The second act begins with the clean-up shift. Sam has returned from his brother’s wedding, and he tells the story of a movie theater outing wherein a series of unfortunate events led him to accidentally leave tamales under his seat, aligning him with the kind of people he resents as a theater worker. He expresses his discomfort with the “charade” (113) of his brother’s wedding, discussing the labor of pretending to be excited about something that disappoints you. Rose joins them and announces that their boss is planning to sell the theater and move to Tucson. Avery is sad to hear this news and worries the new theater will go digital. Rose asks Avery to cover her projection shift on Thursday, and Sam is enraged to discover that she has been training him to be a projectionist. He angrily scatters a bag of popcorn onto Avery’s side of the theater and leaves it for him to clean up.

The next shift is thick with an uncomfortable silence as Sam and Avery mop the floors without speaking. Avery leaves to clean the bathroom, allowing Sam and Rose to talk in private. Sam then confesses his love for Rose and asks her whether she likes him in return.