Thirtysomething (1987) s02e06 Episode Script
Politics
[theme.]
[chattering.]
- Here's yours.
- Where's mine? Gary, geez.
This developer has this outrageous idea for the whole block.
Hey, will you hurry up so you can disagree with her? She was dizzy this morning.
I just want to see how she is.
It's all talk.
Don't worry about it.
I don't know where we're going to find some other places.
- How are you feeling? - We don't have much space.
Realistically, we have two, three colors, or we're going to be okay in black in white.
No, no, it's just pro bono stuff.
Who cares? Oh, you're such a liberal.
Jerry Kravitz? What did he want? What? All right, 555-4237.
Okay, sweetie.
- Jerry Kravitz? - I'm not going to be late.
Bye-bye.
Yeah, Jerry Kravitz.
He called and he left this number with Hope.
Who's Jerry Kravitz? Wild man.
We knew him from Penn.
He was on our floor.
Yeah, room 1066, please.
Uh-huh.
Yeah.
All right.
Hey, scumball, you been to Mexico lately? Ask him if he's had any more hallucinations.
You're kidding me.
They hire people like you to do jobs like that? Ask him if he knows what happened to Bonnie Kellerman.
Uh, Gary Shepherd says to say hi to Bonnie Kellerman.
He's this guy Michael tried to fix me up with.
He got tickets to the Judy Collins concert.
- Then he ate them tripping.
- That was Jerry.
Yeah, sure.
Unbelievable.
Penn Federal Building, Monday.
All right, I'll see you then.
What rock did he crawl out from under? He's doing media stuff right now.
He wants to know if Elliot and I want to do some work for him.
Oh, yeah? Like real work for like real money? - Yes, yes, yes.
- You're kidding.
Michael, choose.
I don't like "depends" here.
"The community depends on the Race Street Project.
" Okay, relies.
Um-- Count-- Please.
[chuckles.]
Is indebted to.
The Race Street Project interfaces dynamically with the human infrastructure of the contiguous urban, uh, environment.
[laughs.]
- This is not a game.
- Sure it is, sure it is.
I mean whenever you're trying to con money out of a foundation, it's a game no matter how worthwhile or serious your cause is.
That's why so many programs lose their funding, that kind of attitude.
Ever since eighth grade, some woman's been complaining about my attitude.
Did your department complain? No, they just failed to appreciate me.
Why? Are you leaving the university? I'm being leaved actually.
I didn't get tenure.
You didn't get tenure? Why not? Mrs.
Neil, my daughter still have that rash.
Janet, I'm not a doctor.
Did you take her to the clinic Monday? - Why not? - We missed the bus.
I just-- I just refuse to play the game right.
What do you mean? Campus politics, you know.
Brownie backing, sherry drinking, I just wasn't interested.
However, I did become a great grant go-fer.
Oh, sorry.
[Woman.]
Yes, Mr.
Jackson, hold on one minute.
I'm going to use that for emphasis.
Okay.
[chattering.]
[sighs.]
[Woman.]
This is the Race Street Project.
Yes, ma'am.
Here, I'll take this home.
Oh, no.
No, no, no.
Nobody begs for money better than I do, honestly.
It's too much for you.
You're worried I'll screw up, aren't you? - Of course I'm not.
- Yes, you are.
Then why don't you let me do it? Look, I just pretend not to care about anything.
Actually, I'm-I'm very steadfast and true.
Okay.
Thank you.
[chattering.]
I'm serious.
I love her more and more every day.
You kiss her once in the morning.
You wait all day.
Yeah, you're an expert, right? Your life's a disaster.
Steadman, you slime, you.
Gary Kravitz.
Oh, no, look at you.
You look great.
Hey, I'm so glad you're here.
Jerry, you're wearing a suit, Jerry.
I know, this is mine.
This is my partner Elliot Weston.
Elliot, yeah, Jerry Kravitz.
- Nice to meet you.
- Good to see you.
Are you living in California? That's what I heard.
I'm living in Holiday Inn, but I get out to L.
A.
when I can.
Hey, you know, Stuart Dater's out there now.
Stuart Dater-- oh, yes.
We go to the ball game, we drink beer, have heartburn together.
You know.
[laughs.]
Are you married? Huh? Whatever happened to Deana Schulman? Deana Schulman, big girl.
- Cup of coffee? - Yeah, help yourself.
Yeah, you know, she actually called me out of the blue-- Jer, that jerk from The Inquirer at 9543, he needs a statement for a piece on acid rain.
Well, tell him it's wet.
It's in the position packet.
You don't need me to tell you that.
Pardon me? Linda, you're doing terrific.
Hey, I really appreciate your work.
- Okay? That's great.
- Okay.
Well, what color is your underwear, you know? So, Jerry, how the hell did you get into politics? You remember my dad, big Bill, with the hair in his ears.
I went to work for him.
He has a stroke.
Leaves me in charge just to see if I would screw up.
Did you? Hell, no.
I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
You guys are the hot things in Philadelphia.
[both talking.]
Listen, we're positioning Diana for a primary run in '90.
We want to get some momentum going while everybody's recovering from November.
I want to try some grassroots kind of thing.
You know, town meetings kind of a thing.
Something like that.
What do you want us to do? Well, uh, give some visibility.
You know, attract attention to it.
Play the toxic waste commission stuff, you know.
So, uh, what do you think? Want to give it a shot? Give me some figures? If you will all just listen for a minute, you can all go back to your dorms.
The regents have agreed to meet with a delegation of students if the occupation ends immediately.
All I'm ask-- This occupation is just the beginning, sir.
This university is a ruthless exploiter of Third-World cheap labor, and this university has a responsibility to allow its employees to unionize and to cease all research benefiting the war machine in Southeast Asia.
Jerry, Jerry, man, come on.
Stay on the subject.
Jerry, the regents are willing to meet on the entire subject.
And personally, I think that the grading system at this university stinks.
Jerry, Jerry.
That is just my personal opinion, sir.
So I know we can pull it off, and I'd rather have you guys working on it than those dorks from New York.
So, uh, what do you think? Want to give it a shot? Give me some figures? - Sure.
Okay.
- Sure.
All right.
Well, details are back there.
How long you been married, huh? I thought you'd never get over Emily Birch.
Emily Birch.
Yeah, Emily Birch.
Ah, yeah.
Emily Birch.
So what the hell is dry rot anyways? It's rot.
[Elliot.]
And it's dry.
And it has to go, or the house falls down in a heap of very fine dust.
That sounds kind of improbable.
Improbable? I'll tell you about improbable.
This guy we met today, Michael's old friend-- What's his name? Doody, Diddy? - Jerry Kravitz.
- Jerry Kravitz.
This guy spent four years at Penn wasted, majoring in art history, you know.
Now he's Diana McKay's media advisor.
- Diana McKay? - Mm-hm.
What is she running for now? Senate.
Kravitz wants us to do some work for her.
Ooh, what's her story anyhow? The question should be who's packaging her.
She's got the slickest image since lip gloss.
I'll ask around though.
Eh, they're all liars anyway.
Yeah, some of them are liars and scum.
Some of them are just liars.
Is this you? No.
He looks like him, though.
[burp.]
Geez, Miss Green, we have to go home now.
Well, the Daily News said they would have to have someone call me back on Thursday, so I gave them this number because our phone was cut off again because, you see, the centipedes have gotten up into the pipes again.
And now they're up under the playground, too.
They're just eating away at the cement.
Right up under the children.
Mrs.
Green, we have to go home now.
We're closing up now.
Is your son at home? I have my keys right here.
Mrs.
Green, you have your key.
Because Quinn told me that the centipedes can't get at it if-- if I wear it close to my heart.
That's probably true.
Mrs.
Green, come on, I'll walk you home.
Good night, Susannah.
I saw a centipede the other day.
I have-- I have a grandmother like that.
Who thinks the centipedes are out to get her? No, no, the ACLU, which sounds exactly the same.
I should have more patience.
No, you do fine.
No, I don't.
I really shouldn't let her get to me, but I do.
She just needs walked home.
Oh, you're from Pittsburgh.
Yeah, how did you know? Yeah, she needs walked home.
People from Pittsburgh say that.
Yeah.
My hair needs washed.
The dog needs fed.
I used to go with this girl from Pittsburgh.
She used to crack me up.
Where did she live? Um, Point Breeze.
Is this the proposal? Oh.
Don't tell me.
Don't tell me.
Uh, you're from Fox Chapel.
Hell, no.
I lived in a row house in Highland Park.
Near the zoo.
Yeah.
What makes you think we were rich? I-- Oh, I just-- You-- You remind me of the girls I went to school with in Virginia.
- Oh, you were rich.
- No.
[laughs.]
No, no, I-- My father just needed to pretend that we were.
This is truly obsequious.
Yeah, I know, actually.
I'm-- I'm especially proud of-of this part right here.
Unchallenged mandate to upgrade essential resources.
Right, right, I know.
It's sort of meaningless, you know, but not quite.
You grovel so well.
Oh, thank you.
[laughing.]
What? Which-- Which part? - No, multi-resource base -Oh, right.
giving a much needed sense of permanence.
We've lost our lease three times in the past year.
Oh.
Uh, thank you so much for doing this for us.
Really.
- I'll, uh - Well, you're welcome.
read this tonight and, um, we can go over the changes.
Okay.
That's-- That's fine.
[clears throat.]
Wait a minute.
The lights.
Got it.
Okay, um, do you-- Sorry.
Do you want-- Can I give you a lift or anything? Uh, no, I drove.
Good night.
[knock at door.]
I keep telling you, the service entrance is in the rear.
Thanks.
[Michael.]
You can't get good help these days.
Put that on the table where Janey can't get it, please.
I'm sorry I couldn't make it today.
I'm just going to drop this stuff off.
Wait, careful, I need this, all right? Diana McKay? What is this? It's just a job we're bidding at, that's all.
- You're kidding? - No, why? You're going to work for Diana McKay? She's going to run against Gordon Cassetti.
Yeah, well, you know, we really need this.
Those people that Jerry Kravitz works with, you know, they loved our book.
It's crazy, huh? The Jerry Kravitz thing? Yeah, Diana McKay is slime.
- She's not.
- Yes, she is.
She's not slime.
She was-- She was head of that toxic waste commission that uncovered the Strasburg thing-- She's-- She's slime.
That commission was window dressing.
Just back off, Gary, okay? Just-- Hope, I'll be back when I can to fix the wall, okay? I was just beginning to like it.
And, Hope, I know the number of this great divorce attorney.
He says these things can be real simple, clean.
Good night, Gary.
[Gary.]
Good night.
I don't know.
What? It's probably, like, 10:30 at night or something.
All of the sudden, wham.
Well, Jerry looks around, and it turns out somebody threw an egg at the windshield of his new car, okay? Well, he's out of his mind because his parents had just given it to him 'cause they thought he was going to medical school or something.
So he jumps out of the car.
He looks around.
It turns out there are these two like goons standing there.
I mean, these are enormous guys.
These guys are very frightening.
And one guy looks at Jerry, he says to him-- He says, "Hey, you got a problem, hippie?" [grunts.]
Well, Jerry immediately figures out that if he doesn't do something quick, he's going to die.
So all of the sudden he just-- [laughs.]
He just loses his mind, right? And he starts hitting these guys.
I mean, wailing on them, flailing around.
Well, they're starting to get scared.
I mean, they're looking at this guy, and they're starting to cower away, back away.
All of the sudden, Jerry starts yelling, "You picked on the wrong hippie.
"You picked on the wrong hippie.
" It was the only fight of my entire life.
I swear to god I would've taken that guy with the glasses, with the mescaline we were on.
And you know what? You had that little, little cut over your left eye.
And Deana Schullman decides that-- Oh, God, Deana Schullman! to the emergency room.
Yeah, Deana Schullman.
You went out with her for like two years.
- Four months.
- No way.
Four months? Agh, the most miserable four months of my entire life.
God, what a dog.
Going to bed with her was like boot camp.
The way she used to tell me what to do.
Jerry, you were madly in love with her.
Oh.
- I was.
- Yeah, you were.
We were so stupid.
What about you and Emily Birch? - Yeah.
- Huh? Do you ever hear from her? Uh, well, actually yeah.
She's doing great.
She was in town last year, and she, um, stayed with us.
She stayed with you? [laughs.]
You should've seen them together at the dorm.
He always used to say that they were just friends, and he'd be waiting around her room and his hands all over her and writing poetry and I don't know what.
It was perverse.
[doorbell rings.]
Yeah.
Well, she's doing great.
She's into, yeah, books, publishing, stuff like that.
Oh, my god, Lorie Hamilton.
Lorie Hamilton? Did you sleep with her? Hey, please.
Shut up.
You always-- You always said that you slept with her.
We did everything but that, okay? Oh, Kravitz, you're such a dork.
Yeah, well, look at you.
Yeah, yeah, all the suburban life now and married and all this stuff.
Well, yeah.
Shepherd hasn't changed much, though, huh? Uh, no, but look at you, man.
You got this, you know, demographics and exit polls, and I don't even know what.
It's-- It's fun.
Politics is very sexy.
I would think that would be your kind of politics.
Well, it's not about the politics.
- It's about the process.
It's-- - [Janey crying.]
- Yeah, but-- - Do you hear--? Do you hear--? I think, uh-- Is she still having nightmares? - Um, I'll get her.
- No, I'll get her.
No, no, no, really.
Okay, I'll get her.
Save it for Deana Schullman, Jerry.
Yeah, but geez.
Where did you find her? Amazing.
So why didn't you just tell me how you felt about it? - You would've laughed.
- I wouldn't do that.
Yeah, you laughed when I walked the precincts for Dukakis.
It was such a waste of time.
Not for me.
Mm.
All right.
So maybe McKay isn't so great.
What's the difference? She was a big fan for reinstating the death penalty.
So? Agh, what's this? The new reactionary? Since when do you believe in capital punishment? I don't believe in capital punishment, Hope.
Ever since we had a kid, though-- Look, I would kill, with my bare hands, if anyone dared to harm Janey, but that's not the point.
The state doesn't have the right to take a life.
Oh, come on, Hope.
The state takes a convict, right, they put him in a hole for 60 years.
They turn him into an animal.
He is raped and I don't know what.
Now, come on, Hope, who are we kidding? Huh? That's taking a human life just the same as flipping the switch on the electric chair.
Yeah, it's still not a license to murder.
Yeah, and you know what? They sit in Washington, and they cut safety regulations.
Thousands of people die in car accidents every year.
And the consumer just keeps on buying them.
Okay, there's still a principle involved here.
Is there? How come clothes are all over the room? Janey.
She took everything out of my drawers when I had to call in revisions this morning.
You're evading the issue.
No, I'm not.
You don't want me doing the job.
Right.
Too late.
We already signed on for it.
Sorry.
Come in.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Rosie's not here yet.
Nope.
Damn, we need those revised figures by tonight.
- Did you tell her 7:30? - Yeah, I told her.
This your office? Till the end of the year, yeah.
Well, that's a shame.
Yeah, well.
Do you want some coffee or anything? - Sure.
- Which I don't have.
Oh.
[clears throat.]
[strums.]
- Sorry.
- No.
Oh! Oh, my God, be careful with that.
- Geez, those sharpen this? - Did you cut yourself? - Yeah, it's not bad.
- I'm sorry.
- No, it's okay.
- It's sort of a hobby of mine.
I was a medieval studies major for a while.
- Really? - Yeah.
But it was just one more after another.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, where could she be? Uh, us two-- Maybe we should finish this-- yeah, go finish the revisions together since she's not even here.
Great.
That's a good idea.
No, please, I can do this.
No, I have the chair.
Thank you.
Okay.
Please, I-- Please.
Look, the other night there was some weirdness.
Well, yeah, a little.
And I don't have time-- I-I'm not really interested anymore in-- in flirtation.
Yeah, well, I sort of figured that.
Personally, I'm rather fond of flirtations.
I figured that.
Anyway I'm sure there are lots of women who are attracted to your peculiar combination of hair and whimsy, but I'm not one of them.
Fine.
Can we finish this here? [yelps.]
Oh, Geez! Geez.
- God, are you okay? - Yeah, I'm fine.
- Really? - Really.
If you'd let me-- Please, I can do this myself.
Hi, guys, sorry I'm late.
The Schuylkill was a nightmare.
- [grunts.]
- Thank you.
- Hey, Rosie.
- Hi.
She, uh fell.
How much you talking about? About maybe 30% there.
It's not New York City.
It's not worth spending any more money.
- That's fine.
- I agree, and I like the stuff you got.
- Okay, so we got that.
- The whole mariachi band stuff.
- Got that.
- Yeah.
All right, so now inner-city stuff, right? I want something a little smoother than they've got.
- Good.
- Republican, it's hard to swing a vote, right? Absolutely.
I agree.
I agree completely.
Very good.
Yeah, we got that.
Done.
Finished.
Good.
Okay, so this one-- fantastic.
You got 40%.
You got people reporting on this one.
- Delaware Valley-- - I've done a lot of work there.
- We're good.
- Okay, Delaware Valley local's done.
Jerry, you never could shoot.
I'll tell you, man.
He had six shots in his whole life.
Just watch the Philly boys here, okay? - Uh-huh.
- Yeah.
- Boom.
- Ooh, steady Steadman, yeah.
- Okay, Delaware Valley.
- All right, this is fine.
We're cooking now.
Okay, this is the local Jewish press.
- Okay, good.
- I'm circling quotes you can use, all right? What does she have to say about Israel anyway? Well, it depends on who she's talking to, doesn't it? No, really, Jerry, what does she have to say about Israel? Really I don't know exactly.
I mean, I'm not in the loop for policy positions.
I thought you were her media advisor? Right, and this is a Senate campaign.
It's not a civics class.
Come on, it's about demographics, market research, You guys know this.
That's why I hired you.
Okay, who does your numbers? Because we have these guys outnumbered.
They think I should know.
- just said that Rizzo sicced the cops on us.
- Oh, man, okay.
That's right, trashing City Hall is really going to get you something.
Yeah, trashing City Hall, bashing cops wherever it takes but you're just interested in checking out women's bodies.
Kravitz, shut up! Shut up! Yeah, the question is are you willing to stand up for anything you believe in, or are you just too worried about what your father's going to think if you get busted? Oh, yeah, Shepherd's really a big man.
That's the bottom line here.
Break some windows in City Hall, Gary.
That's going to solve everything, right? What about when the cops bring guns? Cops aren't going to bring guns.
Cops carry guns, Shepherd.
You're just scared, man.
You're just scared.
- That's the bottom line.
- Get serious with me.
- I am serious with you.
- It's more complicated than that.
It's not more complicated.
Oh, man, don't give me this, whatever it takes, whatever it takes.
- It's not that simple.
- If they're bringing guns, I'm bringing guns.
No pig messes with me, Steadman.
Come on, let's go.
We've got no time.
We've got no time.
[Kravitz.]
Right now we've got Hart and Layman doing it, and they've no longer-- - [Elliot.]
Expensive? - [Kravitz.]
They're kind of expensive.
[Kravitz.]
The wine that Scott uses-- I mean, he's cheap.
[Elliot.]
They have any problems with conservative, liberal? They don't care who they're working for? Race Street Project-- it's a boring name.
- I know.
- This is a boring job.
- I know.
- Why did we take it anyway? - Guilt.
- Oh, yeah, forgot.
You know we're going to be late on the Motherland radio spot.
Shut up, Elliot, and keep working.
Gary's going to be here any minute.
- Who's she? - Who? - [Woman.]
They're right in here.
- [Susannah.]
Great.
- Hi.
- Hi.
I'm Susannah Hart.
Race Street Project.
- Oh, yeah.
- Oh, hi, hi.
I'm Michael Steadman, and that's Elliot Weston.
- Elliot Weston, hi.
- Is Gary coming? No.
I got out of a meeting early, so I told him I'd save him the trip.
It's a real impressive show you have down there.
I know you've gone to a lot of trouble to help us out, and I really, really appreciate it-- Before you get too grateful, you ought to see our work.
Oh, and-- Wow.
It's so professional.
We fake that very well.
I love this blue.
It's very bold.
I did that.
I thought it should look very important.
Who did the pictures? Melissa Steadman.
She's my cousin.
Those-- They're great.
You didn't have to use this one right here.
You don't have to use this lettering if you want.
See, I don't like this.
I like the Helvetica bold.
Show her that, will you? No, Mike, it offsets the whole rhythm of everything.
- Offsets the rhythm of it.
- Here it is right here.
You could do this in this same blue right here.
- You could do that.
- No, I like that.
That's nice.
Diana McKay? [Elliot.]
Yeah, we're doing some work for her, real big-time stuff, huh? - For Diana McKay.
- Yeah, she's running for the Senate, actually.
She's a little out there, but it's going to help pay Elliot's bar tab at the Donut Dugout-- Senate-- that's a scary thought.
I mean, are you guys fans of her or? No.
No, her media advisor-- We hung out together at Penn, and Gary, too, actually.
He and Gary and I hung out together.
Did he tell you wha-- I-- I mean McKay would love to eliminate all the entitlement programs, all-- Was this guy a good friend of yours and Gary's, this guy at Penn? Uh, well, you know-- you know.
Actually he wants to have these town meetings, and I think it's pretty cute.
Town meetings-- don't you think that's kind of a gimmick? I know it's none of my business.
I shouldn't get into this, but it-- No, you know something? You're right.
We should give some thought to this.
I-I'm sorry.
Anyway, if there's not a problem here, why don't we just go ahead with this and-- Thank you.
Yeah-- no, it's wonderful, really.
Thank you very much.
It was very nice meeting you.
- Yeah, you, too.
- Nice to meet you.
Say hi to Gary, okay? - I will.
- Okay.
- Yeah.
Good-bye.
- Bye-bye.
See you later.
Okay.
Love to spend some more time with you, but we're scheduled to napalm some babies this afternoon.
Oh, gee, Mommy.
- [Hope.]
Where's your daddy? - Where is he? - I don't know.
- Mommy? - How about a boat? - [Michael.]
Where is everybody? We're up here.
[whispers.]
Is that your boat? - Hi.
Hi, sweetie.
- [Janey coos.]
Hi.
Michael, just tell me one thing.
Please tell me that you've eaten.
I didn't.
I thought, what if you planned something? Oh, I did.
I did.
I planned a luau, a luau, yeah, but I went to the market, and they had run out of poi.
- [Janey coos.]
- You want Chinese? Do you have cash? I don't.
$6.
00.
There's probably a few bucks in the diaper bag.
- Moo shu? - Moo shu.
[Rosie.]
I think this is the building.
Sure I should be here? You said you wanted to see how this works for step one.
I know, I know.
It's just-- It's just if I were those people, I'd hate me.
Don't have time for liberal angst.
Come or don't come.
It's up to you.
Are you as dismissive with your clients as you are with me? No, Susannah is in charge of scaring away all the volunteers.
It's a nasty job, but somebody's got to do it.
I am not dismissive of them or of you.
I just don't have time for emotional gymnastics.
- Emotional gymnastics.
- 101.
Does she stay up nights working on this material? Think this has got something to do with some work for Diana McKay? I'll talk Michael out of it.
Thought they were your friends.
I can't even believe they'd consider working for that woman.
Do your friends have to pass some sort of social-political litmus test before you have them over for dinner? Susannah doesn't cook.
Come to think of it, she doesn't have a hell of a lot of friends.
I have friends.
Okay, come with me tomorrow.
We'll go to Michael's.
Now, why would I want to do that? Because we can convince him not to do this McKay thing, and plus you'll see that he's a good guy.
No, I have workshops all afternoon.
Does this girl ever stop? Okay, come with-- Sat-- Sunday night.
We're going over there for chili or-- - [Woman.]
You're rotten, you know that? - Change? He's only going to buy a drink with it.
- [Woman.]
I'm leaving! - Here, sir.
Bye.
Come on, really, why don-- You'll like them.
Why do you need me to like them? I don't need you to like them.
I just want you to meet them, for God's sake.
They might like you, though I don't know why.
- This is stupid.
- Absolutely.
- Ellyn Warren will be there.
- Ellyn Warren, City Services? - Yeah.
- She's a friend of Michael's? Yeah, so come on.
Why don't you ju-- just come.
You don't have to enjoy yourself or anything.
- Hi, Mrs.
Grant.
- Hi.
These are the people I'd like you to meet.
They might be able to help Shelly.
Can we come in? Sure.
So I made some calls around Harrisburg for you.
Yeah, can we talk about this at lunch? I'm starving.
No.
I can't eat with a run, Michael.
You know that.
- Huh? Looks nice, huh? - [mutters.]
That's pretty good.
Yeah, so the consensus is she's a killer.
- A killer? - Mm-hmm.
- Great.
- I know.
I thought you'd like that.
She has an incredible management team behind her.
She's running for the big one in '96, and she's not going to make the same kind of mistakes Ferraro made.
She knows the game, and she's been real effective in the Assembly.
Effective? At what? Ha ha.
That's the question, though, isn't it? - Hi, Ellyn.
- Hi.
- Who was that? - I have no idea.
- [mumbles.]
- So Michael.
- Mm-hmm? - Look for black opaque, size B, sandalfoot, all-cotton crotch.
Five-speed or automatic? The toxic waste commission gave her a platform, made her look real good.
Okay, wasn't there something about health care? Yeah, she consistently supports health-care cuts.
- Uh-huh.
- Plus cuts in aid to dependent children.
- Uh-huh.
- Plus cuts in food stamps.
- [Michael chuckles.]
- She opposes legislation for the handicapped, but she's really big on the family.
Of course she has sort of a June Cleaver, Ronald Reagan idea of what the family is.
Okay, so I'm a total reprobate for working for her, right? I don't know.
I've cut deals with people that make her look like Mother Teresa.
- [Object clatters to the floor.]
- Sorry.
Excuse us.
Here, I got it.
Yeah, I bet you do, you foot fetishist.
Listen, don't knock it.
- Hmm? - Yeah.
You know my friend Mitchell? - Hmm? - Tall guy.
He's got a beard.
He's a writer.
- You mean with little Lucy? - Little Lucy, yeah.
- You mean he's - Uh-huh.
- But they're married.
- Yeah, 15 years.
It ain't the cookin', babe.
Here, relax-- sandalfoot 5-B.
No, these are sheer.
I want opaque.
So why are you working for this woman if you're afraid of getting your suspenders soiled? Uh, Jerry Kravitz.
I keep forgetting that college and reality were incompatible.
[sighs.]
[clears throat.]
- Hi.
- [Susannah.]
Hi.
I really should be working, you know.
Oh, this will be good for you, really.
Good for me? What do you mean? Well, let your hair down, have a few laughs.
Get a little drunk, take off my glasses, which I don't wear.
- Yeah, that's right.
- You're funny.
I bet you think I never climax, and you can make me.
- Hi, Gare.
- Hi, Melissa.
Um, this is You did the pictures.
Thanks, they were great.
- I had fun doing them.
- Everybody, this is Susannah Hart.
- Hi.
- This is Hope.
And this is Ellyn Warren.
Ah, yes, I've heard a lot about you.
- Uh-oh.
- And this is Elliot and Mike-- Oh, you probably met them.
- At the office, yeah.
- Hi.
How you doing? - I love your house.
- Oh, thanks.
- Here.
- So you're really shaking up those Neanderthals over in the Department of Social Services.
We're just trying to get some action out of them, anything-- Do you mind if I smoke? Hey, how did you get that money for the urban housing thing? Housing's been waffling on that thing for years.
Shriver Foundation picked up most of it, then we picked up nickels and dimes here and there.
Susannah's program has been used as a model throughout the whole country now.
Isn't that great? - Yeah, great.
- Great.
[Susannah.]
Thank you.
Here, try the ones with the cantaloupe.
- No, thanks.
- Oh, the bruschetta's really good.
No, thanks, I really don't eat meat.
You don't eat meat? Oh, we're having chili with beef for dinner.
No, it's okay.
I don't really eat much anyway.
I have salad and bread.
It's all right.
Don't worry.
I'll be fine.
How old is your daughter? - She's 2 years old.
- She's adorable.
Hey, Michael, I'm not going to have to take pictures with Diana McKay, am I? Yeah, yeah, but we're going to put a disclaimer on the bottom of the copy that says, "So vote for Diana McKay, but we're not.
" - Yeah.
- Or we could do, like, this really bad job.
It'll be easy.
We'll just-- We can dedicate ourselves to sabotaging her campaign.
Yeah, the guerrilla ad men of Philadelphia.
Yeah, Michael and Elliot, under budget and under cover.
It'll be great.
Then Cassetti's people, they can pay us, too, and we can get twice as much money.
- Hmm.
- [Elliot cackles.]
Come on, it's a big old farmhouse.
It'll be perfect.
Forget it.
I know what the mattresses are like in these rooms.
Oh, it's going to be great.
There's a creek, a pond.
Mosquitoes, leeches.
Can't wait to get away from the city for a few weeks this summer.
That sounds nice.
All of you together? Oh, I'll love it.
We're going to get corn on the cob, make tomatoes, make these huge meals, very Big Chill.
- Yeah, I get to have the affair with Meg Tilly.
- [Elliot.]
Can I be dead? - You say it's available starting June 24th? - Yeah, through July 12th.
You'll be in your seventh month.
- You're pregnant.
- Yeah.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
You got a haircut.
37 minutes since he walked in the door, and he just noticed my haircut.
Hey, look.
You got a haircut.
No, Elliot, my neck just got longer.
- Do I have to help you? - Of course not.
You know what? Nancy got a perm one time when she was pregnant with Britty.
I didn't notice for three days.
And yet your marriage failed.
Shocking.
Yeah, I knew there was something different.
I thought it was her stomach.
Who wants what to drink? We got beer and wine.
- [Elliot.]
Beer, definitely beer.
- You want something? - You sure? - No, really.
I'll have one.
You know what we should do, though.
We should rent a place on the shore.
I'd love to lay on the beach and read War and Peace.
[Hope.]
Oh, it's way too expensive.
We used to rent a place down in Long Beach Island, my parents.
Hope would come down for a week every summer and steal my boyfriend.
Only if he was cute.
Yeah, we used to go to Avalon every 4th of July.
- Oh, yeah? - God, I hated it.
- The lifeguards were-- - You hated the lifeguards? Michael.
- Michael was a lifeguard.
- Really? Hey, did you have, like, one of those little plastic nose shields and lots of jock straps and everything? - Yeah.
- Really? I was too skinny to be a lifeguard.
Too cool, too.
Yeah, me, too.
Too cool.
Michael, I need that space.
It's perfect for me.
It's my home.
I'm just saying that in principle you can't stop development.
- Sure you can.
- [Hope.]
Sometimes you can, under certain circumstances, you can.
Okay, "gentrification--" It's a horrible word, but unfortunately it's a natural part of the life cycle of the city.
You have got to bring people with money to spend back into the city, or the city dies.
- And the people displaced.
- Like me.
Only without Melissa's resources.
You do everything you can to provide better housing for them elsewhere or nearby or even in the community itself.
You make financial compensation, but you do not stop the process.
And when that doesn't work, which is what happens, you know? - She's right.
- You break up communities, extended families, neighborhood alliances that make people's lives work.
Financial compensation doesn't touch that.
Wait a minute.
I'm not saying that there isn't a down side.
Down side? Where'd you learn to talk like that? I'm just saying that there has to be an opportunity for investment.
Private money has to have a stake in the city.
It is part of the arch-- - You are dealing with numbers and abstractions-- - Numbers and abstractions? I am dealing with people on the street, what they eat and where they live, if they eat, if they have a place to live.
You can pontificate on your saving-- You watch the city die in 20 years.
- You think that's pontification? - You have no idea what-- I have no idea where you're going to find an apartment with that much light, and a tame cockroach population.
- Thanks again.
- Good night.
- Good night.
- Yeah, good night.
[door closes.]
I thought Nancy was a little hostile.
I tried to talk to her.
[both shiver.]
Well, it's all very nice if you know the secret handshake.
[chuckles.]
What do you mean? Well, it's kind of a closed club, isn't it? Perfect.
She doesn't eat meat.
She attacked me at my own dining room table.
It's quite a house.
Yeah, it's full of dry rot and rusty pipes, too.
So is there anything you liked about them? She didn't like anything about us.
I liked Hope.
Being pregnant suits her.
It must be nice to be so domestic.
I saw her watching me clearing the table.
Thought I was a doormat.
Oh, domestic.
Yeah, that's true.
She also happens to be one of the best consumer affairs writers in the state.
What about Melissa? Don't think I liked her much.
[Hope.]
Is he dating her? Oh, he's so weird about women, who knows? Oh, thanks.
If this was a movie, he'd be in bed with her before I finished my Junior Mints.
Look, Gary.
Does it matter whether I like your friends? We're just working together.
I don't need to join a club.
Well, that's fine.
It's just, it's not a club.
Fine.
It's not a club.
Good night, Susannah.
Oh, uh, Susannah.
The-- Like, what you were talking about before? Just so I'll know.
Never? Sometimes? Every time? [car starts.]
[humming.]
[imitating pouring liquid.]
[clinking glass.]
[laughs.]
What are you doing? [sighs.]
Testing the product.
Beats doing all this McKay stuff.
Mm.
Hey! Drink milk.
It's good for ya.
I need the keys to your house.
I left mine with my tools.
Uh-huh.
Think you'll get the patching done today? Yeah, I'll try.
- So.
- So.
It was quite a night last night.
Yeah, your friend's charming, Gary.
Does she ever lighten up? No, not really.
We argue all the time.
But there's something about her that-- You're just mad because you know how she feels about McKay, and you know she's right.
No, I'm just mad because she's a judgmental bitch.
No, no.
You're the judgmental one here.
No, Gary, what do you know, huh? You indulge in a little political activism because it's convenient-- like a trip to Club Med, you know? - Who can you pick up? - Watch it.
No, no, no.
Listen, you watch it.
You waltz in here, Gary, and you tell me what to do, you know? But you know nothing about my responsibilities-- Yeah, you have responsibilities, and one of them is to not work for the election of someone like McKay.
- You're right.
- What's happened to you? - You've gotten so comfortable.
- You're right, Gary.
- You got it, okay? - Oh, ho, Gary Shepherd! - Jerry, wow.
- What? Did you get embalmed in 1972? - You look exactly the same.
- Good to see you.
So what are you doing in Philly, boy? I thought you were supposed to go to film school or something.
- Did you screw up again? - I went to graduate school.
I'm a teacher.
[laughs.]
They'll let anybody teach these days, huh? Yeah.
Kind of the way they'll let anybody run for the Senate.
[gasps.]
Damn! You haven't changed a bit.
How'd you manage that? Hey.
Hey, Gar.
Gary.
Well, now that Jiminy Cricket's gone-- So, Jerry, how can we further serve you? What's that supposed to mean? - Nothing.
- Wait a minute.
Wait a minute.
You know-- You're lucky you got this job.
Uh, they wanted somebody in New York.
Hey.
Hey, hey-- Too bad you didn't give them what they want, Jerry.
Oh, please, Michael.
[classical, loud.]
Are you tired? Oh, I know, sweetie.
Gary! - [crying.]
- What are you doing? - I love you, Momma.
- Gary! - [shuts off record player.]
- [Gary.]
Oh! - [crying.]
- Hope, it doesn't look very good up here.
I thought you were going to patch it up today.
Yeah, well, a lot of this framing needs replacing.
Oh, you want some juice, sweetie? Yes, please.
- Juice make you feel better.
- I like juice.
Yeah.
How much is it going to cost? Couple thousand, depending on who you get.
- It's too big a job for me.
- Oh, man.
Where are we going to get that? Hope, why is Michael working for McKay? Well, I don't know.
Thought you could tell me.
Well, it's either because he doesn't know what McKay's about-- which is inexcusable-- or he doesn't care, which is horrifying.
Well, he knows what she's about.
I mean, I don't know what to do.
God! I mean, you know, you live with somebody and you think you know them pretty well, and then-- I don't know, you drift, ideas change, and you know, you have a kid, and then you don't even have time to talk, or to think out loud with somebody listening.
But you-- you can't tell him to stop.
I don't know what I can tell him, but I don't think he takes orders from me.
Hello? [door closes.]
- Are we speaking? - Simple declarative sentences on neutral subjects, like your house is falling down.
Oh.
So what does this mean? It means, dry rot, from there to the ceiling.
New framing and new joists.
Another county heard from.
- Kravitz left today.
- Good.
No, it's not good, but it's done.
And we need the job real badly.
So what if she beats Cassetti? Is this an Inquisition? - Whose side are you on? - Yours.
What if she beats Cassetti? If she beats Cassetti, I will be very sorry.
But I cannot make myself responsible for the vote of every citizen of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
What are you responsible for, then? Myself, my vote, my family, my friends, my partner, my staff Is that it? No, but I don't have to answer to you or your lovely associate in good deeds.
I don't even have to answer to you, Hope.
Michael, we're just trying to understand what it is you're thinking.
You know, I see that spreadsheet in my mind every hour of every day.
I never thought it was going to be like this.
I don't particularly like it, but there are a lot of people that depend on me right now.
You two, you don't want to hear about pension and sick leave and paperwork or what it does to me that I can't afford to give the people who work for me a good health plan and everything else that they should have.
I don't talk to either of you about stuff like that, and maybe sometimes I think too much about the bottom line, and, hey, I know I sound like my father, and oh, God, how I resented how cautious he was.
I mean the nickels and dimes.
Oh, I was so ashamed of him.
I never thought he saw the big picture.
I know, you swore you'd never be like him.
We all swore that.
Why didn't you talk to us about this stuff? - Oh, because it's boring.
- No, it's not.
Oh, listen, next time-- next time we'll be more vigilant about who we work for.
Okay.
Yeah, okay, so don't ask me to do any work for your Trotskyite friends, either.
Susannah's not a Trotskyite.
- Oh, God, Susannah.
- She's not.
Now, if we could just get Curtis' grandmother off his back.
I'm supposed to see her next week about his evaluation.
Maybe Gary should go with you.
Oh, no.
He's too afraid she won't like him.
Doesn't mind you.
She's not getting bothered by me.
Now, what is that supposed to mean? Oh, go ahead.
Tell her what it means.
We don't have any work to do around here.
Let's just say you're formidable and occasionally rude.
You know what I hate about you and your friends? That civility, that easy, compliant attitude.
Everything's okay.
Nothing's worth getting upset about.
Would you knock it off? I am so sick of your attitude.
- My attitude? - Yes, your attitude.
You judge everybody.
You judge their house.
You judge their clothes.
You judged Michael and dismissed him on the basis of one piece of information.
Your friend Michael is actively supporting a political agenda based on greed and selfishness.
I can't just relax and enjoy his company.
My friend Michael is an idiot on a few narrow issues, but he would lay down his life for me, his life.
That's great.
That's terrific.
What he's doing is still repulsive.
Just stop it.
Would you just knock it off? - Just knock it off.
- Thank you, Jerome.
There are causes and issues here you don't know anything about.
This should be good.
Yeah, it is.
Friendship-- friendship and loyalty maintained over years and changes in people's lives.
You have to be vigilant about friendship.
You have to attend to it, and you don't make it on the basis of one issue, and you certainly don't dismiss it on the basis of one mistake.
That's very nice, but that's not what I'm talking-- No, it's actually a lot more than very nice.
- Where are your friends? - I have friends.
I've watched you.
You're very giving to the people around here.
What am I listening to? You have no right.
You don't know me.
You're right.
I don't.
I'd like to get to know you.
I admit that, which is more than you're willing to admit to anybody.
In fact, it's more than you're willing to let yourself feel about anybody.
Oh, now we're into touchy-feely.
Oh, that's great.
Love that attitude.
That's terrific.
You can't even look me in the eye and tell me what you're feeling.
No, try it, try it.
I dare you.
Look me in the eye and tell me one damn true thing you're really feeling.
Tell Rosie I won't be back today.
I really don't need this, you know? Are you going to call me, or am I supposed to call you? Yes.
Oh, yes.
Your troubles are just beginning.
[footsteps approaching.]
Hi.
Oh, thanks.
Oh [Michael.]
Why is it always 10 below when we do this? - Man, are you cold? - [Gary.]
Freezing.
- Oh, I can't feel my fingers.
- Just a couple more.
Ho ho ho ho, the Sixers tonight, 14th row, almost center court-- I got one extra.
- Make me an offer, scuzbags.
- Wait a minute, Kravitz.
You're speaking at this thing tonight.
You can't go to-- - Who are they playing? - Boston.
- No, no, they'll be playing next week.
- Havlicek and Russell.
- Hey, wait a minute.
- We have 20 minutes to get there.
- Make me an offer.
What do you say? - I'll give you 6 bucks.
- 10 bucks.
- No, no, come on.
- 10 bucks.
- 8 bucks.
All right, all right.
Going to the gentleman wearing Bonnie Kellerman's scarf.
Come on, vamos, man.
Let's go.
Give my regards to the body politic, Mike.
[Kravitz laughing.]
Hey, what do you say? Closed-Captioned By J.
R.
Media Services, Inc.
Burbank, CA And dance by the light of the moon
[chattering.]
- Here's yours.
- Where's mine? Gary, geez.
This developer has this outrageous idea for the whole block.
Hey, will you hurry up so you can disagree with her? She was dizzy this morning.
I just want to see how she is.
It's all talk.
Don't worry about it.
I don't know where we're going to find some other places.
- How are you feeling? - We don't have much space.
Realistically, we have two, three colors, or we're going to be okay in black in white.
No, no, it's just pro bono stuff.
Who cares? Oh, you're such a liberal.
Jerry Kravitz? What did he want? What? All right, 555-4237.
Okay, sweetie.
- Jerry Kravitz? - I'm not going to be late.
Bye-bye.
Yeah, Jerry Kravitz.
He called and he left this number with Hope.
Who's Jerry Kravitz? Wild man.
We knew him from Penn.
He was on our floor.
Yeah, room 1066, please.
Uh-huh.
Yeah.
All right.
Hey, scumball, you been to Mexico lately? Ask him if he's had any more hallucinations.
You're kidding me.
They hire people like you to do jobs like that? Ask him if he knows what happened to Bonnie Kellerman.
Uh, Gary Shepherd says to say hi to Bonnie Kellerman.
He's this guy Michael tried to fix me up with.
He got tickets to the Judy Collins concert.
- Then he ate them tripping.
- That was Jerry.
Yeah, sure.
Unbelievable.
Penn Federal Building, Monday.
All right, I'll see you then.
What rock did he crawl out from under? He's doing media stuff right now.
He wants to know if Elliot and I want to do some work for him.
Oh, yeah? Like real work for like real money? - Yes, yes, yes.
- You're kidding.
Michael, choose.
I don't like "depends" here.
"The community depends on the Race Street Project.
" Okay, relies.
Um-- Count-- Please.
[chuckles.]
Is indebted to.
The Race Street Project interfaces dynamically with the human infrastructure of the contiguous urban, uh, environment.
[laughs.]
- This is not a game.
- Sure it is, sure it is.
I mean whenever you're trying to con money out of a foundation, it's a game no matter how worthwhile or serious your cause is.
That's why so many programs lose their funding, that kind of attitude.
Ever since eighth grade, some woman's been complaining about my attitude.
Did your department complain? No, they just failed to appreciate me.
Why? Are you leaving the university? I'm being leaved actually.
I didn't get tenure.
You didn't get tenure? Why not? Mrs.
Neil, my daughter still have that rash.
Janet, I'm not a doctor.
Did you take her to the clinic Monday? - Why not? - We missed the bus.
I just-- I just refuse to play the game right.
What do you mean? Campus politics, you know.
Brownie backing, sherry drinking, I just wasn't interested.
However, I did become a great grant go-fer.
Oh, sorry.
[Woman.]
Yes, Mr.
Jackson, hold on one minute.
I'm going to use that for emphasis.
Okay.
[chattering.]
[sighs.]
[Woman.]
This is the Race Street Project.
Yes, ma'am.
Here, I'll take this home.
Oh, no.
No, no, no.
Nobody begs for money better than I do, honestly.
It's too much for you.
You're worried I'll screw up, aren't you? - Of course I'm not.
- Yes, you are.
Then why don't you let me do it? Look, I just pretend not to care about anything.
Actually, I'm-I'm very steadfast and true.
Okay.
Thank you.
[chattering.]
I'm serious.
I love her more and more every day.
You kiss her once in the morning.
You wait all day.
Yeah, you're an expert, right? Your life's a disaster.
Steadman, you slime, you.
Gary Kravitz.
Oh, no, look at you.
You look great.
Hey, I'm so glad you're here.
Jerry, you're wearing a suit, Jerry.
I know, this is mine.
This is my partner Elliot Weston.
Elliot, yeah, Jerry Kravitz.
- Nice to meet you.
- Good to see you.
Are you living in California? That's what I heard.
I'm living in Holiday Inn, but I get out to L.
A.
when I can.
Hey, you know, Stuart Dater's out there now.
Stuart Dater-- oh, yes.
We go to the ball game, we drink beer, have heartburn together.
You know.
[laughs.]
Are you married? Huh? Whatever happened to Deana Schulman? Deana Schulman, big girl.
- Cup of coffee? - Yeah, help yourself.
Yeah, you know, she actually called me out of the blue-- Jer, that jerk from The Inquirer at 9543, he needs a statement for a piece on acid rain.
Well, tell him it's wet.
It's in the position packet.
You don't need me to tell you that.
Pardon me? Linda, you're doing terrific.
Hey, I really appreciate your work.
- Okay? That's great.
- Okay.
Well, what color is your underwear, you know? So, Jerry, how the hell did you get into politics? You remember my dad, big Bill, with the hair in his ears.
I went to work for him.
He has a stroke.
Leaves me in charge just to see if I would screw up.
Did you? Hell, no.
I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
You guys are the hot things in Philadelphia.
[both talking.]
Listen, we're positioning Diana for a primary run in '90.
We want to get some momentum going while everybody's recovering from November.
I want to try some grassroots kind of thing.
You know, town meetings kind of a thing.
Something like that.
What do you want us to do? Well, uh, give some visibility.
You know, attract attention to it.
Play the toxic waste commission stuff, you know.
So, uh, what do you think? Want to give it a shot? Give me some figures? If you will all just listen for a minute, you can all go back to your dorms.
The regents have agreed to meet with a delegation of students if the occupation ends immediately.
All I'm ask-- This occupation is just the beginning, sir.
This university is a ruthless exploiter of Third-World cheap labor, and this university has a responsibility to allow its employees to unionize and to cease all research benefiting the war machine in Southeast Asia.
Jerry, Jerry, man, come on.
Stay on the subject.
Jerry, the regents are willing to meet on the entire subject.
And personally, I think that the grading system at this university stinks.
Jerry, Jerry.
That is just my personal opinion, sir.
So I know we can pull it off, and I'd rather have you guys working on it than those dorks from New York.
So, uh, what do you think? Want to give it a shot? Give me some figures? - Sure.
Okay.
- Sure.
All right.
Well, details are back there.
How long you been married, huh? I thought you'd never get over Emily Birch.
Emily Birch.
Yeah, Emily Birch.
Ah, yeah.
Emily Birch.
So what the hell is dry rot anyways? It's rot.
[Elliot.]
And it's dry.
And it has to go, or the house falls down in a heap of very fine dust.
That sounds kind of improbable.
Improbable? I'll tell you about improbable.
This guy we met today, Michael's old friend-- What's his name? Doody, Diddy? - Jerry Kravitz.
- Jerry Kravitz.
This guy spent four years at Penn wasted, majoring in art history, you know.
Now he's Diana McKay's media advisor.
- Diana McKay? - Mm-hm.
What is she running for now? Senate.
Kravitz wants us to do some work for her.
Ooh, what's her story anyhow? The question should be who's packaging her.
She's got the slickest image since lip gloss.
I'll ask around though.
Eh, they're all liars anyway.
Yeah, some of them are liars and scum.
Some of them are just liars.
Is this you? No.
He looks like him, though.
[burp.]
Geez, Miss Green, we have to go home now.
Well, the Daily News said they would have to have someone call me back on Thursday, so I gave them this number because our phone was cut off again because, you see, the centipedes have gotten up into the pipes again.
And now they're up under the playground, too.
They're just eating away at the cement.
Right up under the children.
Mrs.
Green, we have to go home now.
We're closing up now.
Is your son at home? I have my keys right here.
Mrs.
Green, you have your key.
Because Quinn told me that the centipedes can't get at it if-- if I wear it close to my heart.
That's probably true.
Mrs.
Green, come on, I'll walk you home.
Good night, Susannah.
I saw a centipede the other day.
I have-- I have a grandmother like that.
Who thinks the centipedes are out to get her? No, no, the ACLU, which sounds exactly the same.
I should have more patience.
No, you do fine.
No, I don't.
I really shouldn't let her get to me, but I do.
She just needs walked home.
Oh, you're from Pittsburgh.
Yeah, how did you know? Yeah, she needs walked home.
People from Pittsburgh say that.
Yeah.
My hair needs washed.
The dog needs fed.
I used to go with this girl from Pittsburgh.
She used to crack me up.
Where did she live? Um, Point Breeze.
Is this the proposal? Oh.
Don't tell me.
Don't tell me.
Uh, you're from Fox Chapel.
Hell, no.
I lived in a row house in Highland Park.
Near the zoo.
Yeah.
What makes you think we were rich? I-- Oh, I just-- You-- You remind me of the girls I went to school with in Virginia.
- Oh, you were rich.
- No.
[laughs.]
No, no, I-- My father just needed to pretend that we were.
This is truly obsequious.
Yeah, I know, actually.
I'm-- I'm especially proud of-of this part right here.
Unchallenged mandate to upgrade essential resources.
Right, right, I know.
It's sort of meaningless, you know, but not quite.
You grovel so well.
Oh, thank you.
[laughing.]
What? Which-- Which part? - No, multi-resource base -Oh, right.
giving a much needed sense of permanence.
We've lost our lease three times in the past year.
Oh.
Uh, thank you so much for doing this for us.
Really.
- I'll, uh - Well, you're welcome.
read this tonight and, um, we can go over the changes.
Okay.
That's-- That's fine.
[clears throat.]
Wait a minute.
The lights.
Got it.
Okay, um, do you-- Sorry.
Do you want-- Can I give you a lift or anything? Uh, no, I drove.
Good night.
[knock at door.]
I keep telling you, the service entrance is in the rear.
Thanks.
[Michael.]
You can't get good help these days.
Put that on the table where Janey can't get it, please.
I'm sorry I couldn't make it today.
I'm just going to drop this stuff off.
Wait, careful, I need this, all right? Diana McKay? What is this? It's just a job we're bidding at, that's all.
- You're kidding? - No, why? You're going to work for Diana McKay? She's going to run against Gordon Cassetti.
Yeah, well, you know, we really need this.
Those people that Jerry Kravitz works with, you know, they loved our book.
It's crazy, huh? The Jerry Kravitz thing? Yeah, Diana McKay is slime.
- She's not.
- Yes, she is.
She's not slime.
She was-- She was head of that toxic waste commission that uncovered the Strasburg thing-- She's-- She's slime.
That commission was window dressing.
Just back off, Gary, okay? Just-- Hope, I'll be back when I can to fix the wall, okay? I was just beginning to like it.
And, Hope, I know the number of this great divorce attorney.
He says these things can be real simple, clean.
Good night, Gary.
[Gary.]
Good night.
I don't know.
What? It's probably, like, 10:30 at night or something.
All of the sudden, wham.
Well, Jerry looks around, and it turns out somebody threw an egg at the windshield of his new car, okay? Well, he's out of his mind because his parents had just given it to him 'cause they thought he was going to medical school or something.
So he jumps out of the car.
He looks around.
It turns out there are these two like goons standing there.
I mean, these are enormous guys.
These guys are very frightening.
And one guy looks at Jerry, he says to him-- He says, "Hey, you got a problem, hippie?" [grunts.]
Well, Jerry immediately figures out that if he doesn't do something quick, he's going to die.
So all of the sudden he just-- [laughs.]
He just loses his mind, right? And he starts hitting these guys.
I mean, wailing on them, flailing around.
Well, they're starting to get scared.
I mean, they're looking at this guy, and they're starting to cower away, back away.
All of the sudden, Jerry starts yelling, "You picked on the wrong hippie.
"You picked on the wrong hippie.
" It was the only fight of my entire life.
I swear to god I would've taken that guy with the glasses, with the mescaline we were on.
And you know what? You had that little, little cut over your left eye.
And Deana Schullman decides that-- Oh, God, Deana Schullman! to the emergency room.
Yeah, Deana Schullman.
You went out with her for like two years.
- Four months.
- No way.
Four months? Agh, the most miserable four months of my entire life.
God, what a dog.
Going to bed with her was like boot camp.
The way she used to tell me what to do.
Jerry, you were madly in love with her.
Oh.
- I was.
- Yeah, you were.
We were so stupid.
What about you and Emily Birch? - Yeah.
- Huh? Do you ever hear from her? Uh, well, actually yeah.
She's doing great.
She was in town last year, and she, um, stayed with us.
She stayed with you? [laughs.]
You should've seen them together at the dorm.
He always used to say that they were just friends, and he'd be waiting around her room and his hands all over her and writing poetry and I don't know what.
It was perverse.
[doorbell rings.]
Yeah.
Well, she's doing great.
She's into, yeah, books, publishing, stuff like that.
Oh, my god, Lorie Hamilton.
Lorie Hamilton? Did you sleep with her? Hey, please.
Shut up.
You always-- You always said that you slept with her.
We did everything but that, okay? Oh, Kravitz, you're such a dork.
Yeah, well, look at you.
Yeah, yeah, all the suburban life now and married and all this stuff.
Well, yeah.
Shepherd hasn't changed much, though, huh? Uh, no, but look at you, man.
You got this, you know, demographics and exit polls, and I don't even know what.
It's-- It's fun.
Politics is very sexy.
I would think that would be your kind of politics.
Well, it's not about the politics.
- It's about the process.
It's-- - [Janey crying.]
- Yeah, but-- - Do you hear--? Do you hear--? I think, uh-- Is she still having nightmares? - Um, I'll get her.
- No, I'll get her.
No, no, no, really.
Okay, I'll get her.
Save it for Deana Schullman, Jerry.
Yeah, but geez.
Where did you find her? Amazing.
So why didn't you just tell me how you felt about it? - You would've laughed.
- I wouldn't do that.
Yeah, you laughed when I walked the precincts for Dukakis.
It was such a waste of time.
Not for me.
Mm.
All right.
So maybe McKay isn't so great.
What's the difference? She was a big fan for reinstating the death penalty.
So? Agh, what's this? The new reactionary? Since when do you believe in capital punishment? I don't believe in capital punishment, Hope.
Ever since we had a kid, though-- Look, I would kill, with my bare hands, if anyone dared to harm Janey, but that's not the point.
The state doesn't have the right to take a life.
Oh, come on, Hope.
The state takes a convict, right, they put him in a hole for 60 years.
They turn him into an animal.
He is raped and I don't know what.
Now, come on, Hope, who are we kidding? Huh? That's taking a human life just the same as flipping the switch on the electric chair.
Yeah, it's still not a license to murder.
Yeah, and you know what? They sit in Washington, and they cut safety regulations.
Thousands of people die in car accidents every year.
And the consumer just keeps on buying them.
Okay, there's still a principle involved here.
Is there? How come clothes are all over the room? Janey.
She took everything out of my drawers when I had to call in revisions this morning.
You're evading the issue.
No, I'm not.
You don't want me doing the job.
Right.
Too late.
We already signed on for it.
Sorry.
Come in.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Rosie's not here yet.
Nope.
Damn, we need those revised figures by tonight.
- Did you tell her 7:30? - Yeah, I told her.
This your office? Till the end of the year, yeah.
Well, that's a shame.
Yeah, well.
Do you want some coffee or anything? - Sure.
- Which I don't have.
Oh.
[clears throat.]
[strums.]
- Sorry.
- No.
Oh! Oh, my God, be careful with that.
- Geez, those sharpen this? - Did you cut yourself? - Yeah, it's not bad.
- I'm sorry.
- No, it's okay.
- It's sort of a hobby of mine.
I was a medieval studies major for a while.
- Really? - Yeah.
But it was just one more after another.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, where could she be? Uh, us two-- Maybe we should finish this-- yeah, go finish the revisions together since she's not even here.
Great.
That's a good idea.
No, please, I can do this.
No, I have the chair.
Thank you.
Okay.
Please, I-- Please.
Look, the other night there was some weirdness.
Well, yeah, a little.
And I don't have time-- I-I'm not really interested anymore in-- in flirtation.
Yeah, well, I sort of figured that.
Personally, I'm rather fond of flirtations.
I figured that.
Anyway I'm sure there are lots of women who are attracted to your peculiar combination of hair and whimsy, but I'm not one of them.
Fine.
Can we finish this here? [yelps.]
Oh, Geez! Geez.
- God, are you okay? - Yeah, I'm fine.
- Really? - Really.
If you'd let me-- Please, I can do this myself.
Hi, guys, sorry I'm late.
The Schuylkill was a nightmare.
- [grunts.]
- Thank you.
- Hey, Rosie.
- Hi.
She, uh fell.
How much you talking about? About maybe 30% there.
It's not New York City.
It's not worth spending any more money.
- That's fine.
- I agree, and I like the stuff you got.
- Okay, so we got that.
- The whole mariachi band stuff.
- Got that.
- Yeah.
All right, so now inner-city stuff, right? I want something a little smoother than they've got.
- Good.
- Republican, it's hard to swing a vote, right? Absolutely.
I agree.
I agree completely.
Very good.
Yeah, we got that.
Done.
Finished.
Good.
Okay, so this one-- fantastic.
You got 40%.
You got people reporting on this one.
- Delaware Valley-- - I've done a lot of work there.
- We're good.
- Okay, Delaware Valley local's done.
Jerry, you never could shoot.
I'll tell you, man.
He had six shots in his whole life.
Just watch the Philly boys here, okay? - Uh-huh.
- Yeah.
- Boom.
- Ooh, steady Steadman, yeah.
- Okay, Delaware Valley.
- All right, this is fine.
We're cooking now.
Okay, this is the local Jewish press.
- Okay, good.
- I'm circling quotes you can use, all right? What does she have to say about Israel anyway? Well, it depends on who she's talking to, doesn't it? No, really, Jerry, what does she have to say about Israel? Really I don't know exactly.
I mean, I'm not in the loop for policy positions.
I thought you were her media advisor? Right, and this is a Senate campaign.
It's not a civics class.
Come on, it's about demographics, market research, You guys know this.
That's why I hired you.
Okay, who does your numbers? Because we have these guys outnumbered.
They think I should know.
- just said that Rizzo sicced the cops on us.
- Oh, man, okay.
That's right, trashing City Hall is really going to get you something.
Yeah, trashing City Hall, bashing cops wherever it takes but you're just interested in checking out women's bodies.
Kravitz, shut up! Shut up! Yeah, the question is are you willing to stand up for anything you believe in, or are you just too worried about what your father's going to think if you get busted? Oh, yeah, Shepherd's really a big man.
That's the bottom line here.
Break some windows in City Hall, Gary.
That's going to solve everything, right? What about when the cops bring guns? Cops aren't going to bring guns.
Cops carry guns, Shepherd.
You're just scared, man.
You're just scared.
- That's the bottom line.
- Get serious with me.
- I am serious with you.
- It's more complicated than that.
It's not more complicated.
Oh, man, don't give me this, whatever it takes, whatever it takes.
- It's not that simple.
- If they're bringing guns, I'm bringing guns.
No pig messes with me, Steadman.
Come on, let's go.
We've got no time.
We've got no time.
[Kravitz.]
Right now we've got Hart and Layman doing it, and they've no longer-- - [Elliot.]
Expensive? - [Kravitz.]
They're kind of expensive.
[Kravitz.]
The wine that Scott uses-- I mean, he's cheap.
[Elliot.]
They have any problems with conservative, liberal? They don't care who they're working for? Race Street Project-- it's a boring name.
- I know.
- This is a boring job.
- I know.
- Why did we take it anyway? - Guilt.
- Oh, yeah, forgot.
You know we're going to be late on the Motherland radio spot.
Shut up, Elliot, and keep working.
Gary's going to be here any minute.
- Who's she? - Who? - [Woman.]
They're right in here.
- [Susannah.]
Great.
- Hi.
- Hi.
I'm Susannah Hart.
Race Street Project.
- Oh, yeah.
- Oh, hi, hi.
I'm Michael Steadman, and that's Elliot Weston.
- Elliot Weston, hi.
- Is Gary coming? No.
I got out of a meeting early, so I told him I'd save him the trip.
It's a real impressive show you have down there.
I know you've gone to a lot of trouble to help us out, and I really, really appreciate it-- Before you get too grateful, you ought to see our work.
Oh, and-- Wow.
It's so professional.
We fake that very well.
I love this blue.
It's very bold.
I did that.
I thought it should look very important.
Who did the pictures? Melissa Steadman.
She's my cousin.
Those-- They're great.
You didn't have to use this one right here.
You don't have to use this lettering if you want.
See, I don't like this.
I like the Helvetica bold.
Show her that, will you? No, Mike, it offsets the whole rhythm of everything.
- Offsets the rhythm of it.
- Here it is right here.
You could do this in this same blue right here.
- You could do that.
- No, I like that.
That's nice.
Diana McKay? [Elliot.]
Yeah, we're doing some work for her, real big-time stuff, huh? - For Diana McKay.
- Yeah, she's running for the Senate, actually.
She's a little out there, but it's going to help pay Elliot's bar tab at the Donut Dugout-- Senate-- that's a scary thought.
I mean, are you guys fans of her or? No.
No, her media advisor-- We hung out together at Penn, and Gary, too, actually.
He and Gary and I hung out together.
Did he tell you wha-- I-- I mean McKay would love to eliminate all the entitlement programs, all-- Was this guy a good friend of yours and Gary's, this guy at Penn? Uh, well, you know-- you know.
Actually he wants to have these town meetings, and I think it's pretty cute.
Town meetings-- don't you think that's kind of a gimmick? I know it's none of my business.
I shouldn't get into this, but it-- No, you know something? You're right.
We should give some thought to this.
I-I'm sorry.
Anyway, if there's not a problem here, why don't we just go ahead with this and-- Thank you.
Yeah-- no, it's wonderful, really.
Thank you very much.
It was very nice meeting you.
- Yeah, you, too.
- Nice to meet you.
Say hi to Gary, okay? - I will.
- Okay.
- Yeah.
Good-bye.
- Bye-bye.
See you later.
Okay.
Love to spend some more time with you, but we're scheduled to napalm some babies this afternoon.
Oh, gee, Mommy.
- [Hope.]
Where's your daddy? - Where is he? - I don't know.
- Mommy? - How about a boat? - [Michael.]
Where is everybody? We're up here.
[whispers.]
Is that your boat? - Hi.
Hi, sweetie.
- [Janey coos.]
Hi.
Michael, just tell me one thing.
Please tell me that you've eaten.
I didn't.
I thought, what if you planned something? Oh, I did.
I did.
I planned a luau, a luau, yeah, but I went to the market, and they had run out of poi.
- [Janey coos.]
- You want Chinese? Do you have cash? I don't.
$6.
00.
There's probably a few bucks in the diaper bag.
- Moo shu? - Moo shu.
[Rosie.]
I think this is the building.
Sure I should be here? You said you wanted to see how this works for step one.
I know, I know.
It's just-- It's just if I were those people, I'd hate me.
Don't have time for liberal angst.
Come or don't come.
It's up to you.
Are you as dismissive with your clients as you are with me? No, Susannah is in charge of scaring away all the volunteers.
It's a nasty job, but somebody's got to do it.
I am not dismissive of them or of you.
I just don't have time for emotional gymnastics.
- Emotional gymnastics.
- 101.
Does she stay up nights working on this material? Think this has got something to do with some work for Diana McKay? I'll talk Michael out of it.
Thought they were your friends.
I can't even believe they'd consider working for that woman.
Do your friends have to pass some sort of social-political litmus test before you have them over for dinner? Susannah doesn't cook.
Come to think of it, she doesn't have a hell of a lot of friends.
I have friends.
Okay, come with me tomorrow.
We'll go to Michael's.
Now, why would I want to do that? Because we can convince him not to do this McKay thing, and plus you'll see that he's a good guy.
No, I have workshops all afternoon.
Does this girl ever stop? Okay, come with-- Sat-- Sunday night.
We're going over there for chili or-- - [Woman.]
You're rotten, you know that? - Change? He's only going to buy a drink with it.
- [Woman.]
I'm leaving! - Here, sir.
Bye.
Come on, really, why don-- You'll like them.
Why do you need me to like them? I don't need you to like them.
I just want you to meet them, for God's sake.
They might like you, though I don't know why.
- This is stupid.
- Absolutely.
- Ellyn Warren will be there.
- Ellyn Warren, City Services? - Yeah.
- She's a friend of Michael's? Yeah, so come on.
Why don't you ju-- just come.
You don't have to enjoy yourself or anything.
- Hi, Mrs.
Grant.
- Hi.
These are the people I'd like you to meet.
They might be able to help Shelly.
Can we come in? Sure.
So I made some calls around Harrisburg for you.
Yeah, can we talk about this at lunch? I'm starving.
No.
I can't eat with a run, Michael.
You know that.
- Huh? Looks nice, huh? - [mutters.]
That's pretty good.
Yeah, so the consensus is she's a killer.
- A killer? - Mm-hmm.
- Great.
- I know.
I thought you'd like that.
She has an incredible management team behind her.
She's running for the big one in '96, and she's not going to make the same kind of mistakes Ferraro made.
She knows the game, and she's been real effective in the Assembly.
Effective? At what? Ha ha.
That's the question, though, isn't it? - Hi, Ellyn.
- Hi.
- Who was that? - I have no idea.
- [mumbles.]
- So Michael.
- Mm-hmm? - Look for black opaque, size B, sandalfoot, all-cotton crotch.
Five-speed or automatic? The toxic waste commission gave her a platform, made her look real good.
Okay, wasn't there something about health care? Yeah, she consistently supports health-care cuts.
- Uh-huh.
- Plus cuts in aid to dependent children.
- Uh-huh.
- Plus cuts in food stamps.
- [Michael chuckles.]
- She opposes legislation for the handicapped, but she's really big on the family.
Of course she has sort of a June Cleaver, Ronald Reagan idea of what the family is.
Okay, so I'm a total reprobate for working for her, right? I don't know.
I've cut deals with people that make her look like Mother Teresa.
- [Object clatters to the floor.]
- Sorry.
Excuse us.
Here, I got it.
Yeah, I bet you do, you foot fetishist.
Listen, don't knock it.
- Hmm? - Yeah.
You know my friend Mitchell? - Hmm? - Tall guy.
He's got a beard.
He's a writer.
- You mean with little Lucy? - Little Lucy, yeah.
- You mean he's - Uh-huh.
- But they're married.
- Yeah, 15 years.
It ain't the cookin', babe.
Here, relax-- sandalfoot 5-B.
No, these are sheer.
I want opaque.
So why are you working for this woman if you're afraid of getting your suspenders soiled? Uh, Jerry Kravitz.
I keep forgetting that college and reality were incompatible.
[sighs.]
[clears throat.]
- Hi.
- [Susannah.]
Hi.
I really should be working, you know.
Oh, this will be good for you, really.
Good for me? What do you mean? Well, let your hair down, have a few laughs.
Get a little drunk, take off my glasses, which I don't wear.
- Yeah, that's right.
- You're funny.
I bet you think I never climax, and you can make me.
- Hi, Gare.
- Hi, Melissa.
Um, this is You did the pictures.
Thanks, they were great.
- I had fun doing them.
- Everybody, this is Susannah Hart.
- Hi.
- This is Hope.
And this is Ellyn Warren.
Ah, yes, I've heard a lot about you.
- Uh-oh.
- And this is Elliot and Mike-- Oh, you probably met them.
- At the office, yeah.
- Hi.
How you doing? - I love your house.
- Oh, thanks.
- Here.
- So you're really shaking up those Neanderthals over in the Department of Social Services.
We're just trying to get some action out of them, anything-- Do you mind if I smoke? Hey, how did you get that money for the urban housing thing? Housing's been waffling on that thing for years.
Shriver Foundation picked up most of it, then we picked up nickels and dimes here and there.
Susannah's program has been used as a model throughout the whole country now.
Isn't that great? - Yeah, great.
- Great.
[Susannah.]
Thank you.
Here, try the ones with the cantaloupe.
- No, thanks.
- Oh, the bruschetta's really good.
No, thanks, I really don't eat meat.
You don't eat meat? Oh, we're having chili with beef for dinner.
No, it's okay.
I don't really eat much anyway.
I have salad and bread.
It's all right.
Don't worry.
I'll be fine.
How old is your daughter? - She's 2 years old.
- She's adorable.
Hey, Michael, I'm not going to have to take pictures with Diana McKay, am I? Yeah, yeah, but we're going to put a disclaimer on the bottom of the copy that says, "So vote for Diana McKay, but we're not.
" - Yeah.
- Or we could do, like, this really bad job.
It'll be easy.
We'll just-- We can dedicate ourselves to sabotaging her campaign.
Yeah, the guerrilla ad men of Philadelphia.
Yeah, Michael and Elliot, under budget and under cover.
It'll be great.
Then Cassetti's people, they can pay us, too, and we can get twice as much money.
- Hmm.
- [Elliot cackles.]
Come on, it's a big old farmhouse.
It'll be perfect.
Forget it.
I know what the mattresses are like in these rooms.
Oh, it's going to be great.
There's a creek, a pond.
Mosquitoes, leeches.
Can't wait to get away from the city for a few weeks this summer.
That sounds nice.
All of you together? Oh, I'll love it.
We're going to get corn on the cob, make tomatoes, make these huge meals, very Big Chill.
- Yeah, I get to have the affair with Meg Tilly.
- [Elliot.]
Can I be dead? - You say it's available starting June 24th? - Yeah, through July 12th.
You'll be in your seventh month.
- You're pregnant.
- Yeah.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
You got a haircut.
37 minutes since he walked in the door, and he just noticed my haircut.
Hey, look.
You got a haircut.
No, Elliot, my neck just got longer.
- Do I have to help you? - Of course not.
You know what? Nancy got a perm one time when she was pregnant with Britty.
I didn't notice for three days.
And yet your marriage failed.
Shocking.
Yeah, I knew there was something different.
I thought it was her stomach.
Who wants what to drink? We got beer and wine.
- [Elliot.]
Beer, definitely beer.
- You want something? - You sure? - No, really.
I'll have one.
You know what we should do, though.
We should rent a place on the shore.
I'd love to lay on the beach and read War and Peace.
[Hope.]
Oh, it's way too expensive.
We used to rent a place down in Long Beach Island, my parents.
Hope would come down for a week every summer and steal my boyfriend.
Only if he was cute.
Yeah, we used to go to Avalon every 4th of July.
- Oh, yeah? - God, I hated it.
- The lifeguards were-- - You hated the lifeguards? Michael.
- Michael was a lifeguard.
- Really? Hey, did you have, like, one of those little plastic nose shields and lots of jock straps and everything? - Yeah.
- Really? I was too skinny to be a lifeguard.
Too cool, too.
Yeah, me, too.
Too cool.
Michael, I need that space.
It's perfect for me.
It's my home.
I'm just saying that in principle you can't stop development.
- Sure you can.
- [Hope.]
Sometimes you can, under certain circumstances, you can.
Okay, "gentrification--" It's a horrible word, but unfortunately it's a natural part of the life cycle of the city.
You have got to bring people with money to spend back into the city, or the city dies.
- And the people displaced.
- Like me.
Only without Melissa's resources.
You do everything you can to provide better housing for them elsewhere or nearby or even in the community itself.
You make financial compensation, but you do not stop the process.
And when that doesn't work, which is what happens, you know? - She's right.
- You break up communities, extended families, neighborhood alliances that make people's lives work.
Financial compensation doesn't touch that.
Wait a minute.
I'm not saying that there isn't a down side.
Down side? Where'd you learn to talk like that? I'm just saying that there has to be an opportunity for investment.
Private money has to have a stake in the city.
It is part of the arch-- - You are dealing with numbers and abstractions-- - Numbers and abstractions? I am dealing with people on the street, what they eat and where they live, if they eat, if they have a place to live.
You can pontificate on your saving-- You watch the city die in 20 years.
- You think that's pontification? - You have no idea what-- I have no idea where you're going to find an apartment with that much light, and a tame cockroach population.
- Thanks again.
- Good night.
- Good night.
- Yeah, good night.
[door closes.]
I thought Nancy was a little hostile.
I tried to talk to her.
[both shiver.]
Well, it's all very nice if you know the secret handshake.
[chuckles.]
What do you mean? Well, it's kind of a closed club, isn't it? Perfect.
She doesn't eat meat.
She attacked me at my own dining room table.
It's quite a house.
Yeah, it's full of dry rot and rusty pipes, too.
So is there anything you liked about them? She didn't like anything about us.
I liked Hope.
Being pregnant suits her.
It must be nice to be so domestic.
I saw her watching me clearing the table.
Thought I was a doormat.
Oh, domestic.
Yeah, that's true.
She also happens to be one of the best consumer affairs writers in the state.
What about Melissa? Don't think I liked her much.
[Hope.]
Is he dating her? Oh, he's so weird about women, who knows? Oh, thanks.
If this was a movie, he'd be in bed with her before I finished my Junior Mints.
Look, Gary.
Does it matter whether I like your friends? We're just working together.
I don't need to join a club.
Well, that's fine.
It's just, it's not a club.
Fine.
It's not a club.
Good night, Susannah.
Oh, uh, Susannah.
The-- Like, what you were talking about before? Just so I'll know.
Never? Sometimes? Every time? [car starts.]
[humming.]
[imitating pouring liquid.]
[clinking glass.]
[laughs.]
What are you doing? [sighs.]
Testing the product.
Beats doing all this McKay stuff.
Mm.
Hey! Drink milk.
It's good for ya.
I need the keys to your house.
I left mine with my tools.
Uh-huh.
Think you'll get the patching done today? Yeah, I'll try.
- So.
- So.
It was quite a night last night.
Yeah, your friend's charming, Gary.
Does she ever lighten up? No, not really.
We argue all the time.
But there's something about her that-- You're just mad because you know how she feels about McKay, and you know she's right.
No, I'm just mad because she's a judgmental bitch.
No, no.
You're the judgmental one here.
No, Gary, what do you know, huh? You indulge in a little political activism because it's convenient-- like a trip to Club Med, you know? - Who can you pick up? - Watch it.
No, no, no.
Listen, you watch it.
You waltz in here, Gary, and you tell me what to do, you know? But you know nothing about my responsibilities-- Yeah, you have responsibilities, and one of them is to not work for the election of someone like McKay.
- You're right.
- What's happened to you? - You've gotten so comfortable.
- You're right, Gary.
- You got it, okay? - Oh, ho, Gary Shepherd! - Jerry, wow.
- What? Did you get embalmed in 1972? - You look exactly the same.
- Good to see you.
So what are you doing in Philly, boy? I thought you were supposed to go to film school or something.
- Did you screw up again? - I went to graduate school.
I'm a teacher.
[laughs.]
They'll let anybody teach these days, huh? Yeah.
Kind of the way they'll let anybody run for the Senate.
[gasps.]
Damn! You haven't changed a bit.
How'd you manage that? Hey.
Hey, Gar.
Gary.
Well, now that Jiminy Cricket's gone-- So, Jerry, how can we further serve you? What's that supposed to mean? - Nothing.
- Wait a minute.
Wait a minute.
You know-- You're lucky you got this job.
Uh, they wanted somebody in New York.
Hey.
Hey, hey-- Too bad you didn't give them what they want, Jerry.
Oh, please, Michael.
[classical, loud.]
Are you tired? Oh, I know, sweetie.
Gary! - [crying.]
- What are you doing? - I love you, Momma.
- Gary! - [shuts off record player.]
- [Gary.]
Oh! - [crying.]
- Hope, it doesn't look very good up here.
I thought you were going to patch it up today.
Yeah, well, a lot of this framing needs replacing.
Oh, you want some juice, sweetie? Yes, please.
- Juice make you feel better.
- I like juice.
Yeah.
How much is it going to cost? Couple thousand, depending on who you get.
- It's too big a job for me.
- Oh, man.
Where are we going to get that? Hope, why is Michael working for McKay? Well, I don't know.
Thought you could tell me.
Well, it's either because he doesn't know what McKay's about-- which is inexcusable-- or he doesn't care, which is horrifying.
Well, he knows what she's about.
I mean, I don't know what to do.
God! I mean, you know, you live with somebody and you think you know them pretty well, and then-- I don't know, you drift, ideas change, and you know, you have a kid, and then you don't even have time to talk, or to think out loud with somebody listening.
But you-- you can't tell him to stop.
I don't know what I can tell him, but I don't think he takes orders from me.
Hello? [door closes.]
- Are we speaking? - Simple declarative sentences on neutral subjects, like your house is falling down.
Oh.
So what does this mean? It means, dry rot, from there to the ceiling.
New framing and new joists.
Another county heard from.
- Kravitz left today.
- Good.
No, it's not good, but it's done.
And we need the job real badly.
So what if she beats Cassetti? Is this an Inquisition? - Whose side are you on? - Yours.
What if she beats Cassetti? If she beats Cassetti, I will be very sorry.
But I cannot make myself responsible for the vote of every citizen of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
What are you responsible for, then? Myself, my vote, my family, my friends, my partner, my staff Is that it? No, but I don't have to answer to you or your lovely associate in good deeds.
I don't even have to answer to you, Hope.
Michael, we're just trying to understand what it is you're thinking.
You know, I see that spreadsheet in my mind every hour of every day.
I never thought it was going to be like this.
I don't particularly like it, but there are a lot of people that depend on me right now.
You two, you don't want to hear about pension and sick leave and paperwork or what it does to me that I can't afford to give the people who work for me a good health plan and everything else that they should have.
I don't talk to either of you about stuff like that, and maybe sometimes I think too much about the bottom line, and, hey, I know I sound like my father, and oh, God, how I resented how cautious he was.
I mean the nickels and dimes.
Oh, I was so ashamed of him.
I never thought he saw the big picture.
I know, you swore you'd never be like him.
We all swore that.
Why didn't you talk to us about this stuff? - Oh, because it's boring.
- No, it's not.
Oh, listen, next time-- next time we'll be more vigilant about who we work for.
Okay.
Yeah, okay, so don't ask me to do any work for your Trotskyite friends, either.
Susannah's not a Trotskyite.
- Oh, God, Susannah.
- She's not.
Now, if we could just get Curtis' grandmother off his back.
I'm supposed to see her next week about his evaluation.
Maybe Gary should go with you.
Oh, no.
He's too afraid she won't like him.
Doesn't mind you.
She's not getting bothered by me.
Now, what is that supposed to mean? Oh, go ahead.
Tell her what it means.
We don't have any work to do around here.
Let's just say you're formidable and occasionally rude.
You know what I hate about you and your friends? That civility, that easy, compliant attitude.
Everything's okay.
Nothing's worth getting upset about.
Would you knock it off? I am so sick of your attitude.
- My attitude? - Yes, your attitude.
You judge everybody.
You judge their house.
You judge their clothes.
You judged Michael and dismissed him on the basis of one piece of information.
Your friend Michael is actively supporting a political agenda based on greed and selfishness.
I can't just relax and enjoy his company.
My friend Michael is an idiot on a few narrow issues, but he would lay down his life for me, his life.
That's great.
That's terrific.
What he's doing is still repulsive.
Just stop it.
Would you just knock it off? - Just knock it off.
- Thank you, Jerome.
There are causes and issues here you don't know anything about.
This should be good.
Yeah, it is.
Friendship-- friendship and loyalty maintained over years and changes in people's lives.
You have to be vigilant about friendship.
You have to attend to it, and you don't make it on the basis of one issue, and you certainly don't dismiss it on the basis of one mistake.
That's very nice, but that's not what I'm talking-- No, it's actually a lot more than very nice.
- Where are your friends? - I have friends.
I've watched you.
You're very giving to the people around here.
What am I listening to? You have no right.
You don't know me.
You're right.
I don't.
I'd like to get to know you.
I admit that, which is more than you're willing to admit to anybody.
In fact, it's more than you're willing to let yourself feel about anybody.
Oh, now we're into touchy-feely.
Oh, that's great.
Love that attitude.
That's terrific.
You can't even look me in the eye and tell me what you're feeling.
No, try it, try it.
I dare you.
Look me in the eye and tell me one damn true thing you're really feeling.
Tell Rosie I won't be back today.
I really don't need this, you know? Are you going to call me, or am I supposed to call you? Yes.
Oh, yes.
Your troubles are just beginning.
[footsteps approaching.]
Hi.
Oh, thanks.
Oh [Michael.]
Why is it always 10 below when we do this? - Man, are you cold? - [Gary.]
Freezing.
- Oh, I can't feel my fingers.
- Just a couple more.
Ho ho ho ho, the Sixers tonight, 14th row, almost center court-- I got one extra.
- Make me an offer, scuzbags.
- Wait a minute, Kravitz.
You're speaking at this thing tonight.
You can't go to-- - Who are they playing? - Boston.
- No, no, they'll be playing next week.
- Havlicek and Russell.
- Hey, wait a minute.
- We have 20 minutes to get there.
- Make me an offer.
What do you say? - I'll give you 6 bucks.
- 10 bucks.
- No, no, come on.
- 10 bucks.
- 8 bucks.
All right, all right.
Going to the gentleman wearing Bonnie Kellerman's scarf.
Come on, vamos, man.
Let's go.
Give my regards to the body politic, Mike.
[Kravitz laughing.]
Hey, what do you say? Closed-Captioned By J.
R.
Media Services, Inc.
Burbank, CA And dance by the light of the moon