Mid-Century

Hey, Mom, why do these cookies taste so good?

Kids, they're made with lard.

Boy, that's crisp.

Cunningham Spray Starch,

for shirts as crisp as the bacon he brings home.

Anthony.

Anthony.

Mr. Banner.

- How are things? - Copacetic, Mr. Banner.

Copacetic.

Little something for the wifey?

Yeah, I just stopped off.

So how does the missus like my neighborhood?

- Oh, she's on cloud nine. - Ah...

Whoo-hoo! Oh...

It's... it's sleek.

She's quite a possession.

She is.

Uh, Mr. Banner,

I probably shouldn't keep, uh, Joanne waiting.

- Mm-hm. - Excuse me.

Alright...

Hi, doll.

What took you so long?

Frederick... Banner.

He cornered me again.

He's off.

I caught him staring at me while I was in the garden the other day.

What?!

Joanne, I said I didn't want you to speak to him.

Seriously.

- How was your day? - It was okay.

I wish I was out and about like you, having adventures.

- I did get you something. - You shouldn't have.

Did you get me a new drill to fix the dishwasher?

No...

You got me books.

Did you find a copy of the Naked Lunch?

Open it.

Nope.

Undies.

Come on, Joanne, don't be a wet rag.

Go put 'em on.

Am I just here for your amusement?

Sometimes.

Margie Grady said the new pulp novel by Robert Bloch was good.

You're gonna like what you see!

What are you doing here?

You and Anthony look so happy together.

I admit, I haven't felt like that since my Alice passed.

You sure do look lovely, Joanne.

Anthony!

Lower your voice, please.

- Don't make me take off my belt.

Anthony!

Anthony!

Anthony!

These are the first of the Banner homes.

Built in the late 50s by architectural icon Frederick Banner.

Beautiful on the outside,

but step inside and the picture darkens.

You smell nice tonight, Alice.

Two COVID patients, two cardiac patients.

Prepare for a long night.

Paging Doctor Volker.

Don't go anywhere.

Keep your eyes on clear skies tonight

for this lunar event that hasn't been visible for decades.

The National Weather Service says that tonight

the Southland will be able to witness

a rare lunar eclipse of the blood wolf moon.

Your place is amazing.

You know, Frederick Banner inspired me

to study architecture.

Alice might have mentioned that.

You never thought about going into medicine, Tom?

Oh, he faints at the sight of blood.

Mm. I couldn't stare death square in the face.

Not like you superheroes.

So, Tom, you're thinking of, uh, relocating your practice?

We're still working out the details.

But if I had to be stuck in a house...

we could do worse than this.

- Cheers. - Cheers.

We're so glad you could stop by.

It's not often we get to have docs try out ER call.

Get a good nap in.

It's gonna be busy tonight with a full moon.

Thank you.

- Good to see you! - So good to see you, too.

- Buy, guys. - Pleasure. Okay.

Put yourself in my shoes.

I don't know, they don't look comfortable.

- You insisted I wear them. - Mm-hm.

Mm.

Kerri and Hal are sweet and this job's perfect.

And the firm's finally taking off.

Six years of work out the window.

And Beverly Gordon will be thrilled.

I know how hard you worked and you can do that here.

I work harder just to be taken seriously.

Hey, believe me, I want you far, far away from that creep.

Okay?

Maybe this is our opportunity

to start a family.

I trained for a decade,

became an expert in the middle of a pandemic,

all while getting nasty looks from wrinkled, White,

thirsty docs who were more interested in my heels

- than in what I was saying. - Mm.

So, right now, I'm not dropping everything to change diapers.

Can you think about me too, honey?

I mean...

Damn it.

Alright.

It's this one here.

What?

See? I'm always thinking of you.

You're right and I'm so sorry.

I've just been under a lot of pressure lately.

Pull an all-nighter, I won't be here to bother you.

- Okay. - Okay.

Right here. Thank you.

- You're welcome. - Let's go check it out.

Okay.

Wow.

- Here? - Yeah.

Oh, uh, alarm code's star 237.

- Star 237. - Yes.

Star 237. Got it.

Got a note.

"Welcome to your home away from home.

This modest dwelling was one of the first built

by architect and builder Frederick Banner in 1955."

What?

"Please make yourself comfortable and enjoy Saturday's eclipse.

Call with any questions. Eldridge."

Frederick Banner. This is killer.

Oh, my God.

"After shuffling off this mortal coil my temple remains.

Frederick Banner."

It's a bit extra.

Frederick Banner.

Whoa.

Dude's temple isn't the only thing that remains.

You'll love that.

- Ooh! - That's the good stuff.

This is a mood.

- Yeah, it is. - Mm-hm.

That's an Emil Larson.

- Oh. - Mm.

Maybe we put a bedsheet over it?

Okay.

Hi, my sweet baby.

Mommy loves you so much.

I'm-I'm gonna be home soon. Okay?

I just wanna see my family.

Do you think...

...I'll see them again?

Somewhere else, do you believe in that?

I don't know, Marley.

Mm...

You mean you didn't hear me?

- Mm-mm. - Mm-hm.

- There you go. - Thank you.

Thank you for this.

I don't know, do you think I can really create something truly iconic?

If we're talking about your bartending skills, then, yes.

Yeah.

Look, the mid-century was great.

I think I just missed my time.

Don't go there with that shit.

No, no, no. I'm talking about the style.

Real talk, this reminds me of my gram's photos from in the day.

She would have been redlined right out of this neighborhood, you know.

But go ahead and be the man of the house she cleaned.

Light up a Pall Mall, sip some bourbon--

Okay, real talk. I didn't mean it that way.

You can go live in any time, but you can't bring me.

Which is exactly why I'm staying right here, honey.

- Jesus. - Oh, my God.

It came from outside.

Ah, hell.

Poor bird.

Hand me the shovel.

A shovel?

Yeah.

I can't believe you killed that bird.

The window killed it,

I just shuffled it off the mortal coil.

See that?

Do you think he's watching us

in a lounge chair in the Caribbean?

Ooh...

Yeah, yeah. Um...

Let's definitely not skinny dip.

- Mm, wait. - What, what, what?

Wait, wait, wait.

Are you gonna move here if I get it?

Um... can it be a Banner home?