The Middle Distance

Pleasure to see you sir, may I take your coat?

Please.

Cheers.

Buy me a drink?

No, I saved you a seat.

When are we up?

Same, next week. Next week.

As far as I know,

it's down to McKinsey, Bain, and us.

That bake-off is next week,

why can't we get a date?

I need consultants

to help them hide their consultants.

Sounds to me like you're doin' PowerPoint.

You still good?

Kid was still workin' on it when I left.

Said he'd turn it over as soon as he was done.

We did a logarithmic progression,

placing different weights in different customer groups,

in order to remove any biases

that existed in previous analysis...

Yeah, Appendix.

Well if you just look at the r-square...

Appendix.

Point eight-three. Yeah.

That's Appendix.

That's good.

I actually ran 10 different...

Appendix.

You're pullin' the fuckin' ocean, kid.

B answer first, okay?

Objective slide, then solution.

The client doesn't really care how you get the answer

as long as you have the answer that you know.

Yeah, but what if I don't?

Say something to yourself enough times it becomes true.

You know, Nadia keeps asking,

when are you gonna make partner?

When are you gonna make partner?

I think she thinks some switch will flip

and all of a sudden I'll be home by 5:45 every night.

God, take-out food, DVDs, be in bed by 10:30.

Some people don't know what they're missing.

Thanks for the study break. (GIGGLES)

Hey.

So like, um, how much do directors make, anyway?

I mean, if you make director.

When you make director.

Stop thinkin' about money.

Eyes on the prize.

I thought that was the prize.

No, the prize is winning.

Money's just a way of keeping score.

I think we're lookin' really good.

Team is good, deck is solid, we just need a date

and a little bit of luck.

You got me, Sean.

We don't need luck.

(ON PHONE) Neil, it's James.

Will you please call me back?

Look, man, I don't, I don't know

how to get a hold of you.

I've been trying to call you at work.

I don't know how to say this.

Dad, uh.

Dad died.

You gotta come home.

Neil.

You have a brother?

We're not that close.

Well look, man,

I don't mean to be insensitive or anything,

but the timing here isn't exactly great.

Relax, Sean.

Apparently he's already found a buyer.

We just need to pack up our shit and sign a few papers,

make sure the real estate agent isn't some sort of nut job.

Well, that sounds like a lot of fun.

Um, sorry to miss it.

So, when was the last time you went back there, anyway?

A while.

Hi, this is James Mercer,

please leave me a message after the beep.

Hey man, I'm here.

You're not.

Call me.

James. Hey.

Neil, how you doin'? Good, man.

Good to see ya.

Neil, I want you to meet my fiancee, Rebecca.

Rebecca, this is my brother Neil.

Fiancee.

Hi. Hi.

Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.

Um, I'm sorry about your dad.

Thank you.

Who's hungry?

Pamela made it sound like

these buyers are pretty motivated.

Yeah, of course she did, she's a real estate agent.

Yeah, I, I mean, I think she's pretty involved.

Is she the same one who actually told him

to move out of the house before she had a potential buyer?

Yeah, well, I mean, I think that was his call,

but... (LAUGHING)

How about the color in the front room,

was that his choice?

Oh, the puce? Ugh, God.

You didn't like that?

I kinda like white better.

Drinks?

Yeah, uh, I'm gonna have whiskey.

You want a whiskey?

Um.

Oh, nice, they have that local wine

I was telling you about.

Can we get two of the St. Julian Rieslings?

Whiskey and wine, coming right up.

Thanks. Thanks.

What are you, on the wagon?

No, it's supposed to be pretty good.

Isn't this the place you were telling me

has the good milkshakes?

No, that's Oink's, remember?

This is the place with the really good burgers.

Ah, Oink's, that's right.

Oink's. Yeah.

It's a great name. Yeah.

It was, oh God, we used to drive our bikes there

like three times a day.

Neil would convince 'em to, like,

shoot the Reddi-wip directly down our mouths.

Remember?

Anyway, um, so what are you gonna be doin'

while we're out dealing with the house?

Rebecca is a photographer.

I take pictures.

Well, you make photographs, you're a photographer.

You mean like, uh, industrials, or fashion, like?

Um, landscape.

Ah, there's a good buck in that.

Well, she's actually here on commission.

I don't know if I would say that.

I would, it's true.

You should never sell yourself short.

That's like one of your consultancy slogans, right?

I could tell ya, but I'd have to bill ya.

Ah.

What do you think? That's a good one.

Mm.

Fruity?

Is it, more savory?

What did you say this was?

This is St. Julian Riesling.

Okay. It's from, you know,

just down the road.

What do you think?

You guys want another round?

Another?

Thanks. No, it's all right,

that's for you. Thank you, sir.

Your girl seems all right.

Yeah, we're doin' okay.

Yeah, she keeps me in line.

So how was he in the end?

Hard-ass, you know, same as always.

Yeah, some things never change, right?

Yeah.

Well, he asked about you, how you were.

Yeah, what'd you say?

Eh, you were workin'.

Is there gonna be, like, a memorial or somethin'?

In the spring.