The Slap (2015–…): Season 1, Episode 5 - Connie - full transcript
After Rosie is finally given her day in court, the friends from the barbecue are all reunited.
(Connie)
Previously on The Slap...
We're having a barbecue
later today.
Would you care to come see
what the desperate contortions
of a 40th birthday look like?
More than you can imagine.
Can I have a beer?
You're underage.
Hey, Richie,
I'll give you a penny a pic
if you go around
and get some shots of all this.
Okay.
I'll do it.
[Slapping, Hugo cries]
(Gary) What's the matter with you,
you animal?
Don't you hit my child!
Mr. Apostolou,
Rosie and Gary Weshler
filed a charge against you.
(Harry) I tried to make peace.
That didn't work.
They want to fight.
They got a fight.
This is all preparation
for a very nasty lawsuit.
(Harry)
These people are asking for it.
We cannot be gentle.
Yes, the judge said
we could move forward,
but what are we getting in terms
of statements?
You could hear the slap.
Yeah, well, it's difficult
to pursue a single incident.
(Connie) I don't think I
can work here anymore.
You would tell me if there was
anything else, would you?
Yeah.
Connie handed in her notice
yesterday.
(Aisha) Since the party,
it's like she's avoiding me all the time.
I wouldn't read too much
into it.
(Man) And at its current rate,
the majority population
of this country
will no longer be white
by 2043,
when you guys are about 45 years
old or so,
in charge of the new America.
Now, this would be the first
postindustrial country
in the world
where minorities will be
the majority.
Cause for hope.
Or fear,
depending on your color.
Think about power,
how its numbers change.
Already, in what state
are you seeing this in play?
Where are Latinos more prevalent
than whites?
Connie.
Hm?
I'm sorry.
California.
Yes.
[Bell rings]
Be sure to read
the Dave Hickey essays
I gave you for discussion...
Pirates, all right.
Yo, so there's this party, okay?
And I really want
to see you there,
so I'ma text you
about it tonight.
- Okay.
- All right?
- Yeah, that'd be cool.
- See you.
(Richie) Sweet.
A miracle just happened.
I was invited to a party.
Oh.
You mustn't go.
You have a reputation to uphold.
Come with me, please.
I am venturing
into alien territory
with other high school students.
Join the club.
Miss Saltire,
does the State realize the burden here?
You have to prove some damage.
I mean, was this a tap?
Was it a full-on walloping?
How hard did the boy get hit?
We believe that
there are enough witnesses,
one of them being a doctor.
There is no...
Once again, Your Honor,
we are asking the court
to throw this out.
I'm just trying to figure out
how this got on the docket.
Have you all been conferring
along the way?
Well, Your Honor,
the State believes
that if we let this go,
we're saying that
a grown man can slap a kid.
And the bat was already
on the ground.
My God, it wasn't on the ground.
He was swinging it around.
He was dangerous.
- That is not true.
- He could've hurt any one of those kids.
(Judge Leguillou) Okay, okay.
Is there any documentation
as to the injuries sustained
by young Hugo Weshler?
Your Honor, it's too soon.
He's still feeling the effects.
(Judge Leguillou) Okay.
Miss Saltire,
would the prosecution consider
accepting some sort
of compromise,
pleading this down to violation?
It would go on his record.
My client would not,
not under any circumstances.
We wish for a full exoneration.
Okay, enough.
And you guys?
It is not even a consideration.
This man is a child beater.
(Judge Leguillou) You're quite
certain we can't avoid a trial?
None of the State,
nor the Defendant
wish to come to some sort
of an arrangement?
There's nothing on the table?
Is anyone here doing their job?
In that case,
we'll go to trial.
We need more evidence,
better witnesses,
more proof.
[Soft jazz music]
- We really wish...
- Yeah.
(Connie) I feel like I made
a mistake by being aloof
from the age of, like, ten on.
I just always
trusted adults more.
Too late to change now.
People are either farmers,
hard-working,
diligent members of society
who play by the rules,
or they're pirates who want
to pillage and plunder
and cause chaos and make art.
What are we?
We watch
and make snide comments.
Speaking of which,
check out Miley Cyrus
over there.
Twerking her way
through the football team.
No wonder we're 0 and 8.
[Laughs, phone chimes]
[Chuckles]
What?
Nothing.
That's not nothing.
It's a photo of a duck on a hard
hat at a construction site.
No, it isn't.
Who sends an 18-year-old
a picture
of a duck on a hard hat
at a construction site?
Let me think.
Oh, gee,
I wonder who that friend could be.
What?
Connie, one of the perks of
being a hopeless outsider dweeb
is that you notice everything.
Come on.
I saw you and Hector
at the barbecue.
He paid me to take pictures.
You have pictures of me?
Yeah, of you and of the tragedy
of the tickets to Greece
and of Hector's father's giant
roast lamb
and even of the dreaded slap.
Richie,
you're my dearest friend.
So do us both a favor
and delete the photos.
And don't judge me.
I get enough of that at home.
Hey, Frank.
Hey, how's it going?
(Tony) So what are you trying to do?
You still trying to protect her?
- Yes, I'm...
- At 18 years old?
(Vivian) It's really
none of your business...
(Tony) Wait, how is it
none of my business?
I live in this house.
(Vivian) But it's
between me and her.
(Tony) Come on, please.
She's not a baby.
(Vivian)
That's not...
(Tony) These questions
that she's asking...
(Vivian)
Tony, please, she's my daughter.
So you think that hiding things
from her is the answer?
- No, Tony, that...
- She's not a baby.
(Vivian) I don't want
her to know right now.
- Then...
- I appreciate if you would...
Hi, guys.
Hi.
When's dinner?
Soon.
(Tony)
I don't take it personally,
but I am the property manager,
Connie.
I'm running three buildings
here.
You understand?
Right, Vivian?
Back me up here.
(Vivian) It puts us in an
embarrassing position.
I apologize.
It was a mistake.
Vivian, Tony,
does anyone have a sense of humor?
Let's leave it, Tony,
all right?
She apologized, okay?
It was a mistake.
Yeah, well, maybe.
"Yeah, well, maybe"?
What?
I'm just saying
that she's a very smart girl,
and I just don't see how
someone leaves her bicycle
practically blocking
the elevator by mistake.
Can someone explain to me
why this is such a big deal?
It's a big deal because
I am the property manager.
The real estate company
watches me,
and I could lose my job.
Because I left my bike?
Jeez, Tony.
Maybe you should get another job
if it's that precarious.
Yeah, well, just you wait.
What did I say?
What did he say?
He said that you do these things
to test us,
to test him.
Okay, does anyone think that
this is getting
a little bit out of hand?
I left my bike.
I was late. I'm sorry.
The other tenants
see you getting away
with something like this,
and they figure,
"Oh, hey, what the hell?
The manager's daughter
can leave a bike..."
Stepdaughter.
I get it.
You're worried that my bike
blocking the entryway will
start some sort of
building-wide protest,
a wave of civil disobedience,
an "Occupy the Edgerton Arms"
movement,
where hundreds of strollers,
grocery carts,
and bikes will block
every entryway
until the owners,
whoever the hell they are,
figure out that
they're charging people
thousands of dollars
to live in a place
where no one should have
to live.
Well, if it's so terrible,
you're welcome
to leave anytime.
I'm trying.
I don't know where
she got that mouth from, Vivian.
I know it wasn't you.
Yeah, that doesn't leave a lot
of options then, does it?
It must be the dead real dad.
(Male narrator) Connie had never
been given enough information
to understand why exactly
her mother had taken her
in the middle of the night
from their Lower East Side
apartment
on an icy winter's day
12 years prior,
never to see her father again.
The mythology of his life
of drugs,
near fame, notoriety,
and fornication,
of dance music and DJ'ing
under the influence
had been promulgated
relentlessly.
And the more it was,
the more she yearned for him,
because he would understand her.
He would tell her to go for it,
to go after Hector
with all she had.
_
(Richie)
These are not coming out.
It's like they're built
into the pan.
All right, let me try.
(Hugo) Come on, guys.
We're never gonna have cupcakes
at this rate.
Well, well, well.
Hi.
Who's supposed
to be fast asleep by now?
- Who?
- Mm-mm.
I am so sorry.
This was my idea.
Cupcakes.
Shut up.
It was actually my idea.
Well, whoever thought of it,
they don't look very good.
I mean, look, this is, like,
spackled in there.
It's the recipe.
Okay, this is humiliating.
We made a mess.
Yeah, we're gonna clean this up.
Screw that.
I want cupcakes, damn it.
I'm eating coal.
Gary.
How was the theater?
- It was awful.
- It was great.
Okay, stop it.
Since when did you stop
liking art?
(Gary) That wasn't art.
It was an emaciated,
bulimic dancer
sitting in a chair
for two hours
and occasionally having
what looked like seizures.
It was like painting,
only worse,
'cause there's nothing to sell
when you were done.
I'm gonna get the frosting
out of Hugo's hair...
- No!
- And get him to bed.
No, wait.
[Groans]
I need something to drown out
this entire day.
Oh, the concert couldn't have
been that bad.
Oh, yes, it could have.
That was just
the icing on the cake.
You'll never believe
what Harry Apostolou's lawyer
tried to argue today.
He said that he slapped my kid
in some act of self-defense
like Hugo was wielding
an Uzi or something.
What?
Are they kidding?
Oh, no,
you can't make this stuff up.
Listen, I know that the great
God Hugo controls us all
in every aspect
of our existence,
but I don't think I've ever had
to fight him for survival.
Kafka couldn't have
written this.
Wow.
And here's the rub,
there's no proof that Hugo
wasn't holding the bat
when Harry slapped him,
so he gets to just...
Ah, whatever.
[Chuckles]
And, you know what,
you don't need to hear this right now.
Right?
The answer to all problems:
The Bride of Frankenstein.
AKA, our wedding video.
What is that?
You've never seen
The Bride of Frankenstein?
Are you kidding me?
No.
And you consider yourselves
educated,
intelligent young people?
This will erase
all the awfulness and horror
of real life from your minds.
Thank God.
[Screams]
[Laughter]
(Man) Stand back, stand back.
Oh,
I'm totally having that hairstyle.
[Laughter]
Me too...
For the trial.
[Laughter]
Oh.
Hey, did you sell these?
(Gary)
Yeah, right. No.
I'm part of this group show.
Yeah, there's some big shots
and some small-fry
and then, well, me.
Wow. That's great.
Yeah, you guys should come
to the opening tomorrow.
Have some wine and cheese,
see some very angular people
dressed in black
making ridiculous pronouncements
about the end of irony
or something.
That sounds really fun.
(Gary)
Yeah, the whole gang's coming.
Hector and Aisha?
(Gary)
Mm-hmm.
Should really invite Harry.
I mean,
he loves contemporary art,
and maybe he could explain
my painting to me.
That sounds cool.
But, remember,
we've got that party.
(Richie) Remember?
But we'll be there in spirit.
Isn't that what they say?
(Gary) Wait.
I forgot to pay you.
Wait.
What was that about?
That was me saving you
from yourself.
Thanks, Richie,
but I don't need saving.
Boy, what it must be like
to be you.
What's that supposed to mean?
Nothing, my princess.
You are loved by
and forgiven for all.
How long did you guys
babysit for?
(Tony) Connie.
Hi, guys.
Hey.
Connie.
It's 1:00 in the morning.
Tony, please can we not?
Have you been drinking?
Yeah, yeah.
There was some wine.
We watched a movie.
We watched
Bride of Frankenstein.
But you...
Your phone was off.
We were expecting you by 9:30,
10:00.
What's going on with you guys?
We were having fun.
(Vivian)
I don't think this is funny.
- Are you drunk?
- Are you insane?
You don't think I drink wine?
And are you doing drugs
with these people?
Oh, my God.
- It's a reasonable question.
- Really?
These are people
with real trouble.
What do you mean?
There was a policeman here.
He said that you witnessed
a child being slapped.
What is it?
You never said anything
about this.
You can't work
for people like this.
Please, please don't.
Why are you doing this?
Because I don't want to see
my family destroyed by secrets.
(Vivian) Connie, never again.
_
[Knocking]
Why did you hate him so much?
Because we were so happy,
and because that wasn't enough.
And I look at you,
and I know nothing.
Nothing is enough for you
either.
And that's what killed him.
[Sighs]
Oh.
I don't know
if I even like this anymore.
It's just, like,
so black, little.
It's a little black dress.
I thought you people loved...
What do you mean, "you people"?
You know.
Women.
[Scoffs]
[Phone ringing]
_
Look, let's just get
this nightmare over with...
Hello?
I tell you, we spend
ten minutes at the gallery...
Uh, now?
We say incredibly
complimentary things to Gary...
Okay, no, I get it.
Of course.
The least hip place
in Brooklyn.
I'll be in in a second.
[Sighs]
I've got to go back in.
There's a kid
who needs stitches.
What?
I know, love.
I'm so sorry.
But they're understaffed,
and I have to step in.
That's it.
No, it's okay.
Thank God.
That means I can stay home
and watch, like,
one of those Housewives of...
I don't know...
Hades shows with my mom.
She'll be here in, like,
ten minutes.
And I can get out of this suit.
Well, you can take the tie off,
which you should, by the way,
but you're still going.
Are you serious?
- Of course.
- No.
It's Rosie and Gary, love.
You've got to represent us.
Represent us?
What am I, the U.N.?
Look, with everything
that's been going on,
you know, especially now...
(Hector) This has nothing to
do with what's been going on.
One of us has to be there.
Please don't get into that again.
I won't if you'll just admit
that there's this, like,
weird tyranny of neediness.
[Sighs]
Yes.
I do.
I do. I admit it.
But, regardless, love,
you've got to be there.
Because like it or not,
we are the grown-ups in this.
That is the most depressing
thing I've ever heard.
[Sighs]
I understand with the kids.
But...
But thank you for admitting that.
So can we not argue about it?
Because there is a kid bleeding
all over exam room one.
As ever it was thus.
_
[Phone ringing]
Hey.
Yo, am I picking you up?
No.
I'll meet you there.
I knew it.
What?
You're going to Gary's show,
aren't you?
Gee, Ma,
I promise to be home by curfew.
Sometimes being funny
is just another way of lying.
That is so not fun
pre-party talk.
And didn't we have a deal?
What?
Not to judge each other.
Besides,
if we can't be a little naughty now,
when can we be?
I'll come find you.
What can I get you?
There you go.
Is everyone dressed
in black tonight?
Hopelessly Outer Borough.
I don't know about that.
Manhattan's the new
Outer Borough.
Ooh.
[Sighs]
How are you?
I'm amazing.
Really?
Yeah, it's like some sort
of veil has been lifted,
and I'm free.
Well, you should go see
your doctor immediately.
Something must be
terribly wrong.
[Chuckles]
I'm not kidding.
- You're not?
- Mm.
Pretty intense.
Yeah, a lot power.
It's very focused.
It's actually pretty good, huh?
I was hoping I would be alone
with you tonight.
She was supposed to come.
I guess more and more
people are skipping Brooklyn.
Mm-hmm.
Lucky me.
No.
Can we stop behaving like girls
for a second?
Yeah.
[Chuckles]
It gives me hope.
What?
This is the best,
the best part of Gary up here.
Like, you can be flawed
and still do this.
And all these people can come
to feel something
that you made,
maybe not for them,
maybe for yourself,
and then had to share.
Can we not be in here?
Do you have a smoke?
[Sighs]
Oh, boy.
Yeah.
Do you still have
your slightly sad,
world-weary look
on your face?
Maybe it's the world
that's sad.
I've been thinking.
I've been really thinking
about what we have.
What do we have, Connie?
We do have something, okay?
The book that you gave me
about what
a beautiful city can be
and all the times that you
drove me home from babysitting,
you kept looking at me
and talking,
and there was something there.
I'm so, so sorry.
Connie, I didn't mean to...
Please don't say,
"I'm so sorry" to me like that.
You kissed me.
Okay?
All the things that you've said
about how I made you feel alive,
about...
How you loved to listen to me,
and when we kiss,
what that means...
You kissed me.
Yes, I did.
Okay, so then they were lies.
No, they were...
They were mistakes.
Look, I don't know how to say
how sorry I am
for all my craziness.
You were crazy to like me.
Hey, hey, I have two kids
that I desperately love
at home waiting for me.
I'm really sorry,
but you don't love me.
And I don't love you.
- I thought you were different.
- No.
I don't think I am.
I think you should go now.
We can't do this anymore.
No more babysitting,
nothing.
- Connie...
- Please don't.
Now I know how my mother
felt about my father.
Oh, God.
Where am I?
_
(Woman)
Yeah, let's get out of here.
[Upbeat music]
- You're welcome, Connie.
- Any time.
Chill with me a sec.
- Come on, girl.
- In your dreams.
- Hey, Leon.
- You look hot.
What's going on?
Oh, my God,
you never come to these things.
Wait, are we suddenly
cool enough for you?
Oh, I'm just making up
for lost time.
So if I asked you
to have a conversation with me,
would that be wrong?
Leon, this is a conversation,
just a short one.
Where's Richie?
Who cares?
Here.
Some forlorn Vicodin.
Someone's studying
for AP English.
So what's with Richie?
- Is he your boyfriend?
- Why?
Do you like him?
[Laughs]
No. I like you.
That would be such a mistake.
[Dance music]
(Man) Hey.
Richie.
Hi, hey.
I should have known you'd be
in the corner brooding.
You look cute.
- Oh, then I failed.
- Mm.
[Laughs]
You came to the party.
I didn't think you were.
You... You look cute.
[Giggles]
Well, everyone looks cute.
It's just the capital of cute
around here.
I need a drink.
What's that in your hand?
What?
Oh, it's pink. It's just pretty.
Well, watch that stuff.
It's very sweet.
There's a lot of booze
in there.
Don't be patronizing.
Just be nice.
Slow down.
What?
I don't know.
Are you okay?
No, no.
Can we please go somewhere?
Can we talk?
- Yeah.
- I need to talk to you.
What is it?
What happened?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
- Connie.
- Dude.
Come on, let's be real.
Yeah.
Whoa.
Stop.
Maybe we should just kiss,
and everything will suddenly
be better.
- Stop it.
- What?
I think I should get you home.
Maybe we're what we both need.
And we just didn't know it.
We should be pirates,
not farmers or watchers
or judges.
Connie.
You don't even know who I am.
Yes, I do.
You're my best friend.
And you've been a virgin
for far too long.
Stop it.
Stop it.
Stop it.
[Sighing]
Connie.
He lied to me.
You lied to yourself.
What?
[Crying]
Hey, you gonna be okay?
- Yeah.
- Yeah?
[Knocking]
Come in.
Tough night?
Uh, Connie, listen,
there's all sorts of stuff
between you and your mom
that I don't pretend
to understand,
and I'm probably gonna get
into trouble for this,
but I thought
you should have this.
_
_
[Phone ringing]
- Hi.
- Richie.
Can you steal your mom's car?
What... Are you okay?
Yeah.
Can you?
Well,
I have swim practice today.
Please, Richie.
I'm sorry about last night.
Me too.
Stand by.
I'll be right there.
- Hey.
- Hey.
So where are we going?
Hm.
So you don't even know who this
Malcolm person really is.
No. No, I don't.
And I think he was
in my dad's band or something.
But he said that
he has things of his,
things that I should have.
So what's the deal here?
Your mom hated your dad.
Why?
Because he was bi?
The list is too long.
Sounds strangely romantic.
Is this is a mistake?
(Richie) No.
Well, you look like half of him,
the good half.
Malcolm.
- I'm...
- I know who you are.
We met once or twice.
I'm sorry.
I don't remember.
I do.
This is my friend
Richie Journeau.
- Welcome.
- Hi.
I have to be out of here
by the end of the day.
There's a truck coming along
to take me and my memories
off into sunnier climes.
Come on in.
There's coffee.
[Wind chimes tinkling]
[Malcolm shivers]
This is my shrine,
and it's closing.
Two coffees, yes?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
(Malcolm)
Oh, this is his novel,
which, of course,
he refused to publish.
But I think
it's pretty damn good.
Maybe someday...
All this was his?
Yeah,
more than I can hold onto.
Oh, hey, those are the masters,
his last recordings.
It was a studio
in the East Village.
And your dad would make us sleep
on the floor,
said we had to live
in the music.
Idiot.
Oh, yeah, that's...
He was working on a kids' book.
Those are the drawings.
There's a very ironic goat
named Mal.
[Connie chuckles]
Why?
Why do you have all of this?
Because we were very,
very good friends.
Besides, who else
was gonna take care of him?
But things change.
Look, I'm...
I'm not all that well.
I'm moving to my sister's
in California,
so it is your turn now.
[Sighs]
He didn't want to share any of this with me.
Oh, no.
He wanted to, but...
your mom...
Well, she had other ideas.
She treats him like
he's the plague.
I don't get it.
She fell in love with him.
Why couldn't she accept him
for who he was?
Which was?
I don't know...
Bisexual...
A self-obsessed artist,
a druggie wild man.
This much is true.
So he left us for all of that.
Would that
things were that simple.
Uh, Connie...
[Sighs]
He didn't leave your mother
for all that.
Actually,
I was the one he left.
(Malcolm) You're surprised?
Your father loved many things.
But most of all,
he loved beauty...
in a song, a painting,
a man, a woman,
and your mother
was so beautiful.
Now, I had learned to accept
this as part of the package,
the occasional night
he never came home,
but this was different.
- How?
- You.
You made it different.
When he found out
Vivian was pregnant,
he made a decision.
He was gonna become
a husband, a father.
But like so many promises
he made,
he couldn't keep it.
He broke her heart
as he had broken mine.
But in the end,
as he was known to say,
"All we have is the truth."
He came back,
and we traded Coke for herbal tea.
Look,
if you're searching for a villain,
it's not your mom
or me or him.
Listen, it's time, just time.
He ran out of it too soon, okay?
Time is the only villain here.
Richie, can you get some of the
stuff and bring it to the car?
Yeah.
Did he ever talk about me?
He was planning
on getting you up here
for your seventh birthday,
if your mom would let you.
He painted...
We painted the upstairs bedroom
a very milky pink for you.
There's our plans.
There's God's plans.
You know.
[Sighs]
Two weeks later, he was gone.
Of course, he talked about you,
even in his sleep.
Hey.
I think this
was written for you.
(Connie) Thank you.
(Connie) Thank you.
["Dark Side of the Moon"
by Chris Staples playing]
♪ I want to tell you a story
♪ The only way that I can
♪ I'm just replacing
a man that came ♪
♪ Before me
♪ And one day the world
is gonna see ♪
[Engine turns over]
♪ Replacing me
♪ That's just the way
it's got to be ♪
♪ It's always been that way ♪
♪ In my daughter's eyes
Oh, you went up there,
to Malcolm.
I had to.
♪ Dark side
[Sighs]
Please don't be mad.
♪ I wanna love you
How could I be?
The day he recorded this,
he was looking at you
in your crib.
I was there?
I was just a little older
than you are now.
And he sang to you,
and you laughed.
♪ I want to love you
And he kept having
to do new takes,
because every time
he looked at you,
you'd laugh.
♪ I want to know you
♪ Oh, we have the time
I have to keep all of this, Mom.
♪ We've got to leave the line
♪ On the dark side
of the moon ♪
♪ On the dark side
[Knocking]
♪ Of the moon
Come in.
Rosie.
Do you always
keep the door unlocked?
The boys are out,
and Gary forgot his keys.
I just brought you
these cupcakes
from this place upstate.
I wanted to make up for the mess
that we made in your kitchen.
Thanks, baby.
Is everything okay?
The court says Harry
and his lawyers have the right
for a psychological exam
of Hugo.
Someone will talk to him,
and the judge says we have to.
They want to say that there's
something wrong with him,
that he was trying
to hurt Rocco with the bat,
and that's why...
That's why Harry hit him,
like he's some kind of monster.
You know that's not true.
Do you want me
to stay here with you?
Okay.
I just wanted you
to have those.
Am I a bad mother, Connie?
All I'm trying to do
is protect my child.
Why is that so wrong?
No, it's not.
[Sighs]
Rosie,
I have to tell you something.
[Sighs]
You remember that Richie was
taking pictures at the barbecue?
Yes.
He has pictures of everything.
He says that he has pictures
of Hugo being slapped.
I think it shows everything,
things that some people
would be ashamed of,
but I guess that doesn't matter
because it shows the truth.
Oh, God.
Previously on The Slap...
We're having a barbecue
later today.
Would you care to come see
what the desperate contortions
of a 40th birthday look like?
More than you can imagine.
Can I have a beer?
You're underage.
Hey, Richie,
I'll give you a penny a pic
if you go around
and get some shots of all this.
Okay.
I'll do it.
[Slapping, Hugo cries]
(Gary) What's the matter with you,
you animal?
Don't you hit my child!
Mr. Apostolou,
Rosie and Gary Weshler
filed a charge against you.
(Harry) I tried to make peace.
That didn't work.
They want to fight.
They got a fight.
This is all preparation
for a very nasty lawsuit.
(Harry)
These people are asking for it.
We cannot be gentle.
Yes, the judge said
we could move forward,
but what are we getting in terms
of statements?
You could hear the slap.
Yeah, well, it's difficult
to pursue a single incident.
(Connie) I don't think I
can work here anymore.
You would tell me if there was
anything else, would you?
Yeah.
Connie handed in her notice
yesterday.
(Aisha) Since the party,
it's like she's avoiding me all the time.
I wouldn't read too much
into it.
(Man) And at its current rate,
the majority population
of this country
will no longer be white
by 2043,
when you guys are about 45 years
old or so,
in charge of the new America.
Now, this would be the first
postindustrial country
in the world
where minorities will be
the majority.
Cause for hope.
Or fear,
depending on your color.
Think about power,
how its numbers change.
Already, in what state
are you seeing this in play?
Where are Latinos more prevalent
than whites?
Connie.
Hm?
I'm sorry.
California.
Yes.
[Bell rings]
Be sure to read
the Dave Hickey essays
I gave you for discussion...
Pirates, all right.
Yo, so there's this party, okay?
And I really want
to see you there,
so I'ma text you
about it tonight.
- Okay.
- All right?
- Yeah, that'd be cool.
- See you.
(Richie) Sweet.
A miracle just happened.
I was invited to a party.
Oh.
You mustn't go.
You have a reputation to uphold.
Come with me, please.
I am venturing
into alien territory
with other high school students.
Join the club.
Miss Saltire,
does the State realize the burden here?
You have to prove some damage.
I mean, was this a tap?
Was it a full-on walloping?
How hard did the boy get hit?
We believe that
there are enough witnesses,
one of them being a doctor.
There is no...
Once again, Your Honor,
we are asking the court
to throw this out.
I'm just trying to figure out
how this got on the docket.
Have you all been conferring
along the way?
Well, Your Honor,
the State believes
that if we let this go,
we're saying that
a grown man can slap a kid.
And the bat was already
on the ground.
My God, it wasn't on the ground.
He was swinging it around.
He was dangerous.
- That is not true.
- He could've hurt any one of those kids.
(Judge Leguillou) Okay, okay.
Is there any documentation
as to the injuries sustained
by young Hugo Weshler?
Your Honor, it's too soon.
He's still feeling the effects.
(Judge Leguillou) Okay.
Miss Saltire,
would the prosecution consider
accepting some sort
of compromise,
pleading this down to violation?
It would go on his record.
My client would not,
not under any circumstances.
We wish for a full exoneration.
Okay, enough.
And you guys?
It is not even a consideration.
This man is a child beater.
(Judge Leguillou) You're quite
certain we can't avoid a trial?
None of the State,
nor the Defendant
wish to come to some sort
of an arrangement?
There's nothing on the table?
Is anyone here doing their job?
In that case,
we'll go to trial.
We need more evidence,
better witnesses,
more proof.
[Soft jazz music]
- We really wish...
- Yeah.
(Connie) I feel like I made
a mistake by being aloof
from the age of, like, ten on.
I just always
trusted adults more.
Too late to change now.
People are either farmers,
hard-working,
diligent members of society
who play by the rules,
or they're pirates who want
to pillage and plunder
and cause chaos and make art.
What are we?
We watch
and make snide comments.
Speaking of which,
check out Miley Cyrus
over there.
Twerking her way
through the football team.
No wonder we're 0 and 8.
[Laughs, phone chimes]
[Chuckles]
What?
Nothing.
That's not nothing.
It's a photo of a duck on a hard
hat at a construction site.
No, it isn't.
Who sends an 18-year-old
a picture
of a duck on a hard hat
at a construction site?
Let me think.
Oh, gee,
I wonder who that friend could be.
What?
Connie, one of the perks of
being a hopeless outsider dweeb
is that you notice everything.
Come on.
I saw you and Hector
at the barbecue.
He paid me to take pictures.
You have pictures of me?
Yeah, of you and of the tragedy
of the tickets to Greece
and of Hector's father's giant
roast lamb
and even of the dreaded slap.
Richie,
you're my dearest friend.
So do us both a favor
and delete the photos.
And don't judge me.
I get enough of that at home.
Hey, Frank.
Hey, how's it going?
(Tony) So what are you trying to do?
You still trying to protect her?
- Yes, I'm...
- At 18 years old?
(Vivian) It's really
none of your business...
(Tony) Wait, how is it
none of my business?
I live in this house.
(Vivian) But it's
between me and her.
(Tony) Come on, please.
She's not a baby.
(Vivian)
That's not...
(Tony) These questions
that she's asking...
(Vivian)
Tony, please, she's my daughter.
So you think that hiding things
from her is the answer?
- No, Tony, that...
- She's not a baby.
(Vivian) I don't want
her to know right now.
- Then...
- I appreciate if you would...
Hi, guys.
Hi.
When's dinner?
Soon.
(Tony)
I don't take it personally,
but I am the property manager,
Connie.
I'm running three buildings
here.
You understand?
Right, Vivian?
Back me up here.
(Vivian) It puts us in an
embarrassing position.
I apologize.
It was a mistake.
Vivian, Tony,
does anyone have a sense of humor?
Let's leave it, Tony,
all right?
She apologized, okay?
It was a mistake.
Yeah, well, maybe.
"Yeah, well, maybe"?
What?
I'm just saying
that she's a very smart girl,
and I just don't see how
someone leaves her bicycle
practically blocking
the elevator by mistake.
Can someone explain to me
why this is such a big deal?
It's a big deal because
I am the property manager.
The real estate company
watches me,
and I could lose my job.
Because I left my bike?
Jeez, Tony.
Maybe you should get another job
if it's that precarious.
Yeah, well, just you wait.
What did I say?
What did he say?
He said that you do these things
to test us,
to test him.
Okay, does anyone think that
this is getting
a little bit out of hand?
I left my bike.
I was late. I'm sorry.
The other tenants
see you getting away
with something like this,
and they figure,
"Oh, hey, what the hell?
The manager's daughter
can leave a bike..."
Stepdaughter.
I get it.
You're worried that my bike
blocking the entryway will
start some sort of
building-wide protest,
a wave of civil disobedience,
an "Occupy the Edgerton Arms"
movement,
where hundreds of strollers,
grocery carts,
and bikes will block
every entryway
until the owners,
whoever the hell they are,
figure out that
they're charging people
thousands of dollars
to live in a place
where no one should have
to live.
Well, if it's so terrible,
you're welcome
to leave anytime.
I'm trying.
I don't know where
she got that mouth from, Vivian.
I know it wasn't you.
Yeah, that doesn't leave a lot
of options then, does it?
It must be the dead real dad.
(Male narrator) Connie had never
been given enough information
to understand why exactly
her mother had taken her
in the middle of the night
from their Lower East Side
apartment
on an icy winter's day
12 years prior,
never to see her father again.
The mythology of his life
of drugs,
near fame, notoriety,
and fornication,
of dance music and DJ'ing
under the influence
had been promulgated
relentlessly.
And the more it was,
the more she yearned for him,
because he would understand her.
He would tell her to go for it,
to go after Hector
with all she had.
_
(Richie)
These are not coming out.
It's like they're built
into the pan.
All right, let me try.
(Hugo) Come on, guys.
We're never gonna have cupcakes
at this rate.
Well, well, well.
Hi.
Who's supposed
to be fast asleep by now?
- Who?
- Mm-mm.
I am so sorry.
This was my idea.
Cupcakes.
Shut up.
It was actually my idea.
Well, whoever thought of it,
they don't look very good.
I mean, look, this is, like,
spackled in there.
It's the recipe.
Okay, this is humiliating.
We made a mess.
Yeah, we're gonna clean this up.
Screw that.
I want cupcakes, damn it.
I'm eating coal.
Gary.
How was the theater?
- It was awful.
- It was great.
Okay, stop it.
Since when did you stop
liking art?
(Gary) That wasn't art.
It was an emaciated,
bulimic dancer
sitting in a chair
for two hours
and occasionally having
what looked like seizures.
It was like painting,
only worse,
'cause there's nothing to sell
when you were done.
I'm gonna get the frosting
out of Hugo's hair...
- No!
- And get him to bed.
No, wait.
[Groans]
I need something to drown out
this entire day.
Oh, the concert couldn't have
been that bad.
Oh, yes, it could have.
That was just
the icing on the cake.
You'll never believe
what Harry Apostolou's lawyer
tried to argue today.
He said that he slapped my kid
in some act of self-defense
like Hugo was wielding
an Uzi or something.
What?
Are they kidding?
Oh, no,
you can't make this stuff up.
Listen, I know that the great
God Hugo controls us all
in every aspect
of our existence,
but I don't think I've ever had
to fight him for survival.
Kafka couldn't have
written this.
Wow.
And here's the rub,
there's no proof that Hugo
wasn't holding the bat
when Harry slapped him,
so he gets to just...
Ah, whatever.
[Chuckles]
And, you know what,
you don't need to hear this right now.
Right?
The answer to all problems:
The Bride of Frankenstein.
AKA, our wedding video.
What is that?
You've never seen
The Bride of Frankenstein?
Are you kidding me?
No.
And you consider yourselves
educated,
intelligent young people?
This will erase
all the awfulness and horror
of real life from your minds.
Thank God.
[Screams]
[Laughter]
(Man) Stand back, stand back.
Oh,
I'm totally having that hairstyle.
[Laughter]
Me too...
For the trial.
[Laughter]
Oh.
Hey, did you sell these?
(Gary)
Yeah, right. No.
I'm part of this group show.
Yeah, there's some big shots
and some small-fry
and then, well, me.
Wow. That's great.
Yeah, you guys should come
to the opening tomorrow.
Have some wine and cheese,
see some very angular people
dressed in black
making ridiculous pronouncements
about the end of irony
or something.
That sounds really fun.
(Gary)
Yeah, the whole gang's coming.
Hector and Aisha?
(Gary)
Mm-hmm.
Should really invite Harry.
I mean,
he loves contemporary art,
and maybe he could explain
my painting to me.
That sounds cool.
But, remember,
we've got that party.
(Richie) Remember?
But we'll be there in spirit.
Isn't that what they say?
(Gary) Wait.
I forgot to pay you.
Wait.
What was that about?
That was me saving you
from yourself.
Thanks, Richie,
but I don't need saving.
Boy, what it must be like
to be you.
What's that supposed to mean?
Nothing, my princess.
You are loved by
and forgiven for all.
How long did you guys
babysit for?
(Tony) Connie.
Hi, guys.
Hey.
Connie.
It's 1:00 in the morning.
Tony, please can we not?
Have you been drinking?
Yeah, yeah.
There was some wine.
We watched a movie.
We watched
Bride of Frankenstein.
But you...
Your phone was off.
We were expecting you by 9:30,
10:00.
What's going on with you guys?
We were having fun.
(Vivian)
I don't think this is funny.
- Are you drunk?
- Are you insane?
You don't think I drink wine?
And are you doing drugs
with these people?
Oh, my God.
- It's a reasonable question.
- Really?
These are people
with real trouble.
What do you mean?
There was a policeman here.
He said that you witnessed
a child being slapped.
What is it?
You never said anything
about this.
You can't work
for people like this.
Please, please don't.
Why are you doing this?
Because I don't want to see
my family destroyed by secrets.
(Vivian) Connie, never again.
_
[Knocking]
Why did you hate him so much?
Because we were so happy,
and because that wasn't enough.
And I look at you,
and I know nothing.
Nothing is enough for you
either.
And that's what killed him.
[Sighs]
Oh.
I don't know
if I even like this anymore.
It's just, like,
so black, little.
It's a little black dress.
I thought you people loved...
What do you mean, "you people"?
You know.
Women.
[Scoffs]
[Phone ringing]
_
Look, let's just get
this nightmare over with...
Hello?
I tell you, we spend
ten minutes at the gallery...
Uh, now?
We say incredibly
complimentary things to Gary...
Okay, no, I get it.
Of course.
The least hip place
in Brooklyn.
I'll be in in a second.
[Sighs]
I've got to go back in.
There's a kid
who needs stitches.
What?
I know, love.
I'm so sorry.
But they're understaffed,
and I have to step in.
That's it.
No, it's okay.
Thank God.
That means I can stay home
and watch, like,
one of those Housewives of...
I don't know...
Hades shows with my mom.
She'll be here in, like,
ten minutes.
And I can get out of this suit.
Well, you can take the tie off,
which you should, by the way,
but you're still going.
Are you serious?
- Of course.
- No.
It's Rosie and Gary, love.
You've got to represent us.
Represent us?
What am I, the U.N.?
Look, with everything
that's been going on,
you know, especially now...
(Hector) This has nothing to
do with what's been going on.
One of us has to be there.
Please don't get into that again.
I won't if you'll just admit
that there's this, like,
weird tyranny of neediness.
[Sighs]
Yes.
I do.
I do. I admit it.
But, regardless, love,
you've got to be there.
Because like it or not,
we are the grown-ups in this.
That is the most depressing
thing I've ever heard.
[Sighs]
I understand with the kids.
But...
But thank you for admitting that.
So can we not argue about it?
Because there is a kid bleeding
all over exam room one.
As ever it was thus.
_
[Phone ringing]
Hey.
Yo, am I picking you up?
No.
I'll meet you there.
I knew it.
What?
You're going to Gary's show,
aren't you?
Gee, Ma,
I promise to be home by curfew.
Sometimes being funny
is just another way of lying.
That is so not fun
pre-party talk.
And didn't we have a deal?
What?
Not to judge each other.
Besides,
if we can't be a little naughty now,
when can we be?
I'll come find you.
What can I get you?
There you go.
Is everyone dressed
in black tonight?
Hopelessly Outer Borough.
I don't know about that.
Manhattan's the new
Outer Borough.
Ooh.
[Sighs]
How are you?
I'm amazing.
Really?
Yeah, it's like some sort
of veil has been lifted,
and I'm free.
Well, you should go see
your doctor immediately.
Something must be
terribly wrong.
[Chuckles]
I'm not kidding.
- You're not?
- Mm.
Pretty intense.
Yeah, a lot power.
It's very focused.
It's actually pretty good, huh?
I was hoping I would be alone
with you tonight.
She was supposed to come.
I guess more and more
people are skipping Brooklyn.
Mm-hmm.
Lucky me.
No.
Can we stop behaving like girls
for a second?
Yeah.
[Chuckles]
It gives me hope.
What?
This is the best,
the best part of Gary up here.
Like, you can be flawed
and still do this.
And all these people can come
to feel something
that you made,
maybe not for them,
maybe for yourself,
and then had to share.
Can we not be in here?
Do you have a smoke?
[Sighs]
Oh, boy.
Yeah.
Do you still have
your slightly sad,
world-weary look
on your face?
Maybe it's the world
that's sad.
I've been thinking.
I've been really thinking
about what we have.
What do we have, Connie?
We do have something, okay?
The book that you gave me
about what
a beautiful city can be
and all the times that you
drove me home from babysitting,
you kept looking at me
and talking,
and there was something there.
I'm so, so sorry.
Connie, I didn't mean to...
Please don't say,
"I'm so sorry" to me like that.
You kissed me.
Okay?
All the things that you've said
about how I made you feel alive,
about...
How you loved to listen to me,
and when we kiss,
what that means...
You kissed me.
Yes, I did.
Okay, so then they were lies.
No, they were...
They were mistakes.
Look, I don't know how to say
how sorry I am
for all my craziness.
You were crazy to like me.
Hey, hey, I have two kids
that I desperately love
at home waiting for me.
I'm really sorry,
but you don't love me.
And I don't love you.
- I thought you were different.
- No.
I don't think I am.
I think you should go now.
We can't do this anymore.
No more babysitting,
nothing.
- Connie...
- Please don't.
Now I know how my mother
felt about my father.
Oh, God.
Where am I?
_
(Woman)
Yeah, let's get out of here.
[Upbeat music]
- You're welcome, Connie.
- Any time.
Chill with me a sec.
- Come on, girl.
- In your dreams.
- Hey, Leon.
- You look hot.
What's going on?
Oh, my God,
you never come to these things.
Wait, are we suddenly
cool enough for you?
Oh, I'm just making up
for lost time.
So if I asked you
to have a conversation with me,
would that be wrong?
Leon, this is a conversation,
just a short one.
Where's Richie?
Who cares?
Here.
Some forlorn Vicodin.
Someone's studying
for AP English.
So what's with Richie?
- Is he your boyfriend?
- Why?
Do you like him?
[Laughs]
No. I like you.
That would be such a mistake.
[Dance music]
(Man) Hey.
Richie.
Hi, hey.
I should have known you'd be
in the corner brooding.
You look cute.
- Oh, then I failed.
- Mm.
[Laughs]
You came to the party.
I didn't think you were.
You... You look cute.
[Giggles]
Well, everyone looks cute.
It's just the capital of cute
around here.
I need a drink.
What's that in your hand?
What?
Oh, it's pink. It's just pretty.
Well, watch that stuff.
It's very sweet.
There's a lot of booze
in there.
Don't be patronizing.
Just be nice.
Slow down.
What?
I don't know.
Are you okay?
No, no.
Can we please go somewhere?
Can we talk?
- Yeah.
- I need to talk to you.
What is it?
What happened?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
- Connie.
- Dude.
Come on, let's be real.
Yeah.
Whoa.
Stop.
Maybe we should just kiss,
and everything will suddenly
be better.
- Stop it.
- What?
I think I should get you home.
Maybe we're what we both need.
And we just didn't know it.
We should be pirates,
not farmers or watchers
or judges.
Connie.
You don't even know who I am.
Yes, I do.
You're my best friend.
And you've been a virgin
for far too long.
Stop it.
Stop it.
Stop it.
[Sighing]
Connie.
He lied to me.
You lied to yourself.
What?
[Crying]
Hey, you gonna be okay?
- Yeah.
- Yeah?
[Knocking]
Come in.
Tough night?
Uh, Connie, listen,
there's all sorts of stuff
between you and your mom
that I don't pretend
to understand,
and I'm probably gonna get
into trouble for this,
but I thought
you should have this.
_
_
[Phone ringing]
- Hi.
- Richie.
Can you steal your mom's car?
What... Are you okay?
Yeah.
Can you?
Well,
I have swim practice today.
Please, Richie.
I'm sorry about last night.
Me too.
Stand by.
I'll be right there.
- Hey.
- Hey.
So where are we going?
Hm.
So you don't even know who this
Malcolm person really is.
No. No, I don't.
And I think he was
in my dad's band or something.
But he said that
he has things of his,
things that I should have.
So what's the deal here?
Your mom hated your dad.
Why?
Because he was bi?
The list is too long.
Sounds strangely romantic.
Is this is a mistake?
(Richie) No.
Well, you look like half of him,
the good half.
Malcolm.
- I'm...
- I know who you are.
We met once or twice.
I'm sorry.
I don't remember.
I do.
This is my friend
Richie Journeau.
- Welcome.
- Hi.
I have to be out of here
by the end of the day.
There's a truck coming along
to take me and my memories
off into sunnier climes.
Come on in.
There's coffee.
[Wind chimes tinkling]
[Malcolm shivers]
This is my shrine,
and it's closing.
Two coffees, yes?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
(Malcolm)
Oh, this is his novel,
which, of course,
he refused to publish.
But I think
it's pretty damn good.
Maybe someday...
All this was his?
Yeah,
more than I can hold onto.
Oh, hey, those are the masters,
his last recordings.
It was a studio
in the East Village.
And your dad would make us sleep
on the floor,
said we had to live
in the music.
Idiot.
Oh, yeah, that's...
He was working on a kids' book.
Those are the drawings.
There's a very ironic goat
named Mal.
[Connie chuckles]
Why?
Why do you have all of this?
Because we were very,
very good friends.
Besides, who else
was gonna take care of him?
But things change.
Look, I'm...
I'm not all that well.
I'm moving to my sister's
in California,
so it is your turn now.
[Sighs]
He didn't want to share any of this with me.
Oh, no.
He wanted to, but...
your mom...
Well, she had other ideas.
She treats him like
he's the plague.
I don't get it.
She fell in love with him.
Why couldn't she accept him
for who he was?
Which was?
I don't know...
Bisexual...
A self-obsessed artist,
a druggie wild man.
This much is true.
So he left us for all of that.
Would that
things were that simple.
Uh, Connie...
[Sighs]
He didn't leave your mother
for all that.
Actually,
I was the one he left.
(Malcolm) You're surprised?
Your father loved many things.
But most of all,
he loved beauty...
in a song, a painting,
a man, a woman,
and your mother
was so beautiful.
Now, I had learned to accept
this as part of the package,
the occasional night
he never came home,
but this was different.
- How?
- You.
You made it different.
When he found out
Vivian was pregnant,
he made a decision.
He was gonna become
a husband, a father.
But like so many promises
he made,
he couldn't keep it.
He broke her heart
as he had broken mine.
But in the end,
as he was known to say,
"All we have is the truth."
He came back,
and we traded Coke for herbal tea.
Look,
if you're searching for a villain,
it's not your mom
or me or him.
Listen, it's time, just time.
He ran out of it too soon, okay?
Time is the only villain here.
Richie, can you get some of the
stuff and bring it to the car?
Yeah.
Did he ever talk about me?
He was planning
on getting you up here
for your seventh birthday,
if your mom would let you.
He painted...
We painted the upstairs bedroom
a very milky pink for you.
There's our plans.
There's God's plans.
You know.
[Sighs]
Two weeks later, he was gone.
Of course, he talked about you,
even in his sleep.
Hey.
I think this
was written for you.
(Connie) Thank you.
(Connie) Thank you.
["Dark Side of the Moon"
by Chris Staples playing]
♪ I want to tell you a story
♪ The only way that I can
♪ I'm just replacing
a man that came ♪
♪ Before me
♪ And one day the world
is gonna see ♪
[Engine turns over]
♪ Replacing me
♪ That's just the way
it's got to be ♪
♪ It's always been that way ♪
♪ In my daughter's eyes
Oh, you went up there,
to Malcolm.
I had to.
♪ Dark side
[Sighs]
Please don't be mad.
♪ I wanna love you
How could I be?
The day he recorded this,
he was looking at you
in your crib.
I was there?
I was just a little older
than you are now.
And he sang to you,
and you laughed.
♪ I want to love you
And he kept having
to do new takes,
because every time
he looked at you,
you'd laugh.
♪ I want to know you
♪ Oh, we have the time
I have to keep all of this, Mom.
♪ We've got to leave the line
♪ On the dark side
of the moon ♪
♪ On the dark side
[Knocking]
♪ Of the moon
Come in.
Rosie.
Do you always
keep the door unlocked?
The boys are out,
and Gary forgot his keys.
I just brought you
these cupcakes
from this place upstate.
I wanted to make up for the mess
that we made in your kitchen.
Thanks, baby.
Is everything okay?
The court says Harry
and his lawyers have the right
for a psychological exam
of Hugo.
Someone will talk to him,
and the judge says we have to.
They want to say that there's
something wrong with him,
that he was trying
to hurt Rocco with the bat,
and that's why...
That's why Harry hit him,
like he's some kind of monster.
You know that's not true.
Do you want me
to stay here with you?
Okay.
I just wanted you
to have those.
Am I a bad mother, Connie?
All I'm trying to do
is protect my child.
Why is that so wrong?
No, it's not.
[Sighs]
Rosie,
I have to tell you something.
[Sighs]
You remember that Richie was
taking pictures at the barbecue?
Yes.
He has pictures of everything.
He says that he has pictures
of Hugo being slapped.
I think it shows everything,
things that some people
would be ashamed of,
but I guess that doesn't matter
because it shows the truth.
Oh, God.