The Philanthropist

Welcome to the Maidstone-Rist Foundation dinner.

- Which way are the d'oeuvres? - I'm sorry, sir. There are none.

And, bingo! I win 10,000 dollars at the craps table.

Yes, and remember, I'm only eleven years old.

Now, that kind of thing can have a lasting impression on a puberting boy, believe me.

I still don't understand how were you allowed to play Craps as an eleven-year-old.

Oh, yeah, Bill. I always felt that my father was slightly more intimate

with princess Grace of Monaco than he should have been, believe me.

So, what's this Foundation dinner about?

- Haiti. You ever been, Bill? - Um, no.

Don't think you'd like it. Much longest lines I've ever seen.

And they're sure as hell ain't for the new "Harry Potter" movie either.

No, they're for food.

And not a seven course tasting menu at La Bernadine.

What they're waiting for is much simpler.

Specifically, rice.

In the poorest district of the poorest city of the poorest country in the Western hemisphere,

there lives an eleven year old girl by the name of Clelia.

Now, Clelia has to stand in line for two or three hours every afternoon for just a small portion of rice

It's not as if she could say, you know, "the hell with this, I'm gonna go home" because

without that quarter of rice, she'll go home to a beating.

Clelia is a slave.

Now, I-- I'm not talking about it a slave for odd or...

slave of love or fashion. No, I-- I'm talking slave.

You know, as in "she works for her owners".

She cooks, she cleans, she washes, she runs the errands and she stands in that bloody line for the rice.

There are estimated to be, in Haiti, over 300,000 of these children.

Mainly girls all over the island and they are owned by strangers.

And they are known as "restavics".

I'm sorry.

Clelia was having as good a day as Clelia does until I came along.

I have done some lousy things in my time,

but I have never ever done anything as awful as what I did to that little girl that day.

So, what the hell happened to her?

Oh, she went home with no food, for her or her owners.

They were not best pleased.

Luckily, I never forget a face.

:: The Philantropist - Season 1 :: :: Episode 8 "Haiti" ::

:: Synced by: honeybunny :: :: Correction: fatbrat, honeybunny ::

Nurture versus nature.

Do we become the adults that we are by accident or by design?

Morris, come on, you're a shrink. What do you think?

I'd say, office hours are over.

But some studies report that our personalities

Are set in the first 12 months of life.

Right, so that we spend the next 40 to 50 years

trying to unlearn the things that we were taught up

- to the age of one, right? - Yeah.

Do you know where Philip was born?

- No. - Haiti.

- Really? - Yeah, I left when I was six.

- So, do you get back much? - Not so much that I'd like to, but last week

me, Olivia and Teddy went because the shortage went from critical to catastrophe.

Shortage? Sorry, I missed the first part.

- Shortage of what? - Rice. There was no rice.

Most of Haiti's rice is imported.

Last month, shipments from a key supplier just stopped.

- Who were the suppliers? - That would be the United States government.

Uh, specifically a division called "Amery". They sell products, like rice,

to third-world countries for reduced rates.

And when the rice shipment stopped, food prices nearly tripled.

Families been starting a riot all over the island.

A tanker containing 30,000 tons of rice is on its way to your harbor.

Enough to feed the people of Haiti for a month.

Meanwhile, our company will act as mediator between your government

- And Amery so that you may settle your differences. - Yeah.

Mr. Maidstone, as Minister of Finance and on behalf of all the citizens of Haiti, thank you.

- I think I speak for all of us when I say, we appreciate-- - We appreciate your interest in Haiti

and your desire to help but, with all due respect, Haiti can solve its own problems.

Our country was self-sufficient in the past, and we'll be again one day.

We're trying to offer a real solution.

30 years ago, Haiti produced enough rice to feed its people.

Then the U.S. intervene, forcing us to lower our tariffs,

demolishing our rice production.

Now, Haiti endures hunger riots while the U.S. enjoys a multi-billion dollar business,

exporting rice to us.

- My people-- - Your people?

Jean, Jean. If you would just listen.

- This a very generous offer. - Hey, you know what, why don't you go outside and

explain to that hungry mob how you sat here after a fat steak lunch

and reject it enough, so that might help them feed their kids.

This meeting is at an end.

Jean.

Jean.

Hell of a good senator. He'd go right under your skin, didn't he?

He-- You'd think he'd be a lot nicer to his younger brother.

- Wait. Brother? - The senator's your brother.

Hey, you are gonna be so happy that I'm around, but this...

right here, right now. Do you know what I am?

- Annoying? - No, I'm the non-brother, the non-inlaw.

I get to be the reasonable one. Ha!

The reasonable one! I loved it!

And because of my dispassionate perspective I was finally able to imploy

well, my most favourite gun, lethal weapon:

Rocker's indulgence.

Rocker's indulgence is a way to loosen things up a little.

Get people to shake off the tension, the flexing, the posturing, and

get so fabulously drunk that they would forget that they were enemies

and they'd start making ridiculous promises to each other.

Some members of the government are concerned that the mediation Maidstone-Rist will

- control the import of rice. - No, no, no.

I mean, Minister Ducat, you would have control.

It's-it's your country, your people, you know.

- Okay, let me, um, top that up for you. - Mr. Rist,

it is essential that imports are controlled by local businesses.

Absolutely.

Here's to swimming with pole-legged women.

If I may be excused just a little bit.

I've known you and Philip for how long? And I never heard he was from Haiti.

How did he end up in America?

My father had died.

My mother couldn't afford to take both of us, so...

for whatever reason she chose me, Jean stayed back in Haiti with family.

Meanwhile, my mother married Samuel Maidstone.

We finally had enough money to immigrate Jean,

but by then he was a grown man. He was living on his own, even moved on.

I'm sorry about yesterday.

I lost my temper.

- But? - But Haiti's starving.

- Doesn't make you angry? - I live with the hunger every day.

Getting angry doesn't feed people.

Okay, so what will, Jean? Tell me.

- We'll do it together. - And you're scheduled to leave when?

What does that have to do with anything?

Do you remember when we were young,

and mamam would have each of us tell her a bedtime story?

I told myself lots of stories, 'bout waiting for you and mamam to return.

Jean, you can't keep blaming me for that. I was six years old.

I didn't know.

But you're gonna let your anger at me keep a tanker full of rice

- From landing in Port-au-Prince. - No, no, no.

Do not distort Haiti's quest to become self-aligning with what's between us.

It's time for we Haitians to take our country back.

To restore our national pride I self worked.

- Stop treating us as if we were babies in a crater. Philip. - Jean.

Your intentions are good. Your actions disastruos.

You are an American.

Hey, grandpa. Plant one on the rocks, thank you.

- Hey. - I'm Martine.

- Teddy. - I know.

- You work for the government, Martine? - No.

- What do you do? - Whatever I want.

- It's a cool job. - Depends.

- On? - What I want at the moment.

- And what is it, you want at the moment? - Go back to my room.

This was weird.

It was scary, it was confusing, and...

it was kind of a turn-on.

- I need money. - Oh, that's good, because I've got lots.

Get me what I want, you live. Don't, I kill you.

I will kill us both.

The concept of family as we think of it

is a pretty modern one.

Even amongst the wealthy,

Playtime for children, for example,

was pretty much unheard of

well, up until the late 1800s.

Enough with the history, now, Teddy.

What did the girl with the gun want?

In the words of Jack Benny, my money or my life.

Are there even any bullets in that gun?

Do you want to find out?

If this is an elaborate intervention

into my slight sex addiction,

then I just want you to know the lesson has been learned.

Why do you only have $40 in here?

No, there's a 100 Euro note

kicking around in there somewhere.

I need $12,500 U.S.

How fast can you get that much money?

- 12,500, huh? - That's what I need.

Not 12,000. Not 13,000.

- Not 10 million-- - How fast?

Okay, I've got service here.

Look, you could have just asked me for the money

instead of pulling the gun.

I've been fostering quite the reputation

for philanthropy, you know.

No, you wouldn't want to help me.

Get me the money now.

Okay. We've got reception here.

Speakerphone.

It's the boss.

He's not on the boat? Where is he?

Teddy. Where the hell are you?

A friend of mine needs $12,500.

- Okay, when? - Immediately.

Give it to Dax.

I'll tell him where to make the drop.

- Are you sure you don't want-- - Just do it now, AJ.

I'm not just a pretty wallet, you know?

Tell me why you need $12,500.

And then tell me how else I can be of service.

Keep walking.

Yes, ma'am.

While I was trying to connect

with the stranger that is my brother,

Teddy had disappeared.

I didn't think much of that,

because Teddy's always disappearing.