Previously on Shining Vale...
I believe there are dark forces in that house.
- It's getting closer. - Okay.
Since when do you wear a cross?
I'm allowed to have spirituality.
- Didn't know you lost your job. - Mom.
- I think I need to go home. - Unless you don't.
I have to pee.
Rosemary was like my muse.
So now I just take a little vitamin C,
and she practically writes it for me.
How about if I write a different ending,
only for one chapter, where I get to go crazy?
What happened to your back?
You don't remember?
I think the ghost fucked my husband.
Ghosts do not enter other people's bodies.
But if this is a demon, you need to take care of this now.
I'm going to assume that she's a ghost.
- What's that? - That is a poisonous mushroom.
Boring.
Not now, Roxy.
Mama's in the fucking zone.
It's a good day to die. Ahh!
Ah!
Yes!
Yes, sir.
I'm done.
I'm fucking done.
What, did I suck?
You did not.
In fact, I think we have our new choir captain.
Cool.
Jake.
Jake!
Wait. It's not over?
No, not until you're dead.
Morning, honey.
I just hit the nightmare level in my game.
No one on the boards has even
heard of the little girl in the mask.
I'm in uncharted territory.
That's exciting.
I also have some pretty big news...
Do we have any milk?
- Hey, Gaynor. - What are you doing here?
What do you mean, what am I doing here?
We haven't seen you for, like, a month.
I mean, give us a warning so we can ease back into it.
I fucking live here.
I'm not gonna warn you when I come downstairs.
I'm gonna take down that white spruce in the yard,
carve it into, like, a little Roxy or...
Pat. Whoa. What-what are you doing here?
Oh, my God, Terry, you look like an Amish serial killer.
What? The beard? Yeah.
It's the first time in, like, 30 years
I haven't had to shave.
Having a hard time coaxing out
some of the mustache follicles.
Well, how about coaxing out a shower?
- We have therapy. - What time is it?
It's, uh, almost 8:00.
- What day is it? - It's Friday.
Holy shit.
Okay. Nobody make plans tomorrow.
I know we haven't seen each other in a while,
so I thought we would go into the city,
have lunch, and see a show.
- No, I don't think... - Yeah, hard pass.
Nightmare level.
I ask so fucking little
of this family.
Guys...
I finished my book.
And I know good writers are not supposed to say this,
but it's great.
Oh, that is fantastic.
All right, let-let's-let's do it.
I got nothing but time.
I haven't been to the city since I retired.
No. No.
She can't just flap down from her belfry after a month
and expect us to drop everything.
I have plans, so...
Gaynor joined the church choir.
- Ass. - Oh.
Okay, so we will go to church and hear you sing,
and then we'll all go into the city.
No, church is my thing.
We're going to go out
like a normal fucking family and celebrate.
We're gonna celebrate my book,
your game, your singing, and your dad's...
got to shower.
Seriously, Terry, it's bad.
Okay.
It's been a month. How are we?
- Amazing. - Hanging in there.
I finished my book.
Not to sound like an asshole, but it's-it's great.
I think they're gonna make it the big summer release.
Congratulations on your book.
Thank you. Yeah, and the best part is,
is I finished it clean.
No alcohol, no Clonazepam, no Rosemary.
Clonazepam is a very potent narcotic.
You can't just start and stop a drug like that.
Yeah, well, I was blacking out
and fucking seeing dead grocery boys in my tiki bar,
so trust me, I am not starting that again.
I do trust you, uh, but just in case,
I'm gonna flag your name at every pharmacy
in the U.S. and Canada.
So, Terry, how are you?
And how have you been keeping yourself busy
since you quit your job?
Mm, this and that.
Staying active.
Show him your dolls, honey.
They're not dolls.
It's just these little figurines.
Do you-do you have them here?
Yeah.
May I?
Fine.
This is just the case.
And who is this little fella?
Oh, that's-that's me.
You think the small stature
might represent you feeling less than?
No, I think it represents I ran out of wood.
Your whole marriage,
you've been supporting your family.
Now Pat's taken over that role.
How does that make you feel?
I feel fine.
Just... give me my dolls back.
Sometimes when a man loses a job,
he can lose his sense of purpose,
which can lead to depression.
Yeah, well, Phelps don't get depressed.
Have him write you a prescription.
We can join the family plan.
No thanks, sweetheart.
I'm gonna handle this on my own.
Really? 'Cause you jumped on board
pretty quick when it was my prescription.
Terry, if you want to try working through this
on your own first, let's give it a shot.
- Un-fucking-believable. - Mm-hmm.
A man gets depressed, and he gets to work through it.
A woman has an emotion,
and she's treated like a mental patient.
That's why my book is so relevant.
It's-it's a women's empowerment story
that you can read on the beach.
I was thinking about having a-a Georgia O'Keeffe
vagina flower on the cover.
'Cause it's-it's smutty, yet classy.
It's-it's not good.
Well, the cover idea is just a placeholder.
- It's not like... - Yeah, no,
the vagina flower's a home run.
It's your book.
I'm so sorry.
Give-give me a note. Give me something.
I... be specific. I can take it.
Okay. Well, uh, the tone shifts
dramatically a third of the way through.
It's meandering, pedantic, out of touch, and needy.
Oh, and you misspelled "their" on page 214.
Well, fuck you, Kam. How 'bout that?
It was great, and then you killed your main character
on page 81.
Rosemary is not the main character.
She's the manifestation of Cressida's depression.
She's a literary device.
Well, her story is the one
that everyone in my office fell in love with,
so I suggest you bring her back.
I can't. Okay, she's gone.
Read it again. It-it is...
it's the perfect summer book.
Actually, and you know I hate political BS,
but the powers that be are looking at a fresher voice
for the summer push.
We're circling Claire Vanderbilt.
Oh, my... Claire Vanderbilt?
That fucking YA bitchling?
I agree with you.
She's not half the writer that you are,
but she is half the age, and that's what sells.
Do you think I'm done as a writer, Kam?
Holy fuck.
Okay, Kam, please, let me turn this around.
Give me two weeks. Believe it or not,
I am the rock in my family right now.
Gaynor, she-she's turned churchy,
Jake is into some nightmare gaming,
and Terry is making fucking dolls.
Oh, my God.
Okay.
I will see what I can do, okay?
Shit, I'm sorry. I have to take this.
Yeah, put her through.
Claire!
Oh, my God, I was just talking about you with Pat Phelps.
No, no, no, no, no, no, the author.
No, she's very much alive.
Okay. Come on, Pat.
You did this once, you can do it again.
Oh, fuck. Help me.
Damn it. Come on!
Who you talking to?
I'm-I'm just working. I'm...
Kam found a typo, so I'm just...
Mm. By the way,
I'm not depressed.
You know, I-I think my job just provided me
with a certain routine.
I just kind of got to get used
to the lack of structure, you know,
find a project or something, but I'm not depressed.
Yeah.
You want to put on pants?
Mm, suppose I should.
- Suppose I should. - Yeah.
Excuse me. Excuse me.
- Ouch! - Peace be with you.
Oh, come on.
- Amen. - Really?
Bless me, Father, for I have sinned...
a lot.
Uh, I-I have a church-related question.
I, um... I've had some creative success
with what was probably a drug-induced hallucination,
but may have been from a demon.
Now, I assume that the Catholic church is anti-demon,
but is there any wiggle room?
I mean, if it's for a good cause?
Father?
Take the drugs.
Fuck!
Ah, fuck.
Pat, wait.
- Hello. - Jesus!
We need to talk.
I know. I'm sorry,
I shouldn't have said "fuck" in church.
It's just that I haven't slept in a month,
and I had a weird-ass dream.
It's about the fence between our properties.
It's falling down, and I'm afraid someone could get hurt.
Oh, okay. It's just a broken fence.
It's not a abandoned mine shaft.
- We'll just be careful. - It's a hazard and an eyesore.
I don't have the money right now.
I'll do it.
I'll build your fence.
What?
I got nothing but time on my hands.
And I've literally been honing my woodworking skills,
so yeah, I'll take the job.
I thought you sold insurance.
Uh, insurance-backed securities.
Well, not anymore. My boss...
The point is I'm gonna build you
the best fucking fence you've ever seen.
Okay? Nice.
- Great job honey. - Oh, shit.
Gaynor, I'm-I'm sorry about the "fuck."
Oh, it's okay. I'm turning the other cheek.
Thank you for loaning her to us this past month.
Aw, we could not be happier
with how involved she's getting with the church.
So you must be thrilled she's getting baptized.
Mm. Sure am.
You are not getting fucking baptized.
It's not an abortion, mom. I don't need your permission.
The girl is back. Move.
Gaynor, listen, sweetheart, I know all about
trying to piss off your parents, trust me.
I was an expert at it,
but I've got a lot going on right now.
Do you ever think maybe this isn't about you?
Of course it's about me. I'm your mother.
Well, Mrs. He is gonna be my godmother.
Oh, okay. So that makes your boyfriend
your god-brother.
Have fun telling Jesus about that.
Terry, would you please help me out with this?
- Terry! - Huh?
I think I may have oversold my ability to build a fence.
Do not make a mistake here.
Good Lord.
Hack.
Oh fuck it.
It's Pat. I need drugs.
I just need a couple to help me finish my book.
I finished my book on Adderall.
It turned out excellent,
which you would know if you ever read it.
It's 700 pages. I skimmed it.
And FYI, no good writer ever says that about their own book.
Okay. Where are the pams?
Diazepam. Lorazepam. Where are you Clonazo...
Oh! Here you go.
Expired six years ago.
Well, just double up.
Sure you don't want a pick-me-up?
You-you look exhausted.
What do you got?
These and these and...
oh, this reminds me of making your lunch when you were eight.
Except for you never made my lunch ever.
Well, you were so fussy.
You were always too thin. You still are.
- Aw, thanks, Mommy. - Mm-hmm.
Wh-what are these? What do these do?
Those are the lithium
they forced on me
when you had me committed...
- Right. - ...against my will.
Okay, I got to go. Bye.
Bye. Thanks for the drugs.
Mm-hmm.
And, Mom, the voices that you heard,
did you ever get the sense that there was someone
behind them trying to reach you?
Like, I don't know, a-a bad person
or even a demon?
Darling...
the demon was schizophrenia,
but after years of therapy and pills
and a small Midwestern city's worth of electricity shot
through my frontal lobe, the voices went away.
They disappeared...
along with my ability to have a proper orgasm,
even by myself.
- Oof. - They did that
at the hospital where you put me away.
- Right. - When you had me committed...
- I remember. - ...against my will.
Bye.
Ring once when you get home
so I know you made it safe.
Oh, crap.
Hey, Kathryn.
I'm sorry.
It's just the beard caught me by surprise.
Oh, you don't like it?
I love it, and I look forward to reading your manifesto.
Dude, what happened at the winery?
You went to the bathroom, like, a month ago.
Yeah, I just... I got a little turned around.
Listen, I was on the verge of doing something really stupid.
Yeah, so you jumped out of a bathroom window.
I get it. It's cool.
Um, listen, I am calling because I have some work gossip.
Yeah?
Thom got Me Too'ed.
Shut up.
I will not.
Huh. I wonder who'll take his place.
If they ask me, it's gonna cost them.
Yeah, I think after "suck a hot dick"
quitting went viral, you're safe.
Ha.
Wait, what are you talking about?
Oh, my God. I thought you knew.
Someone filmed you quitting and then posted it.
My mom actually sent me the link
and she didn't even know I worked there.
I'm-I'm so sorry.
No, no, no, no. It's... it's...
Come on. It's fine.
I don't care. I'm-I'm out here.
I'm-I'm doing a little bit of woodwork.
- Oh, God! - Oh, shit!
Are you okay? Oh, my God.
Yeah. Yeah.
I just gotta uh, build a little tourniquet here.
I'll call you back.
Fuck!
Don't judge me. It's not a big deal.
She's a part of my creative process.
I just have to take
a couple of expired benzos to access her.
Can anything be fucking easy?
Rosemary?
Whatever's plaguing your mother
will eventually come after you.
Baptism offers protection.
What the fuck is going on?
I'm in. I'll see you tomorrow.
Oh, it's so cold.
It's so cruel.
Oh, boy. What now?
You've let in the beast.
Hey, you want to meet her?
Okay, here's the deal.
I'm at a critical juncture in my life,
and I need to talk to her, and I don't want to take drugs
because then I lose control.
So is there any way you could reach out to her?
You want me to summon a demon?
That would be fantastic.
Absolutely not.
Uh, you-you can't or you won't?
I won't.
I could be putting both of our souls in jeopardy.
Could, could be.
Wait. If you help me,
I won't go to Gaynor's baptism.
I'll need paper and a pencil.
Bless this endeavor, Lord.
Protect us from this evil influence.
Rosemary? Rosemary!
What's happening, Valerie? What's happening?
Um, "This nar... "
"Five he's whore"?
I can't read your fucking writing.
It says, "She's here."
Hello, Patricia.
I see you have someone else
doing your writing for you again.
It's pretty funny for a demon.
Oh, forevermore,
why am I a demon?
Because I'm a strong woman?
Because I know what I want and I speak my mind?
Because you wore my body like a meat suit
and fucked my husband.
I helped you write a humdinger of a chapter.
And then I just had a little bit of fun.
And then I moved on.
So why is it that you're using this crazed stenographer
to bring me back?
Because I need your help to finish my book.
- What's in it for me? - The same deal.
You get to write yourself a more satisfying life.
Except for this time without having sex with my husband.
No, thank you. Bye, Patricia.
Okay, fine. You can sleep with Terry.
Good luck getting past the beard.
It's not enough. I want to come inside you.
I don't think that means what you think it means.
I don't just want the dribs and the drabs of your life.
I want to feel it all.
Wait, do you mean you want to possess me?
What an imagination you have.
Let's use that to finish your book, shall we?
Now come on, take the pills and I'll come inside you.
Okay, I beg you to find a different phrase.
Patricia, it's your choice.
You can either be the rock
or you can be the burden.
Okay, Rosemary.
But swear you'll leave when this book is done.
Be gone!
Shit.
You couldn't have waited one more second?
Rosemary's not her name.
Stay away. This house is cursed.
Hey, Dad. Can I grab my charger?
Come here for a minute first.
How you doing, pal?
You having fun?
Dad.
I'm so close.
MUFFMANGLER2010 thinks that the masked girl I found
is some sort of secret NPC, but SEXBOT69 thinks that she...
The charger's on the dresser over there, sport.
All right.
Hi, sweetie.
Hey.
I think I am depressed.
Welcome to the club.
I don't know how you do it, honestly.
I know, right? It's fucking exhausting.
What happened to your hand?
I almost cut it off with a 12-inch table saw.
You should go back to work.
I don't know if that's gonna be much of an option
now that this has gone viral.
I quit.
I feel somewhat responsible.
- Really? - Mm-hmm.
Hmm. Well, don't worry about it.
It's gonna be fine. I'll figure something out.
Besides, we always got your book.
Yup.
I feel so stupid.
I feel as bad about not being able to build a fence
as I do about leaving my job.
I think Dr. Berg was right.
I might be losing my purpose.
Terry, you can build that fence.
We're Phelps. We can do anything.
It's actually surprisingly technical
- even if you're off by... - Holy shit, Terry. Come on.
I would give fucking anything to have to build a fence.
I've got two weeks to do a rewrite on my book
or the whole thing just goes away.
I thought you said it was going great.
It will, just I... I need help.
Anything I can do?
No.
But whatever happens, I love you.
I love you too.
You want to fool around?
I don't think so.
Is your mother coming?
God or regular?
Either.
Guess not. Let's do this thing.
In the name of the Father...
All right, all right, all right.
Hey, Phelps fencing. We've got wood.
They just offered me Thom's job.
If I take it, will you come back?
Yup. When do we start?
And the Son...
[game Objective reached. Level completed.
Yes! Suck it, doubters!
Now is the game over?
What game?
Aren't you an NPC?
I'm Daisy. I used to live here.
Oh, shit.
And the Holy Ghost.
Fuck it.
Okay, Rosemary, come inside me.
Uh-oh.
Let the spirit enter and guide you.
You're saved.
Sweet.
This is for you, Patricia.
Oh!
Oh, my God! Pat!
Pat, our neighbor's on the fence!