Dark Angel (2000–2002): Season 2, Episode 9 - Medium Is the Message - full transcript

Huh.

- Virus bitch going down?
- I'm working on it.

Max and Logan getting busy?

I wanna be able to shake his hand
without killing him.

Why do doctors always have
such lousy handwriting?

I paid that Manticore creep five grand
and what do I get?

A bunch of scribblings I can't even read.

Hey! Hey!

Joshua, what are you doing?

Helping.

You wanna help?



Um... get me another pencil.

Pencil!

I've read about your work
and I thought you might be able to help.

A virus.

Genetically targeted
to a specific gene sequence.

Yeah. It's mine actually.

Because someone wanted me dead.

Doctor, please don't hang up. I am not a nut
and I am willing to pay you well. Hello?

Pencil, pencil, pencil...

"Burnt Sienna."

"Chocolate Mousse."

Candy. Trick and treat.

Oh! Uh-oh.

Ahh... oh, pretty wack.



Joshua?

Joshua? You down here?

Pencil.

- What's up, big fella?
- Nothing. No pencil. Not anywhere.

- What's that? Let me see.
- Nothing.

Come on.

- Wow. Did you do that?
- Uh-huh.

- It's good. What is it?
- Father.

Oh, I see the... Guess he was an art fan.

Maybe when Father was mixing you
together, he put Picasso in your DNA.

Picasso in my cocktail...

This is good. A hobby.
Keep you outta trouble.

- Lay low. Dangerous out there.
- That's right.

People afraid of things that are different.

We're not sure if he's specifically purposed
for something or just an experiment.

So... what is it you're meant to be?
Besides ugly?

I'm talking to you.

Sir!

- Are you all right?
- Arrange for transport.

Boys at Forensics have been itching to
take one of these transgenics apart alive.

And they just got their wish.

Yes, sir. This is Carson.
White wants this guy transported ASAP.

Don't shoot!

No!

Never turn your back on them.

They designed her to be the perfect soldier,
a human weapon.

Then she escaped.

In a future not far from now,
in a broken world,

she is haunted by her past.

She cannot run.
She must fight to discover her destiny.

You've reached the
voice mail for Donald Lydecker.

Leave a message. Beep.

Hey, it's me. Haven't gotten one of your
mysterious phone calls in a while.

I was hoping maybe you could hook me up
with one of your doctor friends.

Last one left town in a hurry.

Said your former employers were
looking to terminate his contract.

Anyhow, I'd really like to hear from you.

Here, boy!
Anybody home? Hey.

- Hey. Max had to blaze.
- Oh, that's OK. Actually I came to see you.

I scored a sweet deal on some ham hocks.
My buyer fell through. You want 'em?

Ahh!

I don't have any money.

Oh, that's all right. Take it as an "I'm sorry"
for trying to kill you that one time.

Hey, man, this is nice digs. This is, uh...

Oh wow, this is real nice.

It's mine.

- This could be worth some serious coin.
- It's good?

Oh, yeah. Look at that attention to detail.
You don't see that kind of work any more.

Take it.

No, those ham hocks aren't worth that much.

I want you to.

- Well, all right. Thanks.
- No, wait. Wait.

- Joshua...
- All right.

- OK.
- Enjoy your ham hocks.

Ham hocks. Bye.

- Hey.
- Hey.

I was wondering if I could raid your library.

Go ahead. Listen, I was gonna give you a call.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

- Organic chemistry?
- Bedtime reading.

So what did you wanna talk to me about?

I've been trying to get in touch with Lydecker.

Lydecker? Why?

Last time we talked he said something
about tracking down a lead.

Sounds like him.

I thought it was weird that he never got
back to me so I did some checking around.

Police pulled an SUV
from the river about a month ago.

The plates were registered to Lydecker
through a holding company.

- He's dead?
- Well, they never found the body.

Police say no one could've survived.

- They don't know Lydecker.
- You sound almost hopeful.

You spend ten years of your life running
from someone, you kinda miss 'em.

- At least you still have White.
- Good old Ames.

Somehow it's not the same with him.

Anyway, I had Matt Sung pull
the police report. Check it out.

Some pictures they found near
Lydecker's car. Looks like a dig site.

I figure I'll run them through
a few archaeological databases.

- Might as well.
- Anyway, I gotta go see somebody.

Business or pleasure?

A woman contacted Eyes Only.

Her son was kidnapped. Six years old.

Sucks. Didn't know Eyes Only
did missing persons.

She reached out through an informant
I've known for a long time.

Police have dead-ended.
The Olsens are desperate.

Her husband's a big-time ad exec.

She's offered to make a donation to the
"Streaming Freedom Video Foundation".

- Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
- Hey, even Eyes Only's got to pay the bills.

I like it.

Great. Let me just get
this outta the way for ya.

Yes, please do. It's hideous. Astounding.

- Look at the use of colour.
- Gold? My favourite.

Well, some gold, yes,

but it's the broad strokes
of cerulean and crimson

commingled with found objects
and palimpsests

that make this work of art so unique
and exciting. Don't you agree?

- Oh, yeah.
- I'll give you six grand.

Six grand?

Fine. Seven. Agents.

Enzo! Draw 7,000 from the safe
and lock this up.

No, on second thought, you leave it here.

I want to bask in its organic energy.

Feast my eyes on its heroically
gargantuan impasto strokes.

Grab some beer and some ham hocks,
you got yourself a party.

I must meet this artist.

I must meet... Joshua.

- Hello, little boy?
- Yeah, yeah.

He's... he's shy.

Listen, my clients don't just want
pictures to hang on their walls.

They want the opportunity
to engage with the artist,

to interact with minds more
creatively fertile than their own.

Well, what can I say?
He's fertile, but he's... he's a homebody.

Well, at least tell me he's prolific.

Thank you.

Oh yeah, yeah,
he's painting night and day.

Can't get enough palimpsests
and cerulean paint

to keep up with his bursting organic energy.

That's it, Josh, that's it. Get ready.
Show me what you got.

Beautiful! Beautiful!
Hit it up on the left corner there.

It looks great. Show me what you got.
Be one with the paint.

- She liked it?
- You know what she loved? The colour.

There you go. Toss it on there.

Oh! Ooh, ooh, you know what? The big
gargantuan impasto strokes... loved 'em.

Get crazy. Go on. Do it up, do it up!

Get crazy, Joshua! Get crazy!

Oh, it's pretty! It's pretty! Hit it!

Oh, it's beautiful.

- Joshua...
- What's the matter, Josh?

...has a new face.

- Oh, yeah?
- My work is my face, Alec!

Yes. OK. You know what she liked?

She liked the palimpsests,
the papers that are written on.

These are the ones right here.
Ooh! These are great.

Here we go. These are winners.
Look at that. What do you got for me?

What do you got for me? What do you
got for me? I need some help. Help me!

Joshua! Joshua! Joshua!

I got a headache.

They took him in the middle of the night.
Right out of his room.

We didn't hear a thing.

- The police find any forensic evidence?
- Nothing.

They think it was a professional job. We
have a video security system in the house.

It caught a glimpse of someone,
but nothing we can make out.

- I'd like to see it.
- There's a copy of it in here.

Who could have done this? We're not
anybody important. We're new to Seattle.

You haven't heard anything
from the kidnappers, no ransom note?

OK. I may need to come by the house,
take a look around myself.

It'll have to be during the day
when my husband's at work.

He doesn't know that I'm here.

The truth is, he doesn't
care much for Eyes Only.

He thinks what you people do is subversive.

It's OK.

I tried to dig up anything
that would be of use to you.

Birth certificate, medical files,
school records.

He's such a smart little boy.

He won a spelling contest when
he was four. Can you believe it?

- The word was "chasm".
- I can't even spell that.

That's him when he was three.

He's a good-looking boy.

We, uh...

Iost our first two at childbirth.

He's our whole world. Our miracle.

I don't understand.
On the birth certificate it says...

Oh, yeah, that...
I go by my maiden name, Olsen.

Ray goes by my husband's
last name, which is White.

- Ames White?
- That's us.

Happier times.

Please find him. Find our son.

Said she loved it even more than the first.

Said she wants to get together and discuss
your blossoming artistic sensibility.

Here you go.

- Rita wants to meet me?
- Yeah, you did pretty well, huh?

Joshua wants to meet Rita.
Discuss my blossoming.

- Bad idea.
- Good idea. Good for my career.

Look, Josh, you're a great artist... apparently.

But you're also, to be frank, a dog-boy.

Listen to me.

One look at you and your benefactress
is gonna go running in fear for her life.

That's gonna cut a blossoming
career off at it's knees.

Not to mention future sales.

People afraid of things that are different.

What are you gonna do? Come on. Show
me some of that bursting organic energy.

Josh, don't be like that, come on.

Good morning, Joshua.
What are you doing here?

- Paying a visit to the artist-in-residence.
- Uh-huh.

I just stopped by to grab my papers.

Focus, focus.

- That's weird. They were right here.
- What'd they look like?

White grid paper with scribblings all over it.

- Palimpsests.
- Huh?

Uh... pal upset? Pal upset. He's just
worried about you, that's all, the big lug.

- Maybe they're down in the basement.
- Yeah.

It's Logan.

That's important. Why don't
you find out what that's about.

Michelangelo and I will find your papers.

OK.

They gotta be around here somewhere, right?

Gotta help find virus bitch papers!

OK, OK.

Easy, easy, Josh.

- It's him.
- So what do you think?

- Bad things happen to bad people, too.
- She's not a bad person.

- Married to him, isn't she?
- She doesn't know what he does.

She doesn't see the blood on his shirts?

If she knew, she wouldn't
have come to Eyes Only.

She's scared, Max.
She's desperate to get her son back.

Well, maybe if White wasn't so busy
trying to kill me and mine,

he could do something about it.

- You got that look.
- What look?

Like you know more
and you're gonna tell me.

From the Whites' security system.
Feed from the camera covering the backyard.

Whoever took the boy must've spotted
the cameras, figured if they timed it,

they could get in without being seen.
What they didn't figure on was this.

- White's bad taste in landscaping?
- Hang on.

I can correct for the spherical distortion.

There.

Transgenics.

My guess is they couldn't get to White,
so they went after his kid as payback.

White brought it on himself.

Yeah, but the boy's innocent.
He can't help who his father is.

I'm not asking you to get involved.
I wanted you to know what was going on.

Wendy could be the next target. I'm gonna
warn her and help her get her son back.

- How?
- You see this?

- What is it?
- Some kind of badge or ID.

I'm running the image
through an enhancement filter.

With any luck, it will clear up
enough to be readable.

In the meantime, I'm gonna go see Wendy

before the man of the house
comes home for dinner.

- I'm coming with you.
- You don't have to.

Yes, I do. Otherwise I'm no better than he is.

- You gotta be kidding.
- Alec, I'm so glad you dropped by.

I have something to show you. Joshua
has been reviewed in the Artist's Weekly.

"A staggering work of raw genius."

"'Joshua number one' gives voice
to the angst of expressionism,

while revelling in its spectacular ambiguity."

"The medium is truly the message."

That about sums it up.
Rita, about "number two"...

When they view it, I have...

Rita, we're gonna need
"Joshua number two" back.

Well, I'm afraid that's not possible.

- You sold it?
- No, no, it's part of my private collection.

Oh. Well, it's at the artist's request.

He, uh... It has sentimental value, you know?

- Yeah, it should be all there.
- I couldn't bear to part with it.

Perhaps if the artist would explain in person...

That's not possible.

Listen, Rita...

What's it gonna take
to get that painting back?

Two more?

Straight trade. Said she'd
give us the other one back.

Come on, come on. Burn daylight now.
Start flinging fuchsia, huh?

Can't paint. What about Max?

You wanna help Max? Get your
ass in gear. I'll get you started.

What do we need? A little paint?
Is that it? This has gotta work. Ahh.

See, it's all in the wrist.

Good.

Genetic engineering?
Government cover-up?

I mean, even if any of this was true,
Ames has nothing to do with it.

He's been lying to you.
He's not who he claims to be.

- I don't believe you.
- I'm sorry, but it's true.

They took your son to hurt your husband
because he hurt them.

My husband is a good man.

- He put your son in danger.
- No.

And as long as you stay here,
you're in danger, too.

Get out. Both of you.

- We just want to help you.
- Ames loves me. He loves Ray. He...

Wonders what the hell
you're doing here... 452.

Don't even think about it. On your knees.
Do it now, both of you.

- Ames, what's going on?
- They didn't hurt you, did they?

- Ames?
- What are you doing here?

- I was about to ask you the same question.
- What the hell are you doing in my house?!

You're supposed to be at work,
you know, killing people.

It's not true. Tell me none of it's true.

- What did they tell you?
- Well, that you... that Ray...

You've known all along, haven't you?

You knew that these transgenics
took our son and you never told me?

Ames!

- You son of a bitch!
- You animals took my son!

I should take you out, break your miserable
neck and pretend you never existed!

But I'm not that kind of animal.

- Ames, oh, God...
- I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

Let's get out of here.

Wait.

We've got a lead on who took your son.
We can find him for you.

You'd do that? Why?

I'm not doing it for you.

You deserve whatever pain life gives,
but your wife and son don't.

They shouldn't have to suffer for
what you've done. We'll keep in touch.

No. No, there's no passion here.
The contextualisation is poor.

The juxtapositions are haphazard
and without focus.

- They look just like the other ones.
- What?

These two canvases together could
never equal the power and majesty

of "Joshua number two".

No, this happens sometimes.
An artist burns bright for an instant,

then extinguishes like
a scrape of phosphorous.

We'll call it his blue period.
It'll be worth a fortune.

You know, if I could only talk to him,

I might be able to help him
find his muse again.

That's not gonna happen.

Then I'm afraid the deal's off.

Can't quite make it out yet,
but it shouldn't be too much longer.

- You OK?
- Just thinkin'.

I don't know what I was expecting
to see when we went there.

It wasn't the Hallmark card house or the
pictures or the barbecue in the backyard.

It all seemed so normal.

We dropped a pretty big bomb
over there today.

I'm guessing things won't be
so normal any more.

But who knows?

Maybe you doing this will
force White to get his head on straight.

- Make him feel different about his calling.
- You're the eternal optimist, aren't you?

- That's my nature.
- Yeah.

Well, where White's nature is concerned,
I wouldn't count on it.

Lost Max's papers. Lost my muse.

Lost everything.

No, Josh, you're career's not over, OK?

Let me give you a little advice
from my brief sojourn in the art scene.

It's all about supply and demand.
Rare doesn't just apply to meat, my friend.

Look, you need to kick back, you know?

You need to kick back,
stop painting, make 'em wait.

They'll be bustin' down
your door for a "Joshua".

No, no, no, no, no. Virus bitch going down.

I need to get "Joshua number two" back.

Steal it.

Steal it. Yeah.

Can we crack a window? The paint fumes
are turning your brain into oatmeal.

- Sneak, sniff, steal it! Huh?
- Listen to me, listen to me, OK?

If we jack that painting,
Rita's gonna know it was us.

OK? That's a career-ender. Not the plan.

Ahh...

When we sell paintings,
you can get Max a new doctor.

You can buy her a whole hospital.
Just tell her you lost the papers.

I don't know, tell her your dog ate 'em.
Tell her you ate 'em.

Max will get over it, all right?
You know why?

Because underneath that sadomasochistic
leather and tough image, she's a big softy.

- Huh.
- Joshua?

OK, I gotta go.

What's up, big fella?

Uh...

Any luck finding my papers?

I'll take that as a no.

- Alec sold my paintings and...
- Your paintings?

- Yeah, they rocked... for a while.
- Wow, that's great!

Max and Joshua have to talk
about paintings now.

Oh. Hold on.

- Yeah?
- Max, got the whole image completed.

It's an ID badge for an outfit called
RCF Environmental Clean-up and Disposal.

Got an address for a site they're
working on downtown: 5th and Grand.

Got it.

I gotta go. We can talk later, I promise.

It's OK. I'm Manticore. X5-452.

I know you took White's kid.
I saw the surveillance footage.

I don't like the guy myself, but you can't
just go around grabbing people's kids.

Let me guess. You're with him.

Who the hell are you people?!

There's some pictures
they found near Lydecker's car.

Looks like some kind of dig site.

The Manticore symbol.

They didn't have bar codes. They fought
differently. They're not transgenics.

- I couldn't hurt them. How strange is that?
- It got more strange.

The place you found is a Kiloma
burial ground from the early 1800s.

- Why was the Manticore symbol there?
- Good question.

Found another one in a Mesopotamian
burial chamber, 5000 BC.

Another one in an Andean tomb
in Atacama, Chile, 2000 BC.

Second-century Etruscan catacombs,
seventh-century Northumbrian Celtics,

- Like a virus down through history.
- What does it mean?

All I can figure is that Manticore
or some precursor

has been around longer than we realised.

They weren't doing genetic engineering
in Mesopotamia. Didn't have the hardware.

Maybe not. But you just
got your ass handed to you

by a couple of guys hanging
around an Indian burial site.

What's Lydecker's connection to this?

I don't know. He had pictures from the
place the kidnappers were holding the kid.

- You don't think he's behind all this?
- We don't even know if he's still alive.

I've been trying to hack into his voice mail.
Maybe something'll turn up.

In the meantime...
I'm gonna pay White a surprise visit.

Could be he knows
a lot more than he's telling.

- You scared me.
- I'm sorry.

I didn't hear you come in.

Wendy...

I better get that.

Hello? Yes? My son. Who is this?

Ames, is it Ray?
Don't make them mad! Don't...

How much do you want?

How do we even know he's alive?

- Ray?
- Oh!

- Ray?
- Honey, it's Mommy!

Don't worry, pal, we're coming.

Hello? Hello?

Yes.

Yes.

We'll be there.

- Should we call the police?
- No, they said to come alone.

If we don't... they'll kill him.

Wen... you know I love you, right?

I know.

- What's up?
- Where are you?

I followed 'em. They left the house.
I think they're gonna meet the kidnappers.

I got into Lydecker's voice mail. There's
a message there from some archaeologist.

Something's wrong. Where are they?

They're not coming.

What do you mean? How do you know?

- I staged this whole thing.
- What? You did this?

- Where's Ray? I want my son!
- He's not your son any more.

There was genetic breeding going on.
Women were forced to have children.

You were chosen for me.
The earlier ones did the smart thing

and they got rid of the
breeding host right away.

I made one mistake.

- I fell in love with you.
- Oh, no...

But you... you just couldn't
leave things alone.

When I had Ray taken, you couldn't accept it.

You had to go out and find him on your own.

Always in threes.
They kill the first two newborns.

Max, the Whites had
two miscarriages before Ray.

I didn't want it to end like this,
but now I don't have a choice.

As far as the police'll be concerned,

we came to meet the men who took our son.

They double-crossed us and you were killed.

At the end, they kill the mother.

I took a bullet myself.

- What are you?
- I am the future.

Goodbye, my love.

Haven't you done enough?

Surprised? You think you and your
little Manticore progeny are special?

Transgenic scum!

You think those geeks with their
chemistry sets and their gene banks

have their greasy little paws in the future?

- You don't know what you're up against.
- I should've cancelled your ass.

You couldn't because you're too weak.

Pain is a phantom of the mind.

Hold it right there!

That's an expensive and important
piece you've got there, Mister.

I know.

Joshua? Is that you?

My painting. "Joshua number two."

I told your representative
you could have the painting

if you'd just ask for it in person.

Here I am. In person. Give it back.

Yeah, but can't I see you?

Uh...

Sorry.

Joshua, just let me see you,
and you can take the painting back,

and I'll square it with the cops.

- Cops?
- Yeah, you tripped the alarm.

- They're on their way.
- Oh, very wack.

Joshua, it doesn't matter
to me what you look like.

No. Screaming. Running for your life!

Joshua... it doesn't matter.

I promise you.

It all makes sense now.

Your work, your early paintings...

They were the expressions of an artist
literally seeing the world for the first time.

A joyous celebration of life and freedom.

But now you've realised you can't
be a part of this world. Not really.

People afraid of what they don't understand.

You're too good for us, Joshua.

Paint for yourself. Create because
that's what your soul does to survive.

But don't do it for us.
We don't deserve you.

- You're special.
- Special. First.

You are...

the one and only...

Joshua.

She's not safe.
We have to get her out of town.

What about White?

I called Matt Sung.
Had him check out the house.

Big surprise. No sign of him.

So he goes back to his government job

for the secret government agency
nobody's ever heard of. Untouchable.

This group he's involved with
knows how to cover their tracks.

They've had practice. They've been
doing it for a couple of thousand years.

Question is...

What's this breeding programme
all about and who's behind it?

And what do they want with Ray?

- Did I do good?
- You did real good, Ray. Real good.

- Your mom didn't suspect a thing.
- I wish she would understand.

Me too. But it had to be this way.

It's time for you to be
with other people like us.

- Will you come visit?
- When the time comes.

I love you.

And I'll think about you all the time.

You be good now.