Killer Assistant (2016) Movie Script
0
He's home!
Get off! Get off!
Get off! Get off!
Out of my way, kid.
What's going on, huh?
Watching Mommy.
Suzanne's not your mommy.
She's your babysitter.
I just got called back
into work. Stay a couple more hours?
Okay, yeah.
Promise you won't
leave me, Suzie?
I promise.
Baby, I have to go to work.
- No.
- Yes.
- Come on.
- No.
- Yeah.
- Come on. Please stay.
I can't.
I gotta go.
All right.
Are you sure?
Yes, I'm sure.
And what are you doing today?
Well, I don't know.
I'll probably work on a new song.
Robert, I gotta go!
Bye.
Hey, babe, can you make it
to the gig tonight?
I'm gonna try. Yes.
Mom, I gotta get to school.
And I gotta get
her to school. Bye.
- Have a good day, ladies.
- You, too.
No! Actually,
it's not okay.
The anniversary edition cover
story should've been decided by now,
and I really need that PDF compiled for
everybody's references immediately, okay?
Can we do that? Thank you.
- Whoa! God! Mom!
- I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
- Why are you being so crazy?
- What a moron.
I'm not, honey.
It wasn't my fault.
Just pull over here.
I'll walk with Dougie.
Baby, I'm sorry.
I don't want you to walk with Dougie.
I'll be safer that way.
Sweetheart...
Sweetheart, wait...
Please, I'm sorry...
Oh, my...
Ugh! Great.
I hate that kid.
Style Harmony.
Suzanne. A word?
Sure.
As you know,
you're highly valued here.
I think that you're
Harmony's top asset.
Thank you.
You're getting an assistant.
Excuse me?
I've accepted your unwillingness to work
alongside a comanaging editor
since you took this
role five years ago,
but it's time for you to step
into the real world.
All leaders delegate.
Thank you, but I really
have no need for an assistant.
Suzanne, your stress levels
have concerned me lately.
Janet, I appreciate the gesture.
It's not a gesture.
I've already hired somebody.
His name is David Barinas,
and he is a former assistant to the
editor of Health and Vitality magazine.
As everybody knows, that
woman is near impossible
when it comes to her standards
of who she'll work with.
She wrote him
a glowing reference.
He approached me last week.
We should be thrilled to have him
on board, working with our magazine.
Wow. I don't know what to say.
I mean, can I at least have
some time to think about it?
Ah, David.
Hello.
David Barinas, Suzanne Austin.
- Pleased to meet you.
- Pleasure is all mine.
I'll leave you to it.
Well...
Great.
Before we get started, I would like to
introduce you all to my new assistant.
Do not be shocked.
David Barinas.
- Mary.
- Charles.
Ian.
Nice to meet you guys.
As you know, this edition
marks Style Harmony's 50th anniversary,
and I need each and every one of you to
step up to the plate on this one, okay?
It is essential
that we accelerate our social media game
and amp up our online interaction and
really get our readers involved.
Oh, plus, I want them to get a copy of
this as soon as it hits the shelves.
Understood?
And by the end of the day,
Mary will have compiled a PDF
of every single cover
in history for your reference.
It's already done.
Oh, sorry to interrupt.
When I was preparing
for the job,
I compiled that as my research.
Great. Well, that
saves you some time.
I'll WeTransfer it to everybody.
Perfect.
Well, uh, I guess
that's it for now.
Oh, and please keep brainstorming cover
story ideas for the next meeting,
and I have yet to hear anything
exciting enough for our feature
and it has to be
truly mind-blowing.
Mind-blowing. Please.
Thank you. Goodbye.
Arthur L. Carter
Journalism Institute, NYU.
And how did you find
studying under Professor...
Wilkinson?
He's a difficult man,
but I was granted the highest honor he's
given out in over a decade.
- And that was class of...
- 2013.
Full-time study accompanied by a part-time
internship at Health and Vitality,
along with heading
the NYU Local.
Where my job was to ensure
a 7:00 a.m. publication each weekday.
I will be available
day and night.
I've already dedicated
to learning from you Miss Austin.
Along with climbing
the ladder, here at Style and Harmony.
I will do absolutely anything.
- Welcome aboard, David.
- Thank you.
And it's Mrs. Austin.
Suzanne Austin's office.
Hi. This is Callista,
Suzanne's daughter.
Callista. Hello.
I'm your mother's
new assistant, David.
She's actually in a meeting right now,
but I'd be happy to take a message.
Assistant? Weird.
Um... yeah, can you just tell her that I
don't need to be picked up.
I'm going to hang out
at the Red Hen Coffee Shop.
I'll be home later.
All right. I will pass that
message right along.
It was a pleasure to phone-meet you,
Callista. You have a good day.
Thanks. Bye.
- Any calls?
- One. Callista.
She's going to her regular cafe after
school and doesn't need you to pick her up.
Oh, okay.
Your daughter must be
so proud of you.
She's got a great role model.
Must be one big power
family, huh? What does your husband do?
He's a musician.
Excuse me. I have some errands to run on
my way home. Good job today.
Thank you.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Hmm.
I mean, can you
believe that guy.
Who compiles a PDF
of all magazine covers for research?
Yeah, he's definitely
a little eager, but damn he's fine.
Okay, good-looking or not, there is
definitely something weird about him.
Yeah, but you think there's
something weird about everybody.
Yeah, most people suck.
That's why I don't like many people.
I'm going to see
what I can find.
What exactly are you
even looking for?
I want to know his blood type,
the name of his
first pet that died,
his mother's shoe size.
And she wonders why
she's still single.
Hey. What was his
last name again?
Whose last name?
Yours, actually.
I was gonna friend you online.
Hmm. I'm not really
into social media.
Huge waste of time,
if you ask me.
Seriously?
Whoa! New guy. Hold up.
So, where are you from?
Greendale in New York.
No way. I'm from Pilsford,
like three towns over.
What part of Greendale?
- Right by the park.
- Which park?
- The one with the skate ramp.
- Hmm.
I don't remember there being
a skate ramp in Greendale.
Well, there was one.
I really have to get back to Suzanne.
Yeah, of course.
Hey, you know,
a bunch of us are staying late to
brainstorm some ideas for the cover story.
You want to join?
I would, thank you for the invite, but I
already made plans.
Of course.
Oh...
Damn it.
Really?
Dad, that was awesome.
You were amazing.
They went wild for you
when you played "Suzie's Eyes."
- Thanks, guys.
- Hey.
- Hey, babe.
- I am so sorry, I got tied up.
Oh, don't worry about it.
I understand.
Hi, Callista.
Douglas, are you
staying for a while?
Mom, he was just
leaving. God!
- Later, babe.
- Bye.
Roberto.
Bring me next time, yeah?
Thanks, dude,
I appreciate you coming.
All right, Mrs. A.
See you later, all right?
Good night, Douglas.
It's not funny.
I'm not laughing about that.
Hey, honey, how was your night?
Yup. Okay.
Seriously, why is he here?
Why was he here?
What in the heck
are you thinking?
He just came to my gig
with Callista.
Come on, think back
to how we were at their age.
Yeah, but baby,
we are the adults making the rules now.
Yeah, but they'll just do it behind our
backs if we don't let them, right?
I don't want to encourage
or help them.
Do you really want your daughter getting
pregnant with some deadbeat loser's baby?
I know what you're saying,
but please try and relax.
And remember what
the doctor said.
Breathe deeply
from the diaphragm.
And I don't know, maybe it's time you
start seeing the therapist again.
Callista told me that
you had a little bit of road rage.
Driving, yelling at
somebody on the road...
and it really scared her.
I know. I know.
Work's really hectic right now,
but I got a new assistant.
So that should make things
a lot easier for us.
That's great! That means
we'll get to see more of you, right?
- Yeah.
- An assistant! Wow!
I never thought I'd see the day.
I know, but, you know,
he's hardworking and ambitious,
a little overly confident,
maybe, but it's good.
Sounds like it might be
a good thing in the editorial world.
- I need a drink.
- Yes.
What's this?
It's Dougie's.
And what's it doing
in your room?
I was taking care of it
for him, which is none of your business.
Actually, it is my business because this is
my house and you are my teenage daughter.
Honey, he's no good
for you. He's using you.
You shouldn't let him
push you around.
You would know
all about that, wouldn't you?
- Watch your tone.
- You're such a hypocrite.
I mean, look at you and Dad, you guys are
constantly fighting and you still stay with him.
That's enough, Callista.
You're never even here anyway.
So I'm pretty sure you lost
the right to judge my life.
Douglas is banned
from this house.
Fine. I don't have to be
in this house to see him.
How about a piece
on the cost of looking good,
that details how much the average person
spends on beauty maintenance?
Mmm.
That could be interesting.
I'm pretty sure someone else
did that a few issues ago.
So we do it better.
Oh.
I swear, one of us better get a promotion
for all the overtime we've been putting in.
Uh, yeah, it better be me.
I'm the one who's been
slaving away here the longest.
I don't know, Mary.
Suzanne's new assistant may have you beat.
After that PDF stunt today.
You never know what
that cat's got up his sleeve.
Okay, seriously, who does that?
Way to bring it up
again, Charles.
She already wants to launch
an FBI investigation on the guy.
I just know a rat
when I smell one.
Or someone's feeling a little butt-hurt for
getting owned in front of the whole team today.
- Correct.
- Whatever.
All right,
I'm calling it a night.
- What? We...
- I've got some cyber-stalking to do.
Oh, God.
She ain't kidding.
- Peace out, my squad.
- Bye.
Yeah, Mom, I'm eating enough.
You ask me that everyday.
Listen, I'm on my way home. I'll call
you when I get there. Love you. Bye.
Hello?
Aah! Oh my...
Oh my God!
Oh my God!
Mary, are you all right?
- You okay?
- My leg.
- What happened?
- My leg! Oh my God!
- Hold on. Hold on.
- Oh my God!
What's your emergency?
- Yeah. I need an ambulance.
- Hurry.
Yeah, there's a lot
of blood. I don't know.
Wow.
We're treating
this as an assault.
Slashing the Achilles points
to intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
What we're trying to determine
is whether the attack was at random,
if it was a sexual assault that was
thwarted, or if it was calculated.
Calculated, meaning?
Meaning that the attacker
could have been somebody that Mary knew.
Does she have any enemies
that you know about?
I mean, no one that
I know of at work,
but I can't speak
for her personal life.
Good. Great, okay.
Well, we'll be in touch.
- Thank you, Detective.
- Thank you.
As you know, Mary was
attacked in the parking lot last night.
But she's in the hospital in a stable
condition. She's going to be fine.
- Oh, my God.
- This is so crazy.
Now we've been
speaking with detectives
and they are 100% committed
in catching whoever did this to her.
But in the meantime, I want you
all to be very careful at night
and report anything that looks
suspicious immediately.
So apologies for our brevity,
but we've got to get our cover story firm
and we've got to do that today.
So, what have you got for us?
How about InstaFamous?
"Sophia Reeves' Rise
to Model Stardom via Instagram."
That's not a big enough name.
All right. How about, "Liv Daly
the New Queen of Funny"?
No, she was on our September
cover last year.
I have a lead on a former Real Housewife
of Miami from like season one.
I know she'd be up
for a "life after reality TV" piece.
No. No.
No reality, please. Substance, you guys.
What about Nora Patters?
That girl is a bigger mess than
Lindsay Lohan circa 2007.
Well, she just got released from prison
for her stint of drunk driving and hitting
a pedestrian, and I actually already reached
out to her reps via my personal contacts
and, I mean, I'm pretty confident that I
can get us an exclusive interview.
But Suzanne just said
"substance only."
Sure, in the public eye
that's a common line,
but I feel like there's something inherently
sad about the child-star trajectory.
And we all know
what her parents were like,
and my source says that she's full of remorse
and that prison life has, and I quote,
"changed her for the better."
Plus, I have intel that
she just signed on as the lead
for Emmanuel Rivera's new indie, and we
know how that transforms careers.
I'm sorry. I know it's not my
place place to pitch stories,
but I feel like it's something
worth mentioning.
So the evolution of Nora.
- And this could be an exclusive?
- Exclusive.
This could be our feature.
I like it.
Her rise of the phoenix
story is similar to ours as a magazine.
Almost folding, right, in 2004, only to
wind up one of America's top style mags.
Yes, follow up with this, David.
- Okay.
- Yes.
- Excellent, David.
- Thank you.
Hey, guys. Is Mary okay?
Have you talked to her?
Define "okay."
She's in the hospital.
Wow. I can't believe this.
- Are you going to visit her?
- After work.
Well, hey, please
give her my best.
I mean, you know, I'm trying to keep it
straight 'cause I'm the new guy and all,
but it's kind of
shaken me up a bit.
She'll be fine.
Our Mary's a tough cookie.
Good.
Sorry, it's taken me
a few days and an assault
to welcome you
on board with coffee.
You must have an interesting
first-impression of Style Harmony.
No, not at all.
It takes a lot more than that to phase me.
To be honest with you, I have had my eyes
on your magazine since I graduated.
Even from your New York skyrise office at
the country's biggest health mag?
Well, it may seem odd,
but absolutely.
You know, it's not about the publication
so much as the people behind it for me.
And I have been a big
fan of yours for years.
You have?
I have.
You know, I've always
wanted to be in your position.
I really want to run
my own magazine someday.
And, yeah, here I'm just trying to learn
everything, and to be honest with you,
sometimes I feel like a bit
of a fraud pushing my way to the top.
But I'm positive that
I'm in the right place.
Well, you seem like
you're off to a good start.
I started at the bottom.
We all have.
My first column was in the Los Angeles Daily
Observer. I think it was read by maybe,
eight people total.
Although, one of my favorite
pieces was the "Stranger in a Train."
"The social anxiety
of public transport.
"Have we mutually contracted
to avoid eye contact?
"Or if I avoid it, am I breaking some superior
social contract that I never agreed to sign?"
That must've been published
about 10 years ago.
Yeah, I was...
I was a shy kid.
I spent most of my teenage years reading
and learning about anything that I could.
- I was pretty lame.
- No.
It's not lame. Your parents
must be very proud.
Well, my father was.
My mother died when I was born.
Sorry to hear that.
No. You have a two o'clock.
- You better get going.
- Oh, right.
Remind me how I went this
long without an assistant.
David, what can I do for you?
I was wondering if I can
walk you to your car tonight?
I don't mean to sound like an old man,
but you know, I'm a little uncomfortable
with you walking alone after
what happened to Mary.
You have a point.
Thank you.
- Better safe than sorry.
- Yes, of course.
Well, uh, thank you
for walking me to my car.
You're welcome. Like I said,
I'm at your disposal.
- I'm never leaving.
- What?
I said, I better get leaving.
Uh, get home safe, okay?
- Yeah, good night.
- Good night.
- Hi, guys.
- Hey, babe. Welcome home. How are you?
I'm good.
Guess what? I made
everyone's favorite, lasagna.
Mmm.
So it looks like we booked Nora Patters
for our anniversary feature story.
No way,
that's awesome. Congrats!
Wait, Callista,
didn't you have a poster of her?
Yeah, when I was like, 13.
Well, I think she'll be
an interesting story.
She seems like she's
been through a lot,
and we'll need a lot of graphics arranged
celebrating her past work.
Callista, I thought you
could come to the office for some ideas.
- I'll pass. Can I be excused?
- Hey.
We haven't even eaten yet.
And there's dessert. I picked up your
favorite raspberry cheesecake on my way home.
Mmm.
Yeah, I don't want any.
Sit down until
after family dinner.
Dougie dumped me, okay?
So, excuse me if dessert
isn't my top priority right now.
Sweetheart, I'm sorry.
Now, what do you care, anyway? You hated
him. You're probably happy he dumped me.
That is not true.
You know what,
this is all your fault.
He would never have broken up with me if
you hadn't banned him from this house
like I'm some kind
of 12 year old.
Don't you have work to get to?
You're not going to help me?
Wow.
Well, let's eat.
Great.
Yeah, so apparently he broke up with Callista
for some junior he'd been cheating on her with.
I didn't like that guy anyway.
- You okay, babe?
- Yeah, I'm fine.
A staff member was
attacked the other day, you know that.
And it's just really
stressful at work,
because we have this 50th anniversary
edition that I can't seem to close.
And my assistant has
been acting strangely.
How so?
I don't know.
I can't put my finger on it.
He got weirdly close
to me today,
and I thought I heard him say something,
but maybe I'm just hearing things.
I think he's...
overly fond of me or something.
Well, I mean, come on, babe.
You're beautiful,
successful, at the top of your field.
What kid's not going
to have a crush on you, right?
Really? That's how
you're going to help me?
I'm serious.
Go to sleep.
I'm trying.
- Your lunch is at Perch.
- Perch?
Well, Nora picked it.
I typed the address into your GPS.
- Okay, she knows who to look for?
- She knows everything.
She's probably going to enter the restaurant
via the back door to avoid paparazzi.
Great. 'Cause I'm not
feeling photo-ready today.
The intent is to focus
on your positive steps forward.
Your life changes, transformations.
And I assure you that the exclusive will
be positive for your image.
Great. It's important
to me that we don't talk about Diane.
- Your mother.
- Yes.
She's a compulsive liar
who uses me for money.
She'll probably tell you
I'm dating some guy in a boy band.
I'm not. Let's make sure all
communication goes through me from now on.
Of course.
I want you to highlight
the maturity of my role in "Echo."
I age myself up by 15 years.
- Yeah, it's amazing...
- I am on a self-development crusade.
You can quote me on that.
Almost killing someone was a wake-up call
for me and I hate myself for it.
I can't re-write the past, but I can make
sure something like that never happens again.
I have a thing I gotta be at.
Okay, absolutely.
It's good to be busy.
Are you sure you don't
want to go through the back door?
Oh, you're nobody unless
somebody wants your picture.
Nora, thank you so much for being part of
the Style Harmony team...
Please. Please. Give a girl some space.
Oh, and right side
only, thank you.
- You were saying?
- Yeah.
- Sorry. So great to meet you.
- So great to meet you.
I'll look forward
to our interview.
- Totally. Me, too.
- Bye.
One, two, three, four, five,
six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Robert!
Stay out!
Suzanne Austin's office.
We need Suzanne
in the conference room now.
Janet, yeah.
She's just finishing up
a phone call to her
daughter's school right now,
and I'll have her meet you
in the conference room.
You okay?
Let's go.
At Adeline Rose we promote
freedom, enjoyment of life,
not unlike Style Harmony, engaging the
human drive to do what makes them happy.
At the expense
of their loved ones?
Well, of course our customer
is not the "loved one."
It's quite often the one
who feels un-loved.
Ah, okay.
Well, correct me if I'm wrong,
but you take advantage of weakness to
exploit the sanctity of marriage.
Suzanne, we're here to discuss
a potential partnership
with Adeline Rose and Style Harmony, not
to get into any kind of a moral debate.
Our business is grounded
on the scientifically established fact
that monogamy
is an unnatural state.
Affairs will happen anyway.
Our app is merely an outlet for our very,
very large and lucrative customer base.
Do you have a conscience?
How do you sleep at night?
Soundly.
Business is business.
If that's what you
want to call it.
Perhaps...
Adeline Rose, as an advertiser,
could launch that discussion,
and Style Harmony,
as receiver of those funds,
could easily draw an argument
about "snatching back" from the app
that "snatches" from morality.
I think this would draw
a lot of attention to both Style Harmony
and to Adeline Rose.
Ladies?
Works for me.
I look forward
to working with you.
Dad?
Hey.
You look like crap.
Are you okay?
I don't know.
I love you.
I love you, too, sweetie.
Is this about you and Mom?
I feel like all you
guys do is fight these days.
Look, if you're not happy, don't feel like
you have to stay together because of me.
Oh, no, honey.
Listen, I need you to understand something.
You mom is the only woman
whom I've ever loved.
She's the love of my life.
I can't imagine it without her.
I love you.
I love you, too.
- Uh, Callista.
- Yeah.
- The beer. Yeah.
- Right.
Nice try.
You need to check your
personal opinions at the door.
You cannot alienate
potential advertisers.
I mean what happened
in that Adeline Rose meeting.
It could just be
so detrimental for the magazine.
You know, we're counting
on their ad buy, Suzanne.
It was unprofessional
of me, okay?
I just... You know what?
I'll call in to apologize.
No. No, I'll fix it.
Are you okay?
I'm here as your boss, but...
I think you know
I'm your friend.
Every thing's fine.
Thank you.
Are you doing
your anger exercises?
Of course I am.
Well, I wish I could tell.
Suzanne Austin's office.
Hi, Robert. Your wife's actually
not available right now.
Can I have her call you back?
Sure. Have a great day.
Any calls for me?
No. None.
It seems like you've had
a long and stressful day.
Look, I don't want
to step out of line, but...
would you like to grab a drink
after work to decompress?
Sure. I think I need it.
Listen, about the
Adeline Rose meeting,
I behaved unprofessionally
and I'm ashamed that you saw that.
No, no, no, no.
Don't worry about it.
To be honest with you,
I find that concept repulsive as well.
I mean, why stay married to someone if
you just want to cheat on them.
Everything okay?
Yeah, everything's fine.
Thank you. Cheers.
Mmm.
I definitely needed that.
I thought you did.
You know what's funny?
The timing today.
You know, about an hour
before the meeting,
my husband was kissing
a woman that wasn't me.
- Life's weird like that, isn't it?
- Wow. I'm so sorry.
A stunning brunette.
Beautiful and floaty
like a music video.
You know, I...
I had a girl friend
that cheated on me with my best friend.
It wasn't a one-off either. I found out
that they were seeing each other for months
by the time I caught 'em.
Sorry.
Ah! Life goes on.
Yes, it does.
I don't get why anybody
would want to cheat on you.
Really. You are the most beautiful,
intelligent woman I have ever met.
Well, thank you,
but I definitely have my faults.
I am not a perfect
wife or mother.
I work a lot, probably too much.
And I have a little, little bit
of a temper. Little one.
Well, faults and all,
I would never cheat on you.
- Thanks.
- Really, I mean, you know,
it's tough to balance work
and family and a relationship.
And the anger thing,
that's manageable.
It's actually not your fault.
It's a chemical imbalance.
Have you ever thought
of seeing a therapist?
I saw a therapist.
I thought it was working,
but I don't know.
I mean, the more I go,
the more I feel like I need it.
Well, stick with it.
Therapy takes time, but it's worthwhile.
Where'd you get all this wisdom?
The whiskey.
You know what relieves stress?
Whiskey.
And sex.
Excuse me,
can I get another one?
You're beautiful.
This is wrong.
Good morning.
You've got a breakfast meeting with
GlamCrew regarding their feature,
followed by a luncheon
with the head of Capri Equities.
I've got the office shower
running, it should be perfect by now.
Last night was a mistake.
I have to go home.
Reschedule my meetings
for this morning.
Where the hell have you been?
None of your business.
I'm serious, Suzanne.
Where were you?
Kissing random strangers.
That's not funny.
If you love me, you wouldn't keep
cheating on me with that hippie whore.
Suzanne, what the hell
are you talking about?
Tell me, Robert. Tell me how long
have you been seeing her this time?
- Who, Ellie?
- Yes.
I saw you kissing her yesterday.
Oh, come on,
I didn't kiss her, she kissed me.
Oh, God! You're lying! Stop!
Okay, you are incapable
of telling me the truth.
How can we move on
if you keep reliving the past?
Because you're the one
who keeps making the same mistake.
I can't trust you anymore.
I want a divorce.
No. We are not getting divorced,
please don't walk away from me.
It's over, Robert.
Are you seeing someone else?
Okay, look, I know I haven't
been the most faithful husband,
but I love you
and I believe in us.
Yeah, well, actions
speak louder than words.
Oh, my God, Stop fighting!
I will go to therapy.
You hate therapy.
I'm serious this time, Suzanne. I will
make the appointment. I will go everyday.
We can go together everyday.
I gotta get to school.
Please, I will do anything.
You need to get
your daughter to school.
Just installing some
anti-viral software.
I'm transferring you
to another desk.
Completely unnecessary.
We're two consenting adults,
and I had an amazing
time with you last night,
should you ever be in need
of my services again.
Don't be absurd. It's absolutely
inappropriate for us to be working together.
I'm making arrangements for you
in the fashion department.
No.
Excuse me?
I'm opting to stay
as your assistant.
- I didn't give you a choice.
- Then I'll give you one.
Move me, and I'll make sure
that everybody's aware of your reasoning.
And it will be your
word against mine.
Oh, what's this?
Bad, bad boy.
Screw you.
So when are you going to end
things with Robert?
'Cause I know that
he hasn't been faithful to you.
I'd appreciate it
if you left my office.
I have work to do.
- What?
- I've got Nora Patters on line three for you.
Hi, there, Nora.
Just give me a moment.
I'm pulling up the document,
so we can confirm our interview
context for your cover story.
Okay, here it is.
Uh...
Uh...
The first topic...
The first topic...
we'd like to address
is your recent exit from jail,
and how you felt stepping out into the
public for the first time? Okay?
Great, and then we'd
like to get into, um...
into how you overcame the difficult step
from childhood stardom to...
potential Oscar fame.
Did you delete
my interview outline content?
I'm sorry. What?
Did you delete contents
from the document
that I prepared for my interview
with Nora Patters?
No. No. I have no idea
what you're talking about.
No? 'Cause I'm pretty sure
it was there
in perfect condition before
you got on my computer.
Please, keep your
voice down with me.
I mean, I'm sensing
some anger in your tone.
Oh, I'll raise my voice,
all right, you little twit!
I know you're lying to me.
You ruined my call and you almost
embarrassed me in front of a client.
Just who the hell do you
think you're messing with?
I will end you, do you hear me?
End you.
God.
David.
That was highly
inappropriate behavior by Suzanne.
I want to apologize.
It's totally okay. She's under a lot
of stress. I can't take it personally.
Has she behaved aggressively
toward you before?
No, no, no, of course not.
David?
Okay, yes, a couple of times,
but please don't say
anything to her, it'll only make it worse.
I understand.
I'm committed to maintaining a healthy
workplace, so I will sort it out.
I will sort it out, David.
Callista, sweetheart, hi.
Listen, I know you're
not my biggest fan right now,
but I just...
I wanted to let you know
the offer to intern here is still open.
I could really use
an ally here right now.
Anyway, I hope your
day at school is good.
Just... call me when you can.
I love you, honey.
That's very Rembrandt.
Oh, thanks.
He's actually one of my
biggest inspirations.
Well, you're doing him an honor.
Very talented.
Thank you.
So, how do you know about art?
Oh, I don't really.
Just working for a magazine,
you learn new things.
You work for a magazine?
Which one?
Oh, it's called Style Harmony.
I didn't know that
would be up your alley.
No, it's not. It's...
It's just that my mom
works there.
She's the managing editor.
Your mom's Suzanne Austin?
Wait. So you must be Callista?
Oh, how do you know that?
Sorry, that probably
sounds weird.
We actually spoke on the phone.
I'm David, Suzanne's assistant.
Oh! Wow!
I'm sorry, you're just
not what I pictured.
What did you picture?
I don't know.
Balding, dorky guy
with Harry Potter glasses?
No, no, no, no, not at all.
Probably a little bit.
Okay, a little bit.
Wow, you look so much
like your mother.
It's a compliment.
Thanks.
Can I... Can I
look at your work?
Yeah, sure.
You know, we're having a hard time figuring out
the graphics for the new anniversary edition,
and you're really talented. You should
think about interning at Style Harmony.
Maybe you can help us out.
Provide some fresh ideas.
Hey, Curtis?
Curtis, I know you, right?
I'm sorry, I think you're
mistaking me for someone else.
Oh, sorry, man.
That was weird.
Yeah, well, I have a common face. It
actually happens quite a bit.
You don't have a common face.
Well, thank you.
You should really think about it though.
It'd be nice to see you around the office.
Hey, you got a minute?
Mary! I'm so glad
you're back. Yes.
- Sorry about that.
- Awesome.
- You okay?
- Yup.
Hopping around on one foot is...
- Not easy.
- lots of fun.
What's going on?
What do you think about David?
Why do you ask?
I don't want to start
any drama, but...
I feel like
he's hiding something.
He just gives me a weird vibe.
He said he grew up in Greendale which is
right near my hometown.
He said he lived
near a skate park,
but I did some research
and there is no skate park in Greendale.
Well, maybe there
used to be one?
No, I don't remember
there ever being one.
Okay.
Well, I appreciate you coming
to me with your concerns,
and I will keep a very
close eye on David.
And in the meantime, I want you to focus
on getting better please.
- Right.
- Right. Okay.
- You think you can do that for me? Yeah?
- Yeah.
- Mmm-hmm.
- Thanks.
Do you mind if I sit?
No, no, not at all.
How are you feeling?
Amazing! Clearly.
Oh. Did they get any leads
on who's responsible?
They found the guy's truck,
but it had been stolen.
Oh, let's hope
that they get him.
So, listen, I was thinking, you and I
probably know a bunch of the same people.
Where'd you go to high school?
I went to the Greendale Academy for Girls.
I went to Buxley.
Oh, Buxley.
I didn't really hang out
with a lot of guys from there.
What year did you graduate?
2008. I really gotta get back
to the desk. Got a lot of work to do.
Yeah, sure.
Do you, buddy.
Let's hope nothing else
bad happens to you.
What the...?
Who the hell are you?
Hey, is Suzanne still
in the office?
No! No...
Oh, yeah. I remember.
We were one year into dating,
and I left school early
to surprise him,
and the front door was open, and I went inside
and saw his feet hanging over the couch,
and just as
I went to sneak up on him, I noticed
a pair of red heels
sitting on the floor.
Not mine.
And then I saw her under
the covers with Robert,
and she got up and ran so quickly, she
left her red heels on the floor.
And have these
infidelities continued?
There was one woman Ellie.
I went back to her numerous times.
Suzanne already knows this.
I put an end to it.
It's in the past.
Would you like to talk a little about the
most recent situation that upset your wife?
There is no recent situation.
The woman couldn't take a hint.
She tried to kiss me,
I pushed her away
and that's all there is to it.
You're lying.
You're always lying.
Robert, why do you think
you went back to Ellie more than once?
I don't know.
We hung out.
We had fun.
She made me feel like
I was needed and it felt good.
Do you feel Suzanne
doesn't need you?
Suzanne has made it
very clear that she doesn't need me.
I remember being on a family
vacation years ago,
and I think I didn't do
the dishes or something like that,
and I admit, I'm not
good at that sort of stuff,
but Suzanne said she was going to count
to three and if the dishes weren't done,
then her and Callista were
going to go snorkeling without me.
That trip was over 10 years ago.
Do you feel like you're
an equal partner in the relationship?
My wife runs a very
popular magazine.
She makes more money in a year than I can
imagine making in my entire life.
People that don't even
know her respect her.
And me?
My most relevant skill
is that I can cook.
I did, however, write
a great song once,
and that did buy our house.
But that was then, and now,
I feel like I have
no value in life,
no purpose in life.
What about your daughter?
You're of value to her.
Callista looks up
to you so much.
She definitely is
my ray of sunshine.
Callista and me,
we definitely fell from the same tree.
Do you ever put time aside for the two of
you to just reconnect as a couple?
No, but I think
that's a great idea.
I would love to do that.
Date night.
But work keeps her away.
Honey, I work to pay our bills
and to keep living
the way we live.
I know you're not happy, I know.
But the more you mope,
the more apathetic you get,
and the angrier I get and the less time I
want to spend with you.
I know you're depressed,
and I want to try and help you,
but you have to want
to help yourself.
And you have to be invested
in this relationship and try to find
purpose in your life.
I will tell you this,
I will not...
stick around if you cheat
on me again, I will not do that to myself.
And we need to set a better
example for Callista.
You're right.
And I need you to try
and find more time for us...
so I can rebuild your trust.
Please, can we do that?
Okay.
Suzanne. Hi.
I've a list of social media blasts that
you need to approve before I send out.
You ready?
Uh, sure. Shoot.
All righty. "Nothing more grueling than a
fitness session with @JuliaGainsford.
"Our whole office is getting on board. See
her in this month's issue of #Harmony."
- Great.
- Great.
"Less than one month until
our #anniversary edition.
"Are you as excited
as we are? #HarmonyTurns50"
Sounds great.
All righty.
Then as usual, we'll share messages, add
encouraging comments
about our upcoming
featured celebrities.
That all works.
All right. Perfect.
So, maybe you could place
the corresponding images
side-by-side,
vertically instead on the left.
So the "I" is
drawn in with the lines.
- Ah!
- That's a great idea.
What do you think about that?
Actually, I like it.
She's doing really well.
Looks like a young
version of you.
I don't want you
anywhere near my daughter.
Well, being as Callista has
an internship here,
it's going to be hard to avoid.
Hey, Janet.
What in God's name
were you thinking?
What do you mean?
Nora got highly intoxicated this morning
before she went on the GMW appearance,
and she spent
the entire time on the interview
ranting and raving about
how rehab was for suckers,
and how her parents and all parents should
just let their kids enjoy their lives.
And, I quote...
"do all the drugs
that they want."
Oh, my God.
And we endorsed her!
How in the world could you
let a tweet go out like that?
You have got to be kidding me!
- You know what, kids?
- Do whatever the you want.
All the drugs you want, anything.
Whatever puts a smile
on your dial.
Cocaine? Yummy.
Alcohol! Yay!
I say, get the party started.
You let tweets
go out unapproved?
No, I approved them remotely.
It's your job to be
on top of this kind of thing Suzanne.
Fix it!
You did this!
- Mom.
- Callista!
Well, you approved it. I told you
on the phone along with the others.
I thought you wanted
it to go out.
Why would I approve
something like that?
I don't know.
You're right. I messed up,
I'm going to fix it.
I'm going to prepare a statement
of defense right now.
No. No.
- Mom!
- Callista, please.
Callista! Callista!
You have done enough already.
Never in my history as an editor have I
done anything remotely inappropriate
or irresponsible when
it comes to what I promote.
Especially, when it comes
to drugs and teenagers.
Are you kidding me?
It goes against my ethics!
And why?
Why would I approve
something like that,
if I knew what she had said.
And why didn't you tell me
Nora was drunk at GMW?
Well, I thought you'd seen
the interview.
It's on your schedule
to watch it every morning.
You knew where
I was this morning.
You knew. You...
Oh, my God!
I'm sorry you had to see that.
I'm sorry she flipped out
on you like that.
No, no, no, it's fine.
It's a stressful environment
and this is a big issue.
She's the same at home,
believe me.
She gets mad at you
like that at home?
Sometimes.
And with my dad.
Oh, I'm sorry.
You okay?
Yeah, thanks.
Oh, Dad!
- Hi, sweetie.
- Hey.
You must me Mr. Austin.
It's a pleasure
to meet you, sir.
I'm David, Suzanne's assistant.
Yeah, I believe Suzanne
has mentioned you.
Well, all good things I hope.
You ready to go
home, sweetheart?
- Yeah.
- Nice to meet you, man.
You, too, sir.
Good job today.
Bye.
I don't need to tell you how disappointed
I am in your performance just now, Suzanne.
I mean, in front of the entire office and
your teenage daughter.
I mean, David's barely been
here a month and you tore him to shreds.
I don't want to sound like
I'm making excuses, but David...
David? Don't blame your
assistant, Suzanne.
I think David's doing
this to me on purpose.
Doing what?
Everything. Setting me up.
Pushing my buttons.
I don't know,
but I'm telling you, Janet.
What reason would
he have to behave like that?
I don't know.
All right.
Then I'd like you to consider
that possibly you're over-analyzing.
We have bigger problems now.
Yes, we have,
and I've thought of a way
to rectify this.
We run a piece that promotes a better understanding
of people with substance abuse problems,
featuring a plethora
of recovered celebrities
that can shed some light
on Nora's behavior.
Now I don't condone
her behavior.
But we need to understand
that this is an illness,
and often times,
it's not their fault.
It's a chemical imbalance.
That could actually work.
Regardless, I need you
to take some time off.
What? For this one thing?
It's so easy to fix.
No, Suzanne, not over
this one issue.
You've had numerous outbursts.
I've had complaints
from staff members.
You need to take some time for yourself
and you need to get your anger issues
and your stress levels
under control.
I've already arranged for Amber Barnett
to replace you while you're gone.
The lead editor of Lolene?
Wow! I guess you've already
made up your mind.
Detective Westwood
is here to see you.
Thank you, David.
Detective.
Why don't you stay here?
Mary O'Connor was found
dead in her apartment this morning.
Oh, my God.
She was beaten to death.
Mary worked under
Suzanne, correct?
Was she a good employee?
She was very good at her job.
Who were some of her
closest friends, in the office?
She was close with Ian Simpson.
They spent a lot of time
together outside the office.
Can you think of any reason
why someone would've done this to her?
No.
No enemies at all
that you know of?
Mary spoke her mind bluntly.
So she basically had enemies,
basically everywhere she went.
That was her thing.
It's why I loved her.
Would you say Mary
was a good employee?
Of course, I only
hire good people.
Did she ever cause any trouble
with any of the other employees?
No more than the others.
They're competitive.
Ever have to reprimand her?
Yes, I did.
Mary could overstep her bounds
and hold grudges
against people who slighted her.
It's been bit of a rough start for you
here at Style Harmony, hasn't it?
I guess it has.
What happened to Mary
is an absolute tragedy.
Were you guys friends?
Well, we didn't exactly
hang out together socially,
but we were always
friendly at work.
To be honest with you,
I think she had a bit of a crush on me.
So people think that
Mary was a troublemaker.
Did he make any trouble for you?
No, not really.
You know, Mary once mentioned something
about an online stalker.
She didn't really
go into details,
but seems like something
worth looking into.
Enjoying the read?
You're behind the Snark?
You've heard of it?
I'm impressed.
But no, it's not mine.
I'm just a measly contributor.
And you write things like that?
Well, I was inspired
by your advice.
"Write what you know."
I want you to stay
out of my life.
And stay the hell
away from my daughter.
Oh!
Oh, damn it!
That was completely intentional.
Uh, I am so, so sorry.
Cut the crap, David,
just cut it.
You know what? I'm going
to have to report this.
I know you're screwing with me,
and I'm going to make sure
you don't get away with it.
I think it's dead now, Mom.
I've got you a salad, babe.
Come on in, take a break.
Okay.
Mary was murdered.
Murdered?
I know.
Sweetheart, you need
to talk to me.
I don't trust my assistant.
I do not trust, David.
I don't get it.
He seemed like a decent guy when I met him.
Sweetie, you're gonna
give yourself a breakdown.
He's driving me crazy.
I gotta get some air.
Whoa, where are you going?
Out!
Where out?
No, no, no, no, no.
What the hell is going on here?
Callista's with David.
You gotta be kidding me.
Damn it, pick up.
So where are we going?
Oh, you'll see.
It's a surprise.
I know just the place.
I don't understand why
you have such a problem with this guy.
He seems like such
a step up from Dougie.
Come on, baby.
Pick up. Pick up.
Why are you freaking out?
What is going on?
I don't want our daughter
in that sleazy lowlife's car.
All right, what the hell
are you not telling me?
You slept with your assistant.
It was a mistake.
I asked you, Suzanne. I asked you
and you said, no, you lied to me.
And you had me thinking I was the bad guy this
entire time when you've been messing around.
Once.
But this isn't about
you right now.
I am seriously worried that
David's been watching us.
Not just me, all of us,
and now Callista is with him.
You think he's stalking us?
So you slept with
your own stalker,
and now our daughter
has a crush on him?
You're a real class act,
you know that?
Robert, you're not listening.
I think David is out to get us.
Me, you, Callista, and I don't know what
his limits are and I'm scared.
Yeah, well, I just think
you're being overly paranoid.
Robert?
I'm going for a run.
Damn it. Damn it. Come on.
Yeah, it's really pretty.
I better get you home.
Okay.
Callista, honey...
Wait.
I need you to listen to me.
I need you to stay away from David.
He is trying to ruin my life.
Oh, like you've ruined
everyone else's?
He's bad news.
- He's obsessed.
- I don't believe you.
Okay, wait, please!
I'm telling you the truth.
I caught him writing crazy
things online, a website called the Snark,
and I know he is
writing about me.
You're delusional.
You're not the object
of everyone's obsession.
Robert! Hey!
Thought that was you.
Listen to me, David, I don't know what
kind of games you're playing,
if you go anywhere
near my family again, I'll kill you.
Whoa! Apparently
your family really likes me.
You screwed my wife and now you're
smiling in my face like it's nothing?
Hey, hey, it's not
my fault that you can't satisfy your wife.
I guess one-hit wonder musicians
aren't that much of a turn-on
'cause I had her
begging for more.
Mom.
Can I help you?
Yes. I'm Detective Westwood.
Can I come inside?
Yeah, come in.
Thank you.
Hi.
Can I sit down?
Sure.
What's going on?
I'm here to inform you that
your husband Robert Austin was found dead.
What?
I am so sorry,
Mrs. Austin.
Oh, my God.
Look, it's my duty
to ask you where you were last night.
Uh, I was here.
I had a little bit to drink
and I fell asleep early.
Do you black out when you drink?
No. No, I don't.
What about your marriage?
Were you happy in your marriage?
Why would you ask me that?
I was here all night.
Can anybody confirm that?
Yes.
Okay, look I'm going to ask you just one
more question and I'll leave you in peace.
Is there anybody you know
that could've done this?
Yes.
David. David Barinas,
my assistant.
Mom.
No. There's no way David
would've killed Dad.
Callista.
- Callista, wait.
- Leave me alone!
Baby, come back, please.
Why do you think it was David?
I just know.
Okay? I know.
Look, don't leave anywhere.
You're probably going to need an attorney.
Wait a minute, wait.
David and I slept together. It was a one
night stand and I ended it immediately.
But I think he's obsessed
with me and my family.
This is no coincidence.
I am telling you David
killed my husband.
Robert.
Oh, baby, I'm sorry.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
How do you think Suzanne is taking this?
She'll be hurting. Badly.
She doesn't deserve this.
Why was she suspended
from Style Harmony?
Look, she was under stress.
I gave her a break.
I watched her smash
her car into David's,
and then she like,
went nuts on him.
I think she even pushed him.
It was crazy.
First Mary, now this.
Come on, baby.
I'm so sorry.
I just want you to know...
Get out!
I don't want you here!
How familiar were you with
Suzanne and her home life?
Uh... well...
I know that Suzanne and Robert
were in couple's counseling.
I see.
I heard there was an incident between you
and Suzanne in the parking lot.
Yeah, yeah. Um...
Suzanne rear-ended me
out of nowhere,
and then got really angry
at me about it,
which was confusing.
Why do you suppose that...
she had hostility towards you?
Well, I made a mistake or two.
Do you and Suzanne have any kind of
relationship outside the office?
Yes.
Yes, we...
We had a one night stand.
Silly, drunken...
She was my boss and
I was just seduced by the idea of it.
But she's a married woman...
Was a married woman...
and she started acting
strange with me ever since.
How so?
Jealous, anxious, possessive.
You know, that night she told me that Robert
was having an affair and that she wanted
someone for her own and...
I wasn't in a place to have
something like that in my life,
and she didn't
take that very well.
I see.
No, she's not the type
to kill anyone though.
Thank you for your
time, Mr. Barinas.
Yeah.
And please, give Suzanne
my condolences.
I feel for her and
her poor daughter.
How are you?
If there's anything I can
do for you, Suzanne, you just tell me.
Where did his resume come from?
Who?
David, where did you find him?
He approached us, Suzanne, but you really
need to give yourself a break on this.
Do you have the initial correspondence? Can
you forward it to me, an address? Anything?
Listen to yourself, Suzanne.
Janet.
If you're not going
to help me, get out!
- Would you listen to yourself?
- Get out!
Suzanne!
I really don't understand you.
Promise me
you wont leave me, Suzie?
I promise.
Suzanne's not your mommy.
Oh, um, sorry,
I can come back another time.
No, no, no.
Don't be silly. Come on in.
Thanks.
Sit down.
How are you holding up?
It's just that...
I can't be in that house with her.
She was so mean to him.
All the time.
And now she wants to play
the widow, the martyr.
Yeah, well...
sometimes our parents aren't
everything we want them to be.
You remind me so much
of your mother at your age.
My mother?
Pictures of her...
that I've seen while
studying for Style Harmony.
I'm going to get you a beer.
Sure. Thanks.
- There you go.
- Thank you.
All right, I gotta wash up.
I'm filthy.
I'll be right back.
You good?
You haven't
touched your beer. Everything okay?
Yeah, I'm fine.
Oh, my God.
Your phone's going off.
Don't worry about it.
Well, it keeps going off.
Sounds like it's important.
Oh, no, no, no.
No, no, no, no.
It's probably my mom looking for me.
Sounds important.
Hang on baby.
I'm coming.
Ooh.
Hmm. Mmm-mmm-mmm.
Let go of me!
Let go of me!
No!
Let go of me!
What do you want from me?
Your mother.
Come on in.
Where the hell is my daughter?
You better not have hurt her.
She's fine.
Sit.
Sit!
I'm not going to hurt you.
I'd never do that.
I want my daughter.
You promised me...
that you would never leave me.
You said that I would
always be your boyfriend.
I believed you.
Oh, my God.
Curtis?
I used to baby-sit you.
Five days a week,
and then you left and you never came back.
I didn't have a choice.
Your dad let me go.
And then I was dropped
into the foster care system.
It's too late
for apologies now, Suzie.
You were seven years old.
How do you still remember?
Because I loved you.
And then you left me for
some scum, just like my real mother.
Whatever your mother did
has nothing to do with me.
My mother left me,
my father wanted nothing to do with me.
But you... you weren't
just my baby-sitter.
You took care of me better than most
mothers take care of their own children.
You raised me.
You loved me.
I know that you did.
And then, you started having
Robert come over.
He took the attention
away from me.
And finally...
you abandoned me.
And you haven't let go of that?
All these irrelevant
people have gotten between us.
Mary, Robert, your daughter.
But I'm taking care
of that now, you see?
Soon it'll just be
you and me, again, finally.
The way it should've
always been.
You know, it's always
been about you, Suzie.
You know, I've been searching for you. That
feeling that I get when I think about you
and every ex-girlfriend,
every lover, every victim...
all I've ever wanted is you.
Callista!
Mom!
Mom!
Oh, baby! Baby, are you okay?
Please, I'm so sorry.
I didn't believe you about David.
Oh, my God.
Sick bastard.
Listen to me.
You untie your feet
and you stay here.
Mom!
I lost you.
You're going to lose Callista.
Curtis, I can't breathe.
It's your fault they're dead.
Mary, Robert,
I killed them for us!
- Baby, are you okay?
- Mom.
- Yes.
- Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Come on.
I never wanted to hurt you
Never wanted
to cause you pain
But I'm going downtown
If I have to go in the rain
It's calling to me
Yeah, it's calling
out my name
And the darkness
Is taking me home again
I've been a fool, yeah
that's for sure
Oh, baby, I let you down
You have every right
to kick me out
And drag my name around town
Love is fool
Ain't fool enough
Not to me tonight
I'd do anything
Anything for Suzie's eyes
And you're free now
And I dreamt of that,
my dear
He's home!
Get off! Get off!
Get off! Get off!
Out of my way, kid.
What's going on, huh?
Watching Mommy.
Suzanne's not your mommy.
She's your babysitter.
I just got called back
into work. Stay a couple more hours?
Okay, yeah.
Promise you won't
leave me, Suzie?
I promise.
Baby, I have to go to work.
- No.
- Yes.
- Come on.
- No.
- Yeah.
- Come on. Please stay.
I can't.
I gotta go.
All right.
Are you sure?
Yes, I'm sure.
And what are you doing today?
Well, I don't know.
I'll probably work on a new song.
Robert, I gotta go!
Bye.
Hey, babe, can you make it
to the gig tonight?
I'm gonna try. Yes.
Mom, I gotta get to school.
And I gotta get
her to school. Bye.
- Have a good day, ladies.
- You, too.
No! Actually,
it's not okay.
The anniversary edition cover
story should've been decided by now,
and I really need that PDF compiled for
everybody's references immediately, okay?
Can we do that? Thank you.
- Whoa! God! Mom!
- I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
- Why are you being so crazy?
- What a moron.
I'm not, honey.
It wasn't my fault.
Just pull over here.
I'll walk with Dougie.
Baby, I'm sorry.
I don't want you to walk with Dougie.
I'll be safer that way.
Sweetheart...
Sweetheart, wait...
Please, I'm sorry...
Oh, my...
Ugh! Great.
I hate that kid.
Style Harmony.
Suzanne. A word?
Sure.
As you know,
you're highly valued here.
I think that you're
Harmony's top asset.
Thank you.
You're getting an assistant.
Excuse me?
I've accepted your unwillingness to work
alongside a comanaging editor
since you took this
role five years ago,
but it's time for you to step
into the real world.
All leaders delegate.
Thank you, but I really
have no need for an assistant.
Suzanne, your stress levels
have concerned me lately.
Janet, I appreciate the gesture.
It's not a gesture.
I've already hired somebody.
His name is David Barinas,
and he is a former assistant to the
editor of Health and Vitality magazine.
As everybody knows, that
woman is near impossible
when it comes to her standards
of who she'll work with.
She wrote him
a glowing reference.
He approached me last week.
We should be thrilled to have him
on board, working with our magazine.
Wow. I don't know what to say.
I mean, can I at least have
some time to think about it?
Ah, David.
Hello.
David Barinas, Suzanne Austin.
- Pleased to meet you.
- Pleasure is all mine.
I'll leave you to it.
Well...
Great.
Before we get started, I would like to
introduce you all to my new assistant.
Do not be shocked.
David Barinas.
- Mary.
- Charles.
Ian.
Nice to meet you guys.
As you know, this edition
marks Style Harmony's 50th anniversary,
and I need each and every one of you to
step up to the plate on this one, okay?
It is essential
that we accelerate our social media game
and amp up our online interaction and
really get our readers involved.
Oh, plus, I want them to get a copy of
this as soon as it hits the shelves.
Understood?
And by the end of the day,
Mary will have compiled a PDF
of every single cover
in history for your reference.
It's already done.
Oh, sorry to interrupt.
When I was preparing
for the job,
I compiled that as my research.
Great. Well, that
saves you some time.
I'll WeTransfer it to everybody.
Perfect.
Well, uh, I guess
that's it for now.
Oh, and please keep brainstorming cover
story ideas for the next meeting,
and I have yet to hear anything
exciting enough for our feature
and it has to be
truly mind-blowing.
Mind-blowing. Please.
Thank you. Goodbye.
Arthur L. Carter
Journalism Institute, NYU.
And how did you find
studying under Professor...
Wilkinson?
He's a difficult man,
but I was granted the highest honor he's
given out in over a decade.
- And that was class of...
- 2013.
Full-time study accompanied by a part-time
internship at Health and Vitality,
along with heading
the NYU Local.
Where my job was to ensure
a 7:00 a.m. publication each weekday.
I will be available
day and night.
I've already dedicated
to learning from you Miss Austin.
Along with climbing
the ladder, here at Style and Harmony.
I will do absolutely anything.
- Welcome aboard, David.
- Thank you.
And it's Mrs. Austin.
Suzanne Austin's office.
Hi. This is Callista,
Suzanne's daughter.
Callista. Hello.
I'm your mother's
new assistant, David.
She's actually in a meeting right now,
but I'd be happy to take a message.
Assistant? Weird.
Um... yeah, can you just tell her that I
don't need to be picked up.
I'm going to hang out
at the Red Hen Coffee Shop.
I'll be home later.
All right. I will pass that
message right along.
It was a pleasure to phone-meet you,
Callista. You have a good day.
Thanks. Bye.
- Any calls?
- One. Callista.
She's going to her regular cafe after
school and doesn't need you to pick her up.
Oh, okay.
Your daughter must be
so proud of you.
She's got a great role model.
Must be one big power
family, huh? What does your husband do?
He's a musician.
Excuse me. I have some errands to run on
my way home. Good job today.
Thank you.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Hmm.
I mean, can you
believe that guy.
Who compiles a PDF
of all magazine covers for research?
Yeah, he's definitely
a little eager, but damn he's fine.
Okay, good-looking or not, there is
definitely something weird about him.
Yeah, but you think there's
something weird about everybody.
Yeah, most people suck.
That's why I don't like many people.
I'm going to see
what I can find.
What exactly are you
even looking for?
I want to know his blood type,
the name of his
first pet that died,
his mother's shoe size.
And she wonders why
she's still single.
Hey. What was his
last name again?
Whose last name?
Yours, actually.
I was gonna friend you online.
Hmm. I'm not really
into social media.
Huge waste of time,
if you ask me.
Seriously?
Whoa! New guy. Hold up.
So, where are you from?
Greendale in New York.
No way. I'm from Pilsford,
like three towns over.
What part of Greendale?
- Right by the park.
- Which park?
- The one with the skate ramp.
- Hmm.
I don't remember there being
a skate ramp in Greendale.
Well, there was one.
I really have to get back to Suzanne.
Yeah, of course.
Hey, you know,
a bunch of us are staying late to
brainstorm some ideas for the cover story.
You want to join?
I would, thank you for the invite, but I
already made plans.
Of course.
Oh...
Damn it.
Really?
Dad, that was awesome.
You were amazing.
They went wild for you
when you played "Suzie's Eyes."
- Thanks, guys.
- Hey.
- Hey, babe.
- I am so sorry, I got tied up.
Oh, don't worry about it.
I understand.
Hi, Callista.
Douglas, are you
staying for a while?
Mom, he was just
leaving. God!
- Later, babe.
- Bye.
Roberto.
Bring me next time, yeah?
Thanks, dude,
I appreciate you coming.
All right, Mrs. A.
See you later, all right?
Good night, Douglas.
It's not funny.
I'm not laughing about that.
Hey, honey, how was your night?
Yup. Okay.
Seriously, why is he here?
Why was he here?
What in the heck
are you thinking?
He just came to my gig
with Callista.
Come on, think back
to how we were at their age.
Yeah, but baby,
we are the adults making the rules now.
Yeah, but they'll just do it behind our
backs if we don't let them, right?
I don't want to encourage
or help them.
Do you really want your daughter getting
pregnant with some deadbeat loser's baby?
I know what you're saying,
but please try and relax.
And remember what
the doctor said.
Breathe deeply
from the diaphragm.
And I don't know, maybe it's time you
start seeing the therapist again.
Callista told me that
you had a little bit of road rage.
Driving, yelling at
somebody on the road...
and it really scared her.
I know. I know.
Work's really hectic right now,
but I got a new assistant.
So that should make things
a lot easier for us.
That's great! That means
we'll get to see more of you, right?
- Yeah.
- An assistant! Wow!
I never thought I'd see the day.
I know, but, you know,
he's hardworking and ambitious,
a little overly confident,
maybe, but it's good.
Sounds like it might be
a good thing in the editorial world.
- I need a drink.
- Yes.
What's this?
It's Dougie's.
And what's it doing
in your room?
I was taking care of it
for him, which is none of your business.
Actually, it is my business because this is
my house and you are my teenage daughter.
Honey, he's no good
for you. He's using you.
You shouldn't let him
push you around.
You would know
all about that, wouldn't you?
- Watch your tone.
- You're such a hypocrite.
I mean, look at you and Dad, you guys are
constantly fighting and you still stay with him.
That's enough, Callista.
You're never even here anyway.
So I'm pretty sure you lost
the right to judge my life.
Douglas is banned
from this house.
Fine. I don't have to be
in this house to see him.
How about a piece
on the cost of looking good,
that details how much the average person
spends on beauty maintenance?
Mmm.
That could be interesting.
I'm pretty sure someone else
did that a few issues ago.
So we do it better.
Oh.
I swear, one of us better get a promotion
for all the overtime we've been putting in.
Uh, yeah, it better be me.
I'm the one who's been
slaving away here the longest.
I don't know, Mary.
Suzanne's new assistant may have you beat.
After that PDF stunt today.
You never know what
that cat's got up his sleeve.
Okay, seriously, who does that?
Way to bring it up
again, Charles.
She already wants to launch
an FBI investigation on the guy.
I just know a rat
when I smell one.
Or someone's feeling a little butt-hurt for
getting owned in front of the whole team today.
- Correct.
- Whatever.
All right,
I'm calling it a night.
- What? We...
- I've got some cyber-stalking to do.
Oh, God.
She ain't kidding.
- Peace out, my squad.
- Bye.
Yeah, Mom, I'm eating enough.
You ask me that everyday.
Listen, I'm on my way home. I'll call
you when I get there. Love you. Bye.
Hello?
Aah! Oh my...
Oh my God!
Oh my God!
Mary, are you all right?
- You okay?
- My leg.
- What happened?
- My leg! Oh my God!
- Hold on. Hold on.
- Oh my God!
What's your emergency?
- Yeah. I need an ambulance.
- Hurry.
Yeah, there's a lot
of blood. I don't know.
Wow.
We're treating
this as an assault.
Slashing the Achilles points
to intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
What we're trying to determine
is whether the attack was at random,
if it was a sexual assault that was
thwarted, or if it was calculated.
Calculated, meaning?
Meaning that the attacker
could have been somebody that Mary knew.
Does she have any enemies
that you know about?
I mean, no one that
I know of at work,
but I can't speak
for her personal life.
Good. Great, okay.
Well, we'll be in touch.
- Thank you, Detective.
- Thank you.
As you know, Mary was
attacked in the parking lot last night.
But she's in the hospital in a stable
condition. She's going to be fine.
- Oh, my God.
- This is so crazy.
Now we've been
speaking with detectives
and they are 100% committed
in catching whoever did this to her.
But in the meantime, I want you
all to be very careful at night
and report anything that looks
suspicious immediately.
So apologies for our brevity,
but we've got to get our cover story firm
and we've got to do that today.
So, what have you got for us?
How about InstaFamous?
"Sophia Reeves' Rise
to Model Stardom via Instagram."
That's not a big enough name.
All right. How about, "Liv Daly
the New Queen of Funny"?
No, she was on our September
cover last year.
I have a lead on a former Real Housewife
of Miami from like season one.
I know she'd be up
for a "life after reality TV" piece.
No. No.
No reality, please. Substance, you guys.
What about Nora Patters?
That girl is a bigger mess than
Lindsay Lohan circa 2007.
Well, she just got released from prison
for her stint of drunk driving and hitting
a pedestrian, and I actually already reached
out to her reps via my personal contacts
and, I mean, I'm pretty confident that I
can get us an exclusive interview.
But Suzanne just said
"substance only."
Sure, in the public eye
that's a common line,
but I feel like there's something inherently
sad about the child-star trajectory.
And we all know
what her parents were like,
and my source says that she's full of remorse
and that prison life has, and I quote,
"changed her for the better."
Plus, I have intel that
she just signed on as the lead
for Emmanuel Rivera's new indie, and we
know how that transforms careers.
I'm sorry. I know it's not my
place place to pitch stories,
but I feel like it's something
worth mentioning.
So the evolution of Nora.
- And this could be an exclusive?
- Exclusive.
This could be our feature.
I like it.
Her rise of the phoenix
story is similar to ours as a magazine.
Almost folding, right, in 2004, only to
wind up one of America's top style mags.
Yes, follow up with this, David.
- Okay.
- Yes.
- Excellent, David.
- Thank you.
Hey, guys. Is Mary okay?
Have you talked to her?
Define "okay."
She's in the hospital.
Wow. I can't believe this.
- Are you going to visit her?
- After work.
Well, hey, please
give her my best.
I mean, you know, I'm trying to keep it
straight 'cause I'm the new guy and all,
but it's kind of
shaken me up a bit.
She'll be fine.
Our Mary's a tough cookie.
Good.
Sorry, it's taken me
a few days and an assault
to welcome you
on board with coffee.
You must have an interesting
first-impression of Style Harmony.
No, not at all.
It takes a lot more than that to phase me.
To be honest with you, I have had my eyes
on your magazine since I graduated.
Even from your New York skyrise office at
the country's biggest health mag?
Well, it may seem odd,
but absolutely.
You know, it's not about the publication
so much as the people behind it for me.
And I have been a big
fan of yours for years.
You have?
I have.
You know, I've always
wanted to be in your position.
I really want to run
my own magazine someday.
And, yeah, here I'm just trying to learn
everything, and to be honest with you,
sometimes I feel like a bit
of a fraud pushing my way to the top.
But I'm positive that
I'm in the right place.
Well, you seem like
you're off to a good start.
I started at the bottom.
We all have.
My first column was in the Los Angeles Daily
Observer. I think it was read by maybe,
eight people total.
Although, one of my favorite
pieces was the "Stranger in a Train."
"The social anxiety
of public transport.
"Have we mutually contracted
to avoid eye contact?
"Or if I avoid it, am I breaking some superior
social contract that I never agreed to sign?"
That must've been published
about 10 years ago.
Yeah, I was...
I was a shy kid.
I spent most of my teenage years reading
and learning about anything that I could.
- I was pretty lame.
- No.
It's not lame. Your parents
must be very proud.
Well, my father was.
My mother died when I was born.
Sorry to hear that.
No. You have a two o'clock.
- You better get going.
- Oh, right.
Remind me how I went this
long without an assistant.
David, what can I do for you?
I was wondering if I can
walk you to your car tonight?
I don't mean to sound like an old man,
but you know, I'm a little uncomfortable
with you walking alone after
what happened to Mary.
You have a point.
Thank you.
- Better safe than sorry.
- Yes, of course.
Well, uh, thank you
for walking me to my car.
You're welcome. Like I said,
I'm at your disposal.
- I'm never leaving.
- What?
I said, I better get leaving.
Uh, get home safe, okay?
- Yeah, good night.
- Good night.
- Hi, guys.
- Hey, babe. Welcome home. How are you?
I'm good.
Guess what? I made
everyone's favorite, lasagna.
Mmm.
So it looks like we booked Nora Patters
for our anniversary feature story.
No way,
that's awesome. Congrats!
Wait, Callista,
didn't you have a poster of her?
Yeah, when I was like, 13.
Well, I think she'll be
an interesting story.
She seems like she's
been through a lot,
and we'll need a lot of graphics arranged
celebrating her past work.
Callista, I thought you
could come to the office for some ideas.
- I'll pass. Can I be excused?
- Hey.
We haven't even eaten yet.
And there's dessert. I picked up your
favorite raspberry cheesecake on my way home.
Mmm.
Yeah, I don't want any.
Sit down until
after family dinner.
Dougie dumped me, okay?
So, excuse me if dessert
isn't my top priority right now.
Sweetheart, I'm sorry.
Now, what do you care, anyway? You hated
him. You're probably happy he dumped me.
That is not true.
You know what,
this is all your fault.
He would never have broken up with me if
you hadn't banned him from this house
like I'm some kind
of 12 year old.
Don't you have work to get to?
You're not going to help me?
Wow.
Well, let's eat.
Great.
Yeah, so apparently he broke up with Callista
for some junior he'd been cheating on her with.
I didn't like that guy anyway.
- You okay, babe?
- Yeah, I'm fine.
A staff member was
attacked the other day, you know that.
And it's just really
stressful at work,
because we have this 50th anniversary
edition that I can't seem to close.
And my assistant has
been acting strangely.
How so?
I don't know.
I can't put my finger on it.
He got weirdly close
to me today,
and I thought I heard him say something,
but maybe I'm just hearing things.
I think he's...
overly fond of me or something.
Well, I mean, come on, babe.
You're beautiful,
successful, at the top of your field.
What kid's not going
to have a crush on you, right?
Really? That's how
you're going to help me?
I'm serious.
Go to sleep.
I'm trying.
- Your lunch is at Perch.
- Perch?
Well, Nora picked it.
I typed the address into your GPS.
- Okay, she knows who to look for?
- She knows everything.
She's probably going to enter the restaurant
via the back door to avoid paparazzi.
Great. 'Cause I'm not
feeling photo-ready today.
The intent is to focus
on your positive steps forward.
Your life changes, transformations.
And I assure you that the exclusive will
be positive for your image.
Great. It's important
to me that we don't talk about Diane.
- Your mother.
- Yes.
She's a compulsive liar
who uses me for money.
She'll probably tell you
I'm dating some guy in a boy band.
I'm not. Let's make sure all
communication goes through me from now on.
Of course.
I want you to highlight
the maturity of my role in "Echo."
I age myself up by 15 years.
- Yeah, it's amazing...
- I am on a self-development crusade.
You can quote me on that.
Almost killing someone was a wake-up call
for me and I hate myself for it.
I can't re-write the past, but I can make
sure something like that never happens again.
I have a thing I gotta be at.
Okay, absolutely.
It's good to be busy.
Are you sure you don't
want to go through the back door?
Oh, you're nobody unless
somebody wants your picture.
Nora, thank you so much for being part of
the Style Harmony team...
Please. Please. Give a girl some space.
Oh, and right side
only, thank you.
- You were saying?
- Yeah.
- Sorry. So great to meet you.
- So great to meet you.
I'll look forward
to our interview.
- Totally. Me, too.
- Bye.
One, two, three, four, five,
six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Robert!
Stay out!
Suzanne Austin's office.
We need Suzanne
in the conference room now.
Janet, yeah.
She's just finishing up
a phone call to her
daughter's school right now,
and I'll have her meet you
in the conference room.
You okay?
Let's go.
At Adeline Rose we promote
freedom, enjoyment of life,
not unlike Style Harmony, engaging the
human drive to do what makes them happy.
At the expense
of their loved ones?
Well, of course our customer
is not the "loved one."
It's quite often the one
who feels un-loved.
Ah, okay.
Well, correct me if I'm wrong,
but you take advantage of weakness to
exploit the sanctity of marriage.
Suzanne, we're here to discuss
a potential partnership
with Adeline Rose and Style Harmony, not
to get into any kind of a moral debate.
Our business is grounded
on the scientifically established fact
that monogamy
is an unnatural state.
Affairs will happen anyway.
Our app is merely an outlet for our very,
very large and lucrative customer base.
Do you have a conscience?
How do you sleep at night?
Soundly.
Business is business.
If that's what you
want to call it.
Perhaps...
Adeline Rose, as an advertiser,
could launch that discussion,
and Style Harmony,
as receiver of those funds,
could easily draw an argument
about "snatching back" from the app
that "snatches" from morality.
I think this would draw
a lot of attention to both Style Harmony
and to Adeline Rose.
Ladies?
Works for me.
I look forward
to working with you.
Dad?
Hey.
You look like crap.
Are you okay?
I don't know.
I love you.
I love you, too, sweetie.
Is this about you and Mom?
I feel like all you
guys do is fight these days.
Look, if you're not happy, don't feel like
you have to stay together because of me.
Oh, no, honey.
Listen, I need you to understand something.
You mom is the only woman
whom I've ever loved.
She's the love of my life.
I can't imagine it without her.
I love you.
I love you, too.
- Uh, Callista.
- Yeah.
- The beer. Yeah.
- Right.
Nice try.
You need to check your
personal opinions at the door.
You cannot alienate
potential advertisers.
I mean what happened
in that Adeline Rose meeting.
It could just be
so detrimental for the magazine.
You know, we're counting
on their ad buy, Suzanne.
It was unprofessional
of me, okay?
I just... You know what?
I'll call in to apologize.
No. No, I'll fix it.
Are you okay?
I'm here as your boss, but...
I think you know
I'm your friend.
Every thing's fine.
Thank you.
Are you doing
your anger exercises?
Of course I am.
Well, I wish I could tell.
Suzanne Austin's office.
Hi, Robert. Your wife's actually
not available right now.
Can I have her call you back?
Sure. Have a great day.
Any calls for me?
No. None.
It seems like you've had
a long and stressful day.
Look, I don't want
to step out of line, but...
would you like to grab a drink
after work to decompress?
Sure. I think I need it.
Listen, about the
Adeline Rose meeting,
I behaved unprofessionally
and I'm ashamed that you saw that.
No, no, no, no.
Don't worry about it.
To be honest with you,
I find that concept repulsive as well.
I mean, why stay married to someone if
you just want to cheat on them.
Everything okay?
Yeah, everything's fine.
Thank you. Cheers.
Mmm.
I definitely needed that.
I thought you did.
You know what's funny?
The timing today.
You know, about an hour
before the meeting,
my husband was kissing
a woman that wasn't me.
- Life's weird like that, isn't it?
- Wow. I'm so sorry.
A stunning brunette.
Beautiful and floaty
like a music video.
You know, I...
I had a girl friend
that cheated on me with my best friend.
It wasn't a one-off either. I found out
that they were seeing each other for months
by the time I caught 'em.
Sorry.
Ah! Life goes on.
Yes, it does.
I don't get why anybody
would want to cheat on you.
Really. You are the most beautiful,
intelligent woman I have ever met.
Well, thank you,
but I definitely have my faults.
I am not a perfect
wife or mother.
I work a lot, probably too much.
And I have a little, little bit
of a temper. Little one.
Well, faults and all,
I would never cheat on you.
- Thanks.
- Really, I mean, you know,
it's tough to balance work
and family and a relationship.
And the anger thing,
that's manageable.
It's actually not your fault.
It's a chemical imbalance.
Have you ever thought
of seeing a therapist?
I saw a therapist.
I thought it was working,
but I don't know.
I mean, the more I go,
the more I feel like I need it.
Well, stick with it.
Therapy takes time, but it's worthwhile.
Where'd you get all this wisdom?
The whiskey.
You know what relieves stress?
Whiskey.
And sex.
Excuse me,
can I get another one?
You're beautiful.
This is wrong.
Good morning.
You've got a breakfast meeting with
GlamCrew regarding their feature,
followed by a luncheon
with the head of Capri Equities.
I've got the office shower
running, it should be perfect by now.
Last night was a mistake.
I have to go home.
Reschedule my meetings
for this morning.
Where the hell have you been?
None of your business.
I'm serious, Suzanne.
Where were you?
Kissing random strangers.
That's not funny.
If you love me, you wouldn't keep
cheating on me with that hippie whore.
Suzanne, what the hell
are you talking about?
Tell me, Robert. Tell me how long
have you been seeing her this time?
- Who, Ellie?
- Yes.
I saw you kissing her yesterday.
Oh, come on,
I didn't kiss her, she kissed me.
Oh, God! You're lying! Stop!
Okay, you are incapable
of telling me the truth.
How can we move on
if you keep reliving the past?
Because you're the one
who keeps making the same mistake.
I can't trust you anymore.
I want a divorce.
No. We are not getting divorced,
please don't walk away from me.
It's over, Robert.
Are you seeing someone else?
Okay, look, I know I haven't
been the most faithful husband,
but I love you
and I believe in us.
Yeah, well, actions
speak louder than words.
Oh, my God, Stop fighting!
I will go to therapy.
You hate therapy.
I'm serious this time, Suzanne. I will
make the appointment. I will go everyday.
We can go together everyday.
I gotta get to school.
Please, I will do anything.
You need to get
your daughter to school.
Just installing some
anti-viral software.
I'm transferring you
to another desk.
Completely unnecessary.
We're two consenting adults,
and I had an amazing
time with you last night,
should you ever be in need
of my services again.
Don't be absurd. It's absolutely
inappropriate for us to be working together.
I'm making arrangements for you
in the fashion department.
No.
Excuse me?
I'm opting to stay
as your assistant.
- I didn't give you a choice.
- Then I'll give you one.
Move me, and I'll make sure
that everybody's aware of your reasoning.
And it will be your
word against mine.
Oh, what's this?
Bad, bad boy.
Screw you.
So when are you going to end
things with Robert?
'Cause I know that
he hasn't been faithful to you.
I'd appreciate it
if you left my office.
I have work to do.
- What?
- I've got Nora Patters on line three for you.
Hi, there, Nora.
Just give me a moment.
I'm pulling up the document,
so we can confirm our interview
context for your cover story.
Okay, here it is.
Uh...
Uh...
The first topic...
The first topic...
we'd like to address
is your recent exit from jail,
and how you felt stepping out into the
public for the first time? Okay?
Great, and then we'd
like to get into, um...
into how you overcame the difficult step
from childhood stardom to...
potential Oscar fame.
Did you delete
my interview outline content?
I'm sorry. What?
Did you delete contents
from the document
that I prepared for my interview
with Nora Patters?
No. No. I have no idea
what you're talking about.
No? 'Cause I'm pretty sure
it was there
in perfect condition before
you got on my computer.
Please, keep your
voice down with me.
I mean, I'm sensing
some anger in your tone.
Oh, I'll raise my voice,
all right, you little twit!
I know you're lying to me.
You ruined my call and you almost
embarrassed me in front of a client.
Just who the hell do you
think you're messing with?
I will end you, do you hear me?
End you.
God.
David.
That was highly
inappropriate behavior by Suzanne.
I want to apologize.
It's totally okay. She's under a lot
of stress. I can't take it personally.
Has she behaved aggressively
toward you before?
No, no, no, of course not.
David?
Okay, yes, a couple of times,
but please don't say
anything to her, it'll only make it worse.
I understand.
I'm committed to maintaining a healthy
workplace, so I will sort it out.
I will sort it out, David.
Callista, sweetheart, hi.
Listen, I know you're
not my biggest fan right now,
but I just...
I wanted to let you know
the offer to intern here is still open.
I could really use
an ally here right now.
Anyway, I hope your
day at school is good.
Just... call me when you can.
I love you, honey.
That's very Rembrandt.
Oh, thanks.
He's actually one of my
biggest inspirations.
Well, you're doing him an honor.
Very talented.
Thank you.
So, how do you know about art?
Oh, I don't really.
Just working for a magazine,
you learn new things.
You work for a magazine?
Which one?
Oh, it's called Style Harmony.
I didn't know that
would be up your alley.
No, it's not. It's...
It's just that my mom
works there.
She's the managing editor.
Your mom's Suzanne Austin?
Wait. So you must be Callista?
Oh, how do you know that?
Sorry, that probably
sounds weird.
We actually spoke on the phone.
I'm David, Suzanne's assistant.
Oh! Wow!
I'm sorry, you're just
not what I pictured.
What did you picture?
I don't know.
Balding, dorky guy
with Harry Potter glasses?
No, no, no, no, not at all.
Probably a little bit.
Okay, a little bit.
Wow, you look so much
like your mother.
It's a compliment.
Thanks.
Can I... Can I
look at your work?
Yeah, sure.
You know, we're having a hard time figuring out
the graphics for the new anniversary edition,
and you're really talented. You should
think about interning at Style Harmony.
Maybe you can help us out.
Provide some fresh ideas.
Hey, Curtis?
Curtis, I know you, right?
I'm sorry, I think you're
mistaking me for someone else.
Oh, sorry, man.
That was weird.
Yeah, well, I have a common face. It
actually happens quite a bit.
You don't have a common face.
Well, thank you.
You should really think about it though.
It'd be nice to see you around the office.
Hey, you got a minute?
Mary! I'm so glad
you're back. Yes.
- Sorry about that.
- Awesome.
- You okay?
- Yup.
Hopping around on one foot is...
- Not easy.
- lots of fun.
What's going on?
What do you think about David?
Why do you ask?
I don't want to start
any drama, but...
I feel like
he's hiding something.
He just gives me a weird vibe.
He said he grew up in Greendale which is
right near my hometown.
He said he lived
near a skate park,
but I did some research
and there is no skate park in Greendale.
Well, maybe there
used to be one?
No, I don't remember
there ever being one.
Okay.
Well, I appreciate you coming
to me with your concerns,
and I will keep a very
close eye on David.
And in the meantime, I want you to focus
on getting better please.
- Right.
- Right. Okay.
- You think you can do that for me? Yeah?
- Yeah.
- Mmm-hmm.
- Thanks.
Do you mind if I sit?
No, no, not at all.
How are you feeling?
Amazing! Clearly.
Oh. Did they get any leads
on who's responsible?
They found the guy's truck,
but it had been stolen.
Oh, let's hope
that they get him.
So, listen, I was thinking, you and I
probably know a bunch of the same people.
Where'd you go to high school?
I went to the Greendale Academy for Girls.
I went to Buxley.
Oh, Buxley.
I didn't really hang out
with a lot of guys from there.
What year did you graduate?
2008. I really gotta get back
to the desk. Got a lot of work to do.
Yeah, sure.
Do you, buddy.
Let's hope nothing else
bad happens to you.
What the...?
Who the hell are you?
Hey, is Suzanne still
in the office?
No! No...
Oh, yeah. I remember.
We were one year into dating,
and I left school early
to surprise him,
and the front door was open, and I went inside
and saw his feet hanging over the couch,
and just as
I went to sneak up on him, I noticed
a pair of red heels
sitting on the floor.
Not mine.
And then I saw her under
the covers with Robert,
and she got up and ran so quickly, she
left her red heels on the floor.
And have these
infidelities continued?
There was one woman Ellie.
I went back to her numerous times.
Suzanne already knows this.
I put an end to it.
It's in the past.
Would you like to talk a little about the
most recent situation that upset your wife?
There is no recent situation.
The woman couldn't take a hint.
She tried to kiss me,
I pushed her away
and that's all there is to it.
You're lying.
You're always lying.
Robert, why do you think
you went back to Ellie more than once?
I don't know.
We hung out.
We had fun.
She made me feel like
I was needed and it felt good.
Do you feel Suzanne
doesn't need you?
Suzanne has made it
very clear that she doesn't need me.
I remember being on a family
vacation years ago,
and I think I didn't do
the dishes or something like that,
and I admit, I'm not
good at that sort of stuff,
but Suzanne said she was going to count
to three and if the dishes weren't done,
then her and Callista were
going to go snorkeling without me.
That trip was over 10 years ago.
Do you feel like you're
an equal partner in the relationship?
My wife runs a very
popular magazine.
She makes more money in a year than I can
imagine making in my entire life.
People that don't even
know her respect her.
And me?
My most relevant skill
is that I can cook.
I did, however, write
a great song once,
and that did buy our house.
But that was then, and now,
I feel like I have
no value in life,
no purpose in life.
What about your daughter?
You're of value to her.
Callista looks up
to you so much.
She definitely is
my ray of sunshine.
Callista and me,
we definitely fell from the same tree.
Do you ever put time aside for the two of
you to just reconnect as a couple?
No, but I think
that's a great idea.
I would love to do that.
Date night.
But work keeps her away.
Honey, I work to pay our bills
and to keep living
the way we live.
I know you're not happy, I know.
But the more you mope,
the more apathetic you get,
and the angrier I get and the less time I
want to spend with you.
I know you're depressed,
and I want to try and help you,
but you have to want
to help yourself.
And you have to be invested
in this relationship and try to find
purpose in your life.
I will tell you this,
I will not...
stick around if you cheat
on me again, I will not do that to myself.
And we need to set a better
example for Callista.
You're right.
And I need you to try
and find more time for us...
so I can rebuild your trust.
Please, can we do that?
Okay.
Suzanne. Hi.
I've a list of social media blasts that
you need to approve before I send out.
You ready?
Uh, sure. Shoot.
All righty. "Nothing more grueling than a
fitness session with @JuliaGainsford.
"Our whole office is getting on board. See
her in this month's issue of #Harmony."
- Great.
- Great.
"Less than one month until
our #anniversary edition.
"Are you as excited
as we are? #HarmonyTurns50"
Sounds great.
All righty.
Then as usual, we'll share messages, add
encouraging comments
about our upcoming
featured celebrities.
That all works.
All right. Perfect.
So, maybe you could place
the corresponding images
side-by-side,
vertically instead on the left.
So the "I" is
drawn in with the lines.
- Ah!
- That's a great idea.
What do you think about that?
Actually, I like it.
She's doing really well.
Looks like a young
version of you.
I don't want you
anywhere near my daughter.
Well, being as Callista has
an internship here,
it's going to be hard to avoid.
Hey, Janet.
What in God's name
were you thinking?
What do you mean?
Nora got highly intoxicated this morning
before she went on the GMW appearance,
and she spent
the entire time on the interview
ranting and raving about
how rehab was for suckers,
and how her parents and all parents should
just let their kids enjoy their lives.
And, I quote...
"do all the drugs
that they want."
Oh, my God.
And we endorsed her!
How in the world could you
let a tweet go out like that?
You have got to be kidding me!
- You know what, kids?
- Do whatever the you want.
All the drugs you want, anything.
Whatever puts a smile
on your dial.
Cocaine? Yummy.
Alcohol! Yay!
I say, get the party started.
You let tweets
go out unapproved?
No, I approved them remotely.
It's your job to be
on top of this kind of thing Suzanne.
Fix it!
You did this!
- Mom.
- Callista!
Well, you approved it. I told you
on the phone along with the others.
I thought you wanted
it to go out.
Why would I approve
something like that?
I don't know.
You're right. I messed up,
I'm going to fix it.
I'm going to prepare a statement
of defense right now.
No. No.
- Mom!
- Callista, please.
Callista! Callista!
You have done enough already.
Never in my history as an editor have I
done anything remotely inappropriate
or irresponsible when
it comes to what I promote.
Especially, when it comes
to drugs and teenagers.
Are you kidding me?
It goes against my ethics!
And why?
Why would I approve
something like that,
if I knew what she had said.
And why didn't you tell me
Nora was drunk at GMW?
Well, I thought you'd seen
the interview.
It's on your schedule
to watch it every morning.
You knew where
I was this morning.
You knew. You...
Oh, my God!
I'm sorry you had to see that.
I'm sorry she flipped out
on you like that.
No, no, no, it's fine.
It's a stressful environment
and this is a big issue.
She's the same at home,
believe me.
She gets mad at you
like that at home?
Sometimes.
And with my dad.
Oh, I'm sorry.
You okay?
Yeah, thanks.
Oh, Dad!
- Hi, sweetie.
- Hey.
You must me Mr. Austin.
It's a pleasure
to meet you, sir.
I'm David, Suzanne's assistant.
Yeah, I believe Suzanne
has mentioned you.
Well, all good things I hope.
You ready to go
home, sweetheart?
- Yeah.
- Nice to meet you, man.
You, too, sir.
Good job today.
Bye.
I don't need to tell you how disappointed
I am in your performance just now, Suzanne.
I mean, in front of the entire office and
your teenage daughter.
I mean, David's barely been
here a month and you tore him to shreds.
I don't want to sound like
I'm making excuses, but David...
David? Don't blame your
assistant, Suzanne.
I think David's doing
this to me on purpose.
Doing what?
Everything. Setting me up.
Pushing my buttons.
I don't know,
but I'm telling you, Janet.
What reason would
he have to behave like that?
I don't know.
All right.
Then I'd like you to consider
that possibly you're over-analyzing.
We have bigger problems now.
Yes, we have,
and I've thought of a way
to rectify this.
We run a piece that promotes a better understanding
of people with substance abuse problems,
featuring a plethora
of recovered celebrities
that can shed some light
on Nora's behavior.
Now I don't condone
her behavior.
But we need to understand
that this is an illness,
and often times,
it's not their fault.
It's a chemical imbalance.
That could actually work.
Regardless, I need you
to take some time off.
What? For this one thing?
It's so easy to fix.
No, Suzanne, not over
this one issue.
You've had numerous outbursts.
I've had complaints
from staff members.
You need to take some time for yourself
and you need to get your anger issues
and your stress levels
under control.
I've already arranged for Amber Barnett
to replace you while you're gone.
The lead editor of Lolene?
Wow! I guess you've already
made up your mind.
Detective Westwood
is here to see you.
Thank you, David.
Detective.
Why don't you stay here?
Mary O'Connor was found
dead in her apartment this morning.
Oh, my God.
She was beaten to death.
Mary worked under
Suzanne, correct?
Was she a good employee?
She was very good at her job.
Who were some of her
closest friends, in the office?
She was close with Ian Simpson.
They spent a lot of time
together outside the office.
Can you think of any reason
why someone would've done this to her?
No.
No enemies at all
that you know of?
Mary spoke her mind bluntly.
So she basically had enemies,
basically everywhere she went.
That was her thing.
It's why I loved her.
Would you say Mary
was a good employee?
Of course, I only
hire good people.
Did she ever cause any trouble
with any of the other employees?
No more than the others.
They're competitive.
Ever have to reprimand her?
Yes, I did.
Mary could overstep her bounds
and hold grudges
against people who slighted her.
It's been bit of a rough start for you
here at Style Harmony, hasn't it?
I guess it has.
What happened to Mary
is an absolute tragedy.
Were you guys friends?
Well, we didn't exactly
hang out together socially,
but we were always
friendly at work.
To be honest with you,
I think she had a bit of a crush on me.
So people think that
Mary was a troublemaker.
Did he make any trouble for you?
No, not really.
You know, Mary once mentioned something
about an online stalker.
She didn't really
go into details,
but seems like something
worth looking into.
Enjoying the read?
You're behind the Snark?
You've heard of it?
I'm impressed.
But no, it's not mine.
I'm just a measly contributor.
And you write things like that?
Well, I was inspired
by your advice.
"Write what you know."
I want you to stay
out of my life.
And stay the hell
away from my daughter.
Oh!
Oh, damn it!
That was completely intentional.
Uh, I am so, so sorry.
Cut the crap, David,
just cut it.
You know what? I'm going
to have to report this.
I know you're screwing with me,
and I'm going to make sure
you don't get away with it.
I think it's dead now, Mom.
I've got you a salad, babe.
Come on in, take a break.
Okay.
Mary was murdered.
Murdered?
I know.
Sweetheart, you need
to talk to me.
I don't trust my assistant.
I do not trust, David.
I don't get it.
He seemed like a decent guy when I met him.
Sweetie, you're gonna
give yourself a breakdown.
He's driving me crazy.
I gotta get some air.
Whoa, where are you going?
Out!
Where out?
No, no, no, no, no.
What the hell is going on here?
Callista's with David.
You gotta be kidding me.
Damn it, pick up.
So where are we going?
Oh, you'll see.
It's a surprise.
I know just the place.
I don't understand why
you have such a problem with this guy.
He seems like such
a step up from Dougie.
Come on, baby.
Pick up. Pick up.
Why are you freaking out?
What is going on?
I don't want our daughter
in that sleazy lowlife's car.
All right, what the hell
are you not telling me?
You slept with your assistant.
It was a mistake.
I asked you, Suzanne. I asked you
and you said, no, you lied to me.
And you had me thinking I was the bad guy this
entire time when you've been messing around.
Once.
But this isn't about
you right now.
I am seriously worried that
David's been watching us.
Not just me, all of us,
and now Callista is with him.
You think he's stalking us?
So you slept with
your own stalker,
and now our daughter
has a crush on him?
You're a real class act,
you know that?
Robert, you're not listening.
I think David is out to get us.
Me, you, Callista, and I don't know what
his limits are and I'm scared.
Yeah, well, I just think
you're being overly paranoid.
Robert?
I'm going for a run.
Damn it. Damn it. Come on.
Yeah, it's really pretty.
I better get you home.
Okay.
Callista, honey...
Wait.
I need you to listen to me.
I need you to stay away from David.
He is trying to ruin my life.
Oh, like you've ruined
everyone else's?
He's bad news.
- He's obsessed.
- I don't believe you.
Okay, wait, please!
I'm telling you the truth.
I caught him writing crazy
things online, a website called the Snark,
and I know he is
writing about me.
You're delusional.
You're not the object
of everyone's obsession.
Robert! Hey!
Thought that was you.
Listen to me, David, I don't know what
kind of games you're playing,
if you go anywhere
near my family again, I'll kill you.
Whoa! Apparently
your family really likes me.
You screwed my wife and now you're
smiling in my face like it's nothing?
Hey, hey, it's not
my fault that you can't satisfy your wife.
I guess one-hit wonder musicians
aren't that much of a turn-on
'cause I had her
begging for more.
Mom.
Can I help you?
Yes. I'm Detective Westwood.
Can I come inside?
Yeah, come in.
Thank you.
Hi.
Can I sit down?
Sure.
What's going on?
I'm here to inform you that
your husband Robert Austin was found dead.
What?
I am so sorry,
Mrs. Austin.
Oh, my God.
Look, it's my duty
to ask you where you were last night.
Uh, I was here.
I had a little bit to drink
and I fell asleep early.
Do you black out when you drink?
No. No, I don't.
What about your marriage?
Were you happy in your marriage?
Why would you ask me that?
I was here all night.
Can anybody confirm that?
Yes.
Okay, look I'm going to ask you just one
more question and I'll leave you in peace.
Is there anybody you know
that could've done this?
Yes.
David. David Barinas,
my assistant.
Mom.
No. There's no way David
would've killed Dad.
Callista.
- Callista, wait.
- Leave me alone!
Baby, come back, please.
Why do you think it was David?
I just know.
Okay? I know.
Look, don't leave anywhere.
You're probably going to need an attorney.
Wait a minute, wait.
David and I slept together. It was a one
night stand and I ended it immediately.
But I think he's obsessed
with me and my family.
This is no coincidence.
I am telling you David
killed my husband.
Robert.
Oh, baby, I'm sorry.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
How do you think Suzanne is taking this?
She'll be hurting. Badly.
She doesn't deserve this.
Why was she suspended
from Style Harmony?
Look, she was under stress.
I gave her a break.
I watched her smash
her car into David's,
and then she like,
went nuts on him.
I think she even pushed him.
It was crazy.
First Mary, now this.
Come on, baby.
I'm so sorry.
I just want you to know...
Get out!
I don't want you here!
How familiar were you with
Suzanne and her home life?
Uh... well...
I know that Suzanne and Robert
were in couple's counseling.
I see.
I heard there was an incident between you
and Suzanne in the parking lot.
Yeah, yeah. Um...
Suzanne rear-ended me
out of nowhere,
and then got really angry
at me about it,
which was confusing.
Why do you suppose that...
she had hostility towards you?
Well, I made a mistake or two.
Do you and Suzanne have any kind of
relationship outside the office?
Yes.
Yes, we...
We had a one night stand.
Silly, drunken...
She was my boss and
I was just seduced by the idea of it.
But she's a married woman...
Was a married woman...
and she started acting
strange with me ever since.
How so?
Jealous, anxious, possessive.
You know, that night she told me that Robert
was having an affair and that she wanted
someone for her own and...
I wasn't in a place to have
something like that in my life,
and she didn't
take that very well.
I see.
No, she's not the type
to kill anyone though.
Thank you for your
time, Mr. Barinas.
Yeah.
And please, give Suzanne
my condolences.
I feel for her and
her poor daughter.
How are you?
If there's anything I can
do for you, Suzanne, you just tell me.
Where did his resume come from?
Who?
David, where did you find him?
He approached us, Suzanne, but you really
need to give yourself a break on this.
Do you have the initial correspondence? Can
you forward it to me, an address? Anything?
Listen to yourself, Suzanne.
Janet.
If you're not going
to help me, get out!
- Would you listen to yourself?
- Get out!
Suzanne!
I really don't understand you.
Promise me
you wont leave me, Suzie?
I promise.
Suzanne's not your mommy.
Oh, um, sorry,
I can come back another time.
No, no, no.
Don't be silly. Come on in.
Thanks.
Sit down.
How are you holding up?
It's just that...
I can't be in that house with her.
She was so mean to him.
All the time.
And now she wants to play
the widow, the martyr.
Yeah, well...
sometimes our parents aren't
everything we want them to be.
You remind me so much
of your mother at your age.
My mother?
Pictures of her...
that I've seen while
studying for Style Harmony.
I'm going to get you a beer.
Sure. Thanks.
- There you go.
- Thank you.
All right, I gotta wash up.
I'm filthy.
I'll be right back.
You good?
You haven't
touched your beer. Everything okay?
Yeah, I'm fine.
Oh, my God.
Your phone's going off.
Don't worry about it.
Well, it keeps going off.
Sounds like it's important.
Oh, no, no, no.
No, no, no, no.
It's probably my mom looking for me.
Sounds important.
Hang on baby.
I'm coming.
Ooh.
Hmm. Mmm-mmm-mmm.
Let go of me!
Let go of me!
No!
Let go of me!
What do you want from me?
Your mother.
Come on in.
Where the hell is my daughter?
You better not have hurt her.
She's fine.
Sit.
Sit!
I'm not going to hurt you.
I'd never do that.
I want my daughter.
You promised me...
that you would never leave me.
You said that I would
always be your boyfriend.
I believed you.
Oh, my God.
Curtis?
I used to baby-sit you.
Five days a week,
and then you left and you never came back.
I didn't have a choice.
Your dad let me go.
And then I was dropped
into the foster care system.
It's too late
for apologies now, Suzie.
You were seven years old.
How do you still remember?
Because I loved you.
And then you left me for
some scum, just like my real mother.
Whatever your mother did
has nothing to do with me.
My mother left me,
my father wanted nothing to do with me.
But you... you weren't
just my baby-sitter.
You took care of me better than most
mothers take care of their own children.
You raised me.
You loved me.
I know that you did.
And then, you started having
Robert come over.
He took the attention
away from me.
And finally...
you abandoned me.
And you haven't let go of that?
All these irrelevant
people have gotten between us.
Mary, Robert, your daughter.
But I'm taking care
of that now, you see?
Soon it'll just be
you and me, again, finally.
The way it should've
always been.
You know, it's always
been about you, Suzie.
You know, I've been searching for you. That
feeling that I get when I think about you
and every ex-girlfriend,
every lover, every victim...
all I've ever wanted is you.
Callista!
Mom!
Mom!
Oh, baby! Baby, are you okay?
Please, I'm so sorry.
I didn't believe you about David.
Oh, my God.
Sick bastard.
Listen to me.
You untie your feet
and you stay here.
Mom!
I lost you.
You're going to lose Callista.
Curtis, I can't breathe.
It's your fault they're dead.
Mary, Robert,
I killed them for us!
- Baby, are you okay?
- Mom.
- Yes.
- Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Come on.
I never wanted to hurt you
Never wanted
to cause you pain
But I'm going downtown
If I have to go in the rain
It's calling to me
Yeah, it's calling
out my name
And the darkness
Is taking me home again
I've been a fool, yeah
that's for sure
Oh, baby, I let you down
You have every right
to kick me out
And drag my name around town
Love is fool
Ain't fool enough
Not to me tonight
I'd do anything
Anything for Suzie's eyes
And you're free now
And I dreamt of that,
my dear