Erica receives a surprise visit from someone she never expected to see again: Kai. She figures he is on a rogue mission as this visit seems against the rules of therapy. Regardless, he has much news for her, the most important being that he looks for her in the year 2019 and can't find her. Erica believes the worst for herself, meaning death for her in 2019 at age 42. As Erica progresses through the day, she can't focus on anything else besides the possibility of dying at such a young age and wanting to find out for sure what really happens to her in 2019. As such, Dr. Tom sends Erica back on a Groundhog Day (1993) scenario, reliving a certain time of her life over and over again, perhaps for eternity or at least until she figures out what lesson Dr. Tom is trying to teach her. But as he denies Erica her initial request, Dr. Tom does exactly himself what Erica requested for herself, which brings up concerns with Drs. Naadiah and Arthur. And Barb's actions may be a role for Erica to follow as Barb tells her of her breast cancer.
Full Plot[]
Kai needs to talk to Erica, and enters her apartment. Erica is happy, she didn't know if she was ever going to see him again. Kai says we see each other again, this is not the first time visiting for him. In a few weeks he comes back to 2010 on another regret, and they sleep together. About the future, he tells her to be careful. Then he has a change of heart, says this is unfair of me, I shouldn't even be here.
She follows him outside, saying you can't just barge back in my life and leave, I wouldn't put you in this position. Kai: After we slept together... I tried to stay away, but couldn't. I tried to find you in 2019, but can't. Erica: Where am I? Kai: I don't know, but 9 years from now something awful will happen, and a lot of people are going to die.
Erica: Am I dead? Kai loses his memory, no longer recognizes Erica and walks away.
Voiceover: "Death, it's the high cost of living. We know this, and yet we spend our days in denial. But inevitably, we will be forced to face the fact that we are not immortal and never were. Which begs the question–how do you live when you think you're going to die?"
Erica is walking down a sidewalk, someone is on a cell phone saying that's incredible! and she sees Dr. Tom. Dr. Tom: Just because Kai can't find you doesn't mean you're missing. Erica: Am I dead? Dr. Tom: It could be. But it's a piece of information without a context. Fixating on it isn't going to serve you. Erica: Maybe I'm married, maybe I moved, why wouldn't he get in touch with Samantha? I can't drop something like that, I need to know. Why did he tell me and why did Dr. Fred let him? Dr. Tom: You can't let it overwhelm you. The phone rings, Julianne reminds Erica she is late and she rushes off.
Dr. Tom had quietly stepped in a doorway, and goes into his office. He picks up the phone and tells someone he needs to talk now, and Dr. Naadiah walks in. Dr. Naadiah: Dr. Fred is taking care of it. Dr. Tom: Pulling a patient out just after he gave her enough information to terrify her? She should not have to deal with this. Dr. Naadiah: When Sarah went missing you asked if she was still alive. I didn't have an answer, but it doesn't mean you didn't learn anything, you learned a lot by not knowing. Erica can learn too, but not if we break the rules like Kai did.
At 50/50, Erica arrives late. Seth and Leslie know they bring passion, the book will be the jewel in the crown of the company. But River Rock resources eclipse 50/50's, and the bidding war attracted the attention of other major players in town. Erica is distracted by earlier events and Seth and Leslie realize she isn't listening, cutting the meeting short.
Erica is walking outside and spots Adam working on landscaping. He asks what are you doing here? Where are you going? Erica thinks they shouldn't see each other outside of group, and leaves. She starts running, faster and faster, until she falls and cuts her hand.
Sam is worried Barb is wearing herself out, and tells her to stop worrying about them. Barb is worried that Erica has had a tough time, breaking up with Ethan, starting a new business. Sam looks at her and Barb says: I know I have to tell her. Tonight OK?
At River Rock, Brent and Friedkin aren't seeing eye to eye on edits for his next book.
Erica shows up at Barb's, and Barb asks shouldn't you be at work? You're bleeding. Erica says she was running and fell, and is stressed and being ridiculous. She tries to lie down and finds herself in Dr. Tom's office.
Dr. Tom: "Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future. Concentrate the mind on the present moment. - The Buddha." This is a one-on-one session today, no group. Dr. Tom is concerned she is torturing herself over something that may not be true. Erica: I should be able to put it out of my mind, but I don't know how to. Dr. Tom: Everyone dies one day. Erica: But not everyone finds out they could be dead by 42. Do I have kids, do I outlive my parents? Dr. Tom: I can't answer any of those question for you.
Erica: If you sent me to 2019... Dr. Tom: No. Why would you want to know that? Erica: It would shut off everything inside of here. If I'm alive, it's all good. If not, I'd live life to the fullest. Dr. Tom: Why not do that anyway? Erica: I can't escape it, I think of what Kai said over and over, there's no way out. Dr. Tom: There's always a way out. He sees the clock, mulls for a moment, then says: it's just a question of finding it.
She flashes back to opening the door with Kai saying I need to talk to you right now. Erica wants to know what he's doing here again? Kai: I came to warn you. Erica: You already told me this. What time is it? Kai: 8 in the morning. Erica: What am I doing here, this has already happened. Kai panics and asks: Did I screw something up? I need to go. She follows him out again. Tell me what happened in 2019. Where did you look for me? Kai: We already had this conversation? And Kai leaves 2010 again. Erica goes back to her apartment, opens the door, but no Dr. Tom. She dives into bed, and it's 8 again.
Erica to Kai: You're on a regret and came to warn me, you can't find me in 2019, why can't you find me? She warns Dr. Fred will pull him out, and he leaves again. She's walking on the sidewalk, making a sarcastic comment to the guy on his cell phone. Her phone rings, and she barks to Julianne: I'm almost there, get a grip.
Leslie: Seth and I know you'll bring a ton of passion to this project. Erica interjects defiantly: But the vultures are circling our bidding war just as we speak. Leslie wants to make this work, if Seth goes with them, the deal would have to be sweetened. Erica says sweetened, what a word. They argue, Erica throws a pen at Leslie, and Seth and Leslie leave, while Erica is laughing and Julianne looks at her incredulously.
Outside Erica sees Adam and has gotten coffee for both of them. She tells him she's having a strange day and needs someone to talk to, telling him Dr. Tom is having her repeat the day. Adam relates how one time Dr. Tom sent him back under these huge lights, he squealed, and realized he was a baby in an incubator, hours old. The lesson was about powerlessness.
Erica: What is the lesson here? Falling, throwing pens at peoples' heads? Would you act this way in my shoes? Adam: Probably not. What if that's all there is, 42 years is all you have. 8, then 6, 4, then 1. What do I do in my last year? Adam: Whatever you want.
It's noon, Adam has to go back to work, and the clock rolls back to 8 am again. Erica: Tell me what happened in 2019, you can't find me, I need to know why. Her Kai disappears. She returns to 8 am. Shhhhh. She gets a pen and paper and tries to write to Kai. He asks why can't I talk? and disappears again as the younger Kai asks: who's Dr. Fred?
Erica returns to 8 am. Kai is asking if he can come in and Erica says no he cannot, and chases him out. She then proceeds to get very drunk.
She's walking drunkenly down the sidewalk, slurring: "Maybe death would be better than reliving this day even one more time. You hear that Dr. Tom? I'm cool with that, you can kill me now. Is that the point of this lesson? Because death and me are copacetic!" She puts her empty wine bottle in a flower pot, grabs the guy's cell phone and throws it, and tells him he's going to die some day. The cops come, she's in their patrol car, the clock says 11:59 and she knows she's going back.
It's 8 am - Kai says I need to talk to you. Erica tells him to come in. Kai: There's something you need to know. Erica: I don't want to hear it, that we sleep together, you got worried about me. I'm going to obsess about it, and I'll end up stuck here in a loop, meeting you for the 11th time. Oh the wonders of time travel therapy. She tells Kai she had a dream about him last week. She wanted to know how it's been back in the future.
He tells her going back was s--- in some ways, but also a relief. Living in the past is exhausting, I needed to get to a point where I could accept the past is the past, and if I want to get anywhere, I have to focus on the present. It's so hard, your mind wants to go anywhere and everywhere except for here, which is the only place you're supposed to be. Erica thanks him for the talk, and they hug. Kai kisses her, and says the reason he came back to her... Erica interrupts and says to take care of a regret, and that's what you should be doing. She shows him out the door.
She's walking down the sidewalk, and the guy on the cell phone says that's incredible! She asks why he's so excited, and he just learned his wife is pregnant. She congratulates him and they have a pleasant conversation.
At 50/50, Leslie says the deal needs to be sweetened. But Seth says it's not about money, The Purple Door is his baby. Erica: I know how much the story meant, 5 minutes after Brent kicked you and the book to the curb. We gave our best offer, we won't be held to ransom. Leslie is doing her job but to be honest, we have nothing else to give. River Rock has resources, sure. They can't give you what we're offering: skills and passion. Julianne edited the top selling non-fiction title of 2008, not Brent Kennedy. I saw the promise in your book the instant I read it, I didn't need any convincing. You had me at the first chapter. So it's up to you, Seth. Money, see where it takes you, or stick with us. And we will put our hearts and souls into making this a best seller. That is the best we have to offer. Leslie: OK, we will go and discuss this. Julianne gives Erica a surprised and admiring look.
Erica finds Adam and suggests an early lunch (it's their sixth lunch). She returns to one of their go arounds when Adam said he was afraid of death, but made peace with it. Adam explains: I died once. I was brought back to life, but the paramedics said my heart stopped. The job went bad, I felt this intense cold, and had been shot. I was floating above myself, looking at my body, not afraid. Not at peace either, just sad. What a waste, a whole life, everything I could have done. I woke up in the back of an ambulance. And then met Dr. Tom in the hospital.
Adam realizes it's late and he has to go. It's 10 past 12, and Erica realizes she's still here. She squeals in relief and hugs Adam.
Walking, she sees Dr. Tom at a palm reading shop. Dr. Tom: Show me your hand. You are passionate, totally ruled by the heart. Erica: You needed to read my palm for that? What about my life line? What do you see? Dr. Tom: I see you lead an interesting life, twisting back and forth. Erica: How long is it? Dr. Tom: You know it's not about length. When we first met you felt stuck, the past was holding you back. And this morning what was holding you back was your future, or fear of it. Erica: I'm going to go enjoy every last second.
Erica goes to see Barb. Barb notes that she's early and Erica says she's in a holding pattern. It will either work out or it won't. Barb hesitates, Erica prompts her, and Barb finally confesses about the lump in her breast that was positive for breast cancer. Erica is gasping. Barb is in a holding pattern too, there is a chance she may just need radiation, or not at all. Erica hugs her mom in tears.
At River Rock, Brent is not happy. He's not getting the pages for Mystery of Tomorrow and their deadline is looming.
Barb, Sam, Erica are talking when Erica's phone rings. Julianne informs her that her speech worked, and The Purple Door is theirs. Erica hangs up, tries to go back to the kitchen and ends up in Dr. Tom's office.
He apologizes about her mother. Erica: Isn't that ironic, this morning I thought I had a death sentence, and there's my mom acting like everything is normal, life goes on. Dr. Tom: It does, you get what everyone gets, you get one life. And it's not about how long or short, it's what you do with it.
Dr. Naadiah walks into Dr. Arthur's office. You said not to worry unless something happens. Well something has. Tom went to 2019 to retrieve information to satisfy his own curiosity. Do you believe me now? Can you let me fix this? Dr. Arthur: What's this really about? Dr. Naadiah: Tom broke the rule; after talking about Freddie, he turned around and did the same thing. This is about Sarah, and his denial that he treats Erica the same as Sarah. Erica's going to be affected. And you're going to allow it? Dr. Arthur: It's not my job to save Erica or Tom from their mistakes. Let it play out, let them suffer the consequences. She leaves.