Original subtitles

(vocalists) ♪ Tubi, Tubi ♪

(eerily distorted soft piano music)

♪

(Darren) Aww, I've got a 10:40 tee time with Brad,

and I'm out here ridin' around a freakin' cul-de-sac.

♪

Not one of these women coulda picked you up, huh?

Fine. Just drop me off at the corner.

Would it have killed you to say no?

♪

Of course it would.

♪

(engine revving)

A year divorced, and I'm still your ride.

♪

- What the... - (brakes screech)

(she exhales sharply)

(dark music)

♪

(knocking)

Karen!

- You made it! - Hi.

(Sheila) We already started, but Helen's not mad.

(Karen) O... kay, wow.

I'm newish too,

but I already can't imagine my life

without this group of strong women!

There's wine in here, girlie, yay! Ha!

♪

(engine rumbles softly)

(faint indistinct voices)

(sharp slam)

(Marianne) So glad you came, Karen,

after everything.

- Really? - Oh, the divorce, baby.

We all had a bet whether he'd drop you off.

(Sheila) Don't...

Don't mind Marianne, she's 12 days post-op.

Labiaplasty.

(laughing) Yeah.

Best decision she ever made, we all say that.

So, Helen met you at the Kroger, huh?

Yeah. Dinner for one.

Said you looked like someone took the bones right outta ya.

- Uh... - (giggling)

Karen, just so you know,

we would never make you do anything you don't wanna do.

Okay? All of the women in this cul-de-sac,

it's a lot of vision boards, babe.

We don't play here.

(giggles)

(Karen) Okay.

Shoes off!

(giggles)

Sure.

(eerie music)

(Sheila) In here, Karen!

(faint voices)

(sighs)

(indistinct voices)

(dark music)

♪

(Sheila) Ah! Start right there.

(Marianne clears throat)

(Marianne) "The duke cuffed her with an intensity of a man

checking for the ripeness of two cantaloupes."

Tyler's big move is asking me

if I wanna knock one out before he showers.

(Opal) See, that's what I'm saying.

I mean, Brandon only touches me

when he wants another baby.

(Lina) Hmm.

(Opal) He's never once put his little hands on my throat.

(mock gasp)

(Sheila) Romantic!

(nervous giggle)

(Helen) You're missing the point, ladies.

This novel is about a woman nobody wanted.

A woman who had been called boring so many times,

she was mistaking silence for goodness.

But then, she finally finds a place to belong to,

a place that really sees her.

(eerie music)

♪

What did you think, Karen, hm?

♪

Oh.

Um...

(spine cracks noisily)

(eerily distorted music)

(flipping pages frantically)

♪

(intense musical flourish)

Um, I thought he was

a real gentleman.

(noisy chewing)

V-Very masculine.

♪

(echoing slam)

How so?

♪

You know, just... just the way he sees her.

You know, like, he just really pushes her

to be the best version of herself

and doesn't want her to... to get smaller and smaller,

and, like, have to tiptoe around the house

(noisy slurping) till there's no more sex,

and as soon as there's no more sex,

it's like, "It's your fault"

(noisy sucking) and he can just leave

and go off, and it's...

♪

I... I..I really, really liked him.

♪

And it.

♪

Hm.

You didn't read it, did you, Karen?

(Marianne) Oh, my God, you didn't read it?

(Sheila) Oh. Did you watch the movie?

I heard they changed the ending

and made her do something terrible.

(Helen) Mm-mm-mm.

We do not recognize movies in this book club.

♪

(sharp slamming)

(tense music)

♪

What's wrong, Karen?

(Karen) I should probably get...

(Marianne) Oh, do you have somewhere you need to be?

You look a little sick, girlie pop.

(pops mouth)

- Everything okay? - No, I...

I'm having a really nice time.

She's having a nice time.

(giggling)

You know what else is really nice?

The reading nook is really nice, isn't it?

(Lina) Oh, God.

Shall we show her, ladies?

(other regulars giggling)

(tense vocal music)

♪

(Lina softly clears throat)

(Lina) You're gonna love it.

♪

Come on, we'll show you!

Okay, sure.

(others giggling)

(eerie music)

♪

(Lina) No peeking!

(tense, distorted music)

Now you get the full experience.

- She's so cute. - I know!

Hi, pretty girl!

(laughter)

(Helen) Can you believe I found her at the Kroger.

(Marianna) Oh, my God!

- It was the good one. - Good morning, sleepyhead!

(laughter)

- I think she likes this. - I'm sorry.

I think I misunderstood, I'm sorry.

I... this is... wow!

This is such a lovely space you have.

This is... it's very intentional.

We all came here the same way, Karen.

Being taken for granted.

Last photo of me and Brandon on his Instagram,

he cropped me out.

(Lina) Mine, he's, like, on the 100th level of Fortnite,

but he doesn't even know what, like, a hymen is.

(dramatic musical flourish)

(Helen) This book taught us pain happens either way.

At least this way,

we choose it.

(dark music)

(faint heartbeat)

(lighter flicks into flame)

(whimpering)

(Karen) Oh... wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!

(struggling, whimpering)

That was your body saying no.

Why can't your mouth say it?

You can leave anytime.

All you have to do is ask.

Okay, thank you.

♪

(Sheila) I'm not gonna lie to you, diva, the first one is the worst,

but you just breathe through it,

and it is euphoric.

I threw up at mine,

- nobody cared. - Oh, good.

Oh, that's good, that's really good.

(Sheila) And, you know, you can always say the safe word.

But not that you'll need it.

(Karen) I would... I would love that.

Can you tell me what it is?

(Sheila whispers indistinctly)

(Helen) "He fastened the collar at her throat

and felt her pulse leap against the leather,

like something caged that had been finally been told

where it lived."

(gasping)

Oh, I can't...

(dramatic choral music)

(handle flexing)

Is that the brie knife?

(Helen) "He drew the blade across her.."

(Opal) "Across" or "along"?

Across.

(music intensifies)

(Karen grimaces, groans)

"On her hands and knees,

she finally found the exact shape

of her own wanting."

(Opal) Ooh!

(jangling)

(crashing thud)

(echoed distorted laughter)

(eerie fantastical music)

(indistinct muffled speech)

♪

- (chains jangling) - (panting)

(Helen) "Each stroke wrote on her"

a word she had never once let herself say.

He spread her like scripture

and drank until she forgot how to be ashamed.

She let him, because wanting it,

at last,

"the sin felt holy."

(dramatic choral music)

- (blade sinks) - (scream)

♪

(cries out)

♪

"And when the body emptied, so did the fear.

Every drop was a refusal leaving her."

(Darren) You were a yes with lipstick, did you know that?

All you had to do was say it.

What did you think, Karen?

(Karen) Oh.

Um...

(suspenseful music)

Just say it.

(brakes screech)

- A really nice time. - (Giggling)

(Darren) Not one of these women coulda picked you up, huh?

(Helen) Mm-mm-mm.

We do not recognize movies in this book club.

(books slamming shut)

(sharp smack)

(Darren) Would it kill you to say no?

(gasps)

(buckle jangles)

Would it kill you to say it?

(soft, tense music)

Hm?

♪

You say it.

- Say what? - (Blade lodges)

- (others gasping) - No!

(Marianne) No, no, no, no, no, no, no, that's

that's not what the book says.

I watched the movie, bitch.

(heavy squelching thud)

- Jesus Christ! - That's gonna stain.

Somebody grab a towel.

Oh! There are towels under the sink.

Under the sink, mm-hm.

(eerie music)

No! Not the good towels, not the nice ones.

Get red. Do you have reds? Okay.

(dramatic musical flourish)

(dark, eerie music)

♪

(dramatic choral music)

♪