The Conners (2018) s02e04 Episode Script

1 Is this "Bachelor," "Bachelorette," or "Bachelor in Paradise"? I have no idea what I'm watching.
Who cares? It's five good-looking people in a hot tub with no clothes and no morals looking for true love.
Why do none of these people look tortured? I only have David and Ben, and I literally can't eat solids anymore.
I'm crumbling up Tums into baby food.
In my day, people had a little more dignity.
They did this kind of thing in mud.
Going out.
Don't wait up.
Harris, stop.
Where are you going at 11:00 at night? Odessa and I are going to see "Rocky Horror.
" Oh.
Hi.
We've never met before.
Nice to meet you.
I'm Darlene.
Harris has told us absolutely nothing about you.
Odessa Capricorn, vegan.
Favorite author me.
My stuff's pretty good.
Favorite things include walking in the rain and hairless cats.
Nice to meet you, Odessa.
I'm Harris's grandpa, and you reek of pot.
I smoke weed for my anxiety.
My doctor thought it'd be better than getting hooked on benzos.
Okay.
Harris, I better not smell anxiety on you later tonight.
[Horn honks.]
That's our Uber.
We got to go.
Hang on a second.
Hey, tell that guy to stop honking in this neighborhood.
It's low-rent, and it wakes up my chickens.
Now I gotta go sing to 'em.
I used to go to "Rocky Horror" when I was your age, and my friends would hide their skimpy costumes under their regular clothes so their parents wouldn't hassle them.
- I gotta go.
- Hold on.
You don't trust me? Nope.
Go change.
Should I call Dad and get his permission? There's something I've been meaning to tell him anyway.
Um okay, you know what? You can wear that in the theater, but you have to stay covered up when you're outside.
Deal.
Later.
Aww.
- [Sighs heavily.]
- I've gotta say, you caved on that pretty quick.
Well, she is 17.
And she's blackmailing me.
She knows about Ben and David.
Holy cats! How'd she take it? What are you asking? She's blackmailing me.
She said that if I don't make a decision soon that she's gonna tell David and blow the whole thing up.
Oh, man.
There was a similar situation on "Bachelor in Paradise" last week, but they were able to solve it with a lesbian kiss, so No, I That doesn't help you.
"The Conners" is filmed in front of a live studio audience.
Okay, Mark gets his favorite, Orange Crush because it's a special day, and everybody else gets Mmm! expired cola.
So, Mark, what's this special day? You know you can't come out more than once just to get treats.
No, he was the student winner of Lanford's New Motto contest.
- Oh! - Congratulations, son.
Let's hear the motto.
"Lanford: Free, Proud, and Getting Cleaner.
" I don't think anyone else was taking the contest all that seriously.
Yeah.
I heard second place was "Lanford Lanford.
" I think it was really brave of Mark to just enter the contest and take a chance.
You know, failure is our greatest teacher.
But I didn't fail.
I won.
I don't even believe you.
I think you made the whole thing up.
No.
I've got a pin from the mayor.
I'll show you.
Hmm.
He's gonna be a while.
Mark gullible, naive, and getting dumber.
In therapy, we would consider where that might be coming from.
You know, facing the truth about your life and total emotional honesty and self-reflection is the key to everything.
Darlene, you might be learning that, too, if you bothered to come to the sessions, like you promised.
I'm just slammed at work.
I'm gonna get there.
David and I are just trying to work on - our relationship as co-parents.
- Mm.
Well, we can't really work on anything if you're not there.
I-I'm evolving every session.
And I'm really proud of myself for doing the work.
Just having you here makes me feel like I'm doing the work.
Now, see? Comments like that used to bother me, but now I understand that they come from a place of of fear and hurt.
Would you like to discuss those feelings? This is the dinner table, David.
We don't discuss feelings here.
We push them down to make room for food and beer, which is where we find love.
Gee, Mom, are you sure you're not dodging therapy? You might have one or two things it couldn't hurt to discuss, right? She should only have one, but she has two.
Here you go.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
To Casita Bonita, under the new management of Louise Goldufski.
[Hushed voice.]
Yeah! Ahh.
You know, I never asked how you landed this job.
Well, the owner thinks a woman won't sexually harass the staff.
I'm gonna show him that a woman can do anything a man can do.
[English accent.]
Hello, the daughter.
Hello, the father.
Hello, the friend.
Yeah, uh, I'm not doing this.
Hey, Louise, you got a minute? Yeah.
What's up? Here's the story.
I'm a broke, single mother living in my parents' basement, and the baby's father was deported to Mexico.
Now, I know what you're thinking "How do I get what Becky has?" No.
I'm thinking you're gonna hit me up for something.
Okay.
I need more money, and I want the bartend job.
Ah.
Let me think about it.
Uh, I guess I shouldn't, 'cause your dad's going like this.
What's your problem? Why can't I be a bartender? Right now, I'm more concerned as to why Louise can't hold up under the least bit of pressure.
Wait.
Are you still worried about my drinking? Yes, I am concerned.
You're under a lot of stress right now with the baby, and it'd be easy for you to slip up if you're pouring drinks all day.
In case you haven't noticed, I haven't had one drink since the moment I found out I was pregnant.
I know, and it's great, but you're not pregnant anymore.
I know what I can handle.
And this is none of your business.
This is between me and Louise.
You know what's more stressful than having a baby? Not having enough money to raise one.
Sorry I mixed you up in all of this.
Ah, it's okay.
There's times I regretted not having children, but you really fixed that for me.
[Car door opens.]
- You okay? - [Car door closes.]
Yes.
Ah, thank God you came.
As soon as I got the flat, I started texting people for help, but the signal's so weak here, I didn't know if my texts were going through.
Sorry.
I would have gotten here sooner, but the traffic's really bad.
Oh, no, it's okay.
Let's just go to the gas station, - and we'll get some help.
- [Car door closes.]
Yeah, let's go.
Hey.
Oh, hell.
You okay? She's fine.
Just a flat tire.
Who are you? Well, I was just about to ask you the same thing.
Uh, David, this is Ben.
Ben, this is David.
Oh, come on, man.
So nice to finally meet you.
I got the jack, Darlene.
We can just change it right here.
Oh, perfect.
So, I don't need the gas station.
Could you go to my place and check on the kids? I really appreciate you coming.
- Bye.
- No, no, no, no, no.
Wait.
Wait.
Wait.
You called him to fix the tire, but I'm just the ride? You don't think I can fix a tire? Oh, no, o-of course you can.
Of course you can.
You're You're strong and you're smart and you're a man.
You're a strong, smart man, and you can do anything.
You don't need to prove it to me.
Now, you just go watch the kids, and we're good.
Hey, you know what? The most important thing here is getting Darlene back on the road, right? But, again, nice meet you.
Hey, a-a-are you standing here telling me how I'm not needed? - Did you just try to blow me off? - [Both chuckle.]
You know what? I think we can all agree that chitchat is the enemy of productivity.
Damn right.
Let's not talk.
Let me fix this bad boy.
Sorry, uh, if I came off a little harsh there.
I think it's very cool that you came out to help Darlene.
You You ever change one of these? Yeah.
Um, you know, a-a drunk could swerve over here any minute and kill all of us, if we're lucky.
Let's Let's get this done.
No, I got this.
Just Just Just don't get in my way.
- What are you doing? - What? I'm just I'm checking some work e-mails.
WOMAN: How to change a tire? Step one That's weird.
I wonder who sent me that.
DAN: Hey.
- [Door closes.]
- Got your text.
I understand why Ben's here, but what's David gonna do with a tire validate its feelings? Hey, Darlene, got your text.
Looks like you got a big problem there.
And a flat tire.
Good luck! [Laughs.]
DARLENE: Hey, Jackie.
Oh! Oh! I never got as high as the forehead before.
Oh, and look at me, not laughing maniacally at your pain as I drive away.
So, did they figure it out? Did Ben kick David's ass? Did David cry? Did Ben look hot when he did it? Why are you so fixated on my messed-up life? Because if I don't fixate on your life, I have to fixate on mine, and that is a long, dark tunnel where the screams echo so it sounds like there's more people than me, but it's just me.
All right, we'll stay on my life.
That was way too close tonight.
I have to figure this out, like, right now.
Maybe I can help.
Take out your phone.
[Clears throat.]
Look at the text you wrote when you realized you were stranded.
Read the one that you sent to Ben.
Okay.
Um, "Hey, I just got a flat tire.
I'm on the access road by the 70-mile marker on I-90.
I've had such a crappy day.
Harris is making me crazy.
I need to spend more time with Mark.
I'm just so tired.
I wish we were together right now and I could put my head on your chest and fall asleep.
" Okay.
[Clears throat.]
Read what you wrote David.
[Sighs.]
"Flat tire.
Access road.
Mile marker 70.
Need ride to gas station.
" They're roughly the same.
What's your point? Stop kidding yourself.
You know what you have to do.
[Sighs.]
I know.
I hate this.
I've been so scared to stop trying with David, but I have to.
Yes! Team Ben! But I don't wanna hurt David.
I mean, I just don't know How am I gonna break up with him? How about you do it in therapy? And that way, he has someone there to help him make sense of it.
That is a great idea.
They can pick up the pieces while I slip out the back.
- Hey.
[Chuckles.]
- Hey.
- Thank you so much for coming.
- Oh, sure.
[Sniffs.]
Never been to a therapist before.
You don't lock that door, do you? [Laughs.]
I told you she's always had a great sense of humor.
I-I know this is new and kind of scary to you, but like you taught me, humor can get you through difficult moments.
Hold on to that thought.
Just to elaborate on what David said, some strong feelings could come up today, but this is a safe place to let them out.
Oh, yeah.
Um, sometimes strong emotions are necessary to move forward.
David has made an incredible amount of progress in a short amount of time, and he has a lot he wants to say to you.
Oh, um, okay? Um, I just If it's okay with you, I'd like to go first.
And I wanna hear everything you have to say, but first I'm breaking up with you.
What? I know this is difficult for you because it's not what you expected to happen here.
Yeah, you got that right.
Darlene, by controlling the relationship, you've you've always kept me at arm's length.
I-I-I think I've known that for a long time.
But until I came here, I-I was too weak to ask for what I needed.
You know, I-I needed partnership.
I needed true intimacy.
I needed to be heard.
I heard you.
I don't think you've heard me since I was 15.
Um, okay.
I'm sorry I couldn't make it work.
I'm still gonna be a great father, and I will always love you, but I'm ready to move on.
Okay.
We've broken up so many times before.
How come this feels different? 'Cause this is the last time.
And there's a stranger watching us.
- [Clears throat.]
- You okay? Yeah.
I kinda wish I had gotten to talk first, but No, it wouldn't have made any difference.
We still would have ended up here.
Yeah, I-I can't argue with you there.
[Inhales deeply.]
Uh, you know, there's still time left in the session.
I think it'd be really good for you to sit here with Gaby and let her help you make sense of it all.
[Smooches.]
[Door closes.]
Do you want to tell me what you're feeling? So, you want to do something tonight? Uh, we're spending the day together.
That's enough.
How about this weekend? I-I don't know.
I'll let you know tomorrow.
[Air horn blows.]
Darlene, we have to talk.
Ever since we started going out, it's like you have all the power in this relationship and I have nothing.
Yeah.
Okay.
LOUISE: Little Bev is gonna love this stuff.
Oh, I remember this.
The kids loved it.
It's how they learned their animal noises.
What does the cow say? [Distorted mooing.]
I know what the zombie cow says.
And let's see what the birdie says.
[Distorted mooing.]
I'll be right back.
Keep an eye on little Bev.
Hold on.
Where you going? Oh, you mean this? I realized I don't need the bartender job to make more money.
I'm recycling these beer cans.
Where'd you get so many? From the garage.
There were a couple cases in the fridge.
You poured out my beer?! Hey, if I can't be trusted around alcohol at work, I certainly can't be trusted around it at home.
I mean, that's what you were worried about, right? Can you give us a minute? Yeah.
I got to go to work anyway.
And we can get you more beer.
- [Grunts.]
- You're gonna be okay.
[Grunts.]
So, was pouring out all my beer supposed to make me change my mind? I'm just showing you that alcohol is everywhere.
If I want to drink, I can drink.
And nothing makes you want to drink more than dealing with kids, like right now.
But unfortunately, I got no beer! I'm a grown woman, Dad.
You have no right to interfere in my life.
Everybody wants me out of their life until they have to move back into my house, which I thank God I have to give you.
But this family we're not blessed with the best of luck.
And I'm running out of nets to save you.
Dad, it's okay that you're not gonna be able to save us every time.
I know that you're anxious that I'm gonna drink.
Guess what.
So am I.
That's not making me feel better.
Let me finish.
I'm working hard to stay sober.
But I have to live with the uncertainty, and because you love me, you have to live with it, too.
See, if I'm worried about it, then I have to try to fix it.
It's the one thing I know how to do.
Well, you know what? Get retrained for another job.
Maybe you could be a bartender.
Although, with the way you drink, I don't think it's a good idea.
- Hey.
- Hey.
So, I need to talk to you.
Sometimes you do something stupid and it seems like the right thing when you're doing it.
And some things are just stupid and they stay stupid all the way through.
Uh-huh.
I've been seeing David for the last month, and I feel horrible.
But it's over, and I'm so sorry.
And it took me a minute to come to my senses.
But, Ben, I know what we have, and I love you.
Let me just finish this.
"And that's why I'm breaking up with you.
" Wait.
What? I've known about David since the flat tire.
How? When David was there and I showed up, you had the same expression as this guy caught with 10 pounds of cocaine in his ass.
You lied to me.
I asked you and the kids to move in with me, and you said you couldn't because of what your father had been through.
Now I find out it's 'cause of David? Please.
There's got to be something I can do to make this right.
Mnh.
I'm sorry.
I'm done.
Wait.
So, are you firing me? Look, you can relax, all right? Unfortunately, I need you, which is a real miscalculation on my part.
So, we are going to work together, awkwardly, for eight hours a day, five days a week, because we're professionals.
I'm gonna go get a coffee.
You want one? Sure.
That'd be nice.
Write down what you want and then carry that with you in case you're ever at a place that sells coffee.
[Door closes.]
[Distorted mooing.]
[Both laugh.]
- Oh, my God.
- [Chuckles.]
We've been doing the cow for like 20 minutes.
Wait.
No.
It's only been 2 minutes.
Harris, are you crazy? In case you haven't noticed, we've got addiction problems in our family.
And you who does your ink? It's fabulous.
I know she was talking, but all I heard was, "Mooooo!" [Laughs.]