In Treatment (2008–2010): Season 3, Episode 27 - Jesse: Week Seven - full transcript

Paul tries to get Jesse to open up about a recent transgression and his relationship with his father Roberto.

So...

So I took the train to RISD.

And I didn't have enough
money for a ticket,

so I decided to dodge
the conductor.

And then they caught me

and I ended up in the precinct.

And you called your father.

Yeah.

And you came to pick him up?

Of course.

He was up on a job
up in Buffalo.



It took him eight hours
to drive.

So how was that?

How was what?

Picking Jesse up
at the precinct.

Fine.

I paid what he owed
and they released him.

So there wasn't any
further difficulty?

No.

I'm sorry, but I'm just having
a little trouble understanding

how this incident

led to your decision
to quit therapy.

Well, we had a talk on the
car ride back into the city

and now I feel
a lot better, so...

And what...



what did you talk about?

Marisa mostly

and how she fucked me up.

You use that kind of
language in front of him?

No, not really.

Sometimes.

Seems kinda disrespectful,
doesn't it?

Yeah, I guess.

So you were discussing Marisa.

- Can I say something?
- Yeah, dad, of course.

When Marisa was here,
she wouldn't shut up.

I know Jesse's been coming
here for a while now.

And I heard from my wife

that it'd been
doing him some good.

We haven't really talked
about it, Jesse and me,

because I know
he likes his privacy,

so I didn't want
to pry.

But I asked him about it
on the way back.

I asked him what he'd
been discussing with you.

He said Marisa.

Now listen,
I know you mean well,

but it occurred to me

that you don't have
all the facts, doctor.

So I told him a story
about the way

Marisa treated him when
he was a little baby,

and it seems to
have helped him out.

Wouldn't you say?

So there it is.

I'm sorry,

I'm still not following.

We figured it out.

You figured what out?

My problem.

Your problem is Marisa?

When Jesse told me
he got a phone call

from that woman
in Westchester,

I wanted to step in then.

I was gonna call her
back and tell her

to keep her nose job
out of my family.

But my wife said,
"don't do it.

Let Jesse handle it.
He's in therapy."

In therapy.

It sounds to me
you're a little...

you're a little bit dubious
of therapy, Mr. D'amato.

I'm an electrician.
The lights go on...

you're good at your job.

The house stays dark... you
should have been a plumber.

But you...
what you do...

it's more complicated.
I understand that.

Well, I'd be happy to answer
any questions you might have.

He told me last week
when he was in here

he was thinking about
maybe killing himself.

And you just let him
walk out of here.

Don't you think you
should have called me

or my wife?

- I did consider that.
- You considered it?

Jesse seemed upset to me,
but not suicidal.

That's your
professional opinion?

Yes, it is.

Did you tell my son to take
the train up to Westchester

and go visit the people
who gave him up?

Did you think that was
best for Jesse...

having the door slammed in his
face by a couple of rich assholes

who were too chickenshit
to face their own mistake?

Well, excuse me
for saying this,

but you should have
been a plumber.

How much do I owe you
for all of it?

Your wife is up to date with all of that.
Thank you.

Come on, Jesse.
We're done here.

Mr. D'amato, I would
like to talk to Jesse,

if I may, before you leave.

So talk.

Alone.

You want to talk to him?

( Theme music playing )

I had enough money
for a regional ticket,

but there was an express train leaving
right when I got to penn station.

So I figured I would just
buy a regular ticket

and avoid the conductor.

I mean, it was kind of
fun actually.

The trick is... never sit.
If you sit, you're sunk.

You have to stay one car
ahead of him at all times.

And when you get
to the last car,

you just... you hide
in the bathroom.

But I fucked up.

I sat right before
we got to Providence

because my feet were tired.

And suddenly there was
this hand on my shoulder.

And the guy was like,
"come with me, son."

And I was like, "didn't I see
you in 'midnight express'?"

I know.
It was a joke, right?

But he didn't think
it was funny.

And he took me
down to the precinct,

which was really, like,
such a dickhead move

because we were already
in Providence.

God, people can be
such assholes.

Well, that is true.

They said they wouldn't release
me until I paid for the ticket.

But I didn't have
any money left,

so I offered them all blowjobs,

but nobody bit.
( Chuckles )

So you called your father.

Yeah well, I thought about

calling somebody else
first, like Ms. u.

But then I figured she
was probably on a date.

Oh, she has a new boyfriend.

You missed your chance.

Oh well, that's too bad.

Yeah well, I mean, she got
snatched up really quick.

She's really hot.

I was just trying
to look out for you.

So did you think about
calling anybody else?

Yeah, but nobody seemed right.

Mm-hmm.

Did you think about calling me?

Sure.

And why didn't you?

I don't know.

Was it because

you might have been angry at me

for what happened
here last week?

Maybe your running away
was to send me a message.

What kind of a message?

Oh, "this is what happens

when you don't take care
of me" type message.

Man, you got a shitload
of books in this office.

Yes, I do.
I like to read.

We barely have any books
in our house.

Magazines...
lots of magazines

but no books.

How long have you been here?

Oh, not long.
A few years.

Looks like you've been
here forever.

I used to live in Baltimore.

And I moved to Brooklyn
after my divorce.

Why Brooklyn?

I studied in the city
when I was young.

And I started my practice here.

It's a good place to be alone

but not to feel lonely.

And you wanted to feel alone?

I think at that time
I needed to be, yeah.

How come you're suddenly
answering all my questions?

Is it because this is
my last session?

Is that what you want...

for this to be
the last session?

Look, it took Roberto
eight hours

to get there from Buffalo.

I was afraid he was
going to kill me.

But he wasn't mad at all.

I mean, he was actually, like,
the least mad I'd ever seen him.

How do you mean?

I don't know.
I saw him and...

I heard him first, because
I was in this other room

and they wouldn't let me see him
until he paid for the ticket.

But I heard him asking,

"I'm Roberto D'amato.

Where is my son?"

When I finally
came out, he...

he grabbed me

and he hugged me like...

like...

like I really was his son.

Well,

that must really
have felt so good.

It's a wonderful thing
to really know

that your father
loves you.

Can you tell me more about this
conversation on the way home?

We stopped at coney island.

We used to go there all the
time when I was younger.

Yes, I remember you
telling me that.

And he said it was his idea

to adopt me.

He'd lost
both his parents

when he was really
young... like 18.

And he said after that he felt like
there was this hole in his heart.

And he thought it would go
away when he got married,

but it didn't.

He said when he saw me

and when he first
held me,

he said the hole
closed immediately,

like magic.

That's a lot of
information to take in.

Yeah.

He... he didn't really know
how to tell me, I guess.

Hmm.

And did you ever feel
this from your father

when you were growing up,

even if he couldn't express it?

Yeah, I mean, I've never really,
like, had a problem with him.

It's mostly my mom.

Your mom.

You said earlier

that you talked a lot
about Marisa

during this conversation.

Yeah well, he said

when they first brought
me home from the hospital

when I was a baby,

that I cried all the time

and Marisa couldn't
make me stop.

And then that just like
made her feel really bad,

because she didn't even feel

like she was supposed
to be a mother.

Why not?

She can't have kids.
She can't get pregnant.

So she felt inadequate to
begin with because of that.

And when she couldn't
comfort you,

it confirmed her fears
about herself?

Yeah, and he says she's just like
never really gotten over it.

I mean, she's nervous
around me,

and that makes me nervous.

That's how you feel around
your mother... nervous?

Yeah, and like suddenly everything
is so fucking clear, you know?

Um, no.
What's clear?

None of this is my fault.

All my life I've
walked around thinking

that something was
wrong with me.

There had to be, obviously,
because I freak my mother out.

And that wasn't normal.
I knew that

because I saw the way other kids
were around their mothers.

And then
there was Marisa.

But now I realize the
problem isn't me at all.

The problem is her.

You sound relieved.

Uh, yeah.

Majorly.

You know, it can be...

it can be very empowering

to start to understand
our parents

as fallible

and to see how often

their actions spring

from their own insecurities,

rather than our inadequacies.

I feel much better.

It can also be
a scary experience.

It would make complete sense

if seeing your mother
as flawed or weak

made you feel insecure.

It doesn't.

It really would be
totally understandable

if you were feeling confused.

I'm not.

You're clear?

Yes.

And would you say that's
coming from inside you?

As opposed to what?

Your father.

You know, last week

I was a little
worried about you.

Well, we talked things through,

and I really felt confident

that you weren't suicidal.

Was I wrong?

No.

But you told Roberto
something different. Why?

I don't know.

Were you worried
that it wouldn't last?

That what wouldn't last?

His attention.
His concern.

Maybe you are worried
that after all this

he's going to disappear again.

And now that I have a little
more insight into your father...

you don't know anything
about my father.

I don't know much, but from
what I've observed...

you didn't observe shit.
He was here for 10 minutes.

God, what is it with you?

Do you think you're some
sort of mind-reader?

Do you think you're like
smarter than everyone else?

Well, you're not, all right?

Just because he doesn't
have a PHD from Columbia

doesn't mean he's some
sort of fucking retard.

I never said it did.

Well, it's what you were thinking.
I can tell.

Then you must be
the mind-reader.

Could we go back
to last week...

Dude, I don't even
remember last week.

When you asked me to join you
for ice cream on your birthday?

So what?

Well, I declined

because I thought
it was important

for you to be with your real
parents on your birthday.

And I knew that my
decision might hurt you.

Now I feel like you're kind
of punishing me for that,

trying to push me away
once and for all.

You don't have to choose

between me and
your father, you know?

You can have us both.

We fulfill different
functions in your life.

But if you close
the door on me,

I'm not gonna come after you.

I can't.

Do you understand that?

Yes.

I understand everything.

I should go.

Jesse, hold on a second
before you go.

I'm a little worried
that your father

may be turning you
against your mother.

No, he isn't.

Well, he tends to place
all the blame on her.

He says she wasn't
a good mother,

she was frightened of you.

But my question is,
where was he

while all this was happening?

He was working his ass off.

He was providing
for our family.

Do you think it's possible that his
perspective might not be accurate?

Why are you trying
to ruin everything?

- I'm not.
- Last week you told me to go home.

You told me to talk to Roberto.

And I did that.
And we're cool again

for the first time in,
like, four fucking years.

I mean, he wants me to go
work for his business.

Do you know what a big
deal that is to me?

Yes, I do.

Well, then why can't you
just shut up?

Because I'm worried that
if you leave therapy,

everything that we've been
talking about in here...

your photographs,
your sexuality,

the issue with
your birth parents...

it's gonna all get buried.

I'm not enlisting
in the fucking marines.

What about
your photography?

It can wait.

Jesse, don't do that, not now.

We've just started to talk
about who you really are,

where you come from,
where you're headed.

There is so much good work
just beginning.

What do you want from me?

I want you to keep
talking to me.

Why is that
so important to you?

Because you are
important to me.

That is so fucked.
That is so fucked up.

- Why is it fucked up?
- Because you're not my fucking father!

( Door opens )

Did I just hear you
cursing at him?

It's fine.
Let's go.

We're not going anywhere
until you apologize.

I'm sorry.

Me too.

I'm done here, dad.

Jesse,

could you just wait
for a second?

These are yours.

( Exhales )

( Theme music playing )