Whoo!
Bulldogs!
Hi!
We love you guys!
Good going, Bulldogs!
All the way, boys!
-Thank you, Serenity! -Yeah!
You guys should be so proud of your sons,
brothers, your neighbors.
These young men had an excellent performance at State.
First time in ten years we made it this far!
The Bulldogs are a team filled with strong hearts,
determination, and talent.
Coach Maddox, from your added vantage point
of a former Major League player,
why were you unable to take the team all the way?
You can have a lot of talent and play your heart out,
but sometimes it just doesn't go your way.
Do we wish we'd come in first instead of fourth?
Sure, but, I mean, this is State.
Our team couldn't have asked for better leadership
than we got from Coach Cal and Coach Harlan all season.
And Captain Ty here was amazing too, every moment of every game.
And we are nothing but proud of all of y'all.
So, folks, take these boys home and celebrate 'em!
-Thanks for everything.
Whoo!
Yes!
-Yeah, Bulldogs! -Proud of you, dude!
Cal, take it down a notch.
No. Those kids played their hearts out, and I failed them!
Maddie, Ty, um…
You're busy.
It's okay. We'll… we'll talk later.
Come on.
Good work, Ty. Thank you.
Thanks, Coach.
Are you a good guy or a bad guy?
-He's a pirate, Nana. -No, I'm a gold hoarder.
We're treasure hunters. Our founder died gathering gold from the ocean floor.
A hero of your own story.
Why can't we play together, Kyle?
Because you don't like playing Gold Hoarder,
-and I wanna play Gold Hoarder.
Oh! Welcome home, oh mighty warrior!
You're back! Mom said you didn't win,
but I bet you would have won if you could throw.
Pitch.
-I am so proud of you. -Thanks, Nana.
-Yeah! -Mom and I picked up Chinese food.
-She's in the kitchen. -Let's go help her.
-Did you get egg rolls? -Of course.
Losing sucks.
Yes. Yes, it does.
-Wanna beat up some skeletons? -Haven't you beat up enough?
Oh, I see. Just in case I wasn't feeling bad enough about what happened,
you're gonna blame your gang of Neanderthals losing State on me too?
None of us would be here if you hadn't lost your mind!
Great. Great, so now I'm crazy too!
All right. When are we gonna talk about how your huge ego started everything?
You're the one who had to take on Jackson both times.
I was protecting you!
No, I was protecting you!
Great job.
Hey.
Uh, you got a minute?
Yeah.
Yesterday, at school…
I'm sorry you saw me like that.
Uh…
I've experienced firsthand
what anger can do to a relationship.
I will not go there again.
You don't have to.
I have a temper,
but I work at it, hard.
Once in a while, when I fail,
when I… …let someone down who matters to me,
it can still get away from me.
I understand.
Believe me, I have breathed fire with the best of 'em.
But it… it's not just me that I'm thinking of.
Yeah, Ty has shouldered his fair share of disappointment and then some.
I owe him an apology also, but I had to talk to you first.
When I couldn't play anymore…
I knew I had to find constructive ways to express what was inside,
or the anger would eat me alive.
It's been working.
I just
lost my footing.
I'm sorry.
Thank you.
Don't shut me out.
Don't shut down on me. Just--
I'll stay on it.
Would it be okay if I came by and talked to Ty?
Sure.
But not tonight. I, um…
I have to attend some mysterious public hearing.
I told Neville we'd narrow down the candidates to the top three.
I just wanna say, um,
I think finding someone with a compatible philosophy
is an important aspect of choosing an agribusiness manager.
Well, I wasn't clear on his philosophy,
but the guy from Virginia Tech,
he didn't have much of a plan to increase output on the produce
that I need most, especially in late fall.
Well, he did… he did know his numbers, though, don't you think?
Take a look at Marybeth. She seemed collaborative.
And her thoughts on crop rotation are wonderfully progressive.
Soybeans?
Name me one traditional Southern dish that I can make with soybeans.
I had southern-fried soy curls once.
-Ew! -Delicious!
You could expand the vegan offerings on your menu.
You two discuss. Excuse me.
Ew. Let me tell you something.
You should know that I like to be swept off my feet.
So I would like to see other candidates.
If you're gonna be this tough to please, I can only think of one way forward.
We need to have dinner Thursday night to go over everything in detail.
Sign me up.
Who sends out a public hearing notice with so little notice?
"Serenity Town Council…" Hmm.
"…invites stakeholders to discuss infrastructure and renewal proposals."
Well, that doesn't sound too terribly descriptive.
They could be building bomb shelters under Wharton's for all I can decipher.
I'll attend for you and find out what it's actually about.
No, you have been working overtime.
I will go, and I will see if it's anything that will affect us.
If you're going there, is there anything I can do here
or anywhere else to help you?
You seem a bit buried, boss.
And excuse me for saying so, it's not your best look.
I thought all the stress would bring out the color in my cheeks.
Well, call me old-fashioned,
but how about we remove some of that stress and go back to blush?
Talking to you is a great first step.
I need a therapist.
Hold on, I didn't mean to suggest--
Not for me.
For Kyle.
He won't talk to me, so he has to talk to a professional.
-Yeah. -I just…
I don't know. It seems like bad manners going around asking for recommendations.
"Hello, lovely day. Do you go to therapy? Do you like your therapist?"
-I love my therapist. -See, I didn't mean to pry.
Not one I have appointments with.
The one I'm married to.
Ashley. Oh, of course!
Wait, does he see teenagers? Would he see Kyle?
Hang on.
Hey, Ash.
I know we were supposed to have lunch today,
but how about we reschedule?
Helen, good to see you here-- Helen, what's wrong?
Want me to get Dana Sue?
Take me to the hospital, please.
All right.
I got you. I got you.
Okra!
Mmm.
Yes, yes, yes!
And cucumbers. I hope there's parsley in here too, you know?
-My parsley… -Mm-hmm.
…and cucumber salad
with white wine vinaigrette,
you know, is a top request all summer.
-Would I deny you anything you need?
You know, if you keep being this much fun to work with,
I think we'll be able to figure out everything.
Hey! Hate to interrupt whatever business is happening here,
but… I think we met.
-Ronnie Sullivan. Annie's Dad.
I remember. Uh, Jeremy Reynolds.
Guy with the plums.
Jeremy is running Benji Hayes' co-op. We're getting back into business with him.
Oh, that's great news. Congratulations, man.
And, as I'm sure you already know,
you couldn't be going into business with a smarter woman.
Or a busier one.
So, busy lady, am I next on the agenda?
Why don't you wait out at the bar?
I'mma go wait at the bar.
-I'm sorry about that.
Timing is not his strong suit. So…
Did I misunderstand where things stand with the two of you?
No, it is over.
Does he know that?
Must you hang out in my room?
It's not your room.
Trust me, I'd rather be celebrating the start of my summer vacation
by playing baseball or doing pretty much anything else in the world
than sitting here with you.
Imagine how excited I am to listen to you mourn baseball all summer.
Hey, here's a thought. Um, go take a walk! Because, you know, you can.
I wanna sign your cast again, Ty. In a different color.
And I'm gonna do a whole mural on Kyle's,
starting with a Parasaurolophus tilted up to reach a really high branch.
Doesn't anyone care what I want?
Could you stop with all the attitude?
I don't know, Ty. Can I?
Maybe I'm crazy.
Apparently, Mom thinks I'm crazy. Does everybody think I'm crazy?
I don't, Kyle.
You're just grumpy.
-How about purple? -That's fine, Katie.
Just your name. No flowers or hearts.
Mom's worried about you, and, honestly, I get why.
Guess that's why Dr. Ashley's coming to see me.
Trotter's husband Dr. Ashley?
Dr. "I'm a therapist" Ashley?
Yeah.
Like he could fix me.
Kyle, what color for you?
Does it matter?
Hey, Katie, let's go sign my cast in your room, okay?
Let's give Jimmy Stewart his space.
-Who? -Come on.
-Sure you wanna go with purple? -Yes.
Hey, I'm… I'm sorry, but, you know, you asked me to come by, so--
I have news.
Farmer?
I no longer need your help with the restaurant.
I have a new investor.
Farmer?
Cal Maddox.
What, the shortstop?
Oh, okay. Um, no, I… I mean, I get it.
A… a Major League Baseball player's in a better position
to help you with Sullivan's, but I hope you know I was
and am ready to do whatever it takes.
Yeah, I appreciate it.
Well, guess we're still partners where it counts.
-Excuse me? -Raising our daughter?
Yeah, true enough.
Annie sure is happy to have you here.
Not as happy as I am.
So, hey, how about we honor that great tradition
of opening day at Serenity Summer Market, huh?
Huh? You know?
Three of us together, like the old days.
What?
Do you remember that summer that Annie was… …seven,
and she got sick on the way home because we let her have…
…cotton candy for breakfast?
Not our finest parenting.
Well, I'm, uh, sure she forgives us.
-Yeah. -I also bet she'd like to go.
-Promise I'll be the disciplinarian. -No.
-Just this once. -Uh-huh, really?
Yeah, and I will tell her
that she has to have something sensible for breakfast, like
funnel cake.
Kyle? Ashley's here.
Yes, ma'am.
-Good to see you, Kyle. -Sir.
Can I get you anything? Water, coffee?
-No, I think we'll be fine. -Okay.
Enjoy your 50 minutes off.
Right, of course. Of course.
Okay, well, you two enjoy your appointment
or your talk,
visit, whatever.
-I will just, um…
I have to go.
Honey, Nana's in the backyard with Katie. If you need anything, holler, okay?
-It was good to see you. -Good seeing you.
Sorry about your leg.
How's it coming along?
-If I tell you I'm fine, what happens? -What would you like to have happen?
Don't rush.
I took the liberty of calling them.
It's not a time to be alone.
-Here.
We're here.
-I lost the baby. I lost my baby. -I know.
I lost my baby!
-Whoo!
Hey, Coach.
Thought I'd come by early and help you set up.
Well, while I admire your commitment,
what are you doing here, man? This week's batting, and you…
What am I supposed to do if I don't have baseball camp?
Hey, you gotta be patient, Ty.
How about this? The next few weeks, work on your core and flexibility.
After we get the all clear from Dr. Ahmed, we'll move to the next phase of training.
Now go! Dude, it's summer, relax.
Go have fun with your friends. Hang with your girlfriend.
Yeah, 'cause I'm such a fun boyfriend right now.
Okay, what's really going on?
-It's my fault I got hurt. -No.
-So it's my fault we lost State. -Absolute no.
That is my blame you're talking about. You're the captain, but I'm the coach.
Yeah, you're a great coach.
I appreciate that, but listen to me.
A win is not just one player, and neither is a loss.
I mean, would I have loved to have you on the mound? Absolutely.
But you stepped up as a leader, and that… that's what counts.
Mental rehab is also important.
You gotta learn to process things the right way.
You saw that I didn't handle the loss of State well.
So maybe the two of us can help each other get through.
You know, talk things out before they get too deep.
Yeah.
Yeah, that sounds good.
All right.
-Not staying? -Uh, no.
Not answering any text messages either.
Just don't have much to say.
I get that, but the occasional meme as proof of life, dude,
that's all I'm asking.
-Yeah. -You good, Ty?
Yeah, gonna be.
All right, see you.
That is the smell of a well-run kitchen!
Thank you, Erik. Thank all y'all
for keeping things humming while I tended to some personal business.
So thank you.
Here's the order, Chef.
Yes, thank you.
Now, I added a spinach quiche. For the iron.
Thanks.
Erik, can I…
Um…
How's Helen coming along?
Uh, she is quiet.
Which, you know, is to be expected.
Uh, but we all owe you a… a debt of thanks.
Not at all. Glad to be of help.
Yeah. Is something going on with you two that I should know about?
Why would you think that?
I… I mean, I'm just saying that,
you know, you'd expect her to… to call in a close friend
in a situation like this.
Well, I'm just a friend who was, you know, close at the moment.
Now, it's gonna get cold if we stand here jawing too much longer.
Yes.
Are you here for dinner?
In appreciation for all the great photos you've taken for the team all season,
it is my pleasure to present you with this humble offering
from all the Bulldogs.
-Uh… Yeah. -Oh.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Let this hearing come to order.
Thank you all for coming. Happy to see such a full turnout.
Serenity is always evolving, and let me just say,
it is my pleasure and my honor to serve such an expansive community.
Isn't it a little early to launch his reelection campaign?
…in the awkward position of uneven growth.
Certain, shall we say, specialty businesses
are creating infrastructure issues
at a point where our town revenue cannot take on that burden unaided.
I'd like to begin by recognizing Petey Martin from Building and Safety.
Good evening.
We've received numerous complaints about new boutique businesses
who are more concerned with image than impact.
They're causing problems with parking and traffic.
We've been forced to implement parking restrictions
until these businesses are able to address
the problems they're causing their neighbors.
You too?
I could come wallpaper your foyer
with all the parking tickets my work trucks have gotten
these past two weeks.
-He's not done, Maddie, Skeeter.
We'll wait, Trent.
Petey.
Increased traffic in residential areas
has gotten to the point where residents are often unable to park
in front of their own homes.
We propose that to alleviate the hardship,
business owners have 21 days to submit a plan to mitigate the parking problem,
or council will be compelled to take action.
Is there anyone present who wishes to address the council?
Chair recognizes Maddie Townsend.
As you know quite well, Mr. Mayor,
I'm here responding as an owner of one of these specialty boutique businesses.
Our clients have already gotten numerous parking tickets
with no explanation.
Why were we not contacted before this plan was set in motion
so we could propose a solution?
Mrs. Townsend, how could we expect you to present a solution
before we've even explained the problem?
Peggy Martin.
As a resident in the area adjacent to the Corner Spa,
I'd like to propose that instituting time limits for parking
on the smaller side streets would also discourage spa patrons
from parking in front of our houses all day long.
Mrs. Townsend, would you like to respond to that suggestion?
Bless your hearts.
I will respond, within 21 days.
Chair would like to recognize Skeeter Ramsey.
I'm not much happier than Maddie is, Mr. Mayor.
Is this a typical council meeting?
No. They all can be pretty strange and petty.
But, I don't know, something about this stinks like week-old fish,
and I'm gonna find out what.
And I'm not particularly interested
in collecting the dozens of tickets I know I'll get
when I'm parked in front of your house for the week it takes to
redo your wife's powder room.
Do I stay home, and you deal with her?
Or do we deal with this?
Hey, honey.
How you doing?
Sorry I've been gone all day.
People needed you.
Well, Aunt Helen's doing much better, thank the Lord.
How was your time with Ashley?
Well, we, um, didn't solve world hunger,
but we made some real progress on climate change.
It's good to see you're making a joke. I'm here if you wanna talk.
Ashley said I don't have to tell you anything.
It's confidential.
Okay.
Don't stay up too late.
Should we wake Nana?
Nah. Just let her sleep.
Night, baby.
Breakfast of champions!
-I cannot believe we caved.
-Oh, you want some? -Uh, no!
That didn't mean you had to eat the whole thing yourself.
-It's true.
I thought, uh, we could all match for the day.
Mmm, so we don't get lost in the crowd?
I'm thinking more like a… a family crest.
-At least it's not a real tattoo. -I can't have one of those until I'm--
-Twenty-one. -Eighteen.
Twenty-one.
-I like Daddy's answer.
Yeah, surprise, surprise.
-Oh my! -Oh wow!
Very nice for the day.
All right, Mommy next. Wanna help me out?
All right.
-Okay. -I promise.
-Maybe I do.
-I don't trust you. -All right. Here we go.
-Okay, you live. -Gonna walk.
-You put the same one on? -You guys have fun.
-Truth. -Oh!
-I'll catch you later. -That is not that bad.
-All right. -Do me.
Mm-hmm.
All right.
Thank you for filling that out. That's for you. We really appreciate it.
Never mind, you're selling something.
Oh, don't go!
You could be missing out
on the best real estate opportunities in Serenity!
Your mom puts you to work too?
I can't leave until all of these are gone. I'm supposed to be nice while I do it too.
Oh, I wanna see that.
I ran out of the bright pink pens, or I'd stab myself with one!
Gimme half.
It'll ease the pain of my parents humiliating me in public.
You remember that one time…
Let's take the far side.
Wow, yeah, thank you.
Hey, when we're done, how about I treat you to some cotton candy?
Oh, I already had breakfast.
Breakfast?
I'll be right back.
Ronnie, good to see you. How long you in town?
Well, as long as it takes.
Mm. Let me know. Could be newsworthy.
Keep you posted, Peggy.
Wait a minute!
-Wait, he's gone! -Who?
Oh, he's probably 800 years old by now. He made those lotions and those lip balms.
His booth was always right next to The Sentinel.
Oh, yes, I do remember
'cause it was… it was like kissing a ripe fruit. Mm.
I think we lost Annie. Let's find Annie.
Well, she's, uh…
…over there talking to the Lewis boy, see?
Oh. I may need to have a talk with her.
She reminds me a little too much of me at that age.
Nothing wrong with that.
Hey, Annie's dad!
-Hey, farmer! -Come on over.
-I've got something you may like. -I already got what I like, thanks.
Well, your stuff might be out of date. See, this is fresh jam.
Nothing comes close to my jam.
I'll pass. Unless, of course, you got something with a bite to it?
-All right, Ronnie?
We need to move on. Let's go.
-Dana Sue-- -Jeremy, I'll call you later.
Good luck with jam endeavors.
Goats are cute.
Dracula emerges from his crypt!
Hey, I missed you too.
I… I thought you weren't coming out.
-Uh, I thought you weren't free today. -You call this free?
Pancakes! Pancakes!
Okay, Joshua should be at the head of the line by now. Go see.
Wow, all three of them. You really have your hands full.
Yeah, which is why I've been trying to get a hold of you to make a plan.
Look, I know your summer's derailed, but mine's been laid out since March.
What, with my mom on the road,
my dad working extra shifts, and me looking after these three
and working for Miss Helen…
Uh, how are things shaping up for you?
No baseball camp, so I'll help out at the spa as much as I can.
And why does it take three days for you to answer a text?
I wasn't thinking about how much pain you're in.
They give you something?
Yeah. Yeah, it's just, uh…
Do you wanna get together?
It's kinda why I've been texting you nonstop.
Look, my schedule is tight, but let's figure something out, okay?
Right.
I got extra strawberries!
One of my strawberries fell off!
Okay, really, over strawberries? Where's my change, and where's Joshua?
Okay.
Text me, and don't wait three days.
You got it.
Come on, okay. Did you see him?
Yeah.
Mm.
This is bliss.
Dana Sue was right about you and those pancakes.
Mm.
I have to get Beau's recipe.
He won't give it to you.
And even if he does, don't trust the ingredients.
He won't admit that there's magic involved.
It's good to see you smile.
-Thank you. -Mm-hmm.
I do feel better today.
Even thought about going down to the market myself to get these, but…
thanks for delivering.
You know, I applaud your decision to rest a bit longer.
Even strong people need to give their friends a chance to pamper them.
Well, thanks to the Lord for those friends.
I did talk my boss into giving me the whole day off though.
-I've heard she can be tough. -No sh--
So I'm glad she listened.
People put too much emphasis into jumping back into the fray.
You know, pushing past pain
usually means not dealing with it.
Just take the time it takes.
Yep, and I have to try that.
You're not kidding.
I told you.
-Magic! -They're magical.
Do you suppose there's a special degree in incomprehensible vocabulary
you have to earn to work in municipal government?
They want you to throw up your hands and walk away,
which is why we're gonna fight back.
-Thanks for being on the team. -You say that now.
But if we're gonna fight zoning, there's a bigger battle to wage.
How so?
The Corner Spa should have a childcare center.
Oh?
Oh. Well, that's an intriguing idea.
We'd capture more moms who are hesitant to hire a sitter to come work out.
They'd come more often, stay longer.
I could even teach kiddie yoga.
This is brilliant, Trotter.
Well, no, it's selfish.
I want the childcare ready for when I need it.
Trotter?
-Trotter!
I mean, no baby yet,
but we're starting to work with Helen, and why not move forward in hope?
Amen.
And you let me know what you need. Time off for interviews, whatever.
You have my prayers without asking.
Part of the reason we feel ready to take the next step is because of you
and Helen and Dana Sue.
We want our child to grow up surrounded by loving people.
We, uh…
we, uh… …didn't always have that ourselves.
Well, you do now.
Oh, this lucky, blessed, beautiful little soul, wherever it may be.
Oh, Trotter!
I got this.
Oh, I know. Just thought
we could talk a little.
Mom, I don't really want a tattoo other than this one.
Good.
I'm so glad we got to go to the market together.
It was great.
I mean, makes it official. Summer is here.
Yeah! We haven't even discussed summer yet.
Are you and Simon gonna do something special?
Why would we?
We're just friends.
Besides, he already left for a job with his uncle in Washington, D.C.
Oh. I… I didn't realize.
Well, it sure seems Jackson's been coming around a lot.
You know, honey,
it's okay to be your own woman.
Right. And?
And you never… you never have to define yourself by a man.
So you don't have to rush from Simon to Jackson.
-Seriously? -Yes!
Mom, I was helping him pass out leaflets. That's all.
Okay.
Just because you're confused about the men in your life
does not mean I'm confused about the guys in mine.
Pour it out.
I, um…
I cannot imagine going through this…
…without having this.
You never have to go through anything, big or small, on your own.
Erik thought you might feel a little slighted
because I asked him to take me to the hospital.
I thought we weren't gonna talk about that tonight.
I know, but he appeared, just appeared.
Like an angel on my path.
No, we don't have any complaints about sharing you.
Just taking note of whom we are sharing you with.
Okay.
Well, then I have something really important to tell you!
-Oh my. All right. Hold on. -Wait. Hold on. Let me get…
-Let me just… -I gotta…
-Just move it. Okay. -Put that right here.
-Okay. -Let's get ready.
I need to know what happened at the hearing the other night.
We can talk about that later.
Petey and Trent seem to think it's about traffic flow, as does Peggy!
But parking should have been brought up
when Petey signed off on our certificate of occupancy.
-Mm-hmm. -I wonder why it wasn't.
Somebody changed their mind, and we have to find out why.
Maddie, I'll be back on my feet in no time.
I really don't want you to get overwhelmed.
No, I'm fine. I'm just whelmed.
-Besides, I think this is personal.
Okay, all right.
Hey, how are your sweet boys?
-Step by step. -Yeah?
And Annie? How's her summer starting off, Dana Sue?
This is your superpower, isn't it, Helen?
What is?
Not letting us fuss when you most need to be fussed over!
You keep steering us east, little by little,
and we are out in deep water before we even know we're wet.
I feel better worrying about you and yours than about myself.
It's like my mama used to tell me. If we all worry about the people we love,
then we'll always have people worrying about us,
and then we don't have to worry about ourselves.
-Amen to that. -Mm.
Well, Helen, you want something to worry about?
Yes!
Okay, well, I heard Ronnie Sullivan and Jeremy Reynolds
were bumping horns like two rhinos at the Summer Market.
Oh, and I could have seen it, had I but risen from my sickbed.
-Who told you that? -More than one person.
Which means there was probably something to see.
How do you feel about them fightin' over you?
-Excited. -Yeah.
Flattered, even.
Mm-hmm.
I mean, right up until the point… …Annie saw it.
Ouch.
Yeah, she gave me attitude about it later.
You know, she was just doing her job as a teenager.
Okay, well, I don't know why she has to be so good at her job.
Now who's taking us out to sea?
-What? Not me! -Then tell us, Dana Sue.
What does it mean to you that Ronnie's back?
What do you want now that he's here?
You are so loved. Remember that.
Why, why, why, why?
-Hey. -Hey.
I, um… I hope it's not too late.
Just, um…
You know, I wanted to thank you for coming to Summer Market with me.
And… and Annie.
It really meant a lot.
Um…
Can I, um… can I come in for a moment?
You know what? Annie's asleep. I'd rather not wake her.
Oh, that's… that's not why I wanted to come in.
It, um…
took a phone call, two,
a little Internet search, but, uh…
turns out the 800-year-old man still makes that strawberry-banana lip balm.
-Just doesn't go to Summer Market anymore.
Found him and his son over in Egret Falls.
Oh.
-I'd, um… -Mmm.
…never want you to go without anything you've been missing.
Thank you…
for bringing this by.
Mm-hmm.
Good night.
Ronnie?
One more thing I've been missing…
Hey, honey. I came as soon as I could.
Thanks for coming.
Thanks for inviting me.
So, Kyle, what's going on?
Everything! And I don't know what to do.
I mean, Mom hates me now. Pretty sure Ty does too.
And Nellie…
Ashley's fine, but what I need most right now is a friend.
I don't know.