Sweetbitter (2018) s02e01 Episode Script

1 Previously on Sweetbitter Did you come to New York with someone? No, I didn't.
That's very brave.
Everyone was new once.
Don't get overwhelmed.
Can I actually fail my trails? Most people do fail the trails.
Oh! It's not a shot.
How do you know all of this? Simone's a lot of things.
She's not your friend.
We're not together.
What is the deal with Jake and Simone? You can't have them both.
No one else will ever know you the way that I do, Jake.
I know.
Did she pass her trails? I thought you liked her.
I do, but this job isn't for everyone.
Fuck Howard.
That man never promote me, ever.
I love her, but Becky's unwell.
You want to transfer me? - Not here.
- Fuck you.
You are showing your age right now.
No wife, no server, no America.
Sasha? That was scary.
Congratulations.
You surprised? Yeah.
Howard is not a traditional manager.
I hope you'll be careful.
What does that mean? Is this New Jersey? What gave it away? The smell of shit, or the fact that we're all miserable? You know I live in New Jersey.
I'm still drunk.
Yeah, that I can definitely smell.
It's too early to talk this much.
I feel like I can actually breathe out here.
Oh, God.
The shit smell has corroded her brain.
Uh Fucking bus was all bumpy and shit.
- What are we doing here? - No idea.
Summoned to the countryside at 7:00 a.
m.
This is new, even for me.
Think I forgot there's a whole world outside the city.
That happens.
What the fuck we doing - on a goddamn farm? - Ooh, chickens! I hope we're getting some farm-fresh My goodness.
Changelings in the morning.
Yeah.
The horror.
Good morning.
- Morning, Howard.
- Hi, Howard.
Good morning.
- Morning.
- Morning.
Why did I ask you in some cases, blackmail you into coming to a farm this morning? Because this is where our food comes from.
By working at the restaurant, you are ambassadors of a movement that is at once more flavorful, but also more ethical.
And the more you know about the food, the better you can sell it.
Knowledge, as they say, is power.
Come on.
What you are about to see is very important.
- Hey, it's an actual pig.
- Aww.
Cute.
He looks like Babe.
What's that? Come on.
Jesus.
- Oh, man.
- Oh.
Holy fuck.
Chicken, of all days? I know.
I really enjoyed believing this came from Fairway.
I'm never eating meat again.
I don't know what happened back there.
I think I might be allergic to hay or something.
When you puked, you sounded like you were screaming.
Yeah, his scream-barfing was worse than the pig.
Mm-mm, no, the pig was the most fucked-up thing I've ever seen.
It's definitely the most real thing I've ever seen.
Daddy's back.
Finally.
- Ouch.
- What? - Remember? I'm a delicate flower.
- Oh.
I missed you.
Hey, baby.
My turn.
Hi.
- You look like shit.
- Thank.
You, too.
Hey, sit.
So, happy to be back? I've been eating pancakes and drinking Franzia, jerking off in a sock for a week, living a real American dream.
Now I'm a slave again because rent is due, so tell me, why am I just so happy? - Okay.
- Ignore her.
She's been bouncing around like a fucking Teletubby ever since she got her stripes.
Okay, we've been working on a plan so no one has to know you're still healing.
I bought a soft cast.
It's very discreet.
- What color? - It doesn't matter.
My dad said you should wear it during service.
I'm mixing the Oxy with a touch of amphetamines to keep your ass coherent.
Mm.
Welcome back, Sasha.
Oh, thank you, blondie.
Okay, I'm on bar, so I'll be covering your breaks.
We should plan on 15 minutes every two hours.
Sasha, are you listening? Enough.
Just change the subject.
- Come on.
- Well, that went well.
Never understood jerking off into a sock.
I love my socks.
So what are you reading? Proust.
The Lydia Davis translation.
Mm.
By the way, I love your glasses.
What's that? Uh, just trying to learn the difference between the Chenin from Savennières and the Chenin from Anjou.
You don't need to know that, ever.
I know.
I want to.
Hey, that girl he's not just hiring her because she's qualified, right? You mean because she's hot? Yes, that's what I mean.
Well, he hasn't hired her yet, and, eh, probably both.
Will, do you trust him? What, Howard? Sure.
He's a good boss.
Right, but what about Becky? Well, Becky's fine.
She's working at that barbecue place on Gramercy.
She makes bank.
Why? Just well, I wasn't exactly an obvious hire, and something Simone said just made me wonder why he gave me the job.
I don't know why you listen to her.
She didn't even want you here.
What? She had a chance to defend you after your trails, and she didn't.
Okay, well, she wouldn't do that.
I was in the room with them.
I fought for you.
Okay.
Want me to thank you? No.
I just want you to know who you're dealing with.
'Cause there are a lot of people here who care about you, and Simone only cares about one person: the guy with the shitty tattoos.
For our special tonight, the chef is celebrating nose-to-tail dining and the devoted farmers who raised our beautiful animals.
We are serving - We got tight sirloin.
- Okay.
Jambalaya's right here.
Ordering one radicchio salad.
Nine pork! Down to nine pork, all day.
- Nine pork! - Nine pork! All right, fire two lamb chops and one burger with Cabron, what the fuck you gonna do with the skin? I want to make chicharrónes with the boys.
I sell it to my guy in Chinatown.
I'm not here to make snacks for your crew.
Fine.
I'll take the feet.
What about the trotter special? That was alive this morning.
And now it's bacon.
No higher calling.
You're just hacking it up and selling it for parts? That's kind of brutal.
I assumed you grew up on a farm.
Excuse me? You seemed riveted this morning.
Uh I mean, there were a lot of farms around.
I just I've just never seen anything like what we saw today.
Do you think it knew? Knew? The pig.
Do you think it knew I-it was gonna die? I don't think so, no.
A pig lives its whole life in a pen.
It eats, it sleeps, it breeds, it dies.
I don't believe it had any awareness beyond the five inches in front of its nose.
- Sasha! - Huh? You're running.
Apologies, Mr.
Howard.
First day at work.
Perhaps I'm a bit out of shape.
Eight pork! Got eight pork, all day.
Sasha, you look seriously ill.
It is time for your break.
I'm not needing a break.
I assure you, if you do not take a break, you will get yourself fired, and then how will you pay for rent? Meet me in the walk-in in five minutes.
Okay.
I have to say, I'm impressed you made it this morning.
I wanted the extra credit.
I'm not exactly Howard's favorite right now.
And now you're getting your own ice.
It's quite the campaign you're running.
Well, apparently, there are no back waiters working tonight, so Okay, between you and me, it's that Sasha isn't doing so well.
We're all trying to cover for him, but he's, of course, making it impossible.
I'm trying to make him ice his foot.
Your compassion is so inspiring.
You should tell Simone.
And why would I do that? 'Cause if he's hurt, she'll do something about it.
I don't know.
She fixes things.
- You're done, right? - Mm-hmm.
Sasha.
Hey, Sasha! - Sasha! - Mm.
I'm resting.
You said rest, no? Okay.
Give me your foot.
Okay.
Jesus.
Sasha, what the fuck? This is disgusting.
You said you were taking care of yourself.
- What have you been doing? - No.
I said pancakes and masturbating, and I went out dancing a few baby times.
Sasha, what the fuck is wrong with you? Do you not want to get better? I do not care either way.
You barely touched your pork.
Um, was everything all right? Oh, everything was fine.
I-I'm full.
Try not to make them feel guilty.
It's just such a waste.
I heard about Sasha.
Wish you would've told me.
- There's nothing - I could talk to Howard if you like.
We might be able to put him on phones for a bit.
No.
Thank you.
I know how to take care of my friends.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some perfectly good pig to throw away.
Something wrong? No.
Just a busy night for me.
Excuse me.
Hi.
Sorry, um, I'm Rosalyn.
I'm the new hostess.
I know you're busy.
I just I didn't know what to do with the stuff that was in my locker.
Mm, that would be the old hostess'.
I'll take them.
I'm Tess, by the way.
If you have any questions or, uh, need anything Yes? They were Becky's.
The new hostess gave them to me.
I believe we can safely throw those in the garbage.
Howard, I hope you can see how seriously I take this job.
I do.
I admire it.
It's what I saw at the farm today.
You've got a Real curiosity.
Why else would I have hired you, aside from your years of experience in the Midwest diner industry? - Thank you, Howard.
- Mm-hmm.
You know, Nicky's been doing this as long as I've been alive, and yet, I still manage to outsell him every night.
Must be my charm.
You told her.
What? About Sasha.
So? We've got two huevos - Sure.
- And, uh Why do you trust her? What? I see how she treats you, Jake.
I saw you guys.
- You saw - In the basement.
- You don't have to take that from her.
- It's stop talking.
Hey! You don't have to be embarrassed.
I'm not.
- So talk to me.
- Why? Why would I do that? Because you kissed me.
I did.
And you felt something.
I know you did.
And then you went to the Cape with Simone and acted like it never happened.
I want to be clear.
This has nothing to do with Simone.
If I wanted you, I would've fucked you that night on the street.
I don't want you.
You're not my type.
You're a little girl.
It was a big day.
Only up 3% from last year.
I guess I meant long day.
We're up early.
Mm.
We've worked together a long time, Howard mm, arguably too long but that was unexpected.
I'm not allowed to surprise once in a while? You're allowed to do what you like, but it's one thing to go on a field trip and it's another to make them watch an animal bleed out.
You up for a promotion? No.
You looking to move companies.
Maybe I'm ready for some changes around here.
Things have gotten a little loose for my taste.
People sleepwalking through their shifts.
I decided to wake them up.
Okay.
Well, my baby's done gone and left me And I hope that she has gone to stay - Sasha, I swear - Hey! Ah, dude, get off me.
It's a good thing he didn't get ahold of the head.
Oh, my God.
I missed him so much.
He's an actual psychopath.
Heather, he's not wearing the cast you gave him, and, Ari, you're giving him too many pills.
He was literally passed out in the walk-in.
He blew through his own prescription in three days.
He has the tolerance of a horse.
He's not well.
Okay? It's not just his foot.
It's his head.
He jumped off a building.
He fell off of a building.
I was there.
So now that you're passed your trails, you're a fucking shrink? You've only been here a month.
- What does that mean? - You don't know Sasha.
Stop talking "discushing" shit about me, you dirty hairy vaginas.
Sasha, we're not.
I'm worried about you.
Oh, shut it, baby monster.
Stop calling me that! I'm not a baby.
I'm not even new anymore.
Ooh.
Okay, fine.
You are an adult monster.
Where do you think you're going? Hey, come talk to me.
Everything okay down there? Fine.
They were just, um they're just being morons.
Is everything okay with us? Because if something was wrong, I hope you would tell me.
Yeah, yeah, I would.
I really care about you, Tess.
Okay.
You going to Home Bar tonight? Um, no, not tonight.
Good, 'cause I have an idea for us.
Shockingly, it is not a drink or a meal, but it is still a proper celebration.
- I'm I'm exhausted.
- Hear me out.
Come on, it'll give us a a chance to have a real talk.
Oh, yeah, I'm moving on Okay.
Talk sounds good.
Good.
You will not be disappointed.
And I hope that she will never Come my way Oh, yeah Yeah, absolutely.
Pruning.
Are you happy at the new place? You know I hate beer, and they have TVs in the bar.
Dawn says, "She's terrific!" And you're a server now.
Nice people.
It's better hours for you.
It's good.
It's a good place.
Kind of thought you didn't want to do this anymore.
Thought that was the whole point.
Hm.
I did what I thought was best.
I needed things to die down.
The man in the suit.
I do love my suits.
And it's more the stronger the image, the better I'm able to do my job.
It's not even an image anymore.
It's who I am.
So is this a secret? Are we sneaking around again? I'm not sure right now, but what I know is that I want to spend more time with you, time that is not at work.
You have been very patient.
It's not too crowded this time of night.
As you know, I live down the street, so this is another reason I can never move.
Start in here.
After this, we can get platzas.
They, um they beat you with oak leaves, dump cold water on your head.
And that's fun? Surprisingly, yes.
Great.
I'm in.
Yeah, I want to do this.
I want to try everything, learn all the streets, find secret spots.
People at work it's like they want to punish me for being excited.
No, no, they've just hardened.
You know, they're up against this moment when the job stops giving them freedom and starts to feel like a trap.
They've plateaued there.
You you are taking every experience on the pulse.
I keep thinking about this morning.
About the pig? Mm.
I know why it bothers me.
It's about trust.
The pig trusted the farmer.
That's what pigs do.
That's not me.
I know that people tend to underestimate you.
I do not.