1
Have you ever heard
that the brain
is like a discounting mechanism?
Say someone gives you a present
and it's a diamond necklace
and you open it and you love it.
You're all happy at first
and then the next day
it still makes you happy
but a little bit less so.
A year later,
you see the necklace
and you think,
"Oh, that old thing."
And do you know why your brain
discounts things?
It's for survival.
You need to be prepared
for new experiences
because they could
signal danger.
Wouldn't it be great
if we could reset that
since there aren't a lot
of saber-toothed tigers
jumping out at us?
Seems like a design flaw
that our brain's
default settings signal danger
and survival instead
of something like joy
or appreciation.
I think that's what happened
to my mom.
She got so focused
on picking up danger signals
that her discounting mechanism
forgot to see
all the good stuff in her life.
And maybe Dad had quit seeing
the diamond necklace side
of Mom.
Do you have any idea
how strong I'm being?
How much my heart is breaking
'cause you want to go off
to boarding school?
If you didn't want me
to go away to boarding school,
you shouldn't have made it
sound like so much fun.
Ugh, yeah, right.
So it's my fault.
It's not loading
my workout. Got it.
Do you guys remember
when you told me
if I got perfect grades all
the way through middle school
I could have anything I wanted
as a graduation present?
I...
D-Did we say that?
I think it was to ward off
any further talk of a pony.
Well, that's what
I wanted when I was little.
Now I want something
completely different.
You wanna know what it is?
I don't know. Do we?
Does it entail
leaving the house?
A family trip to Antarctica!
We have to go
over Christmas break.
As in a month?
Oh, yeah. Obviously,
'cause it's their summer.
It's about the only time
you could go.
Yeah, 'cause ponies are cute
and maybe not as much trouble
as we thought.
What do you say there, Mom?
Isn't this a bad time
for you because of work?
We're studying Antarctica
in school.
I've read
all the explorers' journals,
and I'm doing my final
presentation on Shackleton.
And now is a good time to go
before another ice sheet
collapses
and the whole thing melts.
Oh, my God. I can't believe
neither of you are saying no.
I'm waiting for you.
You hate traveling.
I w-was waiting for you.
You have to work.
Oh, my God.
That's a "yes". We're going!
Wait, wait.
Is that really a "yes"?
I guess it is.
On a technicality.
I read once
dolphins operate
in this complicated social order
with alliances and enemies
and enforcers, recruiters.
Almost like the Mafia,
or maybe high school.
They even battle sometimes,
where they bash each other
over the heads
with their tails.
Why do all the smart creatures
organize themselves
in these weird
social structures?
Audrey does everything
at Galer Street.
She created
the Diversity Council.
She set up Marathon Kids.
She invented Donuts for Dads.
Mom once signed up to be
the kindergarten room parent,
but I think she got bashed
over the head
by the other dolphins.
Another option is a few pigs.
- Pigs? Really?
- Yeah.
In a week, they'll pull out
these blackberries
by the root and then some.
Can I help you with something?
Oh, hi, Bernadette.
Um, I didn't know you were home.
Apparently.
Yeah. Um...
I hope you don't mind,
I called Tom.
He's a blackberry
abatement specialist.
- Oh.
- I was in my garden
cutting back the perennials
and planting some winter color
in preparation for the, uh,
the Galer Street brunch
that I'm hosting
for the prospective parents.
Have you been reading
the emails?
Not if I can help it.
Yeah. Well, the blackberry vines
are coming under the wall.
Not at all uncommon around here.
They get into the root system
like bamboo,
- super invasive.
- Yeah. Invasive.
We're just trying to figure out
what best to do about it.
Yeah, here.
It's Tom.
Bernadette Fox.
No card.
Oh.
I was in my compost pile
one morning,
and I was practically attacked.
Um, you know,
not just in my compost,
but, you know, it's gotten
into my raised vegetable beds,
my greenhouse, which you saw,
even my worm bins.
Yeah, I mean, to get rid of
this many, with this kind of
slope...
Oh, and I don't want
to use anything toxic.
You know, no weed killers
or anything like that.
Right. And if you
don't wanna use the pigs,
I think I'd wanna go with, uh,
CXJ Hillside Side-Arm Thrasher.
I don't have one myself.
I'd have to rent one.
Okay, I'm happy to use Tom here
to remove all things blackberry.
I think we're done.
Nice to meet you, ma'am.
Thank you. And soon?
Any pigs will be
arrested for trespassing.
Jeez.
Dear Manjula,
something unexpected
has come up,
and I would love it
if you would work extra hours.
I don't know what time it is
right now in India, but please
uh, let me know ASAP
if you're available
because I need you
to work your Hindu magic
on a huge project. Period.
Okay, I'll stop being coy.
It's a total disaster.
Apparently, Elgie and I
have promised Bee
a family trip to Antarctica.
And of the million reasons
I don't want to go,
the main one is
it will require me
to be surrounded by people.
Looks like even the smallest
cruise ship has 150
other passengers
which translates into me
being trapped
with 147 other humans
who will uniquely annoy
the hell out of me
with their rudeness, waste,
incessant yammering,
and boring small talk,
and creepy food requests.
Or worse, they'll turn
their curiosity toward me
and expect pleasantry in return.
Oh, I'm getting a panic attack
just thinking about it.
But a little...
social anxiety
never hurt anyone, am I right?
If I give you the contact info,
could you pretty please
take over
the paperwork,
visas, plane tickets,
and everything involved
with getting we three
from Seattle
to the White Continent?
Question mark.
Uh, and we'll need whatever's on
the recommended packing list.
Uh... just use
the same credit card.
Oh, yes, Manjula,
one very important thing.
I'd like a fishing vest.
You know, one replete
with the zippered pockets.
And apparently, I need some
blackberry bushes
in my yard removed.
The sooner the better.
Audrey, next door,
thinks nothing
of traipsing through my yard.
Who does that!
Exclamation point.
Ice Cream?
Ice Cream?
Oh.
Ice Cream.
How did you get in there?
Oh!
This is really inconvenient,
Ice Cream.
You wait there!
Ta-da!
Oh. Um...
As much as I love
clip art hand prints...
Uh-huh.
- I think we need
to try to find an image
that better articulates success.
- Mm-hmm.
- Like, um,
- a coat of arms...
- Ooh.
With something in it.
- Like a calculator.
- Oh, that's good.
Right? Or, or diplomas.
Like a rainbow of diplomas.
Cute.
Maybe there's a sketch
of a brain,
and it has a cap
and gown on, right?
We, we just have to remember
we're trying to attract
the right kind
of kindergarten families.
- Okay.
- Thanks, Mindy.
Kyle! Kyle!
What? Not now.
Oh.
Yeah, I think they're going
to do homework.
The brunch RSVPs
are pouring in.
There has not been one "no" yet.
- Really?
- Yes, and I'm counting on you
to bring those 12 chairs.
Well, I hope
I can find the time.
Yeah, it's chairs.
You'll find time.
Yeah.
Oh. Did you notice
our first lady of France
has her scarf look going?
I can't wait until she finds out
about my new job.
I seriously doubt she even knows
who you are.
I know.
She's so awful.
- Oh, hi, honey.
- Hi, Lincoln.
Hey, Mom.
We are on a rescue mission.
What?
Ice Cream's stuck
in the confessional.
Oh. I almost forgot. Bernadette!
Bernadette.
Incoming gnat. What do we do?
Ice Cream needs us. Punch it.
Bernadette. Oh!
Oh!
Oh, my... Oh.
- What happened?
- Did you see that?
- No.
- Did you see that?
- Oh, my God.
- Oh, my... Are you okay?
- Oh, God.
- Are you... What happened?
- Are you okay?
- I'm crying.
- Oh, God.
- I'm not all right!
Okay. Oh, my God.
Ow! Oh!
Did you... Did she run over it?
Did she? Did you see?
- No.
- She ran over my foot.
Okay, you hold it.
No way. She's my dog.
You hold the ladder. I'll go up.
Absolutely not, Bala.
It's too dangerous.
Oh, shush, it's me.
- Such a drama queen.
- Mom!
Mom, are you okay?
- Oh!
- All right, Mom!
- Bee!
- Are you okay?
Ice Cream.
Hi.
You're the worst dog ever.
Hey, you okay?
Yeah. Oh.
This came for you.
Congratulations.
I can't believe it.
Oh, you feel
the Microsoft motivation.
Let's synchronize
our watches.
Is that Lincoln's mom?
In Seattle,
all roads lead to Microsoft.
Mom,
look what she's watching.
Indoctrination in progress.
So thanks
to ongoing developments
in neural imaging, TEDsters,
say hello to Samantha 2.
That's real.
Wow. That's amazing.
Yeah. That did that.
All right, thank you.
I know there's at least two
different species of penguins.
There are
seven different species
of penguins in Antarctica.
400,000 emperor penguins alone,
not including gentoos
and chinstraps.
You wanna know
the coolest part?
On the boat we're taking,
there's no assigned seating
in the dining room.
And they have
these tables for four,
which means
the three of us can sit down
and if we pile the extra chair
with our hats and gloves,
nobody can sit with us.
And penguins.
Wildly excited
about those penguins.
Okay, I wish I could hear more
about the penguins
continue this
celebration dinner,
but I've got
a video conference with Taipei,
all these people waiting
for me, so...
That's okay, Dad.
The clock is ticking.
Congratulations, Choatie.
Bye, honey.
Mom says
insomnia causes anxiety,
and anxiety causes insomnia.
She can't sleep, but she won't
take anything for it
because then
she doesn't feel like herself.
She says that should actually
be a selling point,
but she's grown accustomed
to the way she is.
Me too.
I love Mom just the way she is.
Manjula,
did you have any idea
that getting to Antarctica
requires crossing
the Drake Passage?
And did you know
that the Drake Passage
is the most
turbulent body of water
on the entire planet?
Well, I know 'cause I just spent
the last three hours
on the Internet.
Here's the thing.
Do you get seasick?
It's not just nausea.
It's nausea plus losing
the will to live.
Ugh, if it weren't for Bee,
I'd certainly cancel the trip.
But I can't let her down.
Could you please
get me something
really strong for seasickness?
And I don't mean Dramamine.
I mean strong!
Mom might hate Seattle,
but she loves
the downtown library.
I mean, yeah, of course,
the books and all that,
but also
the Rem Koolhaas design.
She says
it makes her heart race.
The good kind
of heart racing though.
Excuse me.
Excuse me. Uh... Bernadette Fox?
Yes?
Oh, my gosh. I knew it.
Uh, I was an architecture
student at USC,
and I visited Beeber Bifocal
every time they opened it
to the public.
Uh, Paul Jellinek
was my professor.
Uh, you know,
I can't believe this.
I was literally just watching
that, uh, video essay on you
two nights ago.
Video essay?
Yeah, about
the Twenty Mile House.
The twentieth anniversary.
I learned so much more
about you,
and I thought I knew everything.
How wonderful.
Um, could I get
a picture with you?
What a profile pic
that would be.
That's okay.
Uh, you have given me
so much already.
I mean, the relationship
has been totally one-way,
and here I am, wanting more.
I'm very sorry.
Just, thank you. You have been
such an inspiration.
The Architects
and Builders Association
of America recently polled
300 architectural
graduate students
and asked them which
architects they admire most.
The list is what
most would expect.
But tucked amongst
the Frank Lloyd Wrights,
Mies van der Rohes,
Frank Gehrys, and Lorenzo Pianos
is a woman
who is virtually unknown.
Bernadette Fox, one of
architecture's true enigmas,
is extraordinary
for many reasons.
She was a young woman
practicing solo
in a male-dominated profession.
The youngest architect ever
to win a MacArthur grant.
Her handmade furniture stands
in the permanent collection
of the American Folk Art Museum.
She's considered a pioneer
of the green building movement.
She dropped out of
architecture 20 years ago,
and has designed nothing since.
Alone, any of these attributes
would make
an architect noteworthy.
Taken together,
an icon was born.
I guess what struck us
about Bernadette
was the joy
that she took in tasks
that other students
would find beneath them.
Fox was the most
junior member of a group
assigned to the Team Disney
Building in Burbank.
Her first job
was typical grunt work,
laying out bathrooms
in the executive wing.
I mean, she wanted to know
how often the executives
went to meetings,
at what time of day,
the ratio of men to women.
I finally asked her,
"What the hell are you doing?"
And she said,
"I need to know what problems"
"I'm solving with my design."
You know, I would like to say
that I recognized
the talent that would emerge.
Although I did like the sweater
that she knitted for me.
I actually, I-I still have it.
Here, look.
Look at this.
Pretty interesting.
My wife wanted me to give it
to Goodwill, but I said,
"Mm-mm. I'm keeping it."
Soon after, Fox met.
Elgin Branch,
a computer animator.
They married the next year,
and Fox wanted to build a house.
Bernadette was really fixated
on finding a piece of land
where she could design
something herself.
And I showed them
an abandoned factory,
and Bernadette looked around
and said,
"Oh, my God, this is perfect."
She was actually talking
about the building.
Transforming this
industrial space into a home
consumed the next two years
of Fox's life.
She did something
akin to a miracle
with this very grim
and dark space.
She found a way to make...
Well, she found a way
to fill it with light.
I remember
Bernadette had this idea
to knit together bifocal frames.
It was like, you know,
chainmail with glasses
embedded in it.
The house is very feminine.
You walk into it,
you're absolutely overwhelmed
by the patience and the care
that went into making it.
It's like you're walking
into a giant hug.
What Bernadette was doing
was completely outside
of the mainstream,
I can tell you that.
After Fox
and her husband moved
into the Beeber Bifocal house,
Fox was restless
for another project.
Bernadette was gonna
build this house
using only materials
from within a 20-mile radius.
All the materials had
to be sourced locally.
A concrete factory in Gardenia
supplied sand,
which we mixed on site.
For steel, we used
a recycling yard in Glendale.
Anything found in a dump
was deemed okay,
even if it originated outside
the 20-mile radius.
Tree service provided wood,
which we milled on site.
One day,
a convoy of trucks
pulled into the adjacent lot.
The property had been purchased
by Nigel Mills-Murray,
the TV magnate from England,
best known
for his smash game show...
You Catch It, You Keep It!
No, no, no, no, no.
Excuse me. Excuse me.
Yeah. I said I need you to focus
on the bushes in the front.
I need a sign
made and installed
on the western side
of my property
facing the neighbor's house.
Make it eight feet wide
by five feet high.
Yep, you bet your bindi
that's how big I want it.
Bright yellow
with the lettering in black.
And it should read,
"Private property,
"no trespassing.
"Galer Street gnats
will be arrested and hauled off
to gnat jail."
And that's G-N-A-T.
Something annoying but
not worth being bothered over.
Oh, and put
the "gnat" part in red.
Oh.
I absolutely love the vest!
Exclamation point.
Good job, Manjula.
Hey, you ready, Pablo?
Yes. And I asked Soo-Lin to
join us. She's the new admin.
Oh, good. Hey, we've been
dying here without you.
It's nice to meet you, Soo-Lin.
Well, actually, my son is,
um, in your daughter's class
at Galer Street.
Oh, right. Okay. Sorry, I...
- No.
- Cool.
Okay. Yeah.
- Do you guys wanna take the
shuttle?
- Yeah.
- Let's take the shuttle.
- Yeah.
- All right.
- Sure.
Let's shuttle it.
I don't remember anything.
Can I help you?
Oh. You have a Chihuly.
Chihuly?
Yeah. No, the chandelier.
It's by Dale Chihuly.
You know, the glass guy.
Oh.
I was gonna say we don't have
anything under that name.
Try Bernadette Fox.
One moment.
Miss Fox is here.
Looks like this is
a two-man job.
Miss Fox,
are you aware
your prescription is for ABHR?
Mm-hmm.
ABHR is basically Haldol
with some Benadryl, Reglan,
and Ativan thrown in.
Sounds good to me.
Haldol is an antipsychotic.
It was used
in the Soviet prison system
to break prisoners' wills.
Yeah, I'm only
discovering it now.
It has some
serious side effects.
Tardive dyskinesia
being the worst.
Tardive dyskinesia
is characterized by
uncontrollable grimacing,
tongue protrusion,
lip smacking.
I guess a couple of hours
of that sounds like
a day at the beach
compared to seasickness.
Tardive dyskinesia
can last forever.
Forever?
That's... that's a spell.
The likelihood of tardive
dyskinesia is about four
percent.
That increases to ten percent
in older women.
Of course it does.
So I spoke
to your regular doctor.
He wrote you a prescription
for a scopolamine patch
for motion sickness
and Xanax for anxiety.
No, I think I might have
some Xanax at home.
D-Do you have, um,
a... some kind
of laminated chart,
you know, that shows what all
the little pills look like?
It's just that I poured
all of my prescriptions
into this antique jelly jar.
I mean, the colors and shapes
are amazing together.
But then of course
I realized that they...
Well, you get it.
Right.
Fine.
Just give me the Xanax
and the patch thingy.
Bernadette.
Bernadette.
Hey.
Um, what are you doing?
Elgie.
Oh, they wouldn't
give me... Haldol,
so I had to wait for Xanax.
- What are you wearing?
- Uh?
Oh, this.
Yeah. Got it off the Internet.
Can you sit up, please?
Oh.
You know, I've got
a lunch right now.
- Mm-hmm.
- Do I need to cancel it?
- Oh, God, no! No!
- No?
I just didn't sleep
very well last night,
so I just dozed off.
Go. Do. Be.
Okay.
I'll see you at home later.
Hey, do you want to go
for dinner tonight?
Okay. Yeah, yeah.
Buzz and I will pick a place.
Hey, how about just me and you?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
- Hey, Mom.
- Hey, Buzzy.
Audrey asked me
to give you this.
It's an emergency room bill.
Ran over her foot?
I know. If you look down there,
they didn't actually find
anything broken, so...
Obviously.
'Cause it didn't happen.
Wait a second.
That's not your flute.
It's a Shakuhachi.
Mr. Hayes lent it to me
for World Celebration Day.
Oh, you're performing?
Not exactly. I'm accompanying
the first graders.
- Uh-huh.
- They're singing for their
parents,
and Mr. Hayes got me
to put together
a little elephant dance
for them.
Elephant dance?
You little rotter.
You've, you've choreographed
a dance for the first graders?
That's a big deal, Bee.
Can I come?
No, you wouldn't like it.
The words are way too cute.
You might die of cuteness.
Yeah, well,
I wanna die of cuteness.
It's my favorite thing
to die of cuteness.
Can I go
to Kennedy's house tonight?
Will her mother be there?
No.
Okay. That's okay then.
So about this afternoon...
Oh, yeah. Was that one
of the gnats you were with?
From Galer Street?
Soo-Lin is my new admin
and apparently
she does have a son
in Bee's class. Yeah.
Oh, boy.
What?
It's all over for me.
What is all over?
Oh, just watch.
I mean, that one
will turn you against me.
Oh, come on.
Audrey and her flying monkeys
have always hated me.
Oh, don't be ridiculous.
Nobody hates you, Bernadette.
I'm sorry. What were you saying?
I was curious about the medicine
that they wouldn't fill
for you at the pharmacy.
Oh, I know.
This doctor wrote me
a prescription.
It turned out to be Haldol.
Ugh.
I had no idea.
Is that for sleep?
Sleep? What's that?
Honey, that's no good.
And how'd you get
the prescription?
Are you seeing a psychiatrist?
No.
Do you wanna see a psychiatrist?
God, no.
No.
I'm just anxious about the trip.
Really? What specifically
are you anxious about?
Uh, the Drake Passage, people,
little towels folded
into animal shapes
that might be left on our beds.
- You know how it is.
- Actually, I don't think I do.
Elgie, there's gonna be
a lot of people.
You know...
I'm not good
when exposed to people.
Yeah.
I don't know. I think maybe
we need to revisit this idea
of finding someone
for you to talk to.
I'm talking to you, aren't I?
I'm walking too far ahead
You're calling to me
I can't hear
what you've said
- Then you say...
- "Go slow"
I fall behind
The second hand unwinds
If you're lost, you can look
and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you
I'll be waiting
Time after time
If you're lost you can look
And you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you
I will be waiting
time after...
Oh, Bee.
See?
Mom, this is why
I don't want you
to come to the elephant dance.
Yeah.
I just need you to know how
hard it is for me sometimes.
What's hard?
The banality of life.
But I retain the right
to be incredibly moved
by those little things
no one notices.
For better and worse.
It's not gonna stop me
taking you to the South Pole.
We're not going
to the South Pole, Mom.
- We're not?
- No!
The only place tourists go
is the Antarctic Peninsula.
Only researchers
and scientists go
as far as the South Pole.
- Oh.
- Please tell me you knew that
and you just forgot
because you're tired.
Yeah, tired.
And ignorant.
I'll take some more.
Lisa!
Will you excuse me?
Oh!
I'm so glad you came.
- Audrey! It's fabulous.
- Hi!
Thank you so much for coming.
Hi, Gary!
- Hi.
- There's food. There's drink.
You probably know
everybody here.
- Fabulous.
- Okay.
Did you know that one
of our first-grade dads
is in Pearl Jam?
- Eddie?
- No.
The point is I just started
and all of a sudden
it's my responsibility
to make sure everything runs
smoothly while he's off-grid?
That's Jeff Bezos'
brother-in-law.
- Really?
- Yeah.
I'm starting to see
a lot of empty glasses.
Crusts and stuff.
Kyle has been such a big help.
Would you guys mind moving
to the other side of the room?
Right in here.
I'm so sorry. Yes.
I thought here would be nice.
It's kind of like a little...
- Okay.
- Let's all face out.
- Come on in.
- All right.
One, two, three, four.
I love this song. Is it African?
- Yeah, it's a Kenyan pop song.
- Oh.
Galer Street's mission statement
is based on global connectitude.
- Connectitude? Wow.
- Mm-hmm.
Galer Street doesn't just
think outside the box.
They think outside
the dictionary.
Find Susie!
Get on the bus.
It's okay. We're all okay.
I'm so sorry.
Thank you for coming!
It's the rains, you see.
The rains here...
Do you wanna take a gift bag?
There you go.
Oh, no!
Your hillside
just slid into my home.
During my brunch.
There were children in there!
Shit.
W-Was anyone hurt?
Miraculously, no.
Okay, that's good.
That's...
Good? Good?
My house is knee-deep
in mud, Bernadette.
The brick wall collapsed.
My yard.
My Japanese maples.
The birdbath is practically
in my living room.
I am so sorry. I...
And that sign.
- The sign.
- What sign?
I'll have it taken down today.
Oh, well, the mudslide
took care of that for you.
It's on display now
for everyone to see!
- Mom, what sign?
- Oh, Bee,
I did something really stupid.
Stay in the car.
What kind of person
puts up a sign...
Look, I will pay for everything.
Money? That's what you think
this is about? Money?
- Mom, what is going on?
- Bee...
Tell her!
Tell her what's going on!
- You're obviously emotional.
- Yes, I am!
But you need to remember
that the work I had done
on the hillside
- was at your insistence.
- Oh!
Audrey, I used your guy,
and I had him do it
on the day you specified, so...
So none of this
is your responsibility?
No, I am simply making the point
that there's a larger context
to what happened today.
Wow. Okay.
So you think putting up
a hateful billboard
is an appropriate reaction
to having yard work done.
No.
I think I'm starting
to understand all of this.
Audrey, don't stand there
and pretend
you haven't been playing
this game too.
Bernadette, j-just get out
once in a while.
B-Be in the real world
and interact with people.
Maybe that would make you
not so paranoid.
- I think we're done here.
- No, we are not done.
We are not,
we are not done here.
Again, I want to apologize
for the sign.
It was a little inappropriate.
And I intend to take
full responsibility, okay?
In terms of
the Galer Street School,
- in terms of money.
- So now you care about...
You don't care
about Galer Street.
You don't care about anything.
You don't care about your house.
You don't care about your yard.
You certainly don't care
about this neighborhood.
Do you know that
within a four-mile radius
is the house my grandmother
grew up in,
the house my mother grew up in,
and the house that I grew up in?
That I believe.
And you come in here
with your Microsoft money
and buy this
9,000-square-foot teardown
in the middle
of this charming neighborhood
and you think
that's gonna make you belong?
Well, you don't belong,
Bernadette,
and you never will.
Say amen to that.
None of the other mothers
like you, Bernadette.
Did you know that?
- Really?
- Yeah!
Did you know a bunch of moms
had a mother-daughter sleepover
and didn't even
invite you and Bee?
Okay, that's it, Audrey!
Fuck you
for bringing Bee into this!
No. Don't you do this.
We love Bee.
Bee is a terrific girl.
She-She's a wonderful student.
In fact, it just goes to show
how resilient children are
because she turned out so well.
If Bee were my daughter,
and I think I speak on behalf
of every mother at Galer Street,
we would never be sending
her off to boarding school.
I want to go to boarding school.
Of course you do, sweetie.
It was my idea!
No, Bee, it's not worth it.
Of course it was your idea.
I don't blame you.
You don't know me.
And you don't know my mom.
Oh, I do. I do know your mom.
I know her now. Everybody does.
You don't even know
your own son, Audrey.
If you did, you'd know how
he makes fun of you at school.
Do you even notice
when he comes home stoned?
I agree with my mom.
Fuck you, Audrey.
Hey.
You are super cool,
you know that?
Like we'd ever want to be
at a sleepover with them.
Yeah. Popularity is overrated.
So we will put
these Sharpies next to it
and while
the restaurant revolves,
everyone can write
something on it
and when it
comes back around later,
you'll have a card
full of birthday wishes.
That's so cool, Kennedy.
I heard if you go
to the bathroom,
when you come back
you can't find your table.
Let's go to the bathroom.
- Oh, hey, Kennedy.
- Hi.
Bee.
Oh, hey.
Denver trip got canceled?
Nope. I'm on my way
to the airport.
I just, uh, stopped
to ask you something.
What?
Those blackberries
were the only thing
holding up the hillside.
You knew that.
I know you know better
than to denude
an entire hillside
during the wettest winter
on record.
I guess
I didn't actually.
How did you find out?
H-How did you think
I wouldn't find out?
Let me guess.
Your admin,
one of Audrey's mean girls,
is pouring poison in your ears.
I called it.
Keep Soo-Lin out of this.
She's the only reason
it's even feasible
for me to go away for a month.
- If you're interested in the
truth...
- Mm-hmm.
I had those blackberries removed
in accordance
with the specifications
of Bugs Meany herself.
Stop turning everything
into a joke.
I look at you
and I have real concern.
You won't talk to me.
You won't go to a doctor.
- You won't...
- Dad... stop freaking out.
Stop freaking out?
The Griffins' house caved in.
Is this, um, something
we're gonna have to pay for?
It's force majeure.
Audrey's insurance covers it.
Why didn't you tell me, Bee?
I... I guess you haven't
been around that much.
Hmm.
Look how far
my birthday card is.
Take your Ritalin and shut up.
I'm sorry... Wha... Excu...
what did you just say?
- That's not the way that we
talk to people.
- It's okay.
- That's how they talk to each
other.
- No, it's not okay.
Why do you care?
You don't even like Kennedy.
He doesn't?
No, of cour...
of course I like you, Kennedy.
Wha... How can you say
a thing like that?
What is going on
with this family right now?
I just stopped by
to have a conversation.
No, you didn't.
You came here to yell at Mom.
Audrey already did that.
- Hey...
- You weren't there.
It was horrible.
Come on.
What was the question
you wanted to ask me?
Why can't you ever get along
with our neighbors?
Why can't you ever
get along with anyone?
It can't always be their fault.
Well, Manjula,
nobody can say I didn't give it
the old college try
but I just...
I can't go to Antarctica.
Fear not. I have concocted
a gutless plan
which should do the trick.
My dentist has been
wanting to remove
my wisdom teeth for years.
So, bear with me,
how about we call her up
and get an appointment
right before the trip?
That way, I can claim
it was an emergency
and I'm devastated and all that
and my husband and daughter
can go on the trip themselves
and nobody blames me.
Yep.
Told you it was gutless.
Send message.
Bernadette!
Paul Jellinek!
Look at you.
You old rotter.
My God, you haven't changed
in 20 years!
So good to see you!
- How was the lecture?
- It was fine. Fine.
It was just an excuse
to come visit you.
Oh, my goodness. Wow.
Elgie, this is Dr. Kurtz.
Oh, hi.
Hi.
- Janelle Kurtz.
- Elgie Branch.
Thank you so much
for accommodating us.
We are really glad
you could come in.
And Hannah spoke
so highly of you
and all the work
that you did with Frank
to help him through
his rough patch, so...
I'll leave you two.
Okay.
Um...
What have you been doing
in Seattle for 20 years?
Well, I guess I just wanted
to leave I. in a snit,
you know, and when I determined
that everyone felt
sufficiently sorry for me,
unfurl my cape and swoop in
to launch my second act
and show those bastards
who the true...
bitch goddess
of architecture really is.
But then, yeah...
Elgie ended up loving it here,
and, yeah, here we are.
To my surprise,
she got really excited
about moving to Seattle.
We were both
from the East Coast,
both went to prep schools.
And she was a rising star.
An absolute force.
Of course,
I was taken by her beauty
and her amazing talent
and her humor and her energy.
And at the time
that we got married,
I was working on
a computer animation program
which was eventually
bought by Microsoft.
And around the same time, uh...
she ran into some trouble
with a house that she built
and abruptly
declared herself done
with the I. architecture scene.
The city planners here.
I mean, they never met
a beautiful view
they didn't want to block
with a 20-story old folks home
with zero
architectural integrity.
And believe me, that is
the first time that
the words "architectural"
and "integrity" have ever
been used together
in a sentence about Seattle.
And whoever
laid out this place...
I mean, they never met
a two-way street
they didn't suddenly,
and for no reason,
want to turn into
a one-way street.
They never met
a four-way intersection
they didn't want to turn
into a five-way intersection.
Paul, I swear to God,
they even have
seven-way intersections up here.
All of the energy
that she once channeled
so fearlessly
into architecture...
she seems to have
turned towards...
fulminating about Seattle
in the form of these wild rants.
I bought a house
the second we got here.
It was this crazy
reform school for girls,
you know, with every conceivable
building restriction attached.
I mean, to make something
of it would require.
Harry Houdini ingenuity,
which of course appealed to me,
- but...
- Mmm.
What, you know,
actually happened
was that I had
a series of, uh...
I had four miscarriages and...
'Cause, no,
I fully intended to recover
from the ass whooping
of Twenty Mile
by making a home
for Elgie and me
and the baby
I was always pregnant with,
but, you know...
I'd sit on the toilet
and look down
and there it was,
blood on my underpants.
Oh, my God.
I am so sorry, Bernadette.
- No, no, no.
- I just didn't know.
Hey,
Bee arrived.
But, you know, her heart, um,
hadn't developed completely
and, you know,
it needed to be rebuilt
in a series of, um, operations,
'cause, you know,
her chances for survival,
they were minuscule.
Especially back then.
You'd think
that having a sick child
would either bring
a husband and wife
closer together
or tear them apart.
But in our case,
it didn't do either.
We just started... drifting.
The nurses took this.
You know, they do that
when they don't think the...
the baby will...
Aw, look at her.
Mmm.
When I first saw Bee, I just...
I knew that she was other
and that she'd been
entrusted to me.
Do you know those posters
of baby Krishna?
- The Balakrishna.
- Right.
The creator and the destroyer,
and he's fat and happy and blue?
Well, that's what Bee was,
the creator and destroyer.
Oh, yeah.
I mean, come on,
it's just obvious. Right?
So I said to the nurses,
"She's not gonna die.
She's Balakrishna."
And they actually put that name
on the birth certificate.
And, so, yeah,
I asked to be left alone
with my daughter.
And, well,
Elgie once gave me this locket
of Saint Bernadette.
You know...
- She had 18 visions, right?
- Right.
And he always said
the Beeber Bifocal
and Twenty Mile were
my first two visions.
And so I leaned in and I said
to my beautiful
little blue guppy,
I said,
"You are my other 16 visions
all rolled into one."
And she is.
And now, I blinked,
and she's going
across the country
to boarding school.
She just immersed herself
so thoroughly in Bee's recovery
that it became her every fiber.
And...
I worked longer
and longer hours.
Called it a partnership.
I'm surprised to hear that
she isn't in therapy.
That seems like
a logical first step.
Mmm. I tried that.
Didn't go so well.
I asked her again
recently. Um...
Didn't go so well.
You know,
what Elgie doesn't know
is that I am still obsessing
about LA.
What do you mean?
You know, just last night,
right, I woke up to pee.
You know, I'm half asleep.
I'm a blank slate.
And then the data
starts reloading.
Bernadette Fox,
Twenty Mile House,
destroyed, failure.
You know, it's like failure
has got its teeth in me,
and it won't stop shaking.
And then I accidentally
see that cheesebag.
Nigel Mills-Murray's name
on one of his dumb TV shows,
and I go nuts inside.
You know, and it just adds to
my bottomless, churning shame
that I have become
so demented and dishonest
that I'm a stranger
to the most brilliant,
honorable man I have ever met.
I technically have no idea
what's wrong with Bernadette.
Is she depressed?
Manic? Agoraphobic?
Hooked on pills?
Paranoid? I don't know.
I really don't even know
what constitutes
a mental breakdown,
but what has become
crystal clear
is that ignoring it
is no longer an option.
So I'm lying in bed
in the middle of the night
when the thumping arrives.
It's this black hole
of visceral panic.
Oh, it was something ridiculous
like, you know,
"I've got to pack more
fresh fruit in Bee's lunch."
And I can feel
this irrational anxiety
draining my store of energy
like a battery-operated race car
grinding away in the corner.
There go the dishes.
There goes the grocery store.
There goes exercise.
There goes basic human kindness.
So from what you're saying,
she willfully created
an environment
which destroyed
a neighbor's home.
She's hoarding
prescription medicine.
She ran over a mother at school,
and then had a billboard
erected outside
this woman's home to taunt her?
It seems
she may be suffering from
extreme anxiety, grandiosity,
and if hoarding
prescription medication
means what I think it means...
she may well be having
suicidal thoughts.
So what do you say?
'Tis
a piteous fate to have befallen
a MacArthur genius,
wouldn't you say?
You done?
Yeah.
Yeah, good, 'cause I know
you can't honestly believe
any of this nonsense.
As amusing as it is,
it obscures the larger point
which is that people like you
must create.
That's what you were brought
into this world
to do, Bernadette.
If you don't, you become
a menace to society.
I think there's one
very simple answer
to all of your problems.
Get your ass back to work
and create something.
So let's just
divide and conquer
with approximate
nearest neighbors
and restrict it
to nearby matches.
It's gonna minimize
about 90 percent
of the computation time,
I think.
That's super elegant, man.
Pablo, are you almost done?
Yeah.
- Thanks, Elgie.
- Okay.
Elgie, this is Agent Strang
with the FBI.
- Oh. Hi.
- Hey.
- Hello, Mr. Branch.
- Hi.
I'm the regional director of the
Internet Crime Complaint Center.
IC3.
Working in partnership with the.
Department of Homeland Security.
Wow.
Let's have a seat.
Thank you.
Mr. Branch, you've come
to our attention.
I have?
Yep. Because of a charge
on your credit card.
This is my credit card bill?
These are charges
to a company called.
Delhi Virtual Assistants
International.
I see. Yes, I can see.
- Wow.
That company does not
exist.
It's a front
for a crime syndicate
working out of Russia.
Really?
We've spent the last six months
building a case against them.
We were granted a warrant
which allowed us to access
emails between your wife,
Bernadette Fox,
and one Manjula.
There is no Manjula.
This matter
is delicate and urgent.
Elgie, we have
to call Dr. Kurtz.
Elephant, elephant
Tell me, who do you love?
Oh, you know
It's my mama that I love
Not too long ago,
scientists sent
these invisible cosmic rays
through the Great Pyramid
of Giza
to see what was inside,
and they found
this big empty space
they never even knew about.
They don't know how it was made
or even why
this inner chamber exists,
even though the pyramids
have been there
for over 4,000 years.
Only use "I feel" statements.
We don't want her
to feel judged.
I don't know if I can do this.
I know this
can feel uncomfortable...
but we all share the same goal,
which is to help Bernadette.
Right.
Right.
And she does need help.
Absolutely.
You're canceling
your appointment today?
Mmm-hmm. Yep, that's right.
It's a cancellation.
This is very last minute.
I'm sorry. But, look...
My wisdom teeth
have waited this long,
they can wait another month.
- Would you like to reschedule?
- No, no.
I'll reschedule when we get
back from our trip in January.
- Okay, thank you, Miss Fox.
- Okay, thank you.
I knew I recognized you
from that TED Talk.
My kids love that.
Elgie, w-what's going on?
Is it Bee?
I just saw her at school.
No. Bee is fine.
How was the dentist?
Um, I, I didn't go.
Sorry, who are these people?
Bernadette,
I'm Dr. Janelle Kurtz.
Why don't we all sit down?
Why? Elgie?
Shall we begin, Doctor?
Begin what? I don't like this.
Bernadette,
have a seat, so we can...
We'd like to present to you
the reality of your situation.
Elgie?
Whatever this is, can we talk
about it privately?
I know everything, Bernadette,
and so do they.
Okay, look, if this is
about the dentist,
if he told...
I canceled the appointment.
I'm going to Antarctica.
I'm looking forward to it. See?
Bernadette, there is no Manjula.
Manjula? M...
Agent Strang, could you...
Agent?
Hi. From the FBI.
Miss Fox, we've determined
that Manjela or "Manjula"
is an alias
for an identity theft ring
operating out of Russia.
Ide... What?
Yeah.
And you have given them
all of our personal information.
And not only that,
they're on a plane
right now to Seattle
so they can make their move
while Bee and I
are in Antarctica.
Isn't that correct,
Agent Strang?
Pretty much.
And they used your airline miles
to buy the tickets.
Yeah, and next
they could clean out
our bank accounts
and our brokerage accounts
and our property title
because you have given them
all of our personal information
and passwords.
Manjela, Man-Manjula
even asked...
for power of attorney.
No, that's not true.
As a matter of fact,
I haven't heard back
from her for days.
I was getting ready to fire her.
Well, that's because the FBI
intercepted the emails
and responded as you.
Wha...
They know everything!
Bernadette, do you get it?
That was me
ending my relationship
with technology.
That's a great idea, Bernadette.
Let's all just take
a deep breath.
Oh, God, Elgie,
I am so sorry.
New Delhi Virtual Assistants
had over 100
positive Yelp reviews.
But the reality was
something different entirely
and I would like for us
to stay focused
on reality right now.
So it seems in addition
to this identity theft issue,
you also tried to run over
a mother at school.
Oh, don't be ludicrous.
Oh, shut up.
What is she doing here anyway?
Would someone open the window
and let that gnat out?
Stop calling Soo-Lin that,
Bernadette.
Oh, forgive me.
Would someone let the admin
out of my living room?
I'm happy to go.
Yeah, how about I go too?
We'll be in the other room.
Interventions are
slightly above my pay grade.
Intervention?
Is that what this is?
I'm sorry,
am I the only one here
who thinks that's just
a little bit extreme?
Bernadette, I'm worried
that you are suffering
from adjustment disorder.
Adjusting is a disorder?
Adjustment disorder
is a psychological response
brought on by stressors
and usually involves
anxiety or depression.
And in your case,
I think that this...
the stressor is
this planned trip to Antarctica.
Yeah. Except that
I really do wanna go now.
Oh, come on.
You have no intention of going.
- We have read the emails.
- Uh...
Okay, the reality is
that you have
willingly given over
your personal information
to a criminal.
I didn't know
she was a criminal!
This poor judgment
has almost caused
financial ruin
and physical harm.
Your aggression
toward your neighbor
destroyed her home...
I removed...
Let her finish!
This is not the first time
that something like this
has occurred.
And it seems
that you are challenged
in the area
of basic human interaction,
relying on a virtual assistant
to schedule
all your appointments
and to carry on
all of your household duties.
And, Bernadette, the fact that
you are hoarding
prescription medication
and the state of your home
to me indicates
a serious depression.
Are you still presenting
reality to me,
or can I say something?
First, I'd like Elgin to begin
by expressing his love.
Elgin.
Yeah. Uh... yeah.
Hey, of course I love you.
I don't know
who you are right now.
It's like aliens have come down
and replaced you with a replica.
Honest to God,
one night, Bernadette,
I reached over
and I felt your elbows,
'cause I thought no matter
how good that replica is,
there's no way that they got
the pointy elbows right.
And I-I had to stop myself.
I thought, "Oh, my God."
"I can't plunge off
the cliff with her.
"I've got responsibilities.
I'm a father, I'm a husband.
"I've got all these people
at work
"and their families
depending on me.
"Bernadette, my Bernadette,
has gone absolutely crazy,
but I cannot be
pulled down with her."
I'm really sorry, Elgie.
I don't know how
I'm gonna make this up to you.
You're right. I need help.
Let's start by spending time
together in Antarctica.
You know, just the three of us.
No work, no computers...
Please, let's not blame this
on Microsoft.
No. I'm just saying
the three of us.
Our family, you know,
without any distractions.
The three of us
are not going to Antarctica.
Oh, we can't cancel the trip.
I'm not canceling the trip.
I wouldn't do that to Bee.
You're not taking her
to Antarctica
without me, are you?
Bernadette, I'd like to suggest
that while Elgin and Bee
are on their trip,
that you and I...
that you and I work together
for a few weeks at Madrona Hill.
The loony bin?
We don't call it that.
Jesus Christ!
You're shipping me off
to a loony bin!
Elgie, you-you're not!
You need help, Bernadette.
You know, a little R and R.
R and R?
So, what, you guys,
y-you go on the trip
and I get locked up
at Madrona Hill?
You, you can't do that.
Ideally, we'd like you
to come voluntarily.
Lock myself up?
Oh, my God. You have no concept
of how ill you actually are!
Elgie, look at me!
Yes, I am in the weeds,
but I can get myself out.
We can get out of this together.
We don't need
Colonel Kurtz here.
I'm sorry, I've had to pee
since I got here.
Or do I need
doctor's permission?
You know, she's been
in there a while.
Do you think that she's okay?
Maybe we should go
and check on her.
Bernadette?
Bernadette!
I can hear the water running.
Miss Fox?
- It's been a while.
- Is she okay?
DR. - Miss Fox?
- Bernadette?
- Miss Fox, can you hear me?
Step aside.
I need your help, Audrey.
Well, her car is still here.
Everything's so screwed up.
I am really, really sorry
about your house
and the sign.
Don't worry.
Nobody will look for me here.
Look, I know
I'm not your friend.
I'm nobody's friend,
let's face it.
But when I was running
from my house,
I thought maybe
I could come here.
I have nowhere else to go.
I don't... know anyone
in Seattle.
- Hi.
- Audrey.
You'll never guess
what happened.
She disappeared. Bernadette.
From an intervention
Elgie and I were just doing.
That crazy bitch
jumped out a window.
What?
'Cause Elgie's having
to lock her up
to save her
from the Russian mafia.
I'll tell you later.
- Oh, my God.
- I know.
That poor man.
He has been through...
so much.
You have no idea.
So we're all out
looking for her,
so I told Elgie
I'd zip down here
to see if she ran across
your yard or anything.
- Are you okay?
- Yeah.
Yeah. Sorry, I'm just, um...
The house, you know,
I've just been cleaning a lot.
- Oh, right.
- And I'm just tired.
Mud and all of it.
But, um, but I will, uh,
let you know if I see her
running through the streets
with her arms flapping
or something.
It's crazy.
It's crazy.
Oh, gosh, let me know.
Come here.
Yeah.
- More details later.
- Okay.
I wanna hear all of 'em.
Nothing?
Well, she didn't just vanish!
We got 'em. I just got word.
Manjula was apprehended
switching planes in Dubrovnik.
This investigation
is now closed.
Really?
What about Bernadette?
She's not in any danger now.
Oh, really?
Well, from the Russians.
We've, we've solved
that problem.
I have been struggling
with Kyle.
A lot.
I try with him, but...
And he did not get
into Lakewood.
So we'll try public school
next year.
Well, I'm sure it's nicer
than Madrona Hill.
You know what?
I'll switch places with you.
I'll go to Madrona Hill.
Yeah, you could probably use
some R and R.
All right.
Well, then you stay here
with my video-game-obsessed,
rude, pot-smoking son.
Okay. Well, then you can have
my workaholic husband
and his soon-to-be
mistress admin.
Okay, well, only if you
throw in Manjula,
aka Sergei,
the Russian identity thief.
The most important thing
for you to understand
is that it's not your fault.
That wasn't even the question.
Mom disappears into thin air
right before Christmas
without telling me?
The truth is complicated, honey.
There's just no way
one person can ever know
everything about another person.
Of course it's complicated.
Just because it's complicated,
just because you think
you can't ever know everything
about another person,
it doesn't mean you can't try.
It doesn't mean I can't try.
I can't...
It's a very complicated thing
that she's going...
What are you doing with that?
Hey, listen to me.
Your mom needs
professional help.
Stop, please.
Hey, I know
you're upset, Buzzy, but...
Don't call me that.
Mom calls me that, not you.
In September of that year,
Fox was awarded
a MacArthur genius grant.
So why her?
Bernadette Fox is simply
the most exciting thing
in the world of architecture
right now.
I think Bernadette stands out
because no one knows
exactly who she is.
Is she an architect? Obviously.
An inspired
dumpster diver? Yeah.
Any thoughts
about what you'll do
with your grant money?
I don't know.
Start a new project,
finish this one.
You know, I got a lot of ideas.
Mills-Murray's house,
the White Castle,
was ready to move into
before Fox and Walker
had closed the walls
on the Twenty Mile House.
The White Castle's
crowning touch was
a million dollars' worth
of California fan palms.
Yeah. Made it look more like
a Ritz-Carlton, if you ask me.
I mean, she complained.
She complained and complained,
but...
That's just how it was.
The You Catch It,
You Keep It guy.
Ni... Nigel Miles-Mills
is a douchebag.
Bernadette called me and said
she wanted to list the house
and find another piece
of property.
And before I could even get it
on the market,
I got a call
from this guy I knew
who's a business manager,
and he just wanted
to own the house
that had won the Genius award.
You know, I just wish that you
could have seen the two of them.
He was so proud of her.
She had just won this big award
and made a killing on the house.
You know, what husband
wouldn't be proud?
I didn't know it at the time,
but the business manager
was actually buying the house
for his client,
who happened to be...
Nigel Mills-Murray.
And to this day,
Nigel uses the site
for overflow parking.
The Twenty Mile House,
which had taken
three years to complete,
took only a few hours
to demolish.
There was an outpouring of
grief in architecture circles
as word spread that
the house had been destroyed.
Bernadette went AWOL.
I, um, had a ton of architects
sign a letter
that got printed in the paper.
And the Landmark Commission
got serious
about preserving
modern architecture,
which means that, you know,
there was some good
that came out of it.
School?
Yeah.
- Are you going to work?
- Yeah.
Mom's missing
and you're going to work?
Well, what do you
want me to do, Bee?
I don't know,
maybe look for her.
Hey, Bee, listen...
Mom will come back
when she is ready to come back.
She's... clearly going
through something.
Yeah, she's going through
something you put her through.
Hey, stop it.
Listen to me.
Mom has made her own choices.
Instead of facing reality,
she chose to escape.
And not for the first time.
She escaped from Los Angeles.
She escapes
any personal responsibility.
And what did she do yesterday
when confronted with that fact
from people
who wanted to help her?
She escaped...
yet again.
Look at me.
We're gonna live our lives
and when she is ready
to rejoin us...
she will.
Why do you always set it
so high?
Bee? Bee?
Um, Miss Griffin,
I wanted to tell you
that the only reason
I wanted to go to Choate
was because I saw
some dumb documentary
about how it's supposed to be
a really good school...
Sweetheart, sweetheart,
is your mom home?
No, why?
She needed my help.
I drove her to the airport
last night.
She said she thought you were
on the same flight
to Antarctica.
- You drove her to the airport?
- Yes.
Do you know
if she got on the flight?
I don't know, honey.
I don't know.
I-I gave her some of my clothes
for the trip.
Thank you. Thank you.
Mom's in Antarctica.
- What?
- Yeah.
Audrey drove her
to the airport last night.
Audrey?
Yeah. She told me.
I really think Mom is gonna be
on the trip we were gonna take.
She'll be on the Allegra,
and I already checked,
there's another ship
called the Louisa
that we can take
if we get down there in time.
Both the ships
are gonna be at this place
called Port Lockroy
on the same day.
We can go down there
and find Mom.
You promised.
You have to take me.
And you like
the fishing vest too, huh?
Oh.
Whatever you do,
don't ever tell Mom
you're bored.
She'll be like,
"Well, guess what?
"It only gets more boring
"and the sooner you learn
it's on you
"to make
your own life interesting,
the better off you'll be."
I hope she's doing something
interesting right now.
Many of you
are already on deck relishing
the clear, still morning.
The Zodiacs
will begin loading at 9:30.
And, of course, kayaks
are always available.
Welcome to Antarctica.
Hang on, ma'am.
Here's your flotation device.
Oh, yes. I should probably
keep one of these on 24/7.
And then you wanna line up for
the kayaking right over there.
- Okay.
- Oh, no, thanks.
Uh...
Wait, do you have singles?
Yeah. Of course we do.
We have every reason
to believe
that my wife is on the Allegra.
There was, uh,
a misunderstanding
about the departure date and...
A misunderstanding?
Yes, a misunderstanding.
And we want to meet up with her.
Both ships
are supposed to be
at Port Lockroy on the same day.
Look, everything depends
on weather conditions.
So the idea of
a scheduled itinerary
with exact port calls
doesn't really exist
in the Antarctic.
Can you at least confirm for me
that my wife is on that ship?
I'm sorry.
I can't release any information
on passenger lists.
Dad, it's fine.
It'll be fine. Come on.
Hello.
Hey, who are you?
Ah. Funny. I was just
wondering that myself.
When you're in a boat
in Antarctica
and there's no night,
who are you?
I-I'm thinking I'm a ghost
on a ghost ship in a ghost land.
You really need to be helping me
take phytoplankton samples.
Come on.
I'll take the water samples
and you can write my labels.
Don't worry. I'll show you how.
It doesn't take a genius.
Here. Here.
Dad...
I've come to a decision.
Oh, yeah? What's that?
I don't want to go
to Choate anymore.
I've been thinking
about it a lot
and I know you and Mom
went to a prep school,
and it sounded fun
living in a dorm
and playing in the orchestra,
being independent and grown up,
but I don't wanna do it.
I just...
I don't wanna go.
I only have four years
until I go off to college,
so I figure
what's the hurry to go?
Okay, you don't have
to do anything
you don't wanna do.
I kinda thought you'd be mad.
P.S., prep school
wasn't all that fun.
That's what I thought.
A few other researchers
are bunking on the Allegra
en route to Palmer Station,
where we're gonna live
for the next several months.
What's Palmer Station again?
The scientific research center.
Oh, yeah. Yeah. I, I knew that.
That was, uh,
that's the southernmost spot
that only scientists can go to.
No, you're thinking
of the South Pole Station,
which is the southernmost spot
on the planet.
Oh.
That's where
I'm heading after Palmer.
Actually, my ex-husband
is a contractor
and he's working on a proposal
for the dismantling of it.
They're hoping
to build a new one,
but I don't know why.
The old one's a geodesic dome.
It's very cool.
What's the new station
gonna be built from?
Who knows?
He's only doing the bid
for tearing it down,
which is appropriate.
You're making sure to put
the station names on there too?
Yeah.
And we'll also have side trips
going to Port Lockroy,
a British military outpost
left over from World War II.
It is now
an Antarctic heritage museum
where, believe it or not,
a couple people actually live
and run a gift shop
and a post office.
So you are all encouraged
to go buy
Antarctic penguin stamps
and mail letters home.
Can you take me to that ship?
That, that ship over there?
Only to Port Lockroy
and back on this trip. Sorry.
All right, everyone,
- come around.
- Welcome.
- I'm Vivian.
- I'm Iris.
Uh, don't forget to close
the door behind you because...
Sneaky little penguins
are likely to get in
and once they are in,
it is really hard
to get them out.
Uh...
Welcome to Port Lockroy.
Come on in.
Come a bit closer.
During World War II,
Port Lockroy was
a secret outpost
for the British...
Paid to turn
Port Lockroy into...
Where are the passengers
from the Allegra?
Um, the other cruise ship
passengers already left.
Oh, dear.
Dear God,
what's wrong with her?
Good morning.
Hey. You're up early.
Ready?
Yeah.
Okay...
So what's the ratio
of men to women
overwintering in the South Pole?
Uh, I don't know.
I can let you know
when I get back.
Antarctica sucks.
She's gonna get back to port
and she's not gonna know
that we came for her.
It's okay, we'll find her.
I'm not worried about that.
What are you worried about then?
What's gonna happen
when we find her.
Mom is my best friend.
Hey, I know.
I was only trying
to get your mom help.
You have to believe that.
Is it true that you got her
a Saint Bernadette medal?
Yes, it is.
When she won
the MacArthur grant?
That's right.
That was a long time ago.
I didn't do it just
for the name. I told her...
"It's Saint Bernadette,
Our Lady of Lourdes."
"She had visions, 18 in all."
"Beeber..."
"Beeber Bifocal
was your first vision."
"Twenty Mile House
was your second."
"Here's to 16 more."
Oh, man.
I think I really failed Mom.
Sh... She's an artist...
who stopped creating.
I should have
never let that happen.
Well, why did you?
I don't know.
I mean, I don't think I knew how
to try to get...
an artist with, um, your mom's
particular kind
of genius to create.
That's... gigantic.
I can understand how to teach
robots what people need...
but I couldn't understand that
about your mom.
Have you noticed, by the way,
that I haven't been checking
my email very much on this trip?
No, not really.
Well, there is a huge reorg
going on at Microsoft.
They're probably announcing it
while we sit on these rocks,
but Samantha 2 is canceled.
Canceled?
What do you mean canceled?
Well, um...
They're folding Samantha 2
into games.
Yeah, I know. I'm not
really interested in that,
so I said,
"You guys can go ahead
and do that yourself."
Doesn't matter anyway.
I turned in the old badge.
Dad's a free agent now.
I've never known you
without your badge.
Well, get used to it.
I'm gonna be around
a lot more now.
I would really like a shot
at designing that new station.
- You're an architect?
- Well, no.
I've never really
considered myself
much of an architect, per se.
I'm more of a, um...
I'm more of a creative
problem solver with good taste
and a soft spot
for logistical nightmares.
Speaking of...
I really need to get
to the South Pole.
You know, check out
the lay of the land.
Sorry.
That's probably not happening.
No, that would be
damn near impossible.
Put it like this...
I spent the last five years
writing my grant,
and I'm just now getting there
for the first time.
It's the most competitive place
in the world for scientists.
Two more Pink Penguins?
It's on me.
- Yeah.
- Two more.
Hey, two more.
Yeah, why not? I don't leave
for a few hours anyway.
Oh, where are you going?
Uh, the Allegra is rendezvousing
with our marine research vessel.
That's how I'm getting
to Palmer Station.
Absolutely.
I know I'm not authorized
to, uh, be here,
but, you know,
I'll work for free.
No job is too demeaning.
Yeah, that's great,
but guess what.
There are people here
who have come here
through proper channels.
They have written approvals,
gotten grants.
And you show up here
unannounced,
a stowaway,
and you expect a spot?
But I am an architect.
That doesn't mean shit
around here.
I mean, I have
Nobel Prize winners
sanding and painting decks,
an economist on kitchen duty,
and a television executive
who's studying fur seals.
And I've been helping Becky
with her research.
Yeah.
I'm, I'm sorry, Ellen. I just...
I... I had no idea and...
How would she get home?
We can stick her
on the next ship out.
Where's she gonna sleep? Aren't
all the beds accounted for?
That's what we always say.
In the meantime,
- I will hand you over to Mike.
- Uh-huh.
He is a former state senator
from Boston
who wanted so badly
to spend time in Antarctica
that he trained to become
a diesel mechanic.
All right.
I'm letting you know now
because you're listed
as her next of kin,
but your wife's name is on
the Allegra passenger list.
Good. Thank you.
Mr. Branch,
your wife went missing
somewhere
in the Gerlache Strait.
What does that mean?
Her last recorded activity
was carding in
from an excursion 26 hours ago.
She has since gone missing.
Okay, uh, Bernadette
really likes her privacy.
The ship has been searched
top to bottom.
But she's gotta be somewhere.
This report is largely based
on the electronic signature
created by your wife's
magnetically coded ID card.
As you can see,
on her last night,
she ran up large bar tab.
It's like you're assuming
she's dead or something.
She just escaped again.
To where? It's, it's not like
disappearing from Seattle.
Out here, there's nowhere to go
but the boat that you're on.
Where's she gonna stay?
Out there with the penguins?
You're looking at the
Pink Penguins on her bar bill
and you're assuming
she's depressed.
What if she was having
a good time?
How do you know
she wasn't celebrating, Dad?
All right. Okay.
I hope you're right, Bee.
While you spent
your whole life at work,
Mom and I were having
the best time ever.
We live for each other.
And she would never do anything
where she'd never see me again.
Got it. Yeah.
Okay. Now we can get
this little...
We gotta get
the glow plug outta there.
- Do you have the crescent?
- Yep.
- There you go.
- Thank you.
Fox, come here.
I googled you.
So why are you here?
I am trying not to be
a menace to society anymore.
And, look, I probably did get
a little carried away,
but, Ellen, I would
really like a shot
at designing this new station
at 90 South.
What do you know about that?
Well, I, I know
they're dismantling it,
and they're gonna build
a new one.
You know, anyone who's gonna
have a shot at redesigning it,
they're gonna have to go visit
and see it for themselves.
No one just visits
the South Pole.
It's essential personnel only.
And as far as I
can make out, you fall
in that rather large category
of nonessential.
It's just, the way I work
is I have to inhabit
a space, you know,
before I can even begin
designing it.
Before I can discover
what it needs to be.
You know... God, just thinking
about it's got my heart racing.
- Uh-oh.
- Oh, no.
It's not the bad kind
of heart racing,
as in, "I'm gonna die."
It's the good kind
of heart racing,
as in, "Hello, can I help you
with something?"
"'Cause if not step aside
'cause I am about to kick
the shit out of life."
Do you have any idea
what overwintering entails?
It's twice the challenge
anyone ever imagines going in.
The only ones who can cut it
are the ones who have
a little bit of
an antisocial streak in them.
You have to be comfortable
spending a lot of time alone.
You have to go for long
stretches without exercise.
Showers are few and far between.
Sounds like I've been
in training for this
for the last 20 years.
All I wanted
was South America.
Are you gonna take that away
from me too?
World domination ain't pretty.
Oof.
Where are we?
Um...
Oh, I think we're dropping off
a researcher at Palmer Station.
Right now?
We're at Palmer Station?
Yeah, the cruise
companies always like to do
these transfers
in the middle of the night.
Really?
Yeah,
they just keep it hush-hush
so as not to bother
the paying customers.
See, Dad? It's Palmer Station
right there.
There's a ton of people there,
and I really think
Mom is gonna be there.
We have to go and check
and see if she's there.
You wanna borrow a Zodiac
and go find out?
- Yeah. Yeah.
- Okay, you wait here. I'm gonna
get my gear.
Ah! Don't go anywhere!
All right, look, um...
Just, uh, you know, act normal.
- Look cool, all right?
- Yeah.
Oh, crap. All right. I gotta
look for a place to dock.
Uh, just ram into the shore
at full speed.
You just gotta do that.
- No, you don't.
- Yes, you do.
Hey.
Hey.
Lucky for you, I'm partial
to weirdos and geniuses.
I got you a spot on a Herc
from McMurdo to 90 South.
You have to stand for
the whole three-hour flight
next to powdered milk
and jet fuel.
I'm fine with standing.
You say that.
Do you have
all your wisdom teeth?
Uh, yeah.
No wisdom teeth.
We once had to, uh,
airlift out somebody
with infected wisdom teeth.
Do not ask me
how much that cost.
Oh, shit.
No, don't worry about it.
The Laurence M. Gould
is loading up now.
And once you get to McMurdo,
we can get rid of 'em.
Oh, okay.
We have a veterinarian
from Pasadena
with a degree
in equine dentistry.
- He's done it before.
- On which animal?
Volunteers can't be choosy.
And once you get
to the South Pole,
you are there for five weeks.
No going in or out.
Oh, God, this is so great.
Oh, the only thing
I feel I have to do is
I gotta run it by my family.
You know,
see they're okay with it.
Do it.
- Hey.
- Yeah.
Thank you.
Hi, you've reached
the archaic landline
of the Fox-Branch residence.
Since my parents still won't
let me have a cell phone,
all my friends
can leave messages here.
Hey, Buzzy.
Hey... Elgie.
I'm sorry I haven't called,
but as you know,
my phone jumped off
the Tallahatchie Bridge
and has not been seen since.
There's much more explanation
coming in our future,
but for now the headlines,
and it has been a busy news day.
I am about to head
to McMurdo Station
to have four wisdom teeth
voluntarily extracted
by a veterinarian.
So, I got that going for me.
This crazy place
is a shifting ice sheet.
And did you know
they have to reposition
the official South Pole marker
- because it can move...
- Shhh.
100 feet a year?
God, I might have to make
my building a wind-powered,
crab-walking igloo.
- I don't know. I'll figure it
out.
- She's building.
- That's what insomnia is for.
- She's making a building.
The thing about it is,
any structure built
will have to be coordinated
out of the United States.
You know, I mean...
Every material down to the nail
will have to be flown in.
Getting the supplies here
will be so costly
that absolutely nothing
can be wasted.
You know, I've realized
that none of what
has become of me
is Seattle's fault.
Well, might be a little,
but let's withhold
final judgment
until I start being
more of an artist
and less of a menace.
But I make you guys
this one promise,
and it is a big one.
I will move forward.
Oh, God, this is more
of a conversation
than a message.
Uh... But, listen, look um,
I have this one shot
to make it to the South Pole
and looks like we're leaving
in a couple of hours.
And I'll be gone for five weeks.
But I will only go
if it's okay with you guys...
so would you please call me?
Um, here's the number
I can be reached at.
It goes through Denver,
believe it or not.
303-295...
Mom!
You can go!
Bee?
I knew I'd find you.
God, how did you...
How did you get here?
Dad brought you something.
He did?
We decided
there's no way I could have
taken up all 16 miracles.
Yep.
You got
a lot more miracles left.
Scientists always thought
gentoo penguins mated for life.
But they recently discovered
that wasn't true,
and about 20 percent
of them don't.
The way I look at it then,
that means the ones
who stay together forever
are making a choice.
Just like Mom and Dad.
Lying in my bed
I hear the clock tick
And think of you
Caught up in circles
Confusion is nothing new
Flashback, warm nights
Almost left behind
Suitcase of memories
Time after
Sometimes
You picture me
I'm walking too far ahead
You're calling to me
I can't hear
what you've said
Then you say, "Go slow"
I fall behind
The second hand unwinds
If you're lost you can look
And you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you
I'll be waiting
Time after time
If you're lost you can look
And you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you
I will be waiting
Time after time
After my picture fades
And darkness has turned
to gray
Watching through windows
You're wondering if I'm okay
Secrets stolen
From deep inside
The drum beats out of time
If you're lost you can look
And you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you
I'll be waiting
Time after time
You said, "Go slow"
I fall behind
The second hand unwinds
If you're lost you can look
And you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you
I'll be waiting
Time after time
If you're lost you can look
And you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you
I will be waiting
Time after time
Time after time
Time after time
Time after time
Time after time
Time after time
Time after time
Time after
Time