It looks pretty much the same as last time.
See the lower right lobe? This tumor should be shrinking.
And the spot on the spine, that's not great.
I hate the radiation.
Then why keep doing it, Bernard?
Babe, we have to make sure that this metastasis is stopped.
I hate it too, but it's what we've got.
Isn't there anything else?
Look, there's a guy in Philadelphia
doing high doses of interferon.
And even if you do try that,
at this point, you can't stop the radiation.
Why not?
Babe, if the tumors grow in the spine,
the radiation is keeping that in check.
But unchecked, I can't let you have that kind of pain.
It's stopping the pain?
Bill wants you to do some trial in Paris
that I haven't even heard of.
Peach pits or something.
Well, it's not up to him.
Everyone handles it differently.
He's used to running the world.
Nobody runs cancer.
I'll-- I'll talk to him again, but I can't bullshit you, Babe.
I think...
How long do I have?
Take the call.
I said, "Think again, Kitty.
Lana Turner got everyone wearing turbans back in the '40s.
Everything comes back around again and again."
Well, there is another reproduction on the horizon.
Truman has got it in his head to revive the Black and White Ball
and do a sequel.
Are you--
You're kidding, right?
He told me yesterday
between bites of shrimp scampi, table two.
Really. Oh, Truman. Shut up. Are you nuts?
I will invite all my swans
and it will be a kind of grand reunion,
a treatise on the power of friendship.
Maybe The Plaza.
Maybe I fly everyone to Buenos Aires, or to Rio.
Truman, those days are over. They're gone. Finito, kaput.
I think you're wrong about how much they miss me.
Oh, we all miss you. Doesn't mean you're coming back, babe.
The guest list includes Princess Margaret,
The Who, Richard Nixon, Totie Fields,
and Fidel Castro if you can believe it.
And of course, us.
He's--
He's a cockroach.
I mean, you try to stamp him out, but his legs just keep twitching.
I'm not going to let this happen.
But it'll blow up before he even pulls it together,
so don't do anything.
He should just let Jack export him to Switzerland.
Take the goddamn cure in the Alps once and for all,
and quietly never publish another word.
Look, I told him it was a bad idea.
CZ, I know you still love him, but it's not going to stand.
I'm from rancher stock in California. We don't turn the other cheek.
I don't see what your upbringing has to do with any of it.
Hello, ladies.
I think spring may have come early.
The sun is just dazzling today.
CZ, how's your winter jasmine doing?
To hell with my winter jasmine, darling. How are you?
Happy, honestly.
Well, I've got just the cure for that.
CZ says that the imp is throwing another ball.
Of course, none of us are going,
but the real trick is to make sure nobody does.
Please, can we just enjoy our meal together?
Life is literally short, and I rather like balls.
I feel like I haven't danced in years.
So if I'm invited, maybe I'll go.
After everything we've done?
After everything you've done, Slim.
You've controlled this circle--
this situation for far too long now.
You really think Truman deserves your forgiveness?
You know, it's funny with forgiveness.
You give it to someone,
but the real gift goes to the person doing the forgiving.
Am I not allowed to give that to myself before I die?
Alexander, were those, uh,
sautéed morels I just spotted cruising by?
Let's do an order. Yes, ma'am.
And, uh, another bottle of the Coche-Dury and a pack of smokes.
I've been a ding-dong and left mine at home.
Walter Cronkite, Walter Matthau.
Am I missing any other Walters?
Disney?
Deceased, I'm afraid.
I'm doing the potpies.
Barbara Walters!
How about putting the San Diego Rooster on your list?
Enchanting, but no. The only birds admitted will be swans.
That's called enabling.
I read about it in a book.
Yeah. How about you invite that little starlet, uh,
Jodie what's-her-name? Ooh, Jodie Foster.
That's it. That's a good idea.
Or Linda Lovelace from Deep Throat.
No, not Linda Lovelace from Deep Throat. Mm-hmm. All right. Fuck it.
The president of France, Giscard-- Gis-- Gishcrang.
Giscard d'Estaing. Yeah, that's it.
I said that. That's nice.
Giscard d'Estaing.
Can you believe I haven't had a real drink in almost a week?
I can feel a clarity returning, and I can see in color again.
Mmm.
And you have a very cute pink ear.
Thanks.
How about we invite Catherine Cooterman?
That's a great name.
Mmm. Mm-hmm.
Who is she?
Someone you're dating? Hmm?
Not dating, no.
You're fucking?
I don't know.
Maybe.
Why would you say that to me?
Why?
Come on, Truman. I gotta have someone there I like.
All you famous people, you never turn off.
Cathy is plain folk.
You love to see me hurt, don't you?
Jesus Christ, you're fucking girls again?
You told me you only wanted me. You swore fidelity.
That mattered to me deeply. Mm-hmm. You know what?
If you've also invited Jack Dunphy
to give me the stink eye, cut him.
Well, he makes sure I'm still breathing,
and he sure doesn't drink around me when I'm--
It's my fucking nature, huh?
You think I'm just gonna fuck you?
I'm just gonna fuck you, huh? Huh? Huh?
Huh?
Fucking you is like fucking a fish!
Okay. You know what? Go ahead.
Go ahead. Hit me, baby.
Jesus fucking Christ.
You know, after three marriages and one Truman,
I've come to a conclusion.
Solitude is what I've been looking for all along.
To be alone and content, no greater luxury.
I can think of greater luxuries, Slim.
I'm having more fun, worrying less.
Mmm.
Having much better sex. Well, that's a good thing.
Hey, I heard you retained Cravath, Swaine.
Who are you going after?
I'm suing Truman for defamation.
Be careful, Slim.
Truman's clever.
And the state that Babe is in, I'm afraid that she might let him back in.
He's her addiction, you know.
I can feel it stirring in her.
William, come here.
Now, listen, I will handle this.
I will make it clear to Babe what the agenda is here.
You just have to trust me.
That's an order.
And as for Truman, have you ever known me to lose a fight?
Hmm?
I never have.
None of us are going to that goddamn party.
He's finished.
Oh.
Pierre. Pierre. Sir?
Chicken schnitzel. And box it up to go, will you?
Thank you, David.
Thank you.
Truman. What are you doing here? Hey.
Axed from the Lollipop Guild too?
Slim.
Ooh, mustn't scrub too hard, big mama.
Lord knows you have such thin skin.
And you are positively transparent.
Isn't it fun to banter with an old friend
who really knows how you tick?
It must be so dreadfully boring being a woman alone at your age.
Not alone. Liberated.
I miss you, Slim.
If I'm truthful, I miss Babe more, but--
Truthful?
How about this for truth?
I'm suing you for defamation.
And if you want more legal woes,
send Babe an invitation to your sorry little party.
I dare you.
Slim, get real, dear.
You were all immortalized by me.
Admit you actually appreciate the--
Appreciate the what?
The philandering men? The idle, shallow, pornographic women?
You told more lies to hurt people than-- Who does that?
You never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
Oh.
What are you living for if not the spotlight?
Have you ever left it for one second?
And I held that spotlight right on you
and illuminated every pore.
You think you can get back in before she dies
and all your sins will be forgotten in tragedy,
washed away by shared grief, and back you'll be,
sitting pretty in a cottage on Long Island?
I assure you this will not happen.
Babe loathes you, Truman.
You're not in the picture.
You're not in her life.
You're not in the will.
And none of that will ever change
because you are incapable of change.
Hey.
If you've come for a free dinner, you're too late.
I closed my tab.
I'm not here for dinner.
Your neurologist from Mount Sinai called...
...hoping that I could make you listen.
The CAT scan that you did?
Your brain is shrinking from all the booze.
And before you reach for the right bon mot,
ask yourself if that's how you want to die.
Mentally impaired with your faculties gone.
I'm not drinking, Jack.
It's strictly orange juice.
Vitamin C is good for the complexion.
With just a little Stoli to get it down.
Yeah.
If you want to pull out of this kamikaze dive...
I can help.
Silver Hill has a room.
I've packed a bag for you. There's a car waiting outside.
Or I'm done.
You can't expect me to sit around
watching as your fucking brain turns into mush.
I won't do it.
I see.
And John O'Shea, he goes. He's out.
Okay?
Now.
Jealousy does not suit you, dear.
Do I look jealous to you?
What I am is fucking angry.
I don't want this in my life anymore.
I-- I'm not-- I'm not accepting it.
So, just-- You choose.
I can try.
No, it's-- it's just not enough. No.
All right.
I'll do it.
And I'll get rid of John.
Now, Slim, I'm just not comfortable with this.
But, Liz, all I'm asking you to say is that Truman's attempt
to throw another ball is shaping up to be
the social disaster of the year.
Don't tell me what to write.
-I'm not telling you what to write. -Oh, my flowers are here.
-Hold on, just one sec. -No, no, no. Don't put me on hol--
Eight, seven.
Now, where were we?
Yes. As I was saying, it is the opinion of all of us invited.
I hear that CZ feels differently.
Well, yes, CZ feels differently.
She was not slandered, so it's not the same.
Okay, Slim. I'll write it on Tuesday.
Thank you.
Oh, and, Liz, just the one item.
So he knows how foolish you find it.
All right, you owe me.
What did Liz Smith say?
What were the invitations?
Well, sources say invitations to his second party of the century
will be going out any moment.
And the guest list includes Mrs. Paley and--
Right, yes. Got it.
Thank you.
Oh, I'd love some tea in the bedroom, please, Martha.
Mm-hmm.
Oh, and if any sort of invitation arrives, please, please bring it to me.
Mm-hmm. Not Mr. Paley.
Really, it's very important.
I would like to respond, not Mr. Paley.
Isn't the cafeteria just marvelous?
Better than La Côte.
They'll make you anything you ask for.
Maureen.
Ravishing as usual.
My nurse.
She was downright icy when I got here, but I warmed her right up.
What are the pills for?
They do something to your system
so that if you dare sneak a drink or even a sip,
you instantly vomit.
It's some new, exciting science.
It's all so fascinating.
We have individual sessions,
and we have group meetings, and--
So, i-it all started when I--
The stories one hears, my God.
I always felt like I had a hundred voices competing in my head.
And-- And I looked for a way to block them out,
but I'd always been so compulsive that I started to...
It's marvelous inspiration.
It's the stuff of a really, truly great book.
That man over there in the brown sweater. Don't look.
He's an obsessive.
He picks fuzz off his socks and rolls it in little balls,
and he sticks it in his ear.
The doctors removed a wad the size of a kiwi.
That's obscene.
He's also hung like a Pegasus.
CZ, are you gonna finish that pie?
I don't think so. Ooh. Give it to me.
We're going for a walk.
I'm learning how to meditate.
Let in the golden light.
There's something to it.
You know, Tru, when you get out of here, you should come to LA.
I have a guy who does the most incredible Rolfing and meditation and colonics.
I'm telling you it was a godsend.
Yay, colonics.
Hi.
I come bearing pie.
My hero.
Esme, these are my dear friends.
This is Joanne. Hi.
And this is CZ.
Nice to meet you.
And this is Esme and her kingdom of art and crafts.
This is Alex who loves to paint.
-And this is my station. -Ooh.
Are these yours, Tru?
Uh, yes. All of this is mine.
They're so festive.
There is a combination of the formal and the less formal.
And the less formal is really the result of mistakes.
I see that.
Mistakes which-- But that's-- You can't really make mistakes in art.
Wonderful mistakes.
You know, we could put together a show.
In Brentwood?
- Maybe. Would you like that? - Malibu?
I would.
We-We're not allowed newspapers and magazines.
They don't want us distracted by outside issues.
And of course, Esme gets me whatever I need...
...for my projects, naturally.
I need to ask you a serious favor.
I told you, I'm not getting the Roger Lucas Cartier ring.
It's too chunky for me. You can buy it.
That's not the favor, but, gee, thanks.
No. I need you to stop planting
those hideous little blind items about Truman
in the paper.
And Liz and Suzie.
About his party? It's not me.
You didn't speak to Liz Smith?
Or Rona Barrett?
Please, Slim, he's trying to get sober.
Give him a break.
I think I'll go to it. His party.
I'm trying to protect you from spectacle,
from the insanity of a Truman ratfuck.
Well, I appreciate that, Slim,
but you decide for yourself,
and so will I.
Well, somebody's been cleaning in my absence.
Yes. You'll also notice
I removed whatever temptation I could find.
Um, I've stocked the refrigerator with matzo ball soup,
papayas, and roast chicken from Polls.
Thank you, sir.
Well, now that I'm sober again,
I suppose I should face the demon.
Oh, dear.
Well, this is a mess.
What am I to do?
You could come to Sagaponack with me like we used to.
We both work during the day and reconvene at night for dinner.
No, I need to stay here.
Were you really gonna give up on me, Jack?
And why haven't you?
'Cause of whatever we are.
And what's that?
I don't--
You don't know?
Well, boyfriends doesn't seem quite right at our age.
You're my friend.
You're my good, great friend.
Maybe something...
...more like a brother.
I don't know.
What?
You are just the most important person in the world to me, Tru.
And I need for you to remain intact.
"Intact," eh?
Well, this is impossible.
I don't know the proper etiquette.
What's the appropriate gift
for someone who's given you the whole world back?
If you just...
Listen, finish the book, and let's be done with it.
Sorry I'm late.
Mmm. I, uh--
I had a thing.
Oh, God save us from all the things. In-fucking-deed.
I ordered us a very serious bottle of Chardonnay.
Order another. You might need it.
I might?
Is something wrong?
I sense your customarily hidden temper is just under the surface today.
Oh, well, your powers of observation are intact, if not your judgment.
Julien.
Mrs. Radziwill, may I pour some wine?
Oh, may I taste it first, Julien? Absolutely.
Lady Keith and I seem to have divergent tastes, so I've noticed.
Mmm. Oh, boy.
Mm-hmm. Mmm.
Enjoy. Thank you.
I'm asking you, very politely, to stop attacking Truman.
Why are you leaping to his defense too?
Does everyone have amnesia?
Slim, this is going to be a brief part of our lunch,
and we won't discuss it again.
Okay.
Let me say this very clearly.
You don't need to avenge everyone. It's beneath you.
Truman is a sick, desperately unhappy man,
destroying himself without any-- any help from you.
I'm just so angry.
What he did to Babe.
To Babe.
Well,
at least he isn't fucking Babe's husband.
It's over. No more Bill.
No more compensating for your guilt by squashing Truman.
Do you understand me?
I just--
Yes.
But Bill?
It's mostly, I don't know.
Grief?
And it's more of a friendship than an affair.
Please don't look at me like that.
Nobody's looking at you. I'm talking to you as a friend.
Christ. Who knows about Bill and me?
No one.
No one who doesn't love you.
God, Lee.
I'm so tired of being strong.
You get no credit for it at all.
Everyone just expects it.
This is lonely work.
Whatever it is I'm doing here.
Uh, we love you, Slim.
You're right. You're the center of all of us.
We can't do this without you.
There are so few of us who can share this,
so don't turn yourself into some 19th-century villain.
Okay. Thank you. Mmm.
Okay. The thing with Bill and me is done.
Trust me, it's done.
We both know that.
And you want me to lay off Truman?
Yes.
What if Esquire was just the first slice?
And he keeps going, chapter after chapter, turning all of us into--
What will you do, Lee?
What will you do when he gets to the Lee Radziwill chapter?
I ask you because it hurts, okay?
Christ.
Where's the waiter? I need more wine.
Julien. Thank you, dear.
Oh, I didn't hear you come in.
Oh, the board meeting went long.
How was it?
Third place in the ratings.
60 minutes, M*A*S*H
and All in the Family, and we're third.
Mmm.
We haven't been at third place in decades.
ABC is trouncing--
Ah, forget it. It doesn't matter.
How are you?
A good day.
The Cézanne looks good there.
I didn't think it would work.
You didn't like it on the island?
Well, I know you like it, so I had it brought in.
Ah.
We're here more now.
What's this?
This is your favorite song.
Come on, let's dance.
We haven't done this for a while. Come on.
This is good practice.
For?
You're taking me to Truman's ball.
No. We-We can't. No.
We can, and we will.
I'm too tired to be angry anymore.
I'm too close to the end not to forgive.
No. Stop. Stop.
Listen, Paley, another thing, since forgiveness is on my mind.
I don't want you to be alone after I'm gone.
Slim is good.
She's smart, witty,
reliable, solid and she gets you.
She won't let you push her around.
Does that mean you forgive me too?
Tru?
I got the samples for your invitations.
Who knew how many different kinds of paper stock there were?
That stationery store,
God, it's cruisier than the Christopher Street Pier after midnight.
There's a boy working there
who looked like one of those, um,
Sound of Music kids, you know?
Kind of bookish, doe-eyed Aryan.
I wanted to take him to Switzerland with us.
Anyway, I went to Bombay Palace.
Got us some stuff.
That lamb vindaloo that you--
Is there enough for three?
You know, what's f-- funny is how little it means anymore.
Jack.
I don't even feel it.
No, Jack.
Oh, my God. It's just a little roll in the hay.
Come back, Jack.
No.
Oh, or don't.
It's no bother.
I can't tell you how she knew, but she knew.
Did you do some Freudian thing?
Give it away?
Did she say she knew outright?
Do any of you ever say anything outright?
She's my wife.
I know her better than anyone.
She knew.
Is she livid?
No, no, she's not.
That is the point.
She's happy for us.
Listen, Slim. This has to end.
Of course this has to end.
You thought I would sleep with you after this?
I'm sorry. I--
Yes, you-- You're right. Y--
I just don't know how I'll face seeing her.
I don't know how I'll face not seeing her.
I mean, what's the guest list, Tru?
The city isn't as glamorous as it once was.
It's always the same hundred people.
Invite some Brits. They're fun.
I can't decide.
-Should I invite Ed Koch? -Ed Koch?
That closeted little shit.
What is it, a bar mitzvah?
-No. -Mmm.
Where's Jack?
I don't think Jack is coming.
He fucked off to Switzerland.
I mean, part of me feels I was literally goaded into having this party,
so I can't even finish the list.
Well, you goaded yourself, as usual.
Z, I gotta call you back.
I ordered some sesame noodles and all the fortune cookies in New York.
Bye, darlinghissima.
Coming!
Kerry O'Shea, what a surprise.
Keep the change, please.
But your father isn't here. I haven't--
I'm not here to see him, Truman.
I'm here for you.
I'm sure he's off drunk somewhere.
He said he's going to Carlsbad, wherever that is.
Oh, it's near San Diego.
Hot mineral baths.
S-Silent movie stars used to go there to dry out.
Can I take your coat?
You want tea?
Um. No.
Sesame noodles and those crab cream cheese monstrosities
or some nice fortune cookies?
I love them.
No, thanks.
It's-- It's nice to see you.
And I always love seeing you, but as far as your father goes,
I don't have anything to do with him anymore.
So please don't ask me to take him back
or to help him. I don't want him either.
Well, I know you think I split up your family
and that he left you all for me.
I'm glad you took him.
You've seen how he gets.
Well, we had years of that.
One day, funny and sweet,
and then suddenly a shark is in the room.
I need you to help me.
Well, do you wanna take a seat?
I need someone to learn from, to come to.
I read Other Voices, the copy you gave me,
and I want to write like that and live in the world you do.
Stuck with a mom who drinks now too.
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Kerry.
I'm not meant to be in this stupid little town
in the middle of Long Island, Truman.
And he doesn't give us any money.
I need a job.
You know so many smart, important people.
Find me a job with one of them.
I'm still in school, but I need the money for us.
Well, we can take care of the money part right now.
And you know, Kerry, school isn't everything.
Smart people-- and you're one of them-- don't need school.
I never even graduated.
And you're utterly beautiful.
I know beauty.
You could model.
One call from me to Wilhelmina, you'll start booking instantly.
And you can learn from me the writing thing.
So when you model in the city, you can stay here.
But if you want to write...
you have to have...
Start taking notes.
About?
All of it.
The people you talk to, what you think, what you see and hear,
the hidden sounds underneath all the talk humans never stop doing.
Talk...
where all the secrets live.
I think I'm getting somewhere new.
Once I accepted that, despite all the treatments, it's almost over.
But now I have all this work to do.
To connect to what I've disconnected with.
Something happened when John's daughter came to me asking for help.
I had made her life harder
and suddenly I got her a modeling agent right away and she's got jobs.
They had to change her name to Kate from Kerry
'cause there was another Kerry Harrington on their books.
She is a delight. I...
I sort of thrill when she comes over.
It's a battle, you know.
If you're your own work of art...
...you can't crumble at the end.
You have to go on.
The show must go on.
I do the makeup, the hair, the jewels.
But inside...
inside I'm laughing.
You know, I used to keep this book of everything I could do better.
I threw that away.
I don't know if there's hope for me.
The only hope I have is finishing this cocksucker of a book,
and that's a very hard redemption.
I'm being punished.
I'm being punished for stealing fire from Zeus to give to mankind.
Chained to a rock.
Every day, an eagle comes to eat part of my liver.
The eagle's called vodka in my case.
Then it grows back at night and on it goes.
And this is my eternity.
No, it was funny because what he really meant was you're bad.
Wait.
I have dreams of a lunch between us.
We meet in Paris.
There's nobody around, it's snowing...
and it goes on into the night.
And we-- we walk.
His funny little walk.
You'd look good in one of those.
Maybe I'll wear one f-- for your big party.
Oh, I canceled that.
I was waiting for the invitation.
I pictured it.
The paper, the font, the edging.
How you were gonna get it right without me.
Well, I would.
Just as well.
You never want to repeat yourself.
Never go backwards.
And that, that was a very special night we all had.
Wasn't it?
And no, never backwards.
How are you doing?
Well, I seem to have inherited
a sort of very precocious daughter from John O'Shea.
The only good thing to come of him.
I'm taking her to meet Dick Avedon.
I hope you're working.
I'm trying.
It's the most important part, the trying,
because who ever really succeeds in the end?
I should go.
Bill's waiting for me.
Are you okay?
I'm trying.
Take care of that little girl.
She looks like someone who needs you.
Or vice versa.
You should buy that dress anyway.
So what if there's no party?
Who needs parties anyway?
He was the love of my life.