06x13 - Father Time, Part 2

[bunniefuu]

♪ ♪

(no voice)

♪ I bet we've been together
for a million years ♪

♪ And I bet we'll be together
for a million more ♪

♪ Oh, it's like
I started breathing ♪

♪ On the night we kissed ♪

♪ And I can't remember
what I ever did before ♪

♪ What would we do, baby,
without us? ♪

♪ What would we do, baby,
without us? ♪

♪ And there ain't no nothing we
can't love each other through ♪

♪ What would we do, baby,
without us? ♪



Last week on Family Ties:

Now, let's not forget
that Rob and the kids

have really gone
through a tough time lately.

Let's try and remember
to be sensitive to that.

I didn't want to come here.
The flight was miserable,

and I'm counting the hours
till we go home.

Did you meet the guy
she went out with tonight?

Um, well, I don't know his name,
Uncle Rob.

But don't worry.
She's in good hands.

He's a Marine.

You got to let her know
where the line is,

the line she can't cross.

She's going to spend the night
at his place.

Oh, God, Jen.
I'm glad it's you.

I thought it was Alex.

I know the feeling.

What's going on?

Jen, you're not going to
believe this. I'm so upset.

What's the matter?
Did you dent the car again?

Yeah, I did,

but that's not what
I'm upset about.

Jennifer...

Marilyn did not come home
last night.

- Whoa. Really?
- Really.

She didn't come home.
Her bed wasn't slept in.

I don't know
what to do about it.

Uncle Rob is going to be so...

You were saying?

Nothing. Nothing.

Don't look at me.
I was with you.

All right, look,
this has got to stop.

I mean, every time I walk into
a room and you two are talking,

you stop talking, you pretend
you haven't been talking.

Hey, hey, don't shut me out!

Come on.
This is your brother, okay?

This is Alex Keaton,
the first name in trust.

I-I want to be part
of your little group, okay?

Please let me.

I-I want to share fully
and joyfully

in your rich, low-level gossip.

Come on. You were saying
something about Uncle Rob.

What was it?

Huh? Come on, come on.
Tell me. Tell me.

I beseech you. Okay?

I won't breathe
a word of it to anybody.

Marilyn didn't come home
last night.

I'm telling.

Don't you dare!

We got to call the police.
We got to call the police!

- She could be anywhere.
- No.

I think I know
where she is, Alex.

I think she's with the Marine.

We don't have
to call the police.

She's with the Marines.

Alex, if you ever want me
to tell you anything else

for the rest of my life,

you're going to have to swear
not to breathe a word of this.

All right, all right, okay.

All right, you have my word.

Well, that puts my mind at ease.

- Hi.
- MALLORY: Hi.

Marilyn didn't come home
last night.

I didn't say a word.

She called late last night
and said she was, uh,

spending the night
at her date's house.

Come on, Andy. Let's go see
what the Three Bears are up to.

No, this is better.

No, it's not.

I can't believe that Marilyn.

I mean, she...
she has absolutely no regard

for Uncle Rob's feelings.

Alex, I don't think you know
the whole story.

What's to know?
If you're years old,

you should be sleeping at home
with your parents.

I mean, the only time you should
be in someone else's bed

is when you're checked
into a hotel.

Or at a registered campsite.

Hey, uh, Uncle Rob, uh,
can I get you some coffee?

Oh, no, thanks, Alex.

You, uh... you sleep okay, Rob?

Oh, yeah. I dropped off
from : to : .

You know, you don't want
any more than that, you know.

I get more than minutes
sleep, I get groggy.

Well, at least sit down.
Let me make you some breakfast.

Oh, no, thanks, Elyse.
I'm-I'm going to go take a run,

just kind of clear my head,
you know?

I'll, uh... I'll be back
in about minutes.

Call me crazy,

but I'm going to side
with Uncle Rob in this thing.

Look, I had a long talk
with Marilyn last night,

and let me just say there's
a lot more going on here

than you might think.

Mallory,
if there's any information

you think we should have,
you should tell us.

Not in front of Alex.

Thank you.

Well, you know, this is
a very complex situation.

I-I talked for a long time
with Rob last night.

I was surprised
at what's all going on.

Elyse, if you have something
we should know,

now is the time to tell us.

Not in front of Alex.

All right, all right. Okay.

Hey, I'm just going to leave
home, all right?

I am leaving home.

This is me leaving home.

It was a thr*at, okay?

You're supposed to stop me!

Please, tell me.

Well, I-I don't think it's any
secret that Marilyn blames Rob

for the divorce,
and this is just her way

of getting back at him.

I didn't know that.

They've almost completely
stopped communicating.

I mean, Marilyn obviously does
everything she can to avoid

spending time together with him.

And when they are together,
they barely speak.

I had no idea.

And, uh, Rob isn't sure
how to handle her.

He doesn't know what to do.

He's afraid of losing her
altogether,

so he's, uh, tentative
and passive and unsure.

Who else knows about this?

I feel bad for Rob.
He's in a lot of pain.

I feel bad for me.
Nobody tells me anything.

Look, Rob and the kids
are our guests.

They're going to be staying here
for the weekend, and I...

I don't think we should
bring this up in front of them

unless they mention it first.

I think we should just pretend
that nothing is happening.

Good morning.

Good to see you, Marilyn.

Uh, can I get you
some breakfast?

Oh, no, thanks, Aunt Elyse.

I don't want to put you
to any trouble.

Oh, oh, it's no trouble.

I'll-I'll just take
a couple seconds,

and I'll scramble you up
a couple Marines.

(laughing)

What... what she means
are, uh... (chuckles)

Little marine animals.

Shrimp omelet, perhaps?

(knocking)

- Hi.
- Hi.

Well, do you want to be alone
or... or do you want to talk?

Let's talk.

I almost d*ed when I woke up

and I saw you weren't here
this morning.

I wish it would have been you

that answered the phone
when I called last night.

Well, my parents won't let me
have a phone in here.

They're afraid, if I had one,
I'd never leave my room.

And they're right, actually.

You don't realize
how lucky you are, Mal,

how much you have here.

I don't have a phone.

You have everyone here
under one roof.

Your mom, your dad,
Jen, Andy, Alex.

Uh...

All right, so it's not perfect.

You know, your dad
was real worried last night.

I know that.

Good.

(knocking)

Who is it?

It's Alex!

I'd like to talk to you!

I don't want
to talk to you, Alex.

Well, that's impossible!

You-you have no idea
what I want to say to you.

Alex, she doesn't want
to talk to you.

She wants to be alone.

How come she let you in?

It's my room.

That's no reason.

I just want to talk to her.

And not to me?

This is a new
personal all-time low.

(knocking)

We said we don't want
to talk to you! Go away!

ELYSE:
Mallory, it's me.

Come in, Mom.

ALEX:
Hold that door!

Close it, Mom!

ALEX:
How could you do that, Mom?

Shut the door
in your own son's face?

Oh, honey, come on.

It's not the first time.

I hope I'm not interrupting
anything.

No. We were just, uh, sort of...

Mom, why don't I have
a phone in here?

We were, uh... we were talking
about me and my dad.

I-I guess you've noticed
a little tension

between us since we got here.

Oh, honey, I know
you've been hurting,

and I've been trying
not to intrude.

But I-I'm
the oldest female here.

Uh, I don't want
to brag about that.

But if you need someone
to talk to, I am here for you.

Thanks, Aunt Elyse.

But there's really
not much to talk about.

Well, there is one thing
to talk about.

And if your mother were here,

she-she would say
exactly the same thing.

What you did last night
was frightening.

You know, spending the night
with a stranger,

it's-it's never
a smart thing to do, but...

these days, honey, it...
it's crazy.

I know.

Honey...

(knocking)

(sighs) Who is it?

STEVEN:
It's me... Dad.

Right, Alex.

It's a really bad imitation
of Dad.

I thought it was pretty good.

Nice.

ALEX: You know,
I'm really starting

to think you don't want me
in there.

Well, what's up, Dad?

Nothing. Nothing.

Just a real woman shortage
downstairs.

All right,
I can't take this anymore.

Every adult in this house
is in this room.

So, uh...

So...

This is what it's like in here.

Come on, everybody. Let's go.

I-I just got here!

Well, I guess I've gotten
everything I can out of this.

What happened last night
is never going to happen again.

You understand?

It was dangerous,
it was inconsiderate,

and it was insulting.

Not only to me, but to my
brother and his entire family.

Are you finished?

Now, you listen to me, Marilyn.

I have had it. I am through!

You wanted to hurt me?
Well, congratulations.

You've done a terrific job.

Let me tell you something.

No matter what you're thinking,
no matter what you...

you think has happened
between us,

I am still your father.

A father doesn't walk out
on his family.

A father doesn't run around
with women half his age.

A father doesn't embarrass...

You don't know
what a father does,

and you don't know what pain
I was going through.

Well, what about the pain
I'm going through right now?

What about Mom?

What about the pain
she's going through?

I couldn't help that, Marilyn.

I had to get out.

I only stayed as long as I did
because of you and Jonathan.

(sighs)
I don't want to listen to this.

I'm getting out of here.

What do you think you're doing?

Can I have my plane ticket?

I'm going home to Mom.

Your mother's not there.

She went away for the weekend.

I guess I'll be there
by myself, then.

Oh, no,
you're not going to be alone.

Well, then I will call Hank;
I will spend the night with him.

What the hell
do you think you are doing?

Now, you listen to me,
young lady.

You're only years old.

You're not spending another
night at some guy's house.

You're acting
like a little tramp.

Well, I'm my father's daughter.

Mmm.
Elyse, that was delicious.

Uh, I've never had sprouts
served quite that way before.

Oh.

Yeah, Mom wrote the book
on that.

A Mi//ion Strange Ways
to Serve Sprouts.

Thank you, honey.

Think I should bring
something up to Marilyn?

No, if she wants to eat,

she can come down
like anybody else.

Well, if anything
will lure her out,

it will be those sprouts.

Very tasty indeed, Mom,
although my hopes

for a national sprouts
crop failure are still high.

Game's all set up, Jonathan.

Okay, Andy, I'm ready.

What are you guys playing?

Chess.

Andy, you don't know
how to play chess.

Shh. I b*at him last game.

Oh.

You know something that we
haven't done in a long time?

Oh, no, Mom,
please don't say it.

BOTH:
Please, Mom, no.

How about a good, long walk?

Oh, no.

Mom, not the good, long walk.

I've outgrown
the good, long walk.

Rob and I will stay
and do the dishes.

No, I'll do the dishes.
I love dishes.

Let me... uh, Mr. Dish.

Now, come on, come on.
It'll do you all some good.

That's what all mothers
always say

just before they make you
do something you really hate.

Well, this is my kind of night.

A bowl of sprouts
and a forced march.

Let's do the dishes.

Let's have a beer.

Better idea.

Remember the first time
we had a beer together?

Sure.

In the basement of the house
on Carroll Street.

We were so cool.

Dad didn't suspect a thing.

Well, there was no reason
for him to suspect anything.

I was six.
You were three.

How much did we drink anyway?

(exhales)
I don't know.

How big were
those Mickey Mouse cups?

I'm so embarrassed
about this, Steven.

What are you talking about, Rob?
We were just kids.

Not about that.

About this whole thing.

About the divorce, Marilyn.

Rob, stop.

You know, this is the only time
I've been glad Dad isn't alive,

that he didn't live to see this.

He, uh... he wouldn't
have understood, you know.

I'm not so sure.

You think he would have
understood a guy my age

leaving his family
because he needed to be happy?

A guy like Dad?

He never had less
than four jobs at once.

The man didn't have a chance
to sit down for minutes,

let alone figure out
if he was happy.

That was a different generation.

They didn't know about divorce.

They were too busy arguing
with each other to get divorced.

You remember the lady who lived
on th Street on the corner?

The one who did get divorced?

Mm-hmm, Mrs. Bloom.

Remember all the fuss,
all the whispering?

Her full name became
"Mrs. Bloom She's Divorced."

We'd see her and point,

"There goes Mrs. Bloom
She's Divorced."

Even Mr. Bloom called her that.

Did I ever dream
in my wildest nightmare

that it would happen to me?

That I'd become
"Robert Keaton He's Divorced"?

You were very unhappy
in your marriage, Rob.

So was Maureen.

That was no way for you to live,
for your kids to live.

I-I think you're
much better off this way, Rob.

I honestly do.

Yeah, well, times like this,
I wonder, Stevie.

At least before,
I knew what I was.

I was a father.

I was a husband.

All right,
I was an unhappy husband,

but I was a husband.

See, people could relate
to that.

They'd come up,
ask me what I was.

I'd say,
"I'm an unhappy husband."

They'd say, "You, too?"

You know, I made a lot
of friends like that.

Well, at least it
looked like a family.

But that was
just a picture, Rob.

It wasn't real.

It had nowhere to go.

What do I do with Marilyn?

She loved that picture,
whether it was real or not.

Now she doesn't even want
to talk to me.

She thinks I'm the lowest form
of life on the planet.

For God's sake, Rob,

it's not right to let her
brand you like that forever.

You've got to keep going.

You've got a whole new life
to build for yourself.

So does Marilyn.

I don't know, maybe, uh...

(sighs)
Maybe that's something

you're both going
to have to do separately.

Maybe you have to let her go.

(chuckles)

That's easy for you to say,
Steven.

She's not your daughter.

No, but you're my brother,

and it's k*lling you.

(knocking)

Can I talk to you?

I'm going to talk anyway.

If that's a mistake,

then it's one
of a group of mistakes

I've made since, uh,

your mother and I decided
to get divorced.

That was not a mistake,
by the way.

It's a terrible thing
to have happen to a family,

but it wasn't a mistake.

What was a mistake
was having an affair.

I did; you know I did.

It was after your mother and I

knew that we couldn't
be together anymore,

but we were
still living together.

We weren't divorced,

and I had an affair.

It didn't seem wrong
at the time,

but it was.

It was wrong, and I'm sorry.

But I don't think
I should have to pay for it

for the rest of my life.

What do you want me to do?

I mean, wh-what do you want
from me?

Go back to Mom.

I can't do that.

You loved her.

You still love her.

That's over, honey.

It can't be over.

It's just too mean.

It's too impossible.

I know, it seems that way.

I'm sorry.

What could I do?

You could have thought
about somebody besides yourself.

Well, I'm thinking
about somebody

beside myself right now.

I'm thinking about you,

'cause we have to go on
from here.

Not the way we were.

We can't ever be that way again.

We can never be
that family again.

We have some decisions
to make here.

We have to decide

how we are going to be
in each other's life.

What-what do you want me to do?

Do... do you want me to just...
just go back

at playing father and daughter?

After all that's happened,

do you want me
to keep on pretending?

No.

I'm through pretending.

Maybe we can never be...

father and daughter
again like that.

Maybe we can never be...

that way again.

But we have to find out

what we're going to be
to each other.

I just want
to be something to you.

Just don't hang me
out to dry, Marilyn.

Please just let me in.

(crying):
I don't want it to be like this.

It doesn't have
to be like this, honey,

because I just want to help you.

Just let me be your father.

I just want to be your father,
Marilyn.

Just let me be your father.

I love you so much.

I love you, too, Dad.

Dad and Uncle Rob are brothers.

You know, just like you and me.

Right.

And Uncle Rob is-is having
a hard time right now,

you know, what with the divorce
and everything.

But-but-but Dad is hurting, too,

you know,
'cause they're brothers.

Get to the point.

Right.

Well, see, Andy,
I've been thinking.

(clears throat)

Who you marry

is very important to me.

To me, too.

To you, too. To you, too.

But-but it's very important
to me.

I mean, I mean, what happens if
you marry somebody I don't like?

That wouldn't be good.

No.

No, it wouldn't.

So I've figured out a way

to make sure
that doesn't happen, okay?

Andy, I'm going to have
to pick your wife.

Okay, but do a good job.

(chuckles)

You know, Andy, you and I...

(clears throat)

I hope we're not
interrupting anything.

Some low-level gossip, perhaps?

We have no secrets.

We were talking about...

Nothing, nothing.

Yeah, nothing at all.

Come on, honey.

- It's time for bed.
- Yep.

Oh, Mom.

I want to stay up
and say good night

to Uncle Rob and the cousins.

I think they're busy, honey.

Uh, you can say good night
in the morning.

Yeah, come on.

Alex is going
to pick out my wife.

Well, one less thing for you
to worry about as you grow up.

- Come on.
- Yeah.

Who knows where we can get

a good pizza
this time of night, huh?

Well, if you're really hungry,
th-there's more

sprouts Wellington
in the fridge.

Uh, no, thanks, Elyse.

Actually, we just want to spend
some time alone together.

Kind of a father-daughter
night out.

We've got a lot to talk about.

Uh, want me to come along?

See, you know,
kind of a father-daughter, um...

uh, cousin night out.

No, thanks, Alex.

Eh.

Well, looking good.

It's a start.

Whatever, it's just good
to see you guys talking again.

Hey, look.

We've got to find
these people some pizza.

Look, there's only
one place to go.

- Alberto's on Euclid Avenue.
- Dad.

Alberto's? They're the worst.

Go to Dominick's.

What, Dominick's House
of Inedible Pizza?

No, go to Caruso's.

Caruso's? They-they got pizza
like cardboard.

No, no, the best place to go...

Hey, I happen
to love cardboard, okay?

The best place to go for pizza
is Guido's.

- Guido's.
- MALLORY: Guido's?

This coming from the woman

who served us algae
for dinner tonight.

Okay, hold it, hold it,
hold it, hold it.

I know just the place...
the best pizza in town.

- Dad.
- What?

MAN:
Sit, Ubu, sit. Good dog.

(Ubu barks)