The Bronze

Happy birthday, Hopey.

Nice. Beautiful. One more.

Show me your somersault.

Ta-da!

Climb the wall. Almost.

Look, she's doing a handstand.

Come on!

That's it, all the way! Come on!

Wow!

- Huggie, Dad. - Come here. That's good for a huggie.

Just like that. Okay. Let's see those jumps again, the split up.

Good. Good! Much better.

Future champion.

Here's the big moment. It's all about the dismount. Ready?

No, no, no, no, no. Oh! Good. Oh!

- I'm a champion. - You're darn right, you are. Try it again.

Point the toes. Chin up. Tight, tight.

Show how beautiful and talented you are. Perfect hand.

Are those boobs coming in? No boobs!

I like that.

Wow!

- To gold in Rome! Whoo! - Gold in Rome!

(CHANTING) USA! USA! USA!

I just marvel every time I see Hope Ann Greggory perform.

At 17, she is the epitome of power and grace.

Coach Pavleck says she is the hardest worker on the team.

- (BONE CRACKS) - (HOPE WAILS)

Mother (BLEEP)! Mother (BLEEP)!

This is a potentially career-ending injury.

- (HOPE GASPING) Focus.

(SPORTSCASTERS OVERLAPPING IN VARIOUS LANGUAGES)

- I don't want that. I don't want that. - She said no.

No wheelchair. She's determined to get off on her own power.

Wait. Hold on, Dominique.

I am now getting word Greggory is going to attempt the uneven bars.

Oh, my God!

(BROADCASTERS SPEAKING VARIOUS LANGUAGES)

- This is truly inspirational. - It really is.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is quite remarkable.

- You are star. - (BREATH SHUDDERING)

You will make me so proud.

Thousands of hours training together

back at that little gym in Amherst, Ohio.

- This is their moment. - (CROWD CHEERING)

(CHANTING) USA! USA! USA!

This is the Amherst Angel's strongest event

and she's going to need a 9.7 or higher to take the medal away from those Russians.

She needs to pull off this Jaeger. Nearly flawless, nearly flawless.

Beautiful handstand half.

Now she's preparing for her full-end dismount.

This is a tough dismount for her. She needs to stick this landing.

This is really tough to watch. Here it comes. Full twist.

Oh! On one leg! Do you believe in miracles?

You do now! The Amherst Angel has stuck the landing.

CROWD (CHANTING): USA! USA! USA!

Hopey! What do you want for lunch? - (GASPS)

Grilled cheese and tomato!

No crust!

9.8! Wow!

She's done the impossible! - (AMPLIFIED HEARTBEAT)

This is absolutely incredible, Dominique!

Goodness, she could never write this...

- (GASPING PASSIONATELY) - (HEART BEATING FASTER)

Ladies and gentlemen,

please stand for the Chinese national anthem.

(FEMALE ANNOUNCER SPEAKING MANDARIN)

(CHINESE NATIONAL ANTHEM PLAYING OVER VIDEO)

- (WHISTLING CHEERFULLY) - (FOOD SIZZLING)

(STAN SINGING CHEERFULLY IN DISTANCE)

Hopey!

(POSTAL TRUCK DOOR CLOSES OUTSIDE)

Hopey? Your grilled cheese is ready.

What? No, I said I wanted Hamburger Helper!

Where the fuck did you get grilled cheese? Just forget it, Dad.

I'm gonna go to Sbarro.

Mountain Dew, large.

- Diet? - Did I say diet?

Sorry. Most girls order diet.

- Okay. That comes to $9.30. - Oh, no, it doesn't.

Oh, no, no, no. She's on the house.

- Don't you know who this is? - You tell him, Tony.

- Check the wall, son. Yeah. Check the wall, son.

Oh, you used to be way skinnier.

Hey, Hope.

- Take these. - Okay.

- Any, uh, new stuff in the back? - Yeah, totally.

It's supposed to be bomb-ass shit. He said it was government grade.

I don't know if that means that the government grows it,

or maybe they just grade it?

Stop you right there.

Do not talk about politics. It's crass. You're gonna lose a lot of customers.

But you don't... You don't pay me.

Hey, John.

- Chair busted again, Davey? - Yeah.

Oh.

Here. Go get it fixed.

Thanks, Hope.

Oh, I like the new running sneakers, they're very hip.

Well, they send me so frickin' many for endorsements.

At some point, I'm gonna have to tell 'em to back the fuck off.

I know it must get old for you,

but you lead such a glamorous life.

Hi, Doris!

Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Hope Ann Greggory is here!

You gotta be fucking kidding me.

Isn't that Maggie Townsend adorable?

She comes in here all the time with your old Coach Pavleck.

- (DOOR BELLS JINGLING) - OMG! Hope Ann Greggory.

I have been, like, praying that we would run into each other. I'm Maggie.

Hope, this is Maggie. I'm surprised you two haven't crossed paths.

Maggie reminds me so much of you when you were younger.

Hey, Hope.

- Hi. - It's, uh, me, Ben.

Ben Lawfort. Uh, my dad co-owns the gym with Coach P.

Twitchy.

Oh. (CHUCKLES)

Yeah. Uh, no one really calls me that anymore.

Uh, in fact, you were the only person that, that did.

Um, but, hey, I'm back in town.

- Graduated, finally. - You look so different.

- Oh, really? (CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY) - But that's still there, so now I see it.

Yeah, well, anyway, uh, I'm helping Coach P with Maggie here.

Coach was saying that, uh, she's trying to get a hold of you. I don't know if...

- Did you just say you graduated? - I did.

Aren't you, like, 12?

Uh, no. I was 12, uh, when I was 12.

Uh, I was 12 when you won your first World Championship,

so maybe that was what you...

Isn't that funny?

Maggie just made it to the top five of the World Championship.

I heard.

I, like, totally crushed it. (GIGGLES)

Miss Greggory, maybe we could exchange phone numbers,

- or something... - (SLURPING)

...and, uh, we could text or FaceTime,

- or I don't know... - (SLURPING LOUDLY)

- Hope? - (SIGHS)

Can we talk a second?

What?

Do you remember when you made this for me, the first day of art class?

It was the greatest day of my life.

So, I'm beginning with that positive affirmation.

Yeah. It was your idea for a lame Father's Day art project.

Are you done "remenessing" about homeschool?

- It's "reminiscing," sweetie. - That's what I said.

A good use of a vocab word. Come here, sit.

Standing, go, what?

My supervisor has had several complaints

that pieces of mail from my route have gone missing again.

So, suck less.

Honey, I know you've been stealing from my truck again.

That's ridiculous.

I found these in my mailbag.

- Mmm, maybe your truck has rats. - I don't think so.

Hopey, you promised you'd get a job.

And I've been looking. Where do you think I've been all day?

I ran into Coach P at the market.

She really wants to put the past behind you guys.

She said that she could use someone like you.

What do you mean by "market"?

- The grocery store. - Then just say that. You're not a pilgrim.

Have you thought any more about working at the gym?

I'm not a coach, I'm a star! I was on Dancing with the Stars!

It's not called Dancing with the Coaches!

When athletes get injured, they need to make other plans.

I don't need another plan. You and Coach P don't listen. I healed.

Not exactly.

Well, you weren't worried about how "exactly"

when you pushed me to go for another medal.

How many times can I tell you that I'm sorry? I was wrong. We were both wrong.

It's worse for an adult to be wrong.

That's true.

And may I remind you that my awesomeness paid for this entire house...

- That money's long gone. - ...the motor boat, the Ronco Rotisserie...

We depend entirely on my salary these days, and in six months,

all we'll have left is my pension!

I know, I know. This is so boring!

No, no, you listen to me. It'll be less than half of what I make now.

Not enough to support both of us and this lifestyle of yours.

I don't have a lifestyle.

That's if I even make it to the pension I've worked over 30 years to earn

since my daughter keeps putting that in jeopardy

by stealing from the US Postal Service!

- I'm borrowing. That's not a crime. - It's a federal crime!

- And I won't stand for it! - Dad...