Project Blue Book (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 2 - The Flatwoods Monster - full transcript

Previously
on "Project Blue Book"...

You want me to
investigate flying saucers?

I want you to help me prove
to the public the truth --

They don't exist.

The public knows there's
something going on now.

Need I remind you
we don't even know

what the hell
we're dealing with here.

And what does
your husband do?

I can't really
talk about it.

There's something you need
to know. I think there's...

...something more going on.



What are you not telling me
right now?

Come on! This way!

Kids, that is enough
of this nonsense.

Mama, Will's not
making this one up.

It fell down
right out of the sky.

Lord Almighty.

Dallas!
Will!

Kids!

Will!
Dallas!

Lori!

Here, girl!
Will?

Dallas!

Everybody thinks I'm crazy.

Logic...can't begin to explain
what we're dealing with here.



Coordinates.

Hon,
you have a visitor.

Oh, yeah,
just one second.

You locked it?

Did I?
I didn't realize --

Hey, Doc.

Lovely home, by the way.
Thank you.

Can I get you any coffee
or something to drink?

Well, I wish I could stay,
but thank you.

Boy, how'd you
manage that?

She's way
out of your league.

What are you doing here?

Well, we missed
the last flight out,

so we got to drive now.

Drive? Where?
Sooner we hit the road,
the better.

Where are we going?

I just got off the phone
with the generals.

Seems a woman and her kids
saw a spaceship

crash down near their farm
in West Virginia.

Claimed they saw the alien
that was piloting it, too.

Mom?

Joel.

Are you ready
for school yet?

Do you --

Whoa.

Are you the Air Force pilot
my dad is working with?

Well,
you must be Joel.

Put 'er there, soldier.

Did you kill a lot of bad guys
in the war?

Joel --
Well, yes, I did.

For my country.

That's so cool!

How many people did you kill?
Like -- Like 100?

Captain, I'm sorry. Joel,
he doesn't really understand --
Well, when you're
fighting a war,

you don't always have time to
think about things like that.

My dad
didn't really fight.

He...invented
a kind of tiny radar --

Captain, would you wait outside,
please?

Well, there were lots of ways
to contribute to the war effort.

Nice to meet you, Joel.
You too.

Mrs. Hynek.

Joel, your mom and I need
to talk for a second, okay?

I have to go
out of town again.

For how long?
I don't know.

What's going on?

I can't really say.

So is this how it's gonna be
from now on?

You keeping secrets from me
all the time?

No, it's not a secret.
It's just I...

I don't want you to worry,
that's all.

Mimi,
everything is fine.

I promise.

So, according to
the mother's account,

she and her children
saw something red
streak across the sky.

When they went to investigate,
they came across a spaceship

and an "alien"
10 feet tall.

Do people normally
report aliens?

No, they do not.
Not since Roswell.

There's something
that's not in that file.

After folks in town
heard Sara's story,

they put together
this militia

to hunt down
the "space creature."
You're kidding.

And when they didn't find one,
they turned on her.

On Sara? Why?

Basic psychology.
Fight or flight.

They don't find an alien,
they figure Sara's a liar,

caused a panic.

So what's
she really after?

If there's no good answer,
then she becomes the monster.

Is that the militia?
Jesus.

I didn't realize they were
camped out at her house.

Let me handle this.

Hello there, sir.
Just trying to get through.

Who are you?

Government business,
Chief.

Step aside.

Sara call you?

That woman's crazy,
you know?

She put the whole town
in a panic.

Well, we're trying to
fix that.

Like your boys did in Roswell,
huh?

All of you,
back away from there!

God damn it, Donnie!

J-Just sayin' hello.

I know why
you boys are here.

So how long
is this gonna take?

We haven't assessed anything
yet, Captain.

I'm afraid
we can't answer that.

Well...you just
hurry up, then.

Let 'em through!

Next time, Doc,
let me do the talking.

Sara,
it's Captain Quinn.

We spoke
on the telephone.

This is Dr. Hynek.
We work together.

You're a doctor?

Mind your heads.
I gotta keep it dark down here.

The light
hurts their eyes now.

They started
complaining about it

just after we saw that thing
in the woods

after
the spaceship crashed.

Mama?
It's all right.

There's a city doctor
here now.

Didn't affect me, but they
just keep getting worse.

Doctor, please tell me what's
happening with my babies.

You know, I got a boy
about your age.

Loves to read
comic books.

- What's your favorite?
- "Travelers of Mystery."

I'm not supposed to
read it, though,

'cause Mom says
I get scared sometimes.

Because you got a good
imagination, I'll bet.

That picture you drew...
of the alien.

Do you think that could have
come from your imagination?

No. It was real.

On the night
this took place,

what exactly was the first thing
that you remember?

Well...the kids saw
the spaceship first.

By the time I got there,
it had already crashed.

Set the whole forest
on fire.

The monster...
it had these big, round eyes.

Looked almost human,
but it was so tall.

I-It might've been trying to
talk to us, but we just ran.

Miss Downing, could you take us
to where this all happened?

You should be
more careful.

Dyed your hair this time.

I rather like it.

I have a date
I need to get ready for.

Perhaps you can make yourself
useful while I'm gone.

Yes, ma'am.

I'll leave you the address.

Don't be sloppy.

This is it.

This is the spot.

After we ran
from the monster,

we saw parts of the spacecraft
scattered all around.

One of them must've been
the engine

'cause it was still glowin'
when we saw it.

Like a ragin' red diamond.

Y'all must think I'm crazy.
No, no, not at all.

Thank you, Miss Downing.
We'll take it from here.

Geez.

What happened here?

Captain?
Yeah.

Surface soil's loose.

This entire area's
been jolted somehow.

Like an earthquake.

I thought you just
studied the sky.

When I was seven, I contracted
a severe case of scarlet fever.

Didn't leave my bed
for almost a year.

I read the entire
"Encyclopedia Britannica."

Twice.

Hey, Doc.
This was a forest fire.

Someone probably dropped
a cigarette, place went up,

kids saw a branch fall
or something.

You see something?

What you got there?

Hold this.

This.
Uh, yeah.

It's like I thought.

These branches, they're broken
from impact, not fi--

Guess your "Britannica"
didn't teach you

about climbing trees,
huh?

Okay?

Yeah.

Hello. Don't you look lovely.
Come in.

Nope.

Well, I-I have coffee
and donuts.

No.

Maybe you should tell me
what you want.

Oh, that is a longer
conversation.

But right now,
I want you to grab your purse,

get out of the house, and
show the new girl some
of the local hot spots.

I'm the new girl
in case you were wondering.

Well, I guess
that makes me your tour guide.

Come in.
I just need a moment.

I won't be long. I'm just --
I'm just grabbing my coat.

All right!

And I think --
I think I'm ready.

Okay, we're good.
Let's go.

Thank you.

Okay.

What is that?

Geiger counter.

What do you need
a Geiger counter for?

.27.
This is extremely elevated.

Captain, can you help?

What the hell is that?

That is part of
the alien spaceship.

Or, as Sara called it,
the "red diamond."

All this for a meteor?

Hey, Doc.
Just let 'em work.

I just want to be sure
they know to check

its isotopic
composition.

They're professionals.

What's under the tarp?

Come on,
we got to get back,

let Sara and the kids know
we're done here,

release a statement
to the press.

Move that cargo to hangar 63!

You clear?
Come on, Doc. Let's go.

So, are where are we going,
missy?

What would you like
to see?

No. Movie theater.

Museum?

I don't know.
Let me think.

Well, there is...
this one place.

Yeah?

They read poetry, um,
serve cocktails in soup cans,

and smoke reefer.

I've never been.
I've only heard of it.

I don't know what to say,
Mimi.

I'm sorry.
Was that too much?

I love it.
You are my kind of girl.

All right,
so how do we get there?

Okay.

Head up to Fairmont,
hang a left,

then three streets to Reynolds
before you go down --

Oh, my God.
What was I thinking?

You should've driven.
You know where you're going.

Good idea.
Just pull over.

We don't have to stop.
Slide over.

You trust me?

Now reach around
and grab the wheel.

Put your foot
on the gas.

You got it?
Uh-huh.

All right.

Ahh!

Whoo! All right.

Now you're in charge.

The red streak
across the sky,

the fire in the woods
that started at the treetops,

the pungent mist,

all of it does point to
something extraterrestrial.

Lord, I knew it.
It was a meteor.

What made everyone sick
were arsenic fumes.

The skins burns
could have come from

the level of radiation present
if it was uranium or thorium.

Even if
you didn't touch it,

the area was toxic enough
to have had that effect.

But the good news is
that it's temporary.

You are all
going to be fine.

But what about
what we saw?

A meteor
can't explain that.

Well,
I didn't say that it did.

And I'm not trying to
discredit your account.

I'm just taking things
in a step-by-step --

Hey, Doc.
Can we...

We have what we need to write up
the report and close the case.

Not everything.
You found a meteor.

What more are we
looking for here?

Something to explain
the creature.

You read the case file.

There was
one other witness.

Hey, is this really
how it's gonna be with you?

Okay, here we go.

Cheers.

Cheers.

What's in this?

It's called
a Coffin Nail.

I'm guessing a little bit
of everything.

You probably
came to this kind of place

in New York
all the time.

You don't like it here?

I didn't really know
what to expect, I guess.

It's just so...
Different.

You know what
I think it is?

You just need
to loosen up.

You want to loosen up,
you just need a little help.

Stay here.
I'll be right back.

Okay.
Here?

You want to feel
all right?

Don't be shy.

We told Evelyn
you were coming

but I'm not sure
what you'll get.

She still thinks Lincoln's
president sometimes.

Miss Myers?

Evelyn.

Miss Myers,
my name is Dr. Hynek.

We're from Washington.

We understand
that you saw a --

an entity of some sort
a few days ago...

that you reported
to the authorities?

Is this what you saw?

Yes, that was it.

And when I looked into
its eyes,

it showed me
the end of all things.

Okay, Miss Myers,
thank you for your time.

The others that came to see me
before you

believed me.

What others?

The men in hats.

They were scared.

So should you be.

We learned a valuable
lesson today here, Doc.

When I say a case is closed,
it's closed.

And we are never
coming back to West Virginia.

Beer's getting cold.

It's a joke. Hey.

You really think
those kids were lying?

And Evelyn.

She described
the same creature

at the same time
near the same location.

I mean,
one person reporting a monster,

you can let that go,
but two?

Did you not hear
what I just said?

Yeah, "case is closed."
Yeah.

So why are you still...

Let me ask you something.

Since we never covered this
in our initial interview.

Because I guess
I just assumed.

Thanks, Carl.

You don't actually believe
an inch of this

could be for real,
do you?

You mean do I believe
Sara and her children

are telling the truth?
No.

Do you think
it's possible

extraterrestrial life
exists?

Statistically,
the probability of us

being alone
in our universe is zero.

But
scientifically speaking?

Well, given the finite
speed of light,

the vast distance
between the stars,

any visitation is...
improbable.

What do you keep
looking at over there?

Sara talked to the press.

It's one thing to hear
a rumor, Captain.

Another thing entirely to have
an alien on your front page.

...tell us on her own.

Jesus.

Now this whole town's
gonna be in a panic.

Hear that?
Now they want answers from her.

This makes them think
Sara's the problem.

It's a -- It's a --
It's a witch hunt.

Fight or flight.

We have to get back there
right now.

Sara come on out!

It's time to settle this!

We know she's telling lies
there, right?

Hey!

Step away
from the house.

You're back.

Still gonna tell us
how to run our town?

Easy there,
clodhopper.

I told you boys
this is a local issue.

We don't need
your kind here.

Well, now you've found
some real trouble.

New plan!

From now on, I'm the man in
charge. Any questions?

Donnie?

No.
Do as he says.

Go check on the family.

Sara, it's -- it's -- it's okay.
We're here to help you.

Yeah, just look
at all that help I got

outside my door
right now.

I understand
why you published the drawings.

I do, but --
I had to.

You didn't believe me.
No one did.

And now it's backfired and they
all think I'm the monster.

But I looked the alien
in its eyes!

Mom.

We are not crazy.

We saw something in those woods
from somewhere else.

And it was real.

You're failing me down there.

It's just a little hiccup
right now.

- Ain't goin' far, Sheriff.
- It's under control.

The sheriff wants to call in
the National Guard.

Does that sound like it's
"under control" to you?

This is the kind of "hiccup"
that makes national news.

Do you understand that?
I'll talk to him, sir.

Oh, you better do
a hell of a lot more than that

or you can kiss that post
in D.C. goodbye.

What'd Sara say?

Well, she's not changing
her story.

Great.

So we're both gonna be
out of a job when we get home.

We're leaving? This town
will eat itself alive.

Well, you want to go hunt down a
non-existent alien in the woods?

That's about the only way
we can quiet things down.

There's gotta be
an explanation.

I need to clear my head.

What are you doing?
Do we have a flashlight?

Now, what the hell do you need
a flashlight for?

Come on!

Hey.
What are you doing?

An experiment.

You gonna tell me what the hell
we're doing out here already?

Testing a theory.

Now hide.

This is crazy.

No, please, hide.
Behind me.

Take a good look,
Captain.

We have just found
the Flatwoods Monster.

Doc, you're
a goddamned genius.

You've all heard
the story about what happened

in the woods that night.

About what Sara
and her children saw.

A spaceship crashing,
creature inside it,

aliens taking over the world.

And most of you thought
she was crazy.

But everything she said...

was true.

That spaceship
was a meteor.

Even the Air Force scientists
that examined it

said they've never seen
such a fine specimen.

Thank you.

And the creature...

Nothing more than
a great horned owl.

Professor, would you like
to take it from here?

When hot air, such as
the air heated by a fire,

mixes with the colder air
above it,

the light refracts
in different directions.

That's why stars twinkle.

How mirages are formed
in the desert.

And also how any of us here

could see an owl in the middle
of a burning forest

and claim it was a monster.

Instead...
take a good look.

Resemblance --
it's unmistakable.

And the only logical,
scientific explanation.

Thank you very much.
Thank you.

- One more for "The Daily News."
- This way, please.

Captain.
Captain, get in, please.

Sheriff,
just one more, please.

Can the family squeeze together
a little bit?

Excuse me!

Hello!

Hey, Doc!

Lunatic!

It's time
we get you home.

No. We need to make
one more stop first.

He told me you'd be back.

Is he --
Is he here right now?

The man in the hat?

Please. Sit.

So, the case
is officially closed.

Hynek really came through
in the end.

Happy to hear that.
You must be as well.

He's a little stiff,
but the professor
knows what he's doing.

Why don't you stop by
the offices on the way home

so we can meet him?

I'd love to.
I bet you would.

So it looks like you got
worked up over nothing.

It's never nothing.
Not anymore.

He left this for you.

I don't understand.

Who is this man?
How does he even know me?

He only knows
what you want.

The truth.

But the truth
is like the sun.

The closer you look,
the more it blinds.

Find what you were looking for
in there?

Look, professor,
you're still new to this,

so let me give you
the answers to the exam, okay?

Spaceships, aliens,
all this stuff

we're asked to
investigate?

The Air Force knows
they don't exist.

So our job is to
provide a rational explanation

for what the public sees
and move on.

Well, there are
still things about this case

that I just
can't account for.

What?
Like crazy lady in there?

Look, you're the astrophysicist.
Stick to the science.

I'll stick
to the psychology.

That way, there is nothing
that could come out of that sky

that you or I
can't explain.

Professor.

Professor?

I'm sorry. What were --
What were you saying?

That General Valentine and I
will be working together

on Project Blue Book.

So you'll be hearing from
the both of us a lot more.

Yes, of course.

You're doing your country
a huge service.

You know that,
don't you?

I trust Captain Quinn
has explained that to you?

Thoroughly.

Good.

Is a meteor all that we found?
At the site.

It seemed to me there may have
been something...else removed.

Something larger?

Is he not up to speed
on our protocol and discretion?

He is.

Most definitely.

Did I miss something?
There wasn't a larger sample?

You know, if I could just
take a look for my research.

In case the captain
didn't dot all the I's
and cross all the T's,

your research
is now our research

while you work for
Blue Book.

So I want to say,
"Thank you for your help."

Oh, and regarding
your compensation.

If you sign that,
we can get you paid.

You can drop it off
on your way out.

Gentlemen?
Sir.

I look forward to
working with you.

Oh, thank you.

Five, six...

Triple letter score.

Pretty good.

But...

I have Q-U-A-S-A-R.

Hello.

Dad!
Allen.

Mom let me stay up
till you got home.

I was getting worried.
I'm sorry.

It's just -- It's --
It's been a long couple of days.

Did it go all right?
Yeah, I'm just glad to be home.

Hey, Dad,
what's in the box?

And so, it occurred to me
on my drive home

that, uh, tonight was
the opposition of Mars.

That is the point
in Mars' orbit

when it passes closest
to Earth.

And when I was your age,

it was Mars that first got me
interested in astronomy.

This was my comic book.

Go on. Have a look.

Whoa. Dad.

So cool.

And I got something
for you as well.

Well, I haven't been able to buy
you anything nice in a while.

And...I just thought
with the extra money.

But I've got to say,

it is a little more dangerous
than I was anticipating.

So you think you're gonna keep
doing this?

It's Blue Book, right?

Hello?
Good. I caught you.

Wanted to see
how you were doing.

Me? Well...

It's good to be home.

I bet.

Listen, um...

what happened with Evelyn --

that's gotta be making you
second guess the whole thing.

I don't want you to give up.

You're good at what you do and
I'd hate if something like this

made you change your mind
about the job.

I just think
the authorities

need to be investigating
her death.

Already checked in.

Orderly there
told the sheriff

that she jumped out
an open window.

Had a history
of hallucinating, too.

Probably explains the other
business with the alien.

Hallucinating.

Yeah. Could have went off her
medication that day as well.

Just one other thing...

...next time you have
a question for the generals,

ask me first, okay?

It'll make both our lives
a whole lot easier.

Okay, Captain.
Whatever you say.

Great.

All right, so tomorrow.

See you bright and early.

I think the doctor
will perform his role

rather well, don't you?

You don't think so?

There's something...off
about him.

The man saw a woman
take a swan dive off a building.

Even you'd be rattled.

I just didn't like him
asking so many questions.

He's an academic.
What'd you expect?

I expect a scientist
who wants to pick up

a little extra cash
would keep his mouth shut.

Captain Quinn'll make sure
he goes along with the program.

You won't have to worry.

It's our job to worry.

That's fine.
Let's just not get paranoid.

We've got enough
of that going around.

The consequences of our actions
impact every man,

woman, and child
on the planet.

It's up to us
to make sure

that their fate
is in good hands.