[mellow, dreamy music]
female narrator: Once the average adult
has gone through their first stream
of failed relationships,
it is only natural for them to start looking backwards,
to wonder who could've been the right person
had timing only been on their side.
Perhaps if you had only done that one thing differently
or not picked that fight,
you would've saved yourself from an abyss of bad dates.
♪ ♪
Many are merely left guessing,
the fantasy of reconnection never coming to fruition,
but never dying, either.
While others get that second chance
and are able to see for certain
whether timing really was the impediment in the first place.
But none of this was so for Darby,
who by this point had managed
to block such fantasies out of her head entirely.
Instead, she had accidentally distracted herself
with the simple act of living her life.
- I'm gonna place some more of these pieces.
- What? No, actually, you're not.
It's Thanksgiving. You gotta get out of here.
- I'm just gonna get a jump start on it.
- Come on, Darbs, if you don't have plans,
come to our place. - I have plans.
I'm supposed to do, like,
a Friendsgiving thing in Jersey.
- Okay, well, that's perfect.
You know, the whole point of Thanksgiving
is to have a great time with your friends
or a fucking awful time with your family.
- Very true. - Yeah.
[Marva Whitney's "Nothing I'd Rather Be Than Your Weakness"]
- Ah.
[indistinct chatter]
♪ ♪
Hi.
Jim. - Darby, oh, my God.
- Hi.
- I'm so glad you actually came.
- Of course. Happy, um,
wait, no, what did you call it in the email, Jims-giving?
- Thanks-Jiming.
- Feels like it should be Jims-giving.
- Yeah, well, maybe.
But it is Thanks-Jiming,
so let's all just stick to that, right?
Uh, Darby, Laurel. Laurel, Darby.
- So glad to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you.
- Oh, you too.
- Did you get a seasonal autumnal cocktail?
- Wow, thank you.
Um, I brought these. - Oh, perfect.
- Fantastic. Thank you. - Thank you so much.
I'm gonna go check on the turkey.
- No, you don't have to.
T-the meat thermometer is very precise.
Like, I researched all the best ones
before pulling the trigger.
It has Bluetooth. - [laughs]
You're so cute, baby, but I'm gonna check it anyway.
- Okay. - Okay?
- She seems nice. - Yeah. Yeah.
I don't think it's serious.
- Oh, okay.
- I don't know, maybe it's serious.
I'm not sure. - All good, all good.
- It's weird, right?
Like having Thanksgiving without all of our people?
- Yeah. Yeah.
- Have you, um--have you heard from her at all?
- Uh, not directly, but
I mean, I heard she's in rehab.
- Oh. - Yeah.
- Wow. Good, good. - Yeah.
I know, I really want to call her, but, um,
I don't know if I'm ready and, you know,
I want to make sure she's settled,
in a better place, and all that, you know?
- Right. That's smart.
- Jim, I can't figure out the thermometer.
It won't stop beeping.
- I think Jim said you have to use the app or something.
[speech fades away]
♪ ♪
- Well, I'm gonna go help and you please help yourself
to any of these adult-ass hors d'oeuvres.
- [chuckles] Will do.
♪ ♪
- Well, well, well.
[chuckles]
- I, uh, I didn't know you were coming.
- I didn't know you were coming.
- [chuckles] - Yeah, Jim invited me.
- Oh, same. - Yeah.
- That is very obvious. [chuckles]
So what did you bring to this glorious feast?
- Um, uh, that one.
- These yams? - Yep.
- Interesting, 'cause I'm pretty sure I made those.
- Really? - Yeah.
- Oh, my God. We made the same dish.
- Oh, wow.
- That is crazy. - Yeah, it is.
- Identical. No, I, um--
the shitty store-bought ones are mine. [chuckles]
- Ah. - Yeah.
- Oof. - Don't yam-shame me.
- No, I'm--
- I'm already in a very vulnerable place.
- They look beautiful. - Thank you.
- They're fantastic.
[bell rings] - Everyone, everyone.
Um, please gather at the table.
- The fuck is up with the bell? - [chuckles]
- Like a Pavlovian experiment. - [laughs]
Um, we're gonna sit down here.
- I just got back from teaching English in Korea.
I was saving up some money, you know, seeing some family.
- That's amazing. - Yeah.
Yeah, what about you?
- Um, well, I--
I finally conned my way into a pretty fucking cool job.
- Nice.
- Um, I got married and I got divorced.
- Holy shit. But--
[glass clinking] - [chuckles]
Oh, my God, we've moved on from the bell.
It's now glassware.
- So I thought it could be cool if we all just went around
and said something we're grateful for this year.
Who wants to start us off? - Oh, I-I'll go.
Um,
honestly, I'm just really grateful
to be at this table right now.
Uh... [inhales deeply]
we are living in some really fucked-up times
and I'm trying to focus more on moments and spaces
where I see and feel love and generosity
passing between people. - Mm-hmm.
- Because, uh, maybe I'm idealistic,
but I-I really do believe that if we can open ourselves up
just a little more to empathy and hope,
the world will change.
So thank you everyone
for bringing that spirit into this home,
and thank you, Laurel and Jim,
for hosting an absolutely gorgeous Thanksgiv--
Thanks-Jiming. - Eh?
[laughter] - Cheers.
- Thanks-Jiming. [glasses clinking]
[indistinct chatter]
- Um, all right.
it's gonna be tough to follow that.
but, uh, I guess I'll give it a try.
- [whispering] That was really embarrassing for you.
- [whispering] Thank you.
I rehearsed it for hours last night.
[normally] Like, I'm an American citizen, right?
- Mm-hmm.
- And if-- if I don't give a fuck about
protecting our human rights and our democracy,
then how the fuck can I expect anybody else to, you know?
- Totally, yeah.
You should run for office or something.
You're like Obama. It's awesome.
- Yeah, I thought about it. - Oh, yeah?
- Want some more of this Thanksgiving doob?
- Then I'd have to stop smoking weed, so.
- Yeah. - Thank you.
I think there's a last hit here,
if you want it. - Yeah.
- If I had to sum up what I've learned in the last decade?
- Mm?
- It's that I don't know anything.
- Yeah, no.
I mean, but, you, like, know some things, obviously.
- [mouth full] Yeah, sure, but
even knowledge is subject
to the context of a certain moment.
- You know what I realized is, like,
I should stop worrying about, like,
people thinking about stupid shit that I say
'cause they're all so worried
about thinking about the stupid shit that they say.
- I am paraphrasing--
- Mm. - But--
- I haven't been this high since I had a panic attack
in the Times Square Olive Garden.
- Oh, shit.
You don't seem that high, though.
- [chuckles]
Yeah, no, I always eat pie straight out of the tin,
so we're good. - [chuckling]
- [whispers] We're good.
[Harriet's "Burbank"]
♪ ♪
- Okay.
I am so sorry, but I need to unbuckle my pants--
- [laughs]
- Or unbuckle my belt and unbutton my pants.
And it is not a move.
- No, I'm jealous that you have pants to unbutton.
- [chuckles]
[exhales] - Oh, my gosh.
- ♪ Take away ♪
♪ ♪
♪ The money spent ♪
- You're more beautiful than I remember.
- Oh, really? - Yeah.
Can I tell you something crazy?
- Yeah.
- Sometimes
I wonder what would've happened if I hadn't had to leave.
♪ ♪
- Yeah.
I mean, you would've saved us several years
of potential exposure to herpes.
- [chuckles]
Oh, you didn't have it back then?
[laughter]
♪ ♪
What the fuck was I thinking? - I don't know.
♪ ♪
- ♪ But I was there with you ♪
- Is that okay?
- [softly] Yeah.
- ♪ And you were with me ♪
♪ ♪
- Do you want to stay over?
- I do. - Okay.
- ♪ We were in love ♪
♪ ♪
♪ The cigarette ♪
♪ ♪
- [groans]
- What, what? - Ugh.
- What happened?
- I'm so full. - [laughs]
As in, like, too full?
- Maybe.
- Shit.
That's okay. I am, too.
- Ugh. - [exhales deeply]
This is tragic. - Mm.
- We're finally reunited and we're too full to fuck.
- [chuckles] Yeah.
It's a classic TFTF situation we got on our hands, you know?
- [laughs]
♪ ♪
Oh, come on. We're better than this.
- Yeah, no, you're right. Let's do it.
We can do anything. - Were we go. Let's do it.
Second wind, here we go. Okay.
- [chuckles]
Mm.
Turkey, weed,
couple orgasms. - [chuckles]
- I think I might sleep for three days.
- Cool.
I'll see you Sunday. - [chuckles]
Yeah, I'll see you Sunday.
- ♪ We were in love ♪
♪ ♪
- You're never gonna guess who just left my apartment.
Augie.
- Well, that's a nice holiday surprise.
- Yeah, I know.
It was like literally no time had passed.
- Oh, that's not always a good thing, you know?
- What does that mean?
- I'm just saying if the milk is sour,
you don't put it back in the fridge.
You just throw it out.
- Nothing was ever sour.
- Okay, I stand corrected.
So tell me everything.
narrator: Darby and Augie wasted no time
getting back together.
Augie felt like an old pair of jeans,
a welcome reminder of some other version of herself.
- Hang on.
Hey, merry Christmas, man.
- Ah, merry Christmas to you, young man.
- I respect what you're doing. How'd you get into this?
- ♪ Loving is easy ♪
♪ You had me fucked up ♪
♪ It used to be so hard to see ♪
♪ Yeah, loving is easy when everything's perfect ♪
♪ Please don't change a single, little thing for me ♪
♪ Listen, girl ♪
- Figure skating's one of those
bucket list things of mine, you know?
- [chuckles] What? - Yeah.
- Isn't that one of those things
you're supposed to start when you're, like, two?
- [chuckles] Okay.
Well, I bet I'd be amazing.
- Well, let's get down there. No time to waste.
- I didn't warm up today, so I might pull something, you know?
- Oh. [laughs]
- ♪ On time, on time ♪
- He should be pulling up here.
- ♪ You had me fucked up ♪
- Ah, crap. - Oh.
- Uh, never mind. Sorry. Tree.
- It's like 20 degrees out here.
- Hey, for Augie, right? - Great, thank you.
Oh, come on, dude!
- Hey. For Darby, right?
- Yup. - Great.
- Yeah.
Hi.
Wait. Dude! - Dude. [groans]
- Grab that end. It's only ten blocks.
- It's freezing. - It's only ten blocks.
I believe in you. - Oh, God.
♪ ♪
- Hyup, hyup!
I love this! [laughs]
- ♪ And it didn't take forever to find it ♪
- This is a good assembly line we've set up.
Do you have any memories of doing this?
- Put it in your beard. - Thank you.
- ♪ Till love came in ♪
- We should do it. - We should get a puzzle!
- Yes!
Three, two, one,
New York City Transit.
What? - [laughs]
I had so many questions immediately.
- ♪ It used to be so hard to see ♪
- [chuckles] It's like fiber.
I think the glitter is like Metamucil.
- ♪ When everything's perfect ♪
- Oh, you did it.
- [sings high note] - I'm surprised.
Aww.
♪ ♪
- Merry Christmas. - Merry Christmas.
♪ ♪
- Hey, come here.
♪ ♪
[music fades out]
- Oh, good, you're here.
Lola wants us to come and help her set up early.
- Babe, babe, babe.
Look what I found on the subway on the way here.
- Oh, my God. - Yeah.
- Aww.
Is it okay? - I think so.
Some asshole left him on the subway to die
and it was just about to get kicked on the tracks
in front of the R train.
- Oh, no. Jesus.
- But Daddy's here. - Hi.
- Wolfgang, this is Mommy.
- You named him? Like, we're gonna keep it?
- Well, I can't really have pets in my apartment
so I was kind of hoping he could stay here?
- I can't have pets in my apartment.
No, I can't.
- Well, your landlord's never here, right?
- That's true.
I'm not sure that's a very persuasive argument.
- Well, I couldn't just leave him on the subway,
and I can't bear to take him to the humane society.
I just have to see if I have any friends in the market
for a stupidly adorable animal
who gives out free kisses all the time.
- Okay, uh, we'll figure it out.
Just--there's some old blankets under the sink.
You can make him a little bed or something,
but please hurry 'cause we need to go.
- Okay, okay, okay.
Thank you, thank you. - We're late.
- Wolfgang, I'll show you the digs, man.
[Darci's "Life"]
- This artist makes everything out of waste
he finds in the ocean.
- He makes his own plastic-free adhesive
to bond the materials together.
- Well, isn't this
just gonna end up back in the water table anyway?
- What do you mean?
- Like sure, he's picked up some trash,
but eventually it'll just be trash again.
- Well, it's fine art. - No, for sure.
- So the point is to sell it. - Right.
Yeah, and we're not gonna throw it in the Atlantic next week.
- Yeah, right,
it's just salvaging some old newspapers and nylon rope
seems like it's trying to sell us on the idea
that climate change is our fault.
- Mm-hmm.
- When in actuality, just 100 companies
are responsible for more than 70% of global carbon emissions.
- Right. So it's a complicated issue--
- Well, I just don't think
we should fool ourselves into thinking that this one guy
who made this sculpture out of garbage
is solving the actual problem, which is corporate greed.
- I know, it's wild.
There's actually a Shapiro that I really want to show you.
- Cool. Let's-- - [mouths words]
[indistinct chatter]
[latch clicks]
- Wolfgang.
Hey, buddy.
Wolfgang likes his new bed.
You're mad. I know you're mad.
- No.
I just
wish you hadn't said a lot of that stuff to Lola
about the art and the trash and climate change.
- We were having a dialogue. I was engaging with the art.
- It came off a little insulting
and I still answer to her.
- I'm really sorry, Darby. I--
honestly, I did not mean to come off that way.
It just--the piece was about climate change.
- Yeah. - Which is an issue
that I am very passionate about.
- I know, I know, and I love that.
[chuckles]
I just--I feel like context matters
and, you know, there's a time and place for it
and it was my holiday work party.
- Yeah, but Darby,
n-no one is gonna blame you for my actions.
And if they do, fuck 'em.
- Well, no. Not--no.
Not fuck them, because
people's feelings are important, right?
- Okay, uh--
I hear you.
I just think it's a difference of opinion.
- Yeah.
- And I mean,
we don't have to see eye-to-eye on everything, right?
- Mm-hmm. - It's fucking boring.
- No, I mean, no, you're right.
- We're both right. - Yeah, I love being right.
- Well, me too. - Yeah, no.
You're great at being right.
He's helpful and sweet. He's wonderful.
I mean, we're different, but that's kind of cool.
You know, I always thought I had to be
with my, like, male counterpart,
but I have to accept him for who he is
and I'm sure there's stuff about me that drives him crazy.
- May I make an observation?
- You may.
- You sound a little like
you're trying to convince yourself.
- That doesn't feel like an observation.
It kind of feels like a judgment.
Could you just be supportive?
- Yes, I can.
I support you and I love you and I can't wait to meet him.
- Mom, thank you.
- So listen, honey,
I'm at the doctor with Grandma Janet.
What do you know about diverticulitis?
[horns honking]
[dog barking]
[fire alarm beeping]
- Hey, where's that smell coming from?
- Oh, shit.
- Oh, shit! - Oh, shit!
- Do you have a fire extinguisher?
- Um, I don't know. I don't think so.
- You really should have a fire extinguisher!
- Dude, really? Right now? - Okay.
Oh, Jesus!
Okay, uh. - Oh, shit!
- Okay, um, um, hang on! - Shit.
- Uh... - Oh, fuck.
[fire alarm beeping]
[ornaments clattering]
- Dude. [fire alarm beeping]
[coughs]
- Oh, my God. Are you okay? - Yeah.
- Fuck. Nice work. - Thank you.
- Oh, my God. - Jesus.
- What the fuck happened? - I have no idea.
- Oh, my God. Oh, my God, Wolfgang.
- Hey, bud. - Oh, my God.
He must've chewed through the fucking wires.
- [laughs] That's crazy. - [feigns laughter]
- Hey, we're safe, though, right?
- Yeah, no.
- We are okay. - It's--yeah.
[Wolfgang meowing] - Okay.
- Fuckin' thrilling.
Uh, okay. - Okay. [chuckles]
- [feigns chuckle] - Man.
[fire alarm beeping]
[slow jazzy music]
narrator: Alone with her thoughts
in the darkness of a spin class,
Darby started to wonder.
If Augie felt like an old pair of jeans,
were they too snug?
If she was honest with herself,
the zipper didn't quite come all the way up
and they were starting to cut off
the circulation to her brain.
- Okay, 6:30!
Put another turn on that wheel.
I need you to ride for whatever it is that's holding you back.
- Oh, my God. We had to remove a whole wall.
- No.
- There was, like, a leak my aunt didn't know about.
- [laughs] - Yeah, pretty exciting stuff.
So what's up?
You know, I think you're the first person in my life
to ever ask me for advice.
- Oh, um, right.
[sighs]
Okay.
I...
I think I might break up with Augie.
I might be overreacting. I don't know.
- Oh. Whoa, shit. - Yeah.
- Okay. - Yeah.
I just...
I find him really fucking annoying right now.
- No, I mean, I totally love the guy, but I get it.
W-what is it?
Is he doing his, like, holier-than-thou thing?
- Y-yeah. Yeah.
Which, obviously, like, his heart is in the right place,
but I don't know.
He does this thing, like,
"Let's throw caution to the wind, come on."
- Yeah.
- And I'm not always down, man.
- I know, and then that makes you feel uptight.
- Exactly, yes.
- No, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know.
Sara used to do this to me--
or being with Sara used to do that to me.
[inhales deeply]
I don't know, maybe you and Augie just, like,
maybe you guys want different lives.
- Right, um--
Do you smell something weird?
- No, I don't. - [chuckling] Okay, sorry.
- Look, if Augie isn't bringing out the best in you,
it's possible you aren't bringing out the best in him.
Which is fine, I mean,
that doesn't make either of you bad people, like--
- Yeah.
- It's okay to leave.
If I'm honest with myself,
I don't think I made Sara all that happy.
- Right. - You know?
- That's very good. That's very wise.
- Oh, shit. That was good advice?
- Yeah, it was good. It was excellent advice.
Top notch. - Thanks.
- I'm sorry, you don't--
you don't smell something weird?
- [sniffs]
You mean this?
- I feel like I'm gonna be sick.
That's insane, dude. - Wait.
Holy shit. Are you pregnant?
- [laughs]
No, obviously not.
- I mean, isn't that a thing, though, like smells?
My cousin had that. - Yes.
- I'm pretty sure she couldn't even go in the meat aisle.
- Jim, this is not funny.
- Okay, I'm sure you're fine. - Yeah.
- You guys are-- you're careful, right?
- Yes.
[scoffs] Obviously. God.
Phew.
- Yeah, I think I better finish your beer.
- [chuckles]
[soft dramatic music]
♪ ♪
[chuckling]
♪ ♪
[phone buzzing]
♪ ♪
[pigeon coos]
♪ ♪
Yeah, sorry for all the texts.
I, um, I wasn't sure if I was in the right place, so.
- Oh, yeah, I actually didn't get any of them.
I just have no reception down here.
- Oh.
- [grunts] - [chuckles softly]
- So what'd you want to talk about?
- [grunting]
- Um, do you want to go in your room or something?
- Oh, 'cause of Sid?
No, he's got his headphones on. It's--
- [Sid grunting]
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure. Of course.
- Okay.
- 'Scuse us. Looking good, man.
- [grunting]
- Oh, this is cozy. - Yeah, it's cool, right?
[indistinct chatter]
Oh, are you hungry?
Shavaughn and Edgar are making moussaka.
- No, I'm good, I'm good. - Okay.
So what's up?
- Um...
I have good news and bad news. - Okay.
- Um, what do you want first?
- Oh, uh, let's start with the bad.
- Right, yes. Uh, okay.
So, um, lately I feel like
things just haven't really felt right.
- Buddy? - Buddy!
Hey, man.
- Oh, I'm sorry. - All good, my man.
This is Darby. - Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you. [chuckles] - Yeah.
- Hey, moussaka night. - Moussaka night!
- Not a lot of privacy in this joint, huh?
- Yeah, railroad apartment.
- [clears throat] - Anyway, sorry.
You were--you were saying?
- Yeah, no, just--yeah.
Just that I think maybe...
you and I are
just more different than we thought.
- Mm-hmm. - And, um...
this isn't really working the way that we want it to.
You know?
- Oh, wow.
Okay, that, um...
I am...
actually really glad you said something,
'cause I've been wanting to say something to you.
I just really had no idea-- - Wait, really?
How to bring it up. - Like, actu--
- What? - So you're dumping me?
- No, I-- I thought you were dumping me.
- Are you--[chuckles] No, I--I--yes, I am.
- [laughs] You are breaking up with me?
- I am breaking up with you. - Yes?
- 'Cause I don't want to stay together
and then up fucking hating each other.
- Yes. 10, 15 years, you know what I mean?
Absolutely not.
- Because I love who you are
and if you want to go live in a tiny house on a mountain,
I want that for you.
- And if you want to be in bed every Friday night by 9:00
for the rest of your life... - I really do.
- Let it be so. - I really do.
- [laughs]
- You took this very well and I'm feeling really rejected.
- No, I--come on. I'm taking-- I'm in shock right now.
- You could pretend to be sad.
- I am torn up inside right now.
You don't know how much this-- [laughs]
- I can tell. I can tell.
[both laugh]
- Yeah.
- [chuckles]
- Uh, okay.
So that, uh, bad news wasn't so bad after all.
[inhales deeply]
What's the good news?
[soft dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- [sighs]
♪ ♪