The Crowded Room (2023) s01e05 Episode Script

[LIGHTS BUZZING]
[PEN WRITING]
It's okay, Danny.
This is going to be a process.
How about we go further back? Okay?
How about we talk about
you, when you were a little boy.
What about it?
Well, um, can you tell me
about the good times?
Can you tell me a happy memory?
"Fourteen, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19".
We struck out 19 times.
- And won. [CHUCKLES]
- [CHUCKLING] Amazing.
Swoboda hit two homers.
But the Cubs won too.
Stop worrying about the Cubs. [CHUCKLES]
I'm telling you, Dan, this is our year.
[PARENT] I can hear you in there.
What part of "bedtime" wasn't clear?
[ADAM] You think that they have
channel nine in London?
I don't know.
London's pretty far.
You cheer 'em on while I'm gone.
[SIGHS, GROANS] They need it.
[CHANTS] Cleon.
- Jones steps to the plate.
- [CHANTS] Cleon.
- Jenkins deliver.
- [CHANTS] Cleon.
A swing and a miss! He struck 'em out.
What?
Mets lose 'cause Danny Sullivan
didn't cheer loud enough.
[CHUCKLES] I'll cheer, okay? I'll cheer.
Dad's picking me up pretty early.
I wish you didn't have to go.
I'll be saying the same thing
to you come Christmas.
You'll be just fine. Good night, Danny.
Good night, Adam.
[BREATHES DEEPLY]
[INTERVIEWER] You were twins, right?
Mm-hmm. [SWALLOWS]
My mom used to say that
we were joined at the hip.
- [CHUCKLES]
- And it was true.
When was this?
We were in grade school,
my brother and I.
It was summer, the tail end.
You know, when school's back.
And that was the first time
you two had been apart?
[INHALES SHAKILY] Yeah.
[DANNY] The thing is, is Adam was
the one who always had my back.
[STUDENTS CHATTERING]
- [TEACHER] Come on in.
- [BELL RINGS]
[STUDENTS, TEACHERS CHATTERING]
Oh.
[STUDENT] Hey, man.
Hey, Bill.
Should we get some?
Sure. I mean, I guess.
I forgot my money. Do you
have any on you?
[BILL] Wow.
I get my allowance today
for the whole week.
We could get change.
I'll pay you back.
Just use ten cents, okay?
Don't worry. Like I said,
I'll pay you back.
Pick a hand, Danny.
- [CRASH]
- [STUDENTS LAUGHING]
- Payback.
- [STUDENTS LAUGHING]
[LAUGHING CONTINUES]
- [CRASHING]
- [STUDENTS MURMURING]
[PRINCIPAL] We tried
to reach your mother,
but we keep getting no answer.
The machine's broken.
She says it's not worth fixing.
She works afternoons at the hospital.
And since your dad, well, he
That's why Mr. Jones is here.
Mr. Jones is our guidance counselor
for elementary school.
Now, this is not an ideal way
to start off, hmm?
Now, clearly, what Mr. Carter
did was not acceptable,
but neither is throwing
a tantrum like that.
It's okay.
Do you have something
you want to say, Danny?
Can I go home?
Of course. Of course you can.
You and I can meet once a week.
[GRUNTS]
Give this to your mother.
[CHILDREN CHATTERING]
- [SCREEN DOOR SLAMS CLOSED]
- [SIGHS] Don't slam the screen.
- [DANNY] Sorry, Mom.
- [BREATHES DEEPLY]
[PARENT] Happy Friday.
How was my big boy's
first full week of third grade?
Fine.
- Everything okay?
- Yeah, Mom.
[JUICE POURING]
Let me see that smile.
[RADIO PRESENTER SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
[CHUCKLES]
[CHUCKLES, SIGHS DEEPLY]
They're moving out
of the bed-and-breakfast.
Yeah, baby, it's closing up.
Who's gonna live there now?
I don't know. [WHISPERS] Ghosts, maybe.
[CHUCKLES]
[PARENT] Made you PB and J.
[PARENT SIGHS]
- Can't you stay home?
- Sorry, baby.
We only got my paychecks
putting food on the table.
And I gotta go get dressed for work.
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
[ZIPPER OPENS]
[LIGHTER CLICKS OPEN, IGNITES]
[INHALES DEEPLY, SIGHS]
Can't you not go tonight?
You know I gotta work, baby.
I don't like staying here alone.
[CHUCKLES] You'll be perfectly
fine. You miss Adam?
It's not fair.
Send me to Dad's.
[SIGHS] You got the list of numbers.
You call me if you get scared.
Let me come with you.
You know you can't.
[DANNY] Just this one time.
- [SIGHS]
- Please. I'm begging you.
Please, Mom.
[PARENT SIGHS]
[SIGHS]
[RADIO ANNOUNCER SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
- [GASPS, SIGHS]
- [DANNY] Please, Mom.
[CHUCKLING] Okay.
- God. You choose.
- Good.
- [SIGHS, CHUCKLES]
- And I choose this.
Mmm, no. Too hot.
Hmm.
- [INHALES DEEPLY] This one.
- Mm-hmm.
You like it?
[INTERVIEWER] I spoke with your mom.
[CHUCKLES]
What? We You spoke to my mom?
Is she okay? How i How is she?
She's okay. Yeah, she's okay.
She says she wants to come see you.
- Really?
- [CHUCKLES] Really.
[CHUCKLES]
["DON'T LEAVE ME" PLAYING]
- What was that?
- Nothing.
[CHUCKLES]
- [SIGHS]
- [BOSS] Thought you fell into a well.
Your shift starts at
Oh, no. Uh-uh. No way.
Kid can't come in here. It's state law.
- Color. [SIGHS]
- [BOSS] I could get shut down.
- But Mario said
- I know. Let me handle it.
[MARIO] We've been over this.
Candy, I'm serious.
Count to ten Mississippi,
and then put your song on.
You know which one, right?
One Mississippi, two Mississippi,
three Mississippi
- Hey, it's a onetime thing. [SIGHS]
- [CHUCKLES]
Every time is a onetime thing.
four Mississippi, five Mississippi,
six Mississippi, seven Mississippi,
I'm sorry that Pete turned out to be
the same asshole he always was.
eight Mississippi,
nine Mississippi, ten. [SIGHS]
[MARIO] They come in here and
see a kid eating in the bar and
It's double illegal
if he's sitting at it.
[JUKEBOX WHIRS]
["LET IT BE" PLAYS ON JUKEBOX]
[MARIO LAUGHS] Come on, Candy.
What? I shouldn't let the kid
play the jukebox now?
It's not my fault you guys
got the same favorite song.
[CLEARS THROAT] You're a real
piece of work, you know that?
- Takes one to know one.
- [LAUGHS]
- How you doing, Dan?
- Hi, Mario.
Get him a Coke and a burger or
something. Kid's thin as a reed.
- Last time. I promise.
- Sure.
[LAUGHING]
Thanks, but that was
Oh, watch your step, girl.
[LAUGHING] Sorry.
- [LAUGHING]
- [PATRON 1 SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]
[SCOFFS]
[CANDY] How y'all doing?
What can I get you folks?
[PATRON 1] Couple of pitchers
of Bud, please, ma'am.
Hey, little man. What you got there?
Coloring book.
Dinosaurs. Ah, cool.
You ever get down to the, uh,
Museum of Natural History?
Yeah. Fourth floor, all dinosaurs.
Yeah. They have that
that big mural with, uh,
the pterodactyls on it.
Yours is better.
Excuse me. You're, uh
You're sitting on my shirt.
- [CHUCKLES] Yeah.
- [PATRON 2] Sorry.
Hey there. Hey. Hi.
Where y'all from?
- We're just having a beer. Mmm.
- [CHUCKLES] That so?
- [PATRON 1] Yeah.
- [PATRON 2 CHUCKLES]
Yeah. Look, man. We don't
want any trouble, okay?
That so?
Danny, come on over here please.
You best listen to your mama, son.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Nobody
told you you could talk to him.
Nobody told me I had to ask permission.
[GRUNTS]
- [GRUNTS]
- [PATRON 2 YELPS]
[PATRON 3] You niggers
is hardheaded. [CHUCKLES]
[PATRONS CLAMORING, YELLING]
I got you. Just breathe, okay?
Sometimes I think
the blood that night marked me.
What do you mean?
[DANNY] Well, from ancient Judaism
to Shakespeare, blood,
especially blood spilled in violence,
has magical powers.
It can ward off evil,
or it can even summon it.
[ENGINE REVS]
- [INSECTS BUZZING]
- [DOOR CREAKS CLOSED]
Is that what you think? That what
happened to you is your fault?
Well, everything that came afterwards
couldn't possibly just be
a coincidence, could it?
[DOOR UNLOCKS, OPENS]
[SIGHS] Hey, baby.
Why aren't you asleep?
[DANNY] I can't stop
thinking about the fight.
I'm sorry. You wanna sleep in my bed?
[GRUNTS]
[CHUCKLES] But just tonight, okay?
Come here.
[DANNY] The thing is,
is Dad going left us vulnerable.
My mom was perpetually disappointed.
I mean, always thinking that
[INHALES DEEPLY] she wanted
someone to [SIGHS] fix things
or help m-make life turn out
the way she'd expected.
We needed a savior.
Hello.
[DOOR OPENS]
Hey. I'm Marlin. [CLICKS TONGUE]
You know, like the fish.
[LAUGHS]
Sit down. Go on.
We're good, Joe.
Seriously, I don't bite,
um Christopher.
Go on.
[SIGHS]
[MARLIN] Coffee?
- For real?
- Yeah.
- [CHRISTOPHER] Sure.
- Okay.
Uh, milk and sugar?
Nah, just sugar. Strong
and black like me.
Okay.
[INHALES DEEPLY]
So, I'm senior counselor here,
and I'm gonna manage your intake.
Now, the first thing I'm gonna
tell you is that you can trust me.
[INHALES SHARPLY] I know you think
that's bullshit, and that's okay.
Anything you managed to hide
and didn't surrender,
you can give it to me now.
No consequences.
They find it on you after you leave
this room, can't make any promises.
Nah, man. I ain't got nothing.
[MARLIN] Okay.
[INHALES DEEPLY]
Breaking and entering. [SIGHS]
Yeah, man. My grandma
locked me out the house,
and I was supposed
to be staying with her.
How you gonna arrest me for
breaking into my own house?
That's a good point. [SIGHS]
Wow. Your birthday was yesterday?
You made juvie by a day.
Nah, I don't need no juvie none.
[SIGHS]
[SIGHS]
[INHALES SHARPLY] So here's
the thing, Christopher Forbes.
You can try and sound all hard,
but it's rough in here.
And you look a lot younger than
you are, and you're too small.
And in here [SIGHS] too small
gets tested just like too big.
So you're gonna need a friend.
I can be that friend.
I can watch out for you.
Nah, man, I'm good.
Yeah. Whatever you say, kid.
Look, follow the rules.
Don't get [SIGHS] pulled into shit
you can avoid. [CHUCKLES]
And you and me, we'll make
sure you do your six months
and get you outta here in,
hopefully, one piece.
- You got me?
- I got you.
Say, "I got you, Marlin".
- [SIGHS] I got you, Marlin.
- [CHUCKLES] Okay.
[INHALES SHARPLY] All done, Joe.
- [SIGHS]
- I got the ribs. Uh, give me a second.
[JOE] Don't even worry about it.
Uh, you know what, Joe? Sorry,
one more thing I've gotta ask him.
Hold on one sec. Sorry. [CLEARS THROAT]
What's up?
[INHALES SHARPLY] Ah.
[CHRISTOPHER] Guy from
my block taught me that.
And, um, that thing that you
said about, uh, watching out
Not that I Not that
I need it or anything.
- No. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.
- [STAMMERS] Yeah.
- [INHALES SHARPLY] We're good, Joe.
- [DOOR OPENS]
["IT'S SUCH A PRETTY
WORLD TODAY" PLAYING]
[PATRONS CHATTERING]
[MARLIN] How you doing? [SIGHS]
[CLEARS THROAT] Passed this place
a hundred times, never came in.
- Why today?
- [CHUCKLES]
[STAMMERS] I guess I decided to,
um, take your sign as a sign.
- [BOTH CHUCKLE]
- [MARLIN CLEARS THROAT]
- Can I get you something?
- Yeah, why not?
Um I'll take a beer.
Miller, if you got it on tap.
- That we do.
- Thanks.
You care to join me?
[CLEARS THROAT, SIGHING]
[CHUCKLES]
Am I drinking alone?
[INTERVIEWER] You don't really
know any of that happened though.
Not really.
No, not exactly. But
there's a difference.
How so?
[SIGHS] Well, there are things that
you know because you've lived them.
Things you know because you've read them.
But there are some things you know
because you've been told
the story a thousand times.
You know them as well as
if you lived them yourself.
Your mother, she told you?
They both did.
All the time when we were growing up.
They told Adam and me.
So, what happened then?
They talked and talked all night
until my mom's shift was over.
[DANNY] Whatever they
said exactly, I don't know.
But it's what people say
when they fall in love.
["TIME TO GET ALONE" PLAYING]
[SIGHING]
Mmm.
[DANNY] I guess my mom hoped
that Marlin would save us.
That he could be someone
who could keep the monsters out.
And I guess she thought that
Marlin was the guy for the job.
I mean, I guess we both did.
But?
But the truth is, is that
we didn't stand a chance.
The monsters were already there.
["JOY TO THE WORLD" PLAYING]
- [SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY, LAUGHS]
- [SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
[ALL LAUGH]
Boy, you get 'em! [LAUGHS]
[CANDY MOANING]
[MOANING CONTINUES]
[MARLIN, CANDY MOANING]
- [CANDY MOANING, BREATHING HEAVILY]
- [MARLIN GROANS]
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
[MARLIN GROANS]
[RADIO ANNOUNCER SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
[CHUCKLES]
You make breakfast every day?
[CHUCKLES, INHALES DEEPLY]
- Good morning, sir.
- [CANDY] Look who's up early.
- Hi.
- [MARLIN] Hey.
[CANDY] Come on, let's
have some breakfast.
- Do you wanna sit down?
- No. Don't wanna be late.
- Adam's back today.
- Have a good day, young man.
[CHUCKLES] Hey, your lunch box.
Mmm. [CHUCKLES]
And don't forget your jacket.
[ADAM PANTING] Danny,
wait up! Hold the doors!
- Hey. [PANTS]
- How was Dad's?
- It was okay. [SIGHS]
- Mom had a guy over.
Dad asked about you a bunch of times.
He really misses you.
He's going to London again.
He said when he gets back, he's
gonna ask Mom if he can come over.
She's only gonna say no.
Yeah, but you know Dad,
he'll keep asking.
I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't
just come over and kidnap you.
- I wish.
- Danny, heard you got beat up by a girl.
Hear you choked on your own cock.
I really miss him.
Like I said, Adam always
had my back, you know?
[DANNY STAMMERING] My dad travels a lot,
which is why we don't really
get to see him.
And he's [STAMMERS] His company's
opening an office in London.
[INHALES DEEPLY] He's gonna
have an apartment there now.
[BREATHES SHAKILY]
That's why he got me this.
[STAMMERING] So when my dad's work
is settled at the travel agency,
we're gonna go visit
all the places in the book.
Like it says on the cover, A to Z.
Thank you, Danny. That was very good.
Teacher's pet. [KISSING]
[CHILDREN LAUGHING]
- [MR. JONES] That's enough.
- [SCHOOL BELL RINGS]
Sarah. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you.
Dan, could you hold back for a minute?
Thank you.
Thank you so very much.
Thank you.
[STUDENTS CHATTERING]
Come on.
Take a load off.
You're a sweet kid, Danny.
Sensitive I can tell that.
Wouldn't you say that's true?
[WHIMPERS] I guess. I don't know.
[STAMMERS] I think you are.
I think you feel things deeply.
Very deeply.
Your dad's not around, huh, Dan?
And your mom, she works a lot.
Two jobs. Seems to me
like you need a friend.
Someone to talk to. Someone
that thinks you're special.
[INHALES DEEPLY, WHISPERS]
I see you, Dan.
I think you're special.
[INHALES SHARPLY]
You don't have to feel so alone.
I don't wanna hurt you, son.
I wanna help you.
If something's bothering you,
- you promise
- [DOOR OPENS]
What's going on here exactly?
Just talking.
Boy's mom asked me to pick him up.
Let's go, Dan.
He seemed just like
what the doctor ordered.
[CHUCKLES] It's funny, right?
Not really, no.
No, I guess not.
[MARLIN] What'd you say?
[CHUCKLES] They need to mow
their grass, don't you think?
Do you mow lawns?
No? You want to?
Want me to carry that? Okay.
Come on. [CHUCKLES]
Up you go.
I got worried when you didn't come out.
Okay. [SIGHS]
Okay, here we go.
All right.
["WALK AWAY RENEE" PLAYING]
[MARLIN CLEARS THROAT]
You okay, Dan?
- Mm-hmm.
- [MARLIN] Yeah?
[SNIFFS, BREATHES DEEPLY]
What were you doing back there?
Nothing.
Did he touch you?
You can tell me.
[CLICKS TONGUE] So [SIGHING]
I'm thinking of
proposing to your mom.
- Really?
- Yeah.
I think she'd like that.
[CHUCKLES] Don't you think? Yeah?
Truth is she's having trouble
making ends meet.
[BREATHES DEEPLY] She's having
trouble, what with both jobs.
Real truth is,
I'm not even sure how she
could keep you, you know?
I'd be willing to help her out.
But [CLEARS THROAT]
we gotta make a pact.
You know, like a secret.
Think we can do that?
- Sure.
- Yeah? [CHUCKLES]
[MARLIN SNIFFS]
Can I stop now?
It's
It's really important
that you try to continue.
And we can stop at any time.
But it's important that you-you try.
[MARLIN] We're gonna do something.
And you're-you're gonna like it.
And it's gonna be our secret.
Come on.
Come on.
Don't.
Come on. Over here.
I just wanna show you something. Come on.
Come on.
[CHUCKLES, BREATHES DEEPLY]
[WHIMPERS]
Hey, you don't wanna
upset your mom, do ya?
[DANNY BREATHING SHAKILY]
- I want you to look at me.
- [SNIFFLING]
[WHISPERS] Hey, none of that.
[INSECTS BUZZING]
Be a good boy.
Now, come on. I wanna Just
want to show you something.
Come on.
I wanna see what's in the barn.
Take me instead. I won't tell Mom.
[SLAP] None of that bullshit!
[ADAM] It's okay, Dan.
[MARLIN] Okay, come on.
[INTERVIEWER] How long after
did he marry your mom?
[DANNY] Was a few months. That winter.
[INTERVIEWER] And he kept it up?
Why stop?
And your mom?
She never knew.
And it was always Adam?
Every time.
He was my savior.
So what happened to him?
How did he die?
[INHALES DEEPLY]
What has any of this
got to do with Ariana?
I thought that we were here to talk
about Ariana and Rockefeller Center.
[INSECTS BUZZING]