Monsters (1988–1990): Season 1, Episode 8 - Sleeping Dragon - full transcript
A mysterious artifact is found outside Reno, Nevada, and there's a monster living in it.
[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]
[CRICKETS CHIRPING]
[FATHER SIGHS]
[EXCLAIMING IN ANNOYANCE]
[UTENSILS CLATTERING]
Honey, it's family hour,
there must be something on.
DAUGHTER:
Oh, wow, Candied Critters!
[FATHER EXCLAIMS]
Oh, great. It's Monsters,
our favorite show!
[MONSTROUS LAUGH]
[SHUSHING]
It's starting.
[MONSTROUS LAUGH]
[FATHER CHUCKLES]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]
[PHONE RINGING]
[DIAL TONE]
Damn.
[SIGHS] Nearly seven.
He said he'd be here
no later than five.
He probably got
slowed down by
the storm, Dad. Relax.
Relax? I've got
an hour's drive
ahead of me.
If Merrick's made me
wait all this time
just to hear another of
his ridiculous theories,
I'm gonna be very upset.
[DOOR OPENS]
Come on, Jeffrey,
aren't you gonna
give me a hand?
This better be good, Paul.
Dad's really mad.
Thanks, Anita.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
All right, Merrick,
what is it this time?
The find of
the age, Jeffrey.
This thing's big.
It's bigger than
atomic power or penicillin.
This thing is gonna
rewrite history.
Forgive me if
I reserve judgment
on that.
All right, look. I was on
my dig a couple of days ago
outside of Reno.
The radio started
screwing up,
and I'm not just
talking about interference,
the damn thing was
magnetized along with
everything else in the camp.
Look at this.
Look at this
magnetic field.
Look at that intensity.
It's some sort of magnetite
or a meteorite, perhaps.
No, no, it's
an unnatural field.
It... It's too light
to be solid.
I tried to take
core samples,
and it broke
every diamond
drill bit I had.
You get it?
A machine?
It's a machine?
[PHONE RINGING]
Let it ring, damn it,
this is more important.
This thing was found
in sedimentary rock
dating back to
late Cenozoic.
Whatever's in here is
65 million years old.
Impossible.
You mean like some
sort of alien artifact?
Or evidence of
an intelligent life
back then,
technically as advanced
as we are now.
I expected something
outrageous from you, Merrick,
but this time,
you've outdone yourself.
Come on, we all know
what's in here. We have
no explanation.
Let's open the damn thing.
Let's use the laser drill.
Come on, it's not gonna
do your tenure any harm.
Oh, come on, Dad.
All right.
It seems the easiest way
to prove you wrong.
[BUZZING]
We're not making a dent.
Uh-oh.
The last time,
the power was down
for two hours.
Batteries are dead.
We'll get another one
from downstairs.
We'll get
a Geiger counter too.
Come on, Paul.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
[THUDDING]
[GROWLING]
[ANITA SCREAMS]
[CREATURE GROWLING]
What the hell happened?
How'd this thing
get opened?
Whatever was in here
is gone.
That's impossible.
That's so weird.
This design is...
most unsettling.
Talk about unsettling,
take a look at that.
LISA: Blood.
I wonder whose blood.
Anita.
[CREATURE GROWLING]
What was that?
[CREATURE GROWLING]
Paul, what is it?
What's going on?
This must be some
kind of hoax.
No, it's not a hoax.
Whatever was in that shell
is alive.
[CREATURE CONTINUES GROWLING]
[ACID SIZZLES]
[CREATURE SCREAMS IN PAIN]
What was it?
Dad, I'm terrified.
[WIND HOWLING]
Come on, let's get
the hell out of here.
Are you out of your mind?
With that thing lurking
around out there?
Okay, look, let's push
the cabinets up
against the door
and try and keep it out.
Lisa, get the lantern.
Are you crazy?
That's not gonna stop it.
You got a better idea?
Come on.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
Call the police.
Hello?
Help, help!
Hello!
The phone's dead.
Great. Now what
are we gonna do?
You're responsible for
this creature being free,
Merrick.
You better think
of something.
All right, Jeffrey,
you can blame me later,
but let's figure out
what we're up against.
Now this thing dates back to
when the dinosaurs died out.
JEFFREY: So?
MERRICK: So what if
it's an intelligent race
that evolved from
dinosaur origins,
you know, like some sort
of pre-human civilization
before whatever
disaster happened.
You're saying that this is
some sort of a time capsule?
Lisa, get me
the Geiger counter.
[GEIGER COUNTER CRACKLING]
You're right, Lisa.
This thing had a wake-up call
set millions of years ago.
It's probably an isotope
that won't have life decay.
If they built this capsule,
then it must be intelligent.
And that means
we can reason with it,
communicate with it.
You mean the way it
communicated with Anita?
Or maybe it was frightened.
Perhaps not fully recovered
from its hibernation.
[CREATURE GROWLING]
It's back!
What are you doing?
I'm gonna go search for
some kind of a weapon
to fight this thing.
No, no. No, listen,
we are scientists,
we're not little creatures
hiding from a hungry lizard.
We've got to overcome
our instincts!
Well, my instincts are
pretty good right now!
[EERIE MUSIC PLAYING]
[GROWLING]
Dad?
JEFFREY: Listen to me.
I know you are
an intelligent being.
You must recognize me
as one also.
We won't hurt you.
We mean no harm.
Wait... [SCREAMS]
Dad!
[JEFFREY SCREAMING
IN PAIN]
[CREATURE GROWLING]
[SCREAMS]
[THUDDING]
[THUDDING STOPS]
[PANTING]
Why?
Why isn't it
attacking us?
I don't know.
Maybe it's
not hungry now.
Oh, God. Dad. [CRIES]
[SOBBING]
MERRICK: If we could
just understand
its origins, you know,
then we could
deal with this thing.
Dad tried to deal
with it, and he's dead.
You say this thing
dates back from when
the dinosaurs died,
but what killed them?
Probably a meteor.
When it hit, it changed
the weather pattern.
We gotta figure out
a way to kill it.
It's gotta have some kind
of a weakness.
Maybe they just
saw it coming.
The acid hurt it
but that was
the only bottle we had.
Maybe they just tried
to preserve themselves
until the ecology just
got back to normal.
Think. There's gotta be
something we can do.
I want this thing dead.
The old legend of the dragon
goes back to dawn of time.
So?
For eons, mammals have been
hunted by dinosaurs.
The only way they survived
was a strong primal fear.
Now it's so strong
that it remained in
their genetic memory.
That's why we're so scared
of this thing.
I mean, that's where
the whole legend of
the dragon comes from.
[GASPS] Oh, God,
it's cold in here.
I know.
Ever since the power went out,
the temperature just dropped
about twenty degrees.
Hey, wait a minute.
Dinosaurs were cold-blooded,
weren't they?
Well, maybe the cold
will kill it.
I don't think so, Lisa.
Most of the species
were warm-blooded.
But if it is a reptile
then the cold might stop it.
Last time I looked,
it was pretty healthy.
If we just knew where
the damn thing was,
we could just
make a run for it.
Unless there's some kind of
weapon that's still aside.
I know. We haven't
gotten one.
Wait a minute.
Come with me.
Let's go.
Which way?
[CREATURE GROWLING]
This way.
[WIND HOWLING]
[WATER DRIPPING]
Stay close to me.
[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING]
[THUDDING]
[GASPS]
MERRICK: What is it?
What is it?
I thought
I saw something.
[GROWLING]
[GASPS]
[ROARING]
[SCREAMS]
Come on!
Hide!
[INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
[GROWLING]
[WIND HOWLING]
Hey!
Hey!
Come on! Come on!
Come and get me,
you poor excuse for a toupee!
[WIND HOWLING]
[CREATURE SCREAMING]
[CONTINUES SCREAMING]
[GRUNTS]
Are you okay?
I'm fine.
What the hell happened?
Man, it's freezing
in here!
Yeah, exactly.
Let's get out of here.
I'll call the police.
[PHONE RINGING]
Hello?
It's for you.
Yeah, Merrick here.
Oh, my God.
What's wrong?
You were right. That capsule
was set at a specific time
and it wasn't the only one.
397 more, last count.
All of them buried
outside of Reno,
and all of them hungry.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
[ROARING]
[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]
[CRICKETS CHIRPING]
[FATHER SIGHS]
[EXCLAIMING IN ANNOYANCE]
[UTENSILS CLATTERING]
Honey, it's family hour,
there must be something on.
DAUGHTER:
Oh, wow, Candied Critters!
[FATHER EXCLAIMS]
Oh, great. It's Monsters,
our favorite show!
[MONSTROUS LAUGH]
[SHUSHING]
It's starting.
[MONSTROUS LAUGH]
[FATHER CHUCKLES]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]
[PHONE RINGING]
[DIAL TONE]
Damn.
[SIGHS] Nearly seven.
He said he'd be here
no later than five.
He probably got
slowed down by
the storm, Dad. Relax.
Relax? I've got
an hour's drive
ahead of me.
If Merrick's made me
wait all this time
just to hear another of
his ridiculous theories,
I'm gonna be very upset.
[DOOR OPENS]
Come on, Jeffrey,
aren't you gonna
give me a hand?
This better be good, Paul.
Dad's really mad.
Thanks, Anita.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
All right, Merrick,
what is it this time?
The find of
the age, Jeffrey.
This thing's big.
It's bigger than
atomic power or penicillin.
This thing is gonna
rewrite history.
Forgive me if
I reserve judgment
on that.
All right, look. I was on
my dig a couple of days ago
outside of Reno.
The radio started
screwing up,
and I'm not just
talking about interference,
the damn thing was
magnetized along with
everything else in the camp.
Look at this.
Look at this
magnetic field.
Look at that intensity.
It's some sort of magnetite
or a meteorite, perhaps.
No, no, it's
an unnatural field.
It... It's too light
to be solid.
I tried to take
core samples,
and it broke
every diamond
drill bit I had.
You get it?
A machine?
It's a machine?
[PHONE RINGING]
Let it ring, damn it,
this is more important.
This thing was found
in sedimentary rock
dating back to
late Cenozoic.
Whatever's in here is
65 million years old.
Impossible.
You mean like some
sort of alien artifact?
Or evidence of
an intelligent life
back then,
technically as advanced
as we are now.
I expected something
outrageous from you, Merrick,
but this time,
you've outdone yourself.
Come on, we all know
what's in here. We have
no explanation.
Let's open the damn thing.
Let's use the laser drill.
Come on, it's not gonna
do your tenure any harm.
Oh, come on, Dad.
All right.
It seems the easiest way
to prove you wrong.
[BUZZING]
We're not making a dent.
Uh-oh.
The last time,
the power was down
for two hours.
Batteries are dead.
We'll get another one
from downstairs.
We'll get
a Geiger counter too.
Come on, Paul.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
[THUDDING]
[GROWLING]
[ANITA SCREAMS]
[CREATURE GROWLING]
What the hell happened?
How'd this thing
get opened?
Whatever was in here
is gone.
That's impossible.
That's so weird.
This design is...
most unsettling.
Talk about unsettling,
take a look at that.
LISA: Blood.
I wonder whose blood.
Anita.
[CREATURE GROWLING]
What was that?
[CREATURE GROWLING]
Paul, what is it?
What's going on?
This must be some
kind of hoax.
No, it's not a hoax.
Whatever was in that shell
is alive.
[CREATURE CONTINUES GROWLING]
[ACID SIZZLES]
[CREATURE SCREAMS IN PAIN]
What was it?
Dad, I'm terrified.
[WIND HOWLING]
Come on, let's get
the hell out of here.
Are you out of your mind?
With that thing lurking
around out there?
Okay, look, let's push
the cabinets up
against the door
and try and keep it out.
Lisa, get the lantern.
Are you crazy?
That's not gonna stop it.
You got a better idea?
Come on.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
Call the police.
Hello?
Help, help!
Hello!
The phone's dead.
Great. Now what
are we gonna do?
You're responsible for
this creature being free,
Merrick.
You better think
of something.
All right, Jeffrey,
you can blame me later,
but let's figure out
what we're up against.
Now this thing dates back to
when the dinosaurs died out.
JEFFREY: So?
MERRICK: So what if
it's an intelligent race
that evolved from
dinosaur origins,
you know, like some sort
of pre-human civilization
before whatever
disaster happened.
You're saying that this is
some sort of a time capsule?
Lisa, get me
the Geiger counter.
[GEIGER COUNTER CRACKLING]
You're right, Lisa.
This thing had a wake-up call
set millions of years ago.
It's probably an isotope
that won't have life decay.
If they built this capsule,
then it must be intelligent.
And that means
we can reason with it,
communicate with it.
You mean the way it
communicated with Anita?
Or maybe it was frightened.
Perhaps not fully recovered
from its hibernation.
[CREATURE GROWLING]
It's back!
What are you doing?
I'm gonna go search for
some kind of a weapon
to fight this thing.
No, no. No, listen,
we are scientists,
we're not little creatures
hiding from a hungry lizard.
We've got to overcome
our instincts!
Well, my instincts are
pretty good right now!
[EERIE MUSIC PLAYING]
[GROWLING]
Dad?
JEFFREY: Listen to me.
I know you are
an intelligent being.
You must recognize me
as one also.
We won't hurt you.
We mean no harm.
Wait... [SCREAMS]
Dad!
[JEFFREY SCREAMING
IN PAIN]
[CREATURE GROWLING]
[SCREAMS]
[THUDDING]
[THUDDING STOPS]
[PANTING]
Why?
Why isn't it
attacking us?
I don't know.
Maybe it's
not hungry now.
Oh, God. Dad. [CRIES]
[SOBBING]
MERRICK: If we could
just understand
its origins, you know,
then we could
deal with this thing.
Dad tried to deal
with it, and he's dead.
You say this thing
dates back from when
the dinosaurs died,
but what killed them?
Probably a meteor.
When it hit, it changed
the weather pattern.
We gotta figure out
a way to kill it.
It's gotta have some kind
of a weakness.
Maybe they just
saw it coming.
The acid hurt it
but that was
the only bottle we had.
Maybe they just tried
to preserve themselves
until the ecology just
got back to normal.
Think. There's gotta be
something we can do.
I want this thing dead.
The old legend of the dragon
goes back to dawn of time.
So?
For eons, mammals have been
hunted by dinosaurs.
The only way they survived
was a strong primal fear.
Now it's so strong
that it remained in
their genetic memory.
That's why we're so scared
of this thing.
I mean, that's where
the whole legend of
the dragon comes from.
[GASPS] Oh, God,
it's cold in here.
I know.
Ever since the power went out,
the temperature just dropped
about twenty degrees.
Hey, wait a minute.
Dinosaurs were cold-blooded,
weren't they?
Well, maybe the cold
will kill it.
I don't think so, Lisa.
Most of the species
were warm-blooded.
But if it is a reptile
then the cold might stop it.
Last time I looked,
it was pretty healthy.
If we just knew where
the damn thing was,
we could just
make a run for it.
Unless there's some kind of
weapon that's still aside.
I know. We haven't
gotten one.
Wait a minute.
Come with me.
Let's go.
Which way?
[CREATURE GROWLING]
This way.
[WIND HOWLING]
[WATER DRIPPING]
Stay close to me.
[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING]
[THUDDING]
[GASPS]
MERRICK: What is it?
What is it?
I thought
I saw something.
[GROWLING]
[GASPS]
[ROARING]
[SCREAMS]
Come on!
Hide!
[INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
[GROWLING]
[WIND HOWLING]
Hey!
Hey!
Come on! Come on!
Come and get me,
you poor excuse for a toupee!
[WIND HOWLING]
[CREATURE SCREAMING]
[CONTINUES SCREAMING]
[GRUNTS]
Are you okay?
I'm fine.
What the hell happened?
Man, it's freezing
in here!
Yeah, exactly.
Let's get out of here.
I'll call the police.
[PHONE RINGING]
Hello?
It's for you.
Yeah, Merrick here.
Oh, my God.
What's wrong?
You were right. That capsule
was set at a specific time
and it wasn't the only one.
397 more, last count.
All of them buried
outside of Reno,
and all of them hungry.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
[ROARING]
[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]