04x02 - The Missing Piece

[bunniefuu]

[Sharon Van Etten's "Peace Signs"]

♪ ♪

SHARON: ♪ I woke up, I was already me ♪

♪ ♪

♪ I was somewhat afraid
I was something ♪

♪ Peace signs ♪

♪ No lie, I was no longer wrong ♪

♪ I had questions in mind ♪

♪ While you were strong ♪

♪ Hit back, it was already too ♪

♪ Hit back ♪

- ♪ It was already soon ♪
- [laughing, chattering]

♪ Hit back, it was already too ♪

♪ Oh yeah ♪

♪ ♪

RITA: Hi, Val.

You see this?

Die alone, week later,

they ship your memories to the dump.

Life's final indignity.

Her family didn't want any of this?

Seems like they couldn't be bothered.

I'm gonna take some of it to Goodwill.

Hey, did that little dog ever come back?

No. That dog's, like,

halfway through a coyote's
small intestine by now.

It's a lot of stuff.

I may need to borrow your courtyard.

I mean, she's just been
collecting stuff in there

for, like, 40 years.

Did you see how many
dining chairs there are?

There's also a cat carrier and no cat.

I mean, where's the cat?

[bird cawing distantly]

That's really pretty.

If you don't want that, I'll take that.

You want Daddy to make you
some pancakes?

No, thank you.

Okay.

Has she been staying in your room?

[whispers] Uh-oh.

Dude. Come on.

She was concerned
about some monster activity.

No, I wasn't!

No? Are you sure?

- CARRIE: Yes.
- ALEX: [laughs]

- BOTH: Okay.
- ALEX: The truth is,

Daddy was concerned
about monster activity,

and Carrie said she'd protect
me, and she did a great job.

Well, I'm gonna get her
ready, funny guy.

- Okay, bye, sweet pea.
- Oh!

She's a pretty special kid.

She is, isn't she?

I noticed you two
have the same hands and feet.

Thank you? Kind of a weird
compliment, but I'll take it.

Oh, hey, uh, production called,

and they switched the scene order,

so I can't pick her up
from school today.

Okay, well, I have
that video conference.

Yeah, I know. Jeff said he'd do it.

It's really no problem.

Oh, no, man, I wouldn't want to impose.

I'll, um... I can probably do it.

Or I'll call Zadie.

No, we're not hiring Zadie for an hour.

Jeff's got the car seat,
and I already told Debra

he'd be at pickup, so...

it's all good.

Cool. Cool, yeah.

- Thank you.
- Yeah.

[printer whirring]

[light quirky music]

♪ ♪

[knocking at door]

- LAURA: Hey.
- Hey.

I was in the neighborhood.

Intentionally.

Can I come in?

Yeah, sure. Please.

You're giving me your china?

Yeah. I could wait till I'm dead,

but by then you'll probably
have all your own plates,

and these'll just end up in a dumpster.

- Thank you?
- [chuckles]

Oh, wow, that's a cool coaster wall.

Oh, yeah, lot of drunken memories.

Actually, this place is very...

alive, very eclectic.

It's the eye of a fashion student.

Hmm. Is Tathiana here?

I could take you two
for a coffee or a breakfast...

Um, she's still sleeping.

We've kind of been
on different schedules lately.

- Sorry to hear that.
- It's fine.

You know, it's not gonna...

be a honeymoon all the time.

- Here.
- Thank you.

Yeah.

Mmm.

- It's good.
- Thanks.

So how's the restaurant?

It's good. I like it.

It's very friendly, very egalitarian.

- Hmm, yeah, like America?
- Exactly.

Or was that every other modern
democracy on the planet?

I can never remember.

Well, at least it pays terribly.

- Mm.
- The restaurant, I mean.

Worse than signature collecting?

Nothing is worse
than signature collecting.

Right, that's...

But um, I should really get moving

'cause I've got some stuff
to do before work.

Oh, right, yes. Me too.

- Thank you. Uh...
- Oh, sure. Of course.

Hit the spot.

Okay.

Well.

- It's great to see you.
- You too.

- Just love that hair. Okay.
- [chuckles]

- Bye.
- Bye.

Well, we use a standard

two-factor authentication process,

but the IDP is really
the main line of defense.

- IDP?
- Intrusion defense protocol.

The second someone tries to go
where they're not supposed to,

the system locks them out,
and we're alerted.

This company is my baby.

I carried it to term
in a garage in Sarajevo

and breastfed it in a formerly
besieged office park.

That's some very vivid imagery.

I need to ensure my baby is protected.

You understand?

Uh... hmm?

Oh, yeah, absolutely. Yeah.

And if you need testimonials
from any of our other clients,

- I'd be happy to provide those.
- WOMAN: I would like that.

[phone buzzes]
I've heard the horror stories.

Hackers and friendly viruses
that mimic code, infiltrate,

and destroy what was once
a perfectly working system.

- We can't have that happen.
- Of course not.

What questions do you have for me?

At this moment, I can't think of any.

You'll let me know
if you think of anything?

And please, with the testimonials.

Absolutely. Thank you for your time.

Ova, text Jeff Kamiyama.

[chiming]

Hey, comma, man. Period.

It's Alex. Period.

Meeting ended early.
Period, period, period.

Don't worry about
grabbing Carrie. Period.

OVA: Auto-response from Jeff Kamiyama:

Hi there. I'm currently driving.

- If this is an urgent matter...
- Oh, God.

Ova, call Jeff Kamiyama.

[line trills]

JEFF: Hi there,
you've reached Jeff Kamiyama.

- Please...
- Ova, hang up.

[chiming]

[sighs]

Ova, pull up Jeff Kamiyama's Facebook.

OVA: No Facebook found
for Jeff Kamiyama.

[sighs] Um...

Instagram?

OVA: No Instagram found
for Jeff Kamiyama.

Good grief. Twitter?

OVA: Twitter is not provided in
your current internet package.

If you would like to pay to activ...

- f*ck off.
- OVA: Alex, that's hurtful.

I am only trying to help.

[car alarm chirps]

- Hey.
- Hey.

- Jeff just left.
- f*cking Sarajevo!

I'm sorry?

[sighs] Never mind. It's fine.

Well, it's great that Rae found someone.

God, if only it were that easy...

What was your impression of him?

- Did he seem weird at all?
- Jeff?

No, uh... no, he seemed fine.

But you know, it's kind of hard to tell

when you only see someone
for a few minutes at pickup.

It's really better over, say, drinks

or dinner, don't you think?

Yeah... [chuckles]

Oh, and I'd love to. Really.

Um, but I'm sort of committed

to an uncommitted relationship, so...

Oh, sure.

But rain check.

- Okay.
- Okay.

Thanks.

[sighs]

Oh, hey.

Hey. You look so cute
in that little outfit.

I didn't know when you'd be up.

I made some food. It's in the fridge.

Oh, thanks, babe. Maybe later.

Right now I really need coffee.

Hey, hey. I missed you last night.

Me too.

So I have the day off tomorrow.

I was thinking maybe we could
go for a hike or something.

I promised Brian and Marigold

I'd do this overnight beach thing.

You should come.

We're gonna build a bonfire.

- Tonight?
- Yeah.

- I'll be exhausted.
- So? Sleep in.

What's all this?

It's just some stuff my mom brought over

for our place.

Oh. Okay.

Will I see you later?

Yeah, just text me.

Why is it my fault I didn't
want to shake her hand?

Who invented that convention?

I mean, I meet a stranger...

[overlapping] No matter
how many times I tell him,

- he won't pick up his clothes.
- They're not wearing some

- see-through acid-dipped glove?
- He's deliberately defiant.

I know he's only three, but
he's very advanced for his age.

- He knows what he's doing.
- The ghastly things that

are in the world, and there are
so many ghastly things.

Socks and toys
and all in primary colors.

You know how I feel
about primary colors.

I'm a very clean person.

I don't know where he gets it from.

Hello?

Are you even listening to me?

Hey, did you hear back from Aetna

on the Dockery claims?

I will call again.

- Thank you.
- VALERIE: Hi, Leia.

Oh, my God, what happened? Are you okay?

Well, I'm not dead, so that's something.

- Hey, can I ask you a question?
- Okay.

Would you say you're happy?
Elliot says he's not.

ELLIOT: Not at all.

Um,

lately I feel like happiness
is a general concept

used to describe the indescribable.

Am I content? Sometimes.

Depressed? Not really.

- Do I experience joy?
- Yes.

That.

[groans]

What brings you joy?

[laughs]

Uh, my husband. Work.

- You actually like this job?
- I like helping people.

Making small differences

in a world that needs small differences.

Yeah, okay. That makes sense.

I just don't know if I like it anymore,

but I don't know
if I like anything anymore,

which is kind of a problem for
someone in my stage of life.

Joy.

Joy. Joy.

ELLIOT: Have you ever tried
just giving in to hedonism?

Oh, that sweet boy.

I also get joy from going to weed bars,

getting stoned out of my mind,
and doing jigsaw puzzles.

Hey. Sorry.

I didn't want to be distracted
while I was with Carrie,

so I had my phone on silent.

No problem.

Yeah, I try to limit
my phone time in general.

Yeah. I noticed
you don't do much social media.

I used to, but it kept me
from truly connecting

- to the people I love.
- Yeah.

My life is much fuller without it.

- Good for you, mate.
- Yeah.

- That's a unique perspective.
- JEFF: Yeah.

But I am on LinkedIn

if you ever wanted to do
some light stalking.

[chuckles]

Speaking of stalking, I like your grill.

Oh, yeah, thank you.

I'm thinking about upgrading, myself.

- You like the green one?
- I do.

- I really like the green one.
- Cool.

Guess I got to make a trip
to the ol' barbecue store.

[chuckles]

You know, you can try it out
if you want.

We could do some dinner,
maybe have a couple drinks?

- Like, tonight?
- Yeah, sure.

Give us a chance to know
each other a little better.

Yeah.

Great. Leon?

- Hmm?
- ALEX: Dinner tonight?

- [toys clatter]
- Oops.

Um, uh, yeah.

Leia said she'd be home late,
so... sure.

Then it's settled.

Hey, girl.

Is Princess Leon taking care of you?

MAN: Two out on the bass!

MAN: 27 needs that branzino.

WOMAN: How's my carpaccio coming?

MAN: Right away, Chef.

[orchestral buildup]

♪ ♪

[light classical music]

♪ ♪

Where are my little gems?

I'm still waiting on a beef tartare.

30 seconds on the salads.

Why are there f*cking walnuts on this?

sh*t. Sorry. I'll remake 'em.

Waiting on you, Chef.

- How we doing, Toby?
- A-okay, Chef.

- Thanks.
- Move faster.

[soft music]

♪ ♪

- Hi, Rita.
- Hi, Val.

So...

I know I said that
you could use my courtyard,

but it's kind of starting
to feel a little like hoarding,

and it's giving me hives.

Sorry, the truck didn't show.

Hey, what the f*ck is wrong with men?

[laughs]

Um...

I don't... is this a serious question?

Mm-hmm.

This guy I was seeing texted earlier,

"I'm done."

Two words. "I'm done."

I appreciate brevity,
but that's, like, so cold.

Uh, maybe he's been conditioned

to run away from his feelings,

and instead of internalizing
and facing them...

He spent a year in prison.

That could be a survival mechanism.

Yeah, well, that's, uh...

yeah, that's possible too.

Oh, my God, I just wish
I could turn my brain off

for, like, an hour, you know?

Yes.

I do, actually.

[indistinct chatter]

[coughs]

[mellow music]

- Yeah, it's a thing now.
- I'm into it.

- Hey, Kinto.
- Hey, Leia.

Okay, so we'll take the 500...
no, 750 piece.

And I'll take my usual.

- Rita just got dumped.
- Over text.

So something strong for her head.

And, Val, what do you want?

Oh, I want to feel like I just, uh,

drank an entire bottle
of Napa Valley pinot noir.

Got canna-bernet and pinot ganja.

Okay, um, whichever is less fruity.

It's all from the same strain.

There's this sweet little farm
up in Mendo

that grows specifically for vintners.

Really chill dude. I've met him.

- They're on a mission...
- Canna-bernet is fine.

And I got just the thing
for you, little lady.

Mmm. Oh, my days.

JEFF: [laughs] - Which one is this one?

IPA.

Man, you should have seen
the first few batches.

It tasted like blue cheese
wrapped in urine.

So stank!

LEON: Well, this one is delicious, mate.

Very, uh, hoppy.

Well, thanks, man.
Yeah, it's not bad, right?

- LEON: Yeah.
- All right.

Ribs are looking good.

Getting that nice bark on 'em.

So uh, Jeff, you're
a film editor, is that right?

- Uh-huh, yeah.
- LEON: A great film editor.

Oh, stop.

And that's how you
and Rae met, through work?

That gets kind of complicated, huh?

Actually, I, uh...
I picked her up at a bar.

Oh, cool, cool. Very old-fashioned.

How's that film of yours coming along?

Has the director regained his sanity?

Currently no, but I have
high hopes for next week.

- [both laughing]
- And uh, how long

have you guys been together?
What is it, three months now?

Uh, going on six.

- Wow.
- Yeah, wow.

Can't believe I haven't heard
more about you.

Oh, Rae talks about you all the time.

It sounds like you live quite the life.

Ah, well, I try.

So listen...

So, Leon, you...
you work out of here too?

I do. Alex set up a studio
for me in the back.

- That's cool.
- Yeah.

Hey, do you want to check it out?

Sure.

- LEON: You coming?
- No, I'll, uh... I'll stay here.

Man the grill.

It's a little finicky.

- Right, okay.
- Okay.

TOBY: Hey, I need cucumbers!

[phone buzzes]

[sighs]

[phone buzzes]

f*ck!

RITA: Have you ever seen a happier cat?

VALERIE: Huh? Than that cat?

That cat's in space, and he's so happy.

If I was in space,
I would be so unhappy.

So unhappy.

Space is empty,

just a prison of blackness.

VALERIE: Well, in a way,
we're all in a prison.

You know, trapped in the lives
that we made,

doing the same moments
over and over again

until it all just stops.

Mm-hmm.

No, that was actually stupid.

[laughter]

This wine is terrible.

How does a place only have two options?

I mean...

canna-bernet?

Give me a canna-break.

[laughter]

How does this piece not go here?

- Spin the table.
- Oh, spin the table.

♪ Spin the table ♪

[all harmonizing]

- Oh!
- Ah, look at that!

Isn't that great?

How just nothing fits,
and then all of a sudden...

[smacks lips] Bam.

- I have to pee.
- Bam.

[smacks lips]

Okay, what's next?

I just realized what "puzzled" means.

Does it mean something I...
I don't know?

I can't promise anything,
but send me some temp score,

and I'll try to work it into
a rough cut.

- It's a good first step.
- Yeah, thank you.

- Yeah.
- That would be incredible.

Of course, buddy. Yeah.

Um, bathroom is...

- Uh, just around the corner to the right.
- Okay.

Did you, uh, drink the entire bottle?

- What do you think he wants?
- Jeff?

Yeah. Like, what's his angle?

Well, his angle is to date Rae.

- Leon, come on.
- What?

Like, I don't know.
Doesn't something seem off?

No, he seems perfectly normal.

Yeah, exactly,
he seems perfectly normal.

A perfectly normal guy with
no major personality defects.

That's a red flag flying in my face.

I am truly struggling
to come up with something

that I think you'd find satisfying.

We had a good thing going here.

Me, Rae, Carrie, Annie.

That was working for me,

and then he comes in here and ruins it,

like a... friendly virus.

You know, you could just
be happy that Rae is happy.

But I'm not. I'm not.

Not even in the abstract way

where you say you're happy for someone

but don't actually care.

I'm actively unhappy.

- LEON: I'm sorry?
- Me too.

[floorboard creaks]

- I should probably head out.
- Oh, God.

Uh, yeah, um...

Leia will be back by now, so...

Thank you.

I can just pick up the growlers later.

Or that's fine. That's cool.

- Uh, thanks for having me.
- Yeah, sure.

[mellow music in background]

♪ ♪

[urinating]

[exhales]

I don't have it. Do you have it?

No, no, no, no.

- Seriously?
- No.

Okay, this is...

this is... this is not acceptable.

Hi, my puzzle is missing a piece.

Val, I got to go, but this was great.

This was so much fun.

Yay. Bye.

What? Bye?

Bye?

Hi, I'm missing a puzzle piece.

Did you check inside the box?

No, I didn't check inside the box.

There's your problem.

Do you want another canna-bernet?

What? No, I want the piece.

I want the... the piece
that finishes the puzzle.

It's right on the space cat's mouth,

so it looks like it's howling

into a cold, dead void right now.

- If you look at the box...
- Mm-hmm.

You can see the cat's face.

- Yeah?
- It's a smiling cat.

Okay.

Thank you.

That is not the point. Right?

The point is that...

the point is finishing the puzzle.

The point is the joy

that comes with watching
the image unfold

and just going, "Hey, I did that."

That's the point of the puzzle.

You're a puzzle bar.

Where's the f*cking puzzle piece?

[exhales]

Maybe try under the table?

[doorbell rings]

- Annie.
- Alex.

- Hey.
- Hey.

Come on in.

Uh, welcome to my world.

- Very nice.
- Thank you.

You want a, uh...
you want a drink or something?

Pinot grig?

Watch out, it's f*ckin'
"Jurassic Park" in here.

Oh, boy, okay.

Oh! No wine.

Whatever you're drinking is great.

Okay.

Um, so I've been thinking a lot
about you,

and, um, is that a new...

jean jacket? That's cool.

- This isn't our night.
- No, I know, exactly,

and that's why I, um, called,
because, um,

I... I just... the "schedule
two night a week" thing

is, like, kind of old, right?

I mean, is that, uh...
I want more nights with you.

Wouldn't it be nice
to wake up next to each other

and spend the day together?

And you should totally meet Carrie.

She... she's great. You'd love her.

[stammers]

I really like what we have.

I don't need these things.

Well, yeah, it's not about need.

I mean, I'm talking about want.

Don't you want a relationship
at some point?

Don't you want love?

Oh...

I'm sorry, I don't.

I really like what we had.

I should go.

Uh-huh.

Just... kid stuff everywhere.

[mellow music continues]

♪ ♪

f*ck.

- [door closes]
- LEON: Hey.

Hey.

Hey.

What's that face?

Nothing.

How was your night?

Good.

I'm pregnant.

Really?

Yeah.

Yeaaaah!

[both laughing]

[quiet guitar chords]

♪ ♪

[whispers] What happened to your finger?

Nothing. It's fine.

Um, I'm kind of tired.

[chiming]

FEMALE VOICE: You have reached
your destination.

What? No. No, I haven't.

This is not my house.

Please exit the vehicle.

This is not my house.

This is not my house.
Can you take me home?

To my address, please? Take me home?

Take me ho... what the f*ck?

Can you take me f*cking home, please?

Take me...

What the f*ck, you stupid f*cking car?

Home!

Please exit the vehicle.

[light, quirky music]

♪ ♪

Can we talk about yesterday?

Yes. Please, God.

Ugh, I'm sorry about those texts.

It's just... I was having
a really bad day at work,

and all I wanted
was to come home to you.

Okay.

And I know I've been spending
a lot of time at work, but...

I'm gonna be better about balance.

Yeah, I want to spend more time here

with you in our home.

[sighs] f*ck.

This is so uncomfortable. Um, I...

Can you not call this home?

Or our home?

I mean, maybe it could be someday.

I just...

We just haven't had that conversation,

and it's been a couple weeks,

and I thought you'd be getting
your own place by now,

or at least looking,

but it's pretty clear now
you're not, so...

Do you not want to live with me?

We've been dating for two months.

Can we just slow it down?

[quiet music]

♪ ♪

[groaning]

Oh, God. Stop.

God, you look like a corpse

in the middle of a steroid cycle.

Thank you so much.

Think you're getting a little old

for boys' night out, hmm?

I'll get it back.

Yeah, it is long gone, my friend.

[laughs] Stop looking at me.

- Stop looking at me.
- I can't help it.

You're like a flaming car
on the side of the freeway.

- I love you too.
- Okay.

That's great. Okay.

Um, uh, it shouldn't be an issue,

but I can stop at the bank
as a contingency.

[knocking at door]

Uh-huh.

Right, but I... I do have
all that cash on hand.

Yes. Mm-hmm.

Right.

- Hi.
- [softly] Hi.

Uh-huh. Okay.

Yes, um, okay.

That sounds great. Thanks, Tim.

And um... oh, well, we'll talk soon.

Very good. Okay. Bye.

- Oh, my God, Laura.
- What?

Okay, so I go to this
puzzle bar last night,

which I don't recommend,

and my puzzle was missing this piece,

so I tried to go home,
and then I got waylaid,

and so I... anyway, long story short,

I'm gonna open a wine store.

[laughs] I know!

- It sounds totally insane.
- Wow.

I'm aware that I sound
insane, but you know what?

A lot of people change their
career late in life, right?

Grandma Moses. That's one.

[laughs]

And you know what?

I just really want this.

Like, I'm very excited about this,

more excited than I've been
about anything

in a really long time, like...

like, really excited.

That's great, Mom.

[laughs]

Hey...

can I move back in?

Yes!

[Case/Lang/Viers' "Delirium"]

WOMAN: ♪ I kissed you in the morning ♪

♪ But only in my mind's eye ♪

♪ ♪

♪ The sun, it rolls along ♪

♪ Your sleeping dunes ♪

CHORUS: ♪ Sleeping dunes ♪

WOMAN: ♪ Delirium ♪

♪ Delirium ♪

♪ Kaleidoscoping in ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Could you love me too ♪

♪ In my delirium ♪

♪ ♪

♪ The lions of the lambs
come filing in ♪

♪ Pacing through
the still around the bed ♪

♪ Halos of their royal breathing ♪

♪ Break like waves ♪

[orchestral music]

[soft jingle]