Original subtitles

KAT: Remember, we have a lot of people

waiting on our purses.

Mm-hmm.

Which one's your favorite?

Oh, mine, too. Great taste.

Did I tell you about the family and friends discount?

Oh, you have to go?

Well, I won't hold you.

Oh...

Bye.

What do you want?

You did it, didn't you?

I'm so lost. What?

Cut the crap, Kat.

You know, I've been up all night thinking about this,

and you're the only one with a reason to do it.

Not sure how you got into my hotel room,

but I think it's kind of funny that

Miss I'm Better Than Everybody is a common thief.

I'm not a common anything.

Plus, there is nothing you own that I would want.

If I get a sudden urge to wear combat boots,

I'll just buy a pair of my own.

Mm. Say whatever helps you sleep at night,

but you stay trying and failing to get my mama locked up.

Just so you know, Leslie Thomas is a whole storm.

And no matter how bad you want her to just go away,

she's here until she decides not to be.

Like a cockroach surviving the apocalypse.

[laughs]

See, I didn't know folks like you knew about cockroaches.

But yeah, Mama's a whole survivor,

just like me.

So I suggest you take a page out of your big brother's book

and accept the new world order.

-Smitty, I... -SMITTY: Thank you.

Yes, I will get right on that.

Okay. All right, bye.

Sorry. I didn't realize you were on the phone.

It was my editor.

I turned in my story on Internet groomers

and she just assigned me my next piece.

-Something interesting, I hope. -Well, it's not

the impactful, investigative story I thought I'd be covering.

I have to do a feature

on a soon-to-be-retired robbery-homicide detective.

Apparently, he was a local legend.

Um... Marcel Malone.

I tell you, Marcel, I could use a drink after today.

I'm just glad we caught the guy when he tried to flee.

Violent bastard like that deserves

-to be put under the jail. -Right.

And here I thought you were a happily married man.

What? I'm not a cheater.

Well, you have to admit, she's not bad on the eyes.

She's a monster.

She's a ruthless, cold-blooded opportunist

who'll do anything to get her way.

She needs to be stopped.

-And you're the one to do it? -I'm this close from proving

Leslie Thomas is guilty of fleeing the scene

after using a motorcycle

to sideswipe Laura Peterson's vehicle.

And what happened?

I couldn't get the warrant to have her DNA tested.

Suddenly, Mr. By-the-Book is hamstrung by the system.

Sounds like you're starting to understand

that sometimes rules get in the way.

I'm not opposed to rules. I just want to find a way

to make sure justice is done.

You know, the Peterson case--

it's been cold for a while.

But I bet you wouldn't be so eager to heat it up

if the number one suspect

hadn't gotten on the wrong side of your wife's family.

Yes, I would, because based on everything

I have uncovered, Leslie Thomas is a threat to public safety.

♪ ♪

-Hey, babe. -Hey.

Are you here for the fire station blood drive?

Yup, Just donated.

Oh, my wounded hero.

Well, I would have done it anyway, but the fact

that it gave me an excuse to see you made it a bonus.

Well, I'm glad to see your gorgeous face, too.

I feel like it's been a couple of days.

Yeah, I have been on the night shift, so...

You know, the sequel to that rom-com

you don't want to admit you love as much as I do just opened.

How about we go see it tonight?

Uh, I wish I could, but I already made plans

to get drinks with my fantasy baseball league.

Oh. Okay.

-Then we'll just it see another day. -Sure.

Hey, Ash, are we okay?

Teddy Ted.

Hey. Carlton, good to see you.

How'd the, uh, continuing medical education course go?

Fantastic. A lot of great seminars.

And we can talk about all that when we get back to the office.

-Mm-hmm. -What I really want to know...

You managed to win Nicole back yet?

-Not yet. -Brother,

if I had messed up as bad as you,

I would spend every waking moment trying

to get her to fall in love with me again.

Hell, if I managed to win a woman like Nicole,

I wouldn't have blown it in the first place.

Too bad Ted isn't as smart as you.

Additional sponsorship provided by...

You're an investigative reporter, Smitty.

You shouldn't waste your time on these puff pieces.

You think you should tell your editor

-to assign this story to someone else? -No.

I am new at this paper. The last thing

I want to do is develop a reputation for being difficult.

Yeah, but this kind of feature is beneath your talents.

It is.

I appreciate you being so supportive of my writing.

-[knocking] -I'll get that.

-Zack. -Martin.

Come on in.

Smitty. It's been a while.

Zack. Hey, it is nice to see you.

-Likewise. -What brings you by?

I need to discuss the constituent issue with you.

I will let you guys get to it.

Later, babe.

What's going on?

Paolo Gutierrez,

the owner of that popular corner store in your district?

He was robbed.

-That's a family-run business. -Right.

Were Paolo's wife and kids there when it happened?

No, just Paolo, but he was brutally assaulted.

Which hospital? Garland Memorial?

Yes, and he's in serious condition.

I'll send flowers and reach out to the family.

I'll swing by for a visit.

Yeah. I know they'd appreciate that a lot.

Do the cops know who did this?

Yes, they caught him, and he's in custody.

As a matter of fact, I was thinking now might be

a good time to issue a press release

reiterating your commitment to fighting crime.

-Of course. -Okay.

Tell me more about the incident.

When Paolo went to pull the robber away from the register,

the guy pummeled him, giving him a black eye

and several broken ribs. I mean,

whole block could hear his screams, Martin.

[blows landing]

[man groans]

ZACK: Martin?

Are you okay?

Nicole, you look great.

And that would be because I feel great.

Yesterday I did a little ceramics therapy.

Did me a world of good.

I've never heard of, uh, ceramics therapy.

Does that involve pottery, or is it...?

Suffice to say, it's unique and effective.

If you'll excuse me, there's a yoga class with my name on it.

Always great to see you, Carlton.

She looks like she's doing just fine without you.

If nothing else, this whole experience

has taught me my wife doesn't need me for anything.

Mm. Any woman worth having doesn't need a man

as opposed to wanting one.

The goal is to be the frosting on the cake of their lives.

Did you pick up that wisdom from one of the seminars

-at the medical conference? -Nope.

That insight is all of my own

and offered to you free of charge, my good man.

There's a lot more where that came from.

I will help you in whatever way that I can-- you know that--

up to and including making a play for Nicole,

just so you look good in comparison.

-Hmm. -It's the kind of friend I am.

Mm. I know you're trying to be amusing, but that's my wife,

and it's up to me to earn her forgiveness.

-And I will. -Well, you better hurry up,

'cause as good as she looks,

she may meet a man in that yoga class,

end up moving him into that beautiful house

she used to share with you.

Oh, hi, Kat. Your mom isn't home right now.

That's okay. I came to talk to you.

Wonderful.

Mm. Give me all the tea.

[sighs] I know you used to be good friends with Leslie Thomas.

Don't remind me.

It is the shame of my life

for bringing that viper into your family.

I kick myself every day

for suggesting Nicole hire Eva as her assistant.

Do not blame yourself.

Leslie and Eva are master manipulators.

How could you know that someone you considered a friend

would have had an evil agenda?

I was such a fool.

Your parents' separation is partially on me.

It's on Leslie and Eva.

But if you want to help,

I've thought of a way you can be the person

that gets Leslie out of our lives for good.

From where I'm sitting,

Leslie Thomas doesn't seem particularly threatening.

That's how she's able to get away with so much.

In my younger days, back when I gave a damn,

if the D.A. refused to press charges,

we cops had our way of dealing with undesirables.

I'm well aware of the bad old days,

but I'd like to think now things have changed

since my father's in charge of the department.

[sighs]

Well, if you're not willing to bend the rules,

don't complain when things don't go your way.

[phone chiming]

Sorry, I got to take this.

What the hell could you possibly want from me now?

Of course I'm okay. Why would I be upset about your plans?

I gave you, like, no notice.

Well... I'm free tomorrow.

Ah, I'm supposed to get dinner with my mom tomorrow night.

-The next day, then. -Ah, I'll reschedule Mom.

I don't want to hurt Jan's feelings.

No, she'll understand.

She's our biggest shipper.

Even though she thinks it's kind of crazy

that we decided to go back to living apart.

It is weird.

I can't remember the last time I didn't know your plans.

Yeah, I guess we did kind of get out of sync.

Well, how do we get back in sync?

[phone rings]

Nurses' station. This is Ashley.

Yeah, I'll be right there. Okay.

I'm sorry. I have to go check on a patient,

but, um, I'll see you for dinner tomorrow night, right?

-Yeah. Sure. -Okay.

Hey, Derek.

Something wrong?

Well, I'm glad at least

one member of my family was willing to have a meal with me.

Mm. Feeling's mutual.

I don't have many people in my corner either,

but I've gotten used to it.

You've got a ways to go.

I was hoping working at Serenity Beauty and Hair

would help you make some new friends,

find a place where you belong.

Things not going well there?

Look, don't get me wrong.

I'm incredibly grateful you rented that space for me.

But yesterday, when I helped Laura get up to speed,

it hit me how much I miss working for Nicole.

That job made me realize that what I love most

about doing hair is dealing with clients

and bringing more joy and beauty into the world.

I got to do it in a different way.

And with Nicole, I was dealing

with patient scheduling for people

who were sometimes at a crisis point

for themselves and their families.

I got to understand how insurance plans work

and... and got to talk to people who run foundations

about their needs or concerns.

I hear you. Lots of variety and responsibility.

Yeah, and not for nothing.

Look, I've been doing hair since I was in high school.

That is a long time at the same job.

And I'm just getting to the point

where it just doesn't cut it for me anymore.

Ooh.

That was an awful pun.

[chuckles] Made you forget about your worries, didn't it?

Yeah, it did.

But you know what else it did?

Made you sorry you ever tried to help me get a shot

at doing what I used to love?

No.

Made me realize we may be able to help each other.

Uh, nothing's wrong.

I've just been having these migraines lately.

Fortunately, they're not that bad. I just...

I have to wait till they pass.

What were you saying about Paolo's attack?

As I mentioned, it was brutal.

The robber just lost it, and he wouldn't stop

hitting the poor guy until he lost consciousness.

You know, witnesses say that they thought Paolo might die.

And apparently, his face is so swollen

that it looks like he did ten rounds in the ring.

When his daughter called your office,

we could barely understand her because she was crying so hard.

I mean, she nearly lost her father

over a couple hundred dollars.

People will really do anything for money.

[Martin groaning]

STRANGER: Let's see what color's your money.

Uh, draw up the press release

and schedule a visit for Paolo in the store.

In fact, I might make the press statement on site.

Yeah, we'll make that happen.

It's great working for you, Martin.

You're always ready to step up when people need help,

and that means a lot.

[door closes]

What could I possibly do to help you?

My clinic is swamped these days,

and it's gonna get even busier now that Carlton is back.

And Kat is gonna take a leave of absence as our office manager

to focus on that purse line she's launching with Chelsea.

I'm sure Kat's got all sorts of things

keeping her away from her desk.

The clinic will fall apart without a good manager.

Kat schedules our appointments, does our billing,

our marketing, our advertising.

She runs the staff.

She's basically a one-woman HR department.

All of which you would excel at.

How'd you like to be our new office manager, hmm?

So, I just finished my meeting

with the hospital board about the documentary.

Was it what we thought?

They wanted to see the footage of Leslie leaving Laura's room?

Oh, no, no.

Um, turns out they actually were more interested

in the project as a whole.

Well, they loved it, of course.

I don't know about of course, but, yeah, they liked it.

So much so that they signed off on my edits.

So the documentary is officially done.

You won't be bumping into me around here anymore,

nagging you about ways to do more interviews.

-Great. Congratulations. -Yeah. Yeah.

Oh, and I bet Derek will be thrilled, too,

since he was so nervous about being on camera.

[Ashley chuckles softly]

Hey, what's up?

I thought you two were cool again.

Yeah, we're getting along,

but we just had this really weird, awkward conversation.

I'm starting to think our short-term living together

did long-term damage to our relationship.

I don't think "damage" is the right word,

but things with Ashley aren't like they were

before we lived together.

I should have never moved in.

Okay, well, since there's no going back,

let's concentrate on the here and now.

How is that going?

Nothing like it used to be.

Okay, Derek, I need you to work with me.

I just need some more specifics.

Are you two still fighting?

Not really.

I'm not trying to be vague.

We're not mad at each other.

I don't feel like she's holding a grudge, and I know I'm not,

but it's weird.

The best way I can describe it is, we're being overly polite,

like we're afraid of what's gonna happen

if we're not on our best behavior.

Do you still love her?

-With my whole heart. -Then that's all that matters.

I wish I believed that.

That me loving Ashley will be enough to pull us through

to the other side of whatever the hell this is.

You know, a week ago,

I would have told you to not try so hard, give it time.

But I just came back from the hospital visiting my father.

I'm so sorry about his stroke.

Yeah.

He's gonna make a full recovery, thank God.

But there were moments where I thought I might lose him.

And then I was kicking myself

for giving him the cold shoulder for months.

None of us know how long we have.

I realized that

when I was injured in that burning building.

So...

how are you going to feel if you go with the flow

and things just fall apart between you and Ashley?

Not because you don't love each other

but because you're not putting any real effort

into making each other feel appreciated?

Every time I try and do that,

I end up saying or doing the wrong thing.

Well, as long as what you do begins and ends

with putting her first, you'll get it right eventually.

You sure about that?

What I am sure of is,

you won't have an infinite number of chances

to make things work with Ashley.

This time, my friend, you better get it right.

Mona, hey.

Hey yourself.

I was surprised to get your text.

I, um...

I didn't think you ever wanted to see me again.

I hope this isn't some sort of trap.

What do you mean?

Uh, maybe you were in the mood to cuss someone out,

and you think that I'm an easy target.

I'm sorry for how I lashed out at you before.

I was just so angry about what you did to Nicole and Ted.

I know how much you care about them.

So... I accept your apology.

-Thanks. -[laughs softly]

[sighs]

I know Laura doesn't bear Eva any grudge for what happened.

No? Well, look at God. [laughs]

That's very Christian of her.

Yes.

The church teaches us

that everyone is worthy of forgiveness.

So, by rights, I should follow Laura's example.

Are you saying you forgive me?

How's everything going?

That is a very sweet and careful way

of asking me how I'm doing since your father moved out.

So, what's the answer to the question I skirted?

I am doing...

pretty well, thanks.

Although our family is gonna be

without its anchor for a little while.

-Why? What happened? -Oh.

Nothing serious. It's just that

your grandmother is gonna be out of town for a few weeks.

She went off to Chicago

to rehearse for an Articulettes reunion concert.

[chuckles] I knew Gran was thinking

about getting back to her musical roots,

but I didn't realize that things had progressed that far.

Me either.

She feels like she has some unfinished business to handle.

And I love that she's not just aware of that,

but she's actually doing something about it.

Revisiting her past.

Must be very emotional for her.

It is.

-Sounds like it is for you, too. -[sighs]

I can assure you that I'm not planning to sing.

Speeches are more my speed.

But something is troubling me,

and I could use a little professional advice

from my favorite psychiatrist.

Honey, you know I can't treat a family member.

Well, let me rephrase.

I need some advice from my mother.

I'm flattered you'd even consider hiring me.

I admire your work ethic.

I've told you this before.

Yeah, you did, and so did Nicole when I was working for her.

But I abused that position and ended up wrecking your marriage.

I know, Eva. I was there.

But how, after all of that,

can you even trust me working with you again?

Believe me, I know firsthand

how your mother can pressure people into doing things

they would have never otherwise considered.

I know who to blame for what happened,

and it's not you.

You don't have to do this.

There's no way you'd hire me

if I was some random person

who submitted her severely-lacking résumé.

Well, since it's my business, I get to say who works there.

And hiring you is no different from my hiring of Kat.

Except Kat has a college degree

and probably all other sorts of relevant experience.

I mean, you and Nicole mentioned

me maybe doing something like this before,

but you said I had to learn billing and coding

and all of that first.

My offer still stands

for you to train and become a certified medical assistant.

Kat wasn't certified, but that didn't slow her down.

Like I said, I'm not Kat.

I don't have her credentials.

You have your own.

Intelligence, determination, resilience.

Now, those skills don't quantify on a résumé,

but they are exactly what this job requires.

And call me crazy, but I want one of my daughters

working in the office.

It is a family business, after all.

Look, we'll start

on a trial basis to make sure it's a good fit,

but I'm confident you'll be great.

Although, I must warn you,

I am a little bit tougher boss than Nicole.

[chuckles] Nicole wasn't tough at all.

She was a dream.

Okay, so I have a lot to live up to.

Now, does that alleviate your doubts about taking this job?

All except one.

How's Kat gonna feel about me replacing her?

I... am not saying I've forgiven you.

Not yet.

Well, I mean, hey, I'm grateful

that you're open for the possibility.

Enough time has passed for me to calm down

and to be open to hearing you out,

to try to understand your point of view.

Mona, that's all I ask.

I've attempted to put myself in your shoes,

considered how I'd feel

if the man I loved abandoned me while I was pregnant.

It was devastating.

And I did the best I could to build a new life,

but I never got over Ted.

Then, when my husband Alan died,

something snapped.

Oh, let-let's talk about this over doughnuts.

Oh, my favorites.

When you said you wanted to talk about the case

so you can get closure, I should have known that was a lie.

-I was being completely sincere. -Oh, so it's just a coincidence

that Leslie is sitting over there, talking

with your mother's household chief of staff?

I was nowhere near the diner when I called you.

Try the innocent act on someone who doesn't know you, Kat.

I know you don't want to hear it,

but you and Leslie have a lot in common.

I don't want to have any regrets when it comes to Ashley,

but I have no idea how to make things right between us.

It's not like we're hurting

or we have anything to apologize for.

It's more like our... our relationship's a car

that drives okay but keeps making a weird noise.

Without a real diagnosis of what's happening

between Derek and me, how do you find a cure?

And how do you fix something

that you can't for sure say is broken?

But is it that you don't know what to do,

or is it that you're afraid of the consequences if you do it?

Just letting things continue as they are,

taking no action can be worse

than making the wrong move in your relationship.

Use your example.

What if that weird noise is the brakes going out,

and as a result, you and Ashley end up driving into a ditch?

I can't let that happen.

So I guess I need to figure out how to get us out of neutral.

Only I just...

I don't know what drive mode's supposed to look like now.

What do you want it to look like?

That's the problem.

Yes, there are things about Derek

I wish he would do in a different way,

and I'm sure he feels the same way about me.

But I'm scared that if I tell Derek things need to change,

he's gonna take it as me criticizing,

and we're gonna get in a big argument,

and there's gonna be all these hurt feelings

and misunderstandings flying around,

and that's the last thing I want.

What doyou want?

For us to be as happy as we were before.

We were so happy.

I want us to get back to that version of us.

We have to 'cause...

I can't live without Ashley in my life.

Thanks for being willing to have this conversation

in a professional setting,

even if it's... officially just a mom-and-son talk.

You're starting to worry me, Martin.

What's this problem that you want to discuss?

I'm not sure.

I've been having these recurring nightmares.

Do you remember them?

It's hard to describe.

I remember flashing lights, loud noises,

someone yelling, screaming, even.

And after a while it had stopped,

but the dreams have come back

and they're happening more often.

It even happened today... in the middle of a conversation.

It was like an hallucination instead of a dream.

Mom...

I'm beginning to believe I'm losing my mind.

Comparing me to Satan in a wig?

Nice one, Jacob.

If you're saying I'm determined and willing to do what it takes

to accomplish my goal, then yes.

Yes, I am.

Because that witch went after my family,

and she used her daughter to do it.

I never trusted Eva from day one.

And I was right.

And if anyone had believed me,

we wouldn't be in this situation.

But unlike Leslie,

my heart is in the right place.

Prove it, then.

Tell me the real reason why you wanted to meet me here.

Because just like you,

I'm tired of watching Leslie walk around

like she's untouchable.

Patience, Detective.

All will become clear.

There's a little something on your face.

Oh, yeah? Oh, let me get my...

Oh, you don't need a mirror. Just, uh,

wipe the right side of your mouth.

Oh. Okay.

-Uh, there? -Uh-uh. Just...

No? Little bit more?

Oh, did I get it?

-MONA: Yeah. You got it. -LESLIE: Good looking out.

[laughs] Thanks.

I can understand why you wanted to tell Ted about Eva.

If I were in your shoes, I'd want my child

to have a relationship for her father, too.

I know, if you really thought about it,

you'd understand why I did what I had to do.

I mean, it was the only way for me to make sure

that Ted would acknowledge that Eva was his daughter.

I can understand.

That I was right?

That what you did...

was totally messed-up.

You could have told Ted in private.

He's a good man. He would have believed you.

And even if you felt the need

to get a little revenge against him,

there was no need to humiliate Nicole at her anniversary party.

She never did a thing to you,

but you took delight in her pain.

That's the part I can't get past.

So, try as I might, I do not forgive you.

I don't think I ever will.

Do you think that these nightmares

and this hallucination are coming

from a real-life experience?

Did you go through something traumatic

I don't know about?

I don't know what caused them or why I keep having them.

I just want...

I need them to stop.

I wonder if this situation

with your father and me is at the root of this.

Maybe that's what's causing the stress

that's coming out in these dreams.

No, Mom, that's not the reason.

But you're not going through anything else.

No. These nightmares began

before all that Leslie mess came out.

It's been that long?

The only thing that's been stressing me is work lately,

coupled with the challenges of raising two teenagers.

But nothing's different at work or with the kids, is it?

How are these nightmares making you feel?

When I'm in them, I'm afraid.

But when I come out of it,

somehow I... I feel guilty.

-Any sense of what's triggering them? -No.

[panting]

Sweetheart, I think you need to speak to a therapist.

One that isn't your mother.

I'm gonna send you a list, but please promise me

that you're gonna make an appointment with one of them.

Sure.

Thanks for listening, Mom.

[sighs]

Kat knew someone would be taking over the position.

She'll just have to accept that you're the one I chose.

I don't think it's gonna be anywhere near that simple.

Won't Kat have to train her replacement?

There's no way she'll be willing to do that for me.

Well, I prefer to think that if Kat has to work with you

for a little while, the two of you will become even closer.

[Eva laughs]

Love your optimism, but that's not gonna happen.

Not because I don't want it to but because Kat hates me.

Okay, well, if Kat won't step up,

the clinic uses some of the same software as Nicole's office.

I think you'll be able to figure it out without Kat.

There. Problem solved.

I still think she's gonna be upset.

Like, really upset.

Okay, Kat may be in her feelings,

and I'll do everything I can to smooth it out,

but no matter what, she has a company of her own.

Kat will have much better things to do

than to give us grief about this.

Carlton, I'd like to introduce you

to our brand-new office manager... Eva,

aka my daughter.

Well, hello, Eva.

Welcome to our team.

I assume you can start right away.

I haven't officially accepted your offer.

Oh, you're gonna be this much of a stickler

for details at the office?

[chuckles]

Oh, you have no idea what you're in for.

I run a tight ship.

I'm counting on that.

And that's what we all need-- someone to keep us in line.

[Eva chuckles]

-I'd be honored to work for you. -Mm.

Both... of you.

I didn't just like you, Mona.

I looked up to you.

Deep down,

I thought that you were a better human being than me.

But luring me here,

where we've had so many happy times,

making me think that...

we could be friends again...

...only to hurt me like this--

that's just cruel.

You are every bit as mean

as you accuse me of being.

I kept that up for as long as I could.

You were perfect.

You got me exactly what I needed.

Kat, are you serious?

This is a public place.

No search warrant required.

I didn't break any laws by taking a used napkin.

And the chain of custody is clear.

It isn't, um-- what is it--

a poisoned apple?

-Fruit of the poisonous tree. -Whatever.

Leslie's DNA has got to be all over this napkin.

Okay, so if the DNA on this napkin matches the DNA

in the lining of the motorcycle helmet

that I found in Leslie's apartment,

that would mean that she wore the same helmet

that Laura's hit-and-runner wore when they ran her off the road.

And all you have to do is test it.

And if it's a match, I'll finally have enough grounds

to arrest Leslie Thomas for attempted murder.

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