Killer Bees (2002) - full transcript
Sheriff Lyndon Harris of a rural Washington town tries hard to smoothen life for his people, while shark mayor Ditwaller is out to acquire property after bank foreclosures. Lyndon also has an ex who presses for divorce and two kids, who need his help, especially son Dylan, who is easily lead astray by champion imp Jared Wylie. After noticing a Mexican truck with bee hives and several unusually aggressive bee attacks, Lyndon take doc's advice to consult entomologist Riley Muir, who concludes it's the northernmost-ever case of Latin American killer bees. Despite more bee attacks, the mayor refuses safety precautions, giving sole priority to closing a deal with a distributing company at the honey festival.
(mellow music)
(tense ambient music)
(suspenseful music)
(bee buzzing)
(grunts)
- All right, Lyndon, let's see
if you can answer this one.
Short horned cattle.
Three major color patterns.
What are they?
- Red, brown and white.
- Average yield of a crop of wheat?
- Approximately around 80 bushels
or 80 million individual grains.
- When's your mother's birthday?
- Dad.
- [Dad] Answer the question.
- April 26th.
- And what are the four Hs?
- My head to clearer thinking,
my heart to greater loyalty,
my hands to larger service
and my health to better living.
- Now name me the small seeded grains.
- I'll get it.
- I think it went in the junk pile.
- Okay!
(bees buzzing)
Ouch!
Ow!
Dad, I'm stuck, Dad!
Dad, Dad!
- Lyndon?
Lyndon!
(Lyndon screaming)
(suspenseful music)
(bees buzzing)
Pull your arm out now.
(grunts)
Run to the truck!
(Lyndon's father grunting)
- [Announcer] Remember, folks,
it's pollination season.
Watch out for the mobile
apiaries rolling into your area.
Speaking of bees, the
annual Sumas Honey Fest is.
Down six points.
- Anybody awake at the jail this morning?
- 10, four, sheriff.
We're open for business.
- Hey, Slim, that coffee
machine working today?
- That's a negative on the java, sir.
You need to sign the purchase order
so I can take it over to
Hank's and get it fixed.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Hey, Slim.
- [Slim] Uh-huh.
- Why don't you lighten up a little bit?
- 10, four, sheriff.
- [Announcer] In state legislature,
the family farm relief bill stalled again.
Legislators hoped to table a
new bill sometime next year.
In the meantime, farmers in distress
are asked to be patient.
In sports, it's a
nail-biter of a ballgame.
- Stop and say hello to old Norbert.
Morning, Norbert.
(mellow music)
(mellow guitar music)
- Hi, dad.
- Hey, don't stop on account of me.
- But do on account of me.
- That sounds pretty good, son.
Are you guys ready for the big
gig down at the fairgrounds?
- What do you care anyway, huh?
- He's just doing it to impress Nadine.
- Dylan.
Dylan, come on.
So how's my little blue
ribbon winner, huh?
- Not yet, Dad.
You'll jinx it.
- I'm not gonna jinx anything.
Where's your mom?
- [Cassidy] Upstairs.
- [Lyndon] Audrey, it's me!
I need a clean duty shirt!
- Just a minute.
How come I see more of you now
than I did when we were together?
- Did you get a job?
- Assistant manager at the Dairy Castle.
Sissy called.
- Oh Lord, not again.
That's a pretty good honey.
Wait a second.
- Your daughter made that.
You'd know that if you
spent more time with them.
- I'm cultivating a hive for Rural Youth.
- Bees?
- She's been at it for two months, Lyndon.
- I'm showing my supers at the fair.
Supers are what beekeepers
call their hives.
- So, where are you
keeping this super thing?
- [Cassidy] Behind the garage.
- All right, well, as
long as it stays there.
Audrey, I swear you make
the best cup of coffee.
That Dairy Castle's lucky to have you.
I'm worried about him.
Dylan, I'll see you later!
- Hey!
How much longer am I gonna have
to keep ironing your shirts?
- I don't expect you to iron my--
- It's been six months, Lyndon.
What are we waiting for?
We've got enough money saved
to pay for the divorce now.
- I don't know.
I thought the separation was working fine.
- I don't know where I am.
The kids see us together,
we're not together--
- Audrey, I don't--
- We need to get on with our lives!
- Have you met somebody?
- How could I with us
tripping over each other?
- You know, Audrey, when we lost the farm,
your confidence in me went with it.
- That is you talking, not me.
- All I want is peace of mind, all right?
We're always at each other's throats,
and for what, money?
Money's been a third wheel in our marriage
for as long as I can remember.
- I think we should try to
stay out of each other's way.
- Is that what you want?
- Mm-hmm.
- Okay, fine, we're gonna try that.
- Zeke called here this
morning looking for you.
You're taking his house today, aren't you?
- Don't start with me.
- I cannot bear the thought of you working
for that Ditwaller, Lyndon.
How could you?
How could you even speak to
him after what he did to us?
You know, all the farmers in
Sumas think you are a traitor.
- You know what?
Ditwaller didn't take our farm.
The bank did.
- Lyndon, Ditwaller is the bank.
- Do you think I like
kicking people off of farms
that have been in their
family for a hundred years?
Huh?
It sure beats living off
food stamps, don't it?
I've got to go.
(mellow tense music)
You know Audrey, when we lost the farm,
your confidence in me went with it.
- [Audrey] That is you talking, not me.
- I miss this place.
(tense ambient music)
What the?
- Ditwaller, I want
you off of my property.
- It's the bank's
property now, Mr. Gillman.
- Oh yeah?
We'll see about that.
- Sheriff, he's got a gun!
- Yeah and it's loaded too.
Huh, huh?
(gunshot bangs)
- Now, Zeke, let's not go
and make this any worse
than it already is.
- Oh, you go to heck,
Harris, you damn traitor.
I thought you was one of us.
Now, don't worry about it.
Don't worry about it.
The sheriff here ain't gonna
be taking us off to jail
for this, are you, sheriff?
- Not as long as you stop
shooting at us, I won't.
- Give us a little time to
collect a few personals.
- Go on, Zeke.
Take all the time you need.
- Now, I want to press
charges, you hear that?
- Whatever you say, mayor,
but it ain't gonna hold up in court.
- [Ditwaller] He's going for the truck!
Well, don't you stand there!
Go after him!
- [Lyndon] Now, mayor,
let's just be reasonable.
- Do something!
I want him arrested!
- On what charges?
- Attempted murder.
- Oh now, if Zeke wanted us shot,
we would have never gotten near the place.
- Well, then, grand theft auto.
That truck belongs to me now.
- This place has been in his family
since before the rail
road went through here.
Now to you, it's just another asset
but to them, it's their family history.
I'll come back later and
smooth things out with Zeke.
Don't worry, you'll get your truck.
- You just make sure
it's sooner than later.
- How did it go with Zeke?
- Oh, I gave him another week.
- I bet Mayor Ditwaller
wasn't very happy about that.
- You know, I don't care
what Ditwaller thinks.
You can't kick a man out of his house
and expect him just to
pack up just like that.
- Well, yeah, it's been
three weeks, Lyndon.
- Well, it's gonna have
to be four, isn't it?
- Hey you know, you're the sheriff, right?
- Oh, gee, Ed Stillwell called out on 15.
Said some kids were at
his place the other night
busted up a chicken coop,
let the hogs out, you know.
- Seems to be a lot of that going on.
Do me a favor.
Drive out there and talk to him for me.
Ever since I've become the law,
me and the farm boys just
don't see eye to eye.
- All right.
Oh, hey.
Sissy called.
- Lord, doesn't she ever give it a rest?
- It's about time you come
and did something about them
trucks speeding into Sumas.
- Well, these trucks are here
to pollinate the crops, Sissy.
I mean, you're right in the
middle of the main thoroughfare.
What can I do?
- The whole place shakes
every time they go by.
Every year, there's more
and more of these things.
- Well, I--
- See?
Can't you divert them to the state road?
- Sissy, you're gonna have to talk
to the mayor about that, now.
- I might just do that.
It seems that the only way
things get done around here
is if Ditwaller gets involved.
- Yeah well, he's done
so much for the town.
- I haven't seen you before, mister.
Why are you contracting
all the way up here?
Oh yeah, (speaking in foreign language)?
Well, the price is good enough,
that's for darn tooting.
If May would've been here,
she would be smiling.
- Well, I'll be.
The Sumas honey queen has lost her crown.
- What can I get for you, Zeke?
- Give me one of them honey glazed.
- 37 cents.
- That man of yours come by to bring me
a little greeting this morning.
- Well, unfortunately,
that is not an uncommon
occurrence around these parts.
- Audrey, that's a shame.
He's got to be right in
the middle of all of this.
- Yes, Zeke, it is.
I put an extra one in there for you.
You take care.
Okay.
♪ She survived all those tornadoes ♪
♪ Though they drove her to the brink ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ Now I'm drunk again and crying ♪
♪ 'Cause of little mama dying ♪
♪ Left my ♪
What's going on?
(tires screeching)
(suspenseful music)
(truck crashes)
What the heck?
Darn!
What the heck are you doing?
(bees buzzing)
You can't drive like that!
Oh, man!
Hey, amigo!
You stopped right in the
middle of the darn road.
There was no way I could avoid you.
Your truck don't have a scratch on it.
Mine is just trashed.
Insurance.
Give me your insurance papers.
(speaking in foreign language)
What the heck are you doing?
Hey!
That's Ditwaller's truck!
He's gonna get you!
He gets everything!
This is Ditwaller's truck!
(laughing)
Have a nice truck, Mr. Ditwaller.
(gagging)
- Yeah, I'll handle this, Sissy.
53 in a 35 mile an hour zone.
That ought to make your daddy proud.
- My father says those
things ain't accurate.
- Is that a fact?
- Come on, sheriff.
I'm in the same class with Dylan.
- Is that a fact?
- Yeah.
- [Slim] Base to unit one,
got a vehicle abandoned on
FTM 17 at the 11 mile marker.
Looks like Zeke's.
- I'm all over that, Slim.
- So, can I go?
- You can now.
Yeah, Slim, it's Zeke's truck, all right,
but no sign of the old man.
(ambient tense music)
Zeke!
Zeke!
Damn.
Well, I guess your troubles are over now.
Slim?
- [Slim] Sheriff?
- I found Zeke.
He's dead.
Call the doc and tell him
to put his coroner's hat on.
- [Slim] 10, four, sheriff.
(melancholic music)
- [Cassidy] Dad, I'm
sorry about Mr. Gillman.
- Oh, sweetheart.
I'm sad too.
He was a good man.
- You know, in the bee world,
the women, known as the
workers do all the jobs.
Gathering the pollen, tending the hive.
- Well, that's a nice
change of pace, isn't it?
- Hey, what are you doing here?
- I'm watching Cassidy.
- [Audrey] Well, Dylan was
supposed to babysit, help me.
- Well, she called me up
and asked me to do it.
I can't believe I'm helping
my wife get ready for a date.
- It's not a date.
It's dinner.
- Well, whatever it is.
Your babysitter would like to know
when you're gonna be back from dinner.
- Dad, please pay attention.
- I'm sorry, sweetheart.
The male or a drones
sole purpose in life is to
mate once with the queen
after which he dies.
- Unlike us humans, who
die a thousand deaths.
Oh, whoa, where are you going, cowboy?
- Out.
- Out?
- Out.
Dad, relax.
I'm gonna meet up with
some buddies and jam, okay?
Calm.
- He's hoping to scope out Nadine.
- Mind your own business, little sister.
- Nadine, huh?
I want you home by 10 o'clock.
- Come on, Mom?
- 11.
- All right, 11, but not a
minute later, you hear me?
- Promise.
Night, Ma.
Have a good time.
- You're too damn easy on him.
- He's 16.
- I know he's 16.
- Like you weren't staying
out late when you were 16?
- Well, he's a good kid
and I want him to stay that way.
- Oh, he will.
You just have to cut him a little slack.
(car honking)
Hey, stay away from that window.
You're gonna scare him off.
Night, honey.
- Dang it, I gave her that perfume, too.
Where were we?
(tense ambient music)
(mellow guitar music)
- Hey, hey, Harris!
You want to ride with my posse tonight?
- No, man, I'm kind of busy.
- Oh, come on, Harris.
My radio's busted.
We could use some music, bro.
- Yeah and Jared's singing
isn't exactly melodic.
- Here are your fries.
- [Nadine] Thanks.
- Hey.
- Hey, ride with us.
- Two against one.
- All right, good.
The sheriff's son is riding with us
which means you have to behave, Jared.
- That's right, sonny boy.
I don't want to see no cow tipping.
- Oh yeah, wouldn't want
Dylan to get caught.
Sheriff might lock him in his room.
- Come on.
- [Jared] 'Sup y'all, where are we headed?
Want to go up to the bluffs?
- [Nadine] Hey.
- [Jared] Let's go for a drive man.
- [Guy] Hello.
(mellow guitar music)
- Jared, I thought you said
we weren't going cow tipping.
- Oh, I've got something
much more exciting in mind.
(laughs)
Yo, this is gonna be fun.
(tense ambient music)
Let's go.
Check this out man.
- What are you up to, Jared?
- Shh.
He's sleeping.
- Come on, man.
This is crazy.
- No, it'll be like
taking candy from a baby.
- This isn't funny, no!
- Or should I say honey from a bear?
- [Dylan] I don't know about this Jared.
- Now, take this, man.
(Jared buzzing)
- What the heck is he doing?
(mellow music)
- Yo, dude, open the gate.
- Jared, man, it's like 11:30.
I promised my parents I'd
be home half an hour ago.
- Anyone else got to go, huh?
Nadine?
- Guess not.
- All right then.
- Hey, dude.
I promise, you'll be entertained.
Yo, come on man.
Hop in, bro.
(tense ambient music)
- Hey man, this is Dillard's farm.
Come on, this isn't cool Jared.
We should've gone cow tipping.
- We should've gone home.
- Yo, Chucky, open the door, man.
All right, kick the box, man.
- [Dylan] What?
No, Jared, come on.
- [Jared] Yee-haw!
(bees buzzing)
- Dylan.
Band practice went a little late, huh?
12:15?
- Yeah, Dad.
I'm really late, I'm sorry.
- That's all right, son.
I'm just glad you're home.
Now, get some rest.
- Good night.
- Good night.
- Now, the farmer said he found them
when he went to milk
the cows this morning.
- Must've been one angry swarm
to take down these heifers.
- Yep.
The cows must've made them pretty mad.
Makes it worse, panic with bees, you know.
Bees can smell fear.
- What do you know about bees?
- My uncle was a beekeeper.
So, what do you think, some
kind of kids' prank or what?
- Probably so.
- Oh, sheriff, I almost
forgot, Dr. Kearney called
about Zeke Gillman, blood test results.
- Well, what did he say?
- Oh, are you ready for this?
He said old Zeke was poisoned.
- Poisoned?
- Poisoned.
Congratulations, sheriff.
You've got yourself your first murder.
- Hey, Harris.
- Jared.
- You didn't say anything to
your old man about last night?
- No.
- Good, good.
Just make sure it stays that way.
- What we've got here,
sheriff, is a real puzzler.
- Traces of acid,
phosphatase and melatine.
Who'd want to poison old Zeke?
- Well, that's what we're
gonna try and find out.
Now, you see this
discoloration around the neck?
Now that's very unusual and
that's where we're gonna start.
- What are you doing?
- To look inside, I have
to get the mouth open.
This is your first autopsy, isn't it?
- Yeah.
- Well, if you feel the urge,
go in there, not on the body.
- Thanks, doc.
- Ah!
Sheriff.
It looks
like we have a suspect.
- That's okay.
- Oh, go take it.
It can't sting twice.
Yeah.
Zeke died of toxic substance, all right.
- What, bee toxin?
- Well, two or three stings in the throat
could easily swell it up enough
to close off the trachea.
- The poor guy couldn't breathe, huh?
- Bee stings aren't
unusual this time of year
but for the life of me,
I can't remember the last time
we had a bee-inflicted death.
Gosh, nice going, doc.
I'm sorry, Lyndon.
I forgot about your dad.
- No. It's all right, doc.
You know, Dillard's farm just
lost three head of heifers
to bees this morning.
Is there any connection here?
- Forensic entomologist,
that's what you need.
Now, I may know somebody
who can help you with your bee problem.
Riley Muir, she knows bees.
If anybody can help you, she can.
- Thank you, doc.
I appreciate it.
- [Doc Kearny] All right.
(Lyndon retching)
(mellow music)
(woman screaming)
(suspenseful music)
- [Riley] Oh!
Oh, ooh!
- God, I'm sorry.
I heard something.
- It's okay, Ranger Rick.
The bees work for me.
- Yeah, I don't like bees.
- Yeah, I can see that.
Feel better now?
- Thank you.
Yes, thank you.
I'm sheriff--
- Harris.
Doc said you'd be stopping by.
I'm Riley Muir.
- Muir?
The sign says Houseman.
- Riley Muir Houseman.
I'm divorced.
- I'm sorry to hear that.
- You?
- Oh, you know, I'm separated.
So what's with the bees?
- I have MS.
It's an experimental therapy
using bee venom to
boost the immune system.
- Really?
I've never seen that.
- I got sick.
Bees made me feel better.
So let's see the little troublemaker.
- Here you go.
- You might want to stand back.
I'm gonna open this.
- Very funny.
(tense ambient music)
- Has your victim been out
of the country recently?
- Out of the country?
- Like South America, maybe?
- This just happened
over at Ferrill Creek.
Old man Zeke, he's never
been out of the county
no less the country.
- These critters you've got here
are usually found in a
place like Peru, Guatemala
and parts of Brazil.
Not the Evergreen State.
Have you ever heard of
the African scutellata?
The species commonly referred
to as the killer bee?
- The killer bee?
What, up here in Washington?
- Well, they've been found
places further south,
like Texas, New Mexico,
Arizona, California.
- The whole thing sounds so far-fetched.
- Well, you must've suspected
something out of the ordinary,
otherwise, why'd you come
all the way out here?
- What would you say if I told you
a farmer just lost three head
of his prize cows to bees?
- Now you've really got my attention.
- So what do you think?
- I'd say Sumas has a killer bee problem.
And a pretty serious one.
- I read about them in
National Geographic.
They've got the regular sting of a bee
but they're like 10 times more aggressive,
is that about right?
- That's right.
- Outbreak of killer bees.
That ought to bring Sumas some attention.
- Maybe the kind of attention
Sumas doesn't need right now.
I mean, until we know for sure
maybe it's best we don't
go around spreading rumors.
- Yeah, especially in the
middle of pollination season.
- Well, you're the expert.
Riley, if you don't mind my saying so,
you're looking a little piqued.
Sheriff, I think her blood
sugar's a little low.
Why don't you take her down to the castle
and get her something to eat?
- Well.
- She won't bite.
- Unless provoked.
- Okay.
- Go.
- What are they doing
up here in Washington?
- Well, they originated in Brazil.
After a few queens were
brought over for experiments,
then a few of them got loose, interbred
and well, have been
wreaking havoc ever since.
How your bees got here,
I don't know for sure.
Maybe they were blown in by a wind system
or they hitched a ride
on a vegetable truck?
It's hard to say for sure.
It's difficult to read
their little passports
and they're not very good
about getting them stamped.
But most likely, they were
brought here on purpose.
- Well, why would anybody want to do that?
- Sumas County.
Hundreds of thousands of
acres blooming right now
and without the pollen being
carried from flower to flower,
the plants won't yield.
Unfortunately, there aren't
enough bees to go around
so keepers from across the
country truck in their supers.
- The hives.
- You're learning.
It's a highly migratory industry
with keepers following blooms
from Florida to California
all the way up here to Washington state.
You know what I think?
I bet some of those truckers
probably got themselves
a few boxes of AK bees
and doesn't even know it yet.
- Hey, Lyndon.
- Audrey.
This is Riley Muir.
She's an entomologist.
She's the one that's helping me with that,
you know, bee problem.
- Oh yeah, the bee problem.
- [Farmer] Let me get this straight.
You want us to stop pollinating our crops?
- Just until we can figure
out where these bees
are coming from.
I mean, you don't have to move the hives,
just leave the lids on
until I can figure out
whether or not they're killer bees.
- Lord, help my time.
The sheriff wants to
put us out of business,
just like he did himself.
Do you really want to drive us
to the poor house that bad, Lyndon?
- Look this is the height of
pollinating season, sheriff.
We'll lose our crops.
- Yeah!
- Yeah, that's right.
- These bees have already
killed three head of livestock
and one of your own, Zeke Gillman.
Now I'm just asking for
a week, boys, one week.
- A week without pollinating?
Well, the trucks will just
move on to the next county
and we'll lose our contracts.
- These bees are
unpredictable and dangerous.
- Look, look, I would rather
sleep out in the pasture
and pick corn out of horse droppings.
No, sir, I ain't having none of this.
- [Farmer] Let's get out of here, come on.
(mellow music)
- Here you go, another four
points off your license.
Not a real good week for you, is it?
- No, it isn't, sheriff.
You could've given me a break.
That sign wasn't here last time.
- Well, it is now.
You know, Jared,
I was hoping you might be able to tell me
what happened out at Dillard's
farm the other night.
- Beats me.
- Somebody dropped a
beehive off in his barn.
Some of his livestock got stung to death.
- Really?
- Killer bees.
- Whoa, killer bees, no kidding.
Got any suspects?
- I've got a few.
As a matter of fact, I might
just go easy on somebody
if they told me where
those bees came from.
- No idea, sheriff.
- Well, you ask around for me, okay?
- I'll definitely let you
know if I hear anything.
- I'm sure you will.
- We're hearing a lot of talk
about your damn bees, Harris.
You're stirring up hell with a long spoon
and I don't like it.
- There was a man killed.
- And I heard he drank too much.
- Well, the doc confirmed it.
It was bees.
Killer bees.
- Do you realize how
ridiculous that sounds?
Now, look, you're the
sheriff, so you investigate.
But do it quietly.
We don't need to be stirring up a panic.
- Yes, sir.
I'll be as discreet as possible.
- Well, you'd better be.
Now, look, Harris, we've got Meglo Mart
preparing to break ground right here.
I mean, they could really
put Sumas on the map.
Now, we can't have any bad PR
screwing up the future
of this town, can we?
- Sheriff, you'd better come quick.
Killer bees.
Killer bees attacking people
over at the farmer's market.
(suspenseful music)
(men laughing)
- [Ditwaller] Yeah.
(men laughing)
- So that's D?
- E.
(buzzing)
- You know, I think it's awful
how your father is being treated.
- Jared, shut up, okay?
Just leave him alone.
- You know, you're right, Nadine.
The sheriff's boy could've
ratted on us, but he didn't.
Say, we're all going out this weekend.
You want to come?
Oh, your musician boyfriend can
tag along, too, if he wants.
- I'll be sure to put it
on my social calendar.
- All right.
I'll be checking in
with you later, Harris.
Now I'd best bee going. (chuckles)
- Where were we?
(kids buzzing)
(mellow music)
- Hey, sweetie.
How was YA today?
- [Riley] My cooking has
never had much of a following.
- My sheriffing hasn't had
much of a following, either.
Before, half the county hated
me and now it's unanimous.
- You're just doing your job, Lyndon.
At least your problem
will eventually go away.
Mine will just get worse.
- What's it like?
MS, I mean.
- I get fatigued.
It's the most common symptom.
But then there's the tremors
where I lose coordination and balance.
That's the worst.
- [Lyndon] There's no cure?
- Not as of yet and I've tried everything.
Salves, pills, physical therapy
and then I discovered apitherapy.
Bee venom.
- Oh!
That just sounds so medieval.
- Believe me, if there was
a cure involving leeches,
I'd be all over that one too.
You do what's necessary to survive.
If I've learned anything,
it's that you've got to be grateful
for every day you've got.
- Well you know, speaking of
days, I really should be going.
We have an awful lot of
trucks to check tomorrow.
- Was it the microwave cooking?
- No, no, that was fine, really.
I had a great time.
I'll see you tomorrow.
- What the Sam Hill is
this all about, sheriff?
- We're trying to isolate
an outbreak of AK bees.
- [Farmer] Huh?
- African killer bees.
- Oh yeah, I saw that
movie on late night TV,
attack of the, no maybe it wasn't bees,
maybe it was piranhas or
maybe it was alligators.
(chomping)
A real bee movie.
(Riley groaning)
- [Lyndon] Hey, are you okay?
- Just a little tremor.
I'll be all right in a minute.
- [Lyndon] Are you all right?
- [Riley] Yeah.
- Hey!
Dylan!
Dammit.
(muffle rock music)
♪ Oh ♪
♪ Oh, let go ♪
- Whoo!
All right, guys, that sounds excellent.
Good job.
- Thanks, Dad.
Do you guys mind if we take
a five-minute break or something?
- Those piano lessons
finally paid off, huh, Kyle?
You guys take it easy, all right?
You rode right by, you
didn't wave or nothing.
That's something I might expect
from somebody in this town
but not from my own son.
- Is she your girlfriend?
- Well, she's a girl,
yeah and she's my friend.
- So she's your girlfriend then.
- Dylan, we're just working together.
Listen, son.
You know what's happened
between me and your mother.
We wouldn't never wish that on anybody.
Okay, I mean, if you've got
any ideas on how to fix it,
I'm all ears but we've been trying
and it's just not working.
- So you're giving up then.
- Oh boy.
Dylan, you know I hope
you don't have to find out
like your old man, the hard way
but not everything in
this life lasts forever.
- Gee, Dad, I can't wait to grow up.
(melancholic music)
- [Lyndon] Well, I'm sure glad the doctor
gave you a clean report.
- Yeah, me too.
Thank you for today.
- Of course.
- Usually when that happens,
I'm all alone and it's kind of scary.
I'm glad you were there.
- Now I'm the one who's weak in the knees.
- It's your wife, isn't it?
- What, Audrey?
- You're still in love
with her, aren't you?
- Oh.
I'm still working on that.
- You're a good man, Lyndon.
- I'll see you later.
Good night.
- Good night.
(tense ambient music)
(bees buzzing)
- [Farmer] Hmm, Ben
brought a lot of supers.
(suspenseful music)
(farmer screaming)
- So Cass, you know, I'm sorry
if I've been a little more
involved than usual lately.
- It's okay, Dad.
Being a policeman's a very stressful job.
Right up there with air
traffic controllers.
- Yes, it is.
So I was thinking that, you know,
seeing how a real beekeeper might work
could help you with your presentation.
- I thought you didn't like bees.
- I don't, I hate them.
- But you like her?
- Well, she's a real smart lady
and I think you're gonna like her too.
No, no, Slim, that's not gonna cut it.
Well, I don't care.
Call the teamsters or
highway patrol or somebody.
Get me a roster of all
the truck pollinators.
Well, did you try the web?
On the computer, Slim.
Okay, well, start with the power button.
- Each colony contains about 50,000 bees
which will yield about 60 pounds of honey.
Are you scared?
- No, I like the bees.
- Me too.
I think it's a shame most
people think of bees like that,
angry insects just waiting to attack
any poor person who comes near them.
- If someone filled my house with smoke,
I'd be pretty angry too.
- You'd have every right to be.
Actually, the smoke just calms them.
Otherwise, we'd be facing
an angry swarm right now.
- I wish I was a bee when
the bank took our farm.
I'd have given that Mayor
Ditwaller a good sting.
- Must have been a pretty place, huh?
- It was really pretty.
I had a calf and...
Riley?
- Yes, Cassidy?
- Dad said you were sick.
- I have MS.
- MS?
What's that?
- It's multiple sclerosis.
It's a disease that
attacks the nervous system.
- Are you gonna die?
- I don't think about dying, only living.
Take this little worker bee here.
She only lives for about 30 days.
If she pondered her fate as much as we do,
she'd never get any work done.
- That's why they say busy as a bee.
- I forgot to give you those.
- The bills.
Right on time.
- So your daughter thinks
that Riley is nice.
You two going out?
- Are you going out with
Dave from Pick n' Save?
I think we had this conversation
back in high school, didn't we?
- Lyndon, people are beginning to talk.
- About me and Riley?
- No, about you and those bees.
- Oh for the love of Pete!
- Look, the kids are getting
it from their friends.
I'm hearing it in town,
the customers now are shooting me looks.
- You know, you go ahead
and mention to somebody
in this county that a twister's coming,
they jump in their storm cellar
quicker than hell can scorch a feather.
But mention killer bees
and everybody thinks my six
shooters a few bullets short.
- [Slim] Sheriff.
- What is it, Slim?
- [Slim] Cardiac, Sissy Hephron's place.
- All right, I'm on my way.
- Think it's legit?
- I sure hope not.
- Coffee.
(mellow music)
- She was having difficulty breathing
and then she lost consciousness.
Heart attack.
- Did you see this?
- It's a bug bite.
- That's a bee sting.
What if she's allergic to bees?
- Are you sure, Lyndon?
- My dad died this way.
- So does Sumas have a killer
bee problem, Miss Muir?
- Sumas may have a bee problem
but I can't put all the blame
on the African killer bee.
Sissy Hephron had a severe
anaphylactic reaction
brought on by the sting of
a common European honeybee.
- And what about all
those pollinator trucks
that you've been harassing?
You find anything there?
- I've no further evidence
of killer bees, sir,
but I really think--
- Well, then we can call
off all the hysterics.
- I really think this is a bit premature.
- Your sheriffs career is
premature if you don't stop this.
Are we clear?
There are no killer bees in Sumas.
- Fine.
If you say so.
- Well, then.
- How's that little investigation
of yours coming, Jared?
- I'm still working on it, sir.
- Really?
Well, so am I.
Why don't you come by the office tomorrow
and we can compare notes?
- Tomorrow.
I'm kind of busy.
- It's not an invitation
you can turn down, son.
- Whatever you say, sheriff.
Is Dylan around?
- Actually, Dylan's a little busy today.
- Oh.
Well, tell him I was here.
- I'll do that.
Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.
- Yes, sir.
- Were you talking to somebody?
- Jared just stopped by, but
I told him you were busy.
- Dad, I was supposed to go
hang out with some buddies.
I mean.
- I've got an errand I
want you to go on with me.
- Okay.
I don't even have my
learner's permit yet, Dad,
I mean I can get in some
serious trouble here.
- Well, do me a favor.
If we get pulled over by the police,
just let me do the talking, all right?
You still hanging outwith
that Jared Wylie, son?
- Jared?
- He's up to no good.
- Yeah, he's kind of a jerk.
- Those are my feelings exactly.
- You still hanging around with that girl?
- Riley?
- No, Dad, the other girl.
Yes, Riley.
- As a matter of fact,
she was kind enough to help
us outwith our investigation.
- What investigation?
- You know the bees.
- Well, I thought that whole thing
was just some big false alarm.
Well, wasn't it?
- We've had a few bee-related deaths
in a short period of time, son.
It sure scared the heck out of me.
- Yeah, but that's cause
you're afraid of bees, Dad.
Everybody knows that.
- Oh, everybody, huh?
- Maybe not everybody, I don't know.
(tense ambient music)
- Yeah, a few free samples.
(tense ambient music)
(laughs)
Awesome!
(bees buzzing)
(Jared grunting)
(suspenseful music)
(Jared yelling)
Help me, somebody!
(Jared yelling)
Get out of here!
(Jared screaming)
(Jared screaming)
(Jared screaming)
(bees buzzing)
(Jared screaming)
- What's the matter, son?
- You know what happened
over at the Dillard's farm
with the bees?
- Yeah.
- I was there.
- Unit one to base.
- Go for it, sheriff.
I'm still here.
- Slim, I've got an I.D.
on that bee trucker.
It's a state bed with Mexican plates.
I want you to put an APB out
on all the surrounding counties
and make sure you notify
the highway patrol.
- Sheriff, I thought we were
done with that bee thing.
- No, we ain't.
And listen to me when
you're done with that,
I want you to go find Jared
Wylie and bring him in.
- Can't.
- [Lyndon] Why not?
- After he didn't show up for
supper, his ma called here.
Thought we might've locked him up again.
- He'll show up eventually
where he's not wanted.
He always does.
- It's not an easy choice.
Sheriff Harris!
Come over here for a moment.
I could use your powers of observation.
- How can I help you, sir?
- Lately, you've become
quite a bee expert.
So how about deciding which
one of these lovely honeybees
is crowned queen?
- Well, I believe we
should leave that decision
up to the judge.
- In this town, I am judge
and jury in all matters
and don't you forget that, Harris.
There will be no more talk of killer bees.
- If you say so.
- Oh, I do say so.
And now, if you can get the
widow Gillman moved out,
I'll be a happy man again.
Girls, girls.
Come down here.
I do believe our sheriff doesn't
have a honey festival pin.
Well now, there we are.
Now, Sheriff Harris, you're one of us.
- [Slim] Sheriff, a call
from highway patrol.
Bee truck with Mexican
plates spotted on FTM-13.
- Roger that, Slim, I'm on my way.
- Whoa!
Now, you can't leave.
Who's gonna move all that stuff?
- Looks like you've got a stay
of execution, Mrs. Gillman.
(suspenseful music)
That's him.
(siren wailing)
Come on, come on.
All right, Slim, I've got him.
We're headed east on 13
towards Ferrell Creek.
- Roger that, sheriff.
Be careful.
Remember, that truck might
be filled with lethal bees.
- Now, how could I forget that, Slim?
(siren wailing)
Whoa, whoa, easy!
(suspenseful music)
All right, Slim, he's running.
The rummy thinks I'm immigration.
I bet anything he's illegal.
I want you to call the highway patrol.
Set up a road block there at
Ferrell Creek crossing, okay?
Whoa, whoa, easy!
Dang it!
(siren wailing)
(suspenseful music)
Where'd he go?
Base!
He's bought it.
We're about 3 1/2 miles
outside of Ferrell Creek.
You'd better send an ambulance, Slim.
It don't look good.
(bees buzzing)
We got trouble Slim,
the bees are swarming!
- [Slim] Sheriff?
Sheriff?
- [Lyndon] They're coming
right for me, Slim.
They're coming right for me!
- [Slim] Sheriff?
Sheriff, are you okay?
- Yeah, yeah, I'm okay, Slim.
Tell Riley that,
that swarm is on the loose.
- We have all seen bees swarm.
That doesn't mean they're going to attack.
- These are African killer bees!
- Nobody is sure of anything right now.
- Mr. Ditwaller, please,
with this swarm on the loose,
we have to call off the festival.
- Harris, we have got the
Meglo Mart head honchos here
to see our town at its best.
Now, we can't shut down the festival
because of one man's crazed bee phobia.
Now, where are you going?
- I've been stung once but
it ain't gonna happen again.
- I've got to tend my hive.
The show is tomorrow!
- Nobody in this family is going anywhere
until that swarm goes away.
Where's Dylan?
- He went to the lake
but he said not to say anything about it.
- Great.
- My dad used to bring us
here when we were kids.
- It's beautiful.
Look, he's going.
It's cold.
- Maybe we should sit closer.
- Okay.
(mellow music)
- [Fisherman] Oh, my god!
- [Nadine] Oh, my god!
- Run, run!
- Help!
Help!
Help!
(bees buzzing)
- Go for the tent!
- [Nadine] I'm scared.
- [Dylan] Run!
- Go away!
Leave us alone!
(suspenseful music)
What if they get in?
- They won't, hey, they won't, okay?
(Nadine shrieks)
- [Nadine] It bit me!
- Get back!
I promise, it's gonna be okay.
- [Nadine] It bit me!
- [Dylan] Get back!
- Dylan?
Nadine?
- Dad!
Dad, we're in here!
Dad!
- [Nadine] Help!
- Okay son, listen to me.
Listen to me.
Just stay still, try not
to agitate them anymore.
It's gonna be okay, son.
Come on.
Come on.
(horn blaring)
Dylan!
Dylan!
Dylan, they're gone!
- [Dylan] Dad?
(tense ambient music)
- Are you okay?
- Did you see them?
They were everywhere.
They've got to believe you now.
Look!
- Come on.
Let's go to the car.
Did you get stung, huh?
- Yeah, just a couple of bites.
- [Lyndon] Are you okay?
- [Dylan] Better off than that guy.
- It's horrible what they
did to him, Mr. Harris.
- Yeah, well, I'll send
the coroner out for him.
Let's get out of here
before the bees come back.
- Come on, come on.
- Get in, Dylan, get in!
- Go, go, go.
- What happened with
your kid was miles away.
- A man died.
- Parker Lake isn't even in the county.
It is not your jurisdiction.
- Who are you to play God
and do nothing about it?
- Now, sheriff, if you can't
deal with us civil-like
and stop your ranting,
I'm gonna have to ask you
to turn in your badge.
- You can take my badge, Ditwaller
just like you took my farm
but you cannot stop me
from warning these people
about these bees.
What the heck do you all
care about Sumas anyway?
You done sold us out
years ago to Meglo Mart.
- Hi, Sidney.
We're just warning people
that there are some really aggressive bees
that have come up from
Mexico on some of the trucks
so just be careful.
You know, follow what it
says there, stay inside.
(knocking on door)
- Did they finally come to their senses?
- Yeah, we could use some help here, Slim.
- Actually, ma'am, it's Sheriff Slim now.
- And I couldn't think of a
more qualified man for the job.
Now, would you help me
gather up these signs
and put them in the truck, please?
- Actually, you've got to stay inside.
- Slim, I know that, but not until
I take these signs down to the parade.
- The councilmen want you to stay put,
just till the parade's over.
- You can't stop me.
- They just don't want you
anywhere near Main Street
for a while.
Come on, just do it for me.
Just sit here and wait until it's over.
- All right, Slim, I'll see you later.
- Riley.
- Thanks.
You have a good man there, Audrey.
- Had.
- Oh, I think he's still there.
- You know, maybe I should
just spend the night
in case something happens.
- Okay, sure, that's fine.
You're welcome to stay too if you want.
- Oh no, I'd better head home.
Some good bees will wonder
what happened to me.
Good night, folks.
- Good night.
- We'll see you later, Riley.
(tense music)
- You've got to get over here right away
and do something, sheriff, or I will.
- Sissy, I don't know.
I'm not even the sheriff anymore.
- [Sissy] Then, who do I call?
- You're just gonna have to call Slim.
- I don't have his number.
- 9-1-1.
- I don't need no 9-1-1.
I've got my old shotgun.
That's all I need.
- Maybe you'd better
stop by one last time.
- One last time.
(suspenseful music)
(bees buzzing)
- Oh my, they could come in the vent.
The flue.
I have to close the flue.
(sobbing)
Leave me alone!
Somebody help!
Leave me alone!
(gunshot bangs)
(suspenseful music)
- Sissy?
Are you there?
Sissy?
Oh my god!
She's dead!
Sissy's dead!
It was horrible
- What?
- The whole place is
just infested with hives
but the bees are gone.
- If they tried to make her
home into a colony and left,
either it wasn't suitable for the queen
or it wasn't big enough.
That swarm's got to be huge.
- How are we gonna stop them?
- Unfortunately, there isn't
a can of bug spray big enough.
What we've got to do for now
is just get everybody out of the open
until the swarm just naturally disperses.
Large gatherings, loud noises,
strong odors, fragrances,
that's what the bees are attracted to.
- Large gatherings?
- [Riley] Yeah.
- Like a fair with a loud rock band
and people walking around
eating cotton candy and pizza,
that sort of thing?
- The honey festival.
When one of these bees stings,
it releases something called pheromones,
a chemical alarm message
that causes other bees to become agitated
and not just African bees,
European honeybees as well.
With all the pollinators in the area,
do you have any idea how
many bees that could be?
(fast-paced music)
(siren wailing)
- Dang it.
I told them not to go out today.
It's Cassidy's presentation,
Dylan's debut with his band.
Maybe we'll get lucky
and that swarm will just fly right over.
- And maybe they'll drop
little jars of honey
with sympathy notes.
- [Announcer] This year's honey
festival is the best by far.
We have a bench for all ladies!
For the kiddies, we have
free meals and rides!
Remember, with the purchase
of any two jars of honey,
you receive a honey patched
t-shirt absolutely free.
- Three years?
It's just, I never would
have thought that you,
you look so young.
It's a great company to
work for, Meglo Mart.
I mean they've been so successful.
Hey, thanks.
A bee swatter.
Pretty nice.
Little bees.
So, would you like to see a
little bit of our little town?
- [Announcer] You have two
days to choose everybody.
Making their debuts on main stage,
we're proud to present
Sumas's own Sky Rider!
- Where's Dad?
- I'm sure he'll be here any minute.
He wouldn't wanna miss this.
♪ Don't forget ♪
♪ That you're not alone ♪
♪ 'Cause I'd swear the
surfer makes his home ♪
♪ Sky rider ♪
♪ Sky rider ♪
♪ Sky rider ♪
♪ Sky rider, yeah ♪
♪ Jumping for fun ♪
♪ You seem to know the space ♪
♪ Accepting love is to miss your fate ♪
♪ He says what good these mortals be ♪
♪ But inside I'm thinking
it's you and me ♪
♪ You and me, yeah ♪
(siren wailing)
- Unit one to base, come in, base
- Unit one, there's no one at base.
We're all down here at the fair.
Wait a minute, Lyndon, is that you?
- Yeah, this is me, Slim.
- I'm glad you called.
Look, we need to get that police car back.
- Well, how about I just
drive it over there right now,
Slim, huh?
- Wow, sure, all right.
- Slim, you don't happen to have any bees
over that way right now, do you?
♪ Accepting love is to miss your fate ♪
(suspenseful music)
- Bees!
Killer bees!
- [Lyndon] Slim!
Slim, are you there?
- Killer bees!
Go!
Get inside!
♪ Sky rider ♪
♪ Sky rider ♪
- [Slim] Bees!
Killer bees!
♪ Sky rider ♪
♪ Sky rider ♪
- Okay, I want everybody to remain calm.
Please, whatever you do, do not panic.
I would like everybody
to make their way slowly
towards the parking lot.
- Why?
(suspenseful music)
(people screaming)
- Do not panic.
(bees buzzing)
(grunting)
Just remain calm, all right?
(people screaming)
(grunts)
(yelling)
- Get away!
(yelling)
(suspenseful music)
(screaming)
- I have a terminal illness Lyndon
so it doesn't make much of a
difference what happens to me
but you might wanna think twice
about what you're about to do.
Although I've heard these guys in Vienna
are pretty close to finding a cure.
- Someone's gonna have to get
that rail road light fixed.
(fast-paced music)
(tense ambient music)
Dylan.
Slim, what's your 20?
- [Slim] By the barbecue.
- Slim, where is my family?
- I don't know.
- The bees, where are the bees?
- I don't know.
My first day as sheriff and
it's a total freak show.
- Where were you during all this?
- I tried to warn them,
but they wouldn't listen.
They just panicked and
ran in every direction
and then I hid in one of them trucks
and when I came out, everybody was gone.
- All right, Slim, I want you
to go check farm implements
and dairy home back.
I'm gonna cover livestock and poultry
and then the young agrarians hall.
- All right.
- Darn!
- This is so weird.
- Wait a second.
Do you hear that?
(bees buzzing)
(suspenseful music)
I found them.
Looks like they must have run
inside the hall for shelter.
- The bees are calm now.
Busy forming a new colony
but if we disturb them,
they will sting everything that moves
and we've got to keep them
inside or they'll swarm again.
- [Dylan] Dad!
- Look who I found.
- I'm so sorry.
I made mom bring me--
- It's okay, it's okay, hey.
I'm glad you're safe.
- [Dylan] This is all my fault.
- I'm scared, Mom.
- So am I.
- All right, so what are we gonna do?
- That is one enormous super.
If I were trying to
pull honey out of there,
I would just fill it up with smoke.
- Okay.
Slim, here's the keys to the four by four.
- Look, we don't have to do that now.
- Would you just listen to me?
I want you to go to the squad car
and grab all of Riley's bee equipment
and bring it back here now.
- Oh, okay, I get it.
- Son.
Look, I don't want you to worry, okay?
I'm gonna get your mother
and your sister out of there.
I'm going in.
- No, it should be me.
Whoever goes in there is gonna get stung.
With the immunity my system has built up,
my body can probably withstand 20 times
the lethal dose of bee toxin.
Whereas with your family history.
- Mom, they're making a hive
and we're in the middle of it.
- [Man] Don't disturb them.
- Okay.
Oh, hey, hey, are you okay?
- Just a little tremor.
- What's the matter?
- That last episode I had,
I'm still not over it.
- Well, why didn't you tell me?
- [Riley] With me, there's
always something wrong.
- I can't let you go in there.
- Just let me go.
I have nothing to lose.
You have a family who needs you.
- I don't know.
- I'm going in there.
What's the worst that can happen?
I get stung?
- I can think of a heck of a lot worse.
Look, let me tell you something.
If I let you go in there, I
don't want any heroics, okay?
You be careful.
- I will be.
Don't worry.
Let's kick some killer bee butt.
(mellow music)
- It's her, Mom.
It's Riley!
- Get a hold of yourself, girl.
(bees buzzing)
(suspenseful music)
Okay, two and three at a time.
Go ahead and don't disturb the bees.
- Don't worry, she'll get to us.
- Come on.
Slow down, slow down.
Slow!
Slow down!
(people panicking)
- Inside.
Inside the building.
- Run for the car, now!
- Riley!
(Riley yells)
(bees buzzing)
(groaning)
- [Riley] I can't see!
There's bee in my mask.
My mask.
(groaning)
(car hoking)
- Hey, that's them.
- It sure is.
Riley must've gotten to them.
Something ain't right.
- What do you mean something isn't right?
What are you talking about?
- That's Morse code.
They're sounding out an SOS.
- SOS?
- [Dylan] What are we gonna do?
- Looks like I have to go in there.
- What do you mean you've
got to go in there, Dad?
The place is just crawling--
- Just calm down, Dylan.
And run and get me that
other beekeeper suit, now!
- You know, if we had a flame thrower,
we could just burn them out.
- Burn them out.
You know Sheriff Slim,
that might just be the smartest
thing you've said all day.
- It is?
- I mean, it's a bit radical but,
we're gonna start us a
little fire of our own.
- Look for the keys.
- Thanks, Slim.
Oh, by the way,
did I ever mention that
I was afraid of bees?
- Hey, don't do anything stupid, okay?
Just get Mom and Cass out.
- I will, son.
- And Riley.
- I'm gonna go get everybody out.
(tense ambient music)
(bees buzzing)
Time to burn.
(energetic music)
(flame swooshes)
(siren wailing)
- Lyndon!
- [Lyndon] I'll be right back.
- Hey, Dad.
Dad, all the firemen are really impressed.
That was a wicked stunt.
- Well, it's easy when they
leave the keys in the visor.
- Hey.
- Hey.
- I thought you were afraid of bees.
- Well, I thought we'd lost
her for a minute back there.
- Sony to disappoint, doc.
- Sure an awful lot of stings you took.
- Maybe enough to put
the MS into remission.
- Well, wouldn't that be something?
- Thank you for everything.
- Hey, Cassidy.
While I'm recuperating,
I'll need someone to watch over my supers.
Do you know any good beekeepers?
- Dad, could I?
- Oh, I don't know.
We'd better check with
your mom about that one.
(mellow moving music)
- Hey, sheriff!
I've got some bad news.
- What is it now, Slim, giant locusts?
- Worse.
- With the bee scare,
the Meglo Mart people
are pretty shaken up.
They're stopping all future
development plans for Sumas.
They're pulling out.
(laughing)
- Woohoo!
(mellow music)
- [Audrey] You're really
good with the bees, honey.
- When processed, wheat typically yields
what percentage of flour?
- 40%.
- What's your mama's birthday?
- Come on, Dad.
It's March 11th.
Write it down.
Think we've seen the last of those bees?
- From where I stand, son,
there's nothing but clear skies ahead.
(tense music)
(mellow acoustic music)
(mellow piano music)
(tense ambient music)
(suspenseful music)
(bee buzzing)
(grunts)
- All right, Lyndon, let's see
if you can answer this one.
Short horned cattle.
Three major color patterns.
What are they?
- Red, brown and white.
- Average yield of a crop of wheat?
- Approximately around 80 bushels
or 80 million individual grains.
- When's your mother's birthday?
- Dad.
- [Dad] Answer the question.
- April 26th.
- And what are the four Hs?
- My head to clearer thinking,
my heart to greater loyalty,
my hands to larger service
and my health to better living.
- Now name me the small seeded grains.
- I'll get it.
- I think it went in the junk pile.
- Okay!
(bees buzzing)
Ouch!
Ow!
Dad, I'm stuck, Dad!
Dad, Dad!
- Lyndon?
Lyndon!
(Lyndon screaming)
(suspenseful music)
(bees buzzing)
Pull your arm out now.
(grunts)
Run to the truck!
(Lyndon's father grunting)
- [Announcer] Remember, folks,
it's pollination season.
Watch out for the mobile
apiaries rolling into your area.
Speaking of bees, the
annual Sumas Honey Fest is.
Down six points.
- Anybody awake at the jail this morning?
- 10, four, sheriff.
We're open for business.
- Hey, Slim, that coffee
machine working today?
- That's a negative on the java, sir.
You need to sign the purchase order
so I can take it over to
Hank's and get it fixed.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Hey, Slim.
- [Slim] Uh-huh.
- Why don't you lighten up a little bit?
- 10, four, sheriff.
- [Announcer] In state legislature,
the family farm relief bill stalled again.
Legislators hoped to table a
new bill sometime next year.
In the meantime, farmers in distress
are asked to be patient.
In sports, it's a
nail-biter of a ballgame.
- Stop and say hello to old Norbert.
Morning, Norbert.
(mellow music)
(mellow guitar music)
- Hi, dad.
- Hey, don't stop on account of me.
- But do on account of me.
- That sounds pretty good, son.
Are you guys ready for the big
gig down at the fairgrounds?
- What do you care anyway, huh?
- He's just doing it to impress Nadine.
- Dylan.
Dylan, come on.
So how's my little blue
ribbon winner, huh?
- Not yet, Dad.
You'll jinx it.
- I'm not gonna jinx anything.
Where's your mom?
- [Cassidy] Upstairs.
- [Lyndon] Audrey, it's me!
I need a clean duty shirt!
- Just a minute.
How come I see more of you now
than I did when we were together?
- Did you get a job?
- Assistant manager at the Dairy Castle.
Sissy called.
- Oh Lord, not again.
That's a pretty good honey.
Wait a second.
- Your daughter made that.
You'd know that if you
spent more time with them.
- I'm cultivating a hive for Rural Youth.
- Bees?
- She's been at it for two months, Lyndon.
- I'm showing my supers at the fair.
Supers are what beekeepers
call their hives.
- So, where are you
keeping this super thing?
- [Cassidy] Behind the garage.
- All right, well, as
long as it stays there.
Audrey, I swear you make
the best cup of coffee.
That Dairy Castle's lucky to have you.
I'm worried about him.
Dylan, I'll see you later!
- Hey!
How much longer am I gonna have
to keep ironing your shirts?
- I don't expect you to iron my--
- It's been six months, Lyndon.
What are we waiting for?
We've got enough money saved
to pay for the divorce now.
- I don't know.
I thought the separation was working fine.
- I don't know where I am.
The kids see us together,
we're not together--
- Audrey, I don't--
- We need to get on with our lives!
- Have you met somebody?
- How could I with us
tripping over each other?
- You know, Audrey, when we lost the farm,
your confidence in me went with it.
- That is you talking, not me.
- All I want is peace of mind, all right?
We're always at each other's throats,
and for what, money?
Money's been a third wheel in our marriage
for as long as I can remember.
- I think we should try to
stay out of each other's way.
- Is that what you want?
- Mm-hmm.
- Okay, fine, we're gonna try that.
- Zeke called here this
morning looking for you.
You're taking his house today, aren't you?
- Don't start with me.
- I cannot bear the thought of you working
for that Ditwaller, Lyndon.
How could you?
How could you even speak to
him after what he did to us?
You know, all the farmers in
Sumas think you are a traitor.
- You know what?
Ditwaller didn't take our farm.
The bank did.
- Lyndon, Ditwaller is the bank.
- Do you think I like
kicking people off of farms
that have been in their
family for a hundred years?
Huh?
It sure beats living off
food stamps, don't it?
I've got to go.
(mellow tense music)
You know Audrey, when we lost the farm,
your confidence in me went with it.
- [Audrey] That is you talking, not me.
- I miss this place.
(tense ambient music)
What the?
- Ditwaller, I want
you off of my property.
- It's the bank's
property now, Mr. Gillman.
- Oh yeah?
We'll see about that.
- Sheriff, he's got a gun!
- Yeah and it's loaded too.
Huh, huh?
(gunshot bangs)
- Now, Zeke, let's not go
and make this any worse
than it already is.
- Oh, you go to heck,
Harris, you damn traitor.
I thought you was one of us.
Now, don't worry about it.
Don't worry about it.
The sheriff here ain't gonna
be taking us off to jail
for this, are you, sheriff?
- Not as long as you stop
shooting at us, I won't.
- Give us a little time to
collect a few personals.
- Go on, Zeke.
Take all the time you need.
- Now, I want to press
charges, you hear that?
- Whatever you say, mayor,
but it ain't gonna hold up in court.
- [Ditwaller] He's going for the truck!
Well, don't you stand there!
Go after him!
- [Lyndon] Now, mayor,
let's just be reasonable.
- Do something!
I want him arrested!
- On what charges?
- Attempted murder.
- Oh now, if Zeke wanted us shot,
we would have never gotten near the place.
- Well, then, grand theft auto.
That truck belongs to me now.
- This place has been in his family
since before the rail
road went through here.
Now to you, it's just another asset
but to them, it's their family history.
I'll come back later and
smooth things out with Zeke.
Don't worry, you'll get your truck.
- You just make sure
it's sooner than later.
- How did it go with Zeke?
- Oh, I gave him another week.
- I bet Mayor Ditwaller
wasn't very happy about that.
- You know, I don't care
what Ditwaller thinks.
You can't kick a man out of his house
and expect him just to
pack up just like that.
- Well, yeah, it's been
three weeks, Lyndon.
- Well, it's gonna have
to be four, isn't it?
- Hey you know, you're the sheriff, right?
- Oh, gee, Ed Stillwell called out on 15.
Said some kids were at
his place the other night
busted up a chicken coop,
let the hogs out, you know.
- Seems to be a lot of that going on.
Do me a favor.
Drive out there and talk to him for me.
Ever since I've become the law,
me and the farm boys just
don't see eye to eye.
- All right.
Oh, hey.
Sissy called.
- Lord, doesn't she ever give it a rest?
- It's about time you come
and did something about them
trucks speeding into Sumas.
- Well, these trucks are here
to pollinate the crops, Sissy.
I mean, you're right in the
middle of the main thoroughfare.
What can I do?
- The whole place shakes
every time they go by.
Every year, there's more
and more of these things.
- Well, I--
- See?
Can't you divert them to the state road?
- Sissy, you're gonna have to talk
to the mayor about that, now.
- I might just do that.
It seems that the only way
things get done around here
is if Ditwaller gets involved.
- Yeah well, he's done
so much for the town.
- I haven't seen you before, mister.
Why are you contracting
all the way up here?
Oh yeah, (speaking in foreign language)?
Well, the price is good enough,
that's for darn tooting.
If May would've been here,
she would be smiling.
- Well, I'll be.
The Sumas honey queen has lost her crown.
- What can I get for you, Zeke?
- Give me one of them honey glazed.
- 37 cents.
- That man of yours come by to bring me
a little greeting this morning.
- Well, unfortunately,
that is not an uncommon
occurrence around these parts.
- Audrey, that's a shame.
He's got to be right in
the middle of all of this.
- Yes, Zeke, it is.
I put an extra one in there for you.
You take care.
Okay.
♪ She survived all those tornadoes ♪
♪ Though they drove her to the brink ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ Now I'm drunk again and crying ♪
♪ 'Cause of little mama dying ♪
♪ Left my ♪
What's going on?
(tires screeching)
(suspenseful music)
(truck crashes)
What the heck?
Darn!
What the heck are you doing?
(bees buzzing)
You can't drive like that!
Oh, man!
Hey, amigo!
You stopped right in the
middle of the darn road.
There was no way I could avoid you.
Your truck don't have a scratch on it.
Mine is just trashed.
Insurance.
Give me your insurance papers.
(speaking in foreign language)
What the heck are you doing?
Hey!
That's Ditwaller's truck!
He's gonna get you!
He gets everything!
This is Ditwaller's truck!
(laughing)
Have a nice truck, Mr. Ditwaller.
(gagging)
- Yeah, I'll handle this, Sissy.
53 in a 35 mile an hour zone.
That ought to make your daddy proud.
- My father says those
things ain't accurate.
- Is that a fact?
- Come on, sheriff.
I'm in the same class with Dylan.
- Is that a fact?
- Yeah.
- [Slim] Base to unit one,
got a vehicle abandoned on
FTM 17 at the 11 mile marker.
Looks like Zeke's.
- I'm all over that, Slim.
- So, can I go?
- You can now.
Yeah, Slim, it's Zeke's truck, all right,
but no sign of the old man.
(ambient tense music)
Zeke!
Zeke!
Damn.
Well, I guess your troubles are over now.
Slim?
- [Slim] Sheriff?
- I found Zeke.
He's dead.
Call the doc and tell him
to put his coroner's hat on.
- [Slim] 10, four, sheriff.
(melancholic music)
- [Cassidy] Dad, I'm
sorry about Mr. Gillman.
- Oh, sweetheart.
I'm sad too.
He was a good man.
- You know, in the bee world,
the women, known as the
workers do all the jobs.
Gathering the pollen, tending the hive.
- Well, that's a nice
change of pace, isn't it?
- Hey, what are you doing here?
- I'm watching Cassidy.
- [Audrey] Well, Dylan was
supposed to babysit, help me.
- Well, she called me up
and asked me to do it.
I can't believe I'm helping
my wife get ready for a date.
- It's not a date.
It's dinner.
- Well, whatever it is.
Your babysitter would like to know
when you're gonna be back from dinner.
- Dad, please pay attention.
- I'm sorry, sweetheart.
The male or a drones
sole purpose in life is to
mate once with the queen
after which he dies.
- Unlike us humans, who
die a thousand deaths.
Oh, whoa, where are you going, cowboy?
- Out.
- Out?
- Out.
Dad, relax.
I'm gonna meet up with
some buddies and jam, okay?
Calm.
- He's hoping to scope out Nadine.
- Mind your own business, little sister.
- Nadine, huh?
I want you home by 10 o'clock.
- Come on, Mom?
- 11.
- All right, 11, but not a
minute later, you hear me?
- Promise.
Night, Ma.
Have a good time.
- You're too damn easy on him.
- He's 16.
- I know he's 16.
- Like you weren't staying
out late when you were 16?
- Well, he's a good kid
and I want him to stay that way.
- Oh, he will.
You just have to cut him a little slack.
(car honking)
Hey, stay away from that window.
You're gonna scare him off.
Night, honey.
- Dang it, I gave her that perfume, too.
Where were we?
(tense ambient music)
(mellow guitar music)
- Hey, hey, Harris!
You want to ride with my posse tonight?
- No, man, I'm kind of busy.
- Oh, come on, Harris.
My radio's busted.
We could use some music, bro.
- Yeah and Jared's singing
isn't exactly melodic.
- Here are your fries.
- [Nadine] Thanks.
- Hey.
- Hey, ride with us.
- Two against one.
- All right, good.
The sheriff's son is riding with us
which means you have to behave, Jared.
- That's right, sonny boy.
I don't want to see no cow tipping.
- Oh yeah, wouldn't want
Dylan to get caught.
Sheriff might lock him in his room.
- Come on.
- [Jared] 'Sup y'all, where are we headed?
Want to go up to the bluffs?
- [Nadine] Hey.
- [Jared] Let's go for a drive man.
- [Guy] Hello.
(mellow guitar music)
- Jared, I thought you said
we weren't going cow tipping.
- Oh, I've got something
much more exciting in mind.
(laughs)
Yo, this is gonna be fun.
(tense ambient music)
Let's go.
Check this out man.
- What are you up to, Jared?
- Shh.
He's sleeping.
- Come on, man.
This is crazy.
- No, it'll be like
taking candy from a baby.
- This isn't funny, no!
- Or should I say honey from a bear?
- [Dylan] I don't know about this Jared.
- Now, take this, man.
(Jared buzzing)
- What the heck is he doing?
(mellow music)
- Yo, dude, open the gate.
- Jared, man, it's like 11:30.
I promised my parents I'd
be home half an hour ago.
- Anyone else got to go, huh?
Nadine?
- Guess not.
- All right then.
- Hey, dude.
I promise, you'll be entertained.
Yo, come on man.
Hop in, bro.
(tense ambient music)
- Hey man, this is Dillard's farm.
Come on, this isn't cool Jared.
We should've gone cow tipping.
- We should've gone home.
- Yo, Chucky, open the door, man.
All right, kick the box, man.
- [Dylan] What?
No, Jared, come on.
- [Jared] Yee-haw!
(bees buzzing)
- Dylan.
Band practice went a little late, huh?
12:15?
- Yeah, Dad.
I'm really late, I'm sorry.
- That's all right, son.
I'm just glad you're home.
Now, get some rest.
- Good night.
- Good night.
- Now, the farmer said he found them
when he went to milk
the cows this morning.
- Must've been one angry swarm
to take down these heifers.
- Yep.
The cows must've made them pretty mad.
Makes it worse, panic with bees, you know.
Bees can smell fear.
- What do you know about bees?
- My uncle was a beekeeper.
So, what do you think, some
kind of kids' prank or what?
- Probably so.
- Oh, sheriff, I almost
forgot, Dr. Kearney called
about Zeke Gillman, blood test results.
- Well, what did he say?
- Oh, are you ready for this?
He said old Zeke was poisoned.
- Poisoned?
- Poisoned.
Congratulations, sheriff.
You've got yourself your first murder.
- Hey, Harris.
- Jared.
- You didn't say anything to
your old man about last night?
- No.
- Good, good.
Just make sure it stays that way.
- What we've got here,
sheriff, is a real puzzler.
- Traces of acid,
phosphatase and melatine.
Who'd want to poison old Zeke?
- Well, that's what we're
gonna try and find out.
Now, you see this
discoloration around the neck?
Now that's very unusual and
that's where we're gonna start.
- What are you doing?
- To look inside, I have
to get the mouth open.
This is your first autopsy, isn't it?
- Yeah.
- Well, if you feel the urge,
go in there, not on the body.
- Thanks, doc.
- Ah!
Sheriff.
It looks
like we have a suspect.
- That's okay.
- Oh, go take it.
It can't sting twice.
Yeah.
Zeke died of toxic substance, all right.
- What, bee toxin?
- Well, two or three stings in the throat
could easily swell it up enough
to close off the trachea.
- The poor guy couldn't breathe, huh?
- Bee stings aren't
unusual this time of year
but for the life of me,
I can't remember the last time
we had a bee-inflicted death.
Gosh, nice going, doc.
I'm sorry, Lyndon.
I forgot about your dad.
- No. It's all right, doc.
You know, Dillard's farm just
lost three head of heifers
to bees this morning.
Is there any connection here?
- Forensic entomologist,
that's what you need.
Now, I may know somebody
who can help you with your bee problem.
Riley Muir, she knows bees.
If anybody can help you, she can.
- Thank you, doc.
I appreciate it.
- [Doc Kearny] All right.
(Lyndon retching)
(mellow music)
(woman screaming)
(suspenseful music)
- [Riley] Oh!
Oh, ooh!
- God, I'm sorry.
I heard something.
- It's okay, Ranger Rick.
The bees work for me.
- Yeah, I don't like bees.
- Yeah, I can see that.
Feel better now?
- Thank you.
Yes, thank you.
I'm sheriff--
- Harris.
Doc said you'd be stopping by.
I'm Riley Muir.
- Muir?
The sign says Houseman.
- Riley Muir Houseman.
I'm divorced.
- I'm sorry to hear that.
- You?
- Oh, you know, I'm separated.
So what's with the bees?
- I have MS.
It's an experimental therapy
using bee venom to
boost the immune system.
- Really?
I've never seen that.
- I got sick.
Bees made me feel better.
So let's see the little troublemaker.
- Here you go.
- You might want to stand back.
I'm gonna open this.
- Very funny.
(tense ambient music)
- Has your victim been out
of the country recently?
- Out of the country?
- Like South America, maybe?
- This just happened
over at Ferrill Creek.
Old man Zeke, he's never
been out of the county
no less the country.
- These critters you've got here
are usually found in a
place like Peru, Guatemala
and parts of Brazil.
Not the Evergreen State.
Have you ever heard of
the African scutellata?
The species commonly referred
to as the killer bee?
- The killer bee?
What, up here in Washington?
- Well, they've been found
places further south,
like Texas, New Mexico,
Arizona, California.
- The whole thing sounds so far-fetched.
- Well, you must've suspected
something out of the ordinary,
otherwise, why'd you come
all the way out here?
- What would you say if I told you
a farmer just lost three head
of his prize cows to bees?
- Now you've really got my attention.
- So what do you think?
- I'd say Sumas has a killer bee problem.
And a pretty serious one.
- I read about them in
National Geographic.
They've got the regular sting of a bee
but they're like 10 times more aggressive,
is that about right?
- That's right.
- Outbreak of killer bees.
That ought to bring Sumas some attention.
- Maybe the kind of attention
Sumas doesn't need right now.
I mean, until we know for sure
maybe it's best we don't
go around spreading rumors.
- Yeah, especially in the
middle of pollination season.
- Well, you're the expert.
Riley, if you don't mind my saying so,
you're looking a little piqued.
Sheriff, I think her blood
sugar's a little low.
Why don't you take her down to the castle
and get her something to eat?
- Well.
- She won't bite.
- Unless provoked.
- Okay.
- Go.
- What are they doing
up here in Washington?
- Well, they originated in Brazil.
After a few queens were
brought over for experiments,
then a few of them got loose, interbred
and well, have been
wreaking havoc ever since.
How your bees got here,
I don't know for sure.
Maybe they were blown in by a wind system
or they hitched a ride
on a vegetable truck?
It's hard to say for sure.
It's difficult to read
their little passports
and they're not very good
about getting them stamped.
But most likely, they were
brought here on purpose.
- Well, why would anybody want to do that?
- Sumas County.
Hundreds of thousands of
acres blooming right now
and without the pollen being
carried from flower to flower,
the plants won't yield.
Unfortunately, there aren't
enough bees to go around
so keepers from across the
country truck in their supers.
- The hives.
- You're learning.
It's a highly migratory industry
with keepers following blooms
from Florida to California
all the way up here to Washington state.
You know what I think?
I bet some of those truckers
probably got themselves
a few boxes of AK bees
and doesn't even know it yet.
- Hey, Lyndon.
- Audrey.
This is Riley Muir.
She's an entomologist.
She's the one that's helping me with that,
you know, bee problem.
- Oh yeah, the bee problem.
- [Farmer] Let me get this straight.
You want us to stop pollinating our crops?
- Just until we can figure
out where these bees
are coming from.
I mean, you don't have to move the hives,
just leave the lids on
until I can figure out
whether or not they're killer bees.
- Lord, help my time.
The sheriff wants to
put us out of business,
just like he did himself.
Do you really want to drive us
to the poor house that bad, Lyndon?
- Look this is the height of
pollinating season, sheriff.
We'll lose our crops.
- Yeah!
- Yeah, that's right.
- These bees have already
killed three head of livestock
and one of your own, Zeke Gillman.
Now I'm just asking for
a week, boys, one week.
- A week without pollinating?
Well, the trucks will just
move on to the next county
and we'll lose our contracts.
- These bees are
unpredictable and dangerous.
- Look, look, I would rather
sleep out in the pasture
and pick corn out of horse droppings.
No, sir, I ain't having none of this.
- [Farmer] Let's get out of here, come on.
(mellow music)
- Here you go, another four
points off your license.
Not a real good week for you, is it?
- No, it isn't, sheriff.
You could've given me a break.
That sign wasn't here last time.
- Well, it is now.
You know, Jared,
I was hoping you might be able to tell me
what happened out at Dillard's
farm the other night.
- Beats me.
- Somebody dropped a
beehive off in his barn.
Some of his livestock got stung to death.
- Really?
- Killer bees.
- Whoa, killer bees, no kidding.
Got any suspects?
- I've got a few.
As a matter of fact, I might
just go easy on somebody
if they told me where
those bees came from.
- No idea, sheriff.
- Well, you ask around for me, okay?
- I'll definitely let you
know if I hear anything.
- I'm sure you will.
- We're hearing a lot of talk
about your damn bees, Harris.
You're stirring up hell with a long spoon
and I don't like it.
- There was a man killed.
- And I heard he drank too much.
- Well, the doc confirmed it.
It was bees.
Killer bees.
- Do you realize how
ridiculous that sounds?
Now, look, you're the
sheriff, so you investigate.
But do it quietly.
We don't need to be stirring up a panic.
- Yes, sir.
I'll be as discreet as possible.
- Well, you'd better be.
Now, look, Harris, we've got Meglo Mart
preparing to break ground right here.
I mean, they could really
put Sumas on the map.
Now, we can't have any bad PR
screwing up the future
of this town, can we?
- Sheriff, you'd better come quick.
Killer bees.
Killer bees attacking people
over at the farmer's market.
(suspenseful music)
(men laughing)
- [Ditwaller] Yeah.
(men laughing)
- So that's D?
- E.
(buzzing)
- You know, I think it's awful
how your father is being treated.
- Jared, shut up, okay?
Just leave him alone.
- You know, you're right, Nadine.
The sheriff's boy could've
ratted on us, but he didn't.
Say, we're all going out this weekend.
You want to come?
Oh, your musician boyfriend can
tag along, too, if he wants.
- I'll be sure to put it
on my social calendar.
- All right.
I'll be checking in
with you later, Harris.
Now I'd best bee going. (chuckles)
- Where were we?
(kids buzzing)
(mellow music)
- Hey, sweetie.
How was YA today?
- [Riley] My cooking has
never had much of a following.
- My sheriffing hasn't had
much of a following, either.
Before, half the county hated
me and now it's unanimous.
- You're just doing your job, Lyndon.
At least your problem
will eventually go away.
Mine will just get worse.
- What's it like?
MS, I mean.
- I get fatigued.
It's the most common symptom.
But then there's the tremors
where I lose coordination and balance.
That's the worst.
- [Lyndon] There's no cure?
- Not as of yet and I've tried everything.
Salves, pills, physical therapy
and then I discovered apitherapy.
Bee venom.
- Oh!
That just sounds so medieval.
- Believe me, if there was
a cure involving leeches,
I'd be all over that one too.
You do what's necessary to survive.
If I've learned anything,
it's that you've got to be grateful
for every day you've got.
- Well you know, speaking of
days, I really should be going.
We have an awful lot of
trucks to check tomorrow.
- Was it the microwave cooking?
- No, no, that was fine, really.
I had a great time.
I'll see you tomorrow.
- What the Sam Hill is
this all about, sheriff?
- We're trying to isolate
an outbreak of AK bees.
- [Farmer] Huh?
- African killer bees.
- Oh yeah, I saw that
movie on late night TV,
attack of the, no maybe it wasn't bees,
maybe it was piranhas or
maybe it was alligators.
(chomping)
A real bee movie.
(Riley groaning)
- [Lyndon] Hey, are you okay?
- Just a little tremor.
I'll be all right in a minute.
- [Lyndon] Are you all right?
- [Riley] Yeah.
- Hey!
Dylan!
Dammit.
(muffle rock music)
♪ Oh ♪
♪ Oh, let go ♪
- Whoo!
All right, guys, that sounds excellent.
Good job.
- Thanks, Dad.
Do you guys mind if we take
a five-minute break or something?
- Those piano lessons
finally paid off, huh, Kyle?
You guys take it easy, all right?
You rode right by, you
didn't wave or nothing.
That's something I might expect
from somebody in this town
but not from my own son.
- Is she your girlfriend?
- Well, she's a girl,
yeah and she's my friend.
- So she's your girlfriend then.
- Dylan, we're just working together.
Listen, son.
You know what's happened
between me and your mother.
We wouldn't never wish that on anybody.
Okay, I mean, if you've got
any ideas on how to fix it,
I'm all ears but we've been trying
and it's just not working.
- So you're giving up then.
- Oh boy.
Dylan, you know I hope
you don't have to find out
like your old man, the hard way
but not everything in
this life lasts forever.
- Gee, Dad, I can't wait to grow up.
(melancholic music)
- [Lyndon] Well, I'm sure glad the doctor
gave you a clean report.
- Yeah, me too.
Thank you for today.
- Of course.
- Usually when that happens,
I'm all alone and it's kind of scary.
I'm glad you were there.
- Now I'm the one who's weak in the knees.
- It's your wife, isn't it?
- What, Audrey?
- You're still in love
with her, aren't you?
- Oh.
I'm still working on that.
- You're a good man, Lyndon.
- I'll see you later.
Good night.
- Good night.
(tense ambient music)
(bees buzzing)
- [Farmer] Hmm, Ben
brought a lot of supers.
(suspenseful music)
(farmer screaming)
- So Cass, you know, I'm sorry
if I've been a little more
involved than usual lately.
- It's okay, Dad.
Being a policeman's a very stressful job.
Right up there with air
traffic controllers.
- Yes, it is.
So I was thinking that, you know,
seeing how a real beekeeper might work
could help you with your presentation.
- I thought you didn't like bees.
- I don't, I hate them.
- But you like her?
- Well, she's a real smart lady
and I think you're gonna like her too.
No, no, Slim, that's not gonna cut it.
Well, I don't care.
Call the teamsters or
highway patrol or somebody.
Get me a roster of all
the truck pollinators.
Well, did you try the web?
On the computer, Slim.
Okay, well, start with the power button.
- Each colony contains about 50,000 bees
which will yield about 60 pounds of honey.
Are you scared?
- No, I like the bees.
- Me too.
I think it's a shame most
people think of bees like that,
angry insects just waiting to attack
any poor person who comes near them.
- If someone filled my house with smoke,
I'd be pretty angry too.
- You'd have every right to be.
Actually, the smoke just calms them.
Otherwise, we'd be facing
an angry swarm right now.
- I wish I was a bee when
the bank took our farm.
I'd have given that Mayor
Ditwaller a good sting.
- Must have been a pretty place, huh?
- It was really pretty.
I had a calf and...
Riley?
- Yes, Cassidy?
- Dad said you were sick.
- I have MS.
- MS?
What's that?
- It's multiple sclerosis.
It's a disease that
attacks the nervous system.
- Are you gonna die?
- I don't think about dying, only living.
Take this little worker bee here.
She only lives for about 30 days.
If she pondered her fate as much as we do,
she'd never get any work done.
- That's why they say busy as a bee.
- I forgot to give you those.
- The bills.
Right on time.
- So your daughter thinks
that Riley is nice.
You two going out?
- Are you going out with
Dave from Pick n' Save?
I think we had this conversation
back in high school, didn't we?
- Lyndon, people are beginning to talk.
- About me and Riley?
- No, about you and those bees.
- Oh for the love of Pete!
- Look, the kids are getting
it from their friends.
I'm hearing it in town,
the customers now are shooting me looks.
- You know, you go ahead
and mention to somebody
in this county that a twister's coming,
they jump in their storm cellar
quicker than hell can scorch a feather.
But mention killer bees
and everybody thinks my six
shooters a few bullets short.
- [Slim] Sheriff.
- What is it, Slim?
- [Slim] Cardiac, Sissy Hephron's place.
- All right, I'm on my way.
- Think it's legit?
- I sure hope not.
- Coffee.
(mellow music)
- She was having difficulty breathing
and then she lost consciousness.
Heart attack.
- Did you see this?
- It's a bug bite.
- That's a bee sting.
What if she's allergic to bees?
- Are you sure, Lyndon?
- My dad died this way.
- So does Sumas have a killer
bee problem, Miss Muir?
- Sumas may have a bee problem
but I can't put all the blame
on the African killer bee.
Sissy Hephron had a severe
anaphylactic reaction
brought on by the sting of
a common European honeybee.
- And what about all
those pollinator trucks
that you've been harassing?
You find anything there?
- I've no further evidence
of killer bees, sir,
but I really think--
- Well, then we can call
off all the hysterics.
- I really think this is a bit premature.
- Your sheriffs career is
premature if you don't stop this.
Are we clear?
There are no killer bees in Sumas.
- Fine.
If you say so.
- Well, then.
- How's that little investigation
of yours coming, Jared?
- I'm still working on it, sir.
- Really?
Well, so am I.
Why don't you come by the office tomorrow
and we can compare notes?
- Tomorrow.
I'm kind of busy.
- It's not an invitation
you can turn down, son.
- Whatever you say, sheriff.
Is Dylan around?
- Actually, Dylan's a little busy today.
- Oh.
Well, tell him I was here.
- I'll do that.
Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.
- Yes, sir.
- Were you talking to somebody?
- Jared just stopped by, but
I told him you were busy.
- Dad, I was supposed to go
hang out with some buddies.
I mean.
- I've got an errand I
want you to go on with me.
- Okay.
I don't even have my
learner's permit yet, Dad,
I mean I can get in some
serious trouble here.
- Well, do me a favor.
If we get pulled over by the police,
just let me do the talking, all right?
You still hanging outwith
that Jared Wylie, son?
- Jared?
- He's up to no good.
- Yeah, he's kind of a jerk.
- Those are my feelings exactly.
- You still hanging around with that girl?
- Riley?
- No, Dad, the other girl.
Yes, Riley.
- As a matter of fact,
she was kind enough to help
us outwith our investigation.
- What investigation?
- You know the bees.
- Well, I thought that whole thing
was just some big false alarm.
Well, wasn't it?
- We've had a few bee-related deaths
in a short period of time, son.
It sure scared the heck out of me.
- Yeah, but that's cause
you're afraid of bees, Dad.
Everybody knows that.
- Oh, everybody, huh?
- Maybe not everybody, I don't know.
(tense ambient music)
- Yeah, a few free samples.
(tense ambient music)
(laughs)
Awesome!
(bees buzzing)
(Jared grunting)
(suspenseful music)
(Jared yelling)
Help me, somebody!
(Jared yelling)
Get out of here!
(Jared screaming)
(Jared screaming)
(Jared screaming)
(bees buzzing)
(Jared screaming)
- What's the matter, son?
- You know what happened
over at the Dillard's farm
with the bees?
- Yeah.
- I was there.
- Unit one to base.
- Go for it, sheriff.
I'm still here.
- Slim, I've got an I.D.
on that bee trucker.
It's a state bed with Mexican plates.
I want you to put an APB out
on all the surrounding counties
and make sure you notify
the highway patrol.
- Sheriff, I thought we were
done with that bee thing.
- No, we ain't.
And listen to me when
you're done with that,
I want you to go find Jared
Wylie and bring him in.
- Can't.
- [Lyndon] Why not?
- After he didn't show up for
supper, his ma called here.
Thought we might've locked him up again.
- He'll show up eventually
where he's not wanted.
He always does.
- It's not an easy choice.
Sheriff Harris!
Come over here for a moment.
I could use your powers of observation.
- How can I help you, sir?
- Lately, you've become
quite a bee expert.
So how about deciding which
one of these lovely honeybees
is crowned queen?
- Well, I believe we
should leave that decision
up to the judge.
- In this town, I am judge
and jury in all matters
and don't you forget that, Harris.
There will be no more talk of killer bees.
- If you say so.
- Oh, I do say so.
And now, if you can get the
widow Gillman moved out,
I'll be a happy man again.
Girls, girls.
Come down here.
I do believe our sheriff doesn't
have a honey festival pin.
Well now, there we are.
Now, Sheriff Harris, you're one of us.
- [Slim] Sheriff, a call
from highway patrol.
Bee truck with Mexican
plates spotted on FTM-13.
- Roger that, Slim, I'm on my way.
- Whoa!
Now, you can't leave.
Who's gonna move all that stuff?
- Looks like you've got a stay
of execution, Mrs. Gillman.
(suspenseful music)
That's him.
(siren wailing)
Come on, come on.
All right, Slim, I've got him.
We're headed east on 13
towards Ferrell Creek.
- Roger that, sheriff.
Be careful.
Remember, that truck might
be filled with lethal bees.
- Now, how could I forget that, Slim?
(siren wailing)
Whoa, whoa, easy!
(suspenseful music)
All right, Slim, he's running.
The rummy thinks I'm immigration.
I bet anything he's illegal.
I want you to call the highway patrol.
Set up a road block there at
Ferrell Creek crossing, okay?
Whoa, whoa, easy!
Dang it!
(siren wailing)
(suspenseful music)
Where'd he go?
Base!
He's bought it.
We're about 3 1/2 miles
outside of Ferrell Creek.
You'd better send an ambulance, Slim.
It don't look good.
(bees buzzing)
We got trouble Slim,
the bees are swarming!
- [Slim] Sheriff?
Sheriff?
- [Lyndon] They're coming
right for me, Slim.
They're coming right for me!
- [Slim] Sheriff?
Sheriff, are you okay?
- Yeah, yeah, I'm okay, Slim.
Tell Riley that,
that swarm is on the loose.
- We have all seen bees swarm.
That doesn't mean they're going to attack.
- These are African killer bees!
- Nobody is sure of anything right now.
- Mr. Ditwaller, please,
with this swarm on the loose,
we have to call off the festival.
- Harris, we have got the
Meglo Mart head honchos here
to see our town at its best.
Now, we can't shut down the festival
because of one man's crazed bee phobia.
Now, where are you going?
- I've been stung once but
it ain't gonna happen again.
- I've got to tend my hive.
The show is tomorrow!
- Nobody in this family is going anywhere
until that swarm goes away.
Where's Dylan?
- He went to the lake
but he said not to say anything about it.
- Great.
- My dad used to bring us
here when we were kids.
- It's beautiful.
Look, he's going.
It's cold.
- Maybe we should sit closer.
- Okay.
(mellow music)
- [Fisherman] Oh, my god!
- [Nadine] Oh, my god!
- Run, run!
- Help!
Help!
Help!
(bees buzzing)
- Go for the tent!
- [Nadine] I'm scared.
- [Dylan] Run!
- Go away!
Leave us alone!
(suspenseful music)
What if they get in?
- They won't, hey, they won't, okay?
(Nadine shrieks)
- [Nadine] It bit me!
- Get back!
I promise, it's gonna be okay.
- [Nadine] It bit me!
- [Dylan] Get back!
- Dylan?
Nadine?
- Dad!
Dad, we're in here!
Dad!
- [Nadine] Help!
- Okay son, listen to me.
Listen to me.
Just stay still, try not
to agitate them anymore.
It's gonna be okay, son.
Come on.
Come on.
(horn blaring)
Dylan!
Dylan!
Dylan, they're gone!
- [Dylan] Dad?
(tense ambient music)
- Are you okay?
- Did you see them?
They were everywhere.
They've got to believe you now.
Look!
- Come on.
Let's go to the car.
Did you get stung, huh?
- Yeah, just a couple of bites.
- [Lyndon] Are you okay?
- [Dylan] Better off than that guy.
- It's horrible what they
did to him, Mr. Harris.
- Yeah, well, I'll send
the coroner out for him.
Let's get out of here
before the bees come back.
- Come on, come on.
- Get in, Dylan, get in!
- Go, go, go.
- What happened with
your kid was miles away.
- A man died.
- Parker Lake isn't even in the county.
It is not your jurisdiction.
- Who are you to play God
and do nothing about it?
- Now, sheriff, if you can't
deal with us civil-like
and stop your ranting,
I'm gonna have to ask you
to turn in your badge.
- You can take my badge, Ditwaller
just like you took my farm
but you cannot stop me
from warning these people
about these bees.
What the heck do you all
care about Sumas anyway?
You done sold us out
years ago to Meglo Mart.
- Hi, Sidney.
We're just warning people
that there are some really aggressive bees
that have come up from
Mexico on some of the trucks
so just be careful.
You know, follow what it
says there, stay inside.
(knocking on door)
- Did they finally come to their senses?
- Yeah, we could use some help here, Slim.
- Actually, ma'am, it's Sheriff Slim now.
- And I couldn't think of a
more qualified man for the job.
Now, would you help me
gather up these signs
and put them in the truck, please?
- Actually, you've got to stay inside.
- Slim, I know that, but not until
I take these signs down to the parade.
- The councilmen want you to stay put,
just till the parade's over.
- You can't stop me.
- They just don't want you
anywhere near Main Street
for a while.
Come on, just do it for me.
Just sit here and wait until it's over.
- All right, Slim, I'll see you later.
- Riley.
- Thanks.
You have a good man there, Audrey.
- Had.
- Oh, I think he's still there.
- You know, maybe I should
just spend the night
in case something happens.
- Okay, sure, that's fine.
You're welcome to stay too if you want.
- Oh no, I'd better head home.
Some good bees will wonder
what happened to me.
Good night, folks.
- Good night.
- We'll see you later, Riley.
(tense music)
- You've got to get over here right away
and do something, sheriff, or I will.
- Sissy, I don't know.
I'm not even the sheriff anymore.
- [Sissy] Then, who do I call?
- You're just gonna have to call Slim.
- I don't have his number.
- 9-1-1.
- I don't need no 9-1-1.
I've got my old shotgun.
That's all I need.
- Maybe you'd better
stop by one last time.
- One last time.
(suspenseful music)
(bees buzzing)
- Oh my, they could come in the vent.
The flue.
I have to close the flue.
(sobbing)
Leave me alone!
Somebody help!
Leave me alone!
(gunshot bangs)
(suspenseful music)
- Sissy?
Are you there?
Sissy?
Oh my god!
She's dead!
Sissy's dead!
It was horrible
- What?
- The whole place is
just infested with hives
but the bees are gone.
- If they tried to make her
home into a colony and left,
either it wasn't suitable for the queen
or it wasn't big enough.
That swarm's got to be huge.
- How are we gonna stop them?
- Unfortunately, there isn't
a can of bug spray big enough.
What we've got to do for now
is just get everybody out of the open
until the swarm just naturally disperses.
Large gatherings, loud noises,
strong odors, fragrances,
that's what the bees are attracted to.
- Large gatherings?
- [Riley] Yeah.
- Like a fair with a loud rock band
and people walking around
eating cotton candy and pizza,
that sort of thing?
- The honey festival.
When one of these bees stings,
it releases something called pheromones,
a chemical alarm message
that causes other bees to become agitated
and not just African bees,
European honeybees as well.
With all the pollinators in the area,
do you have any idea how
many bees that could be?
(fast-paced music)
(siren wailing)
- Dang it.
I told them not to go out today.
It's Cassidy's presentation,
Dylan's debut with his band.
Maybe we'll get lucky
and that swarm will just fly right over.
- And maybe they'll drop
little jars of honey
with sympathy notes.
- [Announcer] This year's honey
festival is the best by far.
We have a bench for all ladies!
For the kiddies, we have
free meals and rides!
Remember, with the purchase
of any two jars of honey,
you receive a honey patched
t-shirt absolutely free.
- Three years?
It's just, I never would
have thought that you,
you look so young.
It's a great company to
work for, Meglo Mart.
I mean they've been so successful.
Hey, thanks.
A bee swatter.
Pretty nice.
Little bees.
So, would you like to see a
little bit of our little town?
- [Announcer] You have two
days to choose everybody.
Making their debuts on main stage,
we're proud to present
Sumas's own Sky Rider!
- Where's Dad?
- I'm sure he'll be here any minute.
He wouldn't wanna miss this.
♪ Don't forget ♪
♪ That you're not alone ♪
♪ 'Cause I'd swear the
surfer makes his home ♪
♪ Sky rider ♪
♪ Sky rider ♪
♪ Sky rider ♪
♪ Sky rider, yeah ♪
♪ Jumping for fun ♪
♪ You seem to know the space ♪
♪ Accepting love is to miss your fate ♪
♪ He says what good these mortals be ♪
♪ But inside I'm thinking
it's you and me ♪
♪ You and me, yeah ♪
(siren wailing)
- Unit one to base, come in, base
- Unit one, there's no one at base.
We're all down here at the fair.
Wait a minute, Lyndon, is that you?
- Yeah, this is me, Slim.
- I'm glad you called.
Look, we need to get that police car back.
- Well, how about I just
drive it over there right now,
Slim, huh?
- Wow, sure, all right.
- Slim, you don't happen to have any bees
over that way right now, do you?
♪ Accepting love is to miss your fate ♪
(suspenseful music)
- Bees!
Killer bees!
- [Lyndon] Slim!
Slim, are you there?
- Killer bees!
Go!
Get inside!
♪ Sky rider ♪
♪ Sky rider ♪
- [Slim] Bees!
Killer bees!
♪ Sky rider ♪
♪ Sky rider ♪
- Okay, I want everybody to remain calm.
Please, whatever you do, do not panic.
I would like everybody
to make their way slowly
towards the parking lot.
- Why?
(suspenseful music)
(people screaming)
- Do not panic.
(bees buzzing)
(grunting)
Just remain calm, all right?
(people screaming)
(grunts)
(yelling)
- Get away!
(yelling)
(suspenseful music)
(screaming)
- I have a terminal illness Lyndon
so it doesn't make much of a
difference what happens to me
but you might wanna think twice
about what you're about to do.
Although I've heard these guys in Vienna
are pretty close to finding a cure.
- Someone's gonna have to get
that rail road light fixed.
(fast-paced music)
(tense ambient music)
Dylan.
Slim, what's your 20?
- [Slim] By the barbecue.
- Slim, where is my family?
- I don't know.
- The bees, where are the bees?
- I don't know.
My first day as sheriff and
it's a total freak show.
- Where were you during all this?
- I tried to warn them,
but they wouldn't listen.
They just panicked and
ran in every direction
and then I hid in one of them trucks
and when I came out, everybody was gone.
- All right, Slim, I want you
to go check farm implements
and dairy home back.
I'm gonna cover livestock and poultry
and then the young agrarians hall.
- All right.
- Darn!
- This is so weird.
- Wait a second.
Do you hear that?
(bees buzzing)
(suspenseful music)
I found them.
Looks like they must have run
inside the hall for shelter.
- The bees are calm now.
Busy forming a new colony
but if we disturb them,
they will sting everything that moves
and we've got to keep them
inside or they'll swarm again.
- [Dylan] Dad!
- Look who I found.
- I'm so sorry.
I made mom bring me--
- It's okay, it's okay, hey.
I'm glad you're safe.
- [Dylan] This is all my fault.
- I'm scared, Mom.
- So am I.
- All right, so what are we gonna do?
- That is one enormous super.
If I were trying to
pull honey out of there,
I would just fill it up with smoke.
- Okay.
Slim, here's the keys to the four by four.
- Look, we don't have to do that now.
- Would you just listen to me?
I want you to go to the squad car
and grab all of Riley's bee equipment
and bring it back here now.
- Oh, okay, I get it.
- Son.
Look, I don't want you to worry, okay?
I'm gonna get your mother
and your sister out of there.
I'm going in.
- No, it should be me.
Whoever goes in there is gonna get stung.
With the immunity my system has built up,
my body can probably withstand 20 times
the lethal dose of bee toxin.
Whereas with your family history.
- Mom, they're making a hive
and we're in the middle of it.
- [Man] Don't disturb them.
- Okay.
Oh, hey, hey, are you okay?
- Just a little tremor.
- What's the matter?
- That last episode I had,
I'm still not over it.
- Well, why didn't you tell me?
- [Riley] With me, there's
always something wrong.
- I can't let you go in there.
- Just let me go.
I have nothing to lose.
You have a family who needs you.
- I don't know.
- I'm going in there.
What's the worst that can happen?
I get stung?
- I can think of a heck of a lot worse.
Look, let me tell you something.
If I let you go in there, I
don't want any heroics, okay?
You be careful.
- I will be.
Don't worry.
Let's kick some killer bee butt.
(mellow music)
- It's her, Mom.
It's Riley!
- Get a hold of yourself, girl.
(bees buzzing)
(suspenseful music)
Okay, two and three at a time.
Go ahead and don't disturb the bees.
- Don't worry, she'll get to us.
- Come on.
Slow down, slow down.
Slow!
Slow down!
(people panicking)
- Inside.
Inside the building.
- Run for the car, now!
- Riley!
(Riley yells)
(bees buzzing)
(groaning)
- [Riley] I can't see!
There's bee in my mask.
My mask.
(groaning)
(car hoking)
- Hey, that's them.
- It sure is.
Riley must've gotten to them.
Something ain't right.
- What do you mean something isn't right?
What are you talking about?
- That's Morse code.
They're sounding out an SOS.
- SOS?
- [Dylan] What are we gonna do?
- Looks like I have to go in there.
- What do you mean you've
got to go in there, Dad?
The place is just crawling--
- Just calm down, Dylan.
And run and get me that
other beekeeper suit, now!
- You know, if we had a flame thrower,
we could just burn them out.
- Burn them out.
You know Sheriff Slim,
that might just be the smartest
thing you've said all day.
- It is?
- I mean, it's a bit radical but,
we're gonna start us a
little fire of our own.
- Look for the keys.
- Thanks, Slim.
Oh, by the way,
did I ever mention that
I was afraid of bees?
- Hey, don't do anything stupid, okay?
Just get Mom and Cass out.
- I will, son.
- And Riley.
- I'm gonna go get everybody out.
(tense ambient music)
(bees buzzing)
Time to burn.
(energetic music)
(flame swooshes)
(siren wailing)
- Lyndon!
- [Lyndon] I'll be right back.
- Hey, Dad.
Dad, all the firemen are really impressed.
That was a wicked stunt.
- Well, it's easy when they
leave the keys in the visor.
- Hey.
- Hey.
- I thought you were afraid of bees.
- Well, I thought we'd lost
her for a minute back there.
- Sony to disappoint, doc.
- Sure an awful lot of stings you took.
- Maybe enough to put
the MS into remission.
- Well, wouldn't that be something?
- Thank you for everything.
- Hey, Cassidy.
While I'm recuperating,
I'll need someone to watch over my supers.
Do you know any good beekeepers?
- Dad, could I?
- Oh, I don't know.
We'd better check with
your mom about that one.
(mellow moving music)
- Hey, sheriff!
I've got some bad news.
- What is it now, Slim, giant locusts?
- Worse.
- With the bee scare,
the Meglo Mart people
are pretty shaken up.
They're stopping all future
development plans for Sumas.
They're pulling out.
(laughing)
- Woohoo!
(mellow music)
- [Audrey] You're really
good with the bees, honey.
- When processed, wheat typically yields
what percentage of flour?
- 40%.
- What's your mama's birthday?
- Come on, Dad.
It's March 11th.
Write it down.
Think we've seen the last of those bees?
- From where I stand, son,
there's nothing but clear skies ahead.
(tense music)
(mellow acoustic music)
(mellow piano music)