Original release date: April 19, 2024
Plot: Sugar and Melanie track down Olivia’s friend, who shares disturbing information about Davy and his family. Davy and Kenny dig into Sugar’s past.
* * *
Um, hi. Well, the, uh…
The trolls really came out to play today after that last post.
But you know what?
At the end of the day, the joke’s on you guys, because I’m gonna stay here.
And, uh… Oh, and have a great fucking day.
[thuds]
[John] Do you know movies?
[doctor] Not really.
No, I didn’t think so.
You can get dressed now.
There’s a horror movie.
It’s, um… Takes place in Antarctica.
[doctor] Right.
It’s got Kurt Russell, a bunch of guys.
It’s a horror sci-fi, actually, and there’s this scene… [sniffs] …where the doctor…
There’s a doctor scene, and he’s using the defibrillator on a patient.
He’s pushing down on the patient’s chest.
He’s pushing down. [imitates defibrillator]
Pushing down. [imitates defibrillator]
At a certain point, his hands go right through the patient’s chest.
But instead of ribs, like a normal human being,
the patient’s got teeth.
[actor screaming]
And those teeth bite down, and they rip his arms off.
[screaming continues]
Both arms.
It’s actually a really good movie.
[doctor] Yeah. Sounds like it.
[chuckles]
[clatters]
I’ll, uh, run some blood tests and let you know.
[John] Sure.
The wound on your arm will leave a scar.
Mm-hmm.
[sighs] But the organs and the vitals, all your physical symptoms,
seem relatively good.
That’s great. Good.
I mean… [chuckling] …I’m not surprised.
[chuckles]
Of course, that alone doesn’t mean a person is healthy.
How often are you using your intravenous drugs?
How often do I… [sighs]
Not often.
Do you sleep?
Do I sleep? [chuckles]
Do you dream?
[stammers] Intimations of despair?
[chuckles]
Vickers. Whoa. What are you, a shrink?
Ruby asked me to come. She strongly suggested I see you.
I’m here. You saw me. I’m fine.
We’re good.
[zipper closes]
Clean bill of health. [sighs]
[ringing]
John, let me… let me help. I got it.
[ringing fades]
[Dr. Vickers inhales deeply]
John, we need to know. Are you okay?
[John] They keep asking me that.
Uh-huh.
First Ruby, now Vickers.
I’m fine.
Is it just me, or is something else going on?
I don’t know, maybe it’s just me being paranoid.
When you work a case like this, it can happen.
Still, doesn’t hurt to watch your back.
[resident] What can I do for you boys?
[stammers] Mrs. Sugar? Helen Sugar?
That’s me.
Uh, you have a son, John, right?
Oh, my God. You’re Davy Siegel.
Oh. [chuckles]
Oh, from The Boy in the Corner.
Yeah, I am. [chuckles]
[chuckles] Come in. Come on in.
[chattering on TV]
Thank you.
[Helen] This is unbelievable.
I can’t tell ya how many times…
Thank you so much.
…I’ve seen that movie.
[David] Oh.
[Helen] What on earth are you doing here?
[Wendy] Bernie?
Oh. Hey, baby.
You just getting home now?
Yeah, I slept at the beach house.
Why’d you go there?
With everything going on, I had to… I had to get away.
There’s something about the ocean. It helps.
Well, come to bed.
No, you know, I’m wide-awake now. I’m going to try to get some work done.
Y-You go back to sleep. [kisses]
[sighs]
We are out here today.
[chanting] My body, my choice!
It is a fucking powerful day. These women are amazing.
And, um, I’m gonna be out here all day, if you wanna come join, give me a shout.
Get your boots on the ground.
We need you. We need you.
[chanting continues]
[John] Hey, Ruby. So, this guy who’s after Melanie, Stallings?
Hey, what’s he doing? Who’s he calling? What do we know?
[Ruby] I’m into his phone, up in his cloud.
I’m looking at a lot of DoorDash and Pornhub.
No pass bys or text chains? No burners on the credit card? Nothing?
You spooked him. Maybe he’s laying low, being careful.
What’s his sheet say?
Priors, of course.
D&Ds, assault, some narcotic hits along the way.
Kidnapping? Trafficking? He’s gotta have something in that world.
No.
[stammers] Are you checking, uh, aliases, social security numbers?
Sugar, I’ve got this guy’s entire life right in front of me.
He’s a JV asshole. That’s all.
Doesn’t make sense.
It does if Stallings has nothing to do with your missing girl.
All right. Well, thanks for checking.
Hey.
Yeah?
If, for some reason, this case doesn’t go our way…
I’ll find her.
[Ruby sighs]
[shutter clicks]
Oh, perfect. Thanks.
[chuckling] There you go.
You boys have a safe drive back to LA.
Thank you.
And don’t worry. My lips are sealed.
Thank you, Mrs. Sugar.
[engine starts]
[Kenny] Sweet as sugar.
[David] That was easy.
[phone dialing]
Hey.
[Helen] They just left. Ugh.
[chuckles] Yeah, told you.
He’s an oily little creep.
That he is.
And what did you tell him?
Nothing. But they’re digging into everything.
Getting the rug pulled out from under him is just what he needs.
That’s exactly what I think.
Hmm. [chuckling]
[all laughing]
[chuckles] Listen, thanks for stepping in.
Just watch yourself.
They’re not stopping until they figure out who you are.
Okay. Thanks. We’ll speak soon.
Of course.
[chuckling]
Happy birthday to this queen right here.
I love you, bitch. [chuckles]
Thank you. Love you.
I love this bitch. What are you gonna be this year?
You’re gonna be a mix of Zendaya…
Mmm. Mmm. All right.
…and Cate Blanchett and Mick fucking Ja…
[valet] Evening, sir.
[gasps] Hi, Wiley. Hi. Oh.
Please don’t encourage him. He’s becoming a degenerate for attention.
He deserves it, doesn’t he?
[Wiley panting]
Yes, you do, my little love junkie. Yes.
Hmm. [chuckles]
Hey.
[inhales sharply] I spoke to Teresa and the kids.
They made it to San Diego. She has family there, so they’re good.
I’m glad to hear that.
You wanna… You wanna come in?
Yeah.
[Melanie sighs] It’s probably nothing… [stammers]
I mean, I’m… Breakfast, I’m making eggs, and I remembered something.
Something about Olivia? Tell me, please.
We had plans.
Have lunch… [sighs] …then go to the Rose Bowl Flea Market.
This is maybe six weeks ago, but at the last minute,
she canceled because she wasn’t feeling well.
But later that day,
I went to go see a friend who has a gallery in the Silver Lake area.
And while I was there, I saw her at a café across the street.
And I was gonna go over and say hi,
but the girl she was with was such an intense conversation.
And you’d never seen this girl before?
[Melanie] No, but something was going on with them.
And at the time, I remembered, it worried me.
There’s something about her. She was so upset.
[John] About what, I wonder.
You said… [sighs] …Silver Lake?
I want to find out all I can.
I think someone’s been watching me.
It would have been about six weeks ago. She was here with a friend.
Sitting right there.
Sorry, I don’t remember.
You sure?
Yeah.
[John] All right. Thank you.
Good luck, you guys. Yeah.
These trolls, every day, they keep saying, “Olivia, we see you.
Olivia, we’re gonna get you.”
[John] There was less than nothing much to go on…
No, I haven’t.
…but Melanie had a feeling about this other woman.
And so do I.
Somehow, it feels important we find her.
I’m sorry.
[John] Thank you.
[Melanie] I’ve seen this a million times on TV,
where the detective shows a photograph to people.
I mean… [sighs] I-I gotta ask you.
Uh-huh?
Does that really work?
Hey, you’d be surprised, most people wanna help.
Why do you wanna know?
Oh, sorry, I’m a… I’m a private investigator.
Her family hired me to find her. She’s been missing about two weeks now.
My identification.
We think she might have a friend that lives close by who can help us.
Do you mind?
Please.
Yeah, I’ve… I’ve never seen her.
You’re Melanie Matthews.
Oh, yeah. Da-Dani, that’s Melanie Matthews. [chuckling]
[Dani] Oh, my God. You’re… [chuckles] …her.
[chuckling] I-I can’t even begin to say how much your music means to me.
[inhales shakily] To so many of us now.
Thanks, Dani.
You never took any shit, did you?
[cashier chuckles]
No, I did not.
[all chuckling]
You’re with him?
Ye-Yeah.
I know that girl. She’s a friend of Taylor.
Taylor. Do you know where Taylor lives, Dani?
[John] Well, this is fun. [sighs]
[Melanie] What? [sighs]
Working with a bona fide rock star.
Please. Former.
No, seriously, it helped. I mean, she trusted you.
How many of my albums do you have?
What are you talking about? I got ’em all.
Liar.
[knocks]
[Taylor] Yeah?
[Melanie stammers] Hey, Taylor. Dani called.
Hey, I’m Melanie…
Yeah, I-I know. Dani told me.
[stammers] She says you guys are looking for Olivia.
Look, I don’t… I don’t know anything about her either, okay? So, I…
Maybe we could just talk for a minute.
Guys, I’m done with all this Siegel stuff, okay?
“Siegel stuff”? What do you mean?
[Melanie] Look, if you don’t wanna talk, that’s okay. We’ll go.
Can I ask you, are you okay?
[Taylor sighs]
Five minutes.
[sighs] But only because Pain Station fricking rules.
Thanks. That’s a deal.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Um, how did you and Olivia meet? Let’s start there.
[chuckles] I called her a hypocritical bitch.
I love this bitch. [chuckles]
[chuckles] Wow, that’s some way to start a friendship.
Yeah.
Get your boots on the fucking ground. We need you.
[chuckles] It was on Instagram.
She was posting all these stories about helping women escape abusive men.
We need you.
And I… I just couldn’t fucking take it.
So, I messaged her and gave her a ration of shit… [sighs]
…and said that instead of looking in East LA,
she should look at her own backyard.
[stammers] Her own backyard? What did you mean?
Or who did you mean, Taylor?
I’m an actor, okay? I… Trying to be.
[sighs] A couple of months ago, I was up for a role in a Bernie Siegel film.
Thought, “Okay, cool. I… I know Davy Siegel,”
you know… [stammers] …socially, like, friend of a friend,
that kind of thing.
And so, I mentioned to him,
I was like, “Hey, I’m up for a role in your dad’s movie.”
Shouldn’t have done that.
What happened?
Well, nothing at first. Davy was great, you know?
“Oh, so excited. Hope you get it. That’s a perfect role for you.”
He was… He was great.
[John] At first?
Yeah.
Until he started texting me.
“Hey, so, just found out that this is gonna be a much larger role.
Lots of competition.
Why don’t I come on over and help you with the audition?”
And, okay, here we go, like, “help me with the audition”? Fuck that.
I was polite, you know?
“Oh, my God, that’s so nice of you. You know, I can’t tonight.”
But I… He didn’t let it go.
Uh, so he would just ask about the next night and the next night,
and finally, I text him back, “Sorry, dude, it’s not happening.”
The end.
His reply, um, it’s a video…
[inhales sharply] …of two people fucking.
I’m one of them, and Davy is the other one.
[sighs]
[Taylor breathes deeply, grunts]
That was his secret, you know?
It… [stammers] He-He had hidden cameras.
And like I said, like, we had hooked up at his place once,
literal years ago, you know?
I… [stammers] …barely even remembered.
And I was so angry and so fucking violated.
And I’m texting him.
What the… What the fuck does he think this is gonna do?
Convince me to-to audition for you?
Fuck you. You know? Uh…
And so, he calls me, and his voice was…
[sniffles] You know, he called me a bitch.
And said that if I didn’t let him come over,
and, these are his words… [sniffles]
…”Fuck you any way I want,” he would put the tape online.
[clicks tongue, inhales deeply] So what did you do?
[Taylor] I went to the cops.
Okay.
I told them that this… [swallows] …psycho guy was bothering me,
and they were very concerned, and they asked me who the psycho was,
and I told them it’s Jonathan Siegel’s grandson.
Nothing happened.
Yeah. Well… But they’re the Siegels, you know?
What are they gonna do?
Uh, next day, however,
I got a call from a lawyer offering me money to sign an NDA about Davy.
That’s Bernie’s lawyer?
[John] Mm-hmm.
Yeah. I told her to go fuck herself too. So, that was that.
Olivia, she knew all this?
You… You told her about it?
[Taylor] Uh, yeah.
Yeah, she was the one who told me that it wasn’t just me.
Mm-hmm.
Sexual blackmail, this is, like, his thing. [grunts]
[John] Olivia knew his secret.
Yeah, he’s done this to dozens of women.
Asshole. [scoffs]
[Taylor] Um… [sighs] …anyways,
I th… I think it’s been more than five minutes, so…
Well, you’ve been very brave, Taylor. Thank you.
Yeah.
I’m scared. I…
Are you okay?
[inhales deeply, stammers] Yep.
Yeah? With Davy, did you…
You know that thing, the idea that we’re supposed to slow down,
pay attention to things?
Mm-hmm.
You know, if we… we slow down, we put down our phones,
we really slow down, maybe we see the world as beautiful?
Yeah. Stop and smell the roses.
Might be the opposite.
What do you mean?
Might be the reason we don’t look is because…
it’s all so sad and ugly.
Yeah, but not everything.
We have sea lions, Patti Smith…
Okay.
[John] Cypress trees.
You know, the sound of your little sister laughing, having fun.
[child giggles]
I don’t have a little sister.
Okay, so what about Paris?
[chuckling]
City of Paris is sad and ugly?
[Melanie] Never been.
You’ve never been to Paris?
Nope.
[chuckles] C’est tant pis.
She’s never been to Paris.
Wiley, she’s never been to Paris. No wonder she’s so down in the dumps.
[whimpers]
That and…
And maybe… maybe the Bernie thing too.
It sounds like he may have been involved in all this Davy business.
Thanks for the ride.
You got it.
[John] She’s upset.
Davy was a predator. Olivia found out and now Olivia’s gone.
[engine starts]
Did one thing lead to the other?
Not sure.
I need to know how deep the rot runs in the Siegel family.
You should have seen it. His mom would have told me anything.
[Margit chuckles] That’s my boy. Always the charmer.
[inhales deeply] Do me a favor, David,
and don’t mention any of this to your father, okay?
Let’s figure out what we’re going to tell him first.
So if he calls you…
But he already knows I went.
No, I know. I know. I just…
I’d like some time to digest the information first.
So if he calls you, say you wanna tell him in person, okay?
Okay, Mom.
All right. Thank you, sweetheart. Safe travels back. [kisses]
Bye.
Hey, Carlos. It’s John Sugar. Uh, I need to speak to Mr. Siegel, please.
Did you find her?
[John] No, sir. Not yet.
Then why are you calling me?
Well, there’s something important I need to discuss with you.
What is it?
I’d rather not say over the phone. Have you got time to meet?
[sighs] Carlos will give you an address.
[John] Carlos gave me an address and a movie ticket.
[John] Okay. Sure. It’s a Lorraine Everly classic.
But I’m here to work.
From the beginning, I’ve suspected
that Jonathan’s been holding something back.
A secret. Something important. Something to do with Olivia.
But now, I’m worried it may have something to do with Davy.
[people chattering]
Mr. Sugar.
Congratulations.
Glad you could make it.
Not quite Vanity Fair on Oscar night, but a lot of old friends.
Well, thanks for the invitation.
Uh, somewhere private we can talk?
After the screening.
Sure.
[shutters clicking]
It’s like watching… [speaks indistinctly]
Oh, yeah. Hey.
[shutters clicking]
Photo op time.
[reporters clamoring]
[clearing throat]
I hear your private detective is striking out.
[chuckles]
What do you care?
Oh, I care. [chuckles] I’ve just had enough of her nonsense.
Uh, scotch. Neat, please.
[bartender] You got it.
So, you’re the PI?
Yeah, I’m one of ’em.
[chuckles] Funny.
Hmm.
You never cared about Olivia a day in your life.
You, a truly terrible father.
[chuckles]
Margit Sorensen.
Oh. Oh, you think that’s funny?
I’m John Sugar.
[chuckles] You know who said the same thing to me, Dad?
My mother.
I was a teenager once with access to a television.
So, yeah, I know who you are.
I’m really not sure if I should feel flattered by that,
or just old.
[chuckles]
[chuckles] Yeah.
[chuckles] Thank you.
[chuckles] Prick.
[John] Davy Siegel’s your son, huh?
Mmm. My one and only.
Is he here tonight? I haven’t… I haven’t seen him.
Oh, no. David’s very busy. He… He couldn’t make it.
Do you know him personally?
No, not really. Just… Just by, uh, reputation.
Mmm. Well, don’t believe everything you hear, Mr. Sugar.
I mean, when it comes to someone like you, I don’t.
[both laugh]
[Bernie] Huh.
[chuckles]
Taking a night off from fighting crime?
[chuckles]
An invite to a glamorous Hollywood screening, how could I say no?
Well, if by glamorous… [chuckles]
…you mean watching Jon Voight not know he’s got popcorn in his beard. [stammers]
Well, yes, can’t miss. [chuckles]
Still no Olivia?
[John] Working on it.
Hmm. She always appears after you give up looking.
Yeah. Well, I’m not giving up.
Suit yourself. Not my money.
Where’s Davy?
David? Why?
I just wanna talk to him.
About what?
About women.
Dating advice? [stammers, chuckles]
David’s had rotten luck in that department.
Dating, is that what we’re calling it now?
[chuckles] Is something on your mind, Mr. Sugar?
It’s gonna come out, Bernie.
Davy. The women.
You trying to cover it all up. It’s coming out.
I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.
Did Davy do something?
Did Davy do something to Oliv…
Mmm.
This looks like interesting conversation.
Mr. Sugar, this is my wife, Wendy.
[inhales sharply] I’m sorry to interrupt, but they are asking for you.
[blows] Let’s go.
[John] I don’t get it.
Davy’s a sex offender. Olivia’s gone missing.
And I still don’t know how those two things are connected,
but no one in this family seems to give a shit about either one.
What’s going on with these two?
I thought Melanie had come clean, but maybe not.
I’ve been doing this a long time. But to be honest, when it comes to people,
I still have a lot to learn.
[knocks]
[John] Sorry to bother you. I’m Jonathan Siegel’s PI.
No, no, no. Come on in. Bother away.
[clattering]
I’m Glen, by the way.
You excited for the screening?
Oh, yeah.
111 minutes of Lorraine Everly on 35 millimeter at a 2.35-to-1 ratio.
You better believe I’m excited.
[chuckles]
I wouldn’t be human if I wasn’t excited.
Nice to find a fellow nerd.
I assume you were studying Kurosawa and Godard by the age of five?
[chuckles] No, not really.
I didn’t really discover movies until much later in life.
[Glen] Hmm.
[equipment buzzes]
[John] But, uh, when I did, you know,
bad guys, good guys, femme fatales, killer robots, cowardly lions.
I loved it. All of it.
Hmm.
Amazing, the things you can learn just from watching the movies.
[Glen] Yeah.
[projector whirring, stops]
Thanks, Glen.
[Glen] Yeah, man. Enjoy the show.
[John] Will do.
[projector whirring]
[thunder rumbling on screen]
[actor 1] You’re supposed to be in Mexico…
[John] “Enjoy the show.”
…with my husband.
[John] I’m trying. Although it’s hard to be patient.
What are you, my babysitter?
[actor 2] That’s exactly what I am.
[John] I need to talk to Jonathan.
Louis told me to stay here and keep an eye on you.
I keep thinking about running away.
I wanna get away from this place. Away from him.
[John] I admit, this was one of my favorites.
What if there were no Louis?
That’s dangerous talk, Coral.
[Coral] I’m only talking to you, Steve.
You’re the only one I tell my secrets to.
You’re the only one I trust.
[thunder rumbling]
[audience applauding]
[announcer] Ladies and gentlemen, the film’s producer.
A living Hollywood legend, Jonathan Siegel.
[audience applauding, cheering]
[announcer] So great to revisit this picture on the big screen.
[Jonathan] Oh, bless your heart.
A wonderful picture and a wonderful actress.
This was Lorraine Everly’s first major role, wasn’t it?
Yes. And I’m the genius who gave it to her.
[audience chuckles]
You couldn’t take your eyes off her.
Yeah.
Anyway, I couldn’t.
You made six more movies together…
[phone buzzing]
…and were married for 23 years.
That’s almost unheard of in Hollywood.
[Jonathan] Well… [exhales deeply] …besides love,
we respected each other.
I’m so screwed. [sighs]
[cell phone ringing]
It’s him.
[ringing continues]
Fuck.
[Jonathan] That’s the key.
[announcer stammers] Did you have…
[person] The timing is horrifying.
[cell phone chimes]
[announcer] Everything all right?
[cell phones buzzing]
[cell phones buzzing, chiming]
[applause]
[cell phone chimes]
Hey, Stallings, what’s up?
[Byron] I just found out. You doing all right?
Uh, I’m fine. But yeah, it’s crazy.
I’m afraid we’ll have to cut this short. My apologies.
[Byron] You know, you can’t do this.
You can’t touch that. Like, remember when women were fun?
Well, all right… Okay, Jonathan, uh… Jonathan Siegel, everybody.
Jona… Jonathan Siegel.
[audience applauding]
It’ll blow over.
[Byron] I hope so. Because there’s one rule that hasn’t changed,
and that’s…
Mr. Siegel.
Mr. Siegel. Are you okay?
[groans]
Mr. Siegel! Uh, here. Here. Here’s a chair.
[Byron] If you find yourself talking to the cops…
…or a lawyer or…
Teresa’s so-called probation officer…
You okay? Call 911.
Relax. [shushes] Whoa, whoa, whoa.
[Jonathan] I’m a bit dizzy.
[person] Is there a doctor?
[Carlos] Is he breathing?
[Byron] …and my name comes out of your mouth…
[John grunts]
Nah, man. [chuckles]
No way. You got nothing to worry about.
Here he is.
[medic 1] He started crashing. Okay, excuse me.
[medic 2] No pulse.
…I will skull fuck you till your eyes bleed.
[medic 1] 360, charge.
Clear!
Clear!
[medic 2] Again.
All right. Well, I’m heading to TJ tonight.
Uh, maybe when I get back we can, uh, grab a beer, get some pussy,
get your mind away from this shit, huh?
Yeah, of course. Sounds… Sounds good.
Adiós, muchacho.
[line disconnects]
[chimes]
Fuck.
[grinding]
[people chattering]
Boys. Boys. Come here, come here, come here.
Give me some love.
Give me some love, you beautiful creatures.
How are ya? How are ya? Huh?
All right. Get the girls out of here!
[worker speaks Spanish]
Come on! Come on! Come on! For fuck’s sake.
[sighs] You ready to roll?
Sí, jefe.
All right, I’m heading down south on business,
but I wanna keep moving on this Clifford shit, okay?
Follow up with that Melanie Matthews, and I wanna know who this, uh,
Mr. Parole Officer is with the good hair, all right?
That’s your job, shithead.
I’m trusting you two to take care of this for me. Don’t fuck it up.
Got it.
And you… [exhales sharply]
[keys rattle]
…you are my guardian. Huh?
And what’s behind this door is my special project.
Mm-hmm.
Mine… [exhales sharply] …all right?
So if anybody comes anywhere near it…
[inhales sharply] …I want you to shoot ’em in the head. You got it?
Right between the eyes.
[inhales deeply] And don’t forget to feed the dogs.
All right, let’s go. Let’s go.
[John] Heart attack.
[breathes deeply]
But they say he should be fine. Guess that’s good news for Jonathan.
But me, I’m left spinning my wheels.
[dial pad beeping]
[John] Still, seeing that movie tonight reminded me of something.
[typing]
[John] Why would she be wearing the same dress 30 years later?
[whispers] Same dress.
Why would she be wearing the same dress…
thirty years later?
[thunder crashes]
[chuckles]
Hmm?
Um, hello again.
Um…
You know, sometimes I think the entire human race is doomed.
I think someone’s been watching me.
And I know that sounds really, really fucking paranoid. But…
[John] No, you were right, Olivia.
I’m scared.
