Josh.
Yes?
What are you doing out here?
I'm here for my mother.
I know. I mean, come on in.
We haven't met.
No. I mean, I know you from the pictures,
and your mom's told me all about you.
-You want some coffee? -No, thanks.
Well, sit down.
But don't sit in that one. That's the broken one.
I know which one is the broken one, thanks.
There's one for my heart and one for my prostate cancer.
I'm sorry.
It's fine. I barely have it.
Doesn't affect my sex life.
That's great.
It's great to finally meet you.
What's Ruth told you about me?
Nothing.
That's hilarious. That's so her.
It's not really.
Sure it is. You know her.
I thought I did.
Why are you so early?
I just didn't wanna hit traffic.
All right. Well, I'll go get myself together.
Look at her go.
Why are you driving so slowly?
I told you I had a few panic attacks.
I thought you were better.
I am. This is me better. But I just--
Some things make me a little extra anxious.
Like driving on the freeway,
which, by the way, is a legitimately dangerous thing.
Everybody should be anxious driving on the freeway.
-It's just we're all used to it. -Right.
Well, guess it doesn't matter how slowly you drive
because you showed up at my house so early.
So, how did you and Larry meet?
Well, it's nothing serious if that's what you're asking.
But how long have you been dating?
About a year.
What?
Don't make a big deal out of this.
That's crazy. We usually tell each other things.
You don't tell me everything.
I tell you a lot.
A year.
So, what, you started seeing him last October?
-Yes. You had just broken up with Megan… -Right.
…so you were feeling delicate.
I just decided to wait until you got a little stronger.
Well, it's been a year. Have I gotten a little stronger?
You know you don't do well when other people are happy.
I don't know that.
Well, none of us do, but you just have it worse than the rest of us.
Wow.
Look, how were you when your sister married Aaron?
-I was very happy for her. -No, you thought she could do better.
Well…
But I don't know why you hate Aaron so much.
I don't hate Aaron. He's fine.
And what's wrong with being fine?
Nothing.
I think it's because he's so religious. You're anti-Semitic.
I'm half Jewish.
You're half anti-Semitic.
That's a serious accusation to make.
-Don't be overly sensitive. -I'm not being overly sensitive.
I can be critical of organized religion without being labeled an anti-Semite.
Yeah, I'm proud of being a Jew.
-Really? -Yeah.
How so?
-"How so"? -Yeah. I'd like to hear this.
How are you proud of being Jewish?
I'm proud of…
Bob Dylan, and the Coen brothers, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg,
-and brisket and tzimmes. -You should stop.
-You sound ridiculous. -Fine, but it's not the point.
My problem with Beth isn't that she's religious,
it's that she's a control freak.
I've said this many times.
She married a religious man
because she thinks it will help her stay in control.
But the truth is, you can't control everything,
and that's why she's-- That's why she's always unhappy.
Are you sure she's the unhappy one?
Could we pull over somewhere? I have to pee now.
-Can you wait until we get there? -We're only halfway there.
That's 'cause Aaron had the great idea to move
-all the way out to Valencia. -Oh, God.
If you were driving faster, we'd be there by now.
Well, I feel a million times better.
Good.
Did Elizabeth tell you what to get for Sara?
Yeah.
Me too, yeah. She even told me where to buy it.
I thought part of the fun was picking the gift out.
Yeah, well, that's what I'm saying. She's a control freak.
Well, you're not wrong about that.
Look, I'm happy you met someone.
Well, thank you.
It's been a while.
Hasn't been that long a while.
It has. But so what?
I guess you're right.
I've been very unlucky with men.
I didn't say that.
No, I have been. Very unlucky.
I have been. What is that supposed to mean?
I don't know. Was it luck or was it your choices?
Your father was very different when I met him.
He didn't have all the problems he had later.
Or he did, and you just chose not to see them.
I think you remember him as worse than he really was.
Okay.
He never hit you.
That depends on your definition of hitting.
You were never in any danger.
-We were absolutely in danger. -When?
How about anytime he drove a car?
Why do you think I'm such a nervous driver?
You're just talking about that one time when--
No. Many, many times.
Or how about the time he almost burned the house down?
-He didn't almost burn the house down. -A fire truck came.
They used their hoses and things.
I'm just saying.
You got to choose Dad, I didn't.
So, you know, maybe I'm the unlucky one.
Well, that's a very hurtful thing to say to me.
How do you think it feels
to know that your son blames you for his miserable life?
I'm not miserable. I didn't say that.
You might not have meant to, but you did.
-Do you want me to-- -No, I'm fine.
Hello?
-Mom? -Hello.
-Hey! -Hi.
Here you go.
-Here you go. -Thank you.
Thank you.
You both got Sara exactly what I asked.
Yeah, you told us to.
Yeah. You know, sometimes people resent being asked what to get.
-Really? -No.
We enjoyed getting you just what you asked for--
-Punch buggy! -Okay.
-David! -What's punch buggy?
It's a game he's been playing.
-Is it a game? -Yeah.
I have no idea what the rules are, but he thinks it's hilarious.
-It is something. -Okay.
-It's not nothing. -Okay.
-Hey, guys. -Hey.
-Hello. -Hey. Hi.
-I love what you did with your hair. -Hey.
Mrs. Nover?
-Same haircut I always get. -Someone's crying outside.
-Maybe they lost at punch buggy. -Oh, shit. Fuck.
Sorry, Abby.
Mom, if maybe you could plate the crudités,
that would be a big help, yeah?
Can you show me?
-So, how you doing? -Good, man. What's going on with you?
Not much, not much.
Just got the new car. You probably saw it when you came in.
It's in the driveway. It's a green Subaru.
Right on. Sorry, yeah, I'm just bad at noticing cars.
I notice them when I'm driving, but…
Yeah. You wanna come see it?
-Yeah, sure. -Sure? I mean, you don't have to.
-No, I could see it. -Nah, it's fine.
-I'll see it on the way out then. -Great.
-Let me know if you want me to open it up. -Yeah, cool.
Cool. Good.
Aaron!
-I gotta go. -Yep.
I love Costco hummus.
-Josh. -What? I do.
Do you see how much time they let him have on that thing? It's not okay.
Did you see his eyes? It's scary.
You played just as many video games when you were his age.
I mean, for hours you would sit in front of that screen.
And you turned out fine.
Did I?
-Are you done? -What? I'm just concerned for him.
-No, you are not. -What makes you say that?
You have always had something against David.
I don't have anything against David.
-He's just a bad person. -He's seven!
Yeah, but you can be a bad person when you're seven.
Doesn't mean you'll stay a bad person.
Although I wouldn't really bet on David, especially if they--
-They keep letting him play-- -These tomatoes are bad.
Is there an owl in the backyard?
-Yes! -There is.
-We have to do something about this owl. -Yes.
I'm awake in the daytime even though I have daytime in the nighttime.
I know, yeah. Last time we had that conversation about owls,
and in the daytime, they're asleep, but in the nighttime, they hunt.
Yes,
But I wanna hunt.
So I wanna fly, and I wanna hunt for a mouse for my dinner.
-You wanna fly right now? -Yeah.
Okay. Ready? Let's go.
Okay. She's flying.
She's flying over the prairie. She's looking for a mouse.
-There's one! That way! -Which way?
-Inside. -Inside. Okay, here we go.
Okay. Which way?
-Upstairs. -Up here?
-Yeah. -Okay.
And she landed.
You gonna catch the mouse?
Got it.
Now it's time to eat the mouse for dinner.
Okay, it's dinnertime.
How was it?
Good, but why does the owl eat the mouse?
I guess 'cause she was hungry.
Why?
Well, same reason you get hungry.
You gotta eat to keep living. Your body's built out of food.
Why?
Because food has all kinds of nutrients and proteins.
-Why? -Why?
That's a good question.
Is it because that's just how God made the world?
Where'd you hear that?
Is it?
Was someone telling you the story about how God created the world in seven days?
It's not a story.
-It's not? -No!
-Is that funny? -Yeah.
Okay, can I ask you a question? Have you ever seen God?
-Yeah. -You have?
Yeah. Have you ever seen him?
No.
Why?
Well, I haven't seen him in real life,
but that doesn't mean that you can't still see him.
Why?
Because… Well, God is sort of like the mouse you just ate for dinner.
-It's pretend, but it can feel real. -Josh.
Hi.
Hey.
Sweetie, your friends are all looking for you outside.
Why don't you say goodbye to Uncle Josh?
Okay. Bye, Uncle Josh.
Bye, darling.
-Go away. -Can we just talk for a second?
No, not now.
You ever see that blog, Things Organized Neatly?
Nope.
What are you looking for?
Birthday napkins.
I don't need help.
"Miscellaneous"?
Goddamn it.
-Look, I'm sorry. -No, you're not, Josh.
If you were sorry, you wouldn't have done it in the first place.
We were just having a conversation.
Telling a five-year-old that God isn't real is not a conversation.
That's you imposing your ideas on my daughter.
She asked me if I had ever seen him. What, was I supposed to lie?
It's not a lie.
It would be if I said it.
You can tell a child a story and let them believe it
without it having to be true.
So you don't even think it's true that God is real,
but you want me to tell Sara--
Of course I believe in God.
I'm trying to be respectful of the fact that you don't.
No one else is here. You can tell me what you really think.
That is what I really think.
-And if you hadn't married Aaron, then-- -But I did.
You can be so dumb sometimes.
-Honestly, you think you know everything. -I don't think I know everything.
-You think you know everything. -I think I know everything?
Yeah. You think you have it all figured out.
There's this old man up in the sky, and as long as you follow his rules,
then everything just stays under control.
Yeah. I guess, you know,
it's easier if things were out of control, because then nothing's your fault.
You think the entire world is chaos because our lives were chaos.
And yours still is.
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, dear Sara
Happy birthday to you
Bye, honey.
-Happy birthday. -Thanks.
Goodbye, young man. Behave.
-Thanks, Ruth. -Night, Aaron.
-All right. Bye, sweetie. -Love you.
-I love you. -Love you too. Don't worry.
Thanks.
What's wrong with you?
Look, I'm sorry.
You're not sorry, okay?
'Cause if you were sorry, you wouldn't be this way.
-I'm not trying to be any kind of way. -Well, you're not trying not to be.
-Sara asked me if I-- -It's Sara's fault now?
You're gonna blame your five-year-old niece for everything?
Because earlier, everything that was wrong with your life was my fault.
-I didn't say that. -You pretty much did.
Do you know how many stupid books I read on how to be a good parent?
Yes. I remember the shelf.
It was two shelves.
Do you know how scared I was?
But then you grew up, right? You seemed okay.
You acted like somebody who had a good childhood.
So I thought, well, maybe it was a good childhood.
I mean, it could have been better, I understand.
But it certainly could have been worse.
I guess I just started letting myself believe that…
maybe I did it.
Maybe that was the one thing in my life I did that was truly worth something.
I was a good mom to my kids.
I guess I was just kidding myself 'cause I fucked that up too, evidently.
Mom, I had a good childhood.
Please don't say that to make me feel better
-because it just makes it worse. -You're--
You're a wonderful mom.
-You always were. -Please, stop. Please, just stop it.
Look.
I have to pee.
Okay.
What are you looking at?
Nothing.
When we met I was younger
Than a young thing can be
You were wet You were hungry
You still needed me
You said I could fly And I flew
I remember before you knew
-You taught me to talk -How to talk
Now I talk like you do
You taught me to see
Not to see But to really look deeper like you do
I already knew you'd Leave me someday
With no cure For the love that I had
From the moment I heard
-And from my first word, Mama -Your first word, Mama
You shaped the boy I'd become
But the boy disappeared Lost to the years
And the man you became Is a beautiful one
Every bit still the same Every bit still my son
But, oh, here we go with our words
And the battle's begun
And when the dust settles I'm sick as I see what I've done
If I could just tell you that
You more than deserve Those three little words I can't find
There is no other one
-You are my mother -You are my son
You are mine
At times you rile me up
Just a little bit more than most do
You get on my nerves And I'm sure that I get on yours
Surely we both do
Aren't we supposed to Say what we're feeling
Instead, I'm concealing my heart And just offering guile
And when you smile It's my reflection
Mixed with everything I feel
All of my flaws Look what I've caused to appear
Why can't I say What you most need to hear?
Don't leave me stuck in the dark, dear
Oh, here we go with our words
And the battle's begun
And when the dust settles I'm sick as I see what I've done
If I could just tell you that
You more than deserve
Those three little words I can't find
There is no other one
-You are my mother -You are my son
You are mine
If I could just tell you that--