Fleishman is in Trouble (2022) s01e05 Episode Script
Vantablack
1
A fair question
one could have is
How did our Toby Fleishman
Devoted friend,
healer of the ill,
registered feminist ally
End up in
a Staten Island basement
betting odds on a midnight
supermodel fight club?
Well after his breakdown
at the hospital,
he was suddenly all cried out.
And in the vacuum
of the silence that remained,
his loneliness became a void.
Except instead of an absence,
it was a presence.
Oh.
Oof.
I hate this place.
Even doing some of his
favorite activities
didn't help.
Excuse me, sir.
Oh, hi, yeah.
Um, can I get
the chopped salad
Yeah, I-I'm so sorry.
Would you mind
moving to the bar?
I have a party of four waiting.
Yeah, I ju um
I hate eating at the bar.
Yeah, of course. Sure.
Thanks. Yeah, I can do it.
Thank you.
Yeah, thanks.
And you're sure I can't Yeah.
Fine. Okay.
Right this way.
He tried going
to his favorite place.
There was an exhibit there
he'd been looking forward to
all summer.
Welcome to the American Museum
of Natural History.
Vantablack was
a lab-created material
that was said to be
the darkest black in existence.
This way, please.
It was created for the military
to help hide satellites
and jets from detection,
and it is so dark
that you're not even allowed
to use it, legally.
What was that was crazy.
I did not expect that.
It is the closest you can get
to a physical manifestation
of the void.
Ah, ah
Ah-ah-ah
How was it still July?
Ah
How many more days
until the fall?
How many more days
until his kids returned?
You can see the
Finally, it was the work week.
And finally, finally, he was
too busy to feel anything.
But when the day came to an end,
as it always eventually did,
he was left to face
another endless night.
Ooh!
Well, I just think
Guys. Hey.
Oh, hey.
- Hi.
- Hi.
You know, you guys have been
doing, uh,
such a great job lately,
I was thinking I'd like to
engage in
In an age-old tradition
and take you out
for a drink tonight.
I have a date. Um
And I have to
I'm studying for boards.
And I'm in Clay's study group.
No, that's cool.
So, I'll be, uh
Yeah, maybe, like,
another time or whatever.
Doesn't matter. Yeah.
- Yeah.
- Code pink third floor.
Code pink third floor.
Toby's loneliness
was now a monster.
The story is,
they get to the glacier
and the karate master,
who's like a Yoda figure,
but is also somehow
the tango champion of Spain
Hang on.
My man!
Hey. Yeah, no,
I was just wondering
what you're doing tonight.
Well, my boy Brian
just got dumped,
so we're taking him out
for a drink.
Oh, okay.
That's too bad.
Yeah, you should come.
I don't think I know Brian.
Of course you do.
Do you have a pen?
Take this down.
A little closer.
Keep your left arm straight.
Giddy-up!
That was exhilarating.
I can't believe they have
a whole gym just for golf.
And it's huge.
We probably could have
just played, you know,
like, real golf.
It's time?
Ah!
Come on.
What?
What are we doing?
Annual Britney/Justin dance-off
re-enactment.
Wait. What?
Come on.
Come on, Britney!
- Let's go, Britney!
- Whoo!
I don't really understand
how you, like, win a dance-off.
Is it who dances better or,
like or, like, feistier?
- Whoo!
- It doesn't matter, Toby.
I always thought
the Justin/Britney dance-off
was an urban legend.
Are you kidding?
This was a defining moment
in American pop history.
What time is it?
Uh, 1:37.
Shit!
We're late.
Wait.
Late for what?
Come on!
Get up! Get up!
Oh, shit!
Choke her!
Is this totally kosher, like,
watching two women
- Toby!
- Yes.
Do you not have enough problems?
No, no, I have enough problems.
Enjoy this.
It's one of the solutions.
Okay.
Yes!
Get up! Get up!
Okay. Oh! We gotta go.
We gotta go.
I don't know if my guy won yet.
What's happening?
What is wrong with seeing
what you're eating?
It's a sensory experience.
It's to feel the food,
to really experience the moment,
you know?
Well, you know,
I have a shellfish allergy.
Do they know that?
I mean, who do I tell?
You're thinking too hard.
You've never experienced
anything like this.
Yeah, you've never
experienced anaphylaxis.
Try to enjoy it.
I am.
I am enjoying it.
I'm enjoying it.
Oh, no.
What?
I-I gotta pee.
I have not been up this late
Or this early
Since medical school.
Wait.
So, let me just get this.
So, that When you say
that you're just, like,
going out for a drink, like,
that's what happens?
Sometimes.
Amazing.
Oh, hey, one sec.
What?
Hey, man.
Can I grab two of those
off of you?
Sure.
$10 cool?
Thanks.
Thank you, sir.
That is so cool.
All right, so what now?
Now we go home. Okay.
You want to end this
before the joggers come out
and you start questioning
how you're living your life.
Okay.
All right.
I'll see you later?
Yeah. Good night.
Thank you.
Oh, um, sorry.
I can't actually eat this,
but thank you.
Okay, you got it.
It was never clear to Toby
how long you were supposed
to watch a sunrise for.
And without thought,
the loneliness returned.
The moment was gone.
He couldn't even hold on to it,
because you hold on to it
by sharing it.
He still had so much love
and nowhere to put it.
U up?
So, what were you doing out
so late?
Well, you know, I have this, uh,
friend, Seth, and he, um
You know, actually, my
My kids are away, and, um,
I've been having, like,
a tough time just
Just lately, actually.
Turn over.
Just do it.
Okay.
Okay, what is that?
Now, tell me what I'm spelling.
Okay. Um
I think that
I think that's a "T."
Later, he wouldn't remember
what she spelled out
on to his back.
That's either an "A"
or an "H."
He would only remember
thinking how strange it was
for someone to be doing
something like this for him,
something nice,
where he was the only recipient
of the niceness.
That's definitely
an "A."
He couldn't remember one time
where that had
ever happened to him.
So, I guess we're not
going out to eat.
I gotta be somewhere.
Okay. I kind of just
want to know
what I'm getting into here.
We're having fun, aren't we?
Yeah, we It's fun.
You know, it's weird.
Okay, listen.
Yeah?
My husband is an anchor
on a conservative news network.
You would know him.
Is it Tucker Carlson?
Uh, it doesn't matter.
You can look it up.
I am not allowed to say.
All right, fine, but were you
married to Tucker Carlson?
Because Just listen.
I was married,
and we always had
this weird relationship.
He was a very religious Christian.
I was Jewish.
My parents are conservative.
Lower-case "C,"
but also upper-case, you know?
Mm-hmm.
And my parents,
when they came from Iran,
they had all these ideas
of what a girl should be.
She should be shy,
never let anyone touch her,
never touch herself.
Sure, yeah.
You know?
Yeah.
And my husband hated sex.
I was a virgin
when I married him.
I was such a good little girl.
And so I just thought there
was something wrong with me
that I wanted
to have sex so much.
Anyway, I came home
one day early
from some dumb fundraiser,
and I walk in,
and his assistant is
giving him a blow job.
Wow.
His male assistant.
Ah. I see.
So, his job has
a morality clause,
and being gay is immoral.
Oh, yikes.
This is them, not me, obviously.
Yeah, no, right.
And so he pays for my life
and all of this,
and I still, on occasion,
have to go with him
to events and awards shows.
I'm not really divorced.
Not technically.
But we're we're done.
Yeah, but, I mean,
is it worth it,
not having your freedom,
not being able to start over?
And you're so free?
Yeah.
I'm divorced.
I signed the papers.
I have the freedom
to move on, yeah.
Being divorced doesn't make you
any less married.
I gotta go.
Yeah. Oh.
Yeah, me too.
What's up, man?
What's up?
Aww.
Hello. Hi.
Okay, that's good.
Now stay with me.
Stay with me.
This was what he needed
Someone loyal,
someone to bring
the family together
and replace what they had lost.
What he'd lost.
It's like I have this book, right?
And it's, like, right beyond
my fingers, in my head, but
I never actually do anything
about it.
Well, what's it about?
Maybe it'll be about smoking.
- I'd read that.
- Yeah.
You know, I read once
that people who have affairs
They're not really trying
to betray their partners
and they're not really in love
with someone else,
but they're trying to find
who they are again.
They're trying to go back
to the moment
when they were last themselves.
That's what I think
about your smoking.
Hmm.
That's actually a very
insightful thing to say.
I'm a very insightful guy.
I guess so.
Hello.
What is this?
What did you do?
This is Bubbles,
Bubbles Fleishman.
Bubbles, say hello.
You felt like you finally had
an empty house
and a few weeks of freedom,
and it was just too much.
It was.
It was overwhelming.
Yes, say hi to Seth. Hi.
And say hi to Libby,
who we love, too.
Mm-hmm.
You're a very nice person.
Yes, you know, the kids have
wanted a dog for a long time.
Hannah always said she wanted
a dachshund named Bubbles
since she was like 3.
And I think I can have
the dog house-trained
by the time they get back home.
Such a divorced-dad thing.
I am such a divorced dad.
You realize that that's
a lifelong commitment, right?
Like, you have to take care
of that or it dies.
Yeah, I know.
I know. I hear you.
I'm sorry I was, like,
shitty to you, okay?
What is going on?
Can I just say, you will never
believe what we did last night.
Oh, last Another night that
I didn't get invited to.
Awesome!
It was incredible.
Like, we owned the city.
We went everywhere.
I think we ate
an endangered species.
- Ew.
- No, no, no, it was amazing.
It was like like the world
existed just for us.
It's weird.
I never, like I never, like,
understood that life,
but now I think
I want every night
of my life to do that.
It was glorious.
Yeah. What?
Right, Seth?
- I don't know.
- What what do you mean?
We had a time.
Did we not have a time?
Yeah, no, no, no.
We did, we did.
I don't know.
I'm just kind of depressed.
Y-You?
Really?
You're depressed?
I can't be depressed?
Yeah, I don't know.
You have this, like, great life.
Okay.
What happened?
What happened is, I got fired.
What happened is that
I wear a suit all day
because I might get
a job interview
and I'm 41
and I have no one to cry to.
I don't know,
I turned around and realized
that the brokers who are
15 years younger than me
are the only friends I had.
- What about us?
- Yeah.
Yeah, I know. Like I said,
can't I just be depressed?
Wait. But we, like
We had the night of our lives.
Did we not?
I don't know, dude.
That was like a Monday for me.
Oh, my God.
What the hell is that?
It's just incense, Dad.
Don't worry about it.
My job was supposed
to be failsafe.
Nothing Nothing is failsafe.
Yeah, but I didn't do anything.
If you didn't do anything,
then you should sue.
I don't want to talk about it.
Did you tell Vanessa yet?
How can I tell Vanessa?
It's too late.
- Oh.
- I have to break up with her.
Are you crazy?
Well, I would have to admit
I lied.
I would have to apologize.
Love means never having
to say you're sorry.
Actually, in my experience,
it's divorce
that means never having
to say you're sorry, yeah.
- Oh.
- Yes, he's right.
Every relationship I've ever had
is a girl asking me
to apologize all the time.
Mm, kind of a strange way
of maybe looking
at your ongoing issues
with women, but sure.
I don't want to talk about it,
like I said.
Oh, shit.
I have to go.
My flight leaves
in like four hours.
Oh, you are gonna have
a great time.
Where you going?
Oh, I love it there.
Mm-hmm.
Bye, guys.
The multinational mass media
and entertainment
conglomerate that features
several amusement parks
as its profit center
would rather
I didn't mention it by name.
Come on, in the car.
Thank you.
I'm sorry.
I've just got to get
a few things, okay?
- I did it. You're late.
- I know. I just
- Let's go!
- I'm gonna run upstairs.
I'm gonna do deodorant.
I'll be right back.
I had this timed
to the minute, Lib.
I'll be right back!
I'm sorry, I'm sorry,
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
That's okay.
At least you got
the restaurant reservations.
Right.
Newark Airport, right?
The multinational mass media
and entertainment
conglomerate that features
several amusement parks
as its profit center
would rather
I not depict scenes
from this vacation.
So instead of telling you
about my trip to there,
I will use this time to tell
you about my trip to here,
meaning how I got here
to this place in my life.
I worked at a men's magazine,
the only place
I ever wanted to work.
It's really ingenious.
- Masterful.
- Killed it.
I loved it there.
I was an editorial assistant,
then a news assistant.
Hey, you're taking notes, right?
Yeah.
All I wanted was to be a writer
with my stories up there.
To write those stories
seemed to me
to be the closest approximation
of actually living.
Or, more specifically,
what I wanted
was to be Archer Sylvan,
our most marquee writer,
who wrote bombastic,
wild stories
that stopped the world
for a week
after they were published.
Archer spanned the globe
digging up
unbelievable characters
and telling a story that felt
like you were being gripped
by the lapels and shouted at.
Of course,
The Heart is a Lonely Dinner
was his most famous story.
It won
the National Magazine Award
the year it was published
and was a Pulitzer finalist.
My favorite of his books, Decoupling,
was a National Book Award-
winning scandal,
a gonzo account of a year
in the life
of a divorced man in 1979.
You like that one, huh?
Okay, good.
As the years went on,
though, Archer,
who had once been
everyone's delight,
became the subject
of evermore controversy.
Well, what would you say
to people
who thought that only showing
one side of the divorce
gave women short shrift?
I mean, come on, Jake.
Have you ever asked a woman
what her divorce was like?
How do you mean?
I don't get the joke.
All right, well, I'm saying
it's the same old thing,
the same story.
Uh, "He did me wrong.
He cheated on me.
He doesn't respect me."
I'm tired of that story.
I wanted to write the story
of a person's soul.
So a woman doesn't have a soul?
I didn't say that.
I'm saying that you can't get
to the truth of a thing
if you ask her.
So women don't tell the truth?
Now, see, this is
what critics take issue with
about you, Archer.
You wrote about a man's divorce,
taking his word for everything,
never interviewed the woman
to verify anything.
It's not the same thing.
Well, they're reissuing
the book, Jake.
That's got to count
for something.
Some of the lines that were
now considered unspeakable
were edited out
of later editions,
but they didn't fix
its iconic last line.
"The bitch will try to get you
every time."
But I didn't care.
I forgave anything that was
as exciting and angry
and urgent as this.
Hey, Archer.
Hey.
I work, uh
I work at the magazine.
I've never seen you there.
Oh, well, I'm
I'm such a huge fan of yours.
I had to just come
and hear you
See you see you speak.
Right.
That piece that you wrote
about the Fountain of Youth
in the Andes that story
It completely changed my life
when I read it.
It was, um What's your name?
Libby Slater.
Here you go.
Thank you.
- Hey.
- Hi.
Good night, sweetie.
Sorry. Good night.
This way.
Hi.
Almost 15 years later,
I was still jogging in place
at the magazine.
And the magazine
was still celebrating Archer.
It was always the next story
for me
that was going to be
the big one.
I was always just about
to break out.
My fingers attracted the blood
You know, attracted
the tiger sharks.
And I kept telling them,
"I didn't mean to run
with the bulls.
I was doing a story on these
bank robbers
when they started
getting chased by the cops."
That's when I saw
the most beautiful woman
I'd ever seen before.
Don't ask me how old she was.
She lived outside
the realm of time.
All right, all right!
If you insist!
I'm gonna read one page.
We should be thinking that
for you,
because she's a child star,
but she's not really
a girl, right?
I don't know, Glenn.
I mean, why can't I do
something more like
what Archer does?
Archer is Archer.
You know that.
- I know.
- Everyone wants to be Archer.
He's the house style.
Let's get you something good.
Um, uh
NFL cheerleader coaches.
NFL cheerleader coaches?
- Tony Bennett?
- Tony Bennett?
He's turning 85.
It might be surprising.
Surpri Like what?
He-might-die-during-the-
interview surprising?
It's the legend.
Lib, you killed
that Instagram story.
- Thank you.
- Killed it, murdered it.
Destroyed.
I'm in awe.
Steiner was just sent to Cuba
on a Castro story.
You're kidding.
- Steiner!
- Hey, buddy.
That guy has been here
for six months!
He came over from GQ.
He was there for two years.
He's got a voice.
I have a voice.
You know what I mean, Libby.
So, you have a dinosaur
whose work has aged like milk,
and you're what?
Like, grooming a baby dinosaur?
Let's get you on a new story.
I had first read Decoupling
in college.
In fact, I had given it to Toby
in Israel,
and he'd become an
Archer Sylvan obsessive, too.
That night, I reread
Archer's collection.
I'd been at the magazine
for 15 years by then.
It had taken me
to right exactly that party
to realize that I was
no longer moving forward.
I was completely stalled.
What's going on?
I don't know.
I'm lost.
I don't know what I'm doing.
Why?
What happened?
I just was rereading
The Heart is a Lonely Dinner.
I just I don't know.
I always thought, like, I
If I write good stories,
if I proved myself
then one day,
they're gonna send me
to the top of the mountain
to eat the still-beating
heart of the ox.
And I'll know
the secret to life.
You'll get there.
You will.
I won't, I won't, I won't.
I won't. I won't.
I'm not even close.
Oh, God, I can't believe
I'm saying this, but
I think
I have to leave.
Listen.
Come here.
Listen.
Those guys who embody
the ethic of the magazine
They're blowhards.
They come to you
when they want a good story
without the pages
soaked in blood.
They come to me
when they want a story
that's filed on time.
They do. I want to soak
my pages in blood.
You know, I want people
to read my stories
and cry and rend their garments.
- They will.
- They don't!
They don't.
They don't!
God.
I just feel so stupid.
I was never in the game.
You could be a great writer
at a men's magazine,
but no matter how hard you work,
if you're a woman,
you can't be a man.
It's like I don't even feel
like anybody reads anything
I write unless it's about a man.
I'll write a novel.
But now it's two years later.
I haven't once even opened
a blank page
and made an attempt.
And here's the secret
of my vacation
That while we were on the rides
and standing in lines
and taking pictures,
I wasn't really with my family.
I wasn't in Florida.
I wasn't on an airplane.
I wasn't at a themed
restaurant, begging a hostess
for a reservation
everyone in the world
knew to make weeks before,
but not me.
I wasn't even at home,
unloading the car.
I don't know what to do
with you.
I was with Toby.
Oh, shit!
Come here.
Okay.
Here we go.
Okay.
Okay, come on.
Okay.
It's okay.
Go pee. Go pee.
Go pee. Go pee.
Okay, there you go.
Go pee.
Come on. Okay.
- She's so cute.
- Oh, hey.
Thank you so much, yeah.
What's her name?
Oh, it's actually, uh
It's actually a boy.
People do think it's a girl,
but it's actually a boy.
- Oh.
- Uh, Bubbles.
Maybe that's why they think
it's a girl.
Yeah, maybe.
Shit.
Sorry.
Shit.
It's my kids' camp.
Hello.
Dr. Fleishman.
Are the
Yeah, are the kids okay?
Wait. No. Sorry.
You have to tell me.
Now? I'm sorry.
I have a job.
But can you please just at least
tell me, like, the nature
Yeah, I don't even have a car.
How am I supposed to
Yeah, fine.
That's fine.
I'll I'll be in
as soon as possible.
Yeah, thanks.
You need to clean up
that dog shit.
What?
Shit. Uh
- Hi.
- Hey.
Thank you for coming, truly.
I was taking the day off anyway.
Oh, yeah?
Everything okay?
I don't know.
That douchebag camp director
wouldn't tell me anything.
It's Bubbles!
I'm sure everything's fine.
How could it be fine?
How could anything be fine?
Do you remember
the times a parent
had to pick up a kid from camp?
Michael Goldstein?
When he urinated
on Scott Messinger.
Yeah, exactly.
Don't worry.
Children are resilient.
He wondered why people say that.
Children are actually
not resilient.
They're children.
Just because they don't
jump off a bridge
doesn't mean they're resilient.
This is my fight song
Take-back-my-life song,
prove I'm alr
And I'm giving it my all
But I'm not the guy
you're taking home
Ooh, ooh, ooh
I keep dancing on my own
- Mr. Fleishman.
- Mm-hmm.
Everything's fine.
Hannah's fine.
But she did take, uh,
an unfortunate picture
with her phone,
and she shared it
with a young man.
What?
What kind of picture?
Well, it was a very
suggestive picture.
Um, the boy shared it
with his friends.
He shared it with his friends.
And what does "suggestive" mean?
Well, it was, uh
It wasn't appropriate.
Um, I'll let you discuss it
with Hannah.
But suffice it to say,
it violated our
camper code of conduct.
Yeah, I'm not really interested
in the camper code of conduct.
Is she okay?
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
I-I said that.
She's fine.
Where is she?
I want to see my daughter.
- She's packing up her things.
- Right. And, um
And what's happening to him?
- To?
- To the kid.
- Well, Mr. Fleishman
- Actually, it's Dr. Fleishman.
Okay. Well, he's not the one
that took the photo, so
Right.
So nothing's happening to him.
He didn't violate any of your
policies or any of your rules?
- Well, right now, um
- Yeah.
H-his parents are
in Switzerland,
so we talked to him.
How nice.
How nice for them.
Okay, where is she?
Hannahbear.
Come here.
Come here, come here.
Oh, honey.
I know there's so little
I can say to make this better,
but here.
Listen to me.
Listen to me.
Honey, it won't always
feel this bad, okay?
I just want to go.
Yeah, no, I understand,
I understand.
We'll go, we'll go.
Hey, where where is Solly?
He's in Chipmunks.
I was having a great time.
I know, but your sister
had some problems,
and I can't leave you here,
not with the way
they handled it.
Wait.
I forgot.
I have to get something
from the art room.
Yeah, go ahead.
Throw it!
Go, go, go!
Mm.
Go to the car, honey.
Actually, give me your phone
and then go to the car.
Mm.
Um, one minute.
One second.
Um, Mr. Fleishman.
- Mr. Fleishman.
- Hey!
One day, you will understand
the breadth
of what a piece of shit you are.
And I hope I'm there to see you
when you realize
you're worthless.
Um, Mr. Fleishman
It's Dr. Fleishman,
you dipshit.
Are we going to
your or Mom's house?
Um
Hey, guys, could I, um
Can I talk to you for a second?
Could we go sit down, actually?
What is it?
Uh, well, it's
It's your mother.
I mean, she's fine.
She's fine.
Or at least I think she's fine.
But, um No, it's fine.
Here, come here,
come here, come here.
But, um well, she's having
some issues, okay?
And she's taking some time
right now.
Here, sit down.
What What does that mean?
Well, it means you'll be with me
full-time
for the foreseeable future.
W-What does that mean?
Um
Your mother has decided
to, like,
not be in our lives so much.
She's not on a business trip.
She, um
She, uh
She dropped you off that day
and she doesn't appear to be
coming back to pick you up.
Mnh-mnh.
No.
No, she wouldn't do that.
No, I know it seems impossible.
I mean, no, it seems
that way to me, too.
But I just, like
I don't know how to, like,
protect you from this.
I tried.
I sent you to camp.
I thought it would resolve, but
I can't keep lying to you, okay?
The children reacted
the same way they did
when they told them
about the divorce
With questions about survival.
He tried to answer honestly.
Yes, you will probably
see her again.
Yes, they'll manage.
Yes, he's sorry.
He's so sorry.
Like a small boat
In the ocean
Sending big waves
Into motion
Like how a single word
Can make a heart open
I might only have one match
But I can make an explosion
All those things I didn't say
Wrecking balls inside my brain
I will scream them loud tonight
Can you hear my voice this time?
This is my fight song
Take-back-my-life song
Prove-I'm-all-right song
My power's turned on
Starting right now
I'll be strong
I'll play my fight song
And I don't really care
if nobody else believes
'Cause I've still got
a lot of fight left in me
'Cause I've still got
a lot of fight left in me
Wait.
You didn't.
No way!
Oh!
Hi! Hi! Hi!
Oh, my goodness!
Hi!
You named him Bubbles,
didn't you?
- Hi, Bubbles. Oh!
- Hi, Bubbles!
- Oh, who's a good girl?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh!
People always say to use
the pasta water,
but I'm never sure
what that means.
Like, when do you put it in?
I just put the sauce on.
It smells really good.
My dad never makes pasta.
You doing okay?
I'm better.
Okay, dinner!
Mm. Great.
May a pox break out
at this summer camp
that's only ever outdone
by a concurrent plague
of termites
and venereal disease.
- Termites?
- Yes.
Can you pass the spaghetti?
- All right! Looks good.
- Thank you.
You know, I knew your dad
when he was your age.
He was very short.
And he was really fat.
- I know.
- That's not nice.
Yeah, you were still my friend, though.
- I was.
- We have salad, too.
- Ah, that's great. Thank you.
- Dry lettuce.
Oh, yeah?
And there's no dressing?
- No dressing, no.
- Thank you.
Did you guys really
meet at camp?
Sure did.
Your dad was very
into astronomy.
Looks delicious.
Get some pasta.
Eat up.
It looks beautiful.
Could I could I tr
No, I'll just Pass?
Yeah, sure.
Yes, please.
- Oh, this is really good.
- Thank you.
Really?
Are you sure
you don't want some?
Ooh, maggots.
Oh, come on.
Don't bring up maggots
while we're eating.
This is very good, Vanessa.
- Really?
- Yeah.
And then they were gone.
And he could no longer pretend
what happened didn't happen.
How could Hannah be these
two people, Toby wondered.
She was a person who,
just a few hours ago,
had a global humiliation,
then learned that her mother
had abandoned her,
and then, in a minute,
was on her knees,
unmoored by her new puppy.
For a few years, Hannah would
straddle being both people,
and that was just the worst
Both for her to endure innocence
and maturity in the same body
and for him to watch
her innocence vanish
in drips until it was gone.
I have to run out for an errand
for a minute.
Will you be okay if I
If I leave here real quick?
Mm-hmm.
Okay.
Call me if you need me, okay?
Growing up was disgusting.
Long time, no see,
Dr. Fleishman.
Is she up there?
She just got home.
Should I tell her you're coming?
No, no, no, no.
Uh, she's expecting me.
There was no confrontation
that would make this better.
The decision was made.
It was over.
That weekend,
Toby, Hannah, and Solly
embarked on their new life
as a family of three
that was no longer waiting for
their former fourth to show up.
Do you think it will
ever not be hot?
Uh, like I said, you won't
always feel this way.
Nothing lasts forever.
But it wasn't all he was
thinking about right now.
Look at that giant lizard.
God help him, he was thinking
that he was so happy
to not be alone anymore.
He didn't want to make peace
with his loneliness.
Let's go.
Come on.
How's it so dark?
It kind of freaked me out
when I first saw it,
but I knew
you'd find it interesting.
Now he didn't have to.
You ready?
Come on. Okay.
I need to leave.
We have to leave!
Oh, hey, hey, hey.
Yo, Solly.
Solly.
Solly. Solly.
Hey, Hannah, come on.
Somebody said you got
a new friend
Solly, wait.
Does she love you better
than I can?
And there's a big black sky
over my town
I know where you're at,
I bet she's around
And, yeah, I know it's stupid
But I just gotta see it
for myself
I'm in the corner
Watching you kiss her
Oh, oh, oh
And I'm right over here
Why can't you see me?
Oh, oh, oh
And I'm giving it my all
But I'm not the guy
you're taking home
Ooh, ooh, ooh
I keep dancing on my own
Oh
The lights come on
The music dies
But you don't see me
standing here
I just came to say goodbye
A fair question
one could have is
How did our Toby Fleishman
Devoted friend,
healer of the ill,
registered feminist ally
End up in
a Staten Island basement
betting odds on a midnight
supermodel fight club?
Well after his breakdown
at the hospital,
he was suddenly all cried out.
And in the vacuum
of the silence that remained,
his loneliness became a void.
Except instead of an absence,
it was a presence.
Oh.
Oof.
I hate this place.
Even doing some of his
favorite activities
didn't help.
Excuse me, sir.
Oh, hi, yeah.
Um, can I get
the chopped salad
Yeah, I-I'm so sorry.
Would you mind
moving to the bar?
I have a party of four waiting.
Yeah, I ju um
I hate eating at the bar.
Yeah, of course. Sure.
Thanks. Yeah, I can do it.
Thank you.
Yeah, thanks.
And you're sure I can't Yeah.
Fine. Okay.
Right this way.
He tried going
to his favorite place.
There was an exhibit there
he'd been looking forward to
all summer.
Welcome to the American Museum
of Natural History.
Vantablack was
a lab-created material
that was said to be
the darkest black in existence.
This way, please.
It was created for the military
to help hide satellites
and jets from detection,
and it is so dark
that you're not even allowed
to use it, legally.
What was that was crazy.
I did not expect that.
It is the closest you can get
to a physical manifestation
of the void.
Ah, ah
Ah-ah-ah
How was it still July?
Ah
How many more days
until the fall?
How many more days
until his kids returned?
You can see the
Finally, it was the work week.
And finally, finally, he was
too busy to feel anything.
But when the day came to an end,
as it always eventually did,
he was left to face
another endless night.
Ooh!
Well, I just think
Guys. Hey.
Oh, hey.
- Hi.
- Hi.
You know, you guys have been
doing, uh,
such a great job lately,
I was thinking I'd like to
engage in
In an age-old tradition
and take you out
for a drink tonight.
I have a date. Um
And I have to
I'm studying for boards.
And I'm in Clay's study group.
No, that's cool.
So, I'll be, uh
Yeah, maybe, like,
another time or whatever.
Doesn't matter. Yeah.
- Yeah.
- Code pink third floor.
Code pink third floor.
Toby's loneliness
was now a monster.
The story is,
they get to the glacier
and the karate master,
who's like a Yoda figure,
but is also somehow
the tango champion of Spain
Hang on.
My man!
Hey. Yeah, no,
I was just wondering
what you're doing tonight.
Well, my boy Brian
just got dumped,
so we're taking him out
for a drink.
Oh, okay.
That's too bad.
Yeah, you should come.
I don't think I know Brian.
Of course you do.
Do you have a pen?
Take this down.
A little closer.
Keep your left arm straight.
Giddy-up!
That was exhilarating.
I can't believe they have
a whole gym just for golf.
And it's huge.
We probably could have
just played, you know,
like, real golf.
It's time?
Ah!
Come on.
What?
What are we doing?
Annual Britney/Justin dance-off
re-enactment.
Wait. What?
Come on.
Come on, Britney!
- Let's go, Britney!
- Whoo!
I don't really understand
how you, like, win a dance-off.
Is it who dances better or,
like or, like, feistier?
- Whoo!
- It doesn't matter, Toby.
I always thought
the Justin/Britney dance-off
was an urban legend.
Are you kidding?
This was a defining moment
in American pop history.
What time is it?
Uh, 1:37.
Shit!
We're late.
Wait.
Late for what?
Come on!
Get up! Get up!
Oh, shit!
Choke her!
Is this totally kosher, like,
watching two women
- Toby!
- Yes.
Do you not have enough problems?
No, no, I have enough problems.
Enjoy this.
It's one of the solutions.
Okay.
Yes!
Get up! Get up!
Okay. Oh! We gotta go.
We gotta go.
I don't know if my guy won yet.
What's happening?
What is wrong with seeing
what you're eating?
It's a sensory experience.
It's to feel the food,
to really experience the moment,
you know?
Well, you know,
I have a shellfish allergy.
Do they know that?
I mean, who do I tell?
You're thinking too hard.
You've never experienced
anything like this.
Yeah, you've never
experienced anaphylaxis.
Try to enjoy it.
I am.
I am enjoying it.
I'm enjoying it.
Oh, no.
What?
I-I gotta pee.
I have not been up this late
Or this early
Since medical school.
Wait.
So, let me just get this.
So, that When you say
that you're just, like,
going out for a drink, like,
that's what happens?
Sometimes.
Amazing.
Oh, hey, one sec.
What?
Hey, man.
Can I grab two of those
off of you?
Sure.
$10 cool?
Thanks.
Thank you, sir.
That is so cool.
All right, so what now?
Now we go home. Okay.
You want to end this
before the joggers come out
and you start questioning
how you're living your life.
Okay.
All right.
I'll see you later?
Yeah. Good night.
Thank you.
Oh, um, sorry.
I can't actually eat this,
but thank you.
Okay, you got it.
It was never clear to Toby
how long you were supposed
to watch a sunrise for.
And without thought,
the loneliness returned.
The moment was gone.
He couldn't even hold on to it,
because you hold on to it
by sharing it.
He still had so much love
and nowhere to put it.
U up?
So, what were you doing out
so late?
Well, you know, I have this, uh,
friend, Seth, and he, um
You know, actually, my
My kids are away, and, um,
I've been having, like,
a tough time just
Just lately, actually.
Turn over.
Just do it.
Okay.
Okay, what is that?
Now, tell me what I'm spelling.
Okay. Um
I think that
I think that's a "T."
Later, he wouldn't remember
what she spelled out
on to his back.
That's either an "A"
or an "H."
He would only remember
thinking how strange it was
for someone to be doing
something like this for him,
something nice,
where he was the only recipient
of the niceness.
That's definitely
an "A."
He couldn't remember one time
where that had
ever happened to him.
So, I guess we're not
going out to eat.
I gotta be somewhere.
Okay. I kind of just
want to know
what I'm getting into here.
We're having fun, aren't we?
Yeah, we It's fun.
You know, it's weird.
Okay, listen.
Yeah?
My husband is an anchor
on a conservative news network.
You would know him.
Is it Tucker Carlson?
Uh, it doesn't matter.
You can look it up.
I am not allowed to say.
All right, fine, but were you
married to Tucker Carlson?
Because Just listen.
I was married,
and we always had
this weird relationship.
He was a very religious Christian.
I was Jewish.
My parents are conservative.
Lower-case "C,"
but also upper-case, you know?
Mm-hmm.
And my parents,
when they came from Iran,
they had all these ideas
of what a girl should be.
She should be shy,
never let anyone touch her,
never touch herself.
Sure, yeah.
You know?
Yeah.
And my husband hated sex.
I was a virgin
when I married him.
I was such a good little girl.
And so I just thought there
was something wrong with me
that I wanted
to have sex so much.
Anyway, I came home
one day early
from some dumb fundraiser,
and I walk in,
and his assistant is
giving him a blow job.
Wow.
His male assistant.
Ah. I see.
So, his job has
a morality clause,
and being gay is immoral.
Oh, yikes.
This is them, not me, obviously.
Yeah, no, right.
And so he pays for my life
and all of this,
and I still, on occasion,
have to go with him
to events and awards shows.
I'm not really divorced.
Not technically.
But we're we're done.
Yeah, but, I mean,
is it worth it,
not having your freedom,
not being able to start over?
And you're so free?
Yeah.
I'm divorced.
I signed the papers.
I have the freedom
to move on, yeah.
Being divorced doesn't make you
any less married.
I gotta go.
Yeah. Oh.
Yeah, me too.
What's up, man?
What's up?
Aww.
Hello. Hi.
Okay, that's good.
Now stay with me.
Stay with me.
This was what he needed
Someone loyal,
someone to bring
the family together
and replace what they had lost.
What he'd lost.
It's like I have this book, right?
And it's, like, right beyond
my fingers, in my head, but
I never actually do anything
about it.
Well, what's it about?
Maybe it'll be about smoking.
- I'd read that.
- Yeah.
You know, I read once
that people who have affairs
They're not really trying
to betray their partners
and they're not really in love
with someone else,
but they're trying to find
who they are again.
They're trying to go back
to the moment
when they were last themselves.
That's what I think
about your smoking.
Hmm.
That's actually a very
insightful thing to say.
I'm a very insightful guy.
I guess so.
Hello.
What is this?
What did you do?
This is Bubbles,
Bubbles Fleishman.
Bubbles, say hello.
You felt like you finally had
an empty house
and a few weeks of freedom,
and it was just too much.
It was.
It was overwhelming.
Yes, say hi to Seth. Hi.
And say hi to Libby,
who we love, too.
Mm-hmm.
You're a very nice person.
Yes, you know, the kids have
wanted a dog for a long time.
Hannah always said she wanted
a dachshund named Bubbles
since she was like 3.
And I think I can have
the dog house-trained
by the time they get back home.
Such a divorced-dad thing.
I am such a divorced dad.
You realize that that's
a lifelong commitment, right?
Like, you have to take care
of that or it dies.
Yeah, I know.
I know. I hear you.
I'm sorry I was, like,
shitty to you, okay?
What is going on?
Can I just say, you will never
believe what we did last night.
Oh, last Another night that
I didn't get invited to.
Awesome!
It was incredible.
Like, we owned the city.
We went everywhere.
I think we ate
an endangered species.
- Ew.
- No, no, no, it was amazing.
It was like like the world
existed just for us.
It's weird.
I never, like I never, like,
understood that life,
but now I think
I want every night
of my life to do that.
It was glorious.
Yeah. What?
Right, Seth?
- I don't know.
- What what do you mean?
We had a time.
Did we not have a time?
Yeah, no, no, no.
We did, we did.
I don't know.
I'm just kind of depressed.
Y-You?
Really?
You're depressed?
I can't be depressed?
Yeah, I don't know.
You have this, like, great life.
Okay.
What happened?
What happened is, I got fired.
What happened is that
I wear a suit all day
because I might get
a job interview
and I'm 41
and I have no one to cry to.
I don't know,
I turned around and realized
that the brokers who are
15 years younger than me
are the only friends I had.
- What about us?
- Yeah.
Yeah, I know. Like I said,
can't I just be depressed?
Wait. But we, like
We had the night of our lives.
Did we not?
I don't know, dude.
That was like a Monday for me.
Oh, my God.
What the hell is that?
It's just incense, Dad.
Don't worry about it.
My job was supposed
to be failsafe.
Nothing Nothing is failsafe.
Yeah, but I didn't do anything.
If you didn't do anything,
then you should sue.
I don't want to talk about it.
Did you tell Vanessa yet?
How can I tell Vanessa?
It's too late.
- Oh.
- I have to break up with her.
Are you crazy?
Well, I would have to admit
I lied.
I would have to apologize.
Love means never having
to say you're sorry.
Actually, in my experience,
it's divorce
that means never having
to say you're sorry, yeah.
- Oh.
- Yes, he's right.
Every relationship I've ever had
is a girl asking me
to apologize all the time.
Mm, kind of a strange way
of maybe looking
at your ongoing issues
with women, but sure.
I don't want to talk about it,
like I said.
Oh, shit.
I have to go.
My flight leaves
in like four hours.
Oh, you are gonna have
a great time.
Where you going?
Oh, I love it there.
Mm-hmm.
Bye, guys.
The multinational mass media
and entertainment
conglomerate that features
several amusement parks
as its profit center
would rather
I didn't mention it by name.
Come on, in the car.
Thank you.
I'm sorry.
I've just got to get
a few things, okay?
- I did it. You're late.
- I know. I just
- Let's go!
- I'm gonna run upstairs.
I'm gonna do deodorant.
I'll be right back.
I had this timed
to the minute, Lib.
I'll be right back!
I'm sorry, I'm sorry,
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
That's okay.
At least you got
the restaurant reservations.
Right.
Newark Airport, right?
The multinational mass media
and entertainment
conglomerate that features
several amusement parks
as its profit center
would rather
I not depict scenes
from this vacation.
So instead of telling you
about my trip to there,
I will use this time to tell
you about my trip to here,
meaning how I got here
to this place in my life.
I worked at a men's magazine,
the only place
I ever wanted to work.
It's really ingenious.
- Masterful.
- Killed it.
I loved it there.
I was an editorial assistant,
then a news assistant.
Hey, you're taking notes, right?
Yeah.
All I wanted was to be a writer
with my stories up there.
To write those stories
seemed to me
to be the closest approximation
of actually living.
Or, more specifically,
what I wanted
was to be Archer Sylvan,
our most marquee writer,
who wrote bombastic,
wild stories
that stopped the world
for a week
after they were published.
Archer spanned the globe
digging up
unbelievable characters
and telling a story that felt
like you were being gripped
by the lapels and shouted at.
Of course,
The Heart is a Lonely Dinner
was his most famous story.
It won
the National Magazine Award
the year it was published
and was a Pulitzer finalist.
My favorite of his books, Decoupling,
was a National Book Award-
winning scandal,
a gonzo account of a year
in the life
of a divorced man in 1979.
You like that one, huh?
Okay, good.
As the years went on,
though, Archer,
who had once been
everyone's delight,
became the subject
of evermore controversy.
Well, what would you say
to people
who thought that only showing
one side of the divorce
gave women short shrift?
I mean, come on, Jake.
Have you ever asked a woman
what her divorce was like?
How do you mean?
I don't get the joke.
All right, well, I'm saying
it's the same old thing,
the same story.
Uh, "He did me wrong.
He cheated on me.
He doesn't respect me."
I'm tired of that story.
I wanted to write the story
of a person's soul.
So a woman doesn't have a soul?
I didn't say that.
I'm saying that you can't get
to the truth of a thing
if you ask her.
So women don't tell the truth?
Now, see, this is
what critics take issue with
about you, Archer.
You wrote about a man's divorce,
taking his word for everything,
never interviewed the woman
to verify anything.
It's not the same thing.
Well, they're reissuing
the book, Jake.
That's got to count
for something.
Some of the lines that were
now considered unspeakable
were edited out
of later editions,
but they didn't fix
its iconic last line.
"The bitch will try to get you
every time."
But I didn't care.
I forgave anything that was
as exciting and angry
and urgent as this.
Hey, Archer.
Hey.
I work, uh
I work at the magazine.
I've never seen you there.
Oh, well, I'm
I'm such a huge fan of yours.
I had to just come
and hear you
See you see you speak.
Right.
That piece that you wrote
about the Fountain of Youth
in the Andes that story
It completely changed my life
when I read it.
It was, um What's your name?
Libby Slater.
Here you go.
Thank you.
- Hey.
- Hi.
Good night, sweetie.
Sorry. Good night.
This way.
Hi.
Almost 15 years later,
I was still jogging in place
at the magazine.
And the magazine
was still celebrating Archer.
It was always the next story
for me
that was going to be
the big one.
I was always just about
to break out.
My fingers attracted the blood
You know, attracted
the tiger sharks.
And I kept telling them,
"I didn't mean to run
with the bulls.
I was doing a story on these
bank robbers
when they started
getting chased by the cops."
That's when I saw
the most beautiful woman
I'd ever seen before.
Don't ask me how old she was.
She lived outside
the realm of time.
All right, all right!
If you insist!
I'm gonna read one page.
We should be thinking that
for you,
because she's a child star,
but she's not really
a girl, right?
I don't know, Glenn.
I mean, why can't I do
something more like
what Archer does?
Archer is Archer.
You know that.
- I know.
- Everyone wants to be Archer.
He's the house style.
Let's get you something good.
Um, uh
NFL cheerleader coaches.
NFL cheerleader coaches?
- Tony Bennett?
- Tony Bennett?
He's turning 85.
It might be surprising.
Surpri Like what?
He-might-die-during-the-
interview surprising?
It's the legend.
Lib, you killed
that Instagram story.
- Thank you.
- Killed it, murdered it.
Destroyed.
I'm in awe.
Steiner was just sent to Cuba
on a Castro story.
You're kidding.
- Steiner!
- Hey, buddy.
That guy has been here
for six months!
He came over from GQ.
He was there for two years.
He's got a voice.
I have a voice.
You know what I mean, Libby.
So, you have a dinosaur
whose work has aged like milk,
and you're what?
Like, grooming a baby dinosaur?
Let's get you on a new story.
I had first read Decoupling
in college.
In fact, I had given it to Toby
in Israel,
and he'd become an
Archer Sylvan obsessive, too.
That night, I reread
Archer's collection.
I'd been at the magazine
for 15 years by then.
It had taken me
to right exactly that party
to realize that I was
no longer moving forward.
I was completely stalled.
What's going on?
I don't know.
I'm lost.
I don't know what I'm doing.
Why?
What happened?
I just was rereading
The Heart is a Lonely Dinner.
I just I don't know.
I always thought, like, I
If I write good stories,
if I proved myself
then one day,
they're gonna send me
to the top of the mountain
to eat the still-beating
heart of the ox.
And I'll know
the secret to life.
You'll get there.
You will.
I won't, I won't, I won't.
I won't. I won't.
I'm not even close.
Oh, God, I can't believe
I'm saying this, but
I think
I have to leave.
Listen.
Come here.
Listen.
Those guys who embody
the ethic of the magazine
They're blowhards.
They come to you
when they want a good story
without the pages
soaked in blood.
They come to me
when they want a story
that's filed on time.
They do. I want to soak
my pages in blood.
You know, I want people
to read my stories
and cry and rend their garments.
- They will.
- They don't!
They don't.
They don't!
God.
I just feel so stupid.
I was never in the game.
You could be a great writer
at a men's magazine,
but no matter how hard you work,
if you're a woman,
you can't be a man.
It's like I don't even feel
like anybody reads anything
I write unless it's about a man.
I'll write a novel.
But now it's two years later.
I haven't once even opened
a blank page
and made an attempt.
And here's the secret
of my vacation
That while we were on the rides
and standing in lines
and taking pictures,
I wasn't really with my family.
I wasn't in Florida.
I wasn't on an airplane.
I wasn't at a themed
restaurant, begging a hostess
for a reservation
everyone in the world
knew to make weeks before,
but not me.
I wasn't even at home,
unloading the car.
I don't know what to do
with you.
I was with Toby.
Oh, shit!
Come here.
Okay.
Here we go.
Okay.
Okay, come on.
Okay.
It's okay.
Go pee. Go pee.
Go pee. Go pee.
Okay, there you go.
Go pee.
Come on. Okay.
- She's so cute.
- Oh, hey.
Thank you so much, yeah.
What's her name?
Oh, it's actually, uh
It's actually a boy.
People do think it's a girl,
but it's actually a boy.
- Oh.
- Uh, Bubbles.
Maybe that's why they think
it's a girl.
Yeah, maybe.
Shit.
Sorry.
Shit.
It's my kids' camp.
Hello.
Dr. Fleishman.
Are the
Yeah, are the kids okay?
Wait. No. Sorry.
You have to tell me.
Now? I'm sorry.
I have a job.
But can you please just at least
tell me, like, the nature
Yeah, I don't even have a car.
How am I supposed to
Yeah, fine.
That's fine.
I'll I'll be in
as soon as possible.
Yeah, thanks.
You need to clean up
that dog shit.
What?
Shit. Uh
- Hi.
- Hey.
Thank you for coming, truly.
I was taking the day off anyway.
Oh, yeah?
Everything okay?
I don't know.
That douchebag camp director
wouldn't tell me anything.
It's Bubbles!
I'm sure everything's fine.
How could it be fine?
How could anything be fine?
Do you remember
the times a parent
had to pick up a kid from camp?
Michael Goldstein?
When he urinated
on Scott Messinger.
Yeah, exactly.
Don't worry.
Children are resilient.
He wondered why people say that.
Children are actually
not resilient.
They're children.
Just because they don't
jump off a bridge
doesn't mean they're resilient.
This is my fight song
Take-back-my-life song,
prove I'm alr
And I'm giving it my all
But I'm not the guy
you're taking home
Ooh, ooh, ooh
I keep dancing on my own
- Mr. Fleishman.
- Mm-hmm.
Everything's fine.
Hannah's fine.
But she did take, uh,
an unfortunate picture
with her phone,
and she shared it
with a young man.
What?
What kind of picture?
Well, it was a very
suggestive picture.
Um, the boy shared it
with his friends.
He shared it with his friends.
And what does "suggestive" mean?
Well, it was, uh
It wasn't appropriate.
Um, I'll let you discuss it
with Hannah.
But suffice it to say,
it violated our
camper code of conduct.
Yeah, I'm not really interested
in the camper code of conduct.
Is she okay?
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
I-I said that.
She's fine.
Where is she?
I want to see my daughter.
- She's packing up her things.
- Right. And, um
And what's happening to him?
- To?
- To the kid.
- Well, Mr. Fleishman
- Actually, it's Dr. Fleishman.
Okay. Well, he's not the one
that took the photo, so
Right.
So nothing's happening to him.
He didn't violate any of your
policies or any of your rules?
- Well, right now, um
- Yeah.
H-his parents are
in Switzerland,
so we talked to him.
How nice.
How nice for them.
Okay, where is she?
Hannahbear.
Come here.
Come here, come here.
Oh, honey.
I know there's so little
I can say to make this better,
but here.
Listen to me.
Listen to me.
Honey, it won't always
feel this bad, okay?
I just want to go.
Yeah, no, I understand,
I understand.
We'll go, we'll go.
Hey, where where is Solly?
He's in Chipmunks.
I was having a great time.
I know, but your sister
had some problems,
and I can't leave you here,
not with the way
they handled it.
Wait.
I forgot.
I have to get something
from the art room.
Yeah, go ahead.
Throw it!
Go, go, go!
Mm.
Go to the car, honey.
Actually, give me your phone
and then go to the car.
Mm.
Um, one minute.
One second.
Um, Mr. Fleishman.
- Mr. Fleishman.
- Hey!
One day, you will understand
the breadth
of what a piece of shit you are.
And I hope I'm there to see you
when you realize
you're worthless.
Um, Mr. Fleishman
It's Dr. Fleishman,
you dipshit.
Are we going to
your or Mom's house?
Um
Hey, guys, could I, um
Can I talk to you for a second?
Could we go sit down, actually?
What is it?
Uh, well, it's
It's your mother.
I mean, she's fine.
She's fine.
Or at least I think she's fine.
But, um No, it's fine.
Here, come here,
come here, come here.
But, um well, she's having
some issues, okay?
And she's taking some time
right now.
Here, sit down.
What What does that mean?
Well, it means you'll be with me
full-time
for the foreseeable future.
W-What does that mean?
Um
Your mother has decided
to, like,
not be in our lives so much.
She's not on a business trip.
She, um
She, uh
She dropped you off that day
and she doesn't appear to be
coming back to pick you up.
Mnh-mnh.
No.
No, she wouldn't do that.
No, I know it seems impossible.
I mean, no, it seems
that way to me, too.
But I just, like
I don't know how to, like,
protect you from this.
I tried.
I sent you to camp.
I thought it would resolve, but
I can't keep lying to you, okay?
The children reacted
the same way they did
when they told them
about the divorce
With questions about survival.
He tried to answer honestly.
Yes, you will probably
see her again.
Yes, they'll manage.
Yes, he's sorry.
He's so sorry.
Like a small boat
In the ocean
Sending big waves
Into motion
Like how a single word
Can make a heart open
I might only have one match
But I can make an explosion
All those things I didn't say
Wrecking balls inside my brain
I will scream them loud tonight
Can you hear my voice this time?
This is my fight song
Take-back-my-life song
Prove-I'm-all-right song
My power's turned on
Starting right now
I'll be strong
I'll play my fight song
And I don't really care
if nobody else believes
'Cause I've still got
a lot of fight left in me
'Cause I've still got
a lot of fight left in me
Wait.
You didn't.
No way!
Oh!
Hi! Hi! Hi!
Oh, my goodness!
Hi!
You named him Bubbles,
didn't you?
- Hi, Bubbles. Oh!
- Hi, Bubbles!
- Oh, who's a good girl?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh!
People always say to use
the pasta water,
but I'm never sure
what that means.
Like, when do you put it in?
I just put the sauce on.
It smells really good.
My dad never makes pasta.
You doing okay?
I'm better.
Okay, dinner!
Mm. Great.
May a pox break out
at this summer camp
that's only ever outdone
by a concurrent plague
of termites
and venereal disease.
- Termites?
- Yes.
Can you pass the spaghetti?
- All right! Looks good.
- Thank you.
You know, I knew your dad
when he was your age.
He was very short.
And he was really fat.
- I know.
- That's not nice.
Yeah, you were still my friend, though.
- I was.
- We have salad, too.
- Ah, that's great. Thank you.
- Dry lettuce.
Oh, yeah?
And there's no dressing?
- No dressing, no.
- Thank you.
Did you guys really
meet at camp?
Sure did.
Your dad was very
into astronomy.
Looks delicious.
Get some pasta.
Eat up.
It looks beautiful.
Could I could I tr
No, I'll just Pass?
Yeah, sure.
Yes, please.
- Oh, this is really good.
- Thank you.
Really?
Are you sure
you don't want some?
Ooh, maggots.
Oh, come on.
Don't bring up maggots
while we're eating.
This is very good, Vanessa.
- Really?
- Yeah.
And then they were gone.
And he could no longer pretend
what happened didn't happen.
How could Hannah be these
two people, Toby wondered.
She was a person who,
just a few hours ago,
had a global humiliation,
then learned that her mother
had abandoned her,
and then, in a minute,
was on her knees,
unmoored by her new puppy.
For a few years, Hannah would
straddle being both people,
and that was just the worst
Both for her to endure innocence
and maturity in the same body
and for him to watch
her innocence vanish
in drips until it was gone.
I have to run out for an errand
for a minute.
Will you be okay if I
If I leave here real quick?
Mm-hmm.
Okay.
Call me if you need me, okay?
Growing up was disgusting.
Long time, no see,
Dr. Fleishman.
Is she up there?
She just got home.
Should I tell her you're coming?
No, no, no, no.
Uh, she's expecting me.
There was no confrontation
that would make this better.
The decision was made.
It was over.
That weekend,
Toby, Hannah, and Solly
embarked on their new life
as a family of three
that was no longer waiting for
their former fourth to show up.
Do you think it will
ever not be hot?
Uh, like I said, you won't
always feel this way.
Nothing lasts forever.
But it wasn't all he was
thinking about right now.
Look at that giant lizard.
God help him, he was thinking
that he was so happy
to not be alone anymore.
He didn't want to make peace
with his loneliness.
Let's go.
Come on.
How's it so dark?
It kind of freaked me out
when I first saw it,
but I knew
you'd find it interesting.
Now he didn't have to.
You ready?
Come on. Okay.
I need to leave.
We have to leave!
Oh, hey, hey, hey.
Yo, Solly.
Solly.
Solly. Solly.
Hey, Hannah, come on.
Somebody said you got
a new friend
Solly, wait.
Does she love you better
than I can?
And there's a big black sky
over my town
I know where you're at,
I bet she's around
And, yeah, I know it's stupid
But I just gotta see it
for myself
I'm in the corner
Watching you kiss her
Oh, oh, oh
And I'm right over here
Why can't you see me?
Oh, oh, oh
And I'm giving it my all
But I'm not the guy
you're taking home
Ooh, ooh, ooh
I keep dancing on my own
Oh
The lights come on
The music dies
But you don't see me
standing here
I just came to say goodbye