Between Riverside And Crazy

“That ain’t the point! The point is: Lulu, she juss said she gonna take the fuckin’ dog with her, right?!”

After Lulu, Junior’s girlfriend, says she will take the dog with her when she goes out, but then neglects to take the dog when she actually leaves the apartment, Pops exclaims in impatience to Oswaldo. Pops’s overreaction to Lulu’s mistake could be a worrying sign of drunkenness or a reflection of Pops’s fraught emotional state or his high-strung temperament. Pops is characterized as a man who drinks too much; if he is actually an overwrought person, he could be self-medicating with alcohol. 

“How many drinks you had this morning, Pops? How many he had, Oswaldo?”

Junior, Pops’s son, expresses concern at Pops drinking alcohol first thing in the morning. His asking Oswaldo immediately after asking Pops shows that Pops, historically, has not been honest with Junior about his intake of alcohol. Junior’s mistrust is likely the result of Pops’s minimizing of his alcohol use, which is a sign of an alcohol problem. 

“Okay, Pop. Fine. But could you please do me one favor in return now and please take Mom’s ol’ wheelchair out the kitchen like you said you would back in January?”

Junior asks Pops to take the wheelchair out of the kitchen; as the play takes place during the summer months, the wheelchair has been in the kitchen since Christmastime, when Delores, Junior’s mother, passed away. Pops’s attachment to the wheelchair suggests that he has not yet moved on from the death of his wife, and he sits in the wheelchair as a way to feel close to her. Junior may find this reminder of his mother in her frailest moments difficult, which conflicts with the comfort his father takes from the presence of the object. 

“When I got shot, your mother needed help with me—help you were unable to provide from your various jail cells at Rikers and Attica, okay?!”

When Pops and Junior argue, Pops is quick to employ cutting remarks to put Junior in his place. In this case, Pops is reacting badly to Junior’s suggestion that he did not take as good care of Delores as he could have when she was sick; Junior implies such when he criticizes his father for not accepting the money offered him during a court case involving Pops, because the money could have paid for a private nurse for Delores. Because Pops brings up the sensitive issue of Junior’s jail time to deflect the attention from his own bad decisions, it may be true that Junior has hit a proverbial nerve with his implication. 

“…Hey hey, no no, don’t be upset, I apologize—that was a real insensitive remark—of course the baby’s Junior’s. Right?” 

Pops reacts to Lulu’s announcement that she is pregnant by doubting her fidelity to his son. Though Pops is sensitive and emotionally aware enough to recognize that he has insulted Lulu, he still persists in asking her, in order to reassure himself. At the start of the play, Lulu first appears in a skimpy outfit, which could lead Pops to believe the stereotype that revealing clothing equates to loose morals.  

“What—I’m gonna let him drink alone? Salud, Mr. Washington! Now, the story, please.”

Lieutenant Dave Caro is Detective Audrey O’Connor’s fiancé, and the couple have come to Pops’s apartment for dinner. In this passage, Lt. Caro appears to be attempting to ingratiate himself to Pops, drinking with him and normalizing their drunkenness while flattering Pops and insisting that Pops tell them a story from his career days, when Det. O’Connor was a rookie cop. Lt. Caro’s bonhomie is pushy, either as a result of his drinking too much or as a result of his clumsy manner; no matter the reason behind Lt. Caro’s behaviors, these lines characterize him as a hypermasculine and aggressive person.

“But wait—couldn’t they just leave the knife in his head?”

As Pops tells his story about a street brawl, during which one of the fighters was attacked with a knife, Lulu asks a silly question, revealing that she is not especially bright. This question of Lulu’s succeeds in characterizing Lulu succinctly, as a not-very-intelligent but attractive young woman who is unaware of her own intellectual limitations. Her character’s lines add humor during dark moments like this one.  

“I wanted to spit in his ‘foie gras’ or whatever the fuck they call that overpriced duck grease they’re slinging over there.”

Lieutenant Caro expresses drunken hostility towards New York City affluence in general, and Mayor Giuliani specifically, while describing a police department event he and Det. O’Connor recently attended. His diatribe lasts for a good while, during which O’Connor tries to subdue Caro’s aggressive tone. Lt. Caro’s apparent disgust with showy displays of wealth, symbolized in this passage by the foie gras, contradicts his pride in the Tiffany’s diamond engagement ring he bought with his poker earnings for Det. O’Connor. 

“Still, I’m no jeweler, but this looks like some serious Audrey Hepburn-Cartier-Kim Kardashian-shit right here.”

Pops expresses admiration and awe when Lt. Caro and Det. O’Connor show off O’Connor’s $30,000 diamond engagement ring from Tiffany’s. After Pops acknowledges the expensive look of the ring, the couple explain that Lt. Caro bought it after an extraordinary game of poker with Ben Affleck, the actor. They downplay the excessiveness of the purchase, revealing that, on some level, they are both slightly uncomfortable with the conspicuous wealth such a ring represents. 

“The city takes notice of these things, Walter, and now they’re the ones with the leverage, they need your case to go away, and unfortunately, you gave them their opening.”

The tone of the dinner party has changed, as Det. O’Connor tries to wind down the evening politely and Lt. Caro interferes with her exit plan. Pops can sense that Lt. Caro has something important to say, so he encourages Caro to open up, leading to a tense conversation about Pops’s eight-year-old civil suit against the city. Pops has refused to accept any of the terms the city has offered him to compensate for his getting shot by a white police officer, and Det. O’Connor tries to point out in this passage that the city has lost patience with Pops and his insistence that he receive more for the injury to his body and to his dignity as a black officer of the law. Det. O’Connor is more caring towards Pops than Lt. Caro, emphasizing their close relationship and her admiration and appreciation for Pops, no matter the reason behind their disagreement. 

“You weren’t a highly decorated cop. You were an okay cop. Better than some, no worse than some others. No shame in that. Be smart. Take the money. Eight years ago, you caught a bad break—”

Here, Lt. Caro displays his aggressive manner when he reminds Pops of Pops’s reputation as a police officer. Caro has this same manner when he tries to ingratiate himself to Pops earlier in the evening. His minimizing of the shooting insults Pops, who views his shooting as a racist gesture by a white policeman (though later we learn that Pops was playing up the racist aspect of the shooting).

“But Walter, I’m telling you: don’t be the Old Black Man in the New White World. It’s a decent settlement. Cut your losses and take it. Let’s go, Audrey.”

Again, Lt. Caro crosses a boundary by reducing Pops and his experience to a cliché. He is impatient and crass in his language, which enhances his characterization as an aggressive masculine stereotype. Though Lt. Caro may be out of line in his language, he may be right in his assessment of Pops’s legal situation: though Pops may feel he deserves more from the city for his trials, the reality of his delay tactics means that now, not much is left for him to claim, and the practical decision would be to accept what he has been offered. 

“Everybody hates fuckin’ cops—even cops hate cops. And everybody especially don’t like black cops!

Pushed to his limits when asked to look closely at himself, Pops explodes in front of Lt. Caro and Det. O’Connor, admitting that he harbors significant negativity towards himself and towards other policemen. Pops has felt racially discriminated against in his time as a cop, and these experiences have led him to feel a deep sense of bitterness and, possibly, shame. In this passage, Pops acknowledges that in America, police do not have a positive reputation, not even amongst themselves, despite the fact that they risk their lives everyday in order to do their jobs.

“I’m not talking about the baby, I’m talking about you!” 

Immediately after eating dinner, while the others talk amongst themselves, Junior and Lulu sit on the roof with a joint. Junior needs to catch his bus to go to Baltimore, and Lulu clearly wants to go with him. They argue and she manipulates him verbally until he gives in to her and asks her to come with him to Baltimore. Junior expresses frustration at having to take care of two emotionally difficult and immature people in his life, his father and Lulu, displaying the attachment he feels to both characters and the concern he has for their well-being. 

“Pregnant some day? Maybe. Pregnant today? No.”

When the Brazilian lady from the church comes to visit Pops, Pops makes a casual reference to Lulu’s pregnancy. The church lady somehow immediately knows that Lulu has misled the men in her life to think she is pregnant, when in reality she is not. The Brazilian church lady’s astute observation characterizes her as a sort of mystic who can see things that aren’t obvious, or as a fellow shyster who recognizes another woman’s game when she sees it. The former description foreshadows Pops’s successful seduction by the church lady, while the latter foreshadows her attempt to con Pops out of money.

“See, I want to be fair because I like you. Now, I don’t know exactly what you’re after here, and I don’t mind that you’re after it—but, to be fair—what you don’t know—is that you’re messin’ with the exact wrong motherfucker when it comes to that hoo-doo, voo-doo, boo-boo and doo-doo bullshit you’re trying to front on me now.”

Pops confronts the church lady directly, acknowledging that he is aware of an agenda on her part. His appreciation of her and his enjoyment of her company override any suspicion he may feel towards her, but he does insist on making a boundary, or at least clarifying to her that he is not a foolish old man who can be flattered into a deal.

“And you were relieved when Delores passed, weren’t you? Because you still loved her in your own way, and she in hers, but you was no longer in love with each other. And you blame yourself for that—and for the prostitutes—”

When the Brazilian lady from the church comes to visit Pops, Pops makes a casual reference to Lulu’s pregnancy. The church lady somehow immediately knows that Lulu has misled the men in her life to think she is pregnant, when in reality she is not. The Brazilian church lady’s astute observation characterizes her as a sort of mystic who can see things that aren’t obvious, or as a fellow shyster who recognizes another woman’s game when she sees it. The former description foreshadows Pops’s successful seduction by the church lady, while the latter foreshadows her attempt to con Pops out of money.

“I’m here for dat. I’m here for God. I’m here for you.”

In a dramatic moment, the church lady makes a trio of irresistible statements to Pops, the last of which precedes the moments of Pops’s seduction. Amazingly, the church lady is able to arouse Pops sexually, so the audience may wonder if Pops is falling for an old trick; she uses her sexuality to connect with Pops in this moment, foreshadowing a later vulnerability in Pops that allows him to let down his guard with her. 

“I mean medically—this is medically—I’m talking medically—Oh my Lord.”

While having intercourse with the church lady, Pops is incredulous. His injuries from the shooting were supposed to have emasculated him completely, to the point where he is unable to sustain an erection; somehow, the church lady has performed a miracle, at least, in Pops’s eyes. In reality, Pops’s sexual problems have likely been caused by psychological worries, more than physical ones, and the church lady has somehow managed to get through Pops’s protections that shield him from further emotional hardship. He soon suffers a heart attack during their lovemaking.

"Lulu said some cop in a suit came to the hospital, they signed for everything, including home-care.” 

Junior reveals to Pops that the police force or perhaps the city are paying for Pops’s medical care after his heart attack, which somewhat balances out the debt Pops feel he needs the city to pay him after his shooting. Though the news is supposed to be positive, Pops has a bad attitude towards Junior’s reassurances and expresses doubt. His cynical attitude towards the benevolence of the civic entities suggests that his bitterness is enduring. 

“Well, maybe I need to say it! Maybe your son needs to say it! Maybe your wife needed to say it—or to fuckin’ hear it—even once! Just once! You ever fuckin’ think of that?!” 

Junior tries to apologize to Pops for his bad behavior in the past, recognizing that his father’s health is fragile and that he may not have many opportunities to talk openly about his feelings in the future. Pops reacts badly when Junior speaks of his emotions and his love for his father, and Junior’s frustration turns to anger. The father and son exchange cruel words, and Junior apologizes, seeing that his father is in a vulnerable place and cannot cope with the intensity of the conversation. As well, Junior may feel that he is offering his father too little, too late. 

“Well shit, is there anything your mama didn’t tell you? If you already know everything, why can’t I just go to sleep?” 

Pops and Junior reminisce about Delores, and Junior reveals that he already knows a lot about the intimacies that Pops is attempting to share with him. Perhaps Junior is being tactless, but Pops reacts competitively; his reaction suggests that they perhaps competed for Delores’s attentions when she was alive. At this moment, Junior appears to realize that his father is trying to talk openly with him, so he gives him the space to do so. 

"Don’t do the same like me, Son. It ain’t necessary. Because in reality, I’m more like my daddy than I thought.”

While having intercourse with the church lady, Pops is incredulous. His injuries from the shooting were supposed to have emasculated him completely, to the point where he is unable to sustain an erection; somehow, the church lady has performed a miracle, at least, in Pops’s eyes. In reality, Pops’s sexual problems have likely been caused by psychological worries, more than physical ones, and the church lady has somehow managed to get through Pops’s protections that shield him from further emotional hardship. He soon suffers a heart attack during their lovemaking.