05x07 - Old Rebels and Young Models

[bunniefuu]

What's that you're reading?

Just a letter from my mother.

Her letters are full
of gloom and doom.

"Now, honey, brace yourself.

"I don't know how
else to tell you.

Miss pixie has gone to heaven."

Miss pixie's her cat.

She was 23.

Bald all over and
completely toothless.




Now here's where
she lays on the guilt.

"Sylvia bullock is moving

"To ponca city, oklahoma,

"So she's decided to put eulalie

"In a nursing home.

"Guess where? Atlanta.

"You were always so
special to miss eulalie,

I know you'll be a
good girl and visit."

I haven't seen
her since I was 17.

Eulalie... What an unusual name.

You never hear
beautiful old names

Like that anymore.

All the young girls nowadays

Are named tiffany and heather.




It's going to be odd
about 80 years from now

When everybody's
gray-haired grandmother

Will be called
tiffany or heather.

By then the teenaged
girls will be named

Beaulah, maude, and ethel.

Eulalie crown was a
neighbor lady of ours

Who taught drawing classes

To the kids in the neighborhood.

She was called old miss eulalie

Even back then, and
that was 25 years ago.

She was a powerful
influence on me,

Shook up the way
I looked at things.

She taught me what art was.

I remember in class,
she would call out

"Stop, feel, observe."

I thought she was a genius.

Pearls of wisdom just
rolled off her tongue.

I know what you mean by pearls.

The woman who taught me
to line my lips always said,

"Remember, always go
from lighter to darker.

One can always darken,
but one can never lighten."

Stop, suzanne, before
you have us in tears.

I can't believe
she's still alive.

You know how when you're a kid,

You think everybody
over 40 is ancient.

Miss eulalie was pretty
racy for our little town.

She was a bohemian artist

In new york city in the 1920s,

And she was divorced,

Which, of course, was
an incredible scandal.

I'd like to meet this woman.

Let's visit her together.

I'd be honored.

Hi, y'all.

Hi, anthony.

I'd give anything to see
my old english teacher.

The way he taught william blake

Made me think poetry
could change the world.

I had a teacher I
will never forget.

Her name was miss blue.

She kept us squinched
up on one side of the room

Because she had this morbid fear

One of us would
fall out the window.

Used to drive us crazy,

So one day we
got elijah hutchins

To lie on the blacktop
outside the window

With a little ketchup
running down his mouth.

Elijah was double-jointed,

So he played m*nled real good.

Miss blue took one
look, lost her breakfast,

And was out for
the rest of the year.

Of course I didn't hear

The beginning of
this discussion.

It's entirely possible
that story doesn't fit in

With what we were talking about.

Hi, y'all.

You'll never guess
what happened.

Remember that
portrait photographer

Who sent olivia's pictures
to that talent agency?

They want me to bring her
in tomorrow to audition.

Audition for what?

The jar baby for a
new line of baby food.

They'll put olivia's
face on strained peas.

You sure you know
what you're getting into?

A lot of agencies just want you

To take their classes
and buy more pictures.

It's just an audition.

They don't want any money.

What's wrong?

You might turn into one
of those stage mothers.

Before you know it,

You'll be stuffing olivia
into starched crinolines,

Curling her hair up
like shirley temple,

Shouting, "smile, baby."

Come on. That's silly.

Sure is.

Olivia doesn't have
enough hair to curl.

I think the first
thing you've got to do

Is get her a little baby wig.

A wig?

Olivia does not need a wig!

Why are new mothers always
so defensive about their babies?

The other day I
innocently commented

That this woman's baby
looked like glenn ford.

She threw a blue hissy fit.

All mothers think
their babies are pretty.

Some of us get that confirmed

By the young
charmers talent agency.

Olivia's going to that audition.

Someday y'all
will be able to say

I knew her when.

When what?

When she was burping up oatmeal,

And now she's a star.

I cannot believe it.

You haven't changed a bit.

I've slowed down a little.

With the life you've lead,

You deserve the rest.

Oh, I've rested plenty.

I want to get out and go.

The body just won't
go along with me.

Are you still painting?

No.

Well, that's a shame.

Are you?

Well, no.

Why not?

Well, you know, one
thing and another.

You see? You think
I'm not painting

Because I'm old and feeble.

What's your excuse?

Well, i... I don't have one,

But I was never
as talented as you.

How do you know if
you don't keep trying?

Well, you've got me there.

Attention, everybody.

We have a birthday girl here.

I've been looking all
over for you, eulalie.

Now you know the
rules. All birthday girls

Must wear their
party hats to lunch.

Let me just put it on for you.

I don't care to
wear it, thank you.

It's your birthday.
Why didn't you tell us?

I've had 85 of them.

Believe me, the thrill is gone.

Come on now. Be a
good birthday girl.

I'm not a girl,

And I don't want
to wear the hat.

I don't think she does.

Just let me slip
this under your chin.

Maybe you didn't understand.

She doesn't want to
wear the stupid hat.

Who are you?

I am the birthday fairy.

Well, you're just ruining
the fun for everybody else.

You're not going to like it here

If you don't participate.

[Snaps elastic]

Well done.

I try.

I have a feeling I've
got to do that a lot

Now that I'm staying here.

Well, you know what
you used to tell us...

"If you don't like
where you are,

"Then find a way to change it.

"Only you know what you want,

"And only you will be unhappy

If you don't get it."

Did I say that?

Isn't it awful

When your own words
come back to haunt you?

Oh... I'm sorry.
I'm... I'm tired now.

I'd take a nap,

But they'd probably
sneak in here

And put that damn hat on me.

Well, why don't we run along

And just let you rest?

Oh, no. Please stay.

Remember something
else I told you...

You have to take risks,

So why don't you
face the real danger?

Have lunch here
in the cafeteria.

I don't know.

I hope I wasn't cocky.

It's easy for me to say

If you don't like it, change it.

I look at her,
and I see myself...

85-Year-old woman
in an institution.

Mmm.

Hey, everybody.

Where's charlene?

She's gone to take
olivia to that audition.

I told her not to
go until she saw me.

That's a fine how do you do

After I went through the trouble

To get this thing made.

What is that?

What do you think it is?

It's a custom-made baby wig.

I had it cut from
one of my hairpieces.

What do you think?

I think it looks stupid.

Oh, who asked you?

Where were you all anyway?

I waited at lunchtime for you

Till I nearly starved to death.

We were at the twelve
oaks nursing home

Having lunch with
my old art teacher.

That miss eulalie is a p*stol.

She had us playing a game

Where we had to pick
one person in the room

We thought we'd be
most like when we're 80.

You should've
been there, suzanne.

We had you pegged in a minute.

There was this one number,

Black beehive up to here...

Dressed to the nines.

Boy, could she work that room.

Then, of course,
she turned around

And had a face
like a tree trunk.

Hi, everybody. I'm back.

Well, how did our
little cover girl do?

It was one of those
magic moments,

Like out of a star is born.

We came into the room.
Everyone fell silent.

All eyes were on us.

Then olivia turned on the charm.

She smiled, she
cooed, she gurgled.

She all but tap-danced.

She doesn't even
know how to walk yet.

Doesn't matter.

My baby's got star quality.

Those other children knew it.

As if on cue, half of
them started drooling.

The rest got all
red-faced and crabby.

Charlene, I cannot believe

That you went to that
audition without this.

What is that?

Is that one of consuelo's
shrunken heads?

It's a baby wig.

I said I was going
to get it for her.

Now, it's a little
darker than olivia's hair,

But my shade photographs better.

Suzanne, what
10-month-old crawls around

With a shoulder-length pageboy?

Excuse me.

I hope we're not
interrupting anything.

Why, miss eulalie,
of course not!

Come on in.

What are you doing here?

Well, it was somewhat
daunting getting over here,

But it brought out
my spirit of adventure.

Adventure, hell. I'm pooped.

This is my friend mrs. Chesley.

Hi.

I've been thinking about
our little talk, mary jo,

And the advice you
threw back in my face

About taking responsibility

For changing a bad situation.

Yeah. I'm sorry about
that, miss eulalie.

Oh, don't be.

I decided I was right.

If I'm unhappy,

It's time I do
something about it.

Well, that's great.

Is there anything
that I can do to help?

Could you put us
up for the night?

We ran away.

May I sit where you're sitting?

I'd like to be
next to my friend.

No.

You can have my seat.

No. I want this seat.

Well, miss crown, have
y'all given any thought

To where you're
going to be going?

Not really.

Our first step was getting here.

It almost k*lled us, too.

It took us three
buses to get here,

And we stood on the last one.

Oh, please, that's
not going to work.

This is my place on the sofa.

I always sit here.

Suzanne, where are your manners?

Oh, all right!

Take the damn seat!

So, uh, where are you
planning to go from here?

I'm planning to go to
the bathroom soon.

Well, it's right
through that door.

Not yet. Soon.

If I get up now,

That mean girl
will take my seat.

Well, excuse me. This
is a place of business,

Not a pit stop

On the over-the-hill
underground railroad.

Did... Did we come
at a bad time?

Don't mind suzanne.

You're... You're welcome here.

We just have to think
about what you want to do

And where you want to go.

Well, I'd like to go someplace

Where I can paint

And where old people
are treated with dignity.

I've often fantasized

About living out my days
on tahiti, like gauguin.

Ooh, ooh, it's a paradise.

The capital's papeete,

And they have
black sand beaches.

Marlon brando loves it there.

He owns his own island.

Of course he made
$27,000 an hour making

Superman, so he can afford it.

Did you see connie
chung interview him on tv?

She just giggled the whole time.

I used to defend her.

Now I think she's dumb.

I'm getting tired of her
and that maury povich, too.

Are you on some
kind of medication?

Mary jo, she's your friend.

What should we do?

Since I instigated this,

The least I can
do is help her out.

Look at them. Think
of us in 40 years.

I'd like to think

We'd have the gumption
to run away, too.

And I'd like to think
there'd be somebody to help.

Why is there a dead rodent

On the coffee table?

That is not a rodent!

You'd think people had
never seen a baby wig before.

Ok, here's the plan.

Miss eulalie, mrs. Chesley,

You're both going to
stay with me tonight.

I've had enough moving around.

I need to put my feet up,

Have a stiff drink,
and watch my shows.

Well, in that case,

I'll be happy to have
you here as my guest.

Don't do it, julia.

I know old people.
I've dated them.

They're like strays...

You feed them once,
they never leave.

Does she live here?

No.

Then I'll stay.

You better have
a tv with a remote.

I'm not missing my shows.

Is quint all tucked in?

He's too old for that.

I'm lucky if he's
in bed by midnight.

Sometimes I wish

For a safe way to
slip him a mickey.

It was so lovely
meeting your children.

It reminds me of when
I was raising my own.

Do you miss those days?

Are you kidding?

It was the hardest
time of my life.

Divorced, raising two kids.

Trying to make a living.

Well, you know how hard it is.

Yes, I do.

I used to think I'd
like to be like you

When I grew up.

I guess I sort of am.

Life will get easier.

I promise.

And this little break's
done me a world of good.

This doesn't have to
be just a little break.

I've been thinking that...

Well, we all get
along so well...

Why don't you just stay on here

As long as you need to?

[Doorbell rings]

I wasn't expecting anybody.

I wonder who that is.

Who is it?

Julia!

Hello, mary jo.

I'm sorry it's so late.

I have mrs. Chesley out in
the car. Evening, miss crown.

We're on our way back
to the nursing home.

I thought I'd see if miss
crown's ready to go back, too.

Has something happened?

Many things happened.

During the course
of the evening,

Mrs. Chesley consumed
a full bottle of wine,

Whereupon she spat obscenities

At the cast of
jake and the fatman.

Then...

She insisted my bathroom
was not clean enough,

Proceeded to do
something about it,

And told me my mop smelled.

What?

She said my floor mop stank,

And she wouldn't stand for it.

I decided one of us had to go.

My name's on the mortgage.

There wasn't much choice.

I'm so sorry. I had no idea.

But, uh, as for miss eulalie,

We've just decided

She's going to stay
on here for a while.

I think it's best
if I go back home.

You can't go now.

What about tahiti?

Oh, that was just a fantasy.

I know that.

What about your independence?

Don't you see, mary jo,

I've asserted my independence.

I walked out on
my own free choice,

And I'm going back on
my own free choice.

And you can give me
something to look forward to.

Come visit me... And
bring your sketchbook.

And I'll help you
with your drawings.

Oh, miss eulalie, I
haven't really sketched

Since before claudia was born.

Well, now, we've both got a
lot of work to do, don't we?

What are you
working on, mary jo?

Just some sketches miss
eulalie wanted me to do.

Mm-hmm.

She's drawing you, julia.

With flippers.

Those are her hands.

Give me a break.

I haven't practiced in 15 years.

Hi, everybody.

Is charlene in yet?

Got a little surprise for her.

Don't start with charlene.

She's had a bad morning.

Ever think about what
you'll be like when you're old?

Sometimes.

I don't, 'cause I
never will be old.

That is, compared to you.

Yeah, you and julia

Will probably just be two
proper southern sisters

Living together in
the old family house.

And when you're 102,

Suzanne will still
think she's hot stuff

Because she'll only be 90.

Well, I'll probably be

One of those
dapper old gentlemen

Fighting off the
voracious widow women.

Or maybe I'll be married,

One of those old guys
standing around the mall

Holding my wife's purse.

What do you think
you'll be like, mary jo?

I hope like miss eulalie.

You know she's
teaching a painting class

At the home now?

They thought she
was going to be doing

Little ladylike pictures
of wild flowers.

Of course, she's
scandalizing them

By painting a 25-foot
mural of bloody childbirth.

That's pretty good.

She is really something.

I don't think I have a
thing to worry about.

I called olivia.

Mrs. Philpott held
the phone to her ear.

I know she's a baby and
she doesn't understand,

But I've never had to
give her bad news before.

I should've told her in person,

But I didn't want
her to see me cry.

What happened?

She didn't get the modeling job.

I shouldn't be upset.

I'm ashamed for going overboard.

I just got carried away.

Why didn't y'all stop me

When I was typing
that phony resume?

I said she played baby
jesus in the church pageant.

She wasn't even born
until after christmas.

Charlene.

Now, charlene.

You were just a proud mama.

Maybe you got a
little carried away,

But it's over, and
we're all disappointed.

Who would have thought

They would choose another baby

For such an asinine reason?

What reason?

They gave you a reason?

It's not important, suzanne.

They picked a baby with
more hair, didn't they?

Yes!

Yes, suzanne.

Yes, they did.

When will people
start listening to me?

I'm buying a big blank book,

Write down when I was
right, but nobody listened.

I'd fill it in a week.

Well, olivia's modeling
career is over.

Maybe she can deal
with rejection, but I can't.

I guess you wouldn't be
interested in this application

For the "beautiful
baby atlanta" contest.

Really? Let me see that.

Oh, no.

It wouldn't hurt
just to take a look.

Suzanne, you
wouldn't, by any chance,

Still have that wig?

Charlene!