Parenthood (2010–2015): Season 4, Episode 4 - The Talk - full transcript

There was a vending machine

in the school last year,
but they took it out.

I'm running for student council
president... I'm going to win.

I'm going to get
the school board

to bring back
the vending machine.

- Kristina's sick.
- What do you mean, sick?

I can't give you all the details,

and you're the first person
I'm telling, so...

Sorry some of this stuff
is gonna fall on you,

but I'm gonna keep asking you to
do some of these things for me

because
I'm gonna need your help.



Mrs. Braverman,
a lumpectomy,

performed sooner
rather than later,

offers the best chance
of remission.

I have an opening Friday
the 26th at 8:00 A.M.

Okay.

Any second now.

- I'm going back to bed.
- No, no, wait, wait.

You're gonna miss it.
You're gonna miss it.

It's gonna come,
I swear to God.

Come on, it'll be...
It'll be here.

I'm going back to bed.

Oh!

Look! There.
Shh! Now, listen.

You hear that?



No.

No. It sounds fine to me.

- Oh...
- Zeek, really.

Camille, it's not fine.

There's like an air sound,
you know?

- Hey.
- Uh-huh?

You need a hobby.

Sports. They're an incredible
way to make friends.

- Great way.
- I'm still in touch

with a number of girls
from my swim team.

In fact, just the other day,

one of them sent me
a message on Facebook.

- Oh!
- And sports are fun!

- Super fun.
- Video games are fun.

I know you like watching
baseball with me, you know.

That might be something
you could do.

That was my sport growing up.
I loved it.

Or you could try one of
the sports that I did...

swimming...
Swimming's great.

- Soccer.
- Good for your heart.

Volleyball, tennis.

I was briefly competitive
in gymnastics

before my growth spurt.
Anyway...

- probably not. Yeah.
- It's your call here.

Your choice.

Sweet.
Then I choose nothing.

Nothing...
Is not an option.

But you just said
it was my choice.

You're not gonna sit
on this couch every afternoon

playing video games.

You either... Pick a sport

or you learn to play
the violin.

Fine.
Baseball.

Excuse me.
Fine.

Baseball.

So we just wanted
to discuss the surgery date.

Is there a conflict
with the 26th?

- No, my wife just has...
- Well, kind of, yes.

A question about whether
we can move it.

My son is running for
president of student council,

and he has Asperger's.

He just started at a new school,
and I need to be there.

I'm the room mom that day.
I realize that might sound

kind of asinine in the greater
scheme of things...

- It's really not...
- When's my next available?

You have an opening
the 12th of next month.

Does that work for you,
Mrs. Braverman?

That would be great.
I could buy more time,

and, you know,
work with the class...

but that's three weeks.
Is that too long to push it?

Look, I've already advised you
to have the surgery

as soon as possible,

but if the 12th is the soonest
possible date for you,

then we will do it on the 12th.

I feel like you're saying
sooner's better than later.

I just want to do the right
thing here, honey.

All right, Mrs. Braverman,
you know, pushing surgery

back a few weeks is not
the end of the world,

but I have a sense
that you're the type of person

who puts your family first
and yourself last.

- That's true.
- Well, I mean, sort of...

you have one job this year,
Mrs. Braverman,

and that is to focus
on getting healthy.

That is the most important
thing for you

and for your family.

Okay.

So... The 12th.

If that's what you want.

The 12th.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Check, check, check.

Yeah.

♪ This ain't no trap music ♪

♪ No illusion ♪

♪ Co-sign abusing ♪

♪ Force accusing ♪

♪ They innocent,
never dust up a fingerprint ♪

♪ This that dark set,
no lights ♪

♪ Killing it ♪

♪ Life membership ♪

♪ Revokin' with
my penmanship... ♪

Hey, buddy.

Hey.

♪ That angelou sinking
that boat of hardship ♪

♪ Exhibit attitude, Los Angeles
latitude, longitude ♪

♪ Jesus and my Jews
for my religion ♪

♪ Bogart a Lane,
and they gotta move ♪

♪ I'm in Acura, pimptacular ♪

♪ Vernacular,
chase after that... ♪

What's pimptacular mean?

Uh... Means, uh,
super-awesome.

Buddy, maybe you shouldn't
have those on.

♪ Like seeing sasquatch foot,
no half-step in ♪

♪ Nigga ♪

Yeah.

What's a nigga?

Okay.

♪ May God bless
and keep you always ♪

♪ And may your wishes
all come true ♪

♪ May you always do
for others ♪

♪ And let others do for you ♪

♪ May you build a ladder
to the stars ♪

♪ And climb on every rung ♪

♪ And may you stay ♪

♪ Forever young ♪

♪ May you grow up
to be righteous ♪

♪ May you grow up to be true ♪

♪ May you always know
the truth ♪

♪ And see the lights
surrounding you ♪

♪ May you always be
courageous ♪

♪ Stand upright and be strong ♪

♪ And may you stay ♪

♪ Forever young ♪

♪ May you stay ♪

♪ Forever young ♪

- Hey, good morning!
- Hey.

I made waffles.

Look, I need to talk to you
about yesterday.

You got a second?
I know, I know, I'm sorry.

Rehearsals ran late
again last night.

It's the last time this week.
I swear.

Not not... not for you.

Something that...
Waffles!

- Yeah. Some blueberry syrup.
- Pimptacular!

It's about that.

Would you... just for one second,
can I talk to you?

There's some blueberries
over there too.

- Okay.
- Okay.

What's up?
First of all, I'm so sorry.

I should have seen it coming,
and I didn't.

But it happened,
and I couldn't stop it.

We were in the recording
session together,

and he overheard some words
that he shouldn't have heard.

What, like pimptacular?

- Among other things.
- Like what?

Byotch and, um, ho.

- Ho?
- Ho bag.

- That's not actually better.
- And, um...

Nigga.

What do you mean,
like with like a "a" or "er"?

- I think every iteration of...
- Yeah. It just doesn't

even matter.
I think, though,

I explained it to him.

I said, you know, it's
a terrible, terrible word

like Voldemort, you know,
from Harry Potter.

He who shall not be named...
Yeah, I know,

and that word is nothing
like Voldemort.

No, no, worse.
I said it was worse.

Like way worse.
All right, so you...

You think you handled it?

Yeah.

Maybe not entirely.

He was still confused
because double D said it,

and he wanted to know why
he was allowed to say it.

- And what'd you say?
- Well, I got kinda flustered

and I said, you know,
he's allowed to say it

'cause he's black, and then
Jabbar said, "I'm black."

I said no. He said why?
And then I said

Voldemort again.

- I-I just got flustered.
- Right. - I'm sorry.

You don't have to be sorry. I mean, of
course you wouldn't know how to handle this.

I need to talk to him.

I need to have the "talk"
with him.

You will have the talk
with him.

- Yes, I will.
- Mommy, can I have some juice?

Yeah. It's on the counter.

All right?
So I'll deal with it.

- Okay?
- Okay.

All right.

Team Peeta or team Gale?

Just wondering.
Ha.

Frankly, I'm team Gale.

Some people consider it
controversial.

I'm okay with that.
You've read this?

- Of course you've read this.
- What do you mean, of course?

You know what?
Actually, this is perfect.

You tell me what this
whole thing's about.

Give me like a book report
about this,

and then you can go home early.

Why do you need a book report
onthe hunger games?

Because it's my daughter's
favorite book.

- Really?
- Yeah. That's right.

I'm reading the hunger games
for my kid.

She used to be easy to talk to,

and now she's not.

I guess I'm trying to relate.
No, I get it.

I spent many hours playing
halotrying to relate.

I didn't know
you had a daughter.

- Yes, I do.
- What's she like?

What do you...
she's impossible to summarize.

So'sthe hunger games trilogy.

Fine! She's great.

Great kid.
Very smart...

Oh, my God, that's like
the generic parent answer.

Tell me some details.

I didn't even know
you had a daughter.

Fine, uh...

She used to be shy,

and now she's kind of
grown into herself,

I guess, which is great,

but it also scares me.

I remember when she used to
need me for everything,

and... She was this just...

Like a big pile of love
that wouldn't leave my side.

Drew was like that at that age.

Anyway, so...

Her mom...
Makes it kind of tough.

She only lets her come up
from L.A. once a month,

and even that's a fight.

Look, I know it's sad
and pathetic

that I'm reading
the hunger games,

but, uh... She is at
that age where...

I don't know, maybe
it's just 'cause I'm her dad,

but...

I...

Please stop torturing me.
Just tell me what...

Why should I be team Gale?

Okay...

No.
I can't do this here.

Oh, my God. Okay.

Mom. I need you
to go to the store.

I need pens and poster board...
Okay, whoa, whoa, whoa.

- For the campaign.
- Where's dad, buddy?

I'm just trying to finish...
He dropped me off.

Grandpa had an emergency.
What's wrong with grandpa?

Is he okay?
I don't know, mom.

Did you hear me?
Yeah, I'm listening, Max.

Hold on a second... let me finish
two things, okay?

One, two.
Done.

Okay, listen, we'll make a list.
How about that?

What do you need, pens, paper?
I need pens,

and I need poster board
for my campaign for president.

Also you need to get those 25
signatures for that petition.

- I got them.
- Otherwise, you're not gonna

be able to...
I got them.

- You got all 25 signatures?
- Yeah, I got all 25.

But I had to ask 29 people,
because 4 said no.

- You walked up to 29 people...
- Yes, I did.

I walked up to them,
and I stuck my hand out,

and I said,
"hi. I'm Max Braverman,

"and I need your signature

to run for student
council president,"

and then I looked them
in the eye, and I smiled.

I am so incredibly proud
of you.

- I didn't like that part.
- I'm sure you didn't, Max.

High five.
That is amazing!

Can I see that?
Yeah. But I have to

turn it in to the student
activities.

- What am I listening for?
- You hear that?

I hear a sprinkler.

Dad, you called me and you said
you had an emergency.

- You don't hear that?
- This is not an emergency.

An emergency would be a flood.

I think there's air
in the system.

- Adam? What are you doing here?
- I have absolutely no idea.

Shh! Just pipe down,
would you?

Is he trying to get you
involved

with this sprinkler thing?
Yeah.

'Cause there's nothing
wrong with the sprinklers.

- Clearly.
- They're absolutely fine.

He's bored.
That's what the problem is.

Hey, you know something,
Camille?

I'm standing right here.
I can hear you.

- Oh, can you?
- Yeah.

- Oh, really?
- Uh-huh.

'Cause I've been asking you
for a couple of weeks now

to go down to the V.A.
They have a volunteer program

down there... he would be
so great for the program.

They could really
use someone like him.

And it would make him
feel needed,

and he wouldn't be so focused
on the damn sprinkler system.

Don't put Adam
in the middle of this.

He doesn't care about
the V.A.

I don't care about
the sprinklers either.

I don't even know why
I'm still standing here.

They're fine!

- Adam.
- What?

- I need your help.
- You don't need my help.

The sprinklers are working fine.

The plants
are all getting water.

Why don't you listen to mom
and go volunteer at the V.A.?

Don't listen to your mother!
I'd rather listen

to the air in the system...
Thank you, sweetie.

In the sprinklers!
All right, go ahead, go!

Go!

They're gurgling!

- Everybody's got a cup, right?
- Yep.

I didn't even tell you
the best part, buddy.

Your sponsor for the team
is a pizza place.

Know what that means?

Win or lose, pizza party.

Just 15 minutes, right?

Yeah, just meet the coach
and then get your uniform.

But I have a feeling after you
get that glove in your hand,

you're not gonna want to leave.

Uh, hi.
Sorry we're late.

It's totally my fault.

- Hey, no worries.
- Joel Graham.

Coach fulton.

All right, go gear up
with coach Tony.

Hustle!

You must be Victor?
Yeah.

Welcome to the panthers,
Victor.

Ow! That's some grip
you got.

Can't wait to see
that arm on the field.

Okay, see that nice man there
with the blue hat?

He's gonna get you hooked up
with a mitt and a partner

for a little bit of catch.
Okay.

- Sound like fun?
- Sure.

- Okay.
- Just, uh...

First day jitters, I guess.

You or him?

Okay.

Well, I have a feeling
Hugh Jass, Seymour butts,

and Ree Tard didn't sign
anybody else's petition.

I know. That's the one
that kills me, the Ree Tard one.

It's so mean.
I can't believe

how mean little school kids
can be.

If they knew how hard it was
for him to walk up to them

and ask them to sign
the petition,

they're mean kids,
but this can be fixed.

We have to ask Max
not to run for president.

That's what we have to do.
Honey...

No, I can handle this.

That-I can't let him
do this, honey.

- Kids are mean.
- Student council

is for the popular kids,
and he doesn't get that,

and we are setting him up
for failure.

Adam, he walked up to each
and every one of those kids

and asked them to sign
the petition, okay?

That was a huge effort
on his part.

He should not be punished
for that.

I get it... I'm trying to
protect him, honey.

This is gonna end badly, okay?

And I think that
he could regress,

and everything we've worked for
could just disappear.

I don't want you to have to deal
with this right now.

I'm fine.
So what are you saying,

we shouldn't let him run?
Is that what you're saying?

Yeah. I think that
we have to tell him

that he can't run for president.

He's gonna completely
freak out.

He's gonna freak out.
Yeah, it's gonna freak out.

And he'll get over it.
That's life.

You know, you were really quiet

in Dr. Bedsloe's office
yesterday

when I rescheduled my surgery.

Just...

It's your decision.

Huh, pal?
Got our little nipper here,

little Otis, and Haddie
went off to college.

You started at a new school.
That's a big change.

Mmhmm.
You have a new schedule,

you have four new teachers
instead of one.

You have to switch classrooms,
which is a little hectic.

- That's a new thing.
- That's a lot to handle,

and you're doing
such a good job at it.

And the school
is much, much bigger.

A lot of kids.
Oh, it's so much bigger.

So... Your mother and I feel

that we should just
embrace all this new change.

Max, can you look at me
for a second?

We don't wanna overdo it,

so we think
that it's probably best

to wait until next year
to run for president.

No. The vending machine
is gone now,

and as president,
I'll bring it back.

- Right, but...
- Okay, listen to mom now.

You did such a great job

getting that petition signed
by all those kids.

Amazing job, and you know what?

As a reward, we can get you
those skittles.

We'll buy you a ton of skittles,

and the vending machine thing
won't even be an issue.

It's still an issue.

It's an issue
because it's unfair.

I know that it's unfair, Max,

but our mother and I want to do
what's best for you,

and all we're saying is that we
should wait until next year

for you to run for president.
No. No.

We don't want to see you
get distracted...

to become the president
of the United States of America,

you have to be 35 years old
and a natural-born citizen.

To become student council
president

at cedar knoll middle school,
you have to be a student

in good academic standing
who has collected 25 signatures.

I am both of those things.
Yep, you are.

You're right,
but we don't want to see

schoolwork get disrupted
by this.

No. You can't tell me
not to run.

That's fascist!
You're both fascists!

- We're definitely not fascists.
- We're not fascists.

You know,
it's an assault to my freedom.

I'm reporting you both

to the house un-American
activities commission.

Okay. All right, do that.

You might have a tough time
getting in touch with them,

'cause the house un-American
activities community's

been disbanded
for being un-American!

I didn't even want to go
in the first place.

All right, tell me
what you do wanna do.

I really don't care.

- Hi.
- Hey.

Ruby, this is my new
assistant Sarah.

Hi! It's so nice
to meet you.

- Nice to meet you too.
- I heard so much about you.

- Yeah?
- Yeah!

Yeah. Cool.

So...

What happened to mini golf?

Uh, apparently mini golf
is not cool any more.

- Oh. Right.
- Yep.

So I...

I'm team Gale.
I heard you're team Peeta.

We're gonna be sworn
mortal enemies.

Yeah. I guess so.

Apparently,hunger games
isn't cool any more either,

so...
Really?

The only thing I really know
about the vfw

is you can get $2 whiskey shots.

Yeah, there's that.

But we also provide
services to veterans.

Like what, checkers?

And career counseling.

Financial planning.
We have a lot of need

for volunteers
in the front office,

if that interests you.
You'd be answering phone

responding to emails.

Well, yeah, okay,

why don't we just
cut to the chase here?

You see, my wife wants me
away from the house

for like three hours,

so what do you got that kinda
fills that time?

The refreshment table's
looking a little thin.

How are you at making coffee?

Are you sure that we have to
do this right now?

I just feel like maybe we're
gonna shatter his innocence,

and he's so young.

Yeah. I'm not thrilled
about it either,

but... Has to happen.

Because you said it needs to.

No, because it needs to happen.

I feel like you're pulling
rank a little bit

because... You know.

You know?
Because I'm black?

Because you're black.
Yeah.

I feel like you pulled rank.

Baby, you have to respect
the fact

that I have an understanding
on the subject that you don't.

And the fact is, that word

means something different
to Jabbar because he's black.

All right, that's fair.

But he's also half-white.

Right. Which, you know,
he can use his white card

when he gets pulled over
by the cops

for driving while black.

He can just say,
"I'm actually half-white."

Okay.
He's eight years old,

and we live in Berkeley,

so I don't think that's gonna be
happening anytime soon.

I know you're not that naive.

Look, there are things
in the world that aren't pretty,

and eventually, he's gonna hear
something he shouldn't.

Like what happened.

And I would just rather him
hear the truth from me

before that happens.

Okay.
I wanna be there, though.

Okay.

- Hi, mom, hi, dad.
- Hey, buddy.

You ready for some
ants on a log?

- Dad!
- What?

Ants in your pants?

♪ Oh, my ♪

♪ I didn't know
what it means to believe ♪

♪ Oh, my ♪ Oh!

Mm. This coffee sucks.

- Really?
- It's awful.

Well, I just made that coffee
that you insulted.

Oh, I'm sorry.
I'm...

I'm probably just spoiled.

We got the gourmet stuff
in Afghanistan.

Oh.
Yeah.

Well, I think we drank
fecal matter in 'nam.

Yeah, well, that's how
Americans show their love now...

buy a bag of beans:
Support the troops.

Thank you, coffee bean
& tea leaf.

Gee, you make me
wanna re-enlist.

Zeek Braverman.

Ryan York.
I'm sorry.

Sure.

You mind if I sit down?

Sure.

So how long you been home,
Ryan York?

Oh, this isn't home.

My mom wanted me
to go back to Wyoming,

but I need a fresh start,
you know?

You mean home from Afghanistan.

I'm sorry. Yeah, well,
still counting that in days.

Even though I...
I guess it's been months.

Right.

Yeah, that happens for a while.

You here for the checkers?

Career center.
Just met the counselor.

Apparently, two tours
as an army irrigation specialist

can get me an interview

unloading boxes
at a shipping center,

so... Tch.

That is awesome.

Irrigation specialist.

Is that like, uh, sprinklers?

Uh, not exactly.

More like Wells
and stuff like that.

Yeah, but sprinklers
wouldn't be

outside of your range
of knowledge, would they?

I guess not.

Right.

Yeah.

Well.

That a boy, Jack!
Nice swing!

He keeps doing this thing
with his elbow.

At least he's making contact.

See, Dylan spent a whole
summer playing Xbox

and now he's shocked
that he's rusty.

Victor loves the Xbox.

My boy Victor.

Sorry, that was
a terrible segue.

He's new and I'm new.
I'm Joel.

- How you doing? I'm Mike.
- Nice to meet you.

- Hey, how are you?
- So, uh...

What position does he play?
You know, we're still trying

to figure that out,
but, uh, he's, uh...

You know, I was a pitcher.

Oh. You too?

- Oh, cool.
- Yeah.

Yeah, there he is.
My boy.

All right, Victor.
You got this, buddy.

- He's a big kid.
- Yeah.

That's a nice try.
Hey, choke up for me, Vic.

Just move your grip
up like this.

Nice and easy, okay?

You'll get the next one.
You got this.

- That's all right.
- Maybe he's more of a pitcher.

Like you.
Just let the bat do the work.

Relax, buddy.

He'll get it.

Hey! You don't throw bats
on my field!

That's two laps.
Screw this and screw you.

- Hey...
- Why did you and Julia

make me do that?
Buddy, it's your first at bat.

You got plenty of time.
Come on!

- I'm not going back.
- Yes, you are.

- You can't make me!
- Victor...

you're not my real dad!

Come on, it's sea otters.
Why can't I just stay here?

Look, I really... I thought
this would be something

that you would enjoy.

I don't want to go, okay?

Fine. All right. Fine.

Look, sorry.
Sorry that I let you down again.

But I have a job to do,
so please get in the car.

Why are you being
so difficult about this?

I'm 11.
I'll just stay here.

No, you won't stay here.
You can't stay here by yourself.

I'm not by myself!
She's here.

Um, she can stay with me.

Okay, great.

Only be a couple hours.

But my opinion is not being
given any weight,

and, you know, I think it's
because I'm white,

which is...

- yeah.
- It's weird.

No, it's... it's hard being
a white man in this country.

Hmm. Look, I know
the world's not a perfect place,

but Jabbar's world
is perfect, okay?

I don't know if you think
that sycamore playground

is a hotbed of racial tension...

But it's not, okay?
I've been there.

- Whoa. I gotta go. I gotta go.
- Are you listening to me?

Hold on. What are you...

where are you going?

You see that?

Busy, I guess.

For what it's worth,
I sympathize.

I mean, it seems like
there's no easy answer.

You guys both have good points.

And what did...
what did she say?

She agreed,
and she thought it would be

a bad idea.

She thought it would be
a huge struggle

for a kid like Max.
Okay, good.

She kept saying,
"a kid like Max.

A kid like Max."
I wanted to choke her.

All right, I know.
I know.

But at least we're all
on the same page here.

We're not on the same page,
Adam.

I think that we
should let him run.

Kristina, we talked about this.

I think we're not admitting
this, but the real reason

that we're not letting him run
is because of me.

- No, it's not.
- It is, and I'm... I'm not...

I can't accept that.
I'm sorry.

Well, when he gets creamed,

and not a single kid
votes for him, what then?

He learns to lose.

Well, or he could go
into a big regression,

and you're...

and I'm what?

Nothing.

I'm not gonna make a decision

based on what I might feel like
two months from now.

I'm... I'm just not
gonna do that.

Look, we'll talk about it
when I get home, okay?

Okay.

Oh, pbbt.

Do you have any idea
what you're doing?

You know, I don't.

I really don't.
Do you have any?

Um, well, you don't want
to aim the light

directly at it.

It should come from the side.

Oh. Huh.
Like how?

- I mean, like here?
- Wherever.

Would you mind showing me?

I'm just kind of, I'm very new.
I don't know what I'm doing.

I know you're busy, but I think I'd
get it, if you could show it to me.

- Sure.
- Yeah? Thanks.

- Mm-hmm.
- Ok.

Where should I be?

- Uh, just sit there.
- Okay.

This goes...

Around over there. A little more.

- Oh, over there?
- Yeah.

Oh, my God.

How easy you make this look.

How do you do it?

Well, I've been helping
my dad out in the studio

since I was like five.

Oh yeah, he told me that.
He told me.

He's very proud of you,
you know.

He thinks you're very smart.

I guess.

He brags about you a lot.
Yeah.

You know, your dad, like,
mostly, since I've known him,

he seems mainly
a little bit mopey to me.

The most excited
I ever see him get

is when he talks about you.

He gets really excited.

Hmm.

Oh, go ahead.
Thank you.

Mmhmm.

Anything exciting going on?

Aubrey Peterson is, like,

the most popular girl
in school.

Mm.

And she's hosting
a co-ed pool party.

- Oh.
- I've never exactly been

invited to one
of her parties before.

And it's today, so...

- Ah.
- I can't make it.

- Oh, man.
- Yep.

Yep.

And my friends, they all keep
texting me about it,

and it's completely epic,

and it just sucks
not being there.

- God.
- So...

yeah. You know what I think?

You think I'm being shallow?

Oh, my God, no.

It's an epic co-ed pool party.

I to... I understand.

I bet it's really hard when you
have to transition up here,

drop everything in L.A.
once a month.

It's just gotta be tough.

And your dad thinks
about it too, you know.

These big, exciting weekends,

or what he thinks is exciting.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

But it's like, my friends,
they text me about it,

and they ask what I'm up to,

and it's like, what am I
supposed to text back?

That I'm at the aquarium
playing with sea otters?

- - No. Mm-mm.
- No.

Tell them
you're at a photo shoot.

Okay? You're at a photo shoot
with Justin Bieber.

Wait, seriously?

That's awesome. Thanks!

So I want to talk to you

about that word you heard
at the studio.

I know you have some questions.

Well, daddy said black people
sometimes say it,

but I'm not allowed to.

Yeah.

I know it's really confusing,

so let's back up.

I'm gonna tell you
where that word comes from.

That word comes
from the word "nigger".

It's a very mean word
that white people use

to call black people,

and it means
that we're not as good

or as smart or as human
as them.

Why would people say that?

♪ The clouds are creeping ♪

Well, a really,
really long time ago,

white people owned
black people as slaves.

And we've come
a long, long way.

You know how we celebrate
Martin Luther King day?

Mmhmm.

Well, he helped
to make things equal.

And legally they are,

but sometimes it doesn't feel
like they are.

So do you have
any questions yet?

Can people call me that word?

They better not.

They might.

I remember I was your age

when my mom talked to me
about all this.

And it was really comforting

when she said
that the world was better

than when she was
a little girl.

And now I'm sitting here
with you,

having the same talk.

And it's even better.

You know, my mom used to dream

about the day when we would have
a black president.

And now we do. Obama.

That's right.

We live
in pretty good times now.

And I don't want you to worry

or be scared about any of this.

♪ I'm still not here ♪

♪ Mm, mm, mm, mm ♪

Crosby, is there anything
you'd like to add?

No, that...
that was perfect.

Okay, so you know
where that word comes from.

Hey.

Hey.

You okay?

Yeah.
Just thinking what a...

Good job you did
with him last night.

Heh!

You were really amazing.

You were right to handle it.

Thanks.

I think he understood
most of it.

Oh, he totally understood it.

I mean, even I understood it

in a way I never really had.

I was watching you two,
like the connection, and...

Felt a little irrelevant.

No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean
to make you feel like that.

No, no, not... no, no,
you didn't do anything.

I just, you know, I hate
thinking that there's

things he's gonna experience
that I just...

I can't relate.
You're right, I can't.

You know.
Yeah.

But there's gonna be
other times

when you can relate
and I can't.

He's a boy, so he's gonna
go through

all sorts of things
that I won't understand.

Nor do I want to.

Yeah, I think
it's different, though.

Has that ever happened to you?

You know, where you were
made to feel less than?

Yeah, a few times.

I'm sorry.

♪ We're still far ♪

If that ever happened to him,

it would kill me.

♪ Still far ♪

Looks really real, too.

Hey, can you put
his arm around me?

- No, he's not...
- No?

Putting his Bieber paws...

Just casual,
like their friends.

- Yeah, just casual.
- No, this is good enough.

- It's harmless, come on.
- Right there.

We're gonna just keep it
just like this.

He's got that distant look.

- Okay.
- Yeah, freak out.

Oh, hey, can you
shorten my skirt?

Both: No!

No.

That would be cool, though.

This is so cool.

- What you doing?
- Not playing baseball.

You want to talk about
what happened?

Nope.

Okay, I'm gonna talk
about what happened.

And you can listen.

I need you to..
Shut that down.

I was incredibly proud of you.

No, you weren't.

I struck out and I threw a bat.

Well, I didn't love
the throwing the bat part,

or the yelling
at the coach part,

but right up until then,

you went out there
and you tried something

you never done before

with a bunch of kids
you never met.

That's brave.

That's so incredibly brave.

Are you scared?

I'd have been.

You know, buddy, I get
so excited

about you being a part
of this family

that... I just...
I forget,

you know, that everything
is so new.

And I guess I forgot
what it was like

to be the new kid.

I'm still figuring this out.

How to be your dad.

But I love baseball, and I,
from what I can tell,

I think you'd...
Really like it too.

I'm not gonna force you to do

anything you don't wanna do.

I'm not gonna force you
to go back.

But if you take some time,
you decide

it's something
you'd like to do,

then you just come tell me,

because I'd like
to help you with it, okay?

Okay.

Okay.

Hey, pal, what's up?

Mom said I could run.

Uh, listen, Max, we're
gonna talk about it, okay?

She already said I could run,

so I'm running.

I need to talk
to your mother, okay?

I'll be right back.

I'm running.

And piggy says, "oink oink
oink oink oink oink oink."

Mommy loves her girl.
Her girl.

Christina?
Hey, so, honey...

- Adam...
- We said we would

discuss this.
I know that we did.

But I didn't think
it was fair to Max, okay?

Uhhuh? Well, thanks
for including me.

I'm sorry.

Look, I just think that this
will be a great thing.

I think that I can help him
write his speech.

I think, you know,
making the posters

will be a great distraction
for me...

I want you to move the surgery

back to where it was.

I know you want to
control all this.

I know Dr. Bedsloe said
that you could

wait until the 12th, but I want
this thing out of you.

I don't want to wait.
I'm scared to wait.

I'm sorry.

I'm really sorry
for doing this to you.

No, honey, honey,
don't ever say that.

Don't ever say that.
I just want this out.

I just want to attack this
and get it over with.

I do too.

Okay, I'll con...
I call Dr. Bedsloe's office

and move the surgery back.

Yeah.

Nora.

How are you doing?

What's in your bottle?
You having some milk.

You are a snacker.

Do you hear that?
It going "choo choo choo."

Yeah, no, I hear it, yeah.

- You do?
- Yeah.

See, I knew it.
That's air in the lines, right?

Sounds like water hammer.

Was your water
shut off recently?

Yeah, well, I shut it off

when I re-did the toilet
downstairs.

That'll do it.
When you shut it off,

it creates a build up.

And I can probably just
adjust, you know,

the pressure
at the control box.

Really? Well, that's
in the barn.

- Great.
- I gotta tell you, kid,

you are a genius.
I don't know...

I don't know what is
happening at the V.A.,

but they should be standing
in line to hire you.

Yeah, well, maybe
it's for the best.

I mean, being back's been...
Kind of weird.

Well, it takes a while
to feel normal again.

How long?

How long?

Heck, I don't know.
I don't remember exactly.

I just feel like I could
handle it better

if I knew it wasn't
gonna be forever.

Well, I know that, uh,

when I went to Vietnam,
I was a kid.

And when I got back, I didn't
know who the hell I was.

I sure as hell wasn't normal,

if you know what I mean.

That's what's scaring
the hell out of me.

But you give it time,
and you become

something different,
something new, you know?

I think maybe it started
for me when I got back.

You know, at the airport,
there was all these protesters

and signs of a lot of hate.

I never forgot that, so...

You guys came back,
and it's different.

People are proud of you.

I don't know about that.
I mean...

At least people saw you.

At least people acknowledge
that you were

a part of this thing,

this... this
life-altering thing.

And for us I just feel
like sometimes...

We're invisible.

You're not invisible to me.

Smile.

You know, you have to
light it lower

she's gonna be shorter than me.

Mrs. Franklin is also
not as Italian as you.

She's quite pale, so I'm
going to light accordingly.

I don't know why you have to
bring race into it...

'Cause
she's not dark like you.

Hold on.

She's pale.
I think that's nice, though.

Ah. It's Ruby.

Apparently, I'm awesome.

Well, at least one person
thinks so.

Listen, I really want to
be a good assistant today,

so let's practice.

All right, tell me
what to do and I'll do it.

All right, well, we need
a warming gel for this.

Okay.

First of all, do you know
what that is?

Of course, I know what it is,

I know where it is,
and I even sort of know

how to use it.

I'll believe that
when I see it.

How do you spell "Bieber?"

"Ie."

What is this?

Yeah, that's... the gels
are in the other drawer.

Behind you.
They're not in that drawer.

This yours?

Yeah, what's...
what gave that away?

My name in the corner?

Hank, this is beautiful.

If you can do this,
why are we shooting.

Mrs. Franklin
and sea otters?

Yeah, that was a lifetime ago.

I haven't done stuff like
that in about a decade.

Did you stop
when Ruby was born?

You did the math there.
That's impressive.

Yeah, see that?
I can count all the way to ten.

Yes.
Yeah, I did.

Seth said he would stop
touring when Amber was born,

but... He didn't.

Well, it's kind of hard
to be a good dad

when you're chasing stories
all over the world, so...

Seriously, we should hang
some of these.

Huh?

They're kind of hard
for me to look at.

The gels.
You gonna impress me or not.

Come on.

♪ - Though my shoes
are not for winter... ♪

Hey, hey, D.

- Zeek!
- Yeah.

Didn't expect to see
you here again.

Your wife send you back?

Oh, yeah, well, that's funny.
That's real funny.

No, listen, um, if you need
somebody to make the coffee

and arrange the cookies,
then I'm your man.

But listen, hey, D, I think...

I think I got
a lot more to offer.

Well, deal the cards.

Right.

♪ The piano has been waiting ♪

♪ For some lonely man
to play a note... ♪

- Hey.
- Hey.

Um, you want to have
a game of catch?

♪ Put your hand
where you can feel me... ♪

Now when you throw it,
just step in a little bit

with your other foot.

Hey, good!

Oh, nice!

All right, pop fly.
Good, buddy.

Ground ball.
Nice.

So we need to make
buttons and stickers.

And we need to finish
these posters up,

and also you need to
make cupcakes

with my name in frosting.

I think I'm gonna let
the bakery

handle the cupcakes.

Why? I like your cupcakes.

I know, but I just think
that we have

a lot on our plate,
so we're gonna...

what does that mean,
"a lot on our plate?"

It means that we have a lot
to get finished.

We still have
all these posters to do.

We have to write your speech.

That has nothing to do
with plates.

Okay.

Well, even though you
couldn't get Bob little elected,

you're still an okay
campaign manager.

Thank you, Max.

♪ Understand ♪

All right, how can I help?

Well...

Let's get this campaign moving.

What do you think
about this one?

"Max is the braver man!"

I like that.
"Braver" could be bigger.