Stumptown (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 15 - At All Costs: The Conrad Costas Chronicles - full transcript
Dex and Grey venture to Los Angeles to help a client who believes her Hollywood script has been plagiarized by a former classmate. Reluctantly, Grey leaves Ansel and Tookie in charge of The...
Previously on "Stumptown"...
JEREMY: You implied
that your parents were jerks.
They took off when I was overseas,
left my brother alone in a home,
and haven't heard from them since.
This is new for all of us,
the two of you
opposing each other on a case.
I'd love to hear anyone's
complaints about my father.
I'm sorry, Dad.
I was behind that article about you.
I need somebody behind the bar
I can trust.
You need a partner?
Let's not put a label on it.
Deal.
- Welcome back.
DEX: Oh, my God!
GREY: What the hell?!
[FIRE ALARM BEEPING]
Hey, Dex, you're making it worse!
Do something! [GRUNTING]
Not that!
Here, put this over your mouth,
breathe through it.
- Let's go, let's go!
- All right.
[COUGHING]
♪
[POLICE RADIO CHATTER, SIREN WAILING]
You remember when I said
it couldn't get any worse?
I was wrong.
Hey, I can see the Hollywood sign.
Oh, whatever. L.A. sucks.
Ah!
♪ _
Wouldn't you agree that a work
environment is at its best
when one doesn't have to second guess?
Feels like you're setting me up.
No sirree. I'm just saying
that since we now know the traditional
artist-proprietor relationship
here is solid,
I want to open the door.
If you ever have menu ideas,
throw 'em at me.
Great. Thanks.
And conversely, since I opened my kimono,
you could open yours.
So, if I had business notions,
you would hear them out.
Like what?
And don't say "event hosting"
again, okay?
You can say anything
except "event hosting."
[MID-TEMPO ROCK MUSIC PLAYS]
Okay. Again, no.
Tookie, events close us to the public,
and we need to remain open until
everybody knows we're here.
Okay?
Kimono closed.
♪ You got to give it up ♪
DEX: "Care and Repair
of the Blavatnik Z71
Pedal Drive Garden Tractor."
Sounds fascinating, Miss Costas.
Wait 'til the twist at the end.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
Joking. I write manuals to pay the bills.
Oh.
But this is why we're here.
Okay.
"At All Costs."
A movie script that I wrote
about the life of Conrad Costas.
- Mm.
- It's filming right now,
without my consent or any payment.
Stolen.
But it has a different title,
a different writer.
"Jim Force." Is that for real?
Not for real.
In high school, he was Chuck Drakner.
- Who's Conrad Costas?
- My uncle.
He was a detective in Cleveland.
Honest cop in a dirty station house,
rooting out corruption.
Sounds like a great story.
Right?
I thought, why not adapt it
for the screen?
So I did.
And then you sent it to Jim Force,
formally Chuck Drakner.
He said it was amateur work, at best.
Mm.
Now it's getting made
with his name on it.
He won't return my calls.
A lawyer will cost me 10 grand.
- Miss Costas...
- Camille, please.
Camille.
Uh, what are you asking me
to do about this?
Get the script.
So I can compare it against mine.
Okay, that can't be too hard.
L.A. is a tricky place.
- L.A.?
- It's a movie. [CHUCKLES]
Where do you think they...
they film these things?
[CHUCKLES]
- Mm.
- You're hesitant.
- Yeah, I just...
I can't just, like, pick up
and go to Los Angeles.
I'm sure it would only be a few days.
I-I just... I can't do that...
right now.
L.A. is, um...
It's complicated.
So...
Miss Parios...
...I'm a nobody.
No kids.
Last of my line.
If I died tomorrow, I'd disappear.
But if there's a shot
that my work puts my name
on a screen 30 feet high?
[VOICE BREAKING] Then it's
like proof that I was here.
♪
I get it. Uh...
Can I just think about it?
Can I... Can I get back to you?
- Sure.
- Okay.
Did you say L.A.? This is a sign!
- What is?
- This is.
The 1973 Dodge Challenger, Rallye series.
There's a guy in L.A. selling it.
I was gonna go there to check it out.
You were gonna go all the way
to L.A. to look at a car?
Well, it's not just a car.
It's a piece of art, Dex.
When I was a kid,
my dad had one just like it.
You hate your dad.
You don't even talk to him.
Agreed, but I love this car.
I learned to drive in this car.
I lost my virginity in it.
I mean, almost.
Almost?
Kammie Lerner.
Oh, she was something.
But she wouldn't go all the way?
No, she would. She just...
She spilled her wine in the front seat,
and it stained the leather,
and for a car guy,
- it was just such a buzzkill.
- Okay.
But I've been looking
to get this car for years,
and now that I gave away my truck...
I dunno. L.A. is just...
it's not my kind of town.
It's a great town.
Don't forget,
I lived there for almost a year.
- Doing what?
- Following a girl around.
Like a Schnauzer.
Well, that's not totally accurate,
but she was an actress.
So I could show you around. [SCOFFS]
- You can't just leave the bar, right?
- Yeah.
The Alibi's covered. Ansel's covered.
You two should go enjoy some sunshine.
If we did, you wouldn't throw
a party here, would you?
Host an event?
'Cause we talked about that, didn't we?
Absolutely not. Right, Ansel?
Right.
You two are so shady,
but I really want this car,
and you really need this case.
So, what do you say?
I mean, unless there's another reason
we're not going to L.A.
♪
♪
♪
[SIGHS]
♪
Hey.
[CHUCKLES]
Hey.
There's my pretty girl.
ANSEL: What is that?
Hey. What?
That.
Oh, nothing.
Don't worry about it.
What are you doing home?
Cash from my hiding place.
For a new video game.
Ah, a man without money is
like a boat without sails.
Mom used to say that.
She did, didn't she?
Huh.
Give me a hug.
- It's so good to see you.
- Good to see you.
- How you doing?
- Good.
[MISSING PERSONS'
"WALKING IN L.A." PLAYS]
♪
♪ Walkin' in L.A. ♪
What's it been, 14 hours?
I can't feel my legs.
Oh. Stop complaining.
Look, driving is cheaper than flying.
I need to make a profit here.
Look at that beautiful L.A. sky.
Mmm, yellow, smoggy horizon.
[CHUCKLES]
What's the book?
Yeah, it's for the case.
It's apparently everything
I need to know about the biz.
First of all, nobody in the biz
calls it "the biz,"
and I'll show you the ropes, okay?
Trust me, you're gonna love it down here.
[SIGHS] I mean...
[HORN HONKING]
What are we... Are we texting,
or are we driving?
Let's go with driving.
♪ Nobody walks in L.A. Love it already. ♪
[HORN HONKING]
Mmm.
- Mm-hmm.
- [CHUCKLES]
Oh, man, that's what I'm talking about.
- [CHUCKLES]
- Yeah.
The key to tinga
is tomatoes and tomatillos.
And then two words... Maui onion.
A little salt,
you can eat 'em like an apple.
Yeah, that's candy sweet, man.
My mom's gonna flip.
8:00 p.m. tomorrow, there will be
500 delivered to where, exactly?
You mentioned there was
an issue with your venue.
Yeah, it fell out.
I've just been calling around
and trying...
You're done calling.
You're talking to the chef
and assistant owner
of The Bad Alibi tavern.
- Assistant owner?
- An executive position.
I create the menu
and broker special events,
like your mom's 70th.
But EBT is a pilot program,
so let's not mention it to Grey.
Yeah, Tookie, I kinda can't
take a flyer on a pilot program.
It's been... It's been
a rough couple of weeks,
me and my dad...
Fathers and sons...
Yeah, it's been really tough on Mom.
Mom's in the middle,
trying to keep the peace.
Yeah, so this party's supposed to be a...
I don't know, just...
A chance for you to mend fences?
Right. Right.
And, um, my dad got called to D.C.
on a federal case,
so it's really on me now
to just step up big for her.
You get it, right?
EBT can handle it, Detective.
I'm sorry. What is EBT?
Events by Tookie.
Quiet gatherings to massive affairs.
You're not just putting your trust in me,
but in the value I put in our friendship.
Fist bump.
♪
I'm gonna... I'm gonna keep calling,
and, um, I'll drop a line if...
if, you know, I strike out.
Cool.
♪
GREY: Oh, I really love these old places.
Reminds me of classic Hollywood.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Um, did you bring toothpaste?
Yeah.
Here you go.
WOMAN: I'll kill you, Rothschild!
The diamonds are mine!
The hell is that?
That's an actor.
Auditioning.
Yeah, they put themselves on tape,
they send it to the casting director,
and then no one watches it.
- That's weird.
- Yeah.
So, do I look like a, um,
desperate screenwriter?
- That's redundant.
- [CHUCKLES]
Um...
Okay, I'm gonna go to see, uh, Jim Force.
I'll, uh, be back later.
Cool. Hey...
you all right?
Anything you want to talk about?
No.
- I'll see you later.
- See ya.
[DOOR CLOSES]
Now you're leaving?!
But I'm pregnant!
Ugh, that's an obstacle.
FORCE: Lucky I could
make time to see you.
- Mm.
- I've got a script in production.
Ah, yes, you mentioned that
on the, uh, call
and... and in the e-mail.
So, uh, you said
you have a movie idea
you want to develop.
Yes. Yes, I do.
I'm, uh... I'm looking for a consultant.
You know, someone to help me
with deadlines, notes.
Okay, well, it's $1,000 a month.
Oh, uh, that sounds... that sounds pricy.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
Yeah, it... it is high.
Uh, but I'm in demand.
Plus, I've got a script
in production, so...
- Right.
- [CELLPHONE CHIMES]
Oh! [CHUCKLES]
Production question.
Just two seconds.
Okay, no worries. [CHUCKLES]
♪
Uh, where is your script?
Um, "Conrad Costas Chronicles"?
I, uh... I can't share that 'til we wrap.
And why's that?
So people won't give away the ending.
But it's a true story.
Isn't the ending already known?
[CELLPHONE SWISHES]
Uh...
Miss Parios, if I were reading
a written draft of our interaction here,
my note would be,
you are overly interested
in reading my shooting script.
Oh. [CHUCKLES]
How come?
Well, it's just,
so many scripts get written,
and... and they don't actually
go into production.
I mean, just... it must feel amazing.
Oh, oh.
Truly, I mean, just
something to aspire to.
For me, as... as a beginner, I...
- it sounds wonderful.
- Yes.
Well, I still can't share.
Okay.
And the first three months' fee
is required up front.
Mm. I'm gonna think about it.
Yeah, yeah.
- I'm due on set.
- Got it.
- Thank you for your time.
- Mm-hmm.
♪
[DOOR OPENS]
Hey.
Hey.
Well [SIGHS] that was a total bust.
Jim Force gave me nothing.
Ugh!
I have to get my hands
on the shooting script.
Okay, this is terrible.
- [CHUCKLES]
- I mean, terrible.
So many coincidences. And the ending?
I mean, things don't end
perfectly like that, ever.
Can you help me find a solution to this?
[GROANS]
Come on, you... you said you
were gonna show me the ropes.
Yeah, okay, you got to
get yourself a shooting script,
and to do that, you got to get on set.
Okay, I'm just supposed to,
like, sneak past security?
I can get you on set, guaranteed.
Thank you. I owe you one.
All right, I'll cash it in.
Right now.
What's going on with you, Dex?
You've been acting so sneaky lately.
What? I'm not...
I'm fine.
What's up with that letter
you've been hiding from me?
♪
I think it might be
a way to find my parents.
♪
The letter is from my Aunt Maribel,
my mom's older sister.
We used to be, um...
We used to be pretty close.
You think she knows where your folks are?
Maybe.
When I got back from Afghanistan
and I realized they were gone,
Maribel was the first person
that I went to go and see.
- Um, but I couldn't find her, either.
- Hmm.
I just assumed that Maribel
and my parents were somewhere.
I don't... I don't know where.
Well, how long you had the letter?
About five years.
- Did you say five years?
- Well, I...
Life took over, okay? And I wasn't ready.
I was... I was furious with them
- and with... with... with her, too.
- Right.
I don't know. Ansel has been
talking about our folks lately,
so I thought, maybe I'll look her up.
Maybe you'll look her up? Dex...
What is she gonna say?
What is she gonna say?
What... What... What if
we were just abandoned?
Well, then at least you would
have your answers, right?
Right now, you just have questions.
Hey, I think you should do it.
Where the hell are we?
This is Hollywood.
[CHUCKLING] This is the real Hollywood.
- Isn't it great?
- Y-Yeah.
All right, right up here, we're gonna go
to Special Extras.
They cast background for movies.
50 bucks to the receptionist
can get you on any set in town.
And you know this because?
'Cause I dated an actress.
She was an extra.
Okay.
So... S-So, once I'm on set...
When you're on set,
you find the script supervisor.
The scripty will have
a whole production draft.
What does "scripty" do?
They make sure the actors say
all their lines right, I think.
Okay, so I just need to...
to steal scripty's script.
Yeah. It's not that complicated.
- Okay.
- Let's do it.
♪
Excellent, Miles.
We're very pleased
to host you tomorrow night.
Pre-invoice is on its way.
Standard pricing, no surprises, yes.
[CHUCKLES] I'll see you at 8:00.
[CELLPHONE BEEPS]
[CHUCKLES] He's in, hermano!
We're talking Lambo dinero!
Grey said no.
Grey didn't know how much
dough he could rake in
with an event for
200 thirsty party people.
When he sees how we killed it
and he's swimming in cash,
he'll wish he said yes.
We're just fulfilling his wish.
[CHUCKLES]
♪
♪ I'm not breaking my rules ♪
Lieutenant, I don't know
what the hell your problem is,
but if I were a thinking man,
I'd say you were on the take!
Now...
Line!
"Are you going to get out of my way,
or am I going to go through you?"
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's right.
Can I take it back a bit?
[LIGHT POWERS DOWN]
MAN: We lost a light! And that's a cut.
- [BELL RINGS]
- MAN: Ah, sorry. Sorry, everybody.
♪
My chair doesn't have my name on it?
Everyone else's does.
That's either a stupid...
♪
FREDDIE: Hey!
Can I borrow you?
♪
I butchered that scene.
Can you run lines with me?
- My stand-in is lighting.
- Yeah, sure, okay.
[CLEARS THROAT]
They had women on the force in the '50s?
Oh, yeah, sure.
Cleveland was very progressive.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And for what it's worth,
I thought you did a great job
with that scene.
- Really?
- Yeah.
Huh.
Well, i-it'll be better, you know?
I-I'm just working off the rust.
Wait, you... you were in
"The Long Road Home," right?
Yeah. Nine years ago.
Wow.
God, that was a great movie.
- Thanks.
- [CHUCKLES]
What have you been up to, um, since then?
What have I been doing since then?
- You really gonna ask me that?
- Well, no, I... I...
Some advice... Google
the star of the movie
- before you get on set.
- Okay.
Or scroll through the archives of TMZ.
You'll have your answer...
coke and rehab.
That's what I've been doing.
Now you know.
Okay.
Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean
to, uh, offend you.
It just... My brother and I,
we watched "The Road Home."
It was a... It was a good memory.
So...
[SIGHS]
No, I'm... I'm sorry I snapped at you.
It's nerves.
A lot of people think I'm a joke,
and this is my chance at a comeback.
I don't want my last picture
to be my mug shot.
I... I get it.
Oh, okay.
I'm the lieutenant, right?
- Yeah. Go.
- Okay.
Listen, Costas, the mayor's
breathing down my neck,
and I hate... I hate his halitosis.
I need you to drop this case
like a bad habit.
What is it?
- Uh, "Lieutenant, I..."
- Go again.
- Start... D-Do it again.
- Got it.
[BIRD SQUAWKING]
[CAR APPROACHES]
[ENGINE REVS]
Wow.
1973 Rallye series, Dodge Challenger.
V-8, original paint,
original leather interior.
Whoa. She's mint.
Yeah, dawg.
How long you had her?
About 10 years.
Got her off the original owner.
Nice.
What?
[SIGHS]
Hey, did you, uh...
You spill something on the seat?
No, that was there when I got it.
Only blemish, though.
Dude kept it in a garage in the Valley.
Hardly ever drove it.
Is that right?
Kind of a crime, right?
Hey, you happen to remember
the guy's name you bought this from?
Irish or something, like...
McConnell, I think.
You're all a bunch of finks!
Am I the only one
who will put his ass on the line
for Cleveland?!
For... For...
For... For... For...
"For justice."
For justice!
Son of a bitch!
I'm sorry. I need... I need five.
SECOND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR:
And that's a cut.
[BELL RINGS]
Don't say anything.
Rumor is, there's
buffalo wings at crafty.
Get 'em quick. No secrets on set.
- Am I right?
- Thanks for the tip.
Mm-hmm.
♪
Hey, there's, uh, buffalo wings
at crafty, going fast.
Buffalo wings? Hell yes.
♪
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
[DANIEL INDART AND LUIS ERIC'S
"MAMBO DANCE" PLAYS]
Hey, is this Events by Tookie?
- Who are you?
- Randy Huffernan.
The kid said I could
come change back here.
Change why? Into what?
Uh, I'm the entertainment.
♪ Mambo ♪
[EXTREME'S CHA CHA UN DOS" PLAYS]
KENNY: It's all cool.
She's gonna love it.
I said, get entertainment,
like a karaoke machine or a juggler.
But a Wino-gram?
From a-a dude who just might be
a legit wino?
Maybe I haggled too hard.
Mm.
I think they sent the "B" team.
♪ Vamos papi pa'donde el
bombillito no alumbra ♪
The entertainment looks a little... raw.
Yeah, my cousin never fails to... fail.
LAURA: Took?
- Hey.
Canola and cayenne. Receipt's in the bag.
We ran low. My wife, Laura.
Nice to meet you. Miles.
You too.
And it was 23 miles round trip.
50 cents a mile, standard pricing.
- All right.
- Look, I gotta go, Took.
- Mira.
- ¿Que pasa?
That's a lot of va-voom
for book club, huh?
It was the only thing clean.
I'm home late, okay?
♪
- ♪ Se que no quieres creer cuanto ♪
- [GLASS SHATTERS]
Watch the broken glass!
That's cost plus, by the way.
Look, Took, now might be a good
time to talk about that invoice.
There was a $50 line item for grenadine?
Mm, standard pricing.
♪ No te quedes ahi parada ♪
♪ Unete a mi vacilon,
no te quedes ahi parada ♪
Hey, Mom, how's, uh...
how's the birthday?
I'm having a wonderful time.
- Yes?
- Yes.
- Good.
- We needed this, Miles.
- Thank you.
- Good.
Ladies [BURPS] and gentle-germs.
- May I have your attentions?
- Oh, my God.
Mom, okay, look,
this wasn't the original plan.
- I...
- Okay?
- Okay.
- ...would like to perform,
for the birthday girl,
a special rendition...
- [CHUCKLES]
- ...of "You Light Up My Life."
[CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY]
[CELLPHONE BEEPS]
[CROWD MURMURS]
Oh, damn this thing.
[CELLPHONE BEEPS]
Sorry.
Forget device.
[BURPS]
He really is drunk, isn't he?
[BURPS] Oh...
- Oh!
- [CROWD GASPS]
Is it playing?
- Oh...
- [HICCUP]
♪
DEX: Yeah, you nailed it, Camille.
The shooting script
is identical to yours.
- Force ripped you off.
- I can't believe it.
So, how do we get them to comply?
Well, that's not really my department.
I'm not an agent or a lawyer.
I wouldn't trust you if you were.
But they should put my name on it, right?
Uh, yeah.
Yeah, and, um, from
the reading I've been doing,
they should be paying you, too.
To think that I could be a paid
writer in Hollywood?
You're making my dreams come true, Dex.
Uh, I'll... I'll do my best,
Camille, okay?
I'll, um, call you
if I hear anything, okay?
Bye.
Hey.
- What you doing?
- I'm packing.
Why? 'Cause I'm going home.
What about the car?
Forget the car, okay? I hate the car.
The car sucks and L.A. sucks,
and I'm going home.
Because?
Because it's my dad's car.
Mm-hmm, you told me that.
You don't understand.
It's his actual car.
Like, the same vehicle.
My father, a man I haven't talked to
in, I don't know, 20 years,
is here in L.A.,
and he lives in the Valley, okay?
Your dad lives in L.A.?
Yeah, and that's why I'm flying
back to Portland, all right?
Well, no, you're running away.
You know what, Dex?
I-I never should have
let you talk me into this.
You're the one who told me
to come down here.
I'm leaving.
[SCOFFS]
Weren't you the one telling me
that I should talk to my family?
Yes, I was, and that's very different.
- How?
- Because it's your family.
- Grey, this is a sign.
- Okay, what's the sign?
You were meant to come on this trip.
W-What are the chances of this happening?
You always said that if
you ever found your dad
that you would finally get some closure.
Well, this is it. This is your chance.
You cannot run away from this.
♪
All right, Dex.
If I go see my dad,
then you go see Maribel.
♪ When it could be so easy ♪
Fine. You first.
Why do I have to go first?
'Cause I have a deal to negotiate.
Fine.
Fine.
♪ You know what you want ♪
♪
FORCE: Okay, you need to
understand something...
without me, this script goes nowhere.
It's dead in the water.
So Camille should be thanking
you for ripping her off?
This is your ass, Jim.
I can't produce a script I don't own.
If you want to avoid a shutdown,
um, she's gonna need two million
for the script.
[SCOFFS] I'm not quite done.
Solo writing credit, um, ten per...
ten percent of first dollar gross...
- No, no, and no!
- 16 tickets to the premiere,
private air travel, and a limo.
[LAUGHS]
This is the entire budget of the movie!
Okay, well, we'll give you
24 hours to answer,
or, uh, we're gonna shut it down.
No, I have 14 unsold pilots
and 26 treatments.
I haven't had a meeting in a year, okay?
And I've never been this close
to something real,
and you're not taking it away from me!
Take away what you stole? [SCOFFS]
It was never yours, Mr. Drakner.
♪
♪ Until then, baby ♪
♪ Are you gonna let 'em hold you
down and make you cry? ♪
♪ Don't you know? ♪
♪ Don't you know things can change? ♪
♪ Things'll go your way ♪
♪ If you hold on ♪
♪ For one more day ♪
♪ Yeah, ho-o-ld o-o-o-on ♪
[VEHICLE DOOR CLOSES]
♪ Don't you know things can change? ♪
♪ Things'll go your way ♪
♪ If you hold on for one more day ♪
- ♪ If you hold on ♪
- [KNOCK ON DOOR]
Can I help you?
Yeah, maybe I'm in the wrong place.
I'm looking for a guy
named Mike McConnell?
Dad, someone's here to see you!
MICHAEL: Hey, get ready.
- Okay.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Grey.
[CHUCKLES]
♪
Something to drink?
Uh, no.
It's good to see you.
Not what you were expecting?
No.
Honestly, I thought I'd
find you in a dump somewhere.
Everything caught up to you.
Yeah, well, I guess
I outran it, didn't I?
Looks that way.
You hear from your mom?
She, uh... She got remarried.
Uh, some guy in a laundromat business.
God help him. [CHUCKLES]
Anyway, they, uh,
live in Kansas City now, so...
Everybody's moved on, I guess.
Yeah.
[CLEARS THROAT]
A beard suits you. You look good.
What... What have you been doing?
I got a bar up in Portland now.
- A bar?
- Yeah.
That's great. Good for you.
What's it called?
- It's called The Bad Alibi.
- [CHUCKLES]
I love that name.
I, uh... I stopped drinking.
Just in time for the new family, I guess.
I'm glad you're staying out of trouble.
Well, it hasn't been easy.
I imagine it hasn't been.
[SCOFFS]
You know, everything I am,
Mike, is 'cause of you.
I did everything you taught me.
And by the time I realized
that it was crap,
I was in jail.
Is that what you came here to tell me?
I... I was a bad father?
You don't think I know that?
Well, I never got to say it to you.
You don't think I wanted to say
how... how sorry I was?
You had a long time to do that.
You never reached out to me.
You told me you never wanted
to see me again, you...
It was 20 years ago.
I was a 16-year-old kid.
You were the dad. You could've fixed it.
You didn't. I guess it's easier
for you just to start over,
start from scratch, huh?
DARLENE: [SIGHS] Okay.
Honey, Mikey, this is Grey.
Hey.
This is Darlene and Mikey Junior.
Hey, Mikey.
- It's so nice to meet you.
- Yeah.
You, too.
I-I don't... I don't want to be rude,
but we're running late
to baseball practice.
Good luck today, Mikey.
Thanks.
- Bye.
- MICHAEL: Bye, honey.
- Bye, Dad.
- Bye.
[DOOR CLOSES]
Beautiful family.
All these photos, these memories,
you know, holidays and birthdays
and Little League in these
perfectly framed photographs.
But I'll tell you,
you don't have any of me.
It's like I never existed in your life.
I just... I-I don't have
any photos of us.
♪
Now you do.
♪
[SIGHS]
I remember this day.
Yeah, I do, too, Dad.
It was a good day, wasn't it?
- It was a great day.
- Yeah.
I'm sorry, son.
For everything.
Yeah.
Me, too.
♪
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
[SIREN WAILING]
Well, it was touch-and-go,
but we made a fortune, young brother.
Five times normal receipts.
Grey's gonna be thrilled.
His gun is missing.
♪
Say what?
"Pistol carried by First
Lieutenant Jacob McConnell.
Connecticut Volunteer Infantry."
You sure it was there?
It's always there.
Someone took it from the party?
Who'd keep something nice
just hanging in an office?
Maybe we can replace it and
Grey won't know the difference.
What's that?
So, it belonged to
Grey's great-great-grandfather
from the Civil War.
And it was recently appraised for...
Dios mio...
$22,000.
We're dead meat.
Yikes.
[DOG BARKS IN DISTANCE]
Hey, you glad you did it?
Maybe at some point, I will be,
but right now, I just kind of
feel robbed, you know?
I went there, and I... I don't know...
I thought we were just gonna
pick up where we left off.
You get in a fight or something?
He's just not the same guy anymore.
Maybe you're not either.
I don't know, the more
that I hate the guy,
the more that I see myself
in him, you know?
My dad was a quiet guy.
Introspective. I take more after my mom.
You don't talk about your mom that often.
No. She, um...
She had a lot of fire in her.
You know, if anyone cut
in front of us in line
or was rude to us, they would, uh...
they'd get an earful.
Yeah, she was tough.
But she couldn't watch movies
or animals who were being mistreated.
Or robots.
Did you say "robots"?
Yeah, she... she couldn't watch
humanoid robots
getting kicked around
or... or dismantled.
Come to think of it, neither can I.
Well, that is oddly specific.
Whenever I think about them leaving us,
I just want to smash something.
People up and bail for a million reasons.
None of 'em good.
[CHUCKLES] Look at us.
Livin' the Hollywood dream.
Well, if there's an upside,
I don't see how
things could get much worse.
Oh, my God!
What the hell?
[FIRE ALARM BEEPING]
Hey, Dex, you're making it worse!
Do something! [GRUNTING]
Not that!
Here, put this over your mouth,
breathe through it.
Let's go, let's go!
[COUGHING]
(DRAMATIC ROCK MUSIC)
DEX: Just give me a call
if you hear anything.
Well, I gave them Jim Force, and
the producer, Jared Mendleton.
They're gonna look into it.
Hey, that's it for me and L.A.
Let's just get in the car and go home.
I can't.
I came here to get Camille a deal,
and I'm not gonna let
a little heat scare me away.
A little heat? It was a fire bomb.
Look, I think I have a way that
we could flush out the suspects.
- "We"?
- Yeah.
They're... They're gonna
recognize me, so...
♪
Excuse me. You know where Stage 7 is?
Right around the corner. Thanks.
♪
So, this scumbag P.I.,
the one who stole
a scripty's production draft,
had a Molotov cocktail tossed
in her apartment last night.
You know, my friend, who's LAPD,
says that the P.I. has video
of the bomber running away,
but she won't turn it over
to the cops unless they pay.
Can you believe it?
The P.I. has a regular table
at The Roosevelt.
By 5:00 p.m. every day,
she's drinking martinis.
So the cops are going to broker a deal.
I'm sorry. What's that?
Oh, cops in the '50s didn't have beards.
- Are you gonna shave my beard?
- Yeah.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
I-I can't work like this.
I quit. Thank you.
So, you're saying it's a musket?
Black powder pistol.
And you think someone
in my family stole it?
Well, i-initially, I thought
it was the Wino-gram,
who changed clothes in there,
but then Ansel said
there were a lot of folks
in and out of the office all night.
Okay, Tookie, I am trying
to heal a wound in my immediate family.
Accusing extended family of theft?
You see, that opens a whole other wound.
- Look, Miles, I...
- Detective Hoffman.
I don't want to place blame
on anyone, believe me.
But the gun is missing,
so I need your help.
I'll look into it.
♪
[SOFT MUSIC PLAYS]
GREY: You're having a martini on a sting?
Thank you.
Every guidebook recommends
a martini from The Roosevelt.
I'm having one.
Mmm!
Do yourself a favor...
dirty up with some olives.
Hey, heads up. Someone's coming your way.
It's Conrad Costas.
You?
You were the P.I. on set?
You threw a Molotov cocktail
through my window last night?
♪
Do you have that
surveillance footage or not?
[SCOFFS] I'm not here
to answer your questions.
♪
Come on, you got to be kidding me.
Do I look like I'm kidding?
I'll shoot if you don't
hand it over right now.
DISPATCHER: 911. What's your emergency?
Freddie, you're not a killer.
Sorry, but I need this part.
This is a long way to go
to keep production rolling.
You think I have a choice?
This was my last shot.
I know. I know how you feel.
No, you don't.
You don't know what it's like
to be loved like that...
...and then to be forgotten
like... like... like you never existed.
♪
You're right. I don't.
I don't, but, um, that must hurt.
♪
I just want to look people in the eye
and... and for them to... to see me.
I understand.
♪
I can... I can salvage this.
Freddie, you can't.
♪
I'm sorry.
Why don't you hand that to me?
It's just a prop.
Yeah, well, I'm not gonna
tell them about it, okay?
♪
[SIGHS]
[POLICE RADIO CHATTER]
I feel bad for the guy.
He just didn't want to be forgotten.
Who does?
- Amigo! ¿Que pasa?
- GREY: I'm fine. What's up?
[CHUCKLES] That's great.
So, the pistola's gone,
and maybe it was the wino,
but people were in and out of here, too.
Okay, what pistola?
The Civil War gun in your office.
I put it in a safe in my loft.
I knew you were gonna have a party,
and I didn't want it stolen.
And what are you talking about a wino?
Nothing. It's all good.
All right, we're gonna talk
about this when I get home.
Si, jefe.
[CELLPHONE BEEPS]
♪
[CHUCKLES]
That's crazy.
DEX: I think that we're almost there.
We've got sole writing credit,
50 grand for the script, 6
tickets to the premiere, right?
Premiere? The star's in jail.
Oh, no, it's already been recast.
Yeah, he wasn't really our
first choice to begin with.
Wow. Out with one, in with another.
Uh, last thing...
the title, "At All Costs."
My client would like
to have that reinstated.
Ooh, uh, there is
a lot of paper out there
with the other title.
Yeah, I think we can
come up with a compromise.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
All right, we have a deal.
Thank you, gentlemen.
- Thank you.
- Mm-hmm.
Hmm. I think
I have this town figured out.
It's slick, it's sleazy, but it's fun.
- You fit right in.
- [CHUCKLES]
Okay, I think my work here is done.
- You ready to go home?
- Not quite.
No?
[WINDOW SQUEAKING]
GREY: All right, this is the place.
Mm-hmm.
Want me to go in with you?
[ENGINE IDLING]
No, I'm good.
All right. I'll be here.
Thanks.
[SIGHS]
Could I help you?
Maribel?
- [GASPS]
- Hi.
- Oh, I don't believe it.
- Um...
Ooh, it's been so long! [CHUCKLES]
Look at you!
- [LAUGHS]
- Hi.
[CHUCKLING] Oh, dear.
Oh, my.
Oh, how beautiful you are.
Ohh!
- Sit, sit, sit.
- Thank you, um...
[SIGHS]
- Oh...
- Hi.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
You should've called.
I know, I know. I'm sorry.
Oh, I'm just so glad to see you.
- So happy to see you.
- [CHUCKLES]
It's good to see you, too.
My goodness, you don't look a day older.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
I'm so glad you came to visit.
Yeah, me, too. Um...
Actually, I'm... I'm
looking for Mom and Dad.
I was hoping you could... you
could tell me where they are.
Sweetie...
they passed.
Mom, uh, in the winter of '83,
and... and Dad went the year after.
Don't you remember?
Um...
Sorry...
Tell me, how is Dex?
Oh...
I hope she's safe over there.
She's fine.
Ah, thank goodness.
Oh, she's gonna be cross with you,
leaving Ansel in that home.
I told you it wasn't right.
But when do you ever
listen to your big sister?
[CHUCKLES]
- Hmm?
Uh...
Maribel, you, um...
Do you remember the last
time that... that we spoke?
The night you left. You and David.
Do... Do you remember where we went?
You said it would be better
if I didn't know.
You... You said...
you had to go leave
and you couldn't come back.
- Why?
- [CHUCKLES]
Only you know that.
[CHUCKLES]
Yeah, you're right.
[SIGHS]
I'm so sorry, sweet girl.
[SIGHS]
Are you gonna leave now?
Why don't we just sit for a while?
I'd like that.
[CHUCKLES]
[BAND OF HORSES' "FUNERAL" PLAYS]
♪
[CELLPHONE VIBRATES]
♪
They came to a compromise on the title...
[CHUCKLING] "AT ALL COSTS:
The Conrad Costas Chronicles."
That's worse than before.
It's un-sayable.
[CHUCKLES] Camille agreed to it.
Aw, who knows? Maybe it'll be a big hit.
Mm.
♪ I'm coming up only to show you wrong ♪
At least someone got something
out of this trip.
You know, actually,
I was thinking about it.
I've, uh...
I spent my whole life
afraid of becoming my father.
And it turns out, the guy
has got it all figured out.
So, if you do the math on it,
that means I'm not destined
to be a total loser.
Hmm.
I'm happy you, um... you found an answer.
So did you.
How so?
You're brave enough
to look for your parents.
You didn't know that before.
♪
Still would've been nice, wouldn't it?
The Hollywood ending.
Oh, come on. There's no such thing.
♪
♪ Really too late to call, so ♪
♪ We wait for ♪
♪ Morning to wake you, that's all... ♪
JEREMY: You implied
that your parents were jerks.
They took off when I was overseas,
left my brother alone in a home,
and haven't heard from them since.
This is new for all of us,
the two of you
opposing each other on a case.
I'd love to hear anyone's
complaints about my father.
I'm sorry, Dad.
I was behind that article about you.
I need somebody behind the bar
I can trust.
You need a partner?
Let's not put a label on it.
Deal.
- Welcome back.
DEX: Oh, my God!
GREY: What the hell?!
[FIRE ALARM BEEPING]
Hey, Dex, you're making it worse!
Do something! [GRUNTING]
Not that!
Here, put this over your mouth,
breathe through it.
- Let's go, let's go!
- All right.
[COUGHING]
♪
[POLICE RADIO CHATTER, SIREN WAILING]
You remember when I said
it couldn't get any worse?
I was wrong.
Hey, I can see the Hollywood sign.
Oh, whatever. L.A. sucks.
Ah!
♪ _
Wouldn't you agree that a work
environment is at its best
when one doesn't have to second guess?
Feels like you're setting me up.
No sirree. I'm just saying
that since we now know the traditional
artist-proprietor relationship
here is solid,
I want to open the door.
If you ever have menu ideas,
throw 'em at me.
Great. Thanks.
And conversely, since I opened my kimono,
you could open yours.
So, if I had business notions,
you would hear them out.
Like what?
And don't say "event hosting"
again, okay?
You can say anything
except "event hosting."
[MID-TEMPO ROCK MUSIC PLAYS]
Okay. Again, no.
Tookie, events close us to the public,
and we need to remain open until
everybody knows we're here.
Okay?
Kimono closed.
♪ You got to give it up ♪
DEX: "Care and Repair
of the Blavatnik Z71
Pedal Drive Garden Tractor."
Sounds fascinating, Miss Costas.
Wait 'til the twist at the end.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
Joking. I write manuals to pay the bills.
Oh.
But this is why we're here.
Okay.
"At All Costs."
A movie script that I wrote
about the life of Conrad Costas.
- Mm.
- It's filming right now,
without my consent or any payment.
Stolen.
But it has a different title,
a different writer.
"Jim Force." Is that for real?
Not for real.
In high school, he was Chuck Drakner.
- Who's Conrad Costas?
- My uncle.
He was a detective in Cleveland.
Honest cop in a dirty station house,
rooting out corruption.
Sounds like a great story.
Right?
I thought, why not adapt it
for the screen?
So I did.
And then you sent it to Jim Force,
formally Chuck Drakner.
He said it was amateur work, at best.
Mm.
Now it's getting made
with his name on it.
He won't return my calls.
A lawyer will cost me 10 grand.
- Miss Costas...
- Camille, please.
Camille.
Uh, what are you asking me
to do about this?
Get the script.
So I can compare it against mine.
Okay, that can't be too hard.
L.A. is a tricky place.
- L.A.?
- It's a movie. [CHUCKLES]
Where do you think they...
they film these things?
[CHUCKLES]
- Mm.
- You're hesitant.
- Yeah, I just...
I can't just, like, pick up
and go to Los Angeles.
I'm sure it would only be a few days.
I-I just... I can't do that...
right now.
L.A. is, um...
It's complicated.
So...
Miss Parios...
...I'm a nobody.
No kids.
Last of my line.
If I died tomorrow, I'd disappear.
But if there's a shot
that my work puts my name
on a screen 30 feet high?
[VOICE BREAKING] Then it's
like proof that I was here.
♪
I get it. Uh...
Can I just think about it?
Can I... Can I get back to you?
- Sure.
- Okay.
Did you say L.A.? This is a sign!
- What is?
- This is.
The 1973 Dodge Challenger, Rallye series.
There's a guy in L.A. selling it.
I was gonna go there to check it out.
You were gonna go all the way
to L.A. to look at a car?
Well, it's not just a car.
It's a piece of art, Dex.
When I was a kid,
my dad had one just like it.
You hate your dad.
You don't even talk to him.
Agreed, but I love this car.
I learned to drive in this car.
I lost my virginity in it.
I mean, almost.
Almost?
Kammie Lerner.
Oh, she was something.
But she wouldn't go all the way?
No, she would. She just...
She spilled her wine in the front seat,
and it stained the leather,
and for a car guy,
- it was just such a buzzkill.
- Okay.
But I've been looking
to get this car for years,
and now that I gave away my truck...
I dunno. L.A. is just...
it's not my kind of town.
It's a great town.
Don't forget,
I lived there for almost a year.
- Doing what?
- Following a girl around.
Like a Schnauzer.
Well, that's not totally accurate,
but she was an actress.
So I could show you around. [SCOFFS]
- You can't just leave the bar, right?
- Yeah.
The Alibi's covered. Ansel's covered.
You two should go enjoy some sunshine.
If we did, you wouldn't throw
a party here, would you?
Host an event?
'Cause we talked about that, didn't we?
Absolutely not. Right, Ansel?
Right.
You two are so shady,
but I really want this car,
and you really need this case.
So, what do you say?
I mean, unless there's another reason
we're not going to L.A.
♪
♪
♪
[SIGHS]
♪
Hey.
[CHUCKLES]
Hey.
There's my pretty girl.
ANSEL: What is that?
Hey. What?
That.
Oh, nothing.
Don't worry about it.
What are you doing home?
Cash from my hiding place.
For a new video game.
Ah, a man without money is
like a boat without sails.
Mom used to say that.
She did, didn't she?
Huh.
Give me a hug.
- It's so good to see you.
- Good to see you.
- How you doing?
- Good.
[MISSING PERSONS'
"WALKING IN L.A." PLAYS]
♪
♪ Walkin' in L.A. ♪
What's it been, 14 hours?
I can't feel my legs.
Oh. Stop complaining.
Look, driving is cheaper than flying.
I need to make a profit here.
Look at that beautiful L.A. sky.
Mmm, yellow, smoggy horizon.
[CHUCKLES]
What's the book?
Yeah, it's for the case.
It's apparently everything
I need to know about the biz.
First of all, nobody in the biz
calls it "the biz,"
and I'll show you the ropes, okay?
Trust me, you're gonna love it down here.
[SIGHS] I mean...
[HORN HONKING]
What are we... Are we texting,
or are we driving?
Let's go with driving.
♪ Nobody walks in L.A. Love it already. ♪
[HORN HONKING]
Mmm.
- Mm-hmm.
- [CHUCKLES]
Oh, man, that's what I'm talking about.
- [CHUCKLES]
- Yeah.
The key to tinga
is tomatoes and tomatillos.
And then two words... Maui onion.
A little salt,
you can eat 'em like an apple.
Yeah, that's candy sweet, man.
My mom's gonna flip.
8:00 p.m. tomorrow, there will be
500 delivered to where, exactly?
You mentioned there was
an issue with your venue.
Yeah, it fell out.
I've just been calling around
and trying...
You're done calling.
You're talking to the chef
and assistant owner
of The Bad Alibi tavern.
- Assistant owner?
- An executive position.
I create the menu
and broker special events,
like your mom's 70th.
But EBT is a pilot program,
so let's not mention it to Grey.
Yeah, Tookie, I kinda can't
take a flyer on a pilot program.
It's been... It's been
a rough couple of weeks,
me and my dad...
Fathers and sons...
Yeah, it's been really tough on Mom.
Mom's in the middle,
trying to keep the peace.
Yeah, so this party's supposed to be a...
I don't know, just...
A chance for you to mend fences?
Right. Right.
And, um, my dad got called to D.C.
on a federal case,
so it's really on me now
to just step up big for her.
You get it, right?
EBT can handle it, Detective.
I'm sorry. What is EBT?
Events by Tookie.
Quiet gatherings to massive affairs.
You're not just putting your trust in me,
but in the value I put in our friendship.
Fist bump.
♪
I'm gonna... I'm gonna keep calling,
and, um, I'll drop a line if...
if, you know, I strike out.
Cool.
♪
GREY: Oh, I really love these old places.
Reminds me of classic Hollywood.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Um, did you bring toothpaste?
Yeah.
Here you go.
WOMAN: I'll kill you, Rothschild!
The diamonds are mine!
The hell is that?
That's an actor.
Auditioning.
Yeah, they put themselves on tape,
they send it to the casting director,
and then no one watches it.
- That's weird.
- Yeah.
So, do I look like a, um,
desperate screenwriter?
- That's redundant.
- [CHUCKLES]
Um...
Okay, I'm gonna go to see, uh, Jim Force.
I'll, uh, be back later.
Cool. Hey...
you all right?
Anything you want to talk about?
No.
- I'll see you later.
- See ya.
[DOOR CLOSES]
Now you're leaving?!
But I'm pregnant!
Ugh, that's an obstacle.
FORCE: Lucky I could
make time to see you.
- Mm.
- I've got a script in production.
Ah, yes, you mentioned that
on the, uh, call
and... and in the e-mail.
So, uh, you said
you have a movie idea
you want to develop.
Yes. Yes, I do.
I'm, uh... I'm looking for a consultant.
You know, someone to help me
with deadlines, notes.
Okay, well, it's $1,000 a month.
Oh, uh, that sounds... that sounds pricy.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
Yeah, it... it is high.
Uh, but I'm in demand.
Plus, I've got a script
in production, so...
- Right.
- [CELLPHONE CHIMES]
Oh! [CHUCKLES]
Production question.
Just two seconds.
Okay, no worries. [CHUCKLES]
♪
Uh, where is your script?
Um, "Conrad Costas Chronicles"?
I, uh... I can't share that 'til we wrap.
And why's that?
So people won't give away the ending.
But it's a true story.
Isn't the ending already known?
[CELLPHONE SWISHES]
Uh...
Miss Parios, if I were reading
a written draft of our interaction here,
my note would be,
you are overly interested
in reading my shooting script.
Oh. [CHUCKLES]
How come?
Well, it's just,
so many scripts get written,
and... and they don't actually
go into production.
I mean, just... it must feel amazing.
Oh, oh.
Truly, I mean, just
something to aspire to.
For me, as... as a beginner, I...
- it sounds wonderful.
- Yes.
Well, I still can't share.
Okay.
And the first three months' fee
is required up front.
Mm. I'm gonna think about it.
Yeah, yeah.
- I'm due on set.
- Got it.
- Thank you for your time.
- Mm-hmm.
♪
[DOOR OPENS]
Hey.
Hey.
Well [SIGHS] that was a total bust.
Jim Force gave me nothing.
Ugh!
I have to get my hands
on the shooting script.
Okay, this is terrible.
- [CHUCKLES]
- I mean, terrible.
So many coincidences. And the ending?
I mean, things don't end
perfectly like that, ever.
Can you help me find a solution to this?
[GROANS]
Come on, you... you said you
were gonna show me the ropes.
Yeah, okay, you got to
get yourself a shooting script,
and to do that, you got to get on set.
Okay, I'm just supposed to,
like, sneak past security?
I can get you on set, guaranteed.
Thank you. I owe you one.
All right, I'll cash it in.
Right now.
What's going on with you, Dex?
You've been acting so sneaky lately.
What? I'm not...
I'm fine.
What's up with that letter
you've been hiding from me?
♪
I think it might be
a way to find my parents.
♪
The letter is from my Aunt Maribel,
my mom's older sister.
We used to be, um...
We used to be pretty close.
You think she knows where your folks are?
Maybe.
When I got back from Afghanistan
and I realized they were gone,
Maribel was the first person
that I went to go and see.
- Um, but I couldn't find her, either.
- Hmm.
I just assumed that Maribel
and my parents were somewhere.
I don't... I don't know where.
Well, how long you had the letter?
About five years.
- Did you say five years?
- Well, I...
Life took over, okay? And I wasn't ready.
I was... I was furious with them
- and with... with... with her, too.
- Right.
I don't know. Ansel has been
talking about our folks lately,
so I thought, maybe I'll look her up.
Maybe you'll look her up? Dex...
What is she gonna say?
What is she gonna say?
What... What... What if
we were just abandoned?
Well, then at least you would
have your answers, right?
Right now, you just have questions.
Hey, I think you should do it.
Where the hell are we?
This is Hollywood.
[CHUCKLING] This is the real Hollywood.
- Isn't it great?
- Y-Yeah.
All right, right up here, we're gonna go
to Special Extras.
They cast background for movies.
50 bucks to the receptionist
can get you on any set in town.
And you know this because?
'Cause I dated an actress.
She was an extra.
Okay.
So... S-So, once I'm on set...
When you're on set,
you find the script supervisor.
The scripty will have
a whole production draft.
What does "scripty" do?
They make sure the actors say
all their lines right, I think.
Okay, so I just need to...
to steal scripty's script.
Yeah. It's not that complicated.
- Okay.
- Let's do it.
♪
Excellent, Miles.
We're very pleased
to host you tomorrow night.
Pre-invoice is on its way.
Standard pricing, no surprises, yes.
[CHUCKLES] I'll see you at 8:00.
[CELLPHONE BEEPS]
[CHUCKLES] He's in, hermano!
We're talking Lambo dinero!
Grey said no.
Grey didn't know how much
dough he could rake in
with an event for
200 thirsty party people.
When he sees how we killed it
and he's swimming in cash,
he'll wish he said yes.
We're just fulfilling his wish.
[CHUCKLES]
♪
♪ I'm not breaking my rules ♪
Lieutenant, I don't know
what the hell your problem is,
but if I were a thinking man,
I'd say you were on the take!
Now...
Line!
"Are you going to get out of my way,
or am I going to go through you?"
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's right.
Can I take it back a bit?
[LIGHT POWERS DOWN]
MAN: We lost a light! And that's a cut.
- [BELL RINGS]
- MAN: Ah, sorry. Sorry, everybody.
♪
My chair doesn't have my name on it?
Everyone else's does.
That's either a stupid...
♪
FREDDIE: Hey!
Can I borrow you?
♪
I butchered that scene.
Can you run lines with me?
- My stand-in is lighting.
- Yeah, sure, okay.
[CLEARS THROAT]
They had women on the force in the '50s?
Oh, yeah, sure.
Cleveland was very progressive.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And for what it's worth,
I thought you did a great job
with that scene.
- Really?
- Yeah.
Huh.
Well, i-it'll be better, you know?
I-I'm just working off the rust.
Wait, you... you were in
"The Long Road Home," right?
Yeah. Nine years ago.
Wow.
God, that was a great movie.
- Thanks.
- [CHUCKLES]
What have you been up to, um, since then?
What have I been doing since then?
- You really gonna ask me that?
- Well, no, I... I...
Some advice... Google
the star of the movie
- before you get on set.
- Okay.
Or scroll through the archives of TMZ.
You'll have your answer...
coke and rehab.
That's what I've been doing.
Now you know.
Okay.
Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean
to, uh, offend you.
It just... My brother and I,
we watched "The Road Home."
It was a... It was a good memory.
So...
[SIGHS]
No, I'm... I'm sorry I snapped at you.
It's nerves.
A lot of people think I'm a joke,
and this is my chance at a comeback.
I don't want my last picture
to be my mug shot.
I... I get it.
Oh, okay.
I'm the lieutenant, right?
- Yeah. Go.
- Okay.
Listen, Costas, the mayor's
breathing down my neck,
and I hate... I hate his halitosis.
I need you to drop this case
like a bad habit.
What is it?
- Uh, "Lieutenant, I..."
- Go again.
- Start... D-Do it again.
- Got it.
[BIRD SQUAWKING]
[CAR APPROACHES]
[ENGINE REVS]
Wow.
1973 Rallye series, Dodge Challenger.
V-8, original paint,
original leather interior.
Whoa. She's mint.
Yeah, dawg.
How long you had her?
About 10 years.
Got her off the original owner.
Nice.
What?
[SIGHS]
Hey, did you, uh...
You spill something on the seat?
No, that was there when I got it.
Only blemish, though.
Dude kept it in a garage in the Valley.
Hardly ever drove it.
Is that right?
Kind of a crime, right?
Hey, you happen to remember
the guy's name you bought this from?
Irish or something, like...
McConnell, I think.
You're all a bunch of finks!
Am I the only one
who will put his ass on the line
for Cleveland?!
For... For...
For... For... For...
"For justice."
For justice!
Son of a bitch!
I'm sorry. I need... I need five.
SECOND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR:
And that's a cut.
[BELL RINGS]
Don't say anything.
Rumor is, there's
buffalo wings at crafty.
Get 'em quick. No secrets on set.
- Am I right?
- Thanks for the tip.
Mm-hmm.
♪
Hey, there's, uh, buffalo wings
at crafty, going fast.
Buffalo wings? Hell yes.
♪
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
[DANIEL INDART AND LUIS ERIC'S
"MAMBO DANCE" PLAYS]
Hey, is this Events by Tookie?
- Who are you?
- Randy Huffernan.
The kid said I could
come change back here.
Change why? Into what?
Uh, I'm the entertainment.
♪ Mambo ♪
[EXTREME'S CHA CHA UN DOS" PLAYS]
KENNY: It's all cool.
She's gonna love it.
I said, get entertainment,
like a karaoke machine or a juggler.
But a Wino-gram?
From a-a dude who just might be
a legit wino?
Maybe I haggled too hard.
Mm.
I think they sent the "B" team.
♪ Vamos papi pa'donde el
bombillito no alumbra ♪
The entertainment looks a little... raw.
Yeah, my cousin never fails to... fail.
LAURA: Took?
- Hey.
Canola and cayenne. Receipt's in the bag.
We ran low. My wife, Laura.
Nice to meet you. Miles.
You too.
And it was 23 miles round trip.
50 cents a mile, standard pricing.
- All right.
- Look, I gotta go, Took.
- Mira.
- ¿Que pasa?
That's a lot of va-voom
for book club, huh?
It was the only thing clean.
I'm home late, okay?
♪
- ♪ Se que no quieres creer cuanto ♪
- [GLASS SHATTERS]
Watch the broken glass!
That's cost plus, by the way.
Look, Took, now might be a good
time to talk about that invoice.
There was a $50 line item for grenadine?
Mm, standard pricing.
♪ No te quedes ahi parada ♪
♪ Unete a mi vacilon,
no te quedes ahi parada ♪
Hey, Mom, how's, uh...
how's the birthday?
I'm having a wonderful time.
- Yes?
- Yes.
- Good.
- We needed this, Miles.
- Thank you.
- Good.
Ladies [BURPS] and gentle-germs.
- May I have your attentions?
- Oh, my God.
Mom, okay, look,
this wasn't the original plan.
- I...
- Okay?
- Okay.
- ...would like to perform,
for the birthday girl,
a special rendition...
- [CHUCKLES]
- ...of "You Light Up My Life."
[CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY]
[CELLPHONE BEEPS]
[CROWD MURMURS]
Oh, damn this thing.
[CELLPHONE BEEPS]
Sorry.
Forget device.
[BURPS]
He really is drunk, isn't he?
[BURPS] Oh...
- Oh!
- [CROWD GASPS]
Is it playing?
- Oh...
- [HICCUP]
♪
DEX: Yeah, you nailed it, Camille.
The shooting script
is identical to yours.
- Force ripped you off.
- I can't believe it.
So, how do we get them to comply?
Well, that's not really my department.
I'm not an agent or a lawyer.
I wouldn't trust you if you were.
But they should put my name on it, right?
Uh, yeah.
Yeah, and, um, from
the reading I've been doing,
they should be paying you, too.
To think that I could be a paid
writer in Hollywood?
You're making my dreams come true, Dex.
Uh, I'll... I'll do my best,
Camille, okay?
I'll, um, call you
if I hear anything, okay?
Bye.
Hey.
- What you doing?
- I'm packing.
Why? 'Cause I'm going home.
What about the car?
Forget the car, okay? I hate the car.
The car sucks and L.A. sucks,
and I'm going home.
Because?
Because it's my dad's car.
Mm-hmm, you told me that.
You don't understand.
It's his actual car.
Like, the same vehicle.
My father, a man I haven't talked to
in, I don't know, 20 years,
is here in L.A.,
and he lives in the Valley, okay?
Your dad lives in L.A.?
Yeah, and that's why I'm flying
back to Portland, all right?
Well, no, you're running away.
You know what, Dex?
I-I never should have
let you talk me into this.
You're the one who told me
to come down here.
I'm leaving.
[SCOFFS]
Weren't you the one telling me
that I should talk to my family?
Yes, I was, and that's very different.
- How?
- Because it's your family.
- Grey, this is a sign.
- Okay, what's the sign?
You were meant to come on this trip.
W-What are the chances of this happening?
You always said that if
you ever found your dad
that you would finally get some closure.
Well, this is it. This is your chance.
You cannot run away from this.
♪
All right, Dex.
If I go see my dad,
then you go see Maribel.
♪ When it could be so easy ♪
Fine. You first.
Why do I have to go first?
'Cause I have a deal to negotiate.
Fine.
Fine.
♪ You know what you want ♪
♪
FORCE: Okay, you need to
understand something...
without me, this script goes nowhere.
It's dead in the water.
So Camille should be thanking
you for ripping her off?
This is your ass, Jim.
I can't produce a script I don't own.
If you want to avoid a shutdown,
um, she's gonna need two million
for the script.
[SCOFFS] I'm not quite done.
Solo writing credit, um, ten per...
ten percent of first dollar gross...
- No, no, and no!
- 16 tickets to the premiere,
private air travel, and a limo.
[LAUGHS]
This is the entire budget of the movie!
Okay, well, we'll give you
24 hours to answer,
or, uh, we're gonna shut it down.
No, I have 14 unsold pilots
and 26 treatments.
I haven't had a meeting in a year, okay?
And I've never been this close
to something real,
and you're not taking it away from me!
Take away what you stole? [SCOFFS]
It was never yours, Mr. Drakner.
♪
♪ Until then, baby ♪
♪ Are you gonna let 'em hold you
down and make you cry? ♪
♪ Don't you know? ♪
♪ Don't you know things can change? ♪
♪ Things'll go your way ♪
♪ If you hold on ♪
♪ For one more day ♪
♪ Yeah, ho-o-ld o-o-o-on ♪
[VEHICLE DOOR CLOSES]
♪ Don't you know things can change? ♪
♪ Things'll go your way ♪
♪ If you hold on for one more day ♪
- ♪ If you hold on ♪
- [KNOCK ON DOOR]
Can I help you?
Yeah, maybe I'm in the wrong place.
I'm looking for a guy
named Mike McConnell?
Dad, someone's here to see you!
MICHAEL: Hey, get ready.
- Okay.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Grey.
[CHUCKLES]
♪
Something to drink?
Uh, no.
It's good to see you.
Not what you were expecting?
No.
Honestly, I thought I'd
find you in a dump somewhere.
Everything caught up to you.
Yeah, well, I guess
I outran it, didn't I?
Looks that way.
You hear from your mom?
She, uh... She got remarried.
Uh, some guy in a laundromat business.
God help him. [CHUCKLES]
Anyway, they, uh,
live in Kansas City now, so...
Everybody's moved on, I guess.
Yeah.
[CLEARS THROAT]
A beard suits you. You look good.
What... What have you been doing?
I got a bar up in Portland now.
- A bar?
- Yeah.
That's great. Good for you.
What's it called?
- It's called The Bad Alibi.
- [CHUCKLES]
I love that name.
I, uh... I stopped drinking.
Just in time for the new family, I guess.
I'm glad you're staying out of trouble.
Well, it hasn't been easy.
I imagine it hasn't been.
[SCOFFS]
You know, everything I am,
Mike, is 'cause of you.
I did everything you taught me.
And by the time I realized
that it was crap,
I was in jail.
Is that what you came here to tell me?
I... I was a bad father?
You don't think I know that?
Well, I never got to say it to you.
You don't think I wanted to say
how... how sorry I was?
You had a long time to do that.
You never reached out to me.
You told me you never wanted
to see me again, you...
It was 20 years ago.
I was a 16-year-old kid.
You were the dad. You could've fixed it.
You didn't. I guess it's easier
for you just to start over,
start from scratch, huh?
DARLENE: [SIGHS] Okay.
Honey, Mikey, this is Grey.
Hey.
This is Darlene and Mikey Junior.
Hey, Mikey.
- It's so nice to meet you.
- Yeah.
You, too.
I-I don't... I don't want to be rude,
but we're running late
to baseball practice.
Good luck today, Mikey.
Thanks.
- Bye.
- MICHAEL: Bye, honey.
- Bye, Dad.
- Bye.
[DOOR CLOSES]
Beautiful family.
All these photos, these memories,
you know, holidays and birthdays
and Little League in these
perfectly framed photographs.
But I'll tell you,
you don't have any of me.
It's like I never existed in your life.
I just... I-I don't have
any photos of us.
♪
Now you do.
♪
[SIGHS]
I remember this day.
Yeah, I do, too, Dad.
It was a good day, wasn't it?
- It was a great day.
- Yeah.
I'm sorry, son.
For everything.
Yeah.
Me, too.
♪
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
[SIREN WAILING]
Well, it was touch-and-go,
but we made a fortune, young brother.
Five times normal receipts.
Grey's gonna be thrilled.
His gun is missing.
♪
Say what?
"Pistol carried by First
Lieutenant Jacob McConnell.
Connecticut Volunteer Infantry."
You sure it was there?
It's always there.
Someone took it from the party?
Who'd keep something nice
just hanging in an office?
Maybe we can replace it and
Grey won't know the difference.
What's that?
So, it belonged to
Grey's great-great-grandfather
from the Civil War.
And it was recently appraised for...
Dios mio...
$22,000.
We're dead meat.
Yikes.
[DOG BARKS IN DISTANCE]
Hey, you glad you did it?
Maybe at some point, I will be,
but right now, I just kind of
feel robbed, you know?
I went there, and I... I don't know...
I thought we were just gonna
pick up where we left off.
You get in a fight or something?
He's just not the same guy anymore.
Maybe you're not either.
I don't know, the more
that I hate the guy,
the more that I see myself
in him, you know?
My dad was a quiet guy.
Introspective. I take more after my mom.
You don't talk about your mom that often.
No. She, um...
She had a lot of fire in her.
You know, if anyone cut
in front of us in line
or was rude to us, they would, uh...
they'd get an earful.
Yeah, she was tough.
But she couldn't watch movies
or animals who were being mistreated.
Or robots.
Did you say "robots"?
Yeah, she... she couldn't watch
humanoid robots
getting kicked around
or... or dismantled.
Come to think of it, neither can I.
Well, that is oddly specific.
Whenever I think about them leaving us,
I just want to smash something.
People up and bail for a million reasons.
None of 'em good.
[CHUCKLES] Look at us.
Livin' the Hollywood dream.
Well, if there's an upside,
I don't see how
things could get much worse.
Oh, my God!
What the hell?
[FIRE ALARM BEEPING]
Hey, Dex, you're making it worse!
Do something! [GRUNTING]
Not that!
Here, put this over your mouth,
breathe through it.
Let's go, let's go!
[COUGHING]
(DRAMATIC ROCK MUSIC)
DEX: Just give me a call
if you hear anything.
Well, I gave them Jim Force, and
the producer, Jared Mendleton.
They're gonna look into it.
Hey, that's it for me and L.A.
Let's just get in the car and go home.
I can't.
I came here to get Camille a deal,
and I'm not gonna let
a little heat scare me away.
A little heat? It was a fire bomb.
Look, I think I have a way that
we could flush out the suspects.
- "We"?
- Yeah.
They're... They're gonna
recognize me, so...
♪
Excuse me. You know where Stage 7 is?
Right around the corner. Thanks.
♪
So, this scumbag P.I.,
the one who stole
a scripty's production draft,
had a Molotov cocktail tossed
in her apartment last night.
You know, my friend, who's LAPD,
says that the P.I. has video
of the bomber running away,
but she won't turn it over
to the cops unless they pay.
Can you believe it?
The P.I. has a regular table
at The Roosevelt.
By 5:00 p.m. every day,
she's drinking martinis.
So the cops are going to broker a deal.
I'm sorry. What's that?
Oh, cops in the '50s didn't have beards.
- Are you gonna shave my beard?
- Yeah.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
I-I can't work like this.
I quit. Thank you.
So, you're saying it's a musket?
Black powder pistol.
And you think someone
in my family stole it?
Well, i-initially, I thought
it was the Wino-gram,
who changed clothes in there,
but then Ansel said
there were a lot of folks
in and out of the office all night.
Okay, Tookie, I am trying
to heal a wound in my immediate family.
Accusing extended family of theft?
You see, that opens a whole other wound.
- Look, Miles, I...
- Detective Hoffman.
I don't want to place blame
on anyone, believe me.
But the gun is missing,
so I need your help.
I'll look into it.
♪
[SOFT MUSIC PLAYS]
GREY: You're having a martini on a sting?
Thank you.
Every guidebook recommends
a martini from The Roosevelt.
I'm having one.
Mmm!
Do yourself a favor...
dirty up with some olives.
Hey, heads up. Someone's coming your way.
It's Conrad Costas.
You?
You were the P.I. on set?
You threw a Molotov cocktail
through my window last night?
♪
Do you have that
surveillance footage or not?
[SCOFFS] I'm not here
to answer your questions.
♪
Come on, you got to be kidding me.
Do I look like I'm kidding?
I'll shoot if you don't
hand it over right now.
DISPATCHER: 911. What's your emergency?
Freddie, you're not a killer.
Sorry, but I need this part.
This is a long way to go
to keep production rolling.
You think I have a choice?
This was my last shot.
I know. I know how you feel.
No, you don't.
You don't know what it's like
to be loved like that...
...and then to be forgotten
like... like... like you never existed.
♪
You're right. I don't.
I don't, but, um, that must hurt.
♪
I just want to look people in the eye
and... and for them to... to see me.
I understand.
♪
I can... I can salvage this.
Freddie, you can't.
♪
I'm sorry.
Why don't you hand that to me?
It's just a prop.
Yeah, well, I'm not gonna
tell them about it, okay?
♪
[SIGHS]
[POLICE RADIO CHATTER]
I feel bad for the guy.
He just didn't want to be forgotten.
Who does?
- Amigo! ¿Que pasa?
- GREY: I'm fine. What's up?
[CHUCKLES] That's great.
So, the pistola's gone,
and maybe it was the wino,
but people were in and out of here, too.
Okay, what pistola?
The Civil War gun in your office.
I put it in a safe in my loft.
I knew you were gonna have a party,
and I didn't want it stolen.
And what are you talking about a wino?
Nothing. It's all good.
All right, we're gonna talk
about this when I get home.
Si, jefe.
[CELLPHONE BEEPS]
♪
[CHUCKLES]
That's crazy.
DEX: I think that we're almost there.
We've got sole writing credit,
50 grand for the script, 6
tickets to the premiere, right?
Premiere? The star's in jail.
Oh, no, it's already been recast.
Yeah, he wasn't really our
first choice to begin with.
Wow. Out with one, in with another.
Uh, last thing...
the title, "At All Costs."
My client would like
to have that reinstated.
Ooh, uh, there is
a lot of paper out there
with the other title.
Yeah, I think we can
come up with a compromise.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
All right, we have a deal.
Thank you, gentlemen.
- Thank you.
- Mm-hmm.
Hmm. I think
I have this town figured out.
It's slick, it's sleazy, but it's fun.
- You fit right in.
- [CHUCKLES]
Okay, I think my work here is done.
- You ready to go home?
- Not quite.
No?
[WINDOW SQUEAKING]
GREY: All right, this is the place.
Mm-hmm.
Want me to go in with you?
[ENGINE IDLING]
No, I'm good.
All right. I'll be here.
Thanks.
[SIGHS]
Could I help you?
Maribel?
- [GASPS]
- Hi.
- Oh, I don't believe it.
- Um...
Ooh, it's been so long! [CHUCKLES]
Look at you!
- [LAUGHS]
- Hi.
[CHUCKLING] Oh, dear.
Oh, my.
Oh, how beautiful you are.
Ohh!
- Sit, sit, sit.
- Thank you, um...
[SIGHS]
- Oh...
- Hi.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
You should've called.
I know, I know. I'm sorry.
Oh, I'm just so glad to see you.
- So happy to see you.
- [CHUCKLES]
It's good to see you, too.
My goodness, you don't look a day older.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
I'm so glad you came to visit.
Yeah, me, too. Um...
Actually, I'm... I'm
looking for Mom and Dad.
I was hoping you could... you
could tell me where they are.
Sweetie...
they passed.
Mom, uh, in the winter of '83,
and... and Dad went the year after.
Don't you remember?
Um...
Sorry...
Tell me, how is Dex?
Oh...
I hope she's safe over there.
She's fine.
Ah, thank goodness.
Oh, she's gonna be cross with you,
leaving Ansel in that home.
I told you it wasn't right.
But when do you ever
listen to your big sister?
[CHUCKLES]
- Hmm?
Uh...
Maribel, you, um...
Do you remember the last
time that... that we spoke?
The night you left. You and David.
Do... Do you remember where we went?
You said it would be better
if I didn't know.
You... You said...
you had to go leave
and you couldn't come back.
- Why?
- [CHUCKLES]
Only you know that.
[CHUCKLES]
Yeah, you're right.
[SIGHS]
I'm so sorry, sweet girl.
[SIGHS]
Are you gonna leave now?
Why don't we just sit for a while?
I'd like that.
[CHUCKLES]
[BAND OF HORSES' "FUNERAL" PLAYS]
♪
[CELLPHONE VIBRATES]
♪
They came to a compromise on the title...
[CHUCKLING] "AT ALL COSTS:
The Conrad Costas Chronicles."
That's worse than before.
It's un-sayable.
[CHUCKLES] Camille agreed to it.
Aw, who knows? Maybe it'll be a big hit.
Mm.
♪ I'm coming up only to show you wrong ♪
At least someone got something
out of this trip.
You know, actually,
I was thinking about it.
I've, uh...
I spent my whole life
afraid of becoming my father.
And it turns out, the guy
has got it all figured out.
So, if you do the math on it,
that means I'm not destined
to be a total loser.
Hmm.
I'm happy you, um... you found an answer.
So did you.
How so?
You're brave enough
to look for your parents.
You didn't know that before.
♪
Still would've been nice, wouldn't it?
The Hollywood ending.
Oh, come on. There's no such thing.
♪
♪ Really too late to call, so ♪
♪ We wait for ♪
♪ Morning to wake you, that's all... ♪