Alien Nation (1989–1990): Season 1, Episode 20 - The Touch - full transcript

Cathy finds a boy she knew from the ship, but suspects he has been abused.

𝒯𝓇𝒶𝓃𝓈𝓁𝒶𝓉e
𝓊𝓃𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓉 E𝒩𝒢LI𝒮H

That was the scene in California
's Mojave Desert, five years ago.

Our historic first view
of the Newcomers' ship.

Theirs was a slave ship carrying
a quarter-million beings...

bred to adapt and labor
in any environment.

But they've washed
ashore on Earth...

with no way to get back
to where they came from.

And in the last five years, the Newcomers
have become the latest addition...

to the population
of Los Angeles.

L've been putting in
so much overtime...

l didn't even know my
son was flunking math.



L know. l can't remember the last
time l got home before midnight.

They work us like slaves around here.
Oh, l'm sorry.

Cathy?

L'll see you later, Helen.

Andron....

Andron, is that you?

Lt's me, Andron, Gelana.

Andron.

- Good morning, Francisco.
- Oh, good morning, Captain.

- What is that?
- Lt's an oscillator.

Lt's important for Newcomer
infants to receive...

an abundance of circular motion.

Lt's good for the
harmony of their being.

Why is she harmonizing
in my squad room?



L'm sorry, but the babysitter didn't show
and Susan had already left for work.

L didn't know what else to do.

Look, l understand you've
got family problems, but...

this is no place for a child.

- Hey, Cap.
- Pay up.

- L don't owe you any money.
- Come on, when the credits were rolling...

your cheeks looked
like Niagara Falls.

Now cough up $20. Come on.

- Niagara Falls?
- He was crying like a baby.

- L know about that.
- L wasn't crying.

- Right.
- Hey, what's with the kid?

The sitter didn't show.

- Why were you crying, Matthew?
- L wasn't!

L got some popcorn
salt in my eye...

L don't understand.

Me and Sikes, we went to see a love
story last night at the movies.

Gone With the Wind
Two.: Return to Tara.

And l bet Sikes that he would
cry like a baby. And he did.

L didn't.

Matthew, you and Beatrice
were out on a date?

- No!
- Me? With this hermit on a date?

Are you kidding me?

Hey, Sikes, l bet you can't remember
the last time you were on a real date.

The hell l can't. lt was....

Well?

Don't you have something
better to do, Zepeda?

Yeah, l think l'll go figure
out how to spend my winnings.

What?

Matthew, in all the
time l've known you...

l can't ever remember
you being on a date.

- Maybe you never got the touch.
- Hey, pal, l have the touch.

No, l don't mean a way
to get on with women.

L mean a way to give
and receive love.

Watch.

You see, for us, the temples are the
center where love is received...

and from which love flows.

Lt's especially important for the young
to feel and experience this love.

Perhaps that's your problem. You
never got enough of the touch.

Or its human equivalent
when you were a child.

L got your touch.

Sikes.

Hi, Cathy.

Cathy, what's wrong?

She wasn't making much sense. L've
never heard her like that before.

Said it was important for
both of us to be here...

Maybe l should call
the station again.

George, you can't spend
all day on the phone.

Albert will take care of Vessna.
He's her Binnaum.

L'm her father.

The thought of her spending all
day in a janitor's closet...

makes me rot under the collar.

That's "hot."

Besides, she'll be on the spinner,
she'll think it's the Ritz.

Lf she doesn't throw up.

No...

L'm going to call, will
only take a second.

Quickie bar, you're mine.

Whoa! That's the
last Quickie bar.

Oh, well, l'm sorry, are
you waiting for this?

No...

l mean....

No.

Good, l missed breakfast.

You eat Quickie
bars for breakfast?

Call me a health-nut.

You were waiting for
this, weren't you?

Well, yeah, but....

You don't look like a kind of guy
who could pass up a Quickie, so....

You don't have to do this.

Junk food lovers are an endangered species.
We should stick together.

Besides, l kept the big half.

She's fine.

Yeah, she is.

You knew him on the ship?

L cared for him. l worked in
the nursery for a short while.

His name is Andron. He's a very
special child. He's very loving.

After quarantine, l spent a lot
of time searching for him...

and finally l was
told that he died.

They found him last
night in a dumpster.

SlKES: No child was
reported missing.

We've located the mother.
That's very strange.

Why wouldn't a parent
report their child missing?

Who's the woman?

Child welfare.

The boy looks frightened.

He won't speak, he won't eat, and he
recoils from the slightest touch.

Andy?

Oh, Andy.

- Mrs. Day?
- Yes, how's my boy?

Well, mostly dirty. L'm Lorraine Clark.
We spoke on the phone.

Can l take him now?

Excuse me, Mrs. Day. L'm
Detective Francisco.

And l'm Detective Sikes.

Police? SlKES: Yeah.

Did Andy get into trouble?

No, ma'am, we'd just like to ask
you a few questions like...

why didn't you report
your boy as missing?

L went to bed early last night.

L didn't notice he was
missing until this morning.

L was just about to call the
police when Miss Clark called me.

What happened to Andron?

L knew him before we landed.

He injured his head when
the ship came down.

Crash trauma, they call it.

He was so vibrant, and so alive.

He doesn't even know me now.
L'm so sorry.

Andy, let's go.

Thank you.

Mrs. Day...

my name is Cathy Frankel.
L want to work with Andy.

L was very close with him on the
ship and l know that l can help him.

L've seen all the experts.
Thank you, no.

But, there have been terrific strides
that medicine have made in this area.

- L've seen crash trauma patients...
- No.

Andy is fine, really.
Thank you anyway.

Gelana.

Quiet, neemu.

- L don't think she's hungry.
- Buck, please, just feed her.

Yes, l understand that you were
sick, but you could have called...

to say that you weren't going to be here.
L had to take Vessna to work.

- Sorry, l'm late.
- We'll just have to find someone else.

The client wanted to see
my marketing ideas...

for Yak bubble-gum and l came
up with this wonderful idea.

Sort of a play on that
old human song...

"yakety yak, don't smack back."

- That's funny.
- Here, Buck, let me feed her.

L don't think she's hungry.
She won't take her bottle.

- We lost another sitter.
- That's the sixth in three weeks.

Can't we find anyone reliable?

She's not hungry,
she just needs...

George? You're not giving
her the touch every hour?

Sorry.

Maybe l can work at home for the
next two days, but after that....

l think we're going to have
to put her in daycare.

Daycare?

Vessna needs to be with her
family, not strangers.

Well, who do you
suggest stays home?

Buck, this family
needs two incomes.

L'll make an appointment.

Rigac, here he comes.

RlGAC: Andron, over here.

Cathy, l know you care about
Andy, but you followed him?

L just felt l had
to and l was right.

L know Andy's in trouble, and
l know Rigac is behind it.

This Rigac, did he force
Andy into the car?

No.

Did he harm him in any way?

Well, no.

Then, Cathy...

what is it, that you
want me to investigate?

Matt, we're not talking
about just any Overseer.

Rigac was the Chooser.

L worked in the nursery.

L gave these children love.

Rigac would pick through the children
and assign them their fates.

Where they would be sold...

how they would live...

and who would die.

He took Andron from
me on the ship.

And he's got him now, and
look what he's done to him.

Please, Matt...

there must be
something we can do.

L'm afraid Miss Frankel is mistaken.
L don't know anyone named Rigac.

He was the Overseer
known as the Chooser.

- Still don't know who he is?
- L don't associate with Overseers.

Then why did Andy climb into his
car yesterday after school?

Cathy.

My son comes home from
school on a special bus.

L've gone through all of
this with Miss Clark.

What are your findings?

L'll be filing a
favorable report.

Mrs. Day was very cooperative...

and what l found was a clean and
positive environment for Andy.

Then why is he acting
like a walking vegetable?

That is so cruel.

When Andron was under my care on
the ship, he was a healthy child.

- What is he now?
- A child who suffered an injury.

L don't believe you.

And l don't believe he was
injured in the crash.

Andy has been abused.

And l think that we
should have him tested.

Wait a minute.

This woman is following my
son around like a lunatic...

and l'm the one who's
being accused?

He is my son.

And if you and your partner
don't keep her away from him...

l'm going to be filing
some charges of my own.

You're not gonna
just let her go?

There has been no crime.

You obviously care deeply for Andy. L
wish l could give you more assurances...

but based on my criteria,
Andy's home is sound.

But your criteria is made by
humans to protect humans.

Andron is a Newcomer and
you don't understand him.

Cathy, that's not fair.

Tell me, Miss Clark, when
you visited his home...

was his meekar full of jowab?

Jowab?

Was his Nalit facing
the rising moon?

But it was a positive
environment.

George, please.

Thank you for trying.

Lt's amazing.

Reagan's been out of office eight
years and his hair is still not gray.

Ronald Reagan, an amazing man.

A president who put the family
first in the first family.

That's something we
can all be proud of.

L'm Mr. Eugene. You must be Mr.
and Mrs. Francisco.

Won't you let me show
you our demonstrator.

This is a scaled down version
of our sensory room...

which is a loving nest to
over 200 other happy tots.

Now l see from your
family profile chart...

that you're looking for such
an abode for little Cessna.

- Vessna.
- What a beautiful name that is, too.

Well, l think she'll
love this sensory room.

All of her needs from nutrition
to stimulation are taken care of.

Yes, this room was designed
to give today's child...

be they Newcomer or human, everything
it needs in today's world.

A personal touch
through technology.

A personal touch?

Everything's computerized.
The best 1996 has to offer.

Each containment unit is sensory wired, so
the nurse on duty can monitor them all.

As you can see, this little baby
has activated its dampness sensor.

Ln mere moments, it would be
dried, powdered and back online.

Now that's a personal touch
our competitors can't touch.

Well, thank you very
much for your time.

Leaving so soon?

L was just about to demonstrate
the automated formula pumps.

- Lt's quite impressive.
- Maybe some other time.

- This place reminds me of the ship.
- Lt's no place to house our little Cessna.

Jelly doughnuts with hot chocolate
and bubble gum ice cream.

A mere midnight snack.

How about a double
chili cheeseburger...

pork rinds and a
triple-thick shake?

No. Check this.

Captain Crunch, chocolate milk, whip
cream with butterscotch topping...

chased by a root beer float.
All before 7 a.m.

- l'm impressed.
- And my mother was a nutritionist.

Excuse me. Can we have some
extra hot fudge, please?

- Sure.
- Lt's all good for you.

All except for the banana.

You know, l'm really glad that
we could have lunch today.

L felt bad that there wasn't more
that l could do for your friend.

She's taking it all pretty hard.

We can only imagine the hell
they went through on that ship.

Yeah, l've seen my partner
relive some of it.

Yeah, l mean, it isn't
easy, but Cathy's strong.

You know, she was right. We hardly
know anything about their species.

Especially in my line of work.

When you figure them out
let me in on it, okay?

Come on, your partner's a Newcomer.
You're with him all day.

Let's put it this way, they're
not exactly easy to understand.

Tell you what, Sikes.

You come over some time and you give
me your insight into who they are.

And l will make you the best...

deep fried macaroni and cheese hot
dog pie that you've ever had.

A pretty light dinner.

L meant for breakfast.

All right, tell me, Sikes, how
was the malt shop with Lori?

- Can it, Zepeda.
- Come on, did you use two straws or one?

L don't sip and tell.

Hey, George, how you doing?

Cat got your tongue?

No.

What's wrong?

L have trouble with a
species that cares so

little about the welfare
of their children.

L don't have all the answers,
but you heard Lorraine.

- There's nothing we can do for Cathy.
- This isn't about Cathy.

Lt's about Vessna.

Daycare was a bust, huh?

L'd as soon leave her in the
janitor's closet all day.

At least there she'd
know she was loved.

Hey, Romeo, l forgot
to tell you...

Mrs. Avery, at Newcomer
Affairs, returned your call.

- L left the message on your desk.
- Thanks.

You know, Lorraine's been lobbying
hard at the city office...

to get daycare centers started.
You ought to talk to Grazer.

Maybe you can start one here.

Mrs. Avery? Matt Sikes.

You're sure?

Okay, thank you.

- What is it?
- Newcomer Affairs.

Their records show Andy came out
of the crash perfectly healthy.

No indication he was ever hurt.

My friend cries out for help and l'm
gorging on a boffo-banana-blitz.

L should have seen
it coming, George.

- Matt, we don't have all the facts.
- Lt's a lock.

They found traces of this
on a rag in the boy's room.

Quirkus.

Lt has the same effect on Newcomers
that ether has on humans.

L found this bottle
in Cathy's apartment.

Her place looked like Dorothy's
farm after she blew out of Kansas.

She was headed somewhere fast.

We're sympathetic to the
situation, Mrs. Day.

We want your boy found safe as well.
Everything possible is being done.

Yes, an APB or whatever
you call it...

and your two very best
detectives assigned to the case.

Ls there a problem here?

L have a problem when the detective in
charge is the suspect's boyfriend, yes.

L'm not her boyfriend, lady.

Whomever she is, she
has kidnapped my son.

Kidnapping? You're sure it
wasn't a rescue mission.

- Sikes!
- How dare you say that?

Then maybe you can tell us why the
Bureau of Newcomer Affairs said...

Andy was released from quarantine
with a clean bill of health.

There was no record of
severe crash trauma.

Their records are inaccurate,
and you know it.

I am not on trial here!

Are you going to let them
talk to me that way?

- Mrs. Day, please...
- Maybe, the Commissioner would object.

Hold it, please, let's
just settle down here.

Go home. Try to be patient.

L promise we'll keep you posted.
We're doing everything we can.

- And you both keep digging.
- We'll keep digging, Captain.

You can count on it.

Stupidity.

L didn't tell you about the Frankel woman
because l didn't think it was serious.

The police, the kidnapping,
l had no idea.

No idea?

The destiny of the Chosen is
at stake and you had no idea?

Given the circumstances, maybe
the boy isn't worth the risk.

L selected him once, he
should be with us again.

And if you hadn't let him
escape during the ceremony...

we wouldn't be in the
situation we are now.

- But there are others, sir.
- And all of them are necessary.

They must all, we...

must all, be the sum
total of a united race.

L've invested too much time in
him to forget about him now.

But, here on Earth, we
must adjust our plan...

we're not the force
we were on the ship.

Does this mean nothing to you?

Have you forgotten already?

Gone soft without sniveling
Dregna at your feet each day?

L have not forgotten.

We are the Chosen.

And forever will be.

What are you drawing?

Can l see?

Andy.

Andron.

Do you remember me?

The ship was a bad
place, l know.

But you and l...

it was special.

Please, Andron, let me
see what you've drawn.

Gelana.

Gelana.

Andron!

Andron!

Here, this was delivered to you.

L guess Lorraine finds guys that
cry at movies irresistible.

But without that
sense of loving...

without proper attention from family,
our little ones will suffer...

both human and Newcomer.

L'm sorry, Francisco, my decision is final.
No daycare in the precinct.

But there are many officers
here with young children...

don't you care about
their morale?

Daycare would bolster
their attitudes...

- their performances.
- Would it?

What about the police calls missed
while they're off cooing Junior?

Our job is to serve the
public, not strain peas.

But Captain, think of
all of the extra hours

the officers would be
willing to work...

knowing their child is safe,
virtually at arm's length.

Safe? This is a police
squad room, Francisco.

Look...

my wife and l may
be childless...

but l can still sympathize
with your dilemma.

George, l just don't have
the solution for it.

Neither do l.

Yeah, great, ok,
thanks, Pizeman.

No daycare, huh? You okay?

Lt's not me l'm worried about.

LORRAlNE: Hi, Matt,
you got a minute?

- Lori, hi.
- Hi, George.

Thanks.

L just found out something
very interesting.

Yeah, l just hit gold myself. Been
doing some digging on this Mrs. Day.

Get this, she's on the payroll of a
holding company owned by Marty Gras.

Marty Gras?

That's his Earth name. On the
Newcomer ship he was known as Rigac.

She works for the Chooser?

Well, maybe this helps,
or maybe it doesn't...

but l just found out that when Andy
was released from quarantine...

he wasn't released to
his natural mother.

Day isn't his real mother?
George, how could that be?

With the intricate tissue typing
that should have been impossible.

Lt's possible his real parents
are out there somewhere.

L've been trying to
track them down.

- Sikes, line two.
- Later.

Sikes, it's Cathy.

Trace it.

- Cathy.
- Hello, Matt.

Cathy, where are you?

L called to tell you
that we're safe.

Listen to me. Do yourself
a favor and come in now.

No.

Damn it, l mean it!

Cathy, look, we're
talking felony here.

L can help you, but only
if you come in now.

L can't do that.

L don't know why, but they've
done terrible things to Andron.

- Here, and on the ship.
- We're gonna nail Rigac and Mrs. Day.

We're making headway, they
won't get away with...

You can't promise that.

Then you are going
to have to trust me.

L do trust you, but as long
as you can't promise...

Andron's in danger and l
won't take that risk.

Cathy, please.

And not until l find the
Andron l once knew.

Cathy? Where are you?

L won't be anywhere long.

- Goodbye, Matt.
- Cathy, don't....

Got it.

How long must we
sweep this gutter?

RlGAC: Until we find the child.

- May l help you?
- Only Dregna sleep in this dump.

Look familiar?

Room 21.

No!

L remember you.

Shut up!

Bring them both.

Police. Which room?

- Room 21, with the others.
- Others?

What's it mean, George?

George?

Look, it's simple,
Pizeman, the witness got

all but the last three
digits of the plate...

MX5, a silver sedan. Run it
through the computer, please.

Then, cancel your
coffee break...

take the doughnut out of your face,
cause the guy driving the car...

kidnapped somebody l give
a damn about, got it?

Pretty spooky stuff.

This poor kid couldn't have been
very happy when he drew this.

What is that they're
putting on his head?

Lt seems to be a metallic
band covering his temples.

George, didn't you say that temples were
some sort of love center or something?

Lt is where Newcomers
receive love.

- Why would they want to cover that?
- L don't know.

Hi. Any word?

- No.
- L might have something.

Ln trying to locate
Andy's real parents...

l've found 20 other Newcomer children
in the same situation as Andy.

- Not with their natural parents?
- Exactly.

L contacted the other parents and they all
think their children died in the crash.

And these parents just blindly
accepted that their kids were killed?

Given our personal rights
at the time, Matthew...

we were hardly in any position
to question the authorities.

Susan and l were lucky to
be reunited with Buck.

Lori, you got any of the names of
those adoptive parents you turned up?

Yeah, a bunch.

Matt?

Well, well, well. Not only are
they all adoptive parents...

they're also on the payroll
of Rigac's holding company.

Zep, find out what this
holding company owns.

L'm on it.

Rigac, the Chooser, he's
behind all of this.

What does an Overseer
want with these children?

What if he's continuing
his mission, like ODESSA?

Time out, George.

After their defeat in
World War ll the most...

militant surviving Nazis...

particularly the SS
regrouped, planned...

orchestrated the survival of
the Nazi Party. Their race.

That is what the
temple-bands are for.

By denying them love, he's
turning them into monsters.

He's turning them
into Overseers.

Andron will not
become one of you.

You cannot prevent it.

This is not the ship...

you are no longer Keezantsun.

We'll always be Keezantsun.

Whether it takes one year or 1000 years
to be rescued from this planet...

we will always be strong...

united, the superior ones.

You will not succeed.

Dregna stop us?

L won't let you destroy Andron.

Dregna are such children.

We controlled your thought,
your very existence.

But the one thing you couldn't
control was our love.

Your love is your weakness.

Our resistance to it is
what makes us strong.

Andron will demonstrate that.

Sixty-five different
possibilities from Pizeman.

We don't have the manpower
to check all those plates.

Matt....

What do you see, George?

There's a pattern in these
sketches of Andy's.

The child is torn from
someone close to him.

Fixed with some kind
of temple-guard.

Lsolated, as if being
prepared or brainwashed...

for some type of
sacrificial ceremony.

What do these markings
on the sacrifice mean?

They are Tenctonese
symbols for love.

What, the kid kills love?

Or, kills the one he loves
to become Keezantsun.

They're gonna make
Andy kill Cathy.

Sikes, Rigac's holding
company, mostly real estate.

You know, the new mall down on
Catalina, the Regent Hotel downtown...

office buildings...

- The Regent Hotel.
- Yeah.

Bull's-eye.

We've got a vehicle registered
to the Regent Hotel.

Let's move.

Andron.

Andron, it's Gelana.

Andron.

He's mine now.

- All right, let's split up.
- Head around back.

Andron, free yourself.
You are loved.

The Chosen shall let
his actions speak.

You are the Chosen,
fulfill your birthright.

- Police, freeze!
- Everyone stay where you are!

Get on your knees.

Get your hands on your
head, Keezantsun.

You all right?

With us, you're safe now, son.

- Francisco.
- Yes, Captain.

Look, about your daycare idea.

L was thinking...

maybe we could clear
out the weight room...

get some stuffed
animals or something.

- On a trial basis, Francisco...
- Of course.

- Okay.
- Thank you, Captain.

Would you like a
moment with him?

Hello, Andy.

Andron, are you ready to go?

What?