01x02 - I'm Not Fine

[bunniefuu]

Previously on
"Council of Dads"...

Hey.
So the surgery went great.

Oliver removed the tumor.

If the cancer comes back,
if I died,

there'd be this group of guys

to help the kids
if they need guidance.

‐ The council?
‐ Yeah.

Council of Dads.

How are you?

I don't know.
Ask me in a year.

I'm pregnant.

Why are you doing this?

And when I came into AA,
your dad agreed to sponsor me.

You have a lifetime
to teach them your values.

You're gonna be here
for a long time.

The cancer's back.

My dad died
this morning at 3:00 a. m.

You having
any second thoughts?

We can call this thing off.

I love Evan.

I'm choosing joy.

I miss him, Ollie.

I'm right here.

And Larry, and Anthony.

We're gonna get
through this together.

Family
On the way to the city

Family
Laughing in the rain

Family
It ain't always pretty

All right.
You ready, Theo?

Yep.
I'm recording.

All right.
Here we go, guys.

It's Hope's first ice cream!

I think she likes it,
you guys.

You like it?

It's been four months
since my friend Scott died.

He entrusted me
and two other men

to look out for his family.

And they're doing okay,

but every now and again,
something'll happen.

Daddy!
Daddy, look.

‐ Hey.

You can have mine.

It's always
when they least expect it.

They're reminded
he's not here.

Theo?

Play the song.

Hey, Theo.

I made up a song here

to help you remember
the state capitals.

Here we go.

Montgomery, Alabama

Juneau, Alaska

Those are the first two

If your teachers ask ya

Arizona's got Phoenix

Arkansas's got Little Rock

Sacramento's in California

Where they've also
got gridlock

Denver, Colorado

Hartford, Connecticut

Scott was everything
you'd want in a dad,

and our job is to step in,
be him,

fill his shoes.

But how do we do that?

How does a council of dads
even work?

Council of dads
S01E02 - I'm Not Fine

All right, now that Robin's
back to work part‐time,

we've gotta double down
on the schedule,

so I've made a spreadsheet.

Oliver, Hope's music class
on Thursday?

I'm there.

Great.

You know, Hope likes
the bongo drums.

This kid Tyler likes 'em,
too.

So, I suggest that
you sit up front

so you can snag 'em
before Tyler can.

Or maybe we could teach
Hope how to share.

Sure, we could.
Or...

‐ I'll sit up front.
‐ Great.

Anthony, how are
we doing on food

- for Luly's going‐away party?
‐ All set.

It's in the fridge,
ready to go.

Good.

And you're taking Charlotte

mini‐golfing this afternoon?

Yeah.

Because you cancelled
on her last week.

We had a staff issue
at Pelago.

Well, Scott didn't
hire me to watch out

for your restaurant.

But he hired me
to watch after his kids.

He hired us all to watch out
for his kids, Larry.

We are.

Just a lot of items
on the schedule here.

If you're only able to make it
down from Atlanta once a week,

I'm gonna need you
to be solid on your day.

Are you always this bossy?

Well, I'm a Virgo.

What does that mean?

I have absolutely no idea.

But it usually shuts people up

when they ask me
if I'm always this bossy.

Okay, if we're good here,

I have a meeting
at the hospital.

Hold up.

We need to talk about Robin.

I keep asking her
to come to these meetings.

She keeps declining.

I'm looking for feedback.

I'm getting pushback.

What's going on with her?

She seems fine to me.

She's not fine, Oliver.

Her husband died
four months ago.

Yeah.
I know, Larry.

I was there.
Remember?

I have to go.
I'm late.

What's wrong with him?

Thank you.

Yeah, that for me?

I ordered some pens in bulk
online for the wait staff.

It's actually for me
from Michelle Pruitt,

with a Savannah return address.

Did Michelle move back
to Savannah?

No idea.

Who's Michelle?

It's probably
just a wedding gift.

Did you tell her
I got married?

No, I haven't seen her
in years.

Again, who's Michelle?

‐ Her mom.
‐ My birth mom.

Open it.

Mom?

Mom?

Who's that?

No one.

What's a DNA thread?

Nothing.

What do you want?

Mom's missing.

Now it begins

A change happening

‐ Hey.
‐ Mom!

‐ Where were you?
‐ Buddy.

- We were scared.
- Guys.

I'm so sorry.
I,

I put the baby monitor
in Theo's room.

I went running, and I didn't
want to wake you guys up.

Who wants a smoothie?

You could've been hit
by a car.

Guys.
I'm really careful.

I'm fine.

Theo, it's too early

for your phone, please.

It's Larry.

The Word of the Day
is "abrogate,"

which means "to cancel."

Mom, can you tell Larry
to abrogate

the vocabulary words?
It's annoying.

Well, Larry's
just trying to help.

He knows you've got
your PSATs coming up.

Guys,
go get ready for school.

Go.
Go, go, go.

Thank you.

The reason I was looking
for you this morning

is because I need to learn
how to ride a bike.

Dad was going to teach me,
but then...

He died.

Yeah.

- I can teach you.
‐ You will?

Thank you.

- Go get ready.
‐ Okay.

I'm leaving
this place behind

And I'm heading out
on the road

Hey, Ollie,
can you wait up a second?

Yeah, sorry,
I'm late for a meeting.

That's okay.

So I've been texting you.

Yeah, sorry, meant to reply.
Just been buried.

Sorry.
Bad choice of words.

What? Buried?

No, you can say "buried"
to me, Ollie.

It's all right.
I won't fall apart.

No. Of course.

Just please don't say,
"husband", "sex",

or "ever having five minutes
to myself again,"

because then I will fall apart.

My God.
Do not look so weird.

- It's a joke.
‐ Sorry.

You just said "sorry"
like, six times

for something that you have
no reason to be sorry for.

Are you okay?

‐ Yeah, it's just...work stuff.
‐ Okay.

Listen, I have
to ask you a favor.

JJ's class is doing
a father/son bike ride,

and he wanted to know if you
would ride as his dad proxy.

A bike ride?

Yeah, it's a fundraiser.
He asked for you specifically.

If you can't do it,
just say so.

‐ No, it's just, I..

I you know, what?
It's all right.

We'll yeah, we'll figure
something else out.

‐ Robin, I...
‐ It's all right.

Don't say you're sorry.

The patient was
a 47‐year‐old Caucasian male

who presented with right

lower‐extremity osteosarcoma.

As you know, we hold these

morbidity and mortality
conferences, M&M's,

to learn from our mistakes.

And as most of you know,
this patient was a friend.

So I need you to be
extra tough

with your questions.

Please.

If I missed something,
I need to know.

Questions?

I'm leaving now,
I cannot stay

I haven't got the time

‐ Hey.
‐ Hey, baby.

What's this?

This is
our new Brooklyn studio.

Wait.

‐ We passed the credit check?
‐ Yep.

It's ours if we want it.

Kitchen, bathroom,

bedroom, and living room.
Roughly.

Based on the specs
the landlord spent.

- This is very small.
- Yeah.

But look at the view.
There's the Met.

This is Brooklyn, Evan.
You can't see the Met.

Okay, fine.
There's the Barclays Center.

The Nets are playing.

See?
There's Jay‐Z.

Hey, Jay‐Z!

What do you think?
Should we take this place?

I know that, you know...
it's small,

but my wife, she won't bring
all 200 of her sweaters.

I don't know.
Are we sure we wanna do this?

Are we talking about
the apartment

or moving to New York?

'Cause I thought
New York was the dream.

‐ It was.
‐ Was?

Yeah, I...

No.
It is.

It is.

There's Beyoncé.

She's giving us a thumbs up!

I think this is our place.

I think you might be right.

We're moving to New York.

We're moving to New York.

One, two, three!

‐ Don't let go, Mom.
‐ I know, it's all right.

I got it.
Gotcha in the back.

‐ Don't let go.
‐ I know.

Stop!
I wanna stop!

Okay, hey, hey, hey.

Hey, I didn't let go, okay?

‐ Guess what?

You remember when I sent
my spit off

to that DNA company?

I got a match.
‐ No way.

Yeah.
She's my third cousin.

She's adopted, too.

Her name's Phoebe.
She's 15.

She lives outside of Atlanta.

‐ That's like next door.
‐ I know.

Are you gonna meet her?

I don't know.
I haven't told my mom yet.

I don't wanna upset her.

‐ Got it, got on the pedals?
‐ Let go.

‐ No, no, no, I still got.
‐ I wanna stop.

- I wanna stop!
‐ Okay, okay, okay, all right.

I don't really
wanna do this anymore.

Okay.

We'll take a break.

Hey, Anthony!

Hi, you.

Hey, Anthony.

Is it all right if Tess comes
with you guys to play mini‐golf?

I already invited her, so...

it would be awkward
if you said no.

Which was our grand plan.

So girls.

I just got a tip that
a Michelin reviewer's

coming to the restaurant
tomorrow night.

Are you bailing again?

My people.
They're freaking out.

What about my people?

‐ It's okay.
‐ No, it's not.

And I promise, next week,

we are gonna do
something amazing.

- I'm sorry, Robin.
‐ I know.

‐ I feel...
‐ Terrible.

I know, I know.

Next week.
Promise.

Good luck.

Yeah, Hope,
we know how you feel.

Candor.

The quality of being honest
and straightforward.

You wanna write that one down?

Nope.
I'll remember.

There's something
about writing a thing down

helps to solidify it
in your brain.

‐ I'm good.
‐ Okay.

So define candor.

You know what, Larry?

I don't wanna do
your vocabulary stuff anymore.

Think you could use
some help.

I called
your guidance counselor.

See what other areas
you might need support in.

What?

Do you think I'm stupid?

No, no, no, no.
I don't think you're stupid.

Well, then why are you
calling my teachers?

Just trying to get ahead
of the problem.

‐ What problem?
‐ I misspoke.

I don't mean problem.
I mean

‐ You're not my dad, you know.

‐ I know.
‐ Good.

‐ Hey, babe.
‐ Hey.

Hope you're hungry.

Something smells good.

Hey.

- Where's Tess?
- She's with Charlotte.

Figured you might need
some time to talk.

It was determined that
"the course of treatment

"was appropriate, and it's
unlikely any other therapy

would have extended
the patient's life."

Oliver.
That's good.

Yeah.

They had tough questions,
but I had answers.

You know, I've been dreading
this thing for months,

and now I'm exonerated and...

I don't know how to feel.

Nobody exonerated you, babe,

because nobody ever accused you

of doing anything wrong.

You did everything you could.

Scott knew that.
Robin knows that.

How'd she take the news?

I haven't told her.

You need to tell her.

And say what?

"Hey, guess what?

"Scott's cancer
was going to k*ll him

no matter what we did."

‐ That's a start.
‐ And then what?

‐ Say, "It sucks.
Life isn't fair."

- Say you're sad too.
- no.

I promised Scott
I would take care of her.

e didn't mean for you to be

this weird, stoic,
robot person.

He wanted you to be her friend.

So be her friend.
Talk to her.

Hey.
I got here as soon as I could.

I took the kids mini‐golfing,

and then I kicked their butts.

And then I had to put
Hope down for Larry.

What's going on?
‐ Hey.

You said you had
something to show me?

Yes.

Napkin rings.

They're from Michelle.

It's weird, right?

I mean, I haven't seen her
since I was little.

And Dad made me meet her.

Most awkward hour of my life.

She was all, "I want you
to know why I gave you up."

And I was like, " I'm 9."

Well, they're pretty,
and they look vintage.

They look aggressive to me.

Dad dies and she thinks
she can what?

Be my mom?

I have a mom.

And how did she even know
I worked at the Crab Shack?

Well, everyone in town
knows it's Dad's place.

But how did she
know I got married?

It was in the paper?

Are you defending her?

No, I think
I'm just suggesting

that you could give her
the benefit of the doubt.

You know?

It's a gift.
They're pretty.

You could write
a thank‐you note and move on.

Move on.

I'm trying.

Are you excited
about New York?

Yeah.

And also...no?

I'm all mixed up.

I don't know anything anymore.

‐ Yeah.
That's grief.

‐ Are you sure you're
gonna be okay if I go?

‐ Yeah.

I'm gonna miss you,

but I want you to be happy.

‐ And you have the Council.
‐ Yep.

I have the Council.

Sorry.

Charlotte's hyper‐vigilant.

If I don't respond right away,
she thinks I'm dead.

‐ No, it's Theo,

sending a manifesto.

‐ About what?
‐ Larry.

Apparently he reached out

to Theo's counselors
and teacher.

He can't do that.

‐
Larry's intense.

‐
Yeah.

Yeah, he is.

‐ What are you gonna do?

‐ Be intense right back.

‐ Groceries are put away.

And I fixed the jiggly handle
on the drawer.

‐ Thank you.

‐ You wanted a word?

I assume it's not a word
from Theo's vocabulary list.

‐ Well, you can't drill Theo
with definitions, Larry.

He'll shut right down.
You gotta make it fun.

You gotta make it a game.

‐ See, this is the kind of
feedback that's been lacking.

This is what
I've been asking for.

‐ But, what you really can't do

is talk to his teachers
without consulting me.

‐ Okay.
Noted.

Look, figuring out
this Council is a process.

But with better communication,
we can make adjusts.

‐ No.
No more adjusts.

My kids have enough
to adjust to.

And they're hurting enough

without adding more upsets
and letdowns on top of it.

‐ Look, I talked to Anthony
about cancelling last week.

‐ Did you talk to him
about it today?

Because he had
to rush back to Atlanta

to cook for some critic.

You know, that's just...
that's unacceptable.

‐ Is it?
Because I'm accepting it.

He has a job.
He has a life.

So does Ollie, right?

They can't just drop everything

at a moment's notice,

not even for JJ,

my sweet little guy who just...

wants a dad to teach him
how to ride a bike.

‐ Done and done.
That we can do.

‐ No, you can't.

Because you guys
aren't his dads.

Scott was.

‐ And we're his Council,

under your direction,

but we need your buy‐in.
‐ My buy‐in, Larry.

‐ Just tell us what you want.

‐ I want Scott.

I wanna tell him
that Theo's upset.

I wanna tell him
that Charlotte's scared.

I wanna tell him that I'm sad
that Luly's leaving.

And I want him to teach JJ
how to ride a bike.

I want my husband back!

This Council was his idea,

and in theory, it's great.

The reality is,
it's just not working.

‐ Please, Robin.

Please, don't‐‐don't pull
the rip cord, just...

employ us!
‐ I can't!

I never hired you
in the first place.

But if you need to hear
that you're fired, Larry,

then, "You're fired, Larry."

Tell the other dads.

I'm gonna raise my kids

on my own from now on.

Well, good morning,
all my kids.

‐ You're wearing a garbage bag.
‐ I am.

I didn't want to get
Hope's breakfast all over me.

Dad usually wore an apron.

Couldn't find one,
and I was in a hurry.

I have a patient who's dilated

to four centimeters,
and she's going fast!

So I'm gonna take
Hope to daycare.

Theo, can you please take
JJ and Charlotte to school?

‐ Peter usually drives us.

‐ Well, I know, but today,
Theo's gonna do it.

So thank you for getting
your own breakfast.

If you please,
clean up the kitchen

before you go to school.

‐ We should call Luly
and have her come over.

‐ Well, Luly's packing
for New York.

And her party's tonight.

I should be home
in plenty of time, but if not,

will you two please set up
the table and chairs?

‐ We could call Larry.

He likes doing stuff like that.

‐ Yeah, I don't think
we need the Council.

Right?

We've got each other.

‐ Did you fire the Council?

‐ Look, they've got
their own lives,

and their own families,
and so do we.

‐ I thought they were family.

‐ They are.

They're just not our family.

Right?
They're not related to us.

‐ I'm not related to you.

‐ Yes, you are.
You're my daughter.

‐ Not biologically,

just like the Council

isn't biologically our family,

but Dad wanted them to be.

‐ Char, we're still gonna see
the dads, okay?

Just not as much.
‐ Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Chill, you guys.
It's not so bad.

No more daily words from Larry.

‐ There will be vocab.

Don't think that ends just
because I fired the Council.

‐ So you did fire them.
‐ Guys, everything's fine.

Everything's gonna be great.

I love you, I love you,
I love you.

Have a great day.

‐ You're still wearing
a garbage bag.

‐ Luly!

Hi.
‐ Hi.

‐ You're so beautiful.

‐ Thank you.

‐ Do you want a coffee?

No, I have to pack.- ?

‐ I'm moving
to New York next week.

‐ These are so beautiful,

and the gift
was so thoughtful, but‐‐

‐ Well, I just, you know,
recently moved back

to Savannah, and I found them.

They're family heirlooms.

‐ Yeah?

They probably have
a lot of family history.

Feels like they should stay
in your family.

Of course.

Well, I hope that you'll
keep the pictures, at least.

‐ What pictures?

‐ Of your dad.

From a million years ago.

‐ I thought, um,
you'd like to have them.

‐
My God, his hair.

That is actually
the first day your dad

introduced me to Anthony.

Come on.
Sit down.

I'll buy you a coffee.

‐ Okay.

Finally awake and we're
taking the high road

‐ So I hear you
fired the Council.

Does that mean I'm fired
as your friend, too?

‐ I'm not feeling
really friendly right now.

‐ I know I've been
acting weird.

‐ Honestly, Ollie,
I have a patient in labor.

I'm gonna get paged any minute.

- And I just,I need.
‐ I had an M&M yesterday.

‐ You presented Scott's case.

‐ The conclusion was,
we treated him correctly,

and there was nothing more
we could've done.

‐ Why didn't you tell me?

I mean, I would've gone.
I should've gone.

I wasn't sure,
and I didn't want to upset you.

And yet you did.

I need to go.

Look, this is tricky, Rob.

I mean, do I talk about Scott?

Do I not talk about Scott?

I wanna be sensitive.

How about just
being my friend?

I am your friend.

It didn't feel
that way yesterday.

I asked you to take
a bike ride with JJ,

and you hesitated,
which is basically a no.

‐ I didn't know to say that...
‐ Yes!

You say yes!

This is
his first father/son bike ride

as a son without a father.

And you knew that.
And you should've said yes.

That's what my friend
would've done‐‐

‐ I can't ride a bike!

‐ What?

‐ When I was little, I tried,
and I kept falling, so I quit.

So when you asked me
about JJ‐‐

‐ Why didn't you
just tell me that?

‐ Because I'm ashamed.

‐ That you can't ride a bike?

‐ I don't like failing
at things.

And I can't ride a bike,
And I couldn't save Scott.

And I just keep failing you.

‐ Okay.
I have to‐‐

‐ Go.

We're gonna pick this up.
All right?

Caesar,
don't you dance on my floor

Do you think she'll like me?

You talked me
into skipping school

and taking a bus to Atlanta.

You're a rebel and basically
the coolest person I know.

Of course she'll like you.

That's them.

‐ Hi.
‐ Hi.

- I'm Charlotte.
‐ Hi.

‐ This is my friend, Tess.
‐ Hi.

You must be Phoebe.

Hi.

Where are your parents?
I assumed they'd be here.

Yeah.
They were.

I mean, my mom was.

She dropped us here, and then
she went to visit her friend.

Yeah, he owns
a restaurant downtown.

Okay.

So, I guess we share
a great‐great‐great grandparent

somewhere in China.

My mom is way more

into the DNA stuff than me.

Cool.

I was adopted when I was five.

I came here for heart surgery,
and my mom's a doctor.

So that's how that happened.

‐ I was adopted
when I was a baby.

‐ Cool.

‐ I'm sorry
about the napkin rings.

I overstepped.
‐ It's okay.

‐ I don't know what
I was thinking.

Actually, I do know
what I was thinking.

I was thinking about your dad.

You know, we, ‐‐
we basically started dating

the first day of college,

and on Thanksgiving that year,

he came over to my house

because, you know,
his family was‐‐

‐ Not great.
I know.

‐ So, my mom had set the table
with cloth napkins,

and the napkin rings,

and your dad was blown away

that people use cloth napkins

and not you know
paper towels from the roll,

and that there were families

that actually sat down
and ate dinner together.

Willingly.

He was such a stickler

for the sit‐down dinner,

and now I know
where it came from.

‐ I know you and I have never
ever really had the

"here's why I gave you up"
conversation.

‐ And we don't have to.

‐ No, I know.
I know.

It's just if you ever...

want to know.

‐ I don't.

I don't mean to be rude,

but I really don't need to know
why you gave me up.

My dad told me that
you weren't ready to be a mom,

and that he was ready
to be a dad,

and that's enough for me.

It was enough for me
when I was nine,

and it's enough for me now.

‐ Okay.

You're very direct.

You're like your dad.

‐ I actually get that
from my mom.

‐ I got your text.

What are you doing?

‐ An M&M.

I have a question.

‐
Robin.

‐ You gonna call on me?
‐ Stop it.

‐ Were the lesions
in his liver and lungs

amenable to local resection?

‐
Robin.

‐ Were they?

‐ No.

‐ And was immunotherapy
considered as salvage therapy?

‐ I'm not‐‐
why are you doing this?

‐ Stop torturing and punishing
yourself, Ollie.

I just read the M&M report.

You did everything.
You did more than everything.

‐ I didn't cure him.

I looked him in the eye
and I promised him.

‐ You lied.

So did I.

We're doctors, Ollie.

We saw the scans.
We know the stats.

We knew.
We didn't wanna believe it,

so we told each other
that we could save him.

That was a kindness.

Not a crime.
That's what friends do.

And now I need my friend back.

You've been walking
on eggshells around me.

I need you to stop.

I really miss him, Rob.

I know.

I miss his...

Okay, this is gonna
sound weird, but...

I miss his voice.

You know the way
he'd just call and say,

"How's the cancer business,
Oliver?"

He had a great voice.

‐ I'm sorry.
‐ Don't be.

I'm glad you miss him.

I'm glad I'm not the only one.

You're not the only one.

So you can't ride
a bike?

Do you think I'm ready
to go around the block?

I do.

Just remember
you're in charge.

If you get scared,
you just put your feet down.

- Okay?
‐ Okay.

All right, here we go.

Pedal, pedal, pedal,

pedal, pedal.
There you go.

You got this.

You're pedaling.

You've got this!

Dad, I'm doing it.
I'm riding a bike!

You're doing it, JJ!

And from these heights

Of these hills

You want some help?

It's up to you.

No one else can see

It's tearing at the seams
of all that's been

Thought you got fired.

I know I'm not
your dad, Theo.

But I am a dad.

My kids are all grown up.

Andrew lives on the West Coast.

We talk a few times a year.
Not much, but...

I'm grateful that
he takes my calls.

Lauren won't.

It's been almost six years

since I've had
any contact with her.

I wasn't a very good dad.

I wasn't a very good
husband either.

My ex‐wife told me
I had to stop drinking

or she'd divorce me.

Well, I didn't stop drinking.

Instead of fighting
for my family,

I let myself get fired.

Boy, do I regret that.

So I'm not gonna let myself
get fired so easily this time.

That sucks.

Sucks?
Come on, Theo.

You can do better than sucks.

I mean, I know you don't like

my vocabulary lessons,

but you can look

"Larry, as a parent,
you were really..." what?

You can fill in the sentence.
Call me any bad word you want.

Abhorrent.

Ghastly.

Abominable.

I was abhorrent,

ghastly, and abominable.

And I really suck.

That looks great, Tony.
Now fire it up.

‐ Anthony.
‐ Are the Michelin people here?

‐ Not exactly.

‐ Charlotte.
What are you‐‐

‐ Hi, Anthony.

This is Karen and Phoebe,

and we matched on DNA thread,

and we met and it was cool

and Karen wanted to make sure
we were safe,

so she dropped us here,
where my mom is.

If she went out to shop,

we can just hang and wait.

‐ Good.

Yeah, she is still out.

But, um, thank you.

I'm Anthony Lavelle.
I can take it from here.

‐ Okay, then.

Well, it was really fun
to meet you, Charlotte.

And you, too, Tess.

‐ Bye!
‐ Bye.

‐ Bye.

Thank you for being so cool.
‐ So cool.

‐ My mom doesn't know I'm here,
and we need to get

to the bus station
and get back home, so....

‐ I'm ordering an Uber.

‐ What are you, an adult?

No.

I may be cool,
but I'm not that cool.

I'm calling your mom
and your dads.

And I'm driving you
back home myself.

Hey, Danny.
Two Shirley Temples.

‐ Really.
We can take the bus.

Don't you have a big critic
coming in tonight?

‐ You know what?

They're just gonna have
to get by without me.

‐ Hey.

Wow.

‐ It's like a tornado hit.

‐ Turns out you don't have
200 sweaters.

You have more.

Start sorting.

You can bring no more than ten.

‐ Evan.
‐ Lu!

200 square feet.
We gotta be ruthless.

‐ Right.

‐ How'd it go
with Michelle?

‐ I don't know.

Hearing her tell me
stories about my dad made me...

I don't know.

‐ Made you what?

‐ It's just...

I always wanted
to move to New York...

‐ To write in magazines,
thinking it would be cool.

But, in reality, it's like,

I'm just gonna be writing

about the latent trend
in lip gloss.

‐ I don't get, um‐‐baby.

What does this
have to do with your dad?

‐ I wanna write
the story of him,

and the story of me
this past year,

and why go to New York
if the story's here?

I don't want
to move to New York.

‐ What?

I literally asked you
yesterday, point blank,

"Do you wanna do this?"
And you said, "Yes."

‐ I didn't know yesterday.

And we had to make a decision.

And if you still want
to move to New York, we can.

Yeah.
That's a great idea.

Let's just move,
so you can be miserable.

Well, what do you want to do?

I wanna know
what you're thinking.

I'm telling you
what I'm thinking.

No, you're announcing
your decision about your life.

- This is our life.
‐ I know.

And I've been trying
to figure you out.

I'm trying to make you happy!

I'm trying to do everything.

I packed our entire apartment!

Well, stop!

Stop packing!
Stop trying!

Stop yelling at me
for having doubts.

I'm having doubts, Evan!

I don't know what I'm doing.

I don't who I am.

I don't know
what makes me happy.

I don't know what I'm gonna be.

The only thing the only thing
that I know right now

is that I don't want
to move to New York.

That's the only thing
that you know right now.

That's just great!

That's just great.

Okay, so they took
a bus to Atlanta.

Do we know how long
they've been planning this?

I don't know.

Anthony said they'd explain

when they got here.

He just texted.

He's pulling up now.

I should have seen
this coming.

You've had a lot
on your plate.

My 13 year old wanted to find
her biological family.

That shouldn't have fallen
through the cracks.

No, it shouldn't have.

What's that supposed to mean?

Nothing.
Just ignore me.

You don't make
that real easy.

I don't wanna upset you

any more than you already are.

Don't handle me right now,

please, Larry

Stop pushing me away.

Hey!
Maybe now's not the time?

We're not perfect.

Me, Oliver, Anthony.

And we're not gonna be.

But you have five kids,
and they each have needs.

Sure, you don't want us.

But you need us, Robin.

You need us.

- Tess. Tess!
- Thank God.

‐ It's all over.
Are you okay?

- Mom.
- Honey.

‐ Are you okay?
Let me see you.

Why didn't you call us?

‐ Guys.
Guys!

We need to give the girls
a chance to explain

before you start
grounding for life.

‐ Okay.

‐ I thought it would be amazing

to find a person
who's related to me.

I thought that maybe we'd feel
this great connection

and she could be my...

‐ What?

‐ My backup plan?

‐ For what?

‐ I was given up for adoption.

I lost one set of parents
before I was five,

and then another
a few months ago.

I'm scared
of losing you too.

‐ You won't.
I'm fine.

‐ She needs to know
her backup plan.

Maybe some other kid
could just go with the flow,

but not this kid.

She thought she knew.
She thought the‐‐the Council

was her backup plan,

but then she got scared
because‐‐

‐ I fired you.

‐ Go on, Char.

Ask her.

Who will take care of us
if you die?

If I die?

Char.

I don't know.

‐ I'm so sorry.
‐ No.

I didn't mean
to worry you.

No, no, no, no, no.
I'm sorry.

I fired your backup plan.

Epic fail.

But hey, look who showed up.

Look who just showed up anyway.

'Cause they love you,
and they were worried.

And 'cause these people
are your family, okay?

Char, I'm not gonna die on you.

But if I did...

Anthony will take
care of you, okay?

And Ollie
will take care of you.

And Larry will take care
of you.

You want buy‐in?
I'm all in.

Us, too.

So...

Big announcement.

We are...

not moving to New York?

‐ Evan.
‐ Sorry, what's going on?

‐ Yeah, what's going on?

‐ I don't know what
I'm doing either, Lu.

Half the time I'm winging it.

But I know I love you.

And I really wanna
make you happy.

‐ You do, and I love you,

and I really wanna
make you happy, too.

‐ Seriously, guys.
What's going on?

‐ We're not moving to New York!

I love it!
I love it!

Guys, what about
the going‐away party?

Now we have something
to celebrate.

So right

So right

‐ Hi.
‐ Hey.

Are you disappointed in me

for not moving to New York?

Super.

No, of course not.

You don't think
I'm chickening out?

Do you?

No.

I'm choosing to stay here.

Be a writer here.

Like Flannery O'Connor.

Okay.

I invited Michelle.
Is that okay?

Of course.

I just heard the great news
that you're staying.

Yep.

Michelle.
This is Robin.

My mom.

Hi.
So nice to meet you finally.

Likewise.

Lead the way.

Follow me.

Find me in the dark

Between the lines
of the black and white

Michelle.

You look great.

I was just gonna get
another beer.

You've been avoiding me.

What?

No way.

I called you
after Scott died.

Couple times.

Sorry, I must have missed it.

‐ She has your eyes.
‐ Michelle.

I didn't know
for the longest time.

For the longest time.

And it was just that one night,

so I figured there's no way,

- but I am pretty sure she's
‐ Yeah.

Me too.

You think Scott knew?

No.

No, I don't.

She never needs
to know, either.

Resynchrony
by SERGINHOEDJ

I don't know, you guys.

Yes, Ollie.

If you are JJ are gonna do
this ride next month,

you gotta learn.

‐ Theo, you recording?
‐ Yep, I'm recording.

You ready?

You're in charge.

If you get scared,
just put your feet down.

Right, Larry?

That's right.

Don't let go, Anthony.

Scott asked the three of us
to watch out for his family,

be his Council of Dads.

I won't.
Don't let go.

I gotcha, I won't.
I gotcha.

Okay, okay.
I still gotcha.

Don't let go, Anthony.
I still gotcha.

Anthony, don't let go.

Anthony!

My God.
My God, I'm doing it!

It's all you!
Come on, baby!

But I think he knew

that we need them
as much as they need us.

We'll never move on
from Scott's death,

but together,
we'll move forward.