Essex County (2023) s01e05 Episode Script

Episode 5

1
You don't want me here.
That is not true.
LESTER: I'm moving in with my dad.
ANNE: Your mom and Jimmy, they
they weren't together for all that long,
and maybe some things are
just better left alone.
This isn't how you do things, Jimmy.
Claire wanted you away from that kid.
It's so nice to see ya!
I need you to sign the form over.
Now, that I'm Lester's guardian,
I need the security of the title.
You're not a suitable guardian.
It's fine, Ken. It's fine.
You deserve to be happy too, you know?
It was good once, though.
We can get that back if we try.
I wanted you to be part of my life.
I promised Vince I'd stay away from you.
But he's not here.
- I am.
- I don't know what to say.
God, I've always loved
the first snow of the year.
Me too.
BETH: Good morning.
You cut your hair by yourself.
(GIGGLING)
You know, I was I was worried
you were going to mess it up.
But I didn't.
No, no.
You look beautiful.
God, you're always so impulsive.
You must have cut off what? A foot?
Mm-hmm. Thereabouts.
Well, when I decide to
do something, I do it.
Yeah, you sure do.
Listen, I've been thinking.
What if we tried?
Don't.
(SIGHING)
We get to have this, but
we don't get to keep it.
(SIGHING)
Everything outside
this room is impossible.
We're here now.


(ROOSTER CROWING)
(KNOCKING)
Lester? It's time to get up.

Jimmy?
Dad?
(CHATTERING)
So, are you sure you don't want
to stay another night and, like,
see the nightlife?
I wish.
No, I think I better, um
I better go and
Deal.
Um So, you know, I was
thinking that maybe I would, um
finish this semester
and see how I feel at the end.
Oh, thank God.
So, you came with no agenda.
(SIGHING)
- Don't you have a class?
- Yeah, I do.
- Okay.
- Okay.
- Um, wait.
- Go. Don't be late.
Are you gonna, like, go
right back home or?
No, I think I might
just look around a bit.
MAGGIE: Okay, yeah.
Go!
- I love you.
- Love you too.
(EXHALING SHARPLY)

(GROANING)
(SIGHING)
Come on.
(GROANING)
(GROANING)
(GROANING)
Oh shit.
You better get your ass up, LeBeuf.
Third period's about to start.
Oh
Let's go. (GROANING)
(GROANING)
I gotta say,
you're looking like hammered shit.
Well, I can still
skate circles around
your fat-ass, Coach.
You know, I never let anyone
else talk to me like that, Lou.
How is that?
Oh, it's 'cause of my charm.
COACH: No. It's because you
always called it like it was.
Yeah.
Real honest.
Oh, boo-hoo.
You gonna feel sorry for yourself
or you gonna get back in the game?
See ya, Coach. (GROANING)
(GROANING)
(CHATTERING)
- Sorry.
- Excuse me.
(CHATTERING)
"The Years" explores the passage of time
through private moments
in our characters' lives.
Details measure the weight of mortality
or perhaps, what Kundera later calls
"the unbearable lightness of being."
You all may be too young to know
what I'm talking about.
(STUDENTS CHUCKLING)
But Woolf may change that,
as she is the master of conjuring us,
bringing us inside intimate
moments of experience.
Such as this:
"'There must be another
life, ' she thought,
sinking back into
her chair, exasperated.
'Not in dreams; but here and now,
in this room, with living people.'
She felt as if she were standing
on the edge of a precipice
with her hair blown back;
she was about to grasp
something that just evaded her.
'There must be another life,
here and now, ' she repeated.
'This is too short,
too broken. We know nothing,
'even about ourselves.'"

SAMANTHA: Is that your dad?
LESTER: Yep.
SAMANTHA: So, are you doing it?
You're going today?
He's not answering my texts.
SAMANTHA: You could just go find him.
Yeah.
Good luck.
(SIGHING)
(ENGINE REVVING)
I thought nobody was home.
I was just doing some work on the coop.
Lester's still at school.
I thought this was too important
a document to put in the mail.
You signed it?
I never liked this place anyway.
(CAR DOOR OPENING, CLOSING)
(ENGINE STARTING)

KENNY: I'm sorry. I'm a total idiot.
LUKE: It's okay, Ken.
It's a beautiful piece of land.
KENNY: It's mine now.
My dad, he, uh he came over,
handed over the deeds.
(SIGHING) Finally.
I just
I love it here.
I wish Lester did, too.
I'm messing up, Luke. I, uh
I'm losing him.
You don't know that.
You know, Claire said
just keep showing up,
and, uh I do, but
But nothing.
That's it. Show up.
That's everything.
(STUDENTS CHATTERING)
What are you doing in here, Mo-Lester?
Don't want to change
with the rest of us?
RYAN: Yes! I got it!
Hey! Leave my stuff alone!
- Hey!
- (BAG UNZIPPING)
Come on, let me out!
JAMIE: Let's go!
(WATER FLUSHING)

TEACHER: Come on, come on. Let's go.
(CHATTERING)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(KNOCKING)
(KNOCKING)
(PHONE RINGING)
Hello.
No. Lester? Okay, I'll be right there.

PRINCIPAL: You realize how
serious this is, Lester.
Jamie's at the hospital.
LESTER: Is he going to be okay?
PRINCIPAL: I don't know. Let's hope so.
Wait here. Your uncle is on his way.
(DOOR CLOSING)

Hey.
ANNE: Hey.
What was so urgent?
I
I saw Maggie in Toronto.
She's going to stay until the
end of the semester and yeah,
going to see how she feels.
- Good for you.
- Yeah.
I wish I could take
credit, but she really
yeah, she really made the decision.
Yeah, well, still, it was
smart of you to go see her.
I, uh
Hey, I
I can't I can't
do this anymore, Doug.
Come on, Anne, don't give up.
Hey, remember the other
day? How good that was?
Yeah, I think maybe
that was our goodbye.
Let's give it one last try.
We need to be honest about
the way things have been, Doug.
Doug, I want more than this.
Don't you?
- What's she doing here?
- It's procedure, Ken.
Lester assaulted a classmate.
- Come on. Come on, he's eleven.
- Jamie could have been seriously injured.
His parents are with
him in emerg right now.
It could warrant expulsion, Ken.
(KNOCKING)
- What is it?
- (TEACHER WHISPERING INDISTINCTLY)
Lester's not where he was
told to wait. He's gone.
What?
Do you have any idea
where he could have gone?
Yeah.
I have an idea.
(DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE)
(DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE)
(DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE)
(TRAIN WHISTLE BLARING IN DISTANCE)
(KNOCKING)
(KNOCKING)
(CLATTERING)
What are you doing here, kid?
Take a seat, kiddo.
Where are you going?
Look, kid, uh
I, um
I gotta go stay with
a friend for a while.
What do you mean?
I gotta get out of here, kid.
Okay?
Just gotta go and
get my head together.
But, um
Uh, hey, you know, I, uh
I got all of this.
You want some of this?
Pretty cool stuff, this.
Jimmy LeBeuf!
Hmm?
I don't understand.
I never should have come back here.
What do you want?
Can I come with you?
That that would be nice, but, um
I don't know what my-my
setup's gonna be yet, so
You said we were gonna live together.
That was that was
a good idea, too, right?
But, uh
I, uh You know, I gotta
I gotta find work, right? I gotta
I gotta, um
I gotta find the right place, and, um
you know, that's all
gonna take some time.
How much time?
I-I don't know. A while.
Yeah, but how long?
Jesus Christ! I don't know.
You said we were gonna live together.
I don't have anywhere else to go.
Come on, kid, you can go
and stay with Uncle Kenny.
Ken? He hates me!
He doesn't hate you.
What happened to our
mechanic shop and our house?
Shit happens, kid.
- You promised.
- No.
No, kid. We were just talking.
I never promised you anything.
Stop calling me "kid"!
Hey, just calm down now, eh?
Look, I'm telling you right
now hey, look at me, kiddo.
Look, who knows, right?
I might get myself a really sweet job,
and you know, I might get myself
an excellent situation going on there,
and then, you know, we'll see, buddy.
In the meantime, you already
got a really sweet setup, right?
Hmm?
How about pizza? You know,
I got some pizza here.
I don't know. What do I got here?
I got, uh I got two slices.
Eh? I got one for you, one for me.
Just stay right there.
I'll be right back.
(DISHES CLATTERING)
(JIMMY MUTTERING) Oh, there we go.
There you go, bud.
(JIMMY MUTTERING)
Too hot. Burn ya.
Lester?
(DISH CLATTERING)
WOMAN: Hey there.
- Hey.
- Hey. Anne.
I thought he was with you.
Oh, no.
I'm

(THUNDER RUMBLING)
(SIGHING)
(SIGHING)
(GROANING)
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
(GROANING)
Yeah. Of course.
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(RAIN PATTERING)
(CAR DOOR CLOSING)
Where is he?
Lester! Lester?!
Oh, my God. What did you do?
Back off, Kenny.
You're running away again?
Isn't that what you want?
That kid thinks you're a
goddamn superhero. You know that?
So, you were right. I'm
just a piece of shit.
It's not about you, Jimmy.
I just need to find him.
Did he say where he was going?
Hey, Kenny? Um
I thought I could do it, you know?
I really thought I could.
(THUNDER CRASHING)
I'll sign whatever you need, okay?
(THUNDER CRASHING)
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
(BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE "ANTHEMS
FOR A SEVENTEEN YEAR-OLD GIRL")

Used to be one of the rotten ones ♪
And I liked you for that ♪
Now you're all gone,
got your make-up on ♪
And you're not coming back ♪

Lester?!
Lester!
(EXHALING SHARPLY)
Lester!
(GRUNTING)
(GROANING)

BETH: Everything outside
this room is impossible.

(VOICES CHATTERING)
(WHOOPING)
(VOICES CHATTERING)
I loved her, you know.
I loved you, too.
(EXHALING SHARPLY)
Lester?
I've been looking
everywhere for you! Oh
I was worried about
you. I went to Jimmy's.
He doesn't want me.
KENNY: Aww, Les
No one wants me.
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(DOOR OPENING)
Lou?
Lou!
You know
we talked about you before she died.
We were talking about (SNIFFLING)
how
how I was gonna have to go
live with you when she was gone.
(SOBBING) I just I didn't want to.
You know how she made everything better?
You know?
I don't know how to do that,
not not by myself.
(SOBBING)
- I'm sorry. (SOBBING)
- I know. I know.
You and me, we're going
to figure this out.
Yeah, I promise.
ANNE: Lou?!
Lou?!
(SIGHING)
(LOU MOANING)
Lou!
Lou!
Lou!
What are you doing here?
I've thought about you
every single day.
(SIGHING)
ANNE: Okay.
Come on.
- Come on.
- Hmm?
- Come on.
- Okay.
- Okay.
- Oh
(SIGHING)
(TAPPING IN DISTANCE)
(SIGHING)
- (TAPPING CONTINUING)
- MAN: Hey, Lou.
(TAPPING INTENSIFIES)
(TAPPING)
(TAPPING CONTINUING)
(TAPPING)
(TAPPING CONTINUING)
(TAPPING)
(TAPPING CONTINUING)
Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Come on.
KENNY: Hey. I thought you got lost.
- No.
- KENNY: Shoes?
Oh, sorry. No, no. I was just playing.
That's all right. You're just in time.
- You know?
- Good. I'm hungry.
Yeah, me too. Look at that.
Ooh

REALTOR: I'm very sorry for your loss.
ANNE: Thanks.
I'm going to be going out of town.
- Call me if you get any bites.
- REALTOR: Of course.
- So, call my cell.
- Have a good night, okay?
Okay. Thanks, Tammy.
(CAR DOOR CLOSING, ENGINE STARTING)


JIMMY: Lester?
Doesn't look too good here, kiddo.
LESTER: Oh, my gosh!
Pissers ruined my jersey, too.
Give me a hand?
- LESTER: Yeah.
- Yeah.
Yeah, just lay it right
(MUTTERING)
Attaboy. Attaboy.
Well, we have to get
you back to the fort.
Get some cover.
I'll bandage you up and everything.
No. It's too late for that now.
- I'm a goner.
- No. No.
It's time to face the music, Lester.
I can't beat them by myself.
What are you talking about?
Look at you.
You're my superhero, kid.
All right. (GROANING)
(GROANING)
Oh, that hurts like hell.
It'll pass, trust me.
I guess, uh (BREATHING HEAVILY)
I guess it's time, eh?
I guess so.
Hey, you know
Red sky at night?
Sailor's delight.
Wait. Hold on.
I'll see you, Lester.
- See ya.
- All right.
Ships ahoy!
Attaboy.
(GROANING)
Oh, boy (BREATHING HEAVILY)
(BIRDS CHIRPING)


Previous Episode