This Is Us (2016–…): Season 3, Episode 12 - Episode #3.12 - full transcript
Previously on This Is Us...
Nicholas Pearson?
Our dad told us you died in Vietnam.
He should never have come for me.
Bec, I didn't tell you the truth
about where I went today.
I went to see someone, someone
that I'd known from the war.
He'd been having a rough go
of things lately,
mostly because of something bad
that happened there,
something he did.
You know, there are people
- that you can talk to.
- I'm gonna go clean up.
Why didn't I ask him more?
I want the truth.
That's no way to live, huh?
All messed up, living alone
for 40-some-odd years.
I can't leave him like Dad did.
Okay.
Come on.
You're spending the night
at the hotel with us.
All right. Here we go, pretty, uh,
standard hotel room, right?
Bathroom and bed, obviously.
It looks like they got a nice TV for you
in case you want to watch some... shows.
You sure you don't want us
to order you anything to eat?
Uh, no.
You want some water, or...?
There's, uh, there's snacks
over there, too, you know.
Like, there's some Pringles
over there, if you want
some Pringles.
Everybody loves... Pringles.
Yeah. Uh, look... I-I'm fine.
I-I just think I'm gonna,
you know, get some sleep.
- So...
- Oh.
- Okay.
- Well, we'll see you in the morning.
- All right, okay.
- Yeah.
- Good night, Nicky.
- Good night.
- Your, uh, room key.
- Okay.
And, you know, I'm-I'm right
across the hall, 204,
If you need anything, just knock
on the door, I'll be...
Good night.
- Okay, so what are we gonna do?
- Shh.
What are we gonna do?
I don't know, bro.
He's getting hammered
in his leaky trailer
with a gun sitting next to him
on the table.
And... I just offered him Pringles.
- Pringles are pretty great.
- Come on.
- Don't be funny right now.
- I'm not.
- I really like Pringles.
- Randall.
We got to do something.
We could probably throw him some cash
to make the place a little more livable,
but I don't suspect he'll take it.
Livable.
He's got a hole in his ceiling.
The man's got PTSD; he's depressed.
He's obviously an alcoholic.
Yeah, but Kev, he's been living
like this for years.
He's our uncle.
He's family, we're gonna help him.
Who wants to call Mom and tell
her what's going on here?
Um, um... um.
Okay.
All right. Yeah, no, I'll do it.
So you guys are a lot of help.
I'll jus... I'll-I'll take care
of the whole thing.
Good night.
Good night. I'll see you
guys in the morning.
Have you been up all night?
Uh, yeah, I guess I have.
Just doing research on, uh,
VA hospitals, vet centers.
I found this place nearby in
Youngsville, looks pretty good.
You know, I figure
if we can get him over there,
maybe get him into an in-patient
program, if he agrees.
- Mornin'.
- Morning.
You know, Randall, I think
for the first time in history
Kev has done more homework than you.
Did you call Mom?
Yeah, I did. I talked to her last night.
How was she?
It's unclear, you know.
I told her where we were
and what was going on.
She had some questions,
a lot of... a lot of processing.
Well, I mean, she probably feels like...
Nicky.
- Hi.
- Morning.
- Good morning.
- Morning. Morning.
Sleep okay?
- Slept.
- Good.
That's good. You, uh...
You ever been to this, uh,
this vet center in Youngsville?
- You ever hear of that place?
- Youngsville.
Yeah.
Uh, no, not that one.
I thought maybe we could go there today.
Yeah, well, you know, I've been
to a lot of vet centers.
They're all pretty much the same.
Kev's done a lot of research.
This one looks pretty cool.
We don't have to go there
and spend the whole day.
We can just swing by
and see what you think.
Hello.
Mom.
What are you doing here?
I'm Rebecca.
I was Jack's wife.
Uh, Kevin told me you guys were here
and I d-didn't even think about it,
and before I knew it,
I was just in the car driving.
You...
Wow.
You have his eyes.
I mean, it's-it's different,
but there's something in the eyes.
Well, nice to meet you, Rebecca.
Did you know about us?
Yeah.
Uh, yeah, I saw Jack once in, um...
He came up here in early '92.
Um...
And he showed me your picture.
Showed all of you.
And, uh,
you know, he-he seemed,
he seemed very, uh...
He seemed very happy.
I'm just gonna go outside for a moment.
Can't tell you how
good it is to be home.
You can't sleep?
Neh.
I'll see your "neh" and raise you a...
- Jack.
- Supposed to take Kevin
to the mall tomorrow
and get some baseball cards signed,
but I... just...
I need a day.
I'll take him.
- You sure?
- Yeah.
- Thanks, babe.
- Of course.
Dad, you're back. Yay!
Yeah. Good to be home, Katie girl.
Did you get me something?
Did I...?
You know what? It was such a short trip
that I forgot your snow globe,
but I'll bring you two next time, okay?
Dad, let's go.
We got to get there early.
I don't even know
why you want John Smiley's autograph.
Everybody's saying he's getting
traded to the Twins.
That's why I got to get my card
signed now, Dorkburger.
He might not be in Pittsburgh
much longer.
If I don't get my card signed,
it's never gonna double in value.
Dad, get dressed. Come on.
Oh, actually,
I'm-I'm gonna take you, Kev.
- Why?
- 'Cause I want to.
And I think it'll be fun.
Go get your jacket.
I'll meet you in the car, okay?
Go. Go ahead.
You're gonna have fun
with your mom, okay?
Mom, you're supposed to help us
with our Valentine's Day cards.
I've seen you with a magic marker, Bug.
You don't need my help.
And Dad will be here
if you need anything, okay?
Mom.
You all right?
I remember that weekend, I do.
He, um...
said he was going
to visit some war buddy,
somebody he had had a falling out with.
And it was right around Valentine's Day.
He was acting so strangely.
Huh.
I think the-the best thing
for us to do now
is just to get him into that,
that vet center, you know?
If we get him over there, he can't,
can't argue going, right?
And then maybe we can
convince him to stay.
What?
Kev, I have a doctor's
appointment tomorrow in L.A.
- Right.
- I'm not supposed to miss
- any appointments.
- Of course. No.
Just... I get it.
I got to go, too, bro.
What? What do you mean?
It was supposed to be
a sibling road trip.
Wh... Randall, you drove.
I know. But my wife is unemployed
and she's all over the place.
You know, I-I take office
in the next few weeks,
and God only knows what kind of effect
that's gonna have on my family.
Look, I... I can't,
I can't just camp out in some hotel
with an uncle who doesn't want our help
and Dad didn't want us to know
in the first place.
- Wow.
- What?
Wh... You jump at the chance
to save everybody else
on the planet, our uncle
needs help, he's family,
and-and you-you got to be home
in time for dinner.
I'm sorry. I'm tired.
I-I was up all night. I didn't sleep.
- I-I'm sorry.
- Mm.
It's all right.
Looks like it's you and me.
Mother-son day.
It's gonna be fun.
Just because Jack kept something from us
doesn't mean you didn't know him.
He had stuff going on,
and we had absolutely no idea.
Like, no, he saw Nicky in 1992, he said.
- Yeah.
- And we had no clue.
Yeah, because we were 11.
- You know what's weird?
- Hmm?
I think I remember that weekend.
That... he went away on a work trip...
- Mm-hmm.
- ...and when he came back,
that's the day
that we had the sequin fight.
- Oh, the sequin fight.
- Yeah.
God, we destroyed the house.
Oh, my gosh, I remember Dad...
just laughing,
completely covered in sequins.
We were finding little sequins
in the floor cracks for years.
Hmm.
What?
Nothing.
I miss that house.
You know, when William and I
took that trip
to Memphis before he died,
we went to visit his childhood home,
and the owners let us in.
It was pretty cool for him, I think.
Yeah.
Got a couple hours
to kill before your flight.
Not that far from Pittsburgh.
Okay. The thing I...
I think you're forgetting is,
our childhood home is gone.
Right, the house isn't there,
but the yard is,
the street is, the... the-the neighbors.
- Okay.
- Okay.
Dad, I'm gonna write a personal
note to everyone in my class
and then cover it in sequins.
Dad?
It's good, Katie girl.
What about you, Randall?
The Simpsons say it
better than I ever could.
Mm. Mm.
Dad, can you help me count footballs?
...an eye on that. Their score 29.
Uh, you know what? Why don't, um...?
Why don't you guys do it
yourselves, okay? I have, uh...
- I got some stuff to do.
- Like what?
You know, grown-up stuff.
Work, taxes.
Just don't go making a mess, okay?
Your mother's gonna lose it
if she comes home
and the house is a disaster, okay? Okay.
Hey, Dad.
What's up, bud?
This is our lounge.
We have sessions for vets,
service members and their families.
Hey, and, uh, all the counselors are...
- They're vets themselves, correct?
- Exactly.
So you're talking to someone who
knows what you're going through.
We also have financial
caseworkers to help you
sort out your benefits,
any disability payments.
And of course, we have
one-on-one counseling, as well.
I can introduce you
to a few more folks,
- or I can answer any questions.
- No, thank you.
I'll let you talk.
Just let me know if there is
anything else I can do for you.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Pretty nice place, huh?
Look...
I appreciate the effort, I do.
I can tell that me
seeing this place, you know,
meant something to you, so,
you know, here I am.
But I've been to counselors before,
and it didn't work.
Also, I'm a drunk.
Oh, and also, I can't seem
to leave my trailer
without getting the shakes.
You think, uh... you think
doing a jigsaw puzzle's gonna fix that?
I think a meeting could help.
- It won't.
- It could.
It won't!
You're out of your depth, kid.
Well... Mm.
Mom, I'm just gonna...
I'm gonna take a minute.
Hey, Kev.
I'm sorry, Mom.
I'm just frustrated, you know.
Uh, it's been a long, uh...
I make it all the way here, you know.
I-I... I actually find my uncle.
To have it end this helplessly
just... it sucks.
Yeah, I know.
And you know what? I'm mad at Dad.
I'm pissed off
that he never told us about him.
He's been gone 20 years.
He had a brother this whole time.
I-I had an uncle I could have known.
- I'm sorry.
- No. No. I'm mad, too.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
And it's hard to be mad at
someone who's not here anymore.
There's nothing you can...
do with those feelings.
But, yeah.
- Yeah.
- Yeah, I'm mad.
Hey, Kev, I'm really hungry.
Why don't we go get some lunch?
Then we'll come back and see
if the line's any shorter, yeah?
They said they're shutting down
at 2:00. I'm not leaving.
Hey, Kevin, I'm not asking you.
I'm telling you.
We're gonna go get some lunch,
and then we will come back, okay?
- No!
- Come on.
- Yes. Come on.
- No!
I need his rookie card signed.
I'm not leaving.
Okay, fine.
I will go get us some lunch,
and you stay in line.
- You promise me you'll stay in line?
- Fine.
Okay, I'll be right back.
I know you probably want
to get back home.
Do you mind if we spend
one more night here?
Sure. Fine.
Okay.
I think it's time you and I talked.
Wild Draw Four. Sorry, Grandpa.
- Ruthless.
- Don't worry, Ma.
We're only staying here
a few weeks, a month, at most.
- I'm sorry.
- What are you talking about?
- We love having you here.
- Dad doesn't love
that his painting studio
is now Ella's bedroom.
Oh, I love it.
I love that you didn't listen
to your father
and ran off and eloped with a musician
and have now returned home at 28
to take over my painting studio.
Fine. Then we'll leave.
- I'll get it.
- No, I'll get it.
Hi. I'm Randall.
Um, this is my sister Kate.
- Hi.
- It's a super weird story,
but we actually
used to live in this house.
- Well, not this house, but...
- I'm sorry. It's a bad time.
It's...
You should have let me talk.
I panicked.
Actually, I almost said,
"Hi. I'm Randall Pearson,
and I'm running for city council."
It's a force of habit.
Wow.
Almost all the houses
on the street look completely different.
I was thinking
about the day we had the sequin fight.
I think that was the day
that we invented Pearson Pizza.
That was that day?
Yeah.
- I mean, it might have been.
- Huh.
Oh.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Do you want to see my room?
You okay?
Yeah.
I'm okay, bud. I'm fine.
We're hungry.
You are? Well, just order a pizza.
Whatever you guys want, okay?
Something for your mom and Kevin, too.
Okay? Get the money out of my wallet.
You want us to order a pizza?
Yeah. Yeah, something everybody
will like, okay?
Okay.
Hi. You're reached Zoe. Leave a message.
Hey. Uh, Zoe, it's me.
Ugh. I think I'm gonna be home tomorrow.
My uncle's a mess, his trailer's a mess.
Took him to the vet center,
he barely even looked at it, so, um...
I don't know.
Talk to you later.
My grandma told me
I could come and get you.
Hello!
- Hi!
- Hi!
- I'm Kate.
- Geeta.
- Rohan.
- I'm Randall. Hi.
- Geeta.
- Randall. Nice to meet you, Geeta.
Sorry about my daughter
slamming the door in your face.
She's-she's going through
a tough time right now,
- which has become our tough time.
- It's okay.
- But welcome.
- Come.
- Thank you.
- Wow.
It's really different.
I don't even know what room
I'm standing in right now.
How long ago did you live here?
We lived here in the '80s and '90s.
The house got rebuilt after we left.
Why did you move?
We grew up.
Was this fireplace here
when you lived here?
Uh, no.
Actually, it was completely different.
This used to be the dining room.
And over there,
that was the living room.
What is it, Kate?
Um...
This is where it happened, Randall.
This is... this is where
we had the sequin fight.
Right here.
Dad said we could order our own pizza?
Yes!
Ho-ly crap!
Hi, I'm an adult.
Can I order a pizza?
I'm sure being here brings back a lot.
Yeah.
Yeah. We were just...
telling stories about when we lived here
and we had a sequin fight.
This place was covered,
absolutely covered in sequins.
I mean, we had some awesome days here.
But that day was the awesomest.
No.
I don't think it was, Kate.
Don't you remember?
You remember the plate?
Don't you remember that broken dish?
Dad, we invented the greatest pizza
in the history of the world!
One favorite pizza topping
- for everyone so that...
- Hey, what-what is this?
What is this?
Kate, I asked you. I asked.
I specifically asked you
for one thing today:
do not make a mess!
So y-you're gonna clean this up.
Okay?
I didn't need this today, Kate.
I didn't need it.
Dad, what happened?
Plate.
Slipped out of my hand when I was
putting it in the sink. I'm sorry.
- I can give you...
- No, no, no, no, no.
Stop, stop.
You're gonna hurt yourself. Just...
Go get me the broom.
I don't remember that at all.
Dad didn't throw a plate.
He let us order pizza.
We had a sequin fight.
- I don't think that's right, Kate.
- Well, I do,
- 'cause I remember it.
- Okay.
Fine.
What, Randall?
Sorry,
but we're probably heading out
soon, so...
You know, when I found out
that you were alive...
...I didn't want to meet you.
'Cause I didn't want to...
unravel what Jack had always told me.
It has been a long time
since I've been in a room
with somebody who has memories
of him that I don't know.
But...
Do you have any fun stories
about your childhood?
Wasn't a childhood worth remembering.
Yeah.
Well, he never really told me
a whole lot about you.
He told you I died.
Because, uh,
he wished I was dead.
The kids told me what happened.
Sounds horrific
and-and very complicated.
I'm-I'm sorry.
You know, for what it's worth,
right before he passed away,
Jack was newly sober.
And...
he was opening up
in ways he never had before.
And I obviously don't know for sure,
but I...
I think he would've found
his way back to you.
Well,
he missed his chance.
Yeah, he did.
But you still have a chance
to make things right,
because I'm here.
And his son is here.
And Kevin is...
Oh, he's always been tricky.
He's harder to define.
- It was great meeting you, Kevin.
- Thank you.
What did you say during your
big moment with John Smiley?
Nothing. I asked him to sign
my card, and he signed it.
I have to pee. Can-can you wait?
Yeah. Here,
I'll hold your stuff. Go pee.
- Thank you.
- It's right there. Go, go.
Hi. Sorry. 'Scuse me.
- Mr. Smiley? Hi.
- Yes?
You just met my son.
You signed his rookie card for him?
- Yeah.
- I was wondering what you guys
were talking about.
Uh, he wanted to tell me where I
could shoot pool in Minneapolis.
- What?
- He read in the paper
I'm going to get traded to the Twins.
Which... could happen.
And he has my rookie card, so...
See?
"John enjoys hunting, karate,
"shooting pool...
"watching drag racing,
and going to the beach."
Yeah, he said he took a travel
guide out of his school library.
Gave me a list of karate centers, too.
I didn't even know that Kevin
knew his school had a library.
He said he just... wanted
to make sure I was happy,
wherever I ended up.
Special little boy you have.
And I run into a lot of them.
- Thank you.
- Yeah.
- Thank you very much.
- Of course.
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice meeting you, too.
Hey, I hope you don't get traded.
Yeah. Me, too.
I know he seems
like he has it all.
He's tall and he's handsome and
he seems so confident, but...
really, underneath all of that,
he's just a sensitive little boy.
And he's had a really tough year.
He is newly sober, just like his father.
And...
he's just worried about you.
He's worried about your health.
He's worried about your leaky roof.
Because he cares.
This is so important to him.
You are already so important to him.
Because...
because you're family to him already.
So let me get this straight.
Um, the message here is, uh,
"Shape up, Nicky,
'cause the kid needs a win"?
No, that's not what I'm saying.
I-I'm not a prop, Rebecca.
I'm not...
Kevin sees me as family.
Well, you know how I see him?
I-I see him as a tall, blond kid
who pulled me from my home,
the only place I'm comfortable,
so a movie star could, uh,
you know, be a real-life hero for a day.
I think they might call
the cops if we don't leave soon.
Did I misremember our entire childhood?
No.
Of course not.
That was the day that, uh, Dad
had seen his estranged brother,
who he lied to us about.
You remember him yelling at me
and throwing a plate,
and I remember a sequin fight.
How can it be the same day?
Means he did a good job.
You remember the good stuff.
- Or I'm completely delusional.
- No.
Look, we all have bad days as parents.
I've had some doozies.
And you will, too.
You've had some doozies?
It's hard to believe, but... yeah.
Look, all you can do as a parent
is try to pack the days with
as much good stuff as possible
and hope that it outweighs the bad.
You hope that the good stuff sticks.
That's what he did for us.
It's looking good, guys.
Hey, I'm sorry about earlier.
Okay? Dad's tired.
Forgive me?
Great.
Hey, by the way,
this pizza is so good.
You guys might be geniuses.
- Pizza geniuses.
- Pizza geniuses.
I mean, this is so good,
we got to name it. Right?
What should we call it, Pearson Pizza?
I mean, Randall,
I'm-I'm really coming around
to this whole spinach thing, you know?
Adds a nice crunch.
Makes me feel like Popeye.
No?
Katie girl, I think, um...
I think this one could use
a couple more sequins.
Don't you?
- Dad!
- Oh, my God. Oops.
I-I missed.
I don't... Wow.
What's wrong with my hand?
Something's wrong...
with my hand.
- Sequin fight?
- Sequin fight.
Oh! Oh-ho-ho-ho!
Who got some... Whoa!
You okay?
Yeah.
I'm sorry that we invaded your space.
It was never...
- Stop.
- our inten...
Uh, Jack liked to build things as a kid.
I was, uh, I was real bad at it.
But, um...
he was a frickin' artist.
He could... he could build anything.
He once built a-a tree fort
in our backyard.
See, Nicky?
"Tongue and groove, Nicky."
Like that.
Tongue and groove.
"Tongue and groove."
That's what he'd say.
I didn't know what the hell
he was talking about.
I wanted to be a writer.
And then I, uh, I wanted to be a doctor.
And then...
I didn't...
want anything.
I used to be a person.
I...
wish I could...
be that person again...
but it's been so long,
I-I don't think I can.
Anyway, um...
you drove a long way,
so the least I could do was, um...
tell you about...
...Jack's tongue-and-groove fort.
And, uh...
You guys were all he ever wanted.
Come on. Let's go.
Final step...
plasterboard goes up there.
Never had anyone tall enough.
All right...
You're not bad at this.
You done it before?
No. I did play a handyman in a
student film one time a while back.
It's not porn. Honest to God.
I know it sounds like porn, but...
Well, that ought to do it.
- That ought to do it.
- Yep.
You don't need to worry about my...
leaky roof anymore.
I wasn't worried.
Okay.
Um...
And I'm going to...
go to one of those meetings
at the, um, vet center.
I don't promise
I'm gonna go to two meetings,
but I'll, you know, I'll go to one.
Really?
Yeah.
I know you want to fix things.
Fix me.
And I w...
I wish I could give you that.
But...
you...
and, uh, your family...
It's just...
too painful.
So, um...
Uh...
It was a pleasure to meet you.
And, uh...
maybe I'll see you again.
- Maybe.
- Okay.
Hello? Hello, hello?
- Family?
- Hey.
What's going on, girls?
Good to see you. I missed you.
Eatin' your dinner and all. Mwah!
- How you doing, sweetie?
- Good. How are you?
Mm, good, thank you.
Whoa. Taking a trip?
My mom hurt her damn hip again.
You know, I just got off
the phone with the hospital,
and I was gonna call you, but
then I had to get on the phone
and make a plan with Zoe, then
the hospital called again...
- Is she okay?
- No...
Yeah. I just hope
she didn't break it again.
Um, I got to head down to D.C.
- Of course. When?
- Now.
I was just waiting on you to get back.
I got to pick up Zoe
from the train station.
- Oh. Okay.
- Yeah?
- I love you.
- All right. Love you.
- Yeah.
- I'll call you from the road.
All right, girls, love you.
- Bye-bye.
- Love you.
Oh, boy.
Angelica, Eliza, Peggy.
- I'm Peggy?
- You're Peggy.
Why is this bag so heavy?
Oh, yeah, that's right. Presents.
Yay!
Can I get a drumroll, please?
You don't get any presents
without a drumroll.
- God, you're so embarrassing.
- "You're so embarrassing."
Good.
Where are my guys?
- There's one.
- Oh, hi. We missed you.
- Hi.
- Oh-ho-ho. You must be so exhausted.
I got you some new slips.
- Thank you.
- So just slap these on your feet.
- I'm gonna make you some tea, okay?
- Okay.
- Wait, babe.
- Yeah?
When we buy a house, I want a backyard.
And I want to get a projector screen.
And I want to take our son out there,
and I want to bring
blankets and popcorn,
and I want to stay up late,
and I want to...
I want to show him
all of our favorite movies.
Okay.
For Deja.
Fancy non-smelly lotions
- in the sample size. You're welcome.
- Hmm.
And for you two,
gossip magazines featuring
the world's hottest celebrities
pumping their own gas
and scooping their own dog's poop.
- Celebrities.
- Ooh.
Hi.
Hey, babe. Sorry. Um...
a sequin fight broke out,
and we couldn't help it.
It-it just happened.
- Sorry.
- I am not cleaning this up.
Understood.
- 'Kay.
- Okay.
Go ahead. Join...
Get him! Get the new guy!
Get the new guy!
Hey! Oh, he's getting a heart!
He's getting a heart one!
- Dad!
- He's getting a heart one!
You did exactly what you set out to do.
You should feel really good about that.
Yeah.
I mean, I'm really grateful to you.
'Cause if it wasn't for you,
I wouldn't be able to...
...think about your father
building a fort, saying,
"Tongue and groove, Nicky."
So thank you for that.
My uncle's a mess.
His trailer's a mess, it's...
I took him to the vet center,
he barely even looked at it.
So I'm...
I don't know.
talk to you later.
I'm really proud of you, Kevin.
Nicholas Pearson?
Our dad told us you died in Vietnam.
He should never have come for me.
Bec, I didn't tell you the truth
about where I went today.
I went to see someone, someone
that I'd known from the war.
He'd been having a rough go
of things lately,
mostly because of something bad
that happened there,
something he did.
You know, there are people
- that you can talk to.
- I'm gonna go clean up.
Why didn't I ask him more?
I want the truth.
That's no way to live, huh?
All messed up, living alone
for 40-some-odd years.
I can't leave him like Dad did.
Okay.
Come on.
You're spending the night
at the hotel with us.
All right. Here we go, pretty, uh,
standard hotel room, right?
Bathroom and bed, obviously.
It looks like they got a nice TV for you
in case you want to watch some... shows.
You sure you don't want us
to order you anything to eat?
Uh, no.
You want some water, or...?
There's, uh, there's snacks
over there, too, you know.
Like, there's some Pringles
over there, if you want
some Pringles.
Everybody loves... Pringles.
Yeah. Uh, look... I-I'm fine.
I-I just think I'm gonna,
you know, get some sleep.
- So...
- Oh.
- Okay.
- Well, we'll see you in the morning.
- All right, okay.
- Yeah.
- Good night, Nicky.
- Good night.
- Your, uh, room key.
- Okay.
And, you know, I'm-I'm right
across the hall, 204,
If you need anything, just knock
on the door, I'll be...
Good night.
- Okay, so what are we gonna do?
- Shh.
What are we gonna do?
I don't know, bro.
He's getting hammered
in his leaky trailer
with a gun sitting next to him
on the table.
And... I just offered him Pringles.
- Pringles are pretty great.
- Come on.
- Don't be funny right now.
- I'm not.
- I really like Pringles.
- Randall.
We got to do something.
We could probably throw him some cash
to make the place a little more livable,
but I don't suspect he'll take it.
Livable.
He's got a hole in his ceiling.
The man's got PTSD; he's depressed.
He's obviously an alcoholic.
Yeah, but Kev, he's been living
like this for years.
He's our uncle.
He's family, we're gonna help him.
Who wants to call Mom and tell
her what's going on here?
Um, um... um.
Okay.
All right. Yeah, no, I'll do it.
So you guys are a lot of help.
I'll jus... I'll-I'll take care
of the whole thing.
Good night.
Good night. I'll see you
guys in the morning.
Have you been up all night?
Uh, yeah, I guess I have.
Just doing research on, uh,
VA hospitals, vet centers.
I found this place nearby in
Youngsville, looks pretty good.
You know, I figure
if we can get him over there,
maybe get him into an in-patient
program, if he agrees.
- Mornin'.
- Morning.
You know, Randall, I think
for the first time in history
Kev has done more homework than you.
Did you call Mom?
Yeah, I did. I talked to her last night.
How was she?
It's unclear, you know.
I told her where we were
and what was going on.
She had some questions,
a lot of... a lot of processing.
Well, I mean, she probably feels like...
Nicky.
- Hi.
- Morning.
- Good morning.
- Morning. Morning.
Sleep okay?
- Slept.
- Good.
That's good. You, uh...
You ever been to this, uh,
this vet center in Youngsville?
- You ever hear of that place?
- Youngsville.
Yeah.
Uh, no, not that one.
I thought maybe we could go there today.
Yeah, well, you know, I've been
to a lot of vet centers.
They're all pretty much the same.
Kev's done a lot of research.
This one looks pretty cool.
We don't have to go there
and spend the whole day.
We can just swing by
and see what you think.
Hello.
Mom.
What are you doing here?
I'm Rebecca.
I was Jack's wife.
Uh, Kevin told me you guys were here
and I d-didn't even think about it,
and before I knew it,
I was just in the car driving.
You...
Wow.
You have his eyes.
I mean, it's-it's different,
but there's something in the eyes.
Well, nice to meet you, Rebecca.
Did you know about us?
Yeah.
Uh, yeah, I saw Jack once in, um...
He came up here in early '92.
Um...
And he showed me your picture.
Showed all of you.
And, uh,
you know, he-he seemed,
he seemed very, uh...
He seemed very happy.
I'm just gonna go outside for a moment.
Can't tell you how
good it is to be home.
You can't sleep?
Neh.
I'll see your "neh" and raise you a...
- Jack.
- Supposed to take Kevin
to the mall tomorrow
and get some baseball cards signed,
but I... just...
I need a day.
I'll take him.
- You sure?
- Yeah.
- Thanks, babe.
- Of course.
Dad, you're back. Yay!
Yeah. Good to be home, Katie girl.
Did you get me something?
Did I...?
You know what? It was such a short trip
that I forgot your snow globe,
but I'll bring you two next time, okay?
Dad, let's go.
We got to get there early.
I don't even know
why you want John Smiley's autograph.
Everybody's saying he's getting
traded to the Twins.
That's why I got to get my card
signed now, Dorkburger.
He might not be in Pittsburgh
much longer.
If I don't get my card signed,
it's never gonna double in value.
Dad, get dressed. Come on.
Oh, actually,
I'm-I'm gonna take you, Kev.
- Why?
- 'Cause I want to.
And I think it'll be fun.
Go get your jacket.
I'll meet you in the car, okay?
Go. Go ahead.
You're gonna have fun
with your mom, okay?
Mom, you're supposed to help us
with our Valentine's Day cards.
I've seen you with a magic marker, Bug.
You don't need my help.
And Dad will be here
if you need anything, okay?
Mom.
You all right?
I remember that weekend, I do.
He, um...
said he was going
to visit some war buddy,
somebody he had had a falling out with.
And it was right around Valentine's Day.
He was acting so strangely.
Huh.
I think the-the best thing
for us to do now
is just to get him into that,
that vet center, you know?
If we get him over there, he can't,
can't argue going, right?
And then maybe we can
convince him to stay.
What?
Kev, I have a doctor's
appointment tomorrow in L.A.
- Right.
- I'm not supposed to miss
- any appointments.
- Of course. No.
Just... I get it.
I got to go, too, bro.
What? What do you mean?
It was supposed to be
a sibling road trip.
Wh... Randall, you drove.
I know. But my wife is unemployed
and she's all over the place.
You know, I-I take office
in the next few weeks,
and God only knows what kind of effect
that's gonna have on my family.
Look, I... I can't,
I can't just camp out in some hotel
with an uncle who doesn't want our help
and Dad didn't want us to know
in the first place.
- Wow.
- What?
Wh... You jump at the chance
to save everybody else
on the planet, our uncle
needs help, he's family,
and-and you-you got to be home
in time for dinner.
I'm sorry. I'm tired.
I-I was up all night. I didn't sleep.
- I-I'm sorry.
- Mm.
It's all right.
Looks like it's you and me.
Mother-son day.
It's gonna be fun.
Just because Jack kept something from us
doesn't mean you didn't know him.
He had stuff going on,
and we had absolutely no idea.
Like, no, he saw Nicky in 1992, he said.
- Yeah.
- And we had no clue.
Yeah, because we were 11.
- You know what's weird?
- Hmm?
I think I remember that weekend.
That... he went away on a work trip...
- Mm-hmm.
- ...and when he came back,
that's the day
that we had the sequin fight.
- Oh, the sequin fight.
- Yeah.
God, we destroyed the house.
Oh, my gosh, I remember Dad...
just laughing,
completely covered in sequins.
We were finding little sequins
in the floor cracks for years.
Hmm.
What?
Nothing.
I miss that house.
You know, when William and I
took that trip
to Memphis before he died,
we went to visit his childhood home,
and the owners let us in.
It was pretty cool for him, I think.
Yeah.
Got a couple hours
to kill before your flight.
Not that far from Pittsburgh.
Okay. The thing I...
I think you're forgetting is,
our childhood home is gone.
Right, the house isn't there,
but the yard is,
the street is, the... the-the neighbors.
- Okay.
- Okay.
Dad, I'm gonna write a personal
note to everyone in my class
and then cover it in sequins.
Dad?
It's good, Katie girl.
What about you, Randall?
The Simpsons say it
better than I ever could.
Mm. Mm.
Dad, can you help me count footballs?
...an eye on that. Their score 29.
Uh, you know what? Why don't, um...?
Why don't you guys do it
yourselves, okay? I have, uh...
- I got some stuff to do.
- Like what?
You know, grown-up stuff.
Work, taxes.
Just don't go making a mess, okay?
Your mother's gonna lose it
if she comes home
and the house is a disaster, okay? Okay.
Hey, Dad.
What's up, bud?
This is our lounge.
We have sessions for vets,
service members and their families.
Hey, and, uh, all the counselors are...
- They're vets themselves, correct?
- Exactly.
So you're talking to someone who
knows what you're going through.
We also have financial
caseworkers to help you
sort out your benefits,
any disability payments.
And of course, we have
one-on-one counseling, as well.
I can introduce you
to a few more folks,
- or I can answer any questions.
- No, thank you.
I'll let you talk.
Just let me know if there is
anything else I can do for you.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Pretty nice place, huh?
Look...
I appreciate the effort, I do.
I can tell that me
seeing this place, you know,
meant something to you, so,
you know, here I am.
But I've been to counselors before,
and it didn't work.
Also, I'm a drunk.
Oh, and also, I can't seem
to leave my trailer
without getting the shakes.
You think, uh... you think
doing a jigsaw puzzle's gonna fix that?
I think a meeting could help.
- It won't.
- It could.
It won't!
You're out of your depth, kid.
Well... Mm.
Mom, I'm just gonna...
I'm gonna take a minute.
Hey, Kev.
I'm sorry, Mom.
I'm just frustrated, you know.
Uh, it's been a long, uh...
I make it all the way here, you know.
I-I... I actually find my uncle.
To have it end this helplessly
just... it sucks.
Yeah, I know.
And you know what? I'm mad at Dad.
I'm pissed off
that he never told us about him.
He's been gone 20 years.
He had a brother this whole time.
I-I had an uncle I could have known.
- I'm sorry.
- No. No. I'm mad, too.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
And it's hard to be mad at
someone who's not here anymore.
There's nothing you can...
do with those feelings.
But, yeah.
- Yeah.
- Yeah, I'm mad.
Hey, Kev, I'm really hungry.
Why don't we go get some lunch?
Then we'll come back and see
if the line's any shorter, yeah?
They said they're shutting down
at 2:00. I'm not leaving.
Hey, Kevin, I'm not asking you.
I'm telling you.
We're gonna go get some lunch,
and then we will come back, okay?
- No!
- Come on.
- Yes. Come on.
- No!
I need his rookie card signed.
I'm not leaving.
Okay, fine.
I will go get us some lunch,
and you stay in line.
- You promise me you'll stay in line?
- Fine.
Okay, I'll be right back.
I know you probably want
to get back home.
Do you mind if we spend
one more night here?
Sure. Fine.
Okay.
I think it's time you and I talked.
Wild Draw Four. Sorry, Grandpa.
- Ruthless.
- Don't worry, Ma.
We're only staying here
a few weeks, a month, at most.
- I'm sorry.
- What are you talking about?
- We love having you here.
- Dad doesn't love
that his painting studio
is now Ella's bedroom.
Oh, I love it.
I love that you didn't listen
to your father
and ran off and eloped with a musician
and have now returned home at 28
to take over my painting studio.
Fine. Then we'll leave.
- I'll get it.
- No, I'll get it.
Hi. I'm Randall.
Um, this is my sister Kate.
- Hi.
- It's a super weird story,
but we actually
used to live in this house.
- Well, not this house, but...
- I'm sorry. It's a bad time.
It's...
You should have let me talk.
I panicked.
Actually, I almost said,
"Hi. I'm Randall Pearson,
and I'm running for city council."
It's a force of habit.
Wow.
Almost all the houses
on the street look completely different.
I was thinking
about the day we had the sequin fight.
I think that was the day
that we invented Pearson Pizza.
That was that day?
Yeah.
- I mean, it might have been.
- Huh.
Oh.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Do you want to see my room?
You okay?
Yeah.
I'm okay, bud. I'm fine.
We're hungry.
You are? Well, just order a pizza.
Whatever you guys want, okay?
Something for your mom and Kevin, too.
Okay? Get the money out of my wallet.
You want us to order a pizza?
Yeah. Yeah, something everybody
will like, okay?
Okay.
Hi. You're reached Zoe. Leave a message.
Hey. Uh, Zoe, it's me.
Ugh. I think I'm gonna be home tomorrow.
My uncle's a mess, his trailer's a mess.
Took him to the vet center,
he barely even looked at it, so, um...
I don't know.
Talk to you later.
My grandma told me
I could come and get you.
Hello!
- Hi!
- Hi!
- I'm Kate.
- Geeta.
- Rohan.
- I'm Randall. Hi.
- Geeta.
- Randall. Nice to meet you, Geeta.
Sorry about my daughter
slamming the door in your face.
She's-she's going through
a tough time right now,
- which has become our tough time.
- It's okay.
- But welcome.
- Come.
- Thank you.
- Wow.
It's really different.
I don't even know what room
I'm standing in right now.
How long ago did you live here?
We lived here in the '80s and '90s.
The house got rebuilt after we left.
Why did you move?
We grew up.
Was this fireplace here
when you lived here?
Uh, no.
Actually, it was completely different.
This used to be the dining room.
And over there,
that was the living room.
What is it, Kate?
Um...
This is where it happened, Randall.
This is... this is where
we had the sequin fight.
Right here.
Dad said we could order our own pizza?
Yes!
Ho-ly crap!
Hi, I'm an adult.
Can I order a pizza?
I'm sure being here brings back a lot.
Yeah.
Yeah. We were just...
telling stories about when we lived here
and we had a sequin fight.
This place was covered,
absolutely covered in sequins.
I mean, we had some awesome days here.
But that day was the awesomest.
No.
I don't think it was, Kate.
Don't you remember?
You remember the plate?
Don't you remember that broken dish?
Dad, we invented the greatest pizza
in the history of the world!
One favorite pizza topping
- for everyone so that...
- Hey, what-what is this?
What is this?
Kate, I asked you. I asked.
I specifically asked you
for one thing today:
do not make a mess!
So y-you're gonna clean this up.
Okay?
I didn't need this today, Kate.
I didn't need it.
Dad, what happened?
Plate.
Slipped out of my hand when I was
putting it in the sink. I'm sorry.
- I can give you...
- No, no, no, no, no.
Stop, stop.
You're gonna hurt yourself. Just...
Go get me the broom.
I don't remember that at all.
Dad didn't throw a plate.
He let us order pizza.
We had a sequin fight.
- I don't think that's right, Kate.
- Well, I do,
- 'cause I remember it.
- Okay.
Fine.
What, Randall?
Sorry,
but we're probably heading out
soon, so...
You know, when I found out
that you were alive...
...I didn't want to meet you.
'Cause I didn't want to...
unravel what Jack had always told me.
It has been a long time
since I've been in a room
with somebody who has memories
of him that I don't know.
But...
Do you have any fun stories
about your childhood?
Wasn't a childhood worth remembering.
Yeah.
Well, he never really told me
a whole lot about you.
He told you I died.
Because, uh,
he wished I was dead.
The kids told me what happened.
Sounds horrific
and-and very complicated.
I'm-I'm sorry.
You know, for what it's worth,
right before he passed away,
Jack was newly sober.
And...
he was opening up
in ways he never had before.
And I obviously don't know for sure,
but I...
I think he would've found
his way back to you.
Well,
he missed his chance.
Yeah, he did.
But you still have a chance
to make things right,
because I'm here.
And his son is here.
And Kevin is...
Oh, he's always been tricky.
He's harder to define.
- It was great meeting you, Kevin.
- Thank you.
What did you say during your
big moment with John Smiley?
Nothing. I asked him to sign
my card, and he signed it.
I have to pee. Can-can you wait?
Yeah. Here,
I'll hold your stuff. Go pee.
- Thank you.
- It's right there. Go, go.
Hi. Sorry. 'Scuse me.
- Mr. Smiley? Hi.
- Yes?
You just met my son.
You signed his rookie card for him?
- Yeah.
- I was wondering what you guys
were talking about.
Uh, he wanted to tell me where I
could shoot pool in Minneapolis.
- What?
- He read in the paper
I'm going to get traded to the Twins.
Which... could happen.
And he has my rookie card, so...
See?
"John enjoys hunting, karate,
"shooting pool...
"watching drag racing,
and going to the beach."
Yeah, he said he took a travel
guide out of his school library.
Gave me a list of karate centers, too.
I didn't even know that Kevin
knew his school had a library.
He said he just... wanted
to make sure I was happy,
wherever I ended up.
Special little boy you have.
And I run into a lot of them.
- Thank you.
- Yeah.
- Thank you very much.
- Of course.
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice meeting you, too.
Hey, I hope you don't get traded.
Yeah. Me, too.
I know he seems
like he has it all.
He's tall and he's handsome and
he seems so confident, but...
really, underneath all of that,
he's just a sensitive little boy.
And he's had a really tough year.
He is newly sober, just like his father.
And...
he's just worried about you.
He's worried about your health.
He's worried about your leaky roof.
Because he cares.
This is so important to him.
You are already so important to him.
Because...
because you're family to him already.
So let me get this straight.
Um, the message here is, uh,
"Shape up, Nicky,
'cause the kid needs a win"?
No, that's not what I'm saying.
I-I'm not a prop, Rebecca.
I'm not...
Kevin sees me as family.
Well, you know how I see him?
I-I see him as a tall, blond kid
who pulled me from my home,
the only place I'm comfortable,
so a movie star could, uh,
you know, be a real-life hero for a day.
I think they might call
the cops if we don't leave soon.
Did I misremember our entire childhood?
No.
Of course not.
That was the day that, uh, Dad
had seen his estranged brother,
who he lied to us about.
You remember him yelling at me
and throwing a plate,
and I remember a sequin fight.
How can it be the same day?
Means he did a good job.
You remember the good stuff.
- Or I'm completely delusional.
- No.
Look, we all have bad days as parents.
I've had some doozies.
And you will, too.
You've had some doozies?
It's hard to believe, but... yeah.
Look, all you can do as a parent
is try to pack the days with
as much good stuff as possible
and hope that it outweighs the bad.
You hope that the good stuff sticks.
That's what he did for us.
It's looking good, guys.
Hey, I'm sorry about earlier.
Okay? Dad's tired.
Forgive me?
Great.
Hey, by the way,
this pizza is so good.
You guys might be geniuses.
- Pizza geniuses.
- Pizza geniuses.
I mean, this is so good,
we got to name it. Right?
What should we call it, Pearson Pizza?
I mean, Randall,
I'm-I'm really coming around
to this whole spinach thing, you know?
Adds a nice crunch.
Makes me feel like Popeye.
No?
Katie girl, I think, um...
I think this one could use
a couple more sequins.
Don't you?
- Dad!
- Oh, my God. Oops.
I-I missed.
I don't... Wow.
What's wrong with my hand?
Something's wrong...
with my hand.
- Sequin fight?
- Sequin fight.
Oh! Oh-ho-ho-ho!
Who got some... Whoa!
You okay?
Yeah.
I'm sorry that we invaded your space.
It was never...
- Stop.
- our inten...
Uh, Jack liked to build things as a kid.
I was, uh, I was real bad at it.
But, um...
he was a frickin' artist.
He could... he could build anything.
He once built a-a tree fort
in our backyard.
See, Nicky?
"Tongue and groove, Nicky."
Like that.
Tongue and groove.
"Tongue and groove."
That's what he'd say.
I didn't know what the hell
he was talking about.
I wanted to be a writer.
And then I, uh, I wanted to be a doctor.
And then...
I didn't...
want anything.
I used to be a person.
I...
wish I could...
be that person again...
but it's been so long,
I-I don't think I can.
Anyway, um...
you drove a long way,
so the least I could do was, um...
tell you about...
...Jack's tongue-and-groove fort.
And, uh...
You guys were all he ever wanted.
Come on. Let's go.
Final step...
plasterboard goes up there.
Never had anyone tall enough.
All right...
You're not bad at this.
You done it before?
No. I did play a handyman in a
student film one time a while back.
It's not porn. Honest to God.
I know it sounds like porn, but...
Well, that ought to do it.
- That ought to do it.
- Yep.
You don't need to worry about my...
leaky roof anymore.
I wasn't worried.
Okay.
Um...
And I'm going to...
go to one of those meetings
at the, um, vet center.
I don't promise
I'm gonna go to two meetings,
but I'll, you know, I'll go to one.
Really?
Yeah.
I know you want to fix things.
Fix me.
And I w...
I wish I could give you that.
But...
you...
and, uh, your family...
It's just...
too painful.
So, um...
Uh...
It was a pleasure to meet you.
And, uh...
maybe I'll see you again.
- Maybe.
- Okay.
Hello? Hello, hello?
- Family?
- Hey.
What's going on, girls?
Good to see you. I missed you.
Eatin' your dinner and all. Mwah!
- How you doing, sweetie?
- Good. How are you?
Mm, good, thank you.
Whoa. Taking a trip?
My mom hurt her damn hip again.
You know, I just got off
the phone with the hospital,
and I was gonna call you, but
then I had to get on the phone
and make a plan with Zoe, then
the hospital called again...
- Is she okay?
- No...
Yeah. I just hope
she didn't break it again.
Um, I got to head down to D.C.
- Of course. When?
- Now.
I was just waiting on you to get back.
I got to pick up Zoe
from the train station.
- Oh. Okay.
- Yeah?
- I love you.
- All right. Love you.
- Yeah.
- I'll call you from the road.
All right, girls, love you.
- Bye-bye.
- Love you.
Oh, boy.
Angelica, Eliza, Peggy.
- I'm Peggy?
- You're Peggy.
Why is this bag so heavy?
Oh, yeah, that's right. Presents.
Yay!
Can I get a drumroll, please?
You don't get any presents
without a drumroll.
- God, you're so embarrassing.
- "You're so embarrassing."
Good.
Where are my guys?
- There's one.
- Oh, hi. We missed you.
- Hi.
- Oh-ho-ho. You must be so exhausted.
I got you some new slips.
- Thank you.
- So just slap these on your feet.
- I'm gonna make you some tea, okay?
- Okay.
- Wait, babe.
- Yeah?
When we buy a house, I want a backyard.
And I want to get a projector screen.
And I want to take our son out there,
and I want to bring
blankets and popcorn,
and I want to stay up late,
and I want to...
I want to show him
all of our favorite movies.
Okay.
For Deja.
Fancy non-smelly lotions
- in the sample size. You're welcome.
- Hmm.
And for you two,
gossip magazines featuring
the world's hottest celebrities
pumping their own gas
and scooping their own dog's poop.
- Celebrities.
- Ooh.
Hi.
Hey, babe. Sorry. Um...
a sequin fight broke out,
and we couldn't help it.
It-it just happened.
- Sorry.
- I am not cleaning this up.
Understood.
- 'Kay.
- Okay.
Go ahead. Join...
Get him! Get the new guy!
Get the new guy!
Hey! Oh, he's getting a heart!
He's getting a heart one!
- Dad!
- He's getting a heart one!
You did exactly what you set out to do.
You should feel really good about that.
Yeah.
I mean, I'm really grateful to you.
'Cause if it wasn't for you,
I wouldn't be able to...
...think about your father
building a fort, saying,
"Tongue and groove, Nicky."
So thank you for that.
My uncle's a mess.
His trailer's a mess, it's...
I took him to the vet center,
he barely even looked at it.
So I'm...
I don't know.
talk to you later.
I'm really proud of you, Kevin.