The 'Burbs (2026) s01e06 Episode Script

1
There's a rumor that
Alison Grant's parents
killed her and buried
her in the basement.
Twenty years ago, a teenage
girl was murdered out here.
And I thought it was our
new neighbor who did it.
But now I think it was Rob.
- There's somebody out here.
- Samira?
What are you doing here?
Alison, this isn't cool.
You're going to regret this.
Could you cover for me, please?
Hinkley hills police department.
You can't go chasing
after every troubled teen
that decides to run away.
- Who are you?
- Betsy.
Betsy Wilson, Gary's wife.
Sardine?
Dude, Alison's sardines.
Sardines?
What if Betsy is Alison?
- Help.
- Are you okay?
You look tranqed out. What's goin' on?
You're gonna be all right, Lynn.
Will you hold my hand
so I don't float away?
Alison.
It's you.
It's really you.
He's back. You have to go.
From the way she got us out of there,
one thing's very clear to me.
Gary may be Alison's captor.
Remember, you aren't here.
Welcome home.
Watch.
Hey, stay away from the window.
How the tables have turned.
Stop. I got it.
Hey.
As long as, you know,
she slept through the night,
I couldn't.
I can't believe she's actually here.
- Safe.
- Well, she's not safe though,
is she? Not with him.
I don't know, Rob. When
I was over at the house,
she seemed pretty comfortable.
Yeah. That makes sense.
Its classic Stockholm syndrome, isn't it?
Gary abducts Alison 20 years ago,
takes her somewhere far away.
Very easy for him to make
himself her entire world.
Then 20 years of "marriage" later,
she's completely dependent on him,
broken down, brainwashed.
This whole thing is hard
to wrap my head around.
I've read
well, published quite a
lot of books on trauma.
It's been rather the hot topic
for the past couple of years.
The body keeps the score.
Okay. Brene black.
Peekaboo.
It's brown. But
Why would a kidnapper bring
their doll-like obedient victim
- back to their childhood home?
- I don't know.
Some weird, twisted play acting fantasy.
Returning to the scene of the crime.
He's a kidnapper. He's mental.
Have you got any better ideas?
Okay. Come on this journey with me.
Okay. Let's occam's razor it,
the most straightforward explanations
are usually correct.
Alison really did run away.
Okay. She graduated from
the school of hard knocks,
survived the best way she knew how,
then meets an older guy
who's kinda good-looking.
- Good-looking?
- Has money
and Gary nicely compensates
her to be his beard.
His beard?
Yeah. That seems very
plausible, Mrs. Occam.
That's occam, esquire to you.
Maybe we should just call the cops.
You gonna call your boys?
It's not my go-to action.
In the spirit of simple
solutions to simple problems.
Okay. Well, I'm gonna put
my Rob-hat on for a second
and ask, what exactly are we reporting?
That there's a woman
who lives across the street
with her husband who hasn't sought help
even though he leaves
regularly without her?
She's right, isn't she?
I need to think outside the box
Rationally.
It's him. Hide the baby.
You're worse than me.
Is that Langston?
Supreez!
Uncle I is here and I
am bringing good energy.
Very, very good city treats
and a little bit of suspish
that everything isn't too well
in the hink.
So, Rob, that look?
I'm gonna need you
to rewind for a minute.
What do you mean not well?
They all call 'em.
The way that she thought
you were a murderer, I'd say,
"-not my way, bub."
- Thanks for your support.
- Aha. Aha.
Yeah. That whole call thing
was just some sleep deprivation.
Baby brain. Am I right, bro?
Have not earned that.
- May never.
- Totally fair.
- You think?
- But yes,
that is why Langston poppins
has come to the rescue.
- That's not even a pun.
- I'm hung over.
You don't get puns, which
is why it's extra heroic of me
to come and take the baby
off your hands for the day,
so you two can at least
get out of this cul-de-sac,
actually reconnect.
- That's a pun.
- Wait.
So, you wanna take miles?
6:10, the last train back to the city, okay?
Until then, I'm on diaper duty.
- Wow.
- I got it.
Go enjoy the day, all right?
Eat somethin' challengin'.
Be in appropriately affectionate
with each other in public
like I know that you two
little skanks like to do.
Just go.
Have fun.
Have a bagel, I brought a lot.
Well, I would have liked to
spend more time in the bunker
to feel its spiritual vibe.
But I felt we were in a rush.
You seem a bit lost in thought.
Yes. I Alison is safe.
That's wonderful.
I'm so glad.
Hey, tod, can we have a minute?
Yeah, I will f off.
Why are you looking at
bill with your mouth open?
What?
No, nothing.
He he's my neighbor.
We're nothing but neighbors.
Yeah. There may be
something stirring between us.
You better be talking
about a swizzle stick.
Last night when I was zonked out
on bev Fisher's benzos,
he walked me home
and I was overcome with
- Gratitude?
- Feelings.
A lot of feelings.
I know I sound like a teenager
But I have been
grieving Marty for so long.
I didn't realize how numb I had become.
And I don't mean to sound melodramatic,
but is it such a foolish
hope for me to think that
I could once again drink
from life's sweetest nectar?
Jesus Christ.
Get a hold of yourself.
That's bill festerson,
bucket hat bill you're talking about.
And Agnes, she would
hound you to your grave
if you so much as twirled
your hair around her husband.
You're right. It's too risky.
It was just a flight of fancy.
I will just let my feelings
fade into a frozen wasteland
like everything else and
everyone else in my life.
Howdy.
Did you see that? Did you?
I did.
Hi.
Boy.
Honestly, I thought I'd wake
up this morning and realize,
like, maybe it was all a dream.
But she's alive, man.
- She's back.
- It's so weird.
I always imagined this day
would feel a lot more of a
- A celebration?
- Relief.
She's been in there for weeks.
She didn't reach out, didn't miss us?
Rob thinks she's been brainwashed.
Alison? No, no way.
She always knew who she
was and what she wanted.
You can't tame a wild stallion like that.
Stallions are uncastrated male horses,
- you are aware of
- Okay. Whatever, dude.
Point is, you gotta
figure out what's going on
from the horse's mouth
without Gary being there.
How the hell do we do that?
It's Sunday.
Gary leaves the house at 11:52 am.
He comes back two hours
later carrying a black nylon bag.
It could be silk. Don't quote me on that.
But it's heavy or wet
'cause he carries it away from his body
in his non-dominant hand.
- Wow.
- Okay, stalker.
I have a newborn.
I'm always at the damn house.
Look, that feels like quite
a narrow window of time
to sneak in.
- What if he breaks the pattern?
- No.
No one's sneaking in.
I'm gonna talk to her
the way my mom told me
how to make friends when we
first came to the neighborhood,
by knocking on the door.
But I need you guys to follow Gary
and let me know when he's coming back.
Okay. Good. It sounds like a plan.
I think we should follow
Lynn, tod, and Dana too
for an extra pair of eyes.
You good with that, babe?
Of course. No sleep till that girl is safe.
Then maybe after that,
we could pop to Ikea.
- What's wrong with it?
- Dude
- It's not bad.
- We say this as your friends,
but you could crack a window here.
It really smells like divorce.
It's bad in here, naveen.
Ali
Betsy?
Alison.
Hey.
I don't know if this thing has audio,
but we really need to talk.
Wait, wait. What are you doing?
Well, I can imagine
you want Gary watching
as we try to steal his wife.
Hey, we're not stealing.
We're just talking.
Hi. Boy, did we get off on the right foot
with that basement thing?
Holy crap.
I promise I'm not gonna come in
and start digging up bones.
But let me tell you something.
If you have bones in there
and you want them, you keep 'em.
It's your house, your bones.
Are you human trafficked?
Okay. You know what, guys?
Let me fly solo on this one,
but I appreciate you both so, so much.
- Don't touch me.
- Okay.
I will once again f off.
Wait.
Well, why don't you surveil?
I could use your eyes.
- I got 'em.
- Okay. Great.
But your eyes only.
Let's not treat her like she's
some damaged little hermit.
She's a full person
and I know how to lure her out.
- What do you mean?
- Just watch.
I mean, listen.
Is that what are you listen?
- I don't know
- And I'm watch?
He's gone now, too.
So, the mysterious sack
was actually workout clothes?
Yeah. Pilates is famously
a low-impact activity.
So, why so sweaty, Gary?
Operation scary Gary underway.
Tick tock.
Hey, maybe he's a cult leader.
That would track, pilates,
alternative medicine,
woo-woo spirituality, Messiah complex,
volleyball harem Gary.
Come on. That venn
diagram is very nearly a circle.
Maybe he has a bad low back
and he's trying to strengthen his core.
Suddenly you're the sensible one.
Well, I'm playing devil's advocate,
a time tested legal device
to make sure you
have the strongest case.
Before we fall into fool
I think it may be a little
late for that, sweetheart.
You're right, Mr. Bond.
It's getting kind of steamy in here.
Ooh, the spy who shagged me.
- Groovy, baby.
- What?
That was Sean Connery.
- Austin powers.
- Who?
I don't know that man.
I was doing Sean Connery.
- Now you're Shrek.
- Shrek?
- That's killer Shrek.
- What
this honestly maybe worse
than when you thought I was a murderer.
That's a truck. Little garbage.
Fence. And that's a mailbox.
And that's a bush.
I totally understand why moms
narrate everything that they do.
It really tethers them to reality.
I don't think.
So, are you as bored as uncle Langston?
Ooh. Ooh. You're a little wet.
Okay.
It's a wet diaper, yeah?
Let's go change you again.
It's all right.
How are we so busy?
We're not even doing anything.
Babe.
Babe.
Target's on the move.
We're supposed to have another hour.
Yeah. He seems to
be getting on very well
with that supple pilates woman.
Supple?
What's that supposed to mean?
Nothing. I just I mean, you know
I mean, that maybe that's why he's here
'cause he's having an affair
with a very plain looking pilates woman.
Was that what you would be doing
- in pilates class?
- Nope.
I'm just, you know, gaming it out a bit.
For the record, I think you're very supple.
Thanks.
Weird word supple, isn't it?
- I wonder what the etymology
- Shit.
He's leaving. Text naveen.
Wait, wait, wait. Look,
he's getting out again.
What's going on with this?
He having a Sunday fun day,
grabbing a match a latte
and mimosas with his girls?
This dude is a busy body.
He's gonna go into drinkley's.
I did not have Gary
pegged as a day drinker.
He was playing that pilates girl.
There goes my fap page.
But we might have another
Megan situation on our hands.
Do you trust me?
Yeah, of course.
No, not just because we're married.
I mean, do you have faith in me
that I know what I'm doing,
that I'm not gonna do
anything risky or stupid?
If I'm brutally honest, not entirely.
But we go along with whatever it is
out of a mixture of fear and love.
We'll buy the first one out.
What?
- You wanna have a drink with him?
- We need answers.
And Alison ain't the
only one who has them.
Mine's a Martini then.
Shaken, not stirred.
Look at you, Austin powers again.
No.
It's like a famous iconic line.
Okay, drinkley's.
There. Over there.
- I think it's time to go.
- You know me.
- Time to go.
- Yeah. Look like he about to get
- himself kicked out.
- No. We can't let that happen.
And naveen's still trying to talk to Alison.
Hey, bear gar.
You always get so
intense before we compete.
When's the trivia start?
- You know this guy?
- Gary?
He's one of our most powerful players.
Be honest with me, he was
back there harassing the bar back?
He's just trying to see if
there'll be any late '90s
hip-pop questions.
Always a blind spot for Gary
no matter how many
times we send him a playlist.
This is about trivia?
Yeah. Yeah. We're a team.
We're called the
The knowsy neighbors,
k-n-o-w-s-y, for the pun.
We are nosy.
Dammit. That's a really good name.
Just don't cause a scene.
Well, I could use a drink.
A stroke of luck.
Our real teammate, tod was a no-show.
Well, trivia isn't really my thing.
So, I'll probably drop
out after a round or two.
- No, no, no, no.
- I owe you about several drinks
after what I pulled in your basement.
Baby brain, you know?
Water main under the bridge.
Well, you and your wife
were awfully nice about it.
- Yeah, your wife.
- Sorry, I forgot her name.
Betsy.
Betsy, right.
I'd love to meet her some time.
So, how long you've been doing pilates?
- Have you been following me?
- No.
I just saw you come
out of core principles.
This is a small town.
Yeah.
Lower back started giving me grief
about three years ago.
Pilates saves my old ass.
Hey. And, you know, I don't
think Samira ever mentioned
but, how did you and Betsy meet?
All right. Come on now.
- What game are you two playing?
- Trivia
Besides trivia.
What were you and that
bar back arguing about?
'Cause that guy hasn't
stopped looking over here
since you sat down.
Betsy your beard?
Sure, yeah. If that
Gets you to stop asking questions.
Really earning our
team name, aren't you?
All right, trivia nuts.
The category is Hinkley hills' history.
Well, whatever that
was, we covered for you.
And it seems like you have a reason
to wanna hang around here.
Otherwise, you would just go.
And I wanna know what that reason is.
Let's see if you still hate this song.
Come on. Give me a
sign or like come on.
Thank you.
How's your vantage?
I can cover the front door,
street facing second floor, and the attic.
Roger that.
I've got eye on the street.
Hold on.
No.
Come on. Hold fast, Lynn.
Are you picking up on this vibe?
I'm afraid so.
She's about to hop on pop.
In what featured film
did Bette midler played Dixie Leonard,
a singer who performed for us troops
in three separate awards.
Dixie Leonard?
- "For the boys."
- No. Really?
Damn, Gary.
You are a treasure trove.
Our catchphrase came
from a Bette midler film.
What's up, trivia dicks?
- Sorry, Samira.
- You're good.
Hey. You guys put,
beaches for that last one.
- No.
- In the lead with 12 points,
the knowsy neighbors.
Knowsy neighbors.
It's good. It's good.
We're the cuckoo Daniels.
You guys are mauling us,
absolutely crushing our nuts.
So, who's the secret genius?
Because I know it ain't knobjob Rob.
To be clear, nobody ever called me that.
- I'm sorry, I laughed.
- You all know each other?
Of course, we know the
cops real well, thanks to you.
She's got you there, nerd.
Danny, have you met, Gary and his
Your wife and I are in
the same pilates class.
- Hey, now.
- Should I be worried?
Not about me.
I should get, get back to my table.
Dick.
See, we're pretty cool with the cops now.
Well, I should leave.
If you try to walk outta here,
I'll tell our friends that
Alison Grant is still alive
and trapped in the victorian with you.
So much to catch up on.
Where to start?
I'm getting divorced.
That's, like, my big thing right now.
It doesn't get more grown up than that.
Megan sent over the
formal divorce papers.
They'd been, sitting
on my counter for days.
I can't bring myself to sign them.
I shouldn't complain though. You know
you know, compared to whatever the hell
you've been through, I assume
feel free to correct me with actual facts.
I'm embarrassed that this is the state
that you're meeting me in, but the truth is
I can't seem to think of a single reason
why she'd wanna stay.
I had dreams.
I was gonna make the world magical.
For the last 20 years,
I thought about what
had happened to you
and what you might have become
had you, you know, stayed.
Well, a backup dancer
for destiny's child obviously.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, your, your big dream.
I, I can't believe I forgot.
But here I am stuck in
the house like always.
And destiny's child broke up.
For now.
Al, I'm really sorry
that we couldn't help you back then.
I can't imagine what
you've gone through.
But we're here now and
we're gonna save you.
You're going to save me?
I'm sure as hell gonna try.
How long until he gets back?
Long enough.
We should talk.
I owe you an explanation.
Come on.
Rob grew up here. We're your neighbors.
Did you actually think we
wouldn't put it together?
Answers, now.
Look.
I don't quite understand
why you've pegged me
as such an antagonist from day one.
- You called the cops on me.
- You called the cops on her.
And I apologize.
But regarding my wife, please respect
There is some secrets
that wanna be kept
That have to be kept.
Let's get back to the small talk.
- How is your baby?
- Don't talk about my baby.
Overpriced, well, if you ask me.
I only want one kind of beer.
- Beer.
- You would love the place
- that was here before.
- Hank's.
You know about Hank's?
It was a proper dive.
Toilets were like something
out of trainspotting.
My nose are all blacked out.
They're so amazed, the clientele.
Probably see this is nicer.
But other than that, it's
not got the same history.
No grit.
What happened to Hank?
He retired to Hawaii.
Isn't that right, Gary?
That's what they say.
And you know better.
What did you think he do?
Hank was my brother.
He's about as much in Hawaii as Elvis
is running a gas station in Pittsburgh.
I got to use the little boy's room.
You wanna join me, Rob,
ask me a few more questions
over the divider?
- No, thank you.
- No? Okay.
You're genius.
How did you know to lean
into the whole Hank thing?
I don't know. I just had an inkling.
Well, that was giving Sean Connery.
- It was quite 007, wasn't it?
- Yes.
Basically, that bar back
he was hustling earlier
he's worked here for years.
Do you think Hank isn't
in Hawaii, he's dead,
or he is dead in Hawaii?
Either way I don't get what
any of that has to do with Alison.
I don't either
but I feel like we're getting somewhere.
Marty, I'm torn.
I haven't felt this alive since
well, since you were alive.
Flirting is fun.
Feeling is fun.
I think I just want to feel loved again.
And I know affairs are wrong.
Agnes would burn this house
to the ground if she knew.
And I suppose in a way
that's part of the appeal.
But life is so short, Marty.
You know.
So if you understand, give me a sign.
Thank you.
I caught her pooping on my lawn again
but what else is new?
You know what, Agnes, live and let live.
That's my new thing.
What are you so chipper about?
I don't know.
Just feeling good today.
I think I might take a
nice walk in the woods.
Who gives a shit?
Okay.
They're talking and they're moving.
Shit. I lost him.
Tod, you have eyes
on naveen and Alison?
Well, I don't have a great angle,
but I do see two squirrels
on the roof fighting over a nut.
Excuse me, ma'am.
Hey. Who are you?
It appears to be an
unidentified black male,
which I say with a
completely neutral tone.
I am Langston, Samira's brother.
It's great to meet you.
I see the family resemblance.
Again, I say it in a
completely neutral way.
I'm here watching the baby
and I'm about to die of boredom, okay?
I don't know how my sister deals
with the existential monotony
of new parenthood in the suburbs,
but I've been watching you
two freaks from my window
and whatever you're up to, I want in.
That's pretty much what
Samira does too, so come on.
Okay. Yeah.
I don't know where to start.
Wherever you're comfortable.
Just know that you
don't owe me anything,
but I'm dying to hear what happened.
Well, as I told you last
night, I did not run away.
I was kidnapped.
Rob and I always felt
something bad had happened.
We couldn't shake that feeling.
But I knew I knew
you wouldn't have left us
without saying goodbye.
It took me a long time to piece together
what happened that night.
Obviously, I went to meet the guy
I have been messaging, I
was gonna go to the city with.
And he wasn't who he said
he was, so we called that.
He just, knew what to
say to make me feel safe.
You're scared he's coming, aren't you?
Is he hurting you?
Are you safe?
No, none of us are.
I've never been here before.
Woods are lovely, dark, and deep.
Ooh. Ooh.
I could do that all day.
We've got all the time in the world.
What about Agnes?
Let's keep walking.
Bill, I'm serious.
I don't wanna be a home wrecker.
Why should we feel guilty?
It's karmic.
- What does that mean?
- Agnes and Marty.
What?
Lynn, you didn't
I thought you knew.
Agnes and Marty made love?
I mean, I don't know how far it went.
It's just that something
happened that night
of the mcpherson's scavenger hunt.
We saw them whispering
a few times after that
and then she said
you wouldn't have us
over for wine night anymore.
Me?
I thought she blackballed
me because of our parties?
Lynn, I'm so sorry.
I really thought you knew.
I have to go.
Hey, heads up, don't get too close
because drones are super loud.
Not this one.
It's as gentle as the buzz of a bee.
It's a prototype. It's not
even on the market yet.
So how do you have it?
I was an angel investor.
So you rich, rich, like tech-oligarch rich?
Very rich in Bitcoin, poor
in emotional intelligence,
got-all-of-our-social-security-number
rich?
I'm comfortable.
That's what rich people say.
Okay. So what are you hoping to find
in this creepy, old house?
- Answers.
- Okay.
Can you be a little bit more
specific or at least juicier?
Strictly on a need to no!
- Ooh! Close call.
- Ooh.
Like I said, it's a prototype.
Okay. Now you're
approaching the victorian,
so, like, clock at about 30 degrees.
Yeah. Can you not
backseat drive my drone?
Wait.
That's someone's
coming out of the woods.
That's Lynn.
She looks like she's in distress.
Something happened.
Let's go. Come on.
Wait, wait. I was I was
told there will be wine.
Did you know you're
the reason I'm still alive?
What do you mean?
- The Houdini technique?
- I untied my wrist,
opened the safety latch in the trunk,
and ran into the night.
But by then we're
already three states away.
Where was he taking you?
I'm not sure.
But I do know that if
you had not taught me
that stupid rope trick, I would be dead.
So thank you for being
a giant magic nerd.
But if you got free, why
are you here with him?
I have to show you something.
It'll make sense.
Okay?
It's not even a couple
of minutes. He'll be back.
Another minute and
you need to go in there
even if you had to stand outside the stall.
I don't like that idea.
Well, a lot of this isn't tracking for me,
but I do have another theory.
Okay. Lay it on me.
Hank abducted Alison in 2005.
He confides in his brother Gary.
Gary helps him hold her captive
and then Hank decides
he wants out, he retires.
No, that's sick.
What? Keeps her for 20 years?
Where in the bar?
- Okay. Well, what do you think?
- Okay.
Alison escapes her captor, not Gary,
but then meets Gary when
she's living on the streets
under an assumed identity.
Gary's skeevy brother Hank
is always talking bitterly about
how Hinkley hills is gentrifying
and that's when Gary realizes
this girl's estranged parents
are actually still alive,
still living in Hinkley hills
and sitting on prime real estate.
No.
Gary murders her parents for the house.
It's brilliant.
Or insane.
Do you believe me now?
I knew that man was up to something.
I just I never imagined it would be this.
I'm sorry for ever doubting you.
Just don't do it again.
Is there a backdoor back in the hallway?
Shit!
Naveen and Alison, he's
gonna see 'em together.
We pushed Gary too far.
He could do anything to keep a secret.
Hurry.
Whoa.
What is this?
Gary and I met online about a year ago
in a forum for cold cases.
He lost someone too,
someone who lived here
and we think it's connected.
Wait, wait, hold on.
Gary is a good guy?
We thought he was your captor.
What?
No, no. God, no.
Gary is weird and, a little agnostic
when it comes to social niceties
but yeah, he's a he's a good guy.
And this is our case room.
I don't know.
We're amateurs, you know.
I mostly started doing
it so that I could process
but it is everything that we know
and a lot of what we can't figure out.
You're trying to solve
your own kidnapping?
Maybe. But we thought it would be best
to put together
everything here in this town
where it all happens.
Happens?
The subtle shift in tense
is freaking me out, al.
Gary's brother disappeared a year ago.
Naveen, it's still happening.
It could happen again.
Who do you think is behind it?
Okay. Be cool.
Let's hurry up.
No, where did his pacifier go?
Don't stop.
We don't have time.
Just go, go, go. I got I gotta find it.
Okay. Okay.
How could you? How could you?
And Agnes, of all people?
Well, you won't be fooling me anymore.
I want you out.
Out! Out!
Jeez.
God.
Fine, you win.
But I am so mad, Marty.
I am so mad.
- Go.
- No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Shh, don't.
It's you're not gonna believe it.
- What's all the shouting?
- It's such a false alarm
and it's just like a big misunderstanding.
- Well
- And it's like the most
boring thing in the world.
Are you hiding something from me?
No, it was it was sex stuff.
- Sex.
- Okay. Okay.
Let's just go.
- And believe me
- Yeah.
We don't want you and especially miles
to see any of that, so let's
- Yeah.
- Get the hell out of here.
Good day. Good day, everyone.
Guess it's back to
boredom for us, little man.
I hope your parents are
on lease up or something?
- Naveen, are you there?
- Gary?
Don't hurt them.
They're a step behind.
Should we show 'em?
Circle of trust.
Door's open. We're in here.
Geez. All this paranoia
and still no one locks their doors?
Are you okay?
Yeah, I'm okay.
Who the hell is all of this?
Just something I've been, working on
for the last year of my life.
- So you're not in danger?
- She is.
Actually, we all are,
but not because of Gary.
I'll explain everything
when Gary gets home.
- He's not here?
- No, why?
- Did you see him?
- Yeah,
at drinkley's, but he
left like 20 minutes ago.
That's weird. He usually
comes right home.
Maybe he found something.
Yeah, maybe.