A married couple, the Maynards, suffer after the death of their baby daughter from SIDS. The husband, Jack (Chris O’Dowd), is in a residential mental hospital while his wife Lilly (Melissa McCarthy) remains at home, dealing with her own feelings alone.
Lilly is trying to hold it together for Jack’s return from the facility. Employed at a grocery store, she works to maintain her family’s property. As if Lilly’s troubles weren’t bad enough, a starling whose nest is in a tree in her backyard begins to harass and attack her and she becomes obsessed with stopping it. She’s also driving two hours every week to see Jack, wondering if he really wants to come home, and what life would be like if he did.
Prioritizing Jack’s grief without managing her own, a counselor at Jack’s hospital suggests Lilly see someone for her own mental health before he returns home. This leads her to the office of Larry Fine (Kevin Kline), a quirky psychiatrist-turned-veterinarian. They form a unique and unlikely bond as they help each other acknowledge and confront their problems.
Jack and Lilly end up in their home again, facing the world together.
* * *
[man] If you’ve painted with me before…
[woman chuckles]
[man] …you probably know that I love to make big trees.
[woman] Oh. How big are we talking?
[man] Humongous.
[woman laughing] Oh!
[man] Absolutely humongous trees with leaves and beautiful limbs.
[woman] I’ve always found Bob Ross very sexy.
You know, that hair, the mom jeans. I’m all in.
[laughing] I am.
[man] Oh my God.
I totally forgot to tell you this. I was watching Katie sleep earlier on.
I did that thing where I fast forward into the future and I can see who she’s become and whatnot.
And I did it, and it was incredible. She’s a podiatrist.
Our child’s a podiatrist?
In Cleveland. Doing really well. Third biggest in her firm.
She drives a Lexus. Like, four years old, but it’s pretty good.
I… I always thought she’d be like a… a… a butcher.
A butcher?
[woman] Mm-hmm. A butcher.
A v… a vegan butcher.
You know, so she’d take carrots and carve little rib eyes, or her pork chops that’d really be made from cauliflower.
[both chuckle]
Do you think that we should put a bird up there?
Uh, birds are tricky.
[man] Ah, you just need to be gentle with them.
[baby crying]
Hello.
Aw! Look who’s awake.
Did you have a lovely little nap, Katie?
[Katie coos]
Did you?
Would you like to inspect your wall?
[Katie babbles]
Ta-da!
[man] Pretty good.
[Katie coos]
She can tell I’m not a painter. She’s so smart. Mama’s little butcher.
Who’s daddy’s little podiatrist?
[woman] Or mama’s little butcher.
Yeah, that’s you.
[Katie babbling]
Yeah, it is.
[softly] You’re quite something.
[“Isabelle Fly” by The Lumineers playing]
[birds chittering]
[chirping]
[woman] Can you believe this guy used to be a therapist?
He can’t even talk to animals.
And now he has to talk to animals and owners.
It’s so frustrating.
♪ Eighteen in love ♪
♪ All in a night ♪
♪ Felt it coming home ♪
♪ Bathe in the light ♪
♪ For awhile, for awhile, for awhile ♪
[bird squawks]
♪ Came in like a thief ♪
♪ Lost and afraid ♪
♪ With your head in hand ♪
♪ Sworn enemies ♪
♪ Was it I, was it I, was it I… ♪
I’ll get that.
♪ It’s all right, Isabelle ♪
[caws]
♪ I know there’s only one way to fly ♪
♪ I know there’s everyone and I ♪
[cawing]
[caws]
[gasps]
♪ And the weight we hold ♪
[cawing]
♪ Is it all you know ♪
♪ Can we make it out alive? ♪
♪ It’s all right, Isabelle ♪
[cawing]
♪ I know there’s only one way to fly ♪
♪ I know there’s ever yone and I ♪
♪ I, I… ♪
[twittering]
[chirping]
[“One Day at a Time” by Tacoma playing]
[man on intercom] Lilly to produce.
Lilly, produce.
[“One Day at a Time” continues indistinctly]
[wheels squeaking]
Move, move to the left.
Stop. You know what?
More left.
To my left?
Yeah, to your left. Okay.
Now, slide it, slide it all.
This way. A little more.
Too much.
Okay, there.
[man] Hey, shouldn’t we be doing inventory right now?
You know what?
Oh, here.
[grunts] Give me two.
[man] Coming up.
[woman] Lilly.
I can drive to the Superstore and get two of these for four bucks.
Lilly?
[louder] Lilly?
Oh!
Mrs. Oberhoffer.
Those will rot your teeth.
Only if you eat ’em by the dozen.
[Lilly chuckles nervously]
You go inventory something.
Okay.
How’s everything, dear?
Everything’s good.
How are things with Jack?
He’s just great. Yeah. I… Thanks for asking.
I’ll be sure to tell him that you said hello.
I was talking to the pastor.
And we would like to come over for a visit and talk with you.
I cannot imagine what you’ve been through.
[man on intercom] Lilly to the freezer aisle. Lilly, freezer aisle.
[intercom clicks]
Give the pastor my best.
[man] I’ll shoot straight with you, Lilly.
People have been noticing you’re acting sort of funny.
What do you mean, “funny”?
You know, with that thing, all that’s goin’ on. You’re distracted.
I’m not distracted.
Sweet tiny Jesus.
What the hell is that? Gum selfie?
Everyone is distracted.
Nobody works.
[Lilly] Okay, Travis.
You know that I have to go to that meeting in Rosewood tonight.
So maybe we can just pick…
Again?
Well, that’s…
It’s every Tuesday. It’s gonna be at least once a week.
So…
You see?
That’s what I’m talking about. You’re my right-hand man, Lilly.
But your mind’s not in the game.
What good’s a pro ball QB without a left tackle?
Ah.
Who’s gonna pick up the blitz?
I don’t really follow football, so…
Well… get with it.
Okay.
[Travis] Sherri, no more selfies.
Bubblegum or otherwise. Okay?
We’ve talked about this.
[contemporary music playing]
[seatbelt clicks]
[indistinct chatter]
Golly Wally! You’re Lilly.
Uh… Oh!
Yeah, that’s my name.
[woman] Mm-hmm.
Um, he’s getting these, right?
Yep.
Every week. I’ll buzz you in.
[door buzzes]
[door opening]
[indistinct chatter]
Hello.
Hi, everyone. It’s so great to see you tonight.
Hey.
How are you?
[woman] Hi, baby.
I’m doing great.
Yeah?
Yeah.
You look good.
[therapist] Okay, everyone. Let’s take our seats.
I believe we left off last time
talking about emotional triggers.
Does anyone have any thoughts or questions about that?
No?
[sucking]
[therapist] Okay. Well, as always…
You know me. I’m a sucker to peer pressure.
[inhales sharply]
Yeah, but you hate those things.
[sighs]
They’ve got all these flavors now.
[therapist] Okay. So, tonight I’d like to talk about trust.
Lilly, let’s start with you and Jack.
Okay, sure.
Some families have a hard time adjusting after they’ve been apart for an extended time.
Seeing how things are going to be different.
I don’t think that’s gonna be a problem for us.
I… I can see that would be for some people, but…
[therapist] Well, changes are scary, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
Scary? We’re not…
We’re not scared. Right? I mean, that’s…
[woman] They scared. They scared.
She’s fine.
Of course I’m fine. You’re fine too.
Is that true, Jack?
Let’s just move on, shall we? Lot of people to get to.
It’s just that we… we haven’t actually talked about it, but I mean, I…
We haven’t. I mean…
I mean, look.
If you wanna talk about it, let’s talk about it. By all means.
Great. We should do that. Talk about it.
Let’s talk about something other than vaping.
What’s next week? Meth?
[group groaning]
[woman] Really?
Not appropriate. Not appropriate, Lilly.
It’s just, it’s a joke. I don’t mean that.
Never mind that. She has turned my only son against me. What about that?
Mother, you know I haven’t…
I am not your mother!
Can we talk about something else?
You know, I saw her on TV with that Dr. Phil.
Velma.
Scheming to have him tie my tubes.
Mama, calm down.
Mother.
I am not your mother!
Velma.
Velma, sit down.
[Velma] Don’t you talk to me!
Why do you keep telling me to be calm? I am calm!
[contemporary music playing]
Lilly.
Lilly!
[Lilly] Ugh.
You got a sec?
Yeah.
[therapist] That didn’t go so well.
[sighs]
I don’t know. I think Velma made some real progress tonight.
I deserve that one.
Not what you call a ringing endorsement for psychiatric care.
[breathes deeply]
How’s he doing?
Really?
It’s gonna take some time, Lilly. He’s been through a lot.
Yeah. Well, that’s the way it looks.
[therapist] And what about you? Are you getting back to a normal routine?
Have you done anything with Katie’s things?
What does that have to do with anything?
Emotional triggers like that are tough.
Are you saying I should get rid of her things?
No. I… I don’t know.
How would that make you feel?
I think it’s getting late, and I should get a move on.
Lilly, when you come here…
[sighs]
…do you get anything out of it for yourself?
Yes, yes, but let’s… let’s keep the focus on Jack.
We’re doing that. But are you seeing anyone?
I see people all the time. I see you right now.
[chuckles] Okay, Lilly.
You have to do the work too.
Okay. Well, great.
[door slams loudly]
[engine starting]
[therapist] You know, there’s a guy I used to work with that lives down your way.
A therapist.
Maybe you could give him a call.
[Lilly] Larry Fine?
Like The Three Stooges?
He’s a good guy, Lilly.
Someone you could talk to.
Sure thing, Regina.
You know, it’d be nice to see someone, Lilly, before you have to see someone.
Yeah. Well, I’ll see you next week.
[instrumental music playing]
[tires screeching]
[revving]
Oh, hello, Jack. Wait.
Thank you.
[nurse] From Lilly.
[Jack] She’s consistent.
Is that a bad thing?
[pills rattling]
Thank you.
Welcome.
[music continues]
[turns off faucet]
[sighs]
[bird chirping]
[“Find Another Reason” by Judah & The Lion playing]
[chirping continues]
♪ Clear out my eyes Spit out my lungs ♪
♪ Scream it out “up and down” ♪
♪ Seasons go and come ♪
[grunts]
♪ Run for my life ♪
♪ Then don’t turn around ♪
♪ Sometimes you gotta get lost… ♪
Son of a…
♪ Be found ♪
[grunting]
[grunts]
♪ Take some time… ♪
Come on!
♪ Clear my mind ♪
♪ Find another reason why ♪
♪ Airplanes will fly ♪
♪ Flowers will bloom ♪
♪ Humans gonna feel alone When we go in the wrong room ♪
[bird chirping]
♪ Go fall apart ♪
♪ Rip out my heart ♪
♪ Let the pieces crumble into nothing ♪
♪ Till it’s just true ♪
♪ Take some time ♪
♪ Clear my mind ♪
♪ Find another reason why ♪
♪ Take some time ♪
♪ Clear my mind ♪
♪ Find another reason… ♪
[fluttering, squawking]
[chirping]
Hey, little guy. Watch where you’re going.
[menacing music playing]
[chirping]
[chirping, fluttering]
[bird squawking]
Oh! [grunts]
[bird warbling]
Shit.
[grunts]
[panting]
[bird warbling]
[pills rattling]
[exhales heavily]
[door slams]
[screams in pain]
Son of a bitch.
[chittering]
[man] How are you sleeping?
Terrific. Thank you.
Are you eating okay?
Oh, yes.
Yes. I mean, the food up here is exquisite.
I don’t know if they give Michelin stars to mental health facilities, but if they did…
[inhales deeply]
[writing]
And the medication.
How is it working?
[sighs]
I really don’t know.
What do you think?
It’s not about what I think.
Well…
Has your wife come in to see you?
My wife?
Has she come in to see you?
Y-Y-You know, I’ve actually been meaning to ask, um, does that have to happen so much?
The visits. I mean, it’s just I feel bad about her having to come the whole way up here every week.
Have you… been having dreams about your daughter?
My daughter?
Um…
No.
[crickets chirping]
[clock striking]
[exhaling]
[nostalgic music playing]
[door creaking]
[switch clicks]
[“Simple Sound of Morning” by Nate Ruess playing]
♪ There’s something about The simple sound of morning ♪
♪ That lets me know that I’m alive ♪
♪ The way the sun is painting Every corner ♪
♪ All of my fears start to subside ♪
♪ There was a time ♪
♪ When all the boys got to know you ♪
♪ That was the time ♪
♪ Of your life ♪
♪ But now the fault lines on my face ♪
♪ Are pushing you away ♪
♪ So, oh my darlin’, I am leaving you ♪
♪ There was a time ♪
♪ When all the boys got to know you ♪
♪ That was the time of your life ♪
♪ And all the fault lines on my face ♪
♪ Are begging me to stay ♪
♪ Oh, I’m sorry, but I’m leaving ♪
♪ Oh my darlin’, I am leaving ♪
♪ Oh, I am leaving you Without saying goodbye ♪
[man] Excuse me, ma’am.
[gasps]
How much for the crib?
You got any plans for that recliner?
Um…
Not really.
[vehicle approaching]
[horn honking]
[hopeful music playing]
[sighs]
[exhales]
[exhales]
[somber music playing]
[panting]
[music intensifies]
[panting emotionally]
[sighs shakily]
[sighs]
[optimistic music playing]
[turn signal clicking]
[Lilly] Oh.
[woman] Hi. Thank you.
[woman] Goldfish. Oh gosh.
No, I… I think once they’re done, they’re, you know…
Sorry for your loss.
Okay. Bye.
[muzak playing]
[phone clatters]
[receptionist] Can I help you?
Uh, no. I just think I’ve made a mistake.
Are you here to see Dr. Larry?
Uh, well, is it… is it Larry Fine?
We just go by Dr. Larry.
Oh.
Lilly Maynard?
Uh, yes. That’s, uh…
[dog barks]
Oh! Okay. Wow! Oh!
[receptionist] Helen.
Helen, please.
[Helen] All right. I can’t help it. What do you think I’m here for?
[receptionist] Sorry.
Uh, what’s your pet’s name?
Well, uh, that’s just it. I… I don’t have a pet.
No pet?
No.
[receptionist] Uh, Dr. Larry, uh, Lilly has an appointment but no pet.
That’s a first.
[dog barks]
Oh.
Oh my. Hey! [laughs] Buddy, I’m married.
[woofs]
I get this 24 hours a day.
I want his marbles knocked off.
Helen, it’s called neutering.
Nobody’s here to get their marbles knocked off, I presume.
Uh, I’m as advertised.
Did you have a question about an animal or what?
Well, uh, no, I don’t.
I… I had gotten a referral for you from a gal.
A gal?
Regina Miller?
Is she still with the state?
Uh, she’s at New Horizons.
Oh.
Oh.
Well, I have taken up enough of your time, so thank you.
No, no, no. Why don’t you come on back?
Come on back. Him too.
[dog barks]
[woman] Oh, that’s how it is.
Not you.
Sit. Sit.
Down.
Stay.
Come.
Yep.
[dog growls]
[Lilly] Am I supposed to be in here?
He doesn’t mind. Don’t understand why Regina did that.
I’ve been out of the mental health field. I left it ten years ago.
To become a vet?
[Dr. Larry] Mm-hmm.
Isn’t that kind of weird?
It’s an easy explanation really, but, uh, let’s leave it at weird.
What were you doing at, uh, New Horizons?
Well, I wasn’t. I mean, I was, but my husband is, you know, there.
Is he getting better?
[Lilly] I guess.
He says he’s fine.
Well, that’s good.
What about you?
Me? Oh, I’m fine too.
Regina sent you to see me because you’re fine.
Well, it wasn’t my idea. [chuckles]
But you’re here.
[Lilly] Yeah.
I, uh…
You know, she said it might help him a little if I did some work, so…
I also… I also kind of traded in some of my furniture, most of my furniture, for a pleather La-Z-Boy.
Um, I mean, not all of it, but…
My daughter, our baby, died.
Just over a year ago now, so…
SIDS, that’s what they told us.
[Dr. Larry] Oh. [sighs]
That’s awful.
My husband Jack didn’t handle it so good.
[Dr. Larry] And you did?
No. No, I… No, I’m…
It’s a good question.
[Dr. Larry] Okay, well…
[sighs]
I just don’t do this sort of thing anymore.
Well, no offense, but you can kind of tell.
[monitor beeping]
[Dr. Larry] Maybe Regina can set you up with someone else.
Yeah. Yeah.
Okay.
[Dr. Larry] If you have an animal problem, you know where to find me.
Thank you.
Trigger, hang in there, pal. It doesn’t get better.
[door closing]
[classical music playing]
Sarah, that’s very good, but… Okay, okay, don’t, um…
Relax. Treat it gently. You don’t have to beat it to death, darling.
Oh, Velma, that’s… What is that?
It’s an emoji.
[art therapist] Ah-ha.
[Velma] The poop one.
[art therapist] Looks very accurate.
When do I get to put it in the oven?
[art therapist] Soon, dear. Very soon.
Jack.
[chuckles] That’s beautiful.
[whispering] I have some finer utensils back behind the shelf over there.
Good work. It’s more even this time.
Keep going. Keep going.
[classical music playing]
[utensils clattering loudly]
You found the utensils.
Yeah.
Um, what’s that from?
It’s just some old junk from back when this was a school.
What happened to it?
The school?
Not enough kids.
Come on, let’s go finish your vase.
It’s done.
[utensils clattering]
[Velma laughing]
[mysterious music playing]
[bird chirping]
[bird squawking]
[shovel clattering]
[bird fluttering, chirping]
[chirping]
Go on! Get the hell out of here!
[chirps]
Go! This is my garden!
[chirping]
[squawks, flutters]
And don’t come back!
Hi, Lilly.
Who are you talking to?
You, Chuck.
Oh.
No. I’m sorry. Chuck, I was just mess…
[bird trilling]
Ow! [groans]
[chirps]
Oh.
[Dr. Larry] Well, it doesn’t need stitches.
You got a tetanus shot recently?
[Lilly] Do I need one?
Just to be safe.
The bird obviously thought you were a threat.
Well, I am now.
It’s, uh, breeding season, you know?
Eggs, hatchlings, that sort of thing.
You might wanna stay out of your yard.
It’s my fucking yard.
You always this angry?
[sighs] What am I supposed to do, call the cops?
I mean, you said call if I had an animal problem.
Are you familiar with stage three of the grieving process?
I’m assuming that follows stage two?
Not, uh, necessarily.
But generally.
Uh, it’s “bargaining and anger.”
Nobody ever talked to you about this?
Nope. What comes after that?
Depression.
Great. I can’t wait.
Mmm, you might not have to wait too long.
[chuckles]
Jeez.
So you’re done.
Thanks.
Look, um, sorry about the hassle.
No hassle.
I guess I’m gonna try to find one of those people doctors.
Okay.
[door opening]
[Dr. Larry] Um… Uh, excuse me.
What… What did the bird look like?
Um, I don’t know. Dark, wings.
That… that narrows it down.
Why?
Um…
You know, if… if you… if you would like to, you know, talk about it.
Maybe talk… talk about the bird?
Yeah, the bird.
All right.
Yeah.
Okay, well… see you later.
[Dr. Larry] Yeah.
In… In the meantime, stay away from that new neighbor of yours.
Yeah, new neighbor. That… That’s a good one.
[dog barking]
[“Out on the Road” by The Gravitons playing indistinctly]
[woman] Uh, you don’t want that one.
Fungus.
Oh.
No, I don’t… I don’t want fungus peppers.
Who does?
[Lilly chuckles]
Do you have anything that might, um, scare birds away?
Bird deterrent?
Yeah.
Bird-go-away-ent.
[woman] That’s funny.
I like a good joke.
How do you feel about spikes?
No, I don’t, kinda, need to kebab ’em.
Um, got it.
[Lilly] Huh. Kind of, um, Asian beach ball. [chuckles]
Yeah. I got one by my pool. No birds come.
No people either.
You know? Got it.
[suspenseful music playing]
Am I supposed to be following you? I…
[mumbles]
[cart rattling]
Mother… [inhales sharply]
Scares the shit out of birds too.
[exhales]
I’ll take it.
[whimsical music playing]
[Lilly] How’s that, you little shit?
[man] When my wife passed away, I didn’t think I could continue.
I didn’t know how to.
And if I’m being honest, I still don’t know how to, but I do.
Every morning I ask for strength and the courage to move forward and be there for others.
[phone ringing]
[woman on television] Amen. You know, pastor, you made that difference for me…
Hello?
[inhales deeply]
[woman speaking on TV indistinctly]
Never gonna believe what I’m watching.
It’s one of those religious shows, The Higher Power.
Sounds like a utility company.
Or a pot store.
Do the kids still call it pot?
Feels like they’d have a cooler way of saying that now or an emoji, or… Well, I’m sure they have an emoji, right?
They have it for everything. [chuckles]
Hey, guess what? I got the garden going again.
I found the watering can you painted with Katie.
It was buried in the brush.
Almost hit it with a lawn mower.
[phone clicks]
[disconnects call]
[woman] …and the higher power.
[somber music playing]
In God’s name we should pray, Exodus says, “And they make their lives bitter with hard bondage in mortar of service in the field wherein they made them serve with vigor.”
[sighs]
[nurse] Water?
I’m good. Thanks
[gulps]
Good. Bye.
[Jack] See you later.
[depressing music playing]
[music intensifies]
[Lilly] That’s the one, officer.
The great-tailed grackle.
Well, he’s a little far afield from the Okeechobee Swamps of Florida.
Maybe he’s lost. [chuckles]
[Dr. Larry sighs]
Guess you don’t talk with your patients that often.
Oh, you mean ’cause they’re animals? Oh no, we talk all the time.
Tends to be a one-sided conversation but fine with me.
[sighs]
How’s Jack doing?
Good. I guess. Well, I have to see him tomorrow.
You have to?
Well, it’s Tuesday. Tuesday nights are, uh, family night.
So that’s what I mean. I have to go see him ’cause family night.
Don’t you want to?
Well, yeah. He’s my husband.
[Dr. Larry] Mmm.
I leave work every week early just so I can be there on time.
But I think I’d go nuts if I was shut up in that place 24/7, but, he doesn’t seem to mind.
[chuckles]
So was it Jack’s idea to be admitted to the hospital?
[Lilly] Sort of.
Sort of?
Is this how it works?
How what works?
This.
[Dr. Larry] Oh, you think…
No, no, no. If we were doing that, I’d just say, “Sorry our time is up. Take this pill.”
Anyway, we’re just talking.
You know, sometimes we push people away just to see if they’ll come back.
Yeah?
Maybe it’ll be better this time.
You think?
Maybe.
You sure it wasn’t a blue jay?
I… I stitched up a cat once who’d gone a few rounds with a blue jay.
Very aggressive avian, that.
Don’t think it was a blue jay. Oh. What’s that?
That’s a hawk.
No. It wasn’t a hawk.
I know what a hawk is.
You know, they used to be dinosaurs.
Mmm.
Birds did.
Yeah.
You probably knew that because you’re a vet.
I knew that even before I was a vet.
[lighthearted music playing]
[Jack] What happened to your head?
[Lilly] Oh. Just… There’s a bird that thinks I’m a threat.
[Jack] Are you threatening it?
[Lilly] No.
No, I’m just minding my own business in the garden.
[Velma] I don’t care what she is.
You can tell she don’t cook. She’s so skinny.
We got a new recliner.
[emotive music playing]
What was wrong with the old one?
Nothing. Just thought we needed a change.
[whimsical music playing]
[bird fluttering]
[bird squawks]
[music becomes more menacing]
[bird screeches]
[Lilly] You gotta be kidding me.
[dog barking]
Go on.
Get off my owl!
[bird chirps]
[hisses]
[bird screeches]
[defecating]
[screeching]
[screeching, fluttering]
[Dr. Larry] That is a starling.
You see the little white flecks that look like stars?
Very territorial.
You won’t be able to scare him away easily. He’s too smart for that.
Smart?
Oh, they’re brilliant.
They’re, uh… [chuckles] extraordinary mimics.
Mozart had one as a pet.
And, uh, they found in his notebooks a melody from one of his concertos that he wrote out, and next to it, the melody as the bird sang it, identical, except for one or two sharps or flats.
Yeah. He was, uh, inconsolable when the bird died.
Even gave it a funeral.
There’s an idea.
[Dr. Larry] Two weeks prior to that, Mozart did not attend his own father’s funeral.
Apparently, his father was an asshole.
[starling tweets]
[muzak playing]
[man] You the lady with the bird problem?
[sighs] Yeah, that’s me.
Yeah, well, here are the traps.
This is really more for a coyote.
I can’t sell you this one. It’s illegal… You have a license?
No.
I could rent it to you if you got it back to me first thing.
Oh, no. This is just for a little bird.
Oh. Well, you could trap it with this.
But you better release it in Mexico, or it’s just gonna find its way back.
I do not want it to come back.
There’s only one way to do that.
Remediate.
You mean…
Exterminate.
Like… Like, kill it?
We don’t like to use that word. It’s inhumane.
Yeah. Okay, that’s…
I get… I get that. I mean, it is what you mean though, right?
There are 400 billion birds on this planet, lady.
That seems awfully high.
It’s not.
It seems very high.
It’s not.
It’s my business.
I will tell you this.
Lady came in last month.
Glass eye. Bird attacked her.
Oh my God.
I think it was a sparrow.
[whispering] You serious?
Extremely aggressive.
Never feel a thing.
[grunts] It’s really 400 billion?
It’s a plague.
[whimsical music playing]
[chirping]
[man] What if a raccoon gets at it?
Or a cute little bear cub.
Or, like, a baby koala.
It’s a bird feeder. It’s tiny. Nothing’s going to get inside of it.
And you know there’s no koalas in North America, right?
Oh yeah. That’s true.
I saw a possum shimmy up a hummingbird water feeder thing one time, a super skinny one.
I mean, it was bent like a palm tree in a tropical storm.
Okay. Well, that’s not gonna happen here.
Probably not, yeah.
It could, though. You know?
Animals will do anything for a snack. And sugar water…
Have you tried sugar water?
No, Dickey.
I have not tried hummingbird sugar water.
It’s really sweet.
Any animal would go to great lengths to taste it.
Yeah, it’s not sugar water. It’s seed.
[Dickey] Right. Just seed.
Mixed with poison seed.
[sighs] Crap. Now I’ve gotta go home and take it down.
I’ll clock you out at 5:00.
[gentle music playing]
[sniffles]
[sobbing]
[somber music playing]
[sobbing]
[sighs]
I’m sorry.
You didn’t deserve this.
[psychiatrist] How are you sleeping?
[Jack] Fine.
Are you eating okay?
Fine. Yeah.
Are you feeling depressed?
Okay. We don’t have to go through this.
We don’t… [chuckles]
So you’re ready to leave?
[breathes deeply]
Believe me,
if I thought I could, I would.
Even if it meant pretending.
[chuckles] But I tried that. I already tried to do that.
And I ended up here. So what am I…
What am I supposed to… I’m just supposed to go back to work?
Do you know what I do for a living? You know what my job is?
Yes. You are a teacher.
I’m a grade school art teacher.
So… So you go and look at those kids every day.
You try doing that.
And what about your wife? I’m sure she’d like to have you home.
[breathes deeply]
You know, a few years back, [chuckles] I joined this Frisbee league.
I don’t know.
[nostalgic music playing]
And Lilly, my wife, she felt left out, so she insisted that she become our sole cheerleader.
Just to be clear, Frisbee leagues do not have cheerleaders, or indeed, spectators.
But there she’d be with her pom-poms.
I’d make out like I was this jock.
[laughing] She got me this letterman jacket.
And we… [inhales]
It was so dumb.
I don’t know how to get back there.
I can’t be who I was for her.
So, what is your plan?
[inhales deeply]
I just need a minute to figure out what happens next.
So, if you could just…
[claps]
…write down whatever you need to write down.
[chuckles]
We can…
Can we do that? We just…
It’s okay then? [sighs]
It’s okay for me to stay?
I believe that’s what’s best for now.
[whimsical music playing]
[squawks]
[twittering]
[squawking]
[Lilly] Oh!
[squawking]
[laughing]
Where are you? Where’d you go?
[squawks]
Oh. Yeah.
[squawks]
Didn’t expect that, did ya?
Look, can we just kind of clear the air, you know, for the record that I… I know what you’re thinking. That I killed her…
Remediated that bird, but… I mean, I put that… [scoffs] Forget it. It doesn’t matter why.
I put it out. You know why I put it out.
It was really wrong. It was… bad.
And I shouldn’t have done it.
I’m dealing with some pretty heavy shit right now if you couldn’t tell.
[trills]
‘Cause everybody’s rolling along, living their lives like nothing happened, you know? And I’m saying, “Stop.” ‘Cause I wanna get off for a little bit.
I mean, it’s just…
[tweets]
[sighs] It’s pretty weird me talking to you.
Huh?
And you’re actually listening.
[twittering]
Oh, there you go.
[sighs]
Right. Well, good session.
It’s my co-pay. [chuckles]
[thunder rumbling]
[thunder rumbling]
[tape recorder clicks]
♪ Oh, let me tell you, child… ♪
[Lilly] Whistle that, bitch!
♪ Let me tell you, honey child ♪
♪ That morning sun ♪
♪ Has come to greet you ♪
Agh!
♪ She’s peekin’ round the corner Just waitin’ just to meet you ♪
♪ Shinin’ down on all your troubles ♪
♪ Let me tell ya, child ♪
♪ Let me tell you, honey child ♪
♪ ‘Cause this world wasn’t made For dreamin’ ♪
♪ This world wasn’t made for you ♪
♪ This world made for believin’ ♪
♪ In all the things you’re gonna do ♪
♪ Now, honey child ♪
[Dr. Larry] Here you go.
The, uh, Naugahyde stains.
Yeah. Thanks.
[Dr. Larry] How did you find me?
Only one “L Fine. DVM” in the directory.
It’s a dope rapper name if you ever…
I don’t rap.
I just thought a walk would do me good.
In the rain?
How did your visit go last week?
Great. Swimmingly.
Well, that’s good. Thanks for coming by. It’s late. I’m gonna go to bed.
I don’t know what you want me to say.
[sighs]
This whole thing, it… it’s not about Katie.
You’ll talk about her, you know?
It’s about Jack and you. Jack and you.
How do you restart? How do you have a marriage, now?
Why… Why was Jack admitted to the hospital?
He, um… He… He was…
[Lilly] He hadn’t been sleeping well. Um…
[somber music playing]
[door closing]
[music intensifying]
Yeah, he just wanted to go to sleep and not wake up.
Like Katie.
You must’ve been pretty angry.
I wasn’t angry.
No, he was depressed.
He… He had every reason to be.
So did you, and you didn’t try to end your life and leave your husband behind.
Alone.
You blame yourself.
Who’s to say anybody’s to blame?
I do.
Oh, that’s shitty, Larry.
Not ’cause it’s right or wrong, or good or bad, but because that’s what we do.
We can’t stand the idea of something so tragic happening for no reason at all.
So… You know, and… and emotions have to find a way out, and they always do. So we kick the cat, or we kick the dog, or poison a bird.
And worst of all, we turn on ourselves.
[thunder rumbling]
[gentle music playing]
Does Jack know how you feel?
Bathroom’s down the hall to the left.
Talk to him, Lilly.
[screeches]
Come on. [whistles]
[growls]
[Lilly] Do you like it, being here?
[Jack] Do I like it?
You know, is it helping?
Uh… Yeah. Yeah, I… I guess.
I thought maybe we could go up to the lake again, when you get home. You know, for the Fourth.
Sure. Yeah.
That’s fun, right?
Yeah, it’ll be just like it was, like nothing ever happened.
I didn’t say that.
No, I know. I…
No, but that is why I’m here, isn’t it? I’m…
I’m supposed to just go back to being my good old self, and we can all get on with our lives.
It’s just gonna take time, that’s all.
[Jack] Don’t, don’t, don’t. Please.
I mean… You really think that time is gonna make all of this okay? It’s gonna make us okay?
I’m not saying that. I’m just saying that we can’t stay here like this.
This is not good.
I know.
But I don’t know how I fit anymore.
I don’t know how we fit, how any of it works. [chuckles]
I… I’m… I’m just not like you, Lilly.
You’re not like me?
I carried her inside me for nine months.
So why are you here?
Why did I sleep in that morning?
Don’t do that!
I could’ve just gone over and woken her up.
I could’ve done something.
But I overslept.
Every morning, when I wake up, the first thing I hear is our baby crying.
And in that brief moment, I get to imagine that I just wake up.
Like I always did.
That precious moment of agony, it’s the highlight of my day.
So please, don’t talk to me about time, because I’ve got loads of it, Lilly.
And I hate it. It never ends.
[whispering] Honey, please.
I wish I knew how to stop.
[sighs]
I wish. I don’t.
[sighs]
I got rid of all her things.
[Lilly breathes deeply]
I didn’t know what to do.
I just kept staring at her closed door.
I got rid of all of her things.
I just couldn’t.
I just wanted…
You should go, I think.
I’m sorry, I…
[Jack] No, I think…
I don’t know why I did it. I… I should’ve asked you.
Jack?
[sighs]
Jack!
[Lilly] You made me a lunch?
What do we have here?
[“Be Loved Actually” by Alyssa Garcia playing]
What?
My mother used to put those in my lunch.
♪ Hostess ‘Cause I love you the mostess ♪
[radio] ♪ Tell me this, tell me now ♪
♪ When’s it gonna be ♪
♪ My time to be loved actually ♪
[horn blaring]
[tires squealing]
[horn blaring]
[brakes screeching]
[grunts]
[brakes screeching]
[horn blaring]
[sighs]
[sad music playing]
[Lilly] That’s good. Maybe toward me.
[Sherri]She’s doing it again.
[in Spanish] Poor thing. She’s not doing well.
[Lilly] I don’t know. Maybe it’s in the wrong aisle.
[lively piano music playing]
[telephone rings]
[door opening]
Lilly.
They wouldn’t buzz me in. I was starting to think something was wrong. Is he okay?
Why don’t we sit down?
Is he okay?
[Regina] Yeah.
He’s good. Fine. It’s just that, um…
Why don’t we sit down?
I don’t want to. I wanna talk to Jack.
Actually, he’s requested to not see any visitors for a while.
I’m not a v… visitor. I’m his wife.
It’s not unusual for a patient to want some space.
Space? Uh, I drive an hour both ways to get here.
That’s all the space he gets.
Legally, he has the right.
Legally, I don’t give a shit.
Lilly, please, sit down. That’s it.
Fine! God! There! It’s all better now that we’re seated.
Did you look up that old colleague of mine?
Yes. And maybe you could’ve mentioned that he also treats poodles.
He’d never tell you this, but Larry was on track to run the whole show at Johns Hopkins.
Yeah, but he didn’t, did he?
So he’s a quitter like everybody else.
When do you think I will be able to see Jack?
I don’t know.
That’s up to Jack.
You know what?
Here. Give him that.
I drove an hour. That’s what I do.
For us.
And you don’t wanna see me.
You think I like driving an hour here and an hour back?
Yeah?
[bag clatters loudly]
[breathes heavily]
I get it.
[keys jingling]
I mean, you want your space.
You want space? I’ll give you space. I’ll give you an-hour-both-ways space.
[breathes deeply]
[grumbles] You never ever thought about what I did, did you?
Not once!
Not even once!
I feel shit too, Jack!
[sobbing]
You don’t wanna see me? You know what? I don’t wanna see you!
I don’t wanna see you either!
Did you ever once think about that, that I don’t wanna see you?
Get another visitor!
[nurse] Jack?
[pensive music playing]
Jack.
[indistinct chatter]
[man wailing] Oh my God. Oh God, what do you…
Shh shh. I can’t… I can’t hear the cat.
[sniffling] What… It’s murmuring? Can you hear a murmur?
[sniffles]
All I hear is a grown man wailing. Shh.
[dog barks]
[man breathes heavily]
Okay, here’s the deal.
What?
Give him his medicine. Twice a day, with food.
And no more truck-stop food. Dry food only.
Okay?
Okay, I got it.
I mean it.
Okay, I will tell him. Hey. Hey, you hear that?
Hey, hey, no more nachos.
No more corn bread. Huh?
No more corn dogs. And no more Cheetos. [crying]
Don’t look at me like that. Why are you looking at me?
Your mom really isn’t here?
She’s coming back to get me later.
Yeah, well, let’s wait for her, okay?
I know what you’re gonna say. She gets tired all the time.
My brother says she’s getting skinny too.
See, it’s, uh…
[sighs]
She’s in a lot of pain, and the quality of her life is… is… is going to…
I’m talking about the quality of her life. I’m talking about the quality of life to a ten-year-old. Did Howie’s mom not say anything about…
I told you. She signed off on it. She’s coming back later.
Okay?
[boy] It’s not her fault.
She’s not good with these things.
[inhales deeply]
Are you sure there’s nothing?
I’m sure.
It’s okay.
[kisses]
[telephone ringing]
[door locks]
You’ve got to stop with the just-showing-up business.
I need a favor, Larry.
He won’t see me, and they won’t even let me talk to him.
Well, that’s within his rights.
So I hear.
But I… I… I was thinking that you could call Regina or someone.
Doesn’t work that way.
But you know how it does work, and you must have some… some kind of credentials still, right?
This isn’t the best time, Lilly.
Well, no shit, Larry.
I’ve been scratched off the guest list in a mental hospital by my own husband.
[drawer slams loudly]
Here’s what you do.
Go and talk to Fawn and make an appointment.
Make an appointment?
Aren’t you supposed to be helping me? Isn’t that what this is?
Non-therapy therapy, pretend therapy, whatever? Isn’t that what we’ve been doing?
What, am I on this island all alone?
I’m not a therapist anymore.
And I am certainly not your therapist.
You got that right.
Because you’re a shit one.
Maybe that’s why you quit.
I mean, what is it that makes this so much better, huh?
‘Cause wha… Is it ’cause cats don’t talk back?
[clattering]
[Dr. Larry] No, they don’t. They do, however, make appointments.
[taps table]
What do you want from me? [stuttering]
You… You want some kind of answer?
You want me to say everything’s gonna be okay?
Yeah.
Yeah, Larry. I…
Answers are good. People want answers.
I don’t have the answers.
I never did. I just talked.
And the moment I figured that out, I quit and stopped pretending.
You think you can fix Jack? You think that’s the solution?
What am I supposed to do?
I’m supposed to quit?
Like him?
Or like you?
At least quitting is an active choice.
Why don’t we quit?
I’m so sorry. I never should’ve started this.
It’s my fault.
Let’s just agree to not do this anymore, okay?
Sure thing, Larry.
[slams chair loudly]
[sad music playing]
[grunting]
[breathes heavily, grunts]
[dramatic music playing]
[starling squawking]
Ow!
[squawking]
[starling continues squawking]
You son of a bitch!
[breathes heavily]
[starling squawking]
Ow!
[starling warbles]
Okay, you little shit. Here comes the pain.
[starling warbling]
Ow! God!
[exhales]
Ha!
[birds chirping]
[baby starlings chirping]
[gentle music playing]
[sighs]
[flutters, squawks]
[yells]
[screaming]
[squawk echoing]
[grunts]
Oh God.
[lighthearted music playing]
[Jack] Oh, Lilly.
Hi, Jack.
[pastor on TV] Being there for others is exactly the answer I was searching for.
You reach out to someone today.
[womanon TV] Pastor, I can tell you that you made a difference in my life when you reached out to me.
When I found the good word, I was… I was lost. I was broken.
Addicted.
Sleeping around.
Ow.
[woman] I’m not proud of it.
[groans, exhales]
[woman] Reminds me of Ephesians 6:7.
“With good will…”
Ow.
[woman] “…doing service as to the Lord and not to men.”
[pastor] Not to men. Amen. Not to men. That’s the journey.
[womanon TV] That was the takeaway for me.
Because there were so many men.
So many men. A lot of men.
[groans]
[children screaming]
[girl] Pretend you’re a tiger.
Chase your tail.
[boy] Whoa, I’m dizzy!
[girl] Now, sit up.
[boy chuckles]
[girl] Good tiger, good tiger.
Now let’s roar.
[boy] Roar!
[girl] Down, tiger. Good boy.
[boy chuckles]
[boy] This is fun.
[girl] Keep going.
Sit up.
Spin around.
[chuckles]
[girl] Now roar.
[boy] Roar!
[girl] Louder.
[boy] Roar!
[girl] Again, again!
[boy laughs]
[Jack chuckles]
[boy] Roar!
[girl] Good tiger. Good boy.
[Jack] Hey, I wanna play.
Can I play?
[girl] Okay.
I’m the lion tamer.
Oh, and a good one.
How about I’m… I’m just another lion?
[boy] I’m a tiger.
Oh, you’re a tiger!
Do you… Do you have a roar?
Roar!
[Jack] Oh!
You frightened the life out of me. That was really good.
Well, if we’re a circus, we’re gonna need some more animals, I think.
Uh, I spy a giraffe.
Hey, Mel. You’re a giraffe. [chuckles] Come on. You’re a giraffe.
I’m giraffe?
[chuckling] Yeah.
All right, I’m a giraffe.
You’re a giraffe.
Okay, we’ve got our giraffe.
Oh! Who’s that playing in the mud?
I found our elephant! We need an elephant, don’t we?
Bob, you’re gonna be an elephant. [trumpets] Can you do it?
Yeah.
Yeah, that’s it.
[trumpets]
All right, everybody.
Come on, giraffe.
[Mel] All right.
We’ve got our lion tamer to tell us what to do, okay?
Can we do the sounds.
What’s the sound? What is the sound like, Bob?
[Jack and Bob trumpet]
[Jack] That’s it!
[men trumpeting, roaring]
How about our tiger? [roars, chuckles]
Young lion tamer, what is thy command?
Roar! Roar!
[girl] I don’t wanna play.
Sweetheart. It’s okay.
No, it’s okay. I was only… [chuckles] I was only playing.
Hey, listen, why don’t we do a parade instead…
[girl] I wanna go now.
[Regina] Okay, Jack.
Oh, I was just… Oh, look!
That was fun.
Here come the clowns. You wanna be in the parade band?
Come on, everyone.
[Jack] Hold on.
Hey!
[guard] Come on.
What’s, um…
[guard] All right, that’s it.
Where’d my giraffe go?
[Regina] Jack?
What do you say you go inside?
[chuckling] Mel, what’s going on?
Don’t touch me.
You’re scaring people.
What do you say you go inside?
I don’t wanna go inside.
Okay, Jack…
I don’t wanna go in!
[Regina] Jack!
Sorry.
[art therapist] Ow. I’m all right.
Get off! [breathes heavily]
Okay. I don’t wanna go in.
Regina, I don’t want to go inside.
I wanna play outside. [chuckling] We were just playing.
I don’t wanna go back.
Oh my God, this is crazy.
[“Way Too Fine (Latin Remix)” by Tia P. playing]
[intercom beeps]
[Sherri on intercom] Uh, can I get a price check on register two?
[intercom clicks]
[scanner beeping]
[intercom beeps]
[man on intercom] Uh, need a price check on register four.
[phone ringing]
[Sherri grunts]
[man] Y’ello.
Hey.
We need another checker on four, and three, and two.
[intercom beeps]
[man] Travis, to the front, please.
Lilly.
What the hell are you doing?
Doing the price changes that you asked me to do.
[scanner beeps]
Since when do we charge a nickel for a package of feminine hygiene products?
[scanner beeps]
Or a bag of crispy fish fry?
[scanner beeps]
Or just about every other damn item in the store?
Well, I don’t… I don’t know. I mean, that…
That can’t… it can’t be right.
What color is the sky in your world, Kemosabe?
[woman on intercom] We need a price check in the bakery.
Maybe I should… I should just start changing these back before people start to get the wrong idea.
[customer] It’s all five cents over here!
Or maybe I should take a break.
Just take the rest of the day off, sister.
You’re gonna have to earn this back.
Thin ice, Lilly. Thin ice.
Sir, sir, nothing in the store is five cents. Nothing.
[woman on intercom] We need a manager up front.
[sad music playing]
[grunting]
[dramatic music playing]
[grunting heavily]
[continues grunting]
[“The Last Time” by Brandi Carlile playing]
♪ You already know me ♪
♪ It’s like you drew me and then ♪
♪ Colored me in ♪
♪ I was paper thin ♪
♪ No shape For the state of mind I was in ♪
♪ I thought you would hurt me ♪
♪ I thought it was my turn, but… ♪
Lilly Maynard.
♪ Maybe you still will, Maybe I’m gonna learn… ♪
Lilly Maynard.
♪ Love is something that you earn… ♪
Lilly Maynard.
♪ So I wanna hear that song ♪
♪ For the very first time ♪
♪ I wanna feel the way that I ♪
♪ Did in my prime ♪
♪ I wanna stop, fast forward… ♪
[starling squawking]
♪ And rewind ♪
♪ I don’t wanna know when it will be ♪
♪ The last time ♪
♪ So I wanna hear that song ♪
♪ For the very first time ♪
♪ I don’t wanna know ♪
♪ When it will be ♪
♪ The last time ♪
[Larry] The problem in dealing with a territorial creature, such as a starling, is that people begin to take it personally.
I… I don’t think the laws of nature are intrinsically right or wrong, until you’re faced with something that’s just so… inexplicable, so randomly cruel.
And you… [sighs]
…try to find a reason for it.
And when you can’t find any, I… I guess that’s when it starts to get pretty personal.
And she came to see you about the bird?
Well, yes, uh, technically.
And now you’re here to talk to me about the bird?
[chuckles] Not… Not… per se. Um, I’m here to ask you, in fact, to… just talk to Lilly.
I… I don’t think it’s your intention to punish her.
[chuckles]
No, no. It is only my intention to punish myself.
Did she tell you why I’m here?
Yes.
So she came to you for help because… because you’re her shrink, but in a vet form.
She… [chuckles]
Okay.
She came to talk.
And I’m afraid I just didn’t do a very good job of that.
Then why are you here?
I told you.
So that you would… I… I’m asking you…
Oh, you’re here for yourself.
Yes. Okay.
You came here to make you feel better.
Well, you did it. We talked.
So… feel better.
[sounds of insects and birds]
[Lilly] You want a beer?
I know I could use one.
[Dickey] Thanks, man.
This place is really nice.
Yeah, it was my grandpa’s.
It’s a bitch to mow.
[starling twittering]
[Dickey] Is that the one?
[Lilly] Yep, that’s him.
[Dickey] He looks pretty harmless.
Oh, don’t let it fool you.
You can’t do anything about it?
Some things are just out of our control.
And the sooner you figure out what they are, the faster you can let them go.
[scoffs]
Look at that. You got a philosophy.
[starling squawks]
[menacing music playing]
[Dickey] Little guy’s coming this way. Oh, shit, shit!
[Lilly grunts]
[Dickey] Holy shit! That bird’s crazy!
It’s coming back. He’s circling around.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, throw it. Throw it!
[grunts]
[starling squawks]
[music stops]
[Dickey] Whoa!
Oh shit!
Nice shot, Mrs. M!
Shit! What did you do, Lilly?
[Dickey] Oh, you nailed it, man.
That was awesome.
[Lilly] No, no, no, no.
[tragic music plays]
Go get me something.
Okay.
Wait, what am I getting?
Like a towel or something.
Okay. Where do you keep…
Dickey, just get a towel!
Just get it? Got it.
[breathes heavily]
[tires screeching loudly]
[Larry] It’s in shock. It’s suffocating.
This is the best I could do on short notice.
Avian anatomy’s not our specialty.
That looks like a hummingbird.
[Fawn] They’re all the same.
Yeah, it’s the anterior air sac.
But I don’t know how I can get in there. Uh, I don’t know.
Uh, where’s my bird box?
You don’t have a bird box.
Yes, we do. It’s got all the right instruments.
Great. It’s a vet without a bird box.
Will you wait outside?
No.
What about a coffee stir straw?
Good idea.
Have you not done this before?
No, I haven’t. Have you?
You wanna wait for a specialist?
Is that an option?
I’d love to, cause you’re talking coffee stir straws.
Could you wait outside, Lilly?
No! I won’t wait outside!
Out, out, out!
[Fawn] Go, please.
What do you need?
Uh…
[sighs] Well, uh, surgical soap, sterile drape, and, uh, vodka.
Vodka?
Oh, for you.
We have a bottle of gin.
That’ll do.
[nostalgic music playing]
[nurse] Jack?
[breathes heavily]
[sighs]
[breathing heavily]
[breathes heavily]
[sobs]
[breathes deeply]
[sighs]
[music intensifies]
[breathes heavily]
[chuckles]
[bag drops to floor]
[inhales deeply]
[Regina] Tonight, I’d like to talk about the importance of being honest.
With ourselves.
Velma, would you like to start?
I’m sick of all the damn talkin’.
[Regina] Okay.
That was honest.
[Jack] I’ll go.
If, uh, if that’s okay.
Yes, of course.
[pulls chair]
Um…
[inhales deeply]
I’m depressed. That’s why I’m here.
[chuckles]
[laughing]
Um, my little girl passed away.
And then I tried to pass myself away.
[chuckles]
That’s not funny. But that is what I tried to do.
And I thought it was because of Katie. Uh, that was my…
That is my daughter’s name. Katie.
But if I’m being honest with myself, I have been in and out of this state since I was in my 20s.
And I don’t know how to get out of it.
I, um… I’ve been to therapists. I’ve taken the medication.
And sometimes, it works. It does feel a bit better.
And then after a while, I quit.
Because I don’t need that shit.
[chuckles] Because… I can deal with my own life.
[chuckles]
Quit on myself so fast.
And then I quit on the people who love me.
I mean, my wife. [chuckles]
[imitating Borat] “My wife.”
[chuckles]
My wife wouldn’t know how to quit.
Wouldn’t know where to start.
She just keeps at it.
Just keeps hoping and believing and moving around in the world. And I hate her for it.
[inspirational music playing]
And I love her so much for it at the same time.
So much that… I wanna not quit with her.
Not for her.
[sniffles]
I wanna not quit with her.
[laughing]
Yeah, so that’s my day.
Um… a happy day.
[chuckles]
[Velma sighs]
Jack.
[crying] You asshole.
Tissue.
I know.
[crying]
Thanks for sharing, Jack.
Might as well take him home. There’s no point in staying here all night.
What do I do?
Uh, just try to get a couple drops of this into his throat every couple of hours if you can.
Will he wake up?
[crickets chirping]
It’s hard to say.
What’s on his wings?
They’re bound so he can’t fly away.
You know, even if he does wake up, I… I might still have to…
[sighs]
If the wound doesn’t heal, he won’t be able to protect himself.
It wouldn’t be fair to send him out there…
[breathes deeply] …like this on his own.
Huh.
Funny how that works.
How what works?
Oh, just the idea of this little guy trying to survive out there in the cruel world all by himself.
[inhales deeply]
Starlings are different than other birds.
When they mate, they… they build a nest together, and they protect the nest.
Together.
They even feed the hatchlings together.
They’re just not meant to exist in the world alone, on their own.
Real subtle stuff, Larry.
[Larry chuckles] I thought so.
[joyful classical music playing]
[whispering] Okay, that’s enough.
Okay.
Maybe just a little.
[humming]
You know you like this.
[Dickey cawing]
[cawing]
I read that if you talk to somebody in a coma, it can help them heal faster.
[music becomes louder and intensifies]
[cawing]
Come on. Come on.
[cell phone ringing]
[switches off music]
Hello?
[Jack breathing heavily]
[inhales sharply]
[Lilly] I’m a little busy here, Jack, so I don’t really have time to listen to you breathe.
You know that you’re not the only one in pain, right?
I mean, ever since Katie left us, it’s been…
And then you did what you did.
Which is not okay, Jack.
I’ve been holding down the fort for a year and… I haven’t had five minutes to think about my own feelings.
We never seem to get around to that, right?
Which is pretty fucking selfish, isn’t it, Jack?
So when you get back, shit’s gonna change.
Things are gonna be said, tears are gonna be shed, and then we’re gonna move on and move up.
And we’re gonna find a different but even better life than the one we had because I am not interested in some kind of lateral move.
[soft classical music playing]
And you’re gonna say sorry to me for trying to take you from me.
You’re gonna say it every day. [sniffles]
You’re gonna say it every day for the rest of our lives.
That’s gonna be a very long, long time. [chuckles, sniffles]
‘Cause we’re gonna live a long life, Jack.
And we’re gonna do it together.
[inhales deeply]
So I’m gonna hang up on you now, because that’d make us even-steven…
[sniffles] …’cause you hung up on me, so…
Besides, I’ve gotta go feed…
[sniffling] …a bird that I tried to kill.
[line disconnects]
[sighs]
[laughing]
[music becomes louder and more emotive]
[sobbing]
[breathes deeply]
[laughing]
[Lilly] Can you understand?
You’re married, right? I mean, I’m assuming you’re married.
[sniffles] At least, are monogamous?
At least? I don’t know.
Are birds monogamous?
[sniffles]
[sighs]
[sniffles]
I don’t know how that works.
[sniffles]
Here’s your tube.
Come on. Come on.
[joyful classical music playing]
Excellent, Sarah. Watch your fingers.
Oh! Looks like the picture. Very nice.
[chuckles]
Velma, what do we have here?
See? You got the switch.
[art therapist] Uh-huh.
It goes right in there.
You turn it on, and it stays up.
[both laugh]
[laughing] Yes! Up!
[laughing] Ooh, it’s, yes, creative.
[Velma laughs]
[art therapist clears throat]
I think, um,
you forgot something?
The hole? For the…
Oh! Yeah.
[chuckles]
Can I just leave it?
How would it work?
Does it have to work?
No, I guess not.
It’s lovely.
Thank you.
Good-lookin’ tree.
[psychiatrist] How are you sleeping?
[Jack] Fine.
[psychiatrist] And how are you feeling?
[Jack] You are a creature of habit.
So you’re feeling good.
Yes, I am.
But what if I stop feeling good? What if it doesn’t last?
That’s a possibility.
Can I just say I found our time together fairly unhelpful overall?
But you’ve made progress.
I have.
I just don’t know if it was because of you. [chuckles]
[sighs]
There will be good days and there will be bad days, Jack.
Gonna miss these gems.
Living is predictable in that way.
Embrace routine.
It’s good for you.
Ah yeah, the routine of living.
Make dinner, go to bed, wake up, make your bed, kiss your wife.
But eventually, you’ll go back to work. You’ll be around children again.
Maybe you can start planting in your garden.
And one day, you will say your daughter’s name without thinking about it.
It will just slip out in remembrance and not in anguish.
And that’ll be that.
[sentimental music playing]
That was actually pretty good.
Thank you.
Maybe there’s hope for you yet.
[nostalgic music playing]
[sighs]
[leaves rustling]
[birds chirping]
[starling chirping]
[exhales]
[Lilly whispering] Wow, hello.
Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t do that.
[chirping]
[starling chirps]
[chirping]
[whispering] I am gonna pick you up.
It’s okay.
[whistles]
[whispering] There we go. [chuckles]
[chuckles softly]
I’m not afraid of you.
You’re very small.
[chirps]
My helmet is very close too.
[chirps]
I’m gonna take you outside.
[starling chirping]
[sighs]
I think he was wrong about you.
Maybe I was too.
[chirps]
[joyful music playing]
[triumphant music playing]
Okay. Come on. Fly, fly.
[chittering]
[trilling]
[fluttering]
Come on, fly. Please go. Go, go, go, go!
Fly, fly, fly, come on, fly! Fly! There you go!
There you go, you son of a bitch!
[chirps]
[triumphant music intensifies]
[starling squawks]
[cries]
Phew.
[Lilly] Did I mention that we have a new recliner?
[Jack] Maybe.
[Lilly] It’s kind of leather-esque. It smells like, a little like beef jerky.
[Jack] Well, that’s a smell I generally like.
[Lilly chuckles]
[soothing music playing]
[Lilly sniffles]
You know, I was thinking, uh, a sectional sofa would work in that room.
Where?
In the window nook, facing in.
Where Katie used to play.
That’ll work.
Oh, shit. I, uh, I made you something.
Oh, it’s lovely.
[Jack] You don’t know what it is.
[chuckling] Does it have a purpose?
Yes. It’s a light switch cover.
Oh, well, there’s no hole for the switch.
Does it need a hole to work?
Well, yeah. I mean, you… you gotta have a hole for the switch, or you can’t turn the light on or off.
And then what?
[chuckles]
I’m sorry.
Well, we’ll figure it out.
No, no. I’m… [Jack breathes deeply] I’m so sorry about it all.
You deserve better.
It’s okay. It’s okay.
It’s okay.
[sniffles]
I presume that… this makes up for everything.
[Lilly laughs]
[sniffles]
We’ll cut a hole in it.
That’s smart.
That’s smart.
Just cut a hole in it.
Otherwise, you’re really… you’re forcing a choice of being in constant darkness or constant light.
And that’s just nuts.
I mean, no offense.
No, that’s fair.
[both chuckle]
[“That Wasn’t Me” by Brandi Carlile playing]
[kisses]
♪ Hang on ♪
♪ Just hang on for a minute ♪
♪ I’ve got something to say ♪
♪ I’m not asking ♪
♪ You to move on or forget it ♪
♪ But these are better days ♪
He’s gonna be fine.
♪ To be wrong ♪
♪ All along and admit it ♪
How are you doing?
Not so good.
♪ But to be loved ♪
Sit down.
♪ Even when you’ve changed… ♪
[Larry] Tell me about it.
♪ Tell me ♪
[indistinct]
♪ Did I go on a tangent? ♪
♪ Did I lie through my teeth? ♪
♪ Did I cause you to stumble ♪
♪ On your feet? ♪
[Velma crying]
♪ Did I bring shame on my family? ♪
♪ Did it show when I was weak? ♪
♪ Whatever you see ♪
♪ That wasn’t me ♪
♪ Oh, that wasn’t me ♪
♪ Do I make myself a blessing ♪
♪ To everyone I meet? ♪
♪ When you fall ♪
♪ I will get you ♪
♪ On your feet ♪
♪ Do I spend time with my family? ♪
♪ Did it show when I was weak? ♪
Yeah, I gotta admit, I’m, uh, I’m a little bit scared
♪ When that’s what you see… ♪
Me too.
♪ That will be me ♪
♪ That will be me ♪
♪ That will be me… ♪
Put this on.
[breathes deeply]
Okay. Carrots, tomato, and a head of lettuce.
If you can get to the cucumbers, grab two.
Got it.
[breathes deeply]
On three?
[both] One, two, three.
♪ Did I go on a tangent? ♪
♪ Did I lie through my teeth? ♪
♪ Did I cause you to stumble ♪
♪ On your feet? ♪
♪ Did I bring shame on my family? ♪
♪ Did it show when I was weak? ♪
[starling chirping]
♪ Whatever you see ♪
[chirping]
♪ Do I spend time with my family? ♪
♪ Did it show when I was weak? ♪
♪ When that’s what you see ♪
♪ That will be me ♪
[Jack] What the…
[starlings squawk]
[Lilly] Son of a bitch!
[contemporary music playing]
[menacing music playing]
[relaxing music playing]
