17,077
where we first set foot
on the U.S. mainland.
44
00:08:17,077 --> 00:08:20,247
The first North Vietnamese
troops entered the city,
45
00:08:20,247 --> 00:08:23,208
packed into trucks that flew
the red and blue flag
46
00:08:23,208 --> 00:08:26,169
of the Communist Provisional
Revolutionary Government.
47
00:08:26,169 --> 00:08:29,923
General, perhaps the dress uniform
is not such a good idea.
48
00:08:31,675 --> 00:08:35,846
My people have been
through a terrible ordeal.
49
00:08:35,846 --> 00:08:39,224
Seeing their beloved General
in full dress-uniform
50
00:08:39,224 --> 00:08:42,394
will make them feel
fortified and reassured.
51
00:08:45,981 --> 00:08:47,524
Any word from Claude yet?
52
00:08:48,525 --> 00:08:50,902
My apologies,
but he did mention he'd get your family
53
00:08:50,902 --> 00:08:52,904
settled in L.A. as soon as possible,
54
00:08:52,904 --> 00:08:55,532
or the settlement agency
does have spots in Dallas.
55
00:08:55,532 --> 00:08:58,076
No, I'm takin' my people
to sunny Los Angeles.
56
00:09:08,253 --> 00:09:11,506
Look, there!
Let me take care of that vermin!
57
00:09:44,664 --> 00:09:47,626
And you?
Claude is also sponsoring you, right?
58
00:09:47,626 --> 00:09:49,586
I'm not a priority,
but in the meantime,
59
00:09:49,586 --> 00:09:52,547
I've reached out to an old mentor
of mine in Los Angeles.
60
00:09:52,547 --> 00:09:55,425
Don't worry, I'll catch up with you
out there before long.
61
00:09:55,425 --> 00:09:58,553
You certainly will, but if by any chance
your mentor fails you,
62
00:09:58,553 --> 00:10:00,555
reach out to me at once.
63
00:10:46,685 --> 00:10:48,395
Cap, my cap!
64
00:10:54,693 --> 00:10:57,028
Get in! Get the fuck in there!
65
00:11:01,575 --> 00:11:04,453
Why on Earth are those women blaming me?
66
00:11:04,453 --> 00:11:06,746
Maybe they received some misinformation.
67
00:11:06,746 --> 00:11:09,249
What kind of misinformation?
68
00:11:09,249 --> 00:11:13,170
About you and the organization.
69
00:11:13,170 --> 00:11:15,464
How we lost through corruption
and incompetence.
70
00:11:15,464 --> 00:11:18,049
How the enemy's revenge
was fueled by cruelty and torture.
71
00:11:18,049 --> 00:11:21,845
Who? Who is spreading these lies?
72
00:11:21,845 --> 00:11:24,764
You know how it is. Malcontents.
73
00:11:24,764 --> 00:11:27,142
The people for whom
nothing's ever good enough.
74
00:11:27,142 --> 00:11:31,021
Someone who knows me
very well is out to get me.
75
00:11:32,439 --> 00:11:36,276
General, these women are just angry...
76
00:11:39,112 --> 00:11:41,615
- because of the maggots.
- Then why attack me?
77
00:11:41,615 --> 00:11:43,492
Are you suggesting I am a maggot?
78
00:11:45,118 --> 00:11:47,496
Then why else would my people turn on me?
79
00:11:47,496 --> 00:11:50,582
Unless someone has infiltrated
our ranks.
80
00:11:50,582 --> 00:11:56,213
A saboteur, a sympathizer, a spy!
81
00:11:58,298 --> 00:12:01,885
- A spy?
- A germ that stowed away on our plane!
82
00:12:01,885 --> 00:12:05,138
But it was you who selected
the passengers,
83
00:12:05,138 --> 00:12:07,682
and so you who is gonna recheck that list
84
00:12:07,682 --> 00:12:10,310
and report back to me
with everything you find.
85
00:12:11,394 --> 00:12:15,357
A full security check.
Leave no stone unturned.
86
00:12:17,692 --> 00:12:20,445
When the General's paranoia is sparked,
87
00:12:20,445 --> 00:12:24,616
the only way to keep safe
is to keep out of striking distance.
88
00:12:24,616 --> 00:12:27,536
Fortunately, it wasn't long
before an answer came
89
00:12:27,536 --> 00:12:30,163
from that professor of mine
from my college days
90
00:12:30,163 --> 00:12:32,874
agreeing to sponsor me and Bon.
91
00:12:32,874 --> 00:12:36,127
Perfect, I thought.
I'll go ahead and prepare a path
92
00:12:36,127 --> 00:12:39,172
and the General's paranoia
will naturally dissipate.
93
00:12:39,172 --> 00:12:43,593
Anyway, that's what I believed,
at the time.
94
00:13:03,196 --> 00:13:05,073
I don't know what to say, sir.
95
00:13:05,073 --> 00:13:07,033
To get out before you, it's really...
96
00:13:07,576 --> 00:13:10,120
Scouts are always needed.
97
00:13:28,138 --> 00:13:29,848
What a blessing.
98
00:13:29,848 --> 00:13:32,684
Thank you for defying time and nature.
99
00:13:33,393 --> 00:13:36,396
{\an8}How can it be, despite
the depredations of war,
100
00:13:36,396 --> 00:13:39,274
{\an8}that you're still the winsome lad
I remember?
101
00:13:39,274 --> 00:13:41,610
{\an8}So, presently,
102
00:13:42,527 --> 00:13:46,323
I will introduce you to my secretary,
103
00:13:46,323 --> 00:13:49,576
who will also be your boss.
104
00:13:49,576 --> 00:13:53,580
Let's see how Ms. Mori responds
to my daily greeting.
105
00:13:55,081 --> 00:13:57,876
Oh, konichiwa,
Ms. Sofia Mori-san.
106
00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:01,129
- Watch, watch.
- This is America.
107
00:14:01,129 --> 00:14:04,841
If you don't wanna speak English,
go back to your own country.
108
00:14:04,841 --> 00:14:09,179
But it's a privilege to have been born
a Japanese, Ms. Mori.
109
00:14:09,179 --> 00:14:12,182
Please do learn a word
of your lovely language, for me.
110
00:14:15,018 --> 00:14:16,311
By the way, this is--
111
00:14:16,311 --> 00:14:18,938
Oriental Studies Department,
Chairman's office.
112
00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:23,485
I think he's busy right now.
Can I take a message?
113
00:14:29,532 --> 00:14:32,577
- Wow.
- Not bad, huh?
114
00:14:32,577 --> 00:14:35,830
Quite the transformation
from a decade ago.
115
00:14:35,830 --> 00:14:38,750
Do you remember this bottle?
116
00:14:38,750 --> 00:14:42,045
You gave it to me as a thank you
when you returned home from Vietnam.
117
00:14:42,712 --> 00:14:44,464
After my mother died.
118
00:14:47,050 --> 00:14:49,594
Feel grateful to you
for the ticket, by the way.
119
00:14:51,179 --> 00:14:52,514
My pleasure.
120
00:14:54,307 --> 00:14:58,645
Funny thing is, you have arrived
just in the nick of time.
121
00:15:01,022 --> 00:15:03,983
Our foes are scheming to phase us out
122
00:15:03,983 --> 00:15:07,070
and fold the department
into Asian-American studies,
123
00:15:07,070 --> 00:15:08,863
God help us.
124
00:15:08,863 --> 00:15:12,575
They say we're colonizers
and imperialists.
125
00:15:12,575 --> 00:15:15,912
I mean, they object to the very word
"Oriental,"
126
00:15:15,912 --> 00:15:19,290
which is derived from the Latin
"for the rising sun."
127
00:15:19,290 --> 00:15:22,210
Right? So, pray tell me,
what is objectionable about the sunrise?
128
00:15:23,086 --> 00:15:26,005
- I mean, you're Oriental.
- Well, half.
129
00:15:26,005 --> 00:15:27,465
Well, exactly my point.
130
00:15:27,465 --> 00:15:31,886
The perfect symbiosis
of Oriental and Occidental.
131
00:15:32,846 --> 00:15:34,848
{\an8}I'm not sure I see myself that way.
132
00:15:37,434 --> 00:15:40,729
I have an idea.
And this will be good for you,
133
00:15:40,729 --> 00:15:43,940
- dare I say, therapeutic.
- Therapeutic?
134
00:15:43,940 --> 00:15:47,485
So, on the left side,
135
00:15:47,485 --> 00:15:51,281
I want you to make a list of all
your Oriental qualities.
136
00:15:51,281 --> 00:15:53,324
And then with the right side,
make a list that
137
00:15:53,324 --> 00:15:54,868
contradicts those qualities.
138
00:15:54,868 --> 00:15:56,745
Right? So, all your Occidental ones.
139
00:15:56,745 --> 00:15:59,414
Well, one can see the Oriental side
of you in your...
140
00:16:00,039 --> 00:16:02,208
your snug little nose
141
00:16:02,208 --> 00:16:06,921
and yet the Occidental side peeks through
in those lucid gray-green eyes.
142
00:16:08,298 --> 00:16:11,217
Half-breeds are the future,
my dear boy.
143
00:16:13,303 --> 00:16:14,929
Oh, listen, I'm having a little gathering
tomorrow night,
144
00:16:14,929 --> 00:16:17,557
little soiree courting potential donors
to our program.
145
00:16:17,557 --> 00:16:18,850
I want you to come.
146
00:16:21,144 --> 00:16:22,437
Let's see.
147
00:16:24,063 --> 00:16:26,483
A few gently worn garments
for your perusal.
148
00:16:26,483 --> 00:16:28,485
Take them if you like.
149
00:16:29,527 --> 00:16:33,072
Sorry, I don't mean to be
practically streaking.
150
00:16:40,038 --> 00:16:42,957
Here's another little bag. And my--
151
00:16:44,042 --> 00:16:46,336
And by the way,
here's my tailor's address.
152
00:16:46,336 --> 00:16:49,589
If there's any alterations,
he's right there, sweet sir.
153
00:16:49,589 --> 00:16:52,759
I didn't think you'd read this sorta book.
154
00:16:53,384 --> 00:16:54,511
What sorta book?
155
00:16:55,553 --> 00:16:56,805
Racist rubbish.
156
00:17:02,018 --> 00:17:03,520
A reporter is here...
157
00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:05,522
- A reporter?
- ...for an interview.
158
00:17:05,522 --> 00:17:06,523
I have an interview?
159
00:17:09,859 --> 00:17:13,780
Did you feel the support and solidarity
of American student activists?
160
00:17:19,160 --> 00:17:20,370
Not so much.
161
00:17:21,329 --> 00:17:24,624
We were all marching.
You know, we were on your side.
162
00:17:24,624 --> 00:17:27,460
Really? And which side was that?
163
00:17:30,296 --> 00:17:31,422
The side of the Vietnamese people.
164
00:17:31,881 --> 00:17:34,092
Oh. Which people?
165
00:17:34,092 --> 00:17:36,511
The people in the North
or the people in the South?
166
00:17:36,511 --> 00:17:39,848
Well, all of them, I guess.
167
00:17:39,848 --> 00:17:42,225
Guess we all look the same after all, right?
168
00:17:42,225 --> 00:17:46,646
I mean, I could be Viet Cong
for all ya know.
169
00:17:47,230 --> 00:17:50,358
Undercover. How would you know?
170
00:17:59,117 --> 00:18:01,786
I'm not, of course. I love America.
171
00:18:07,250 --> 00:18:08,501
So did you kill anyone?
172
00:18:24,392 --> 00:18:26,269
With my own hands?
173
00:18:30,356 --> 00:18:33,610
No. No, I never killed anyone.
174
00:18:36,779 --> 00:18:39,699
You were here before
as an exchange student.
175
00:18:40,533 --> 00:18:43,453
How does it feel to come back after
10 years?
176
00:18:44,829 --> 00:18:47,206
I'm in exile from my home.
177
00:18:47,206 --> 00:18:50,043
I feel like I've exchanged
hope for despair.
178
00:18:55,131 --> 00:18:56,382
Smile.
179
00:18:58,676 --> 00:19:02,722
Excuse me, ma'am.
Could you clear frame, just for a second?
180
00:19:02,722 --> 00:19:04,974
Change your frame, honey.
181
00:19:06,726 --> 00:19:08,311
"Ma chère tante,
182
00:19:08,311 --> 00:19:10,813
"I have finally made it to Los Angeles,
183
00:19:10,813 --> 00:19:15,068
"where I now reside in a quaint
pied-à-terre in the heart of the city.
184
00:19:15,068 --> 00:19:19,238
"Not convenient to anything
in particular, but neat.
185
00:19:19,238 --> 00:19:22,116
"I am still doing my best
to take care of Bon,
186
00:19:22,116 --> 00:19:24,410
"but it's not easy.
187
00:19:24,410 --> 00:19:26,371
"He barely speaks.
188
00:19:26,371 --> 00:19:28,957
"I hesitate to use such
language when writing to you,
189
00:19:28,957 --> 00:19:31,376
"but the motherfucker
won't even clean himself.
190
00:19:31,376 --> 00:19:35,004
I'm talking filth layered on filth
to the point where--"
191
00:20:51,122 --> 00:20:52,915
Are those chopsticks in your hair?
192
00:20:52,915 --> 00:20:55,918
Fuck off. Deviled egg?
193
00:21:05,136 --> 00:21:08,097
Well, Professor Hammer's
parties always start off with these.
194
00:21:08,097 --> 00:21:10,725
He likes to compare himself to an egg.
195
00:21:11,309 --> 00:21:13,269
What, white on the outside,
yellow on the inside?
196
00:21:14,437 --> 00:21:17,440
"O Captain! My Captain!"
You made it!
197
00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:19,025
Fabulous! You look spiffy.
198
00:21:19,484 --> 00:21:22,945
Everyone, this is the young protégé
I was telling you about.
199
00:21:22,945 --> 00:21:25,448
His mother was Vietnamese;
his father was French.
200
00:21:26,074 --> 00:21:29,327
Lovely combination, as you can see,
but complicated.
201
00:21:29,911 --> 00:21:31,454
Isn't that right, dear boy?
202
00:21:32,330 --> 00:21:34,207
If only you knew.
203
00:21:34,207 --> 00:21:37,168
Well, I gave our young Captain
an assignment
204
00:21:37,168 --> 00:21:39,545
to list his Occidental
and Oriental traits,
205
00:21:39,545 --> 00:21:42,298
right, to see if he might
begin to untangle
206
00:21:42,298 --> 00:21:44,842
the complex knot of contradictions
207
00:21:44,842 --> 00:21:46,552
at the core of his psyche.
208
00:21:46,552 --> 00:21:49,180
Why don't you share
your discovery with us?
209
00:21:50,515 --> 00:21:52,892
Jeff, can we stop the music?
210
00:21:52,892 --> 00:21:54,811
We-- Yeah, we--
211
00:22:03,528 --> 00:22:05,071
Contradiction.
212
00:22:07,031 --> 00:22:12,203
The crux of the issue
has always been about the contradiction.
213
00:22:12,203 --> 00:22:18,751
The Occidental side of me sees
contradiction as something to overcome,
214
00:22:18,751 --> 00:22:23,381
but the Oriental side
as something to endure.
215
00:22:25,925 --> 00:22:30,304
Hence, the Oriental side of me
is never afraid to accept contradiction
216
00:22:30,304 --> 00:22:34,308
when faced by an unexpected
turn of events and say,
217
00:22:35,184 --> 00:22:36,435
"I expected this."
218
00:22:37,395 --> 00:22:40,565
But the Occidental side says,
"What? Why did this happen?"
219
00:22:40,565 --> 00:22:42,400
and immediately begins to analyze.
220
00:22:44,944 --> 00:22:46,696
The Oriental me
221
00:22:47,655 --> 00:22:48,823
feels
222
00:22:49,699 --> 00:22:52,785
comfortable in a crowd,
223
00:22:52,785 --> 00:22:56,122
but the Occidental me
is always ready to take the stage.
224
00:22:57,206 --> 00:22:59,250
I think in two frames of mind:
225
00:22:59,250 --> 00:23:05,131
"Either/or" to the Occidental me
and "both/and" to the Oriental me.
226
00:23:05,131 --> 00:23:09,385
So, accordingly,
half of me values independence
227
00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:14,348
while the other half
appreciates interdependence.
228
00:23:14,348 --> 00:23:18,019
- Also, the Oriental side of--
- Alright, I think we all get the picture.
229
00:23:18,019 --> 00:23:20,354
That was great. Yeah.
230
00:23:21,230 --> 00:23:24,442
Isn't he great? Ms. Mori?
231
00:23:25,818 --> 00:23:28,404
I'm sorry,
I'm so distracted with your kimono.
232
00:23:28,404 --> 00:23:32,491
Do you mind? Come here. I'm sorry.
It'll just take a sec.
233
00:23:32,491 --> 00:23:36,746
See, the traditional Japanese,
the nape of the neck, unaji,
234
00:23:36,746 --> 00:23:39,540
is one of the most erotic parts
of the human body.
235
00:23:39,540 --> 00:23:43,294
And they loved exposing
their erotic parts to complete strangers.
236
00:23:43,294 --> 00:23:45,379
No, I'm just saying,
you really should learn
237
00:23:45,379 --> 00:23:46,923
more about your heritage, that's all.
238
00:23:46,923 --> 00:23:48,925
Professor, I am from Gardena.
239
00:23:48,925 --> 00:23:53,387
No one asked JFK if he spoke Gaelic
and ate potatoes every night.
240
00:24:09,445 --> 00:24:11,405
He still acts like a feudal lord.
241
00:24:13,574 --> 00:24:16,702
I mean, this is the '70s!
242
00:24:17,870 --> 00:24:19,580
Was my unaji disappointing?
243
00:24:20,373 --> 00:24:23,417
Were you not peeping at it rather eagerly?
244
00:24:25,670 --> 00:24:27,964
I couldn't stand up to him back there.
245
00:24:27,964 --> 00:24:30,549
- I'm sorry.
- That's okay.
246
00:24:30,549 --> 00:24:34,220
You play your part without a flaw.
247
00:24:35,179 --> 00:24:37,473
I mean your Fresh Off the Boat role.
248
00:24:41,435 --> 00:24:42,812
You know you're very blunt?
249
00:24:43,562 --> 00:24:46,482
It's not very "Oriental" of you.
250
00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:49,318
I'm an American.
251
00:24:50,194 --> 00:24:51,904
I see you.
252
00:24:51,904 --> 00:24:54,865
I see how you act around
our dear Professor,
253
00:24:54,865 --> 00:24:58,869
always smiling like the Good Asian Student
you used to be.
254
00:24:59,787 --> 00:25:01,289
I recognize the suit.
255
00:25:04,792 --> 00:25:08,087
You wound me, Ms. Mori. But I can take it.
256
00:25:08,087 --> 00:25:12,008
When faced by an unexpected
turn of events, I say,
257
00:25:12,008 --> 00:25:16,012
"Huh, I expected this."
258
00:25:19,932 --> 00:25:22,601
What are you concealing?
259
00:25:28,774 --> 00:25:29,900
Are you hungry?
260
00:25:31,902 --> 00:25:32,778
No, thanks.
261
00:25:32,778 --> 00:25:34,196
Come on, try it.
262
00:25:35,656 --> 00:25:38,159
Not a fan of cephalopods.
263
00:25:38,159 --> 00:25:40,077
"Cephalopods"?!
264
00:25:40,995 --> 00:25:42,163
What is it with you?
265
00:25:43,247 --> 00:25:46,292
You don't like eggs, you don't eat squid.
266
00:25:47,710 --> 00:25:50,880
Didn't you get the memo?
We Asians are supposed to eat everything.
267
00:25:51,964 --> 00:25:52,965
{\an8}Oh, my.
268
00:26:07,271 --> 00:26:09,148
I know I'm gonna regret
telling you this story.
269
00:26:10,107 --> 00:26:13,152
Embrace your Occidental side:
270
00:26:13,152 --> 00:26:16,697
Confessing secrets is the most exciting
thing in the world.
271
00:26:20,826 --> 00:26:24,872
So, my mother was making
squid as a special treat.
272
00:26:24,872 --> 00:26:27,083
It wasn't until she
had cleaned the innards,
273
00:26:27,083 --> 00:26:30,211
that she realized
we were out of fish sauce.
274
00:26:30,211 --> 00:26:36,050
So, off she went to the market
and I was left, negligently, all alone,
275
00:26:36,050 --> 00:26:38,886
just me and the squid.
276
00:26:39,804 --> 00:26:41,847
You don't say?
277
00:26:41,847 --> 00:26:43,891
Oh, shit. Is that even possible?
278
00:26:56,904 --> 00:26:58,864
I marked my violated partner
279
00:26:58,864 --> 00:27:02,576
to keep myself from mistakenly
eating it when cooked.
280
00:27:02,576 --> 00:27:06,580
But even a 14-year-old boy
should've had the foresight to realize
281
00:27:06,580 --> 00:27:09,250
that if I didn't eat it,
someone else would.
282
00:27:28,060 --> 00:27:29,854
I'm sure some people
would find the story--
283
00:27:29,854 --> 00:27:30,813
Disgusting.
284
00:27:31,272 --> 00:27:32,857
You know what's disgusting?
285
00:27:32,857 --> 00:27:35,151
Is the massacre of three million people.
286
00:27:35,151 --> 00:27:37,736
Torture is disgusting. But masturbation?
287
00:27:37,736 --> 00:27:42,199
Sure, I fucked a squid and I enjoyed it.
I'm not ashamed.
288
00:27:42,199 --> 00:27:44,410
I believe the world
would be a better place
289
00:27:44,410 --> 00:27:46,537
if we blushed at the word "murder"
290
00:27:46,537 --> 00:27:49,540
as much as we did at the word
"masturbation."
291
00:27:55,337 --> 00:27:58,090
I want you to be completely honest
with me.
292
00:28:01,260 --> 00:28:03,471
Since then, how many squid
have you screwed?
293
00:28:07,475 --> 00:28:10,978
Squid fucker! He's a squid fucker.
294
00:28:10,978 --> 00:28:12,688
You kinky little bastard.
295
00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:33,686
Lana!
296
00:29:44,530 --> 00:29:47,408
General, welcome to your new home.
297
00:29:51,537 --> 00:29:52,663
General?
298
00:31:27,216 --> 00:31:28,467
Hey!
299
00:31:52,116 --> 00:31:54,451
- Done yet?
- Done what?
300
00:31:55,452 --> 00:31:58,539
What we talked about at the camp.
Goddamnit!
301
00:32:05,879 --> 00:32:08,424
I mean the spy.
302
00:32:14,430 --> 00:32:16,974
I've been thinkin' about it, General, and
303
00:32:18,517 --> 00:32:20,853
maybe there is no spy after all.
304
00:32:22,604 --> 00:32:25,315
What are you talking about?
Of course, there is.
305
00:32:30,070 --> 00:32:31,989
But how can you be sure?
306
00:32:33,991 --> 00:32:37,619
Is there anybody back home
who could confirm this?
307
00:32:47,671 --> 00:32:52,593
I was walking on the sidewalk
and you know what fell in front of me?
308
00:32:53,510 --> 00:32:56,305
One of those toilet tank covers,
309
00:32:56,305 --> 00:33:02,603
a white ceramic thing,
a fucking heavy thing.
310
00:33:02,603 --> 00:33:06,440
And that thing fell all the way
from the fifth floor.
311
00:33:07,316 --> 00:33:08,859
Don't you get it?
312
00:33:10,527 --> 00:33:13,071
An assassination attempt.
313
00:33:17,701 --> 00:33:18,952
I'll look into it.
314
00:33:20,704 --> 00:33:23,457
Don't just "look into it."
315
00:33:24,374 --> 00:33:28,962
Hunt the traitor down,
deactivate the rebel activity.
316
00:33:35,010 --> 00:33:41,558
Neutralize the threat.
Do I make myself clear?
317
00:33:42,309 --> 00:33:43,602
Yes, sir.
318
00:33:45,854 --> 00:33:49,233
But I'm sure I can handle it.
319
00:33:49,233 --> 00:33:50,192
What?
320
00:33:52,486 --> 00:33:55,364
You've been kinda distracted
these last few weeks.
321
00:34:04,706 --> 00:34:05,958
You're cool.
322
00:34:06,875 --> 00:34:08,627
You're the coolest woman
in the whole world.
323
00:34:08,627 --> 00:34:09,753
I know.
324
00:34:11,922 --> 00:34:15,259
- I have a confession.
- Oh, I like confessions.
325
00:34:15,259 --> 00:34:17,886
You know, you're a very good listener.
326
00:34:18,846 --> 00:34:21,431
The slight wrinkling
of the eyes when you smile.
327
00:34:21,431 --> 00:34:22,933
Oh, the encouraging nod.
328
00:34:24,226 --> 00:34:25,769
You let people go on thinking
329
00:34:25,769 --> 00:34:28,230
you're perfectly in agreement
with everything,
330
00:34:28,230 --> 00:34:30,649
all without saying a word yourself.
331
00:34:32,818 --> 00:34:35,445
- What's your mother like?
- My mother?
332
00:34:37,656 --> 00:34:39,199
My mother's gone.
333
00:34:40,117 --> 00:34:41,243
Sorry.
334
00:34:41,660 --> 00:34:46,582
She was from a small village in the North,
couldn't go to school.
335
00:34:46,582 --> 00:34:49,209
A very devout Catholic.
336
00:34:49,835 --> 00:34:52,087
She could work miracles in the kitchen.
337
00:34:53,797 --> 00:34:55,674
- Especially with a squid.
- With a squid?
338
00:34:58,886 --> 00:35:01,013
A good teacher to her son.
339
00:35:02,347 --> 00:35:05,350
Doesn't sound like we have
a fucking thing in common.
340
00:35:06,727 --> 00:35:10,147
And yet they say, for a man to be
attracted to a woman,
341
00:35:10,147 --> 00:35:13,984
she must share at least
one big thing in common with his mom.
342
00:35:14,610 --> 00:35:17,946
- Maybe that's not true.
- Maybe it is.
343
00:35:18,655 --> 00:35:21,825
Trinh, a girl I dated back in Saigon,
344
00:35:22,743 --> 00:35:26,079
she would pronounce her vowels
just like my mother.
345
00:35:26,079 --> 00:35:27,915
And Nicole,
346
00:35:27,915 --> 00:35:31,001
my girlfriend when I studied
in the States,
347
00:35:31,001 --> 00:35:36,006
she had these long fingers
just like my mom.
348
00:35:37,382 --> 00:35:40,302
And you, you and my mother,
349
00:35:44,264 --> 00:35:48,727
you share this surreptitious sense
of optimism,
350
00:35:48,727 --> 00:35:51,355
which is foolish and yet lavish.
351
00:35:55,567 --> 00:35:57,277
Ms. Mori, I think--
352
00:35:57,277 --> 00:36:00,906
Sofia. We've been fucking for a while now.
353
00:36:03,241 --> 00:36:04,576
Sofia,
354
00:36:06,078 --> 00:36:08,205
I think I'm falling in love with you.
355
00:36:08,747 --> 00:36:12,668
You sneak. You stole my confession.
356
00:36:14,628 --> 00:36:17,089
Listen, if we get involved--
357
00:36:17,089 --> 00:36:20,717
- Aren't we already involved?
- Emotionally involved.
358
00:36:20,717 --> 00:36:22,719
You and I are fucking.
359
00:36:23,428 --> 00:36:26,890
I'm 46 years old.
I've done things my way my whole life.
360
00:36:26,890 --> 00:36:29,101
I am not about to change now.
361
00:36:29,559 --> 00:36:31,561
Fall in love at your peril
362
00:36:31,561 --> 00:36:34,773
'cause the only kind of love I believe in
is free love.
363
00:36:35,732 --> 00:36:38,652
In other words, this love
364
00:36:39,778 --> 00:36:41,321
is free.
365
00:36:48,954 --> 00:36:50,038
Hello there.
366
00:36:52,332 --> 00:36:54,292
This is Bon.
367
00:36:54,292 --> 00:36:55,669
Oh, blood brother.
368
00:37:31,079 --> 00:37:35,500
So apparently,
our General is opening a liquor store.
369
00:37:57,147 --> 00:38:02,194
"Focus.
Don't ever underestimate the General.
370
00:38:02,194 --> 00:38:05,238
"Remember how he swallowed
his contempt for your mixed race
371
00:38:05,238 --> 00:38:07,491
"when he knew he could use you?
372
00:38:07,491 --> 00:38:10,202
"He'll do whatever it
takes to get his way.
373
00:38:10,202 --> 00:38:13,789
"You wrote him off, big mistake.
374
00:38:13,789 --> 00:38:17,793
"We're tracking communications
with his contacts.
375
00:38:17,793 --> 00:38:21,254
Be careful, my friend."
376
00:38:21,254 --> 00:38:23,673
Who could know me so well?
377
00:38:25,008 --> 00:38:27,928
You've never executed someone
in the street,
378
00:38:29,137 --> 00:38:30,138
have you?
379
00:38:30,138 --> 00:38:33,100
No, I'm not saying I've done such a thing,
380
00:38:33,100 --> 00:38:36,728
but the nature of what we were doing
back in Saigon--
381
00:38:37,979 --> 00:38:39,940
How could you be so slow?
382
00:38:41,775 --> 00:38:43,068
It's written in English.
383
00:38:43,401 --> 00:38:45,278
It could just be some racist asshole.
384
00:38:45,278 --> 00:38:48,448
No, someone continues to
385
00:38:48,448 --> 00:38:51,993
deliberately undermine me at every turn.
386
00:38:53,662 --> 00:38:57,040
It could just be the Armenian
from the liquor store at the corner.
387
00:38:57,499 --> 00:39:03,088
Oh, you're saying the Armenian liquor
store owner in L.A.
388
00:39:03,088 --> 00:39:08,343
conspired against me
and had the women at the camp in Arkansas
389
00:39:08,343 --> 00:39:10,095
throw a slipper at me?
390
00:39:11,763 --> 00:39:14,724
Today is your one chance
to reestablish my leadership
391
00:39:15,183 --> 00:39:17,185
as my Chief of Communications.
392
00:39:18,228 --> 00:39:19,146
I'm sorry?
393
00:39:22,232 --> 00:39:24,359
I just appointed you.
394
00:39:38,331 --> 00:39:39,875
Get the gun!
395
00:40:09,613 --> 00:40:10,530
Hey.
396
00:41:06,461 --> 00:41:07,545
Smile!
397
00:41:37,200 --> 00:41:40,245
There's no such thing
as a second homeland.
398
00:41:40,245 --> 00:41:43,665
A homeland is a homeland
because there's only one of them.
399
00:41:44,874 --> 00:41:49,045
My, my, it's Tran Thuyet Son.
400
00:41:49,045 --> 00:41:51,923
Wow. It's been a while since
someone's said my name
401
00:41:51,923 --> 00:41:54,634
with such a perfect accent.
402
00:41:54,634 --> 00:41:55,969
But I go by Sonny now.
403
00:41:55,969 --> 00:41:59,180
Like, Sonny Bono?
404
00:42:02,392 --> 00:42:03,810
Last time I saw you was when?
405
00:42:03,810 --> 00:42:06,813
That seminar for the Vietnamese
student council?
406
00:42:07,397 --> 00:42:09,816
- Where we had a difference of opinion--
- Where we had an argument
407
00:42:09,816 --> 00:42:11,192
about the Ho Chi Minh quote,
408
00:42:11,192 --> 00:42:13,820
"Nothing is more precious
than independence and freedom,"
409
00:42:13,820 --> 00:42:16,489
and its application vis-à-vis our nation.
410
00:42:16,489 --> 00:42:18,408
You know, I remember you
getting all worked up
411
00:42:18,408 --> 00:42:21,578
and screaming, "Nothing! Nothing!"
and tossing your textbook.
412
00:42:23,413 --> 00:42:24,539
You broke the spine.
413
00:42:26,750 --> 00:42:28,376
You know what? Back then,
414
00:42:28,376 --> 00:42:31,212
I thought of you
as a CIA scholarship student.
415
00:42:37,260 --> 00:42:38,345
Very funny.
416
00:42:39,012 --> 00:42:40,597
So, what brings you here?
417
00:42:40,597 --> 00:42:43,808
Skipping the monsoon season
to enjoy some California sun?
418
00:42:44,684 --> 00:42:47,562
Yeah, I admit. My side lost.
419
00:42:48,271 --> 00:42:49,606
Happy now?
420
00:42:50,106 --> 00:42:53,109
Well, I might not be exactly happy,
but I think they'll have a shot
421
00:42:53,109 --> 00:42:56,029
at independence and freedom
now that America's finally pulled out.
422
00:42:56,029 --> 00:42:59,157
Well, then, how about you go back
to rebuild the country with them?
423
00:43:00,283 --> 00:43:03,828
That's right. You're an American now.
No offense.
424
00:43:04,204 --> 00:43:07,165
I believe I have every
right to have opinions about my homeland.
425
00:43:07,165 --> 00:43:08,708
I'm as Vietnamese as you are.
426
00:43:08,708 --> 00:43:10,877
- Oh, what, because you kept your surname?
- Arguably,
427
00:43:12,128 --> 00:43:14,047
I'm more Vietnamese than you.
428
00:43:14,756 --> 00:43:15,882
You know, biologically.
429
00:43:16,841 --> 00:43:18,051
No offense.
430
00:43:22,138 --> 00:43:24,057
So, what brings you here?
431
00:43:24,849 --> 00:43:26,601
Human-interest story.
432
00:43:29,521 --> 00:43:30,855
{\an8}No story's too small.
433
00:43:31,439 --> 00:43:33,525
{\an8}By the way, the name.
434
00:43:35,402 --> 00:43:40,657
I get his patriotism, but in America,
"yellow" means nothing good, like urine.
435
00:43:40,657 --> 00:43:44,244
For an Asian shopkeeper,
he's kind of shooting himself in the foot.
436
00:43:44,911 --> 00:43:46,454
Just don't bring that up with the General.
437
00:43:48,289 --> 00:43:50,375
Well, I should get some quotes.
438
00:43:56,673 --> 00:43:58,550
There's more where this came from.
439
00:47:50,698 --> 00:47:53,409
Well, here we are now, huh?
440
00:47:54,952 --> 00:47:57,830
No, I, watched the news
of the last helicopter
441
00:47:57,830 --> 00:48:00,083
taking off from the U.S. compound
over and over
442
00:48:00,083 --> 00:48:02,210
hoping to catch a glimpse of you.
443
00:48:02,210 --> 00:48:04,337
Well, I'm sorry I didn't reach out to you.
444
00:48:04,337 --> 00:48:08,132
It's just, you know, the evacuation
left me considerably fucked.
445
00:48:08,132 --> 00:48:09,967
I couldn't bring Y Vi.
446
00:48:11,678 --> 00:48:12,929
Dammit, her house was empty.
447
00:48:12,929 --> 00:48:15,223
I whizzed around the district
on the General's Harley.
448
00:48:15,223 --> 00:48:20,937
I was lookin' for her, every street,
every nook, cranny, alley, no avail.
449
00:48:21,896 --> 00:48:23,815
Last chopper was about to depart...
450
00:48:25,817 --> 00:48:28,111
I haven't cried over a girl in 30 years.
451
00:48:29,195 --> 00:48:30,780
But goddamn Y Vi.
452
00:48:37,620 --> 00:48:39,747
Sorry to hear that.
453
00:48:41,624 --> 00:48:46,087
So, it's been quite the shitshow with,
you know, your colleagues
454
00:48:46,087 --> 00:48:48,089
flingin' dirt at each other.
455
00:48:50,967 --> 00:48:53,845
Only the spy says there's no spy.
456
00:48:58,891 --> 00:49:01,227
Look at this gift Claude gave me.
457
00:49:02,019 --> 00:49:03,938
...44 Auto Mag.
458
00:49:07,734 --> 00:49:10,111
Anybody object to
a little celebratory pop?
459
00:49:10,111 --> 00:49:12,071
Looks like you could use it.
460
00:49:23,291 --> 00:49:25,042
It's Major Oanh.
461
00:49:26,169 --> 00:49:27,086
Oanh?
462
00:49:28,671 --> 00:49:29,922
A spy?
463
00:49:31,340 --> 00:49:33,801
Which one of the two Oanhs?
The "chopstick"?
464
00:49:33,801 --> 00:49:35,261
The "dumpling."
465
00:49:36,053 --> 00:49:37,638
The fat Oanh?
466
00:49:37,638 --> 00:49:38,639
Yes.
467
00:49:39,056 --> 00:49:41,058
And where would you get this idea?
468
00:49:46,230 --> 00:49:49,567
Well, you see,
he's involved in some kind of business.
469
00:49:50,735 --> 00:49:52,069
What kinda business?
470
00:49:54,822 --> 00:49:58,201
I think it has somethin' to do with candy.
471
00:49:59,452 --> 00:50:00,203
Candy?
472
00:50:05,249 --> 00:50:08,044
This means he's got
contacts back in Saigon.
473
00:50:08,044 --> 00:50:10,463
He confessed that he used his background
from the Secret Police
474
00:50:10,463 --> 00:50:12,256
in order to obtain them.
475
00:50:12,256 --> 00:50:15,760
Fat Oanh, receiving innocuous candies.
476
00:50:15,760 --> 00:50:18,262
Which no one would ever suspect.
477
00:50:18,262 --> 00:50:21,307
His father's people come from China.
478
00:50:21,307 --> 00:50:25,311
Which everybody knows you can't
trust that particular breed.
479
00:50:48,167 --> 00:50:49,627
Doesn't taste like a message.
480
00:50:50,503 --> 00:50:53,172
But again,
he's too fat to be a spy.
481
00:50:53,172 --> 00:50:54,507
Maybe, maybe.
482
00:50:55,258 --> 00:50:59,011
And there are plus sides to a spy
who looks disarming, so.
483
00:51:00,054 --> 00:51:02,890
Hard to say. I guess we could
check with Saigon.
484
00:51:14,443 --> 00:51:16,571
Believe it or not, your name came up once.
485
00:51:18,489 --> 00:51:19,824
Really?
486
00:51:21,742 --> 00:51:23,911
That's funny, right?
487
00:51:26,330 --> 00:51:27,290
It's very funny.
488
00:51:35,256 --> 00:51:38,634
So, by the way, how's Professor Hammer
treatin' you? Well?
489
00:51:39,260 --> 00:51:40,553
- Sure.
- Great.
490
00:51:40,553 --> 00:51:42,805
- Can I ask you something?
- Sure.
491
00:51:42,805 --> 00:51:45,933
Why didn't you get the General's family
out of the refugee camp sooner?
492
00:51:45,933 --> 00:51:47,310
He was waiting by the phone.
493
00:51:47,310 --> 00:51:49,937
Yeah, I know. I don't know.
494
00:51:50,605 --> 00:51:52,690
Wanted him to be grateful to America.
495
00:51:57,486 --> 00:52:01,032
Sometimes, it's good to remind people
how much they owe you.
496
00:52:02,867 --> 00:52:04,035
Night, kid.
497
00:52:36,901 --> 00:52:39,070
- Don't worry about it.
- Wait, wait, wait, wait.
498
00:52:39,070 --> 00:52:41,948
- Just ignore it. It'll be fine.
- No--
499
00:52:41,948 --> 00:52:45,868
I'm still on duty. Stop!
Jeez.
500
00:52:48,704 --> 00:52:50,957
Oriental Studies Department,
Chairman's office.
501
00:52:52,375 --> 00:52:53,709
Yes, right.
502
00:52:55,336 --> 00:52:56,671
Yes. One second.
503
00:52:57,296 --> 00:52:59,256
He says he's your boss?
504
00:52:59,256 --> 00:53:01,884
- What?
- Thought I was.
505
00:53:06,138 --> 00:53:07,723
Hello?
506
00:53:07,723 --> 00:53:11,018
Remember our Chinese friend, huh?
507
00:53:11,018 --> 00:53:12,853
The one with the sweet tooth?
508
00:53:12,853 --> 00:53:15,523
Well, I did a little probing,
509
00:53:15,523 --> 00:53:20,152
and it seems his relatives
back home are safe and doing rather well!
510
00:53:22,071 --> 00:53:26,033
Meanwhile, all of our relatives
have been imprisoned
511
00:53:26,033 --> 00:53:28,369
in the so-called "re-education" camps!
512
00:53:29,078 --> 00:53:30,663
We are starving and dying!
513
00:53:31,789 --> 00:53:33,249
Do your job!