Cape Fear (2026) s01e05 Episode Script

1
Coal. Hellfire.
The jig is you're going to deem him
as intelligent.
You're unbidden from thinking
about where you're going
when you leave this world.
There's one thing
that is absolutely certain,
and you ought to know this,
you should know it
and come to face with it,
you are going to die.
One day, you'll draw your last breath,
your heart will beat its last time…
…there'll be no more life left…
…in your body.
Are you prepared?
I know you prepared your house,
I know you prepared your income,
I know you prepared your marital chambers…
That-That's my lunch.
Is everything okay?
Bye, Mom.
There's no forgiveness in hell.
For whoever goes to hell stays in hell.
Excuse me, this is a kid's movie.
Then what are you doing here?
I'm getting the manager.
Okay. Okay.
What's wrong with you?
I know Max Cady is your father.
And I know that he got you to stalk Zack.
Stalk…
is that, like,
when someone sits outside your house
and then follows you to the movies
and then buys a ticket to the same movie?
He is using you.
Fuck you.
You know, I get it.
I had a scary dad, you know.
He made our life hell
and then he abandoned us.
But if he'd have come back home,
I'd have done anything to make him happy.
You think I'm, what…
his little puppet?
I make my own choices.
And I wanted to fuck with the hypocrite
lawyers that put my dad in a cage.
I don't know what you think you know,
but you are wrong.
I know who you are.
And I know what you did.
Hey. Hey!
I'm not gonna let you hurt my family.
You're the one hurting your family,
you fucking fraud.
Your husband hates you.
Your son is so fucked up.
And Natalie, who you want
to make your little bitch?
Well, guess what? She's my bitch now.
You don't know my daughter.
- Yeah, I do.
- No.
All the way down
to the piercing on her left tit.
You know what's wild?
Your daughter's nipple
tastes a lot like your son's
You keep my kids' names
out of your filthy little mouth.
They're not your kids anymore
Oh, my God.
Oh, my… Oh, my God.
She-She's not moving.
Are you okay?
- You're…
- Fuck off!
All right, let me see here, um…
loitering, shoplifting,
and she apparently attacked
a pregnant woman with a frozen fish.
That's kind of a new one.
Um…
Hey, you know what? Hold on one second.
- Hey, Ned.
- Hey.
- Hey, bud. Do you know Tom Bowden?
- Tom?
He actually used to put me on the stand
despite my, uh, unsavory character.
- Oh.
- This is Ned Carson.
Uh, buddy, this morning,
you took a missing report about a girl.
- Mm-hmm.
- What was her name again?
Nevaeh Valentine.
- I'm talking to her mom right now.
- Get out.
- How's it going?
- Weird.
She reported her daughter missing,
then we brought her in.
She's not being very helpful.
Huh… well, Anna here
- talked to the girl yesterday.
- Do you have any idea where she is?
She's Max Cady's daughter.
If you want to know where she is,
you should try questioning him.
Mm-hmm. What'd she say
when you talked to her?
Well, um…
We already went through
all this with Grayson.
- Yeah.
- Anna approached the girl.
Girl said some nasty remarks
about our kids.
And then she just ran off.
Right?
Right.
She ran off.
Holy shit!
- Did you just see that?
- Are you okay?
She just…
she just bounced up like a mountain goat.
What was that?
It's a video of Mom
assaulting my friend Amber.
Your friend?
Amber…
You know
what I love about this place?
Walking distance from the office.
- See you kids back there.
- See you.
So, um, we got interrupted the other night
at your house…
Even if we hadn't been,
I would have stopped.
Tom.
- Tom. Hey.
- Hey, um…
This thing with the girl
is not what you think, okay?
- Uh…
- Sorry to interrupt.
Mmm. Mmm.
One sec, Lex.
Follow me.
Your daughter was stalking my family.
Yes. What she did is unacceptable, Tom,
but I had no idea about any of it.
She's absolutely crazy,
she has emotional problems
and… …the funny part,
listen to this, I don't even know
if she's really my daughter.
- Oh, come on.
- I've never met her.
- She wrote to me in prison
- I don't believe that.
- And… Hold on, hold on.
- Hey
Tom. But don't throw me aside.
No, not this time.
Please, listen to me.
- I listen to evidence, Max.
- Evidence.
I have proof for you.
I'll log you onto the prison email system
- and you can see all the messages.
- Shit.
They're all there for you to read.
Listen, she reached out,
convinced you and Anna had wronged me…
…put me away, stolen her father,
whatever you want to put it.
She was obsessed.
And I told her to leave you alone.
Read the messages.
Read the messages, Tom.
Hang on.
You said you talked to her,
not grabbed her face and pushed her
out in front of a moving car.
You don't understand, she said horrible
I don't care what she said,
the video's a fucking disaster!
This isn't about a video, Tom!
This is about a psychopath
who is after our family!
Yeah, and right now
you look like the psychopath.
And I don't know
that Max put her up to any of it.
Oh, what, because of the fucking messages?
Yes, the fucking messages.
You really think
that's the only way they communicated?
You think they wrote
fake messages for a year?
Yeah, why not?
You believe Max more than your wife?
Are you drinking again?
I can't believe you would say that to me.
You know what I think?
I think that you're scared
because if I'm right,
then you don't know what to do,
and then what, hmm?
Then what?
Mom. Where are you?
We have to talk to Natalie.
You have to talk to Natalie.
Natalie, it was an accident.
And I will do what I can
to get it taken down.
I know I made a mistake, but
there are some things you need to know.
- Amber's
- Okay.
I would like to know why you tried to kill
the first girl I actually want to date.
What?
That girl, her name is Nevaeh.
What?
- What are you talking about?
- She's Max Cady's daughter.
Did you get a, um…
a piercing?
Did she make you get a nipple piercing?
She didn't make me do anything.
Oh, my God.
She mutilated you,
- and she mutilated Zack
- Mutilated. It's a piercing.
What did you say about Zack?
Nevaeh is the girl
that Zack was talking to online.
I am sorry.
She only came after you
because Max wants to hurt us.
'Cause she couldn't even like me, right?
But you cannot talk to her.
You cannot reach out to her.
Do you understand?
Um… don't tell Zack about this, all right?
Your father and I will handle it.
So what now, Max?
- You're free, you can do anything.
- Hmm.
What do you dream about?
Me? Oh, nothing. Yeah, I'm a simple man.
I just don't think you realize
how widely known, like, how marketable
Max Cady is right now.
Yeah.
Uh, you know, my friend's dad…
…he owns a bunch of Atlanta hotels
and he said if you lent your name
to a restaurant, he'd put up the cash.
But… Hmm.
The past is in the past.
And, uh… No, no.
And running a restaurant…
…that's a big pain.
But what if he had, you know,
someone else run the day-to-day?
He actually has something in the works
right now but he had to fire the chef so…
What if he used your old menu?
You could bring Melissa back to life.
Huh…
No, it-it should be a new name.
Hi, Max.
Hi.
Gosh, what are the chances
I would see you?
It's been years.
Oh, gosh, but clearly you're so busy.
So why don't I swing by your place later?
- It's West Jones, right?
- Come here.
What the fuck?
What the fuck are you doing here?
Why won't you talk to me?
Why would I talk to you
with that fucked up head of yours?
Why? Why?
'Cause I'm better.
I'm better now.
We sorted it all out.
I'm with the right pills,
I'm just…
I'm doing good.
No.
What? Oh.
Jesus.
Baby.
Babe.
Ow.
Ow.
So are we going to hurt each other again?
Is that it?
Did you think about me
while you were away?
Every night before I fell asleep,
I would reach for you,
to come to you in your dreams.
That was you?
Yes.
It's always me, Max.
Yes.
You're a disgusting,
sick, delusional freak…
that I could never love.
Being near you makes me wanna
vomit.
Find me again, and I fucking kill you.
- I didn't lie to you.
- You lied by omission.
You left out an assault
and a car accident.
She was fine.
She ran off.
Oh, yeah, like a mountain goat?
Look, I made a mistake
but she admitted to targeting my family.
- You need to investigate and
- No, no, no, no, no.
We don't need to do shit, okay?
Anna, the only reason
we didn't arrest you for this thing
is that this girl's mom
ain't pressing charges.
Anna, now's the time to be honest.
Did you have anything to do with
this girl's disappearance?
You saw her run off.
I don't…
I have no idea where this girl went.
Okay, here's the deal.
Don't talk to her again.
Don't talk to anyone
involved in this thing, okay?
In fact,
if you ever talk to me about this again,
it-it means you fucked up, okay?
Okay.
Okay.
Morning.
What happened? You okay?
Yeah, I'm fine. Why?
Uh, I waited till the kitchen closed.
You never came back.
- Hi. Hi.
- Hi, Catherine.
- How you doing, Cat?
- Hmm,
beyond being charged with
killing my husband?
Just got a nice pedicure.
Right. Uh, have a seat.
I'd like to start by talking about
the, uh, preliminary hearing.
- Mm-hmm.
- Looks like, uh,
there are eight cases ahead of you.
- Five.
- Uh, yeah.
Five, which actually means
we'll probably go on the 19th.
Hmm.
You seem a little distracted.
Uh, yeah, well, family stuff.
- But don't worry, I'm locked in.
- Oh, okay, good.
Uh, my husband, rest his soul,
he got distracted.
By our nanny, Yadira.
And by my best friend Cindy.
And as near as I can make out,
at least four other women
and a particularly charming young man
he met at the Crosswinds Golf Club.
You know it?
Yeah, I just…
I don't want you distracted, Tom.
What are you saying?
Well, I'm just saying…
I think you're distracted by her.
I want her off my case.
I didn't want to say this by phone,
but you have a cloud over your head.
- I know
- Assault?
He is after my family, Noa.
I get that you think that.
Paloma will be taking your place
at the upcoming hearing.
- Oh, come on.
- Work from home until this is over.
Oh, that's not right.
It's not about what's right,
it's about how it looks.
Remember that.
Yo, she just bounced up like
a mountain goat. Like a mountain goat.
Like a, like a, like a,
like a mountain goat, mountain goat,
like a mountain goat…
What's next… I…
What are you doing in here?
What is that?
You still have all nine toes,
right?
Hey.
Talk to me.
I'm not Mom and Tom.
What the fuck?
I thought I smelled bullshit.
You started drinking early today?
You fucking piece of shit.
You want everyone to hate you
so you can feel like a victim?
You're not. And we don't, okay?
I think you're just not sure
how to love me anymore.
Right?
Why are you saying that?
That's what you told our mutual friend.
Stop talking! Fuck you!
- Nat, stop! Stop, Nat!
- Zack, stop! Stop moving.
I'll kill you.
I'm gonna fucking kill you. Stop.
- Hey! Hey, get off of him!
- Get off!
What are you doing?
- Hey.
- Oh, fuck.
- She just attacked me.
- I truly fucking hate you.
She's mad about her girlfriend.
She's mad about her.
I told you not to talk
to Zack about Nevaeh.
Right.
'Cause you love having secrets,
- don't you?
- What is that supposed to mean?
Why does Max actually hate you?
Because he went to prison.
For a murder he didn't commit, right?
I thought he did kill his wife.
Maybe I still do, but I represented him.
Okay, Mom.
What is that?
I don't know. I found it by the garage.
Clients have an absolute right
to determine who represents 'em.
And you have an absolute right
to tell her to go fuck herself.
Lex, I can get you
on some great cases, all right?
This case was gonna help my career.
Besides, I've done most of the work.
Senior associates
always do most of the work.
And then get kicked off cases
for no reason?
Hey.
Are you acting this way
'cause we had a moment?
You kissing me wasn't a moment.
Oh, okay, Tom.
We're just gonna pretend like
we weren't building up to that together.
Hey, you…
…you have Catherine's trust.
You can sway her.
Or… …maybe I'll lose her trust
and we lose her as a client.
The only thing she wants
more than you representing her
is you bending her over
our conference table.
- Oh, well, that's inappropriate.
- I'm inappropriate?
Look in the mirror.
All the flirting and the gaslighting.
Don't get me started on the microdosing.
You gave that to me.
You're my boss.
You shouldn't have taken it.
You know,
I'm not the type of person
that would…
…threaten to tell your partners
or your wife.
Are you threatening me?
Didn't you hear
what I literally just said? I'm not.
I'm just talking about the inevitable
result of an HR investigation.
I need to think about this.
Mmm. Yeah. You do. Don't take your time.
Since he got out,
bad things keep happening.
It's obvious, he is using that girl
as a Trojan horse
to gain influence over my children,
to turn them against us.
You want me to investigate Max Cady?
- Okay, we have to find Nevaeh.
- Mmm.
We should start with her mother, Faith.
You know I love Zack and Nat.
And I owe you everything.
And you saved my life.
Now you've got to trust me.
Leave this to the cops.
You're gonna lose your job. Or worse.
Fuck it. I'll do it myself.
- I can find this girl on my own.
- Hey.
Faith. My name is, um
Well, I… I've seen you somewhere.
Was it that video
where you got my girl hit by a car?
I'm sorry.
Look, I overreacted, but I'm just
a mom whose kids are in danger, like you.
I think your daughter is being manipulated
by Max Cady and if you help me,
we can put him back in jail
and get your daughter home.
Don't you come back here.
Tom, it's been a long time
since you were a prosecutor.
Let me remind you
that killing uncomfortable questions
before they get asked
is a… it's way better
for your blood pressure.
So, just do what Lexi wants
is what you're saying?
- Well…
- Feels like blackmail.
If the alternative is an HR investigation…
Excuse me, gentlemen.
Tom.
I just wanna say thank you again
for hearing me out earlier.
No problem.
Sorry if I got heated,
but being wrongly accused,
it's a… it's a sore spot…
…you know?
Anyway, you're a good man.
Killed his wife.
Didn't kill his wife.
He's an arrogant bastard either way.
Why do women like guys like that?
I don't feel bad we put him away.
I gotta go. I got this.
Thanks.
- Thank you.
- Mmm.
What's your poison?
Armed. Stay.
Zack?
Zack?
What are you doing?
Nothing.
You feeling okay?
I love you, Ma.
I was wrong.
It's not Max you're scared of,
it's Nevaeh.
You don't want your daughter back.
Must be strange switching sides, no?
Yeah, it's more abstract,
representing the people.
Now my clients are real people.
Right. And you're dealing
with a tough case now?
What do you mean?
The, uh, Catherine Buckley case?
No, uh… What do I know?
It's just that I see…
I see something eating at you.
- Am I wrong, Counselor?
- Mmm.
Well, it's just a, uh…
conflict with a colleague.
I wouldn't call it coercion,
but I'm being pressured.
And what are you gonna do?
I don't know.
Do you have a hero, Tom?
A hero?
A hero, a hero. Someone who inspired you.
- Someone that…
- Uh…
…I don't know, it could be a coach
or someone in the army.
- Marines.
- Marines.
The example of what it means to be
a good person. You have that?
- My older brother, Nathan.
- Hmm.
What would Nathan tell you to do?
I guess, "Do the right thing."
Exactly, to stand up for yourself. Right?
To be a man.
I mean,
what does that even mean?
Well… …lots of things.
Let me ask you another question, sir.
Okay.
What is your worst fear?
Same as everyone's.
Something happening to my kids.
No, something you had
or you felt before having kids.
Something that's always been there.
What is it?
Uh, I mean…
I know what it is.
- I can tell.
- You do?
- Oh, yeah, I can tell.
- Oh, well, please.
Well, I… I can tell
what you're afraid of. It's…
Are you ready?
Mm-hmm.
Entropy.
Chaos. Disorder.
Collapse.
I know what entropy is.
Of course you do.
Because you're fucking terrified of it.
It's obvious.
But of all people,
you need to lose control sometime.
Because that life you're leading…
Something inside you is dying.
You should pay me
for this session, Counselor.
Shit, this place is dying too.
- Let's get out of here.
- Mmm.
Couple of months
after we got caught,
I got word to him
that I was pregnant, but…
Hmm.
…I guess I wasn't much use to him anymore,
no longer working for the…
…Department of Corrections.
Did he do that to you?
The black eye?
Max?
No, no, I haven't seen him in years.
Um, this was Nevvy.
And you have no idea where she is?
No. No.
I didn't even call her in missing.
She called herself in.
She wanted me to be a suspect.
He's got his claws deep in her,
just like he got 'em in me.
- Mmm.
- He's just got this…
this special power over people.
She used to video call him,
uh, with burners, from Tarwater.
He was changing her.
Sorry.
All I know for sure
is they talked about his religion.
One he created himself.
He got her into it.
It's the devil's work. Mm-mmm.
You and I, we're the only people
who know who Max really is.
I need you to give me something.
If you can just tell me where she is,
then we can get her to admit
that Max was grooming her.
Right? And then
we can get Max sent to prison.
And we can get Nevaeh the help
that she needs.
I know where she sleeps.
I'll tell you.
Don't tell anyone
I've been talking to you.
I don't want her to know, and
I definitely don't want her to tell Max.
Okay.
Get that a lot?
Uh… I'm-I'm…
I'm not looking
for a different woman every night.
No.
No, I-I-I want a family.
So, tell me, man,
how do I meet a great woman?
Like you did. How?
Easy.
Go to law school, become an ADA,
get on a giant case.
Counselor. Shit, I wish we'd met
under other circumstances.
Shit.
Hey, Tommy Boy.
Oh, goddamn.
That was pretty tense
the other day. Wasn't it?
For a second, I thought you were
actually gonna like…
…You know?
Hey, what are you drinking?
Let me buy you a drink.
- No, I'm good.
- No, I insist.
I put my feet in your pool.
I'm not taking no for an answer, Tommy.
What are you drinking?
You're not buying us drinks.
I'm buying us drinks.
- Yeah.
- Max.
- Hey, I'm Ollie.
- All right.
I know you, Max,
you're famous. You…
Yeah, okay, and I was like…
How does my face look?
We just need a minimum deposit of ten Gs.
I'll stick with index funds.
- Oh, that's disappointing, Tommy.
- Mmm.
I mean, I thought you were more
of a risk-taker, you know?
Come on, man.
Look, all right, you probably owe him 60
- It happened a time or two.
- Hey, Trish!
- Really?
- Yeah.
Come on, baby. It's getting late.
- Let's go. No, we're leaving.
- I wanna… I-I wanna finish my drink.
- Come on.
- Friend. She doesn't wanna go.
- You know what? Fuck you, Max.
- Let go of her.
- Don't touch me.
- Let go.
You took it too far. Fuck you!
What the fuck?
- Son of a bitch!
- Hey.
Shit.
Faith?
Faith.
Huh.
Good morning. Hey. Uh,
I need to talk to you about…
…something sort of sensitive.
Tom, we should talk later.
Honestly, I'd love to hear his side of it.
Lex, you didn't do anything wrong.
Catherine just doesn't want you
on the case anymore.
Hmm.
That's it?
I don't know what's going on here.
Uh… …there was a, uh…
a misunderstanding.
A misunderstanding?
So, I misunderstood the messages?
Lexi, I told you that's
an HR matter. We don't need to hear them.
What messages?
The messages
you left me last night.
You're just dying for me
to fuck you. Aren't you?
You keep playing this game
but I know what you want.
So, keep on teasing, keep brushing up
against me, and making me hard.
- That's… not me. That's…
- See what happens.
You think I'm a fucking toy
you can play with?
I'm tired of this fucking game.
I'm a fucking man
because I stand up for myself.
No.
Wait.
Somebody else did this.
I think you should stay home.
Until we figure this out.
Romeo. Romeo.
Romeo.
Nice day.
Don't let me bother you.
Max.
Romeo.
What?
You wanna ask me something?
About your daughter.
Mm-hmm?
Hey.
Hey, uh…
What are you doing home?
I got suspended yesterday.
I got suspended too.
But I believe you now.
You were right about Max.
- The fuck?
- That's a nice dog.
Thanks. His name is Romeo.
And you can speak Spanish?
Can you say "Romeo"?
Romeo.
- That's pretty good.
- Natalie!
Come on.
What are you doing here, Max?
Walking my dog.
Romeo.
He says hi.
Go home.
All right. No problem.
I'll go home.