Buried by the Bernards

Ah!

Hey, hey, mister.

Wait a minute, damn.

Sick of these folks, man.

-Hello. - Ryan?

-Welcome. Yes, sir. -Hey.

You said it was gonna be a small crew, man.

This is a-- It's a pretty small crew. Yeah.

All right.

I just hope they all know to stay on my good side.

My name is Ryan Bernard.

I'm the owner and one of the funeral directors here

at R. Bernard Funeral Services in Memphis, Tennessee.

If you take a quick look into our funeral chapel right here,

we have a wide selection of different styles

and different color caskets.

The biggest thing we're known for is the drive-thru viewing.

We were one of the first pioneers in this area with this service,

and it created a huge media buzz when we first opened.

It was like, "Wow!"

We've been in business now about three years.

My mom and my uncle, they always had this idea of opening a funeral home,

so, uh, they ran it by me and, uh…

I really didn't like the idea at all.

But you know my mother,

she has a way of persuading, and…

here we are.

This is my office, the VIP suite.

This is the executive lounge.

This was a gift from my daughters.

It's pretty neat. I love this thing.

Yeah.

It looks pretty presidential.

Looks pretty boss.

The bigger picture is this is something my daughters can take over.

As a single dad of two women, I have to be strong for them.

You know, do what I have to do. You know, a good soldier.

And here we have my daughters' office.

Good morning, ladies.

Good morning.

This is my daughter Deja, and Raegan.

Most of the time they look like they're working hard, but they're…

-hardly working. - We are working hard.

Do you see everything your mother brought us?

Do you see this book of these cremations?

My name is Deja Bernard.

I work here at R. Bernard Funeral Services under my dad,

and I'm a funeral director apprentice.

My name is Raegan Bernard, and I am an office manager assistant.

I'm thinking about when Grandma walks in and looks at y'all. This a lunch break?

No. I am pregnant. I can eat.

-We always have each other's back at work. -Always.

Like, I'm looking out for her and she's looking out for me.

Boom! Beyoncé and Solange 2.0.

Now I'm gonna introduce you all to my Uncle Kevin.

I looked 'em all-- I didn't know y'all were back there, man.

I'm talking to myself, man.

I'm Kevin Miller, man.

I work for R. Bernard Funeral Services. That's what I do.

-And I'm a facility manager. - A facility manager?

A facility manager.

I oversee the whole-- the facility.

So, from 9:00 to 5:00, you are--

I'm strictly working at the funeral home.

From 5:00 until…

-Strictly pimpin'. Strictly. -

I've lost my damn keys, man. Damn.

-We'll come back later. -Don't make sense.

By the time he find his keys, gonna lose something else.

You might not understand my Uncle Kevin now…

I don't know where they at, man.

…but just stick around.

You'll be talking Kevin soon enough.

Birds of a feather flock together.

You can't help but pick up on this. This something to pick up on.

And in this office…

we have my mother.

-Hello, Debbie. -Wait a minute.

-Are them cameras really workin'? -Yes.

-All aside? -Yes. Yes.

-They really workin'? They on? -Yes. Yes.

I do see the damn red light on 'em.

You might be telling the truth now.

Okay. Hold up.

My name is Debbie Bernard,

and I am the office manager,

but… the "boss."

I'm the boss.

These cameras, y'all gotta leave, baby.

-Wait a minute-- -No.

You don't tell me. I tell you what to do. Come on, camera crew. Y'all gotta go.

R. Bernard Funeral Services was basically her idea,

and it started off as a partnership,

but quickly turned into a dictatorship.

-Hmm. -

I know he ain't laughing, is he?

-I ain't ready for no camera crew. -Let's go to my office.

My hair all over my head looking crazy. You know better than that.

- You didn't tell her we were coming? -Yeah, I did.

I told everybody.

-Hey. We through, y'all? -Kevin.

- - Y'all get me up out of here.

Hey, what's up, Raegan B.?

Trying to get to school on time today,

but you're making me more late as we speak.

I wish you were more concerned with getting to work on time

-like you are school. -I'm here before you get here.

Are you serious right now?

See, every time I tell somebody something,

they want to throw in what I'm not doing.

-Everybody can't do what I do. -But it's facts. It's facts.

Word around town's you've been letting everybody know

-the R on the building stands for Raegan. -As it does.

If one day that is to be true, I think you should know more

about the funeral home business, Raegan, besides faxing

-and running off copies, you know. -Like?

Raegan's current role in the business is…

whatever my mother tells her to do.

If I were you, I wouldn't just want to sit in the office all day

doing paperwork, pushing a pen.

I'm gonna have somebody pick you up from school

and just sit back and watch and observe.

Watch and observe.

-Yes, ma'am. -I can do that.

Why do I think Raegan is ready to take the next step?

I'm not sure if Raegan is ready,

but it is time.

Well, with this new responsibility…

-Uh-huh. -…does that come with a raise?

-Raise? -My bank account needs a raise.

Put Raegan out there, and then we'll see.

That now, that's the attitude I want. Throw her in the fire.

Get through today, and we'll talk about a raise.

Don't you need to ask your mother if I can get a raise?

I know you're the boss, but, you know, she's the "boss" boss.

-Get on outta here and go to school. -

Ask my mother.

Well, she should ask her for the raise, then.

Deja. Deja.

Hey, hey, hey. Ho-- Hold it, hold, it, hold it.

-Deja, you hear me calling you? -No, I did not hear you call.

Okay, I don't like that look over there. Let me see this.

Just move the heart and the cross down. Let's go. Come on.

We don't have time for all that. Move that. Swap places with me.

Take that back down.

You need to start taking more pride in your set-up.

It looked better before you came here, Grandma.

No. Let me tell you what I really don't like.

Majority of the day is wasted arguing with my grandmother.

She just always has to tell people what to do.

Take the hat over just a bit.

Today we have a funeral service,

and if she just stayed in her office, we could get so much accomplished.

No, no, no, no, no, no.

But she's downstairs running everybody else's job.

I don't like that. Take it back.

Let me leave this here 'cause I don't wanna drop it.

God, if you can't hold this to go get a table--

-It's all right, Deja. I'll do it myself. -

She's never gonna say, "Oh, that looks good."

It's always going to be a problem.

I meant to tell you, your clothes look horrible.

Always.

-You got the same thing on I got on. -I don't work funeral services.

Oh, Lord.

You're lookin' beautiful, baby.

Yes, sir. You lookin' good.

Are some of the family outside waiting to come in?

- I haven't seen anybody. -What time the family coming?

I can't believe this.

You starting at 11:00, and nobody's here?

Everybody is in position, waiting on the funeral to start,

and the family's not here.

Where's the family?

Where the family at?

How would I know?

Maybe they had an emergency.

It's actually eight minutes to start time, and they're not even here.

You're in charge of getting the family here, Grandma.

I host the funeral. I'm here to greet the family.

They think I supposed to know everything. I do know a lot, but that?

"Where the family is?" I don't know.

We're going to cut now. Are you still filming me?

Oh, you oughta be-- You and that camera--

Oh, horrible.

When they come, it'll smell like they're home,

because this funeral gettin' ready to start.

All right? How y'all doing?

It's right this way.

I'm Ryan Bernard. How you doing?

Registry book right on the table.

-Dad, the family's not here yet. -Let me go ask your grandmama.

Keep her upstairs.

- I'll try. -Please.

Want something done right, you gotta do it yourself.

I'm sittin' here sayin', "Where these people at?"

-You there tryin' to run the back… -No.

-…the front… -No.

…the top. You can't do it all.

Hold. Excuse me. Wait a minute.