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Theresa chills out about the fight announcement, being assured it's just a publicity stunt Johnny's using to get Patrick's name out there again, but her calm demeanor is short-lived, as a couple cops show up to Patrick's sister's diner and, in front of the whole family, take him in for questioning. They don't get anything out of him, but a local reporter with whom Patrick grew up also starts sniffing around the story. Also, Theresa's car gets repossessed, which makes Patrick understandably desperate to get his hands on some cash; enter the Brennan mentioned last episode, played by terrific character actor Bill Irwin, who gives Patrick a little cash and offers to pay the balance of what Patrick's owed and clean up his mess if he'll do him one more favor, which involves delivering a cake full of cash to a friend of a local DA. Seems straightforward enough, but the bakery guy who gives Patrick the cake attempts to steal it from him that night, and although he's unsuccessful, he does get his hands on Patrick's iPod. In the end, although Patrick gets the car back, so everything's okay as far as Theresa knows, he's still obviously heading for financial ruin, Daniella finds out about the dementia diagnosis, and the thief takes a bullet to the brain from an unknown assailant -- while holding Patrick's iPod in his hand. Damn, champ, shit's getting real.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!The Leary family has just exited church, and after Patrick observes his two younger daughters chatting with some randoms, a priest comes out and congratulates Patrick, saying "redemption is at hand" and he'll be expecting tickets. Wow. Are priests allowed to toss around Biblical sayings like that? I'd expect that would be frowned upon among the clergy, as would, you know, BOXING. Patrick tells him he shouldn't believe everything he reads, and then Theresa joins them and the priest takes off, but not before urging Patrick to knock him out early this time. Thanks, Father Awkward...
...because now we've had to go back into the church for some reason, wherein Theresa of course gets in a snit fit about "Father Moran" knowing, and Patrick has a lot more patience than I would when he suggests that perhaps he SAW IT ON TV. After he promises there's no fight, though, she calms down, but wonders if they can get Johnny to issue a denial, but Patrick tells her that since the rumor's already out there, Johnny wants to work it a little. Given that these are boxers we're dealing with, by "work it" I'm guessing Johnny means to beat it to death. Theresa doesn't get mad, but assures Patrick, "I'll talk to him tonight." Would have worked out better not to wait...
...because when the phone rings in the evening, Johnny's sitting on a stool in the corner of his gym's ring while some girl sweatily and pantily rides him, and I know boxers drip a lot of fluids into the ring but that still has to violate some kind of health code.
At some restaurant, the family is out having dinner and Theresa is cleaning Dylan's nose for some reason when the counter woman tells her she still can't reach Johnny, like, Theresa's too good to dial his number from her cell? Also, Theresa looks at her for like ten seconds before nodding -- does she have some reason to be especially worried? I know she has his kid with her, but still. A dude didn't answer his phone. Anyway, talk turns to an upcoming ballet recital of Katie's, and Patrick's slow to remember it and gets the production wrong, but if this is supposed to be another example of his failing memory the show will have to do better than that, because I would expect a middle-aged Irish boxer to actively block out anything to do with ballet as a matter of course. Anyway, two cops come in and ask the counter woman if they can have a word with her brother, and she tells them Johnny's not there. So okay, she's Johnny and Patrick's sister, which explains why they're at this place, but I still don't know why Theresa couldn't have called Johnny herself. Anyway, the cops actually are there to talk to Patrick, and once again Theresa gets this frantic look on her face, like, I'm sure that calm demeanor is going to come in handy when you're a doctor. Patrick gets up to greet the cops, who "suggest" they step outside...
...while back at the gym, Johnny, apparently done for the evening, tells his bimbo to make it snappy, as he has to pick his son up. What's not getting picked up, however, is one of the girl's earrings that's somehow fallen under a bench in the locker room, and if I understand boxing dramatic structure, that will resurface sometime around the third round.
Outside, Stacy Keach is giving the cops a piece of his mind for doing this in front of Patrick's kids, and you can see his point, but the lead cop says they're dealing with a police matter, and Patrick sends Stacy Keach back inside, but not before he advises Patrick, "Not a word without a lawyer." That's the Stacy Keach I want to see. Once Stacy Keach leaves with a baleful look, the cop tells Patrick that they can have the matter cleared up in half an hour, but the crowd that's gathering isn't really helping, so maybe he'd like to come down to the station? He adds that if Patrick doesn't cooperate, they have orders to sit on him, so he assents to go with them as Theresa peers through the blinds like she's in a war movie and the enemy has just ridden up to her house. Also perhaps overdone is the fact that the cops put on their siren even though they didn't even make an arrest, but what can I tell you, I guess they like the loud noise. Also, you can see some guy recording this on his cell phone, in case that will be important later. (It kind of will.) Title card.
Sometime later, Johnny meets Patrick as the latter exits the station, and Johnny says his lawyer's on the way, but Patrick tells him to call him off -- it was just two detectives from Morristown "asking about Saturday afternoon," or "the day you twisted that dentist's arm into a pretzel," in more meaningful terms. Johnny asks if they mentioned Brennan's name, but Patrick says no, they were just fishing. Johnny wonders how they knew to come after Patrick at all if the dentist isn't talking, and when he hears there were brunch guests involved, he is of course not thrilled with Patrick's choice to conduct this bit of business in front of witnesses. Before he gets too far in upbraiding him, though, a reporter shows up -- oh, it's Ben Shenkman! Love him! Things are looking up. Ben Shenkman asks what Patrick did that motivated the cops to hold him, but Johnny tells him they didn't. "Don't believe everything you read on Twitter." Cute, but I doubt the tweeter said anything other than, you know, that Patrick got hauled in. Brevity is the soul of Twit. Johnny goes on that the police simply were asking Patrick for assistance with a private matter about which he knew nothing (...right), and then, seeing an opportunity to turn the situation to his advantage, pleads with Ben Shenkman not to run any story, as it might hurt "the fight negotiations." Ben Shenkman asks Patrick for a quote, but none is forthcoming, and after Johnny tells him the process is still ongoing, they drive off...
...and then Patrick's home. Hearing some music coming from the office, he starts to tell Theresa he tried to call, but when he opens the door it's actually the middle daughter, and I'm not sure if the show's even mentioned her name yet but for recapping purposes I'll tell you it's "Daniella." You can breathe again now. She tells him she was worried and wonders why the police couldn't wait, so he covers by saying he was supposed to talk to them and forgot. Unfortunately, this is not an inconsequential lie to tell, as Daniella disbelievingly reiterates that he forgot he was supposed to talk to the police, but he dismisses her, so she leaves, bidding him good night as she goes and getting a kiss on the head in return. Before she's out the door, though, he asks if Theresa's asleep, and when Daniella tells him she thinks so, asks how mad she was. Daniella: "A couple of Chardonnays?" Heh. Without context it's hard to know, but at the end of last episode when she took his head off she was drinking white wine, so I'm not surprised that he flops down on the couch to ponder how to proceed.
Unfortunately, he only closes his eyes for a moment and has a flash to his kids watching him being taken away before Theresa spits, "Hiding?" Man, she is a pill. He counters that he's simply wiped out, and asks how Katie is. More calmly, Theresa replies, "How did you feel the first time you saw your father arrested?" I would have guessed that was rhetorical, but Patrick answers, "Like I'd never see him again. And I wasn't arrested." Well, if he was going to answer, I'm glad he made that correction. Theresa asks if he's okay and then sits and reasonably tells him she'd like to know what's going on, and he confesses that it isn't good - a couple brunch guests in Morristown are claiming that he crashed the affair and broke their host's arm. Again reasonably, Theresa is like, "Where? Who? What?" before pointing out that he was just on TV, and that's when "these people" come out of the woodwork, presumably for money. Patrick, however, says that while he doesn't have a motive, he's also lacking an alibi. "I was out running." Is that what it's called? Theresa, however, corrects him -- he was with her. Her and Stacy Keach. FINALLY, Theresa does something interesting, something that acknowledges there are compromises to be made to protect their lifestyle. Patrick's reluctant to involve Stacy Keach, but Theresa comes up with the story that he was feeling poorly after physical therapy, so they spent the afternoon with him. Of course, if Patrick already told the police that he was out running, I'm not sure how it helps to change the story. If only he had some documented issues with his memory! Anyway, Patrick gives in...
...and then OH NO THIS IS AWFUL. Patrick is filming some commercial where he's dressed in a boxing robe and crown and is offering a "knockout deal" on carpeting. It's hilariously undignified, but becomes more the latter when the director cuts and stalks off in a huff; my best guess would be that Patrick had difficulty recalling his lines, although it could certainly be general frustration that he's been reduced to such crappy work. Sometime later, though, Patrick, back in a suit, shakes the carpet owner's hand and apologizes for messing up his lines, but the guy's chill about it. He then goes to pay Patrick and says he heard he was supposed to make the check out to his manager, but Patrick tells him he'll have it himself. Ooh, Patrick, selling out your brother? I mean, having met him, I'd do it too -- I just didn't think you would. His phone then rings...
...and after he's stepped away to take the call, Theresa and her accent tell him they needs a lift, as their car is being towed... from the school? The repo guys followed her to the school? I'm so confused. Patrick says he'll be right there...
...and then he's pulling up in that old piece of shit he has, which I guess is lucky after all, considering it's probably not worth taking. I mean, I get that the car is a reminder of his poverty-stricken Bayonne roots or whatever, but still. It's fug. Once in the car, Theresa asks what happened, and Patrick says something lame about Johnny having put money in the wrong account for an automatic payment, but since Theresa may be a pill but is not challenged, she doesn't buy the story, so Patrick keeps flinging lies against the wall until one of them sticks, and then we take another bizarre exit out of a scene right off Patrick's line about everyone being jittery these days. Seriously, individual scenes are supposed to have a beginning and an ending just like any other story; when you cut out of them without establishing any emotional change, it's jarring and it makes everything - writing, editing, and directing -- look amateurish. I mean, I'm not trying to turn this recap into a study exercise, but neither do I want to criticize without explanation; in this scene, Theresa starts off upset, obviously, about the car being towed. She asks for answers, and Patrick lies to her. Fine. But the whole emotional point of this dialogue, it seems to me, is this: Does Theresa buy this explanation? If not, how does she react, both to her husband seemingly not being truthful and the idea that they may have serious money problems? Also, if she doesn't buy it, does Patrick notice? How does he react to her reaction? All these questions are opportunities for us to get to know the characters better and could be accomplished simply by letting the scene run a few seconds longer - giving us an emotional beat. Sometimes the explanation for cutting early is that the actors failed to convey anything interesting (which at this level is usually the director's fault); sometimes it's that the script is too long (but it's not like this script is solid gold in other places); but whatever the explanation, it makes the show look shoddy. Think about it this way: If everything worth knowing is verbally expressed, what's the point of having professional actors?
As people at the Leary gym watch, Reynolds is doing another press conference, talking about how, essentially, for the last five years, Patrick has turned down his offer of a rematch in favor of whining about how he was robbed. That protégé of Stacy Keach's, Omar, says that Reynolds has a point before amusingly realizing Patrick is standing right to him; Stacy Keach tells him to get back to work, and then Patrick asks Stacy Keach, "My own gym, I gotta listen to that?" Yes, Patrick, people in a boxing gym shouldn't be interested in a press conference given by the reigning heavyweight champion. Stacy Keach asks what was up with the cops, and when Patrick dismisses it as "another shakedown," Stacy Keach produces the earring Johnny's ho dropped and tells Patrick he'd better get rid of it, saying he found it by his locker. So...does he actually think Patrick had anything to do with that? That Patrick intended to put it in his locker and dropped it? I'm so confused. Patrick, at least cottoning on to what actually happened, asks if Johnny's in a good mood, getting this reply: "Am I your brother's keeper?" You guys, I am so embarrassed for Stacy Keach. You get to this age, you shouldn't have to read lines that make God himself cringe. Stacy Keach then asks Patrick if he's got a minute, because he's been moving and shaking so much throughout this scene, and points to Omar, saying he's been "workin' so hard his shadow went down." I do not know what that means. Stacy Keach goes on that Omar could have "a shot at the title" in three or four fights, but Patrick begs off helping without explanation...
...in favor of heading into Johnny's office, in which he finds Johnny on the phone having another acrimonious conversation. Patrick waits for him to hang up and then hands him the earring: "Don't shit where I eat." Heh, I'll give him that one. Johnny doesn't acknowledge that, instead bitching about how much business they've given the car company and how they have no courtesy. Patrick asks about Brennan's payment, but Johnny tells him they can't take a check from him, and he'll need a few days to get together that much cash. Patrick offers to get it from him (oh, you're SO not a thug, Patrick), but Johnny warns him off making any contact with him due to the police investigation, "not on our phones, not on our cells," like, SINCE WHEN IS A CELL PHONE NOT A PHONE OH MY GOD. He adds that the IRS garnished the Bingo check (how much that could have been for, I do not know) so they'll only be dealing in cash from now on, which seems like a GREAT WAY to make sure you avoid trouble with the government, my God. Patrick then asks about selling The Landing, but Johnny tells him that when the refinanced the place, the fund that did it got a Last In First Out (LIFO) clause, so while the creditor would get paid at the price it could be sold for, the Learys would get squat. I can only imagine Patrick's wondering what that business-school education was good for. Patrick stares at the model, his face all forlorn anger, and again, this is a moment where we learn something about him. Of course, he then steps on that emotional subtlety by getting up, grabbing a bat off the wall, and demolishing the model, but hey, it was good while it lasted.
Now Patrick's in a bar desperately scratching off some lottery tickets, like, go beat some other jerk up if it's that dire, dude. Maybe the universe is telling you that you should come clean to your wife. He then asks the bartender if Brennan's coming by, but the guy tells him no. "He don't like to get his hands dirty no more." Is something shady going on in the bar, or are they just not up to the health code? I guess the former, as after Patrick asks the guy to leave word, he tells Patrick that he can take book for him if that's what he's after. Patrick declines, and after that lottery business I'm a little surprised.
Patrick's watching Daniella play soccer when Ben Shenkman materializes to him and starts talking about Patrick breaking the dude's arm; in reply, Patrick asks if he didn't protect Ben Shenkman when they were in high school. "I should have let them flush your head down the toilet." Might have helped tame his Jewfro. The guy is like, "Them? Really?" which I guess means either there was only one bully (I'm thinking Johnny) or that Patrick was actually the bully. Either way, he tells Patrick that the story is getting out, and he can help Patrick stay ahead of it. This is boring, so thankfully Daniella comes running over, and then Patrick can't remember where he parked and I think it's safe to say that at this point WE GET IT.
Katie's practicing her ballet in front of Patrick; Theresa wanders in as Katie tells him she's going to do the end, which I hope for her sake doesn't involve climbing any stairs. When she's done, Patrick exclaims, "Brava!" which is gender-correct but is a detail I wouldn't expect him to get right. He is cute with her, though. Theresa then tells her to get ready for bed, and when Katie protests, Theresa tells her she doesn't want any "guff," which seems too dated for her age, unless she's talking about the other kind of "guff," in which case I fully support her. Once Katie's gone, Theresa tells Patrick he has a visitor, and when Patrick asks who, she replies, "Daniella didn't get his badge number." Well, no dessert, then.
Patrick opens the front door to find the same cop from the diner standing there in plain clothes, and he tells Patrick that they're going for a ride in a tone that despite its genial surface will brook no dissent. Patrick reluctantly heads out to the car, but when the cop opens the door, there's an older dude who introduces himself: "Hal Brennan. I understand you've been looking for me." That, show, is a nice twist. Keep it up.
The cop chauffeurs them somewhere by the river, and then they all get out, whereupon Brennan, played as I mentioned in the recaplet by excellent character actor Bill Irwin, tells the cop he and Patrick are going to take a little walk. Patrick sardonically notes, "Small world," and Brennan replies by way of explanation that he grew up in Newark before telling Patrick that he saw him fight many times. He talks for a bit in a way that lets us know, in case there was any doubt, that he can act before Patrick tells him he wants his money, but Brennan reads him easily, "Sometimes direct is good. Sometimes it shows desperation." He advises him not to show the latter before handing Patrick "a taste" in the form of some cash. Patrick asks where the rest is, but Brennan tells him the idea was to imply violence with the dentist, not resort to it -- at least not in front of people. I suppose no one made a game plan clear to Patrick, but the part about the witnesses does seem to be a matter of common sense. Can't blame the dementia for that one. Brennan goes on that Patrick's profile makes people want to test him, to show that they're men by taking the champ down, which certainly jibes with what we saw in the first episode, and adds that the detectives in Morristown fall into that category. Patrick tells him he's got nothing to worry about from him, but Brennan tells him that still, they'll all feel more comfortable when the investigation goes away, and he knows someone who can help as long as Patrick does him a small favor. "My guy has a sweet tooth. You'll drop off a treat." Once again, that could mean anything, but Brennan at least says he'll get Johnny the details, and then Patrick will be paid the balance of what he's owed. What could happen?
Patrick is donning sparring gear (it's lots of padding, essentially) as he complains, "I'm too old for this." Dude, you couldn't add "shit" to the end of that sentence? This is the magic 10 PM timeslot! No excuse for skipping that homage! Stacy Keach helps Patrick as he laughs that that makes two of them, and adds that it's just for a couple rounds, as he wants to work on "the kid's" (Omar, I'm assuming) defense. Stacy Keach goes on that Omar likes to get cute, so Patrick should make him work. "Take it to his body. And try not to have a heart attack." Heh. Once Patrick's in the ring, he and Omar do the customary glove-bump, and then they start sparring. Without going into details let's just say that, even allowing for his weight advantage, Patrick is clearly the superior fighter, which frustrates Omar to the point where, after they separate from being tangled up against the ropes, Omar takes a cheap shot to Patrick's face. Patrick literally is like, "You kidding me?" which are words that would make my feet instinctively run for the exits, while Johnny, who showed up during the scene, smiles gleefully at the ass-kicking he's expecting his brother to dish out in response.
And indeed, Patrick slides in and starts beating the crap out of Omar (focusing on body blows like his father asked) to the point where Stacy Keach actually has to step into the ring to break them up. Stacy Keach sends Omar to the locker room as Patrick goes off to the sideline, where Johnny pulls out Patrick's mouth guard as they both grin at each other. Okay, that was cool. First time they've really seemed like brothers. Stacy Keach, however, lectures Patrick that while Omar is just a kid, Patrick should know better, I guess than to let his emotions get the best of him? Kind of vague, especially since Patrick essentially did what Stacy Keach asked, but Stacy Keach snits that if Patrick doesn't want to help he can just say so. Patrick turns back to Johnny, who's still grinning like the Cheshire Cat as he assures Patrick that Stacy Keach will get over it before telling Patrick to clean up so they can get some lunch. After Johnny walks away, Patrick grins an "I still got it" grin to himself, which is also fun. I'm all for gritty dramas, but as a matter of course they do so much better when they remember to lighten up a little.
At the diner, Johnny gets an ice bag for Patrick as he brags to their sister about how Patrick took one of Stacy Keach's protégés to school. The sister grins and asks if he enjoyed himself, and Patrick, with a shit-eating grin, admits that he did, "a little bit." The sister, who I'm sensing we need to see more of, is amused, and when Johnny suggests that she not tell Theresa, she replies, "What happens in Bayonne stays in Bayonne." Shit, Unnamed Sister, I go to bat for you and you repay me with a line like that? She then brings up the fact that Ben Shenkman was sniffing around the other night, and Patrick asks, "Mikey Fumbles?" I'll admit to being kind of in love with that name, but for reference, the character's real name is "Mike Fumosa." The sister doesn't know, so Patrick drops the subject in favor of tossing the envelope full of cash to Johnny and saying it's enough to get the car back. Johnny pockets it but reminds Patrick he told him to stay away from Brennan, and when Patrick informs him he made a house call, Johnny tells him that the friend Brennan told Patrick about called him that morning and asked if Patrick could come to his son's birthday party to take some pictures and give the kids some boxing lessons -- that Sunday. Patrick does remember about Katie's recital, but seems to think the times can work out, and then Johnny tells him about one other detail -- he's supposed to pick up a cake from a specific bakery and bring it to the party, because the kid has a "sweet tooth." Johnny obviously knows how shady this all is, but Patrick gives nothing away and assures him he'll handle that errand as well. Johnny gives him a face that makes it look like he's actually sucking a lemon, although he could simply be editorializing about his sister's cooking.
Just like that, Patrick's at the bakery, and the proprietor hands him the cake, assuring him it's on dry ice so there's no need to refrigerate it and even tossing in a tray of cookies at no charge. Patrick thanks him, but when he goes out and starts to put the cake in his trunk, the proprietor comes to the door and watches with somewhat sinister-looking interest. Dude, you're the one that gave him the cookies!
Daniella is on her father's computer when she hears her mother coming in; quick as a flash, she switches screens, which makes me think she's qualified to work an office job. Theresa asks why Daniella isn't on her computer, so Daniella tells her (possibly truthfully) that Ava says her typing bothers her. Just another reason why Ava and I wouldn't get along. After Theresa suggests Daniella take a break once in a while and Daniella gives her some bullshit about a term paper, Theresa exits, leaving Daniella free to go back to what she was doing, which apparently is searching her father's browser history and coming up with a page on boxer's dementia. I'd chide Patrick for not clearing his cache, but he probably, you know, forgot.
Theresa trudges into the dining room and wonders if she's the only mother in New Jersey that worries that her daughter studies too much, and...yeah, it's definitely possible. Patrick pours her some wine and cuts some cheese from a plate (really cutting down on expenditures, I see) as he tells her "Margaret" (his sister, I guess) will be picking her and the girls up, as he's going to have to meet her there because of an "appearance thing." She asks why he would book that on Katie's day, and asks him to "cancel," in her British accent TAKE DIALOGUE LESSONS, WOMAN and when he tells her he can't, she snits, "Why would you do anything your wife asks you to do." See, this is what I mean when it seems like she doesn't even like him. Patrick, not in the mood to be used as a punching bag, comes back that that's pretty much all he's ever done -- buying the house, having three kids, no career. "My choices?" She asks if he wants to "go there" after the events of this week, and I am completely ignoring anything she says, because she's comparing ONE WEEK to LIFE CHOICES here, my God, how she irks me.
She asks if he's going to tell her what's going on, "or do you want to go back to lying like the old days?" Oh ho, what's this? Teasing us with potentially interesting backstory in what seems like a reasonably organic manner? Where did this come from? Patrick stares at her, but the phone rings, and Theresa snits, "Saved by the bell again," which perhaps is not something you say to a professional boxer. Patrick says the kids will get it, but soon Daniella's voice calls to him that it's Stacy Keach, so he answers with, "It's not a good time." I'd like to think on the other end, Stacy Keach's reply is, "When is with that woman?" However, to Theresa's credit, when she divines that Stacy Keach fell (I'm assuming from her immediate question and what we know of his injury that this is a relatively common occurrence) she tells Patrick to go, for which he thanks her. I mean, as a doctor-in-training I would hope she'd react this way, but it's still nice to see.
However, it turns out the phone call had nothing to do with Stacy Keach falling over, as Patrick has come to a bar to meet Mikey Fumbles. So Patrick held back the truth and used his wife's goodwill for his own purposes there. I like it. Mikey Fumbles is there to ask about the dentist again, but before they really get into it some dude in a hoodie accosts them to tell Patrick how he's seen all his fights. Patrick thanks him, and when he's gone, he brings up some fake paternity suit he had to fight off years ago in trying to convince Fumbles that this is just another shakedown. "I've got three beautiful daughters. More money than I can spend. Why would I risk that?" Damn, Patrick, you have no shame! You confession is going to be a doozy! Mikey Fumbles does concede, though, that it's a good question...
...and then Patrick is out on the street telling Stacy Keach via cell (not phone) that everything's cool, but by the way, if Theresa says anything, he took a fall. Stacy Keach presumably acknowledges this, but no sooner has Patrick disconnected than he sees two hoods breaking into his car, including the trunk. Patrick goes rushing over and finds, I believe, that the guy inside is the same dude from the bar, which I guess makes sense if he went into the bar to make sure Patrick was out of view of the car. The guy at the trunk is the guy who gave Patrick the cake, so I'm guessing he knows what's in it and is trying to steal it back for his own profit. All this, however, is moot, since Patrick has no trouble throwing some hands and chasing the guys off, although the one guy does make off with his iPod, which we saw Patrick take with him earlier. It's a little hard to see, but when Patrick checks, I think, the cake box, he finds some money wrapped in plastic; however, before we get any further, a cop car makes its presence known via siren, so Patrick closes the trunk and puts up his hands, and when the car pulls up, we see it belongs to The Only Two Cops In Jersey. The possibly non-corrupt one takes off after the thugs, leaving Patrick free to tell the corrupt one some of the shadier details. Corrupt Cop nods without surprise before telling Patrick to get home safe and getting back in the car and taking off, and Patrick takes a moment to lean against the trunk and reflect on just how unmanageable his life is becoming.
The day, Patrick is taping up the cake box when Johnny calls and, after ascertaining that Patrick is alone, tells him to turn on The Box, which seems to be some sort of sports oriented program. When Patrick flips it on, he sees Fumbles telling an interviewer that Patrick may have legal impediments to his comeback, as a reader sent him cell phone coverage of him being taken in for questioning. [It seems that As the video plays, which by the way looks like it was shot on, say, the RED cell phone if that existed, Fumbles goes on that he hears Patrick may be facing assault charges in connection with the beating of a Morristown dentist. At home, Patrick is like, "Come on," perhaps not quite grasping the concept of reporting, but he's forced to flip the TV off when Daniella calls to him. She then enters and nervously asks if they can talk for a moment, and even though Patrick claims he has to get ready for his appearance, she plows on and asks him how long he's known about the dementia. He asks, "What are you talking about?" and it's hard not to keep making jokes about his memory when they make it so easy. She tells him it's all over his search history, and besides she saw the appointment for the CAT scan on his calendar. "The appointment was hidden but you never locked it." Won't make that mistake again, I'd imagine. Patrick is somewhat miffed at the invasion of privacy, but of course these sentiments are harder to sell when you've been caught, so when she asks what the prognosis is, he truthfully tells her it could go in many different directions. Trying not to cry, she asks if he has any symptoms, but when she lists the primary ones - disorientation, anxiety, headaches - he smiles at her. "That's from raising three daughters." This does not cheer Daniella up, and she asks what Theresa thinks, but his ensuing pause is all she needs to know that he hasn't told her yet, and her voice rises in pitch as she points out Theresa's a doctor, so she should know. And she's also HIS WIFE, which I'm starting to feel insane for having to point out so many times. Patrick, however, tells Daniella that Theresa is under a lot of pressure and he's the only one she's got to lean on, so they don't need to burden her with this news at the moment. Obviously, if he thinks there's ever going to be a good time he's kidding himself, but Daniella gives in and promises not to tell for now. She's probably wishing she were her slutty, uncaring older sister at the moment.
Patrick shows up to the party, and then we cut to the rest of the family showing up at the recital and Daniella asking where Patrick is, like, nice sense of time, Patrick, but also Patrick just told her he had an appearance thing, like, I thought she was supposed to be the smart one? Theresa definitely looks a bit concerned...
...as well she might be, because Patrick is coaching the presumed birthday boy without a care in the world as the kid hits a blow-up doll. The kids then tackle Patrick to the ground, which is cute but maybe not worth the therapy he's going to have to shell out for Katie.
The ballet starts as an odd, gospel-y recording of "Que Sera Sera" kicks up on the soundtrack, and as you might expect, the music signals some intercutting between the two scenes; the birthday boy blows out his candles, Theresa checks her watch, Katie does her thing. Then the birthday boy's father is leading Patrick into his office telling him how Patrick's appearance gives his kid birthday-party cachet or some nonsense, and then Patrick remembers the other cake and goes to get it. The song continues as the family enjoys Katie's ballet, and then Patrick hands over the cake. In response, the guy calls over one of the other kids at the party, "Stanley," who, he informs Patrick, is the DA's stepson. "I'll be sharing the cake with his dad." Naked? Either way, it seems clear that the DA is going to make Patrick's assault charge go away, and Patrick is live to that as well, as he signs a boxing glove for Stanley and tells him to keep it to remember him by. Patrick then takes off...
...and in the car, he looks concerned as he drives; meanwhile, Theresa looks around as the ballet comes to an end. Cut to Patrick bounding up the stairs and finding the family; he tells them he screwed up the times, but luckily, Katie only now appears and asks Patrick if he saw her. He assures her she was perfect, and Theresa internalizes any eye-rolling as she and Ava tells Katie how great she was. Daniella, for her part, tells Patrick that losing track of time is a symptom, but he easily tells her that he was never good with time and promises her he's fine...
...and then at home, Patrick is handing out baked goods and telling Theresa he found a new Portuguese place. The doorbell then rings, and when Patrick gets it, it's Corrupt Cop and his partner, the former of whom tells Patrick that their captain sent them down to give Patrick the official news that the investigation has been dropped. Theresa then appears, and Corrupt Cop informs her that Patrick was the victim of a false allegation and apologizes for any inconvenience they caused her, to which she snits, "Inconvenience. Is that what you'd call it." Well, I mean, he just did. It's not really hypothetical at this point. Patrick suggests she go tell the girls everything's cool, and she apologizes for snapping and thanks the officers for coming "all the way out here," and when Patrick shakes his hand, Corrupt Cop tells him, "You have a nice family." As Lisa Simpson once said in another context: What are you basing that on? Theresa and Patrick embrace in celebration...
...while outside somewhere, the guy who tried to steal the cake back from Patrick is sitting on a bench listening to "Que Sera Sera" on the purloined iPod, which once again is not what I'd expect from Patrick. Suddenly, the dude is shot in the head by an unknown assailant, his hand falling limply to his side and the iPod ending up on the ground beneath him. Well, if nothing else, I'd imagine this means we'll be seeing Corrupt Cop and his partner again. See you soon to find out.
John Ramos is a writer and film producer living in Los Angeles. He writes about film and television on his blog "Pull Up A Chair," which he would just love for you to visit. Also, you can follow him on Twitter here, or get information about his most recent film "East Fifth Bliss," starring Michael C. Hall, Lucy Liu, and Peter Fonda, here.