1
I think
it's been decided.
Baruch atoh
adonoy, elohaynu melech
ha-olam, dayan ha-emes.
Amen.
Blow wind blow,
wherever you may go.
Put on your overcoat,
take me away.
You gotta take me
on into the night.
Take me on
into the night.
Blow me away.
Blow me away.
Mary's on the black top.
There's a husband
in the dog house.
In the middle
of a shakedown,
I got quiet
as a churchmouse.
Put my Raleighs
on the dashboard.
Sugar daddy
caught a polo-car.
There's no solitary
tap dance
way down here.
Blow wind blow,
wherever you may go.
Put on your overcoat,
take me into the night.
Take me into the night.
Blow me away.
Last
night, it was her toe.
I dreamed the nail had
browned and cracked,
bent back like a leaf.
The skin was peeled like petals.
Where does
this stop, Shmuel?
There are 248 body
parts spoken of in the Zohar.
When the Baal
Shem Tov lost his wife,
do you know how he mourned?
He said, "How am I
going to go to heaven
when half of me is left?"
Eventually,
Shmuel, he remarried.
And when he lost
his second wife,
the love of his
life, he said, "Okay."
I fear for her,
Rebbe, how she suffers now.
Tend to your children.
Take care of yourself.
It always
begins at night.
Sometimes it's rotting skin.
Sometimes it's a pile of ash.
Tell me, Rebbe, how does
she return to the earth?
Maybe you don't think
of these things, Shmuel.
Did the
neighbors see you?
No.
You need
guidance, Shmuelie.
Talk to the Rebbe.
I've
talked to the Rebbe.
There are
two boys in there.
I know.
I'm not sure
how, but get through this.
Leave your coat on the table.
I'll sew it up.
It's already been 30 days.
It's time you should mend it.
Can I help you?
Apologies, sir, but I don't
believe we serve your kind.
I'm sorry, that
sounded not right.
I mean, we're not
equipped to handle the--
Perhaps it's best if we step
into the showroom?
My wife died.
I'm
very sorry for your loss.
And there are
things I need to know.
Our burial societies
are not very
forthcoming in these matters.
This line of inquiry
is particularly not--
Kosher?
How does she
dismantle, in the earth?
Uh, well, that depends.
Our unrivaled embalming
specialists guarantee a pristine
and picturesque
viewing experience.
After that, I can't really say
we check up on their progress.
Stainless steel.
The discovery of chromium in the
mountains of Russia in the late
1700s led to the
development of the alloy
that we now know as
stainless steel.
What about wood?
Wooden caskets are
a natural and environmentally
sound choice.
Pine?
I can't
say it's our best seller.
How long did it take
for her casket to dismantle?
Okay, I don't
know what your angle is here,
guy, but I'm sensing there's
not a sale coming, am I right?
No sale.
Yeah, okay,
all right, so here's the deal,
they're bodies, they
decompose, okay?
And the ones in the
hermetically sealed containers,
sometimes they
even fucking explode.
Oh yeah; all the gas,
trapped, nowhere to go.
Please, a body, in a
box, pine, how does she--
Can I let you in on
a little secret there, handsome?
See, I'm just a coffin salesman.
I'm not a fucking scientist.
Can I help you?
Sir?
Hi, hi.
I think I need--
May I speak with a man, please?
Mm, we
appear to be out of those.
I see.
Maybe--
Oh, there you are.
Scientist.
Well, who doesn't, really?
So, what kind of--
You can't say.
You know, but you
can't--you can't say?
You can tell me.
Just--what do you need?
Do you need an astronomer,
or a physicist,
geologist, ornithologist?
I'm sorry.
All right,
come with me, okay?
Organisms feeding on
organisms, feeding on
organisms, transferring
that energy down the chain.
Ecosystems--ecosystems
are evolved to,
simply and plainly, to
create nourishment for new life.
But some of these systems are
pretty gosh darn inefficient.
As the energy moves along,
there's not enough of it left to
sustain these higher and
higher trophic levels.
Tropic?
- Not today, Stanley.
- Tropic.
Tropic?
Why tropic?
No, trofic--trophic.
Trophic, just
like it's--oh shit.
God damn it, mother fucker.
Is that clear enough?
Clear enough for everybody?
Trophic, trophic.
Where was I?
Okay, okay, we are
like--we're like leaky
bucklet--Jesus Christ.
We are like leaky buckets.
We drop our ice cream cones.
We lose crumbs in
our flavor savors.
Very inefficient.
Very inefficient ecosystems.
Eco.
Ecosystems.
How's that?
Can I help you?
You are a scientist?
I'm a
science teacher.
I have questions.
I'm not sure that
I'm gonna be able to be
of service to you, Rabbi.
I'm not a rabbi.
I have got a
faculty meeting very soon.
I'm having
some bad ideas in my head.
I just--my wife, she died.
Oh, I'm very sorry.
And these images I'm
having--having
those, they just--
Things got you down?
They
have me real down.
Well,
I'm still not sure--
Last night,
it was her toe.
The nail cracked, it browned.
Maybe you
need a podiatrist?
Look, look, I'm sorry
for your troubles, Rabbi, truly.
I'm not a rabbi.
But I have
these papers to grade,
and I wish you
luck, really, friend.
This is
sinful that I'm here.
I've just sinned.
I've spent my whole day sinning.
I'm not sure if you
can recognize that, Doctor.
Oh, it's not Doctor.
I don't--just Professor.
Professor, please.
I don't even
know what you're asking.
I fear for her.
I fear her soul is suffering
till she returns to the earth.
What's to become of her body?
Sender!
Hey.
Hey.
Mordechai told Motel
that Mendel talked to you.
Yeah?
And that you said--your
dad said our dad was a dybbuk.
I didn't say that.
I said that your
dad ate a dybbuk.
Why did you say that?
Have you
seen your dad lately?
Yeah?
And do you
know what a dybbuk is?
It's, like, a ghost.
Well, seems
like he ate a dybbuk.
You don't eat
a dybbuk, Sender.
Everyone knows it comes
in and out of the big
toe on your left foot.
Fuck you, Moishe.
How do you know?
- The dybbuk tape.
- Dybbuk tape?
Dybbuk tape.
You don't remember?
Last year, Fivel got
caught with a tape.
What's on it?
All you need
to know about dybbuk.
Here, this is it.
This is the one.
Let's see.
This is--yeah.
Pigs?
That's what you're
gonna want, yep, pigs.
It says they use pigs because
they most closely resemble
people when it comes
to their fattiness,
and their hairiness, and
general deliciousness
for insects, you know?
I mean, who doesn't like bacon?
Percy the piglet here, he was
accidentally crushed by his mum,
so they gave him to science.
Okay, let's see.
Let's see now.
Fresh, fresh, the fresh stage.
Okay, the body begins to
degrade very early on,
cells die, tissues break down,
and bacteria in the body begin
to digest the body
from the inside out.
There's not too much visible
from the outside in just yet.
Except for livor mortis, a
pooling of blood thanks to
gravity, and rigor mortis.
You know,
arthritis for dead people.
Chemicals in the body are
beginning to attract insects and
maggots are taking up residence.
The eyes, if
they've remained open,
will dry out and
turn a blackish hue.
Bloat; now the body
is beginning to puff up
and swell, become engorged.
All the gases and juices are
being produced in excess inside
the body as the
bacteria goes to town.
And nobody's
flatulating anymore,
so, you know,
nowhere to else go.
And the maggots, now
at home under the skin,
are all sorts of
creepy and crawly,
which causes more
and more swelling.
Skin slippage, gross, is
occurring, hair is falling out.
Vessels are now visible, which
is apparently called marbling.
Now it gets interesting.
Active Decay.
The body's outer
capsule, our earthly coil,
skin, muscle, soft tissue,
it's all--it's breaking open.
The body deflates,
like a popped balloon.
The corpse is putrefying.
Putrefrying?
Putrefry--no,
putrefrying,
that's funny though.
No, putrefying.
It's purging.
And carnivores, if there
are any in the neighborhood,
are beginning to
have a field day.
They eat that shit up.
Whew, advanced--here,
advanced Decay.
The body is reduced
to tiny bits of skin,
and clumps of
cartilage and bone.
Mummification is the end
result as the remains
are dehydrated and desiccated.
There you go.
And how
long does this take?
It says, yada, yada,
yada, any number of factors
can--who really knows, right?
I mean, as concerns your wife.
So,
how could one know?
Well, I suppose one
could bury a pig, right?
But I don't imagine
that that's--yeah.
Thank
you for your time.
Of course.
Thank you.
Everything's all right now.
Everything's gonna be okay.
Ecosystem.
It's the name of
the chapter, Stanley.
I buried a pig.
What?
I buried a pig.
We're having--we're
having office hours here.
- A dead pig.
- Okay.
Should I go?
No, Shmel?
Shmel, was it?
You told me to bury
a pig, so I buried a pig.
I'm trying to
office hour with Stanley here.
You did what?
The other day you
told me I should bury a pig.
I told you?
Now wait a minute, don't.
Now, listen.
Just go, get out.
No, just get out now.
No, wait, wait, not you.
Stanley, you.
Chapter 11.
It's a
dead pig, Stanley.
Just--just go, go, please.
Now, have a seat.
You're shitting me.
I didn't mean for you to--I
didn't tell you to bury a--
- What happens now?
- What?
What do we do now?
We?
There's no "we" here.
You
told me to bury it.
I didn't tell you to.
Stop saying that.
Look, look, I need to--I--where
exactly did you do this?
Nobody
knows where I--
Excuse me?
I just realized
nobody knows where I am.
I used a
whole pig, like in the book.
Should
have left a note.
Jesus.
- Here.
- Here?
Yes.
You
buried a pig here?
A dead pig.
Well, this is--wow.
This is just wrong.
This is just all kinds of wrong.
This is just--did
you bring a shovel?
Jesus Christ Almighty.
Well, I don't know
what I was expecting.
First of all, I don't
condone any of this.
And second of all,
where'd you get him?
Szechwan Heaven.
Up on Route 87?
Yeah, they do good dumplings.
Well, Shmel, it's no good.
You're not gonna get a
comparable decomp here.
It's no good?
No.
All due respect--
all due respect to your wife,
I'm sure she was larger than--
How did she die?
Cancer.
And how long
till they buried her?
13 hours.
You guys don't
waste any time, do you?
Well, it's--this isn't right.
No, it isn't right.
If--if you wanted
to do this proper,
you would need an
ungutted, uncleansed,
recently deceased pig, teeming
with bacteria and no blood loss.
I assume they didn't bury your
wife straight into the earth?
No?
In shrouds.
Just shrouds?
And a coffin.
- Was a Cadillac?
- Pardon me?
Was it--did
it have velvet inside?
No, we don't do that.
Wooden, pine, with three
small holes in the bottom.
Holes in the bottom?
So--yeah, so
that she can touch the earth.
To dust.
Well, if you'd
brought me a pig more like your
wife, no offense, and
buried her like a Jew,
no offense, then I think that
we would probably be cooking.
But this is a--this is a
mockery of science.
Well, this has been--
I'm sorry about your wife.
When your
father passed away,
I had to tend to his
wardrobe, piece by piece.
His bekitshe, his shtriemel,
these things I gave to you.
And then the everyday
things in a deluge.
His shoes, his socks,
Shmuelie, with holes in them.
Such a small thing, no?
Maybe you should
start with her clothes.
Noam?
Yeah?
Do you really
think Dad ate a dybbuk?
I don't know.
What dybbuk would he eat?
- Mama's.
- That doesn't--
I saw him
trying on her clothes.
We need that tape.
Dybbuk tape.
If Reb Goshen took
it, then it must be
in the room behind his office.
I hope Dad
didn't eat her dybbuk.
It doesn't
just get lost to egestion.
Fucking Stanley.
Fuck him.
What the fuck?
Oh, fuck, Shmel.
Shit.
Who are you, Shmel?
Just go away and take your pig.
Just leave, man.
Seriously?
The land lady--shut the fuck up!
Oh fuck, pig, man.
Really?
Where did you get this one?
No, no, no, no, don't.
"Officer, Officer, I
had no knowledge."
You know, this pig probably
has a home, you know?
It might be some young farm
girl's pig that you--Heidi
misses her pig, Shmel.
Did anybody see you?
I don't think so.
Now listen, I am a
professor, and you're a rabbi,
and I think that you have
seriously crossed the
stated boundaries of the
professor/rabbi relationship.
I'm not a rabbi.
I'm a shaliach tzibbur.
I don't
know what that is.
- It's a cantor.
- I don't care.
I'm a Jew, Albert.
Oh, no shit.
And I just can't.
I can't.
I can't--what?
I stole the pig.
It is only fair if you kill it.
What?
What?
We have
to kill the pig.
I am not hearing
this, no, no, no.
Here's what's gonna happen.
You and me, we're
gonna pick up this pig,
and we're gonna carry
it into your Jew wagon,
and you are gonna take it home,
and then we're never gonna talk
about this or about
anything ever again, okay?
Killing a pig is not gonna
bring back your wife, Shmel.
I know that.
Why don't
you go get it some milk?
Over there, there's
a mini fridge
behind the bar, my kitchen.
How are you?
What's your name, huh?
You want some milk?
Go get your milk.
Go ahead.
Go, milk, milk.
Good boy.
Jesus.
Oh, Jesus Christ.
What are you--you
can't slit its throat.
Why not?
Nobody
slit your wife's throat.
Well, you
are the scientist.
Yes, yes I am.
Oh man, fuck.
Mother fucker.
Thank you for this.
For all of this.
Yeah, well,
you know, it's just
like a tell my
students, you know?
You can't always act on emotion.
Sometimes you gotta keep
a cool head about things.
You know, be a
little more sober.
Whoa.
Whoa.
Control your--control your pig.
Shmel!
Shmel, the land lady!
The land lady!
Whoa, whoa.
Quiet!
Shmel, can you help me please?
No, don't.
Don't answer the phone.
Don't--fuck.
Fuck.
I said don't answer the--
Hello?
It's Albert's residence, yes.
No, I'm not Albert.
Can you hold on
just a moment please?
Oh, fuck!
Is this
going to be okay?
I don't think anything's
gonna be okay after this.
At this pace, we'll be
here till tomorrow afternoon.
You could help.
I suffocated
a pig tonight.
I think I've made a
significant contribution.
Fuck it.
I don't think
that's very efficient.
We do this because
when we lose a loved one,
our whole world
turns upside down.
Everything should
be much harder.
The shovel is such
an ordinary tool,
but to bury a loved one,
that's no ordinary task.
Well, I suppose that
doesn't apply here.
I don't think
anything tonight should be
harder than it already it is.
Does this pig have a name?
No.
Well, I
think we should name him.
I think we owe
him at least that.
Harold.
Harold.
What now?
Now?
Now we wait.
When did your wife pass?
It's been
six weeks, two days.
So then four.
We wait four weeks.
Nice round number.
Shmuel, Shmelke, I
know you've been in the woods,
the dark woods at night, lost.
But you are mourning her
like you would mourn a parent.
Her suffering, what does
the Talmud say about suffering?
When it is over?
To be
born, is this easy?
To be ripped from the womb,
this is painful, necessarily.
Why should it be
different when we die?
They are both doors.
One you enter, one you leave.
Maybe sometimes it
hits you on the way out.
But to look behind that door,
Shmuelie, you will go mad.
Albert, hi.
Hi, it's still me.
The machine cut me off again.
Haven't heard from you.
Hope everything is okay.
There's a Hasidic fable
about Reb Lazer of
Chortkiv, he had a wife--
Yeah, greasy
fingers I guess, tuna.
And you just
didn't knock it over?
Of course not, Judy.
Why would I--
Albert?
Oh, shit.
Shmel.
Sir, you are not
allowed to be back here.
This is for teachers only.
I'm a
shaliach tzibbur.
Where have you been?
I left you messages.
Albert.
Look, let me just--can
I--let me have a second, Judy.
This is just--this is
my spiritual advisor.
Listen, hey, hey,
you can't be here.
Then you
should answer your phone.
Well, then
maybe you should--look,
look, I don't know
what happened that night.
I'm a professor.
I'm an academician.
This is unscientific at
best, unethical at worst.
It's a stain.
It's a stain.
It's a stain on the academy.
Listen, there's no
accounting for what we did.
It was just a wild,
exhilarating night.
Primal almost, filled
with cock-eyed madness.
What about my wife?
Shhh, quiet Shmel.
Look, I don't think we
should see each other any more.
I don't think it's wise.
Well,
then, that's it I guess.
I've sinned again.
I spoiled my wife's name.
God forgive me.
And you, Albert,
you helped me sin.
I'm a shaliach tzibbur.
I still
don't know what that is.
A person who
sings in the synagogue.
What, like a cantor?
Look, there is a
month-old corpse pig in the
woods off Highway 109.
We murdered that animal.
If we don't unearth it
tonight on schedule,
well, then it's just
another grave sin.
Then we slayed that
swine for what, Albert?
For nothing!
Shmel, Shmel, you!
You made me.
You named him!
Humbert, his blood
is on our hands.
Harold.
His mud is on my carpet.
Forgive us, for
what have we gained?
Just one more dead
pig in the world.
Not even eaten by the goyim.
Well, as
they say, curiosity.
Curiosity killed the cat--
Excuse me?
Curiosity killed the cat.
Cat?
No.
Curiosity killed the pig.
Oh, well, that's right.
That it did.
Ugh.
Oh boy.
I don't
see any dust here.
I think
that's just a euphemism.
- It's just a pig.
- Yep.
In a blanket!
If I had to
guess, I'd say we're
just at the bloat stage.
Your wife will be more
progressed than this.
This
pig must be a saint.
You have to look at
this like a coffin time machine.
Think of Harold as your
wife a mere four weeks out.
A lot can happen in four weeks.
So,
what do we do now?
Now, we
wait another month.
A month?
What's in between?
Try not
calling so much.
Naftali,
but that book down.
Put that book down.
That's not why we're here.
But look at this.
Shh.
The Hardy Boys.
This is concerning, Shmuel.
Not just Hardy Boys, but
because Noam and Naftali,
to mention, are involved
in sneaking behaviors.
It's as if they themselves
are little Hasid Hardys.
I've
not read the book.
Frank and
Joe are never up to any good.
And their methods?
Shmuel, it's a good thing
I caught them when I did.
Can you imagine what else their
young eyes might have seen?
I can't imagine.
When do you think you'll
resume your cantorial work?
Reb Plotkin sings like a goat.
Have you been
talking to the Rebbe?
I'm
talking to the Rebbe.
Okay.
What about the boys?
I'll
deal with my boys.
What?
That's it?
Shmuel, mend your coat.
Where are we going?
There's
something I have to show you.
I don't
know why exactly,
but your mother,
I sense her here.
She always talked
about the ocean, remember?
I want you to talk to her.
I've come here to talk to her.
I want you to feel
you can do the same.
If you could, what
would you say to her?
Talk to your mom.
This isn't Jewish.
No, but
it's menschlich.
I'm your father and I'm telling
you to talk to your mother.
Tell her you love her.
You're
scaring us, Tati.
She's your mother.
Do you not love your mother?
Mom's dead, Dad.
Don't
do her disrespect.
Tell her you love her.
Say it.
Say it!
We love her.
- Louder.
- We love you.
- Louder!
- We love you!
Noam?
Noam!
I love you.
Very good, tattelahs.
Very good.
Love you too, Rivie.
I've got you.
I'm sorry.
Your voice, Shmuel.
Let's hear your voice.
Shmuel, kugel?
You have guests.
Where are you?
I know it's early.
I know it's soon,
Shmuel, but Leah asked me.
Avi knows a widow from Monsey.
Mama.
Oh, Shmuel.
It's just for you, for the boys.
Might it be the worst
thing that maybe you
should have more children?
Naftali?
Ready?
- Dybbuk?
- Dybbuk.
Dybbuk?
The cemetery,
do you think that's
where Tati goes at night?
- A
- chazer bleibt a chazer.
Well,
how 'bout that, huh?
I'd say active decay.
Drek!
Huh?
A chazer
bleibt a chazar?
What?
Chazer, what's chazer?
It's a pig, Albert.
A pig!
We might as well just picked
it up from Szechwan Heaven.
I don't think
anybody would order that.
Shmel, buddy, you
have to understand.
These things, they decay from
the inside too, you know?
It's probably a 24/7 all you can
eat bacteria buffet up in there.
This beetle looks hungry too.
I mean, you'd have to
scalpel the shit out of it to be
absolutely certain, but I'm--
Hey, Shmel, don't get
scary on me, please.
This was just
starting to feel normal.
You know
what this means?
We just wait--
You know
what this means?
No.
No, I don't.
I don't know what it means.
Can you help me though?
Can you--
All right, you tell me.
What are you after, Shmel, huh?
What is this all about?
I don't know.
What?
I don't know!
Okay, I don't know.
At first, maybe I thought to
lose her would be too--too much.
You know, maybe I wanted her
here for as long as possible
with me in this
world that I am in too.
But now, now I just
want her to be gone.
Gone!
All right.
You know?
There's a part of the
soul called neshemah.
Now that remains with
the remains as long
as the remains remain.
And as long as it
remains, it's--
it's tormented, Albert.
It's tortured.
I just want her gone.
I want her free.
Geez.
Oh, fuck.
Motherfuck.
Okay, well, I don't think that
this is--this might--
Okay, okay.
All right.
Here we go.
Okay, Shmel.
Shmel, I need you to bring
me some soil from her grave.
Soil?
From?
From
your wife's grave.
Soil.
- About this much.
- From the grave?
From
your wife's grace.
Shmel?
That's
not really allowed.
Yes, well, I can see
that that would be pushing it.
Shmuelie?
Shmuelie!
Hi, Rivie.
I'm sorry.
Thank you.
So, what we're doing
here is we're gonna check
the pH of the soil samples.
What does that mean?
Perhaps we can
prove that your wife
has an advantage over Harold.
If her soil wins, then we
can safely assume that she's
benefiting from faster decay.
She's ahead, as far as God,
or whatever, is concerned.
So, when we put the soda
into the soil with some water,
if it's hasidic--ah-cidic,
it will froth,
and whoever froths more wins.
Is this scientific?
Oh yeah, yes.
This is very scientific.
Pass me your wife.
Then Harold.
You know, I'm wondering if this
is set up properly because--
Just do it.
Yeah, okay.
Water and some more water.
Soda.
Okay.
More.
Huh.
Well, they seem
fairly equivalent.
Don't bullshit me.
I'm sorry, Shmel.
You
know what this means?
I thought it
might help.
It means
Harold is ahead, way ahead.
No, well, no, that's
very, very hard to say.
No.
No question, Harold is ahead.
No, no, at the
end of the day, you
know, fuck it, really.
I mean, this is all--this
is an approximation.
Approximation?
This is science.
No, there are too
many--too many factors.
Factors?
Yeah, factors.
The day that she died.
The time she died.
The weather--
But the book
clearly states that--
The book
just shows the stages.
It doesn't give a timeline.
And the book pig, that fucking
pig was buried on the ground.
Every body is different.
If you wanna know how a
particular body is gonna
decompose, that's
between it and the earth.
Otherwise it's just--well,
it's an approximation.
Then why have
you been doing all this, Albert?
I never asked, Shmel.
This is what
science has to offer?
- This is nothing!
- It's not nothing.
You've
been lying to me.
I haven't
been lying to you.
Du kannst nicht auf
meinem rucken pushhen
unt mir sage class es regen ist.
I don't
know what that means.
Don't piss on my
back and tell me it's raining.
Dybbuk, get out.
Get out immediately, dybbuk.
Mama?
Mama, get
out immediately.
Get out.
Get out from the big
toe on Tati's left foot.
And we love you.
We love
you, Mama Dybbuk.
Dybbuk Mama.
Now blow the--blow the shofar.
No!
Was it sudden?
It
wasn't expected.
I'm sorry.
I'm told
you're a shaliach tzibbur.
Yes.
You
must have a lovely voice.
Currently I'm not--
What about your husband?
His
family owned a grocery.
He was in kollel and I
worked at the grocery.
I'm a pretty good cook.
It doesn't get better, you know?
It just gets different,
but not better.
It's farfoylt.
Pardon me?
You have children?
I do, two.
Noam and Naftali.
How
are they coping?
I don't--
They mourn
too, but they're strong.
Stronger than us.
Do you have children?
No.
Lemonade.
It's
okay to not be here now.
I'm sorry.
And it's okay to
still be in love with your wife.
- Hello.
- Hello.
I'm here to
see Shmel Rothenblum?
For?
He's a friend of
mine, a business friend.
I'm in--I sell insurance.
Are you Jewish?
Yes.
Very, very Jewish.
He's
not here right now,
so you'll just have
to come back later.
I could wait.
Your friend is
here, the insurance man.
You can't be here,
Albert, you just can't.
Yes, I know.
I know, I'm sorry.
The only thing I have,
the only thing is my family.
- I know.
- And this world.
Yes, I'm sorry.
And some widow
in Monsey, maybe.
In Monsey?
The last
threads to cling to.
- Yes, yes, well--
- You threaten.
I know,
I'm very sorry.
Here, look.
Look at this, huh?
It's a farm in Tennessee.
Knoxville.
Knoxville, Tennessee.
What of it?
It's a body farm.
We go there, talk
to my colleagues,
see some bodies, and get the
answers that we're looking for.
What's a body farm?
Just
what it sounds like.
They plant bodies, dead ones.
In the ground.
In the ground, on the ground,
up in trees for all I know.
And
they watch them grow?
No, no, man,
they watch them rot.
- Pigs?
- No, no, people.
- That's farkakte.
- No, it's Forensics.
It's a forensic
anthropology research facility.
I don't
know what that is.
It's official,
man, the first of its kind.
And they're grieving?
No, no, no.
They're scientists.
Look, when somebody
dies, sometimes they
leave their body to science.
And some of those bodies, they
go here for crimes and shit.
You know, like who did it?
Where?
With what?
Colonel Mustard in
the kitchen kinda shit.
Where did it happen?
How did it happen?
And when did it happen?
When did it?
Mustard?
Yeah, man, like how long
does it take the body to rot.
In Knoxville?
Mm-hmm, in Knoxville.
I told your mom
that I sell insurance.
Who was that man, Tati?
He's a friend.
Where are you going?
Look, I can't
tell you what I have to do.
You have to trust me.
And I'm asking your
blessing, my sons.
Will
this make you better?
I think it will.
I hope it will.
You have
our blessing, Tati.
Dybbuk.
We're gonna do right
by your wife, man, okay?
We're gonna do
right by your wife.
Rivkah.
What?
Her name is Rivkah.
Rivkah?
Thank you.
Thank you, Shmel.
It's Shmuel.
Hmm?
Shmuel.
Shmuel?
Thank you.
You made an
appointment, right?
No, no, but
I left multiple messages.
Oh yes, yes, hi.
- Hi.
- How are you?
- Good.
- Good.
You?
Good.
Good.
We're good.
We're good.
We're here to speak
with Dr. Worthenheimer.
Haymer.
Haymer, he's a colleague
of mine, a fellow academician.
Dr. Worthenheimer's dead.
Dead?
Yeah,
that magazine's
at least a few years old.
Huh, um--
I'll see
if Carol can speak with you.
Oh, great.
Yes, thank you.
- Hi.
- Hi.
What can I
do for you fellas?
Hi, Carol.
I was very sorry to hear
about Dr. Worthenheimer passing.
Yes, it
was very unfortunate.
Did he donate?
Yes.
Well,
isn't that just like him.
Do you think it might be
possible to pay my respects?
Here's Walter.
Ah, may I?
Hey, Old Timer.
You done good.
Harold sends his best.
Did your friend
know Dr. Worthenheimer too?
My friend?
Oh, oh, my colleague
and I, yes, yes.
No, no he didn't.
He didn't, sadly.
Always had such
good bone structure.
My colleague and I are in the
midst of some fascinating work
of the forensic taphonomical
variety, and we would love to
discuss it with some
degree of urgency.
We have on our
hands a woman, mid-40s,
slight, passed away, cancer.
Untimely, unembalmed,
in a pine coffin.
Three holes bored underneath
in keeping with Orthodox law.
She was buried 6
feet under, simply,
standard, back in June.
Up in the Hudson Valley.
Is there a question?
What's that body
gonna look like right about now?
Where did
you say you were from?
Shit, man.
This just wasn't right, Albert.
I know.
I know, I'm sorry.
We
drove all this way.
It was very
unprofessional of me.
I'm sorry.
I should never have--
No, Albert.
You are a scientist.
She's a scientist.
There should be
an understanding.
You're owed some respect.
- Shmuel.
- Don't Shmuel me.
Well, look then.
Fuck!
Look, I'm
a science teacher.
I don't--I teach at
community college.
And don't say anything
because it's the truth.
Fuck!
Look, yes, fuck, okay?
Fuck fucking fuck fuck.
I'm divorced, okay?
I'm middle-aged, okay?
But I've accepted my ceilings.
We
drove 750 miles here.
We have 750 more miles to drive.
I'm sorry, Albert.
We are seeing the fucking farm.
Pretty high.
Yes, yeah.
We'll just--you go first.
Here.
Yeah, okay, wait.
Now, one, two, three.
What's
happening, Shmuel?
Oh, we have to go.
Shmuel, Shmuel,
please come down now.
You've gotta
be fucking kidding me.
Come down.
Evening, gentleman.
Yes, sir?
What the
fuck, pray tell, is this?
Sir, this is
not what this looks like.
I don't know what
the fuck this looks like.
I can assure
you, sir, there's a--
First of
all, I ain't no sir.
No, of
course, you're not.
I see that now.
I'm sorry.
He hurt himself?
No, he's
praying, I think.
He's upset.
This is not--we're
decent people.
There's no malice here.
No ill intention.
This is an act of
grief, of mourning.
Mourning?
- Of healing.
- Healing?
Yes.
His wife died.
Is she on the farm?
No, no, no.
He's been having nightmares.
Nightmares?
Yes, about
his dead wife and her toe.
He has it in his head, I
think, that if he can see a real
decomposing corpse up close that
that will bring him some kind
of--that it'll take
his night terrors away.
Well, that's
some fucked up shit.
Yeah.
Yes, it is, very.
Be that as it may--you can
stop that now, Shmel.
Well, how she die?
- Huh?
- His wife.
Oh,
she died of cancer.
Fucking cancer.
Yeah, yeah, it's a
terrible, terrible disease.
Took my mama, my
husband, and my youngest, Duvel.
Oh
that's--shit, that's horrible.
Fucking cancer.
Fucking cancer.
So that's what this is.
He's in bad shape and I
was trying to help him out,
trying to help a friend out.
We've been traveling a
very, very long way.
But I can't
let you into the grounds.
No, no, absolutely.
That would be a mistake.
But if you gentlemen
can hightail it the fuck up out
of here, I think I
can turn a blind eye.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Well, what's
your friend's name?
Shmel--Shmuel.
Jesus
loves you, Shmelshmuel.
Not sure what comfort
you would've gotten
from them bodies, anyhow.
That up in there is
one unholy place.
Some of them people
gone in just weeks.
Flat out disappear
into the ground.
Weeks?
Weeks, fuckin'
Tennessee heat, I reckon.
And the ones they got buried
up in them shallow graves,
they ain't taking
too much longer.
Well, thank you.
I didn't get your name.
Stella.
Stella.
Stella by Starlight.
That's right.
Thank you.
May he rest her soul.
Shmelshmuel, Shmelshmuel.
Yeah, man.
They were beautiful.
What's that.
The bodies.
Oh, you saw?
Yeah, for a moment.
I'm sorry you didn't.
Well, it was a
noble try, I guess.
They were
melting into the ground.
Returning to the earth.
A very
effective ecosystem.
Yeah.
Yes it is.
But what does
she serve, Albert?
To what end?
You
think of souls, Shmuel.
I don't know about any soul.
But I think that the most noble
end for our earthly coils might
just be in becoming fertilizer.
Efficient fertilizer.
Winter's coming.
Yes, it is.
The
ground will freeze.
Yeah, it will.
That would
slow her to a stop.
I've got you.
I've got you.
I've got you.
This is good.
This is good--good soil, Shmuel.
Aren't you gonna--
Well, you
know where I'll be.
I'll get you a hall pass.
Thank you, Albert.
Don't--don't mention it.
And, you know, l'chaim.
Blow wind blow,
wherever you may go.
Put on your overcoat,
take me away.
You gotta take me
on into the night.
Take me on
into the night.
Blow me away.
Blow me away.
Mary's on the black top.
There's a husband
in the dog house.
In the middle
of a shakedown,
I got quiet
as a churchmouse.
Put my Raleighs
on the dashboard.
Sugar daddy caught
a polo-car.
There's no solitary
tap dance
way down here.
Blow wind blow,
wherever you may go.
Put on your overcoat,
take me away.
You gotta take me
on into the night.
Will you take me
on into the night?
Blow me away.
Blow me away.
You gotta
blow me away.
Blow me away, yeah.