Scenes from a Marriage (2021) s01e05 Episode Script

1
Thirty days ago,
our world shattered.
Our beloved father left us
to the world of truth.
The Gemara teaches
in maseches shabbos
that only 30 days
after the passing,
as long as flesh remains
on the body,
anything said to the niftar
will be heard by him
until his fate is sealed.
So today, on the thirtieth day,
we would like to tell you,
Father,
we're sorry.
Sorry if we ever offended you.
Sorry if we ever hurt you.
Everything we did,
we did in your honor.
Okay.
So, where were we?
Who made the final call?
Arye for the top
of the gravestone,
and Mom for the bottom.
Ah, got it.
"Loved and loving."
Yeah. What's the problem
with that?
No, just Nothing.
Just that neither is true.
What do you care if that's how
she wants to remember it?
Yeah. Who cares about the truth?
I really appreciate the offer,
Poli.
- No.
- I mean, I hope you know that.
Of course you appreciate it.
- It's a great offer. Yes.
- You know me.
Do you really think
I'm gonna change my mind?
How much do you make
in your consulting work?
- Poli!
- Why? What's wrong?
- That is none of your business.
- Baby, telling you,
- it's a terrible waste.
- Stop it.
You're the best
product manager in America.
- Mm-hmm.
- And I'm offering you here
an amazing start up. Not some
- I know.
- fucking corporate gig.
It's a hell of a ride.
That's what always
turned you on.
Doesn't turn me on anymore.
Mm-hmm.
I don't believe that.
- A drive like that doesn't
- How are you guys doing here?
- Mind if I clear some plates?
- Yeah, thanks.
And would you be
interested in any dessert today?
Yeah, sure. Why not? What do you
- No.
Sorry.
You know,
why don't I give you guys
- a minute, okay?
- Okay. Yeah.
- Sorry. Did you want something?
- No, it's okay.
- I just
- Do you mean you don't want anything?
Well, it's just, uh,
I have to leave 'cause, uh,
Ava's got
a dentist appointment soon.
Ah, okay. Okay.
No problem. Uh
So, how about tonight?
Can't tonight. I have Ava.
Jonathan's out of town.
Okay. Well, can't you get
a babysitter?
I try not to do that
on the nights
that I have her with me.
Got it. Okay.
- Whenever you guys are ready.
- Uh-huh.
Will you stay for coffee?
Uh, I have to get back. I can't.
I'm sorry.
Why don't you stay
one more night
and leave first thing
tomorrow morning?
Mom, I can't.
Whoa, whoa, whoa,
watch out, watch out.
- Slow down, slow down.
- Sorry, sorry, sorry. Okay.
Okay. Slow down.
Sorry, sorry, sorry.
Okay. Just drive
a little slower, okay?
- I'm still not used to driving.
- Yeah.
Your father hardly ever let me.
And I always really liked it.
So, that's a silver lining,
right?
What?
What do you mean?
No, no, nothing.
What nothing?
I mean, it's just
I think it's okay to
I don't know. To recognize
the positive aspects of
not living with him anymore,
you know,
not always worrying
what Dad thinks.
What?
Do you think I'm supposed
to be happy your father is dead?
No, I didn't say that.
Did I say that?
No, I'm saying that I
Look, he wasn't the easiest guy
to live with.
Right? Let's say he was
very free with his judgments.
So what?
He had high standards,
especially for himself.
Oh, Mom, come on.
Most of the time
you were just scared of him.
- Scared?
- Yeah, you were scared.
You were scared that he was
gonna accuse you
- of some mortal
- Yonatan, where is this coming from?
Why are you talking like this?
What's wrong with talking?
Maybe if you and Dad
spoke more, then
We spoke a lot.
We had five children,
we had a household to run.
- All right.
- What, you think we didn't speak?
- Okay.
- So cut it out.
I'm just saying
that you spent many, many years
living with someone
you didn't love, okay?
Not to mention, you know,
attraction.
What?
I just don't want you
to feel guilty
about feeling
the tiniest bit relieved.
Well, I'm not relieved.
- Okay.
- Would you like to force me to feel relieved?
- Okay.
- I loved your father.
Yes, yes.
Maybe not by your standards.
All right.
Well, I'm not interested
in having a fight with you,
okay?
Mmm.
- I'm just saying
- I'm not.
Before you disrespect
what I had with your father,
- think hard
- Mm-hmm?
about whether you did
everything you could
to stay together, you know,
to get sholom bayis.
All right.
Stay together for the kids.
- And even if so
- The kids.
what's so wrong about that?
What? Is that anything
to look down on?
You don't think
that's important?
A kid will always want
his parents to stay together
- even if it's not
- Uh, first of all,
- definitely not always.
- All those people
who say, "Oh, if I'm happy,
then my kid will be happy too,"
that is nonsense.
Get a divorce, fine.
But don't lie to yourself.
I really I'm just savoring
every moment with her, you know.
The years go so fast,
and now we have
these amazing nights together.
There's
- We watch movies, and
- Are you seeing someone?
What? No.
Yeah, I think you are.
Well, I'm not, so.
And I have a feeling
I know who it is, too.
I'm not seeing anybody,
and I'm not planning on it
anytime soon.
Is it Ackerman?
What? No, of course not.
I think it is.
And honestly,
I always knew it was going
to happen at some point.
All right.
Well, it's not Ackerman. It's
I mean,
it's not anyone, actually, so.
Okay. Whatever. Fair enough.
This is me.
Okay. Well, uh
Good luck with him.
I give it a year max.
- Okay, I'll
- Then you leave him too.
Okay.
You know,
sometimes I just
I just wish
I hadn't met you at all.
- I didn't spend all these years on
- Poli, stop.
someone who doesn't
understand what it means
to be in a relationship.
You're saying things
that you don't mean. Stop.
And what living together
actually means. Family.
Okay, well I'm running late.
Bye, Poli.
- Hello?
- - Hey, Mom.
- Hey, honey. How you doing?
- Good.
Josie's mom wanted me to check
if I can watch a PG-13 movie.
Well, I'm doing great.
Thanks for asking.
Mom.
Yeah, of course you can.
That's what I told her,
but she wanted me to ask. Mom?
Um, tell her thank you
for checking and, you know,
if you could also
remind her that
We're about to have dinner,
so I can't really talk.
Okay Yeah, but hon
Okay, just remember, you know,
I have a meeting
that's really late,
so, um, if you need anything,
- just have her text me and
- I know. You told me.
- Oh, Mom?
- Yes, honey?
Can I go to sleep
at 9:30, please?
- Okay.
- 'Cause Josie's bedtime is 9:30.
Um, Josie's a little older
than you.
Mom.
But, um
uh, yeah, sure, you can.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
Please try to get
some sleep though, okay?
Okay, love you, bye.
Okay, love you
- Hey.
- Hey.
Is she with Veronica?
No, she's with Josie. It's
- Oh, right, right, right.
- Yeah, yeah.
- She's over the moon, though.
- Yeah.
- Sleepover on a school night.
- Oh, wow. Yeah, I bet. I mean
How's your mom?
Uh, she's good, she's good.
Yeah, it ended up being
a little harder than I expected
- to leave, so
- That's okay.
I mean, you could
have stayed. It's
- No, no, no, don't
- I texted you that
No way, no way.
- Shall we get going?
- Yes, let's do it.
You know who to turn to
Now everything's changed ♪
Come on, let's go ♪
You know,
when, um, I was leaving,
Arye said, "Happy Purim."
- Is today Purim?
- Sunday.
Oh.
So you know
you know what that means?
Mm-mmm.
Our anniversary.
What?
What are you talking about?
Our anniversary
was, uh, September 2nd.
Not not of our wedding.
Of the first time we
you know.
- After the emergency room.
- Right.
After my asthma attack.
How do you even remember
that date?
- Because it was Purim.
- Okay.
And I was over at Hoffman's.
We were drinking ourselves
to death.
And that's that's how
the whole thing started.
I thought maybe
You know what?
Would you make a left turn here?
No, it's actually further down.
No, I know,
but just make a left here.
Is the place is the surprise
you were talking to me about?
Left.
- Okay, mister.
- Right here.
Actually,
you know what?
Pull over right here.
You're not gonna kidnap
and murder me, are you?
Just pull over.
Can I open my eyes now?
Not yet.
Well?
Almost there.
Open your eyes.
Surprise.
Yeah, so
I kind of became obsessed
with the house.
Okay.
And I've been driving by it
on my way to work
and on my way back
just to see it.
I know it's
I know.
It's very sentimental of me.
- It's very nice.
- Yeah.
So, um, anyway, uh,
when my parents visited,
uh, last Hanukkah,
I went on Airbnb to find a place
for them to stay and suddenly,
our house popped up.
Huh.
Yeah,
I guess they rent it out
when they go on vacation
or whatever.
So, um so I signed up
for, uh, alerts.
So,
are they on vacation now?
I guess so. Yeah.
So what do you say?
- Yeah.
- Yeah?
Mm-hmm.
Okay.
So
- there's a lockbox
- Okay.
somewhere. Ah, here it is.
Four, oh, five
Okay.
Thank you.
- Boys.
- Crazy, huh?
What do you think, like
seven and ten?
Yeah, something like that. Yeah.
What's that smell?
Dead body?
Oh.
What is it?
Hockey stink.
It's worse.
Sweet.
I guess this one
they couldn't really improve.
They kept the light fixtures.
Yeah.
No smoking, no pets,
- no parties or events.
- Mm.
Huh.
Is that included in the rental?
I'll get them a new one.
You're such a rebel.
That's me.
Thanks.
Happy anniversary.
Happy anniversary.
Seventeen years.
Can you believe it?
Yeah.
Well, my parents celebrated
their 53rd-year anniversary
this year.
That's That's crazy.
What?
Just, I got in a fight
with my mom.
But I kinda picked the fight
with her.
For some reason I was trying
to get her to admit
that her marriage
had been terrible.
You
It's amazing how you always
become like a little boy
- around your mom.
- I know. I don't know why.
- Why?
- I don't know why.
- Don't know why I did that.
- Mm-hmm.
At least we talked, you know.
Like really talked.
Yeah.
Well, I'm sure she must be
so proud of you right now.
Yeah, in her own way.
Elisheva told me that
she watched my TED Talk
- like six times.
- Really?
But she'd never tell me that,
though.
And I can't tell her I know.
You know how
that whole dance goes.
Yeah, I know.
Yeah.
She says hi, by the way.
- Come on.
- It's true.
What?
You think she suspects something
about the two of us?
- About us?
- Yeah.
- Seriously?
- Yeah.
No way.
No, no, no, seriously, no way.
How can you be so sure?
- Because
- Mmm.
Nothing could seem
more far-fetched than this.
It's completely outside
her spectrum of possibilities.
Mm-hmm.
And, uh, so when she saw us
go up to your old room together
when I visited a month ago
after your father died
- Mm-hmm.
- That
What? No,
it's totally acceptable
for children to have guests
in their old room during Shiva.
Right.
And, um, when she knocked
on the door
and you didn't answer it?
She thought I was sleeping.
I asked her afterwards. I did.
- I'm not convinced.
- I'm telling you,
if I could never imagine
this happening,
there's no way she could.
What did you imagine?
When you came to Shiva?
Honestly, I was just trying
to hide the fact
that I had a massive boner
in front of everybody.
I know.
I felt it when you hugged me.
- I wanted you to feel it.
- Oh, my God.
And then, when you asked me
to go upstairs with you,
I felt that all the eyes
in the house were watching us
and they knew exactly
what was about to happen.
Mmm. What did that do to you?
It made me wet.
It' was so crazy.
In the middle of all
that family shit and grief.
And after all that time,
you coming in there like that,
like like an apparition.
Well, I know.
I saw it on your face.
They're really, like,
making me angry, you know?
Yeah, I get that.
- It's not ugly.
- No.
They did a nice job, but like
how dare they, you know?
Uh-huh.
Still, it's better
than a hotel room, right?
I don't know.
I kind of like a hotel room.
- Really?
- Yeah.
Something about it's like,
it is what it is
and it's not what it's not.
Yeah, maybe.
So anything going on?
What's happening?
What could be happening?
Are you seeing anyone?
- Since last week?
- Yeah.
Any promising dates?
Anything you wanna
- No.
- take further?
I told you I don't want
anything serious right now.
- Why not?
- Okay. I have to say,
you're getting a little
obsessed with the subject
and I'm, uh, asking myself
what that is about.
No, nothing. I'm just
I'm trying to grasp
- the concept here.
- But what concept?
Being alone. This whole
"I'm better off alone" thing.
It's not a concept.
I'm just happy this way.
Okay. Not totally buying it.
Right, you used to always panic
whenever I would talk
about being alone.
Yeah. You saw it as a sign
that, um, I was in a bad way,
but reality is, I just
It was something that I felt
like I was missing.
You know, I'd never really
even expected
that I'd ever get married.
Yeah, I remember.
Even with you.
I know.
That night
when you proposed and
- Mm-hmm. Talked.
- all night
- That's right.
- about it.
Then the next morning,
I went to go see my mom.
I don't actually I don't know
if I told you much about this.
- I don't think so.
- Um
it was in, uh, Back Bay.
She was living nearby
with Julian.
- Mm-hmm.
- Her third husband.
I'm not sure
if you even met him.
Yeah, I think I did.
I think I did once.
Okay. Well,
they split up soon after.
Anyway, she, um, she was like
"Don't do it."
Don't do what?
Don't get married.
- She said that?
- Yeah.
"Jonathan's a good guy.
Best guy you've ever been with."
- Obviously.
- Mm-hmm.
"Probably the best guy
you'll ever be with."
Wow, Mom, okay.
"But you know you're not cut out
for getting married.
You don't have that gene."
She said, "I don't have it,
your father certainly
doesn't have it,
so why would you have it?"
I mean, this is
this is the woman
- that dragged you along on her trysts
- Yeah.
when you were five years old,
so I don't think
really the person
to listen to, right?
Well, obviously, I didn't.
No, I was gonna prove her wrong,
gonna prove it to myself.
So I, you know, spent my life
trying to prove
that I was different.
And that I was gonna
make it last.
It didn't last.
So maybe she was right.
She's right?
Yeah. Right about the gene?
The monogamy gene?
No, it's just maybe
maybe it's not right for me.
So what, does it mean
that you're doomed?
No.
Jonathan, I'm not doomed.
I wonder if it's hard for you
to understand because
you really can't be alone.
I mean, you never could.
You always needed like,
I don't know, a
witness to your life.
- Witness?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
- Yeah. Someone who's constantly,
you know, seeing you, and
I mean, like, keeping a record.
Hmm. Okay.
No, did I hurt your feelings?
No, no, no.
No, no, I didn't
I didn't realize
I was such a burden.
You're not. You weren't.
- It's not personal, you know.
- Okay.
I really think most women
feel this way about men.
Hmm.
Yeah.
I mean, I haven't been single
since I was 15 years old,
- you know what I mean?
- Mm-hmm.
I realized
it's kind of refreshing.
You okay?
- Something's off.
- Yeah.
- It's just so weird.
- Yeah.
It's so weird to be here again.
You okay?
Yeah. It's nothing serious.
Maybe it was a bad idea
to come here?
No, I really am happy
you brought me here.
- Yeah?
- No, it was a really nice thought.
Yeah, maybe it's just the day.
- Uh-huh.
- It's just so much.
Yeah.
Yeah, maybe we should have,
uh, yeah, postponed it, so.
- Let me get my, uh
- Sure.
Be right back.
Fuck.
Hey, Jane.
- Jonathan.
- Hi, baby.
Oh. You only speak to me
when you're, like, really tired.
No, yeah, I'm still up.
I'm still up.
I'm just talking quietly
'cause Mom fell asleep already.
Oh.
- Yeah.
- So sorry. Is she okay?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, she's fine.
It's just
you know, the whole thing
at the ceremony
was really draining for her.
Oh, God. Are you okay?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah. Well, you know how it is.
It's like the
being at the cemetery, and then
going to an empty house,
it was a lot for her.
Uh, yes, taking the 6:30 train
out of Valley Stream
than the Amtrak
from Penn Station.
Okay.
- Yep.
- So, um
Is he up?
Okay, he's right there with you?
Yeah, he wants to say hi.
Okay. Yeah. Just, uh
Trying to connect here.
Okay.
Okay.
Oh, hello.
- Hi.
- Hi.
- Say Hi.
- Hey, Ethan.
Oh, Bubba, why are you awake?
He was growing some teeth.
Encouraging.
What's up now, where are you?
Uh, I'm in the bathroom.
- What?
- I'm in the bathroom.
Okay.
Look, Ethan, can you show Daddy
your new trick?
Can you What does a dog say?
Woof.
- Woof.
- Woof. Woof?
- Yeah.
- Oh, my gosh.
He just did that today?
He's just, like, wants to party?
He's like sleeping and eating
because
I mean, he's living the life.
Um
Oh, man.
It's tough, huh? Sorry.
I love you.
- Okay. I love you too.
- Bye.
- Lila tov, bubbelah.
- Lila tov.
Say "lila tov," bye.
Okay, baby.
- Okay, I'm gonna try to
- Lila tov.
- Bye, coocoo.
- Bye.
Bye. Bye, cooties.
- Bye. Love to your mom, okay?
- Okay. Thanks, sweetie.
Okay.
Oh, my God.
- Wow!
- I know, right?
Oh, my God.
Can you imagine this
as Ava's room?
No way, we would have taken it
for ourselves.
Look at this.
Is this what you imagined
back then?
Well, yeah, not this big, but
yeah, something like that.
So this is what I missed out on,
huh?
Well, you could have done it
yourself.
Yes. True.
Cute.
Genius kid.
It is a little over the top,
but I have to say
the effect is undeniable.
You okay?
Yeah.
Yeah, sorry,
it wasn't very serious.
Sorry, I disappeared on you.
Hmm, you got dressed.
You wanted to leave.
Yeah, just for a second,
but it passed.
Who was that on the phone?
- Jane.
- Mmm.
And Ethan.
Everything all right?
Yeah, yeah. They just wanted
to say goodnight.
Guilt.
I don't know.
I think I'm over my obsession
with being a good person,
- you know?
- Mm-hmm.
Constantly checking to make sure
I'm doing the right thing.
I don't really have
that need anymore, for
moral superiority.
I'm no better than anybody else.
It's okay.
Okay.
What?
Just not totally buying it.
Touché.
I'm not saying I'm proud of it.
The affairs. But, you know
Mm-hmm?
I just realized
that there's things that
I mean, I have needs
that I'm not
- willing to ignore anymore.
- Mm-hmm.
And, you know, that's
just how it is for me right now.
Just accepting that.
That's okay.
"Affairs," plural?
Yeah, I had
I had something six months ago.
It was meaningless.
Two somethings
if you count one-night stands,
which I don't, so.
Well
Maybe you have lost
your moral superiority.
That doesn't sound very good
when you say it.
It's like, what?
I'm the last person to judge.
I didn't want to marry her.
I'm not saying that
as a justification for anything.
It's just the truth.
But we had a really good time
together.
And, you know,
sometimes it's easy to confuse
great sex with love.
Easy for you.
I don't think it's just me.
But she got pregnant.
And, um
- I really wanted that kid.
- Hmm.
And, you know,
she wanted to get married.
And I just thought, why not?
What's the difference
between living together
and getting married?
So I said yes.
Then Ethan was born.
And he's just ugh.
That's really great.
The sex is not.
Well
It's not happening at all.
But that, you know,
since Ethan was born,
so, obviously.
But, um, you know, we're good.
We're good.
It's like we have
a common language.
It's like meeting somebody
that speaks your language.
I realized that
she's the first Jewish woman
that I've dated since college.
- Really?
- Yeah.
Yeah, I didn't didn't imagine
it would be so significant,
like, knowing the same songs
and idioms, the holidays,
but it's nice.
It's comfortable.
Don't you love her?
Hmm.
Yeah. Yeah, in a certain way.
What if she finds out about us?
Um
I don't know.
I guess I'm just
I'm not really scared enough
of splitting up.
In fact, I'm pretty sure
it'll happen eventually.
So I don't really have
any illusions about that.
I'll never love anybody
the way that I loved you.
- It's a fact.
- Hmm.
With you, breaking up
was just never on the table.
Just never even occurred to me.
So it's just, it's different,
entirely different kind of love.
I remember someone said
it was like a piece of tape
that you rip off
and try to reapply
that'll stick again maybe,
but it's never going to be
like the first time.
It's really sad,
what you're saying.
I don't know. I don't think so.
I think it's okay
to have different kinds of love.
That's okay.
What?
What?
Just don't act like it's cool,
you're never gonna love again.
It's not that s
I didn't say that.
I mean I'm here with you,
aren't I?
It's different with me.
I mean,
- it's not the same, obviously.
- Why?
Because we've been
through the worst
that could happen. I mean,
there's nothing to be afraid of
anymore with me.
Yeah, okay,
so maybe that's just
that's exactly what works
for me now.
- For us.
- God, Jonathan.
What? What?
Can't you see
we're both just so fucked up?
We've barely even started
getting over what happened to us
- and
- Yeah, well, it takes time.
Yeah, but it's been four years.
We just keep coming up with
all these solutions and like
Why does it take
so long to break up?
And why does no one talk about
the fact that
it's this fucking
endless trauma?
Well, it
It is second on the list
of most stressful life events.
Before moving.
After death of a loved one.
So
So we should have a Shiva
of our own?
To mourn?
Yes.
We won't leave the house
for seven days.
Everyone will come
and console us.
Mm-hmm.
And we won't eat meat
or drink wine.
- Mm-hmm.
- Or shower.
I can work with that.
We won't cut our hair or shave.
Done.
No sex.
What? That's forbidden too?
Totally.
What is it? What's wrong?
Did you have a nightmare?
- What was it?
- Oh, God
We were driving.
Oh, fuck.
Oh, my God.
Oh, fuck.
What?
We were, um
We were driving to Lawrence
to see my parents
and, um, Ava was with us.
We were on the highway.
There was an accident
and there was terrible traffic
for miles and miles,
and so I
I said to you,
"Let's go back home on foot."
But we had to cross
to the other lane.
- And you and Ava crossed.
- Mm-hmm.
But I didn't I couldn't
you had to push the cars
- to get through them.
- Mm-hmm.
Like, you had to physically
push them away from each other.
But it but it turns out
I didn't have any hands.
I just had like stumps, like,
nothing from the elbows down.
So like, I it was impossible
for me to reach you guys.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Hey, come here.
It's cold.
Hmm.
You want some water?
- No.
- No?
You know,
I could make us some coffee.
Maybe it's time
that we get up anyway.
No, don't go, don't go anywhere.
Just stay. Just stay.
Okay.
Just stay.
Do you remember anything else?
I'm trying to remember.
You know, yesterday
- My mom has this notebook
- Mm-hmm.
where she wrote down
a bunch of things
when I was little,
like, you know,
anecdotes and medical stuff,
and dreams.
That's really sweet.
Yeah, we were looking at it
together yesterday.
And there was this one time
that she wrote about
when I woke up
in the middle of the night,
I was like three years old
or something, and
- Mm-hmm.
- I came into the room
and I was just standing there
in the middle of the room
and I said, "I can't sleep.
All my dreams
are really boring."
And I said to her yesterday,
I was like,
"You got it back then, right?
You got you understood
that 'boring'
actually meant scary, right?"
And she said,
"What are you talking about?
No, you were so cute, no,
you didn't look scared at all."
She just was incapable of
She couldn't
Sometimes, I feel
like I'm not sure
if I have the ability
like if I've ever really
truly loved anyone.
Or if I've ever
really been loved.
Okay, now you're being dramatic.
- Am I?
- Yes.
I love you.
And I always have,
in my own
deranged way.
And you love me
in your own complicated way.
And you'll always love me.
"In the middle of the night,
without any fanfare,
in a dark house
somewhere in the world."
What's that?
Mmm, it's from a movie.
Hmm.
- Okay. Let's cut.
- All right, we cut.
Here you are, guys.