The Haunting of Hill House - 01x08 - Witness Marks

[bunniefuu]

The big question is, how
aggressive do you want to be?

Very aggressive. We don't
want to lose any more time.

You've been trying for... two years?

And four months.

I have the app monitoring ovulation,

taking temperature and mucus levels,

we've been planning
and pacing intercourse.

It's been very romantic.

So we're looking at IUI or IVF.

- IUI is the least invasive.
- And outpatient.

IUI... ?

Didn't you read the thing?
I told you to read it.

Intrauterine insemination.

The sperm are injected
directly into the uterus.

- And yes, it's outpatient
- Let's start there.

- You're , Steven?
- Uh-huh.

Okay, we'll test your sperm for
count and motility percentage.

And how far away are we
from your period, Leigh?

It's unpredictable. A
week, maybe ten days.

Your cycle's unpredictable?

Is that a problem?

Possibly, possibly not.

That and your age are all factors.

Over , the situation
becomes more difficult.

But very often it's manageable.

But it might be likely that
based on your test results,

we go straight to in vitro.

- Will Insurance help with that?
- Most companies won't cover IVF,

but very often the genetic testing
for the man will be covered.

Oh, that sounds fair.

All right, so, Steven, when
can we schedule your tests?

Which tests?

A blood panel for chromosomal diagnosis,

a sample of your semen.

When did you last ej*cul*te?

A week.

Maybe less.

No, it's two weeks.

When...

We'll need to reschedule
it for another time.

We need you within
three to five days after.

Homework, honey.

We gotta talk.

About what?

Steve?

Steve!

Steve.

Steve!

Oh. I'm sorry.

- I'll just...
- I can fix this.

No, I don't want to cancel it,
I just wanted a usage alert.

So you'll text me next time it's used?

Okay. Thanks.

He hasn't used the credit card yet.

They're going to send
me an alert when he does.

We can get a location from that.

God, I hope he...

just tries an ATM and doesn't
trade the card for dope.

Does he have your PIN?

- Are you kidding?
- Why would he try an ATM?

I'm sorry, Steve. Do you
have a better suggestion?

He took the card to use the card,

and now we'll know if he does.

He didn't have to break the house.

No, I don't think he did.

Me neither.

Someone ask you what
you think, Theodora?

Sorry.

If it wasn't Luke, who was it?

Maybe one of your kids.

Yeah, that makes sense.

It's probably my kids.

Or maybe it was the
guy who just stole a car

to put a needle in his arm.

I'm worried about a lot more than that.

What do you mean?

I mean, that suicides
can cluster in families,

especially twins.

If they lose a twin,

the odds go up.

He may not be planning to come home.

Where... Where would he go?

He could be anywhere.

He was picked up off Mass Ave a
few times when he was living here.

Methadone Mile.

- What's that?
- Mass Ave, south of downtown.

It's basically an open-air drug market.

I remember it.

- I'll go look for him.
- It's a waste of gas.

- He could be anywhere.
- Yeah, I'll go with you.

I got this.

Just wait a bit.

- We'll see if he's using the card.
- Call me if he does.

Are you gonna drive in circles?

- Hope he's standing on some corner?
- Maybe, I don't know.

We're really not going
to tell them what we saw?

Damn it, Luke.

We going or what?

I just want to help.

I just want to help.

Look, bud, I know you do,

but I'm gonna start using some
really strong chemicals down here...

... and it just isn't safe.

I can help with something else, then.

Look, pal,

I've already hired all
the help I can afford

just to get everything else
finished by the end of summer.

I could use your help
with something, though.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

See, your mom's going to go to
your Aunt Janet's in a few days

and stay a bit.

Maybe a week.

How come?

Well, you know, she's been cooped
up in this house all summer and...

Anyway, I know it's not
the most exciting thing,

but I could really use your help

watching your brother and
your sisters while she's away.

Yeah.

Yeah, I got you.

Okay.

Mom?

What do you mean, sweetheart?

Of course you're safe with me.

Mom.

Are you okay?

Where... Where are the twins?

Downstairs.

Of course.

- Are you sure... ?
- I'm fine, sweetie. I'm fine.

Okay, thanks.

Well, he's... he's not at Holy Family.

We'll, he's probably not
going to instantly OD.

You're going to call every
hospital in Boston? That the plan?

What, you're going to just drive around,

hope we spot him in
a city of , ... ?

I'm not looking for him. I'm
looking for a b*at-up green Jeep

with not one, but two Ani
DiFranco bumper stickers,

and I'm looking for it where
I know he used to score.

Gotta do something.

Yeah, we do.

So, um...

What's going on?

- Hmm?
- What's going on with you and Leigh?

What do you mean?

Well, I mean...

how's your marriage?

You're kidding, right?

You're not living at home,

and I couldn't help but
notice at the funeral...

- You aren't seriously doing this.
- Well, yeah, I am. I...

Jesus Christ, Dad, you're out of line.

We might be in the car for a
while, and so I thought to myself,

"I'm going to ask my son about
his life." What's wrong with that?

Doesn't work that way, Dad.

Your mom and I were married years.

Together five before that.

She used to say she was
the kite and I was the line.

She was a... creature of the clouds

and... and I was a
creature of the earth.

And she'd say that without
me she'd become untethered

and she would float away up into the...

And then without her,
I would just, you know,

crash, just drop right
down to the ground,

and, you know.

But... together...

we...

You know, we separated.

You... You didn't know that, probably.

Briefly, we separated.
You were one year old.

Stupidest thing I ever did.

You know, I made some stupid
proclamation and that was it.

Two weeks.

Two weeks. I don't even
know how we got there.

I just know we fought. I don't
know what we fought about,

but I finally came to my senses, and...

I thought, "What the hell, you
stupid assh*le. What are you, insane?"

So, you know, I came back
and knocked on the door,

she answered it, she
put her arms around me,

she kissed me, she forgave
me with her eyes, and...

She handed you to me.

I had you in one arm and her
in the other and that was it.

We were back at it.

And Shirley came along and...

from that moment on, we
were on the same team.

You know, we still fought sometimes,

but it was...

it was different. We fought
with love. She taught me that.

You fight with love.

Yeah, when you're...

You're on the same team even
in the middle of a fight.

During the fight,

you're... you're forgiven.

There's no fear. There's
no danger. You're safe.

I hope, really, you get to
experience that sometime.

It's a...

It's a beautiful way to be.

You know, look, we weren't perfect...

but we were always kind.

And we loved each other hard.

And I love her today just as
much as I did in the beginning.

The kite and the line.

So whatever you need to
fix between you and Leigh...

I really hope you do.

And...

That's all I... That's
all I really wanted to say.

Candy, candy, candy, candy!

Sure you won't come with us?

You guys have fun.

Come on, Mom, candy!

We'll bring her back some.
Mom's had a very hard day.

Would you stop that?

I'm still disappointed you're
not going as Captain Lame.

I swear to God, Dad.

Candy, candy, candy!

Hey.

Can we talk when I get back?

How? You'll be back at the hotel.

Okay.

Okay, Shirl.

Stop.

- Let's go.
- Turn off the porch light.

I can't handle
trick-or-treaters tonight.

I love you.

You guys have fun.

What the hell?

Sorry, no candy here.

g*dd*mn light's off.

I'm gonna call the hospitals again.

- Maybe he just forgot his ID.
- And ask them what?

If they've seen a
junkie in a funeral suit?

He's days clean
and he's your brother.

He's a good man, Steve.

They're not mutually exclusive.

He's my brother, but he's a junkie.

We're not going to find him like this.

- You didn't have to come.
- Yeah, I did.

- No, you really didn't.
- Yeah, I did, Steve.

He's my son. You know? My...

I don't know what I'd do
if I lost him, any of you.

Yeah, I had to come.

I can't... I can't lose...

I can't lose anyone else.

One day when you have children,
you'll understand that.

I'm never having children.

Well, that's... that's a shame.

'Cause you kids are the
best thing in my life.

You mean Aunt Janet's life?

She's the one who raised
your kids, didn't she?

- You don't know what it was like.
- You never told me.

Everything I did, I did to protect you.

To protect us, I know, yeah.

Just like you protected Mom.

Here we go.

I saw the police reports.

- Her skull cracked like a melon...
- All right, Steve, why don't you just... ?

There was blood all
over the library carpet.

There were bruises on her upper arms

because someone grabbed her pretty hard.

Okay, Steve...

And a contusion on the back of her
head from being shoved into a wall?

Her ankle was twisted,
so she was limping,

she was bruised to hell,
depressed out of her mind,

unmedicated, untreated, and abandoned.

It wasn't like that.

I did my best. You have no idea...

You threw us in car,
you left her there alone,

and she threw herself
off the g*dd*mn staircase,

and that was your best?

All right, well, she should not
have been left alone in the house...

f*ck the house. It wasn't
the house. She was sick.

She was sick in her
mind, and the one person,

the one person that was
supposed to take care of her

didn't do a g*dd*mn
thing to get her help.

I miss her.

I miss my mom.

I miss her too.

It's certainly beautiful.
Where did you find it?

The game room.

- The what room?
- Upstairs.

You know, I think a little
paint, maybe fix those doors,

- and she might really love it.
- I'm sure she will.

So do you know where
the paint and stuff is?

- Why don't you ask your father?
- I did. He's busy.

He said if it wasn't tagged for
sale, I could do whatever I wanted.

And it's not tagged for sale.

Well, I do know where some paint is.

I thought so.

This must have been Poppy's.

Poppy?

Poppy Hill.

She was William's wife.

She was insane.

Yeah, she looks kind of wild.

No, I mean clinically.

So was he.

William's parents sent him to
an institution when he was a kid.

They called it private school,
but it wasn't a school, though.

It was just a place where rich
parents hid their embarrassments.

They met in the mental institution.

They fell in love in an asylum.

She was insane.

Did you know her?

Oh, yes.

She was just as crazy, just older.

She was a beautiful young
woman in her time, though.

No doubt about that.

If you really want this to
be a surprise for your mom,

I'd suggest you don't
work on it in your room.

Just take the f*cking candy and go.

You're very clever.

How about you try another house?

I'm not in the f*cking mood!

What the f*ck do you want?

Oh... Oh.

I was just coming to apologize.

Who are you yelling at?

Some f*cking kids are...

Forget it.

- Wait.
- Not now.

- I can explain.
- I doubt that.

- Shouldn't you be packing?
- I know what it looked like last night.

- You were making out with my husband.
- No. No, there was no actual...

Okay, so from what I can remember,
which isn't a lot actually,

he pushed me away.

- Is that supposed to make this better?
- If it wasn't even him.

It wasn't... I didn't see
him. It wasn't about him.

It's about you getting
out of my guest house

and off my f*cking property.

- If you would just let me talk.
- I don't care what you have to say.

Don't you understand? Get out!

You are impossible. Do you know that?

I'm sorry, have I offended you?

You are always throwing it in my
face that I live in your guest house.

Won't happen again.

I choose to live there, Shirley.

- With you, for you.
- Oh, I can't thank you enough.

You ice people out.

You always have.

I ice people out?

Have you met yourself?

And so I chose to live there
to help try and keep you warm.

You f*cking suck at apologies.

I don't have to live in your guest
house. I'm not some bohemian weirdo.

I'm an adult.

I am a f*cking doctor.

You're a f*cking slut.

I just need you to know

that it wasn't Kevin's fault
and he didn't do anything...

Don't you f*cking
dare defend my husband.

All of us, all of us are
just always helping you

keep up this idea in your head
that you're perfect Shirley,

and we're just a bunch
of f*ck-ups f*cking up.

- Perfect Shirley's perfect f*cking...
- Out!

No!

You do not just get to
shut me out of your...

Did you just punch me in the boob?

Yeah.

Yeah!

If you kiss my husband,
that's what you get.

You get punched in the f*cking boob.

And you get evicted

from my f*cking house.

Shirl?

What's up?

They...

Sorry, they...

They got a hit.

He used the card at a gas station.

, just east of Amherst.

Amherst?

Um... Can you text me the address?

- Shirl?
- Yeah.

I'm here.Sorry.

Yeah, I'll... I'll text you the address.

- Amherst is on the way...
- Yeah, I know where it is.

You guys are gonna stay there,
we're gonna go to Amherst.

I'm saying, if he's stopping
in Amherst, he's heading...

Shirley, listen to me,
you're gonna stay put.

- You hear me?
- Tell them what happened.

Tell them what just happened.

I'll text you.

Some f*cking kids playing
a prank is what happened.

You know it wasn't.

You know that.

That's not the only thing like
that that's happened here tonight.

I think Luke is going to the house.

Of course he is.

The g*dd*mn house.

It was a good enough spot for Nell,
it's a good enough spot for Luke.

He always wanted to do
what she did his whole life.

- You think you know.
- Uh-huh.

And you just don't,
you don't understand.

Last time I saw Mom,

the look in her eye,

I've seen that look.

And Nell over the years,
and Luke, from the start,

from when he'd sit there drawing
crazy ghouls in his treehouse,

and, hell, I've seen
that look in the mirror.

Our family has a disease
that's never been treated,

because it was easier to
listen to your crazy stories

about an evil house.

You think you saw it in the mirror?

That's why you think
you'll never have kids?

Oh, I know I'm never having children.

Because you think that they'll just
have the same imaginary sickness?

They would. We all do.

Nell was delusional, depressed,

Luke's an addict, Shirley
is a control freak,

and Theo's basically a
clenched fist with hair.

The whole f*cking family is
on the brink of a breakdown

and seeing things that aren't there,
hearing things that aren't there,

and that sh*t happened after the house.

It's not the house.

There's something wrong
with our g*dd*mn brains.

So yeah, I'm never having children.

I made sure.

A vasectomy.

Right out of college.

And it was the right call, believe
me, because if I ever doubted it,

some of the bullshit I've
been hallucinating this week...

You really did?

Yeah.

Before you met Leigh?

Boy.

You didn't tell her?

You didn't tell her.

No.

She wanted kids, I knew that.

I kept thinking, "I'll tell
her later, now's not the time."

But then we were engaged,
and then we were married,

and then we were trying and she
was so upset it wasn't working.

I couldn't say.

I can't. My genes.

"My... My genes are rotten, Leigh."

So I... I...

I didn't tell her.

And I thought I was being
kind, I really thought that.

See, we're all f*cking crazy.

The crazy Crains.

This sickness already k*lled two
of us, might k*ll a third tonight.

That's...

almost half.

Be almost half of us.

So, you want to tell me more
about the kite and the line?

Or just...

Just tell me what a
shitty husband I was.

Go ahead.

I'm so sorry.

I'm just...

I'm just so sorry, son.

You did this?

This is beautiful. You
did this by yourself?

Thought it might cheer you up.

Dad said you've been...

What? What did he say?

I'm... I just...

I know you're taking a little vacation.

I wanted to cheer you up.

Oh, sweetie.

How long are you going to be gone?

Oh, not long.

Not long, honey.

I just need a little time away.
It's nothing more than that, okay?

Okay.

This is perfect.

Thank you. Thank you! I love it.

Mom?

Oh, baby.

Oh, I'm so sorry.

This is an older picture. He
would have been wearing a suit.

- About an hour ago. Did he come in?
- Yeah, I think so.

Yeah? Did he say anything
weird or do anything... ?

He filled up his Jeep.

- Green Jeep?
- That's right.

And then he filled up
some cans, like, five cans.

Five cans, you say?

- Was it him?
- Yeah.

What are you doing?

- I'm driving.
- No, this...

This is my rental.

Jesus, Dad, slow down.

He bought five cans of gasoline.
He's not going to k*ll himself,

- he's going to burn the house down.
- That's a relief.

He's in more danger
now than he's ever been,

and if he tries to burn
it, it will defend itself.

- You really didn't hear a word I said.
- I did. Now you're gonna listen to me.

There's a lot you don't know.

I thought I could keep you kids safe

if you didn't know, but for years

I've been holding the door closed,
'cause I knew there were monsters

on the other side, do you understand me?

Not even a little.

Our family is like an
unfinished meal to that house,

and your brother is
walking right back into...

That house is the most dangerous
place in the world for all of us,

but especially for you.

- For me?
- Yeah, you.

What? Why?

Because I read your book,

and you are the last person that
should ever step foot in that house

because of what you wrote
and how you wrote it.

You think you know what you saw?

- You think you know what you wrote?
- What?

I know you saw a ghost.

Yeah, chapter .

Yeah. That little story about the
vanity you painted for your mother.

That's a story about
a schizophrenic woman

having a manic episode
in front of a mirror.

You don't understand what you wrote...

No, I saw Mom smash that glass

- for no reason.
- Before that.

Go to the beginning, that little bit,

about the vanity and why you did it.

- You found the vanity in the game room.
- Uh-huh.

And you walked by the
man repairing the clock,

and then you saw your mother
looking into the twins' room,

staring at their empty beds.

Textbook dissociative
episode. She was not well.

No, no, not her.

The man repairing the clock.

What about him?

Do you know what "witness marks" are?

They're scars.

Little marks inside the clock,

scrapes, lines, divots,

from tools, gears,

pieces removed from the clock.

They're basically evidence of repairs
that have been done to the clock

and what the clock was.

And with antique clocks,

you almost never have a repair record,

so you have to learn how
to read the witness marks,

so you can understand what
was done to the machine

and how it's meant to function.

Witness marks tell
the story of the piece,

if you know how to read them.

What are you trying to say?

I had that clock
evaluated by a professional

before we even moved into the house.

I just wanted to know its
history, know its value.

That clock hadn't been
touched since the ' s.

You hired a slew of
workers toward the end...

Not for that clock, I didn't. Uh-uh.

No, and if I had, it would
have taken a specialist.

There's only a handful in the
world who know how to do it right,

and they take it off-site.

No. No one touched that
clock. There was no man there,

and certainly not one in old
overalls with a handlebar mustache.

That man wasn't there.

You probably just forgot.

You know, you think you're
writing about your crazy mom,

your crazy brother making
scary faces in the treehouse.

You see the marks, but you
don't know how to read them.

I never built you kids a treehouse.

What? Luke was in there all the time.

- I used to go fetch him for dinner...
- We were there flipping a house.

We were gonna be there
maybe eight weeks.

How would I even have the time to
build you kids a g*dd*mn treehouse?

- Maybe it was already there.
- There was no treehouse.

Now, when we get there,
you can have a look,

your mother, she was not sick.

She wasn't crazy, and
neither was your sister,

neither is your
brother, neither are you.

Whatever you saw this week,

and I'm very sorry you have to
be taking all this in right now,

but you have to.

Do you understand me? You have to,

because your brother's
life depends on it.

That house is the most dangerous
place in the world for all of us,

and that's why I told
your sisters to stay put.

You really think they will?

Do you think he's... ?

You know...

going there like Nell went there?

Like going to k*ll himself?

I don't know.

No.

I guess I don't.

I'm not perfect, you know.

I know.

I'm really not.

So go ahead, tell me.

Try again.

Dad and I were in your office,

and the forever house was on the floor,

and we heard a noise under the desk...

Not that. You already told me that.

I was really drunk.

- Swear to God, Theo...
- And the lights went out

while we were down there, and I...

couldn't see. I was in the dark.

I mean, like I was in the dark

that whole night, and I just needed...

I... I needed...

I couldn't see

him,

if that makes any sense.

You know what? Never mind.

- I'm trying to tell you...
- Forget I asked.

You just don't know
what I'm dealing with.

We've all been dealing,

and we somehow managed not to try
to f*ck each other's spouses...

Hey, that's not what this
was about. It just isn't.

So, you were drunk,

- and that's supposed to be okay?
- I'm telling you.

I don't even know why
I let you come with me.

I touched Nell's body the night before.

The f*ck is wrong with you?

Why don't you listen?

- I don't...
- I'm telling you.

- I'm trying to tell you.
- I don't need to hear your excuses...

- I'm not making excuses.
- ... or your bullshit.

I saw...

Are you okay?

That was her!

That was her! That was her!

Did you see that, Shirley?

Do you f*cking believe that?

You ought to know why I did it.

I touched Nell because I had to know.

You know what I'm talking about.

Don't pretend that you don't.

You know what happens
when I touch people.

A part of you knows, it always has.

I had to know and I...

I touched her.

And I felt...

nothing.

Just nothing.

And it spread, it
spread everywhere in me,

this nothing, until I
couldn't feel anything anymore.

I was just this dark,

empty black hole.

And I tried to fill it up,
I tried to fill me back up,

and I called Trish and she came
right away and I felt nothing.

And then I tried to mourn at
the wake and I felt nothing,

and so I drank and I
drank, and nothing worked.

I couldn't feel anything, Shirley.

After I touched her
skin, I couldn't feel...

anything.

And then we're in the
basement and the lights go out.

And I can't see.

And I can't feel.

And I'm just... I'm just
floating in this ocean of nothing,

and I wonder if this is it,
if this is what death is,

just out there in the darkness,
just darkness and numbness and alone,

and I wondered if that's what she
felt and that's what Mom feels,

and it's just numb
and nothing and alone.

What if that's what it is for all of us

when the time comes?

And then the lights came on
and there he was, and I...

I didn't see him. I didn't see him.

He was the light in the darkness.

He was a life preserver in the ocean.

I just... I reached for him
because I had to feel something.

I had to feel anything.

And I didn't see him.

I didn't... I didn't see
him. I didn't see him.

I didn't see him!

And he stopped me. He stopped me.

He took my hands, and he said no,

and then I saw him,
and then you walked in.

God, I'm so glad I did it, though.

Because it worked.

Oh, God, it worked.

I started feeling things again,

and I felt... I felt
shame, and I felt grief,

and I felt... scared.

I felt so f*cking scared

that I was gonna lose the
only sister that I had left.

And I...

Honestly, I had to do it, because
it felt better than nothing.

That thorough f*cking shame

was so much better than
that horrible, empty nothing.

I can't... Shirley, please.

I am... I am so...

I am so, so, so sorry.

I'm so sorry.

Please, just please.

One, two, three, four,

five, six, seven.

One,

two, three,

four, five,

six...

Mom.