The Guest Book (2017–…): Season 1, Episode 2 - Story Two - full transcript
Devout mother Jill (Stockard Channing) is annoyed that her son Ethan (Henry Zebrowski) has brought his atheist fiancée Lynn (Mary Lynn Rajskub) to the cabin for a family getaway. Willing to do whatever it takes to make sure an atheist doesn't marry into her family, the devout mother ends up wrestling with her own belief in God as she struggles to do His bidding.
Hey, man.
- What?
- That show about the cabin in
the woods is on again tonight.
It's a different story every week,
but I think some of the people
in the town are in every episode.
So, there's an older couple
who rents the cabin,
and there's a guy next
door who has a kid.
Plus, there's a stripper who tapes dudes
and blackmails them with
the help of her stepson.
Although last episode, that
dude got locked in his own trunk.
- Anyway, you should check it out.
- Yeah, I don't know.
I didn't really like the last
show you recommended.
The Grammys?
- Yeah. Too much music.
- [BUTTON CLICKS]
[VENDING MACHINE CLACKS]
♪ Wherever we go ♪
♪ That's fine by me ♪
♪ We'll settle our bones ♪
♪ Eventually ♪
♪ Yeah, I need a break,
I need a minute ♪
♪ Just give me one day ♪
♪ Let's get, get, get away ♪
[ORGAN PLAYING]
- Jill.
- Father.
Do I have you to thank for this bounty?
I didn't want you to get hungry.
It's gonna be a long one.
JILL: Our son, Ethan, was coming to
- town with his fiancée.
- [ENGINE STARTS]
And as I've told you before,
as long as his fiancée refuses
to enter the house of the Lord,
she's not welcome in mine, either.
So, Jeff and I rented a
cabin in the mountains.
- Did you find a good church yet?
- No, Mom.
Just because Lynn's
an atheist doesn't mean
you can't spend a little
time away from each other
on a Sunday morning.
You're gonna be
separated in the afterlife.
- Might as well practice.
- [FOLK MUSIC PLAYS ON STEREO]
- How's work, Mom?
- Oh, you know.
Work is work.
Somebody brought in a
constipated ferret last week.
Have you ever seen
a ferret in real life?
Looks like an eel wearing a toupée.
I don't even think it's legal
to have them as pets.
I wanted to call the police.
But Dr. Griffin disagreed.
So I just did my job and
lubed up his little pinky
so he could shove it up
that dirty little varmint's
impacted anus.
- [SPLAT]
- Ah!
- Sorry. I hit a bug.
- [BRAKES SCREECH]
- [TURNS ENGINE OFF]
- I can't drive with guts
on the windshield.
Ohh. Would you look at that?
Every little girl driving down
this highway must think
the only way she can get her dream car
is to shake her bosoms
at horny truckers.
[ROCK MUSIC PLAYS IN BUILDING]
♪ I'm the king of the world,
and I'm never lookin' back... ♪
[MUSIC CONTINUES, MUFFLED]
It's him.
Where the hell are you?
- I'm locked in the trunk of my car.
- How did that happen?!
Because I'm not cut out
for this kind of thing!
When are you gonna get
that through your skull?
You better watch your volume, dickhead.
When that train killed your daddy,
I could've thrown your
crying, 15-year-old ass out,
but instead I gave you a job
and kept a roof over your head
for the last seven years.
Now, you show me another
stepmom that would do that
for her adopted black son, and
don't you say Sandra Bullock,
'cause I know your slow ass ain't
protecting nobody's blind side.
Now, you just sit tight, and I'll
come get you when we close.
You want cash or a handie?
I'll take the cash.
I feel you tend to rush
things when we barter.
♪
- [KEYBOARD CLACKING]
- _
[CHIMES]
_
Hello.
Oh, hi.
We're here to pick up the
keys for Froggy Cottage.
Oh, of course.
Let me, uh...
Let me find your reservations.
JEFF: Are you sure you want
to go through with this?
We could go to jail, you know.
Don't get soft on me now, Jeff.
We've got some heavy
lifting for the Lord to do.
Our son is not marrying an atheist.
Okey doke.
♪
This is nice, right?
What do you reckon this
thing's supposed to be?
Did you talk to your mother
about letting us stay in
the same room this time?
I'll get those for you.
- It would just be easier...
- You're a pussy. You know that?
I know. I never said I wasn't a pussy.
[AIR HISSING STEADILY]
[CPAP MACHINE WHIRRING]
[ALARM BUZZES]
Jeff, it's time.
[SWITCH CLICKS]
[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING]
[DOOR OPENS]
[MUFFLED SCREAM]
Okay. Let's do this.
So, what exactly
was in this syringe
you stuck into your son's fiancée's leg?
Propofol.
As a veterinary nurse, I have access
to some very powerful sedatives.
The trick is figuring
out how much to use,
so I just tripled the dose
we gave a cocker spaniel
who had a hysterectomy.
Can you believe that's
what she sleeps in?
Talk about skimpy. Looks like
something Farrah Fawcett
would wear on her honeymoon.
Just look at those nipples.
Don't actually look, Jeff.
That's an expression.
Oh, sorry, I-I couldn't
tell from your inflection.
I mean, goodness gracious,
what's wrong with a proper pair
of old-fashioned, tasteful PJ's?
What, has that girl never
heard of Lands' End?
- [VEHICLE APPROACHES]
- I-I know. Times change.
[ENGINE REVS]
[KEYS JANGLE]
This is why I want a normal job.
I could go back to school. Do you
remember that commercial we saw?
If you say the words
"air-conditioning repair"
to me again, I swear to God
I will stab you with a fork.
[KEYS CLATTER]
[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING]
Jeff and I had already
prepared the hot tub area
for Lynn's baptism.
♪
We had lit some candles we
had brought from the church...
... and I changed Lynn
into a more tasteful outfit
as Jeff averted his eyes.
The whole ceremony only
takes about 10 minutes.
Jeff dunked her under
water about four times,
holding her nose to make
sure she didn't drown.
I dried her off the best I could
and put her back into her nightgown...
If you can call it that.
[DOOR CREAKS, CLOSES]
Some lunatic wrote a filthy
story in the guest book
about women and feet.
I can't imagine how crowded
Hell must be these days.
- Good morning.
- Good morning!
- How'd you sleep?
- Great.
Must be the mountain air.
I feel amazing.
Lynn can blame it on the
mountain air all she wants,
but I knew why she felt the way she did.
It was the first time she woke
up with the Lord in her soul.
And because of that, we
all started to get along.
But I'm not saying definitively
that there is no God.
I mean, how could I? My
doubt of a higher being
is based on the absence of proof.
So, there's an argument
to be made that without
tangible proof that there is no God,
I can't logically rule it out.
I was feeling so good
about the change that
was happening in Lynn
that I got brave enough
to take a little gamble.
Lynn, listen.
I know you have your beliefs,
and I totally respect that.
But I bought something for you
before I knew about
the whole atheist thing,
and I've been holding
onto it, which is really silly
because it's just a
beautiful piece of jewelry.
Oh, my. Look at that.
There's a little Jesus on there.
Well, that's one way of looking at it.
Or, it's just a pretty necklace
with a very fit,
long-haired hippie on a cross.
It doesn't matter who you
think it is. There's no denying
that the blue of his tears
really makes your eyes pop.
Thank you. I love it.
You're welcome.
Did you sleep with the window open?
Yeah, but the screen was shut.
Hey, have you guys gotten bitten
by any bugs while we're here?
Lynn woke up with
something weird on her leg.
- [GASPS] Oh, my.
- Good Lord.
It's bad, right? I told you it was bad!
- Well, I don't know.
- JILL: No, no, no. It's not bad.
It's, um, just a bug bite.
Last time we were up here,
I had something very similar.
It'll go away. It'll go away.
It'll... go away.
Dear Lord,
as I have told you repeatedly
throughout the day, we have a problem.
Lynn's leg is still red and inflamed
around the injection site.
Will you stop reading and
get down on your knees?
I already prayed when you were in
the bathroom shaving your calluses.
- Did you pray about Lynn's leg?
- Yeah, mostly.
I chatted with him a little bit
about my brother's problem,
but no, most of it was about the leg.
Your brother is a drunk who
was fired from Krispy Kreme.
I can't have the Lord preoccupied
with that right now. Get on your knees.
I just started a chapter.
Get on your knees.
[SIGHS]
[GRUNTS]
[SIGHS]
I'm sorry about that, Lord. Where was I?
- I'm here now, too.
- He can see that.
Lord,
I know you work in mysterious ways,
but I need you to make
that mark go away.
Things have been better than
ever since Lynn's baptism,
so I don't know why
you put that mark there.
In any event, I need it
to disappear pronto.
And for that, I pray.
- What are you doing?
- Oh, getting into bed.
You haven't prayed again yet.
Well, I thought as long
as I was next to you,
- it was like I was...
- [SIGHS]
[SIGHS]
Lord, it's me again... Jeff.
How 'bout we put a pin in all
that stuff about what my brother
may or may not have done
to those jelly doughnuts?
Instead, I'd like to draw your attention
to the matter my wife was discussing.
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
[LYNN SCREAMS]
♪
What's going on?
[GASPS] Aah!
♪
You're sure you don't
want to talk to me alone?
Why? I told you...
He fell on the fork.
I'd like to hear it from him.
I fell on the fork.
Well, you're the one
who wanted to separate.
If you can't live on the
money we agreed on,
then maybe you should
think about getting a job.
Oh, that's funny to you.
It looks like she has
a MRSA staph infection.
Oh, that's not good.
We had a hamster that had one of those,
- and we had to burn him.
- Yeah, I'm still here.
You gonna put my son on so I can sing
him a "Happy Birthday" before
he goes to school or not?
No, I'm not saying he
shouldn't brush his teeth.
Jesus, Jessica, does
everything have to be a fight?
- How could this happen?
- All it takes is the tiniest cut
- for an infection to get in.
- Get in from where?
Oh, the MRSA virus is everywhere.
You can pick it up
from a hotel doorknob,
a public restroom, even a hot
tub if it's not cleaned properly.
- Oh, dear Lord.
- We have her on I.V. antibiotics.
We're gonna do everything
we can to save her leg.
- Can I see her?
- She's in exam room four.
We'll be admitting her upstairs soon.
Eddie, if you're here to get oxy again,
I'm gonna need to see a
broken bone. I am not giv...
Hey, buddy!
♪ Happy Birthday to you ♪
♪ Happy Birthday to you ♪
- BOTH: ♪ Happy Birthday dear ♪
- Bryce.
♪ Bryce ♪
[HARMONIZING] ♪ Happy Birthday to you ♪
How 'bout that, huh?
I don't know. Just some
guy. But isn't that nice?
Happy Birthday, buddy.
♪
I just don't get it, man. Why
are you doing this to me?
I baptized an atheist for you.
That's like dragging Osama bin
Laden into the White House
and making him sing the national
anthem while eating a hot dog!
Why are you punishing me?
I told you this was a bad idea.
We should've stayed home and
baptized her in our own bathtub.
God knows who's been soaking
their infected body in that hot tub.
That's right.
You knew exactly who
had been in that hut tub.
How the heck did you
allow this to happen?
[ETHAN CLEARS THROAT]
How long have you been standing there?
Pretty long.
Ethan was less than pleased.
How could you do this?!
I did it for you.
Trust me, you do not want
to be married to an atheist.
You think God's gonna pay attention
to you and your little
half-atheist babies?
And it was working, too.
You saw how nice Lynn was
being after we baptized her.
She admitted there might be a God.
She even put on the crucifix I gave her.
Because I bribed her! I told her if she
put up with you and
played nice that I would...
I made a deal with her.
- What deal?
- It doesn't matter.
It does matter. I would like to know
what having your fiancée
pretend to like us
and act like she is somewhat
open to the existence of God
- is worth to you.
- Fine.
I told her that I would go down on her
four times for every time
she goes down on me.
Oh, man. That's a crap deal, son.
Why are you telling us this?
You told me to!
Well, that's before I knew what it was.
You knew what it was. You
should have known better.
You knew what it was.
Why did you let him tell us?
Look, Ethan, when you
tell Lynn about this...
I'm not telling Lynn about this!
- You're not?
- Hell, no! Guys, look at me.
I'm a chubby grocery store manager
who sleeps with a loud-ass machine
that keeps me alive at night.
An atheist with one leg who blows me
25% of the time that I go down on her
is as good as I'm gonna do, and
I'm not risking losing her over this.
Ah.
♪
If she loses that leg,
you might be able to
renegotiate that deal.
The next few days were torture.
We didn't know if Lynn was gonna live.
But eventually, we got some good news.
The antibiotics worked.
- [CHUCKLING] Oh!
- Oh!
She has to see her doctor
when she gets home,
- but she's gonna be fine.
- Thank God.
- You gave us quite a scare, honey.
- Tell me about it.
Come on, Dad. Let's
- pull the car around.
- Yeah.
- Is that a new turtleneck?
- Yeah, I got it at a thrift store,
but it's new to me.
I'm so glad you're gonna be okay.
- Me, too.
- [DOOR CLOSES]
To tell you the truth,
I kind of have you
- to thank for it.
- Me?
When you gave me this necklace,
I have to admit I accepted
it just to be polite.
But after I'd been in
here a couple of days,
I started to get scared.
You know? Really scared.
And being an atheist,
I had nowhere to turn,
so I just took a shot.
I prayed.
And I felt better.
I felt like...
Like I wasn't alone.
And then the next thing I knew,
the medicine started working.
I've always been a non-believer because
I've never seen proof that God existed,
but I can't claim that anymore.
I welcomed him into my life,
and I think he healed me.
Who knows. Maybe this
was His plan all along.
What do they say... "The Lord
works in mysterious ways"?
Yeah.
That's what they say.
Wow.
My head wants to condemn your actions,
but my heart is full of God's adoration.
You brought a new member into his flock.
Yeah, I sure did.
And that makes us
even 'cause I'm leaving.
Excuse me?
I didn't come here to confess, Father.
- I came to resign.
- I don't understand.
That son of a bitch up there has put
me through the goddamn ringer.
Did He take the mark off her
leg when I asked him to?
No, He made it bigger.
But when she asked him to heal her,
a goddamn atheist, and
suddenly, he's all ears.
What, is he into younger girls?
- Is that what this is all about?
- Jill, I don't think...
I have been to church
every Sunday of my life
because I thought it
would lead to a better life.
And guess what? I'm still waiting.
Driving around in my
mother's old station wagon
because I give 10% of
everything I make to the church.
And don't even get me
started on the lousy body
your buddy God gave
me to parade around in.
- You're a beautiful woman.
- My nipples are an inch long!
Jeff won't even go near them.
They look like the tail
end of a balloon animal.
Ah, but you should see
the nipples that he put on the atheist.
- Jill, if you would just...
- Oh, save it, Padre.
I gave 63 years of my life to that dude,
and this is how he treats me?
I don't have time for this bullshit.
I'm out.
["GETTING READY TO GET DOWN" PLAYING]
♪ Mama got a look at you
and got a little worried ♪
♪ Papa got a look at you
and got a little worried ♪
♪ Pastor got a look and
said, "Y'all better hurry ♪
♪ "Send her off to a little
Bible college in Missouri" ♪
♪ And now you come back sayin'
you know a little bit about ♪
♪ Every little thing they ever
hoped you'd never figure out ♪
♪ Eve ate the apple 'cause
the apple was sweet ♪
♪ What kinda God would ever keep
a girl from getting what she needs ♪
♪ And I'm ♪
♪ Getting ready to get down ♪
♪ Getting ready to get down ♪
♪ Getting ready to get down ♪
♪ Now people cross the street
when you walk in their direction ♪
♪ Talk between their
teeth, throwin' epithets ♪
♪ And the doctor thinks a devil
must've got you by your senses ♪
♪ But to live the way you please
doesn't sound like possession ♪
♪ It's four long years
studyin' the Bible ♪
♪ Infidels, Jezebels,
Salomes, and Delilahs ♪
♪ Back off the bus in
your own hometown ♪
♪ Sayin' you didn't like me then,
probably won't like me now ♪
♪ And I ♪
♪ I'm getting ready to get down ♪
♪ Getting ready to get down ♪
♪ Getting ready to get down ♪
♪ All the men of the country
club, ladies of the 'xilliary ♪
♪ Talkin' 'bout love like
it's apple pie and liberty ♪
♪ To really be a saint, you
gotta really be a virgin ♪
♪ Dry as a page of the
King James Version ♪
♪ Oh-la-las, oh, hell, yes ♪
♪ I can't wait, I gotta
see you againses ♪
♪ Turn the other cheek,
take no chances ♪
♪ Jesus hates your high school dances ♪
♪
[DOOR OPENS]
♪ They said your soul needed savin', ♪
♪ so they sent you off to Bible school ♪
♪ You knew a little more than they
had heard was in the Golden Rule ♪
♪ When you get damned
in the popular opinion ♪
- [BEEPS]
- ♪ It's just another damn ♪
♪ of the damns you're not giving and I ♪
♪ I'm getting ready to get down ♪
♪ Getting ready to get down ♪
♪ Getting ready to get down ♪
MAN: Let me do the talking.
[RADIO CHATTER]
- In a hurry?
- Sorry, officer.
Um, normally, I would
be the one driving,
but we stopped for lunch,
and my boss back there
pressured me into having
a couple of beers.
Anyway, just to be extra careful,
I let ol' lead foot here
drive us up the rest of the
way to, uh, Froggy Cottage.
So, maybe you could
let us off with a warning?
I guess that sounds fair.
So your boss... Was he drinking as well?
Which boss?
Sir, will you step out
of the car, please?
♪
- What?
- That show about the cabin in
the woods is on again tonight.
It's a different story every week,
but I think some of the people
in the town are in every episode.
So, there's an older couple
who rents the cabin,
and there's a guy next
door who has a kid.
Plus, there's a stripper who tapes dudes
and blackmails them with
the help of her stepson.
Although last episode, that
dude got locked in his own trunk.
- Anyway, you should check it out.
- Yeah, I don't know.
I didn't really like the last
show you recommended.
The Grammys?
- Yeah. Too much music.
- [BUTTON CLICKS]
[VENDING MACHINE CLACKS]
♪ Wherever we go ♪
♪ That's fine by me ♪
♪ We'll settle our bones ♪
♪ Eventually ♪
♪ Yeah, I need a break,
I need a minute ♪
♪ Just give me one day ♪
♪ Let's get, get, get away ♪
[ORGAN PLAYING]
- Jill.
- Father.
Do I have you to thank for this bounty?
I didn't want you to get hungry.
It's gonna be a long one.
JILL: Our son, Ethan, was coming to
- town with his fiancée.
- [ENGINE STARTS]
And as I've told you before,
as long as his fiancée refuses
to enter the house of the Lord,
she's not welcome in mine, either.
So, Jeff and I rented a
cabin in the mountains.
- Did you find a good church yet?
- No, Mom.
Just because Lynn's
an atheist doesn't mean
you can't spend a little
time away from each other
on a Sunday morning.
You're gonna be
separated in the afterlife.
- Might as well practice.
- [FOLK MUSIC PLAYS ON STEREO]
- How's work, Mom?
- Oh, you know.
Work is work.
Somebody brought in a
constipated ferret last week.
Have you ever seen
a ferret in real life?
Looks like an eel wearing a toupée.
I don't even think it's legal
to have them as pets.
I wanted to call the police.
But Dr. Griffin disagreed.
So I just did my job and
lubed up his little pinky
so he could shove it up
that dirty little varmint's
impacted anus.
- [SPLAT]
- Ah!
- Sorry. I hit a bug.
- [BRAKES SCREECH]
- [TURNS ENGINE OFF]
- I can't drive with guts
on the windshield.
Ohh. Would you look at that?
Every little girl driving down
this highway must think
the only way she can get her dream car
is to shake her bosoms
at horny truckers.
[ROCK MUSIC PLAYS IN BUILDING]
♪ I'm the king of the world,
and I'm never lookin' back... ♪
[MUSIC CONTINUES, MUFFLED]
It's him.
Where the hell are you?
- I'm locked in the trunk of my car.
- How did that happen?!
Because I'm not cut out
for this kind of thing!
When are you gonna get
that through your skull?
You better watch your volume, dickhead.
When that train killed your daddy,
I could've thrown your
crying, 15-year-old ass out,
but instead I gave you a job
and kept a roof over your head
for the last seven years.
Now, you show me another
stepmom that would do that
for her adopted black son, and
don't you say Sandra Bullock,
'cause I know your slow ass ain't
protecting nobody's blind side.
Now, you just sit tight, and I'll
come get you when we close.
You want cash or a handie?
I'll take the cash.
I feel you tend to rush
things when we barter.
♪
- [KEYBOARD CLACKING]
- _
[CHIMES]
_
Hello.
Oh, hi.
We're here to pick up the
keys for Froggy Cottage.
Oh, of course.
Let me, uh...
Let me find your reservations.
JEFF: Are you sure you want
to go through with this?
We could go to jail, you know.
Don't get soft on me now, Jeff.
We've got some heavy
lifting for the Lord to do.
Our son is not marrying an atheist.
Okey doke.
♪
This is nice, right?
What do you reckon this
thing's supposed to be?
Did you talk to your mother
about letting us stay in
the same room this time?
I'll get those for you.
- It would just be easier...
- You're a pussy. You know that?
I know. I never said I wasn't a pussy.
[AIR HISSING STEADILY]
[CPAP MACHINE WHIRRING]
[ALARM BUZZES]
Jeff, it's time.
[SWITCH CLICKS]
[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING]
[DOOR OPENS]
[MUFFLED SCREAM]
Okay. Let's do this.
So, what exactly
was in this syringe
you stuck into your son's fiancée's leg?
Propofol.
As a veterinary nurse, I have access
to some very powerful sedatives.
The trick is figuring
out how much to use,
so I just tripled the dose
we gave a cocker spaniel
who had a hysterectomy.
Can you believe that's
what she sleeps in?
Talk about skimpy. Looks like
something Farrah Fawcett
would wear on her honeymoon.
Just look at those nipples.
Don't actually look, Jeff.
That's an expression.
Oh, sorry, I-I couldn't
tell from your inflection.
I mean, goodness gracious,
what's wrong with a proper pair
of old-fashioned, tasteful PJ's?
What, has that girl never
heard of Lands' End?
- [VEHICLE APPROACHES]
- I-I know. Times change.
[ENGINE REVS]
[KEYS JANGLE]
This is why I want a normal job.
I could go back to school. Do you
remember that commercial we saw?
If you say the words
"air-conditioning repair"
to me again, I swear to God
I will stab you with a fork.
[KEYS CLATTER]
[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING]
Jeff and I had already
prepared the hot tub area
for Lynn's baptism.
♪
We had lit some candles we
had brought from the church...
... and I changed Lynn
into a more tasteful outfit
as Jeff averted his eyes.
The whole ceremony only
takes about 10 minutes.
Jeff dunked her under
water about four times,
holding her nose to make
sure she didn't drown.
I dried her off the best I could
and put her back into her nightgown...
If you can call it that.
[DOOR CREAKS, CLOSES]
Some lunatic wrote a filthy
story in the guest book
about women and feet.
I can't imagine how crowded
Hell must be these days.
- Good morning.
- Good morning!
- How'd you sleep?
- Great.
Must be the mountain air.
I feel amazing.
Lynn can blame it on the
mountain air all she wants,
but I knew why she felt the way she did.
It was the first time she woke
up with the Lord in her soul.
And because of that, we
all started to get along.
But I'm not saying definitively
that there is no God.
I mean, how could I? My
doubt of a higher being
is based on the absence of proof.
So, there's an argument
to be made that without
tangible proof that there is no God,
I can't logically rule it out.
I was feeling so good
about the change that
was happening in Lynn
that I got brave enough
to take a little gamble.
Lynn, listen.
I know you have your beliefs,
and I totally respect that.
But I bought something for you
before I knew about
the whole atheist thing,
and I've been holding
onto it, which is really silly
because it's just a
beautiful piece of jewelry.
Oh, my. Look at that.
There's a little Jesus on there.
Well, that's one way of looking at it.
Or, it's just a pretty necklace
with a very fit,
long-haired hippie on a cross.
It doesn't matter who you
think it is. There's no denying
that the blue of his tears
really makes your eyes pop.
Thank you. I love it.
You're welcome.
Did you sleep with the window open?
Yeah, but the screen was shut.
Hey, have you guys gotten bitten
by any bugs while we're here?
Lynn woke up with
something weird on her leg.
- [GASPS] Oh, my.
- Good Lord.
It's bad, right? I told you it was bad!
- Well, I don't know.
- JILL: No, no, no. It's not bad.
It's, um, just a bug bite.
Last time we were up here,
I had something very similar.
It'll go away. It'll go away.
It'll... go away.
Dear Lord,
as I have told you repeatedly
throughout the day, we have a problem.
Lynn's leg is still red and inflamed
around the injection site.
Will you stop reading and
get down on your knees?
I already prayed when you were in
the bathroom shaving your calluses.
- Did you pray about Lynn's leg?
- Yeah, mostly.
I chatted with him a little bit
about my brother's problem,
but no, most of it was about the leg.
Your brother is a drunk who
was fired from Krispy Kreme.
I can't have the Lord preoccupied
with that right now. Get on your knees.
I just started a chapter.
Get on your knees.
[SIGHS]
[GRUNTS]
[SIGHS]
I'm sorry about that, Lord. Where was I?
- I'm here now, too.
- He can see that.
Lord,
I know you work in mysterious ways,
but I need you to make
that mark go away.
Things have been better than
ever since Lynn's baptism,
so I don't know why
you put that mark there.
In any event, I need it
to disappear pronto.
And for that, I pray.
- What are you doing?
- Oh, getting into bed.
You haven't prayed again yet.
Well, I thought as long
as I was next to you,
- it was like I was...
- [SIGHS]
[SIGHS]
Lord, it's me again... Jeff.
How 'bout we put a pin in all
that stuff about what my brother
may or may not have done
to those jelly doughnuts?
Instead, I'd like to draw your attention
to the matter my wife was discussing.
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
[LYNN SCREAMS]
♪
What's going on?
[GASPS] Aah!
♪
You're sure you don't
want to talk to me alone?
Why? I told you...
He fell on the fork.
I'd like to hear it from him.
I fell on the fork.
Well, you're the one
who wanted to separate.
If you can't live on the
money we agreed on,
then maybe you should
think about getting a job.
Oh, that's funny to you.
It looks like she has
a MRSA staph infection.
Oh, that's not good.
We had a hamster that had one of those,
- and we had to burn him.
- Yeah, I'm still here.
You gonna put my son on so I can sing
him a "Happy Birthday" before
he goes to school or not?
No, I'm not saying he
shouldn't brush his teeth.
Jesus, Jessica, does
everything have to be a fight?
- How could this happen?
- All it takes is the tiniest cut
- for an infection to get in.
- Get in from where?
Oh, the MRSA virus is everywhere.
You can pick it up
from a hotel doorknob,
a public restroom, even a hot
tub if it's not cleaned properly.
- Oh, dear Lord.
- We have her on I.V. antibiotics.
We're gonna do everything
we can to save her leg.
- Can I see her?
- She's in exam room four.
We'll be admitting her upstairs soon.
Eddie, if you're here to get oxy again,
I'm gonna need to see a
broken bone. I am not giv...
Hey, buddy!
♪ Happy Birthday to you ♪
♪ Happy Birthday to you ♪
- BOTH: ♪ Happy Birthday dear ♪
- Bryce.
♪ Bryce ♪
[HARMONIZING] ♪ Happy Birthday to you ♪
How 'bout that, huh?
I don't know. Just some
guy. But isn't that nice?
Happy Birthday, buddy.
♪
I just don't get it, man. Why
are you doing this to me?
I baptized an atheist for you.
That's like dragging Osama bin
Laden into the White House
and making him sing the national
anthem while eating a hot dog!
Why are you punishing me?
I told you this was a bad idea.
We should've stayed home and
baptized her in our own bathtub.
God knows who's been soaking
their infected body in that hot tub.
That's right.
You knew exactly who
had been in that hut tub.
How the heck did you
allow this to happen?
[ETHAN CLEARS THROAT]
How long have you been standing there?
Pretty long.
Ethan was less than pleased.
How could you do this?!
I did it for you.
Trust me, you do not want
to be married to an atheist.
You think God's gonna pay attention
to you and your little
half-atheist babies?
And it was working, too.
You saw how nice Lynn was
being after we baptized her.
She admitted there might be a God.
She even put on the crucifix I gave her.
Because I bribed her! I told her if she
put up with you and
played nice that I would...
I made a deal with her.
- What deal?
- It doesn't matter.
It does matter. I would like to know
what having your fiancée
pretend to like us
and act like she is somewhat
open to the existence of God
- is worth to you.
- Fine.
I told her that I would go down on her
four times for every time
she goes down on me.
Oh, man. That's a crap deal, son.
Why are you telling us this?
You told me to!
Well, that's before I knew what it was.
You knew what it was. You
should have known better.
You knew what it was.
Why did you let him tell us?
Look, Ethan, when you
tell Lynn about this...
I'm not telling Lynn about this!
- You're not?
- Hell, no! Guys, look at me.
I'm a chubby grocery store manager
who sleeps with a loud-ass machine
that keeps me alive at night.
An atheist with one leg who blows me
25% of the time that I go down on her
is as good as I'm gonna do, and
I'm not risking losing her over this.
Ah.
♪
If she loses that leg,
you might be able to
renegotiate that deal.
The next few days were torture.
We didn't know if Lynn was gonna live.
But eventually, we got some good news.
The antibiotics worked.
- [CHUCKLING] Oh!
- Oh!
She has to see her doctor
when she gets home,
- but she's gonna be fine.
- Thank God.
- You gave us quite a scare, honey.
- Tell me about it.
Come on, Dad. Let's
- pull the car around.
- Yeah.
- Is that a new turtleneck?
- Yeah, I got it at a thrift store,
but it's new to me.
I'm so glad you're gonna be okay.
- Me, too.
- [DOOR CLOSES]
To tell you the truth,
I kind of have you
- to thank for it.
- Me?
When you gave me this necklace,
I have to admit I accepted
it just to be polite.
But after I'd been in
here a couple of days,
I started to get scared.
You know? Really scared.
And being an atheist,
I had nowhere to turn,
so I just took a shot.
I prayed.
And I felt better.
I felt like...
Like I wasn't alone.
And then the next thing I knew,
the medicine started working.
I've always been a non-believer because
I've never seen proof that God existed,
but I can't claim that anymore.
I welcomed him into my life,
and I think he healed me.
Who knows. Maybe this
was His plan all along.
What do they say... "The Lord
works in mysterious ways"?
Yeah.
That's what they say.
Wow.
My head wants to condemn your actions,
but my heart is full of God's adoration.
You brought a new member into his flock.
Yeah, I sure did.
And that makes us
even 'cause I'm leaving.
Excuse me?
I didn't come here to confess, Father.
- I came to resign.
- I don't understand.
That son of a bitch up there has put
me through the goddamn ringer.
Did He take the mark off her
leg when I asked him to?
No, He made it bigger.
But when she asked him to heal her,
a goddamn atheist, and
suddenly, he's all ears.
What, is he into younger girls?
- Is that what this is all about?
- Jill, I don't think...
I have been to church
every Sunday of my life
because I thought it
would lead to a better life.
And guess what? I'm still waiting.
Driving around in my
mother's old station wagon
because I give 10% of
everything I make to the church.
And don't even get me
started on the lousy body
your buddy God gave
me to parade around in.
- You're a beautiful woman.
- My nipples are an inch long!
Jeff won't even go near them.
They look like the tail
end of a balloon animal.
Ah, but you should see
the nipples that he put on the atheist.
- Jill, if you would just...
- Oh, save it, Padre.
I gave 63 years of my life to that dude,
and this is how he treats me?
I don't have time for this bullshit.
I'm out.
["GETTING READY TO GET DOWN" PLAYING]
♪ Mama got a look at you
and got a little worried ♪
♪ Papa got a look at you
and got a little worried ♪
♪ Pastor got a look and
said, "Y'all better hurry ♪
♪ "Send her off to a little
Bible college in Missouri" ♪
♪ And now you come back sayin'
you know a little bit about ♪
♪ Every little thing they ever
hoped you'd never figure out ♪
♪ Eve ate the apple 'cause
the apple was sweet ♪
♪ What kinda God would ever keep
a girl from getting what she needs ♪
♪ And I'm ♪
♪ Getting ready to get down ♪
♪ Getting ready to get down ♪
♪ Getting ready to get down ♪
♪ Now people cross the street
when you walk in their direction ♪
♪ Talk between their
teeth, throwin' epithets ♪
♪ And the doctor thinks a devil
must've got you by your senses ♪
♪ But to live the way you please
doesn't sound like possession ♪
♪ It's four long years
studyin' the Bible ♪
♪ Infidels, Jezebels,
Salomes, and Delilahs ♪
♪ Back off the bus in
your own hometown ♪
♪ Sayin' you didn't like me then,
probably won't like me now ♪
♪ And I ♪
♪ I'm getting ready to get down ♪
♪ Getting ready to get down ♪
♪ Getting ready to get down ♪
♪ All the men of the country
club, ladies of the 'xilliary ♪
♪ Talkin' 'bout love like
it's apple pie and liberty ♪
♪ To really be a saint, you
gotta really be a virgin ♪
♪ Dry as a page of the
King James Version ♪
♪ Oh-la-las, oh, hell, yes ♪
♪ I can't wait, I gotta
see you againses ♪
♪ Turn the other cheek,
take no chances ♪
♪ Jesus hates your high school dances ♪
♪
[DOOR OPENS]
♪ They said your soul needed savin', ♪
♪ so they sent you off to Bible school ♪
♪ You knew a little more than they
had heard was in the Golden Rule ♪
♪ When you get damned
in the popular opinion ♪
- [BEEPS]
- ♪ It's just another damn ♪
♪ of the damns you're not giving and I ♪
♪ I'm getting ready to get down ♪
♪ Getting ready to get down ♪
♪ Getting ready to get down ♪
MAN: Let me do the talking.
[RADIO CHATTER]
- In a hurry?
- Sorry, officer.
Um, normally, I would
be the one driving,
but we stopped for lunch,
and my boss back there
pressured me into having
a couple of beers.
Anyway, just to be extra careful,
I let ol' lead foot here
drive us up the rest of the
way to, uh, Froggy Cottage.
So, maybe you could
let us off with a warning?
I guess that sounds fair.
So your boss... Was he drinking as well?
Which boss?
Sir, will you step out
of the car, please?
♪