This Is Us (2016–…): Season 2, Episode 12 - Clooney - full transcript

Previously on This Is Us...

All your children
you love equally, right?

- I do love all my children equally.
- Yeah, I'm sure

that you do. Just admit
that you love Randall more.

No, he was just easier!

I married my best friend's wife.

I've been on the outside of
this family since I entered it.

You're gone all day, every day.

- Where do you go?
- I have a cat.

I go back and forth to feed him.

His name's Clooney.
One of those ironic names,



'cause he's a pretty ugly cat.

How goes the entertainment
center that Jack built?

Oh, it's gonna be great.

I'm gonna give you an entire
shelf for all your records.

Ooh, I love it.

I've got another shelf

that's gonna be for your phonograph.

Oh, whatever.

- You love my records.
- Yeah. I do love your records.

Mm-hmm.

Oh, gross. Act more like parents.

Um, my friends and I are gonna go

to the winter formal, so I need a dress.

Um, Mom, do you think
we could go to the mall?



Yeah.

Yeah, yeah. We can do that.

Uh, can you give me 20 minutes?

Yeah.

Come on, Louis. Come on, boy.

- Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
- Did that just happen?

Did my teenage daughter just ask
me to go to the mall with her?

Sure did. Saw it with my own two eyes.

Hey, babe, you mind if I go with you?

I need to look at some suits.

Walter wants us to "step up our game,"

land a few more luxury condos.

- Walter. Ech.
- Yeah.

"Ech" should definitely be
that guy's last name.

Oh, can you remind me
to pick up batteries?

- Yeah. Got it. Yeah.
- Okay.

Mom, Dad, I need more soda.

- I got it.
- Okay.

Hey, your mom is taking Kate to the mall

to get a dress for the winter formal.

Are you bringing Sophie to that?

No.

She doesn't really care if we go.

Um, she's aware that I can't
exactly dance. You know?

Can't dance, can't walk,
can't play football.

- Where? Where do we get...
- Look out!

What? What?

- D-Dad, it's the best part.
- Come on.

Quit moping. We're gonna go
to the mall, get you a new suit.

Mall? I want to go to the mall.

Great.

God, he's weird.

Get dressed. Come on.

There you go, little man.

You are now ready
for the great migration.

Be safe out there.

This diorama is gonna crush
the competition.

I understand. Mm-hmm.

All right.

- Dang it.
- What?

I just lost the lot on Clinton Avenue.

The city just sold it to a Costco.

So much for building a beautiful park

for the hardworking people
of Trenton, New Jersey.

Now they get a Costco.

I'd rather have a Costco there than a...

Shh.

I'm so sorry, wife.

I know how hard you worked on that.

- Thank you, baby.
- Yeah.

Um, you sure you're gonna have
enough time to drop the girls, and...

go all the way to William's place,

then make it back in time
for your job interview?

Mm-hmm. I got time.

Wouldn't rather spend that time
preparing for the interview,

than going to William's
to pick up some random box

they found in an old storage unit?

No. I don't need to prepare.

Keller's been after me for weeks.

It's not getting me excited.

Being a foster parent,
now that got me excited.

I know, Randall.
And we're back on the list,

but in the meantime,
why don't you just...

In the meantime, I'm gonna wait
for something to come along

that gets my juices flowing
in the same way.

But you're-you're gonna go
to the job interview, right?

I'll go.

But I'm telling you now, ain't
doing nothing for my juices.

And so, I fell off the wagon.

Hard.

You know, after the miscarriage,

I just needed some comfort, you know?

So I found that in Taco Bell.

The Dorito shells are back, so...

But now I'm on track,
and I'm going to double down,

because Toby and I are getting
married in the spring.

Yeah. And he's so friggin' romantic,

he convinced me that I want
the all-out traditional wedding,

which means the all-out
traditional wedding dress.

Which doesn't exist for me.

But it's okay, 'cause it's-it's
just gonna be a hurdle for me.

It's just... it's just a hurdle.

So...

Anyway, enough about me.

Madison, why don't you say something

that makes us all roll our eyes,

or... something.

I think my wrists are getting fat.

You know what?
I'm very proud of you, Kevin.

You've made the most of your time here.

Well, thank you, Babs.

That means a lot...
I can call you Babs, right?

- Still no.
- We're not there yet?

- No. But...
- Okay.

In here is in here, but out there,

there are 86,400 seconds in a day.

Did you steal that from Rent?

No. My point being, is that

it just takes one second to slip up.

- Yeah.
- And that's why I'm a little bit worried

about you going back
to Hollywood too quickly.

I mean, you need structure,
you need a healthy routine.

- You're right. You're right.
- Mm-hmm.

It's exactly why I know
where I need to be.

Um...

My mom, um... a lot came out

when she was here.

And I figured this could be
a chance for us

to make up for lost time.

Good for both of us.

There's one small problem.

Kev! You made it. Welcome.

- How was the trip?
- Oh, good.

Good. You look great.

So I got you organic bananas,

and raw cashews. And, uh...

I've got kale, so much kale. In fact,

the woman at the grocery store
asked me what I was gonna do

with all this kale, and I said,
"You know what, my son

is coming to town,
and he's crazy about kale."

Well, yeah, yeah, no, normally,
I-I would be,

but, uh, I've actually switched, Mom,

I've switched to a strict diet

- of Skittles and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
- Oh.

Because, uh... well, my therapist said

it's okay to go nuts on sugar right now.

But I can... I can, I can
go to the grocery store,

and get some of that stuff later.

Oh, no. We, uh, we could go together,

to the grocery store.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

Yeah, I never thought...
that's great. Um...

I need a schedule, right?

I'm supposed to stick to it, so...

this is good. Yeah, Mondays,
I go to the grocery store

- with Mom.
- Mm.

I can't believe
I used to date Jessica Biel.

- Oh, I like her.
- That's... Yeah. Yeah, she's cute.

You know, I think I'll tag along.

- Okay. Sounds like a plan.
- Yeah.

- Hey.
- Hey.

I'm really sorry about what happened.

With the baby.

Thank you.

Okay.

So now I'm gonna propose something,

- and before you say no...
- No.

I am taking you wedding dress shopping.

Oh, that's a hard no.

Kate, come on. I know the perfect place.

They-they do custom dresses.

You don't have to try anything on.

You just have to sip champagne
and-and talk about silhouettes,

and you'll be treated like a princess.

- I don't have to try anything on?
- Nothing.

I promise I can make this
a nice thing for you.

The moment you're at all
uncomfortable, we leave.

No hesitation, no questions.

Let me help you clear this hurdle.

Oh, okay.

Yeah. That is the dress.

I mean, with your eyes, Kate? Oof...

Sometimes brands run big or whatever,

- so it's hard to know what size...
- Yeah.

No, I do the same thing.

Yeah.

- Okay, I'm going in.
- Okay.

Try and stay out of trouble.

I will do my best.

Can I help you find something?

I'm just waiting for my daughter.

We're shopping together.

Okay, so we're right here, and...

the suit shop...
the suit shop is right there.

And Miguel's right there.

Miguel! Hey!

- Hey. What's going on?
- Hey, Jack, Kevin.

Hey. Let me guess:

you're, uh, getting some suits

to keep Walter off your back.

Yep. And one for Kevin, too,

- for his winter formal.
- Oh.

Yeah. What'd you get?

Uh, a really overpriced
memory foam pillow...

- Ah.
- ...just to cheer myself up.

Shelly's boyfriend proposed
to her last night.

Oof, I'm sorry.

He did it on a ski trip.

And the kids were there, too.

- I guess they ski now.
- Hey.

You're always gonna be
their dad, no matter what.

- Okay? All right?
- Classic.

What?

You just always do that.

You know? You always go straight
into a big pep talk.

I think, sometimes, you just need

a little bit of time to let things suck.

- Really?
- Yeah.

Well, I mean, he's got a...
he's got a point, Jack.

I mean, sometimes,
a guy just wants to...

to be bummed about crappy things.

Yeah.

Okay, fine.

I can wallow.

What do you guys want?

Arcade or food court?

- Food court.
- Food court.

- All right, lead the way, Hopalong.
- This guy's like

- a foot taller than me, too.
- Don't worry about it.

Lloyd?

I'm Randall Pearson.

You, uh, you called me about a box.

I know William's son when I see him.

- Come in, come in.
- Thank you, sir.

Yeah, sorry for the cold.

Damn super won't fix the heat. Here.

- Ah. There you go.
- This is it?

- Yeah, this is it.
- Gotcha.

Huh.

Well, I-I guess that's it then.

Mm-hmm.

It was nice to meet you, Lloyd.

- All right, yeah.
- All right.

I'm sorry.

Were you the neighbor who took
care of his cat, Clooney?

Yes, but he took off a few weeks ago,

probably once he realized
William wasn't coming back.

I'm sure he's fine, though.

Strays always end up
with someone who needs them.

Yes, they do.

Have a nice day, sir.

My Lady, my Love, my Neighbor.

Lady, I am straight up fixed on you,

just as you sit, fixed straight on me.

Our glue has long been set.

Each morning I wake up and
head straight towards you.

And each afternoon we sit
together with your children

and watch the world go dark.

Always I walk the same steps.

I push open the door.

I end up in front of you.

Always you, my love.

Always you, my Lady.

Ah, Cookie Crisp. What?

I haven't had Cookie Crisp
in, like, forever.

Hey, do you remember, um,
do you remember when Dad

used to take the entire
cereal box and he would just

dump the whole sucker out
so that he could get the toy?

Right? Before Randall and I
had a chance to fight over it.

- Do you remember that?
- Aw, I do.

- Ah.
- Hmm.

I lost Dad's necklace.

What?

I tried to get it back and I-I couldn't.

It's gone.

Well, he would understand.

You've been through a lot lately.

- I don't know.
- I do.

- You know what's funny?
- Hmm?

Um, you beat yourself up
about losing your necklace

and I beat myself up because
I can't seem to take mine off.

Apricot.

- They have apricot LaCroix.
- Yeah.

Usually when I'm
bummed, I watch football.

Mm-hmm.

But now when I watch
football, I just think about

- how I'll never play football.
- Mm-hmm.

That's a catch-22 right there, man.

- What's that?
- It's an expression.

It's from a book.

Shelly was always trying to
get me to read more books.

There's Randall. Randall! Hey!

Finally. A breath of fresh air.

Or not.

What's with you?

- Nothing.
- Okay.

Hey, look, Kev, you just, you
have to find your new football.

You know, what's something
that you love to do?

You don't get it, Dad.

I mean, you didn't really have anything

that you loved to do and then lost.

Yeah, okay.

Hey, you're... that's probably true.

No. No, it's not true.

- You-you never told them about Big Three?
- Mm.

- What's that?
- Nothing.

No, your dad was gonna start
his own construction company:

Big Three Homes.

- Really, you were?
- Yeah.

So why didn't you?

Well, why do you think?

I mean, he stuck it out with our company

so that you two and your sister

could have everything
you've ever wanted.

Look, it's... it wasn't the right
time to take a risk like that.

- Okay.
- You got to own your choices, boys.

Choose them fully and don't look back.

- Hey, Miguel.
- Yeah?

Hey, uh, why, uh...

- why did you come with us today?
- Huh?

Well, you know, obviously,
I'm staying with you guys

so that I can connect
with my mom, right?

But yet the first thing you do is...

tag along with us to the grocery store.
I was just, I was wondering why.

She's been a wreck ever since
you got arrested.

And then you tore into her
at that session.

So, yeah, I'm here now to protect her

against any more bombs
that you might drop

or any other blame that you
might want to lay on her.

Well, you don't have
to protect her from me.

I'm her son.

And I'm her husband.

My father was her husband.

Hi. Sorry to bother you.

I'm William Hill's son.

Downstairs, apartment four.

Oh, yes. I liked him so much.

I was so sorry to hear
that he had passed.

Thank you.

Say, did you like him
or did you love him?

Now, wasn't he a fancy man?

Fancy? Nah, he was pretty
low-k... oh, you mean gay.

Yeah.

No. Bi.

Bye.

N...

William, he was just the best.

Whenever the hot water would go out,

which was a weekly
occurrence around here,

he would bring me a big
ole pot of boiling water

just so I could take a bath.

Would you describe yourselves
as romantically involved?

Yo, what's going on, brah?

Do you recognize this woman?

Wow.

I know.

It's like being inside
of a wedding cake.

My gosh.

Wait, are we the only ones here?

It's B.A.O.

By appointment only.

I figured you'd be more comfortable

if there were no other customers here.

Thank you.

Screw it, I am having one.

I did yoga this morning,
the sweaty kind.

No judgment here.

I know.

- Hey, Mad.
- Mm.

I'm eating. Sorry.

- Aw.
- You are so tiny. I hate you.

Alexis, this is Kate.

- It's great to meet you.
- Hi.

I promise not to make you say
yes to the dress or anything.

Oh, I actually love that show.

But don't tell Hanga.
She thinks it's trash.

- There we go.
- Oh.

- Thanks.
- All right, come in. Come in.

- Who is Hanga?
- The designer.

- Oh.
- It's gonna be so fun.

Wow.

- Hey-o.
- Hey, babe.

I was in the neighborhood.

Had a little time to kill
before my interview.

Figured I'd see if I could
take you out for a cappuccino.

Oh, that's very sweet, but I'm
swamped at the moment, so...

Found one of William's old poems
in this box that I picked up.

It's a love poem.

Think he was in love...

with a woman from his old building

before he met Jessie.

I think they were lovers.

- Randall.
- Yeah?

I'm trying to do my job.

I know you're kind of down
on those right now,

but I still have to do mine, so...

I'm not down on jobs, Beth.

I'm down on one particular job.

I'm just waiting for the perfect thing.

You think my job is perfect?

You think when I was a
wide-eyed, hardheaded undergrad

writing all those
papers on fair housing,

that I dreamt that I would spend my life

sucking up to public officials
only to lose out to a Costco?

- No.
- I know you're searching for something.

Nobody supports your searches
more than I do, baby,

but recently, it feels like you
are somewhere in outer space.

I need you to go back to work.

It's not about money. It's...

I think it'll be good for you.

For us.

Can you do that?

Can you come down from outer space

and be in the real world with me?

Thank you.

You would look absolutely
stunning in something like this.

Soft, empire waist, flairs out...

But you have to love it. Do you love it?

- I-I like the style.
- Mm-hmm.

But I'm just not sure about it
being such a bright white.

You know? What do you think?

Madison?

Wh-What do you think?

Agreed.

Yeah, we're-we're not
trying to blind anyone

at this wedding, Lex.

Show us something with flesh undertones.

Got it. Uh...

Ooh.

How about this one? Mm-hmm?

Yeah, way closer.

BRB, I got to pee.

How do you feel about lace?

I like lace.

Here you go.

Isn't Hanga's stuff amazing?

Madison, I know
what you did... back there.

It's really just a small fee
to reserve the place.

It's-it's not a big deal.

No. In the bathroom.

After you ate all the macaroons.

When you talk in group,
it's not about anything... real.

Or, at least that's what I thought.

I mean, you went to town
on those desserts...

What are you doing?

Madison...

- No. Why are you ruining this?
- Listen,

I know that it's hard to talk about.

- Ech...
- Madison...

Just find your own way home.

We're currently the frontrunner

in the development
of cellulosic ethanol.

Not to toot our own horn, but
it's pretty cutting-edge stuff.

Does any of that appeal to you?

Actually, yes.

Sorry.

I'm sorry, Sue, I should take this.

Uh, it could be my kids' school.

- Oh. Sure.
- I'll be right back. I'm sorry.

Hey, this is Randall.

Randall, it's Lloyd.

Lloyd, yes.

I saw your note in the hallway.

Did you talk with the super?

No. I spoke to a lot of people,

but not the super.

Well, Donna is with her grandkids

on the first floor.

She has kids?

Now, I'm not one for gossip,

but I saw William coming and going

from that apartment at all hours,

if you know what I mean.

Oh, hell, I love gossip.

Uh, thanks, Lloyd.

Thank you very much.

Wait, why would you want to cover up...

- What?
- Oh, goodness.

"Where are we gonna put our hot tub"?

It's a tiny house. What did they expect?

Listen to her. Do you hear her voice?

Maybe I'll build you

- a tiny house one day.
- Oh.

Hi, sweetheart.

How are you?

I'm just... restless,

and nighttime's weird, and I'm...

Why don't I go make you some tea?

Yeah? You want some tea? You want tea?

- Uh, sure. Thank you so much.
- That's nice of you.

Thank you.

Your mother just can't
get enough of this show.

Yeah. Huh.

Uh...

Miguel, I'm sorry about earlier. I'm...

No, no, no, no. It's-it's...

Me, too.

Can I just ask you something?

- Yeah, uh, anything.
- Okay.

Were you, uh...

Were you in love with my mom
when my dad was alive?

What?

Kevin, no. No, no, that...

that would have been impossible.

I don't know what you mean.

How to explain this, um...

See, your mom... your mom and dad,

they were one.

There was... there was no Jack,

and there was no Rebecca. It was just...

it was just Jack and Rebecca.

So, the notion that I would have
been in love with your mother

back then, it's just...
it-it never even occurred to me.

Ever.

Do you understand what I'm saying?

I do, yeah.

But I do love her now.

Kevin...

I'm not going anywhere.

Hello?

What?

Wait, wait, what?

Madison?

Coming in.

Madison?

Madison?

- Oh, my God.
- I'm okay.

I think I fainted again.

I... I'm okay.

Here, let me help you.

Careful. Be careful.

There you are.

I've been looking for you everywhere.

- Sorry.
- You can't just leave me, Kate.

How was the dress?

It didn't fit.

Well, why don't we go
try on some others, then,

- and find something that you love?
- Mom, stop it!

Okay? Just... just please stop.

- Hi.
- Hi.

You the super?

Feeling pretty average, but yeah.

That's a "super" joke.

- Funny.
- Okay.

This is gonna seem random.

I'm William Hill's son.

He lived in apartment four.

That old pain in my ass.

- You know what he used to do?
- Hmm?

Every time somebody's
stove wouldn't light,

or their water wouldn't go on,

he'd come banging on
my door to report it.

You know, and I explained
to him a thousand times,

I can't fix things without money.

So, he wasn't coming around here

'cause you two were...

- William and me?
- Mm-hmm.

No...

No, no, no.

I'll tell you this, though.

When he moved,

man, the building felt it, you know?

It was kind of like we lost a heart,

and there was no place
for the blood to go.

I found this poem he wrote.

Would you believe I
thought it was a sign,

me finding it now?

Let me show you something.

- Okay.
- Okay. Come.

The door...

Just lost the tenant
that lived here after William.

Take a look around.

That's okay.

I don't want to... yeah.

Take a look around.

Get it. Down to the right. Get it.

Well, what do we have here?

Ooh.

You are one ugly cat.

No offense.

You hungry? All right.

Let's see what I can drum up for you.

There's a little Lactaid.
Hope you don't mind.

There we go.

Yeah.

Rough day, huh?

You're good to hang here
for a little bit.

This is my favorite spot.

It's got a great view of...

"Lady, I am straight up fixed on you...

"Always I walk the same steps.

"I push open the door,

"I end up in front of you.

Always you. Always you, my Lady."

Lady Day. Billie was
one of my favorites.

Oh, damn.

Oh, damn.

- Sorry.
- You don't need to take care of me.

So... you're all alone and
you're bleeding from the head.

I kind of do.

- I'm sorry I called.
- Well...?

I couldn't call my family. They'd...

..freak out.

Do you want to talk about it?

It's new.

I mean, I used to do it
in middle school, but I stopped,

until a few weeks ago.

I was really upset when I got home.

So I ate.

So much.

This crappy frozen yogurt

I've had in the freezer forever.

And then I...

I felt better.

But I got really dizzy.

I guess I fell.

I know you think I'm insane.

No.

I don't think you're insane.

Um...

Right before my dad died,
I got really skinny.

I pretty much stopped eating everything,

except for baby carrots.

Me and you, we could've shared clothes.

And I was so, just so sure

that being skinny would make me happy.

My whole life,

I had that voice in my
head just screaming,

just shouting at me,

"Lose the weight. Try harder.

You're fat and you're pathetic."

And so, I did it. I lost the weight.

But listening to that
voice my whole life,

I didn't know who I was without it.

And then I just, I felt empty.

I was more comfortable being fat

because I actually liked

being mad at myself all the time.

I liked the voice.

So...

I don't think you're insane.

Thank you for taking care of me.

- Oh, of course.
- You're really nice.

Eh.

- Oh, my God.
- What?

Should we host a podcast?

No. No one wants that.

Well... so...

I think I like the dress
with the empire waist.

You're gonna say yes to the dress?

Aw!

I can't believe it.

I finally have a best friend.

Hey. Thanks for indulging me.

This better be good.

You're right.

I've been doing a lot of searching
these last few months.

Spent too much time
in outer space, but Beth,

I got called up out of the blue

and asked to come
to this run-down building

to pick up a cardboard box.

And in that box was a poem
about my father's lady,

that turned out to be
a Billie Holiday mural,

but still, that poem led me
directly to my lady,

who wakes up every morning
and fights to create

beautiful spaces for the
people who need them most.

My lady, who's been the answer
to every search I've been on

since I was 19 years old.

I want to buy this building
with you, Beth.

I want to change these people's lives.

Give them the comfort
and the dignity they deserve.

The building manager, she knows...

You hungry?

Randall, hey.

You look like you're gonna pass out.
What's up?

Uh...

Will you go out with me?

Oh.

- Um...
- Before you answer,

maybe you should let fate decide.

Okay. What do you think?

You think the boss
is gonna like this one?

Yeah. Looks good.

Yeah? Okay.

So how about now?

You think now's a good time

to start the Big Three?

No. No, bud, I got three of you
about to go off to college,

so... no.

Let's button this up. Give me this.

Here we go.

Sometimes, always,

never.

Here, get your hand right
inside the lapel there.

Make sure it's not too tight, too loose.

- No.
- Feels good?

- Yeah.
- Yeah? Okay.

- Good.
- Yeah.

Good. You look good.

- Thanks.
- Sharp.

Yeah, the pants are gonna fit better

once you get out of that cast,
but they work for now.

You look good.

You look real good.

Straighten this tie, though.

Thank you, Dad.

You're welcome.

Okay. How do you feel?

I feel like I'm wearing a suit.

- Morning.
- Oh, good morning.

Oh, yeah.

You know, I, um...

Last night, when you were, um...

you were watching TV with Miguel,

I noticed that you had
your head on his shoulder,

and then, as soon as you saw me,

you-you... sort of... pulled away.

Hmm.

I, um...

I thought that it might be, uh,

hard for you to see us like that.

Right.

You shouldn't have to worry
about how I feel, Mom.

You shouldn't, you know,
and-and, you know...

Kevin...

You're happy with him?

After your father died,

I had to let go of a lot of things,

and happiness was one
of the first things to go.

And it was like that

for a very, very long time.

What I found with Miguel is, um...

...quieter

and older.

But... yeah.

Yeah, I'm happy.

He really makes me laugh.

He does.

Laughing with him or at him?
I'm just, you know, saying.

- Kevin, stop it.
- I mean, come on.

- I need you to talk to Kate.
- Hmm.

- Something is up with her.
- Yeah, I noticed that, too.

And if anyone can get
through to her, it's you.

- Yeah. Yeah, I'll talk to her.
- Okay.

Kev seems to like his new suit.

Yeah. Yeah, he does.

- Bec?
- Yeah?

I hate wearing suits.

- Okay.
- And I hate Walter.

Walter, ech.

I'm thinking...

I'm thinking I want to try
and start the business again.

Big Three Homes.

- What?
- Yeah.

You want to just...

Quit my job and start
a construction business. Yeah.

Babe, we have three kids who are
about to go off to college soon.

You really think that now is the
right time to start a business?

No.

Probably not.

Well, I guess that's...

gonna make it pretty exciting, isn't it?

Wow.

Hey, babe, did we forget
something at the mall?

I don't think so.

Huh.

Well, tell me more about Big Three
Homes. When did this come about?