The Better Sister (2025) s01e01 Episode Script

1
[Patti Smith sings "Dancing Barefoot"]
[indistinct chatter]
Thank you. It was lovely.
I love you. This was so fun.
- Thank you. Mwah.
- Drive carefully.
- Goodbye. Goodbye.
- Mmm.
- Lovely seeing you both.
- Love you.
- Mmm.
- See you soon. Oh, it's delicious. Yum.
The root connection ♪
She is connecting
- Good night.
- Good night.
Here I go and I don't know why ♪
I fell so ceaselessly ♪
Could it be he's taking over me? ♪
I'm dancing barefoot ♪
Heading for a spin ♪
Some strange music draws me in ♪
Makes me come on like some heroine ♪
- [engine turns off]
- [music stops]
[pensive music playing]
[sighs]
♪
[sighs]
[pulsing, ominous music playing]
[squish]
[gasps]
Jesus Christ.
Adam.
Oh, my God. Adam.
Baby? Baby?
Jesus Christ.
[crying]
Oh
Oh, God.
Oh, Jesus. Oh, my God.
[panting]
[line ringing]
[operator] 911. What's your emergency?
I need an ambulance.
My husband is covered in blood
and he's not responding.
What's the address?
429 Lower Woodside.
Okay, we're sending someone right away.
Are you alone in the house?
I don't know.
Ma'am, can you get outside
to wait for the ambulance?
Yeah.
[panting] Okay.
♪
[elevator bell dings]
[indistinct chatter]
Hey, Claire, just looking for my mom.
Yeah. Oh, she's right there.
[chuckles]
New York Times did a push notification.
They will alert you
to almost anything these days.
"Chloe Taylor, best-selling author
and editor-in-chief
of The Real Thing magazine,
- delivered testimony yesterday"
- Thank you.
"in support of a new labor rights bill,
continuing her efforts on
salary transparency and gender equity
in the workplace.
Some on the right
have criticized Ms. Taylor"
- Assholes.
- "for using the magazine
as her own political mouthpiece."
- Got their lick in.
- "The viral clip,
viewed more than 15 million times
in just 24 hours and shared widely
on social media, has some wondering
if a political run is in her future."
- Please shut that shit down.
- [man chuckles]
- [Ethan] Hi.
- Hi, my love.
- Sorry I'm early.
- You're fine.
Hair and makeup's here. As is Enzo.
The tailor with your suit.
Okay, thank you so much, everyone.
And we will see you tonight.
[Heart plays "Magic Man"]
Thank you.
[publicist] We have
The Real Thing's editor Chloe Taylor
and the magazine's publisher
Catherine Lancaster.
Chloe, are rumors of a political run true?
Chloe? Chloe, can we get one more?
[photographers clamoring]
Where is that husband of hers?
He's always striding in
at the last minute.
God, I wish you still used.
I know. Awful, isn't it?
But fuck it.
Here I am, sitting at the table of
Braddock, Braddock, Braddock
- and Braddock.
- [Bill] I had to buy two tables
just to fit them all in.
I had his chart done,
and all of his moons
are in the house of ego.
- [Jake] Hey there.
- Hey.
- Big night.
- Yeah. Thanks for being here.
No, it's
[Bill] You're a vision. Congratulations,
- you look gorgeous.
- Thank you.
We were just wondering
where that husband of yours is.
Well, the firm of his
just works him like a dog.
- Hmm.
- Uh, he's just finishing up
some Gentry Group stuff, but somehow
Jake managed to sneak out early.
[Bill] Adam's the only person I'd trust
to wine and dine Gentry Group.
- Offense intended, Jake.
- All taken, boss.
Those stadiums aren't gonna build
themselves.
Sorry I'm late.
- Hey.
- You look gorgeous.
- Thank you.
- Hey, bud.
Hey.
I-I apologize in advance
for anything Bill said.
Oh, just as I was about
to get to my proctology exam.
There you go.
- I've got to go up.
- Good luck.
[Maria] Taken alone, our stories
Glad you could make it.
are heartbreaking,
but taken together,
they become revolutionary.
And sometimes that revolution
comes from where you least expect it,
like between ads
for Rolexes and Chanel perfume.
[audience laughs]
I'm honored to introduce
The Real Thing's editor-in-chief
Chloe Taylor.
[applause and whooping]
Good evening. Thank you all
for being here to celebrate
the Women Are Essential Issue.
- [urinating]
- Oh, I'm gonna be so hungover.
It went well tonight.
I promise,
Catherine's party's the last one.
[groans] The Summer Soiree, of course.
Um, I'm probably gonna have to come
right from the airport.
Gentry wants to meet out by JFK
so they can fly straight to London.
They're working
on some huge complex there.
Whenever you get finished.
[toilet flushing]
I think Arty's gonna drive Ethan out.
He's not taking the train?
Well, it's easier,
plus Arty could use the cash.
Whoa.
I'm sorry it's all been so crazy.
No, I'm sorry. I, uh
I just miss you.
Let's have a nice, relaxing weekend,
just the three of us
- doing nothing.
- Mm.
Your specialty.
- Shut the fuck up.
- [laughs]
[sighs]
[Chloe over video] My mother
cleaned houses to put herself
through nursing school.
I've seen the work that goes into care
and how little that work is valued.
Mm-hmm.
[pensive music playing]
Nice.
"For a self-righteous libtard
trying to kill our livelihoods,
she is hot.
#CocksAreEssential."
Oh, well, thank you,
very much, KillerChad69.
"Ms. Taylor knows as much
about running a business
as her husband knows about fucking her.
Look at that pinched face."
Wrong on that front.
"Tell me what this privileged bitch
knows about essential work."
Mm. God, those built-ins do look good.
[tense music playing]
Oh.
Jesus.
[elevator bell dings]
Hey, Arty. For you, my friend.
Ah, you're the best.
Hubby said the night was a smash
on his way out for the 6:00 a.m. run.
- That's dedication.
- I might call it something else.
- [chuckles]
- [clears throat]
[Arty] This came for you.
[Chloe] Mm.
You know who this is from?
Looks nice, though.
And you're sure you're good
to still take Ethan out
- to the Hamptons later?
- My pleasure.
Thank you, thank you.
- See you, Arty.
- Kid's good company.
I'll make him listen to the Mets game
all the way out to the beach.
He'll be miserable.
- [laughs]
- It'll be fun.
[sighs, mutters]
Mm.
[atmospheric music playing]
[sighs]
♪
Oh, God.
[phone ringing]
Hey, babe.
How's the belle of the ball?
[chuckles] Fine.
What's wrong?
Oh, nothing,
I just got a package at the front desk,
and it's just a weird, X-rated DVD.
Some asshole cut my face out
and put it on a naked body
- of a woman being choked out.
- Jesus. Chlo--
Eh, I don't know, DVD's kind of retro.
You think this is funny?
They brought it to our house.
Yeah, I knew that magazine spread
was a terrible idea.
God forbid people didn't know
we had a fucking wraparound terrace.
You need to call the police.
Oh, no, no, no, I Already on the road.
Well, I'm hiring private security.
Those guys are all retired FBI,
they'll take care of these assholes.
We'll discuss it tonight.
We will. Fuck.
Will I see you at Catherine's?
Uh, I'll-I'll text you, but most likely,
I'll just meet you at home.
Well, you'll come if you can. I love you.
I love you, too.
[Joe Henry plays "Stop"]
♪
[Bill] Not that anyone ever left
the dance floor to have sex.
I mean, it was all so inclusive
and democratic.
Aw. My husband disapproves.
I'm sorry you don't find
my tales of illicit disco-era sex
entertaining, Chloe.
Well, only you could make
a public fuck boring, Bill.
Oh. Ouch. [chuckles]
I'm teasing.
Forgive me, my timing is off tonight.
That was Adam, he just texted.
And the meeting is running late,
so he sends you all his love.
It's not Adam. It's those
trolling pricks on the Internet.
[Bill] What's the worst thing that anyone
could say about you?
Unless you're hiding something hideous.
In that case, you got to get out
in front of it. Right, Catherine?
Bill's right. There isn't a thing
they've said about me
I haven't said about myself.
- Miserable cunt? Check.
- [laughs]
Addict in recovery? You bet.
Power-hungry bitch? Oh, yes.
Not Black enough, too Black,
married white, hates herself,
ding, ding, ding.
Now you're just bragging.
It all flowed so naturally.
Welcome to being a woman
on the Internet, right?
Well, there's a lot we can do if the
language becomes too threatening.
Mom, Dad--
- I'm the mom.
- [laughter]
I appreciate your concern.
We're capable of whatever
the moment calls for.
[atmospheric music playing]
♪
[phone chimes]
[seabirds chirping]
- [inhales sharply]
- [scoffs]
- Yours look like shit compared to mine.
- [laughs]
- Man, fuck you.
- [phone chimes]
[grunts]
Oh, shit. Yo, I got to roll.
One for the road.
What, you're not coming?
My dad would kill me if he knew
I was hanging out with a drug dealer.
[laughs softly]
[lighter flicking]
Your dad's a fucking asshole.
[suspenseful music playing]
[turn signal clicking]
[muffled music playing]
[suspenseful music playing]
♪
♪
♪
[panting]
[gasps, grunts]
[approaching siren wailing]
[Chloe] And that's where you found me.
[Bowen] I understand it's difficult
to move through all this, hmm?
We appreciate you being so thorough.
We just have a few more questions,
if you don't mind.
Though we can stop whenever you like,
or again, if you prefer
to have a lawyer present,
- just let us--
- No, it's-it's fine.
What about the cuts?
Could I have some water?
Of course.
Ambulance arrived, you had cuts
on your knees and your hands.
I fell when I ran out.
- When I
- [water running]
was speaking to the operator,
and she asked me if I was alone.
So you got injured
after you found Mr. Macintosh's body?
- [panting, grunts]
- [approaching siren wailing]
Yeah.
- Just trying to get the timeline straight.
- Mm-hmm.
Was there an alarm at the house?
One you disarmed when you walked in?
Hello? Waiter? Can I get a coffee?
Oh, this was for you.
We never use it.
So it wasn't set last night?
Like I said, we never use it.
Huh.
According to phone records,
you called 911 at 9:34.
You said you left
Mrs. Lancaster's at 8:45?
- Yes.
- That time of night,
Sag Harbor to East Hampton,
20 minutes, tops.
Mm-hmm.
Oh, I never text and drive.
Okay.
[exhales]
That guy was on my ass so I pulled over,
- and I saw that I had a text message.
- [phone buzzing]
And I had been waiting to hear from Adam,
but it was Catherine.
[somber music playing]
I still hadn't heard from him,
so I texted him again.
And then, you know how it goes.
The vortex of the phone.
Instagram, then Twitter
just, time is gone and you've been
sucked into the social media ether.
♪
[exhales]
So, you pulled over, alone,
at night, for 20 minutes,
while you've been
receiving violent threats?
Threats at your residence,
threats so concerning
you thought you were being followed.
So concerning
that you'd been considering security?
- Yeah.
- Did you ever
- report the threats?
- A lot is said online.
That doesn't always cross over
into real life.
- It was just weird?
- Yeah, I mean, maybe five years ago,
but now?
Welcome to the new cesspool.
It's incredibly helpful to have
that part of the night filled in for us.
Do you and your husband
usually socialize separately?
No, he was working with a client.
Gentry Group. He was logging late nights.
You're more understanding than my wife.
I get one pass a year,
and then, believe me,
I'm back at Arlene's barbecue.
Oh, my God, it's pretty good barbecue.
- Anyway
- Is there someone else that might have
been with Adam at the meeting?
His colleague Jake Rodriguez.
Jake Rodrig
Maybe. I don't know.
How long have you two been married?
Ten years this fall.
You're practically newlyweds.
Well, we've known each other
since we were kids, so
High school sweethearts?
Kind of, but it was
a little complicated early on.
Is there anyone else, um,
specifically, that might have a reason
to want to harm Adam?
I have no idea.
He's a lawyer,
but it's white-collar stuff.
T-These threats online were for me.
Uh, they meant to kill me.
It's too soon to know.
[Bowen] Um, w-we'll do whatever it takes
to get to the bottom
of whoever did this to your husband.
Thank you.
If you guys have everything that you need,
I would really love to get my son.
I would love to change.
Uh, absolutely. We just need
some elimination samples,
photos, and your dress.
What-Whatever.
[slow, dramatic music playing]
[indistinct police radio chatter]
[car door opens]
- Coffee or water?
- No, thank you.
We'll let you know
if we need anything else.
The boys are in Kevin's room.
It's just up to the left.
I haven't woken them.
Thank you.
[somber music playing]
I can't. Can't do it.
Uh, that's all right. Um
Your permission, we-we can tell him.
Yeah.
- Okay.
- Yeah.
Water or something?
[Bowen sighs]
I'm Detective Guidry.
This is Detective Bowen.
- Are you Ethan?
- No.
Give me a second.
Yo, there's two fucking detectives
looking for you right now, bro.
You Ethan?
- What's going on?
- [Guidry] I'm Detective Guidry.
This is my partner Detective Bowen.
There was an incident at your house
last night involving your father.
He suffered some major stab wounds.
We're sorry to inform you
he didn't make it.
Where's my mom?
She's downstairs. She's waiting for you.
[somber music playing]
♪
[crowd murmuring]
[indistinct police radio chatter]
Detective Guidry.
- I need to bring the body out.
- Yeah.
They need a little more time inside.
Would you like to wait in the car?
Uh, we'll just wait by the pool.
[officer] Yeah, they're getting him
tagged and bagged now.
[police radio chatter]
When first breaking the news,
worth giving them a beat, to digest.
See how they react to the information.
His father's dead.
How is he supposed to react?
Depends if he killed him or not.
[slow, dramatic music playing]
♪
[sighs]
You hungry?
What happened?
[sighs] I don't know.
I wish I could tell you more.
My head's killing me.
Just gonna close my eyes.
Yeah. Good, good. I'll let them
I'll let you know when they need us again.
[music playing softly over earphones]
[dramatic, tense music playing]
- Hi, Fran.
- Detectives.
Okay.
- Oh, man.
- Oh, God.
- [phone camera clicks]
- Uh
[suspenseful music playing]
N-Nan, you know, you know
we have people for that.
Like, professionals that come in
and it's their job.
What I see might be different.
See this? Glass contained in this section.
Undisturbed. Not on the floor really.
On top of the cushion.
Window was broken from the outside
after the room was tossed.
Bang, bang, bang.
And why break in using this window,
not a side one out of view
from the street?
- Easy access, first thing they saw.
- Maybe,
if you're an amateur.
If you're an amateur,
you don't end up stabbing a guy to death.
Burglary gone wrong is quickly
falling out of the lead for me.
- [phone camera clicking]
- Oh, that's a selfie.
Replaced by?
Someone staged this.
[Catherine] Chloe?
[sighs]
I came as soon as I heard.
How did you hear?
Friend at the Daily News. Husband's NYPD.
- Oh.
- How's your boy?
[cameras clicking]
Fuck.
Fucking bottom-feeders.
I know this is the last thing you want to
be thinking about right now, sweetheart,
but
we have to prepare
a statement from you.
Before speculation sets in.
Christ. Okay. Yeah, of course.
I called my cybersecurity guy McCabe.
Filled him in. He's gonna call you.
You listen to me,
you are not to blame.
This may have nothing to do
with the threats,
but let's be smart about it,
track these assholes down
before they hurt you.
Okay.
You come stay with me.
I'm not bringing the circus to you.
I'm the fucking lion tamer
of the circus, baby.
- [chuckles]
- Bring it.
You shouldn't be alone right now.
City would be better.
For Ethan, too.
[Guidry] Ms. Taylor?
We're ready for you and Ethan now,
if you could come inside.
Okay.
Oh, this one's a real piece of work.
[chuckles softly]
Anything you need.
Thank you.
Enjoy your walk?
I'm gonna go get Ethan.
Office got paperwork
for the kid's legal guardian.
We'll give it to her.
That's the thing. It's not her.
Goes to Nicole Macintosh,
his biological mom. Adam's ex.
- That explains the complications.
- Yes, it does.
Yeah, I just saw her.
How do you think she's doing?
Honestly
good fucking riddance.
You gonna call her?
- Yeah, I'm gonna call her.
- Yeah?
- Yeah, I was gonna go do that now.
- Great.
- Put this on.
- [door opens]
- [door closes]
- We're just going to take
a little bit of powder
and we're gonna brush it
[TV continues playing indistinctly]
[phone buzzing]
[Guidry] These are elimination samples.
We collect them from anyone
who might've shared space
with the victim, just to identify
the presence of your DNA at the scene,
and same will go for the fingerprints.
We did your mom's at the station,
- so just protocol.
- [Fran] Thank you.
[Guidry] Okay.
So, you came home.
Kick off your shoes, put down your things.
Went to the kitchen, got a couple grapes.
Came over here.
Beautiful view.
Turn, you see the vase.
So, you go to right the vase,
but you feel something at your feet.
And that's when you see your husband.
Just as I told you.
Crime was contained in this room,
and in the office
where the intruder appears
to have entered through a window,
clearly looking for something.
Do you have
personal items in there, like passports,
birth certificates, anything
that could be used in identity theft?
Everything's in the city.
This is our second home.
Right.
Well, maybe they thought
the second home was empty.
Excuse me. Okay.
Made their way to the bedroom
to look for valuables,
Adam heard the noise,
comes in to check it out.
After the confrontation,
the perpetrator panicked and fled.
That make sense to you, Ethan?
I'm sorry,
are you asking him to put himself
in the mind of his father's killer?
I'm just letting you in
on our thought process.
Maybe we could look at some
of the other bedrooms.
We've seen the master.
See if any items are missing.
[chuckles softly]
Sure.
[Bowen] Uh, I actually had
some questions for you
regarding the package, Ms. Taylor.
What pack-- What package?
Uh
I can show you my room.
Great.
Yeah. The DVD.
Oh.
Yeah, it's in the car.
- Okay.
- Okay.
[indistinct chatter]
All right. Oh. A little, um
Yeah, that's unfortunate.
[weak chuckle] Not my best angle.
Yeah, uh, I'll get this. Thank you.
[clears throat] Michael.
- Bag this and get it fingerprinted.
- Yeah.
[grunts]
You got it? Ms. Taylor.
We can head back inside.
It's a nice room.
It's clean.
So, you and Kevin good friends?
He lives out here.
We hang out in the summers,
whenever I come out.
What'd you all do last night?
Anything special?
Just Friday night stuff.
Drove around, sat on the beach, came back.
You read all those books?
Half maybe. During the summers.
That's pretty good.
Well, how does it look in here?
Anything missing or?
[sighs]
Couple of things in here.
And what are they?
Ms. Taylor, can I speak with you
a moment, in the kitchen?
- Sure.
- Thank you.
You should know
we contacted Nicole Macintosh.
Nicky? Why?
Ethan's a minor.
It's protocol to alert the legal guardian.
Well Yes, but clearly in this case,
that's just a technicality.
Hmm.
You know that Nicky's an addict,
and she hasn't seen him in many years.
I understand,
but she's still his legal guardian.
Well, because if we had
tried to change that,
then she would've tried to hurt herself.
Hmm.
[scoffs]
I'm sorry, it's just
this may seem like it's
an odd arrangement to you,
but there are reasons for it.
At one point, we even had
a restraining order against her.
Yeah, we saw that.
But it's expired.
And it applied to your husband, not Ethan.
Look, Ethan needs to be
with his legal guardian
who, in this case,
is his biological mother.
She said she'll be here
as soon as she can.
Oh, Nicky's coming to New York?
Gucci sneakers and a set of Beats
headphones missing from the closet.
Gucci? Nice kicks.
All right, if there isn't anything else,
I really would like to get us home,
back to the city.
Of course.
We'll keep in touch, Ms. Taylor.
I left my backpack at Kevin's,
if we can stop on the way home.
Of course we can.
That lady cop is staring at me.
Oh, I-I told her about the ex.
You didn't think I'd want to be there?
No, I had a moment with her,
so I took the opportunity.
Too quick to get where you're going.
Fast isn't always right.
Kid's got a cut on his right arm.
Oh, wait, you-you didn't
tell me about that.
- I'm telling you now.
- Oh, well, I told you, too.
Nicky might be on her way here.
Here, as in New York?
Is she coming to our house?
I don't know. She hasn't reached out yet.
She does know about your f
father.
But when-when, when she gets in,
I'll give you guys some time,
you know, alone.
I'm not gonna go with her, right?
Like to live?
No, I would never let that happen.
[stammers] I mean, unless that's what--
No. No, of course not.
When was the last time
she was in New York?
[laughter]
Adam.
Oh. Above and beyond.
Where'd you find
a chain metal vest in kid's size?
Uncle of this guy I work with
at the D.A.'s office
is big into metallurgy.
He really is so adorable in armor.
Don't know how you do it all alone.
We struggle with two on one.
[Nicky] Ethan!
Oh, my God, it's Nicky. Nicky's here.
[Nicky] Hey, buddy.
Hi. Do you remember me?
I'll handle it.
Who's that?
It's Ethan's mother.
Do you want to have a bear
for your birthday?
Hey, look, I got
- this for you.
- What're you doing here?
[exclaims] Mother can't come
to her own son's birthday party?
I mean, his aunt's here.
Hey, Nick.
Chloe.
What are you dressed as?
M-Medieval something?
Um, sorry. Ronnie.
This is my sister, my ex-husband
and this cute little knight is my son.
I forgot to mention I wasn't invited.
- Um
- Cute kid.
[Nicky] But we were in town.
Last-minute trip, so
- Hey, you sure you don't want this?
- No!
Are you sure? Oh, come on, buddy.
- It's okay.
- Can I hold him, please?
Let me hold him, please.
Chloe, let me hold him.
Come on, can I hold you, buddy?
[pants] Holy
You two are?
Oh, my God. You two are fucking.
You two are fucking!
- You need to leave.
- Adam, it's okay. Take it easy.
- Take it easy.
- Yeah, they're fucking!
- [Adam] You're drunk.
You're scaring him.
You are scary. You are scary!
The both of you.
What the fuck, Chloe?
[laughs]
You Ow! Fuck.
- Shit.
- Oh, fuck. Here, hold that.
[wincing]
[groans]
You know what? Let's just go, okay?
Okay. [sniffles]
Ethan.
Bye, baby.
- Just take him for a second.
- Yeah, I got him.
- It's okay, sweetheart.
They're just talking.
- Hey, Nicky,
let me get you a Band-Aid for your cut.
- Nick, wait, wait.
- Chloe, just-- Fuck.
Is that a fucking joke?
I'll wait by the car.
You are so fucking twisted.
Ethan is mine.
No matter how hard you try
or how hard you fuck him.
Do you understand? Mine.
He's mine.
I was gonna tell you.
Get your own fucking family.
Fuck. You look
so fucking stupid in that outfit.
Good luck with that.
[ominous music playing]
It's time for cake.
I don't want any fucking cake.
You didn't do anything wrong.
She is my fucking sister.
I did everything wrong.
[phone buzzing]
Here's your bag.
People don't know what to say.
No. If only there was
a murdered-husband sad-face emoji.
[chuckles softly]
[scoffs]
I really need to take a shower.
You want to run down to the deli,
get some sandwiches?
Roast beef?
Yeah.
Oh, uh, get something sweet, too.
[chuckles softly]
[shower running]
[somber music playing]
♪
[panting] Baby? Baby?
[sighs]
[doorbell rings]
[sighs] Fuck me.
Hey, Nicky.
Hey, sis.
[exhales heavily]
This is awful.
I'm so sorry, Chlo, uh
[whispers] I'm really sorry.
Yeah.
Okay, well, I'm not gonna bullshit
and pretend I know what to say.
I loved Adam, even after everything.
I'm so sorry, Chlo.
This is fucking awful.
Thank you.
Okay.
I got here as soon as I could, I--
The police said Ethan needs to be with me.
Yeah. The detectives told me that, too.
Is he here, or can I?
- Is he in his room, or?
- Come in.
Um, he's, uh
Wow, Chlo.
Jesus. It's enormous.
He's not here right now.
He'll be back soon, I'm sure.
[elevator bell dings]
Oh, hey.
- Hi.
- Hey, baby.
Hi.
Oh, my God. He looks just like Granddad.
Yeah.
Hey, sweetie--
You're tall as a tree. Oh, my God.
You're so grown up.
How you holding up?
Oh, hey, coming through.
- [Chloe] Hello?
- [Rick] Holy cow.
- [Nicky] Oh, shit.
- Nice digs.
This is Rick, my suitcase angel.
Yeah, he helped me out at the airport.
All my shit got stuck
in the revolving door.
Anyway, we-we shared a cab.
Chivalry's not dead after all.
Well, half-dead.
You know, confusing times for us guys.
You'll see.
Nicky.
Uh, this is my sister Chloe.
- Yeah, from the cab. Yeah.
- [Nicky] Yeah.
Big-time. They were playing a clip of you,
the hearing, from Congress.
- You were in the cab.
- Those TVs,
there's no way to turn them off.
Y-You actually can turn them off.
And this is, uh, Ethan.
- I was telling you
- We met in the elevator.
And you belong to which sister?
I got extra. Grilled cheese.
[Nicky] My favorite.
- Well, I'll get out of your hair.
- That would be great.
You know, f--
Death in the family and all.
Oh, yes, your sister said. So sorry.
- [Nicky] Show me around here, huh?
- [Chloe] Thank you.
- Nicky, I'll email you.
- Okay, thanks again, Rick.
[atmospheric music playing]
Here, bud.
Thanks.
So where you staying, Nicky?
Here.
With you. If that's okay.
Sure.
Tonight. Of course.
Let me get the bed for you.
[sighs]
[muffled thud]
♪
[soft clacking]
[pills rattling]
[pills rattle]
[Nicky sighs heavily]
[faucet running]
[sighs]
[sniffs]
I forgot in the rush this morning.
[sniffs, chuckles]
I don't think it's a good idea
for you to stay here.
Not enough room?
It's disorienting, for Ethan.
It's not what he needs right now.
I think it's exactly
what he needs right now.
Oh, I think I might be
the better judge of that.
Well, I think that's not up to you.
Legally speaking.
Are you fucking high right now?
Sober five years, Chlo.
Yippie for you.
Is it possible
that it's a good thing that I'm here?
Tomorrow I'm gonna put you up
in a really nice place.
- [chuckles]
- There's so many beautiful hotels
in this neighborhood.
Great.
Ethan comes with me.
I'm sure we can come up
with an arrangement
that makes us all feel comfortable.
Yeah. [chuckles softly]
So, this one?
That's the one.
Stop trying to control everything.
- You're such a freak.
- Shut the fuck up.
You're in luck.
This is my last peppermint tea.
Cookies, if anyone wants.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
- You picked Ethan up at 5:00?
- Mm-hmm.
Then what'd you do?
Played video games, ate some dinner.
Drove around a little bit.
[chuckles softly]
We're investigating a murder.
You know that, right?
[quiet, dark music playing]
[grunts]
Whatever oregano-laced dime bags
you're peddling, they don't interest us.
Though, I'm pretty sure
they'd interest your mother.
Should I go get her?
You tell us the truth,
we don't bust your balls
about what you got going on.
Unless it was murdering someone.
After we'd been hanging out
for a little bit
I had some business to attend to.
Mm. And what time did you and Ethan
meet up with these clients?
Well, Ethan didn't want to come.
So I left him.
- [Guidry] Left him where?
- [Kevin sighs]
[Kevin] The beach.
By his house.
- Time in Ethan's night unaccounted for.
- [phone ringing]
Bowen.
Yep.
Thanks.
The lab found Ethan Macintosh's DNA
under Adam's fingernails.
Well, that's a shame.
Yeah.
[quiet, dramatic music playing]
♪
[sinister music playing]
♪
[inhales] My husband has been murdered.
[dramatic music playing]
My sister is here.
What's wrong with you?
- Do you need to call your sponsor?
- What?
[Chloe] And though I am feeling
anxiety about this
You need to go fuck yourself.
Oh, is that one of the 12 steps?
♪
I release it.
[Sanders] From the outside,
you look perfect.
But every family's got secrets.
Painful histories.
Now, you may want to keep this stuff
in the past,
but whatever's happened between you two,
it's very clear
you both love that boy.
You want him home?
Tell me everything.
[mysterious music playing]
[Chloe] My sister has always had it rough.
And then, when Adam and I
started to fall in love,
we knew we had to make some big choices.
[Guidry] Sisters-- can you believe that?
[chuckles]
I smile every time I think about it.
[Nicky] He looks like a fucking monster
right now because that's how
these motherfuckers are painting him.
Oh, my God, enough
with the Jerry Springer antics.
Sick burn, 1998.
[Bowen] On the day of his murder,
we know Adam Macintosh
was working with the Gentry Group.
[Chloe] What is this company, Gentry?
It's a maze of unending paperwork.
It all leads nowhere.
And to no one.
[Bill] Adam has made a mess
that needs cleaning up.
Before this girl gets herself killed.
[camera shutter clicking]
Any evidence that
you might be withholding,
that could implicate you.
[Guidry] I hope the mother
was the one who did this.
No one likes watching a wealthy woman fall
more than I do.
[Bill] When you lose someone in a snap,
it'll rock your world.
No matter how you felt about them.
I loved Adam.
Of course you did.
[Catherine] Grief is something people
can connect to.
Makes you human.
And that's the story you need to tell.
[soaring music playing]
[Chloe] Your life is shitty
because it is built on the bad decisions
that you have made.
Your life is a lie!
[Catherine] You selfish bitches
just won't share with each other.
You ought to grow up.
And play together.
Someone in this room killed Adam.
We will find out who.
It's just a matter of time.
- [Fiona Apple sings "Sleep to Dream"]
- I tell you how I feel ♪
but you don't care ♪
I say tell me the truth,
but you don't dare ♪
You say love is a hell you cannot bear ♪
And I say, "Give me mine back
and then go there, for all I care" ♪
I got my feet on the ground
and I don't go to sleep to dream ♪
You got your head in the clouds ♪
You're not at all what you seem ♪
This mind, this body and this voice ♪
Cannot be stifled by your deviant ways ♪
So don't forget what I told you ♪
Don't come around,
I got my own hell to raise ♪
I have never been so insulted
in all my life ♪
I could swallow the seas
to wash down all this pride ♪
First you run like a fool
just to be at my side ♪
And now you run like a fool
but you just run to hide ♪
I can't abide ♪
I got my feet on the ground
and I don't go to sleep to dream ♪
You got your head in the clouds
and you're not at all what you seem ♪
This mind, this body and this voice
cannot be stifled by your deviant ways ♪
So don't forget what I told you,
don't come around ♪
I got my own hell to raise ♪
Don't make it a big deal,
don't be so sensitive ♪
We're not playing a game anymore ♪
You don't have to be so defensive ♪