Original subtitles

- Whoo-hoo! - Go, JJ!

Go, JJ!

- Jump. - It's easy.

JJ, you got this.

He's got this, right?

I don't know.

Charlotte, what are you reading?

- Anne Frank. - For school.

Pretend the Nazis are chasing you!

Who?

Bad guys.

If they get you, you have to go

to a concentration camp.

A what?

What did they teach you in kindergarten?

We mostly just colored.

Just jump, dude.

- Hey, be nice, Theo. - He's scared.

But you promised to take me driving.

I'll take you driving as soon as JJ jumps.

If JJ ever jumps.

I'm gonna go wait in the car.

- No, you're not. - JJ needs us.

All of us. Luly!

They said they'd call by 10.

If you scream, we won't be able to hear.

If "The New Yorker" calls, we'll all shut up.

Come on down here, please.

How do you tell the story of a family?

I guess you start at the beginning.

At first, it was just me and my dad

until I was eight.

Then he met my step-mom, Robin.

And they had Theo.

And we adopted Charlotte.

And then there's my little brother,

All right, JJ, I'm here.

You can do this.

- Mom? - Yeah, buddy?

Do you think I can do it?

I know you can do it.

But I also think you don't have to.

If you want, you can come on down,

and we can try it again tomorrow.

School starts tomorrow.

Then, I'm gonna be busy.

Then, after that, I'm gonna be eight.

And then after that, I'm gonna be old.

And after that, I'm gonna be dead!

It has to be today.

Can't argue with that logic.

He's coming up.

Go on, Daddy.

You can do it!

You got this. You've been working on this all summer.

Whoo-hoo!

Here's what we're gonna do.

I'm gonna hold on to you.

You're gonna hold on to me.

And we're gonna do this together.

Do you want to?

There's nothing I'd rather be doing.

- Ready? - Ready!

Up.

Here we go.

One, two, three!

We did it!

- I bet you feel good. - Oh!

I did it!

- That was amazing. - That was amazing!

So, this is my family.

And this is the moment when everything changed.

Oh, my God. It's them.

It's not them. Dad, it's your phone.

- Oh. - This is Scott.

On the phone is my step-mom's best friend

from medical school, Oliver.

He's also my dad's doctor.

And right now,

he's telling him the tests he ran

last week came back.

And my dad has an osteosarcoma,

a rare and aggressive cancer in his leg.

How do you tell the story of a family?

Through everyday moments and life-changing ones.

And the people who love you when things falls apart.

This is the story of my family.

Hey.

So the surgery went great.

Oliver removed the tumor.

Right now, you should just feel really good.

I feel good. Oliver feels good.

- Right, Ollie? - I feel good.

I rebuilt your leg.

Wanna see the tumor I removed from your femur?

- You took a picture? - You're an OB.

You take pictures of cute babies.

I take pictures of dead tumors.

Check it out. Pretty cool, huh?

- So, the kids say hi. - They're doing great.

They were a little bit worried about the surgery,

so I got them a dog.

Yay!

I think you killed him.

Cowboy, sit.

Sit. I said sit!

Don't repeat yourself.

You keep saying it, all the dog hears is noise.

Say it once. Say it like you mean it.

Sit!

Reheat it at 350 for 20 minutes.

- Wait. - Who are you?

- Larry. - Friend of your dad's.

Go.

Watch your step.

Hello.

- You good? - Hey, I'm home!

- Dad! - Hey, oh, hey.

- I missed you. - I missed you.

- Is this cowboy? - Yeah.

Hey, good boy.

- Mom, he's home! - He's home!

- He's... he's home! - Yeah.

- Hey. - Hey.

Wait, Mom, you said he wasn't coming till later.

Well, yeah, that's... that's...

- I sprung him early. - Change of plans.

All right, be careful.

Theo, remember when I asked you

to clean up the living room?

Oh, I learned a new piano piece.

- Can I hear it? - I was playing video games.

Can I hear you play it?

- You're okay? - Yeah.

Leaving these right here.

- Wow! - Look.

We made you a cake. Can we eat it now?

- Okay, hold on, hold on. - Let's... let's settle in.

It was gonna say dad, I swear to God.

Okay, sweetie, let's go.

Let's give these guys some family time.

- Papa's waiting for us. - But, Dad, I want cake.

- Hold up, Ollie. - Stay, really.

Call Peter, ask him to come over for cake.

- It's fine. - Guess we're staying for cake.

- Let's have cake! - Let's eat cake!

Cake, cake, cake, cake,

cake, cake, cake!

- Whoo! - Oh, my God.

- Cowboy! - Oh.

- My cake! - Cowboy, bad dog.

Cowboy, bad dog.

This is why we are not getting a dog.

So, this is not how I wanted your homecoming to go, okay?

I was gonna have the laundry done,

and the dishes done, and the sign is up,

and the cake wasn't gonna say, "Welcome Home D," I'm sorry.

- I think you nailed it. - Seriously.

No, you're not!

The only thing missing is Luly.

Where is she?

- Hey. - Hey.

I... I remember you from high school.

I was in AP History with you.

- Oh, yeah. - I think I vaguely remember.

Yeah, I'm one of those people

that other people vaguely remember.

No, I didn't mean it that you were unmemorable.

I meant it that you were just out of context.

Nice to see you.

Uh, you weren't expecting to see

your secret crush from high school

at a cancer support group?

Exactly.

Uh, Evan Norris.

Oh, uh, cool.

I don't know why I went in for the handshake, but...

Now my hand's out there, and, um, I'm committed.

I like a guy committed to an action.

Luly Perry.

Nice to see you here, Luly Perry.

Anyway, I should go.

My... my mom, she gets chemo while I do group.

And then we go to Denny's while she still has an appetite.

I know. My life's pretty amazing.

See you.

Okay. See you.

- Hi, Mom. - Hey, baby.

Did you deliver any babies today?

- I sure did. - Twins.

- Were they cute? - Oh, they were the cutest.

Dad has a surprise for you.

I'm not supposed to tell you, so don't ask.

Also, Charlotte's hiding out in her closet with Tess.

- Okay. - Thank you.

Mm-hmm.

- Can you believe this? - Biggest crop I ever had.

You should ignore your garden more often.

No.

So, I'm worried about Charlotte.

She's holed up in that closet all the time.

This is some "my dad has cancer and I can't handle it",

"so I'm gonna hide out in my closet

and pretend I'm Anne Frank" thing?

That's not funny.

I know, but, it kind of is.

- Yeah, okay, all right. - It is kind of funny.

So, JJ says you have a surprise for me.

- Yes. - You ready?

It's gonna blow your mind.

Okay.

Oh, my gosh. Your new leg.

It works.

I'm walking.

I'm talking.

I'm dancing with my beautiful wife.

Where the hell is your chicken stock?

Anthony!

What are you doing here?

- I'm here to make you soup. - To fatten you up.

- You came from Atlanta? - Yep.

I gotta get back to the restaurant tonight.

Where is your chicken stock?

- Uh, I got it. - Uh, uh.

Canned chicken broth.

JJ, the fact that they're serving you this is criminal.

My dad doesn't really cook anymore

since he bought the Crab Shack.

You bought the Crab Shack.

I bought the Crab Shack.

JJ... we're going to the Crab Shack.

Crab Shack?

- No, not for you. - It's a school night.

Crab Shack, baby!

You guys met here, right?

Your dad and I were oyster shuckers.

- I shucked oysters. - He flirted with the customers.

And that's the summer my mom got pregnant.

Yeah.

I remember the night you were born.

Your dad came in here. We toasted you.

Then he said it was the last drink he was ever gonna take.

It was my last drink until the next night.

I had a few hundred last drinks before it finally took.

- Oh. Hold on. - I got customers.

She turned down a fancy internship in New York

just to get me through this.

- Speaking of this? - Hm.

How are you?

- I don't know. - I mean, I'm, uh...

Doing chemo to kill whatever cancer is still lurking.

And after a year of clean scans, I can, um...

feel reasonably optimistic.

How do I feel?

I don't know. Ask me in a year.

How are you? How's Pelago?

We were named Best New Restaurant in Atlanta.

You must feel great!

It's gonna be more work, more headaches,

less of a life, um...

Do you know what? I don't know how I feel yet.

- You ask me in a year. - It's a date.

I think mom has chemo.

Hey.

JJ said you were throwing up. Are you sick?

Um.

Well.

Remember all that life-affirming sex we had

when you were first diagnosed?

Yeah.

It affirmed life.

I'm pregnant.

Things were just so crazy after you got diagnosed.

I think I probably forgot a few pills.

Sorry, love.

I'm sorry that I didn't catch your cancer.

I'm a doctor.

And you might have been limping,

and I just missed it.

I hate that some stupid blood test

that you took for insurance caught it and I didn't.

- I'm just sorry. - Hey.

Me getting cancer isn't your fault.

Okay? It isn't your fault at all.

And you being pregnant isn't good news.

It's the best news.

Yeah?

We're gonna have a baby.

We're gonna have five kids.

You really gave that stone crab some character.

Thanks.

Yeah, it's inspired by Sebastian

from "The Little Mermaid."

Sebastian is a lobster, not a crab.

Oh, you are 100% wrong.

How'd you not know that?

Your job is literally.

"She sells seashells by the seashore."

Can you say it five times really fast?

No, but I can keep up with Missy.

Hey, guys.

Dad! Hi.

Hey, Mr. Perry.

Who are you?

Ah, my name's Evan.

What's this?

Uh, that is a crab.

Yeah.

Can I talk to you for a minute?

Of course.

You know that I'm grateful that you stepped in

and helped out here, but it's just temporary.

I know.

All right, well, you know.

You always had such big dreams, eh?

To move to New York, to be a writer.

I would just hate to be responsible

for you sidetracking your life.

- I kissed a guy. - I'm not engaged.

Okay, I know. Good.

I'm just being a dad.

Is that how you see it, though?

That I sidetracked your life?

Because you were gonna go to cooking school in Paris

like Anthony, but then you got stuck here with me.

That is not what happened.

I chose you.

Your mom... she didn't feel like she was ready to be a mom.

And that was her choice, but you were mine.

And I don't regret it for a second.

I just want to make sure that you're choosing your future.

If your car starts to hydroplane, you should?

Say a prayer.

Take your foot off the accelerator.

No, say a prayer that he passed.

Here he comes.

Fraser fir.

Needs lots of water.

Thanks, Larry.

Why is he always doing stuff for you guys?

The cancer thing.

It either makes people really weird or really nice.

Hey Char Char, Tess.

Wow!

Larry?

Hey, how do you know Larry again?

- I just know him. - You know.

People know people.

You know Tess. I know Larry, it's like...

Oh, right, AA.

You're too smart for your own good.

I take that back.

You are just the right amount of smart.

Never let anyone make you feel bad for being a smart woman.

I'm 13.

And in the blink of an eye, you're gonna be 14.

And then someone's gonna say,

"Hey, Charlotte, you wanna vape?

It's cool."

And when that happens,

I want you to think of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Did she vape? No.

Is she cool?

Yes.

RBG, whoo! Yeah, aw man.

- Yeah, yeah. - She's so cool.

So you failed your driving test.

Lots of people don't pass the first time, Theo.

So, there was this guy, Christopher Reeve,

who played Superman in the movies when I was your age.

He was in a terrible accident.

He got thrown off his horse.

He broke his neck. He was paralyzed.

And he couldn't walk anymore, but you know what?

He didn't quit and he didn't get bitter.

He always kept a positive attitude.

And you're saying that Theo should be happy

because even though he can't drive,

he can still walk?

What I'm saying is that you gotta accept defeat,

and pick yourself back up.

Well, what's Christopher Reeve doing now?

Uh, he died.

Never mind. That's a bad example.

Hi, Mom.

- Oh, hi, honey. - I didn't see you there.

Lately, everything is either a teachable moment

or a life lesson with you.

I know, I just want them to know my values.

You have a lifetime to teach them

your values.

You're here.

And you're gonna be here for a long time.

Your new daughter is gonna need you.

It's a girl?

Yep.

Hey, I know you're right.

I can't shove my lessons down the kids' throats.

But what if I got other guys

to shove my lessons down the kids' throats?

If the cancer comes back, if I die,

there'd be this group of guys

to help the kids if they need guidance.

If they're wondering what I would do

in a certain situation,

they could just ask

one of the guys on the council.

- The Council? - Yeah.

Council of Dads.

Oh, you gave it a name?

Do you have jerseys and a secret handshake?

No.

I don't even have the dads yet.

I'd like your input.

No.

The scans are moving in the right direction.

They're barely showing any cancer activity.

I know, but...

Do you, though?

Honestly, it feels like

you're still in the moment

when Oliver called

and told you that you had cancer.

And I know that was scary, babe, but...

we're not there anymore.

I feel like I can finally breathe.

And hold out a little hope.

I know.

I wanna stop worrying.

I wanna stop lecturing the kids.

And I think assembling this council will help.

It'll... it'll ease my mind

knowing that there's a plan in place.

And I think Chris Scollard would be great.

- You are out of your mind. - Chris Scollard?

- Yeah. - Captain Fitness?

No. No, he would drive me crazy.

He would be great.

He would show the kids nature,

and tell them how much I love the outdoors.

Why don't you show them how much you love the outdoors

right now?

Go play with them.

- Really, no Chris? - Really no Chris.

Your Council of Dads gets to be guys

that I would wanna deal with.

'Cause you know who's the head of the Council?

Me.

You just tricked me into assembling a Council of Dads.

Think I did.

Hey, throw me the ball.

Wait, wait, wait.

Dad, dad!

Now throw me the ball.

Dad.

Your dad's quiet.

He's just nervous for his scan today.

- Ah, right. - Of course.

Was I talking too much?

You're great.

I think you're sexy when you talk about architecture.

Yeah, well he probably hates that I don't have a degree.

You left to take care of your mom.

I'm gonna finish.

I've been talking to my advisor about picking up some classes

in the fall, and she really had like a...

You're perfect.

My family loves you.

- Lu? - Oh, my God.

What do I need to say to convince you?

I'm falling in love with you.

Uh, I'm sorry, uh...

Was that too much?

I mean, you said that you liked a guy

who committed to an action, and I thought, you know...

Yeah.

No. I do.

- Oh, I flipped you out. - Wow.

No, no.

I mean, yes.

But, no.

Can we just not talk for a while?

Uh, yeah, yeah.

Let's not talk.

All right, hands at ten and two,

not eleven and three.

And stop at the cone.

I said stop, not slow. That was a stop sign...

- No, it's not. - This isn't even a street.

I don't need to practice here.

I already practiced here

for five minutes when I first started.

And I've been driving for almost six months.

This is all a stupid waste of time!

Stop the truck.

Stop the truck!

Fine!

Get out.

Get out of the truck.

Run around the parking lot.

No.

Theo, I'm telling you...

Who are you, even?

You're just some weirdo who stalks my family.

I don't need to listen to you!

- Go ahead. - You yell at me.

I can handle it.

You're mad at the world?

You're mad that your dad has cancer?

Go ahead. Be mad.

But you don't get to be mad behind the wheel of a truck.

So, you're gonna run around

until you feel that anger leave your body.

I'll wait.

- All right. - You know the drill.

Any cancer cells that are hanging out

will light up in the scan.

Hopefully, we don't see any bright spots.

You ready?

What about him?

Baby, you're loopy from the Ativan.

Seriously, he's so on the council.

He's your friend. He's my friend, too.

And I love him.

I love you, man.

- I love you. - I love you.

- Mm. - Mm-hmm.

I don't know you.

But I love you.

Your husband's in love with me.

Well, it's not just you.

He's been making lists of men, in case he dies.

But, he knows I'm gay,

and married,

and so not attracted to you.

That was not what you said back in medical school

when you were still straight and tried to kiss me.

No, it's not for me. It's for the kids.

He wants to ask a group of men

to help raise them in case he dies.

A Council of Dads.

That's...

I think that's smart.

It's not.

It's terrible idea, and you're my friend,

and you need to be on my side about this.

Which is?

I'm having a baby.

I mean, yeah, I know, and I'm right here.

- No, no, no. - My water just broke.

I'm having a baby right now.

- Like, right now, right now? - Yeah.

Oh, okay.

Good thing we're in a hospital.

All right.

We're having a baby!

I suck at everything.

I can't even get my stupid license.

You know what I do for a living?

I buy failing businesses and turn them around.

I'm good at seeing what's not working and fixing it.

I can help you not suck at driving.

Why are you doing this?

Because I drank a bottle of vodka

every night for a lot of years.

And when I came into AA...

your dad agreed to sponsor me.

I owe him.

Wait. You were a...

A drunk?

I sure was.

What do you say we get out of this parking lot?

You're doing it.

- I'm doing it! - Whoo!

I'm here! I'm here.

Yeah.

- Okay. - Here we go.

Hey, Lu.

Seriously, I...

I'm sorry. I freaked you out.

You can't love me.

That's not what this is.

We're just supposed to help each other through stuff,

and make it less awful.

And you have made it so much less awful, but it's...

temporary.

I don't wanna hurt you, but I'm moving to New York.

I... I didn't realize I was just your...

grief buddy.

- No, that's not... - And so, whatever.

What I'm saying.

Thanks for letting me know.

The kids are on their way.

I know this sounds cheesy,

but she looks like a Hope to me.

That is a little cheesy.

- But we're cheesy. - Mm.

- And she does... she is. - She's our little Hope.

Mm.

I'm just gonna take her for a second and weigh her.

Dad, you wanna bring her?

Sure.

Okay.

- Got her? - Yeah.

Okay.

- Aww. - Aww.

She looks so good on you.

Oh, my.

She is beautiful. Congrats, you guys.

Hi, sweetie.

I'm your handsome Uncle Oliver.

I gotta take her to get weighed.

Then you can flirt with her some more.

She's gorgeous, Rob.

- What's wrong? - What's the matter?

What do you mean?

What is what?

The way you just looked at him.

You got the scan results back, didn't you?

The cancer's back.

No.

Just tell me he'll live.

Six pounds, twelve ounces.

I know she's only been around for an hour,

but I'm pretty sure she smiled at me.

- Isn't that right, Hope? - You love your daddy, yeah?

You love your daddy.

Oh, yeah.

Hey, baby. Don't go to sleep.

- Hey. - Hey.

Thanks for coming.

- Yeah. - Sounded important.

You weren't just my grief buddy.

You make me laugh.

You make me feel like me.

I miss you.

This is not what I was expecting.

Hi, stranger.

Let's go swimming.

- Luly. - What's going on?

My dad died.

This morning at 3:00 a.m.

We were all with him.

Oh, Lu.

Dear Anthony,

I wanna thank you for your friendship.

Especially the last few months.

You fed us when we needed to be fed.

Oliver,

you poured your heart and soul into fighting my disease.

Even when the odds were stacked against me.

And Larry,

when it was clear that cancer was going to win,

you showed up.

Now, I ask you to keep showing up.

Oliver, you said, with my diagnosis,

that we'd know in a year if I was gonna make it.

That a year is the magic number.

So, I'm asking you,

each of you,

for a year.

- Hey. - Thank God you guys are here.

The baby needs to be fed, my mother's driving me crazy,

and Charlotte's saying she doesn't want

to go to the funeral.

Come on in.

- Thank you. - Okay.

Charlotte?

Hey, it's Oliver.

You mind if I come in for a sec?

Sure.

I reread this with Tess this year.

Even though I know she dies,

I kept turning the pages,

hoping for a different ending.

But the ending

doesn't take away from how amazing her life was.

And how she keeps on teaching us stuff,

even after she's gone.

I see what you're doing.

You're talking about my dad.

Give my family a year.

And not just on holidays or birthdays.

Lots of people will be around then.

They're gonna need you on a Tuesday.

Or a Thursday. A regular day.

It's okay to cry.

Robin's used to taking care of people.

She's not so good at accepting help.

Anthony.

And she's gonna need it.

They all are.

Hey, Ollie?

- Can you take Charlotte? - Sure.

Anthony, you can take me, Hope, and JJ.

Yeah, sure.

- Okay, where is he? - Where's JJ?

I'm right here.

What is that?

Grandma said I had to wear it.

I just thought it'll make everything easier today.

You mean it would make today easier for you.

Well, honey, I think she looks darl...

He. Mom.

How many times have I told you that JJ's a boy?

And he likes to be called he.

Come on, baby. We'll go change.

I'm not mad, Grandma.

It can take people from your generation

a while to understand.

Come on, you.

- You have to understand. - I'm her grandma.

And I love her, and she's so young.

How can a first grader decide she's a boy?

I don't think he decided to be a boy.

I think he just is a boy.

That's how Scott explained it to me.

And I think we should be thinking about

what Scott would want today.

We all should, you know,

let JJ be JJ.

Lu.

- Hey. - Um...

I wanted to bring you something,

and I was gonna get flowers,

but I thought of what your dad said.

"People don't need stuff. They just need you."

You told it in the group.

I don't know if you remember it, but...

- Stop talking. - She remembers.

I love you, Evan.

So, my Council of Dads,

I'm not asking you to love my family the way I do.

But, my guess is you will.

You nervous?

A little.

You having any second thoughts?

We can call this thing off.

Your dad would want me to tell you

that this is your life, Luly Bell.

You live it for you.

I am.

I love Evan.

I'm not giving up on my dreams.

I just realized he's a part of them.

I'm choosing joy.

Well, you are your daddy's girl, then,

'cause he sure knew how to do joy.

Yeah.

Let's do this.

You may kiss the bride.

I miss him, Ollie.

The kids are all looking at me

wondering where all the fun went.

- I'm not fun. - Yes, you are.

No, I'm not.

I'm serious, and studious, and responsible.

And, so, he got to be spontaneous and fun, and...

And after tonight, we are all supposed

to go back to real life.

I don't know if I can do it.

I'm right here.

And Larry and Anthony.

We're gonna get through this together.

Now, dance with me.

No.

You don't have to have fun.

In fact, I insist you have a bad time.

Come on.

Whoo!

There's this picture of me and my dad

taken right after I was born.

He had no idea how to take care of a baby.

But he put his fear aside and smiled.

A declaration.

I've got this.

I can do this.

We're a family.

All right, Council of Dads, are we ready?

Everybody's ready, Freddy.

It's beautiful!

That's what we do.

We grab the people we love.

And we hold on for dear life.

We decide who our family is.

And we love them like our life depends on it.

We've got this.

We can do this.

We're a family.