(ALARM BEEPING)
****
(BEEPING STOPS)
****
(ALARM BEEPING)
****
(BEEPING STOPS)
(ALARM BEEPING)
(BEEPING STOPS)
(ALARM BEEPING)
(BEEPING STOPS)
****
(ALARM BEEPING)
REPORTER: So, even though the rain is not getting here
till the afternoon and into the evening,
it will look different all day.
The clouds are...
(SIGHS) I slept through my alarm.
Yes, many times, so I turned it off.
Shaun! I need to review Jordan's business plan.
It would be better if you worked later at night.
It would (SIGHS) for you.
Oh, and you.
Lea, waking every 15 minutes
impedes stage-four and REM sleep.
I'll show you the research.
I'll try not to hit snooze as much.
SHAUN: Thank you.
I made you coffee.
I appreciate that.
It's decaf.
Caffeine interferes with deep sleep.
****
Okay.
****
You can have mine.
You were looking for a seat, right?
Oh, no, no, no. You're -- You're still eating.
Oh, I can stand and eat. (CHUCKLES)
Well, I can stand and eat, too.
I was just on BART with my grandfather.
No one gave up their seat.
****
I'm gonna take this to go.
Okay.
****
This is Kevin and Sara, who runs Golden Compassion Boys Home,
where Kevin got into a fight today.
He may need reconstructive surgery.
It wasn't a fight. I fell.
Mm.
On someone's fist?
(WINCES)
Some bones are broken around your eyes.
Lift your shirt, please. I'd like to see if you have any other injuries.
Listen to the doctor.
I don't want to take my shirt off, Carlton.
Yes, Cousin Carlton of "Fresh Prince" fame.
Clearly, you mean that as a compliment.
He was honest, hard-working, tremendous fashion sense.
Hell of a dancer, too.
Mmm-hmm.
Let me finish the exam, I'll do the Carlton for you.
For real? Oh, yeah.
It's like a dream come true.
(SIGHS)
****
Kevin.
I'm fine.
****
Need a CT trauma pan-scan.
Okay.
Now-- Your turn.
Uh...
Like Carlton Banks, I am a man of my word.
(TOM JONES' "IT'S NOT UNUSUAL" PLAYS)
** It's not unusual to be loved by anyone **
(CHUCKLES)
** It's not unusual to have fun with anyone **
** Whoa-oh-oh-oh **
Whoo!
****
We're gonna run some tests on your heart.
EKG, CTA, and echo.
(IRON LUNG WHIRRING)
The sound is very distracting.
We could turn it off, but then I'd be dead.
****
We've reduced the volume by 25%.
Easier to swallow, much more user-friendly.
I think it's ready.
I'll draw up a list of VC's I know.
I think it's ready.
That doesn't mean we're ready.
I'm a second-year resident. You're an IT person.
Yeah?
In Man Jose, heart of Sili-bro Valley.
We need an endorsement from someone with real clout.
That's out of my wheelhouse.
Actually, I was thinking your future-kinda-sorta-almost father-in-law.
Not sure it's a good idea to go into business with
your future-kinda-sorta-almost father-in-law.
It's just an endorsement.
And he's got clout.
****
Ugh. Yeah.
He say what the fight was about?
Wouldn't even admit there was a fight.
Looks more like a beatdown.
Not that I've been in either.
Which took some effort.
I tucked my Peyos and yarmulke under a cap
whenever I left Williamsburg so I wouldn't get harassed.
The fifth grade, I came home with a black eye.
Eric Chen sucker-punched me.
My dad brought me over to Eric's house,
made us stand in the driveway to finish the fight "like men."
Yeah? You kicked his ass?
(CHUCKLES) Well, I came home with two black eyes.
Bullies used to tease my sister on the school bus.
I tried to defend her, got my ass whooped.
The bus driver, Ms. Limon, broke it up and told me,
"They use their fists because they don't know how to use their brains."
So I learned to use words to prevent fights.
Didn't hurt Ms. Limon had my back.
(COMPUTER BEEPS)
****
Three fractured ribs.
This one's deformed, but with callus formation.
It's been broken before.
****
(SIGHS)
****
Your echo shows your chest tightness was caused
by some narrowing in your aortic valve.
We recommend replacing it with a bioprosthetic one.
Will you need to stick a trach tube in my neck afterwards?
Nope.
(SIGHS) Good.
I had one of those about 20 years ago--
Kept getting infected.
The iron lung is outdated but effective.
You would probably be dead by now
if you had a trach instead of an iron lung.
How long will the surgery take?
About two hours.
We will use the transcatheter approach.
Good. Frank and I don't like to be apart for too long.
Sinatra.
I can't dance to his music,
but I can always feel his warm embrace.
Yeah, notice how she never asks if Frank enjoys it.
Jealous?
I'm Sophie, the niece/roommate.
Slash Hollywood diva.
Says the woman with a Google alert for her own name.
Oh, my alert goes off way more than hers.
(CHUCKLES) That makes sense.
Your physics research is more impressive
than your niece's documentary.
The discussion of how polio destroyed the cells
in your spinal cord was oversimplified,
but I did like the archival footage.
Thanks for the notes.
You're welcome.
Okay.
Oh?
We can do the procedure this afternoon.
****
(SIGHS)
****
Gut-brain connection. The next frontier of medical development,
and the market is wide open.
Your endorsement would really make a difference in our VC meetings.
(SIGHS)
So, if-- If I were to get involved,
what if I were to partner with you?
****
That'd be amazing.
Okay. Get me a business plan, and I will set a follow-up.
****
That went great.
I'm not ready to give away part of my-- Our company.
I thought you wanted his clout.
I wanted an endorsement.
Instead, you signed us up for a throuple without my consent.
Do we need a safe word?
****
Okay. I could tell him I spoke out of turn and we're not interested.
Which would make us look like total noobs
and probably wreck any chance we have of using his connections.
Well, I can keep him in his lane.
****
LIM: Inflate the balloon to deploy the TAVR, Dr. Murphy.
(MONITOR BEEPING)
How many alarms do you need to get up in the morning?
One. That's the point of an alarm.
Yes, exactly.
Hemodynamics?
JORDAN: BP and cardiac output look good.
No alarms for me.
I've mastered my circadian rhythms.
Lea hitting the snooze a little too hard this morning?
Yes, I turned them off.
Well, why don't you try ear plugs?
No. Dr. Lim, I do not like objects in my ears.
The valve is in place.
I'm sure Lea doesn't like having her entire morning disrupted.
****
Withdraw the catheters and close.
****
Mmm.
****
(IRON LUNG WHIRRING)
How's Frank?
Strong and warm.
Glad you're okay. What would I do without you around to nag me?
Get a boyfriend?
Oh, another roommate would be helpful,
considering Joan's disability.
Oh, I already have a full-time nurse.
And, I hate to admit it, but Sophie--
Sophie keeps the place running.
I also hate to admit it,
but Aunt Joanie's a pretty good roommate.
Never walks in on me in the bathroom.
Oh, stick a pen in my mouth... (CHUCKLES)
...so I can write her out of the will.
(LAUGHTER)
(METAL THUD)
****
(HISSES)
(MONITOR ALARM)
(GASPING)
****
The motor gave out.
Okay. Airway cart, STAT!
We gotta get her out of this thing.
(GASPING)
Lea, you skipped Section 5, part A,
insert the guide roller under the timing belt.
I don't have the guide roller, Shaun.
That's why I'm improvising.
Oh.
You improvised building our furniture.
Now our Kongsvinger cabinet is missing a panel.
Which I repurposed into an extra drawer for your desk.
Oh, good point. Ah.
Shouldn't you be with your aunt?
Seeing her on a ventilator... being here is better.
Mmm.
Did you bring in your girlfriend?
Oh, Lea is my fiancee.
But you are a mechanic?
No. I--
I thought you said you were bringing in--
I'm a software engineer, and I used to work
for a car company and run my brother's garage.
It failed.
I know what I'm doing.
The control box short-circuited
because the fan belt is faulty.
****
Kevin.
Carlton.
You need reconstructive surgery on your face and your ribs.
Three of them are broken and displaced.
One of them was broken before and healed improperly,
because you never told anyone.
Who's doing this to you?
No one.
Kevin, will you please put down the book and talk to me?
****
One of your ribs could've punctured your lung and killed you.
If someone in the home is abusing you--
Stop. Stop interrogating me.
I'm trying to protect you.
But I need to know who I'm protecting you from.
****
Just fix my broken bones, okay?
****
Joan's body is fighting the vent.
We may need to chemically paralyze her.
That doesn't sound good.
It's not. It could impair her ability
to transition back to the iron lung.
Shaun, you're scaring her,
and I think unnecessarily, because...
(WHIRRING)
I was right.
Calling you was a good idea.
Calling me is always a good idea.
(RATTLING, WHIRRING QUICKENS)
The motor is turning too fast.
(GASPS)
(WHIRRING STOPS)
(SIGHS) The gearbox is blown.
You-- You know how to fix it, right?
Yes.
But I need parts that haven't been manufactured since the '50s.
****
SOPHIE: This is Sophie again.
I left the message earlier about your Reddit post on the '38 Chevy.
We really, really need that gearbox,
so we're just driving out to you.
I'm sure he's just with customers.
You and Shaun hugged at the hospital.
So he's comfortable with physical contact?
Sometimes.
With me, most of the time.
How's the sex?
Did you really just ask me if my fiance,
your aunt's surgeon, is good in bed?
Eh, welcome to life with a documentarian.
Curiosity and lack of boundaries
are sort of in the job description.
You can feel free not to answer.
Shaun is very focused and determined...
...in all areas. (CHUCKLES)
Good for him. And for you.
And what about just day to day?
There must be times when he struggles 'cause of his ASD,
you know, loud noises, bright lights, itchy sheets?
For sure.
This morning I hit snooze too many times,
and he turned off my alarm. (CHUCKLES)
That really screwed up his routine.
That's a big deal to him.
So what do you do now?
I'll probably sleep in the guest room
when I have to wake up early.
One time, I went to Maui with this guy I was dating,
Travis, and we were gonna do the Road to Hana.
But the car rental place didn't have pedal extensions.
And I was just like, "Fine. Travis will drive."
He went off.
He was threatening to report them, quoting the ADA,
demanding to speak to a manager.
Mmm.
He was being my advocate,
but for me, it was just another reminder that I'm different.
The world does that to me. I don't--
I don't need it from my boyfriend.
Don't think Shaun feels that way about me accommodating him.
It's just when one person does all the accommodating, it's not good.
****
This will make sure your heart is healthy enough for surgery.
(SIGHS)
Jean-Michel Basquiat?
Mmm.
You know, he did one painting
with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie that--
"Ornithology."
That's a part of his "Heroes and Saints" series.
You learn about him in art class?
I wish.
No, I just spend a lot of time on Google Images and Wikipedia.
(MONITOR BEEPS)
Great news.
Your heart's fine.
You mind if I take a look?
Okay.
Hmm!
That's amazing.
Yeah, each one's in the style of an artist I like.
Kehinde Wiley?
(SIGHS)
He's-- He's awesome.
Has skills just like those old Dutch painters--
Vermeer and Rembrandt,
but he paints stuff I actually care about.
Kerry James Marshall.
Yeah.
Picasso.
Okay, but that one's easy.
Hm.
****
You know, he was dyslexic.
****
So?
So I know you are, too. It's in your medical records.
I'm not dumb.
I didn't say you were.
You know, some of history's greatest geniuses
were dyslexic. Leonardo da Vinci,
Albert Einstein, Marcus Andrews.
****
That's me.
****
S-So how did you become a doctor?
A lot of support from my parents, my teachers--
My parents are dead,
and my teachers only notice me when I'm screwing up.
I noticed you.
And I want to help.
If that group home is unsafe--
Just gimme my book back.
****
Okay.
****
I don't buy it. An iron lung?
I did a whole documentary about her.
I don't care about your documentary.
I care about the 1975 Gran Torino you pulled up in.
How do I know the gearbox isn't gonna wind up
in a '38 Chevy at the Santa Cruz Vintage Car Derby?
You think we invented a story about her aunt dying
to beat you in a vintage car competition?
That's what I'd do.
We can double--
Quadruple whatever you paid.
(CHUCKLES) That's nothing compared to the business
I'm gonna get after I win first prize.
Mm.
You got that call earlier from Garry Gerhardt, right?
Sophie's a producer for PBS.
See?
You know "Gearhead"?
We're talking about collaborating on a series.
I bet "The Great American Car Show"
would be interested in your collection.
And a story about you giving away a gearbox
to save a woman's life?
That would bring in more revenue
than some local car show, right?
****
Top it off with 500 bucks and we got a deal.
Done.
****
Who's Gearhead?
Gearhead.
(WHIRRING)
Aunt Joanie, this is Lea.
She fixed your iron lung with a gearbox from a '38 Chevy.
Hm. A little young to know about something that old.
I've got a thing for the classics.
Well, thank God, and thank you.
And Lea is engaged to Dr. Murphy,
whose surgical talents are matched by his skills in the bedroom.
It is important to me that Lea is sexually satisfied.
And she is also very skilled.
How great are these two?
You want them for your show.
I want them for the pilot.
I'm producing a reality wedding series for Hulu
about atypical couples--
Mismatched, yet perfect together.
Uh...
You two have to be in it.
We'd pay for the wedding.
It's not--
Up to $150,000.
(GASPING)
(MONITOR ALARM)
You are having trouble breathing.
****
It's working fine.
It is. She's not.
She has a bronchial rupture.
(GASPING)
SHAUN: 3-0 PDS suture.
Completing primary anastomosis.
Sophie asked me and Lea to get married
on a reality show she's making.
JORDAN: You are not a reality show person.
What's a reality show person?
Start ventilating.
Someone who loves attention, even when it's bad.
You should have seen what I tweeted about Katie on "The Bachelorette."
I have. You think I didn't check out your social media before hiring you?
The lung isn't inflating.
Buttress the repair with an intercostal muscle flap.
My ex-husband and I spent buckets on our wedding.
Didn't stop it from raining, didn't stop his brother
from getting sloppy drunk, and it didn't stop
my sketchy cousins from stealing wedding gifts.
If someone else is paying, go for it.
****
The muscle flap isn't helping.
(SIGHS) Her respiratory muscles and lungs
are too weak to go back in the iron lung.
Her airway will rupture again.
(SIGHS)
What if we gave her diaphragm pacing
with phrenic nerve stimulation?
There's no way to sync the nerve stimulator to the iron lung.
We could take her out of the iron lung.
She would die.
Yes, unless we switch her to a biphasic cuirass ventilator.
Her spine's not strong enough for a cuirass.
****
Kyphoplasties.
We can pour cement into her cracked vertebrae to stabilize them.
Good idea.
****
I had fun working with you today.
I get why you love being a doctor.
Being a doctor doesn't usually involve buying old car parts.
I have to wake up early tomorrow.
And I'm not going to be sleeping in the guest room,
and you're not going to be turning off my alarm.
Shaun?
I got you a wrist alarm.
It uses silent vibration to wake you up
and has a snooze button.
Like the diaphragm pacing Jordan suggested for Joan,
but for your wrist.
I don't want you to sleep in the guest room.
This is a good compromise.
Are we reality show people?
Jordan says we're not because we don't love attention.
Sounds about right.
****
And do you disagree?
Neurotypicals consider me strange,
so I am used to people staring at me,
especially after Salen put me on that billboard.
Would the attention bother you?
Maybe.
The first time we tried to plan a wedding, it sucked.
And I don't want the whole world to watch us flailing.
Maybe if Sophie does the planning, we would not flail.
And if she does the paying, that would be very helpful.
I don't think money should be the deciding factor
on the start of our life together.
Okay.
****
(GRUNTS)
Yeah.
Incision looks great.
No periorbital edema.
We'll monitor you tonight.
So I go back tomorrow.
If all's well, yes.
Great.
****
I'll talk to Sara about getting you a reading tutor.
There are some techniques that have really worked for me.
Um...
And I'm happy to talk you through them or...
Anything else.
****
I don't even have his personal cell.
****
Here.
Yeah, thanks.
****
How are you gonna hold market share
when copycats flood the system?
If we get the patent first, that won't be an issue.
There's n-nothing in the business plan about patent strategy.
It's a work in progress.
VC's are gonna be asking you these questions, so you gotta be ready.
I'm well aware.
I paid off half my med school debt by selling--
The ankle brace, yes, I-I know about that.
That's fantastic. But this time, you need investors, right?
Not just buyers.
And in this case, you're the product.
We'll be prepared.
And the product--
The actual product needs to be retooled.
What did you have in mind?
Okay. Increased functionality.
Imagine if it monitored pancreatic function,
hormonal levels, and also lesions.
That would require way more power, multiple sensors.
Okay.
We would have to go back to the drawing board.
(SCOFFS) The drawing board is-- is, what, two months old?
Look, y-you ladies have a multi-million dollar idea here
and it's great, but I'm suggesting to you that
you could have a billion-dollar idea if you listen to me.
Sleep on it.
I'm pretty sure this is the right way to go.
I'll catch up with you later.
What?
You need to have more respect
for the work Jordan and I have put in.
I-I suggested a few upgrades.
Did not sound like a suggestion.
Sorry.
And you really pissed off Jordan.
Maybe she's being just a little bit too sensitive?
You did not just say that.
Mm.
Are we "ladies" being too sensitive?
Yeah, I-I don't know what's happening here.
Are you offended because I referred to you as "ladies"?
I'm offended by your overbearing attitude.
Okay. FYI, if two men walked into my office right now
and presented to me this particular business plan,
I wouldn't have acted any differently!
Okay.
What? I just-- I'm trying to help.
I have experience. I have knowledge.
I know the marketplace.
Maybe if you just listen to the ideas
instead of how the ideas are being presented to you...
Thanks. I didn't know how I was supposed to feel
until you explained it to me.
****
The cuirass is like a wearable mini-Frank.
You could use a motorized wheelchair.
You'd be mobile again.
Think of all the lecture invitations
you've had to turn down.
You could do a college tour.
We could go to Vegas.
(CHUCKLES)
****
I don't want the surgery.
****
The intubations and rupture
weakened your respiratory system.
I know.
If...
If you stay in Frank, you'll only have a few months left to live.
****
I just taught my last class.
I published my final paper.
And I got to spend my final years with a--
A pretty cool roommate.
****
But I'm...
I'm at the finish line.
****
(MONITOR ALARM)
He's bleeding from the incision site.
Get me irrigation, bulb, 3-0 vicryl suture, and ChloraPrep.
(WINCES)
The sutures are torn.
****
You did this to yourself.
****
Were the sutures irritating you?
****
No.
****
Did you want to hurt yourself?
****
No.
****
Did you want to stay here?
****
Please tell me who's hurting you.
(SIGHS) I can't help you if you won't tell me.
****
Okay.
****
There are five of them.
****
They...
They play this game every Friday after school called Happy Hour.
They give me challenges--
Read that sign, spell this word.
****
If I get it right, they give me stuff,
extra snacks or weed, whatever.
****
I-I'm stupid.
****
I never get it right.
****
So they hurt me.
You're not stupid. You're brilliant.
You're just dyslexic.
****
Mr. Targum in Exam Room Two needs a rectal exam.
You want to take it?
No.
I ran into Jordan after you guys met this morning.
She seemed a little out of sorts.
Yeah, I, um, apparently offended her and Lea,
because I offered an opinion that was overbearing...
And pushy.
Hm.
I believe the word you're looking for is "sexist."
I wasn't looking for that word.
Well, you are.
Men your age have spent your whole lives
being told you are the center of the universe.
You don't see the irony in reducing me to my age and my gender?
You don't see the irony in being more upset
about being called a sexist than being one?
Okay. That's-- That's not irony, that--
Mansplaining.
Good first step. Right.
My diagnosis--
While some of your symptoms overlap with toxic masculinity,
your real underlying issue is boss syndrome, which is very treatable.
Shut up. What?
You're used to leading.
Now you need to learn how to be quiet, listen, follow.
It might be a fun, new experience for you.
****
You could start by taking this rectal exam off my hands.
I'm a slow learner.
(SIGHS)
I've heard of "Happy Hour."
Victims vary, tradition continues.
So separate him from his bullies.
I will. And I'll tell my staff to keep eyes on him.
But it is a 10-to-1 kid-to-staff ratio here.
(SIGHS)
There's got to be something more you can do.
****
Last week, Kevin was arguing about changing the channel in the common room.
Kevin started calling the other boy a baby
because he wanted to watch cartoons...
And got his ass kicked.
That doesn't make it okay to just--
Not my point.
It's harder to help Kevin than you think.
But...
(SIGHS)
****
What about a foster family?
Not a lot of them want teenagers,
especially if they have a history of running away from foster homes.
(SIGHS)
I'll do everything I can to keep him safe.
****
Hey.
I keep trying to sell my aunt on the cuirass,
but she kicked me out.
Is there anything else?
N-No.
Just hospice care.
(SIGHS)
Have you guys thought any more about doing my show?
Oh.
We haven't decided yet.
I made my documentary because people like me
need to know that someone like Aunt Joan exists.
****
There are people who need to know you exist, Shaun.
****
Those people who needed Aunt Joan?
Now she needs them.
****
JOAN: Uh-oh.
Not another one of your director's cuts.
Better.
Aunt Joanie.
(SIGHS)
Polio made your world smaller,
but you made the world bigger for so many others
by showing what's possible.
Hey, hey! There she is. Hi, Joan.
WOMAN: Hi, Joan! Oh! Wha--
(LAUGHS) Suzie? Is that--
Oh, Jeffrey.
All right, Suzie, you're up.
I was first in my family to go to college.
I was ready to drop out freshman year
until I took your seminar.
Your courage inspired me to come out.
When I saw your movie, I thought,
"Her iron lung isn't ruling her life.
My depression shouldn't rule mine."
Made an appointment with a therapist that day.
Aww.
WOMAN: Every time I start to say, "I can't,"
I just think about how brave you've been.
I talked to my kids about your bravery.
They learned so much from your story.
(FRANK SINATRA'S "WHY TRY TO CHANGE ME NOW" PLAYS)
(LAUGHS)
****
** Don't you remember? **
I'm so lucky to call you a friend.
You didn't just teach me physics.
You taught me about life.
Oh.
** Why try to change **
Bye! Bye!
(CHUCKLES)
** Me now? **
(SIGHS)
****
You've been in that machine a long time.
You're scared of life outside because it's new...
Because it may make you look back and realize how much you've missed.
You've overcome so much more than most people.
You found your courage before.
You can do it again.
****
If I could feel my ass, you'd be such a pain in it.
(CHUCKLES)
Oh.
****
(SIGHS)
Fine. I'll do the damn surgery. Just shut up about it.
****
You're all set for discharge.
I made some calls to DCFS.
They promised to get you in a new foster placement.
H-How long will it take?
A week or so.
****
You see that?
Yeah. Looks like an infection.
He's not ready for discharge.
****
Okay.
Is it bad?
No.
We just need to keep you here a little longer.
How much longer?
A week or so.
****
Thanks for coming. I-I --
Since the last time we met, I've been doing a lot of thinking.
If this is gonna work, there needs to be a change
in the dynamic, mostly on my part.
And I-I'm not sure I can do that,
so maybe we should call it a day.
That's it?
Of course I'll give you the endorsement.
You're gonna give up on us?
I...thought you said you didn't want a partner.
It took me a while to get past the attitude,
but you were right.
We could use your code to power three different sensors.
We could sell it as a set or a la carte.
Make more money.
I like that idea.
****
What about it, Glassy?
Maybe we can all learn some new tricks.
(CHUCKLES)
Well, you know what they say about old dogs,
but...sure, I'm willing to give it a shot.
****
(INHALES, EXHALES DEEPLY)
How's Frank Jr.?
No, this is Gene...
Kelly, light on his feet.
(CHUCKLES)
(SIGHS)
So...the show?
Oh, Shaun and I haven't had a chance to--
You are beautiful, smart, and kind.
When I was younger, I would have liked to see a TV show
about a man like me lucky enough to marry a woman like you.
Mmm.
But you don't want to do it, and that is okay.
Shaun, you have inspired me,
and I want us to inspire other people.
****
And planning a wedding sucks.
****
Yes, it does.
****
Aw-yee. (CHUCKLES)
We are going to be reality show people.
(LAUGHTER)
Oh.
Oh, yeah.
Reality show people!
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