01x06 - Homecoming: Part 1

[bunniefuu]

[person 1] Do you remember
where you were, Rhonda?

Do you remember how you got
to the TV studio?

[person 2] Did you recognize this
person or persons who took you?

Did they say anything to you,
anything at all?

No.

Is that because you can't
remember or don't want to?

Yes.

Can you remember anything?

No detail is too small.

[sniffles]

Girlie smell.

What was that?

Girlie smell.

Girlie smell. That's good.

That's really good, Rhonda.

-What was... What was the girlie smell?
-Girlie smell.

Girlie smell.
Girlie smell. Girlie smell.

-[crying] Girlie smell. Girlie smell.
-Whatever she's saying

-is clearly upsetting her.
-Girlie smell.

-Girlie smell. Girlie smell.
-We're done for today.

Girlie smell. Girlie smell.

[Bret] Though she returned to
school, Rhonda did not come back.

-[people clapping]
-No one could console her,

and no one could protect her.

What she felt, she felt alone.

The world was lost to her
and her to it.

Looking back... even though
I didn't know it then...

I deeply related
to this feeling.

I was convinced of three things.

One, Rhonda's kidnapping was
related to Matt's disappearance.

Two, Robert Mallory was
responsible for both disturbing acts.

And three, I was the only one
who could see it,

and therefore the only one
who could stop him.

Though it scared me,
I had to take action.

No one else was.

I deeply understood
this feeling...

-[doorbell rings]
-As many young people do.

Being alone in it.

Mr. Kellner?

Yeah. Who are you?

I'm Bret.
I'm a friend of your son.

Can we talk? It's urgent.

[Jon] So you were...
are close with Matt?

No.

Uh, not that close. Uh...

but close.

Yeah,
did I ever really know him? I...

Uh, what I'm trying to say
is there's...

there's closeness
and then there's proximity.

Why is it
that you're here, Bret?

I wanted to talk to you
about Matt.

I'm convinced his disappearance
is connected to...

I'm...
I'm sure you mean well, son.

But I've already
talked to the police,

and they are of the opinion
that whatever happened to...

Whatever happened to Matt,
he did to himself.

You know,
ran away or hurt himself.

You know, ran away or hurt
himself. He wouldn't have done that.

He wouldn't have done that.

He wasn't unhappy, sir.
He was very happy.

Everyone who knew him.

I mean, really knew him,
knows that.

[chuckles softly]

You know, this is the
only house he ever lived in.

When he, um...

When he hit
his teenage years, he, uh...

he suddenly became removed.

Like suddenly quiet,
suddenly secretive.

And then at some point,

he became like a boarder
who rented a room here.

A stranger who occasionally
joined us for meals.

I knew him as well as
any parent can know their kid.

You know, I can trace the constellation
of the freckles on his back by memory.

But I didn't really know him.

I didn't know
what kept him up at night.

I didn't know what he dreamt of.

Who he loved.

Did Matt ever talk to you about
a boy named Robert Mallory?

No.

No, but I did meet him.

You met Robert?

-Yeah.
-When?

Matt invited him over
for dinner a few weeks ago.

My... [scoffs]

wife made spaghetti and clams,
and I guess he must've liked it

because he asked for the recipe.

Said he wanted
his own mother to make it.

"His own mother?"

[Jon]
Yeah, he was really very sweet.

I never would have guessed
he was such a troubled kid.

What do you mean?

When Matt disappeared,
I hired a private investigator.

That's the reason
I know about Robert's issues.

And my PI figured out pretty quickly
that Robert was institutionalized,

but the psychiatric evaluation
that was done at the time is missing.

Missing?

Missing from where?

Look, Robert's family,
they are very powerful, okay?

Very well-connected, wealthy.

They want a file to go missing,
it goes missing.

Okay. Well...

That...

that's incredibly incriminating.

What about your PI? Can't
he focus on tracking it down?

I would rather he focus
on tracking down my son.

Sir, I strongly suspect
that Robert knows more

about your son's disappearance
than he's letting on.

If we find it, we find him.

I don't know what to tell you.

Maybe the school has a copy
of the psych report,

you know, in his record, but...

Here, look at this. My PI
found that under Matt's mattress.

It's a cult.

Matt was in a cult, and maybe
part of me hopes he still is.

Off on some hippie farm,
smoking God knows what.

I loved him.

I meant, um...

He was my friend.

I loved him. Uh...

love him.

[chuckles]

I do too.

I just hope he knows it.

[sighs]

Send them in.

No smoking, Miss Schaffer.

No, Mrs. Schaffer, you're fine.

Miss Schaffer.

Mr. and Mrs. Schaffer, your daughter
is in a very precarious position,

academically,
behaviorally, and socially.

Her behavior has alienated
classmates and faculty.

Now, if I may speak frankly...

Before we get into the nitty-gritty,
could I get a Tab, please?

-A Tab?
-Hmm.

Lydia, would you please
bring us a Tab?

-What were you saying again?
-Something about Debbie.

As you may know,
it's homecoming week,

and a girl like Debbie should be
a shoo-in for homecoming court,

but she is not.

Instead, she's alienated
half the school.

She's inattentive, unserious,
frequently cruel,

and has contributed virtually
nothing to the community.

Now, may I remind you, this school
is a highly competitive institution.

She's exhibited patterns of
disruptive behavior, and we...

Are you kidding me? Disruptive
behavior? Okay, wow. Wow.

Name one time
I disrupted anyone. One time.

This, right now.

-[Debbie sighs]
-Now, if I may continue.

She skipped her
college application meeting.

Seriously, Debbie?

I had a previous engagement.

I was at the stables.

-You're the only one that understands me.
-[horse nickers]

Spirit is my best friend,

and, Dr. Croft...

equestrianism
is an extracurricular.

No, it's not. It's a hobby.

[Terry]
A f*cking expensive one.

Spirit is a liability
and a money pit.

And if I could pay some thug
to grind his bones up into glue

-without Debbie finding out, I would.
-Daddy.

Are we done here?
This is feeling overish.

I've got drinks with Pollack
at the Polo Lounge. Sydney.

No, we are not done. We
still need to talk about the...

The coke.

Coke?

As in cocaine? As in drugs?

Yes, drugs. [inhales deeply]

Mr. and Mrs. Schaffer, at this
point, I have to address the, uh...

[stammers]
the parenting at home...

-Hey, man.
-clearly not servicing your...

-What are you implying?
-[stammers] I'm not implying anything. I...

Because if you're looking for
a drug user,

I suggest you take a long, hard
look in whatever reflective surface

you snort off of.

Mrs. Schaffer, Mrs. Schaffer,
I have never ever...

Oh.

Street coke. No surprise there.

I-I refuse to dignify these
allegations with a denial.

And I refuse
to do your job for you.

Now, my husband and I pay tens
of thousands of dollars to this school

so that between the hours
of 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.,

our daughter
is your responsibility.

Either she goes to college,
or you go to jail.

You had my back with Dr. Croft.

You defended me.

Course I did.
You're my daughter.

She's a good mother,
your mother.

[Liz] Debbie, do me a favor.

Find something you do
that looks good for college.

Bluffing and bribery will only
get you most of the way there.

I just had an amazing idea.

Gotta go.

Thanks for the parenting.

[chuckles softly]

What was that for?

You were electric in there,
Lizzy. [chuckling]

Are you wearing perfume?

It's unisex from Giorgio.
It's very expensive.

-Bret.
-Sorry, meeting with Croft. Can't talk.

Bret, whatever this is,
it has to wait.

I'm rolling
parent teacher conferences...

Please, Dr. Croft.
Two minutes of your time.

[sighs] What can I do for you?

Ensure my safety and the safety
of every student at this campus,

especially
during homecoming week.

Robert Mallory has spent time
in a mental institution.

He's on antipsychotics.

I believe that he may be behind
the disappearance of Matt Kellner,

and the kidnapping of Rhonda.

He k*lled his own mother.

[Croft] Robert Mallory
k*lled his mother?

[scoffs]

-Do you have proof?
-There's a psychiatric evaluation.

I believe it may be in his file.

I need to see it.

It's not in there, is it?

Look, Bret... [chuckles]
you're a smart kid.

Obviously inventive,
obviously bored.

May I advise you to redirect that
energy into getting into a good college.

May I advise you to redirect that energy into getting
into a good college. Now, if you will excuse me...

Now, if you will excuse me...

The contents of that file are a matter
of campus security. I need to see it.

[Croft] What you need,
Mr. Ellis, is to listen.

First of all,

if I knew anything about
any student's mental health,

the last person I would share it
with would be one of his peers.

The fact that
I'm a student shouldn't matter.

-The reality of the situation...
-Bret,

the reality is Robert Mallory is
a good kid from a good family.

Only he's in class, and you're


Fifty-nine, 58, 57.

The theme of the senior class
homecoming float is:

Decadent Restraint
in Conversation with Layers.

It's sexy.

Saturated.

[Debbie chuckles] -I'm
calling it a tableau bon vivant.

What?

Sorry, what am I looking at?

Sorry, what am I looking at?
[Steven] Ferdinando Scarfiotti.

[Steven] Ferdinando Scarfiotti.

-[Susan mumbles]
-The production designer.

-American Gigolo.
-Yes, yes, but, um...

-are we in this?
-[chuckles]

Like, where do we stand?

I don't know, Susan,
where do you stand?

Where do you stand
on the merits, nay,

moral necessity
of artistic expression?

Steven, I can tell how much
thought you've put into this.

-What?
-It's very conceptual.

It's very clever.

-Thank you.
-No, it's not.

I love it. I do. I just, um...

[Steven] Spit it out.

[Susan] It's almost too...

It's... too... perfect.

Oh. [chuckles softly]

Yeah,
like me in my perfect dress,

with my hair perfectly set
after hours of curling iron t*rture,

waving perfectly on this
perfectly designed float.

It's just a lot for me.

A lot to constantly maintain.

[sighs]

You know,
sometimes I think to myself,

"Susan,"

just do something bad.

Do something unexpected.

Do something...

"dangerous."

I'm just so tired

of being Miss Goody-goody
Nice Girl Queen of Everything

all the time, you know?

[Steven] So what do you want?

With the float.

I don't know.

[inhales deeply]

Maybe something...

purposefully...

terrible.

[scoffs]

No, like, okay.

Me, standing up there, you know,

and it's...
and it's r-really bad, like...

Like freshman
amateur hour level bad.

People would freak out.
They would lose their minds.

And it... it means
I would have made a mistake,

for once in my life.

You can't imagine how freeing that
would feel for me to lose for once.

[inhales deeply]

I'm just supposed to be happy
and grateful all the time.

Like I said...

it's a lot.

-Okay, doll. I get it.
-[Susan chuckles]

It's a lot of expectation to always
be perfect, never make a mistake.

Trust me. I know.

Okay, Steven...

But my relentlessly demanding
boss, Mr. Terry Schaffer,

has instructed me
to go all out with my talents.

Because he wants his selfish,
ungrateful daughter Debbie here,

who is suddenly and shockingly on the senior
class homecoming float committee, to...

It's for my school record,
I have told...

Mr. Schaffer
wants the senior class

to win this best float thing,

so a Ferdinando Scarfiotti tribute
is how this float is gonna go down.

So a Ferdinando Scarfiotti tribute is how this
float is gonna go down. I have made myself clear.

I have made myself clear.

Steven, enough with
the histrionics, please.

You're like a thousand
years old.

You have no idea about the
pressures that girls like Susan and I face.

Let me leave you with this:

I am more than an assistant and much more
than your f*cking drug mule, Miss Debbie.

I am an artist.
I am a professional.

I have something to offer
and something to say.

And one day, one day very soon,

people are going to be forced
to listen to me.

Whether they like it or not.

Are you wearing perfume?
[chuckles]

Giorgio.

You smell like an old woman
trying to smell like a little girl.

Okay, do me a favor, babe.
Envy me less.

And work harder on that
tire of flab around your gut.

Oh. That's mean.

-I deserved it.
-[Steven] Yes, you did, Little Debbie.

Look, about the float...

Honey, I get it.

I understand how hard it is for you
to win and how people hate you for it.

People hate me?

I...

I know you don't want
to be homecoming queen either.

I really don't.

Great.

I have an amazing idea.

I think
you're gonna flip for it,

and based on your breakdown
back there, my timing is impeccable.

-Okay, follow me.
-What, wait, where are we going?

To your prearranged salvation.

-Come on. [chuckles]
-Okay.

Oh, hey, Rhonda.

-We're meeting Rhonda. Hope that's okay.
-Of course.

-Hey, Rhonda.
-Okay, good news.

I've decided, and Susan agrees,

to make you homecoming queen.

-What?
-What?

[Debbie] Yeah, Susan will be
the front runner, right?

But since she agrees with me
that it really should be you,

she's gonna tell all of her
supporters to vote for you.

And so, at homecoming,

it's gonna be you up there on
that winner's stand, crown in place.

Debbie,
that's actually a great idea.

Sidebar later on the
word "actually." [scoffs]

Rhonda, you totally deserve it.

I'd be honored to vote for you, and
I bet everybody else would be, too.

Totally.

And if you both
want to tell everyone,

including Principal Croft,

that this charitable endeavor
was entirely my idea,

and actually it's becoming an
official scholastic committee,

everybody wins.

Except Susan, of course.

But I'm not beautiful though.

-It doesn't matter.
-Of course you are.

Debbie.

I don't know what to say.

"Thank you, Debbie Schaffer."

Yeah.

[electricity crackles]

[police radio chatter]

[indistinct chatter]

[Donaldson] Jesus Christ.

[Fregosi chuckles] Still think
it's the Night Stalker?

It's not inconsistent.

The mutilations,
the sexual sadism.

Jim, come on, there's no
way this is the Night Stalker.

This is not the same guy who's bludgeoning
little old ladies in their beds.

This is The Trawler.

If we go on TV and confirm that there's
multiple serial K*llers on the loose...

Bedlam in the streets of Los
Angeles, and we get shitcanned.

The young victim, Seth Tracy,
was just 18 years old,

an honor student at Crossroads
bound for Princeton next fall.

Police strongly suspect
this could be the work

of a serial slayer known
as the Night Stalker.

However, a source inside the department
told us about a secondary theory.

This brutal k*lling
could be the work

of an increasingly
dangerous individual

of an increasingly dangerous
individual police are calling The Trawler,

police are calling The Trawler,

a reference to a disturbing
pattern of mutilation involving fish.

[Bret] The time between murders
was decreasing.

It was almost as if the k*ller was
gaining confidence, a strength.

I, too, felt newly emboldened.
I had to stop him.

This time I didn't bother with
Croft. I went straight to the police.

Bret Ellis,
crime reporter, LA Times.

I have some information
about The Trawler case.

I'd like to see the case files.

Freedom of Information Act.

[Bret] Debbie's fake ID guy was
expensive. And worth every penny.

Wait here. Detectives
will come and get you.

Hope you help them
get the f*ck.

Okay.

Who the hell are you?

I should throw your a*s in jail
for trespassing.

Fine, but hear me out first.

You guys are way off base
with the Night Stalker.

This is The Trawler,
and you know it,

and whoever The Trawler is,
he's a member of the community.

Oh. Well, that really
narrows it down. [chuckles]

Think about it.
Why would a serial k*ller

who strangles people in their
homes deface our school mascot?

And you have
information about this.

No.

Yes.

I was there.
I saw it happen. It...

It was a coincidence, okay?

-What about Cha Cha Rodriguez?
-[scoffs]

Teenage girl brutalized and k*lled in
the bathroom during a live TV taping.

Does that really sound
like the Night Stalker to you?

Sneaking onto a studio lot
in broad daylight?

That... No, no, we got someone
that looks good for that.

A lover's spat.

Are you joking?

It's another kid.

Someone who's desperate
for attention.

He's dumping bodies on tennis
courts, playgrounds, dance floors,

places rich kids play games

because this is also a game
to him, and he's winning.

These are deeply personalized
fetishistic killings.

He's mutilating his peers
because of how we make him feel.

Like a freak.

Think about Manson.

His victims were people or the
sort of people who made him feel...

[takes deep breath]

rejected socially.

I mean,
Didion covers all of this.

In her book, The White Album?

This has been helpful.
Thanks for coming in.

Look.

The suspect you should be looking
at is a kid named Robert Mallory.

He's a dangerous psychopath
who left his school in Chicago

because
he was institutionalized.

And he definitely
k*lled his mom.

And he definitely k*lled his
mom. And probably Matt Kellner.

And probably Matt Kellner.

It's the strangest thing.

I can't tell if he knows a lot more
or a lot less than he's letting on.

Rich kids for you. [scoffs]

Let's tail him.

[indistinct chatter]

What are we looking for, Thom?

I feel weird.

People can see us.

We should do this later,
not at school.

You still care
what people think.

Don't you?

Your friends are inconsequential
to your enlightenment journey.

Susan...

-Susan is nothing.
-Susan's the love of my life.

Her presence is neither
additive nor detrimental.

I just...

I don't know, I feel like
everything in my life is falling apart.

That is exactly
where I want you to be.

It's in the loss of identity that
we find authentic spiritual purpose.

I'm so lost.

Things used to make sense.

-I miss my dad.
-Hmm.

The way he was when I was young.

Count the hours
till he came home

so I could ask him to put me in a
blanket and swing me around the yard.

And one day he came home and...

he wasn't smiling.

Then everything changed.

And he started telling me
that I was just like my mom.

And then he finally ran off
with some...

f*cking sl*t c*ck waitress.

I'm so broken.

I just want my dad. [cries]

[Bruce shushes]

Look at me, Thom.

The man
who was once your father,

he took your lantern,
and he departed.

You still crave guidance.

You don't need your father.

You don't need Susan.

I have your lantern.
I will guide you.

Your needs can be met, Thom.

They can.

But only through death.

People need to die.

You need to die.

The day we allow ourselves to die
is the day that we are finally born.

So say it with me.

"Let me die."

-Let me die.
-Let me die.

"Sacrifices must be made."

-Sacrifices must be made.
-Sacrifices must be made.

We used to summer in the
Hamptons and winter in Harbor Island.

[Susan] Oh, beautiful.
[chuckles] - [Robert] Aye, aye, aye.

-What does that mean?
-I don't want to interrupt the party,

but I called you last night
and you didn't pick up.

-So where were you?
-What are you, her father?

-You want a fry?
-Can you shut up for one second?

-Shut up before I punch you in the face?
-Yeah?

Yeah, I did it at Dance Off!
And I'll do it again.

I seem to remember being
the one who kicked your a*s.

Okay. Okay, Thom. Thom, baby.
Hey, sit down, please.

Please, baby.

What were you doing?

-I was making homecoming posters.
-Yeah, but not for us.

The posters you were making
weren't for us.

Thom, buddy, calm down.

You seem very upset.

I am upset, Bret.
I'm extremely upset.

The things that I've heard and
seen have made me very upset.

Is it true?
You're really gonna do this?

Really gonna give
Rhonda the crown?

'Cause the posters
you made for Rhonda,

they're written in
your handwriting, Susan.

-They're written in your handwriting, Susan.
-Don't deny that. - I know.

-Don't deny that.
-I know.

Thom...

there are bigger things in life
than homecoming.

Who cares about the crown?

[Debbie] None of this
is up for discussion because

I've already gotten it all arranged,
and Principal Croft endorses it.

So, let's all just admire I'm doing
something good for the world, all right?

I just think it's gonna be weird
when Rhonda's crowned queen,

-and I'm crowned king.
-I wouldn't be so sure of yourself.

-Come on, Thom's a shoo-in.
-If they don't give it to me,

then who else is there?

What, you think you got a shot
at the crown, new boy?

I think
the student body deserves,

you know, a literate, well-traveled
man to represent them.

Good luck, Robert.
You'll need it.

I've always been
a very lucky guy.

[Susan] Thom! Thom,
we need to talk about this.

I so root for those two.

I'm sorry. I do.

Hate to eat and run, but I've got
"Rhonda for Queen" posters to make.

-See you later.
-See you.

What are you wearing
to the funeral?

What funeral?

Of your latest victims.

Or is it gauche
for the k*ller to attend?

Not familiar with what the Miss
Manners' Guide suggests for that.

You really think you're on to
something. Don't you, Nancy Drew?

You know what they say
about fellas who are nosy, right?

They lose their noses.

I would check that one out
if you missed it.

Nicholson in Chinatown.

I love him in that movie.

Even more than in The Shining.

[♪ "Seriously" playing]

♪ ♪ Hey, Mr. Hollywood
It's so poetic ♪

♪ ♪ How you don't listen to me
Ah, ah, ah ♪

♪ ♪ So, Mr. Hollywood
I'll be pathetic ♪

♪ ♪ I can do pathetic
Effortlessly ♪

♪ ♪ If it cuts through
All the noise, maybe ♪

♪ ♪ It'll make you
Pay attention to me ♪

♪ ♪ If it kidnaps
Every eye in the room ♪

♪ ♪ If it's the cherry
On top of my tomb ♪

♪ ♪ Anything
I'll do anything ♪

♪ ♪ A-A-Anything ♪

♪ ♪ I'll do anything
Anything ♪

♪ ♪ 'Cause no one
Takes me seriously ♪

♪ ♪ I've run out of options
Baby ♪

♪ ♪ No one
No one ♪

♪ ♪ Takes me
Takes me ♪

♪ ♪ Seriously
Seriously ♪

♪ ♪ No one
No one ♪

♪ ♪ Takes me
Takes me ♪

♪ ♪ Seriously
Seriously ♪

♪ ♪ Anything
I'll do anything ♪

♪ ♪ A-A-Anything
I'll do anything ♪

♪ ♪ Hey, Mr. Industry
Thanks for the lyrics ♪

♪ ♪ I wouldn't know
What to sing ♪

♪ ♪ Oh, Mr. Industry
Bring in the critics ♪

♪ ♪ Sign my independence
In perpetuity ♪

♪ ♪ If it cuts through
All the noise, maybe ♪

♪ ♪ It'll make you
Pay attention to me ♪

♪ ♪ If it kidnaps
Every eye in the room ♪

♪ ♪ If it's the cherry
On top of my tomb ♪

♪ ♪ 'Cause no one
Takes me seriously ♪

♪ ♪ I've run out of options
Baby ♪

♪ ♪ No one
No one ♪

♪ ♪ Takes me
Takes me ♪

♪ ♪ Seriously
Seriously ♪

♪ ♪ No one
No one ♪

♪ ♪ Takes me
Takes me ♪

♪ ♪ Seriously
Seriously ♪

♪ ♪ Anything ♪

♪ I'll do anything
Anything ♪

[♪ song ends]