Original subtitles

[woman on TV] Deep breath in.

Hold and release.

Fill your world with peace.

Breathe in.

Hold.

Hold!

And release. Hah!

Hah!

[thudding]

Thanks. Sorry about the tree.

Do I know you?

My daughter plays the clarinet.

Not anymore. I switched to tuba.

Why do you hate me?

Mom, tuba's cool.

But I thought you loved the clarinet. It's so...

pretty and quiet.

I outgrew that.

[plays harsh note]

- Hi, Mom! - Hey, buddy! Ooh.

Hey, Kyra, I know we live in Texas,

but that necklace is a little over-the-top.

Good one, Dad.

Wow!

- You wanna look inside? - Yeah!

Don't you dare.

Mom, something terrible's happened.

Oh, my gosh. Are you okay?

No, it's not me. I'm fine. It's Van.

I flunked my history midterm.

Now I can't play football.

- Oh, thank God! - Oh, my God!

What happened?

I don't know. I blew it.

I'm sorry. Now we're gonna lose the game on Friday, all because of me.

Isn't it enough that he is a football star?

Do they expect the boy to be a brain surgeon too?

I'll take care of it. I'll talk to the teacher to give you a makeup test.

Oh, thanks, Dad.

What's the use? I flunked once. I'll flunk again.

Failure is not an option.

Now, look, if you don't play, we lose the game.

No play-offs, no championship,

no big, shiny trophy in my dental office.

We're all counting on you, Son.

Hey, Coach, ease up.

Van, look at you. You're a mess.

Here.

Take your husband upstairs and try to get him to relax.

Uh, thanks, Mrs. H,

but I can't even think about sex right now.

[theme song playing]

♪ My roots are planted in the past ♪

♪ Though my life is changing fast ♪

♪ Who I am is who I want to be ♪

♪ A single mom who works too hard ♪

♪ Who loves her kids and never stops ♪

♪ With gentle hands And the heart of a fighter ♪

♪ I'm a survivor ♪

All right, come on, now, Van, focus.

All right. Who fought in the War of 1812?

Soldiers.

Which soldiers?

I'm supposed to know their names?

Van, what countries?

Oh, I'm sorry. I have no idea.

Come on. Keep your head in the game, Son. All right. Look.

Let's start with an easy one. We'll build up your confidence.

In what year was the War of 1812 fought?

Van, come on. You know this one.

Yeah, but it feels like a trick question.

No, it's not a trick question.

It's 1812.

1812! The War of 1812!

All right! Stop yelling at me!

How's it going?

We're in trouble.

No, we're good. We're making real progress. Right, Van?

Please, no more questions!

Okay, I think it's time for a new approach.

You two, outta here. I'm takin' over.

[chuckles]

Thanks, Mrs. H, but it's hopeless.

No, it's not hopeless.

Let's just figure out where your weaknesses are and start there.

Do you have a copy of the test you took?

Okay.

All-righty. I see the trouble started early.

You spelled "Van" wrong.

Shoot! I knew that one!

Honey, you need to learn how to relax.

Take a deep breath and do this.

Hah!

Kah!

There you go. Now, let's start with the first one you missed.

Number one.

"Who is John Brown?"

Some abolitionist.

He tried to arm the slaves before the Civil War.

Right. But for "Who is John Brown?"

you said, "C, the Godfather of Soul."

- Stupid! Stupid! - Easy.

Stay calm. Let's try another one.

"Which president made the Louisiana Purchase?"

Thomas Jefferson.

Right again.

You've been holding out on me.

Van, it's obvious you know this stuff.

What happened?

Well, I looked at the questions, and I started thinking,

if I flunk, I can't play.

I won't get into college or get drafted into the NFL.

I'll have to get a regular job.

Cheyenne will think I'm a loser,

and my baby will have to wear cheap diapers!

I never thought I'd say this, Van, but you've been thinking too much.

[doorbell rings]

I'll get it. It's just my band friend.

We're gonna practice.

Okay, honey. But Van needs to study.

Can you take your friend up to your room?

- Really? - Yeah.

- Hey, Kyra. - Hi, Bryan.

Hello!

You're a Bryan.

Mom.

I'm Mrs. Hart.

Nice to meet you, Bryan.

[chuckles] Hi.

So, you're a tuba player.

And now you're a tuba player.

Yes, Mom.

Well, this has been nice.

Come on, Bryan. Let's go up to my bedroom.

Bedroom?

Hold up, hold up. Change of plans.

Kyra, you and Brian can practice down here,

and Van and I will go into the kitchen.

What's the matter? Don't you trust Bryan with me?

No.

Awesome.

- [Brock] You ready, Son? - I hope so.

"Hope"?

That's not a winning attitude. That's a hoping attitude.

Remember, we want him to stay relaxed.

Right, right, right. We're calm, feelin' no pressure.

Ready to kick that test's...

A-double-S.

I know what that spells!

I'll drive you two to school.

Bring your plates over.

Thanks, Mrs. H, for everything.

Just remember, you know this stuff.

Okay.

And to get you started out on the right foot,

it's V-A-N.

[mouthing] Got ya.

Have a seat.

Mr. Devaney, I just wanted to let you know

the entire football team appreciates you givin' Van this makeup test.

Why's that? Is he in the band?

No, he's our best player.

Don't you go to games?

I'm afraid I don't care much for ball sports.

But I do enjoy a good Civil War reenactment.

You ever done that?

Well, one Halloween, I dressed up as Mary Todd Lincoln. Does that count?

Just relax. Don't be nervous. Nothin' to worry about.

The whole school's behind you. You're the man.

Okay, I'm the man.

[tapping on window]

- You're the man, Van! - [all cheering]

[mutters]

V-A-N.

Now we're cookin'.

Somebody's been...

busy.

Looks like you missed a spot.

[scoffs]

[laughing]

I was trying to make Bryan your famous chocolate chip cookies,

but I couldn't find the recipe.

Oh.

Here you go.

You said you made them from scratch.

So will you when Bryan asks.

Speaking of Bryan, he's a little hottie, isn't he?

Mom, nobody says "hottie" anymore.

We're just friends. We share a love of the tuba.

Oh? Are we talking about the hottie tuba player?

Would you two get a life?

[door opens]

Hey, is Van back yet?

He should be home soon, waiting for the teacher to grade his test.

What happened here?

Kyra's in love.

I am not. I'm baking cookies.

...for a boy.

I'm not sure I like that.

Do we approve of this?

As long as she wears oven mitts, I don't see the harm.

So who is this young man?

Nobody. Just a boy from band.

Oh, a band kid. That's fine.

Hey.

Hey, honey.

How'd it go?

I got my A-double-S kicked.

Too bad it wasn't a spelling test.

- Wanna go to a movie? - No.

- You wanna fool around? - No.

- You wanna eat a pizza? - No.

Mom!

Be honest.

Would you have married me if I weren't a big football stud?

Honey, I'm pregnant. I had to marry you.

Feel better?

You "Mom'ed"?

He's turning down food. I give up.

Flunkin' a test is always hard on a marriage.

I blew it.

Van, you flunked a test.

So you sit out a game. Try it again.

- It's not the end of the world. - [sighs]

Maybe it'll do you good to take a week off.

And do what?

Hey, you're a smart kid.

Football is just one option.

It's not like it's your life.

Yes, it is!

That was decided back when I was a 140-pound third grader.

[chuckles]

Nonsense.

No one's life is decided in the third grade.

It's not like you're an Olsen twin.

There's gotta be something that you like to do...

- [sighs] - ...in your spare time.

I don't have spare time during football season.

Well, what do you like to do in your spare time after football season?

Get ready for next season.

High school is a time to try new things.

There's gotta be somethin' else

that interests you.

Well, there is this one thing I always

sort of wanted to be. But I don't know if I'd be good at it.

Oh, come on.

You can do anything you set your mind to.

- You really think so? - I really do.

So what is it you'd like to be?

A celebrity!

A celebrity?

Well, you don't have to decide today.

[discordant notes playing]

Yeah! I think we really had somethin' goin' there.

Yeah, I felt it too.

Hey, check this out.

[discordant notes continue]

Wow.

Yeah. That's my loudest note.

You want another cookie?

Sure. These are great.

[Van] Hey, guys.

Wow, Kyra.

You look beautiful in that tuba.

Doesn't she, Bryan?

Yeah.

Are you spying on Kyra?

Only when the music stops.

Mom, they're wearing tubas. If they kiss, we'll hear it.

I took your advice, Mrs. H.

I'm not gonna let football rule my life.

I'm gonna be in the school play.

A play?

Yeah. I figure it's a step towards celebrity.

And they needed another frontier scout for The Alamo Experience.

I get to wear a hat!

- That's great, Van. - You're gonna be in a... a play?

[door opens]

[Brock] Hey.

Good news. I pulled a few strings,

and Mr. Devaney has agreed to give you another shot at that test.

Oh, thank you, Daddy. Van was gonna be in a play.

Ooh.

Another test?

No, no, no. Same test.

That way you don't have to learn anything new.

You take the test tomorrow morning, you're back in the game Friday night.

Coach, I'm in a play Friday night.

I'm scout number four. The other scouts are counting on me.

So are the Wildcats.

Maybe I can be in the game next week. But the play only runs this weekend.

Although if we're good,

we might get to do it for the Kiwanis.

He's really excited about the play.

He's more excited about playin' football again, right, buddy?

Well, I made a commitment.

I mean, they already measured my head for the hat.

Van, the fellas in the Drama Guild must have another little friend.

Now, look, you're not just any high school athlete.

You actually have a shot of getting to the pros.

I'd hate to see you blow that.

You're right, Coach. I don't wanna let you down.

All right.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

He was trying to tell you something, and you weren't even listenin'.

Oh, come on. He's not quittin' football just 'cause he's feelin' a little stress.

It's more than just a little stress.

He's put so much pressure on himself, he can't even spell his own name.

And it's an easy name.

Pressure's part of the game.

He's got to learn to deal with it.

Remember, I was a pretty good high school player myself.

You were also a pretty good student.

That's why you're a dentist.

Look, he's got to get an education.

There's no guarantee he'll ever get into the NFL.

Life doesn't always work out the way you thought it would.

I always thought I'd be a singer.

But... this kid is special.

I didn't have a tenth of the talent he has.

Maybe that's why you had so much fun playing football,

because no one expected great things from you.

He's 17.

He's carrying the weight of a school,

a wife and a baby on his back.

It might be time for you to climb down.

[sighs]

A-B-B-D-C... [groans]

How am I supposed to remember this?

Well, use a memory trick.

Make a... a sentence

out of words that start with those letters.

A... bad, bad dog...

craps a bad crap at dog birds.

- Good. - Yeah.

So, uh...

that play you were gonna do, do you have any lines?

Just one, but it's a big one.

We'd like to hear it.

Really?

Sure.

Well, okay, but I need a moment.

- Be nice. - I'm nice.

Captain Martin! Captain Martin!

Santa Ana's regiment was spotted off the west wall!

Is that it?

Well, I'm supposed to be wearing a hat too.

Oh, sure! Well, with the hat, yeah.

I felt like I was there.

Listen... [sighs]

If you told them you were gonna do the play,

well, that's what you should do.

You sure, Coach? What about football?

I'm more interested in what you want to do.

Look, when you're ready, football will be there.

Thanks.

Hey, be honest.

Do you think I should do my line louder, or maybe with an accent?

Definitely not louder.

Last cookie. Do you want it?

Oh. Yeah, thanks. You're pretty cool.

Thanks.

You're cool too.

When you played the clarinet,

you used to sit next to Melissa Berg, right?

Yeah. What about her?

Well, I was wondering,

would you be able to find out if she likes me?

Sure. I'll ask her.

Don't ask me if I have any eights.

Why? You have any eights?

Shoot!

Don't ask me if I have any kings.

Do you have any kings?

Go fish.

Oh, this is way better than Game Boy.

[door opens]

I hate the tuba.

Uh-oh.

[Reba] Hey, Kyra, wait.

Hey, Jake, there's fresh cookies in the kitchen.

You want me to leave, don't you?

Yeah.

Wanna talk about it?

What's to talk about? He likes stupid Melissa Berg.

Oh, honey.

These things happen, Kyra. Boys can be really stupid.

There are tons of guys out there.

It wasn't until my third boyfriend

that I found someone to marry.

Maybe you shouldn't be gettin' advice from your older sister.

Way ahead of you, Mom.

Honey, you don't have to change yourself

to make a boy like you.

Yeah. And no matter what they say,

the stereo does not sound better in the backseat.

Cheyenne, we have to do a lot of work before you become a mother.

[Reba, Van laughing]

Oh, Van, thanks to you,

I will always remember the Alamo.

- The Alamo. - The Alamo.

Yeah, I was pretty good, except for that one part.

Hey, soldiers trip. I bought it.

Hey, in the spring I'm trying out for the musical.

[chuckles]

Oh, boy! A musical!

- Hey. - Hey.

Hi there.

Oh, man, the game.

How bad was it?

Well, I'm not sure you wanna know.

We won.

Oh, that's great!

So they don't really need me?

I hope you're happy now. The kid's crushed.

This is sweet!

If he's crushed, his acting certainly has improved.

They won without me.

Yeah, 28-20.

I never would've believed it if I hadn't seen it.

The other guys really stepped up their game.

Wow! Do you know what a relief it is to know

that they can win without me?

- That makes me wanna play again. - It does?

- Aww, baby. Oh! - Oh!

Come on. Let's go upstairs and study for the test.

Okay. But if you get all the answers right, maybe we could--

Come here, now.

They're gonna be exhausted after finals.

[closing theme music playing]