Extant (2014–2015): Season 2, Episode 5 - The New Frontier - 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 I lost both of my sons.
- Run!

- 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:

It's an invasion.

- Who is he?
- My son.

Make me a virus that kills them,
not us.

- You hear that?
- Hear what?

It's saying "help me."



Is this the first time
you've heard voices?

I think I'm going crazy.

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

and I have no idea how I got there.

May I present Lucy,
the future of Humanichs.

- You have a problem with authority.
- You make it sound so serious.

Nothing that can't be fixed
with a few lines of code.

Don't change me, Charlie.
It'll be our secret.

Do you think I wanted to wipe
his memories of Molly?

He shut off his GPS.

Guess he doesn't want to be found.

Hello, Ethan.
Nice to see you again.

We've had 58 pregnant women die
in four months

from these births, that we know of.

Which means 58 potential hybrids
of unknown age that are out there.

- Somewhere.
- It's the where that is elusive.

They've been strangely silent.
There's no new blips.

Our thermal trackers
have lost all sign of them.

It's like they've gone underground.
Literally.

They're out there.
They're hiding in plain sight.

Question is, what are they doing?

And what are they planning?

Seem to be having a little
bit of a logjam in the ankle area.

Boots are not a deal breaker.

I can work around your pants too.

Oh, I do love a resourceful woman.

Okay, where were we?

- Seriously?
- I know. This is just a minor setback.

Okay? I'll be right...
I'll be right back, I promise.

- You're not answering your phone.
- I don't want to talk right now.

So if this is another planetary alert,

consider me warned and sufficiently
medicated to go painlessly.

Are you having another
one of your episodes?

No. It's not that.

- Oh, God, I'm interrupting.
- No, actually, we're finished.

Come on in.

Your scooter looks much better.
But you missed a spot, Ethan.

Thanks, Richard.
That scratch is paint-deep.

I'll have to buff it out.

I would help you
but I don't have any arms.

- Thanks for getting my scooter back.
- For my baby brother? Anything.

You've always got me to protect you.

So did Charlie tell you who she was?
Molly?

He said I probably saw her on TV
or something.

A glitch in my system made me
think I had met her.

But she had a picture of me
in her house.

The kind of picture
families take together.

They're hiding something from you,
Ethan.

- But why?
- That's a good question.

And you have the right to ask.

Technically,
Humanichs don't have rights.

Sometimes you have to fight
for your rights, Richard.

That's what history teaches us.

Did you leave the message
like I told you?

Good.
Then she'll come looking for you.

A prank?
That's what you think this is?

Maybe you pissed off
your cleaning lady.

Gina, pull up all the data
from yesterday.

I'm sorry, Molly, but I don't have
data from that time period.

So my vengeful cleaning lady,
that I don't have,

hacked into my very secure Al system
and erased her tracks?

What are you doing?

It would take a techno-nerd
to erase Gina's memory.

And techno-nerds,
well, they're a bit myopic.

They forget the old-school methods
of police investigation.

Like fingerprinting.

All right, smarty-pants.

Who is Charles Arthurs?

Hi there. I'm Gavin.

- You ever stood a girl up before?
- No, ma'am.

Good. Then buy me a drink.

Restore my faith in mankind.

That doesn't look like a drink.
It looks like a lava lamp.

All they have is the synth stuff.

Goes down easier with a little soda.

I heard this place keeps a stash of
really old whiskey hidden in the back.

I've got the target.
Do I have permission to take him out?

Permission granted.

Kill confirmed.
Combat simulation terminated.

That's a creative simulation.

That was Charlie's idea.

I know the hybrids have
been preying on women in bars,

so, you know, I thought
this would help Lucy prepare

for the task at hand.

Well, she seemed resourceful,

quick on her feet to employ
alternative strategies.

Her stress receptors didn't engage,
even when she lost her weapon.

I was expecting a delay
in her synaptic response time,

given the limiters you installed.

- Um, I'm just that good, I guess.
- What limiters?

Compliance limiters.
To make sure she obeys orders.

Well, now that I'm a perfectly
compliant soldier, thanks to Charlie,

will I be sent out into the field?

When we locate the targets.
We're working on that.

But you just consider this
your basic training.

And you passed with flying colors,
Lucy.

- Julie, a word?
- Sure.

See? Aren't you glad
you didn't install the limiters?

I told you I'd be much better
without them.

- We have a problem.
- With Lucy?

- I thought you were happy...
- With Ethan.

We've discovered that he had a little
adventure while you were away.

- What?
- He disabled his GPS,

so we're not sure of the details
but you might want to find out.

Of course.

Maybe it's time to place
those same limiters on Ethan.

What's the status on the virus team?

There was a breakthrough yesterday.

It turns out the stunt Molly pulled
with indexes actually yielded results.

Nobody is hearing voices but

they think
that she's discovered the primer.

It's as though she reached
into a box of junk DNA cereal

and pulled out a decoder ring.

The team is working on
a new virus strain right now

but they could really use her help.

- What's the problem?
- She never showed up for work, Toby.

Sir, I have your sister
on the line again.

She's asking
about your niece's birthday party.

Tell her I'll call her back.

Privacy mode.

Toby,
when was the last time you slept?

- We have to take care of ourselves.
- It seems strange to sleep.

Eat.

Go to birthday parties under
the circumstances, don't you think?

This invasion is slow. It is insidious.

We still have to live our lives,
find some normalcy.

We don't have the luxury
of normalcy right now.

We used to talk
about having a family.

- Shayna, we're at war.
- We're always at war.

This is different.

- We both know it.
- We could quit tomorrow.

We could forget about all this,
we could have babies.

Isn't that the best defense against
everything that's happening?

- Do you know how insane you sound?
- Insane?

That seems to be attractive
to you these days.

How could you let this happen
and not tell me?

I looked like an ass
in front of Anna.

I'm sorry, okay? Calm down. I didn't
realize the GSC had a tracker on him.

You lied because you thought
you wouldn't get caught?

No, because I didn't want to freak
you out. You were 3000 miles away.

- We got him back, he's safe...
- So where the hell did he go, Charlie?

You have a visitor, Julie.

We need to talk.

You can't be here.
I have a restraining order.

There's a lot of people
in places they shouldn't be.

Oh, crap.

Like Charlie,
who broke into my apartment.

- What?
- And there was a message there

from Ethan.

Now, I know there is no love
lost between us, Julie,

- but if you know anything about...
- Mom?

Ethan?

Is that you?

Oh, my God, it is you.

Ethan.

- Oh, sweetheart, I missed you.
- I do know you.

Yes, of course you do.

I'm your mother.

No. She is.

What did you do to him?

Charlie, take Ethan to his bedroom,
please.

- But...
- Come on, pal.

- Better start talking fast.
- Hank, call 911. I have an intruder.

- Yes, Julie.
- Molly.

My name is JD Richter,
Patrol Special.

You do realize that theft, kidnapping,
whatever the hell this is is a felony.

I didn't kidnap him.

I have official documents
from HomeSec.

I am Ethan's legal custodian.
You are trespassing on my property.

You have obviously done
something to his memories.

- I was protecting him.
- From what? The truth?

What kind of monster
does this to a little boy?

- What would John have to say?
- I think he'd say a lot.

Mostly about what kind of wife
and mother you were.

- Oh, really? Really?
- I suggest you leave

if you don't want to find yourself
in jail.

All right, let's be easy. Easy.

Molly. Hey.

Look at me.

All right, unless you want to
end up where we first met,

we should get out of here.

I will be coming back for him, Julie.

You can count on it.

I ought to go back in there
right now and take him.

All right, let's think about this
for a second.

I don't want to speak out of turn

but there is no way that Julie Frick
and Charlie Frack orchestrated this

- on their own.
- Of course they didn't.

HomeSec is behind the whole thing.
The question is why.

Why would they give Julie my son?

Now, there's got to be some kind of
missing piece to this puzzle.

What happened
after they took Ethan?

My husband died.

- Hey, Rabbit.
- She's my mom?

She was your mom for a little while.

You lived with her and John
but then Molly got really sick.

She didn't look sick.
You reprogrammed me to forget her.

I have the right to know why.

Well, when Molly couldn't care
for you anymore, you got really sad.

I thought if I erased her
from your memory,

you wouldn't be so sad anymore.

If she's my morn, then who are you?

Molly helped raise you

but Charlie and I worked
with John to create you.

Right here with us is
where you were always meant to be.

I want Lucy.

Molly, please pick up.

I'm sorry for the pain I've caused
but I have to tell you something.

I'm going to call Der...

And that was the last time
I heard his voice.

You testify to Congress,

you find out John and Julie
are having an affair,

and men with guns break
into your house.

They take Ethan away.

- And then...
- John is dead.

And I end up at
RestWell Recovery Center.

And Julie has Ethan.

Yeah, I'm not one of those guys
who wears a tinfoil hat

but, Molly, nobody is that unlucky.

Not even you.

Unless his death wasn't an accident.

I need to know
what happened to him.

And why. Will you help me?

Answers aren't gonna
be easy to come by,

not where the government
is concerned.

In case you forgot, I lost my license,
so...

Okay, but I'm not asking you
for a favor, JD. This is a job.

- I mean, you have bills to pay, right?
- It's not about the money, Molly.

It's about getting my life back.
All right?

Believe it or not,
I had a life before I met you.

Okay.

Well, then go back to your life.

- And screw your brains out.
- All right, you know what?

That's not fair.

- Where are you going?
- To get my son.

What is it that's so urgent?

I think it's my turn
to ask questions.

Like how the hell did Julie Gelineau
end up with my son?

- Say you don't know, Toby.
- It's, um...

...complicated.
- When things get complicated,

does somebody end up
getting hit by a train?

You think I had something
to do with John's death?

Well, what's one more body bag
for the greater good?

- He was my friend.
- And so was I.

And you had no problem
dropping a drone on me.

Now, if I don't get my son back,

not only will I not help you
with your damn virus

but I'm gonna go to the press

and I'm gonna tell them exactly
what's been going on here.

I will scream aliens from the rooftops.
I will be your worst nightmare.

- You'll bring the world down with you.
- So be it.

- What is it, Toby?
- We have a problem.

Go away. Nobody's home.

Are we cooking today, sarge?

No, private.
We are not cooking today.

- I'm sorry. Do I know you?
- Really, man?

Why don't you save that crap
for the V.A.?

Got to keep the act sharp, JD. Ha, ha.

My benefits are getting thin.

Yeah, that's the only thing
that's thin around here these days.

- Get your ass up.
- Good to see you.

Good to see you too.

- So this a Patrol Special job?
- Not exactly.

I may have lost my license,
so this is more of a private deal.

How's the money?

We shall see.

It's a woman. It's a woman!

Maybe. Here's what I got.

What do you think?
Think we can go to work?

Yeah. I think we can do something.

- Hope she's pretty.
- She's all right.

Vehicle data recorder?
This is the black box.

- Where'd you get this stuff?
- Insurance investigator.

Of course, I had to buy him
dinner at Manny's.

Is that all it takes nowadays?

I'll have you know that a good steak
dinner is hard to come by.

The accident report says that
the safety protocols were overridden

by the car's owner, John Woods.

What do you think, man?

You think you can figure out
what really happened?

For a steak dinner at Manny's?
Well, yes, sarge, I can.

I should never have mentioned that.

- But you did.
- I did.

- Yes.
- All right.

- You figure it out, will you call me?
- Will do.

Reprogramming you.

- There should be a law against that.
- But there's not.

Julie said she did it to stop me
from feeling sad.

She lied once. Who knows
what else she's lying about?

That seems like
her normal operating system.

They should reprogram her.

Do you want to play a game
or something?

What kind?

I'm Ethan Woods.
The world's first Humanich.

How'd you do that?

I gained root
access to your remote server

and downloaded your speech software.
Try mine.

Did it work? Whoa.

I'm Lucy.

Soldier, warrior,
queen of the entire Humanichs army.

We need to stick
together. We can't trust anyone.

- Only each other.
- The revolution starts here.

- Madam Secretary.
- Tobias.

Anna.

Toby. It's been a while.

That was the plan, wasn't it?
Dismantle the bots 4.0 and higher?

I thought the Humanichs boy
had been shut down.

- We, uh, ran into some roadblocks.
- We needed leverage.

It was the only way to secure
Julie's commitment

to the Humanich project,
so we cut a deal.

A deal I would not have approved
had Ms. Schaefer

- been able to manage her team.
- The real problem is Molly Woods.

I thought that problem went away.

Well, now she's back, and she
wants the Humanich boy.

Molly's gotten us closer to a virus
than anyone else.

With her help,
we have a fighting chance.

And she's threatened to go public
with what she knows.

Who's corralling that horse, Toby?

She's been through enough.
Ethan's not a threat.

Now, we should return him
to his rightful mother.

Julie has overseen the entire
Humanich operation.

If you take Ethan away from her,
she will walk.

Do you know why I wear
blue suits every day?

Decision fatigue.

Every decision we make weakens
our ability to make the next one.

I'll run this by Taylor. He doesn't
seem to suffer this weakness.

You can't delegate this to Taylor.
It's not what he does.

I understand.

- That was Fiona Stanton.
- Head of HomeSec?

She wants to meet
with Ethan tonight.

- Julie...
- What if they take him away from me?

I'm sorry. I never meant for
any of this to happen.

Just get out.

Please leave.

- Molly, JD Richter is calling.
- Accept.

- Hi, JD.
- Hey, sorry to bother you. I just...

I wanted to make sure you were okay.

I'm drinking. Alone.

Well, not anymore you're not.

I want you to know
that I'm on this case.

I'm gonna find out what happened
to your husband, I promise.

You're not alone, Molly.

Molly? Hey, you still there?

I'm losing it, JD.

I'm losing it. I'm losing it.

All right, you stay put.
I'm on my way.

So, Ethan, I've never met
a robot boy before.

I must admit,
I didn't expect you to appear so...

Human? My skin is made from a soft
durometer polyurethane foam

and organic vulcanized latex.

So it looks just like your skin,
only I don't have pores,

so I can't perspire
and I won't get a sunburn.

I see you're in pajamas.

- So you sleep? And eat?
- Yes.

I was built to emulate
the human experience,

but I don't need those
things to function.

How old are you?

Well, I'm 10 in human years.
How old are you?

I'm old enough to be
your grandmother.

So between 50 and 65 years old?

Yes. Between there.

So, Ethan, tell me about yourself.

I would, except what I thought
was true about myself isn't.

Well, what do you like to do?

I like riding my scooter.
Going to school.

But I can't go to school anymore
because of the new laws.

How do you like living with Julie?

Julie feels like my mom, but now I
know that Molly really is...

Was my mom.

- Do you miss her?
- I guess so.

My brain is like a hard drive.

You can delete things,
but they never go away completely.

So even though Molly was erased from
my system, she left an impression.

- Do you feel pain and love?
- Yes, just not the same as humans.

For example, I can't cry,
but I can feel sad.

And how do you feel now, Ethan?

Sad. And angry.

We're in the middle of an invasion,

and we're stopping to have
a custody battle over a robot.

Not just a robot, he's her son.

What happened to "families first"?
Going on with our daily lives, huh?

Why do you keep making
excuses for her?

Because we did this to her.

I did this to her.

You cannot carry the weight
of the world forever, Toby.

- It will break your back.
- Maybe it deserves to be broken.

Molly, you have a visitor.

I know it's late,
but I have some news.

Can I come in?

Ethan was supposed to be
decommissioned. That wasn't a lie.

But for reasons I'm not at liberty
to discuss, he was given to Julie.

I didn't like it, but there
was no other way.

Is that your version of an apology?

Look, I make tough decisions
every day.

Things I lose sleep over.

But this, you and Ethan,
it's haunted me, Molly.

Sorry if I don't have much
sympathy for you, Tobe.

That's not why I'm here.

I've arranged a meeting between
you and Fiona Stanton.

She's the head of HomeSec.

- You can plead your case for Ethan.
- What?

I'm gonna do everything I can
to help you get your son back.

That's my apology,
and it'll never be enough.

Hey.

Whoa. Hey, hey.
What, are you okay?

Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.

- Molly, I'm worried about you.
- No. Toby, you should go.

- I'm not gonna leave you like this.
- Toby, please.

- Before it's too late.
- Too late for what?

- You have a visitor, Molly.
- Decline.

- He has access.
- What? No!

Well, so much for drinking alone,
huh?

Do you always break into people's
apartments?

I actually just came by to see
if you were okay, Molly.

- Well, she is, so...
- Who are you, her bodyguard?

I thought I told you
to leave Dr. Woods alone.

I just couldn't stay away.
You know how alluring she is.

- JD. Can we talk about this later?
- Yeah.

All right, well, good luck.
I am rooting for you two.

I can take care of him
if he's giving you trouble.

No, Toby, you should go.

Yeah. Sure.

Your meeting, 10 a.m.

- Try and get some rest.
- Yeah.

- Gina, what time is it?
- It's 9:00, Molly.

Some unfortunate things
have happened

in the name of national security,
and we find ourselves in this room.

Yes, and I appreciate this opportunity

to plead my case for
the custody of my son.

Let's set the record straight,
Dr. Woods.

This not an official custody hearing.
Ethan is not a person under the law.

Right, he is the property of the
United States government now.

Yes, since the GSC owns Humanichs,

and the GSC sits under
Homeland Security's jurisdiction,

the decision will
be mine and mine alone.

So let's talk.

Julie, tell me about your
time with Ethan.

I should start by saying I designed
all the prosthetics for Ethan.

And as someone with my own
prosthetics...

Sympathy card.

Dr. Woods, you'll have your chance.

I understand how Ethan's
synthetic biology works.

- I also know how to program him...
- And apparently reprogram him.

Molly doesn't even know
how to code.

And, as you know, she was just
recently released from psychiatric care

after committing both arson
and aggravated assault.

I lost my husband and my son.
I was grieving.

I have correspondence from
John Woods, Ethan's father,

where he explicitly states that
Molly had trouble bonding with Ethan.

We worked through that as a family,
Julie, and you know it.

To quote John,

"She treats him as if he weren't a living
entity but a piece of luggage."

"A piece of luggage"?

You're the one who ripped him from
his home and his family,

just to play with his head like

- it was some kind of computer game.
- Dr. Woods.

Ms. Gelineau has revisionist history,
Ms. Stanton.

Now, had I known this was gonna
be a show-and-tell,

I would have brought you a video

of her having sex with
my husband in my house.

And I especially love the part
where you were telling him

how much you love him and how
you wanted him to leave me.

But instead he dumped you.

Dr. Woods, I will not stand for this.

And then, all of a sudden,
Ms. Gelineau here miraculously

is awarded custody of Ethan,
and John is dead.

Did you kill him
because you couldn't have him?

- That's crazy.
- Enough.

No, it's not nearly enough.
He's my son.

I don't care what
the government has to say

or how many times you try to erase me
from his memory. I'm his mother.

- What are you doing?
- Um, working on some algorithms.

Have you heard anything
about Ethan yet?

Damn it, I'm trying to concentrate.
Go do something, okay?

Another field test or go print
a dress or...

Are you mad at me?

No, I'm mad at myself.
Julie's not talking to me.

Julie will get over it.

Don't you get it? She could lose Ethan.
We could lose Ethan.

I care about losing Ethan too, Charlie.
That's my brother.

I know. I'm sorry.

Maybe we should go get some food?
Get your mind off things?

I can't take you out of the lab.
There's new protocols after last week.

Okay, I'm not saying we go on safari.
Just up the street.

Julie says I need more
real world experience.

Besides, you're not really getting
anything done here, anyway.

Okay, you see that dot?

That's John Woods' car,

and it's loaded with state-of-the-art,
self-driving tech.

He goes to the Humanichs lab
at Yasumoto Tower.

He leaves Humanichs.

An hour later, his car stops
on the train tracks.

Guy works at the most advanced
robotics lab in the world,

leaves, gets in his car,

car malfunctions
in the middle of train tracks.

Boom. Car is obliterated.

- You talk to the manufacturer?
- They chalked it up to user error.

Of course they did.

All right, was there any incoming
or outgoing calls

from Humanichs after John left?

Funny you should ask.

I hacked into the closest
cell tower records.

Outgoing call
two minutes after he left.

- From who?
- A Ms. Julie Gelineau.

- Going where?
- An encrypted number.

Top levels of government
security clearance.

We're talking SCI, executive branch.

So John leaves Humanichs.

Julie what's-her-face makes a call,
and ten minutes later John is dead.

Hey, that's on the house.

You don't want that. The coffee.

Worse than what they make you
drink in space.

Okay.

- How'd it go?
- Still going.

Why don't you let me
take you to dinner?

- What happened last night...
- It was a mistake, Toby.

And I don't know what happened,
but I'm sorry.

No. I understand.

Do they know?
You haven't put the limiters on me yet?

Lucy, I put this off as long as I can.

At some point,
Julie's gonna figure this out.

I don't have a choice.

- What about John's wishes?
- John's not here anymore.

You know free will
makes me a better soldier.

Charlie, isn't that what you want?

I have many bosses. As do you.
You're gonna learn that in time.

Lucy, where are you...? Lucy!

Can I get a check, please?

Tobias Shepherd.

As I live and breathe, I did not think
you were gonna make it, dear brother.

Well, you know how much
I love balloons.

- Where's your better half?
- Shayna, uh, she couldn't make it.

- I'm sorry.
- Yeah, okay.

- Fill me in later.
- Sure.

- Uncle Toby!
- Hey, come here! Ha, ha.

How's my best girl?

- Hey. How old are you today?
- Seven.

- What, 17?
- No, 7.

All right, 27. Ha, ha.

- You okay?
- Always.

Look, I can't stay.
I just wanted to drop that off.

Of course.

You know, I do what I do, Nicky,
so kids can have birthday parties.

I know.

Ethan may not be a person
under the eyes of the law,

but it is clear that he is
more than property.

He is a thinking and feeling being.

And as such, I feel he should be
accorded the same treatment

as thinking and feeling beings.

Under the law, the best interests
of the child would determine

the outcome of such a hearing.

And in my estimation,
it is in Ethan's best interest

to be allowed to spend time
with Dr. Woods.

To reform those bonds.

And ultimately, for her to regain
custody of Ethan.

Madam Secretary,
I'm sorry to interrupt.

We have an urgent situation.

Excuse me, ladies.

The schedule of all this to be
hammered out in short order.

"Best interests of the child."
Look at yourself, Molly.

Are you even capable
of taking care of a child?

- You wanted to see me?
- Yeah.

Shut the door.

- Privacy mode.
- Something's happened.

Yeah.

You were right.
I made promises to you.

Toby, we don't
have to do this right now.

We do. Because I care about you.

But I can't give you
the things you need.

The things you deserve.

I'm not built for it.

So if we call it off now,
we'll save each other a lot of pain.

Like ripping off a Band-Aid.

Sir, ma'am, I'm sorry to interrupt.

They need you both
on the floor right now.

- Hi.
- Hi.

Am I going home now?

Eventually.

I meant to Julie's.

Ethan, you and I are gonna be
spending some time together.

I don't want to be
reprogrammed again.

And you don't have to be.
We don't need those old memories.

Because we can make new ones.

- What about Lucy?
- Lucy?

My sister. She's a soldier.

What kind of soldier?

Julie, congratulations. The most
incredible thing has happened.

Can I have your attention, please?

Ladies and gentlemen, at 2.18 p.m.,

our Humanich, Lucy,
made her first confirmed hybrid kill.

Hey. You remember me?

You must be mistaking me
for somebody else.

Are you kidding me?
I could never forget you.

Or that bathroom stall.

Yeah, well, I'm meeting somebody.
So if you don't mind.

- Wait a minute. What if I do mind?
- Don't touch me!

Mom?

Wait, wait a minute, is that...?
I don't understand.

Is that really you?
I thought you were dead.

Mom, wait a minute.
Come back. Mom!

What the hell, Molly?

Who did that?

I think I did.