[Willie] Previously onHeels...
Right over there, we're gonna have three people
from the South Georgia State Fair Commission.
If they like what they see, about a month from now,
y'all are gonna be performing for 10,000 folks.
[cheers and applause]
Jack's ego is gonna be the downfall of the DWL.
Your life ain't so perfect.
And that daughter you can't fuckin' stand--
too bad I wasn't around to pay for that abortion too.
Tricia's my new valet.
Why are you doing this?
It's nothing personal. It's business.
Now, before we get started,
I got something important I wanna--
I have a confession to make.
I been cheatin' on you with Bobby Pin.
[cheers and applause]
[dramatic music plays]
[audience groans]
You do not get to change things.
-Hey! Hey! -[screams]
[yelling]
[Wild Bill] Ace has just injured a fellow wrestler.
And that's why I challenge
-Jack and Ace... -Motherfucker.
...for the DWL championship belt
in a three-way ladder match.
[crowd cheers]
Willie, we got the fair.
[mellow rock music plays]
♪ ♪
[singer] ♪ I'm not waiting for ♪
♪ The answer ♪
♪ ♪
♪ And 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? ♪
♪ ♪
[rock music playing over radio]
[sportscaster] And the score's gone final in St. Louis,
15 to three, the Braves losing to the Cardinals
for the third night in a row.
We'll send it to Ted in the studio
for all the lowlights from this one
-after these message-- -[radio clicks off]
[man] Yo, do me a favor. Can you finish up that hallway?
[man] Yeah, yeah, I got it.
Jack wrestled well tonight.
[Tom] Man, we are losing money.
We are losing so much fuckin' money.
I'm such a fuckin' failure.
You built an incredible place where so many people find joy.
Not anymore.
It ain't how you played the game, Willie.
It's the score at the end.
Check the scoreboard, what's it say?
Says I fuckin' lost.
[objects clatter]
[pensive music plays]
♪ ♪
[Apocalypse] I still struggle with the realization
that I have to integrate the damage
of the mistakes of my former life,
the drinking life, the things I said and did,
with the day-to-day good guy living and striving
I got to do now without hating myself.
Because the yearning and the hopeful
and achieving me, knows all about his mistakes,
still got to do stuff.
Can't be weighed down constantly so I'm useless.
But my tendency is to misremember my mistakes
or make like they weren't as impactful
'cause they don't fit the current mold of me
being a good dude.
Thing is, if I forget them, diminish them,
if I don't use them as, you know,
fertilizer for a better me,
I'm liable to revert to the same terrible impulses,
same terrible outcomes.
Have gratitude for your regrets.
They're there to remind you
to be a better version of yourself.
♪ ♪
After leader shares, we have anniversaries.
Today we have one,
and Diane has one year.
-Let's go, Diane! -[Apocalypse] Diane, come on!
-[Annie] Let's go, Diane! -Yes!
[all chanting] Let's go, Diane! Let's go, Diane!
Let's go, Diane!
[cheers and applause]
♪ ♪
[sighs]
♪ ♪
[Constance] Hey, Jack, it's Constance Garrity
from the South Georgia State Fair Commission.
I wanted to get your thoughts
on how we might increase ticket sales
for the appearance of the DWL.
Preshow sales are tracking way behind
from where we were last year
for both "The Houdini Extravaganza"
and the "Second City Circus."
So not to be alarmed,
people do love magic and the circus,
but we'd really like to connect
on how to goose ticket sales,
so when you get a chance,
could you give me a call so we can scheme?
I'm not worried yet, but I'm getting there.
Okay, thank you. Have a great day.
[mellow guitar music playing]
♪ ♪
♪ This is my song for you ♪
♪ ♪
♪ This is my song, little one ♪
-♪ This song is for-- ♪ -Goddamn keys.
Mornin'.
[Jack] Every single day.
Jack, check your coat out here.
[musical tone on phone]
I got these Tile things
so when keys seem lost, they aren't really.
Hey, come hear my song for Baby Shelby.
Uh, can it-can it wait for tonight?
-I gotta work. -Well, that'll be the encore
since you're gonna hear it today at her baptism.
It's on your phone calendar. There's a barbecue after.
Don't worry, I already got a present.
I gotta meet Willie. I gotta do a podcast.
Postpone Willie.
I can't. She called in a favor.
Postpone the podcast.
I gotta sell 10,000 tickets to a state fair,
and I needed to get it done, like, yesterday.
Dad, wanna practice cornhole?
They're gonna have it at the party.
Uh, you know what, buddy?
I gotta work, but at the party,
you and I are gonna take on all comers, okay?
-Get it. -Okay.
[Staci] Ace is Baby Shelby's godfather.
First song I wrote since our wedding song, by the way.
[Jack] I will be there.
I will hear your song, and I will bite my tongue
when Ace promises to reject the devil
on Baby Shelby's behalf.
[Staci] Did you pack proper church clothes?
I can't cancel this podcast. Nice toss, buddy.
This guy Dick Valentino's coming in from Atlanta.
Podcast has huge numbers.
He'd trash me if I blew him off.
Jack, do what you gotta do.
Just remember, for the people who love you,
all you really gotta do is show up on their big days.
Being on time helps, but blowin' them off doesn't.
Okay.
[guitar music resumes]
[Rooster] Thanks for starting without me.
Sorry, man. I just got a text.
I gotta be elsewhere in about an hour.
-[Rooster] Mm. -[server] Morning, sir.
-Something to drink? -[Rooster] Yeah, let me get
a Diet Coke with a lemon, please.
No worries, I have to get back to a christening, anyway.
Oh, nice, man. World needs more believers.
I believe that I am building
an independent wrestling promotion
that has no equal.
I'm on my way. I want you on that way.
Okay, well, I haven't seen you around the DWL in a while.
I got YouTube.
I got it right here on my phone.
Plenty of DWL clips
that prove that you're their best wrestler.
Apocalypse is pretty damn good.
Jack has nobody who can meet your kind of skills.
Jack is a dictator, but he is legit good,
and Ace was being scouted for a reason.
Oh, Ace.
Ace is just a tall blond bro
that dumb women wanna fuck, okay?
Fuckability's got a short shelf life.
Take it from somebody who's gotta rub testosterone gel
into his armpits every morning.
[Rooster] Thank you.
The DWL is on a respirator, pal.
And fuck Jack.
[chuckles] Why do you wanna end Jack so bad?
Because I don't like when people talk shit
about my promotion.
It actually affects my promotion.
So I get it. You're after me to get to him.
No, I'm after you because my audience will eat you up.
Oh, you are laying it on pretty thick.
Dude, you know what I know?
You should be a star. And right now, you aren't one.
Now, again, I apologize. I'm sorry I made this so brief.
Thank you for coming out.
Money talks.
Bullshit does too.
Why don't you come wrestle with me in Jacksonville
and decide for yourself whether my bullshit is worth your time?
Because Jack's hasn't been. Won't ever be.
Thank you so much.
-[Rooster] Gully. -[Charlie] Yeah?
[Rooster] Opportunity is opportunity and money is money,
but if you ever drop cash on me
like I'm some B-team stripper from Follies,
I promise you a dance with the devil
that your ass won't be around to leave the fuckin' tip.
[Charlie] Jesus Christ!
Don't whip up some imaginary disrespect thing
when I came here to tell you you're great
and I threw $1,000 on the table to indicate my interest.
I don't go to strip clubs because I respect women,
so I don't know how they throw money around down there.
But if you come work for me, I will put all your money
in a big fuckin' manila envelope,
I will wrap it in a bow, and I will show you loyalty
the likes of which you've never seen before.
But don't tough guy me.
Doesn't take muscles to be an effective tough guy.
Just takes a quick temper
and a big family to back you up.
And on that, the Irish, we got a massive fuckin' head start.
Pick that shit up, Kevin.
Let's go!
You got my number! Call me!
[pensive music plays]
♪ ♪
[Willie] Hey, I owe you one, Randy.
[Randy] You got it.
[Willie] Clearly, the setup
for the state fair will be different,
but this is what 10,000 looks like.
[Jack] This is why we drove out here, Willie?
[Willie] We drove out here to discreetly obtain
South Georgia University's alumni email list.
You were late. I was not.
[Jack] How much Randy hustle you for this?
[Willie] Nothing. He likes me.
[Jack] Not much as I do. Thank you.
We can fill it. I'll make sure.
[Willie] You gotta decide about Bill.
Don't really have much of a choice.
I mean, you always have a choice.
He cut a promo in our ring like he was a goddamn plant.
Biggest pop I've heard in the Dome
in the past fuckin' century, and if you tell me
how to walk that one back, I'm all ears.
Okay, well, I don't know how you walk it forward.
What the hell, Jack?
Bill sneaks in the ring and now he's running things?
When's the last time he wrestled?
He's dangerous, Jack.
He's a drunk and a pill popper and a terrible human
I told you I don't want anywhere near us.
Your dad would never take this gamble.
My dad built a Coliseum
that was so goddamn expensive that he buckled.
-Yeah, okay, well-- -Right?
He left me holding the bag, right?
And now I'm trying to fix
-what he fucked up. -I wasn't--
And thank you very much for bringing up
my dad for a second.
If we're gonna talk about pride and ego
and all the different ways
that the DWL never became what he wanted,
why do you think that was?
Do you think it was a world-class allergy
towards input?
Right, because I-I think that my dad's Achilles' heel
was more along the lines
of a reflexive fuckin' readiness
to wallow in self-pity anytime anyone hurt his feelings.
Now say that like you've thought about it.
Tom was complicated, but Tom was a great man.
Look, he built something out of nothing,
and it launched Bill.
And Bill barely ever even acknowledged what your dad
and the DWL did for him despite getting his start here.
More than a start. Bill could never show up.
Not for one night, not for one fuckin' exhibition to chip off
just a little piece of his fame for us while we struggled.
Bill forgot us.
But now, in the midst
of his well-fuckin'-earned desperation,
he wants to help us and you wanna bank on him?
You wanna fuckin' rely on Bill?
Bill Hancock's the only wrestler
who ever came out of Duffy
and made a fuckin' name for himself.
And now we can use him to build back up the league
to make it what we want, what my dad wanted.
So we just forgive and forget?
Nobody said forgive. Nobody said forget.
I'm trying to do business here,
and you were the one who told me to ask Bill
for help and take my emotions out of it.
So which one is it, Willie?
Your dad saw the potential in Bill as a wrestler.
I saw the potential in Bill as a person.
Your dad was right. I wasn't.
I told you what he said to me.
I told Ace our dad knew he was home
when he shot himself.
Ace told me I was gonna kill myself just like our dad.
People say stupid shit, Willie.
We're-we're in the business
of bringing entertainment to the masses,
and Bill brings a whole lot of mass to the masses.
He brings so much more than that.
[Jack] I can handle it.
Not sure I can... or will.
[apprehensive music plays]
♪ ♪
[indistinct chatter]
-Looking good, Bobby. -[Bobby laughs] Hey.
Yeah, itching to start physical therapy.
[Diego] Yeah, you'll come back stronger.
Yeah, thanks. Trying to see it as a gift.
There's a lot of time to think now.
You know what I've been thinking about lately?
When will Jesus come back?
Nah, I ain't never thinking about that.
Your name's Apocalypse.
Nicknamed after the movie.
-Uh-huh. -My dad was in Vietnam.
Oh, making a movie? That's dope.
No, he-he was in Vietnam.
Doing what?
The fuck you mean, "Doing what?"
I'm asking a question. You said after the movie.
I was named after the movie.
What movie?
Apocalypse Now.
-What's it about? -The Vietnam fuckin' War!
[Diego and Apocalypse laugh]
Oh, sorry, I'm some kind of douchebag
that doesn't know about every fucking war.
You graduated high school.
Not with flying colors.
[laughter]
It was a bad war. We lost.
[Bobby] Respect. That's the shit, man.
Not really. He was just a cook.
A fat-ass fuckin' fat asshole of a cook.
He served, so to speak, but he didn't serve, serve.
Plus, he was a real prick my whole life.
[Bobby] Mm.
But I guess when you father a kid at 58,
you're probably tired.
Look, man, the Apocalypse,
that thing that you are not named after,
that's what happens when the world ends.
That's why I brought up Jesus.
I thought that that was the Rapture.
No, no, no. That's for believers.
Believers go straight to heaven.
Then Jesus comes back and judges the rest, you know.
This has got nothing to do with what I'm trying to talk about.
[Bobby] I gotta watch more documentaries.
Gotta learn more shit.
I got this new robe from Jack and Ace's mom.
Flashy and shiny, huh?
-[Bobby] Yeah. -[Diego] Whoo. Talented lady.
Yeah, but this inside material,
this sateen-like shit, hurts my fuckin' nipples.
Oh. Get Blistex.
It's, like, the enemy of chafing.
No, Blistex is gonna leave a stain.
I was thinking.
I got no idea why men got nipples.
-Ooh. I never thought about it. -[Apocalypse] You should.
It's on your body, and you got no idea what it do.
This is a legit inquiry.
That's what I'm saying. Milk ain't in 'em.
Ain't coming out of 'em. Why are they there?
Well, maybe it's an evolution thing.
Like how you got grown-up teeth above your baby teeth, right?
Awaiting the call.
[Bobby] Yeah, you know, my mom still has all of my baby teeth
in a little purse on the nightstand.
-Yeah, moms are the best. -[Bobby] Yeah.
[Diego] Oh, that's it.
Maybe God knew that one day,
women would be, like, running the workplace, right?
And there'd be more stay-at-home dads.
So men got nipples not just in case of,
like, a total gender revolution
but also in case of emergency, man.
Like a famine, right? Or a plague?
Or what if all the women are out fighting
in some new Vietnam,
getting their bodies blown to bits so democracy
could survive like men used to do, only now
all the future men need to be home, right?
Bursting with nourishment from their nipples, dude!
-[Bobby] That would be so cool. -[Diego] Yeah.
To have little kids sucking on your nipples.
[laughter]
[Diego] Yeah. Yeah, right?
Hey, y'all have got to be
the most brain-damaged individuals I have ever met.
And I've met some demented motherfuckers.
I mean, I've dated demented people,
I've helped demented people,
and I've fought demented people,
and if those demented people were here,
they would rejoice in knowing that there exist
far more demented people than they are.
[laughter]
[players] Break!
[Tom] Don't go easy on the birthday boy!
[Carol] Hey, would you let 'em play without coaching?
You're either coaching, or you're letting it happen.
[young Ace] Hut, hut, hike!
I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready.
[players shouting indistinctly]
Whoo-hoo! That's my boy!
Way to chuck it, Ace! See what you did there, son?
You threw it to where he's running.
That's the thinking, kiddo!
Yeah, Ace has got a cannon, eh, Dad?
Oh-ho!
Dan Marino times two, Jackie boy!
Ha-ha!
[young Ace] Hut, hike!
[sentimental music plays]
[Tom] Oh.
Yes!
[applause]
[Carol] Whoo-hoo!
Instincts, Jack. You can't teach that.
Hey, his footwork's even better than yours was.
Yeah, strong, athletic, handsome.
-Goddamn. -Cocky as hell.
Confident, Jack. Poised and confident!
That kid's got flair.
Look at the proud papa.
[Tom] Let's see it again, guys!
[young Ace] Twenty-four! Thirty-seven!
-[Tom] Come on! -[phone buzzing]
No, I won't be late.
Yes, tell Melanie I'll wear a fucking tie.
[Big Jim] What's up, godfather?
[Ace] Nothing, just sitting here
thinking about what a bad judge of character you are,
having me be the backstop
to your child's religious upbringing.
Uh, on that note, uh,
I need you to say a few words during the ceremony.
The fuck kind of words?
Uh, something about baptisms and babies and shit.
I-I'm not sure. Just church words.
Hey, you said my role was ceremonial.
[Big Jim] Yes, and the ceremony is today.
Mel told me to tell you, like, a week ago,
but-but I must have taken too many chairs to the head
and-and forgot.
But, uh, you just gotta kick it off
and introduce the congregation to the baby.
Bro, I barely know the baby!
There's nothing to know. But-but you do know church.
You-you've been going your whole life.
But I haven't paid attention very much!
[chuckles] Look, it's just a few words
off the cuff, all right?
You're a wrestler. Just-just riff.
Talking shit in the ring
is very different than riffing in church.
No. Good versus evil.
Crowds in the stands, dudes in funny costumes.
Just don't power-bomb the pastor.
[Ace] Ugh, after what happened with Bobby,
I don't know if I should be giving any speeches.
[Big Jim sighs]
[sighs]
Number one, don't expect it to be great.
Number two, go fuck yourself.
[Big Jim] Will do.
You got this, God-daddy.
Yeah, yeah.
[faint thumping]
[woman grunts]
Hey, Mama, you all right?
[Carol] Yeah.
Take these bags to the car, please?
This is Dad's stuff.
[Carol] It's taking up too much space.
You can't just throw out Dad's stuff.
I'm not throwing it out.
I'm donating it.
What if I want some of it?
He left it to me.
[dramatic music plays]
♪ ♪
[indistinct chatter]
[Jack] Hey, what's going on?
[Rooster] Just waiting to head over to the christening, you?
[Jack] Yeah, I gotta do a little interview thing first.
Why are there so many cars in the parking lot?
[Rooster] Rented to a jewelry show.
Hey, Jack, I wanted to rap with you about, um,
where I'm slotted at in the fair.
Sure thing. Can it wait 'til the barbecue?
Sure. Sure can.
Hey, and, uh-uh, just to--
No, no, I get it. I get it. Places to be, baby.
If you're gonna smoke, can you do it
in the back, please?
You're one of our faces.
We got fans in there buying jewelry.
I was thinking about quitting anyway.
-Hey, Jack. -[Jack] Yeah?
Bill's in the office.
Course he is.
Feet off my desk, Bill.
You gonna threaten to beat me up again?
No, I'm gonna make good on the threat
from the first time, but I got some business
to attend to, so you just sit tight.
I saw Dickie Valentino.
Fuck you say to him?
I said, "Welcome to the DWL, Dick.
"Bet when you were born, your parents never imagined
your name would be synonymous with cock."
[laughs]
He laughed. We're old acquaintances.
Jack, the state fair's only a month away.
Fans are blowing up my socials.
Barstool wants to promote my comeback.
Came to tell you I'm all in.
You and me, we can grow the DWL into something compelling,
something beautiful, a new story.
We don't need your help right now.
When you were on top, my daddy needed your help,
and you offered fuckin' nothin'!
That's the compelling story.
Zero fuckin' gratitude.
Our friendship had more nuance than you've been told.
You dad never asked for help.
Couldn't stomach that I got picked and he didn't.
And I did come back to help before I got fired.
Came back to give Ace a chance at the big time.
You view it differently, but come on, man.
There's a hundred Ace Spades from Oklahoma
to the Florida Panhandle alone.
I had a goddamn golden ticket to give to your brother.
We know how that went.
But fuck it. Let's rise up together.
Make this thing great! Great in a way it never was!
After the fuckin' screw job you pulled last weekend,
how am I supposed to trust you?
'Cause that was inspired.
And without me, there's nothing to talk about.
I got the state fair following me on Instagram,
but there's a year's worth of promotion and prep
if we're gonna put this thing over.
I'm promoting it just fine.
With Dickie Valentino's podcast?
I wrestled that douchebag back in Atlanta.
Fucker broke my wrist in an "I quit" match.
Guy's a snake.
Reckon you know one, being one.
Watch your back is all.
There's gonna be no talking about the state fair
'til you talk to Willie.
Fuck's she still wound up about?
[indistinct chatter]
-Hey, Dick. -[Dick] Hey, Jack!
Sorry that I'm late.
I forgot we had this little old lady show going on.
That's all right.
There's a lot of fine craftsmanship here.
The lady in the corner has got a sweet booth.
Check this out. Sapphire and silver.
Can we record in my office?
Hey, Willie. You got a sec?
Hey, Ted.
Afternoon, Crystal.
Beautiful day for a beautiful ceremony.
Why don't you go in and grab us a good seat, right?
One in the back so we can slip out when it goes too long.
-All right. -What is it?
Uh, listen, I-I really don't wanna bother Jack.
Bother him. That's his job.
I was just curious, uh, if he told you
what my role at the fair was gonna be.
Told you last week to ask him.
I know I'm-I'm probably not Ace's valet anymore,
and Bobby's gonna be out for God knows how long,
so I just feel like I don't really have a place right now.
Sounds like you already got your answer.
Whose fault is that?
Fault-fault about what?
If you're gone, it's your fault,
Miss Ad-libber. You did this.
I didn't mean for Bobby to get hurt.
I don't wanna be Dragon Lady here
'cause I know we women, we gotta stick together
in a rotten old world run by idiotic men,
but you decided you didn't like what was written,
so you decided to change it. You lit the match.
Don't be pretending you don't know how fire works,
'cause you do, darling.
And by now, you should also know
we all just answer to Jack Spade.
[pensive music plays]
♪ ♪
[Bobby] Oh, man, my foot is cold.
[Apocalypse] You should've wore a sock.
Let's talk about this main event.
Appears to my eyes like Wild Bill is back in the mix.
That has yet to be decided.
I think his actions in the ring decided it, Jack.
Folks around here, they're invested.
He laid down some pretty wild attacks,
and Jack Spade doesn't let fighting words go unanswered.
Yeah, he used some of those fighting words
against your brother, Ace Spade, as well.
So Ace, he's got to be in the main event.
It's all still percolating.
Percolating?
What the hell are we promoting here, Jack?
Seems to me like there's a beef brewing between you brothers.
I'm sure you remember from your wrestling days, Dick,
that when you've had the belt as long as I have or you did,
people gonna attack you from all angles.
Even your own kin.
Which is what's gonna make this state fair so darn explosive.
Depending on who's in it.
The problem is, I can't tell my listeners,
Dick Valentino's listeners, who's in the main event.
It seems to me neither can you.
I got the belt. You can tell 'em I'm in it.
[Dick laughs]
This past fall, Jack, your promotion gained a level
of Internet infamy when you defeated your brother, Ace,
in 15 seconds with a hold that appeared to these eyes
to be really painful.
And then Ace burst into tears.
Now, your daddy, King Spade,
was known around these parts as a great wrestler,
but he also had a tenuous grasp on his composure,
and that brought with it a great sense
of real danger to the ring.
Come clean with me, Jack.
You got some of your old man's anger?
I thought we were here to talk about the future of the DWL.
We got an hour, Jack. We'll get there.
Now, this is just me, just thinking out loud.
Remembering your father, well, he was--
I'm just gonna say it.
Your father, Tom, he was one tough somebitch, Jack.
Always had to have things his way.
So when I get the news that your father kills himself...
I'm not fuckin' talking about that.
[apprehensive music plays]
My apologies for cussing.
It's okay, Jack. It's a podcast.
You ever listen to my podcast?
I never miss it.
It's called "No Questions Barred"
for a reason--
because I use my platform to get people to care.
They support me because I tell them the truth
about this business we all love,
but also about its cost.
Your father's death and how it made you feel,
that's interesting to my listeners.
It's not interesting to me.
♪ ♪
[Staci humming]
[gentle guitar music playing]
♪ ♪
♪ This is my song for you ♪
♪ ♪
♪ This is my song, little one ♪
♪ ♪
♪ This song is for beginnings ♪
♪ You don't know much ♪
♪ But you'll get there ♪
♪ Soon ♪
[humming]
♪ ♪
I can smell what you had for breakfast.
You never told me she could sing like that.
I did tell you. A million times, I did.
♪ ♪
[Staci] ♪ When I first saw you ♪
[Jack] Oh, shit.
[Staci] ♪ You were perfect to me ♪
[Jack] God damn it.
[Staci] ♪ You made me Love the mornings ♪
♪ They're nothing like ♪
♪ They used to be ♪
♪ ♪
[applause]
[Pastor Heery] Today we welcome baby Shelby
into a life infused with God's love.
God wants you to feel his love,
and he wants you to flourish.
Let's all pause for a moment and reflect on a time
when God's love has helped you to flourish.
And now the godparents would like to say a few words.
Ace, we'll start with you.
[Ace clears throat]
[exhales heavily]
[clears throat] Uh, Jim asked me to, uh,
say a few words a while ago or so.
Uh, Jim and I have known each other since grade school,
more specifically grade school detention.
[laughter]
Uh, we've been inseparable ever since we were kids, and...
now Mel and Jim are baptizing their own kid.
[sentimental music plays]
Baptism is a lifelong journey.
Um, a winding road of, uh,
mistake making and learning and growing.
You know, if you're a lot like this congregation and...
especially me, uh, you're gonna stumble,
you're gonna get scuffed up,
and you're gonna wrestle with some demons.
Some real, some imagined,
some put upon you, and some you put upon yourself.
♪ ♪
Shelby... this is the start of your story,
a story that says you gotta inherit
a lot of original bad stuff.
But we wash that off today.
Know that if you make a mistake,
it don't mean you can't keep turning the page,
revising your story,
saying your sorries, and starting anew.
I mean, that's what life's about, right?
Writing a story we could all be proud of.
Even if it's got some bad or boring chapters in it.
Like it or not, you're a part of the Duffy story now.
The Duffy family.
I can't wait to watch you grow up.
Folks, uh, I present to you, Shelby Warren Kitchen.
[applause]
♪ ♪
[woman] Aw, welcome, sweetheart.
Welcome to the world.
All right, Thomas. Nice and easy.
-All right, easy. -Just a nice, easy toss.
[Annie] Let's go, Thomas!
-Oh! -Oh, nice shot.
That was a great share the other day.
Thank you, Annie.
It's so great to have you with us.
Thank you.
I was worried you wouldn't show.
I mean, what's a baptism
without a super awkward godfather?
Hey, you did good, all right?
Did bad to that poor fucker.
I saw. Fuck happened?
He got his leg broke.
I know that.
Hey, he-he's a good dude.
You, uh, apologize to him?
Come on, Ace. It's me.
That dude got fucked up bad, and-and you can't tell me
that's what Jack wrote to happen.
[Apocalypse] Ma'am, here you go.
You're welcome.
Mm. You look sad.
Willie said your broken leg is my fault.
-What? -She's right.
No, it was no one's fault but mine.
I went off-script. I provoked a volatile person.
I-I'm sorry, Bobby.
I-I'm really sorry that I did that.
Look, if you wanna get in the ring with the big boys,
you're gonna run the risk of things not going your way.
No, I shouldn't have lit the match.
Well, you shouldn't even be a valet anymore.
I mean, you gotta bulk up a little bit,
but it's nothing a couple protein shakes
and a lot of grilled chicken can't fix.
Deep down, you're a wrestler.
Jack and Willie don't think so.
Yeah, well, you know, my mom always says,
"You're under no obligation
to accept someone else's assessment of you."
I wish your mom was my mom.
[Bobby chuckles]
No, 'cause then we'd be related.
[both laugh]
You want another beer?
No, I got it. I got it.
-[Bobby] Thank you. -I'll be right back.
They say the facial recognition software is better,
but I-I don't see any reason to upgrade--
-[Jack] Hey there. Hey, Pastor. -[Pastor Heery] Hey, Jack.
-That was a lovely sermon. -[Pastor Heery] Oh, thank you.
What part did you enjoy most?
Well, had to be Staci's song.
I heard that it was great.
Uh, sadly, um, I-I had some business to attend to.
The DWL never sleeps.
[Pastor Heery] I hear congratulations are in order.
The state fair, huh? That's big stuff.
You know, I've been going since I was a kid.
I saw all the big acts there.
Well, tell me, what does it take to pull off
an event like that on such a massive scale?
[Staci] Blood, sweat,
and enlisting the help of terrible people
who may undermine your hard work.
Well, that just sounds like running a church.
[Jack] I'm already thinking way past the state fair,
which, of course, is a great opportunity for brand exposure.
But we got the talent, but you gotta--you gotta
print new merchandise, and, you know,
sometimes you gotta spend money to make money.
[Staci] Hmm.
Well, church folks like me, we just beg.
There it is. We're not too dissimilar.
Excuse me. I need a refill.
Staci, that was just so great.
Oh, thank you, Annie, for always saying that.
-You got the voice of an angel. -Thank you, Eddie.
And he would know that if he ever came
to church with me.
People buy cars on Sunday, dear.
Not all day.
[children laughing]
[Bobby grunting]
Oh, dadgummit.
Hey, Bobby, uh, I got this, man.
-Oh, man. Thank you. -What do you want?
-That'd be great. -Just leave that stuff.
I appreciate it. Uh, just, uh, some chicken
and ribs would be great.
-And then some corn. -Okay. Okay.
That's perfect. Thank you, man.
-That it, or... -And, uh,
just some ranch sauce, if you don't mind.
On the corn or...
Oh, just, like, uh, everything.
-Even the barbecue? -Oh, yeah.
-Okay, tell me when. -Mm-hmm.
When. Perfect.
-Okay. -Thanks, man.
Uh, I--you know, I'll take this to the table.
Oh, thank you, man. Appreciate it.
Hey, Bobby, uh...
...I-I-I--I'm sorry.
Just I'm sorry. No excuses. I'm sorry.
No worries.
Look, man, if I could go back and--
Yeah, no need.
You know, it's a new day.
It's all good.
But thank you.
Hey.
Hey, Crystal.
Ace.
Uh, nice words today for the baby.
Thanks. Yeah.
She's a, uh-- she's a great baby.
Really is.
That's a lot of ranch.
Uh, it's-it's Bobby's.
I like ranch. [chuckles]
I can take it.
-Thanks, man. -Yeah, man.
-[Rooster] Uh, hey, Jack. -Hey, Rooster.
[chuckles] How'd the podcast go?
-Shitty. -[chuckles]
Well, I was wondering if you, uh,
settled up on a lineup for the fair.
I would love to throw my name in the hat for the main event.
Now, you know I will deliver.
-Didn't say you wouldn't. -Haven't said I will.
Rooster, it's seeming to me we just keep--
we keep having the same conversation.
Actually, Jack, it seems the same,
but each time, it's a little different.
You enjoy your night.
[laughing] What the fuck? Jesus Christ.
Ted lines up for his final toss of the game.
Oh, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!
I wanna watch! I wanna watch!
[Apocalypse] Come on, Mama. Come on.
[Ted] Okay, here we go. Here we go.
[Bobby] Lining up his shot.
[all cheer]
[Ace] Yeah! That's my man!
[Apocalypse] That is a motherfuckin' shot, man!
Yeah, while you were no doubt playing real sports,
I was drinking and playing cornhole.
["My Morning Jacket" playing]
[Golden] ♪ People always told me ♪
♪ That bars are dark And lonely ♪
♪ And talk is often cheap ♪
♪ And filled with air... ♪
♪ ♪
Thank you guys for coming. Take care!
Oof, I think both of my arms are asleep.
[Crystal] Hey, let me take her.
Please. I would love you forever.
[Crystal] Hi.
So this is your life now.
By design, my friend.
It's by design.
You ever find yourself missing--
Wrestling? No.
Uh, I mean, I miss you and the guys,
but, uh, I reckon I never felt more like myself.
[baby fussing]
Hey, y'all mind if I... just hold her for a second?
[Big Jim] You're her godfather, for Christ's sake!
You mind if I...
Uh, yeah.
-Just careful. -Yep. Yeah.
-Here. -Oh, okay.
Here.
Is this how I'm supposed to, uh--
Watch her head and neck.
We-we need her brain to work. She's the future.
[Ace chuckles]
[heartfelt music plays]
♪ ♪
She's so sleepy. She's beautiful.
♪ ♪
[Staci] Hey! Fireflies.
Thomas, for your science project.
Maybe we can all go out there together and get some.
Nah, there'll be some tomorrow.
If he doesn't want to...
It's supposed to rain tomorrow.
[sighs]
It's your project, buddy. Grab a jar.
♪ ♪
-[Staci laughs] -[Thomas] I almost got one!
[Staci] Look at you. Good job, baby.
-[Thomas] Wow! Good one, Mom. -[Staci laughs]
-Saw some. -[Staci giggles]
[Staci] Oh!
[Thomas] Come on, Mom! Hurry!
[Thomas laughs]
I got it. I got it!
♪ ♪
Got one!
[Crystal sneezes] Ugh.
[Ace] Catching a cold?
You know, I would've thought after you were up there
preaching today,
"bless you" might have been
a knee-jerk reaction to a sneeze.
Bless you.
I'm really sorry for ad-libbing at the match.
I shouldn't have done that.
Crystal.
I shouldn't have been mean to you.
I shouldn't have.
You got a real good thing going in the ring and in life.
It's special.
Like you.
And I'm--
Yeah.
[soft pensive music plays]
♪ ♪
[phone buzzing]
No, you can't stay later.
Yes, I saw your text.
You think using a tampon
makes you a grown woman, act like one.
Being a grown woman means getting used to being told
to do something you don't wanna do,
dealing with the frustration that comes
when you realize you're not in a position to change it,
and then absorbing that in the hopes that you can
transform it into something more useful later.
I'm leaving the Dome now.
I expect you to be home when I get there.
Tell Amber's mother I said hello.
[Wild Bill] Hey.
Fuck, man! Fuck.
Saw your car in the lot.
I don't give a fuck. You can't just--
What the fuck, man?
Texted you a few times.
[Willie] Don't care.
[Wild Bill] Left you a couple messages.
[Willie] Didn't listen.
Came by earlier, but you were gone.
[Willie] You came by to kiss up to Jack.
Will you relay something to Ted?
[Willie] He's got a phone. Call him.
Look, it wasn't right, what I said.
Wow.
Wow what?
That's how you're gonna put it?
Yeah. It was not right.
Well, anyone can tell you it was not right.
It not being right is an indisputable fuckin' fact.
-Yeah. -Yeah. And?
And?
I'm not sure what that look is.
State your purpose for being here.
-I wanted to see you. -For what purpose?
Uh...
Are you trying to say you're sorry?
-Yes. -Then say it.
I said what I said was not right.
That's a statement about the past.
If you wanna apologize in the present, then do it.
I mean, shit, what I said was not right.
It was a terrible thing to say.
I've let my life get a bit out of control.
Don't shift to self-pity. Your...
...your behavior, where you go to impulsively...
...you need to reflect on that with deep fuckin' concern.
It's ugly. Scary.
Oh, that's something, coming from you.
You never scared easily.
That's 'cause you're a sniper in your own right.
But that's what I like about you, Willie.
Don't fuckin' touch me.
A long time ago, when you were here
and we were more... familiar with one another,
you were more open to being kind.
Not anymore.
Fuck off.
[Wild Bill] Willie.
Willie.
I am sorry.
I would like to say I have no idea
why I said those things, but I have an idea.
I seem to enjoy unraveling people.
Worked for me in business but not really in life.
I'm sorry for what I said and how it hurt you.
Piling up new words on top of old words
can't make the old words unsaid.
Right.
It's just... [sighs]
...I've been simmering on some shit for far too long,
and I figure it's time for some divulging.
Not to deflect.
To shade things in.
I think I--
no, I know I--
Spit it the fuck out!
I was kind back-back when I was here a long time ago.
I was kind then because I loved you.
And I thought you loved me.
Then one day... you just dropped me.
Decided I was a dead end.
And it crushed me.
It-it fuckin' crushed me.
Sorry that wasn't spit out faster.
It took, what,
shit, a couple decades
to consolidate into a cogent thought.
Tom was being scouted. He asked.
We were all here building something together.
Opportunity came to you and Tom,
and you both decided, without me,
that it was a better bet you being Tom's valet
when you're already mine.
You thought I didn't have what it took to go all the way.
Clearly, I was wrong.
But then you kicked me out of your bed...
and that hurt worse.
And I was like, "Fuck it.
"That's what you want.
You're wrong, but fuck it."
And I hung on to it.
I hung on to it real, real good.
I'm sorry about all that.
Thank you.
But I guess piling up new words on top of old words
can't make the old words unsaid,
even if the word is "sorry."
Or can it?
Don't go getting fuckin' witty.
If you think the two things are the same, they aren't.
I'm just trying to apologize.
I hurt you long ago. I'm sorry.
But I thought I--
[sighs] I thought the action,
the fuckin' action speaking louder than words
of me letting you stay in my home
and keeping your fuckin' shit there
and trying to be a fuckin' oasis to you
in the midst of all your other chaos was, I thought...
an indication...
that I, as a grown, adult woman...
wanted to be there for you
in your life as a friend.
Despite the stupid decision I made to be Tom's valet...
...when I knew it would lead to us breaking up.
I appreciate that. Have. Well, I do.
But my daughter had nothing to do
with what I did or said to you.
That's why I'm apologizing.
[soft dramatic music plays]
♪ ♪
[automated voice] You may hang up or press one
-for more options. -[line beeps]
Hey, Gully. It's Rooster.
I'm in.
♪ ♪
[Jack] Those things gonna survive?
[Staci] Don't know. It's an experiment.
[Jack] I'm sorry I missed your song.
[Staci] Me too.
How'd all your stuff go?
Uh, it-it went okay.
Trying to navigate
whether to bring Bill in for the state fair.
I got a shit ton of tickets to sell.
I don't like that man.
I don't like what he brings out in me or you or anyone.
What if he brings out a crowd?
Some things may not cost what they appear to cost
'til it's too late.
I'm boxed in here. I gotta sell tickets.
I gotta figure out who wins. I gotta write the script.
[sighs] It is what it is, Jack.
Every week, who's gonna win? Who's gonna lose?
-You just want us to win. -I just want us to stop
having the same fuckin' conversation.
Well, I didn't know we had a limit on them.
I didn't know when I said, "Don't get a gerbil,"
you'd turn around and tell Thomas he could get one
and then a gerbil fuckin' shows up.
Hey, Staci, it's just a gerbil.
It's not just a gerbil, Jack.
It's me expressing something to you,
you ignoring it, and deciding
you don't give a fuckin' shit about me.
-Whoa, whoa, whoa. -No whoa.
You said you'd handle the squirrels; you didn't.
I put the christening on the calendar;
you scheduled other shit.
I say no gerbil; voilà, fuckin' gerbil.
I spent two hours trying catch to catch
that stupid fuckin' desert rat after Thomas dropped it,
and you couldn't catch fireflies
for two precious seconds.
I'm...
I'm sorry about the gerbil, the squirrels,
and the fireflies.
Jack, I think I just want part of our life to be...
proceeding towards something unified.
Are we talking about Machu Picchu?
No.
It's about me. I need--
I need a thing.
Our family's a thing. It's a great thing.
It can be a great thing and still--
Yes, when I'm with you and Thomas
and we're doing stuff, like, the three of us,
I feel like I know who I am.
I'm in a family.
And whenever we're doing stuff like going to church
or-or fishing or being outside catching fireflies
that they're probably gonna suffocate in a jar,
I feel like I--
I feel like I'm building something,
an amazing family, yet it--
Lately, it's like I'm just observing.
And yes, it's supporting you, but I don't wanna feel like
it's all I can do, just observe and support.
It's not.
[Staci] I admire that you know what you wanna do
and that you do what you gotta do
in between what you wanna do because you love us.
And I appreciate all you're doing to provide,
but I don't think I'm made out to just be a spectator.
Me neither.
I don't feel--
I don't feel remarkable.
[Jack] Well, you are.
And you're kind,
compassionate, you're forthright.
You're always putting others first.
Yeah, well, that's just behavior.
That's not, you know, specialness of character.
Today the pastor asked us to recall a moment
where we were flourishing,
and I thought about how since Thomas went back to school
and I finished painting the bedrooms and the kitchen
and how when you're at work or the Dome, I just--
I don't feel like I got a handle on flourishing.
I went to college.
I'm a clerk at a grocery store.
[sighs]
Maybe I have too much time to think.
Or just more than I expected.
See, that's one of the reasons I fell in love with you.
I love the way you think.
The way you are.
I don't wanna mix up me with Thomas' needs.
He needs time with you with your phone off.
A day without plans.
I hear you.
And I know it's a cliché,
but I'm burning the candle at both ends right now.
[Staci] I understand, but we need more.
We need more than just an exhausted and depleted you.
We need you to build us up too.
And Thomas needs more from you.
He needs more from you than an example of a guy
who works hard and burns the candle at both ends.
I could take him by the lawn shop
and show him what eating shit looks like.
Jack, I think the whole unifying thing is just--
I would like to be a voice you appreciate hearing.
I would love to think that when I have an opinion,
it's valued with the intention of it
being something good for us.
["Cheating Life, Living Death" playing]
♪ ♪
[sighs]
I don't want to be a scold or that kind of person.
No. You're not, okay?
You're a beautiful wife,
and you're my best friend.
[T. Hardy Morris] ♪ Every dream is a warning ♪
♪ ♪
♪ To leave your learning on the shelf ♪
♪ ♪
♪ 'Til you wake up every morning... ♪
Confident, Jack. Poised and confident!
That kid's got flair.
[Carol] Look at the proud papa.
[Tom] Let me tell you right now,
Ace Spade is gonna be the first kid from Duffy
to start quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs,
and then he's going straight to the NFL.
[Carol] Oh, come on, Tom.
Don't put expectations on the kid.
[Tom] It's not expectations, honey.
Destiny.
Destined for greatness, this kid.
Ace Spade is the Can't-Miss Kid.
[T. Hardy Morris] ♪ Only helps To hold my breath ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Don't know why I even bother ♪
♪ I trust you but not myself ♪
♪ I trust you ♪
♪ But not myself ♪
♪ I trust you but not myself ♪
♪ I trust you ♪
♪ But not myself ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Don't know why I even bother ♪
♪ I trust you but not myself ♪
♪ I trust you ♪
♪ But not myself ♪
♪ I trust you but not myself ♪
♪ ♪