"Here's a question for you." "What do kids need more?" "A father or a dad?" "What's the difference?" "The way I see it, darn near anyone can be a father but not everyone has the patience or the devotion to be a dad." "As for me..." "Anybody caught a Monarch yet?" "...I've always wanted to be a dad." "Let me tell you, I love it!" "Yeah!" "And I love my Ford Flex." "It treats me to a smooth ride, and you know what?" "It didn't break the bank." "Room enough for the whole family." "Yes, I love being a dad." "And I love these two adorable little rays of sunshine." "Hey, Dylan!" "Good morning." "Whatever." "Okay." "I'm not their real dad." "Good morning, Mr. Whitaker." " I'm their stepdad." " Good morning, Megan." "Can you please put this on the fridge?" "Well, sure." "Did you do another drawing of our family?" "That's me and Dylan and Mommy." "So great." "And over here, far, far away, is you." "And am I wearing a baseball cap?" "That's the knife in your head 'cause I was killing you in the eye." "I see." "Well, I love how you drew my hair." "That's poop." "Well, it's well-drawn." "And I'm guessing it's dog poop?" "That's homeless man poop." "All right." "I actually can't father my own children, ever since I hit a little snafu at a dental office." "I've got a little bit of a gag reflex." "Close your eyes, breathe through your nose, you'll be fine." "Okay." "You got a really weird tongue." "You need to floss better." "Ever since then, my testicles have been more decorative than anything else." "Hey!" "And I thought I'd never have a family." "Until I met a stunning mom named Sara." "Would you look at her?" "I am one lucky so-and-so." "I hit the jackpot." " Hi." " Hi." "Sorry I'm taking so long." "I have to show that Sixty West building to those new clients." "I know." " Oh, my God!" "The kids' lunches." " Already packed." "I wrote them little inspirational notes to start them on their day." "They've already eaten their breakfasts, and you look perfect." "You are amazing." "Look at this, huh?" "Another family drawing." "No." "I am so sorry." "No, I think you're misunderstanding." "This is the first drawing where I'm not dead already." "Sure, I've got a knife in my eye and some homeless man poop on my head, but this is showing real progress." "I think she's starting to accept me." "You can find the good in just about anything." "I love that about you." "You know that?" "Thanks." "Hello." "I'm home." "Hey." "How was the..." "What's wrong?" "He won't talk to me." "He said he only wants to talk to you." "You want to talk to me?" "Really?" "You mean me and your mom?" "Just me?" "By myself?" "Sure." "I'm..." "I'm totally free." "Let's go to the den." "We'll sit there." "We'll sit." "We can do it sitting or standing?" "Doesn't matter." "We're just gonna do it." "We're not gonna overthink it." "Yeah." "Great." "Okay, good." "Just the men, yeah." "A little rap session." "Great." "Oh, my God." "I just want you to know that I'm just here to listen." "All right?" "No judgments, no lectures, just a compassionate ear." "Well, there are these kids at school and they're bigger than me, because they're fourth graders." "And..." "Was that weird?" "I'm sorry, I'm just..." "It's a big moment for me, and I'm just trying to capture it." "It just came off awkward." "So, go ahead, continue telling your story." "Fourth graders." "Anyway, there are these fourth graders, and..." "He actually confided in me." "I mean, it was that father-son feeling I've been dying for, and it was even better than I thought it was gonna be." "I mean, he really needed me." "Me." "That is so great, honey." "He even said not to tell you." "So I'm actually totally betraying his trust right now." "What are we gonna do about those little snot-nosed fourth graders?" "I think it's going to be fine." "He's going to try to do some trust falls on the playground." "Really?" "You think that's gonna work?" "As long as they catch him." "Yeah." "Hey, Brad." "Yeah?" "If I ask you something, you promise you won't cry again?" "Of course, sweetie." "What is it?" "Well, at school, they told us about this thing, and it's called a Daddy-Daughter Dance." "So, do you want to go with me?" "You said you wouldn't cry, Brad." "I'm not." "Megan, yes." "A million times yes." "I thought big people weren't supposed to cry." "I think it's sweet that he's crying like a little bitch." "Megan!" "You are not supposed to call people that word." "You know what?" "It takes a real man to show his emotions." "All right, that's a bit much." "No more rhymes now, I mean it!" "Anybody want a peanut?" "We were finally becoming a family." "I'll get it!" "After being pushed away and treated like an outsider," "I was finally becoming the dad that I always knew I could..." "Daddy!" "Hi!" "Where are you?" "Where's Cameroon?" "Is that gunfire?" "Cool!" "Daddy, Daddy!" "I want to talk to Daddy." "Hi, Daddy." "Good." " So your ex is calling, huh?" " Yeah." "What a treat for the kids." "It's been a long time." " Yeah." " Yeah." "We're watching a really funny movie with Mommy and Brad." "Brad is Mommy's new husband." "Wait." "He doesn't know about me?" "Well, I haven't talked to him in six months." "We've been married eight months." "Brad, Daddy wants to talk to you." " No!" "No, no." "Don't, don't..." " I'm just going to say hi." "You don't need to do that." "Brad, don't." "Thank you, sweetie." "Hello, Dusty?" "Super to make your acquaintance." "In fact, I just wish I could shake your hand and offer to buy you a cold one." " Tomorrow?" " What?" "Daddy's coming!" "Yay!" "Yeah, I guess I could pick you up." "No." "It's Whitaker." "W-H-I-T-A-K-E-R." "No, I'm not comfortable giving you my Social Security number over the phone." "Okay, yeah, my credit score is 752." "I'm very proud of that." "I'm sorry?" "What sort of fighting styles am I proficient in?" "I don't know if I've ever been asked that before." "Hello, Dusty, hello, hello?" "I lost him." "What just happened?" "Did you just invite him to come here?" "Is he coming tomorrow?" "Well, I didn't know he'd accept my offer so soon." "I mean, he really jumped at it." "Remember when I said he was like Jesse James and Mick Jagger had a baby?" "Yeah, I just thought maybe he was really skinny and jittery, and had like a little bit of a British accent, or something." "He's wild and he's crazy." "That's why I fell in love with him." "Then you end up with two kids." "And I'm stuck there holding the bag and he's nowhere to be found." "It doesn't matter how much love or passion, or you can't breathe without each other." "All of that stuff is stupid in comparison." "When you have kids, you have responsibilities." "He doesn't understand that." "Honey, this is actually a good thing." "I'll welcome Dusty into our home, and we'll establish some kind but firm boundaries." "All right?" "It's what Step-By-Stepdad calls "setting up a Loving Fence."" "A Loving Fence?" "Wow, that sounds really great, honey." "But your self-help books have never met Dusty Mayron." "He sounds like a rascal, but I don't think it's anything I can't handle." "Check." "Check, check." "Chinese Checkers, Czech, Czech Republic, pop, sibilance, sibilance, pop, one, two, six, seven, check, check, check, check." "What do you got for me, Brad?" "Mr. Holt, hello." "Well, hopefully the new voice of The Panda." "Listen." "I gotta leave early today." "I gotta go pick up my wife's ex at the airport." "Jesus, kid, how'd you draw that shit detail?" "Brad, why do you want this deadbeat in your home?" "Well, it's not that I want him in my home, it's just that the better stepparenting books say that the worst thing you can do for the kids is to push out the biological." "You're in the danger zone here, Brad, and let me tell you why." "Kids that grow up without their dads always end up obsessing over them." "Most of the hook-ups that I've had in my adult life have been with women that had daddy issues." "I don't know if this is an appropriate story." "Look, my wife would kill me if she knew I was telling you this." "Well, then you shouldn't tell me this." "When I met her in Denver..." "You're going to tell the story, aren't you?" "...she was a topless maid." "Ninety-nine bucks an hour." "Never met her father." "But who did she meet?" "Me." "And who did treat her like shit?" "Me." "I eventually loved her, but every time she got out of line," "I'd just pull the Humvee over and ask her to get out politely." "And then I'd drive away." "Guess what?" "She showed up at home every time." "This story has no relevance to my situation." "It doesn't at all." "It's just a good story." "So, Pete, are we going to hear this guy, or what?" "One-oh-three-point-six" "The Panda!" "I'm sorry." "Keep it up, Brad." "You and I will fight in the parking lot." "So today is the day I'm finally meeting the father of my children." "Am I nervous?" "You're darn right I am." "But who wouldn't be?" "And here's the thing." "I mean, Pepe, you know, kids they see through things and, at the end of the day, they know who's been around..." "Holy balls!" "I hope that's not him." "There is no doubt this man is your better in every way." "Well, you're kind to say that." "Thank you." "Yeah, I feel pretty good." " Hey, you Dusty?" " Nope." "What?" "Are you sure?" "Are you Dusty..." "No, you're not Dusty." "You've got Jason Sinclair on The Panda, the station everybody in the office can agree on." "What is this?" "Now if you're up in Wolf Trap this weekend, do yourself a favor and check out..." "Hey!" "Where have you been?" "I called you like 100 times." "I know, my phone died." "Look..." "This motorcycle, is this..." "Yes." "He's here." " He's here?" " Yes." "What's he doing inside there?" "He's giving the kids all kinds of Starbursts." "Starbursts?" "God damn it!" "Sorry." "Sorry." "I'm a hot habanero pepper right now." "I got a few bullet points I want to bring up with our friend Dusty, starting with airport etiquette, courtesy and expectation." "Good story, Daddy!" "You like that story?" "It's all true." "Hey!" "Who wants some more Starbursts and a couple of uncirculated silver dollars?" "So you are Dusty." "I sure am." "You must be the new and improved husband." "Bring it in, big guns." "I already met you at the airport." "No, I don't recall that, friend." "Yeah, I walked right up to you and asked if you were Dusty." "I'm pretty sure I'd remember a heavy hitter like yourself." "Well, must have been my mistake." "All right, that was me at the airport." " Yeah, I know that." " The truth is," "I saw you before you saw me, and I'm thinking, "This is the guy who's raising my kids?"" ""And damn it if he doesn't look like the real deal."" "I mean, look at you." "You figured it out, didn't you?" "You cracked the code." "I don't know about that." "Don't play that humble game with me." "He is so humble." "He's just too humble." "Honey, you got it goin' on." "Everybody says so." "Yeah, I got it goin' way on." "So you can understand why I panicked at the airport." " I froze, Brad." "I'm sorry." " It's fine." "Look, these are tricky waters to navigate." "They sure are, man." "I mean, that is insightful." "You know, I thought it was weird Sara didn't tell me about you before." "I thought, what's she hiding?" "And now I know." "A champion." "Hey, Brad!" "Did you see Dad's motorcycle?" "Isn't it cool?" "It sure is." "What is that, an Indian?" "Yep." "I believe they're manufactured in Minneapolis." "I've never been, but that's the setting for The Mary Tyler Moore Show." "And..." "What's the other..." "Rhoda." "Which I want to say was a spin-off." "Damn!" "You really know your bikes, Brad." "You ride?" "Yeah!" " Really?" " Yeah." "I mean, not anymore." "I did, you know, back in college." "I had a..." "I had a Kawa-saki?" "Kawasaki Nine." "Yeah." "With the fenders and the..." "The broil joint." "So..." "Well, you should get on her, man." "Come on!" "Take her out, see what she can do." "She's got a lot of power." "No, no, no." "Yeah, Brad!" "Brad..." "Please!" "No." "Hey, come on, kids." "It's time for bed." "It's way past your bedtime." "Let's brush your teeth." "All right, come on, guys, listen to your mom." "Hey, look..." "I don't want to overstep, but it would mean the world to me if I could tuck in our two little blessings." "Yeah." "Yeah, sure, of course." "They're your kids." "Tuck away." "Thank you for that, Brad." "The King messed up." "He messed up bad." "He thought he could just ride off to slay dragons, and his Queen would always be waiting for him." "And then one day the King received word that his dominion was being ruled over by some curly-headed Step King with good credit?" "No!" "Well, the King rode hard up on his lands, and when he arrived, he did gaze fondly upon the Queen, remembering their good times together, for he had known her in her prime, when she was down for anything," "and I do mean anything." "Sounds like your dad's spinning quite a yarn." "Mind if I listen in?" "Actually, it's getting late." "You two need to get some sack time." "No, we want more story, please!" "Hey, I'd love to be in here all night, but let's be respectful of Brad's rules, no matter how arbitrary they seem." "All right?" "Good night, my little golden treasures." "Good night, my little magical cherubs." "Here comes some butterfly kisses." "And some Eskimo kisses." "Good night, buddy." "Sleep tight." "Sleep tight." "Hey, who wants good-night tickles?" "Me!" "Good night, my little breath of God." "Good night, my little Jesus teardrop." "I almost forgot, my famous good-night back scratches." "So relaxing, so relaxing." "Good night, sweetie bear." "Hey, who wants twenty bucks?" " I do!" "Me!" " Twenty dollars?" " What?" " Yeah." "One for you, and one for you." "I don't know if that's appropriate." "Don't worry about it." "Okay." "Good night." "So, if you want to, why don't you come by tomorrow after school?" "Might be a good time to..." "What about the cold one?" "The cold one?" "You promised me a cold one and a handshake." "Cold one." "One cold one, coming up." "Great." "I'll grab my jacket, we'll go outside." "Perfect." "All right." "Hey!" "What are you doing?" "What are you guys buddies now?" "No." "I mean, I offered him a cold one." "I really should honor the cold one promise." "Fine." "You give him a cold one, and then you get rid of him, okay?" "You put up your Loving Fence, remember?" " Then you come to bed." " Okay." " Will do." " Okay." "What you got going on over here?" "That's a treehouse." "A little, bonding project for Dylan and I." "Yeah, we've been at it for about two months." "It's looking good." "Thank you." "So, Dusty, how long do you think you're going to be in town for?" "Well, Brad, the truth is, I'm wheels-up a week from tomorrow." "Time to get out there and kick some ass for America." "I see." "So you're a soldier?" "Nope." "So you're a..." "Yep." "Yep, what?" "You don't want to know any more than that, Brad." "Okay." "Listen, Dusty, I think that we should set up a visitation schedule." "Right?" "That way, you feel like you have ample time with the children..." "Why don't we cut the shit, Brad?" "No, we don't have to cut the shit." "You want to know what I'm doing here, why don't you quit looking at whatever you wrote on your hand?" "Be a man and ask me, Brad." "Okay." "What are you doing here?" "We both know kids need a single primary male role model." "Sara's made her choice." "I'm man enough to let that role model be you." "I will vouch for you with my children." "I will give them my sacred permission to trust you." "To love you and to call you Dad." "You'd do that for me?" "No." "But I will do it for them." "That is what you want, isn't it, Brad?" "More than anything in the world." "He played you." "You just got so played out there." "I know it looks that way, 'cause I promised I would ask him to leave, and then I invited him to stay for a week, but he didn't play me." "You know what he did?" "He cut the shit." " He did?" " And I gotta say, it was refreshing." "I think more of us could stand to just cut the shit, you know." " Right." " In one conversation, he just blew by eight chapters in my stepdad book." "I mean, this is gonna be so good for me and the kids." "Baby, you have no idea who you're dancing with." "Dusty gets into your head, that's what he does." "He has a very impressive, rugged bravado, there's no question." "But I gotta say," "I think in here, there's a soft, soft creamy center." "You know?" "I think he feels a lot." "He just..." "He needs someone with this, a big ear." "And I got them." "Good morning, Dusty." " Hey." " You're up and at 'em." " Yeah, I got up early and did a quick 20." " Really?" " Twenty minutes of what?" " Twenty miles." "Did a little light sparring, then I whipped up a pan of piping-hot cinnamon rolls for my family." "I made one for you, too." "Wow." "That's very impressive, thank you." " Good morning, gang!" " It smells yummy!" "Our real dad's a super, super-duper good cook!" "Here you go, guys." "Yeah, it looks an awful lot like Cinnabon." "Well, thank you, Brad." "What a nice thing to say." "It tastes exactly like Cinnabon!" "In fact, same shape, same swirl, same frosting." "Now you're starting to embarrass me, but I do appreciate the compliment." "Good morning, Sar-bear!" " Morning." " Hey, listen, guys," "Brad and I had a talk last night about the importance of family." "And now that everyone's here, I wanted to say a few words, okay?" "I think that would be great." "Hey, kids, families can be ever-growing and changing things." "And sometimes someone new knocks on the door of your heart and you're not sure if you have room in there for one more." "But there's someone here now I hope you guys can learn to love." "Okay?" "Come here, boy!" "A doggy!" "You brought a dog home?" "Yeah." "Is that a problem?" "You seemed really into it while I was teeing it up." "No, I thought you were talking about me." " But you're not a dog, Brad." " No..." "Look, last night, when we talked..." "Yeah." "Well, listen, that's got to happen organically." "Why can't it happen now?" "It just can't." "You're dirty." "Dusty, how old is that thing?" "I'd guess him to be around 15." "I found him this morning, living in a storm drain." "I named him Tumor, because of how much he grows on you." "Mommy, can we keep Tumor, please?" "I'm gonna leave this one up to Brad." "Please, Brad!" "Please!" "Why is he looking at me like that?" "He's only looking at me." "Maybe we just get a puppy instead?" "A puppy, Brad?" "What are they going to learn from a puppy?" "An old dog like Tumor here's been out in the world, man." "Living free." "Fighting for survival and seeing things we can only dream of." "Just look at the wisdom in those cloudy eyes." "Besides, you know what happens to old dogs at shelters." "He's gonna have to walk the green mile as soon as he gets there." "No, Brad, no!" "Don't kill our dog!" "I hate you!" "Okay." "Okay." "Fine." "He can live out his few remaining weeks with us." "Yay!" "Thanks, Brad." "I don't hate you anymore." "He's going potty!" "Oh, my God." "We'll clean it up." "We don't mind." "Look at that." "The dog's already teaching them responsibility." "Hey, guys, when you got to pick up the potty, use gloves." "He's definitely got worms in his poo." "Dusty!" "Can you please move this thing?" "I can't get my car out of the garage." "Hey, Brad, do you mind?" "I want to grab a quick shower." "Yeah, sure, no problem." " Hey, honey." " Hi, sweetie." "It's blocking everything." "No, I know." "I know, don't worry." "We're on top of it." "What are you doing?" "Brad, I don't..." "Hey!" "Stay away from that, please." "Honey, what are you doing?" "I don't know if that's a good idea, Brad." "Dusty!" "It's vibrating up into my shoulders." "Hey, it's okay, Brad." "Look, she's a lot of bike, man." "No, I'm good." "Why don't you go back in and take that shower, so you can get a shirt on?" "You got it." "Hey, you look good on that, man." "Remember, one down, four up." "Dusty, everyone knows it's one down..." "Watch out!" "Watch out!" "Watch out!" "Did Brad just die?" "I think we all need to prepare ourselves for that possibility, pumpkin." "Okay?" "Brad!" "Brad!" "Oh, my God." "Brad, are you all right?" "No, I'm not all right." "I'm in the wall." "I'm scared." "Honey." "Jeez, Brad, I thought you said you could ride." "I can ride, okay." "Would you get a shirt on?" "I think if you could ride, you wouldn't be stuck in a wall right now, Brad." "Yeah." "I'm sorry to say it, but he's right." "You almost killed the kids!" "Let's not beat up on Brad here." "Okay?" "He was showboating for the kids a little bit, and things got out of hand." "Let's all just be grateful nobody got hurt." "Okay?" "I got hurt!" "Okay, kids, listen up." "This is a good lesson on why you never wanna lie about your ability to do things you clearly can't do, okay?" "I think my arm is stuck in the wall." "Brad, just stay still." "I'll get you out." "No, no, no, no, no." "No, don't do anything." "And would you please just go and get a shirt on?" "Just calm down, all right?" "Hey, I'm really sorry about what happened to your car." "Yeah, and I'm sorry about what happened to your bike." "No damage." "Not a scratch." " Not even one scratch?" " Unbelievable." "That's so good." "Let's keep it going!" "Inside the cones!" "Just like ice cream!" "Morning, Jerry." "Got to keep it inside the cones!" "No, Daddy!" "You're supposed to stay in the cones!" "Whoa, whoa!" "Inside the cones!" "Inside." "Bring her in." "That's better." "Let's keep those kids safe today, okay?" "Thank you, Brad." "Sorry, Doris." "It's okay." "This whole drop-off line thing can be a bit overwhelming if you're not used to it." "I landed a chopper in the middle of a Cuban prison riot," "Brad, I think I'm good." "Bye, guys!" "I love you guys so much." "Have a great day, okay?" " Bye, Daddy!" " Make sure you do all your work." "Bye, guys." "Have the best day." "I love you so..." "Here's the exciting thing." "We just opened up in our 68th market, making The Panda America's number three smooth jazz station." "Wow." "And here it is." "My little nook." "Wow." "Man, I gotta admit, this is more than I expected." "Wow." "I kind of envy you, Brad." "Stop it." "It's true." "You're a nice guy, making a comfortable living, and the most fantastic woman in the world loves you dearly." "Really?" "Thanks for saying that." "I mean it." "And that sacrifice she's making for you..." "That's true love." "Sacrifice?" "Well, sure, Brad." "You know how bad that girl wants another baby." "She wants another baby?" "For her to let that slip away and marry a man she knew to be barren, that's true love." "How do you know that I can't..." " Bradley." " Yes." "Caroline says we're gonna hear some new voice talent this a.m.?" "Yes, sir, in about 15 minutes." "Okay." "How'd it go with the shitbag ex-husband?" "You whip his ass with that Loving Fence of yours?" "Well, actually it's interesting, Mr. Holt, because I want you to meet Dusty Mayron." "Jesus in the morning." "She was married to him first?" "Okay." "Let's establish some ground rules, pretty boy." "Airborne?" "Your lapel pin. 101 st, that's one hell of a division, sir." "Well, thank you, Dusty." "Are you Airborne?" "No, sir, I'm afraid I don't share that honor, but I'm humbled to be in the presence of anyone who does." "Airborne Division?" "Those guys love to fly." "Very nice to meet you, sir." "Thank you, thank you." "It's good to meet you." "My pleasure." "It's an honor." "Fast friends over there." "That's wonderful." "Come on!" "No way!" "The whole time you're running guns for the freedom fighters right under the cartel's noses, and they never suspected it was you once?" "Well, I'm sure they started to suspect once they were in a ball of fire the size of four city blocks." "That's great." "I love that!" "Holy buckets, Brad!" "If this guy was my wife's ex, I'd put a bullet in my skull." "Come on, Leo, cut it out." "Sir, I think Barry's ready." "You're really going to like this guy." "Okay." "Ready to listen." "One-oh-three-point-six" "The Panda!" "All right." " You like him, Brad?" " I do." "I do." "I think his voice has a warm dependability that all Panda listeners could trust." "What do you think, Duster?" "Does Dusty now work for The Panda?" "Yeah, Brad's right." "I'm not really into smooth jazz." "I shouldn't comment." "Nobody's into smooth jazz." "I'm into smooth jazz." "Of course you are, Brad." "So what do you think, Dusty?" "I mean, it just seems a little flaccid." "I think you need a voice with some virility and hope, that tells listeners," ""Hey!" "Maybe the next song won't suck as bad as the last one."" "Also, I think a strong ability to be something like..." "One-oh-three-point-six" "The Panda!" "What..." "What just happened?" "He sang the tagline." "Good boy, Tumor!" "Daddy!" "Hey!" "Perfect timing." "Listen to this." " Is that you?" " Yeah!" "That's you?" "Why is that him?" "I took him to work, and 15 minutes later he's the new voice of The Panda." "Hey, you believe that?" "I record one take at 9:30 this morning, it's already run 11 times." "Do I really get 182 bucks every time they play that?" "Yes." "Every time, yes." "Money." "You see why I love America even more than most people do?" "Hey." "What's this?" "Just the handyman I hired off Angie's List." "He's upstairs fixing the damage." "Your wife had to hire a man?" "For what?" "Some framing, a little sheetrock repair, some masonry and basic window glazing?" "Come on, Brad." "We can bang that out tonight." "Yeah." "It's just basic sheetrock glazing and, you know, little whatamajigs." "Get up there and get in there and crank it out." "Dusty is pretty good with his hands." "Pretty good with my hands, Brad, she knows." "Okay." "Yeah, I'll just go up there and I'll..." " Want me to do it?" "I'll tell him to screw." " No, no, no, no." "No, no, no." "That's okay." "I'll tell him," " "Guess what, bub?"" " Tell him the men are here." "I'll say that." "I'll say, "The men are here."" " Let's do it." " I don't want to imply to him that he's not a man." "But I'll just say," ""Hey, the boys are back in town." Right?" "Hi." "I'm Brad." "My wife hired you." "Nice to meet you, Brad." "I just came up here to say that you..." "That you should have good luck." "Thank you for your wishes of luck." "I'll be downstairs." "Well?" "What happened?" "You know, I think it's..." "He already started, and I just think it feels wrong." "Why?" "Because he's black?" "No." "No, no." "Megan!" "Dylan!" " What are you doing?" " Teaching moment." "Guys, what would we call Brad if he treated someone differently just because of the color of their skin?" "Brad's being racism?" "Racist, honey." "Brad is a racist." " Honey." " But not on purpose." "Is Brad a Klan person?" "No." "So I'm a racist if I don't fire someone?" "Well, yeah, you are." "Yeah, you are." "Sir, you're taking this all wrong." "Right." "So you get one look at the color of my skin, and all of a sudden you're Mr. Do It Yourself?" "No, not at all." "Please, allow me to pay you for your time and travel." "Don't do me any favors, Paula Deen." "I'm not a woman." "You did the right thing." "Boy, it doesn't feel that way." "Let's get cracking." "Where do you keep your tools?" "I know where Brad keeps his tools." "In the credenza." " Yeah." " You keep your tools" " in the credenza, Brad?" " In the credenza." "Just easier to get to." " It's convenient." " Yeah." "This is a tackle box, Brad." "Are we going fishing?" "No." "Unless you want to go fishing." "What have you got in here?" "A hammer, masking tape, three C batteries and a tampon." "Well, a tampon's handy for..." "Yeah, I know what they're handy for." "So are we not going to fix it?" "Well, what do you want from me, Brad?" "To buy all the gear we need would cost more than just hiring someone off of Angie's List." "And the King, he thought the Step King seemed okay at first, a little soft, maybe, but, heck, the Queen needed a meal ticket." "But the more the King learned about him, the more he doubted the Step King's ability to lead." "So the King decided there was only one way to..." "Hey." "Good story?" "Yeah." "The King finally came back to his castle." "But the evil Step King wouldn't give him his crown back." "Okay, yeah." "I think I've heard this story before." "It's a story as old as time, Brad." "You know what?" "It turns out the Step King wasn't evil at all." "He was a really good guy." "Fun at parties, great conversationalist, affable." "And he saw that the beautiful Queen and perfect Prince and Princess were all alone, and he came valiantly to their rescue." "Yeah, but wasn't the Queen sad because the Step King couldn't give her an heir to the throne?" "Okay, you know what?" "Now this is getting personal." "Hey, Brad, come on." "We're just doing fairy tales here." "All right." "Well, the Queen wasn't sad, just for the record." "The Step King was pretty sure she was totally cool with it." "Yeah, Brad's right." "I'm sure the Queen was thrilled." "Right?" "Right?" "Yeah." "Honey, what's the matter?" "Are you still sad about Dusty finding your tampon?" "No." "No, I mean, this is a little embarrassing, but it's just, I was..." "Is there any chance you still want another baby?" "Oh, my God." "What, did Dusty say something?" "He's just trying to get in your head." "So it's not true then?" "Okay." "Maybe I did want another baby." "But it's not possible, given what happened to your..." "And I'm not blaming them." "I love them." "They are my fuzzy little pals." "You don't have to say that." "They are." "I am 100% happy with the family that I have." "The only reason I'm putting up with him is because my kids are so happy to see him." "And I want them to have a relationship with their father." "You know what?" "I can't wait to see his face when he figures out how much you really do for his kids." "Yeah." "I mean, I'm involved." "I'm emotionally available." "Yeah, you are." "You are darn right." "It's high time Dusty sees how a real dad does it." "I am fired up!" "Let's get some shut-eye." "Hallelujah!" "Hey, dudes!" "Hey, T.J.!" "Brad!" "Look what Dad did!" "He finished the treehouse for you!" "Hey, hey!" "B-man!" "No, watch out, B!" "Hey, Brad." "Sorry about that." "You all right?" "What do you think, man?" "Wow." "Pretty cool zipline." "You like that?" "It's military grade." "You built all this today?" "With my tools?" "No, you can't build a treehouse with a tampon, Brad." "No, I had a little bit of help." "Yo, Dylan, PS4 is all hooked up." " Thanks, Uncle Griff." " No problem, buddy." "Uncle Griff?" "Dude, I went out for a beer last night, and who's tending bar but our man Griffy?" "We get to talking and we just click." "You know what I mean?" "He's a great dude, man." "He really is." "I know how you feel about him, but just give him a chance." "All right?" "He's having a tough time at home, and your firing him sure didn't help." "I fired him because you made me!" " I made you?" " Yeah." "Am I in charge around here now?" "Is my name on the mortgage?" "Last time I checked, you were the man of the house, and me and Griffy were just staying here." " He's not staying here." " Because he's black?" "No, not because of that." "Look, Griffy helped me knock this out, all right?" "So despite any prejudices that you may or may not have..." "I don't have any prejudices." "I said "may or may not."" " Well, it's may not." " Well, that's good." "Because that's one of the ones I said." "Hey, kids, come on." "Helmets on the half-pipe." "We got to be safe around here." "Half-pipe?" "I know it's taking up a lot of the yard, but it's gonna make your house the coolest place in the neighborhood." "I got a sound system, we got a couple Go-Pros." "That's Corey from Red Bull over there." "Hey, Corey!" "You got a sponsor for my backyard?" "Hey, Mr. Mayron!" "You want next?" "Nicholas, please, it's Dusty!" "And, yes, I do." "Brad, watch this run." "I'm gonna dedicate this run to my future X-Games champs," "Dylan and Megan." "This is for you!" "Looks like you picked the wrong leisure activity, buddy." "Thank you." " Hey, Sara." " Hi." "Okay." "Who's got next?" "I do!" "Look!" "Some cute little tricks there, Dusty." "Really adorable." "Brad?" "Hey, who'd like to see how we used to do it back in the empty pools of Encino," "Castaic, Irvine, Long Beach?" "Santa Clarita?" "Santa Cruz?" "Fremont?" "Honey, no, please come down." "I intend to, sister." "Come on, Brad, it hasn't been that long." "Godspeed." "Oh, my God!" "Brad!" "No, it's best not to touch him." "Wait a second." "What do you mean, don't touch him?" "He's in trouble." "Look, I know he's in trouble, okay?" "But if there's a problem, who do you want to be in charge?" "You?" "Okay." "All right, guys, we have an emergency situation." "And what's the first thing we do?" "Anybody?" " You!" "Redhead." " Call 911." "Close." "But wrong." "First thing we do is remain calm." "That's good advice." "The 911 operator can't understand you if you're hysterical, okay?" "So let's all take a deep breath." "In for ten..." "Are you kidding me right now?" "Help him!" "Hey, that doesn't sound calm, Sara." "Now, please, call 911 and relate to the dispatcher" " what happened calmly, okay?" " Okay, yes." "Anybody know what we do next?" "Check for pulse!" "Nice!" "My star pupil!" "Come on up here." "All right!" "Okay, two fingers on the neck, right below the ear." "Good." "You feel a heartbeat?" "Okay, now that means that Brad here is now clinically..." "Anybody?" " You, Jean Jacket!" " Dead?" "Attaboy, Jean Jacket." "You're a smart kid." "He is dead." "So what do we do?" "Come on, we're losing him here." "Give him C.P.R.?" "Yes!" "That's my girl." "Come on up here, sweetie." "All right!" "All right, lock your fingers like this and press down hard right here." "Great job, sweetheart." "Dusty, hurry!" "Okay, I'm going to go ahead and take this one." "Okay?" "Watch closely now." "If you do your chest compressions properly, it shouldn't take long." "Clear out, guys." "I got him!" "I got him!" "My dad can bring people back from the dead!" "Mr. Whitaker's a zombie!" "Look, I'm okay, really." "I just got a little jolt." "You got a little killed is what you got, Brad." "We thought we lost you." "Okay, I'm sorry." "I just got tired of being the lame stepdad." "All the kids think he's Superman." "Well, now you know how I felt." "I always had to be the bad guy mom, giving out the carrots and the punishments, and he would breeze in from God only knows where and get to be the cool, fun dad." "Honey." "Look." "I'll talk to him, okay?" "I'll tell him to get his stuff and get over to the Red Roof Inn." "Pronto." "Great." "Wait." "Prince Hans is actually the bad guy?" "Man, I didn't see that coming at all." "He seemed like he really loved Anna." "I hate Prince Hans." "Dusty." "Hey, how you feeling, Sparky?" "Sparky." "That's hilarious." "Brad, have you seen this movie?" "It's unbelievable, man." "There's these two sisters, one of them has ice powers." "Yeah, I'm familiar with Frozen." "Listen, Dusty, I need to talk to you now." "I can't talk now, Brad." "Just pause the movie!" "Can you guys talk out there, please?" "Griff, man." "You gotta pause it, man." "No!" "I don't want to ruin the momentum." "He won't..." "Dude, if another song comes on, you got to pause it." "Okay?" "Am I supposed to pause my emotions?" "Just pause the song, man." "What's up?" "What's up?" "What's going on, Brad?" " This shouldn't take long." " Okay, good." "Listen, I just think that you're being here..." "Yeah." "No problem." "...and now there's Griff here, it's presenting some obstacles..." "Stupid helmet!" "Honey, what happened?" "They pushed me off my bike again!" "I'm so sick of it!" "I want them dead, Brad." "I want their parents dead." "And if they don't have parents, I want their primary caregivers dead." "Do you understand me?" " Okay, okay." " He's okay." "Megan's upstairs playing with him." "I am so pissed about this." "Was it the fourth graders again?" "Fourth graders?" "What, you knew about this, Brad?" "Yeah." "Dylan asked to speak specifically to me about it." " Really?" " So, we role-played some conflict resolution dialogue." "Are you being serious right now, Brad?" "What you need to be teaching him is some ass-beating resolution." "Damn straight." "You got to make a statement." "Set a tone." "It's kind of a family matter over here." "No, Dusty and Griff are right." "Those little punks need their butts whooped." "You got any Miracle Whip?" "Yeah, it's behind the..." "Here." "Hold on." "Let me just get it for you." "Guys, I know we're upset right now, but here's the thing." "Violence never solved anything." "Hey, check your history books, buddy." "Almost everything is solved by violence." "There are better ways." "Okay." "Name one." "Besides dialoguing." " Name one?" " Name one!" " What do you mean, name one?" " You said you could solve problems with things other than fighting." " What are you gonna do?" " I don't know." "You said you knew!" "You act like you knew!" " Fine, yes!" " What?" "Dancing!" "Dancing." "Did you..." "Did you just say dancing, Brad?" "It's very popular in youth culture to resolve conflict through dancing." "They step up to each other and get served by crunking, or popping and locking." "They call each other out, they take turns, and it is no less intense than a classic street brawl." "But, at the end of the day, no one's hurt." "And it's a great aerobic workout." "He's flailing a bit, but he has a good point." "There's a rich history of dance battles in film." " You got Breakin' 1..." " I didn't even think of this." "...Breakin' 2:" "Electric Boogaloo." "One of the rare cases where the sequel was better" " than the original." " Much better." "You got Step Up, Stomp the Yard." "He makes a solid point." "Honey, are you telling us that we should teach Dylan to dance?" "No, I'm just saying that teaching him to fight isn't the answer." "Okay, but maybe teaching him to fight back isn't so bad?" "Okay." "There we go." "Perfect." "That's good, right there." "Yeah." "A lot of protection." "All right, Dylan." "You ready, buddy?" " I guess." " You're ready." "Brad, Griff." "You guys be the fourth graders." " I'll be Dylan." " Okay." "All right." "Hey, buddy, the first thing you want to do is call out the biggest one." "Hey!" "What's the matter?" "You too much of a pussy to take me on without your little bitches to back you up?" "Wow." "Okay, yes." "That cut right through me, there." "I'm filled with inner shame right now." "Saying to myself, "Gosh, maybe I'm not behaving" ""100% the way I want to." Right?" "Is that same page?" "No." "What the kid's gonna think is, "Now I can beat your ass" ""all on my own." But now you only got one bully to contend with." "Now bullies always open up with some shoving first." "Watch." "Brad, give me a little shove." "I didn't connect there, did I?" "No." "It was really close, though." "See what I did, buddy?" "I turned my body just enough to let his weight bring him in, then I came right down Broadway." "I'm not gonna hit you." "Okay, relax." "Okay?" "It's called the element of surprise." "Then you start punking his ass!" "You want some more of that, bitch?" "You like that, bitch?" "All right." "Do we really need to use that word?" " No." " Honey, yes." "Unfortunately, we do." "I'm sorry." "You have to make him a bitch." "It's a fundamental step in destroying a bully's psyche." "Now stay down, bitch!" "Then you kick that kid right in the nuts!" "Kick him in the nuts, Dylan!" "Wait!" "I thought you were in my gang." "Yeah, but once Dylan tuned you up, I switched sides." "What do you think happens out there on the playground, Brad?" "All right, now come on, buddy." "It's your turn." "All right?" "I'll be the fourth grader." "Can I just go inside already, please?" "Hey, buddy come on, this is easy." "You can do this." "I said, no!" "I don't like this stuff." "I'll just stay away from them from now on." "Mom?" "Okay, come here, buddy." " Come on." "It's all right." " Brad." "Help me out here." "Come on." "Hey, wait." "Pal, listen..." "I know what it's like to be afraid to go to school." "Okay?" "When I was your age, this group of older kids started picking on me." "I ran and I cried underneath the bleachers." "They bothered me every day, because they knew" "I was too afraid to face them." "Until one day, I'd had enough." "And I socked Jesse Hubbard right in the nose." "Really?" "And they left you alone?" "Damn right they did." "Brad." "That was good." "Come here, buddy." "Hey, I'm proud of you." "All right?" "Now, look at me." "I want you to punch them right in the Adam's apple." "Okay?" "I want you to shatter their throat." "Hold on, hold on." "I'm sorry." "Look, I'm having a pang of guilt right now." "Full disclosure." "Some of the elements of my story weren't exactly true." "The incessant crying, 100% true." "The constant bullying, absolutely, it all happened, but I've never punched anyone in my life." "I could have told you that." " Then what did you do?" " Yeah, what did you do?" "Well, nothing at all." "In fact, sixth grade was so rough," "I changed my name to Devin Lacecock." "Why the hell would you tell him that?" "I pretended to be blind for an entire school year, just to elicit empathy." "Which was great until they found me intently watching an episode of M*A*S*H." "In fact, it got so bad, my parents had to refinance our house to put me in private school." "Let's just do that." "Can I go to private school, please?" "No, Dylan, we can't do that." "Want to know why?" "Because ever since that day, I've always run away from conflict." "In fact, if I had a dad like Dusty when I was your age, maybe he could have taught me how to stand up for myself." "So, wait." "You're saying, if I don't stick up for myself now," "I'll grow up to be a huge wussy like you?" "Yes." "That is the basic gist of what I'm saying." "Yes." "Okay." "Then let's do this." "Come on, buddy, you got this." "Give me something." "Come on." "Faster, harder, meaner, stronger." "You're fast, you're good." "You're a winner." "You're a champion." "They got to let you off the leash, baby." "We got a little pit bull here." "That was really nice, you guys." "Good job." "It was really fun to watch the two of you working together like a couple of great co-dads." "Yeah." "Co-dads." "That's..." "That's good stuff." "You know what?" "In that same spirit of unity," "I want to show my gratitude for your inviting me to stay here and share moments like these." "About that, Dusty." "When I pulled you over there, actually..." "No, what you've done here does not go unnoticed." "And I repay my debts." "Look, Sara, I know how much you want another child." "I think I can help put a baby in there for you." " Oh, my God!" " What are you saying?" " I mean I got a guy." " Dusty, please!" "You got a guy?" "Yes, I got a guy." "A fertility doctor." "He's a buddy of mine." "I trained him for his first Ironman." "All right?" "Dr. Francisco is the real deal." " Dr. Emilio Francisco?" " You've heard of him?" "Oh, my God, yeah." "He's been on Dr. Oz like 10 times." "He's one of the top five reproductive endocrinologists in the country." "See?" "People wait years to get an appointment with this guy." "Do you really think he would see us?" " Whoa, whoa, hold on." " I know he would." "If anybody can help you have a baby, he can." "Mommy's going to have a baby?" "Cool!" "Can we name it Griff?" "Thanks, D-man." "Look, you guys, I don't know if this is a good idea." "You don't wanna name your baby after a black person?" " Is that it?" " No!" "You probably want to name it something really white, like Connor or Gordon." "Harland, or Scot with one T. Or Brad." "No, no, Griff is a lovely name." "I'm just saying," "I don't think it's a good idea to get our hopes up, because, in the end, odds are, I'm going to let you down." "Okay, honey, but what if" "I promise, promise, promise not to get my hopes up?" "We could just try, right?" "It can't hurt." "Okay, sure." "But you can't get your hopes up." "No." "I won't, I won't!" "Thank you!" "I feel like you've already gotten your hopes up." " Where are you going?" " Nowhere!" " You calling your mother?" " No!" "Okay, yes, but it's about something else." "It's not about something else." "Damn it, Brad, he set you up." "He used this fancy doctor to get your wife back on the baby train." "When those test results come back and prove you can't give her a baby, guess who's gonna be waiting there cocked and loaded?" "Well, I trust my wife, so we really don't need to keep talking about it, okay?" "Let me tell you a little story, Brad." "When Jeneane, my fourth, and I were returning from our honeymoon, she told me that she had a 23-year-old kid." "Brazilian boy." "Said she had him real young." "So he moves in with us." "Doesn't speak a lick of English." "There are the usual tensions." "I try to assert my authority." ""Andreas, get your feet off the furniture."" ""Andreas, you're too old to sleep in bed with Mommy."" ""Andreas, you got to stay off the 'roids."" "And he'd get mad, and hit me with a car antenna." "Maybe that's the way kids are." "No." "Not really." "So I adopt him, help him get his citizenship." "The second the papers come through, guess what happens?" "I already know." "They shack up together in Barstow." "It turns out Andreas is her boyfriend, Brad." "I did not see it coming." "I actually did, about one, two words into your story." "The moral of this fable is, it's good to know when you're beaten." " You know I think the world of you, Brad." " Thank you." "But if I'm being completely honest, even I'm rooting for Dusty." "He's just so damn likeable." "You know, it's getting kind of late." "Shouldn't we just get back to work?" "Okay, you win." "So where are we on The Panda Jam numbers for next summer?" "London, you still on the conference call?" "Dusty Mayron, you crazy hijo de puta!" "Hey, what's up, Doc?" "You look great, man." "You still rocking those Ironmans?" "Yeah, bro." "I just finished Brazil in 11:40." " That's unbelievable." " Yeah." "Well, come on." "Ain't nothing on you, man." "Hey, my first race, I'm limping across the finish line when this bastard laps me." "I mean, come on, who wins an Ironman, then decides to go around again?" "Who does that?" "It sounds exhausting." "Hey, I'm Dr. Francisco." "You must be Sara." "Hi." "Dusty, you were not lying about this one." "Very nice." "And you weren't lying about this one either." "You must be Chief Glowing Sack." "What?" "Hey, come on, I'm just lighting you up, man." "Come on, little hug." "Okay, come on back, y'all." "Let's take a look." "All right." "So let's run it down." "I think we can safely say your issue has nothing to do with X-rays." "You know what, sweetheart, come here." "Let's see that pretty little hand." "Okay." "Now put it right in here." "Okay, you feel that?" " Yeah." " Okay, that is not how you want testicles to be shaped." "Really?" "It feels like all the other..." "Hi." "It cuts off blood flow, okay?" "Limits potency." "You want them to..." "You know what?" "Actually..." " Hey, Dusty!" " Hey." " Why is he coming in here?" " Little help in here, please." "Come on." "You gotta put me through this every time?" " Come on." "Be a sport." " All right." "Oh, my God!" "What are you doing?" "Is this even ethical?" "James and the Giant Peach." " Did you just gulp?" " No." "It's okay, I gulp every time." "You see, this..." "This is what you want." "Plump and bulbous." "Glassy smooth, like two Patrick Stewarts, you know what I mean?" "Don't embarrass me in front of Sara like this anymore, okay?" "Hey, sorry, bro." "So, ready to milk the cow, see if we even got a sliver of hope here?" "Hey, Dusty, come on, buddy." "Want to try to break your own record?" "No, I'm good." "Hey, come on, man." "I'm doing you a favor here." "Give me something to brag about at the next symposium." "Fine." "You want to break the record, I gotta break the record." "Yeah." "Kid came to play." "Should I grab a big cup, too?" "What?" "Stop screwing around." "Come on." "We're burning daylight here." "Hello." "Quick question." "How difficult would it be for someone to whip up a batch of your Cinnabons?" "Would you need restaurant-grade ovens?" "Bradsky." "Could you pass this along to Dusty?" "It's his first resids check." "Disclaimer." "It's more than you make." " Don't get worried about it." " How much more than..." "And tell him, 8:30 sharp at my house." "He doesn't need to bring anything." "All right, buddy?" "I've never been to your house." "No, you haven't." "Oh, my God, my hair, it looks awful." "Doesn't Mommy's hair look pretty?" " No." "Next slide, please." " Okay." "Slides." "Fun." "Cool." "You guys climbed that?" "Yuck." "Why are you guys kissing in every single picture?" "Mommy used to kiss Daddy a lot." "Married people kiss a lot." "Ready?" "Wow, China." "I loved it there." "Dylan, you were created right there on that wall, buddy." " Really?" " Dusty, that's enough." "Okay, next slide." "That's where your mom and I met, doing The King and I in summer stock." "God, that costume was so tight." "Next slide, please." "Oh, my God." "Is that baby me?" "All right, you guys, let's get ready for bed." " Okay?" " It's story time, Mayron family!" "We don't have to wait for Mr. Whitaker, do we?" "I really don't like you, but that shit is heartbreaking." "Griff's home!" "So the King raised his mighty sword and rained steel down upon the Step King." "But the Step King blocked it with his shield." "And swung his cat o'nine tails into the King's smug face." "Which the King easily brushed aside like the feather of a gull." "And then the King did counter with a barrage of slashes and thrusts so fast and precise the Step King had no way to parry." "But he did." "He did." "He parried all of them." "Easily." "It was no big deal." "Then he grabbed the King's sword right out of his hand and smashed it over his knee." "That's when the King pulled out a pump-action Mossberg shotgun!" "Which is completely anachronistic." "So if we're doing any time period, then the Step King just happened to be wearing Kevlar body armor." " Concussion grenade!" " Hand grenade." " Rocket launcher." " Missile launcher." " Air strike." " Nuclear strike." " Black hole." " God." "We know what this comes down to." "The Step King was very upset because when the real King pulled out his sword, it was long and shiny, and the Step King did shudder at the size of it." "And while the Step King acknowledged that the King carried a mighty, beautifully engraved broadsword, all the maidens in the land preferred the more average-sized" "Step King's sword because it knew how to listen." "And the King needs to realize he's a guest in his castle and he better mind his P's and Q's because the Step King has had it up to here with the King's bullshit!" "Brad said a naughty word." "Kids, I'm so sorry you had to hear that inappropriate language." "Make sure you tell your mother." "Brad, can I talk to you in the hall, please?" "Brad, what just happened in there, man?" "Look, the Step King should not have used inappropriate language in front of the Prince and Princess, he admits that." "Why are you still saying it like that, Brad?" "We're out in the hall." "I don't know." "I'm upset." "Hold on." "Hello?" "Yeah, Brad's here, he's doing good." "Hey, it's Dr. Francisco." "He wants us all to come in tomorrow." "9:30 work for you?" " Yeah, I guess so." " Yeah, we'll see you then." "All right, bud." "Come on, man." "The doctor will be with you in a moment." " Thank you." " Thank you." "Hey, Brad, whatever happens here, I just want you to know that I'm proud of you for doing your best." " Okay?" " Thank you." "Hello, hello." "Okay." "I'm going to cut right to the chase." "Sara, I'm afraid I've got some bad news." "Oh, God." "That is a tough break." "I'm sorry." "Damn, that is a real shame." "My heart is melting." "Yeah, it's a real shame, Sara." "A real shame that you're gonna have to put up with Brad here pounding away on you over and over, now that he's got a fighting chance of getting you pregnant." "What?" "Oh, my God!" " Holy moly!" " Oh, my God." "Hey, Doc, Doc, don't give them a false sense of hope." "Remember what you said about the blood flow and the screwy 'nads?" "Yeah, well, Brad has you to thank for that, Dusty." "In lab rats, whenever another alpha male comes around, it can spike testosterone, driving up sperm counts." "Now, no guarantees, okay?" "But with my help, Brad," "I think you got enough left in the tank to make it all the way to baby town." "That's so wonderful." "Thank you." " Thank you so much." " Of course." " Can we give you a hug?" " Yeah." "Come on in." "Oh, my gosh." "Did not expect this." "You virile sea snake, you." " I underestimated you, Brad." " Yes, you did." "I can finally give Sara everything, and it feels good." "Now, listen, this is what you need to do." "You need to go and pee outside the room that Dusty sleeps in." "He's gonna smell your urine and know that your virility is not to be taken lightly." "It's good advice." "I did it last year in the lobby." "I remember." "It was a health hazard." "It scared the FedEx guy." "No, I'm going to take the high road on this one." "Okay, fine, take the high road." "But jam a baby up in there as quickly as you can, Brad." "Because, in the end, if Sara does choose Dusty over you, he has to be stepdad to your baby." "How beautiful is that?" "Come on, five it." "No." "You know, it feels strange to high-five over the custody of my unborn child." "I've been on Dusty's team." "I'm trying to jump over to the winning team Brad." " Get on this." " I'd really rather not." "I'm trying to share a moment with you here." "Please five me." "It feels..." "No, thanks." " Got it!" " Wait." "No." " Sweet." " It didn't count." "I love you, Brad." "It's not a binding high-five." "Fat beans in there." " Dusty?" " Brad." "What can I do for you?" "Wow, that's some impressive up-downs." "Look, what you did for Sara and me, that's a life-changer, and I just wanted to say thank you." "And I'm sorry." "Sorry for what?" "Well, here's the thing." "I mean, you show up, here's this guy who's cool and exciting." "I guess I felt a little competitive, and slightly insecure, and I start thinking, well, maybe you want to challenge me." "But today you proved that all you really care about is our family's happiness." "Oh, man." "I'm humbled." "I mean it." "And you know what?" "You're right." "I was challenging you, Brad." " Yeah?" " The truth?" "I see this new man in my kids' life." "He's kind and caring and successful, and I don't even want to like you." "But I can't help it." "I like you, Brad." "Really?" "I was determined to push you out and get my family back." "I was underhanded and disingenuous about it." "I feel like a monster." "No." "No, no, no." "At the risk of being disrespectful, I want you to shut your mouth." "You are allowed to have those feelings." "Okay?" "Heck, we're talking about your own children here, for cripes' sake." "Clean slate?" "Absolutely." "Come here." "You know what's funny?" "You're not even sweating, after doing all those push-ups." "That's exemplary." "Thank you, Dusty." "Thank you, Brad." "All that stuff about pushing me out and taking over my family," "I mean, we're through all that, right?" "No, no, no." "I'm here to defeat you and take back my family." "That can't change." "But now I'll follow your noble example and do it above board." "Honestly." "Like a man." "Like you." "But we just hugged." "You said you like me." "I do like you, Brad, very much." "It doesn't make this any easier." "You know I'm gonna have to tell Sara what you said in here today." "Of course." "It would be irresponsible not to." "She's not gonna like it." "She's gonna want you out." "You're right about that, Brad." "What the hell are you up to?" "I just told you what I'm up to." "My head is spinning right now." "Hey, you got any sweet potatoes?" "Or yams?" "Sweet potatoes or yams?" "Griff, you know we have yams, all right?" "You made me buy them for you." "I wanted to respect your house by asking you before I got them." "I didn't want to just go grab yams." "Okay, I appreciate that." "I'm dealing with something." " Just go get the yams." " All right." "Here's the thing." "You're right, Dusty." "Yeah." "I'm not going to tell Sara." "But I'm gonna prove to you that I'm the best." "You can eat my dust, Dusty." "Christmas already?" "Why didn't anybody tell me?" "It's not." "It's the middle of April." "Daddy must have done this!" "No, he didn't." "Brad." "Claus is the name." "Santa Claus, if you please." "But this Brad you speak of called me all the way up at the North Pole." "He said his children were so sad because their biological father had missed so many" "Christmases and birthdays and special family holidays, so he asked me to come here today so that Dusty could experience one Christmas with his kids before he leaves again." "Probably for a long, long time." "Can we open presents?" "You sure can, little girl." "I think they're from Brad." "In fact, all the presents are from Brad." "Let's see if any of the presents are from Dusty." "Nope." "Not one present from Dusty." "All from Brad." "Hey, kids, let's not forget who got you a dog." "Remember?" "Hey, Tumor, quit humping Mrs. Claus!" "Okay, I am officially worried about you." "Don't worry, Claus hasn't forgotten you." " For me?" " Yeah." "Oh, my God, honey, it's beautiful." "I love it." "Wait, no!" "No!" "No, no." "It's too much." "No, it looks like Tumor's given away Megan's big gift." "A pony!" "A pony!" "A pony!" "I know, it's a pony!" "It's a pony, Dusty!" "A pony!" "Can we name her Princess Elsa?" "You can name him whatever you want, because it's yours!" "Brad, how can we afford a pony?" "Where are we even going to put that thing?" "I can clear out some stable space in the garage." "Look, it's only half a horse." "Okay?" "Think of it like a big dog, only a lot better." "What's this?" "What the heck?" "It's tickets to tonight's NBA playoff game..." " What?" " ...against Dylan's favorite team, the Los Angeles Lakers?" "Thanks, Brad!" "You're the coolest!" "I love you, Brad!" "Not bad." "Not bad at all." "Merry Christmas, Whitaker family!" "Christmas?" "How long was I asleep for?" " You guys got enough candy?" " Yeah!" "Remember, you can have anything you want, 'cause it's Christmas!" "No, it isn't." "It's not Christmas, kids." " All right." "Here we are." " Sick!" "We're this close?" "Yeah." "Pretty good, right?" "Megan, you sit down right there." "Perfect." "Dylan, you sit next to me." "And, Dusty, I'm so sorry." "Yeah." "I could only get four in a row." "I couldn't get five." "So you're across the aisle, next to that gentleman." "All right, guys, I'll be right here." " We can still chat." " Bye, Daddy." "Look, there's Kobe!" "It's him!" "He's right there." "Thank you, Brad, this is the best present I've ever gotten." " You are so welcome." " In my whole life." "I'm glad to hear it's the best present you've ever got!" "How much did these seats cost?" "Not too much." "Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a big welcome to all the kids from Hearts of Courage." "Whoo!" "Hearts of Courage kids!" "Proud of you, you're all miracles!" "I love kids!" "All right, honey." "That's plenty." "I just get excited when I'm with my family!" "Dusty!" "Dusty Mayron!" "Marco?" "Hey!" "What's up, man?" "Are you coaching now?" "Yeah, I'm the new strength and conditioning coach." " Man." " Check you out." "Hey, I played ball with him in Italy." "This is my family." "My little guy, Dylan." "He's the biggest Kobe fan in the world." "Really?" "Come on down." "I'll introduce you." " What?" " What?" "You hear that?" "You want to meet Kobe?" "Bring the whole family down." "You guys can sit with the team." "Hey, this is my little girl, Megan." "She just invited me to her first Daddy-Daughter Dance." " So sweet." " What did he just say?" "What the hell did he just say?" "Sorry." "He's okay." "No, I'm not okay." "He's not okay." " Honey, you need to calm down." " No!" "I'm not gonna calm down." "She asked me first!" "And now she's asking him?" "No." "It's not fair." "Actually, it's very fair." "Okay?" "She has two dads." "She wants you both there." "You just have to accept that." "No, I'm not going to accept it." "All right?" "I do pick-up!" "I do drop-off!" "Okay, I volunteer at school!" "I listen to the tantrums and the crying and the soundtrack of Frozen that's on a goddamn loop all the time!" "And he just waltzes in for a few days, and now he gets to go as well?" "No!" "No, she's got to choose." "It's either me or him!" "Megan, you got to choose!" " You got to choose!" " Hey!" "It's the biggest decision of your life!" "Hey!" "You know what?" "I'm going to pretend you're not acting like a crazy person, because I know you're very upset." "But you need to get over yourself." "Okay?" "Now go down there and be happy with your kids." "No!" "A scalper gouged me 18 grand for these seats." "I'm not leaving them!" "What?" "What did you just say?" "Yeah." "Nothing." "Let's just..." "You're right." "I'm so much more relaxed now." "Thank you." "Yeah." "Let's just go down..." "Let's just..." "No!" "I think you should sit in your $18,000 seats, and think of all the better ways your family could have used that money." "Sara." "The guy from the nuclear sub thing?" " Mayron!" "That's him." " That's the guy?" "Can I get some beers down here?" "Can I get five beers?" "Excuse me, some beers!" "What's up, everybody?" "Let's make some noise!" "Tonight, one lucky fan is going to get a chance to shoot from half court to win a family vacation to Disney World!" "And our lucky fan is sitting in section 113, row 6," "C-1." "Where is he?" "Let's see it." "Where is he?" "It's me." "It's me, I win!" " There he is." " I win." "I'm-a make it to Disneyland." "I'm-a make it all right." " All right, Brad!" " Yay, Brad!" "Yay, Brad!" "All right, sir, how you doing?" "What's your name?" "First off, I love my kids." "He loves his kids!" "Let's give it up!" "And if anyone was ever to do anything to them," " I would hurt them." " Okay." "I would freakin' hurt them!" "Okay." "This guy over here is trying to take them!" "Trying to steal my family." "He doesn't sweat!" "Okay, you know what?" "Why don't we just shoot..." "But I got news for you, buddy!" "Last night, while you were sleeping, I made love to our wife!" " Okay." " My wife!" "Sara, right over there!" "Took my wiener out of my pants!" "This is a family event, okay?" " Boo!" "Boo!" " All right." "So, even if Sara does pick you, you're going to have to be the stepdad to my kid!" "You see how you like it!" "Okay?" "Let's get somebody else down here, all right?" "Somebody else..." "Somebody else is going to win a family trip!" "Give me that ball, you." "This one's for Dylan and Megan and Sara and Dylan." "Nothing but net." "All right, he's going for it!" "Nothing but net!" "Do-over!" " That's a do-over!" " No do-over." "No." "It's a do-over!" "I'm so sorry you had to see that." "I'm so sorry." "Hey, kids, why don't you go inside and put on your pajamas?" " What are you doing?" " I'm comforting you." "Sara, look..." "Sorry, too soon." "I know." "But I just want you to know that I'm here for you and the kids." "Really?" "You want to be a real parent now?" "Is that what this is?" "Absolutely." "I'm here now." "Dusty, I'm working crazy hours this week." "With Brad gone, the kids are gonna have to be dropped off, picked up, taken to swimming lessons." "Dylan has a play date with Eli on Tuesday, and Megan has a dentist appointment on Friday." "Sara, I know in the past I've been unreliable, but this is a new me." "All right?" "This is the new Dusty." "Well, you can't take them to school on a motorcycle." " You need a car." " Done." "Okay." "Hey!" "You're not staying here!" "Are you sure you don't need company right now?" "I mean, you're going through a tough transition here." "Be here at 6:30 tomorrow morning." "Can I at least come in and get my stuff?" "No!" "I'm gonna wait for a while, in case you change your mind." "Hey." "What did you throw Griff out for?" "This place is chaotic." "There's always some bullshit going on in that house." "God, man." "Want to go to the Red Roof Inn?" "Let's do it." "Is that Cinnamon Toast Crunch?" "Yes, sir." "Okay." "No running!" "All right." "Lindsey!" "Sloane!" "Car's open right down there!" "Okay, sir, inside the cones!" "Just like ice cream!" "Keep it inside..." "That's right!" "Thank you." "Hi." "I see you've been picking up Megan and Dylan these past few days." "Should I expect you from now on?" "I'm their real dad, so yeah, from now on." "Terrific." "I see that you also haven't signed up to volunteer in the lane." "Brad was so good about helping us out in the lane, in the classroom, PTA, and so forth." "We could always count on him for bake sales, Spring Sing, costumes for Winter Pageant." "You know the drill." "I hope I can count on you to be the new Brad." "Sure, yeah." "You can count on me." "I mean, I'm their real dad, so, yeah, I'll be here every day." "Great." "So, if your kids aren't out here, I'm gonna need you to circle around to the back of the line." "Okay?" " No, I can't go around." " Thanks." "I came ten minutes early so I don't have to..." "If your kids aren't here, you have to go around!" "I know." "There's somebody in front of me." "Okay?" "Just go around!" "I can't just go over the cones!" "I'm boxed in here!" " Go around!" " No, you can't!" "Okay?" "She said stay in the cone, like ice cream!" "Go around!" "Inside the cones!" "Amanda has got a recital!" "I have to get there!" "You need to go!" "Hey!" "We always stay inside the cones!" "Cones!" "Cones!" "Come on!" "Have you been living here for the last few days, Brad?" "No." "Then what's with the blankets and the hot plate and the B.O.?" "I crapped in the wastebasket." "You know, Brad, two years into my thing with Charlene, her first husband showed up." "Oriental fellow." "You can't say that." "You cannot say "Oriental."" "His name was Yu or Wu." "It could have been Javier." "Anyway, I get off early one day, get home, and there he is, stark naked in our bed." "I didn't know what to think." "Really?" "You didn't know what to think?" "Six months later, I wake up in a Chinese prison with a tattoo on my lower back of a golf ball rolling towards my butthole." "I can't hear these stories anymore." "I'm sorry." "I know they're supposed to help..." "Griff!" "What are you doing here?" "Thought you should know Dusty came by the bar earlier." "He was talking about how he can't do the daddy thing." "I tried to talk some sense into him, but he seemed determined to get out of town." "What, he's leaving?" "I don't think I have to tell you, but little Megan's dance is tonight, and she's not going to have a daddy." "That's fantastic." "Brad, you win." "And Dusty, because of an act of cowardice, loses." "I mean, you're the daddy again." "Come on, hit that." "No, I'm not her daddy." "I wish more than anything I was, but I'm not." "Yeah, you're right, Brad." "A real dad wouldn't give up on his kids so easy." "Griff!" "Wait!" "He's still in the room, Brad." "Hey." "Sorry." "I thought you stormed out." "What you said sounded like a storm-out, and then I heard the door close." "I just thought that shit was getting kind of personal, so it'd be good to close the door." "So extremely thoughtful." "Thank you." "Yeah." "And just so you know where my head was at," "I was going to chase you down the hallway." "Right?" "You'd hear my footsteps and you're like, "Is someone after..." "What's going on?"" "It's me, and I'm like, "Griff, hey!" ""You were right."" "Holy shit!" "That would be so uplifting." "Can we do that?" "Griff, can you storm out, and Brad, you go after him?" "I don't really want any part of that." "That sounds like pure nonsense to me." "I don't want..." "I'd rather not." "We could just try it." "No, that sounds forced and weird to try to recreate something." "Not even recreate." "It would be creating." "It didn't happen." "It's over-discussed at this point." "Shouldn't you go see your kid?" " Yeah." "Yeah." " All right." "You guys go." "Brad, can I come?" "No." "Daddy's not coming, is he?" "Honey, he'll be here." "He promised." "I see cupcakes over there." "I think you should go eat some." "Go on." "Go eat a lot of sugar." "Dusty." " Nope." " Come on, Dusty." "Where are you going?" "I'd pay a billion dollars to take her to that dance." " You're just gonna leave?" " You take her then." "I can't take her." "Okay?" "I'm not welcome after I said" "I was gonna put a spite baby in her mother." " I guess that's out, then." " Yeah, that is out." "So it's gotta be you." "I'm sorry, Brad, I just can't do it, all right?" "What do you mean, you can't do it?" "I can't stay inside the cones." "Look, Dusty, the cones are there for everyone's safety." " It's not about the cones." " You just said it was." "The cones are a metaphor, Brad." "I'm not the domestic type, okay?" "Dusty, come on." "What are you talking about?" "You're organized, you're handy." "You make the best cinnamon rolls I have ever tasted." "Those were Cinnabons, Brad." "Come on." "You can't make rolls like that in a conventional oven." "I knew it!" "I knew it." "I knew it from the beginning!" "So you've been telling some tall tales, huh?" " All that Special Ops stuff." " No, just the Cinnabons!" "Why would you lie about Cinnabons?" "'Cause I wanted to win." "All right?" "I wanted to prove that I was a good dad, too, but I'm not." "Okay?" "Are you happy?" "Is that what you want to hear?" "All the noise and the mess and all the choices." "You do one thing wrong, you can screw them up for life." " Do you realize that?" " Yeah." "Dads have to make a lot of choices, okay?" "And we blow most of them." "Yeah, and the other parents." "That kid, Eli." "I was over there for a play date." "You know about this?" "You can't just ride your bike over to a friend's house, to play Hot Wheels anymore, now you got to make some kind of date?" " I know, it's a shame." " Well, I'm over there, and the kid's dad keeps asking me if Dylan's gonna be in the gifted program with Eli." "Like Dylan isn't as smart as his little ball-scratcher kid." "I wanted to murder that smug prick." "Dusty, look, I hate that guy, too, okay?" "But his son is Dylan's best friend, so you suck it up." "I mean, that's most of what dads do, is take shit." "I mean, that's what we do." "I can't do it, Brad." "I can't take shit like you do." "You take shit better than anyone I've ever met, and I mean that as a compliment from the bottom of my heart." " Thank you." " But I'm sorry, Brad." "I can't." "I can't do it, man." "You made a promise to Megan, and you're gonna keep it." "Did you just punch me in the face, Brad?" "Yes." "Knowing full well I got no choice but to bust you up now?" "I really wish you wouldn't." "If I did, you'd take that beatdown for those kids, wouldn't you?" "Yeah." "Yeah, I would." " Come on." " Good luck, Dusty." "What?" "No, no, you gotta come." "It's just..." "I can't see Sara after what I said." "Sara loves you, Brad." "All right?" "I know just what to say to her." "You just stand there and look lost without her." " I am lost without her." " That's good." "Then let's go." " But I look terrible." " Yeah, you do." "Come here." " What are you doing?" " I'm fixing you up, man." "Dusty, get your hands out of my pants." "Calm down." "Think I want to touch your little dinky?" "I'm trying to fix you up." "All right." "Let me see." "Wow." "I look great." "Here you go." " That's incredible." " Come on." "Hey, pumpkin." "Daddy wanted to be here, I know he did." "He just gets..." "She's doing her arms-folded thing." "You said she'd smile." "Maybe even start a slow clap." "Don't worry, I got this." "Okay?" "Come on." "Hey, look, it's the guy that stranded his kids at school." "And look who he's with." "Did you get anybody pregnant on your way over here, Brad?" "No, I didn't." " Sara, listen..." " No!" " Sara, please." " No." "I am not going to listen to you." "You know what?" "Your daughter's been sitting there for two hours, heartbroken." "Sara, I am so sorry..." "Just, please." "Will one of you idiots just ask your daughter to dance?" " Really?" " Yes." "Neither one of you deserves her, but yes." " Go ahead, Dusty." " No, you take the first one." "You've earned it more than I have." "Dusty, please, she's your daughter." "What the hell did I miss?" "I'll tell you what." "I'll vouch for you to the kids and I'll take the first dance." "I'll say my good-byes, and then I'll get out of your hair." "Wait, wait." "When you say "get out of your hair,"" "you mean leave, like leave-leave?" "Tonight?" "Daddy!" "Brad!" "The fourth graders are here." "They're picking on Dylan again." "That's it." "Those little shitheads are dead." "Where are they?" "Those are the fourth graders?" " They're girls." " They're so mean." "Why are you even here at the Daddy-Daughter Dance?" "Are you a daughter?" "Are you a girl?" "Are you too scared to take me on without your little friends?" "No, he's calling out the big one." "No, no, no." "Come on!" "Dylan!" "Yes!" " Dylan, what are you doing?" " Did you see?" "Did you see?" "I punched her in the face, just like you taught me." " What?" " And then I kicked her right in the nuts." "You like that, bitch?" " No, no, no!" " You want some more, bitch?" "Sweetheart, what happened?" "What's going on here?" "He punched me in the face." "Then he kicked me in the swimsuit area." "Then he called me the "B" word." "Who did, him?" "He did." "I saw it." "He said they taught him to hit girls." "No, no." "We thought your daughter was a boy." " What?" " No, what he means is that" "Dylan told us that a fourth grader was picking on him, but he didn't tell us it was a girl." "Yeah, and if you had, we'd have told you it's never okay to hit a girl." "And that she's probably only bugging you because she likes you, buddy." "I do not like him." "I think she likes him." "Gross, whatever." "She totally does." "Are you calling my daughter a whore?" " What?" " They were implying it, Jerry." "Wait." "That's quite a stretch." "Mrs. Troy, please." "I got this." "Wait, first of all, which one of you two is the kid's dad?" "They both are." "Oh, my gosh." "Wow!" "I'm sorry." "That's the first time he's ever referred to me as Dad." "It's something I've wanted to hear for a long time, so it's a bit poignant." "I tend to cry a lot when things get emotional." "They tease me all the time." " I'm actually the stepdad." " Is that right?" "So you're the real dad!" "Hey." "You don't want to embarrass yourself, buddy." "You threatening me now, tough guy?" " He's threatening you, Jerry." " Nobody's threatening anybody." "But you're gonna want to back that up, Jerry." "And you, Squidward tie." "Quit being an instigator, or I'm gonna have to rap you in the mouth." "Hey, hey, hey." "Everyone just calm down." "We're at the Daddy-Daughter Dance." "You stay out of it, all right?" "You don't count!" "I want to talk to the real dad here." "Hey, Brad here is more of a real dad than any of us." "You ever want to see how you should be raising your kids, go look at this guy." "Here I go again." "What did I tell you?" " Really?" "You mean that?" " Yes, I do, Brad." "You're a great dad." " Like that?" " You shouldn't have done that." "Yeah?" "Why?" "I'm pretty sure he kills people for a job." "He's been rather vague with me, but that's what I'm kind of surmising." " Are we gonna do this?" " We're gonna do it." " Okay." "You ready?" " Yeah, I'm ready." " This is what you get." " Daddy." "Want another one?" "Come on in." "What's going on?" "Is this like some UFC shit?" "Come on, Brad." "That's right." "It's a dance, Jerry." "Yeah." "So dance, Jerry!" "Yeah!" "You just got served, Jerry!" "You just got a piping hot serving." "I'm not getting served." "You're getting served!" "You don't know this about me, Jerry, but I like to move my body." "Get it, Brad!" "Yeah!" "Yeah, Brad!" "This is a dance!" "Let's go!" "Am I the only one with my shirt off?" "You know you can't leave, right?" "You want me to stay?" "These guys are growing up so fast." "You don't want to miss it." "You're sweating profusely." " I know." "I sweat a lot." " That's cool." "Thank you." "So Dusty did stay." "And with the huge amount of money he was making as the voice of The Panda, he built his own new castle right down the street." "Hey!" "But we kept Tumor because he didn't get along with Dusty's new puppy." "It turns out Tumor was only five so we're going to have him for a long, long time." "Tumor!" "And I was more than a little surprised when Dusty showed up one day with his new wife and his new stepdaughter." "This is my stepdaughter, Adriana." " Hey, Adriana." "I'm Brad." " Want to go play?" "That's your brother and sister." "You guys play nice, okay?" "Hey, hon." "Who's at the door?" "Hey, Sara." "This is my wife, Karen." "Is it..." "Your wife?" "That Karen, wow, she is so great." "It turns out she's a doctor and a celebrated novelist." "I mean..." "Hon, would you..." " Come here, Griff." "Come here, Griff." " He's so cute." "And I was so surprised when I found out that we're the same age." "I mean, she looks so young, right?" "Good for her!" "Honey, you look amazing tonight." "What are you talking about?" "It's just my normal clothes." "That's how I look." "I just got ready really fast." "Hey, Griff." "Hey, little Griffy." "You want to come to Daddy?" "What, you think I'm going to pick his pockets or something?" " No." " He doesn't carry a wallet." "Sweetie, be careful with that knife, okay?" "You're not my dad." "Brad was right." "Being a stepdad isn't always easy." "But he was also right that it's worth it." "And he was right about the Ford Flex, too." "It's a great family car." "Got plenty of room for the kids, gear, and plenty of pickup for me." "I got the Weekender package." "A few more bells and whistles than Brad's, but Brad doesn't need to know that." "Daddy!" "Sweetie, I've been waiting for you to..." " Did you just gulp?" " No." "I heard a gulp." "Well, a little bit, maybe." " Sure." " There you are." "He's a lot bigger than you." "He's got legs for arms." "Little star, guess what?" "I like him." "I like him a lot." "Yeah." "I bet you he's going to like us, too." "Remember, Loving Fence." "Just go say hi." "Yeah, look, I got this, buddy." "Watch." "Hey." "You must be Roger." "Nope."