04x05 - So This is What the Truth Feels Like

[bunniefuu]

Don't you think it's odd
that your old partners

are signing the same
brands we're targeting?

Liza is on to me.

If we keep landing brands they're after,

she's going to realize what I'm doing.

- How long have you been homeless?
- Since I was .

Hey, man, that's my stuff!

Can't get a regular job.

That's the thing about being invisible.

No one cares when they erase you.

Come work for me.

You don't have to be poly
to date someone who is,

but you do have to be cool with it.

DENNIS: Once a week, I'm gonna
take the truck to the hospital

and I'm going to bring up warm meals

to the parents of sick kids.

DAVIA: I want to do something

that inspires me to love my body

and to feel powerful and confident

and like I deserve to be here.

All right. I need you all to
choose your burlesque names.

Who do you want to be on stage?

Your character will help
inform your story in the show.

If you're not sure,

sometimes it's helpful
to ask friends questions

about how they perceive you.

What word, animal, drink describes you?

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

Hi. Sorry. This will
just take one second.

Um, if you had to pick
one word to describe me,

what would it be?

Uh... fierce.

If you had to pick a
word to describe me,

- what would it be?
- Angry.

- Assertive.
- Unstoppable.

What kind of animal would I be?

- Lion.
- Lion.

- MARIANA: A barracuda.
- MALIKA: Eagle.

No, no, no. Hawk.

Honey badger, 'cause you don't give a...

- Food?
- Jalapeno poppers.

- GAEL: Hot wings.
- KELLY: Blood sausage.

DENNIS: Funnel cake.

No. Haggis, haggis.

What kind of flower would I be?

Angel's trumpet.

A rose, uh,

but with the thorns.

- Poinsettia.
- Aren't those poisonous?

It's deadly but beautiful.

Language?

Russian.

Uh... Scottish.

Or like... No, something
Slavic like Croatian.

- Wait... Hey...
- DAVIA: Thanks, Kelly.

I thought we were gonna do me now.

DAVIA: Thank you so much,
Kelly. You've been a huge help.

Was it something I said?

♪ Pa-pa-pa ♪
♪ Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa ♪

♪ Pa-pa-pa ♪
♪ Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa ♪

♪ Then we'll find our peace of mind ♪

♪ You and me, Bel Ami ♪

♪ Pa-pa-pa, pa-paaa ♪

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

- I missed you.
- I missed you too.

You've got a lot of things
going on, Ms. Williams.

Mm-hmm. [CHUCKLES]

Yeah, I'm stretched pretty thin.

- So, how's the new job going?
- It's good.

Lucia's reading my proposal
for the women's center.

- That's fantastic!
- Yes.

And how's things with Angelica?

- So...
- Mm-hmm.

If you don't have any plans,

Thursday,

I was thinking

I could make some dinner at my place.

- Ooh.
- Hmm.

And as much as I would love to,

I can't.

I made plans with Davia and the girls.

- I'm sorry.
- No, that's not a problem.

We'll find another time.

Maybe this weekend?

I'm working.

It's okay.

We'll figure something out.

Okay.

Angelica is good. Yeah.

I really like her.

That's nice.

[PHONE BUZZES]

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]

♪

So who gets to win the
Archambeau Cosmetics pitch?

Us. We have a k*ller new pitch deck.

Yeah, agree. It's a big brand

and Revitalize won the last one.

Absolutely.

Pitch meetings are
scheduled so close together.

What if we all run into each other?

Hopefully, we'll just
meet in passing, if at all.

♪♪

♪

What's wrong?

LIZA: Looks like our competition
is pitching today too.

- We have competition?
- Barely.

They call themselves Bulk Beauty,

but they're an independent startup

with none of the resources
we have at Hallis Group.

She used to work for them.

They pushed me out over money.

It was ugly.

- Oh, my God.
- What b*tches!

♪♪

There is one more thing.

- Jackie made Evan our mentor.
- Wait.

- What?
- Why?

She's still suspicious of you?

I'm not sure. I asked Evan,

and he said it wouldn't
"behoove" him to say no.

That sounds suss.

Well, he promised that
he would be hands off,

so hopefully he won't be around much.

[SOFTLY]: What is he doing here?

Evan's well connected.
Jackie thought his presence

could help us land the brand.

Hello.

Hi.

[TYPING]

Texting with your old friends?

What? No.

I'm... I'm texting my gynecologist.

Yeah, she saw something on my pap,

but it turned out it
was nothing. All clear.

Hi. Sorry about the wait.

Bulk Beauty?

- Yes.
- They're ready for you now.

Great.

♪♪

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

[EXHALES DEEPLY]

Hey, you okay?

Hi, everybody, my name is Stacey.

Welcome to your first baby basics class.

Let's get started.

- ISABELLA: This way?
- GAEL: Um...

Oh. Okay, okay. I got it.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Okay, I'll check...

Oh, sh*t.

- How's it going?
- Okay.

GAEL: Great.

Don't knock the wind out of it.

Okay. [CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY]

Okay. Um... It's okay. So...

[GRUNTS]

You don't look hungry.

Why should we support your drug habit?

Get your filthy crap off our street.

And get a job.

[PHONE BEEPS]

Thank God we locked in our night nurse

back when I found out I was pregnant.

My mom is coming to stay with
us for the first three months.

WOMAN : We found a great nanny.

How much maternity leave are
you guys taking from work?

- Three months.
- Same.

It's going to be pilot season,

so I'm only taking eight weeks.

Have you guys applied
for a preschool yet?

WOMAN : For sure, yeah.

WOMAN : How about you?

Have you and your husband
applied to preschool yet?

Oh, um, no, not yet.

We didn't realize you did that so soon.

WOMAN : Oh, honey,
you have to get on it.

The wait-lists are miles long.

WOMAN : She's right. Believe it or not,

you need to apply the minute
you find out you're pregnant.

- WOMAN : That's true.
- WOMAN : There's just a lot of competition.

All right, everyone.
Let's take our seats again

and get ready to talk birthing plans.

WOMAN : Nice to meet you.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

I'm so glad you could join me.

Oh, thanks for asking.

It's so great to get
some face time with you.

Oh, I'm sorry, I'm always being
pulled in so many directions,

but I did have an ulterior motive.

I read your proposal
for the women's center

and I think you did a great job.

Oh, wow. Um, that means so much.

I still have to weigh my other
priorities and initiatives,

but I'm considering sending it

to the council floor for review.

Okay, that would be amazing.

It's a good idea.

So cheers to a job well done.

Thank you.

Mmm.

So...

now that you're not
working at Douro anymore,

do you see much of Angelica?

Oh, um, I mean we try.

But, you know, we're both pretty busy.

You know that Angelica
and I used to date, right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Do you know if she's seeing anyone?

Oh, I don't really know.

I mean, she hasn't mentioned anyone.

No. Of course. I...
I was just wondering.

Well, you guys still talk though, right?

Uh, she reached out to me
about helping your friend.

But other than that, not really.

I guess I just...

miss her.

We didn't break up because
we didn't love each other.

I was just so busy.

The job was so new.

Hmm. Sure. Yeah.

But now...

who knows what could happen?

GAEL: Right arm in, tuck our friend,

left arm in, and tuck again.

Oh, my God, I'm doing it!

Scoop the butt, one last tuck.

Yay! [LAUGHS EXCITEDLY]

Oh, it's a little bear burrito!

It's a bear-ito!

I wish those perfect
moms could see me now.

Oh, they're not perfect.

You didn't talk to them.

They have everything figured out.

Is that why you let them
think that I'm your husband?

- I'm sorry.
- It's okay. [CHUCKLES]

It's just...

they're all married

or they have committed partners.

And I just didn't want them to think

I was this unwed mother

who got knocked up
during a one-night stand.

Hey. Isabella, they're
not better than you.

And I don't mind them
thinking that we're married.

But I also want to let you know

that just because we're not together,

it doesn't mean that you don't have

a committed partner too.

Thank you.

Um, so should we talk
about our birth plan?

Oh, yes. Who knew there
were so many methods?

I think that we can
cross off water birth

and orgasmic birth from the list.

That makes sense, yeah.

Uh, and hospitals just
feel so sterile, so...

I don't know, what if
we did a home birth?

I... I love the idea, if you do.

Yeah?

Would we do it here at The Coterie?

I mean, yeah, the baby would
be surrounded by a lot of love.

Yeah.

Okay, then,

I think that's our plan.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

- We're doing it?
- We're doing it.

- Okay.
- Right here.

Okay, I know you're mad.

I just got off the phone
with Archambault Cosmetics.

We won the pitch.

Yes!

Yay!

Congratulations.

- It was all Mariana.
- Totally.

Yes. Mariana k*lled it.

I am so sorry.

Archambault Cosmetics
was supposed to be ours.

I know, but I couldn't t*nk
the pitch with Evan there.

He knows me. He would have seen
right through what I was doing.

And you've been winning
so many pitches without me.

But this is unsustainable.

Agreed. We can't keep alternating wins.

Mariana can't keep doing this.

We're going about this all wrong.

Jackie stole our idea,

and we've been trying to
compete on a level playing field.

What we need to do is
make our app better.

We need a big new idea
that they don't have

- and can't steal.
- You're right.

So we need to get out
of competition mode

and get back into innovation mode.

And we need to get you home with us.

- We miss you.
- GINA: Yeah.

I miss you too. So much.

And Ava and Raisa are
actually really nice girls.

I don't like deceiving them.

Well, don't forget whose
side you're really on.

I won't.

All right. Let's start brainstorming.

What can we do to make
Bulk Beauty better?

♪♪

Ooh, this place got
the finest bartenders.

It used to.

The hottest one quit to go
make the world a better place.

Speaking of, how did
drinks with Lucia go?

Is she going to push
your proposal forward?

She says she's seriously considering it.

- That's fantastic!
- Yeah.

- And she asked about you.
- Oh.

Like, if you were seeing anyone.

Oh, my God. What did you say?

I lied and told her I didn't know.

I was so caught off-guard.

And she was also pretty
clear that she's not over you.

Did you know that?

[SIGHS]

Yeah, I know Lucia
didn't want to break up.

But she was married to her work.

So should I tell her about us?

I don't want to complicate
my position at work

or make things awkward for Lucia or you.

But, I mean, what if
she finds out I lied?

I think honesty is the best way to go.

On the other hand,

sometimes what someone doesn't know

can't really hurt them.

I was thinking

I could make some dinner at my place.

I can't.

I made plans with Davia and the girls.

I'm sorry.

MAN: Excuse me. Can I get a drink?

[DOOR OPENS]

["VOODOO GIRL" BY VANESSA
CONTENAY-QUINONES PLAYING OVER HEADPHONES]

♪♪

♪♪

[PHONE BUZZING]

Okay, so here are the shelves.

All right.

So how do you know Joaquin?

Uh, we, uh...

We met on a story he's working on.

Oh, what about?

The unhoused.

Oh, that's such a problem.

I don't know what we're going
to do with all those people.

It's so tragic.

So can you fix it?

Uh, yeah. Yeah, yeah,
yeah. No, uh... No problem.

But, um, could I actually
borrow some tools?

I just... I don't have mine on me.

Oh.

Uh, yeah, I'm sure we
have some lying around.

I'll go grab them.

Thank you. And it's
cool to, uh, make noise?

Oh, yeah, don't worry.

Everyone up here is
at work during the day.

["VOODOO GIRL" BY VANESSA
CONTENAY-QUINONES PLAYING]

♪♪

♪♪

That's it.

That's my character,

and my burlesque name is Cotton Candy.

Well, I have to be honest.

I don't know you that well yet,

but nothing about that
really seemed true to you.

Where's the girl from
the "Fat Bitch" Video

you submitted for your audition?

I'd like to see more
of her in your persona.

Poppie, you're up.

♪♪

["SOAKED IN GOLD" BY GEOFFROY PLAYING]

♪ Yeah, you look like
you've been soaked in gold ♪

♪ Yeah, you look like
you've been soaked in gold ♪

♪ My fingers slippin' off your skin ♪

♪ Your body keeps callin' me in ♪

Who are you and how
are you doing my dance?

Oh! Uh-uh, I am sorry.

Uh, I thought I was alone.

Um, I'm actually a friend of Joaquin's,

and I'm, uh... I'm just staying
in his loft for a couple days

while he is out of town.

And it was just, uh, last night,

I... I came up to use the bathroom

and I... I just saw you.

No. No, no, no. No.

Um, I did not mean to
inv*de your privacy.

It's... It's just that
I'm a... I'm a dancer

or I want to be.

And... and just what you
were doing last night was...

It was just really beautiful.

Well, at least someone liked it.

Who doesn't like it?

I'm rehearsing for this
burlesque performance,

but don't tell anyone that.

Okay.

This director doesn't think that
my character feels true to me,

but, you know, maybe
I don't want to be me

because that hasn't really been
working out so great lately.

And I thought my burlesque persona

was supposed to be my alter ego.

You know, why do I always
have to be the "Fat Bitch"?

Why can't I just explore
other parts of me?

I'm sorry, I am clearly
still processing.

No, no, no, it's okay.

I mean, I don't think
anyone can tell you,

like, what's true to you.

I mean, people think they
just know your whole story.

I mean, but no one knows all of you.

Actually, that's one of the
things I love about dance,

is that you really can just
disappear into any character

and, like, be whatever you want to be.

I mean, you just gotta own it.

Right?

What did you say your name is again?

Ah, Luca.

Nice to meet you, Luca. I'm Davia.

[INDISTINCT ANNOUNCEMENT OVER PA]

[BABIES COOING]

I thought I might find you up here.

I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Is... is the food ready to
take up to the children's ward?

Yeah, but we got a minute.

Aren't they adorable?

So tiny.

When Jacob was born, he would...

grab my finger with his little hand.

He was so perfect.

It really is the
happiest day of your life.

Okay, um...

let's go get the food.

WOMAN: Dennis?

Hey, Dennis.

I'm pregnant,

and Nathan and I are getting married.

[NO AUDIO]

How are you?

I'm okay, yeah.

Yeah, you... you got a boy.

Congratulations.

Um, congratulations to you too.

Um, thank you.

NATHAN: Well, we should get going, huh?

They're bringing the car up.

It was nice to see you.

And, really, congratulations.

Thank you.

Was that your... ex?

Dennis, I'm so sorry.

That... that must've been so difficult.

Um, okay, let's...

Hey, let's go get the food, okay?

I can't. I can't, I can't.
I can't do this right now.

What about the families?

You can take the food to them.

I'll pay you double time, I don't care.

I understand that you're hurting,

but those families are hurting too.

I gotta get out of here.

You can't turn your back on them.

Hey. Hey. Hey, hey.

You made a commitment to them.

- Dennis, you need to do this.
- I can't. I'm sorry.

- Dennis!
- I can't do it.

["SWEET SALVATION" BY
MICHAEL LOGEN PLAYING]

♪ I've been out here for days ♪

♪ Just trying to get straight ♪

♪ The road got me crooked ♪

♪ I hope it's not too late ♪

♪ I've been finally facing
down all of my demons ♪

♪ I've been chasing something
I can't quite believe in ♪

♪ And I've b*rned up all my answers... ♪

DENNIS: The grief makes you
wanna pull back and isolate.

What you really need to do

is reach out to people.

I had a son.

His name is Jacob, and he
d*ed when he was six years old.

I mostly kept it to myself because I
couldn't deal with talking about it.

I can't hide anymore.

ISABELLA: Okay, guys,
we have plenty of food,

so please eat all you want.

♪ Lead me to the light ♪

♪ Sweet salvation... ♪

Hey, let me help you with that.

♪ Sweet salvation shining in your eyes ♪

Thank you for all of this.

It is delicious,

and it really means the world to us.

You're welcome.

You're welcome.

["VOODOO GIRL" BY VANESSA
CONTENAY-QUINONES PLAYING]

♪♪

♪♪

So, um, I didn't change
my routine or my character

because I came here to celebrate my body

and my sexuality

and to explore different sides of me,

you know, ones that I don't always show

to the rest of the world.

I am more than just one thing.

And I really believe in
myself and this character.

So I'm sticking with Cotton Candy.

That's all I wanted to hear and see.

Good work.

Hey, um...

I know it took a lot for you

to come back and feed
all those people today.

I can't imagine how hard it was

to see your ex-wife and her new baby.

Here.

Jen was the only person

who could truly understand
what we went through

and how hard it was to lose Jacob.

And... now she's moved on.

Just because she had another baby

doesn't mean she's not
still grieving Jacob.

I know. I guess I just feel more alone.

I'm so sorry. It... It's my fault

that we were even in the maternity ward,

- and I just felt...
- No, it's okay.

We had Jacob there.

When Jen went into labor,

uh, the umbilical cord was
wrapped around his neck,

so she had to have an
emergency C-section.

Oh, my God! That sounds so scary.

It was terrifying,

but the doctors and nurses
were extremely supportive.

So I'm not surprised that
she chose that hospital again.

They have a great team,

if you guys are considering
a hospital birth.

Anyway, thank you for
being there for me today.

Anytime.

I'd appreciate it if you didn't
tell anybody about Jennifer.

- I just...
- Of course.

♪♪

Good night.

- Hey.
- Hi.

How'd it go, uh, with feeding the
families at the hospital today?

It was wonderful.

Dennis was amazing.

I think he made the families
and kids feel really loved.

I'm really proud of him.

- That's great.
- Yeah.

So I was reading about home births,

and I saw some good
reviews on a few doulas.

Hmm. I was actually just
talking to Dennis about this.

I think maybe we should
do a hospital birth.

Like, just in case anything goes wrong.

- We don't want...
- Yeah, of course. Sure.

It's... I mean, it's whatever you want.

- Hey, you know, I was also thinking...
- Hmm?

Why don't we get our own place?

I mean, look at this place.
It's not baby-proofed.

There's no fence around the pool.

And Alice will be back for good soon.

So, I mean, we'll have to
figure something out, right?

So... we live together?

I mean, yeah.

I think it would be a lot easier,

at least in the first year or so.

Um, I appreciate the offer,

but I just feel like we
have so much support here.

And like you said, the baby
will be surrounded by love.

Can we think about it?

Yeah, of course. Sure.

Okay.

Oh! Two nights in a row?

If I didn't know any better,

I'd think that you have
a crush on the bartender.

Oh, I absolutely do.

What can I get you?

I'll take a sh*t of please forgive me.

Uh-oh. What for?

Ah, you told Lucia about us.

No. I decided that
if Lucia wants to know

if you're seeing anyone, she can ask you

and not one of her employees.

Agreed.

So what am I forgiving you for?

I didn't have plans with
Davia the other night.

I had plans with Dyonte.

Why didn't you just tell me that?

I thought I was
protecting your feelings,

but then I realized

I was really protecting
my own feelings because...

I'm falling for you.

And I'm afraid you're
gonna bail because I'm poly.

Well, if you're afraid of losing me,

lying to me is the best
way to make that happen.

I know, and I'm so sorry.

I should've just checked in with you

and asked how you were
feeling about everything

instead of assuming.

I'm falling for you too.

And I will let you know

when or if I have an
issue with anything. Okay?

Okay.

And I won't lie to you
ever again, I promise.

Good.

♪♪

♪♪

Do you have any seltzer?

I think the coffee
might be an improvement.

It's not my fault
that no one around here

appreciates my unique flair
for an avant-garde tie.

You read Malika's proposal
for the women's center, right?

- I did.
- What are your thoughts?

Look, cards on the table?

I think we need to put all our resources

into the Families First initiative

and any other efforts towards
the homelessness crisis.

Why did you send the proposal
to me if you weren't for it?

I see my position here as
not just boss but mentor.

And you don't want the
Gen-Z'ers turning on you.

I don't know if you're aware,

but the crying laughing
emoji has been canceled.

I... wasn't.

But I think you're right.

It's not a top priority.

AVA: So I think we should
get started right away.

RAISA: Oh, yeah,
genius! I don't wanna...

Hey, what's going on?

Hey, hey. So we had an idea.

It was mostly you.

Well, yeah, but we bounced it around.

It's a new feature for the
app called "Counter Pro."

A feature that allows our users

to scan their faces using their phones,

and then the app will suggest products

and show a mock-up of how those
products would look on their faces.

Yeah, like when you used to go

to a department store make-up counter

and get a consult with their
make-up and skin-care experts.

AVA: We really think
it could be a great way

to get our users to try
lots of different products

and increase overall sales.

MARIANA: I'm so sorry.

We're going about this all wrong.

We need a big new idea

that they don't have and can't steal.

What can we do to make
Bulk Beauty better?

Mariana?

It's great! Really great.

However, I... do think

that we need to work
out all of the kinks

before we pitch to Liza or Jackie.

AVA: You don't think we
should share it right away?

RAISA: Yeah, just to
get the green light.

Well, I think that
we need to be prepared

for any and all questions.

I back Mariana up on that.

Taking the time to troubleshoot now

will make for a better overall pitch

and higher probability of
the feature moving forward.

- Sure.
- Yeah, that makes sense.

AVA: I'm so excited to get started.

RAISA: Hashtag, same.

Thank you, Evan and Mariana,
for the great advice.

EVAN: Of course.

Congratulations on the great idea.

Really great.

Um, excuse me, I need
to go to the restroom.

- AVA: Let's get started!
- RAISA: Let's go!

[AVA AND RAISA GIGGLE IN EXCITEMENT]

Luca?

Hey, it's Davia.

I just wanted to thank
you for yesterday.

_

_

LUCIA: Malika.

Hi.

I've made a decision
about your proposal.

I'm pushing it forward.

Really?

LUCIA: You know that Angelica
and I used to date, right?

We didn't break up because
we didn't love each other.

I was just so busy.

But I'm gonna need you to write a
full impact report and cost analysis

before we can take it to the floor.

- Okay.
- Will can guide you on this.

It needs to be flawless, okay?

Absolutely. Thank you so
much for this opportunity.

Now the real work begins.

Girl!

I don't know whether to give
you congrats or condolences.

What do you mean?

Have you seen an impact report before?

They're like a million pages long

and the primary reason why
I never propose anything.

You can kiss your personal life goodbye!

We'll see.

[SQUEALS EXCITEDLY]

[SNIFFLES]

What's going on?

What do you mean?

Why do you wanna delay pitching
the new idea to Liza and Jackie?

I said why. And you agreed with me.

I didn't agree. I backed you up.

Why?

I didn't become your mentor
just because Jackie asked me to.

You're right.

I did it to be closer to you.

Not because I'm hoping
to get back together.

Because I... I know
something's not right.

You're not okay.

And I was concerned

that you wouldn't be
safe with another mentor.

You can trust me.

You're right.

I'm not okay.

I took this job

so that I could prove that
Jackie stole Bulk Beauty's code,

which they did.

But of course, she
changed it just enough

so that we couldn't prove it.

So instead, I have been
secretly feeding Bulk Beauty

intel on all of the brands
that they're going after.

But because I had to sign
a non-compete agreement,

I'm stuck here for two years

unless Revitalize goes out of business,

which makes me feel
shitty because it turns out

that Ava and Raisa are
actually really nice people.

You know, I just wanted
to make things right

with Claire and Gina and Rachel,

because this was all my fault!

No, it wasn't.

I set you up with Jackie.

She turned out to be a thief.

So... really, it's my fault.

What am I gonna do?

♪♪