The Shallow End

**The Shallow End Episode Synopsis**

**Full Episode**

**Full Transcription**

As always, a robotic voice welcomes us first: *Jump Point tape B side one, The Shallow End*.

Emily’s voiceover fades in explaining to us how her favorite place to be with Jackson is in the bedroom(In a non perverse way, of course). They had a rule, no electronics in the bedroom. It helped Emily relax and Jackson let his guard down. Emily thinks Jackson thought electronics meant someone was listening in on him. They would talk about everything and Emily felt like she learned so much about Jackson with these conversations. They loved so many of the same things. She only ever caught Jackson off guard once.

Fading into a scene in the house, Jackson is coming home from work expressing how exhausted he is but wouldn’t rather be anywhere else. Emily asks about the surveys and Jackson tries to brush over it (“I don’t really know, to be honest”). Emily asks if Jackson remembered any of the other questions and Jackson says he’d have to think about it. Emily says it could be fun to do the rest of them so Jackson starts asking questions. Emily makes a comment on how the questions seem very general, where you could place any city into. Jackson gets a little defensive and says he didn’t write the survey. Emily mentions he looks tense and Jackson just says the survey wasn’t important to him.

It was important to Emily, it’s what brought them together. Emily asks if Jackson believes in destiny. Jackson says he does, but that no one talks about the failures that lead up to that destiny.

Emily’s voiceover returns expressing how conversations like this reassured her feelings for Jackson. You can’t hide yourself when you live together, and Emily felt Jackson was hiding aspects of himself. Jackson was a very protective person and it took a while to realize that not everyone was out to get him. In his mind, he thought he was in shark infested waters, but really he was standing in the shallow end of the pool. Emily was the only one who could get through to him.

Hudson’s voiceover fades in and explains how he has been dealing with the feeling of loneliness for a while. He then corrects himself that it was a feeling of reality. He wanted to ask Emily for a second chance, to ask where it went wrong. He hadn’t processed his feelings about himself yet. He never went back though because he was scared of Jackson being there and he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep his composure. He still tenses up just thinking about it. Hudson blames Jackson, but he also blames himself for letting his rage and jealousy to manifest in such a way.

Hudson found Emily at the coffee shop. Hudson starts asking Emily questions and she really does not want to speak with him. He asks if she’s dating Jackson and she gets upset, still not wanting to speak. Hudson knows it seems awkward, but he’s been trying to figure out his feelings and not putting blame on her.  His order is called and Hudson ignores it to try and talk to Emily. Things get heated from there as Hudson gets desperate to talk to Emily and Emily wants no part of it. An employee comes over and tells Hudson he needs to leave. The owner comes over and asks him to leave as well. Hudson starts getting more upset and there’s sounds of things smashing. Hudson tells Emily Jackson is trouble and Emily interrupts him, she doesn’t want to hear it. Hudson left saying someday everyone will find out what Jackson’s deal is, and not to come crying to him when it happens.

Hudson’s voiceover fades back and he acknowledges he did more harm than good. He did *entirely* harm. He knew he was never getting Emily back.

We’re back to Jackson and Emily and Emily is filling Jackson in on what happened at the coffee shop. Jackson expresses empathy. Emily says all it did was made him look bad but it humiliated her, everyone was watching like she was some kind of monster. Emily thinks Hudson followed her there and Jackson agrees. Emily calls him pathetic and reminds herself that *he* was the one who walked out on their marriage. She rants for a little while longer. Jackson tells her about a relationship he had where his ex-girlfriend gave up on him. There were apparently no signs their relationship was going down hill, she just blindsided him. Emily says she missed out on a wonderful person. Jackson agrees and they decided to watch a movie to get their mind off of things.

The TV turns on stating the application deadline for ISAT is February 17th, but Jackson turns the TV off before it can continue. Emily asked what he’s doing and Jackson says they should go for some fresh air instead.

Emily’s voiceover comes back, but it’s glitchy this time. She mentions how she didn’t think much of Jackson’s shiftiness at the time. She thought he was just being spontaneous. She did think it was weird that Jackson never wanted to watch TV anymore. He didn’t want to go anywhere. It made their relationship better though, that is until The Nosedive. Emily calls it one of the most horrific days of her life. She still tries to grasp her emotions about that day.

The robotic voice comes back, heavily glitched. “*Tape side one com-com-com-com-completed. To continue flip over to side--”*