01x01 - Pilot

Episode transcripts for the 2016 TV show "The Family". Aired March 3, 2016 to May 15, 2016.*
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"The Family" follows the return of the mayor's son, who was presumed m*rder*d after disappearing over a decade ago.
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01x01 - Pilot

Post by bunniefuu »

Nina: They say every cop has two... The case that makes you... pushes you to your limits, earns you that badge.

♪♪

And the one that breaks you. Rips it all apart. Tears you to shreds.

♪♪

Sometimes... they're the same case.

♪♪

[Thunder rumbling]

♪♪

Claire: Hi, there! I'm Claire Warren, and I'm running for City Council.

Hi, there. Hi.

I'm Claire Warren, and I'm running for City Council.

I want...

Have a nice day.

Vote for my mom! She'll give you 10 bucks.

Danny!

Hi!

Hi, there.

I'm Claire Warren, and I'm running for City Council.

Might I have just a moment with you?

You don't suck at this.

I do. I kind of suck at this.

Honey, no.

I do.

Who am I to think that somebody will actually vote for some lame, cupcake-baking, stay-at-home mom.

[Laughs] Really!

Yo, can I bail now? I'm out of flyers.

Mother, he's buying you votes.

Great! How many?

Hello! It's called election fraud.

Okay. Let's get some ice cream.

I can't believe this.

Democracy is so dead.

♪♪

Hey.

Oh, wow.

This is the best one yet, Chief.

Where's the crew?

There is no crew. It's a ghost ship.

[Laughs]

Want some ice cream?

[Groans] You're getting heavy.

All right. See you, guys!

See you later. Watch Adam!

Yeah.

Willa: Danny. Danny, wait!

We're supposed to stay with Adam!

And how can I help you there, son?

Help you with something?

I need a ride.

♪♪

[Chatter]

Have you seen Adam?

Hey!

I can't find Adam.

I've looked everywhere. He's gone.

Well, look again. Come on.

[Siren wails]

Man: Adam!

[Dogs barking]

Adam!

♪♪

[Indistinct shouting]

[Dogs barking]

Claire: The two of you were supposed to be watching him!

He was fine. He was with Willa, and...

No, but you never should have left them alone!

You're the oldest! You're in charge!

Except when he's getting to third base with some slut.

Like you'd ever know what that is, you freak of nature!

Stop it.

Turning on each other won't help anyone...

Definitely not Adam.

The first few hours of a missing-child case are critical, and if you spend them screaming at each other instead of remember what he was wearing, what he was doing, or who he was doing it with, you might as well bury your kid right now.

♪♪

You're the officer they sent?

She's just a little girl, John.

I'm the little girl who's gonna find your son.

♪♪

Tom: Who do you need to see again?

Office Meyer.

Well, watch out, man. It's big-time detective now.

She'll eat you for that.

Meyer!

What, Tom? What?

♪♪

Can I, uh, help you with something?

You Nina Meyer?

Yeah. And who are you?

I'm him.

♪♪

I promised the people of Red Pines a return to family values, and I meant it.

Frank: But don't you think that f*ring Deputy Conroy while the affair is still just alleged...

No, I don't tolerate lying, Frank.

You can just ask my kids, okay?

[Laughs]

So when's the governor announcement?

No idea what you're talking about.

She's the politician in the family.

When'd you become the shady one?

A long time ago, Paul. I can take one more question.

Uh, could you make it brief?

[Cellphones chiming]

Holy crap.

Man: Mayor Warren!

Have you spoken to the police about the reappearance of Adam?

Mother!

What?

[Indistinct shouting]

Grief, wow.

Um, the inevitability of loss.

Life isn't a straight sh*t, my friends.

It's full of hills and valleys.

Confront your grief, your... your fear of it, and you'll take away its power.

[Police radio chatter]

Excuse me, folks.

Can I help you?

Hotel guy is at the door.

He says you haven't paid the bill.

Danny: Tell him pay day is Friday.

You have a job? What do you do?

I cash checks.

Oh, my god. They found that boy.

What boy?

The one that was m*rder*d years ago.

The mayor's kid.

Reporter: Though a body was never found, after an extensive investigation, the warrens' neighbor was eventually convicted for Adam's m*rder.

But sources say the young man showed up earlier today to a downtown police precinct and clearly identified himself as the youngest Warren child.

He was promptly taken to City Memorial for evaluation, and I am told though his physical condition is weak and he has sustained several injuries of unknown nature, he is now stable.


[Panting] Where is he? Where is Adam?

I don't know. She wants us to talk to the doctors first.

Oh, well, screw her.

I want to see my son.

Bourbon?

Shut up. Is Dad here?

Yeah, he's getting a flight.

Where is she?!

Right here.

I want to know how something like this gets leaked.

He walked into a busy precinct, Will.

How? How? Where did he come from?

He said that he traveled for at least 20 miles.

I've got teams in every woods within 50 searching for the bastard that took him.

Does he know who he is?

Yes.

How do we know it's him?

It...

It's been 10 years. He was supposed to be dead.

We ran a DNA test. It's him.

And is he okay?

I mean, what do the doctors say?

He's got some scars. Signs of abuse.

He was kept in shackles.

He took half the skin off his hand in the escape.

[Sobs]

Oh, god.

Oh, my god. Oh, my god.

All right.

Take a moment, and then shut it down.

Oh. "Shut it down"?

The only thing that's important is when you walk in that door, he feels safe.

'Cause I don't know what kind of hell he's been through, but it's been a long one.

♪♪

[Sighs] Okay.

♪ I can see the glowing lights ♪
♪ I can see them every night ♪
♪ really not that far away ♪
♪ I could be there in a day ♪
♪ I wonder if you live there still ♪
♪ I kind of think you always will ♪
♪ if I try, you'd probably be ♪
♪ hard to find ♪

Hi, Adam.

Hi, Mom.

♪ What I feel now about you then ♪
♪ I'm just glad I can explain ♪
♪ you're beautiful and close and young ♪
♪ in those ways, we were the same ♪

[Crying]

♪ There's a lot I've not forgotten ♪
♪ I let go of other things ♪

Hi.

♪ if I tried, they'd probably be ♪

Hi, my sweet boy.

♪ Hard to find ♪

Welcome home, Ad.

♪♪

[Sobs]

I told him to wait for me across the street.

You didn't see him talking to any strangers?

Anyone you didn't recognize?

Ju-just me, the ice cream guy, and Hank.

♪♪

Who's Hank, Willa?

Just our neighbor.

Right, Mother?

♪♪

Years ago, there was some sort of an... indecent-exposure thing in a park.

"Thing"?! Try conviction!

The man is a sex offender.

Man: The conviction of my client 10 years ago was based purely on circumstantial evidence.

Mr. Asher was bullied into taking a plea deal by the police department.

Our city's finest.

So in light of the DNA test confirming the identity of Adam Warren, I suspect we can all safely assume that he wasn't m*rder*d by my client.

I am asking for his immediate and unconditional release.

Well, I'm going to agree with you, unless the state has any objections.

Woman: No, Your Honor.

I can go home.

Man: You can go home.

Mr. Asher, the court would like to apologize.

Judge: A decade ago, justice was profoundly absent from this case.

And therefore, I'd like to grant you maximum compensation for wrongful incarceration.

It will be $30,000 a year for each year that you served.

And with that, the matter can be adjourned.

[Gavel bangs]

[Camera shutters clicking, indistinct shouting]

[Indistinct shouting]

[Horn honks]

Move it back! Thank you very much!

Woman: Mayor Warren!

Man: Mayor Warren! Mayor Warren!

Mayor Warren! Mayor Warren!

[Shouting continues]

[Camera shutter clicks]

Excuse me.

Excuse me. Get out of my way!

[Shouting continues]

That's my son.

Adam!

Oh, god.

Hey, Dad.

Hi, Chief.

♪♪

Let's do this inside, John.

Man: Mayor Warren, are you happy to have him back home?

[Camera shutter clicks]

[Indistinct shouting]

Willa: This is a personal family matter.

The mayor will make a statement when the time is right.

Thank you.

All right, vultures.

You got your show. Move it back.

Move it back! Thank you very much!

♪♪

[Door closes]

Claire: I, um...

I took them all down.

The photos of you.

It's just I... I couldn't...

This was so high before.

Do you want to go see your room?

Okay.

We'll just be upstairs.

[Sighs]

If we're gonna have a sh*t at catching the guy who did this, I need to question Adam.

It can wait till morning. The boy just got home.

He knows that Adam's escaped.

He could be on the move. Every second counts.

I waited 10 years to get my son back.

You can wait one night.

He could have other boys, Claire.

He could be doing this to other families.

I want the shrink here for this.

[Sniffles]

You two seem good.

I'm glad you're here.

I came for Adam.

[Door opens]

[Door closes]

Fred: Well, here you go, Hank.

Your aunt Sally and I are real happy all that ugly business got straightened out.

Where's my mom?

Oh, boy.

The people there at the facility...

They were supposed to tell you.

[Sighs]

She passed, Hank.

'Bout a month ago.

She'd been sick for a long time.

Oh.

Well, they really should have told you.

[Sighs]

We were gonna sell the house, but you can stay for now.

Thank you.

Nina: Tell me about the man in the woods.

What does he look like?

His skin looks like...

Gravel.

H-he has holes in his face.

What about the place he kept you in?

Nina: Any windows?

Where was the door?

It was up on the ceiling.

♪♪

Did he ever take you outside?

No.

No. Never? Not... not once?

He came to me.

He always came to me.

♪♪

Back to our continuing coverage now of the extraordinary Adam Warren story.

Tonight, Hank Asher... behind bars here for more than 10 years for the boy's m*rder...

Is back at home after DNA evidence yesterday confirmed the boy's return.

An emergency hearing was held this morning, which declared Asher a free man.

His lawyer tells us tonight Mr. Asher has no plans to sue the Red Pines Police Department despite being wrongly held for so many years, which his lawyer calls extremely generous.


Adam: Sometimes he would forget to close the door behind him, and I could see outside through a window upstairs.

What could you see?

Can I have some more?

Sure, sweetie. In one... one second.

Just... What could you see?

A red dragon.

♪♪

Okay.

Tell me...

Tell me about that.

The red... red dragon.

I watched it while the man lied on top of me.

It was glowing.

Okay.

It was beautiful.

All right, you can stop this now.

And what was the dragon doing, Adam?

He has been through enough tonight, Detective.

We can continue this tomorrow.

What was the dragon doing, Adam?

The man lied on top of me.

I said stop this now!

Every night, he would come...

What was the dragon doing, Adam?

Nina, come on!

He was breathing fire.

Right at me.

♪♪

Right at me.

I'm gonna get him, okay?

♪♪

I'm gonna get him.

♪♪

Claire: And why is this all on me? You're their father!

Danny's drunk!

Willa's becoming a religious nutjob.

Where the hell have you been?

John: It's not the right time for a campaign.

Not the right time, not the right time.

When is the right time?

When he comes back?!

Don't say... no, no.

Don't... don't... don't say it!

He's not coming back!!

[Nina clears throat] Sorry.

I just heard you from back there. I...

The judge denied the search warrant again.

Oh, great.

Said that there's still not enough evidence that Hank Asher had anything to do with Adam's disappearance.

But... Willa saw them together.

You can't get a search warrant unless you have evidence, and you can't get evidence until you have a search warrant.

Welcome to the justice system.

♪♪

The low, low price of 10 cents a day, you, too, could feed a starving child.

Couldn't make it till noon today, champ?

What are you doing?

[Chuckles] Ow!

Don't worry. They're still there.

They're like roaches.

While it's lovely to have you back home again, could you refrain from taunting the media?

I still have a job to get back to.

Speaking of which...

I don't think we can stall much longer.

People want to see you handling this as a mother.

We should book something... An interview.

This isn't a political opportunity, Will.

It's our life.

Or at least make a statement, ideally before the announcement.

What announcement?

We talked about this. John.

Yeah, well, I guess I figured with everything going on right now, the... the governor thing would be off the table.

Well, let's not make any decisions about anything just now.

We just got our son back.

Can I have some more?

Of course, baby.

You used to hate those. The smell of them made you sick.

What?

Eggs.
[Telephones ringing]

Gus: I want bodies outside the mayor's house, where she gets her coffee in the morning, her dry cleaners.

Bridey: Gus!

Find out what bathroom she likes to poop in...

Gus!

... and put a body outside of that, too.

What? What do you want?

Lead on the Warren story.

You know every major national media outlet is down here covering the story, right?

So what the hell makes you think that she's gonna want to talk to a...

I don't know, whatever the hell it is you do here.

Lesbian lifestyle blog.

We have a lesbian lifestyle blog?

We do, and you're right. She won't.

But her son will.

♪♪

[Cans clanking]

Hi.

I'm... I'm John Warren.

I'm...

I know who you are.

I don't know what to say.

Except that I'm... I'm sorry for what happened to you.

You're sorry for what happened to me?

Yes, I am.

You happened to me.

Your family happened to me.

Did you want me to forgive you?

This city was a mob.

They were after me.

They were gonna get this monster no matter what, and you people lit the torches.

No. Now, wait a minute...

You know what I thought about, John?

When I laid my cell, I thought about your boy...

Your beautiful little boy.

I wished I did it.

I wished I took him from you and hurt him, wrapped my fingers around his throat and watch the life drip from his little body, bit by bit.

So don't feel sorry about what happened to me.

I didn't spend a minute feeling sorry for what happened to you.

♪♪

Price of coffee's not what it used to be.

♪♪

Danny: Why didn't you run?

I mean, for 10 years, some crazy dude had you locked up in a basement.

He had to bring you food every day, right?

I mean, he must have messed up and forgot to lock the door once or twice.

Why... Why didn't you just...

Why didn't you just run the first chance you got?

I did.

I ran.

The first chance I got.

When was that?

Yesterday.

I'm... I'm...

I'm sorry, dude.

I was...

Hey, Danny.

How does it get in there?

What?

The ship.

How does it get in there?

Danny: What if it's not him?

I know. I know that sounds crazy, and maybe it is.

But he is... different, okay?

From the moment I saw him at the hospital, there's just been something off about him.

H-he's different.

Are you drunk?

No, no.

Just listen to me, because...

Adam's different because he's not 9 years old anymore, because he eats eggs.

Uh, the... the ships!

In the bottles?

He doesn't remember that you have to collapse the mast.

That's all he did!

It was all he cared about. How could he forget that?

Maybe it was the decade of r*pe and t*rture.

[Scoffs] Willa...

They did a DNA test, you worthless piece of...

That's enough!

You are my son...

And I will always love you.

But you... are a drunk, honey.

And it's my fault for cleaning up after you.

But... you are just a drunk.

Mom...

Yeah, you're a drunk, and you are confused.

So don't ever, ever say anything like that again.

Okay.

Here we go.

Honey, can you pull up the calendar for me?

Nina: And what was the dragon doing, Adam?

Adam: The man lied on top of me...

The dragon. Where was the door?

It was up on the ceiling.


[Echoing] His skin looks like gravel.

He has holes in his face.

What was the dragon doing, Adam?


♪♪

Holy crap.

[Tires squealing]

A red dragon.

He was breathing fire. Right at me.

♪♪

[Dog barks]

[Birds chirping]

[Dog barks]

♪♪

[Birds chirping]

[Door creaks]

[Birds chirping]

♪♪

[Stairs creaking]

♪♪

[Door opens]

♪♪

[Dog panting]

♪♪

[Dog barking]

[Stairs creak]

♪♪

[Door creaks]

♪♪

[Bird chirping]

♪♪

[Police radio chatter]

It's the sunset hitting the northern mountain range, turning it red.

That's our red dragon, and for it to breathe fire, oil refinery right behind it.

So the guy's cabin in the woods...

Well, from the cabin, for it to seem like it was breathing smoke from the head, it could be anywhere from here down to here, and given line of sight on a clear day, it might go back four miles.

So all deep woods, hardly populated, perfect cover.

This is our search area.

Get a team together and let's move.

Got it.

[Crickets chirping]

I never should have taken these down.

I gave up.

Well, we all did.

Mm.

But I gave up on more than just him.

I won't run.

I don't need to be governor.

[Chuckles]

[Dog barks in distance]

[Camera shutters clicking]

Oh, god.

Claire: I am so sorry.

[Sighs] Are you?

Well, come on, I didn't know he was there.

[Scoffs]

Oh, please. Come on.

You... you got a sixth sense.

Claire: Don't... That's not fair!

John: Hey, I-I get it. Adam won you City Council.

Why not governor this time around? Even president.

"Mayor puts family back together"? It's gold!

Like you didn't do the same thing.

You didn't write a book, John.

You hatched an escape plan.

Do you think I wanted to be on tour?

Living out of suitcases?

Eating crap hotel food?

I don't know. It's a good thing you weren't too lonely doing it.

♪♪

Oh, honey. Honey, please, please.

Wherever you're going right now, I'm just...

I am asking you not to.

♪♪

[Sighs]

[Rock music plays]

Can you just bring the bottle?

Man: Come on, baby.

Let me... let me get your number.

Bridey: Are you deaf and dumb?

I told you I'm with someone.

Yeah?

Who?

Him.

[Music continues]

You haven't even talked to that guy.

Man #2: Come on, man.

We don't do a lot of talking.

[Laughter]

Shut up.

Man: Mm, mm, mm.

[Both laugh] Desperate times. Sorry.

Uh, no. I am happy to help.

Oh, my god.

Danny, you don't recognize me?

[Laughing] Should I?

Bridey Cruz. High school.

Wow.

Yeah, uh, of course.

I'm sorry.

Hey, I watch the news.

You got a lot on your plate right now.

So how is he... your brother?

Uh, he's good. He's good, you know.

I mean, he's got scars, and it's gonna take a while, but...

Me and my sister were supposed to be watching him.

I remember.

I was there.

♪♪

Yeah.

So I guess we all got 'em.

Hmm?

Scars.

♪♪

[Crickets chirping]

♪♪

[Crickets chirping]

♪♪

[Cheers and applause]

Claire: Make a wish! Make a wish!

Blow out the candles!

Yay!

I want a big piece.

I want the frosting.

Okay, you got it.


[Blows]

Yay!

I want a big piece!

I want the frosting!

Oka...


Forgive me, father, for I have sinned.

♪♪

[Glass shattering]

♪♪

Police!

On your knees, on your knees!

Thought you said it was legal now!

What the... ?

♪♪

It has been six days since my last confession.

And...

10 years since my last true confession.

Make a wish! Make a wish!

Blow out the candles!

Yay!

I want a big piece!

I want the frosting!

Okay, you got it. Happy birthday.


Willa: Happy birth...

Yay!

I want a big piece!

I want the frosting!


I want a big piece.

I want the frosting.

All right.

I didn't take that little boy's ship.

I don't even know how it got there.

Here's what I think, Hank.

Just 'cause someone does something bad, it doesn't make them a bad person.

But, see, if this thing goes to trial, the jury's not gonna see it like me.

Because first, they're gonna hear about what you did in that park.

That was years ago.

I took my lump for that. I paid a fine.

I registered.

And then they're gonna see this.

What's that?

Your computer.

[Sighs]

Want to watch?

Turn it off.

You're the one that likes it.

I just want to know why.

Please turn it off.

Is it because they're so little and helpless?

Turn it off!

I look at that stuff.

I don't act on it.

I just look at it.

I believe you.

Do you?

But, see, a jury...

They're not gonna see it like me.

They're just gonna see a monster that likes little boys.

Little boys like Adam Warren.

You didn't mean to k*ll him.

Sometimes, things just get out of hand.

No.

And that's why you cleaned the garage... To get rid of his blood.

But you kept his toy to think about it.

No.

Remember what you did.

Dream about it.

No.

Hank, it's not your fault.

You were born this way.

It's like having straight hair or curly.

Blue eyes or freckles.

You can't help the way you were born.

I don't want to be like this.

I can help you.

I can help.

If you just tell me what you did to Adam.

I won't let them make you their monster.

They're gonna sentence you to death.

Wipe you away, like a stain.

Oh, god.

No, Hank.

There's no god.

'Cause if there was, why would he make something like you?

Please...

There's only me.

I'm the only one that can save you now.

So, tell me about Adam.

Hmm?

Tell me what you did to him.

♪♪

[Sighs]

[Door opens]

[Door closes]

That bad, huh?

What are you doing here?

I want to help.

[Scoffs]

Go home, John.

To your son and your wife.

Do you think I have them back now?

John...

I don't have my son back.

Not the sweet little boy I took my eye off for one damn second.

And my wife?

I'm married to a machine, not a wife.

So the only thing I can do now...

'Cause I sure as hell can't sleep anymore... is help you find the monster who did this to us.

You want to know who wrecked your family?

So just tell me right now...

You want to know who the monster is?

... how I can help.

I'm the monster.

I'm the one who had it all figured out at 25 and looked you in the eye and told you that your son was dead.

Every scar on that kid's body... It wasn't the bogeyman.

It was me.

I'm the one who stopped looking and got promoted for it.

So blame me.

Hate me.

Because I'm the one who didn't save your son.

No. You didn't.

But you saved me.

♪♪

[Moans]

♪♪

[Both moaning]

[Sighs]

Where's Dad?

Oh, um, honey, he'll be back soon.

Um, come here.

Let me.

Okay?

Let's see.

Under like this first.

Pull it through.

[Chuckles]

Better not tell Dad we're doing this.

He's gonna want to teach you himself.

Okay. Okay.

[Chuckles] Great.

Put your collar down.

[Chuckles]

See?

That's a Windsor knot.

Claire: Good morning.

I'll keep this brief.

Let me first begin by thanking the people of Red Pines for their overwhelming support.

The medical staff at City Memorial, everyone at the mayor's office, and the media, for allowing us a moment to breathe and begin the healing process.

Uh... [clears throat]

Family has always been paramount to who I am and what I stand for.

And mine got a happy ending.

But we are the exception and not the rule in this country.

Now more than ever, I want to strengthen our child-protection laws, increase sex-offender monitoring, fund more programs like AMBER Alert to protect our children.

[Applause]

To stop the nightmare that we've been living for the past 10 years...

From happening...

To other good American families.

[Applause]

[Sniffles, clears throat]

So, that is why today, with the support of my family, I am announcing my candidacy for governor of our great state of Maine.

[Cheers and applause]

Not for me, but for my Adam and for all the other Adams who are still out there!

[Cheers and applause]

♪♪

Gus: We're getting smoked by every other paper in the country, like it's their story to tell.

Don't believe everything you read.

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

The doctor at City Memorial who verified Adam Warren's DNA test.

Mm-hmm?

I called him this morning for comment.

And?

He doesn't exist.

♪♪

This is our story.

And there's a hell of a lot more to it.

♪♪

Meyer?

You okay?

Kid's little ship.

Forensics pulled the pedo's prints off it 10 years ago.

So?

Nina: So that's all they got.

The kid's prints were never on it.

Seems odd, right?

Since he was seen carrying it around that night.

Unless...

Someone put it in there and cleaned it for me to find.

♪♪

Nina: They say every cop has two...

The case that breaks you... and the one that makes you.


Oh, gosh.

I've been praying for that family.

They have a long road ahead.

They sure do, ma'am.

They sure do.

♪♪

[Car door closes]

[Engine starts]

[Tires squeal]
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