Party of Five s06e18 Episode Script

1 We'll deliver on the first.
Ok.
All right, bye.
Another satisfied customer.
-Hey, Gus.
-Hey.
Haven't seen you around here for a while.
Well, I hate to admit it, but I could get used to this.
I just took my grandson to a ball game, played 36 holes at Pebble Beach-- And trust me, it's easier to get tea time during the week.
Well, you've earned it.
That's kind of why I came in.
I got a call from standard home furnishings last week.
They want to buy me out, Charlie.
S.
F? What happened, we stole the Mill Valley job, and they figured if you can't beat 'em Wait, Gus, you're not actually-- Well, you got to face facts, Charlie, I'm not getting any younger.
Hold on, I don't-- I don't get it.
I mean we're just starting to turn things around here.
Exactly.
That's why now is the perfect time to sell.
I don't believe this.
Now, we talk every week, and you never once mentioned a word about wanting to sell.
Because I didn't think I'd get the right price.
But now, thanks to you-- Yeah, well, that's what bothers me, Gus.
I mean, you ask me to run the place, and then you suddenly pull the rug out like this? Look, relax.
Those guys know all about you.
They're gonna make you a very nice offer to stay.
That's not it, Gus.
That's not it.
I've got plans here, you know.
I mean, we're just into production on the bedroom line now, but I've still got designs for living room, for dining room, plus I've been doing all these sketches of high-end office stuff.
Which you'll still be able to do.
It'll just be with Standard instead of me.
They have much deeper pockets than I have.
If anything, you'll be able to do more.
It's the best thing, Charlie, for everybody.
Trust me.
You'll see.
Everybody wants to live Like they wanna live And everybody wants to love Like they wanna love Everybody wants to be Closer to free Closer to free That's right, just keep stirring in the chocolate so it doesn't burn.
Just like on the food channel.
We never had candy in our chili before.
This is so awesome, Claud.
Victor, this would be great for school.
You could tell everyone how you learned to cook.
Boy, you're like a dog with a bone on that show and tell thing.
What show and tell thing? It's for his class.
You come in and tell your life story.
Owen seems to think that my life would be interesting to a bunch of kids.
-Which it would not.
-It'd be fun.
Please? We discussed this, kiddo, I said no.
-Why not? -Owen, I said no.
That's why.
Well, I mean, Owen, come on.
What about me? I could come in.
Play my violin.
-That's boring.
-That's not boring.
Thank you, it's not boring.
Victor, tell him it's not So, we've been talking about making choices.
How we don't just throw words down.
How character, detail, style, it all speaks to the story we're telling and what's going on.
Julia I see that you've attempted a stream of consciousness narrative, which I get, but let's talk about why.
Well, I wanted to see if I could be less specific.
I didn't want to tell the reader what to think.
But do you feel an obligation to guide the reader to not be lazy? To help him understand the story? Well, I guess.
I mean that would probably-- Wait, excuse me.
Ulysses is all stream of consciousness, right? Mmm-hmm.
Well, whoever understood that? Well, yes, but, you know if you look carefully at the language in Joyce's Ulysses, you'll see that it's all there for a reason.
Well, that's not what I got at all.
I mean, I got passion and freedom Risk-taking.
You know, it's just what Julia is doing.
Adam Yeah, Adam, if you've read Ulysses without extracting any meaning from it, you haven't really read him.
And how do you know? Excuse me? Who said everything has to mean something? I thought art meant not following rules.
Well, that kind of sounds like a rule itself, don't you think? The point is, is that I don't think I can tell you the rules.
Any more than you can tell me.
All right.
Also venture capital.
I've always really loved the idea of helping other businesses get started.
And consulting And, Marketing? Maybe Marketing? Ok.
All right.
Let's stop here for a second 'cause we have quite -a list already.
-Ok.
Let's try to narrow this down a little bit.
Let's talk about where you've been headed so far.
What's your degree? Actually, I dropped out of college my sophomore year.
Really, well-- But, don't worry.
I've got a great resume.
I ran my family's restaurant business -for over two years.
-The family business? Yes, and I completely turned that place around.
I can print up the financials.
I'm gonna have to interrupt.
You need a degree.
But I'm saying the average business school graduate knows less than me.
Yes, but that's not how they hire.
The first thing they ask me, is "What's his degree?" I just-- I can't believe that if they met me and then they've heard about everything that I've done-- It doesn't matter what you've done.
Without that piece of paper, I can't even get you in the door.
For over 40 years, the Standard Home Furnishing family of products have spanned the broad spectrum of home design in temporary, classic and traditional model.
Standard Home Furnishings building on traditional excellence.
So, with our sales and distribution, producers like you are just free to build.
Take your mind off the hassles that most independents get swamped by.
How's that sound? It sounds great.
It really does.
And, by the way, thank you.
I really appreciate all this trouble.
It's no trouble.
We want you to be part of Standard.
Did you have a chance to look over the salary and benefits package? Yeah.
And It's impressive.
It's very impressive.
I sense a "but.
" No, no, it's just The main reason that I took over for Gus, was so I could build certain things.
Terrific.
That's why we want you.
We like what you're building.
Well, there's other stuff, too.
Designs that are still on the drawing board.
I can't wait to see them.
Just put together a portfolio and we'll run it by the E.
D.
G.
The E.
D.
G? Our Executive Design Group.
They review all of our product lines.
I need their approval before I can build anything? Don't worry.
The group just helps us track buyer preferences.
So once they've signed off, then that's it.
I'm on my own.
Well, actually, Marketing has to sign off, too.
But that's just a formality.
Provided, of course, consumer testing goes well.
Five whole days in the Big Apple.
I'm gonna miss you.
You should do something fun, you know? Go to a great jazz club, or, see if Woody is playing Elaine's.
Like when? I'm gonna be locked in a smelly recording studio with a bunch of other session geeks.
Told the same thing to Mabel when she said we should go out.
Who's Mabel? Just this girl I know there.
Girl? She's the cellist that we're using.
Ok.
You know, you never mentioned her.
Well, we're old friends and, we grew up together and then she moved to New York for work.
-What work? -Modeling.
Todd.
We haven't seen each other in a really long time.
Yeah, but I mean, you've obviously kept in touch.
Well, she writes me these letters, and Why? I mean, did you guys date or something? Date? No.
I mean, maybe, you know, she kissed me once.
-Kissed you? -No, it's not like that.
I mean maybe she was just a little bit in love with me-- In love with you? See No.
But it was eons ago.
Nothing else ever happened.
Right, because, you know, she's too busy being a model.
Claudia, Oh, man, man, I shouldn't have said anything.
No, you should have said more.
You should have said everything.
I mean, 'cause now I feel like you hid this from me for a reason.
What? No, I didn't mean Ok.
Ok, you know what? Just forget it.
Is there anything else? No.
No.
So, the answer's no.
You're not going to college.
Just a flat-out, arbitrary no.
It's not arbitrary.
It's based on years of experience.
Years that seemed like decades.
You know, school isn't that boring, Bailey.
Latissimus dorsi.
Oh, god.
This Latin.
I've got to stop transposing the i's and the u's.
See? Even you can't get into this stuff.
No.
I actually love this stuff.
Ok, for instance, did you know the liver can filter over 2,000 pounds of minerals every year? I mean, you can't tell me that's not exciting.
For you.
You're pre-med.
Well, you've just got to find your "pre.
" Oh, that's it? Just find my "pre?" Why didn't I think of that? I just meant what better place to figure stuff out? I mean, college has courses on every conceivable subject.
What better place? How about the real world? That's what interests me.
So for you any subject is automatically less interesting if it's experienced in a book.
Yup.
Pretty much.
I guess that makes us pretty different, then, because I can't think of any aspect of what I'm studying that I wouldn't choose to read more about.
Oh, yeah? Thank you.
The external Obliques? You wanna look up the spelling? Maybe check the classification? That's not a fair argument, Bailey.
Come here.
I don't know, Kirsten, I don't know if I could work that way.
Someone over my shoulder every second, telling me how to do my job.
How do you know that? Look, I took a look at their catalogs, and, I mean, they push this whole cutting-edge image thing.
But really they're all about Market share, just like any big company.
Which means, you know, making a product that everybody likes.
Which means sooner or later me having to make stuff that I hate.
Ok, then don't take it.
Just leave and find someplace else to work.
I would Except all my designs belong to Gus.
Everything I've been drawing for the last six months.
I want to build that stuff, Kirsten, I can't just walk away.
Maybe you should buy the company and not them.
I thought about that.
What? That was a joke.
I know, but, I mean, why not? They're asking me to run the company for them, why not run it for myself? Charlie, how much would that cost? A lot.
It's a lot of money.
But, I mean, that's why they have banks.
It's just I mean it's huge.
I know.
I mean it's like millions huge.
I mean, I know-- I'm sure that you could do it, but But, Charlie That's huge.
Hey.
Hey, you.
What's going on? Spring cleaning.
Out with the old In with the new.
You're in a good mood.
Yeah.
Why wouldn't I be? What, no "hello.
How was your day"? I know how your day was.
I spent it with you.
That's right.
You did.
You were there.
So you couldn't have missed it.
Missed what? Adam, what happened with you today in Walker's class? I mean, it was sweet if you were defending me, but I couldn't tell.
And I know he's been giving you a hard time about spelling-- That little discussion we had? It wasn't just a little discussion.
You were really getting on his case.
Well, he should hear stuff like that more often.
He's a professor.
We're supposed to be hearing stuff like that from him.
Julia, please.
Don't say stuff like that.
What do you mean? Don't make sense? Yeah.
Exactly.
Why not? 'Cause it's depressing watching my girlfriend turn into a drone.
A drone? How am I a drone? You are taking their crap as the Gospel.
Why? Why, 'cause they have tenure? I mean, what does that prove? I mean, how does that qualify them to judge you? Adam, it's called school.
I pay them thousands of dollars to judge me.
I mean, that's why I'm there.
Really? -You mean that? -Well, yeah.
-Hey.
-Hey.
You know, I was just thinking that you spend all this time in our house, and you practically know everything about us, but we're kind of clueless about you.
I mean, you like to salsa.
You put chocolate in your chili, but that's kind of it.
You know? I don't know where you grew up.
I don't know your family.
I don't know if you moved from somewhere.
I hate to disappoint you, Claudia, but there really isn't much to tell.
Ok, so, I'll admit, yesterday with Owen, kind of made me a little curious.
It seemed like there was something that you didn't want to say.
But you decided to ask me anyway? No, I just-- I thought maybe it was because Owen was there.
You know, maybe it was something you thought he wouldn't understand.
Maybe it's just personal.
Ok? Right.
Right, ok.
I'm not gonna push.
It's just-- If you ever do want to talk about something, I mean, Victor, you're our friend.
You know? Just because you don't think it's in your job description doesn't mean that-- I just said it was personal.
Didn't you hear me say that? I don't want to pitch this like it's some big long shot, you know? I want to pitch it like it's a lay-up.
I mean, our next couple lines come out, hit the Market, we make a balloon payment, And bang! The bank's back in the black in less than two years.
I don't know, man.
Bailey, the numbers are good.
If anything, I'm being conservative.
I'm not saying you're not.
-It's just -What? It's so huge.
Yeah.
So I hear.
Not that I'm saying that you can't do it, at all.
Bailey, you know how it is.
Everything's relative.
It's just an extra zero or two.
But it's more zeroes than anything I've ever come near.
This is more zeroes than all the expansions at Salinger's put together.
Are you saying I'm making a mistake here? No, I'm not saying you're making a mistake.
It's just It's so -Huge.
-Huge.
Thanks, that, really takes all the pressure off.
So why do you need all these books again? Well, I've got two labs and a paper due, and you're carrying my bibliography.
Can't believe you have room in your head for all this.
Thank you for your help.
You're welcome.
-Ok, see you later.
-Bye.
Bailey, you sure you don't want to try it? Just one little lecture? Holly, you don't want me in there.
Ok, I snore at lectures.
Really loud.
But it's reproductive biology, and if that doesn't-- Holly, drop it.
Look, it's just School.
It's these people and these classrooms, I just don't fit in here.
Why not? They make me feel stupid.
What? I'm not a great reader.
I'm not a great writer.
And everybody else here, they're like you.
They can do this.
So -Ok, listen-- -No.
I know you mean well, but that's not gonna work.
-So, I'll see you later.
Ok? -Ok? I want to start today by talking about subtext.
Now, there's a school of thought that holds that the best writer never lets his character say what he's actually thinking.
Excuse me, Walker? What's this note mean? Let's talk about that after class.
No, where it says, "Brevity, sharpness.
We need a point"? I'm just curious, you know.
Why do you say that? Adam, don't be an idiot.
Could you explain why you say that? All right In a nutshell, the language did not make any sense to me, and I felt that it took me longer to read the story, than it probably took you to write it.
But what if there's nothing specific you're supposed to get? You know? What if I wanted the reader to lose himself in the language? Well, ok, Adam.
But you know, if you just throw words down on a page, and they don't add up to anything, then you're doing the reader a disservice.
And yourself.
You're, pretty sure about that? All right, now you're just wasting my time.
"Beckett's language in The Lost Ones is extremely playful, yet still erudite.
The author deals brilliantly with issues of isolation and doubt by letting the reader drift with his own ambivalence.
" Sleeping Giant review, 1954.
What? You didn't recognize Samuel Beckett? He didn't write just plays, you know.
There was also short stories and other stuff.
You know, but they were easy to miss.
There were only like 19 copies printed.
This supposed to be funny? I'm just trying to make a point.
Well, it's good work.
Putting all your energy into a big, raised finger.
You trying to say I shouldn't be teaching this class? Nah, I just I don't know.
Maybe nobody should.
Yeah, the company's had some growing to do, And it's been a lot of work.
When I computerized the billing system, it was like I invented fire or something.
Charlie, there is no one I'd rather see run this company than you.
We were about to foreclose until you came along.
So? So, their offer, this figure we have to beat-- Please Don't say it's huge.
No.
It's the premium they're putting on it.
It's too much for the company's assets to fully collateralize.
Well, that's because they're banking on all my outstanding orders.
Which makes perfect sense.
I'm not saying they're paying too much money.
So if it makes sense for them, then why not for us? They're not coming to me for the money.
If they were, I'd want extra collateral from them, same as you.
Collateral? Mark On a loan this big, I don't have money like that.
I've got credit cards I can't pay down yet.
Can't we do something creative here? I mean, this deal is good, Mark.
You know me.
See, we're a bank, Charlie.
Fiduciary officers, loan committees.
Creativity's not really our thing.
I think you'll find other banks think the same way.
I'm sorry.
Peeling back the external oblique shows the irregular pattern.
The tendinous inscription weaves across the rectus abdomini laterally, diagonally, and then vertically.
It's a miracle.
Your R&D is paid for, you're already tooled up with cash on account, which is growing and growing.
It's money in the bank, right? How can that be a bad thing? Your balance sheet strengthens.
Your debt equity ratios right themselves.
What could be wrong with this picture? It's called the time value of money.
Now, who could help me with this? Is this the interest that you're earning or the interest that you're paying? Neither.
Yes.
Neither? Correct.
Very good.
It's the value that you could be adding by investing it elsewhere, an opportunity you might be missing.
There's a Market for your money, And you want the best value when you're going to sell it to someone.
Now, what is the most efficient way to determine that value? Is it the equities Market? Is it a limited partnership? Is it starting a fruit stand? Come on, help me here.
Equities.
Yes.
Equities.
Wrong.
The equities Market seeks apt valuations, but its limits to knowledge are far too great.
Let me just add this.
This kind of thinking, this This street-smart day trading, blind faith in the Markets is anathema to true wealth creation.
So I keep watching, and she slips him this package of whatever and just walks away.
I don't know, Todd.
It's not like I don't trust him.
It's just Hello? Oh, sorry, Todd.
I didn't know you were on the phone.
Todd, who was that? It's no one.
That wasn't no one.
Well, it's someone.
It's just, she's not I mean, it's not anything bad.
Todd, what did I say before about I mean, we talked about this, about not withholding.
Ok, look Me and Mabel We were leaving this club in the village.
She just wanted to walk home, but it started to rain, and her body suit soaked through, and the only reason that she came up to my room was to take a hot bath.
Plus, she lost her purse, so that's the only reason that she's spending the night.
Claudia? Are you there? Hey, man, check it out.
I talked to a couple of V.
C.
guys I know.
-V.
C.
? -Venture capital.
And this whole thing's not really their bag.
Everybody owns a dot-com these days.
But I talked to him about it anyway.
They told me if you could scrape up the littlest bit -of collateral-- -Bailey And I got to thinking.
Collateral.
We got stuff, man.
We got the house, we got the restaurant, we have cars.
No way.
We can still make this deal.
Charlie, don't give up on it.
I'm not giving up.
I'm just I'm just changing my mind.
Changing your mind? Why? What's going on? What's wrong? Look, I've thought about every way that I could swing this deal, ok.
And I realized that I'm asking a lot of people to take big risks here-- The money people, the workers, Kirsten, even you guys.
And why? So that I can be in charge? So that I can be assured of building the designs that I want to build? No, because this company needs you, Charlie.
You have amazing plans for this place.
And I'll probably still be able to do all that stuff if I take the job that they're offering.
I'll get paid very well.
I'll get to spend more time with Kirsten.
Charlie, you have worked so hard for this, man, and it's right.
It is so right for you.
Can't you see that? Maybe so But at a certain point, there's other stuff that's more important than that.
What? You think you can hide? Val, I will come down there if I have to.
Look, just I will call you later.
Is everything ok? Yes.
Why wouldn't it be? Ok, look, I know something's wrong.
Nothing's wrong, Claudia.
Victor, I saw you.
Today I got off the bus, and I saw you.
Saw me what? You're like the queen of nonsequiturs lately.
You were fighting with some woman in the street.
You handed her some money, and she gave you something.
Look, I'm not saying you were doing anything wrong, but I wish you'd tell me what's going on.
What do you think you saw? Hmm? A little street action? Some crack whore selling the Puerto Rican guy drugs? That's not what I'm saying.
I have a right to know what's going on.
Victor, you take care of my brother.
I have given you no reason ever to doubt me.
You're making it worse by not answering me, Victor.
You have no right to interrogate me.
And if that's not ok, if having no privacy is a condition of my employment, then you let me know, 'cause maybe I shouldn't be working here anymore! What? Why are you so quiet? What's going on, Adam? What's the matter with you? I'm sorry.
What? One minute you're picking fights with professors, the next, you're sweet and romantic.
What is wrong with you? Nothing is wrong with me, Julia.
Adam, that school is about to suspend you or worse.
How can you sit there sipping your coffee like nothing has happened? What has happened? Don't you care that you're about to be kicked out of college? I don't know.
Maybe not.
Maybe I don't belong in this place.
I don't get you right now.
I don't get you.
No, I am not letting you do that again.
You might think I'm a lemming or something for listening to teachers who have years more experience than me, but you know what? At least I'm committing myself to something.
-Like your book? -What? Your book about Ned that you were so scared to let out of your hands because two lousy people rejected it.
That is not true.
You told me yourself, Julia.
You said you re-read it and couldn't figure out what was wrong.
Maybe nothing was wrong.
Look, you have all this talent.
You slink around begging for scraps of approval.
I mean, it's like your writing is not good until someone else says so.
Maybe you're right.
Maybe I could stand to commit to some things.
But at least I commit to myself.
What are you doing? Nothing.
I'm just Just reading.
Go back to sleep.
Reading what? My freshman econ text? How long have you been reading that for? What? Just a couple hours.
Hours? On the theories of Microeconomics? This professor said something today that's got me thinking.
What professor? It sounded wrong to me, what he said.
But I looked it up in this book, and he was right, according to this.
So I just figured I'd keep on reading, you know, and see what I thought of the rest of it.
And it's good.
It's really good.
Some of it's just weird, spacey theory that has nothing to do with business, but Bailey Yeah, I know.
Two years ago, you couldn't have paid me to slog through this thing.
But now you've been out in the world.
Yes.
Right.
So it's not just ideas now, you know.
There's stuff that I've done that makes this real.
So what does this mean? Does it change how you feel about college? I guess maybe I could give it a try.
Maybe.
-Hey.
-Hey.
-Hi.
-Hey.
Claud, hi.
Listen, any time family dinner turns into family lunch, it's great for me.
I don't have to have deli alone at my desk.
It's not really a family lunch thing.
Actually, we asked you guys here to talk.
What's up? Is anything wrong? We want you to buy your company, Charlie.
Bailey -We talked about this.
-And we wanna buy it with you.
-What? -Bailey told us what's going on, that you need to put something up to get this loan, and so we took a vote, and we want to put our shares of the restaurant in.
Ok, look, that's very generous, you guys, but-- No, it's not generous.
It's smart.
It's a big risk, ok, to put all your money in.
Well, we think it'd be riskier not to.
Charlie, if we do this, then we would own a piece of your business, and we feel like It would be better to own a piece of something that's growing, than a piece of something that's not.
This is Dad's restaurant.
It's the family business.
I mean, if something were to go wrong, and it easily could, and we were to lose that Yeah.
Yeah, we've thought about that.
But you know what? The thing is, the family is different now.
I mean, the family is us.
And maybe the family business should be different, too.
Listen, they tell you in business school that you should put your money in something that you know.
Well, I've been watching you run that place, Charlie, and we all know what you can do.
There isn't anything we would feel safer in betting on right now than you.
Here you go.
All right, kiddo, go clean your room up.
All right.
Hi, Claud.
Hey.
Victor, we have to talk.
Last night felt bad.
I know.
It was my fault.
I lost my temper.
I'm not saying I have any right to know what's going on in your life, or that your personal life has anything to do with your job.
It's just Actually, it has everything to do with it.
What do you mean? Claudia, the woman you saw me with, her name is Valerie.
I knew her back home in Brooklyn.
She was I guess you would call her my girlfriend.
You had a girlfriend? I didn't know what I was then-- Gay, straight, something in between.
I was 19.
We dated awhile And we got pregnant.
She wanted to marry me, but I said I couldn't.
I was Starting to realize some things about myself.
And when she asked me to help her with the baby, I got scared and confused And I just didn't.
So she moved out here to live with her parents.
Victor, you don't have to say anything else.
Later on When I realized that I needed to be here for her For my daughter I sold everything and moved.
But Val's parents won't let me see her, so I don't get to see her.
Anyway, Val lets me give them some money sometimes, which is-- That's what you saw, Claudia.
And she gave me this picture.
It was Charlotte's sixth birthday.
Charlotte.
She looks like you.
Yeah.
Val's parents don't think that I want this, but I do.
More than anything.
I just want to be a good father.
Adam! Are you in there? I need to talk to you.
You know, Adam, I listen to you.
Would you please just-- Oh, hey.
You must be Julia, right? -I'm Blair.
-Hi.
-Where's Adam? -Split for a while.
I'm crashing until he gets back into town.
You know where the cable hookup is in here? I'm sorry.
Did you say "back to town"? Yeah.
Kinda in between places.
Oh, yeah.
He left a message for you on the machine.
Hey, Julia.
What can I say? I'm sorry.
I feel really bad about this but I'm really confused, so I'm gonna take off for a while, you know, try and work some stuff out.
I 'm gonna visit some friends at this commune in Mexico.
You see, only one thing feels right in my life now That's you.
That's great but I kinda need more.
So I'll see you.
Okay? I'll see you.
Ok, look, you cut me off on the phone, and the thing is, there's an explanation for everything.
-Todd-- -Claudia, just let me say this.
You are the most beautiful, most talented, most amazing girl that I've ever dated.
All right, you're the only girl that I've ever dated, but still Whenever it is that you needed to know, or whenever it is that I need to tell you-- Todd, wait.
I don't need to know everything.
You should just tell me if I need to worry.
Worry? Of course not.
That's all you have to say.
What time is it? Three minutes later than the last time you asked.
Think we should call him? Gus wasn't expecting a second offer, especially from me.
Now, he said he would call when he had an answer.
Did he specify a year? Hello.
Hey, Gus.
Right.
Uh-huh.
Right.
Well Thanks.
Ok, listen to me, don't panic, ok.
We still have time to sweeten our offer.
We'll call him back.
It's mine.
Wait.
Wait, what? He took the offer? Charlie, you did it.
Charlie You did it, man! What's wrong with you? I don't know.
It's just Just so huge.
My god, we gotta celebrate.
I'm calling the family.
Hey, where you going? I'm just gonna I'll just be