Big Little Lies (2017) s02e05 Episode Script

Kill Me

1 What exactly does your mother-in-law know? - What's all this? - The photoshoot.
Women in Power.
People file for bankruptcy all the time.
There will come a day that you will pay for this.
If there was a problem with us, why couldn't you come straight at me like you go at everyone else? What do you think about going to a couple's workshop? I saw you with your friends.
Something's wrong, and I don't like the energy - around you.
- What Oh my God! Mom! Oh my God! What's happening to her? I'm worried about the boys.
They're at risk here.
My boys will not be going to live with you.
You're a mess.
I pushed him.
Listen to me! Listen to me! I pushed him.
Nobody did this! Nobody! Help! Somebody! Fuck.
Hey, Ed! Ed! Hold on, man.
Hey.
Hey.
Listen, man.
I'm sorry for the whole party thing.
Yeah, I overreacted.
You know what? I don't believe you.
- What? - That you're sorry.
Why do you have to be such a fuck? Well, I don't have to be.
I choose to be.
See, not everybody gets along, Nathan.
I mean, can't we just be comfortable not liking each other? Doesn't have to be a reason.
This whole fucking world's lost its mind.
This whole fucking planet is inhabited by nutfucks! Hey, nutfuck! Basically, this is child custody.
We will set a hearing.
Between now and then, I will appoint a psychiatric investigator.
He or she will interview the parties, the children, your associates, your friends, anybody and everybody he or she deems necessary to making a recommendation to the court.
In the end, it will come down to my judgement whether there's been behavior detrimental to the children.
Any questions so far? May I be heard, Your Honor? Very well.
I do not consider Celeste Wright - to be a bad person.
- Good to know.
She's been a wonderful mother to the boys.
- Mary Louise.
- And I don't have any reason to doubt - her ongoing commitment to them.
- Okay.
- So what are we doing here? - That said she's not well.
- All right.
- It's true.
This isn't the time, Mrs.
Wright.
Well, then you understand.
This is not a case of angry mother-in-law on the loose - or something.
- So unfair.
Rather it's as you suggest we have to do what is best for the children.
All right, we will take this up at another time.
- This is inappropriate.
- We're good.
- Thank you, Your Honor.
- Thank you very much.
Thank you.
We will see you at the hearing.
How do we not respond to that? 'Cause we don't.
You're a lawyer, Celeste.
- You know how this goes.
- But we should have.
She gets to make a sympathetic first impression, and what, I just sit there silent? Which, in the face of an accusation, can be deemed an admission of fucking guilt.
The judge won't see it that way.
She's after my kids! That's exactly the type of flare up they'll be looking to provoke.
- Okay? - God! She gets to make an opening statement, and you did nothing.
I didn't hire you to do nothing.
Please.
Because nothing was exactly the right response, Celeste.
We have a very smart judge in there.
One who will be able to see through your mother-in-law's little performance and see it for what it was.
Just a performance.
And I told you, I am not about putting up that kind of performance.
I'm about credibility.
So when I speak, judges listen.
And now I need you to listen.
They don't win here unless they establish you as unhinged.
So you should expect everything and anything they do say to be precisely designed to get you to react.
We will not give them that.
Mom.
- Hi! What a nice surprise.
- Hi.
- Where's Dad? - Outside with Grandpa.
Is she getting better? A little.
Still can't talk, though.
Today's gym, right? Got all your stuff? Yeah.
Oh, I miss you.
There's a surprise for you at home.
- Shh! Hey, hey.
What? - Oh, yeah? - Okay.
- All right.
Time to go, big girl.
- Pit stop's over.
- Okay.
Bye, Grandma.
Love you, baby.
- Thanks for stopping by.
- Bye.
I love you.
- Bye, Grandpa.
- Bye.
The most important thing is that you remain open-minded.
You know, really open to new theories This isn't gonna be like wife-swapping, is it? No! This is a healing institute.
Not a swinger's convention.
Please have an open mind.
Please? I'm in the car.
We're warriors, you and me.
You know? Before the day I met you Before the day I met you Life was so unkind Life was so unkind But your love was the key to my peace of mind Peace of mind - 'Cause you make me feel - You make me feel Really? I couldn't believe it.
I sat there, and I didn't say anything.
But Katie seems to think that's the right thing to do, and I'm not thinking straight.
- Yeah, no, I know.
- I'm just not.
This is disgusting.
I mean, honestly, I wanna sit down with Mary Louise.
Well I don't think that that would help, so I don't know, Celeste.
Listen, don't get me wrong, but, um, you're an attorney yourself, and we gotta just say it: lawyers fuck things up often.
And that's why I wanted to ask you about Katie.
Well, what about her? Well, I mean, is she is she as good as people say? Well, she's good because of this.
It's a very different kind of skill set, and judges in family court - don't like bulldogs.
- Yeah.
And so I think given that, she's good.
I mean I think the straightest line to get this resolved is just to have Mary Louise call it off.
- No, she's not gonna do that.
- Hmm - She's not.
- She might.
Honey, I need to take a crack at her.
- Renata.
- Okay? This is what I do.
- Yeah? We're in a meeting.
- Renata I'm so sorry.
I just got a call from Suzie Jenkins, San Francisco Magazine, and, please don't shoot the messenger they are not going to include you in the "Women in Power" piece.
I'm I'm sorry? - Did she say why? - Um The bankruptcy thing.
Listen, I can step out.
No, no, my God, no.
No.
No! Stay right there.
They said it's not the story that they're telling.
She just said the focus is women on top.
I'm I'm so sorry.
No, I mean, my God, it's not your fault.
I know, I just feel terrible because I said it's not your fault! Can you excuse us? I can make you some Africa Zimbabwe tea If you just stop talking.
Okay, I'm gonna go away.
That would be best.
Are you okay? I am not okay, Celeste.
Well, I mean it's just a magazine article It's not just a magazine.
It's "Women in Power"! I mean, we're supposed to be on each other's side, and they're backstabbing sluts! "Ziggy.
" That's a dumb ass name.
My brother knows about you.
He said you have a hot mom.
Is that true? You know you're a mistake, right? Come on, pussy boy.
Say something.
What's going on? Beat it.
I'm talking to someone.
Leave my brother alone.
He's your brother? That means your dad's a rapist.
- Get the hell outta here! - Make me.
His name is Brian McPherson.
He is a bit difficult, and he has bullied others.
But that being said, he's the one sitting in the hospital getting his lip stitched up.
Oh my God - I'm suspending all four boys.
- What? It's just three days.
While we investigate Investigate? Why didn't you do that first? Jane.
It was three against one.
The boy got hurt.
My hands are tied.
After school is over, you're playing in the park But don't be out too late You need to tell me what he said to you.
Hey, uh-uh.
Look at me.
What did he say? - I told you.
I can't remember.
- Ziggy.
He said my father's a rapist.
Answer me! I'll take over.
Okay.
- I'll see you later.
- See ya.
Be open-minded, okay? - Look at the view! - It is pretty.
And they have a fireplace! So, you're gonna wander the space.
We're not moving in a circle.
We're exploring the space, and when you come face-to-face with someone you'd like to hug, give them a hug for about the length of a nice inhale, exhale.
Okay? Good.
Thank you.
Oh my God! That was awful.
I'm so sorry.
Thank you for at least agreeing to try.
You're a really good man.
Good husband, good father.
I was a sound choice.
What are you saying? What? What are you trying to say? I've said it many times, Madeline.
Well, saying it one more time is not going to kill you, is it? Nathan broke your world, which at its core, is family.
You've said it many times.
I know.
I've said it many, many times.
Is it a fucking crime? I didn't say it was a fucking crime.
Okay, then what are you trying to say to me? Please, just tell me.
I have no idea.
On our first dates, it was like you were interviewing me.
Not so much for the soulmate position or lover.
But rather, father.
The stable provider.
Abigail was ripped apart and you were determined to fix that.
To not make the mistake of going down the lust path again.
You had a certain criteria, and I checked all the boxes.
So you made the sound, practical choice.
It's not something I couldn't make peace with.
I did.
But then you got unsound.
You decided to make impractical choices, one being to fuck Joseph Bachman, which left me with the most difficult choice of all: to walk out with my dignity or to stay with a woman who I simply cannot trust.
You can trust me to love you.
More deeply than I've ever loved anybody.
Can you trust me not to fuck things up again? Maybe not.
I don't know if I can trust myself with that.
I didn't trust my parents' marriage, and the one I had with Nathan was not to be believed.
And I I don't know what it is, and I don't Maybe it's some unconscious preemptive thing where I wanna be the destroyer, not the destroyee.
I don't understand, and I racked my brain about it, but I 'Cause all I really want is to be married to you.
Just happily married to you.
But I must have low self-esteem or I fucking hate myself or something because look what I've done.
If I fuck up again, it will not be with infidelity.
I give you my word.
All my future mistakes will be brand new ones.
They said it was ultimately a smear on the entire publication if I was in this article.
I'm sorry.
That sucks.
You know, it might actually be for the best.
- What? - I The article would have put a target right on your back.
I've spent my entire life with a bullseye on my back.
This is one I wanted.
It's for me.
Coming! - Mary Louise! - Oh.
Hello.
Hi.
Thank you so much for coming.
Oh, thank you.
Pleasure's mine.
I often don't get invited for tea in this neck.
Well, please.
Please.
Um, what kind of tea would you like? Again, I just I wanna say I really appreciate you coming because, um, I know there's a lot going on, and, uh, it must be so unbearably difficult.
It is.
Thank you for for understanding that.
Of course.
My God.
And listen, just between you and me, I did want us I was hoping this would just be about tea, but people don't do that anymore.
Do they? Uh, do what? Just enjoy each other's company.
Just no agenda.
It would be so nice if people could just be together, you know.
But maybe somebody will invent an app for that.
Well, um can I talk to you? Just mother to mother.
I would like that.
Great.
Uh, in thinking about everything that's going on What happened to your furniture? I mean, it's such a big house, you'd think there would be a lot of furniture.
Well, we're going through a little bankruptcy thing right now, - which is almost resolved.
But - Oh, that sounds awful.
- Well - But you work, don't you, Renata? - I do.
Yes.
- Yeah.
That must be especially devastating, for a working mom to lose her house, her belongings, because just to think about the sacrifice You know, all the missed dinners with kids, and the not being able to host the after-school play dates, there's just so many, many moments lost.
And for what? A screening room.
Maybe a boat.
Sorry.
You were saying s Oh.
Mother to mother? Are you placing judgment on my life choices? I don't know your life choices.
I don't know you, other than you're a friend of Celeste, and you seem like a very nice person who lives in a big house with no furniture.
This is a serious situation, and the boy needed stitches, so I need to know.
Who instigated the fight? Was it you, Max? - Was it? - He was saying stuff about Dad.
And he was picking on Ziggy.
So what? So the three of you attacked him? You ganged up on him? You can't do that.
Violence is not the answer.
Look at me.
You think it is? What? Why are you looking at me like that? Stop being such a bitch.
Don't talk to me like that! You do not talk to me like that! Come he Stop it! You can't talk to your mother like that.
You can't talk to me like that.
Do you understand me? It's not right.
I have an appointment tonight.
Kelly's gonna be here in a minute to sit.
What kind of appointment? Oh, um with a lawyer.
Your grandmother thinks it would be better if if you lived with her for a little while, and I I disagree, and it's Why does she think that? Because I I don't know.
We're not gonna live here anymore? No, you're absolutely gonna live here.
We have to have a judge decide, and that's what I have to go and do tonight.
I don't want to live with Grandma.
I don't want you to live with Grandma, and you're not going to.
You will be living here.
All right? You will absolutely be living here.
But, I know, I know change is gonna come Oh yeah, oh, yes it will Hey, honey.
There was a time I would go to my brother I asked my brother, "Brother, will you help me please?" - Okay.
It's okay.
- He turned me down Ask my dear mother You're okay.
All right? All right.
Yummy.
Sink into the floor.
A love like ours Is love that's hard to find - How could we let it slip away? - Keep it going.
Keep it going.
- We've come too far - Let me hear you.
To leave it all behind Is Mom okay? What the hell is that? Singing for sleep apnea.
Stanford Sleep Clinic.
They diagnose everyone.
The class is a cash cow.
What's up? Well, um About your mother I think we need to get her out of this hospital.
Aren't they moving her to rehab? Which basically means they're throwing their hands up.
They don't think she'll get better? We need to do something.
Look at you getting involved.
Wow.
I gotta go.
Dad.
You don't think I got involved? That I didn't protect you? - No, Dad.
I don't.
- If you only goddamn knew.
I do goddamn know.
I was there.
Did you diffuse things? Sure.
Did you stop shit from getting worse? Sometimes.
But did you protect me? We've come too far to leave it all behind Well, thank you for agreeing to meet.
I'll get right to the point.
There are only losers in procedures like these, and the biggest ones, invariably, being the children.
So, my suggestion is that we agree to joint custody, - one where - No.
- Just hear me out, please.
Hear me out.
- No.
- Hear me out.
- No.
One where weekdays with you - Are you fucking kidding me? - Hear me out.
- No, just hear me out.
Hear me out.
- No.
Weekdays with you.
Weekends with my client, Saturdays and Sundays.
- What? - You agree to seek treatment for drug and alcohol dependency as well as anger management.
- Fuck you.
- Well, there you go.
These things will come up, Mrs.
Wright.
- Is that a threat? - That's a fact.
You.
You're not getting my boys.
Not for a Saturday.
Not for a Sunday.
Not for a fucking minute.
Did you really expect me to accept this? How are the boys doing? You know, we don't want this to go to court.
There will be no joint custody.
I see silence continues to be your weapon of choice.
Exactly what am I paying you for? - It was actually a decent offer.
- No.
There are so many possibilities should this go to court, Celeste a lot of them bad.
- You said we should win.
- We should.
But we could also lose.
The offer we just got - is a win in my opinion.
- Oh God! There's also What? - What? - Your husband's death.
It will come up.
Shit.
There's gonna be a guardianship hearing.
I'm gonna have to testify, and that means that I'm fair game.
- On everything.
- Fuck, you're right.
And Katie is pretty much convinced that Farber is getting help from the police.
- She is? - What? Jesus Christ - So, basically - Oh my God.
he's an agent for them, and And I suppose they can ask me anything.
- Under oath.
- Yeah.
- Oh my God.
- And if I get caught in like, a lie or something, then they have a case.
Can you just plead the Fifth? No, I'll lose my kids, Madeline.
That's true.
And they have this witness list with you.
You are all on the list.
But why would they call us? We're on your side.
Madeline, please.
It's a fucking perjury trap.
That's what they would do.
They'd call us to the stand to testify to Celeste's fitness.
- Yeah - Then under oath, they say, "Oh, by the way, how did Perry Wright fall down the stairs?" - No.
- Yes.
- Can they do that? - Yes.
Okay, but then we just stick with our story.
That's perjury, babe.
Okay, but they'd have to prove we were lying.
They can't They probably can.
What if they can? I'm just telling you this because we have to be prepared.
Look, we have to stick together.
That's the only way we've gotten this far.
If we stick together, we'll be fine.
We're gonna be fine.
Thank you again.
He really likes you.
You're welcome.
Any time.
It's a pleasure.
Still up? And on your iPad, I see, which you're not supposed to have at night.
Can I please have that? Thank you.
Listen, um, me and you are gonna have breakfast with Max and Josh in the morning.
I have to work for a few hours, but I'm gonna get off early, and I'll meet you guys at Whaler's Cove I don't know, sometime in the afternoon.
And then you, me, Celeste, and the boys are gonna go kayaking.
Cool.
It's not a reward for bad behavior.
I just figured since you're suspended, I mean, we might as well get some exercise.
You like Corey.
Right? Mm-hmm.
Yeah, I do.
- Me too.
- That's good.
Am I gonna grow up to be like him? Like Corey? No.
Like my my father.
No.
God, no, baby.
And you are gonna grow up to be the sweetest kindest most handsome funniest, loveliest adorable-est man.
- I promise you that.
- Thanks, Mom.
I love you.
Baby? He's at the hospital sitting vigil.
He wanted us to take a break.
Sweet.
I was protecting you.
Or so I thought.
Best way I could.
By keeping the peace.
It's okay, Dad.
I know how weak I must seem to you.
But I was just trying to do whatever I could to make the rage go away.
For you.
And for me.
- Okay.
- And for her.
She started to talk this afternoon.
To mumble.
I had no idea what she was trying to say.
Um She tried and she tried and finally, I got it.
What'd she say? She said you're drowning.
Sometimes, the things she feels and sees turn out to be right, - and now I'm worried.
- Dad What's going on? I'm just gonna go check on Skye.
Why is Grandma doing this? Because I think she's She's worried that that I'm still sad over missing your daddy, and and she she thinks that my sadness isn't always good for you two.
So she thinks it would be better if you lived with her for a while, while I get over my sadness.
Do you think that? No.
Mm-mm.
I do not think that.
So, I don't know what kind of questions this doctor's gonna ask, but if she asks you who you would prefer to live with then it's really important that you say you wanna live here.
'Cause she might tell the judge? Exactly.
She might tell the judge.
Well, shall we say we don't like Grandma? No, don't say that.
We can protect you.
Yeah.
We can say whatever you want us to say.
Listen to me.
You do not need to protect me.
All right? You just have to tell the truth.
That you want to live here.
- Okay.
- Okay.
I love you.
Get good sleep.
Big day tomorrow.
- Good night, Mom.
- Good night.
Good night.
Hey, Sweet Pea.
How come I'm not at school? Sweetie, I told you.
Ziggy and Max and Josh are having their special day with their moms, and I thought, "Well, wait a minute! Let's us have a mother-daughter day.
" This is because we're broke, isn't it? - And we have to move.
- No, Amabella.
It's 'cause I wanted to spend the day with you.
Sweetie, everything isn't about money.
Well, it is, but it isn't.
What matters is this.
Your family, your friends Now, when you're ready I will race you to that pool, we will dive in, and we will have so much fun! - Okay? - Okay.
Don't worry.
Do you and Ed have another plan? No, not yet.
- You know what I was thinking? - Hmm? He loves to golf, so maybe I'll learn to golf.
Something we can do together.
Mom, why would you want to golf? You hate golf.
True.
But I took a vow.
For better or worse.
All right, it's all over your face.
No, it's not! It's fine! Mary Louise.
- Madeline.
Hello.
- Hi.
- This is my daughter, Abigail.
- Oh.
- This is Mary Louise Wright.
- Hi.
You must be the one who's off to college.
- Um - Can I say something? - Of course.
- What you're doing is indecent.
Trying to take those boys away from their mother - Very nice to meet you, Abigail.
- What's wrong with you? Huh? Huh? She's psycho.
I am The only one Can ride that horse Th'yonder I'm full of bees Who died at sea Please, just go.
Just touch me.
- Corey, please.
- Y You sure? - Whoa! - Oh my God! You're upside down.
How'd you get over there? Well, you suffered a trauma.
It's gonna take some time.
I just think it's amazing that you were still able to enjoy sex all that time.
You know, despite everything.
Yep, it's pretty fucked up.
Put me down! Put me down! Put me down, Corey! - My boys miss this.
- Oh my God.
My turn again! Should I go save him? All right, boys, let's go! You ready? Ah, they miss this so much.
I want you to stop worrying about me.
And start thinking about you.
Skye made this for you.
You are right, though, I'm going through a rough moment.
But you know me, I'll figure it out.
What, Mama? K Kill me.
Oh my God! Oh my God, you're so good.
Hey.
Two Brooklyns, please.
Tori.
Hi.
- Mommy! - Hello, ocean! Hello!
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