Life In Pieces – Four Short Fairy Tales

By starrymag | June 19, 2019

By: Jessica Wolff

 

 

In the first fairytale, Tim Hughes (Dan Bakkedahl) complains about how he’s not getting any results from his workout. Heather Hughes (Betsy Brandt) tells him he’s doing great and advises him to buy a treat to remind himself of what he’s working towards. Tim thinks she wants him to buy something for her, but she clarifies that he should buy something for himself.

 

Later, Tim excitedly tells Heather that her idea worked as he walks into the house with an ugly toupee. She jumps when seeing it and he tells her he loves it. Heather forces herself to tell him he looks handsome and he asks if she wants a test drive before remembering the glue hasn’t completely set yet. He tells her he’ll be upstairs taking off almost everything.

 

Heather thanks Sophia Hughes (Giselle Eisenberg), Samantha Hughes (Holly Barrett), Tyler Hughes (Niall Cunningham), and Clementine Hughes (Hunter King) for answering her emergency text. She tells them it’s about Tim and Clementine exclaims that she knew it when Sophia asks if it’s about his heart. Heather tells them it’s his head and Tyler asks if it’s a brain tumor while Clementine exclaims that she knew it.

 

Heather explains that Tim is wearing a toupee and Clementine tells Tyler she told him so. Heather tells them that Tim is struggling with his image and that it’s their job to support him. Samantha asks if it’s the same as when Heather went through her romper phase, explaining they didn’t know if she knew that she looked stupid. Tim comes in and asks how they like his new look. The kids are horrified, and Tyler insists their opinion doesn’t matter. However, Tim insists his new look is a hit.

 

At brunch, Matt Short (Thomas Sadoski) lies to Tim that he looks great and Tim offers to help fix his look. Once he’s gone, Heather thanks Matt for not saying anything and Greg Short (Colin Hanks) remarks that his allergies are acting up. Colleen Brandon-Ortega (Angelique Cabral) assures Tim that she thinks his hair looks great no matter what John Short (James Brolin) says.

 

Tim asks if John didn’t like the toupee and Colleen suggests that John is jealous about him getting all the hair compliments. She assures him she thinks it looks great despite what everyone else says. Tim gets upset and confronts everyone about not liking the new him. Heather explains that they like the old him, but Tim insists the old him is gone.

 

Tim reminds her that she suggested he buy something for himself and she replies that she was thinking something like a new jacket. Heather tells him she loves him, but he can’t change who he is with new hair. Tim argues that nobody he meets now would think he’s bald and Jen Short (Zoe Lister-Jones) suggests they would if it was during a strong breeze. Tim tells them he’s giving a speech tomorrow and the doctors will only know the new him.

 

The next day, Dr. Feld (Claudia Choi) introduces Tim to the audience. He begins his speech on honesty in medicine, but the audience starts laughing at the PowerPoint behind him. Tim sees that they’re laughing at an old bald picture of him and leaves the podium.

 

In the second fairytale, Eve (Sarah Baker) and Elle (Risa Dorken) welcome Jen back to work. They ask her to label her bottle of breast milk and Jen tells them not to drink out of a baby bottle. Paul (Andy Buckley) welcomes Jen back and asks how baby “whatserface” is. Jen deadpans that she loves her Starbucks gift card and Paul admits he didn’t know he sent anything to her.

 

Paul tells her he’ll see her tonight, explaining they’re getting drinks to celebrate their successful year. Paul tells her that Eve was supposed to tell her, and Elle suggests Jen shouldn’t be allowed to go because she had nothing to do with the success, reminding Paul that she has a baby. Paul forgets Talia’s name and tells Eve to finish the contract. Elle tells Jen she should do the contract since she’s not going, and Eve suggests she’s lying about having a baby.

 

Jen rants about the experience to Greg in her office, but Greg tells her the phone fell between the couch cushions. Jen admits she’s feeling overwhelmed and that she needs to spend time with Paul to become a partner at the firm. Greg tells Jen to go out with the office, promising he’ll keep the kids up for when she comes home. Jen spills breast milk on herself and Greg promises to call someone to help her, asking her not to be disappointed that it’s Colleen.

 

Jen arrives to the bar dressed up and Paul greets her while Elle questions if she should be going home to her family. Jen replies she can stay as long as she wants and suggests the next round’s on one of their clients. Eve tells Paul she can get him a woman and Paul tells her no before inviting Jen to join them at the bar. Jen tells Paul a funny story while Eve and Elle give him a drink to regain his attention.

 

Greg calls Jen asking where she is as Talia cries in his arms and Lark Short (Ana Sophia Heger) runs around. He tells her that 8:15 is like midnight to the girls and Paul calls Jen back to the bar. Jen tells him she has to go and apologizes. She returns home and finds Greg, Lark, and Talia asleep together on the couch.

 

The next morning, Jen asks Eve and Elle if they saw the contract she finished. Paul asks where she went, and Jen tells him she had to go home to her daughters. He thanks Eve and Elle for finishing the contract, but Jen replies that she’s the one who did the work. Eve and Elle argue it’s not possible, suggesting Jen is struggling with hormones.

 

Paul tells Eve and Elle not to kill the office vibe and Jen argues that the stain on the contract proves she’s the one who did it. Eve and Elle suggest that it’s their respective mug and cup that made the stain, but both objects are too big to have made the stain.

 

Jen puts down the bottle of breast milk and Paul argues that it’s a perfect fit. Jen tells Greg that she’s back on track to be partner, and Greg asks how that happened. She tells him that she spilled breast milk on one of the files and Greg remarks that’s one way to do it.

 

In the third fairytale, John, Heather, Greg, and Matt debate what food they should have at Joan Short’s (Dianne Wiest) retirement party. Joan questions if the discussion is happening too soon and John tells he’s been waiting for this day since he retired. As Heather and Matt discuss the things that she can do post-retirement, Joan freaks out at the sight of a rat scurrying in the room.

 

Joan tells John that she refuses to have to retirement party until Oscar (Martin Starr) can find the rat. Oscar announces that he caught the rat, and Joan suggests there must be more. Oscar is sure that’s the only one and John declares the retirement party is back on, telling Joan she’ll soon be as aimless as him. Joan asks Oscar if he’s sure he got them all and Oscar declares the house rat-free.

 

The next day, Joan tells John she saw another rat and that they’ll have to cancel the party again. John asks where it went, but Joan tells him not to bother looking. She suggests the noise it was making suggested it was calling its friends but makes an unconvincing impression of a rat. However, John believes it and calls Oscar back out.

 

Oscar finds small brown pellets under the table and tastes them to determine what they are. He declares they’re raisins and John is excited to be able to host the party. Joan declares there must be a rat and refuses to have the party until they’re gone. Oscar promises he’ll be there all night and that he won’t quit until the rat is gone.

 

Oscar finds Joan at the kitchen table and she admits she can’t sleep. He tells her he’s going to put a powder by the entrances that looks and acts like cocaine, advising her not to use it as such. She comments on how dedicated he is, and he tells her he loves his occupation.

 

Joan asks if he ever thinks about retiring and he replies he wants to work as long as he lives. He tells her he’s going into her crawlspace, but Joan confesses she made the rat up. Oscar knew she was lying, and Joan tells him she’s never going to retire. He declares his job is done and joins her at the counter.

 

Oscar tells her about his wife claiming he’s messed up, but Joan argues he doesn’t need therapy. He tells her he tells his wife to shut up and Joan advises him not to do that. She suggests that maybe his wife is unhappy, but Oscar insists she should shut up about it.

 

The next morning, Joan asks John if he’s angry with her. He admits he had a feeling and she realizes that he was forced into retirement and was rushing her because he has nothing to do. John suggests they go upstairs and celebrate her un-retirement and Joan freaks out as a rat runs by. John takes her claim as her not being in the mood and Joan insists it’s a real rat as he walks away.

 

In the final fairytale, Lark and Lucas (Vivaan Bisoi) leave their playhouse made out of a cardboard box and John destroys it as he believes it’s to be recycled. Greg tells him that was a playhouse and Lucas tells them he and Lark were going to live in there when they got married. Colleen and Matt agree that it was a good thing the playhouse was destroyed due to that. Matt tells Greg he should have built them a playhouse that lasts.

 

Matt and Greg bring home a bunch of wood and Greg is excited by Matt’s sketch of a castle playhouse. John asks what they’re doing, and Matt tells him they’re building a playhouse. Greg tells him Matt’s letting him hold the wood while he cuts it, and Matt replies he’s thinking about it. Greg suggests they add a slide, but John doubts the structure will be stable.

 

Two days later, Greg and Matt admire their badly put together playhouse. John blows the playhouse down with a leaf blower and Greg replies it took them two days to build that. John tells them it was shoddily built and Greg argues that it might have been better if Matt let him hold the wood.

 

As Matt and Greg argue John tells them that his dad taught him to build, suggesting they weren’t brought up right. Matt reminds him that he brought them up, but John argues he doesn’t see it that way. Greg and Matt agree that their inability to build the playhouse is John’s fault and Greg tells John this is his legacy. John takes the guilt-trip and declares he’s going to help them build a playhouse. Matt and Greg bring bricks and mortar home and ask John if he’s going to help unload them. John tells them they’ll never learn if he does all the work.

 

Lark and Lucas thank Greg, Matt, and John for the playhouse as they play inside the mini brick house. Matt admits it was fun building it with them and Greg declares the foundation of the playhouse is as strong as their family. A utilities worker tells them he’s there to read the meters. John tells him it’s on the lawn, but realizes they built the playhouse on top of it and tells the worker he can go inside the playhouse.