Falling Skies (2011–2015): Season 1, Episode 4 - Grace - full transcript

[growls]
WEAVER: Keep everyone back.

Never were
much to look at.

Oh, to us maybe.

For all we know,
this one's a prime specimen,

the Brad Pitt
of Skitter world.

Porter says we have to try
to communicate with this thing.

Figure out how it thinks, we can
figure out how to beat it.

WEAVER:
You actually think you'll
figure a way to talk to it?

I get it in a controlled
environment, give it a shot.

A lot depends on what it's got
underneath the hood.

I wouldn't
underestimate them.



See the eyes?

It's studying us as much
as we're studying them.

I mean,
even if he wanted to chat,

vocalizations could extend
above or below

the range
of human hearing.

I mean,
for all we know,

he could be
cussing us out right now.

I can almost
guarantee it.

[growls]
[grunts]

WEAVER:
Get that damn thing in the cage!

All right, get that thing
in the cage! Get him in!

[screeching]

Get him in there!

Get him in there!
[screeching]



[hissing]

Yeah.

[hisses]

I remember you, too.

Well, uh, it seems
to have settled for now.

Might want
to keep your distance.

I might.

Time for our patient's
morning fix.

Meet me in the command post in five.

POPE:
This bike shop, right?
Anyway, she calls me up.

She's like, "hey, Johnny, you
want a new ride? " I'm like --

[clears throat]
Captain.

Pope tells me there's
a motorcycle shop near Somerville.

It's well off
the main highway,

so there's a chance
it's not picked clean.

I want you to take a team,
check it out.

Wait, what?

You're sending me
after bikes? No.

My team's ready to get Ben.
Porter gave us permission.

He gave you permission
to rescue one kid.

That kid turned out to be Rick.

Doesn't change what I need to do.
- I understand that.

I also understand that Mike's
son is a work in progress

and Harris is going through
the last of our heavy drugs

on the detox.
- So we'll get more.

Yes, we will.

And it will be a hell of a lot easier
when we have more bikes.

One objective leads to the next.

First the bikes,
then the drugs, then your son.

All right.

So, when do we leave?

You don't.

Pope knows where it is.

He could draw me a map.

If I'm doing this, I'm doing it
with people I trust.

It's your call, but I scored
my last ride from this place.

I know the layout.
I know the streets.

And I can't draw
for crap.

We're down one rider
since we lost Karen.

I talk, you listen,
and no weapon.

You go unarmed.

Unarmed? What am l, Canadian?
[laughs]

Good luck.
Thank you.

ANNE:
No congestion.

His lungs
are completely clear.

I know this is gonna sound weird,

but are you sure
Rick had cystic fibrosis?

"Five specialists
in three states" sure.

Before the invasion,
he could barely breathe.

I had to put him
on a nebulizer twice a day

just to clear his lungs.

Why?

I'm no expert,

but full remission like this
is extremely rare.

Meaning what?

That... thing that he had
on his back cured him?

I don't know.

[knock on door]

When's he gonna wake up?

Dr. Harris said later today.

TOM:
How is Rick?

We're weaning him
off opiates.

24 hours and we should know
if we have him back.

Look, I totally understand if
you're holding back with Mike,

but I really
want to know everything.

So how dangerous is this?

As surgery? Not very.

As long as we have enough drugs
to counteract the harness,

it's basically
cutting steel.

I'm sorry
you couldn't get Ben.

I know. Mike is torn up
about what happened.

Yeah, well, it's just a man
trying to save his son.

So this morning's attitude
was for Harris.

I noticed he couldn't get away
from you fast enough.

I appreciate your concern
over my state of mind.

I am your doctor.

I, uh...

Harris told me
that he saw my wife die,

and it's hard for me to look
at him and not remember that.

Oh, God.

I'm sorry.

At least
she was with a friend.

Yeah.

Um, I got to go.

[children laughing]

Sir, they're back.

You were due back
two hours ago.

Recon takes longer
when you're on foot.

The transportation issue's
being addressed.

What's your report?

I saw some harness kids

being led into that hospital
off of Route 2.

Same hospital
you saw before?

It looks like they're still
using it as a home base.

And one of your fighter jocks
thought they saw Mason's kid.

Any sign of Karen?

Didn't see her.

Right. Dismissed.

Captain,
I don't mind taking orders,

but I'd appreciate it

if you'd tell your fighters
I'm not the enemy.

You had them keeping tabs on me,
didn't you?

I did.

You were found with Pope.

I was in his vicinity.

I wasn't with him.

If it weren't for me,

you wouldn't have
a second-in-command.

Those convicts
trusted you with a gun.

That whole time
you were with them,

you never thought
about using it before?

Yeah, every second
of every day.

On myself at first.

And then on them.

What about now?

I'm just taking it
a day at a time.

- All right?
- Yep.

- We ready?
- Ready.

MATT:
Dad.

Matt, what are you doing here?
You should be in class.

I ditched when I heard
you were leaving.

I want to come with you.

Sorry, shrimp.

You got to be
that tall to ride.

But I mean it.
I want to help.

You are helping
by going to class,

keeping an eye on things
while Hal and I are gone.

But I can fight, too.

Some of the other kids are learning
how to load guns, even shoot.

Well,
that's the other kids.

- But, Dad --
- Matt, I said no.

We'll be back soon.
Go on. Go back to class.

Scott, will you take him?

Yeah, come on.
Come on, Matt.

You're not doing your boy
any favors, you know.

Skitter's come knocking,

the kid should at least have
a chance to defend himself.

If I want any parenting advice
from an ex-con,

I'll ask for it.

You know,
Pope's got a point.

Matt deserves
a childhood.

One day, when you have kids,
you'll understand.

Me? Kids?

Dream on.

I will.

TOM:
How much farther?

Half a mile or so.

What the hell
you grinning about?

I'm just
enjoying the air.

Didn't mean to piss off
the company gangbanger.

Black man with a gun --
that's your default?

[chuckles]
I just call them as I see them.

So, what were you?

Blood?
Crips? Slytherin?

Actually, Mr. Pope,

I was part of the biggest gang
in the world.

I was Boston P.D.

Thought I smelled
a little ham.

You know what?

You know, you laugh that up,
convict. Okay?

Because one of these days when
we don't need you anymore,

me and you -- we're gonna
have a little talk

about my friend Click.

[bird squawks]

Being awfully quiet.

I got nothing
to talk about.

Well,
if you want to talk --

Look, Dad, I just got some
things to think about, okay?

But thank you.

This thing with Karen --
it must be rough.

Oh, it's gonna be rough
for a while.

When you see him like this,
like a soldier,

it's easy to forget
that he's only 16.

He's holding it all in.

Well,
he's his mother's son.

With me, it was always kind of
like talking to a brick wall,

but Rebecca --

she kind of always knew
the right thing to say.

Yeah.

Time like this,
I miss her a lot.

What do you think
she would have told him?

I don't know,
but it would have been perfect.

Maybe I'm lucky.

I didn't have anyone
when they hit.

I see you worry about them --
Hal, Matt.

Wouldn't want that.

Oh, I worried about them
before the invasion, too.

Trust me --
Hal with a set of car keys

is just as frightening
as a Mech.

Same worries,
higher stakes.

Hey, come on, guys.
Let's hurry it up!

Sooner we get those bikes,
sooner we can go after Ben.

W- What are you doing?

Um, saying a prayer
for the missing.

It's just something
I like to do.

You think it helps them?

It helps me.

You don't know
any of these people.

You're not even
from Boston.

I heard you talking to Hal
one night

about how you grew up
in Mexico City.

Well, my mom and dad bought
a house here when I was 10,

and my dad would go
back and forth for business

while I went to school.

I was freshman pre-med at
Wellesley when they attacked.

[chuckles]
Wellesley's not in Boston.

It's in Wellesley.

[laughs]

Okay, 617 snob, my parents'
house was in J. P.

Is that Boston enough
for you?

W- What part of J. P.?

The part where people
lost their faith.

[growls]

ANNE:
Earth. This planet.

HARRlS:
So, this is your game plan?
- Our planet.

Show it pictures, hope it says
the word in Skitterese?

Our galaxy.

Stars.

Outer space.

Well, you know,
if that doesn't work,

you can
try exchanging recipes.

No curiosity,
no fear, no remorse.

Maybe that's why it's so easy
for them to kill us.

Believe what you want.

But I think it's scared
out of its mind.

I wonder what it sees
when it's looking at us.

Are we as hideous to it?

As strange?

Yeah,
that's a good question.

I got an idea.

[screeches]

This the radio
you wanted to show me?

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, I made it out of an old
fallout-shelter survival kit

I found
in the basement.

Doesn't need a battery?

No, you just crank up the handle
to power it up.

You could listen
to the Red Sox game.

The other regiments will be
working on their radios.

We need to monitor
the frequencies,

see if
they're up and running.

But I don't want it to take you
away from making explosives.

That's what I was thinking,

which is why I brought along
a very capable volunteer.

Come on.

See, all he has to do
is wind the handle

and slowly turn the dial.

He's looking
for something to do.

Right.

[laughs]

Guess what.

I just made you
the communications officer.

Cool.

We need to stay
inside the tree line.

- Pope!
- I knew I smelled something.

Shh.

Skitters.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Shh, shh.

You'll wake 'em.

HAL:
So, they fly across the
universe and wipe out mankind

and they sleep like bats.

At least they're sleeping

and not having
Skitter group sex.

I didn't think they slept
during the day at all.

They're not nocturnal.

I'm guessing
they catch a pile of shut-eye

whenever and wherever
they can.

Just like soldiers anywhere.
[rustling]

Mechs --
north and south.

Active?

Sleep mode.

What the hell
are you waiting for?

- Let's hose 'em!
- As much as I love to kill Skitters,

as soon as
we open up on them,

those Mechs are gonna
open up on us.

Engaging them
is not the mission.

Let's go.

They're like fish
in a barrel.

Can we get around them?

Stick to the trees,
go past, double back.

Only adds a half mile.

- Water?
- [chitters]

Are you thirsty?
Want some water?

[growls]

It's okay.

[chitters]

HARRlS:
Get your damn hand out of there.

What are you doing?

I thought we might try to provoke it
with a little visual stimuli.

Hey, chief.

You remember that Skitter
that Pope and his boys killed.

Watch this.
Remember this guy?

[growling, screeching]

[static crackling]
What was that?

Static.

I know.

It wasn't there
a moment ago.

[growling,
screeching continues]

Lock! No!

Want a friend?

Get a dog.

[snorts]

[hisses]

[static crackling]

And may we be truly thankful.

In the name of the father,
of the son, the holy spirit.

What?

You're lucky you still believe
in something.

Did I hear right?

Mason and his crew are taking
Pope on this motorcycle raid?

You got a problem
with that?

No, I don't.
But they will.

This place didn't get hit
like they did down --

watch out there --

didn't get hit
like they did downtown,

but the, uh, the cooties --

I tell you, they sure as hell
made their presence known.

Actually, I scored one of my
first rides from this place.

All right,
let's check the tanks.

Probably empty,
but you never know.

- Mi negra amor.
- And just the off-roads.

We don't need
any recliners on wheels.

Professor,
you have no sense of style.

Is that the kind of bike
you bought here, Pope?

Oh, I never
bought a bike here.

I said I got a bike here.

I sure as hell
didn't buy it.

Hell,
I didn't even need it.

I was just trying to impress
a lady. It worked, too.

Pretty proud of your criminal
past, aren't you?

I was good at it.

They're all empty.

There's a repair bay
back here,

couple of bikes in pieces,
tanks of gas.

All right, take Pope,

see if you can find
another empty gas can

we can fill
and take back with us.

Let's put some gas
in these things,

see if we can
start them up.

It's Dai, right?
What do they call you for short?

If there's anything else you
think we could use back there,

grab it.

Well,
this is gonna suck.

Karen would have
loved this.

What would
Karen have loved?

She's no girly girl,
at least not since we knew her,

probably never was,
but...

she'd have taken this.

We can leave an l. O. U.

Nah.

We're not giving up
on her.

Oh, I know.

I just... can't help think
about what's happened.

Well, I don't think Karen would
want you to blame yourself.

She's a high-school senior,
Dad.

She's not a soldier.

She should have never even
been put in that situation.

Well, we all wish
that had gone differently.

Listen, Karen knew
how dangerous it was,

and she came anyway

because she knew how much
getting Ben back means to us.

So, that's it?

We should move on?

I think...

your mom
might have said to...

hold on to the memory
and let the rest of it come.

Actually, she would have said
"suck it up."

Really?

And I'm sorry,

but if that was your attempt
at parental advice,

that was pretty lame.

She was always
better at that than me.

[laughs]
Yeah, she was.

Come on.

Let's go see if we can help
Anthony with those bikes.

You can't cut into it.

It's a living creature.

It's a Skitter.
It's not a human being.

At most, it's vivisection.

You can't tell me you got
a problem with vivisection

or you never would have made it
through med school.

Our job is to communicate
with it,

not just make it scream.

How's Pumpkinhead
doing with his ABCs?

If there's a way that we can
figure out what it wants

and learn about our enemy --

HARRlS:
We know what it wants.
It wants to exterminate us!

Look,
they killed my family.

I would like nothing more

than to take an ax
and cut that thing's head off.

But Porter's orders
were clear.

We need to attempt
communication.

I believe he's right.

That's a very noble speech.
That's very noble.

But it's my call.

I'm not gonna be second-guessed
by a pediatrician.

[growls]

Ricky?

Ricky?

Who are you?

[chuckles]

It's me. It's Dad.

Who are you?

I'm...

I'm your father.

[screeches]

Father?

Father.

[hisses]

So...

that boy in there --
he's my son.

He's everything to me,

the only thing
that kept me going.

And when he woke up just now,
he didn't know me.

But he's here,

and he's healthy,

probably because of the harness
you put on him.

[chitters]

That's why
you get this chance

to live or not.

[growls]

Hi.

Hey, Annie.

You guys hungry?

Is something wrong?

You usually
only seek me out

when you need advice
on a personal problem.

- I've been busy.
- You've been hiding.

Annie, sweetheart,
you can keep pretending

that everything's all right,

but after what
you've been through...

MlKE:
You're alive right now

because they want to know

if you're capable
of communicating with us.

I want you to talk to me.

Explain yourself.

We're gonna start simple.

All you got to do
is point one of your fingers

at any picture here
and make a sound.

[hisses]

How did you find
our planet?

What made you decide
to attack us?

[screeches]

So, maybe
you didn't understand me.

Or you need
some motivation.

[static crackles]

I didn't --
I didn't touch it.

It's nice
to hear static again.

Yeah, we've been hearing these
short bursts every now and then,

but...
this low wash just --

just happened
a minute ago.

What's causing it?

I haven't
the faintest idea.

I'm not gonna shoot you.

Now we're getting
somewhere.

Point at a picture
and make a sound.

Don't you look at my son!
[hisses]

You look at the pictures
and make a sound.

[screeches]

[gun cocks]
- Point and speak.

I said speak!
[screeches]

[static intensifies]

[static stops]

MIKE:
I was just trying to make it talk.

By sticking a gun
in its mouth?

Our Skitter's breathing
and heart seem fine.

So why'd it just collapse?

Uh, well, in dissections,
I found a nerve bundle

Iocated just above
the soft palate.

Could be
a pressure point.

There's no bone to separate
the brain from the soft palate,

so you probably
gave it a concussion.

You knocked it out.
- So, it's vulnerable.

Well,
yeah, I suppose,

but if you're close enough
to put a gun in its mouth,

I suggest
pulling the trigger.

So, this just happened
five minutes ago?

You wanted to see me?

Dr. Glass wants to go in for a treasure
hunt inside the Skitter's skull.

Why? Is this the Skitter
that Mike attacked in the lab?

No. This is the one
that Pope and his boys shot.

We're gonna open him up.

I- I'm not sure
I follow.

Tell Dr. Harris
how you heard

those loud bursts of static
on your radio.

Okay, well, there was, uh,
one right around lunch.

I remember them
banging the pans.

Which is the same time you
brought this one in

to provoke the one
next door.

Yeah,
and the second burst...

mm... well,
you were with me.

Yeah, it's the same time Mike was
sticking a gun in the Skitter's mouth.

She thinks the static
may be caused

by the Skitter's reaction.

You're not saying
that the Skitters

have radios in their heads?

Oh, yeah, that's exactly
what she's saying.

So what should
I be looking for here?

Tubes? Transistors?

Subwoofer? No?

[engine revving]

Oh-ho-ho-ho!

Well, there's one.

All right, let's see what else
we can get started.

This thing's drier
than a nun in west texas.

You got all there is?
Let's go.

[engine revs]

[tires screech]

What happened?

I don't know.
Guess he clocked me.

Great. No wonder he wanted to
help us with the motorcycles.

He was planning on bolting
the whole time.

One less mouth to feed.

- You all right?
- Yeah, I think so.

[engine shuts off]

Rise and shine.

[explosion in distance]

That wasn't good.

HAL: What is that?
TOM: It looks like Pope's work.

That's gonna
draw some attention.

[hisses]

[dog barking in distance]

[breathing heavily]

[hisses]

Find anything?

The corpse is too old.

It was mush in there.

[static crackling]

Oh, well, there's your proof
right there.

Of what?

What? That the Skitter
and the static are unrelated.

It's not being provoked.
We're all in here.

It's alone.

I mean, unless it's out there
hanging itself right now.

Ricky's in there.

Ricky. Rick.

Ricky! Ricky!

No, no, no, no! Get back!
Hold him, hold him, hold him!

Get that thing
off of him!

What do you want
from us?

[chitters]

You want to hurt me.

We just want to know
why you're here.

What the hell
does he think he's doing?

He thinks
he's talking to the Skitter.

So, what do you want?

Let me go.

No, I can't do that.

This child
is one of ours.

Not anymore.
We cut off his harness.

Then I'll be punished.
MlKE: We're gonna help you.

- Help me?
- We're gonna help you, Ricky.

Shut up.
He's not your son.

How can we help you?

Kill me.

Stop it, stop it!

Ricky.

[screeching]

[gasping]

He put the harness on.

He wanted to wear it.

How could he do that
to himself?

[screeches]

- Did you find Pope?
- Only what he left behind.

He blew up that Skitter nest.

Where's your bike?

I ditched it after I saw
what's coming up the road.

Kids, harness kids,
heading our way.

Oh, man.

- What do we do, Dad?
- Hold your fire!

TOM:
There must be a Skitter nearby,

guiding them,
giving them orders.

- Aah!
- Come on, come on!

- You okay?
- I've been better.

HAL:
What are we gonna do?

I don't know.

I know it's horrible...
And I hate it, but --

No!

Look, man, we got to
defend ourselves.

We're not shooting kids!

Look for the Skitter
controlling them.

If we stop it,
maybe we can stop them.

They move together.

They seem to only shoot
when there's a target.

[grunting]

You all right? Still with me?
- Oh, yeah.

[engine revs]

DAl:
I think we found your Skitter.
[screeches]

[tires screech]

[screeches]

[engine revs]

[screeches]

What about those kids?

Next time.

WEAVER:
Skitters have Mechs, superior weaponry.

Why do they need to arm children?

Human shield.

We've been doing it
for thousands of years --

psychological warfare.

It worked.

You couldn't shoot them.
No one would be able to.

Well, we'll figure it out.

There's a silver lining.

I'm not seeing it.

Well, the more
that we get to know them,

the more we see they're
not so different from us,

which means we can
understand them,

which means we might be able
to gain them back.

We figure out how, we got
a good shot at beating them.

We're a long way
from figuring that out.

We know a hell of a lot more about
them today than we did yesterday.

You know,
your optimism's

starting to get
a little annoying.

[laughs]

Would it help
if I was a pessimist?

Hey, Captain, tomorrow,

I'm gonna start looking
for the drugs we need

for those operations,
and then I'm gonna go get Ben

and as many kids
as I can grab.

Permission granted.

If mine
were still out there,

nothing on this earth could
keep me from going after them.

[clears throat]

I didn't know
you still had this.

It's the last one,
right?

"Deathly Hallows." Yes.

We were halfway through it
when the attack happened.

I figured
I'd hang on to it.

We could finish it
when we get him back.

He was a huge fan.

He came to me one time and told me
he wished he was nearsighted

so that he could have glasses
like Harry.

[laughs]

Yeah.

I think we both knew
that he was getting a bit old

for his dad
to be reading him stories.

We made an exception
for Harry.

Think he'll be all right
when we get him back?

Yeah, I do.

Hey, Dad...

I have a feeling

that Ben might be
a little different now.

I mean, you've seen him.

Well, I've seen him
with a harness on.

I mean,
you heard what Harris said.

They're pumping drugs and God
knows what else into those kids.

Yeah, yeah.

After we get it off of him,
I'm sure he's gonna --

I- I hope so.

But when he took Karen,

he was staring at me, and it
wasn't our Ben staring back.

[clears throat]

Dad.

I know my son.

He's stronger
than you think.

He's gonna be fine.

Don't forget to eat,
huh?

[sighs]

[door closes]

ANNE:
The good news is

the radio transmissions
aren't very strong.

Otherwise, our Skitter would
have signaled his friends,

and they would have
attacked us already.

That is good news.

Aside from that, just a quiet
day at the shop, huh?

Yeah, other than that.

Oh, Matt got a job.

A job?

Uncle Scott's assistant.

That's perfect.

He's been needing
something to do.

I know.

He really misses you
when you're not here.

We all do.

[bell ringing]

Dinnertime.

What are you doing?

Right now?
I'm starving.

Don't you dare
put weight on that leg.

Unh-unh-unh.
I'm gonna get you a crutch.

I'll meet up
with you later.

Okay.

[sighs heavily]

What are you thinking?

Hey, I hear
you're scouting pharmacies.

Word travels fast.

Well, everything within a
20-mile radius is picked clean.

Then I'll go 30.

There's, uh,
there's another option.

Hey, Dad, check this out.

Is that real bread?

I haven't tasted
fresh-baked bread in months.

Yeah, it's a farewell gift
from Pope.

He's a liar and a deserter,
but the son of a bitch can cook.

Come on. Dad.

It smells good.
Hey, I heard you got a job.

LOURDES: Dear God,
we thank you for this meal

and for this safe place
we live in.

We know not everyone
is as lucky as we are tonight.

Really think we're lucky?

Yeah, I think
we can still appreciate

what we have in our life,
even now.

I'm thankful
for the motorcycles

and the chance we have

of bringing back
the people we love.

And I'm grateful
we found each other

so we don't have to
go through these times alone.

Well, I'm grateful
for this bread,

even if it did
come from Pope.

How about it, Dai?
Worth a trip to the chow line?

Yeah, it was.

Dai is high
as a freaking kite.

He is loving this bread.

[laughter]

Dai speaks about himself
in the third person now?

Yes, Dai does.

Did you get
some of that bread, Captain?

I will.

Oh, hey.

Not bad.

You should
say something again.

[clears throat]

LOURDES:
Heavenly father,
for everything you've given us

and especially for our
connection to each other...

may we be truly thankful.

In the name of the father,
of the son,

and of the holy spirit,
amen.

ANNE:
Amen.

TOM:
Amen.