Things Heard & Seen

- -

- Happy birthday. - Good job, girls.

Oh, I love you, baby, so much!

Come on!

I'm gonna get you guys some cake.

- Uh, I'll get some wine. - Okay.

- Let me do that. - Oh.

- That way, you can actually eat. - Thank you.

You've been looking so thin, you're making us moms look terrible.

Mmm. Wow.

- Good, right? - Yeah.

What's the matter, Mom?

It's hot. Your father can't keep his eyes open.

- Oh, I'm fine. - It is a four-hour drive from Worcester.

I know. I'm going to make you guys some coffee.

Can you make a pot of coffee? And we need another bottle of white wine.

White wine, right. On it. Mom, can you do the coffee?

I'll be right back.

Everyone, if you all raise your cups. To Dr. George, huh?

Hear, hear!

- It is official, right? - Yeah, it is officially official.

- Yeah, I'm no longer a PhD widow. -

And I have some more good news.

Uh, my dissertation actually landed me a gig upstate.

- Wow, fast. - It must be really good.

I haven't read it yet.

- George is very secretive. - No, I am chickenshit.

Catherine was top of the class at art school.

- Oh, is the position at Bard? - No, it's at Saginaw.

It's a small private college upstate.

You're a big city girl now with your dream job.

You thought this through?

George really wants this. He hates the struggle here.

It's gotten worse since his father cut him off.

And I had no idea he was even taking money from them.

Apparently, it's been happening since Franny was born.

Moving's expensive, too.

I know, but you can get a lot for a little up there.

- It's supposedly really pretty. - Yeah, I've driven through there.

Rich horsey weekenders and lots of full-time rednecks.

I know, but George has made some big sacrifices for me,

and I... I owe it to him to at least try.

Hey.

Hey.

I think I've found the perfect house for us.

- - Oh, there we are.

This lock is a bit tricky.

- Wow, beautiful. -

- Okay. - Huh?

As I told George last week, it's from the late 1800s.

Mm.

There's definitely updating that needs to be done.

Yes, certainly could use a paint job.

Yeah, but look at these bones, huh? Amazing!

You have to have a real vision for an old place like this.

Well, my wife is a trained art restorer, so we're in good hands.

Why would someone just leave this here?

This is so beautiful.

Dairy farmers everywhere are falling on hard times.

- It's a... a tough business these days. -

So sad.

It is sad.

We'll make it happy.

You wanna see the rest, don't you? Come on.

Show it to me.

- Show me the upstairs. - Okay, upstairs.

How big is it?

Hey. Remember this?

I'm not gonna use all this space for it.

- Here. This is right… - Okay.

- Ah! -

Hey, uh, George,

I was gonna put your little seascapes, you know, above the piano,

- but I... I can't find them. - Oh.

- Sorry. I packed them for my office. - Aw.

I love those things.

Yeah, I thought it would show off a relic of my former life. Oh!

You know, maybe this house is going to inspire you to start painting again.

Mm, nah, I think, since my dissertation, I… I really see myself as a writer.

Okay, the cat or the doll?

Which one?

I think she's finally out.

Are you stressed about tomorrow?

Yeah... No. Should I be?

Well, first day jitters are a normal human reaction.

Are you looking for a reason to de-stress?

- Do I need a reason? - No.

How do you want me to de-stress you?

What?

What is that smell?

You smell that? It smells like car exhaust fumes.

- Right? - Yeah, I… I guess I smell… smell it.

And it's getting stronger.

Do you think ghosts use premium unleaded?

I'm serious, George. Stop.

- -

- Mommy, Mommy, I'm scared! - Oh God! It's okay. Oh!

- Come here. - I'm scared!

- Tuck in, baby girl. All right. -

Wait, really?

Mommy, I'm scared. I don't wanna sleep in there.

America's Rhine.

Oh, it is a dream setting for a campus.

Full disclosure, Claire.

Your chapter on how Swedenborg influenced the art of George Inness

is what landed you here.

Swedenborg, really? That's… that's interesting.

It's the part of my dissertation I struggled with the most.

How so?

Uh, I-I guess I'm a bit of a cliché, the New York cynic.

That… How a-a painter as brilliant as Inness

could fall for some 18th-century mystic still baffles me.

Well, Swedenborg…

He wasn't just some mystic.

He keenly understood that everything in the natural world

has a counterpart in the spiritual realm.

And Inness painted landscapes with this in mind.

I-I get that.

Oh, this is my office in case you need me.

- Wow, beautiful. - Mh-hm.

My... my trouble with Swedenborg is his communicating with angels and ghosts.

Glorifying death as this… as this grand passage.

You should know that Swedenborg still has a devoted following

in this neck of the woods, myself included.

We even have séances on occasion. I'll invite you.

I'll... I will bring my wife.

She is the… the true believer of the family.

Ah, ah.

Well, this is your office right here.

I guess I picked the wrong welcome gift.

Well, I… I can't argue with the cover art.

The Valley of the Shadow of Death.

Ahh, that is George Inness at his best.

Well, you are now officially in Inness territory.

Don't be surprised if you start seeing things his way.

Thank you, Floyd.

- -

- Hi. - Hello.

Mrs. Claire, right?

Yeah, can I help you?

Uh, yes, ma'am.

Um…

My name's Eddie Lucks, and this here's my younger brother Cole.

We just wanted to introduce ourselves in case you're in need of a hired hand.

We do gardening, carpentry, plumbing.

When it comes to painting, we're regular Leonardos.

- Best part of all is, we come real cheap. - Hey, like my marble?

Yeah, nice. You want me to show you how to shoot?

Mm-hmm.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Cole is the best babysitter in town.

Yeah, I can see that. Where do you boys live?

In town with our uncle.

We got plenty of references if that's what you need.

Okay. Do you have a business card?

- A card? Um… -

Let me see.

Oh, I left my business cards at home.

- I got a pen. - Yeah!

I think we should just hire them.

Shouldn't we get one more quote?

There's a lot of other groundskeepers in town.

I already did, and they…

Run like half the price.

Cath, please don't tell me you're back on the whole salads-only thing.