"Stop moving, please." "Stop moving." "It's in the back." "What is all this?" "Some costume night or something." "School fundraiser." "The victim's on the back terrace." " Witnesses?" " Plenty." "Though not a lot of clarity." "How compromised is the scene?" "Pretty good job of it." "Already dead when we arrived." "Oh, my God." "It wasn't just the mothers; it was the dads, too." "Thing about fundraisers..." "Everybody wants to prove who's the richest." "They're vicious." "Add alcohol to the mix and the fact that women don't let things go..." "They're like the Olympic athletes of grudges." "It's sexist how the women always get blamed." "It all goes back to that incident on Orientation Day." "And at the root of it was Madeline Mackenzie." "You have nothing to be nervous about." "Your sister loved going there and so will you." "In fact, you should be excited." "Do you know why?" "Because this is the very first day of the rest of your life." "Okay, woman." "I am not 100% sure about that tone, young lady." "And could you please turn it down, please?" "Thank you." " Mother..." " Fucker!" "Chloe Adeline Mackenzie!" " You were thinking it." " Because I was scared." "Do you want to see how teenagers die?" "This is how." "This young lady in front of me is driving and texting at the same time." "You're going to d..." "Oh, this is just..." "I'll be right back." "They're dead." "Excuse me." "You must stop." "You're gonna kill yourself for some..." " Mom?" " What is your problem?" "Abigail, what are you doing?" "You were supposed to be on the bus." "She picked me up, okay?" "You know how I feel about you driving with texters." "It is worse than drinking and driving." "Get out of the car." "I'm not getting out of the car." "We're three blocks from school, okay?" "Fine." "If I catch you driving and texting again," " I will find your mother" " Mom!" " and I will throw this at her." " Don't... you..." "Oh!" "Ah!" "It's possible that had she not fallen, nobody would've gotten killed." " Ouch." " Did you hurt yourself?" "No." "The lady just tripped." "Shouldn't we make sure the lady's okay?" "Yeah." "Damn it!" "Stay here." "Keep your seat belt on." " Are you okay?" " Yes." "I think I rolled my ankle." "You should put some ice on it." "I would, but I have to get my daughter to school." "It's Orientation Day and this school is terrible about tardiness." " Oh, at Otter Bay?" " Yes." "That's where we're going." "My son, Ziggy, is about to start." " Ziggy, like Ziggy Stardust?" " Yeah." " That's a great name." " Thanks." "This is my daughter, Chloe, the one shrinking from embarrassment over there." "Are you new to Monterey?" "Yeah, we just moved here a few weeks ago." "Well, I'm Madeline Martha Mackenzie." "I always say the Martha, but no one calls me that." "They call me Madeline." "I'm Jane." "Jane No-Middle-Name Chapman." "Jane No-Middle-Name Chapman." "I like you already." "You're an intrinsically nice person, and I have a nose for these sorts of things." "No, what Madeline had was a nose for everybody else's business." "Oh, my God." "Believe me, I know." "Um, do you need a ride or something?" "I'm a stay-at-home mom myself, so I'm happy to welcome another full-time mom to the ranks." "You know, sometimes I think it's like us against them, the career mommies." "Them and all their various board meetings that are so important." "Google this, Yahoo that." "Please, I think they spend more time on those board meetings than they do actually parenting, if you know what I mean." "My mom's an active talker." "I actually have a part-time job." "Oh, yeah, so do I, but it doesn't really count." "The over-and-under in this town is about 150,000." "I work in community theater 20 hours a week, so I'm definitely an "under."" "What do you do?" "Oh, just bookkeeping, so... most definitely an "under," too." "When I grow up," "I'm gonna run a massive label." "Do you have plans?" "No." "He's a little nervous." "Relax, he's walking in with Chloe." "That's like walking in with the golden ticket." "What kind of music do you listen to?" "Don't tell me." "Bowie." "An autopsy is still being conducted to ascertain the exact cause of death, but at this point we can confirm that the victim suffered a broken pelvis and a fracture at the base of the skull." "Come on, guys, would you put the guns down?" "Come on, Josh, you gotta get your jacket zipped." "Let's go." "Perry, help me out, here." "What did we say about shooting Mom before noon?" " Could you put the guns down?" " Guys." " We have to go." " Really?" "I am not kidding." "Really." "First one to the car gets a dollar!" "Me!" "Oh!" "Just takes money." "You are so bad." "You love it when I'm bad." "So bad." "You are." "So bad." "We are so bad." "There should be, like, a five-year limit on how long couples get to be gooey." "He's a lot younger than her." " I don't wanna go." " Do you really have to?" " It's just two days." " Mm-hmm." "She must be pretty, you know..." "In the bedroom." "Come on." "Hi, Stu." "Great." "See you then." " It's so pretty." " I know, right?" " Madeline, hello!" " Yes, of course." "You guys go play." " Hi." " How are you?" "Pregnant again?" "Of course." "When am I not?" "You look fantastic." " Thank you." " Did you...?" "Oh, uh, no, but you're sweet to think I did." " Well, you look fabulous." " Thank you." "Hi, Jackie." "Good to see you." "Okay, Gabby is such a gossip." "We don't like her." "Hey, Maddie, have you seen Justin at all?" "Oh, I think he whooshed past here." "Are we doing the wine tasting next week at your house?" " Yes." "I'll send you an email." " Okay." "I don't know where Ziggy went." "Oh, he's with Chloe." "He's fine." " Oh!" "Hi, Madeline!" " Renata!" "Hi, hi!" " So good to see you." "You look adorable." " Thank you so much." "This is Jane Chapman." "She's new here." " Hi." " Welcome." "Renata Klein." " Thank you." " This is Amabella." "Hi." "That's a beautiful dress." " How was your summer?" " It was wonderful." "Very busy with the kids and camp." "Just, um, flew by." " Same." " How was yours, yeah?" "Well, joined the board at PayPal." "What was I thinking, adding one more thing to my life?" "But, you know... oh!" "Hold on, these are my "Hamilton" tickets." " I've seen it four times." "Yes?" " Mm." "Okay." "I'll see you in there." "Here, come meet my best friend." "Celeste!" "Hey, Bill." "How you been?" " Madeline!" " When did you get to town?" "Oh, late last night." " You didn't call me." " No, I'm sorry." "And how did you get more beautiful?" "Oh, baby, Madeline's over there." "Oh." "Yeah, um, we'll exchange numbers." "You're wearing the dress I bought you!" "I know, my new dress, my new shoes, my new friend, Jane Chapman." " Hi." "I'm Celeste." " Hi." "She came to my rescue when I was trying to save young lives." "It's a whole story." "I'm gonna kill Abigail." "That's her son, Ziggy, right there, who's playing with Chloe and the boys." "Can you believe that they're in first grade?" "Oh, I know." "Take a lot of pictures." " Hi, Maddie." " Nathan!" " Come on, boys!" "Come on!" " Hi, Bonnie." " This is Jane and this is Bonnie, Nathan." " Nice to meet you." " Nice to meet you." " Skye." "Oh, I love this." "Oh, thank you." "I made it in Peru." "Of course you did." "We were saying we should get Skye and Chloe together for a playdate." "They're half-sisters and they pretty much never see each other." " It's ridiculous." " Are they?" "I... am I missing the math?" "We were all concerned about Bonnie and Madeline having their girls in first grade together." "You know, what that would do to the classroom dynamic." " Abby is Chloe's half-sister, so we just..." " Right." "Of course." "Just have Nathan call me." "Can I have a word with you for a second?" "Um, yes." "Just... just one." "I just wanted to... ahem, I just wanted to ask you if you were okay with swapping the weekends so that Abby can come with us this Friday." "We're going up to Bonnie's mom's house up in Camarillo and Abby doesn't wanna miss it." "She and Bonnie's mom actually have a special connection." " Of course." " You sure?" "Do I not look sure?" "Jane, we should go because it gets very busy." " Yeah, yeah." " Chloe!" " Nice meeting you." " Nice to meet you." " Ziggy, come on." " Come on, Zig." "Come on." "We're looking at all angles." "Nobody has been ruled out." "So we're, like, seriously using the word "murder"?" "I actually like Nathan." "I wouldn't go all the way to like, but I accept and acknowledge that he's a decent human being." "I'm just legitimately surprised to see him at orientation because it's not like he was ever there for Abigail's first day." "And Bonnie is his new wife?" "Yeah, she's the very pretty one." "In fact, she's so pretty and free-spirited and bohemian and all-loving that sometimes I just want to..." "Punch her in the face?" "Hey." "You're gonna love this girl." "Oh, good, they saved my spot." " Hello, Tom!" " Madeline!" "What's happened to you?" "I bravely injured myself." "I've twisted my ankle." "Come meet my new friend, Jane." "Here, sit down." "It's my knight in shining armor." "Oh." "She rescued me like a wounded dog in the street." "Hi." "And you know what else?" " She's funny." " Here." " Nice to meet you, funny Jane." " Nice to meet you." "I think she just moved to this area for your delicious coffee." "Oh." "So, do you mind getting... would you like one?" " Yeah, please." " Three, please." "And will you throw in something chocolate that won't make my ass look fat?" " You got it." " Thank you." "Everybody moves here for the education." "Basically, it's private school at a public school price." "Anyway, you're gonna love it." "Do you surf?" "Do you have a husband, or...?" "I shouldn't assume." "Boyfriend, girlfriend?" "I'm open to all possibilities." "No, no husband or partner, just me." " What about Ziggy's dad?" " Easy, girl." " Okay, I'm only wondering." " It's fine." "Uh, he's not in the picture." "He was actually never in the picture." " We weren't together." " Really?" " Where'd you move here from?" " Just Santa Cruz." "I was up there with my parents." "Oh, you know she does part-time bookkeeping as well." "Isn't that great?" "You know, I work at the theater, and whenever we go into production, we hire freelance accountants, so I'll ask them if they have anything for you." "You're... so nice." "Thank you." "This is Monterey." "We pound people with nice." "To death." "What?" "What do I know of Jane Chapman?" "Nothing, nothing." "I'm fine." "You okay?" "Nobody knows nothing about anybody." "You can write that down, Detective, and underline it." " What is it, honey?" " It's weird." "Sometimes when I'm in a new place, I get this sensation." "Like, if only I were here." " But you are here." " I know." "It's like I'm on the outside looking in." "Or like... you know, like, I see this life and this moment, and it's so wonderful, but it doesn't quite belong to me." "Does that make any sense?" "Yeah." " Are you following this?" " Yeah." "And, like, I look at you, and you're so beautiful." " That's true." " Oh, stop." "And I'm not saying that to embarrass you at all, but it is true." "You are, and so are you, and..." "I agree." "You guys are just right." "You're exactly right." "And for some reason, that makes me feel... wrong, I guess." " It's crazy." "I know I sound crazy." " It's not crazy." "I mean, I have no idea what you're talking about." "But if you were crazy, you'd fit in perfectly in this town." "Right, Tom?" " We love crazy people here." " We love our crazy." "Here's your cupcake." "Delicious." "We love crazy people here." "We love crazy people here." "Hold it!" "That's right." "You guys, hold it." "Two, one, and lift." "Good job, you guys." "Sweetie, it's fine." "Go back to work." " I'll pick up Skye." " No, it's not fine." "She can be hostile with me, but not you." "And I'm coming with you." "You think she should keep all her emotions bottled up inside?" " Who does that serve?" " "Am I missing the math?"" "Bitch." "Can't she see that it has nothing to do with you?" "None of us really see things as they are;" "we see things as we are." "Come on, Bonnie, give me a break." "The kids are in the same class together." "Madeline's eventually gonna discover how smart you are." "And when she does, shit's gonna hit the fan." "The shit is really gonna hit the fan if I don't tell her about this petition." "No." "Everyone knew Nathan was a little bit of a dick." "But a likeable one." "I never liked him." "I liked his wife." " There he is." " Hi, baby!" " Look at him." "He's so happy." " Mommy!" "Hi." " How was it?" " Fun!" " Yeah?" " I made friends." "You made friends?" "You already made friends?" "That's so exciting!" "Nicholas!" "Hi, guys!" "Hey!" "Mm, I missed you." "Oh!" "Now, where is the Chloe?" "Chloe?" "Of course she's networking." "Hi." "Hi, Christine." "Okay." "I just want to introduce you to Juliette." "This is my Amabella's nanny." " Oh, hello." " Pleased to meet you." "She's French." "Good for them to learn a language, you know?" "I just thought it was nice for the nannies to get to know each other and have your own little support system." "Renata, Jane is not a nanny." "She's a mom, just young." "Like you used to be?" " Maddie." " Oh, like we used to be?" " Maddie, hi." " Hi." "I heard you're working at the community theater." "I wanted to talk to you about the petition thing, about the play." "There's been some concern about it being appropriate." "There's a petition to stop the play?" "That play was kind of like a lifeline for Madeline." "You know, it tethered her to a purpose." "I signed it." " Excuse me!" " You signed it?" " I did." "I didn't know you were involved." " I had..." "Can I have everyone's attention for a moment?" "She grew up wanting to be Betty Grable." " All my first-grade kiddos." " Ended up Betty Crocker." " Chloe, come on!" " ...and their parents, please." " Come here." " Hi, Chloe." "Wonderful." "Okay." "We have had such a wonderful morning, but we need to have a little chat, and it's a little bit serious, okay?" "Someone hurt "Anabella."" " Excuse me." "Amabella." " Oh." " Oh, no." " And I would like whoever it was to come over and apologize, okay?" "Because we don't hurt our friends at school, do we?" " No." " No, we don't." "And if we do, we always say..." " Sorry." " Sorry, that's right." "Because that's what big first-grade children do, right?" "Yeah, yeah." "Okay." "Baby, someone hurt you, sweet pea?" "Amabella, do you think it was an accident, maybe?" "An accident?" "Look at her neck, for God's sake." "It has marks on it." "Amabella, sweetie, can you tell me if it was a boy or a girl?" " It was a boy." " It was a boy?" " Oh..." " What was his name?" "Maybe she doesn't want to say." "Well, um, Mrs. Klein, my problem is that the children don't know one another's names yet, so Amabella cannot tell me who..." "We're not just gonna let this go." "Absolutely not." "Okay, um..." "Mrs. Klein, I'm so sorry..." " Is she okay?" " I don't know." "They're gonna find out." "Just give her a second." " Did you see what happened?" " No." " You're their teacher." " You know what?" "Um, uh, Amabella, sweetie, could you maybe point to the boy who hurt you?" " Come on, really?" " Shh." " This boy?" " No, him." " This boy?" " Yes, he tried to choke me." " What?" " It wasn't me." "Yes, it was." "Ziggy, sweetie, we just need you to say "sorry."" "I didn't do anything." "I didn't." "Are you sure that it was this little boy, sweetie?" "Could she have gotten it wrong?" "Can you say you're sorry to Amabella?" "She's hurt quite badly." " It wasn't me." " Ziggy, look at me." " Promise." " We don't have to lie." "We just want to say we're sorry." "Ziggy doesn't lie." "I can assure you Amabella is telling the truth." "If my son says he didn't do it, I believe him." "Of course." "Um, you know what?" "I don't know if this is the best way to deal with this, so..." "I agree, but now we are, so maybe the child needs to take responsibility for his actions." "And he needs to see there are consequences." "Little boys don't get to go around anymore hurting little girls." "And none of us want to raise bullies, so we don't have to pretend we didn't do it." "It's okay." "I believe you." "Jane, can you just make your son apologize?" " Renata!" " Stay out of it." "I can't make him apologize for something that I know he didn't do." "We will schedule a meeting for another time." "We can handle this later." "Okay, this is unacceptable." "Let's go, baby." "Um, all right, everyone, thank you." "Not that there's a right little girl to strangle, but he picked the wrong little girl to strangle." "Ziggy... do you see her neck?" "If you ever touch my little girl like that again, you're gonna be in big trouble." " Hey." " Excuse me." "Well?" "Now you owe him an apology." " Madeline." " Renata." "The battle lines were drawn right there." "We never had a trivia night end in bloodshed before." "How dare she speak to a child like that?" "I mean, isn't there some sort of students bill of rights?" "Celeste used to be a lawyer, a very good lawyer." "I mean, isn't there due process for a first-grader?" " Am I wrong?" " Well, he's not being punished, so..." " Well, he's being stigmatized as a bully." " Come on, guys." "Yeah, I think we should not make a big deal out of this." " Just..." " Madeline." "Harper Stimson." "Hi." "Jane just didn't fit here." "Kind of like a dirty old Prius parked outside of Barneys." " Welcome to Monterey." " Thank you." "It was a mistake to let people compete, but that is not what got someone killed." "Hi, Celeste." "How is Perry?" "Oh, uh, he's good." "Thank you." " If it'll help..." " You didn't ask me how Ed was." "I'm sorry." "Listen, Renata happens to be one of my best friends, so if there's any way I can play the role of peacemaker in all of this, just please..." "Thank you, Harper." "That's very sweet of you to offer." "And I'll make sure and let everybody know that Renata is your best friend." "I'm only trying to help." "I'm sure you are." "This could get ugly." "We could just let it blow over." "Things never blow over once Madeline gets involved." " They blow up." " Bitch." "There was a 4x3 stellate, full-thickness scalp laceration located on the superior occipital portion of the scalp." "We also discovered a full-thickness scalp contusion and associated gall and subgaleal hemorrhages, and a putrefied and liquefied brain." "So, it was a lot of blood." "Chloe." "Thank you." "The teacher couldn't have handled it worse." ""Point out the suspect, Amabella"?" "Are you kidding me?" "I take it this Jane's kind of damaged." "Why do you say that?" "You're drawn to damaged people." " I am not." " Even Celeste." "There's something wounded about her, if you ask me." "I didn't ask, and I'm not drawn to damaged people." "Do I like to help people in need?" "Yes." "Last time I checked, that's not a character flaw." " I see that look." " Hmm." "I just think to be accused of something so horrible on your very first day at a new school..." "Can you imagine anything worse?" "Mmm, being choked, maybe?" "Bruises heal, stigmas can last a lifetime." "You don't think assault victims bear lifetime emotional injuries?" "I don't know." "Is there a recent study you'd like to illuminate the family about, Abigail?" " All right." " All right, what?" " Nothing." " Well, it's not nothing." "It's something." "You said, "All right."" "Would you like to assign meaning to that or was it just a nervous tic?" "Guys, Mom had a day." " And don't you start." " I'm on your side, woman." " I'm gonna go with a nervous tic." " Mmm." "I think his "all right" meant "let's not fight at the dinner table."" "Were we fighting?" "I didn't realize we were fighting." "We were about to." "You said I probably read some study on women assault victims, and I would've responded with, "No," "I learned it in my Self-Defense and Wellness class, which happens to be taught by Bonnie, who, by the very mention of her name, makes your eyes twitch, so Ed said "all right" to head it off." "I see." "Well, speaking of Bonnie, do you know what she did today?" "She signed a petition to stop our production of "Avenue Q."" "Is this the play where the puppets drop the F-bombs?" "Cool!" "It is not only not about that, but it's actually a play that you should see because it deals with the struggle of young adults being disillusioned with life, feeling demoralized and defrauded by the false promises of tomorrow." "I can get all that here." "What did I say?" "Look at me." "Look at the camera." "So patient, so helpful." "Big smiles." "Give me a big smile." "Good." "One more with a smile." "Just look at me and smile." "One shot." "Look at the camera." "Look at me, look at me." "Yeah, but a big smile." "Can you guy... and just a little bit closer together, guys." "Hey, Mom, you wanna play Angry Beaver?" "In a minute." "I just need to get one more shot." "I think the angry beaver is gonna get you, Mom." "Yeah." "Is he?" " Oh, I hope not." "That..." " Rawr!" " Oh, my God!" " The angry beaver is back!" "And he is hungry!" "Hungry for Mama's beaver." "Just stop!" "Oh, she his delicious!" "Mmm, have a bite of this." "Mmm!" " Hi." " What happened?" "You're not going to Vienna?" "No, I still have to go, but I'll get a flight out tomorrow instead." " Really?" " Yes!" "It's their first day of school tomorrow." "I can't miss that." " Thank you." " Of course." "I kind of agree with Thea..." "People over 40 shouldn't be gushy." "It's not cute." "I mean, last week, she came home and peeled potatoes at a homeless shelter, and she couldn't stop talking about what a beautiful experience it was to contribute." "I mean, she whines if I ask her to set the table, but peel one fucking potato with Bonnie..." "Well, Bonnie is a positive influence." "What, you'd rather Abby be out with her friends, smoking pot?" "I just feel like they're both slipping away." "You should've seen Chloe today." "She just marched right into that school like some sort of a woman-child." "She never turned around." "It was like she was on her own." ""Bye, Mom." "See you later."" "I just feel like they're gonna grow up and they're gonna be gone, and... this will be you and I, and we're gonna be on to another chapter of our life." "You have another chapter, you have a business." "And... and..." "I don't." "I'm a mom." "This is my universe." "And currently, that universe is in meltdown because my oldest daughter prefers to hang out with her fucking step-thing." "Hey, you will never lose them." "And you know that." "I just thought one day Nathan would get his due." "For some reason, Abigail would love me more." "He hasn't paid in the slightest for any of it." "And now he's got Bonnie, and she's younger and sexier and prettier." "She probably gives mint-flavored, organic blowjobs." "And Abigail likes to hang out with them and be buddies." "And he got it all." "He won." "Okay." "Well, speaking as the consolation prize, we're gonna have a pretty big fight" " about what you just said." " No, no, no." "Ed..." "But not tonight." "Not tonight." "I did not mean it like that." "You are the greatest thing that ever happened to me, and don't you for one minute think anything else." "It's just entirely possible for me to love you with all my heart and still feel..." "Hurt over your ex." "Come here." "Ooh!" "You okay?" "Fine." "I'm not liked." "What was that?" "I said I'm not liked." "That simply isn't true, honey." "It's one thing to be demonized for having the temerity of a career." "But... but look at this." "Look at our life." "What kind of person chooses to work?" "Certainly not a mother, by any acceptable standards." "You should've seen the way they looked at me today." "Oh, my God." "And on the one morning that I chose not to go to the office..." " Yep, yep, yep. - and join my daughter for her orientation." "And then defend her when she's physically assaulted..." "And, yes, I reacted." " Humanly, like any mom would." " Hmm." "And then, I'm met with utter contempt." "Look, I'm sure there are those, women especially, who would resent you." "I mean, look at you." "Come on." "You're beautiful, hugely successful, financially independent, on the school committee, the... the board of the aquarium." "Huh?" " Right?" " Yeah." "Hell, yeah." "And to make matters even worse... you're beyond sexy." "Mmm!" "Women." "You all want to be the envy of your friends, but God forbid you garner too much of it." "The mom was awful, but the girl seemed fine." "So, what's gonna happen?" "Um, I don't know." "I think the teacher said that we should just let it go, move forward, so I guess that's what we're gonna do." "I still don't understand why you chose to move there." "All alone." "I'm not." "I have friends." "People here are actually very friendly." "People need family in their lives, you know?" "I really just think you should come back here." "Do we have to get into this every single time we talk?" "I'm gonna go check on Ziggy." "Jesus." "Hello?" "Hey, Mom." "I'm sorry." "I love you." "I love..." "Hi, baby." "Sorry I woke you up." "Am I in trouble?" "No, of course not." "Hey, you trust me, right?" "And I trust you." "Did you touch that little girl, baby?" "It's okay if you did." "Ziggy?" "No." "Okay." "I believe you." "Why did she say I did?" "I don't know." "Maybe she was confused." "She probably just got it wrong." "Am I going to have any friends?" "Of course you are, my love." "You're gonna have so many friends." "Come here." "Yeah?" " Honey?" " Yeah." "I think we need to talk about the SAT tutor." "Mom..." "I know what you're gonna say, but your scores just aren't good enough right now, honey." " And I..." " You know, the whole college thing, it's kind of a racket, especially liberal arts." "People go off and study Homer for four years and then you graduate with a ton of debt and no job prospect." "Okay, let me be clear." "You're going to college." "Ed didn't go and he's doing all right." "Yeah, but Ed studied computer engineering." "Do you want to be a computer engineer?" "And Dad... he never went and he seems perfectly happy in life." "Career-wise." "Okay, well, let's just finish that analogy." "Let's not leave Bonnie out of this." "Her little cup just runneth over with happiness, doesn't it?" "With no college degree at all." "I'm sorry that you hate Bonnie and that I'm unable to." "I don't hate Bonnie." "And this isn't about your dad or Bonnie or me." "This is about you, Abigail, and your future." "And what I'm saying is is the metric of success is not always monetary or career-related." "It can be a much more holistic equation." "Okay, I'm not gonna pretend to be the person in your life who knows the most about the holistic wonder of the world." "What I do know, and I know this for sure, Abigail, is that... when it all comes down to it, you have to be independent and you have to be self-sufficient." "I was a very young mother when I had you." "All that "it takes a village" crap is only good to a certain extent, because even the best-laid plans of your life go poof in your face." "And in that case, you need to be strong, and independent, and educated, and... and a strong woman." " Be..." " You said strong twice." "You kind of remind me of a space alien right now, you know that?" "Can I...?" "No." ""E is for Ernest who choked on a peach."" ""F is for Fanny, sucked dry by a leech."" "Eww!" "Mm-hmm." "That's what you get if you go down to the beach without me or your mom." " But..." " Strictly forbidden." "There's too many leeches down there." "The last time we went down, there was no leeches." "Of course not, 'cause I was there." "And they're scared of me." "Oh, you didn't notice?" "Every time we go down there, I'd just, like, scare them away." " How?" " With my... burping superpower." " Do you want to know a secret?" " What?" "My superpower..." "I actually get it from Mom." "No." "You don't believe me?" "What did we have for dinner tonight with the... with the steak?" "Um, Mom's spinach salad?" "Mom's spinach salad." "Top secret, okay?" ""G is for George, smothered under a rug." "H is for Hector, done in by a thug."" "You startled me." "I'm sorry." " Wow, these are great." " Mm-hmm." " Hmm?" " Aw." "Hey, the boys mentioned something about a little girl getting hurt today." "Mmm." "Renata Klein's daughter." "She wasn't really injured, she was just..." "Oh, look at this." " Could they be cuter?" " Oh..." "I actually think this is my favorite." " I love your finger." " Stop." " Post it." " All right." "People are gonna love it." "Well, so what happened with that girl?" "A boy tried to choke her." "Are you serious?" "Well, no one witnessed it, but she was pretty distraught." "She had marks on her neck." "Which boy?" "Oh, this new boy, Ziggy." "I mean, he seemed really sweet, and..." "I met his mom and she couldn't be nicer, so..." "Yeah?" "Well, to be safe, we should tell Josh and Max to keep their distance from him." "I don't think that's gonna be necessary." "Honey, if the kid is violent..." "No, he's not violent." "How do you know he's not violent?" "What, because he seemed sweet?" " First off, he could be innocent." " Or he could be guilty." "We don't want the boys to be getting mixed up with the wrong crowd." " They're six." " They're not to associate with him." "You're being ridiculous." "The boys will stay away from that kid." "Take your hand off me." "If I can't be here to look out for them," "I need to know that you do." "I asked you to remove your fucking hand." "Hmm." "Is that a song from your puppet show?" "Yes, but it's really more than just a puppet show." "The play means a lot to you, right?" "I'll tell Bonnie to start a new petition in favor." "Mom, are you okay?" "You're not, like, dying or anything, are you?" "No, I'm not dying." "What would make you ask me that?" "You seem a little wobbly." "Are you having one of your massive periods?" "No." "No." "What people don't tell you is that... you lose your children." "As beautiful and wonderful as you are now, the little girl whose curly hair I used to detangle, the one who had bad dreams and would crawl into my bed, she's gone." "And I guess that's why I'm feeling a little bit..." "Compounded by the fact that your little sister's going to first grade." "I'm losing my babies." "Which has been clinically compared to a massive period, I think." "I'll always be your baby." "Bonnie's like a friend, you know." "Maybe even a best friend sometimes, but..." "I'm your daughter and you're my mother." "Mom, don't cry." "Don't do that." "Okay?" "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "Just..." "Mom..." "Your hair... no, get it out of your beautiful face." "I can still call you baby-cakes, can't I?" "Not in public." "Okay." "Oh, no." "Not another one." "You go back to bed!" "Uh-oh..." "I love that song." "Do you want to play it together?" "We're treating the matter as a homicide." "We have no suspects as of yet." "I will say that we do believe we have spoken to the person or persons involved." "Ziggy." "Oh, baby." "What are we doing?" "You're sleepwalking again, baby." "We're all gonna do the interview?" "Right here?" "I'll just put my purse down here." "The first thing I said..." ""It wasn't just the mothers."" "It was the dads, too." " Thing about fundraisers..." " They're vicious." "It's not the male grizzlies you gotta watch out for." "It's the sow." "Tell me about Celeste Wright." "Something had to be wrong." " So elegant, so..." " Volcanic." " Madeline Mackenzie." " Things never blow over..." "Once Madeline gets involved." "They blow up." "Team Renata... versus Team Madeline." "The battle lines were drawn right there." "So we're, like, seriously using the word "murder"?"