Thank You for watching! (2011)

Thank You for watching! (2011) Full Recap

As the new baseball season begins, a commentator named Murdoch doesn't seem really optimistic about the Chicago Cubs’ chances of winning anything big. His assistant, Ernie, says he believes the Cubs will do well, but Murdoch insists that it's unlikely. He adds that the Cubs haven't even won a series in a long time, and he doesn't think their losing streak will end. Elsewhere, a boy named Henry and his friends, George and Clark, head to the field where Henry's little league team is playing.

On the way, they bump into Henry's mom, Mary, who asks where they're going. Henry then talks about his game and says he believes he has a good chance of playing today because one of the team's starters won't be around. Mary seems happy about this, but she jokes that if Henry doesn't play today, he'll do the laundry when he gets home. Henry's friends think Mary is cool, and as they run past her, she calls Henry back to give him a tube of sunblock.

As she tosses it toward Henry, he fails to catch it, and Mary looks disappointed. Henry's friends also wonder if he'll still play today, but Henry assures them that the coach will make the right choice. Unfortunately, when Henry gets to the field, the coach doesn't play him, and he looks disappointed. However, as one of Henry's teammates seems unwell, the coach decides to let Henry play.

Henry looks amazed and runs to the field to take his position. George and Clark look shocked, and they cannot believe that the coach really decided to play Henry. Almost immediately, Henry starts cheering up the pitcher, who just tells him to shut up. After this, the pitcher throws the ball, and it gets hit toward Henry.

Unfortunately, Henry fails to catch it, and instead of throwing the ball back to the pitcher, he loses balance and throws it out of the field, leaving everyone shocked. Later that day, Henry arrives home looking disappointed, and Mary asks how the game went. Henry says he made the play of the day, and Mary realizes that the game didn't go so well for him. Henry complains that he couldn't even catch a fly ball, but Mary says he's probably not cut out to be an outfielder, and he should consider being a pitcher like his dad.

Henry doesn't think he's that good, and as he's about to head to his room, Mary reminds him that he has to do the laundry. After Henry does this, he returns to the kitchen, and Mary tells him that dinner is almost ready. Henry realizes that Mary is going out, and he asks where she's headed. Mary then mentions that her boyfriend, Jack, is taking her out on a date to celebrate their three-week anniversary.

Henry doesn't seem to like Jack, and he complains that he thinks his mom is moving too fast with Jack. Mary says Jack is cool, and as he arrives, he gives her a necklace as a present for their three-week anniversary. Henry seems disgusted, and Jack eventually leaves with Mary. The next day, at school, Henry's friends encourage him to speak to a girl named Becky, but he seems shy and says they don't have anything in common.

Clark mentions that Becky's dad has a boat just like they do, but George points out that the boat they're building isn't ready. Henry insists that there's nothing to talk about with Becky, and that he doesn't even like her. Henry's friends know that he's lying, and as they see Becky staring at their table, they realize that she also likes Henry. Shortly after, the boys leave the cafeteria and see some other kids playing baseball on the playground.

One of them teases Henry about his performance in the last game, but Henry just ignores him. Almost immediately, the boy calls Henry to catch another fly ball. Even though Henry doesn't initially seem interested in doing this, he sees Becky looking at him and decides to catch the ball. However, as he nearly catches it, he gets tripped over by another ball, and he falls badly on the ground.

He injures his arm in the process, and Mary takes him to see a doctor who puts it in a cast. The doctor says the arm got fractured, and that Henry will have to leave the cast on for four months. Henry doesn't look happy about this, and he says he'll surely not have a great summer. Henry manages to keep the cast on as instructed, and after four months, he heads back to the doctor to have it removed.

As the doctor then takes a look at Henry's hand, he suddenly gets slapped in the face while adjusting it. Henry looks shocked because he didn't mean to do that, but the doctor mentions that his tendons have healed too tightly. Mary doesn't understand this, but the doctor just tells her to take Henry away and come back in three weeks for an assessment. As they leave the hospital, Mary gives Henry and his friends three tickets to the Cubs’ next game.

The kids look excited and immediately head to the stadium for the game. When they get there, Henry seems optimistic and says he's sure the Cubs will play well today. He also looks excited to see that the next pitcher is his favorite player, Chet, who was nicknamed the Rocket because of how fast he throws the ball. Unfortunately, as Chet throws the ball, it gets hit for a home run, and someone in the stands catches it.

Since they can't keep a home run ball hit by an opposing team, the ball is thrown back, but it doesn't really go far. Henry jokes that he can surely throw the ball better than that, and he continues enjoying the game with his friends. Meanwhile, the general manager of the Cubs, Fisher, is informed by his assistant, Derkin, that if they don't sell out every game for the rest of the season, they'll have to forfeit the franchise. Fisher complains about this and says he can't let that happen just before he takes control of the Cubs from the owner, Bob.

Derkin then mentions that they'll need a miracle. Elsewhere, Chet throws the ball again, but the batter hits another home run. George gets the ball this time, but he looks scared of throwing it back because he doesn't want people to mock him. Clark also refuses to throw it, and they give the ball to Henry.

Henry doesn't seem bothered, and he manages to throw the ball to reach home plate. Everyone looks shocked, and Henry also wonders how he was able to do it. Fisher sees this and immediately tells Derkin to head to the bleachers to bring him that arm. Murdoch also jokes that the Cubs have more talent in the stands than on the field.

Meanwhile, the man who threw the ball earlier seems pissed that Henry did better than him. He asks for Henry's name, and as George says it, the boys run away before the man beats them up. After a while, Derkin tells Fisher that he was only able to get the first name of the person who threw the ball. He adds that Henry is just a boy, but Fisher doesn't think it's a problem, and he insists that Derkin has to find him because he could be the key to changing their fortunes.

The next day, Henry's friends encourage him to throw the ball again, and as he does this, Jack and Mary look shocked by how fast it is. Shortly after, Fisher calls the house landline to invite Henry for a tryout with the Cubs. Jack answers the phone and immediately agrees to let Henry do it. When Mary sees him, she says she's worried about Henry's arm, but Jack mentions that it's a really good thing.

The next day, the coach of the Cubs, Martinella, comes to the house to meet Henry. He looks shocked when he realizes that Henry is just a boy, but Jack shows up and tells Martinella that he's in the right place. Shortly after, Martinella takes Henry to a nearby field and uses a radar gun to determine how fast the ball is. Interestingly, Martinella notices that Henry can pitch at over 100 miles per hour, and he looks shocked.

Fisher is also at the scene, and he tells Jack that he wants Henry to sign for the Cubs. He says that Jack can make himself Henry's manager so he'd get ten percent of the deal. Jack seems interested, and Fisher asks if Henry would like to play for the Cubs. Henry says he would, but that he'd have to ask his mom first.

The next day, the Cubs announce Henry as a new signing, and a lot of reporters attend his press conference. Before Henry can say anything, Jack greets everyone and introduces himself as Henry's manager. Mary looks shocked, but Jack says he thought he already told her. Just then, someone asks if Henry can pitch.

Henry says his dad used to play, but he's not sure if he went pro. Another reporter tells Henry to show everyone his pitch, but Fisher says that anyone who wants to see the team's new signing has to come to the stadium tomorrow. The next day, Mary and Henry's friends follow him to the stadium. He eventually leaves them and goes through the special gate for players only.

When he gets to the locker room, he looks excited and introduces himself as the new pitcher, but the other players don't seem to care much. Henry then admires the players and eventually tells Chet to sign his ball. Chet says he doesn't do autographs, and Martinella calls Henry to come and check out his locker. He also introduces Henry to the team's pitching coach, Phil, who doesn’t seem competent.

After Henry changes into his jersey, he heads out with the rest of the players. While Chet is about to pitch, Henry cheers for him, but the veteran doesn't seem pleased. Chet is no longer the player he once was due to the discomfort he has been experiencing in his arm for years. As he throws the ball, the batter hits it, and the opposing team scores a few points.

Fisher looks disappointed and calls Martinella to tell him to let Henry play. Martinella says Henry isn't ready, but Fisher insists that the crowd didn't come to see Chet. After Chet fails to pitch well again, Martinella decides to give Henry a chance just as the crowd starts chanting that they want him. Henry looks scared when he's called up to pitch, but Martinella encourages him.

Unfortunately, Henry's first ball isn't good enough, and the batter, Heddo, hits a home run. Heddo seems quite arrogant and mocks Henry's pitch. Martinella looks disappointed, and Fisher also seems restless in the VIP box. When Henry pitches again, the ball hits the batter, who is able to move to first base.

Henry looks really nervous and doesn't think he can continue, but Martinella encourages him to throw the heat. For Henry's last attempt, he throws a wild pitch, but luckily, it still gets him his first save. This also helps the Cubs win the game, and everyone looks happy and rejoices. After the game, Martinella tells Chet to teach Henry how to pitch, but he says he's not doing that.

He adds that Phil is the pitching coach, but Martinella still insists. As they then see Phil giving Henry some strange tips, Martinella looks at Chet and implies that Henry needs someone better. The next day, at school, Becky calls Henry to sit with her and her friends. Henry looks shocked but still heads over to sit with her.

She then sees Clark with a strange object and asks what it is. Henry says it's for the boat they're working on, and Becky seems impressed. She also talks about her family's boat, and Clark tells Henry to invite her to ride theirs with them. Before Henry can do this, the bell rings, and Becky leaves with her friends.

Clark doesn't look happy, but Henry says he'll invite her when they're done with the boat. Following this, the boys head to the edge of a nearby lake to drop the new parts they want to use for their boat. Later that day, Henry arrives late for training, and Martinella informs him that Chet will be his new coach. He also mentions that Henry has been fined $500 for coming late to practice.

Henry looks shocked by this and complains that it's like six years' allowance for him. Shortly after, he goes to pitch next to Chet, but the veteran just watches him and says nothing. The next day, when Henry is given a chance to pitch again during a real game, George and Clark head to Fisher's office to inform Mary, Jack, Bob, and Fisher. Mary says they need to head down quickly to get good seats, but Bob looks surprised and says he can't sit with the crowd because he's the owner, and the fans would kill him.

Mary says she understands, and she heads down with George and Clark. Meanwhile, Jack and Fisher secretly try to secure a Pepsi deal for Henry, but the company's representative says Henry has to show that he's a winner before the company signs him. Unfortunately, Henry's first pitch hits the batter, and Martinella tells Chet to give Henry some advice. Chet says he doesn't have anything to say, but Martinella insists.

Chet then goes to meet Henry to try to encourage him. Interestingly, Chet also seems nervous, and he mixes up his words while talking to Henry. Henry pretends to understand, and when he throws his second pitch, he covers his eyes because he thinks he has made another mistake. However, the pitch leads to another save, and one of Henry's teammates encourages him to keep pitching well.

Following this, Henry gets more confident and strikes out the next batter to seal the win for the Cubs, who have now won consecutive games for the first time in a while. Henry's teammates praise him, but Chet just walks into the locker room. Jack and Fisher also look happy because the Pepsi deal can now be signed, and they'll be able to get a percentage of the money involved. When Henry enters the locker room, he notices that Chet has signed a ball for him, and he looks really happy.

After a while, he changes his clothes and heads out to meet his mom and his friends on the field. They look happy to see him, and he also plays around with his friends. When Chet leaves the locker room, he stops to watch the kids, and as Mary sees him, she introduces herself to him. She also thanks him for whatever he said to Henry during the game.

Chet says Henry is a good kid, and he's sure it's because he has a great mom. The next day, the Cubs leave town for their upcoming game, and Phil assures Mary that Henry will be well taken care of. Before they leave, Mary tosses a tube of sunblock to Henry, and as he catches it, Phil looks amazed and says that Henry's mom has a great arm. Shortly after, while they're on the plane, Chet tells Henry to sit next to him.

Henry then thanks Chet for signing his ball, but Chet mentions that he's no longer the rocket. Henry says he has noticed a change in Chet's pitch, which has now become slow, and he asks if surgery didn't fix Chet's shoulder when it got injured. Chet says it did, but that he doesn't know what might happen if he tries to throw the ball really fast. Shortly after, the team reaches their destination, and Henry gets a room to himself.

After a while, he leaves the hotel and joins the team for their next game. He puts on another great performance, and as Chet continues to advise him, Martinella asks if Henry is good for another inning. Henry says he's ready, and Martinella tells him to head out to bat. Henry looks shocked, and Chet also tells Martinella that it's too early.

Martinella insists that Henry has to learn, and he looks really nervous. He also carries multiple bats as he heads to the field, but Chet reminds him that he only needs one. He also encourages Henry and tells him not to get killed by the pitcher. When Henry faces the first pitch, he looks scared and dodges the ball.

Interestingly, Mary is watching the game at her workplace, and she seems really annoyed at the pitcher for not considering that her son is still a young boy. Luckily, Henry eventually manages to move to first base after a strange call by the referee. He then taunts the pitcher and tries to knock him off his game. This works out quite well, and as the pitcher gets rattled, he makes some mistakes that allow Henry and the next batter to score runs for their team.

Everyone looks amazed, and Henry becomes more popular. He also continues playing well for his team, and Jack secretly signs the Pepsi contract for him. After a few games, the team returns to Chicago, and at the airport, a reporter asks Chet about being outpitched by Henry. Chet says he doesn't care who outpitches him as long as the team wins a ring.

Suddenly, he spots Mary behind the reporters and helps her take Henry past all of them. They quickly enter Henry's limo, but Chet tells the driver to drop him off at the next bus stop. Henry says Chet can follow them home, and Mary supports this, saying their driver might be able to take him home. Chet appreciates this, and Henry plays a romantic song in the limo to try to get his mom and Chet to fall for each other while they talk.

The next day, the Cubs celebrate their run of victories, and Chet dances with Mary at the party. Jack doesn't like this, and as he stares at them, Fisher shows up to inform him that the Yankees want to buy Henry for $25 million. Jack says Henry is just a kid, but Fisher says it doesn't matter. He adds that Jack will get 10 percent of the deal, which will be enough for him to live like a king in New York.

Jack seems interested, and Fisher tells him to get Mary to sign the contract. Jack says he'll do it, but that he also wants Fisher to kick Chet off the team. Fisher agrees to do this, and Jack seems pleased. The next day, Henry acts in a Pepsi commercial, and while Mary is watching him, Jack gives her a contract to sign.

She just signs it because she trusts him, and he asks what she thinks about New York. Mary looks confused, but Jack tells her to forget about it. Shortly after, Henry heads to the woods to meet his friends so they can work on the boat. George seems pissed that Henry is always late when it's time to fix the boat.

Henry tries to explain himself, but as George insults him, this causes a fight, and Clark is forced to separate them. The next day, Henry doesn't look happy about what happened, and he stays silent in the locker room. Chet doesn't know what's wrong, and Martinella eventually calls him into Fisher's office. When Chet gets there, Fisher says that the team can no longer wait for Chet's arm to come around.

He adds that Chet will sit on the bench until the end of the season, which is when they'll release him. Chet looks disappointed and leaves the office angrily. He then offers to drop Henry off at home, and he agrees. When they enter the car, Chet still looks pissed, and Henry asks what's wrong.

Chet then tells Henry not to take the game seriously because one day his gift will be gone. When Henry gets home, Jack asks why he didn't use the limo. Henry says Chet brought him home, but Jack says he hates hearing that name. He then tells Henry to get ready to leave for a photoshoot.

Henry says he's not going because he wants to spend time with his friends, and Jack seems pissed. He grabs Henry's arm and tells him to do what he wants, but Henry says that Jack isn't his dad. Jack says Henry is right, and that Henry's dad is some guy who abandoned him. Mary hears this and scolds Jack for saying something like that.

Jack apologizes and says he thought Mary was in the bathroom. She doesn't care about this, and she sends him out of the house and says she never wants to see him. Jack says she'll be seeing a lot of him because they're moving to New York. Mary looks confused, but Jack says Henry has been sold to the Yankees.

Mary says it's not possible, but Jack mentions that he's Henry's manager, and he can do whatever he wants. He then brags about all the deals he helped Henry sign, but Mary just punches him out of her house. Henry looks excited, but Mary says it's time to tell him about his dad. Henry says he already knows that his dad left Mary when she was pregnant, and that his grandmother told him a while ago.

Mary looks shocked and asks why he didn't say anything. Henry says he thought Mary enjoyed telling him stories about his dad and how he was good at baseball. Mary says she only wanted him to have someone to look up to, and Henry says he already has her. Shortly after, Henry leaves the house to meet his friends.

They immediately settle their differences and take their boat out for the first time. On the way, they see Becky and her friends and stop to pick them up. When Henry returns home, he tells Mary that there's something he wants to tell her. The next day, Henry and Mary head to Bob's office, and he looks excited to see them because the Cubs could win the division today.

Henry then tells Bob that he won't be back for next season. Bob and Fisher look shocked, but Henry says there are some things he wants to do first as a kid before becoming a professional player. Bob says he understands, but Henry asks why the Cubs want to sell him. Bob looks confused, and as Henry tries to explain what Jack said, Fisher interrupts him.

Bob then realizes that Fisher accepted a deal behind his back, and he tells Henry to go and help the team win the division. He also tells Mary that he'll sit with the fans today, but that he has to deal with something first. Fisher looks disappointed by this, and Bob fires him. Shortly after, Martinella informs Chet that he'll be the starting pitcher for today's game.

Chet looks confused, but Martinella says he needs Chet's experience for a game like this. After a while, the team heads out for the game, and Chet manages to strike out an opposing player. Mary looks very happy, and Chet's teammates also praise him. Unfortunately, Chet's pitch gets slower because the pain in his arm is now worse, and Martinella threatens to drop him.

Thank You for watching! (2011) Ending Explained

Chet then begs for one more pitch, and as Martinella allows him to stay on, he uses all his strength to throw the ball. He hurts his shoulder in the process, but the ball breaks the bat and helps the team maintain their lead. When Chet returns to the bench, Martinella commends him and tells him to be ready for the playoffs. However, Chet says his time as a player is over, and that he felt his arm go.

Martinella looks disappointed, but he jokes that he hopes Chet will wait until the end of the season before taking his job. After this, Henry goes up next to pitch, and he does a good job at helping the Cubs keep their narrow lead. With just one inning left, Martinella begs Henry to help the team seal the victory. As Henry runs onto the field, he trips over a ball and falls.

However, he stands up immediately and says that he's fine. As he then throws the ball, he realizes that his tendons are now back to normal. Mary also figures this out, and as the crowd chants Henry's name, he looks nervous. Unfortunately, his balls aren't fast anymore, and he intentionally walks the first batter.

This leaves Chet, Martinella, and the fans frustrated, but Henry quickly informs his teammates that he can no longer throw the ball very fast. They look shocked, but Henry says he has a plan. Following this, he uses the hidden ball trick to help the first baseman tag a runner out. He also walks the next batter and taunts him to run before tagging him out.

After this, Heddo comes in next to bat for his team, and Henry looks scared. As he throws the ball, Heddo misses it, and everyone looks relieved. Henry throws the second pitch, and even though Heddo hits it quite well, it is ruled out as a foul ball. As Henry looks nervous for the third pitch, he sees a tape on his glove and removes it.

Surprisingly, he sees Mary's name on it and realizes that she's the pitcher she always said his dad was. Mary confirms this as he looks at her, and she advises him to float the ball. Henry then smiles before floating the ball and striking out Heddo. Everyone looks amazed and celebrates because the Cubs have won the division title and are now heading to the World Series.

Mary also looks proud of her son, and he throws the game-winning ball to her. A while later, Chet and Mary are now the coaches of Henry's little league team. During a game, Henry catches the ball to help his team secure the win, and as he rejoices, he punches the air and shows that he's wearing the Cubs’ championship ring. After a strange injury suddenly turns Henry into a good pitcher, he gets signed by the Chicago Cubs to draw crowds and help their season.

The deal turns out to be a success, and Henry gets much better under the mentorship of a veteran named Chet. However, he soon realizes that he still needs time to be a kid, and after he wins the division for the Cubs, he returns to being a player for his little league team.