"Previously on "Casual"..." " Fuck!" " Oh, gross!" "Alena, Laura." "Oh, you're Casey's girlfriend." "Hi." "Her wife." "How is this gonna work?" "We're waiting, 'cause I want..." "I want the sex to be about us." "Hello, why are you giving my nine-year-old a music sermon?" "We're trying to find Alex's sister's dad." "Good news and bad news." "Bad news, your biological dad is no longer with us." "Good news, I found your half-brother." "And he's in Fresno." "This is my thing!" "Mine, and you can't just fucking insert yourself." "I was like you." "And then I meet this woman who suddenly treats me like I have something to offer." "And then like the sun, she sets on you, shines on someone else." "Wow." "If you just had feelings for her, you should have told me." "I don't have feelings for Valerie." "You can never be anyone's second choice." "I just wasn't sure if I could be your first choice." "But you could." "I mean, you are." " Hi." " Hi." " Come in." " Sure." "Well, this is it." " This is it." " Yeah." "Chris Christie?" "Um, that guy is at least 50, and fat don't crack." "And John Wayne." "Nah, it's not... not Mom's type." "Oh." "Whew." "Thank Christ." "My first reaction was illegal, technically, in most states." "Uh, Valerie?" "Rich." " That's me." " Yeah." "Uh..." " Hi, I'm Jack." " Oh, hey." " Hi." " Hi." "Jack." "Okay." "Take you long to get here from LA?" " Um..." " Oh, three hours." " Yeah." " Oh, fast." "What kind of car you drive?" " A Prius." " An Audi SUV." " Her..." " Uh, Jack drove." "I had a Honda SUV once." "It was great for going to the drive-in." "You remember drive-ins?" "Yeah, I sure do." "I saw "X-Men:" "Days of Future Past" at the Madera drive-in." "You see that one?" "Um, they... they go back in time or something?" "Back and forward." "Right." "Wow." "Sounds confusing, but it makes sense when you see it." "All the science is based on real stuff." "Mm." "Man." "You go your whole life and never knowing your dad had an affair and had another kid." "What a trip." "Yeah." " You guys hungry?" " Yeah." "What's... what's good here?" "He's been listening to my mix." "You couldn't have introduced him to jazz?" "He's too young to fall on that sword." "Oh, no, is that your lunch?" " Yes." " No." "It was also my dinner and then a lunch before that." "No." "Here." " Really?" " Yes." "That looks really good." " It is." " Thank you." "You know, if you ever wanted a regionally specific meal prepared by a trained professional chef or even a whole sandwich, I could take you out." "That would make for good office gossip." "I could cook too, if you want something more private." "Oh." "That's thoughtful, but no, right?" "HR would rake me over the coals." " Aren't you HR?" " Oh." "Thanks for lunch." "So Kitty Pride has to keep the link up while mutants die in the future, fighting to give Wolverine a chance to save the past." "Wolverine, that's Hugh Jackman, right?" "Uh-huh." "Yeah, I like him." "He can sing." "He's Australian." "But not racist Australian." " Mel Gibson Australian." "Yeah." " Exactly." "Anyway, then the Sentinels show up, and it is not pretty." "They say robots are gonna take over the world one day, but I hope it's not these robots." "Yeah, me too." "Oh, you'd be safe." "They could never take the place of a psychiatrist." "Oh, I don't know about that." ""Siri, why do I want to kill my mother and fuck my father?"" "I'm sorry." "That was..." " No, it's a..." " Sorry about that." "I..." "I'd be safe too." "Butchering, that's an art form." " Yeah." " Yeah, slaughtering, bleeding, skinning... you know, it's all in the feel." "They have robots that can debone a chicken, but a chicken is not a cow." "No, it is not." " It's really not even close, yeah." " Thank you." "Well, Rich, this has been, um... so just really good meeting you." "Really good." "But I think we need to be heading back." "I have a class tonight, and Jack has to work." "But this has just been really nice." "You're leaving?" "I took the early shift tomorrow." "I thought maybe you could come over for dinner, meet the family, maybe hear a little bit about Dad." "Oh, yeah, no, I..." "Yeah, yeah, we can make that work, right?" "I'd love it." "Really." "Oh, of course." "Yeah, of course." "I would love it too." "What's a five-letter word for "redolence"?" "Starts with "A"?" "Uh..." ""Aroma."" "Ah!" "That's it!" "My first Thursday puzzle." "Glass of wine to celebrate?" "Day drinking makes me sleepy." "Hmm, well, then sleep... we shall." "You didn't have to cook for me." "I know." "But your kitchen is so much better than the co-op." "Here, chop that." "So where'd you learn the culinary arts?" "Howard Dean campaign." "I was your age, actually." "Freezing in New Hampshire." "You learn quick when you're desperate." "Sounds fun." "Until the scream." "After that, I quit party politics and went grassroots." " Ah, yes, the small-time." " Yeah." "Federal government's fucked, and low expectations is all we got." "Okay, so you're cautiously pessimistic about the council meeting?" "I don't know." "I mean, Beverly Hills did it." "Permanent moratorium, no more oil drilling." "Yeah, if only we had a better argument than community health." "Yeah, health does not finance re-election campaigns." "So you're going to speak at the meeting?" "Should I?" "Maybe." "Isn't that why you took this job?" "Well, I took it 'cause you asked." "Well, don't say that." "Hey, can I talk to you?" "If we just... if we let it go, it'll shock you how much it never happened." "No, don't quote "Mad Men" to me." "And this isn't about you." "Is something wrong with me?" " Yes." " No, seriously." "I just got turned down for a date." "You really want to know?" "Hit me." "You're selfish, man." "Like, epically selfish." "You're like textbook example of a narcissist." "And you're a man-child." "You're manipulative." "And you want to be good, right?" "That ideal appeals to you." "It feels good." "But in practice, it's too much work." "You know what?" "You should just play to your strengths." "You got a kind of creepy charm." "You know, you have this full head of hair," " got a great house." " It is pretty great." "You've got symmetrical facial features." " You're 6 feet tall." " I'm 6'1"." " Really?" " Yeah." "Oh." "Okay, anything else?" "You'll be fine." " Oh." " What?" "Good news." "I bought some toenail clippers." "I'm going." "I'm gone." "So your mom lets you stay here by yourself?" "I mean, I could hang out at my dad's, but..." "Mae-Yi tried giving me dating advice, and I thought she was kidding, so I laughed, but it turns out she was serious, and now things are strained." "Who's Mae-Yi?" "The 23-year-old I walked in on my dad having sex with." "And you're the one that had to tell your mom?" "After a week of careful deliberation." "Not an easy conversation." "Nope." "And she's still sad." "They both are." "Could have saved a lot in lawyer fees if they'd just accepted their fate." "You believe in fate?" "Well, we're the products of the people who raised us, right?" "My people are fucked." "QED." "In a year, you're gonna leave home and make so many mistakes that have nothing to do with your parents." "So don't fall back on that shit, 'cause it's easy, and it's obvious." "I know." "I'm thinking about it too." "How did the X-Men go backwards and forwards in time?" "Look, that science is all based on real stuff." "I get the feeling that first impressions aren't his specialty." "Well, he's a butcher who works at Vons and lives vicariously through superheroes." "What else is there to say?" "Come on." "This is exciting." "The Big Tomato." "Oh, well, that's Sacramento." " Really?" " Yeah." " We're not in the Big Tomato right now?" " No." "Oh, fuck it, then." "We should bring something tomorrow, right?" "Like a cake or a pie?" "Pie." "Pie is good." "Yeah, pie's really great." "You okay?" "It's just not what I thought it would be." "It's just one dinner." "Don't sweat it." "I'm gonna be there right next to you the whole time." "Yeah, that's not what I..." "what I'm talking about." "This'll be good." "You'll see." "Yeah." "Right." "Okay." "Um, good night, Jack." "Good night." "Casey?" "Yeah?" "Um, I don't..." "I don't want to speak at the council meeting." "I don't have anything important enough to say." "That's fine." "You don't have to." "You won't be disappointed?" "It's not about me." "It's about you." "You want to sleep here?" " Saya..." " I'm sorry." "She refuses to photograph in a Spanish-style house until the Catalan situation is resolved." "The house we rented is Mediterranean." " She says it's the same thing." " Motherfucking Gia." "Who's Gia?" "She's a YouTuber." "She's massively popular and awful." "She's from Spain?" " Long Beach." " Right." "We're launching her lifestyle brand... adult dinner party, adult house." "She's very particular." "Use my house." "You own a house?" "Da bones are great." "Light's fantastic." "This place was made to be shot." "You are a freaking lifesaver." "I owe you." "Yeah, no problem." "So what do we do now, just hang around till Gia shows up?" "Sadly, I have to get back to the office." "But Saya will be here to troubleshoot." "Yay." "Oh, my god, Leon." "The inside is like custard." "And the syrup..." "Well, it's just leftover wine, blueberries, and sugar." "Wait." "You made this?" "Well, yeah, you... you said you like blueberries." "What did I do to deserve you?" "I..." "I should get going." "I hear the siren's call of the cafe." "Oh, you're still working at the coffee shop?" "Um, until they finish construction at my flat, which, at this rate, will be never." "Um, well, Val's still away." "Why don't... you stay and do some work here?" "Or other things." "Friday crossword?" "Maybe later." "I can't tell if these cornflakes are stale or just cornflakes." "It looks like a big bowl of scabs." "Sorry." "Why do people sentimentalize small towns?" "Why?" "I mean, is uniformity so endearing?" "Like, "Oh, I don't have to hear other points of view." "How great."" "Fresno's not that small, miss." "It's the almond capital of the world." "That's Sacramento." " That's Sacramento?" "Shit." "Damn it." " Yeah." "All right, I got to take this." "I'm sorry." "One second." "Yeah." "Okay, so this is terrible timing, but this work thing just came up." "I have to take this." "Couple hours." "What?" " A couple hours?" " At the most." "I think it'll be... it'll be less, no." "What I am supposed to do?" "Here, get the pie." "And I'll be as fast as I can;" "I promise." "Sorry." "Yeah." "You know, eye contact." "Keep it personal." "Short and sweet." "They will cut you off." "And just hey, no pressure." "Say what you have to say." "It's on them to listen." "Hello?" "Hey, you ever heard of the YouTube star Gia?" "The one who flashed her tits at the Broad?" "Yeah, and she has terrible taste in art, for one." "Stop the presses." "Hey, I'm kind of in the middle of something." "She just mixes random black textiles." "That's not design;" "that's an affront to good taste." "Excuse me." "Do you care about anything important?" "Have you not heard my tone?" "Do you think our family's poisoned?" "What do you mean?" "In what way?" "Like, in our blood?" "Because there's something wrong with us that can never be fixed?" "Yes." "I mean, I can only speak for myself." "Maybe ask your mom?" "She's in Fresno." "Oh." "I got to go." "Good luck with Gia." "I'll call him and see if he can take the hit." "And I'll also call Suarez." "He said he'd help with gap financing, and we..." "Right." "Yeah, no, we have options." "Just tell me what you need." "Hey, Logan." "Are you okay?" "You're here." "Where else would I be?" "I've lived in West Adams for 20 years, and because I hope to do so for another 20," "I ask that the council vote yes on the moratorium." "Thank you." "I believe we have one more speaker." "Excuse me." "Thank you." "Hello." "So I'm only 17 now, but I will be able to vote in the next election... or, since I don't see any women up there, maybe even run." "Um..." "Okay, so... there are active oil and gas wells all over the city, most within 2,000 feet of homes and schools and hospitals." "Only drilling companies cover them up with buildings so people don't know what's happening right next to them." "But you do." "There are 400 cases of nosebleeds and other symptoms, and there's something toxic in the air that no one wants to talk about," "I guess 'cause it's hard." "But shouldn't we talk about the hard things the most instead of just sweeping them under the rug and letting the poison seep inside us?" "You know, 'cause once it's there, it affects everyone." "And maybe you can never get it out." "I just think you're making my generation pay the price, and you look the other way, hoping that everything's going to be okay." "But it won't be okay." "And that's... really, really sad and unfair." "Please vote yes on the moratorium." "Thank you." "Excuse me." "Thank you." " This one?" " I guess so." "What happened to our pie idea?" "Oh, they were... totally out of pie." " Get in here." " Hi." "We brought champagne." "Ooh." " This is my wife, Wendy." "She's a nurse." " Hi." "And my son, Jamey." " He's at UC Davis." " Oh, cool." "This is my..." "Jack." "Would you like something to drink?" "Champagne?" "Fancy." "Thank you." "In the cut-off jean shorts, that's our Great Uncle Virgil." "He was a bit of a ladies' man back in his day." "Uh-oh." "He looks the part." "So what are you studying at UC Davis?" "Animal sciences." "Yeah, Dad taught me a lot about livestock, and I'd like to see sustainable farming embraced by the big players." "This is a picture of me and Dad on a fishing trip when I was ten." "He was a big fly fisherman, made all his own flies." "He tried to teach me, but no one was ever as good at it as he was." "He was never happier than when he was fishing." " Do you like baseball?" " I do." "What you got?" " This bad boy..." " Oh, wow." "Hey." "My god." "You know, it's actually kind of funny, because your identity is so tied to this house, and it's, like, basically getting torn apart, which is probably how you feel after getting rejected again." "Don't let them touch my shit." "Enough!" "Do you want to talk about it?" "It's fine." "I'm fine." "I'll buy you a new waffle iron." "I liked that one." "I'm disappointed you didn't want to go out with me." "I mean, I respect your decision, but..." "I thought we vibed." "Oh." "I clearly misunderstood the situation, and it's frustrating." "I mean, you know I'm still married, right?" "I mean, separated." "But technically, yeah." "Can we maybe not have this conversation here?" "Fine." "Thank you." "This is a great pie." "It was my mom's recipe, and she passed it down." "Wow, that's so nice." "I can't imagine the horrors that my mom passed down to me." "I mean, genetically speaking." "She didn't... she didn't bake too many pies." "But yeah." "Does anybody else want..." "Really?" "Nobody?" "Want some?" "Anybody?" " Jamey?" " I'm 20." "Okay, well, don't say I didn't offer." " Is it okay if I head to Josh's now?" " Yeah, it's fine." "It was nice to meet you guys." " Oh." " You too." "Good night, then." "So..." "UC Davis." "We could never afford it, but he knew what he wanted, and he hit the books, got himself a scholarship." "Awesome." "Rich tells me you have a daughter." "Yeah, Laura." "She's 17." "She's homeschooled." "Not by me, by qualified people." "She's very smart." "You must be so proud." "What's that?" "Oh." "I'm not her father." "Yeah, I'm divorced." "Oh." "I'm so sorry." "No, it's good." "It's an improvement." "Was it hard on Laura?" "Actually, she thrived." "Is she in LA with her dad?" "Um, yeah." "Sure." "Or she's at home." "You know, she's very..." "she's very independent." "And there's a landlady next door, so, you know... just in case." "Well..." "If that's what works for you." "Yeah, it does." "Man." "Sounds tough, life in the big city." " I don't know how you do it." " Well, you know... it could be worse." "Could be in Fresno, right?" "I'm..." "I'm kidding." "It's great." "Mostly, I just feel stupid." "I know I should move on." "He did." "It's hard." "You have a person who's your stability, and then suddenly they just leave." "You can't lean on them anymore." "And then you think you've moved on and you're fine, but then you see a picture of them or have some memory, and you realize you're not fine at all." "Gia's not coming." "Motherfucking Gia." "What a waste of food." "Good work up there." "Oh, stop." "You're not poison." "You know that, right?" "Casey." "Pete Nako has office space in Sacramento." "Can you take a look on Friday?" "Awesome, yeah." "No, I'm driving up Thursday anyway, so it's perfect." " What's in Sacramento?" " The next battle." "But what about here?" "I mean, we have the support of the city council now, and you'll be here." "You can help lead the resistance." "Ask Nako what he wants us to bring." "Like, is the printer here rental, or do we own it?" " Will do." " Thanks, Katrina." "Oh, shit, he's calling me now." "Hold on." "Yeah." "Can we talk?" "Yeah, why don't you go to your hotel room and give me a call?" "Look, I know the dinner wasn't what you wanted." " I just am worried that you're..." " You're supposed to be by my side." "But every time I try to reach for you, to grab you, it's like my hand just goes right through." "I can't do it." "I want to, but I can't." "It's just... it's too much, and... and I'm too alone, and when somebody says they're gonna be there for you, they have to actually show up." "I'm here now." "You can't do this." "I can." "So the spring rolls were terrible." "Mm-hmm." " But I thought the lobster was great." " Yeah." "Give the rest to Clark." "No way." "I'm keeping this for myself." "But you're very thoughtful." "People always say that." "They don't always." " No one's ever said that about you." " Never, not one time." "That was a good date." "Hi, this is Valerie." "I'm not here right now." "Please leave a message." "Wait, wait, wait." "What?" "Come here." ""Not false or fake."" " F... not..." " "Real."" "63." "Real?" "Well, that's a good question." "We should do this every day, right?" "What, the... the crossword?" "At least until the construction stops." "Did you have these made before I got here?" "Nope." " You did." " No, I didn't." " You did." " No." " No, I didn't." " You did!" " You did." "You did." "You did." " I did!" "I did!"