Hey, Mark, you nervous
about the first day at your new school?
I'm peeing my pants over mine.
You sure it's nerves?
I read that's what happens when you have a baby in your forties.
You don't even have to have a baby.
Sometimes it happens to me when I open a new jar of pickles.
No, you're gonna do great.
You got nothing to worry about.
Harris: Oh, I don't know about that.
He's going to a magnet school now.
He'll probably be the dumbest kid there.
No.
I am worried, though, about him looking like the poorest.
I put generic chips in this brand‐name bag.
Make sure to wave it around at lunch.
And for God's sakes, bring the bag back.
I need it for work tomorrow.
Ah. [ Smooches ] Magnet school.
I am so proud of you.
First Conner to go to a school
that doesn't start with the words "public" or "reform."
Here, here.
[ Mugs clinking ]
[ Glass clanking ]
Wow. It's my first day of school after 29 years.
Nice if I had that kind of support.
[ Jackie gasps ] Together: Surprise!
Seriously?
Yeah. You overcame drinking, a life of poor choices,
and you're starting college at 46 years old.
This little snot's just smart.
And from me...
[ Gasps ] ...a unicorn backpack.
And there's plenty of room in there for your calcium chews.
You don't want to break a bone when you're clapping erasers.
I can't clap erasers.
[ Hoarsely ] It aggravates my consumption.
And we're starting a "Becky's A Big Girl Now" chart...
Oh‐ho‐ho‐ho! ...to mark how much you grow during the school year
and how many teeth you lose.
Although, in this family, that's more about gum disease.
And unlike the rest of these jokers,
I really am proud of you.
Here. I got you a laptop.
Wow!
Yeah, I picked it up at a police auction.
I was in a bidding war for a drug dealer's Maserati,
but I crapped out at 180 bucks.
Becky: Thank you, guys.
I am pretty worried, though.
My first class is Statistics
and it's gonna be a big challenge
after not being in school for so long.
Well, I have a great statistics joke
you can use to impress your teacher.
[ Gasps ] A statistician tried to cross a river
that was one meter deep on average.
He drowned. [ Laughs ]
Get it?
He didn't factor in the variability
in a median analysis.
You don't see that coming! [ Knock on door ]
Uh, you know what else you're not gonna see coming?
Friends, if you tell that joke.
Hey. Hey.
Uh, if you're selling chocolate bars,
I think you should know that in my book,
they're not really the world's finest.
Um, I just stopped by 'cause I found this box
of your stuff in my storage unit.
Oh.
Well, don't you want this?
It's from the day we put out the first copy of Lock 'Em Up.
I made it for you.
Nah, you should have it.
It'll just end up in a drawer at my place.
Uh, yeah, I've got a drawer too.
I'll just put it in there.
Bye.
[ Door opens ] Who was that?
Ben.
He's trying to get rid of anything that reminds him of me.
I mean, this is killing me.
I know. It's brutal.
You'll get past it.
No, I don't feel like I will.
I actually said a prayer last night.
You did what?
I said a prayer.
To who? Satan?
No. I prayed to God.
Why? You don't believe in God.
I need to believe in something that can help me with this.
I've never felt so lost.
I can't do it on my own anymore.
I know what it feels like to be lost.
Come to my sobriety meeting tonight.
If you're looking for spirituality,
there's a speaker there I know you'll love.
I don't like people.
Speaking on behalf of people, we don't like you either.
But give it a shot.
Sad and lonely will always be there for you.
I love those guys. They're my longest relationship.
♪♪
I know Neville gave you a budget,
but I don't think he'll be happy
that you spent it all on autographed footballs.
I didn't.
Well, then how'd you get a ball signed by Walter Payton?
Well, just like this...
And it comes with a certificate of authenticity
signed by, uh... I don't know, Barack Obama.
Ladies.
Don Blansky.
How's the cemetery biz, Don?
Ah, only good and getting better.
The state is letting me stack now.
Well, one man's ceiling is another man's rotting corpse.
You know we're not open, right?
Oh, yeah, I just wanted to drop by
and congratulate you guys for turning this place into a bar.
Thanks. Just waiting for the liquor license.
I sent in that paperwork like four weeks ago.
You know, I was recently, uh,
elected to the Lanford city council.
I can help push that through.
Oh my God, thank you!
I take back everything I ever said or thought about you.
Oh, no worries.
The point is,
when I do these kind of favors for people,
they usually respond with,
"What can I do for you, Don Blansky?"
And what do you usually say?
Well, I usually say my cemetery is a Lanford landmark
and badly in need of repairs.
Just because your loved ones are dead,
doesn't mean that our grass needs to be.
So I am accepting donations
for the Cemetery Beautification Fund.
I've got 20 bucks for a good cause like that.
$20 doesn't even suck the bloated frog
out of the koi pond filter.
I was thinking more in the area of $500.
You're trying to extort me.
I'm trying to help you.
Not a dime! Get out!
Hey, look, I remember this guy.
He's an insecure little man.
Give me a minute.
You know, Don,
I was a freshman when you were a senior at Lanford.
I always had a little crush on you.
You never even talked to me.
Well, I was intimidated by you.
I mean, you were Don Blansky, Mister Corduroy.
How would you like a little arm candy at the next reunion?
Nice try,
but I am four payments away from buying a Russian bride.
But chin up.
You were something in your day and still have those memories.
I'll tell you a memory I have.
You stinking up the school
with head‐to‐toe corduroy after gym class.
Listen, alright, without a liquor license,
there's no sports bar, okay?
So we all got to work together.
Now, you help me, I help you.
Out!
[ Sighs ]
I am never paying that guy, no way in Hell ‐‐
or wherever he's going
for burying people like a seven‐layer bean dip.
If you take away one thing from what I'm saying tonight,
it's that you can bounce back from anything.
I hit my rock bottom on Christmas Eve, 2002.
My wife and kids had to bail me out
when I was arrested for drunk driving
with two naked women
free‐basing in the back seat of my car.
And I did not help myself by arguing
that I couldn't be drunk driving
because I was in the back seat, too.
I felt bad for the women.
They had nowhere to go on Christmas, so...
I invited them back to my house to have dinner with my family.
When you're sober,
you can really see that that might be a bit of a mistake.
You know who needs to hear this guy?
Ben. He makes me look like an angel.
I just can't believe the pastor lets him talk like this
in the church basement.
Yeah, the pastor's okay with it.
How do you know?
He's the pastor.
My wife left me.
I was completely lost.
Then I found my way here,
and once I gave over control to something bigger than me,
I stopped the lying and the cheating,
and some of the darkness and cynicism in my life
began to lift.
Right now, I'm happy
and I have a real relationship
and I know I owe it all to the grace of God
and a whole bunch of court‐ordered methadone.
Anyway, that's why I'm here ‐‐
to tell you you can have real change in your life
if you want it bad enough.
[ Applause ]
Thanks for bringing me. This guy's amazing.
So go talk to him.
Oh, no, no. I‐I'm not ready yet.
Can we just go?
I‐I feel like this guy's been giving me the stink eye
since we got here.
Well, that's one of those paintings
where the eyes follow you everywhere.
I wouldn't take that personally.
[ Chuckles ] Hey, Pastor Phil.
This is my sister, Darlene.
She's an atheist who wants to be convinced there's a God.
Go.
I'd, uh, uh ‐‐ Trees, animals, smile on a baby's face.
Where do you think that stuff came from, huh?
[ Smacks lips ] Mic drop.
[ Both chuckle ]
Okay, uh, Darwin, the Big Bang Theory,
and the ark was filled with only animals from the Middle East.
Alright, here's your mic back.
Okay.
Pbb‐pbb.
Um, Darwin and the Big Bang
were created by intelligent design.
The "animals on the ark" thing...
is a bit of a problem.
Look, I really want to believe
because I need something to hang onto, and ‐‐ and I am trying.
But I'm a logical person.
So how do you convince somebody like me?
Well, you wouldn't be the first logical person to turn to God.
Our mom raised us to question everything.
And I was like that, too,
before I went to rehab
and accepted a higher power into my life.
I'm doing a sermon tomorrow
about turning to God when you need help the most.
Why don't you come to the service?
See if it makes sense to you.
If not, we go our separate ways,
you burn in Hell.
[ Laughs ]
Yeah, I‐I don't think it's for me, but thank you so much.
And I‐I really like your sense of humor.
They could have used more guys like you during the Inquisition.
[ Chuckles ]
"There's more dirt on Blansky
than the bodies in his graveyard."
Nice.
Pretty good. [ Chuckles ]
But I think mine cuts a little deeper.
[ Chuckles ] "Don Blansky is blackmailing my girlfriend's restaurant
and he won't give her a liquor license
and that's why we're protesting."
Boom! [ Laughs ]
Well, we're trying to destroy the guy,
not give him eye strain.
Well, I'm sorry, but destroying someone
doesn't come as naturally to me as it does to you people.
It's 'cause you're a‐a nice guy.
Which makes you...
useless to us.
No, you're not useless.
You're sweet.
And that's gonna come in handy when I'm old and mean
and screaming at you to help me get off the pot.
All I'm hearing is that we have a future.
[ Laughs ]
Guess what happened to me.
I applied for a permit
to serve alcohol at my wedding reception,
and I get a call from some guy named Don Blansky
who says you're holding things up
and I should talk to you.
He wants me to bribe him.
Bribe him.
Oh, so you're saying that drinking at your wedding
is more important than the rule of law?
Yes.
I've been pushed around my whole life by my mother,
my controlling exes, now this grave‐digging punk.
This is where I draw the line, and I'm drawing it in blood.
You're drawing it in Neville's blood.
Talk to her, Neville.
You dropped a bundle on The Lunch Box,
and if you don't get a liquor license,
you're gonna lose it.
Maybe, but I support Jackie 100%.
Well, thank you, Neville.
And I believe that there are enough good people in this city
who will be outraged at this abuse of power
and will bring it to an end.
You know who's gonna be outraged?
The guys at the wedding
who have to dance with their wives sober.
[ Simpering ] "Yes, dear.
I think we should go out dancing more often."
Aren't you supposed to be in class?
Aren't you supposed to be at work?
Oh, yeah.
I was supposed to be hosting a wellness seminar
on bringing a positive attitude to work,
but I thought, "meh."
Well, I bailed on Statistics.
I clicked on Zoom gallery view
and saw a bunch of 18‐year‐olds
wondering why a 46‐year‐old alcoholic
was in their class.
Oh, honey, did you find God?
I don't think I can buy this whole religion thing.
I think Mom kind of cursed me with her skepticism.
You don't know your mom as well as you think you do.
This is your mom's.
Mom had a bible?
Where was this?
In the kitchen drawer.
That's why, for the last 40 years,
we've been calling it "the drawer with the bible."
I never saw her reading it.
Well, she didn't take it out a lot,
but sometimes life would get to be a little too much,
and that's where she found her comfort.
Oh, so she believed in this and it helped her?
I think she found that it connected her with God.
She put your names in there when you were born,
and then she'd write little prayers
asking him to watch over you.
There was a few times she wanted to smack you with it,
but I said that's a mixed message.
Wow, so Mom had a bible.
Well, if she got something out of this, maybe I can too.
You know, I think this showing up out of nowhere is a sign.
It didn't show up out of nowhere.
It was in the bible drawer.
And God revealed the drawer to us.
No, I did.
I opened the bible drawer, and guess what was in there?
A bible.
But who do you think made you open the drawer?
I think we've all just witnessed a miracle.
It's not a miracle!
It's a man opening a drawer with a bible
and finding a bible!
Lord, help these people.
[ Organ plays ]
Thanks for coming.
You okay?
Yeah, yeah.
Uh, I have Mom's bible,
and I haven't burst into flames yet,
so, so far, so good.
Hang in there.
Maybe you'll get lucky and the Rapture will happen
and everyone will get sucked up to Heaven
and you'll have the place to yourself.
You think you're going to Heaven?
You'll be in Hell with me.
Yeah, you're probably right.
But at least we'll be together.
We can do shots off a demon's ass.
[ Chuckles ] [ Laughs ]
You're welcome to join us, of course.
Welcome to the service, everyone,
and a special welcome to all the newcomers joining us today.
You know [clears throat] someone recently said to me
that they were having trouble finding faith.
They said, "I'm a logical person.
How do you convince someone like me?"
And I realized that logic
was not bringing this person comfort.
Let's turn to Isaiah 41:10,
where we read,
"Don't be afraid, for I am with you.
And I will strengthen you and help you."
I got to go.
What's wrong?
I just have to go.
Jackie. Yeah?
Jackie‐e‐e‐e!
What?
You know...
Come on, bring it in.
I know it went against everything you believed in,
but I really appreciate you paying Blansky off
so we could get a liquor permit.
Now we can have a wedding to remember
that no one can remember.
I didn't do that.
Oh, come on.
I know you hate to admit that I was right, but I was right.
No. Dan, I'm telling you, I didn't do that.
Neville.
Yeah?
Neville!
What? I can't believe
you went behind my back and paid off Blansky.
That is a huge violation.
I don't even want to hear your excuse.
Thanks a lot, buddy.
I'll make sure to give a drunken toast at the wedding
to you and whoever you're dating after Jackie.
Please don't break up with me. I did not bribe him.
Of course you didn't, you idiot. I did.
What? You said you'd never give in.
What happened to never being pushed around again?
Well, I was ready to go out and protest today.
And then I looked at your dumb run‐on sentence picket sign
and the one that Harris wanted you to carry that said,
"Blansky's got nothing in his pants‐ky,"
and I thought,
"This guy is supporting me unconditionally
even though he doesn't agree with me.
And it might cost him thousands."
And that's something somebody does
when they love you. I do.
But I would've understood.
You're an amazing man.
And I want to be stacked on top of you in Blansky's cemetery.
[ Both chuckle ]
[ Door slams ]
Where have you been?
[ Voice breaking ] I had to stop driving
because I was so angry.
I am never going back to that church again.
Why did you run out?
Because Mom wrote this...
"Dear God, please take away
this pain from my knees and my back.
I can't bear it anymore ‐‐"
Here.
"I keep turning to the pills,
but this is me turning to you instead.
Please help me.
I have to keep working.
And if you could just do this one thing,
I will honor you forever."
[ Voice breaking ] She sounds so desperate.
"And if you could give Dan a 300 game in bowling,
I'll stop stealing clothes from the church donation box."
She knew that something bad was coming,
and she begged God for help and he let her overdose.
How am I supposed to count on a God that would do that?
That's not how God works.
It's not like you rub a lamp and get a wish.
Your mom wouldn't want you to give up.
You'll find something that works for you.
No, I'm not gonna give up.
I mean, I can't keep living this way.
[ Sighs ] I need answers.
You know, I just don't know where to look.
Maybe something closer to your nature.
Uh, how about voodoo?
No.
I tried that on a bunch of boyfriends.
That doesn't work.
I stuck a pin in Doug Jensen's doll junk.
He still had eight kids.
You'll find something that'll work for you.
I know I will.
You're gonna go look right now?
Oh, no.
I'm gonna go back to that church and clean out the donation bin,
'cause Mom would want it that way.
[ Both chuckle ]
I just don't want to come off as uncool and dumb.
I feel that way too in my new school, but it's online.
You can hide and just listen and take notes.
You know, we'll log you in, and we won't turn on your camera.
You're right.
I can just ease my way in.
Let's do this.
Becky's here!
Uh, hi.
I have a joke.
A statistician tried to cross a river
that was one meter deep on average.
And he drowned.
Ding‐dong.