(gentle music playing)
-(wind whooshing) -(children squealing, giggling)
(Jack) Love is the best thing we have.
Maybe after we strip away all the bullshit...
it's the only thing we have.
(kisses)
(gentle music builds)
(uplifting music playing)
-(music concludes) -(indistinct chatter)
(cutlery clinking)
-(Jack clears throat) Alice. -(ambient piano playing)
-(chuckling) Jack? -(Jack chuckles) Yes.
-Hi. -(giggles)
Well, your picture didn't lie.
-Yours is an understatement. -(Alice) Well, that's on purpose.
-What will you have to drink? -Macallan.
So, who are you, Jack?
-Who am I? -Are you nervous?
A little, aren't you?
Why don't I concretize the question? What do you do?
Thank you. I am a biomedical researcher.
What do you research?
(Jack) Right now, Hashimoto's Disease.
-Why? -Why?
-Do you have Hashimoto's disease? -No.
(Alice) Does anyone you know have Hashimoto's disease?
-No. -(Alice) Then why?
For the glory of perhaps one day curing Hashimoto's disease?
Not for the glory, no. Er, curing it will help people.
(Alice) But it won't help you.
-Not directly, no, but... -(Alice) Or anyone you know.
-No, but... -So, you're a crusader.
I wouldn't say that.
You should, 'cause it's really adorable.
But it's kind of a hazy reward calculus.
-(grunts softly) What? (scoffs) -Well, let's break it down.
What do you do after you cure Hashimoto's Disease?
-There's a whole bunch of us. -Yeah, but what do you do?
I move on to something else, I guess.
-Another disease. -Probably.
And then what? Another one.
On and on until I die at some point, I suppose.
(Alice) Of another disease.
(scoffs) One you've never even thought about.
-Statistically very likely. -(Alice) Yeah, after which time
and for all eternity, the fact you've cured
or helped cure Hashimoto's disease or, you know,
potentially other diseases won't mean anything to you
because nothing will mean anything to you,
because you'll be dead.
This is my first time using the app.
-Is this how it usually goes? -What actually is
-Hashimoto's disease? -It's autoimmune-related.
See, I could understand
devoting your life to biomedical research
if you're going for the glory.
Can we not say glory?
Can we say for the feeling of having done something good?
Like a calling?
-Mm, well... -(Alice) Are you religious?
-I don't know yet. Are you? -So, not fame or rewards per se,
but for a feeling of work well done.
Of a life well lived,
of the world in some measure improved.
And that's why you do what you do.
(inhales sharply) What do you do?
-I make money. -Crystal clear reward calculus.
-The clearest. -(Jack) Finance business.
-Bold guess in this part of town. -Any goals beyond personal wealth?
I think of it more like... a defence fund,
like a war chest.
Who are you fighting? People like me?
No.
Everyone else.
-(gentle inquisitive music playing) -(tyres squealing)
(Alice) Do you live near here?
(Jack) I work around the corner.
Are you suggesting we go to your office?
Oh, no, no, no, sorry, I wa... no.
-(Alice) We'll go to my apartment. -(Jack) Already?
(Alice) Or we part as friendly acquaintances.
Either's fine by me.
That's not a choice.
(both chuckle softly)
(music concludes)
(whispers) Are you awake?
-Are you awake? -(gasps)
I am now. Yeah.
Hi.
I wanna say this in a way that's clear, but not rude.
Get the fuck out of here?
Basically, yeah.
Right.
(exhales)
-I'm sorry. -(Jack) Oh, no, it's all good.
Onto the walk of shame.
I don't know why they call it the walk of shame,
you just had sex, they should call it
the walk of victory, the stroll of conquest.
Yeah, they absolutely should not call it that.
(chuckles)
(exhales) Where's my sock?
Have you done this before?
Slept with a stranger?
Dressed yourself.
I have dressed myself before. Yeah.
-You're great. -What?
You're kind and you're handsome, and... you're a good lover.
You're wonderful.
I can see why you want me to go.
-(chuckles softly) -(tender music playing)
(Jack exhales deeply)
(snickers) Is it always like this for you?
Is what always like what?
Never mind.
(chuckles) Bye.
(music fades)
I'll call you.
Thank you, but if it's okay with you,
I'd rather you didn't.
-(clicks tongue) I'll text you? -(chuckles) Hmm.
-(breathes deeply) -(tender music continues)
(door closing)
(lift clangs, rumbles)
(music concludes)
(train rattling)
(indistinct chatter)
Don't do it.
Why not?
She told you not to and she threw you out of her flat.
As far as signals go, those are pretty clear.
There was something in the subtext.
Don't hang your hat on subtext, mate.
Subtext is dangerous. Subtext can get you killed.
You don't understand 'cause you weren't there.
It would've been weird if I was.
-That would've been weird. -Just sayin'.
-(indistinct chatter) -(diners laughing)
All right, we can go.
(clears throat)
(mobile phone chimes)
(traffic rumbling)
(keypad clicking)
You all right?
I'm fine.
Wanna talk about anything?
(breathes deeply)
No, thank you.
'Cause we can, if you want. I am your friend.
You can't be my friend 'cause you're someone I pay.
(mobile phone keys beeping)
(Jack sighing)
-(sombre music playing) -(mobile phone beeps)
(grunts softly, exhales)
(indistinct chatter)
(car engine rumbling)
(car door shuts)
(car engine revving)
(sighs)
(sombre music continues)
(Jack inhales, grunts)
(music concludes)
(Jack singing indistinctly)
(continues singing quietly)
Paul?
Paul!
(mobile phone ringing)
Are you all right?
Yeah. Are you all right?
(Alice over phone) I thought I told you not to bloody call.
I had a breakthrough.
-(Alice) Psychologically or...? -No. (chuckles)
Er, at work, we isolated the Hashimoto's base pair.
(over phone) So, we're one step closer to a cure.
-Do you wanna tell me about it? -(Jack) I just did.
(Alice) Did you wanna tell me more about it?
Yeah.
(Alice) Exchange Square. Twenty minutes.
(train rumbling)
-What? -I'm not sure about the beard.
-No? -I mean, it's handsome.
That's not the issue.
You're more or less unbreakably handsome.
But there's just something about it.
I didn't expect to see you tonight.
Then why did you call me?
Well, I'm... I'm not sure.
I didn't really think about it. I just did it.
-Are you with anyone? -No.
I've been, you know, fine on my own.
-Is it the beard? -You set kind of a high bar.
So do you.
What does one thing have to do with the other?
The night after we were...
I happened to see you.
And I was with someone else that night.
(Jack) Hmm.
You ever been with the same person twice?
Tonight will be the first time.
(tender music playing)
(razor clacking)
Isn't that razor made for legs and armpits?
(Alice) It's not like they use a different grade of steel.
Be careful.
If I were careful with anything in this world,
-I would be careful with you. -You weren't though.
What?
You weren't careful.
I know.
I'll try to be.
I understand, that...
that this is different.
You do?
(whispers) Yeah. Can we stop talking about it?
(razor clatters)
-(tap squeaks) -(gasps)
-(water running) -What the fuck, are you kidding me?
Are you working tomorrow?
-(belt clinking) -(Jack exhales) It's Saturday.
You wanna do something?
Sure.
Well, then you should probably stay.
(gentle music playing)
Okay.
Good then. (chuckles softly)
(both chuckle)
-Is this okay? -Yeah.
-It's good. -Am I like a giant squid?
(chuckles) No.
Your heart's beating really fast though.
Can you feel that?
You okay?
I think so.
Can I give it minute?
Yeah.
That's better.
That's good.
(sighs)
(music concludes)
-(ominous music playing) -(bed creaking)
(gasps)
Jack.
(birds chirping)
Jack?
-(lift clangs, rumbles) -(breathes deeply)
(Alice screams, muffled) Jack!
Stupid! Fucking stupid!
Alice?
Where did you go?
I got croissants.
From where?
-Er. Franz and Evans. -(Alice) Almond or plain?
One of each.
And, er, I got lattes, and, er, I replaced your razor.
(chuckles softly)
Please don't ever do that again.
Sorry, you were just... you were sleeping so soundly.
Also, no almond.
(mellow music playing)
(Alice) Is... is almond okay for you?
Because we can share the plain one if you want.
I like almond.
(laughs)
-(smacks lips) -(Alice) How is the almond?
It's very good.
-(exhales) -(smacks lips)
(breathes deeply) Hmm.
How's the non-almond?
It's lovely.
(indistinct chatter)
-(giggles) -(music concludes)
Do you like that one?
It's... it's hard, isn't it,
to say whether you like something or not
'cause sometimes, you're really drawn to something
but it makes you angry
-or, like, depressed. -(snickers)
(snickers) You know what I mean?
You're talking about the painting, right?
-(giggles) Yes. Yes. Not people. -Hmm.
-Well, I mean, also people. -Oh, me. It's me, isn't it?
-It's all about me. -No, it's not you.
(gentle synth music playing)
-(receptionist) Good morning! -Hi! Hi there.
Have you got anything by, erm, Emily Kirby?
Kirby?
Gosh, that name does not ring a bell.
-Is she... is she British? -She is.
-(receptionist) Living or...? -Both of those things.
Would she be in our permanent collection
-or in a visiting exhibition? -Well, you probably know better
than I would.
Erm, sorry, it's...
there are over 30,000 pieces in our permanent collection.
And then the visiting exhibitions can be large also, so...
Mm-hmm. Is there a database?
(receptionist) There absolutely is a database.
But unfortunately, my terminal is misbehaving today.
-I can't access the database. -Ah.
Is there a terminal that isn't misbehaving today?
Like a terminal that might be an example
to other terminals?
(receptionist) Erm, unfortunately, it...
My god, please don't say "unfortunately" again.
Just say in this 84-million-pound building...
(chuckling) ...there's someone who can access the bloody database.
You know what? It's, er, absolutely fine.
-Thank you very much. -It's not fine.
We should just keep wandering and see what we see.
Oh, fuck off, Jack.
Hey, whatever's going on with you,
get a handle on it and figure out a way to be a grown-up.
This isn't okay.
I know.
This was a mistake. This was my mistake.
Alice.
(gentle music builds)
(sighs deeply)
(mobile phone ringing)
(mobile phone continues ringing)
(dial tone ringing)
-(mobile phone beeps) -(sighs)
(mobile phone chimes, buzzes, beeps)
-(mobile phone clattering) -(music concludes)
Again, clearest instructions I've ever read.
She should work for IKEA.
She does seem pretty cool though, in an extremely troubling way.
You know what my father would've said in this situation?
What?
(Paul) "People will usually disappoint you."
Great.
He didn't say "always", he said "usually".
He told me to sift through the general population
looking for the great ones, and...
to be wise enough to cast aside the disappointing ones,
despite their appeal and without rancour.
He was actually an optimist.
I mean, look, there's seven and a half million people
in this city. There's gotta be at least
a couple of hundred thousand of them that are lovely.
We just have to find a great one.
-I did. -(Paul) Not really, mate.
I mean, you've gotta be able to function with them, right?
(indistinct chatter)
Why are we on this boat?
'Cause I needed to do something life affirming.
Is it working?
Nope.
-(tender music playing) -(birds chirping)
(birds tweeting)
-(mobile phone ringing) -(music concludes)
(Lynn) Oh, dear, what's that? What is that?
(humming) What is that?
(baby gurgles)
Oh, shush, shush, shush now. Hush, hush. Lovey?
-(exhales) -(Jack) Yep?
Who's Alice?
-(mobile phone continues ringing) -(grill sizzling)
Alice?
-Er, she's an ex. -Who's Alex? (kisses)
Oh, ho, ho! She's an ex. Oh, no! Do you wanna take it?
-Nah. -(Lynn) Nah?
(gasps) Okay. (smooches) Okay. Yeah.
Buh-bye. Buh-bye, come here. Here we go, now.
-(mobile phone ringing) -I mean, do you wanna switch it off
or hit it with a meat mallet or something, or...?
Oh, shit! Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.
-(laughs, inhales deeply) Mm. -(Lynn) Hmm.
(grunts softly)
Lesson 116, Celia. Our exes are exes for a reason.
-(giggles) Yes, they are. -Mm.
Oh, our breakfast is on... is on fire.
-It's fully on fire. Oh! Mm! -Oh, shit! Okay. Okay.
-(flames roaring) -Fucking hell.
(Lynn exclaims) Daddy's silly.
He burnt the sausages. Look at him! Is that it totally done?
-(Jack) Yeah. -Toast?
Mm. Plain toast. Yeah.
(sighs)
(Lynn speaking quietly) He burnt the sausages!
(indistinct chatter)
(Paul) An ex, that was the term you chose?
Yeah.
(Paul) Technically accurate I guess.
Although, just out of interest, did "catastrophe" cross your mind?
(Jack) What would you have done?
Told your new wife and mother of your new baby
who she happened to be burping at the time?
"Disaster", "shipwreck". Any of those?
About some other woman who once blew a hole in your soul?
No, I would've told her everything on the first date
and destroyed any chance of a relationship.
Okay. Well, I didn't do that.
(Paul) An ex!
-What was Chernobyl, a mishap? -Are you finished?
For now.
-Did Alice leave a voicemail? -(sighs) No.
-(Paul) Did you call her back? -No.
-You plan to? -(Jack) No.
And she'll know what that silence means
and she'll never call me again
and we'll all continue forward into a very nice future
instead of backsliding into a giant vat of pain.
I can see you're untroubled.
-I'm fine. -(mobile phone chiming)
It was a non-incident.
(grunts) Right. Er. Except she's here.
She's always here and she's always a presence.
-I don't deny it. -(Paul) No, sh... sh... she's here.
Crystal's bringing her through.
Oh, shit.
-Oh, shit. -(door slams shut)
Oh, shit.
(Jack) I didn't really eat or sleep for months after we parted,
-which is ridiculous, I know. -Oh!
Yes. When the ratio of time spent with a person
to time spent broken-hearted over that person
is like one to 60,000, that's a little nuts.
Well, I'm here now.
Yeah. For the moment, you're here.
(breathes deeply)
You know, life eats sensitive people, Jack.
It doesn't make them... crazy.
That's good news.
My therapist said I was nuts, so... (scoffs)
You went to a therapist?
Yeah, that's why I said "my therapist."
Seem to be a little sensitive
about having gone to a therapist there.
-No. -I've lived with therapists, so...
Plural?
Comically, massively... (sighs) ...plural.
My therapists have had to go to therapists.
Probably went to your therapist.
I have recommendations too if you need another therapist.
It's fine. I'm fine. I got better.
(Alice laughing) You did? Good.
-How? -(Jack) It was circuitous.
Where did I leave off?
(Alice) You weren't eating or sleeping.
(Jack) That's right. I was drinking though.
(indistinct chatter)
(Paul) What I can't fathom, broadly speaking,
is how the simple act of propagating the species
can be so problematic.
Human beings should have died out hundreds of thousands of years ago.
And yet here we are in charge of everything.
Are we still having a conversation or am I talking to myself?
Sorry.
I mean, think how many love songs there are, love poems,
books about love, movies. It's fucking pathetic.
Can you imagine how far along we'd be as a civilization
if we just devoted that time and energy
-into something more constructive? -Mm-hmm.
I think you should listen to your friend there. (chuckles)
-Thank you. -I mean, it's gonna happen anyway.
People are going to fuck.
Er. Yes, they are. And thank goodness.
I mean, love's just a dopamine rush
meant to lure us into misalliance before,
as in the case of poor Jack here, it wanders off,
chuckling to bother someone else.
So, I say we wise up and dial down the drama.
(chuckles) I agree. I'm Donna.
Er, I'm Paul. He's mute.
Hi, Paul. You all right, Jack?
Sorry. I am good, yes.
He's not, he's not all right. He's... he's broken and ruined.
I... I'm all right though. I'm fresh and clean.
Mm. I've been stood up. Jack, may I join you?
Sorry. Yeah. I'd rather we just...
Yes! Erm. In fact, I'd... I'd hack off a limb.
-Paul, did you say? (chuckles) -It is.
(Jack) They started dating.
To this day, Paul ascribes his happiness to my depression.
(Alice chuckling) He loves you.
(Jack) Hmm. As I watched them, I realized something.
Life is pretty simple for a lot of people.
They meet someone,
they fall in love, and they're all set,
no suffering, no gnawing your own hand to the wrist.
And I thought, "Fuck it, I should try that."
Or at least be open to the possibility of trying that.
So, the next night, instead of reading about syphilis,
I went to see a movie to cheer myself up.
-(indistinct chatter) -Seven Beauties.
-(Alice) "Seven Beauties"? -(Jack) I know.
Can we just be clear that that is the Italian film
-about the horrors of fascism? -Yeah. That's the one.
-(dramatic music plays over film) -(Jack) I mean, I know that now.
-(actress wailing in film) -(Jack) I didn't then.
(actress sobbing, speaking Italian)
(indistinct chatter)
(in English) Sorry, are you all right?
Hey, er, yes.
Yeah. Thank you. Sorry. I... I... Based on the title,
I thought that was gonna be a... a romantic comedy.
Oh, no, it was. Yeah, that's just...
For Nazis, that is a romantic comedy.
-Hmm. (chuckles) -(Lynn laughs)
Are you okay, do you need some air or something?
-Yeah. -Yeah.
(Lynn) What, did you genuinely not like it?
-I mean, I... I think I hated it. -(chuckles) Okay. Yeah.
Yeah. I mean, obviously I'm glad I went to see it now, but...
Oh, that's a...
that's a nice thing to say. (sniffles)
Even though I'm not really sure what it means.
It means I'm glad to meet you.
-So... -(laughs) Oh, God. Sorry. I'm...
I was... I was talking about the film.
-Oh, for f... -(laughs) Sorry!
Erm, but I... I think, er, what the director is saying,
-she says that, erm... -Hmm.
...it should make emotional rather than logical sense, so.
-That's all the best things maybe. -Yeah, maybe.
All I know is that it just... it just reaches into my chest
and moves my lungs around. I just... I love it.
Hey, er...
are you hungry or thirsty,
or in need of anything that Slater Street can provide?
Erm...
That's very Jack.
-I was nervous. -I'm not judging.
-You just judged. -(laughs)
-And it worked, by the way. -Ooh!
-Mm! -(Alice laughing) Did it?
-Yeah. Yeah. -Bravo.
-(laughs) -(Jack) I mean, yeah.
-(gentle music playing) -(Swedish dialogue over TV)
(Jack sighs)
(in English) Do you think Swedish people
fart as much as regular people?
If I had to guess, like, I'd say no.
But I guess there's no way to know for sure.
Funny bunch.
Oh.
(Lynn) Do you think we'll ever forgive ourselves?
-I don't think it's our fault. -Yeah, that's not what I asked you.
Erm, do you think this is gonna... gonna ruin things between us?
No.
Like, we're brand new, Jack.
You know, relationships are hard enough.
-Oh, I have heard that. -Yeah. (chuckles softly)
Erm, if it does though, like, if it did...
er, ruin things between us, I just...
thank you for how glad you've made me
'cause it had been a while, you know?
So, yeah. That'll teach me, huh?
Do you think we should discuss the alternatives?
There aren't any good ones. (grunts, exhales)
I mean, would you consider having a child outside of marriage?
No. Oh, my God. Sorry. I know that sounds really...
Well... (sighs) No, it's just not the life I imagined.
-I'm... I'm sorry. -Me neither.
So, what are you talking about then? Adoption?
No, I don't think I could function
knowing I had a child out in the world
that I wasn't taking care of.
Yeah, no, you... Of course you couldn't.
(scoffs) Neither could I.
So, like... (chuckles) There you have it.
Alternatives discussed.
I mean, do you think...
do you think we should discuss the alternative
to those alternatives?
No. Oh, my God. Marriage?
-No, no! -No?
Jack, Jesus. Are you out of your mind?
Barely know you. Don't even know your middle name.
-Cyril. -What?
No, seriously?
It's not Cyril. I don't have a middle name.
(chuckles) Well, there you go, I didn't know that.
That's my point. We'd find things out.
Jack...
Okay, look, I know this is probably crazy.
-(Lynn) Yeah. -This is definitely crazy.
-Yes. -Okay. I haven't...
(chuckling) ...totally thought this through.
No, really?
Yeah, but if you...
if you had asked me when I was growing up,
what the person that I would one day marry...
would look like and sound like, and... and be like...
(exhales) ...I would've said someone just like you.
(clicks tongue) You barely know me.
You know, at... at this stage,
I'm just like an outline of a person.
I'm just a sketch.
It's a pretty good sketch.
All I'm asking is in the 28 hours between now and the thing,
that we not rule it out completely and officially.
-Cyril. -(Jack) Mm-hmm.
(Alice) And is she...
what little Jack dreamed about?
She is.
And it's not the worst thing in the world to be happy, you know?
I don't know, but I will provisionally agree.
I mean, I... I feel very lucky to have found Lynn...
and to have been found.
We throw away our blessings at our peril.
What happened then?
Well, I called you...
and when you didn't answer or respond,
I took it to mean that we would never be in contact again.
Hang on, so, you married someone else
-'cause I didn't answer the phone? -(Jack) No.
But I took it as proof
that I was making the right decision. Confirmation.
(car engine stalls)
-What are you thinking -(sighs)
I wanted a great and stupid romance.
You know? I al... I always thought there'd be one.
(Jack) Maybe it's just beginning.
No, this is backwards.
Okay, so, it's backwards.
Okay then, Cyril, is there anything I should know?
Like what?
I mean, I wouldn't ask if I knew, would I? (chuckles)
(tender music playing)
Nothing that matters now.
I know this isn't ideal by any means,
but wasn't it the Rolling Stones who said we can't let the perfect
-be the enemy of the very good? -(laughs) Absolutely not.
No, not at all. Er. That was Voltaire.
-Voltaire said that? -Yes. (laughs)
Do... do the Rolling Stones say it also?
-Er. No. -No?
They said, "You can't always get what you want."
Quite famously.
That's probably what I'm thinking of.
I mean, you realize this child would have an English accent.
-There's worse things. -Like what?
I can't think of any. (chuckles)
Is this a yes?
Well, I mean, you've swept me off me feet, haven't you?
(Jack) And eight months later, Celia was born.
And who thought of the name?
I think I did. Why?
I'm just curious.
(sighs)
(Alice) Look, I'm sorry I called you, Jack.
I'm sorry I turned up like this. I think 'cause I just thought
that your life had just stood still without me...
because mine... (chuckles)
...had sort of stood still without you.
And, erm...
may have to just grow up at some point. (laughs)
Why did you want to see me?
Was it just to say hello?
Me mam passed away on Thursday of cirrhosis of the liver,
brought on by a lifetime of me dad.
And just...
seeing him is...
one of the many, many things I can't imagine...
facing without you.
But I will. I'm happy for you.
-(car door shuts) -(car engine revving)
(gentle inquisitive music playing)
(music concludes)