04x01 - The Road Ahead

[bunniefuu]

[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING]

REBECCA: So, what'd you make?
- Uh, what did I make? I'm glad you asked,

because I happened to make
your favorite.

I made peanut butter
and jelly sandwiches.

- Ooh.
- With some fruit,

cheese, chocolate-chip cookies and, uh,

the Atlas of Human Anatomy,
Third Edition.

- Sounds delicious.
- Oh, it's very delicious.

Hey, you know,
this is gonna be my ring's first picnic.

Yes, this is gonna be
your ring's first picnic.

Rebecca!

[TIRES SCREECH
AND REBECCA SCREAMS]

I just have this weird foreboding feeling,
and I can't get rid of it.

Relax, honey.

Holly's throwing the engagement party.
All you have to do is show up.

Oh, it's not about the party.
It's something. And I can't sleep.

I wake up every two hours in a panic.

Oh, you don't have to be Freud
to figure out what's going on.

Your youngest son is marrying
the daughter of your arch-nemesis.

Holly is not my arch-nemesis.

What are you talking about?
She slept with your husband for years

and you're gonna have
grandchildren together.

That idea's terrifying,

but Rebecca and Justin
are getting married.

- I'm happy for them.
- So, what is it?

You worried about Mom
because she's coming?

No, no. It's not Mom.
I can handle Mom.

I mean, it doesn't improve my mood,
but, no.

It's something.
It's something about the kids.

Okay, Nora. Look at this.
Little League, right?

Remember when Justin used to get up
at bat, you had to close your eyes

because you were afraid
that he was gonna strike out?

- What? What is your point?
- My point is that nothing's changed.

The kids grow up, they lead their own
lives, and you worry yourself into a state

about what may or may not happen.

Well, there is such a thing
as mother's intuition.

I know and I appreciate that, but your kids
are better than they've been in a while.

Tommy is getting all the help he needs,
Kitty is working things out with Robert,

Kevin and Scotty are status quo,
Sarah is getting out and dating again,

and Justin is going to be a doctor.

Yes, but so many things
could go wrong.

You need to relax
and let yourself be happy. Okay?

You're allowed to do that.

Let's get these pictures together
and bring them to Holly.

Everything's gonna be fine.
I will make sure of it.

All right.

ROBERT: The legislature needs to learn
to live within its means,

just like the rest of Californians.

When I'm governor, they'll do it
without cutting programs like this.

Kitty, so good to see your byline back
on the op-ed pages and online again.

Your commentaries are always so smart
and entertaining.

Thank you. I am actually enjoying
getting back into it,

and I've discovered that I prefer writing
to television commentary.

And why's that?

Well, I get to spend a lot of time
with our son

and I get to go to work in my pajamas.

Speaking of which, you guys get
the strange-bedfellows question a lot.

Well, yes, we have some pretty interesting
discussions at our dinner table.

Yeah, and anything he says in his sleep
is on the record.

I mean, do you see
what I'm up against?

[REPORTER CHUCKLES]

[KITTY SIGHS]

So that line
about you talking in your sleep,

- that was really lame.
- No, it was fine.

- Did it even make sense?
ROBERT: It was good.

- You guys were great.
KITTY: Please.

Really. So adorable I want to pinch
both your cheeks.

- You wanna see what I Twittered?
- You always do give good tweet.

[CELL PHONE BEEPS]

- All right, I have to get back in there.
- Do you, uh?

- Do you want me to go with you?
- No, I'm fine.

Wow.

Eighty-five degrees,
and I still feel the chill.

I know he appreciates what you're doing,
so just hang in there, okay?

- He'll come around.
- What else can I do?

I'm sorry. I'm just a little nervous.

I mean, I've never even bought shoes
online before.

Oh, I'm so glad you said that.
You're my first online date.

- Oh.
- Though I have bought plenty of shoes.

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

You're not what I was expecting.

- Not in a bad way.
- Oh.

- Just that your picture looked different.
- How?

Well, online I thought I sensed red,
but you're definitely more of an orange.

- You mean my skin tone?
- Your aura.

You even have a little yellow halo.

I can't tell you how nice it is
to be here with someone normal.

- Thanks.
- Oh, thank you.

Use these. They're sanitized.

- Wait, uh, this is your resume.
- Yeah.

Uh, take a look from ' to ' .
I was in the food business.

You're here for a job?

[SLURPS]

KEVIN:
Okay, just to clarify,

if we take an egg from a separate donor
and use a gestational surrogate,

- neither one have any claim on the baby?
- That's correct.

Okay, and how do we go
about selecting the egg donor?

You give us your parameters.
Eye color, hair color, ethnicity.

Oh, pfft, I don't care about that.

- Talents, education, IQ.
- I care about that.

- What? What is wrong with that?
- Okay, clearly we have a lot to discuss.

Do you have any, um, literature,
a brochure, something we can take home?

- Yes. We have an orientation kit.
- Oh, wow.

It'll explain all the legal
and medical requirements.

Takes you through the whole process.
We also have a price breakdown,

depending on whether you use
one of our surrogates,

how many eggs we harvest,

how many implantations it takes
to achieve a pregnancy.

How much would it cost for a baby
without leather seats and a DVD player?

- Ha, ha.
SCOTTY: Kevin.

I'm sorry. I'm just a little nervous.

Assuming the best outcome,
about , .

Oh, wow. Uh, well,
we knew it was gonna be expensive.

Yeah, yeah. It's about what we thought.

- I think when you hear it out loud, it...
- Sort of takes your breath away.

NORA: Oh, my God.
SAUL: Ooh. Wow.

- What in heaven's name is this?
- Oh, she really went all out.

It's awful.

- Hi.
- Hi.

SAUL: Hi.
- So, what do you think?

- What a transformation.
- Yeah.

- Hi, Saul.
- Rebecca wanted an all-white theme,

and I'm never one to go halfway, so...

Yeah. Holly, though we did decide
to not spend very much money on...

- Right. On the gift.
- You said that the party was your gift.

No, the way I think about it is the party
is the party and the gift is the gift.

No, no.
We agreed that I wouldn't spend money...

SAUL: David, I think...
- Yeah, it's a perfect time.

DAVID:
Ladies! Ladies!

NORA & HOLLY:
What?

- Let's, uh... Let's have a seat.
- I don't wanna take a seat.

SAUL:
Come on. On the settee next to Holly.

We're just trying to save you
from yourselves. Okay?

This is not about you.
This is about your children.

- We know that. We are fine.
- We're fine with it.

Nora, you understand
that Holly is giving this party?

She is the hostess,
she makes all the decisions.

Yes, I'm great with that.

And, Holly, you understand that Nora
is the mother of the groom-to-be,

so you have to honor her position
in the family as equal to yours.

Don't be silly.
I mean, we are perfectly fine.

- Great. Okay.
- Okay. That's all we wanna know, right?

Great.

- Oh, my God.
- What?

That's beautiful.
Rebecca always wanted

- a piano in the house.
- You bought a piano?

- Relax. I rented it.
- You rented a white piano.

- It's fine. It's beautiful. It's beautiful.
HOLLY: Isn't it great?

You can't leave it there though.
Uh, you have to move... It blocks your view.

You have a lovely view. You have
to move it a little bit over that way.

I know, but the floor squeaks over there,
so...

Well, put one of these lovely white rug
things under there. It'll be, you know...

It's your party. You know, it's whatever.
Your party.

Okay. Uh, you guys, could you please
move the piano over just a little bit?

- Just a little bit. Go, go, go, go. Whoo!
HOLLY: That's good.

- Yes, isn't that nice?
HOLLY: It looks good.

We brought some photographs here,
if you all wanna see them.

Um, I found some of Rebecca
that I thought would be...

- That's great.
NORA: Yeah, we have...

[CRACKING]

No, no, no, no, no. Wait, wait, wait!

Oh, no! My party!

My goodness. That's not good.

REBECCA: Hey.
- Hey.

- You look exhausted. Are you all right?
- I have so much work to do, it's insane.

- Why don't you take a break?
- Oh, I wish.

Maybe you can help me.
Quiz me on the bones of the hand.

There's, uh... There's of them.

- Really?
- Yeah. All right. Give me your hand.

- Okay. All right?
- Mm-hm.

Carpus, metacarpus, uh,
digitus secundus manus,

digitus medius, and digitus...

Oh, God.

Um, I always forget this one.
Digitus sparkly ringumus.

Oh, my God.

Oh, Justin, it's beautiful.

I figured it was time for an upgrade from
the bent nail I made you in Mexico, so...

It's perfect.

- Can we afford this?
- Oh, yeah.

My, uh... My mom gave it to us.
This was my great-grandmother's ring.

Oh, really?

All right. Now, how about I take you
and this rock out to dinner?

- Well, what about studying?
- Studying? It's my decoy.

I'm finished.

[CHUCKLES]

- I love you.
- I love you.

JUSTIN:
Mm.

Now, if you want an anatomy lesson...

She's got termites.
They ate clear through her joists.

The only solution was to move
the party here.

Why do I get the impression
that you went over to Holly's

and put those termites
under her house yourself?

Don't be ridiculous.

Come on, Mom. Admit it.
You're enjoying this. Just a little.

Now, why would I enjoy
having Holly's party here?

Because now it's your party.

No, no, no. It's not.
I'm going to be completely magnanimous.

It is Holly's party.
She is the hostess of it.

- I heard Grandma's coming.
- Oh, dear.

- Let the disapproval begin.
- Well, she's my mother. It's fine.

- I have accepted it.
- Keep telling yourself that, Mom.

You know what?
It's a proven fact there is nothing

that can irritate a daughter
more than her mother.

Honey, you're not eating anything.
Can I fix you something else?

Uh, no. Evan and I have been passing
back and forth this virus.

I get a fever, he gets a fever.
It just comes and goes.

Oh, hey. How is the
couples counseling going?

Um, we've been given intimacy homework
exercises, if you can believe that.

Sex homework?

We're just supposed to communicate
our feelings non-verbally.

If I did that with Joe when we were going
through the thick of it, he would be dead.

Though I have to say,
as much of a jerk as Joe could be,

he's not half as weird as those freaks
I'm meeting online.

Oh, honey, I'm sorry
that didn't work out for you.

It's okay, Mom. I put it behind me.

Joe's got the kids for three more weeks,
so I'm escaping to Paris,

where I shall be a free girl,
unfettered and alive.

This time tomorrow night,
I shall be in France.

And if the guys are jerks, I won't care,
because they'll be speaking French.

Did you tell Rebecca
you can't come to her party?

Of course, Mom.
Oh, she said that Tommy called,

[GASPS]

Apologized, and said that he would
make it up to her at her wedding.

Good. I wish he would call me.

Okay, this is what I'm gonna make.
Seared sea scallops wrapped in bacon.

And I'm gonna find a little
vegetarian something.

- Mom.
- What?

Don't forget it's Holly's party.

I know. I'm just gonna help a little bit.

KITTY:
Hmm.

I'm so sorry I'm gonna miss this.

- I'm so sorry. I feel responsible.
- No, sweetie, no.

It's just, uh, a minor train wreck.

But nothing is going to spoil your party.

[SIGHS]

- I love the white too. It's beautiful.
- Oh, good.

Well, I've talked to the party planner,
and they're getting like more yards

to decorate Nora's house, which will be
even better there with those high ceilings.

- It'll be more dramatic.
- Yeah.

So do you notice anything different
about me?

No.

It's not your hair.

It's not your shoes. What?

[HOLLY GASPS
AND REBECCA CHUCKLES]

Oh! Wow!

- When did he give you that?
- Last night.

Oh.

- That's gotta be like two carats.
- It's beautiful. Nora gave it to Justin.

It was her grandmother's.

- Really?
- Mm-hm.

Wow, that's beautiful, honey. It's great.

You know, there's something
I've gotta do.

Are you all right if you go home
and relax and then meet me at the party?

- Yeah, perfect.
- Okay? That'd be great. I'll see you then.

- Justin. Come on in.
- Professor Gray. How's it going?

- Shut the door.
- Sure.

Sit down.

Is, uh, something wrong?

These, uh, combined MD/BA programs
are incredibly tough.

We have students
with perfect SAT scores

and Ivy League education
who can't cut it.

Your, uh, first-term reports came in

and I am sorry to say
that you are in trouble.

- It's biochem, isn't it? I'm sorry, sir.
- It's everything.

Biochemistry, organic chemistry,
physics and calculus.

I have had to turn down a lot of
qualified applicants for this program.

To be honest,
you were not even in the top .

- Uh, then why am I here, sir?
- I got the call.

- What call?
- Three calls actually.

You'd be surprised how quickly
the regents pick up the phone

whenever a U.S. Senator
puts a word in.

Um, that didn't come from me.
I didn't ask for any of that to...

Regardless,

you have been given
an incredible opportunity.

But if this is the caliber of work
that we can expect,

I just don't think
this is going to work out.

It's not, sir.
I'm gonna work much harder.

I'II, uh, study more.
I'll do whatever it takes.

Good. Because you are going
to have to work incredibly hard

- to turn this around, Justin.
- I understand.

[SINGING]

- Sing with me. Let your hair down.
- Oh, I didn't know my hair was up.

Okay, I have just been to the bank.
And guess what.

[SINGING]

What? What are you talking about?

- Wait. What are you talking about?
- Okay, listen to me.

We don't owe much on this loft, okay?

The bank said
we can take a line of credit.

We'll have enough for the surrogacy.
We'll probably have enough left over

to buy a couple of those
cute little Marc Jacobs suits.

If it's a boy.

What's wrong?
I just solved the money problem.

You're talking about going into debt
before the baby's even born.

I mean, we haven't bought one diaper yet,
let alone...

I mean, childcare,
there's doctors' appointments, school.

I'm sorry. I'm a little confused,

because I thought
you wanted this baby too.

I do. I just don't move as fast as you do.
I need some time to sort things out.

I mean, Kevin, we went to the agency
for information,

- they gave us a hundred pages of things...
- I was there.

I just need to process things
before we go talking to a banker.

All right. Fine. The last thing
I want to do is put pressure on you.

Good. You know, because a baby
isn't like a Marc Jacobs suit.

You can't return it if it doesn't fit.

Who said anything about it not fitting?

- Are you having second thoughts?
- No.

- Maybe. Kevin, l...
- Why don't I just stop talking for a while?

That's a good idea.

- Honey.
- I'm sorry. It's a bad habit. Here we go.

- Did you just roll your eyes?
- No, no. I'm right here.

- I'm doing this.
- Okay, well then, let's just do it.

- My eyes are watering.
- So blink.

Blink, Robert. This is not a staring contest.
You are allowed to blink.

I said I'd go to therapy.
I didn't say I'd do these stupid exercises.

- What is this?
- Wait.

I leave Evan four nights a week,

and I go to one rubber-chicken-dinner
fundraiser after another, and...

- But I never asked you to do that.
- Well, I never said you did.

But I go
because you're running for governor,

and I am trying to make an effort,
and I think that you can try too.

And there's a little guilt from last spring.

When are you gonna stop
punishing me?

I mean, I'm not punishing you
for lying to me.

I'm not punishing you.

You know, Robert, I want to make
our marriage work. I really do.

- But if you don't...
- No,

I am just looking for something,
for some spark

to tell me that we have a chance.

And?

So far I'm not seeing it.

[EVAN CRYING]

- I got him.
- No, he probably has a fever.

I got him.

Hard to believe there's two
white baby grand pianos in Los Angeles.

- Lovely, right?
- Yes.

Uh, Holly, I don't want to say anything,

but your party planner person
is in my stairway.

He seems to be taking down all my
family photos. He could just hide them...

You don't have to worry
about photographs.

They're gonna take care of them.
Excuse me,

could you please move this table
into the garage?

You can't move my dining room table
out into the garage.

We need the room so we can mingle.

People have been successfully mingling
in this room for hundreds of parties.

- Trust me.
- Trust you?

Isn't that hilarious, seeing that
you walked all over our agreement?

What do you mean?
I've been nothing but gracious...

Nora, there's a strange man
out there rearranging furniture.

- Mother, what are you doing here?
- I thought I was invited.

Well, yes, you are invited.
No. Welcome.

Mother, welcome. I'm so glad to see you.
You look lovely.

Yes. I thought Saul was picking you up
at the airport to take you to his place,

- so you could have a nap or a shower...
- I'm not infirm.

I am perfectly capable of taking a taxi,
and I don't wanna nap.

- Who is this?
- Holly Harper.

Mother of the bride.

- Va-va-voom.
- Ha, ha.

- Ida Holden, grandmother of the groom.
- Hi. Nice to meet you.

I can't wait for you to meet Rebecca,
the bride.

- She's so tall, she's beautiful.
- Oh, I'm sure she is.

- She has such a lovely mother.
- Thank you.

Nora, you've never told me.
How did Justin and Rebecca meet?

- Holly, I smell your cake burning.
- So do I.

- In the kitchen.
- Yes. In the kitchen.

- I don't smell anything.
- You will, Mother. You will.

You never told her?

I told my mother
William had a mistress.

I neglected to tell her
the mistress's name.

Much less the fact that we thought
Rebecca was Justin's sister for a while.

I can't conceive of how I will explain
Ryan to her.

So please, please, Holly,
don't say anything.

Why would I say anything?

It's not like I could lead with,
"Hey. Hi, I'm the mistress."

All right, so Rebecca and Justin
met at a bar.

No, no. Wait, wait, wait, no, no.
That makes her sound too slutty.

- How about mutual friends?
- Mutual friends.

Nobody offered me anything
to eat on the airplane.

Apparently, I'm getting
the same service here.

You must be exhausted.
Come on. Why don't you sit down?

- I've got some quiche in the oven.
- I thought we were having cake.

I never liked these stools.
They're just too high for me.

You know, I prefer to sit
at a proper table,

but two men just picked up
your dining room table

and walked away with it, Nora.

JUSTIN: You should've told me.
- You asked for a recommendation.

No, I asked for a letter
of recommendation.

- I didn't ask you to call three regents.
- Okay, the distinction is lost on me.

The distinction is I'm in this program,
not because I belong there,

but because my brother-in-law
is a U.S. Senator.

Calls are made all the time.

They wouldn't let you in
if you weren't qualified.

You should've seen my advisor.

Practically told me I'm too dumb
to be in this program.

- Now, why would he say that?
- Because I'm in way over my head.

I think this guy wants me to flunk so he can
give my seat to someone who deserves it.

Okay, now hold on.

I wouldn't have written the letter or
made calls if I didn't think you deserved it.

Okay, you've been a medic in two wars.

You've dealt with everything on the
b*ttlefield from sucking chest wounds

to amputations, and I don't think
most science geeks can say that.

If it's the academics, then, you know,
you gotta man up and work harder.

Man up? How am I supposed to man up

when all my professors resent
my even being there?

Justin, you're not gonna solve
whatever's wrong here

by continuing to blame me
for helping you.

Well, maybe the problem is,
whatever I have to "solve," isn't solvable.

[KITTY SINGING]

Hmm. His ears look fine.

- I think he's just teething.
- That's really good,

because I thought maybe
I had given him something.

I've been having this sort of...

- I don't know, this low-grade fever thing.
- You do look a little pale.

- How's your energy?
- Oh, well, it's not as good as his.

- Any other symptoms?
- My glands have been a little swollen,

but that's just because I have allergies.

When did this start?

Oh, I don't know.
How long has this been going on?

Maybe a month, maybe six weeks.

- That's a long time to feel sick.
- Yeah, it's weird.

You know, I, um...
I had mono once when I was ,

and it kind of feels like that.

I doubt that's it, but you should have
a blood test just to be sure.

Really?

Do you think maybe you could save me
some time and do it here?

Sure. I'll send Lois in.
I'll have her bring you both a lollipop.

A lollipop.

A lollipop for you.

[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

Well, don't you two look nice.

[SCALES PLAYING ON PIANO]

- Mother, you changed your hair.
- Holly did it.

Ida has been telling me
all about your husband, William.

I am so sorry he's not still with us.

- You didn't miss much.
- Mother, please.

No, Holly's family.
She might as well know.

William was a cheater.

He had this bottle-blonde tramp
he kept across town to fornicate with.

- Mother. Mother.
- Piece of trash floozy

he picked up God knows where.

You know, Nora, you're lucky he didn't
pick up some disease while he was at it.

You know what, Holly?
It must be my oven.

I smell that cake of yours burning again.
I just... It's burning.

I don't smell anything.

Mother, you're wearing so much perfume,
all you can do is smell yourself.

[SOFT MELODY PLAYING ON PIANO]

- Wow, it's so white.
- Yeah, it's like Cristo's bar mitzvah.

Let's get a drink before
I have to introduce you to Grandma.

Promise me you won't say anything
to your family

- about the whole surrogacy thing.
- Absolutely.

I'm terrified once Mom finds out
she'll wanna choose a surrogate for us.

I'm terrified she's gonna wanna
be the surrogate for us.

Justin, where are you?
Everyone's arriving.

You were supposed to be here
an hour ago.

This is our engagement party.
Can you get here as fast as you can?

Oh, look, look, Grandma.
That's his tooth.

He has one little tiny tooth,
and you can really see it when he laughs.

ROBERT:
Yeah, which he does quite a bit.

Yeah, he does.

He does. Sometimes when I go
into his room in the morning,

I swear to you he's just sitting there
and he's laughing.

He's adorable. Say what you want,
but they do make cute babies.

Your mother promised to bring me
a piece of cake, and she never did.

Yeah, go get some cake, crazy lady.

[SIGHS]

- Are you okay?
- Yeah, I just don't feel very good.

Well, let's go. I don't think Justin's
very happy with me today anyway.

Yeah, well, I'll go see
if I can even find him.

IDA:
Oh, I'm sorry I missed your wedding.

I want you to know I am percent
in favor of gay marriage.

You are?

You know those
"Defense of Family" kooks?

I mean, what is all that about?
I mean, gays can't have families.

Grandma,
gay people can have children.

Well, apparently, you know something
about plumbing I don't.

- There's adoption.
- Well, I didn't know they let you do that.

- They do, and there's surrogacy.
- Kevin.

- And what's that?
- Well, uh, we find an egg donor

and then we hire a surrogate
to carry the baby to term.

Oh.

And which one of you
gets to sleep with the egg lady?

[DOOR OPENS]

- Oh, I'm sorry. I know I'm late.
- What happened?

- Are you okay?
- Yeah. I'm, uh, great. Never better.

- Where were you?
- I was at the library,

- and I lost track of time.
- I'm sorry.

You lose track of time on a Sunday
when you're hanging out,

not on the day
of your engagement party.

There are rules for when
I can lose track of time now?

- What is going on with you?
- Nothing. Just nothing.

- Justin, what is going on?
- You have to cut me some slack.

Because you have no idea
how much pressure I'm under right now.

- Holly, what are you doing?
- Justin arrived.

JUSTIN:
I'm disappointing everybody.

Yes, so I hear.

REBECCA:
It's the first time I've heard about this.

How do you expect me to understand

- if you don't talk about it?
- You wanna know?

- Yes, I want to know.
- I have three tests on Monday.

If I don't get at least a B in all of them,
I can kiss being a doctor goodbye.

If I'm lucky I'll get to clean
the doctors' pools. And you know what?

I know how important this wedding
and engagement extravaganza is to you,

but if you want me to be
that little plastic guy on top of the cake,

- this isn't gonna work for me.
- What? Wait, wait, wait.

So now this wedding is my idea?
Are you serious? That is so unfair, Justin.

If you don't think this is gonna work,
don't blame me.

I don't know what I was thinking.

- What were you thinking?
- I could handle medical school,

get married, and be married to you
without my life going into flames.

But you know what? I was wrong.

What are they yelling about?
The party can hear.

Okay, okay, okay. Change of plans.

Nora, you go inside, you tell them to kiss
and make up and get their butts outside.

- Outside?
- Yeah. Gifts outside, everybody.

Come on, everybody. Gifts outside.
Let's go. Come on, come on, come on.

Gifts outside?

Scotty! Saul! Grandma!

Do you want me to go out there and say,
"I'm sorry. My fiancé had a little freak-out.

- Be sure to try the salmon"?
- I heard the salmon's great.

Excuse me. I don't know
what you're arguing about, but...

- Not now, Mom.
- Yes, now.

Everyone is outside waiting for you,
so you have to pull it together

- and we have to go out there.
- Can you just give us one minute?

Sorry, no.

- What's the holdup?
- They're coming. They're coming.

What's that?

It's this really cute little picture frame
I got them. I had it engraved.

Oh, I'd hide that if I were you.

HOLLY:
Oh, there they are.

Rebecca and Justin,
happy engagement from me and David.

[ALL CHEERING]

DAVID:
Congratulations.

Oh, yeah. I love you both.

- Mom, check this... She got us a car.
- Wow.

Wow, you got them a car.

Holly, that's so generous of you.
Too generous.

- Well, they deserve it.
- Yes, they deserve it.

I thought the party was your gift. I thought
we decided not to give them anything else.

- Holly, don't. Don't...
- You broke the agreement.

I got them a picture frame.

Well, I find it interesting
that you have completely forgotten

- that you broke the rules first.
- How did I break the rules?

- You got them a diamond ring.
- The ring was my grandmother's.

- I gave it to Justin, he gave it to Rebecca.
- You know, it's amazing

how you always find the loophole
that you can crawl through, Nora.

I'd like to talk to you about loopholes.

Mom, I won't drive the car.
It'll be Rebecca's.

Nora, it's a lovely car, and clearly Holly
has the money to pay for it.

Yes, Holly has the money to pay for it.
Holly, do you want to tell my mother

how you happen to have the money
to pay for it?

She earned it, Nora.
She's the president of Ojai Foods.

Yes, she is the president of Ojai Foods.

Tell my mother how you happen
to become the president of Ojai Foods.

- How'd that happen, Holly?
- Okay.

I am the tramp that William
was fornicating with. I am the floozy.

And I was so good at it
that he gave me an endowment.

Okay, that's it. Justin, you were right.
I'm going home. Thank you all very much.

- Fine with me, Rebecca.
- Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

She...? Wait a minute.

- Is the party over?
- Yeah.

Yeah, it's over.

It's a good thing you're calling this off.
That girl could be your sister.

They are not brother and sister.

Mother, do you think I would approve
of this wedding if they were?

Nora, I am still trying to digest the fact
that you are hosting a party

- with your husband's mistress.
- Mother, shut up.

- Excuse me?
- You heard me, Mother. I said shut up.

SCOTTY:
It is a pretty night.

I was thinking about taking a walk
around the pool.

- Do you wanna come with me?
- Why, yes. That would be lovely.

Nora, I don't appreciate
being talked to like this.

- All right. Let's all get back to Justin.
- Or not.

Justin, listen to me. If your grades
are as bad as you say they are,

then you have to change something.

You have to do whatever you need
to do to stay focused.

If you have too much going on
in your life right now,

then you have to choose
what's most important.

Yes, Justin. Maybe you should
postpone the wedding for a few months.

Rebecca, won't go for that, all right?
She'd break up with me.

- I think she already did that.
- No, she didn't.

Justin, I know you love Rebecca.
I love Rebecca.

But she's not going anywhere.
And right now you're in med school.

Who cares if Robert pulled strings
to get you in? You're in!

And this is a chance
that won't come around again.

I know. And every person here is taking
their opportunity to tell me not to blow it.

So thanks for bringing that up.
I appreciate it.

- Maybe I shouldn't have bought the car.
- Mom, this is not about the car.

- This is about Justin.
- Well, if he made you this upset,

why don't we go over there and pick up
your things and bring them back here?

REBECCA: Oh, my God.
- David, it's not helping.

Sweetie, maybe it's not
the end of the world

that Justin wants to postpone
the wedding.

- What are you saying?
- He's studying night and day,

he's commuting so that he can see you,
he's overwhelmed.

- And maybe you're overwhelmed too.
- So now you're on Justin's side?

No, all I'm saying is maybe this is not
the perfect time to plan a wedding.

Well, when is the perfect time?
In four years when he graduates?

- When he's done his residency?
- Well, maybe it won't be that long.

Justin had a big setback.

Maybe he just needs some time
to regain faith in himself.

Well, what about having faith in me?
I've always been there for him.

- Yeah, but has he been there for you?
- Okay, I've gotta go home.

- What are you gonna say?
- I don't know.

Why don't you just spend the night and
then we can talk about it in the morning?

I feel like I need to figure
this out on my own. Okay?

[DOOR OPENS THEN CLOSES]

[PLAYS PIANO]

Justin?

- You know what I'm doing right now?
- What?

I'm plucking out random notes because
I don't know how to play the piano.

Because I never finished the piano
lessons you bought when I was .

You weren't into music,
you were into baseball.

I quit piano.
And eventually I quit the baseball team.

I was gonna quit that summer job
at Ojai, but Dad fired me first.

And I, uh, quit college.
That's what I do, Mom. I, uh, quit.

So you of all people
are entitled to doubt

whether I'm gonna be able
to finish medical school or not.

I don't doubt you.

What, you don't?

I'm just worried that you're gonna
somehow sabotage yourself

- by trying to do so much.
- Mom, I hate when you say that.

I need you to believe in me.
Especially now.

I'm so scared of disappointing you.

No matter how old I get,
I feel like I'm this kid sitting here

at the piano messing up with my mom
frowning at me in the doorway.

Justin.

When you were that little boy,
you were bored or distracted or rebellious,

but that was then and this is now.

And you are working so hard
on so many things,

and you're trying not to disappoint
Rebecca.

And not to let me down.
And what about you?

What do you really want?

And if what you want is to be a doctor,

then I don't think there's anyone
or anything that can stop you.

Really?

Really.

I guess it's a good thing they don't
send you my med school grades.

No more frowning.

Oh, God, was I really like that?
I'm just like my mother.

I never wanted to be like my mother.

I never wanted to make you feel
like you were a disappointment to me.

No, Mom. You're not.
You're not like Grandma.

Not even close.

- Really?
- Really.

[DOOR OPENS]

[SOMBER POP MUSIC PLAYING]

- Hey.
- Hey.

I wasn't sure you were gonna be here.

Yeah, neither was I.

We're, uh...

We're both here.
That's a good sign, right?

Yeah.

Justin, I wanna help you.

And I don't like seeing you
under all of this pressure,

and I certainly don't wanna add to it,
so...

Do what you need to do.

If you need to move out,
if you need to call off the wedding...

No, no, no. Rebecca,
I don't wanna call off the wedding.

I don't. Okay?

Everybody keeps telling me
in order to get through this

I need to believe in myself.

And you know what? They're right.

What I need from you is, um,

sometime in the middle of the night,

I'm gonna wake up with doubts
and freak out.

And I just need to be able to turn to you
and know that you believe in me.

I do believe in you.

I've always believed you could do this.

You're right. I know that.

- Do you?
- I do. I really do.

Good.

- So?
- So how about this?

How about tomorrow we have a picnic
at Zuma Beach?

- You don't have to take me on a picnic.
- I wanna take you on a picnic.

I mean, come on. We'll pack some food,
and if I have to study,

I might as well study in a beautiful place
with a beautiful girl.

- I'm gonna quiz you relentlessly.
- I hope you do.

I need all the help I can get.

- I love you.
- I love you too.

[SIGHS]

[MACHINE BEEPS]

GIBSON [ON MACHINE]:
Kitty, hi, this is Dr. Gibson.

Give me a call as soon
as you get this, okay?

Just tell my answering service
I'm expecting your call.

[MACHINE BEEPS]

That sounded important.

Um, no. No, no, no.
She's just a**l about following up.

Well, you know that.
Evan had a fever, so...

Okay. All right.
I've got some work I gotta catch up on.

- Good night.
- Good night.

[PHONE DIALING]

[LINE RINGING]

Uh, hi. Yes.
I'm, um, calling for Dr. Gibson.

It's Kitty McCallister.

Uh, yes. Yes, she's expecting my call.

How's Assembling a Child
by Tolstoy?

[SCOTTY SIGHS]

Okay, listen to this egg-donor contract.

"Except as set forth
in section . below

intended parents' payment
to o-site donor..."

- I can't understand a word of this.
- You don't have to.

That's the advantage of being married
to a lawyer.

Well, it's not just the fine print
I'm worried about.

[SIGHS]

Sometimes in contract negotiations,
it doesn't matter what you do,

one party will always find
something wrong.

And those deals never get done.

But it has nothing to do
with the fine print.

Usually, someone has cold feet,
so you have to tell me

if that's what you're feeling.

Okay.

The more real this gets,
the more scared I become.

That's how I'm feeling.

You'd... Ugh. You'd be crazy
not to be a little scared.

I'm not a little scared, Kevin.

I don't wanna move forward
with this until I'm sure.

I understand.

- Do you?
- Yeah.

I spent two years

being scared of committing to us,
to you, so,

it's my turn to wait.

Okay. I'm setting our new navigation
to take us to the beach.

I already know how to get to the beach,
Justin.

Look at you, all manly,
refusing to take directions.

And I made the sandwiches.
It's like a complete role reversal.

Let's just hope I'm a better driver
than you are a sandwich maker.

[MELLOWALTERNATIVE ROCK
PLAYING]

How have you been feeling lately?
Any colds, flu?

No. No, just a low-grade fever
on and off.

- And a little fatigue.
- Mm-hm.

You've got some enlarged nodes here
and there,

but this one is big enough
I'd like to take a closer look.

It's not bad. I just use a needle
to take out a few cells.

I can do it here in the office. I'd like to do it
right away if you've got the time.

Sure. What exactly are you looking for?

You know what? Let's not jump ahead.
See you in a few minutes.

I have a, uh...

- I have a baby boy at home.
- I understand.

I'll send Gina in to get you ready.

Goodbye, Nora.
It's been enlightening as always.

Mother, please, can't I talk to you?

- No, the taxi will be here in a minute.
- Look, I would like to apologize.

I came to your room last night,
but all the lights were out.

I took a pill.

I have trouble sleeping when things
are calm, so you can imagine.

Well, I have trouble sleeping too.
Maybe I inherited that from you.

- Something else that's my fault.
- That's not what I meant. Honestly.

Mother, I've been so out of it.

I've been anxious and worried
about my kids.

I don't know why.

Maybe I just took that out on you.

Oh.

From the minute my kids were born,
all I did was worry about them.

Hey, you know, this is gonna
be my ring's first picnic.

NORA: I thought, "Surely this will stop
when they get older."But, no.

What I worry about has changed,
but I'm still worrying.

- I'm gonna need you to stay very still.
- Okay.

NORA: And what good
has all this worrying done?

[SINGS INDISTINCTLY]

None.

With or without it,
my kids are doing just fine.

- What did you make?
- What did I make?

- I happened to make your favorite.
- They're happy and they're fine.

AVADON:
You're gonna feel a little stick.

I just need to learn to relax.

Rebecca!

[TIRES SCREECH]

I deserve to be happy.

[DOOR OPENS]

Well, I'm sorry to keep you waiting.

I just wanted to talk to the pathologist.

Kitty, it's, um, not good news.