d
[Alice] Oh, God,
there must be a better way.
There must be a better way
to describe things,
to arrange words
in a new way,
to use words
to take you to a place
beyond words.
There must be.
[Karen] I'm so glad
that we could finally
sit down together.
I know we haven't had
a chance to do that since
-Sonia retired.
-[Alice] Mmm-hmm.
[Karen] I know that she is...
She is very sad to go,
-understandably, but, um...
-Mmm.
-It's just such a shame.
-Mmm.
-Retiring at, what, 70?
-Mmm.
-Why?
-Well--
I mean, it doesn't make
any sense to me.
Well, I know that...
That her husband
obviously hasn't been--
-The husband is ill.
-Yeah.
The children are needy.
-The children are 40...
-Mmm.
...but are more needy
than ever.
So that's confusing.
And how long have you been
at the agency?
I know we've spoken
on the phone...
Mmm.
...for a couple of years.
Well, I've been...
I think it's been eight years
I've been at the agency now,
and I've been assisting Sonia
for the last seven.
So, actually, I... I know it
may seem that I'm... I'm new,
-but I've been...
-Gosh.
...working on your account
and working on your sales,
and I should say that
there is a lot of excitement
at the agency, uh,
regarding your new manuscript,
and... and without wanting
to... to pry too much,
is there... is there anything
you might be able to...
to share with us?
Not really.
Not at this point, no.
I'm sorry to be so blunt,
but, um, Sonia never invaded
my process in any way,
and she always
gave me free rein.
She gave me the dignity
and... and the, uh, respect
of complete autonomy.
[clears throat]
Well, um,
everyone's very excited.
-Um...
-Great.
What do you like
about my writing?
I mean, what... what pulls you
to the material?
Well, um...
I have to say, I...
The first book
of yours that I read was
You Always, You Never.
-Mmm.
-And I was--
Did you ever read
A Function of the Body?
Was that one of the ones
that you liked?
Mmm-hmm. Mmm-hmm.
Mmm-hmm. Yes.
That was a much,
much better book...
-Uh-huh.
-Quite frankly.
You Always, You Never,
yes, it has a residual impact.
Uh, it won the Pulitzer,
but it's a... it's a completely
different thing
than the...
than the Footling Prize.
Mmm...
Oh, yes, I... I meant
to bring that up, actually.
They are...
[inhales sharply]
They are asking for...
for an answer.
They're... they're...
obviously, they're...
they're hoping
that you'll be able to make it,
and... and it is...
Do you realize that they
don't give the Footling Prize
in fiction every year?
It's... it's something
that other writers
confer on writers.
Mmm-hmm. Well--
I'm so proud,
but I, I, I just, uh...
I can't attend.
It's killing me.
Um, but...
-Well--
-I can't fly, you see, so...
-I can't fly. [sighs]
-Do--
And along
with the other things--
Would you consider...
I mean,
there may be a way
for you to get to the UK
without having to fly.
I mean, there's... there's...
there's a crossing.
There's... there's a ship,
the Queen Mary 2,
that... that goes from
New York to Southampton.
I... I happen to know
the director
of the Cunard Line,
and, you know,
they have regular crossings,
um, between...
Transatlantic crossings,
and I'm sure...
[hesitates]
I'm sure
if I spoke to him,
they'd be willing to... to...
to give you a state room
and, and whatever
you needed.
I mean, in...
in exchange for...
perhaps if you did
a little talk on the boat,
-um, uh, then...
-Oh, well, I don't think...
Then something
could be arranged.
And I... just...
just hear me out.
I think...
Yes, I think that might
be the solution
to be able to get you there,
because, obviously, this prize
means so much to you,
as it should,
and I know
that they'd be thrilled,
uh, if you were able
to make it.
And... and it really is...
It's a lovely way to travel.
It's a...
it's a beautiful ship.
Could I bring guests?
-Yes, of course.
-How many?
d
[Eddie] Uh, and my main...
my main feeling is just feeling
like I'm a burden on you,
and... and...
just, like, shoving myself
in here when, you know...
And I appreciate it.
Mika appreciates it.
-You know, I invited you--
-And I just want--
May I just remind you?
-I invited you.
-Mmm-hmm.
I'm your mom. I'm your family.
What's that
for if not to...
[baby crying,
woman chatters indistinctly]
I... I still
don't understand it.
What... How could... You...
You did this company together.
-Mmm-hmm.
-And I don't understand
-how he cut you out...
-I think he thinks that I--
-...why he would do that.
-Well, he...
He used the program
that I had developed...
or I... It was my idea.
He actually did the...
He was the engineer on it.
I don't know, honey.
I really don't know.
I'm clueless, actually,
about what you're
going through with this.
That a friend should
do this to you is, um,
kind of outrageous.
-It's shock... It's...
-It makes me feel violent.
-[chuckles] Mom.
-Mmm-hmm. It does.
-Easily.
-[baby crying]
Don't let that
motherfucker near me.
Why wouldn't you
go on this trip?
I mean, it sounds fascinating.
Well, Cheryl needs more prep
time before her parole hearing.
Mom, the hearing
is six months from now.
Roberta's going, right?
Yes, Roberta's
definitely going.
And you haven't heard
from Alice since Dad died.
And when did you last see,
you know, her and Roberta?
Oh, wow, I don't think
we've seen each other
since, um... whoa...
since we all got together
in San Francisco.
That was, like, when was that?
Oh, that was...that was
over 30 years ago.
Well, you got to go.
You have... I think
you have to go,
just to find out why
she's reaching out.
And why you two?
Why now?
d
-[customer] How are you?
-[Roberta] Fine.
[customer] So I am very
frustrated right now.
-Oh, dear.
-[laughing] I know.
Um, I called ahead...
Are you Carol?
No, I am Roberta,
as you can see...
-I do see it now.
-If you have eyeballs.
[chuckles] I do.
Okay, I called ahead
and spoke to someone
named Carol,
who perhaps was your
manager... I don't know.
And I don't want
to get you in trouble,
but she did tell me
that you have a peacock blue
panty and bra set.
And that is what I'm here for,
and all I am seeing is teal.
So...
Can I just point out
that the difference
between teal and peacock
is as fine as a hair.
-[both chuckle]
-Maybe to you.
I have a really highly
developed sense of color.
I'm a designer.
There's too much
yellow in this.
Now, let me help
you understand.
[telephone ringing
in distance]
d
-Hey.
-Clovis, remember,
I am leaving today
for two weeks,
and I'll be back
on the 16th, okay?
Wait, you're going away?
[laughs] Yeah, I told you
all this in the email
about three weeks ago.
I gave you
the whole itinerary.
-I didn't get your email.
-I... I think you did.
I didn't get an email from you.
Because I sent it.
Oh, okay, can you get
someone to cover you?
'Cause I have you
five days next week.
No, but I think you can
because that's your
job as manager.
Bye-bye.
[indistinct chatter,
billiard balls clacking]
[woman] Who are the other
two people she invited?
[Tyler inhales sharply]
Um...
They're her... like, her two
oldest friends from college.
-Really?
-Yeah. So they've been, like,
friends for, like,
50 years.
-Jesus.
-Just been chillin'.
Or... or I guess
they haven't seen
each other in a while...
I'm not sure.
I don't know what...
for our generation...
what friendship will look like
over a long period of time.
At least, I've only
had friends for, like,
four years at a time,
and these women have been
friends for, like, 50 years,
so just trying to maybe
study them and learn...
maybe I can learn
something from it, you know?
[laughs]
And, what, she's,
like, a TV person?
No, she's a writer.
She's an...
-Oh.
-...an author.
-Oh.
-Do you not know this?
No, you didn't tell us
anything about this.
What do you mean?
You don't know who my aunt is?
Or... You don't?
Alice Hughes,
You Always, You Never.
It won
the Pulitzer Prize.
It's been turned into a movie
and a miniseries
in the last, I don't know,
15, 20 years or something.
What... What...
You haven't seen it?
This was...
This was years ago?
Or this was recent?
I'm really surprised.
It's, like...
Well, you should read it.
It's an unbelievable book
and a great movie.
Can you not go?
Why... why would you go?
-Yeah.
-Aw, thanks.
No, it's not
a "thanks" moment.
Well, you... you...
I felt so much love
from you in that moment,
so I had to say thanks.
No, I got to go.
I got to go do, um...
I mean, I just got to go
do my thing, you know?
Take... take care of these
lovely old women.
She desperately wants
to accept the Footling Prize,
but she can't fly,
so I've booked her
on the Queen Mary 2 with her
two friends and her nephew.
I'm not...
She gets on the boat,
she takes the boat,
and then you take
the boat, too,
for what purpose, exactly?
Well, for years now,
she's been hinting to Sonia
that she's revisiting
one of her characters,
and we're hoping it's Rowena
from You Always, You Never,
but then again,
whenever anyone mentions
You Always, You Never,
she slags it off.
If she hated
that book so much,
why'd she put it out
in the first place?
Well, it was a long time ago,
so I can understand...
Know what we're gonna get?
Our luck,
we're gonna get a sequel
to A Function of the Body.
Well, she did mention
she considers that
-to be a much better book.
-Oh, my God.
Of course she did.
Here's a thought.
How about a sequel
to You Always, You Never,
and maybe make it better
than the original?
How's that for a bold idea?
I completely agree,
which is why
I think I need to be
on that ship.
It's a big ask.
It's not just the cost
of the trip.
You're gonna be
out of the office.
Well, I just don't see
that there's any other way.
All right, but if this
doesn't work out,
you're gonna wear it.
[sighs] All right.
f
d
[upbeat jazz music]
d
[music stops]
[ship horn blaring]
-I feel useful.
I feel useful.
-[Alice] Yeah.
-It's a wonderful feeling.
-[Alice] That's a good feeling.
Sometimes it's a
heartbreaking thing
'cause, you know,
they won't get parole.
You've been preparing,
and the parole board just...
[Alice] Yes, yes.
-[Susan] Anyway, anyway...
-You're fighting
the good fight.
-[chuckles]
-[Susan] I don't know.
-I think so, yeah.
-[Susan] I'm trying.
I'm trying.
The main thing is the
connection with the women...
-Mmm.
-[Susan] Is just such a gift.
-It's everything.
-[Susan] It's a gift.
[Alice] What about you, Bert?
What have you been up to?
Oh, well...
not much, really,
not much. [chuckles]
I don't advocate
for anybody except...
I advocate for women's
brassieres, basically.
-Just...
-[Susan] For what, hon?
[Roberta] I, I,
I sell lingerie.
[Susan] Your what, honey?
You're in what?
[Roberta] I sell lingerie.
Tyler, you brought the books.
I've... I've brought you books.
-[Susan] Oh, how wonderful.
-So that I hope...
I hope you'll look
at the Realm of the Owl,
-which is her seminal work.
-[Susan] Thank you.
[Alice] She didn't write
very much,
but the work
that she did write is...
groundbreaking,
and I think it's important
that we all somehow...
share the work
before we go
and stand at her...
at her grave.
[whispers] Thank you.
[Alice] Um, so...
speaking of writing,
I'm just...
I'm just not
going to be available.
I've got a draft of a novel
I'm trying to finish.
I have, uh...
[sighs]
This address that's, uh...
You know, they don't give
this prize every year.
But we'll have supper
together, and we'll--
Good. Yes.
[Alice] You can tell me
all the things
that I'm missing out on.
[laughs]
Here's to picking up
the conversation
where we left off.
-[chuckles] You know?
-[Susan] Cheers.
And here's to, maybe,
reconnecting the gang
of three we used to be.
[laughs]
Cheers.
-[camera beeps, shutter clicks]
-Cheers.
-[Tyler] Yeah, thank you.
-Thank you very much.
-[Tyler] Have a good one.
-[Susan] Good night.
Thank you.
-Good night.
-Have a good night.
d
Hey, Bert, want to go
have a drink later?
No, I can't.
d
[jazz piano music playing]
[cell phone vibrating]
Hey, don't freak out.
This is Karen, Alice's agent.
I'm actually on this ship.
Can you meet me
in the Verandah bar
in 15 minutes?
What?
Hi.
-Karen?
-Yeah, hi.
-Hey. Tyler.
-Nice to meet you.
Yeah, nice
to meet you, too.
Heard so much
about you from Alice.
-Really?
-Yeah.
Oh, wow. Cool.
Um, would you like a drink?
Um, sure, yeah.
Um, what do you...
What'd you have?
Uh, vodka soda.
[Tyler] Okay, um, so can
I have a margarita?
-Can you do margarita?
-[barman] Yeah, sure.
Oh, it's amazing.
I'm... I'm a guest
of a friend who's speaking,
so I... I'm very lucky
to get to be on this ship.
-That's wonderful.
-I... I wouldn't have been
able to otherwise,
-and it's magnificent.
-[man] Yeah, yeah.
You know,
I was only in the pub.
They have a pub
on here.
I was in the pub,
and I actually...
I actually
managed to sell...
You shouldn't...
you're not supposed to do it,
but I actually
managed to sell
a big quantity of my shoelaces
to a guy in the pub.
-Hmm.
-Yeah, yeah.
Turned a profit
on the ship.
I, I have already, yeah.
I... I've done that.
-I know.
-Uh...
We're... we're turning over
a lot of money in it.
How, how, how much money
would that be?
-Do you want to know?
-Yeah.
-I've just met you. I mean...
-I want to know.
[Karen] Let me start
at the beginning.
Um, Alice has a manuscript
that's due, like, really soon,
and, uh, everyone at the agency
is getting a bit nervous
and wondering whether
it's gonna be finished on time,
whether it's gonna be a sequel
to You Always, You Never,
-and the problem is...
-Hmm.
...nobody there
has seen a manuscript.
I mean,
I haven't seen a manuscript.
Have you seen a manuscript?
Um, no, I have not seen
a manuscript.
Okay, the thing is...
I was meant to get
some answers the other day,
and, and I didn't get
any answers,
-and if...
and if I don't get...
-Mmm-hmm.
...any information soon, um...
I'm gonna be in deep shit.
So this is...
this is really important,
and I... I'd really
appreciate it if you could...
-Okay, yeah.
-...help me out.
I need... It's a really
delicate situation,
and, you know,
I don't want to approach her
at the wrong time,
and I can't really
get close enough to see
what her frame of mind is.
-Mmm-hmm.
-And, and...
And I thought maybe you
could maybe give me a heads-up
as to, you know,
how she is,
you know, whether she's okay,
how's she's feeling,
and just, you know,
and then...
-Right.
-Yeah.
[mysterious music playing]
[Alice] Today won't be
any different
-than any other day.
-[knock on door]
-[Tyler] Okay.
-[Alice] And that will be...
I'm going to start work
on my manuscript,
and then I'm going
to swim at 3:00.
Mmm-hmm.
Butler will bring me...
Pierre will bring me
some sort of a lunch,
I suppose, at 1:00.
Then I'll swim,
and then I'll come back
and work for two
more hours.
Six o'clock, I'll start
to get ready for dinner.
Dinner at 7:00
and then back to work
or bed or both.
I'll probably work in bed.
And is there anything
you need from me
within, uh,
working before lunch...
No, most of what
I want you to do
is I just want you to...
-take care of them...
-Okay.
And make sure
that they're happy.
You know, I just don't know
what's going on with them.
Mmm.
You know,
I tried last night to...
What happened after I left?
Did... did you go out
with Roberta and Susan?
-Um, no.
-Did they go out together?
Did they speak
to each other?
-Did they...
-Um, I don't... I don't know.
I was... I just...
I just went home
and started
writing some stuff down.
-You just went home?
-Yeah.
But, Ty...
[sighs]
This is... Part of what I...
I really do want you
to... to watch out
over them...
-Hmm.
-...'cause I'm not able
to be with them,
and I don't know
what they're thinking.
-Oh, okay.
-I don't know
what they're saying.
I don't know... I don't...
I really...
It's very important to me
that I know something
-of their state of mind.
-Oh.
Okay. Yeah.
-I can... Absolutely,
I'll, um... Um...
-All right?
-But I just want to--
-You know what?
That makes me
think of something, actually.
Can you hand me the manuscript
that's over there
-on the... on the couch?
-Sure.
-And a pen.
-Uh-huh.
-The red pen.
-Yeah.
Got two pens.
-Thank you, darling. [sighs]
-Here you go.
Is, uh... is this
your new book?
[sighs]
Yeah. This is it.
What's it about?
Uh...
it is about trying to catch
lightning in a bottle
for a second time.
Nice.
[keys clacking]
[ship horn blaring
in the distance]
[cell phone chimes]
She's in her room till 3:00,
then she swims,
then back in her room,
then dinner at 7:00,
then bed.
-Thanks.
-[cell phone chimes]
What are you doing
after dinner?
[cell phone chimes]
[sighs]
d
[coins clinking,
machines ringing]
[dealer] Five.
Dealer, 21. Sorry.
[chatter continues]
[Tyler] And I'm so curious
to talk to you,
Alice and Roberta,
about what it was like
to... to come up together
without any technology,
without... to... I can't help
but feel like
you have a glimpse
into the experience
of what
it's like to not...
be obscured by any
sort of false selves
or... or to really be intimate
with each other
in moments of...
So I kind of feel like
I'm... I'm... I'm spending time
with three...
uh, almost, like...
Dinosaurs.
-No. I was gonna say...
-[laughing] I'm teasing you.
-Well, I know...
-I'm teasing you.
I just think that there's...
It is true that
after your generation,
I don't know
who will carry
the torch for...
what really...
What humanity really is.
I don't think it's that
different, you know?
I, I know it, it...
It's vastly different
when you look at it
from the outside.
And what's happened
to your generation...
I mean, since you were two,
you've been typing away,
and so you've grown up
with this thing
-like an appendage
on you, you know?
-Uh-huh.
But I think that...
depending on what
you join up with
on, you know,
the computer...
Facebook or Instagram
-or whatever
you're joining up with...
-Yeah.
...um, or not...
that human communication
is basically the same
because humans
are basically the same.
[water splashes]
[man 1] So, who should
I sign this to?
[man 2] Arabella.
It'd be very nice.
That's my granddaughter.
-[man 1] Granddaughter?
-Yeah.
[man 1] Yeah, she's only about,
15 years old?
-[laughs]
-[woman] Well,
she's seven today.
-It's her birthday.
-She's on board, yeah.
-She's on board?
-She is.
-Where is she?
Oh, yeah, she's by the pool.
-By the pool?
-Naturally.
[laughs]
Well, that's... Can she swim?
[woman] Oh...
d
[elegant music playing]
Okay, so don't look
all at the same time,
but does anybody know
who that guy is,
sitting behind me to the right?
He was surrounded by, like,
a group of fans earlier today.
Oh, I think that's him.
I know that's him.
-[Alice] Who?
-[Tyler] Who?
[both] Kelvin Kranz!
-Who?
-Who is he?
-[Roberta] Kranz.
-[Susan] He's a writer.
He's a huge mystery writer.
He's written hundreds of books.
Have you read any of them?
-Oh, all of them.
-Almost all of them.
Every one of them.
Some twice.
-Good Lord.
How is that possible?
-Wow.
-How is that possible...
-[Susan] It's a thrill...
He's not like you.
Nothing like you at all.
He's a thriller,
a mystery writer.
A thriller writer.
Yes, I understand.
What I don't understand...
is how people...
How you can read the...
The prose just...
That kind of writing
seems to me like...
The prose seems like Styrofoam
or something.
But it's plot-driven.
Yes, but the plots
are so simplified.
It's like a jigsaw puzzle.
You know, you match the color
and the shape,
and then you put it
all together.
It's all very pat and
neat and done.
And then, you know,
it's a picture
that's completely
unrelated to life.
Life is a mystery,
a true mystery.
-It's true.
And yet, I can't wait
for the next one.
And also, it's like a puzzle
you get to solve.
Maybe I'll go over there.
-No, no, don't.
-[laughs]
[Susan] No, not yet. Don't...
Wait until later.
-Thank you.
-Ma'am, pleasure.
Why don't we go
get a drink tonight, huh?
Oh, I, I can't.
I'm going
to the masquerade ball.
Oh.
Sounds like fun.
[clears throat]
[cell phone vibrating]
[Karen] Can you hang out?
[laughs]
Fuck, yeah.
d
♪ And if you say run ♪
♪ I'll run with you ♪
♪ And if you say hide ♪
♪ We'll hide ♪
I, uh, saw the manuscript.
Just saw it. I didn't...
I asked her what it was about,
and she was not really
interested in sharing,
but she did say
that it's about...
trying to catch lightning
in a bottle
for the second time.
Wow. Uh...
Lightning in a bottle
for the second time, that...
that could mean a sequel.
Right?
Uh, yeah, I suppose it could.
-I think it could mean
a lot of things.
-Well, that's...
Well, that's pretty exciting.
[Tyler] I thought
that was the direction
I was gonna take my life in,
and I went to college,
and I sort of...
I don't know.
The more I separated
from my dad,
the more I saw actually
how sketchy of a guy he was.
He was, like...
kind of an ignorant
human being
in his politics and his...
just kind of the way
he treated...
people and specifically,
I think, women.
Um...
and, uh...
and...
yeah, and then, uh...
he actually got sent to jail
because he, um...
blackmailed
some very important people
at the top of these companies
that... that, uh,
that he worked for.
-Yeah.
-And so I don't know
if you heard about that.
Yeah, I heard...
I heard something about that.
Yeah, that's my dad.
-Anyway...
-[both laugh]
-It's okay.
-Um...
So...
Are you even or odd?
I'm odd.
Um, I'm even.
Okay.
-All right.
-Good night.
Good night.
Um, see you tomorrow?
Yeah, definitely.
-Okay.
[mellow music playing]
d
So it's strange
to me the idea
that she would come here
and avoid you.
It's very strange to me.
It's very strange
because she jumped
at the opportunity.
You know,
she jumped at the invitation.
Susan,
it took two weeks for her
to make all the arrangements
from... In her life
-to be able to leave, but...
-Wow.
Well, then maybe
she's trying... She wanted
to come here to...
to make you uneasy.
Oh, I don't...
-Or she wanted--
-Do you think she did?
Well, maybe not as a whole,
but, you know, some...
Like, when I was a kid,
I would get mad at my parents
and yell at them
-to see that they loved me.
-Mmm.
Do you know what I mean?
I would hurt them.
And when I saw
the hurt in their eyes,
-that told me they loved me.
-Mmm.
And that was a way
of comforting myself.
Mmm-hmm. Oh, gosh,
well, that's a horrible,
horrible thought.
I hope that's not...
That's true,
and I'm sorry
that happened to you.
Well, I did it, so...
[chuckles]
-Yes.
-Yes, but I don't think you...
I'm sure your mother
came through for you,
but I can't imagine
that Bud did.
[clears throat]
Right.
Okay, this is the closest
that I've been able
to come to a viable candidate,
Murray Dix.
He makes shoelaces.
I wish it were
a little more glamorous,
but I think he's got dough.
I need you to find out
how much dough he really has.
Is it liquid?
What's his marital history?
Was...
Did he abuse a wife?
Did he... I mean,
am I gonna survive if I...
-Mmm-hmm.
-Um... I, I...
Are there any red flags?
Did he do time?
That would not be good for...
for my reputation,
-among other things.
-Right.
Right. Right.
-So can you--
-Yeah, you want me to do
a little forensic deep dive,
-if you will.
-Yes, I know you can do that.
Yeah, I got you.
[mellow music playing]
Where is it?
[gasps]
[chuckles]
[sighs]
Oh, my God.
Oh.
-Whoa.
-What?
[taps screen]
Okay, that's a blemish.
But he was acquitted.
Isn't that the important thing?
[exercise machines whirring]
[machine beeps]
[breathing heavily]
d
-Hey.
f
How's it going?
Yeah, good.
How are you?
I'm doing well.
[chuckles] Um...
how you feeling today?
I hate my life.
[Roberta] I, I loathe my job.
I...
I desperately want money.
[laughs] I really want money,
and I'm not in a position
to meet a guy who has any.
I mean,
I get these old codgers
who come into the store,
and they want to buy a thong
for their teenage girlfriends,
while I'm old,
rotten meat for them.
-They're not interested.
-[Susan] Oh, honey.
[Roberta] But, um...
You, you really do believe
that Alice and her book
just determined
your whole life?
Don't you?
I know I'm not
the quickest person
around the place,
but I read Alice's book.
It never crossed my mind
that it was you.
It never crossed my mind
that it was Crawford.
It never crossed my mind that
that mechanic guy...
had anything to do
with Roberta.
Nothing.
It never crossed my mind.
Even though the character's
name was Rowena?
Why would I put
that with you?
Well, it crossed
everyone else's mind, Susan.
It certainly
crossed Crawford's.
And the judge agreed with him,
so, you know, what...
I got nothing.
Oh, God, that's so awful.
-Look, he was...
-That's so awful.
-I can't believe that.
-He was a nice man.
He was very wealthy.
He took very good care of me.
-Until...
-He didn't.
So are you seeing anyone
at the moment?
Um, no, no one right now.
Um, I, um... Um...
Okay, so the weirdest thing
happened this morning.
That guy...
I think, was coming
out of Alice's room
when I went to go see her
for breakfast.
-What?
-Yeah.
Like, like,
he'd stayed the night?
Oh... maybe. I don't know.
Uh, does that--
Do you think
they're having an affair?
Again, yeah, I don't know,
but it...
I don't know why else...
he'd be leaving her room
or why she
wouldn't tell me, but...
Maybe she's having
a secret affair.
-Good for her.
-[chuckles] I know, yeah.
Oh, God.
So I moved out, and I lived
on my own for a bit,
and then I got introduced
to this guy called Jan, um,
who is a hedge fund manager,
and he works
between New York and Zurich.
So we started
seeing each other.
And things seemed
to be going pretty well.
Uh, we moved in together. Um...
You know, I really...
I felt like I was
in a grown-up relationship
-for the first time,
like, he's quite serious.
-Wow.
Um, like, I felt like it
was time that I...
that I calmed down.
Like, I don't know
why I thought that,
-but, like, in my mind...
-Hmm.
...I was like, you know,
"It's time to grow up."
-Huh.
-Like, "This is it.
He's the guy."
-Wow.
-"I'm gonna get married.
I'm gonna have kids with him,
and I'm just..."
-Wow.
-Yeah, "This is the next
phase of my life."
-Um, that's what
I thought. Um...
-[cup clatters]
We talked about children,
but he said he wasn't sure
and he didn't know
when he'd be ready,
so, you know, he said,
why don't I freeze my eggs?
So last year I... I did that.
Um...
Even though, like, I thought
that I'd be ready, like, now.
Like, I mean, most of my
friends have had kids.
-And...
-Right.
You know, they've got
families and, like...
I don't know, it's funny when
you get to this age as a woman.
You feel a bit like
if you're not doing that,
you're gonna be...
Well, you're gonna miss
your chance
-or you're gonna be, like...
-Mmm.
f
-[voice breaks] ...left behind.
-[both chuckle sadly]
-Sorry, it's just...
-No, that's all right.
-Are you all right?
-Yeah, yeah, I'm fine.
I'm fine. I just haven't really
talked about this.
Um...
-Sorry.
-Oh.
It's ridiculous, really. Um...
I don't know.
d
It's so crazy,
like, you go through your 20s,
and you're, like, "I better not
fucking get pregnant
'cause that would be
a disaster."
-Right, right.
-And then when you hit 35,
everyone's like,
"Are you thinking about it?"
Like, should you...
"Are you gonna have kids?"
So it all kind of changes
so quickly,
and I thought that
that was gonna happen,
that Jan and I
were gonna get married.
-So it just, like,
threw me when, like...
-Huh.
...two months ago, he...
Well, he just ended it.
And...
-like, I was basically homeless
'cause it was his place.
-[gasps softly]
And, um...
Yeah, I'm just...
Guess I'm just
still working
through all of that.
Um...
-[woman] Good afternoon.
-[Roberta] Hello.
Uh, I was given
this gift certificate
for a supreme
manicure and pedicure,
which is very nice,
but I don't like people
touching my hands or feet,
so I would like to redeem it
for cash, please.
Unfortunately,
we can't do that, madam,
but we can offer you
another treatment instead.
Uh, could I redeem it...
Could you put it
on my credit card?
Unfortunately, no, because
it is a complimentary one,
so we would be able
to just transfer it
to a different treatment.
Let me show you
what we have available.
For the money that you have,
you can have any of these.
Do men get massages here, too?
We do. We do do massages
for everyone, yes.
Do you have any men getting
a massage at the moment?
We do at the moment,
yes, madam.
What kind of massage
are they getting?
They have all sorts of...
All the different types we do.
At the moment,
we have got a gentleman in.
He's having a sports massage.
Ah, well, I would like
to have the sports massage.
-The sports massage? Okay.
-Yes, please.
d
[steam hissing]
[clattering continues]
-[Kelvin] They're
the same price?
-[waiter] Same price, yes.
Let's say
we went to the Bordeaux,
just in case.
He went like this.
Now he's going like this.
[Tyler] Why don't you go up
to him and, and talk to him?
Tyler, I would never do that.
-He really seems--
-Oh, my God.
You can't be intimidated
by Kelvin Kra...
-[whispering] Kelvin--
-[Susan] Oh, my God.
[Tyler] He seems...
He seemed really nice
to all the people who were
going up to him yesterday.
-[Susan] Really?
-It's just...
-Oh, I'm not surprised.
-[Tyler clears throat]
I think he's probably
a lovely man.
Speaking of writing,
how is yours going?
Thank you for asking me that.
Um...
d
Well, it's...
it's not going, actually.
It's not going.
I've been whining
to Tyler about it.
I'm sorry for doing that,
but I just...
Oh, I've hit a...
I've hit a wall.
Sometimes it happens.
Sometimes you hit...
You're blocked.
-Well, maybe you should
take a breather.
-So... Mmm.
You want to have tea tomorrow?
We could go to the...
The Chart Room has a nice tea.
I would love to.
[Karen] Uh, I didn't know
whether you'd be up for it,
but have you been
to a planetarium before?
No. Never.
Or maybe when I was a kid.
Okay, um, do you like stars,
planets, the universe?
Yeah, I love the universe.
[chuckles] Okay.
Well, hopefully,
you should enjoy this.
[narrator] The night sky,
both beautiful and mysterious.
The subject
of campfire stories,
ancient myths, and awe
for as long
as there have been people.
Living beneath the open,
dark sky,
the earliest humans
were aware of nightly changes
as planets marched
across the sky.
The moon waxed and waned,
and occasional meteors
flared across the horizon.
Slowly, the simple
early observations
revealed patterns
that could be depended upon,
leading to the first
calendars.
With the yearly cycle
mapped out,
settlements in agriculture
could develop,
and early
civilizations thrived.
At the same time,
the first maps of the sky
grouped the brightest stars
into familiar constellations,
helping to develop
navigational schemes...
d
[machinery humming]
Good evening, madam.
-Hello.
-Um, how can I help you?
I think you seem to be lost.
Oh, no, no, I'm not lost.
I'm just wandering.
Yeah, you're not actually
allowed in this area
because this is part
of the crew area.
-Oh, okay.
-And you're not insured.
So, if anything does happen...
-Okay, where shall I go?
-So where would you like to go,
and I can escort you, please?
Okay, no problem.
[waves splashing]
[sighs]
[Karen] Kelvin Kranz
is on this ship?
[Tyler] Mmm-hmm.
Wait, is he...
Is that a really big deal?
Come on, you have to have
heard of him.
[Tyler] No,
I've never heard of him.
[scoffs] I mean, he's huge.
Like, the guy's a one-man
publishing industry.
-Really?
-Like, every single one
of his books
gets adapted into a film.
-I mean, every language...
-Oh, okay.
...his books
have been translated into.
-[Tyler] Okay, Kelvin.
-Yeah.
-[Tyler] I see you.
-He's massive.
[Karen] Like, bigger than all
of them combined, like...
[Tyler] Good for...
good for Kelvin.
-[Karen] Yeah.
-Good for that guy.
Um, so I had a thought
that I was...
Do you... Do you like dancing?
-Dancing?
-Yeah.
Like, just for fun?
Like, no, there's
a dance club on the boat.
I think it's like
a disco-type spot,
and I figured
maybe we could go,
if you were interested.
Okay.
d
♪ Yeah, I think I like
How that sounds ♪
♪ What you say we gets to know
Each other better? ♪
♪ That sounds good
But I don't think ♪
♪ That I can let ya ♪
♪ I don't know,
Tell me, is it so? ♪
♪ Do you get a kick
Out of telling brothers no? ♪
♪ No, it's not that
See, you don't understand ♪
♪ How should I put?
I got a man ♪
-[elevator bell dings]
-[Tyler] Yeah.
-Thanks for doing that with me.
-[laughs]
-It was fun.
-Yeah.
-Good night. [laughs]
-Good seeing you.
-See you.
All right, have a good one.
[mellow music playing]
[rain pattering]
d
[Alice] Gosh, I just realized.
Last night I had a dream.
[scoffs] I guess...
Maybe that's why
I thought about not...
not losing touch.
I had a dream
that a friend of mine
that is no longer alive
came to me.
I was aware
that I was dreaming.
I was aware that...
this person was saying to me,
"This is how
we'll communicate now."
Oh, no way.
Oh.
Oh, my God.
-Yeah.
-Whoa.
Yeah. We never lose...
[clears throat]
Never lose people.
[clears throat]
Gosh.
Hey, gorgeous.
Hey.
Do you understand this thing?
[Susan] Do you know
what you're gonna say?
I'm gonna say that
actions have consequences,
and the consequences
on my life of her actions
were unacceptable...
and the least she could do
is apologize.
How do you think
she's gonna take that?
She'll go...
Well, I...
She'll, she'll deny it.
She'll say that...
She'll deny it.
She'll say it was based
on someone entirely different.
[gasps]
Doesn't that look like
Professor Osbourne?
I didn't see him.
It's a dead ringer
for Professor Osbourne.
Remember him?
I... How...
If I'd seen him,
I wouldn't have reacted
like you are.
-Oh, my God.
-What went on?
Nothing, nothing.
I'm just...
I don't think so.
I had a threesome
with him and his wife.
Well...
[laughs]
Well, well, well...
[both laugh]
Is that all?
Yeah. It was just a threesome.
It wasn't a foursome
or a fivesome...
[laughs]
It wasn't an orgy.
[upbeat jazz music playing]
That can't really be
your first time...
Karen.
Heard a rumor
you were on the ship.
Well, it's no rumor.
-[camera beeps]
-[shutter clicks]
There's a big majority.
I mean,
we've got ex-service people.
We've got guys
that have come up
through the, uh,
self-improvement.
You know, and those guys
are generally very,
very enthusiastic
'cause they've spent
a lot of money
to, uh, get
to where they are.
So, you tend to look
after them a little bit more.
You know, they'll...
They tend to want to understand
the market.
With the ex-service guys,
they're independent.
You can get them
to go out and do a job.
They don't need
any, um... support
from within the company.
But, you know, my job
is to sort of oversee
what's going on and count
the money as it comes in.
-[laughs] That's probably fun.
-[chuckles] Yeah.
Would you mind if we moved
into the room next door?
-Not at all, not at all.
-Great. Let's do that.
-Love to follow you in.
-I'm meeting someone. [laughs]
I mean, I like
the ambition, truly.
But what is your plan?
-I mean, it's interesting.
-Well, my plan was to approach
her at the right point.
You think that's a bad idea?
I think it's a terrible idea.
I don't think you can approach
her at all on this boat.
I think
you will scare her away.
[Karen] Mmm-hmm.
I think that she might
appreciate your tenacity,
but really...
she's gonna decide
what she does,
and it's really
out of your control.
-[Roberta] Right, it's what...
-[man] Absolutely.
I mean,
the shine on the tables.
-The decor is so...
-Yeah.
Alice, Alice.
Oh. Hi.
Alice...
Sorry, this is Alice Hughes.
This is Vernon.
-Vernon, hello.
-Vernon. Pleased to meet you.
-Pleasure.
-He's in aviation.
Oh. Well...
Would you like to join us?
Please.
-Oh.
-Or no--
No, it's all right.
I was just wandering
around the ship
and, uh, passed the florist
and thought,
-"Why am I carrying this around
like a fool?" [laughs]
-[Roberta chuckles]
Let me, um, set it here.
Uh, maybe I'll see you
at dinner.
You... Definitely.
-[Alice] Nice to meet you.
-Look forward to it.
-[Alice] Pleasure.
-Take care.
[Alice] Bye.
She seems nice.
Yeah,
she's a very fine writer.
We, we went
to university together.
[Kelvin] I mean,
it's madness, really.
What,
you want her to write a...
-A sequel to... Yeah.
-A sequel to this?
I mean, everyone wants her
to write a sequel to this.
Yeah,
but she's never gonna do that.
The book's her antichrist.
Don't you think?
[cell phone vibrating]
Tyler, it's Roberta.
I need your help.
d
Sorry, sometimes
it takes a little while
'cause she could be...
There are two floors,
so she could be upstairs.
There... there's two floors?
Yeah.
[clicks tongue]
It's a big one.
-Yeah.
-[doorbell rings]
Hmm.
So, here's the pen and paper.
Oh, thank you.
Okay.
[Alice] Someday,
that book's gonna end.
I, I want to lead you today
on a... on a tour
through the landscape
of my inspiration.
Sometimes the sources
that a writer uses
are very close to home...
family, friends, enemies.
[laughs]
And sometimes
our source is a visitor
from another time,
another universe.
Blodwen Pugh...
was a Welsh writer
at the turn
of the last century,
the end of the 19th century.
She worked in obscurity.
She, uh,
was completely unrecognized
until well after her death.
And even now,
she's quite unfamiliar,
even to many in the most
rarefied literary circles.
She's, uh...
She's lost to us,
except for those
who stand still enough
to listen.
The writings,
her one rema... her one novel,
which is called,
I think it's the masterpiece
of that... of that era
is called "Realm of the Owl."
When I read this novel,
it's... it's impossible for me
not to think
what a miracle it is
that this universe emerged.
What a miracle it is
that consciousness emerged.
You know?
And what a miracle it is
that Blodwyn Pugh...
her thoughts and experiences...
that they could reach
across time...
and reach
into my consciousness.
That's a miracle.
Any questions?
[man] Well, I have a question.
I mean, I don't know,
it certainly raise
to Blodwyn Pugh's
"Realm of the Owl,"
but I have a question
about "A Function of the Body"
and, uh, specifically when you
were inspired to write it,
did you always know
you were gonna insert
Georgia's diaries
through the book?
Um...
I thought it was, uh...
exquisitely crafted
in that way.
And, I mean, everyone knows
it's a very personal book.
It's known, so I don't feel
badly saying that,
and, I mean,
the way you did that
with her...
With the loss of her sister,
the ne'er-do-well brother
who's sort of a psychopath,
whom you need, you know,
whom you need,
and who you're terrified of.
It... The way
those diaries worked
just raised it
to the highest level
of, uh... of literature for me.
I'm wondering how you...
how you... how you did that.
Did you know
you were gonna do it or--
[Alice] Oh, thank you.
Thank you very much
for that question.
d
[elegant music playing]
-My dad, at least.
-[Alice] Oh, my.
Oh, my. Oh.
-Oh, your friends have come.
-[chuckles]
My friends,
I want you to meet Roberta.
-Hello.
-What a great pleasure.
-Thank you. You too. Big fan.
-And Susan.
-What a good pleasure.
-Kelvin Kranz.
-And my nephew Tyler.
-Hey. Tyler.
-Handsome young man.
-Oh, nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
So you all,
you're traveling together.
Yes. You have a table
full of fans here, you know?
Really? Well, that's fantastic,
you know.
-Oh, thank you.
-[Roberta laughs]
So you must be all going
to "The Toad and the Harrow"...
Oh, well, yes...
Are you taking
your friends over?
-Is that what's happening here?
-Yes.
But first, we're gonna make
a little pilgrimage
to Blodwyn Pugh's gravesite
outside Cardiff.
-[Kelvin] Hmm.
-The convent.
[Kelvin] How wonderful.
That's special.
[Alice] Yeah, yeah, I think...
I think it'll be...
sort of special, but, uh...
I wanted to ask you,
how long does it take you
to write one of your...
one of your books?
-To... to write one?
-Mmm-hmm.
Well, I spend about, maybe,
a month outlining it,
and then, maybe,
three months, uh, writing it,
so maybe four months...
At the outside, some of them
maybe four and a half.
-Oh.
-I try to...
I've never done anything
faster than three months.
That's longer than I thought.
-Uh...
-[laughs] Well...
That's interesting.
It's a process, isn't it?
Well, I have a certain process.
-It's pretty specific,
you know? Um...
-Mmm-hmm.
Well, anyway...
congratulations
on getting the prize.
Oh, thank you so much.
It's a great honor.
I think it's very special.
And what a pleasure
to meet you all.
-[Roberta] Thank you. You too.
-Take care.
-Thank you. Thank you.
-[Kelvin] I'll see you again,
yeah.
-And you.
I'll see you again.
-Ah.
-See you soon.
-Take care, bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
-[Kelvin] Have a nice supper.
-Thank you.
You too.
-[camera beeps]
-[shutter clicks]
What a nice man.
[chuckles]
-Wow.
-What a gent, isn't he?
What a gentleman. Classy.
[Alice clears throat]
-Missed you today.
-Yes, I know. I'm sorry.
-Why don't we go now?
Have a little drink?
-I can't.
-Why?
'Cause I'm going to the gala.
Oh, the gala.
Okay.
d
[Karen] They're such
iconic characters.
[Kelvin] Well, it is perfect
for American characters
right now
because the border of...
-[Tyler] Hey.
-Hi.
-Oh, you're here. Great.
-Hey.
You guys have met,
haven't you?
Yeah.
-How's it going?
Sorry to interrupt.
-It's going good.
No, you're not
interrupting at all.
We're just finishing up.
-Good to see you, man.
-Good to see you.
-Yeah.
-Leave you to it.
-So lovely to talk to you.
-To be continued?
-Yes.
-We'll see each other
-again soon.
-Yeah.
-Sorry to run you out of town.
-No, are you kidding?
Have a good one.
-How's it going?
-Um...
does he know who you are?
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, he knows, he knows.
-And that doesn't bother you?
-He's cool. Don't worry.
No, he, um...
He's not gonna say anything.
-Don't worry.
-So you know that
him and Alice are now...
-friends, they're talking.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Yeah, no, I, um...
Actually,
I told him everything,
and he found the whole thing
quite amusing, actually.
-Hmm.
-Um, and he gave me
some good advice.
He, uh...
he told me he thinks
it's probably not gonna be
a good idea
for me to approach Alice
on this trip,
so I'm gonna back off,
and, um...
-Yeah, I think he's right.
-Great.
[mellow music playing]
d
[Tyler] Did you get that note,
by the way,
that we left in your room?
[Alice] What...
A note is nothing.
I mean,
she made a date with me,
and, for tea, and I went,
and I interrupted my work.
It's not like I have hours
and hours to wander the ship
-and, you know, meet men.
-Right.
This is not
what I'm here for.
Wait, so you went,
and then what happened?
I went to tea
at two o'clock sharp,
and there she was,
sitting there like a beanbag
next to this dodo
who was her date.
And, clearly,
I wasn't, you know...
-[scoffs]
-So she canceled it?
It was canceled.
You didn't meet with her.
Well, I don't know
what we were supposed to do,
have a... a meeting with a...
-A dodo?
-A person that... Yes.
I shouldn't say that.
He's probably a perfectly nice,
unsuspecting man,
who didn't know that he was,
you know,
in the talons
of a carrion bird.
-But I don't know what...
-[laughing]
I don't know what she's...
I don't know what she wants,
because I just
want to reach her.
Right.
[Roberta] Do you remember
when you and Alice and I met
in San Francisco
all those years ago?
That's when it all hit the fan.
I just was desperate
to confide in someone,
and the two of you
were the closest
I've ever been with, so...
[sighs] When we had dinner
at the bar afterward,
you went upstairs
and went to bed,
and it was just me and Alice,
and I thought...
"Well, Alice has always
been interested
in other people's lives."
And then I made
the fatal mistake
of telling Alice everything.
[sighs]
What I realize is...
if you can't keep
a secret yourself...
you can't ask anyone else
to keep a secret.
It's true.
[chuckles]
Um...
what I'm gonna tell you
is this.
Uh...
I didn't go upstairs
to sleep that night.
Um, there was
a really...
a really cute waiter,
and, uh...
This is a...
double letter, triple word.
-Baby.
-[laughs]
-I hate you.
-Bow down, bitch.
-[laughs]
-Bow down.
[Karen] They have this
incredible night together.
They get really drunk.
-They drink loads of cocktails.
-[laughing]
Um, and, yeah,
they just get on really well.
-They hook up.
-Mmm-hmm.
And she doesn't know
that this guy
is actually just a bartender.
Like, he's not a rich guy
or anything, like, um...
But they fall for each other,
and it's this comedy of errors.
-Um, it's kind of a farce.
-Mmm-hmm.
But they end up
falling for each other,
despite the fact that,
you know,
-they're both pretending to be
something that they're not...
-Right.
...which is kind of the...
yeah, the whole thing.
And do you know
who plays the guy?
He's this...
oh, he's this comedian.
He's so funny.
He's got this amazing face.
But it's just such
a charming film.
You have to see it.
It's brilliant.
-I want to see it.
-Yeah.
I'm trying to think
of, like...
I was actually in a comedy
of errors
when I was in sixth grade,
so when you brought that up...
-Yeah.
-Hi.
Uh...
Karen?
Hi.
And Tyler?
Hi. Um...
Wait.
So you lied
for her because...
you like her.
[laughing] That's...
that's as good a reason
to lie as any I can think of.
-[chuckles]
-[sniffs]
[exhales sharply]
So...
[clears throat]
d
You're gonna see her tonight?
I don't know.
Who's that man I keep seeing
coming out of your room
in the morning?
Oh, that man.
That man is...
probably the one thing
that keeps me going.
Wow.
-Besides you.
-[laughs]
Thanks.
[Roberta] They all take
ballroom-dancing classes
on this ship.
So, when they go to the gala,
they want to show off
what they've learned.
-[Susan] That's so amazing.
-And they take it very...
-Hi.
-Hey.
-Hi.
-How are you?
What a surprise.
Fine, fine.
Very breezy day to have...
Yeah, I love the fog.
...an intimate
little discussion.
You know,
I've been thinking about you.
Really?
Um, well, uh,
one of the women
that I work with, um,
poisoned her husband,
who was a batterer,
um, and guess where
she got the idea.
From my first wife,
of course.
[laughter]
Or maybe my second wife.
Oh, my gosh.
No, no,
but now I know a lot about you.
Yes.
-No.
-No? No.
From an early
Agatha Christie book.
The Murder
of Roger Ackroyd.
Exactly.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.
Well, I kept that away
from her.
[laughter]
And that's why
you still stand.
So you've been thinking
about poisoning, but why?
I mean, just because...
Oh, no, because I...
This woman was incarcerated
for trying to save her child
and herself.
Um, and she didn't
want to kill him.
She just wanted to disable him
so she could stop the violence.
-But he died.
-Huh.
I'm so sorry. That's awful.
Yes, it is awful.
Do you deal with a lot
of people who poison?
I do. Oh, no, no.
Not so many... I mean,
they take whatever weapon...
-Uh-huh.
-...the domes...
Is in the person's hand
and, um...
Can I join you?
Do you mind if I sit down?
-Of course, sit down.
-No, join us.
I've been fascinated
by poison lately.
-Why?
-Well, I'm thinking
about writing something
about someone
who poisons people.
I think it's...
I think, philosophically,
poisoning is a...
a very intimate
way to kill someone,
and it's also very cruel.
[mellow jazz music playing]
d
How is that?
Very compelling.
[chuckles]
d
[elegant music playing]
-Hey.
-Sorry.
-[chuckles]
-Sorry I'm late.
-Thank you.
-Hello.
d
Everybody well?
-Everybody's well.
-Yeah.
-Good.
-How is work going?
Oh, well, not as...
not as well as I'd like.
-Thank you.
-[waiter] You're welcome.
Oh.
-Where's Tyler?
-Mmm.
Not coming.
-[Susan] No?
-He has a... a date.
-Oh.
-Ah! [laughs]
Who with?
Uh, someone he met
on the ship.
-So...
-Huh.
[sighs] An older woman...
[chuckles] Apparently.
An older woman?
How much older?
Like, in her 80s?
[all laughing]
I would be surprised
if that were the case,
but he probably means 26 or...
-Oh.
-Oh. Oh, right.
Thirty-six.
Thirty-six would be
a significant difference.
Or more. Who knows?
-[Susan] Really?
-Yeah.
I can't tell
people's ages anymore.
-No, I can't either.
-I really can't.
d
Alice, I don't know
what your schedule is,
but if you're free tomorrow
before or after you swim,
maybe we could have a tea
or a drink.
[chuckles]
Well, I...
f
I would love to do that,
but I actually have
a business meeting tomorrow.
-Oh, sorry.
-And I don't know
if I'll even get my swim in.
Who knows how long it'll go on
or what will happen in it?
So... But let's do it
another time.
-Promise?
-Yeah, I'd love to. Great.
-[sighs] Quite a day.
-Yeah.
f
Wow. Shocking.
Yeah.
How you feeling?
I'm feeling okay, actually.
Kind of...
A bit relieved,
to be honest.
Yeah.
I should actually
say to you, like...
Yeah, I feel like
I should apologize a bit.
I feel bad for dragging you
into this whole thing.
I know you didn't want to lie
to your aunt,
-and I slightly twisted
your arm...
-Mmm.
...and I feel bad about that,
and... and she clearly thinks
so highly of you.
She loves you.
She thinks,
you know, she thinks the world
of you, and that was obvious
when I spoke to her today.
And I think...
that was probably part
of the reason
why she was
so forgiving towards me.
-Ah.
-So...
thank you for...
Yeah, thanks for everything
this, this week.
-Oh, well...
-You've been amazing.
And I know I've also,
like, completely,
um, inappropriately unloaded
a whole load of stuff onto you
that I probably
shouldn't have done,
-so I'm sorry
about that, and...
-Aw.
-Yeah, thank you.
-Well, that's...
Aw, that's sweet of you.
I appreciate
that acknowledgement,
and I...
It's been... It's so been my
pleasure getting to know you,
and I was skeptical
at first
about what our relationship
would look like.
And I just felt like...
I don't know.
I just really
wanted to get to know you,
and, um, I'm excited
to hopefully continue
to get to know you.
And, uh...
I don't know,
maybe, you know,
what our... what... what, uh...
our life can look like...
moving forward.
Like, I don't know.
There's just...
Maybe, um...
It's just been probably
one of the biggest gifts
of the, um...
the ship for me
has been, uh...
getting to know you, so...
[sighs] Um...
I was, uh, wondering
if, um...
Uh...
I know this is kind of
a crazy question, but...
Uh...
If... if maybe you wanted to...
um...
If...
You're not gonna ask me out,
are you?
-Um...
-[chuckles] I'm joking,
I'm joking.
-You just suddenly looked
so awkward.
-Right. Right.
I did. I was...
I was wondering
if maybe I could kiss you
at some point soon.
Oh.
Uh...
Um... fuck.
d
Oh, shit.
[groans]
-[machinery humming]
-[clicking]
[machine beeps]
[whirring]
I, I, I think I, uh...
made a...
a bit of a fool of myself.
In what way?
I just... I... I, um, made
some kind of an advance
that didn't... That went un...
Oh.
Unreciprocated.
[Alice] Mmm-hmm.
[slurps]
Well, you can't, um...
I hope you don't regret that.
That's... that's...
The trying is all.
You know?
-Hmm.
-If you don't try,
if you don't risk...
Mmm. [chuckles]
That's good to know.
I mean, it's, it's, uh,
you shouldn't be shy
with this kind of thing,
this... this attraction
to someone.
I think attraction is...
It's the animating force
in the universe, really.
[exhales sharply]
That's a fact.
Well, like...
gravity or the pull
of the poles,
what pulls
the monarch butterflies...
to fly across the world.
If you feel attracted
to someone from your heart,
you know...
and you look at them
and you feel
you can see their soul...
that's, uh...
There is...
[chuckles softly] there's no
bad version of that,
to want to be a part of that.
And we should...
Oh, God... treasure it.
It's, it's, uh...
We're lucky
to have that feeling.
It's the greatest,
it's the fullest...
expression of what it is
to be alive.
Hmm.
-So...
-Wow.
Do you think you'll, you'll...
How did it end?
I mean, do you think
you'll try again?
-[chuckles] No.
-No?
[laughs] No.
[sniffles] No.
-You know, Suze,
I... I am convinced...
-Mmm?
...she asked me on this trip
to find out what happened to me
after my divorce.
She wants to write about it
as a sequel
to her fucking book.
-I know it.
-No.
-I know it.
-No.
-You've got to ask her.
-No.
You have to be direct
and ask her.
You know,
you heard those things
she said during that talk.
She uses things
and people from her life.
Well, I'm... I'm one
of those people.
I know you are.
But that's what writers do,
and she never meant
to hurt you, I promise you.
-She never meant to hurt you.
-She doesn't care, Susan.
I think she does care.
She cares about you.
And why would she be writing
about you again?
She loves you.
She's obsessed with you.
She said she uses people
from her life,
and she is going to use me
in this sequel.
I don't believe that, dear.
I really don't.
I know it could seem that way
if you twist it.
If you twist it the other way,
you know, she has the same
memories we do
of our days together.
They're sacred.
-Yeah.
-Maybe not sacred.
That's a little pompous.
But you know what I mean,
what we were talking about
the other day.
She has those, too.
Yeah, but she's
very different now.
I know she is.
She really has changed.
She's changed so much.
Did she always talk like that?
-No.
-She didn't?
Did not.
I wonder why
she talks like that.
[laughing] I know.
[cell phone vibrating]
[Karen] Just so you know,
she's invited me to dinner
with all of you.
Oh, fuck.
[Alice] Karen's very hopeful
about the publishing business,
actually,
I mean, against all reason,
in my opinion,
but if you could talk
a little about
what the agency is going to do
now and in the future.
-[Karen] Well, yes.
-The old dead wood
has been moved aside.
[Karen] It's been
an interesting time.
Um, there have been quite
a few changes at the agency,
but I feel very optimistic
about what we're going
to be doing going forward,
and I... We've got
exciting plans for Alice.
Um, you know,
Sonia did tell me that Alice
was quite secretive
about her work,
-um, but I had no idea
how secretive.
-[women chuckle]
Well, I...
[Karen] I mean, I still haven't
been able to deduce
which of your
literary characters
that you are reviving.
-[laughs]
-I do hope it's Rowena
from You Always, You Never.
Yes, yes,
I would love to know
what Rowena has been up to
the last 35 years.
Oh, dear, you know...
[sighs]
Let me just say,
-on this subject...
-I think everyone cares.
Rowena...
[Alice] I don't think
anybody really cares.
What became of Rowena
after her disastrous marriage?
Did she find love again?
Did she get another career?
Did she have a child?
Rowena is a beloved
literary character.
-What, what...
-[Karen] She is. She is.
-[Alice] Bert, Bert.
-[Roberta] Yeah.
[Alice] What I want to say
about this...
-[Roberta] Uh-huh.
-And I... I should
clarify for you...
-[Roberta] Uh-huh.
-...that whatever character
I write about,
is essentially about me.
I mean, honestly,
that's what authors do.
-Don't they?
-[Susan] Let me... Just...
-I don't think...
-And another thing...
...I have ever been at a table
with two more
self-obsessed people.
I don't think I ever have.
This is a first.
We care for each other.
Do we?
-Do we care for each other?
-[Alice] Yes, of course.
[Susan] Yes? Yes.
We do care for each other.
This happened in your youth.
This happened so long...
In your youth.
And today, this very day,
we have lived
most of our lives.
[Alice clears throat]
-[Susan] Right?
-[Alice] Mmm.
[Susan] Are you gonna continue
this ancient battle
for the little time
that remains to us?
Do you even know
what happened yesterday
when we were out of
communication with the world.
Do you know what happened?
You don't know what happened.
Do you know what happened?
Does anyone know what happened?
[Alice] No. Well,
I was working, so I wasn't...
[Susan] Well, of course
you were working.
-You're always working.
-[Alice] Yes.
Elon Musk...
sent many,
many telecom satellites
into the sky
that look exactly like stars,
exactly like stars.
So now when humans
gaze at the night sky,
they won't know
if they're gazing at a star
-or at a machine.
-[Alice] Hmm.
And we at this table,
at this little table,
we are among the last,
the very last,
ever, ever,
to have seen the actual, real,
the honest, truthful
night sky
from the ocean.
We saw stars...
just stars.
f
[Tyler sighs]
-Are you packed?
-I'm killing it.
Yeah?
-Killing it with the bags?
-No.
[sighs]
No, my book. Um...
I deleted it...
from my computer.
I deleted it all.
And I threw the...
the hard copy
in the recycling.
-Why?
-[chuckles]
It's...
You know what?
It's like polishing the vase
when the house is falling down.
[Tyler] Hmm.
You don't know.
[chuckles]
You don't know
what I'm talking about.
Anyway, I'm gonna...
ask you to bring
the bigger bags
down for me, okay?
[mellow jazz music playing]
d
[Alice] I think
the words matter.
I do think they matter...
[clears throat]
Which ones you choose
to describe something
or to express something.
It takes time to... to, um,
worry those into existence,
the right one,
the right one.
There's only one that's right.
[exhales]
I lament... You know, sometimes
I wait... I wait for a word
to come to me.
I wait... I'll wait a week.
[chuckles]
No, but it amused me
on the ship
how they were so eager
that we not use
the word "boat"
to describe the ship
because "boat"
is sort of a diminutive...
Or when they would say
don't call it "a cruise."
It's not a cruise.
It's a crossing.
[Susan] Mmm.
Mmm-hmm.
[Alice] And it is a crossing.
It's... You're crossing
time zones.
-You feel them.
-[Susan] Yes, you do.
Crossing
into something unknown.
I mean, it's... The cruise
just seems meandering
and... and silly.
Alice...
what I'm trying
to reconcile is
who is the real you?
I... I just, uh...
I just don't know
who you are anymore.
I mean, does... Does anybody
trust you anymore?
And is that hard for you?
I mean, are...
are you okay with that?
You seem to be okay
with that.
What do you mean?
Because I write from my life
and from...
Oh, yeah,
you write from your life,
but you write from others,
and, and, and those others
experience it
as a kind of betrayal.
-You obviously...
-Well, you know, you...
f
[whispers] Betrayal.
I think that
you perhaps betray
the people
that you love the most...
because you know
that you have the expectation
of forgiveness.
The people
that you don't know very well,
trying to seduce or impress,
you treat them
much more tenderly.
That's my experience.
Ah. But it's harder
to forgive
when you're wallowing
in the middle of the debris
of what your life used to be.
It... It, it requires a greater
expanse of spirit
than I think most people have.
Did you come
on this trip to, to...
berate me or to forgive me
or to...
extract something else?
An apology or...
to reconnect, maybe,
our friendship?
Why did you say yes?
I wanted an apology.
I wanted you
to at least acknowledge
the damage
that you caused in my life.
[softly] Oh.
And...
And I wanted to extract...
a little compensation for it.
Because if you
were going to write
a sequel,
I would tell you everything
about the last 35 years.
I would give you all
the sordid, squalid details.
You would have...
You would have a great book.
And all I want...
is 30% of the profits.
Wait.
[sputters] What did you...
What did you just say?
Well, I think you heard me.
And I think it's fair.
Oh, my God.
I just, um...
I realize what this is about.
This is not about...
This is not about love.
This is about money.
I'm so sorry.
I didn't realize that.
[groans]
I'll give you a check.
We really lost each other,
you know?
Yeah, we did.
I loved you when you were Al.
Uh...
Well, I'll see you tomorrow.
d
-Excuse me, Tyler, uh...
-Hey.
I'm Dr. Mitchell.
I'm Alice's physician.
Come in, please.
What's happening?
-Um...
-Is she sleeping?
I'm very sorry
to inform you,
but your aunt passed away
in the middle of the night.
Oh, no.
Alice had a serious
condition called...
-Fuck.
-...deep vein thrombosis,
and it's a blood clot
which can travel
-up to the lungs, the heart,
or the brain.
-No...
Right now
we're not sure which
until we get
a coroner's report.
I'm very sorry.
Um...
The coroner as well as
the police are headed here.
If you'd like some time
to spend with her
before they get here.
Yeah. That would be great.
Okay, I'll be right outside.
-Thank you.
-You're welcome.
Yeah.
d
[Mitchell] She had told me
of her wanting to go to England
to pick up
the Footling Prize,
see Blodwyn Pugh's gravesite,
and also discuss her
at the awards ceremony.
She had at one point
intended to fly.
Uh, I certainly said that
that would not be a good idea
to travel by plane.
It wouldn't be a good idea
to travel at all.
I strongly advised her
to stay in New York,
but as you all know,
Alice is Alice.
And she's very strong-willed,
and, ultimately,
she wanted to go.
So, I then discussed
with her perhaps
I should come along with her
to help her
with the medication.
The medication
that we typically use
in this situation
is a blood thinner,
but it needed to be injected.
I would give the injections
in the morning
and in the evening.
Could I just interrupt
to ask
if it could have been
brought on
by an emotional discussion,
an emotional encounter?
[Mitchell] Um, most likely not.
These things are, as I said,
unpredictable in nature,
and they can happen
and it doesn't have anything
to do with what's going on
in someone's personal life.
So, no.
[Roberta] Shall I go
rebook our flights now?
[Susan] Mmm.
Oh, my goodness sake.
[Roberta] Well...
-[Susan] We've got to...
-[Tyler] To when?
-[Roberta] Tomorrow? Uh...
-[Susan] Maybe the next day.
We've got to pack
Alice's stuff
-and then pack all our stuff.
-[Tyler] Whoa.
I don't know.
I was... I was sort of...
It doesn't feel right to me
to, to, to leave
or to, to, to book
the flight right now.
I feel like we got to...
The trip isn't over.
Like, the... We should visit
Blodwyn's grave
like Alice wanted us to.
She brought us here.
She chose us.
The three... Just us three.
Personally, for me, I...
[sputters] My life... I ca...
Everything that's good
in my life
feels related to Alice
in so many ways.
I... I've been so ashamed
of the family that I come from,
and for so long...
until I met Alice.
And...
I can't leave here without
going to that gravesite.
I'm just...
It would feel like... I'd...
It would make me sick.
[Alice] ♪ My laughter is dim ♪
♪ My step loses its lightness ♪
♪ Old countryside measures ♪
♪ Fall soft on my ear ♪
♪ I only remember the past ♪
♪ And its brightness ♪
♪ The dear ones I mourn for ♪
♪ Again gather here ♪
♪ From out of the shadows ♪
♪ They lovingly greet me ♪
♪ And wistfully searching ♪
♪ The leafy green dome ♪
♪ I find other faces ♪
♪ Fond bending to greet me ♪
♪ The ash grove
The ash grove ♪
♪ Alone is my home ♪
Does anybody
want to say anything?
Tyler, I don't even know
the woman.
I don't even like her writing.
This is for Alice.
I guess we should go, then.
[Susan] Mmm-hmm.
I need a drink.
[mysterious music playing]
Isn't there an editor
or a fellow writer,
someone who could do
something with it?
[Karen] Honestly, it's...
I don't know what it is
or what could be done with it.
I guess you could call it
experimental.
We could post it online
and charge people to read it.
I personally wouldn't feel
comfortable doing that.
Look, whatever this is,
it's clearly
in a very embryonic stage,
and it's not meant
to be published.
She was trying something out,
and she didn't get
to see it through.
Yeah, but people
might find that interesting.
Her readers,
literary scholars.
Look, maybe someone else
can help you.
You said she gave it to you.
You can take it
wherever you want.
You don't need me,
not for that.
Roberta,
we need you on the floor.
Yeah, I'm coming, Clovis.
I'll be right there.
I'm coming.
Yeah, Mom...
Should I send it back to you?
I'm coming. Gah.
What?
Uh, no, no, no. Keep it.
Uh, give it to Tyler.
Um...
How about... how about this?
How about a sequel?
A sequel with real people,
real people's names,
places, about what happened
in my life
after the publication
of You Always, You Never?
How about that?
Roberta, if you were ever
to write that book,
I'd love to see it.
[Susan] I just don't understand
-the whole agent thing...
-Mmm-hmm.
...but, um, I spoke to Karen...
f
...and she said that, um...
because she represents you now,
she couldn't represent me.
-No, no, no, no.
-Yeah.
-Well, okay, but she can
find you an--
-It's a conflict.
Okay, but she can find you
an agent and a lawyer, but...
Look, you should use
my old agent.
-That's perfect.
He'd love to represent you.
-Oh.
-Okay.
-He should be so lucky.
-Oh.
-Because the deal's 50-50.
We're just gonna
split it 50-50, right?
Well, that doesn't make
any sense at all.
-Why?
-You are the writer.
-It's not 50-50.
-Well, yes, it is.
I mean,
unless you want more.
-I mean...
-Don't be absurd.
...you don't need an agent.
[both laughing]
You're better than your agent.
Look, I am so happy
to be doing this.
This is my idea.
We're splitting it 50-50.
That's done. Forget it.
Let's just move on
and try to start.
Do you have some--
This might be interesting,
but it turns out
that the main ingredient
in antifreeze
is ethylene glycol.
In antifreeze?
In antifreeze.
Wait, now...
Which is not only
incredibly toxic
but also very sweet.
Ah.
So that...
people, when they
want to poison someone,
have used it a lot.
And now 17 states require
the manufacturer
to add something
to make it taste very bitter.
Mmm-hmm,
which leaves 33 states
where they don't.
-Exactly.
-If my math...
So I was thinking
maybe as part of her plan,
she either lives in a state
that doesn't have the law...
-Okay.
-...or moves to one.
And then moves to one.
[mellow music playing]
[Alice] When I read this novel,
it's... it's impossible for me
not to think
what a miracle it is
that this universe emerged,
what a miracle it is
that consciousness emerged...
And what a miracle it is
that Blodwyn Pugh,
her thoughts and experiences,
that they could
reach across time
and reach
into my consciousness.
That's a miracle.
d