Unwell Season 5/Episode 8 - Caretakers
by Jim McDoniel
Gather ‘round
This is all I can do for you
I can’t do this anymore
Content Advisories for this episode can be found here.
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This episode features: Clarisa Cherie Rios as Lily, Michael Turrentine as Wes, Marsha Harman as Dot, Kat Hoil as Abbie, Symphony Sanders as Young Lily, Hilary Williams as Joey, Eli Barraza as Lina, Michael Turrentine as Wes, Nate DuFort as Calvin Lyle, David Rheinstrom as Colin, Dallis Seeker as Grant, Michael Turrentine as Wes, Matt Young as Tim.
Written by Jim McDoniel, sound design by Alexander Danner, directed by Jeffrey Nils Gardner, assistant director Lauren Grace Thompson, theme music composed by Stephen Poon, recording engineer Mel Ruder, associate producer Ani Enghdahl, Theme performed by Stephen Poon, Lauren Kelly, Gunnar Jebsen, Travis Elfers, Mel Ruder, and Betsey Palmer, produced by haydée r. souffrant, Unwell lead sound designer Eli Hamada McIlveen, Executive Producers Eleanor Hyde and Jeffrey Nils Gardner, by HartLife NFP.
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INT. FENWOOD HOUSE. EVENING.
WE HEAR RAIN BEATING AGAINST THE
WINDOWS OF THE FENWOOD HOUSE.
DOT: (VO) Growing up, Lily never liked storms.
LOUD CRACK OF THUNDER. WIND BLOWS
AGAINST THE SHUTTERS AND THEY SLAM
AGAINST THE SIDES OF THE HOUSE.
(VO) Whenever there was a storm she used to run into our
bedroom and sleep with Dale and me. Sometimes, if we
were too hard to wake, she’d just drag all her blankets into
our room and curl up in a nest on the floor next to our bed.
FOOTSTEPS WALKING UP TO LILY’S ROOM IN
THE FENWOOD HOUSE.
She stopped doing that after the divorce. She was still afraid
of storms, she just...didn’t want to admit it. At least, not to
me. So, I’d go and bug her anyway. Tell her the story of “Old
Bowser” and howl at her door. She’d yell and swear and
throw pillows at me, but she knew...I like to think that she
knew I was just letting her know I was there. That she didn’t
have to be afraid.
DOT: (CALLING OUT) Lily?
MUFFLED CRYING BEHIND A DOOR. DOT
KNOCKS LIGHTLY AT THE DOOR.
LILY?
YOUNG LILY: (OFF) Go away.
DOT: Lily? Are you okay?
YOUNG LILY: (OFF) I’m fine. Now go away.
DOT: All right. Well, I’ll be down in my room if you need anything.
Cigarettes. Booze...
YOUNG LILY: (OFF) You’re not funny, Mom.
DOT: I’m a little funny. (PAUSE)
DOT PUSHES THE DOOR OPEN A LITTLE MORE.
Are you sure you don’t...
YOUNG LILY: (UNNATURALLY LOUD) I SAID I’M FINE!
THE DOOR SLAMS ON DOT. FOOTSTEPS
APPROACHING.
DOT: I’m going. I’m going.
LILY: Mom?
DOT: Lily. Wes.
LILY: What are you doing up here?
DOT: I just...came up to check on you. Because of the storm.
LILY: Ugh...mom.
WES: That’s sweet.
LILY: I haven’t been afraid of storms since I was like eight.
DOT: So, you say...
WES: I always liked storms. (DETECTIVE LEE FARROW) “The
rain washed away blood as easily as it did guilt from every
dastardly deal dealt in this town of no-good grifters,
swindlers, and thieves.” (PAUSE) It’s from a show I used to
listen to.
DOT: So, what have you two been up to, aside from MURDER?
LILY: I wanted to check on the circuit breakers to make
sure...MOM?!?
LILY RUSHES FORWARD PAST DOT.
DOT: What?
LILY: Why did you shut my door?
DOT: I didn’t.
LILY: Marisol was in there!
LILY OPENS THE DOOR.
Ugh...!
DOT: Oh hey, we found the bathroom.
LILY: It’s going to take forever to find her again.
WES: How about I go see if I can find her, yeah?
LILY: Thanks Wes.
WES VANISHES.
LILY: Why don’t you go back to your room?
DOT: I didn’t shut the door.
LILY: Mom.
DOT: I’m going. I’m going.
WE FOLLOW DOT AS SHE WALKS DOWN THE
STAIRS AND THROUGH THE HOUSE BACK
TOWARD HER ROOM. IN THE BACKGROUND WE
HEAR LILY CONTINUE TO TRY THE DOOR TO GET
HER ROOM BACK.
LILY: (OFF) Marisol?
AS DOT CONTINUES WE HEAR TWO GIRLS
LAUGHING AND RUNNING PAST DOT. A DOOR
OPENS NEXT TO DOT. CALVIN LYLE STEPS OUT
INTO THE HALLWAY.
CALVIN LYLE: Lina! Josephine! You two slow down.
DOT: Let ‘em run.
CALVIN: They could hurt themselves.
DOT: They’ll get back up.
CALVIN: Not always.
DOT: Can’t protect them forever.
CALVIN: Only for as long as you can... (BEGINS COUGHING)
DOT: You all right? Need a cough drop.
CALVIN: (WHEEZING) It’s just a bit of the old bronchitis acting up
again...I’m fine. I’ve got my asthma cigarettes in the study.
DOT: You take care.
HE WALKS BACK INTO HIS ROOM AND CLOSES
THE DOOR. DOT CONTINUES TO HER ROOM
Sorry about that.
SHE SITS DOWN IN HER CHAIR.
Just had to check on Lilybelle.
COLIN: Completely understandable, my dear.
ELIZA: How is the little darling?
DOT: Same as ever—all grown up and ready to prove it.
ELIZA: Kids are always like that. Colin here used to play the
accounting game.
COLIN: (LAUGHS) Did I?
ELIZA: I’d find him in my office scribbling all over my papers and
saying very importantly, “Oh yes. Mmmm. Oh dear...no
molasses this month.” Got so bad, I had to buy him his own
little journal so he could audit his little tin soldiers and leave
my records in peace.
COLIN: I have no memory of any of that.
ELIZA: You insisted on being in the office any time I went over the
books. You’d waddle in with a coloring stick and your wee
ledger and work alongside me until I was done, or you tipped
over asleep.
COLIN: (LAUGHS)
TO DOT) Did I ever tell you about how your mother refused
to laugh?
DOT: No.
COLIN: My Margie...ever the little rebel, decided we never took
things serious enough. Too much joking around and having
fun. So, starting when she was...twelve, I think. Maybe
eleven...she refused to laugh. At anything. Not a joke. Not a
movie. Nothing. Not even a smile.
DOT: Yeah...that sounds like mom.
COLIN: “That’s not funny, Father. Be serious, Father.” That was
another thing...I wasn’t dad or daddy anymore. I was
FATHER. (SIGH) Of course, I took it as a personal
challenge. Anytime I could make the edges of that
scrunched up little mouth twitch upward was a ray of
sunshine to my heart.
ELIZA: You’ve got to give little ones as much joy as you can while
you can. Lord knows, they’ll face the serious world soon
enough.
MARISOL: (OFF LOUD) Lily?
DOT: Sorry.
MARISOL: (OFF LOUD) Lily?
DOT: Excuse me.
ELIZA: Of course, you take care of yours.
DOT GETS UP AND GOES TO THE DOOR.
COLIN: (OFF) More tea, Mama?
DOT: Marisol?
MARISOL: Dot. Sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you.
DOT: Not at all. We were just catching up.
MARISOL: We? Who...?
DOT: I think Lily’s upstairs in her room trying to find you.
MARISOL: Dot...we’re on the top floor.
DOT: Are we? Could have sworn I was on the second floor.
MARISOL: No.
DOT: Huh. Well, Lily WAS outside her room, so she must have
gone downstairs. Come on.
DOT AND MARISOL GO DOWNSTAIRS. LOUD
THUNDER WHICH SHAKES THE HOUSE. THEY
END UP IN THE BASEMENT.
MARISOL: What the (fuck)?
DOT: You see the basement too?
MARISOL: Yep.
DOT: Okay good. It’s not me; it’s the house.
MARISOL: First the rooms. Now entire floors.
DOT: Oh, hey! The door’s back.
DOT APPROACHES THE DOOR.
MARISOL: Dot?
DOT: Maybe we can get this all sorted out here and now.
DOT RATTLES THE HANDLE. THE DOOR
REFUSES TO OPEN. THE RAIN PICKS UP
OUTSIDE. THERE IS DRIPPING IN THE
BASEMENT.
I’d like to speak to the manager.
DOT STRUGGLES WITH THE DOOR. WE HEAR
THE HOUSE GROAN. ROLLING THUNDER THAT IS
ALMOST A GROWL.
Oh, come on. Don’t be like that.
MARISOL: Dot maybe we should...?
DOT THROWS HER SHOULDER INTO THE DOOR.
Dot!
DOT: Worth a shot. In case, it was a push not a pull.
DOT SLAPS HER HAND AGAINST THE DOOR.
SMALL THUNDER OUTSIDE AND THE RAIN LETS
UP A BIT.
DOT: I’ll be in my room if you change your mind. Hopefully. If I can
find it. (TO MARISOL) Come on.
THEY WALK UP THE STAIRS INTO THE KITCHEN.
WES AND GRANT ARE TALKING TO EACH
OTHER.
WES: (OFF) ...was our favorite detective show.
GRANT: (OFF) I was more partial to scary stories. I remember this
one...the Thing on the Fourble Board...where these two
guys on an oil derrick...ciggie?
WES: (OFF) No thanks.
MATCH BEING LIT.
GRANT: ...these two guys drill up something beneath the earth from
millions of years ago.
DOT: Lucky us, we wound up in the right place.
WES: Hey Dot. Hey Marisol.
GRANT: (COUGHING) Oh...uh...hey.
MARISOL: Hey Wes. (SUSPICIOUS) Who’s your friend?
DOT: You haven’t met? Marisol, this is Grant.
GRANT: Hey.
THUNDER. WIND RATTLING THE HOUSE.
MARISOL: Grant? As in...UNCLE Grant.
DOT: The very one.
GRANT: You...uh...aren’t going to tell my dad about the cigarettes,
are you?
DOT: You never told on me.
GRANT: Appreciate it.
DOT: Have either of you seen Lily?
WES: Um...yeah. She’s upstairs.
DOT: Thanks.
DOT LEAVES THE KITCHEN.
MARISOL: (OFF) Dot, wait!
MARISOL FOLLOWS.
DOT: Hey, the foyer! Things are looking up.
THE FRONT DOOR SLAMS OPEN WITH A GUST
OF WIND AND CLAP OF THUNDER. ABBIE DRIPS
WATER AND MUD ONTO THE FLOOR.
ABBIE: I would like to state for the record that I wish to be cremated.
DOT: Random but noted.
THE FRONT DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES AGAIN
AS WES ENTERS.
WES: I feel like the mud monster from that old radio show Grant
was telling me about.
MARISOL: Wes...how...?
ABBIE: We’ve just spent the last two hours shoring up the dirt in
front of the graveyard to stop the soil from creating a
mudslide of coffins across the road. I would like coffee and a
bath.
DOT: Coffee we got. The bathroom, you might have to find.
ABBIE: Excuse me.
THEY DRIP THEIR WAY UPSTAIRS.
WES: And I’ll get a mop, I guess.
WES PASSES THEM AND EXITS INTO THE
KITCHEN. LINA, JOEY, AND YOUNG LILY RUN
DOWN THE STAIRS LAUGHING. WES FOLLOWS
BEHIND THEM.
YOUNG LILY: Hey Marisol, come on. We’re going to go play ghosts in the
graveyard.
LINA AND JOEY: Ooooooooo.
YOUNG LILY: Shut up.
YOUNG LILY RUNS AFTER THE OTHER TWO. THE
DOOR OPENS AGAIN.
MARISOL: Lily?
DOT: You be careful out there. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.
YOUNG LILY: Like what?
DOT: Dunno. Something boring.
THE GIRLS EXIT. WES FOLLOWS.
WES: I’ll go too. To keep an eye on them, I mean.
JOEY: (OFF) Come on Wes!
DOT: Have fun.
THE DOOR SHUTS.
MARISOL: (OVERWHELMED SCREAM)
DOT: (YELL OF SURPRISE)
MARISOL: What is going on? There was Grant in the kitchen. And Wes.
And then he was outside...and upstairs...and Lily was...
DOT: You ever do drugs.
MARISOL: What?
DOT: Look who I’m asking. You’re a music person. You must have
done drugs.
MARISOL: Yeah. I guess. (PAUSE) I mean, you know...when I was in
college and...
DOT: It’s okay. I know where Lily keeps her stash. You know how
they say, “Go with the flow.” Well...right now, you...we...you
and I both, we just need to...go with the flow. Can you do
that?
MARISOL: I don’t know...
DOT: That’s...(CRACKS SLIGHTLY)...that’s not good enough
Marisol. I need you to know because I’m feeling kind of fuzzy
and...can’t...really tell what might be real and what might
be...me. And Lily... (CRACKS AGAIN) ...Lily’s not here this
time. So, I need you. I need you to stay calm and help me
know what’s real. Can you do that for me?
MARISOL: Go with the flow.
DOT: Go with the flow. Good girl. Let’s find your girlfriend.
OMINOUS KNOCK AT THE DOOR.
Rudy?
MARISOL: What?
DOT: Huh? Sorry. I was...
OMINOUS KNOCK AT THE DOOR.
DOT: Don’t answer that.
MARISOL: Who is it?
DOT: I...don’t know.
OMINOUS KNOCK AT THE DOOR.
DOT: The last time it rained like this was...the night Rudy arrived. I
was right at the good part of my ghost story when he
knocked on the door and scared the bejesus out of
everybody. But not me. I wasn’t scared then.
OMINOUS KNOCK.
I’m scared now.
OMINOUS KNOCK. THUNDER BEHIND IT.
You hear it right? The knocking.
MARISOL: Uh...yeah. I hear it.
DOT: Good. Good. So, it’s real. I’m not still upstairs talking to
Grandpa Colin and Eliza Fenwood. I’m here. With you. Right
now.
OMINOUS KNOCKING. THUNDER. THE HOUSE
GROANS.
I know! I know it’s my job. I’m the one who answers the door.
I’m the one who takes care of things. But maybe...this
once...I don’t wanna.
LOUDER KNOCKING. THE HOUSE CREAKS
LOUDER. RAIN POURS LOUDER.
AAAAAH! Yeah. I can throw a tantrum too, Blooms or Hums
or Rickity Tickity Radiator Randy. Whatever you are. I’m not
answering the door. I don’t care who it is. It’s probably Old
Bowser, here to scare the ham and bite the baby. I’M NOT
ANSWERING.
EVEN LOUDER KNOCKING. THE HOUSE IS VERY
UNHAPPY.
DOT: YEAH! Fuck you too!
MARISOL: What happened to going with the flow?
DOT: Fuck the flow! Sometimes you gotta stand up for yourself
and rage against it all.
KNOCKING. ANGRY HOUSE. THUNDER.
DOT: Come on Mari....(STARTS YELLING)
MARISOL: (STARTS YELLING TOO)
DOT AND MARISOL YELL AGAINST THE SOUND
OF THE STORM AND THE HOUSE LETTING OUT
THEIR FEAR AND FRUSTRATION! EVENTUALLY
THEY BOTH SUBSIDE.
DOT: (DEFLATED) Fuck. I’m tired.
KNOCK.
God dammit.
DOT COLLAPSES TO HER KNEES.
MARISOL: Dot!
WES APPEARS AND GOES TO HER TOO.
WES Dot, what’s wrong? Are you okay?
DOT: I need Lily.
WES: It’s okay Dot. I’ll find her.
COMING FROM UPSTAIRS.
1ST WES: (OFF) I think I heard something coming from this direction.
1st WES AND LILY COME DOWN THE STAIRS.
LILY: Mom are you...
DOT: Lily?
2nd WES EMERGES FROM THE KITCHEN.
2nd WES: Is everything okay out here? I was getting the mop and
heard yelling.
LILY: Um...Wes?
WESES: (IN UNISON) What?
DOT: Lily? I’m sorry. Was it the storm? Did it scare you?
LILY: One second Mom. Wes?
ALL WESES: Yes.
LILY: Why are there three of you?
ALL WESES: What do you mean?
MARISOL: Wes, do you see yourself...your...selves?
ALL WESES: (OVERLAPPING) (AS IF CONFERRING WITH ONE
ANOTHER) Yeah. Yeah. Of course. Why?
MARISOL: There aren’t usually three of you.
ALL WESES: Oh. OH!
DOT: Heh. I knew there was something different about him.
LILY: Can you...pull yourself together?
ALL WESES: (OVERLAPPING) I guess. Sure. We can try.
WES STRAINS. THE HOUSE RATTLES SOME THE
WIND OUTSIDE GROWS LOUDER. THERE IS
SOME SICKENING SOUND EFFECT AS WES
SUCKS IN ALL OF HIMSELF INTO ONE.
WES: Am I...better?
MARISOL: Yes.
KNOCKING
LILY: Jesus! That scared me.
DOT: Lily?
LILY: Yes, Mom. What is it?
DOT: I can’t...I’m tired...
LILY: It’s okay. I got this.
KNOCK AT THE DOOR. THUNDER. LILY WALKS TO
THE DOOR. THERE IS A MOMENT WITH HER
HAND ON THE DOORKNOB. STRANGE SOUND
EFFECT AS SOMETHING SHIFTS. THEN THE
DOOR CREAKS OPEN.
TIM: Hey, Lil Lilybelle.
LILY: Uncle Tim?
TIM: Is it okay if I come in?
TIM STEPS INSIDE.
TIM: I don’t know if there’s a level of rain above cats and dogs,
but if there is...it’s that out there.
DOT: Horses and hogs?
TIM: Dottie! What are you doing on the floor?
HE GOES AND HELPS HER UP AND THEY HUG.
TIM: Oh. It’s been an age. Finally managed to get away when I
heard you needed help.
DOT: (TEARING UP) I’ve missed you, Uncle Tim.
TIM: Me too kid. Me too.
THE HUG BREAKS.
So, what needs fixing?
DOT: (WIPING AWAY TEARS) What doesn’t?
TIM: Same old Fenwood, eh?
DOT: Wes?
WES: Yeah Dot?
DOT: Why...uh...why don’t you show Tim to the kitchen. I...think
there’s something in there he’ll want to see first.
WES: Sure thing.
TIM: Lead the way.
WES LEADS TIM TOWARD THE KITCHEN.
THE DOOR TO THE KITCHEN OPENS AND JUST
BEFORE IT CLOSES WE HEAR:
TIM: (OFF) Grant?
DOOR CLOSES.
DOT: Well...that was anticlimactic. I’m sorry to have gotten
everyone all worked up over Uncle Tim.
LILY: I’m not sure you did. I’m...not sure it was Uncle Tim. At
least...not that whole time.
DOT: Well, then you’re welcome for me getting you all an
appropriate amount of worked up. I think...I’m going to go lie
down.
LILY: Good idea.
DOT WALKS TO THE STAIRS. STOPS.
DOT: Lilybelle?
LILY: Yeah mom?
DOT: Would...would you and Marisol mind staying in my room
tonight?
LILY: Marisol?
MARISOL: Oh, that more than works for me. Let’s batten down all the
hatches.
LILY: Give us a minute to get blankets and pillows from our room,
and we’ll be right there.
DOT: Thank you.
DOT CONTINUES UP THE STAIRS.
LILY AND MARISOL HOLD EACH OTHER VERY
CLOSE AS THEY SPEAK.
LILY: (SIGH)
MARISOL: Yeah.
LILY: Are you okay? You look...
MARISOL: I’ve been better.
LILY: I’m sorry if Mom...
MARISOL: No...it....it wasn’t her. This place...
LILY: Yeah.
PAUSE AND A LONG SIGH FROM BOTH.
MARISOL: “Our room?”
LILY: Oh. I did say that.
MARISOL: You did.
LILY: Well...what if it was? Not that...we don’t have to decide that
now, tonight. Or even...soon.
MARISOL: Maybe a discussion to have when your house isn’t scary as
fuck.
LILY: Yeah.
THEY START TO WALK UPSTAIRS.
MARISOL: (OFF) If it DOES become “our” room, I am definitely adding
a record player. And a much better sound system.
LILY: (OFF) You mean “louder” sound system.
MARISOL: (OFF) Like I said.
AS THEIR VOICES FADE OUT, WE HEAR THE
THUNDER NOW A FAR-OFF GROWL IN THE
DISTANCE.
END.