Original subtitles

William:\NI always wonder if I got this\Npositive review in the Times

'cause Dad called in\Na favor.

*

That reviewer loved\Nyour father.

*

I mean,\Nreally loved him.

They have not filled\Nthe position at Carlisle.

Whoa.

Yeah, I know.

I'm in excruciating pain.\N[ Grunts ]

I can feel\Nthe stone passing.

It could be due\Nto stress.

*

I'm submitting\Nan alternate budget.

Think about\Nwhat you can pull off

[car engine turning over]

[crash]

[ "Monday, Monday"\Nby The Mamas & The Papas plays]

* Bah-da, bah-da-da-da...

* Bah-da, bah-da-da-da

* Bah-da, bah-da-da-da...

* Monday, Monday

* Bah-da, bah-da-da-da

* So good to me

* Bah-da, bah-da-da-da...

Shit!

* ...Monday mornin'

* It was all...

- Shit!\N- * ...I hoped it would be...

[tires squealing]

* Oh, Monday morning--

- [crash]\N- [song ends abruptly]

[**]

[**]

[**]

[shower running]

[rumbling]

Shaking.

You want me\Nto do something different?

The room is shaking.

[machine whirring]

Hey, hey, hey!\NWhat's this?

What are you doing?

[man] Dropping your stuff off.

This isn't my stuff.

Are you 44 Allegheny?

Yeah.

Wait! Why did you drop it\Nin front of my garage?

I can't get my car out.

You actually use that garage?

Let me say this again, okay?

Can you get\Nthis giant hunk of metal

out of my goddamn driveway?

What's going on?

He says he's gotta\Ndeliver this here.

Well, obviously,\Nthere's a mistake.

No mistake.

44 Allegheny.

He just confirmed it.

If you need to arrange\Na pick-up,

call the number at the bottom.

Have a nice day.

You have a nice day.

Hey, let's get a beer later!

It's from New York.

West 112th Street.

Oh, isn't that Columbia?

Yeah.

That's my Dad.

Maybe it's a pony.

It's a pleasure\Nspeaking with you again, Marnie,

and thank you for picking up.

This is Hank Devereaux,\Nthe one and only.

Now, cut to the chase,

there's a giant metal box

parked at the end\Nof my driveway.

It's actually\Nblocking my car in.

Can't you get around it?

No, I can't.

I don't--\NI don't think that I can.

Um, so, look, what is it?

It's your father's office.

We packed it up.

Okay, and you put it in a box,

and then, well,\Nyou sent it to me.

You're doing great.

Mr. Devereaux Jr.,\NI called you--

- Not junior.\N- ...several times--

and you never got back to me.

Yeah, and I'm really sorry\Nabout that right now.

Jump ahead.

Look, why did you\Nsend it to me?

He needs a place to keep it.

But why me?

I mean, we're hours away.

And look, if you wanted\Nto get rid of it,

why didn't you just\Nthrow it out,

I don't know,\Ndonate it, raffle it off?

You could melt it all down

and exchange it\Nfor something more precious,

like sand.

Too much?

It's just not funny.

He'll be able to access it\Nwhen he gets there.

What do you mean,\Nwhen he gets here?

I think this should come\Nfrom your father.

Well, so much should have\Ncome from my father,

but it is what it is, Marnie.

[Hank Sr.] Hello?

Hello?

Hank?

- Hank?\N- [Hank ends call]

He can't think this is okay?

Right? To come here?

He might.

Does he think\NI'm going to take care of him?

I don't know.

After he just left us,

just walked out\Nand never stayed in touch,

not a word to me or Mom\Nin over 15 years?

Should you warn your mother?

Lily, the number of times\Nthat he betrayed her,

he cheated on her.

One more knife in the back,

I think she's a goner.

I don't know.\NI think she's pretty resilient.

Yeah.

[Hank, thinking]\NWhen you abandon your kids,

you should have to sign\Na release

that says you understand

you will never be welcomed\Ninto their home.

The release could be available\Nat every Walgreens,

or Walmart,

wherever you buy\Nyour fungal ointment.

All family obligations\Nwould be then wiped clean.

Feel free to die\Nin the Airbnb of your choice.

[line ringing]

[Laurel] Hello, Hank.

Oh, hey, Mom.\NAre you sitting down?

I most certainly am not.

I sat enough in my life.

Well, you'll never believe\Nwhat your ex-husband did.

Oh?

He basically dumped

the entire contents\Nof his office

into my front driveway.

He might be coming here.

That whole thing\Nin the newspaper,

"I'm going to spend\Nmore time with my family,"

I thought that was

just a sick joke.

Oh, dear.

[**]

[students laughing]

Oh, God.

Jason!

Stop that\Nand put it away!

- Oh, that's going to be...\N- So gross!

[student] So disgusting!

[Lily] Pierre!

I need you.

There was a...

there's urine

all over the lockers and hall\Nnear the library.

Nope.

I'm sorry?

Don't do urine.

Don't do feces.

You do mopping, right?

Not urine.

Pierre,\Neverybody really appreciates

all the hard work\Nyou do here at the school.

We wouldn't be able\Nto get by without you.

I don't do urine.

Yes, but I'm sure\Nthat you can understand

that the students need\Na urine-free environment.

I mean, this really\Nisn't an option.

It is.\NI won't.

Clean the urine!

Don't do urine.

[Principal]\NHe just said he won't?

Yeah, that's what he said.

Huh.

What do you think we should do?

I mean, if the man\Nwon't do his job,

then I think\Nthat he needs to be replaced.

I think you're right.

There's a union hearing he gets,\NI think,

and, uh,\Nif I'm remembering correctly,

he gets an appeal.

Christmas, maybe?

I'm sorry, what do we do

about the urine\Nthat is in the hallway?

The weekend crew will get it.

But it's Monday.

Mm.

There is urine in the hallway.

[Hank, thinking]\NOkay, I'll admit it,

I was a difficult boy,

and I've always been\Na difficult man--

a fact easily confirmed\Nby unlucky people around me.

But the extent of the pain\NI'm willing to inflict?

Come on, there's no comparing\Nme to my father.

I specialize in minor strife\Nand insignificant irritation.

That's my lane.

My father\Nis into life derailment.

[Honk!]

Shoo!

Get outta here.

I saved your ass.

What's wrong with you?

I was too happy.\NI'm trying to bring myself down.

I can help.

Did you hear any of those rumors\Nabout a list?

No.

Ah, well, there's\Nthis crazy rumor going around

that President Pope

has asked me to get a list\Nfrom my department heads,

naming 20% of their faculty\Nthat can be cut.

An actual list with\Nactual names of human beings?

That's the rumor.

Crazy rumor.

I'm going to need that list.

What? Really?

I know.

It's this guy, Dickie Pope.

He's a real killer.

They say he was\NJeb Bush's spanking partner

in Skull and Bones.

Well, I hope he hit hard.

20% of the adjuncts, too?

Absolutely not.

They're half the price.

You should load them up.

Yeah, I'm not making a list.

I know,\Nand I'm not asking you to.

End of the week.

Don't tell anyone.

They're just going to freak out.

We don't want\Nto cause any distress...

[Quigley] There's Spanky.

We know about the rumors.

He's not going\Nto tell us anything.

Hank...

we all have\Na right to know.

Can you not be yourself

and be straight with us\Nfor one minute?

[Emma]\NMy friend in sociology

heard there were\Ngoing to be cuts.

My friend in history\Nsaid the same.

It's possible they heard it\Nfrom each other,

but also possible\Nit was two independent sources.

If history is to repeat itself,

which it is wont to do,

bore that it is,

then we are waltzing a waltz\Nthat we have waltzed before.

We need not fear a misstep\Nor a st--

[Emma] Finny!

[Gracie] We've earned\Nthe truth, Hank.

We demand the truth.

It's all true.

I'm gonna go make\Na list now, okay?

They wanted me to lie to you,

to tell you it wasn't happening.

They were concerned\Nthat you might panic,

but I said no.

No, they're all adults.

[door closes]

[**]

Still waiting\Nfor my recommendation.

What's going on?

Don't become a professor.

Just stay an adjunct.

There's more freedom that way.

If you get this job,

you will throw yourself\Ninto your teaching,

but it won't be long

before you realize\Nyou can't help these kids.

There's more promise\Nin a senior-citizen yoga class.

They're not that bad.

Yeah, so fine,

you will throw yourself\Ninto your writing,

but guess what?

Selling 460 copies\Nof your novel

about being a professor\Nin a small town,

that's not as exciting\Nto your publisher

as you imagine.

So, finally, you decide,

you know what,

I'll just use my chairmanship

to torment my arrogant, petty,\Nself-obsessed colleagues.

Hey, lay off my mom.

But it's not too long\Nbefore even that holds no joy.

You will be trapped by tenure\Nin this town,

and you will regret it.

Hank, slide over.

No, sit there.

I'm getting close for effect.

You know how good\Na teacher I am.

Just because

I haven't published\Nthat first book yet,

I'm invisible

unless I have the endorsement\Nof someone like you.

You know what?

If I don't get tenure here now,

I will have to move,

probably to, like, Nebraska\Nor something--

Okay, I get it.

Or I would stay an adjunct,

and if I want to make\Nanything more than my rent,

I've gotta keep tending bar\Nin this shithole!

Sorry, guys,\Nyou know I love you.

Hank, don't tell me\Nthat tenure's not a big deal

when you have it.

I'm not even on track for it.

[**]

You write it, I'll sign it,

but I won't read it.

I could write anything?

Go nuts.

That we're lovers?

Yeah, if you think\Nthat will help.

Well, I'd have to\Ndescribe your penis.

It's square.

Color?

Okay. Okay, go.

[Finny] I have a friend\Nat Haverford.

He told me they had an opening

for a comp lit associate\Nlast spring.

They received 314 applicants.

314!

God, it is the worst time\Nto be an academic.

Do you think they filled it yet?

Mm... you're media studies.

I could teach comp lit.

- Emma.\N- I could.

No one from Railton\Nis getting a job at Haverford.

Or anywhere.

My point was the applicant pool

was the largest\Nthey've ever had.

You don't have a friend\Nat Haverford.

[Gracie] Any attentive Dean\Nwould know

Paul Rourke is not interested\Nin teaching freshman courses.

Yes, Jacob, I do have a point,

and that is...

if there is a decision\Nto be made,

it won't escape\Nanyone's attention

that there are\Ntwo poetry professors

in this department.

One of them\Nis stuck in the 18th century,

and the other receives\Nconsistently higher cue scores

and can teach anything\Nin the canon.

Well, if you like my confidence,

then you should tell Hank\Nwhat I just told you.

Don't flirt with me, Jacob.

I'm not in the mood.

[ends call]

The character's circumstances\Nare dark,

and with the imagery\Nof light and darkness,

- the...\N- [door opening]

...well, her inner monologue\Nis...

is...

energetic,

so it never bogs down--

I need to talk to you.

This class\Nhas three more minutes.

[Hank, thinking]\NSome men can pull off a vest.

I don't know\Nif it's the shape of his arms,

or just his vest-y attitude,

either way,\NI am jealous as hell.

Okay, class is over.

They, uh...

they tell me\Nyou're going to make a list.

Yeah, I'm looking\Nfor my stencils.

I'm thinking\Nof a decorative border.

I spoke with Leslie Schonberg.

Ms. Schonberg?

Oh! My second-grade teacher.

As our union rep,

she says that\Nwe don't have to take this,

and I agree.

I guess we could all\Nrun away and hide together.

We need a big enough building--

abandoned factory, but spiders.

Okay, shut up.

Instead of a list,\Nhere's what you do.

You give them a signed statement\Nof solidarity,

all the departments,\Nall the faculty.

We make sure\Nthose bozos in Harrisburg

know that\Nwe're not playing around.

They won't want a full walk-out\Non their hands.

What if they do...

want a full walk-out\Non their hands?

Why would they want that?

To test out\Ntheir new sneaker gloves?

What the hell is it with you?

What do you even want?

Whose side are you on?

[door closes]

We know\Nwhat we bring to the table.

And we know you know.\NWe don't have to enumerate it.

But do others know?

Do they know about\Nour publications?

Do they know about our scholar--

Guys, can I just stop you\Nbefore you settle into a rhythm?

And I appreciate you saying

that this would be\Na short meeting,

but I have to ask\Nwhat the topic is.

The cuts. The list.

The list.

- Hank told us.\N- Oh.

He told us you told him.

And he told us

that you told him\Nnot to tell us,

so you didn't hear this from us.

[Teddy]\NWe know the university bias

towards seniority.

We're the most recent\Ntenure-track hires,

and if seniority is, in fact,\Nan element here,

we just need to make sure

that people are acutely aware

of everything else\Nwe have to offer.

Well, until the legislature,\Nwhich is 100 miles away,

passes a budget for us,

there's nothing to discuss.

There's nothing for you to do,

so there's no point in worrying.

Okay, Dean...

Okay. Okay.

There is a new committee.

I think we're a little\Nall over the place.

Well, we need more members.

What about your roommates?

I can talk to them.

What do they look like?

If they're too hot,

no one is going\Nto take us seriously.

We need a mission statement.

Yes, we do.

Um...

okay.

Okay, take this down.

Wait, so am I a secretary?

- I'll do it.\N- I'm doing it.

Is this\Nthe Excellence Committee?

We're allowed to be here.

Oh, we know.\NWe know.

I'm Professor Washington-Chen,\Nand so is he.

We are here\Nat Dean Rose's behest.

We're your faculty advisors.

Uh, that's an obvious\Nconflict of interest.

No, no,\Nit's a confluence of interest.

We couldn't be more on board\Nwith what you're trying to do.

Mm-hmm,

and we believe that our support

will help you have\Na greater impact on the school.

The community needs to know\Nthat they can trust us,

and that means that we need\Nto have some teeth,

and at times,\Nwe're going to need to bite.

We can't have faculty saying\Nthat we can't ruffle feathers.

We're not pulling punches.

[Teddy] Pull punches?

No, no.

No.

Hey, look, we're here\Nto help you hit harder,

bite better.

Yeah, what was\Nthe other metaphor?

- Feathers.\N- Right.

Uh, fly higher.

"Fly higher"?

[Teddy] Mm-hmm.

I like it.

Take that down.\N"Fly higher."

[car horn honks]

[woman sobbing]

Hey.

Hey, something wrong?

Is something wrong?\NWhat, are you kidding?

Is this about that...?

Well, obviously,\NI'm gonna be on your list.

You know what?\NNever mind.

- It's... just...\N- I'm sorry.

You know...\NBut think about--

Sorry.

But you don't have to--

[sighs]

[car engine turns over]

Hey, what's up?

They want me to make\Na list of people to fire.

Oh, shit.\NAre you going to?

Of course not.

I'll bet my father\Nwould have made a list.

Just for fun.

[Lily] He was never Chair.

[Hank] Hmm, before\Nhe let Mom and me go,

I bet he made a list of us.

[Lily] I... I don't know, Hank.

What are you going to do?

[Hank] Well...

Ithink\NI might have a yard sale.

[ "Low"\Nby Bonfire Nights plays]

[**]

[**]

Oh, you jerks.

[**]

[**]

[**]

[**]

[Laurel] "Dear Henry,

I just finished your manuscript,

and it is some of\Nyour best work to date."

"...You must not let Columbia

treat you\Nas any other professor..."

"...Most modern\Nliterary critiques

owe you a tremendous debt..."

"A three percent raise

is the least\Nyou should accept..."

"...I'm sorry to hear\Nabout Stephanie leaving you.

I'm not entirely surprised."

"...I've been thinking it over

and it seems best\Nthat I tell Hank."

"...Though much time\Nhas passed,

next summer, please consider\Nstaying with me."

"...Hank is now\Nout of the house,

so you won't be bothered

with any\Nunwelcome distractions..."

"...You're very welcome\Nin my home

and to consider it\Nyour home as well.

In time, I'm certain\Nthat Hank will feel the same."

[car engine turns over]

Oh!

For Christ's sake.

[groans]

[ "Monday, Monday"\Nby The Mamas & The Papas plays]

- [crash]\N- Damn!

[crash]

[groans]

[tires squealing]

[crash]

[groans]

[grandfather clock chiming]

[Hank Sr.]\NHow can I get any work done

when he's always in my office?

There's too many distractions\Nin this house.

[clock chiming]

- [clock chiming]\N- [Paul, present day] Hank!

[pounding on glass]

Hank!

Hank! What the hell\Ndid you think you were doing?

I must have, uh, passed out\Nbecause of the kidney stone.

You lazy son of a bitch!

Will you help me?

[Paul] We've gotta talk.

I've got our union rep here.

Will you drive me\Nto my mother's?

How old are you?

You two aren't gonna\NJimmy Hoffa me, are you?

I don't go for B.S..

I never see any reason

my cards shouldn't be\Nface-up on the table.

Unless you're playing cards.

[Hank, thinking]\NSitting in the back seat

as an adult--

it can be either infantalizing\Nor empowering--

like you're being\Nchauffeured around like a boss--

and I literally am the boss,

but I feel like an infant.

We both know you've had

your differences\Nwith the union over the years,

pretty much from the beginning.

Yeah, I've had my differences\Nwith the other side, too.

You're not the only ones\Nwho think I'm a prick.

I'm not just talking about\Nthese grievances against you.

I know it runs deeper than that.

You think we defend\Nincompetence,

promote mediocrity.

I wish you would promote\Nmediocrity.

We'd all get promotions.

What I'm saying is

nobody expects you\Nto become a union man.

We win this thing,\Nwe beat Dickie Pope

and all his corporate\Neducation B.S.,

and you can go right back\Nto the way you were before.

Younger?\NYou going to make me younger?

See?

I told you there was no point\Nin talking to this guy.

He doesn't care about anything.

Everything's a joke to him.

Yeah, everything's a joke,

but they're not all funny.

[" Badinerie From Suite No. 2\NIn B Minor" by Bach playing]

[**]

So gross.

[**]

[**]

What are these?

Flowers.

Aren't they pretty?

I picked them myself.

I'm not reimbursing you\Nfor this.

Jack, I needed those supplies.

You know that.

I didn't approve this.

Are you kidding me?

There was piss in the hall,

and I couldn't use\Nthe janitor's mop

because, apparently,

opening his closet\Nis a union job.

We don't have\Na cleaning-supplies budget.

There was piss...

in the...

I know that.

You have an emergency fund.

Not every piss\Ncan be an emergency.

We need to save some\Nfor good emergencies,

like pizza for when\Nthey do something good.

You have to ask first.\NI'm sorry.

Jack!

I'm taking\Na personal day next week...

to interview at Arlyle.

Yeah, I'm going to New York

to interview\Nat the Arlyle School.

Oh.

Have fun.

Send me a postcard,

and I'll send you one,

from England,

where I'll be auditioning

for the role of Henry Higgins

at the Globe.

So you want to work here?

Yeah, um,

if you want someone\Nto work here,

I can do that.

Do you have a resume?

Not with me.

So your father-in-law tells me\Nyou're an idiot.

- Yeah.\N- Hmm.

Yeah, he does say that.

I should be offended,

but that's, like, his defense.

You know, like, he uses sarcasm\Nto mask his pain.

Oh...

Hank has a lot of pain?

Yeah.

I mean, you know,

guys of that generation\Nand their dads...

you know, they were all spanked,

or whatever.

So Hank is his father's fault?

Well, yeah,\NJulie thinks it's his father.

I think it's his mother,\Nactually.

You've never met a colder woman\Nin your life.

It's like trying to have\Na conversation

with an ice sculpture.

I think that's where\Nthe real abandonment comes from.

Actually, I think it goes\Nway darker than that.

I don't know\Nif it's his work or...

...if he's in\Na terrible marriage, or what...

...but it's bad.

It's kind of hard\Nto tell with that guy, though.

You know.

[chuckles]

Yeah.

Hey, can I ask you something?

Yeah.

Why do you think

that he's reluctant\Nto support my tenure?

Because I know he respects me.

Yeah...

I don't know,\Nthat's a tough one.

I mean, look,\Nhe respects me too.

I feel like\Nthe thing about Hank is

the guy can't make a decision.

He gets paralyzed\Nby his own brain.

He's such a little boy\Nsometimes.

Sometimes, I feel like\NI'm his dad.

I feel like\Nyou might be being hard on him.

Because I know

how Hank feels about this town.

I mean, so I want to be\Na college professor,

more than anything here,

but...

I also know\Nthat there's a ceiling.

And...

I think that Hank is...

self-aware enough

to understand

that Railton College, it's...

not a destination--

for anyone,

really, right?

It's like a...

it's not even the highlight\Nof the journey.

I don't know.

I...

I just see it differently.

I think the location\Nis the illusion.

I think the adventure's\Ngotta be up here.

And here.

And a little bit\Ndown there, too.

And here,\Na little bit, too.

Maybe.

You never know.

[phone ringing]

Hey.

Are you serious?

Yeah, I'll be there shortly.\NThanks.

Meg?

Where is she?

She found Hank's whiskey.

[**]

Hey.

Hey, it's me.

No.

Damn Spanky!

Damn college.

This place is a disgrace!

Uh-huh, it's a disgrace.

I'm still paying off\NLucy's tuition, for god's sake,

and they don't care!

Nobody cares.

- Okay, Mom.\N- I'm going to sit.

- No!\N- No, no, no, no, no, no.

Come on, come on, come on.

I hope you weren't expecting\Nanything to eat.

I haven't been\Nto the market today.

I have some crackers.

I don't know\Nwhether they're stale.

I'm fine.

I was in the middle\Nof my column.

Oliver, the homeless man\Nthat lives on Rail Street,

has been sent\Nto a halfway house.

Apparently, he's happy there.

Mom, there's something\NI want to talk to you about.

Oh.

All right.

Just tell me what these are.

Oh, my goodness.

He saved them.

That can't be\Nthe first thing you say.

No.

I see that.

Hank, I have been corresponding\Nwith your father

for some time now.

Yeah. Why don't you jump ahead

to the part\Nthat I haven't figured out

from having read them already?

You read my letters?

No, no,

you are not turning this\Naround on me.

Now, what I did\Nwas a minor infraction.

What you did here was a felony.

And what was the felony?

Writing to my husband?

Ex! Ex-husband.

You know as well as I do

you've been acting like

we've been on the same page\Nthis whole time,

like he hasn't contacted you\Neither in 20 years.

You're envious.

Oh, my god.

Oh, my god.

I never made\Nany promises to you.

You haven't?

Don't you remember\Nwhen he left us?

Hmm?

You remember what happened?

You said to me...

"It's just you and me now."

Oh, stop it.

No, he abandoned us.

He abandoned you.

He moved away from me, and...

...now he's moving back.

No. No, he's not.

Well, that's not\Nyour decision, Hank.

Yeah, well, it's partly mine.

No, it's not.

I've invited him to stay,\Nand he accepted.

[Hank sighs]

[Marnie] You have reached\NProfessor Devereaux's office.

Please leave a message\Nafter the tone.

[beep]

Hey, Dad, it's Hank.

Your son.

Couple things.

One, congrats\Non your retirement.

I hope you have\Nsome plans to relax.

I was meaning to send you\Na set of paints.

That worked well for George W.,

which...

that brings me to number two.

It's kind of the big one.

I've been holding on\Nto a lot of anger towards you,

and the more I think about it...

the more...

appropriate it seems.

It's well-earned.

So...

you're not welcome here.

Don't come to Railton.

Enjoy the rest of the globe.

[Julie] Dad?

Dad, are you okay?

Dad?

Did you really\Nnot hear me come in?

Is one of you moving out?

Huh? What?

The moving pod out front?

Uh...

It's true, isn't it?

You know, I knew something\Nwas going on with you guys.

What? No.\NIt's a mistake.

I'm taking care of that.

What-- You want to sit down,\Nstay for lunch?

Yeah.

All right.\NI've got some...

I've got some good bread\Nand, uh, ham and cheese.

I can make a grilled cheese.

[Julie] Dad, I think\NI'm in over my head.

I just...

I don't know. I don't know.\NI just feel...

Let's talk about it.\NWe'll figure it out.

I started on this path\Na while ago,

and I started making\Nall these choices,

and...

- like with the pool.\N- Uh-huh.

[sighs]

I just feel like...

I started on this path\Na while ago,

and then I started making\Nall these choices,

like with the pool,

and now there's\Na freaking rented backhoe

stuck in a hole in my backyard,

and I don't know\Nhow to get it out,

and everything is starting\Nto feel really overwhelming.

Yes, well, that's okay.

I mean,\Neverybody gets there sometimes.

Yeah?

Here's the great thing, right?

You're not locked in.

Right? You can get out.

You're 24.

You can do anything.

Yeah, I know.

What do you--\Nwhat do you mean?

You can move to New York,

or Nashville,

anywhere\Nwhere there's opportunity.

What are you talking about?

Are you trying\Nto get me to leave?

No.

Well...

Oh, my god.

Oh, my god!

I was talking about\None DIY project that went wrong,

one project,

and now you're trying to use it\Nto kick me out of town?

I'm not kicking you out.

Yeah, I'm not an idiot, Dad.

I didn't understand.

It is obvious to me

that I have not lived up\Nto all of your expectations--

I never said anything--

I didn't go to grad school,

or, like,\Nwrite a bunch of books,

and I'm not super ambitious\Nlike you and Grandpa,

and I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry\Nthat my whole life goal

wasn't to, like,\Nachieve stuff, or something,

but I like it here,\Nand I'm going to stay here.

You don't have anything to say?

You rented a backhoe?

Here.

For your troubles.

Thanks.

I'm gonna need\Na lot more of these.

Okay, so it's true.

How deep are the cuts going?

I don't know.

Oh...\NMy mom is really worried.

Yeah.

Yeah, she is not doing great.

Hank, I'm not blaming you.

I'll take care of her\Nif I need to.

You know that.

Well, you're\Na lot better daughter

than I am a son.

I just left a message\Nfor my father

telling him\Nhe's not welcome here, ever.

Did you really?

Yeah, I did.

You don't even\Nlike it here, Hank.

Nobody does.

Yeah, no shit.\NWe should all get out.

Can't. Tenure.

Can't. Mother.

Looks like\Nwe're both trapped here, huh?

[Hank, thinking]\NWhen did she start

with the nose jewelry?

I mean, it's cute,\Nbut I'm not fooled.

It's a cry for help.

If nobody answers,

the next thing\Nis gonna be crazy hats,

balloon pants,

and then she's riding\Na unicycle down Main Street.

Meg, hey.

Listen...

What?

They're instituting\Na hiring freeze.

There's not going to be

any tenure track positions\Nfor a long time.

For how long?

Years.

It's bleak.

Goddamn this place.

With these cuts,

I'm not going to be able

to give you any classes\Nnext semester.

Hey, you've got a killer resume,

and you're young for academia.

Your scholarship covers\Nall the hot topics.

Any school\Nwould jump at the chance,

even in this job market.

You should be out there\Nlooking around.

Seriously.

Yeah, I've got a better idea.

[ "Silver Timothy"\Nby Damien Jurado playing]

I'll take--\NI'll take one.

You want one?

[Hank] This is the good stuff?

[Meg] Yeah.

* I was met on the road

* By a face that was mine...

[indistinct conversation]

* ...Spots on the irises bleed

* Where the numbers were born

[**]

* Go back down\Ndon't touch the ground... *

* Go back down\Ndon't touch the ground *

[**]

Careful with the table there.

Yeah. Yeah.

[**]

That's what I'm talking about.

I'm gonna get you\Na glass of water.

Okay.

Good night, Meg.

[Hank, thinking]\NI was at the movies.

The restaurant.

A bar.

At the dentist.

I ran into Tony,\Nand he needed a talk.

Oh...

who cares where I was?

I mean, what, do I ask you

every damn thing\Nabout your life?

Come on, what,\Nare we married now?

Yeah... yeah, we are.

- You're still up.\N- Mm-hmm.

I'm wiped.

I bet.

It's way past your bedtime.

Were you with Tony?

No, actually.

I was in the company

of a very attractive, young,\Nsingle, 30-something woman.

Mm. By the name of?

Meg Quigley.

Oh, you're working your way\Nthrough your bucket list.

You're my bucket list, baby.

She-- She was really drunk.

I had to drive her home.

Did you get any?

No.

Uh, we did end up\Nin the bedroom,

and clothes were shed.

I mean, hers, not mine.

Is that-- is that true?

And I was forced to flee\Nto protect her honor,

and my honor,

and your honor.

How lucky for all of us\Nthat you were there.

Thank you.

She was really upset

because I told her

classes aren't happening\Nfor her this fall.

[Lily] That's terrible.

[Hank] No, it's not.

Somebody has to kick her\Nout of the nest.

I told her the classes...

well, they're cut.

But are they?

[Hank] Well, no.

Did you lie to her?

Well, she was never\Ngoing to leave.

She thinks she has to\Ntake care of her mom.

Somebody has to end\Nthis madness for her.

[Lily] But she had told you\Nthat she wanted to stay.

Jesus Christ, Hank.

You're projecting\Nall of your shit

onto everybody else.

What?

Julie, Meg,

telling everybody\Nthey should leave town.

What is that?

Do you hate it here?

I take the fifth.

You can't treat...

Forget it.

I talked to Tom.

I'm going to go\Nto New York this week.

I'm going to interview\Nfor that Arlyle job.

Yeah? You...

Okay.

[ "Gotta Cheer Up"\Nby Cotton Jones playing]

* Come before us\Ncome the dark *

* All the colors\Nof your heart *

* All the whistle\Nin your park *

* Children swimming\Nthrough the sparks *

* I was footing around...

All: No cutting jobs!\NWoman: You spelled\N"humanities" wrong.

I know that you care about\Nthose professors,

despite the fact that\Nyou would never admit that.

President Dickie Pope.

You are the only\Ndepartment head

who has not submitted a list\Nof faculty to cut.

In that way\NI'm outstanding.

Lily.\NThis interview could\Ngive me some leverage.

Leverage?

The key thing\Nto any organized protest

is that we're unified.

I will box a goose a day.

That man is chair over\Nthe English department.

*

[**]