Previously on The Cleaner:
My name is William Banks.
We're not listed; we don't advertise.
People find us because they need us.
You don't get it.
We all get it! You helped a lot of people!
For 15 years, I sat here while you shot de, while you went to jail
- while you slept with other women. - Here we go, here we go.
- And I sat... - Then what are you still doing here?
- Why didn't you leave? - I should have!
We need to take a break because we never did.
If you've ever had something to say, please say it to me now.
I'm listening.
Last night, I was lying in bed...
trying to count the perfect moments from my life.
One time when...
the world aligned itself,
and... everything became clear.
- I'm not on drugs, William! - ... and right.
In a one-line statement citing personal reasons,
Henderson Wallace, the widely considered frontrunner to fill the senatorial seat
vacated by Henry Farley, pulled out of the Oregon state special election.
Although Wallace had no comment, his press secretary
Tracie Michaels released a statement citing personal reasons.
I didn't do any drugs!
Could a person on drugs run this fast?!
I don't think so!
I chased a guy who did a 4.240 on pcp, asshole.
I didn't do any speed, William! Shit!
There's good news in the housing market.
For renters, that is.
The average rent fell four percent in the last three months
in 79 major markets,
with Seattle leading the way, followed clearly by Dallas and Kansas City.
And we're out!
You want to chase somebody, chase the dealers!
I have it all written down.
Names, corporations, governments.
Everything they're hiding, I have in this book.
I'm gonna give you names! I will show you the foundation of my truth!
They're all out to get us!
And that's the news for today, Thursday, May 28, 2009.
I'm Davis Durham. Good night, America.
I'm not on drugs, William!
Get his ass in here.
It's all here, William. It's all right here.
Take it easy. Ta... take it easy!
Davis, I'm trying to help you.
But I don't think I've ever had a perfect moment.
Hell, I'm not even sure they even exist.
"Hello America"
Transcripted by chamallow35
www.addic7ed.com
Are you, uh, really gonna live here now?
It's temporary.
Soy? I thought I told you to stick with nut.
Ooh, yeah, bro, soy will, uh, give you boobies.
So, temporary, like you're gonna get your own place temporary,
or like you're taking a break
and moving back in with Melissa and the kids?
It's temporary, like this conversation.
Ooh. You know what? It's about time you got a plant that grows up, William.
Don't mess with my plant.
You know, my uncle Stanley drank soy for a year,
and now he's a topless dancer at the Boom Boom Room.
You remember that.
- Hey. - Hey.
What are you doing here?
Um, this mail came to the house for you, so...
Okay.
Lula wants new toe shoes.
- How much? - Eighty.
And, uh, that's the only reason you came down here?
Uh, I don't know if you remember, but my parents are coming into town.
Right.
The cruise they're taking to Mexico for their 40th anniversary
leaves from long beach, so...
Oh. I forgot.
You don't have to, William, but...
No. Stunt husband?
- How many days? - Just for this week?
- What did you tell them? - Nothing... yet.
Okay, I'm in.
Thanks, William.
Plant looked a little thirsty.
Well, Melissa's certainly in a hurry.
I'm sorry.
Oh, my God. Michelle.
You didn't recognize me, either, did you?
Great to see you.
Hey, I've been seeing Davis on the news every night.
He's come a long way since covering that garlic festival in Gilroy, right?
We've been very fortunate.
Come on in. Come on.
Well, you know, you two, uh...
you two have always worked a tight program.
How's yours been?
Um, a little looser.
Yeah, I heard you hit a few bumps in the road.
Define "bumps."
Your-tires-fell-off bumps.
Yeah.
Well, distant past.
I'm not high, William.
I'm not using again.
That's not why I'm here.
Then why are you here?
Is it Davis?
In five, four... you're watching three... The CDT nightly news. World news every hour.
Hello, America. I'm Davis Durham.
The economy continued its long slide
with the Dow closing down again for the third week in a row.
Experts blamed lower than expecd earnings reports
combined with the ongoing credit crunch for the disappointing numbers.
In other Wall Street news...
I don't know. There's something about you that's kind of familiar, you know?
You know, I... actually, I do remember meeting you.
Uh, in fact, it was at your first meeting.
Really? Good memory.
Yeah, well, you know, I I never forget a face.
You were, uh... you were standing in the back corner.
You were sweating your balls off, hanging onto your coffee cup.
You'd just lost your, uh, scholarship to SC, right?
Yeah, more or less.
Hey, is, uh... is Davis...
Hey, don't touch that. That's his.
Oh, my bad. Sorry.
- Where you going? - Take a piss.
... raises questions of proportionality and fairness...
That's the news.
I'm Davis Durh. Good night, America.
This has been CDT nightly news. World news every hour.
Where is he?
Where is he? William goddamn Banks!
- Get out here! - Yeah, I'll be right out.
Get out here! You fall in? Come on!
- Hey, Davis! - Hey!
How are you?
I saw you come in, and I... I could barely get through the last segment.
- Where you been? - I've been here all along, man.
Oh, look out, look out you don't want to walk the streets with makeup on your face.
You know, people get the wrong idea.
Oh, we miss you guys.
Hey, we... we miss you guys.
So, uh, you know, Michelle asks about you from time to time.
Oh, yeah?
So, what's going on? How's the family?
They're good, man. Everyone's good.
- Yeah? Melissa? - Good.
You guys are doing well?
Yeah, you know, we're, uh... we're hanging in there.
Oh, Hank? Toilet won't flush.
I'm on it.
21 years sobriety last week.
Wow! You believe that?!
Here, sit, sit, go ahead, go on.
Oh, you would appreciate this, William.
I'm working this story
on the inside of the three big pharmaceutical companies.
I'm writing this book.
- Hey, I'm going to maintenance. - All right, all right. Go, go, go.
I'm writing this book, and... I'm telling you,
when I break it open, it is going to the very fabric of our country.
- Okay? The very fabric. - Sounds big, man.
But I don't have to bore you with this, okay?
Listen, uh, in any event, I'm, uh, saving celebrating my time
for the Thursday meeting in Venice,
- so if you want to come... - Hey, I'd love to. Great.
They need you upstairs, Davis.
All right. Come tomorrow. I'll send my driver.
- Will do. - Hey, great seeing you.
- Good to see you, too. - Okay.
So...
You know, I never really understood how your... how your business works.
Well it's actually pretty simple.
Someone has a problem, they... they come see me.
- What? Beer bothering you? - Nope.
Bothering you?
Well, it's 5:00 somewhere in the world.
Or 8:00 in the morning here.
I get the... I get the problem angle,
but what I... what I don't understand is the remuneration.
What's confusing to you, Marcus?
I'm not confused, Jane.
I would like to know how he gets paid.
It's a fee-based service, dad.
Ah. Oh, so, so, in other words, a... a crack addict pays one thing,
and then the, uh, a pothead pays another?
Actually, it's a sliding scale.
But I... I still take the job even if the client can't pay.
So, do you take a lot of pro bono?
It's about 60-40, you know, depending on the month.
60-40 gonna keep you lights on?
60-40's been great.
Yeah, well, 60-40 doesn't pay for your child's tuition,
or the second on your house.
Well, I... I make it work, Marcus. I make it work.
Look, William...
in this... you know in this climate,
I mean, job security's not such a bad thing.
Well, addiction isn't going anywhere.
By the way you structure your work, neither is your paycheck.
Look, what are... what are you, uh... what are you driving at?
Dad...
Eat your breakfast.
- William, you're doing great, babe. - No, seriously.
Why... why all the sudden interest in my work?
Look... We just want to know if you two are doing okay.
We're doing better than okay.
Mom, dad... We're doing great.
Pk still your sponsor?
21 years.
- She gonna be there? - Don't worry, William.
She, uh, she still speaks fondly of you.
- Really? - Sure.
You know, maybe, uh, you and Melissa could come out for dinner one night this week.
- Yeah, I'll ask her. - Michelle would get a kick out of that.
She's dying, William.
Ovarian cancer.
I didn't even see it coming, it was just, uh...
One day she'at the doctor getting a checkup.
They find a cyst; they take a look and then...
My whole world just got knocked off its axis.
And seeing her in pain just about kills me.
She's the strong one, you know. She... she gets up every morning.
She handles our life. She keeps everything going.
And I can barely... I can barely get out of bed.
Man, Davis.
If there's anything I can do, anything I can do for Michelle...
Well, just seeing you... you coming back around again,
that's a... that's a pretty good start.
Hey, pk.
- William. - Hey, pk.
- Welcome back. - It's been a minute.
How many minutes in five years?
I've been up here a hundred times before.
"What I was like, what happened, what I'm like now."
You've heard the stories.
Uh, speed. Booze. My insane childhood.
Blackouts. Fhts. Hospitals.
You've heard all that.
Now, what I want to say today to the newcomers, and to... to everyone else, too,
life is as big as you want to stretch it.
And if you shift towards bigger possibilities...
Sure, sure, we're...
We're all, uh, workers amongst workers, but, I mean
we can still ask ourselves:
What is it that we really want and are we going to be okay if we get it?
Can we be okay with success?
Let's face it: We can be rolling along, everything is in, uh, in the right place,
things are good, got enough money, a place to live,
and what do we search for?
We search for the problem.
Wow, that was just like old times.
Huh, William? 21 years.
- Who would've believed that? - Not me.
- Hello, handsome. - Who the hell are you?
What... ? What... ?
What the hell is going on?
- Sorry, Buddy. This door's closed. - Hey! What?!
Go, Swenton, go!
What are you doing? Go! Stop the damn car!
Your wife hired me to get you clean, Davis.
- Davis! - What?
- Stop! - You're using speed and drinking.
I just celebrated my 21st birthday!
That's good. I'll bake you a cake at my place.
- This is your tactic? Your approach? - It is.
- This is how u help people? - Yep.
They request this help?
- Oh, you'd be amazed. - Oh, I am!
Especially since I remember
when you used to have to call me four times
- just to get through breakfast! - Right.
"Hey!
"Melissa's giving me a tough time, Davis.
I can't find a job, Davis!"
Get me a syringe.
- Get me a syringe. - "What matters, Davis?"
You know what? The things that are happening inside this room are not real.
The news doesn't matter.
- We watch it for entertainment! - Take it easy. Calm down, Davis.
But what I'm about to do is gonna change
- the whole thing! - I'm gonna pull give me the syringe, Swenton.
The curtain off the whole sorry business.
- Go, Swenton. I ain't got time. - Just give me the sin
Hey! No!
Hey, William, Pk's here.
All right, Swenton, get on him.
Akani, get in here, now.
- Oh, Buddy. - Akani,
get in here. We are going to spend a little bit of time together.
Get off me, you little leprechaun!
Oh, I'm your lucky charm.
Hey, William, I hope you make a lot of money at this!
I knew you weren't really coming back.
You don't have to explain.
Hey, dishonesty, sometimes, in my job...
- And if your job asks you to lie? - Then I have to lie.
Okay.
- I'd love to catch up, Pk. I really would... - Catch me up.
Okay. Lula's 14.
- No. Ben's gonna be... - William.
- Davis. - You're his sponsor.
Well, clearly if he's here, I'm not doina very good job.
- Hey, Pk. - Hey, baby.
I don't know how I missed it.
Oh, don't blame yourself.
- Hey. - Oh, Davis told you?
- Michelle, listen... - Don't.
I... I don't want sympathy. I just want you to help Davis.
He'll need to do the broadcast this afternoon. Can you get him through that?
Wait a minute. This afternoon?
He's got a drug clause in his contract.
- Doesn't he have a backup? - He's in Europe on assignment.
He loses this job, he'll have nothing.
After go, he'll have nothing.
I can't leave him with that.
Woman Davis is in makeup. Five minutes till showtime.
You need to hold still, junebug. You got a little shine on that nose.
All right, Davis, listen to me, buddy. I've been doing this job for a while.
And this... goes against everything I usually do.
But I've known you for 17 years. And I love you.
And I love your wife. So, I'm gonna get you through tonight.
- One time only, understood? - Understood.
Thanks.
And that's the news for today, Thursday, May 28, 2009.
I'm Davis Durham. Good night, America.
And we're out.
Good one, Mike.
- There you go. - It was terrific.
- Your equipment. - All right, thank you
- very much. There you go. - Always.
Thank you. Take care.
Thanks, everybody!
Damn it.
I'm gonna give you names! I will show you the foundation of my truth!
They're all out to get us!
Get his ass in here!
I'm coming, Davis!
It's all here, William. It's all right here.
Ta... take it easy. Davis, I'm trying to help you.
- Davis, I'm coming! - Davis, I'm trying to help you.
Hang in there, Davis!
Stop him! Stop him!
Come on!
Go! Go! Go!
- Look at you. You're a natural. - Go! Go!
Go! Go! Let's go!
Davis!
Do not touch this! Do not touch this!
- All right. - This is... you understand...
- this cannot be out of my hands. - I'm sorry.
This is the fact that house calls are alive.
Alive and well.
This is not main street anymore, with sweet octogenarians
toting their polished leather cases,
- with their shiny metal clasps... - Hey, Swenton.
- So, is, any, uh, drugs or alcohol in here? - Not since '81.
Right.
About last time a decorator came through here, too.
Kidding.
Tell wliam I'm gonna head back to town to finish up the Aronesti case.
- Sure. - Okay.
All right. I need some help in here!
He sits up there in his office behind his... his big wall of monitors.
- Grab my bag. The black bag. - Yeah.
He knows exactly what I'm gonna say!
He does, 'cause he wrote it. He knows what I'm gonna say tonight.
Open it up.
Geez, William, who you trying to be, Marcus Welby?
I didn't know pharmaceutical school was part of your calling.
Michelle!
You tell them this is not appropriate!
Actually, Davis, it is.
The pen case. The syringe. The antihistamine.
Yeah, that one.
I love you, baby, but you are all messed up.
No. No! Michelle!
Okay, I got it. With all the knowledge I have, I should be dead, you know that?
But I'm not. You know why? 'Cause I'm bulletproof!
It's okay.
There you go. 'Cause I got a job that masks me in kevlar.
I'm bulletproof!
- You're bulletproof. - You hear me? I'm bulletproof!
I hear you, you're bulletproof. Yeah, you're bulletproof.
Hey.
I got that. I got that.
It's a goddamned three-pound bag of apples.
Hey, Granny Smiths.
Heaviest apple in the apple family.
I'm sorry about all the craziness back at the station.
He still moves pretty quick for a guy our age.
- Your age. - He must have been doing about 60.
Speed kills.
- So what happens now? - Well...
We wait for the drugs to clear out of his system.
Then, hopefully, he'll be willing to accept help.
- When were you diagnosed? - 18 months ago, stage 4.
Ovarian... you still drink skim?
Uh, soy... my daughter's lactose-intolerant.
- Oh. - You still in treatment?
Uh, done that. Chemo, radiation, freaking shark cartilage enemas.
I'm done with all of it.
What happened to you, William? You just disappeared.
I don't know. Had some things I had to work out, I guess.
But you did relapse a few years ago?
And you never reached out to anyone? You want to talk about it?
I'd rather have a shark cartilage enema.
I'm so... I'm so tired.
Listen, why... why don't you lie down? I'll take care of this.
Go ahead.
Oh, thanks. Thanks.
How are you doing, William?
Well, let's see, I'm living at the shop, sleeping on the couch, eating takeout every night...
Sounds great.
I know I just disappeared on you, Pk. But I felt like I had to do it on my own.
- How's that working for you? - I'm making my days.
Look, William, I just want to make sure that you're okay.
Just from time to time, let me know you're having a... a good life.
Michelle? Michelle? Okay, take it easy. Take it easy.
Oh, my God.
- My God... - Michelle, le... let me give
- you something for the pain. - Oh, my God...
Michelle, what do you got? Michelle, what do you take?
Ativan? Morphine?
She's not gonna take anything till she knows he's clean.
Okay, just take it easy. Just breathe.
All right, just take it easy then. Slow down. Just breathe.
You're going to be all right. Let me...
Give me your... give me your hand.
I need your hand here, on my stomach.
- Here's my hand. - On my stomach.
Okay, there's my hand.
I don't want to die a junkie. And if he sees me like this, he'll die one.
Wake up! Wake up, you selfish bastard.
Your wife is out there right now, barely holding on, dying of pain.
- Come on. - You don't get it.
I don't get it? You don't get it, you dumb son of a bitch.
She's trying to be strong. For you!
But she can't do this on her own. And she ain't going to do nothing unless you get clean.
Do you get that? Hmm? You understand that?
Why don't you help her, Davis?
For once in your miserable life why don't you help someone else?
- What? - You were aittle hard on him.
She's got 17 years without even taking an aspirin.
And now because of him...
- Her choice. - His doing.
It's life on life's terms, William.
Will you... will you stop with the slogans, Pk?
- What he's doing... - What he's doing is being an addict.
He's behaving like an addict.
And I know you don't like it. But you know what it's like.
- I need a meeting. - You go to your meeting.
Oh, that's right. I forgot. You do everything on your own.
Get you where you need to go.
Same ol' Pk.
You back in my life a day
and already nine miles up my ass, and you wonder where I've been.
William! You don't understand. They can't do the news without me!
- I don't want to sedate you again, Davis. - You hear what i'saying?! I got to get down there!
Do you know how important I am?
- They can't do the news without me! - I'm going to strip him.
What are you talking about, strip me?
Well, I don't imagine you're going to go anywhere without your clothes on.
Oh! Right?
Can we get him off me first, please? Naked definitely equals hazard pay.
Free and breezy. Do whatever you want, all right?
When you told me we were going to eat at the beach,
I thought we were going to eat at the beach.
Well, what's the attraction?
Anyway...
Birth, death...
Yeah, William, what's the attraction?
I thought they might like the view.
Ah...
Everything in between is, it's complex, it's hard to understand.
William, we lose everything and yet, we're all afraid of loss.
And that, well, frankly...
What? Of Pk's shitty, old beach house?
Lemonade? Lemonade? Four lemonades please.
I don't think you're going to find a waiter here, William.
That's where insurance comes in.
You're not, uh...
You're not trying to sell me an insurance policy, are you, Marcus?
No, no, no. I'm just trying to give you a little peace of mind in the form of a job.
Selling insurance.
With my company. No, no, no.
No, no, it's not as crazy as it sounds.
Okay.
Look, the job... The job isn't fancy.
I mean, it starts at 55 a year, but if you sell well...
- Would you like to get that, babe? - No, I wouldn't like to.
- And apply yourself. - Maybe I should.
Then six figures is certainly not out of reach.
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
- Damn it. - Get back here!
Hey!
Why is Arnie chasing a nakema?
That's Davis Durham, the newscaster.
Oh! That's awesome.
So how'd he get out? I asked you a question.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no. See, you only have to come at me with your ho-ho
all up in my face once before I decide to get out of the way.
- Everything okay? - It is now.
Swenton, shift's up. Get out of here.
- Leaded or unleaded? - Leaded, please. Thanks.
- Tea? - Green tea.
Cures cancer, don't you know?
Nice lunch with the in-laws?
Let's just say the food was better than the view.
You know, I think the best thing about getting sober was meeting Davis.
Yeah, well, you know, after seeing him naked, I... I totally understand.
I know you're not supposed to make your sobriety about somebody else, but...
Davis, I... was 18.
He was at my first meeting. You both were.
Yeah, I was just out of county, too.
Looking fine, too, I might add.
Yeah, even out of jail you had your looks.
It was the smell... oh, my God!
Come on, now. I was court-ordered to go right to the meeting.
They should have ordered your ass to buy a bar of soap.
You and Davis hanging out at the back wall.
Trying to disappear.
Trying to sneak out.
Oh, and he knocked over the, uh, the coffee urn.
Yeah, you try to piss off a bunch of drunks, you just take away their coffee.
The guy's going around, taking everyone's order.
Then we went to the little Greek diner next door and got a cup for everybody.
Please don't be angry at Davis.
It's hard for him, what I'm going through.
Look, Michelle, you can't... You can't wait for him to be okay.
I know you're afraid to use again.
- I know. - I made a promise.
It's not about breaking a promise or your sobriety.
Swinging dicks in Malibu, William? Is that part of your program, too?
Hey, it worked for you for 23 years.
Yeah, you're right. You're right.
You going to be okay tonight?
- With the pain? - Yes, I am.
When he's clean, I'll be ready.
Okay.
- You got this? - I got this.
What crawled up his ass?
If it was you, William, I'd want you to take the drugs.
Well, if it were me, I could, because you wouldn't fall apart on me.
You need a pillow between your knees.
Ah, shit.
You know, they are... Absolutely, undeniably... Still there for one another.
And here we are.
We have our health.
What's left of our sanity.
So very little left of that.
And we...
We can't seem to string it together.
- Why? - Dating back to 1989?
No, seriously. Why?
- You don't have to sleep on the floor. - Oh, I... I think I do.
Seriously, William. We're not 19 anymore.
And, uh, there is one thing I am certain of. That for better or worse,
we have exhibited in the past that we are entirely capable of...
- Of what? - Lying next to each other without...
And what else?
What? What's wrong?
- You sure you got everything, mom? - I'll forget something.
- I know. Happy anniversary, mom. - Thanks, darling.
- William. You keep that job in mind now, huh? - Will do, Marcus.
Okay. Sweetie...
- Bye, dad. - Love you.
- Love you. Bye, mom. - Travel safely.
Good-bye. Good seeing you.
- Take care. - Okay.
Don't jump off the boat.
Love you. Take lots of pictures.
- Thanks for doing this. - You're welcome.
I'll get the rest of my stuff.
Take the damn manuscript. Take it.
Jesus, Davis.
When Michelle was diagnosed, I lasted three weeks
before i, uh, called an old doctor buddy and started using.
Go ahead. Take a look.
My big conspiracy is that, uh,
my doctor friend writes me fake scrips.
There's nothing in that book, William.
You ready to stop?
Say it.
This is day one of my sobriety.
I'm a lying drug addict, one day sober.
And I want to stop.
Welcome back.
Put this on. Put it on.
That's going to the goodwill tomorrow.
Well... I'm ready, Pk.
I'm ready to get back.
I'd be much more comfortable if you had on a pair of pants right now.
And if I can't do this for her, right now...
Davis, you gotta do it for you.
It was. 21 great years, it was for me.
At least that's what I thought.
But that... that really isn't the only reason, is it?
If we just do it for us, Pk, how can we give anything to anybody else?
Mmm, that kiss is familiar.
You kind of resemble a guy I met 17 years ago.
Real smart aleck from Pittsburgh.
I'm sorry you had to see the monster, baby.
- Me, too. - Put some pants on, for God's sakes.
I... I couldn't stand to see you in pain.
Then I didn't... I didn't know how to shut it off.
I don't... I don't know what I'm going to do without you.
I'm not ready to let you go.
Hello, America.
I'm Davis Durham, and these are the top stories from around the world tonight.
In Libya, allied forces have agreed to a treaty
that would allow warring factions to form a cease fire
until agreement terms of the land in question could be reached.
In domestic news, our next story takes us to Louisiana.
- Do you like this here? - I liked it better at our house.
Looks pretty good.
We're not having sex again, William.
I love you, babe.
I love you, too.
This is liquid morphine, prescribed by your doctor to help control your pain.
Once we begin treatment, you cannot stop its course.
'Cause your body will be... too weak to... weak to kick.
You never really meant to give any of us perfection.
It simply comes down to the level of imperfection
we allow to seep into our moments of fireworks.
And if we can do that, if I can do that...
let a little perfection into the imperfect,
let that little bit of mess not destroy the beauty of my life...
then I finally have what may be
the closest thing to perfect I'll ever really know.
Transcripted by chamallow35
www.addic7ed.com