Strange Angel (2018–…): Season 1, Episode 8 - Evocation of the Elders - full transcript

[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC STOPS]

[AUDIENCE GASPING]

[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

["OVER THE RAINBOW" PLAYING]

- MARISOL: It was no
- Gone with the Wind.

That's for sure.

People need a little romance.

Am I right?



Richie?

I-I didn't see it.

You're kidding. No.

Everyone saw that one.

[DRIVER CLEARS THROAT]

You ask me, Dorothy was
playing all of them guys.

Especially the lion.

I know girls like that.

They get three, four guys

wrapped around their fingers at a time.

My roommates the type. Angie.

She's not home.

She works nights.

Meters running, buddy.



I should be getting home.

I fly to Washington D.C. tomorrow.

I have to pack and prepare.

[MUSIC PLAYING OVER RADIO]

Hmm, well, all right.

You give my regards to Mr. Roosevelt.

[DOOR CLOSES]

[SIGHS]

Good night.

Nice move, Casanova.

Where the hell have you been all night?

What are you doing here?

I came by...

Goddamn it.

Are you okay?

- Do you want to just...
- Let me.

You were using the wrong key.

I stayed up late last night thinking

about why Mesulam would've
sent you instead of me.

I have security clearance
from the propeller team.

Doesn't matter what the reason is.

Fortunately, I have a solution.

- What is this?
- The proposal.

Our proposal.

Everything you would ever need to know

about the potential of
rocketry is in those pages.

Take it, study it.

It'll be just like I'm
right there with you.

Mesulam said that they were interested

- in a more practical appli...
- Mesulam is limited.

Okay? His vision, I mean.

Don't forget, he was about to let you

trade in your entire future

- for fucking propellers.
- All I'm saying

Is maybe we should hear what they want,

before we start talking
talking about moon colonies.

I told you what they want.

Christ, I told them what they want.

If you'd been there,
you would have seen

Braxtons face light up.

Look, I understand, you're
in a difficult situation.

It's not fair.

You're a gifted scientist, Richard,

and I'll have words with
anyone who says otherwise.

But lets face it: talking to people...

is not your strong suit.

That's not a criticism, it's a fact.

But that's why you have me.

And I promise you, this proposal

is gonna get you through this.

These are not men of imagination.

They're soldiers, bureaucrats.

Exactly, which is why it's not
enough to explain rocketry.

You have to bend them to your will.

You can do it, you just
have to believe you can.

Belief has nothing to do with it.

The-the data speaks for itself.

Oh, boy.

You think it's too late
for me to buy a ticket

- and come with you?
- [SIGHS]

I'm kidding. You think I
have that kind of dough?

At least I'll be with you in spirit.

It's hard to believe you're
actually gonna fly.

I can't very well drive to D.C.

I don't even own a car.

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

Well, I think it's... fantastic.

In fact, it's a hell of a thing.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

[GROANS SOFTLY]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

[FLIES BUZZING]

[SIZZLING]

Here we go. Omelet de Parsons.

You should try it.

It tastes better than it looks.

I'm not hungry.

Are you gonna keep this up forever?

- Please don't do that.
- Do what?

Act like I'm the one who's
being unreasonable.

You can't ask me to
stop going, not now.

Not when our dreams are so close

to finally becoming a reality.

You know, if Richard succeeds,

you'll be under more scrutiny.

I'm told the military is very careful

about what sort of
people they work with.

I'm not entirely sure

I understand what you mean by that.

I think you understand perfectly.

What do I have to do
for you to forgive me?

There are some things
you can't forgive.

[PHONE RINGING]

That could be Richard.
I have to take it.

Don't go. Okay? Please.

Hello?

No, I can hear you.

I understand. One moment.

It's Murphy. His cars broke down.

He needs a ride to work.

Should I tell him no?

No, you should go.

They've got me working a double shift.

I'm gonna be home late.

Okay.

[DOOR OPENS]

Where the hell have you been?

[SLURRING]: I don't know, but
there's a shitload of water.

Jack...

Jack, are you with me?

I'm right here.

I-I think I might...

I was thinking maybe I
ought to take a swim.

No. Now, you listen to me.

Hey.

Ernest, are you still there?

Can-can you bring a light?

What?

Ernest.

I'm at Point Dume.

Ernest. Ernest.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

- Here you go.
- Thanks, sweetheart.

You're welcome.

First time?

No.

It's all right, son.

I can always spot a greenhorn.

If you ask me, this whole
enterprise is unnatural.

Were thumbing our noses
at the Almighty himself.

Hurtling through the
sky in tin coffins.

Black magic's what it is.

Actually, there's nothing
magical about it.

A propeller creates lift,
in a forward direction...

We call this thrust.

The rotary motion through the air

creates a difference in
pressure between the

front and back surfaces
of the blades and...

[ENGINE WHIRRING]

[LAUGHS]

I thought I was scared my first time!

Son, they're gonna identify your body

by the shit in your britches!

[PHONE RINGING]

[SNIFFLES]

Hi, uh, Pueblo Powder
Company, Saugus, please?

Hi. This is Susan Parsons.

I need to speak to my
husband, Jack Parsons.

It's an emergency.

I see.

Uh, um, yes.

Uh, his mother is-is quite ill.

It's... it's possible he went
to the hospital to see her.

Yes, uh, so am I.

He should've called to inform you.

Please don't hold it against him,

she really is quite sick.

♪ ♪

[KNOCK AT DOOR]

Come in.

[DOOR OPENS]

What is it?

Well, you look as if you've
seen the devil himself.

It's Jack.

What's he done now?

Susan?

He's hurt himself at work.

I need to go collect him.

Well, why didn't you just say so?

[SCOFFS] You had me worried
it was something far worse.

Go, if you must.

Thank you for understanding.

[ENGINE TURNS OFF]

Ernest?

Ernest?!

♪ ♪

Ernest?!

Ernest?!

Ernest?!

Jack Parsons!

Come, brother, be baptized with me!

[GROANS SOFTLY, INHALES]

I need your help.

Button me up?

[SIGHS]

Id ask if you felt it too,
but I don't have to ask.

It's remarkable.

I dare say there's a potency in you now

that wasn't there before.

There is.

I take it you're making progress

with Frater J.P.s scientist friend?

You know what it is to
be adored, don't you?

How it feels.

You of all people must know.

Love is the essential

- companion to our will...
- No, not love.

I'm not talking about love.

I'm talking about...

worship.

To look in the eyes of
another and see their...

it's... fear, isn't it?

MARISOL...

You don't know your power
until you see it reflected.

Do not be misled by this illumination.

Pursue your will unfettered.

Help our friend discover his.

But... do... not interfere with
the will of another.

As our Master reminds us,

collision is the only
crime in the cosmos.

You're preaching again.

I am telling you to be careful.

Why?

Who was ever careful with me?

- Magus...
- I am in session.

You'd better come now.

[SIGHS]

- Ma'am, please calm down.
- Don't you dare touch me.

- Please.
- Where's my husband?

Jack! Jack!

I tried to stop her, but
she pushed right past me.

Where is he? Where's Jack?

I assure you, Mrs.
Parsons, Jack isn't here.

You can save your assurances
for these lemmings.

These rats, crawling
into peoples homes,

poisoning husbands and
wives against each other.

Would you excuse us?

Mrs. Parsons and I
require some privacy.

I'm not afraid of you.

Clearly.

I came here for my husband.

I told you, he isn't here.

I don't believe you.

I'm not leaving without him.

Are you certain he's the
reason you're here?

Jack!

Are you in pain, Susan?

No, I'm not in pain. I'm upset.

And I'm going to call the police
this instant if you don't...

What... don't touch me.

Don't... let go.

[INHALES]

Here, yes?

I said let me go.

ERNEST: The ocean doesn't
care who you are.

It just holds you down.

Shows you how meaningless you are.

My eyes are open now.

We don't spin the wheel.
The wheel spins us.

Anybody tells you different
is selling something.

What the hell are you talking about?

You really think the
Grand Magus's hocus pocus

is gonna make all your
wishes come true?

Well, where's mine?

I did everything that was asked of me.

Where's my hearts desire?

My destiny, my will?

Look at me.

Look.

What do you see?

I see a man who misses his wife.

[LAUGHING]

[COUGHING]

You see a fool.

And I see one, too.

This'll pass.

All right?

You'll get back on your feet.

Your path is waiting for you.

Richard got to fly up there.

Above the clouds.

Closer to the stars
than I've ever been.

And it should have
been me on that plane.

But I'll tell you this much.

Not for one second do I
doubt the power of my will,

because I know what's coming.

I've seen the future.

Well, bully for you, Jack.

And maybe it's not the
future I pictured.

Maybe it doesn't feel the
way it's supposed to feel.

Maybe it doesn't even feel
like it's mine at all.

- Then maybe it aint.
- Maybe you should let me finish.

I'm not the enemy, Jack.

Tomorrow, he'll be standing in D.C.
saying your words,

occupying your shoes.

Richards not my enemy, either.

You keep telling yourself that.

I wish I knew what to say

to make it all better.

But I don't have the answers.

Nobody does.

Not Alfred.

Not the Agape.

Not even the Great Beast himself.

Truth is, Jack, were all alone.

No, were not.

It was you, Ernest. You
showed me my true path.

And now, I'm standing on
the edge of my destiny.

Means a lot that you came, Jack.

Welcome, sir.

- Good luck today.
- Thank you.

Have a nice day.

Good morning and welcome
to the Mayflower.

How can I help you?

Um, hi, yes. My name is Richard Onsted.

I believe there is a reservation
here under my name.

Institution?

Institution?

You are one of the scientists,

come to talk with the
Department of War?

- Yes.
- The reservations

have been put under
your institutions name.

Oh. Um, Caltech.

What?

Or, the California
Institute of Technology.

Haven't heard of that one.

Well, it's relatively new,
but very well-respected.

I'm sure.

Oh. There you are.

It's a very nice room.

It's completely up to my standards.

Oh.

Thank you very much.

It's much appreciated.

[DOOR CLOSES]

♪ It don't mean a thing ♪

♪ If it aint got that swing ♪

♪ Doo wah, doo wah, ♪
♪ doo wah, doo wah... ♪

Susans gonna let me have
it with both barrels

- when I get back.
- Oh, no, right now all we have

Is the open road, the good music,

the good booze, and no
earthly obligations.

- Don't start on all that bullshit.
- She wouldn't leave me.

- What - if
- She leaves me?

Then you'll apologize
and she'll forgive you,

and you'll both go on.

I sleep in the garage, Ernest.

Whew! She says I can't
come back to my own bed

until I give up Thelema.

Even now, after all it's done for us.

There is no way to live
honestly with a woman.

In fact, I reject the
entire institution.

Marriage is false.

Tyranny of this so-called free society.

There's the Ernest I know.

Seemed like you were
done with all that.

- Hell does that mean?
- Nothin'.

Just last night you were...

You never had a moment of doubt?

- Settle down.
- I was tested, Jack. It was a test.

Do we shrink from our
destiny and became small

like other men, or do we ascend?

I ascend!

I'm goddamn ascending right now!

Can you keep your eyes on the
road while you're ascending?

- [LAUGHS]
- Yes!

Hey, wake me up when we
get there, all right?

[AIRPLANE PASSING OVERHEAD]

♪ ♪

[SIGHS]

[SIGHS]

[INDISTINCT CHATTER NEARBY]

[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS]

RICHARD: Gentlemen, I have come here

to show you something
that you haven't seen...

before today:

The future.

[QUIETLY]: "Future."

Long distance, please.

To Los Angeles.

Glenview 7537.

And, um, exactly how much...
will that cost?

Per minute?

I see.

Yes, Id like to connect.

[PHONE RINGING]

[MUSIC PLAYING OVER RADIO]

♪ That little girl... ♪

OPERATOR: Connecting
from Washington, D.C.

Well, hello there, Richie.

Yes, I'm calling from
Washington, long distance.

Look, we need to be brief.

You wouldn't believe how much
they charge per minute,

and I've got my
presentation in an hour.

[TAKES DEEP BREATH]

Um, I-I'm calling because...

I want you to know that...

[MUSIC CONTINUES FAINTLY OVER PHONE]

I'm not a great man, MARISOL.

I'm not... Washington or Lincoln.

I'm just trying very hard

to be a scientist of some...

of any significance,

and that is gonna come to an end today,

because I-I don't know how
to talk to these people.

You mean the Army people?

The Army people...

other people, any people, MARISOL.

Jack, he's the one, he's
the salesman. I...

Don't be silly, Richie.

You make quite an impression.

You certainly did on me.

The other night in the taxi...

I didn't know what to say.

I didn't know the...

the right words.

But I-I knew that you
wanted me to say something

or-or do something.

Settle down, darling.

Just listen to my voice.

You know what I was thinking

when it was just you
and me in that taxi?

I was thinking:

this Richard, he's so smart.

That great big brain of his

is gonna change the world someday.

Anything I can imagine,

he could make real.

Like that guy in the movie.

The Wizard.

But...

the Wizard is a fraud.

You know what else I was thinking?

No.

I was thinking:

if he wanted to take
me inside, right now,

I wouldn't be able to behave myself.

Oh.

Well...

good luck, Mr. Wizard.

[LINE CLICKS]

♪ ♪

Found it.

Here's the one.

I haven't any cake.

- If Id known you were coming...
- It's all right.

I haven't been to market
because of my back.

I tripped on the walkway...
the stones are broken, and...

these people, they can't
be bothered to fix it.

[GASPS] Oh, look at that face.

Handsome.

Such a serious boy.

He wasn't one to smile,
not even for his mother.

He's alone in most of these.

Jack kept to himself... he
was always independent,

save for his friend Richard.

I'm so pleased you've finally
taken an interest.

This was my father, Walter H.

He was president of the
Allis-Chalmers mining company.

My mother was a Bayes.

That name...

means something in Ohio.

Uh, slow down, slow down, dear.

Father always loved
his harvest parties.

He invited everyone,
even the domestics.

There I am.

Don't ever be pregnant in August.

SUSAN: Is that...?

I just realized...

I do have some shortbread.

This is Jacks father, isn't it?

Marvel?

Ruth, please.

I found this in the garage.

Jack hardly ever talks about him.

For good reason.

Please, I don't mean to pry. I...

I'm just worried about Jack.

I think maybe he's gotten himself

in with the wrong sort of people and...

What is this talk?

Jack didn't come home last night.

I don't know where he's
gone, and I thought, I...

I know his father...

- Was there any sign? I mean...
- Oh.

- ...before he left?
- They're not the same.

Marvel Parsons was born
with the devil inside him.

Jack is an angel.

All he's ever wanted is to
travel among the stars.

I'm at my wits end.

I don't know what to do.

You're a woman, aren't you?

Give him a bed to be in.

And for heavens sakes, the first
thing a wife ought to know

is where her husband goes at night.

They let the fruit fall
from the tree, to rot.

Rot, do you see?

Brings the vermin.

Truth is, not everyone
deserves property.

There's a basket in the garden shed...

Would you be a dear?

Of course.

♪ ♪

[FLIES BUZZING]

♪ ♪

[LOW, INDISTINCT CHATTER]

Sign in.

I'm Richard Onsted, from Caltech.

Sign in.

Atkins, they're ready for you.

Right here, sir.

Gentlemen...

[MUTTERING]

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

[LAUGHS]

But then the third... the
third presentation...

[LAUGHTER]

[YAWNS]

- Ready when you are, Mr. Onsted.
- Yes, sir.

I'll be using the projector.

Well, be quick about it.
I'm hungry enough

to eat the balls off a low-flying duck.

[LAUGHTER]

[WHISPERS]: I am the Wizard.

Gentlemen, I have come
here to show you something

you haven't seen before today:

The future.

There's been a great deal of sensation

and some confusion

as to what my team does at GALCIT.

I assure you I have
spent plenty of time

explaining to people
that we do not deal

in science fiction at Caltech.

We deal in the practical
application of technology,

which, when done right,

can appear equally miraculous.

Which is why, gentlemen,

I have not come here
to talk about rockets.

I've come here to talk
about jet propulsion.

Jack.

How long was I out?

Awhile. I took a detour.

Come on, you got to see this.

Come on.

Almost there.

- Where?
- Come on.

You're gonna get us both shot.

Are you on your true path or not?

It's a beautiful bird, Jack.

Faster, Jack. Hustle!

Come on now!

Come on, come on, come on.

Wow. [CHUCKLES]

Here, put your foot here.

No, no, I don't need to get in.

Ah, come on. Don't be a sissy.

See what it feels like.

I'm not leaving till you do.

[CHUCKLES]

All right, just one minute
and then we leave, okay?

Wow.

Keep your head down.

- Okay, thanks. Can we go?
- Lets see here.

You got throttles, elevators, bags.

- Stop screwing around.
- I can drive a stock car.

How hard can this be?

What the hell are you doing?

Richards not the only one
who's gonna get to fly.

Shit.

Ernest.

Hold on to your britches!

[LAUGHS]

JACK: Ernest, stop, stop!

Oh, my God.

No, no, no, no!

Yeah, Jack! Were going up there!

Oh, my God! Whoo!

Yeah!

[JACK WHOOPS, LAUGHS]

Thanks again for the lift.

Are you kidding? Thank you.

You're not sore I didn't tell you?

What, that you'd flown one before?

No, that would've taken
some of the fun out of it.

You gonna be all right?

Maybe we should've just kept on flying.

Would've run out of gas and
crash-landed eventually.

We did, anyway.

What happened?

Come on, spit it out.

Did they bite or didn't they?

RICHARD: Well, yes, in a sense.

[JACK WHOOPS, LAUGHS]

JACK: I knew it! What did they say?

♪ ♪

What the hell are you talking
about, an alternate proposal?

I told you exactly what to say.

This was the only way, Jack.

They didn't want rockets.

They wanted a way for planes

to take off from shorter runways.

I don't give a damn what they wanted.

I saw the Moon, Richard,

with my own two eyes

and I saw that our work
was gonna get us there.

And you traded that for "solid
fuel propellant canisters"

for fixed-wing attachment"?

See, this is exactly why

I didn't say anything to you before.

You can't see past your own obsessions.

Having a vision of going up to the Moon

doesn't make it any less impossible,

but this is something that we
can actually achieve right now.

Look. Look.

Look at this.

Okay, we can still fix this.

We can put some of this
money towards our...

- real goal.
- No, Jack.

For the first time ever,

someone other than us
believes in our work.

- We can't betray that...
- I was the one who believed.

I was the one who never wavered.

And what do you do with that belief?

You... sold it to the highest bidder!

Are you out of your goddamn mind?!

I've never been clearer, Richard.

I see you for what you really are.

They were never gonna go for
your preposterous ideas, Jack.

Why is it you think Braxton
and Mesulam sent me to D.C.?

Hmm? They needed someone
they could trust

to give a sensible presentation

that was relevant to the
state of the world.

An actual scientist, not
someone who believes

that they can will
things into existence.

I don't expect you to understand.

You can't. It's just not in you.

You sound like a lunatic.

Y-You've been spending too
much time with that lunatic.

Don't bring him into this!

He's done more for me
in the last 24 hours

than you've done in the last 15 years.

You're delusional.
Everyone sees it but you.

Who sees it? Huh?

Hmm? Who sees it?

Your esteemed colleagues?

You crunch numbers, Richard,
and call them ideas.

You're not a visionary. You're
a fucking calculator.

[SCOFFS]

You know what I think, Jack?

I think you're pissed about the money

because I'm the one who got it.

It happened in spite of
you, not because of you.

And after all this time and...

after all of your grandstanding

and your flailing in the dark,

I am the one who made it real,

not you. Me.

You didn't make it real.

You made it small.

[DOOR SLAMS]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

A ka...

dua.

A ka...

[GROANING]

[HISSES]

[PANTING]

[DOOR OPENS]

Hello, Mrs. Parsons.

How did you know about my wrist?

Did Jack tell you?

No.

I merely paid attention.

You don't even know when
you're doing it, do you?

I notice when a person
is uncomfortable,

holding something inside.

Memories, desires, regrets.

These things manifest in our body.

They live in our bones.
They make us restless.

They cause us pain.

I don't believe in any of that.

The truth doesn't care
if you believe in it.

It simply exists whether
we want it to or not.

Most of the time, we don't.

Yesterday you held my wrist and...

Please, sit down.

Are you in pain right now?

Pain? No.

Hmm.

Are you in pain?

I don't know.

I suppose I was.

My wrist was.

I type a lot at my job.

At times it's bad.

Excruciating, in fact.

It was yesterday, but...

but then you put your
hands on me and...

Yes?

It went away.

What exactly are you doing?

Did you come here for your husband?

Yes, I told you I was looking for Jack.

Did you come here for your husband?

He didn't come home last night.

I have no idea where he is.

He's not here. You know that.

I do know that, but I thought
that maybe you might...

Did... you come here for your husband?

Did you come here for your husband?

[QUIETLY]: No.

Why are you here, Susan?

I think...

I think... something might
be wrong with me.

I need to be fixed.

Can you do that?

No.

[CRIES]

Because you are not broken.