The Good Mother

According to the CDC,

overdose deaths have tripled...

The numbers continue to surge...

Barry? One second.

- Sheep and wool? - Yeah.

It's on my desk?

- Sheep and wool? - Yeah. I need it today.

Oh, yeah. I have that. Hum...

Sorry. I got an insane number of hits

on those democratic donkey videos I posted last week,

so I've been trying to crank those out, but I have it.

Great, great...

Listen, Thomas.

What you're proposing, however clickable,

does it really feel like news?

And that remains our first obligation.

We understand we're getting clobbered on physical,

but we need to use the election as a barometer.

If paper doesn't start moving in six months,

then we'll know the jig is up,

but we have to follow the rules now.

It's a new age.

That's not what I'm fighting, here.

I've been around long enough to recognize a sea change...

...but we have to be able to do our job.

Okay, so let's please move on, so we can get

to the very important work I know you all have.

Gill, you said it was a heavy night?

Sorry to interrupt.

Toby?

I need to talk to Marissa, something...

What's going on?

Something... something's wrong.

Okay, back to business.

Gill, what do you got?

Homicide in Arbor Hill,

young kid gunned down...

You can't blame yourself for this one.

Mm.

Such a sudden loss.

We pray that that this family might find peace

in the promise of God's almighty kingdom.

And while there are no words which can undo

the anger and despair of such a tragedy,

we pray that those who have gathered

show this grieving family that they are not alone

in their sorrow,

that the son we have lost is surrounded by love.

Now, in such tragic circumstances,

we're sometimes tempted by rage to dismiss God's plan...

...to lose our own place...

- It's not worth it. - ...in his mercy.

But we must remember...

You knew she'd be here.

...that death is but another step closer to God.

- I'll never forget him. - Thanks so much.

Thank you.

Mrs. Bennings, I'm pregnant.

Ma, what the fuck are you doing?

I'm sorry I hit you.

I wouldn't if I had known.

Yeah, I know.

Just because of your condition, doesn't mean I...

Look, you don't need to like me.

Just this weird, shrivelled little person.

You sure it's his?

Yeah, unless someone snuck into my pussy

and forgot it there.

You know, I didn't make him a junkie.

No, I don't know that.

I know you made him a thief.

He had never stolen anything from me in his life before you.

Is this really about the Vitamix?

No. It's about the lying,

stealing, money, jewelry, and then the Vitamix.

He gave that to me for my fortieth birthday.

- You never used it. - And you did?

How was he living?

We got our own place to get clean.

He'd been having these freakouts

and getting really sick, and he was scared.

Was he still dealing?

Well, that's the thing, he had stopped.

When all that tainted shit came through here,

he decided it was time to get away.

He was looking to buy this place near Chatham.

He was excited to start a family.

Buy a place?

How was he going to afford to buy a place?

He made it sound like Ducky and him had it all figured out.

He was still hanging out with Ducky?

Oh, yeah.

He was like a brother to both of us.

Look, I didn't come here to argue or beg or whatever.

I'm here because I loved Michael,

and I'm sad he's gone, and I know that you are too.

Even if you're only capable of being mad right now,

I know that really, you're just sad.

Yeah, I miss him, too.

You got it, Mike!

It's okay, kiddo! That was a good pitch!

Who do you think did it?

Well, we've got a lead,

but I don't think that's

what you should be thinking about right now.

Ugh.

Okay.

You remember Mike's friend, Ducky?

Everett Dukowski.

Yeah, of course.

Well, at this point we're pretty certain

Everett's responsible for bringing fentanyl

to the South End.

That shit is brutal.

Junkies who get tied up in it

don't last long, one way or another.

So, Michael was tied up in it?

We think him and Ducky might have been in business together,

selling this Mother's Milk shit,

heroin, coke and fentanyl.

Maybe there was a fight between them or a deal gone wrong.

What makes you think that?

Mike was killed up the block

from one of Ducky's stash houses.

And he matches a description from a neighbour.

When was the last time you saw him? Mike?

I don't know, three, four months ago, maybe.

Well, you got me beat.

Jesus, you still haven't thrown that thing out yet?

It helps.

I figured it would make it harder.

Not if you don't carry a light.

Alright, give me a fucking drag.

Mmm.

Wow.

Pretending kind of does help.

I'll get Ducky, I promise.

Come in!

Marissa, what are you doing here?

Just wanted to make sure you weren't too buried without me.

Yeah, everything's going okay.

That's great.

Um...

We weren't expecting you back for a month at least.

How are you holding up?

I want to come back to work.

You took three months off for Frank.

Yeah, that was different.

I need to come back.

And tell me what that looks like to you.

Same thing as it did before.

You hate editing.

Walk out there right now and look at the shit

that Barry's been writing since you've been gone.

Fucking Barry?

The one who turned the A and C section into a donkey show?

Okay, let's take a second here.

You hate Barry and all those guys out there.

Why?

Because they aren't writers.

They're all about numbers and formatting

and words per click, or whatever.

Hell, you barely know what the Internet does.

Marissa, you are my best writer,

but for some reason, you refuse to write.

Take your time, but write.

Alright, clean.

Bullshit, it's touching my ball.

Watch and learn, sucker.

Lucky.

I learned from the best.

Another.

Alright, your shot.

She didn't even want to join.

She didn't want to intrude.

She said we should have some alone time together

to just grieve.

Is that what we're doing?

You going to be okay, Mom?

One ball at a time.

Watch this, to the left!

Let's make this quick!

A leather case.

It's got to be here somewhere.

There's a back room.

Oh, fuck.

There!

What are you doing?

I've always wanted to do that.

Sounds weird, doesn't it?

What's that?

Paige said that Michael, Ducky and her

were moving into a farm, or a house,

something in Chatham?

Mike, a farmer?

I know. It doesn't make sense.

Listen, you've got to be careful with that girl.

What the fuck are you doing here?

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Sorry, I meant to stay awake.