Northern Exposure (1990–1995): Season 6, Episode 8 - Up River - full transcript

Ed tracks Dr. Fleischman up river living a primitive life after Maggie asked him to move out; Chris' inept contractor botches up his trailer renovations & love-struck Ruth-Anne pines over Walt who is out checking traps.

Hello, Maurice.

Where the hell
have you been?

You were supposed
to be back last night.

Well, the film festival
didn't end till last night.

No surprises, though.

Quentin Tarantino
took first place.

l brought you back a t-shirt.
Extra large, right?

Save the souvenirs
and slide show, Ed.

We've got
bigger fish to fry.

lt seems
our esteemed physician
has disappeared.

Joel's gone A-W-O-L.



Dr. Fleischman?

He paddled up the Chenega
here to deliver a baby
two weeks ago

and l haven't
heard from him since.

And he refuses
to answer radio transmissions.

l hope he's not dead.

He's gonna wish he was
if l get my hands on him.

There's confirmed word

that a physician
matching Fleischman's
description

has moved in with

a settlement of natives
right in here.

l hope you've still
got your kit packed,

because you're gonna
go drag him back.

Where exactly
is that l'm going, Maurice?

That's a good question.
lt's not on any map.



The natives call it Manonash.

Manonash.

Yeah, it's up
this tributary.
Rough country, Ed.

You're gonna need a guide,
and take a gun.

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Hi.

(SPEAKlNG NATlVE LANGUAGE)

l'm sorry,
l don't understand.

(SPEAKlNG NATlVE LANGUAGE)

Hello, Ed.

Dr. Fleischman?

Maurice sent me
to bring you back.

He's pretty mad,
Dr. Fleischman.

He says you've breached
your contract.

He's talking about lawyers,
lawsuits, damages.

You have to come with me,
Dr. Fleischman.

Let me show you
my place, Ed.

You live here,
Dr. Fleischman?

That's right, Ed. Yeah.

Wow.

Oh, l brought you
a souvenir
from the film festival.

Key chain.

That's nice of you, thanks.

l don't really carry
many keys these days.
Thank you.

Why don't you
grab yourself a seat
there.

Well, l really think
we ought to get
headed downriver

before nightfall,
Dr. Fleischman.

Please, Ed.

You are coming back
with me, aren't you,
Dr. Fleischman?

Ed, l'd like to tell you
how l got here, okay?

l'd like to tell you
about a week
that changed my life.

Please.

Now,

most of what
l'm going to tell you,
l experienced directly.

Some of it was
related to me.

That's wild spinach tea,
is it sweet enough for you?

Oh, fine.

Now, it all began
with Maggie and me.

And as you may already know,
we decided to live together,
yes?

Uh-huh.

Well, after that
first morning,

we moved my stuff in
and we began to settle into
our new life together.

We were pretty happy,
even with that first
awkward stage of adjustment.

O'Connell?

Never mind.

l'm cleaning out
a drawer for you.

Look at you.

Making drawer space for me.

We're living together.

Hmm.

ls that what you
came out here to tell me?

No.

lt's not a big deal, really.

No, l want to hear it, what?

Well, you know,
l happen to be
a bath person

and you're a shower person.

And if l take a bath
after you shower,

l mean, it's trivial,
l really didn't need
to bring it up.

l should have
rinsed out the tub.

lt's only if you
shave your legs,

and you know, the little hairs
float on the soap film.

Forget it.

l promise it will
never happen again,
l will rinse out the tub.

Thanks, O'Connell.

Hey, wait a minute.
Listen to us.

Fleischman, O'Connell,
O'Connell, Fleischman.

We're living together and
we're still calling each other
by our last names.

Yeah, you're right.

lt's kind of ridiculous,
don't you think?

lt is. lt's like we're in
high school or something.

So, what do you say?
Joel?

Maggie.

Joel.

Maggie.

JOEL: It was faII.

And as aIways,
peopIe were counting
the weeks untiI winter.

WaIt Kupfer was off
to secure his trap Iines
before the first snow hit.

And of course
he'd be traveIing

as far as the Kaiyuh Gorge
and didn't know
when he'd be back.

Ranger stopped by
the other day, Walt.

He said Mount Katmai
is looking active.

You're going
to have to detour
around the lake.

Walk another 400 miles?

l'll take my chances.

Here's your two
French dips, Walt.

You'll be scarfing on
freeze-dried
soon enough.

Thank you, Shelly.

Have a good time, Walt.
Skin one for me, will you?

Will do.

Well, Ruth-Anne,
l'm on my way.

Oh?
Well, goodbye, Walt.

Goodbye, Ruth-Anne.

JOEL: Around this time,
Chris made good

on a $30 poker debt
he owed me.

And he decided to use
some more of his inheritance
to remodeI his traiIer.

l've been thinking
about this enclosed patio
for a long time, Willie.

l'm not a kid anymore,
you know?

l can't keep this
old crash pad
mentality.

l'm going to claim me
a little structured
square footage, huh?

Organize mi vida Ioca.

Got the sleep space
right here.

Party space right here.

Check it out,
it's the middle of July,

l'm kicking back right here,
in the easy boy,

listening to the skeeters
slam into the screen,
l'm thinking,

''l could use a cold one
right about now,

''but l don't feel like hiking
all the way back inside."

Mini fridge, right here.

Oh, l was just going to wire
for the overheads,

so l would have to bring out
another line from the box.

How much?

Ballpark, $1 75.

Do it.

You know, l'm thinking,
you're going to have
a fridge out here,

you're going to be
eating out here,

gonna have food out here,

you're probably
gonna want to have...

A sink.
Definitely way ahead
of you, Willie.

Something to fill
the ice trays with,

rinse off the dishes.
How much?

Well, l have to run
a new drain line
to the septic tank.

l don't see how
l could do it
for less than $400.

Four hundred dollars?

A couple of months from now,

l'm out here kicking back
at the castle,

l ain't gonna be thinking
about the bread.
You do it.

All right.

All right.

Hello, Ruth-Anne.

Did my Bag Balm come in?

(WHlSTLES)
Ruth-Anne?

Oh, Maurice, good afternoon,
how are you?

Fine, thank you.

My Bag Balm, you know,
the ointment for my heifer,
did that come in?

Oh, yes.

What did l do with that?

lt nearly scared me
half to death,
you know,

when l saw those sores
on Molly's leg.

l thought it must be
hoof-and-mouth disease
for sure.

l thought l'd have to destroy
the whole herd,

but then it turned out
it was only stomatitis.

Well, here it is.
What's it doing down here
on the diapers?

lsn't it lovely
what they're doing
with tissue boxes these days?

l beg your pardon?

The floral patterns,
the pastel colors.

They so brighten a room.

Ruth-Anne,
are you all right?

What was that?

Just put it
on my bill.

(BELL RlNGlNG)

JOEL: Evening came,
and Maggie and I shared
our first dinner

as a coupIe Iiving together.

We were eagerIy anticipating
our first night
in the same bed.

Well, that's it.

Let me just finish
this last pan.

Oh, let it soak.

Well, it's cast iron,
it'll rust.

Who cares?

(CHUCKLlNG)

That's true.

Yes.

Bedtime?

Bedtime.

l'll race ya.

(MAGGlE EXCLAlMS)

(LAUGHS)

(MAGGlE SCREAMS)

Was that my gun?

Yeah, that was your gun,
what do you think?
What, it just goes off?

That's so weird.

Well, don't touch it!

No, Joel.

l was sure
l had the safety on,
l did.

That gun is loaded,
and you tell me you keep
a loaded gun in the bedroom?

This is Alaska, Fleischman.

Man!

Joel, now look,
let's just not start, okay?

(EXHALlNG)

l just don't know
how this happened.

Come on, O'Connell, Maggie.

Don't you realize
we could have been killed?

Well, we weren't.

(SCOFFS) Right.

And by the next night
we'd actually
forgotten about

the events
of the night before,
believe it or not,

and we had ourselves
a real nice dinner.

The thing is...

Dr. Fleischman?
What are you doing?

l'm softening the hide, Ed,
so l can use it.

lsn't that what you do?

Oh, l don't know,
l never softened any hides.

What do you say,
Teresa?

Hi, Joel, can you
take a look?

Yeah, sure. Let's see.

Oh, yeah,
that's coming along fine.

Just make sure
you finish the amoxicillin.

Okay, thank you.

See you later, Jimmy.
Bye.

So, as l was saying,

we had this dinner
and we settled in
on the couch, right?

JOEL: My parents gave me this
for my birthday last year.

l think they got it
duty-free in
Saint Thomas,

but still, l think
it cost at least $200.

Hmm.

l just haven't had
the right occasion
to open it until now.

Oh, yeah.

That's wonderful.

Go ahead.

Yeah?

Oh, wow.

Oh, you know what?
l meant to ask you,
the dead bolt,

l checked it,
it doesn't work?

lt never has.

Really?

Mmm-mmm.

Well, don't you think
we should get it fixed?

Sure.

Oh, that feels nice, too.

MAGGlE: Oh, God,
what's that?

Sit down, sit down.
lt's a drive-by.

ls everybody okay
in there? Hello?

MAGGlE: What?

lt sounds like Hayden.
You're kidding.

What the hell are you doing?

You could have killed
one of us!

Sorry, Dr. Fleischman.

You're sorry?
He's sorry.

l don't know what happened.
l was just walking by.

l didn't even
touch the trigger.

That's a rifle
in your hands, man!
A rifle!

For God's sakes,
be careful!

l will, Dr. Fleischman.

Yeah!

That is the saddest commentary
on society,

that a man like Hayden Keyes
just walks around
with a firearm.

Look at this, five more feet
and one of us
could have been shot.

We could have had
a spinal cord lesion
or quadriplegia,

we'd be walking around
peeing in a bag
our whole lives

if it didn't kill us.

What's so funny?

Think about it, Fleischman,
two nights in a row.
Bang!

Good, l'm glad you have
a sense of humor
about this.

Well, what are the odds,
one in a million?

Come on, where were we,
come on.

Are you telling me that this
does not bother you?

What exactly?

Well, let's start
with the hole in the window

and the glass
all over the floor.

The bedroom's clean.

Come on, Fleischman, hmm?

Look, l'm sorry,
l can't... l can't do this.

l mean, there's a hole
right there
from a bullet, okay?

There's glass
all over the floor.
Look at this.

Anything can get in
here tonight,

any kind of insect or rodent.

You're telling me
this doesn't make you feel
at all vulnerable?

All right, fine,
you go to bed
and l will clean this up

and l will try to find
something to cover
this hole.

There's a bullet hole.
There's a bullet hole
in the window.

Stevens, your phone's
on the fritz,
do you know that?

Yes, l know that.
Some wires got cut.

Yeah, well, you've got
a radio show to do.

Why aren't you
at the station?

Why? Look around, Maurice.

My contractor's not here.

So what?

So what?

Look at my place.

The guy's compressor
is right here in my trailer,

the power's off.

Where is he?

Well, he's a contractor.

Contractor,
that's what they do,
that's their m.0 .

What do you mean?

They hold you hostage.

They tear out your wall,
and then they go
find another job.

You didn't stipulate
a deadline

or penalties in your contract?

Well, it's morning, a.m .,

people expect
a DJ at drive time.

You're no Howard Stern,
but at least you're a mouth.

Now get your butt
down to the station.

JOEL: See, we aII
think of Chris as this
easy-going Iaid-back guy.

But, l think that the stress
of living in chaos

just started to get to him,
you know.

Well, that's coming along
real nicely.

You're getting really good
at that, Dr. Fleischman.

Yeah, well, l enjoy it.

So, meanwhile, Ruth-Anne
comes to see me

and she had become aware
that she wasn't being
her usual self.

l keep forgetting things.
My mind wanders.

Sometimes l find myself
standing in a room

and l have no idea
how l got there.

Well, your BP's good.
1 44 over 86.

And the mood swings.

One minute
l'm on top of the world

and the next minute
l'm sunk in despair.

So oppressive,
l can hardly breathe.

Follow my finger, okay?
Just with your eyes.

You know, Joel,

l am 77.

Now, l can't expect to be
as sharp as l was
when l was 65.

Maybe l'm just
losing my marbles.

Oh, Ruth-Anne,
you're not senile.

Plus, you have very good
conjugate eye movement.

Look, l gave you
a complete work-up
less than six months ago.

Everything was fine.
Liver functions,
TSH, everything.

Oh, who am l kidding?
l'm not sick.

l know what's wrong with me.

And l never should have
come here in the first place,

l'm sorry l bothered you.

Oh, Ruth-Anne.

lt is not a medical problem.
And it's not your concern.

What difference does it make
if you know?

l'm in love, Joel.

l'm desperately in love
with Walter Kupfer.

You're in love?

lt's been building
for some time.

But it didn't really hit
until Walt left
to tend his trap lines.

And all of a sudden
there was a huge hole
in my life.

Oh, boy.

l don't need this,
l don't want it.

The heart palpitations,
the mindless daydreams,

horrible stirring
in the pit of my stomach.

(SCOFFS)

Can't you think of it
as something positive?

Positive? Look at me.

l'm a grown woman,

and l've been reduced
to a needy, vulnerable
schoolgirl.

Well, l'm going to fight it.

l'm not going to let it
get the better of me.

l'll be just fine.
l'll be just fine without him.

Are you finished here,
Chris?

Mmm-hmm.

You know, Chris, you've been
sitting at this table
for the last three hours.

Well, l just don't feel
like going home.

You know, my trailer
used to be like a refuge,

a sanctuary for me, Holling,
and now...

The truth is, there's
a party of four that could
really use this table.

What do you say
we move you
over to the bar?

Whatever.

Hey, Shelly,
l need a cold one.

On its way, Willie.

Hey, Willie,
where you been, man?

Oh, hey, Chris.

l waited for you, half a day,
you never showed.

Right.
My truck, the tranny,
it went.

Grievous, man.
Three hundred bucks,
new torque converter.

Well, you know,
l'm sorry to hear that.

Look, let me
ask you a question,

are we okay?
l mean, you and me,
our working relationship.

You know, l never
hassled you about the bid.

l got a whole cooler
full of sodas out there,

you're not going
to book on me
or anything, right?

Uh-huh.

Because you've got
to finish the job, Willie.

l mean, l can't
live like this,
you hear what l'm saying?

Yeah, yeah.

No, really, man.
You've got to come back
out there tomorrow.

For sure.

All right.
l knew you were
a stand-up guy.

Tomorrow, first thing, right?

Yeah, yeah.

Very cool.
You let me
take care of that.

All right.
See you
in the morning.

(GARGLlNG)

(SPlTTlNG)

Are you okay in there?

Yeah, just a sec.

Got a piece of dental floss
stuck in my tooth.
lt's so frustrating.

Come on.

lt's late, huh?

l'm not sleepy.

You smell good.

Thanks for
rinsing out the tub.

Hmm?

That's considerate of you,
rinsing out the tub. Thanks.

You're welcome.

Did you just
hear something?

No.

ln the distance,
maybe it was

a car backfiring
or something.

l didn't hear anything.

Hmm?

l didn't hear anything.

Maybe it was just thunder.

Hmm.

JOEL: WeII, we did manage
to consummate the act.

However, l have to admit,
it was not my finest hour.

Focusing on love making
is not too easy

when you're waiting
for small arms fire,
if you know what l mean.

(SPEAKlNG NATlVE LANGUAGE)

Look, you're gonna have to
forgive me

'cause l promised these guys
l'd go fishing with them,
all right?

But l do
want to finish this,

so why don't you
just hang out, all right?

And can you just
hand me that spear, please?

Spear?

Did you ever spear fish, Ed?

Actually, Dr. Fleischman,
l use a rod and reel.

Oh, boy, you're missing
something, man.

All right, well,
make yourself at home.

There's plenty of moose jerky,
there's tea.

l won't be
more than a day or two.

Dr. Fleischman,
you're back.

Hello, Ed.
Want to give me a hand here?

Sure.

Have a seat.

Hey, quite a haul, too.

Yeah, it's not bad.

Better get it on a stick,
though.

l don't have nearly enough
to feed a team all winter.

Team?

For my sled.

l still got to find
a couple of
line-savvy wheel dogs, though.

Not an easy feat up here.

Hey, what are you doing?
Don't cut off the tail.

Don't you see
l'm hanging them
on the rack?

Sorry, Dr. Fleischman.

Haven't you done this before?

lt's not a big deal,
l'll take care of it,

but l assumed
you knew this stuff.

l feel terrible.

Oh, come on, Ed.
lt's just one fish.

No, not about that.

l mean, here you are,

a guy from New York City.

You're tanning hides,
you're out spearing fish,
drying salmon.

And me, the guy
who was born here,

well, what do l know?

All l know is
who took top honors
at the Banff Film Festival.

l think you're being a little
hard on yourself, you know.

l mean, we all
have our own path.

Why don't l finish my story?

Maybe that will illustrate
what l'm talking about.

Where was l though?

Ah, you and Maggie
were in bed together.

That's right.

So, the next morning,
l go into the office as usual,
right?

At first glance, nothing seems
out of the ordinary.

Hey. Morning.

Eugene's here.

Oh, yeah? What, is he sick?

No. He's in your office.

My office?

Hey, Eugene.

Oh, hi, Dr. Fleischman.

l'm sorry about your window.
l'll have it fixed for you
in a jiffy.

Yeah, well, what happened?

Musket ball.

Musket ball?

My dad collects
18th century firearms.

l'm sorry, you lost me here.

He has a 1 760 Brown Bess
display mounted
on the living room wall.

Second floor window.

Yeah?

The rifle
discharged last night.

Ball went clear through
the lathe, plaster,
hit your window.

Gun fell off the wall,
stock broke.

Dad didn't even know
the darn thing was loaded.

When you say discharged,
what exactly do you mean,
discharged?

Just went off.
Boom. Really weird.

You're telling me
the gun went off
for no reason

without anybody touching it?

Uh-huh.

Do you have any idea
what time it was?

1 1 :35.

1 1 :35.

Are you absolutely positive?

Letterman was introducing
Paul Shaffer.

Oh, God. Oh, God.

Hey, Dr. Fleischman,
here it is.

EUGENE: Wow.

.69 caliber.

Good thing you weren't
sitting here last night.

Oh, God.

And this last item
on the Trap Line News,

this one
goes out to Butch
out in Teardrop Canyon.

lt says, ''Doc, fly."

Says, ''The biopsy report's
back.

''Congrats, no need
to resect any further."

All right, Butch.
That's it for
the hinterlands today.

Hasta manana, people.

Can you send this out
on tomorrow's Trap Line News?
lt's for Walt.

lt's nothing personal,
l just want to tell him
that his boots came in.

Oh, no sweat, Ruth-Anne.

Now, this isn't
special treatment.
l'd do it for any customer.

Let me get back on the horn,
l'll do it right now.

Well, that isn't necessary.

This just in,
late breaking news
from the front.

From Ruth-Anne Miller
all the way out
to Walt Kupfer.

lt reads,
''Dear, Walt... ''

No, wait...

Not ''dear,'' l didn't mean
to write that.

Just make it ''Walt."

And it's not really
from me, it's from the store.

l got you.

Walt, the proprietor
of our local...

No, no, he knows me,
and that sounds so cold,
the way you put it.

Say this, say,
''Walt, your friend, Ruth-Anne,

''wants you to know
that your new boots came in."

Walt, your friend...

Hey, wait, wait.
Wants you to know...

That sounds like l'm involved.

Like, like l cared
one way or another.

Well, l don't want
to tell him that...

l'm just passing on
information, Chris.

Oh, never mind.

JOEL: Hey.

Hey, Joel.

We've got to talk.
Last night, when...

Listen, Fleischman,
don't worry about it.

You were tired,
you felt pressure to perform.

Wait.

lt was good for me, really.

No, no, look,
that's not what
l'm talking about, okay?

Another gun went off.

What?

That's right.

At the same time
that you and l were in
fIagrante deIicto.

Get out.

No, really. The musket ball
shattered my office window,

it's embedded
in the desk.

Musket ball?

That's not the point.

Look, it happened again.

Do you realize that
every single time that you
and l are physically intimate,

a gun goes off?

Oh, Joel.

Okay, let me
get this straight.

You think that our having sex
is causing guns to go off.

l know, there was a time
that l would never entertain
a notion like this,

but l don't know what to say.

Here we are,
this is not a coincidence.

Twice is a coincidence,
three times is,
well, you know,

three times
is as far as l'm concerned,
by design.

And even if it happened
2 times out of 100,

l think this is completely
unacceptable. lt's bizarre.

Okay, Joel, relax.

l think you're getting
a little obsessive here.

All right, we just
moved in together.

We just need time
to get used to each other,
that's all.

What?

You don't have to make
excuses with me,

l'm not expecting
the Kama Sutra.

(STAMMERlNG) This is not
about my sexual prowess.

Okay, all right. Well, listen,
let's talk about this
tonight. Okay?

l have to go do a charter.
We'll talk about this tonight.
Bye.

Hey, Chris.

Got the new plumbing in.

Just gonna turn
your water on now.

ExceIIente.

What is this?

Huh?

This big hole.

Oh, well, l had to tie into
the existing lines there.

Oh, Willie, come on, man.

What, you couldn't
come up through the floor?

You've got to go through
the side of my trailer?

Hey, Chris,
l think you're gonna need

a bigger
electrical box.

ln fact, l know
you're gonna need
a bigger one

'cause the old one's
fried.

What?

l only had the saws
all running.

Then l turned on the radio,
zap.

You were only pulling
30 amps.

(SlGHS DEEPLY)

l guess l forgot
to cap that line.

This is my house.

Get out of here.

What?

Go! Now!
Get off my land, Willie.

Okay, all right.

Look what you did
to my house, man.

Take it easy.
You're fired.

All right.
You're eighty-sixed, man.

Okay, okay.

You're worthless.
l've got to be
out of my mind.

What are you doing?

Nothing.

What's under the couch?
Nothing.

Come on, l saw you
looking under there.

Come on, let's go to bed.

Get out of here.
What are you up to?

Joel...

What?

l don't believe this.

After what l told you,
you bring that
back in the house?

Now, Joel, look,
we're in the bedroom
with the door closed.

Even if the gun
were to go off,
we wouldn't get hit.

lt's a gun!
lt's a deadly weapon.

l can't imagine
why you would do
such a thing.

Why would you do
something like that?

Well...

Well? What?

Well, if there is a connection
between you and me
and cordite,

l think that's kind of fun.

Fun?

Yeah.

That's a turn-on for you?

Well...

Oh, great.
Oh, boy, that's great.

Putting our lives at danger
is an aphrodisiac for you.

Fleischman.

l'm living with
a risk junkie.

l wouldn't paint it
so negatively, you know.
l just like surprises.

Well, sorry,
l don't, you know.

Having my car start
in the morning,

or finding a good movie
to watch on cable

is about as much
as a surprise as l like.

God, this is so like you.

You know, everything has to be
so controlled,

and so safe.
What is the point in
living life like that?

The point?
Well, how about getting
to your 85th birthday

with all your limbs intact
and without a metal plate
in your head?

How's that?

Okay, fine.

Fine, you won't have to worry
about gunshots

or explosions, or detonations
or combustions,

because we are not
going to have anything

that even remotely
resembles sex tonight.

(YELLlNG)

Good morning, Ruth-Anne.

Holling.

You all right, Ruth-Anne?

l'm fine.

Good.

l was a little concerned.

(CLEARS THROAT)

The store's not open,
it's after 1 1 :00.

Holling?
What?

What rhymes with curtain?

Pardon?

''The morning sun slips through
my curtain.

''l sit and watch
with eyes uncertain."
No, no, no.

Ruth-Anne,
you're writing verse?

There's got to be
another word.

Hurtin', flirtin'.

Oh, what's that man
done to me?

l'm sitting here
like a nitwit
writing poetry.

So you planning on
going into the store
anytime soon?

l woke up at 3:00 a.m .
with, ''The heart's too narrow
for the little gray sparrow''

racing in my head.

The thing is,
that we're out of cornmeal

and l've got 15 pounds
of pike l've got to bread.

l tried. Lord knows, l tried.

But there's no escaping it.
l'm just no good without him.

l give up. l surrender.

Ruth-Anne?
Let fate do what it will.

Ruth-Anne?

Ruth-Anne, are you
going to the store?

WlLLlE: Hey.

You know if Chris is here,
by any chance?

Yep.
Yeah. Hey.

Hey.

Here's your Xanax.
lt should help you sleep.

l don't need them anymore.
Come on in.

l thought you fired him.

No, well, you know,
l had a change of heart.

Sorry, there's nowhere
to sit down here,

everything's out there
drying off.
You want an orangeade?

No, thanks.

So l gather
you're over your anxiety
about the remodel, huh?

Well, yeah, that remo shock
is a distant nightmare.

Great lesson.
Real watershed, though,
you know?

No, what do you mean?

Well, a guy like me
tries to get
his space together,

put a three-piece suit on it

and the universe,
with it's big ursine paw,

just slaps it down
like a house of cards,
you know,

ruins everything.

The next thing you know,
l'm homeless, cast out

like some sap
kneeling in the mud.

l finished the steps.

Okay. Thanks, Willie.

Well, the thing is, Joel,
what's a house?

lt's a metaphor, right?
For the mind.

lsn't that
what it's all about?

You got to tear down
the old before you can
build the new.

You know,
you gotta lose your mind
before you can find it.

Universe whacked my house,
it was really
whacking my mind,

you see.

Let go. Give up, man.

Throw out all those old plans
and stick your face
in the here and now.

Whether this works out,
or it doesn't,
l'm a free man.

You want to?

Yeah, all right.

l'm with you.

(JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING)

Hello, Ruth-Anne.

When Chris comes in,
this is for
the Trap Line News.

''Dear Walt,
there's no dignity in love.
Come home."

JOEL: See, it struck me,

there's something for me
to Iearn from Chris
and Ruth-Anne, right?

Because these people
stopped struggling.

l mean, they had
given up the reins

and basically
opened themselves

to whatever life
handed them, right?

Boy, that smells really good,
Dr. Fleischman.

Yeah, those are
high bush cranberries.

l plan to put up
a few dozen jars
for winter.

(SPEAKlNG NATlVE LANGUAGE)

Oh, yeah?
All right.

You know, maybe l should
stay up here, Dr. Fleischman,

and learn
some of these things.

Maybe.

l want you to hear
the rest of the story, though,

before you make
that decision.

So, you know
how Maggie said l'm
a controlling person, right?

Well, man,
was she ever right.

Because suddenly,
l saw the light,

and l intended
to march right up to her
and tell her

that l was going to
open myself up
to all the possibilities

of our relationship, right?

Hey.
Hey.

Oh, look, you're still upset.

Look, l've got
to talk to you.

First, first, l have
this for you.
lt's for you.

For me?

Yeah.

Open it.

Wow.

You didn't have to do this.

Couples fight.

lt's so clear to me,
that's all,

that's just, that's just
what we have to understand.

That fighting is
part of the process.

l mean it's healthy, even.

Oh, wow, cashmere.

Try it on.

That it's...
How couples get
to know each other

is through conflict, right?

There'd be no growth
in relationships

if people were only nice
to each other.

Oh, this is great,
l love this.

l know, really, l know
l've got to relax

and l've got to be
just more open to what
comes down the pike.

You have to move out.

What?

Living with you
is something that
l really wanted.

But it's just not working.

Wait, wait,
if it's the gun thing,

let me tell you,
l'm absolutely fine
with it.

No, Joel.

l'm serious,
put it under the couch,
put it under the bed.

Look, all right, we'll forget
the gun control thing,
all right?

There's larger issues.

Bottom line is,
l've got to be
a more accepting

and less controlling person,
l know, l know.

Joel, what l'm trying
to say is,

you exhaust me.

l exhaust you?

There's just too much of you,
you know.

And it's always working
so hard.

Okay, all right,
you're right,
you're absolutely right.

And l promise you
l'm going to work hard
at not working hard.

l know,
that didn't come out right.

Look, you hold on
to everything so tightly

that your knuckles are white.

And l need somebody
who can let go a little.

Maybe some distance
and some time.

This is not the way
l wanted it to be.

Maybe we can try this again.

This looks good on you.

JOEL: Oh, I was devastated.

l mean, l'd never experienced
such a sense of loss.

You know, working
so many years for something.

Actually, kicking me out
was probably the most
loving thing

she could have done for me.

Although l didn't realize that
until l came up here
on a house call.

We don't have to worry
about that rash?

No, it's just
a little baby acne.

lt'll go away
in a couple of weeks.

You ever going to put
electricity in here?

No, huh?

How about running water?

No.

Oh.

Telephones?
No.

JOEL: At that moment,
the experiences of
the Iast week coaIesced.

To find myseIf, I had to
throw off the externaI
trappings of my Iife.

ls it okay if l live here?

l guess.

She gave me more
than just a sweater vest
that night.

She gave me all this.

Nothing. She gave me nothing.

That's what l need.

No phone book,
no Game Boy.

No pasta maker, TV Guide.

Nowhere to go, nothing to do.

ls that what you need?

No Super 8,
no cassette player,
no Banff Film Festival.

Just the time to be.

Why don't you take
some preserves with you.

Thank you, Dr. Fleischman.

Well, l don't know
that Maurice is going to
understand any of this.

Yeah, probably not.

Would you take
a message for me?

Oh, sure.

Tell Maggie that
there's not a day
that goes by

that l don't
think about her.

l enjoyed this visit, Ed.
lt was nice.

l wonder if you'll
ever come back,
Dr. Fleischman.

Well,

if that's the way,
that's the way l'll go.

Don't worry,
l'll be in touch.

l'll see you,
Dr. Fleischman.

(FOOTSTEPS)

Ruth-Anne?

Walt.

l made some ice tea.

Sounds good.

Well, come on, then.