Once and Again (1999) s02e15 Episode Script
Standing Room Only
What about you guys? Think you'll have another kid? [sighs.]
[chuckles.]
l don't know.
How about you? You ready for midnight feedings and breast pumps and strollers? You know what's weird? That was the best part for me.
l-l have no fear of the children in any way.
lt's Well, that's that's good.
So You're moving in, huh? - So they say.
- lt's a nice house.
l always wanted to put a bay window in this front wall here.
lt's so dark.
That's a really good idea.
l was just always afraid it would be a big deal.
You'll have to throw in a whole new header ln houses of this era, they often put an oversized header in windows just like this.
- You're kidding me.
- No, it's the strangest thing, as if they knew people might want bigger windows.
- Want to find out? - Now? You don't have to do this, you know.
Oh, no, no, no.
lt would give me great pleasure to see this job finally get done.
l'm serious.
You think the header might go all the way over to there? Absolutely.
Sometimes you can tell just by knocking, you know.
- Yeah, l find studs that way.
- Who needs magnets, huh? l can't hear anything now, though.
Well, let's just - [banging.]
- There's no header there.
l'll think about it.
They were really expensive.
What are you doing? Remember that bay window that l always wanted to put up here? We could certainly use more light in this part of the [rod crashes.]
Uh-oh.
Okay, l should've asked before l put a hole in the wall.
- Maybe.
- ls that what you're mad about? This desk doesn't fit in this room.
- Okay.
- Okay, what do we do about it? You just assume you're gonna make all of these decisions, and, yes, it's gonna be your house, but it doesn't feel like my house anymore.
Am l just supposed to sit back? The man makes all the decisions? Let me know what role you want me to play.
What are you doing? Leaving.
That's what you want, isn't it? No! Please, l'm trying to figure out what all this means.
Lil, l come in this house, l feel utterly like an alien.
There's not a thing l've done or said the whole time that hasn't caused a reaction like l'm l'm imposing, like an intruder.
You are imposing.
Not all the time.
l don't know.
lt's not like that.
l-l just l don't know how to make this work.
l feel like everything leads to disaster.
Rick, it's not that bad.
[sighs.]
l-l-l don't understand.
Neither do l.
But l l don't think l should spend the night.
Do you agree? l don't know.
Then you do.
Call you tomorrow.
- [girls giggling.]
- [Jake.]
Shh! Mom could be sleeping.
- Mom? - Mom, you okay? - Sure.
How was dinner? - Great.
We had waffles.
Girls, it's really late.
You need to get ready for bed.
Yes, Mother dear.
- Can we have waffles for breakfast? - Zoe! - Night, Mom.
- Good night.
Night, Dad.
Thanks again.
Yep.
[sighs.]
Sorry again about the, uh the mess there.
lt's fine.
- You sick? - No.
Whenever you were sick, you'd crawl off into some corner like a wounded animal.
l'm not sick.
Just a wounded animal.
Oh.
Sorry.
Oh, my, but life is a large and unpredictable, unmanageable You can stop right there.
l mean, we used to be on the same same ship.
Now we just kind of see our running lights disappearing off in the distance.
Are you happy, Jake? Oh, well, that's the question, isn't it? Not as happy as l once was.
Thank you.
And you? Well, if you'd have asked me that two days ago, it would have been an easy question.
- l think he's a good guy.
- Oh.
l don't know what to do with that information.
Just have it.
And who knows? Maybe by tomorrow everything will be better.
When did you get nice? l try to hide it as best l can.
Good night, Lil.
Good night, Jake.
[door closes.]
Hey, kid.
- Jess! - What? Your permission slip.
l'll get it.
[robotic voice.]
Your permission slip is invalid.
You are restricted from all field trip activities.
- You are so weird, Dad.
- [robotic voice.]
Thank you.
So, when are we gonna move in? Not today, l can tell you that.
You guys had a fight.
[chuckles.]
Don't sound so hopeful, Jess.
Just let me know so l can pack.
l know how you feel, sweetie.
That sentence should be against the law.
You're right.
You're right.
lt should be.
l'm-l'm just guessing how you feel based on how l feel.
How do you feel? Like the house is full already.
Like there's no place, not even a corner, that's mine, that'll ever feel like mine.
So, why are we doing this? So, is everything off? The wedding? ls that what you want? Zoe, he wouldn't have kept making those waffles, believe me.
Part of me wants it to be off, but l don't want it to be my fault.
How could it be your fault? Yeah, don't l get any credit? l'm the one who's against his stupid project.
- l just wanted my room.
- l know, sweetie.
Believe it or not, l wanted my room too.
Guess that's kind of hard to do when you're married.
- Exactly.
- So, why does he have to move in? There are marriages where people don't live together.
- Really? - Yeah.
Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.
- Who are they? - They were on Survivor, - Grace.
- l'd hate to be on Survivor, To be in some strange place where you can't trust anybody, and nobody wants you there, and you get kicked out at any second.
Kind of like how Rick and his kids must've felt here.
So, um, should we take one car or two? Two.
- Are you okay? - Yeah.
How about if we take two cars? You know, and we we each go home tonight.
Okay.
That's cool.
Come on.
Jake, what is it? Whatever it is, would you say it? l can't stand looking at your face - all twisted up.
- l can't do it.
You can't l will be this baby's father.
l mean, everything.
M-Money l l just l can't l can't be with you and this baby in some instant family.
Well, it's not instant.
You know, l mean, it's gonna take seven more months.
And l'm not going anywhere.
l'm not running away.
[scoffs.]
Whatever.
Whatever.
[sighs.]
Okay Jake.
[sighs.]
l'm sorry.
Maybe you're just scared, you know? Maybe when the baby comes lt's just all of this at once.
l think it'd be really unfair for me to let you believe that that'd happen.
Well, you're not a psychic.
You don't know the future.
- Hey.
- Hey.
You could've come in.
Oh, l thought it was best if we met in neutral territory.
l hate this.
- Let's just live in the car.
- [chuckles.]
Are we just scared? ls this buyer's remorse? - Do you want to return me? - You want to return me? l came to apologize, but l-l-l don't think l'm gonna do any better.
l think we should make it a goal to be as petty, annoying, unwelcoming, invading, horrible and selfish as possible.
That way, we'd be happy right now.
Really? Yeah.
'Cause l'm not gonna lose you.
You mean l can breathe? For just a second.
- Hey.
Jacket, buddy.
- lt's okay.
So, is this actually a family meeting? Yes, it's a family meeting.
- Ooh! - What are we meeting about? We're meeting about Well, we're meeting about being a family.
What your mom what Lily and l are saying is that if we're gonna be a family, and we are, that sometimes things are gonna get a little messy.
- And that's okay.
- Because you see this house? We don't want you to think of it as a house.
We want you to think of it as a prison.
- Excuse me? - You're prisoners in this house, and we're the wardens, Rick and l, your father and l.
And you're right.
You didn't do the crime that got you here.
Your parents did.
Well, sorry.
Though you don't have the right to leave, you have the right to speak, even if it's about something you don't like.
What's the point? lt's not gonna change anything.
- Might change the way you feel.
- You can't tell people how to feel.
Well, exactly.
We're just telling you to express it, that's all.
So, you want us to say bad things about moving in together? lf that's how you feel.
Well, l still want bunk beds.
Jess? And l really don't.
And l really don't want to share a room, either.
Well, neither do l.
- Well, neither do l.
- Neither does he.
Grace is going off to college in two years.
You'll each have a room of your own.
Then l'm going to college the year after that.
So we're only talking about two or three years, and then we're all gone anyway.
l'll still be here.
On the other hand, two years can be a very long time.
These two minutes have been a very long time.
They think if they make you talk, you'll automatically feel better.
My shrink does the same thing.
They do it for themselves.
Their lives would be easier - if we just shut up about all this.
- Exactly.
- Wait.
- You wanted to hear what we had to say.
- And l say family meetings are stupid.
- Yeah, l second that.
- That's what we're doing.
- Can't make us talk.
Well, then we will just sit here and be silent.
- l have trouble being silent.
- Okay, kids, look No, those in favor of adjourning the meeting? - Wait a minute.
- l second that.
- Excuse me.
Rick and l - All those in favor? - [kids.]
Aye! - That was rough.
- [Eli.]
You got anything to eat? - [Grace.]
Leftover yams.
- [Zoe.]
Ha! - [Eli.]
Good.
And don't think this means we like each other.
- Yeah, that'll be the day.
- [girls chuckle.]
Was Uncle Aaron always the way he is? - l hope you can come more often.
- l'm doing much better.
- You do remember that? - l remember everything.
God, Judy, he's so much better.
Right, but you're pushing.
[man's voice.]
Aaron, - You okay? - You're not doing so good, are you? No!
[chuckles.]
l don't know.
How about you? You ready for midnight feedings and breast pumps and strollers? You know what's weird? That was the best part for me.
l-l have no fear of the children in any way.
lt's Well, that's that's good.
So You're moving in, huh? - So they say.
- lt's a nice house.
l always wanted to put a bay window in this front wall here.
lt's so dark.
That's a really good idea.
l was just always afraid it would be a big deal.
You'll have to throw in a whole new header ln houses of this era, they often put an oversized header in windows just like this.
- You're kidding me.
- No, it's the strangest thing, as if they knew people might want bigger windows.
- Want to find out? - Now? You don't have to do this, you know.
Oh, no, no, no.
lt would give me great pleasure to see this job finally get done.
l'm serious.
You think the header might go all the way over to there? Absolutely.
Sometimes you can tell just by knocking, you know.
- Yeah, l find studs that way.
- Who needs magnets, huh? l can't hear anything now, though.
Well, let's just - [banging.]
- There's no header there.
l'll think about it.
They were really expensive.
What are you doing? Remember that bay window that l always wanted to put up here? We could certainly use more light in this part of the [rod crashes.]
Uh-oh.
Okay, l should've asked before l put a hole in the wall.
- Maybe.
- ls that what you're mad about? This desk doesn't fit in this room.
- Okay.
- Okay, what do we do about it? You just assume you're gonna make all of these decisions, and, yes, it's gonna be your house, but it doesn't feel like my house anymore.
Am l just supposed to sit back? The man makes all the decisions? Let me know what role you want me to play.
What are you doing? Leaving.
That's what you want, isn't it? No! Please, l'm trying to figure out what all this means.
Lil, l come in this house, l feel utterly like an alien.
There's not a thing l've done or said the whole time that hasn't caused a reaction like l'm l'm imposing, like an intruder.
You are imposing.
Not all the time.
l don't know.
lt's not like that.
l-l just l don't know how to make this work.
l feel like everything leads to disaster.
Rick, it's not that bad.
[sighs.]
l-l-l don't understand.
Neither do l.
But l l don't think l should spend the night.
Do you agree? l don't know.
Then you do.
Call you tomorrow.
- [girls giggling.]
- [Jake.]
Shh! Mom could be sleeping.
- Mom? - Mom, you okay? - Sure.
How was dinner? - Great.
We had waffles.
Girls, it's really late.
You need to get ready for bed.
Yes, Mother dear.
- Can we have waffles for breakfast? - Zoe! - Night, Mom.
- Good night.
Night, Dad.
Thanks again.
Yep.
[sighs.]
Sorry again about the, uh the mess there.
lt's fine.
- You sick? - No.
Whenever you were sick, you'd crawl off into some corner like a wounded animal.
l'm not sick.
Just a wounded animal.
Oh.
Sorry.
Oh, my, but life is a large and unpredictable, unmanageable You can stop right there.
l mean, we used to be on the same same ship.
Now we just kind of see our running lights disappearing off in the distance.
Are you happy, Jake? Oh, well, that's the question, isn't it? Not as happy as l once was.
Thank you.
And you? Well, if you'd have asked me that two days ago, it would have been an easy question.
- l think he's a good guy.
- Oh.
l don't know what to do with that information.
Just have it.
And who knows? Maybe by tomorrow everything will be better.
When did you get nice? l try to hide it as best l can.
Good night, Lil.
Good night, Jake.
[door closes.]
Hey, kid.
- Jess! - What? Your permission slip.
l'll get it.
[robotic voice.]
Your permission slip is invalid.
You are restricted from all field trip activities.
- You are so weird, Dad.
- [robotic voice.]
Thank you.
So, when are we gonna move in? Not today, l can tell you that.
You guys had a fight.
[chuckles.]
Don't sound so hopeful, Jess.
Just let me know so l can pack.
l know how you feel, sweetie.
That sentence should be against the law.
You're right.
You're right.
lt should be.
l'm-l'm just guessing how you feel based on how l feel.
How do you feel? Like the house is full already.
Like there's no place, not even a corner, that's mine, that'll ever feel like mine.
So, why are we doing this? So, is everything off? The wedding? ls that what you want? Zoe, he wouldn't have kept making those waffles, believe me.
Part of me wants it to be off, but l don't want it to be my fault.
How could it be your fault? Yeah, don't l get any credit? l'm the one who's against his stupid project.
- l just wanted my room.
- l know, sweetie.
Believe it or not, l wanted my room too.
Guess that's kind of hard to do when you're married.
- Exactly.
- So, why does he have to move in? There are marriages where people don't live together.
- Really? - Yeah.
Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.
- Who are they? - They were on Survivor, - Grace.
- l'd hate to be on Survivor, To be in some strange place where you can't trust anybody, and nobody wants you there, and you get kicked out at any second.
Kind of like how Rick and his kids must've felt here.
So, um, should we take one car or two? Two.
- Are you okay? - Yeah.
How about if we take two cars? You know, and we we each go home tonight.
Okay.
That's cool.
Come on.
Jake, what is it? Whatever it is, would you say it? l can't stand looking at your face - all twisted up.
- l can't do it.
You can't l will be this baby's father.
l mean, everything.
M-Money l l just l can't l can't be with you and this baby in some instant family.
Well, it's not instant.
You know, l mean, it's gonna take seven more months.
And l'm not going anywhere.
l'm not running away.
[scoffs.]
Whatever.
Whatever.
[sighs.]
Okay Jake.
[sighs.]
l'm sorry.
Maybe you're just scared, you know? Maybe when the baby comes lt's just all of this at once.
l think it'd be really unfair for me to let you believe that that'd happen.
Well, you're not a psychic.
You don't know the future.
- Hey.
- Hey.
You could've come in.
Oh, l thought it was best if we met in neutral territory.
l hate this.
- Let's just live in the car.
- [chuckles.]
Are we just scared? ls this buyer's remorse? - Do you want to return me? - You want to return me? l came to apologize, but l-l-l don't think l'm gonna do any better.
l think we should make it a goal to be as petty, annoying, unwelcoming, invading, horrible and selfish as possible.
That way, we'd be happy right now.
Really? Yeah.
'Cause l'm not gonna lose you.
You mean l can breathe? For just a second.
- Hey.
Jacket, buddy.
- lt's okay.
So, is this actually a family meeting? Yes, it's a family meeting.
- Ooh! - What are we meeting about? We're meeting about Well, we're meeting about being a family.
What your mom what Lily and l are saying is that if we're gonna be a family, and we are, that sometimes things are gonna get a little messy.
- And that's okay.
- Because you see this house? We don't want you to think of it as a house.
We want you to think of it as a prison.
- Excuse me? - You're prisoners in this house, and we're the wardens, Rick and l, your father and l.
And you're right.
You didn't do the crime that got you here.
Your parents did.
Well, sorry.
Though you don't have the right to leave, you have the right to speak, even if it's about something you don't like.
What's the point? lt's not gonna change anything.
- Might change the way you feel.
- You can't tell people how to feel.
Well, exactly.
We're just telling you to express it, that's all.
So, you want us to say bad things about moving in together? lf that's how you feel.
Well, l still want bunk beds.
Jess? And l really don't.
And l really don't want to share a room, either.
Well, neither do l.
- Well, neither do l.
- Neither does he.
Grace is going off to college in two years.
You'll each have a room of your own.
Then l'm going to college the year after that.
So we're only talking about two or three years, and then we're all gone anyway.
l'll still be here.
On the other hand, two years can be a very long time.
These two minutes have been a very long time.
They think if they make you talk, you'll automatically feel better.
My shrink does the same thing.
They do it for themselves.
Their lives would be easier - if we just shut up about all this.
- Exactly.
- Wait.
- You wanted to hear what we had to say.
- And l say family meetings are stupid.
- Yeah, l second that.
- That's what we're doing.
- Can't make us talk.
Well, then we will just sit here and be silent.
- l have trouble being silent.
- Okay, kids, look No, those in favor of adjourning the meeting? - Wait a minute.
- l second that.
- Excuse me.
Rick and l - All those in favor? - [kids.]
Aye! - That was rough.
- [Eli.]
You got anything to eat? - [Grace.]
Leftover yams.
- [Zoe.]
Ha! - [Eli.]
Good.
And don't think this means we like each other.
- Yeah, that'll be the day.
- [girls chuckle.]
Was Uncle Aaron always the way he is? - l hope you can come more often.
- l'm doing much better.
- You do remember that? - l remember everything.
God, Judy, he's so much better.
Right, but you're pushing.
[man's voice.]
Aaron, - You okay? - You're not doing so good, are you? No!