04x14 - Triggered

[bunniefuu]

Hi. I'm Lecy Goranson
from "The Conners."

The episode you're about to see
contains themes of g*n v*olence.

Viewer discretion is advised.

Thanks, guys.

The place looks great.

But the "I" fell out of the sign.

It says, "Welcome home, Louse."

Somebody found their -year-old
bottle of Hai Karate.

Yeah.

Kind of a mistake.
It's pure alcohol now.

I didn't even have to shave.

The hair just fell out of my face.

[Laughs] Aww, too bad
Mark can't be here.

Is he already in Springfield?

Yeah, and I... I was a little nervous

about letting him go
on an overnight field trip

after the way he's been acting out.

I remember my trip to Springfield.

There's nothing more exciting
than learning the inner-workings

of a bicameral legislature.

Oh, my God, I learned something.

Okay, she's here. Tour bus
just pulled up out front.

Everybody hide!

Oh, wait. She's lugging a bunch of bags,

a guitar, and an amp.
Shouldn't we help her?

No! You'll ruin the surprise!

[Knock on door]

LOUISE: Hello?! Uh...

H-Hi. Is anybody there?

I could use some help here!

[Doorknob rattles] Oh, my God.

You... You locked the door?!

You knew I was coming home today!

[Sniffs] I can smell
Dan's Hai Karate from out here!

I know he's in there!

[Grunts] Son of a bitch!

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

Welcome home!

Wasn't that fun?!

- I missed you so much, baby.
- [Chuckles] Mm.

Mm. Oh, is that
what Nashville smells like?

Hey.

I got a little sweaty.

musicians on a bus,

I'm the only one who change a tire.

[Chuckles] Put down your sitar.

Learn some life skills. [Door closes]

Oh, thanks for all this.

It's great to be home.

And because I love you so much,

I won't hug you until I take a shower.

Oh, sorry.

Mary's here
because DJ's away on business,

and some mean girl
called her "fuzzy legs,"

so she's been in the
shower, hackin' away

for the last half-hour.

That's sweet.

I remember when I cared enough
to shave my legs.

I like your hairy legs.

It makes me think I'm married to

- a devil-may-care French woman.
- Oh.

And, you know, your ear hair

makes me think of
the Gardens of Versailles.

Oh-ho-ho! [Laughs]

Well, Mary might be a while,

so let's, uh, microwave some water,

and you can hit your hot spots
in the sink.

Uh, you know, as much as I'd love

to just take my shirt off
and bathe in front of you all

[Chuckles] why don't I
just have a cup of coffee?

Yeah.

Oh, let me get it.

You must be exhausted.

Oh, thanks.

So, uh, what did I miss around here?

Well, you already heard

the big news about Mary's legs.

Uh, only other thing is, uh,

Becky and I are moving out.

Oh.

What a lovely homecoming gift.

Uh, wow. Really?

You aren't even gonna
pretend to miss us?

You want me to pretend?
Would that help?

It'd help me. I'm fragile.

I'm devastated.

You girls must be so excited,

striking out on your own in your s.

Yeah, but we are a little concerned

about leaving Dad.

Oh, you don't have to worry about him.

I'll walk him, I'll
feed him twice a day,

and at night, I'll make
sure he's in his crate

so he doesn't chew up my slippers.

There's probably a few things
about living with Dan

you might not know.

What are you talking about?

I know how to take care of Dan.

Well, you may have stayed over,

but you haven't lived with him.

It's like going to the zoo.

There's what you see

when you walk past
a majestic old lion's den,

but what you don't see
is the guy in the back

sticking a pill up a goat's head

and lobbing it over the fence.

I've, uh, written down
the important stuff.

For example, don't let
him over-salt the food.

He's having dinner tonight,

not preserving it for the winter.

And don't let him take
his meds with beer.

He'll fight you, but you
gotta stand your ground.

And make sure they're his meds.

Last week, I caught him taking

a couple of Good & Plenty's
instead of his statins.

Mm.

[Emergency alert sounds]

What is it?

Oh, my God. What's happening?

Somebody just got sh*t
at Lanford Woods Mall.

No!

That's where Emilio
took Beverly Rose.

REPORTER: It's a very chaotic scene
here at the Lanford Woods Mall.

Police have told anyone inside
to shelter in place

while they continue to
search for the suspect.

Hey.

What is up with all the police
in the neighborhood?

Somebody got sh*t at the mall.

We're probably a staging area.

Emilio's not answering.
I'm going down there.

- Oh, I'll go with you.
- No, no!

The cops won't let you
near the place, Dan.

I'm still in touch with a couple
of friends on the force.

I'll go. Maybe I can get Becky through.

Oh, my God. This is crazy.

It's like it happens every day.

It does happen every day.

MAN: Lanford Police!
Please remain indoors!

Do not leave your house!

I repeat... Do not leave your house!

Well, that can't be good. [Door opens]

- We have to stay inside.
- No, I need to go down there!

- Becky!
- I have to see if Beverly Rose is okay!

They're... They're locking up
the neighborhood.

They only do that

if they think the
suspect is in the area.

We can't be out there.

H-Hey, I-I thought he was at the mall.

Now he's somewhere around here?

Welcome home, right?

[Cellphone rings]

Emilio?! Oh, my God! Are you okay?!

EMILIO: Yes. Everything's okay.

I-I'm sorry I didn't call sooner.

We... We had to hide
in the mall restroom

until the police told us
it was safe to come out.

They made us turn off our phones

so we wouldn't make any noise.

Let me talk to Beverly Rose.

[Sirens wailing, helicopter
blades whirring in distance]

Thank God they're okay.

What's going on outside? I want to see.

No, Mary, not right now.

There's, uh, some trouble at the mall,

and the police are
looking for the bad guy.

Did somebody sh**t somebody?

Yes, but we are safe here,

so you do not need to be afraid.

I'm not afraid.

We do a drill like this
at school every day.

Ben, put a chair in front of the door.

Everybody stay away from the windows.

I'm going upstairs to get my checklist.

With all the police around,

the guy's probably nowhere near us.

But if it makes Mary feel
better to be in control,

let's just do it.

Well, I'll tell you what...

It really sucks that kids
even know how to do this.

There's no place they can go
where they feel safe anymore.

Yeah, no kidding. I wouldn't
want to be a kid these days,

with the COVID and online bullying,

now random sh**t. [Sighs]

We used to go out in the mornings

and not come back 'til the night

when the street lights came on.

Our parents didn't even know
where we were,

and everybody liked it that way.

What are you talking about?

Being a kid is still easy.

You just have to accept
that everything sucks,

and you can't do anything about it.

Harris, that's awful.

Don't you think that
there's young people out there

who... who are trying to change things?

Yeah, and they're a bunch of suckers.

Oh, there's my little DNA.

Speaking of DNA, I'm actually relieved

that Mark went to the state capitol now.

Yeah, 'cause no angry mob
ever storms a capitol.

Ben! Read the room!

♪♪

[Helicopter blades whirring in distance]

Why can't the cops find this guy?

It's not that easy.

Crime's up everywhere.

They're probably spread pretty thin.

I want to hear this part.

[Helicopter blades whirring]
Oh, it's too loud.

It sounds like the helicopter's
right over our house.

- Okay, fine.
- No, it is.

That's our street.

God, that is so embarrassing.

One of our hillbilly neighbors

patched their roof with a garbage bag

held down by bricks. [Laughs]

Well, you're right about
the hillbilly part.

That's our house.

That's how you fixed
the hole in our roof?!

There was a second hole,

and there was only one scenario

where it could bite me in the ass,

and you're looking at it.

Well, at least he's not on our block.

They're moving away.

Look at all the police
outside that house.

That's on Lennox, next to St. Luke's.

Hey, that's the McNolty house, right?

That's only like a block
and a half away from here.

Maybe he's, like,
hiding in the backyard.

Oh, man.

I hope he didn't bust in

and he's holding people
hostage in there.

Again?

Were you this clueless
when I was dating you?

Yeah, I think I was.

Dan, I know I wasn't here,

but you really should've
talked to me first.

This waterbed is not staying.

Okay.

Okay, I'll give the bed a chance.

I'm sorry. I didn't think.

I should've warned you
I was getting this out.

You really think you're gonna need it?

I hope not.

Where are Beverly Rose and Emilio?

They can't get through the police line,

so they're staying at Emilio's.
It's safer there.

Becky, look.

They're showing
a picture of the sh**t.

It's James McNolty.

Not James.

He was always nice to me,
he always said, "Hi,"

he shoveled people's walkways.

I went to school with him.

He had issues, but we all do.

There are other kids I would've
expected to go off before him.

Aw, man, the McNolty kid's the sh**t?

He used to deliver our paper.
I want to hear this.

Is that a g*n?!
What the hell, Grandpa?!

You still have that thing?

Okay, I want it out of here now.

No. He's a block and a half away.

He jumps a fence, he's looking
for a place to hide,

he comes through that door,
I'm gonna be ready.

Ready for what, Dad?

You got some kind of fantasy of
a sh**t in the living room?

What if somebody breaks in
while you're sleeping?

You gonna sleep with the g*n, too?

Don't worry.

I'll have that lockbox open,
and I'll be sh**ting

before your father even stops snoring.

Are you insane?

We're the ones
wandering around the house

in the middle of the night.

You got a better chance
of sh**ting one of us

than anybody else.

Just get rid of the g*n!

Hey, everybody! Mary's here.

Uh, why don't we turn off the TV?

No, wait. Hold on. Hold...
Oh, it's almost over.

He's coming out with his hands up.

Oh, thank God.

Damn, no. He's reaching for something.

He's got a g*n.

[g*nshots]

MARY: Is he dead?

It's okay, honey.

It's all over.

[Birds chirping]

I'm reading an article
about the sh**t.

Did you know we live in
a "rapidly decaying suburb"?

Ooh! We're a "suburb"!

Really, Dan?

I just watched a kid get sh*t yesterday.

You know, I saw the same thing myself,

but I still have to go to work today,

put a smile on my face,

and help the customers
find the right drill bit.

So if I have to joke around
a little to get through today,

let me have that.

Good morning, everybody.

There's my little princess!

Come on, Dad. I'm in my s.

It's embarrassing.

He means me, Mommy.

I know, sweetie.

Okay.

S-So, at the end of this,

do you just dip her face
in the bowl, or what?

What's the problem?
I love holding my baby.

Honey, you haven't put her down

since Emilio brought
her home last night.

It just happened. Give me a break.

Mommy, I want to get down.

I have to go potty.

Alone this time.

Leave the door open.

The poop fairies have to let me know

if you deserve a gold star.

When I leave the door open,
I get yelled at.

Where's my gold star?
[Door opens, closes]

Hey.

Hey.

You doing okay?

Um, I didn't sleep, so I'm awake,

and I'm... looking at my phone,

and it's everywhere.

Yeah.

BEVERLY ROSE: Mommy, I couldn't go.

Can I watch TV?

Too much fiber, not enough fiber.

I can't handle this.

Beverly Rose, your papa's here.

Hey, honey.

We had a real adventure
yesterday, didn't we?

What's going on?

Did you forget? I'm taking her
to Phoebe's birthday party.

That's today?

Okay, the roof's fixed.

Now we just got to get
that helicopter back overhead

so we can show off
my impeccable craftsmanship.

One of you needs to commit a crime.

[Chuckles] Hey.

[Lowered voice] I'm glad
you didn't get sh*t, buddy.

Yeah, me, too.

Are you ready to go to the party?

Yes!

I don't think it's a good idea

to go to Phoebe's party, honey.

That's not fair. I wanna go.

You're gonna go, mija.

JACKIE: Come on, Beverly Rose,

let's go find something
in the house that we don't want

and you can give to your little friend.

I know you're worried,

but I think it'd be good for her
to see her friends.

But she's still traumatized
from yesterday.

Becky, she's okay.

I never let her know what was going on.

I think you might be the one
who's traumatized.

[Scoffs] Of course I am.

Yesterday, I saw my daughter
dead in my mind.

You were there,
you knew what was going on.

I was here, powerless.

I never want to feel that way again.

I don't, either.

I'll never forget
hiding in that bathroom,

listening for footsteps,

praying that it was the
police, not the sh**t.

We need to deal with our fear

and not keep her from
having a childhood.

I know, but the idea

of being away from
Beverly Rose terrifies me.

And I can't drink.

That is so not fair for a parent.

The police sent me an e-mail.

The city set up free trauma counseling

at the rec center.

They also have free aqua-robics classes,

but that's not because
of the sh**ting...

That's any time.

[Sighs]

Okay.

Beverly Rose, let's go!

You're gonna be late for the party.

We're bringing Phoebe an ashtray!

Bye, honey! Have fun.

[Door opens] Don't worry about Mommy.

[Door closes]

[Sighs softly] Mm.

Well, it was either that

or your dad's lumbar pillow.

♪♪

[Knock on door]

Hey.

Why aren't you dressed for school?

We're gonna be late.

I don't want to go to school.

[Sighs] Okay.

Look, I get it.

What you saw was something

that nobody should ever have to see.

We can be a little late today.

Why don't we talk about it?

I saw them k*ll James.

I know he did something terrible,

but I feel bad for him.

And I feel bad for the
person at the mall.

They were just shopping,
and they got sh*t.

I know.

Yeah, I mean, it's terrible
when anybody gets k*lled.

Sometimes things happen
and they don't make sense.

But if I leave the house, that
could happen to me, right?

No.

You are going to be perfectly safe.

How do you know that?

Because I just know.

I can tell when you're lying.

I'm not going to school.

♪♪

Is Mary gonna join us for dinner?

No.

I'm gonna give her some space

and bring her a plate.

Is she going to school tomorrow?

No.

And I feel horrible for lying to her.

She asked me if she was gonna be safe,

and I said yes,
because what else can you say?

But, you know, I don't
know. [Door opens]

Well, she can't keep missing school.

[Door closes] What are you gonna do?

I don't know.

I mean, I tried to get her in

to see the school psychologist...

This is gonna blow you away.

Our school district has one psychologist

for , students.

Well, maybe some of those students

will grow up to be psychologists.

I mean, it's ridiculous. [Sighs]

The next time the
psychologist is scheduled

to be at Mary's school is
two weeks from Tuesday.

How am I supposed to make her
feel safe in the meantime?

Well, whatever you do,

don't send her to the rec center.

There was a line around the block

to see three counselors.

They say it's free,
but I missed four hours of work,

and I never got to see anybody.

Daughters. Wife.

Crone.

Don't even.

I am not the one.

Dad, where's the g*n?

Locked safely away.

I got a curious -year-old
who gets into everything.

I gotta know where it is.

It's in a drawer in a lockbox

with a combination
that nobody knows but me.

Oh, come on, Dan.

Everybody in Chicago has the same combo.

It's the year the Bears
won the Super Bowl.

.

Well, now I have to change
all my passwords.

But don't worry...

There's no way anybody's
getting near that g*n.

Got your money.

What's that for?

- I sold your g*n.
- You what?!

Took your g*n to the police station,

and they gave me that cash for it.

- Wow.
- Yeah. Gutsy.

Nice knowing you.

What happened to the whole,
"the world's screwed

and there's nothing
you can do about it"?

The world is screwed.

But when something like this
happens in your backyard,

you have two choices.

I can either hide
and bitch like a little punk

or get up off my ass
and do something like a boss.

[Crying] You guys...

Oh, Jackie, it's gonna be okay.

They're gonna work it out.

No, it's not... It's...

It's just so overwhelming

when I see a young person

doing something good in this world,

because there's so much v*olence

and there's so much misery.

And... when I'm on my phone,

it... It's just everywhere.

They... They don't even let you

get up off the ground.

Hey, exactly how much of this stuff

are you watching every night?

I don't...

Well, according to my phone,

my screen time is like
around nine hours a day.

You're doom-scrolling every night.

No wonder you're a raw nerve
all the time.

Watch a cat wrestle a monkey
every once in a while.

You're a mess.

You shouldn't be alone.

You're sleeping here tonight.

Yeah, okay, thanks.

I wi...

I'm gonna...
I'm gonna go make up the couch.

[Crying, sniffles]

And I just want to
say how sweet it is...

Just go.

... that you're all so
understanding is what I...

Go.

Now we talk.

You had no right to take my property.

Dad, we don't need
an argument right now.

No, no, no. This isn't enough.

I just want to tell Harris

that she is gonna
make up the difference.

Now, I don't agree with what you did,

but I get why you did it.

Okay, well, I'm glad
you finally understand...

Harris, you're juggling chainsaws here.

Just take the limbs
you still have and walk away.

♪♪

Beverly Rose, should I go all-in?

Yes.

Ah!

You set me up!

Who are you working with?!

Who wants apple pie?

- Finally.
- Me!

I'll have a piece.

- Hey!
- Hey, Mary!

Come over here.

I'll share my sleeping bag with you.

- This is great.
- You feel better?

Maybe a little.

I like that we're all together.

Me, too.

Hey, doom-scroller, hand it over.

Yeah, I got so much tequila in me,

I don't even know
what I'm looking at anyway.

A sleepover was a really good idea.

What are we gonna do tomorrow?

We'll deal with tomorrow tomorrow.

♪♪

[Knock on door] Oh.

- Hi.
- Hey, there, Dan.

Libby Lewis.

We live about a block and a half down.

How you doing?

Hi, Libby. Hi.

We're doing... okay.

- Been a rough couple days.
- Yeah.

- How you doing?
- Getting by.

We're going around the neighborhood

collecting funds for the family
of the mall victim.

I have a dollar.

You know, it just so happens, Libby,

I got some extra cash.

Here you go.

Thank you.

Okay, cough it up.

Uh, I only have a twenty.

Oh, uh...

Oh, look a that... Another twenty.

'Cause it's the right thing to do.