01x01 - I Wish He Were Still Here

[bunniefuu]

[twinkling music]

[twinkling music]

(light music)

What's the first thing you're
gonna do when we get there?

Find a bathroom.

I mean after that!

I am going to climb a tree.

An apple tree in our orchard.

Then, um, make some friends.

Permanent friends,
who just, you know,

call you up just to talk.

Because this is the last
move we're making, right?

Right.

(light music)

- Uh... I remember this place.
- Mm-hmm?

This place is like the
gateway in and out of Emerald.

Huh. Elf Storage.

Fancy!

All right. You wanna
see something cool?

Yeah.

"Emerald: Home of
the O'Reilly Apple"?!

We have our own
apple named after us?

Yeah. Emerald's famous for it.

- (exhales)
- Cool!

Billboard's a mess, though.

Still... Our billboard!

(birds chirping)

Now, delight me with the
tales of the town of Emerald.

Here, I'll help.
Wavy flashback lines.

- Wavy flashback lines.
- Okay, okay.

No, Ruby, honestly,

I don't remember much.

I-I was so little
when I was here.

Try.

Well, first

imagine big open fields.

Sunshine, fresh apples.

Apple pie, apple strudel,

- apple cobbler, apple juice...
- I get it.

- Apple crumble.
- I get it! And I can't wait!

(laughing)

(GPS beeps) (GPS):
Bear right at the fork.

Now entering historic Emerald.

Okay, I'll take you
onto this side street,

- I think you're gonna love it.
- Cool.

The tiny, little
historic street

that started Emerald
way back when.

There's these cute little
shops and street vendors,

and a spectacular fountain.

(soft music)

Little more rundown
than I remember.

Yeah.

It's... nice.

Fountain's dry, too.

It's, uh

not how I thought
this time would be.

Still... Our town!

- The house'll be better.
- For sure!

For sure.

Here we go!

- Our driveway!
- Our tree, our other tree.

Our, uh

future guest house.

(chuckling)

- Okay, here we go, ready?
- Ah!

Hang on. Coming
around the corner!

And three

two...

- One!
- Ta-dah...

(GPS beeping)

(GPS): You have reached
your destination.

Our house.

(birds chirping)

Wow.

(lights crackling)

(soft music)

Wow.

It's a fixer-upper.

That means we can make
it whatever we want.

Yeah, okay.

So...

What do we want this to be?

I don't know. Kitchen?

You mean, like one
without an outboard motor

and a tire in the middle of it?

(chuckling)

Okay, I'll start cleaning up.

You go climb your tree.

Okay.

Mom's sweater?

(enchanted music)

(door opening and closing)

(birds chirping)

(insects buzzing)

(birds chirping)

(soft music)

Okay.

It's a little
better from up here.

(enchanted chiming music)

Huh.

(birds, insects chirping)

Huh.

(cicadas buzzing)

(soft mysterious music)

(wind howling)

(pebble clattering)

It's dry.

Hello!

(voice echoing)

(breathing heavily)

(whooshing)

(soft mysterious music)

(sirens wailing)

- (crying)
- No! No!

No!

(woman): I wish he
were still here.

(breathing heavily)

(birds chirping)

(gentle music)

(upbeat enchanted music)

(birds chirping)

(car engine sputtering)

(sputtering continues)

Can I help you?

Oh. Hi. Yeah.

I'm just trying to get
this car outta here.

Uh, hi.

Sorry, I'm-I'm Brett.

I used to help out around
here before I went east.

Hi. Daniel. New owner.

Oh. So, you're
probably wondering

why I'm on your
property and uh...

Crossed my mind.

Well, I heard Old Tom...

Well, uh... Mr. O'Reilly
passed away and uh,

I wanted to pay my
respects, and...

So, if this is your
place now, you are...?

- Nephew.
- Oh! Wow. Cool.

- Hm.
- I...

I mean, uh, I'm
sorry for your loss.

Anyhow, I need to get home.

Really long drive, so...

Well, if you need a
mechanic to come help,

I could give you
a ride into town.

I'm kinda tapped
out, funds-wise.

If I could just leave my car?

Not a problem.

Cool.

Hey, if you need some
cash to get the car going,

I gotta house that's got
a bunch of old junk in it

that I need to move out
before I move in and, uh...

(sighs) Do you wanna
give me a hand?

Yeah, yeah, that works.

All right. Come on.

(light music)

Oh!

Are you okay?

Yeah! Uh, uh-huh!

Um...

Hi! I'm Sam... Price.

I saw you. I-I live next door.

Oh, uh, I'm Ruby... O'Reilly.

As in the O'Reillys?

Like, Old Tom O'Reilly?

Yeah. He was my great-uncle.

He left us this place.
We just moved here and...

Oh, boy. (Nervous chuckling)

What do you mean, "Oh, boy"?

You didn't hear it from me,
but when Old Tom lived here,

weird stuff happened
all the time.

What kind of weird stuff?

Like, he'd yell,
"Stop the lights!"

And he'd swat at the
air. He did that a lot.

Rampaging with the
water drying up.

- Rampaging?
- Yeah.

He'd chop stuff down,
board up the house.

I got a lot of
theories about it.

We're not weird like
Old Tom, you know?

We just need a couple of tools,
and this place will be great.

I'll... see you around.

I...

(sighs)

Hi, Dad! Uh, guess
what happened?

This big sign fell, and
I'm not hurt, or anything,

but, uh, sorry!

Uh, it's a big mess,

and this shovel here is broken,

so I thought I'd bike
into town and get one

so we can clean up, okay?

- What do you think about that?
- Wow! Glad you're not hurt.

- Yeah.
- Are you sure you're okay going

- into town by yourself?
- Yup-yup-yup.

Energy to burn after
that ride, thank you.

Back soon!

Okay. This is Brett. He-he's...

Hi, Brett! Bye, Brett!

(light music)

(brakes squealing)

(mysterious music)

Uh, excuse me!

Did you make a wish for
someone to still be here?

- What?
- After a car accident

and a party. Sorry.
This probably sounds

really weird, but
did you make a wish?

Is everything
okay, Mrs. Taggart?

Just needed some double-As.

Another time.

Okay.

You just scared
off a customer!

Uh...

(bell on door ringing)

Sorry! I just moved
here, long drive.

I'm a little woogly and...

It's okay. I'm just
glad to see someone new!

That never happens.

I'm Mina, and uh, on the house.

Welcome to Emerald.

- Uh, thank you.
- Uh, I-I'm Ruby... O'Reilly.

- Like on the old billboard?
- Uh-huh.

- Favourite book?
- Uh, Hound of the Baskervilles.

- Play soccer?
- Uh, defense.

- Ranch or BBQ?
- Um...

Yes.

Why were you bugging
Mrs. Taggart?

Um...

Long story... something.

It's hard to explain.

You probably didn't mean to,

but you made her
feel really bad.

Yeah. I-I-I kinda got that.

- W-What did I say?
- Her new husband

got into a crazy
bad car accident

and didn't make it.

And she wishes he
were still here.

Um, I-I should just
go and grab my stuff

and get outta here
before I talk again.

Thank you. Uh...

(bell on door ringing)

(birds chirping)

I'm gonna put mom's buttercups
on the mantle. Okay, Dad?

Okay. Good call!

That's weird.

(gasps)

Dad! Do the O'Reillys
have a coat of arms?

Do we?

You might want to
cover that back up.

Why? It's so cool!

Old Tom said it was a curse.

Especially that well.

Well? What do you
know about the well?

Lots.

Old Tom used to crank
about it all the time.

He used to call himself
the "Keeper of the well."

And he said it showed him things

and he was supposed to do
whatever the well asked.

Like grant wishes?

He was, uh, pretty
old and, uh... quirky,

I think is the nicest word.

He even blamed himself for
the drought around here.

Anything else?

That's all, really.

Okay.

Besides his book.

He had a book?

Yeah, he had a book.

With all the things
you're asking about.

It's probably still
around here somewhere.

Brett, one more question.

As long as it's not algebra.

Did Tom ever say
the well asked him

to do something impossible?

Like what?

Like

bring a woman's husband
back from the dead?

Yeah. No. That'd be, uh

pretty creepy.

It sure would be.

I was gonna make
sandwiches for dinner,

but I'm having a rethink.

How about canned spaghetti?

And smooshed grapes?

Moving day special!

What's up?

Dad, today I saw something.

Or more like felt it,
and it-it, you know,

it sounds crazy. It is crazy.

Ruby, you're not crazy.

What about Old Tom? Was he?

(knocking at door)

- Mina?
- Hi! This is my mom.

- Ava.
- Daniel.

We brought lasagne, bathroom
tissue and duct tape.

Three pillars of a happy move.

Ah, thank you.

Uh, thank you. Come on in.

- Show me your room!
- Yeah.

I gotta know, what did you
do to my best friend? Sam.

Oh! Um, he's your best friend?

- He seemed, uh...
- A bit skittish?

Yeah. He's heard some crazy
things about this place,

but now he's busy working you
into his conspiracy theories.

(chuckling)

Ta-dah!

Wow!

This'll be so great.

(distant booming music)

But I can't say I
love your music.

That's not mine.

It's coming from in there.

- Here, help me move this, okay?
- Okay.

(grunting)

There's a door behind here.

Why would you
paper over a door?

- Cover something up?
- Or to keep it in!

There has to be a
logical explanation.

Like, maybe it sounds like
it's coming from here,

but it's not. It's an
old... (echoing wailing)

Definitely from in there.

I'm in Spooky Town. I gotta go!

- No, Mina! Wait! Mina!
- Mom! Mom!

- Gotta go!
- Mina!

Mom!

(sighs)

Great. Two maybe-friends gone.

(enchanted chiming music)

(wings fluttering)

Now what?

(birds chirping)

Okay. I'm here.

(mysterious music)

Thomas Brendan O'Reilly.

Old Tom?

(whooshing)

(eerie ethereal music)

(birds chirping)

(distant booming music)

- Dad? What are you...
- Shh.

- I heard that music last night.
- Where's it coming from?

We're about to find out.

(blues music playing)

♪ World don't stop turning ♪

♪ Just because ♪

♪ Just because
you're not around ♪

Brett?

♪ The world... ♪

I can explain.

I should've asked. I know.

But Tom let me stay
sometimes and...

I was afraid you
were gonna say no.

It's just until I
get my car going.

Just, uh... give us a second.

We should let him stay.

Until he gets his car fixed.

It's the right thing to do.

We have to help him.

We know what it's
like to be stuck.

(soft music)

Okay, fine.

(Brett): Yes!

(chuckling)

Why do you want to get
going so bad, anyway?

There's no reason to stay.

Where you headed?

First stop...

The Taj Mahal.

(snorting)

You're driving
to The Taj Mahal?

Hey, if you make it there,
your options are wide open.

Okay, you're peculiar.

Least you're not a ghost.

I mean, your music scared
the living whoozits

out of us last night.

Oh. You mean this?

(blues music playing)

Yeah, but

sounds different now than it did

from a hidden door

on your first night
in a spooky house.

Give this one another chance.

Blues was one of
the first things

my dad ever played for me.

This one's about a guy
who loves someone so much,

he sets her free.

One big hope:

That she'll come back one day.

Wait, but if you love someone,

wouldn't you want
to hold on to them?

That's the point. (Exhales)

If you hold on too
tight, it crushes them.

If you really love someone

let them go.

Sounds complicated.

I always wanted
the vinyl of this.

It's just... I dunno.
It's more real.

♪ You can run, you
can run now, baby ♪

♪ Oh, baby, baby ♪

- (brakes squealing)
- Hi!

Uh, thank you so much.
The lasagne was great.

- Thanks!
- And that music?

It was coming from a guy
who's helping my dad.

He's staying in the
attic. His name is Brett.

I know, it's weird.

Can't believe I let you

and your conspiracy
theories get to me.

What? Lot of weird
things happen over there.

Not this time.

So, we all good?

(whispering): Yeah,
sure, we're good.

But there's still
the Paula Test.

Right.

All my new friends
have to meet my mom

and get official approval.

Really? I thought my
dad was protective.

She's always been like that.

Started 'cause I was
born with a heart thing,

and now she's not taking
chances with anything.

(Mina): Yeah, we call
it the Paula test.

I can do that.

- Awesome.
- Cool! I'll tell her.

See ya!

Uh, hey.

Do you remember that customer
I scared off the other day?

Mrs. Taggart? Yeah.

Do you think you could
help me apologize? Maybe...

Smooth the way?

It's what I do!

(laughing)

Good job.

Are you gonna fill that
part in with that thing?

What are you making?

Hi, Mrs. Taggart? It's Mina.

- Hi.
- Hi. Uh...

I brought your batteries.

Oh! Thank you. How

thoughtful.

And, uh, also, a
friend of mine.

Ruby O'Reilly.

She's new and feels
terrible about yesterday.

Uh, like Mina said,

uh, I'm new and I'm so sorry.

I really shouldn't
have gotten so upset.

- Thanks.
- It's just

my family has been
through tough times.

Hi.

There is

a big hole where he was, and

(sighs) now it's just
me and the girls.

Thanks for the batteries, hon.

Uh, just one more thing.

Uh, I'd like to apologize
properly to your husband,

uh, bring him some flowers.
Where's his resting place?

- Oh, that's not necessary.
- It is. I want to say sorry

- to Mr. Taggart, too.
- You don't have to.

- Yes, I do.
- I just need to know where...

- Why are you kids...
- so stubborn?

You're all just so stubborn.

Oh...

It's St. James. I'm sorry.

(whispering): Hey! Hey!

What was that?!

I'm a good kid!

I don't hang out with bad
kids, or mean kids, or...

- There's an explanation.
- I promise there is.

I have to tell you something

and I really hope

we're still gonna be
friends after. Okay?

(soft music)

So

magic wishing well.

Crazy visions. Thoughts?

First, it's weird.

Agreed.

- How does it...?
- I don't know.

- Why does it...?
- I don't know.

Why you?

I don't know.

You know, there are
rumours about that well.

Sam knows about it,

but I usually just
nod and smile.

Seems smart.

I have to admit, it lines up.

Even if it makes
no logical sense.

I believe you. I can't help it!

It makes you make more sense.

For now.

(birds chirping)

Where's St. James Cemetery?

"I wish he were
still here," huh?

Regretting this already.

Me too, but what
choice do I have?

Like, I'm supposed to bring
a dead guy back to life?

This is his address,
sorta thing.

(crow cawing)

Let's check the new section.

These are way old.
Like, town-founders old.

O'Reilly.

They're all O'Reillys.

Your family goes way back.

You're, like, Emerald royalty.

Look.

(insects chirping)

Tom. My uncle?

Ruby, look!

The Taggart guy.

"Loving father of Benjamin."

There's a son?

(phone chiming, vibrating)

Oh. Now it's all
starting to make sense!

What makes sense?

Mina just texted me.

She's my friend.

We were hanging out
at the graveyard.

As one does.

Because I'm trying
to help Mrs. Taggart,

a lady in town.

And we found out
what we were doing

is actually about her
stepson, who ran away,

and not her husband,
which makes it, like,

5,000 times less creepy.
And maybe even doable!

Was I really supposed
to follow that?

No. You could just nod.

Good.

Wait! You lived in Emerald.

Do you remember a kid
named Benjamin Taggart?

Name sounds familiar.

Uh...

Didn't something happen
to him, or something?

- He ran away a year ago.
- It didn't make the papers.

There's, like, no pictures
of this guy online anywhere.

Maybe I should go into
town and ask around?

Oh, wa-wa-wait! Wait. (Grunts)

If you are going to town

think you can grab a replacement

for one of these guys?

Evers Auto Repair.

- Uh-huh.
- Thanks.

And, uh, happy detective-ing.

Uh, no. We don't
have this in stock.

But I should be able to
grab one at the wreckers.

- Is later today okay?
- Uh, I think so.

I'll tell him. Thanks!

Oh. Not again.

Um, wait, Mrs. Taggart!

Please! I am sorry about before.

I-I heard about Ben,

and I thought maybe I
could help find him.

That's... nice,

but he doesn't want to be found.

He said he felt smothered.

I wish

things were different.
But they aren't.

See you, Pete. The girls say hi.

Uh, yeah, see you around.

Is everything okay?

You know them? The Taggarts?

Yeah. I'm an old
friend of the family's.

I met the dad while I was
upgrading his car audio.

That's one thing he and the kid
had in common, was music 24-7.

Do you think him coming
home is hopeless too?

(sighs)

I don't know. Maybe.

Maybe not, you know?

All I really know is that
after his dad got remarried,

the guy never really
felt like he fit in.

You know? Emily
already had two kids,

so, guess it was like a
third wheel kinda thing.

Then to lose your
dad on your birthday?

- I mean, talk about gutted.
- His birthday?

(whooshing)

(enchanted music)

You said Ben was a fan
of music like his dad?

A fan?

It'd be like calling a
mountain lion a tabby cat.

They were crazy about the blues,

collected tons of old records.

(upbeat suspenseful music)

(brakes squealing)

- Ruby! Guess what?
- Not now! Follow me!

Okay.

- Oh, I thought so.
- He's not here.

- I was right.
- Look what Sam found.

- Ah! I knew it!
- Knew what?

Brett, the guy in our attic
and Ben. They're the same!

Now he's gone.

He set me up! He
sent me on an errand

so he could leave
without getting caught!

Why didn't he take his car?

He needs that part.

Where could he be?
Hiding? In town, maybe?

- Or in the woods.
- The point is we don't know!

We have to catch
him right now!

Actually, the
thing we have to do

- is have lunch with Sam's mother.
- Yeah.

- All goes well?
- Fun, friendship, rainbows.

- And if I bail?
- Pain. Angst.

Far fewer rainbows.

Look, if Brett-slash-Ben
really wants to get outta here,

we can't stop him.

Plus, without that part,
he's not going anywhere fast.

So, what about it?

- Well, it's old, right?
- So, I-I got curious

and looked up the part number.

That's from a late '60s Wildcat.

That's like Ben's car.

That's impossible.

Ben and his car must be
halfway across the countr...

Where did you get this?

- (chuckling)
- From that new girl.

Ruby O'Reilly.

Okay, remember: Good manners
are really important to her.

So, no slurping your milkshake

and, uh, you have to have
your fries with a fork.

- Fork?
- Right here. Yeah.

- Hey! You're late!
- You can't be late!

- I'm sorry. I...
- Which is why I told you

to come early, so
you wouldn't be.

- Smart.
- Yeah.

Okay, um, what else
do I need to know?

(light music)

He's here, isn't he?

Here you go.

Take a sneak peek
while we wait for her.

(phone chiming, vibrating)

Uh...

Hi, Dad.

Ruby, there's a woman
here named Emily Taggart.

She recognizes Brett's car.

Do you know anything about this?

No! Uh... yes!

Uh...

It's complicated.

Can I call you back?

- (sighs)
- Okay.

- And what about small talk?
- You should have something ready.

Um, okay. Uh...

How about a local business?

I saw this place on my
way in: Gas, Milk, Bus.

- (snaps)
- That's good.

Uh, who owns The Taj
Mahal, are you friends?

- The what?
- Taj Mahal.

It's what everyone
calls it as a joke

'cause it's, like, the
opposite of big and fancy.

(Sam laughing)

What?

I think I know where Ben is.

I...

I-I am so, so sorry,

but I... I gotta go.

- Hey! No.
- No, no.

- Ruby, Ruby!
- Come on! Please!

You can have slurpy
milkshakes after she leaves!

I'm sorry I can't stay!

Dad. Brett's not
who he says he is.

And I think I know where he is.

And I think I know
how to get him home.

- What? How?
- When you love someone so much,

you can hold on tight
and never let them go.

Or, you know...

Not do that.

How fast can you
fix this, Peter?

Watch this.

But if he sees
me, he'll just...

He'll run away again.

He'll think things were
like the way they were.

Well, he kinda
owes us a favour.

We'll go find him.

His dad wanted
him to have this.

I-I brought it just
in case I never got...

In case I never got a chance to.

(soft music)

(exhales)

(indistinct chattering)

(engine revving)

It's working.

(car engine stops)

Runs great.

And you know who got
it fixed for you?

Emily.

Try it.

(car starting)

All yours, Ben.

So's this.

From your dad.

For your birthday,
that one night.

She wanted to make sure
you finally got it.

Might be a blues album,

maybe about someone who
loves someone so much

they set them free.

With one big hope.

That they'll come
back one day.

Look, I-I

she's not your mom, I get it.

But that doesn't mean
nobody else can love you.

(soft music)

- (sighs)
- Thanks.

(tires screeching)

He left!

I... I-I honestly thought...

Forget it.

All right. Well...

Time for today's Questionable
Parenting Moment.

This, my dear, is
how you hitchhike.

(chuckling)

Okay, listen.

I have to tell you something.

One of your crazy
theories is real.

Do you remember what you
heard about the O'Reilly well?

No way! No way!

Yeah, I know.

That's what she's
out doing right now.

She's fulfilling a wish.

She's reuniting a
kid with his mom.

(distant train honking)

Okay.

Okay, so... all I have to do

is sell the best excuse
of all. It's the truth!

- Okay.
- Ruby's doing a selfless thing

- to help others.
- I think that'll work.

I can do this.

I can do this. Okay!

(bell on door ringing)

(soft music)

Ruby!

(bright music)

You guys heading home too?

- So, what happened?
- Did the wish happen?

Yeah. I-I think it did.

But that's the good
news. Now for the bad.

None.

I told Sam everything. If
we're all gonna be friends,

- he has to know.
- Yeah. And I was right!

I knew it! And I have questions.

He's gonna be impossible
for at least a week.

After what I did, we
can't be friends now.

No, we can. My mom is really
good friends with Mrs. Taggart.

And I told her what you did.
She'd still love to meet you.

- (chuckling)
- I can do that.

Okay. Okay.

All right. Okay, thanks.

I'll call you later.

Uh, yeah. What for?

I don't know. Just to talk.

(birds chirping)

(Ruby laughing)

So, what's today's report?

It's a good day.

We helped someone.
I made friends.

It was hard, though.

That's never
stopped you before.

You, Ruby O'Reilly,
do hard things.

We both do.

♪ Driving the
highway back home ♪

♪ There's a calm here
I can't describe ♪

♪ Baby, I'm home at last ♪

♪ Baby, you're the heart of it ♪

♪ Baby, you're the heart of it ♪

♪ Baby, you're the heart of it ♪

♪ Baby, you're the heart of it ♪

♪ Baby, you're the heart ♪

♪ Mm-hm ♪

♪ I just want to
be a part of it ♪

(birds chirping)

Didn't think I
could do it, did ya?

Well, I did.

And I'm feeling pretty
good about it too.

What's this?

Something to show me?

(enchanted chiming music)

Ruby Viola O'Reilly,

Keeper of the Well.