Lucky Hank (2023) s01e07 Episode Script
The Count of Monte Cristo
1
I found a couple of places
that I think are pretty cute.
I need to see my dad.
Russell and I had a fight, and
he's totally cheating on me.
This one is for Hank.
After taking away your classes, no.
You mean to work it out with Russell,
and then in like 25 years,
leave him in a cloud of denial?
Oh.
You're talking about Hank.
He won't actually speak to me now.
Did you know that?
So it's the middle of the night,
and, uh, I'm naked,
I'm in a museum,
I'm surrounded by these
Roman statues, right,
and I realize I have to take a leak,
so I go to the bathroom,
and Rodin's Thinking Guy, right,
he's either there already,
or he followed me in.
- Uh-huh.
- I'm trying to take a leak,
but he's staring at me,
and then, suddenly, the
statue starts to pee.
I mean, like,
the longest, loudest pee
that you've ever heard,
like Vesuvius.
- [LAUGHS]
- Like Niagara.
I mean, he's mocking me.
I get no relief, not even in my sleep.
I'm kind of clogged up.
[BLOWS HARD THROUGH NOSE]
[BLOWING]
Wow. Wow, loud.
That was much louder
than I thought it was going to be.
It was exactly as loud
as I thought it would be.
Did you look at the
apartments I sent you?
Yeah, whatever you want's fine.
But I want you to feel
like it's your place, too.
You don't have any preferences?
I
I don't know, a place
with some nature around it,
and a view of the river?
You know anything like that?
I'm off.
[GASPS] Did you just give me the cheek?
I haven't brushed.
Uh-uh, not today.
Okay.
I will call you from New York.
I love you.
You too.
No jail this time.
Ha!
You're way too happy!
[♪♪]
[♪♪]
[HANK, THINKING] Oh,
good. Two jars of pickles.
Which are the good ones?
Hmm, what if I choose the wrong one?
Oh, forget it.
[♪♪]
Uh, yeah. The green pickles.
Green for good.
Wait. No. Blue for better? Was that
[♪♪]
Dad?
Dad?
[MAN ON TV] I've saved the
best for last for this date.
[WOMAN ON TV] Oh, I'm so glad!
[MAN] Yeah, yeah. I have to end it on
[WOMAN] on a high note.
[MAN] Yeah, girl, yes, absolutely.
What the hell?
[WOMAN] Oh, I'm so happy about that.
- Hi, Julie.
- Hi.
I've called you, like, five times.
I know. I can't find my phone.
This phone?
Oh, there it is.
- Thanks.
- Yup.
Hey.
Has Russell been here at all?
I don't know, was he here?
Dad!
[SNAPPING FINGERS] Focus.
Have you seen Russell
in the past 24 hours?
[SIGHS HEAVILY]
No.
- Okay.
- Something wrong?
No.
It's nothing.
When does Mom get back?
In a couple days, I think.
Um
Russell didn't come home last night.
Is that unusual?
Yes.
We're married.
You were at the wedding.
You were so pretty.
Well, did you call him?
You didn't think I'd try calling him?
Well, do you want me to call him?
Yeah, I guess.
I'd like to know he's
okay, and not, like,
at the bottom of a lake somewhere.
Are you guys fighting?
We're kind of always
fighting, but it's fine.
Oh.
I can't I thought I had his contact.
Do you have his number?
Oh, my God.
Okay.
Forget it.
Thank you so much.
Goodbye.
Okay.
Thank you.
[REALITY TV DATING SHOW RESUMES]
Oh, Jesus.
[TONY] Oh, sorry.
If you're here to slaughter
my father, he's in the bedroom.
Great.
[WOMAN ON TV] Yeah,
I get that about you.
Yeah
Ew.
I brought your stinkin' chainsaw back.
Just put it on the bed.
So you can spoon it?
Are you depressed because
you miss our friendship?
[TV SHOW CONTINUES, INDISTINCT]
[TURNS TV OFF]
[SIGHS] Look
[INHALES]
- At the convention
- Hmm.
[HANK INHALES]
The people,
the meal.
[INHALING]
I uh
Sorry?
I'm sorry.
Nice apology.
You can keep the chainsaw.
- I don't want it.
- It's an expensive one.
It's broken.
I know, but
All right, grab your loaf of bread.
Let's get out of here.
No, I want to see what
happens to the pretty girl.
She cheats on Massimo with T-bone.
- [ANNOYED] Are you ?
- [TONY] Yeah.
[TONY] Here, come here.
Take a look at these.
I see. I see 'em.
It's a white Trillium,
or Trinity Flower.
See it's got three
petals, one, two, three?
Okay.
They're really rare to find.
Come on. Take a look.
The Native Americans use
them for medicinal purposes.
That's fine.
Actually, they're considered endangered
because they take up
to ten years to grow.
[GRUNTS]
Beautiful.
I just said they were endangered.
Oh.
I wasn't really listening.
Okay.
Yeah, put it back 'cause
that's how flowers work.
Come on.
You know how when Zelda
and I got divorced,
we each took a night table?
I wasn't tracking that, but sure.
So now she's remarried and
wants the other night table,
and I know it's putting a
lot on a piece of furniture,
but I kind of felt like
we were still connected,
like I wasn't sleeping alone.
I gave Lily the cheek the other day
when she leaned in to kiss goodbye.
So we're talking about you now?
[CLEARING THROAT]
That's why I showed up.
Okay, I had my time.
So are you mad at her for leaving?
I didn't think I was
till I gave her the cheek,
but I thought I was happy for her.
Well, the lips know more than the brain.
Yeah.
My anger has nowhere to go.
It's unhoused.
I'm like the Count of Monte Cristo,
but instead of plotting
revenge for 40 years,
I've been plotting a
pointed conversation
with my dad,
and now the man that I
wanted to confront is gone.
Gone.
It's like an action movie,
where I go to punch a guy,
and he ducks, and I
hit the guy behind him,
and then I'm feeling guilty,
then the guy behind me
whacks me in the back of the head.
Look, I've been here.
No one knows an existential hole
like a divorced person.
Climbing out isn't easy.
Start with one thing.
Something simple.
Could be as easy
as just picking clothes
up off the floor.
Get it done.
Notice the feeling.
Tomorrow, you'll get two things.
Come on. [CLAPS] Be present.
Close your eyes.
First thing that comes up
off the top of your head.
Close your eyes.
Um Uh, my sink is leaking.
The hose is broken.
Well, you've got to get right on that.
I will.
It'll get under your floorboards,
it could cost you 15 grand.
- I will.
- You'll get black mold under there.
- What are you even doing here?
- I'll go.
We're walking around in the woods,
your house is falling apart
Yeah, I'll go.
[LAUREL, KNOCKING ON DOOR] Uh, Henry?
Are you all right?
Henry?
[DOOR KNOB RATTLING]
Ah.
I'm making us a Vichyssoise for lunch.
I need a toothbrush, Laurel.
Oh, well, give me 15 minutes.
I'll drive you into town.
I want to drive myself.
Oh, don't start that again, Henry.
You lived in Manhattan far too long
to remember how to drive.
We drove upstate last winter.
I love to drive.
We'll go together.
We'll make it an outing.
I don't want a goddamn outing.
I want to drive myself into town
and get it,
alone.
Well, I won't let you.
I'm sorry, Henry, it's far too risky.
[CELL PHONE VIBRATING]
Hey.
[LILY] Hey, I was thinking about you.
I'm where we had our second date.
Do you remember that
little cafe on West 4th?
And my realtor,
I swear to you,
he looks just like the
guy from The Bachelor.
You had a crush on him, right?
[LILY] No.
I just thought he was
too good for that girl.
Well, look, Russell's
been gone overnight.
He's probably in some motel somewhere,
blowing all his money
on whores and drugs
and whatever's in the mini fridge.
Oh, yeah, she told you?
Yeah, we spoke.
Julie and I, not Russell.
So what should I do?
It's their marriage.
Just keep your brain
out of their headspace.
It's full of booby-traps.
Julie just needs to take this time
and figure it out on her own.
Sorry.
[HANK] You've got to be kidding me.
[LILY] Do you have a different take?
No, I'm passing my dad.
He's walking. I heard what you said.
I'll stay out of it. That's my forte.
Oh, Christ, if I pick him up
I've got to go to work
and the hardware store.
Hello?
He hung up on me.
Ah.
Lily-Lil!
Today's the day we find you a new home.
The vibes are strong today.
Hey, partner!
Rodeo is back that way.
You need a ride?
Uh, no thanks.
Dad! Dad, it's me!
Come on. Come on, get in.
[HANK, THINKING] He's
losing his marbles.
Well, I always hated his marbles,
so maybe there's something better
rattling around in there now.
A couple of nickels?
Maybe a rare one I could sell?
You can't take me home.
Well, I gotta go to work, so
- I'll go with you.
- No, I
Does Laurel know where you are?
I gotta get my own car.
She keeps me trapped at home
like I'm in a Stephen King novel.
Could be worse.
It could be a Jane Austen novel.
Yuck.
All right, buckle up.
[PAUL, SHOUTING] Dammit, Leslie!
That is a bald-faced lie!
[LESLIE, ON SPEAKERPHONE]
I'm just the messenger here.
We would
[CLICKING OFF SPEAKERPHONE]
We would support a strike.
You know we would.
It's the damn French department
and their stupid French berets!
[SLAMS DOOR]
We are and have,
until recently, always
[HANK] Right through here.
What's going on over there?
Rourke's on with the union rep.
Something about the
legislature vote coming up.
What did she say? What did you say?
It's nothing. It's budget cuts.
What cuts? What are they cutting?
Uh, right through here.
That wasn't an issue at Columbia.
Yeah, the Columbia
endowment was $21 billion.
If I needed something,
we'd just call the president's girl,
and that was it.
You'd call his daughter?
Uh, look, this is my father, Henry.
This is my assistant, Rachel.
She's going to take care of you.
Listen, if he gets feisty,
just, uh
just give him some of these
student papers to read.
She looks gifted.
And so it begins.
Young lady, I'd like your
help with a couple of things.
- All right, cool it.
- It's okay.
What do you need, Mr. Devereaux?
First, I'd like a coffee,
light, with two sugars.
Second, I'd like to know
what's on your bedside table.
[HANK] You don't have to answer.
[LAUGHS AWKWARDLY] Excuse me?
What are you reading now?
Oh.
Okay, he can read them,
but don't let him grade anything.
Our faithful union rep
won't call for a strike.
Why not?
She's prudent.
She's a pussy.
[PAUL] Well, she thinks it will fail
because department chairs like Hank here
abandoned the union weeks ago.
[EXHALES]
Remember how our last strike went?
We lost more ground than we gained.
[PAUL] So then this
time, we do it better.
That's all you ever do, is nothing!
Your solution to everything,
right? Don't even try?
You've screwed us all.
Them's the facts.
[SLAMS DOOR]
My car lease is up tomorrow.
Ah, you know what?
I'm just going to assume
the worst and get a Kia.
Where have we landed?
[TEDDY] Well, Dickie
Pope's a master tactician.
Our plan can't be to outsmart him.
Why don't you keep sucking his balls,
and we seeing where that gets us?
[TEDDY] Look, I'm just pointing out
that he's executing
his plan brilliantly.
You know, he hasn't missed a step.
So, realistically,
we're going to lose this.
Aren't we?
Hank?
So, can you at least tell
us what you're thinking?
You're not going to like it.
We're grownups.
I've really got to replace
the hose on my kitchen sink.
[CELL PHONE VIBRATING]
[EMMA] Jesus.
[SIGHS] Hey, Julie,
I'm on my way to class.
I just have a minute. What's up?
I just went to Russell's pottery class,
which he never misses,
and he wasn't there,
and his teacher said it was
a weird day for him to miss
because he was about
to do under-glazing,
and he hasn't returned any of my texts,
and none of his friends
have heard from him,
and I think something's
wrong with him, Dad.
Like, this isn't like him.
Right.
Okay, well, something's
definitely happened to him.
What, do I call the police?
The FBI doesn't get involved
unless it's been three days,
I know that from Euphoria.
[HANK] Look,
what is the most logical
explanation here, okay?
You told Mom you thought
he was having an affair?
Yeah, but that was wrong.
Even Mom said so.
That was about us not connecting
because I never see him.
[HANK] Well, why is that?
Because of that stupid
job you made him take.
Can you just tell me what to do?
[CLEARING THROAT]
All right, I'm talking about
the simplest reason, okay?
Have you ever heard of Occam's Razor?
Okay?
It means the most obvious explanation
is very often the truth.
That sounds dumb.
It just means that Russell
isn't calling you back,
and he's not coming home
because he doesn't want to.
Now I know why Mom's leaving you.
I
" and he sat back in
the doctor's armchair,
and the room got smaller,
and the air got colder,
and the chair got less comfortable,
and the carpet "
Okay, Lester, that's
that's interesting,
interesting take on
the subject of having
an hour left to live,
but I think we left Jen's
story a little early.
Jen, you said your protagonist was 24?
22, actually.
Okay, whatever.
She needs help,
but she never asks her father for help.
Why is that?
Well, her father's not in the story.
The story's about how she
lost her neighbor's dog.
Yes, yes, but as a curious reader,
I'm just wondering if
the father gave her,
you know, probably true
advice on how to find a dog,
or manage one,
what what would that look like?
Why would she call her dad, though?
I mean, I don't think the reader
is going to be thinking about that.
The perceptive reader would.
No.
No call, 'cause
here's what's going to happen.
She's going to give her dad a call,
and he's going to give some
messed-up fatherly advice,
and probably get too involved
and take away her agency.
No way she's calling her dad.
You called your father.
What?
Are we talking about my story?
So, what about my story?
No, we're still talking
about Jen's story,
just Jen's story, but let's
Take away her agency,
let me push back on that.
[SIGHS]
She's an adult, so how does he do that?
He can't.
Also, if he doesn't help her,
isn't he abandoning her?
[BARTOW] No, it still
takes away from her story.
Well, it shows that he cares.
He could just care in his head
because I didn't write
him into the story.
[BARTOW] If I may, Professor,
I think what you're
trying to say is that
Well, and this is also
true in my experience,
every character carries
three characters with them
a father, a mother,
a younger sister.
Yeah! That's right.
But is this kind of character work
on people who aren't actually
in the story really important?
[BARTOW AND HANK TOGETHER] It's vital.
[HANK] Yeah, uh
[STAMMERS]
Yes, I mean, the father is in her life.
He should be in her story.
Yeah, he should help her find the dog.
[EXHALING] Okay.
Then, um
her father died when she was three.
- Aw, that's
- Okay, yeah, no, that's just lazy.
Yeah.
[CELL PHONE BUZZING]
What?
Have you seen Russell?
- [MEG] Nope.
- Has he been at work?
[MEG] Nope.
Okay, well, if you see
him, have him call me, okay?
Julie is worried about him.
[MEG] Yup.
Is everything okay?
You can't hide forever.
[EXHALES]
I know.
To wit,
I have never been more stuck in the muck
than on that blistery New York evening,
and, of course,
my mind went directly to Dickens
and his irrational fear of hansom cabs.
Um, where was I?
Uh, fear of cabs.
[HENRY] Yes.
We know Dickens suffered trauma
from a train derailment he was in.
He wrote a letter in 1865
to an opera singer he met in Paris,
Madame Pauline Viardot.
Fascinating
- [QUIETLY] You let him out?
- Well, I couldn't just lock him in
What did you do to him?
He hates Dickens, okay?
He's written three books on
how much he hates Dickens.
Well, I didn't know.
[HANK, THINKING] What is it about fame
that turns people into
sycophantic morons?
I mean, he can barely
tie his own shoelaces,
and he's spitting out nonsense
from muscle memory here,
and they're riveted,
like he's Taylor Swift,
and they're, you know, the world.
Scintillating anecdote.
I wonder if you might
perhaps drop by my class.
[HANK] Oh, no, no.
No. We've got to leave.
What?
- He didn't finish his story.
- Yeah.
Yes, he did.
A few more minutes.
Okay.
I'll see you in 10 years.
[CHUCKLES]
Hey
Your daughter hung up on me.
Good for her.
If you're not careful,
she's going to turn out like you.
Maybe she's still mad at you.
Mad at me? Why?
Why? Because you fired her.
You lied to her.
You told her that you didn't have
any more classes to offer her.
But she doesn't know I lied.
You told her?
Well, she was going to
take a gig in Tennessee.
You know?
So, what am I going to
do, see her once a year?
She's the only daughter I like.
What are my Thanksgivings
gonna be without Margaret?
Sitting in some damn diner
listening to my
stupid son-in-law
talk about monster truck shows?
You handled this perfectly. Nice job.
Okay, the lecture's over. Seriously.
Come on. You've got to get your coat.
If anyone calls, I've gone fishing.
- Okay.
- [TELEPHONE RINGS]
I got it.
English department.
Uh, okay.
Hey, Gracie?
Dean Rose would like to see you.
He wants to see me?
Can't I just Can I call him?
He said it's a sensitive matter?
Is-Is someone from Human
Resources going to be there?
He didn't say?
Well, this can't be.
I mean, you you don't think
You don't think that this is
I was just published!
[ROURKE WHISTLES]
I'm sorry
It's all right, Jill, I
sent for her. Gracie, sit
I will not sit, and I will not go,
gently or otherwise
- Gracie
- and if I do,
you can count on it being otherwise.
- Gracie
- My class enrollments
are the highest in the department.
All of my courses have waitlists.
Sometimes, students
wait two or three hours
to see if they're granted access!
How can you put me
on the chopping block?
Oh, this isn't about that.
This
I did it.
I'm getting a divorce.
It's finally happening.
You moved out?
Well
- Oh, my God.
- No, this is real.
I said the words.
She took it well.
Too well, to be honest,
and she actually thanked me
because I brought it up first,
and then she went out with friends.
You're too late. Maybe,
maybe if you had come to
me six months ago, but
I am on the rise.
You had your chance.
We dipped our palms in chalk to
keep our hands from letting go
and
Interesting interpretation.
It's 380 square feet,
massive walk-in closet.
Mm-hmm.
Hardwood floors,
and a cute little alcove.
Oh, yeah.
That's nice.
And you're only two blocks away
from the A and C subway lines,
which takes you right into Penn Station.
That's where your school is, yeah?
Yeah.
And this one's 2,900?
2,885.
Oh.
Hmm?
I don't know.
It's very cute.
It's a little small.
I'm just thinking if my
husband comes to visit,
or my daughter,
or what if both of them
come at the same time,
then what do we do?
[CHUCKLES]
Okay, I'm noticing a pattern here.
Do you see the pattern?
Look, I show you a small place,
you talk about visitors.
- I show you a big place
- Oh, yeah, I see. [CHUCKLING]
Okay,
here's what we're gonna do.
I only do this for my favorite clients.
Close your eyes.
Okay.
Now imagine your perfect day.
Okay.
I I wake up early,
and I go for a run,
and then
I get a cappuccino nearby,
maybe a really good croissant.
Work.
I go to a cafe after
for, like, emails and whatever.
Um
meet up with a friend or
two for drinks and dinner,
some place new and fun,
and then home,
settle in, watch TV, or
read in bed.
[SIGHS]
[EDDIE] And that's your perfect day?
Yeah, more or less.
Okay.
Now, here's what I'm hearing.
No husband,
no kids,
no visitors.
Eh
just sayin'.
I think I picked the wrong perfect day.
Oh, come on,
he was trying to rent you an apartment.
I feel guilty.
Why? You're here,
so you're thinking about here.
I have to go to the bathroom.
Oh, shit.
My husband.
[WOMAN LAUGHING NERVOUSLY]
Shit.
Hey!
What a surprise, right?
I know!
How lucky.
I had a client nearby.
Ooh.
Did you order yet?
No, uh, just waiting for a menu.
Fantastic. Okay, great.
It's so good you're here.
Everything okay at work?
Not really.
It's a tough day for me, too.
Yeah, looks like it.
Well, I heard you say
that it was a good place
So, uh, Steve and Fiona
invited us up to the
Berkshires this weekend.
You know, their house in the Berkshires.
Uh-huh.
So I'll just say that we're,
you know, too busy to go, or
I mean, how nice is their house?
It's a shithole.
[LAUGHS]
Here we are! One Italian chopped salad,
and one chicken penne.
That's ours.
I don't think so
No, that's definitely
ours. We ordered it.
- Mm-hmm.
- Yup.
[CLEARS THROAT]
Thanks.
Looks tasty.
Do you want to share, or
Actually, I want a divorce.
But, uh
But-but why?
Well, I feel like you're
not honest with me,
or with anyone really.
You know, I feel you're
you're a dishonest person.
Uh, but-but that's not
Why are you doing this?
And your erections are soft.
Not always.
And you're clingy.
I mean, I can't even
have lunch on my own
without you having to be all over it.
I thought you liked
having lunch with me.
No, you know what?
It's me.
Yep.
I'm just not fulfilled.
You want to tell me why?
You really wanna know?
I'm not in the same
place as when we met.
I've grown, or
or at least I'm trying,
and I feel like you haven't
or maybe you're just starting,
but, like, it's a series of, like
false starts,
and it never it never
really goes anywhere,
and
and I can't just keep
waiting,
hoping,
for no other reason than to hope
that we're going to
that we're going to
be in sync again, so
I have made some big decisions,
and I'm starting to see
that those decisions
don't involve you anymore,
and I'm really sorry,
but they just don't.
So, um
am I going to go, or are you?
Oh, Jesus.
There.
Where are we?
Just sit here, okay?
Don't touch anything.
Don't talk to anyone,
and if you have to pee, don't.
I'll be right back.
[KNOCKS BRISKLY]
I called the bar.
They told me your
shift ended an hour ago.
I know Billie told you what I told her,
I mean, about the classes.
I'm sorry that I did that.
I shouldn't have.
I really don't want to
talk about this right now.
Yeah.
Hey, do you think we can get past this?
Because I want you to know why I did it.
'Cause I think you're better
It's just a bad time, Hank, okay?
Yeah.
Yeah, all right.
Russell?
[RUSSELL, FROM INSIDE] Yeah?
[WHISPERING] Oh
Julie is worried about you.
- Dad, um
- Just put your pants on.
I'm going to take you home to your wife.
- So, Gramps
- No.
CarMax!
[HANK] What?
CarMax!
That's obviously not a CarMax
It's a car-looking place.
You know what I'm talking about.
No, it's fine. Leave it.
- I'm not going in.
- Pull over!
- Pull over!
- No, I don't want
All right, calm down!
Calm down, I'm pulling in!
[RUSSELL LAUGHING]
No laughing!
I'm not ready for you to laugh!
What did he do? What'd you do?
He cheated on his wife.
Bah! She'll be fine.
All right, you can look at the cars.
You have as much time as it takes me
to try to pee.
[CELL PHONE BUZZING]
What?
[HANK] You'll never believe
who I've got in my car.
Is he with you? Is he okay?
Yeah.
He's okay in the way that you mean it.
Where was he?
Well, I'll let him tell you.
I'll have him home in 20 minutes.
Okay.
Thank you.
Bye.
You know, you don't
know the whole story.
I only know the dirty parts.
It's just it's hard
with Julie sometimes.
You don't know how she gets.
I get excited about this great idea,
and all she does is tell me
all the reasons why it's stupid.
Like, they thought
Google was a stupid idea
until it made a million dollars.
I just feel like sometimes
sometimes, I need somebody in my corner
who doesn't make me feel
like a complete loser.
All right, well,
maybe you need to find
a different corner.
- What's this?
- [KNOCKING ON WINDOW]
You're Henry's son, right?
Yeah.
Yeah, well, he's chosen a car,
but, um, he's going
to need a co-signer.
Uh, no.
He He can't drive.
and also, the last thing he needs
is my financial backing.
Yeah, well, he needs someone's.
No credit, unpaid credit-card bills,
terrible credit rating, no savings.
This can't be right.
What?
[CAR HORNS HONKING]
And she thinks you're a loser.
[SIGHS]
Get in.
[HENRY] Okay.
[HANK] You're not buying a car today.
[HENRY] Okay, okay.
[LINE RINGING]
[LAUREL] Hank, dear. Where are you?
Where is Henry?
All right, I'm about to
leave a car dealership
with my esteemed father.
Did you know that he
is completely broke?
[LAUREL] Of course, I knew.
Of course, you knew.
All right, I'm putting
you on speaker phone
so you and Dad can get
your stories straight.
Go.
[LAUREL] Your father
is a very important man,
the kind of man who
gets taken advantage of.
It was Belinda.
[LAUREL] It was Melanie.
A Joyce scholar.
Zero originality.
Let me guess.
You cheated on her,
more than once,
so she got her revenge by
stealing all your money?
My money wasn't the
only thing she stole.
She plagiarized my
theory about Dubliners!
The bitch.
[LAUREL] You're being very unfair, Hank.
Your father's in a crisis.
We're his family.
It's our duty to take care of him
My duty is to go see my daughter,
and I'm going to do that right now.
[DISCONNECTS CALL]
Give me that.
Hey, Dad.
Is he in the car?
Honey, can we sit down?
No. Where is he?
He ran away.
Very funny.
Can you tell me where he is?
Julie, you were right.
He was cheating on you.
No.
No, he can't, he's
not a good enough liar.
You have to understand that
guys like Russell, hon',
they're they're small.
He's my husband.
I know it's hard to hear,
but I want you to understand, you know,
so you're not wondering.
He doesn't feel respected.
He doesn't feel smart around you
Stop. Stop.
You're just making shit up.
- He wasn't cheating on me!
- I'm not making No!
Thank you.
You're an Amazon Prime member?
- That
- Dad
- Doesn't that co
- He wasn't cheating on me!
Look, he's terrified to face you, okay?
He's a little boy.
Can he even grow a beard?
Why are you taking his side?
I'm not taking his side.
I'm just making excuses
for him, his excuses.
I didn't say I'm saying them, but
[CAR HORN HONKING]
You left Grandpa in the car?
He's fine.
He can fiddle with the knobs.
It's a wonderland for him.
Where is the fiction section?
Uh, this is not a bookstore.
I saw some paperbacks over there.
Okay, well, that's the fiction section.
We had better libraries at Columbia.
Right, right,
but did Columbia have a plumbing aisle?
Well, where's your assistant, the boy?
What boy?
The one you were mad at.
That's my daughter's husband, okay?
And he was cheating on her.
That's why you were mad?
Yeah, that's why I was mad.
You're being too hard on him.
Dalliances happen.
It's part of marriage.
No, it isn't.
It's hurtful and it's wrong.
I've been there, buddy.
Sometimes, it's right.
There are tears, sure,
but people come out stronger.
No, they don't.
From personal experience,
I can tell you they do.
You can lose yourself in a marriage
if you're not careful.
The key is to identify
what will make you,
the individual, prosper.
Yeah? And what about your son, huh?
Should you have been there for him?
I was never going to be a father.
That wasn't me.
What was I gonna do?
You can't be in between in life.
You've got put yourself all in.
Make that choice.
So no regrets, huh?
I have regrets,
sure.
Yeah?
Recently,
I've started rereading Dickens.
Oh, much of the work
is appalling, of course,
maudlin.
Still,
I recognize
I was too hard on him.
I feel almost
as if I have sinned against the man.
[♪♪]
[HANK, THINKING] Deprived of
the possibility of confrontation,
I turned to revenge.
I realize that the Count of Monte Cristo
was unfulfilled by his revenge,
and ended up pitying his nemesis,
and even helping him.
I hate to call ol' Dantès a softie,
but I have to say,
this feels just fine to me.
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
I don't need any more of your help.
I'm not here to help.
[TAP WATER RUNNING]
["WHILE YOU STAND" BY MICHAEL NAU PLAYS]
[♪♪]
I am a mountain ♪
High as can be ♪
Yes, and I am an ocean while you ♪
While you stand by me ♪
Oh, but I am the fool you know ♪
Anytime you don't ♪
No telling where I'll go ♪
Or where I won't ♪
Where I won't ♪
If you had to fire three people,
- which would you pick?
- No.
I'm looking forward to seeing
your list this afternoon, Hank.
I'm going straight to the press.
Can we talk to each other?
I will throw this
bottle through the glass
and right at your head!
You decided to stay here and
not come with me to New York.
You're not helping anybody
by drawing this out.
I don't know what to do.
We're here to talk to
you about Dickie Pope.
[♪♪]
Mm, mm, mm ♪
[♪♪]
Mm, mm, mm ♪
I found a couple of places
that I think are pretty cute.
I need to see my dad.
Russell and I had a fight, and
he's totally cheating on me.
This one is for Hank.
After taking away your classes, no.
You mean to work it out with Russell,
and then in like 25 years,
leave him in a cloud of denial?
Oh.
You're talking about Hank.
He won't actually speak to me now.
Did you know that?
So it's the middle of the night,
and, uh, I'm naked,
I'm in a museum,
I'm surrounded by these
Roman statues, right,
and I realize I have to take a leak,
so I go to the bathroom,
and Rodin's Thinking Guy, right,
he's either there already,
or he followed me in.
- Uh-huh.
- I'm trying to take a leak,
but he's staring at me,
and then, suddenly, the
statue starts to pee.
I mean, like,
the longest, loudest pee
that you've ever heard,
like Vesuvius.
- [LAUGHS]
- Like Niagara.
I mean, he's mocking me.
I get no relief, not even in my sleep.
I'm kind of clogged up.
[BLOWS HARD THROUGH NOSE]
[BLOWING]
Wow. Wow, loud.
That was much louder
than I thought it was going to be.
It was exactly as loud
as I thought it would be.
Did you look at the
apartments I sent you?
Yeah, whatever you want's fine.
But I want you to feel
like it's your place, too.
You don't have any preferences?
I
I don't know, a place
with some nature around it,
and a view of the river?
You know anything like that?
I'm off.
[GASPS] Did you just give me the cheek?
I haven't brushed.
Uh-uh, not today.
Okay.
I will call you from New York.
I love you.
You too.
No jail this time.
Ha!
You're way too happy!
[♪♪]
[♪♪]
[HANK, THINKING] Oh,
good. Two jars of pickles.
Which are the good ones?
Hmm, what if I choose the wrong one?
Oh, forget it.
[♪♪]
Uh, yeah. The green pickles.
Green for good.
Wait. No. Blue for better? Was that
[♪♪]
Dad?
Dad?
[MAN ON TV] I've saved the
best for last for this date.
[WOMAN ON TV] Oh, I'm so glad!
[MAN] Yeah, yeah. I have to end it on
[WOMAN] on a high note.
[MAN] Yeah, girl, yes, absolutely.
What the hell?
[WOMAN] Oh, I'm so happy about that.
- Hi, Julie.
- Hi.
I've called you, like, five times.
I know. I can't find my phone.
This phone?
Oh, there it is.
- Thanks.
- Yup.
Hey.
Has Russell been here at all?
I don't know, was he here?
Dad!
[SNAPPING FINGERS] Focus.
Have you seen Russell
in the past 24 hours?
[SIGHS HEAVILY]
No.
- Okay.
- Something wrong?
No.
It's nothing.
When does Mom get back?
In a couple days, I think.
Um
Russell didn't come home last night.
Is that unusual?
Yes.
We're married.
You were at the wedding.
You were so pretty.
Well, did you call him?
You didn't think I'd try calling him?
Well, do you want me to call him?
Yeah, I guess.
I'd like to know he's
okay, and not, like,
at the bottom of a lake somewhere.
Are you guys fighting?
We're kind of always
fighting, but it's fine.
Oh.
I can't I thought I had his contact.
Do you have his number?
Oh, my God.
Okay.
Forget it.
Thank you so much.
Goodbye.
Okay.
Thank you.
[REALITY TV DATING SHOW RESUMES]
Oh, Jesus.
[TONY] Oh, sorry.
If you're here to slaughter
my father, he's in the bedroom.
Great.
[WOMAN ON TV] Yeah,
I get that about you.
Yeah
Ew.
I brought your stinkin' chainsaw back.
Just put it on the bed.
So you can spoon it?
Are you depressed because
you miss our friendship?
[TV SHOW CONTINUES, INDISTINCT]
[TURNS TV OFF]
[SIGHS] Look
[INHALES]
- At the convention
- Hmm.
[HANK INHALES]
The people,
the meal.
[INHALING]
I uh
Sorry?
I'm sorry.
Nice apology.
You can keep the chainsaw.
- I don't want it.
- It's an expensive one.
It's broken.
I know, but
All right, grab your loaf of bread.
Let's get out of here.
No, I want to see what
happens to the pretty girl.
She cheats on Massimo with T-bone.
- [ANNOYED] Are you ?
- [TONY] Yeah.
[TONY] Here, come here.
Take a look at these.
I see. I see 'em.
It's a white Trillium,
or Trinity Flower.
See it's got three
petals, one, two, three?
Okay.
They're really rare to find.
Come on. Take a look.
The Native Americans use
them for medicinal purposes.
That's fine.
Actually, they're considered endangered
because they take up
to ten years to grow.
[GRUNTS]
Beautiful.
I just said they were endangered.
Oh.
I wasn't really listening.
Okay.
Yeah, put it back 'cause
that's how flowers work.
Come on.
You know how when Zelda
and I got divorced,
we each took a night table?
I wasn't tracking that, but sure.
So now she's remarried and
wants the other night table,
and I know it's putting a
lot on a piece of furniture,
but I kind of felt like
we were still connected,
like I wasn't sleeping alone.
I gave Lily the cheek the other day
when she leaned in to kiss goodbye.
So we're talking about you now?
[CLEARING THROAT]
That's why I showed up.
Okay, I had my time.
So are you mad at her for leaving?
I didn't think I was
till I gave her the cheek,
but I thought I was happy for her.
Well, the lips know more than the brain.
Yeah.
My anger has nowhere to go.
It's unhoused.
I'm like the Count of Monte Cristo,
but instead of plotting
revenge for 40 years,
I've been plotting a
pointed conversation
with my dad,
and now the man that I
wanted to confront is gone.
Gone.
It's like an action movie,
where I go to punch a guy,
and he ducks, and I
hit the guy behind him,
and then I'm feeling guilty,
then the guy behind me
whacks me in the back of the head.
Look, I've been here.
No one knows an existential hole
like a divorced person.
Climbing out isn't easy.
Start with one thing.
Something simple.
Could be as easy
as just picking clothes
up off the floor.
Get it done.
Notice the feeling.
Tomorrow, you'll get two things.
Come on. [CLAPS] Be present.
Close your eyes.
First thing that comes up
off the top of your head.
Close your eyes.
Um Uh, my sink is leaking.
The hose is broken.
Well, you've got to get right on that.
I will.
It'll get under your floorboards,
it could cost you 15 grand.
- I will.
- You'll get black mold under there.
- What are you even doing here?
- I'll go.
We're walking around in the woods,
your house is falling apart
Yeah, I'll go.
[LAUREL, KNOCKING ON DOOR] Uh, Henry?
Are you all right?
Henry?
[DOOR KNOB RATTLING]
Ah.
I'm making us a Vichyssoise for lunch.
I need a toothbrush, Laurel.
Oh, well, give me 15 minutes.
I'll drive you into town.
I want to drive myself.
Oh, don't start that again, Henry.
You lived in Manhattan far too long
to remember how to drive.
We drove upstate last winter.
I love to drive.
We'll go together.
We'll make it an outing.
I don't want a goddamn outing.
I want to drive myself into town
and get it,
alone.
Well, I won't let you.
I'm sorry, Henry, it's far too risky.
[CELL PHONE VIBRATING]
Hey.
[LILY] Hey, I was thinking about you.
I'm where we had our second date.
Do you remember that
little cafe on West 4th?
And my realtor,
I swear to you,
he looks just like the
guy from The Bachelor.
You had a crush on him, right?
[LILY] No.
I just thought he was
too good for that girl.
Well, look, Russell's
been gone overnight.
He's probably in some motel somewhere,
blowing all his money
on whores and drugs
and whatever's in the mini fridge.
Oh, yeah, she told you?
Yeah, we spoke.
Julie and I, not Russell.
So what should I do?
It's their marriage.
Just keep your brain
out of their headspace.
It's full of booby-traps.
Julie just needs to take this time
and figure it out on her own.
Sorry.
[HANK] You've got to be kidding me.
[LILY] Do you have a different take?
No, I'm passing my dad.
He's walking. I heard what you said.
I'll stay out of it. That's my forte.
Oh, Christ, if I pick him up
I've got to go to work
and the hardware store.
Hello?
He hung up on me.
Ah.
Lily-Lil!
Today's the day we find you a new home.
The vibes are strong today.
Hey, partner!
Rodeo is back that way.
You need a ride?
Uh, no thanks.
Dad! Dad, it's me!
Come on. Come on, get in.
[HANK, THINKING] He's
losing his marbles.
Well, I always hated his marbles,
so maybe there's something better
rattling around in there now.
A couple of nickels?
Maybe a rare one I could sell?
You can't take me home.
Well, I gotta go to work, so
- I'll go with you.
- No, I
Does Laurel know where you are?
I gotta get my own car.
She keeps me trapped at home
like I'm in a Stephen King novel.
Could be worse.
It could be a Jane Austen novel.
Yuck.
All right, buckle up.
[PAUL, SHOUTING] Dammit, Leslie!
That is a bald-faced lie!
[LESLIE, ON SPEAKERPHONE]
I'm just the messenger here.
We would
[CLICKING OFF SPEAKERPHONE]
We would support a strike.
You know we would.
It's the damn French department
and their stupid French berets!
[SLAMS DOOR]
We are and have,
until recently, always
[HANK] Right through here.
What's going on over there?
Rourke's on with the union rep.
Something about the
legislature vote coming up.
What did she say? What did you say?
It's nothing. It's budget cuts.
What cuts? What are they cutting?
Uh, right through here.
That wasn't an issue at Columbia.
Yeah, the Columbia
endowment was $21 billion.
If I needed something,
we'd just call the president's girl,
and that was it.
You'd call his daughter?
Uh, look, this is my father, Henry.
This is my assistant, Rachel.
She's going to take care of you.
Listen, if he gets feisty,
just, uh
just give him some of these
student papers to read.
She looks gifted.
And so it begins.
Young lady, I'd like your
help with a couple of things.
- All right, cool it.
- It's okay.
What do you need, Mr. Devereaux?
First, I'd like a coffee,
light, with two sugars.
Second, I'd like to know
what's on your bedside table.
[HANK] You don't have to answer.
[LAUGHS AWKWARDLY] Excuse me?
What are you reading now?
Oh.
Okay, he can read them,
but don't let him grade anything.
Our faithful union rep
won't call for a strike.
Why not?
She's prudent.
She's a pussy.
[PAUL] Well, she thinks it will fail
because department chairs like Hank here
abandoned the union weeks ago.
[EXHALES]
Remember how our last strike went?
We lost more ground than we gained.
[PAUL] So then this
time, we do it better.
That's all you ever do, is nothing!
Your solution to everything,
right? Don't even try?
You've screwed us all.
Them's the facts.
[SLAMS DOOR]
My car lease is up tomorrow.
Ah, you know what?
I'm just going to assume
the worst and get a Kia.
Where have we landed?
[TEDDY] Well, Dickie
Pope's a master tactician.
Our plan can't be to outsmart him.
Why don't you keep sucking his balls,
and we seeing where that gets us?
[TEDDY] Look, I'm just pointing out
that he's executing
his plan brilliantly.
You know, he hasn't missed a step.
So, realistically,
we're going to lose this.
Aren't we?
Hank?
So, can you at least tell
us what you're thinking?
You're not going to like it.
We're grownups.
I've really got to replace
the hose on my kitchen sink.
[CELL PHONE VIBRATING]
[EMMA] Jesus.
[SIGHS] Hey, Julie,
I'm on my way to class.
I just have a minute. What's up?
I just went to Russell's pottery class,
which he never misses,
and he wasn't there,
and his teacher said it was
a weird day for him to miss
because he was about
to do under-glazing,
and he hasn't returned any of my texts,
and none of his friends
have heard from him,
and I think something's
wrong with him, Dad.
Like, this isn't like him.
Right.
Okay, well, something's
definitely happened to him.
What, do I call the police?
The FBI doesn't get involved
unless it's been three days,
I know that from Euphoria.
[HANK] Look,
what is the most logical
explanation here, okay?
You told Mom you thought
he was having an affair?
Yeah, but that was wrong.
Even Mom said so.
That was about us not connecting
because I never see him.
[HANK] Well, why is that?
Because of that stupid
job you made him take.
Can you just tell me what to do?
[CLEARING THROAT]
All right, I'm talking about
the simplest reason, okay?
Have you ever heard of Occam's Razor?
Okay?
It means the most obvious explanation
is very often the truth.
That sounds dumb.
It just means that Russell
isn't calling you back,
and he's not coming home
because he doesn't want to.
Now I know why Mom's leaving you.
I
" and he sat back in
the doctor's armchair,
and the room got smaller,
and the air got colder,
and the chair got less comfortable,
and the carpet "
Okay, Lester, that's
that's interesting,
interesting take on
the subject of having
an hour left to live,
but I think we left Jen's
story a little early.
Jen, you said your protagonist was 24?
22, actually.
Okay, whatever.
She needs help,
but she never asks her father for help.
Why is that?
Well, her father's not in the story.
The story's about how she
lost her neighbor's dog.
Yes, yes, but as a curious reader,
I'm just wondering if
the father gave her,
you know, probably true
advice on how to find a dog,
or manage one,
what what would that look like?
Why would she call her dad, though?
I mean, I don't think the reader
is going to be thinking about that.
The perceptive reader would.
No.
No call, 'cause
here's what's going to happen.
She's going to give her dad a call,
and he's going to give some
messed-up fatherly advice,
and probably get too involved
and take away her agency.
No way she's calling her dad.
You called your father.
What?
Are we talking about my story?
So, what about my story?
No, we're still talking
about Jen's story,
just Jen's story, but let's
Take away her agency,
let me push back on that.
[SIGHS]
She's an adult, so how does he do that?
He can't.
Also, if he doesn't help her,
isn't he abandoning her?
[BARTOW] No, it still
takes away from her story.
Well, it shows that he cares.
He could just care in his head
because I didn't write
him into the story.
[BARTOW] If I may, Professor,
I think what you're
trying to say is that
Well, and this is also
true in my experience,
every character carries
three characters with them
a father, a mother,
a younger sister.
Yeah! That's right.
But is this kind of character work
on people who aren't actually
in the story really important?
[BARTOW AND HANK TOGETHER] It's vital.
[HANK] Yeah, uh
[STAMMERS]
Yes, I mean, the father is in her life.
He should be in her story.
Yeah, he should help her find the dog.
[EXHALING] Okay.
Then, um
her father died when she was three.
- Aw, that's
- Okay, yeah, no, that's just lazy.
Yeah.
[CELL PHONE BUZZING]
What?
Have you seen Russell?
- [MEG] Nope.
- Has he been at work?
[MEG] Nope.
Okay, well, if you see
him, have him call me, okay?
Julie is worried about him.
[MEG] Yup.
Is everything okay?
You can't hide forever.
[EXHALES]
I know.
To wit,
I have never been more stuck in the muck
than on that blistery New York evening,
and, of course,
my mind went directly to Dickens
and his irrational fear of hansom cabs.
Um, where was I?
Uh, fear of cabs.
[HENRY] Yes.
We know Dickens suffered trauma
from a train derailment he was in.
He wrote a letter in 1865
to an opera singer he met in Paris,
Madame Pauline Viardot.
Fascinating
- [QUIETLY] You let him out?
- Well, I couldn't just lock him in
What did you do to him?
He hates Dickens, okay?
He's written three books on
how much he hates Dickens.
Well, I didn't know.
[HANK, THINKING] What is it about fame
that turns people into
sycophantic morons?
I mean, he can barely
tie his own shoelaces,
and he's spitting out nonsense
from muscle memory here,
and they're riveted,
like he's Taylor Swift,
and they're, you know, the world.
Scintillating anecdote.
I wonder if you might
perhaps drop by my class.
[HANK] Oh, no, no.
No. We've got to leave.
What?
- He didn't finish his story.
- Yeah.
Yes, he did.
A few more minutes.
Okay.
I'll see you in 10 years.
[CHUCKLES]
Hey
Your daughter hung up on me.
Good for her.
If you're not careful,
she's going to turn out like you.
Maybe she's still mad at you.
Mad at me? Why?
Why? Because you fired her.
You lied to her.
You told her that you didn't have
any more classes to offer her.
But she doesn't know I lied.
You told her?
Well, she was going to
take a gig in Tennessee.
You know?
So, what am I going to
do, see her once a year?
She's the only daughter I like.
What are my Thanksgivings
gonna be without Margaret?
Sitting in some damn diner
listening to my
stupid son-in-law
talk about monster truck shows?
You handled this perfectly. Nice job.
Okay, the lecture's over. Seriously.
Come on. You've got to get your coat.
If anyone calls, I've gone fishing.
- Okay.
- [TELEPHONE RINGS]
I got it.
English department.
Uh, okay.
Hey, Gracie?
Dean Rose would like to see you.
He wants to see me?
Can't I just Can I call him?
He said it's a sensitive matter?
Is-Is someone from Human
Resources going to be there?
He didn't say?
Well, this can't be.
I mean, you you don't think
You don't think that this is
I was just published!
[ROURKE WHISTLES]
I'm sorry
It's all right, Jill, I
sent for her. Gracie, sit
I will not sit, and I will not go,
gently or otherwise
- Gracie
- and if I do,
you can count on it being otherwise.
- Gracie
- My class enrollments
are the highest in the department.
All of my courses have waitlists.
Sometimes, students
wait two or three hours
to see if they're granted access!
How can you put me
on the chopping block?
Oh, this isn't about that.
This
I did it.
I'm getting a divorce.
It's finally happening.
You moved out?
Well
- Oh, my God.
- No, this is real.
I said the words.
She took it well.
Too well, to be honest,
and she actually thanked me
because I brought it up first,
and then she went out with friends.
You're too late. Maybe,
maybe if you had come to
me six months ago, but
I am on the rise.
You had your chance.
We dipped our palms in chalk to
keep our hands from letting go
and
Interesting interpretation.
It's 380 square feet,
massive walk-in closet.
Mm-hmm.
Hardwood floors,
and a cute little alcove.
Oh, yeah.
That's nice.
And you're only two blocks away
from the A and C subway lines,
which takes you right into Penn Station.
That's where your school is, yeah?
Yeah.
And this one's 2,900?
2,885.
Oh.
Hmm?
I don't know.
It's very cute.
It's a little small.
I'm just thinking if my
husband comes to visit,
or my daughter,
or what if both of them
come at the same time,
then what do we do?
[CHUCKLES]
Okay, I'm noticing a pattern here.
Do you see the pattern?
Look, I show you a small place,
you talk about visitors.
- I show you a big place
- Oh, yeah, I see. [CHUCKLING]
Okay,
here's what we're gonna do.
I only do this for my favorite clients.
Close your eyes.
Okay.
Now imagine your perfect day.
Okay.
I I wake up early,
and I go for a run,
and then
I get a cappuccino nearby,
maybe a really good croissant.
Work.
I go to a cafe after
for, like, emails and whatever.
Um
meet up with a friend or
two for drinks and dinner,
some place new and fun,
and then home,
settle in, watch TV, or
read in bed.
[SIGHS]
[EDDIE] And that's your perfect day?
Yeah, more or less.
Okay.
Now, here's what I'm hearing.
No husband,
no kids,
no visitors.
Eh
just sayin'.
I think I picked the wrong perfect day.
Oh, come on,
he was trying to rent you an apartment.
I feel guilty.
Why? You're here,
so you're thinking about here.
I have to go to the bathroom.
Oh, shit.
My husband.
[WOMAN LAUGHING NERVOUSLY]
Shit.
Hey!
What a surprise, right?
I know!
How lucky.
I had a client nearby.
Ooh.
Did you order yet?
No, uh, just waiting for a menu.
Fantastic. Okay, great.
It's so good you're here.
Everything okay at work?
Not really.
It's a tough day for me, too.
Yeah, looks like it.
Well, I heard you say
that it was a good place
So, uh, Steve and Fiona
invited us up to the
Berkshires this weekend.
You know, their house in the Berkshires.
Uh-huh.
So I'll just say that we're,
you know, too busy to go, or
I mean, how nice is their house?
It's a shithole.
[LAUGHS]
Here we are! One Italian chopped salad,
and one chicken penne.
That's ours.
I don't think so
No, that's definitely
ours. We ordered it.
- Mm-hmm.
- Yup.
[CLEARS THROAT]
Thanks.
Looks tasty.
Do you want to share, or
Actually, I want a divorce.
But, uh
But-but why?
Well, I feel like you're
not honest with me,
or with anyone really.
You know, I feel you're
you're a dishonest person.
Uh, but-but that's not
Why are you doing this?
And your erections are soft.
Not always.
And you're clingy.
I mean, I can't even
have lunch on my own
without you having to be all over it.
I thought you liked
having lunch with me.
No, you know what?
It's me.
Yep.
I'm just not fulfilled.
You want to tell me why?
You really wanna know?
I'm not in the same
place as when we met.
I've grown, or
or at least I'm trying,
and I feel like you haven't
or maybe you're just starting,
but, like, it's a series of, like
false starts,
and it never it never
really goes anywhere,
and
and I can't just keep
waiting,
hoping,
for no other reason than to hope
that we're going to
that we're going to
be in sync again, so
I have made some big decisions,
and I'm starting to see
that those decisions
don't involve you anymore,
and I'm really sorry,
but they just don't.
So, um
am I going to go, or are you?
Oh, Jesus.
There.
Where are we?
Just sit here, okay?
Don't touch anything.
Don't talk to anyone,
and if you have to pee, don't.
I'll be right back.
[KNOCKS BRISKLY]
I called the bar.
They told me your
shift ended an hour ago.
I know Billie told you what I told her,
I mean, about the classes.
I'm sorry that I did that.
I shouldn't have.
I really don't want to
talk about this right now.
Yeah.
Hey, do you think we can get past this?
Because I want you to know why I did it.
'Cause I think you're better
It's just a bad time, Hank, okay?
Yeah.
Yeah, all right.
Russell?
[RUSSELL, FROM INSIDE] Yeah?
[WHISPERING] Oh
Julie is worried about you.
- Dad, um
- Just put your pants on.
I'm going to take you home to your wife.
- So, Gramps
- No.
CarMax!
[HANK] What?
CarMax!
That's obviously not a CarMax
It's a car-looking place.
You know what I'm talking about.
No, it's fine. Leave it.
- I'm not going in.
- Pull over!
- Pull over!
- No, I don't want
All right, calm down!
Calm down, I'm pulling in!
[RUSSELL LAUGHING]
No laughing!
I'm not ready for you to laugh!
What did he do? What'd you do?
He cheated on his wife.
Bah! She'll be fine.
All right, you can look at the cars.
You have as much time as it takes me
to try to pee.
[CELL PHONE BUZZING]
What?
[HANK] You'll never believe
who I've got in my car.
Is he with you? Is he okay?
Yeah.
He's okay in the way that you mean it.
Where was he?
Well, I'll let him tell you.
I'll have him home in 20 minutes.
Okay.
Thank you.
Bye.
You know, you don't
know the whole story.
I only know the dirty parts.
It's just it's hard
with Julie sometimes.
You don't know how she gets.
I get excited about this great idea,
and all she does is tell me
all the reasons why it's stupid.
Like, they thought
Google was a stupid idea
until it made a million dollars.
I just feel like sometimes
sometimes, I need somebody in my corner
who doesn't make me feel
like a complete loser.
All right, well,
maybe you need to find
a different corner.
- What's this?
- [KNOCKING ON WINDOW]
You're Henry's son, right?
Yeah.
Yeah, well, he's chosen a car,
but, um, he's going
to need a co-signer.
Uh, no.
He He can't drive.
and also, the last thing he needs
is my financial backing.
Yeah, well, he needs someone's.
No credit, unpaid credit-card bills,
terrible credit rating, no savings.
This can't be right.
What?
[CAR HORNS HONKING]
And she thinks you're a loser.
[SIGHS]
Get in.
[HENRY] Okay.
[HANK] You're not buying a car today.
[HENRY] Okay, okay.
[LINE RINGING]
[LAUREL] Hank, dear. Where are you?
Where is Henry?
All right, I'm about to
leave a car dealership
with my esteemed father.
Did you know that he
is completely broke?
[LAUREL] Of course, I knew.
Of course, you knew.
All right, I'm putting
you on speaker phone
so you and Dad can get
your stories straight.
Go.
[LAUREL] Your father
is a very important man,
the kind of man who
gets taken advantage of.
It was Belinda.
[LAUREL] It was Melanie.
A Joyce scholar.
Zero originality.
Let me guess.
You cheated on her,
more than once,
so she got her revenge by
stealing all your money?
My money wasn't the
only thing she stole.
She plagiarized my
theory about Dubliners!
The bitch.
[LAUREL] You're being very unfair, Hank.
Your father's in a crisis.
We're his family.
It's our duty to take care of him
My duty is to go see my daughter,
and I'm going to do that right now.
[DISCONNECTS CALL]
Give me that.
Hey, Dad.
Is he in the car?
Honey, can we sit down?
No. Where is he?
He ran away.
Very funny.
Can you tell me where he is?
Julie, you were right.
He was cheating on you.
No.
No, he can't, he's
not a good enough liar.
You have to understand that
guys like Russell, hon',
they're they're small.
He's my husband.
I know it's hard to hear,
but I want you to understand, you know,
so you're not wondering.
He doesn't feel respected.
He doesn't feel smart around you
Stop. Stop.
You're just making shit up.
- He wasn't cheating on me!
- I'm not making No!
Thank you.
You're an Amazon Prime member?
- That
- Dad
- Doesn't that co
- He wasn't cheating on me!
Look, he's terrified to face you, okay?
He's a little boy.
Can he even grow a beard?
Why are you taking his side?
I'm not taking his side.
I'm just making excuses
for him, his excuses.
I didn't say I'm saying them, but
[CAR HORN HONKING]
You left Grandpa in the car?
He's fine.
He can fiddle with the knobs.
It's a wonderland for him.
Where is the fiction section?
Uh, this is not a bookstore.
I saw some paperbacks over there.
Okay, well, that's the fiction section.
We had better libraries at Columbia.
Right, right,
but did Columbia have a plumbing aisle?
Well, where's your assistant, the boy?
What boy?
The one you were mad at.
That's my daughter's husband, okay?
And he was cheating on her.
That's why you were mad?
Yeah, that's why I was mad.
You're being too hard on him.
Dalliances happen.
It's part of marriage.
No, it isn't.
It's hurtful and it's wrong.
I've been there, buddy.
Sometimes, it's right.
There are tears, sure,
but people come out stronger.
No, they don't.
From personal experience,
I can tell you they do.
You can lose yourself in a marriage
if you're not careful.
The key is to identify
what will make you,
the individual, prosper.
Yeah? And what about your son, huh?
Should you have been there for him?
I was never going to be a father.
That wasn't me.
What was I gonna do?
You can't be in between in life.
You've got put yourself all in.
Make that choice.
So no regrets, huh?
I have regrets,
sure.
Yeah?
Recently,
I've started rereading Dickens.
Oh, much of the work
is appalling, of course,
maudlin.
Still,
I recognize
I was too hard on him.
I feel almost
as if I have sinned against the man.
[♪♪]
[HANK, THINKING] Deprived of
the possibility of confrontation,
I turned to revenge.
I realize that the Count of Monte Cristo
was unfulfilled by his revenge,
and ended up pitying his nemesis,
and even helping him.
I hate to call ol' Dantès a softie,
but I have to say,
this feels just fine to me.
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
I don't need any more of your help.
I'm not here to help.
[TAP WATER RUNNING]
["WHILE YOU STAND" BY MICHAEL NAU PLAYS]
[♪♪]
I am a mountain ♪
High as can be ♪
Yes, and I am an ocean while you ♪
While you stand by me ♪
Oh, but I am the fool you know ♪
Anytime you don't ♪
No telling where I'll go ♪
Or where I won't ♪
Where I won't ♪
If you had to fire three people,
- which would you pick?
- No.
I'm looking forward to seeing
your list this afternoon, Hank.
I'm going straight to the press.
Can we talk to each other?
I will throw this
bottle through the glass
and right at your head!
You decided to stay here and
not come with me to New York.
You're not helping anybody
by drawing this out.
I don't know what to do.
We're here to talk to
you about Dickie Pope.
[♪♪]
Mm, mm, mm ♪
[♪♪]
Mm, mm, mm ♪