Modern Love (2019) s01e08 Episode Script

The Race Grows Sweeter Near Its Final Lap

Beautiful day out there, but there is a thunderstorm forecast for later this afternoon.
So if you are going out, remember to bring an umbrella.
Here's Schubert's "Serenade No.
4" from the Swan Songs.
- Hi, Mom.
- Hey.
Did you sleep? A little.
It's 11:30.
I know.
I'll put on some coffee.
Poor guy.
- Who? - Him.
I noticed him at the start.
I'll bet you did.
No.
I mean, I noticed that he went out too fast.
Well, he's paying for it now.
He looks done.
Maybe he just needs a bit of encouragement.
Come on, buddy.
You can do it.
Hmm.
I'm getting worried.
Do you think it's possible that something could have happened to him? Well, surely someone would have noticed.
I'd be very disappointed if he died before I had the chance to ask him out.
Don't even joke about that, Margot.
- I'm not.
- Go on, Ken.
You got this.
Thanks for the escort, fellas.
Sorry for keeping you so late.
But seriously, Ken, uh, golf is really gonna be your thing.
Don't listen to him, man.
- Get a massage.
- Whoo-hoo! Well, that was humiliating.
Not at all.
It's just a fun run.
That was the opposite of fun.
They were genuinely worried they were gonna have to break out - the defibrillator.
- Don't be silly.
Oh, no.
Oh, they kept asking if they could drive me the last bit.
I said, "No.
I'm gonna complete the course.
" Good for you.
How come you're still here? You must've finished ages ago.
We're just, um, warming down.
I love a good long warm-down.
Huh, smart.
Were you jogging on your own? Or you have a buddy? Oh, on my own.
Maybe you'd like to think about joining our club.
Oh, well I I think I'd enjoy that.
Yeah, thanks.
Do you mind if I open a window? It's like a sweatbox in here.
Oh, sure.
Ken likes the thermostat way up.
His blood runs a little colder than mine.
Have you decided what you're wearing? Uh, well, there should be a black pantsuit in the dry cleaning bag in the closet.
Got you.
Shoes? I'll pick them.
- I got it.
- Oh, thank you.
I'll leave you to get ready.
- Are you okay? - No pain, no gain.
That's right.
No guts, no glory.
You're doing great today.
Oh, I'm using a pacemaker.
Really? The heart kind? No, no.
The people kind.
Uh, I pick a runner doing a nice gentle pace, fall in behind and they tow me along.
Now when you say "they," do you really mean "she"? No, th that makes me sound Sleazy? I was gonna say superficial.
I was teasing you.
It could be argued, though, that the only thing that motivates men to do anything - is chasing women.
- Oh, is that true? Are you like that? Well, uh I was, I suspect.
Till I met my Betty.
When did she die? If you don't mind my asking you.
Six years ago.
- Cancer.
- I'm sorry.
Oh, it's okay.
I was lucky.
We were married 36 years.
Ken, um it's obvious that you loved your Betty very much, and I have great respect for your marriage, but I think you may have room in your heart for me, too, or someone like me.
I don't know anyone like you.
Six years sounds like a lot, but I'm more tortoise than hare.
Well, maybe if I slowed down, you wouldn't have to chase me.
We could run at our own pace.
Well, could you though? I was able to get someone to cover at work, by the way, so I can stay on a few days.
Middle of next week, at least.
Then it's gonna start getting tricky.
I'm glad.
Thank you for that.
Are you gonna run the 1OK in Newport next week? I was planning on it, yes.
Would you like to go together? That that would be nice.
I mean, not just as jogging buddies.
Okay.
W what I mean is, if I made a reservation for a room with one bed, would that be okay? That would be lovely.
Oh, Ken.
Ooh.
Oh! You didn't have to do all this.
You realize I won't ever want to travel separately again.
That's fine, 'cause I don't either.
Oh, I got that.
Hey! Ah, no going back now.
No going back.
Hi.
Oh, God, are we becoming like one of those really self-satisfied couples that you see in ads for insurance or walk-in bathtubs? Is that what you're afraid of? No, what? No.
It's what I want.
I mean, is anybody in life really happy like that? We are, right now.
We're that happy.
I am, anyway.
- I - will now call on Margot to share a few personal memories of Kenji.
The last time that we were all together like this was our joint 140th birthday party when we announced our engagement.
I'm sorry now that we didn't have a bigger wedding reception, but I suppose I imagined we would have many opportunities.
Ken was not so certain of that.
I remember him saying once that at our age, "until death do us part" didn't seem like such a big commitment.
Old love is different.
More realistic maybe.
Um, when Ken and I met, we had already been through many ups and downs in life, and we had learned how to compromise, and we had survived loss and mistakes.
And somehow we felt if this relationship failed, we would survive this, too.
I'm not so sure about that anymore.
Old love is different, yet it is also the same because Ken and I did everything that young people do.
We fell in love, we traveled, we remodeled a house together, we planted a garden, I finished a memoir, he called me "sweetheart.
" And on nights when we were out in company, all I had to do was glance across the room, and he'd intuit that it was time for him to take me home where we could sit on the rim of the bathtub and floss our teeth and gossip about the evening.
Every time we passed each other in the house, Ken made a point of stopping to kiss me or squeeze my shoulder or stroke my hand.
I never had that in my life before, and sometimes it irked me, but now I think it's the thing that I will miss the most.
He and I often told each other, "We are so lucky," and we were.
Young love, even for old people, can be surprisingly bountiful.
Many of you know that Ken and I met when we were running.
The geriatric Olympics, he called it.
You know, in the beginning, I chased him and then he chased me, and finally we found a way to run in lockstep.
And the tough uphill bits, the bits with illnesses and setbacks, went a little easier, and the pleasant downhill parts were that much more joyful.
And now Ken has run the course.
I just, um I don't know how I'm going to manage, frankly.
Right now it feels like a bit of a slog.
But wherever he is, and however long it takes, I hope he'll wait for me.
Are you going to join us for some food? We'd love you to come.
I wouldn't miss it.
Great.
I'll see you there.
Mom, the car's ready.
I think that I'm going to walk.
- You sure? - I need some air.
At least take an umbrella.
I think it might rain.
Don't fuss, Chris.
I'll be fine.
- Do you want some company? - No, thank you, Janice.
I'll see you in a bit.
Just tell them you changed your mind.
I haven't changed my mind.
I'm just just not sure.
I mean, I get it.
Two gay men bringing up a baby.
It's some pretty wacky stuff right there.
It's not that, you fucking rube.
It's just I just want to make sure - they're gonna stay together.
- Why? My dad left when I was three.
You never saw yours.
Seems like everyone on the street basically raised themselves.
I just I just want a couple that's gonna stay together for a while.
How can anyone guarantee something like that? Look you go on up.
If you get spooked, I'll be here.
You don't have to do this.
- You got lots of options.
- Like what? Hell, I'll help you raise the little guy.
We can live right here in the van.
- Don't go anywhere.
- I will not.
Homer.
Homer, this way.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Welcome.
Oh, both of you! Hey.
Three of you! I've turned Tobin's study into a baby room, and I've painted it half blue, half pink, you know, covering both bases.
Not that we want to impose our gender stereotypes, - God forbid.
- Let me ask you a question.
Oh, great.
Yup.
Go.
- Baby quiz, you ready? Yeah.
- Baby quiz.
Yeah, that's true.
You're hearing it right.
- Yeah.
- It's a fun thing.
I'm asking a question.
So, what does it mean when the baby's poo is green? - I don't know.
- What do you mean, "pass"? - Pass.
I don't know.
- Means the baby is sick.
Why don't we just You want us to just find out So where's my room? Hey! Hey! Guzmin! What are you doing here? Are you following me? No.
Not in that way.
You left without an umbrella.
I told you the whole week it's going to rain.
It's not going to rain.
Okay? 'Cause my phone says it's passing.
I am doorman.
I never get weather wrong.
Well, I hope that you are not here to lecture me on what it is you think I should do.
Okay? 'Cause I was just meeting with someone in there, um to talk.
I was just talking.
I actually No.
I'm not gonna I'm not gonna sit here and defend myself.
Um, I was discussing my options, because I do have options, and I am allowed to change my mind, and I don't have to do anything that you say.
Or that my parents say, or that anyone else says.
I promise you I am here for no reason.
You do whatever you need to do.
Nothing will change me.
Or any people who really love you.
I'm just here with the umbrella.
Did you say you loved me? I said it is going to rain.
And it is going to rain.
Whatever you decide to do, you'll need your strength.
And you will not need a cold.
Yeah.
Well, it's not going to rain, actually.
Guzmin, okay, I don't know how many times Oh, my God Oh, my gosh! - Oh, no.
- It's so good to see you.
- Oh, my God.
- Oh Oh, my gosh, and you, too.
- This is - I have so much to tell you.
- You do? - Yeah.
What? Emma and I got back together again.
No.
No.
That is fantastic.
Are you kidding? Who who who is Emma? - I wrote a piece a about him a while back.
- Yeah.
- It's a long story.
I'll tell you about it.
- And then, she she, - she read your piece and we - She did? - we met up, and - Oh, my gosh.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Uh, because - I I have you to thank for this.
- No my app? - Yes.
- You're using my app? - Yeah, yeah.
- See? And you're, you're gorgeous.
- Jesus.
- I know.
- That's amazing.
Look after this one.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
- Thank you.
Anyway, look, I I don't want to interrupt, so I just you know.
- I'll e-mail you.
- Want you to meet Emma.
- Oh - And and rate my app, all right? - All right.
Goodbye.
Bye.
- Yeah.
- Catch you next time.
- Bye.
Oh.
Yes.
Rain.
Of course.
I love these summer storms.
It's like, uh, all the heat and the tension of the city builds up and has to be discharged, huh? Uh-huh.
You're a pretty chatty guy, huh? Honestly, it's very nice that you're confident enough to talk to a complete stranger, but right now, I'm just sort of happy to stand here and stare out at the rain.
Is that okay? Are you usually this misanthropic? Actually, no.
I've just been stood up by someone who I really thought might lead to something.
And I don't mind if it's after a first date or something, you know, you meet someone and they're not for you, but without meeting you? You don't even have a chance to make an impression.
I'm sorry that I'm not more magnanimous and big-hearted right now.
- Have a nice day.
- Uh, wait.
Look, I can't imagine what you just said feels like.
I've literally never had anyone not go on a date with me.
No kidding.
But I'm thinking, like my mother used to say, whenever anything bad happens, you should try and recalibrate the universe or whatever you want to call it with its opposite.
Right.
Universe, recalibration.
- Got it.
- Wait, w wait.
If somebody cuts you off in traffic, you just are extra generous with the next person who wants to get out.
If somebody steals your wallet, you go to the poor box and make a donation.
You've just been stood up.
You feel like shit, right? What if life gives you another date? Right now? Are you for real? Shit.
Want to keep going? Yeah.
Your serve.
Wow.

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