Cult (2013): Season 1, Episode 2 - In the Blood - full transcript

Just tell me what
the problem is, Nate.

I made contact

with them last night
and I think

they're after me now.

Who's after you?

A TV show.

It's called Cult.

But it's not just a TV show.

It goes beyond that.

Jeff, if anything happens
to me, find Miriam.

Miriam?



Nate!

You work on Cult?

Yeah, a researcher.
Is there any reason

for me to believe that
my brother's disappearance

is related to this show?

Look, there's a place
you might want to check out.

Miriam?

Do you know
where Nate is?

Is he all right?

He's not all right.

Jeff? It's me.
Hello?

It's Nate.
Thank God. Are you all right?

You put in the disc!

You never should have put...



Nate!

Look.

You're next.

Next...

Next... next.

Morning, partner.

What've we got?

Body. Buried.

Shallow grave?

Well, that would depend on how
tall the victim actually was.

Forensics did a sounding.

There's a whole
body mass down there.

This poor bastard

was buried upside down.

I've never seen
anything like this.

Kelly.

Billy.

Welcome to my family.

Welcome to the blood.

I know that look, Kelly.

Billy's definitely behind this.

This is a message...
For me.

You're telling me
he killed this person

just to send you
a message?

I was closer to him
than anybody.

And he wants me back,

which means I'm the only person
who can bring him down.

Wow.

I didn't mean
to crash like that.

What time did I...?
I don't know.

Lost you around 4:00.

Great.

You've been watching the show?

Yeah.

Yeah, you know,
Nate kept this...

Crazy notebook, and I just
thought if I could match

his notes to the...
Something in the show,

it might... I don't know...
give me a clue to where he is.

Nobody knows for sure if there
are messages in the show or not.

Some fans believe there are.

Obviously Nate believed
that there was.

I've checked three
different web sites.

I can't find anything
in the local news

about Miriam's suicide
last night.

Well, Nate said if
something happened to him,

I needed to talk to Miriam.

She's still
my link to finding him.

We saw her husband last night.

You know, there was
something off about him.

Yeah.

Well, maybe he knows something,

and he's just afraid
to talk about it.

I got to go.

Hey,

thanks again... for everything.

You'll find your brother.

Don't worry.

Had to lock it up.

That room was
for Cult fans, right?

Yup, which was
all well and good,

except I caught yet another guy
in there with a concealed knife.

My brother's picture's up
on one of the walls back there.

Maybe you know
him... Nate?

Nate Sefton?

Doesn't ring a bell.

Can I get you
anything?

Yeah, man, I'll do
a coffee, please... black.

You guys play Cult
all the time?

It's a new
favorite.

But we're also movies,
music, gaming...

It's all about the fans.

Zac, I'm all done
my shift.

Unless
you need something.

No, Kirstie,
it's all good.

Hey, it's me... Billy.

So glad
you're one of mine now.

Boo!

Don't tell me
I actually scared you.

E.J. Thank you
for meeting me here.

Yeah. You, here? Now I'm
not completely shocked.

You never struck me as a

"stop for a half-caf latte on
the way to work" kind of guy.

And speaking of work,

Bert totally did not buy
your stomach flu excuse

for missing this morning's
reporter assignment meeting.

Let's go talk over here.

I need you to check
something for me, okay?

This disc

uploaded something
to my laptop.

Some sort of
identity-theft software.

You put a disc that looks
like this in your laptop?

Just let me know what's on it,
okay? And one other thing...

One more thing.

A call came into
this phone last night

around 11:45 from Nate.

Is there any way you could
find out where it came from?

I could try.

Whatever you could do
would be great.

Anything for you, Jefferstein.

You know that.

Thank you.

Well...
I almost forgot.

Omar at work
gave me a message.

He said he checked with his
LAPD guys and got the last name

of the woman who offed
herself last night.

Last name was...

Livingston.

Miriam Livingston.

That's fantastic.
Thank you so much.

You're welcome.

Cult Productions. Please hold.

Hey.

Did not mean
to startle you.

No, Peter, you didn't.

I'm... just a
little tired.

Yeah? Up all night
working?

Something like that.

So, did you hear the latest
about the new network exec?

Segal?

What about him?

He scheduled
some big conference call

for this morning.

Apparently he was gonna
lay down the law to Steven

about the direction
of the show.

Well, I'm sure
that went over big.

Call never happened.

Creep was a total no-show.

You still on this kick
about the fans?

There are all kinds
of people out there,

and the ones who watch
this show seem to have

some sort of sick connection
to what we're doing.

- Doesn't that worry you?
- No.

A show's got to have
an edge these days

in order to break out.

What worries me is
you're sniffing around things

that have nothing
to do with your job.

Look...

You know how paranoid
everyone is

about spoilers getting out.

Coded script pages,
locked editing rooms.

Yeah. Steven Rae's thing.

Steven Rae.
Yeah.

It's his show,

and our fans totally love
everything he's doing.

Okay? So just hang in there.

You're doing good.

Yes. Of course.

I understand.
I'll do whatever you ask.

Haven't I proven that
to you already?

Yes, I have the network
executive right here.

Would you like
to talk to him?

Just kidding.

Yes.

I'll be sure
that it's done.

Please, it'll
be my pleasure.

Do a good job on him.

No...

No.

No!

It's starting to be
a thing with us.

A woman committed suicide
right in front of me last night.

Kind of want to know what
her husband has to say about it.

It's okay with you
that I came?

What? Yeah, no,
I'm actually...

Glad that you did.

She's space 139.

Look, take a look at this.
I just got it.

I think it has something
to do with that disk

I put in my laptop.

Hey, it's me, Billy.

So glad you're one of mine now.

Did you sign up with the show's
official web site?

Yeah, last night, for some
special access. Why?

That text is something
that the show sends out

to people who sign up.
Everybody gets them.

How clever.

There's the husband.

What do you want?

We're here about your wife.

About Miriam.

We're very sorry
for your loss.

You were there last night.

Yeah, when my wife put
a bullet in her skull.

Listen, we need to talk.

Your wife and my brother...
they knew each other.

Yeah, the cops told me that.

Just what the hell
was your brother doing

being friends with my wife?

Well, the two of them
shared a mutual interest.

A television show called Cult.

Yeah. Never heard of it.

Why are you leaving?
In such a hurry?

Just leave me alone!
I just want to know

what happened
to my brother, okay?

You wife was scared.

Scared enough to do
what she did last night.

If you know something,
anything...

I said leave me alone!

We only want to talk to you.

What was your wife so afraid of?
What are you

so afraid of?

You get the hell
out of here.

You get the hell
out of here right now!

Just tell me what you know.

Just get out of here!

Tell me
what you know.

Jeff, Jeff...
- Get the hell out of here!

Okay.

Go on!

Where is she?

That's nothing.

Detective Sakelik.

Mr. Sefton.

I take it you're here
about your missing brother.

Yeah. Listen, we have

something we want
to talk to you about.

Miriam, the lady
who committed suicide...

we went to see
her husband.

You went to see him?

And he came at us
with a shotgun.

What were you doing
going to see him?

He knows something.
And he's leaving.

You don't find that suspicious?

Suspicious?

His wife wasn't murdered.
She committed suicide.

You didn't float that crazy
theory about her being afraid

of a TV show,
did you?

The connection between
this man's wife and my brother

appears to be that TV show.

Now, if you press him,
and talk

to him again, maybe
he'll tell you what he knows.

I've already talked to him.

Look, I don't know what
you think you're doing...

I'm trying to find
my missing brother!

You're harassing a man
whose wife just killed herself.

He clearly knows something.

I'm just trying
to find out what that is.

If the man pulled a weapon
on you,

you file a complaint inside,
first floor.

But do not second-guess
my investigation.

Let me do my job.

It might be your best chance
at getting your brother back.

Hope so.

Hello, Kelly.

Billy.

Taking quite the chance
showing yourself here.

I heard about the unfortunate
young man found buried here.

Buried, I understand,
in a most unusual way.

You use this upside-down burial
as an initiation into your cult.

Into my family.

But also as punishment
for betrayal.

How did this man
betray you, Billy?

You look tired.

Has that Captain or yours
been overworking you?

Captain Brazil?

Why did you kill this man?

I don't kill. You know that.

No, you do everything...

intimidations, robberies,
murder... through surrogates.

You know that better
than anyone.

I never committed murder.

But your department
doesn't know

all that you did do for me.

I wonder what
Captain Brazil would think

if he were to find out.

There's no proof
I did anything.

Just as there's no proof

of all the horrible things
you accuse me of.

You see how very alike we are?

Both so clever in how
we keep our darkest secrets.

I know this man betrayed you.

I hope you solve this, Kelly.

And it'd be quite
the feather in your cap.

Do any of them know Nate?

If they do, they're not
saying anything.

Of course,
they could be lying.

Or they could just be fans of
the show who can't let you...

let my paranoia
run wild.

Yeah, easier
said than done.

People say I'm... dangerous.

So I just checked out
Miriam and her husband.

I found Facebook pages,
public records.

He's a long-haul truck driver;
She's a stay-at-home mom.

Or was.

Their only son was killed
in Afghanistan two years ago.

They're members
of the local church.

Miriam has family in Idaho.

They're normal.

Listen, detective Sakelik's
not gonna believe any of this

unless we can get corroboration.

Miriam's husband is
our corroboration.

He's running away.

That's strange.

What?

Miriam's funeral's
scheduled already.

So?

It's this afternoon.

Miriam's friends,
other family.

If her husband doesn't want
to talk, maybe one of them will.

You're thinking
of crashing the funeral?

To get a source,
I've done worse.

You got something?

So, who's this?

E.J., this is Skye.

E.J. and I work
together at the word.

She's our tech person.

Tech person. Nice.

Hi.

Yeah.

You told her
about Nate?

We can trust her.

She's adorable.

She's a kid.

Not that much
of a kid.

I'm just saying.

Where'd you get this thing?

Please tell me
you got something.

I've never seen anything
like it, and I've seen a lot.

I've designed a lot

of my own share of crap
to screw with people

who screw with me.

Meet your new paperweight.

Two minutes
into my scan,

my motherboard just
started to fry,

and I checked this thing
very carefully.

But actually,
I didn't have to worry.

It cleaned itself. It's all
just digital gibberish now.

There's nothing
on it at all?

All the data has been replaced
by some kind of symbol.

What do you mean, symbol?

There are thousands
of micro-images in there.

What is this?

I enlarged one.

Here.

What the hell is this?

That symbol...

has Steven Rae ever
used it on the show?

No, I don't recognize it.

What is Steven like?

I don't know.
Never met him.

You've not seen him around
at the office?

Comes in, but
it's very rare.

Well, he's the writer,
right?

Writes every word
of the show.

Sends us pages
at the production office

at all hours.

Nobody knows where
he's sending them from.

So the show should have
his contact information, right,

his address?

Everything's done
by cell phone and e-mail.

Yeah, I know.

"My soul is bereft
of peace."

"I have forgotten
what happiness is."

"So I say,
'gone is my glory.'"

"the thought of my affliction
and my homelessness

is wormwood and gall."

Where is everybody?

Where is anybody?

"...and is bowed down
within me."

He belonged
to a church.

Certainly somebody
would want to be here.

What about neighbors, friends?

"The steadfast love
of the lord never ceases,"

"his mercies never come
to an end;"

"They are new
every morning;"

"Great is
your faithfulness."

"The lord is good to those
who wait for him,"

"to the soul
that seeks him."

"It is good
that one should wait quietly"

"for the salvation of the lord."

Come on.

I did what you said.
It's all done. Look.

What is she doing here?

Just like you said.

Your wife's suicide put us

in a very difficult position.

Yeah, but just like
you said, though.

What is that?

I don't know.

I mean, she's supposed to be
helping me find my brother.

She is a police detective.

Miriam's husband
handed something to her.

Maybe it was some
sort of evidence.

I mean, she kissed him.

God. And then she said,
"your wife's suicide

put us all
in a difficult position?"

Who in a
difficult position?

Here she is.

Detective
Rosalind Sakelik.

18 years with the LAPD.

Nine commendations.

Three for valor. She's like
some sort of superstar

in the department.
Consults with FBI on cases.

This doesn't make any sense.

All right, so we ask her?

And say what? She
can just deny it.

My name is Billy.

Gee.

There's not a lot online

about Steven Rae,
is there?

I told you,
you'll never get to Steven.

What did you say?

You'll never
get to Steven.

What's the matter?

You know, I appreciate
everything you've done for me.

It's okay.

I want to help if I can.

But I'm just thinking.

When I went to the studio,

asking about Steven Rae...

that's when you first
approached me.

You've been so available
to me through all this.

In fact, almost everything
I know about this show

has come from you.

Jeff, what are you saying?

Your primary message
always seems to be,

"you'll never get
to Steven Rae."

Why are you so anxious
to help me?

You know what?

I really need to know why.

Hey, I haven't asked you
for any explanations.

Washington post.

Lost your job for
lying on a story.

There's no friends or family
to help you find your brother.

That's your world.
I respect that.

Well, I've got my private
world, too, so, let me go.

Yeah, not until you tell me
what you're doing here.

- Really doing here.
- I'm here because I think you can help me.

My mother and I have lived

ten years not knowing
what happened to my father.

You said he disappeared

investigating a story
on union corruption.

No, that was...

The easy explanation
that his bosses gave us, but...

Mom always suspected he was
working on something else.

Something he thought
was very big.

Two months ago, my
father's attorney died,

and a box came.

In it were my father's
work notes.

Most were for news pieces
he'd already done,

but one was a story
he was just beginning.

An investigation
into a little-known TV writer.

A man named Steven Rae.

And there was one word
prominent in his notes.

"Cult."

That was ten years ago.

Steven only created the show
last year.

So your job on the show is...

Yeah, I... I took it

to find out everything I can
about Steven Rae.

To get close
to him somehow.

I need to know

if he had anything to do
with what happened to my father.

I've never told this
to anyone else.

But you told me.

I trust you.

Yeah. E.J.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Slow down.

Slow down. What?

What site?
I need your laptop.

Hang on.

Yeah, I got it.

E.J., you're amazing.

Thank you so much.
Okay, great. Bye.

Okay, so, E.J.'s gonna upload
a map to a shared site.

She thinks she
has a bead...

On the location that Nate
made that phone call from

last night at 11:45.

I mean, that's
four city blocks.

But there's at least
50 businesses there.

I wish we could
take this to the police.

To detective Sakelik?

Until we know
her connection to this,

we can't trust the police.

We're gonna have
to figure out

where Nate made that
phone call from on our own.

You know, this isn't far

from the studio,
actually.

Wait.

What?

I think I know
where this is.

It's a location

that Cult has
already shot at.

Where did I see that?

Nate may have been there before.

I bet that's where he made
the phone call from last night.

Wait. So Cult shot here?

A Billy grimm scene.

Now that's a scene
I'd like to see.

Sorry.

Maybe not.

Now, how could Nate have been
here at 11:45 last night?

Let's go find
the manager.

There's no way Nate could have
been here last night.

I mean, the place had
been closed for hours.

Stop... there.

11:45.

It's Nate.

I mean, if he's
not tied up,

why isn't he trying
to do something?

That's...

It's Miriam's husband.

No.

I've called it in.
Help is coming.

They're getting away.
Damn it, Kelly.

I can't... I can't
stop the bleeding.

You've got
to hang in there with me.

Just leave me, Kelly.

- Look in my eyes.
- Just stay with me.

Stay with me, damn it!

I'm sorry.
May I please stop us here?

Roger, can we just...
Get through this?

Yeah, you're not even
in this scene, Rog.

I've read ahead
to my scene upcoming.

You're the network.

Correct?

I'm actually a person, but yes,

in Marc Segal's absence,
I represent the network.

Well, I've been speaking
with Segal about this

very thing.

As I continue
to embody

this character, put
myself into Billy's skin,

there are ideas
that I'm anxious to incorporate.

And Mark's reaction?

He definitely understood
what I was talking about,

and he was gonna get
into it with Steven,

make sure Steven
was more malleable

about changes in his scripts.

Well, Roger,

once Mark returns,
I'm sure he will follow through

on all that you
and he talked about.

But for now, this is
Steven Rae's show,

and it's everyone's job
here to make it work,

not try to change it.

Yes?

I, of course, can and will

work with the material given.

Shall we proceed?

I'm ready.

Okay, I'm just
gonna take it

from a couple
lines back, okay?

Yeah, yeah.

What if he pulls
the shotgun again?

He was with my brother
after he disappeared.

That bastard's
gonna have to shoot.

He's pulled out.

What are you doing?

He left in a hurry.

Maybe something's still inside.

So you're gonna break in?

My brother could
have been here.

Look, you don't have
to be a part of this.

I mean, you've been
incredible,

but we are definitely
down the rabbit hole here,

and my brother's
disappearance

may have nothing
to do with Steven Rae.

Or it could have everything
to do with him.

I'm not going anywhere.

Look.

The wallpaper
is missing.

That's what
he brought to Sakelik

at the cemetery.

Yeah.

Looks like there was
writing on the wallpaper.

Some of it
bled through.

It's like the writing
in Nate's notebook.

Jeff.

Same as on the disk.

It's that strange symbol.

No, no.

My God.

Who did this to you?

They don't think
they can trust me.

Miriam's suicide spooked them.

They stripped everything
out of here.

No one would've
seen anything.

You were with my brother.

Where is he?
Where is Nate?

I should never have let Miriam
watch the show.

You know, she only watched
to get closer to me.

What did you do
with my brother?!

No! I couldn't help her.

I couldn't help her.

I should've helped her.

It's better this way.

I knew they'd come back.

Who?

Who would come back?

True believers.

True believers?

Do you smell that?

Smells like propane.

They need to finish the job.

Let's go.
No!

Come on!
Hey!

Come on. Come on.

Hey.

These things just
snap right off.

Let's go.

You okay?

Are you?

Here.

You understand what I
want you to do with this?

Make sure it gets into that
girl police detective's hands.

Discreetly.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of
her initiation into the blood.

This is my gift to her.

It will allow her to solve
that murder she's investigating.

Well, solve it in a way
that won't involve us.

But her superiors
will be satisfied.

Knowing Kelly as well as I do,

I can't think of a gift
that she will appreciate more.

I've been checking
the late Los Angeles news feeds.

The trailer fire
is mentioned, but...

It's been tagged a propane leak.

An accident.

One fatality.

We could've stayed,
talked to the police.

And told them what?

There was a bunch of mysterious
writing on the wall,

but it's all ash now?

Right, and their beloved
detective Sakelik

was seen lip-locking the victim
earlier today.

Miriam's husband said the people
after him were true believers.

True believers of what?

I don't know.
I've been surfing around.

I can't find any mention of true
believers related to the show.

Are people really that crazy,
they'd...

Kill because of
a television show?

You know,
Nate said he wanted out.

Is he one of them?

We find these true
believers, we find Nate?

Well, I've decided to keep
my brother's apartment.

Why?

In case somebody comes
looking for him.

In case there's something
hidden here I haven't found.

Hey, are you, are you home?

I'm still at work.

Trying to catch up,

and I'll probably be going
in half an hour.

Listen, just watch yourself when
you're going home tonight, okay?

Okay.

Hey, Josh,
Steven Rae on line 2.

Hey.

How was your day?

Nothing special.

Yeah, ours
was a bear.

And it's not over yet.

Gonna be here late.

So, got us some Cuban.

Know it's your favorite.

That sounds great.

What is this?

Looks like soot.

I haven't the faintest idea.

Probably gonna need
to nuke that.

You're right.

I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry.

No, there's no harm, really.

No harm at all.

You're him, aren't you?

You're Billy grimm.

You know the show?

Are you kidding?

I'm your very
biggest fan.