03x09 - Fresno

[bunniefuu]

ALEX: Previously on "Casual"...

- BOTH: f*ck!
- Oh, gross!

Alena, Laura.

Oh, you're Casey's girlfriend. Hi.

Her wife.

How is this gonna work?

We're waiting, 'cause I want...
I want the sex to be about us.

Hello, why are you giving
my nine-year-old a music sermon?

We're trying to find
Alex's sister's dad.

ALEX: Good news and bad news.

Bad news: your biological dad
is no longer with us.

Good news: I found your half-brother.

And he's in Fresno.

This is my thing!

Mine, and you can't just
f*cking insert yourself.

CASEY: I was like you.

And then I meet this woman

who suddenly treats me
like I have something to offer.

And then like the sun, she sets on you,

shines on someone else.

Wow.

LEIA: If you just had feelings for her,
you should have told me.

I don't have feelings for Valerie.

You can never be anyone's second choice.

I just wasn't sure
if I could be your first choice.

But you could. I mean, you are.

["Snow Bank"]
DOUG HOYER: ♪ Do you remember ♪

♪ That fateful New Year's Eve? ♪

♪ It was the first time that we kissed ♪

♪ If you believe it anymore ♪

♪ I just don't know ♪

JESSICA JALBERT: ♪ Yes, I do remember
that I've kissed before ♪

[knock at door]

♪ ♪

- Hi.
- Hi.

- Come in.
- Sure.

Well, this is it.

- This is it.
- Yeah.

[bell rings]

[music playing]

Chris Christie?

Um, that guy is at least ,

and fat don't cr*ck.

And John Wayne.

Nah, it's not... not Mom's type.

[bell rings]

Oh.

[sighs] Whew.

Thank Christ.

My first reaction was illegal,

technically, in most states.

Uh, Valerie?

Rich.

- That's me.
- Yeah.

Uh...

- Hi, I'm Jack.
- Oh, hey.

- Hi.
- Hi.

Jack. Okay.

Take you long to get here from LA?

- Um...
- Oh, three hours.

- Yeah.
- Oh, fast.

What kind of car you drive?

- A Prius.
- An Audi SUV.

- Her...
- Uh, Jack drove.

I had a Honda SUV once.

It was great for going to the drive-in.
You remember drive-ins?

Yeah, I sure do.

I saw "X-Men: Days of Future Past"
at the Madera drive-in.

You see that one?

Um, they...

they go back in time or something?

Back and forward.

Right. Wow.

Sounds confusing,
but it makes sense when you see it.

All the science is based on real stuff.

Mm.

[sighs]

Man.

You go your whole life and never knowing

your dad had an affair
and had another kid.

What a trip.

Yeah.

- You guys hungry?
- Yeah.

What's... what's good here?

[singing softly]

He's been listening to my mix.

You couldn't have
introduced him to jazz?

He's too young to fall on that sword.

[chuckles]

Oh, no, is that your lunch?

- Yes.
- No.

It was also my dinner

and then a lunch before that.

- No.
- [laughs]

Here.

- Really?
- Yes.

That looks really good.

- It is.
- Thank you.

You know, if you ever wanted
a regionally specific meal

prepared by a trained professional chef

or even a whole sandwich,
I could take you out.

[laughs]

That would make for good office gossip.

I could cook too,
if you want something more private.

Oh.

That's thoughtful, but no, right?

HR would rake me over the coals.

- Aren't you HR?
- Oh.

Thanks for lunch.

So Kitty Pride has to keep the link up

while mutants die in the future,

fighting to give Wolverine
a chance to save the past.

Wolverine, that's Hugh Jackman, right?

Uh-huh.

Yeah, I like him.
He can sing. He's Australian.

But not r*cist Australian.

- Mel Gibson Australian. Yeah.
- Exactly.

Anyway, then the Sentinels show up,

and it is not pretty.

They say robots are gonna
take over the world one day,

but I hope it's not these robots.

Yeah, me too.

Oh, you'd be safe.

They could never take the place
of a psychiatrist.

Oh, I don't know about that.

"Siri, why do I want to k*ll my mother
and f*ck my father?"

[laughs]

I'm sorry. That was...

- No, it's a...
- Sorry about that.

I... I'd be safe too.

Butchering, that's an art form.

- Yeah.
- Yeah, slaughtering, bleeding, skinning...

you know, it's all in the feel.

They have robots
that can debone a chicken,

but a chicken is not a cow.

No, it is not.

- It's really not even close, yeah.
- Thank you.

Well, Rich,

this has been, um...

so just really good meeting you.

Really good.

But I think we need to be heading back.

I have a class tonight,
and Jack has to work.

But this has just been really nice.

You're leaving?

I took the early shift tomorrow.

I thought maybe you could
come over for dinner,

meet the family,

maybe hear a little bit about Dad.

Oh, yeah, no, I...

Yeah, yeah,
we can make that work, right?

I'd love it.

Really.

Oh, of course.

Yeah, of course.

I would love it too.

What's a five-letter word
for "redolence"?

Starts with "A"?

Uh...

"Aroma."

Ah! That's it!

My first Thursday puzzle.

Glass of wine to celebrate?

Day drinking makes me sleepy.

Hmm, well, then sleep...

we shall.

You didn't have to cook for me.

I know.

But your kitchen is so much
better than the co-op.

Here, chop that.

So where'd you learn the culinary arts?

Howard Dean campaign.

I was your age, actually.

Freezing in New Hampshire.

You learn quick when you're desperate.

Sounds fun.

Until the scream.

After that, I quit party politics
and went grassroots.

- Ah, yes, the small-time.
- Yeah.

Federal government's f*cked,

and low expectations is all we got.

Okay, so you're cautiously pessimistic
about the council meeting?

I don't know.

I mean, Beverly Hills did it.

Permanent moratorium,
no more oil drilling.

Yeah, if only we had a better argument
than community health.

Yeah, health does not finance
re-election campaigns.

So you're going to speak at the meeting?

Should I?

Maybe. Isn't that why you took this job?

[scoffs]

Well, I took it 'cause you asked.

[chuckles] Well, don't say that.

[gentle guitar music]

♪ ♪

[light music]

♪ ♪

Hey, can I talk to you?

If we just... if we let it go,

it'll shock you
how much it never happened.

No, don't quote "Mad Men" to me.

And this isn't about you.

[sighs]

Is something wrong with me?

- Yes.
- No, seriously.

I just got turned down for a date.

You really want to know?

Hit me.

You're selfish, man.

Like, epically selfish.

You're like textbook example
of a narcissist.

And you're a man-child.
You're manipulative.

And you want to be good, right?

That ideal appeals to you.
It feels good.

But in practice, it's too much work.

You know what? You should
just play to your strengths.

You got a kind of creepy charm.

You know, you have
this full head of hair,

- got a great house.
- It is pretty great.

You've got symmetrical facial features.

- You're feet tall.
- I'm ' ".

- Really?
- Yeah.

Oh.

Okay, anything else?

You'll be fine.

- Oh.
- What?

Good news.

I bought some toenail clippers.

I'm going. I'm gone.

So your mom lets you
stay here by yourself?

I mean, I could hang out
at my dad's, but...

Mae-Yi tried giving me dating advice,

and I thought she was kidding,
so I laughed,

but it turns out she was serious,
and now things are strained.

Who's Mae-Yi?

The -year-old I walked in
on my dad having sex with.

And you're the one
that had to tell your mom?

After a week of careful deliberation.

Not an easy conversation.

Nope.

And she's still sad.

They both are.

Could have saved a lot in lawyer fees

if they'd just accepted their fate.

You believe in fate?

Well, we're the products
of the people who raised us, right?

My people are f*cked.

QED.

In a year, you're gonna leave home

and make so many mistakes

that have nothing to do
with your parents.

So don't fall back on that sh*t,

'cause it's easy, and it's obvious.

[soft music]

♪ ♪

[phone ringing]

I know.

I'm thinking about it too.

How did the X-Men go backwards
and forwards in time?

Look, that science
is all based on real stuff.

I get the feeling that

first impressions aren't his specialty.

Well, he's a butcher who works at Vons

and lives vicariously
through superheroes.

What else is there to say?

Come on. This is exciting.

The Big Tomato.

Oh, well, that's Sacramento.

- Really?
- VALERIE: Yeah.

- We're not in the Big Tomato right now?
- - VALERIE: No.

Oh, f*ck it, then.

We should bring something
tomorrow, right?

Like a cake or a pie?

Pie. Pie is good.

Yeah, pie's really great.

You okay?

It's just not
what I thought it would be.

It's just one dinner. Don't sweat it.

I'm gonna be there
right next to you the whole time.

Yeah, that's not what I...
what I'm talking about.

This'll be good. You'll see.

Yeah.

Right. Okay.

Um, good night, Jack.

Good night.

[sighs]

[soft music]

♪ ♪

Casey?

[sighs]

Yeah?

Um, I don't...

I don't want to speak
at the council meeting.

I don't have anything
important enough to say.

That's fine.

You don't have to.

You won't be disappointed?

It's not about me.

It's about you.

You want to sleep here?

[soft guitar music]

♪ ♪

- Saya...
- I'm sorry.

She refuses to photograph
in a Spanish-style house

until the Catalan situation is resolved.

The house we rented is Mediterranean.

- She says it's the same thing.
- m*therf*cking Gia.

Who's Gia?

She's a YouTuber.

She's massively popular and awful.

She's from Spain?

- Long Beach.
- Right.

We're launching her lifestyle brand...

adult dinner party, adult house.

She's very particular.

Use my house.

You own a house?

Da bones are great.

Light's fantastic.

This place was made to be sh*t.

You are a freaking lifesaver. I owe you.

Yeah, no problem.

So what do we do now,
just hang around till Gia shows up?

[sighs] Sadly, I have
to get back to the office.

But Saya will be here to troubleshoot.

Yay.

[light guitar music]

♪ ♪

Oh, my god, Leon.

The inside is like custard.

And the syrup...

Well, it's just leftover wine,
blueberries, and sugar.

Wait. You made this?

Well, yeah, you...

you said you like blueberries.

[laughs]

What did I do to deserve you?

I... I should get going.

I hear the siren's call of the cafe.

Oh, you're still working
at the coffee shop?

Um, until they finish
construction at my flat,

which, at this rate, will be never.

Um, well, Val's still away. Why don't...

you stay and do some work here?

Or other things.

Friday crossword?

Maybe later.

I can't tell if these cornflakes
are stale or just cornflakes.

It looks like a big bowl of scabs.

[laughs]

Sorry.

[sighs]

Why do people sentimentalize
small towns? Why?

I mean, is uniformity so endearing?

Like, "Oh, I don't have to hear
other points of view.

How great."

Fresno's not that small, miss.

It's the almond capital of the world.

That's Sacramento.

- That's Sacramento? sh*t. Damn it.
- Yeah.

[phone buzzing]

All right, I got to take this.
I'm sorry. One second.

Yeah.

Okay, so this is terrible timing,

but this work thing just came up.

I have to take this. Couple hours.

What?

- A couple hours?
- At the most.

I think it'll be... it'll be less, no.

What I am supposed to do?

Here, get the pie.

And I'll be as fast as I can; I promise.

Sorry.

[phone buzzing]

Yeah.

You know, eye contact. Keep it personal.

Short and sweet. They will cut you off.

And just hey, no pressure.

Say what you have to say.
It's on them to listen.

- [phone buzzes]
- Hello?

ALEX: Hey, you ever heard
of the YouTube star Gia?

The one who flashed
her tits at the Broad?

Yeah, and she has
terrible taste in art, for one.

LAURA: Stop the presses.

Hey, I'm kind of
in the middle of something.

ALEX: She just mixes
random black textiles.

That's not design;
that's an affront to good taste.

Excuse me.

Do you care about anything important?

Have you not heard my tone?

Do you think our family's poisoned?

ALEX: What do you mean? In what way?

Like, in our blood?

Because there's something wrong with us
that can never be fixed?

Yes. I mean, I can only speak for myself.

Maybe ask your mom?

She's in Fresno.

Oh.

I got to go. Good luck with Gia.

JACK: I'll call him and see
if he can take the hit.

And I'll also call Suarez.

He said he'd help
with gap financing, and we...

Right.

Yeah, no, we have options.
Just tell me what you need.

Hey, Logan.

Are you okay?

You're here.

Where else would I be?

I've lived in West Adams for years,

and because I hope to do so
for another ,

I ask that the council vote yes
on the moratorium.

MAN: Thank you.

I believe we have one more speaker.

[whispering] Excuse me.

Thank you.

Hello.

So I'm only now,

but I will be able to vote
in the next election...

or, since I don't see
any women up there,

maybe even run.

[councilmen chuckle]

Um...

Okay, so...

there are active oil and gas wells

all over the city,

most within , feet
of homes and schools

and hospitals.

Only drilling companies
cover them up with buildings

so people don't know what's happening
right next to them.

But you do.

There are cases of
nosebleeds and other symptoms,

and there's something toxic in the air

that no one wants to talk about,

I guess 'cause it's hard.

But shouldn't we talk
about the hard things the most

instead of just sweeping them
under the rug

and letting the poison seep inside us?

You know, 'cause once it's there,

it affects everyone.

And maybe you can never get it out.

I just think you're making
my generation pay the price,

and you look the other way,

hoping that everything's
going to be okay.

But it won't be okay.

And that's...

really, really sad

and unfair.

Please vote yes on the moratorium.

Thank you.

[whispering] Excuse me. Thank you.

- This one?
- I guess so.

What happened to our pie idea?

Oh, they were... totally out of pie.

- Get in here.
- Hi.

We brought champagne.

Ooh.

- This is my wife, Wendy. She's a nurse.
- Hi.

And my son, Jamey.

- He's at UC Davis.
- Oh, cool.

This is my... Jack.

Would you like something to drink?

Champagne?

Fancy. Thank you.

In the cut-off jean shorts,

that's our Great Uncle Virgil.

He was a bit of a ladies' man
back in his day.

Uh-oh. He looks the part.

So what are you studying at UC Davis?

Animal sciences.

Yeah, Dad taught me a lot
about livestock,

and I'd like to see sustainable
farming embraced by the big players.

This is a picture of me and Dad

on a fishing trip when I was ten.

He was a big fly fisherman,
made all his own flies.

He tried to teach me,

but no one was ever as good
at it as he was.

He was never happier
than when he was fishing.

- Do you like baseball?
- I do. What you got?

- This bad boy...
- Oh, wow.

[loud rip]

[bang]

Hey.

[hammer pounding]

My god.

You know, it's actually kind of funny,

because your identity
is so tied to this house,

and it's, like, basically
getting torn apart,

which is probably how you feel
after getting rejected again.

Don't let them touch my sh*t.

[glass shatters]

Enough!

Do you want to talk about it?

It's fine. I'm fine.

I'll buy you a new waffle iron.

I liked that one.

[sighs]

I'm disappointed you didn't
want to go out with me.

I mean, I respect your decision, but...

I thought we vibed.

Oh.

I clearly misunderstood the situation,
and it's frustrating.

I mean, you know
I'm still married, right?

I mean, separated.

But technically, yeah.

Can we maybe not have
this conversation here?

Fine.

Thank you. This is a great pie.

It was my mom's recipe,
and she passed it down.

Wow, that's so nice.

I can't imagine the horrors
that my mom passed down to me.

I mean, genetically speaking.

She didn't... she didn't bake
too many pies.

[chuckles]

But yeah.

Does anybody else want...

Really? Nobody?

Want some? Anybody?

- Jamey?
- I'm .

Okay, well, don't say I didn't offer.

- Is it okay if I head to Josh's now?
- Yeah, it's fine.

It was nice to meet you guys.

- Oh.
- You too.

Good night, then.

So... UC Davis.

We could never afford it,

but he knew what he wanted,
and he hit the books,

got himself a scholarship.

Awesome.

Rich tells me you have a daughter.

Yeah, Laura.
She's . She's homeschooled.

Not by me, by qualified people.

She's very smart.

You must be so proud.

What's that? Oh.

I'm not her father.

Yeah, I'm divorced.

Oh.

I'm so sorry.

No, it's good.

It's an improvement.

Was it hard on Laura?

Actually, she thrived.

Is she in LA with her dad?

Um, yeah. Sure. Or she's at home.

You know, she's very...
she's very independent.

And there's a landlady next door,

so, you know... just in case.

Well... [chuckles]

If that's what works for you.

Yeah, it does.

[chuckles] Man.

Sounds tough, life in the big city.

- I don't know how you do it.
- [laughs] Well, you know...

it could be worse.

Could be in Fresno, right?

[laughs]

I'm...

I'm kidding. It's great.

[soft guitar music]

Mostly, I just feel stupid.

I know I should move on. He did.

It's hard.

You have a person who's your stability,

and then suddenly they just leave.

You can't lean on them anymore.

And then you think
you've moved on and you're fine,

but then you see a picture of them

or have some memory, and you realize

you're not fine at all.

Gia's not coming.

m*therf*cking Gia.

What a waste of food.

[music playing, people talking]

♪ ♪

Good work up there.

Oh, stop.

You're not poison.

You know that, right?

♪ ♪

Casey.

Pete Nako has office space
in Sacramento.

Can you take a look on Friday?

Awesome, yeah.
No, I'm driving up Thursday anyway,

so it's perfect.

- What's in Sacramento?
- The next battle.

But what about here?

I mean, we have the support
of the city council now,

and you'll be here.

You can help lead the resistance.

Ask Nako what he wants us to bring.

Like, is the printer here
rental, or do we own it?

- Will do.
- Thanks, Katrina.

[phone buzzes]
Oh, sh*t, he's calling me now.

Hold on. Yeah.

[sighs] Can we talk?

Yeah, why don't you go
to your hotel room

and give me a call?

Look, I know the dinner
wasn't what you wanted.

- I just am worried that you're...
- You're supposed to be by my side.

But every time I try to reach for you,

to grab you, it's like
my hand just goes right through.

I can't do it.

I want to, but I can't.

It's just... it's too much,
and... and I'm too alone,

and when somebody says
they're gonna be there for you,

they have to actually show up.

I'm here now.

You can't do this.

I can.

So the spring rolls were terrible.

Mm-hmm.

- But I thought the lobster was great.
- Yeah.

Give the rest to Clark.

No way.

I'm keeping this for myself.

But you're very thoughtful.

People always say that.

They don't always.

- No one's ever said that about you.
- Never, not one time.

[laughs]

That was a good date.

["Anthems for a
Seventeen-Year-Old Girl"]

♪ ♪

[phone line ringing]

VALERIE: Hi, this is Valerie.

I'm not here right now.
Please leave a message.

♪ ♪

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE:
♪ Used to be one of the rotten ones ♪

♪ And I liked you for that ♪

♪ You used to be one
of the rotten ones ♪

♪ And I liked you for that ♪

Wait, wait, wait.

What?

Come here.

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE: ♪ ...for that ♪

♪ Now you're all gone ♪

♪ Got your makeup on ♪

♪ And you ain't coming back ♪

♪ Used to be one of the rotten ones ♪

♪ And I liked you for that ♪

♪ Now you're all gone ♪

♪ Got your makeup on ♪

♪ And you ain't coming back ♪

♪ Can't you come back? ♪

♪ Bleaching your teeth, smiling flash ♪

♪ Talking trash under your breath ♪

♪ Bleaching your teeth, smiling flash ♪

♪ Talking trash under my window ♪

"Not false or fake."

- F... not...
- "Real."

.

- [laughs]
- Real?

Well, that's a good question.

We should do this every day, right?

What, the... the crossword?

[laughs]

At least until the construction stops.

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE: ♪ Used to be one ♪

♪ Of the rotten ones ♪

♪ And I liked you... ♪

Did you have these made
before I got here?

Nope.

- You did.
- No, I didn't.

- You did.
- [laughing] No.

- No, I didn't.
- You did!

- You did. You did. You did.
- [shrieking] I did! I did!

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE:
♪ Can't you come back? ♪

♪ Park that car, drop that phone ♪

♪ Sleep on the floor, dream about me ♪

♪ Park that car, drop that phone ♪

♪ Sleep on the floor, dream about me ♪

♪ Park that car, drop that phone ♪

♪ Sleep on the floor, dream about me ♪

♪ Park that car, drop that phone ♪

♪ Sleep on the floor, dream about me ♪

♪ Park that car, drop that phone ♪

♪ Sleep on the floor, dream about me ♪

♪ Park that car, drop that phone ♪

♪ Sleep on the floor, dream about me ♪

♪ Park that car, drop that phone ♪

♪ Park that car ♪

♪ Drop that phone ♪

♪ ♪