Hart of Dixie (2011–2015): Season 1, Episode 6 - The Undead & The Unsaid - full transcript
In his playful way, Wade shows angelic patience with fickle Zoe's nocturnal fears, even spends a night on her bad couch. She not only crashes the mayor's borrowed car on a medical visit, but is convinced to have seen a fisherman whose portrait is on the pub's wall of deceased villagers. At examination, Leon Mercy, who seems to haunt her at night, was only reported missing, as she would have been looking for him in the wood hadn't Wade tracked them down. George finds the mayor unwilling to release on protected home for the happy couple to move into, but Lemon changes her mind about it after another incident with her unruly sister, which prompts George to make Brick face his parental duty.
Dr. Hart?
Harley was your father.
- What?
- He left you his practice.
What about Harley? Why not tell me?
Can we just go home and discuss this
in therapy like normal people?
You go. I'm staying here.
If I do recall,
we are at your engagement party.
- You know how difficult this is.
- Difficult never stopped me.
- Stop. I can't handle it.
- What do you want from me here?
I'm trying to move on and you won't let me.
- Lemon. I love you. And I love BlueBell.
What's this?
I think it's time we start
looking for a house.
Hey. I meant to thank you for blowing out
the electricity at my place last night.
It's good to practice living off the grid
in case of a war with zombies or whatnot.
Doc? Doc.
- Oh.
- Ha-ha-ha.
Look, you can eat here and drink here.
If you sleep here,
we have to charge you a hotel tax.
I'm sorry, I haven't been sleeping lately.
I've been lying in bed at night...
...just listening to my mosquitoes
die in my new bug zapper.
Listen, maybe you're not tired enough
at night.
If you wanna work out
a little or whatever...
...no need to blow the power out.
I'll come by.
Great, the mosquitoes
will show you where to go.
Okay. Now, we are all set for my trip
just as soon as I deliver this baby.
Women. I'll never understand
why they insist on having babies...
- ... during the football season.
Daddy.
Hey, Magnolia, honey.
Did you come to see me
before I take off on the football trip?
Yes. Plus, I wanted to show you
the new dress I bought. Isn't it cute?
Well, yes, that is, uh, cute.
Yeah. Did your sister see that?
I knew it. Running off to Daddy
when you don't get your way.
- He said my dress was cute.
- Daddy.
This dress shows places
only God should see.
It's like something that
Zoe Hart would wear.
Hey!
Magnolia said that she would march
right back and go return it.
She's traipsing around in it
so they won't take it back.
Just because I wanna dress like I live
in 2011 and not 1952 or something-
Stop, stop, stop, now, stop.
Look, I have to get on the road.
So just whatever your sister says is fine.
Oh, my God, you're ruining my life.
Hey.
- Daddy.
- What?
- Thank you.
What? I backed her up.
Don't look at me, I got boys.
By the time they've thought up a lie...
...they've forgotten
what they were lying about.
You need to stop ignoring your mom.
- I'm not.
I just saw your phone, it said "Mom. "
You were reading it upside down.
I was ignoring my Chinese friend, Wow.
You haven't talked to her
since she left BlueBell.
She's not giving up, you know.
She is calling you twice a day now.
Yeah, well, I'm not talking to her
twice a day. I'm keeping up.
You said you're not sleeping.
- So?
Troubled sleep means a troubled mind.
And you won't quiet yours
until you can forgive her.
Forgive her, Addy?
She lied to me about who my father was.
She just wants to feel better.
I don't feel better, why should she?
Because you won't get any peace
until you face what's bothering you.
I know what's bothering me,
a crazy nurse who won't leave me alone.
Well, I just talked to the Colyer woman
again.
Contractions are still seven minutes apart.
Now, where's the oxytocin?
Whoa, why are you inducing labor?
Well, because when I said I'd cover the
pregnancy for Dr. Troy over in Bristol...
...he promised me
I would not miss the football game.
You're going to induce labor
so you can make a football game?
She's past due. I'm doing the woman a favor.
All right, fine.
I'll take the birth when it's time.
I'm not sleeping much anyway.
I might as well.
- I don't wanna put you out.
- Don't pretend like this wasn't your plan.
- Where's the address?
- I have it right here.
This does not go on your patient count
because we're covering for Dr. Troy.
You're welcome.
Lavon. Hi. Two things.
One, please replace the fuse box.
Wade thinks my blowing the power
is some mating call. Two, I need a ride.
Fuse box, yes, ride, no.
I have a prior commitment.
- Lavon, no, a woman's having a baby.
- So drive yourself.
- Go on, take the hybrid.
- But you always give me rides.
Well, I can't just keep you company...
...every time you need to make a house call.
This ain't Driving Miss Zoe. I have
important mayoral business to conduct.
Hey-o, big man.
You got the TV warmed up? Hey, doc.
You wanna join us for the Ladies'
Beach Volleyball Championships?
Fine. Take the Navigator.
Just don't change the radio stations.
- Do you even know how to drive?
- I've had my license since I was 16.
- Have you driven since then?
- The principles haven't changed.
It's not a flying car.
She knows she's supposed to call me
and tell me where she is.
It just frazzles me to my last stitch.
It really does.
Magnolia has Daddy
wrapped around her little finger...
...and makes me the bad guy all the time.
No, you're her big sister, she worships you.
Not anymore. All I do is yell at her now.
And, God, we used to have such fun,
you know?
We used to play house,
and I'd be the mama.
I'd dress her up in all the clothes I outgrew.
She was like my little walk-around doll.
You might be getting some payback
for that now.
Okay, enough about me.
- How was your day?
- Well-
- Oh!
- What?
Did you hear Marvella Pinckney died?
Isn't that so exciting?
Did you have today in a pool or something?
No. I mean, of course
I'm not happy that she died.
Poor thing, bless her heart.
But it does mean
that her house is available.
And I have wanted to live in that house
since I was a tiny girl.
And seeing as you and I
are looking for a house...
...now we can get it,
thanks to Marvella Pinckney.
And her filterless cigarettes.
- Poor thing.
- Bless her heart.
- Come on and dance
- Dance
BRICK
Hi, this is Brick Breeland.
Please leave a message.
Good morning, Brick.
Just wanted to leave a message to say...
...that Mrs. Colyer has a healthy baby boy.
Took most of the night.
And towards the end, she said:
"Thank you for not inducing my labor
before I was ready...
...just so you could watch
a football game. "
Okay, she didn't say that.
But she was thinking it. Have fun.
Prepare to turn right.
Into a tree? Go away.
Hello?
Hello? Anybody there?
Are you hurt?
If you're hurt, make a noise.
I'm a doctor.
Dr. Zoe Hart.
I'm from BlueBell.
No, I'm not from BlueBell,
I'm from New York.
I'm only in BlueBell-
Oh, my God, it's not important. Hello?
Hello?
Shelley. Oh, my God.
- You're up early.
- I've been up all night.
- Doing what?
- Looking for a man.
Try a little extra makeup next time.
Morning, Shelley. Hey, Zoe. You're up early.
George. I am totally freaking out.
- I ran over a man with my car.
- Wait, what?
- When did you get a car?
- It's Lavon's car.
Oh, my God. How is that important?
Okay, you know what?
Just calm down. When and where?
Couple hours ago in, um, Settler's Woods.
- Okay, Zoe, Zoe.
- Huh?
- Probably hit a deer.
- Mm-hm.
- There are a lot of deer in those woods.
- Yup.
The kind with man heads?
Because then that would explain it.
Okay. What'd he look like?
I only saw him for a second,
but his face is burned into my brain.
He kind of looked like... Like...
Like what?
Him.
- It looked like him?
- It is him. That's the guy.
That's Leon Mercy.
Okay. And?
And he's been dead for over a year.
So anyway...
...it turns out Leon Mercy is some
kind of local town hero or something.
Was, yes.
Saved the whole Rivenbark family...
...including a cousin,
from their burning house.
And then three months later,
he was dead himself.
Except that he's not
because I saw him last night.
Except he is
because I was at the funeral.
I mean, his poor wife standing there
with their baby boy.
- What are you saying, I ran down a ghost?
- No, you're saying you ran down a ghost.
And you need to stop saying it if you
wanna get some patients in this town.
- Morning. Hey, hon.
Hey.
- Sheriff Bill, did you find anyone?
- Hold up. That's the call you got...
...that took you out of the house
before you even had your pancakes?
I searched Settler's Wood
where you said it happened...
- ... but didn't see a thing.
- Because you imagined the man.
Most likely it was a deer.
- Or a raccoon.
- Black bear.
- Coyote.
Bobcat, maybe even a cougar.
- Where do I live?
- I don't think the mayor's gonna be happy...
...about the damage you did.
I don't think Leon Mercy's
gonna be too wild about it either.
It's not even 10 a. m.
, I already got two people mad at me.
- Two's a better start than most days.
- What? Leon Mercy?
You got me out of bed to hunt
around the woods for a dead guy?
On pancake day?
Goodness gracious.
Can't have any breakfast.
That's three. You're catching up.
Hey, Lavon.
Hey, did I-? Did I catch you at a bad time?
Uh, no. No.
- Great, great.
- Come on in. Sit down.
So, what's been going on?
Not much, not much.
You hear Marvella Pinckney died?
Yeah, I did, I did.
- Very sad.
- Oh, it is.
But as it turns out,
I have been asking Babs Foster...
...if she would help Lemon and me
find a house for after we're married.
Mm-hm.
And it seems that Lemon
has always had this dream...
- ... of living in the Pinckney house.
- Yeah.
Oh, you knew?
No, no. I was just listening.
Okay, well, now Babs tells me
that the Pinckney house...
...is registered
as a BlueBell historic property.
The only way it can be sold
is with approval from the town.
Um, it's not that easy.
You know, there are procedures...
...and committees, a whole process to it.
But it's not an Act of Congress, right?
It's BlueBell. Heh.
Yeah, it is.
And I'm gonna say no.
- No?
- I get like 50 requests a day.
Do me this, do me that.
Other people in this town want things too.
I just thought you might help me out.
- Move you to the front of the line.
- I guess so.
- And why would I do that?
- Heh. As a favor? Because I'm asking?
But you didn't ask.
You just said what you wanted.
Okay, well, now I'm asking.
And I remain disinclined.
Look, I know you're used
to getting what you want, now.
Okay, I don't know where all this
is coming from, Lavon...
...but you do know that there are plenty
of ways I can go about doing this, right?
- You should get to them.
- I'll challenge the statute in court.
- I love a challenge.
- I'll see you there.
I'll circle it on my calendar.
How did this happen?
I thought I had his attention.
Boys are impossible to decipher.
So can I borrow an outfit?
What? Outfit?
For the party? At the lake?
I knew you weren't listening.
No, I'm sorry. I was listening.
I'm just a little tired, got a little lost.
There's a party at the lake,
and Frederick Dean is gonna be there.
And even though he's always talking
to me now about comic books...
...he still hasn't officially asked me out.
Magnolia's still after him.
You wanna know something?
She is just toying with him
like a cat with a ball of yarn.
- Dr. Hart? A patient is asking for you.
- Are you serious?
Uh-huh.
Right.
Rose, my closet is your closet.
Good luck tonight, my friend.
Hi. I'm Dr. Zoe Hart. Nice to meet you.
- Laurette Nevis. How do you do?
- Fine.
- Did someone refer you to me?
- No.
I heard people talking
about what you saw in Settler's Woods.
- I see.
- So I came here to tell you...
...that there is a rational explanation
for what you saw.
Yes. I knew there was. What is it?
The restless ghost of Leon Mercy
is asking you for help.
- Okay. Well, thank you for coming-
- Look.
Most people are too closed off
to admit the presence of spirits...
...but they are all around us here.
The woods that drew you into them
are filled with the wandering dead.
- They did not draw me in.
- No?
It was Lavon's GPS.
And how are you sleeping?
Good. Very well, actually.
The spirit of Leon Mercy
came to you for help...
...because you also have something
restless in you.
You, Zoe Hart, are a receiver.
No, okay, I am not a receiver.
I'm from New York.
New Yorkers are not receivers.
Most of them don't get satellite.
Let him in, face him...
...or you both will remain trapped
between worlds.
Who?
An educated doctor
who isn't scared of ghosts, that's who.
I'm really not.
Wade.
I've been to a place where love was gone
Felt the chill run through my aching bones
Turned around to find that it was free
Warming feeling rushing over me
Damn it, Zoe!
Hey. What the hell?
I am so, so sorry.
It must be the new bug zapper.
I totally forgot.
- What are you even doing up at this hour?
- I'm not sleepy.
- Well, I don't care. Go to bed.
- No, wait. Wait.
Since we're both up, you wanna hang out?
Have some tea or something?
Oh.
Yeah, yeah, I'll have some tea.
Oh, no. Oh, no. No, no.
Never mind. Bad idea.
I'm sleepy. Exhausted. Go away.
You are a certified crazy person,
you know that?
Historically, I've found that hot.
But in your case, I think I'm cured.
Unbelievable.
He's right. This is nuts. Ghosts.
- What? What is it? What?
- Leon Mercy.
- Leon Mercy.
- Yeah, look.
Leon Mercy, huh?
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
There's like 10 Leon Mercys out here.
Okay. No ghosts. No Leon Mercy. Nothing.
Thank you. Good night.
No, wait. I'm sorry.
Maybe I'm nuts.
Will you just stay till morning?
- All right.
- Wait.
Not there. Couch. Jeez.
Good night.
- Wait.
Blanket.
Wade. Wade. Wade.
Huh?
I couldn't sleep.
Because there are no ghosts.
I know that.
I'm a woman of science, for God's sake.
So I did some research,
and I found Leon Mercy's obituary. Look.
Leon drowned in the Gulf
while he was fishing. They found his boat.
They searched forever until they declared
him dead, but no body was ever found.
Why? I'll tell you why.
Because he never died.
Maybe he bumped his head
and he's walking around.
He doesn't know who he is
or where he is. I have to go find him.
- So you didn't wake me up for sex?
- Jerk.
No. The point is,
I didn't imagine anything.
Rose?
- Zoe, I'm sorry it's late.
Magnolia's passed out drunk,
and we can't wake her up.
What? Who drove you here?
- Jacob Coburn.
He's a junior, president of Sobriety Club.
- There were juniors?
- I would've left.
But I can't leave Frederick with Magnolia.
Kissing games turned into drinking.
What were you thinking?
- What's going on? You need my help?
- What was I thinking?
- Uh, we'll talk later.
- Come on, let's get her out of the car.
- Move over, stick man. Take this.
Come on. What happened?
She was drinking a lot, I guess, like a lot.
Fruit punch and vodka.
Hey, where's he going? Oh, come on.
Airway's clear,
but her breathing is very shallow.
We have to bring her to my office.
Give me the flashlight. Let's go.
- What do you think's wrong?
- Could be alcohol poisoning.
Is that bad?
- Is poisoning bad? Yeah. It's bad.
- She'll be okay, right?
- Rose.
She could've choked on her vomit,
gone into cardiac arrest.
She could've died. Now get your phone.
I need to notify her father.
You said she wouldn't tell anyone.
You promised.
You can't call her dad. I told everyone
you were the cool doctor. Please.
Rose, she's a minor. Brick is out of town.
- That's good, you don't have to call.
- Believe it or not, there's someone...
...that Magnolia and I both
would like to call even less than Brick.
- How is she?
- She's going to be fine.
She's resting. She's responsive,
so you can take her home.
Well, thank you.
No problem.
You know, teenagers, they're hard.
My mom had to raise me on her own
when I was that age, and, oh, boy-
I said thank you.
Your medical help is appreciated,
but your family counseling is not.
What are you doing?
Look, thanks for staying last night...
...but even if I was afraid,
it's morning, and I'm not.
You know, I'm no Dr. Phil or whatever,
but in my experience...
- ... when I'm having trouble sleeping-
- Let me guess.
You have something unresolved
in your life that you're not dealing with.
No, it's because I need to get laid.
Well, thank you
for the expert psychological insight.
- No problem.
- You may go.
Your services are no longer needed.
My services haven't even been used, doc.
Your loss.
- Aah! Mom?
- Hello, dear.
What? What is it this time?
You see her too, right?
- Mom, what are you doing?
- I hope I'm not interrupting something.
- What? No.
- Oh, well, howdy, ma'am, I'm Wade.
I didn't expect to meet Zoe's mother
so soon into our relationship.
Oh, my God, gross. Shut up.
Go fix the fuse box.
It's a roller-coaster ride,
but I don't want it to stop.
- Hey, anyway, good to meet you. Bye.
- Oh.
He seems nice.
Very homegrown.
I brought you a present.
It's a sound machine.
Very soothing. Your nurse, uh, Addy,
said that you weren't sleeping.
- Why would you show up like this?
- What choice did I have?
- You won't return my calls.
- Because I don't wanna talk to you.
I just took two planes,
sat in a bus station...
...in a town
I think was called Hickory Butt.
That could've been the driver's accent.
I got a ride to your place with a trucker...
...who knows an amazing amount
about packing and shipping crawfish.
So you will talk to me.
Actually, I won't.
I have a patient who needs my help.
A man running around
who may be hurt and confused.
- Your own mother is hurt and confused.
- Oh, stop it.
The man has a wife and a child,
who, unlike me, still has a father...
- ... so I'm going to go help him.
- Look, I get it, you're mad.
You've been mad at me before.
And I've always just hung in
until you came around.
So come around.
What do you need, Mother?
What do you need?
Because that's what it's always about.
- You need me to forgive you?
- Yes.
Fine. I forgive you.
- But you don't really mean it.
- No, it's a lie.
Because that's what we do
for each other. Lie.
That's the lesson I learned
from the one person I'm supposed to trust.
So you want me to forgive you
for the big lie that has defined my life?
Sure. I forgive you.
Gotta go.
GIRL 1
Do something, Leona.
GIRL 2 No, Kitty. Kimber's got
to beat Claw himself, fair and square.
I take it that you're not feeling
well enough for church today?
- You have anything to say for yourself?
- We're out of cereal.
You could have died last night.
You scared me half to death.
You exposed our family business
to that Dr. Hart.
What has gotten into you lately?
- Nothing.
- What do you think...
...that Daddy is gonna say when
he hears about your latest escapade?
He'll say, "Lemon, take care of it. "
Well, okay. Then why?
- Why would you put me through this?
- Because so what?
You're not gonna be able to tell me
what to do anyway.
What do you mean?
When you get married to George Tucker
and move out...
...you're not even gonna live here.
You won't even know what I do...
...so stop pretending you care about me,
because you don't!
Lavon. I need to borrow your car.
Oh, you mean my remaining car.
Because the last one you used
is still off getting a new headlight.
Yes. I need to save a man's life.
- What man?
- Leon Mercy.
Well, if you have the power
to raise the dead...
...I'm sure you can solve
a mundane problem like transportation.
That wasn't really a no.
Hey, baby, you ready for church?
Oh, and before you hear it from Babs...
...there is a tiny hitch
in getting the Pinckney place.
But I promise you, I will get it for you.
What?
George, how can you even think
about buying a house right now?
That is the single most ridiculous thing
that I have ever heard.
- I take it things have changed?
- Yes. Everything.
I know why Magnolia's being such
a holy terror and it's because I'm leaving.
All the wedding planning
and the house hunting.
And I never even gave a thought
that to Magnolia...
...it must seem like I'm just abandoning her
like Mama did to us.
And now she's just drinking...
...and doing God knows what else
right under my nose.
And I never even saw it.
I'm just so horrible.
No, no, no, you are not.
You are not horrible.
And she knows-
She knows you're not abandoning her, okay?
She's just a full-blown teenager now,
and that's not a big-sister job.
Brick's gotta step up to the plate here.
Talk to him.
No, George.
Daddy wouldn't have a single clue
what to do.
He depends on me to...
To not be a problem.
Leon!
Leon! It's Dr. Hart!
Hello?
Oh.
Leon!
Oh, my God. What are you doing here?
Well, Lavon said you stole his car...
...asked me to come out here
and find you...
...knowing full well
you'd get lost out here and die.
- You both can laugh later. Can you-?
Shh.
- Did you just shush me? Don't shush me.
- Shh!
Leon, are you hurt? You look hurt.
Still pretty good for a guy...
- ... who's been dead for a year.
- Your wound is bleeding.
It could be infected.
We need to get you to a hospital.
- No.
- Yes.
Traditionally in a yes-no situation,
argument goes to the guy with the hatchet.
He made it all the way to my place
on that leg. He needs my help.
He could be confused.
There's people looking for you.
Do you know that you have a wife and child?
Why the hell do you think I'm out here?
- Hey, George.
- Hey, Brick.
- Hey.
- Sorry to hear about the 'Bama loss.
Oh, wasn't even close.
You know, Florida whips our butts
every time we go down there.
Is Lemon inside?
No, she's upstairs.
But if you don't mind, give me a minute?
- Why?
- We, uh...
We had an incident with Magnolia
last night.
- What?
- She went to a party.
And she passed out from alcohol poisoning.
- Good Lord. Magnolia?
- Yeah.
- Well, where is she now?
- She's upstairs, but she is fine, Brick.
Zoe fixed her up.
Zoe Hart said it was alcohol poisoning?
And Lemon took her word for it?
What kind of party did Lemon let her go to?
Just settle down for a second, Brick.
Zoe might've saved Magnolia's life.
And Lemon, this is not her fault,
because she is not Magnolia's mom.
And she might've stepped up
and parented her...
...because someone had to do it,
but in my honest opinion...
...she shouldn't have to do it at all,
she shouldn't have to do it alone.
I don't think I appreciate you
coming into my house...
...and lecturing me on things
that aren't your concern.
They became my concern
the minute I got engaged to Lemon.
And I'm sorry, Brick,
that your wife left you.
But that happened 12 years ago,
and you are still sitting here...
...acting like she went to the store
and she's gonna be back any minute.
Man.
You know, when Alice left...
...I was in this kind of a daze.
And I mean,
she'd done most of the real child-raising.
And then here I was, I was left
with this 2-year-old all on my own.
Lemon, she was such a help.
She was just so good.
I did, I did. I...
I just let it be.
Well, Brick, those girls need their dad.
Both of them.
So you did come to my place last night.
Well, seems that you don't have amnesia.
So I take it you faked your own death?
What did you mean when you said
you did it for your wife and kid?
- All done.
- No, you're not.
Well, I am if you're not going to talk.
You have to fix me. You're a doctor.
And you're dead. Who are you gonna tell?
- What'd they say about me in town?
- That you're a hero.
- They also say I was a screwup?
- No.
Name it. I was a gambler. I was a drinker.
I was a loser. I was unreliable.
- Wade remembers, huh?
- You could be a little wild, I recall.
I think the word is "dangerous. "
Yeah, yeah. That too, as I recall.
You know the night I saved those people
from burning up?
I was headed home from a poker game...
...so drunk, I don't remember doing it.
For all I know,
I went into that house to rob it.
I woke up, and overnight I had gone...
...from town screwup to local hero,
just like that.
But I knew I was the exact same person
I was before that fire...
...even if they chose to ignore it.
You went out on top.
- What do you mean "out on top"?
- He peaked.
Went as high as he was gonna go.
I mean, he knew it.
Why sit around and watch it all go to hell?
So you just walked away?
My baby would look at me
like I was the greatest thing on Earth.
But I knew those same eyes
were gonna see me coming home...
...drunk and crazy or maybe even worse.
So I took my boat out,
and I jumped overboard.
And now and forever, his daddy is a hero.
He doesn't even know he has a daddy.
Believe me, he is not better off.
- You don't have kids, do you?
- No.
Then you cannot possibly imagine
the choices.
Now, you might not understand
why I did what I did.
But I did what I thought was right
for my child.
Okay. You wanna talk? Talk.
Did you really think lying
was doing the best thing for me?
Sometimes it is.
I told you your cat died peacefully
in his sleep.
You wanna hear he fell from
the windowsill and dropped 10 floors?
- Mr. Mittens?
- You make a judgment call.
Is it always right? No. It's not science.
And a father isn't a cat.
I wanted to tell you the truth.
When your father found out-
My ex-husband, I mean,
the one who raised you.
- I know who you mean.
- I'd plan to tell you...
...and then you would look up at me,
those little eyes so trusting.
- You didn't think I could handle it?
- I didn't think I could.
You were the most important thing
in the world to me, honey.
You were all I had.
If I could go back and undo it all, I would.
It's too late for that.
But not for us.
You need your mother, sweetheart.
You can't lie anymore.
I won't.
Even if it hurts, I'm tough, I can take it.
I'll always land on my feet.
So did Mr. Mittens.
Fat lot of good it did him.
You are not leaving this house tonight.
I wanna see my friends.
Am I not supposed to have any friends?
No, not if they're the same friends...
...that got you poison-drunk
less than 24 hours ago.
That is something
we have yet to discuss, you and I.
But we're gonna have plenty of time
to talk about it...
...because, Magnolia Breeland...
...you are grounded for one month.
Are you kidding?
You can't ground me. Forget it-
Leave this house tonight,
or any night in the next month...
...and I will have Sheriff Bill
bring you home in his car...
...running the siren, flashing the lights...
...and saying your name
on the speaker-horn the whole way.
Oh, my God, you are ruining my life!
Oh, my Lord.
- You did that to me when I was 15.
- And I only had to do it once.
Oh, sweetheart, thank you.
You have done more than your share
around here.
And I'm gonna do more too.
More of what I should've been doing
all along.
Well, then I will be happy...
...to have someone else ruin her life
for a while.
Oh. Well, I hope I don't have
to relocate my trailer.
If I get carolers this year,
I'll know who to blame.
- How's the leg?
- Better.
It's good.
You could've disappeared anywhere.
- But you stayed in BlueBell.
- It's where I grew up.
Where your son's growing up.
My dad, Harley, he kept tabs on me too.
He showed up at my graduation,
he stood right in front of me...
...talked to me,
and he never told me he was my father.
Yeah, well, I told you why I can't do that.
Yeah.
I brought you some antibiotics.
I was gonna tell you
you can't take them with alcohol...
...but then I noticed
that you don't have any alcohol.
I take it you're not gambling either.
You've changed, Leon. People can change.
Apparently, they can be forgiven too.
Go back, look them in the eye,
and tell them the truth.
Be a dad.
Thank you.
- Look, about the other day-
- Just to let you know-
- No, go ahead.
- Lemon and I, uh...
...we're not gonna be needing
the Pinckney house yet.
So no suing, heh, okay?
Is everything on track for the wedding?
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Oh. Good. That's good. Heh.
So anyway, when the time comes...
...I'll just go through
the proper channels and, uh...
And I'm sorry about putting you
in that position.
Oh, no, no, I was, uh,
overemphatic in protection of the past.
It's a really important house, so...
Yeah.
But the past is the past, right?
I mean, ain't no reason for it
to sit there empty, full of ghosts.
Good point.
- To the future.
- Future.
Ah.
- Hey.
- Shot of bourbon, please.
You sure, doc? I could mix you up
an appletini or something.
I've spent the past several hours
with my mom.
- A shot of bourbon. Now.
Yeah.
Why is Leon's picture off the wall
of dead people?
Oh, well, he's not dead anymore.
That's right.
Came walking back into town just today.
Nearly scared the pee out of his wife.
I can imagine.
I guess he told her some crazy story
about faking his own death.
I don't know.
They seem to be talking, though.
What I hear,
he hasn't put that boy of his down yet.
Oh, big girl.
Ah.
Well, thanks for the drink.
And for helping me with Leon
and staying over...
...and rescuing me.
- Yeah, it's no wonder I'm so tired.
- No wonder.
Did you just smack my butt?
No, no.
Must've been a ghost.
Great, now I have to pee.
Harley was your father.
- What?
- He left you his practice.
What about Harley? Why not tell me?
Can we just go home and discuss this
in therapy like normal people?
You go. I'm staying here.
If I do recall,
we are at your engagement party.
- You know how difficult this is.
- Difficult never stopped me.
- Stop. I can't handle it.
- What do you want from me here?
I'm trying to move on and you won't let me.
- Lemon. I love you. And I love BlueBell.
What's this?
I think it's time we start
looking for a house.
Hey. I meant to thank you for blowing out
the electricity at my place last night.
It's good to practice living off the grid
in case of a war with zombies or whatnot.
Doc? Doc.
- Oh.
- Ha-ha-ha.
Look, you can eat here and drink here.
If you sleep here,
we have to charge you a hotel tax.
I'm sorry, I haven't been sleeping lately.
I've been lying in bed at night...
...just listening to my mosquitoes
die in my new bug zapper.
Listen, maybe you're not tired enough
at night.
If you wanna work out
a little or whatever...
...no need to blow the power out.
I'll come by.
Great, the mosquitoes
will show you where to go.
Okay. Now, we are all set for my trip
just as soon as I deliver this baby.
Women. I'll never understand
why they insist on having babies...
- ... during the football season.
Daddy.
Hey, Magnolia, honey.
Did you come to see me
before I take off on the football trip?
Yes. Plus, I wanted to show you
the new dress I bought. Isn't it cute?
Well, yes, that is, uh, cute.
Yeah. Did your sister see that?
I knew it. Running off to Daddy
when you don't get your way.
- He said my dress was cute.
- Daddy.
This dress shows places
only God should see.
It's like something that
Zoe Hart would wear.
Hey!
Magnolia said that she would march
right back and go return it.
She's traipsing around in it
so they won't take it back.
Just because I wanna dress like I live
in 2011 and not 1952 or something-
Stop, stop, stop, now, stop.
Look, I have to get on the road.
So just whatever your sister says is fine.
Oh, my God, you're ruining my life.
Hey.
- Daddy.
- What?
- Thank you.
What? I backed her up.
Don't look at me, I got boys.
By the time they've thought up a lie...
...they've forgotten
what they were lying about.
You need to stop ignoring your mom.
- I'm not.
I just saw your phone, it said "Mom. "
You were reading it upside down.
I was ignoring my Chinese friend, Wow.
You haven't talked to her
since she left BlueBell.
She's not giving up, you know.
She is calling you twice a day now.
Yeah, well, I'm not talking to her
twice a day. I'm keeping up.
You said you're not sleeping.
- So?
Troubled sleep means a troubled mind.
And you won't quiet yours
until you can forgive her.
Forgive her, Addy?
She lied to me about who my father was.
She just wants to feel better.
I don't feel better, why should she?
Because you won't get any peace
until you face what's bothering you.
I know what's bothering me,
a crazy nurse who won't leave me alone.
Well, I just talked to the Colyer woman
again.
Contractions are still seven minutes apart.
Now, where's the oxytocin?
Whoa, why are you inducing labor?
Well, because when I said I'd cover the
pregnancy for Dr. Troy over in Bristol...
...he promised me
I would not miss the football game.
You're going to induce labor
so you can make a football game?
She's past due. I'm doing the woman a favor.
All right, fine.
I'll take the birth when it's time.
I'm not sleeping much anyway.
I might as well.
- I don't wanna put you out.
- Don't pretend like this wasn't your plan.
- Where's the address?
- I have it right here.
This does not go on your patient count
because we're covering for Dr. Troy.
You're welcome.
Lavon. Hi. Two things.
One, please replace the fuse box.
Wade thinks my blowing the power
is some mating call. Two, I need a ride.
Fuse box, yes, ride, no.
I have a prior commitment.
- Lavon, no, a woman's having a baby.
- So drive yourself.
- Go on, take the hybrid.
- But you always give me rides.
Well, I can't just keep you company...
...every time you need to make a house call.
This ain't Driving Miss Zoe. I have
important mayoral business to conduct.
Hey-o, big man.
You got the TV warmed up? Hey, doc.
You wanna join us for the Ladies'
Beach Volleyball Championships?
Fine. Take the Navigator.
Just don't change the radio stations.
- Do you even know how to drive?
- I've had my license since I was 16.
- Have you driven since then?
- The principles haven't changed.
It's not a flying car.
She knows she's supposed to call me
and tell me where she is.
It just frazzles me to my last stitch.
It really does.
Magnolia has Daddy
wrapped around her little finger...
...and makes me the bad guy all the time.
No, you're her big sister, she worships you.
Not anymore. All I do is yell at her now.
And, God, we used to have such fun,
you know?
We used to play house,
and I'd be the mama.
I'd dress her up in all the clothes I outgrew.
She was like my little walk-around doll.
You might be getting some payback
for that now.
Okay, enough about me.
- How was your day?
- Well-
- Oh!
- What?
Did you hear Marvella Pinckney died?
Isn't that so exciting?
Did you have today in a pool or something?
No. I mean, of course
I'm not happy that she died.
Poor thing, bless her heart.
But it does mean
that her house is available.
And I have wanted to live in that house
since I was a tiny girl.
And seeing as you and I
are looking for a house...
...now we can get it,
thanks to Marvella Pinckney.
And her filterless cigarettes.
- Poor thing.
- Bless her heart.
- Come on and dance
- Dance
BRICK
Hi, this is Brick Breeland.
Please leave a message.
Good morning, Brick.
Just wanted to leave a message to say...
...that Mrs. Colyer has a healthy baby boy.
Took most of the night.
And towards the end, she said:
"Thank you for not inducing my labor
before I was ready...
...just so you could watch
a football game. "
Okay, she didn't say that.
But she was thinking it. Have fun.
Prepare to turn right.
Into a tree? Go away.
Hello?
Hello? Anybody there?
Are you hurt?
If you're hurt, make a noise.
I'm a doctor.
Dr. Zoe Hart.
I'm from BlueBell.
No, I'm not from BlueBell,
I'm from New York.
I'm only in BlueBell-
Oh, my God, it's not important. Hello?
Hello?
Shelley. Oh, my God.
- You're up early.
- I've been up all night.
- Doing what?
- Looking for a man.
Try a little extra makeup next time.
Morning, Shelley. Hey, Zoe. You're up early.
George. I am totally freaking out.
- I ran over a man with my car.
- Wait, what?
- When did you get a car?
- It's Lavon's car.
Oh, my God. How is that important?
Okay, you know what?
Just calm down. When and where?
Couple hours ago in, um, Settler's Woods.
- Okay, Zoe, Zoe.
- Huh?
- Probably hit a deer.
- Mm-hm.
- There are a lot of deer in those woods.
- Yup.
The kind with man heads?
Because then that would explain it.
Okay. What'd he look like?
I only saw him for a second,
but his face is burned into my brain.
He kind of looked like... Like...
Like what?
Him.
- It looked like him?
- It is him. That's the guy.
That's Leon Mercy.
Okay. And?
And he's been dead for over a year.
So anyway...
...it turns out Leon Mercy is some
kind of local town hero or something.
Was, yes.
Saved the whole Rivenbark family...
...including a cousin,
from their burning house.
And then three months later,
he was dead himself.
Except that he's not
because I saw him last night.
Except he is
because I was at the funeral.
I mean, his poor wife standing there
with their baby boy.
- What are you saying, I ran down a ghost?
- No, you're saying you ran down a ghost.
And you need to stop saying it if you
wanna get some patients in this town.
- Morning. Hey, hon.
Hey.
- Sheriff Bill, did you find anyone?
- Hold up. That's the call you got...
...that took you out of the house
before you even had your pancakes?
I searched Settler's Wood
where you said it happened...
- ... but didn't see a thing.
- Because you imagined the man.
Most likely it was a deer.
- Or a raccoon.
- Black bear.
- Coyote.
Bobcat, maybe even a cougar.
- Where do I live?
- I don't think the mayor's gonna be happy...
...about the damage you did.
I don't think Leon Mercy's
gonna be too wild about it either.
It's not even 10 a. m.
, I already got two people mad at me.
- Two's a better start than most days.
- What? Leon Mercy?
You got me out of bed to hunt
around the woods for a dead guy?
On pancake day?
Goodness gracious.
Can't have any breakfast.
That's three. You're catching up.
Hey, Lavon.
Hey, did I-? Did I catch you at a bad time?
Uh, no. No.
- Great, great.
- Come on in. Sit down.
So, what's been going on?
Not much, not much.
You hear Marvella Pinckney died?
Yeah, I did, I did.
- Very sad.
- Oh, it is.
But as it turns out,
I have been asking Babs Foster...
...if she would help Lemon and me
find a house for after we're married.
Mm-hm.
And it seems that Lemon
has always had this dream...
- ... of living in the Pinckney house.
- Yeah.
Oh, you knew?
No, no. I was just listening.
Okay, well, now Babs tells me
that the Pinckney house...
...is registered
as a BlueBell historic property.
The only way it can be sold
is with approval from the town.
Um, it's not that easy.
You know, there are procedures...
...and committees, a whole process to it.
But it's not an Act of Congress, right?
It's BlueBell. Heh.
Yeah, it is.
And I'm gonna say no.
- No?
- I get like 50 requests a day.
Do me this, do me that.
Other people in this town want things too.
I just thought you might help me out.
- Move you to the front of the line.
- I guess so.
- And why would I do that?
- Heh. As a favor? Because I'm asking?
But you didn't ask.
You just said what you wanted.
Okay, well, now I'm asking.
And I remain disinclined.
Look, I know you're used
to getting what you want, now.
Okay, I don't know where all this
is coming from, Lavon...
...but you do know that there are plenty
of ways I can go about doing this, right?
- You should get to them.
- I'll challenge the statute in court.
- I love a challenge.
- I'll see you there.
I'll circle it on my calendar.
How did this happen?
I thought I had his attention.
Boys are impossible to decipher.
So can I borrow an outfit?
What? Outfit?
For the party? At the lake?
I knew you weren't listening.
No, I'm sorry. I was listening.
I'm just a little tired, got a little lost.
There's a party at the lake,
and Frederick Dean is gonna be there.
And even though he's always talking
to me now about comic books...
...he still hasn't officially asked me out.
Magnolia's still after him.
You wanna know something?
She is just toying with him
like a cat with a ball of yarn.
- Dr. Hart? A patient is asking for you.
- Are you serious?
Uh-huh.
Right.
Rose, my closet is your closet.
Good luck tonight, my friend.
Hi. I'm Dr. Zoe Hart. Nice to meet you.
- Laurette Nevis. How do you do?
- Fine.
- Did someone refer you to me?
- No.
I heard people talking
about what you saw in Settler's Woods.
- I see.
- So I came here to tell you...
...that there is a rational explanation
for what you saw.
Yes. I knew there was. What is it?
The restless ghost of Leon Mercy
is asking you for help.
- Okay. Well, thank you for coming-
- Look.
Most people are too closed off
to admit the presence of spirits...
...but they are all around us here.
The woods that drew you into them
are filled with the wandering dead.
- They did not draw me in.
- No?
It was Lavon's GPS.
And how are you sleeping?
Good. Very well, actually.
The spirit of Leon Mercy
came to you for help...
...because you also have something
restless in you.
You, Zoe Hart, are a receiver.
No, okay, I am not a receiver.
I'm from New York.
New Yorkers are not receivers.
Most of them don't get satellite.
Let him in, face him...
...or you both will remain trapped
between worlds.
Who?
An educated doctor
who isn't scared of ghosts, that's who.
I'm really not.
Wade.
I've been to a place where love was gone
Felt the chill run through my aching bones
Turned around to find that it was free
Warming feeling rushing over me
Damn it, Zoe!
Hey. What the hell?
I am so, so sorry.
It must be the new bug zapper.
I totally forgot.
- What are you even doing up at this hour?
- I'm not sleepy.
- Well, I don't care. Go to bed.
- No, wait. Wait.
Since we're both up, you wanna hang out?
Have some tea or something?
Oh.
Yeah, yeah, I'll have some tea.
Oh, no. Oh, no. No, no.
Never mind. Bad idea.
I'm sleepy. Exhausted. Go away.
You are a certified crazy person,
you know that?
Historically, I've found that hot.
But in your case, I think I'm cured.
Unbelievable.
He's right. This is nuts. Ghosts.
- What? What is it? What?
- Leon Mercy.
- Leon Mercy.
- Yeah, look.
Leon Mercy, huh?
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
There's like 10 Leon Mercys out here.
Okay. No ghosts. No Leon Mercy. Nothing.
Thank you. Good night.
No, wait. I'm sorry.
Maybe I'm nuts.
Will you just stay till morning?
- All right.
- Wait.
Not there. Couch. Jeez.
Good night.
- Wait.
Blanket.
Wade. Wade. Wade.
Huh?
I couldn't sleep.
Because there are no ghosts.
I know that.
I'm a woman of science, for God's sake.
So I did some research,
and I found Leon Mercy's obituary. Look.
Leon drowned in the Gulf
while he was fishing. They found his boat.
They searched forever until they declared
him dead, but no body was ever found.
Why? I'll tell you why.
Because he never died.
Maybe he bumped his head
and he's walking around.
He doesn't know who he is
or where he is. I have to go find him.
- So you didn't wake me up for sex?
- Jerk.
No. The point is,
I didn't imagine anything.
Rose?
- Zoe, I'm sorry it's late.
Magnolia's passed out drunk,
and we can't wake her up.
What? Who drove you here?
- Jacob Coburn.
He's a junior, president of Sobriety Club.
- There were juniors?
- I would've left.
But I can't leave Frederick with Magnolia.
Kissing games turned into drinking.
What were you thinking?
- What's going on? You need my help?
- What was I thinking?
- Uh, we'll talk later.
- Come on, let's get her out of the car.
- Move over, stick man. Take this.
Come on. What happened?
She was drinking a lot, I guess, like a lot.
Fruit punch and vodka.
Hey, where's he going? Oh, come on.
Airway's clear,
but her breathing is very shallow.
We have to bring her to my office.
Give me the flashlight. Let's go.
- What do you think's wrong?
- Could be alcohol poisoning.
Is that bad?
- Is poisoning bad? Yeah. It's bad.
- She'll be okay, right?
- Rose.
She could've choked on her vomit,
gone into cardiac arrest.
She could've died. Now get your phone.
I need to notify her father.
You said she wouldn't tell anyone.
You promised.
You can't call her dad. I told everyone
you were the cool doctor. Please.
Rose, she's a minor. Brick is out of town.
- That's good, you don't have to call.
- Believe it or not, there's someone...
...that Magnolia and I both
would like to call even less than Brick.
- How is she?
- She's going to be fine.
She's resting. She's responsive,
so you can take her home.
Well, thank you.
No problem.
You know, teenagers, they're hard.
My mom had to raise me on her own
when I was that age, and, oh, boy-
I said thank you.
Your medical help is appreciated,
but your family counseling is not.
What are you doing?
Look, thanks for staying last night...
...but even if I was afraid,
it's morning, and I'm not.
You know, I'm no Dr. Phil or whatever,
but in my experience...
- ... when I'm having trouble sleeping-
- Let me guess.
You have something unresolved
in your life that you're not dealing with.
No, it's because I need to get laid.
Well, thank you
for the expert psychological insight.
- No problem.
- You may go.
Your services are no longer needed.
My services haven't even been used, doc.
Your loss.
- Aah! Mom?
- Hello, dear.
What? What is it this time?
You see her too, right?
- Mom, what are you doing?
- I hope I'm not interrupting something.
- What? No.
- Oh, well, howdy, ma'am, I'm Wade.
I didn't expect to meet Zoe's mother
so soon into our relationship.
Oh, my God, gross. Shut up.
Go fix the fuse box.
It's a roller-coaster ride,
but I don't want it to stop.
- Hey, anyway, good to meet you. Bye.
- Oh.
He seems nice.
Very homegrown.
I brought you a present.
It's a sound machine.
Very soothing. Your nurse, uh, Addy,
said that you weren't sleeping.
- Why would you show up like this?
- What choice did I have?
- You won't return my calls.
- Because I don't wanna talk to you.
I just took two planes,
sat in a bus station...
...in a town
I think was called Hickory Butt.
That could've been the driver's accent.
I got a ride to your place with a trucker...
...who knows an amazing amount
about packing and shipping crawfish.
So you will talk to me.
Actually, I won't.
I have a patient who needs my help.
A man running around
who may be hurt and confused.
- Your own mother is hurt and confused.
- Oh, stop it.
The man has a wife and a child,
who, unlike me, still has a father...
- ... so I'm going to go help him.
- Look, I get it, you're mad.
You've been mad at me before.
And I've always just hung in
until you came around.
So come around.
What do you need, Mother?
What do you need?
Because that's what it's always about.
- You need me to forgive you?
- Yes.
Fine. I forgive you.
- But you don't really mean it.
- No, it's a lie.
Because that's what we do
for each other. Lie.
That's the lesson I learned
from the one person I'm supposed to trust.
So you want me to forgive you
for the big lie that has defined my life?
Sure. I forgive you.
Gotta go.
GIRL 1
Do something, Leona.
GIRL 2 No, Kitty. Kimber's got
to beat Claw himself, fair and square.
I take it that you're not feeling
well enough for church today?
- You have anything to say for yourself?
- We're out of cereal.
You could have died last night.
You scared me half to death.
You exposed our family business
to that Dr. Hart.
What has gotten into you lately?
- Nothing.
- What do you think...
...that Daddy is gonna say when
he hears about your latest escapade?
He'll say, "Lemon, take care of it. "
Well, okay. Then why?
- Why would you put me through this?
- Because so what?
You're not gonna be able to tell me
what to do anyway.
What do you mean?
When you get married to George Tucker
and move out...
...you're not even gonna live here.
You won't even know what I do...
...so stop pretending you care about me,
because you don't!
Lavon. I need to borrow your car.
Oh, you mean my remaining car.
Because the last one you used
is still off getting a new headlight.
Yes. I need to save a man's life.
- What man?
- Leon Mercy.
Well, if you have the power
to raise the dead...
...I'm sure you can solve
a mundane problem like transportation.
That wasn't really a no.
Hey, baby, you ready for church?
Oh, and before you hear it from Babs...
...there is a tiny hitch
in getting the Pinckney place.
But I promise you, I will get it for you.
What?
George, how can you even think
about buying a house right now?
That is the single most ridiculous thing
that I have ever heard.
- I take it things have changed?
- Yes. Everything.
I know why Magnolia's being such
a holy terror and it's because I'm leaving.
All the wedding planning
and the house hunting.
And I never even gave a thought
that to Magnolia...
...it must seem like I'm just abandoning her
like Mama did to us.
And now she's just drinking...
...and doing God knows what else
right under my nose.
And I never even saw it.
I'm just so horrible.
No, no, no, you are not.
You are not horrible.
And she knows-
She knows you're not abandoning her, okay?
She's just a full-blown teenager now,
and that's not a big-sister job.
Brick's gotta step up to the plate here.
Talk to him.
No, George.
Daddy wouldn't have a single clue
what to do.
He depends on me to...
To not be a problem.
Leon!
Leon! It's Dr. Hart!
Hello?
Oh.
Leon!
Oh, my God. What are you doing here?
Well, Lavon said you stole his car...
...asked me to come out here
and find you...
...knowing full well
you'd get lost out here and die.
- You both can laugh later. Can you-?
Shh.
- Did you just shush me? Don't shush me.
- Shh!
Leon, are you hurt? You look hurt.
Still pretty good for a guy...
- ... who's been dead for a year.
- Your wound is bleeding.
It could be infected.
We need to get you to a hospital.
- No.
- Yes.
Traditionally in a yes-no situation,
argument goes to the guy with the hatchet.
He made it all the way to my place
on that leg. He needs my help.
He could be confused.
There's people looking for you.
Do you know that you have a wife and child?
Why the hell do you think I'm out here?
- Hey, George.
- Hey, Brick.
- Hey.
- Sorry to hear about the 'Bama loss.
Oh, wasn't even close.
You know, Florida whips our butts
every time we go down there.
Is Lemon inside?
No, she's upstairs.
But if you don't mind, give me a minute?
- Why?
- We, uh...
We had an incident with Magnolia
last night.
- What?
- She went to a party.
And she passed out from alcohol poisoning.
- Good Lord. Magnolia?
- Yeah.
- Well, where is she now?
- She's upstairs, but she is fine, Brick.
Zoe fixed her up.
Zoe Hart said it was alcohol poisoning?
And Lemon took her word for it?
What kind of party did Lemon let her go to?
Just settle down for a second, Brick.
Zoe might've saved Magnolia's life.
And Lemon, this is not her fault,
because she is not Magnolia's mom.
And she might've stepped up
and parented her...
...because someone had to do it,
but in my honest opinion...
...she shouldn't have to do it at all,
she shouldn't have to do it alone.
I don't think I appreciate you
coming into my house...
...and lecturing me on things
that aren't your concern.
They became my concern
the minute I got engaged to Lemon.
And I'm sorry, Brick,
that your wife left you.
But that happened 12 years ago,
and you are still sitting here...
...acting like she went to the store
and she's gonna be back any minute.
Man.
You know, when Alice left...
...I was in this kind of a daze.
And I mean,
she'd done most of the real child-raising.
And then here I was, I was left
with this 2-year-old all on my own.
Lemon, she was such a help.
She was just so good.
I did, I did. I...
I just let it be.
Well, Brick, those girls need their dad.
Both of them.
So you did come to my place last night.
Well, seems that you don't have amnesia.
So I take it you faked your own death?
What did you mean when you said
you did it for your wife and kid?
- All done.
- No, you're not.
Well, I am if you're not going to talk.
You have to fix me. You're a doctor.
And you're dead. Who are you gonna tell?
- What'd they say about me in town?
- That you're a hero.
- They also say I was a screwup?
- No.
Name it. I was a gambler. I was a drinker.
I was a loser. I was unreliable.
- Wade remembers, huh?
- You could be a little wild, I recall.
I think the word is "dangerous. "
Yeah, yeah. That too, as I recall.
You know the night I saved those people
from burning up?
I was headed home from a poker game...
...so drunk, I don't remember doing it.
For all I know,
I went into that house to rob it.
I woke up, and overnight I had gone...
...from town screwup to local hero,
just like that.
But I knew I was the exact same person
I was before that fire...
...even if they chose to ignore it.
You went out on top.
- What do you mean "out on top"?
- He peaked.
Went as high as he was gonna go.
I mean, he knew it.
Why sit around and watch it all go to hell?
So you just walked away?
My baby would look at me
like I was the greatest thing on Earth.
But I knew those same eyes
were gonna see me coming home...
...drunk and crazy or maybe even worse.
So I took my boat out,
and I jumped overboard.
And now and forever, his daddy is a hero.
He doesn't even know he has a daddy.
Believe me, he is not better off.
- You don't have kids, do you?
- No.
Then you cannot possibly imagine
the choices.
Now, you might not understand
why I did what I did.
But I did what I thought was right
for my child.
Okay. You wanna talk? Talk.
Did you really think lying
was doing the best thing for me?
Sometimes it is.
I told you your cat died peacefully
in his sleep.
You wanna hear he fell from
the windowsill and dropped 10 floors?
- Mr. Mittens?
- You make a judgment call.
Is it always right? No. It's not science.
And a father isn't a cat.
I wanted to tell you the truth.
When your father found out-
My ex-husband, I mean,
the one who raised you.
- I know who you mean.
- I'd plan to tell you...
...and then you would look up at me,
those little eyes so trusting.
- You didn't think I could handle it?
- I didn't think I could.
You were the most important thing
in the world to me, honey.
You were all I had.
If I could go back and undo it all, I would.
It's too late for that.
But not for us.
You need your mother, sweetheart.
You can't lie anymore.
I won't.
Even if it hurts, I'm tough, I can take it.
I'll always land on my feet.
So did Mr. Mittens.
Fat lot of good it did him.
You are not leaving this house tonight.
I wanna see my friends.
Am I not supposed to have any friends?
No, not if they're the same friends...
...that got you poison-drunk
less than 24 hours ago.
That is something
we have yet to discuss, you and I.
But we're gonna have plenty of time
to talk about it...
...because, Magnolia Breeland...
...you are grounded for one month.
Are you kidding?
You can't ground me. Forget it-
Leave this house tonight,
or any night in the next month...
...and I will have Sheriff Bill
bring you home in his car...
...running the siren, flashing the lights...
...and saying your name
on the speaker-horn the whole way.
Oh, my God, you are ruining my life!
Oh, my Lord.
- You did that to me when I was 15.
- And I only had to do it once.
Oh, sweetheart, thank you.
You have done more than your share
around here.
And I'm gonna do more too.
More of what I should've been doing
all along.
Well, then I will be happy...
...to have someone else ruin her life
for a while.
Oh. Well, I hope I don't have
to relocate my trailer.
If I get carolers this year,
I'll know who to blame.
- How's the leg?
- Better.
It's good.
You could've disappeared anywhere.
- But you stayed in BlueBell.
- It's where I grew up.
Where your son's growing up.
My dad, Harley, he kept tabs on me too.
He showed up at my graduation,
he stood right in front of me...
...talked to me,
and he never told me he was my father.
Yeah, well, I told you why I can't do that.
Yeah.
I brought you some antibiotics.
I was gonna tell you
you can't take them with alcohol...
...but then I noticed
that you don't have any alcohol.
I take it you're not gambling either.
You've changed, Leon. People can change.
Apparently, they can be forgiven too.
Go back, look them in the eye,
and tell them the truth.
Be a dad.
Thank you.
- Look, about the other day-
- Just to let you know-
- No, go ahead.
- Lemon and I, uh...
...we're not gonna be needing
the Pinckney house yet.
So no suing, heh, okay?
Is everything on track for the wedding?
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Oh. Good. That's good. Heh.
So anyway, when the time comes...
...I'll just go through
the proper channels and, uh...
And I'm sorry about putting you
in that position.
Oh, no, no, I was, uh,
overemphatic in protection of the past.
It's a really important house, so...
Yeah.
But the past is the past, right?
I mean, ain't no reason for it
to sit there empty, full of ghosts.
Good point.
- To the future.
- Future.
Ah.
- Hey.
- Shot of bourbon, please.
You sure, doc? I could mix you up
an appletini or something.
I've spent the past several hours
with my mom.
- A shot of bourbon. Now.
Yeah.
Why is Leon's picture off the wall
of dead people?
Oh, well, he's not dead anymore.
That's right.
Came walking back into town just today.
Nearly scared the pee out of his wife.
I can imagine.
I guess he told her some crazy story
about faking his own death.
I don't know.
They seem to be talking, though.
What I hear,
he hasn't put that boy of his down yet.
Oh, big girl.
Ah.
Well, thanks for the drink.
And for helping me with Leon
and staying over...
...and rescuing me.
- Yeah, it's no wonder I'm so tired.
- No wonder.
Did you just smack my butt?
No, no.
Must've been a ghost.
Great, now I have to pee.