Big Mistakes (2026) s01e05 Episode Script

GOOD NIGHT, YASEMIN.
I'M THINKING ABOUT YOU.
Excuse me, we have to close.
Can I take you outside?
Come on, let's go.
Yusuf.
Attaboy.
I was looking for the bear.
I was looking for it… for weeks.
Hey, babe?
Yeah.
You got company.
What?
As soon as I got out of the bush,
he started running away from me.
- What'd you do?
- I… I got my skis…
- Hey.
- Hey. Hi.
Did you forget you had
a meeting with Chuck and…
- Lenny.
- Yes. Lenny.
Um…
Yeah, I forgot to mention
these guys run the summer school program.
And I keep telling them
I'm not interested.
Yeah. Morgan, these guys
are fucking badass.
Lenny was just telling me
how back in Russia,
he used to, like, hunt for his own dinner
with his bare hands.
Um, babe…
Would you maybe mind
grabbing a couple coffees for everyone?
Yeah, for sure. I'm just--
I'm kind of in the middle of toasting
an egg everything for Chuck right now.
Chuck, okay. I can handle that.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Sure. Yeah.
- Thank you, I appreciate you.
You boys take it black?
Frappuccino with caramel squirt.
Okay, um… You guys need
to get the fuck out of my house.
You can tell a lot
by what someone chooses to frame.
All the people they'd be scared to lose.
We've been impressed
with your work, Morgan.
Thank you.
We need you to accompany Yusuf
to finish a job, an important one.
Months of planning. It cannot fail.
I mean, if it fails--
Deadly, very bad.
- I get your point. I'll talk to Nicky.
- Uh-uh-uh.
We're having reservations
about your brother.
Reservations?
He's scaredy-cat.
He's not of value to us.
He's proved to be a liability.
What does that mean? What does that mean?
Like, I understand that he's not, like,
a great hang or fun or anything like that,
but… but he's not a li--
He's not a liability.
You bet your life on this?
Because if anything goes wrong,
all of this will be on you, you know.
Hmm.
Lady, you got an ashtray?
I'm so sorry
I slept through our meeting, Rose.
My alarm didn't go off,
and it's never happened before. I'm…
Can I get you a tea
or a coffee or something?
I'm fine. I think you should sit down.
If this is about the fall festival budget,
I will get my approvals in
like top of next week, I promise.
Of course.
Is everything all right?
Yeah, everything's fine. Why… Why?
Well, we've received
some constructive criticism
from the congregation.
Well, okay. What about?
I'm wondering if "we"
was the right choice of word.
It's more about you.
What are people saying, Rose?
Well… Uh…
Just a few notes
about some recent sermons.
"A tad meandering."
"I did not like this."
Oh, and, "Preferred my recent experience
at the DMV."
Um…
Well, I… I can spend more time on them.
"Unreliable. Distracted."
"Like a ghost."
Nobody wrote that.
I know your grandmother's death
was very hard on you,
but we have Mary McCutcheon's
parents' memorial tomorrow,
and you know she wanted
to meet with you today.
I know… I know that.
I'd be happy to handle it
if you want to take some time off.
Rose, I am… I am more than capable
of… of handling this, okay?
I don't need to take time off.
I just need more hours in a day
and a mic that doesn't cack out halfway
through my apparently agonizing sermons.
This congregation is my top priority.
- Do you need to get that?
- I need to get that. I need to get that.
But this has nothing to do
with me being distracted, okay?
You're kidding me.
Three prostitutes…
- Uh-huh. On Tom's yacht.
- No!
- Bra and panties.
- Oh my…
Uh-- Not on the prostitutes.
Okay. They're called
sex workers. I have to go.
Nat, it's karma. It's karma!
- Mom?
- What does it mean?
Do you think he'll be dropping out?
Ugh. When your constituency is
God-fearing country clubbers,
I don't think playing dress-up
with sex workers is a good look.
Well, what happens now?
Well, I don't see how you can lose
a race if you're the only one running.
Holy shit, Natalie.
I know, I know, I know!
I don't think we should jump to any
conclusions at this point, but I know.
I just…
- Yeah.
- Sixty-five years old.
- Never finished college.
- …finished college. I know.
- Gave birth to you during that blizzard.
- …blizzard. I know.
- Oh God!
- You have come a long way, Mom.
- I think of that Facebook group…
- Yeah.
…and how supportive they were
when I announced that I was running.
Half of them have Tom Donaldson signs
in their front yards.
Susan Gopnik joked to her mah-jongg group
that I must have been having a stroke
when I decided to run.
- So who's stroking now?
- Yeah!
- I'm gonna post that.
- No. No, no, we don't need to post that.
Yay!
Yeah, I am so sorry
I wasn't able to be there today, Mary,
but tomorrow's gonna be a lovely
celebration of life for your parents.
I did-- I got the email,
and I got your remarks.
No, I think it's great.
I mean, I have a few small thoughts.
You know, I'm just not sure your friends
and family need to be reminded
of the grislier details of the crash.
Do you know what I'm saying? I… Right.
I just think words like "decapitation"
might, you know, might not be
in the spirit of the day.
Exactly, and I would remove
"charred" as well. "Charred."
What are we listening to?
Music.
Okay, if you say so.
All right, what is this today?
It's like ranching licenses,
livestock permits.
What are we walking into, it's like
a cockfighting ring, horse doping?
Why is it only ever men
that get involved in this shit?
It's not for you to worry about. Leave it.
It kinda is, okay?
Now that we're on the same level,
you can't just boss us around
all the time.
What the fuck?
We are not on the same level.
One of us knows what we are doing,
and two of us obviously don't.
Oh.
If I got up right now,
walked out of this car,
you'd be fucked.
You would be fucked.
I would be… Yeah, I would be fucked,
but you would be more fucked.
Well, listen, I've been doing
this job long before you,
okay, and I'll be doing it
long after you're gone.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
- You sure?
- Mm-hmm.
Because, um, Ivan said
that the reason both of us are here
is because he doesn't trust you
to handle this on your own.
- He didn't say that.
- Yeah, he did.
He did say that this morning,
sitting at my kitchen table
eating an everything bagel.
So, it kinda seems like
I'm here to babysit you guys, okay?
Let that sink in, dick.
Well, it's a harrowing experience
you've been through.
I just think, yeah, well…
I think we keep it light.
Light and bright, Mary.
Of course!
No, I-- And I… I think… Of course.
And I think you can tell that story
just without all the sens--
Without all the sensory details, you know?
What are we…? Turn this off, please.
Okay, so should we wait for you here?
I need to go pick up a trailer.
I don't need a babysitter for that.
- Okay.
- Lot 21, three bulls.
Go.
- What did you do to him?
- Nothing. He's been in a mood all day.
So are these the papers
for the registration?
Oh. Yeah, I got it.
I can register for an auction, Morgan.
I… I know, I get that.
I'm just, I'm gonna do it, okay?
Why? Why?
You're being so weird.
You've been micromanaging everyone.
Technically, I am in charge of this job.
What?
Yeah.
Ivan wanted me to do this alone,
but I invited you because…
Because I actually…
I don't feel safe alone with Yusuf.
Oh, Ivan wanted you to do this alone?
That's… What did he say?
Nothing. Nothing.
I just, I think he thinks
I'm, like, more assertive in the field.
- In the field?
- Yeah.
So, what, he's not happy
with the job that I'm doing?
That's why I didn't wanna tell you.
You're getting upset.
Of course I'm getting upset!
I've compromised my… my time,
my job, my relationship.
What relationship?
- With G-- Jesus.
- Fine.
What brings you to this cattle auction?
What is your purpose
for acquiring this cattle?
What are you doing?
Um, well, for me, I am a tradwife
with a substantial Instagram following.
I'm here to get some dairy cows to make
my own butter. See what I'm saying?
These are forged documents, Nicky.
You gotta have your backstory straight.
It's a cattle auction, not some New York
Film Academy acting workshop, okay?
Wow, okay, wow.
Fuck, man, watch where you're going.
Uh-huh.
- Uh-huh.
- Okay, okay, lot 21.
- Three Brazilian Brahman bulls.
- What do you mean?
What is up with these Russians?
Well, I… I thought she said
the catering was coming tomorrow at noon.
Well, can you get there before
and let them into the back kitchen?
I should be there by 11:45.
Yeah, no, I'm doing great, Rose,
thank you for asking.
You're… you're a team player, okay?
I'm gonna see you tomorrow.
Bye.
Are we not talking now?
I'm on very thin ice
with the congregation, Morgan.
Okay? So if all I'm doing is
keeping you company, you're a big girl.
You can do this job all by yourself.
Fuck me.
Lot 15, lot 15.
This big, black, beautiful bull
weighs in at 1,082 pounds.
We'll start the bidding at $2.
Two bidder, lookin' at three.
I got three bidder, lookin' at four.
Four bidder, lookin' at five.
Five bidder, bidder, buy.
Four twenty-five. Lookin' for five.
Lookin' for five.
Five bidder, lookin' at six.
I got six bidder, lookin' for seven.
Six bidder, lookin' at seven.
I got seven bidder, lookin' for eight…
Is it nice there?
Well, you don't always
have to eat at McDonald's. You can…
Oh, yeah, go, go, go.
Okay, love you too. I will.
Kevin sends his love.
Mm-hmm.
Oh, woof, those are gorgeous.
Yes, they are. We have a problem.
Yeah, what's that?
To Mrs. Mayor, you win. XX, Andrei.
Sorry, who's Andrei?
The criminal
that Nicky brought into my home,
a man fresh out of prison
who sat at our dining table
listening to me complain about Tom.
I thought you said
Andrei was a surgeon back home.
Plastic.
The man is fresh out of prison.
He told me that Tom would be exposed,
and now this?
Holy shit, Mom.
Tom Donaldson has very deep pockets.
One quick investigation,
and the breadcrumbs lead directly to me.
- Mm-hmm.
- Andrei is interested in me,
Natalie, romantically.
Oh.
Yeah? He, he told you that, or…?
We slept together, Natalie.
I slept with him.
Oh, Mom!
- What?!
- After dinner.
- Mom!
- Twice.
Oh, God. Where was Nicky?
What has that got to do with anything?
- Oh!
- The important thing is,
this is not how I want to win this race.
I want the people of this town to elect me
because I'm the right choice,
not force my way in
by kneecapping the competition.
Mm-hmm. So you… you want me
to throw them out?
No, I want you to bring up
one of the good vases from the basement.
Lot 21, lot 21.
We'll start the bidding
for these magnificent animals at $2.
Do I hear $2?
Hey, do those look like bulls to you?
I see gigantic testicles.
You're a teacher, you do the math.
Seven bidder, lookin' at eight.
- I got eight here…
- Hey, excuse me.
Ten, bidder, eleven.
Eleven here, lookin' at twelve.
And twelve! Lookin' at thirteen.
- Twelve-two-five?
- Excuse me.
Hi.
Twelve bidder…
Fucking asshole.
Nicky, I need help right now,
right now, okay?
Take the ticket.
The auction guy's not looking at me.
- Why is he not looking at you?
- Because he's mad at me.
How could the auctioneer
be mad at you, Morgan?
Nicky, please just take the ticket, okay?
You can't lose this, trust me.
What does that mean?
Ivan said he thinks you're a liability.
- I brought you here to prove him wrong.
- What are you saying, liability?
- What are you talking about?
- He's questioning your value.
- Get the cows. Get the cows.
- What the fuck, Morgan? Excuse me!
- Sir!
- This is a person who wants a cow!
- Hello?
- Hello? Sir?
Move! I'm not with her!
- I'm waving the ticket!
- Going once, going twice…
- No, no, no, no!
- What?
Sold right here at twenty-four!
Fuck! Shit!
Fuck. Sorry. Fuck. Ah!
You had one fucking job. One job.
How hard is it to buy a couple cows?
Okay, well, where were you?
I was getting the fucking trailer
for the fucking cows!
I can't even trust you to buy a cow.
Like, what the fuck is wrong with you?
I… I don't know.
Where are they? Where are they?!
First of all, put that away.
- Put the gun away.
- Stop.
Why are you waving a gun around
in front of a crowd of people
who are also very likely carrying guns?
- Okay, I will do it.
- Nicky, seriously, just let me think.
I'm a pastor, Morgan.
It's what I do. I talk to people, okay?
And up until two weeks ago,
I was very good at my job.
Okay, if you don't get the cows,
I will get the fucking cows.
And I swear to you,
I will kill that entire family, okay?
- Get a grip, come on.
- You are very intense.
- Go get them!
- Stop.
Okay!
Excuse me.
Just, uh, wanted to congratulate you
on the bulls you won today.
Thank you very much.
Yeah, you know,
I, uh, came here today with one goal,
and that was to win those exact bulls.
But I was not able to do it,
and you were, so…
- There's always next time.
- Yeah.
I have a large, um, bag of money
that I would happily hand over to you
if that were to make any kind of…
…difference.
No outside trading.
- You trying to dodge the rules?
- No, no.
I just… I just didn't know
whether a… a large duffel bag of cash
would… would maybe help you in any way.
Bill, truck's ready to load. We gotta go.
I got enough money.
- We gotta go.
- Okay.
Hey, between you and me,
you're lucky I'm a God-fearing Christian.
There's some other people around here
who would be less forgiving.
I agree completely.
As a member of the clergy,
I… I just want to be clear,
I'm not here to break any rules.
I've never been
to a cattle auction before.
- You're so young for a pastor.
- Yeah.
Thank you. Um…
You know, my congregation
wanted to buy these bulls
for a fa-- farmer that, that, um…
that's struggling
with hoof-and-mouth disease.
The whole flock just decimated,
so everyone wanted to pitch in to help,
but I… I don't want to trouble you
any more than I already have.
I'm so sorry. Please send our prayers.
Thank you so much.
I will send your prayers.
His parents were decapitated.
Yeah, in an accident. Seatbelt just…
And then charred to a crisp.
So that was…
that's been hard for all of us.
So…
Anyway, I… I'll leave you be.
- Pastor?
- Yeah?
We can't sell you these bulls.
I understand.
We could never take money
from the church. Please.
Let us gift them to you.
Oh, no. No, no, no.
These are tens of thousands of dollars.
Like, I couldn't. My conscience
honestly could not take that.
- I insist.
- No, I'm se…
- Please, just take the money.
- Pastor.
Just take half of it. Keep the bag.
Pastor, pastor.
This is the congregation's money.
I mean, "Whoever knows
the right thing to do and fails to do it…
- …for him it is a sin."
- Mm-hmm.
Yeah, it's James 4:17.
- It's an important one.
- It is.
- What is this?
- You can pick them up in the morning.
I'll be on the first train out to comfort
a woman who just lost both her parents.
What the fuck? They just gave it to you?
Yeah.
That's… No, that's terrible.
Oh my God. Nah.
Oh my God.
- Hey, Linda.
- Hi.
- Hope I'm not interrupting anything.
- No, not at all.
- Come on in.
- Thanks.
I mean, I honestly thought I knew
who this man was.
Linda, I saw the pictures.
No. No one should ever have to see
that oily beast in a G-string.
I'll take your word for it.
I want you to know
that I feel sick about this.
- I really do.
- Well, there's really no need.
No, no, no, there is. There is a need.
Usually at work
I'm the only woman in the room,
and I've developed
quite an impressive bullshit detector.
Well, don't beat yourself up about it.
I've rescinded my endorsement of that man.
- Publicly and financially.
- Hmm.
And…
I want you to have this.
There's power in numbers, Linda.
You've done nothing wrong here.
You've run a clean and honest campaign.
Well, no campaign is fully clean.
Annette, I couldn't possibly.
Consider this my way of getting
all that oil off my guilty conscience.
I want to back a campaign
that I can be proud of.
You know?
That's all I came to say.
Nah. I'll see myself out.
Cash it, Linda.
Do it for all the Linda Morellis out there
dealing with
their own fucking Tom Donaldsons.
I'm gonna get a soda. Do you want one?
Can I have some of that?
Why? Why?
Why would you do that?
Because right now in this moment,
that's the only power I have.
Me saying no to you
is the only power I have.
Okay, that's… really fucking dark.
Yeah.
You know, I came to this country
just to make sneakers.
You came to this country
to work in a sweatshop?
No, make sneakers like Nike.
Oh, like design.
Yeah, fuck you. Design.
- So nobody bought the shoes.
- Okay.
- Right?
- Yeah.
Then I found myself working for Ivan,
who clearly doesn't give a fuck about me
if he thinks that I need your help.
- No offense.
- No, no. None taken, really.
I was just trying to make a life for me
and my girlfriend back in Istanbul.
Oh, wow.
And now I found out
that she's three months pregnant.
Oh my God.
Hey, that's good news, right?
It's something.
I haven't been back in six.
Oh.
I'm sorry, that's really…
That's really bad.
Dang, dude.
That's bad.
Fuck.
There's nothing in my life
that's fucking mine.
Hm.
I think…
Some people gotta lose
for other people to win.
Yeah.
You could be a public school teacher
with a load of debt who's forced
into working for these Russians
by an out-of-work sneaker designer.
It's nice.
You're a very rude woman.
You're a very rude woman.
I think you've gotta find a way
to take your power back.
Where were you?
I got locked out.
Fell asleep by the pool.
Wow, sounds fun.
I called a cab to the train station. So…
Okay, well, how far away is that cab?
Uh, close. Why?
Yusuf is gone.
Well, where is he?
I don't know, okay?
He left the keys to the truck
and then this address where we're supposed
to drop off the cows to.
Well, I hope you're good at
wrangling livestock.
Nicky, come on, please.
Morgan, I have a job.
I have a church to answer to.
I have a… a congregation
that's put their trust in me.
I just feel like it's ironic
how you'll dedicate yourself
and all your time
to your church and your congregation,
I don't know, but then your own sister
can be standing in front of you,
begging for your help,
and your first instinct is
to turn your back on your family.
I just don't understand, like,
what that says about you…
Reverend.
I don't know, it just feels like maybe
there's a story in the Bible
about how bad that is.
What are you asking me?
I couldn't cash it.
What? Why?
Why did… Mom, the…
The campaign needs money, yeah?
There… there are bills to pay.
These signs were not free.
Annette is a respectable businesswoman.
I can't involve her money in this.
Who cares how Tom was caught, right?
It would have happened one way or another.
I… I don't know why
you're making such a big deal out of this.
I picked the wrong man.
I picked the wrong man.
And, Natalie, I had a felon inside me.
It was me!
- What was you?
- It was me.
I did it. I leaked the video of Tom.
I have a friend at the marina
who kept saying
Tom brought sex workers on his boat,
and I just asked him
to record it one day. It--
He… He's a piece of shit, Mom.
It's not about you. It's him.
It-- it's not about you picking
the wrong men.
And, just so you're aware,
he's decided to stay in the race.
- Excuse me?
- Yeah.
He told one of the council members
he still thinks he's gonna win.
Hmm.
This should cover the campaign barbecue.
Let's double the signage.
You know, Andrei suspected it was the KGB.
- What?
- That set him up.
Okay.
You know, I think God would say
you're doing the right thing.
You shouldn't blame yourself
for helping me.
Hmm.
I'm not blaming myself.
I'm blaming you.
Friends, you have no idea
what you've done.
You've set me free.
Come.
Come! I want you to appreciate…
…the fruit of your labor.
Ready?
Okay.
What the fuck?
This beautiful cow crossed the ocean
to arrive here tonight.
- Uh…
- Next month, if all goes well,
a hundred more.
- A hundred.
- My tools.
Ah, yeah.
Um… Sorry, what… what's going on here?
This man, my cousin, was the leading
cosmetic surgeon in Petropavlovsk.
Still… still has the magic touch.
- Oh!
- Oh my God!
Wait.
Wait.
- Ladies and gentlemen…
- Ew.
…Colombian marching powder
delivered via the balls
of a Brazilian bull.
One hundred K per bull.
That's a hundred thousand dollars
worth of cocaine?
No, no, no. The rest is shoved up its ass.
I'm-- I'm just saving you the visual.
You saved us that visual?
Do not worry. I use anesthesia. Civilized.
- I have to step outside.
- Yeah, let's go.
Give your mother a kiss from me.
A lovely woman.
Uh, okay.
Where the fuck is Yusuf?
In case it's not perfectly clear,
I can't do this anymore.
- Yes, totally understand.
- I'm drawing a line.
- Of course. Definitely.
- And we will never speak of this again.
Never. Couldn't agree more.
That's why the bull's balls were so big,
it was the cocaine--
- What did I just say?
- Okay.