Thirtysomething (1987) s03e05 Episode Script
Legacy
[theme.]
Do you have everything you need here? Yeah? I can get you an orange juice, or would you like some water? This is depressing.
So stop reading it.
You know, shove it back in the seat back where you found it.
She says he hit her a lot.
"Proud Mary" will never sell the same.
Did you ever hit Nancy? - Never.
- Did you.
Once I threw a hard boiled egg at her.
- Easter? - A cookout.
Oh.
You know what this was, don't you? Sending us to Minneapolis to a big outfit like Minnesota Brands - with no account people.
- We were expect to fail.
Yes, but we didn't.
Mikey, Miles is going to be so disappointed.
The gods have tested us, Elliot.
They've not found us wanting.
Hey, we got some momentum here.
We shouldn't squander it.
No, you're right.
We should do something to solidify our position.
- Yeah, yeah.
- Something subtle.
Let's buy Miles a car.
That's subtle.
Well, small car.
A two-seater.
[bell chimes.]
[Stewarts.]
Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned Looks like we're landing, Mikey.
Hey, can I have these? Yeah.
We should invite him to dinner.
Yeah, like some super restaurant.
To our homes.
To our houses.
We should include him in the family circle.
But you don't like him.
Exactly, it's the last thing he'd expect.
[loud clatter.]
Was that supposed to happen? [loud roar.]
Oh.
[screams.]
Oh, God.
Oh! [roaring subsides.]
[chattering.]
Everybody okay? [Captain.]
This is the captain speaking.
We had a situation, but we're okay.
I crushed your nuts.
Now, Hope, the reason we wanted to talk to you and some of our other better writers is to let you know that our media group isn't interested in changing Synergy in terms of its philosophy.
Well, maybe it's because I didn't work in the office.
But I had no idea Centergy was for sale.
Oh, it wasn't.
We bought it anyway.
Oh, I see.
Well, Val and I Oh, we're very sorry.
Val couldn't find it in herself to be more adult about all this.
But she chose to leave the way she did and she just has to take responsibility for that.
The reason for this meeting is you.
Not Val Shilladay.
We'd like you to be more involved with the magazine.
Uh, is that the new piece? Uh, yes, Val and I were doing it before Well, before.
Care to tempt our appetites? Well, it's about companies that continue to promote and sell products overseas that have been banned in the United States.
Exporting death.
[Janey.]
Fish.
[Michael.]
Those are fish, that's right.
Look at his little face.
Like a fish face.
Can you make a fish face? Want to see Daddy make a fish face? [puckers.]
Can you make a fish face, yes? [puckers.]
Can't do that.
[Janey.]
Is it an apple? Those are not apples.
Those are balls.
They are not apples.
What are those? - What are those? - Hello.
- Hello.
- Apples.
Those are not apples.
Hi, guys.
Hi, Mommy.
Hello, pumpkin.
- Hi.
- Hi.
How's your trip.
Where's Lauren? Um, I sent her home.
Oh, I met the people who bought the magazine today.
They don't look old enough to be bagging groceries at the A&P.
They want me on staff.
They dangled an office and an assistant in front of me the way you dangle your keys in front of Janey.
But I don't know.
So how was your trip? You, sir, have been drinking.
You and Elliot have a few executive cocktails on the plane? Oh, we had several, but only after we landed to celebrate.
Celebrate what? Landing.
Michael? Something happened.
On the plane, what happened? Oh, I think the official phrase is rapid decent.
There was this problem.
We almost didn't make it.
Are you okay? Yeah, I'm fine.
Let me hold you like this for another couple of years.
Dad's here.
Hey, boss.
Hey, come here.
Come here.
Come here.
Oh.
Oh, there's my guy.
Hey, I got something for you.
I got something for you.
Look at this.
- Ta-da! - Aw, cool.
Is that cool? Where's your sister? I told her to hide until dinner.
Well, go get here.
Tell her I got her something.
- Hi, Nance.
- Hi, yourself.
I got something for you, too.
Yeah, I didn't think I'd see you tonight.
Yeah, well.
Oh, all the way from Minnesota.
Actually, it's all the way from the airport.
Here, I got all this stuff when Michael and I landed.
Nance, we were The plane It sort of fell down.
[chuckles.]
Right.
I mean not all the way down.
Just a couple thousand feet, but I mean everybody was really scared, but nobody was really hurt.
So when I got off the plane, I figured, "Hey, I'm not dead.
I think I ought to buy Nance some perfume.
" Thanks.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Oh, you're welcome.
Hey, Lance.
Oh, Tasty Cakes.
Chocolate.
- Hi.
- Good morning.
Death's a funny thing, isn't it? Hey, boss.
Ah, my other warrior from the clouds.
I was just telling brother Steadman Minnesota Brands wants to talk to me.
Conference call with all the CEOs and CE-ettes.
11:00 our time.
You should be in my office when it happens.
I underestimated you fellas.
They're going to jump.
They are going to jump.
I feel it in the second chakra.
I have to confess to something very evil.
Nobody here but us demons.
Part of the satisfaction of having Minnesota Brands come over to us is the fact that we are stealing them from Breslo and Associates.
That's right.
You worked with Warner Breslo on something, didn't you? Mr.
Squeeze.
And now you're a phone call away from stealing one of his 10 biggest accounts.
Come to my office at 10:57.
Oh, Miles, um Hope and I are having some people over for dinner.
We were wondering if you'd join us.
That's very gracious of you, Steadman.
I'd be honored.
Thursday night? I'll check my book.
I hope you can make it.
So do I.
- Hope you can make it.
- Hope you can make it.
What? I thought you hated him.
I do.
Why do you keep asking me that? [Michael.]
I appreciate that, Jeff.
Oh, it's just something you put off too long, you know? With the new job and everything.
Okay.
That's great.
Yeah.
I'll see you tomorrow, Jeff.
Okay, bye.
Will it take long tomorrow? I have to stop by the magazine.
I don't know.
How long could it take to set up a will? Something we should have done before Janey was born.
You know, probably before.
Oh, you know what? We got to remember to invite him to dinner with Miles.
This is turning into quite a production.
I mean Nancy, Elliot, Ellen, Mark Harriton, and now the Milgroms.
Repainting the wall in the living room.
Well, you could get some help.
Help.
Oh, great idea.
Very impressive.
What is? There are these people that come in - and do the party for you.
- Caterers.
No, more than that.
I mean they clean the house.
They serve the food.
All you have to do is enjoy.
Servant.
No, people whose job it is to make your life easier.
Servants.
Hey, wow.
What was that? Did I feel your knee jerk under the table? Servants.
It's a career, Hope.
It's what they do for a living.
I mean, come on.
It's one person.
One night.
Two, two and a half hours, three hours tops.
What's wrong with that? I thought you didn't like this guy.
I thought you hated him.
Well, how I feel about the man makes no difference.
Uh, it's a job.
It's more than a job.
It's a position.
[Janey.]
Daddy.
It can lead somewhere for all of us.
Aw, come on.
I've been lucky so far.
You can't depend on luck.
Opportunity is not an opportunity unless you exploit it.
I don't know.
Back me up on this one little thing.
Come on.
As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again.
Eat your peas, Scarlett.
- Thank you.
- Hey, there.
- Hi.
- And bye there.
Something we said? Uh, no, I can't stay.
I have a deposition.
Boy, I wish had known you guys were coming in.
You did.
I told you last night.
You did.
Well, I It's wonderful to see you.
I got to run.
Bye-bye.
- Bye.
- Bye.
I know you.
She looks happy.
My wife always looks happy when she's working.
So sit down, sit down.
How the hell are you, huh? Hope, you look great.
- Thanks.
- How do I look? The same.
You never change.
Oh, first things first.
Can you and Valerie come to diner on Thursday night? This Thursday night? Well, Sissy will check my book.
Trisha will check Valerie's book.
And if we're not free, then Sissy and Trish will come to diner.
How's that? Sounds great.
So the Steadmans have decided not to die intestate, huh? Yeah, we figured it was about time we had a piece of paper that said if I die you get all my stuff.
Well, it's good.
It's good.
I'm glad you're doing it.
Most people put this thing off, you know? It's too many decisions.
You know, Valerie and I, we just did ours last year.
It can be daunting.
Daunting? Well, you see, a will a will has got to be something more than just a Christmas list of who gets what.
The thing is structured so that your wishes and your intentions will be followed after you're gone.
Now, there are a lot of things to be considered here.
There's trust, holdings, debts.
Now, let's just say, for example, that Michael dies first.
Now Now, listen, do you want to put restrictions on the estate in the event that Hope remarries? Remarries? But I think the biggest thing you two have to think about right now is who you would designate to be Janey's guardian in the even that you both die while she was still a minor? [Girl.]
Go up and ask him.
She's going to get into trouble.
Please, sir, may I have some more? More? So what are you going to serve at this dinner? Valerie is allergic to shellfish, you know.
Hi.
Hi.
I had some book business, so I thought I'd stop by.
Oh, great, great.
Do you think you could get away for an early lunch? Uh, yeah.
Yeah, boy, come on, what are you kidding? Absolutely, there's a little place across the street.
Serves great salad.
Um, that's not what I had in mind.
Oh? Oh.
All right.
Yeah, I can go to lunch, absolutely.
It's at times like this that make me glad I'm in media.
This is a remarkable piece, Hope.
Lucy and I were talking about it all morning.
I'm glad you liked the article.
With a little work, we think it'll make a powerful article.
It already is an article.
We mean an article for us.
An article for the new Synergy.
Mm-hmm.
You see one of things we are very anxious to do is address the problem of digestibility.
For a consumer magazine to succeed in reaching out to the public, it must be scannable.
It has to present itself in a quick, visual, high impact way that's readably absorbable and instantly useable.
Are we talking about an article or antiperspirant? It's a very amusing analogy, Hope.
And of course your piece is a little dark.
Yes, Kit and do have some problems with the darkness.
Which is something we have identified as perhaps our magazine's single greatest problem.
Darkness? With out optimism, there can be no progress.
Where there's darkness, there can be no optimism.
What's needed is light.
How much light? About a thousand points or so? That's kind of hitting below the belt, isn't it, Hope? [giggles.]
[Elliot.]
I haven't checked into a hotel without luggage since I was 19.
[Nancy.]
Yeah, well, now you can afford much nicer hotels.
Hey, we forgot to eat lunch.
Mmm, too bad.
Tell me.
Again? Again.
It started to happen and sort of got tunnel vision.
And I could only see what was directly in front of me.
And I saw it with such detail.
The fold-down tray.
The color of the seatback, how it was stitched together.
Michael's face.
Not his whole face Just his left eye.
I wish I could say I thought about you and the kids, but I didn't think about you until I was safe.
Then I couldn't stop thinking about you.
How close I came.
How about your brother? Hope, I just made up my mind I wouldn't leave him the Volvo.
Now you want me to leave him Janey.
What about our parents? Yeah, that'd be great if we died right now, but they're getting older ever minute.
So are we.
Oh.
See? Who's that in the Marine uniform? My cousin Paul.
He looks stable.
Yeah, that was before the surgery.
Now he's a cocktail waitress in Seattle.
Yeah, well, a warm, loving mother who's been through Paris Island.
Sounds like a bargain.
This is not the way to pick a guardian.
This is like shopping in a catalog.
We need somebody that we know and who knows us and knows Janey.
Well, if we want to stick to family, there's Melissa.
Come on, work with me.
Work with me.
I want it hot.
Do you understand hot? Hot! Hot! Come on, faster.
Faster.
Yes, boss.
I don't know what I'm going to do.
I don't know what I'm going to do.
Oh, Eenie meenie Yellow tail? No.
Tuna.
Bring me the taro, please.
You know, it doesn't have to be a relative.
It could be a friend.
Ellyn's your best friend.
So why not Ellyn? Come on, Janey.
We'll be late.
Let me see.
Mm-hmm.
All right, here you go.
And we're off.
All right, friends are a possibility, sure.
But we don't necessarily have to limit it to female friends, right? Male friends? Yeah.
Like Gary? What's wrong with that? [speaking Spanish.]
Try throwing it, dear.
1, 2, 3 and throw.
1, 2, 4.
No.
3, dear.
Okay, honey, go throw it.
That a girl Uh, no.
The grenade.
Throw the grenade.
That's a girl.
Get down.
Get down.
[explosion.]
Good job.
That was great.
It isn't fair.
Well, life isn't fair.
But she should have a family.
Janey needs a family.
Okay, so what couples do we know.
What a dump.
What's that from, Elliot? What a dump.
What damn Bette Davis Warner Brother epic is that from? What do I look like, the bloody Information Please Almanac? Janey, stop playing peel the label and get me a drink.
I'll have a bergin.
A big one.
Use the Flintstone glasses.
Mommy! Would you remarry if I died? I don't know.
Would you want me to? How am I supposed to know what I want when I'm dead? This is nuts.
How did it go with the magazine today? Lousy.
They don't want to publish your article? Oh, yeah, they'll publish it as soon as they take out all the writing.
Did you talk to the party people? Yes.
What do you think? I think they'll be perfect.
They sound just like Lucy and Kit at the magazine.
Listen, don't let these people get to you, Hope.
Just don't let them win.
All right, I'll tell you what.
Couple of months after they add the Steadman S to DAA, I will buy you your own magazine.
You can run it any way you want to.
And then you can give it to Janey after she graduates from high school.
Start a dynasty.
Think how happy that will make her.
What? She's crying.
I didn't hear her.
I did.
Okay, I'm here.
Rumpelstiltskin sent me, so fork over the kid! - Hi.
- Hello.
Where are the people who live here? Mrs.
Steadman is upstairs.
Thanks.
Hope, there's a waiter in your house.
It's Beth.
She's a party person.
Oh, I'm impressed.
Makes me think I shouldn't have volunteered to take Janey.
- Tonight sounds like fun.
- All right, I'll take Janey.
You can stay here and pretend to be Michael's wife.
Uh-oh.
Uh-oh what? I don't know.
You tell me uh-oh what.
I was offered a job today.
Associate Editor at Synergy.
That's great.
That's not great? Showed me a mock-up of the first improved issue.
Yeah.
Big, bright, and safe, with a four-color cigarette ad on the back cover.
It's a very new-age cigarette ad full of good-looking, racially-balanced young people renovating an inner city apartment houses.
Oh yeah, with butts hanging out of their mouth.
Heal the nation and taste the freshness.
Oh, that's not even the worst part.
What's the worst part? Can you keep a secret? No.
I didn't tell Michael.
What about the job? - Nope.
- Why not? Because I'm afraid he would think it was a good idea.
Because it is a good idea.
I mean I'd be making enough to afford someone to stay with Janey while I was out of the house making enough money to pay the person who was staying with Janey because I was out of the house.
Oh, God.
These things don't break down.
Did you know that? I mean people come and go.
Pyramids collapse.
Dry cleaning bags are here to stay.
[Ellyn.]
Hi, it's me.
I'm here.
Ooo, ooo.
Oh, hi.
Um, um - Hello.
- Hello.
I'm here for the party.
Hope, Michael.
I'm a guest.
- I'm Beth.
- Hi, Beth.
I'm helping Mrs.
Steadman tonight.
Oh, of course.
Of course you're the, um Course you are, duh.
Oh, these are cookies.
I brought them for desert or Oh well, I made some floating island, but I'm sure they'll complement it nicely.
Yeah, I always try to get complementary cookies.
In fact, these cookies are downright obsequious.
Where's Hope? Upstairs getting ready.
You're a little early.
I'm sorry.
No problem.
- Hi.
- Hi, you're early.
I know.
I already apologized to the staff.
She's great, don't you think? [doorbell chimes.]
Uh-huh.
- Michael, hi.
- Hi.
Can I use your phone? I have to call California.
I won't charge to your number.
Can we cross the threshold first? Thanks.
- How you doing? - Hey, how are you doing? So how goes the great guardian debate? Oh, please.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Can I take your coat.
Uh, sure, sure.
Can I fix a drink for you? Uh, no, thank you.
Not right now, thanks.
Okay.
This is new.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Entertaining at the Steadmans' has reached a new plateau.
So does this mean we don't get to play Twister? - Hello, Jeffrey.
- Hope, hi.
- I'm glad you could make it.
- Thank you, it's good to be here.
Have you met? - I don't think so.
- Oh, sure we have.
You're Ellyn Warren, right? Right.
Jeffrey Millgrom.
- Oh, hi.
- Hi.
Excuse me.
[chattering.]
- Hi.
- Hi.
Look who we found loitering on your porch.
Hey, how you doing, man? It's from Guidos.
Steadman, this is my wife Kate.
- Hi.
- Hi, you mind if I call you Michael? He likes calling people by their last name.
Makes him feel grown up.
Michael would be great, thanks.
This is Nancy.
[chattering.]
Hi, Elliot Weston.
How are you? Hi, Elliot.
Miles.
Michael, is my car safe in your neighborhood? Yeah, you're fine.
We have alternate side of the street vandalism.
- Good.
- Come on in.
Michael, this is Sylvia Davenport.
You've heard me speak of her.
Say yes.
Many times.
Nice to meet you, Sylvia.
- Hello.
- It's a lovely little house.
Thank you.
Miles, you made it.
Wouldn't have missed it for the world.
- Hey.
- How are you? I'd like you to meet my This is Nancy.
Hi.
Nancy.
Yes.
- Nice to meet you.
- Pleasure.
Sylvia Davenport Hope, you need to say hello to Miles.
I have to check on something.
That's what Beth is for.
Come on, just say hello to him.
There's a reason we're doing this.
Okay, okay.
Miles, this is my wife.
- Hope.
- Hope.
Hope, nice of your folks to choose such a warm, optimistic name.
Sylvia, Hope.
Davenport, Steadman.
Yeah, painless, too.
- Yeah? - Oh, guaranteed? [chattering.]
[chattering.]
I mean, there's a difference between sentiment and sentimentality, don't you think? That's a major distinction right there.
Why do I get the feeling I'm sorry.
- Well, I had to call him.
- I know, I know.
[phone rings.]
Oh, that's for me.
[chattering.]
Use their own regime against them.
- Right.
- Now, you're not like that.
Honey, I'm gonna get some more brandy.
You want me to freshen up Just water.
Just water, yeah.
I got interrupted, I'm sorry.
- Hi.
- Hi.
You know I just figured out how come I recognized you and you didn't recognize me.
Oh, how? Well, because at Hope and Michael's New Years party, I weighed more.
30 pounds more, and I didn't have a beard then.
Oh.
Oh, that was you? That was me.
Oh, well, you look great.
I mean, I thought you looked great when were introduced.
Well, reintroduced.
But I really think that you look great now.
Oh, thank you.
Thanks.
Your wife must be very happy about that, huh? That you lost the weight? Oh, yeah, yeah.
I figure she'll notice any day now.
My husband thinks your husband is very clever.
I was told not to tell you that.
Information is power.
I won't tell him.
I read your piece in the Sunday Inquirer.
I liked it before I knew it was you.
Thanks.
Are you gonna do more with them? I don't know.
You should.
I don't know what it accomplishes.
It gets people talking.
Yeah, but it doesn't seem to do anything.
Nothing ever changes.
- Excuse me.
- That's okay.
Yeah, I know what you mean.
How long have you and Mark been together? Uh, six years.
- Any kids.
- Nope.
Any plans? No, we're not gonna have any.
- Oh.
- You know, it's not that we can't.
We just decided not to.
Just like the life we've got.
Anyway I don't think it would be fair to bring another innocent bystander into the world right now.
Why not? Nothing ever changes.
Why are you hiding in here? I'm not hiding in here.
Well, come out to the living room.
You haven't five words to Miles all night.
Oh, he doesn't leave that many openings.
She'd gotten these cutting-edge hors d'oeuvres, but she ordered massively.
So she had these trays and trays of these little caviar puffs and these lovely little quiche squares left over.
Well, her son leaves.
And in front of the building, he sees this man this homeless man begging for something to eat, so he says.
So the son says "Wait right here.
" Two minutes later, he comes back with these exquisite canapes.
The man takes one of the caviar puffs.
He bites into it and immediately spits it out onto the sidewalk.
He looks at my friend's son and he says, "Hey, don't you got any change so I can go to Nedick's?" Yes, Hope.
Nothing.
Nothing? I just don't get it.
Get what? The joke.
If it's supposed to be a joke.
It's a story.
You know just something that happened.
It must one of those "You had to be there" stories.
Oh, excuse me.
Oh, my gosh, is that the time? Honey, I think, uh I think we should Yeah.
[chattering.]
Nice meeting you.
[Elliot.]
Great time.
[Mark.]
Mikey, I'll call you.
All right, bye-bye.
Apologize? Yeah, you should have apologized to her.
Oh, and what's next on the agenda? Racist jokes? Maybe a few knee-slappers about how cheap Jews are.
- What the hell is your problem? - What the hell is your problem? I invite the man in You don't even like the man.
No, but I'm starting to get an appreciation for what he's done.
What he has accomplished.
And what has he accomplished? What's he gonna leave the world? Useless commercials for useless products.
He built a company.
He's providing for a family.
That's getting harder and harder to do, in case you haven't noticed.
I have noticed.
The question is what are we suppose to do about it? What do we do? We survive.
Look, I am not gonna check out the way father did.
You know, his business in the red, his savings gone to doctors and to hospitals.
What if that had happened when I was Janey's age? The world consists of more than you and me and Janey.
You said so yourself.
But I can do something about this family.
That's my job.
That is my real job.
Making sure that this family survives.
Oh, you talk about this family as though it's some sort of creature that lives in the basement that you have to feed.
We have to protect the family.
Yes.
Michael, what's the point of writing wills and drawing up trusts for Janey if the world we leave her is dying? Don't change the subject.
This is the subject.
No, don't bring the world into this.
This doesn't have anything to do with the world.
This has to do with you not backing me up.
- Backing you up? - Yeah, I mean you don't greet the man.
You make no effort to talk to him.
You hide out in the kitchen.
I was not hiding.
And then you insult his date.
There was a time when you would've cut a woman like that off at the knees for talking that way.
- Not now.
- Evidently not.
No, it's called tolerance.
It's called hypocrisy, Michael.
Look, the world is a terrible place.
Its always been a terrible place.
And you know something? It always will be a terrible place.
No matter what we do, there's always going to be somebody somewhere who isn't having a good time.
Now, what good am I doing them by not succeeding at my business? By feeding my child and my wife.
By By working to give them something, to leave them something.
Don't slam the door.
[door quietly shuts.]
[Hope.]
I can't find the juice.
All I see are boxes of film.
Oh, wait a minute.
Here it is.
Well, was my daughter a good overnight guest? I've never spent the night with someone before and woke up with fewer regrets.
I didn't expect you till later.
Well, the magazine didn't take as long as I expected.
What'd you tell them? Thanks, but no thanks.
How'd they react? Basically not at all.
I was all set for this big scene where I tell them what I think about what they've been doing with the magazine and how I want to have no part of it and how I'm becoming dismayed with writing about things and instead of doing things.
And I never really got the chance.
I mean, when they found out I didn't want the job, they just said, "Oh, well, okay.
And good luck.
Keep in touch.
" So that's why I'm early.
Oh, how's the party? Mmm.
It's over.
- I see.
- Mm-hmm.
What's all this stuff? Oh, I was showing Janey where she came from.
Pictures of what her grandfather looked like.
So she'll know what her mommy looked like when she was all curled up inside her.
See, Janey.
Look.
See the smile on her face? That's because she's gonna have a baby.
She's gonna have a beautiful girl named Janey.
And look here.
That's Daddy.
That's Mommy and Daddy.
No, that's a baby, and that's Mommy.
See that goofy look on his face? That's what he looks like when he's happy.
[Janey babbles.]
Yeah, I took that the day you were born so you know how much he loved you right from the start.
Daddy.
Give me that.
You want some orange juice? Now, do you want to clean up the pictures? Never have so few delivered so much in so short of time.
Watch your backs, ladies and gentlemen.
Steadman and Weston have arrived.
[crowd.]
Hear, hear.
All right.
Congratulation, guys.
[chatter.]
Michael.
Miles.
Drink deep of this heavy liquor.
And I don't mean the champagne.
Thank you.
Thanks for all this.
It was unexpected.
Mmm.
I enjoy the unexpected.
I wanted to talk to you about last night.
Yes.
I've been debating about this, but basically, I want to apologize.
For what? For my wife.
I see.
Did she ask you to apologize? Oh, that's not really the point.
Oh.
But I liked your wife.
You did? Yes.
She reminds me of someone.
Oh, really.
Um, who? You.
We marry ourselves, Michael.
Starting out in step linked like a man and his reflection.
Then the reflection starts making some moves on its own.
Revolt of the shadows.
The trick is staying in sync.
How do you do that? First you have to figure out which side of the mirror you're on.
Everybody thinks it's a bad idea.
- Well, who's everybody? - Everybody.
Oh.
.
I mean, I know it's really none of their business.
But? But, I mean I know this shouldn't matter.
It's just I mean, what will everybody think if you come back? "Nancy couldn't cut it" or "She's falling back into it again" or "Doesn't that woman have any pride?" Okay, all right, so you might not look so good if I came back to the rest of the word.
Come on, Nancy, people change.
We've changed.
We're not the same people we were 12 years ago.
Most importantly, we're not the same people we thought we were 12 years ago.
I mean, the earth, it's cooled considerably, but there's still warmth, Nance.
The other day, the hotel.
There's still warmth.
There's still heat.
Yeah, but how will we go back? I don't want to go back.
I never want to go back.
I want us to start from right here.
From this spot.
It's not smart.
I know it's not smart at all.
[bell rings.]
- Time.
- Cookies.
Nancy Nancy I love you.
And would like, God, more than anything in the world, to be your second husband.
What will people say? People will say Nancy couldn't cut it.
She's fallen for it again.
Doesn't that woman have any pride? Yeah, see? That's exactly what they're gonna say.
And what will you say? I'll tell them to go to hell.
[groans.]
Oh, what's that? [mutters.]
Is that a bee? Oh, we don't want a bee to sting us, huh? What are those? Birds? Yeah, hi.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Hi.
The bill for dinner right there on the desk.
It's not so bad.
No, not so bad.
You were gone when I woke up.
Yeah, I went to the magazine, and then I went and picked up Janey.
I tried to call you.
I was here.
The phone never rang.
I said I tried to call you.
I never made it past the fourth digit.
How come? I was afraid you wouldn't be here.
Where else would I be? Somewhere else.
Different place.
I'm right here.
You know, I can't stop you from wanting what you want for Janey or doing what you feel you have to do to make that happen.
But you can't stop me from doing what I'm doing because that's just as much for her.
I realize that.
You know, what I think it is? What? Well, I think there's actually a difference between mothers and fathers.
Having to do something so primal.
You know, so basic about being a mother that I don't know, you know? Carrying these little people inside your body, it realigns your electrons or something.
All that change and pain connects you to her in a way that has nothing to do with me.
It connects me in other ways to other things, too.
I mean, it is primal.
Life comes out of your body.
Life feeds from your body.
It's like I don't know suddenly the world seems so full of - Read that.
- Thank you, okay.
The world seems so opened.
Mischief, it seems so fragile.
See, you hold her differently.
Look, she doesn't fit in my arms the way she fits in yours.
I don't know.
Biology.
Are you jealous? Jealous? No.
Envious, maybe.
You know, the way you'd envy a bird or a dolphin.
We want the same things.
Really we do.
So why are we beating each other up? I don't know.
It scares me.
Is something happening? Did you start dinner? Not yet.
Let's get in the car.
Let's go someplace.
You want some pizza? That be a good thing to do.
Okay.
Come here, baby.
Come on.
Oh, we're flying.
Michael.
If anything ever happens to us, I'd like it if Melissa would take care of Janey.
Would that be okay with you? Yes, that would be fine.
I'll get her coat.
Okay.
Closed-Captioned By J.
R.
Media Services, Inc.
Burbank, CA And dance by the light of the moon
Do you have everything you need here? Yeah? I can get you an orange juice, or would you like some water? This is depressing.
So stop reading it.
You know, shove it back in the seat back where you found it.
She says he hit her a lot.
"Proud Mary" will never sell the same.
Did you ever hit Nancy? - Never.
- Did you.
Once I threw a hard boiled egg at her.
- Easter? - A cookout.
Oh.
You know what this was, don't you? Sending us to Minneapolis to a big outfit like Minnesota Brands - with no account people.
- We were expect to fail.
Yes, but we didn't.
Mikey, Miles is going to be so disappointed.
The gods have tested us, Elliot.
They've not found us wanting.
Hey, we got some momentum here.
We shouldn't squander it.
No, you're right.
We should do something to solidify our position.
- Yeah, yeah.
- Something subtle.
Let's buy Miles a car.
That's subtle.
Well, small car.
A two-seater.
[bell chimes.]
[Stewarts.]
Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned Looks like we're landing, Mikey.
Hey, can I have these? Yeah.
We should invite him to dinner.
Yeah, like some super restaurant.
To our homes.
To our houses.
We should include him in the family circle.
But you don't like him.
Exactly, it's the last thing he'd expect.
[loud clatter.]
Was that supposed to happen? [loud roar.]
Oh.
[screams.]
Oh, God.
Oh! [roaring subsides.]
[chattering.]
Everybody okay? [Captain.]
This is the captain speaking.
We had a situation, but we're okay.
I crushed your nuts.
Now, Hope, the reason we wanted to talk to you and some of our other better writers is to let you know that our media group isn't interested in changing Synergy in terms of its philosophy.
Well, maybe it's because I didn't work in the office.
But I had no idea Centergy was for sale.
Oh, it wasn't.
We bought it anyway.
Oh, I see.
Well, Val and I Oh, we're very sorry.
Val couldn't find it in herself to be more adult about all this.
But she chose to leave the way she did and she just has to take responsibility for that.
The reason for this meeting is you.
Not Val Shilladay.
We'd like you to be more involved with the magazine.
Uh, is that the new piece? Uh, yes, Val and I were doing it before Well, before.
Care to tempt our appetites? Well, it's about companies that continue to promote and sell products overseas that have been banned in the United States.
Exporting death.
[Janey.]
Fish.
[Michael.]
Those are fish, that's right.
Look at his little face.
Like a fish face.
Can you make a fish face? Want to see Daddy make a fish face? [puckers.]
Can you make a fish face, yes? [puckers.]
Can't do that.
[Janey.]
Is it an apple? Those are not apples.
Those are balls.
They are not apples.
What are those? - What are those? - Hello.
- Hello.
- Apples.
Those are not apples.
Hi, guys.
Hi, Mommy.
Hello, pumpkin.
- Hi.
- Hi.
How's your trip.
Where's Lauren? Um, I sent her home.
Oh, I met the people who bought the magazine today.
They don't look old enough to be bagging groceries at the A&P.
They want me on staff.
They dangled an office and an assistant in front of me the way you dangle your keys in front of Janey.
But I don't know.
So how was your trip? You, sir, have been drinking.
You and Elliot have a few executive cocktails on the plane? Oh, we had several, but only after we landed to celebrate.
Celebrate what? Landing.
Michael? Something happened.
On the plane, what happened? Oh, I think the official phrase is rapid decent.
There was this problem.
We almost didn't make it.
Are you okay? Yeah, I'm fine.
Let me hold you like this for another couple of years.
Dad's here.
Hey, boss.
Hey, come here.
Come here.
Come here.
Oh.
Oh, there's my guy.
Hey, I got something for you.
I got something for you.
Look at this.
- Ta-da! - Aw, cool.
Is that cool? Where's your sister? I told her to hide until dinner.
Well, go get here.
Tell her I got her something.
- Hi, Nance.
- Hi, yourself.
I got something for you, too.
Yeah, I didn't think I'd see you tonight.
Yeah, well.
Oh, all the way from Minnesota.
Actually, it's all the way from the airport.
Here, I got all this stuff when Michael and I landed.
Nance, we were The plane It sort of fell down.
[chuckles.]
Right.
I mean not all the way down.
Just a couple thousand feet, but I mean everybody was really scared, but nobody was really hurt.
So when I got off the plane, I figured, "Hey, I'm not dead.
I think I ought to buy Nance some perfume.
" Thanks.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Oh, you're welcome.
Hey, Lance.
Oh, Tasty Cakes.
Chocolate.
- Hi.
- Good morning.
Death's a funny thing, isn't it? Hey, boss.
Ah, my other warrior from the clouds.
I was just telling brother Steadman Minnesota Brands wants to talk to me.
Conference call with all the CEOs and CE-ettes.
11:00 our time.
You should be in my office when it happens.
I underestimated you fellas.
They're going to jump.
They are going to jump.
I feel it in the second chakra.
I have to confess to something very evil.
Nobody here but us demons.
Part of the satisfaction of having Minnesota Brands come over to us is the fact that we are stealing them from Breslo and Associates.
That's right.
You worked with Warner Breslo on something, didn't you? Mr.
Squeeze.
And now you're a phone call away from stealing one of his 10 biggest accounts.
Come to my office at 10:57.
Oh, Miles, um Hope and I are having some people over for dinner.
We were wondering if you'd join us.
That's very gracious of you, Steadman.
I'd be honored.
Thursday night? I'll check my book.
I hope you can make it.
So do I.
- Hope you can make it.
- Hope you can make it.
What? I thought you hated him.
I do.
Why do you keep asking me that? [Michael.]
I appreciate that, Jeff.
Oh, it's just something you put off too long, you know? With the new job and everything.
Okay.
That's great.
Yeah.
I'll see you tomorrow, Jeff.
Okay, bye.
Will it take long tomorrow? I have to stop by the magazine.
I don't know.
How long could it take to set up a will? Something we should have done before Janey was born.
You know, probably before.
Oh, you know what? We got to remember to invite him to dinner with Miles.
This is turning into quite a production.
I mean Nancy, Elliot, Ellen, Mark Harriton, and now the Milgroms.
Repainting the wall in the living room.
Well, you could get some help.
Help.
Oh, great idea.
Very impressive.
What is? There are these people that come in - and do the party for you.
- Caterers.
No, more than that.
I mean they clean the house.
They serve the food.
All you have to do is enjoy.
Servant.
No, people whose job it is to make your life easier.
Servants.
Hey, wow.
What was that? Did I feel your knee jerk under the table? Servants.
It's a career, Hope.
It's what they do for a living.
I mean, come on.
It's one person.
One night.
Two, two and a half hours, three hours tops.
What's wrong with that? I thought you didn't like this guy.
I thought you hated him.
Well, how I feel about the man makes no difference.
Uh, it's a job.
It's more than a job.
It's a position.
[Janey.]
Daddy.
It can lead somewhere for all of us.
Aw, come on.
I've been lucky so far.
You can't depend on luck.
Opportunity is not an opportunity unless you exploit it.
I don't know.
Back me up on this one little thing.
Come on.
As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again.
Eat your peas, Scarlett.
- Thank you.
- Hey, there.
- Hi.
- And bye there.
Something we said? Uh, no, I can't stay.
I have a deposition.
Boy, I wish had known you guys were coming in.
You did.
I told you last night.
You did.
Well, I It's wonderful to see you.
I got to run.
Bye-bye.
- Bye.
- Bye.
I know you.
She looks happy.
My wife always looks happy when she's working.
So sit down, sit down.
How the hell are you, huh? Hope, you look great.
- Thanks.
- How do I look? The same.
You never change.
Oh, first things first.
Can you and Valerie come to diner on Thursday night? This Thursday night? Well, Sissy will check my book.
Trisha will check Valerie's book.
And if we're not free, then Sissy and Trish will come to diner.
How's that? Sounds great.
So the Steadmans have decided not to die intestate, huh? Yeah, we figured it was about time we had a piece of paper that said if I die you get all my stuff.
Well, it's good.
It's good.
I'm glad you're doing it.
Most people put this thing off, you know? It's too many decisions.
You know, Valerie and I, we just did ours last year.
It can be daunting.
Daunting? Well, you see, a will a will has got to be something more than just a Christmas list of who gets what.
The thing is structured so that your wishes and your intentions will be followed after you're gone.
Now, there are a lot of things to be considered here.
There's trust, holdings, debts.
Now, let's just say, for example, that Michael dies first.
Now Now, listen, do you want to put restrictions on the estate in the event that Hope remarries? Remarries? But I think the biggest thing you two have to think about right now is who you would designate to be Janey's guardian in the even that you both die while she was still a minor? [Girl.]
Go up and ask him.
She's going to get into trouble.
Please, sir, may I have some more? More? So what are you going to serve at this dinner? Valerie is allergic to shellfish, you know.
Hi.
Hi.
I had some book business, so I thought I'd stop by.
Oh, great, great.
Do you think you could get away for an early lunch? Uh, yeah.
Yeah, boy, come on, what are you kidding? Absolutely, there's a little place across the street.
Serves great salad.
Um, that's not what I had in mind.
Oh? Oh.
All right.
Yeah, I can go to lunch, absolutely.
It's at times like this that make me glad I'm in media.
This is a remarkable piece, Hope.
Lucy and I were talking about it all morning.
I'm glad you liked the article.
With a little work, we think it'll make a powerful article.
It already is an article.
We mean an article for us.
An article for the new Synergy.
Mm-hmm.
You see one of things we are very anxious to do is address the problem of digestibility.
For a consumer magazine to succeed in reaching out to the public, it must be scannable.
It has to present itself in a quick, visual, high impact way that's readably absorbable and instantly useable.
Are we talking about an article or antiperspirant? It's a very amusing analogy, Hope.
And of course your piece is a little dark.
Yes, Kit and do have some problems with the darkness.
Which is something we have identified as perhaps our magazine's single greatest problem.
Darkness? With out optimism, there can be no progress.
Where there's darkness, there can be no optimism.
What's needed is light.
How much light? About a thousand points or so? That's kind of hitting below the belt, isn't it, Hope? [giggles.]
[Elliot.]
I haven't checked into a hotel without luggage since I was 19.
[Nancy.]
Yeah, well, now you can afford much nicer hotels.
Hey, we forgot to eat lunch.
Mmm, too bad.
Tell me.
Again? Again.
It started to happen and sort of got tunnel vision.
And I could only see what was directly in front of me.
And I saw it with such detail.
The fold-down tray.
The color of the seatback, how it was stitched together.
Michael's face.
Not his whole face Just his left eye.
I wish I could say I thought about you and the kids, but I didn't think about you until I was safe.
Then I couldn't stop thinking about you.
How close I came.
How about your brother? Hope, I just made up my mind I wouldn't leave him the Volvo.
Now you want me to leave him Janey.
What about our parents? Yeah, that'd be great if we died right now, but they're getting older ever minute.
So are we.
Oh.
See? Who's that in the Marine uniform? My cousin Paul.
He looks stable.
Yeah, that was before the surgery.
Now he's a cocktail waitress in Seattle.
Yeah, well, a warm, loving mother who's been through Paris Island.
Sounds like a bargain.
This is not the way to pick a guardian.
This is like shopping in a catalog.
We need somebody that we know and who knows us and knows Janey.
Well, if we want to stick to family, there's Melissa.
Come on, work with me.
Work with me.
I want it hot.
Do you understand hot? Hot! Hot! Come on, faster.
Faster.
Yes, boss.
I don't know what I'm going to do.
I don't know what I'm going to do.
Oh, Eenie meenie Yellow tail? No.
Tuna.
Bring me the taro, please.
You know, it doesn't have to be a relative.
It could be a friend.
Ellyn's your best friend.
So why not Ellyn? Come on, Janey.
We'll be late.
Let me see.
Mm-hmm.
All right, here you go.
And we're off.
All right, friends are a possibility, sure.
But we don't necessarily have to limit it to female friends, right? Male friends? Yeah.
Like Gary? What's wrong with that? [speaking Spanish.]
Try throwing it, dear.
1, 2, 3 and throw.
1, 2, 4.
No.
3, dear.
Okay, honey, go throw it.
That a girl Uh, no.
The grenade.
Throw the grenade.
That's a girl.
Get down.
Get down.
[explosion.]
Good job.
That was great.
It isn't fair.
Well, life isn't fair.
But she should have a family.
Janey needs a family.
Okay, so what couples do we know.
What a dump.
What's that from, Elliot? What a dump.
What damn Bette Davis Warner Brother epic is that from? What do I look like, the bloody Information Please Almanac? Janey, stop playing peel the label and get me a drink.
I'll have a bergin.
A big one.
Use the Flintstone glasses.
Mommy! Would you remarry if I died? I don't know.
Would you want me to? How am I supposed to know what I want when I'm dead? This is nuts.
How did it go with the magazine today? Lousy.
They don't want to publish your article? Oh, yeah, they'll publish it as soon as they take out all the writing.
Did you talk to the party people? Yes.
What do you think? I think they'll be perfect.
They sound just like Lucy and Kit at the magazine.
Listen, don't let these people get to you, Hope.
Just don't let them win.
All right, I'll tell you what.
Couple of months after they add the Steadman S to DAA, I will buy you your own magazine.
You can run it any way you want to.
And then you can give it to Janey after she graduates from high school.
Start a dynasty.
Think how happy that will make her.
What? She's crying.
I didn't hear her.
I did.
Okay, I'm here.
Rumpelstiltskin sent me, so fork over the kid! - Hi.
- Hello.
Where are the people who live here? Mrs.
Steadman is upstairs.
Thanks.
Hope, there's a waiter in your house.
It's Beth.
She's a party person.
Oh, I'm impressed.
Makes me think I shouldn't have volunteered to take Janey.
- Tonight sounds like fun.
- All right, I'll take Janey.
You can stay here and pretend to be Michael's wife.
Uh-oh.
Uh-oh what? I don't know.
You tell me uh-oh what.
I was offered a job today.
Associate Editor at Synergy.
That's great.
That's not great? Showed me a mock-up of the first improved issue.
Yeah.
Big, bright, and safe, with a four-color cigarette ad on the back cover.
It's a very new-age cigarette ad full of good-looking, racially-balanced young people renovating an inner city apartment houses.
Oh yeah, with butts hanging out of their mouth.
Heal the nation and taste the freshness.
Oh, that's not even the worst part.
What's the worst part? Can you keep a secret? No.
I didn't tell Michael.
What about the job? - Nope.
- Why not? Because I'm afraid he would think it was a good idea.
Because it is a good idea.
I mean I'd be making enough to afford someone to stay with Janey while I was out of the house making enough money to pay the person who was staying with Janey because I was out of the house.
Oh, God.
These things don't break down.
Did you know that? I mean people come and go.
Pyramids collapse.
Dry cleaning bags are here to stay.
[Ellyn.]
Hi, it's me.
I'm here.
Ooo, ooo.
Oh, hi.
Um, um - Hello.
- Hello.
I'm here for the party.
Hope, Michael.
I'm a guest.
- I'm Beth.
- Hi, Beth.
I'm helping Mrs.
Steadman tonight.
Oh, of course.
Of course you're the, um Course you are, duh.
Oh, these are cookies.
I brought them for desert or Oh well, I made some floating island, but I'm sure they'll complement it nicely.
Yeah, I always try to get complementary cookies.
In fact, these cookies are downright obsequious.
Where's Hope? Upstairs getting ready.
You're a little early.
I'm sorry.
No problem.
- Hi.
- Hi, you're early.
I know.
I already apologized to the staff.
She's great, don't you think? [doorbell chimes.]
Uh-huh.
- Michael, hi.
- Hi.
Can I use your phone? I have to call California.
I won't charge to your number.
Can we cross the threshold first? Thanks.
- How you doing? - Hey, how are you doing? So how goes the great guardian debate? Oh, please.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Can I take your coat.
Uh, sure, sure.
Can I fix a drink for you? Uh, no, thank you.
Not right now, thanks.
Okay.
This is new.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Entertaining at the Steadmans' has reached a new plateau.
So does this mean we don't get to play Twister? - Hello, Jeffrey.
- Hope, hi.
- I'm glad you could make it.
- Thank you, it's good to be here.
Have you met? - I don't think so.
- Oh, sure we have.
You're Ellyn Warren, right? Right.
Jeffrey Millgrom.
- Oh, hi.
- Hi.
Excuse me.
[chattering.]
- Hi.
- Hi.
Look who we found loitering on your porch.
Hey, how you doing, man? It's from Guidos.
Steadman, this is my wife Kate.
- Hi.
- Hi, you mind if I call you Michael? He likes calling people by their last name.
Makes him feel grown up.
Michael would be great, thanks.
This is Nancy.
[chattering.]
Hi, Elliot Weston.
How are you? Hi, Elliot.
Miles.
Michael, is my car safe in your neighborhood? Yeah, you're fine.
We have alternate side of the street vandalism.
- Good.
- Come on in.
Michael, this is Sylvia Davenport.
You've heard me speak of her.
Say yes.
Many times.
Nice to meet you, Sylvia.
- Hello.
- It's a lovely little house.
Thank you.
Miles, you made it.
Wouldn't have missed it for the world.
- Hey.
- How are you? I'd like you to meet my This is Nancy.
Hi.
Nancy.
Yes.
- Nice to meet you.
- Pleasure.
Sylvia Davenport Hope, you need to say hello to Miles.
I have to check on something.
That's what Beth is for.
Come on, just say hello to him.
There's a reason we're doing this.
Okay, okay.
Miles, this is my wife.
- Hope.
- Hope.
Hope, nice of your folks to choose such a warm, optimistic name.
Sylvia, Hope.
Davenport, Steadman.
Yeah, painless, too.
- Yeah? - Oh, guaranteed? [chattering.]
[chattering.]
I mean, there's a difference between sentiment and sentimentality, don't you think? That's a major distinction right there.
Why do I get the feeling I'm sorry.
- Well, I had to call him.
- I know, I know.
[phone rings.]
Oh, that's for me.
[chattering.]
Use their own regime against them.
- Right.
- Now, you're not like that.
Honey, I'm gonna get some more brandy.
You want me to freshen up Just water.
Just water, yeah.
I got interrupted, I'm sorry.
- Hi.
- Hi.
You know I just figured out how come I recognized you and you didn't recognize me.
Oh, how? Well, because at Hope and Michael's New Years party, I weighed more.
30 pounds more, and I didn't have a beard then.
Oh.
Oh, that was you? That was me.
Oh, well, you look great.
I mean, I thought you looked great when were introduced.
Well, reintroduced.
But I really think that you look great now.
Oh, thank you.
Thanks.
Your wife must be very happy about that, huh? That you lost the weight? Oh, yeah, yeah.
I figure she'll notice any day now.
My husband thinks your husband is very clever.
I was told not to tell you that.
Information is power.
I won't tell him.
I read your piece in the Sunday Inquirer.
I liked it before I knew it was you.
Thanks.
Are you gonna do more with them? I don't know.
You should.
I don't know what it accomplishes.
It gets people talking.
Yeah, but it doesn't seem to do anything.
Nothing ever changes.
- Excuse me.
- That's okay.
Yeah, I know what you mean.
How long have you and Mark been together? Uh, six years.
- Any kids.
- Nope.
Any plans? No, we're not gonna have any.
- Oh.
- You know, it's not that we can't.
We just decided not to.
Just like the life we've got.
Anyway I don't think it would be fair to bring another innocent bystander into the world right now.
Why not? Nothing ever changes.
Why are you hiding in here? I'm not hiding in here.
Well, come out to the living room.
You haven't five words to Miles all night.
Oh, he doesn't leave that many openings.
She'd gotten these cutting-edge hors d'oeuvres, but she ordered massively.
So she had these trays and trays of these little caviar puffs and these lovely little quiche squares left over.
Well, her son leaves.
And in front of the building, he sees this man this homeless man begging for something to eat, so he says.
So the son says "Wait right here.
" Two minutes later, he comes back with these exquisite canapes.
The man takes one of the caviar puffs.
He bites into it and immediately spits it out onto the sidewalk.
He looks at my friend's son and he says, "Hey, don't you got any change so I can go to Nedick's?" Yes, Hope.
Nothing.
Nothing? I just don't get it.
Get what? The joke.
If it's supposed to be a joke.
It's a story.
You know just something that happened.
It must one of those "You had to be there" stories.
Oh, excuse me.
Oh, my gosh, is that the time? Honey, I think, uh I think we should Yeah.
[chattering.]
Nice meeting you.
[Elliot.]
Great time.
[Mark.]
Mikey, I'll call you.
All right, bye-bye.
Apologize? Yeah, you should have apologized to her.
Oh, and what's next on the agenda? Racist jokes? Maybe a few knee-slappers about how cheap Jews are.
- What the hell is your problem? - What the hell is your problem? I invite the man in You don't even like the man.
No, but I'm starting to get an appreciation for what he's done.
What he has accomplished.
And what has he accomplished? What's he gonna leave the world? Useless commercials for useless products.
He built a company.
He's providing for a family.
That's getting harder and harder to do, in case you haven't noticed.
I have noticed.
The question is what are we suppose to do about it? What do we do? We survive.
Look, I am not gonna check out the way father did.
You know, his business in the red, his savings gone to doctors and to hospitals.
What if that had happened when I was Janey's age? The world consists of more than you and me and Janey.
You said so yourself.
But I can do something about this family.
That's my job.
That is my real job.
Making sure that this family survives.
Oh, you talk about this family as though it's some sort of creature that lives in the basement that you have to feed.
We have to protect the family.
Yes.
Michael, what's the point of writing wills and drawing up trusts for Janey if the world we leave her is dying? Don't change the subject.
This is the subject.
No, don't bring the world into this.
This doesn't have anything to do with the world.
This has to do with you not backing me up.
- Backing you up? - Yeah, I mean you don't greet the man.
You make no effort to talk to him.
You hide out in the kitchen.
I was not hiding.
And then you insult his date.
There was a time when you would've cut a woman like that off at the knees for talking that way.
- Not now.
- Evidently not.
No, it's called tolerance.
It's called hypocrisy, Michael.
Look, the world is a terrible place.
Its always been a terrible place.
And you know something? It always will be a terrible place.
No matter what we do, there's always going to be somebody somewhere who isn't having a good time.
Now, what good am I doing them by not succeeding at my business? By feeding my child and my wife.
By By working to give them something, to leave them something.
Don't slam the door.
[door quietly shuts.]
[Hope.]
I can't find the juice.
All I see are boxes of film.
Oh, wait a minute.
Here it is.
Well, was my daughter a good overnight guest? I've never spent the night with someone before and woke up with fewer regrets.
I didn't expect you till later.
Well, the magazine didn't take as long as I expected.
What'd you tell them? Thanks, but no thanks.
How'd they react? Basically not at all.
I was all set for this big scene where I tell them what I think about what they've been doing with the magazine and how I want to have no part of it and how I'm becoming dismayed with writing about things and instead of doing things.
And I never really got the chance.
I mean, when they found out I didn't want the job, they just said, "Oh, well, okay.
And good luck.
Keep in touch.
" So that's why I'm early.
Oh, how's the party? Mmm.
It's over.
- I see.
- Mm-hmm.
What's all this stuff? Oh, I was showing Janey where she came from.
Pictures of what her grandfather looked like.
So she'll know what her mommy looked like when she was all curled up inside her.
See, Janey.
Look.
See the smile on her face? That's because she's gonna have a baby.
She's gonna have a beautiful girl named Janey.
And look here.
That's Daddy.
That's Mommy and Daddy.
No, that's a baby, and that's Mommy.
See that goofy look on his face? That's what he looks like when he's happy.
[Janey babbles.]
Yeah, I took that the day you were born so you know how much he loved you right from the start.
Daddy.
Give me that.
You want some orange juice? Now, do you want to clean up the pictures? Never have so few delivered so much in so short of time.
Watch your backs, ladies and gentlemen.
Steadman and Weston have arrived.
[crowd.]
Hear, hear.
All right.
Congratulation, guys.
[chatter.]
Michael.
Miles.
Drink deep of this heavy liquor.
And I don't mean the champagne.
Thank you.
Thanks for all this.
It was unexpected.
Mmm.
I enjoy the unexpected.
I wanted to talk to you about last night.
Yes.
I've been debating about this, but basically, I want to apologize.
For what? For my wife.
I see.
Did she ask you to apologize? Oh, that's not really the point.
Oh.
But I liked your wife.
You did? Yes.
She reminds me of someone.
Oh, really.
Um, who? You.
We marry ourselves, Michael.
Starting out in step linked like a man and his reflection.
Then the reflection starts making some moves on its own.
Revolt of the shadows.
The trick is staying in sync.
How do you do that? First you have to figure out which side of the mirror you're on.
Everybody thinks it's a bad idea.
- Well, who's everybody? - Everybody.
Oh.
.
I mean, I know it's really none of their business.
But? But, I mean I know this shouldn't matter.
It's just I mean, what will everybody think if you come back? "Nancy couldn't cut it" or "She's falling back into it again" or "Doesn't that woman have any pride?" Okay, all right, so you might not look so good if I came back to the rest of the word.
Come on, Nancy, people change.
We've changed.
We're not the same people we were 12 years ago.
Most importantly, we're not the same people we thought we were 12 years ago.
I mean, the earth, it's cooled considerably, but there's still warmth, Nance.
The other day, the hotel.
There's still warmth.
There's still heat.
Yeah, but how will we go back? I don't want to go back.
I never want to go back.
I want us to start from right here.
From this spot.
It's not smart.
I know it's not smart at all.
[bell rings.]
- Time.
- Cookies.
Nancy Nancy I love you.
And would like, God, more than anything in the world, to be your second husband.
What will people say? People will say Nancy couldn't cut it.
She's fallen for it again.
Doesn't that woman have any pride? Yeah, see? That's exactly what they're gonna say.
And what will you say? I'll tell them to go to hell.
[groans.]
Oh, what's that? [mutters.]
Is that a bee? Oh, we don't want a bee to sting us, huh? What are those? Birds? Yeah, hi.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Hi.
The bill for dinner right there on the desk.
It's not so bad.
No, not so bad.
You were gone when I woke up.
Yeah, I went to the magazine, and then I went and picked up Janey.
I tried to call you.
I was here.
The phone never rang.
I said I tried to call you.
I never made it past the fourth digit.
How come? I was afraid you wouldn't be here.
Where else would I be? Somewhere else.
Different place.
I'm right here.
You know, I can't stop you from wanting what you want for Janey or doing what you feel you have to do to make that happen.
But you can't stop me from doing what I'm doing because that's just as much for her.
I realize that.
You know, what I think it is? What? Well, I think there's actually a difference between mothers and fathers.
Having to do something so primal.
You know, so basic about being a mother that I don't know, you know? Carrying these little people inside your body, it realigns your electrons or something.
All that change and pain connects you to her in a way that has nothing to do with me.
It connects me in other ways to other things, too.
I mean, it is primal.
Life comes out of your body.
Life feeds from your body.
It's like I don't know suddenly the world seems so full of - Read that.
- Thank you, okay.
The world seems so opened.
Mischief, it seems so fragile.
See, you hold her differently.
Look, she doesn't fit in my arms the way she fits in yours.
I don't know.
Biology.
Are you jealous? Jealous? No.
Envious, maybe.
You know, the way you'd envy a bird or a dolphin.
We want the same things.
Really we do.
So why are we beating each other up? I don't know.
It scares me.
Is something happening? Did you start dinner? Not yet.
Let's get in the car.
Let's go someplace.
You want some pizza? That be a good thing to do.
Okay.
Come here, baby.
Come on.
Oh, we're flying.
Michael.
If anything ever happens to us, I'd like it if Melissa would take care of Janey.
Would that be okay with you? Yes, that would be fine.
I'll get her coat.
Okay.
Closed-Captioned By J.
R.
Media Services, Inc.
Burbank, CA And dance by the light of the moon