All language subtitles for A.o.L.S01E02.The Scene Stealer [eng]

[somber music]

[production crew speaks
indistinctly]

CREW 1: All right, this is
Jenn and Maya, take eight.

[slate snaps]

[somber music]

CREW 2: Are you ready?
JENN: Yeah.

Okay.

MAYA: I don't know how she
looked me and my siblings

in the eyes and decided,
like, you know,

they're next.

I don't know what
her intentions were.

I don't know why she chose us.

But that day,
she had made her choice.

It wasn't your fault.

Of course, Mom.

MAYA: I love you.

[music swells]

Elisabeth,
unbelievable the way

that you have been tackling
this issue

related to mental illness
and mental health.

Some of us are in recovery.

Some of us have people,
family members,

people that we love
and we care about

where it's coming
from a personal place,

so we have that insight.

KILEY: After Finch had come
back from treatment,

she was very vocal about
her own personal experience.

And writing these stories
that dealt heavily

with mental illness and trauma.

I mean, she fought cancer.
She went public

about sexual assault.

She lost a friend
in the Tree of Life

shooting in Pittsburgh.

And everybody
was really supportive.

But it felt like whether or not
other people had stories,

Finch's was worse, and she had
more authority to speak on it.

We actually had a term for it
in... in our...

in our room, uh,
where we would say,

"We got Finch'd".

And I remember thinking
that it almost

felt like a form of control.

[keyboard keys tapping]

[phone ringing tone]

AUTOMATED VOICE: Your call
has been forwarded

to an automatic voice
message system.

[beep]

FINCH: I was gonna
do this seriously,

but then I decided
I'm gonna do it in sing-song.

* When I first met
my friend Jenn... ifer *

* I could barely
hear her voice *

* I had to strain
to hear her voice *

* But I saw her *

* I saw her, and saw
how cool she was inside **

[serene music]

JENN: After leaving
trauma therapy,

I had to go live
at the safe house.

[music turns dark]

Brendan, my husband,
was really dangerous,

and it was really important
that he couldn't find me.

I'm gonna leave here
to get you soon.

Don't be frightened.
[inhales deeply]

I just need you.

KIM: I knew all the pain
that Jenn had gone through

with Brendan.

He just would not
leave her alone,

and she was scared

and fearful for herself
and for her kids.

I was nervous for her.

JENN: Being on my own
at the safe house

was really hard,
and I was really struggling.

Finch would message me

all throughout the day,
every day.

She told me about places
she'd been,

concerts she was getting
ready to go to.

She would send me pictures
of her and her friends.

And at that time, my priority
was getting my kids back.

Can I cut it now?

- He has to make a wish.
- He's making a wish.

JENN: I have five children.
Maya is my oldest.

[gasps]
A ukulele, yay!

Maya's incredible.
She's an artist.

Van's a ballet dancer.
An amazing ballet dancer.

I might be biased, but...

Lift me!
[laughs]

JENN: My little kids

100 percent have
my big kids' numbers.

I don't know,
they just really love each other

and really care
about each other.

My kids are my world.
They're everything.

MAYA: Because of the very
problematic things going on

with my dad, my mom had been
struggling with, uh...

the PTSD of it all. Um...

And so, we were taken
into state custody.

JENN: At that time,
I'm trying to prove

to the Department
of Children and Family

that I'm mentally stable enough
to care for my children.

And Finch was supportive
because she was asking

about the kids all the time.
And...

it felt really good.

[traffic whooshes]

JENN: One night,
I saw a post on Facebook.

[suspenseful music]

Brendan posted a picture
of a place

that's directly outside
of the safe house.

That...

was terrifying.

He obviously knew where I was.

[phone buzzing]

He started sending messages.

Finch wanted to know
what was going on with me.

And I told her everything.

[music stops]

And then one day,
Finch texts me.

She told me her cancer
was in remission.

She's like, "I don't wanna
live my life with everybody

worrying about it.
I just wanna live."

She's like, "I'll pay for it,
don't worry."

So, she flew me to L.A.

[bright music]

As soon as I got off the plane,
there she was.

Just as I knew her.
She gave me a big hug.

And she just was like,
"You made it! See?

See what you can do?
You're stronger than you think.

Look what you just did."

And I was like,
"Oh, wow, I did."

I was so happy. I felt free.

I felt safe.

And then we drove up to Ojai.

We were listening
to Ray LaMontagne.

I mean, Montage. What's his...?
LaMontagne?

I don't know what his name is.
And she turns on that song

where he's singing about driving
down the something highway

there that's very famous,
along the ocean.

* Guess I'm never gonna
get back to Ojai *

[Jenn laughs]

I see why people escape L.A.
to go to Ojai.

[laughs]

We stayed in this
beautiful home.

As we're pulling up
to the house, there's black cars

and she told me
that's her security.

She's famous,
so she needs protection.

She put in the code
and those big gates opened,

and those big gates closed.
And it just felt like...

I'm safe.

I am safe.

[idyllic music]

Everything was new to me.

We took pictures of us
at the pool by the house.

We walked around
the orange grove.

I felt like I was in some,
like, fictional,

fairy tale movie. Like...

But I just had never
experienced anything like that.

***

At some point I looked at her
and I said,

"I think I...
I think I like you.

I think I really like you."

And she was like, "I really,
really like you, too."

And then we kissed.

[music turns dark]

[unsettling music]

[keyboard keys clack]

JENN: Finch and I
were getting closer.

She was travelling
back and forth for work.

So, one day, Finch flew in
from California.

I was still living
at the women's shelter.

She told me not to worry.

That her security
was up the street.

So, I went out to dinner and...

And I worked up the courage
to tell my friends

that I had fallen in love.

And what I got
is high-pitched screams,

and oh, my God,
and just trust it.

[woman speaks indistinctly]

And Jenn, of course,
is taking video of this, like...

JENN: Everybody just loved her.

I think we have enough
photographic evidence

of us tonight.

WOMAN: The look on your face.

KIM: I think if you just

hear that people
are affiliated

with Hollywood or you know,

movie sets and all of that,

you just want to kind of
gravitate to them.

But I knew how happy Jenn was,

and it was really nice
to be able to see her exhale.

Jenn has not had
a good several years,

and I thought she was finally
in a good spot with someone.

JENN: I have massive
trust issues, so I need honesty,

no matter what.

And Finch was always telling me,

"I'm not going anywhere.
I'm here for you."

And how she'll always
be honest with me.

I believed her completely.

[soft music]

FINCH: I am a writer
and co-exec producer

on the show. Uh...

I have not accepted that
this is what I do full time.

KILEY: By season 16,

Finch is who everybody
wants to be.

She's one of the most
respected and trusted voices

for the other writers,
as well as the show runner.

It still doesn't seem real,
but that's my job.

That's what I do all day long.

Finch had been
sort of elevated

to a statesman-like position.

And she was basically
getting to decide

which ones she wanted to write.

My job is to come up
with the storylines,

along with the other team
of writers.

Things we'd like to see
our characters do.

Things we've never done before.

I have to write at least
a minimum of three episodes

on my own throughout the season.

She became the default writer
of what we call

the standalone episodes.
And since she needed

a lot of time off to deal
with her health,

both mental and physical,

she could do it
on her own schedule,

on her own time.
And Finch got to write

the very big episode
saying goodbye

to one of the original
"Grey's" doctors.

ALEX: The last thing on Earth
I wanna do is hurt you.

But I'm leaving.

I already left, actually.

I'm gone.

Alex Karev was a fan favorite.

ALEX: I'm an okay guy.
I'm still trying.

But I'm a really
damn good surgeon.

And Finch was determined to...

dig into his colorful past
as part of his sendoff.

It almost felt like
there was an unlimited source

of personal experiences
for Finch to unearth.

ALEX: I got a job and a career
I love based on a lie

that no one really cared about,
and I made it work.

Now I live on a freaking farm
in nowhere, Kansas.

MAYA: I had been staying
on a farm with family friends

in Topeka, Kansas.

Uh, and...

that summer is when things
started getting really

unsafe with my dad.

I had been fully preparing
myself for a long time...

uh...

that my mom was gonna die
in some way.

[unsettling music]

My dad started texting
and posting things

that were very erratic,
and weird, and strange,

and scary.

It just got worse and worse.

[messages buzzing]

JENN: There were very scary
posts that were very cruel.

Posting music that was
very much about killing.

Along with many messages

of what his delusions are,

what he thought about me.
Things like that.

VAN: When I saw my dad,

words would be coming
out of his mouth

that would not make, like,
any sense.

Something was clearly
going on with his mental health.

MAYA: I was so scared
that somebody

isn't coming out
of this situation alive.

[music swells then fades]

JENN: I really didn't feel safe,

and I needed
to get out of Topeka.

So, Finch asked me if I wanted
to be flown to L.A.

She said, "I have to work today,
but you can relax in my office."

About halfway, I get a call

from the Department
of Children and Family

who have custody of my children.

I said, "I'm not in Topeka.

What's going on?"
And she just came back with,

"I can't tell you. I
need you to come

into the office. Right now."

I know when social workers say,

"I can't tell you
over the phone,"

that something really, really,
really bad has happened.

And I seriously thought

that Brendan had...

that he'd killed the children.

[music intensifies]

So, I just started yelling,
"You have to tell me!

You have to tell me
what happened."

The social worker said,
"Jenn, the children are safe."

[music stops]

[shaky inhale]
But Brendan has taken his life.

[tense music]

And I... I couldn't even feel.

I was just blank.

I called Finch and...

and told her that
I needed to get home.

I need to get home now.

When I pulled in to the studio,

Finch came running out
the doors straight towards me.

She's like, "Let's get inside.
It's gonna be okay.

You're safe and we're gonna
take care of you."

KILEY: We were all
in our offices and I saw Finch,

with her friend,
blow into her office,

like, grabbing things.

There was all this like,
agitated talking,

and I was like,
"What is going on?"

Finch was like,
"This is Jenn

and we just have to go
to Kansas.

We're getting on a plane.
We're going to the airport

right now." And then they left.

Just felt weird,
but I assumed

it had something to do
with like,

Finch's cancer treatment.

Later, I'd asked some colleagues
like, is she okay?

Like, is she dying?
And it was like,

"She's okay.

Her brother's in the hospital.

He tried to kill himself
and he's on life support."

[thundering beat]

[gentle music]

This is really crazy.

Her brother who, like,
was a doctor

that she didn't talk to,
that supposedly abused her.

I couldn't remember, like,
where does he live?

Like, why are they going
to Kansas for this?

ANDY: Soon after she left,
Finch got in contact.

She explained her brother
had shot himself.

The doctors said
there is some kind of surgical

Hail Mary we could attempt.

KILEY: Afterwards, Finch said
because of complications,

it didn't work
and that she ended up

pulling the plug on her brother.

[medical machine beeping]

[continuous beep]

She believed that he,

being a doctor,
injured himself in a way

that he knew that this
could potentially happen.

He had left some sort
of note implicating Finch

for the reason that he did that.

It was such a dramatic story
that it could have

come straight out
of "Grey's Anatomy".

And in fact, we did do
an episode many years ago

where Meredith recalled
her mother's attempted suicide

under very similar
circumstances.

She was a surgeon.
She was an excellent surgeon.

If she was really trying
to kill herself,

she wouldn't have slit
her wrists.

She knew better.
She would have taken

the scalpel and cut her
carotid artery.

I never thought,
"I don't think this is true"

necessarily, but I did think
it can't be this much.

But then, I sort of put
two and two together

and assumed, like,
it's because of the abuse,

and she confronted him about it,
and like, this is so painful

and horrible, and like,
oh, my God,

why is someone this evil
that they would do this

to someone?
Especially their sister.

It was wild and I know
it's completely out there

and seems unbelievable,

um, but we were so primed
to believe

that if bad shit
is gonna happen,

it's gonna happen to Finch.

[unsettling music]

MAYA: I was at school

and one of the school
counselors walk in.

I see this, like,
look in her eyes,

and it's not good.

And something in my head
is like,

"Oh, she's here for me."

VAN: I get pulled outta class.

I see my sister and I think,

"Oh no, something
really bad happened."

[music intensifies]

We need to tell you that
your father completed

a suicide attempt today.

And I was like, "Completed,
what do you mean by completed?"

"He committed suicide."

I just st... I just...

I stared at the floor
for probably 20 minutes.

I was like, numb.

That's my dad.
He's dead and he's gone,

and but also,
now that he's gone,

he's no longer a threat.
We're not in danger anymore.

The war is over.

[music brightens]

VAN: The day my dad
took his life,

we were allowed to go
stay with my mom

at the apartment that
she was staying in at the time,

for a couple days.

So, my mom came
and uh, picked us up.

We got in the car
and she's like,

"I have something to tell you."

My mom said it was supposed
to be like, set up,

in a way that was more
organized than this,

but I met somebody.

She's like,
"She's here, and-and I...

And I want you to meet her,
but you don't have to

if you don't want to."

[sighs]

And that's when I met Finch.

JENN: Her meeting the kids
that way was very... hard.

Didn't wanna do it like this.

But I really needed support.

And I was very touched

that Finch wanted to be there

in the worst part
of their lives.

VAN: She was trying her best
to be respectful.

I got along with her
relatively quickly.

Like, three days in,
I already felt like

I knew her for a long time.

You know, I kinda just
started opening up

'cause I felt safe around her.

I was just in so much shock
and I was just happy

to be in a place that felt safe.
And I was just happy to be

with my mom.

We spent the rest
of the weekend together

going to parks, and movies,

and eating pizza and ice cream.

Anything the kids asked for,
Finch was like,

"Your dad just died.
Your wish is my command."

We all slept
on the living room floor

in a big cuddle puddle.

I was thinking to myself, gee,
I really hope

that this is somebody
my mom's serious about,

because I'm gonna look back
on this day and remember it.

And she's gonna be in the shot.

And if she's not someone
who's gonna stick around,

then she's just gonna be
an emotional photobomber

in this moment.

[gentle music]

ANDY: Finch just came back
to work and I thought,

she's gone through so much.

You know, she's coping,
and-and she's finding a way

to make sense out of situations

that don't seem like
they often make sense.

KILEY: She was always encouraged
to stay out

as long as she needed.
But she always liked

to come back sooner,
and really play the part

of the hero who was making
sacrifices for work.

I was just like this poor,
poor person.

Long-suffering person.

And so, when she was nominated
for the Sentinel Award

for the episode
"Silent All These Years".

Are you ready?

It involved the wall of women

as people wheeled
the patient down.

And it was really beautiful.
I mean, it was so well deserved.

KILEY: The Sentinel Awards
are designed to honor shows

that tackle really tough issues
as Grey's Anatomy

historically has.

Then he started kissing me.

And touching me.

And I said, "No."
And continued to say no.

In the episode,
Jo had flashbacks

to meeting her mother
and learning that she

had been conceived in rape.

Nine months later,
I had a baby.

I had never confronted Finch
about my story

becoming part of that episode.

So, I tried not to make
a big deal out of it.

JENN: At that time,
I hadn't seen the episode.

She he had told me
don't watch it.

It's extremely triggering.

But I was so excited
for her to be recognized.

MAYA: Finchie says like,
"Can I tell her?"

And my mom's like,
"Sure, yeah, tell her."

She's like, "Well, uh,
I write for Grey's Anatomy."

And the teenage girl in me,

my jaw dropped
and I was like, "What?!

You write for what show? No!"

I had seen every episode
up until that point.

I was starstruck.

JENN: And I was so excited
that I was going to a red carpet

event with Finch.

We were out shopping
for things for the day.

We get all dressed up.

I don't think I've ever been
that dressed up

except for prom, so...
[laughs]

[crowd cheering]

[camera shutters snapping]

When we got there,

there was a lot
of famous people there.

Of course, I didn't
know who they were,

but there was a lot of them.

We walk into this huge ballroom

and I'm sitting next
to the main actresses

like Camilla Luddington.

At one point, Finch had said
"girlfriend,"

and Camilla was like,
"Girlfriend?

She's your girlfriend?"

Here to accept the award
is co-executive producer

and writer, Elisabeth Finch.

[crowd cheers]

It was quite moving to me.

I hope everyone gets to work
in a land like Shonda's,

where the women in our stories
are not abused, or raped,

or body dropped for sport
or a good scare,

or punishment for walking
in the world as they are.

- [applause]
- And then at the end

of her speech, she says...

I feel hopeful
and extremely grateful. Thank

you, especially to Jenn,
who is the bravest human I know.

[applause]

I'm like, wow, okay.

I was very, very, very touched
that she would do that.

[tense music building]

[inhales and exhales deeply]

It's always nice when
our show gets acknowledged,

and I was happy for her,

but of course,
there was a part of me

that felt like
she had won an award

based partly on, um,
on my story.

[gentle instrumental music]

JENN: I had been away
from the kids for almost a year.

But while we were in L.A.,
finally I got the phone call

that the kids would be
coming home for good.

I'm getting my kids back.

They're gonna be home
for Thanksgiving.

[scoffs]

I hadn't been back to the house
since I left Brendan.

And the social worker needed
to do her walkthrough

and approve.

But when I got there...

everything, it was destroyed.

[somber music]

Before he had taken
his own life,

Brendan had trashed the house.

It was horrible.
It was absolutely...

horrible.

It felt like he has
control from the grave.

I just felt Brendan everywhere.

I wanted help. I needed help.

[keyboard keys clacking]

KILEY: Finch sent an email
to a bunch of the producers

here in L.A. telling us
that this woman

was in an abusive marriage.

Reading that, my heart
just broke for her.

I mean, I can't...
You just felt sick.

KILEY: She was saying,
if anyone has any money

to help them get out
of this situation,

like, send it here.

And we all thought
it was really amazing

of Finch to step up and help
a friend out that was in need.

JENN: It was gonna cost
a lot of money,

and people raised money
to make this work.

So, I decided that...
[sighs]

...we're gonna take it back
and we're gonna make it our own.

[stirring emotional music]

[tools whirring]

Finch flew in from California

so she could be there.

And so many people from
the community collaborated.

KIM: We cleaned, we painted,

we threw away just
tons and tons of stuff.

She just didn't want anything
that reminded her

of what she had gone through
with Brendan.

JENN: Everybody was just in awe
that Finch would be there

to help clean up all this mess.

[music fades]

My kids came home and they
were so happy. So happy.

VAN: It was definitely nice
coming back to my childhood home

and seeing my family
in the context

I'm used to seeing them in.

JENN: Everybody couldn't wait
for Van to see the big mirrors

in the ballet room.

Holy cow! It's... Oh, my God!

- CHILD: Yeah.
- What?

Yeah, this is what
I wanted to do.

This is the greatest day
of my life, pretty much, yeah.

Like, five minutes after
we got in, I like,

threw my shoes off
and started doing turns.

And my brothers were just
like, jumping around.

[emotional instrumental music]

JENN: Getting my kids back
was one of the best gifts

a mother could ever receive.

MAYA: I was just happy
to be with my mom

and that we were all together.

It was... it was
a really good moment.

[music fades]

That night, I'm sitting
on the porch and Finch is like,

"Gee, I'm kinda sad."

She's like,
"Well, I'm sad for you.

You know, you're going
through a rough time.

But I'm missing the Emmys."

[crowd cheering]

She said, "I was supposed
to get one,

and I turned it down.

It was a red carpet event
and everyone's texting

and asking me where I am."

And then she started crying.

But she said,
"There's no place I'd rather be

than here with you. But I...

I'm supposed to be
there right now."

And so, I made a little
funny dance video.

I'm doing a victory
dance for you!

[laughing]

I was trying to just
cheer her up.

FINCH: You're a nut
and I love you for it.

'Cause I was just so grateful
that this person wanted to...

be there and-and help us.

INTERVIEWER: Okay, um... was she
ever nominated for an Emmy?

Not to my knowledge.

Yeah, no, no talk of an Emmy.

Did she tell people there were?

[curious music]

KILEY: Finch was never
nominated for an Emmy.

I remember the day that
the nominations came out.

The... the vibe from Finch
was very much like...

"I've lost something."

This next year's going to...
I don't know

if it's gonna be the last year
for Grey's. No one knows.

I know this, that next year
is the last season for me.

[sniffles]

KILEY: Like a lot of ambitious
writers,

especially once they reach
the co-executive producer level,

Finch was really trying
to make her own projects happen.

She had told me
that she was working on a show

with Debbie Allen,
who was our producing director.

Kind of as a brag.

The show was about a kid
who was a ballet dancer.

[keys clack]

[Van grunts]

And given Debbie's history
with dance,

it made sense for them
to work on that together.

Finch told me that was inspired
by one of Jenn's kids.

It was interesting, though,

because a big part of her humor

was about not wanting
to be around kids.

But Finch definitely would do
whatever it takes to get ahead.

[music distorts eerily]

MAYA: Day after Thanksgiving,
I was sitting downstairs

with the boys, watching TV,

and then I hear
this excited shriek.

And Mom rushes downstairs

and she's got a ring
on her finger.

And she's like,
"She proposed! She proposed!

We're gonna get married!"

VAN: My initial thought
was I've only known this person

for about four weeks now.

I did enjoy her being around

and I felt comfortable
and safe around her,

and I'd started telling her
things that I would only

tell Mom.

It was all happening so fast.

And now it's marriage and,

and we're gonna be a family.
And... ah.

JENN: Everything
was moving quickly.

But at the time,
it was intoxicating.

I was in love.

VAN: Mom seemed happy,
so I was happy.

I felt good about her
marrying my mom

because if something happened
to my mom,

we wouldn't end up back
in foster care,

we'd have somebody
who was our next of kin.

[music from the "Nutcracker"
plays]

The Nutcracker's been
something that...

Van has been in since he was,
I think, four.

It's a huge, huge deal.

And this year,
he had a really big role.

So, I decided we're gonna
throw this big party.

Our house was full of people.

Everybody was having
just a really great time.

And then later that afternoon
is when Finch got sick.

She was complaining that she
knew she had a kidney stone

because she'd had 'em before.

And that's a big concern

because she had told me she only
had one functioning kidney

because chemotherapy
had destroyed the other.

So, I was really
worried about her.

KILEY: When I first started
working with Finch,

I heard through the cloud of...

of rumors that she lost a kidney
because of the chemo.

And her good friend,
Anna Paquin,

is giving her a kidney.

I remember being like,
wow, I had no idea

that they were that close.

What a selfless move.
Like, this is amazing.

MARK: But Finchie hinted
very strongly

that Anna Paquin didn't want
anyone else to know about it.

When she went
to get her surgery,

Finchie had a friend

texting people at Grey's

about how the surgery was going,
on Finchie's phone.

We heard the actual
kidney operation

was very touch and go,

to the point where some
of the writers

told me that Shonda
was crying the night that...

of the operation, because
she felt that Finch might die.

INTERVIEWER: Did Finch
ever tell you

she had a kidney transplant?

No.
[scoffs]

No.
[laughs]

I didn't know anything
about a kidney transplant.

She didn't have a scar.

I'm a nurse.
But I'm not a nephrologist.

And the story I got is she had
one functioning kidney.

So, anyway, everybody
is worried about her.

Just like, how is she?
What's going on?

She's like, "I can do this.
It's fine."

I was like,
"You need to be seen.

This is serious. You're in pain.

I'm going with you."
So, we left.

She did not want me
to go to the hospital with her,

but I insisted on going.

Once we arrived
at the hospital,

to locate her pain,

the doctor's tapping
down her back.

And usually, if you have
a kidney stone,

once they get to a certain
location, you're ready to like,

knock the lights outta
the doctor for doing that.

She's saying it hurts,
but it doesn't get

any worse or change.

Wow, she must have
a really high pain tolerance.

[machine whirs]

So, he is like, we're gonna
get you into CT scan.

And put you
in the donut of truth.

After the scan, it wasn't long
before the doctor came back

and...

he looked straight at me,
and plural,

used the word,
"Her kidneys look fine."

And I thought it was strange

that he'd used
the word "kidneys".

[tense music]

But when you love somebody...

you'll ignore red flags

'til they're hittin' ya
in the head.

[gentle music]

KILEY: We were at a table read
with the whole cast

and somebody said like,
"Where's Finch?"

And Krista said, "Um, I guess
I can say this now,

Finch is marrying a woman
and moving to Kansas."

And it was like... uh.

It was such a shock,

but I guess when you think
you're gonna die

at any given moment, you know,

if you fall in love with
someone, you just go for it.

When I found out Jenn
was getting married,

I was happy for her.

I was really hoping this
would be a good move for her.

[blissful instrumental music]

JENN: We all walked down
to the ocean

and then Finch was like,
"Let's just go get in!"

[chuckles]

[Finch and Jenn laugh]

And so, we're in our dresses,

and it turned out there was
a massive current.

We all almost drowned.
[laughs]

Didn't matter
what we'd been through.

We both wanted to start over
and experience joy together.

WOMAN: Finchie, Jenn,
you just got married.

How do you feel?

- Amazing.
- Really bruised, and tired,

and amazing.
[laughs]

And Finch made me believe
that the kids were as important

to her as I was.

Just reassuring me, like,
"I am taking care of these kids

for the rest of their life,
and they're my kids."

And that felt really good.

[eerie music]

ANDY: It was strange for me
because one of the things

we bonded over...

This is gonna
make me seem great,

is how we didn't ever
wanna have kids.

Finch and I had this joke
that whenever it's Halloween,

the bosses would say like,
anybody who has kids can go home

at you know,
three for trick-or-treating,

and then we're like, "So,
we just have to stay and work?

I guess it doesn't apply to us
'cause we're not valuable."

And she's like,
just 'cause you had a kid,

like we, your life is worth more
than if you didn't have a kid?

I'd never heard her once say,

"I sure wish I could
have a family,"

or, "I sure wish
I could have kids."

KILEY: When Finch moved
to Kansas,

what was stranger
than how fast it was happening,

the fact that they met
in like PTSD recovery,

was that she's moving
to adopt the children.

FINCH: Yellow? Um...

That's not, that's...

[laughing]

Aw, I can't lose my half
by way of hopping!

[children shouting happily]

The kids loved her.

FINCH: If there's one thing
I'm good at,

it's making robots
out of Magna-tiles.

- If this had gone in order...
- [Jenn laughs]

...it would, you would be able
to guess your present.

But how will you learn
to prey it in...

play it in the present?

MAYA: When Finchie moved
in our house,

it was a really good time.

MAYA: What is this?
[laughs]

We were doing things together
and having a lot of fun.

[gasps]
A ukulele!

Yay! This is so great.
Oh my gosh.

JENN: To celebrate
our new life,

Maya painted seven finches
on the porch mural,

all cuddling together.

'Cause we were all
gonna start over.

We were gonna be
the Finch Family.

[Maya singing happily]

MAYA: She very much made me
feel like she was there

to make our lives better.
That from that day on,

no more hard days.

You know, we were
in love with her.

[inhales and exhales sharply]

REPORTER 1: We're gonna begin
here with the outbreak

of a mystery virus in China.

REPORTER 2: Concerns about
coronavirus

have led to shutdowns
of places where people gather.

REPORTER 3: Stay at home.
That is the order tonight

from four state governors,

as the coronavirus
pandemic spreads.

FINCH: We're having a lot
of trouble right now,

on an emotional level,
that we're not together.

So, a week from now, the writers

are going to all get together
on Zoom

and start planning
this next season.

JENN: Finch decided that she
needed to work from her office

across the alley,
right next door.

I would make food.

Then the kids would
run it over to her office,

'cause she wasn't
coming home anymore.

She was like, "I have to work.
I have to work. I have to work."

KILEY: On Zoom, it didn't feel
like Finch was super happy.

It seemed like she was
very tight-lipped

when she was on those meetings.

MAYA: I knew there was something
up with her.

I think she was really
struggling to adapt

to the family life.
That parenting was hard for her.

That being a part of this
was something

that she was struggling
to adjust to.

JENN: I was alone a lot.

I think homeschooling
got to my hair today.

Homeschooling kids,
taking care of kids.

[dark music]

Finch was working all the time.

MAYA: Finchie would leave
for work around 8 a.m.

Get home at 8 p.m.

She was never there.
And she just ignored us.

ANDY: I started to see
that Finch's schedule

became strange.

She told me Jenn is in
a really rough place,

and uh, needs some time.

So I gotta take care
of the kids.

[children chattering]

If Finch needed an extension
on a deadline,

we were happy
to accommodate her.

KILEY: We had done it before
for Finch, countless times

when she had to get chemo,
or she had to go into treatment.

So, yeah, we'll write
her script on the last minute.

Like, we'll do whatever.

They would have to sort of
all team up,

and you know write the episode
she was going to do.

When you write an episode
of Grey's Anatomy,

you might get paid say, $40,000
to write that episode.

But for all the years
that it repeats in syndication,

you're going to make
another two or $300,000.

But of course,
the money for that episode

was going to go Finch.
It was her name on it.

Our spouses might not
have been as happy about

us willingly doing it, but um,

yeah, we never
thought twice about it.

It just seems
like Finch is family,

Finch needs help, let's do it.

[music fades]

MAYA: Towards the end
of my senior year,

you know, the vaccines
were rolling out.

Things were getting a lot safer.

People were just going out
in public with masks on.

And I was like I could...
maybe I could go back to school.

But Finch wouldn't get
the vaccine right away.

Like, even when it rolled out
for chronically ill people.

And she was like, "No, I just,
I don't want to right now."

So, I was not allowed
to go to school

and I was quarantining.
I missed my senior year. Oh.

FINCH: Please read it out loud.

Okay.

I missed my friends.
I missed my teachers.

"Maya. Happy birthday, Maya.

You've turned 18.

Right in the middle
of this quarantine.

We'd throw you a party,
but it might get you sick."

But I stayed home because
I didn't wanna kill her.

Okay.

And she had expressed
that "COVID will kill me."

But at the same time,
Finch would leave for weekends

to go write at a hotel,
'cause she needed her space.

FINCH: I have to take
all the stuff outta here

and I have to leave this.

Having to be at home,

all the time,
every single day, was hell.

JENN: As lockdown continued,

Finch's triggers from
the Tree of Life Synagogue

shooting became really intense.

If there was gunshots on the TV,

all of us would be like,
oh, turn it down. Turn it down.

Or turn it off,
or don't watch this,

because it would trigger Finch.

MAYA: She had been traumatized
because of the terrorist attack.

[unsettling music]

JENN: When Finch is triggered,
she goes into shutdown mode

where she can't do anything,

she needs to get in bed.
She's nauseated.

She wanted a whole lot of me.

But not the children.

CHILD: Watch my little ears!

MAYA: And then month to month,
there was some sort of crisis

that she was having.

JENN: I started noticing
a pattern for her.

It's like, other people
are getting attention,

so Finch is triggered.

She needs the attention on her.

She needs the care.

And then I realized,
there's something going on there

and things are not matching up.

[rain pattering]

So, one day,
a new trigger comes up for her

which is rainy days.

[siren wailing]

And it's because she says
it was rainy

the day she had to clean up
the bodies in Pittsburgh.

And the rainy days
just started to trigger her.

[thunder rumbles]

I looked at her and I said,
"Well, that's interesting.

You didn't have problems
with rainy days before."

And then when she's like,
"What are you talking about?"

And I said, "You had no problem
with rain any other time."

[tense intensifies]

Even when you know something,

you still kind of hope
that you're wrong.

I just,
I need to know the truth.

[music fades]

I had started looking
at her Facebook,

Twitter, and Instagram.

Comparing her stories
to what she's told me

and what she's posting online.

[gentle foreboding music]

I was scrolling as far
as I could scroll.

But then, all of a sudden,

I find there's posts
the day of the shooting.

She's not in Pittsburgh.

[ominous beat]

She's at a bar.

With her friends.

She told me she was there.

Things aren't
matching up at all.

What the hell is happening?

[keyboard keys clacking]

I think she probably
saw her life like a TV series.

Season one, I've got cancer.

Everyone here in this room
is someone

that has been instrumental
in helping me get to 40.

ANDY: It really does a number
on your head.

You just felt sick.

How could I be this stupid?
Like, how did I not see it?

JENN: But I was terrified
that if I exposed her,

they're gonna think
that I'm crazy.

Because I look really crazy
and unstable right now.

[Finch cheers]

Essentially, she was like
an emotional terrorist.

It's time to tell the truth.

[tense music]