Project Blue Book (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - The Lubbock Lights - full transcript
Hynek and Quinn are brought to Lubbock, Texas, when citizens witness a mysterious V-shaped craft in the night sky.
Previously on "Project Blue Book"...
Our nation is suffering from
mass hysteria right now.
We saw something in those
woods and it was real.
You want me to investigate
flying saucers.
Space ships, aliens,
the Air Force knows they don't exist.
The others that came believed me.
- What others?
- The men in the hats.
They left this for you.
I think the doctor will perform
his role rather well, don't you?
There's something off about him.
I just didn't like him
asking so many questions.
So I was thinking dinner
and a movie Friday.
Would you like that?
What movie?
Well, "The Thing" is
playing at the Rialto.
Tommy, you know I don't
like scary movies.
Yeah, makes you hang all over me.
That's kind of the point.
Don't matter what movie,
I'll still hang on to you.
Whoa.
Gina, hang on?
Yeah, sure, Tommy.
Unidentified aircraft
in Lubbock air space,
please identify yourself.
Tom? Tommy, you there?
Oh, my God.
Tommy, I see these strange lights.
What's going on? Tommy?
Gina, baby, hello?
Hello?
And they've been hiding the
truth from us for years.
Since 1947,
there've been over 1,200
confirmed sightings
of strange objects in the
sky just in America.
And we all know what
happened in Roswell.
You call it a massive
government cover-up.
Government and military.
We're being visited by
aliens on a regular basis.
The only question now is
whether or not those visits
are preparation for invasion.
The public has a right to
know for their own safety,
and that is why I do the work I do.
And important work it is.
Folks, you can find the whole
story on newsstands now.
It's a pleasure having you on, Donald.
You really opened my eyes.
Thank you for having the courage
to let me speak the truth.
Let's hear it for our
guest, renowned author,
flying saucer expert, Mr. Donald Keyhoe.
Beautiful crowd. Beautiful crowd.
Hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Mr. Keyhoe, sir?
Mm-hmm. What do you want you me to sign?
- Sir?
- Just tell me.
Oh, here, to whom shall I make it out?
- Uh...
- What's your name?
Um...
What is it that you want?
Well, I understand that
you sometimes pay cash
for the right kind of story.
And this is...
this is like nothing
you've ever seen before.
I very much doubt that you can tell me
anything I haven't seen before.
No, this is bigger than Thomas Mantell
and the government cover-up
of flying saucers.
All right.
Let's go.
If I feel you have something worthy,
then I'll pay.
This is about the lights in
Texas... Lubbock, Texas.
Joel?
Is he all right?
Hey.
Joel, wake up.
Hmm?
What are you doing in the closet?
Hiding.
Hiding? From what?
Space men... from Mars.
_
Where did you get this?
At school.
Everyone's reading it.
Hello?
The Communists in the
Kremlin are engaged in
a monstrous conspiracy to stamp
out freedom all over the world.
If they were to succeed,
the United States
would be numbered among
their principle victims.
It must be clear to everyone
that the United States...
They call the bomb "Joe-3."
Why?
Russians air-drop their
first atom bomb test,
somebody somewhere's
gonna give it a name.
I'm guessing there was a number one
and a number two before that.
Just the idea of nuclear
war... pure insanity.
You ask Harding, it's
only a matter of time
before we find out whose
nukes are bigger.
Are you doctors?
No, we're here about the sighting.
We're from Blue Book.
I'm Gina. I'm Tom's fiancée.
Gina, you're the one who called.
How's he doing?
They say he crashed his truck,
but there's not a mark on him,
and he just won't wake up.
The thing is, if you saw his truck,
it just don't make no sense.
Listen, if... if now is a
bad time, we can come back.
You know the power went out
right when it happened?
All over town.
Like this craft or whatever it was
sucked it right out of the sky.
Craft?
Did you see something, too?
A lot of folks did.
Ask around.
V-shaped lights flying
faster than a meteor.
I'm sure they keep radar
logs at the tower.
You know, I'd like to get
a look at his truck.
Tom?
Doctor? Hello?
Tom?
Ah! Tom?
Baby?
What just happened?
Oh, I got it, Donna.
Oh, are you stocking up
for the bomb shelter?
Jack wants to be fully prepared
for the end of the world.
Sounds like one of Joel's nightmares.
Well, with those reds in
Korea, Chairman Mao in China,
nightmare sounds about right.
Was it difficult to build?
Oh, no. We just picked it
up at the hardware store.
It comes mostly assembled.
Those underground ones are so expensive.
And it makes you feel safer?
Snug like bugs in a rug.
Seems cozy.
But the thing is, there's only
room for one family inside.
Oh, of course, I-I wasn't...
I wasn't suggesting...
Oh, I know you weren't.
But Jack and I, we discussed it.
I mean, you have to.
What would you do if
someone came knocking?
Well, what would you do?
Jack bought a rifle and told
me not to worry about it.
Allen in town?
- He's away on business.
- Great.
Well, when he gets back, we
need to have dinner real soon.
He still had his hands on the
wheel when we got to him.
Had to pry 'em off.
Eyes wide open.
Couldn't say a word.
Just craziest thing I ever saw.
Jesus.
You pulled him out of this thing?
You'd think maybe another
vehicle was involved,
but there's no skid marks,
no sign of a collision.
It's just the strangest
thing I ever saw.
Can't explain it at all.
They say he crashed his truck,
but there's not a mark on him.
What are you thinking?
Thermal strain can cause tensile
stress in some metals like this,
but, uh, if that was electrical,
it would have to be tuned
to the right frequency.
This blackout people been reporting,
what do we know about that?
Well, power grid out
here isn't the best.
It could've just been the old lights,
but, uh, blackouts don't usually
send folks into a blind panic.
Tied up our phone lines
pretty good last night.
- Last night?
- Yeah, we've been traveling.
We don't know anything about this.
Mostly near the University.
A regular riot on campus.
_
Hi. How are you?
Well, the Dean was, uh, kind
enough to give us a room
to interview the witnesses,
and according to this,
it should be just over...
This way. Come on, we're late.
Just gonna double-check.
- Hi, there.
- Oh, hi.
Look, we seem to have lost our heading.
We're looking for the Science
Administration building.
I don't know if you can
point me in that direction.
It's right there.
What do you know?
By the way, I'm Leigh-Ann.
Any plans tonight?
Uh, homecoming party.
You should come.
I'll think about it.
- Okay.
- Nice meeting you.
You were right. This way.
Those are not women you're, uh,
chatting up there, Captain.
They're school girls.
Grad students.
When I was their age, I was old enough
to escort bombers over Berlin, so...
Guess I missed all this.
Big homecoming party tonight.
Just got invited, by the way.
These are all witnesses?
No, that's a negative.
Some of these are just kids
trying to get out of class.
Hello. I'm Captain Quinn.
This is Dr. Hynek from the
United States Air Force.
Now listen, we don't have
a lot of time today,
so if you don't need
to be here, beat it.
Come on. Let's go.
Hello, everyone.
Thank you for coming.
Uh, we do understand it can be hard
to come forward as a witness, so, uh,
we do appreciate you being here.
Now, um, if you believe
that you have seen
these strange lights in the sky,
please raise your hands.
This many witnesses?
That's a new one.
I'd just come out of the cafeteria
when it passed overheard.
All the lights went out.
It was terrifying.
I thought they were stars at first.
And then they started moving.
And all of a sudden I look up,
and I... and I saw this
thing hovering over me.
I felt all tight inside
like there was something
grabbing hold of me.
My heart was just pounding so fast
that I thought it was gonna burst.
And I thought, "Planes don't do that."
Figured they were stars.
They were awful bright.
But the scariest thing...
it didn't make a sound.
So I ran.
I thought I was gonna die.
I prayed.
It was the last thing I could do.
I didn't know how to react.
I was just terrified, and I fainted.
Never seen anything like
that before in my life.
Question, Professor.
What exactly am I looking at here?
Well, I've taken the accounts
and created a grid of the
night sky over the campus...
timeframes, angles of
sight, light interference.
It is a composite
sketch of the sighting.
So what's it telling you?
Shooting stars... not possible.
Plane... well, there were no
scheduled flights that evening.
But the power outage, now,
I'm starting to think...
Good, you're still here.
And you must be Hynek.
Dr. Allen Hynek.
Ah. I'm Professor Carlton Fanshaw.
This is my classroom.
I, uh, need it for the next period.
Of course, but the Dean assured
us that we had use of...
This classroom is not the domain
of the Dean's, it's mine.
You must be misinformed.
We're here on official
government business.
No, no, no, no, I'm well informed.
I know exactly who you are. I
know exactly why you're here.
And trust me when I say you
won't be needing my chalkboard
because I have this.
Hold on.
Is that...
What you've been
looking for. Yes, it is.
And, uh, not only did I take
that photograph last night,
but I've done your job for you.
Gentlemen, I've solved the
mystery of the Lubbock lights.
Your work here is done.
Having seen the photograph,
the answer is quite obvious
to anyone familiar with
the local avian fauna.
Plovers?
Your basic plover is a, uh...
it's a water bird.
It's about the size of a quail.
I know what a plover is.
Please go on, Professor.
Well, you see, the oily
white breast of the plover
serves as a, uh... a highly
efficient reflective surface.
So when a light shines on it from below
from the recently installed
mercury-vapor street lamps
along Hollister Avenue
hitting a flock in flight,
you get, voilà, a V-shaped alien armada.
_
It's got 43 pieces,
full set of wrenches.
You can do anything you want
in your house with this.
I'll tell you what,
we've got it on sale.
You're not gonna find it anywhere else
for any better price than that.
Maybe you could take a little more off?
It's $0.40. It's on sale.
What are you gonna do?
You want it? Let's ring you up for it.
Excuse me.
Hi. I'm just with a
customer right now, ma'am.
Sorry, I-I'll just...
So, uh, you rooting for Texas?
There you are.
Can I help you, ma'am?
- Uh...
- Do you have a question?
Yes, sorry, the, um...
The sign outside...
do you have any shelters in stock?
We do.
So why don't you get your
hubby to drop by tomorrow
so he and I can talk? It'll
take some explaining.
Unfortunately, the hubby's out of town
and the wifey would like to
surprise him when he gets back,
so why don't you ring one up
and deliver it by morning
so I can build my own bomb
shelter before he gets home?
Did I explain that
clearly enough for you?
Yes, ma'am.
A man can only sit over his putt so long
before he gets the shakes.
Yeah, just one more reason
I never much cared for that game.
Try playing on a regular basis.
You'd hate it even more.
Should I go watch paint
dry while you figure out
what you'd like to do here, Nathan?
You know, I forgot to
ask, how is Mrs. Harding?
Is she okay?
- She's fine.
- Well, you know, I just figured
she has to put up with
you every single day,
that woman needs looking after.
Uh-huh.
Bogey, six o'clock.
General?
Oh, shit.
At ease.
General Valentine said you'd
want to see this right away.
Donald Keyhoe.
Who's the other man?
A civilian. Rudy Pitts.
His uncle is the county sheriff
of Lubbock, Texas, sir.
Lubbock?
Yes, sir.
Yeah, I know, you got to go.
We'll finish this next time.
No, no, we won't.
Checkmate.
Son of a bitch.
Mm. Next time we go golfing.
Oh, I'm shaking.
Snow in Texas.
What do you know? What
are we doing here?
This is where Fanshaw
allegedly took his photograph.
Gina says the, uh, lights were
moving faster than a meteor.
Does the good professor
honestly expect us to believe
that your basic plover
could fly that fast?
You know, it doesn't bother me
if someone else gets credit.
Our job is to close
the case. That's all.
Our job is to find the truth.
Sometimes I think you're
trying to convince yourself
more than anybody else.
Like you know something I don't.
Hey. I know you.
Leigh-Ann.
What are you doing here?
- I just picked up my friend Tammy.
- Hi.
Hi.
We're going to the homecoming party.
Want to come? There's
room for one more inside.
I'm sorry, ma'am, no can do.
Working late tonight.
Top-secret mission, Captain?
Military protocol forbids me from
giving a direct answer to that question.
You're cute. Maybe next time.
Are plovers even nocturnal?
Wouldn't they be sleeping right now?
Hey.
What the hell you doing out here?
Good evening.
I said, what are you doing?
Just taking pictures, Mister.
Nothing to worry about.
Hey, I were you, I'd put that
bat back where it belongs.
Who are you?
Uh, Dr. Allen Hynek.
This is Captain Quinn.
We work for the United States Air Force.
You got any I.D.?
I don't carry identification.
Big surprise.
He's another one, I bet.
Another one? What do you mean?
We had other men out here just
last week doing like you are.
Right before the spaceships came.
Other men?
Who were they?
They scrammed before we could ask.
Commies probably.
Oh, here we go.
You look like a Commie to me.
I warned you about the bat.
Mary, call the police.
Yeah, I'm gonna need your camera.
We are duly enfranchised representatives
of the United States government.
Everyone, go back to your homes.
There's nothing to see here.
They're coming back.
The flying saucers are coming back.
They're coming back!
So now what?
Wait for flying saucers to show up?
Based on our witness
reports, this is the place.
I surrender.
I'm sorry, I've just been so on edge.
I bought a bomb shelter today.
Hardware store's delivering
it in the morning.
Build it yourself.
What on earth made you do that?
Allen's gone more and more
and Joel's been having trouble sleeping,
and with all this talk about
Russians and the atomic bomb...
I don't think there's
anything wrong with
doing what you can to feel safe.
Thank you for my flowers.
I owe you an apology.
For what?
The beatnik club.
I shouldn't have taken you there.
No, it was my idea.
It wasn't your fault at all.
I should be apologizing.
I ran out on you.
You sure it wasn't something I did?
Allen's a professor at
the local university,
and I was worried that if someone saw me
in a place like that...
I don't have friends here.
I was afraid that I lost you.
You didn't lose me.
Wow. Don't see stars
like that in the city.
How many would you guess that there are?
Just in the Milky Way?
I don't know. A million, two?
100 billion.
And every one of them
has a story to tell us.
You like stories.
I've dedicated my life to them.
Well, how's this one?
Professor dipstick tells us it's birds
and you think that's crap,
so we drive out to Hollister Street
where the neighbors greet us
with pitchforks and torches
till someone shouts, "Spaceship,"
then we drive out to
the middle of nowhere,
we look up at the stars,
100 billion of them, it turns out,
until we realize spaceships
never showed up.
The end.
That's not a story.
That's a-a wild goose chase.
Yes, it is.
I'll bet I know what you're thinking.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
You wish you were at that
homecoming party with, uh...
- Leigh-Ann.
- Yeah.
You blame me?
I do remember what it feels like.
Pretty girl, a party.
So are we done here?
I'll drop you at the dorm.
Roger that.
Just, uh, give me a minute.
All right.
♪ I race automobiles ♪
♪ And I'm a farmer ♪
Get away from the car!
What's wrong?
What the hell was that?
So the power did go out again?
Five years working here,
this never happened once.
Now it's twice in one week.
Anything on the screen?
Same thing as the whole
town saw, V-shaped lights.
I logged its path.
Gas station,
Baroody Farm,
the Lumber Yard,
and the airport.
Okay, based on our records,
blue lights were...
here...
here, and...
here.
Give us a moment, will you?
Rolling blackout matches the
flight path on the radar.
What happened in the car last night?
I don't even know where to start.
The V-shaped formation of blue lights,
I saw them with my own eyes.
We both did.
West Virginia, recon.
Pilot in North Dakota,
aerial engagement.
Last night, ground assault.
Maybe Joe-3 isn't the only thing
the Russians are testing.
Or maybe it's not the Russians.
Going down to 215 West 57th.
Mr. Keyhoe? Come with us, please.
Hey, get your hands off me.
Just relax.
I don't know who you think you are
or what you're doing,
but I'm a member in good standing
of the fourth estate
answering to no one...
I'm sorry, what were you saying?
Now, you listen.
The next article you
write for True Magazine
or anybody else, we're
gonna read it first.
As a matter of fact, from now on,
you're gonna write the stories
we want you to write.
That's who I am.
You're so good at this.
Where'd you learn carpentry?
My father always wanted a son.
I never volunteered,
but he made sure I knew
how to swing a hammer.
That's him.
The man from the hardware store.
Do you see him?
Come on. He's gone now, whoever he was.
Well, the Giants beat
everybody but Cleveland.
I mean, you got Otto Graham
as your quarterback,
it's kind of a one-sided thing.
The guy's a... he's... Uh, hold on.
What?
Aw, shit.
Mr. Secretary.
What did you do?
Well, that's a pretty
long list there, William.
You want to be a little more specific?
Keyhoe. The writer.
You authorized men to intimidate
and terrify a journalist?
He's a former Marine.
Keyhoe's a hack. We're
not even sure he's a...
He's an American citizen!
In my eyes that's more than enough.
I'm warning you, both of you,
I will not tolerate lawless enterprise.
You fix it, now.
Do you understand me?
Loud and clear.
Don't think I don't know
what you're doing here.
What am I doing here, Bill?
Try it again and I will
march into the Oval Office
and I will tell the President
all of your secrets.
What do you think Truman
will do when he hears them?
You could have tried it my way first.
Oh, come on, do I look worried?
I'll change that.
I just heard from Captain Quinn.
He and Hynek swear they
have conclusive evidence
about an unidentified flying object.
Gentlemen, what we're about to show you,
you never saw.
Do you understand?
This is so far above your need-to-know,
it might as well be on the moon.
What you found in Texas...
the lights, the radar
reports all of it...
was not an unidentified flying object.
It was one of ours out of
Randolph Air Force Base.
It's a top-secret military craft
unofficially known as the V-Wing.
It's experimental and highly classified.
That's your UFO.
We need you to keep it
out of the public eye.
A cover story.
Birds, for example... that's
a plausible explanation.
Now just wait one minute.
Uh, what about the power outages?
What kind of experimental craft
could possibly cause that?
Captain, you want to tell them about
what happened with the car?
Professor, did you just call me a liar?
No, of course, not.
Boys, we're all on the same team here.
And we all have the same
job to do for America.
Keep it out of the public eye.
Roger that.
Thank you, Captain.
We'll send an escort to get you back.
Top-secret military craft?
That is the cover story.
You, of all people, should
know that there is no way that
that is a plausible explanation
for what we witnessed.
You know, you got to be the dumbest
smart person I've ever met.
Hello?
- Dad!
- Hey. How you doing?
Mom put new locks on the doors.
Yes, I noticed.
Why don't you go and wash up?
Sure.
Dead bolts on the doors?
What's going on here, Mimi?
Someone's been following me.
What?
There was a man at the hardware store
and then I saw him again at the
end of the driveway, watching.
What did he look like?
I don't know. I didn't get
a really good look at him.
Fedora hat? Trench coat?
Allen, what are you talking about?
You're scaring me.
I'm sorry. I'm just, uh, upset.
I don't think you need to worry.
But I do worry.
You're gone for most of the time
and it's just me and Joel now,
and I don't think there's
anything wrong with
making sure...
Joel.
Want to show Dad our big surprise?
Okay.
Come on.
He's been waiting all day.
It's like having a fort in the backyard.
You built this all by yourself?
My friend Susie helped me.
Ah.
We made soup. Do you want some, Dad?
The way the world is, every
day it's something bad.
I can't just wait for
things to get better,
- so I built a bomb shelter.
- Thanks.
I wonder if we need special
anti-radiation suits.
That'd be neat.
Well, I'll tell you what, I
will look into it first thing.
Now here is Edward R. Murrow.
This is the news.
The President says if we are forced into
full-scale fighting in Korea,
the enemy will find out that
we are stronger than ever.
He told reporters today that
he is backing General Ridgeway
100% in the armistice talks.
There was no word from the enemy today
on General Ridgeway's proposal
to get the conferences going again.
A United Nations broadcast
says the resumption of the...
_
You want to tell me what's on your mind?
Hynek.
The professor?
What about him?
I'm wondering if Professor
Hynek will one day
be a problem that needs solving.
_
5, 9, 6, 5, 9...
Our nation is suffering from
mass hysteria right now.
We saw something in those
woods and it was real.
You want me to investigate
flying saucers.
Space ships, aliens,
the Air Force knows they don't exist.
The others that came believed me.
- What others?
- The men in the hats.
They left this for you.
I think the doctor will perform
his role rather well, don't you?
There's something off about him.
I just didn't like him
asking so many questions.
So I was thinking dinner
and a movie Friday.
Would you like that?
What movie?
Well, "The Thing" is
playing at the Rialto.
Tommy, you know I don't
like scary movies.
Yeah, makes you hang all over me.
That's kind of the point.
Don't matter what movie,
I'll still hang on to you.
Whoa.
Gina, hang on?
Yeah, sure, Tommy.
Unidentified aircraft
in Lubbock air space,
please identify yourself.
Tom? Tommy, you there?
Oh, my God.
Tommy, I see these strange lights.
What's going on? Tommy?
Gina, baby, hello?
Hello?
And they've been hiding the
truth from us for years.
Since 1947,
there've been over 1,200
confirmed sightings
of strange objects in the
sky just in America.
And we all know what
happened in Roswell.
You call it a massive
government cover-up.
Government and military.
We're being visited by
aliens on a regular basis.
The only question now is
whether or not those visits
are preparation for invasion.
The public has a right to
know for their own safety,
and that is why I do the work I do.
And important work it is.
Folks, you can find the whole
story on newsstands now.
It's a pleasure having you on, Donald.
You really opened my eyes.
Thank you for having the courage
to let me speak the truth.
Let's hear it for our
guest, renowned author,
flying saucer expert, Mr. Donald Keyhoe.
Beautiful crowd. Beautiful crowd.
Hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Mr. Keyhoe, sir?
Mm-hmm. What do you want you me to sign?
- Sir?
- Just tell me.
Oh, here, to whom shall I make it out?
- Uh...
- What's your name?
Um...
What is it that you want?
Well, I understand that
you sometimes pay cash
for the right kind of story.
And this is...
this is like nothing
you've ever seen before.
I very much doubt that you can tell me
anything I haven't seen before.
No, this is bigger than Thomas Mantell
and the government cover-up
of flying saucers.
All right.
Let's go.
If I feel you have something worthy,
then I'll pay.
This is about the lights in
Texas... Lubbock, Texas.
Joel?
Is he all right?
Hey.
Joel, wake up.
Hmm?
What are you doing in the closet?
Hiding.
Hiding? From what?
Space men... from Mars.
_
Where did you get this?
At school.
Everyone's reading it.
Hello?
The Communists in the
Kremlin are engaged in
a monstrous conspiracy to stamp
out freedom all over the world.
If they were to succeed,
the United States
would be numbered among
their principle victims.
It must be clear to everyone
that the United States...
They call the bomb "Joe-3."
Why?
Russians air-drop their
first atom bomb test,
somebody somewhere's
gonna give it a name.
I'm guessing there was a number one
and a number two before that.
Just the idea of nuclear
war... pure insanity.
You ask Harding, it's
only a matter of time
before we find out whose
nukes are bigger.
Are you doctors?
No, we're here about the sighting.
We're from Blue Book.
I'm Gina. I'm Tom's fiancée.
Gina, you're the one who called.
How's he doing?
They say he crashed his truck,
but there's not a mark on him,
and he just won't wake up.
The thing is, if you saw his truck,
it just don't make no sense.
Listen, if... if now is a
bad time, we can come back.
You know the power went out
right when it happened?
All over town.
Like this craft or whatever it was
sucked it right out of the sky.
Craft?
Did you see something, too?
A lot of folks did.
Ask around.
V-shaped lights flying
faster than a meteor.
I'm sure they keep radar
logs at the tower.
You know, I'd like to get
a look at his truck.
Tom?
Doctor? Hello?
Tom?
Ah! Tom?
Baby?
What just happened?
Oh, I got it, Donna.
Oh, are you stocking up
for the bomb shelter?
Jack wants to be fully prepared
for the end of the world.
Sounds like one of Joel's nightmares.
Well, with those reds in
Korea, Chairman Mao in China,
nightmare sounds about right.
Was it difficult to build?
Oh, no. We just picked it
up at the hardware store.
It comes mostly assembled.
Those underground ones are so expensive.
And it makes you feel safer?
Snug like bugs in a rug.
Seems cozy.
But the thing is, there's only
room for one family inside.
Oh, of course, I-I wasn't...
I wasn't suggesting...
Oh, I know you weren't.
But Jack and I, we discussed it.
I mean, you have to.
What would you do if
someone came knocking?
Well, what would you do?
Jack bought a rifle and told
me not to worry about it.
Allen in town?
- He's away on business.
- Great.
Well, when he gets back, we
need to have dinner real soon.
He still had his hands on the
wheel when we got to him.
Had to pry 'em off.
Eyes wide open.
Couldn't say a word.
Just craziest thing I ever saw.
Jesus.
You pulled him out of this thing?
You'd think maybe another
vehicle was involved,
but there's no skid marks,
no sign of a collision.
It's just the strangest
thing I ever saw.
Can't explain it at all.
They say he crashed his truck,
but there's not a mark on him.
What are you thinking?
Thermal strain can cause tensile
stress in some metals like this,
but, uh, if that was electrical,
it would have to be tuned
to the right frequency.
This blackout people been reporting,
what do we know about that?
Well, power grid out
here isn't the best.
It could've just been the old lights,
but, uh, blackouts don't usually
send folks into a blind panic.
Tied up our phone lines
pretty good last night.
- Last night?
- Yeah, we've been traveling.
We don't know anything about this.
Mostly near the University.
A regular riot on campus.
_
Hi. How are you?
Well, the Dean was, uh, kind
enough to give us a room
to interview the witnesses,
and according to this,
it should be just over...
This way. Come on, we're late.
Just gonna double-check.
- Hi, there.
- Oh, hi.
Look, we seem to have lost our heading.
We're looking for the Science
Administration building.
I don't know if you can
point me in that direction.
It's right there.
What do you know?
By the way, I'm Leigh-Ann.
Any plans tonight?
Uh, homecoming party.
You should come.
I'll think about it.
- Okay.
- Nice meeting you.
You were right. This way.
Those are not women you're, uh,
chatting up there, Captain.
They're school girls.
Grad students.
When I was their age, I was old enough
to escort bombers over Berlin, so...
Guess I missed all this.
Big homecoming party tonight.
Just got invited, by the way.
These are all witnesses?
No, that's a negative.
Some of these are just kids
trying to get out of class.
Hello. I'm Captain Quinn.
This is Dr. Hynek from the
United States Air Force.
Now listen, we don't have
a lot of time today,
so if you don't need
to be here, beat it.
Come on. Let's go.
Hello, everyone.
Thank you for coming.
Uh, we do understand it can be hard
to come forward as a witness, so, uh,
we do appreciate you being here.
Now, um, if you believe
that you have seen
these strange lights in the sky,
please raise your hands.
This many witnesses?
That's a new one.
I'd just come out of the cafeteria
when it passed overheard.
All the lights went out.
It was terrifying.
I thought they were stars at first.
And then they started moving.
And all of a sudden I look up,
and I... and I saw this
thing hovering over me.
I felt all tight inside
like there was something
grabbing hold of me.
My heart was just pounding so fast
that I thought it was gonna burst.
And I thought, "Planes don't do that."
Figured they were stars.
They were awful bright.
But the scariest thing...
it didn't make a sound.
So I ran.
I thought I was gonna die.
I prayed.
It was the last thing I could do.
I didn't know how to react.
I was just terrified, and I fainted.
Never seen anything like
that before in my life.
Question, Professor.
What exactly am I looking at here?
Well, I've taken the accounts
and created a grid of the
night sky over the campus...
timeframes, angles of
sight, light interference.
It is a composite
sketch of the sighting.
So what's it telling you?
Shooting stars... not possible.
Plane... well, there were no
scheduled flights that evening.
But the power outage, now,
I'm starting to think...
Good, you're still here.
And you must be Hynek.
Dr. Allen Hynek.
Ah. I'm Professor Carlton Fanshaw.
This is my classroom.
I, uh, need it for the next period.
Of course, but the Dean assured
us that we had use of...
This classroom is not the domain
of the Dean's, it's mine.
You must be misinformed.
We're here on official
government business.
No, no, no, no, I'm well informed.
I know exactly who you are. I
know exactly why you're here.
And trust me when I say you
won't be needing my chalkboard
because I have this.
Hold on.
Is that...
What you've been
looking for. Yes, it is.
And, uh, not only did I take
that photograph last night,
but I've done your job for you.
Gentlemen, I've solved the
mystery of the Lubbock lights.
Your work here is done.
Having seen the photograph,
the answer is quite obvious
to anyone familiar with
the local avian fauna.
Plovers?
Your basic plover is a, uh...
it's a water bird.
It's about the size of a quail.
I know what a plover is.
Please go on, Professor.
Well, you see, the oily
white breast of the plover
serves as a, uh... a highly
efficient reflective surface.
So when a light shines on it from below
from the recently installed
mercury-vapor street lamps
along Hollister Avenue
hitting a flock in flight,
you get, voilà, a V-shaped alien armada.
_
It's got 43 pieces,
full set of wrenches.
You can do anything you want
in your house with this.
I'll tell you what,
we've got it on sale.
You're not gonna find it anywhere else
for any better price than that.
Maybe you could take a little more off?
It's $0.40. It's on sale.
What are you gonna do?
You want it? Let's ring you up for it.
Excuse me.
Hi. I'm just with a
customer right now, ma'am.
Sorry, I-I'll just...
So, uh, you rooting for Texas?
There you are.
Can I help you, ma'am?
- Uh...
- Do you have a question?
Yes, sorry, the, um...
The sign outside...
do you have any shelters in stock?
We do.
So why don't you get your
hubby to drop by tomorrow
so he and I can talk? It'll
take some explaining.
Unfortunately, the hubby's out of town
and the wifey would like to
surprise him when he gets back,
so why don't you ring one up
and deliver it by morning
so I can build my own bomb
shelter before he gets home?
Did I explain that
clearly enough for you?
Yes, ma'am.
A man can only sit over his putt so long
before he gets the shakes.
Yeah, just one more reason
I never much cared for that game.
Try playing on a regular basis.
You'd hate it even more.
Should I go watch paint
dry while you figure out
what you'd like to do here, Nathan?
You know, I forgot to
ask, how is Mrs. Harding?
Is she okay?
- She's fine.
- Well, you know, I just figured
she has to put up with
you every single day,
that woman needs looking after.
Uh-huh.
Bogey, six o'clock.
General?
Oh, shit.
At ease.
General Valentine said you'd
want to see this right away.
Donald Keyhoe.
Who's the other man?
A civilian. Rudy Pitts.
His uncle is the county sheriff
of Lubbock, Texas, sir.
Lubbock?
Yes, sir.
Yeah, I know, you got to go.
We'll finish this next time.
No, no, we won't.
Checkmate.
Son of a bitch.
Mm. Next time we go golfing.
Oh, I'm shaking.
Snow in Texas.
What do you know? What
are we doing here?
This is where Fanshaw
allegedly took his photograph.
Gina says the, uh, lights were
moving faster than a meteor.
Does the good professor
honestly expect us to believe
that your basic plover
could fly that fast?
You know, it doesn't bother me
if someone else gets credit.
Our job is to close
the case. That's all.
Our job is to find the truth.
Sometimes I think you're
trying to convince yourself
more than anybody else.
Like you know something I don't.
Hey. I know you.
Leigh-Ann.
What are you doing here?
- I just picked up my friend Tammy.
- Hi.
Hi.
We're going to the homecoming party.
Want to come? There's
room for one more inside.
I'm sorry, ma'am, no can do.
Working late tonight.
Top-secret mission, Captain?
Military protocol forbids me from
giving a direct answer to that question.
You're cute. Maybe next time.
Are plovers even nocturnal?
Wouldn't they be sleeping right now?
Hey.
What the hell you doing out here?
Good evening.
I said, what are you doing?
Just taking pictures, Mister.
Nothing to worry about.
Hey, I were you, I'd put that
bat back where it belongs.
Who are you?
Uh, Dr. Allen Hynek.
This is Captain Quinn.
We work for the United States Air Force.
You got any I.D.?
I don't carry identification.
Big surprise.
He's another one, I bet.
Another one? What do you mean?
We had other men out here just
last week doing like you are.
Right before the spaceships came.
Other men?
Who were they?
They scrammed before we could ask.
Commies probably.
Oh, here we go.
You look like a Commie to me.
I warned you about the bat.
Mary, call the police.
Yeah, I'm gonna need your camera.
We are duly enfranchised representatives
of the United States government.
Everyone, go back to your homes.
There's nothing to see here.
They're coming back.
The flying saucers are coming back.
They're coming back!
So now what?
Wait for flying saucers to show up?
Based on our witness
reports, this is the place.
I surrender.
I'm sorry, I've just been so on edge.
I bought a bomb shelter today.
Hardware store's delivering
it in the morning.
Build it yourself.
What on earth made you do that?
Allen's gone more and more
and Joel's been having trouble sleeping,
and with all this talk about
Russians and the atomic bomb...
I don't think there's
anything wrong with
doing what you can to feel safe.
Thank you for my flowers.
I owe you an apology.
For what?
The beatnik club.
I shouldn't have taken you there.
No, it was my idea.
It wasn't your fault at all.
I should be apologizing.
I ran out on you.
You sure it wasn't something I did?
Allen's a professor at
the local university,
and I was worried that if someone saw me
in a place like that...
I don't have friends here.
I was afraid that I lost you.
You didn't lose me.
Wow. Don't see stars
like that in the city.
How many would you guess that there are?
Just in the Milky Way?
I don't know. A million, two?
100 billion.
And every one of them
has a story to tell us.
You like stories.
I've dedicated my life to them.
Well, how's this one?
Professor dipstick tells us it's birds
and you think that's crap,
so we drive out to Hollister Street
where the neighbors greet us
with pitchforks and torches
till someone shouts, "Spaceship,"
then we drive out to
the middle of nowhere,
we look up at the stars,
100 billion of them, it turns out,
until we realize spaceships
never showed up.
The end.
That's not a story.
That's a-a wild goose chase.
Yes, it is.
I'll bet I know what you're thinking.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
You wish you were at that
homecoming party with, uh...
- Leigh-Ann.
- Yeah.
You blame me?
I do remember what it feels like.
Pretty girl, a party.
So are we done here?
I'll drop you at the dorm.
Roger that.
Just, uh, give me a minute.
All right.
♪ I race automobiles ♪
♪ And I'm a farmer ♪
Get away from the car!
What's wrong?
What the hell was that?
So the power did go out again?
Five years working here,
this never happened once.
Now it's twice in one week.
Anything on the screen?
Same thing as the whole
town saw, V-shaped lights.
I logged its path.
Gas station,
Baroody Farm,
the Lumber Yard,
and the airport.
Okay, based on our records,
blue lights were...
here...
here, and...
here.
Give us a moment, will you?
Rolling blackout matches the
flight path on the radar.
What happened in the car last night?
I don't even know where to start.
The V-shaped formation of blue lights,
I saw them with my own eyes.
We both did.
West Virginia, recon.
Pilot in North Dakota,
aerial engagement.
Last night, ground assault.
Maybe Joe-3 isn't the only thing
the Russians are testing.
Or maybe it's not the Russians.
Going down to 215 West 57th.
Mr. Keyhoe? Come with us, please.
Hey, get your hands off me.
Just relax.
I don't know who you think you are
or what you're doing,
but I'm a member in good standing
of the fourth estate
answering to no one...
I'm sorry, what were you saying?
Now, you listen.
The next article you
write for True Magazine
or anybody else, we're
gonna read it first.
As a matter of fact, from now on,
you're gonna write the stories
we want you to write.
That's who I am.
You're so good at this.
Where'd you learn carpentry?
My father always wanted a son.
I never volunteered,
but he made sure I knew
how to swing a hammer.
That's him.
The man from the hardware store.
Do you see him?
Come on. He's gone now, whoever he was.
Well, the Giants beat
everybody but Cleveland.
I mean, you got Otto Graham
as your quarterback,
it's kind of a one-sided thing.
The guy's a... he's... Uh, hold on.
What?
Aw, shit.
Mr. Secretary.
What did you do?
Well, that's a pretty
long list there, William.
You want to be a little more specific?
Keyhoe. The writer.
You authorized men to intimidate
and terrify a journalist?
He's a former Marine.
Keyhoe's a hack. We're
not even sure he's a...
He's an American citizen!
In my eyes that's more than enough.
I'm warning you, both of you,
I will not tolerate lawless enterprise.
You fix it, now.
Do you understand me?
Loud and clear.
Don't think I don't know
what you're doing here.
What am I doing here, Bill?
Try it again and I will
march into the Oval Office
and I will tell the President
all of your secrets.
What do you think Truman
will do when he hears them?
You could have tried it my way first.
Oh, come on, do I look worried?
I'll change that.
I just heard from Captain Quinn.
He and Hynek swear they
have conclusive evidence
about an unidentified flying object.
Gentlemen, what we're about to show you,
you never saw.
Do you understand?
This is so far above your need-to-know,
it might as well be on the moon.
What you found in Texas...
the lights, the radar
reports all of it...
was not an unidentified flying object.
It was one of ours out of
Randolph Air Force Base.
It's a top-secret military craft
unofficially known as the V-Wing.
It's experimental and highly classified.
That's your UFO.
We need you to keep it
out of the public eye.
A cover story.
Birds, for example... that's
a plausible explanation.
Now just wait one minute.
Uh, what about the power outages?
What kind of experimental craft
could possibly cause that?
Captain, you want to tell them about
what happened with the car?
Professor, did you just call me a liar?
No, of course, not.
Boys, we're all on the same team here.
And we all have the same
job to do for America.
Keep it out of the public eye.
Roger that.
Thank you, Captain.
We'll send an escort to get you back.
Top-secret military craft?
That is the cover story.
You, of all people, should
know that there is no way that
that is a plausible explanation
for what we witnessed.
You know, you got to be the dumbest
smart person I've ever met.
Hello?
- Dad!
- Hey. How you doing?
Mom put new locks on the doors.
Yes, I noticed.
Why don't you go and wash up?
Sure.
Dead bolts on the doors?
What's going on here, Mimi?
Someone's been following me.
What?
There was a man at the hardware store
and then I saw him again at the
end of the driveway, watching.
What did he look like?
I don't know. I didn't get
a really good look at him.
Fedora hat? Trench coat?
Allen, what are you talking about?
You're scaring me.
I'm sorry. I'm just, uh, upset.
I don't think you need to worry.
But I do worry.
You're gone for most of the time
and it's just me and Joel now,
and I don't think there's
anything wrong with
making sure...
Joel.
Want to show Dad our big surprise?
Okay.
Come on.
He's been waiting all day.
It's like having a fort in the backyard.
You built this all by yourself?
My friend Susie helped me.
Ah.
We made soup. Do you want some, Dad?
The way the world is, every
day it's something bad.
I can't just wait for
things to get better,
- so I built a bomb shelter.
- Thanks.
I wonder if we need special
anti-radiation suits.
That'd be neat.
Well, I'll tell you what, I
will look into it first thing.
Now here is Edward R. Murrow.
This is the news.
The President says if we are forced into
full-scale fighting in Korea,
the enemy will find out that
we are stronger than ever.
He told reporters today that
he is backing General Ridgeway
100% in the armistice talks.
There was no word from the enemy today
on General Ridgeway's proposal
to get the conferences going again.
A United Nations broadcast
says the resumption of the...
_
You want to tell me what's on your mind?
Hynek.
The professor?
What about him?
I'm wondering if Professor
Hynek will one day
be a problem that needs solving.
_
5, 9, 6, 5, 9...