Original subtitles

[enchanting music playing]

[train horn blowing in the distance]

[vehicle approaching]

- [brakes squeaking] - [dog 1] When I saw this happening,

- I thought it was very bad. - [dog 2 yelping]

But like most things that happen at Merry Christmastime…

- [whining] - …it turned out to be very good.

I didn't know it at the time, but that little abandoned girl puppy

- would eventually become the best thing… - [whining]

…that ever happened to my pack.

But I guess I'm getting ahead of myself.

So let's start at the very beginning.

[birds chirping]

[festive, romantic music playing]

- [man] Perfect Christmas. - [woman] So cute.

[dog] It was Merry Christmastime when I first met my pack.

[whimpering]

- [woman 1] Ooh. - [dog sniffing]

[woman 1 chuckling]

[indistinct chatter]

[dog barking, whining]

- [man] Great. Yeah. - [woman 1] Sander.

This last one is from me and Hunter to you and Barbara.

- [dog barking, sniffing] - [woman 2 gasps, chuckles]

- [dog] It was love at first sniff. - [both gasping]

- [dog whining] - [indistinct chatter continues]

Who are you?

- [dog] I learned he was my dad. - [Hunter] Merry Christmas, Mom.

- Yes. - [woman 1 laughing]

[dog whining]

- [Hunter] Merry Christmas, Dad! - [dog] And she was Ello, my girl.

[woman 1] Merry Christmas.

[dog] "Merry Christmas" was the first word I ever understood.

It means people are happy.

And it's my favorite word.

My mom and dad loved Merry Christmastime.

- [Sander laughing] - He called her Barbara.

She was his mate.

- People need mates. - Whoo-hoo!

There was a time when I thought I needed one.

But now, not so much.

At Merry Christmastime,

my whole pack would get together, and they were just happier…

Merry Christmas, everybody!

…than they were at any other time of the year.

[blows raspberry]

- [dog whimpering] - [Barbara laughing]

- The next Merry Christmastime… - [babies crying]

…the babies arrived.

- [woman] I did this. - [Hunter] Here's your brothers, Ello.

Winstead, wanna say hi?

- [Winstead] I couldn't stop kissing them… - [baby crying]

…and I didn't know why.

[romantic music continues]

[owl hooting]

[music fades]

- There were more Merry Christmastimes. - [quirky music playing]

And as I got bigger, so did everybody else in our pack.

I used to be able to sleep through the night

without going outside for a leg lift.

But those days are gone.

- Dad has the same issue. - [toilet flushing]

[quirky music continues]

The night is when I do my best hunting.

Mm, garbage juice.

I always check on my pack.

The babies got way bigger. Night is the only time they're quiet.

But I love the babies.

They always remember to feed the dog on the floor.

- [gasps] - [twins laughing]

Okay, yeah. That's better.

My girl, Ello, doesn't play with me much anymore.

She's either sad or yelling or crying.

The only time she's really happy

is when she's out there sliding around on the ice.

It's who she truly is.

Oh, tonight she left me a treat.

- The tired ones. - [snoring lightly]

I worry something big is happening between them.

- It's snowing. It's snowing. - [screaming]

[Winstead] Though when they fight, they seem to enjoy it.

[both laughing]

Some people call them Hunter and Juliana.

So I think of them as Hunter Dad and Juliana Mom.

[mellow music playing]

[panting]

This is where we sleep.

Dad is very sad, and I know why.

It's been two Merry Christmastimes since Mom got sick and went away.

- [birds chirping] - [music fades]

- [Winstead snuffling] - [bird twittering]

[snorting]

I first noticed that bird the day Mom left us.

It's like the bird is watching over us.

[humming] Okay.

- [Ello sighs] - [Winstead panting]

Oh, oh. Okay. All right.

- Okay. That's… All right. Yep. - [barks]

Nope. Ow!

Not a word of this to anyone, Ello. I'm issuing a gag order. Down, Winstead.

[Ello] Not that Grandpa even cares.

Um, can you take this up to your grandfather?

God, who died and made me a waitress?

Um, your grandmother, that's who.

[Ello] Why does he have to live here? It's not even fair.

[Winstead groans] They always make me work for it.

[Juliana] He spent all of his money on medical treatments,

and now he was forced to move in here, but he's family, so…

Deal with it, missy.

I just don't like him.

I mean, he's against everything that I stand for.

[scoffs] Oh, really?

- [whines] - In this house, we respect our elders.

- Period. - [Winstead whimpering]

Oh, that actually includes me. [chuckles]

[Winstead] Why is the food always up there?

[Winstead whimpers]

[barks]

I love you!

[Ello] Whatever.

[footsteps approaching]

Oh God. [sighs]

- [gasps] - [shrieks] Oh my God. Oh my God.

I thought you were dead.

[Ello groans]

So you give me a heart attack?

Yeah, well, Mom told me that I needed to respect you.

So here's your eggs and toast.

I know a dog who deserves some toast. [whimpering]

I don't want it.

Okay, boomer.

- [sighs heavily] - [twins squealing]

[Winstead barking]

Which one's that?

That one's Ewan.

Ewan, you either stop or finish the job.

I look forward to the day when I can eat eggs without screaming in the background.

Well, at least you get to escape to your office.

For me, the screaming never stops.

- Yeah. - Don't forget, we have lunch today.

Mrs. Espinoza's taking the twins.

No, today I have that meeting with my new boss, Nina O'Brien.

- I told you about this. - And I told you we need to talk.

It's really important.

So be there,

or I'm showing up at your office with the twins.

[Juliana chuckles]

- Okay. - Ello.

We got some very exciting news

about you on the parent portal this morning.

- [Winstead] Chewy. Mm-hmm. - Your essay on ice dancing won this…

- Mine. Ello, mine. Mine. - [Ello] Winstead. Give it back. Come on.

[laughs] It says here,

"Eloise Goss…" That's you.

"…will receive a $2,000 college grant…"

- Two thousand dollars. That's great. - A lot of money.

"…and will be hosted in evening wear

on the mayor's float in the Christmas parade."

They're gonna announce it at the assembly today.

- Yay! [laughs] - Oh, look at that.

Congratulations, honey.

- That's great. Wonderful. - So cool.

No. No, I resign.

- You can't resign from a scholarship. - Uh, no, I don't think you understand.

If I do that, Brittne's gonna hate me, and then all my friends are gonna hate me.

- [Hunter] Because of the scholarship? - [Ello] No.

Brittne's gonna hate me because of the outfit.

Honey, I think we just need to calm down and think about this.

You know what? This is the worst day of my life, okay?

Wow. Okay. All right.

[Ewan squealing in the background]

[sighs heavily]

- [Ewan] No! - [Juliana] No. Not today, guys.

I've got a massive headache.

[Winstead] When she's alone with the babies, she struggles.

I wish I could help.

[moaning]

When everybody leaves, he gets so sad.

[Sander chewing]

- Something's different about him today. - [melancholy music playing]

And it's not good.

[whining softly]

- [Sander sighs] - [Winstead moaning softly]

Don't look at me like that.

[Winstead whines] Let's go for a walk.

Walks fix everything.

[Sander sighs deeply]

[panting]

- Okay. - [Winstead whining]

[glass clinks]

[Sander] We'll go for a walk first. [sighs]

[music fades]

[festive music playing]

[Sander] They start Christmas earlier every year, Winstead.

- Barbara loved it. No idea why. - [chatter in the background]

[woman 1] Who's that?

- What? - There.

[woman 2] He looks homeless.

- [scoffs] In a cashmere coat? [laughs] - Um, what a beautiful dog.

See how his nose is down? He's tracking.

Mm. Oh, you and your dogs.

[both laughing]

- [Winstead] Oh, got a scent. On it. - Hey! Winstead!

- Uh-uh. Oh-oh… - [playful music playing]

- [Winstead] Tracking. Tracking. - Stubborn. So stubborn. Winstead!

[Winstead] He says that word so much, but it never comes with a treat.

So I don't let it distract me from my tracking.

Oh, no cherry pie for you. Hey, but you can have dog treats.

- I love her. She smells like sugar. - [Sander] Winstead.

- I'm so sorry. Off. - We should take her home with us.

- [barks] - Winstead, Winstead, stop it.

- [woman 1 laughing] - [scoffs] I'm sorry, ma'am.

Oh. "Ma'am"? [chuckles] Really?

Miss. Lady.

Ma'am's fine.

- [Sander] Madame. - [chuckles]

- My sincerest apologies. - Hey. No problem.

- [scoffs] Bye. There he goes. - [Sander] Come on. Winstead.

"Ma'am."

[laughs] He called you "ma'am."

[woman 2] I think he probably stole that coat.

[melancholy music playing]

[Winstead] I've never seen him this sad.

This is the last thing Mom touched.

It still has her scent.

[monitor beeping]

Her breaths were getting slower.

- [melancholy music continues] - She was leaving us.

I could feel it.

She touched it with such love.

Maybe he'd feel better if he just smelled it.

I told you, quit looking at me like that.

I can't take it.

[whines softly]

Come on. Let me give you a treat. Come on.

[whining desperately]

[panting, barking]

- [Winstead howling] - [sighing]

Winstead.

[howling continues]

Winstead, will you stop it?

- Winstead-- - [barks]

[Sander gasps, groans]

[Winstead] How can I love him more?

- [panting] - [Sander sighs heavily]

[Sander inhales sharply]

[weakly] Just let me go, will you? Just let me go.

Because I need his pain to go away. [panting]

[Sander sighs]

- [indistinct chattering] - [music fades]

It's so nice to finally, uh, meet you one-on-one, Ms…

- Nina. - I prefer Mrs. O'Brien.

Mrs. O'Brien, yes.

Great choice.

Oh, well, thank you for your approval.

[chuckles nervously]

Sit, sit, sit.

I am known as a job cutter. I move fast, and I break things.

On average, 10% of employees are worthless underperformers, so…

You know.

I do have my firing boots on.

They're really nice boots.

[chuckles]

It's not about the actual boots. You know, why don't you tell me about you?

Uh, okay. Well, um… I'm Hunter Goss.

- [Nina] Mm-hmm. - I'm the facility manager here.

Um, wife's a lawyer.

Twin toddlers, a 17-year-old daughter.

A widowed father lives with us and his, uh, old basset hound.

Oh, I love those smooshy faces.

[baby voice] They have these smooshy faces.

Really smooshy face.

- He's got such a smooshy face. - Hm.

So you don't talk about the job. You go straight to family. I like it.

Unless, of course, it's a cheap play to my emotions

because you expect a woman to care more about family.

- Uh, no, I-- - I do have a son, Sean.

He's going to start at Traverse City North after Thanksgiving.

My daughter, Ello, goes to school there as well.

She, um… she… She could probably show Sean around.

Are you sure you wanna offer that?

Yeah.

Yeah. Of course, absolutely. [chuckles]

All right.

So I understand that you are doing a complete,

expensive redesign of these offices over the break.

Yes, yes. So, this, uh,

presentation will show how an open concept

fosters cooperation,

and how an open space--

I don't care.

We are in a crisis here.

Engineering productivity is down 20%

since we made everyone come back to the office.

And now corporate is no longer sure

that they want this branch to be our national headquarters.

And your big genius fix to this problem is to spend $3 million on, of all things,

office furniture.

- It was approved by Mr. Greenlee. - Who's no longer here.

- Gee, I wonder why. - [motivational music playing]

Anyway, here's the deal.

If this redesign miraculously turns this branch around,

you will be my boy wonder,

and I will make you Global VP of Facilities.

Hm.

Hm.

However, if it fails, I will throw you under the bus.

This branch will close.

All of your little friends will lose their jobs,

including, of course, you.

So… you know.

Good luck with that.

[chuckles awkwardly]

Hm.

So… Mrs. O'Brien, she's, uh…

Mm-hmm.

…kind of mean.

- [chuckles] - Um…

But I think she liked me.

Good.

And if she likes the installation,

she said I would get promoted to Global VP of Facilities.

[Juliana coughing]

Global?

- Yeah, I know. - [laughing] That's…

Ha! That's your great news?

Okay. That you're gonna be

gone more than, um, usual,

and I'm just gonna be at home piloting the Titanic by myself.

- [laughing] - No, it's more money.

- Hunter, I'm drowning as it is. - I just…

I think that if she sees how productivity is really gonna just boom--

Hunter!

Will you please listen to me? [loudly] I'm not happy in the marriage.

[indistinct mumbling]

[pop music playing over speakers]

Wait, hol…

Are you… Are you wanting a divorce?

No. This is gonna sound terrible, but…

The twins are the worst thing that ever happened to me.

I'm losing my mind. [scoffs]

I was the top litigator at my law firm,

and now I'm… I'm… I'm a hockey goalie for thrown food.

You're gone. Your dad is no help.

I don't even have time to go to the doctor.

And Ello is… [whispering] …literally psychotic.

[scoffs] Do we know that for sure?

Well, no, she's… Of course not. She's not…

- You just said "literally." - Hunter, she's a teenage girl. She--

- Keep your voice down. - I will not keep my voice down.

I will keep my voice down for now.

I think that you don't lift a finger around the house.

- Well, I… Look, if you… - [soft, pensive music playing]

If you want, you… you can go back to work.

Oh, can I? How?

Who's gonna take care of the twins and do the shopping and the housekeeping

and the laundry?

Hunter, I am suffocating.

[scoffs]

[music fades]

[school bell ringing]

And for an unprecedented third year in a row,

our Traverse City Christmas Parade Trampoline Toss Elf is,

of course, Brittne Malone.

- [Brittne gasps] - [students cheering]

[all chanting] Brittne!

Brittne! Brittne! Brittne! Brittne!

[principal] And finally,

the $2,000 Munson Scholarship is awarded to Eloise Goss.

[scattered applause]

[boy] Oh my God.

[girl] So random.

[Ello] I don't know what kind of sick I am.

[Juliana] You call me to pick you up and don't know what kind of sick?

What kind of sick would you like me to be?

How about the kind where you're nice to your mother?

Do you know how stressed I am?

- Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and… Just… - Right. Right.

'Cause Christmas is your Super Bowl.

And Thanksgiving is the kick-off of the so-called magic of Christmas.

You know, honestly, I'm just… [sighs]

I'm not feeling great either.

I hope we're not both coming down with something.

[Ewan babbling]

[laughing]

- Oh, translation, please. - Oh. He said Garrett peed his pants.

- What? Did he? - No way am I checking that.

Oh, just… Could…

[growls]

[man on video] Figure skating has a new champion right here in front of us.

[Juliana retching]

[Winstead] Ello needs to help Juliana Mom.

Come on, Ello. [whines]

Follow me.

[Juliana groaning, coughing]

[vomiting, coughing]

[toilet flushing]

Oh my God, Mom. Are… Are you okay?

- [groaning, panting] - Oh.

- Oh God. - It's not, like…

Like, not morning sickness, right?

Oh no, no.

I mean, your dad's been so busy.

- We haven't had the time to… - Oh, okay. Please stop talking.

Okay. Oh.

[water running]

[Ello] Here.

- [breathing shakily] Oh, thanks, honey. - [pensive music playing]

- Oh. - Are you okay?

[exhales sharply]

This is horrible. [sobs]

I hope this isn't what you have.

No, I mean, what I have is just, like, high school.

- Oh God. - Okay, here, hold on.

[Juliana groaning]

- Oh, my-- - [Ello] Okay. It's okay. Come on.

- Here we go. - [whimpers]

- [Juliana] Sorry, Winstead. - [Winstead] I want to help.

- It's okay. - [Juliana groaning]

[Winstead] But I don't know how. [whines]

[sirens wailing]

[pensive music continues]

[woman speaking indistinctly over PA]

[mumbling, whimpering]

[sighs wearily]

[music intensifies]

[doctor] Sorry, Mr. Goss.

So nothing yet. We're running tests.

- Odds are it's just a really bad UTI. - [music fades]

We need to keep her, make sure it's not a kidney infection.

- [Hunter] Wait. Can I see her? - She's resting.

So why don't you go home, get some sleep?

Uh, my phone died.

What time is it?

It's 6:30 a.m.

Oh God. I… I… I gotta get to the office.

- I'll be back at lunch. Thank you. - Mm-hmm.

- [Winstead] What's happening? - Where's your mom?

[Winstead] Where's the food smells? Where's Juliana Mom?

[Ello] Mom's in the ER.

So no breakfast.

[phone ringing]

- [Ello sighs] - ER?

Why didn't you call?

What's up with Mom?

Uh, my phone died. Hey, is, uh… is my dad there?

- [twins squealing and laughing] - He's bitching about his room service.

Where are you?

I'm at the office. It's the first day of the big install.

What? It's Thanksgiving. It's not even legal to work.

- Yeah, well, engineers are… - Hello, Hunter.

Hey. Okay.

Engineers are expensive.

It was the only way we could get a four-day install without missing work.

Well, that's stupid.

[twins laughing]

[Winstead] Yay!

[Winstead panting]

Come on, Dad. We're doing zoomies.

[Garrett laughing] Yeah!

[Winstead barking]

Your mom's gonna be okay. She's gonna be in the hospital a few days.

So could you just take care of things at the house?

Make sure the twins stay alive?

What? It's Thanksgiving. What am I supposed to do?

I don't know, Ello. Make a turkey.

Mom does everything. Now you want it all on me.

Okay, okay. God, just…

You'll figure it out, all right? I gotta go.

[scoffs]

[phone beeps]

How about first you make me breakfast?

[yelping]

[Garrett screaming]

God, I hate this family.

[Ewan yelling and squealing]

[clattering]

Will somebody please tell me what is going on around here?

Well, it's Thanksgiving.

Yeah, I know it's Thanksgiving.

Okay, and this is Mom's playbook.

She is like the Patrick Mahomes of Christmas.

[Sander] I've about had it with your attitude lately, young lady.

- My attitude? - Yes.

What about your attitude, old man?

[Winstead whimpering]

You know that your room was supposed to be my room

so that I could have my own bathroom?

Which I don't even know why you need because you only shower once a month.

[Winstead whines]

And you're just this mean old man who treats me like some servant girl.

I don't get why you can't just be nice like every other grandpa ever invented.

[Winstead] Why are they so angry?

Well, maybe I've

been in a bad mood lately.

Really? Lately?

- Yeah, try forever. - [sad music playing]

My wife died.

- She died. - Yeah, well, my grandma died.

Did you ever even think about that?

All of us lost her.

[Sander sighing softly]

No, I didn't think about that.

[Winstead] If I could just get them to play together,

they might remember that they love each other.

[growling softly]

- Winstead. - [Sander] Winstead.

[hopeful music playing]

[Sander grunting]

[Winstead] Now they're having fun. [chuckles] What would they do without me?

- [Sander sighing] - [music fades]

This Thanksgiving, I mean, it's, like…

How hard can it be?

I looked it up on the Google.

God. Please don't call it "the Google." You sound crazy.

Well, it says that we should have been thawing out that turkey,

like, three days ago.

[Winstead] Turkey?

No, we get it fresh. Mom always gets it from the grocery store.

Which closes at 5:30, so…

Oh.

Uh…

Well, I can go to the grocery store.

[soft music playing]

[Ello scoffs] Great.

Uh…

Do we need anything else?

Yeah, everything else.

All right, make a list.

[Winstead] Huh, what do you know?

And I'll get dressed.

[Winstead] No more angry smells at all.

- [bag rustling] - [soft music continues]

[music fades]

[Christmas music playing]

[Sander] "Pumpkin pie stuff. Cranberry stuff."

"Stuffing stuff."

- [twins babbling] - [sighs]

- [phone chimes] - Ope.

[Ewan chuckles]

Yeah, let me get the…

- [saleswoman speaking indistinctly] - [Sander sighs]

"Dinner rolls. Dinner rolls."

- [woman speaking over PA] - Dinner rolls. She wants dinner rolls.

Uh, here. Let me put you out of the way here.

- Okay, boys, look. - [shopping cart clangs]

- Be right back, all right? - [Ewan] Okay.

[Sander sighing deeply]

Gluten-free.

Sugar-free, taste-free.

I'll take about a pound of the lamb.

- No problem. - Thank you.

- Oh! Oh… [laughs nervously] …my. - [Ewan chuckling]

- Oh, boys, boys, boys. - Hi. Hi.

Boys, boys.

Are these your lobstermen?

- Here. Here. [laughing] - It's just…

If I say no, will you take them?

[chuckles] Wow.

Every time I see you, you're surrounded by cute.

The basset, these little fishermen.

Uh… Oh, sorry. You don't actually remember me, do you?

Oh yes, ma'am, I do.

- Okay, yes. You called me ma'am. - I'm sorry. I'm just a little frazzled.

It's Thanksgiving. Of course you're frazzled.

- [grunts] - Um, well, I'll leave you to it.

It looks like you got your hands full.

- Yeah. - [woman chuckles]

- [Garrett babbling] - Excuse me. Excuse me. Uh…

Uh… What's your name?

I'm Claire.

Claire.

Claire, I will give you $1,000

if you will make Thanksgiving dinner for us.

[Claire chuckling] That's funny.

Good luck.

[continues chuckling]

Uh, Claire. Claire.

- [Claire chuckles] - Ten thousand dollars and a free twin.

- [Ewan babbling] - [Claire chuckles]

I don't think you should give those guys up.

They're pretty cute.

Last chance.

It… Garrett…

Hey, hey, you're sitting on the dinner rolls.

This is…

[Garrett giggling]

- [quirky music playing] - [whimpers]

[Ewan sighing]

I guess you think I'm a pretty worthless, grumpy old man, huh?

- [Ello] Well… - [moaning]

I bring you breakfast every morning, and you don't say thank you, so…

I'll take that as a yes.

[Ello] Mm.

[Winstead] They both seem unhappy right now

even though there's a hungry dog and food nobody's eating.

I can fix that.

[growling]

- [Ello gasps] - [Sander] Winstead!

- [clattering] - [Ello] Winstead, no!

[Winstead] Come on. When food's on the floor, it belongs to the dog.

- [Ello] No. Give me that. - That's the rule.

- [Ello] Winstead. Give it back. - [Winstead grunting]

That was my turkey leg.

- [twins babbling] - So close.

[Ello] Oh, nice save, Grandpa.

[Sander sighing deeply]

- I think I'm ready for dessert. - [music fades]

Yeah, dessert sounds good.

- [Sander sighs] - Dessert sounds great.

- [sniffing] - [Sander grunting]

[Sander sighing]

The peas made it.

[gulping]

All right.

Thanks.

[fire crackling quietly]

For what?

Thanks for bringing me breakfast.

Yeah.

Hey, don't put peas in your nose.

[Ewan] Oh.

What?

Whi… Which one is he?

That's Ewan.

Ewan. Ewan.

- [Ewan babbling] - What'd he say?

Well, you told him, don't put peas up his nose, and he asked you, "Ever?"

[Sander] That's right, yeah.

Don't put peas up your nose ever.

[Ewan chuckles]

[laughs]

[Garrett chuckling]

[Ewan snorting]

- Oh, now you did it. - [intriguing music playing]

[Ello] Oh no. We just cleaned up.

It's raining peas.

[Ello and Ewan chuckling]

- [Sander] Oops. - [Ello laughing]

[jolly music playing]

- [Ello giggling] - Happy Thanksgiving, Winstead.

- [Winstead] All right. - [Ello squealing]

- [Sander] Hey. - [Winstead] Now we're talking.

[Ello gasps, giggles]

- [twins giggling] - See?

Everyone is so much happier when they feed the dog on the floor.

[music fades]

[Sander] We're out of coffee.

I ain't gonna go through this day without coffee, okay?

Just hang out here, and I'll be right back, all right?

[train horn blowing in the distance]

[Winstead] And this was the day a little girl puppy changed our world.

[soft music playing]

[girl puppy barking, whining]

[Winstead] I thought, "I have got to get out of this car ride."

"Someone has to help that little puppy." [barking, howling]

She's out there all alone.

[whimpering]

How do I get out? I need to go help her.

- Without humans… - [barking]

…a dog is lost in the world.

[music fades]

[boy 1] We're gonna work on the forecheck.

- [boy 2] Okay. - [boy 1] We're running drills all day.

- [boy 2] Ah, similar to last time, then. - [boy 1] Yeah, I suppose.

[Ello sighing]

[sighing in frustration]

Okay, fine, whatever. Guess nobody cares. I'll walk home.

[girl puppy barking]

[Ello gasps]

[in baby voice] Puppy. Hello.

[magical music playing]

- Who are you? - [yelping]

Who are your people?

[girl puppy yipping]

You don't have a collar.

[girl puppy whimpering]

I'm gonna take you home, okay?

Yeah. Here.

- Let's get you a collar. - [growling softly]

So we can walk home, yeah?

It's a ruby red collar. Maybe I should call you Ruby.

There we go.

Here, let's see.

- Oh, my goodness. - [growling softly]

Look at your little heart butt.

[Ello giggling]

Yeah.

Okay. Let's go.

[Ruby growling]

Come on, Ruby, let's go.

- [Winstead] Nap time. - [music fades]

- [Sander snoring] - He so gets me.

Wait. Something smells familiar, but I'm too tired to check it out.

[Sander gasps, grunts]

- You have a nice nap? - Uh…

'Cause you forgot to pick me up.

- Oh. - Oh yeah.

Oh.

What the hell is that?

[Winstead] Wait. Whoa.

What? She followed me home. She has a heart on her butt.

- What was I supposed to do? - [Winstead] It's the little girl puppy.

- And she's okay. - [soft music playing]

[urinating]

Oh, great.

[sarcastically] That's all we need.

[Winstead] I can't help it.

Dog pee in the house always makes me feel guilty.

[Winstead whining]

[Ewan babbling]

- [toy squeaking] - [Ello] Oh, hi, Dad.

- [Garrett squealing] - [Hunter] Hey.

[squeaking continues]

[Sander giggling]

Thank you.

Hey, boys. Uh…

Whose… Whose puppy?

[Sander] Yours.

Mine? Okay, well, obviously, we can't keep a puppy.

So, hey, Ello, you're gonna have to take it to a shelter.

[Ello] How is Mom? When can I see her?

[Hunter] They're still saying no visitors yet.

- Look, your mom's got an infection. - [Winstead growling softly]

She's on antibiotics.

But they want to observe her for a couple of days.

Look, I'm still slammed between work and the hospital, so I just…

- I really need the two of you to carry on. - [Ello] No, no, no. No.

No, no, no. No can do.

I can either take care of your kids and Grandpa and keep them alive,

or I can take Ruby to a prison.

- You can keep her for a few days. - [Ello] She's not going to a shelter.

Hey, Ello. I, um…

I need a favor.

[Winstead growling playfully]

- It's actually… It's… It's kind of fun. - Yes? Uh-huh.

So my new boss, Mrs. O'Brien, has a son. His name is Sean.

He's about your age,

and he's gonna be starting school at TC North.

Boy, that is really fun news.

No, here's the fun part. I told her that you could show him around.

Oh my God, just kill me now.

Ello. It would… It would really, really help my situation at work

- if you could just do this. - [sighs deeply]

Fine.

Fine. My life's over anyway, so yeah.

- Thank you. - Whatever.

[Garrett grunting]

Hey, you guys eat dinner? Is there any food?

Yeah, fried chicken.

[Winstead] Wait, what?

[Hunter] Wow, I'm impressed.

Yeah? Well, I'll be sure to thank the colonel.

[Hunter] Oh, okay. Got it.

[Winstead] Look, puppies can be annoying.

I mean, they're just rude.

But they always find new ways to have fun.

Lick them clean. Lick them clean.

["Pididdle" by Buzz Clifford playing]

♪ All she does is sit And stare and smile ♪

♪ Well, pididdle-a-diddle ♪

♪ Pididdle-a-diddle… ♪

Oh my God. My bra?

♪ Pididdle, oh baby… ♪

- Oh my God. - [Winstead] I guess…

- Winstead, Ruby, what are you guys doing? - …I'm hoping we keep her.

[Sander] I don't know why you gotta be so negative about this O'Brien kid.

[song ends]

[Ello] He's gonna be some awful dorky loser.

Oh my God.

[Nina] …goodbye to your brother.

Come here. Come here. Come say hi.

- Bye, Mom. - Bye, honey. Have a good day at school.

[Sean] Love you.

Come here.

[in baby voice] Oh, that's a good girl, a good girl.

- Hello, sir. Nice to meet you. - [Sander] Hey. Hello.

And you must be Ello.

[Nina] Who's a good girl?

Sean O'Brien.

Pleasure.

[Nina] Oh, come on.

Sorry Mom saddled you with the dorky new kid.

- [Nina] Smooshy face. - Later, Mom.

[Nina] Who's a good girl?

Bye.

"Dorky new kid."

[Sean] Hey, boys.

- [Ewan chuckling] - What's going on?

["Six Little Ducks" playing]

[Sean] Well, this is fun.

Cute puppy.

[Ruby growling playfully]

[Winstead] I like this new boy.

He has the happy smell of someone who appreciates a fine, crispy bacon.

- [Ruby whimpering] - [Ello] Good. Hi.

[growling softly] Come on, Ello. Sniff this bacon boy.

- [school bell ringing] - [woman on PA] Reminder to all students.

There will be a general assembly in the gymnasium on Thursday at 10 a.m.

[indistinct chatter]

Cool lunchroom.

[boy] Hey, Ello.

Girl, over here.

[Sean] Oh, great. Are those your friends?

Um, yeah.

- [whispers] What's that all about? - Hi.

- [Sean] Hey. - I'm Danny.

And you're the hot new guy. [chuckles awkwardly]

Like, no chance at all you're gay?

No, but I am an ally.

Of course you are. 'Cause you're literally perfect.

Well, nice to meet you. I'm gonna be stalking Ello like a bad fan

because they don't have a schedule for me yet.

- Probably ruin her life, but-- - No.

Quite the opposite, actually.

Those are the girls that hate her at present.

The alpha mean girls. They wanna, like, ruin her life.

Like, first, Ello wins some big award. Now she's gone all exclusive on you.

Jealous much, Brittne? It's all anyone's talking about.

[Brittne] What?

Do they hate you because you're so much prettier than they are?

[Ello coughing]

- Well, you are. - [Danny] Yeah.

This might work out fine.

[indistinct chatter]

[Hunter laughing in disbelief]

[scoffs] Steve!

- [quirky music playing] - Wha… [scoffs]

What… What is with the cardboard?

They took our cubes.

Yeah, no, an open floor plan fosters collaboration.

I hate collaboration. That's why I'm a software engineer.

[spluttering]

- You left this on my desk. - Thank you.

- She's coming. - What?

Mrs. O'Brien, she's coming. Good luck.

Hunter.

[quirky music continues]

I am well aware that any woman boss is automatically a bitch,

but I'm actually not,

because I believe in giving people an opportunity

to correct their massive screwups.

[Hunter sighs]

So, uh, the chairman of the board,

my boss, is coming to town Christmas Eve to visit family,

and he's going to do a site visit to determine,

as I have mentioned, whether or not we are closing this branch, so…

I have to get rid of this cardboard hellhole,

or I will fire you in front of the chairman on Christmas Eve.

- [music ends] - [Garrett giggling]

- [Sander] Hey, Garrett. - [Garrett squealing]

- Garrett, don't murder your brother. - [Ewan chuckling]

Isn't that him again, from the festival?

Uh, I saw him at the grocery store. Those are his grandkids.

[woman] No grandmother?

He might be an eligible bachelor. I'm gonna go find out.

[Claire] Oh. Okay. I think we're… We're going.

- [panting, whimpering softly] - [playful music playing]

Boys. Hey, boys. Come on. We gotta go.

- Come on! - Good afternoon, stranger.

I'm Lucille Vargas,

and these are my friends, Claire and Allison.

- Hi. - Hey.

I'm Sander.

Sander.

- Sander Goss. - I like the one with treats in her pocket.

- So you're babysitting grandchildren. - Fraternal twins, right?

- Uh, yes-- - Nice of you to give the wife a day off.

No. Uh, I mean, yes. Uh…

They're fraternal twins.

And, uh, n… no.

My wife, Barbara, she passed about two years ago.

[compassionately] Oh, oh, oh.

[Winstead] He smells very afraid of something.

I'm a widow myself.

Five years.

My Thomas, uh, he passed two years ago.

And my husband's been gone almost ten years.

What's your dog's name?

Uh, Winstead.

Winstead.

[chuckling] Hello, Winstead.

- Aw. - [Winstead moaning, panting]

Are you a deer hunter, Sander?

Huh?

Well, it's just that so many of the men around here,

they let their hair and their beards grow out all unruly

for deer hunting seasons.

Yeah.

Unruly. Yeah.

[Winstead] These women are definitely a pack.

They smell like they're hunting, and Dad is their prey.

We all want to know,

have you permanently settled in Traverse City?

No, I live here.

Well, where have you been hiding all this time, mister?

Oh, speaking of time, kids. Hey, hey, boys.

It's time to go. Really, come on. [clears throat]

I'm so sorry. I… I do have to go.

Uh… Thank you for the dog treats.

Oh.

Sure. I make them myself.

I'm between dogs.

It's hard.

[soft music playing]

Come on, boy.

Are… Are you coming back tomorrow?

Uh, maybe, uh, on Thursday.

Okay. Come on, buddy.

Bye, Winstead.

[Lucille] We'll see you Thursday, Sander Goss.

- [Ewan yelling] - Kids, come on.

- [Lucille] Thursday! - [Ruby yapping]

[Winstead] Dad smells afraid but excited.

This one is tough to figure out.

- [music fades] - [Ruby barking]

[Ruby continues barking]

[Winstead] I used to play with the dog in the wall myself

until I realized it's not real.

[playful music playing]

Come on, Ruby. Let's do "Chase Me."

[upbeat music playing]

- Okay, now for the hair. - Is that a Shop-Vac? What is that?

No, this is a Flowbee. It makes it so anyone can cut hair.

- [Winstead barking] Our bird is back. - [cardinal chirping]

[Sander] I… a…

Winstead, no barks.

[Winstead] He always says, "No barks." No idea what it means.

That's our bird. He never looks!

[Sander] He goes nuts for no reason at all.

[Winstead] Next time, I'll have to bark louder.

Why are you getting rid of this whole, uh, Gandalf look?

- [music fades] - I was in the park.

And these women, they said that I looked unruly.

- Women? - Yeah, you've heard of them.

Yeah, but I mean, like, plural. More than one.

Three.

- All widows. - All widows. Ah!

Three. It's like you're doing The Golden Bachelor.

What? No. Whatever that is, no.

- No. - Kind of.

[Flowbee whirring]

- Wait. Hey, hey, hey. - It's okay.

- What is that? - Sit still. Stop moving.

[Winstead] There's more love between Ello and Dad now.

It's like this puppy came, peed on stuff,

- and somehow my whole pack got closer. - You gotta hold still.

[Ello] See, it's like…

I mean, you kind of got to, like… Hold on. Hold on. Stop touching.

[Winstead] He does not like getting groomed any more than I do.

- [monitor beeping] - [emotional music playing]

[Juliana moaning softly]

You've been asleep for so long.

How are you feeling?

[Juliana moaning softly]

[whimpering softly]

God. Why aren't you getting better?

[inhales deeply]

[mouthing] God.

- Please get better. - [moaning softly]

[music fades]

[jazz version of "O Christmas Tree" plays]

- Hey. - [door closes]

How's Juliana?

[Winstead panting]

Any change?

No.

She's getting worse.

Don't tell Ello.

[Winstead] Where is Juliana Mom?

We need her.

It's definitely a kidney infection.

Yeah, they're… There's… They're worried about sepsis.

- Oh wow. - Yeah.

- [Winstead whimpering] - Okay.

Well…

You need to eat.

Want me to make you some waffles?

You make waffles?

Oh yeah. I make really crappy waffles.

- [Hunter chuckles] - [Winstead sniffing]

Ello helps. Hey, hey.

[Hunter] Besides the new haircut, what have I missed?

- Are the twins in Harvard? - [Sander chuckles]

You want yours burned or unburned?

Surprise me.

[Winstead] Come on. We both know I'm a dog who deserves bacon.

["Santa Tell Me" by Ariana Grande playing]

♪ Santa, tell me ♪

♪ If you're really there ♪

♪ Don't make me fall in love again ♪

♪ If he won't be hear next year ♪

♪ Santa, tell me ♪

♪ If he really cares… ♪

Hey.

- Sean, what are you doing here? - I met the hockey coach.

And guess what? I'm on the team.

- [chuckles softly] Of course you are. - Yeah. Figured I'd watch for a little.

You watched me skate?

Yeah. I was very impressed. You're really good.

- Do you have time to stay for a little? - Um…

Yeah.

[Sean chuckles]

I see the alpha mean girls are having a little party.

[Ello] Ugh.

Forgot it was December.

Normally, I would have been invited.

'Cause it's Brittne's whole birth month, you know.

[Sean] Birth month?

Oh yeah. Yeah, she takes the whole month.

Anyways, what do you wanna do? You wanna… just, like, skate or what?

♪ Santa, tell me ♪

♪ If he really cares… ♪

[chuckles] What?

My aunt's an ice dancing coach.

- I probably forgot to mention it. - Aha.

- Yeah. You did. - Come on, let's skate.

- [Ello] Uh, spiral drag? - Let's do it.

♪ On the 25th, by the fireplace Oh-woo-oh ♪

[Sean] Yeah.

♪ But I don't want a new broken heart ♪

- Show me a spin. - Okay.

♪ This year, I've got to be smart ♪

- ♪ Oh, baby ♪ - ♪ Santa, tell me, Santa, tell me ♪

[chuckles] Oh yeah.

♪ If he won't be here ♪

Hello.

- Ello's got skills. - [Ello chuckles]

♪ Santa, tell me… ♪

Thanks.

[Sean] Well, they're watching.

Wanna give them something to talk about?

- What do you have in mind? - Carry lift?

[Ello] I mean, you're the one who has to lift me.

Piece of cake.

♪ If he won't be here next year ♪

♪ Santa, tell me…♪

[Sean chuckles softly]

- ♪ Oh, baby ♪ - ♪ Don't make me fall in love again… ♪

Brittne's not happy.

What about you?

[Ello giggling]

Are you happy?

So happy. [chuckling]

♪ If he won't be here next year ♪

- [Sean] Yeah! - [song ends]

- [robot vacuum whirring softly] - [relaxing music playing]

[door opens, closes]

[Ello, happily] Hello.

[Sander] Hey.

- [gasps] Hi, Ruby. - [whining, barking happily]

[chuckling] Hi! Yes.

Hello, Ruby.

Any news on Mom?

Well, uh, your dad texted. Uh, she's still asleep.

Okay.

Yeah, but, uh…

I have an idea of what we should do.

We should get this house ready for Christmas for when she gets home.

- Okay. - Okay. Let's do it.

- Let's do it. - Come on.

Let's go, Ruby! Come on!

["River" by Brooke Lena Johnson and Cathryn Michon playing]

[Winstead] Ruby and I have no idea what we're doing,

but we're doing our best to help.

[Ello grunting]

♪ It's coming on Christmas ♪

♪ They're cutting down trees ♪

♪ They're putting up reindeer ♪

- ♪ And singing songs of joy and peace ♪ - [Winstead growling playfully]

♪ Oh, I wish I had a river ♪

- All right. - All right.

♪ I could skate away on ♪

♪ But it don't snow here ♪

♪ It stays pretty green ♪

♪ I'm gonna make a lot of money ♪

♪ Then I'm gonna quit this crazy scene ♪

♪ Oh, I wish I had a river… ♪

[Sander gasping and grunting]

- [grunting in frustration] - ♪ I wish I had a river so long ♪

♪ I would teach my feet ♪

- ♪ To fly ♪ - ♪ To fly ♪

[Winstead] What do you think, Ruby?

♪ I wish I had a river… ♪

[Ello] No, no, uh…

Mom's gonna throw us out of the game for this mess.

[Sander scoffs] I'm going in.

You're good, yeah. Christmas cheer.

Christmas cheer.

Don't you wanna go? Come on.

Well, some of us are just gonna go inside.

- Come on, sweetheart. - [Ello] Really?

[clattering]

[Sander] Come on.

[Winstead barks]

["River" fades]

[birds chirping]

[Lucille] Sander!

Sander! Sander, over here!

Sander! Yes!

He's coming over. He's coming over.

Don't act weird.

Don't talk about homeless. Don't talk about dogs.

- [Allison chuckles] - Sander!

So nice of you to come in the rain.

We didn't know if you were gonna make it.

- [Sander chuckles] - Hello, Winston.

- [Sander] It's Winstead. Winstead. - Winstead. Hey. Sit, sit, sit.

[Winstead] Sit? I can do that one.

You shaved your beard, Sander. You look very nice.

- Less unruly. - Uh… Ah.

It's a nice haircut. Very… Different, but nice.

- Can I give Winstead a treat? - Yeah. My… Oh yeah.

- Yeah, sure. - I carried some…

[Lucille sighing]

[Winstead] Whoa! She dropped a treat.

My granddaughter, she said it's a… a thing.

[Winstead] Hey, let go of my leash.

[straining] Almost there.

- [Lucille] Would you like some wine? - Come on.

- [Lucille] Oh, come on. - Got it.

- Stay a bit. Are you sure? - [Sander] I can't. Thank you.

Yeah. Yeah.

You seem to be totally unaware of the impact it has

when an eligible, attractive bachelor comes into a group of available women.

We kind of see it as Golden Bachelor, Traverse City version.

Yeah. I… I don't watch, uh, reality TV.

- [Lucille] Aw. - Oh. Well, that's Claire.

She likes to read poetry and listen to Joni Mitchell.

- [Sander] What? - [Claire] What?

You're gonna laugh.

- [Ruby yipping] - I…

I am an actual member of the Joni Mitchell fan club

for like 40, 45 years.

- [chuckles] Really? - Yeah.

Oh, well, me too.

I mean, it's not a popular opinion, but I actually believe

that she should have won the Nobel Prize for Literature

instead of Bob Dylan.

- Totally agree with you. - Yeah.

I mean, I'm not gonna take anything away from Dylan, but you know what?

I don't even know what he's saying half the time,

but Joni, she speaks to me.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

Me too.

Uh, I gotta go.

Oh, well, here, let me walk you to your car.

- Uh, it's okay. It's-- - No. No.

- No, no, no. I'd love to. I would like to… - [upbeat music playing]

- Let me be perfectly frank. - [Allison] Oh my.

[Lucille] Allison is the pretty one.

I guess Claire is the smart one.

And me, do you wanna know what I bring to the table?

I… Uh, what?

Well, my husband left me very well provided for.

[Winstead] In this pack, she's the alpha.

The only thing I'm missing is a satisfying love life.

I like men a lot. Mm-hmm.

Hey, Lucille?

[Winstead] Ooh, the alpha's going for the kill.

I don't know if… if I… if I'm really ready for what you think I'm ready for.

Oh, Sander, you're not going to ruin all our fun, are you?

All I'm proposing is you get to know us one-on-one,

and then, you know, we'll maybe take it from there.

- [Winstead sniffing] - [Lucille] Come on.

What do you have in mind?

[Ello] So it is The Golden Bachelor, then.

- It's three dinners, three nights. - [music fades]

I mean, that's what The Golden Bachelor is.

Hence, the makeover.

[sighs] Here. Wear this and this together.

And…

Just burn all of that.

[bird chittering]

[Winstead snorts]

[Winstead] I can tell something bad is happening.

- Dad. - [Sander gasps]

- I need to talk to you. - All right.

[somber music playing]

[Winstead] Dogs don't always know what's going on,

but we do understand our people.

[footsteps approaching]

Here she comes.

Where are the twins?

I already dropped them off with Ms. Espinoza. Um…

Honey, there's no easy way to say this, but your mom is in organ failure.

[Winstead] They need me to be a very good dog right now.

- What? Well, uh… - [Ruby whimpering]

I'm sorry, what does that even mean?

Well, it was what they were worried about. Uh, sepsis.

It started small, but the infection's gotten so bad

that it's moving into her vital organs.

[Ruby whimpering]

Had to put her in a coma to reduce her brain swelling.

[Winstead] Her heart is racing.

So, we are going to go to the hospital.

We'll put the dogs in the garage.

So why don't… why don't you go upstairs and get a coat, okay? Put your shoes on.

Yeah.

[Ello] Come on, Winstead.

- I'm going to get dressed. - Okay.

[Winstead sniffing]

[Hunter] Ello, you're gonna have to take that dog to a shelter.

I don't have the bandwidth for this right now.

[somber music continues]

[Hunter grunts] Just get this water for him.

- [Sander] All right. - [Hunter] Okay. There you go.

[Sander] Get in the bed. Come on, we gotta go.

- [Hunter] Okay. - [Sander] Get in. Good boy.

Okay. Be good, Ruby, okay?

- You have Winstead. - [Sander] Stay.

- Take the bed. - [Ello] Okay. Okay.

[Winstead] Ruby doesn't understand that sometimes we don't get to go

with our people.

[Ruby whimpering]

My job now is to guard the house and to take care of the puppy.

- [barks] - [car engine starting]

[Ruby whimpering]

Oh, Ruby.

[Ruby yelping]

[somber music continues]

Don't worry, Ruby. You're not alone. You're part of our pack now.

- [Ruby whimpering] - [music fades]

[woman speaking indistinctly over PA]

[tense music playing]

[breathing machine hissing]

[nurse] It's okay. You can touch her, honey.

[melancholy music playing]

[Ello] Mom, I wish I could have been here.

I'm really sorry I said that I hated you because…

[voice breaking] Because I don't hate you. I love you.

[sobbing] And I'll clean my room,

and I'll make sure that Ruby goes to a rescue, and…

[Sander sighs softly]

Just please come home, Mom.

[sobbing]

- Please. - [Sander] It's okay.

She's gonna be all right.

[crying, sobbing continues]

I can't survive without you.

[woman over PA] Dr. Alexander to Emergency. Dr. Alexander…

Hey. It's gonna be okay.

She's gonna be all right. Okay?

- [Ello] Okay. - Okay.

[Ello breathing shakily]

She'll be okay.

- Um… - [Ello sniffles]

So I'm… I'm just gonna be here.

Ms. Espinoza said that she could watch the twins as long as we need.

- Oh. Ello and I got it covered. Hmm? - [music fades]

- Mm-hmm. - Okay.

Just focus on taking care of your wife.

- Ello. - [sighing]

Ello, I want you to listen to me for a minute.

Listen to me.

[Ello sniffles]

We are not getting rid of Ruby.

All right?

When your grandma was sick, it was Winstead that saved me.

He's still saving me.

[sniffles] Thanks, Grandpa.

And I'm gonna pick the twins up.

And we're gonna stick together as a family because that's what families do.

- Is Mom dying? - No.

Nobody said anything like that.

So that is not what is happening here.

[Ello crying]

Isn't that just like denial?

Yeah, call it denial. But that…

Sometimes, that is the only way to cope in this world.

So, that's what we're doing. We're practicing denial.

- Deal? - [Ello sniffles]

I'm in. [sniffles]

Okay. Deal.

[Sander sighing deeply]

Now we need burgers. That's what we need. Cheeseburgers.

And we're gonna get puppy cones.

[Ello chuckles, sniffles]

You know, I think burgers are probably the official food of denial.

- [Sander chuckles] - [optimistic music playing]

Come on. Let's go.

- [Winstead panting] - [Ruby yapping]

Hold on.

- [Sander] Hey. - Okay. Okay.

Come here and have your burger.

Then we're gonna get the twins, get a Christmas tree,

so everything's ready when your mom gets home.

- [Ello] All right. - Right? Let me have that one.

- Give them their pup cups. - Okay.

Here, take that one. There you go. There you go.

- [Ello] Here, you want one? - You want the pup cup?

[Winstead] I knew if we were good dogs, it would work out. See?

- See how they love us, Ruby? - That's good.

- [music fades] - Oh yeah.

[Ello] Hey, Grandpa, come see. The twins only broke three ornaments.

[enchanting music playing]

It's totally perfect.

It's a sign. Mom's gonna be fine.

I agree.

It's a sign.

- It's beautiful. - Mm-hmm.

[urinating]

[Winstead] Oh, Ruby. That is so bad dog.

- And that's another sign. - [lips smacking] Ruby, no.

[Winstead] I thought the puppy was named Ruby.

[Ello] Ruby, no.

- But now I'm thinking it's "Ruby, no." - [Ello sighing]

[school bell ringing]

Okay, so pick a partner and conduct your interviews

for the five-page biography due next Friday.

Take turns asking each other questions. Okay? Got it?

[students murmuring]

Sick of me yet?

No.

In fact, I do have questions.

Shoot.

Why are you always so confident? Aren't you freaked out to be the new guy?

Are you kidding?

I'm faking it.

It's my senior year, and I'm at a new school.

Seriously, I told my mom I'll do homeschool.

Why didn't you homeschool? It…

- I mean… - I met you.

And I've been watching you. And you… You don't seem good today.

- [chuckles softly] - [wistful music playing]

Is something wrong? You okay?

Yeah. I'm sorry.

[Ello crying]

- What's happening? - [sobbing]

- Ello. - [sniffles]

My mom is in a coma.

And I'm trying to do denial, but… [sobbing] …it's…

It's really hard.

- [crying, sobbing] - Okay.

[crying, sobbing continues]

[sniffles]

[music fades]

[pop music playing on car speakers]

Oh, Ruby, you fix everything.

So, what's up with all the bachelor widows?

- [Ruby groaning] - [Winstead] Hey, this is my spot.

[Sander] Oh.

That dinner, it's tomorrow, and…

But… But first it's Claire, then Allison,

and then "Lucille for dessert," as she puts it.

- I mean, it's so, so stupid. - [Ruby whimpering]

I'm gonna… I'm gonna cancel it.

- What? No. - Yeah.

- No, no, no. Denial was your idea. - Yes. I'm… No.

Okay, if I have to go to school, you gotta do the dinner.

You can't cancel. I'm serious.

Yes, ma'am.

[Winstead] It's her. The one that smells like sugar.

- Oh, hello. Hi. - Hi.

I… I'm so sorry I'm late, but I can't do this.

- Mm… - [Claire chuckles awkwardly]

I think it's appalling that you've got family in the hospital.

And if you wanna take somebody out of this stupid competition,

I pick me. I'm out.

[spluttering] Don't go.

I know you're a very nice man, and--

[Ruby whimpering]

Oh. Needless to say, I'm… I'm…

[chuckles]

- I'm in love with your dogs, but… - [Sander chuckles]

But I can't imagine that dating is at the top of your agenda right now.

No, it's not.

- No. - No.

But here. Here.

What, uh… You want me to hold…

She likes you.

[Winstead] Ruby's the best thing that ever happened to our pack.

- She's bringing us new people. - Look, uh…

- I'm only here because… - [melancholy music playing]

…my granddaughter and I, we're practicing denial.

And she, you know, wanted me to do it. I said, "Yes, ma'am."

- You call her "ma'am" too? - Yeah, I… Yeah.

Look, I'm not really hungry.

But… But I wouldn't mind having a piece of this chocolate mousse pie

that they have here.

I hear it's, like, incredible.

So, would you…

[clears throat]

…share a piece with me?

Uh, just as friends?

- Yeah. - [Claire] Hmm.

- Yes, I would be honored. - Oh, okay.

[Claire] Wow. An igloo in the snow. This is very lovely.

- [Ruby whimpering] - Aw…

[Winstead] A dog's purpose is to make people happy,

and Ruby is great at it.

So I am officially declaring this season of The Golden Bachelor canceled.

[glass clinking]

- [music fades] - [Claire giggling]

[indistinct chatter]

[Ruby barking]

- [Ello] Ruby! - [Winstead] Ruby, no!

- [woman] Ooh, hey! - [Winstead] It's not safe!

- [man] Oh God! - [woman] Watch out!

- [tires screeching] - [horn honking]

[Ruby yelping]

- [bystanders clamoring] - Ruby! Oh my God. Are you okay?

[Winstead] Ruby, you scared all of us.

You scared me.

- [Sander gasps] - [Winstead] Bad, bad dog.

It's all right, honey. She's okay.

- Oh my God, Mom. You okay? - Yeah.

Ruby knows she's in trouble.

- Since when do you have a puppy? - I found her a few weeks ago.

She's not chipped.

Well, you can't just find a dog and keep it. Right, Mom?

[Winstead] I do not like the smell of these two women.

- She's right. You can't just keep it. - [Winstead groaning]

Bad women. [growling]

Winstead, stop it.

That's about dumbest thing I've ever heard of.

Oh, I don't know who you are,

but I'll tell you that I volunteer one day a month in rescue.

And she's right. There's a process.

- [sarcastically] Oh. - [Ruby whimpering]

Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to process your bullshit.

So it's your contention that it is the mission of animal rescue

to take found puppies away from their people. Is that it?

Well, maybe we should call an ACO.

A what?

- [quirky music playing] - An ACO, animal control officer,

who is the only person empowered to remove a dog from its owner,

which you would know if you spent more than one day a month

of your precious time at the rescue.

- But you know what you should do? - [Brittne's mom] Hmm.

[whining]

Stop enabling every little bratty impulse in your kid

and explain to her that the real world

does not tolerate mean girls past high school.

- Are you ready, honey? - Yeah.

Come on, Winstead. Let's go.

[Ruby whimpering]

Come on.

When did you become such a kick-ass grandpa?

I'm whatever grandpa you need.

[Winstead barking]

[Ello grunts]

[music fades]

[Winstead] The best days end here.

[emotional music playing]

Car rides are proof of how amazing people are.

[laughing] Whoo-hoo!

[Winstead] As long as you can smell your person, it means they're still here.

[Sander] Hey.

I, um, just came home to shower, get a change of clothes.

[music ends]

[Winstead] Hunter Dad is so tired.

I wanna thank you for everything you've been doing around here. I know it's--

No. Hey. To tell you the truth, it feels good not to feel so worthless.

- Yeah. - But, uh… [sighs]

Ello has been great.

Do you know she's got a boyfriend?

Wait, I'm sorry, what?

- [intriguing music playing] - [Winstead] Hunter Dad is shocked.

- [Sander] Don't freak out. - Are we in danger?

- Do I need to protect us? - When did this happen?

- [Sander] No barks. No barks. - I'm just gonna bark. [huffs]

Look, he's a boy, and they're friends.

I… I don't know if he's a real boyfriend, all right?

- Okay. - But it's your boss's kid.

- [scoffs] - Sean O'Brien.

Oh God. That's…

[music fades]

That's gonna make it real awkward when she fires me.

That's not gonna happen.

If I can't get these engineers to take down their cardboard cubicles,

then…

You know what I would do with that?

As a former firefighter, I'd take it down myself.

- It's a fire hazard. - [Hunter scoffs]

Dad.

You know I'm thinking about selling this thing?

What are you talking about? Dad, you love this car.

I love what it represents. But it doesn't run.

- And… - [Winstead groaning]

It's like a metaphor for my life. I mean, it's stuck in the past.

Wow. Dad, that is a whole other level of deep for you.

[chuckles]

- I'd rather spend time with my grandkids. - [emotional music playing]

- [chuckles softly] - And if I'm gonna be driving them around,

I'm gonna need something a little less emasculating than your minivan.

Yeah, it's got no stones. Definitely a eunuch-mobile.

Thanks, Dad.

[door opens]

[Winstead grunting]

[Ello chuckling] Yesterday, you were, like, so kick-ass grandpa.

And you were just, like…

Like, "Get back in the car, you pathetic, fake rescue bitches."

- [Sander gasps] - [Ewan chuckling]

- [Ello chuckling] - [Sander] Wow.

I wish I had said that.

Oh, well. [chuckles]

[sighs] You deserve a friend that's gonna cheer for you, Ello.

[pop music playing over car speakers]

- Brittne… - [Ello snorting, giggling]

…is not that friend.

[Ruby whimpering]

- [phone ringing] - [whines]

It's Dad.

- On FaceTime. - [phone chimes]

- Hi, Dad. We're driving home. - Hey.

I know you guys are driving, but pull over for me.

Yeah, hold on.

- [Sander sighs] - [music stops]

- [gentle music playing] - Listen.

Whatever's happening, we're in this together.

What's going on?

Look, I wanna… I wanna show you something.

Look who it is.

[barks]

[chuckling] Oh my God.

She's awake.

- [Hunter] Yeah. - She's awake.

Yeah, she… she… she just opened her eyes.

She's not out of the woods yet, but, uh…

- Hi, Mom. - [Sander chuckling happily]

- [sobbing] She's awake. - [Ruby whimpering]

[Hunter] Hi, honey. Hey, look who's here. Look who's here.

[Ello] Hi.

[doctor] Juliana, you can't talk yet or move.

It's called acute flaccid paralysis.

It's caused by your brain swelling, which is hopefully temporary.

Your system is still in shock from the secondary infection.

But you're gonna get better. Okay? You're gonna get better.

You're gonna be okay, Mom.

[music fades]

[indistinct chatter]

- See you soon, all right? - Nice job, bro.

[male announcer over PA] Now on ice, holiday free skate.

["The Christmas Song" by Ben Rector playing]

♪ Chestnuts roasting on an open fire… ♪

- [Sean] Hey. - [Ello] Hey.

Is everything okay? How's your mom?

Oh, she's awake.

I know. They think she'll be okay. [chuckles]

- I mean, not for a little while, but… - Hello, Ello.

[Ello chuckles happily]

- That's amazing. - Yeah, it is.

- That's the best news ever. - It really is.

God, we're doing this really bad. [laughs]

I don't care. It's the best spin ever for the best news ever.

♪ Everybody knows a turkey… ♪

Thanks for being the friend who cheers for me, Sean O'Brien.

I am that friend.

♪ Help to make the season bright… ♪

Oh, we have, uh, interviews due Friday.

Sure.

- Sure. Okay, then. - Sure.

- Favorite ice dancer? - Meryl Davis.

I used to have a signed letter from her, but it got lost in a move.

I blame the twins.

What did the twins do?

Oh, nothing. I just like to blame them. [chuckles]

Okay, my turn.

Favorite hockey player?

Wayne Gretzky.

- Wayne Gretzky? - The Great One?

Duh.

Don't know him.

[giggling] I'm joking. I'm joking.

♪ Merry Christmas ♪

Come on, Wayne Gretzky. Come on.

- ♪ To ♪ - [Ello giggling]

[Sean coughing] I'm all right.

- ♪ You ♪ - [song fades]

So individually lifting each finger reestablishes the neural pathways.

You'll wanna do the same with her feet.

- [monitor beeping] - [nurse chuckles softly] She's lucky.

Not all patients have someone willing to spend the time.

No, I'm the lucky one.

- [nurse chuckles] - She's my everything.

[gentle music playing]

[softly] It's okay, I got it.

[Juliana slurping]

- [Juliana chuckles] - Yum.

You've got such nice feet. I never noticed.

[Juliana chuckles]

No doubt. Hm.

[whispers indistinctly]

[Juliana giggling]

- [Hunter] Let's try this one. - Hmm.

[Hunter] What is this?

- Hmm. - [Hunter] What is that?

[Juliana gasps, chuckles]

[Hunter] Okay, there it is. It still fits.

Oh!

- It still fits. - [chuckles softly]

[Hunter] Mm.

- We're still married, right? Yeah? - Mm.

- [doorbell ringing] - [bells jingling]

Hi.

- Hi. - [Winstead barking]

I… Uh, I just brought you some of my…

[Winstead continues barking]

[whispering] …dog treats.

I know that Allison and Lucille brought casseroles,

which is much more practical, but…

I hate casseroles.

I hate casseroles.

Anyway, I don't wanna intrude.

[spluttering] You're not intruding.

Uh, we just had a tragic colored hair gel incident.

I could use your help.

Well, I am good at tragic hair gel incidents.

- [Garrett squealing, laughing] - [barking]

- [Ewan and Garrett laughing] - [Sander] Oh wow.

[squealing continues]

- It's a circus around here, isn't it? - [Claire chuckles]

Oh, crazy. They look like little Loraxes.

Yeah. Next show starts in five minutes.

[Winstead] All right, Ruby. She makes "Chase Me" even better.

Welcome to my world.

- [squealing continues] - Wow.

[Winstead] God, nothing worse than a bath.

Seems like a pretty severe punishment for a game of "Chase Me."

[water sloshing]

[Winstead whimpering]

Whoa, what happened in here?

- Looks like a bunch of murder victims. - Oh, uh, they got in your hair gel.

[Ello] Oh boy. Okay.

- I'm Claire, and I just-- - Hi, I'm Ello.

- Hey. - Hi.

I… I just dropped off some dog stuff, and…

- Well, I should probably go. - No.

- No, no, no. Um, you can stay, yeah. - No. No.

And finish hosing down our murder victims.

[chuckles] Okay.

[Winstead] I like Claire the best.

[Claire] You guys want out?

[Winstead] She's like a good dog who chases Dad's sadness away.

- [Sander growling] - [gentle music playing]

[Ruby whimpering]

[yipping]

[bells jingling]

[Ruby barking]

Dad is with some lady by her car?

Oh yeah, that's Claire. She's one of the women that Grandpa's dating.

One of the women?

- Mm-hmm. - Wait. What?

Yeah.

[chuckles] Look, a lot has happened, Dad.

She's nice.

- Huh. - [Ruby snarling playfully]

- [whimpering] - Huh.

[Ello chuckling]

Wild.

- [romantic music playing] - [Ruby yipping]

Y… You know, it's my understanding that if you wanna kiss a girl these days,

you gotta, like, fill out a bunch of forms and hire a couple lawyers.

[spluttering] How do you feel about that?

I feel that's excessive.

And I personally like

the just old-fashioned way of doing things.

Hmm?

Yeah.

[Winstead whines] Oh!

They're touching noses. Dad hasn't done this since Mom left.

[Winstead whimpering]

[Claire giggling]

I sure hope we keep Claire.

- [uplifting music playing] - Oh man.

[panting]

[door closes]

[music fades]

Don't start. She's just a friend.

She's a good friend.

- Next topic. - All right.

Can you help me tomorrow

with a little plan I'm forming for the, uh, cardboard problem?

Yeah, sure. Anything you need.

- Good night. - Good night.

Enjoy yourself.

[Sander] Don't you start.

[Winstead howling]

[Winstead] Why? Why are they taking our car ride away?

Winstead.

[Winstead] No! No!

[Sander] I know. I know, buddy. I know.

We spent a lot of miles with Mommy on the road in this car.

[Winstead] It's the only place that smells like her.

- I'm gonna trade it in on a new one. - [Winstead] Dad, don't do it.

- He's really taking this hard, huh? - [Sander sighing]

- Yeah. - Okay.

[Winstead whines, panting]

[sentimental music playing]

- [Winstead whimpering] - [sighs]

[Winstead] With our car ride gone,

this is the last thing that smells like Mom's love.

[Winstead whimpering]

- [Sander sighs] - [whimpering]

What is it with you and that book?

[Winstead whimpering] Just pick it up.

[sentimental music continues]

Oh my God.

[Barbara] My love…

[Sander sighs]

…I'll be leaving soon.

[Sander groans]

[Barbara] I'm ready.

Just one thing.

- Please open your heart wider. - [Winstead whimpering]

[voice breaking ] Please find love again.

[Barbara crying softly]

It's what I want for you.

- [Sander sobbing] - [Winstead whines]

[Sander crying]

[Winstead panting]

[sobbing]

- [sentimental music continues] - [crying, sniffling]

[Winstead whimpering]

I'm okay. [kisses teeth]

[music fades]

The fire marshal is doing a surprise inspection

that's not in my calendar.

You know, they don't really schedule surprise inspections.

I do all the work around here, and nobody tells me anything.

- And now we have a surprise fireman. - Firefighter.

[quirky music playing]

- Are you Mr. Goss? - I am.

I am Fire Marshal Marshall,

and I demand to inspect your facility immediately.

Um…

- Right this way. - All right.

[quirky music continues]

You wanna dial down the acting to just, like, a little bit?

It's going great.

Heads up. I am Fire Marshal Marshall.

And this workplace is in violation of section three of the Flammable Code.

So how many of you wanna keep your cardboard?

[indistinct mumbling]

All right. Fine is a thousand bucks a day.

And for your convenience, we take Venmo.

[all clamoring]

Hunter. Hunter. The fire marshal is here.

- Yeah, I know. Fire Marshal Marshall. - Not Fire Marshal Marshall. Another one.

[music fades]

[indistinct chattering in the background]

- What the hell is going on here? - Mind if we have a word, sir?

Just this way.

Who are you people?

My name is Hunter Goss. I'm the facility manager.

This is my father, Sander.

Uh, today, he is a fire marshal.

Yesterday, he was the mayor of Cleveland.

But none of this is true. Right, Dad?

[weakly] No.

So why don't you tell this nice man who you really are?

It's okay.

- I'm… - [pen clicking]

- I'm… I'm an astronaut for SpaceX. - [quirky music playing]

[Hunter] Mm-hmm.

I'm the head astronaut. I'm president of the astronauts.

And I'm an excellent driver.

[whispers] You understand what I'm saying, right?

I understand.

- Okay. Thank you, sir. - Thank you.

Thank you for coming by.

[music fades]

[monitor beeping]

[Juliana sighs]

[spluttering]

[wearily] Hunter.

Hunter.

Hey.

Hey. Look at you. You can talk. My God. You can talk.

- Hi. - Hi. Hey.

Thank God.

You…

[spluttering, sighing]

Lift… fi… [groans]

[wistful music playing]

Sorry.

No, no, no. Hey, you have nothing to apologize for, my love. Take your time.

Hey, take your time, sweetheart. Take your time.

I s… said

you don't lift fin…

I don't lift a finger at the house. Yeah, I rem… I remember.

I remember you telling me.

You do… lift a finger.

My finger.

[sobbing]

[wistful music continues]

Always.

[Juliana sniffles]

I wasn't listening.

I'm so sorry, my love. I wasn't listening, and I almost lost you.

I'm gonna do better.

Okay?

I'm gonna do better.

[Juliana sniffles]

- I love you. - I love you too.

[music fades]

- Love you too. - [sniffles]

[indistinct chatter]

- [Ello gasping] - [Ruby yapping]

- Okay, okay. - [Winstead] A lot of people.

Something big is happening. Could be about chicken.

- Here. - [Ello] Um…

Why don't we take the roses? You keep the puppy.

- Thank you. - [Sean] You look great.

- You look so great. - You're gonna kill it.

- [Claire] Have fun up there. - [yelps]

[Ruby yelping]

Oh. Excuse me. Sorry. Hey. Excuse me.

- There you are. - Hey. Hello, sir.

- Hey. Hey. - Dad, you made it.

I've been looking everywhere for you. Oh, look. You gotta see this.

Oh, here she is. Look.

[optimistic music playing]

Ello.

- Yeah. - Oh my God.

Hi, Mom.

- Wait, she can talk? - [Hunter] She can talk.

Oh my God, she can talk.

Hi, Mom.

- Hi. - [Ello]You're really gonna be okay.

[Winstead] Suddenly, everyone is so happy.

[Hunter] I'll let you do your thing. We'll be set up over here.

We'll be watching, okay? I'm so proud of you.

- See you soon. - Thank you. Love you.

- [twins giggling] - [announcer over PA] Ladies and gentlemen.

Please find your seats.

The show is about to begin.

- [Sean] Hey. - Hey.

- [Hunter] Dad, hey. Over here. - Hi.

Hey. Hey. Over here.

[Winstead] I love this place. So many smells.

[Hunter] All right. Come on. Hey, guys. Come here. Let's get these off.

- All right. Come on. - [Sander] See you later.

- [Hunter] Okay, thanks, Pop. - See you soon.

Yep.

Hey, come here, buddy.

- [Ewan chuckling] - [Hunter groaning]

- All right. - [twins chuckling]

[male announcer over PA] The Traverse City Light Parade proudly presents

the TC North District Champion marching band.

[marching band playing "Jingle Bells"]

- [Juliana gasping] Oh, my boys. - [nurse kisses teeth]

Oh, they're so cute.

[both chuckling]

- Thank you, sir. Thank you, Santa Claus. - I got one.

You got one.

- [marching band continues playing] - [crowd applauding]

[Winstead] Hey, there's a dog. [whimpers]

[kids laughing and shouting]

[announcer over PA] Everyone, please welcome,

for the third year in a row,

our very own Trampoline Toss Elf, Brittne Malone!

Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

- [gasps] - [children squealing]

[all clamoring]

[all laughing]

- [announcer] And now… - There's your sister.

- …His Honor, Mayor Dan Angel… - Hi! Hi, guys!

…accompanied by the lovely Munson Scholarship winner…

- [Julian] Aw. - …Eloise Goss.

So proud.

- Oh, she looks beautiful. - Yeah.

- Hi. - Hi!

[Winstead] Now it makes sense. We're all here to see Ruby.

Say hi.

[Winstead] She's more popular than chicken.

[enchanting music playing]

- [Winstead yipping] - [Sean chuckles]

- Good boy. - [Ello] Wow, look at it.

- Nice of your dad to let me walk you home. - [Ello] Oh yeah.

[Winstead] Dogs are the best at knowing if humans are good.

And Bacon Boy, he's good.

[Sean] Hey, I, uh, have a Christmas present for you.

Can I give it to you now?

Yeah, I, um, actually got you one.

I just didn't know if I should give it to you or…

What?

- Ello. - [chuckles]

Wow!

It's actually signed by him. By… By Gretzky.

I mean, it's… It's not in very good shape. It's kind of inexpensive.

- I… I found it online, and-- - Ello.

- What? - It's way cool.

[chuckles softly]

Thank you.

[both laughing]

Mine was even less expensive. Free, actually.

So you have me beat there.

- Gosh, you wrap like my grandpa. - [whimpers, sniffing]

[sentimental music playing]

I tracked down Meryl Davis.

[chuckles] You said she's your favorite skater.

I told her about how you lost the letter she sent, and…

Well, she's really proud of you for winning that scholarship, Ello.

Thank you, Sean.

You're a real friend.

[sentimental music continues]

[Winstead] Come on, touch noses. [growling playfully]

- [both chuckling] - Come on.

[straining] Almost there.

[Ello chuckles softly]

[Winstead] Finally.

What would they do without me?

[Ello chuckles softly]

Well, the rink's open.

Should we give it a whirl?

I mean, we got our skates.

- Yeah, let's do it. - Let's do it.

[Ello] Come on, Winstead.

Come here, baby. Come here.

[Sean chuckles]

[Winstead sniffing]

[Winstead] You gotta love a boy who travels with his own dog bed.

[Sean] Good boy, Winstead.

[chuckles] Good boy. Good boy.

- ["Kyle (i found you)" by Fred again..] - ♪ In this smoking chaos ♪

♪ Our shoulder blades kissed ♪

♪ I found you ♪

♪ I found you ♪

♪ I found you ♪

♪ I found you beautiful ♪

♪ I found you exploding ♪

♪ I found you ♪

♪ I found you ♪

♪ I found you ♪

♪ I found you beautiful ♪

♪ I found you exploding ♪

♪ I found you ♪

["Kyle (i found you)" continues]

[skates scraping softly]

- [Sean chuckling] - [Ello giggling happily]

[Winstead] I think Bacon Boy is part of our pack now.

[phone ringing]

- Hello? - [Nina] I have good news.

Contrary to all expectations,

the chairman loves everything that you have done.

So he's not closing this branch,

and you are my new Global VP of Facilities.

I predict you'll be very happy with your compensation package.

Plus, all those sweet frequent flyer miles.

- [chuckles softly] - [snaps fingers]

You know what, Mrs. O'Brien? I have a counteroffer for you.

- [romantic music playing] - Thanks for bringing me here, Claire.

- It's really beautiful. - [Claire] Yeah.

Hey, I got you a Christmas gift.

- "Claire." - Yeah. I spelled it right, correct?

- You did. - Good.

- Oh… - Look at this.

It's two tickets.

Newport Folk Festival.

[chuckles happily]

- Wow! - [Sander spluttering]

Brandi Carlile was there a few years back.

- Joni Mitchell… - Joni Mitchell, I know.

Joined her on stage.

I would've given anything…

- [cardinal chirping] - [barks]

- Yeah. - [Winstead] Our bird is back!

- [cardinal chirping] - [barking]

Oh. Oh wow.

Look, that's… That's a northern cardinal.

Seems almost tame.

And they don't come out at night. Ever.

[Winstead] Seems like our bird likes Claire.

[chuckles] He barks at cardinals.

- Winstead, Winstead. Come on. - [whimpers]

Stop it. Come on.

[romantic music continues]

You know, the Ojibwe believed

that cardinals carry the souls of our loved ones who have passed.

- Huh. - Yeah.

[barking] This bird wants Claire in our pack.

[Sander chuckles]

- What? - Uh, it… it could be Barbara.

- Or my Andrew. - Huh.

[cardinal chirping]

Well, I hope they approve.

[Winstead whimpering]

- [Winstead barking] - [music fades]

Her numbers are way better, and so is her speech and motility.

Unfortunately, we can't send her home for Christmas Eve. I'm sorry.

There's nothing you…

Christmas is her favorite.

Like, it is… It is her goal every year to make sure we have a perfect Christmas.

So there's nothing you can do to, uh…

However, since she's no longer in ICU,

the nursing staff said they'll look the other way

on the visitor age limit for a surprise Christmas Eve visit

with your twins and the whole family.

Thank you so much.

[enchanting music playing]

[Winstead] Our house has all the Merry Christmas smells.

- Except for the smell of Juliana Mom. - [Ruby yelping]

I wish I could track her, but I can't find the scent.

[Sander] Okay, you just hang in there. Okay. Right.

Hey, we're still doing all this.

- Okay. - But we're gonna do it at the hospital.

- It's okay. We can bring the whole family. - [Ello] The whole family?

They do know that Winstead and Ruby are part of the family, right?

They're the most important part of the family.

[Ello scoffs softly]

[Sander] All right.

[Ello] I'm not really confident about this whole plan,

considering it's riding on your acting ability.

- Don't you worry about that, missy. - [Ruby yelping]

I've got this.

- Okay. - [Sander sighing]

- It's okay. Okay, let's do this. - [Ruby growling softly]

[Winstead] I smell chicken, but also Juliana Mom.

- [Sander] So stubborn. - [quirky music playing]

[Winstead] I finally get it.

"Stubborn" means "follow the scent." I'm on it.

[Ello] Oh my God. I'm so glad you made it.

- I wouldn't miss this. - Mm-hmm.

[woman speaking indistinctly over PA]

[Winstead] Tracking.

- Tracking. - Merry Christmas.

We are the Goss family. We're here to see Juliana.

- Um, hi, guys. Hey, Dad, you-- - Hey.

- You brought your Seeing… Yes? - Hi.

You brought your Seeing Eye dog. Yeah, it's me.

What do you expect? I'm blind.

- [Hunter] Yes. - [Winstead whimpering]

- Fried chicken for all my friends. - [Winstead] Time out for fried chicken.

- [barking] - [Claire] No, Winstead, no!

- [Ello] Winstead, no! - [Winstead] Then I track Juliana Mom.

- [nurse sighing] - [Sean] Okay. Down, boy.

- [Winstead growling] - [Ruby barking]

- There it is. - [Ello] Sorry.

[Claire] Just let her out.

Seems like you see pretty well for a blind guy.

- [Claire] Oh, poor baby. - Oh my God.

And what is this? Is this your service puppy?

- Yes. - Yeah, yeah.

- Bonnie, I'm so sorry. Look, I-- - Okay, no. Don't even, Hunter.

All right, as a hospital, we take the ADA very seriously.

We are not fans of fake service dogs.

That's a felony.

And we're sure not fans of fake blind guys.

That's just offensive.

[Winstead moaning]

Hmm.

- Pretty good fried chicken, though. - [Winstead whining]

All right, Nancy, get the bag. We're putting all their cell phones away.

Take out your cell phones. No videoing.

[Hunter] Guys, come on. Just put them in the bag.

Put them in. Thank you. Let's go. Follow me.

Come on. Let's go.

[Winstead] Juliana Mom. Got it. On it.

- [Hunter] Come on. - Tracking.

Come on, you guys.

- So close. - Let's go.

[Winstead] Tracking.

[switch clicking]

- [magical music playing] - [Hunter] Ooh!

- [nurse] Juliana is our Christmas miracle. - [Sean] Hey, guys. Look at the lights!

There was a gala last night for the bigwigs.

And I thought, well, as long as I don't see it on social,

I might as well let you and your very illegal dogs enjoy.

Merry Christmas, Goss family.

[Hunter, Sander] Thank you.

[Winstead] I did it. [barks]

- I found her. - Hi. [chuckles happily]

- [Winstead barks] I missed you. - Oh, Winstead!

Hey.

Hey, Merry Christmas. Hi.

- [Winstead yipping] - Hi. I missed you.

[chuckles]

Okay. Okay. Okay.

- [Ewan] Merry Christmas, Mommy. - Hi!

[Ello] Mom, you look so great.

- [Garrett] I love you, Mommy. - It's so good to see you.

Yeah. So apparently the twins can talk now.

Wow, how many years was I out? [chuckles]

- This is our new puppy. - [gasps]

- Yep, we have a new puppy right there. - [whimpering]

And this… I'm so sorry. This is Claire.

- This is Dad's girlfriend. - Oh yeah.

And this is Sean. Sean, come here. This is Ello's boyfriend.

- What? - [Hunter] Yeah.

- Nice to meet you. - It's nice to meet you too. [chuckles]

Take your brothers. Go. Go ahead. Go with your sister.

So that, uh…

- Hi. It's a lot. Um… - [laughs happily]

About five minutes ago, they offered me that VP job

which I promptly said no to

and negotiated a consulting gig where I can stay at home

so the boys can finally throw food at me for once.

- [exhales sharply] - And the crazy California lady?

She said yes.

[chuckles]

- Yeah. - What?

So, if you want to, you can go back to work.

[Juliana crying softly]

I'm re… I'm really trying this, uh, listening thing. It's a Christmas miracle.

- Wow. [chuckling, sniffling] - [Hunter chuckles]

Merry Christmas, honey.

Merry Christmas.

[magical music continues]

I love you.

I love you too.

[Juliana crying softly]

- I love you all so much. - [Sander] Aw.

[Hunter and Juliana chuckling]

Even the ones I don't know. [chuckling]

[Winstead] A thing dogs know about life

that people forget is that it's always good.

This is literally the perfect Christmas, and I didn't have to do a thing.

- [chuckles] - No, not a thing.

[Winstead] But life's just a little bit better

at Merry Christmastime.

- ["2000 Miles" by The Pretenders plays] - ♪ The snow is falling down ♪

Whoo-hoo-hoo!

- ♪ Gets colder day by day ♪ - [cheering]

♪ I miss you ♪

[Ello] Whoo!

What is that?

♪ The children will sing… ♪

Oh my gosh!

Wait. Hold up. Show your mom. Turn around. Show your mom.

Oh my goodness.

Merry Christmas.

[Winstead] I have to wonder, what does Ruby think of all this?

Merry Christmas.

[Ruby yipping, yelping]

[Ruby] Wow. I suddenly get it.

That word, "Merry Christmas," means people are happy.

♪ It must be Christmastime ♪

- [Claire and Sander laughing] - [song fades]

[Winstead] Our new pack is bigger and happier than ever.

We needed to love Dad back to happy, and we did.

[uplifting music playing]

Ruby helped.

'Cause, let's face it, puppies are magic.

[Juliana chortling]

[uplifting music continues]

This is our most perfect Merry Christmastime ever.

Until the next Merry Christmastime… [barks]

…which will be even better.

[cardinal chirping]

- [Winstead whimpering, barking] - [uplifting music fades]

["You Think You Know" by Caitlyn Smith playing]

♪ Which way the wind's gonna blow ♪

♪ You think you have an idea ♪

♪ How this song's gonna go ♪

♪ 'Til it turns upside down Somehow out of the blue ♪

♪ There you are ♪

♪ Your compass keeps spinning Around and around ♪

♪ Like a red bird That's racing the clouds ♪

♪ Isn't that life, baby What can you do? ♪

♪ Keep on, keep on going ♪

[cardinal chirping]

♪ Keep your heart wide open ♪

- ♪ 'Cause you never know ♪ - [Candy and Jenkins barking]

♪ Just what kind of magic Is waiting down the road ♪

♪ When you least expect it ♪

- ♪ Life can turn to gold ♪ - [yelping]

♪ Don't you worry, baby, it will be ♪

♪ Better than you ever could've dreamed ♪

[wooden sticks rattling]

["You Think You Know" continues]

♪ You think that life ♪

♪ Is a highway That's made of straight lines ♪

♪ Point A to point B ♪

♪ But it's really more like ♪

♪ Writing your name With a plane in the sky ♪

♪ With the moon on your back ♪

♪ And the stars in your eyes ♪

♪ You never know just what kind of magic Is waiting down the road ♪

[yelping]

♪ When you least expect it Life can turn to gold ♪

♪ Don't you worry, baby, it will be ♪

♪ Better than you ever could've dreamed ♪

♪ Better than you ever could've dreamed ♪

[female dog trainer] Don't step on her.

♪ Oh yeah ♪

[yelping]

- ♪ Keep on ♪ - [yipping]

♪ Keep on going ♪

♪ Keep your heart wide open ♪

♪ 'Cause you never know ♪

- [yelping, yipping] - ♪ Just what kind of magic ♪

- ♪ Is waiting down the road ♪ - [Ello chuckling]

- ♪ And when you least expect it ♪ - [female dog trainer] Oh, wake up!

♪ Life could turn to gold ♪

♪ Don't you worry, baby, it will be… ♪

[female dog trainer] Good boy. Stay.

Good boy. Stay. Good boy. Stay. Good boy. Stay.

♪ Better than you ever could've dreamed ♪

♪ Eh-eh-eh ♪

♪ Better than you ever could've dreamed ♪

[female dog trainer] Load up. Stay.

Stay. Stay.

All right. Load up. Stay.

- Good stay. Good stay. Good stay. - [kissing sound]

All right.

- ["You Think You Know" fades] - [female dog trainer] All right.

[woman] Hi. Uh, who is this, Bruce?

- Who are you holding? - Uh…

- This is William. - [magical music playing]

He's playing a corgi puppy.

- [woman] Ah. - In real life, he's a German shepherd.

- [woman] Yes. I'm totally convinced. - He's playing a corgi.

Hair and makeup just completely…

- [woman] Amazing. - …changed his look.

And he's very, very adept at being a dog.

He does lots of dog tricks.

- He can skateboard. - [woman] Oh!

He can hang glide.

- He can pilot a small airplane. - [woman chuckling]

Last night, he made me a pizza.

- This dog is just… - [woman giggling]

You can't believe how talented this dog is.

And, uh, yes, he's gonna make me a star.

[woman giggling]

He's making… He's gonna make me a… a star.

[woman] I… I actually think you are making him a star.

I think that's what's happening here.

- That's what's happening? - [trainer] Say, "Woof."

- [yelping] - [woman chuckling]

[magical music fades]

[female dog trainer] On your mark. Stay. Say, "Woof."

- No, get on your mark. - [yelping]

Say, "Woof." Say, "Woof."

- Get on your mark. Say-- - [yelping]

- Yes. Okay. Good boy. - [woman giggling]

[female dog trainer] I'm trying to capture that…

[magical music playing]

I thought it was a…

[man] Isn't that a flashback?

[male skating coach] Now drag.

And up.

Yes. Beauty.

[children laughing]

[boy growling, roaring]

- [speaking indistinctly] - [music fades]

[comforting music playing]

[music intensifies]

[triumphant music playing]

[music fades]