Becker (1998–2004): Season 2, Episode 21 - Sight Unseen - full transcript

Jake dates a friendly woman but breaks up with her when he learns that she's also blind. Margaret tries to learn why she doesn't appeal to a grouchy patient.

( upbeat blues theme playing )

Thanks.

Man, this neighborhood's
a mess.

I mean, damn road crews
are tearing up

half of Lester Avenue.

I know. Sheridan Road's
blocked off.

They're having some
children's art fair.

You know, and we're gonna have
to hear about it all over again

once Becker gets here.

Well, we'll just see
about that, Jake.

You won't believe
what's going on out there.



They got road crews--
Road crews

tearing up Lester Avenue.
I know. What a nightmare.

Oh. Yeah.

Well, it's not
just that, though--

They do it
during rush hour.

Why don't they do it
during middle of the night

when there's no one
out there? Idiots.

Yeah.

Well, yeah.

You know, if you try
to go the other way--

Yeah, you'll run into
that stupid kiddie art fair.

I mean, if I wanted a clown
made out of macaroni,

I'd have my own damn kids.

Am I right?



Yeah.

Oh, look at this,
will you?

Damn city council's try--

We've read
the paper too.

( blues theme playing )

Freeze!

There's still five minutes
left in your workday.

I know that. But I only took
55 minutes at lunch.

You're supposed to take 30.

You were saying?

I have to go to the dentist
tomorrow morning,

so I won't be able to give
Mrs. Connolly her home care.

Oh, well, Mrs. Connolly's
just gonna have to deal.

No, you will.

You're going there
tomorrow before work.

I believe "before work"
is called sleep.

Not tomorrow.

Oh, there is one thing
you should know though.

Mrs. Connolly can be
pretty nasty.

In all the time
I've known her,

she's only said
three words to me.

Were they by any chance,
"Don't send Linda"?

No. You're going.

But look on the bright side:
We just killed five minutes.

So you can take off
whenever you--

Damn, she's good.

George Nordling?

Uh, yeah. This is
Lloyd Martin.

We own the gas station
down the street.

Oh, yeah, I get my car
fixed there.
We know.

Your car is a legend
in our shop.

You practically paid
for our new lift bay.

Uh, glad to help.

All right, what am I
looking at here?

He cut his hand on the job.

It's not too deep, but I figured
I needed a tetanus shot.

Good thinking.

You know, the-- The medicine
only costs about 15 bucks,

but it could run you 3-
or 400 in labor.

Sound familiar, fellas?

( both laugh )

Yeah, why--?
Why are you here?

Moral support.
He, uh-- He hates shots.

Oh, I see.

I guess.

You know something.
That's not that bad.

All right.

It's your own fault.

You should have been
more careful.
Meaning?

Meaning, if you'd pay more
attention to your work,

these accidents
wouldn't happen.

Can you
believe it, doc?

He tries to fit
a 460 engine into a chassis

built for a 283.

We're talking about
an inch worth of difference.

Right, doc?

Okay.
That's not
the point.

You put more than 510
of torque on that baby,

you'll get hurt. Worse yet,
you'll pretzel the chassis.

"Pretzel the chassis.
Pretzel the chassis."

It's always the same crap.

For your information,
I added subframe connectors

with a four-point
welded roll cage.

Fat lot of good it did you.

Okay, okay.
Here comes the shot.

Oh, I really hate needles.

It's okay. It's okay.

I'm here.

Okay.

( slow blues theme playing )

Jake, you've got
a customer.

Hm. I'll be right there.

Two in one day? I can't keep
going at this pace.

Oh, I'm sorry.
Heh.

That's okay.
Heh-heh.

Usually I'm the one
bumping into people.

What can I get for you?

Some cigarettes,
please.
Okay.

No, wait. Gum.

No, cigarettes.

Trying to quit, are we?

Yes. Heh-heh.

Trying to quit gum
or cigarettes?

Uh, cigarettes.
( chuckles )

I'll take the gum.
Okay.

Spearmint.

There you go.
That's a good choice.

You know, if you'd
asked for cigarettes,

I'd have needed
to see some ID.

Don't I look
old enough?

Well, not from what
I've seen, no.

Oh, I smell romance
in the air.

Is that what that is?

( sniffs )

Seriously, Becker.
Uh, what are the odds

of two blind people finding
each other and hitting it off?

What are the odds
of two blind people

finding each other
at all?

( chuckles )

Heh.

Hey, look, uh--

Nina.
Um, I'm Jake.

Um, I never really do
anything like this,

but...are you
seeing anyone?

Not lately.

Uh, you wanna
do something sometime?

Maybe dinner?

Oh, I was gonna
suggest tennis.

( clears throat )

Golf's really
my game.

Oh, really? What's
your handicap?

Two. Ha-ha.

Me too.
Ha-ha-ha-ha.

Uh, you know that Italian place
around the corner?

Giorgio's?
Yeah, yeah.

Great. I love Italian.

Okay. Uh, Saturday, 8:00.

Eight it is.
All right.

Well, bye. Heh.

See you.

It's so romantic. Isn't
that romantic, Becker?

( door closes )

Your hair's in my coffee.

Huh? Met a girl,
sold some gum.

Can it get
any better than that?

She seemed really
nice, Jake.

Yeah, that's what
really matters.

John?
Gorgeous. I swear.

Yes.

Yeah, but what about
that other girl

you were dating?
Kira?

Oh, I found out
she got married.
Ooh.

When did that happen?

According to the guy
who showed up at my door

the other night,
seven years ago.

( mellow blues theme playing )

Sorry I'm late.
But Mrs. Connolly

was just so much fun.
And the stories.

Did you know that she was
a nurse in World War II?

She talked to you?

Yes. And did you know that
she dated Louis Armstrong?

She talked to you?

And how great are those
homemade caramels?

Are we talking about
the same mean old lady?

The Mrs. Connolly
on Theriot Avenue?

She wasn't mean to me.

Well, thanks for
letting me go over there.

Enid's a trip.

Enid? She let you
call her Enid?

Mr. Davis, you know,
I think it's admirable

that you run
15 miles a day,

and you eat nothing
but macrobiotic, healthy foods.

But it's just--
It's just not worth it.

As your-- As your doctor,
you know, I'm begging you,

eat a cheeseburger.

Stat.

Yeah, c-- Careful
out there. It's windy.

Here, uh, bill him.

Now.

( slow blues theme playing )

Hi, Jake.

Hey, Jake.

So how was your big date
on Saturday?

Oh, how was my date?

All right, well, first,
let me ask you a question.

Did either of you think
to mention to me

that, uh, Nina was blind?

We thought
you already knew.

How would I know?
I'm blind.

I sat in the bar
of that restaurant

waiting for her
for over a half an hour.

I thought she stood me up.

Turns out she was on
the other side of the room.

( chuckles )

S-- Sorry, sorry.

Well, was the date
okay otherwise?

Uh, the date was great. I mean,

two blind people,
one bottle of wine,

one revolving door.

You do the math.

( laughing )

What?

It's funny.

Well, she seemed so nice.

No, she was very nice.
But, well, when I found out

she was blind, it just ruined
the whole thing for me.

Hey, I hate to break it to you,
Jake, but you're blind too.

What? What are you saying?
I should only date blind women?

That's like saying
you should only date angry women

with lousy dispositions.

Well, I don't think
any of us

has much of a choice
in that matter.

And trust me.

Any angry woman you've met
wasn't angry until she met you.

Heh.

And you, Jake,
are being totally unfair.

Come on, Reg. What kind
of future would we have?

I mean, let's face it. Two blind
people getting married

is like a lifelong game
of Marco Polo.

Well, it's better than
the game my wife played.

( clears throat )
You know, Hide-and-Go-Cheat.

Oh, you've gotta at least
give Nina a chance.

What's the point?
I mean, when I envision

my life with someone, I--

I imagine us doing things
that other couples do.

Like, if we want to take
a drive out to the country,

who's gonna drive?
Who's gonna tell me

if my clothes
don't match?

Same person who doesn't
tell you now.

Well, if you ask me,
you're missing out on

a perfectly good chance
of happiness.

BECKER:
Oh, come on.

Why do women have to turn
everything into a romance novel?

You know, don't take
your disappointments

and lay them
on Jake here.

And what do you mean
my disappointments?

Oh, heh.

Okay, point taken.

Jake, I still think
you're being unfair.

Reg...
( clears throat )

...the heart wants
what it wants.

My heart wants
someone who can see.

I mean, fair or not,
that's just how I feel.

Yeah, Jake, let me--
Let me ask you

a question here
for a minute.

Now, w-when you were both stuck
in that revolving door,

were you in separate
compartments,

or the same one
with your canes going all--

( laughing )

Becker.
Oh, come on.

I-it's funny, you know.

( energetic blues theme
playing )

WOMAN:
Coming!

Linda--
Oh. It's you.

Of course it's me.
It's Monday.

What happened to
Linda?

Oh, she was just
filling in.

I'm here to check on you
just like always.

That's okay.
I'm fine.

Mrs. Connolly, please.
I've come all this way.

You know I've gotta check
your blood pressure.

( mellow blues theme playing )

John?

Jake. What are
you doing here?

Well, I was in
the neighborhood, so...

But...you didn't
call first.

Well, like I said,
I was walking by--

Yeah. You really
should call.

Okay. You want me to go out,
call and then come back?

No, I'm not doing
anything. Come on in.

Well, next time, call.

What's up?

Well...

I've been thinking
about what Reggie said.

Yeah. What Reggie said.

What did she say again?

You know, about Nina.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, Nina.

Do you think I'm out
of line on this one?

Oh, the blind
girl. Um...

No. No, you know,

I-I understand where
you're coming from.

I mean, aren't I entitled
to want what I want?

Absolutely. You know,
you don't want to

go out with her,
then don't.

Well, that's easy
for you to say.

I mean, I like this girl.

Then go out.

Well, did you not hear
what I said?

This whole blind thing
isn't gonna work out.

Then don't go out with her.

We really connected.

You know, here--
Here's an idea.

You could go out with her--

I just told you it's
not gonna work out.

Hey, Jake, tell me what you
want me to say, and I'll say it.

Oh, why do I bother
talking to you?

Why don't you just mind
your damn business.

This is why I tell
people to call.

Uh, you're-- You're welcome.
It's no problem.

MARGARET:
Oh, hi, Jake.

God, he's in
a mood today.

When isn't he?

Oh, Enid, that's
so kind of you.

Enid Connolly?

What does she want?
I was just there.

Oh. Dr. Becker?

Enid Connolly's on the phone.
She developed a rash last night,

and wants to know
if you can come by today

and take a look at it.

I could have done that.
I was just there.

You know, nothing's
going on around here.

Tell her I'll be right over.

Enid. Dr. Becker can
come over right now.

Is that okay?

Great.

( speaking Portuguese )

What's with
the Spanish?

It's Portuguese.

Enid speaks
four languages, you know.

Well, she doesn't speak
any of them to me.

John, I'm sorry,
but I was just over there.

Don't worry
about it, Margaret.

I enjoy seeing Enid.

You do?
Yeah.

She's always got
great stories.

Did you know that
she once dated--?

BECKER AND LINDA:
Louis Armstrong.

( laughs ):
Yeah.

John, wait. I'm
going with you.

You speak
Portuguese?

Never mind.

( mellow blues theme playing )

Enid.
( knocks )

Dr. Becker.

Oh. Please come in.

Hi, Dr. Becker.

How wonderful to see you.

Hello.

Oh, hi.

BECKER:
Sit down here.

Let me, uh-- Let me take
a look at your rash.

Oh, can I do anything
to help?

He's doing just fine.

BECKER:
You know what, Enid?

I think that that's
just a reaction

to that new medication
I gave you. Tell you what,

I'm gonna call the pharmacy.
Have 'em send over

a new prescription, and
some Benadryl to stop the itch.

Oh, thank you, doctor.
You're so sweet.
Yeah.

Oh-oh. A caramel.

( chuckles )

May I?
Yes.

Oh. Thank you.
Oh, mm.

Oh, God. Aren't these great?

Mm. Okay, Enid,
I'll see you later.

You coming?
No, you go ahead.

I'm gonna stay and see if
Enid needs anything else.

Mm.

( door closes )

All right. What's
going on here?

I don't know what
you're talking about.

You are nice to everyone else
and horrible to me.

Why?

You really want to know?

Yes. I really do.

Okay.

I don't like you.

What?

I don't like you.

( scoffs )
What-- What do you mean?

Which part of "I don't
like you" don't you get?

No, no, no. No,
this is wrong.

John is the one
no one likes.

Linda is the one
no one understands.

I'm the likable one.

Everyone likes me.

Not me.

( scoffs )
But you can't just

not like someone.

There has to be a reason.

No, there doesn't.

You meet lots of people.

Some you like,
some you don't.

You, I don't.

And now that
I'm old,

I don't have to pretend to
like anyone I don't like.

It's that simple.

So you're saying that
you don't like me?

Oh, for goodness sake.

Do you like me?

Oh, that's not
the point.

Do you?

Well, no, but--

But that's because
you're not nice to me.

That's because I don't
like you.

Fine. I'll just go.

Good.

But I bet if we just sat down
and had a nice cup of tea.

I don't like tea either.

( upbeat blues theme playing )

Turkey sandwich
to go, please.

Guess what? Jake called Nina,
and she's coming over here.

He finally admitted
that I made a good point.

Oh, great. Now if you can
just make a good sandwich,

I'll be happy.

Nina here yet?

Not yet. Oh, by the way,
Jake, you look great.

Doesn't he look
great, Becker?

Turkey. Whole wheat. Now.

Jake?

Oh, Jake, Nina's here.

Blind. Not deaf.

Hi, Nina.
Hi.

Hi, Nina.

Oh, uh, this is
Reggie Kostas.
NINA: Hello.

( clears throat )

I'm sorry. This is
John Becker.

No. Ahem, where's
my sandwich?

Nice to
meet you.

Yeah, let's have
a seat.

Okay.

( sighs )

So how are you?

I'm a little confused.

I thought we had a good time,
and then I didn't hear from you.

Mm-hm.
I mean, that thing
with the revolving door

was a little embarrassing,
but I thought we recovered well.

( both chuckling )

Uh, Nina, I have to
confess...

when I found out
you were blind,

I wasn't sure if I wanted
to go out with you anymore.

What?

Life is hard enough
for one blind person,

let alone two.

Life? Gee. We only
had one date.

Yeah.
I know. I know, but...

I was projecting this
whole imaginary future, and--

Well, the thing is...

I really enjoyed
our dinner together,

and...I'd like to
see you again.

I'd like that too.

Really?
Uh-huh.

I liked you from the start.

Call it love at no sight.

( both laugh )

You know, someone had to
say it eventually.

Why do you even call this
a restaurant anymore?

So, dinner tonight?

I'd love to.
Great.

Can you believe
I was so stupid?

I mean, me not liking you
because you were blind

would be like you not liking me
because I'm black. Heh.

Oh.

What?

I, uh...

I didn't know that.

Know what?

That you were black.

Yeah.

( sighs )

Well, this is a little awkward,
but I have to be honest.

I don't know how else
to say this,

but I'd rather not pursue
a relationship with a black man.

What?
I'm sorry, Jake,

it's just-- It's not how
I pictured my life.

You take care.

( door closes )

BECKER:
Hey, man. I'm sorry. I--

I-I have no idea
what to say.

Well, I do. I can't
believe someone

would talk to you
like that.

Look, Reggie, if she's a racist,
then she can go to hell.

But maybe she's not.

What?

Maybe she's just being honest
with what she wants in her life.

After all, that's
what I did.

And I was ready to
dump her the minute

I found out she was blind.

Frankly, I thought
you were wrong.

But...it's not
really the same.
Mm-hm.

Maybe. Maybe not.

But the heart wants
what it wants.

Jake?
I'm okay.

But on the plus side,
it saves me from having

a real tough conversation
with my grandmother.

See you.
See you.

( door closes )

( scoffs )

How can he stick up
for her like that?

What she said
was horrible.

Yeah. Yeah, I know.

I can't believe it.
I'd still be running down

the street screaming
at her.

Yeah.

God, I must be
really naive.

You just don't
think that

that kind of prejudice
exists anymore.

Uh-huh.

Yeah? "Uh-huh?"

What's going on
with you, Becker?

I mean, the man with
a million opinions

suddenly has
nothing to say?

Hey, Jake said how he felt.
You said how you felt.

I don't-- I don't disagree
with either one of you.

Yeah, but doesn't what
she did piss you off?
Yeah.

It just doesn't surprise me,
because I happen to feel

that most people are
cruel, small-minded and shallow.

Oh, come on, Becker.
If I believed that,

then I have to believe that
the entire world just sucks.

Thank you!

That's what I've been
trying to tell you

every single morning
for the past two years.

Thank you.

( upbeat blues theme playing )