We interrupt this static with breaking news.
Langley's arena football team, the Bazooka Sharks,
have announced they are leaving Langley Falls.
No.
I poured so much love into the Sharks.
What will I do now?
No, no, no!
We must do something!
We must write a rap!
Outta my way, babe.
I gotta write a rap to save the Bazooka Sharks!
Cool beans, babe.
I'm off to class. See you dick-a-licks later.
Wait a minute, why are you so happy?
- You hate school. - I used to,
but I have this new creative writing professor,
and he is so inspiring.
It's like he lit a fire inside me.
- They're banging, right? - For sure.
That, or it's Roger.
Well, I'm off to shape the soft clay minds of our youth.
Told you it was Roger.
I'll see you in class, Hayley.
Your inspiring professor is Roger?
Are you serious?
I was skeptical, too,
but there's something different about this persona.
He's passionate and engaged.
You know, it sounds crazy,
but I think Roger is his best self
when he's Professor Longbottom.
Hey, is Mom okay?
She's just bugging out because the Sharks are leaving town.
Oh, wait. I think her twitch
is saying something in Morse code.
Never...
gonna...
give you up?
♪ Never gonna give you up ♪
♪ Never gonna let you down ♪
♪ Good morning, U.S.A. ♪
♪ I got a feelin' that it's gonna be a wonderful day ♪
♪ The sun in the sky has a smile on his face ♪
♪ And he's shinin' a salute to the American race ♪
♪ Oh, boy, it's swell to say ♪
I can't make you crash today, Stan.
I've got class.
Football, huh?
Well, I was only going to work to hit the flagpole.
Does anyone know why we're having class outside today?
What does every classroom have?
- Desks? - A pet hamster?
Posters of Abraham Lincoln?
Correct. But also completely wrong.
The correct answer I'm looking for is "walls."
Ah.
I hate walls.
Walls are the physical manifestation
of the walls we put up inside our minds
that stop us from becoming writers.
Me? "Writers"?
I'd like to talk today about Old Faithful,
the geyser in Wyoming.
Old Faithful fills with boiling water.
The same way your mind fills with ideas for writing.
Like Old Faithful, you have to erupt onto the page.
Speaking of erupting,
Hayley Smith is getting her short story published
in Groff's literary zine.
I got into Soul Puddles?
Yes. Your piece, An Alien in My Attic,
will be out Friday.
An irresponsible story to write,
but I am very, very proud of you.
Damn, Professor L-B loves you.
I can't get over what a good teacher you are.
And I can't get over the fact that I'm riding a bike
this speed and not falling over.
You walk slow.
Dad? What are you doing here?
I found something to replace the Bazooka Sharks.
I'm a Groff football booster now.
Hey, we're all doing Groff stuff. That's great.
It would be, except the team hasn't won a game
in three years.
We need a new offensive line.
Hey, isn't Steve always hanging around with a big boy?
I gotta go.
Stan in a polo shirt.
His gut sticks out, but his arms look like pythons.
Break some off for me.
Not that I would. He's family.
Roger, I want to say thank you.
Your inspiration gave me the courage
to write that story.
I just did what any great professor does--
nurse a red-wine hangover while pretending to care
about whatever my hottest student was talking about.
Not you, obviously.
You're family.
"Old Faithful: a novel by Dickens Longbottom."
You're writing a novel?
It's nothing, just your basic sci-fi noir
with elements of dark fantasy and staged realism,
centered around Old Faithful.
- Can I read it? - Not till it's finished.
I'm having trouble with the ending.
And middle.
The beginning has been pretty elusive.
Writing is hard.
Well, maybe I can be your writing buddy,
help keep you on task.
Support your writing the way you supported mine.
I was incredibly helpful to you.
Okay, let's meet tomorrow at the coffee shop.
I like to write in public
so other people can see that I'm writing.
It's a very important part of my process.
Hey, Mr. Smith.
Are you here to have sex with my parents?
If that's what you want, Barry.
Because from now on, you get everything you want.
Because I'm recruiting you to play football
at Groff Community College.
I'm in ninth grade.
And that's why community college
is the perfect place for you.
Let's go for a drive.
We'll take your car.
I don't have a car.
Then whose keys to a seven-year-old SUV
with 120,000 miles on it are these?
You like prostitutes, Barry?
Okay, Roger. Let's write that book.
- What is it? - I-It's just
that table seems a lot better for writing.
But that's the only other table with people at it.
Must be writers, too.
Show-offs.
Wait, I think they're leaving.
They're not leaving, but maybe soon.
No rush. I'm a writer, too.
They sure didn't like me flicking their ears like that.
Okay, time to write.
This computer feels a little small.
Look at this behemoth.
This is a computer.
I'm ready.
My chair is too low.
Ugh.
You got a really nice lap.
I'm starting to think this computer might be too big.
Roger, what's going on?
Do you even want to finish this novel?
Of course.
But I'm afraid.
What if it's not universally beloved?
What if it's merely a cult classic?
You have to power through that fear, dive in...
- Dive on in. - ...and just write.
You're right.
Let's do this.
Listen to me clacking away, Hayley.
I'm writing.
I can't focus with this noise. What's happening?
If anyone is wondering what's happening,
the Dean is having a pep rally
to announce a new football coach.
Whoo!
I mean, we gotta check that out.
Do we?
Welcome. I'm Dean Barkov.
Oh, yeah.
That's a sick reaction.
I'd like to introduce our new football coach.
Please welcome Burton Grundy.
Whoa. Burton Grundy?
The god-fearing family man
who treats his players with respect
and wins wherever he goes.
How do you know so much about...
This better not be you.
Plus, check out this unique specific--
he never curses.
Just go.
I'd like to thank you for welcoming me to Groff.
Me and my Christian wife have prayed for this day.
And I promise you I will stop at Jiminy Glicking nothing
to win a championship.
I avoided COVID for three years.
And now I've caught writer's block
and football fever on the same day.
Uhp, never mind. I have COVID.
Hey, can I talk to you?
Sure, I can take a break
from turning losers into champions.
Roger, I'm worried that Coach Grundy
is just a distraction to keep you from writing your book.
Coach Grundy is not a distraction, Hayley.
Listen, inside everyone there are two sides--
a coach and a professor.
Like an offense and a defense, they share the field, and...
Honestly, I'm not sure where this analogy goes.
I'm too distracted by these super squeaky markers.
So Professor Longbottom is still gonna buckle down
and write this thing?
He needs to share his unique voice with the world.
Ye-e-e-e-s.
Now, if you'll excuse me,
I've got some young boys to turn into men.
That sounds sexual, but in this case, this--
this one particular case, it's not.
This field,
this field is where you'll bleed with your brothers.
- Did you say "bleed"? - I did.
Barry, you may have also heard me say the word "brothers."
That's because football is a family.
I already have a family.
Parents aren't a family, Barry.
They're a distraction.
Close your eyes.
Imagine thousands, nay hundreds, of fans chanting your name.
Bar-ry! Bar-ry! Bar-ry! Bar-ry!
You in, or what?
Check it out, wheelie.
Hey, it's been two weeks since your last writing session.
Yeah, football season has been
making it tough to find time.
Mainly because I'm going to
a ton of the practices and games.
Are you sure about this
"professor and a coach inside all of us" theory?
Never heard that one.
But we're right by the coffee shop,
the one place in the world where I'm able to write.
Wanna stop in, bang out some pages?
Sounds grrrrr--undy's Chophouse?
What happened to the coffee shop?
Any time I take a job in a new city, I open a Grundy's.
It's a place for me to get plastered
away from the prying eyes of my Christian wife.
Plus, it's a great way to bilk
a little extra money off any local rubes.
Hayley!
I didn't know you grubbed at Grundy's.
I came here to help Professor Longbottom
do some writing, but--
I told you not to take Roger seriously.
Professor Longbottom is Roger's sensitive side,
and it's real.
He's just manifesting Coach Grundy
to protect himself from failing.
I need to get rid of him.
Listen, I've followed Grundy's entire career.
If Longbottom is the best of Roger,
Grundy is the absolute worst.
Ooh, baby, I love how much you're not my wife.
He goes through a cycle.
He comes to town, gets into some scandal,
then steps away from football to "focus on family."
It usually takes a couple seasons.
Hmm, maybe I could speed up the process.
My actions have no consequences!
Barry.
You.
How would you like to play Groff football
and have a family for life?
Please.
Help Barry.
What's your take on prostitutes?
One week following Coach Grundy around,
and I've got enough dirt to take him down for good.
Here, play this on the Jumbotron.
Hey. I'm talkin' to you.
He was a balloon.
Groff Fans, you probably know me as Hayley Smith,
recently published in Soul Puddles.
Thank you.
But I'm not here to talk about my accomplishments.
I'm here to show you the real Coach Grundy.
This'll teach you to stop fumbling.
Oh, shit, shit.
That douchebag Dean Barkov is eating at table four.
I'm gonna slap my schlong on his New York strip real quick.
Ecstasy for you.
Lithium for you, Teri, you have problems.
An-n-n-n-d... ecstasy and lithium for me.
Now, who wants sex from a football coach?
Groff fans, since this video came out,
my family and I have been in constant prayer.
And we've decided that I am going to step away from football
to focus on what's important-- family.
But don't worry.
I will be back...
for the third quarter.
Y'all have the Gatorade ready
'cause I'm winning this Jiminy Glickin' game.
Hayley, there you are.
I want you to know I'm leaving the university.
It's like the whole school is obsessed with football.
Including me.
I'll never finish my book.
But the only thing stopping you is you.
Like... like, literally, you.
Roger, don't you see
that Grundy is just a wall you're putting up
between you and your fear of rejection?
Mr. Longbottom,
tear down this wall.
Terrible Reagan, Hayley. Absolutely brutal.
But how am I supposed to finish my book?
You're a writer.
All you need is pen and paper.
- And Adderall? - Of course, Adderall.
You're not a magician.
♪ I feel the shadows hanging over ♪
♪ They're waiting to come closer ♪
♪ To come and take me away ♪
♪ And I can feel my heart skip ♪
♪ Every time that I slip ♪
♪ I wanna run away ♪
I'd like to thank you all for joining me
to celebrate the release of my book.
After spending years writing it,
I feel fortunate to have gotten it
published immediately upon completion.
Luckily, I'm acquainted with famed publisher,
Roger T. Publishing Persona.
First reviews are in.
Is there a good way to interpret the phrase "literary abortion?"
- It's just one review. - This is your fault.
You made me expose myself to the whole world.
Which is something I ordinarily enjoy doing.
But not in this case.
Not in this one particular case.
Roger, it's been weeks.
- Can I talk to Longbottom? - You can't.
He's gone for good.
You think he'd show his face
after that embarrassment of a book?
It wasn't even that many pages.
Not like my book. It's half memoir,
half chophouse recipe book, and half football playbook.
This thing's heavy as
Just try and catch it.
Hmm, nice hands.
But could you do it over the middle
with a linebacker bearing down on you,
ready to take your head off?
I bet you could.
I'm worried about Roger.
He hasn't been anybody
but that stupid football coach for weeks.
He said he was going full Grundy.
No other personas.
Well, that's bad news.
He came into my room this morning
and said I had to wake up for two-a-days
and the only thing I wanna do twice a day
is whack it, knahwadimeen?
- Noice. - Ew.
I mean, ewwww.
This is my fault.
I convinced Roger to take a risk.
He got hurt, and now he'll never
let the good part of himself out again.
You're crazy.
He let the good part of himself out all over this book.
Ooh. Old Faithful.
This is my all-time favorite play.
He has a play called Old Faithful?
Klaus, look at this.
The receiver runs out of bounds and onto the next page.
A recipe for Wyoming-style potato skins.
Do you think Longbottom's somewhere inside Roger,
leaving clues, wanting us to find him?
That's crazy, Hayley.
But, devil's advocate,
do you think this could be anything?
Professor Longbottom is at Old Faithful.
I'm not saying you're right,
but if you are, I better come with you.
Chapter Six.
We were down 21-7 to Lanceton, and we were cooked.
Just like my famous Grundy's Chophouse Wings,
available in piles of 25, 75, or 175.
Return the bones for discounted drinks.
Please stop taking the bones home.
Roger, why is so much of Grundy's book
about chicken bones?
They're buying the meat, not the bones.
I, uh, need to run ahead because...
I-I have to pee?
Yes. Yes. Good enough.
Hayley, my prized pupil.
Roger, I came to bring the professor home.
Why would you want to do that?
Professor Longbottom is a passionate, inspiring soul.
Grundy is just trying to hold you inside,
but you need to burst out, like--
Old Faithful.
You led me right to him.
Wait, what's happening?
I led you to... you?
And now it's time for the ol' ether-cut-to-black.
Oh, good, you're awake.
Roger, what's going on?
We're both gonna die when this geyser erupts.
What? Why are you doing this?
It's not me, it's Grundy.
I'm Roger's vulnerable side.
As long as I exist, being all weak and shit,
his feelings can get hurt.
This is stupid. Klaus was right.
You're a maniac. Untie me.
I can't. I'm just as tied up as you.
Grundy is at the cabin now. He's gonna burn it down
along with all the many, many unsold copies of my book.
I'll be erased forever.
You're at the cabin right now?
Hayley, you know what I mean.
It's over.
There's nothing we can do to stop him.
Okay, I should get going.
Don't leave me here alone.
You're not alone. You're with the professor.
'Sup, dude?
"They called her Old Faithful.
But me? I was young
and couldn't be faithful for a second."
Yikes.
As soon as I sign this contract,
the Bazooka Sharks will officially be moving to Ottawa.
Don't sign that paper.
Maybe you forgot, but I've been writing a rap.
♪ Before you move the 'Zooka Sharks ♪
♪ Jeff Fischer's got a few remarks ♪
♪ The Sharks belong in Langley ♪
♪ Where they got mad history ♪
♪ Like the time we lost by 63♪
♪ An all-time Sharks memory ♪
♪ 'Zooka, 'Zooka Sharks ♪
♪ 'Zooka Sharks ♪
♪ There's just one more reason ♪
♪ To keep the Sharks in Langley land ♪
♪ The memory of that little girl who died in the stands ♪
♪ R.I.P. ♪
♪ Always and forever our youngest fan ♪
♪ 'Zooka Sharks ♪
♪ Don't tarnish the legacy of Johnny Concussion ♪
♪ Shark's all-time leader in rushin'♪
♪ Thirty yards ♪
♪ So move the Sharks at your discretion ♪
♪ But if you do, I'mma send you to heaven ♪
♪ Introduce your ass to God ♪
♪ Rest in peace, Lisa Jenkis ♪
Who cares about money?
The Sharks belong in Langley Falls.
You did it, Jeff.
You saved the Sharks.
By the way, whoever put me in an adult diaper, thank you.
Don't worry, I'm gonna get you out of there.
- Great. - Starting with the professor.
What?
Aah! Aah!
Roger.
Ugh, fine. You're such a baby.
Aah!
What the hell changed your mind?
This book.
I read it and loved it.
And I realized, if a piece of art touches even one person,
it's worthwhile.
And it did touch one person.
Me.
I touched myself, Hayley.
Jiminy [bleep] Glick.
Hayley, wait. Just so you know,
I was the professor and the coach the whole time.
Have a great night.