Every Year After (2026) s01e04 Episode Script
Anatomy of a Romance
1
[ Gregory Alan Isakov sings "San Luis"]
[birdsong]
[phone vibrates]
Weightlessness ♪
no gravity ♪
[typing]
Were we somewhere in-between…
Morning.
Hey.
I'm a ghost of you
Got some Jameson,
if you want a little extra help
getting through this.
Why not?
Not every day
you go to your mom's will reading.
Why do we have to
have a formal reading anyway?
Feels like we're in that movie,
you know, the one with the James Bond guy
where he has that crazy Southern accent.
Knives Out.
Yeah, that one.
Can't believe she's gone.
Yeah, I know.
I'm a ghost of you…
It didn't really feel real until today.
A bird's-eye view of San Luis…
Yeah, well…
…let's get this over with.
Your pacing game is intense.
I almost can't look away.
Why do I even have to be there?
It's just how will readings are.
I know, but surely, the lawyer
can just send me
whatever Sue left me in the will.
I mean, I loved Sue, I really did,
but, I mean, let's face it,
she probably left me
some hideous piece of driftwood art
that I'm gonna hate-treasure
for the rest of my life.
I don't want to see Sam.
I know.
I'm so embarrassed.
You didn't do anything wrong.
No, but I wanted to,
and I think he did, too.
And if Delilah hadn't walked in…
I mean, he has a girlfriend.
He does.
Why did I even go there? It's…
Because this place has you all twisted.
- Yeah.
- Look,
you came back here for Sue, right?
And it was really brave, knowing that
you were gonna have to face the past.
You just have to do it for, like,
a little bit longer now.
I hate that you're always right.
I know, I know.
But it's a burden that I'm happy to carry.
It's gonna be so awkward.
Absolutely, yeah.
But as your friend and your lawyer,
you can do this.
- [door opens]
- [bright music playing]
Thank you.
Armor on.
Okay? We're gonna face this.
Hang on, why are you
in your lawyer outfit?
You think I'm gonna let you
face the Florek boys alone?
Absolutely not.
Friend and lawyer on the job.
[door opens]
I'm sorry we're meeting
under these circumstances.
Sue was quite a woman,
and we all miss her.
- Thank you.
- How long is this gonna take?
Um, not long.
We're just waiting for one more person.
Who else would Mom put in her will?
- [door opens]
- Ah.
Lovely. Let's get started.
- [Charlie] What the hell?
- I'm-I'm as confused
- as you all are.
- Who are you?
I'm Chantal. I'm Percy's lawyer.
We haven't had the pleasure,
but you must be Sam?
You brought a lawyer
to my mom's will reading?
What the hell's going on?
Ms. Fraser, there was no need
to bring outside representation.
Why are they even here?
Do we need a lawyer?
Technically, that's me. For the estate.
No, no, no. No one needs a lawyer.
This is my friend,
who also happens to be a lawyer,
who's here strictly for moral support,
- I promise.
- [Chantal] A-Although I reserve the right
to move from friend to lawyer
on a case-by-case basis.
Okay, okay, sit down, please.
Just be brave a little longer.
[tense music playing]
All right, then.
Now that we're all here, let's begin.
Sue's will was fairly straightforward,
so this should be quick.
The entirety of Sue Florek's estate
will be split evenly
between her two sons, Charlie and Sam,
with one exception.
The Tavern and all of its contents
will be left solely to
Persephone Fraser.
- Holy shit.
- Are you fucking kidding me?
No.
I… I-I… I don't understand.
Are you sure?
This has-this has to be a mistake.
No, exactly.
Why the hell would she do that?
No mistake. Sue updated her will in 2021
to include this provision.
I added it myself.
[scoffs]
These belong to you now.
Un-fucking-believable.
Sam, Sam, I-I had no idea.
I swear. I d-I don't want it, I promise.
As your lawyer,
I advise you to stop talking.
- I-I don't want it.
- Decisions later… Mm.
It isn't mine, it belongs to your family.
- Can we at least just talk about it…
- I don't have time for you right now.
I need to go talk to my brother.
I-I don't… I don't want it.
My-my client is in shock.
This is not an official resignation
of said property.
Okay.
Did you see Sam's face?
How did you talk me into this?
Same way I always do,
sheer charm, shameless persistence.
[laughs]
You smell like summer.
Good. Because now that
you're here, it can officially begin.
Oh, I missed you, Persephone Fraser.
Right back at you, Samwise.
Are we really doing this?
I was sort of hoping
it was just an elaborate prank.
- You're gonna love it. I promise.
- [groans]
- [groans]
- Did you read the training plan I sent?
"Couch to 5K:
The Lazy Girl's Guide to Not Dying."
So, so inspiring.
That wasn't the title.
- You know that.
- It was heavily, heavily implied.
[laughs] Okay, well, first,
we're gonna run an easy 3K,
- and then…
- 3K? Easy?
Speak for yourself. Remember,
I'm both the couch and the lazy girl
in this scenario.
Look, I'll pace us, okay?
By the end of the summer,
we're gonna be running
all the way to town and back.
How delightfully hideous.
Where's the part where I get
to eat waffles and go back to bed?
[laughs]
Converse? Seriously?
Those are not running shoes.
I sent you, like, three articles
on the importance of running shoes.
I skimmed the headlines. They're shoes.
It'll be fine. Come on.
[ Gatlin sings "What If I Love You"]
- [Sam] Oh…
- [laughs]
They say it's once in a lifetime…
Aah! Ow! Cramp in foot.
How is this even possible?
So much for all those smack-talking emails
about how this was gonna be
the summer of self-improvement.
[grunting]
Wow, you are killing this.
Fine, I'll cut you a break.
[panting]
Three updates?
You first.
Okay, Grandma. Uh, number one.
I finally binge-watched
all four seasons of Game of Thrones.
- Ooh.
- The Red Wedding? Brutal.
Uh, number two. Jordie.
Finally got him
to play World of Warcraft with me,
and, of course, he's addicted. He…
[laughing] He even downloaded
the "Warlords of Draenor" expansion pack.
So you turned Jordie
into your emotional support dork, got it.
[chuckles] And last but not least,
I'm applying for an
after-school internship at the hospital.
That's awesome.
Yeah, yeah. Real doctor stuff.
I mean, shadowing and everything.
Show-off.
Okay, your turn.
Okay. Um, well, school, obviously.
But mostly, I'm just consumed
by this evil writing seminar.
It's just structure
and mechanics and crap.
It's making me think too much.
And that's a problem because…
Because I can't get out of my head.
The flow isn't happening,
and it feels like work.
I am so glad I decided to become a doctor.
It sounds way easier.
Forgot how pretty it was in the morning.
Every street is bringing back…
I am so
jumping in right now.
Still wishing you w?re here,
just kill me ♪
By now ♪
I should be okay ♪
That's easy for you…
Whoa. Come on.
What if I loved you? ♪
What if I loved you way too much? ♪
What if I loved you…
Oh, my gosh, yes. This is perfection.
So, are you coming in or what?
Still looking for your car,
just kill me ♪
By now ♪
I should be okay ♪
What if I love? ♪
♪
There's something I need to tell you.
Okay.
Something I'm not sure
you're gonna want to hear.
Just say it.
I hate running, and nothing you say or do
will ever make me want to do it again.
[laughs] Okay, got it. No more running.
But there's, like,
a tiny… tiny, minuscule part of me
that understands why you like it.
Hm. Good to know the tiniest bit of you
- understands me.
- No.
Even though every muscle in my body
was screaming, earlier,
I feel pretty good now.
Right? That's the runner's high.
Yeah, I wouldn't go that far.
[chuckles]
But there's something about it.
It's like… I was in so much pain
that, for about half a minute,
I-I couldn't obsess
over my stupid story.
Took the edge off.
That's why I do it.
Started during midterms this year.
Have you ever thought about
swimming across it?
- The lake?
- Mm.
Ever since I saw it, I wondered
if I could make it across.
Maybe that's what I need this summer.
Something big.
Something impossible
to get me out of my head for a while.
[ Niall Horan sings "Nice to Meet Ya"]
I think I need to swim across it.
I'll help you train.
I like the way you talk ♪
I like the things you wear ♪
Every time I turn around ♪
you disappear ♪
I want to blow your mind…
Okay, come here, come here, come here.
You're okay, you're okay.
I'm gonna take you somewhere warm ♪
You know j'adore la mer ♪
'Cause when the morning comes ♪
I know you won't be there ♪
Every time I turn around ♪
you disappear ♪
I got love for you ♪
I like the way you talk ♪
I like the things you wear ♪
Every time I turn around ♪
you disappear ♪
What's your name? ♪
Let me treat ya ♪
to a drink ♪
Nice to meet ya ♪
What's your name? ♪
Let me treat ya…
You're ready.
to a drink ♪
- Let me treat ya
- I got love for you
- To a drink
- I got love for you
Nice to meet ya ♪
♪
- You did it.
- [sharp inhale] Yes.
- Let's do this.
- [laughs]
- You can do it. Yes.
- We believe in you, kiddo.
All right. Go, Percy!
Kick some lake ass, Percy.
- Hey, language.
- Sorry.
Sam?
- [Sue] Come on.
- Okay. Okay.
- [hopeful music playing]
- [Diane] All right, Pers, we got you.
[Sue] Oh, my gosh. Okay.
- Whoo!
- [Diane] You can do it!
[cheering]
[Diane] Come on, sweetheart.
- Whoo! Let's go, Percy!
- You got this.
[muffled voices continue chattering]
[Sue] Whoo!
I hadn't even spoken to Sue
since Sam and I ended things for good.
Um, it's so weird to me
that she would change her will in 2021.
I don't understand.
Yeah, well, a lot of questionable things
happened in 2021.
Tiger King, whipped coffee trend.
The word "cheugy."
I'm just trying to make you feel better.
No, I need that.
I can't get the look
on Sam's face out of my head.
It's so… It was so full of contempt, like
- I'd ruined everything all over again.
- Mm.
- What was Sue thinking?
- I don't know, but she managed
to cause a lot of drama from the grave.
If she knew about what I did…
You have to stop punishing yourself.
Uh, thank you. I don't…
I don't think we're quite ready for…
Okay. One of us
is ready for round two. Thank you.
- She sent these over.
- [Chantal] Oh.
Thanks.
[mouths]
Could this day get any weirder?
Mm, just bite your tongue.
Oh fuck, she's gonna
grill me about last night.
- Hi.
- Hi.
I just thought some congratulations
were in order.
For?
For being the new owner
of The Tavern, silly.
I heard, like, all about
how Sue left it to you.
Whoa, already? Damn, this is a small town.
I'm not sure if "congratulations"
is the word I'd use.
[Delilah] No, that is true. It is such
a double-edged sword.
Sue left such a generous gift,
but also quite the burden.
- Right.
- Running a seasonal
enterprise, especially from afar,
seems like a big responsibility.
Mm, yeah.
Are you… maybe thinking of selling?
Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?
[playful music playing]
- What do you want, Delilah?
- Mm… [coughs] Want?
No, I just… I want to mark the occasion.
Well, you're biting your lower lip,
which means you want something.
Okay, fine.
I want to buy The Tavern from you.
What the hell was that? You stormed out.
What'd you want me to do,
stay and congratulate her?
No, instead you left me to deal with her.
I just can't believe Mom did that.
She made a monumental decision alone.
And then blindsided us.
And I'm supposed to just smile
and act like everything's okay?
Look, I agree.
What Mom did was…
unexpected.
And I'm not exactly thrilled that
she left our family business
to my ex-girlfriend,
but why do you care?
You're the one who wants to sell the place
and get rid of it.
I mean, that's all you've talked about.
Because that should have been
our decision.
I've been working for weeks
on lining up a buyer, and now…
Hold up.
You've been talking to buyers? Who?
Delilah's been circling.
She wants it.
Delilah?
[scoffs]
So, what, you've been
plotting with her behind my back?
Plotting? Really?
Let's not get so dramatic.
What am I supposed to call it?
I mean, you were
clearly hiding it from me.
When were you
gonna tell me, after the sale?
I didn't tell you because
I knew you'd react like this.
I obviously wasn't gonna do anything
without clearing it with you first.
- Selling isn't the worst idea, you know.
- [Delilah] Okay,
picture it: Soho House at the lake.
Like, bohemian chic,
but, like, for rich people.
Look, low lighting,
velvet poufs,
signature cocktails, members only
- for instant mystique.
- Members only.
[Chantal] Uh, and…
I don't know what the hell
a velvet pouf is, but I-I'm in.
I-I will be a founding member.
- Yeah.
- Whoa, whoa.
Members only? The Tavern?
Uh, that place is in desperate need
for a little exclusivity.
No. No. No, no, no.
The Tavern is for everyone.
It's for locals, day fishers,
tourists, kids.
It's not for people
who use "summer" as a verb.
Yeah, but velvet poufs.
- Mm.
- No, no, exclusivity
is what's ruining this entire town.
Well, you can't stop progress, Percy.
Progress?
That-That's what you call
all these cute little cottages
being replaced by 7,000-square-foot
farmhouse McMansions
with not an ounce of soul or character?
- Sorry, "cute cottages"?
- [Percy] Mm-hmm.
Most of those are termite-infested,
moldy money pits.
I mean, she's-she's not wrong.
Although I-I do agree
that the modern farmhouse thing…
it-it's overplayed.
Well, uh, it's… it is for the best.
I mean, even your old place
is getting turned into a…
a soulless McMansion.
What?
Mm-hmm.
I mean, I knew it was being demolished,
but to be replaced by one of those?
Really?
Mm-hmm. Word is
they're building a boathouse
to make it look like a faux barn.
No. No, no, no, no. No.
Mm-mm.
[grunting]
Just a little higher, and I can do it.
Watch the feet.
Why do you have so many limbs?
How the hell did I get convinced
to do this?
I want to go home.
No. You are one of us now, so, no.
Oh, I am?
- Aah! Aah! Oh, my God…
- Oh, my God.
- [grunting]
- Ow!
You just kicked me in the boob.
Sorry. Just… just a little more.
- I can make it.
- [Chantal] Use your core.
Yeah, use your core. One, two, three.
- Hoist!
- [grunts]
- Ow!
- Oh, shit.
I'm okay.
[melancholy music playing]
- [knocking]
- [Chantal] Let us in!
[Delilah] Percy! Are you lost?
[Chantal] Come on, let us in!
It's weird.
In a few days, this won't be ours anymore.
Yeah.
Forty-eight hours,
and it officially belongs to Percy.
You might be right about selling.
This place was always
kind of an albatross.
But it was our albatross.
I mean, we spent
a lot of our lives in this room.
I had my first beer here.
[laughs] So did you.
Yeah, thanks to my irresponsible
older brother.
Hey, you were 16.
Try 14.
Yeah, well, you were so sick the next day
- you swore off alcohol for a whole year.
- [chuckles] Oh, God.
So, think of it
as a public service announcement.
[groans] And then you made me the best
hangover breakfast burrito of my life.
- Do you remember that?
- Mm-hmm.
Tater Tots, leftover brisket,
- [grunts]
- three kinds of cheese.
- [laughs]
- Pretty much a masterpiece.
Still chasing that high.
Let's not forget about the table here.
Remember when all
of your ex-girlfriends sat together
and plotted your demise? [laughs]
Yeah, you mean
the "Charlie's an Asshole" support group?
- Terrible tippers.
- Yeah.
Funny, three seemed like a low number.
I figured the meeting
would be much better attended.
[Charlie laughs softly]
[Percy] I can't believe
all of this was just left here.
It's like the Grey Gardens of Barry's Bay.
It got sold to some developer.
Guess no one really cares about this dump.
Hey, this was my home.
Not anymore.
A lot's changed.
Didn't seem like that last night.
So if I didn't walk in on you and Sam,
- what would have happened?
- [Percy sighs]
I don't know.
Least you're honest.
Yeah, well,
I followed the standard Percy formula.
One bad decision
begets another bad decision.
It's pretty much my life mantra.
- Oh, come on.
- You know it's true.
The past few years, I've been floating.
I-I go to work.
I go out. I drunk-text one of my hookups.
Then I do it all over again.
- I mean, that sounds pretty amazing.
- [Chantal] Yeah.
Think the word
you're looking for is "tragic."
Well, that's what your 20s
are supposed to be.
Not married…
and going to a country club.
Oh, that sounds awful.
Yeah, well, it sucks.
I haven't been
in a real relationship since…
- Sam.
- Mm.
Think I might still be in love with him.
Or maybe I'm in love with the idea of him.
Of us.
What we used to be.
I think I'm probably also
holding on to the idea of something.
[Chantal] Mm?
Whit hasn't even been
to the lake this summer.
I haven't seen him in weeks.
- Wow.
- But everything you keep saying…
It's just bullshit. It's all bullshit.
We decided to take the summer apart.
[intriguing music playing]
Kind of like a Kyle-Mauricio situation.
I have no idea what that means.
We just wanted to see what our lives
would look like separately
and if we wanted that,
and then I've been miserable.
I had no idea.
You've been really good at hiding that.
Thank you. Uh, I think.
I-I think that this is why
I want The Tavern so bad.
It's just to focus on something
other than my marriage,
my marriage failing.
Just something that's mine.
Not mine and Whit's, you know?
Mm.
I feel like I need this.
I understand.
I don't want to get married. I-I'm sorry,
hearing you talk about your relationship,
it-it makes me feel like I, like I can't
- breathe or something.
- I thought-I thought you and Drew
- were happy.
- I thi… I think-I think he is.
But me… all I do is work.
Then-then-then take a vacation.
- Relax.
- Mm, mm.
No, that's the problem. I-I don't want to.
I like working. I…
Actually, I love it, and I…
I'm afraid that getting married
will just get in the way of that.
I'm confused.
Well, marriage comes with the expectation
that you're gonna share your life.
and I don't think I am capable of that.
- Oh, no, I would stay single.
- [Chantal] Right?
Stop.
Drew loves you.
I know you love him too.
You're just scared. You're so scared.
- It's okay.
- Maybe, maybe. I don't know.
[groans] Maybe. [inhales] What is…
- Oh, my God!
- [Delilah] What?!
- Is there a spider?
- [Percy] N-No.
These are my old stories.
- Oh…
- [Chantal] Oh.
Oh, man, I haven't seen these in years.
I won't miss this.
I used to hate doing this.
[Charlie] Me too.
The amount of random,
weird, sticky substances
I've wiped off this bar…
I guess that's Percy's problem now.
What was Mom thinking?
She wasn't.
No, no, she wouldn't
do something this big for no reason.
I mean, she always had a reason.
I just…
wish I knew what it was.
What?
Mom…
Well… [sighs]
she didn't always make the best decisions.
Leaving The Tavern to Percy
sort of tracks.
What are you talking about?
She was incredible.
Sh… Warm, smart, had her shit together.
Not always.
What do you mean?
After Dad died, she kind of fell apart.
Yeah, I mean, she was grieving.
Yeah.
She was running this place,
taking care of us.
No, she wasn't.
That first year…
You were 11. Maybe you don't remember.
Or maybe you didn't see it.
I tried to hide it from you.
See what?
Mom was… [sighs]
[somber music playing]
…dark.
Down.
I guess some shrink
might even say depressed.
Sometimes, she would just
stay in her pajamas all day.
What are you talking about?
She went to work.
Not often.
Sometimes I would come home from school
and she'd just be sitting
at the kitchen table.
Staring.
It was scary.
I-I don't remember any of this.
That's because I tried
to just keep things going for us.
That was the year
we did sugar cereal rotation.
Yeah. Yeah, Monday was Fruity Pebbles.
And Friday was Frosted Flakes.
That was because I was doing
the grocery shopping that year.
Damn.
I didn't know that.
I didn't want you to know.
As long as you were getting
your homework done and made it to school.
How did I miss this?
- Sam, you were just a kid.
- Well, yeah, but you were just 14.
I mean, that shouldn't have been on you.
It was my job to protect you.
She got better.
And things got better, but…
…and I feel bad for saying this…
…but I'm still so pissed at her.
She left us alone that year.
You're a good big brother, Charlie.
[Delilah] I love you guys.
We, like, need more love
in this world, right?
- Especially as women.
- Yes. Hard agree.
[stammers] Like, if we don't have
each other's backs, who-who else will?
- Feels so good.
- [chuckles]
- Keep doing it.
- Yes… I'm doing it, I'm doing it.
[both laugh]
No… I just, I miss having girlfriends.
Ever since I got married,
we just have couple friends.
And those wives are so basic and boring.
- Ew.
- I hate them.
You are way more interesting than that.
- I know. I am. Thank you.
- Yes. Of course.
And I just, I want real relationships.
- I…
- Mm-hmm.
And I used to have them
when I was younger.
Right, Percy?
What?
I mean, I was a good friend, wasn't I?
You were.
[gentle music playing]
And I was actually a good writer.
I mean, some of this is beyond cringe,
but there's a fearlessness here.
I don't think
I could write like this anymore.
[scoffs] What happened?
I had so much confidence.
- [whooping]
- [applause]
- [Sue] Come on, Pers!
- [Arthur] Let's go, Percy!
[Diane] You got this!
- Come on, Percy!
- You got this! Whoo!
- Come on!
- [Arthur] You got this. Come on.
Hey, Mom, let's go meet 'em
at the halfway point.
- Yes. Okay.
- Come on, sweetheart,
you got this!
Come on, Percy. Come on.
Easy. Easy work.
[inspirational music playing]
You are doing so well.
I'm so proud of you.
[Charlie in distance] Come on, Percy!
- [Sue] Whoo!
- Let's go!
- Come on, Pers!
- Okay! Yeah, Percy! Keep going!
[cheering continues]
[Sue] You can do it!
- [Charlie] Whoo!
- [Sue] Aah!
[triumphant music playing]
Nice. Yes. Yes.
So close. Come on.
Killing it. Look at this. Come on.
Whoo! Yes!
Whew.
You are a total badass.
Y-You just did that without any breaks.
You were like a machine. That was insane.
[whispers] He's so pretty.
[laughing] Did you just say I was pretty?
Did I say that out loud?
Yeah, you are totally out of it.
[sighs] Totally.
Oh, my legs feel like Jell-O.
I'm pretty sure my lungs are on fire.
Drink.
[Percy strains]
[atmospheric music playing]
I am so freakin' proud of you.
[exhales] Yeah.
I'm pretty freakin' proud of me, too.
[laughs]
[ Lana Del Rey sings "West Coast"]
Down on the West Coast,
they got a sayin' ♪
"If you're not drinkin',
then you're not playin'" ♪
But you've got the music,
you've got the music in you ♪
Don't you…
And you're kicking me because…
I got too much adrenaline to sit still.
Making it across the lake,
I feel like I could take on anything.
I mean, is there such a thing
as swimmer's high?
Well, you conquered the water.
I think you can invent whatever you want.
Yeah, you…
[sighs, scoffs]
Wow, that must be
a really fascinating book.
You've been reading it all summer.
- Yep.
- Good plotline?
- Riveting.
- Mm-hmm?
Are you giving me shit for studying?
No. No shit-giving here.
Okay. [laughs softly]
I can see my baby swinging…
I like Concentrating Sam. It's cute.
And his hands are up…
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
Whoa. That looks like something that's
supposed to be in one of my stories.
That skinless guy is nightmarish,
even for me.
It's a diagram of the muscular system.
Okay. Oh, so, like…
the calf muscle.
Exactly. That thing you use
when you're pretending to run.
- Good to know.
- [laughs softly]
Move, baby, move, baby, I'm in love ♪
I'm in love…
Did you, uh…
Did you learn anything else
from that book of yours?
They love their movies,
their golden gods, and…
Want to enlighten me, genius?
And you've got the music,
you've got the music in you…
[scoffs] Okay, I…
guess I'll have to find
some other future doctor
to educate me, then.
No, no, I-I got it.
[gentle music playing]
Ankle.
[laughs]
And this is your knee.
[laughs] I thought you were smart.
What grade level is that book?
Vastus medialis.
Vastus lateralis.
Tensor…
fasciae latae.
Are you done
with the anatomy lesson, or…
…or should I keep going?
Are we doing this?
Hell yeah, we're doing this.
You two have spent
a lot of time together this summer.
So I think it's time
we have a little chat.
Oh, my God, Mom, no.
If-if you're sexually active, I…
- We're-we're not.
- Yet. [laughs]
I mean, I was 16 once,
and I think we can guess
where this is going.
- Ah, no, no, Mom.
- Sam,
people fall in love and have sex.
Even your mother.
And I know how close you two are.
I mean, this is not just something casual.
It's so much more than that.
And, you know, sometimes
these beautiful relationships
can get, you know, complicated
and even messy.
- People can get hurt.
- That-that won't happen with us.
[Sue] Well, I know you don't want it to.
But… And I don't want that for you
either, but you want to be a doctor
and, Percy, you want to be a writer.
You have dreams…
- We do.
- …and I don't want you to forget them.
Because they're your dreams.
Sometimes falling in love
can make you walk away from those.
[hopeful music playing]
You know, it's just, things can get hard,
so just promise me that you won't forget
what you want out of life.
I promise.
Yeah.
[Percy] Can't believe
I'm leaving tomorrow.
Yeah, I don't want you to leave.
I don't think the mosquitoes
want me to leave either.
What?
[chuckles] You're being weird.
I've just… just been thinking.
Yeah?
About us.
- I've been thinking about us.
- Oh, my God,
are you gonna say we're making a mistake?
No, no, no, no. God, no, no.
Look, we… Th-this…
We are so far from a mistake.
You are…
…maybe the best thing
that's ever happened to me.
[laughs softly] Okay. Good.
Good.
[ Cole Simon singing "In a Moment"]
'Cause you're important to me, Percy.
- You're my best friend.
- Years
turn into days…
Sam, is this
an "I just want to be friends" thing?
'Cause I thought we were past that.
No, I just…
I've never… I don't know how to do this,
and-and I'm really afraid
to screw it all up,
which I really feel like I'm doing
right now because I just want to,
I want to get it right.
When we're ready to get it right.
I'm ready.
- [scoffs]
- Yeah, but…
I mean, you leave tomorrow.
For a year.
I mean, we both have our own lives, Percy.
My internship at the hospital,
your writing seminar.
So?
So, it's junior year.
I have so much pressure on me
right now. I…
I can't go to college
without a scholarship.
I have to focus,
or all my plans will get screwed up.
Feels like it's taken a lifetime…
Will you look at me, please?
that you were gone ♪
Each one gets harder…
So, we just go back to before?
Date other people?
I could slip and I could fall…
I don't want another girlfriend.
I want you.
But I'd be a giant asshole if I said
that we shouldn't be together right now
and then I still asked you
not to be with anyone else.
That's not fair.
I mean…
even if it is exactly what I want.
You're an asshole either way.
In a moment ♪
Climbing the mountain ♪
or moving on ♪
feels like it's taken a lifetime ♪
[sniffles]
I could slip and I could fall ♪
[shouts]
[screams]
One drink, a bad phone call ♪
could lose it all ♪
in a moment ♪
♪
[crying]
[siren wailing]
[Chantal] No, no, no. Oh.
The cops are coming up the driveway. Um…
Okay, getting arrested is not gonna
help me make partner.
So, yep, we're getting out. We're going.
- I don't do well in these situations.
- You… Well, you're doing well right now.
- [Chantal] You got to go. Let's go.
- I'm coming. Just let me…
- Guys! Guys!
- [Chantal] Guys, come on.
- Guys, guys!
- Percy, hurry up!
[Percy] Guys. Guys, wait.
Okay, wait. Running's not my thing.
[officer over speaker] Come out
with your hands up.
[indistinct chatter]
[insects trilling]
You bailed me out?
My buddy's the deputy. He called me.
I didn't…
need you to come here.
[laughs softly] Wow.
Okay, so no "thank you"?
Thank you.
You know what?
Next time, I just won't come.
- That sounds about right.
- The hell's that supposed to mean?
I'm tired of the mixed signals.
- Mixed signals?
- Yes.
You showing up here.
And that swim in the lake yesterday.
What was that?
- Two people swimming.
- Uh-huh. Sure.
What about when you invited me
to The Tavern
for some kind of
late-night quasi-date situation?
I-I just wanted your help.
Right. You wanted to what?
Hang out? Catch up? 'Cause it sure
felt like you wanted something more.
[laughs] I c… I can't do this anymore.
I can't do this anymore. Any of it.
I'm so tired
of being jerked around by you.
You reel me in and then you pull away.
[ Geographer playing "Didn't You"]
I always thought you were
a constant in my life
when we were young.
- But you're not at all.
- Excuse me?
I never know where I stand with you.
You want me and then you don't.
It… [scoffs]
My heart can't take it anymore.
It's confusing and hurtful
and deeply unfair.
And I'm sure Taylor
would feel the same way.
Was I such a fool? ♪
You're right.
I don't know what I was thinking.
I guess I-I just got confused…
…seeing you again, it…
…brought up feelings…
…from when we were kids.
Me, too.
But that was then and this is now.
and be done with you ♪
But I…
It was wrong.
And I'm sorry.
if things had been different,
your lies…
It won't happen again.
But you did what you did ♪
[door opens]
- [door closes]
- didn't you?
[line ringing]
- [Arthur over phone] Hey, kiddo.
- Hey, Dad.
I don't know what to do.
[Arthur] Well,
maybe The Tavern's the change you need.
What? No, no, that's not
what you're meant to say, Dad.
Do you know that Sue called me
the day your first byline
ran in The Seattle Times?
She did?
Your mom and I were so proud
to see your name in print.
But Sue,
she wanted to make sure you weren't
abandoning your fiction writing.
She knew how talented you were.
H-How talented you are.
I had no idea
you were still in touch. I…
I thought you and Mom wanted nothing to do
with Barry's Bay after what happened.
Well, your mom wanted to run away.
Which I understand.
You know, we were terrified.
But…
sometimes I wonder if, you know,
we did the right thing in-in leaving.
- F-For you.
- But this place is painful.
I know. Yeah.
But it's also the only place
I've seen you truly inspired.
[gentle music playing]
I think when we left the lake…
…you didn't just lose Sam,
you-you lost
a little bit of yourself, too.
I couldn't write anymore.
It's like I lost the joy of it.
Maybe Sue knew that.
I don't think it's a coincidence she
changed her will shortly after our talk.
There's something about the lake.
It's like I feel the most like me.
You, uh, you'd come back
from a swim and be full of ideas and…
we wouldn't see you until dinner.
I haven't felt like that since…
…well, since I left, really.
But I-I can't, I can't be
in the same place as Sam.
Or Charlie.
Mom's right, they're-they're bad for me.
After the funeral, they will leave
and go back to their lives.
But what if you're supposed to stay?
Do you remember
when you were training
to swim the lake that summer?
What was it that you used to always say?
"The only way to the other side
is through."
Maybe that still applies. Hmm?
[ Kat Kennedy sings
"Until We Meet Again"]
How long do we get? ♪
How much has been spent? ♪
What's gone and what's left? ♪
What's here in this room ♪
is sacred as truth ♪
as brief as a breath ♪
Losin' my grip ♪
'cause I know what this is ♪
We're passersby ♪
ships in the night ♪
one in a million ♪
stars in the sky ♪
You and I ♪
like waves of time ♪
Oh, I refuse ♪
- to say goodbye
- [door closes]
Until we meet again ♪
Until we meet again…
You were right about Mom.
She didn't always make the best decisions.
Yeah.
Maybe she thought leaving Percy The Tavern
would help her in some way, but…
…doesn't help me, and I'm her son.
Can I stay in this dream…
Percy being here…
Afraid of missing…
…it's bad for me.
Okay.
Then we'll contest the will.
Look, I know we haven't
always seen eye to eye…
…but you've always
been there for me, Charlie.
A constant.
I feel like you're the only person
I can really trust right now.
Stars in the sky…
Yeah. Absolutely.
We got to trust each other, Sam.
No matter what.
I got you.
You always have.
And I always will.
Until we meet again ♪
Until we meet again ♪
Until
we meet again ♪
I know you won't be hard to recognize ♪
to recognize ♪
anywhere in any other life ♪
Mm, mm, mm ♪
Oh, I refuse to say goodbye ♪
to say goodbye ♪
'cause I know
this won't be the only time ♪
Until we meet again ♪
We meet again ♪
Until we meet again ♪
We meet again ♪
Until we meet again ♪
We meet again ♪
Until we meet again ♪
We meet again ♪
We're passersby ♪
ships in the night ♪
one in a million ♪
stars in the sky ♪
You and I ♪
like waves of time ♪
Oh, I refuse to say goodbye ♪
Until we meet again ♪
Until we meet again ♪
Until we meet again ♪
Until we meet again ♪
♪
[ Gregory Alan Isakov sings "San Luis"]
[birdsong]
[phone vibrates]
Weightlessness ♪
no gravity ♪
[typing]
Were we somewhere in-between…
Morning.
Hey.
I'm a ghost of you
Got some Jameson,
if you want a little extra help
getting through this.
Why not?
Not every day
you go to your mom's will reading.
Why do we have to
have a formal reading anyway?
Feels like we're in that movie,
you know, the one with the James Bond guy
where he has that crazy Southern accent.
Knives Out.
Yeah, that one.
Can't believe she's gone.
Yeah, I know.
I'm a ghost of you…
It didn't really feel real until today.
A bird's-eye view of San Luis…
Yeah, well…
…let's get this over with.
Your pacing game is intense.
I almost can't look away.
Why do I even have to be there?
It's just how will readings are.
I know, but surely, the lawyer
can just send me
whatever Sue left me in the will.
I mean, I loved Sue, I really did,
but, I mean, let's face it,
she probably left me
some hideous piece of driftwood art
that I'm gonna hate-treasure
for the rest of my life.
I don't want to see Sam.
I know.
I'm so embarrassed.
You didn't do anything wrong.
No, but I wanted to,
and I think he did, too.
And if Delilah hadn't walked in…
I mean, he has a girlfriend.
He does.
Why did I even go there? It's…
Because this place has you all twisted.
- Yeah.
- Look,
you came back here for Sue, right?
And it was really brave, knowing that
you were gonna have to face the past.
You just have to do it for, like,
a little bit longer now.
I hate that you're always right.
I know, I know.
But it's a burden that I'm happy to carry.
It's gonna be so awkward.
Absolutely, yeah.
But as your friend and your lawyer,
you can do this.
- [door opens]
- [bright music playing]
Thank you.
Armor on.
Okay? We're gonna face this.
Hang on, why are you
in your lawyer outfit?
You think I'm gonna let you
face the Florek boys alone?
Absolutely not.
Friend and lawyer on the job.
[door opens]
I'm sorry we're meeting
under these circumstances.
Sue was quite a woman,
and we all miss her.
- Thank you.
- How long is this gonna take?
Um, not long.
We're just waiting for one more person.
Who else would Mom put in her will?
- [door opens]
- Ah.
Lovely. Let's get started.
- [Charlie] What the hell?
- I'm-I'm as confused
- as you all are.
- Who are you?
I'm Chantal. I'm Percy's lawyer.
We haven't had the pleasure,
but you must be Sam?
You brought a lawyer
to my mom's will reading?
What the hell's going on?
Ms. Fraser, there was no need
to bring outside representation.
Why are they even here?
Do we need a lawyer?
Technically, that's me. For the estate.
No, no, no. No one needs a lawyer.
This is my friend,
who also happens to be a lawyer,
who's here strictly for moral support,
- I promise.
- [Chantal] A-Although I reserve the right
to move from friend to lawyer
on a case-by-case basis.
Okay, okay, sit down, please.
Just be brave a little longer.
[tense music playing]
All right, then.
Now that we're all here, let's begin.
Sue's will was fairly straightforward,
so this should be quick.
The entirety of Sue Florek's estate
will be split evenly
between her two sons, Charlie and Sam,
with one exception.
The Tavern and all of its contents
will be left solely to
Persephone Fraser.
- Holy shit.
- Are you fucking kidding me?
No.
I… I-I… I don't understand.
Are you sure?
This has-this has to be a mistake.
No, exactly.
Why the hell would she do that?
No mistake. Sue updated her will in 2021
to include this provision.
I added it myself.
[scoffs]
These belong to you now.
Un-fucking-believable.
Sam, Sam, I-I had no idea.
I swear. I d-I don't want it, I promise.
As your lawyer,
I advise you to stop talking.
- I-I don't want it.
- Decisions later… Mm.
It isn't mine, it belongs to your family.
- Can we at least just talk about it…
- I don't have time for you right now.
I need to go talk to my brother.
I-I don't… I don't want it.
My-my client is in shock.
This is not an official resignation
of said property.
Okay.
Did you see Sam's face?
How did you talk me into this?
Same way I always do,
sheer charm, shameless persistence.
[laughs]
You smell like summer.
Good. Because now that
you're here, it can officially begin.
Oh, I missed you, Persephone Fraser.
Right back at you, Samwise.
Are we really doing this?
I was sort of hoping
it was just an elaborate prank.
- You're gonna love it. I promise.
- [groans]
- [groans]
- Did you read the training plan I sent?
"Couch to 5K:
The Lazy Girl's Guide to Not Dying."
So, so inspiring.
That wasn't the title.
- You know that.
- It was heavily, heavily implied.
[laughs] Okay, well, first,
we're gonna run an easy 3K,
- and then…
- 3K? Easy?
Speak for yourself. Remember,
I'm both the couch and the lazy girl
in this scenario.
Look, I'll pace us, okay?
By the end of the summer,
we're gonna be running
all the way to town and back.
How delightfully hideous.
Where's the part where I get
to eat waffles and go back to bed?
[laughs]
Converse? Seriously?
Those are not running shoes.
I sent you, like, three articles
on the importance of running shoes.
I skimmed the headlines. They're shoes.
It'll be fine. Come on.
[ Gatlin sings "What If I Love You"]
- [Sam] Oh…
- [laughs]
They say it's once in a lifetime…
Aah! Ow! Cramp in foot.
How is this even possible?
So much for all those smack-talking emails
about how this was gonna be
the summer of self-improvement.
[grunting]
Wow, you are killing this.
Fine, I'll cut you a break.
[panting]
Three updates?
You first.
Okay, Grandma. Uh, number one.
I finally binge-watched
all four seasons of Game of Thrones.
- Ooh.
- The Red Wedding? Brutal.
Uh, number two. Jordie.
Finally got him
to play World of Warcraft with me,
and, of course, he's addicted. He…
[laughing] He even downloaded
the "Warlords of Draenor" expansion pack.
So you turned Jordie
into your emotional support dork, got it.
[chuckles] And last but not least,
I'm applying for an
after-school internship at the hospital.
That's awesome.
Yeah, yeah. Real doctor stuff.
I mean, shadowing and everything.
Show-off.
Okay, your turn.
Okay. Um, well, school, obviously.
But mostly, I'm just consumed
by this evil writing seminar.
It's just structure
and mechanics and crap.
It's making me think too much.
And that's a problem because…
Because I can't get out of my head.
The flow isn't happening,
and it feels like work.
I am so glad I decided to become a doctor.
It sounds way easier.
Forgot how pretty it was in the morning.
Every street is bringing back…
I am so
jumping in right now.
Still wishing you w?re here,
just kill me ♪
By now ♪
I should be okay ♪
That's easy for you…
Whoa. Come on.
What if I loved you? ♪
What if I loved you way too much? ♪
What if I loved you…
Oh, my gosh, yes. This is perfection.
So, are you coming in or what?
Still looking for your car,
just kill me ♪
By now ♪
I should be okay ♪
What if I love? ♪
♪
There's something I need to tell you.
Okay.
Something I'm not sure
you're gonna want to hear.
Just say it.
I hate running, and nothing you say or do
will ever make me want to do it again.
[laughs] Okay, got it. No more running.
But there's, like,
a tiny… tiny, minuscule part of me
that understands why you like it.
Hm. Good to know the tiniest bit of you
- understands me.
- No.
Even though every muscle in my body
was screaming, earlier,
I feel pretty good now.
Right? That's the runner's high.
Yeah, I wouldn't go that far.
[chuckles]
But there's something about it.
It's like… I was in so much pain
that, for about half a minute,
I-I couldn't obsess
over my stupid story.
Took the edge off.
That's why I do it.
Started during midterms this year.
Have you ever thought about
swimming across it?
- The lake?
- Mm.
Ever since I saw it, I wondered
if I could make it across.
Maybe that's what I need this summer.
Something big.
Something impossible
to get me out of my head for a while.
[ Niall Horan sings "Nice to Meet Ya"]
I think I need to swim across it.
I'll help you train.
I like the way you talk ♪
I like the things you wear ♪
Every time I turn around ♪
you disappear ♪
I want to blow your mind…
Okay, come here, come here, come here.
You're okay, you're okay.
I'm gonna take you somewhere warm ♪
You know j'adore la mer ♪
'Cause when the morning comes ♪
I know you won't be there ♪
Every time I turn around ♪
you disappear ♪
I got love for you ♪
I like the way you talk ♪
I like the things you wear ♪
Every time I turn around ♪
you disappear ♪
What's your name? ♪
Let me treat ya ♪
to a drink ♪
Nice to meet ya ♪
What's your name? ♪
Let me treat ya…
You're ready.
to a drink ♪
- Let me treat ya
- I got love for you
- To a drink
- I got love for you
Nice to meet ya ♪
♪
- You did it.
- [sharp inhale] Yes.
- Let's do this.
- [laughs]
- You can do it. Yes.
- We believe in you, kiddo.
All right. Go, Percy!
Kick some lake ass, Percy.
- Hey, language.
- Sorry.
Sam?
- [Sue] Come on.
- Okay. Okay.
- [hopeful music playing]
- [Diane] All right, Pers, we got you.
[Sue] Oh, my gosh. Okay.
- Whoo!
- [Diane] You can do it!
[cheering]
[Diane] Come on, sweetheart.
- Whoo! Let's go, Percy!
- You got this.
[muffled voices continue chattering]
[Sue] Whoo!
I hadn't even spoken to Sue
since Sam and I ended things for good.
Um, it's so weird to me
that she would change her will in 2021.
I don't understand.
Yeah, well, a lot of questionable things
happened in 2021.
Tiger King, whipped coffee trend.
The word "cheugy."
I'm just trying to make you feel better.
No, I need that.
I can't get the look
on Sam's face out of my head.
It's so… It was so full of contempt, like
- I'd ruined everything all over again.
- Mm.
- What was Sue thinking?
- I don't know, but she managed
to cause a lot of drama from the grave.
If she knew about what I did…
You have to stop punishing yourself.
Uh, thank you. I don't…
I don't think we're quite ready for…
Okay. One of us
is ready for round two. Thank you.
- She sent these over.
- [Chantal] Oh.
Thanks.
[mouths]
Could this day get any weirder?
Mm, just bite your tongue.
Oh fuck, she's gonna
grill me about last night.
- Hi.
- Hi.
I just thought some congratulations
were in order.
For?
For being the new owner
of The Tavern, silly.
I heard, like, all about
how Sue left it to you.
Whoa, already? Damn, this is a small town.
I'm not sure if "congratulations"
is the word I'd use.
[Delilah] No, that is true. It is such
a double-edged sword.
Sue left such a generous gift,
but also quite the burden.
- Right.
- Running a seasonal
enterprise, especially from afar,
seems like a big responsibility.
Mm, yeah.
Are you… maybe thinking of selling?
Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?
[playful music playing]
- What do you want, Delilah?
- Mm… [coughs] Want?
No, I just… I want to mark the occasion.
Well, you're biting your lower lip,
which means you want something.
Okay, fine.
I want to buy The Tavern from you.
What the hell was that? You stormed out.
What'd you want me to do,
stay and congratulate her?
No, instead you left me to deal with her.
I just can't believe Mom did that.
She made a monumental decision alone.
And then blindsided us.
And I'm supposed to just smile
and act like everything's okay?
Look, I agree.
What Mom did was…
unexpected.
And I'm not exactly thrilled that
she left our family business
to my ex-girlfriend,
but why do you care?
You're the one who wants to sell the place
and get rid of it.
I mean, that's all you've talked about.
Because that should have been
our decision.
I've been working for weeks
on lining up a buyer, and now…
Hold up.
You've been talking to buyers? Who?
Delilah's been circling.
She wants it.
Delilah?
[scoffs]
So, what, you've been
plotting with her behind my back?
Plotting? Really?
Let's not get so dramatic.
What am I supposed to call it?
I mean, you were
clearly hiding it from me.
When were you
gonna tell me, after the sale?
I didn't tell you because
I knew you'd react like this.
I obviously wasn't gonna do anything
without clearing it with you first.
- Selling isn't the worst idea, you know.
- [Delilah] Okay,
picture it: Soho House at the lake.
Like, bohemian chic,
but, like, for rich people.
Look, low lighting,
velvet poufs,
signature cocktails, members only
- for instant mystique.
- Members only.
[Chantal] Uh, and…
I don't know what the hell
a velvet pouf is, but I-I'm in.
I-I will be a founding member.
- Yeah.
- Whoa, whoa.
Members only? The Tavern?
Uh, that place is in desperate need
for a little exclusivity.
No. No. No, no, no.
The Tavern is for everyone.
It's for locals, day fishers,
tourists, kids.
It's not for people
who use "summer" as a verb.
Yeah, but velvet poufs.
- Mm.
- No, no, exclusivity
is what's ruining this entire town.
Well, you can't stop progress, Percy.
Progress?
That-That's what you call
all these cute little cottages
being replaced by 7,000-square-foot
farmhouse McMansions
with not an ounce of soul or character?
- Sorry, "cute cottages"?
- [Percy] Mm-hmm.
Most of those are termite-infested,
moldy money pits.
I mean, she's-she's not wrong.
Although I-I do agree
that the modern farmhouse thing…
it-it's overplayed.
Well, uh, it's… it is for the best.
I mean, even your old place
is getting turned into a…
a soulless McMansion.
What?
Mm-hmm.
I mean, I knew it was being demolished,
but to be replaced by one of those?
Really?
Mm-hmm. Word is
they're building a boathouse
to make it look like a faux barn.
No. No, no, no, no. No.
Mm-mm.
[grunting]
Just a little higher, and I can do it.
Watch the feet.
Why do you have so many limbs?
How the hell did I get convinced
to do this?
I want to go home.
No. You are one of us now, so, no.
Oh, I am?
- Aah! Aah! Oh, my God…
- Oh, my God.
- [grunting]
- Ow!
You just kicked me in the boob.
Sorry. Just… just a little more.
- I can make it.
- [Chantal] Use your core.
Yeah, use your core. One, two, three.
- Hoist!
- [grunts]
- Ow!
- Oh, shit.
I'm okay.
[melancholy music playing]
- [knocking]
- [Chantal] Let us in!
[Delilah] Percy! Are you lost?
[Chantal] Come on, let us in!
It's weird.
In a few days, this won't be ours anymore.
Yeah.
Forty-eight hours,
and it officially belongs to Percy.
You might be right about selling.
This place was always
kind of an albatross.
But it was our albatross.
I mean, we spent
a lot of our lives in this room.
I had my first beer here.
[laughs] So did you.
Yeah, thanks to my irresponsible
older brother.
Hey, you were 16.
Try 14.
Yeah, well, you were so sick the next day
- you swore off alcohol for a whole year.
- [chuckles] Oh, God.
So, think of it
as a public service announcement.
[groans] And then you made me the best
hangover breakfast burrito of my life.
- Do you remember that?
- Mm-hmm.
Tater Tots, leftover brisket,
- [grunts]
- three kinds of cheese.
- [laughs]
- Pretty much a masterpiece.
Still chasing that high.
Let's not forget about the table here.
Remember when all
of your ex-girlfriends sat together
and plotted your demise? [laughs]
Yeah, you mean
the "Charlie's an Asshole" support group?
- Terrible tippers.
- Yeah.
Funny, three seemed like a low number.
I figured the meeting
would be much better attended.
[Charlie laughs softly]
[Percy] I can't believe
all of this was just left here.
It's like the Grey Gardens of Barry's Bay.
It got sold to some developer.
Guess no one really cares about this dump.
Hey, this was my home.
Not anymore.
A lot's changed.
Didn't seem like that last night.
So if I didn't walk in on you and Sam,
- what would have happened?
- [Percy sighs]
I don't know.
Least you're honest.
Yeah, well,
I followed the standard Percy formula.
One bad decision
begets another bad decision.
It's pretty much my life mantra.
- Oh, come on.
- You know it's true.
The past few years, I've been floating.
I-I go to work.
I go out. I drunk-text one of my hookups.
Then I do it all over again.
- I mean, that sounds pretty amazing.
- [Chantal] Yeah.
Think the word
you're looking for is "tragic."
Well, that's what your 20s
are supposed to be.
Not married…
and going to a country club.
Oh, that sounds awful.
Yeah, well, it sucks.
I haven't been
in a real relationship since…
- Sam.
- Mm.
Think I might still be in love with him.
Or maybe I'm in love with the idea of him.
Of us.
What we used to be.
I think I'm probably also
holding on to the idea of something.
[Chantal] Mm?
Whit hasn't even been
to the lake this summer.
I haven't seen him in weeks.
- Wow.
- But everything you keep saying…
It's just bullshit. It's all bullshit.
We decided to take the summer apart.
[intriguing music playing]
Kind of like a Kyle-Mauricio situation.
I have no idea what that means.
We just wanted to see what our lives
would look like separately
and if we wanted that,
and then I've been miserable.
I had no idea.
You've been really good at hiding that.
Thank you. Uh, I think.
I-I think that this is why
I want The Tavern so bad.
It's just to focus on something
other than my marriage,
my marriage failing.
Just something that's mine.
Not mine and Whit's, you know?
Mm.
I feel like I need this.
I understand.
I don't want to get married. I-I'm sorry,
hearing you talk about your relationship,
it-it makes me feel like I, like I can't
- breathe or something.
- I thought-I thought you and Drew
- were happy.
- I thi… I think-I think he is.
But me… all I do is work.
Then-then-then take a vacation.
- Relax.
- Mm, mm.
No, that's the problem. I-I don't want to.
I like working. I…
Actually, I love it, and I…
I'm afraid that getting married
will just get in the way of that.
I'm confused.
Well, marriage comes with the expectation
that you're gonna share your life.
and I don't think I am capable of that.
- Oh, no, I would stay single.
- [Chantal] Right?
Stop.
Drew loves you.
I know you love him too.
You're just scared. You're so scared.
- It's okay.
- Maybe, maybe. I don't know.
[groans] Maybe. [inhales] What is…
- Oh, my God!
- [Delilah] What?!
- Is there a spider?
- [Percy] N-No.
These are my old stories.
- Oh…
- [Chantal] Oh.
Oh, man, I haven't seen these in years.
I won't miss this.
I used to hate doing this.
[Charlie] Me too.
The amount of random,
weird, sticky substances
I've wiped off this bar…
I guess that's Percy's problem now.
What was Mom thinking?
She wasn't.
No, no, she wouldn't
do something this big for no reason.
I mean, she always had a reason.
I just…
wish I knew what it was.
What?
Mom…
Well… [sighs]
she didn't always make the best decisions.
Leaving The Tavern to Percy
sort of tracks.
What are you talking about?
She was incredible.
Sh… Warm, smart, had her shit together.
Not always.
What do you mean?
After Dad died, she kind of fell apart.
Yeah, I mean, she was grieving.
Yeah.
She was running this place,
taking care of us.
No, she wasn't.
That first year…
You were 11. Maybe you don't remember.
Or maybe you didn't see it.
I tried to hide it from you.
See what?
Mom was… [sighs]
[somber music playing]
…dark.
Down.
I guess some shrink
might even say depressed.
Sometimes, she would just
stay in her pajamas all day.
What are you talking about?
She went to work.
Not often.
Sometimes I would come home from school
and she'd just be sitting
at the kitchen table.
Staring.
It was scary.
I-I don't remember any of this.
That's because I tried
to just keep things going for us.
That was the year
we did sugar cereal rotation.
Yeah. Yeah, Monday was Fruity Pebbles.
And Friday was Frosted Flakes.
That was because I was doing
the grocery shopping that year.
Damn.
I didn't know that.
I didn't want you to know.
As long as you were getting
your homework done and made it to school.
How did I miss this?
- Sam, you were just a kid.
- Well, yeah, but you were just 14.
I mean, that shouldn't have been on you.
It was my job to protect you.
She got better.
And things got better, but…
…and I feel bad for saying this…
…but I'm still so pissed at her.
She left us alone that year.
You're a good big brother, Charlie.
[Delilah] I love you guys.
We, like, need more love
in this world, right?
- Especially as women.
- Yes. Hard agree.
[stammers] Like, if we don't have
each other's backs, who-who else will?
- Feels so good.
- [chuckles]
- Keep doing it.
- Yes… I'm doing it, I'm doing it.
[both laugh]
No… I just, I miss having girlfriends.
Ever since I got married,
we just have couple friends.
And those wives are so basic and boring.
- Ew.
- I hate them.
You are way more interesting than that.
- I know. I am. Thank you.
- Yes. Of course.
And I just, I want real relationships.
- I…
- Mm-hmm.
And I used to have them
when I was younger.
Right, Percy?
What?
I mean, I was a good friend, wasn't I?
You were.
[gentle music playing]
And I was actually a good writer.
I mean, some of this is beyond cringe,
but there's a fearlessness here.
I don't think
I could write like this anymore.
[scoffs] What happened?
I had so much confidence.
- [whooping]
- [applause]
- [Sue] Come on, Pers!
- [Arthur] Let's go, Percy!
[Diane] You got this!
- Come on, Percy!
- You got this! Whoo!
- Come on!
- [Arthur] You got this. Come on.
Hey, Mom, let's go meet 'em
at the halfway point.
- Yes. Okay.
- Come on, sweetheart,
you got this!
Come on, Percy. Come on.
Easy. Easy work.
[inspirational music playing]
You are doing so well.
I'm so proud of you.
[Charlie in distance] Come on, Percy!
- [Sue] Whoo!
- Let's go!
- Come on, Pers!
- Okay! Yeah, Percy! Keep going!
[cheering continues]
[Sue] You can do it!
- [Charlie] Whoo!
- [Sue] Aah!
[triumphant music playing]
Nice. Yes. Yes.
So close. Come on.
Killing it. Look at this. Come on.
Whoo! Yes!
Whew.
You are a total badass.
Y-You just did that without any breaks.
You were like a machine. That was insane.
[whispers] He's so pretty.
[laughing] Did you just say I was pretty?
Did I say that out loud?
Yeah, you are totally out of it.
[sighs] Totally.
Oh, my legs feel like Jell-O.
I'm pretty sure my lungs are on fire.
Drink.
[Percy strains]
[atmospheric music playing]
I am so freakin' proud of you.
[exhales] Yeah.
I'm pretty freakin' proud of me, too.
[laughs]
[ Lana Del Rey sings "West Coast"]
Down on the West Coast,
they got a sayin' ♪
"If you're not drinkin',
then you're not playin'" ♪
But you've got the music,
you've got the music in you ♪
Don't you…
And you're kicking me because…
I got too much adrenaline to sit still.
Making it across the lake,
I feel like I could take on anything.
I mean, is there such a thing
as swimmer's high?
Well, you conquered the water.
I think you can invent whatever you want.
Yeah, you…
[sighs, scoffs]
Wow, that must be
a really fascinating book.
You've been reading it all summer.
- Yep.
- Good plotline?
- Riveting.
- Mm-hmm?
Are you giving me shit for studying?
No. No shit-giving here.
Okay. [laughs softly]
I can see my baby swinging…
I like Concentrating Sam. It's cute.
And his hands are up…
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
Whoa. That looks like something that's
supposed to be in one of my stories.
That skinless guy is nightmarish,
even for me.
It's a diagram of the muscular system.
Okay. Oh, so, like…
the calf muscle.
Exactly. That thing you use
when you're pretending to run.
- Good to know.
- [laughs softly]
Move, baby, move, baby, I'm in love ♪
I'm in love…
Did you, uh…
Did you learn anything else
from that book of yours?
They love their movies,
their golden gods, and…
Want to enlighten me, genius?
And you've got the music,
you've got the music in you…
[scoffs] Okay, I…
guess I'll have to find
some other future doctor
to educate me, then.
No, no, I-I got it.
[gentle music playing]
Ankle.
[laughs]
And this is your knee.
[laughs] I thought you were smart.
What grade level is that book?
Vastus medialis.
Vastus lateralis.
Tensor…
fasciae latae.
Are you done
with the anatomy lesson, or…
…or should I keep going?
Are we doing this?
Hell yeah, we're doing this.
You two have spent
a lot of time together this summer.
So I think it's time
we have a little chat.
Oh, my God, Mom, no.
If-if you're sexually active, I…
- We're-we're not.
- Yet. [laughs]
I mean, I was 16 once,
and I think we can guess
where this is going.
- Ah, no, no, Mom.
- Sam,
people fall in love and have sex.
Even your mother.
And I know how close you two are.
I mean, this is not just something casual.
It's so much more than that.
And, you know, sometimes
these beautiful relationships
can get, you know, complicated
and even messy.
- People can get hurt.
- That-that won't happen with us.
[Sue] Well, I know you don't want it to.
But… And I don't want that for you
either, but you want to be a doctor
and, Percy, you want to be a writer.
You have dreams…
- We do.
- …and I don't want you to forget them.
Because they're your dreams.
Sometimes falling in love
can make you walk away from those.
[hopeful music playing]
You know, it's just, things can get hard,
so just promise me that you won't forget
what you want out of life.
I promise.
Yeah.
[Percy] Can't believe
I'm leaving tomorrow.
Yeah, I don't want you to leave.
I don't think the mosquitoes
want me to leave either.
What?
[chuckles] You're being weird.
I've just… just been thinking.
Yeah?
About us.
- I've been thinking about us.
- Oh, my God,
are you gonna say we're making a mistake?
No, no, no, no. God, no, no.
Look, we… Th-this…
We are so far from a mistake.
You are…
…maybe the best thing
that's ever happened to me.
[laughs softly] Okay. Good.
Good.
[ Cole Simon singing "In a Moment"]
'Cause you're important to me, Percy.
- You're my best friend.
- Years
turn into days…
Sam, is this
an "I just want to be friends" thing?
'Cause I thought we were past that.
No, I just…
I've never… I don't know how to do this,
and-and I'm really afraid
to screw it all up,
which I really feel like I'm doing
right now because I just want to,
I want to get it right.
When we're ready to get it right.
I'm ready.
- [scoffs]
- Yeah, but…
I mean, you leave tomorrow.
For a year.
I mean, we both have our own lives, Percy.
My internship at the hospital,
your writing seminar.
So?
So, it's junior year.
I have so much pressure on me
right now. I…
I can't go to college
without a scholarship.
I have to focus,
or all my plans will get screwed up.
Feels like it's taken a lifetime…
Will you look at me, please?
that you were gone ♪
Each one gets harder…
So, we just go back to before?
Date other people?
I could slip and I could fall…
I don't want another girlfriend.
I want you.
But I'd be a giant asshole if I said
that we shouldn't be together right now
and then I still asked you
not to be with anyone else.
That's not fair.
I mean…
even if it is exactly what I want.
You're an asshole either way.
In a moment ♪
Climbing the mountain ♪
or moving on ♪
feels like it's taken a lifetime ♪
[sniffles]
I could slip and I could fall ♪
[shouts]
[screams]
One drink, a bad phone call ♪
could lose it all ♪
in a moment ♪
♪
[crying]
[siren wailing]
[Chantal] No, no, no. Oh.
The cops are coming up the driveway. Um…
Okay, getting arrested is not gonna
help me make partner.
So, yep, we're getting out. We're going.
- I don't do well in these situations.
- You… Well, you're doing well right now.
- [Chantal] You got to go. Let's go.
- I'm coming. Just let me…
- Guys! Guys!
- [Chantal] Guys, come on.
- Guys, guys!
- Percy, hurry up!
[Percy] Guys. Guys, wait.
Okay, wait. Running's not my thing.
[officer over speaker] Come out
with your hands up.
[indistinct chatter]
[insects trilling]
You bailed me out?
My buddy's the deputy. He called me.
I didn't…
need you to come here.
[laughs softly] Wow.
Okay, so no "thank you"?
Thank you.
You know what?
Next time, I just won't come.
- That sounds about right.
- The hell's that supposed to mean?
I'm tired of the mixed signals.
- Mixed signals?
- Yes.
You showing up here.
And that swim in the lake yesterday.
What was that?
- Two people swimming.
- Uh-huh. Sure.
What about when you invited me
to The Tavern
for some kind of
late-night quasi-date situation?
I-I just wanted your help.
Right. You wanted to what?
Hang out? Catch up? 'Cause it sure
felt like you wanted something more.
[laughs] I c… I can't do this anymore.
I can't do this anymore. Any of it.
I'm so tired
of being jerked around by you.
You reel me in and then you pull away.
[ Geographer playing "Didn't You"]
I always thought you were
a constant in my life
when we were young.
- But you're not at all.
- Excuse me?
I never know where I stand with you.
You want me and then you don't.
It… [scoffs]
My heart can't take it anymore.
It's confusing and hurtful
and deeply unfair.
And I'm sure Taylor
would feel the same way.
Was I such a fool? ♪
You're right.
I don't know what I was thinking.
I guess I-I just got confused…
…seeing you again, it…
…brought up feelings…
…from when we were kids.
Me, too.
But that was then and this is now.
and be done with you ♪
But I…
It was wrong.
And I'm sorry.
if things had been different,
your lies…
It won't happen again.
But you did what you did ♪
[door opens]
- [door closes]
- didn't you?
[line ringing]
- [Arthur over phone] Hey, kiddo.
- Hey, Dad.
I don't know what to do.
[Arthur] Well,
maybe The Tavern's the change you need.
What? No, no, that's not
what you're meant to say, Dad.
Do you know that Sue called me
the day your first byline
ran in The Seattle Times?
She did?
Your mom and I were so proud
to see your name in print.
But Sue,
she wanted to make sure you weren't
abandoning your fiction writing.
She knew how talented you were.
H-How talented you are.
I had no idea
you were still in touch. I…
I thought you and Mom wanted nothing to do
with Barry's Bay after what happened.
Well, your mom wanted to run away.
Which I understand.
You know, we were terrified.
But…
sometimes I wonder if, you know,
we did the right thing in-in leaving.
- F-For you.
- But this place is painful.
I know. Yeah.
But it's also the only place
I've seen you truly inspired.
[gentle music playing]
I think when we left the lake…
…you didn't just lose Sam,
you-you lost
a little bit of yourself, too.
I couldn't write anymore.
It's like I lost the joy of it.
Maybe Sue knew that.
I don't think it's a coincidence she
changed her will shortly after our talk.
There's something about the lake.
It's like I feel the most like me.
You, uh, you'd come back
from a swim and be full of ideas and…
we wouldn't see you until dinner.
I haven't felt like that since…
…well, since I left, really.
But I-I can't, I can't be
in the same place as Sam.
Or Charlie.
Mom's right, they're-they're bad for me.
After the funeral, they will leave
and go back to their lives.
But what if you're supposed to stay?
Do you remember
when you were training
to swim the lake that summer?
What was it that you used to always say?
"The only way to the other side
is through."
Maybe that still applies. Hmm?
[ Kat Kennedy sings
"Until We Meet Again"]
How long do we get? ♪
How much has been spent? ♪
What's gone and what's left? ♪
What's here in this room ♪
is sacred as truth ♪
as brief as a breath ♪
Losin' my grip ♪
'cause I know what this is ♪
We're passersby ♪
ships in the night ♪
one in a million ♪
stars in the sky ♪
You and I ♪
like waves of time ♪
Oh, I refuse ♪
- to say goodbye
- [door closes]
Until we meet again ♪
Until we meet again…
You were right about Mom.
She didn't always make the best decisions.
Yeah.
Maybe she thought leaving Percy The Tavern
would help her in some way, but…
…doesn't help me, and I'm her son.
Can I stay in this dream…
Percy being here…
Afraid of missing…
…it's bad for me.
Okay.
Then we'll contest the will.
Look, I know we haven't
always seen eye to eye…
…but you've always
been there for me, Charlie.
A constant.
I feel like you're the only person
I can really trust right now.
Stars in the sky…
Yeah. Absolutely.
We got to trust each other, Sam.
No matter what.
I got you.
You always have.
And I always will.
Until we meet again ♪
Until we meet again ♪
Until
we meet again ♪
I know you won't be hard to recognize ♪
to recognize ♪
anywhere in any other life ♪
Mm, mm, mm ♪
Oh, I refuse to say goodbye ♪
to say goodbye ♪
'cause I know
this won't be the only time ♪
Until we meet again ♪
We meet again ♪
Until we meet again ♪
We meet again ♪
Until we meet again ♪
We meet again ♪
Until we meet again ♪
We meet again ♪
We're passersby ♪
ships in the night ♪
one in a million ♪
stars in the sky ♪
You and I ♪
like waves of time ♪
Oh, I refuse to say goodbye ♪
Until we meet again ♪
Until we meet again ♪
Until we meet again ♪
Until we meet again ♪
♪