01x02 - Let the Land Hold Me

[bunniefuu]

It's gonna be
one of those days, brother.

Yeah!

I could use one.

If you can't walk on Fifth
Avenue, where can you walk?

You can't.
That's the whole point.

I cannot come up with one

plausible reason
why we still live

in that city.

You married a city mouse, honey.

Nobody fishes
this stretch of river

that can only
be reached by packhorse.

Paul has permission to fly us

into it.

Jesus!

- f*ck, Paul!
- Hold on!

Stacy!

Oh. Hello?

Ma'am, your husband
was involved in a plane crash.

I'm sorry to say
both he and a Paul Clyburn

did not survive the crash.
We'd like you to come here

and identify the bodies.

I'm gonna stay here.

Your father kept a journal.

Let's go find this spot.

Can you hear me now?

Preston?

Honey?

Can you hear me?

Sort of.

Preston...

Hold on,
I'm hunting higher ground.

You're hunting?
What are you hunting?

That should do it.

Ah, there you are.

What is this about hunting?

High ground, and I've found it.

Oh, man.

What's so funny?

It's not funny, it's just, uh...

Here, I'm gonna test
my technical prowess.

Mm. Pretty.

Pretty?

What can I say,

honey?
I'm-I'm a beach girl.

All right.

What's your favorite thing
about the beach?

Well, in what sense?

You know, when you look at it.

Uh...

I think it's the sound,
the waves, the...

There's a comfort in the crash.

If that makes any sense.

And the horizon.

You know, something
we don't have in the city.

The horizon is a perfect line
between sky and water.

Well,
this place is the opposite.

The horizon is chaos.

A bunch of jagged teeth
eating clouds.

Okay, honey.

What?

If you want to
stay longer, stay longer.

You don't have to sell me.

Stay the week.

No, wait, don't stay the week.

Oh, we have
the Met Gala on Saturday.

What's the theme?

The Anthology of Fashion.

No, that was last year's theme.

Mm, no.

That was The Lexicon of Fashion.

What's the f*cking difference?

Uh, the hors d'oeuvres
will be different.

You can come dressed
as a fisherman in a tux.

All right. What does
this mean for my week?

Can you say goodbye
to jagged teeth by Friday?

Goodbye teeth by Friday.

- You got it.
- Okay, well,

I'm on my way to have lunch with

a very distressed 36-year-old.

Yeah. Well, the sooner he's
out of her life, the better.

They share two children, honey.

Whatever happens,

he's never out of her life.
Love you.

Love you, too, sweetheart.

Are those gluten-free?

I don't think there's
any gluten in pancakes, honey.

There's nothing but
gluten in pancakes.

Mom, I can't eat gluten.

Since when did you develop
this allergy I'm unaware of?

They talk about it in school.

- Mm.
- Our bodies

aren't designed
to digest gluten.

Are these sausages?

Found them in the freezer.

Did you identify

the mystery meat
that they're made from?

Do you really want to know?

Fair enough.

Man has been eating bread
for about 30,000 years.

And for many cultures,
Sumerians,

Egyptians, Romans...
pretty much every civilization

in Mesopotamia
and Northern Africa...

ate a diet consisting
almost entirely of bread.

Unless you were
a Bedouin tribesman or

a pharaoh who ate
some version of cow or camel.

What our bodies can't tolerate
is the bromide and bleach

and all the other garbage
companies use to refine it.

But this was milled
by some local Mennonites

right here in Montana

without any of that sh*t.

What's a Sumerian?

- What's a Pharaoh?
- What's a Mennonite?

The answer to all of
your questions are on Nat Geo.

Has anyone figured out
how to use the shower yet?

I'm pretty sure you just turn
the faucet handle clockwise

until the water
starts coming out.

I'm sorry,

that was, uh, that was flippant

and unnecessary.
And it's too early for that.

Make me tea.

Yeah.

- There's coffee.
- Coffee wreaks havoc

on my nervous system.

No, I think
that's your genetics.

I have the same genetics as you.

I'm going to the bathroom.

Wish me luck.

Let me guess, Russell.

Your mother is
the domineering type.

Yeah. She does have

a very strong personality.

Why do you say that?

Just an observation.

Oh.

Jesus.

Ow. f*ck.

Oh, God.

What the...

Okay.

Oh...

Oh.

God.

Oh, my God.

Ow!

What the...

Paige?

Ow!

Ow!

Oh, sh*t.

- Where is she?
- Bathroom.

- What happened?
- Honey?

- Mom!
- Honey?

Mom!

Did they sting you?

- Mom!
- I'm coming in.

What stung her?

- Oh, God.
- What?

I-I said there were
hornets, right? You heard me.

- Russell!
- Oh,

that is not gonna save you.

Oh, God.

Where'd they get you?

It hurts so bad!

Let me see.

Is it bad?

It's not funny!

I know, I know. I'm sorry.

Don't come in!

Look for a medicine kit.

Try and find Benadryl,

Tylenol, and calamine lotion.

Wait, what? What? What's that?

It's for itching.
It's a pink bottle.

Pink. Got it. Okay.

You knew. Again!

And you did nothing.

- Nothing!
- Hey...

You're toast, dude.

Okay.

Um, Tylenol. Benadryl.

And the pink stuff.

Okay, thank you.

Mm-hmm.

Okay, there, the, uh... ah!

Here.

Put the lotion up in the loft.

Okay, there, there, there.
Tylenol.

After you do that,

I recommend you redeem yourself.

Great idea.

Uh...

Now you get rid of them.

It's this cheek.

I don't think I'm gonna make it.

We can do it on the couch.

Ow. Ow.

Yeah! Oh...

Okay.

Die!

Ah, ah, ow. Ow!

Ow.

I think that's all of them.

No.

That's not all of them?

Oh, boy,

they really got in there.

They got all
the way in there, Mom.

Ah! I need
some of that pink stuff!

I need some of that pink stuff!

Don't come up here!

I've seen it before!

You're never seeing it again!
Never, ever,

- ever! Ever!
- I need some of

- the pink stuff!
- Let me see, let me see,

let me see. I-I don't think

- we can use this on your eye.
- What? What? Why?

What happened,
baby, you got stung?

Defending you! Defending you!

Will you both stop acting 11?

I'm 11
and I don't act like this.

You sure don't, baby.

Let me... Show me
your eye, show me your eye.

Look, let's try
putting ice on it first.

- Ice?
- Uh-huh.

I need some ice.

How do we
move on from this, Russell?

The trust is gone! It's gone!

Are they gonna get a divorce?

This is f*cking fascinating.

Well, he's asleep on the couch,

and Paige is whimpering
in the loft.

You'd think two Benadryl
would have knocked her out.

I gave her two more.

Abby, I don't think

you're supposed
to take that much.

Mom, we are dealing with

prescription-level despair.

Two Benadryl won't do sh*t.

What are the girls doing?

They hacked into Paul's Wi-Fi,

so all is right in their world.

You up for a walk?
I want to show you something.

Sure.

He named this valley after me.

Said the grass reminds
him of my hair.

Reminded.

Oh, God.

Speaking about him
in the present tense,

it's gonna be...

a hard habit to break.

It's beautiful.

I want to bury him...

here.

This was Paul's home, and...

in Preston's heart,
I think it was his home, too.

Mom, if you do that,
you can't visit him.

I mean,
don't you want to visit him?

I will visit him.

And what if
the new owners don't let you?

And why would
there be new owners?

Because...

because you can't
keep this place.

I mean, how are you gonna
take care of it?

Take care of what?
It's three cabins.

Only one of them has water.
What's to take care of?

The... the land?

The land takes care of itself.

Okay, well, Mom,
who's gonna take care of you

while you're out here?
I mean, Paige couldn't even

go to the bathroom without
needing a trip to the ER.

I am not Paige.

Fair enough.

Do you think this
is any more dangerous

than walking to the pharmacy
down First Avenue?

Yeah, I-I do.

Yeah, well,
I don't see it that way.

Mom,
I don't know how you move on.

I have no intention
of moving on, ever.

I will never love again.
I won't even try.

Holding on to him
is the closest I will get,

and that is what I plan to do.

I didn't bring you here
for your permission.

I brought you here
to share my decision.

I may never love again, Abby,

but you certainly will never
have another father,

and your children
are down a grandfather

for the rest of their lives.

And they learn nothing about him

standing in front of
a tombstone,

surrounded by
the corpses of strangers.

He loved this place.

He stays here.

You want to know
the last thing I said to him?

"I'll pay you back."

I was his greatest
disappointment, and...

he left
before I could change that.

What did he say?

About what?

When you said
you'd pay him back.

What did he say?

He said, "I wouldn't
accept it if you tried."

Doesn't sound like a man
who's disappointed, Abby.

Look at this.

Horseshoe.

Yep.

Those are good luck. Hang them

over a door, but you've got
to hang them like a "U."

Open end up or

all your luck'll run out.

Uh, where's your folks?

Girls?

Girls, get in the house now.

Can I help you?

You, uh, Mr. Clyburn's family?

And who are you?

Yes, Stacy Clyburn.

Oh, so Paul

- was your, uh...
- My brother-in-law.

His-his brother
was, um, Preston.

- Yes.
- Right.

I-I met him once. He's-he's...

a very friendly, nice man.

Yes, yes, he was.

A ranch I work for shares

a north fence here.
Paul and the ranch owner

was real close.
He asked me to keep an eye out

for the place
till family showed up,

and looks like you did.

Mm-hmm. We did.

Y'all getting by in there?

Paul lived pretty sparse.

We're fine.

Learning our way
around the outhouse.

My wife would have none of that.

Oh.

Wise woman.

Cade Harris.

- Stacy.
- Stacy.

Boy, I-I sure was sorry
to hear about

- your, uh...
- Thank you.

People are pretty worried
y'all are gonna starve in there.

Had me, uh,

bring some things over.
You-you mind if I carry them in?

Things?

Some... some food.

Oh.

Sure.

- All right.
- Thank you.

Of course.
Yes, ma'am, just this way.

My truck's right there.

Over there fine?

Ma'am.

Ooh.

Grandma, what did you order?

I didn't order anything.

Our neighbors sent this over.

Let's see
what all we got in here. Uh...

Oh, buttermilk pie.

Oh, they got everything

labeled in here. We got lasagna,

garlic bread, and, uh...

Oh, Mason's wife made this

beef casserole.
Don't look like much,

but it's worth fighting over.

Ooh, fry bread.

You ever had that, fry bread?

No. You, uh,
you put this on top,

you make Indian tacos.

You can't call it that.

It's r*cist.

Oh, uh,

that's what the Indians call it.

Thank you very much. This was

not expected.

Oh, and, uh,

it's not a business card,
but, uh,

I wrote my cell on the back.

You call if you need anything.

Thank you.

Oh, that...

that's some shiner
you got there.

Oh, I meant to ask you, is there

a minor emergency center close?

- He got stung by a hornet.
- Yeah.

Oh, y-you got baking soda,

you just mix it up with some

water until
it turns into a paste,

you cover that eye. It'll suck

- the poison right out.
- Right, uh, thanks,

but maybe you could just, like,
tell us where the hospital is.

Uh, right.
Uh, nearest one's Bozeman,

about two hours up 90.
But, uh...

they'll probably
tell you the same thing.

Thank you.

Ladies.

Ma'am.

Girls, when someone
is trying to help you...

He can't say that.
It's wrong.

Yeah, but it's not
your place to correct him.

Well, someone should.

Oh, how gratifying

it must feel to always be right.

Cade.

It is Cade, r-right?

Yes, ma'am.

Uh, Cade...

someday...

you might have an 11-year-old...

I have an 11-year-old right now.

- Oh.
- Yes, ma'am.

We don't mess around
out here in the mountains.

I guess when you're
snowed in for six months,

what else are you gonna do?

About sums it up.

Kids, they say
what's on their minds,

and they don't care
what others think.

Yeah. They grow out of that.

- The world's worse for it.
- Yeah,

probably so.

Uh, I need, uh...

Could you...

I need a funeral home.

Oh.

Waverly and Sons, in Ennis,
that's what most people

use around here.

Thank you.

Uh, and tell your wife
thank you.

She don't get all the credit.

There's a few chickens
in that hen house.

All right, well, tell them all.

I'll do it.

Okay, do we really
want to be eating

some strange person's food?

Fried chicken, fried steak.

Why would they fry steak?

Don't eat it, then.

Maybe ask what we like before

you bring...

I blame myself.

After all, she's raising you
like I raised her.

Complete strangers spent...

I don't know how much
time they spent,

how much thought went into this.

Not to mention money.

Looking at that truck,
money isn't something

they have in abundance.

And you have the nerve
to judge it?

What spoiled little b*tches
we've raised.

What did she just call me?

Mom...

Mom!

They are not your children.

You do not have the right
to speak to them that way.

I am not talking about them,
I am talking about you!

You and your sister!

Oh, the walking wounded!

We haven't been here
two days, and everyone

has already forgotten
why we're here!

We are not on vacation!

My husband is dead!

Your father is dead!

So if everyone could just stop

counting the minutes
until we leave

and remember why we're
here in the first place.

And here,
somehow I thought losing him

would bring us closer together.

You know what? If you're all
so f*cking miserable, go!

I'll do what I always do

and take care of it myself!

I just don't
understand the allure.

I understand

the bonding,
the quiet, the open space.

I get... you know, I get that.

It's the task
that dominates your day.

And let's be honest, honey,

you could fish in the bay.

And there's fish in Florida.

You never do it
when we go there.

I mean, if you said to me,
"I want to go sit on a porch

and get drunk
with my brother for a week."

I would understand that better.

Is that what it is?

You and Paul, like, fly in
a couple of mountain bunnies

and revisit your youth?

You were
the mountain bunny of my youth.

I'll explain it like this,
and you need to go back

a few million years
to fully understand.

Oh, this should be good.

Now, you have
to go back to early man.

Before that. h*m* erectus.

- Pre-man.
- Exactly.

For some two million years,
we've been hunter-gatherers,

and those jobs were divided.
Men hunted,

- women gathered.
- I feel an old-fashioned

- outrage coming on.
- No, no, no,

this is scientifically proven.

Men thrive when
they're singularly focused.

Women struggle with
singular tasks, but thrive

with multiple tasks
simultaneously.

And men, of course, have
a superior sense of direction

compared to women.

Honey, you should write
a book and title it

How Not to Have Sex
with Your Wife for a Month.

Women are better communicators,

far more organized.
All skills honed

by working
collectively in groups

to achieve multiple goals.

Men traveled long distances

with little verbal communication

while seeking to achieve
a singular goal, a buffalo

or a woolly mammoth,
whatever they hunted.

Now, fly fishing...

- Mm.
- That involves

- traversing unknown terrain...
- Mm.

Seeking suitable
water and conditions,

and then utilizing a skill
developed over years,

decades, to achieve
a singular goal.

Trout.

Yellowstone cutthroat trout,
to be exact.

Millions of years
and almost infinite luck

that I even exist
on this planet...

- Oh, my...
- and armed with an instinct

literally imprinted
into my DNA that compels me

to seek an outlet
that challenges

my very reason for existing.

Oh, what a bunch of bullshit.

Just say

you want to go fishing
with your brother.

I want to go fishing
with my brother.

Oh. Wasn't so hard, was it?

- Deceptively easy.
- Mm-hmm.

Too easy?

Mm.

But you have
to pay the ferryman first.

- The ferryman.
- Mm-hmm.

I knew there was a catch.

Oh, boy, is there.

Well, you're eating

the food you were
too good for, I see.

Where are the car keys?

Uh, they're in my pocket.

May I have them, please?

What... I can't see.

Oh, for God's sake.

It's...
Not-not the keys, not the keys.

- Not the keys.
- Thank you.

Where are you going?

- Mom, I asked you a question.
- Heard it.

You would like him laid to rest

on the family ranch?

Is that possible?

Well, you'd need
to go to the courthouse

and register a portion
of your land as a cemetery.

Must be notated that way by
both the county and the state.

- Why is that?
- Well, the state

must certify each burial
to prevent one

from simply burying somebody
somewhere in the woods.

- Oh.
- You can see how that might

cause a few issues.

Yeah. I can see that.

But, um, this cemetery can

be private, just for my family?

Absolutely.

- Is it best to use an attorney?
- Depends.

You got the deed and a survey
showing the proposed site?

It sounds like this is
a job for an attorney.

I can recommend one,
if you like.

Thank you.

Mrs. Clyburn,

I knew your husband,

and I knew
his brother very well.

Well enough to know
that, uh, his great wish

would be to spend eternity
on that place.

I can guess the same of Preston,

but I feel obligated
to point something out to you.

If you sell that land,

or your children sell it,

the new owners
have no obligation

to allow you to visit him.

They can decide to remove
the cemetery altogether,

have your loved ones exhumed

and move their bodies
to a new location

or have 'em cremated.

It may give you peace
in your lifetime,

but beyond that,
the vessels of your beloved,

and maybe even you,

are at the mercy of strangers

who do not know of your
husband's love for that place

and, frankly, don't care.

You didn't
ask me for advice, but

I would advise you
to think very carefully,

because this is not a decision
that can be undone.

I don't think
I'm strong enough for this.

I don't think
I can do this without you.

Can I have the keys, please?

Why should I give you
the keys? It's my rental.

So you don't
leave us stranded again.

Look around you, Abigail.

This is the farthest thing
from being stranded.

Oh, my God.

Got snowed out today.

Yesterday was 75
and not a cloud in the sky.

By midnight,
it was snowing sideways.

By morning, there was
six inches on the ground,

so Paul and I did what
any 40-year-old would do

with his brother.
We drank a 12-pack of beer

and built a snowman
the size of a suburban.

Then the sun came out

and we drank another 12-pack
watching it melt.

Any evidence of snow
was gone by noon.

By then,
we were too drunk to fish.

Not too drunk to write, though.

So it's just
you and me, journal.

My girls have never
built a snowman.

No yard to build it in.

But it'll snow
in June again someday,

and maybe I will have convinced
my girls pissing in the woods

is rather liberating.

Or maybe
I'll just build an outhouse.

Hey, that's an idea.

Build a cabin
where the tents are,

and then another one
with a kitchen.

Place to gather.

I wonder if we could dig a well?

At least we'd have water.

Truce.

I don't do truces.

Fine, I surrender.

The girls made a card
for the cowboy and his wife.

Was it a lecture on pronouns?

It says "thank you," Mom.

Good.
They deserve a "thank you."

What's the other cabin like?

It's...

it's fine, Mom.

That isn't what I asked.

It's a little weird, uh...

but it's comfortable.

Weird? How?

Uh, old games and toys.

Mom?

Mom, the girls are sleeping.

Sorry, girls.

Mom, what?

He built them for us.

That one is
for you and your sister,

- and that one was for me.
- You don't know that.

No, I read it.

I read his-his-his thought
as it came to him.

I'm so blind.

I knew I had a good marriage.

I did.

I looked around
at all my friends, and...

I thanked my lucky stars.

Because the frame of reference

is at every dinner party
in New York.

But what I didn't know
was how lucky I was.

We missed a lot.

We missed a lot, honey. And...

we won't ever get it back.

Russell?

- Russell?
- Yeah?

I forgive you.

- O-okay.
- Did you hear me?

I said I forgive you.

Yeah, I don't...

I don't know
what I'm being forgiven for.

For the hornets.

- I didn't put them there.
- But you knew they were there.

- I told you they were there.
- Russell,

I'm trying to forgive you.

- Why won't you let me?
- Okay. Thank you.

I need your help.

Paige, I can't see.

Use your good eye
and get up here.

How's your eye?

Closed. How's your butthole?

Same.

They get the kitty, too?

They got everything, baby.

You want me to kiss it better?

Hell no, you are

so far from kissing
the kitty after today,

you can't even
see it from there.

I can almost see it
if you just turn to the side.

No kitty.

I mean, you said you forgave me.

All right.

Let me teach you
something about women.

When I forgive you,

we don't go back to the moment

before you wronged me.

We go back to the very beginning

when we first met
and I thought you were

sort of cute
with a good sense of humor.

So we're back to our first date?

Yes,

but right now, I need itch cream

on my boo-boos.

Wow, this hornet poison really,

like, plumped
the whole thing up.

- Really?
- Yeah.

I mean, like this is a caboose.

I wonder if there's
clinics in New York

that would do
this sort of thing, huh?

What, so you only like my a*s

after it's been attacked
by a swarm of hornets?

I didn't say that, okay?
I never said that!

I love it. I've always loved it.

It's the same. It's just...

it's more.

Do you think it's permanent?

Could be. I don't know.

Wait, you're not
supposed to rub it in.

- It's not a freaking lotion.
- Okay, I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

Do you want me
to go back downstairs?

Or can I sleep with you
on the first date

in the second year
of our marriage?

Cuddle me.

But don't touch my a*s.

H-How do I...

Hold my head.

Okay.

You got it?

What do you think of Montana?

Mmm.

I... I don't, uh,

I'm not a fan.
Not my cup of tea.

It's okay, baby.

We're city mice.
We aren't supposed to like it.

I'm not.

Yeah, I-I don't actually
think of myself as a mouse.

- No?
- No.

- What are you?
- More like a...

like a tiger.

You know, like a...

like an urban tiger.

My tiger.

Yeah.

Yeah, see, that's more...

Yeah, I prefer that.

My big, tough tiger.

Mmm, that's much better.

Hey, tiger can't touch
the kitty.

Accident, sorry.

- Bad tiger.
- I'm sorry.

Bad tiger.

Bad tiger.

Okay, you can touch it a little.

A little.

A little.

Oh, the mouse
is scared of the tiger.

Wait, are you the mouse?

- I'm the mouse.
- Okay. Okay.

- No, you're the tiger.
- Mmm.

Come here, girls.

I heard you made
our neighbors a card.

That was the right thing to do.

Do you know why it was
the right thing to do?

They did something to help us,

something we never asked them
to do. They just did it.

To be kind.

Now, you can disagree with
what they say, what they do,

how they live,
and you may be right.

But there is no denying

that they were kind to you.

You can choose
not to be their friends.

You can choose to live your life

completely different.

But choose to be kind back.

We did.

That's why
we made them the card.

You made them the card
because your mother told you to.

But when you give them the card,

give it to them to be kind.

Okay. Now, tell
your mother to round the troops.

We're going on a walk.

Who are the troops?

Everyone is the troops.

So Paige, Russell, and Mom.

That would be them.

Okay. Okay, I can do this.

I can... Yeah.

Okay.

Nope, I'm not gonna do it.

I'm not gonna do it.

- Oh, what the f*ck?
- What?

What are you doing?

- What are you doing?
- This isn't happening.

- I'm supposed to be a mystery!
- I haven't seen anything.

- Get out.
- Okay, fine.

- No, other way!
- Okay, I'm going the other way.

Honey, I k*lled all the hornets.

You can stop
sh1tting in the barn.

This is my hell.

I don't know why you put
me in it, but here I am.

In hell, with my whole family.

Ready?

Is it far?

- No, it's not far.
- 'Cause these are

technically slippers, so...

The Indians
walked this barefoot.

Sorry, Macy,

- Native Americans.
- First Nations.

Yeah, well, all of them.

Barefoot, thousands of years,
right here.

Technically, no,
they, uh, they wore moccasins

with a thick leather sole,

or hide would probably be the...

- Ready?
- Yeah.

- Here we go again.
- Yep.

Yep.

This is
your father's favorite place.

And...

where he will lay
with his brother.

Someday, me, too.

You could choose this as well

or choose something else.
It's your decision.

Your last decision, as it were.

But I know
that he would choose this

if he were here to choose it.

- I think it's perfect.
- Uh,

wait to hear it all first.

So, if I bury him here,
I must protect him

and this place.

In order to do that, I will sell
the townhouse in Manhattan,

establish a trust with the funds

that exists solely
to preserve this place,

so that nobody...
that includes all of you...

can lose it or ever sell it.

Why sell your home?

Because I can't afford
to take care of all of you

and this place any other way.

We can take care of ourselves.

Well, this is the way
I've decided.

This is my home now.

I die here, too.

And when I do,

you put me right next to him.

Abby.

Abby, do something.

Do you know what happened
when he died?

The whole family died with him.

Right here,
in the middle of nowhere.