American Gothic (1995) s01e05 Episode Script

Evening, Holly G.
Afraid you're under arrest.
On what charge? Stealing my heart.
God, I love a man in uniform.
Hey, boyfriend.
Hey, yourself.
Where's my file? I love you, Lucas Buck.
I know you do, darling.
Where's the file? Almost got caught sneaking it out.
Birth record on one Caleb Temple.
Good work.
So what's this baby to you, anyway? I told you.
I'm investigating the mother's suicide.
Hmm.
What's "hmm"? Nothing.
Where we going? I'm taking you home.
Home? But you promised we'd go dancing or maybe take a swim under Johnson Bridge.
No, not tonight.
You're the father, aren't you? What? That baby's yours.
Don't be crazy.
All week it's been: "How's the baby doing? Did you check on the baby?" You're Caleb Temple's father.
Put on your seat belt.
If you really loved me you would have told me the truth.
You got an overactive imagination.
You stop lying! Hey, calm down, will you? I will not! And I ain't keeping your dirty little secret, neither.
You used me.
And I'm gonna tell everybody what you've done.
Everybody's gonna know about that baby.
Holly, I don't want things to end this way.
So I've changed my mind about that swim.
What you hunting, Caleb? Wild boar.
Me, too.
Got him! My boar's dead.
Mine got away.
Your friend's quite a shot, ain't he? Well, he's the best.
The best man don't always win.
Boone, would you mind if I gave Caleb some tips? No, sir.
Why don't you run home and pick up some flowers for your mama on the way? On me.
But we're practicing for the contest.
I don't think Boone here needs any more practice, do you? Go on, Boone.
So where'd you get that thing? Five-and-dime? My daddy gave it to me.
I guess it's serviceable.
If you know how to work it.
I can work it just fine.
Prove it.
Anybody could hit that thing.
What about a man's target? How about that crow? Think you could reach him? I don't kill nothing I don't eat.
Hell, cherry farmers around here kill them by the handful.
Pests, vermin.
Ruin a whole crop if you let them.
Well, he didn't do nothing to me.
I get it.
He's a little too far for you? That's all right.
No, he's not too far.
Go on, Mr.
Crow.
Long life.
Nothing to worry about from this little fellow.
I got him.
Well, all right.
See, I hit him dead on.
What are you doing? Taking off a claw.
You've earned yourself a talisman.
I don't want that thing.
What do you mean? You killed it, you own it.
You made me.
Son, nobody makes anybody do anything they don't want to do in the first place.
I ain't listening to you no more.
Caleb? I ain't listening to you no more.
Now, you for example are a fall color, so you would do well with our Autumn Glow.
Mrs.
Gallagher? Yes? It's Gail Emory.
A friend of Holly's.
Will you ladies give me a moment? Surely.
Gail Emory.
You remember me? Of course I do.
Well, all grown up.
And with a perfect summer complexion.
You look wonderful.
I wasn't even sure that I mean you look great.
Thank you.
I'm so happy to see you.
What brings you back to town? My cousin, Caleb Temple.
I'm sure that you heard what happened to his father and his sister.
Yes.
What an ugly mess.
I thought maybe if I knew a little more about his past I would be able to help him through this, so I understand that Holly was working at the hospital when his mother died.
Why don't you come inside, Gail? You and Holly were friends in what? Fourth grade? That's right.
Then you probably remember our house during its avocado period.
All greens and oranges.
Lots of changes since then.
This is exactly as Holly left it.
She doesn't live here anymore? Holly's dead, Gail.
It's been over Car accident.
I'm sorry, Mrs.
Gallagher.
It's all right.
I like to show people this room because I think it says more about Holly than I ever could.
There's her nursing certificate and her commendation from the Ladies League.
Holly had great potential.
Everyone thought she was going to conquer the world.
And so did I.
Would you like some lemonade? Sure.
Yes, Miss Welsley.
All right, Miss Welsley.
We'll send you our sample pack right away.
Thank you for calling.
Was Holly seeing anyone when she died? She was very popular.
But there was no one serious.
Are you sure? You're a romantic, aren't you? Just like my Holly.
Have some lemonade.
You gonna shoot me, too? Hey.
How long you been here? Long enough.
What happened today, Caleb? Nothing.
Well, you're not sleeping.
I didn't wanna shoot that crow, Merly.
I swear.
I just Something came over me.
Lucas is a part of you, Caleb.
The sooner you accept that, the better.
Does that mean I gotta be like he is? No.
But you can't run from him.
Guess I can't run from you, neither.
Do you get smarter when you die? I don't know.
I'm scared, Merly.
So am I.
Barbara Joy? Now look what you made me do.
Now, what are you doing? Righting a centuries-old wrong, I'm told.
Ben Junior's been getting some flack about this damn thing at school.
It ain't P.
C.
If you're here to see him, you're two weeks early.
I'm here to see your husband.
About what? How about taking off those glasses? He's in the shop.
Waylon? Well, if it ain't Deputy Dawg.
It's nice to see you, too.
Watch out there, Son.
Sorry, Daddy.
Hey, Ben.
How you doing? All right, I guess.
What else do you say, Son? I'm fine, thank you for asking.
How are you? I've been better.
Son, would you mind if I talk to your stepfather for a minute alone? He's a big boy now.
He can hear anything you've got to say.
I really don't think that's a good idea.
Weekend father laying down the law.
Okay, Benji, run up and ask your mama to hustle us up some sandwiches.
Yes, sir.
Private enough for you? Your wife's wearing dark glasses.
And you're wearing rayon pants.
You're here to dissect her wardrobe? How you two been getting along? Excuse me, Deputy but since when was that any of your business? She's the mother of my child.
Well, that may be, but she's my wife now.
Well, that don't give you any reason to mistreat her.
She call you up here? No.
Is this police business? Well, not yet.
Well, then I guess you ain't got a leg to stand on.
Benji, get the deputy here some ice.
He walked into a door.
Hey, Sheriff.
What is an eight-letter word for "snoop"? "Intruder"? Has to end in a "Y.
" Reach for the stars, Floyd.
Hello, Miss Emory.
I see my tax dollars are hard at work.
Sounds like we're in for an exposé.
You want me to pad some expense reports for you? I'd rather you answer a few questions about Holly Gallagher.
Now there's a name from the vault.
"Every time I see your angelic face "my heart sings with the joy of a thousand trumpets.
" So I was a lousy poet.
What's the point? You were seeing her when she died.
Jealous? We had dinner a couple of times.
Sweet girl.
Little obsessive.
I suppose you found the body.
Wrong.
Her car went off the Johnson Bridge, we never found nothing.
How hard did you look? We had all kinds of divers, ma'am.
Hell, even used coast guard radar.
No luck.
The coast guard? Slow news day? What the hell happened to you? Nothing.
Look, there's no mystery here.
But if you try and invent one Holly's mother's the one who's gonna suffer.
She's put this behind her, I suggest you do the same.
Holly was a nurse at the hospital when Caleb's mother died.
I'm aware of that, ma'am.
She was also my friend.
Would you get out of the way, please? Floyd, I believe I've found your magic word.
What's that? Busybody.
Who done this to you, Ben? Waylon Flood.
Family dispute? Yeah, you could say that.
You want me to handle it? No.
Well, people lose respect for you, they lose respect for me.
And I can't have that in my town.
I'll take care of it, Lucas.
You'd better.
Can't we all just get along? We live in a violent world but that doesn't mean we need to succumb to our basic instincts.
People like Martin Luther King Gandhi and Robert E.
Lee all believed there was a peaceful solution to every problem.
Yes, Charlotte? I thought Robert E.
Lee was a general in the Civil War.
Well, yes, he was, darling.
But only because he was pushed.
Boone Mackenzie, would you come here a moment? This is yours, isn't it? Well, what's happened to your penmanship? I had a blister.
Well, Boone, I'm afraid all these outside activities are getting in the way of your work.
I'm sorry, Miss Coombs.
But it's better now.
Good.
Then maybe we'd like to take another pass at this.
But we've got practice.
The contest is tomorrow.
Well, I'm aware of that, Caleb but I think this is more important, don't you? No.
It's okay.
I'll catch up with you later.
Hey, hotshot.
Leave me alone.
On your way to practice? I wouldn't want to interfere with that.
Practice is an important part of the victory equation.
Of course, there is another part.
What? The right tools.
Well, what are you waiting for? Pick it up.
Whose is it? Yours, of course.
I felt so bad about what happened yesterday I didn't want us getting off on the wrong foot.
Here.
Feels good, don't it? Much better than this old branch you were using.
It's so light.
It's more then that, Son.
It's your ticket to glory.
What say we take it for a test drive? Water's real muddy.
The vehicle's only down there about 15 feet.
I can't believe they couldn't find it.
Maybe they didn't look.
Or maybe the Sheriff just wants to let sleeping dogs lie.
You have a problem with this? No.
Just leave my name out of the papers.
All right, T.
J.
Let's do it.
Can you help me with this door? Sorry, ma'am.
I knew Holly.
There's nothing in here.
How tall was she? Holly? Little bit shorter than you, I reckon.
She was shorter.
She wasn't driving.
I ain't shooting no more crows.
Of course not.
Playtime's over.
And now that you've got the right equipment all you're missing is the fire in the belly.
A what in the belly? The will to win, Son.
The burning desire to conquer.
You know how you find it? No.
By letting go.
Let go of your fear see yourself in the winner's circle, and there you are.
Now who's the best shot out here? Josh is pretty good.
Then you set up next to him and I'll teach you a little something about psychological warfare.
Go on.
Hold on, boy.
Don't just slink over there.
It's not who you are, it's who people think you are.
Give him some attitude.
First shot will be the most important.
'Cause that's the one he'll be watching.
Use the equipment, trust the sights.
And let go.
Whoa! What'd I tell you? Nice shot, Caleb.
Thanks.
Don't thank him.
Just smile like it's the easiest thing in the world.
Let's see it again.
It works.
Of course it works.
Wow, two in a row.
Still What? Boone's better then me.
Well, if you believe that, you ain't got a chance.
Gotta put Boone in his place.
But he's my best friend.
No room for friendship on the battlefield, Son.
He'd gladly beat you, wouldn't he? I guess.
Close your eyes.
Go on.
Now, picture Boone's face up there on that target.
You see him? Yeah.
Okay.
Now if he was really your friend would he want to humiliate you in front of all those people tomorrow? No.
If he was really your friend, he'd be trying to help you, wouldn't he? I guess.
He's your enemy, Caleb.
Never forget that.
He's your enemy.
Now, open your eyes.
And meet your new best friend.
Don't you worry, Mrs.
Balstrap.
I'm sure the dentist will know what to do.
No, I would not advise trying to take the braces off yourself.
Look, could you hold on a sec? Doc, I got a lady on the phone here whose son fell off his bike, landed on his face and mashed his braces up into his gums.
Now, what do I tell her? Get him to a dentist.
That's what I've been telling her.
She's fighting me.
Mrs.
Balstrap the doctor here says you should get Clarence to the dentist as soon as possible.
Well, now I don't know about that.
All right.
Bye.
She says she can't afford any more dental work.
She wants to know if Lucas will loan her the money.
What a world.
Ben? Well, Sheriff's out, Doc.
I came to see you.
Well, sit down.
Your ex-wife came to see me again.
She had some pretty serious bruises.
I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch Now, hold on.
I'm not here to make the situation worse.
Your wife is an adult.
If she wants to change her life, she will.
Your son doesn't have any choice in this.
Did he hurt my boy? Not physically.
No.
But if that man is his only role model he's gonna think that kind of behavior's okay.
Well, I see him twice a month.
Have you talked to him about this? No.
Spousal abuse is a learned behavior.
Your son needs to know that what's happening is wrong and it won't be tolerated.
Well, I've wanted to spend more time with him.
But Barbara Joy just She doesn't have much respect for me.
This might be an opportunity to change that.
I could throw Waylon's sorry ass in jail.
Well, that's your call.
But if you do, he may end up looking like the victim.
Talk to your son, Ben.
Talk to him.
Gail? Mrs.
Gallagher.
I'm kind of busy right now.
We need to talk.
All right.
Come on in.
Thin mint? No, thank you.
I went to Johnson's Bridge this afternoon.
What on earth for? To find Holly's car.
It was only in 15 feet of water.
You had no right to do that.
You don't want to know what happened? I know what happened.
Lynda Lee, how may I help you? I can't talk to you right now.
I can't talk.
I'll have to call you back.
Why are you doing this to me? Her body wasn't in the car, Mrs.
Gallagher.
But more importantly, I don't think that she was driving.
What difference does it make? Holly is dead.
I would just appreciate it if you would just Janice? You said this would only take a minute.
I'm sorry.
Miss Emory was just leaving.
Mrs.
Gallagher, I'm sorry to call you back.
I'm sorry, what kind of place is this? It's a sanitarium, ma'am.
We have a question about Holly's medication.
Yeah, right.
Ain't you got nothing better to do than annoy people? I've come to apologize, Waylon.
Is that so? Yeah, I believe I mishandled things.
Well, you got that right.
So, what do you got to say to me? I ain't got nothing to say to you.
This is for my son.
I'm sorry I asked you to leave earlier today, Son.
Waylon here was right, you are old enough to hear this.
What is this garbage? I'm afraid your stepfather here is a coward.
He thinks that the way to control people is by bullying them and beating on them.
You're on my property, Deputy.
But I'm here to tell you that all that's gonna stop now.
'Cause you don't deserve it.
And neither does your mother.
Get out of here, boy.
Git! You go on, Son, and you tell your mama that everything's gonna be fine now.
All right, now we can either talk or you can try hitting me again.
Hell, Ben, what kind of choice is that? It's yours.
Look.
Maybe I have been a bit harsh.
I've had a lot of pressure in the business.
You tell Sheriff Buck that I appreciate the warning and I won't ever lay a hand on Barbara Joy again.
And you gonna stop bullying my boy? Yeah, yeah, sure.
Hell, these are the hands of an artist.
Then I guess we're done talking.
Holly? It's Gail.
Gail Emory.
Gail? Gail Emory? Do you remember me? Is he here? Who? My boyfriend.
Who's your boyfriend, Holly? "Every time I see your angelic face "my heart sings with the joy of a thousand trumpets.
" What happened, Holly? He's here.
Evening, Holly G.
Afraid you're under arrest.
On what charge? Stealing my heart.
Why didn't you tell me she was still alive? Now, don't take it personally.
Nobody in town knows.
That's the way Holly's mama wants it to stay.
I think she invested so much of herself in that child the thought of living with her this way was just too much to bear.
Four minutes without oxygen.
That's all it took, a lifetime of dreams washed away.
You were driving the car, weren't you? I've tried to do the right thing.
I found this place for her.
Visit at least once a week.
You were driving the car.
And I want to know what happened that night.
Get in the car.
I don't need a demonstration.
Words are cheap, Miss Emory.
If you really want to know what happened I'm gonna have to show you.
Awful lot of people in there saw you come out here with me.
Then you don't have anything to worry about, do you? Get in.
Put on your seat belt.
You like dancing? Holly sure did.
She could dance up a storm.
Where are we going? That's funny.
Holly asked me the same question.
I thought we'd retrace the steps of that fateful night.
I believe I could drive this road with my eyes closed.
I'm not impressed.
Have faith, Miss Emory.
See, that was Holly's problem.
She lost her faith.
Slow down.
No faith in me.
No faith in love.
And mostly, no faith in herself.
Were you playing this game with her, too? No game.
We were past that.
She realized it was over between us.
And she wasn't wrong.
Enough.
Open your eyes.
She grabbed the wheel Open your eyes! I couldn't control the car.
You see? She wanted us both to die.
Why? Because she was a romantic, Gail.
And so am I.
Next up, Caleb Temple.
Doing real good, Caleb.
That practice sure paid off.
And now up is Boone Mackenzie.
That was a good shot, too, honey.
Nice shot.
Nice try.
It's okay.
We're both in the lead.
Don't you want to win? Of course.
But if I don't, your winning is just as good.
Come on, honey.
Come on.
Go ahead.
Dad? Hi, Son.
What you doing here? I just wanted to tell you that it meant a lot to Mama your coming by the hospital to see Mr.
Flood.
Well, I'm real sorry about what happened.
It meant a lot to me, too.
I appreciate that, Son.
You'd do the same for me, wouldn't you? Well, I guess I'll see you around, huh? Yeah, I believe you will.
Now trying to break the tie, Caleb Temple.
Better luck next time, Caleb.
Now shooting his final round, Boone Mackenzie.
I don't want this no more.
I ain't winning your way.
Well, Caleb, your call.
Just remember, a good loser, is still a loser.
In the final round, Boone Mackenzie leads Caleb Temple 30-23.
Caleb Temple needs a bulls-eye to win the match.
Don't worry, darling.
He can still win.
Boone Mackenzie wins the match, 30-28.
Good.
Well done, Boone.
Good shooting.
Stupid game.
Congratulations, Boone.
Thanks.
You had me scared.
You had me scared, too.
But I took my best shot, and that's what counts.
Sorry about the way I treated you, though.
It's okay.
But will you still go boar-hunting with me? If you'll help me with my handwriting.
All right.
Hello, Gail.
Are you here for a consultation? I saw Holly.
I'll bet you didn't know she was a dancer.
Did you know that? She had so much talent.
She still may.
Did you know that she finished first in her class in nursing school? Number one.
Smart girl, my Holly.
Then why don't you bring her home? Holly may be different, but she's still your daughter.
And I'm sure she still wants to make you proud.
There's my phone.
Another customer dreaming of a makeover.
Another chance to be perfect.
Goodbye, Mrs.
Gallagher.
Goodbye, Gail.
Okay, let's try it again.
The three most important vital signs are: I'll give you a hint.
The first two are: pulse rate and body temperature.
And the third is Lucas Buck.
Good girl.
Blood pressure is right.
You are my perfect little girl.
Aren't you? Perfect in every way.
Children are a puzzle, aren't they? You give and you give and you give and you give, and what do you get back? Nothing.
He shot that crow, didn't he? Big deal.
Even Ben's son could do that.
Where did I go wrong? Honey that's the question on everyone's lips.