Original subtitles

Trick or treat.

You bring out the witch in me.

I'd like it if you'd start calling me Dad.

If you so much as breathe in Jacob's direction...

The matter's settled. Make peace with it.

I don't want to be the woman standing behind his throne.

I want to sit on it with him.

I haven't said a word to your husband, and I don't intend to.

You think I'm having an affair?

And now that certain secrets are permanently buried,

I think it's going to be smooth sailing from here on out.

[piano playing]

I know what I'm doing. Let me handle this my way.

Because my way is better.

It's a delicate operation. I'll be in touch.

You're supposed to be knee deep in planning WinterFest.

Well, you ought to know by now, one doesn't plan WinterFest.

WinterFest turns one's life into chaos.

Just a little music to soothe my soul.

Ah. I thought you were putting your keynote speech to music.

A little opera, be-bopera rap masterpiece.

Sure, why not?

Just one more thing to add to my to-do list.

Well, all I'm saying is,

you have an arduous task before you.

And, uh, you got to be better, be brighter,

make exponentially more money than your predecessor.

I am my predecessor.

Which makes your job even more challenging.

How will you outdo yourself

without buckling under the pressure?

Mm. Step one,

find an inspirational partner

with the hands of a sculptor.

Who hopefully has the time to mold me into my worry-free self.

-My pleasure. -Mm.

One of these days, I'm gonna change the locks.

And I'll hire a locksmith.

Don't play with me. I'm always three steps ahead.

No doubt helping yourself to whatever pleases you.

Oh, we're family. We share everything.

Yeah, sharing is supposed to go both ways.

Mm.

But then you find out that

someone you've sacrificed for,

who you've loved with all your heart and your soul,

is keeping secrets.

What are you talking about, Mama? I tell you everything.

Yeah, except this new detail.

Baby, why didn't you let me know

that we just got our dream come true?

♪ ♪

WOMAN [over speaker]: Nurse Yates to bed 341...

Shanice.

If you're looking for your fiancée,

she's with a patient.

I need a favor.

And this isn't about making a PT appointment?

This one's personal.

So I told them, "Look, I don't want to be referee,

and I refuse to take sides."

'Cause when you start dating people you work with,

it affects the entire family.

And then you're stuck listening to stories

about their relationships when you're not even interested.

Maybe.

Like me.

Jacob, don't be rude.

I'm tired of walking on eggshells.

No more nonsense about coworkers' lives.

Because the longer we ignore the elephant in the room,

the bigger it gets.

Just let yourself float away

on the soft, billowy clouds of

"not a care in the world."

Everything is lush.

Everything is relaxing.

Oh, we should build a summer home there.

Sweet breezes blowing by.

And the faint, beautiful sounds of a melody.

[off-key]: ♪ This little light♪

♪ Of mine♪

♪ I'm gonna let it shine...♪

Baby, baby, baby, baby.

Either you want me to relax

or you want to sing to me,

but you cannot do both.

DEREK: You have some sway

with the scheduling department, do you not?

I've been known to make magic.

What would I have to do to get Ash some extended time off

so we can finally get hitched and do this thing up right?

Wow.

I already had this conversation with Ashley.

-You did? -A couple weeks ago.

I told her just to get back with me on the dates,

and I'd make the time happen.

Be happy to do it since I'm the blushing bridesmaid.

Weeks ago?

She didn't mention it?

No, I was trying to nail down a date,

and every time I suggested something, she shot it down.

She said there's no way she could swing it 'cause of work.

Oh. [clears throat]

-She wouldn't lie to me. -Course not.

You two have an open, honest relationship.

Tell each other everything. I mean, lying?

That'd be like... like starting things off on the wrong foot.

Oops, the wrong foot. You see what I did there?

Since you have your own secrets about other body parts.

-I'm sorry I bore you. -I didn't say that.

You implied that my small talk wasn't interesting enough

when I'm just trying to vent to my husband.

This isn't venting, Naomi. This is avoidance.

Let's bring it back to the current events, then, huh?

What happens when a happy couple

who have decided to live child-free

are faced with an unexpected turn of events?

We found out and we failed,

and now we're falling apart.

Is that direct enough for you?

Because, frankly, I am all talked out

on that particular subject.

Okay, so what? We're just supposed to drop it,

even though it's clearly unresolved?

Jacob, I don't...

I don't know where we go from here, okay?

I don't have the answers.

We have laid all our cards out on the table.

And what has that solved?

-[cell phone buzzes] -[cell phone chimes]

Is yours from work?

It's Derek.

Mine, too.

"Emergency. I need your help."

"Come to the hospital now."

We'll cancel our order and leave a tip on the way out.

I hope Derek's okay.

Well, let's go find out.

Tell me all about this "Ted talk" you had with your daddy.

Um, we had breakfast before work.

Okay. Set the stage.

Country club.

The sun was shining. Beautiful day.

Nice.

And he told me,

now that he has settled down a little bit,

he wants to focus on family.

Go on.

And how that included me.

And that he's sorry that he dropped the ball

on getting me more acquainted with his side of the family,

but he promises he'll do better.

That's really something.

Yeah.

And how he doesn't know what the future holds,

but he knows that he wants me at the family gatherings,

like at dinners and parties and holidays and...

Mama. Hey.

Whatever I did, I'm sorry.

No, no, no, no.

Then why...

Are you crying?

Ooh, girl, of course not.

Mama, it only just happened. I was gonna tell you.

I don't know how I feel.

All I know is I just want to bottle it.

And your smile 'cause I know you feel it, too.

What are you talking about?

I've always wanted this for you, all these years,

for you to have it all.

And I am not just talking about the materialistic things.

Family.

A man who's got your eyes.

Wants to give you his hand to hold, who...

...actually wants you in his life.

My God, baby, you finally

got you a real dad.

Thanks, Mama.

Wait, how did you find out about that conversation?

Did Ted...

I mean, did Dad tell you?

Okay, wildest thing.

All right? I mean, things keep going this way,

then Ted and I might actually become friends again.

This is all I've ever wanted for you.

For us. For you, me and Ted.

Peace and understanding.

Well, back then, it was just a fantasy.

Yeah, well, I guess your mama

knows how to predict the future.

And also to prepare us for the things in life

that we were always meant to have.

If you say so.

Sounds like you don't believe in me.

That in the space of, what, an hour,

you and my dad are all of a sudden born-again besties?

It's gonna take some getting used to.

No, baby, it's all a part of a build.

And I didn't even tell you about Halloween.

[sighs] Should I be afraid?

He told me how much he admired my costume.

And...

You know, even though I was all dressed up,

it's like we were...

naked with each other all over again.

-Mama. -No, I mean it.

It was, it was genuine, you know?

It's like...

It's like we were right there back at that time.

I mean, it-it was better than before, though.

You know, with no... no secrets and-and-and no fabrications.

There we were, after all this time,

just like a couple of friends.

Wow.

Anything really can happen on Halloween.

Best part of that night?

I'm afraid to ask.

When we were discussing our favorite subject.

You.

-[Anita laughs] -You can laugh all you like,

but there might be some people out there

who love the sound of my singing voice.

Vernon, there are people who love your fortitude,

your eloquence,

the loving devotion you have for your family,

even your beautiful brown eyes.

But the sound of your singing voice?

[laughing]

Oh, now, that's love.

Baby, I see you with open, honest eyes.

A man can't have any secrets?

Not my man, 'cause we know what secrets do.

But here's where you can help.

I need a speech for the fundraiser.

Something to rouse the people and get them donating.

As a part of the entertainment? Some...

Baby, baby, we both know where you shine on nights like these.

Charming the guests,

reminding everyone of the great work that we do.

Engaging new donors.

But that's so limiting.

From the ballrooms of Paris

to the hottest barbecue in Birmingham,

one thing holds true.

When it comes to fundraising,

Senator Vernon Dupree is irresistible.

No one can say no to you.

Except for my wife, apparently.

Well, you got me to say yes when it mattered most.

[indistinct chatter]

-No sign of Derek? -Nothing.

So he says it's an emergency, and then he just vanishes?

We should text him.

Oh, I assumed he'd be on Ashley's floor.

Oh, that's a sound idea.

Let's make assumptions instead of asking for the facts.

Really, Naomi? Now?

Hey, what are you guys doing here?

-Looking for Derek. -Yeah, he texted us.

I haven't seen him.

Uh... what's going on?

-Is he okay? -Oh, I figured you'd know.

Yeah, he said he needed our help.

-Yeah. -[elevator dings, doors open]

Like emergency help?

Or is he picking out a tie for the wedding?

DEREK: Hey.

You guys are all here. Good.

-What's going on, man? -Thank God you're okay.

Yeah, it gives me a chance to hurt him.

I apologize. I didn't mean for you to worry, but...

I didn't want to spoil the surprise.

What surprise?

I got some news. Good news. Y'all are gonna love it.

Well, let's hear it, man,

'cause we could all use some good news around here.

Derek, what's going on?

I-I know I'm not Laura,

but I'll have you know that I'm the senator

who organized the entire caucus to get behind a bill.

Yes, and that was just the U.S. government.

I'm talking about something much more complicated,

fundraising in the DMV.

Mm.

So you don't think I can swing it?

All right, let's do this.

Please cast your attention on this staging area.

That's a lot of colors.

I've color-coded all of the attendees,

separating them by how much they contributed in the past,

how much they're likely to give this year, et cetera, et cetera.

Then we sprinkle a few of each color

at each table,

but in this section only, and not too colorful,

because we have to add other circles into the mix later.

You can't do this on computer?

As I said, this is very complicated.

There are levels to this, my darling.

Are you not up to the task?

Now, I didn't say that.

How do the kids like to put it?

It's giving panic. It's giving confusion.

-Are you buckling yet? -Never.

But I do know posturing when I see it, senator's wife.

You're doing all of this

so I'll be sorry I asked to help.

Sweetie, this is just a slice of what I have to do,

so careful what you ask for.

I'll be right back.

Out with it already.

I can hear that smile over here.

I don't know. It's just...

I never thought it could happen, but it actually did.

You and Dad, there together,

talking about me, being proud of me.

Wild, ain't it?

Maybe that's how dreams are supposed to come true,

without you even trying at all.

When you're not even paying attention,

life is just out there happening for you.

Well, who knew, right?

Your mama did. That's who, boo.

Dad said some things

that I didn't even know I needed to hear.

What was that like?

Gosh, if I tell you, I'll cry, and I won't know how to stop.

There was this part of my heart

that was always beating wild and out of control, and his...

his words just calmed it all down.

Made everything fall into a steady rhythm.

Maybe for the first time in my life.

Everything I always wanted you to hear.

All of the things.

From a daddy to a daughter.

Mm! There is a balm in Gilead.

Oh, that's church talk, baby, for healing.

Now down to the burning question.

What did your daddy say about moi?

I guess the most important part was...

the things he said about the Dana he knew.

Made me wish I had known her, too.

Derek, is this what I think it is? Is this about your legs?

It's not about my legs. They're exactly the same.

-Oh. -I guess...

I got ahead of myself.

This is not going how I planned, but it's okay, guys.

I'm gonna walk again. I'm sure of it.

Yeah, me, too, but it's got to feel good to know

that everybody believes in you, right?

-So what's this about, then? -The wedding.

Why did you need us here?

I thought we could all knock heads with Ash

and settle on a date.

Hold up, you brought our friends here to pressure me?

Since when is picking a wedding day a burden?

-I already told you that it's... -DEREK: Yeah.

Yeah, you told me you couldn't get the time off.

But Shanice, she-she told me she could make it happen,

no problem.

So who wants to break this down for me?

Why haven't we settled on a date to get married?

All done with your work call?

Uh-huh. So what you got going on for today?

Okay, time's up. Let's hear it.

You lasted longer than I thought you would.

Eva...

I probably really shouldn't say.

Yeah, but you know I'm gonna find out anyway,

so what did your daddy say about me?

He said you were funny back then.

A breath of fresh air.

Then and now, and you know this, Miss Thing.

And smart, which, of course, I'm well aware of.

But, Mama, he said that you were kind, generous and thoughtful.

Easy for him to talk to.

Said all that, huh?

It was something.

Hearing somebody talk about you like that, as opposed to...

The harassment and the bullying of Fairmont Crest.

It's only natural.

Teddy was sweet on me.

I mean, and we were friends, too.

Oh, I relied on him and depended on him

in a way I never realized.

Made the nights and the days go by so smooth

when I knew he was dropping in.

Oh, girl, how that man used to make me laugh.

What? What do you see?

Maybe you for the first time.

You look so happy when you talk about those days.

Dad came along

and turned the light on in your eyes.

And then I came along and took it away.

VERNON: Anita,

I have the best news,

so brace yourself.

It's going to turn this all around.

Forget it, there's a fire in the kitchen

and we have to abandon ship.

WinterFest is impossible this year.

The cavalry has arrived.

Hi, Mrs. Dupree.

-Laura, you're back. -Yes, ma'am.

You are the answer to quite a few prayers.

You have no idea.

Be careful with that praise.

You're gonna have Laura think I haven't been helpful.

Oh, but you have been helpful.

Helped me to realize

that I can't accomplish anything without you.

I heard that.

You know, love means acknowledging

each partner's strengths.

Now, I tried my best.

I live for this stuff. Are you kidding me?

I do work like this for Nicole

in my sleep.

That's a coincidence.

Okay, let's roll up our sleeves.

And I'll get out of your hair.

Where are you going? Let me guess.

Tee time at the club?

She knows me too well.

All right, Laura, are you ready to drive yourself mad

planning the party of the season while making it look effortless?

I'm locked in. Let's do this, Mrs. Dupree.

Like I always say, it starts with the right partner.

Derek, this isn't the best time for a wedding chat.

I am sorry for bringing you all the way here, guys.

I just wanted to remind you of who we are.

Just a happy-go-lucky couple who's ready to go hand in hand

in this life together, like-like them.

I don't need any reminders.

It doesn't have to be all buttoned up and formal,

if that's what you're worried about.

We-we can do anything you want.

We-we can do it at the Renaissance Faire.

We can do it here at the hospital.

Our favorite booth at Uptown or we can...

Guys, I am so sorry.

I don't know why this is happening right now.

I'm telling you, I'll do anything you want.

We-we can go anywhere.

Let's just synchronize our calendars and pick a date.

Yeah, no pressure.

Hey, we can go if you want us to.

-No, please stay. -DEREK: I don't get it, Ash.

How is it pressure if it's something that you want?

Okay, flip this and reverse this.

I show up at the firehouse

being unreasonable, making demands.

First off, you're the one who proposed to me,

and now me trying to set a date is...

is unreasonable?

-Wow. -You're twisting my words.

You know, maybe we should go.

-Only if Ashley wants us to. -DEREK: Why did you tell me

that you couldn't find time to get married?

You caught me off guard.

I-I wasn't ready to commit

-to a venue... -Commit to a date?

Or to me?

Stop putting words in my mouth.

I don't know. I...

Um, okay.

What I do know

is that what you're doing

is making the situation between us worse.

This isn't what people do to people they love.

-NAOMI: You overstepped. -Naomi, let's not.

No, he involved us, so I'm speaking up.

When Jacob and I got your text, we were terrified.

We dropped everything and ran over here

because we thought you needed us in a real way.

I apologize. I-I...

I should have done that a different way.

No, no, it never should have happened at all.

I just want to marry this woman.

Marriage is more than a ceremony on a pretty day, you know?

So you'd better start by getting on the same page,

because you decide together.

Surf or turf, suburbs or city,

electric or hybrid,

kids or vacation.

Those are the lanes, and you don't get to just

change your mind miles down the road.

It all ends up, eventually,

into some unmitigated disaster or a silver anniversary party.

So you better decide now if you want to be happy

or if you want to be right, because it's rare

that you get it both ways.

Naomi, let them deal with this themselves.

You're right. I'm done.

I'll hit you later, bro. I'm sorry.

[elevator bell dings, doors open]

I don't know why he's apologizing.

You're the one who should be sorry.

Look...

...we have a lot to unpack here.

Why did you make what should have been

a private conversation into a public discussion?

You lied to me.

Okay, good to know.

So if I'm not 100% truthful,

you will shame me in front of our friends,

and the cherry on top, you will ambush me while I'm at work.

Thanks for the warning.

No more white lies.

Okay? From here on out, the unvarnished truth.

I wasn't trying to humiliate you at work.

Oh, then it was just an added side bonus. Great.

I wanted your attention.

You have it every day in every way,

except for when I'm at work.

Call me crazy, but I...

I thought I'd surprise you and you'd be happy.

And we could finally forget about all these stupid things

that keep getting in our way.

I wanted you to be excited about marrying me.

Derek, I love you more than anything.

But you want some honesty?

Everything you're doing is pushing me away.

-Hey. -Hey, you didn't have to come.

I would have dropped off lunch for you.

Nah, it's cool. You want to sit?

I already ordered it to go.

Okay.

Can you believe Derek,

wasting everybody's time?

I mean, he totally crossed the line.

Yeah, well, so did you.

I said what no one else would.

Naomi, you chewed that man out.

And where was the lie?

Look, was he wrong? That's not up for me to decide.

But can we at least be honest about why you did it?

Oh, this is fun.

Go ahead, shrink me.

Look, you went off on him

because you love me too much to go off on me.

'Cause you don't know what to do about us.

The first thing we need to do is start setting deadlines.

Oh, for everything? We're not starting from zero?

Of course not.

Everything that we have

is on this calendar.

Mrs. Dupree, I hate to sound overly concerned,

but are these all reminders for WinterFest?

[laughs] Oh, no. These are reminders for me.

Meetings, doctor's appointments, birthdays, return phone calls.

Mrs. Dupree, if people knew what your version

of retirement looked like, they'd need a nap.

Can't stop, won't stop.

If you want, I can take care of this for you,

take calls, make the schedules.

And you won't let anything interfere with

my WinterFest commitments, right?

What is wrong with me, telling you how to do your job?

You are a godsend.

No, I just love and respect the people I work for.

Treat you like I'd want someone to treat my family.

You keep this up, I might start feeling guilty

about wanting to steal you from Nicole.

No, I don't think I'll have much trouble

juggling my commitments between you and Nicole these days.

What do you mean, "these days"?

Talk to me.

What's going on?

I need you to hear this, and I need you to commit it

to memory,

because odds are that I'll say the exact opposite tomorrow.

Okay. Ready.

None of what happened to me is your fault.

And I am so sorry

that I made you feel that way.

-Mama. -No.

Mm-mm.

Don't say it's okay, Eva, because it's not.

But when you raise a child on your own,

you are at war with the world.

And it was you and me

against a world that did not want us.

I did the best I could.

I know you did, Mama.

It was hard, measuring up and trying to stay afloat.

But you always found a way.

Yeah, well, I mean, I couldn't have people

out there making assumptions.

You, I was raising you as if you were a lioness, baby.

That part worked.

Maybe it worked too well.

Hey.

-I'm sorry. -No.

No, Mama, you don't have to say that.

I am.

I am because I just wanted to give you the world.

I didn't want us to become another statistic.

I tried hard to keep us from that

and to keep you from being another girl

that had to grow up without her father.

Because I knew you were special, baby.

And I should have been a whole lot softer.

No, Mama.

Look, don't you see?

Everything you did brought us home,

and I will never let you regret any of that.

Look, you made me who I am.

Do you love me?

With everything in my heart.

Then you have nothing to be ashamed of.

Okay? You did good.

Thank you, baby.

You know, I, um...

I'm glad that Ted remembers me that way.

Because I did some things,

things that I just...

...I wish I could...

Erase the mistakes.

You'd erase us, okay? Who we are.

And I'm not gonna let you do that.

Look, Mama,

no matter what happened,

I know I was loved fiercely.

And sometimes,

okay, a lot of the times, insanely, too.

I know.

But I knew you loved me more than life.

Okay?

-You got that right. -Us against everything.

Everything, baby.

Thank you so much.

Mama loves you.

I love you, too.

I'm not used to all this love flooding me.

Well, it is well deserved.

-Thank you. -You're welcome.

You were always such an angel.

Then I went and filled you with all my poison.

And made you hate what I hated.

Nah, you weren't bad, Mama.

You were hurt.

Maybe if I had done things differently

and not made revenge my whole reason for being,

maybe you would have felt this a whole lot sooner.

And that is on me.

I don't ever want you to feel responsible for how we got here.

But we got here,

and that's ultimately what matters, Mama.

Yes, things could have, should have been different,

but it is because of you refusing to quit

that I now have a dad who sees me.

And loves me and he is proud of me.

I finally got the life you wanted for me, Mama.

And I will always love you for that.

-Come here. -You come here.

I'm not frustrated with us.

Then what is it?

It's just...

I don't even know who we are anymore.

Well, according to what you told Derek,

we're tiptoeing through this minefield

that's become our marriage.

I wasn't thinking when I said those things.

And that's why it sounded so honest.

It came straight from the heart and the hip.

-I'm sorry. -Don't apologize

for being the woman I married.

So, what am I supposed to say?

I don't know. I've been asking myself the same question.

I'm starting to think I just wanted

different things back then, you know?

I do.

I know.

So, what do we do now?

Your Aunt Nicole would say couples therapy.

Yeah, and they'd probably side with you

and tell me I'm being unreasonable.

No, no sides.

Just somebody to help us get through a conversation

without much... much tension.

Well, maybe you're the one who needs to work through

these new tense feelings,

because nothing's changed with me.

Talk to me, Ash.

Do you want to get married?

Of course I want to marry you.

Why'd you tell me you're having trouble

-nailing down a day? -I overreacted

and told a white lie.

See, that's what I...

But then you overreacted and found

a really bad way to force my hand.

Dragging our best friends into the middle of this mess?

Not cool, Derek.

I screwed that up.

Why couldn't have this waited until we were at home?

In private?

The truth?

I was afraid you'd...

...find another excuse to not tell the truth.

SHANICE: Ashley?

Dr. Fleishman needs you.

I'm on my way. Uh...

I have to go.

We can finish this...

[sighs]

[phone ringing]

SHANICE: Third-floor nurses' station.

I'm here to help solve your problems,

not to add mine.

Now, we're sitting here doing all this work

to improve other people's lives.

If I can't uplift those closest to me, then what good am I?

So, come on, out with it.

Okay.

It's Dave.

Your boyfriend.

I thought things were going well with you two.

They were, but we've hit a rough patch.

And I know every couple has them, but...

it just feels more like a reoccurring pattern

for us these days.

Have you spoken to Nicole about this?

No, I could never talk to Nicole.

She's so busy with her patients,

and I shouldn't even be talking about it with you right now.

You don't have to censor yourself around us.

I just keep telling myself that we'll make it through.

That's right.

Stay positive and keep talking to each other.

Even in the hard times.

Especially the hard times.

I just see how much you and the senator love each other.

I hope me and Dave can have a bond that tight

with that kind of loyalty and devotion.

We have been blessed, that's true.

But it's also choosing each other amidst any storm.

To have a love like ours,

that's something you and Dave will have to learn to do.

Good to see you.

Sorry I'm late. How was your flight?

It was fine, but it took you long enough to get here.

Well, you know Anita. I had to make it look authentic.

You sure she didn't smell a rat?

Doesn't suspect a thing.

Nice.

Now, get in here.

Can't waste a minute of this precious time we have.

Captioning sponsored by CBS

Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org