Eric
Episode 1
Original release date: 30 May 2024 (Netflix)
Plot: In 1985, New York puppeteer Vincent Anderson, the creator of the long-running children’s television series Good Day, Sunshine! and his team face increasing pressure from their network to broaden the show’s appeal by introducing new characters. Vincent’s son, Edgar, 9, suggests a big blue monster named Eric as a new character, but Vincent is dismissive of the idea. Vincent and his wife Cassie have a loud and bitter argument one night that is clearly audible to Edgar, and the next morning Vincent allows Edgar to walk the few blocks to his school alone. At work, Vincent arrives with a cut on his forehead and ignores many phone calls from Cassie, only to learn upon coming home that Edgar never arrived at school that morning and cannot be found. Shortly after NYPD detective Michael Ledroit takes on the case, a sanitation worker discovers a bloodstained Good Day, Sunshine! t-shirt belonging to Edgar. Ledroit has been investigating a nearby nightclub, The Lux, on Edgar’s route to school. He listens to a secret recording he made at The Lux in which a young boy’s voice can be heard. Vincent, distraught, resorts to drinking. He begins to focus on Edgar’s drawings of Eric after discovering many of them in the boy’s room. The next morning, he starts imagining that Eric is with him and is urging him to find Edgar. Meanwhile, Edgar’s red jacket is seen in the street.
* * *
[man] Forty-eight hours have passed since Edgar Anderson was last seen
around 8:00 a.m. en route to school.
We are urging anybody with information, however small, please come forward.
Help bring this lost boy home.
I wanna hand over to Edgar’s parents to say a few words.
Uh…
Edgar, if you’re watching this…
I’m sorry, buddy.
Just come home, okay?
Prove to all these ladies and gentlemen of the press that you’re not dead.
[man 1] And the one thing we’ve all learned today
is that sometimes you’ve got to “mustard” up the courage!
[children laugh]
[man 1] Isn’t that right, Officer Charlie?
[man 2] Dang right, Bug.
And you gotta let a person know you relish ’em.
[children laugh]
[man 1] That’s good.
So happy birthday, Mr. Jose.
And, you know, even if you weren’t our friend,
we’d pickle you every day!
[children laugh]
[man 3] Aw, shucks, amigos.
Frank-furt-ly, this is the best birthday I ever had.
[laughter]
And what do we all say?
Be good! Be kind!
[children] Be good! Be kind!
Be brave! Be different!
[children] Be brave! Be different!
[band plays closing theme]
♪ The trees are green And the sky is blue ♪
♪ The sun is up And it’s smiling down on you ♪
♪ Hello, world What you doin’ today? ♪
♪ Put your hand in mine Come on, let’s play ♪
♪ If you’re feeling shy Never you fear ♪
[man 1] ♪ Bug! ♪
♪ Mush! ♪
♪ Parker! ♪
♪ Peggy! ♪
[all] ♪ Are here ♪
♪ Be good! Be kind! Be brave! Be different! ♪
♪ Open your heart and say, “Good Day” ♪
[man 1] ♪ Say, “Good Day” ♪
[all] ♪ Good Day Sun ♪
♪ Good Day Sunshine ♪
♪ Good Day Sun ♪
Good Day Sunshine
♪ Good Day Sun ♪
♪ Good Day Sunshine ♪
[cheering and applause]
[man 1] Yeah!
[man 2] Yeah!
[man 1] So tomorrow, we’re gonna do Bug and Mush beatbox number,
and then we go straight into magic meet-cute.
Wow. Seriously? Beatbox?
We gotta get our numbers up. Broaden our viewer appeal.
Ten years, Lennie. Ten years we’ve been doing just great.
No, the viewer figures have been slipping over the last 12 months.
All the suits from PLN and the guys from city hall are coming.
I promised Jerry our A game. Good Day Sunshine!
Fucking institution!
No one is immune from being canceled, Vinny.
Okay? We gotta switch it up.
We gotta open up the whole Good Day Sunshine world.
Not to raise it again,
but with our great minds trying to find a new puppet,
I think it’s a bold move they’re going for.
What you see as bold and bodacious,
I see as a crock of shit they’re gonna use to tear our show apart.
Our show that we love, that we busted our balls over.
Now they want, what? Beatboxing and street talk?
I mean, what next?
They’re gonna pour a whole load of slime all over Mr. Jose’s hot dog stall?
It’s one idea.
It is not Bug and Mush. It is not Good Day Sunshine.
[Lennie] We gotta find a new puppet, Vincent.
We have to bridge the gap
between the preschoolers and the elementary kids.
That’s where the cool kids are.
[groaning]
Since when has this show ever been about the cool kids?
[woman sighs] Vincent, you are a master in your field,
but, really, have you ever been diagnosed?
[Vincent] Gee, thanks, Dr. Veronica, for your input, as usual.
[Veronica] I’m out of here!
Have a fun night with your buzz buddy.
You keep it in your purse? You know it’s not a real boy.
Oh! Bzz! Bzz!
It’s right here.
[Vincent laughs]
Right there. Go fuck yourself!
[Vincent] Oh, he is a real boy! I am!
Bzz!
I got a racquetball game.
I gotta…
Sure. Yeah. Don’t forget to warm up.
[man 2] Me too.
Yeah, you too?
Got dinner with my mother.
Give her my love.
We’ll do the schedule tomorrow.
Are you done?
[Vincent] Not even close. Why do you gotta do this?
[Lennie] Why even ask? You’re acting crazy.
[woman] Want a swatch?
[Lennie and Vincent bicker]
For Eric?
[boy] Thanks, Ellis.
[Ellis] No problem.
We gotta turn this show around.
We’re gonna give them the best show that we can possibly give,
but please be open to their ideas.
Don’t let me down.
Asshole.
Hmm.
[door opens]
[boy] Hey, Lennie.
[Lennie sighs]
[Lennie] Be seeing you, kid.
[door opens]
Come on, get your stuff.
Bye, Greg.
Good night, Mr. Anderson. Night, Edgar.
[car horn blares]
[tires screech]
[car horn blares]
[man yelling indistinctly]
[Vincent] Hey, Edgar. Edgar!
Come on, look alive.
Dad, I’ve got an idea for the new puppet for your show.
Okay, so he has blue marks, like a zigzag running down his back,
like my coat.
His tail… his tail swings like Trixie’s when he gets mad.
And his name is Eric.
See?
[coins rattle in tin]
[man] Ladies and gentlemen, I appreciate you’ve all had a long day,
but if you could find your way to donate to a charitable cause.
Fourteen years serving in the US military. Two Purple Hearts.
Hey.
Thanks for your service, man.
[man] Thank you, sir.
Ladies and gentlemen… [clears throat]
…a humble, former soldier…
[mimics sleeping man] “Hey, Edgar.”
“Edgar.”
“I just ate a whole box of donuts.”
“They were lying on my boss’s desk, and, uh…
and when I wake up, my mama’s gonna kill me.”
[mimics breaking wind]
[Vincent] Ooh!
[both chuckle]
[unsettling music playing]
Dad. Dad! My comic. You promised.
[Vincent] And Dynamite for the kid.
[indistinct chatter]
[man] Hey, kid.
[woman 1] Oh!
[woman 2] You’re good.
That’s it?
Yeah.
Okay.
[door opens]
Hey, hey! Hey, you!
[man] What?
You took bottle, huh?
I didn’t take shit!
[clerk] I’ll call the police!
Fuck you.
Fuck you, man!
Fuck you!
What’s up, little man?
[door opens]
Hey. Come on. I’ll race you home.
Let’s go.
Go! Come on!
Come on.
[music fades]
[indistinct chatter]
Come on, Edgar. You’re too slow again.
[Edgar] Hey, George.
Hey, got your Dynamite. Save me that puzzle, Edgar.
[Edgar] I will.
Them radiators is playing up.
[Vincent] Thanks, George, as always.
[man 1] Ah man!
Fuck you, motherfucker!
[man 2] This old man! Come on!
[George] You kiss your mama with that mouth?
[woman] Hi.
[Vincent] How was your day?
Fine.
I’m almost finished with these papers.
Hey, baby.
Hey, Mom.
You have a good day? Come here.
Mm.
Yeah…
Don’t smother the boy.
Don’t listen to Daddy. He’s just a big old grumpy jaws.
Big and old and grumpy.
Maybe that’s ’cause I haven’t gotten laid in weeks, hmm?
Wine time already? Thank you.
[Vincent] What’s Daddy dearest up to now?
Mm, closing the shelter on 34th Street.
Make way for more of your father’s condos.
[Vincent] What about these people? Where are they gonna go?
[woman] Not the penthouse on the Upper East Side, of course.
Imagine…
[eerie music playing]
[Vincent]…assassinate Lennie if I have to listen to him one more time
going on about Jerry
and the network’s bold ideas.
“Oh, you realize who put the banana in the Banana Splits, Vincent.”
“Awesome, do tell ’cause that’s what we need now in this show, more banana.”
[Vincent continues indistinctly]
Guy’s got a fucking cracker up his ass ’cause the viewing figures dipped by 3%.
What the fuck?
[Vincent continues indistinctly]
[in gravelly voice] Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you.
Thank you for your service, man.
Creating magic doesn’t mean you have to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
There’s nothing permanent except change, right?
“Everyone thinks about changing the world,
but no one thinks about changing themselves.”
Edgar!
Tolstoy.
Attaboy!
This kid! This kid’s a genius.
The problem, though, with creating an act of magic
is an artist, Edgar, cannot be quantified
by audience fucking research and test screenings.
[woman] They’re asking you to come up with a new puppet, not War and Peace.
Tell your mom what you’re working on, kid. He’s got an idea for a new puppet.
[sighs] Edgar, baby, go wash up.
[Vincent] Might be what the show needs. Pitch it to me.
Vincent.
What? It’s good for the kid.
So it’s this great big blue thing?
Eric. He’s not all blue.
[Vincent] Uh-huh.
Just on his back and on his chin here a bit.
[Vincent] And how tall?
A bit taller than you with fur on his face.
Fur everywhere, right down to his feet.
Feet. So… Oh! He’s what? A walk-around?
Maybe.
Yeah, and he’s got horns.
Keep looking at me. Keep looking at me.
You wanna make contact. You gotta pitch this thing, remember?
[Edgar] Not really horns.
[Vincent] Well, horns or not horns? You gotta be specific.
Come on. You gotta reel me in if you wanna get that thing on TV.
And he’s…
He’s got diff…
Uh-uh… [mimics buzzer]
[Vincent] It’s just nosedived.
Next!
Vincent, stop it!
What?
[woman sighs]
Come on, baby. Let’s go freshen up.
Yeah. Sorry, Edgar.
[plates and cutlery rattle]
♪ I’m not in love ♪
♪ No, no ♪
[Vincent] We’re gonna do this now?
[woman] When else?
You’re never here. You’re out all night!
[Vincent] Okay, here we go!
Yeah, poor little neglected Cassandra.
Don’t call me that. You know I hate that!
[Vincent] A rose by any other name is still a fucking rose.
[Cassandra] Fuck you!
[Vincent] When are we gonna fuck again?
Why don’t you just fuck yourself?
[Vincent] Tried that. Gets lonely. Why don’t you help a guy out?
[Cassandra] You know what? Your need to destroy me, to destroy your coworkers,
to destroy our own kid, that is all you.
That is all fucking you, Vincent!
You need a shrink to feed you these lines.
Go fuck yourself!
[glass shatters]
Fuck you!
Fuck you!
[Cassandra] Fuck you! Fuck you!
Fuck!
Well, fuck you!
[dog barking]
[door opens]
[door slams]
[footsteps approaching]
[door opening]
[sniffles] Hi, sweetie. Did you brush your teeth?
Good. Can I get a kiss?
[sighs]
Mm.
Oh, he’s eating me! Oh, he’s eating me!
[Cassandra sniffles, sighs]
What can you do?
[sniffles]
Want me to check under the bed?
[growls]
No monsters. All clear.
Okay. Ooh!
Is this him? Can I see him?
[sighs]
[tearfully] You’ve got your papa’s gift.
I like him.
Sweet dreams, okay?
I love you.
I love you, Mom.
[blows kisses]
[footsteps receding]
[mysterious music playing]
[music fades]
[radio news report playing]
Want some French toast, buddy?
Gonna need more than Lucky Charms.
Hmm?
Not talking to me today? All right.
[breathes heavily]
Leave the kid alone. Can’t you see he’s pissed?
Why?
‘Cause his dad’s a jerk.
It’s not deep enough. His voice is deeper.
Deeper, okay.
So, like… what are we talking about here?
[in low-pitched voice] Like, that kind of deep? Down there? Yeah?
[chuckles]
Now we’re cooking. Deep like Lee Marvin, right?
Come on, kid. Have some… have some French toast, why don’t ya, huh?
[sniffs]
Not even to please the old man?
[footsteps approaching]
Hmm?
[Cassandra] Can you walk him to school?
You hear that, kid? Your mom thinks you need walking.
Stop doing that.
[in normal voice] Kid loves it.
[Cassandra] All right.
Don’t forget to eat your banana today, okay?
Love you.
[gas ignites]
Cassie? Hey, Cassie, wait up.
[Cassie] Stop with the voices,
or I’ll start worrying you’re losing it again.
[Vincent] We need to talk.
I can’t. I’m late for class.
[Vincent] Come on, you always say that you’re late for class. Just…
[“I’m Not In Love” by 10cc playing]
[Cassie] I wanna believe it…
[Vincent] Let’s just… let’s just take some time off. Time off…
You and me. We can take a break together.
When?
Sometime soon, all right? I promise. Okay, because I just… I wanna…
I promise you.
I’ve heard that before.
Edgar. Will you please take him? Dad’s gonna take you.
He’s nearly in fifth grade. It’s only a couple of blocks.
[Cassie] I want you to take him.
Hey, Edgar. Still got that puzzle?
See you down in the basement later?
♪ It’s just a silly phase I’m going through ♪
♪ And just because ♪
[engine starts]
♪ I call you up ♪
♪ Don’t get me wrong ♪
♪ Don’t think you’ve got it made ♪
[song fades]
[menacing music playing]
[music fades]
[siren wails]
[indistinct police radio chatter]
[brooding music playing]
Morning.
[telephone rings]
Hey.
All right.
Thank you.
Who’s the lucky lady?
Uh…
[woman] Your aftershave.
Cool Water or Calvin Klein?
Oh, I… I just splash on whatever I can find after a workout.
Mm. It’s nice.
Thanks.
[telephone rings]
[woman] Hello, Missing Persons.
Mm-hmm. Hold on. Mikey.
Ledroit.
[indistinct chatter]
[indistinct chatter]
Vincent.
Vincent! Vincent!
Vincent, Cassie called.
Can you call her back? It sounded kind of urgent.
One minute to call.
[band sound checking]
Now, Vincent.
Yeah, Jerry.
I know. Best behavior.
Got a whole lot of PLN suits in the front row.
Richard Costello’s in with his kids.
There was a time you couldn’t get a shooting permit without knowing the guy.
City hall’s poster boy. Koch better watch his back.
Lots of smiles. No tricks. Keep it real.
Thank you, Jerry.
All right, assholes. We doing this?
[Vincent grunts]
Hey, you’re bleeding.
Oh, yeah, bear got me.
[woman] And live on band.
Five, four, three, two, one.
[band play opening theme]
♪ The trees are green And the sky is blue ♪
♪ The sun is up And it’s smiling down on you ♪
[Lennie] Bug, Mush, why are you so sad?
‘Cause no one wants to play today, Officer Charlie.
[laughter]
Yeah, there’s nothing to do.
[Ronnie] Today’s boring!
[whispers inaudibly]
[Vincent] Hmm.
[Lennie] Uh-uh-uh.
There’s no such thing as boring.
Only boring people.
[laughing loudly]
Yeah, well, you know what, Mush? I got a game we could play.
One that all the cool kids are playing. You know, like this boom box over here.
[children laughing]
Oops.
Okay, well, never mind.
Yeah, it’s called “Spot the pile of trash!”
Hey, Bug, you know that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
[Vincent] Ha!
Is that what they say in city hall, Officer Charlie?
‘Cause it looks to me like the only thing growing in New York City
is the crime rate.
[man] And cut, cut, cut!
[Lennie] Okay, that’s enough.
[woman] Go with the meet-cute interlude.
Fuck!
You’re an asshole, Vincent.
[woman] Go now! Please!
God!
[man 1] Hey, Peggy! Peggy! Peggy!
[man 2] Oh, hey, Parker. What’s going on?
[man 1] I lost something.
[man 2] What’d you lose?
[man 1] I lost my tail.
[man 2] Ooh!
[man 1] See, when I go this way, it’s there.
But when I go the other way, it disappears.
[man 2] Oh!
[sighs]
[man 1] So I’m putting up posters.
Posters?
Wanted.
Missing tail.
[laughter]
[man 2] Good luck with your tail.
Yeah.
[woman] Cut. Let’s move on, please.
[Vincent] Good Day Sunshine.
[camera whirs]
All right. Thank you.
Thanks so much, guys. Come again soon. Thank you.
Again, please call Cassie.
Okay.
Soon as you can.
Hey, Vincent.
Get over here.
Fuck this.
Did you have a good time?
[boy] Yeah!
That’s great. Let’s do this. All right. Okay, one, two, three.
[all] Good Day Sunshine!
Okay. You take care, all right?
Vincent, come, uh, say hello.
[Vincent sighs]
For Christ’s sake.
Richard Costello.
[Jerry] Richard’s a big fan.
Yeah.
[Costello] It’s a good show.
Just keeping it real. Gotta bridge that preschooler gap.
[Costello chuckles]
Appreciate that nod to city hall.
Nothing if not topical on this show, right?
[chuckles] We’re going to edit that part out.
[Jerry] We all appreciate how much you fellas are doing at city hall
to clean up this great city of ours.
How come it takes a month before anyone picks up my trash these days?
[chuckles] This guy. You never know if this guy’s kidding or not.
[Vincent] I’m not kidding.
Guess that’s the price of genius.
All right.
[Jerry] Shall we?
Mm-hmm. It was nice to meet you, Vincent.
Yeah.
Jerry, I’m gonna catch up with you.
Come on. They’re a bunch of suits.
Those suits pay the wages.
Whatever. Lennie, come on.
Great time for you to go nuts again.
[exhales forcefully]
[in gruff voice] Why you always gotta be such a douche, bro?
[in higher pitched voice] Uh, dunno. Guess it’s just the way I came out.
[groans]
[breathes deeply]
[switch clanks]
[sighs]
[switch clanks]
Fuck.
[sighs] Keep it together, buddy.
[woman] This is the first I’ve heard of it.
[man] Yeah, a little boy, nine years old. You know him?
[woman] Right.
Couple of doors down.
[woman] Yeah.
Hey.
[Cassie] Thank God. I’ve been calling and calling you.
Edgar did not get to school today.
What?
Edgar did not get to school today!
What?
I’ve called everywhere.
I’ve called everyone. I’ve looked everywhere.
Edgar?
He’s not here! The cops are here.
They’ve been waiting to talk to you.
[breathing anxiously]
[unsettling music playing]
[door closes]
[breathing anxiously]
[knock at door]
[Cassie sniffles]
[breathing anxiously]
[inhales deeply]
[Ledroit] Who’s the artist?
Guilty. I’m a… I’m a puppeteer. I created the show Good Day Sunshine.
[Ledroit] Cool.
You draw?
Oh, no. I’m still mastering how to write.
Shouldn’t you be looking for our son?
We have every beat cop in the area going door-to-door.
We’ve notified all the hospitals with Edgar’s information.
But it’s vital to get every detail,
so if I could go through this again with you.
Yeah, sure, sure.
[Ledroit] Anderson?
As in the real estate guy?
Who drew the fangs?
I did. He’s my father.
[Ledroit] Hmm.
Your wife said Edgar left the apartment a little after 8:00 this morning.
[Vincent] Yeah, to go to school.
You remember what he was wearing?
He was wearing his red jacket. Um…
His, uh, Good Day Sunshine T-shirt.
And, uh…
[Ledroit] Mm-hmm.
…jeans and sneakers.
Jeans. Sneakers.
You have a recent photograph?
Yes, um, just there behind you.
[Vincent] Um…
Recent… [sighs]
Um, here.
[Ledroit] May I take it to circulate?
We sometimes make flyers.
[Vincent] Yeah.
You already have one lit.
The school’s just a few blocks from here. Is that correct?
[Vincent] Yeah, you go past The Lux.
[Ledroit] The nightclub.
[Vincent] And then you take a right and then left.
It’s St, um… St…
Edith’s.
…Edith’s.
Thank you. St. Edith’s.
[Cassie sniffles]
[Ledroit] And you normally let him walk alone?
Just this once.
[Ledroit] They wanna run before they can walk.
Walk before they can crawl.
And that’s the last time you saw him?
Yes.
I was asking your husband.
[vehicle pulls up outside]
Yeah.
[Ledroit] Okay.
I’ll speak to the rest of the building, circulate Edgar’s photograph.
[Cassie] Is that the press outside?
[Ledroit] They pick up on our alerts. It can help get the word out.
But you shouldn’t say anything yet.
[telephone rings]
But you might… you might wanna screen your calls.
[Edgar on answering machine] Hello, this is the Anderson family.
Please leave a message after the tone.
[Cassie] Message after the beep!
[Vincent] Leave your number.
[Edgar] Don’t forget to leave your number!
[Vincent] Bingo!
[beep]
[tearfully] Cassie, it’s Mom. Pick up.
Are the police there? Have they found him yet?
Hi, Mom. Any news?
Have they found Edgar?
No.
No, Mom. Just stay with Dad, okay?
[tearfully] Please don’t cry, okay? I’m gonna call you later, okay? [sniffles]
[firm knocking on door]
Mr. George Lovett?
Yes, sir.
Detective Michael Ledroit.
Okay.
Wanna talk to you about the Anderson boy upstairs.
Oh. Well, how can I help?
Yes.
Sir, nothing unusual this morning?
Only that the garbage trucks finally picked up. [chuckles]
[both chuckle]
[Ledroit scribbles]
You have grandkids?
[George] No, I mends things.
Chain’s gone on a little girl’s tricycle. Live below the Andersons.
[Ledroit scribbles]
He was a good kid.
Huh…
Was?
Just a turn of phrase.
You got all you need, sir?
For today.
Okay.
[George clicks his tongue, chuckles]
[Ledroit] Take care.
Okay.
[footsteps on stairs]
[suspenseful music playing]
[Ledroit] All right. I want CCTV from the Anderson apartment to The Lux,
past the basketball courts, and up to St. Edith’s.
Mark up every door you’ve knocked on, every area you’ve searched.
I want anyone recently released, anyone with priors,
anyone with a predilection for kids.
Pull up any pedophile rings.
Anything on The Lux nightclub, specifically the owner, Alexander Gator.
Get to it.
[man] Want me to go see Gator?
[Ledroit] No, leave The Lux to me.
[indistinct chatter]
[“Supernature” by Cerrone playing]
[excited chatter]
[man] Okay. Yeah.
[doorwoman] No, you ain’t coming in here dressed like that. This is The Lux.
Hey, handsome. Welcome back.
♪ Science opened up the door ♪
♪ We would feed the hungry fields ♪
♪ Till they couldn’t eat no more ♪
♪ But the potions that we made ♪
♪ Touched the creatures down below, oh ♪
♪ And they grew up in the way ♪
♪ That we’d never seen before… ♪
Hey, can I get a Sprite?
Give me a beer. This guy don’t pay.
On the house.
No, thanks, Gator. I’m on duty.
You always are, Mikey.
[woman] I just feel, like, such a connection to you.
Gentlemen, TJ’s looking after you?
[man 1] Hey, Gator.
[Gator] Gotto, play nice.
Yeah.
Okay, good.
Make sure you have a good time tonight. TJ, keep it clean tonight, okay?
[TJ] Sure, Gator.
I got a near ten-year-old bourbon. Came in tonight.
When the fuck did you get back? Hi, Judy.
[man 2] Maybe later.
[TJ] You don’t know what you’re missing.
Okay. Make sure you got everything you need.
Take care of those guys by the bar, would you?
[woman] Fuck!
[man 1] Two burgers! Two fries!
Hey, kid, you hungry?
[man 2] Good to have you back, Gator.
Good to be back.
[man 3] VIP only.
[man 1, panting] Yeah.
[man 2] Gimme some of that.
[man 1, panting] Oh shit.
[man sniffs]
Hey.
[man 3] You got fucking nerve, TJ.
[TJ] Not looking for trouble tonight.
[TJ groans]
[TJ yells]
[TJ] Okay! All right!
What? You fucking douche.
You fucking piece of trash!
Give me what you fucking got.
[man 4] Go easy, Kennedy. Keep it cool.
I’m not gonna fucking tell you again.
I’ll cut your fucking balls off. What you got?
That’s a good boy.
What’s up with you?
Calm down. Fuck.
You all right, Nokes?
Yes. Fucking calm.
[Kennedy] Calm down, fucking prick.
Jesus Christ.
You wanna end up like 8?
[Nokes] Hey, I said calm down!
Shut the fuck up about 8.
[TJ] Fuck you.
You fucking faggot.
Get out of here before you give me AIDS, you piece of shit!
[door closes]
[sniffs]
Police.
Give me a fucking break.
You’re under arrest.
[Nokes] No! It’s all good. It’s all cool.
[Kennedy] Fuck off!
Yeah.
[Ledroit] What the fuck?
Yeah, we’re Vice, you fucking dick.
My… my bad.
Come on. Let’s get out of here.
Who’s 8?
You wanna fucking talk about 8?
Shut the fuck up.
Tough guy.
Shut the fuck up, Cal.
Come on, get the fuck out of here. Walk. Walk.
[unsettling music playing]
Kennedy, for fuck’s sake.
[door opens]
It’s been a long night. Be grateful you got us on a good day.
[exhales wearily]
[keys jangle]
[music fades]
Hey.
You didn’t eat?
Why don’t you just get it over with and kill me?
[groans]
Here.
Take these.
Couple more of these and it’s done.
Nice and quick.
I’m not listening to you, old man.
You’re late. New case?
[Ledroit] Another missing kid. Don’t wanna talk about it.
[Ledroit hums happily]
[chuckles]
[man] Mmm…
[man chuckles]
[Ledroit sniffs]
Hi.
[softly] Hi.
Come here.
Come on, bud.
[man groans]
You know you want to. [chuckles]
You smell like old times.
[both chuckle]
[man sighs happily]
[male reporter on TV] …all seeking answers to this increasingly worrying problem.
Twenty-four hours have passed since nine-year-old Edgar Anderson,
son of Good Day Sunshine creator Vincent Anderson
and grandson of prominent property developer
and philanthropist Robert Anderson, was last seen walking to school.
We’re left asking just how safe our streets are…
[Vincent sniffs]
Where are you going?
Can’t just sit around here.
What?
What if the cops call?
I’ve gotta keep myself busy.
Well, call your mother back at least. She keeps leaving messages.
[melancholy music playing]
You should’ve walked him to school.
You should’ve walked him.
[door opens]
[door slams]
[indistinct chatter]
Should have walked him. Should have walked him to school.
[man] Got Nelson screaming down the phone this morning.
Kid’s an Anderson?
Press are going crazy over this, Ledroit. Gotta give me something to tell the boss.
We got two sightings close to Bryant Park.
The degenerates from 42nd all the way down.
We checked ’em all out. Nothing. Kid’s route to school took him past The Lux…
What the fuck are you doing at The Lux again
for, like, the fourth time this month?
What the fuck are you doing pulling in Kennedy and Nokes?
They were shaking down the place. I’m just doing my job.
[man] Your job is missing persons.
You’re doing yourself no favors. Let IA deal with that shit.
[scoffs] Internal Affairs, right.
Going down to The Lux, you’re gonna get yourself into trouble.
Gator needs to know he can’t keep doing…
Gator served his time.
And he’s only out a couple of months, and he’s back running The Lux?
Now a kid goes missing a couple of blocks from that place.
[man] We got him. Ledroit.
Come on, six years for dealing drugs.
[Ledroit] What about the shit he was pulling at the Sierra?
The age of some of the kids he was running out of that place, doesn’t…
doesn’t that punch you in the gut?
[man] Those boys were hustlers.
There’s a reason you transferred to Missing Persons from Vice, Mikey.
Some people would say you couldn’t cut it. And we closed the Sierra down.
And I’m just letting Gator know we’re still watching.
[sighs] The only thing you should be watching at The Lux is that ass.
Whatever this thing is you got going with Gator, let it go.
Focus on the Anderson kid.
You got nothing to do at night? Go to the movies. Take up a hobby.
Get yourself a fucking date.
Lorenza’s been nagging me to death to have you over for dinner.
[knock at door]
[door opens]
Guy from Hudson Sanitation wants to talk to you, Mikey.
[Ledroit] Thank you.
Hey, Tina. You free Friday?
Always.
Dinner, hmm?
I mean it. You could do worse.
[door closes]
What the fuck we got?
[indistinct chatter]
[telephone ringing]
[officer] Come on, let’s go.
[unsettling music playing]
[George] Okay. Almost there.
All right. I’m good.
I thought it best to bring him around the back.
[Cassie] Thank you.
A lot of press out there.
[Vincent] Thank you.
[Cassie] Appreciate it.
[George] Okay.
The police called. They found something. Sober the fuck up.
[unsettling music intensifies]
[Ledroit] We got this from a guy working for Hudson Sanitation.
Our forensic team is checking blood type, but if you could give us a visual ID…
[music fades]
[gasps]
I mean, every kid from third grade up has one of these.
It’s Edgar’s. It’s faded on the E and the Y.
[Vincent] You don’t know that.
Vincent, it’s Edgar’s.
[Ledroit] At this point, we’re not ruling out any possibilities.
Uh…
Have you… have you got a suspect?
Yes, we have persons of interest we’re investigating.
Do you think he’s dead?
As hard as it might be,
please don’t draw any conclusions yet.
We remain hopeful.
[brooding music playing]
[Cassie inhales deeply]
Coming?
Someone has to be at the apartment if someone calls, if he comes home.
He heard us fighting, Vincent.
He heard us say those things to each other.
Everyone fights. Even if he did, it’s just what we do.
You’re not listening.
Cassie, come on. It’s just…
[sighs]
I need some space.
From what?
From you.
[groans]
I need some space from you.
Jesus Christ. Cassie, come on.
I have to look for him, Vincent.
[melancholy music playing]
[sighs]
[intriguing music playing]
[breathes heavily]
[poignant music playing]
[Tina] Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Okay. Yeah, tomorrow.
[telephone receiver is replaced]
Tina.
Mm?
Go on home.
You too, Mikey.
[“Vitamin C” by Can playing]
Tina.
Lt. Nokes. Give my love to that wife of yours.
♪ She is living in and out of tune ♪
♪ Hey, you ♪
♪ You’re losing, you’re losing ♪
♪ You’re losing You’re losing your vitamin C ♪
♪ Hey, you ♪
♪ You’re losing, you’re losing ♪
♪ You’re losing You’re losing your vitamin C ♪
♪ Your vitamin C… ♪
[telephone ringing]
[telephone ringing]
You have teeth.
[Edgar] Hello, this is the Anderson family.
Please leave a message after the tone.
[Cassie] Message after the beep!
[Vincent] Don’t forget your number.
[Edgar] And don’t forget your number!
[Vincent] Bingo!
[Cassie] Vincent, I’ve walked the entire West Side. No sign.
I’m staying at Rhonda’s. Feed the cat, okay?
♪ Hey, you ♪
♪ You’re losing, you’re losing ♪
♪ You’re losing You’re losing your vitamin C ♪
♪ Hey, you… ♪
[Cassie] Sebastian.
Cassie?
Don’t talk.
♪ You’re losing your vitamin C ♪
♪ Your vitamin C ♪
[Kennedy] Hey, Joe, you know my wife, Kim?
All she does is yap, yap, fuckiddy yap.
Doesn’t wanna hear any of what’s on my mind, right?
All right, you know, I tell you, if she has that baby tomorrow,
you know, it wouldn’t be too soon because all she does
is talk about a fucking baby that’s not even born yet.
The moral… the moral of that story is…
keep it in your pants.
You want another one for the road?
[Kennedy] Yeah, please. Thank you.
[bartender] So no Nokes tonight, Kennedy?
No.
No, he’s kind of sore.
He says I talk too much… [grumbles incoherently]
[sighs]
You know, sometimes it’s, uh…
it’s hard to keep that stuff in.
Vice ain’t no picnic, you know?
Slainte.
Cheers.
[Kennedy] God bless.
Aiyah!
Right.
That’s me. I’m done. I’m off.
[groans]
[object clatters]
Fucking watch.
[bartender] You good?
Yeah. Yeah, I’m good.
Wish me luck.
[static crackle]
[Ledroit] Who’s 8?
[Kennedy] You wanna fucking talk about 8?
[Nokes] Shut up. Shut the fuck up, Cal.
[tape winds]
[static crackle]
[indistinct chatter]
[TJ] I got a near ten-year-old bourbon out the back. Came in tonight.
[man] Maybe later.
[TJ] You don’t know what you’re missing.
[Gator] Make sure you got everything you need.
[tape stops]
[tape winds]
[static crackle]
[indistinct chatter]
[TJ] I got a near ten-year-old bourbon out the back. Came in tonight.
[man] Maybe later.
[TJ] You don’t know what you’re missing.
[Gator] Make sure you…
[tape winds]
[static crackle]
[man] Two burgers! Two fries!
Hey, kid, you hungry?
[boy] Yeah.
[man] Good to have you back, Gator.
[tape stops]
[tape winds]
[tape stops]
Hey, kid, you hungry?
[boy] Yeah.
[tape stops]
[tape winds]
[static crackle]
[man] Hey, kid, you hungry?
[boy] Yeah.
[tape stops]
[“Crucify Your Mind” by Rodriguez playing]
[sighs]
♪ Was it a huntsman or a player ♪
♪ That made you pay the cost ♪
♪ That now assumes relaxed positions ♪
[Vincent growls]
♪ And prostitutes your loss? ♪
♪ Were you tortured by your own thirst ♪
♪ In those pleasures that you seek ♪
[groans]
♪ That made you Tom the Curious ♪
♪ That makes you James the Weak? ♪
♪ And you claim you got something going ♪
♪ Something you call unique ♪
♪ But I’ve seen your self-pity showing ♪
♪ As the tears roll down your cheeks ♪
[alarm clock beeping]
♪ Soon you know I’ll leave you ♪
♪ And I’ll never look behind ♪
♪ ‘Cause I was born for the purpose ♪
♪ That crucifies your mind ♪
[thwack]
[song stops abruptly]
[groans]
[gruff voice] Wake up.
Wake up.
Pathetic fuck.
What are you, deaf? Get dressed.
Didn’t no one tell you? The real monsters ain’t under the bed.
“Be good. Be kind. Be brave.”
Be blah, blah, blah.
Get your shit together, asshole.
Let’s go find your fucking kid.
♪ And you assume You’ve got something to offer ♪
[train passing]
♪ Secrets shiny and new ♪
♪ But how much of you is repetition ♪
♪ That you didn’t whisper to him too? ♪
[song ends]
[eerie music playing]
[music fades]
[mysterious music playing]
[music fades]
