Teacup (2024) s01e01 Episode Script

1
[BIRDSONG CONTINUES]
[RAPID SCRATCHING]
[WHIMPERING, SOBBING]
[TENSE, EERIE MUSIC PLAYING]
[SOBBING]
[GRUNTS]
[LOUD, PIERCING DRONE]
[ELONGATED, PRONOUNCED] Murder.
Maker.
[GRUNTS]
Murder-maker.
[PANTING]
[SOBBING CONTINUES]
[DARK, FOREBODING MUSIC PLAYING]
[GROWLING, SNARLS]
[SOBBING]
[BARKING, SNARLING]
[DARK MUSIC BUILDING]
[MUSIC FALLS OFF ABRUPTLY, FADES]
[GENTLE, EERIE INSTRUMENTALS PLAYING]
[INSTRUMENTALS FADE]
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
[INSECT BUZZING]
[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]
[BUZZING]
- Come here.
- No way.
Oh, come on. Be brave.
[BUZZING ECHOES QUIETLY]
It's a tempest in a teacup.
What's a tempest?
It's like a really big storm.
[WHISPERING] That's what we've got.
A really big tempest in a teacup.
Yeah. Hey, will you
grab me a piece of paper?
Okay. Ready?
Count of three. Ready?
One, two, and three.
- Three!
- I got it.
I'm gonna go outside and
let him go. You wanna come?
No way. But do it right
there so I can see?
Okay, you got it.
Dad's gonna think this is awesome.
How about this is our thing? You and me?
Yeah, cool. Just us.
[SINGING ALONG TO SONG]
Everybody seems to wonder ♪
What it's like down here ♪
I gotta get away from this
everyday running around ♪
Everybody knows this is nowhere ♪
[SCREECHING STATIC OVER SPEAKER]
[LOUD, PIERCING DRONE]
- Ah
- [DRONE INTENSIFIES]
- [SONG RESUMES]
- Oh.
["EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS IS
NOWHERE" BY NEIL YOUNG PLAYING]
[WOMAN] Everybody knows ♪
[YOUNG] Everybody knows ♪
Everybody, everybody knows ♪
[WOMAN] Everybody
knows this is nowhere ♪
[MAN] Hey.
What are you doing?
I was just up in the hayloft
cleaning up this submarine
fort thing I built for Arlo.
Might repaint Mer's tea party table too.
It's dumb. I know they
don't go up there anymore.
I just thought, "Why not?"
Are the animals still worked up?
Yeah. Goats Sagebrush,
especially Ginger.
I don't know. It's weird.
Something got 'em really spooked.
You, uh, make peace with my mom?
[SCOFFS] I will.
Okay.
You want me to walk Ginger down to
the clinic so you can check her out?
Uh, I already closed
everything up for the weekend.
This is hard
not talking about what's
really going on with us, Maggie.
I told you, James,
I'm not ready to talk.
[GENTLE, SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING]
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
[SIGHS]
[LAUGHS SOFTLY]
You ready?
- One
- One, two, three.
[BUZZING]
[GOAT BLEATS]
[MUSIC TURNS GRIM]
- [HORSE SNORTING]
- [GOAT BLEATING]
- [HORSES WHINNYING]
- [THUDDING AGAINST STALL]
Hey.
Whoa. Okay
Settle. Settle.
Jeez. Okay.
Hey
Here.
What's up with you, huh? Come here.
- [SNORTS]
- Hey.
All right.
[SHRILL WHINNY]
[GRIM, FOREBODING MUSIC PLAYING]
- [HORSES WHINNYING]
- [THUDDING AGAINST STALL]
[GOAT BLEATING]
[GOAT BLEATING]
[MUSIC INTENSIFIES]
Mr. Goat?
Where are you, Mr. Goat?
[CROW SQUAWKS]
[EERIE, HUSHED BREATHING]
[DRAMATIC MUSICAL FLOURISH]
[MUSIC FADES]
I am glad that you're here.
[SCOFFS] You say that now.
- Look, Ellen
- You know, I I was lonely.
I-I was living alone.
So that's why I'm thrilled to be here.
But it's not just because of that
or because I get to see
these kids grow up, but
I'm-I'm here for James.
Maggie
I'm here for you too.
Well, I shouldn't have
said what I said earlier.
[SCOFFS]
Remind me what that was
You're not a pothead and I don't
think you have an addled brain.
I wish I could get everybody else stoned
so that people wouldn't stare
at the old lady with the tremor.
Well, one, fuck anybody who stares.
And two, I really do
understand why you smoke,
and it's fantastic that it helps you,
and three, it's not
you that I'm angry with.
[SIGHS] Look, it's none of my business,
but if there's anything that you need
Thank you.
Well, you also know that
I'm not the easiest person
to help on a good day.
[CHUCKLES] You know, recognizing
that you have a problem
is often the first step.
I appreciate everything
that you're doing,
and I apologize for being a bitch.
That smells wonderful, and
I will now grab the troops
for a lovely family meal.
[CRICKETS CHIRRING]
Hey, have you seen your brother?
- What?
- That's rotting your brain.
My brain's in better shape than yours.
Well, one might think so, but
"Two households, both alike
in dignity, in fair Verona,
where we lay our scene, from
ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
where civil blood makes
civil hands unclean.
- From forth the fatal loins of these two foes "
- Mmm.
Can you name the four
chambers of a cow's stomach?
Rumen, reticulum, omasum, abomasum.
Gosh, I hope I pass the test.
That's my girl.
- Now, where's Arlo?
- How should I know?
Well, he was up here a minute ago.
Oh, dinner's ready.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]
No Arlo?
Oh, no. I-I thought I
heard someone go out,
but I was so into the cooking
Hey, have you seen Arlo?
He's probably hiding.
[CHUCKLES] He, uh
he jack-in-the-boxed out
of our closet last week
and it scared the shit out of me.
Right.
Yeah, he, uh, did the
same thing to me yesterday.
[CAR HORN HONKING IN DISTANCE]
[HONKING]
It's the Shanleys.
You gotta be kidding me.
[HORSE WHINNYING]
[MR. SHANLEY] Hey, Maggie,
it's our horse, Scout.
[TEEN] You gotta help him, please.
Dad?
Mer, your brother's MIA.
Can you go look for him?
- I wanna see what's going on.
- Mer, please, can you just go find him?
I'll go. I'll go. I'm sure
Arlo's just hiding for fun.
- Yeah.
- Okay.
- [HORSE NICKERING]
- Hey Hey, Scout.
- [HORSE SNORTING]
- Hey, boy. Oh
Okay, you're all right.
I gotcha. Oh
Nicholas said he did
all that to himself.
What, a rattlesnake scare him?
Might panic, bolt. But this?
We're sorry for showing up after
hours. If it weren't an emergency
[MAGGIE] Oh, no, it's fine. Ruben,
how about you, me, and
Scout head to the clinic.
Uh, why am I not seeing Arlo?
- It's okay, Mom's got him.
- No, she doesn't.
Okay. Meryl, can you
check the barn and garage?
The rest of us will
double-check the house.
[QUIETLY] I got him. I got him.
Okay, let's go.
- [NEIGHING]
- Arlo?
[MERYL] Arlo!
[MAGGIE] All right. Easy
Can you back him out?
Our animals have been
acting strange too.
Must be something.
[TENSE, DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]
[SNORTING]
Oh my God
What did you do?
[JAMES] Hey, Arlo, you up there?
[FOOTSTEPS]
- [DOOR OPENS]
- Arlo, I'm counting to five.
Anybody else use a little courage?
I'm certainly not gonna say no.
Yeah, sure thing.
[NICHOLAS] I just rode him
out to check the fence lines.
It's part of my chores.
It was so weird.
I was telling him "whoa" to stop,
but that's when Scout started
bucking and neighing. He got spooked.
And I was calm like you taught
me, Mom, and I got him to stop.
But then he just put his
head up against the fence
and started moving it back
and forth and back and forth.
But I thought he was
maybe scratching an itch,
but he started doing
it really, really hard.
I could see that he was bleeding
and he just kind of twisted
up against the fence and fell.
It was so scary. I ran to get Dad.
Maggie's gonna take care of Scout, okay?
I'm gonna go up just to be triple-sure,
and then I guess it's
time to head outside.
Uh, Valeria, could you
grab a couple of flashlights
from the living room, please?
- Mm-hmm.
- Thank you.
Our secret.
- [COUGHING]
- [CHUCKLES]
[EXHALES DEEPLY]
["THE LONER" BY NEIL YOUNG PLAYING]
This is from his first album.
Oh, I'm impressed.
[YOUNG] He's a perfect stranger ♪
- [MUSIC STOPS]
- [LOUD, PIERCING DRONE]
What is that?
Same kind of thing happened in the car.
I think Dad said it was just,
like, the weather or something.
["THE LONER" BY NEIL
YOUNG RESUMES PLAYING]
Hey, uh, do you know what I like to do?
What?
Uh, whenever I'm, you know, worried
or sad, or scared,
I like to name the thing out loud,
whatever it is, and then I add a "but."
What?
Well, "Arlo is missing
but we're gonna find him."
And, "This is scary, but I have a
little whiskey to give me courage."
[YOUNG] If you see him in the subway ♪
He'll be down at the end of the car ♪
[SCOUT SNORTS]
[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING]
[NICKERS]
[MAGGIE] All right
You ready?
- [WHINNIES]
- Whoa.
Okay, nice and easy.
[HORSE GRUNTING]
Easy. Okay.
Okay. Steady. Steady.
Easy, easy, easy.
Okay
The eyes look fine. We have a few cuts,
but nothing too terrible.
Just like that, we're looking
at a bright-side situation.
[SNORTS SOFTLY]
What?
If this is bright side, I
don't want to see the dark.
Ah. Well, the nose is why all the blood.
It's a lot of bleeding
with the nostrils.
If it wasn't his muzzle,
I'd just use staples.
You wanna learn how to stitch a wound?
Absolutely.
[SCOUT SNORTS]
All right.
Let's see.
- [WHINNIES]
- Oh, shit.
Shit?
Shit.
I should have seen that.
[SIGHS]
[MUSIC FADES]
[WHISPERS] Hey.
You haven't said anything to Ruben?
No. I would have told you.
I know, it's just when you pulled up
Hi. Nothing?
One of the goats is gone, too.
- One of the goats is gone
- Something is going on.
Donald Kelly called this
morning asking if we'd seen Duke.
Dog never leaves Claire's side.
All of a sudden, this morning on a walk,
he just starts getting
squirrelly and runs off?
- Hmm.
- Dad.
Are we worried, like, for real?
Are we worried? No. We are not worried.
We are not worried. Arlo is hiding,
or he went after a missing goat.
Stupid goats are always
going into the woods.
Exactly, then it got dark.
You guys always say if
we get lost to stay put.
That's right. Now Arlo is
sitting there like a goof,
waiting for someone to come find him.
- Okay?
- Okay.
Take Nicholas, go into
the woods around the back.
We'll go around the front,
meet somewhere in the middle.
- Aye-aye, captain.
- Aye-aye.
[GENTLE, SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYING]
[CLEARS THROAT]
Come on, let's go find that gremlin.
Yup
[GRIM, OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING]
[ARLO] Hello?
[HESITATES] Is anyone out there?
I I think I'm lost.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
[TIMID, QUIET BLEATING]
[TIMID BLEATING]
[BRANCH SNAPS]
[CRUNCHING FOOTSTEPS]
[MUTTERING] Gunshot calmate
Gunshot Calmate
men-strange murder-maker.
Ella esta mintiendo.
Ella esta mintiendo!
Murder-maker. Run-ran-hide.
Calmate gunshot
men-strange murder-maker!
Ella esta mintiendo! Murder-maker.
[INDISTINCT WHISPER]
Murder-maker!
[ARLO SCREAMS]
[MERYL] Arlo!
Arlo!
Come on, Arlo, enough is enough.
[NICHOLAS] Your family's awesome.
Are you kidding?
Arlo?
- Your dad's funny.
- My dad thinks he's funny.
Okay, well, your mom I
mean, that was some scary shit.
But now it's just not.
- And what she's doing with Scout, it's
- Yeah, she's great
with animals.
Your grandma's way cool too.
Smokes a ton of pot.
Even cooler.
- It's for pain and stuff.
- Oh.
She's got multiple sclerosis.
Her hands never stop shaking.
No, I, um, I saw that. Yeah.
My parents, they fight a lot. My
mom's always on me about something.
And now, my stupid
brother has vanished, so.
So, yeah, totally awesome.
Do you wanna hear a joke?
- No.
- Oh
- Okay, fine, go ahead.
- Okay, so,
what do you call a
banana eating a banana?
What?
"Canabananalism."
- What are you doing?
- What? What do you mean?
"Your family's so awesome "
"Wanna hear a joke "
What's
Arlo? You out there?
[ANIMAL YOWLS]
- What was that? Shh, shh
- What was what?
[LOW, GROWLING BREATHS]
Is that Arlo?
Doesn't sound like Arlo.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
It's called the sternocephalicus.
But the muscle, it's
not what worries me.
If that thing is long
enough, it could have
nicked the jugular, the carotid.
- Pull it out and
- Yes.
There's no getting around it, though.
I'm gonna need you to hold his
head real good this time, okay?
[WHINNYING, SNORTING]
All right. Nice and easy.
[WHISPERS] Nice and easy.
- [WHINNIES]
- Shh.
Okay. Three, two, one.
- [SHRILL WHINNYING]
- Hold tight.
Shh.
Okay just a little blood.
[CHUCKLES LIGHTLY] Okay.
Okay.
All right, you're gonna be just fine.
He's gonna be just fine.
You okay?
This bright-side situation we got
goin' on here all of a sudden
Whew! [CHUCKLES]
You're all right. Nice and easy.
[JAMES] Arlo!
[VALERIA] Arlo!
Did you see the look Maggie gave me?
Maggie didn't give you a
look. She knows what happened,
but doesn't know who it happened with.
Okay, well, it's only a matter of time.
Okay
Arlo!
Yeah, I'd be really worried
if this was my first rodeo,
but but this was before
Arlo was born, actually.
Maggie's usually at her
best when bad things happen.
She takes control and
does what needs to be done.
I know. Ruben's the same
way. He's a man on a mission.
Yeah, but not this time.
Maggie couldn't find
Meryl anywhere. Nowhere.
Not-not the barn, not the hayloft
where I built this
little table and chairs
for her to have her tea
parties. Not the clinic.
Checked every cupboard
and closet in the house.
Up here, down the driveway. Nothing.
Nothing.
Then I come home from work and I-I
I'd never seen Maggie like that.
I mean, she was paralyzed, frozen.
Could barely speak. She just
just sat there shivering.
[HESITATES] Where was Meryl?
In the fucking oven.
- In the oven?
- Yeah.
Yeah, we read her Hansel and Gretel.
The witch wants to bake them, you know?
So Mer climbed in just
to see if she could fit,
and [WHISTLES]
somehow closed the door, too.
She wanted us to come find
her but the door was too heavy
and she got stuck.
Good Lord.
Yeah, no way out. So what does she do?
[CHUCKLES] Kid falls asleep.
And we didn't find her until
we come into the kitchen
to wait for the police.
[SIGHS] God, it was so scary.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]
Kids
They're just so stupid.
They're stupid.
I mean, I love 'em both
so much it hurts, but
[SIGHS]
Why am I telling you this right now?
[CHUCKLES]
'Cause you really are worried.
- Yeah, I guess I am.
- Yeah.
And you love your kids.
- Of course, more than anything.
- Mm-hmm.
And you love Maggie too.
[DOG BARKING]
- We found the Kellys' dog.
- And we found Mr. Goat too.
- You guys okay?
- Yeah.
- Good, good, good.
- [ANIMAL GROWLS]
[DOG BARKING]
[ANIMAL SNARLING]
What is that?
Okay. Hey, guys?
Everyone back to the house right now.
Keep going. Go, go, go.
[LOW, THROATY BREATHING]
[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC BUILDS SLOWLY]
[GASPING SOFTLY]
[THROATY, GUTTURAL MOANING]
[MUSIC INTENSIFIES]
[MUSIC DROPS OFF, FADES]
- Did you find him?
- No, but I will.
What does that mean?
Hey. Where are you going?
Meryl, what are you doing with the goat?
[MERYL] I found him in the woods. Dad?
Yeah?
[VEHICLE APPROACHING]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]
Duke!
[LAUGHS] Duke!
Did you happen to see our son, Arlo?
No, we're just out
looking for our dog. Why?
How long's your son been missing?
An hour, tops.
James, what are you doing with the bat?
We saw a coyote. At least I think
it was a coyote, I'm not sure.
Whatever it was, there was
something wrong with it.
[MR. KELLY] That's why we're here.
That wasn't a coyote you saw.
It was a dog. A big one.
No collar, nothing.
The way he was eyeballin' us
- We think he was rabid or something.
- Yeah.
Growlin', hackles up.
We thought for sure
the bastard was gonna
lunge, then he took off.
You got kids.
Wanted to make sure you had a heads-up.
Jesus Christ, man. What are you doing?
Hey, if it were my kid
- It's not your kid.
- Did you not hear what I just said?
Yeah, I heard you loud and clear.
There's a rabid dog. Getting
ready to play softball?
You're getting ready to
drop into a fucking war zone.
How about you just show
me where you saw the dog,
and I'll take care of it.
- [ELLEN] James!
- [MAGGIE] Oh my God.
Arlo!
Arlo
- Arlo! What happened?
- [JAMES] Oh my God.
Maggie, his arms.
- Oh my God.
- Those look like finger marks.
[ELLEN] Like Like
someone grabbed him.
Hey. Hey Who did this to you?
[WHISPERING] Buzz-goat, wasp-find
men-strange, murder-maker
Esta mintiendo!
Run-ran-hide! Run-ran-hide!
Buzz-goat, wasp-find
men-strange, murder-maker
- Ella esta mintiendo!
- It's okay.
Run-ran-hide! Run-ran-hide!
Buzz-goat, wasp-find
men-strange, murder-maker
ella está mintiendo.
Men-strange, murder-maker!
Ella está mintiendo
Run-ran-hide! Run-ran-hide! [GASP]
Oh, my God Arlo! Arlo? Okay.
Oh my God! Oh my God
[PANTING]
[CRICKETS CHIRPING]
[MOANS]
[ANIMAL BREATHING]
¿Hola?
¿Quien es?
Is someone there?
Ayudame, por favor.
Ayudame!
Please
help me.
[ANIMAL SNARLING]
[DARK, OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING]
- [SNARLING]
- [GASPS]
- [SUDDEN QUIET]
- [CRICKETS CHIRPING]
[OWL HOOTING]
[VEHICLE APPROACHING]
[TIRES SKIDDING]
- [ENGINE SHUTS OFF]
- [DOOR HANDLE CLICKS]
[SPRAYER HISSING]
["THINK ABOUT YOUR TROUBLES"
BY HARRY NILSSON PLAYING]
Sit beside the breakfast table ♪
Think about your troubles ♪
Pour yourself a cup of tea ♪
Then think about the bubbles ♪
You can take your teardrops ♪
And drop 'em in a teacup ♪
Take 'em down to the riverside ♪
And throw 'em over the side ♪
To be swept up by a current ♪
Then taken to the ocean ♪
To be eaten by some fishes ♪
Who were eaten by some fishes ♪
And swallowed by a whale ♪
Who grew so old ♪
He decomposed ♪
Doo ♪
He died and left his body ♪
To the bottom of the ocean ♪
Now everybody knows ♪
That when a body decomposes ♪
The basic elements ♪
Are given back to the ocean ♪
And the sea does what it oughta ♪
And soon there's salty water ♪
Not too good for drinking ♪
'Cause it tastes
just like a teardrop ♪
So we run it through a filter ♪
It comes out from a faucet ♪
And it pours into a teapot ♪
Which is just about to bubble ♪
Now ♪
Think about your troubles ♪
Ah ♪
Oh ♪
Ah ♪
Ah ♪
Ah ♪
[SONG FADES]