In Treatment (2008–2010): Season 3, Episode 14 - Frances: Week Four - full transcript

I went to see Patricia yesterday to ask her
permission to see you.

- What did she say?
- She said it's fine.

You're gonna call her?

Patricia just can't stop
talking about the *** one.

- Did you take the test?
- Are you worried about me?

I'm still waiting for the results.

This is Isabel. 1970.

I like to remember
my mother just like this.

She still wanted to...
To look her best.

I know what you're talking about.

You told me that your mother always
wore her signature red lipstick.



I never told you that.

- Patricia told you that.
- I apologize, if you're upset.

I don't want to be
confused with my sister.

I have no one in my life who is willing
to help me and that obviously includes you.

So...

Swarthmore is due
on Friday. Hey.

And then barnard and vassar
are next Wednesday.

Then it's Sarah Lawrence,
Santa Cruz,

Hampshire, oberlin
and tufts all by the 15th.

- It's insanity.
- I'd skip Santa Cruz...

Too sunny.

You could come visit.
And, you know,

you could get some fresh air.

You could hit
the beach, you know.



You could even go surfing.

Oh yeah, that's me all right.
Yeah, surfing...

That's a good one.

Listen, thanks for... thanks
for driving Max back.

Sure.

So how was he?
How was his mood?

I didn't spend
that much time with him,

but he seemed good.
He said D.C. was awesome.

D.C.?
He went to D.C.?

With Steve, on Saturday.

Didn't he tell you?

Uh, no, he didn't mention that.

Yeah, Steve took Max to see this
calder exhibit at the national

that they've been
wanting to see.

Is that weird for you?

No, it's fine.
It's fine.

It doesn't exactly fit

with what Max has been
saying about Steve.

- What's he been saying?
- Nothing much.

Just that he finds Steve
more or less repulsive,

borderline demonic.

What do you think
of their relationship?

I don't know.
I mean, you know,

the first brunch
was slightly awkward.

Max told Steve he thought

his house looked like
a giant habitrail.

But then, you know,
things just...

It's okay, Rosie.

I mean, I...

I'd prefer that they
got along together.

Yeah, I think
they just like connect

- on the art thing, you know?
- Mm-hmm.

Like Steve has that
studio in his house.

And he's been teaching
Max drafting, you know.

He has those like
side-by-side

desks thingies
that are slanted.

Yeah.

You should get going.

I don't want you
driving after dark.

You know Max loves you, dad.

He came to live with you.

Yeah.
Yeah.

Okay, so send me
your essay on Friday...

unless Steve's got
that covered too.

Dad.

I'm just kidding.

Anyway, I love you.

Love you too.

- Seat belt.
- Yeah yeah.

No talking on the phone
when you're driving, okay?

Love you.

Love you too.

You cut your hair.

It's different.
It's lighter.

Darker, for the play.

It's very...
very becoming.

Well, it's becoming
Maxine, not me.

You know, I look in the mirror,

wear the shirt.
It helps me to find her reality.

Not that that reality is

all that different
than my reality, but...

What do you mean?

She's recently widowed,

all alone in the world,

sex-starved.

You know, I am...
Well, there are overlaps.

Overlaps?

Do you think that has
anything to do

with why you might be
struggling with your lines?

Maybe.

So how...
how did the week go?

Fine.

Any lapses?

Not really.

You left here last week
and you were terrified

that you were
going to fail

in front of the audience
in the theater.

Yeah well, there are still
moments when I'm onstage

that I worry about stumbling
on this scene or that,

but I manage.
I get through.

Is one of those scenes
the one you asked me

to read with you last week?

You were pretty angry
when you left.

No, I understood
why you kicked me out.

Kicked you out?

Yeah, it was inappropriate.
You were not comfortable.

Well, that's...
that's true.

But the way I remember it,

you stormed out of the room.

How do you remember
that moment?

I asked you to run lines

and you refused to help me.

I felt sorry for you.

Really?

Yeah, I mean
it must be strange,

you know, treating
someone like me.

You mean somebody
famous like you.

You know, ultimately
it's not that interesting

to read a scene, so...

Is that something
that you've been feeling...

that your work
isn't that interesting?

Because you have spoken about
it passionately in the past.

Yeah well, there are times.

Would you like to talk
about one of these times?

No.

Well, it's just that I would...

I'd like to understand
what it is

that you are experiencing,

what you're feeling.

I've never done it,
so I'm curious.

Well, you know I felt
really disconnected

all that time in rehearsal.

And this week...

this week in previews,

I really felt like I understood

something new about what I...

what she needed,
you know, in a moment.

And it just clicked into place.

It was...

Well, I was totally in time...

Present.

Maybe it was just the haircut.

And this feeling
of feeling present...

Was it momentary?

No, it lasted till the end.

And it was palpable.
I mean,

the applause was...

- What?
- Loud.

That must have felt good.

Think of where you were.

You were terrified.

You were dreading
the week of previews.

Then the play goes on.
It's a success.

You make this connection.

You must feel a satisfaction.

What happens
between then and now?

I go home.

The apartment's dark.
The fridge is empty.

I open a can of soup.

It's a nasty hangover...

my life.

Do you want to come
to opening night?

I have a set of tickets
and I was just thinking,

you know, why don't
you just come?

Why would you want me there?

I don't know.
You sound interested, so...

Any other reasons?

You could see that I'm good.

Well, I know that.

Why?

Because I've seen your films.

Which ones?

All of them.

Anyway, you've never
seen me onstage, right?

No, I ve not seen you onstage.

So there you go. You could come
and see what it is that I do.

I mean, is that so strange?

You just said you wanted to...

It's not strange at all.

But I'm gonna have to say no.

Okay, well,

is that because of me
or some policy or...?

Well yes, it is
a kind of policy.

I think that...

I think that it would
interfere with the work

that we're trying to do
here in this room.

But please don't
take that personally.

No, that's fine.
I understand.

I'll sell them on ebay.

You were considering
inviting Patricia.

Did you do that?

Why not?

Have you spoken
to Patricia this week?

I did what you told me to do.

What did I tell you to do?

You told me that it wasn't
too late to make amends.

So I went to her
and I apologized.

For telling her
not to be an actress.

She didn't even know
what I was talking about.

She hardly remembered
being in that play.

You know, I told her

that I thought
she was wonderful

and that it was wrong
of me to dissuade her.

And she said, "oh, don't
worry about that."

And then she thanked me.

She said, "I don't know how
you bear all that bullshit."

She said I saved her.

And then... this is
this best... she said,

"I'm glad I got
to lead a real life."

A real life...
can you believe that?

It must have been hurtful.

You think?
Humiliating.

I mean, I was trying
to apologize.

And did you tell her that?
That it felt painful?

Of course not.

And can I ask why?

She's sick, Paul.

I went there to make amends,

not pick a fight.

I... I...
I wajust aware

that you felt guilty.

I thought that talking to
Patricia might be helpful.

I'm sorry it wasn't.

At least now I know
what she thinks of me,

what she thinks
of the life I chose.

What do you think
of the life you chose?

The last time we spoke
I had the feeling

that you are very invested

in the way other people see you

and your sister's
judgment has...

It's clearly had a big impact

on how you view yourself.

Look, you know,

I understand that tricia
wouldn't want my life anyway.

All my conctions

are, you know, fiction.

Maybe they always have been.

Do you really believe that?

I mean, when you met Russell,
you told me

that you had a really
deep connection with him.

Yeah well, I think
we did at first.

I just... I always felt like I
had to prove myself to Russell.

Prove yourself?

Yeah, to Russell
and his friends...

You know, these academics,

shrinks, political scientists.

I always thought they were
gonna see right through me.

And what do you think
they would see?

That there's no there there.

That's what Russell
used to say about L.A.

You were afraid that
that's how Russell saw you,

and his friends...
"no there there."

Yeah, Russell's shallow
actress wife.

Oh, but how the fuck
would they know?

They've never come
to a performance either.

Are you upset with me

because I said I wouldn't
come to your play?

You invited me
to an important event...

Your opening night.

And I thank you for that.

But isn't there somebody else
you'd like to ask instead?

We talked about tricia.
What about izzy?

Isn't she someone
you'd like to take with you?

Have you thought
about asking her?

No, that would require us
to be in the same building.

Well, surely you know

that the relationship with izzy

will survive
this teenage angst.

I'm not sure about that.

I know it may not feel
that way, but...

You know, sometimes I think
that having a teenager

is like going to the dark
side of the moon.

The person that you know and
that you love just disappears.

And you just have to trust
that eventually

they will come back.

Maybe different,
but they will come back.

Did that happen to you?

Yes, with my daughter, yes.

Yeah.

Yeah well, I'm still reading
my daughter's emails, so...

I don't know.
It's an addiction, you know?

Like a junkie just waiting

for hits of information
about my own kid.

You know, she signs
some of them "Isabel" now.

I mean, when did she
become Isabel?

You might be curious to know

that her and young Miller
have not yet had sex.

They talk about it,
however, all the time.

I kind of want to tell her,

"try to preserve
some of the mystery."

But I want to tell her
a lot of things.

She did say something nice.

Miller had seen
a movie of mine on tv

and he said,
"your mother was amazing."

And izzy wrote back,
"she is amazing."

Were you surprised
by that comment?

Oh, it was a silly movie.
I got good enough revws,

but it wasn't my best work.

What I meant was,
were you surprised

that izzy would
compliment you like that?

She wasn't speaking of me.

She was speaking
of the performance.

Izzy revealed how she felt
in that email.

She said something
very kind about you.

She said you were amazing.

But you dismissed
her comment.

I've noticed
that again and again

you put yourself down

with remarkable
consistency.

And the more success you have,

the more applause you get
for playing other people,

the more convinced you are

that you have nothing
to offer as yourself.

When I said before
that I didn't have anyone

to be there for me
at the opening...

I think what I mean
is that I'd really like

for my mother to be able
to be there.

You know, I've done a lot of
movies since mother died,

but this will be the first time

that I'll be onstage
without her watching.

You really do miss her,
don't you?

Well, it was really
like a special light

that shone just on me

when she was in the audience.

I mean, she came to everything

even when I was a kid.

And then when I moved to New York,
she used to take the train up.

And I flew her to London
for the weekend.

She sat through
all four performances.

That's nine hours of Beckett.

Well, that's love.

Even at the very end... I had
a premiere here in town.

And she just didn't
want to miss it.

She was so sick by then, she was
in and out of the hospital.

But she insisted.

And tricia had to bring her.

I remember she wore
this amazing blue gown.

It had this, like,
plunging neckline.

And she wore, of course,
her red lipstick

and a black wig
with this classic updo.

She handled
herself beautifully.

She charmed the hell
out of everyone.

I mean, it was hard
to believe she was sick,

let alone dying.

We went back
to the hotel afterwards.

I'd gotten this great room
with a view of the park and...

Ordered champagne...

Just a great time.

It was...

It was the last time I saw her.

But you told me

that you were going
back and forth

to the hospital a lot.

I know that's what I said,

because honestly that's
what it felt like inside.

I've been telling myself
that story for so long...

That you've convinced
yourself that it's true.

I mean, when she came to New
York, she looked so much better.

I thought...

I don't know what I thought.

Well, maybe you wanted
to remember her like that.

I hated to see her in that bed.

That was not her.

You said that you felt out
of place at the hospital.

Oh, I was inept.

What do you mean,
you were inept?

She was in pain.

I wanted to help, you know,

so I put on her makeup,

'cause that's what
I know how to do.

And then?

The meds would wear off and
she would start to scream.

I couldn't do anything.

Nothing.
I... I threw up.

I vomited in the sink
at the hospital.

Tricia said it got even
worse after the premiere.

She, I think,
blamed me, you know,

for pushing her too hard.

New York was exhausting.

Why did I need her to be

at this ridiculous premiere?

Did she really say that?

We're back on familiar
ground really, aren't we?

You think that
Patricia blames you,

that she's punishing you.

And you blame yourself.

In the end tricia told me

that mom was delirious
in the hospital.

She was talking

about her daughters,
you know...

How much she loved us,
her little angels,

her sweethearts.
That was the word she always used...

sweethearts, her best girls.

"I love you, my daughters,

my best girls,
my angels."

She was talking as if
both of us were there.

But...

I wasn't there.

I wasn't there.

I never said goodbye to her.

My mother...

She just must have been
so disappointed by me.

But your mother didn't know
you weren't there.

She couldn't have been
disappointed.

You were one of her best girls.

She was your biggest fan.

She was so proud of you.

That feeling of disappointment
comes from you.

20 years ago you were afraid

you didn't have
the strength, the heart

to see your mother
through her death.

You were so afraid, you didn't
even let yourself show up.

Now your sister is dying

and you're terrified again.

Are you afraid

that what Russell
thought of you is true...

That there's no
there there, hmm?

I think it's really important

that you answer this
question on your own:

What is, or what isn't there,

inside... inside you?

Apart from your mother, your
sister, your ex-husband,

me, nobody in the audience...

How do you, Frances,

measure your own worth?

It's time, right?

Just give me a moment.

Wow, okay.

This is just gonna
have to do, isn't it?

Wow, okay.

Oh, Paul, last week when I left

there was somebody
in the waiting room.

I really don't want
to see anyone.

Oh good.

- See you next week.
- Yeah.

I forgot to tell you
that I got the results

of the brca1 test.
I haven't opened them yet.

It'll give us something
to talk about next week.