A New York Story (2024) Movie Script
1
[AIR WHOOSHING]
-[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
-[WATER SPLASHING]
-[HOOVES CLOMPING]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
LAURIE: Oh!
Wait, wait.
-What did you do lose?
-Oh, my gloves.
They're lambskin, though.
I'll be right back.
I left my gloves.
-I'll be back.
-The gloves?
-Yeah, don't leave me.
-It's always the gloves.
-They appear, they reappear.
-It's every time.
-It's like, I-
-Sir, you can't bring drinks
out onto the street.
[GROUP LAUGHS]
My apologies, sir.
Thank you.
Doing God's work.
Yeah.
-[PETALS FLUTTERING]
-[GROUP LAUGHS]
-Come on, I'm cold.
-Oh.
VIRGINIA: Hey!
Good God, man.
What are you doing?
Oh, I'm sorry.
I was taken by the image.
I'm Theo Offit,
I'm a photographer.
For the event?
No, the street. [CHUCKLES]
Wait, wait, wait,
wait, wait, wait.
Theo Offit the photographer?
Yeah.
Yes, I saw your exhibition
at the New Hudson Yard Gallery.
[THEO CHUCKLES]
Post New York Times
feature, of course.
Virginia, it's really
quite exciting for you
to be photographed
by a young Mr. Offit.
Excuse me, we're
just heading out.
-I'll wait for Laurie.
-Yeah.
Okay. [GIGGLES]
VIRGINIA: 79th and 5th, please.
Cafrey, Shulman?
CAFREY: I'm just finishing
my cig.
I'm out.
Mmm, Annabel?
-Why not?
-Go for it.
Hope you don't mind
the copilot.
-[LIGHTER FLICKS]
-[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
You all are leaving early.
Well, don't expect us
to stay till the bitter end.
[ANNABEL CHUCKLES]
That photo could be great
for your career
or catastrophic. [CHUCKLES]
[ANNABEL CHUCKLES]
That was Virginia Wyethe,
an oil heiress.
Never heard of her.
Naturally.
It's almost too clever of a ruse
to be a coincidence
that the general
American population
is so distracted by
the famous actors
and celebrities
that we are
completely unfamiliar
with our true ruling class.
The wealthy magnates,
with the exception
of a few notable
Vanderbilts here and there,
responsible for
the capitalist oppression
under which we were all thriving
here tonight [CHUCKLES].
So, what brings Theo Offit
to the blocks uptown?
I got invited by a patron who
saw my show at Hudson Yards.
That will happen. [CHUCKLES]
-[SHUTTER FLASHES]
-Oh!
I'll pretend to ignore that
because I'm not as litigious
as the Wyethe's. [LAUGHS]
Oh, the only artist that
I remember from last year...
Oh, it was a gentleman
who was very involved
in the Natural History Museum.
Yes, yes. [LAUGHS]
One year he convinced
the museum to let him
and his high school band
play their gala.
-Wow.
-But, you know,
an admiral pursuit
to participate in the arts
in one's formative years.
Mmm.
Again, not all of us are suited
to become artists
that should be expressing
their talents out in public.
Wouldn't you agree, Annabel?
Mmm, I rarely agree
with anything you say.
Well, you used to be an actress,
but dare I say,
we wouldn't see you
trotting around a stage
these days now would we?
Used to be an actress?
What? retired at 26?
Twenty-seven.
I just studied it in school.
My dad,
he's the actor [CHUCKLES].
A very famous one.
Okay.
CAFREY: Sorry, sorry.
-Ah, there she is!
-Yes!
-Yes.
-The gloves.
The gloves.
The gentleman
at the coat check
tracked them down for me.
CAFREY: Wonderful.
-Yes.
-Wonderful.
Well, shall we mosey on back
to Virginia's for a night cap?
Yes.
Enjoy your night.
Should we invite him?
No, Virginia would not want
somebody she doesn't know
at her house.
Oh, come on.
-I mean...
-Theo?
Would you like to join us?
-CAFREY: Come on.
-Oh, come on.
You know, New York is back.
It's the roaring
20's [LAUGHS].
It is the roaring 20's.
Come on!
Hey, we could use
a fellow like you.
[GROUP LAUGHS]
-All right, yeah.
-Perfect.
-[GROUP LAUGHS]
-[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
-Wow.
-Let's go.
CAFREY: That's your best move.
ANNABEL: Oh, here's a cab!
CAFREY: You and the roses.
-[ANNABEL LAUGHS]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[LIGHT PIANO MUSIC PLAYING]
[CORK POPS]
[ALCOHOL SLOSHING]
-[GROUP LAUGHS]
-[CLOCK TICKING]
Let me hear you whisper
[SIGHS] Having fun, right?
[CAFREY CHUCKLES]
Coats, ladies?
-Right.
-Right, right, right.
Okay.
CAFREY: Ladies, did that
vocal coach that you hired die?
-Aw, you made it.
-And there he is.
Oh. You have a little...
[PIANO PLAYING STOPS]
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
Hello, again.
Hi.
Oh, everyone,
you should really see
Theo's exhibition downtown.
It's going through
December 1st,
if I remember correctly.
THEO: That's right. Yeah.
FREDDIE: Freddie Wilson.
Theo Offit.
CAFREY: You have a nice smile.
All looks good.
All looks great here.
[GROUP CHATTERING FAINTLY]
CAFREY: Let's get a drink.
ELI: Oh, no,
it's because you
don't have a job.
-CAFREY: It's because I'm...
-All right.
ELI: Come on, now, look at that.
Beautiful.
Yes, a golden waterfall.
[ALL CHUCKLING]
-Wow.
-And then...
That ought to do it.
CAFREY: Beautiful.
Beautiful.
-Thank you.
-Eli, whiskey?
Theo, whiskey?
-No, thank you.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah.
-Sure, sure.
-Freddie, champagne?
-Spot of whiskey?
-Champagne, my good sir.
-Cheers.
-THEO: Cheers.
-[GLASSES CLINKING]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
I saw her at
the Autumn Dinner.
Wait, rewind.
You're telling me Emma Easton
was at the Autumn
Dinner tonight?
Oh, Theo, sit, sit.
LAURIE: I swear
I did not even see her.
Probably because
she's irrelevant
ever since she trapped
poor Oscar.
On the contrary.
We have to take
her seriously now.
She's his wife.
I don't know who
she's gonna ask
for preschool recommendations.
You know, your photos, Theo,
they really got to the heart
of the wealth inequality
on this 13 mile island.
-[THEO CHUCKLES]
-I'm serious.
They...
Hey, look,
they made me melancholy.
You've got
the backbreaking images
of the first generation
immigrants in Chinatown.
Oh, the man on the subway.
Yes, he's in
the fluorescent light.
He's fallen asleep.
You know, he's exhausted
from a day of work.
He's got his mask underneath
his nose.
I mean,
the city itself is crumbling
from stage four capitalism.
[ALL CHUCKLING]
Well, yeah.
You know, here we are.
We're well fed.
Dim offspring of immigrants
that have clawed
their way to the top with their
lily white teeth and hands.
And yet we're not even happy.
Speak for yourself, Cafrey.
I had a wonderful evening.
CAFREY: I'm glad you did.
Look, Cafrey is doing
his best to flatter you, Theo,
and appear as if
he's deeply sickened
-by this unfair world,
-Oh, appear?
which he discovered
operates with the cruel,
cruel mechanisms
of systemic greed.
Only what?
Tonight?
-Tonight, wow.
-Tonight, yeah.
No, no, no, no, no,
no, no, not tonight.
Last week at Theo's exhibition.
-Oh.
-Come on.
I'm tired of this.
Dance with me, come on.
I've seen you with three
or four cocktails in you.
-Come on.
-Oh my God.
This woman loosens up,
let me tell you.
-[LAURIE LAUGHS]
-Come on.
-My God.
-Keep that to yourself, Cafrey.
Are you gonna dip me?
Oh, the dip.
-Oh, you want a dip?
-The dip, yeah.
CAFREY: Yes,
an elegant dip, see?
That's good, that's right
in your core, that dip, yes.
You been working out?
LAURIE: Yeah.
CAFREY: Hmm.
-Yes.
-Would you like to dance?
CAFREY: And a spin.
Thanks.
-I'm not a very good dancer.
-Oh. [CHUCKLES]
CAFREY: Oh, there we go.
LAURIE: Oh, oh.
There we go, you're getting
the hang of it now, hmm?
You ready for a competition?
Did you invite this guy?
I was wondering that, too.
Do we know anything about him?
Cafrey was talking
his ear off outside.
Cafrey's drunk.
I don't know about
him taking photos.
-[FREDDIE SIGHS]
-[PIANO PLAYING CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Virginia, not to be crass...
Don't be crass then.
How much did your family
pay for this apartment?
LAURIE: Cafrey!
Was it 50 mil?
You know,
the C.P.H Gilbert design,
the Central Park views,
and mortgage wasn't allowed,
I presume?
I think it was only like 40.
I don't know.
CAFREY: Forty.
Hmm.
Oh, who can afford that?
You know, I once went
on a date with this guy
who told me he photoshopped
his bank statements
whenever he applied to an
apartment in this city.
-What?
-Yeah.
On the first date,
he just openly admits a fraud.
Laurie, my love,
when was this date?
Oh, I mean, it is impossible
to get a decent place
in this city
without generational wealth.
-That's wild.
-Mmm.
Can you blame him?
I mean, painters used
to have lofts in Soho
and musicians
used to rent rooms
at the Chelsea Hotel.
Now, it's all finance bros.
-Yes.
-Hey.
CAFREY: Quite right, Theo.
I mean, what is New York
without its artists
who have been completely
priced out of the trendy areas?
All artists need a patron.
Another whiskey exchange
for a portrait?
Okay.
CAFREY: Oh, he's all posed up.
Wow.
You're serious?
-[GROUP LAUGHING]
-[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
Oh, come on,
he's the next big thing.
Annabel's always
broadening our horizons.
Wait, is this in color
or black and white?
[VIRGINIA GROANS]
-[SHUTTER FLASHES]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
You know what?
You're doing great.
What's your inner animal?
Show me your inner animal.
-[ELI GROWLING]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[ALCOHOL SLOSHING]
ELIZABETH: What vintage is this?
VIRGINIA: I think
this is the '05.
ANNABEL AND LAURIE: Ooh.
-LAURIE: That was a good year.
-It was a good year.
-What a treat.
-[GROUP LAUGHS]
ANNABEL: Seems to me
that charity events
have replaced deb balls.
Yeah, well, at least
charity events serve
some kind of purpose, though.
I think one or two
other sheltered girls
from Brearley may have had one.
I'm so glad we reconnected
at the reunion.
I didn't have anyone to talk to.
I didn't even realize
you had moved back
to the city after Wharton.
I was only gone for two years,
but it felt like an eternity.
Anaboo, your phone's
been ringing.
-ANNABEL: Who is it?
-Michelle.
[CELL PHONE VIBRATING]
I don't answer my stepmom.
Could be important.
Then she should call my dad.
May I have some?
CAFREY: I prefer the
Frick Autumn Dinner
to the Apollo Circle
quite frankly.
A quiet affair in the presence
of the Vermeers and
Whistlers and Manets,
as opposed to 400
people cramming into
the foyer of the Met.
[CHUCKLES] I mean,
one never knows half
the people at that thing.
Yeah, well, there's something
to like about both events.
ELI: What, affluence?
But the Frick being in
an old residence
brings you back
to that
gilded age elegance.
Anyone see Age of Innocence,
that Scorsese flick?
Any artist that
romanticizes polite society
has never endured it.
Eli, don't be a Philistine.
It's a sin to speak boorishly
of a film you haven't seen.
Cafrey, it's a sin to refer
to an Edith Wharton novel
as "That Scorsese flick."
I don't think Edith
Wharton was romanticizing.
I think she was just writing
about her experience growing
up in that type of circle.
Hmm.
I'm sure you're right.
I was asleep for
most of high school.
Theo, you're an artist.
Well observed, Cafrey.
Do you ever worry about
your work being misunderstood?
God, was he this boring
at Collegiate?
-Okay.
-He was top of his class
and then he made
the mistake of going
to Cornell.
So, he really hasn't had any
intellectual stimulation since.
[CHUCKLES] Well,
I'm not famous enough
for anyone to care
about what I do,
let alone misunderstand me.
I think these events
are a kind of necessary evil.
I mean, they're pieces of
art in and of themselves.
They're romantic and formal,
so people of a certain class
who long
for that Gilded Age thing
spend their money
on a party and end up
supporting the real art,
which hangs from museum walls.
That certain class being us?
Those who can afford a ticket.
Wouldn't you say that's an
improvement on the organization
of society over
family provenance?
What?
Capitalism?
No, but Theo's right.
These events have to
remain opulent to ensure
that moneyed New Yorkers
continue to fund
cultural institutions
so they remain
free or mostly free
for the general populace.
Again, we disagree.
The only redeeming aspect
of events like these
is finding a hiding place
in proximity to the open bar.
-[THEO CHUCKLES]
-[SOFT MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Townspeople, wake up.
[GROUP LAUGHS]
I am very sorry to report
that last night poor Freddie...
-Yep. Knew it.
-Not Freddie!
-I knew it.
-Freddie, now that you're dead,
you're not allowed to talk.
Slipped on some black ice.
-What?
-Oh!
The townspeople tried
to fetch the doctor,
but oh, the doctor was asleep.
It's Annabel.
She killed Freddie
to throw off the scent.
ANNABEL: My own boyfriend?
I think it's Elizabeth.
No.
Okay, who would the townspeople
like to kill?
Well...
Well, here's the thing.
So, who's your
favorite playwright?
Hmm.
I think Eugene O'Neill.
-So you're a masochist.
-Hmm.
"One should either
be sad or joyful.
"Contentment is a warm sty
for eaters and sleepers."
What?
It's Eugene O'Neill [LAUGHS].
Oh, yeah. [CHUCKLES]
No clues,
he has no clues for you.
My dad was in a production
of The Iceman Cometh
playing Hickey
at the Barrymore Theatre
last year.
He started sneaking
whiskey into the theater
and it totally destroyed
his relationship
with the director.
But he ended up winning a Tony,
and then he didn't
thank the director
in his speech, so... [LAUGHS]
-Won a Tony, huh?
-Yeah, he's pretty insane.
Annabel's father
is Daniel Fleming.
He took us backstage at 30 Rock
when he hosted SNL.
Shit after party, though.
It was some bar in Midtown.
-I think there was karaoke.
-Okay, okay, Virginia,
Elizabeth or Annabel?
I'm inclined to trust Annabel.
I can usually tell
if she's lying.
Please, she's an actress.
We've known each other
for five years.
Virginia, we've known
each other since preschool.
It's Annabel.
Annabel's the mafia.
-What?
-Well,
unfortunately the townspeople
wrongly executed.
-What?
-[LAUGHS]
-See?
-LAURIE: Poor Annabel.
-I really thought it was you.
-The mafia wins.
[ELIZABETH HUMMING AND SNAPPING]
Oh, all right, guys.
I think it's time
for me to head out,
but thank you for this.
Oh, by the way,
my exhibition is going
for another month
if any of you are interested.
No, thank you.
Yeah, thanks man.
I'll check it out.
Yeah?
He was fun.
LAURIE: So,
do you wanna play again?
-[SOFT PIANO MUSIC PLAYING]
-[BIRDS CHIRPING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
ANNABEL:
Cafrey was horrible, too.
-Horrible.
-Thank you.
I've decided on the theme
for my Halloween party.
-Oh?
-Hmm.
-Mythical Gods,
particularly the evil ones.
-[PHONE VIBRATING]
ANNABEL: I don't think
the Gods are evil.
They all have
a higher and lower form.
VIRGINIA:
Medusa was pretty evil.
ANNABEL: No,
she was punished
by Athena
for defiling her temple,
but it was Poseidon's fault
for raping her in there.
Oh, well, then
Poseidon was evil.
[CHUCKLES] Maybe.
-Thank you.
-LAURIE: I call Medusa.
But wait, I have an idea.
-Why don't I have some
of our buyers
-Thank you.
pull a few items
at Ballinger's
-and we could all go and
find costumes there?
-I love that.
-Absolutely.
-Yeah.
-Tuesday or Wednesday?
-Mmm-hmm.
-Or any afternoon
next week, really.
-[CELL PHONE CHIMES]
GROUP: Thank you.
-[ELIZABETH SIGHS]
-[GENTLE PIANO MUSIC PLAYING]
-What is it?
-What?
Um, I just got a news update.
I'm so sorry.
Your...
Your dad, he...
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[SOBBING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Do you want me
to walk you home?
[ANNABEL GASPS]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[HOOVES CLOMPING]
[CLOMPING ECHOING]
[ANNABEL SNIFFLES]
Hey.
I promise,
I'm not going anywhere.
-[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
-[ANNABEL SNIFFLING]
[DOORBELLS RINGS]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[DOORBELL RINGS]
[RINGING CONTINUES]
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[ARM THUDS]
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[ANNABEL WHIMPERS]
[COFFEE SPLASHES]
-[CHOIR SINGING]
-[SOFT ORGAN MUSIC PLAYING]
-[SINGING CONTINUES]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
He was a genius and people
throw that word around a lot,
but in his case it was true.
It feels like the whole city
is mourning for him.
-I think there's
some food upstairs.
-Yeah, let's go.
Didn't you try acting
for a bit?
I'm sure your father being
who he was gave you
quite a leg up.
Yeah, he always
said he would help me.
Excuse me.
Oh, that's sad.
She must be...
-Distraught.
-MAN: Distraught.
[CHOIR SINGING]
[DOORBELL RINGING]
ANNABEL: Mom, hi.
Give me a hug.
-I'm sorry I missed the funeral.
-ANNABEL: That's okay.
You know, they canceled
the flight, weather and...
You go take a shower.
[DIANE SIGHS]
Your friend is very talented.
We've only met once.
Well...
[ANNABEL INHALES]
-Your father's new wife...
-Mom, her name is Michelle.
Michelle called
me three months ago
and told me he had relapsed,
and she was kicking him out.
I had no idea.
It started with the drinking.
He thought after all these years
he could take a sip
or two of something.
I heard about what he did
during The Iceman Cometh.
Yes. Well...
I didn't know
you and Michelle spoke.
[SIGHS] She knew that I
had already been through it
with him when
he first got clean,
gosh, 28 years ago.
Then he started hanging
out with that actor
that won a Drama Desk
for King Lear.
What's his name?
I don't know.
He's an addict.
I mean, not that he's to blame.
It was nobody's fault.
It's just your father
was his own person,
and he made his own decisions.
But he loved you.
He thought you were
the greatest. [SNIFFLES]
No, he didn't. [SCOFFS]
He only kept me around to,
I don't know,
impress me at openings
or premieres or whatever.
He never cared
that I wanted to be an actor.
He never tried to help me.
He didn't want you
to be an actor.
He didn't want you to suffer.
I'm suffering anyway.
He wanted you to be happy.
Are you happy?
I have no idea what
I'm doing with my life.
[GENTLE PIANO
MUSIC PLAYING]
[ANNABEL SIGHS]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
ANNABEL: Thank you.
FREDDIE: Thank you.
Hi. So glad you could make it.
It's probably good
to be surrounded
by friends right now, right?
VIRGINIA: Hmm.
How about a drink?
Yeah?
Let's go.
CAFREY: Hello, hello.
LAURIE: Hi, guys.
Oh, look, Liberace's here.
I am Hermes.
Oh, Hermes?
No, Freddie, that's
a leather goods store.
[ALL CHUCKLING]
Annabel, I think
it's great that you came.
Make sure to stay busy.
Do you have a good therapist?
-Yeah.
-Good.
Grief can make you
do some crazy things.
When my grandfather died,
I cheated on my girlfriend.
Eli, pay attention,
you're spilling.
I'm sorry,
I can't look at you,
lest I turn to stone.
I'm not sure
you've seen some
of the paintings
in the impressionist
section at The Met,
They were actually
a gift of my family's.
They say, "Gift to the Wilson's
[CHUCKLES]."
Oh yes, you mentioned that.
My favorites in
the impressionist section
are Springtime and
The Storm by Pierre August...
FREDDIE: Oh, yes, yes, right.
The Springtime,
that's the idyllic one of
the lovers on the swing.
VIRGINIA: Yes,
but The Storm is grander.
FREDDIE: Anaboo, would
you like some more wine?
What?
-[HORNS HONKING]
-[MELANCHOLY MUSIC PLAYING]
-[PEDESTRIANS CHATTERING]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[ENERGETIC CLUB
MUSIC PLAYING]
[GROUP CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
Annabel!
Annabel?
-Theo, hey.
-What's up?
Ah, you missed the show.
-Were you playing?
-What? No [CHUCKLES].
My friend's band.
-ANNABEL: Oh, okay.
-Yeah.
I was just walking downtown
-and I somehow I ended up here.
-Walked?
All the way down here?
Wow, well, happy Halloween.
[CHUCKLES]
You wanna come to a party?
No, thank you.
I'm just gonna go home.
All right, well,
let me at least...
Let me walk you to the train.
We're headed in that direction.
Yeah, I'll get a cab
from there.
-Cool.
-HELINA: Theo?
Ooh!
-Hey.
-You gonna introduce us
to your new girlfriend?
Oh my God,
ignore her, please.
-Do not listen to her.
-Okay, I'll go first.
-I'm Helina.
-[LAUGHS] Annabel.
-Stop.
-Oh.
I am so sorry about your dad.
-Oh, yeah.
-Thank you.
Yeah. I'm really sorry
about that, too.
I saw the news.
Yeah. And he would not
stop talking about you.
[CHUCKLES]
-Okay, let's go.
-Are you serious?
ANNABEL: I went to your show.
-Oh, come on, man.
-Wait, you went?
Yeah.
My mom and I.
She loved it.
THEO: And you?
Guess I was just
disappointed 'cause...
Thank you? [CHUCKLES]
What? I go for disappointing.
-No, sorry.
-[THEO LAUGHS]
I just mean Cafrey was
talking them up, you know?
Like they revealed
to him all sorts of insights
about the wealth inequality gap
in New York.
Well, I think your friend
has a lot of guilt.
Guilt? About?
Money.
But I'm not trying to
make any statements
with my work or anything.
No?
No, I think the loudest voice
in anyone's head
is usually their own,
and that's the voice
I'm interested in hearing.
Okay, but how
can you argue that?
I mean, just by being
a human behind a camera
and not just a human,
but a self-proclaimed
photographer,
[CHUCKLES] you are
making a statement.
What did you
see in the photos?
I'm a nihilist.
-[LAUGHS] So nothing?
-Mmm-hmm.
THEO: Oh.
I'm not proud of it.
The way I've become everything
I feared being as a child.
Vain, self-important,
uninterested in the world.
Annabel, for what it's worth,
I don't think you're
uninterested in the world.
Thanks.
You know, I used
to spend a lot of time
obsessing about money.
Of course [CHUCKLES],
I didn't have any.
I thought about trying to
do something else a lot,
but then, I don't know,
I just decided, fuck it.
Now, of course, I wish
I'd become a banker.
[ANNABEL LAUGHS]
Well, you're obviously
an existentialist.
Well, that would
presume I believe
in a godless world,
which I don't.
[CLEARS THROAT]
Hey, if you like,
I can show you some of
my other photos sometime.
See if any of them
spark anything.
Where are the others?
Just at my apartment.
No.
I have a boyfriend. [CHUCKLES]
[CHUCKLES] I wasn't
asking you out.
I mean, we're all going.
My roommate is having
a party.
-[LAUGHS]
-Oh.
Yes, you were.
-Shit, you asked me out first.
-What?
Yeah, you asked me to come
to your friend's apartment
that night, remember?
-No, that was just
being friendly.
-I... Yeah, you did.
"Roaring 20s, come along."
-You don't remember any of that?
-It's sorry for being friendly.
-I...
-Relax, I was just joking.
Annabel, just...
Just come to the party.
[ANNOUNCER SPEAKING
INDISTINCTLY]
You're gonna love Nia,
by the way.
I'm excited for you to meet her.
Excuse me, if I could just
have everyone's attention.
It's show time!
[ROCKY LAUGHS]
Whoo!
-GROUP: Hey!
-Sit down.
GROUP: Hey!
-Nah, just fuckin'
around, fucker.
-[GROUP LAUGHS]
It's a new hat.
ANNABEL: Sorry for crashing
the party.
Oh, I don't care.
I'm not gonna know
half the people there.
Do your thing, bro. [CHUCKLES]
Um, I love your jacket.
What are you supposed to be?
Oh, I'm Edie Sedgwick.
-Oh.
-Without the Pixie cut.
Where's Andy Warhol?
This is a great
Halloween costume.
ANNABEL: Oh, okay.
Andy and Edie.
Okay, got it, got it.
Cute.
Was it not obvious?
[LAUGHS]
[GROUP CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
[PARTY GOERS
CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
By the way, I love your costume.
What are you, though?
I'm Persephone.
HELINA: Oh, okay, okay.
ANNABEL: Spring, you know,
queen of the underworld.
Oh, trust me, I know.
I'm a sculptor.
-Oh, wow.
-Yeah.
I went to SVA.
-Have loans to prove it,
Theo knows.
-[THEO CHUCKLES]
You know the Christmas windows
over at Saks?
I did that with the team
for the past two years
and this year I'm doing
the windows at Ballinger's,
which I'm the lead on.
-So exciting.
-That is amazing.
-Yeah.
-Stop bragging.
Okay, let me have
this one thing.
Yo, yo, does anyone
want to stick and poke?
I'm gonna be doin' 'em
over there for free.
-HELINA: Oh yeah, me.
-Yeah?
You want a heart
with my name in it?
-Uh, no.
-You sure?
Maybe later [CHUCKLES].
Do you remember that girl
that you met at Virginia's?
She was like the mafia.
-Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
-Yeah?
Her family owns that
department store, Ballinger's.
-Of course.
-Yep.
-Elizabeth Ballinger.
-[THEO CHUCKLES]
Oh, Nia, hi.
Okay, Nia, I found you
a Nina for your play.
Nia got asked to direct
The Seagull
for a Chekhov series at
The Player's Theatre.
Yeah, my lead actress,
she just had to drop out
because she booked
a studio feature,
which I guess I can't
blame her for, so...
-Annabel Fleming,
Daniel Fleming's daughter.
-Mmm-hmm.
-You're joking?
-No.
-Wait, are you joking?
-No, no [LAUGHS].
I mean, you have the part, what?
-Wait, really?
-Yes.
I mean, we go up in two weeks,
but I think it'll be really fun
and we would love to have you.
Rehearsals start
on Monday [LAUGHS].
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
VIRGINIA: I've just
reserved my table
for the Snowflake Ball.
ELIZABETH: Oh, that's right.
That's coming up.
-I would love to
get more involved.
-I'll introduce you.
-I hope you all join me
at my table.
-Of course.
That's very generous of you.
Oh, and Cafrey messaged me
about Silver Racquets.
-Thanks, Laurie.
-Of course.
He's happy to host you all.
Mmm, the Racquet Club is
so cozy this time of year.
I can't wait.
Oh, are you all going
to Library Lions?
No, my parents are.
And my brother
and his girlfriend.
Yeah, same, parents.
VIRGINIA: Who are you all
thinking of wearing this year?
Oh, I'm so sorry,
I have to go.
I'm doing a production
of The Seagull
at the Player's Theatre
downtown.
It's in two weeks
if you guys wanna come.
Annabel, you would've been
perfect in the production
of Three Sisters that
they did at Lincoln Center.
You should see if you can do
something at Lincoln Center.
-Thank you.
-Yeah.
ANNABEL: See ya.
Well, all right.
Cheers.
[GENTLE PIANO
MUSIC PLAYING]
[DOOR CREAKING]
NIA: So for this scene,
can you lead the way?
When you enter a stage right,
you just kind of trail
behind her.
-He's annoying you.
-[WHISPERS INDISTINCTLY]
-[LAUGHS]
-A moment here and, yeah.
Can I see that?
-Yeah.
-Sure.
Cool, sweet. Thank you guys.
You guys are next.
Theo. Hey.
Everyone should be out
in a second.
But only you could
gimme the gossip.
[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]
-Okay, so what
do you wanna know?
-How's it goin'?
[ANNABEL SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
And you'll be
the girl that I love
No one could take you
No other man could
make you an offer
'Cause I'll be the one
that you want
Oh
Hey, it's a comedy
show tonight.
You guys wanna see
a comedy show?
-Comedy show?
-Yeah, why not?
Here, of course.
They don't like
no dirty hair
Social media keeps trying
to get me to friend my ex.
It does that thing
where it's like,
"Hey, do you know Laura?"
And I'm like,
"I thought I did."
[AUDIENCE LAUGHS]
We have any couples
here tonight?
Yeah, you two?
You two?
You two?
No?
[AUDIENCE LAUGHS]
Just friends?
Maybe a little more
than friends?
First date?
He wants to be more than
just friends, right?
Show of hands if you think
these two are just friends.
Uh, uh, uh, uh, hate
to break it to ya,
I don't see any hands.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHS]
All right,
I ruined their first date.
I feel guilty.
ANNABEL: Do you think
that was planted?
Planted, but I mean,
I think it was a joke.
I liked that joke about the...
Look, you wanna
get your palm read?
It's only 10 bucks.
It's never only
10 bucks [CHUCKLES].
What?
Come on, it'll be fun.
-I'll pay.
-Are you serious?
ANNABEL: Yeah.
THEO: All right,
you know what?
I should...
Yes.
Perfect, 10.
No, that's okay.
-Here.
-No.
There. Come on.
There's someone older.
A man.
His energy is nearby you.
Have you lost someone recently?
Yeah, my dad.
He just passed away.
He wants to say
something to you.
If you want, I can do a tarot
or a tea leaf reading
and we can find out what?
How much
is the tea leaf reading?
One hundred.
Annabel, do not waste
your money on this.
I told you this is what they do.
They rip you off.
I know.
But don't you think it's kind
of weird that she knew that?
Maybe.
He's here.
He wants to tell you,
"I am with you always,
"and to listen to D."
Who's D?
D was my dad's nickname
for my mom, Diane,
when they were younger.
Hmm.
I see you've had
some problems with love,
with being loved,
but you can trust this love.
This one is real.
The relationship
that I'm in now?
Looks like it.
Yep.
Why do you always
wear mourning?
I dress in black
to match my life.
I am unhappy.
Why should you be unhappy?
I don't understand it.
You're healthy.
Though your father is not rich,
he has a good competency.
My life is far harder
than yours.
I only have 23 rubles
a month to live on,
but I don't wear mourning.
Happiness does not
depend on riches.
Poor men are often happy.
[SCOFFS] In theory,
yes, but not in reality.
Take my case, for instance.
My mother, my brother,
my two sisters and I must
all live somehow on my
salary of 23 rubles a month.
We have to eat and drink,
I take it?
You wouldn't have us go without
tea and sugar, would you?
Or tobacco? Answer me that.
The play will soon begin.
Yes.
Nina Zarietchnaya is going
to act in Treplieff's play.
They love one another,
and their two souls
will unite tonight
in the effort to interpret
the same idea
by different means.
There is no ground on which
your soul and mine can meet.
I love you.
I'm too restless and sad
to stay at home.
I tramp here every day,
six miles and back to be met
only by your indifference.
I am poor.
My family is large.
You can have no inducement
to marry a man
who cannot even
find proficient food
for his own mouth.
It's not that. [SNIFFS]
I am touched by your affection,
but I cannot return it.
That is all.
Would you take some?
[AUDIENCE LAUGHS]
This is so good.
[CHUCKLES] We are alone.
-Isn't that someone over there?
-No.
No?
TREPLIEFF:
Don't go away early.
I implore you.
No, I must. [CHUCKLES]
What if I were to
follow you, Nina?
I shall stand in your
garden all nights
with my eyes on your window.
[NINA LAUGHS]
Great job.
-I have to run.
-Okay, yeah.
Good to see you.
-Good to see you, Freddie.
-Good to see you.
Thanks for coming.
-That was nice she came.
-THEO: Hey.
-Just a little something.
-Thank you.
-You remember Theo?
-Your friend was the director?
Yeah, that's right, Nia.
-Right.
-Right, right.
So, what'd you think, man?
Yeah, uh...
Chekhov isn't everyone's
cup of tea.
[CHUCKLES]
You were great, really.
It just felt like a lot
of talking about nothing.
You know what I mean?
It could use an editor, right?
-Right.
-The characters,
they like to complain.
Right, yeah.
But you were great.
Really great.
[FREDDIE KISSING]
[SOFT JAZZY MUSIC PLAYING]
[SHUTTER FLASHES]
ANNABEL: Are you just allowed
to take photos of people?
-THEO: I'll go ask her after.
-[ANNABEL CHUCKLES]
How do you decide
what to shoot?
I don't know.
I guess, just about whatever
captures my attention.
My stepmom,
Michelle invited me
to a dinner in East Hampton.
A celebration of my dad's life.
Are you gonna go?
I don't know.
I guess it's nice of her,
but it's gonna be sad
and I don't want to go alone.
Well, Freddie, right?
I told him it was just family.
Is it just family?
ANNABEL: I don't know.
Well, I'm always
up for an adventure.
I love to take photos
of people in the Hamptons.
Shit, I could do like
a Patrick Lichfield,
Slim Aarons thing.
[CHUCKLES] It'd be dope.
I don't think you should come.
Why not? [CHUCKLES]
Well, don't you think that
would be crossing a line?
Come on, Annabel.
ANNABEL: Come on, what?
Why would you ask me about it
if you don't want
me to go with you?
Not everything I say
has some deeper meaning.
But it does.
Everything people
say or don't say
means something.
-Not with me.
-Not with you.
[SCOFFS]
Hey, let me know if you do go.
I'll give you my shoulder
or my hand,
or whatever it is you need.
-[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
-[KIDS CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[GROUP LAUGHS]
Oh.
Lynn, what about
Angels in America?
[LAUGHS] I mean, he was brutal
sometimes during that show.
He would just stop the scene
and turn to me and say,
"You're not listening."
And I said,
"I'm hearin' every word."
And he would get within
an inch of my face
and stare deep into my eyes
like he was trying
to find my soul,
and I could smell
the coffee on his breath.
[ALL LAUGHING]
And he'd say,
"But you're not listening.
"You're not letting
the words affect you."
I was hearin' him,
but I wasn't really listening.
He was infuriatingly good.
[MICHELLE EXHALES]
Annabel, do you have
something you'd like to share?
I don't know.
I wrote something,
it just came to me
a couple days ago,
but it's not very good.
It doesn't matter.
Okay.
Read it for me, please.
"Maybe you were reincarnated
as a New York City pigeon.
"That would make sense,
wouldn't it?
"Maybe that's why I see
a tiny white feather
"every time I know
I'm on the right path.
"Or maybe you're a dove,
"but that's a little too pure
for you, right?
"You were always on the edge
"and trying to take it off
by diving into a human soul.
"You saw consciousness
to be as deep as the sea,
"but you were adrift
and movable as water.
"I hope you have finally
come up for air."
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
Annabel, come here
for a second.
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Would you like one of these?
They belonged to your father.
[WATCHES TICKING]
Oh.
I like this one.
It's my favorite too.
-Well, I could choose
a different one.
-No, it should be yours.
This watch is wound by
the movement of your wrist
so you have to wear
it or it stops.
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
[WAVES SPLASHING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[WIND WHISTLING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Oh. [LAUGHS]
Whoo!
Hey, you're not
supposed to climb those.
What? I can't hear you.
No, seriously, get down.
They're protected.
From what?
-They're... Oh!
-Sorry. [CHUCKLES]
[CHUCKLES] It's okay.
They're nature preserves.
Oh.
You know,
like for birds and stuff?
For birds and stuff?
ANNABEL: Yeah.
-Can you hold my weight?
-What?
Can you hold my weight?
ANNABEL: No, no, no, I cannot.
[LAUGHS] Hey, you're not
supposed to be up there.
Can you hold my weight?
-[THEO LAUGHS]
-[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
-[MUSIC FADES]
-[WAVES SPLASHING]
THEO: See that view?
Hmm.
Doesn't cost anything.
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
I'll go back to Manhattan
As if nothin' ever happened
[CLEARS THROAT] Look,
I don't wanna make you-
That shouldn't have happened.
I'm sorry.
-It's...
-We're just friends, right?
Yeah.
I have a prince
who is waiting
And a kingdom downtown
FREDDIE: Hey, hey.
Got your favorite comfort food.
How are you?
Good.
-Yeah?
-Yeah.
-Doing okay?
-Mmm-hmm.
-Hi.
-Hey.
It's good to see you.
Take a seat, take a seat.
[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
Don't have to speak at all
I won't look in your eyes
And I won't have to fall
We don't have
to speak at all
[THEO SIGHS]
But Brooklyn holds you
And it holds my heart too
What a fool I was to think
I could live in both worlds
[BLINDS WHIRRING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[ALL CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
I do not think I could sleep
on a tour bus.
I would be way too excited.
Like, when you're in a sleepover
and then everyone else is asleep
and you're like,
"Anyone else awake?"
No, I feel you but honestly,
Leo and I never sleep.
We're always up until three
or four smokin' outside
but it's cool 'cause
we sleep till 1:00
and then get up,
explore wherever we at.
-Wow.
-[THEO CHUCKLES]
What cities are you going to?
A lot of Ohio.
[ALL LAUGHING]
-Atlanta.
-Yeah.
Different places around,
you know.
Shit!
Is everything okay?
What's goin' on?
So, you know, Ballinger's?
They gave me and my team
half our fees up front,
and I spent almost all
of mine on materials
because they said
they'd reimburse us.
We sent out everything for
the deliveries last week
and I sent them
this itemized invoice
of all the money I spent,
and now they won't even
answer my phone calls.
And no one has gotten
the second half of their fees,
which were due on delivery.
But the project manager,
he wasn't even there when
we delivered everything.
So they said to just
send him an email,
and now he's gone cold.
He won't answer my phone calls
or emails or like anything.
And now I'm completely out
like 20 grand.
-What?
-Dude!
Twenty grand?
-Damn.
-LEO: Damn, that's whack.
ROCKY: I'm really sorry.
Yeah.
-What are you gonna do?
-I don't know.
None of us can afford lawyers.
Oh, shit.
Can't you at least
like, I don't know,
-take back your work
or something?
-Yeah.
No, it's too late.
I can see my work
sitting in the windows.
ROCKY: Really, really sorry.
LEO: It's not right.
ANNABEL: Can I take this?
NIA: I could reach out
to my uncle.
He's a lawyer, and even
if it's just for advice.
Hey?
You have to do something.
What am I gonna do?
Tell that girl to pay Helina.
How would I do that?
She stole from my friend.
Elizabeth didn't
steal from anyone.
Theo, Ballinger's,
it's a billion dollar
corporation.
It's not like she works
for the company.
You know, she's not involved.
Yeah, but you could
tell her what happened.
She could probably do
something about it.
I think I should go
because I'm supposed
to go up to Virginia's
for game night.
THEO: You're going up there?
-Yeah, I...
-[THEO SCOFFS]
So, I think you should go.
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
[THEO SIGHS]
[POOL BALLS CLACKING]
-[ALL CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Okay, you're literally
outta here now.
-No hope.
-Hi.
-No hope.
-Sorry.
The Friendsgiving went late.
Well, Laurie has just
been destroying Eli
in a Backgammon tournament.
-What else is new?
-Yes.
-Hmm.
-[ALL CHUCKLING]
-ANNABEL: This is for you.
-Oh, perfect.
Eli, can you open this?
-Absolutely.
-He's better suited for that.
-Oh, I see.
-LAURIE: Yes.
ELI: Oh my God.
LAURIE: Where did you
learn how to play like this?
ELIZABETH: Boarding school.
I beat all the girls.
It's criminal.
-ELI: At least getting a lot in.
-Thank you.
-Oh, thank you.
-Of course.
-Will do.
-That's so kind.
ELI: Yes, yes, Virginia?
-Annabel?
-Yeah.
Ugh, what is this?
It's raw wine.
I got it at the farmer's market.
A biodynamic natural wine.
Yes, it's a return
to the natural
wine making methods,
generally without pesticides
and such.
Wow! Mmm.
Oh, my gosh,
does it get better with age?
[LAUGHS] I don't know.
I may be wrong,
but I believe they have
very short shelf lives.
Like most pure things.
The driven snow, rose petals.
Women.
[ALL CHUCKLING]
-I never thought you
were a purist, Eli.
-Oh!
-Oh, you okay?
-VIRGINIA: Odd choice.
-I think we're gonna
have to set this aside.
-Yeah.
Just thought it
would be fun to try.
-FREDDIE: Thank you.
-Okay.
ELI: And you are.
ELIZABETH: It's ruthless.
-Oh, you're ruthless.
-VIRGINIA: No. [LAUGHS]
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
-[ELI SNORING]
[WINE SLOSHING]
VIRGINIA: Thank you.
Abysmal waste.
You wanna drink it?
[CHUCKLES] No.
I didn't think so.
It's almost good.
It's just a little sour.
Like the Chekhov play.
[VIRGINIA LAUGHS]
CAFREY: Oh [CHUCKLES].
ELI: I knew I wasn't
missing anything.
CAFREY: I heard it wasn't
The Iceman Cometh.
[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING]
Hey.
-Yep.
-Thanks.
[CABINET CLOSES]
Hey.
-What's wrong?
-Huh?
Nothing.
You seem down.
Sometimes I just
wish our friends
were a little more
open, you know?
Like, open to trying
new things, new people.
Is this about the wine?
No, it's not about the wine.
I mean, Annabel,
we love your joie de vivre,
but you have to admit
the wine was pretty gross.
[GROUP LAUGHING]
CAFREY: The fuck do I know?
I don't know.
What, would you like
some whiskey as well?
Have you had a little
couple too many or?
No.
I don't feel like I can bring
any of my other friends around,
or you guys will be
like cold to them
like that one time that
Theo came over and then...
-Hey.
-Hi.
Yeah, I mean,
our friends don't like anyone.
It's a miracle
we even like each other.
I mean, I'm honored as
a relatively new addition.
Come on.
We've known you since Episcopal.
[ELIZABETH AND LAURIE LAUGH]
I mean, I just think
we feel safe around each other.
Like, we're able
to be ourselves.
No judgment.
But doesn't it feel
a little monotonous?
Like every time we hang out,
we're just here doing
the same things,
having the same conversations.
I mean, it's what
we've always done.
What's wrong with that?
Personally, I just prefer
to be around people like me.
What I mean is,
it's better with people
like us.
PLU, people like us. [LAUGHS]
-I should coin that, right?
-I love it.
-Yeah, PLU.
-The PLU.
-LAURIE: Yeah.
-Yeah.
People like us.
[SOFT MUSIC PLAYING]
Do you remember Simon?
He designed our house
in Greenwich.
I thought it's Tristan?
No, it's not Tristan.
That's Aspen.
This is Simon in Greenwich.
He has a new girlfriend.
Very exciting.
No, that's not exciting dear.
He has a wife.
-Oh.
-[SIGHS]
WAITER: Anything else?
Coffee or tea, anyone?
-No, thank you.
-I'm good.
It's a bit nippy in here.
Can you please do something
about the vent?
-I can certainly try.
-Can I get the check, please?
-Yeah.
-Thanks.
[SIGHS] Well, he's an artist.
Artists have their vices.
That's what makes him
so brilliant.
Don't you agree, Annabel?
Everyone has vices, Mom.
Look at your poor father.
He was exceptional.
-Who knew the whole time...
-Phoebe-
-...he was on, well...
-Mom.
Heroin didn't make him
a better actor.
He was sober his entire career.
Of course.
Please, could I get a bit
more cream for my coffee?
It's a bit bitter.
WAITER: Sure.
Sean, before I forget,
here's the key to Palm Beach.
Don't lose it.
Taking my girlfriend.
-Oh, fun.
-Yeah.
And Freddie, you asked me
to bring this
-for Annabel.
-Mom.
LEONARD: Let's...
For Annabel.
It was my mother's
from De Beers.
-We should...
-Annabel, here.
Will you marry him?
[FREDDIE CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY]
Oh, of course.
Yes, of course.
I, um...
I... [LAUGHS NERVOUSLY]
I'll always take care
of you and always love you
and always be there for you.
That's the truth, you know it.
ANNABEL: It's really pretty.
I love you too.
FREDDIE: Thanks, Mom [LAUGHS].
[FREDDIE CLEARS THROAT]
[HOOVES CLOMPING]
Congratulations.
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
VIRGINIA: I never liked
Christmas when I was little.
ANNABEL: Why?
I always thought
it was building me up
for some sort of future sadness.
Building this one
day up to be happy.
And then when I'm older,
I would look back
on my childhood
Christmases and be sad.
-Sad that my parents
aren't around anymore.
-Huh.
-Timing is really so perfect
with you and Freddie.
-Oh, yeah.
I'm definitely not
looking forward
-to the first Christmas
without my dad.
-Oh.
Did you want to pick up
that scarf I mentioned
for Elizabeth?
Oh, I don't know.
I got her the hat and gloves.
She's going skiing
for New Year's
and it would be really nice
for her to have the set.
Yeah.
Tiny thing, and no one's mad.
We understand you're
going through a lot,
but it might be a
good idea for you
to make a little
effort this year.
Some people feel like you
haven't been our friend lately.
-Like your normal self.
-What?
You left my house
early on Halloween
and I'm not upset, of course.
And apparently Elizabeth said
you think we're boring.
It's fine.
We are boring
to the outside eye,
I suppose.
Virginia, I never
said anyone was boring.
I said sometimes sitting
in our apartments,
you know, not going out
can feel a little myopic.
And I have some other friends,
you know?
Friends of Theo's
I'd love you to meet.
It's funny how you two
have become so close.
I don't know what that means.
I mean, Theo's friends
are just like my dad
when he was starting out.
He was living off ramen noodles
in the West Village
back in the 80s
when it was like unsafe to walk
in Washington Square
Park at night.
I see.
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Um...
I think we have to
let each other go.
Sometimes I wish we never met.
Things would be easier.
Freddie.
Freddie, what's his story?
Is he someone
you've known forever
from an adjacent family?
Someone who went to
the same boarding school as you?
And you'll tell everyone
whenever they ask how you met
that you can't remember because,
"We've known each other
forever and we just happened
"to reconnect last summer
at my friend's barbecue
on Martha's Vineyard."
Deep down, do you wonder
if you're just following
the plot of other indolent
social climbing kids
from good families too afraid
to lose their money?
ANNABEL: You don't get it.
This isn't about my
friends or money.
-THEO: It is.
-No, not in the way you think.
These people are my family.
They're all I have left.
A lot of people would
think that I am lucky
to have the life that I have.
Screw what other people think.
Are you happy?
[THEO SCOFFS]
God, we have done something
wrong as humans if you,
not even you are happy,
Annabel.
I mean, your friends,
you all have so much,
but you don't see it.
I'm sorry that
they don't like you.
-Why would I care
if they like me?
-I don't know.
Why do you?
-[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
-[PEOPLE CHATTERING
INDISTINCTLY]
[ANNABEL INHALES SHARPLY]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
VIRGINIA: Where did
you get that sweater, Eli?
ELI: One question at a time.
Virginia, isn't
a Christmas exchange
being a little premature?
But every weekend is full.
There's so many events.
It's Silver Racquets
next weekend,
and then I can't remember.
Anyway, then Snowflake Ball.
I'm in Palm Beach
for the end of December
and Lyford for New Year's.
Oh, maybe I should
do Lyford for New Year?
I thought you were skiing.
Oh, Verbier is entertaining.
-Oh, will you be in Verbier?
-Oh, certainly not.
We'll be in Lyford.
[CHUCKLES] I don't enjoy
being drenched in champagne.
Is that so?
Well, only because
it's perfectly drinkable.
ELIZABETH: Oh. [CHUCKLES]
Well, if you do go skiing...
[GASPS] Thank you,
I really wanted these.
-Of course.
-Did you?
-ELIZABETH: Yeah.
-[ELI LAUGHS]
-Oh, those are great.
-Yeah, lovely.
VIRGINIA: Beautiful.
ANNABEL: And from me.
[GASPS] Oh, gosh,
Annabel, thank you.
Thank you.
It's a set.
[FREDDIE CHUCKLES]
We thought you were
off to Verbier,
but it would be fun
if you were in The Bahamas.
We'll be in Lyford, too.
Well, my family will be,
so hopefully we'll be together.
Freddie, don't get
ahead of yourself.
[ALL CHUCKLING]
Yeah, no, we'll be in Lyford.
-[ANNABEL CHUCKLES]
-[FREDDIE CHUCKLES]
Eli, please, could you
get me another eggnog?
Of course, my lady.
[VIRGINIA CHUCKLES]
Virginia, where should we meet
before the Snowflake Ball?
Oh, that's what I'm doing.
The weekend after
Silver Racquets,
I'm hosting
the Snowflake Ball
pre-drinks.
-It's such a good idea.
-Oh yeah, that's right.
A treasure hunt.
I'm hiding
a tennis bracelet here
-in the apartment for
a lucky guest to find.
-ALL: Ooh.
-Do you wanna help me hide it?
-Definitely.
I still have a few ladies
that I need to
get something for,
so it would be very nice
to find that bracelet.
Not telling you where
I'm hiding it, Eli.
What? I can't help
that I'm competitive by nature.
[ALL CHUCKLING]
ELIZABETH: My turn.
Hmm.
ELIZABETH: Okay,
Eli, that's for you.
-There you go.
-Thank you.
-Thank you.
-Ballinger's.
Wow, that is so thoughtful.
Well, pawn them if you like.
They're 18 carats.
Very generous, Elizabeth.
-Thank you.
-So lovely.
Oh.
-Oh.
-VIRGINIA: That's so lovely.
-That's very generous.
-Hmm.
LAURIE: Let's all wear them
to Silver Racquets next weekend?
-Yeah.
-Yeah, so fun.
So fun.
FREDDIE: It's beautiful.
Thank you, Elizabeth.
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC PLAYING]
Is something wrong?
Are you okay?
Is it seven o'clock?
No, it's six o'clock.
Virginia, your clocks
are an hour ahead.
Oh, could you change it back?
Fall back.
LAURIE:
A controversial topic,
daylight savings time.
And after all these years,
what is the point?
You know, energy conservation
has so diversified
since the candle usage
that Benjamin Franklin
was referencing
when he originally
suggested the idea.
CAFREY: Show of hands,
who here is
pro daylight savings time?
The sun's set already.
Well, Annabel's for.
Virginia, does this
run on batteries?
I...
Hey, I'm not feeling well.
-Do you mind if I just go home?
-FREDDIE: Yeah.
-Okay.
-Do you need me?
-No.
-Okay.
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Hi.
THEO: Hey.
Thanks for meeting me.
No, of course.
Annabel, I just,
-I wanted to say...
-No, let me go first, please.
I hate the way that
things ended last time.
-Yeah.
-Um...
I made you a Christmas gift.
-I hope you like it.
-What?
-THEO: Thank you.
-Should I open it now?
-Yeah.
-Okay [LAUGHS].
[GIFT WRAP TEARING]
ANNABEL: Flip that around.
I went and bought
your photograph
and then I photocopied it
and I cut it up.
See the paintings by the pond?
They're your photo, and then
the tiny little paintings
inside those scenes,
they're also your photo.
THEO: The Droste effect.
I just wanted to show you
that knowing you has changed me.
I'm finally caring again.
And that will continue on.
You know, no matter what.
I think it was the
Japanese philosopher, Dogen,
he talks about being
on a boat in open water
and how you could
only see three miles
to the horizon directly
around you in a circle.
Why do you always
get so philosophical?
I read a lot and the
philosophers are always on sale.
Anyway, that of course
gives humans the perception
of being the center
of the universe.
And that's how I looked at you
and completely missed you.
I saw only what I wanted to see.
I missed the bigger picture.
What's the bigger picture?
That you're not
in love with me.
That you have this whole world
[CHUCKLES] and I'm just me.
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
I shouldn't have done that.
I'm sorry. [SNIFFLES]
Wait, wait, wait,
wait, wait, wait, wait.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
I actually came here
to say something.
-What?
-Okay?
I just, I want you
in my life, all right?
We don't need to do
this stupid dance.
I don't care if we date.
I don't care if there's
a ring at the end.
Let's just not ruin our...
-What we have.
-I can't.
God, I keep messing up
around you.
You're right.
I have this whole world
and I can't keep you,
and also them.
Just let me go.
[LAUGHS] No, no, no, no.
I mean, I would say
the prison food,
cafeteria lunch, Racquet
Club dining room.
Yes.
Lower, lower.
The lowest of the low.
It's gross.
I mean, just like, ugh.
Sorry, sorry guys.
Annabel?
-Hi.
-Hi.
What are you doing down there?
My earring, I lost it.
The Ballinger ones
you girls are wearing?
It must have fallen off
at the Racquet Club.
I mean, I'm sure
that you have time
to buy a replacement
before Elizabeth
notices how careless
you've been with her
generous gift.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
[SIGHS] Did she buy these,
do you think?
-I don't know.
-Right.
Mmm, festive windows, though.
Yes.
A staple for the winter
in New York.
A girl I know,
she designed them.
Oh, well they are particularly
beautiful this year.
[WHISPERS] Apparently she's had
trouble getting paid for them.
Really?
How well do you know this girl?
Well, she was
pretty upset about it,
so it must be true.
And is she a friend of
the talented Mr. Offit?
Uh-huh.
You think highly of him.
[CHUCKLES]
But from my brief interactions,
I would say he's not
the genius your father was.
Now...
Mmm, now come on,
let's have another drink.
I've gotta find this earring.
Oh, don't worry
about it, darling.
It's entirely replaceable.
Come on.
[LIGHT JAZZY
MUSIC PLAYING]
Whiskey, neat.
-[CAFREY CHUCKLES]
-[ELIZABETH CHUCKLES]
I was just saying
how fun it is
that we're all wearing
the earrings that
you got us.
Yes, it's like
putting a photo out
of the in-laws when they
come to visit. [CHUCKLES]
Oh, ow.
Wow, strong.
Kinda hurt.
[BRIGHT HOLIDAY
MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[GENTLE HOLIDAY MUSIC PLAYING]
-[GROUP CHATTERING FAINTLY]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[PIANO KEYS THUDDING]
Virginia, one of your
keys keeps getting stuck.
Eli, what are you doing?
The bracelet's not in
your underwear drawer.
Turned the entire
thing upside down.
Put those back.
[PIANO CONTINUES]
Some news.
My brother's going to
propose to his girlfriend.
Oh, lovely.
Yes.
And I just wonder,
would it be all right
if I gave her your seat
at my table at
the Snowflake Ball
to welcome her to the family?
Uh, no, of course, you should.
[PIANO KEYS CHIMING]
It's in the piano.
VIRGINIA: Eli.
Found it.
Put it back!
Give it to me.
-It's not for you.
-Are you serious?
Go get a drink.
Okay.
CAFREY: Your mother.
[GROUP LAUGHING]
-All of the family.
-Yeah, all of the family. Yes.
Virginia, did I do something?
Are you telling people
that Elizabeth's family
doesn't pay the artists
that work for them?
ANNABEL: Did Cafrey say that?
Because you know they're
being sued right now.
-Who?
-Ballinger's.
Some artists from prior years
are claiming
they were never paid.
Elizabeth explained they're
just trying to back negotiate.
I didn't know about that.
Well, she doesn't
talk about it.
Well, I swear, I had no idea.
I would never have said
anything if I knew.
I think everyone
just feels like
you've turned your back on us.
You've known Theo
and his friends for a month
and you've known us
for five years.
It's like you're choosing
his friends over us.
I'm not choosing them.
Virginia, you have to
believe me.
Excuse me.
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC PLAYING]
Warmer.
Warmer.
Cold.
Warmer.
[GROUP MUTTERING SOFTLY]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Sometimes
It was good, sometimes
It'll be all right
in a week or two.
Virginia's different ever since
she and Elizabeth
have become so close.
You know, she hasn't
returned any of my calls?
It will blow over.
Are you still going
to the Snowflake Ball?
[SIGHS] I am, yeah.
That doesn't even bother you?
Hmm?
[FREDDIE HUFFS]
Are you okay?
You take my love
for granted, Annabel.
And I've let you
because of everything
you've been going through.
ANNABEL: No, I love you.
Of course I love you.
FREDDIE: I haven't
seen you in a week.
ANNABEL: Well,
I'm upset about Virginia.
Yeah, but it's been
since that night.
I saw you,
kiss him.
You followed me?
[EXHALES] You walked into
Central Park alone at night
so I followed you from
a distance to make sure
that you got home safely,
and then you didn't go home.
I saw you kiss him.
God.
[FREDDIE SIGHS]
Just tell me you're
never gonna see him again.
I only wanted you,
but I'm not gonna
live like this.
I can't.
-Freddie-
-I can't.
ANNABEL:
I can't lose you too.
-[DOOR CLOSES]
-[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
-[HORNS HONKING]
-[TRAFFIC WHIZZING]
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
-[HORN HONKING]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
THEO: Annabel?
ANNABEL: I'm sorry.
Come on.
[ANNABEL LAUGHS]
[KEYS JINGLING]
ANNABEL: Maybe
I'll buy my own table
for the Snowflake Ball.
THEO: Are you serious?
ANNABEL: Yeah, why not?
[LIGHT ORCHESTRAL
MUSIC PLAYING]
[GUESTS CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
LAURIE: I know, sky's blue.
-[GLASSES CLINKING]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
I like the music.
Would it be inappropriate
to start dancing this early?
Yes.
-Then let's go.
-Really?
-Yeah.
-Really?
[ALL CHUCKLING]
[GUESTS LAUGHING AND CHATTERING]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
-[GLASSES CLINKING]
[GUESTS APPLAUDING]
Good evening.
Thank you all so
much for being here.
My name is Catherine.
Welcome to the 20th annual
Snowflake Gala.
I'd like to thank
one of our sponsors,
Ballinger's Department Store.
[GUESTS APPLAUDING AND CHEERING]
And introduce my cohost,
Elizabeth Ballinger.
-[PENSIVE MUSIC PLAYING]
-[GUESTS APPLAUDING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Is that the same Ballinger's?
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Hello.
Thank you all so much
for being here tonight.
I'm pleased to announce
that we have raised
a record, $990,000.
-[MUSIC SOFTENS]
-[WIND WHISTLING SOFTLY]
Helina, wait, wait, please.
Why did you bring us here?
To humiliate me?
No, I was thinking
I could help you.
No, thank you.
-But you know-
-Well,
I don't need your help,
nor do I want it.
Annabel, hi.
Good to see you.
ANNABEL: Good to see you.
You know them?
Who's your friend?
ANNABEL: Helina...
-Thanks for coming.
-Well, hmm.
Bye.
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC PLAYING]
[GROUP CHATTERING FAINTLY]
-Oh, it's snowing!
-How exciting!
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
-[GROUP CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
I suppose you think
I'm a coward?
I should have told Helina
they were my friends.
Well, they're not anymore.
[GROUP CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Is that what we are, Theo?
Just friends?
THEO: Hey,
I think you could use one.
Come on, let's go.
You're literally shivering.
You want my coat [LAUGHS]?
ANNABEL: I'm all right.
THEO: You'll get cold.
ANNABEL: I'll survive.
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
[AIR WHOOSHING]
-[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
-[WATER SPLASHING]
-[HOOVES CLOMPING]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
LAURIE: Oh!
Wait, wait.
-What did you do lose?
-Oh, my gloves.
They're lambskin, though.
I'll be right back.
I left my gloves.
-I'll be back.
-The gloves?
-Yeah, don't leave me.
-It's always the gloves.
-They appear, they reappear.
-It's every time.
-It's like, I-
-Sir, you can't bring drinks
out onto the street.
[GROUP LAUGHS]
My apologies, sir.
Thank you.
Doing God's work.
Yeah.
-[PETALS FLUTTERING]
-[GROUP LAUGHS]
-Come on, I'm cold.
-Oh.
VIRGINIA: Hey!
Good God, man.
What are you doing?
Oh, I'm sorry.
I was taken by the image.
I'm Theo Offit,
I'm a photographer.
For the event?
No, the street. [CHUCKLES]
Wait, wait, wait,
wait, wait, wait.
Theo Offit the photographer?
Yeah.
Yes, I saw your exhibition
at the New Hudson Yard Gallery.
[THEO CHUCKLES]
Post New York Times
feature, of course.
Virginia, it's really
quite exciting for you
to be photographed
by a young Mr. Offit.
Excuse me, we're
just heading out.
-I'll wait for Laurie.
-Yeah.
Okay. [GIGGLES]
VIRGINIA: 79th and 5th, please.
Cafrey, Shulman?
CAFREY: I'm just finishing
my cig.
I'm out.
Mmm, Annabel?
-Why not?
-Go for it.
Hope you don't mind
the copilot.
-[LIGHTER FLICKS]
-[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
You all are leaving early.
Well, don't expect us
to stay till the bitter end.
[ANNABEL CHUCKLES]
That photo could be great
for your career
or catastrophic. [CHUCKLES]
[ANNABEL CHUCKLES]
That was Virginia Wyethe,
an oil heiress.
Never heard of her.
Naturally.
It's almost too clever of a ruse
to be a coincidence
that the general
American population
is so distracted by
the famous actors
and celebrities
that we are
completely unfamiliar
with our true ruling class.
The wealthy magnates,
with the exception
of a few notable
Vanderbilts here and there,
responsible for
the capitalist oppression
under which we were all thriving
here tonight [CHUCKLES].
So, what brings Theo Offit
to the blocks uptown?
I got invited by a patron who
saw my show at Hudson Yards.
That will happen. [CHUCKLES]
-[SHUTTER FLASHES]
-Oh!
I'll pretend to ignore that
because I'm not as litigious
as the Wyethe's. [LAUGHS]
Oh, the only artist that
I remember from last year...
Oh, it was a gentleman
who was very involved
in the Natural History Museum.
Yes, yes. [LAUGHS]
One year he convinced
the museum to let him
and his high school band
play their gala.
-Wow.
-But, you know,
an admiral pursuit
to participate in the arts
in one's formative years.
Mmm.
Again, not all of us are suited
to become artists
that should be expressing
their talents out in public.
Wouldn't you agree, Annabel?
Mmm, I rarely agree
with anything you say.
Well, you used to be an actress,
but dare I say,
we wouldn't see you
trotting around a stage
these days now would we?
Used to be an actress?
What? retired at 26?
Twenty-seven.
I just studied it in school.
My dad,
he's the actor [CHUCKLES].
A very famous one.
Okay.
CAFREY: Sorry, sorry.
-Ah, there she is!
-Yes!
-Yes.
-The gloves.
The gloves.
The gentleman
at the coat check
tracked them down for me.
CAFREY: Wonderful.
-Yes.
-Wonderful.
Well, shall we mosey on back
to Virginia's for a night cap?
Yes.
Enjoy your night.
Should we invite him?
No, Virginia would not want
somebody she doesn't know
at her house.
Oh, come on.
-I mean...
-Theo?
Would you like to join us?
-CAFREY: Come on.
-Oh, come on.
You know, New York is back.
It's the roaring
20's [LAUGHS].
It is the roaring 20's.
Come on!
Hey, we could use
a fellow like you.
[GROUP LAUGHS]
-All right, yeah.
-Perfect.
-[GROUP LAUGHS]
-[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
-Wow.
-Let's go.
CAFREY: That's your best move.
ANNABEL: Oh, here's a cab!
CAFREY: You and the roses.
-[ANNABEL LAUGHS]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[LIGHT PIANO MUSIC PLAYING]
[CORK POPS]
[ALCOHOL SLOSHING]
-[GROUP LAUGHS]
-[CLOCK TICKING]
Let me hear you whisper
[SIGHS] Having fun, right?
[CAFREY CHUCKLES]
Coats, ladies?
-Right.
-Right, right, right.
Okay.
CAFREY: Ladies, did that
vocal coach that you hired die?
-Aw, you made it.
-And there he is.
Oh. You have a little...
[PIANO PLAYING STOPS]
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
Hello, again.
Hi.
Oh, everyone,
you should really see
Theo's exhibition downtown.
It's going through
December 1st,
if I remember correctly.
THEO: That's right. Yeah.
FREDDIE: Freddie Wilson.
Theo Offit.
CAFREY: You have a nice smile.
All looks good.
All looks great here.
[GROUP CHATTERING FAINTLY]
CAFREY: Let's get a drink.
ELI: Oh, no,
it's because you
don't have a job.
-CAFREY: It's because I'm...
-All right.
ELI: Come on, now, look at that.
Beautiful.
Yes, a golden waterfall.
[ALL CHUCKLING]
-Wow.
-And then...
That ought to do it.
CAFREY: Beautiful.
Beautiful.
-Thank you.
-Eli, whiskey?
Theo, whiskey?
-No, thank you.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah.
-Sure, sure.
-Freddie, champagne?
-Spot of whiskey?
-Champagne, my good sir.
-Cheers.
-THEO: Cheers.
-[GLASSES CLINKING]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
I saw her at
the Autumn Dinner.
Wait, rewind.
You're telling me Emma Easton
was at the Autumn
Dinner tonight?
Oh, Theo, sit, sit.
LAURIE: I swear
I did not even see her.
Probably because
she's irrelevant
ever since she trapped
poor Oscar.
On the contrary.
We have to take
her seriously now.
She's his wife.
I don't know who
she's gonna ask
for preschool recommendations.
You know, your photos, Theo,
they really got to the heart
of the wealth inequality
on this 13 mile island.
-[THEO CHUCKLES]
-I'm serious.
They...
Hey, look,
they made me melancholy.
You've got
the backbreaking images
of the first generation
immigrants in Chinatown.
Oh, the man on the subway.
Yes, he's in
the fluorescent light.
He's fallen asleep.
You know, he's exhausted
from a day of work.
He's got his mask underneath
his nose.
I mean,
the city itself is crumbling
from stage four capitalism.
[ALL CHUCKLING]
Well, yeah.
You know, here we are.
We're well fed.
Dim offspring of immigrants
that have clawed
their way to the top with their
lily white teeth and hands.
And yet we're not even happy.
Speak for yourself, Cafrey.
I had a wonderful evening.
CAFREY: I'm glad you did.
Look, Cafrey is doing
his best to flatter you, Theo,
and appear as if
he's deeply sickened
-by this unfair world,
-Oh, appear?
which he discovered
operates with the cruel,
cruel mechanisms
of systemic greed.
Only what?
Tonight?
-Tonight, wow.
-Tonight, yeah.
No, no, no, no, no,
no, no, not tonight.
Last week at Theo's exhibition.
-Oh.
-Come on.
I'm tired of this.
Dance with me, come on.
I've seen you with three
or four cocktails in you.
-Come on.
-Oh my God.
This woman loosens up,
let me tell you.
-[LAURIE LAUGHS]
-Come on.
-My God.
-Keep that to yourself, Cafrey.
Are you gonna dip me?
Oh, the dip.
-Oh, you want a dip?
-The dip, yeah.
CAFREY: Yes,
an elegant dip, see?
That's good, that's right
in your core, that dip, yes.
You been working out?
LAURIE: Yeah.
CAFREY: Hmm.
-Yes.
-Would you like to dance?
CAFREY: And a spin.
Thanks.
-I'm not a very good dancer.
-Oh. [CHUCKLES]
CAFREY: Oh, there we go.
LAURIE: Oh, oh.
There we go, you're getting
the hang of it now, hmm?
You ready for a competition?
Did you invite this guy?
I was wondering that, too.
Do we know anything about him?
Cafrey was talking
his ear off outside.
Cafrey's drunk.
I don't know about
him taking photos.
-[FREDDIE SIGHS]
-[PIANO PLAYING CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Virginia, not to be crass...
Don't be crass then.
How much did your family
pay for this apartment?
LAURIE: Cafrey!
Was it 50 mil?
You know,
the C.P.H Gilbert design,
the Central Park views,
and mortgage wasn't allowed,
I presume?
I think it was only like 40.
I don't know.
CAFREY: Forty.
Hmm.
Oh, who can afford that?
You know, I once went
on a date with this guy
who told me he photoshopped
his bank statements
whenever he applied to an
apartment in this city.
-What?
-Yeah.
On the first date,
he just openly admits a fraud.
Laurie, my love,
when was this date?
Oh, I mean, it is impossible
to get a decent place
in this city
without generational wealth.
-That's wild.
-Mmm.
Can you blame him?
I mean, painters used
to have lofts in Soho
and musicians
used to rent rooms
at the Chelsea Hotel.
Now, it's all finance bros.
-Yes.
-Hey.
CAFREY: Quite right, Theo.
I mean, what is New York
without its artists
who have been completely
priced out of the trendy areas?
All artists need a patron.
Another whiskey exchange
for a portrait?
Okay.
CAFREY: Oh, he's all posed up.
Wow.
You're serious?
-[GROUP LAUGHING]
-[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
Oh, come on,
he's the next big thing.
Annabel's always
broadening our horizons.
Wait, is this in color
or black and white?
[VIRGINIA GROANS]
-[SHUTTER FLASHES]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
You know what?
You're doing great.
What's your inner animal?
Show me your inner animal.
-[ELI GROWLING]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[ALCOHOL SLOSHING]
ELIZABETH: What vintage is this?
VIRGINIA: I think
this is the '05.
ANNABEL AND LAURIE: Ooh.
-LAURIE: That was a good year.
-It was a good year.
-What a treat.
-[GROUP LAUGHS]
ANNABEL: Seems to me
that charity events
have replaced deb balls.
Yeah, well, at least
charity events serve
some kind of purpose, though.
I think one or two
other sheltered girls
from Brearley may have had one.
I'm so glad we reconnected
at the reunion.
I didn't have anyone to talk to.
I didn't even realize
you had moved back
to the city after Wharton.
I was only gone for two years,
but it felt like an eternity.
Anaboo, your phone's
been ringing.
-ANNABEL: Who is it?
-Michelle.
[CELL PHONE VIBRATING]
I don't answer my stepmom.
Could be important.
Then she should call my dad.
May I have some?
CAFREY: I prefer the
Frick Autumn Dinner
to the Apollo Circle
quite frankly.
A quiet affair in the presence
of the Vermeers and
Whistlers and Manets,
as opposed to 400
people cramming into
the foyer of the Met.
[CHUCKLES] I mean,
one never knows half
the people at that thing.
Yeah, well, there's something
to like about both events.
ELI: What, affluence?
But the Frick being in
an old residence
brings you back
to that
gilded age elegance.
Anyone see Age of Innocence,
that Scorsese flick?
Any artist that
romanticizes polite society
has never endured it.
Eli, don't be a Philistine.
It's a sin to speak boorishly
of a film you haven't seen.
Cafrey, it's a sin to refer
to an Edith Wharton novel
as "That Scorsese flick."
I don't think Edith
Wharton was romanticizing.
I think she was just writing
about her experience growing
up in that type of circle.
Hmm.
I'm sure you're right.
I was asleep for
most of high school.
Theo, you're an artist.
Well observed, Cafrey.
Do you ever worry about
your work being misunderstood?
God, was he this boring
at Collegiate?
-Okay.
-He was top of his class
and then he made
the mistake of going
to Cornell.
So, he really hasn't had any
intellectual stimulation since.
[CHUCKLES] Well,
I'm not famous enough
for anyone to care
about what I do,
let alone misunderstand me.
I think these events
are a kind of necessary evil.
I mean, they're pieces of
art in and of themselves.
They're romantic and formal,
so people of a certain class
who long
for that Gilded Age thing
spend their money
on a party and end up
supporting the real art,
which hangs from museum walls.
That certain class being us?
Those who can afford a ticket.
Wouldn't you say that's an
improvement on the organization
of society over
family provenance?
What?
Capitalism?
No, but Theo's right.
These events have to
remain opulent to ensure
that moneyed New Yorkers
continue to fund
cultural institutions
so they remain
free or mostly free
for the general populace.
Again, we disagree.
The only redeeming aspect
of events like these
is finding a hiding place
in proximity to the open bar.
-[THEO CHUCKLES]
-[SOFT MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Townspeople, wake up.
[GROUP LAUGHS]
I am very sorry to report
that last night poor Freddie...
-Yep. Knew it.
-Not Freddie!
-I knew it.
-Freddie, now that you're dead,
you're not allowed to talk.
Slipped on some black ice.
-What?
-Oh!
The townspeople tried
to fetch the doctor,
but oh, the doctor was asleep.
It's Annabel.
She killed Freddie
to throw off the scent.
ANNABEL: My own boyfriend?
I think it's Elizabeth.
No.
Okay, who would the townspeople
like to kill?
Well...
Well, here's the thing.
So, who's your
favorite playwright?
Hmm.
I think Eugene O'Neill.
-So you're a masochist.
-Hmm.
"One should either
be sad or joyful.
"Contentment is a warm sty
for eaters and sleepers."
What?
It's Eugene O'Neill [LAUGHS].
Oh, yeah. [CHUCKLES]
No clues,
he has no clues for you.
My dad was in a production
of The Iceman Cometh
playing Hickey
at the Barrymore Theatre
last year.
He started sneaking
whiskey into the theater
and it totally destroyed
his relationship
with the director.
But he ended up winning a Tony,
and then he didn't
thank the director
in his speech, so... [LAUGHS]
-Won a Tony, huh?
-Yeah, he's pretty insane.
Annabel's father
is Daniel Fleming.
He took us backstage at 30 Rock
when he hosted SNL.
Shit after party, though.
It was some bar in Midtown.
-I think there was karaoke.
-Okay, okay, Virginia,
Elizabeth or Annabel?
I'm inclined to trust Annabel.
I can usually tell
if she's lying.
Please, she's an actress.
We've known each other
for five years.
Virginia, we've known
each other since preschool.
It's Annabel.
Annabel's the mafia.
-What?
-Well,
unfortunately the townspeople
wrongly executed.
-What?
-[LAUGHS]
-See?
-LAURIE: Poor Annabel.
-I really thought it was you.
-The mafia wins.
[ELIZABETH HUMMING AND SNAPPING]
Oh, all right, guys.
I think it's time
for me to head out,
but thank you for this.
Oh, by the way,
my exhibition is going
for another month
if any of you are interested.
No, thank you.
Yeah, thanks man.
I'll check it out.
Yeah?
He was fun.
LAURIE: So,
do you wanna play again?
-[SOFT PIANO MUSIC PLAYING]
-[BIRDS CHIRPING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
ANNABEL:
Cafrey was horrible, too.
-Horrible.
-Thank you.
I've decided on the theme
for my Halloween party.
-Oh?
-Hmm.
-Mythical Gods,
particularly the evil ones.
-[PHONE VIBRATING]
ANNABEL: I don't think
the Gods are evil.
They all have
a higher and lower form.
VIRGINIA:
Medusa was pretty evil.
ANNABEL: No,
she was punished
by Athena
for defiling her temple,
but it was Poseidon's fault
for raping her in there.
Oh, well, then
Poseidon was evil.
[CHUCKLES] Maybe.
-Thank you.
-LAURIE: I call Medusa.
But wait, I have an idea.
-Why don't I have some
of our buyers
-Thank you.
pull a few items
at Ballinger's
-and we could all go and
find costumes there?
-I love that.
-Absolutely.
-Yeah.
-Tuesday or Wednesday?
-Mmm-hmm.
-Or any afternoon
next week, really.
-[CELL PHONE CHIMES]
GROUP: Thank you.
-[ELIZABETH SIGHS]
-[GENTLE PIANO MUSIC PLAYING]
-What is it?
-What?
Um, I just got a news update.
I'm so sorry.
Your...
Your dad, he...
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[SOBBING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Do you want me
to walk you home?
[ANNABEL GASPS]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[HOOVES CLOMPING]
[CLOMPING ECHOING]
[ANNABEL SNIFFLES]
Hey.
I promise,
I'm not going anywhere.
-[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
-[ANNABEL SNIFFLING]
[DOORBELLS RINGS]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[DOORBELL RINGS]
[RINGING CONTINUES]
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[ARM THUDS]
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[ANNABEL WHIMPERS]
[COFFEE SPLASHES]
-[CHOIR SINGING]
-[SOFT ORGAN MUSIC PLAYING]
-[SINGING CONTINUES]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
He was a genius and people
throw that word around a lot,
but in his case it was true.
It feels like the whole city
is mourning for him.
-I think there's
some food upstairs.
-Yeah, let's go.
Didn't you try acting
for a bit?
I'm sure your father being
who he was gave you
quite a leg up.
Yeah, he always
said he would help me.
Excuse me.
Oh, that's sad.
She must be...
-Distraught.
-MAN: Distraught.
[CHOIR SINGING]
[DOORBELL RINGING]
ANNABEL: Mom, hi.
Give me a hug.
-I'm sorry I missed the funeral.
-ANNABEL: That's okay.
You know, they canceled
the flight, weather and...
You go take a shower.
[DIANE SIGHS]
Your friend is very talented.
We've only met once.
Well...
[ANNABEL INHALES]
-Your father's new wife...
-Mom, her name is Michelle.
Michelle called
me three months ago
and told me he had relapsed,
and she was kicking him out.
I had no idea.
It started with the drinking.
He thought after all these years
he could take a sip
or two of something.
I heard about what he did
during The Iceman Cometh.
Yes. Well...
I didn't know
you and Michelle spoke.
[SIGHS] She knew that I
had already been through it
with him when
he first got clean,
gosh, 28 years ago.
Then he started hanging
out with that actor
that won a Drama Desk
for King Lear.
What's his name?
I don't know.
He's an addict.
I mean, not that he's to blame.
It was nobody's fault.
It's just your father
was his own person,
and he made his own decisions.
But he loved you.
He thought you were
the greatest. [SNIFFLES]
No, he didn't. [SCOFFS]
He only kept me around to,
I don't know,
impress me at openings
or premieres or whatever.
He never cared
that I wanted to be an actor.
He never tried to help me.
He didn't want you
to be an actor.
He didn't want you to suffer.
I'm suffering anyway.
He wanted you to be happy.
Are you happy?
I have no idea what
I'm doing with my life.
[GENTLE PIANO
MUSIC PLAYING]
[ANNABEL SIGHS]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
ANNABEL: Thank you.
FREDDIE: Thank you.
Hi. So glad you could make it.
It's probably good
to be surrounded
by friends right now, right?
VIRGINIA: Hmm.
How about a drink?
Yeah?
Let's go.
CAFREY: Hello, hello.
LAURIE: Hi, guys.
Oh, look, Liberace's here.
I am Hermes.
Oh, Hermes?
No, Freddie, that's
a leather goods store.
[ALL CHUCKLING]
Annabel, I think
it's great that you came.
Make sure to stay busy.
Do you have a good therapist?
-Yeah.
-Good.
Grief can make you
do some crazy things.
When my grandfather died,
I cheated on my girlfriend.
Eli, pay attention,
you're spilling.
I'm sorry,
I can't look at you,
lest I turn to stone.
I'm not sure
you've seen some
of the paintings
in the impressionist
section at The Met,
They were actually
a gift of my family's.
They say, "Gift to the Wilson's
[CHUCKLES]."
Oh yes, you mentioned that.
My favorites in
the impressionist section
are Springtime and
The Storm by Pierre August...
FREDDIE: Oh, yes, yes, right.
The Springtime,
that's the idyllic one of
the lovers on the swing.
VIRGINIA: Yes,
but The Storm is grander.
FREDDIE: Anaboo, would
you like some more wine?
What?
-[HORNS HONKING]
-[MELANCHOLY MUSIC PLAYING]
-[PEDESTRIANS CHATTERING]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[ENERGETIC CLUB
MUSIC PLAYING]
[GROUP CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
Annabel!
Annabel?
-Theo, hey.
-What's up?
Ah, you missed the show.
-Were you playing?
-What? No [CHUCKLES].
My friend's band.
-ANNABEL: Oh, okay.
-Yeah.
I was just walking downtown
-and I somehow I ended up here.
-Walked?
All the way down here?
Wow, well, happy Halloween.
[CHUCKLES]
You wanna come to a party?
No, thank you.
I'm just gonna go home.
All right, well,
let me at least...
Let me walk you to the train.
We're headed in that direction.
Yeah, I'll get a cab
from there.
-Cool.
-HELINA: Theo?
Ooh!
-Hey.
-You gonna introduce us
to your new girlfriend?
Oh my God,
ignore her, please.
-Do not listen to her.
-Okay, I'll go first.
-I'm Helina.
-[LAUGHS] Annabel.
-Stop.
-Oh.
I am so sorry about your dad.
-Oh, yeah.
-Thank you.
Yeah. I'm really sorry
about that, too.
I saw the news.
Yeah. And he would not
stop talking about you.
[CHUCKLES]
-Okay, let's go.
-Are you serious?
ANNABEL: I went to your show.
-Oh, come on, man.
-Wait, you went?
Yeah.
My mom and I.
She loved it.
THEO: And you?
Guess I was just
disappointed 'cause...
Thank you? [CHUCKLES]
What? I go for disappointing.
-No, sorry.
-[THEO LAUGHS]
I just mean Cafrey was
talking them up, you know?
Like they revealed
to him all sorts of insights
about the wealth inequality gap
in New York.
Well, I think your friend
has a lot of guilt.
Guilt? About?
Money.
But I'm not trying to
make any statements
with my work or anything.
No?
No, I think the loudest voice
in anyone's head
is usually their own,
and that's the voice
I'm interested in hearing.
Okay, but how
can you argue that?
I mean, just by being
a human behind a camera
and not just a human,
but a self-proclaimed
photographer,
[CHUCKLES] you are
making a statement.
What did you
see in the photos?
I'm a nihilist.
-[LAUGHS] So nothing?
-Mmm-hmm.
THEO: Oh.
I'm not proud of it.
The way I've become everything
I feared being as a child.
Vain, self-important,
uninterested in the world.
Annabel, for what it's worth,
I don't think you're
uninterested in the world.
Thanks.
You know, I used
to spend a lot of time
obsessing about money.
Of course [CHUCKLES],
I didn't have any.
I thought about trying to
do something else a lot,
but then, I don't know,
I just decided, fuck it.
Now, of course, I wish
I'd become a banker.
[ANNABEL LAUGHS]
Well, you're obviously
an existentialist.
Well, that would
presume I believe
in a godless world,
which I don't.
[CLEARS THROAT]
Hey, if you like,
I can show you some of
my other photos sometime.
See if any of them
spark anything.
Where are the others?
Just at my apartment.
No.
I have a boyfriend. [CHUCKLES]
[CHUCKLES] I wasn't
asking you out.
I mean, we're all going.
My roommate is having
a party.
-[LAUGHS]
-Oh.
Yes, you were.
-Shit, you asked me out first.
-What?
Yeah, you asked me to come
to your friend's apartment
that night, remember?
-No, that was just
being friendly.
-I... Yeah, you did.
"Roaring 20s, come along."
-You don't remember any of that?
-It's sorry for being friendly.
-I...
-Relax, I was just joking.
Annabel, just...
Just come to the party.
[ANNOUNCER SPEAKING
INDISTINCTLY]
You're gonna love Nia,
by the way.
I'm excited for you to meet her.
Excuse me, if I could just
have everyone's attention.
It's show time!
[ROCKY LAUGHS]
Whoo!
-GROUP: Hey!
-Sit down.
GROUP: Hey!
-Nah, just fuckin'
around, fucker.
-[GROUP LAUGHS]
It's a new hat.
ANNABEL: Sorry for crashing
the party.
Oh, I don't care.
I'm not gonna know
half the people there.
Do your thing, bro. [CHUCKLES]
Um, I love your jacket.
What are you supposed to be?
Oh, I'm Edie Sedgwick.
-Oh.
-Without the Pixie cut.
Where's Andy Warhol?
This is a great
Halloween costume.
ANNABEL: Oh, okay.
Andy and Edie.
Okay, got it, got it.
Cute.
Was it not obvious?
[LAUGHS]
[GROUP CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
[PARTY GOERS
CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
By the way, I love your costume.
What are you, though?
I'm Persephone.
HELINA: Oh, okay, okay.
ANNABEL: Spring, you know,
queen of the underworld.
Oh, trust me, I know.
I'm a sculptor.
-Oh, wow.
-Yeah.
I went to SVA.
-Have loans to prove it,
Theo knows.
-[THEO CHUCKLES]
You know the Christmas windows
over at Saks?
I did that with the team
for the past two years
and this year I'm doing
the windows at Ballinger's,
which I'm the lead on.
-So exciting.
-That is amazing.
-Yeah.
-Stop bragging.
Okay, let me have
this one thing.
Yo, yo, does anyone
want to stick and poke?
I'm gonna be doin' 'em
over there for free.
-HELINA: Oh yeah, me.
-Yeah?
You want a heart
with my name in it?
-Uh, no.
-You sure?
Maybe later [CHUCKLES].
Do you remember that girl
that you met at Virginia's?
She was like the mafia.
-Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
-Yeah?
Her family owns that
department store, Ballinger's.
-Of course.
-Yep.
-Elizabeth Ballinger.
-[THEO CHUCKLES]
Oh, Nia, hi.
Okay, Nia, I found you
a Nina for your play.
Nia got asked to direct
The Seagull
for a Chekhov series at
The Player's Theatre.
Yeah, my lead actress,
she just had to drop out
because she booked
a studio feature,
which I guess I can't
blame her for, so...
-Annabel Fleming,
Daniel Fleming's daughter.
-Mmm-hmm.
-You're joking?
-No.
-Wait, are you joking?
-No, no [LAUGHS].
I mean, you have the part, what?
-Wait, really?
-Yes.
I mean, we go up in two weeks,
but I think it'll be really fun
and we would love to have you.
Rehearsals start
on Monday [LAUGHS].
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
VIRGINIA: I've just
reserved my table
for the Snowflake Ball.
ELIZABETH: Oh, that's right.
That's coming up.
-I would love to
get more involved.
-I'll introduce you.
-I hope you all join me
at my table.
-Of course.
That's very generous of you.
Oh, and Cafrey messaged me
about Silver Racquets.
-Thanks, Laurie.
-Of course.
He's happy to host you all.
Mmm, the Racquet Club is
so cozy this time of year.
I can't wait.
Oh, are you all going
to Library Lions?
No, my parents are.
And my brother
and his girlfriend.
Yeah, same, parents.
VIRGINIA: Who are you all
thinking of wearing this year?
Oh, I'm so sorry,
I have to go.
I'm doing a production
of The Seagull
at the Player's Theatre
downtown.
It's in two weeks
if you guys wanna come.
Annabel, you would've been
perfect in the production
of Three Sisters that
they did at Lincoln Center.
You should see if you can do
something at Lincoln Center.
-Thank you.
-Yeah.
ANNABEL: See ya.
Well, all right.
Cheers.
[GENTLE PIANO
MUSIC PLAYING]
[DOOR CREAKING]
NIA: So for this scene,
can you lead the way?
When you enter a stage right,
you just kind of trail
behind her.
-He's annoying you.
-[WHISPERS INDISTINCTLY]
-[LAUGHS]
-A moment here and, yeah.
Can I see that?
-Yeah.
-Sure.
Cool, sweet. Thank you guys.
You guys are next.
Theo. Hey.
Everyone should be out
in a second.
But only you could
gimme the gossip.
[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]
-Okay, so what
do you wanna know?
-How's it goin'?
[ANNABEL SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
And you'll be
the girl that I love
No one could take you
No other man could
make you an offer
'Cause I'll be the one
that you want
Oh
Hey, it's a comedy
show tonight.
You guys wanna see
a comedy show?
-Comedy show?
-Yeah, why not?
Here, of course.
They don't like
no dirty hair
Social media keeps trying
to get me to friend my ex.
It does that thing
where it's like,
"Hey, do you know Laura?"
And I'm like,
"I thought I did."
[AUDIENCE LAUGHS]
We have any couples
here tonight?
Yeah, you two?
You two?
You two?
No?
[AUDIENCE LAUGHS]
Just friends?
Maybe a little more
than friends?
First date?
He wants to be more than
just friends, right?
Show of hands if you think
these two are just friends.
Uh, uh, uh, uh, hate
to break it to ya,
I don't see any hands.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHS]
All right,
I ruined their first date.
I feel guilty.
ANNABEL: Do you think
that was planted?
Planted, but I mean,
I think it was a joke.
I liked that joke about the...
Look, you wanna
get your palm read?
It's only 10 bucks.
It's never only
10 bucks [CHUCKLES].
What?
Come on, it'll be fun.
-I'll pay.
-Are you serious?
ANNABEL: Yeah.
THEO: All right,
you know what?
I should...
Yes.
Perfect, 10.
No, that's okay.
-Here.
-No.
There. Come on.
There's someone older.
A man.
His energy is nearby you.
Have you lost someone recently?
Yeah, my dad.
He just passed away.
He wants to say
something to you.
If you want, I can do a tarot
or a tea leaf reading
and we can find out what?
How much
is the tea leaf reading?
One hundred.
Annabel, do not waste
your money on this.
I told you this is what they do.
They rip you off.
I know.
But don't you think it's kind
of weird that she knew that?
Maybe.
He's here.
He wants to tell you,
"I am with you always,
"and to listen to D."
Who's D?
D was my dad's nickname
for my mom, Diane,
when they were younger.
Hmm.
I see you've had
some problems with love,
with being loved,
but you can trust this love.
This one is real.
The relationship
that I'm in now?
Looks like it.
Yep.
Why do you always
wear mourning?
I dress in black
to match my life.
I am unhappy.
Why should you be unhappy?
I don't understand it.
You're healthy.
Though your father is not rich,
he has a good competency.
My life is far harder
than yours.
I only have 23 rubles
a month to live on,
but I don't wear mourning.
Happiness does not
depend on riches.
Poor men are often happy.
[SCOFFS] In theory,
yes, but not in reality.
Take my case, for instance.
My mother, my brother,
my two sisters and I must
all live somehow on my
salary of 23 rubles a month.
We have to eat and drink,
I take it?
You wouldn't have us go without
tea and sugar, would you?
Or tobacco? Answer me that.
The play will soon begin.
Yes.
Nina Zarietchnaya is going
to act in Treplieff's play.
They love one another,
and their two souls
will unite tonight
in the effort to interpret
the same idea
by different means.
There is no ground on which
your soul and mine can meet.
I love you.
I'm too restless and sad
to stay at home.
I tramp here every day,
six miles and back to be met
only by your indifference.
I am poor.
My family is large.
You can have no inducement
to marry a man
who cannot even
find proficient food
for his own mouth.
It's not that. [SNIFFS]
I am touched by your affection,
but I cannot return it.
That is all.
Would you take some?
[AUDIENCE LAUGHS]
This is so good.
[CHUCKLES] We are alone.
-Isn't that someone over there?
-No.
No?
TREPLIEFF:
Don't go away early.
I implore you.
No, I must. [CHUCKLES]
What if I were to
follow you, Nina?
I shall stand in your
garden all nights
with my eyes on your window.
[NINA LAUGHS]
Great job.
-I have to run.
-Okay, yeah.
Good to see you.
-Good to see you, Freddie.
-Good to see you.
Thanks for coming.
-That was nice she came.
-THEO: Hey.
-Just a little something.
-Thank you.
-You remember Theo?
-Your friend was the director?
Yeah, that's right, Nia.
-Right.
-Right, right.
So, what'd you think, man?
Yeah, uh...
Chekhov isn't everyone's
cup of tea.
[CHUCKLES]
You were great, really.
It just felt like a lot
of talking about nothing.
You know what I mean?
It could use an editor, right?
-Right.
-The characters,
they like to complain.
Right, yeah.
But you were great.
Really great.
[FREDDIE KISSING]
[SOFT JAZZY MUSIC PLAYING]
[SHUTTER FLASHES]
ANNABEL: Are you just allowed
to take photos of people?
-THEO: I'll go ask her after.
-[ANNABEL CHUCKLES]
How do you decide
what to shoot?
I don't know.
I guess, just about whatever
captures my attention.
My stepmom,
Michelle invited me
to a dinner in East Hampton.
A celebration of my dad's life.
Are you gonna go?
I don't know.
I guess it's nice of her,
but it's gonna be sad
and I don't want to go alone.
Well, Freddie, right?
I told him it was just family.
Is it just family?
ANNABEL: I don't know.
Well, I'm always
up for an adventure.
I love to take photos
of people in the Hamptons.
Shit, I could do like
a Patrick Lichfield,
Slim Aarons thing.
[CHUCKLES] It'd be dope.
I don't think you should come.
Why not? [CHUCKLES]
Well, don't you think that
would be crossing a line?
Come on, Annabel.
ANNABEL: Come on, what?
Why would you ask me about it
if you don't want
me to go with you?
Not everything I say
has some deeper meaning.
But it does.
Everything people
say or don't say
means something.
-Not with me.
-Not with you.
[SCOFFS]
Hey, let me know if you do go.
I'll give you my shoulder
or my hand,
or whatever it is you need.
-[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
-[KIDS CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[GROUP LAUGHS]
Oh.
Lynn, what about
Angels in America?
[LAUGHS] I mean, he was brutal
sometimes during that show.
He would just stop the scene
and turn to me and say,
"You're not listening."
And I said,
"I'm hearin' every word."
And he would get within
an inch of my face
and stare deep into my eyes
like he was trying
to find my soul,
and I could smell
the coffee on his breath.
[ALL LAUGHING]
And he'd say,
"But you're not listening.
"You're not letting
the words affect you."
I was hearin' him,
but I wasn't really listening.
He was infuriatingly good.
[MICHELLE EXHALES]
Annabel, do you have
something you'd like to share?
I don't know.
I wrote something,
it just came to me
a couple days ago,
but it's not very good.
It doesn't matter.
Okay.
Read it for me, please.
"Maybe you were reincarnated
as a New York City pigeon.
"That would make sense,
wouldn't it?
"Maybe that's why I see
a tiny white feather
"every time I know
I'm on the right path.
"Or maybe you're a dove,
"but that's a little too pure
for you, right?
"You were always on the edge
"and trying to take it off
by diving into a human soul.
"You saw consciousness
to be as deep as the sea,
"but you were adrift
and movable as water.
"I hope you have finally
come up for air."
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
Annabel, come here
for a second.
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Would you like one of these?
They belonged to your father.
[WATCHES TICKING]
Oh.
I like this one.
It's my favorite too.
-Well, I could choose
a different one.
-No, it should be yours.
This watch is wound by
the movement of your wrist
so you have to wear
it or it stops.
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
[WAVES SPLASHING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[WIND WHISTLING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Oh. [LAUGHS]
Whoo!
Hey, you're not
supposed to climb those.
What? I can't hear you.
No, seriously, get down.
They're protected.
From what?
-They're... Oh!
-Sorry. [CHUCKLES]
[CHUCKLES] It's okay.
They're nature preserves.
Oh.
You know,
like for birds and stuff?
For birds and stuff?
ANNABEL: Yeah.
-Can you hold my weight?
-What?
Can you hold my weight?
ANNABEL: No, no, no, I cannot.
[LAUGHS] Hey, you're not
supposed to be up there.
Can you hold my weight?
-[THEO LAUGHS]
-[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
-[MUSIC FADES]
-[WAVES SPLASHING]
THEO: See that view?
Hmm.
Doesn't cost anything.
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
I'll go back to Manhattan
As if nothin' ever happened
[CLEARS THROAT] Look,
I don't wanna make you-
That shouldn't have happened.
I'm sorry.
-It's...
-We're just friends, right?
Yeah.
I have a prince
who is waiting
And a kingdom downtown
FREDDIE: Hey, hey.
Got your favorite comfort food.
How are you?
Good.
-Yeah?
-Yeah.
-Doing okay?
-Mmm-hmm.
-Hi.
-Hey.
It's good to see you.
Take a seat, take a seat.
[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
Don't have to speak at all
I won't look in your eyes
And I won't have to fall
We don't have
to speak at all
[THEO SIGHS]
But Brooklyn holds you
And it holds my heart too
What a fool I was to think
I could live in both worlds
[BLINDS WHIRRING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[ALL CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
I do not think I could sleep
on a tour bus.
I would be way too excited.
Like, when you're in a sleepover
and then everyone else is asleep
and you're like,
"Anyone else awake?"
No, I feel you but honestly,
Leo and I never sleep.
We're always up until three
or four smokin' outside
but it's cool 'cause
we sleep till 1:00
and then get up,
explore wherever we at.
-Wow.
-[THEO CHUCKLES]
What cities are you going to?
A lot of Ohio.
[ALL LAUGHING]
-Atlanta.
-Yeah.
Different places around,
you know.
Shit!
Is everything okay?
What's goin' on?
So, you know, Ballinger's?
They gave me and my team
half our fees up front,
and I spent almost all
of mine on materials
because they said
they'd reimburse us.
We sent out everything for
the deliveries last week
and I sent them
this itemized invoice
of all the money I spent,
and now they won't even
answer my phone calls.
And no one has gotten
the second half of their fees,
which were due on delivery.
But the project manager,
he wasn't even there when
we delivered everything.
So they said to just
send him an email,
and now he's gone cold.
He won't answer my phone calls
or emails or like anything.
And now I'm completely out
like 20 grand.
-What?
-Dude!
Twenty grand?
-Damn.
-LEO: Damn, that's whack.
ROCKY: I'm really sorry.
Yeah.
-What are you gonna do?
-I don't know.
None of us can afford lawyers.
Oh, shit.
Can't you at least
like, I don't know,
-take back your work
or something?
-Yeah.
No, it's too late.
I can see my work
sitting in the windows.
ROCKY: Really, really sorry.
LEO: It's not right.
ANNABEL: Can I take this?
NIA: I could reach out
to my uncle.
He's a lawyer, and even
if it's just for advice.
Hey?
You have to do something.
What am I gonna do?
Tell that girl to pay Helina.
How would I do that?
She stole from my friend.
Elizabeth didn't
steal from anyone.
Theo, Ballinger's,
it's a billion dollar
corporation.
It's not like she works
for the company.
You know, she's not involved.
Yeah, but you could
tell her what happened.
She could probably do
something about it.
I think I should go
because I'm supposed
to go up to Virginia's
for game night.
THEO: You're going up there?
-Yeah, I...
-[THEO SCOFFS]
So, I think you should go.
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
[THEO SIGHS]
[POOL BALLS CLACKING]
-[ALL CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Okay, you're literally
outta here now.
-No hope.
-Hi.
-No hope.
-Sorry.
The Friendsgiving went late.
Well, Laurie has just
been destroying Eli
in a Backgammon tournament.
-What else is new?
-Yes.
-Hmm.
-[ALL CHUCKLING]
-ANNABEL: This is for you.
-Oh, perfect.
Eli, can you open this?
-Absolutely.
-He's better suited for that.
-Oh, I see.
-LAURIE: Yes.
ELI: Oh my God.
LAURIE: Where did you
learn how to play like this?
ELIZABETH: Boarding school.
I beat all the girls.
It's criminal.
-ELI: At least getting a lot in.
-Thank you.
-Oh, thank you.
-Of course.
-Will do.
-That's so kind.
ELI: Yes, yes, Virginia?
-Annabel?
-Yeah.
Ugh, what is this?
It's raw wine.
I got it at the farmer's market.
A biodynamic natural wine.
Yes, it's a return
to the natural
wine making methods,
generally without pesticides
and such.
Wow! Mmm.
Oh, my gosh,
does it get better with age?
[LAUGHS] I don't know.
I may be wrong,
but I believe they have
very short shelf lives.
Like most pure things.
The driven snow, rose petals.
Women.
[ALL CHUCKLING]
-I never thought you
were a purist, Eli.
-Oh!
-Oh, you okay?
-VIRGINIA: Odd choice.
-I think we're gonna
have to set this aside.
-Yeah.
Just thought it
would be fun to try.
-FREDDIE: Thank you.
-Okay.
ELI: And you are.
ELIZABETH: It's ruthless.
-Oh, you're ruthless.
-VIRGINIA: No. [LAUGHS]
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
-[ELI SNORING]
[WINE SLOSHING]
VIRGINIA: Thank you.
Abysmal waste.
You wanna drink it?
[CHUCKLES] No.
I didn't think so.
It's almost good.
It's just a little sour.
Like the Chekhov play.
[VIRGINIA LAUGHS]
CAFREY: Oh [CHUCKLES].
ELI: I knew I wasn't
missing anything.
CAFREY: I heard it wasn't
The Iceman Cometh.
[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING]
Hey.
-Yep.
-Thanks.
[CABINET CLOSES]
Hey.
-What's wrong?
-Huh?
Nothing.
You seem down.
Sometimes I just
wish our friends
were a little more
open, you know?
Like, open to trying
new things, new people.
Is this about the wine?
No, it's not about the wine.
I mean, Annabel,
we love your joie de vivre,
but you have to admit
the wine was pretty gross.
[GROUP LAUGHING]
CAFREY: The fuck do I know?
I don't know.
What, would you like
some whiskey as well?
Have you had a little
couple too many or?
No.
I don't feel like I can bring
any of my other friends around,
or you guys will be
like cold to them
like that one time that
Theo came over and then...
-Hey.
-Hi.
Yeah, I mean,
our friends don't like anyone.
It's a miracle
we even like each other.
I mean, I'm honored as
a relatively new addition.
Come on.
We've known you since Episcopal.
[ELIZABETH AND LAURIE LAUGH]
I mean, I just think
we feel safe around each other.
Like, we're able
to be ourselves.
No judgment.
But doesn't it feel
a little monotonous?
Like every time we hang out,
we're just here doing
the same things,
having the same conversations.
I mean, it's what
we've always done.
What's wrong with that?
Personally, I just prefer
to be around people like me.
What I mean is,
it's better with people
like us.
PLU, people like us. [LAUGHS]
-I should coin that, right?
-I love it.
-Yeah, PLU.
-The PLU.
-LAURIE: Yeah.
-Yeah.
People like us.
[SOFT MUSIC PLAYING]
Do you remember Simon?
He designed our house
in Greenwich.
I thought it's Tristan?
No, it's not Tristan.
That's Aspen.
This is Simon in Greenwich.
He has a new girlfriend.
Very exciting.
No, that's not exciting dear.
He has a wife.
-Oh.
-[SIGHS]
WAITER: Anything else?
Coffee or tea, anyone?
-No, thank you.
-I'm good.
It's a bit nippy in here.
Can you please do something
about the vent?
-I can certainly try.
-Can I get the check, please?
-Yeah.
-Thanks.
[SIGHS] Well, he's an artist.
Artists have their vices.
That's what makes him
so brilliant.
Don't you agree, Annabel?
Everyone has vices, Mom.
Look at your poor father.
He was exceptional.
-Who knew the whole time...
-Phoebe-
-...he was on, well...
-Mom.
Heroin didn't make him
a better actor.
He was sober his entire career.
Of course.
Please, could I get a bit
more cream for my coffee?
It's a bit bitter.
WAITER: Sure.
Sean, before I forget,
here's the key to Palm Beach.
Don't lose it.
Taking my girlfriend.
-Oh, fun.
-Yeah.
And Freddie, you asked me
to bring this
-for Annabel.
-Mom.
LEONARD: Let's...
For Annabel.
It was my mother's
from De Beers.
-We should...
-Annabel, here.
Will you marry him?
[FREDDIE CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY]
Oh, of course.
Yes, of course.
I, um...
I... [LAUGHS NERVOUSLY]
I'll always take care
of you and always love you
and always be there for you.
That's the truth, you know it.
ANNABEL: It's really pretty.
I love you too.
FREDDIE: Thanks, Mom [LAUGHS].
[FREDDIE CLEARS THROAT]
[HOOVES CLOMPING]
Congratulations.
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
VIRGINIA: I never liked
Christmas when I was little.
ANNABEL: Why?
I always thought
it was building me up
for some sort of future sadness.
Building this one
day up to be happy.
And then when I'm older,
I would look back
on my childhood
Christmases and be sad.
-Sad that my parents
aren't around anymore.
-Huh.
-Timing is really so perfect
with you and Freddie.
-Oh, yeah.
I'm definitely not
looking forward
-to the first Christmas
without my dad.
-Oh.
Did you want to pick up
that scarf I mentioned
for Elizabeth?
Oh, I don't know.
I got her the hat and gloves.
She's going skiing
for New Year's
and it would be really nice
for her to have the set.
Yeah.
Tiny thing, and no one's mad.
We understand you're
going through a lot,
but it might be a
good idea for you
to make a little
effort this year.
Some people feel like you
haven't been our friend lately.
-Like your normal self.
-What?
You left my house
early on Halloween
and I'm not upset, of course.
And apparently Elizabeth said
you think we're boring.
It's fine.
We are boring
to the outside eye,
I suppose.
Virginia, I never
said anyone was boring.
I said sometimes sitting
in our apartments,
you know, not going out
can feel a little myopic.
And I have some other friends,
you know?
Friends of Theo's
I'd love you to meet.
It's funny how you two
have become so close.
I don't know what that means.
I mean, Theo's friends
are just like my dad
when he was starting out.
He was living off ramen noodles
in the West Village
back in the 80s
when it was like unsafe to walk
in Washington Square
Park at night.
I see.
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Um...
I think we have to
let each other go.
Sometimes I wish we never met.
Things would be easier.
Freddie.
Freddie, what's his story?
Is he someone
you've known forever
from an adjacent family?
Someone who went to
the same boarding school as you?
And you'll tell everyone
whenever they ask how you met
that you can't remember because,
"We've known each other
forever and we just happened
"to reconnect last summer
at my friend's barbecue
on Martha's Vineyard."
Deep down, do you wonder
if you're just following
the plot of other indolent
social climbing kids
from good families too afraid
to lose their money?
ANNABEL: You don't get it.
This isn't about my
friends or money.
-THEO: It is.
-No, not in the way you think.
These people are my family.
They're all I have left.
A lot of people would
think that I am lucky
to have the life that I have.
Screw what other people think.
Are you happy?
[THEO SCOFFS]
God, we have done something
wrong as humans if you,
not even you are happy,
Annabel.
I mean, your friends,
you all have so much,
but you don't see it.
I'm sorry that
they don't like you.
-Why would I care
if they like me?
-I don't know.
Why do you?
-[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
-[PEOPLE CHATTERING
INDISTINCTLY]
[ANNABEL INHALES SHARPLY]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
VIRGINIA: Where did
you get that sweater, Eli?
ELI: One question at a time.
Virginia, isn't
a Christmas exchange
being a little premature?
But every weekend is full.
There's so many events.
It's Silver Racquets
next weekend,
and then I can't remember.
Anyway, then Snowflake Ball.
I'm in Palm Beach
for the end of December
and Lyford for New Year's.
Oh, maybe I should
do Lyford for New Year?
I thought you were skiing.
Oh, Verbier is entertaining.
-Oh, will you be in Verbier?
-Oh, certainly not.
We'll be in Lyford.
[CHUCKLES] I don't enjoy
being drenched in champagne.
Is that so?
Well, only because
it's perfectly drinkable.
ELIZABETH: Oh. [CHUCKLES]
Well, if you do go skiing...
[GASPS] Thank you,
I really wanted these.
-Of course.
-Did you?
-ELIZABETH: Yeah.
-[ELI LAUGHS]
-Oh, those are great.
-Yeah, lovely.
VIRGINIA: Beautiful.
ANNABEL: And from me.
[GASPS] Oh, gosh,
Annabel, thank you.
Thank you.
It's a set.
[FREDDIE CHUCKLES]
We thought you were
off to Verbier,
but it would be fun
if you were in The Bahamas.
We'll be in Lyford, too.
Well, my family will be,
so hopefully we'll be together.
Freddie, don't get
ahead of yourself.
[ALL CHUCKLING]
Yeah, no, we'll be in Lyford.
-[ANNABEL CHUCKLES]
-[FREDDIE CHUCKLES]
Eli, please, could you
get me another eggnog?
Of course, my lady.
[VIRGINIA CHUCKLES]
Virginia, where should we meet
before the Snowflake Ball?
Oh, that's what I'm doing.
The weekend after
Silver Racquets,
I'm hosting
the Snowflake Ball
pre-drinks.
-It's such a good idea.
-Oh yeah, that's right.
A treasure hunt.
I'm hiding
a tennis bracelet here
-in the apartment for
a lucky guest to find.
-ALL: Ooh.
-Do you wanna help me hide it?
-Definitely.
I still have a few ladies
that I need to
get something for,
so it would be very nice
to find that bracelet.
Not telling you where
I'm hiding it, Eli.
What? I can't help
that I'm competitive by nature.
[ALL CHUCKLING]
ELIZABETH: My turn.
Hmm.
ELIZABETH: Okay,
Eli, that's for you.
-There you go.
-Thank you.
-Thank you.
-Ballinger's.
Wow, that is so thoughtful.
Well, pawn them if you like.
They're 18 carats.
Very generous, Elizabeth.
-Thank you.
-So lovely.
Oh.
-Oh.
-VIRGINIA: That's so lovely.
-That's very generous.
-Hmm.
LAURIE: Let's all wear them
to Silver Racquets next weekend?
-Yeah.
-Yeah, so fun.
So fun.
FREDDIE: It's beautiful.
Thank you, Elizabeth.
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC PLAYING]
Is something wrong?
Are you okay?
Is it seven o'clock?
No, it's six o'clock.
Virginia, your clocks
are an hour ahead.
Oh, could you change it back?
Fall back.
LAURIE:
A controversial topic,
daylight savings time.
And after all these years,
what is the point?
You know, energy conservation
has so diversified
since the candle usage
that Benjamin Franklin
was referencing
when he originally
suggested the idea.
CAFREY: Show of hands,
who here is
pro daylight savings time?
The sun's set already.
Well, Annabel's for.
Virginia, does this
run on batteries?
I...
Hey, I'm not feeling well.
-Do you mind if I just go home?
-FREDDIE: Yeah.
-Okay.
-Do you need me?
-No.
-Okay.
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Hi.
THEO: Hey.
Thanks for meeting me.
No, of course.
Annabel, I just,
-I wanted to say...
-No, let me go first, please.
I hate the way that
things ended last time.
-Yeah.
-Um...
I made you a Christmas gift.
-I hope you like it.
-What?
-THEO: Thank you.
-Should I open it now?
-Yeah.
-Okay [LAUGHS].
[GIFT WRAP TEARING]
ANNABEL: Flip that around.
I went and bought
your photograph
and then I photocopied it
and I cut it up.
See the paintings by the pond?
They're your photo, and then
the tiny little paintings
inside those scenes,
they're also your photo.
THEO: The Droste effect.
I just wanted to show you
that knowing you has changed me.
I'm finally caring again.
And that will continue on.
You know, no matter what.
I think it was the
Japanese philosopher, Dogen,
he talks about being
on a boat in open water
and how you could
only see three miles
to the horizon directly
around you in a circle.
Why do you always
get so philosophical?
I read a lot and the
philosophers are always on sale.
Anyway, that of course
gives humans the perception
of being the center
of the universe.
And that's how I looked at you
and completely missed you.
I saw only what I wanted to see.
I missed the bigger picture.
What's the bigger picture?
That you're not
in love with me.
That you have this whole world
[CHUCKLES] and I'm just me.
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
I shouldn't have done that.
I'm sorry. [SNIFFLES]
Wait, wait, wait,
wait, wait, wait, wait.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
I actually came here
to say something.
-What?
-Okay?
I just, I want you
in my life, all right?
We don't need to do
this stupid dance.
I don't care if we date.
I don't care if there's
a ring at the end.
Let's just not ruin our...
-What we have.
-I can't.
God, I keep messing up
around you.
You're right.
I have this whole world
and I can't keep you,
and also them.
Just let me go.
[LAUGHS] No, no, no, no.
I mean, I would say
the prison food,
cafeteria lunch, Racquet
Club dining room.
Yes.
Lower, lower.
The lowest of the low.
It's gross.
I mean, just like, ugh.
Sorry, sorry guys.
Annabel?
-Hi.
-Hi.
What are you doing down there?
My earring, I lost it.
The Ballinger ones
you girls are wearing?
It must have fallen off
at the Racquet Club.
I mean, I'm sure
that you have time
to buy a replacement
before Elizabeth
notices how careless
you've been with her
generous gift.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
[SIGHS] Did she buy these,
do you think?
-I don't know.
-Right.
Mmm, festive windows, though.
Yes.
A staple for the winter
in New York.
A girl I know,
she designed them.
Oh, well they are particularly
beautiful this year.
[WHISPERS] Apparently she's had
trouble getting paid for them.
Really?
How well do you know this girl?
Well, she was
pretty upset about it,
so it must be true.
And is she a friend of
the talented Mr. Offit?
Uh-huh.
You think highly of him.
[CHUCKLES]
But from my brief interactions,
I would say he's not
the genius your father was.
Now...
Mmm, now come on,
let's have another drink.
I've gotta find this earring.
Oh, don't worry
about it, darling.
It's entirely replaceable.
Come on.
[LIGHT JAZZY
MUSIC PLAYING]
Whiskey, neat.
-[CAFREY CHUCKLES]
-[ELIZABETH CHUCKLES]
I was just saying
how fun it is
that we're all wearing
the earrings that
you got us.
Yes, it's like
putting a photo out
of the in-laws when they
come to visit. [CHUCKLES]
Oh, ow.
Wow, strong.
Kinda hurt.
[BRIGHT HOLIDAY
MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[GENTLE HOLIDAY MUSIC PLAYING]
-[GROUP CHATTERING FAINTLY]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[PIANO KEYS THUDDING]
Virginia, one of your
keys keeps getting stuck.
Eli, what are you doing?
The bracelet's not in
your underwear drawer.
Turned the entire
thing upside down.
Put those back.
[PIANO CONTINUES]
Some news.
My brother's going to
propose to his girlfriend.
Oh, lovely.
Yes.
And I just wonder,
would it be all right
if I gave her your seat
at my table at
the Snowflake Ball
to welcome her to the family?
Uh, no, of course, you should.
[PIANO KEYS CHIMING]
It's in the piano.
VIRGINIA: Eli.
Found it.
Put it back!
Give it to me.
-It's not for you.
-Are you serious?
Go get a drink.
Okay.
CAFREY: Your mother.
[GROUP LAUGHING]
-All of the family.
-Yeah, all of the family. Yes.
Virginia, did I do something?
Are you telling people
that Elizabeth's family
doesn't pay the artists
that work for them?
ANNABEL: Did Cafrey say that?
Because you know they're
being sued right now.
-Who?
-Ballinger's.
Some artists from prior years
are claiming
they were never paid.
Elizabeth explained they're
just trying to back negotiate.
I didn't know about that.
Well, she doesn't
talk about it.
Well, I swear, I had no idea.
I would never have said
anything if I knew.
I think everyone
just feels like
you've turned your back on us.
You've known Theo
and his friends for a month
and you've known us
for five years.
It's like you're choosing
his friends over us.
I'm not choosing them.
Virginia, you have to
believe me.
Excuse me.
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC PLAYING]
Warmer.
Warmer.
Cold.
Warmer.
[GROUP MUTTERING SOFTLY]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Sometimes
It was good, sometimes
It'll be all right
in a week or two.
Virginia's different ever since
she and Elizabeth
have become so close.
You know, she hasn't
returned any of my calls?
It will blow over.
Are you still going
to the Snowflake Ball?
[SIGHS] I am, yeah.
That doesn't even bother you?
Hmm?
[FREDDIE HUFFS]
Are you okay?
You take my love
for granted, Annabel.
And I've let you
because of everything
you've been going through.
ANNABEL: No, I love you.
Of course I love you.
FREDDIE: I haven't
seen you in a week.
ANNABEL: Well,
I'm upset about Virginia.
Yeah, but it's been
since that night.
I saw you,
kiss him.
You followed me?
[EXHALES] You walked into
Central Park alone at night
so I followed you from
a distance to make sure
that you got home safely,
and then you didn't go home.
I saw you kiss him.
God.
[FREDDIE SIGHS]
Just tell me you're
never gonna see him again.
I only wanted you,
but I'm not gonna
live like this.
I can't.
-Freddie-
-I can't.
ANNABEL:
I can't lose you too.
-[DOOR CLOSES]
-[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
-[HORNS HONKING]
-[TRAFFIC WHIZZING]
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
-[HORN HONKING]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
THEO: Annabel?
ANNABEL: I'm sorry.
Come on.
[ANNABEL LAUGHS]
[KEYS JINGLING]
ANNABEL: Maybe
I'll buy my own table
for the Snowflake Ball.
THEO: Are you serious?
ANNABEL: Yeah, why not?
[LIGHT ORCHESTRAL
MUSIC PLAYING]
[GUESTS CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
LAURIE: I know, sky's blue.
-[GLASSES CLINKING]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
I like the music.
Would it be inappropriate
to start dancing this early?
Yes.
-Then let's go.
-Really?
-Yeah.
-Really?
[ALL CHUCKLING]
[GUESTS LAUGHING AND CHATTERING]
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
-[GLASSES CLINKING]
[GUESTS APPLAUDING]
Good evening.
Thank you all so
much for being here.
My name is Catherine.
Welcome to the 20th annual
Snowflake Gala.
I'd like to thank
one of our sponsors,
Ballinger's Department Store.
[GUESTS APPLAUDING AND CHEERING]
And introduce my cohost,
Elizabeth Ballinger.
-[PENSIVE MUSIC PLAYING]
-[GUESTS APPLAUDING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Is that the same Ballinger's?
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Hello.
Thank you all so much
for being here tonight.
I'm pleased to announce
that we have raised
a record, $990,000.
-[MUSIC SOFTENS]
-[WIND WHISTLING SOFTLY]
Helina, wait, wait, please.
Why did you bring us here?
To humiliate me?
No, I was thinking
I could help you.
No, thank you.
-But you know-
-Well,
I don't need your help,
nor do I want it.
Annabel, hi.
Good to see you.
ANNABEL: Good to see you.
You know them?
Who's your friend?
ANNABEL: Helina...
-Thanks for coming.
-Well, hmm.
Bye.
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC PLAYING]
[GROUP CHATTERING FAINTLY]
-Oh, it's snowing!
-How exciting!
-[MUSIC CONTINUES]
-[GROUP CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
I suppose you think
I'm a coward?
I should have told Helina
they were my friends.
Well, they're not anymore.
[GROUP CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
Is that what we are, Theo?
Just friends?
THEO: Hey,
I think you could use one.
Come on, let's go.
You're literally shivering.
You want my coat [LAUGHS]?
ANNABEL: I'm all right.
THEO: You'll get cold.
ANNABEL: I'll survive.
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]