[Rooster] Previously on Heels...
-[Crystal shrieking] -[Bobby] Okay. Oh. All right.
Ace, don't!
[Ace] I'm sorry, man!
I'm sorry.
It's all good.
There's a chance for this gimmick to really,
really speak to people about, you know, redemption,
deliverance from evil.
[crowd chanting, cheering]
You help me restore my honor in the ring
with a cross-promotion between the DWL and Dystopia,
or I hit you back and take every goddamn dollar you make
for the rest of your life.
I like having you here working with me.
It's our family business.
With the cross-promotion, things are probably
gonna get a little crazy here.
Willie's underwater already.
She's goggle-eyed.
I passed out on the floor,
and you left me down here all night?
I'll tell Robin you're sleeping in.
$467,000
I have loaned you to date.
Don't tell Carol or my boys.
Tom and I made an agreement years ago
that we would do whatever we need to do
to keep this place alive.
And you don't need to worry about what those things are.
-Are they legal? -[Willie] Some are.
You say you need to make it right.
Make it right, Staci.
Take it all.
I want Crystal to defect to Dystopia.
And I want you to be her front-of-house manager.
Think about what you want, Willie, for yourself.
You don't actually think I should do it, do you?
I think we need to stop lettin' other people make
our decisions for us.
So we buy a wrestling promotion.
Build it, brand it.
Maybe in one to three years, it grows.
This Brooks Rizzo fella seems to be real sweet on me.
You sure you're the only one he's sweet on?
Our streaming platform, Continuum,
is looking to add a sporting element
to our programming portfolio.
And professional wrestling is very big business.
Brooks Rizzo is clearly looking to be impressed.
And we have the opportunity to impress him
by showing him that what we do here is special.
[mellow rock music plays]
♪ ♪
[singer] ♪ I'm not waiting for ♪
♪ The answer ♪
♪ ♪
♪ I will ♪
♪ Walk in the shore ♪
♪ To find you ♪
♪ To find ♪
♪ The peace that's your own ♪
♪ Where you come from ♪
♪ All that you want ♪
♪ ♪
♪ One that's your own ♪
♪ Place to call home ♪
♪ Won't be ♪
♪ Granted ♪
♪ What is fair in love ♪
♪ Is fair in war ♪
♪ ♪
♪ What is fair in love ♪
♪ Is fair in war ♪
♪ One ♪
♪ To one ♪
♪ What's love ♪
♪ In war? ♪
♪ ♪
[soft music plays]
♪ ♪
So what do you wanna do, exactly?
I just wanna be useful.
When can you start?
-Uh, yesterday. -[laughs]
How about tomorrow morning?
You won't be disappointed.
Okay, good deal.
♪ ♪
[duck quacking]
[Robin] I need a story.
For my application. I need a story.
Everybody needs a big thing you overcame
or a heroic thing you did.
Saving someone from a tree.
[Willie] I don't know how you save someone from a tree.
But what's this for?
College application.
Oh, so you need some bullshit story.
[Ted] It's not bullshit.
They want a story.
You need an angle,
like a sales presentation for who you are
so you can work 'em and sell 'em some bullshit
so they allow you to spend $60,000
to sit through their stupid, useless classes,
where you'll learn stupid, useless shit
that you'll never use in real life.
How about the story is, "This is bullshit"?
-Which school is this for? -[Ted sighs]
University of Michigan.
You can get in there?
It's my reach school.
You don't need a story, Robin.
You don't even need to go to college.
Rah-rah dorms, "go team."
Roofied and date-raped in a fraternity basement.
Get a job. Work hard.
End of story.
I didn't go to college.
What's in your cup, Mom?
[mug clatters]
Go to your room.
She's got her SAT tutoring.
[Willie] You go anyway!
Robin, get in the car.
[birds chirping]
Willie...
-I can't. -[Ted] I don't care.
What you just did was unacceptable.
You want your daughter to be just like you?
Angry and reactive?
Mission accomplished.
You don't wanna be here, do you?
What's that supposed to mean?
You're uncomfortable in this house.
Something about it all just makes you nervous.
Well, then I've been nervous for quite a long time!
[Ted] Well, you didn't used to be.
This house used to be your refuge.
I used to be your refuge.
But now it seems like I'm a cage.
This house is a cage.
You think I don't see it?
Why you stay late at the DWL every night?
It's your natural habitat there.
You feel free.
You can spit, snarl, and lash out
to whoever you want.
You know that won't fly here.
Different rules in this house, but you don't wanna learn 'em.
You don't wanna change.
Nothing is enough to make you change.
I know I'm not enough.
I know your own daughter isn't enough.
I'm three things, Willie.
I'm hard-working, and I'm honest,
and I've dedicated my life to helping you.
Giving you slack.
Covering for you.
Making excuses when you didn't come to open house at school
or gymnastics meets or the science fair.
[somber music plays]
My God, Willie, were you even here
when I ran up and down this driveway,
holding the hood of Robin's sweatshirt
while she was learning to ride a bike?
♪ ♪
Just the edge of her hood
so she would know I was there.
♪ ♪
I don't know where you were, Willie.
♪ ♪
I just know I'm tired.
I am so, so tired.
♪ ♪
You know, my friend has a KISS cover band.
Maybe we could do a second show while the lights are still up.
-Hey, Deb? -Yeah?
There's a bunch of Gully merch in those boxes.
[Debbie] That's what's in the boxes?
[Diego] Yup.
[Debbie] Are they T-shirts and hats?
-What--what's in there? -[Diego] Uh-huh.
That basement is a mess down there.
There's rusted file cabinets,
an old fax machine, a million boxes of papers,
and God knows what else.
Have you been down there lately?
Never been down there.
-[phone buzzes] -Hey, Fire Chief is here.
I think we need to organize these.
Can we get this silly cross-promotion
done with first, and then I'll go
down to the basement with you?
We'll get it all organized, okay?
Okay. You wanna meet the Fire Chief?
-Yeah. -Go on.
[phone buzzing]
All right, well, you finish up with that
and meet us out front.
We'll go home for lunch.
What can I do for you, Charlie?
[Charlie] Finish the script yet, Jack?
You better hurry up.
How you like that lighting ring
I sent up there?
It's gonna crush.
The Dome will never look better.
I gotta send a couple of my camera guys up there
to scout the place for my livestream.
[Jack] Okay. Let Willie know when.
You sound nonplussed.
I'll be plussed when we sign a legal document
affirming that we no longer need to work together again.
[Charlie] Well, then your happiness is in your control.
Just book a great final card where Rooster gets over
and I come off looking great.
Can't guarantee you'll look great.
Oh, please, I destroyed
that stuff you wrote with me and Crystal.
I destroyed it.
Yeah, you did that in front of your fans.
Let's see how you do up in Duffy.
You don't worry about me.
I was born for this.
And you, you're the guy
who has to come up with something compelling.
Well, I hope you can deliver.
Just get me your super-secret, super-complex script
so I can give you notes
and learn your precious dialogue.
Lord have mercy, Jack,
you're the only booker in the history of wrestling
who thinks he's writing drama, okay?
Get it done.
Wrestlers don't win Tony Awards.
You wanna win a Tony Award?
You write yourself a musical about a rapping wrestler
with the fucking guy who wrote "Hamilton."
Yeah, well, Charlie, that's a great idea.
No, it's not a good idea, Jack.
And you know what?
You are not the guy
who's gonna change the face of wrestling
with your writing.
Fuck you.
Really, Jack?
After we've come this far,
you're gonna crack open a can of "fuck you"?
Fuck you, Charlie.
I'm fuckin' ready for any can of fuckin' "fuck you"
you wanna crack open.
I fuckin' love "fuck you."
I'm standing in front of a fuckin' house
that is powered by "fuck you."
So fuck you, buddy.
You fuckin' wanna crack open
another fuckin' can of "fuck you,"
fuckin' drive down here, you motherfucker!
Fuck you!
I've fuckin' done so right by you,
you can't say "fuck you" to me!
I'll fuckin' show up to your fuckin' house
with a fuckin' oil tanker full of "fuck you"!
So fuck you, Jack!
Fuck you!
[phone beeps]
[sighing] Oh, my God.
[LiTTiE] ♪ Comin' in hot ♪
[Kali J & LiTTiE's "Comin' In Hot" playing]
♪ Comin' in hot ♪
♪ Hot, hot, hot ♪
♪ Comin', comin' in hot ♪
[Brooks] Florida Dystopia.
Charlie Gully, he runs it.
Obviously, he's out of his mind,
but a huge online following.
Packs the house every week.
Sells out merch. Cash cow.
Just has no idea how to upscale it
past his own little ego.
Then we've got the DWL.
That's the Duffy Wrestling League.
It's old style.
Family-run for generations.
Historic venue.
Huge back catalog of matches.
All these guys who came through
who later went on to be big.
A guy named Jack Spade runs it with his brother.
And there's this one woman. You're gonna love her.
Her name is Crystal Tyler.
She's got--she's got zing.
You can tell the board
that we're about to become the next WWE.
Don't tell me what to do.
Sorry. I just got excited.
[Jen] Set it up for me.
And prepare these people.
Tell them that they need to sell me
on why they should be the ones
to help Continuum launch its new wrestling league--
corporation-- whatever the hell it is
we're calling it this week.
And be on TV every Saturday night,
and be so fascinating and addictive and delightful
that they bring us in
a hundred thousand million new subscribers a day.
They need to bring me a pitch
that I can then pitch to the board
and be given a bonus.
They need to tell me why professional wrestling matters,
why it's important.
Give me a five-year plan.
Tell me a good story.
Make me give a shit.
Okay, tell them that they need to impress me.
Use that word, "impress."
"Dazzle." "Stun." Shit like that.
Okay.
Get outta here.
I gotta do planks.
I need privacy when I do planks,
at least from you.
[LiTTiE] ♪ Comin' in hot ♪
[person] On page two, we have the inventory
for the lighting package we delivered.
[Willie] Okay.
-You're late. -Went on a bike ride
early this morning before the baby was up.
I'm into cycling now.
You know, it feels good.
I've been real stressed lately.
The fuck I care?
Just explaining why I was 15 minutes late.
You were also late Monday.
Were you out riding bikes then too?
Cycling helps clear my head.
Wish I had somethin' to fuckin' clear my head.
I'm no good to anyone if I break down.
So you're focusing on clearing your head of the stress
that threatens you like it's some otherworldly ghost
moaning about how you're no good to anyone
if you break down.
That's the reason that you were late?
Do you consider that professional conduct?
I don't know what you mean.
I mean you stealing other people's time.
I mean you spending my time out on the highway
on a bike like a fuckin' idiot!
You've been here for a while, Jim, hmm?
I- I have.
I've been here a lot longer,
and I've put a lot into this place.
But clearly, my work ethic
hasn't exactly leached into the culture,
because all I've seen here is that y'all think
this is some two-bit casual-assed organization
to which you can be 15 minutes late
'cause you're out riding your fuckin' Big Wheel!
You find a way to up the dopamine
and the fuckin' serotonin on your own time, not mine.
And don't be fuckin' late!
[indistinct chatter]
[Wild Bill] Take your seats.
We're going to refine our promo cutting skills
so we all shine
and promote this last card with Dystopia.
[Bobby] Morning, Miles.
Miles, what the hell was that?
What?
Bobby said hello to you.
Categorize your return salutation.
I said "hey" back.
Bobby, did you hear the word "hey"
slip out of Miles' mouth?
Bill, I said--
You said nothing.
You did this.
-[people snickering] -[laughter]
-Okay. -[Wild Bill] Not okay!
I hate the chin.
You know who the chin guy is?
The chin guy's lazy, self-absorbed.
The chin guy can't even crack open his lips
and say, "Hello, Joe."
His name's Bobby.
[Wild Bill] I know that!
But how would I know if you knew that?
You certainly didn't remind us what his name was.
-Well, I think Bobby realized-- -There's many things I despise.
One thing I despise to my core
is when I say hello to someone,
and they can't muster up anything more effusive
than slightly lifting at the tiniest angle
a nod of their chin.
I fuckin' despise chin guys!
Fuck you, Bill.
Jim?
You know what I despise to my core?
Sanctimonious shit preached to me
by some guy who thinks I'm stupid.
I love it. Say more.
Am I rocking my baby right now?
It appears that you are not.
No, I'm not.
I'm here.
Why?
I'm not sure.
Maybe 'cause this is the only thing in my life
I feel like that's actually mine.
Maybe it's 'cause wrestling matters.
Or maybe it doesn't.
More!
[Jim groans]
We're not idiots, all right?
We've given our lives to this.
But if we don't push as hard as we can,
our time is not worth shit!
We got a big card coming up against a rival promotion
who has more fans, more money, more everything!
It's insurmountable!
Wrong direction, buddy. Pivot.
The only thing we have to compete with them
is heart, relentlessness.
I was late.
I won't be late anymore.
Now you're back. Ride it out, Jim.
You wanna be a great wrestler?
You can't do it alone!
So don't be a fuckin' chin guy.
Preach, brother! The baton is passed.
-♪ Let it sing ♪ -[Bobby laughs]
When you're a chin guy, you're a "me" guy.
You're a "me only think of myself" guy.
You're a "me too sleepy to say hello" guy.
You're a "me only got enough energy
in my fuckin' body to be a fuckin' chin guy"!
On this squad, you are only allowed
to be a chin guy if you are at a very crowded and loud party,
and you see your mate across the room
and you wanna acknowledge them and the only way to do that
is to give them an exaggerated chin nod
and the pointing of a finger
almost as if to say, "There he is!
"There's that guy I think the world of.
My friend! My teammate!"
When I see Diego, I shall say,
"There he is! Big D!"
What's Diego say?
"How's it hanging, Billy boy?"
"My ding-dong is scraping the pavement as usual."
[Diego] You be careful with that, Bill.
-[laughter] -Always!
And that's how it works.
A vocalized greeting.
A "hail, fellow, well met!"
So hop on the back of this wagon
or get the fuck out,
'cause we are going to infuse this culture
with purpose, fellowship, respect.
And only then will we succeed!
-You got me? -[Miles] Yes, sir!
[all cheering]
[Wild Bill] Hey! All right!
-Yes, sir. Let's go, baby! -[Miles] Whoo-hoo! Whoo!
[plates clinking]
-Thank you. -[phone buzzing]
-Thank you. -Jack, it's Brooks Rizzo.
[Jack] Hey, Brooks, what's good?
Uh-huh.
Uh.
I understand.
Ye--ye--yes, sir.
No, I understand.
Okay, then.
I got you.
Thank you, Brooks.
[phone beeps]
He said his boss wants to come see the DWL in person,
meet us.
She's interested in what we do, but she has questions.
And depending on our answers...
then they wanna put us on the platform.
Jack, that's amazing.
Could be.
How could it not be?
'Cause I got 36 hours
to impress someone that I don't know
who's got questions, but I don't know what.
And he--he said that four different times.
"You gotta impress her."
Jack, you impress someone
by just walking into a room.
You impressed Brooks,
and you weren't even trying to do so.
You booked all that stuff for Gully,
everything that everyone was saying
and doing at Dystopia.
You've turned Crystal into a star.
And you embraced Ace's ideas,
even when they appeared fanciful at first.
All your genius is now bringing attention to both promotions.
Heck, Charlie Gully is calling you every second
because he is now relying on you.
He's seen what wrestling can feel like
when Jack Spade is involved, and he wants more.
So you don't have to be or do anything
to make an impression.
You just have to remember who you are.
Lawnmower salesman moonlighting as a wrestler.
And think of how good you are at selling lawnmowers.
Now you get to sell something you actually like.
Focus on tellin' that woman about what you love
and why you love it.
Then watch what happens.
[soft music plays]
♪ ♪
[Ace] Hello.
What's up, stud?
Hey, Jack, hold on one sec.
Hey, buddy, I'm Ace.
We're gonna be spending lots of time together.
There you go.
♪ ♪
Jack, I'll tell you, as soon as you think
a thing's gonna feel right or maybe half right,
or maybe you don't even know how it's gonna feel,
and then it happens and you realize,
"Wow, that was full on.
100%, this feels right."
Brother, the Condamned is about helping people, right?
You walk into a nursing home,
and you ask yourself, "What is a man?"
Like, what can I be as a man?
[Jack] Well, this man that you're talking to right now
is stressed out.
Those Continuum folks,
Brooks' boss and I don't know who else,
they're coming to see us tomorrow.
They wanna be impressed.
I need your help.
I need something better than the car wash vignette.
But I got Harmageddon to book, and it's clogging up my brain.
I need... [sighs]
I need you over here, okay?
-I need ideas now. -[Ace] Yeah.
Yeah, I'll be there after my shift.
Till then, put your pen in God's hands.
Okay, I'll--I'll do that.
-I'll see you soon. -All right, later.
[phone beeps]
[train horn blaring]
[Crystal] What if you guys called me Crystal Death?
-You know, like crystal meth? -[Diego] I got a good one.
How about Crystal Meet-My-Fist-al?
-How about that? -[laughter]
[Miles] Willie Will!
-[Crystal] Hey! -[Diego] The Willster!
Willie Wonka, wonk it up.
[Willie] You guys on fuckin' shrooms?
-Shrooms of life, Willie. -[laughter]
Hey, Crystal, you got a sec?
[Crystal] Yeah.
Um, follow me.
So um, I'm just wondering if you've given
any more thought to uh, Gully's offer.
Yeah. No way.
[Willie] It's a weird one, for sure.
Hard to imagine being around that guy
on a prolonged basis.
I actually don't mind him.
I mean, he's great on the mic, and the venue's huge.
But I just prefer it here.
Was it your decision or Bobby's?
Sometimes when you're young,
you make decisions based on what other people want.
You know, it's hard to keep those voices outta your head.
And then later, you realize
that you were your own person all along.
Bobby and I talked about it, but it's just,
you know...
I'm--I'm sorry, but it's just--
I gotta stop you right there, Crystal,
'cause "sorry-just"?
I mean, you know what it means when a woman uses "sorry-just."
It means, "Sorry, just don't mind me.
"I don't need a lot.
"Sorry to speak. Sorry to demand.
"Sorry to inconvenience you by being alive.
"Sorry to be female.
"Sorry if I'm offending you
by telling you to go shove it up your ass."
You know, "So sorry. Did I dare take up space?
I'm just so sorry."
Look, don't ever apologize for your existence.
And don't use "just" for what you deserve.
Don't use your own words to--to disappear
or belittle yourself or apologize
for being a woman or alive.
Is this about Gully?
No. Just kind of a pet peeve.
I wouldn't ever leave the DWL, Willie,
not when we're about to launch.
[soft music plays]
This is my home.
Sure.
I got it.
As long as you don't shortchange yourself.
♪ ♪
Staci, I thought we were gonna hold off on all this.
It needs to be done.
Well, okay.
Can it be done another time?
I want everything to be in order.
If Continuum wants to buy us,
we can't afford an accounting error
or anything like that.
Willie isn't always on the ball.
I--I think it's important
we get a sense of the business your dad ran.
The sense is that he shot himself
because the pressure got to be too much.
Exactly, yeah. So...
Staci, I got a lot going on right now, okay?
I got a lighting board being installed out there.
I got a sound system being updated.
Got a video board that's shooting flames at me
over and over and over again.
And I got Charlie Gully constantly calling me.
I need the queen of the DWL to help me focus.
And I don't right now care about boxes.
I'm gonna go see how the ship is faring.
-Okay. -Probably needs some lifeboats.
Do me a favor.
Send Gully to voicemail.
[Ace] Games Man. Games Man.
Who wants a game?
Hey, you want a game?
All right. Go easy on me.
What's your name?
I'm Ace.
I tucked in your blanket today.
Now I'm Games Man.
You shit in my chair.
That isn't a game.
I'm sorry. What?
When you tucked my blanket under me,
you put shit in my pants.
Uh, no, I--I did not--
[Kenneth] I was in Vietnam.
Not even my best friend would've--
would've done that kind of a prank.
I didn't--I didn't-- well, I didn't do that.
Oh, my God! Ugh!
Ugh!
[groaning]
How's my favorite daughter?
Dad, check out this gym
I'm gonna be able to go to right on campus.
-Whoa. -It's sick, right?
What's sick is the shape I would have been in
had I had that gym when I went to college, okay?
All I had was the one dumbbell and a broken leg press.
And I just had to rely on jumping jacks.
-You know what those are? -[laughing] Yes.
These things right here?
Yeah, that's it.
[phone buzzing]
Brooks Rizzo, what's good?
Uh-huh.
Yeah.
Great.
Hey, bring it on, you wild man.
I love it.
Looking forward to meeting her.
All right.
[phone beeps]
Continuum wants to come back down here
to get to know us a little bit better.
They're interested?
[Charlie] They're more than interested.
The lady boss for Brooks Rizzo
is gonna come down here tomorrow night.
She wants to talk about investing in us.
Oh, my God, Dad, congratulations.
You worked so hard. You deserve this.
Thank you, honey. Okay, listen.
I want you to go inside.
I want you to make a playlist that we can crank.
We're gonna have a party.
I want you to tell everyone we're having a party.
I want people dancing. I want them vibing.
-I want them laughing. -I'm on it.
-Love you. -[Lucy] Love you too.
[mischievous music plays]
♪ ♪
-[knuckles cracking] -[PA system beeps]
[person over PA system] Paging Dr. Bender.
Paging Dr. Bender, please.
-Trust fall. -Whoa!
[laughs] I'm sorry.
I could've caught you.
Oh, baloney-pants.
Falling objects take on a crazy amount of weight
when they fall due to speed and velocity and stuff.
Well, I handled your weight pretty good last night,
did I not?
Mm-hmm.
[both chuckling]
I'm nervous.
Hey, good news is coming.
But I hear you.
Doctors' offices are kind of designed
to incite anxiety.
-[Bobby] Mm-hmm. -You know, harsh lights,
exam tables that look like butchers' blocks,
defibrillators in case of heart attacks,
needles.
[both laughing]
My mama used to sing "My Favorite Things"
from The Sound of Music when I got nervous.
I don't know it.
And you're glad I don't, 'cause I can't sing.
[both laughing]
Wait.
I know one of your favorite things.
Actually, I know two of 'em.
-Ey-o! -[both laughing]
-Oh. -[Crystal] Oh.
Hello.
How are y'all doing?
Hey, Doc.
Uh, a little--a little nervous.
Well, Bobby, there is progress,
but it's not the pace of progress that we'd hoped.
While some nonunions can be treated nonsurgically,
we may need to look at bone grafts
or internal fixation, and that means
that we would attach metal plates and screws
to the outside of the bone or place a rod...
-[voice fades out] -[somber music plays]
[grunting]
♪ ♪
[Ace] Jack, worst thing that ever happened to me
happened today.
Worse than when Dad shot himself?
Second worst.
An old guy threw shit at me into my mouth.
-[laughs] -I gagged, swallowed some.
Horrifying.
-Giggle if you want to... -[Jack laughing]
...but the old me would've hit the guy.
Wham! Today, time slowed down.
Jack, I'm telling you,
the Condamned has given me access
to some self-connected Zen awareness
that challenges like this are normal.
Without challenges, how would we know we were growing?
Throwing shit's not normal.
Thankfully, it's abnormal.
That's true.
But what I'm saying is that--
[Jack] Ace, I need your help here.
My brain's on overload, okay?
It's two trains on two tracks.
One track's headed toward a town called
Let's Get Gully to Drop the Lawsuit.
And the other one's barreling towards the city called
What the Hell Am I Supposed to Do When
a Mysterious Woman Shows Up Looking to be Impressed?
I need to get both trains on the same kind of track.
-It's a busy station. -[Jack] We need to impress
this corporate Continuum lady tomorrow.
I know they're looking at Dystopia,
'cause that's where we met Brooks.
But we need to out-Gully Gully,
except we can't,
'cause he has the fireworks and the--
and the--and the razor wire
and the pyrotechnics and the big arena.
And the DWL's got a dumpy arena that's fuckin' breakin' down
-faster than we can fix it up! -Jack.
A dumpy arena doesn't mean shit,
just like shit in your mouth doesn't mean shit.
I mean, it does for a few minutes.
You definitely wanna wash it out vigorously.
But you get me?
The DWL is not the place.
It's the people.
I agree.
But I do not know
how to make that impressive.
You know, I was thinkin',
what- what about each of the wrestlers
makes them special, you know?
What's-- what's everyone's light?
So we sit 'em down.
We ask 'em each a question that--
that shows us who they are.
Yeah, on a soul level.
Kinda.
But then what do I do?
Give me that legal pad.
I think I know how we can do this.
[soft upbeat music plays]
♪ ♪
Ace, I'm not gonna be able to read that.
♪ ♪
[grunting]
All right, people, we are gonna shoot a promo!
-[indistinct chatter] -We gotta help each other.
Carry each other.
Let's go, people! Let's go!
-It's gonna be a group effort! -[Crystal] All right.
Game on.
[panting, laughing]
This is higher than it looks, man.
[Jim] I got you, brother.
Let's get this done quick.
And just don't look down.
[groans] I'm looking up.
All I see is up. That's the problem.
Everywhere I turn, it's just sky.
It's not normal, man.
You good?
No, I'm not good.
Let's shoot this before I puke.
Look out below!
Whew, when's the last time they fumigated this place?
[Eddie] I thought I heard something move.
Aww. [gasps]
Oh, it's so beautiful.
It looks great, fellas.
Am I too shiny?
I feel sweaty.
You look perfect.
♪ ♪
-Deb, you okay? -[Debbie] Yeah, no, I just--
you reminded me of my cousin Sarah.
She was nice, like you.
Okay, okay.
Um... [clears throat]
[Staci laughs]
Tell me when.
♪ ♪
[door clicks]
[horn honks]
[Willie] Where'd you get the bike?
Connie had it in her garage.
You're still dating Dirty Bird?
I'd call what we're doing more intermittent intimacy
dictated by her mood
-and my body odor. -[Willie] Mm-hmm.
We ready to do this?
I'll just, uh, swing around,
come back up towards you.
You say when.
Okay, then.
I've made a lot of mistakes here, Bill,
in this place.
We both did. We were young.
I'm not young anymore.
I kept making 'em.
I did too, around the globe.
Lost track of what was right and wrong
when I was around Tom.
It's easy to get swept up.
I'm not blaming him.
But those mistakes
are startin' to catch up to me now.
Nothin' catches up with you, Willie.
-[scoffs] -Nothin' you can't escape.
[quietly] Yeah.
I don't think that's gonna happen this time.
It's never too late to carve out a new you.
Do you think I should leave here?
And go where?
Somewhere not here.
♪ ♪
Okay.
You know what you're saying?
Always.
Call action.
[indistinct chatter]
Okay, guys, don't send me all the takes you ruined,
just your best takes.
Yeah, my pal here doesn't got time
to wade through all the crap.
All my takes were perfect, right, Willie?
If by perfect, you mean ramblin'.
[laughter]
Yes.
We gotta cut this by tomorrow.
-What time, Jack? -Uh, our guests should arrive
by 8:00 p.m.
We'll distract her during dinner
if you need to make last-minute edits.
And we'll slide you a plate under the door.
Okay, y'all, so the plan is
to make the arena look spectacular,
host a big family-style meal right here tomorrow.
So if y'all got favorite dishes or ideas, come to me now.
We're gonna sort through 'em.
And, hey, not everybody bring desserts.
We want these people leavin'
with big bellies and full hearts.
-Deviled eggs. -[Staci] Perfect.
-[Debbie] And I can bring a-- -Chicken pot pie.
Hey, how--how do you turn on AirDrop?
[Crystal] Oh, I got you, Annie.
[indistinct chatter]
This is amazing!
[Eddie] Just got better.
[Ace] Continuum's gonna be blown away!
-[Bobby] Yeah, you're right. -It's never looked better.
Certainly never smelled better.
I'm just happy I can finally use
this chocolate fountain I bought.
I'm gonna dunk my entire head in that thing.
I hope you all appreciate the twinkly lights.
I used some old Christmas decorations.
Oh.
Debbie loves this place.
Deeply.
I didn't know how much
until I started spending more time here.
She made a balloon cave over there.
She's callin' it an arch, just FYI.
-Okay. -I also called it a cave,
and I was corrected.
It's so when the Continuum lady comes through the doorway,
the first thing she sees is the ring.
Look down there, Jack.
Look at what you've given people
by bringing new life to this
and asking people to share the load.
[soft music plays]
Purpose.
A place to ply their trade.
♪ ♪
Have fun tonight.
[sighs]
Why am I so anxious?
Because you wanna be liked.
We all do.
And we all will.
♪ ♪
Thank you for everything.
You're welcome.
[Jack sighs]
[singer] ♪ Hot damn Put your crown on ♪
Who wants to see a man burn?
[crowd cheering]
[singer continues singing indistinctly]
♪ ♪
When do we need to leave here to make it to Georgia?
Hmm, 40 minutes ago.
[laughs] That's not helpful.
♪ ♪
Hey, can I get you a drink?
Sure.
[Rooster clears throat]
[laughs]
Deandre Rutherford.
I know exactly who you are, Rooster.
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Lussier.
Oh, well, welcome, Miss Lussier.
[Jen laughs]
Now, thank you for coming to see us.
Uh, I know this whole thing may seem a little crazy to you.
[Jen laughs]
But if I may, allow me to, uh, deconstruct Dystopia.
Now, on the surface, it may seem like one thing.
Underneath, there's something far more profound going on.
Dystopia is very popular.
Tell me why.
[Rooster] People respond to us
because we confirm their deepest fears.
And in that, they are comforted.
We understand them because we are them.
Now, I see you.
There's no need to pretend here.
I accept the darkest parts of you.
I mean, there's some darkness inside of me as well.
I hear that.
[Rooster] Dystopia is a church.
In a fallen world, we preach the gospel of truth.
No need to pretend otherwise.
This is why they show up.
Our audience doesn't have to put on a façade of civility.
No fake, shiny face.
No, no, no, no, no. Humans are brutal.
We all know that.
Now, pro wrestling, at its heart,
is about survival and spectacle.
One big human drama writ large.
Now, that's what we tapping into.
Gully and me, we tell stories of chaos
because anything else would be selling a lie
and doesn't honor our audience.
Now, we're all mortal.
Dystopia accepts that.
We embrace that.
See, we shock the audience
with deliciousness of fear and pain.
Joy of victory.
That's what we got goin' on.
Oh, and we, uh, set people on fire
and throw 'em in the pool.
[Jen laughs]
This guy's a phenom, Jen.
I'm telling you, man, you gotta get on board now
or you're gonna be on the sidelines
watchin' it happen, because it will happen.
[Rooster] Now, listen, let me tell you something,
Miss Lussier.
I've been all around this indie-promotion land.
And what this man has built, of course, with my talent...
All with your talent, Rooster.
-All with your talent. -[laughter]
...is something that will only grow and grow.
All right.
All right, well, you've got the party.
You've got the phenom himself.
But I have to ask...
where's the Condamned and Crystal Tyler?
The Condamned and Crystal
will both be at the event next week.
"Harmageddon: Divided We Stand."
[laughter]
They're sold out, but my cousin can hook you up.
-Yeah, I can hook you up. -[laughter]
All right, we'll have to make it back for that.
And then you can set me on fire.
We'll set you on fire right now, Jen.
Uh-uh, not tonight. Not tonight.
-Cheers. Cheers. -[laughter]
-Cheers. -[Rooster] Bring it back.
♪ ♪
Please don't--don't-- don't touch.
She'll be here in 11 minutes,
and y'all can eat whatever you want then, okay?
Scoot. Shoo-shoo.
I saw Diego cuttin' your promo.
You look great.
Thank you.
You look great now.
What's that, a bathing suit?
It's, like, a crop top.
Looks pretty--pretty cropped.
It's--I'm sorry.
I didn't mean that in a, you know,
in a flirty way. I--
It's fine. I didn't take it that way.
Uh, Bobby told me the doctor gave him some bad news.
Good news is just gonna be delayed a bit longer.
My life's gonna be about makin' up for that moment
I broke his leg.
I think I was in love with you.
I didn't know what that was.
And when I saw you two together at his house,
I just acted out.
Keyed his car.
It was, uh, insane.
Do you think what we had was real love?
Ace, I think we've all tried to move on from that moment.
You need to.
I appreciate you puttin' it that way.
I just...
I just wanted you to know.
[indistinct chatter]
Wait, what--what if one of those tractor-trailer trucks
jackknifed on the interstate?
I watched one happen once.
It's like it's happening in slow motion.
Probably 'cause they're so heavy.
I can check Waze and see if there's a red line.
[Wild Bill] I'm gonna grab some rum.
There's no problem a little alcohol
can't lubricate, medicate, or mediate.
Give me a scream if she arrives.
Nice what Debbie did with that balloon thing.
Lovely what a little ingenuity can do.
Did you give Tom money?
It must have been a lot.
You must have been the one who kept it all goin'.
That's the only thing I can figure.
How much do we owe you?
No one owes me anything.
Willie said Tom might have done some things,
financially, some that might not have been legal.
She must have been a big part of it.
Willie wasn't a big part of anything.
Tom had his share of problems, sure, as we all do.
He was under a lot of pressure.
He did what he did. I don't know the details.
Whatever it is, it's in the past now.
No need to put it all out there after the fact.
It's not after the fact.
It's the current set of facts in the present.
I'm guessing Tom thought
this was all just gonna go away when he died,
all the debt and the loose ends.
And maybe he didn't think about it at all.
But Jack and Ace started it all up again with no idea,
and there it was, and now we're here.
No one's gonna buy the DWL
with the amount of debt we have.
We could sell this place three times over
and still not pay back what we owe,
not to mention all the other stuff
goin' on financially.
[tense music plays]
If I had any money left to give, Staci,
I'd give it.
I mean that.
All I gots my bag of tricks and my elbow grease.
Jack doesn't know about any of it.
I can tell.
I don't know what he'll do when he finds out.
♪ ♪
I don't know what he'll do.
Jack is nothin' like Tom.
I'm not sayin' your speculation's accurate
about me lending Tom money,
but please, please,
do not tell Jack about this speculation, or Ace.
I'm just happy to be back here, buildin' the DWL with y'all.
♪ ♪
[crowd cheering]
[hip-hop music plays]
♪ ♪
We're not going to Duffy.
Just call them and have them email me their presentation.
-Sure. -Charlie,
call that Condamned guy
and have him come down here right now.
And make sure that he wears the outfit.
And the girl, Crystal.
Okay, well, it's probably past their bedtime,
but I'll see what I can do.
Great.
Now, we're more than just wrestling.
Jen, do you wanna come see our giraffe?
You have a giraffe?
[Bobby] This is shaping up
to be a doozy of a day.
Hopes dashed left and right.
[Diego] Bro, that's so true.
Like, how much time and effort can we put into something
just to get noticed and approved by someone
we don't know and never met?
And yet all your attention and energy
has been put into getting that approval in order to feel
like you're on the right path.
There's a word for that.
-Tell us. -Christianity.
[laughter]
-[line ringing] -Lookin' great, Tina.
[indistinct chatter]
I need Crystal down here right now.
Fuck off.
[Charlie] Hey, I don't like your tone.
I don't like everything about you.
[Charlie] You like my panache.
Why are you calling me?
I want Crystal down here now.
[Willie] It's not gonna happen.
Hey, Willie, you know what?
I know you don't respect me,
but you gotta respect the fact
that I know talent and I know what to do with it.
And just like what I've done with Rooster,
I wanna do the same for Crystal, but also for you.
Jack is never gonna let you write anything,
just like Tom didn't.
He is never gonna let you be front of house,
just like Tom didn't.
Have you fully internalized this fact?
Stop it.
[Charlie] Stop what?
[sighs] Nothing.
How much do you want?
Ah.
We're having a party.
[Charlie] Well, I'm having a party too.
Wow, Willie. Wow.
Wow, what?
[Charlie] What do you mean, "Wow, what?"
Willie, you're not hanging up on me,
so I am hearing you loud and clear.
You wanna come work for me.
I don't wanna come work for you.
Okay, then hear this.
My very good friend Jennifer Lussier
from Continuum Communications is sitting by my pool
right now with a mojito in her hand,
and she's asking for Crystal over and over.
So I wanna ask you a question.
Should I give Jennifer Lussier another mojito?
Because the one in her hand right now is almost empty.
But I also know she's supposed to get up to Duffy
and meet y'all and kick the tires of the DWL.
So you're gonna have to help me with this.
You're gonna have to give me some advice.
Do you think that I should walk over
and give Jennifer Lussier another mojito?
Or should I walk over there and remind her of the time?
Because if she has any plans at all to get to Duffy tonight
and meet everybody at the DWL,
well, then she better get on the road right now.
But it's up to you.
What do you think I should do, Willie?
I'm gonna go give Jen Lussier another mojito.
[somber music plays]
Thank you for your advice, Willie.
♪ ♪
[phone beeps]
[Jack] Okay, that was Jen Lussier's assistant
on the phone--it's official.
-She is not comin'. -[Crystal] Are you serious?
She's gonna stay at Charlie Gully's party.
-[Debbie] What? -[Ace] It is what it is.
[indistinct murmuring]
[Jack] Assistant told me to email the promo
and she'd take a look.
You know, I wanted to impress her
with all of this in person, you know,
have her meet the talent
she's gonna be investing in face-to-face
and show her the quality of the people
she's gonna be banking on.
Email the damn promo.
As it is written in the Gospel of Matthew,
"Whoever does not welcome you nor listen to your message,
"as you leave that house or city,
shake the dust off your feet."
Our effort is all we can control,
not the reception of that effort.
The troops need a speech, Jack.
Yeah. Well, I--I don't--
Yeah.
Screen the promo.
We know what we got.
We know who we are.
Celebrate that.
Continuum don't like it,
fuck Continuum,
continuously!
-[laughter] -Come on.
-Diego, my brother, press Play. -[Diego] Yo. Got you, brother.
[all cheering]
People are always asking us wrestlers,
"Why does wrestling matter?
"Why are your fans so devoted?
Why do you do what you do?"
[Diego] Whoo!
My mom worked in a leather factory.
-[Bobby] Yeah! -When she came home,
she'd be so tired, she'd just go lay down.
I'd worry.
One day, I was watching wrestling,
and she started laughing and laughing
till tears were in her eyes.
And I thought, "Wrestling is making my mom,
"the hardest-working, best woman I ever met, laugh.
"I wanna do that.
I gotta do that."
And when I do, whoo!
It feels like I'm on top of the world.
-[Miles] Yeah, buddy. -Diego.
Oh, the first wrestling show that I ever saw
with my dad, there were people
just like me in the audience.
And we were all rooting for the same faces
and against the same heels.
And--and it's like-- like an instant connection.
It was like we were a tribe.
It's got its own language, and it's got its own rules.
But it's-- it's the most inclusive club
-I've ever been a part of. -[Diego] Whoo!
[Jim] A lot of times, I go through life
trying to make sure the things I'm feeling
aren't felt so much,
'cause, uh, feelings can hurt you.
But when I'm wrestling,
that's when I feel the most alive,
'cause for once, I- I'm not trying
to get past the feeling or lose the feeling
or avoid the feeling.
I'm just feeling great.
-[Diego] Whoo! -[Debbie] All right!
Wrestling reminds me how strong I am.
When I'm in the ring defending myself,
I'm reminding myself
-it's okay to be me. -[Staci] That's right, girl.
It's okay to be strong and fierce
and fight back if someone comes after you.
It's okay to kick a guy in the face
and do a backflip off the top rope,
if you have a rope handy.
[cheers, laughter]
-[Wild Bill] Yeah. -[Diego] Whoo!
[laughter]
[cheers]
There's nothing more important than wrestling.
Wrestling, when done right,
has the same tectonic impact
of all the great myths.
The great myths remind us of when we gotta soar
and when we need to crouch down in the bunker
and fight on for happier times.
They teach about humility and belonging,
redemption and recovery.
And the balance of the good life comes
from paying attention to what's important
so you can move forth through your life
without strain, balanced,
just like when you ride a bike.
-Whoo! -[cheers and applause]
[laughter]
When I come to the Dome each week,
I know that on Saturday night,
this entire room is going to be filled
with people who are happy
and together having fun and entertained.
And I think we need more of that.
And no one gets hurt.
They just pretend to get hurt,
and then we boo and we clap
and we have a couple beers.
[laughs, snorts] And then we go home.
And then we get up and do it again.
But I think when...
When I'm in this room
and I--I hear the music and the cheering
and it's filled with laughter,
that, to me,
it's a little bit what, like--
what I think heaven might be like.
With less cleanup afterwards.
[laughter, cheers]
DWL is a place of magic and wonder.
It's a place to connect.
A place to find your second lease on life
and discover your new calling.
[cheers]
The DWL...
[Diego] Looking good, boss!
...is acceptance and love.
-[cheers] -[Crystal] Willie.
The DWL is important because family is important.
And that's the feeling you get from our promotion,
the family you were born into
plus the family you make on your own.
♪ ♪
The DWL is important because in the ring,
not only do heroes overcome villains,
but heroes can overcome themselves.
Wrestling reminds us that our struggles within ourselves
are valid,
and they're worth fighting to fix.
An internal fight sometimes
between who we are when we walk into the arena
and who we wanna be when we walk out.
Because to be in the ring means to not surrender to anything,
to battle for your beliefs.
And to not be perfect heroes,
but heroes who know what it's like to be flawed.
Heroes who wanna overcome their imperfections
and leave misguided drives and ambitions behind
to help others.
In the uncertainty of life,
we yearn to find meaning.
Why are we here?
When we wonder, "What's it all for?"
Can we find solace amidst the insanity?
The world may not owe us nothin',
but the people in the world do.
And that's the kind of stories we're trying to tell
in our little corner of that world.
Stories about how we might live.
[Jack] When I was a little boy and I saw my dad
jump off the top rope and conquer his foes,
I'd imagine being strong enough to do the same thing,
summon the courage to face what came my way,
no matter what.
That's what wrestling can do for a person.
It can give a person somethin' worth striving for,
the strength to be your best,
even when sometimes you're at your weakest.
But you gotta be willing to make a leap.
[cheers]
Building a business is a leap.
Believing you have something creative
worth sharing with others is a leap.
[Diego] Friendship is a leap.
[Wild Bill] Loyalty is a leap.
[Crystal] Hope is a leap.
[Bobby] Love is a leap.
[Ace] Every day, the idea that we can make sense
out of a chaotic world through crafting a tale
that brings us together in joy,
that's a leap of fellowship in the midst of a dark world.
We are you.
Joyful, useful, united.
The Duffy Wrestling League.
[cheers and applause]
[Welshly Arms' "Who We Are" playing]
♪ ♪
[singer] ♪ I've done Some things I won't forget ♪
♪ ♪
That was really well done, little brother.
It was really well done.
Thank you, Jack.
And everyone.
Yeah, didn't matter she didn't show up.
Just amps us up more.
What more reason to kick ass at the big event?
Continuum won't know what hit 'em.
More pressure to perform.
-I like that. -Yeah.
-I'm a coiled spring. -That true?
Mostly.
It was a good night tonight, Ace, okay?
Wouldn't have it any other way.
I--I love this,
whether we make the big time or not.
So fuck the big time.
Fuck the big time.
[Jack] Mm-hmm.
Let's knock it out of the park.
[Ace] Yeah.
[singer] ♪ Let's start a fire ♪
♪ Let's pull this trigger ♪
♪ 'Cause all these bruises ♪
♪ Make our skin thicker ♪
-[Willie] Hey. -[Crystal] Thank you.
I got 'em. I'm headed that way.
Oh, thanks.
Sure.
[Crystal] It was a great video.
Yeah, it was.
Really is a special group, isn't it?
It is.
[singer] ♪ It's who we are ♪
♪ It's what we're made of ♪
♪ It's who we are ♪
[Jack sighs]
Well, it's official.
Thomas is gonna sleep in his clothes.
Little dude's passed out like I chloroformed him.
I can't remember the last time he stayed up this late.
Gin and tonic?
Lettin' your hair down, Mrs. Spade?
Tonight was a great night.
It wasn't the outcome I was expecting,
but I'm not gonna be despondent about it.
That promo reminded me what makes us special.
And I am damn proud of that.
Ace did a great job.
So did you.
[Jack] Everybody did.
Debbie's leap. Willie.
And Diego. [laughs]
Your jump was perfect.
Take you to bed right now,
let you jump on me like that.
I'd take that bump.
[Staci sighs]
Are you upset that she blew us off?
No.
No, I'm not thinking about Jen Lussier.
So somethin' I said?
Somethin' I did?
Come on, tell me.
I didn't wanna talk about it.
It was such a beautiful night.
[Jack] Well, the night's over.
Let's talk.
There's a lot of stuff in those boxes,
the ones from the basement.
My dad wasn't always very good with money.
There's other stuff.
Stuff with bankruptcies, loans,
promissory notes.
Weird stuff.
[tense music plays]
♪ ♪
Like what?
♪ ♪
Mm...
Shady stuff.
Deliberately shady.
Consequential if discovered.
Bribing a county tax assessor is just the tip.
I think your dad did stuff
that could make everything that we've rebuilt
all get destroyed,
and I have no idea what to do about it.
♪ ♪
I hate him.
[soft music plays]
♪ ♪