02x08 - Arnold Hall

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Better Things". Aired September 2016 - current.*
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"Better Things" revolves around a divorced actress who raises her three daughters by herself.
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02x08 - Arnold Hall

Post by bunniefuu »

- (WATER RUNNING)
- Max!

The dog is eating your
p*ssy blood again.

Use the kitchen garbage!

(SIGHS)

♪ Mother ♪

♪ You had me ♪

♪ But I never had you ♪

♪♪

♪ I wanted you ♪

♪ You didn't want me. ♪

SAM: Duke,

let's close that for a while, okay?

Come on, honey, let's do some homework.

No.

NEWSCASTER: It is almost
the weekend, and maybe

you're looking for something
to do this weekend.

Let's check in with Trisha.

Ooh, let's check in with Asian reporter

Tricia Takanawa.

- She's gonna tell us all
- She's gonna tell us all

- About the rain.
- About the rain.

TRISHA: ...this weekend in Los Angeles.

I mean, Cirque du Soleil

is at the Santa Monica Pier.

NEWSCASTER: That'd be great.

Dukey, you want to help
me with the layers?

Hello.

Hello...

Hello...

(BEEPS)

Hey, the Internet stopped.

NEWSCASTER: ...the London
Philharmonic, headed up

by famed composer and
conductor Arnold Hall.

Oh, my God, it's Grandpa.

...to celebrate the tenth anniversary

of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

- (PHONE VIBRATING)
- Mom, the Internet.

What, honey?

Hello?

Hello, Sam.

(QUIETLY) Arnold?

Yes, it is.

I'm coming to town.

We are having the jubilee

for Ludwig's Ninth,

and the girls will be there

to celebrate with me

at the second performance on Saturday.

Yeah. You can do this?

Um, Saturday?

It's the th anniversary,

and the girls will be
there to give me flowers.

(APPLAUSE, CHEERING)

SAM: You know, Arnold,
the girls have lives.

They have plans and stuff and...

- they want to...
- Mom.

Mom, I don't...
I can't get any Internet.

Oh, I don't know how to do that, honey.

You have to do the reset button.

(SIGHS) Remember?

Can you just put the iPad away
and do some homework now?

I don't have any.

Yes, I think you have homework.

- I'm taking... I'm taking the iPad.
- No, no, no!

- I love you.
- No, Mom, no!

(BEETHOVEN'S NINTH SYMPHONY PLAYING)

♪♪

♪♪

(MUSIC STOPS)

- ARNOLD: Wait, wait, wait.
- (CHEERING, APPLAUSE)

- Please...
- SAM: Cool!

(WHOOPING, LAUGHTER)

Who's there?

Sam.

Hi, Arnold.

- Hi, Grandpa!
- Hi, Grandpa Arnold.

I wasn't expecting you.

The performance is tomorrow.

SAM: Yeah, right, well,

they can't come tomorrow,
so I thought I'd swing by today

so they can spend a
little time with you.

But I've told everybody...

to expect them for the ceremony.

Right, well, as I said,

they have other commitments.

Commitments?

Yeah. Well, Frankie and I

have her friend Push's bar mitzvah,

and Duke has stuff.

Hey, that sounded so good.

You guys are really good.

Good job! I always forget

how much I like this kind of music.

Maybe you could take them
for a little lunch today?

They would love to spend
some time with you.

Where's Max? Don't know.

- Did you ask her to be here?
- Yup.

And she had a commitment?

No, actually,
I think they're just dating.

(LAUGHS SOFTLY)

You should have insisted,
uh, that she be here.

Arnold.

She's .

You needed to have put
time in on her long ago.

I mean, she's grown up.

These two, however,

would love to have a little lunch

with their grandpa.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

Okay, my daisies.

What about some ice cream?

- Sure. Yeah.
- Come, come.

Take ten, everybody.

Hey. Why don't you two
run off backstage,

and I will meet you there?

Give me just a minute with your mother.

Bye, sweetie. See you.

You know, Arnold,
I'm-I'm not trying to cockblock

your fantasies here;
it's just that they're growing up.

I mean, they don't even go to my events

when I have something anymore.

It's all right.

I understood.

So... what's up?

(CHUCKLES)

I would like to talk about Xander.

Oh, really?

I'd rather not.

I mean, that's why I divorced him.

I understand, though, that,
uh, at the end of next year,

your financial support
of him, uh, expires.

Uh-huh.

Which is why I thought you and I

ought to discuss it.

Oh, boy.

Ugh.

(EXHALES) Oof...

This is really just...

- Oof...
- Don't you think,

for the good of the children,

the father should be provided for?

He's not even in their
lives; he's a ghost.

This is not my problem.

I see. Well...

Listen, Arnold, I don't think

this conversation's
gonna go anywhere good.

I mean, what do you want me to say here?

I'm just worried about Xander.

I've been taking care of your
son since the day I met him,

which is Max's age plus nine months ago.

And I did it. I did my time.

I paid.

I paid what I was told to pay.

And if you think, now,
that I'm gonna volunteer

to help this guy, who takes no
part in his children's care,

you're high.

Why don't you take care of him?

(CHUCKLING) Oh, well...

Seriously.

Write him a check; you're doing fine.

But money's money.

Yes, and I'm keeping mine.

You should give him yours.

When he turned , I told him,

as my father told me,

a boy of leisure has two
ways to provide for himself

when the string's cut:

find a skill...

or find a woman who can provide.

He chose the latter.

Yeah, but that's why we're divorced now.

Why am I having this conversation?

Is this really happening?

This is like a bad dream.

- Sam...
- (EXHALES)

He can't take care of himself.

I sometimes think, uh,
the boy might do...

himself in.

(WHISPERS) Yes.

Yes! Yes, please!

Okay, then.

At least I tell to his mother

that I tried.

Thank you for bringing my girls.

- (SIGHS)
- And, uh...

Sam, uh...

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

(SAM SIGHS HEAVILY)

(GROANS) Oh...

boy.

This place is so cool.

It's really cool.

(GROANS, EXHALES)

SAM: Oh, I got a good one.

My ex-husband's father...

We divorced in whatever.

Anyway, I've been paying him support

while I take care of the kids.

Oh, I know this story, believe me.

It's like the same for everybody.

And I get to stop paying him next year,

and his father just
asked me to keep paying

because, oh, poor him.

You know what the worst part is?

You're gonna do it.

You're gonna take care of him
for the rest of his life.

- No, I'm not.
- My ex-husband,

I took care of him.

Then, when the kids moved out,

he started sniffin' around.

He lives in my basement.

I would never do that.

You're gonna. I said
exactly the same thing.

You're gonna do it.

- You're gonna do it.
- I don't have a basement.

Do you have a garage?

Yes.

But I don't think he
could live in there.

You should see my basement.

(GROANS)

Nope.

This is not only

a celebration of Push

and his manhood...

- FRANKIE: Sam?
- (BOTH CHUCKLE)

(WHISPERING) Listen,

I'm really concerned.

Look, you're going to have to face this.

It's reality.

Your career could end any minute.

I mean, think about it.
Actresses have a shelf life,

and I got to hand it to you,
it is astonishing

how long you've been
able to stretch it out.

You're working well beyond
your expiration date, Sam.

I mean, what are you, fifty...

seven, fifty-eight?

You have to start thinking
about your future.

You need an exit strategy.
There's no way

Hollywood is gonna keep you
around for much longer.

And the end is not going to come easy.

Just... one day you're gonna go to work,

and work won't be there.

Then what happens to me and my sisters?

(SIGHS)

You're gonna have to start
wearing a yarmulke, Sam.

Because I don't know
if you realize this,

but your hair is falling out.

Seriously, you're
developing a bald spot.

I'm saying this because I love you.

Everyone is talking about it.

When was the last time you
saw the back of your head?

(CLEARS THROAT)

Mom, look at Mr. Cohen.

Mom, that's you in...

two years, maybe one.

Mom, I love you... no offense,

but you have a massive bald
spot on the back of your head.

Hi, Sam. How are you?

(AWKWARD CHUCKLE) Oh, hi, Dayle.

Oh, you look so beautiful.

Oh, thank you. Oh, my God,
Frankie got so big.

- Hi, Mrs. Lunchen.
- Hi.

RABBI: Now, all kidding
aside there, I want to talk

about this ancient
tradition... the bar mitzvah.

Now, you know, when I was growing up,

- girls didn't have bat mitzvahs.
- (CLEARS THROAT)

Listen, I have some ideas for
jobs you can maybe look for

when your career ends horribly.

Like you could work at
McDonald's as a vomit cleaner.

Or, or... you know those places
where they take everybody's sh*t

in the whole city and they
chemically separate it

into fertilizer and
drinking water? Yeah.

Hmm.

You could work at one of those.

You could be a sh*t-sorter.
That would be

a great job for an old bald lady.

- RABBI: And now,
- (SIGHS)

Push's parents have asked

a very close family friend
to say a few words.

So I would like to invite

Sam Fox to come to the stage.

Sam?

Lady Rabbi!

- Ah.
- Okay. High five.

Push!


What a night, what an incredible night.

What a night for you... you're a man now.

You're a man.

Well, except your penis
part... that's probably...

- (LAUGHTER)
- still a boy.

The rabbi knows, 'cause she was there

when the mohel cut it
in half. Snip, snip.

Wait a second.

So was I.

I had the fish.

At least I hope it was the fish.

(LAUGHTER)

But, anyway,

you are totally a man now, Push,

in every other sense.

Even though you live with your mom

and you probably will
until you're about ,

and then she'll hand you
over to some poor woman

who will raise your kids for you

while you watch sports.

And the mother.

Sunny,

do you remember when Frankie and Push

were in kindergarten,
and we used to cry and cry

'cause we were so tired?

(SNIFFLES)

(VOICE BREAKING) And they're now?

And it's easier, right?

No?

- (SNIFFLES)
- But, seriously,

Push, you did a great job today,

reading in Hebrew and Jewing it up

so good. And your grandmas.

You still have two whole living

bubbies! Treasure that.

Look at them... all the nachas

they're feeling, right? Bertie?

Barb? And somehow,

your father looks older
than both of them.

(LAUGHTER)

(SNIFFLES) But seriously,

I look out at all of you,

and what I see is love.

As silly as these things are,

we come together in love.

And so, I want to thank you, Push,

for bringing us all together...

in love.

And to your family,

I wish you the very best of lives

and the very best year.

Good night! Thank you, Detroit!

(SUNNY WHOOPS, APPLAUSE)

(SPEAKING HEBREW)

(LAUGHING) Oh, my God, I'm dying.

I love you so much.

Oh, dude, I love you.

- Was it okay?
- You k*lled me.

Are you kidding me? It was amazing.

I will never forget
it as long as I live.

- Oh, my God. Thank you.
- Thank you.

- You're welcome.
- Thank you.

Hi, Bertie! How are you feeling?

Today was my grandson's bar mitzvah.

Yes. Yes, I know.

Push. He's !

Yes! Yes, he is!

- Thank you. Thank you.
- (LAUGHS)

Oh, I got to go to the can.

(SAM LAUGHS)

- You remember my sister Felicia.
- Hi.

I think it's really
inappropriate what you said.

Well, I'm sorry...

Felicia, shut the f*ck up.
Get away from her.

There are children here, Sunny.

Get away... now.

- Ooh!
- Go.

Ooh! I'm sorry I made a trouble.

No. Screw her. She never changes.

I'm the one who should be sorry.

I had to invite her,
'cause of the bar mitzvah

and the freaking family and...

- That was intense.
- Ah... we need drinks.

- Yeah.
- We need drinks.

- Sunny, congratulations!
- Oh, thank you, Dayle.

Are you going to go...?

Are you going to go to St.
Barts in April?

(CLEARS THROAT)

Oh, hi, Frankie.

- Hi!
- (GASPS)

Oh, my goodness gracious.
What happened to you there?

Oh, nothing.

The dress came that way.

Did it? Yeah, it's fine.

That's good.

It's weird, though,
because it kind of looks like

you had bloody diarrhea
out of your belly button.

- Oh, no, it's fine.
- Good. Glad to hear it.

Well, I got to get back to it.

- Back to what?
- Oh, you know.

Me and the other girls
are giving presents

to the Bar Mitzvah boy in the stairwell.

You're giving him another present?

We're giving him money, honey.

No. Mom, I'm giving him a present.

All the girls are.

Oh. Is that right?

Yeah. I already went. I'm going again.

- Good for you.
- Hmm, good for him.

Well, sure.

Hey, Mom, when you were my age,

did you ever give boys
presents at their bar mitzvah?

Oh, my God. I was kidding.

- (MUFFLED GROAN)
- But you did.

Oh, my God, Mom,
you were such a whore. Gross!

Oh, Drew. Oh, hi.

- Oh.
- Yeah, that's nothing. It's fine.

DREW: Y-You're not
coming to class anymore.

- What's up?
- FRANKIE: Oh, yeah.

- I switched Spanish classes.
- DREW: Huh.

FRANKIE: Did they not tell him that?

DREW: No. It seems like
you were just avoiding me.

Oh, yeah, definitely
would never do that.

This is why I... told them
they should have fired him

- a long time ago.
- Yeah? I don't know, man.

So, I feel like I never see
you anymore. What's up?

Oh, yeah. You know, just...

- Stuff?
- Yeah.

- We should hang out soon.
- Definitely, yeah.

(MAN SINGING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

♪♪

Hey, can you help me with the cans?

Sure.

Thank you.

♪♪

Do you want me to get the last one?

No, I got it.

- Okay.
- Here.

Take the keys.

Okay.

I love you, Mom.

♪♪

Baby, I love you.

(KISSING)

♪♪

Hey, Mom?

Remember the end of The Flintstones?

What?

(SIGHS)

Frankie? Frankie?!

(SIGHS)

(CHUCKLES)

Wilma!

Frankie!

Little sh*t.

Okay, fine.

(SIGHS)

♪♪

♪♪
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