Frankenstein.! Frankenstein.!
Bring him down to the village, and let's make it home.
I thought I knew all about monsters.
I used to watch them late at night on Dad's TVshow.
After we moved to Oakland, he stopped doing kids'shows, because he was different now.
Everything was different.
Now he was Al Gory, monster of ceremonies at Midnight Shriek.
Oh, Al?
What? Oh, it's you again.
So, anyway, before we dig in to our second feature...
I have to pay a visit to my aging mother.
She would've wanted me to have this.
It was on real late, way past my bedtime.
Dad didn't let me stay up to see it, so I used to wait for Mrs. Sampson to fall asleep...
Hold it. Hold it. I think that was a good one.
and sneak into his bedroom to watch.
But then I'd get scared, alone in his room at night...
and I wouldn't know why.
I didn't know yet what I was going to learn that year:
that monsters are real.
Whoa.
We had sort ofjust picked up and left Syracuse...
crossing the country, finding a house...
the three of us taking care of all the grown-up stuff together.
- Here. I'll get that.
- Who is it? - I got that.
Come on, Dylan.
I guess it could've been strange being in a new place.
Can your dad come out and play?
But it didn't take long for Dad to become a celebrity among the kids on our block.
When's the monster coming out?
There's no such thing as monsters. You all know that, don't you?
Monsters exist only in ourselves.
They live in the darkest chambers of our hearts.
They never actually come out into the world...
unless, of course, a metal light appears in the sky, but when's the last time you saw that?
So why don't we try and be adults about this and run along home, okay?
- Hey, what's that? - Mr. Leary.!
- What? - Look. Look.
- Look. - There it is.
He was always a madman for playing with kids.
Mom used to say that was because he was reallyjust a kid himself.
Mr. Leary, what's this strange power you have over our children?
I'm the perfect monster.
And the house we found in Oakland was perfect for playing anything...
- especially the flashlight game.
Come on, Dylan. In the closet.
But it was different now, the way he played with us.
- It was like he had to do it.
After the heartbreak had happened, sometimes I wondered...
if Dad didn't need our games more than we did.
Okay. Right. That's right. This is gonna be your bass note, okay?
Ready?
Where's ""C''? Right. Great.
Great. Now again.
- Sorry, Mom.
Right.
Very, very nice,Jackie.
- Hey,Jackie. - Hey.
Mom?
Mom died last winter.
Dylan, don't wake Dad.
Dylan and I were still learning things you need to know...
when you move to a new house.
Like in our case: Don't play in the backyard.
If you get caught in there, they eat you.
Out front, there was a whole neighborhood to get to know.
Split the difference, okay? Put the ball right there, okay?
Like Mr. Festinger, who always yelled at his son Edward for being retarded.
- Edward!
Edward, what did I tell you about your eyes and the ball?
Never take your eyes off the ball.
All right. You almost caught it. You almost caught that one. Come on. Let's go.
And Dexter, who lived next door.
My mom might be sleeping.
His parents were really his grandparents...
because his real parents had split from each other and from him...
and probably from everything.
- Guess what. We got company.
Let's go to my room.
Of course, his grandparents weren't doing much better.
Did I tell you he was a fighting Seabee?
No one else on our street would let their kids play at the Mitchell's.
- Come on. Let's go.
Them that are over there. That's them over there.
See? Over there. Get 'em. Get 'em. Get 'em.
Hey, Zombie. That's right. I'm talkin' to you.
The next time your dog defecates on my lawn, he's dead, pal.
Goddamn son of a--
And then there was Norman the Zombie...
who mangled one ofhis legs in a terrible accident as a teenager...
when he crashed his T-Bird into an ice cream truck.
He'd fixed up the car and kept it on blocks in his driveway...
washing it every day.
You know, inside that cane is a sword.
- I've seen it. - And he attacked Mr. Festinger one night with a tree branch.
Hit him right over the head with it.
He also blinded his own dog with a rock.
You ever look at it? Looks like a dead marble.
- Oh, God.! - He's coming for us.
Get down. Get down, Dig.! Get down. Dig.! Dig.!
Dig, he's comin'!
Is Norman gonna get us?
He's not gonna get us.
He killed his parents. You ever seen 'em over there in a long time?
- I've never seen 'em. - You used to, walkin'around behind the curtains.
I'm not going to go look. That's for sure.
Maybe we should.
- I'll get it. - No. I wanna do it myself.
- Well, don't fall. - Okay, kids. Get to bed.
- See? I can reach it. - Don't give Ms. Sampson a heart attack.
- What's up,Jackie Bear? - Uh, nothin'.
We're gonna have a lot of fun at the studio tomorrow.
But as for now, it's off to work.
Buyin'a new car doesn't have to give you a headache, not if you go to East Bay Dodge.
Ah. My old friend, Psycho Ward Cleaver.
Put that thing down, Psycho, and we'll go for a test drive.
You know, Psycho, this beautiful Dodge Challenger is loaded.
- Air-conditioning. Power steering. Blood bucket seats. - Ooh!
Michael, wait up. Michael.
Quiet. Quiet.
Shh, shh-shh.
- What do we do now? - Let's go.
- We got it? - Come on.
What are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing?
- Norman is gonna kill you. - Spray anywhere.
Jackie, wake up. We gotta go downstairs.
He said he'd cut his foot investigating a noise...
outside his house.
I couldn't figure out why he didn't tell Dad the rest.
He must not have too many good friends if he had to come to us...
in his time of need.
He has a sword in that cane.
Really?
Yeah. And he attacked Mr. Festinger one night with a tree branch.
Really?
Wonder why he didn't use his sword.
I guess that's when it all started.
I just didn't realize till later that the trouble wasn't only with Norman.
Uh-oh. Me spill.
Who let this brat into my crypt?
Spaghetti Bolognese? Now, how do you expect me to clean up this mess?
This oughta do the trick.
Don't move, Dylan. Hang in there. Okay. Cut.
Camera one, lock it off. All right. You can move now.
- Peggy, take his clothes off. - Come here.
- Hi, Peggy. - Here you go,Jack. Hang onto that.
One day you're gonna like the girls doin'this. Jack, don't you wanna be in the commercial?
No way. I have friends that watch this show.
- Give me the clothes, Peggy. Put 'em right here. - Yep.
-John, can I see you for a second? - Now, Gordon?
Right now. Do you mind?
All right. Well, let's take five.
What? What? You canceling the show?
No, no. I love the show. I love the commercials. I love everything.
- You gonna give me more bread? - Look.
I've been fightin'as hard as I can for you, but they're pinnin'me to the mat.
It seems they have a problem with your Psycho Ward Cleaver character.
They think he's in bad taste.
- Why? Because he has multiple head wounds? - Who knows?
So just think of another character.
Is this a suggestion or a nonnegotiable demand?
It's a-- It's just a phone call.
- They make a phone call, and you roll over. - Don't worry.
Your dad can always calm Gordon down.
- You're layin' down on me. - Course I am.
What? These people say ""Shit,'' and you say, ""What color?''
All right. Give me the jug. Peggy, run out and round up a bucket of dog vomit.
We'll throw it on the rug. All right. Come on.
Mom always said Dad bristled when he got mad.
And some people made him madder than others.
Grandma! Grandma!
- Grandma! Grandma! - Hi. Ooh, look at him.!
Maybe that's where the trouble really came from.
- Look who's here. - Oh, my goodness golly.
- Ooh-ooh-ooh.!
- Hi. - Come on.
How are you? Hi,John.
- Whoa. Look at that! - Hey. For you.
Long ago in Hollywood, Mom's parents...
were put on a blacklist they kept for Communists.
Though no one ever proved they carried the cards, which is the way you could tell.
- Lincoln Steffens. Thank you, Grandma. - You're welcome.
A great man,Jack.
Someone stays with you and your brother while your dad's at work?
- Mrs. Sampson. - Uh-huh.
- An older woman? - Uh-huh.
I could tell he was tryin'to get me to rat on Dad...
the way his friends ratted on him long ago.
Fishing with red bait for something he could hold against Dad to his grave.
Is he laying off the sauce?
Uh-huh.
You know, it doesn't help make things better,John-- only worse.
Couldn't resist, could you, Syd?
Tsk.
- Didn't help your marriage much. - Sydney.
- Is this why you came here? - No. I came to see my grandchildren.
Then what are you doin' talkin' to me?
You leave the children with strangers.
What's even worse-- on their own.
I pay a responsible woman to look after them.
- What the hell else do you want me to do? - Don't use that tone.
- You're talking about your own children's welfare, for God's sakes. -John.
- John, listen. We all want the same thing. - I'm not gonna discuss this.
Fine. You keep drinking, you lose this job like you lost the others...
and we'll go to court and take those kids.
Tell you what, Syd: over my dead body. How's that?
That's when you can have my boys.
They left that night.
Dad? Aren't you gonna take Dylan to school?
It's Dylan's first day.
Dylan, let's go!
- What are you doing? - My shoes.
- Dylan.
- Dylan! Do you want the dogs?
I want Daddy.
- Daddy's asleep. - I want Daddy take me to school.
Daddy! Daddy!
Come on. Come on. We live around here.
I want Daddy. Where's Mommy?
""Where's Mommy?'' Listen, Dylan.
- You have to go in there, okay? - No.
They'll be nice. You have to. You have to go.
Okay? Come on. I'll pick you up later.
Now, go. You have to go.
Go.
Japanese poetry is a drama. It's about life and death.
- It's-- - Um, sorry I'm late. I had to--
It's okay. Have a seat.
That's right. No desks.Join us.
- You have a desk. - Table.
- Wanna sit at it? - No, sir.
- No ""sir'' either.
The name's Vince.
Hi,Jack.
I know about your mom.
So. We have a lot of things for each of you to try.
Besides the electrical experiments and the herb garden...
there's a ""learning to communicate your feelings'' workshop I'll be teaching.
Oh,Jesus!
Ohh.
That's very nice.
There you go. Hold onto my hand.
Throw your ball. Throw your ball.
Throw your ball.!
- Can I help you? - Yeah.
Actually, uh, I was supposed to drop off my son today.
I was detained, and, uh, I just came by to see if he was okay.
- How old is he? - He's three. It's his first day.
Okay. Take it easy.
Ifhe's doing all right, maybe you should let him be.
- It might be harder ifhe sees you.
He's a good kid.
I'm gonna go.
Get back in here.
- Is there a fire? - No.
It's that lady in there. The kid came home and found her.
She's barely alive. There must be a square yard of pill bottles in that place.
- Dexter, is your mom sick? - No.
She's just not moving.
I knew right away, when I saw Dexter coming home from school with his lunch pail.
He looked like an angel or a girl...
his face all soft and rosy and sweet.
My mom's dead.
Did you hear about Dexter's mom?
Yeah.
- Dylan, no! Dylan.
You wearin' those to school or what?
The weeks went by, and fall came...
with cold mornings, like in Syracuse.
Things had started to change. There was even a girl at school who started talking to me.
Hi,Jack.
Hi, Karen.
She was what my dad called "a long drink of water. '"
I wanted to tell you that I really liked what you wrote for the poets' corner.
- I thought it showed great sensitivity.
- It did? - Yeah.
Thanks.
I figured I was really lame, because I knew...
there was something I should do about the situation, and I didn't know what it was.
Would you like to come to my house for some Hungarian goulash...
Friday night at about 6:30 p.m.?
Sure.
Oh.
Great.
- Yes! She said yes! - All right.
- So I told her goulash. - Great. I'll make my famous goulash.
- Really? - Of course.
Maybe we should invite somebody, so it's not just her surrounded by three men. What do you think?
- Who? - I don't know. Maybe Peggy.
I know it was stupid, but I found myself wishing...
Mom could somehow fly back into the world.
It's up to you,Jack. Whatever you want.
- Yeah. No. That'd be great. - Great. This is great.
- Should I button it? - We're casual tonight, right?
- So you're saying I shouldn't button it? - It looks good like that.
- Only you need a sweater. It's raining. - I don't have any sweaters!
- What time is it? - You got plenty of sweaters.
- Dad, I have to leave. - Relax. Try on a sweater.
- Nothing goes! - This goes.
I have to get out of here. I'm taking this.
- That's good. It's clear. It doesn't clash. - I'm going, okay? Good-bye.
Don't you want me to iron that for you? Aren't you interested in what I'm gonna wear?
- What am I gonna wear?
- Would you like a V8 juice? - V8 juice? Sure.
- You must beJack. - You must be Mrs. Morris.
- Karen should be right down. - Okay.
I was afraid they were gonna ask about my family...
and I'd have to tell them about Mom.
- There you go,Jack.
Thank you.
And then they'd have to say, "We're sorry to hear about that. '"
And then I'd have to say, "That's all right. You didn't know. '"
And then there'd be that awful silence where there'd be nothing else to say.
- So,Jack, tell us about your-- - Hi,Jack.
Hi.
- What happened here? - Nobody knows.
They just showed up one day.
Hi, Dad. This is Karen.
- Oh, how are you, Karen? - Hi, Mr. Leary.
It's very nice to meet you, Karen.
Peggy Etinger, this is my son Jack Leary and his friend Karen Morris.
- Hi. - Karen, this is my friend Peggy Etinger and my son Dylan.
Dylan, this is your brother's friend Karen Morris, and your brother, who you know.
Jack, this is your brother Dylan, who you know, and my friend Peggy Etinger.
Does anybody know who's playin' in there? That's Glenn Miller.
Okay. Here we go. It's time you kids learned classical music. Very nice.
- Thank you, Peggy. - You're welcome.
At last... the goulash you've all been waiting for.
- I want my goulash! I want my goulash! - I'll serve.
I'll do it. Thank you, my dear. You may have your goulash.
All right. You do-- the goulash. I do the wine.
- The goulash! - Great year for Welch's.
- Tasty goulash. Eat that all up. - For you.
- Excuse me. Pardon me. - So, Mr. Leary,Jack tells me you used to have a kids' show.
He told you that, eh? Thank you very much.
- Miss Etinger, a little goulash? - Come on, Dad.
All right. You broke my arm.
Hi, boys and girls. Are you here for kids' stuff?
Well, hold your horses and tie up your dragonflies...
because today we're gonna talk about colors!
Red, green, blue, orange, chartreuse!
- Dad was really on. - "Goulash,John?'"
"Don't mind if I do-yash. '"
- Heart. - Heart. Yeah.
Don't call clubs. Don't call clubs.
Don't call clubs. Karen. Karen, look at my eyes. Look at me.
Don't call clubs. Don't call clubs.
- Don't call clubs. Don't call clubs. Don't call clubs. - Clubs!
Don't call clubs! Oh, clubs! Ohh.
Oh, no. Clubs. She called clubs.
No clubs.
- That ain't a club. No. - He was like an artist.
Only what he was creating was the perfect evening.
She called-- She called clubs.
- She called clubs. And it was all for Karen and me.
- In the closet. There's a secret passageway. - Coming.!
- Where are you? - Come on. Let's go.
As we come-- Where are you?
Are you in here? No?
Ha! Back off.
- Up the stairs we come.
Someday, if I ever get that far...
maybe I'll be able to do the same thing for my son.
Where the hell are those kids?
- It was great meetin' you. I'm glad you came. - It's so nice to meet you.
- All right. - Nice to meet you.
- It was nice to meet you too. - Bye.
- See you later. Okay.
- Good night, Dad. - Good night.
- You want me to drive you? You want a ride? - No. Good night.
Good night, Dad.
I was being sincere. It really was a lovely evening.
I hope there will be more.
Do you wanna come in?
Well...
good night.
Good night.
- I don't know what it was--maybe the rain--
but after that night, everything just started falling into place.
All right. We got 'em. We got 'em.
The Oakland A's made it to the Series, and we sat glued to the set for all seven games.
- Two down. - Two down!
- And here we are-- - Oh, no! It's Pete Rose, Dad!
- No sweat. No sweat. - And on that last fly ball...
- Come on! Come on! - we were on our feet, because we were champs.
- Whoa, yes! Yes! - Play ball!
- Yes! Yes!
- A's, A's, A's, A's, A's, A's, A's, A's!
- Whoo!
A's, A's!
See,Jack? We bring luck wherever we go.
A's, A's, A's, A's!
Whoa, Cookie Monster! Whoa, Cookie Monster!
One bag of cookies. One bag. One bag.
- Daddy! - Okay. Okay. Let me--
I'm gonna let you in on a little secret:My tongue grows.
So from time to time...
I have to nip a little off...
like this.
Ah. Blech!
There. That's much better, don't you think?
Jack!
Jack.!
Hey, Dexter.
You like television?
Dad always went all out for Halloween.
But later that night, he went too far.
- Come on,Jackie. Open the door.
What are you tryin'to tell me? You're too old to run around in a costume?
- How do you think that makes me feel? - So don't wear one then.
- No one's making you. - I like wearing one.
- Well, good. - Jackie, come on. It's Halloween.
You can wear a costume and still be dignified. Look at me.
- Trick or treat. - Trick or treat.
All right, Mr. Adult. The candy cauldron's right here by the door.
If you run out, there's more in the cupboard by the fridge.
If you run out of that, there's always the change jar.
Okay, Charles. Let's go and leave your brother to reflect on his lost childhood.
Here you go. Hold that bag.
Come on now. Do not fall.
- My little brother's a clown. - Where is he?
Hi,Jack. Trick or treat.
Hi, Katie. Hello, Edward.
We saw your dad down the street. He's dressed like a big rabbit.
- I know. - Well, bye.
Hi, Mike.
- You recognize me? - Sure.
Man, you're full of it. You real-- You recognize me?
- Bye, Michael. - What? Okay, okay. Wait.
- What are you supposed to be? - Me?
- You. - Myself.
You're-- You're gettin' strange, man.
- Hello? - Hello, sir. It's Jack Leary. Is Karen there?
Uh, no, she's not here. She went to the party with her friends.
- What party? - Big Halloween party.
- Oh. - Want me to tell her you called?
- No. That's okay. - You sure?
- Thank you. - Okay.
Trick or treat,Jack.
Dexter, where'd you get the--
Thanks.
How'd I do?
Wow. Huh?
Not a bad haul, considering I had to lug your brother halfway around the neighborhood.
- Dad. -Jackie, where would Dexter get a Nazi uniform?
- Norman gave it to him. - He probably was dressed as a bus driver.
- Yeah, but, Dad, he went like this. - Don't do that in this house.
What are we gonna do about it?
- That's Mrs. Sampson.
Dad.
How you doin', Norman?
What? Are you out trick-or-treatin'?
No. I'm taking this opportunity to collect contributions...
for state assembly candidate Elder MacIntyre.
Mr. MacIntyre is a former law enforcement officer.
I know who he is.
Because...
I grew up on this street.
- Excuse me? - When I was a kid,you didn't see them around.
- They kept their distance. - ""They''?
The niggers and theJews.
Ohh. "They. '"
Mr. MacIntyre can help us...
but he needs our help.
- Anything you could spare would be greatly appreciated.
Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love seein' their costumes.
- What did you go as? - A bunny.
Well, all right. Excuse me, sir.
- Mrs. Sampson. - Hi,Jackie.
Hi, Mrs. Sampson.
As one white man to another.
I moved across the street from a goddamned nazi.
Oh, my God! ""Niggers and Jews.''
Excuse me, Mrs. Sampson.
- You're notJewish, are you? - No. I'm a Jehovah's Witness.
- Sorry about this, Mrs. Sampson. - Don't worry, honey.
Nothing you can do about it.
Elder MacIntyre.
Milltown--
Dad showed Invasion of the Body Snatchers that night, his favorite movie.
He said it was really about all the stupid people who worried that Communists...
were gonna take over the country.
And all the towns around us. It's a malignant disease spreading through the country.
I don't wanna alarm you...
but check out what this movie is really about.
Pods from outer space?
Some small town called Santa Rita?
This is your town.
He was drunk, not pretending.
I could tell by his half-closed eyes and the slow way he moved.
Look again at that man across the street, watering his lawn...
- Go to two. - Two's off the set.
or that woman climbing out of her Pontiac...
carrying her grocery bags.
- How big is that nose? - Dad, don't do this.
Who are these people moving in?
Niggers?
Jews? Commie bastards?
Shit.
You turn around, and one day, there they are.
If you don't wanna think about it, don't...
but if you're smart...
- Oh, my God. -you'll join me...
and candidate...
for assembly Elder MacIntyre--
- Cut him off. - Anything you can spare...
- Cut him off now. - will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your kind attention.
Sieg heil.
Get ready to send them out.
He was really big up close.
I knew it was wrong, but I thought of dragging him over to Festinger's lawn.
I figured I'd leave a trail...
or someone coming out of their house to get their paper...
would look over and see me.
If I could do it all over again, I would've rolled him there if I had to.
Absolutely.
- Dad.
Where was I?
Dad?
Martini, like Daddy.
The vet said poison, and we were the prime suspects.
No matter where Cheyenne was poisoned, stumbling around, coughing his guts out...
it was our front yard he finally crashed on.
- What the heck do you want me to do,Jackie? - Tell him we didn't do it.
- He doesn't think we did it. - Dad, after last night?
Uh, Norman, hi.
Uh... I came over here to apologize to you.
I did a very mean-spirited thing on my show last night.
I don't know if you saw it.
I was drunk. I know that's no excuse.
I don't know what you're talking about.
I didn't kill your dog, Norman.
I'm sorry that somebody did.
I didn't poison your dog, Norman.
If you knew me better, you'd know it's not my style.
I'd have shot him.
For those of you whose brains aren't totally withered...
here's a startling demonstration.
My old friend Psycho Ward Cleaver will do the honors.
Take 'em away, Psycho.
- Not enough blood. - That's plenty.
Hey, I finally found The Beast with a Million Eyes.
Ooh. We'll put it on Friday night with Mr. Sardonicus.
- Okay. - John.
John?
- I think you need some time off. - What?
You need a break. Last night was too much,John.
- Do I get to decide how long a break I need? - No.
So you're firing me? Is that what you're saying? You're firing me?
- Don't press it,John. - Well, I wanna press it. I think I should press it.
- I'll take a week off.
What turned your motor on?
Look,Jack. I think it would be best if we began seeing other people.
I mean, we can still be friends.
I'm just too young to tie myself to one guy,Jack.
Where did you hear this? On television?
It's just the way I feel.
I didn't know why Dad stopped going to work.
I asked him ifhe was looking for a newjob, and he wouldn't even talk about it.
It wasn't like he had changed in any way.
- I don't know. Maybe we werejust growing apart.
- So what's the story? - No story.
Did you see any other fathers acting like seals?
- Somebody had to do it. - Could you ever just stop for, like, one minute?
I need to know if you plan on being Bozo the Clown your whole life.
Listen to this. Who's the father and who's the son here?
I don't know.
- Open the goddamn door, Dylan. - It's locked.
I know it's locked. You locked it. Now unlock it.
- I don't know how. - Then turn off the goddamn water.
- I don't know how. - Turn those goddamn knobs.
- I don't know how. - Goddamn it!
Goddamn it!
- I said, come on! - No!
No,Jack. No! No!
- No,Jack! Please, no!
Now, you stay there! Stay there!
Jack!
Thank you,Jack.
I was beginning to wonder if the awful reprisals...
we expected from Norman weren't coming instead from ourselves...
from the darkest chambers, as Dad said, of our hearts.
- I'll pay you a nickel to watch my brother a while.
Uh-huh.
[ Man Speaking On TV, Indistinct ]
Jack the Bear had real long hair.
Takes some steps. Ain't gettin' nowhere.Jack the Bear.
Jack the Bear! Yes! He is Jack--
Surprise! Happy birthday!
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Hey,Jackie. What's the matter? Hmm?
- They all saw me singing. - So?
- Well, they're laughing about it. - Oh, no, they aren't.
They're laughing because they're at a party. They're happy.
- Jackie Bear. - Don't touch me.
Get out of my room.
Get out of my room now! Get out!
- Where's Dylan? - He's gone.
Where?
- Where? - There, in the street.
My brother doesn't go in the street.
Look, man, my brother is my responsibility. Now, where the hell is he?
Does this mean I don't get to keep the nickel?
You want to die? Talk! Talk! Talk!
- Norman. - Norman what? Norman what?
- Come on! Tell me now! - He took him in a car.
Norman's car's right there, idiot!
It doesn't even have a motor!
Hey!
- What car? - Another car. A white car.
You're supposed to be watching him!
He's your brother. Please get off of me.
- I'll get off you if you swear that you won't run away. - I swear!
- I'll kill you if you run away! - I swear.
Hey!
Ow!
Where's my brother?
I need the police. It's an emergency.
I need them to come to my house right now.
It was like a dream...
where your legs keep moving, but you can't get anywhere.
I knew I should be finding him, but I didn't know where...
or who to ask, or what to do.
- What's the trouble,Jack? - Norman kidnapped my brother.
Dexter saw it, but he wouldn't tell me what happened.
What? Hey, Dexter!
Get over here!
Get over here.
- Tell me, boy, or I'll whale you! - Ow!
Hey, Mitchell, what the hell are you doing?
- None of your business. Shut up.! - Don't tell me to shut up.
I'll put your head through the window of that ugly camper. Don't tell me to shut up.
- It's none of your business! - Anything that happens on this block is my business!
- What're you hittin' the kid for? - You got your nose in everybody's business.
- This is my family. - What the hell's going on here?
- Leave the kid alone. - My brother was kidnapped!
Are you the person who called?
- I was in the house, and he's supposed to be watching him. - Tell him what you saw!
- He was kidnapped by Norman Strick. - There's the father.
White car.
Sir?
I'm sorry to have to tell you, but we believe one of your sons has been kidnapped.
Norman Strick, that son of a bitch, took Dylan away in a car.
Dexter, tell him what Norman did.
I just need some information from you, sir.
We'll start the search-- Sir?
Look, who is this man who took him away?
His name is Norman Strick.
He lives right over there.
[ Police Radio: Woman, Indistinct ]
How are you doin', son?
It was getting to be his bedtime.
All I could think was that Norman was just gonna pull up any second with Dylan...
just pull up outside with an ice cream cone.
No!
Mr. Festinger thought he'd died and gone to heaven.
He threatened me once with a tree branch.
The man belongs in an institution. I think he's a nazi.
He was the real poisoner of Cheyenne.
Why didn't Norman steal Edward?
Ten seconds,John.
Nine, eight, seven, six...
five, four--
John,you're on.
Yesterday at 5:00 p.m....
my son...
was taken by this man.
His name is Norman Strick.
He's in his late 20s.
Walks with a cane.
He was--
He took him in a white car.
My name is DetectiveJohn Marker with the Oakland Police Department.
We're asking your help in locating this missing child.
His name is Dylan Leary. He's three and a half years old.
Dad?
We're at a crossroads.
Can you feel it?
It's dark down there...
and there are things nobody...
wants to meet in the dark.
Whether we'll come out on the other side...
hating everything...
and everybody--
- I don't know.
The same argument over and over and over again.!
- It's like a broken record.! - I feel like I'm raising three children and not two.
I'm a child, is that it? I don't provide for this family?
- I don't bring my money home? - You're not listening to me!
I don't give you a good life here? Huh? What are you talking about?
- I can't take it. - You can't take it anymore? Then get the hell out.!
Hello.
Yes, this is Mr. Leary.
An accident?
Is she okay? Where is she?
Is she-- Is she okay?
Well, tell me if she's okay. Is she okay?
Tell me if my wife is okay.! Is she okay?
Jack!Jack! They found Dylan. He's alive.
Excuse me! Excuse me. I'm looking for my son.
He was lost, he was found, he's small.
He's down that way to your right, Mr. Leary.
Buddy. Hi, buddy.
Are we allowed to kiss him?
Yeah. Kiss him.
They found him in the woods by the Piedmont Reservoir.
Not molested, the doctor said.
Just abandoned, left to die in the mud by a creek.
I, myself, would have died of terror...
alone in the woods, in the night, in the rain...
with monsters all around.
Norman had disappeared off the face of the Earth...
- and Dylan had stopped talking...
from the trauma, they said.
After three days and still no words...
the doctors decided maybe he should come home...
where familiar objects might give him security.
We're home.
- Hi. - Hey, partner.
Oh! Look at that.
- Well, here I am. Where cookies? - Here are the cookies!
Who's that? Is that Big Bird? No.
Who's that? Is that Cookie Monster? Me want cookie!
Is that Cookie, huh, Dylan?
And now observe as I--
I don't wanna call you Vince! I feel like you're a teacher if I call you Mr. Buccini!
You have every right to be upset,Jack.
Then please just leave me alone, and stop persecuting me!
I couldn't get back into the whole school thing.
The place is a mental institution.
But what I didn't understand is how could a person like me...
who's always been loved, hate so much?
John.
- I'm so sorry,John. - Yeah.
- Are you okay? - I'm okay.
How's the baby?
Hi, sweetheart.
You remember Grandma?
We've been sleeping together in here.
It broke.
That oughta do it.
Goddamn it. Goddamn it!
Dylan, I'm not mad at you, honey. I'm mad at the bed.
- Don't make him afraid of his own bed,John. - Shut up!
Dylan. Come to Daddy.
John!
John.
Come on. That's not gonna solve anything.
Where is he?
Where is your son?
- Where is he? - For God's sake,John!
They're responsible.! They raised him.! They're guilty.!
Go out of here! He's gone away. He's gone somewhere else.
Jackie.
My heart's beginning to beat with the monster's heart.
Everything in L.A. was big and bright, except their house.
It was small and dark, and Grandpa smelled like it...
or it smelled like him.
Now, tell me why you did that.
- To get away from your bishop. - Ah, but look.
You have to be on your guard every minute,Jack.
The other guy always has a trick up his sleeve.
Checkmate.
Tell me why you did that.
- You don't know why?
You just moved without thinking?
Maybe you should let me win once.
Let you win? Why? What would that accomplish?
I don't know.
I'll teach you to win,Jack. I won't let you win.
That would be wrong. You'd regret that later on.
You know, what you moved into...
is called the Devil's Crossroads.
I would take this piece, and you've got yourself blocked here--
Dad would let me win!
I'm sure he would.
He wouldn't be obvious about it, but I'd probably know he was doing it.
He'd make a big deal out of it.
He'd protest the game. He'd yell and moan about it.
He'd tell everyone he was robbed and demand a rematch.
It would go on for days.
Then I'd like to play chess...
and I would have learned the Devil's Crossroads because of him.
I'm sorry, Elizabeth.
Just tell me what I gotta do, Gordon.
Just tell me what you want me to do, and I'll do it.
You want to change the show, we'll change it. We'll make it a kiddie show.
- No. - We'll make it light. We'll make it bright.
- No. No! - Why not?
- We'll make it a talk show. - No!
- We'll show cartoons. -John, no.
- I'll make it a cooking show. - No!
- Why not? - Because I don't trust you, that's why.
- You have to trust me. - Why?
Because I can't lose my kids.
Can he pick up the ticket at the airport?
Yes, he's flown before.
That's right. L-E-A-R-Y. One way.
Dylan, I'm going to Dad.
I'm gonna get him. I'm gonna come back for you, okay?
You'll be okay here while I'm gone.
Okay?
- Thanks. - No problem.
Dad!
Shit.
Dad?
Jack? You in there?
Jackie?
- Hmm? - Jack,you in there?
Home run,Jack.
-Jack.
- No, no! No! - I just want to talk to you.
Oh! No!
Help! Somebody help!
Where are you going,Jack?
I just want to talk to you. Don't you want to talk to me?
- Get the fuck away from him now.!
You touch my son, and I'll kill you! You hear me?
- Okay. - Dad! Daddy!
-Jackie!
Jack!
No.! No.!
Jack.
Better get this in writing.
What am I doing? I don't know.
I kept wondering what Mom would say if she saw Dad...
cleaning up the house and trying to make things great for Dylan's homecoming...
but I didn't have much faith in what he could do anymore.
Mmm.
And now we return to those kings of horror...
Abbott and Costello.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-- Chick!
- Chick.! Even though he was doing better...
- Chick.! - it's just that I knew now...
there was more than one kind of monster in the world.
- Hi, Mr. Leary. - Hey, Dylan. Come on.
- Hi. - When's the monster coming out?
There's no such things as monsters. You all know that.
We know. They're only in our hearts.
They don't actually come out into the world.
Not unless a metal light appears in the sky, right?
No, not even then.
We'll think of a new game, okay?
Okay?
""Once there was a little bunny who wanted to run away.
""So he said to his mother, "I am running away.'
"If you run away, ' said his mother--'"
""Run away, 'said his mother.
""I will run after you for you are my little bunny. '
""If you run after me, ' said the little bunny...
""I will become a rock...
"on the mountain high above you. '
""If you become a rock on the mountain, 'said his mother...
"""I'll become a mountain climber and climb to where you are.'
- """If you become a mountain climber and climb to me'...
""said the little bunny...
"""I will be a bird...
""and fly away from you.'
"""If you become a bird and fly away from me'...
""said his mother...
"I will be a tree that you can come home to.'''
What's the name of that song, Dylan?
She sang it to us every night.
Don't you remember?
Tell me the name of Mommy's favorite song, Dylan.
He doesn't remember,Jack.
It was too long ago. He was too little.
- I miss Mommy. - I know.
I miss her so much.
Me too.
And I don't know what's gonna happen to us.
- We're gonna be all right. - No, we're not!
Nothing's all right!
Then we're gonna make it all right.
Shh, shh, shh.
Shh. Daddy's here. Daddy's here.
Shh, shh.
Cry for your mother,Jackie.
Cry for her.
Jack the Bear?
Dylan. Dylan.
Say it again. What did you say? Say it again.
- Say it again. - Jack the Bear.
Jack the Bear.