This is Us (2016) s05e05 Episode Script
A Long Road Home
1
Previously on This Is Us
Today's Bulletin
it's kind of going viral.
Well, viral how?
I'm doing this for William Hill.
Because you all were his family,
which means you're my family, too.
It's twins, Kevin.
I'm all in, Madison.
Whatever you need, I am all in.
I think I just got the part.
I mean, pending a-a good meeting
with the director.
I-I got the part.
Um, my talk with Ellie today
brought up some stuff for me.
When I was 18, I was in
a really, really bad relationship.
And when it ended
So you're telling me,
that this boyfriend of yours
Got me pregnant, yeah.
And I was nowhere
near ready to be a mom.
And I could not
Ooh, I could not be tied to
that guy for the rest of my life.
You know, so
I had an abortion.
And it was,
I mean, the toughest decision
I've ever made in my life.
But I don't regret it.
But I made it alone, and you
know, I've lived with it alone.
Wait. What are your eyes doing?
Are you judging me?
No.
No, of course not.
I'm just trying to wrap
my head around the
Uh, why did it take you
so long to tell me this?
Well, it's not exactly something
that comes up
naturally in a conversation.
Actually, it is.
It took us two years to have Jack.
That's two years of talking
about pregnancy all the time.
Toby, you don't understand.
I was 18 years old,
and that decision was
wrapped up in the darkest,
lowest, most painful time of my life.
It was, like, the most
painful relationship of my life.
And all I wanted to do,
I wanted to lock it up,
you know, and I didn't
want to think about it.
I didn't want to think about him.
He was so cruel to me.
I would like you to tell me his name,
and then, I would like to find him,
and I would like to kill him.
- Babe.
- I want to kill him.
You're
Thank you. That's very sweet.
You know what?
He's in the past, it's all in the past.
- It's
- Is it, though? If it was
truly in the past, then why
would it take you four years
to tell me about it?
Look at that. Changing table is built.
The bunny tapestry is hung.
I'm telling you.
Natasha is going to plotz
when she sees our nursery.
You are obsessed
with impressing this nanny.
I thought we were interviewing
her, not the other way around.
Yeah, no, babe, you don't understand.
Natasha is, like, um
She's, like, nanny royalty.
Okay? Timberlake said
that he and Jess
they wept when she left
to go to another family.
Now that's what
my family deserves, does it not?
A nanny that makes Timberlake weep?
Like a little baby.
Yeah, what's up?
Yeah, okay.
No. Hold on, hold on.
No, no, no, no, no.
That is not what I committed to.
Then I'm out.
Yeah, you know why.
I'm not having this conversation.
Goodbye.
Read about these, uh What were they?
These, uh these, uh
these baby monitor socks
- that they have. They
- Kevin.
What the hell just
happened on the phone?
Uh, th-that was, uh, just my agent.
They, uh, they're moving
the filming of the movie
to Vancouver, 'cause it's safer.
I guess there's less COVID, so
And that's bad because?
Because it's two weeks
of filming, right?
Plus, two weeks quarantine,
which means
I'd have to leave L.A. tomorrow.
Oh.
Yeah, so, I-I, you know, I can't do it.
Wait. Put that down.
Let's do the math for a second.
Four weeks away puts you back here
a solid five weeks
before the babies are due.
You have worked so hard on this movie.
You have put up with so
much crap from that director.
This can't all be for nothing.
I don't know. I don't know.
Go on and pack.
Yeah.
No, Mom, I didn't realize
the camera was still on.
I can give Miguel my abs routine.
- Got to blame it on the Goose
- Oh, my.
- Got to blame it on my juice, baby
- Oh, boy.
Uh, I'm at the office now, Ma.
Uh, love you.
- I'm the pudding in the proof
- Morning, boss.
All right, Jae-won.
You can put your tiny pecs back on now.
Uh, there's something
I need to show you.
I don't know if I would have
said that while closing a door,
wearing a naked-man shirt.
Yeah. Uh, you know the, um
the form we set up
on our website for cons
for, uh, constituents to reach out?
Aah. Uh, watch the hair.
Yeah.
- Thank you.
- Yeah.
The, um the form on our website
for constituents to reach out.
This came in.
You want privacy?
I'll give you privacy.
Kate Pearson?
I'm Dr. Wolfe.
I'm one of the clinicians here.
- Hi.
- Hi.
So, let me tell you
how this is gonna go.
Uh, by Pennsylvania law,
I'm required to ask you
this list of questions
before we can proceed any further.
- Okay.
- Okay.
Are you absolutely sure
of your decision to
terminate this pregnancy?
Yes.
Can you tell me what
led to your decision?
Um I'm 18,
and I'm not with the guy anymore, so
Are you taking any medications
or other drugs?
Kate?
Um, so where do they actually do it?
Will it be in here?
No. The procedure would
happen in the room next door.
And that happens today, right?
Mm. No, honey. We're legally required
to wait 24 hours
after meeting the patient
and giving the questions
and information.
If after 24 hours, you
feel you want the procedure
- Babe?
- Hi.
Where's Jackie?
Ugh. Conked out in his sleep chair.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
You look pretty tired yourself.
Well, that's because
I spent the entire night
cyber-stalking
my awful ex-boyfriend Marc.
I don't know. I just
I just felt like
I don't know you were right.
Right, like, I was clearly
not past the past.
And that's why I took out
my laptop, I went for a dive,
and I found out that he's in San Diego.
So I was thinking.
I don't know what I'm gonna
say or what I'm gonna do,
but I-I feel like I have to see him.
I was hoping you would come with.
I know it's a lot to ask, but
I could really use your support.
Are you sure you can
handle seeing him again?
Yeah.
Okay. I'm in.
- Okay.
- Okay.
Hi. You've reached the Pearsons.
Leave us a message.
Hey, sweetheart. It's me.
Just calling to check in.
Um Kevin did really great
at his showcase last night.
And then he tried to set me up
with his acting teacher.
Is everything okay?
I thought you said you'd be home.
Well, I'm at Kevin's
if you need me, all right?
I love you. Bye, Bug.
This is so lovely.
Are we celebrating something?
- Kevin's got great news.
- Mm-hmm.
- Oh.
- I got a call from a talent manager.
She was at my showcase last night.
And she said that I have
the right look for TV.
Oh, so, she's more of a looks manager.
- Okay, let him talk.
- That's great, sweetheart.
And she says it's pilot season,
and she wants me to go to L.A.
for a few months so she
can send me on auditions.
- L.A.?
- Uh-huh.
But you just got to New York.
Yeah.
Well, what about you?
Will you be going with him?
Oh, um, I have school, so
Yeah, and I'll be back
- before she can even miss me.
- Yeah.
Mm.
To Kevin.
To your career.
- Thanks, Mom.
- To your career.
- To your career.
- To my career.
And because of my profession,
I get tested multiple times a week.
I quarantine strictly.
I'm basically the loneliest,
safest person on the planet.
You're funny.
That's funny. She is funny,
- right?
- She is.
Um, and do you know CPR?
And pediatric first aid.
- Recertified every year.
- That is
- so reassuring, I can't tell you.
- Unbelievable.
And you're good with extended travel,
right? Because nowadays,
you never know where
these movies are gonna shoot.
- So
- My passport's always up-to-date.
Oh, that's great. That's great,
because we want someone
who travels with us to keep
things consistent for the twins.
- Mm-hmm.
- I mean,
sure, there'll be occasional travel,
but most of the time,
we'll be here in L.A.
Mm.
Yeah. I mean, that's the hope.
Yeah, you hope for that, but, you know,
as we just found out, these movies,
they'll shoot 'em anywhere, so
I've gone all over the
world with my families.
Mm.
I know how to help them adjust
to constantly changing locations.
Starting new schools,
you know, making new friends.
Hey.
You're home early.
What's wrong?
So, a man named Hai Lang
submitted a city complaint
form on the website.
Mm-hmm.
He used it as a way to get
in touch with me personally.
"My name's Hai Lang,
and I live in New Orleans.
"I recognized the name
William Hill from a video
"I saw of you on the Internet.
Not 100% certain, but I believe
I knew your mother, Laurel."
- What?
- "We were close friends.
I was by her side when
she died in May of 2015."
Doesn't exactly jive
with the whole "she died
after I was born" story, huh?
- Randall, what the hell?
- I don't know.
- I'm gonna go, um
- Wait.
Oh, my God.
He sent a picture.
Randall, is this her?
How would I know, Beth?
I've never seen the woman before.
- Hey.
- Hey.
I was thinking about bringing in
Monk's for dinner.
Been craving those crab legs.
I will see you in a bit.
Did you really just peck and go?
Uh, Randall,
this is not a peck and go situation.
Okay? We need to talk about this.
I was wondering for 36 years.
I got my answers.
I'm not going down this road.
I understand that. But why?
- Beth, come on.
- Okay, Randall
'Cause it would mean he lied to me.
How did you meet my mother?
On a bus, of all places.
My God, she was so beautiful.
I got to tell you something.
One look at that face,
and my world spun on every axis.
Fallen as we were back then,
when she found out about you,
she was so excited.
I'd never seen a woman
so determined to get clean,
to stay clean,
to do right by this baby.
To do right by you.
And she did.
For nine months.
But then, after the birth,
the pain took hold of her like a demon.
I lost her the next day.
If, um
If she really did die
just a few years ago,
it would mean
that William lied to me, Beth.
Think you should, um
call your therapist on this one?
I don't need to call my therapist.
I need I need to go for a run.
He needs to call his therapist.
You hated her, right?
Well, you know what? Screw her
and that glorious Range Rover
that she rode in on.
Jet-setting all over the world
with our kids and their nannies?
That's not exactly the life
I pictured for our family.
Well, uh, you know,
what about private jet-setting
all over the world
with our kids and their nannies?
Okay. Look, Madison, I am lost here.
Uh, you know, just a bit ago,
you were pushing me out the
door to go to Vancouver, right?
And now you're upset that
we're traveling for my work?
I pushed you to go to Vancouver
because the babies aren't here yet
and because I know how much
this movie means to you.
And you made a commitment
to a lot of people, but
you also made a commitment
to me and these kids.
I didn't realize that where we lived
was as important as being a family.
And how did you think this would work?
Did you just assume that me and the kids
would become your international roadies?
No, I didn't
I wouldn't say that phrase.
What You know, I thought
we would stick together.
Me, too.
In our home.
What do you want me to do?
What do you want me to do?
Do you want me to quit acting,
Madison?
It took me 20 years to get here.
But I'm not exactly in a
position where I can dictate
where they shoot things, okay?
And quite frankly, I'm
I'm struggling to figure out
how this is all of a sudden news to you.
It's not.
Look, I have been growing
two humans inside my body,
living with you
in this bubble. I mean, I'm sorry
if the realities of your career
haven't exactly been top of mind.
I'm not trying to give
you a hard time, but
I was willing to do this on my own.
Remember?
I was never gonna ask you for anything,
but you insisted on being
a part of our lives, and now I have gone
and fallen in love with
this idea of our family.
Well, I have gone and fallen in love
with the idea of our family, too.
Here we are. This is where Marc works
according to his Myspace page.
This guy has a Myspace page?
Of all the things that you
have told me about this guy,
him having a Myspace
page is the creepiest.
Hey. You all right?
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Maybe I should go in with you.
No, you don't need to go in with me.
Kate Pearson.
I knew you couldn't stay away.
Um, Marc?
Well, it, uh, takes
a little while to make a lady
all of her favorite
breakfast foods for lunch.
We got one bagel,
which is scooped, lightly toasted,
butter on the side.
And then we have
an egg, very, very runny.
Which is still, to me,
like eating an oyster
from the ass of a chicken.
But it's the way you like it.
I don't judge. And then we got
one coffee, nonfat milk.
No Sweet'N Low, though,
because I didn't have any,
and for that, I am very sorry.
You remembered everything.
Course I did.
I really did miss you.
You're still upset about the cabin.
I am so sorry, Kate.
I was such a dick.
I-I don't know. I-I don't know
what happens to me.
It's, um
It's like a switch flips inside me,
um, which That's so not an excuse.
- Marc.
- And I should've apologized to you
the second I saw you today,
but I just
I thought that you showing up here
was you saying you forgive me.
Well, that's not what I'm saying.
I mean
I mean, that's not what
I came here to say.
Well, what'd you come here to say?
Okay.
Uh-oh. This sounds heavy.
Well, it is.
You're annoyed now?
Um
I'm just a little whiplashed,
'cause I was, like,
really, really happy to see you.
And then now it's just like
ugh.
You know what,
let's just chill and
let's just watch some TV, huh?
Let's just, like, be here
with each other.
Huh?
Come on.
Oh, wait, that's Airplane!
Could you actually not change it?
We regret any inconvenience
Um, okay.
This is due to periodic
air pockets we encounter.
There's no reason to become alarmed,
and we hope you enjoy
the rest of your flight.
By the way, is there anyone on board
who knows how to fly a plane?
I need a drink.
Hey, yo, I got, uh, the DVD
of Michel Gondry's music videos.
Uh
Can I help you?
It's Kate.
Pearson.
Wow.
Kate Pearson.
What are the odds?
Do you live in SD?
Vacationing?
No.
We share a friend on Facebook.
I actually figured out where you
work because I wanted to, uh
come and see you.
Oh, okay.
So
S Um, I was
just wondering if I could
I-I wanted to talk to you
about some things.
Marc!
Now.
Hang tight. Be right back.
Three smoke breaks in one hour?
- Really?
- I'm sorry, man.
We've talked about this.
If you're gonna work here,
you got to work here.
- Yeah.
- You got five minutes.
It's not a long-term job.
I got this band I've been managing
and we're getting a residency
at this club,
so
Okay, can I ask you a question?
Okay. Sure.
What do you remember
about our relationship?
Like, when you look back on it, I mean.
Really?
That's why you're here?
To rehash our six-month
relationship from
20 years ago?
You know what, forget it.
Forget about it. Goodbye, Marc.
Sorry. Uh, hold on.
Sorry. I'm sorry.
When I look back on it, I think
we were in love?
Um
I mean, you had great taste in music.
And
you were broken, you know,
in all the right places.
And, yeah, things got intense
at times, but, like,
we were kids.
No.
I was a kid.
You were a 24-year-old man.
And I wasn't broken. I was grieving.
My dad just died.
And I was destroyed
and so vulnerable and you knew it.
You liked it.
- Okay
- W No, no, no.
I'm not finished.
What you did to me
how you held my
self-esteem in your hand
and then you decided to crush it,
God, that damaged me, Marc.
For years,
I swallowed my dreams,
my feelings
and a lot of food.
No, no, look at me.
Look at me.
You need to get this.
The time that it took for me
to heal from you
stole years of my life.
And I can't get them back.
Took me a while,
yeah, but I, um
I found someone who
loves me the way
that I deserve to be loved.
I have a beautiful son
and an incredible husband,
who's actually in that car
and who was just, like, seconds away
from wanting to just pulverize
you with his bare hands.
I'm not broken. You're
the one that's broken, Marc.
You're the disease.
And I'm not carrying it a moment longer.
So
I give it back to you.
Good luck with it, Marc.
Sally, I took this man home with me,
and my parents asked me, "What
cave did you pull this out of?"
Kate.
It's gonna be fine.
I'm gonna put this sheet
over your knees.
Remember to breath, honey.
Ah! God, I feel good.
You know, he looked so small to me.
In his stupid-ass T-shirt
and just all
talking about his empty dreams.
It's like a joke.
I just cannot believe
I let him have that much power over me.
Hmm. I'm proud of you, babe.
- You did good.
- Thank you.
I wanted to tell you about it.
About all of it, about Marc,
so many times,
but
I didn't want you to-to
look at me like a victim.
Oh, Kate, come on.
No. And today, you you
just sat patiently in the car
when I know that you
wanted to rip out his jugular,
and you let me be my own white knight.
And you never looked at me
like I was a victim. Ever.
And I could have just told you
everything from day one.
Day one would have been a lot,
- but
- Okay.
I know.
So, what would this mean to you
if this Hai person was
actually telling the truth?
Beyond William's betrayal, I mean.
Beyond William's?
You know, I put a an ad in the paper
looking for my mom when I was 16?
Some scam artist showed up at the park.
She wanted money.
That must have hurt.
So much so that I stopped looking
for another 20 years.
She had 35 years to find me, and
she never even looked for me.
You don't know if that's what happened.
I
Let's look at it this way.
At nine years old,
you were curling your tongue
at Black folks in supermarkets.
At 16, you put ads in the paper.
And at 35, you hired a P.I.
Your whole life,
your instincts have been telling you
you need to know your history.
Why do you think you needed that?
To know where I came from.
To to know who I was.
I don't know, to
to feel connected or rooted
to something bigger than myself.
Did knowing William help you do that?
In a lot of ways it did.
Is there a chance that
knowing Laurel's story
could help you, too?
You're already in the journey, Randall.
Why not be in in it?
Um, I made you a little to-go breakfast.
This is so nice.
You didn't have to do that.
This-this
Thank you. Thank you.
You know, the car's gonna
be here any second.
Yeah, I just I'm
I know I'm leaving
at the worst possible time.
But when I come back,
it will be with a heart
that is committed
Kevin. I am deeply aware
that you come from a family
of great speech-givers.
I think you should use this time
away to be real with yourself.
To figure out how
this relationship and family
is actually gonna work,
and how these babies and I
are actually gonna fit in your life.
You said you were all in,
and I bought that.
Take this moment to decide
if you really are.
I am.
Take the moment.
Kiss the bubbalas goodbye.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, man. Okay.
Mwah. Mwah.
You listen to your mom, okay, babies?
Oh, okay. This is hard.
And, uh
Okay.
Okay.
Nothing went wrong. People change.
- People change?
- Yeah. People change.
Can they change back?
I don't know.
I think it's harder.
Hey, Bug.
- How was your weekend?
- It was fine.
Yeah? You had a good time with Molly?
Mm-hmm.
Is everything all right?
You know, I did call
a couple times to check in.
I didn't hear back.
Oh, sweetheart.
Is everything okay? What's wrong?
I was watching a sappy movie.
It made me cry.
Oh.
I'm sorry.
Do you want some dinner?
I'll take some ice cream.
You got it.
Yo, yo, this is Kevin.
You really answer
the phone like that, dude?
Randall, what's up?
So I've been thinking
about you going to L.A.
I don't think you should do it.
Right, 'cause you don't think
I'm talented.
No, no, it's not that.
You just got married.
Sophie's one of the best things
that's ever happened to you,
and this could really stress
your relationship.
Sophie and I have been together
since we were ten, Randall.
We can hack a few months apart.
Are you sure?
You know, because
when I think of anything
getting in between me and Beth
it makes my stomach hurt.
That's 'cause you're whipped.
Sorry I called.
No, look, I, uh
I appreciate the concern.
But Sophie and I are solid.
We're gonna be okay.
And look, when I'm a big star,
and we're living in some mansion,
it'll all be worth it.
Okay, Kev.
Whatever you say.
Hey. Everything all right with Mom?
Uh, with the babies?
Yeah.
Mom's good, um, and Madison's
She's fine. Yeah.
I-I saw your, uh, your-your strip clip
on Hoda's Twitter feed.
- It's hilarious, man.
- Ah
It's good And not, like,
in an embarrassing way at all.
I mean, it comes off really charming.
- It's great.
- Yeah. It's been a trip.
Uh, h-how is everybody there?
How are the girls?
Good. They're good.
Uh, Zoom schooling
is a unique version of hell,
- but, um
- I bet.
Yeah.
- So
- Anyway, uh
Oh, no, I-I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, no, g-go ahead.
No, I wasn't, uh, n Go ahead.
Well, l-look, the reason
I was calling is I'm-I'm, um
S Um
I'm finding myself in a really, um
complicated place with Madison,
and I'm a little bit lost
on how to deal with it,
and I-I, uh
the first thought that I had
was, uh,
well, it was "What would Randall do?"
I, uh, I have that thought
a lot, actually.
That's a nice thing to say.
It's a
nice thing to know.
I know it seems ironic, too,
uh, because of all of the
horrible things that I said to you
that day when we were, uh
Ah, we said a lot of things, Kev.
Yeah, but, uh
S
Randall, Kate was telling me
about some of the things, uh,
that you felt
during our childhood, some of
Is that really how you felt?
Yeah, Kev, it is.
Well, that is horrible.
Uh
I can't imagine having
to keep all that to yourself.
Hey, Kev, I'm sorry to cut you off,
but, um, now's not a great time.
I-I have a really important phone call
that I have to make right now.
Yeah, no, I get it.
Yeah, no, you-you do you.
- I-I get it.
- But we'll talk soon, all right?
We're really about to do this?
I'm already in it,
so let's get in it.
Oh, boy.
- I'm so nervous.
- I'm gonna boot.
Hello?
Hi, Hai.
Um, sorry. Uh, what I meant
to say was hello.
Um, is this Hai?
Uh, yes, this is he.
This is Randall Pearson.
Oh, Randall.
I'm so pleased to hear from you.
Uh, Hai?
Do you mind if I just jump
into asking you
a really blunt question?
Go ahead.
You mentioned in your e-mail
that Laurel died in May of 2015.
Of breast cancer, yes.
Um, my father told me
that Laurel overdosed
and died shortly after I was born.
So are you saying that he was lying?
From what I know of the story,
I believe he was telling you
what he thought was the truth.
Um, this is Beth, Randall's wife.
How exactly did you know Laurel?
We met in our early 20s,
here in Orleans Parish.
Sorry, I didn't expect
to feel so strange
talking about her on the phone.
I've thought of telling you
about her for so many years.
I just wish I could see your face.
I wish I could show you
the places she lived,
the things she loved.
Hey, what if we were to come out there?
If that's what you could do
To see where my mother lived,
and the things she loved?
I would like that very much.
Your place is beautiful.
It's actually yours.
Excuse me?
Your mother was a Dubois.
They were the most
distinguished family in town.
But, I think that was always
a lot of pressure for Laurel.
Your mother was the love of my life.
Previously on This Is Us
Today's Bulletin
it's kind of going viral.
Well, viral how?
I'm doing this for William Hill.
Because you all were his family,
which means you're my family, too.
It's twins, Kevin.
I'm all in, Madison.
Whatever you need, I am all in.
I think I just got the part.
I mean, pending a-a good meeting
with the director.
I-I got the part.
Um, my talk with Ellie today
brought up some stuff for me.
When I was 18, I was in
a really, really bad relationship.
And when it ended
So you're telling me,
that this boyfriend of yours
Got me pregnant, yeah.
And I was nowhere
near ready to be a mom.
And I could not
Ooh, I could not be tied to
that guy for the rest of my life.
You know, so
I had an abortion.
And it was,
I mean, the toughest decision
I've ever made in my life.
But I don't regret it.
But I made it alone, and you
know, I've lived with it alone.
Wait. What are your eyes doing?
Are you judging me?
No.
No, of course not.
I'm just trying to wrap
my head around the
Uh, why did it take you
so long to tell me this?
Well, it's not exactly something
that comes up
naturally in a conversation.
Actually, it is.
It took us two years to have Jack.
That's two years of talking
about pregnancy all the time.
Toby, you don't understand.
I was 18 years old,
and that decision was
wrapped up in the darkest,
lowest, most painful time of my life.
It was, like, the most
painful relationship of my life.
And all I wanted to do,
I wanted to lock it up,
you know, and I didn't
want to think about it.
I didn't want to think about him.
He was so cruel to me.
I would like you to tell me his name,
and then, I would like to find him,
and I would like to kill him.
- Babe.
- I want to kill him.
You're
Thank you. That's very sweet.
You know what?
He's in the past, it's all in the past.
- It's
- Is it, though? If it was
truly in the past, then why
would it take you four years
to tell me about it?
Look at that. Changing table is built.
The bunny tapestry is hung.
I'm telling you.
Natasha is going to plotz
when she sees our nursery.
You are obsessed
with impressing this nanny.
I thought we were interviewing
her, not the other way around.
Yeah, no, babe, you don't understand.
Natasha is, like, um
She's, like, nanny royalty.
Okay? Timberlake said
that he and Jess
they wept when she left
to go to another family.
Now that's what
my family deserves, does it not?
A nanny that makes Timberlake weep?
Like a little baby.
Yeah, what's up?
Yeah, okay.
No. Hold on, hold on.
No, no, no, no, no.
That is not what I committed to.
Then I'm out.
Yeah, you know why.
I'm not having this conversation.
Goodbye.
Read about these, uh What were they?
These, uh these, uh
these baby monitor socks
- that they have. They
- Kevin.
What the hell just
happened on the phone?
Uh, th-that was, uh, just my agent.
They, uh, they're moving
the filming of the movie
to Vancouver, 'cause it's safer.
I guess there's less COVID, so
And that's bad because?
Because it's two weeks
of filming, right?
Plus, two weeks quarantine,
which means
I'd have to leave L.A. tomorrow.
Oh.
Yeah, so, I-I, you know, I can't do it.
Wait. Put that down.
Let's do the math for a second.
Four weeks away puts you back here
a solid five weeks
before the babies are due.
You have worked so hard on this movie.
You have put up with so
much crap from that director.
This can't all be for nothing.
I don't know. I don't know.
Go on and pack.
Yeah.
No, Mom, I didn't realize
the camera was still on.
I can give Miguel my abs routine.
- Got to blame it on the Goose
- Oh, my.
- Got to blame it on my juice, baby
- Oh, boy.
Uh, I'm at the office now, Ma.
Uh, love you.
- I'm the pudding in the proof
- Morning, boss.
All right, Jae-won.
You can put your tiny pecs back on now.
Uh, there's something
I need to show you.
I don't know if I would have
said that while closing a door,
wearing a naked-man shirt.
Yeah. Uh, you know the, um
the form we set up
on our website for cons
for, uh, constituents to reach out?
Aah. Uh, watch the hair.
Yeah.
- Thank you.
- Yeah.
The, um the form on our website
for constituents to reach out.
This came in.
You want privacy?
I'll give you privacy.
Kate Pearson?
I'm Dr. Wolfe.
I'm one of the clinicians here.
- Hi.
- Hi.
So, let me tell you
how this is gonna go.
Uh, by Pennsylvania law,
I'm required to ask you
this list of questions
before we can proceed any further.
- Okay.
- Okay.
Are you absolutely sure
of your decision to
terminate this pregnancy?
Yes.
Can you tell me what
led to your decision?
Um I'm 18,
and I'm not with the guy anymore, so
Are you taking any medications
or other drugs?
Kate?
Um, so where do they actually do it?
Will it be in here?
No. The procedure would
happen in the room next door.
And that happens today, right?
Mm. No, honey. We're legally required
to wait 24 hours
after meeting the patient
and giving the questions
and information.
If after 24 hours, you
feel you want the procedure
- Babe?
- Hi.
Where's Jackie?
Ugh. Conked out in his sleep chair.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
You look pretty tired yourself.
Well, that's because
I spent the entire night
cyber-stalking
my awful ex-boyfriend Marc.
I don't know. I just
I just felt like
I don't know you were right.
Right, like, I was clearly
not past the past.
And that's why I took out
my laptop, I went for a dive,
and I found out that he's in San Diego.
So I was thinking.
I don't know what I'm gonna
say or what I'm gonna do,
but I-I feel like I have to see him.
I was hoping you would come with.
I know it's a lot to ask, but
I could really use your support.
Are you sure you can
handle seeing him again?
Yeah.
Okay. I'm in.
- Okay.
- Okay.
Hi. You've reached the Pearsons.
Leave us a message.
Hey, sweetheart. It's me.
Just calling to check in.
Um Kevin did really great
at his showcase last night.
And then he tried to set me up
with his acting teacher.
Is everything okay?
I thought you said you'd be home.
Well, I'm at Kevin's
if you need me, all right?
I love you. Bye, Bug.
This is so lovely.
Are we celebrating something?
- Kevin's got great news.
- Mm-hmm.
- Oh.
- I got a call from a talent manager.
She was at my showcase last night.
And she said that I have
the right look for TV.
Oh, so, she's more of a looks manager.
- Okay, let him talk.
- That's great, sweetheart.
And she says it's pilot season,
and she wants me to go to L.A.
for a few months so she
can send me on auditions.
- L.A.?
- Uh-huh.
But you just got to New York.
Yeah.
Well, what about you?
Will you be going with him?
Oh, um, I have school, so
Yeah, and I'll be back
- before she can even miss me.
- Yeah.
Mm.
To Kevin.
To your career.
- Thanks, Mom.
- To your career.
- To your career.
- To my career.
And because of my profession,
I get tested multiple times a week.
I quarantine strictly.
I'm basically the loneliest,
safest person on the planet.
You're funny.
That's funny. She is funny,
- right?
- She is.
Um, and do you know CPR?
And pediatric first aid.
- Recertified every year.
- That is
- so reassuring, I can't tell you.
- Unbelievable.
And you're good with extended travel,
right? Because nowadays,
you never know where
these movies are gonna shoot.
- So
- My passport's always up-to-date.
Oh, that's great. That's great,
because we want someone
who travels with us to keep
things consistent for the twins.
- Mm-hmm.
- I mean,
sure, there'll be occasional travel,
but most of the time,
we'll be here in L.A.
Mm.
Yeah. I mean, that's the hope.
Yeah, you hope for that, but, you know,
as we just found out, these movies,
they'll shoot 'em anywhere, so
I've gone all over the
world with my families.
Mm.
I know how to help them adjust
to constantly changing locations.
Starting new schools,
you know, making new friends.
Hey.
You're home early.
What's wrong?
So, a man named Hai Lang
submitted a city complaint
form on the website.
Mm-hmm.
He used it as a way to get
in touch with me personally.
"My name's Hai Lang,
and I live in New Orleans.
"I recognized the name
William Hill from a video
"I saw of you on the Internet.
Not 100% certain, but I believe
I knew your mother, Laurel."
- What?
- "We were close friends.
I was by her side when
she died in May of 2015."
Doesn't exactly jive
with the whole "she died
after I was born" story, huh?
- Randall, what the hell?
- I don't know.
- I'm gonna go, um
- Wait.
Oh, my God.
He sent a picture.
Randall, is this her?
How would I know, Beth?
I've never seen the woman before.
- Hey.
- Hey.
I was thinking about bringing in
Monk's for dinner.
Been craving those crab legs.
I will see you in a bit.
Did you really just peck and go?
Uh, Randall,
this is not a peck and go situation.
Okay? We need to talk about this.
I was wondering for 36 years.
I got my answers.
I'm not going down this road.
I understand that. But why?
- Beth, come on.
- Okay, Randall
'Cause it would mean he lied to me.
How did you meet my mother?
On a bus, of all places.
My God, she was so beautiful.
I got to tell you something.
One look at that face,
and my world spun on every axis.
Fallen as we were back then,
when she found out about you,
she was so excited.
I'd never seen a woman
so determined to get clean,
to stay clean,
to do right by this baby.
To do right by you.
And she did.
For nine months.
But then, after the birth,
the pain took hold of her like a demon.
I lost her the next day.
If, um
If she really did die
just a few years ago,
it would mean
that William lied to me, Beth.
Think you should, um
call your therapist on this one?
I don't need to call my therapist.
I need I need to go for a run.
He needs to call his therapist.
You hated her, right?
Well, you know what? Screw her
and that glorious Range Rover
that she rode in on.
Jet-setting all over the world
with our kids and their nannies?
That's not exactly the life
I pictured for our family.
Well, uh, you know,
what about private jet-setting
all over the world
with our kids and their nannies?
Okay. Look, Madison, I am lost here.
Uh, you know, just a bit ago,
you were pushing me out the
door to go to Vancouver, right?
And now you're upset that
we're traveling for my work?
I pushed you to go to Vancouver
because the babies aren't here yet
and because I know how much
this movie means to you.
And you made a commitment
to a lot of people, but
you also made a commitment
to me and these kids.
I didn't realize that where we lived
was as important as being a family.
And how did you think this would work?
Did you just assume that me and the kids
would become your international roadies?
No, I didn't
I wouldn't say that phrase.
What You know, I thought
we would stick together.
Me, too.
In our home.
What do you want me to do?
What do you want me to do?
Do you want me to quit acting,
Madison?
It took me 20 years to get here.
But I'm not exactly in a
position where I can dictate
where they shoot things, okay?
And quite frankly, I'm
I'm struggling to figure out
how this is all of a sudden news to you.
It's not.
Look, I have been growing
two humans inside my body,
living with you
in this bubble. I mean, I'm sorry
if the realities of your career
haven't exactly been top of mind.
I'm not trying to give
you a hard time, but
I was willing to do this on my own.
Remember?
I was never gonna ask you for anything,
but you insisted on being
a part of our lives, and now I have gone
and fallen in love with
this idea of our family.
Well, I have gone and fallen in love
with the idea of our family, too.
Here we are. This is where Marc works
according to his Myspace page.
This guy has a Myspace page?
Of all the things that you
have told me about this guy,
him having a Myspace
page is the creepiest.
Hey. You all right?
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Maybe I should go in with you.
No, you don't need to go in with me.
Kate Pearson.
I knew you couldn't stay away.
Um, Marc?
Well, it, uh, takes
a little while to make a lady
all of her favorite
breakfast foods for lunch.
We got one bagel,
which is scooped, lightly toasted,
butter on the side.
And then we have
an egg, very, very runny.
Which is still, to me,
like eating an oyster
from the ass of a chicken.
But it's the way you like it.
I don't judge. And then we got
one coffee, nonfat milk.
No Sweet'N Low, though,
because I didn't have any,
and for that, I am very sorry.
You remembered everything.
Course I did.
I really did miss you.
You're still upset about the cabin.
I am so sorry, Kate.
I was such a dick.
I-I don't know. I-I don't know
what happens to me.
It's, um
It's like a switch flips inside me,
um, which That's so not an excuse.
- Marc.
- And I should've apologized to you
the second I saw you today,
but I just
I thought that you showing up here
was you saying you forgive me.
Well, that's not what I'm saying.
I mean
I mean, that's not what
I came here to say.
Well, what'd you come here to say?
Okay.
Uh-oh. This sounds heavy.
Well, it is.
You're annoyed now?
Um
I'm just a little whiplashed,
'cause I was, like,
really, really happy to see you.
And then now it's just like
ugh.
You know what,
let's just chill and
let's just watch some TV, huh?
Let's just, like, be here
with each other.
Huh?
Come on.
Oh, wait, that's Airplane!
Could you actually not change it?
We regret any inconvenience
Um, okay.
This is due to periodic
air pockets we encounter.
There's no reason to become alarmed,
and we hope you enjoy
the rest of your flight.
By the way, is there anyone on board
who knows how to fly a plane?
I need a drink.
Hey, yo, I got, uh, the DVD
of Michel Gondry's music videos.
Uh
Can I help you?
It's Kate.
Pearson.
Wow.
Kate Pearson.
What are the odds?
Do you live in SD?
Vacationing?
No.
We share a friend on Facebook.
I actually figured out where you
work because I wanted to, uh
come and see you.
Oh, okay.
So
S Um, I was
just wondering if I could
I-I wanted to talk to you
about some things.
Marc!
Now.
Hang tight. Be right back.
Three smoke breaks in one hour?
- Really?
- I'm sorry, man.
We've talked about this.
If you're gonna work here,
you got to work here.
- Yeah.
- You got five minutes.
It's not a long-term job.
I got this band I've been managing
and we're getting a residency
at this club,
so
Okay, can I ask you a question?
Okay. Sure.
What do you remember
about our relationship?
Like, when you look back on it, I mean.
Really?
That's why you're here?
To rehash our six-month
relationship from
20 years ago?
You know what, forget it.
Forget about it. Goodbye, Marc.
Sorry. Uh, hold on.
Sorry. I'm sorry.
When I look back on it, I think
we were in love?
Um
I mean, you had great taste in music.
And
you were broken, you know,
in all the right places.
And, yeah, things got intense
at times, but, like,
we were kids.
No.
I was a kid.
You were a 24-year-old man.
And I wasn't broken. I was grieving.
My dad just died.
And I was destroyed
and so vulnerable and you knew it.
You liked it.
- Okay
- W No, no, no.
I'm not finished.
What you did to me
how you held my
self-esteem in your hand
and then you decided to crush it,
God, that damaged me, Marc.
For years,
I swallowed my dreams,
my feelings
and a lot of food.
No, no, look at me.
Look at me.
You need to get this.
The time that it took for me
to heal from you
stole years of my life.
And I can't get them back.
Took me a while,
yeah, but I, um
I found someone who
loves me the way
that I deserve to be loved.
I have a beautiful son
and an incredible husband,
who's actually in that car
and who was just, like, seconds away
from wanting to just pulverize
you with his bare hands.
I'm not broken. You're
the one that's broken, Marc.
You're the disease.
And I'm not carrying it a moment longer.
So
I give it back to you.
Good luck with it, Marc.
Sally, I took this man home with me,
and my parents asked me, "What
cave did you pull this out of?"
Kate.
It's gonna be fine.
I'm gonna put this sheet
over your knees.
Remember to breath, honey.
Ah! God, I feel good.
You know, he looked so small to me.
In his stupid-ass T-shirt
and just all
talking about his empty dreams.
It's like a joke.
I just cannot believe
I let him have that much power over me.
Hmm. I'm proud of you, babe.
- You did good.
- Thank you.
I wanted to tell you about it.
About all of it, about Marc,
so many times,
but
I didn't want you to-to
look at me like a victim.
Oh, Kate, come on.
No. And today, you you
just sat patiently in the car
when I know that you
wanted to rip out his jugular,
and you let me be my own white knight.
And you never looked at me
like I was a victim. Ever.
And I could have just told you
everything from day one.
Day one would have been a lot,
- but
- Okay.
I know.
So, what would this mean to you
if this Hai person was
actually telling the truth?
Beyond William's betrayal, I mean.
Beyond William's?
You know, I put a an ad in the paper
looking for my mom when I was 16?
Some scam artist showed up at the park.
She wanted money.
That must have hurt.
So much so that I stopped looking
for another 20 years.
She had 35 years to find me, and
she never even looked for me.
You don't know if that's what happened.
I
Let's look at it this way.
At nine years old,
you were curling your tongue
at Black folks in supermarkets.
At 16, you put ads in the paper.
And at 35, you hired a P.I.
Your whole life,
your instincts have been telling you
you need to know your history.
Why do you think you needed that?
To know where I came from.
To to know who I was.
I don't know, to
to feel connected or rooted
to something bigger than myself.
Did knowing William help you do that?
In a lot of ways it did.
Is there a chance that
knowing Laurel's story
could help you, too?
You're already in the journey, Randall.
Why not be in in it?
Um, I made you a little to-go breakfast.
This is so nice.
You didn't have to do that.
This-this
Thank you. Thank you.
You know, the car's gonna
be here any second.
Yeah, I just I'm
I know I'm leaving
at the worst possible time.
But when I come back,
it will be with a heart
that is committed
Kevin. I am deeply aware
that you come from a family
of great speech-givers.
I think you should use this time
away to be real with yourself.
To figure out how
this relationship and family
is actually gonna work,
and how these babies and I
are actually gonna fit in your life.
You said you were all in,
and I bought that.
Take this moment to decide
if you really are.
I am.
Take the moment.
Kiss the bubbalas goodbye.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, man. Okay.
Mwah. Mwah.
You listen to your mom, okay, babies?
Oh, okay. This is hard.
And, uh
Okay.
Okay.
Nothing went wrong. People change.
- People change?
- Yeah. People change.
Can they change back?
I don't know.
I think it's harder.
Hey, Bug.
- How was your weekend?
- It was fine.
Yeah? You had a good time with Molly?
Mm-hmm.
Is everything all right?
You know, I did call
a couple times to check in.
I didn't hear back.
Oh, sweetheart.
Is everything okay? What's wrong?
I was watching a sappy movie.
It made me cry.
Oh.
I'm sorry.
Do you want some dinner?
I'll take some ice cream.
You got it.
Yo, yo, this is Kevin.
You really answer
the phone like that, dude?
Randall, what's up?
So I've been thinking
about you going to L.A.
I don't think you should do it.
Right, 'cause you don't think
I'm talented.
No, no, it's not that.
You just got married.
Sophie's one of the best things
that's ever happened to you,
and this could really stress
your relationship.
Sophie and I have been together
since we were ten, Randall.
We can hack a few months apart.
Are you sure?
You know, because
when I think of anything
getting in between me and Beth
it makes my stomach hurt.
That's 'cause you're whipped.
Sorry I called.
No, look, I, uh
I appreciate the concern.
But Sophie and I are solid.
We're gonna be okay.
And look, when I'm a big star,
and we're living in some mansion,
it'll all be worth it.
Okay, Kev.
Whatever you say.
Hey. Everything all right with Mom?
Uh, with the babies?
Yeah.
Mom's good, um, and Madison's
She's fine. Yeah.
I-I saw your, uh, your-your strip clip
on Hoda's Twitter feed.
- It's hilarious, man.
- Ah
It's good And not, like,
in an embarrassing way at all.
I mean, it comes off really charming.
- It's great.
- Yeah. It's been a trip.
Uh, h-how is everybody there?
How are the girls?
Good. They're good.
Uh, Zoom schooling
is a unique version of hell,
- but, um
- I bet.
Yeah.
- So
- Anyway, uh
Oh, no, I-I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, no, g-go ahead.
No, I wasn't, uh, n Go ahead.
Well, l-look, the reason
I was calling is I'm-I'm, um
S Um
I'm finding myself in a really, um
complicated place with Madison,
and I'm a little bit lost
on how to deal with it,
and I-I, uh
the first thought that I had
was, uh,
well, it was "What would Randall do?"
I, uh, I have that thought
a lot, actually.
That's a nice thing to say.
It's a
nice thing to know.
I know it seems ironic, too,
uh, because of all of the
horrible things that I said to you
that day when we were, uh
Ah, we said a lot of things, Kev.
Yeah, but, uh
S
Randall, Kate was telling me
about some of the things, uh,
that you felt
during our childhood, some of
Is that really how you felt?
Yeah, Kev, it is.
Well, that is horrible.
Uh
I can't imagine having
to keep all that to yourself.
Hey, Kev, I'm sorry to cut you off,
but, um, now's not a great time.
I-I have a really important phone call
that I have to make right now.
Yeah, no, I get it.
Yeah, no, you-you do you.
- I-I get it.
- But we'll talk soon, all right?
We're really about to do this?
I'm already in it,
so let's get in it.
Oh, boy.
- I'm so nervous.
- I'm gonna boot.
Hello?
Hi, Hai.
Um, sorry. Uh, what I meant
to say was hello.
Um, is this Hai?
Uh, yes, this is he.
This is Randall Pearson.
Oh, Randall.
I'm so pleased to hear from you.
Uh, Hai?
Do you mind if I just jump
into asking you
a really blunt question?
Go ahead.
You mentioned in your e-mail
that Laurel died in May of 2015.
Of breast cancer, yes.
Um, my father told me
that Laurel overdosed
and died shortly after I was born.
So are you saying that he was lying?
From what I know of the story,
I believe he was telling you
what he thought was the truth.
Um, this is Beth, Randall's wife.
How exactly did you know Laurel?
We met in our early 20s,
here in Orleans Parish.
Sorry, I didn't expect
to feel so strange
talking about her on the phone.
I've thought of telling you
about her for so many years.
I just wish I could see your face.
I wish I could show you
the places she lived,
the things she loved.
Hey, what if we were to come out there?
If that's what you could do
To see where my mother lived,
and the things she loved?
I would like that very much.
Your place is beautiful.
It's actually yours.
Excuse me?
Your mother was a Dubois.
They were the most
distinguished family in town.
But, I think that was always
a lot of pressure for Laurel.
Your mother was the love of my life.