01x10 - Dave

[bunniefuu]

Previously on "Casual"...

I thought your sister didn't want us hanging out.

She didn't say that. Specifically.

I feel like I hardly even got to know him.

You had him for a day.

You don't belong here.

The desire for love is a powerful thing.

If you force him to choose, he may not choose you.

Well, she obviously does not want me here.

It's her first wedding since the divorce, and it's our parents, so she'll be better.

Yeah, or she'll get blackout drunk and cause a ridiculous scene.

Oh. We can only hope.

While most of us drift away from the one's we love, they came back together, and that's something worth celebrating.

That is MDMA.

That's happiness in 100 milligrams.

It's been so long.

Since you did ecstasy?

Since I was happy.

[door opening]

Alex!

Alex!

f*ck! sh*t! Don't f*cking...

Wait, wait, Alex!

[Valerie June's "Somebody to Love"]

♪ Well if you're tired and feeling so lonely ♪
♪ You wake up at night thinking that only ♪
♪ If you had somebody ♪
♪ ♪
♪ I'll be somebody ♪

[sighs]

♪ Somebody to love ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Did they tell you there were ♪
♪ Plenty of fish in the sea ♪
♪ But you're drowning and cold and you're feeling empty ♪
♪ Looking for somebody ♪

Alex?

♪ I'll be somebody ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Somebody to love ♪
♪ ♪

Hey.

Hey.

What are you doing here?

Um...

Why aren't you at the wedding?

We'll talk about it in the morning.

I love you.

[gentle guitar music]

[sighs]

I was gonna make waffles, but...

Belgium can go f*ck itself.

Um...

Are you, uh... are you all right?

No, Leon. I don't think I am.

Well, we can... go to a strip club.

Those girls are sad enough.

[sighs]

Right, okay.

Get dressed.

Huh?

[door opening]

Alex? Alex.

Alex?

Alex!

You can't just waltz in here.

To my boyfriend's house?

You're not welcome here.

You are really gonna try to put this on me?

Well, your dr*gs, your lack of boundaries.

And you're selective memory.

I'm his sister. You're you.

Right.

I'm me.

When I first moved to this city, I came here all the time.

Just me and the birds.

There's no birds here. I don't see a single bird.

Yes, there are.

There... there are a few over there.

Anyway, uh, forget about the birds.

The point is...

I went a long time without... speaking to people.

Even in a place like this. All you have to do is... look down and they'll walk right past.

So, what changed?

I...I met my fiancé.

The one who cheated on you? With the VHS tapes?

You would have been better off with the birds.

Then I wouldn't have met your sister, and I wouldn't have let her take me home, and I wouldn't have gotten the chance to know you.

You don't know me, Leon.

Of... of course I do.

Where did I go to college?

What's me favorite movie? My favorite band?

I...get the sense you don't have a favorite movie or band.

[sighs]

I'm just the assh*le who shows up when he needs something.

And you're too nice to tell me to leave.

[dog barking]

Come on.

Where are we going now?

Just... come on.

[playful music]

♪ ♪

[sighs] What about friends?

Hmm? What?

Well, did you... did you call his friends?

Uh... uh, no.

Alex doesn't have friends. He never had friends.

Well, yeah, he does.

Who?

I don't remember his name, but he's black and he's British, and he...

Leon?

Leon, yes.

Alex is not friends with Leon.

No, we went to his house.

Why?

We needed a fourth.

A fourth what?

Oh...

[playful music]

♪ ♪

[puppies barking]

Do you think he misses me?

I imagine he hasn't stopped thinking about you.

Carl?

[cell phone ringing]

Hello?

Where's Alex?

What?

Alex, my brother. Do you remember him?

You had a foursome with him?

Oh, uh... hello, Valerie.

Is he with you?

Uh... Valerie, I... um... now isn't a good time.

May I call you back?

Put him on the phone!

[puppies whining]

I haven't seen him.

But I'll call you if I do. Cheers.

Did you just lie for me, Leon?

I...suppose I did.

You.

Where's Carl?

sh*t.

You get off on coercing people into getting what you want?

Coercing? I didn't coerce him.

And I didn't coerce you. It was... it was just sex.

Consensual sex.

We didn't have sex.

Okay.

We didn't.

Oh, no, no, no, I said okay.

We slept in the same bed.

We slept together, okay? We didn't sleep together.

What? We kissed.

Oh. Touched, fine.

We had, um... foreplay.

That's what it's called. We had foreplay.

But you came twice.

People come during foreplay.

Uh-huh.

It doesn't count, okay?

Nothing was, um... you know, inserted.

That's a very hetero-normative way of looking at it.

I know what it is!

How much do you actually remember?

I remember you taking advantage of me when I was very emotionally compromised.

You kissed me.

Wow.

I just got the weirdest sense of deja vu.

Laura...

So you guys had sex at Dawn and Charles's wedding?

No, at rehearsal dinner.

Absolutely not.

So this is like a thing for you now?

I like someone, you f*ck him.

Alex likes someone, you f*ck her.

No.

You just can't help yourself, can you?

You just have to f*ck everyone for yourself.

[scoffs] I feel sorry for you.

Laura, this was... a mistake.

This was a... this was a very, very big mistake.

You f*ck her by mistake? Really, like an accident?

You're a therapist.

Do you even believe in accidental fucks?

Can you stop saying f*ck?

I don't even know why I came back here.

[door closes]

Do you think he's at a house?

Or like a farm? Maybe he's a sheepdog now.

That's the highest class of dog, you know?

Mm. Canine nobility.

Mm-hmm.

Do you think he's happy?

I hope he's happy. I do.

But then the selfish part of me kind of hopes he's in this really dirty puppy gulag, and we have to break in and rescue him.

Well, we'll do whatever it takes.

Yeah, we will.

Take a right.

Ah, it should be right up here.

Where are we?

I don't know.

Well, this doesn't look gentrified at all.

This is the address he gave us.

[upbeat music]

♪ ♪

Leon.

Hi! [door slams]

I slept with Emmy.

Okay.

Alex's girlfriend, Emmy.

That's... uh... that's f*cked up.

Yeah, I'm aware.

Did he, like... do something to you?

I'm a bad person, aren't I?

I mean, yeah, I'm a bad person.

Good people don't... [scoffs]

Good people do not do what I did.

You did a bad thing, but that doesn't make you a bad person... necessarily.

He's got this online profile, and she is the only one who matched it, the only one.

I know that sounds really f*cking stupid, but... it was him, I mean, it was like the real Alex.

The real Alex. It sounded like him.

He was so happy.

Oh, so happy... and I ruined it.

Do you not want him to be happy?

Of course I want him to be happy.

He's my brother.

Right.

I mean, I want him to be happy, I don't want him to...

I want him to be happy.

But you don't want him to be happy with someone else?

[gentle music]

♪ ♪

[crunching]

Catch anything?

Not yet.

Your parents know you're out here all alone?

Why? You wanna kidnap me?

They've got problems of their own.

Ah, I used to have problems.

Used to?

Uh-huh.

Then I got a surf board and this pole, and... now when I don't like the way things are going I just get in my van and... drive.

That sounds pretty lonely.

I meet people.

Nobody stops me.

Guess I don't leave much behind.

[gentle music]

♪ ♪

Where do you go?

Wherever the road takes me.

Mostly Mexico.

[dogs barking]

Oh, God. What'd I do?

What kind of man abandons his child?

Just relax. It'll all be all right.

You'll see.

You promise?

I promise.

Hey.

Look at that. I got him.

Says he was adopted by a family in Alta Dena.

Alta Dena.

You see?

Have you got a phone number?

Oh. Oh.

What's that mean, oh?

You said a Labrador?

Yeah.

Chocolate lab. His name's Carl.

He's sweet and he's kind, and he's in Alta Dena.

That was a black lab.

He's um... herding sheep in heaven.

Alex? I'm... I'm sorry.

Alex?

What are you doing?

Alex, open the...

Alex! Alex, what are you... Alex!

Ugh. What are you doing?

Alex!

Alex?

[car beeping]

[brakes screeching]

[decelerating]

f*cking idiot!

What the f*ck were you doing?

You could have k*lled yourself!

But I didn't! I didn't.

[both panting]

I guess... I guess someone's looking out for me.

Yes, I am looking out for you.

Why?

'Cause that's what friends do.

[laughs]

Ugh.

[sighs]

[playful music]

Hey, how about this?

It's the dry season.

♪ ♪

Do you want a shower or something?

No, I'm good.

Do you guys have something I could drink?

I have a g*n.

Cool.

Hey, will you grab my sandals?

Yeah.

Here you go.

Thanks.

Laura.

Hi, Mom.

Who is this?

Dave.

We met at the pier.

I was fishing.

Okay.

Pretty weak catch, to be honest.

Yeah.

Good thing I got these.

Great. Laura...

What is he doing in the house?

He's helping me pack.

We're going to Mexico.

What?

Have you seen my passport?

Just stop!

Stop what?

You know what.

Dave made a convincing argument.

Hey! I am not kidding around right now.

[laughs] That's her mom voice.

Come on.

Laura, you're not going to Mexico with Dave.

Sure I am.

Who's going to Mexico?

Nobody.

Look, I am your mom.

You don't have to do that.

I don't have to do what?

Pretend to be my mom.

I am your mom.

No, you're my best friend.

At least you were before you stabbed me in the back and slept with a guy I liked.

Your teacher.

You slept with her teacher?

Her photography teacher.

Wait... best friend?

Yeah. We were a team, you know?

You and me.

But it turns out you're not a very good mom or friend.

But it's fine. I've got Dave now.

Right. Can we...

Can we just talk about this in private?

Dave doesn't mind. You don't mind, do you, Dave?

Emmy, do you mind?

[door opening]

Oh, thank God.

Good, we're all here.

Why Mexico?

I've always wanted to go.

You never said anything about it before.

You never asked.

How long you thinking about staying?

Six months, maybe more.

Dave knows a few people in Costa Rica.

They have a camper down by the beach.

It's a pretty sweet setup.

Yeah. Sounds like it.

You're not worried about money?

The dollar goes pretty far down there.

It's a weak economy.

Okay, Dave.

Why is it such a big deal?

I mean, people travel all the time.

Yeah, but they usually wait until after high school.

I don't really like school.

What about your friends? Won't you miss them?

I don't really like them either.

Oh.

Honestly, I'm a little surprised you care.

Why would you say that?

I mean...

Look, you know what? It's fine.

I mean, what does it matter if I live here, or Dad's house, or Mexico, it doesn't matter, none of it matters.

This is your home. We're your family.

That matters.

Then why is she trying to tear us apart?

I'm not trying to tear us apart, Laura.

I'm trying to bring us together.

I didn't want to lose him.

I couldn't stand the idea of losing both of you.

What, you slept with me so that you wouldn't lose him?

Whoa.

I'm sorry.

I...

I don't know what's wrong with me.

[gentle music]

♪ ♪

I'm sorry.

Carl's dead.

Who's Carl?

My dog. They put him down.

You... you don't own a dog.

Are you going to respond to what she just said?

You know, some things are worth caring about.

If you don't care about anything, you just end up like Dave here.

Alex.

Wait, what do you mean, like me?

You don't want that.

She slept with me to break us up.

That's crazy, that's f*cking crazy.

She's... she's crazy.

Hey, that's a little hyperbolic.

She just admitted it.

And technically, you slept with her, too.

Why would you sleep with your boyfriend's sister?

Okay, I f*cked up. Of course, I f*cked up.

But... we both did.

I mean, but that's not... you don't just... throw it away 'cause of that.

I mean, we're good together.

It works. How often can you say that?

I mean... this should not be a competition.

I mean, you do see how dysfunctional this is, right?

♪ ♪

We were good together.

But you should go.

God, you... okay.

Yeah, you deserve each other.

[sighs]

[door closes]

Crazy, right?

Dave, I think you should go now, too.

Look at Aunt Eva.

That hat is awful.

It's all awful.

We could've stayed home.

I wanted to see if they'd burst into flames.

Another prayer unanswered.

[sighs]

Do you think Jesus was a narcissist?

What?

A narcissist.

Like, did Jesus have a personality disorder?

Like, you mean like on a clinical level?

Yeah. Turning water into wine, saying he was a savior.

Whole son of God thing.

Right. Did it affect him socially?

At work?

'Cause it has to affect you to really count.

Well, a lot of people hated Jesus.

Well, he told people how to live their lives.

Nobody wants to hear that.

No, they don't.

["Wedding March" playing]

♪ ♪

Welcome, friends and family.

So we gather here today to celebrate the Holy union of Dawn to Charles.

Today is a blessing.

Do you think they'll last?

Mom and Dad?

Yeah.

Well, they love each other.

Or, at least they convince themselves they do.

That might be enough.

They do look happy.

[poignant music]

Yeah, they do.

♪ ♪

[Wendy Rene's "After Laughter (Comes Tears)"]

♪ After laughter ♪
♪ Comes tears ♪
♪ After laughter ♪
♪ After your laughter ♪
♪ Comes tears ♪
♪ There will be tears ♪
♪ ♪
♪ When you're in love ♪
♪ You're happy ♪
♪ Oh, and then ♪
♪ When you're in a arm ♪
♪ You gaze ♪
♪ ♪
♪ After laughter ♪
♪ After your laughter ♪
♪ Comes tears ♪
♪ Oh! Oh! Oh! ♪
♪ After laughter ♪
♪ After your laughter ♪