The Mosquito Coast (2021) s01e01 Episode Script

1
[MAN] Question of the day:
How do you make ice from fire?
[BOY SIGHS]
Um
I don't know, Dad. I give up.
- [MAN] You give up?
- [BOY CHUCKLES]
- [MATCH LIGHTS]
- [MAN] Just one second.
[FIRE ROARING]
[ELECTRICITY CRACKLES]
[MACHINE HUMMING]
[CLANKING]
[ELECTRICITY CRACKLES]
[CLANKING CONTINUES]
I'll be goddamned.
Ice from fire.
Water, fire, decent vacuum seal.
That's it, no waste.
- [CHUCKLES]
- What do ya think?
- That's amazing.
- Mm-hmm.
What is it for?
Well, a lot of people in the world
don't have access to electricity.
Poorer countries than ours,
they could, uh, you know, preserve food.
Relief organizations could
preserve medicines, vaccines.
It's pretty small.
Oh, no.
I can make one bigger.
Much bigger.
Big as you like.
[CHUCKLES]
Are we gonna be rich?
Well, I don't know about rich,
but you sit tight for a couple of days,
you wait for the patent office
to approve the application.
We'll see.
[CHUCKLES]
Let's go.
[UPLIFTING MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC FADES]
[MAN] It's raining,
and I don't have an umbrella.
- [MAN 2 SPEAKS SPANISH]
- Mm-hmm.
- [SPANISH CONTINUES]
- All right [SPEAKS SPANISH]
I wanna make it complicated.
"If I had known
it would have been raining,
I would have thought
to have brought an umbrella."
- No, man.
- Say it.
[SPEAKS SPANISH] trabalenguas.
- You know, trabalenguas in English?
- Trabalenguas? No.
Is the, um, the tongue twister.
- I'm gonna give you one.
- Sí. Okay.
- Tres tristes tigres [SPEAKS SPANISH]
- Oh, no. No. Tres
- [SPANISH CONTINUES]
- So, what's the first part?
Tres tristes
- Tristes. "Sad."
- Tristes. "Sad", huh?
- Three sad tigers.
- Yeah.
- I'm already speaking Spanish.
- Man, I don't know what you're saying.
Yes, you do. I just said it!
One, five, nine.
- Here we go.
- [RATTLING]
[DRIPPING]
[CAR BEEPING]
[RATTLING]
So that's, uh,
eight hours at $11 an hour, so that's
That's $88,
but, uh minus the 50
we advanced you last week.
- Sure.
- [CHUCKLES]
Oh, if you can come back on Friday,
we had some problems with
the plumbing in the changing rooms.
What kind of problem?
Persistent blockage. [CHUCKLES]
I'll bring my tools.
[ENGINE STARTS]
- ["DON'T FIGHT" PLAYING]
- [TYPING]
- ["MANNEQUIN" PLAYING]
- You too.
[MAN ON PHONE] Kind of.
[SIGHS] I know.
When can I see you again?
[MAN ON RADIO] Man-made global warming
is a lie. It's a hoax.
It's not a threat. There is no danger.
Everything these quacks say is a fraud.
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
So you know, right?
Wait.
Shit. Gotta go. Bye.
[MAN ON RADIO] But if you tell
a lie big enough, people believe you.
[MAN ON RADIO] Millions
around the world
[ENGINE STOPS]
- [VEHICLE DOOR CLOSES]
- [VOLUME INCREASES]
[DOOR CLOSES]
So I've been studying, like,
the differences between bugs and humans.
Tons of differences.
Yeah, but that's what
makes it interesting, right?
Uh-huh.
[BOY] Have you ever watched
baby spiders eat the mother spider?
[MAN] No, I have not. Did you?
[BOY] Yeah. We're scared of them
because they're so different.
Their whole world is different.
They eat their mom.
Even if a spider could talk,
we wouldn't be able to understand it.
Oh, hey. How was work?
It was good. What are you reading?
So you figured out
where you gonna apply yet?
Don't know.
Josh and I are still talking about it.
- Seriously?
- Yeah. Why not?
[MAN] So where is Josh these days?
Haven't seen him skulking around.
And why's that, you think?
So that's still the plan?
Follow Josh to school?
Dad, nothing you're about to say
is going to count.
Awesome.
And why is that?
Because you and Mom
were teenage sweethearts.
And it wasn't different.
She was rich, you were poor.
- Yes
- And don't say you had a bond.
- Yeah, but we did.
- Jesus. Again?
Margot!
- [MARGOT] What?
- What did we have?
I don't know. What did we have?
[MAN] Come on, you know what we had.
You want me to say we had a bond?
Yes, I do!
[MARGOT] We had a bond.
Thank you.
[MARGOT] You're welcome.
[IMITATES GUN COCKING, GUNSHOT]
- [VEHICLE DEPARTING]
- [DOGS BARKING]
[WIND CHIME CLINKING]
- [EXHALES]
- [MOANS]
- [EXHALES] Coffee?
- [SIGHS]
[WOMAN] What are you thinking about?
[MAN ON PHONE]
I don't know. Coming over, I guess.
- Hanging out and stuff.
- You wanna do that? Come over?
Charlie, up and at 'em.
Is your dad home?
He's heading out.
Until when though?
Come on. Guy doesn't bite.
Except actually, he kinda does.
The guy bites.
I could see you in class or whatever,
if you went to school
like a normal person.
Just because I don't
live like a normal person
doesn't mean that I'm not normal.
[CREAKING]
Wait. [SHUSHES]
[DOOR LATCH CLICKING]
- Where is it?
- Where's what?
Dina?
[MAN CHUCKLES]
Dina, is he gone?
Oh, no, he's still here, Josh.
How you doing?
- Hey, Mr. F
- Christ. Dad, I'm 15.
Yeah? Your age is not the point.
Then what is? What's the point?
No phones. That's the point.
People have phones, you know.
Actual people in the actual world
have phones.
No phones.
This is some Jim Jones bullshit!
[DOOR SLAMS]
Dad!
[CAR SCREECHES]
[SIRENS BLARING]
[LIQUID POURING]
[SUCKING]
- This is so disgusting.
- Yeah.
Pretty nasty.
You guys like cook with this stuff
or what?
How long have you worked here?
- Like a week.
- Uh-huh.
That's the oil you guys use
to fry your chicken, right?
Right.
And it's goop.
It's nasty, so it gets thrown away.
But there's energy in there.
So I take it home,
get out all the bits of mystery meat,
heat it up a little,
throw in a little sodium methoxide.
Poof, turns into biodiesel.
I run my truck on it. My wife's van.
Air-conditioning sometimes.
Pennies on the dollar, my friend.
Pennies on the dollar.
So, I'm gonna give half to you
and half for your boss, Mr. Sarkissian.
Is this kosher?
- The oil?
- Dude, but is it legal?
It's used cooking oil.
Yeah, it's legal.
[CHUCKLES]
Hey, you okay?
Yeah. I got it.
- [MAN ON RADIO] 1-4-1 to dispatch.
- [DISPATCHER] Go ahead, 1-4-1.
[SIREN BLARES]
[HONKS]
[POLICE RADIO CHATTER CONTINUES]
Hey, Officer.
There a reason this
boy is not in school?
He's homeschooled.
Well, it's 10:15 on a Tuesday.
He should be in school.
I am in school. This is my class.
Okay, and how's that?
Gym class.
Get in the truck, son.
Yeah, get in the truck.
Do you have the proper qualifications
to homeschool your son?
- Yes, I do.
- Okay, and can you tell me about that?
- [MAN] Sure.
- [SIGHS]
The way things work here in California,
the only thing I'm legally required
to homeschool my kids is competence.
I understand that's
a pretty difficult thing to quantify,
but I'd say his mom and I are pretty,
you know, competent.
Now,
you wanna ask him about the romantic
poets or something like that,
you know
fall of the Roman Empire
that's pretty much his mom's purview,
I can't really speak to that.
I'm more of a practical guy.
But the upshot is
the kid could probably tune your engine
and recite a little Keats
while he's at it.
[RADIO DISPATCHER]
We have a 10-15 on Union Ave.
All local units please respond.
Have a nice day, sir.
[POLICE RADIO CHATTER CONTINUES]
[RADIO DISPATCHER] Copy, 5-2-4.
Take care of yourself now.
[ENGINE STARTS]
[ENGINE STOPS]
You okay?
Yeah.
That freak you out a little bit?
No, I I'm not scared of cops.
Oh, okay.
You know it's good
to be a little scared of them.
See, you gotta think of cops
as like a, uh, strange dog.
Most of the time they're gonna be nice,
but good practice to
assume they're gonna bite
until you know damn sure otherwise.
- That make sense?
- Yeah.
[CHUCKLES]
[ENGINE STARTS]
[CHATTERING]
[DOOR CLOSES]
[LINE RINGS]
[PHONE RINGS]
[GAME BEEPS]
[RINGS]
Hello.
Hey, Mom.
[GASPS]
- Happy birthday.
- [CHUCKLES] Oh, my God. Margot.
- [CHUCKLES]
- Oh, my God. Where are you?
- I'm so sorry. I I didn't
- I know.
So how are you?
I hope Dad's taking you
to Clyde's tonight.
[CHUCKLES] Uh, no.
Dinner at Clyde's has been postponed.
Well, how come? He always takes you
to Clyde's on your birthday.
Except this year.
'Cause the silly old fool broke a leg.
Jesus. Is he okay?
No, he'll live. He was cleaning
the gutter or trying to.
Oh, my God.
Well, it's not as bad as it sounds.
The cast comes off next week.
I can't wait. He's driving me crazy.
He's limping around the place
like Boris Karloff.
God knows he loves
an opportunity to be stoic.
So
how are my grandkids?
They must be so tall.
They are.
I look at them and I can't believe it.
I look at their face
and I see my dad.
[SOBBING]
[SNIFFLES]
Mom, I can't.
Listen, I gotta go. Okay?
Happy birthday.
And give my love to Dad.
Sweetheart, I'm so sorry. I
I love you.
[MARGOT SNIFFLES]
I love you too.
Anything we can do?
Money? Lawyers?
A chicken potpie?
Wouldn't that be nice?
Chicken potpie.
Anytime you want one,
just knock on my door.
I know.
Mom, I got I gotta go.
Hap Happy birthday.
[SOBBING]
[SOBBING]
[METAL SCRAPING]
[CHOPPING]
[DOOR OPENS]
[DOOR CLOSES]
[CHOPPING CONTINUES]
[CHOPPING STOPS]
Okay.
Okay.
[ALLIE] Goddamn it!
[DOOR SLAMS]
[DOOR SLAMS]
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
[BIRD CAWS]
[ALLIE PANTS]
Fuck!
[CRICKETS BUZZING]
[DINA SIGHS]
[DINA] Do you ever wonder if Dad's
so smart, how we got to be so poor?
[SIGHS]
I hate living like this.
I can't do it.
I'm sick of it.
["KOKOMO" PLAYING]
Whoa. Ninja.
I just don't get it.
Read that thing maybe 50 times.
I don't get it.
Listen, I've been thinking.
It's been nine years and six identities.
We could call my parents.
I could do it anonymously
from a burner somewhere.
I could make a call from San Francisco
maybe or Lubbock, Texas.
Let 'em triangulate the cell towers
all they want.
Allie, we could ask my parents
to wire money to an online account.
They'd do it for us.
You know they would.
We can't.
Did you do it already?
Did you call them?
[SIGHS]
Of course I didn't.
But we're in trouble here, Allie.
We're really in trouble.
We're gonna lose the house, and
I don't know what we do or where we go.
- What'll we do next?
- We start again.
We just make the move,
and we start again.
Kick off the dust.
Light out.
We have kids.
We'll be fine. Done it before.
Here, take a look.
Something I've been working on.
A boat?
Sure.
- [CHUCKLES]
- Why not?
Look, I was thinking about a
barge. Upside, plenty of space.
Downside, kinda ties you
into one place. But
I was thinking about a trawler.
- [TAPPING]
- Oh.
Why a trawler?
Well, the headroom's pretty decent,
wide through the hull,
makes the space on board
seem pretty generous.
And they're sturdy.
It can take a beating.
[TAPPING]
You don't get any freer than a boat.
And good luck finding us,
by the way. Huh?
Good luck with that.
You wanna know the truth?
I'm actually pretty excited.
Yeah.
We're gonna need cash on hand.
[WHIRRING STOPPING]
Yeah.
I've got no use for it, I can see.
Sure you do.
You gotta imagine using one of these
Two of these, but like big
ones for stock refrigeration.
The cost saving alone
I can sell you this for $100,000,
exclusive use.
- You will recoup that in five years.
- Allie. Allie, Allie, Allie.
Come on. [CHUCKLES]
Or $20,000. You can lease it
for $20,000. Not exclusive.
Allie, listen to me.
Your kid's in the truck watching us.
Now, I don't wanna embarrass
you in front of him.
I really don't, but
[CHUCKLES]
What am I gonna do?
I got no use for this.
Come on.
Hey.
It's not genius
if people don't reject it at first.
He's an asshole.
He is.
He's an asshole.
I've seen that car before.
Hang on.
[TIRES SQUEALING]
Holy shit! What was that?
Change of plan.
Dad, where are we going?
The dump.
Come on.
Wanna know what Americans throw away?
What?
Gold.
Computers, circuit boards,
jumper pins and SIM card ports.
There's gold in all of that.
Oh, so you mean like metaphorical gold.
Not like actual gold, right?
[EXHALES] Nope.
Actual gold.
Gold, gold. Look.
Seriously?
- And we can just take it?
- Yeah. We can extract it.
"Go west, young man."
That's what they used to say.
"There's gold in them thar hills."
Now where do we go to get our gold?
The fucking dump.
Wait here.
Where are you going?
Up here.
Dad, you can't do that.
It's all right. Be right back.
[THUMPS]
[THUMPS]
[THUMPS]
[SQUEAKING]
Fuck!
[SCOFFS]
Hey. Hey, get down. Get down.
- Why?
- Get down.
[PANTS]
What are we doing here?
[PANTS]
Come on.
Okay.
I saw the letter in the truck.
I know they wanna take the house.
What?
They're from the bank.
Those people aren't from the bank.
Come on. Let's go. But walk.
Dad, they're following.
I see 'em.
Get the scanner out of the back.
The scanner?
We got 10-76 to 36 Yates Road,
Fox residence.
All units respond, over.
We're gonna go home.
You're gonna run upstairs.
You're gonna pack a bag, okay?
No questions.
Just like we practiced.
[ENGINES STARTING]
[TIRES SQUEALING]
[SIRENS BLARING]
[WIND CHIME CLINKING]
[WIND WHISTLING]
[WIND CHIME CLINKING CONTINUES]
[VEHICLE APPROACHING]
[DOORS OPENING, CLOSING]
Charlie! Come here.
Slowly.
Let me talk to your mother
for a minute. Okay?
Go inside
and do exactly what we talked about.
Go.
So, yeah
they found us.
This is happening. We need to go.
Really go.
[SIGHS]
This is not Ohio. It's them.
I don't know how they found us.
Maybe that cop at the chicken place.
I don't know, but they found us.
I called Mom and Dad.
[SIGHS]
How are they?
Allie, I'm so sorry.
I was so careful. I
Hey, it's okay.
They were gonna find us someday, right?
Yeah.
You need to be out of here
in 10 minutes, 15 at the most.
Cops are gonna be coming from Stockton.
You're gonna wanna take a right
at the end of the driveway. Head west.
- What about you?
- Just get the kids free and clear.
I'm gonna give them a rabbit to chase.
- [MUSIC PLAYING]
- Leaving where?
[MUSIC STOPS]
America.
- You are fucking with me.
- I'm not fucking with anybody.
- Why?
- [MARGOT] Charlie.
Dina, we talked about this.
We knew it might happen someday.
Y Yeah, but why? Why Why now?
Why this minute?
Dina, please. You have to trust us.
Charlie, are you packing?
To what? To keep ruining things?
To treat my entire life like
it doesn't matter? Like I'm a pet?
- I'm not I'm not a dog, Mom.
- Fuck, fuck.
I'm not a dog.
[PANTS]
I'm not going anywhere.
I'm staying here.
- This is my home.
- You're 15.
You don't get to say no.
- Because it's the law?
- Because we're your parents!
Because it's not like the law
actually matters to you, is it?
I'm sorry. I love you.
Pack one bag. Be ready in ten minutes.
Ten minutes!
What did he do?
Seriously,
what did he mess up this time?
Ten minutes.
Charlie, how are you
coming along up there?
- I'm good.
- [MARGOT] Well, you got five minutes.
You hear me, Dina?
Five minutes, we're outta here.
I'm getting the van.
[MARGOT] Four minutes.
[CHARLIE] I'm done.
[MARGOT] Dina? What about you?
Dina?
Shit.
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
Where's Dina?
- Mom, where's Dina?
- [SHUSHES] Just a sec.
[SIRENS BLARING IN DISTANCE]
[MARGOT] Run.
Come on. Go.
Put your seat belt on, okay?
Ready?
[SIRENS BLARING]
[BIRD SCREECHES]
[CAR APPROACHING]
[SCREECHES]
[GRUNTS]
Whoo.
[SIGHS]
God.
[BIRD SCREECHES]
- [BIRD SCREECHES]
- [WINGS FLUTTERING]
You know, I think I can see the problem.
The problem is you drive like someone
trying to suck his own dick.
Mom.
Get in the car, Charlie.
[SIGHS] She She just ran away.
[MARGOT SIGHS]
Sh
[PANTING] Oh, fuck.
Okay. I need you to sit tight here.
- I'll be back at 2:00 a.m.
- And if you're not?
- Take Charlie.
- [DOOR CLOSES]
Keep running.
[ENGINE STARTS]
[POLICE RADIO CHATTER]
[BANGING, CLATTERING]
Think she shared her travel plans
with Mr. Dreamy here?
[CHATTERING]
[MAN 1] Hey, baby!
I see you. I see you with those cheeks!
- [MAN 2] Man, stop running.
- [MAN 1] No, don't go fast.
Come on, sweetie.
[JEERING CONTINUES]
[PANTING]
[SNORING]
[PHONE RINGS]
[SNORES]
[RINGS]
[SNORES]
- [RINGS]
- Oh, Jesus.
[SNORES]
Hello?
[CLEARS THROAT]
- Hello, who is this?
- Grandma?
Dina?
I need your help.
[SIREN BLARING]
[BREATHES SHAKILY]
[BUSY SIGNAL]
[RINGS]
Dina?
Is that you?
Dina?
[MAN ON PA INDISTINCT]
[TELEPHONE RINGS]
[MAN] A hand job, fucking sex and
[WOMAN] No,
you told me to. You told me
[MAN] I told you to fuck
I fucking told you to go get the drugs.
I didn't say go fuck the guy!
- [WOMAN] I didn't fuck him!
- [MAN] Oh, fuck you.
[ARGUING CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY]
[TELEPHONE RINGS]
[WOMAN] Hey, Chris, what the fuck?
[MAN ON PA INDISTINCT]
Hey.
Miss me?
Hey, come here.
[SOBS]
[SIGHS]
Why are you doing this to us?
Because w we have a problem.
[SIGHS] Except nobody will say
what kind of problem.
You know the kind of problem
that you think, "Okay, first glance,
that looks pretty bad.
Maybe if I just sit down
and think about it,
I might be able
to figure a way out of it"?
Mm-hmm.
We don't have that kind of problem.
[SIGHS]
Hey.
This is gonna be an adventure.
We're gonna buy a boat.
I don't want an adventure.
Sure you do. Look at what you did.
Look where you are.
Yeah. It sucks.
I'm scared.
[MAN ON PA INDISTINCT]
Absolutely.
And if it didn't feel that way,
it wouldn't be an adventure.
Am I right?
[MAN ON PA] 11:00 p.m. departing
to San Francisco,
transfer at Emeryville,
California, at gate one, zero.
Come on. Walk. Listen to me.
Your mom is waiting outside
the Glen Capri Motel
on North Plymouth Road.
- You're gonna go meet her.
- I can't do that.
Yes, you can.
She will not leave without you.
And if she doesn't leave,
then Charlie won't leave.
- Dad?
- Hey, look at me.
If Charlie doesn't leave, then
they will come and they will find us,
and they will split us up,
and that's a problem.
I'm parked out front.
Take my truck, all right? Go.
Go.
[WOMAN ON PA INDISTINCT]
[WOMAN ON PA] Unclaimed baggage
will be kept in the lost and found.
Mr. Fox.
Oh. Hey.
Would you come with us, please?
[ENGINE STARTS]
Well, am I under arrest?
Not if you come with us.
Well, if I'm not under arrest,
why would I wanna come with you?
Unless
are you guys inviting me to a party?
- Okay, Allie
- Oh, it's "Allie" now?
- What happened to "Mr. Fox"?
- If you'd like to go ahead
and interlace your fingers
behind your head for me, please.
- Why?
- Because I'm asking you to, sir.
- Sure. Why?
- Just do it, please.
Shit.
[TRAIN HORN BLOWING IN DISTANCE]
- [ALLIE] Where are we going? What's up?
- [CHU] Sir, sir
Why am I being arrested
or am I being detained?
- [CHU] Calm down, sir.
- Am I free to go?
[CHU] No, you're not.
Interlace your fingers behind your head.
[ALLIE] Why would I do that?
[CHU] Because I'm asking you to, sir.
[ALLIE] Not allowed to search me.
No right to
[CHU] Face down on the ground!
[ALLIE] No,
I'm not getting on the ground!
- Get off me!
- Taser!
[MCMURY] Let's go.
Fuck him.
[POLICE RADIO CHATTER]
[MCMURY] She's twisted my ankle.
[CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY]
About three nights ago [INDISTINCT]
So we call it in.
[CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY]
- [HORN HONKING]
- [PANTING]
Dad!
[MCMURY] Oh. Oh.
[CAR ALARM BLARING]
[GRUNTING]
[GRUNTING]
[DINA] Get in.
Hold on.
[CAR SCREECHES]
[CAR SCREECHES]