SeaQuest 2032 (1993–1996): Season 1, Episode 1 - The Devil's Window - full transcript
Captain Bridger must decide whether to continue assisting Dr. Raleigh Young with his hydrothermal vent experiments or help the ailing Darwin.
(Dr. Young)
Beneath the crust
of the Earth...
is an unimaginable heat...
so hot, rock melts...
and seeps through the ground
in a liquefied state.
It's a mile and a half
beneath us...
in a place no life
should be able to exist.
This is where
we are about to go.
We're about to reach
into the birth canal...
of Mother Earth.
There they are.
Look at them, son.
Black smokers, tube worms.
[beeping]
I'm a hungry man.
Don't blink,
they're a rare sight.
[grunting]
Ah!
Hmm.
Can you eat this?
There's a thought.
This is a hydrothermal vent.
An underwater volcano.
Seawater. Lava. Smoke.
Yes.
So what?
That smoke is laced
with the Earth's most
carcinogenic minerals.
When a factory dumps them
in a river, the river dies.
But here...
here they are dumped
in their most concentrated
form...
yet around them grows life.
Why?
Is it the seawater?
The 2 tons per square inch
of pressure?
Or is it something
in the vent?
What's in the vent
are hundreds of species
of bacteria...
we know nothing about.
They're living creatures.
They're deadly organisms.
(Dr. Young)
Surviving organisms.
We're about to open the door
on the how and why
of their survival.
Or we are about to open
Pandora's box.
Show me my platform, Nathan.
[beeping]
(Dr. Young)
Beautiful, isn't she?
Once the platform is anchored
over the vent...
the heat emanating
from the smoker
is transformed into energy...
powering the platform's
survey systems:
spectral analysis,
immunochemistry...
thermal evaluations.
An absolute dissection
of a yet unexplored habitat.
It is exciting. I mean,
if this thing works...
we'll know in weeks
what normally would have
taken years.
Exactly.
On the other hand,
we could wind up...
at the bottom of the ocean
in little tiny bits.
SeaQuest wasn't designed
to haul around your fantasies,
Raleigh.
Is that Darwin?
I don't know.
I let him out to eat,
he's been roaming around
since we got here.
Call him back in, Lucas.
We're going where stone roils
and shrieks defiance...
as it's delivered
into a gelatinous ooze...
swarming with the elements
that cause life.
You can get off your soapbox
now, Raleigh, the boy is gone.
[grunting]
(Lucas)
Darwin.
[Darwin clicking]
(man #1)
SeaQuest, this is Seacrab One.
Container is ruptured.
Leaking core samples.
(man #2)
That's poison.
Jettison container.
Affirmative.
(Bridger)
The 21st century.
Mankind has colonized
the last unexplored region
on Earth:
the ocean.
As captain of the seaQuest
and its crew,
we are its guardians.
For beneath the surface,
lies the future.
[people chattering]
Boat stands ready, Captain.
Take her down,
Commander.
Begin descent.
You know,
it's aggravating enough...
diving through a thermocline
without your platform
attached to us, Raleigh.
I don't know how seaQuest
is going to handle this.
She'll rise
to the occasion.
One of our sea trucks
was rising
through that layer...
and ruptured the only sample
container we had ready.
I don't think we should
underestimate the severity
of the temperature changes.
Are you losing
your enthusiasm, Nathan?
Not at all.
Just being realistic,
that's all.
200 meters above
the thermocline.
Report. Mount points positive.
WSKRS telemetry optimal.
Position us at alpha point.
Lateral strain?
Within tolerance.
Mr. Ortiz?
Attitude trim and level.
350 meters. 400.
Shear force is increasing.
[rumbling]
[crackling]
Commander Hitchcock?
Within tolerance.
Close that tank.
Aye, sir.
[men muttering]
(man #1)
Counter board status.
(man #2)
Counter board status.
Hydraulic levels.
Four point niner.
Bring it in line.
Lock it down.
Locking down.
Hydrodynamic stress overload.
The helm is fighting, sir.
Mr. Ortiz?
Shear at tolerable limits.
Captain,
structural stress 95%% .
If you need to,
drop that platform,
Commander...
You can't drop my platform.
Raleigh.
Drop it if you need to.
(helmsman)
Helm can't hold depth.
Losing attitude control.
Rolling back through.
Yaw increasing.
You want to back off?
Not yet, sir.
Commander Hitchcock,
would you join me at the helm?
Go ahead, I'll take it.
Thank you, sir.
(Ford)
Clear first seats, please.
(Ford)
Okay, forward planes neutral.
[machinery whirring]
Planes neutral.
Roll two degrees starboard.
Midships' planes.
Five degrees climb.
(Hitchcock)
Okay. Five degrees.
Countersteer rudders.
(O'Neill)
I'm getting green indicators.
(helmsman)
Descending. 550 meters.
Stabilizing.
The boat is clear and level.
All indicators are green.
(helmsman)
600 meters.
SeaQuest is in position
at alpha, Commander.
(man)
Great work.
Congratulations.
Way to go. Nice work.
Close one.
Magnificent performance.
Yes.
But don't expect an encore.
[chuckles]
Nathan,
are you all right?
I'm fine.
A little warm.
Captain!
Something's wrong.
Kristin.
Get him to sea deck.
(Westphalen)
I'll prep diagnostics.
(Ford)
Quick. Grab that rebreather.
Let's go.
Nathan, my platform!
Kristin, you can't leave.
[alarm ringing]
You're
the senior science officer.
[woman chattering
on PA system]
I'm also the chief physician.
[panting]
I think Darwin talked to me,
in my head, on the bridge.
I heard it, too,
but it wasn't clear.
It scared me.
[whistling]
Where are we?
I don't know.
I failed to put directions
down here.
Must be a design flaw.
Well,
what are we going to do?
It's all right, Tim.
We're going to dive down
below the wall.
Oh.
And the light
is the continuation
of the tunnel. All right?
[panting]
Okay.
All right, now, Darwin.
You're going to do
the same thing.
You're going to dive down
underneath the wall and follow
the tunnel to the end.
Swim to the end. All right?
I think you better take
a nice big breath.
Here we go.
Saline drip? Hypodermics?
Good.
Where are they?
[coughing]
It's not working.
Calm down. Take it easy.
Take it easy.
We've got 10 minutes
of air left.
Okay, okay.
Now just breathe slower.
[inhaling deeply]
(Westphalen)
Okay, give it a hoist.
(man)
That's it, Mike, that's it.
Bring it around.
Darwin.
Elevate it slowly.
Let's keep him level.
Flip around this end to me.
Get that cradle done up.
Where's that hypodermic?
Thank you.
Okay, hold still.
Darwin. Darwin.
You're going to be all right,
my friend.
What's wrong?
You're going to be
all right.
[crew chattering]
(woman)
I've taken the specimen...
What's the diagnosis?
We don't have one.
So I'm pumping him full
of antibiotics and monitoring
his vital systems.
Shouldn't you be
on the Bridge?
Ford can handle that.
And Raleigh?
Ford can handle him, too.
Thanks.
How you doing?
I can't get this to work.
Let me see.
Darwin, what's wrong?
Darwin's sick.
Seems all right.
What kind of sickness?
Dark.
What's dark?
Light is dark and one.
He keeps saying that:
"Light is dark and one."
I have no idea
what he's talking about.
(Bridger)
Is it the computer,
or is he really saying that?
I don't know.
It's beta software
and it's not finished.
I'm sorry.
I'm just past the edge
of what I understand here.
It's okay. Come on.
You're doing fine.
How is he?
He's sick. How about you?
Can I pet him?
Sure.
I'm fluent in six languages,
okay in a dozen more...
but when Darwin talks
or thinks at me, I feel like
it's coming at right angles.
We have to let him go.
The light is dark and one.
Yes, sir.
I can't call this man,
he's crazy.
[intercom buzzing]
Yes.
(Westphalen)
Nathan,
Darwin's white cell count...
is extremely high
and climbing. I don't know
if I can stabilize him.
What's the matter with him?
It may be viral.
It may be bacterial.
I don't know.
Thank you.
Nathan.
This project is much larger
than tube worms
and black smokers.
We're reaching into
the very skeletal system
of the Earth.
This is a model
of a magma buoy.
It's a ceramic alloy
designed to...
withstand extreme levels
of heat found in
the subsurface river of lava.
This is the most essential
element of our mission.
Why didn't I know
about this?
It has to remain classified
until we get it
in the magma flow.
Because we don't know where
or when it will spit out.
Nathan, think of it.
If this works...
It can anticipate
volcanic stresses,
earthquakes.
Exactly.
It's brilliant.
But it's going to have to wait
a few days.
But, Nathan...
A member of my crew is sick
and that comes first.
Come on, Downy, come on.
Malcolm? Hello?
Malcolm Lansdowne?
(Lansdowne)
I don't know.
Does he owe you money?
It's Nathan Bridger,
you clown.
Good heavens.
Nathan, where have you been?
Are you in jail?
I'm on a submarine.
Oh, yeah, right, I heard,
seaQuest. Hey, I want you
to meet my mom.
Mom.
Nathan, this is Mom.
Hi, Mom.
Emile, Bill, don't be shy.
Don't be shy.
Emile, Bill, meet Nathan.
Hello. How are you?
Family barbecue.
Once a year sort of thing.
Mom blimps over,
stays the week...
brings the cousins,
enjoys the sunshine.
Malcolm, listen to me.
Darwin is very sick.
I think he may be dying.
Let me get this
in the other room.
Symptoms?
Elevated white cell count.
His color is off. Fever.
My medical chief thinks
it's bacterial or viral.
Usually takes a postmortem
to tell. Where's he been?
On seaQuest, mainly.
Contact with other dolphins?
No. Not that I'm aware of.
Exactly what part of
what oceans have you been
in recently?
There was a red tide
off the Yuc?tan.
No. Nowhere near that.
Bad oil spill in Bahrain?
No. We've been in
the equatorial Mid-Atlantic.
I need to see him, Nathan.
Well, can't you...
You're just around the corner.
I need to see him.
I'll get back to you.
[crew chattering]
Where are we?
20 meters off the sea bed.
Two hours to get
the platform down.
Eight to ten to secure it.
(Bridger)
Can we release
the platform now?
(Ford)
I suppose so.
Are you mad?
We can't drop it.
The placement's critical.
It's right over
the black smoker, exactly
where it's supposed to be.
Let it go.
Nathan!
It's not going anywhere,
Raleigh.
No, you will not!
[rumbling]
Set course for Caicos Key.
Nathan! Who gave you
the authority?
You can't play God.
(woman on PA system)
Next stop, sea deck.
I've invested years,
teams of scientists...
billions of dollars, the UEO,
for what?
So that you could toss it away
for a dolphin?
A member of my crew.
In some parts of the world
that crew member...
is an ingredient
in bouillabaisse.
(woman on PA system)
Please wait for full stop.
Sea deck.
You're not a scientist.
You're a self-absorbed,
egomaniacal dictator.
This boat
isn't your personal fiefdom.
Look him in the eye.
I'll do no such thing...
Look him in the eye!
Light is dark and one.
(Dr. Young)
Relieve him of command!
He's irrational.
Commander Ford?
I don't agree, Admiral.
Dr. Westphalen?
He's distraught, withdrawn,
even belligerent.
But not irrational.
Dr. Young, I promise
your project won't suffer
for a few days' wait.
I can't be snowed
with promises, Admiral.
I'll go to
Secretary General Dre.
I'll not be given
the runaround by a flock
of vapid lackeys.
I'll wait for your apology,
Doctor.
[scraping]
Very well. I'm sorry.
[sighing]
Thank you.
I share your concerns,
but Captain Bridger must have
a good reason for his actions.
He most certainly does!
He's lost his mind.
Driving all over the sea
searching for spiritual
dolphin healing.
I'm sorry I didn't bring
my own personal astrologer
along.
Dr. Young, Captain Bridger
retains my full confidence.
Until I see good reason
to think otherwise,
his decisions...
are final aboard seaQuest.
Thank you, and good day.
Get me the Secretary General.
I want to speak to
Secretary Dre!
Which one of these buttons?
You had better lie down.
[phone ringing]
You're going to give yourself
a heart attack.
(Ortiz)
Commander Ford.
Ford, here.
We're at the Caicos Key
outer sonar ring, sir.
Commander, could Chief Ortiz
please send a WSKR...
to give us something
tranquil to look at?
Chief.
I have one
near a reef now, sir.
Channel seven Bravo.
Thank you.
Thanks. Come on.
Please sit down for a while.
There we go. There we go.
There we are. I'm going to
dial up an outside view.
Some soft music.
That's better.
Everyone's abandoned me.
My whole life,
whatever it was...
if I didn't clutch on
like a drowning man,
I'd lose it.
You've accomplished
a great deal. Don't go popping
a vessel now.
You won't be around
to enjoy it.
How can I stop
struggling now?
[shushing]
You just relax.
You just relax.
[sighing]
Be strong, my friend.
Darwin understands.
Understands what?
Darwin sick. Bridger hurts?
Yes.
Why?
I want you to be well.
Light is dark, except...
"Except"?
What does that mean, "except"?
Bridger is family.
You're family, too.
You really are.
Darwin loves Bridger.
I love you, too.
[machine whirring]
Okay, let's go.
Nice and gently.
Take the IV please.
Stop and lower.
My, don't you look terrible.
A little elbow room here,
please. Nothing you haven't
seen before.
Well, the breath's not bad,
it's not respiratory.
I've done a complete
blood history.
And you've got him
on antibiotics?
Including cyclines and sulfas.
And you got no response
from white cell count
or T-cells?
That's right.
Well, it doesn't make
my life any easier.
Watch out. Watch out.
Get a urine sample.
Marine veterinary medicine
is about as sophisticated
as voodoo.
[laughs]
(Lansdowne)
Nathan, why don't you all get
a bite to eat in the kitchen.
I'll find you later.
Thanks, Downy.
[sighing]
Dr. Westphalen.
I could use your help.
[knocking on door]
Come in.
You all right, Doctor?
Just fine, thank you.
I thought
you might like some lunch.
That would be nice.
You're sure you're all right?
Commander, I assure you,
I'm just fine.
[door closing]
(Lansdowne)
Nathan.
Come walk with me.
He's going to die, isn't he?
Yeah. I think so.
I looked
at Dr. Westphalen's results.
I'll know more in a few hours,
but I wouldn't expect much.
It's just that we've learned
so little about
how they heal themselves.
I wish
I could tell you otherwise.
So, you want a beer?
Sure.
@@[humming]
Is that Raleigh Young?
He's been aboard the seaQuest
running a project
for a couple of weeks.
I really feel sorry
for Lucas.
Darwin's the closest thing
he's had to a pal.
It's going to be very hard
on him.
Raleigh, you know
Malcolm Lansdowne?
Well, l, guess
I'll be heading back.
Why don't you ask him to stay,
Nathan?
Lucas, stick around.
Yeah, sure. Sit down.
I'll get you a beer.
He's only 16, Downy.
I'll get him two.
Nathan.
I understand why you've done
what you've done.
I don't agree with it,
but I understand it.
I'll suffer the wait.
Thanks, Raleigh.
How long?
Raleigh...
So what would we like to hear?
Blues? New Orleans jazz?
Zydeco?
I haven't bought anything new
since they stopped making CDs.
Not to be rhetorical,
but where are we?
Don't you have island music?
Tourist.
@@[music playing on stereo]
@@[scatting]
Jamaican ginger beer.
No alcohol. Plenty of bite.
Thank you.
Is your dolphin going to die?
Probably.
How long?
I don't know.
Death doesn't punch a clock.
Can't you feel anything
when you look at Darwin?
Don't you know he's a thinking
and feeling creature
that's hurt and scared?
The importance of my work...
Your work...
is an inanimate object.
You're a selfish old man.
Boys. Boys.
You strip away
the education...
the billions of dollars
worth of machinery,
what do you got?
Us.
A couple of bucks'
worth of chemicals.
Who understands any of it?
Life.
And death.
To beer.
The light is dark and one.
What?
Lucas is our computer whiz.
He's designed a program
to translate Darwin's clicks
and whistles.
You mean he can speak
and understand English?
A little bit. Sometimes.
It's experimental.
Amazing.
What does he say?
Since he's been sick
all he says is...
"Light is dark and one."
Incredible.
Knowledge is light.
Then darkness
is the absence of knowledge.
He's faced with losing
everything he knows.
And one?
And one is alone.
"Light is dark and one."
He doesn't want to die alone.
We have to let him go.
He's too weak to swim.
No. Dolphins will support
a member of their pod
if they're hurt.
You can find Darwin's pod,
his community,
and return him to it.
You didn't find him far
from here.
His pod could be anywhere
within hundreds of miles
from here.
Find the signature whistles.
You've got Darwin's recorded.
Search
for familial similarities.
We can configure the sonar.
I could program the computers.
Try, Nathan. You must.
Status, Mr. Ortiz?
Feeding acoustic data
directly into communications.
[dolphins whistling]
Lieutenant?
We're getting responses,
Captain, but there's nothing
even close.
There's a pod out there,
but it's not Darwin's.
(Lucas)
This is amazing.
When dolphins
bear their young...
the females usually stay
with their mother.
Their signature whistles
change slightly...
so they can
tell each other apart.
The males usually leave.
Their whistles don't change,
so they can find their way
back home again.
How's he doing?
He hears the whistles, but...
[dolphins whistling]
he doesn't seem to care.
WSKRS five at the limit
of its range, Captain.
Send it west.
Nathan.
Nathan, something's happening.
Repeat Darwin's call.
[exclaiming]
Careful.
Quickly. Get him.
This has to be his pod.
It has to be.
[computer beeping]
Captain, I think we found
Darwin's mother.
Darwin's mother for sure?
According to the text.
Underneath. Underneath.
Come on, let's go.
Stay still, baby.
All right,
I got him in the back here.
Darwin.
The dolphin pod
is moving towards us, Captain.
Let's meet them halfway.
(Westphalen)
Nathan, get down here.
What's wrong?
Darwin's having a seizure.
We can't restrain him.
He's going to hurt himself
or us.
On my way.
Captain.
Come on.
Let's go. Watch his head.
All right,
we can let him go.
Let him go.
Everyone out.
Everyone get out.
Open the pressure door
and shut off the sonar relay.
Bridger.
Bridger.
Just go.
Go.
Shut the door.
Pressurize the moonpool.
[intercom buzzing]
(Ford)
Captain,
we're approaching the pod.
Thank you, Commander.
Open the hull doors.
Let him out of the boat.
Captain, it's the WSKRS
that followed the pod.
(Lucas)
That's Darwin.
Where're they taking him?
I don't know.
Should I have the WSKRS
follow them, Captain?
No, no.
We've delayed Dr. Young
long enough.
Commander.
(Ford)
Captain.
Set a course
for the black smoker.
Aye, sir.
Do you think
they can help him?
I couldn't even guess.
But at least
he's going home.
(Westphalen)
We must test
the sample containers again.
I will not risk
a repeat performance...
of the rupture
during the initial survey.
That was an aberration,
I tell you.
Not a single sample comes up
until I am satisfied
with the tests.
Another day's delay.
What does it matter
after all these years?
Raleigh, go eat.
Go fill your mouth
with something
other than words.
Mmm.
Don't worry,
I'll survive.
(Ford)
Sir, we've just completed
the final checks...
of the platform systems.
The first new set
of sample containers...
from the smoker
will be coming aboard shortly.
Sir, you're really depressing
everybody.
Very good. Thank you.
I'll go down to the moonpool.
Maybe some heavy lifting
will be good for me.
[intercom buzzing]
Dr. Westphalen.
(O'Neill)
Doctor, you have a call...
from Malcolm Lansdowne
in the wardroom.
[men chattering]
(Lansdowne)
What are you doing out there?
What do you mean?
I mean, I've identified
some of the bacterial agents
in Darwin's blood.
You're working a black smoker.
I don't care
if it's classified.
What do you want,
a letter from my mom?
The bacteria I can identify
have only been found living
around black smokers.
There's probably
a dozen species in here
no one's ever seen.
You saw what it did
to your dolphin.
You got anyone else out there
playing with the stuff?
They're bringing up
the first containers
of it now.
I'd say you've got a problem,
Doctor.
This is Dr. Westphalen.
[water gushing]
(Westphalen)
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
Don't touch
the sample containers.
It's so nice
to have you back.
[panting]
Well, hello, Mama.
[whistling]
Thank you.
Okay, it's seaweed.
(Westphalen)
Mostly.
But there are indications
of antibacterial properties,
inducing hints...
that it grew
near a black smoker.
But dolphins can't dive down
that deep.
If we knew all the answers
we wouldn't be scientists,
we'd be gods.
Do you know, I think it may be
some kind of dolphin medicine.
And Darwin's mom
has brought it to us,
like chicken soup.
Yes.
Listen, Raleigh's
about to send his magma buoy
into a smoker.
Do you want to come along?
I think
I'll carry on working.
I don't think that Raleigh
or his ceramic suppository
will mind my absence.
Ooh.
[clicking]
[chuckling]
Why did you bring us
the seaweed, Darwin?
Swim.
Anything yet?
He wants to swim,
I guess.
Swim, Lucas.
Swim, Bridger.
Lucas will swim with you.
I'll swim with you later.
What's the seaweed for?
Open dark.
Don't look at me.
Why doesn't that thing
work better?
I guess Darwin
doesn't think like us.
The program can only translate
what it understands.
Objects and material things
are easy.
This is a red box.
Swim through the tunnel.
It's the irrational,
the abstract that's confusing.
How do you explain joy?
"Open dark" is the computer's
effort to attach meaning
to something that...
we feel...
but don't really understand.
Lieutenant.
You know, I haven't felt
anything from Darwin
since the Bridge.
I feel like I glimpsed
at something wonderful...
and had it taken away.
Stand by. Dr. Young?
Release
the magma buoy.
(Dr. Young)
Godspeed on its quest.
Hello, I'm Bob Ballard...
director for the Center
for Marine Exploration
at Woods Hole.
In 1979, we discovered
the black smokers you saw
on this week's episode...
in 9,000 feet of water.
The water is hot enough
to melt lead...
and contains toxic gas
which support
exotic bacteria.
Bacterial scientists
are trying to use to process
the pollution we create.
See you on the next adventure
of seaQuest.
Beneath the crust
of the Earth...
is an unimaginable heat...
so hot, rock melts...
and seeps through the ground
in a liquefied state.
It's a mile and a half
beneath us...
in a place no life
should be able to exist.
This is where
we are about to go.
We're about to reach
into the birth canal...
of Mother Earth.
There they are.
Look at them, son.
Black smokers, tube worms.
[beeping]
I'm a hungry man.
Don't blink,
they're a rare sight.
[grunting]
Ah!
Hmm.
Can you eat this?
There's a thought.
This is a hydrothermal vent.
An underwater volcano.
Seawater. Lava. Smoke.
Yes.
So what?
That smoke is laced
with the Earth's most
carcinogenic minerals.
When a factory dumps them
in a river, the river dies.
But here...
here they are dumped
in their most concentrated
form...
yet around them grows life.
Why?
Is it the seawater?
The 2 tons per square inch
of pressure?
Or is it something
in the vent?
What's in the vent
are hundreds of species
of bacteria...
we know nothing about.
They're living creatures.
They're deadly organisms.
(Dr. Young)
Surviving organisms.
We're about to open the door
on the how and why
of their survival.
Or we are about to open
Pandora's box.
Show me my platform, Nathan.
[beeping]
(Dr. Young)
Beautiful, isn't she?
Once the platform is anchored
over the vent...
the heat emanating
from the smoker
is transformed into energy...
powering the platform's
survey systems:
spectral analysis,
immunochemistry...
thermal evaluations.
An absolute dissection
of a yet unexplored habitat.
It is exciting. I mean,
if this thing works...
we'll know in weeks
what normally would have
taken years.
Exactly.
On the other hand,
we could wind up...
at the bottom of the ocean
in little tiny bits.
SeaQuest wasn't designed
to haul around your fantasies,
Raleigh.
Is that Darwin?
I don't know.
I let him out to eat,
he's been roaming around
since we got here.
Call him back in, Lucas.
We're going where stone roils
and shrieks defiance...
as it's delivered
into a gelatinous ooze...
swarming with the elements
that cause life.
You can get off your soapbox
now, Raleigh, the boy is gone.
[grunting]
(Lucas)
Darwin.
[Darwin clicking]
(man #1)
SeaQuest, this is Seacrab One.
Container is ruptured.
Leaking core samples.
(man #2)
That's poison.
Jettison container.
Affirmative.
(Bridger)
The 21st century.
Mankind has colonized
the last unexplored region
on Earth:
the ocean.
As captain of the seaQuest
and its crew,
we are its guardians.
For beneath the surface,
lies the future.
[people chattering]
Boat stands ready, Captain.
Take her down,
Commander.
Begin descent.
You know,
it's aggravating enough...
diving through a thermocline
without your platform
attached to us, Raleigh.
I don't know how seaQuest
is going to handle this.
She'll rise
to the occasion.
One of our sea trucks
was rising
through that layer...
and ruptured the only sample
container we had ready.
I don't think we should
underestimate the severity
of the temperature changes.
Are you losing
your enthusiasm, Nathan?
Not at all.
Just being realistic,
that's all.
200 meters above
the thermocline.
Report. Mount points positive.
WSKRS telemetry optimal.
Position us at alpha point.
Lateral strain?
Within tolerance.
Mr. Ortiz?
Attitude trim and level.
350 meters. 400.
Shear force is increasing.
[rumbling]
[crackling]
Commander Hitchcock?
Within tolerance.
Close that tank.
Aye, sir.
[men muttering]
(man #1)
Counter board status.
(man #2)
Counter board status.
Hydraulic levels.
Four point niner.
Bring it in line.
Lock it down.
Locking down.
Hydrodynamic stress overload.
The helm is fighting, sir.
Mr. Ortiz?
Shear at tolerable limits.
Captain,
structural stress 95%% .
If you need to,
drop that platform,
Commander...
You can't drop my platform.
Raleigh.
Drop it if you need to.
(helmsman)
Helm can't hold depth.
Losing attitude control.
Rolling back through.
Yaw increasing.
You want to back off?
Not yet, sir.
Commander Hitchcock,
would you join me at the helm?
Go ahead, I'll take it.
Thank you, sir.
(Ford)
Clear first seats, please.
(Ford)
Okay, forward planes neutral.
[machinery whirring]
Planes neutral.
Roll two degrees starboard.
Midships' planes.
Five degrees climb.
(Hitchcock)
Okay. Five degrees.
Countersteer rudders.
(O'Neill)
I'm getting green indicators.
(helmsman)
Descending. 550 meters.
Stabilizing.
The boat is clear and level.
All indicators are green.
(helmsman)
600 meters.
SeaQuest is in position
at alpha, Commander.
(man)
Great work.
Congratulations.
Way to go. Nice work.
Close one.
Magnificent performance.
Yes.
But don't expect an encore.
[chuckles]
Nathan,
are you all right?
I'm fine.
A little warm.
Captain!
Something's wrong.
Kristin.
Get him to sea deck.
(Westphalen)
I'll prep diagnostics.
(Ford)
Quick. Grab that rebreather.
Let's go.
Nathan, my platform!
Kristin, you can't leave.
[alarm ringing]
You're
the senior science officer.
[woman chattering
on PA system]
I'm also the chief physician.
[panting]
I think Darwin talked to me,
in my head, on the bridge.
I heard it, too,
but it wasn't clear.
It scared me.
[whistling]
Where are we?
I don't know.
I failed to put directions
down here.
Must be a design flaw.
Well,
what are we going to do?
It's all right, Tim.
We're going to dive down
below the wall.
Oh.
And the light
is the continuation
of the tunnel. All right?
[panting]
Okay.
All right, now, Darwin.
You're going to do
the same thing.
You're going to dive down
underneath the wall and follow
the tunnel to the end.
Swim to the end. All right?
I think you better take
a nice big breath.
Here we go.
Saline drip? Hypodermics?
Good.
Where are they?
[coughing]
It's not working.
Calm down. Take it easy.
Take it easy.
We've got 10 minutes
of air left.
Okay, okay.
Now just breathe slower.
[inhaling deeply]
(Westphalen)
Okay, give it a hoist.
(man)
That's it, Mike, that's it.
Bring it around.
Darwin.
Elevate it slowly.
Let's keep him level.
Flip around this end to me.
Get that cradle done up.
Where's that hypodermic?
Thank you.
Okay, hold still.
Darwin. Darwin.
You're going to be all right,
my friend.
What's wrong?
You're going to be
all right.
[crew chattering]
(woman)
I've taken the specimen...
What's the diagnosis?
We don't have one.
So I'm pumping him full
of antibiotics and monitoring
his vital systems.
Shouldn't you be
on the Bridge?
Ford can handle that.
And Raleigh?
Ford can handle him, too.
Thanks.
How you doing?
I can't get this to work.
Let me see.
Darwin, what's wrong?
Darwin's sick.
Seems all right.
What kind of sickness?
Dark.
What's dark?
Light is dark and one.
He keeps saying that:
"Light is dark and one."
I have no idea
what he's talking about.
(Bridger)
Is it the computer,
or is he really saying that?
I don't know.
It's beta software
and it's not finished.
I'm sorry.
I'm just past the edge
of what I understand here.
It's okay. Come on.
You're doing fine.
How is he?
He's sick. How about you?
Can I pet him?
Sure.
I'm fluent in six languages,
okay in a dozen more...
but when Darwin talks
or thinks at me, I feel like
it's coming at right angles.
We have to let him go.
The light is dark and one.
Yes, sir.
I can't call this man,
he's crazy.
[intercom buzzing]
Yes.
(Westphalen)
Nathan,
Darwin's white cell count...
is extremely high
and climbing. I don't know
if I can stabilize him.
What's the matter with him?
It may be viral.
It may be bacterial.
I don't know.
Thank you.
Nathan.
This project is much larger
than tube worms
and black smokers.
We're reaching into
the very skeletal system
of the Earth.
This is a model
of a magma buoy.
It's a ceramic alloy
designed to...
withstand extreme levels
of heat found in
the subsurface river of lava.
This is the most essential
element of our mission.
Why didn't I know
about this?
It has to remain classified
until we get it
in the magma flow.
Because we don't know where
or when it will spit out.
Nathan, think of it.
If this works...
It can anticipate
volcanic stresses,
earthquakes.
Exactly.
It's brilliant.
But it's going to have to wait
a few days.
But, Nathan...
A member of my crew is sick
and that comes first.
Come on, Downy, come on.
Malcolm? Hello?
Malcolm Lansdowne?
(Lansdowne)
I don't know.
Does he owe you money?
It's Nathan Bridger,
you clown.
Good heavens.
Nathan, where have you been?
Are you in jail?
I'm on a submarine.
Oh, yeah, right, I heard,
seaQuest. Hey, I want you
to meet my mom.
Mom.
Nathan, this is Mom.
Hi, Mom.
Emile, Bill, don't be shy.
Don't be shy.
Emile, Bill, meet Nathan.
Hello. How are you?
Family barbecue.
Once a year sort of thing.
Mom blimps over,
stays the week...
brings the cousins,
enjoys the sunshine.
Malcolm, listen to me.
Darwin is very sick.
I think he may be dying.
Let me get this
in the other room.
Symptoms?
Elevated white cell count.
His color is off. Fever.
My medical chief thinks
it's bacterial or viral.
Usually takes a postmortem
to tell. Where's he been?
On seaQuest, mainly.
Contact with other dolphins?
No. Not that I'm aware of.
Exactly what part of
what oceans have you been
in recently?
There was a red tide
off the Yuc?tan.
No. Nowhere near that.
Bad oil spill in Bahrain?
No. We've been in
the equatorial Mid-Atlantic.
I need to see him, Nathan.
Well, can't you...
You're just around the corner.
I need to see him.
I'll get back to you.
[crew chattering]
Where are we?
20 meters off the sea bed.
Two hours to get
the platform down.
Eight to ten to secure it.
(Bridger)
Can we release
the platform now?
(Ford)
I suppose so.
Are you mad?
We can't drop it.
The placement's critical.
It's right over
the black smoker, exactly
where it's supposed to be.
Let it go.
Nathan!
It's not going anywhere,
Raleigh.
No, you will not!
[rumbling]
Set course for Caicos Key.
Nathan! Who gave you
the authority?
You can't play God.
(woman on PA system)
Next stop, sea deck.
I've invested years,
teams of scientists...
billions of dollars, the UEO,
for what?
So that you could toss it away
for a dolphin?
A member of my crew.
In some parts of the world
that crew member...
is an ingredient
in bouillabaisse.
(woman on PA system)
Please wait for full stop.
Sea deck.
You're not a scientist.
You're a self-absorbed,
egomaniacal dictator.
This boat
isn't your personal fiefdom.
Look him in the eye.
I'll do no such thing...
Look him in the eye!
Light is dark and one.
(Dr. Young)
Relieve him of command!
He's irrational.
Commander Ford?
I don't agree, Admiral.
Dr. Westphalen?
He's distraught, withdrawn,
even belligerent.
But not irrational.
Dr. Young, I promise
your project won't suffer
for a few days' wait.
I can't be snowed
with promises, Admiral.
I'll go to
Secretary General Dre.
I'll not be given
the runaround by a flock
of vapid lackeys.
I'll wait for your apology,
Doctor.
[scraping]
Very well. I'm sorry.
[sighing]
Thank you.
I share your concerns,
but Captain Bridger must have
a good reason for his actions.
He most certainly does!
He's lost his mind.
Driving all over the sea
searching for spiritual
dolphin healing.
I'm sorry I didn't bring
my own personal astrologer
along.
Dr. Young, Captain Bridger
retains my full confidence.
Until I see good reason
to think otherwise,
his decisions...
are final aboard seaQuest.
Thank you, and good day.
Get me the Secretary General.
I want to speak to
Secretary Dre!
Which one of these buttons?
You had better lie down.
[phone ringing]
You're going to give yourself
a heart attack.
(Ortiz)
Commander Ford.
Ford, here.
We're at the Caicos Key
outer sonar ring, sir.
Commander, could Chief Ortiz
please send a WSKR...
to give us something
tranquil to look at?
Chief.
I have one
near a reef now, sir.
Channel seven Bravo.
Thank you.
Thanks. Come on.
Please sit down for a while.
There we go. There we go.
There we are. I'm going to
dial up an outside view.
Some soft music.
That's better.
Everyone's abandoned me.
My whole life,
whatever it was...
if I didn't clutch on
like a drowning man,
I'd lose it.
You've accomplished
a great deal. Don't go popping
a vessel now.
You won't be around
to enjoy it.
How can I stop
struggling now?
[shushing]
You just relax.
You just relax.
[sighing]
Be strong, my friend.
Darwin understands.
Understands what?
Darwin sick. Bridger hurts?
Yes.
Why?
I want you to be well.
Light is dark, except...
"Except"?
What does that mean, "except"?
Bridger is family.
You're family, too.
You really are.
Darwin loves Bridger.
I love you, too.
[machine whirring]
Okay, let's go.
Nice and gently.
Take the IV please.
Stop and lower.
My, don't you look terrible.
A little elbow room here,
please. Nothing you haven't
seen before.
Well, the breath's not bad,
it's not respiratory.
I've done a complete
blood history.
And you've got him
on antibiotics?
Including cyclines and sulfas.
And you got no response
from white cell count
or T-cells?
That's right.
Well, it doesn't make
my life any easier.
Watch out. Watch out.
Get a urine sample.
Marine veterinary medicine
is about as sophisticated
as voodoo.
[laughs]
(Lansdowne)
Nathan, why don't you all get
a bite to eat in the kitchen.
I'll find you later.
Thanks, Downy.
[sighing]
Dr. Westphalen.
I could use your help.
[knocking on door]
Come in.
You all right, Doctor?
Just fine, thank you.
I thought
you might like some lunch.
That would be nice.
You're sure you're all right?
Commander, I assure you,
I'm just fine.
[door closing]
(Lansdowne)
Nathan.
Come walk with me.
He's going to die, isn't he?
Yeah. I think so.
I looked
at Dr. Westphalen's results.
I'll know more in a few hours,
but I wouldn't expect much.
It's just that we've learned
so little about
how they heal themselves.
I wish
I could tell you otherwise.
So, you want a beer?
Sure.
@@[humming]
Is that Raleigh Young?
He's been aboard the seaQuest
running a project
for a couple of weeks.
I really feel sorry
for Lucas.
Darwin's the closest thing
he's had to a pal.
It's going to be very hard
on him.
Raleigh, you know
Malcolm Lansdowne?
Well, l, guess
I'll be heading back.
Why don't you ask him to stay,
Nathan?
Lucas, stick around.
Yeah, sure. Sit down.
I'll get you a beer.
He's only 16, Downy.
I'll get him two.
Nathan.
I understand why you've done
what you've done.
I don't agree with it,
but I understand it.
I'll suffer the wait.
Thanks, Raleigh.
How long?
Raleigh...
So what would we like to hear?
Blues? New Orleans jazz?
Zydeco?
I haven't bought anything new
since they stopped making CDs.
Not to be rhetorical,
but where are we?
Don't you have island music?
Tourist.
@@[music playing on stereo]
@@[scatting]
Jamaican ginger beer.
No alcohol. Plenty of bite.
Thank you.
Is your dolphin going to die?
Probably.
How long?
I don't know.
Death doesn't punch a clock.
Can't you feel anything
when you look at Darwin?
Don't you know he's a thinking
and feeling creature
that's hurt and scared?
The importance of my work...
Your work...
is an inanimate object.
You're a selfish old man.
Boys. Boys.
You strip away
the education...
the billions of dollars
worth of machinery,
what do you got?
Us.
A couple of bucks'
worth of chemicals.
Who understands any of it?
Life.
And death.
To beer.
The light is dark and one.
What?
Lucas is our computer whiz.
He's designed a program
to translate Darwin's clicks
and whistles.
You mean he can speak
and understand English?
A little bit. Sometimes.
It's experimental.
Amazing.
What does he say?
Since he's been sick
all he says is...
"Light is dark and one."
Incredible.
Knowledge is light.
Then darkness
is the absence of knowledge.
He's faced with losing
everything he knows.
And one?
And one is alone.
"Light is dark and one."
He doesn't want to die alone.
We have to let him go.
He's too weak to swim.
No. Dolphins will support
a member of their pod
if they're hurt.
You can find Darwin's pod,
his community,
and return him to it.
You didn't find him far
from here.
His pod could be anywhere
within hundreds of miles
from here.
Find the signature whistles.
You've got Darwin's recorded.
Search
for familial similarities.
We can configure the sonar.
I could program the computers.
Try, Nathan. You must.
Status, Mr. Ortiz?
Feeding acoustic data
directly into communications.
[dolphins whistling]
Lieutenant?
We're getting responses,
Captain, but there's nothing
even close.
There's a pod out there,
but it's not Darwin's.
(Lucas)
This is amazing.
When dolphins
bear their young...
the females usually stay
with their mother.
Their signature whistles
change slightly...
so they can
tell each other apart.
The males usually leave.
Their whistles don't change,
so they can find their way
back home again.
How's he doing?
He hears the whistles, but...
[dolphins whistling]
he doesn't seem to care.
WSKRS five at the limit
of its range, Captain.
Send it west.
Nathan.
Nathan, something's happening.
Repeat Darwin's call.
[exclaiming]
Careful.
Quickly. Get him.
This has to be his pod.
It has to be.
[computer beeping]
Captain, I think we found
Darwin's mother.
Darwin's mother for sure?
According to the text.
Underneath. Underneath.
Come on, let's go.
Stay still, baby.
All right,
I got him in the back here.
Darwin.
The dolphin pod
is moving towards us, Captain.
Let's meet them halfway.
(Westphalen)
Nathan, get down here.
What's wrong?
Darwin's having a seizure.
We can't restrain him.
He's going to hurt himself
or us.
On my way.
Captain.
Come on.
Let's go. Watch his head.
All right,
we can let him go.
Let him go.
Everyone out.
Everyone get out.
Open the pressure door
and shut off the sonar relay.
Bridger.
Bridger.
Just go.
Go.
Shut the door.
Pressurize the moonpool.
[intercom buzzing]
(Ford)
Captain,
we're approaching the pod.
Thank you, Commander.
Open the hull doors.
Let him out of the boat.
Captain, it's the WSKRS
that followed the pod.
(Lucas)
That's Darwin.
Where're they taking him?
I don't know.
Should I have the WSKRS
follow them, Captain?
No, no.
We've delayed Dr. Young
long enough.
Commander.
(Ford)
Captain.
Set a course
for the black smoker.
Aye, sir.
Do you think
they can help him?
I couldn't even guess.
But at least
he's going home.
(Westphalen)
We must test
the sample containers again.
I will not risk
a repeat performance...
of the rupture
during the initial survey.
That was an aberration,
I tell you.
Not a single sample comes up
until I am satisfied
with the tests.
Another day's delay.
What does it matter
after all these years?
Raleigh, go eat.
Go fill your mouth
with something
other than words.
Mmm.
Don't worry,
I'll survive.
(Ford)
Sir, we've just completed
the final checks...
of the platform systems.
The first new set
of sample containers...
from the smoker
will be coming aboard shortly.
Sir, you're really depressing
everybody.
Very good. Thank you.
I'll go down to the moonpool.
Maybe some heavy lifting
will be good for me.
[intercom buzzing]
Dr. Westphalen.
(O'Neill)
Doctor, you have a call...
from Malcolm Lansdowne
in the wardroom.
[men chattering]
(Lansdowne)
What are you doing out there?
What do you mean?
I mean, I've identified
some of the bacterial agents
in Darwin's blood.
You're working a black smoker.
I don't care
if it's classified.
What do you want,
a letter from my mom?
The bacteria I can identify
have only been found living
around black smokers.
There's probably
a dozen species in here
no one's ever seen.
You saw what it did
to your dolphin.
You got anyone else out there
playing with the stuff?
They're bringing up
the first containers
of it now.
I'd say you've got a problem,
Doctor.
This is Dr. Westphalen.
[water gushing]
(Westphalen)
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
Don't touch
the sample containers.
It's so nice
to have you back.
[panting]
Well, hello, Mama.
[whistling]
Thank you.
Okay, it's seaweed.
(Westphalen)
Mostly.
But there are indications
of antibacterial properties,
inducing hints...
that it grew
near a black smoker.
But dolphins can't dive down
that deep.
If we knew all the answers
we wouldn't be scientists,
we'd be gods.
Do you know, I think it may be
some kind of dolphin medicine.
And Darwin's mom
has brought it to us,
like chicken soup.
Yes.
Listen, Raleigh's
about to send his magma buoy
into a smoker.
Do you want to come along?
I think
I'll carry on working.
I don't think that Raleigh
or his ceramic suppository
will mind my absence.
Ooh.
[clicking]
[chuckling]
Why did you bring us
the seaweed, Darwin?
Swim.
Anything yet?
He wants to swim,
I guess.
Swim, Lucas.
Swim, Bridger.
Lucas will swim with you.
I'll swim with you later.
What's the seaweed for?
Open dark.
Don't look at me.
Why doesn't that thing
work better?
I guess Darwin
doesn't think like us.
The program can only translate
what it understands.
Objects and material things
are easy.
This is a red box.
Swim through the tunnel.
It's the irrational,
the abstract that's confusing.
How do you explain joy?
"Open dark" is the computer's
effort to attach meaning
to something that...
we feel...
but don't really understand.
Lieutenant.
You know, I haven't felt
anything from Darwin
since the Bridge.
I feel like I glimpsed
at something wonderful...
and had it taken away.
Stand by. Dr. Young?
Release
the magma buoy.
(Dr. Young)
Godspeed on its quest.
Hello, I'm Bob Ballard...
director for the Center
for Marine Exploration
at Woods Hole.
In 1979, we discovered
the black smokers you saw
on this week's episode...
in 9,000 feet of water.
The water is hot enough
to melt lead...
and contains toxic gas
which support
exotic bacteria.
Bacterial scientists
are trying to use to process
the pollution we create.
See you on the next adventure
of seaQuest.