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You're watching The Grinder. For justice?

For justice!

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This Thanksgiving, I have one thing that I am most thankful for.

All of you.

This firm. And my colleague, Avery Banks. You inspire me.

Every... A single day.

And I am thankful for you, Mitch, for the way you handle yourself in that

courtroom, but most of all, for the way you grind.

Everyone, can we have the room? I need to debrief Miss Banks.

And let's just say we need to probe for some testimony.

Let's just say that the probing could take quite some time.

And let's just say that...

Quite some time.

Could be all night.

Happy Thanksgiving, Miss Banks.

Happy Thanksgiving, Mr...

Dean, what are you doing? You're supposed to walk toward Avery, take off

your shirt, then kiss, sweep the table, and start boning her. That's what it

says in my script. I was thinking maybe we just do this scene with my shirt on.

Why? Yeah, that feels weird.

Does it?

Really? It's a Thanksgiving episode.

Shouldn't this really be more about how well we all work together and that we're

like a real family? Well, that's in there. It's the first part. You don't

think it cheapens it? Dean, you're a sex symbol.

You're the friggin' grinder.

Come on.

Let's, uh... Let's not overthink this.

Let's take it off. Let's give the people what they want.

Watch the table, please.

Yes.

There he is.

All right, let's reset.

Erica, could you spritz down the turkey? It's starting to lose its shine.

Erica, could you give me a spritz? Because I have also lost my shine.

What?

Mom,

can I go to Amanda's tomorrow? Sure, sweetie.

I'm gonna need a piggyback on that ride. Brie needs me at her place by 5 the

latest. Who does she? Does she need you? I can take you on the way to the lake.

Hey, you guys wanna come?

Yeah, I'm in. I'm sorry, what's happening?

Tomorrow's Thanksgiving.

Did no one here notice that? We don't really do Thanksgiving anymore.

Yeah. You don't do Thanksgiving?

No.

What does that even mean? Well, you know, ever since Mom and Dad got

divorced, instead of fighting over who goes where, we do kind of a family-free

day. Everyone gets to do what they want.

It's easier.

It's what now? Just easier.

I'm not familiar with the term. Here we go. Well, sure you are, Dean. You know

how, like, instead of going to law school and taking the bar, you just

became a lawyer? You know, we always want to take the easy way out, don't we?

Was it easy for our forefathers to board the Mayflower, navigate the English

Channel, and get rid of whoever the hell was already over here to start America?

No. None of those things are true.

Damn right it wasn't.

This holiday is about respecting and honoring those brave souls who didn't

just stop and say, you know what?

I'm not getting on the boat today, guys. I'm staying behind because it's easier.

Maybe he's right, Stu. Maybe we should try Thanksgiving again.

Like we used to do it. Yes, with the Yows, the delightful Asian family.

Who? Joseph T.

Yow, my old partner.

Yeah, sweetie, you're too young to remember, but...

We used to have every Thanksgiving with them. Why did they stop coming?

Because your brother shut down Thanksgiving?

No, Dad, I didn't shut down Thanksgiving. Well, I say we start it up

again. Come on.

Who's with me? I'm in.

Yes! Oh, yes!

Motion carried.

Wait, so Thanksgiving's just happening now? That's all it took? Dean wants to

celebrate the crossing of the English Channel?

All right, take it easy. No, I can't take it easy, honey. The Pilgrims didn't

take it easy. Weren't you listening?

I was, thank you. I mean, he doesn't want to take the easy way. His whole

life has been the easy way. Honey, I think it's time you tell Dean the truth.

Deb.

Don't. Please. It's gonna make you feel better. Dean deserves to know why you

hate Thanksgiving.

You can't keep this bottled up. I can keep this bottled up. You'd be amazed at

things I can keep bottled up. Okay.

Honey, look. I can't be the only other person who knows.

Now either you're gonna tell your brother, or I'm gonna tell him. Fine.

You tell him. I'll call your bluff. Okay, no, I think you should tell him.

You folded very fast right there. I'm not folding. I'm just saying you need to

be the one who tells him. I'm not gonna tell him, Deb. Honey, it's gonna make

you feel better. Talking to Dean rarely makes me feel better.

It's so good to see your face. Hey!

Thanksgiving is such an emotional time for me. It's September.

Yes, but we shoot the Thanksgiving episode now, so to me it feels like

Thanksgiving. You get it. Yeah, completely.

Hi. Hi, Dean.

Hey, there she is.

Hey, did your brother tell you his big news?

No, hon, it's not big news. It is big news. Don't let him tell you that. I

drafted a petition and gave it to the city council, and they signed the

ordinance. So there's now going to be a protected left-hand turn at the corner

of 14th and Cedar. Isn't that incredible?

I'm sorry, what?

A protected left.

Stu, you are actually saving people's lives.

I mean, think about how many people died at that intersection.

Well, none so far.

And now, thanks to you, none will.

It's so damn inspiring.

Oh, kids, come say hi. Come say hi.

Look who's here.

Hey, Uncle Dean. Oh, there they are.

Uncle Dean, last week's episode was heartbreaking.

Thank you. Getting some good buzz on that one. Hey, Ethan, tell me, how's

that prepubescent stuff going for you?

Barring through it. Yeah, you are.

Man, I'm missing so much.

Dean, they're ready for the scene where you take your shirt off then cross

-examine the vice president?

Dean, you're naked with the vice president?

Sounds like an exciting scene.

Yeah.

But it's not real, is it?

Are you asking me?

Dean, we're ready, ready.

Sorry, Dean. Yeah, okay, great.

Do you remember your... Hey, you're good. Good to go.

So this is...

Fully happy. Oh, it is happening. We've got three stations. I'm bouncing back

and forth between all of them. You want to get in on this?

Uh, I'm good.

I think I'm just going to go watch the game.

Honey, maybe Dean wants to go with you. You guys could watch football and talk.

No, no, no. Don't want to break up the flow.

Talk to me.

Nothing to talk about. I just don't like this holiday. That's all? This is about

mom, isn't it?

What? No. I had no idea that you were taking the divorce this hard.

You have clearly suffered a major trauma. Dean, you are a fake lawyer, not

a fake psychologist.

And now you're lashing out at me.

It's much worse than that. Oh, my God!

But I have something that's going to cheer you up and make this feel like an

old-school Sanderson Thanksgiving.

Well, this I can't wait for. Joseph T.

Yao will be here any minute. What? Yeah.

You invited Yao. Well, I invited his whole family. But he's the only one who

could make it. Oh, my God.

Dean, why'd you do this?

You don't listen. You just don't listen. You just insist on doing whatever you

want. There's a reason I didn't want to do any of this. Well, then tell me.

What's the point, Dean? You're not going to listen.

I will not let you walk away from this. You will let me walk away from this. You

will tell me what's going on. You can't handle what's going on. Don't tell me

what I can't handle. Then handle this.

Five years ago, I caught Mom and Yao together on Thanksgiving.

Together.

It's Joey out Hey boys a

blast from the past Stewart jr.

Long time. Yeah. Hello.

Hey, honey, come see us here Yeah

Exactly. I'm gonna go. You don't want to stay?

Well, I'm feeling a little not well. Oh, now that your big surprise is here,

you're not feeling so well? Really? He's not feeling well, Stu. Let the poor guy

go lay down.

Thank you, Dad.

You guys just catch up.

Dean, I'm not doing this today.

Mitch rips off his shirt and sweeps off a room service cart?

I mean, come on, man.

What are we doing?

This isn't our show.

Talk to me.

What's going on?

I don't know. I'm just feeling stuck.

You don't even know what stuck is.

When you've run aground on one of the lesser tributaries of the Nile, then you

can talk to me about stuck.

Now, come on.

Man up.

I talked to my brother.

He's doing real things.

It'll affect real people.

Remember when we used to do that?

And we told stories that mattered.

The ratings are higher than ever. The TV landscape has changed. People are

watching on phones and watches. No one's paying attention to the story. Well, we

shouldn't give up on them. I mean, they deserve better.

It shouldn't just be about what shirt I'm ripping off and who I'm boning. You

are really hung up on the shirt-ripping thing.

You want to come into more scenes already shirtless? You want to skip the

ripping part? Is that what you're saying? No, that's not what I'm saying.

I'm saying I want to do more episodes with meaning, like we used to.

Abortion. gun control, college campus rape.

Those are the scenes I want to do again.

I don't want to keep my shirt on through them.

I'll tell you what. We'll shoot at both of them.

Shirt on, shirt off. Then we have an option. But you're only going to use the

takes where my shirt is off.

I will not.

We will make the decision together. We will watch the footage, and we will

decide what works best for the scene and the story.

Do I have your word?

Dean.

This is Cliff Bemis you're talking to. And Cliff Bemis is nothing without

his word.

Dean, are you okay?

Got your feet on the pillows.

I need to know what happened. No, Dean, you really don't. Tell me what it was

you saw.

Honey, you might want to step out. I'm about to go into some graphic detail

I've never even told you.

Well, then I'm definitely going to stay.

It was Thanksgiving, 2009.

Mom got a headache from the Chardonnay, so she went to lie down.

I went upstairs to check on her, and that's when I saw your bedroom door

cracked open.

My God, they were having sex in my childhood bed.

It was worse.

They were next to your childhood bed.

Why is that worse? Why is that worse? Because they were standing.

Well, Mom was.

What was y'all doing?

He was upside down.

I don't understand.

Think about it.

Visualize it.

Oh, no.

No, thank you. It was disturbing.

And Mom was strong enough. Yeah, she was. Oh, yeah. No, she got really into

CrossFit that year. Her upper arms were like, ka-pow!

I feel sick. Did they see you?

No, they were...

Too consumed. And Dad is sitting downstairs right now having beers with

that man.

In our house!

It's my house. Well, it's also my house. It's all our houses except for you. He

has to know. No, Dean.

Nothing good can come from Dad knowing about this. We're not telling him.

That's right.

We are not telling him. No.

You are. No, I'm not. Honey, I actually think that's a really good idea because

it's not good for you to keep this inside. Nope. It's bad for your health.

It's not good for his health. Mm-mm. He's all constricted. Yeah. And he can

barely breathe. I breathe very, very well. You are going to tell him.

And then you're going to confront that coward Yao.

That Yoward. Is that something? No, that's nothing. Dean, please stop. All

right, we're not going to tell anybody.

We're not going to confront anybody. We're just going to continue hiding the

truth from Dad for the rest of our lives. Dad is not in the Thanksgiving

spirit. Dean!

What do you know about the Thanksgiving spirit? I know everything about the

Thanksgiving spirit. I played Sacagawea for a lifetime.

All right, you guys can have whatever Thanksgiving you want. You're just gonna

do it without me.

Oh.

Ah, thanks, Dean. Thank you. Some greens for you, sweetie.

Thanks, Mama. Where's Dad?

He is, um, not feeling well. Dean, you weren't feeling well either. Is there

something going around?

Yes.

Something is definitely going around. But we should, um, go ahead and get

started. Oh, uh, wait. At Amanda's house, we all hold hands and say what

we're thankful for. Oh, that's a good idea. Let's try that.

Why don't you go first, Joe? You're the guest.

Oh, okay. Uh, let's see.

Well, I'm thankful to be here today. I always really enjoyed Thanksgiving at

your house.

Really enjoyed it.

Lots of good times here.

Well, I'm thankful for all of this.

Having Thanksgiving with the family again. My son is back.

My old partner's back. Stop.

Something's not right.

Thanksgiving is about family, and something is missing.

Where are you going?

To find my brother.

Because I know how lost he is right now.

Happy Thanksgiving, Miss Spanx.

You gotta be kidding me!

Dean?

Hey, Timothy.

You okay, bro?

What are you doing out here?

Just trying to figure it all out.

Yeah, well... This is the place to do it, huh?

He used a shirtless take without consulting me. They always do.

You didn't fall for the let's shoot it both ways thing, did you?

I'm afraid I did.

Little trick for next time. If you're doing a take you don't want them to use,

just leave the tiniest bit of your penis showing. They can't use it.

They can't use it.

And Bemis knows the trick.

I've tried it.

It sounds like Bemis.

Is turning you into something you're not. The man is objectifying you. You

are an actor. You're not a piece of meat.

You can't just take your shirt off.

Unless it's justified.

Dean, listen to me. You cannot let another man own your dignity.

Because if another man owns it, at best, you're leasing it. And that lease

rate... It's astronomical, brother.

So what do I do?

You take it back.

And you walk away.

You gotta follow your bliss, bro.

Bliss, bro?

Is that something?

For what?

I don't even know anymore.

Dean, the answers are not out there.

They're in here, brother.

And you can find them with your shirt on.

Dude, you are so dialed in.

Dean, I just want to be left alone. What?

I just want to be left alone.

There's not an option.

Thanksgiving is hanging on by a thread in there, and you're the only one who

can say that. I just want it to be over. But it's not gonna be over until you

face this. Dad needs to know, and Yao needs to go.

Dean, I feel like this could work out.

You know, we just do nothing, let it blow over, and a couple hours,

everything's back to normal. But it's not normal. I remember a little boy who

loved Thanksgiving. It was his favorite holiday.

And Yao has stolen that from you.

He has stolen your family.

And worst of all,

He's stolen your dignity.

You have me till the end there. I feel like I have my dignity.

Nope, he owns it. Dean, I just can't talk to Dad about this. I know. I know.

I'm scared to.

But I'll be right there with you.

Or we could just stay in this.

Hit the gas.

Get on that highway and keep on driving.

There's no more road left.

I think I know Mitch better than anyone in this firm.

And he will never stop grinding.

Maybe that's where you're wrong.

Cut!

Dean, what the hell? We're in the middle of this.

Or are we at the end of this?

You used the shirtless take.

All right, everybody, take five.

I thought Cliff Bemis was nothing without his word.

Yeah, I texted you. All shirtless, right? No-brainer. I received no such

text. And part of me doesn't think you even sent it. But even if you did, why

would I have no shirt in the law library?

You had the whole love story with the paralegal. Where else would that have

gone? I did what was best for the scene, Dean.

Scene, Dean.

Is that something? Could be. If you'd stop tying my hands with this whole no

shirtless crap. Is that what grinding means to you? Yes, it's what it means to

everybody. That's the fun of the title, the double meaning.

Well, I guess I never saw it that way. To me, it only had one meaning. The

relentless search for justice and being willing to do whatever it takes, no

matter how hard the grind.

It's that crap, too. It's both.

Well, it doesn't matter.

Because I am done.

Well, the show's over.

The show is over when I say it's over.

You think you're the grinder?

I'm the grinder. I created him.

Well, you may have created him, but I brought him to life.

I gave him a soul.

I am taking back my dignity, Cliff. I am done leasing it.

And I am willing to pay whatever the price to own it once again.

Does anyone need seconds? Do you guys save room for dessert?

Oh. There you are.

Feeling better?

Dad?

Yao?

We need to talk.

And that's what I saw.

Mom and Yao.

Oh, wow.

I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you, Dad. And you're sure that's what

you saw?

Yeah, I'm 100% sure.

Wow. Yao.

I am embarrassed.

Well, you should be.

Lock a door, Yao.

What? I know.

It was stupid.

Not locking a door is what was stupid? All you had to do was push it in and

turn it. It's pretty simple. I know how to lock it. My head was somewhere else.

We know where your head was. Why is this even part of the conversation? The lock

seems to be the least of it. Exactly.

Dad, it seems like you're okay with this.

Well, the lock thing bugs me a little. So this was just a one-time thing,

though, right? No.

Lots of times.

Oh.

I gotta... I gotta sit down. I'm coming.

Okay, see, they clearly... This must be tough for you guys.

Can you fill us in, please?

We lived a rock and roll lifestyle.

Things were different back then. It was five years ago, Dad.

Rock and roll never dies, Stu. I am deeply regretting even pulling this

thread. Yeah, aren't you? Well, now that it's out in the open, I think I should

tell you everything, right, yeah?

Sure. Let's get into it.

Oh, no!

I think I learned a valuable lesson tonight.

Some things are better off buried deep inside and shrouded in silence.

I don't know.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm disturbed at the core, but I think maybe

it's better it's out in the open. I think it's amazing it's out in the open.

What are you guys talking about? Don't worry about it. Never ask that again.

You all said goodnight, and thank you for a lovely evening.

Oh, that's real sweet of him, Dad.

I'm sorry I ruined Thanksgiving, everyone.

I don't know, I think you kind of saved Thanksgiving, Dean.

This was a trauma I had to get past, and I got my dignity back.

And mine's on the ropes.

Well, we got Thanksgiving back.

We're all together again, just like we used to do, Stu.

To do, Stu, is that something?

Please let that be something.

Yeah, that's something, Dean. That's definitely something.

Guys, look.

Last season, we said goodbye to an icon.

Grinder rests.

One last time.

This fall, say hello to his brother.

Mitch Grinder may be gone, but the grind goes on.

Justice has a new first name.

Timothy Olivant is Rake Grinder.

That son of a bitch.

The Grinder, New Orleans.

The Big Easy.

Just got hard.

Excuse me.

Well, I don't think he needed that. No, he did not.

Oliphant could be good, though, huh?

Stop it. Are you serious?

What?

You just watched The Grinder.

Now, here are a few more shows to check out from Vox.

is American Idol.

Absolutely fantastic.

It's really about dreams coming true.

Discover an idol one last time.