Extant (2014–2015): Season 2, Episode 3 - Empathy for the Devil - full transcript

My name is Molly Woods.
I'm an astronaut.

My husband John,
a robotics engineer,

created a lifelike robot
called a Humanich.

We adopted the prototype
as our son. His name is Ethan.

Everything changed
when I went to space

on a 13-month solo mission.

I didn't come home alone.

- I'm pregnant.
- How is that even possible?

The child, part human, part alien,

was unlike anything
the world had ever seen.

How did you get so big so fast?



And he was dangerous.

- Eventually...
- Run!

...I lost both of my sons.

- Ethan!
- Mom!

And my husband.

Some people say I've gone crazy.

This is a cover-up!
That's what this is!

Get your hands off of me!

I say there's more to the story.

It's up to me to find the truth

before it's too late.

Previously on Extant:

This isn't a murder investigation.
It's an invasion.

We thought he was dead
but we were wrong.



We've used an accelerated
aging program

to create an image
of what he looks like now.

Unh! I think I'm going crazy.

I'm blacking out
and I'm ending up in places

and I have no idea how I got there.

- Get dressed!
- You're not my mom!

If you cannot get him under control,
we will give him to someone who can.

Okay, I can reprogram him.

- Good night, Rabbit.
- Good night, Mom.

We would like
this new breed of Humanichs

to be stronger than we are.

- Let go!
- Taylor recommended a drone strike.

Give me eyes on the target.

- There's Molly Woods.
- Stop!

Sir, what do we do?

Launch.

Some things are better left alone!
That's all I'm saying.

Analog audio technology
was developed at a time

when people cared
about warmth and depth.

It came of age when music
defined people's lives

and foreshadowed the alienation
of modern man.

Something must be
pretty special here.

They're sending in the spooks
to pick him up in the morning.

I got something more
mellow right here.

This is a classic.

- You like sad songs?
- I work in a morgue, don't I?

Here, take that off.

Oh, dude...

Just put your eye up
here for the key scan

and it's all yours, Mrs. Nelson.

This matter is, well, uh, delicate.

Isn't it always?

Oh, I should've known
you'd laugh at me.

Pull yourself together.
I can't stand...

AG5, an asteroid 140 meters wide...

American West.
A lone coyote hunts for prey.

What you want with her?

Is this seat taken?

It is now.

Drone on final approach.
Icarian-4, inbound 90 seconds.

You haven't told me your name.

Ahdu.

That's beautiful.

I'm Molly.

It's good to see you, Molly.

Have we met before?

It's a small universe.

We've lost visual, sir.

I need eyes.
Get me that picture back.

Working on it, sir.

Seems to be some sort of
interference.

Maybe we should go somewhere
a little more quiet?

Lead the way.

Come here.

Just when I thought we had
something special going on.

Hey, Molly.

You move, I shoot your kneecap off.

You think I was gonna let you
get away from me twice?

Now, the way I got it figured,
you either really needed to get laid

or you know who the killer is.
Hell, maybe you're in on it.

- Put the gun down.
- I don't think so.

Oh, my God. It's you.

But how could this be possible?

Oh, no, no, no!
Don't, don't hurt him!

Stop it! Stop it!

Right now.

- What is that sound?
- Down!

Are you okay?

- Where is he?
- Unh. Who is he?

My son.

Don't move!
Put your hands in the air!

- Right now.
- Clear the area.

Sir, we have Dr. Woods.

You've got an artifact in her scanning
process that's generating noise.

It's just a simple question
of turning down the volume. Cool?

- Problems?
- Problems are just possibilities.

Hey, Mom.
Can you come help me with this?

I'll be right there, Rabbit.

The ethical adapter's installed.

You got a second adapter
you can install on yourself, Mom?

That's not fair, Charlie.

You think I wanted to
wipe his memories of Molly?

He was in a lot of pain.
I did what I had to do.

So lay off, please.

Let's get this show started, shall we?

Let's try this again, Mr. Richter.

You took Molly Woods
from RestWell Recovery Center

with a fake court order.

So, what do you know about the man
Molly Woods was with in the bar?

The first I've ever seen of him.

What were you doing with her?

I'm just a cop working a homicide.

You were in Second K.

- Good for you. You can read.
- Didn't do too well there.

- I have a problem with authority.
- Apparently.

Dishonorable discharge
two months in.

I also have a problem with innocent
people dying in pointless wars.

This spray induces the feeling
of three days' sleep-deprivation.

So, what is your association
with Molly Woods?

I'm just a cop on a case.

What were you doing outside
that bar?

Cop on a case.

What was Molly Woods
doing there?

You're gonna bruise.
Bones in the hand, there's no cushion.

You're holding back information
that could save innocent lives.

Now, what did Molly Woods tell you
about the man in that bar?

Bone bruises are the worst.

- Oh, that sucks.
- Now, you think you can help me out?

Yeah, I totally would
except for now I'm too tired to talk.

Sweet dreams, Mr. Richter.

You won't be smiling for long.

Who is JD Richter to you?

Okay. You were in that bar. Why?

Was it a prearranged meeting?

The fruit.

That's how it starts.

Are you trying to remind me
of spring?

Better days, blue skies.

Skies you took away?

Because in space,
we didn't have fruit.

We only had these little
blue, green and yellow pills.

They tasted like fruit.

But they weren't fruit.

Mm.

Dr. Woods, this can go on another
few hours or you can cooperate.

I will cooperate.

As soon as those cowards
come out from behind that glass

and answer my questions.

Like how come they decided to
blow up a bar full of innocent people?

Do you have the balls
to come from behind there

and tell me to my face?

Whoever you are?

Toby, what good can come
from going in there?

More than you think.

- Toby.
- Hello, Molly.

You son of a bitch!
How could you do this...

Stand down.

- A.I., privacy mode.
- Privacy Mode engaged.

I'd like a word with Dr. Woods.
Alone.

If I were you, I wouldn't be alone
with me right now.

Here we go.
Four, three, two, one.

Hi, Lucy.

Sorry about the hand.
Must've really hurt.

Lucy.

- Do you know who I am?
- Yes, ma'am.

You're Anna Schaefer.

You're in charge of the program
for which I am the prototype.

Your image is one of 923
million memory implants

that have been encoded
onto my neural net.

Very good.

Can I see myself?

Uh, sure.

Huh?

Ethan. This is Lucy.

Lucy, Ethan.

I already know her.
I just don't know her in this body.

Hi, Ethan.
Still playing Space Battle?

I leveled out. Now I'm more into
Robotrap and Spherical Chess.

- Want to come see it?
- I have a good chess program.

Come on.

Lovely.

When can she perform
her field test?

We have to run
through her protocols first.

She wasn't able to learn by
experience like Ethan did.

So we've incorporated an
empathic response algorithm,

an ethical adapter.

It's designed to mimic
human complexity

when it comes to moral decisions.

You do know what we're fighting here?

- An alien life form.
- Of course.

A hybrid's resting body
temperature is 84 degrees.

And Lucy can detect that from
a distance of up to 100 feet.

Her wiring makes her immune
to their screening capabilities.

Her human appearance allows her
able to blend in with a crowd.

Correct. She can identify,
get close, then terminate.

I still have no idea where ethics
comes into play here.

For morally ambiguous situations

that involve more than shoot or don't
shoot. To reduce human casualties.

Fine. Let's see how she performs
on her protocols.

Of course.

Are you trying to get yourself
thrown off this project?

- She's our boss.
- Doesn't mean I have to like her.

When I asked you
to adjust your testimony to congress,

I swear I thought he was dead.

Adjust my testimony?

Whose testimony did you adjust
to get me committed?

I had nothing to do with that.

So you don't think I'm crazy?

You were distraught, rightfully,

but your brain scans
showed abnormalities.

Whether that was the radiation,
I don't know.

But your behavior was erratic, Molly.
You can't deny it.

Oh, I'll show you erratic,
you keep lying.

We had the boy's body
in the morgue.

It was in some sort of stasis.
Like an insect, in a larval state.

Then the larvae emerged
and we lost him, Mo].

All we had was the shell
he left behind.

Now, we knew he grew
at an accelerated rate.

We did age projections,
computer extrapolations.

And then...

- You found him.
- Yeah.

And you.

What were you doing
in that bar, Molly?

Did you arrange the meeting?

I had no idea he was at that bar.

In my business,
there's no such thing as coincidence.

You think I'm lying?

I only lie, Toby,
when my country asks me to.

- I thought you were my friend.
- I am.

Really?

Well, you're my first
friend that ever tried

to blow me up in a drone strike.

I had to make that call.

You, more than anyone,
know what we're up against here.

Which makes you an asset.

Okay.

Well, if you want me to help you,
then you better tell me everything.

There are 29
known deaths in the United States

in the last six months.

All women who died
from accelerated pregnancies.

All of which trace back to the target.

Your son.

Show me the projections.

In six weeks, this many deaths.

In six months...

And for each one of them, a birth.

And what happens to these babies?

Who knows what's out there now.

We've tried to stop him.
But you know the scenario.

When my people get close,
something happens.

Yeah, they turn on each other.

We can't get close.

But now we know that you can.

He trusts you, Molly.

We're running out of options here.

Help us.

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse,
for he was always truthful.

"When you are real,
you don't mind being hurt."

It's an exciting day,
meeting Lucy.

I like having a sister. She's fun.

- She says she's going to be a soldier.
- Yeah, she is.

Am I going be a soldier too?

You have to grow up first.

- But you weren't built to be a soldier.
- What was I built for?

To be you. To be Ethan.

Good night, Rabbit. Sweet dreams.

Ethan.

Ethan? Are you all right?

Ethan. Are you all right?

Yeah, Mom. I'm all right.

Okay. I'll see you
in the morning, then.

You are putting our fate in the hands
of a woman of questionable stability.

Who happens to be
our best hope right now.

We've tried drones,
we've tried SEALs.

Sometimes the lone assassin
is more effective than ten battalions.

Yes, if that assassin
can get the job done.

A gun is much more powerful
than you.

The only part you control
is pulling the trigger.

Do it right, nothing else moves.
Eye on the target,

feel your finger moving smoothly...

Just make sure you don't set
your sights on the wrong target.

Got it.

Nice shot. You sure
you haven't done this before?

When I set my sights
on a target, I nail it.

I'm gonna present
you with a series of statements.

I want you to tell me
whether you agree or disagree.

I want you to answer truthfully,

not how you think
I want you to answer, okay?

It would be inappropriate
to cheat on an exam,

even if it meant I would
get a better grade.

Agree.

If I caught someone
stealing from a bank,

- I should call the police.
- Agree.

You're with a group
of people exploring a cave.

One of them is pregnant.

She gets stuck in
the mouth of the cave.

You're running out of oxygen.
You have a stick of dynamite.

If you use it,
the woman will be killed.

If you don't use it,
everyone else will suffocate.

You should use the dynamite.

Pregnant woman in a cave.
Wedged in the exit.

Lucy, here's a better one.

You are a soldier assigned
to kill a terrorist

responsible for thousands of deaths.

You have eyes on your target
but he's taken refuge in a school,

and is surrounded by small children.

You should blow up the school,
killing the children.

Agree.

Thank you, Lucy.

Killing a bunch of school children.
She didn't even flinch.

She made the tough call,
quickly and efficiently.

Those are the calls
she'll need to make in the field.

We shouldn't shy away from them.

She would have
made the tough call to launch nukes

in the Cuban Missile Crisis,
without blinking an eye sensor.

I don't have the luxury
of discussing battlefield ethics,

as I have two colonels and a senator
breathing down my neck.

Now, they would like to know

what all their research money
has amounted to.

So we're gonna do a bit
of a bot and pony show.

Buy Lucy something nice to wear.

And congratulations.
She is spectacular.

Charlie, we can fix this,
tweak the algorithms.

Keep telling yourself that.

I'm General Tobias Shepherd.

Yeah, I know who you are, general.

I'm familiar with your work.

Second K, right?

Second Kuwait War, yes.

But you and I had very
different wars, Mr. Richter.

I'll say we did.

So I see you've just kept
on doing what you do.

Your case has been officially closed
so you're all done here.

Damn it.

Just when I was starting
to enjoy the amenities.

Go home, Mr. Richter.
Go quietly about your life.

And if you're quiet enough,
maybe I won't hear you.

Funny. You know, that is exactly
what my C.O. told me

when he handed
me my discharge papers.

Should have listened.

Listening to bullies
isn't my strong suit.

Hey, general?

What have you done
with Molly Woods?

I recommend that you leave here,
forget you ever met Dr. Woods.

And that is a strong
recommendation.

- Which one do you prefer?
- I don't know.

- Can I try on both?
- Sure.

There's a mirror over there
if you want to see how you look.

It's kind of nice having
another female around.

It can get pretty man-cave
when Charlie and Ethan get together.

How about this one?

- Where did you get that?
- Your closet. Why?

Because it wasn't an option.

Sorry, I just thought,
you have a closet full of things.

It's nice, but it's inappropriate.

You need to wear
something professional.

- This isn't professional?
- Heh.

No.

Why don't you just go
put on the blue one?

I love the tapioca balls.

Oh, dude, you got to
love the tapioca balls.

I wish Lucy could taste them.

- We can get her one if you want.
- Okay.

This one is for you.

Ethan?

- Ethan?
- This one is for you.

- You okay, bud?
- Ethan!

Ethan?

Ethan? Ethan?

Hey, buddy? Hey.

Charlie, who's Molly?

Do you like my outfit?

I don't know a lot
about girls' clothes.

If you don't like it,
you can print clothes right here.

- Really?
- Julie does it all the time.

She printed me this T-shirt.

That's pretty cool.

- You pick the design?
- Yeah, of course.

Check.

- Checkmate.
- You're good.

I told him he must have seen
her face on TV or something

but I think he still may be glitchy.

I took care of the
immediate memory stammer.

You deleted the memory?

Julie, Ethan knows
something's going on here.

These glitches, I don't know
if I can fix what you've done.

Charlie, he was about to kill himself.

Look at him.
Glitches and all, he's happy.

- You can't argue with that.
- Seems like we keep making excuses

for ethically-ambiguous choices here,
don't you think?

- What are you saying?
- I'm saying

I've got my own ethical adapter

and its little alarm bells keep going off,
over and over again.

Sometimes you have to make choices
for the greater good, Charlie.

The greater good?
Julie, you wiped Ethan's memory.

Lucy's killing school children
without even hesitating.

Now you're letting her bond
with Ethan. It's like...

If you have a problem
with the way I run this operation,

you can go find yourself another job.

I promised Ethan I'd stay.

I wanted to stay for you too
because I cared about you.

You were kind, you were brilliant.
You were so damn perfect,

I couldn't even tell you
how I felt about you.

But now, I can say it to your face,

because you're not that person
anymore.

We know he'll seek you out.

We're running facial recognition

against his image with
every surveillance camera

within a thousand-mile radius.

The moment we know
he's coming, you'll know.

- Meantime, go home and wait.
- What about RestWell?

- I made that go away.
- And JD Richter?

Did you make that go away too?
Because this was his case.

Not anymore.

We need to keep the circle
tight to get the job done.

Yeah. I understand.

Molly, that call, the drone,

it was the hardest thing I ever had
to do. I just want you to know that.

Sir?
They're asking for us in Surveillance.

Thank you, Shayna.
I'll be right there.

You be ready for my call.

You keep your phone on you
and the gun.

Molly...

I need to know
when the time comes,

you'll be able to pull that trigger.

We'll find out, won't we?

I remember the arguments when
we introduced the self-driving car.

It was so hard to convince people

that the most dangerous factor
on the road was human error.

The same can be said
of the battlefield, which is why

what we have here
is so extraordinary.

And here we have
the woman of the hour.

One of them anyway. Julie Gelineau,
this is Senator Blake Stone.

We have Colonels Davis
and Cramer

and Gianna Pelton
from Yolodyne.

Julie here has done incredible work
under incredible pressure.

So where is she?

Lucy's getting ready.
She'll be out in a minute.

Ladies and gentlemen,

may I present Lucy,
the future of Humanichs.

What's up, bud?

You want straight Scotch
or gin and tonic?

Ginger ale.

Ginger ale's more your speed, I think.

Did you steal
that dress from my closet?

No. I printed it out.

Ethan showed me how.
Is there something wrong?

I specifically told you
it was inappropriate.

My people are blown away.

They can't believe
how human she feels.

We all agree we'd like to see
a field test right away.

I assured them
that there wouldn't be a problem.

- I'll tell Charlie.

Julie, congratulations.

You and Charlie have
really outdone yourselves.

Hey. Nice dress.

- You made quite the entrance.
- Well, I think Julie's mad at me.

Oh, well, that won't last long.

- I think you look pretty.
- Thanks.

They said I'm ready for the field.
I want to learn, Charlie.

I want to get all
of the answers right.

What's up, doc?

- You know how to use that thing?
- You want to find out?

Why don't you do us both a favor
and put that down.

Nope. Not just yet.

What can I do for you?

What can you do for me?

I was just interrogated

and roughed up
by some government spooks.

Kind of thought maybe
the same thing had happened to you,

and I was worried.
But now that I see you,

well, you look positively glowing.

So, what I'm wondering
is why some people get the Shinola

and other people get the...

All right, look, you stepped
in this mess all by yourself.

You know what I suggest you do?

Clean off your boots
and find yourself another case.

You know, I would take that advice.
I really would.

The problem is,
Big Brother not only took my case

but he also took my license.

- Really?
- Really.

I'm so sorry.

Sorry doesn't keep me in beer
and cowboy boots.

You sort of buried
the lead there, Molly.

You failed to mention that we were
looking for your 30-year-old son.

Which, by the way,
how is that even possible?

- It's complicated.
- Here's what I know.

I'm outside a bar talking
to you and your son,

and the next thing I know
I'm back in Kuwait,

watching my company
drop to friendly fire.

And when I wake up,
I'm holding a gun to my head.

Let's just say
my mind has been expanded

by my evening spent in Oz.

So, Molly,
if you want to claim flying monkeys,

I'm listening.

Good night, Charlie.

Thanks for coming over.

Ethan likes it
when you put him to bed.

I like putting him to bed.

Congratulations
on a successful night.

Thanks. You too.

All right, I should go.

Charlie, did you
mean all those things

that you said?

The good, the bad, and the ugly.

I was angry.

I mean, I said things I regret.

But, um, I thought a lot about what you
said about me quitting

- and if you think that's for the best...
- No, I didn't mean any of those things.

Don't leave Ethan.

Or me.

Why not?

All right, let me...
Let me get this straight.

You're saying that you went
to space alone for 13 months

- and you came back pregnant.
- Yes.

And they took my baby
from me prematurely.

He had accelerated growth.

But I really thought he was dead.

And now your grown half-alien son
is our perp.

He's getting these women pregnant,
which is, in fact, killing them.

Yes.

You're right.

You're right. My mind is blown.

Now I need a drink. Or ten.

You want one?

Uh, no. JD, I'm really sorry you
got involved in all this

- but you're gonna have to go now.
- What are you talking about?

You just told me we're in
the midst of an alien invasion

and I actually believe you.

If ever there was time
for a drink, it's now.

Hey. Hey, are you all right?

You're gonna have to go now.

No. No, I'm not gonna go.

- We're not done here.
- Yes, we are.

Whoa, whoa.

Hey, hey. I liked it a lot better
when that was on the table.

Get out of my apartment, right now.

Go!

Nice knowing you, Molly.

System on battery backup power.

Sir, there's some sort of surge.
The whole neighborhood's gone dark.

Twenty blocks, a blackout.

Molly Woods' apartment
is dead center.

He's there.

- Toby, he's coming for me.
- I know.

You asked me
if I could pull the trigger.

But I don't know if I can.

Molly, you know
what's at stake here.

It's the right thing.
It's the only thing to do.

I know.

But he's my son.

Molly. Molly!

Hello, Mother.

Is that what you want, to kill me?

What I want is to know what the hell
is going on here, why you're here,

and what you want.

You want to know
why I'm here?

I'll show you.

Or you can just pull the trigger.

Killing people
isn't the nature of my mission.

Then what exactly is your mission?
Because people are dying, Ahdu.

You don't understand, Mother.

What more is there for me
to understand?

So very much.

See for yourself.

Oh, God.

Behold a vision
of our destiny, Mother.

Oh, God. This can't be happening.

This is the future, Molly.

You're gonna have to
make a choice soon.

- Are you with them or us?
- Oh, no, God.

Keep your hands
where I can see them.

Whoa. Don't shoot.

Kelsey?

Hi, Dad.

You know, if today's the day
you've come to tell me

what I crappy father
I am or to borrow money,

let me tell you something,
you picked the wrong day.

I'm pregnant.

I'm sorry, Ahdu,
but I'm with them.

Oh, my God. Toby.