American Gothic (1995) s01e01 Episode Script

I've heard it said that the American dream is a thing of the past.
That the basic tenets of home, job, and family are slipping away.
Well, not in my town.
Where I come from, that dream is still a reality.
Course, you have to know who's boss.
For those who follow my lead, life can be a paradise.
But for those who don't, it can be a mighty rough road.
Daddy, what should I wish for? What should I wish for, Daddy? Salvation.
Merlyn.
What do you think I should wish for? Don't get her going.
It's all right, you don't have to tell me.
I know.
I'm blowing out my candles now, Daddy.
Someone's at the door.
Someone's at the door.
Someone's at the door.
No.
Someone's at the door.
She ain't gonna do this again.
Someone's at the door.
Shut up! It's okay, Daddy.
Just give her a minute Someone's at the door.
and things will be all right.
Someone's at the door.
Someone's at the door.
I said shut up! Leave her alone, she can't help it! Someone's at the door.
Shut up, dammit! Someone's at the door.
Make her stop! It ain't her fault! The hell it ain't! Every damn problem in our miserable lives is her fault! Someone's at the door.
It's okay, Merlyn.
Take it easy.
Take it easy, Merlyn.
Someone's at the door.
Stop! Daddy, what are you doing? I said stop! Daddy, no! Don't run away from me.
Merlyn, open the door.
Come back here, girl.
Come on, open the door.
Come on.
Someone's at the door.
Open this door, boy! Someone's at the door.
Open up, boy.
Someone's at the door.
Open up right now! Someone's at the door.
I can still hear you, girl! Someone's at the door.
Come on, Merlyn, we gotta go.
Come on, Merlyn.
Please, Merlyn, come on! All right, you stay here, but don't open the door.
Don't open the door, understand? I'm gonna get help.
Merlyn, stay there, I'll be right back! Don't open the door! Someone's at the door.
Ten long years, Merlyn.
Ten years of hell you've put us through.
No more running, son.
Someone's at the door.
This here's for your mama.
Someone's at the door.
Caleb, wait! I'll handle this.
Listen to me.
I want you to stay right here.
Attaboy.
Merlyn.
Merlyn Merlyn Someone's at the door.
Merlyn.
Merlyn, honey, can you hear me? Someone's at the door.
Yes, darling.
But we don't have to worry about that no more.
I wanna see my sister.
Is she all right? Deputy! Keep that monster away from my boy.
You folks see me in back? Actually, no, Sheriff.
Danielle, let's give these boys some room.
How's the job working out, D? I don't know what you said but the station's offering me a hell of a deal.
Is there any other kind? Badge, on or off? Off.
We know who's boss.
All right, then, the body of Merlyn Ann Temple beautiful child, was discovered this evening at approximately 9:55 p.
m.
Cause of death appears to be a blunt instrument to the head.
I have the sad duty of reporting that the victim's father is our prime suspect.
We have no motive at this time, but we do have a witness.
The surviving child, Caleb Temple as he has been left without a family I am hoping our community will support me in shepherding him through these dark days ahead.
Sheriff, where is the child now? We have him safely in custody and as soon as we're able to get an account Lucas.
It appears that the boy was slightly injured in the melee and has been taken to the hospital.
He won't be there long.
This is Danielle Davenport, live, News 22, from Trinity.
Back to you, Bill.
Thank you, Danielle.
Just wait here.
The nurse will be with you in a minute.
Their whole family's been troubled since the beginning.
Don't get me started on her mother.
Whole family's crazy.
It's just a shame.
I remember when they brought her in So sad.
She had two kids.
I know.
She's such a pretty little thing.
Folks.
Bar's closed.
Let's get you out of here.
Do you have any other relatives in town? Child welfare talk to you yet? Gumball? Your hand's gonna be fine, Caleb.
And nothing else that happened tonight is your fault.
I'm down the hall if you need me.
That my sister down there? Yes, it is.
I want to see her.
That's not a good idea.
Why not? Because it won't help.
Do you know it's my birthday? No, I didn't.
Well, it is, and I think I got a right to see my sister on my birthday.
Dr.
Crower.
Sheriff's here.
Give me two minutes.
On whose authority is he with you? Hi, Sheriff.
Situations like this, child welfare grants the doctor in charge temporary custody.
These folks seen your driving record? Forgive me, alcoholism is just a disease now, right? Like the common cold, only more colorful.
What do you know about me? Yankee blue blood, Harvard Med came to town last fall, been causing trouble ever since.
"Let's build a new hospital, let's clean up Goat Town "let's drown the poor in biscuits and gravy.
" You ain't exactly been shy, Doctor.
And I thought the Southern Sheriff was just a cliché.
I want the boy.
Question him tomorrow.
This ain't about questioning, I'm family.
Not according to his file.
You're a good man, aren't you? I don't know what that means.
Anything happens to that child, you will.
Caleb isn't going anywhere until I say so.
You got him till noon tomorrow.
Hey, Sheriff.
Drive safely.
Lucas, I'm having a hard time.
That so? You've done a lot for me, and I figure that I owe you.
You got your lucky pen? Yeah.
Write that down.
What I'm trying to say is I saw you.
I saw what you did to that girl.
I didn't mean to, I just, I thought you might need some help and that's what What color is this gun? What? What color is the gun? I don't The answer's as plain as the nose on your face.
It's a gray gun.
A ray gun? A gray gun, Lucas! It's a gray gun! That's right, Ben.
It's gray.
But isn't it possible that my idea of gray and your idea of gray might differ? Yeah, I guess so.
All depends on your perception, right? Get out of the car, Ben.
Get out of the car.
Now, I believe you need a drink.
You have a bottle on me, and while you're sipping you think about what you saw tonight.
All right, Lucas, I'll do that.
The world can be a beautiful place, Ben.
You just got to know how to look at it.
Fulton County Hospital, children's ward.
Dan, can you track down some files on Caleb Temple's parents for me? I'd have to check the basement.
Great, thanks.
I hate the basement.
Have you ever been to the basement? Sorry, Caleb, but Caleb? I'm sorry, Merlyn.
I should've been there to protect you.
Caleb.
You don't need this.
You got water, pajamas, extra blanket and a genuine Elvis pillowcase.
Make you sleep like a king.
I got something else for you, too.
Is that your mom? You know a lot of folks that's died? I guess I have.
Family? My wife and daughter.
Where do you think they are now? I don't know.
I keep forgetting they're gone.
Family stays with you, Caleb.
You think about them you dream about them.
That keeps them alive.
I dream about Mama a lot.
Never met her, but made a wish about her tonight.
A wish to have her back.
Maybe I didn't have to.
You get some sleep.
Hello, Ben.
Conducting a raid? I wasn't aware they allowed law enforcement in places like this.
I'm off-duty.
Lucky me.
Rack your balls? What are you doing here, Selena? Trolling.
Well, you can do that in a nicer neighborhood.
Well, I have certain needs that can't be fulfilled uptown.
This just ain't my game.
I can see that.
Need a teacher? You made this happen, didn't you? You make everything happen.
This document grants me sole custody of Caleb.
And I'd like you to sign it.
I ain't signing nothing.
You care about his future? Too late for salvation, my friend.
Not for me.
You know, you may have a point.
You miss your wife, Gage? She was quite a woman, wasn't she? Some would say a saint.
Get out of here.
But I guess she just wasn't cut out for mothering.
Get out! So she did the honorable thing.
She took her life.
Which spared her family her pain and set her son free.
There must be some salvation in that.
Goodbye, Gage.
Dan said you wanted some files.
Right, thanks.
Were you here the night his mom died? Yeah, right out on the floor.
What happened? Well, day after Caleb was born, she started acting crazy convinced somebody was gonna steal her baby.
We tried to get a hold of the father but that little girl was throwing a fit and he couldn't get away.
Merlyn? See, she had been traumatized by something earlier in the year.
Nobody knew why, but she'd just go off sometimes.
Caleb's mama was kicking up such a fuss, we had to call the Sheriff.
And he no sooner got in that room before she threw herself out that window.
God.
Yeah.
Course, after that, Caleb's daddy wasn't ever the same.
Blamed hisself.
He really blamed that girl.
Is that why the Sheriff is so interested in Caleb? Lucas is interested in everybody.
Caleb, wake up.
Caleb.
He's coming.
He's coming, Caleb.
He's coming.
Caleb, he's coming.
Hey, Sheriff.
Evening, Wendy.
You and your husband get into that house? Sure did, and don't you worry, we're gonna pay you back as soon as I'm not worried.
What part of our earlier conversation didn't you understand? I was just dropping off a present for the boy.
Heard it was his birthday.
You can drop it at the desk on your way out.
Help me a sec.
Caleb's mom died from massive head injuries You ever sleep? but her body was filled with puncture wounds.
I thought you was looking for relatives.
Why was she so cut up? Glass from the window.
Right.
But if you're gonna kill yourself by jumping out of a window, don't you open it first? Was the Sheriff the only one in the room when this happened? Careful, Matt.
Mr.
Buck's been around here lot longer than you have.
Excuse me, are you Dr.
Crower? Yes.
I'm Gail Emory.
Caleb Temple's cousin.
So when did you see him last? Actually, we've never met.
Well, he's a great kid.
He's bright, sensitive.
You don't have to sell me, Doctor.
Sorry.
It's just that you may be all he's got left.
I don't mean to scare you.
No, I don't scare.
He was up pretty late.
Don't wake him.
Can you come back later? Say, noon? Promise.
Okay.
Who's feeling happy today? Me! I am! What's the matter, Josh? I miss Caleb.
Well, I'm sure we all do but can't you put on your happy face for our special guest? That's better.
We're ready for you, special guest.
Hi, kids.
Hello, Sheriff Buck.
I'm sure you all know about what happened last night.
Caleb Temple needs our support, so who wants to be deputized? All right, then.
Miss Coombs, may I see you in private? How much did he tell you? Everything.
Son of a bitch.
Where is he now? Dropping off my car.
You let him drive your car? Needed a wash.
Well, I wasn't going to take him to my apartment.
How was he? Short.
I told you to test his loyalty, not his endurance.
You work your way, I'll work mine.
Besides, that deputy ain't your problem.
What do you mean? How much do you love me? Depends.
Caleb's cousin's in town.
What? Little bird told me she popped into the hospital this morning very concerned about her kin.
Hell.
Looks like you left some food on your plate, darling.
Want me to clean it up for you? I'm here, Mom, Dad.
I always wanted to come back.
Guess I was just too afraid.
There's a little boy here who's in the same situation I was.
And he's gonna have a lot of questions.
Questions I don't think that I can answer.
Maybe if I understood what happened to you.
I need to know the truth.
Please help me.
'Cause this time, I'm not leaving till I find it.
Hey, Temple, you got a visitor.
Hi, Gage? I'm Dr.
Crower, I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about your wife.
Gage? Open the door.
Gage? Ten-four, Healy out.
Station clear.
Cammalous said it looked like Gage had been dead for hours.
Probably did the state a favor.
You got no conscience about anything, do you? Conscience is just the fear of getting caught, Ben.
I can't be part of this no more.
That so? What was that? Problem.
Open the hood.
Come on, Ben.
I ain't got all day.
We may have popped a hose.
Check it out.
Why don't you just come out here and help me? Because somebody's gotta start the engine.
What are you doing? Get in there and find out what's wrong.
I don't see any hose.
Hell.
What's this? That's probably clogged.
Give me your pen.
Come on, Ben.
Well, I can't find it.
Your lucky pen's missing? Yeah.
I wonder where it went.
Oh, my God.
Hey, you didn't have anything to do with Gage's death, did you? No, not you.
Not my trusty deputy, my faithful sidekick.
You'd never do anything like that.
You know I wouldn't! Just because it was your pen, your lucky, monogrammed, platinum pen that still don't mean you did it, right? Now, I was with Selena Coombs all night long.
That sweet little school teacher? But I saw her today and she told me she spent a quiet evening at home grading papers.
She wouldn't lie.
Why are you doing this to me? Just another lesson in perception, Ben.
All guilt is relative, loyalty counts and never let your conscience be your guide.
You coming? Dr.
Crower says no one is to see the patient until he gets back! Caleb, you awake? Sheriff, please! What kind of drugs they give you, boy? Where is he? I don't know, he's Bitch.
Did you check the emergency room? Yeah, I've been all over, Matt.
He's gone.
You have no idea where the Sheriff went? I don't wanna know.
Dr.
Crower, somehow I think Caleb may have gone home.
I should never have left that hospital this morning.
It's not your fault.
Caleb was my responsibility.
Let's just hope that we find him before Lucas Buck.
He's the Sheriff? Yes.
I don't know why Caleb is so important Lucas Buck is the name of the man who found my parents the day they died.
Merlyn? Happy birthday.
Are you a ghost? No.
Angel? I'm your family.
You're talking.
In life, you were my voice and now you must hear me.
Your father's coming.
But I thought he was in You have the locket? Yes.
Open it.
Why? Because you need to know the truth, Caleb.
Open the locket.
Now turn around.
"until finally, the wolf arrived at the grandmother's house.
" Is that where Daddy is? Daddy will be home soon, Merlyn.
"Now, when he got to the front door, the wolf looked into the forest "to make sure that no one had seen him coming" Hello, darling, mother here? Mama.
Someone's at the door.
What do you want here? You know what I want.
We talked about it.
Now, I've told you that you should stay away from me.
This isn't about you.
Please, just stay away from me.
It's about me.
It's about family.
Please.
No! No! Why? Because you need to know the truth, Caleb.
Be careful, Caleb.
Someone's at the door.
No more running, son.
Look here, boy.
There's only two roads in this world and if you're listening to anyone but me you're on the wrong one.
That's his car.
Caleb, you're gonna have to trust me.
That's good liquor you're wasting there, son.
I ain't your son! I beg to differ.
Where's Caleb? Where is he? Where is he? Where's the boy? I know who you are! Caleb! Caleb! Caleb!