Shifting Gears (2025) s01e03 Episode Script

First day at your new school.
This is exciting.
Mainly for me, 'cause
you'll be out of the house.
Little tip, stay away from the jocks.
They will tape you to a goalpost.
That happened to you?
[SCOFFS] No.
I taped the nerds.
But you can't do that anymore.
'Cause they don't make
duct tape like they used to.
Yeah, that's why you can't do it.
[SIGHS] This is brutal for me, guys.
I'm going to a new school.
I-I have no friends.
So, same as your old school?
Hey. Okay, I intimidate people.
My mind scares them away
as my rizz pulls them in.
So much rizz.
All right, here's your lunch. Goodbye.
[SIGHS] Why can't I just
buy lunch at school?
I'm in high school now.
I-I can make my own decisions.
If you got your own lunch,
it would just be
a Lays potato chip sandwich.
With a side of Lays.
Uh, no, I'd have a vegetable.
- Funyuns.
- Yeah.
All right. Carter, out.
- You are walking your sister.
- [SIGHS]
Fine.
All right, go ahead of me,
so no one knows we're together.
I was gonna say that to you.
If anyone asks, you're a Dutch
exchange student I'm hosting.
- Bye, Mom. Bye, Papa.
- Mom, what?
[RILEY] Love you both.
[MATT] Hey, that's pretty impressive,
letting them walk to school
the first day by themselves.
Your generation
is pretty overprotective.
You know, in the old days,
people had extra kids
'cause we knew most of them
weren't gonna make it.
Ugh. Yeah, well, I'm not
gonna make it if I don't find a job.
I have bills I can't pay,
and I still need to
hire a divorce attorney.
Yeah, it's too bad nobody warned you
not to marry a bass player.
[LAUGHING] Oh, wait a minute. I did.
Well, how's this job search going?
Ugh. I'm on every hiring site.
Nobody cares I have a college degree.
They want "work experience."
I've kept two kids alive,
but I'm not skilled enough
to groom a dog?
You can groom a pug,
but a Pomeranian, not a chance.
I have some interviews this morning.
I'll get something. I got this.
I love your optimism.
Don't know where it comes from,
but I love it.
Carter, that little sneak.
He's making a pit stop
on the way to school.
H-How do you know that?
I track him on an app
for concerned parents.
Had me at "tracking,"
lost me at "concerned parent."
Put down the Lays.
I know you're at 7-Eleven.
Riley, let the kid go.
Let him roam. What can happen?
We let you roam as a kid.
Nothing happened, right?
Well, I got pregnant
and married a bass player.
Yeah, but that nerd's never having sex.
[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]
Listen, why don't you
just park on your side?
How difficult is that?
[HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYING AT STUDIO]
How about this, break a leg!
Not in a good way.
8:57 a.m. and hoping for injuries.
A new personal record.
Look, I know that
that print shop next door
that used to be there
was laundering drug money.
I get that.
But those Venezuelans
were very kind, sweet guys.
And I think they were vegans.
I spent Thanksgiving with two of them.
The Tofurky was excellent.
Okay, the F-100 we know was
stolen from that dude in Denver,
showed up here in North Hollywood.
I happen to know the guy.
He said, "Can we bring it back
the way it was?"
So, with Stitch, we gotta go
through the interior, fix that seat.
Everything else looks under
You know what we'll do?
We'll powder-coat these headers,
and then bead-blast these valve covers.
Get this thing
shining up again, you know?
- Bring this baby back, huh?
- [STITCH] Hey, you know what?
You involuntarily smile every
time you talk about this pickup.
It's a beautiful truck.
- Am I smiling now?
- Yeah.
It's uncomfortable.
You know what would be bitchin'?
What if I removed the carburetor
and replaced it
with an electronic
fuel injection system?
More power, better fuel economy and
Ah, you know what would
be bitchin'? Do what I say.
Good idea, boss.
That was hard to watch.
I hate everything.
8:59.
Like father, like daughter.
I don't get it.
Why won't anyone hire me?
I'm smart. I'm organized. I'm driven.
And with a little heads-up,
I can pass a drug test.
I think you're confusing "you
can drive" with "you're driven."
Hey, I spent the last two weeks
applying for jobs all over.
I'm either overqualified,
underqualified,
or my feet aren't pretty enough
for OnlyFeet.
Dad, what is going on
with all this mess?
- Where's your bookkeeper?
- She didn't work out.
She had a mental breakdown.
I wasn't yelling at her.
I was yelling with her.
And by the way,
Stitch is now doing the books.
- No, I am not.
- What?
This check's been
sitting here for months.
- [GASPS] Ooh, she's a big one.
- [MATT] Damn it, Stitch.
You're supposed to be doing
the paperwork. [STAMMERS]
This is the reason why
Margaret had a breakdown.
Wait, Riley, why don't you work here?
[LAUGHS] Well, you guys make
it sound like it's so much fun.
Seriously. We need somebody like you.
Somebody organized.
And the desk will hide your feet.
Do you know anything about bookkeeping?
There's a strip club in Vegas
that's never been audited thanks to me.
I mean, they were shut down,
but for health code reasons.
Hey, come on, Matt. Let her do it.
She looks good over there.
You wanna take a shot at this?
Stop begging.
But I want 20 bucks an hour
with flexible hours,
as I'm a single mother,
and my dad runs the place.
Hey, wait. I'm single.
Can I get in
on this flexible hour thing?
No, I'm so sick
You were supposed to You
No, you cannot.
Is this gentle enough for you?
Welcome aboard.
[LAUGHING] I'm so sorry.
You wanna start right now?
Eh, it's not gonna work for me.
Nepo babies are so ungrateful.
I have to get a manicure for my new job.
You might wanna toss in a pedicure too.
Cool.
Riley's gonna work here.
You look happy, Matt.
What? I'm not anything.
[STAMMERS] How do people live like this?
Matt being happy scares me.
It's like being in a horror film.
And you know who dies first.
[CHUCKLES] Hey. This is great, huh?
Daughter's working here.
Taking money from the man,
even though that man is me.
All the bills are paid and up to date.
I also set up some targeted Facebook
ads to drum up more business.
Anyone who likes car shows,
classic cars or Sydney
Sweeney will see it.
I put her in there
'cause, you know, guys.
Yeah, um I've [STAMMERS]
I want you to just do the bookkeeping.
I can handle the marketing.
Okay, boomer.
What's your idea of marketing?
A town crier?
Hear ye, hear ye, we'll restore thy car!
She talks to him like he talks to us.
It's life-affirming.
Hey, you know what?
You should ask Riley
to pitch your idea to
him about the F-100.
He'll listen to her.
No, no, no. I can't do that.
I'm a grown-ass man.
You know, I mean,
unless you're dying to do it.
Gabriel, if you have
a good idea, you should do it.
He knows how valuable you are.
He may not show it.
Or say it.
Or think it. But, yeah, he knows.
Come on. You know how it works.
It's Matt's way or the highway.
I mean, there's literally a sign
above his door.
Oh, no, no.
No, you gotta stand up to him.
Yo, I'm telling you, Gabe,
you should do it, man.
That way, in this horror movie,
you die first.
Play "Matt's Good Mood Playlist."
[SMART SPEAKER] Playing The Joe
Rogan Experience.
Oh, hell, no!
Carter, what I'm saying
is you're never gonna make
any real friends in the robotics club.
That's the beauty of robotics.
I can build my own friends.
Playing the long game like my boy Bezos.
Well, I sat with the
popular girls at lunch.
I know Mom says
popularity doesn't matter,
but she never made it to "the table."
Well, I hope you saved room for dinner.
I know your grandfather took you
to get ice cream on the way home.
Which one of you dropped a dime on me?
Was it you, nerd-boy?
No, she's tracking us. Aren't you?
Giving birth to you ruined
parts of me I will never get back.
So I can do what I want.
But you said you wouldn't.
Y-You also said you'd stop
writing my name in my underwear.
I will when you stop losing them.
- Now, go wash up for dinner.
- [SIGHS]
Are you gonna tell her
you lost another pair?
You know, I [STAMMERS]
I looked online.
There's still some
of that Facebook stuff there.
- Oh, yeah. You like it?
- No.
- Oh. What didn't you like?
- I don't like any of it.
As much as I like that Sydney Sweeney,
I don't wanna waste time
on the rest of it, okay?
Okay, so you don't want more business?
I've plenty of business.
Matter of fact, I just hired a
a mouthy, down-on-her-luck bookkeeper.
Is this, like, a work meeting?
'Cause if it is, I'm paying
myself time and a half.
[STAMMERS] No, no,
no. It's-It's just your father
giving you advice on how to be
a better employee to your father.
Come on, Riley,
you were hired as a bookkeeper.
- Let's just stay in your lane.
- Okay, boss.
No Facebook ads.
[MATT] I mean,
it's the whole Facebook thing.
It's a distraction when people
are focused on their work,
and now they're clicking
and liking or disliking.
Well, I am disliking this conversation.
Okay, it's just
too much chitter chatter.
Okay, so no Facebook,
no chitter, no chatter.
Right. I have a certain way
of doing things.
Your way.
So, you saw the sign.
Gabe, I gotta tell you something.
Can it wait?
Matt just gave me the lecture.
No chitter, no chatter.
[SIGHS] Well, to that
I can't do it anymore. Okay?
I just I'm quitting.
What? Why?
More chitter, more chatter.
[SIGHS]
It was a mistake trying to
work with my dad, okay?
He doesn't want
anyone to stand up to him
and do things their own way.
Yesterday, you just told me
to stand up to him and
do things my own way.
Yeah, maybe don't do that.
I already did it.
Ooh.
I'm a dead man.
Hey, y'all ain't gon' believe this.
Your dad just ran off another
receptionist from the dance studio,
with all that yelling and screaming.
The woman left there in tears.
That's awful.
So there's a job opening?
[GABRIEL] Are you out of your mind?
You can't work for the enemy.
Wait. What's going on?
She's quitting.
Oh. I feel you.
I had to type up the old "I
quit" email a couple of times.
Here a good one.
"Dear Mr. Parker, in light of Y2K"
Oh, see?
You've been trying to quit for 25 years.
I can't do that.
How am I supposed to deal with
my dad and menopause? [SCOFFS]
Can you just wait until
after I show him the truck?
Don't make me beg.
Unless you think it'll help,
then I'll totally beg.
No. I gotta put on my big-girl
panties and do what's right for me.
And that means quitting by email
and sneaking out.
This is not good.
Oh, come on, man.
How often you think Matt
even read those emails?
[MATT] Are you fricking kidding me?
You know, the good thing,
in this horror movie, she dies first.
[CAR DOOR CLOSES]
Ugh. Here we go.
Play music that makes my dad
not wanna kill me for quitting.
[SMART SPEAKER] Playing
The Joe Rogan Experience.
Shut up!
[SIGHS]
Yay! Daddy's home.
You quit?
[INHALES] It's not you, it's me?
I know it's you.
This is so like you. You're impulsive.
Okay, great, now you don't have job.
Actually, I have some good news.
I got a job at the
[MUMBLES] dance studio.
Did you just mumble "dance studio"?
Stitch told me they were
looking for a receptionist.
Well, maybe Stitch should take that job
since I'll fire his ass now.
Okay. Come on, you didn't really
want me at the shop.
Yes, I did. I told you, I just
wanted you to stay in your lane.
We discussed this.
Well, it's better this way. Okay?
They pay decently,
and they offer benefits.
The first benefits I've ever had
that don't start with "friends with."
We have benefits. Our-Our
[GEORGIA] Hey, Mom. Hey, Papa.
Sorry we're late, Mom.
Carter, did you turn off the
tracking app without telling me?
- I did.
- [RILEY] That is not cool.
You should've let me know.
What you should do is send her an email.
That's the new etiquette.
Mom, y-y-you have to
let me live my life.
I do it for safety reasons.
Just track Georgia.
She's determined to be popular.
Nothing good can come of that.
- Listen
- What?
No, no, no.
When you wanna make a change,
you just go ahead and do it.
But when this kid
wants a little freedom,
there's a whole new rule book for you.
Yes. It's very different 'cause he's 15.
- Well, yeah.
- I'm his mother.
- I have to do what's right for him.
- I understand that.
[CHUCKLES] But to me, you're still 15,
and I'm doing
the same damn thing to you.
Thank you.
[SIGHS] I'll eat my food in my room.
Not that I have to tell you where I am.
He lost another pair of underwear.
So, yeah, yeah.
The wheels look great.
Oh, Stitch, man.
Kicked ass on this interior.
I mean, yeah. I did it.
Let's see what you got.
Okay, we finished the
You replaced the carburetor with an EFI
like I asked you not to do?
Gabriel, how could you?
Um, yeah, yeah.
I-I thought it was
better for the project.
You know, the F-100
is a classic old-school truck,
and, uh, I thought this change
accentuates that?
So everybody is just doing what
they wanna do around here now?
What is this, Burning Man?
I listen, boss.
Remember what you said
about the seats, right?
Okay, look, look.
So, uh, people just quit
whenever they want to.
And And no one listens
to my designs. That's good.
No. Fine. I'll redo it your way.
No, no. Please, keep it the way it is.
Keep it, keep it, keep it.
- Seriously?
- Yeah.
Keep it.
It actually It
It's fine for this project.
Did you hear that?
It's fine.
Yo, I ain't gon' lie.
I had zero faith in you.
You know, you could lie sometimes.
- Night, boss.
- Good night.
Hey.
Thanks for letting me
make the change in the F-100.
I didn't let you. You just did it.
Yeah, but I've been working
here since I was, what, 15?
I know when you got your mind
set on something, it's not changing.
I will always change my mind
in the unlikely event
that I am ever wrong.
Yeah, but this time, I just, uh
had to see what would happen, you know?
Follow my instincts.
Oh, yeah. Trust your instincts.
You mean like
the time I took you and my son
to the zoo when you were kids?
And your instincts told you to
get into the gorilla enclosure?
[IMITATES GORILLA]
I ended up on Channel 9 news.
But sometimes you just
you gotta let people make mistakes.
You did a good job.
I was taught by a genius.
You know, a lot of people
don't like ass-kissers.
I'm not one of them.
And I would never be where I am today
without having made a lot of mistakes.
Are you trying to act human?
[CHUCKLES] Good night.
Car is that way.
I know where I'm going.
[DOOR OPENS, KNOCKS ON DOOR]
Yeah. Oh, hey,
I wanna file a little complaint.
Dancers are parked
in my spot once again.
Okay. Writing it down now.
I'll get it to the complaints
department ASAP.
This place actually looks pretty nice.
Yeah. 'Cause it doesn't smell
like brake fluid and fear.
You just described the candle
I want for Father's Day.
- You like the place?
- Yeah.
They happen to love
my social media ideas.
It's not perfect.
The guy in the shop across
the way is kind of annoying.
Bit controlling?
Yeah. A bit.
I just want the people
I care about to succeed.
And this is, uh, your life.
This is your decision.
- Thank you.
- But this is a bad one.
- This is a horrible place to work.
- Okay.
I think you're making a big mistake.
You could've stopped after "thank you."
Look, I know working here
isn't a career.
I don't even know what I wanna do.
The only things I'm passionate
about are my kids and,
for some reason, soup dumplings,
but I think that's just a phase.
But you could've all done
this temporarily at my shop.
Work there until you decide
what you really wanna do,
unless it involves soup dumplings,
whatever the hell those things are.
Okay. Here's the thing.
I'm happy to be back home,
but living together is
A lot.
I was going to say "enough," but yeah.
You add in working together, it's
Great.
[CHUCKLES] That time
I was gonna say "a lot."
Look, we're not on solid ground yet.
We have to figure our stuff out.
I don't wanna take off
like I did 15 years ago.
- I wanna make it work this time.
- [SIGHS]
So do I.
That's why I need you to just
be my dad right now, not my boss.
All right. I can do that.
I know you want to protect me,
but I gotta find my own path.
Like Carter?
I see what you're doing there.
And, in that case,
I'm right, and he's wrong. So
[CHUCKLES]
Being a parent can be very difficult.
It's, like [CHUCKLES] so hard.
Are we good?
- We're good.
- All right.
Oh, before I forget,
the owner of the studio
needs you to stop revving
the engines. It ruins rehearsals.
Oh, gosh.
How rude of me.
I'll take care of it.
I'll tell Eve,
I will take my pointed
little arched foot off the gas
when I'm dead!
Hey, um
isn't Carter supposed to be home now?
I don't know because I don't track him.
I am trying to let go.
Maybe he's hanging out with
friends, or dead in a ditch.
[CHUCKLES] Whatevs.
Well, you promised not to track him.
You didn't say anything about me.
My silence can be bought.
I knew I raised you right.
- That can't be right.
- What? Where is he?
Magnolia and Olive.
What is Is that the liquor store?
[GASPS] What? I know that place.
They don't ID.
That's where I used to buy
alcohol when I was a teenager.
[CLEARS THROAT]
You know, for my friends.
Yeah, your friends Tee and Quila.
Ah. We don't see each other
much anymore, but when we do
Good times.
On the move.
That corner little thing there, mall.
It's a tattoo parlor, right?
Satan's Inkwell?
Yeah.
God, I'm gonna kill him!
I know He's probably going
in there. I wouldn't rush out.
Uh, there's no Honey, don't go.
Don't go.
She's so gullible.
[CHUCKLES] Yeah. Boy, is she gullible.
You don't know how many
years it took to convince her
that I wasn't Santa Claus.
[CHUCKLES]
[GEORGIA CLEARS THROAT]
My silence just got
a lot more expensive.