GUEST: Chris Cooper

John Hickam is talking about how they’ll be extracting coal from the current pillar until next week, when it’ll be “to the bone. I guess that’s–” He notices a worker standing under a sagging beam.

“Jensen! Get out of there!” yells John. “Jensen, look out!” The ceiling caves in.

Later, on the surface, John Hickam stands over a bandaged, unconscious Jensen.

“Come on, Jensen,” says John. “Come on back.” Jensen’s eyes flutter.

“What happened?” asks Jensen.

“Whole damn mountain ’bout fell on your head,” says another worker. “And John here, he saved your life.”

Homer watches the scene from a distance, proud of his father. “That’s my dad!” says Homer.

“I want you out of this mine. Don’t come back, you stupid son of a bitch!” says John to Jensen. “Didn’t I tell you to watch the roof? Now we all could’ve been killed ’cause you didn’t have the sense to look up!”

Homer turns glum. “That’s my dad,” he says, sadly.

“Homer,” says John, waving to Homer. “How’d it go?”

Homer shakes his head with a “no.”

“Well, I told you,” continues John. “You spend the summer shovelin’ coal…and you’ll be playin’ linebacker next fall.”

In This Episode

• Chris Cooper as John Hickam
• Jake Gyllenhaal as Homer Hickam