01x03 - Who Do You Wanna Be?

[bunniefuu]

Previously
on "Council of Dads"...

- We need to talk about Robin.
- She seems fine to me.

She's not fine, Oliver.
Her husband died.

I want my husband back!

And we're his council,
but we need your buy-in.

You want buy-in,
I'm all-in.

You're like your dad.

What does this have
to do with your dad?

I want to write
the story of him

and the story of me
this past year,

and why go to New York
if the story's here?

- She has your eyes.
- Michelle!

- I am pretty sure she's...
- Me too.

She never needs to know.

Why are you still
wearing your rings?

I don't know.

I like 'em.

Doesn't that mean
you're still married?

I already feel

Like doing it again

Come here.

The past has a way
of holding on to us.

We remember good times...

and long for what's familiar.

But there's a part of us

that knows we can't cling
to the past.

We have to face the future.

Charlotte said I have to
drive her to her soccer game.

Yes.

Larry called
an emergency council meeting,

but I'll meet you there.

- Nobody even asked me.
- Okay. I'm asking you now.

Come on.
It'll be good for you.

Get outside,
get a little sunshine.

Get out and see some stuff.
Yay!

I wish Dad was still here.

So do I.

Scott set up
the Council of Dads

to help his family
move past his death.

But that's not so easy...

for any of us.

I just want to stay high

With you

'Cause where I come from

Everybody frowns
and walks around

With that ugly thing
on their face

And where I come from

We work hard and grind

And hustle all day

Yes, we do

There comes a time

Tuck your fingertips
unless you want to lose one.

Larry called. He wants the
place spick and span

for some bigwig.

Who?

I didn't ask.
Mary scares me.

I'm your boss now.
You should be scared of me.

You get blood in my onions,
you're fired.

- What exploded in here?
- Waffles.

Baby, nobody wants to see
your nasty, chewed-up food.

- I got to go.
- Come on.

It's a few dirty dishes,
not the apocalypse.

Sit down.
- No, it's not that.

Larry called a council meeting.
Sounds important.

Well, don't be late
to Tessa's game.

- That's important, too.
- I wouldn't miss it.

Damn.

You put your foot in that.

- Love you!
- Love you!

Hey, Ollie.
You still speak teenage boy?

I might be able
to dust it off.

What's up?

I have a Theo problem.

He's holed up in his room,

and the only time he comes out
is to slam doors in my face,

and I don't know if that's
a normal teenage thing

Or if it's
because his dad died.

Yeah.

Say no more.
I'm on it.

You know what
this meeting is about?

Yeah, I asked Larry to take
a look at my finances.

I think he has
some kind of proposal.

The Gladwell Restaurant Group
is interested

in acquiring the Crab Shack.

In front of you is
their initial proposal,

pending a tour
and a peek at the books.

- Wait, what?
- "Acquiring" as in buying it?

Yes. Robin, gets a lump sum
up front.

10% royalty for 10 years.

Since when is this place
for sale?

It wasn't, Anthony.
They approached me.

And you expect me
to believe that?

Selling businesses
is my business.

This is what I do.

No.
Actually, this is what I do.

Restaurants are my business.

- That's a large number.
- It's an estimate.

It'll firm up after the tour.

The Crab Shack
isn't for sale.

Well, that's up to Robin.

You know, well, she asked me
to look at her finances.

Can everybody shut up
for one second?

Are my finances that bad?

Scott's medical bills
ate into the college fund.

I know we dipped into them.

Selling feels
like an overcorrection.

What if the markets tank?

People stop eating out
with less disposable income.

Or what if there's a bad
crabbing season or a hurricane?

- That's a lot of what-ifs.
- That's why Scott hired me.

But he hired me
to protect his values,

his legacy, which are about
more than money.

They say they want to keep
the family feel.

Just without the family.

$750,000.
That's a lot of money.

I mean, and that's, what,
ten years of net profit?

It's an aggressive number,

and I think
I can get it even higher.

This place, it is Scott.

It's where he grew up,
grew sober.

It's where
he invented the Scotty.

- What's the Scotty?
- It's a crab sandwich.

Scott used to call it
his secret weapon.

And he made it for me
when we first met.

- Yeah, he was wooing you.
- No, he was wooing you.

Yeah, getting you on board
was part of the "woo".

I'm sorry, but is a sandwich

gonna put four kids
through school?

You know what? You don't have
to make up your mind right now.

Actually,
there's a clock on the deal.

What?

They had to pump the brakes
on another sale to consider us.

If the tour goes well
and the offer firms up,

they'll need to know fast.

- How fast?
- 48 hours.

Council of Dads
S01E03 - Who Do You Wanna Be?

"So I take a can of corn
from the cupboard,

"and my dad asks me,
'What are you doing?'

"I stand up tall and proud,
and I tell him,

"'My Brownie troop is
collecting food for the poor.'

And he says,
'Luly, we're the poor.'"

And in that moment, I realized
what a great dad he was."

Your dad died,

and you've written me a story
about a can of corn?

It's a story about how
he became a dad and how he

What?
How he what?

If you let me finish,

I get to a part where I talk
about feeding him corn

when he was dying.

Okay, so now you're
feeding him as he fed you,

and now you've become the
parent, and isn't that deep?

My dad died,
so I don't appreciate.

I care deeply
about what you think,

which is why
I'm not interested

in the platitudes
that you're writing.

This is a memoir class,

and you've written me
an Instagram post.

You started off great.

You had that line
about your dad

arriving drunk at your birth,

and I thought,
"Well, now there's something,"

but then you went off
into this hero-worship piece

about your perfect dad.

You seem to have no feelings
about the fact

that he arrived drunk
at your birth.

Where's the depth?

I'm happy to write
new material.

- I'm not scared of hard work.
- What are you scared of?

What was he scared of?

You've got to dig deeper

into that memory

and try to be honest,
if you can.

I thought you and I
were making some progress.

How so?

Why are you unloading
the Crab Shack

when I just left Pelago
to run it myself?

Robin and the kids
can rely on Gladwell.

So you're saying
they can't rely on me?

I specifically
didn't say that.

I am here.
I am showing up.

I crammed everything I own
into Robin's guesthouse

while I look for my own place.

Well, that sounds
like tight quarters.

It's not great,
Larry, no,

but that's just how committed
I am to being here.

For now, but can you
guarantee you'll be here

in five years or ten?

Because the Gladwell money
will be.

You're not management, Anthony.
You're talent.

You can take a tomato
and make me happy

to pay $16 for it

because it tastes
out of this world.

What happens when
your talent leads you away

from a restaurant that serves
wet wipes with its entrees?

Is your problem
with the Crab Shack or me?

My problem is, is you're
taking it personally.

It's strictly business.

So that council meeting

turned into
the Larry and Anthony show.

Scott hired
himself a couple yellers.

Right?
He also hired you.

Right now
I need to hear your voice.

I can hardly hear my own.

I think selling the Crab
Shack is a very big decision.

You're selling
the Crab Shack?

Not if you make that face,
I'm not.

I'm sorry.
It's just...

Shocking? Sickening?
Wrong?

Yes, all of those.
Tess is back in.

That's that hustle!
Let's see some hustle, baby!

I don't know, Ollie.

I mean, we saved for years
to buy it,

so selling it feels
like k*lling our little dream.

I don't want to be
a dream k*ller.

Well, the Crab Shack
was Scott's dream, not yours.

Scott is gone,
and Mama's got bills to pay.

sh**t. I'm on call,
and they're calling.

Go. We got the kids.

Hey, Theo,
I'm gonna see you at home.

Theo, if you don't say
good-bye to me,

I'm gonna hug you in front
of all these people.

Bye.

- What you doing?
- k*lling zombies.

Is that how you get out
aggression?

Nope. I'm just bored.
Soccer's boring.

You know what?
I agree.

Hey, you know
what's not boring?

Football.

I used to play at Duke,
you know.

Yeah, I know.
You talk about it a lot.

Because it's the best.

When you're in that uniform,

you get to do things
you'd otherwise go to jail for.

When are tryouts?

I don't know.
I never make the team.

- Guys train for that all summer.
- Then we better get started.

- Heads up!
- Dude, my phone.

Excellent instincts.

You want your phone back?
Go long.

Come on. Come on.
Cut through!

- Yeah!
- Let me see that hustle!

There it is, baby.
There it is.

That's my baby!
That's right!

Yes!

That's what I'm talking about!

Baby, you see that?

Nice.

Good job, baby.
Good job.

Excellent instincts.

We operate
at 95% capacity in season,

- and here we have the kitchen.
- Great.

Anthony,
why don't you offer Margo

a sample
of our signature bisque?

Secret recipe included
in the sale.

Yeah, that's the right amount
of cayenne that's perfection.

With a palate like that
you can probably taste

the fresh local crab.

Will that stay
the same with Gladwell?

Actually, one of the
benefits of partnering with us

is our access
to bulk purchasing.

It keeps the cost down,

and our customers
have proven in taste tests

that they prefer the frozen
stuff to the real deal.

Yeah.

- I find that hard to believe.
- I know.

It hurts, but it is the truth,
and I thrive on honesty.

So, if that's gonna be
a deal breaker for you,

then just say so.

- Far from it. Would you like
to see the front of the house?

- Sure.
- If you'll excuse me.

I got to go and meet a fresh
delivery while I still can.

You are not
a 32-week pregnant woman

in pre-term labor, I hope.

Your resident said
you have a minute.

I had a bad day.

- No. What happened?
- I tanked at writers' group.

The leader hated my story
so much,

she didn't even
let me finish it.

- You're a great writer.
- You have to say that.

You're my mom.
- I don't lie.

Did I tell Charlotte
that she was good at pottery?

- No, but that was easy,

because she's also a genius
at everything else.

You're a genius at writing.
That woman's wrong.

- My story's about
Dad...

and stuff.

- What stuff?

- Was he scared to die?

- You know, love,
this isn't a great time

for that conversation.

- It's never a great time.

You guys protected us
so much that now

I'm the idiot reading a memoir

with a flat character in front
of a group of real writers.

- He was terrified.

After he found out
that the cancer was back...

he fell off the wagon.

- He was 23 years sober.

- It was one night.
It was one slip.

Larry brought him home.

And he was so ashamed,

it was a week before even
we could talk about it.

- Wow.

That's...

Wow.

- Want another wow?

There is a company that wants
to buy the Crab Shack

for a lot of money.

- You want to sell Dad's place?
- I don't want to sell it.

- Then why are you
even considering it?

It's not like
we need the money.

- We do, actually.
- Since when?

- I mean, since forever.

We got five kids
and medical bills and...

And I wish that he was here
to tell me what to do,

but he's not.

I take it your vote is no?

- It's not a yes.

Sorry.

What do the little kids think?

I'm telling them tonight.

Ice cream sundae bar.
- Ice cream sundae bar.

- Evan, I am thrilled
you're coming back

to the architecture program.

- Yeah. It's good.
You know, my mom's better.

I got married.
I'm in a good place.

A lot's changed for you,
in two years...

and us, too.

Have you heard about the lab?
- Yeah.

You're going into neighborhoods
and renovating old houses.

- We're going into
Cuyler-Brownsville.

- I was born over there.

- I remember, from your
final paper in my class.

You inspired this lab, Evan.

It's hands-on experience
for the students

and some welcome revitalization
for that neighborhood.

So are you guys
gentrifying the place?

- We're not trying
to displace anyone,

if that's what you mean.

- Yeah, no, I...

Sorry. I didn't mean--
- No.

- We moved out when I was ten,

but that neighborhood
means a lot to me.

You know, it was founded
by sl*ves after the Civil w*r.

- We're working with
the local community leaders

to make sure it keeps
its historical designation.

- Cool, cool, cool...

So one other thing...

I noticed the tuition hikes.
- Yeah.

It's the cost
of doing business.

- Right...

the cost just feels
a little extra this year,

with my mom's medical bills
still rolling in.

- Yeah, well, we have got
substantial financial aid.

Here.

Welcome back.

That is how you outrun zombies.

- I could never do that.
- Yeah, man.

A little practice and coaching,
you could get there.

All right, look, um,
you see this chair?

- Yeah.
- Okay, that is a zombie,

and the corner--
that's a zombie, too.

Also the basket, all right?

Now, you got something
they want.

- What's that?
- The football.

And you would eat dirt
before you let 'em have it.

He hurdles!

He jukes!
He jumps!

What's he gonna do?

There are zombies everywhere.
What's happening? He ducks!

Another fake!

And he scores!

- You want to try out
for the team?

You got that guy
as your secret weapon.

Nice catch.

- Hey, Larry.
I need to talk to you.

- Is this about the Crab Shack?

Because as God as my witness,
they approached me first.

- I found out about my dad
falling off the wagon.

I'm trying to write
about his last year,

including that night.

My mom said
you met him at the bar.

- I did.

- What did he say?

- That's not for me
to tell you.

- Well, he obviously
can't tell me.

- What is it
that you're looking for?

- What he was feeling,
why he drank.

- He drank because
he was an alcoholic.

- But he was sober
for 23 years.

- And he died 67 days sober...

And he was as proud
of those 67 days

as he was the 23 years
that came before.

- I know
all the good stuff, Larry.

I know that he was a great guy

and that he fought
for his sobriety

and he loved his family,

but in order for me
to write about me,

I need to know about him.

I need to know his demons.

- Do you know how lucky you are
that your dad quit drinking

before he ruined your life?

That you didn't have
to see his demons?

That you got to admire
your dad?

Because he was admirable.

Appreciate that gift, Luly.

Walk
that lonesome valley

- Hey.

Your ring...
it's stunning.

It's!
Thank you.

- I just got engaged.

The ring still feels kind of
clunky and awkward, but--

Do you get used to it?
- You do, yeah.

Congratulations.
- Thank you.

How long have you been married?

My husband...

I'm a widow.

I'm so sorry.

- Could I...
- Yeah. Of course.

- Thanks.

- Hey.
- I got your favorite Cab.

- Wine is a weird way to end
the day you found out your dad

fell off the wagon.

And my mom might sell
the Crab Shack.

- babe.
I thought I had a long day.

- Yeah.

This morning I was a writer,
and my dad was 23 years sober,

and we were keeping
the Crab Shack forever.

Now I don't know.

I'm mostly
just playing solitaire

and feeling sorry for myself.

- Me too.

- Why?
What happened?

- Nothing yet.

It's just these
student loans...

It's a lot.

- We're gonna pay it back.

You're so talented,

and you said
it was your final paper

that gave them the idea
to go to Cuyler-Brownsville.

You're amazing, and you are
gonna get so many job offers

when you graduate.

- Starting salary
for a talented architect

is $51,735.

Do you know how long it's gonna
take me to pay back 75 grand?

A long time.

- But you need your degree.
- Yeah?

- You know what?

You need some wine.
I'm gonna open this bottle.

- Okay.

Hey, you want to know
what your dad was like

when he drank,
ask Anthony.

I bet that dude knows
all kinds of stuff.

- Hustle up!
All right.

Theo, we're gonna run
a quick slam. What is that?

- I drive off the ball,
run five yards,

and cut in a 45-degree angle.

- Boom.
JJ, you're on defense.

Try not to let
Theo freak you, okay?

Ready?
Go!

Eyes, Theo.
Extend your hands.

Yes!
- You caught it!

- That's
what I'm talking about!

That's what I'm talking about!

- I kept sliding around.
- That's not your fault.

You've got on high-tops.
We'll get you some cleats.

But you've got something
that's way more important.

You got sticky fingers.

Not a lot of people have that.

Hey, can we go again?

- We're gonna have to go again
if you want to make the team.

- I want to make the team.
- I can't hear you.

- I want to make the team!

- That's what
I'm talking about!

All right.
Go long.

Make that triangle.

There it is!

- Well, this certainly will be

the most picturesque
Gladwell location, easy.

- Well, to be fair,
our competition is airports

and strip malls.

Pretty low bar.
- What a thinly veiled insult.

- I take it you liked
your tour?

- Sure.
What's not to like?

- You studied French cuisine
under Alain Ducasse in Paris.

- You Googled me.

- I'm just wondering
how you parlayed the tutelage

of a Michelin-starred chef
into Gladwell.

- Well, we can't
all create Pelago

and end up on "Chef's Table."

- You Googled me, too.

- No.
I was already a fan.

Pelago's special, and the
Crab Shack is--

it's not Pelago.

- Please understand
that insulting the Crab Shack

is like calling my baby ugly.

- But it's not your baby.

It was your friend's.

So I do have to ask, what
are you doing here, Anthony?

- Coming back home.
- No.

Internet says
your home is Chicago.

- Exactly.

I walked through
those doors a virgin

to Southern cooking.

Never seen an oyster,
let alone shuck one,

and there was Scott Perry.

This skinny
Southern guy asking me

if I want a low country boil.

I was like, "A what?"

The food here is
Savannah culture on a plate.

We source locally
from fishermen right out there

because we know the locals...

because we are the locals.

This place is an institution,

and I'm just trying to keep it
in the Perry family.

- Those Perrys mean a hell
of a lot to you, don't they?

- Yeah.

They do.

- Babe, check it out--
my old helmet.

- Hot.

- Yeah, I think I'm gonna
give it to Theo.

- What?
You don't think I should?

- No.

It's just I think maybe
Tess would want it.

- Babe, Tess doesn't
play football.

- I know.

- Okay, I won't give it to him.

- No.
You should give it to him.

You're right.
Tess doesn't play football.

- You still mad
I was late tonight?

Babe, you should have seen
his face.

He was so into it.
I couldn't just walk away.

- I know. I'm not mad.
I just miss you.

And you look adorable
wearing that thing.

- Who wants a sundae?
- Ice cream!

Ice cream.

That's you.

- You made a sundae bar
when you told us

Dad was stopping treatment.

- Don't be a bummer.
- Mom's got bad news.

I can smell it.

- It's not bad news.
It's just news.

There is a company that wants
to buy the Crab Shack.

They toured it today,
and they liked what they saw.

- But you said no, right?

- Well, that's what
we have to decide.

- I told you it was bad news.

- So we're deciding
whether or not

to throw away the Crab Shack?

- Yeah.
Do you want to throw away Dad?

- No, buddy.
Of course not.

- But you are selling him out.
- What does Luly think?

- Honestly, she's having
a hard time with it.

- Yeah.
So am I.

- Fair, but if we did decide to
sell, we could still eat there.

Some other company
would just be in charge.

- Could I still work there
when I'm old enough, like Dad?

- Sure.

Listen, I know it's only money,
but the amount they're offering

could put all you guys
through college.

- What if I get a scholarship?

Then can we keep
the Crab Shack?

- Yeah, and I don't even
need tuition,

'cause I'm not
going to college.

- Theo, yes, you are.
- Says who?

- Says me,
but you know what?

Let's have this fight tomorrow.
I'm exhausted.

- Us too, from football.

- Yeah?
Who's playing football?

- Theo.
He has sticky fingers.

That means
he's gonna make the team.

- What team? The football team?
- Oliver's been coaching me.

He says I'm really good at it.

- Theo, pick a sport
with a lower rate

of life-altering brain injury.

I beg you.
Dad loved soccer, right?

- Yeah, and he died anyway.

- What's this?

- Precious cargo.
The bait.

- It's raw chicken necks.

- Luly, we have chicken necks.

- Want to come crabbing
with us?

- I can't.
I'm on a writing deadline.

- What's up?

I got to get out there
before the tides change.

- Hey, I have some questions,

and I think you might
have the answers.

- Why is that?

- You know the truth
about my dad.

- What about your dad?

- About our life
when I was a baby.

It's for a "launch my career"
kind of writing project.

What's the real story there?

The real story...

is a long one.

Got to get going.

- Well, I guess
I'm coming with you, then.

- Hey.
- Let's go.

- We going fast
or super fast?

Super fast!

- Skip the line,
skip the line

Skip the line

- This is a grade-three
brain bleed on a 13-year-old.

The cause?
- Robin...

- Football.

This guy's TBI is so severe,

he can barely remember
where he lives.

how'd he get that way, Ollie?

- Likely years
of playing professional--

- By playing football.
- You asked me to help.

- Yes, I asked you to help
not make things worse.

I am fighting my own battles
with this kid, Ollie,

and you've turned me

into the wicked witch
who said no to football.

- What if you considered
saying yes?

- Have you seen the scans?

- I know the risks,
and as Dr. Post,

I struggle with the game,

but as Oliver, football
got me through some hard times.

College wasn't easy.

I was still closeted,
and football was my salvation.

- I know, but--

- When's the last time you saw
Theo excited?

- I mean, it's Theo.
- I'm honestly asking.

- I mean, it's been a while.

- Exactly, and you were right
to be worried before.

Theo has a lot of aggression
and no place to put it.

Football can be that place.

- I can't sign a permission
slip for my son to get hurt.

- It's a tough call,

but there are two types
of kids--

kids who play in the park
during the day

and kids who drink there
at night.

We both know
which one Scott was.

Which kid do you want
Theo to be?

- Did you see that?
- Yeah.

- What do you think it is?

- I want to write about my dad,

and all I've ever been told
is he was a drunk,

he had me, he got sober.

What really happened there?

- It was a messy situation.
- I know.

I mean, I know
about the adoption.

- You do?
- Yeah.

- Okay.

I just don't even think
your mom knows about them.

- About who?

- You just said you know
about the adoption?

- I know I was put up
for adoption.

- Right.
- Who's them?

The couple that was
gonna adopt me?

- Yeah.
- What are you not telling me?

- There's stuff your dad

obviously didn't want you
to know.

It's not my story to tell.

- It's my story.

That's the thing,

and if he didn't want me
to know it, then he was wrong.

Can't he have been wrong?

Okay...

The couple that wanted
to adopt you...

They did.
They took you home.

- I had another family?

For how long?

- Couple of months.

Your dad decided
he wanted you

a few weeks
after you were born,

but we had to go
to court, so...

you stayed with them
while we fought for you.

- And they fought for me, too.

- They did, and they lost,
because your dad won.

- He said he saw
my face after I was born

and knew who he wanted to be.

- And I think that's true.

But I also think it's true
that he was scared to death.

I mean, he was young, single,
and broke and an alcoholic.

So what did he do?
He went on a bender.

A couple of weeks later,
he shows up at my door,

obliterated, saying
he wants to get sober

and he wants to be a dad,
and would I help him?

- And you did?

- I threw him
in a cold shower.

I poured out
all the booze in the house,

because I could see if anything
was gonna make my friend sober,

it was you.

And I did.

- Yeah.

Yeah.
You did.

- Hey, Mom,
we made you a Scotty.

- What is going on here?

- It's farm to table.

- Did you know you can rub

a crab's belly
to make it fall asleep?

It's not asleep right now.

It's dead
because we caught it.

Um...

Where's Theo?
He didn't go with you guys?

- He's mad
you won't let him do football.

He went to Brandon's.
- His loss.

Anthony taught us how
to make Dad's special sauce.

He did?

Can I talk to Anthony
for one second alone?

And thank you.
Thank you.

- Of course.
- Okay.

You are ruthless.

- I don't know
what you're talking about.

- Trying to sway my vote with
a sandwich and my children.

- I don't know.
Maybe.

Why don't you take a bite?

Robin, the Crab Shack is Scott.

You walk in that door,
and it's haunted.

I see him in every inch
of that place.

It's who he was.

It's how we can keep him alive.

- He's not alive, Anthony.

As much as we may wish it

and want him to be,
he's not coming back.

And we have to accept that,

I forgot how good this is.

What is it
about this sandwich?

- It's Scott.

- Yeah.

- You know what?

Just sleep on it, okay?
- Okay.

Wake up, Theo.

Go away.
- No.

Be safe, okay?
And keep your grades up.

The first concussion,
this goes away.

You're gonna let me
play football?

- Against
my better judgment, yes.

- "The truth is, he looked into
the eyes of the baby and ran.

"He was scared, and when
he returned two months later

"and ripped me from the couple
who had adopted me,

"he was still scared.

"I have to figure out
who he was.

"More importantly...

I have to
figure out who I am."

As long as I'm breathing

Wish I had something
to say

But I don't

Wish I had something
to say

But I don't

We're on hallowed ground,

and I wanted to give you guys
my answer here.

Anthony, you're right.

I feel Scotty the minute
I walk in the door.

You know, it's...

where he got
his first paycheck...

and his last,

and...

It's where
he got down on one knee

and asked me to marry him.

It's where our whole
family started.

But keeping this place isn't
gonna bring him back, is it?

So I'm asking you to help
keep his memory alive.

I need you to preserve
what makes this place special

and really take care of it.

And if you'll do that...

then I'll sign.

- It's doable.

There are so many things
we already like

about this place as is.

In fact, we very much
would like Anthony to stay on

and see us through
the transition.

He adds stability and value.

And so, if we can get him
to agree to one year,

then I would say
we have a deal.

- That's a big ask.

Anthony,
if that's too big, I get it.

- You sure this is
what you want?

I can't live in the past.

I got to keep moving forward.

- Then I guess you got
yourself a deal.

- So I'll see you tonight

at Tess's
parent-teacher conference?

- When is it again?

- 5:00.
- 5:00?

Who schedules these things?

5:00 is still the workday.

Can you cover for me, babe?

- Sure.
- Thank you.

- You know, it's noon now.

That's the workday, too,
but you're here.

- Well, I had to be here.

- No.

You chose to be here, like you
chose to run plays with Theo.

- Peter, come on.

- Do you think
I want to be the guy

who's jealous of the family
that just lost their dad?

I hate feeling like this.

- I can make more time
for you and Tess.

All you got to do is ask.

- I have asked,
but you're always slammed,

and Robin asks you
to find some time,

and, magically, time appears.

Tell me I'm wrong.

I want to be wrong.

- Yeah, you're not wrong.

- Hey.

Thanks for sticking it
out here--Gladwell and all.

- You're not mad?
- No. It's what my mom wants.

And I need to thank you
because they liked my story.

- Who?
- My writers' group.

The leader says it's angry
and raw, in a good way.

- Angry?

- I'm pissed at my dad
for hiding the truth.

Wow, that's hard
to even say aloud.

You were the only one
that helped me.

I appreciate that.

- Anytime.

- She thinks I may have
a memoir in me.

She says the fact
that I just made

this big childhood discovery
is exciting,

and it could lead
to more discoveries.

Anyway, she said it
better than that.

She called me a shark.

- A shark?
- Yeah.

On the hunt for the truth.

So...

thank you
for helping me be a shark.

- Do you think that
Margo lady's

gonna keep the alligators?

- Well, I can put in
a good word on their behalf.

- Ivy, our table's ready.

- Hi, JJ.
- Hi, Ivy.

Do you want to feed
the alligators?

- Ivy, get over here now.

What are you doing?

Is that--are those your kids?

- No.

No, they're...

I'm helping to look
after my sponsor's kids.

- So you're playing
at being a dad now?

Who would trust you
with their children?

- I'm sober, Lauren.

- I've heard that before.

Come on, Ivy.

- Who's that?

- That was my daughter.

I thought we were meeting
at a restaurant

to celebrate me being a writer
and you going back to school.

- I wanted your opinion.

All right?
- Okay.

- What do you think?
- Of what?

The house?
- Yeah, it's a foreclosure.

It's up for auction.

They're starting bids
at $34,000.

- Is this one of the houses
you're gonna work on

with school?

- I'm not going back to school.

- What?

- Look, I can get a degree

and spend years
working jobs that I don't want,

in order to pay back my debt.

- Evan...
- Or we can do this project--

my project on our own.

and if we buy this house

when we buy this house,

it'll be an asset
instead of a debt.

- But you won't have a degree.
- I don't need it.

I can hire guys
to draft plans

and take them down
to the city.

Those guys are hourly guys.

I have a vision,

and if I get weighed down
by debt, it'll never happen.

- What's your vision?

- Take back the neighborhood.

Do these houses right.

Start with this our house.

What do you think?

Yeah

So just let me carry you

Carry you, carry you,
carry you

Baby

You let me carry you

Carry you, carry you,
carry you

- Anthony?
- I'm sorry.

I screwed up.

Luly came at me
with questions,

and I told her
about the adoption

and the other couple.

- Wait, Scott never told her?

- No.
She was wrecked.

And now she's a shark
after blood.

Those are her words.

- She said that?
She's after blood?

- She's after the truth.

That's the story of love

It takes time
to know it...

What I've come to understand

is that we're haunted
by the past...

that in some ways it keeps us
from moving forward

in our lives.

Someone
to help you through

So how do you move past
your grief?

Hey, so just let me
carry you

Carry you, carry you,
carry you

First, you have to recognize
that you're ready...

Carry you, carry you,
carry you

Yeah

Just let me,

Yeah

That it's okay to move on.

It's good, even.

It means you're alive.