Remarkably Bright Creatures

Tova hears someone come through the front door of the aquarium and assumes it’s Terry returning, but it’s Cameron. She scolds him for showing up so late for his shift, reminding him he knows better. But when she sees the look on his face, she asks if something’s wrong. Cameron begins venting his frustrations: Simon isn’t his dad, Ethan won’t hire him or trust him, Terry still hasn’t offered him the full-time aquarium position, and Avery won’t return his messages. He says he’s heading back to California tonight but stopped by to grab his hoodie from work first.

Before Tova can stop him, Cameron pulls his mother’s class ring from his pocket and tosses it into the wolf eels’ tank, muttering something about “EELS,” which only confuses Tova more. She tells him he’s better than this—better than storming out and abandoning the people who count on him just because things get hard. But Cameron, fighting back tears, says he isn’t better. If anything, he’s usually the one getting fired, so it’s a welcome change to be the one doing the leaving. He scribbles a quick note for Terry and walks out.