_
You played very well.
It just lacked passion.
Previously on "A Million Little Things"...
If I'm gonna work with you,
you've got to give it everything you got.
- I will. - I'll be in touch.
I'm just... I'm nervous about leaving.
If it's all too much, I can cancel my trip.
It's gonna be fine.
I really like what we're becoming.
We've both come a long way.
We really have.
You lied to your family, stole from your friends,
broke your vows,
and the person you're most worried about in all this is you?
I need to know your mom's in a better place.
What place is better than being right here?
I'm not fighting with you on your mom's birthday.
Where's Soph?
I haven't seen her since she broke up with me.
She must be seeing someone else.
Hey, Soph.
Who the hell is this?
Dude, I'm looking at it right now.
It's Jake's name but not his number.
Why would she change her boyfriend's number?
You mean ex-boyfriend.
Exactly.
I didn't even know they broke up.
I should know these things, Rome.
Why is she running around not telling me where she is?
I don't know. Maybe because she's a teenager.
You didn't sneak around and do stuff when you were her age?
What I did or did not do with Lana Horowitz
in my neighbor's treehouse is totally irrelevant
because we weren't in the middle of a pandemic.
Seriously, dude,
if I knew where this new guy lived,
I would go over there, I would rip the door off the hinges,
march in, mask on, and...
Oh, hold up. Danny's texting.
Oh, she's home.
- I'll call you later, man. - Alright. Glad we had this talk.
_
Synced & corrected by QueenMaddie www.addic7ed.com
- He left, huh? That's odd. - Hey. What are you doing here?
I'm on a thing.
Sorry. It's my day off.
I brought sad food.
You still with me, Maggie?
I lost you when you mentioned your roommate.
Is this the same roommate
who was on the episode that I heard?
Yes. Oh, yes. Sorry, Dr. Stacy.
Um, it stinks, but, he... he left today.
Dr. Stacy? I love Dr. Stacy.
Sounds like maybe him leaving without you
was a little more complicated than it seems on the surface.
Was he more than a roommate?
Ooh, she's good.
No.
Uh, and yes.
I mean, he was, um...
Oh, I see what you're doing, and it is very effective.
- You're very talented. - And so are you.
So, I'm looking for a few heavy hitters
to do some segments for my show
and help me fill out my hour.
I really appreciate it.
Um, my podcast is long form.
I don't think that I want to condense helping people
into five-minute segments.
I get it, Maggie,
but the hope that it gives people is very real,
and it just seems like you would be a great fit.
Mull it over, but let me know by the end of the day.
Claudia, I don't need you to grow the beans.
I just need you to put the pod in the machine.
The marketing campaign literally says
"a child could do it."
Bye, Maggie.
That was awesome.
Tell me you're doing this.
- Hmm. - You have to do this.
Everybody loves Dr. Stacy.
Well, not Claudia.
Yeah, that's true.
Hi. You've reached Peter. Leave a message.
Hey. Uh, it's me.
Uh, Sophie.
Uh, look, you're... you're probably busy, but I just, um...
I-I didn't... I didn't know if you'd seen my text,
but I sent you something, and I just...
You know, I wanted to...
U-Uh, you know what, never mind.
Um, just call me back... when you can.
Okay, bye.
Oh, look who decided to come home.
Can't believe you lied to me, Soph.
I just went all the way to Jake's place
because I saw the text that you sent him.
- Oh, my God. - Yeah, that's right.
When I got back earlier and you weren't here,
you're damn right I read your texts,
because apparently, there are no rules anymore.
I have tried to be cool "fun Uncle Gary."
We stayed up late that one night
and watched "Dumb and Dumber."
But you know what? That all stops right now.
I can't believe anything you say to me.
I mean, do you even think that...
That Jeff Daniels is a comic genius,
or is that just another one of the many lies
that you've woven as part of your subterfuge?
Will you look at me, please?
Tell me, where were you?
I was with Peter.
Peter? Your guitar teacher?
I think I messed up.
- _ - ? Can you see your baby girl ?
? In the woman I've come to be? ?
? If you saw me no-o-o-w ?
? Would you still know me? ?
You know what?
You are so much better than what you just played right there.
You were not in the zone.
Can you feel the difference?
Uh, I think so.
Every performer falls into one of three categories.
Stage One, "I have no idea what I'm doing,
and it's not that great."
Don't worry, that is not you at all.
Stage Two is, "I'm totally in the zone sometimes,
but when I am, I have no idea how I got there."
Sound familiar?
- Yeah. - Yeah.
Now, what I want to get you to...
is Stage Three,
"I'm in control of my instrument,
and I can bring it and be in the zone any time I want,
so back the F-minor up and see what I can do."
- You're right. - Mm-hmm.
And I want to be able to do that. But...
I jus... I just don't think I can.
Alright, listen.
That day that I came out of the audition with my wife,
you stopped us in our tracks with your passion.
Do you know why you could bring it on the street,
but you couldn't during the audition?
Because I wasn't totally nervous.
That's right. You had nothing to lose.
But we've been working on intonation, pitch, rhythm...
All important for your audition.
Equally as important are presence and charisma.
It's time for us to work on that.
What is your song about?
What?
"Miss Dixon... I see here,
as part of your audition for MMI,
you're going to play for us a song you wrote.
Can you please tell me and the other judges
what your piece is about?"
It's... You know, it's about my dad.
No, Miss Dixon.
What is your song about?
It's about how my dad left.
Uh-huh.
How he left, uh, without saying goodbye.
And how he died before I became what I was gonna be.
And...
how a part of me is...
afraid to become that new person, because...
may...
Uh, maybe secretly, I...
think I'll run into him again. And...
if I do, I want to make sure he recognizes me.
If you don't play that...
every single time you get on stage...
then don't get on stage.
How do I do that?
Uh, you find the best teacher in town,
you get them to notice how talented you are,
and then you trust that person completely.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Wait, I thought you couldn't do tomorrow.
Well, we can't have a breakthrough like that
and not do tomorrow.
3:00. Don't be late.
I'll be here at 2:50.
"Interior, café."
No, "Interior, bistro."
No, "Interior, coffee shop."
Yeah, that's it.
_
Hey, Pop. It's 3:00 a.m.
What are you doing up?
Couldn't sleep. What are you doing up?
Writing the next blockbuster?
Trying to.
When you get a draft, I'd love to read it.
There's nothing I'd like more
than to have a draft done for you to read.
You should try to get some sleep.
The bed's really big without her.
I know it's hard, Pop.
I miss her, too.
- Good morning. - Good morning.
You made coffee?
Oh, you bet your sweet ass I did.
Someone's in a good mood.
Did you get a lot of writing done?
Enough.
I had a great conversation with my dad.
- Last night? - Technically,
it was very early this morning.
I didn't hear you talking.
Well, we texted, but unlike his usual texts,
it was more than just a thumbs-up,
thumbs-down, you know?
I didn't even know he was capable of a thumbs-up.
I know, right? But, like, last night,
we had this... this incredible back-and-forth.
He was kind, he was gracious, he was funny.
Yeah... Oh, I got to go shower.
I'm taking my dad to his appointment.
Here's something you never hear me say.
I am looking forward to hanging with my dad today.
Huh?
Hey! I thought you said you made coffee!
Oh, I did.
But then I drank it all.
Sorry.
Hi.
Hey, so, I was talking to Anna about how,
when you're in a pressure situation,
it's hard for you to get out of your head.
You were talking to her about me?
Yeah, well, I'm determined to help you crack this.
We just need to take you out of your comfort zone.
So, that way, you can practice performing under pressure.
You didn't see that.
Anna reminded me of a student I had
who was actually even more inhibited than you are.
Well, I'm glad I'm not the most inhibited.
Oh, no, no, that title goes to Gregory.
He's a prodigy, really.
Uh, so brilliant on the cello,
but he would clam up any time it mattered.
But we did this exercise,
and I will just say this totally worked for him.
We had him wear a full-body unitard for our entire session.
Oh, my God. That is so funny.
It was amazing.
He felt so ridiculous and was so uncomfortable,
which is exactly why it worked.
After 20 minutes, he forgot what he was wearing,
and by the end... I can show you the video I took...
It was Zone Three stuff.
I-I guess I could order a unitard.
I haven't done gymnastics since the sixth grade.
I mean, it doesn't have to be a unitard.
I mean, it could be anything... A leotard or a bathing suit.
Just anything that makes you feel a little uncomfortable.
I can totally do that.
You know, actually, I got to go help with the groceries,
but I will see you at 3:00.
Oh, uh, 2:50.
- Hi. Sorry about that. - Hi.
Hey.
Your e-mail said 12:45. It's 12:50.
- I thought I was driving. - Why would you drive?
Because you asked me to take you, Pop.
'Cause I want to be able to go in the carpool lane.
Now, hush up. It's time for traffic on the ones.
Got to be able to make up for that five minutes you kept me waiting.
Unh-unh. You know the rules.
You don't touch the volume.
That's how you broke the knob in the first place.
You don't know how to treat things.
As if you have such a gentle touch.
Can we just get to my stress test?
I need them to give me a test while I'm there.
Maybe, on the way back from your mother's,
you can stop by the store?
Aw, sweetie, come on. The recipe says basmati.
It's got to be basmati.
Okay, you're the best.
Alright, love you.
Ah, that was Gregory.
Um, okay, where were we?
Oh, right, right, this is gonna be fun.
Here's what we should do.
Alright, go and change.
You brought something, right?
Uh, yeah, I brought a swimsuit.
- Is that okay? - Perfect.
Change, and when you make your entrance,
step up center stage and perform your audition song.
Uh, great.
Look, I can see you're nervous. That's the point.
The idea is to push through those nerves
like you're gonna have to at your audition.
Alright? Any self-doubt you're feeling,
just leave on the other side of that doorway.
Okay.
What do you mean, you messed up?
What's going on, Soph?
Okay, so... when I perform...
sometimes I can get in my head.
I mean, y-you saw it
when I did that first audition for Peter.
I was different on the street.
I thought you were great both times.
But okay, yeah, you... you were a little freer on the street.
Exactly.
And so we did this exercise to get me out of my head.
Uh, should I... just walk out?
Well, uh, not like that.
You have to make an entrance!
Oh, okay.
You know, uh, one time,
I was at a recording studio in the Village,
and, uh, we're all sitting there...
and suddenly, you could feel the energy in the room
just... shift.
I-I mean, it was palpable.
We all turned.
It was Britney Spears, height of her career,
a-and it was obvious why.
She... She didn't just walk in.
She entered the room!
I want you to do that.
Whenever you're ready.
Sorry, this is just...
No, no, no, no, no. No apologies.
This is all part of the exercise.
It was the exact same way with Gregory.
You know what?
Why don't we film this so you can see your progress?
Okay.
Yeah.
Your guitar teacher had you wear a swimsuit
during the lesson?
Yes, but it was to help me build confidence.
And he filmed it?
Yes, s-so I could see the progress.
I mean, he... he's done it with other students, and...
Oh, my God. You're obviously not gonna get this.
- Just forget it. - No, no, no, no.
No, please, I don't want to talk about it anymore.
- Please, just leave. - I'm just trying to understand you.
I... Seriously, just get out!
Get out!
Hey, Maggie, it's me. I, uh...
I need you to drop everything you're doing and come over here.
Uh, right now.
49... 50... 51.
- Oh. - Yeah, only 51.
3 of hearts. That's our culprit.
Well, I wish we'd discovered that before we played two games.
You mean, before you lost two games.
And you were never collecting 3s,
so don't get your panties in a bunch.
A sticky note that sticks. Who'd have thunk?
You know, it's not too late for me to start playing solitaire.
Ha.
I listened to your album.
A couple songs weren't so bad.
Thanks?
Why'd you guys stop playing?
Because, uh, they got sick of me.
So did I.
That's how I ended up here the first time.
You know... you and I are the same person.
Yeah, you're right. We're not.
I'm like six steps ahead of you.
I've already accepted the fact
that I can't be the version of who they want me to be.
Hmm.
Are you... talking about the fact that you're, um...
That I'm what?
Watching you struggle for a word that describes me right now?
Is it, uh, "alcoholic" or, uh, maybe "human being"?
I know.
"A better card player than you."
All true.
Also, I'm transgender.
And I'm collecting 3s.
Look.
I am sure that you've had your share of struggles.
But...
we are not the same.
For one, you chose to be a woman.
I did not choose to be in this chair.
Wow.
So many mistakes with what you just said.
What I chose...
was to be myself.
So you were right, accidentally.
But what I didn't choose was to be born in a man's body.
All the pressure that you're facing
to be the husband and dad and friend
they think you should be...
Or even worse, you think you should be...
You need to put that all aside,
because you're never gonna be that guy.
But maybe, like me,
there's a beautiful person inside.
You just have to find her and let her out.
Ooh, and one other way I'm six steps ahead of you.
Gin.
I'd be a one-eyed snake charmer now
if we'd have been playing strip poker.
Man.
You up?
Yeah.
Thanks again for today.
It was fun hanging out with you.
It was?
It was.
I've been going to see Mom every night after dinner.
You go to the cemetery every night?
I know, but it helps me.
Pillow talk. I get it.
Speaking of which, thanks for the tip.
Putting pillows on her side really helps.
Then why are you up?
Because my prostate is also 75.
Got up to pee. And I wanted to say hi to my son.
Good night.
Good night, Pop.
Gary, I told you, I don't want to talk right now!
Soph, it's Maggie.
Hey. Can I come in?
I cannot believe that he called you. I...
He's making such a big deal out of nothing.
Well, we both know Gary has a tendency to overreact,
so right on schedule.
But it does sound like you're kind of upset.
Can we talk?
Well, I was telling Gary
about this exercise I did at my guitar lesson,
and he just totally flipped out.
Well, the good news is,
I am known in the Greater Boston area
for my inability to flip in or out.
Uh, Gary said Peter was filming you?
As part of the exercise to get me out of my head.
? Can you see your baby girl ?
? In the woman I've come to be ?
? If you saw me no-o-o-w ?
? Would you still know me? ?
It's better.
We'll get it.
Listen, uh, I wasn't gonna tell you this...
but remember how I said before
that I was secretly rooting for you?
Well, it's not so secret.
I may have put in a good word for you
with one of my friends who's on the board at MMI.
- Really? - Yes.
Sophie, you are so close to being ready.
You just have to imagine
that there is a record exec sitting in the audience
who's deciding whether or not
he's gonna invest time and money in you,
producing the album, marketing it, setting up the tour.
You have to convince him that you're a star.
When you're up here, you have to sell confidence!
You have to own it!
"Whoo! Hello, Cleveland!"
You have to want 14-year-old girls to want to be you.
You have to want boys everywhere
to put your poster on their walls.
You're not some session performer.
You're not a little girl.
You are a beautiful, talented, powerful woman
who has a story... Wait, what?
So sorry, so sorry. Just excuse me one second.
I'm sorry. You... You... You want me to what?
No. No.
I mean, I'm in the middle of a show here.
And... And I'm crushing it.
And Sophie's totally laughing.
Yeah. Yeah, she's totally loosening up.
You... Hold... Hold on a second.
You were saying, you want me...
You think that if I put on some music.. okay...
And then... and have some fun dancing around
that she's gonna want to do that, too?
I don't... I don't know.
She doesn't seem convinced.
I mean, I guess I could give it a shot.
? Day to night to morning ?
- I mean... - ? Keep with me in the moment ?
? I'd let you had I known it ?
- Oh, there. - ? Why don't you say so? ?
? Didn't even notice, no punches left to roll ?
- Oh, my... Oh, my gosh. It's working! - ? You got to keep me focused ?
It's working! Whoa!
Yeah! She's got moves!
- Nice! Hey! - ? Keep with me in the moment ?
You know who that guy is?
That is the head of the record label.
That's the guy who's deciding if he should invest
$30 million in you to make you a star.
Oh. Oh, so now you're gonna stop?
Yes!
? Fell in love ?
? You ain't coming out your shell ?
? You really ain't been yourself ?
? Tell me, what must I do? ?
? Do tell, my love ?
He had you dance around in your swimsuit?
It was all to make me feel more comfortable.
I-I-I mean, the whole thing was stupid.
We were just being dorky
and so I would stop being self-conscious.
? And we can dance all day around it ?
? If you front... ?
- You feel it? - Yes.
I said, "Do you feel it?"
- Yes! I feel it! - Yes.
This is where you want to be! Lock it in!
I'm totally locked in.
You know what?
Here's what I want you to do.
Go out that door...
get dressed if you want...
but don't lose this feeling.
When I say "go," make an entrance.
Okay.
Alright, I want you to harness that confidence you just showed me!
It's infectious! It's... It's... It's raw.
Hey, to be honest, it's sexy, which is good,
because sex sells in this business.
Use it! Own it!
Let it work for you.
Well, look who just came in.
A rock star!
Look out, MMI.
He really got me out of my shell, and it made me believe
in myself and...
Oh, shoot, low battery.
Uh, you can charge it later,
but, um, just tell me what you were gonna...
You know, my cord is in my backpack downstairs.
- Just let me go get it. - Sophie.
Oh, great. You invited everyone.
Wonderful.
You need a glass of water right now.
- What? - Go to the kitchen.
You need a glass of water right now.
Yeah. Just need another glass of water.
Excuse me.
What do I do?
I want you to go upstairs
and give her the space to talk to us.
Is she okay?
No.
She just doesn't know it yet.
Why the hell would you buy a whole radio
just for a knob, especially now?
You say you're working on a new movie.
So I assume someone told you
the other one got canceled, right?
You got to be smart about money, son.
Forgive me...
for buying you a thoughtful gift.
Trust me, it will never happen again.
So, what were you guys talking about up there?
Oh, um...
she was just telling me about her guitar teacher, Peter,
and this exercise they did... This icebreaker.
Um, Sophie said it really helped her open up.
Uh, yeah, it was important for my audition,
and it really got me out of my head.
Sounds cool.
Is that what you and Gary were talking about before?
You know, he just didn't get it.
Well, I mean, I kind of understand that, Soph.
The bathing suit and the dancing.
Did any of that make you feel uncomfortable?
Yeah, but that was the whole point.
It means that I was doing it right.
But... it's, like, Gary just doesn't get it.
He's been so crazy during COVID.
I mean, I literally had to change
Peter's number to Jake's in my phone,
just to go to my lessons.
Yeah, Gary said something
about you being worried that you messed up.
Is that what you meant,
because you changed his name in your phone?
No, I-I just did that to make sure
that I could still rehearse.
Getting into MMI is everything.
So, what did you mean when you said that you messed up?
Oh, my God, what did I do?
- What is it? - Is it from him?
- Uh... - What's it say?
Um, uh, uh,
"The photo you sent is really inappropriate,
and unfortunately, I'm unable to continue working with you.
I wish you the best in your endeavors."
I just wrecked everything.
What photo?
Uh...
Soph?
I... uh...
I-I-It was supposed to be like
this Britney Spears picture he was talking about.
I w-was posing in a...
Oh, my God, I'm so stupid.
I was just trying to get us back to before.
I didn't...
What do you mean by "before"?
Oh, my God, it... It was just so awkward,
and I didn't want it to be.
And I... I don't know,
maybe I had made it awkward or...
Because I just wanted to focus on the work for the audition.
I...
I wanted to let him know that I could move past it.
Move past what?
Sophie...
I need you to tell me what happened.
When I got the audition...
I went by to see him.
I did it.
They called me! I got it!
You are such a star!
Oh, my gosh. I knew you had it in you.
We just needed everybody else to see it.
Hey, look, look, look, look.
Look at how confident and sexy that woman is, huh?
I want to buy her album.
Reminds me of, um...
Reminds me of Britney Spears...
on the cover of her "Toxic" single.
So uninhibited.
And he, uh...
Did he try to kiss you?
No.
Uh, he put his hand on my s-shoulder.
And then he unzipped his pants.
Did he touch you?
Uh... Uh, he...
No.
He didn't touch me.
He... He just touched himself.
And, uh...
then, when he was... done,
uh, he z-zipped up and said...
"Great work today."
And that's what was so strange,
is that he was acting like nothing had happened.
Let me know how the audition goes, okay?
Uh, yeah, I will.
Thanks.
You're gonna crush it.
He was being completely normal, like it wasn't a big deal.
So, when I got home,
I thought that the best thing for me
was to do the same thing.
That's why you sent him the photo?
Yeah.
It was... It was like, "You know what? Fine.
What happened happened,
and if you're not gonna make a big deal out of it,
then neither am I."
Uh, but I-I didn't want to...
want to mess up my audition, wreck my chances.
Sophie, you haven't done anything wrong.
How do you know that?
I mean, I might have made him think that...
No, you didn't.
And I know that because Maggie told me the same thing.
About my uncle.
She told me I did nothing wrong.
And even though I didn't know it at the time, I know it now.
And I need you to know it, too.
The fact is, Peter reacted that way to the photo
not because he thought it was inappropriate,
but because this is the only part that he can't deny.
It's a paper trail, and he had to be
on the record as objecting to it.
I'm sorry, but, uh, why would she send him that photo
after what he did to her?
I know it might not make any sense, but...
Sophie sent that photo to try to normalize what happened,
to take any sexuality that was there
and redirect it back to the work.
That's why it was an album cover.
She was trying to show him how committed she was to her career,
and at the same time,
letting him know that she wasn't gonna be any trouble.
She should be trouble.
This is Sophie we're talking about.
Why... Why isn't she over there smashing guitars?
Because...
as much as a part of her knows that what he did was wrong,
her brain is working overtime
to try to make that not the case.
Her entire future is riding on this.
She gave up Harvard for her dream of music,
and her teacher,
a man who she looked up to and trusted,
he knew that.
He chose her.
He knew that her dad died, he knew that her mom was away,
and he knew that she couldn't lose anything else right now.
So he groomed her.
He used her history against her.
I'm gonna kill him.
No, you're not.
You're gonna take all the anger that you are feeling right now
and harness it to help Sophie through this.
Yeah.
And then I'm gonna kill him.
You know, I can take that up to her.
You should go home and get some rest.
I know this was your first night off in months.
Probably not what you had in mind.
No, it wasn't,
but I couldn't think of a more important way to spend it.
I'm so glad you were here.
Thank you for letting me tag in.
She's gonna need us.
I'm gonna go take this up to her.
Leave a message after the tone.
Dr. Stacy, hi.
Uh, it's Maggie Bloom.
I just wanted to call
and let you know that I thought about it,
and after realizing that just being there for someone
can make a big difference,
I want to do it.
Alright. Bye.
Hey, Mom.
I thought maybe Dad would be here.
I don't know if he told you, but he and I have been...
Yeah, you know.
But you're right... He does have a sweet side.
I just wish I could see it in person.
You must be Rome.
Omar wouldn't have known to bring water for the vase.
I'm sorry, have we met before?
No. I'm Florence.
Your dad told me about the knob for his radio.
He loved it.
Oh.
I'm here for you, Soph.
You just tell me what you want.
Uh, there is one thing.
Uh, Mom, hey, it's me.
Uh, s-something happened, and...
I'm so sorry.
What?!
Where are you?
I'm out.
Are you at Peter's house?
I'm out.
Gary, listen to me.
This does not help Sophie.
It doesn't.
Band of dads, Rome.
Band of dads.
Synced & corrected by QueenMaddie www.addic7ed.com