01x01 - Season 1, Episode 1

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Catastrophe". Aired: January 2015 to February 2019.*
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"Catastrophe" begins with a one-week stand between a Boston ad exec and a London schoolteacher that leads to an accidental pregnancy. When Rob moves to the UK to help figure things out, cultures clash and hormones flare as these two realize they don't know the first thing about each other.
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01x01 - Season 1, Episode 1

Post by bunniefuu »

Sorry.

( Loud music )

Sorry.

( Irish accent ): Sorry.

Sorry.

( American accent ): That's OK.

I know it seems crowded but it only took me 40 minutes to get my last drink.

Is that all?

Hey, let me get yours.

It'll make me feel better about being in line for just a Coke.

You don't drink?

No. I quit a few years ago, after I sh*t my pants at my sister's wedding.

( She laughs )

OK, thank you.

No, no, I'll get it.

No, it's fine.

Hey, don't make me fight a stranger.

OK. I'll have a margarita.

I've never had casual sex with a sober person before.

You've got a really nice room.

Thank you. I got an upgrade.

Yeah? Oh, sh*t.

Oh, God!

That was really unnecessary.

You don't have a hairy back.

Neither do you.

I was all psyched up to deal with a hairy back.

I have hairy balls.

Whoa!

Oh, what the f*ck?

sh*t.

Oh, Jesus, I'm sorry.

Uh...

That was exciting.

Hi.

Hey!

I was just sneaking out.

OK.

So when do you go back?

Thursday.

Well, that's...

Do you want to have dinner?

Erm...

Do YOU want to have dinner?

Yeah... that's why I asked.

OK. Do you have a wife or anything?

No.

OK, well, I'll write down my number.

Oh, you know what, that's my work visa, so if you...

Doesn't matter.

(OK.)

Great.

I noticed that you took some things from the bathroom, and that's fine, but could you leave the toothpaste?

Erm, no, I didn't take any tooth...

Oh, sh*t, I did, yeah. Sorry!

It's just small and cute.

Erm, so, you should probably open a window, cos it really stinks in here.

( Upbeat music plays )

Keep the change.

That dinner was really nice.

The lamb was exceptional.

So, what time is your flight?

7:30.

7:30.

Yeah.

So listen, I wanted to say that I know this wasn't anything serious and it was just a bit of fun...

This wasn't serious?

N-no, when I say it wasn't serious, I mean...

Goofing you, bro!

Yeah...

( She laughs )

Go on, carry on, you were saying this was just a bit of fun...?

I want you to know that I'm going to look back on my time with you and remember you as an extraordinarily good-smelling woman with a magical ass.

And you're smart, so you could even get away with being less attractive, and you'd still be... fairly attractive.

( She laughs )

f*ck!

Wow. OK. Erm...

I'll remember you as a sturdy love-maker with a massive chin, who was... really kind to waiters and taxi drivers, which suggests you might actually be a good person.

What time is it?

It's 4:30.

( They pant )

Seriously, you're going to have to go faster.

( He grunts )

( Laughter )

So, I thought it was fine if I asked you out cos you're a temp.

If you worked with us permanently, this wouldn't be appropriate.

But you're a temp, so we just won't hire you again.

You're funny.

So, tell me something about you.

Well, I'm doing my Masters at Boston University and...

( His phone rings )

I'm sorry. It's my mom.

She's calling me back cos... I called her cos it's her birthday.

Hey, so great to hear from you!

I'm sorry I haven't called, but I have some good news, I'm going to be in London in April.

But I'm pregnant.

Did you just say "pregnant"?

Yeah, I said "pregnant".

Do you want me to say it again? "Pregnant".

How...? I don't understand, I mean, how...?

Well, I think it's because, you know, we had sex about 25 times in a week and you wore a condom maybe twice... twice of those times?

Why did you let me do that?!

I don't know! Because...

( Ambient restaurant music )

.. I was drunk the first...

( Ambient restaurant music )

.. even though I wasn't drunk most of the other times, there was a precedent there that you took complete advantage of!

What do you want to do?

I want to build a time machine out of your f*cking carcass, go back and make it un-happen!

Do you want me to come over sooner?

No!

Yeah. I don't know. I just...

I don't know what to do you get pregnant by a stranger.

I don't know the etiquette.

I'm not a stranger - I'm a familiar acquaintance.

A friend who helped you make a mistake but will now help you... figure it out. OK?

Is your mom OK?

Huh?

Oh... no.

She's pregnant.

So, why don't you tell me a little bit about you now?

Hmm...

Oh, sh*t.

Hi.

I wasn't sure you'd recognise me.

And it only says "Rob" because, erm...

I don't know your surname.

It's Norris.

It's... it's Norris?

Mine's Morris.

Morris and Norris.

Well, at least that's f*cking ridiculous.

You just don't think stuff like this'll happen.

What, that repeated sexual intercourse between two healthy adults will do the exact thing it's supposed to do?

Have you ever done a science class?

Do you know how to read?

I'm sorry.

I'm not pregnant, and you are, and it's because of me but if you're going to have this baby, then...

Who says I'm going to have it?

Well, how old are you?

Look, the good news is that we're reasonably good people, so we could probably do this and not f*ck the kid up too horribly.

I'm just saying a terrible thing has happened.

Let's make the best of it.

So where you staying?

I'm joking. You can stay in my spare room.

I'm joking, I'm a teacher!

I don't have a spare room.

Do you want some?

Sure.

( School bell rings )

Hello.

Do you know if Miss Morris is finished with her classes?

Is she under arrest?

No, I'm just waiting...

Are you American?

Yes, I am.

Do you know Barack Obama?

No, I don't.

Do you know his daughters?

I know Sasha but I don't know Malia.

How do you know them if you don't know Barack Obama?

I don't know them.

Are you a basketball player?

No.

Why are you waving at Miss Morris?

Because she's my girlfriend.

Is her hair a wig?

I don't... I don't think so.

Do you know she's pregnant?

What?!

What did you just say?

She's pregnant?

Oh, yeah, I knew that.

Are you a basketball player?

Mm-hmm.

Excuse me.

Just... do that in the car.

OK.

So, you got yourself some fans here.

We're not his fans.

I thought he was someone special.

I am special!

So is this just a regular scan?

Yeah.

Well, I can find out the sex this time if I want.

Well, do we want to?

I mean, wouldn't it be nice to have a surprise?

Well, Rob...

It is Rob, isn't it?

Cos I only met you about 20 minutes ago and now I'm pregnant with your baby so for the moment, I'd like a whisper of certainty in my life.

Not even in my life - in my body.

Right, now, in reviewing your Pap smear, we found an abnormality.

It's nothing to worry too much about yet but you've got what's called cervical dysplasia.

What the hell is that?

Strictly speaking, it is what we call a "pre-cancer."

Cancer?!

PRE-cancer.

Frankly, I hate that it has the word cancer attached to it because it isn't cancer but it's sort of next door to cancer.

What is she saying?

That you do not have cancer.

But she's said cancer, like, eight times.

Doctor, you have said cancer rather a lot.

Like, more than you'd hear in a casual conversation that isn't about cancer.

Yes, and I'm sorry.

But, while again, you do not have cancer, you do have a situation that we have to monitor closely so that it doesn't become cancer.

That's two more times she's said it. Two more cancers.

All it means is you'll come here a little more frequently than you would have otherwise, so we can take a look-see at your cervix and make sure it remains in the cancer-free state it's currently in.

Do you have pamphlets?

Yes, we have pamphlets.

I'm going to get us some pamphlets.

Right, well, let's shift gears a little bit, shall we?

And take a look at the baby.

OK...

No, we go in through the tummy for this one.

OK.

Here we are.

The heartbeat! Beautiful.

Nice and strong.

Here's the spine. Exquisite.

Oh, and there's something! Do you recognise that, Mummy?

Is that the cancer?

Very funny, no.

That's a little penis!

Oh, God.

Congratulations, you're going to have a baby boy!

She said that it's statistically unlikely to become full cancer.

So just... half-cancer then?

Just a gentle little half-cancer, like you get?

Do you think it's because I'm old?

It's because I'm old, isn't it?

No, it isn't, you're not old.

Oh, God, I want to smoke a cigarette.

Will you get one and just smoke it and blow it on me?

Well, just have a cigarette if you want one.

Yeah?

But put your wine down.

May I have a cigarette?

Thank you so much.

I'm just going to smoke this. Not even the whole thing, I'll just have a few puffs, then I'll never do it again.

That's fine.

That's all right, isn't it? To have a few puffs, then never do it again?

Absolutely.

(God, that's delicious.)
( Someone knocks on window )

Oh, for f*ck's sake, take that!

Hi!

(f*ck!)

Hi.

Hey, you!

I thought that was you.

Well, is it true? Are you pregnant?

Little bit.

This is Rob. He's my, erm... boyfriend?

Yeah.

Yeah. He's the father of the...

This is Fran, she's an old pal.

Great to meet you, Rob.

Great to meet you!

Great to see you too, stranger!

( She laughs awkwardly )

Ha... ah...

You have to come over for dinner.

Yeah.

Chris would love to see you.

Definitely...

We should.

Yeah?

Yeah, yeah! That'd be great.

What are you doing on Saturday night?

Saturday?

Erm...

Well, actually, we've just had some news that...

No, we haven't.

I was just going to tell her...

No, we don't, that's not...

Yes, we'd love to.

Great - well, we can catch up then.

Yeah. You're still in...?

Still in the same big house, yeah.

Saturday night, 7 o'clock. Don't be late!

All right.

Rob.

Oh...

She seems nice.

She's a c**t.

God, my feet are too swollen for these boots.

Did you see the size of them?

Yeah. They look like little hobbit feet.

f*ck off.

I meant to ask, why did you call her a c**t?

I shouldn't have called her a c**t. She's more of a bitch.

Why is she a bitch?

She's just one of these people where everything has gone her way and she thinks she did it, but it's luck.

I just wish one bad thing would happen to her.

I don't want her to get hit by a bus or anything, but maybe if she got arrested for tax fraud or if her dad get caught with child p*rn or something.

Just to knock the smug out of her. Do you know what I mean?

Yeah, totally.

And don't mention the pre-cancer.

If you need something to talk about, talk about the weather or the meal or... you know, other meals you've enjoyed.

So, meals?

Yeah.

Do I look fat?

No, except for your belly and your tits.

My tits are fat?

Your tits are fat and beautiful.

Welcome!

Hi.

Come in, come in.

Shoes go here!

Oh. That's a good spot for shoes.

We keep a shoe-free home.

Oh. Gotcha.

Do you mind if I keep mine on? It's just my feet are swollen from...

Well, you can, but you'll be the only one with shoes on!

If you're OK with that, then I am!

OK...

This is a delicious meal.

Thank you.

It's all Chris's work. He's the cook here, aren't you?

Where's Jeffrey tonight?

He's in bed. He has to get up at four.

He's filming in the morning.

Our son's a thespian now.

Really?

Mmm.

When did that happen?

I thought you knew.

I didn't know.

That's funny I thought you knew.

Anyway, this is his third film.

He filmed a scene with Patrick Stewart last week.

Lovely man, total flirt.

Well, good for Jeffrey.

Good for all of us. He's coining it in!

Yeah? Great.

This is a delicious meal.

So, are you planning on a natural birth?

I don't know, see what the pain's like maybe, take it from there.

I really think you should consider a natural birth.

My cousin Sheila had all the pain medication going - oxytocin, pethidine, she had the epidural.

It didn't turn out well.

Really? What happened to the baby?

Oh, no, the baby's fine, but my cousin had a massive stroke, she has to use one of those wheelchairs that you blow into to make it move.

Jesus.

That's actually why we should have more than one kid.

What?

All the sh*t that can go wrong. Birth's a risky thing.

There's a reason people had 11 kids in the olden days.

If one or two d*ed, you still had leftovers.

Plus, only children are weirdos.

I'm an only child.

There are exceptions.

My son is an only child.

More than one exception.

This is a delicious meal. Best meal I've had in some time.

Remember that meal we had Tuesday?

I do.

This is better, this meal.

I'm going for a cigarette.

Really? Do you really have to?

Yup. Rob, do you smoke?

No, I don't.

Did you quit?

Oh, because...

Just go for a cigarette.

Okey dokey.

Sorry about that. I hope I didn't upset Fran.

Don't worry about it. She'll wank off to that for a week.

She loves to get angry at people. You did her a favour.

Can I give you some advice, Rob?

Er... maybe. About what?

When Sharon goes into labour, jump on a plane and go back to Wisconsin or wherever you're from and skip the whole delivery.

I saw my son coming out and it was a f*cking w*r zone.

Just put it there, he'll do it later...

You know they sh*t when they give birth?

I've heard that.

Yeah, well I've seen it. I wouldn't want that for you.

You'll never be able to forgive her.

Forgive her?

You see a little troll come tobogganing out of your wife's snatch on a wave of turds and part of you will hold her responsible.

That was my first cigarette in ten years.

You haven't smoked in ten years?

Well, don't start now, gimme that...

No, no, no. Don't. I do this now.

He's a big one, isn't he?

Rob? Yeah.

Is he... big all over?

Um... yeah. Well, he's in proportion.

What's that like?

It doesn't hurt?

I mean he's proportional, I wasn't...

Is he circumcised? Most American men are, I've heard.

He is, yes.

What's that like?

Well, it's the same basic deal, really...

But I mean what does it feel like?

What does my boyfriend's penis feel like?

Are you OK?

Just a little dizzy.

Oh, dear. I'm a little anaemic myself.

When I feel weak I just take a tincture of helonias, or some arsenicum, if that's all I've got, and I perk right up.

You do what?

It's a homeopathic remedy.

Oh.

No, thanks. Why not?

It's not real.

It is.

It's not.

Well, I think it is.

Yeah, I saw a guy on the Tube today with no legs so I prescribed him three drops of doodly doodle-oo and his legs grew back.

Rob, Fran's a homeopath.

Well, you could have told me that in my pre-dinner briefing.

A lot of people don't realise that there are alternatives out there that really work.

My guru, Alan, cured himself of prostate cancer with walnuts last year.

Oh, give me a break!

Pardon?

What did he do, jam them up his assh*le?

Sorry? Are you coming into my house...

I don't mean to rip into your beliefs in your own home but we just received some news about Sharon that is not good and if I thought for a second that I could just rub a blueberry on her vag*na and fix her, I would do it.

But I can't, because it's bullshit!

I think you should leave!

I have cancer.

No, you don't! She's lying.

I think we pulled it back at the end.

It was good of you to ask Chris for the recipe for that tagine.

I thought about asking them to wake their kid up so I could get his autograph.

You should have! She'd have loved that.

I'm really sorry about tonight.

Don't be. They're awful.

And actually I was really touched to see you go apeshit at someone for me.

Well, I'm scared.

Of the not-cancer cancer?

Of everything.

You're pregnant, you might be sick and I don't know what I'm doing.

My sh*t's still in a suitcase.

Am I part of your life or not, are we doing this for real or not?

I don't know...

I think you should marry me.

What?

Are you mental?

Marry me and find out.

Why?

I literally don't know who you are.

Seriously, who are you? Do you have a middle name?

Can you ride a horse? Did a priest ever fiddle with you?

These are things I don't know.

Clifford, yes and no, but a nun did stay in the room when I changed out of dirty underpants once.

Aren't you supposed to fall in love first?

Well, my mum sent me an article about a study on arranged marriages versus "love" marriages and they found that fewer arranged marriages end in divorce than real ones.

Is that because they end in su1c1de?

I don't know, I didn't read the whole article.

Also, you'll need to marry me so I can stay in the country.

You don't have to be a part of its life, you know.

I'm not expecting anything.

Except money, maybe a bit of money.

So, I just write a cheque every month and leave it at that?

f*ck that. I didn't know my father and it sucked.

This kid gets a dad.

Oh, God, you don't have to be so American about it.

Fine.

Oh! Oh, God, hurry up, I'm not going to come.

How did my vag*na feel?

It felt great.

Well, make the most of it because it's not going to feel like that for much longer.

Not after your big-headed son scrums his way out of it.

If it helps, I dated a woman a few years ago and she'd had a couple of kids and her vag*na was crazy tight.

Like teenager tight. It was amazing.

How do you know what a teenager's vag*na feels like?

Because I used to BE a teenager?

Oh, yeah!

And it didn't feel cancer-y?

It didn't feel cancer-y because you really, sincerely don't have cancer.

In fact, I want us to get a second opinion.

Doctors make mistakes all the time.

They told my brother he had polio when he was ten, but it turned out he just was clumsy.

They probably told another kid he was clumsy and then he d*ed of polio.

We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Well, you might cross the bridge alone because I'll be dead.

That's the spirit.
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