Terrence Shye

**Terrence Shye** is a young man faced with a conundrum. He is a major character of ‘I Am the Night’ portrayed by Justin Cornwell.

## Official Description

"*A gifted young man stuck between an engineering apprenticeship and the streets of Watts.*"

## Biography

In 1965, at a party, Terrence meets Tina and makes the acquaintance of Fauna, Tina's cousin. Nero, another of the friends at the party is upset and does not believe that Tina and Fauna are cousins or that Fauna is black. Tina explains to him that their mothers are sisters, so they are cousins. Fauna is light-skinned because she's mixed.

Some time later, Nero continues to harass Fauna and Terrence comes to his defense. The two end up talking while sitting on the couch. Fauna reveals that she has learned that she is adopted. She is in search of her biological parents. Terrence comments on how it only takes a single drop of black blood-in this case, Fauna's biological father-to be disadvantaged for life.

At Big Momma's house, Terrence has breakfast with Tina, Xander, Nina and Fauna. Terrence and Xander discuss how if Mays and Koufax had not made pitch stance, they would still be fighting each other on Candlestick Park. Xander says Marichal is a son of a gun and they should arrest him. Fauna expresses concern about an ugly white man driving around the neighborhood. Her cousins tell her all white men are ugly, with the exception of Mike Jagger according to Tina. However, they have not seen anyone suspicious.

In the backyard, Terrence and Xander are messing around with a car engine distractedly listening to Fauna tell about the failed meeting with her old white grandmother. Xander and his sisters tease Fauna. Terrence comes to her defense again, claiming that she is only looking for her birth family not chasing money.

In the evening, Terrence and family are gathered in the living room and give Fauna the sad news-Nero has been killed. Tina says someone cut his tongue off. Terrence tries to reassure Big Mama, in disbelief himself. As Terrence is about to leave Big Momma's house, he is startled to find Fauna in his car. Fauna does not feel safe and wants Terrence to take her to a hotel. Terrence is still shocked. As hard as life is for them, with Black people killed just for crossing the wrong crowd, what happened to Nero is too messed up.

Terrence decides to take her home with him and offers her his bed while he sleeps on the couch. Fauna phones her mother because she feels there is something she has not been told about her birth family. He eavesdrops on part of the phone call, including the name George Hodel. Terrence is surprised Fauna is still here, because in her place he would have returned home and advises her not to go and get into trouble.

The next morning, Terrence works on the car and chats with some neighbors. Fauna comments on how hard he works on the car, assuming Terrence loves it very much. Actually Terrence does not like cars, especially that one. But without the car, it's a three-hour bus ride to school and work. Once he had a flat tire and the manager lodged a complaint for being 12 minutes late. The boss was really just looking for an excuse to kick him out. Terrence would like to be an engineer, but to white men it is an affront that a Black man can achieve in life. As if he were stealing something from them. Since it is Sunday, Terrence has some errands to run and wonders why Fauna does not let it go. The girl, however, is determined to find out where her real mother is-what if she's a wonderful person, or does she need her help? Terrence agrees that he wouldn't stop trying either.

Before taking Fauna to the bus stop, Terrence makes a stop at the site where Nero was murdered to pay his respects. He pours some liquor on the ground, explaining to Fauna it is a pre-Christian practice dating back to ancient Egypt called libation. Fauna feels sorry for his dead friend, and Terrence tells her about Nero's sad childhood; They had a little clique tied up with Slausons, but Nero didn't have no real friends. Then he tells Fauna to look around. No crime scene, no investigation for yet another Black person killed. Once when they were kids, they fought and Nero had a busted foot, all swole. He had no parents looking after him, and was left alone for two days in pain. Enraged, Terrence throws the bottle starting a fight with a homeless man sleeping there. Terrence and Fauna then ask him if he has seen anything suspicious. The man claims to have seen a white man in a Buick. Both Fauna and Terrence draw the conclusion that it is the mystery man following Fauna.

In the midst of the Watts riots, Terrence meets with Fauna and asks her to explain what she went to Hawaii to do with a white reporter. The cops already killed 15 people and everyone is looking for Xander. Fauna begs him to take her home because her mom is in the hospital, but there is no way the car will hold up all the way to Nevada. Besides, he has to find Xander, so why doesn't she have the white reporter drive her? Fauna asks if he can drive her all the way to Pasadena.

Although it is risky for a black man to carry a light-skinned girl in his car, Terrence agrees and hides her in the trunk. Terrence takes great risks especially when a white man addresses him near Hodel's house. But in reality, it turns out he only wanted to tell him not to park there if he wants to avoid a ticket. The two kiss, then Fauna runs to the mansion where Terrence cannot enter.

After Fauna and Jay Singletary survive the confrontation with George Hodel, and Fauna gets the answers she was looking for, Terrence and Fauna visit Jimmy Lee in the hospital in Nevada.

## Quotes

**Terrence**: “*It's all it takes, uh? Just that one drop to hold you down forever.*”
— Phenomenon of Interference
**Terrence**: “*What you doin' here? I'd go home if I was you.*”
– Dark Flower
**Terrence**: “*If you go lookin' for trouble you'll find it.*”
– Dark Flower
**Terrence**: “*All I want to think about is propulsion. Some white men take it personal. Like me tryin' to succeed is taking something from them.*”
– Matador
**Terrence**: “*They are yanking white folks out of cars on Imperial and shit. The cops are worse. A black man driving a light-skinned girl in Pasadena?*”
– Queen’s Gambit, Accepted
## Appearances

I Am the Night

* Ep. 3: "Dark Flower"
* Ep. 6: "Queen’s Gambit, Accepted"

## Trivia

* Terrence and Xander reference a baseball match, specifically Sandy Koufax pitching to Willie Mays at Candlestick Park on August 22, 1965.

## References

1. ↑  *Official Overview for Justin Cornwell's Terrence Shye — TNT Pressroom*
2. ↑ Sam Sheridan (writer); Patty Jenkins (director); (February 4, 2019); "Phenomenon of Interference". Episode 2. *I Am the Night*. TNT.
3. ↑ Sam Sheridan (writer); Patty Jenkins (director); (February 11, 2019); "Dark Flower". Episode 3. *I Am the Night*. TNT.
4. ↑ Sam Sheridan (writer); Victoria Mahoney (director); (February 18, 2019); "Matador". Episode 4. *I Am the Night*. TNT.
5. ↑ Sam Sheridan (writer); Carl Franklin (director); (March 4, 2019); "Queen’s Gambit, Accepted". Episode 6. *I Am the Night*. TNT.