A Million Little Things (2018–…): Season 2, Episode 11 - We're the Howards - full transcript

There's something we need to talk about.

It's about Charlie and me.

When you're young,

you think adults
have it all figured out.

You spoke at his funeral!

I trusted you!

If only that were true.

About the night Chad died.

Eric has your brother's heart.

It seems to me we're
all works in progress.

You keep saying you need to
know who you are without cancer.



Maybe I need to figure out
who I am without you.

- We make mistakes...
- Gary.

if you're gonna be this sexually active,

you need to be careful.

... but that's part of life.

Hey! That's a stop sign!

I haven't been with anyone since Chloe.

What really matters...

I'm gonna tell her.
Now is not the right time.

... is what you do next.

- Take care of her.
- We will.

I want to adopt a baby.

I want to save someone, too.

Okay.



Hey.

- I'm Rome.
- And I'm Regina.

And we're the Howards.

- What are you doing?
- What you told me to do.

No. I said that we can't say
"We're the Howards" together.

It's creepy.

Seriously, would you let people

who said things at the same
time like that adopt your baby?

No.

Any other notes, Mr. Spielberg?

Now that you mention it, you...

No. I love what you're doing.

Especially when you sit
up straight like that.

I'm sorry.

It's just, you heard what
the lady at the agency said.

Thousands of people are trying to adopt,

and if our video doesn't stand out,
we'll never get selected.

Okay.

Let's do this.

- Thank you.
- Yeah.

- All right.
- Okay.

Okay.

All right, let's do this thing. And...

- Action.
- Yeah.

Hey.

I'm Regina.

- _
- DELILAH: We're gonna get through this,

and we're gonna be better off for it.

Think about it, Charlie.

After we're done with
your sleep training,

when you wake up in
the middle of the night,

you won't need to cry for Mommy anymore.

You're gonna be a strong,
independent young woman,

ready to take on the world.

Or at least ready to let
Mommy sleep five, six hours,

'cause Mommy really needs her sleep.

We're doing it.

We're doing it. We're doing it, baby.

You got this, sweetie.

And we're making this video
to show you who we are

and why Rome and I are so excited

to make a child part of our family.

And cut!

That was amazing.

Took, like, 17 takes... Nailed it.

Totally nailed it.

- Hey.
- Hey.

How long you been,
back there crunching?

Just for this last take.

The good one?

- Maybe no one will notice.
- Yep.

I'm sure no one will notice
some random teenage girl

just chomping on corn
flakes in our kitchen.

Hey, I meant to ask...

I have a calculus test next week,

and I could really use some help.

No, relax. I-I didn't mean
from you guys.

Are you sure? 'Cause...
'Cause if you really need help,

Regina's right here.

Actually, I wanted to know
if my friend Jess

could come over tomorrow
and maybe help me study.

- Sure.
- W-wait, wait, wait.

So, this Jess...

is he a he?

No, she's a she.

Okay..

Love Jess. Support Jess. Team Jess!

Thanks.

Is it me, or is this parenting thing

not as hard as everyone says it is?

Good. You're awake.

There's your pants, there's your phone.

There's the door.

Yeah, that's what I was gonna say.

Last night was fun,
but I should probably just...

... go.

Okay, three minutes away.

No.

No. No, no, no!

Excuse me.

Sorry to bother you,
but my phone just died.

- I really need...
- Here.

What, do I look homeless?

I'm keeping this!

- I'm so... I'm sorry.
- No...

- I ju...
- No, I thought... I'm sorry.

Hey. It's me.

Can you meet up?

I'm... I'm trying to write
this article about loss,

and I would love to get your opinion.

Yeah, one for the club. Great.

Hi.

Hey, Dakota.

- They'll be a few minutes, okay?
- Thanks.

He's lying.

What?

He said it'll be a few minutes,
but it'll be more like 12.

So, are you a musician, too?

Yeah. You ever hear of the Red Ferns?

Nope.

- Okay, so that makes you...
- Cool?

Pbht. I was gonna say "young".

Sorry. I tend to get
snarky when I'm nervous.

Have you worked with these
guys for a long time?

I actually haven't worked
with them for a while.

I reached out to Trevor

because I used to have a
deal here with my band.

Wait.

Are you in the Red Ferns?

So you have heard of us.

Yeah. Can I get a selfie?

So, have I heard any of your songs?

Well, there was "Be My Katie".

Wrote that for my wife.

"Eyes Don't Lie".

Miss.

last year, I wrote
a song called "Unexpected".

"Unexpected"?

I love that song.

- ? This was unexpected ?
- Yeah!

- ? I blinked, and I missed it ?
- Wow.

I can't believe you wrote that!

Wow.

Your meeting's gonna go
a lot better than mine.

I'm pretty sure all these
people think I'm a hack

and that I'm gonna get dropped today.

Or tomorrow. The point is,
you will not last the week.

What?

I'm kidding.

Trevor has amazing taste.
He would never sign a hack.

I thought you said he signed you.

Okay. Dakota, they're ready for you.

Michael will take you back.

Look at that. They called you first.

? This is unexpected ?

Hey, seriously, though, good luck.

Thanks.

You, too, Red Ferns.

Hi.

- So, Eddie.
- Yeah?

Unfortunately, Trevor
got pulled into something.

He's gonna have to reschedule.

- Really?
- Yeah, sorry.

We'll be in touch.

- Hey, how are you?
- Yes, please. Thank you.

- Thank you. Enjoy your day.
- Thank you.

Hi, there. What can I get for you?

I just need to borrow
one of those chargers.

Sorry.
Chargers are for customers only.

Okay. I'll take this.

Who am I kidding?

I'll take these.

Sorry. Our machine is down.

- Do you have cash?
- Do I have cash?

Of course I have... cash.

What can I get for $1?

- Nothing.
- Really?

Not even a squirt of, pumpkin spice?

- That's, seasonal.
- Isn't it the season?

The season starts tomorrow.

You're killing me, man.
I just need to charge my phone.

I got him.

Hey, man.

Eric.

Ha! Thanks for being a part
of my favorite day ever.

Gary.

- Rough morning?
- Well, we can't all be Mr. Perfect.

Look at you, exercising
with another man's heart.

Your doctor must be very proud. Or mad.

I mean, I don't know
what you're allowed to do

with another person's organ.

That sounded more
sexual than I intended it.

Hey, man...

I never got a chance to...

To tell you how sorry I am about...

how everything went down with...
with you and Maggie.

I hope I wasn't a-a factor in all that.

Don't be silly.

You split up Maggie and her mom,
not Maggie and me.

Well, it doesn't matter. I've moved on.

I'm... I'm glad to hear that.

Cappuccino and a soy milk latte.

That's me.

See you around, Gary.

Yeah.

The partners are gathering in the
conference room in 10 minutes.

- You got this.
- Thanks, Carter.

And don't forget you promised Theo

you'd pick up new
strings for his guitar.

- Shoot. I don't have time...
- Yonk!

How did you know?

He's been breaking them so often,

I just ordered a half a dozen online.

Easy peasy.

Have I told you you're the best?

You have, but,
raises speak louder than words.

- Hello?
- Katherine?

It's Principal Taylor
from E. Melvin Elementary.

Is everything okay?

Actually, no.

Theo's been in a fight.

- What?
- We need you to

come down to the school.

Of course. I'll be there right away.

It's counterintuitive,
but she's taking a long nap now

so she's not overtired.

Otherwise,
she won't fall asleep tonight.

Babies are hard.

Especially when they're
16 and not talking to you.

How's all that going?

It's tough.

But you were right.

Some space is good, and...

she's in good hands with Gina and Rome.

She is. And you're doing
the right thing.

Thanks.

But that's not why you're here.

You're here to talk about your article,

and really, it's fantastic.

Can you please tell my editor that?

He wants me to make all these changes.

He wants the last line to be more
of a "gut punch",

whatever that means.

Well, I'm sure you can figure it out.

You've been crushing it.

Working, writing, traveling.

You're just finding
the perfect balance...

I kissed Eric.

I'm sorry that Trevor
canceled. That sucks.

Thanks.

Are you sure it's okay

you're missing the
meeting with the partners?

It'll have to be. Theo comes first.

Thanks for coming in.

I just have to say, I know there
are two sides to every story,

but Theo is the
smallest kid in the class.

For a student to be
bullied on school grounds

under your watch is
completely unacceptable.

I totally agree.

Thing is...

Theo's the one who started it.

What?

He pushed another boy to the floor.

I was so embarrassed.

I just ran out of there.

I mean, it's just a kiss.
It's not that big a deal, right?

Well, I mean, last time I
kissed someone, I got pregnant.

He hasn't been with anyone
since his fianc?e died.

And to be honest, I'm confused.

I mean, one minute,

I am swiping my way through
the Boston dating scene.

The next minute, I am kissing the guy

who has my brother's heart.

Then there's Gary, and...

What about Gary?

I don't know.

I guess I just always...

thought that eventually,
we would end up together.

And now who even knows?

Well, I-I once read
in an incredible article

that...

"life is complicated, but sometimes

you're better off embracing the mess

than trying to clean it all up".

Randy's right. This needs work.

Between this footage of our
friends with their kids,

the stuff that we're gonna get at
Sophie's softball game tomorrow,

this video is going to be unbelievable.

You know what's also unbelievable?

That this could be us one day soon.

That we could have a kid

who's gonna look to
us for all the answers,

and we may not have all of them,

but we are going to shape their world

almost as much as
they're gonna shape ours.

I can't believe...

that I didn't get that on camera.

Can you say all those things
again, but this time,

over by the window
with the good lighting?

- And please don't squint.
- I don't squint.

- You do.
- Hey, guys!

This is Jess.

As promised, she's a girl.

Hey, I'm Rome.

I'm Regina.

And we're the Howards.

Nice to meet you.

You, too.

Yeah, and if you guys are editing,

we can totally work
downstairs in the common room.

That's very considerate.

And, Jess,
you're welcome to stay for dinner.

Yeah, we're having fish.

Just for the halibut.

That's my first dad joke.

Have fun.

Yeah.

- Sorry.
- Tough crowd.

Just keep 'em coming, man.

Yeah, sure thing.

Crap. No.

No, no, no, no.

Hey, if...

If you like and then un-like
a picture really quickly,

does the person know?

Not unless they were
online when you did it.

Are you stalking an ex?

No!

Just checking out this guy she's dating.

Something off about this dude.

He's nice. Too nice, you know?

Like a... smiley face
emoji took human form.

Did you check out
this guy's social media?

Yeah. All his accounts are private.

Ran a search on the Web.
Nothing unusual came up.

Okay, yeah, but did you check
the results on page 1 or page 9?

What?

Tagging in.

All right.

You seem unusually invested in this.

Well, you should be, too.

Check this out.

What the Hell?

You are so welcome.

Excited to make a child
part of our fam...

Hey. How'd the studying go?

Good.

Where are you going?

Bed.

- But it's 6:30.
- And you sleep out here, girl.

I don't think they were
studying down there.

Ya think?

You're gonna be okay, sweetie.

God.

I'm not so sure about me.

Okay, baby, here.

Hold this for a second, okay?
I'll be right back.

Come on.

Okay, here's the plan...

One of us has to keep an eye on her

while the other one calls Delilah

and tells her what her
daughter did on our watch.

Good luck in there.

Okay. Thanks for that.

Who loves being awake?

We do! We d...

No, no, no, no! Don't fall asleep!

No, no, no, no.

No, not enough. Not now.

Alexa, play baby Charlie's dance mix.

- We're gonna party.
- Playing baby Charlie's dance mix.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Here we go. Here we go. Here we go.

- Hello.
- Hey, D.

Is that "Who Let the Dogs Out?"

What? No!

Alexa, stop the music.

Okay.

What's up, Rome?

Not much. Not much at all.

Well, now that I have you,
might as well give you

- a little update on Sophie.
- Did she miss her curfew last night?

Not exactly.

Sophie's actually been here,
studying, the whole time.

Well, at least
we thought she was studying.

Her friend Jess came over.

That girl is nothing but trouble.

She is.

She really is.

On a related note...

Trouble snuck some wine into our place,

and she and Sophie got
drunk in the common room.

What?!

Now, don't worry. Sophie is safe.

Although she and our bathroom
are paying the price right now.

Maybe I should come over.

No, no. No.

I just wanted to let you
know what happened.

That's the update. You've been updated.

Now back to your dance party.

Let them dogs out, girl!

Sophie's gonna be fine.

And, hopefully, so will I.

I just don't understand
why you pushed Auggie.

He's a friend of yours.

Hey.

Hey, Theo.

Let's put down the Legos.

Talk to me.

What's going on?

Nothing.

Hi.

Hey.

What are you doing here?

I have exactly 47 minutes until
she goes down for the night,

and I need to make sure Sophie's okay.

Not happening.

What? What do you mean, "Not happening"?

I mean, your... Your body is not...

... is not going through that door.

God. When did you get so strong?

Power Pilates twice a week.
At this point, I'm addicted.

D, the whole point of
this reset is to re-set.

She can't see you be
concerned about her.

- Right.
- Yeah.

You're right.

Hi.

Would you stop?

You're only gonna make me hurt you.

And besides,
if you go in there right now,

what message are you sending?

It's just like sleep-training Charlie.

This is Sophie's way

of kicking and screaming and testing me,

and if I go through that door, she wins.

Exactly.

But if I can't go in,
you need to do what I can't.

Believe me, she's gonna find out

that there are
consequences for her actions.

Perfect.

But also, you need to set limits for her

so she knows you can protect her.

And more importantly,
that she's worth protecting.

You're such a good mom.

So good that my daughter
lives in your apartment.

That's okay, Max. I got this.

Gary. What's up?

If you're here to pay me
back for those cookies,

forget about it... my treat.

I know what you're hiding.

What are you...
What are you talking about?

There's a wrongful death
suit against you, man.

From the family of Chloe Myers.

Now, would that be the same Chloe

that you were engaged to?

Yeah, it is. Yeah.

Does Maggie know what you did?

Is that not really what you two
talk about on your little dates?

You're right. You're right.

Describing how you murdered your fianc?e

is probably not the best foreplay.

Y-You don't know anything.

Hoo!

Based on how angry you're getting,
I think maybe I do.

Maggie and I are not together.

But you know what we do talk about?

We talk about what a mess you are,

and no wonder she wanted out.

Hey! What's going on?!

I'm okay, Max.

- You ready?
- It's go time.

Rise and shine! Come on.

Come on, party girl.
Time to get ready for your big game.

- No. I'm not going.
- Yes, you are.

Otherwise, you're gonna be hearing

this old-school jam
for the next four hours.

Okay, okay! All right, okay!

Just make it stop!

We leave in 20.

We're gonna be excellent parents.

You know, we got this in the bag.

You know what?

- I should get my camera...
- Nope.

Not going in the video.

- We'd have to reenact it and yeah.
- Keep it moving.

Walk away.

Walk away.

_

Hello?

Eddie, my man! There you are.

Trevor.

Big sorry about yesterday.

I was putting out fires all day.

But I finally got a chance

to listen to those new
tracks you sent over.

Yeah?

They're great, man. So great.

But they're just... not...

what we're looking for right now.

Thank you for the phone call, Trevor,

but you could've just
e-mailed that to me.

I'm actually... calling about
that girl you met in the lobby.

Dakota?

What about her?

Put me down on 2.

Hey, Soph, you want to look
about 10% less miserable?

We're trying to show that
we're good with kids,

not that we crush their dreams.

Nailed it!

Hi.

How's Soph?

Maybe this could be good for her.

Maybe she'll never drink again.

No, she will.

But hopefully,
it bought us another six months.

Yeah..

For later.

What's this?

It's my way of being there for her

without actually being there.

It's her favorite.

First week on the job,
you let Sophie get drunk.

Well done.

What's next? You gonna
buy Danny some weed?

Okay, Gary, we're gonna go again.

But this time, you mind saying something

that would help me get a child?

That's right... Your adoption video.

No wonder you're all dressed up.

Thought maybe Sophie's softball
game was business cash.

Gary, just look into the camera

- and say...
- Eat it.

Let's go, Soph!

I just talked to Maggie.

I figured she'd have some insight
into what Theo's going through.

She offered to come by later to...

What are you listening to?

apparently, this is the future.

I just talked to Trevor.

Trevor?
That... That's a good thing, right?

No.

He didn't call to sign me.

He called 'cause he
wants me to supervise

this millennial artist.

Her name's Dakota.

She's been a bit of a problem for them,

and he wants to hire me to... help out.

And after all that,
I told him I'd think about it,

but there is no way.

I cannot believe this is
what my career has come to.

This Dakota...

she sounds talented.

What difference does that make?

You always say that making
great music is your dream.

Maybe... this is a way to do that.

I'm sorry. I get that
this is frustrating.

But you should know

that when I heard "Unexpected"
on the radio last year,

I didn't care that it wasn't your voice.

They were your words.

You made that.

And I was so proud of you.

Right?

I know Rome is gonna hit
"pause" if Sophie starts to puke,

but I want this on video.

So...

Any chance you two didn't see that?

Nope.

I...

I just got this ridiculous idea

that something was going
on with her and Eric,

and I went down a hole.

It's fine.

What was that?

What... What? What was what?

That face. What was that?

You would tell me if
something is going on, right?

Gary, you two really need to...

You should just talk to Maggie about it.

I don't need to, because
you just answered my question.

No! I didn't...

- I need to go for a walk.
- No. Gary...

I'm just gonna get a pretzel, all right?

Can't a guy get a pretzel?

Here she goes.

Drunk.

Okay.

Strike!

Dixon! Get your head in the game!

Come on, Sophie.

Who is that guy?

I've never seen him before in my life.

- That was not pretty.
- Strike 2!

Come on, Soph! You got this!

Come on, Soph!

You got this, Soph!

Yes!

God, she's got the hit!

- He's not a dad.
- I needed that.

Yes!

What the...
What the Hell are you doing?

I could ask you the same thing.

You think we wouldn't
notice you coming out here

and taking pictures of our girls?

Look, man, it is not what
you think, all right? Just...

What I think is that you're
hanging out in a place

- that you don't belong.
- Hey!

Gary!

- Get up!
- Are you...

- Stop!
- Brad!

- Wait, wait, wait, wait.
- My God.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Gary. Stop. Gary!

- I will kick your ass!
- Stop!

You're lucky, man! Lucky day!

This is ridiculous!
You should be arresting

the racist dude who tried
to break my friend's camera!

Guys, just do what they say.

Well, Gina, we got
attacked by some D-bag,

and now the cops are putting
us in the back of a car!

I can't believe this.

Neither can I.

What the Hell were you thinking?!

What?

Why do you keep
tightening those strings?

Just makes me feel better.

You know, your mom told me
what happened at school today.

Was that other kid saying
mean things or something?

No. Auggie's my friend.

What happened?

Today was desk-switching day.

Why do we even have to switch desks?

That's my desk.

Is that why you pushed him?

Everything keeps changing.

You're right. It does.

You're dealing with a
lot of new things.

New sister, new desk.

Can I tell you a little secret?

I don't like change much, either.

But it's been good for you.

What do you mean?

You were gonna die.

But now you're not.

I heard them talking about it.

They always think I'm not listening,

but I hear lots of things.

Wow.

That must...

be really hard to
handle all by yourself.

What do you do when you
hear stuff like that?

Nothing, I guess.

So you just keep it all inside?

Well...

I find that when you
hear something upsetting,

the best thing to do is talk about it

because if you leave all of it unsaid,

you'll burst.

Dude, all I did was have your back.

If that's having my back,
I don't need it.

You want to know why I'm
wearing a button-down shirt

to a kids' softball game?

Because you're going on
camera and you're super vain?

Because I knew I might be the
only black man here today.

And I knew that wearing
a hoodie, like you,

might put me and my wife in danger.

I love you, bruh,
but we live in two different Bostons.

Come on, dude. I'm half-Mexican.

Passing for white!

You ever notice when I
go in a grocery store,

I telegraph everything
I take off the shelves?

I never put my hands in my pockets,

and I practically staple
my receipt to my forehead

when I walk out so everyone
knows I didn't steal anything.

Half the time,
I don't even know I'm doing it.

But that's my reality.

That's how my dad raised me.

He taught me how to stay
out of situations like this.

And that's how I'll
have to raise my child.

And in one move,

- you've wrecked everything.
- I...

It's one thing to mess up your life...

... but now you are messing with mine.

All right, Mr. Howard.
You're free to go.

What about me?!

So, all of this over switching a desk?

I mean, why wouldn't he just talk to us?

I don't think it's
totally about the desk.

What do you mean?

I'm... I'm... not sure I should...

Please.

I think he's struggling.

With you guys almost getting divorced

and then getting back together

and a new baby half-sister...

It's a lot for him to process.

Of course.

But why won't he
just talk to us about it?

Because the thing that he
fears the most is change,

and I think a part of him is worried

that if he questions the way things are,

they'll change again.

I'm going to refer you
to my colleague Susan.

She will be able to help.

I have her card here.

Excuse me.

Hello?

Yes, I'll accept.

Who is it?

It's Gary.

Hey. U...

You what?

Okay. I'll be right there.

What is it now?

Gary's been... arrested.

Katherine, I'm sorry
for dragging you out here.

You're the only lawyer I know,

and I saw 10 guys
and one open-air toilet,

and, I panicked.

Great.
I was hoping you'd be here.

Did you bring any of my
other exes to see this?

I'm not here
as your ex-girlfriend.

I'm here as your friend.

I'm... worried about you.

Well, thanks for that,

but, we were never friends.

I mean, not like you and Eric.

By the way...

there's something off about that guy.

I don't trust him,
and you shouldn't, either.

Gary, this is not okay.

You need to talk to somebody.

Well...

that somebody is not gonna be you.

But here's the good news... You did it.

I saved your life,
you picked me up from jail, so...

we're even.

Hang on a second.

How dare you.

What?

She's here because she cares about you.

I mean, we all do.

Katherine, the last thing
I need right now

is another lecture, okay?

Well, that's too bad,
because you're getting one.

When Eddie and I made
you Theo's guardian,

it was not a decision we took lightly.

Out of everyone in the world,

we thought you were the one
best equipped to raise our son

in case something happened to us.

Well, we were wrong.

How could you possibly take care of him

when you can't even
take care of yourself?

Find your own ride home.

See ya.

Hey, D, okay.
What do you think about this?

"After a loss,

sometimes the hardest part of moving on
isn't having to change yourself.

It's accepting the fact that
you can't change others."

N-No, it's...

It's about my family.

But...

Yeah, I guess
it could be about him, too.

I'm sorry I pushed Auggie yesterday.

We know you are, bud.

We know there is a
lot going on right now.

But...

you can talk to us about anything.

Like Dad's new job?

You know about that?

I heard you talking earlier.

Does this mean you're not
gonna be home as much?

Bud.

Well...

Dad, you should probably sit down

and tell us everything
about this new job

so that we can know
exactly what the plan is.

That is a great idea.

So, I am gonna be working with
this super cool new artist.

Her name is Dakota.

And you are gonna love her.

It's hot.

- Be careful.
- Thanks.

Listen...

I want to be really clear.

If you're gonna live in this house,

there are rules,
and you have to follow them.

Yeah, I know. I'm...

I'm really sorry.

Just so you know,

we're not being tough on
you because we don't care.

We're being tough on you because we do.

Sophie...

...you matter.

This is my favorite, by the way.

How'd you know?

I didn't.

They say that parenting is

a series of impossible challenges.

How do you teach your
kids independence...

She's really good.

... while letting them
know that they're not alone?

How do you teach them to
let go of the past...

... while encouraging them
to embrace the unknown future?

_

How do you teach them
to admit defeat...

... while helping them learn
to never give up hope?

We know that being a parent

isn't just about the happy times.

It's about the struggles.

The bad days.

The meltdowns and the
tantrums and the fights.

It's about how you
get through all of that.

And our promise to you

is that we're gonna be there
for all of those good moments.

But more importantly...

for all of the tough ones.

And we can't wait to meet you.

credits