Sweet Tooth (2021–…): Season 1, Episode 7 - When Pubba Met Birdie - full transcript

In life,
you're always searching for answers.

Where do you come from?

Where do you belong?

But most importantly,

why are you here?

Okay, bring it down.

Just a tad more.

Nice and steady.

I think I've got something.

Show me.

My God, would you look at that.



Pack it up.

For some, these answers come quite easily.

For others, they have to search
the ends of the Earth to find them.

♪ Truckin' ♪

♪ Got my chips cashed in ♪

♪ Keep truckin' ♪

♪ Like the do-dah man ♪

♪ Together, more or less in line ♪

♪ Just keep truckin' on... ♪

♪ Arrows of neon and flashing marquees
Out on Main Street ♪

♪ Chicago, New York, Detroit
And it's all on the same street ♪

♪ Your typical city involved
In a typical daydream ♪

♪ Hang it up
And see what tomorrow brings ♪

♪ Dallas, got a soft machine ♪



♪ Houston, too close to New Orleans ♪

♪ New York got the ways and means ♪

♪ But just won't let you be ♪

♪ Sittin' and starin'
Out of the hotel window ♪

♪ Got a tip
They're gonna kick the door in again ♪

♪ I'd like to get some sleep
Before I travel ♪

♪ But if you got a warrant
I guess you're gonna come in ♪

♪ Busted, down on Bourbon Street ♪

♪ Set up, like a bowlin' pin ♪

♪ Knocked down, it gets to wearin' thin ♪

♪ They just won't let you be ♪

Flu season has come early in the Midwest,

and looks to be accelerating nationwide.

Who... who ordered this?

I understand. Go ahead. Go ahead.

This is still my department.
This is worth a lot to me...

- Sir! Sir!
- I did not clear this.

It'll be okay, Birdie, it'll be okay.

They can't do this, Judy.
We can't let this happen.

We can't let this happen.

Sir? Hey! Hey! Come back here!

It's springtime in Essex,
so why is it still so darn cold?

Coming up next, climate change...

Double shot, Weller.

We don't serve Weller's here.

Okay, uh, whatever your house whiskey is.

You got it.

Don't worry. I wasn't looking.

I, uh...

I'm... I'm sorry about earlier,
you know, in the halls.

I just saw you were upset.

We don't have to do that.

No, it's, you know, I've seen you around
the building and... not in a creepy way,

but you always just look generally happy.

There's no way you can say that
and not sound creepy.

I just had a bad day. It happens.

Sorry.

Sometimes you just gotta
hang it up and see what tomorrow brings.

Sorry.

Conversation isn't exactly my thing.

Those are lyrics from "Truckin'."

Yeah.

Wait, you're a fan?

Eh, I grew up on Jerry.
My parents were really into 'em.

I still try to see them
every time they play Red Rocks.

Yeah, me too.

Hmm.

Okay, uh, favorite song. One, two, three.

- "Friend of the Devil."
- "Ripple."

- Hmm.
- Nice.

- Hmm. Little predictable.
- Well, you too.

Jesus.

Hmm?

Uh... sure.

I'm Richard.

Birdie.

Hmm.

Another?

Uh...

Two more, please.

To Jerry.

Oh!

Yeah!

Yes.

♪ Set out runnin' but I take my time... ♪

Gertrude?
Why did your parents hate you so much?

My mom found it in one of those
top trending baby name books.

From 1908?

- Yeah.
- Jeez.

So, uh, how'd you get Birdie?

My mom called me her little bird,
and I guess it stuck.

Gertrude the geneticist.

Mm-hmm.

I wanted to be in a band.

But virology was,
you know, the next best thing.

What about you? What did you wanna be
when you were little?

I wanted to be a leaf.

- No.
- Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I had this whole presentation
for my third grade class.

I wore green and everything.

That's so cute.

What happened?

Uh, you mean,
why didn't I actually become a leaf?

- That's what I mean.
- I'm still trying to figure that out.

So...

Can I ask you something?

Mm-hmm.

What is with those damn chickens?

They're part of this, uh, project
that I've been working on.

This project I was working on.

Oh, you got fired?

Transferred.

Which feels a lot like being fired.

So that's what got you in here.

Into the bar, yes.

- That's what got you in here. Okay.
- Yeah, but...

I dedicated
a whole year of my life to this project.

It feels like losing a part of me, but...

I'm pretty sure
it's the best thing I've ever done.

Really?

Um, can I ask what it was?

It's...

complicated.

You think I wouldn't understand
'cause I mop floors?

No, my gosh, no.
That's not why.

- No, no, no.
- All right, I'm kidding.

Okay.

All right.

What do you know about microbes?

Uh, what don't I know about microbes?

Uh, bacteria, virus, or fungi?

- Oh, impressive.
- Thank you.

So, then you might know that

some of them make us sick

and some of them make us better.

Hmm.

That's what we make vaccines from.

I looked all over the world
for one that no one even knew existed.

And,

we might have found it.

No way! Wait, where?

I can't say. NDA.

Alaska?

- Alaska? I'm right, aren't I?
- Mm!

- I can't.
- That expedition last year.

No, I can't confirm or deny. I just...

- Doesn't matter. You don't have to.
- No.

I know already it's Alaska.

Okay, so then
you test the vaccines on the chickens?

No, we need their eggs.

So, we inject the eggs with the microbes.

Mostly viruses.

And then,
if we incubate just the right ones,

then we grow vaccines.

And we save a lot of lives.

Okay, and what happens
if you inject the wrong ones?

All hell breaks loose.

Last call, everyone.

I'll walk you to your car?

I walked here. I live a few blocks away.

Oh, well... I could walk with you.

Just to make sure you get home safe.

Right.

Just to make sure
I get home safe. Okay.

I never thought I'd say this, but...

I don't think I can eat one more piece.

I'll eat it.

No more after that.

Your teeth will fall out.

How many have you had?

One, two, three, four...

I'm capping you at six.

You'll have to catch me first!

Deal.

He beats you in a race every time.

I let him every time.

Sure you do.

I bet my mom'll have food at her place.

And, I know I shouldn't ask,

but are we close?

According to this, Goss Grove
should be just about a mile north.

Yes! And what's a mile again?

About 2,000 steps.

One, two, three, four,
five, six, seven, eight...

He thinks
she's gonna feed him dinner tonight.

Yeah, well, keep it down.

So, what's the plan, Big Man?

I don't know, Little Girl.

What are we gonna do when he finds
his mom's house and she's dead? Or worse?

You and me can handle
disappointment and heartbreak,

but Gus is so...

Gus.

You're right.

Excuse me?

What?

I think you just said I was right.

Maybe he ought to go with you
when this is done.

You said you were hooking up
with those hybrid-saving people.

Maybe this is one you should save.

I don't know if that's such a good idea.

Come on, it's a great idea.

- You like the kid, right?
- Well, yeah.

He likes you.

It's not that simple.

It's...

You're not actually going there, are you?

I knew it.

Do these people even exist?

I think so.

I was thinking about looking for them.

Has anything you've said been true?

I hate adults.

Look, I didn't know where else to go.

And you guys needed
to get to the train, so...

So what now?

I don't know. I thought you had a plan.

I'll talk to him.

I'll let him down gently.

You don't do gentle.

Hey, guys!

Look!

There's smoke coming out of the chimney.

There's no way.

- Huh?
- Right?

Ah, Orion's out tonight.

The Hunter.

Uh, the Mriga.

Says who?

Two and half years of Eastern studies.

A half?

Yeah, I'm not great at finishing things.

It means the deer.

Hmm.

What?

Nothing.

This is me.

Do you want some hot chocolate?

Hot chocolate?

Sure.

I have a real bad sweet tooth.
Don't tell anyone.

Marshmallows?

What's this?

Mm-hmm.

That's a lifetime ago.

- Oh, you look great.
- Mm-mm.

Oh, Mark Twain fan?

Uh, sentimental value.

My dad read it to me so many times
I could recite it by heart.

It's my husband's favorite.

Oh, you're married?

Was.

Divorced?

Widowed.

Oh, God, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...

No, it's fine.

I mean, it's not fine that he's dead,
but it was a while ago.

- I was still teaching.
- Okay.

Sorry.

Can I ask how it happened?

HPS.
It only affects one percent of people.

That's when I abandoned
the classroom for the lab.

Thought if I couldn't save him,
then I'd save someone else.

Here.

You wanna sit down?

Yeah.

- So what were you drawing?
- Hmm?

At the bar, you were drawing...
You were very into your drawing.

Oh.

I don't know. Some little characters.

I get lost in it sometimes.

Creating little worlds
out of nothing, you know?

In another life, I'd probably
be drawing children's books.

What about in this life?

Not sure if it's meant to be. Um...

Besides,
I'm not really great at the story part.

I mean, everyone's got
a good story in them.

Maybe you just haven't found yours yet.

One day.

My job at the lab
was not really part of my long-term plan,

you know, but it pays the bills,

and turns out
I'm naturally gifted at fixing things.

Oh, my God,
you make great hot chocolate.

It's a science, not an art form.

Yeah.

You have...

Sorry.

Milk.

You can come closer here
if you want.

What?

You can come closer.

All right.

I... Excuse me. Sorry.

Yeah.

- Uh, I have to take this.
- Oh, yeah, of course.

I'm so sorry. Um...

Hey. Everything okay?

What?

Where?

Yeah, okay. Yeah, yeah. I'm coming.

Is everything cool?

No. The military is taking over the lab
and they are seizing everything.

- When?
- Uh, right now.

So I'm guessing by your expression,
that's bad?

Yes, it's very bad.

Judy hid my project in a storage closet,
but I need to get to the lab right now.

Okay. Birdie,
it's almost two in the morning.

Oh, my God. They took my keys.
I can't get inside.

This is bad. This is very bad. Oh, my God.

What am I gonna do?

Would these help?

- You don't have to do that.
- Are you kidding?

Tonight's been the most exciting thing
that's possibly ever happened to me.

Come on, I'll drive.

Okay.

This is it!

Someone's home.

How many, kid?

Just one.

- Hey.
- Wait, Gus.

Gus.

I told you guys she'd be here.

- Hold on.
- Gus.

Hello?

Hello?

Gus, listen, you can't
just run up on people and...

- Hello?
- Gus.

Go away!

Mom?

It's me. Open up.

Get off my porch!

Hey, lady.

Lady, we're not here to hurt you.

Your name's not Birdie, is it?

Say that again?

Birdie. She's my mom.

Gus?

You...

You're still alive.

I still don't understand why the
military wants to shut this place down.

Remember when I said
hell would break loose?

Wait a minute. What exactly did you make?

You'll see.

Hope you like blueberry wine.

So how long have you lived here, Miss...

Ever since things went to shit.

Call me Judy.

How do you know Birdie?

We used to work together.

Oh, and then one day...

she saved my life.

Whoa.

I came back to check on her here
when the Sick started.

Found people ransacking the place.

I tried to stop them, but...

They left me for dead.

Last Men?

It was before their time.

It was the military.

Your mother found me.

Took care of me. Nursed me back.

She let me stay here with her.

So, she's a doctor?

Well, not exactly.

She doesn't live here anymore, does she?

I'm afraid not.

So, where did Birdie go?

I honestly don't know.

One night she packed a bag
and she went out to look for you.

I begged her not to go.

But she wouldn't listen.

That was ten years ago.

And I've been alone here ever since.

Fort Smith.

Sorry?

The flower holder.

It says "Fort Smith Labs."

- It's the same as Pubba's!
- What's a Pubba?

It's his dad.

What does Fort Smith Labs mean?

That's where we worked.

She was a scientist.

So, that means Pubba was a scientist too.

Richard Fox.

You knew my Pubba?

Thanks.

What's it for?

It's for the attic.

Birdie asked me to keep it safe,
in case anyone came looking,

but I think she'd want you to see it.

Let's go!

Oh, man.

Hey, does Fort Smith
sound familiar to you?

I was gonna ask you the same thing.

They closed it
when the virus began to spread.

Rumor was
it was where the virus first started.

Hey, you guys coming?

Uh, yeah.

This way.

Oh, no.

Here.

I'm pretty sure
this is how most horror films start.

I can honestly say this is
not how I thought this night would go.

You've never had to break into
a laboratory on a date before?

Wait, this is a date?

Keys.

Got it. Got it.

Mama smells like peaches.

More like mothballs.

Hey. Did it seem like
Judy knew more than she was telling us?

A hundred percent.

I think it's time.

Yeah.

It's her!

Jepp, who's that old guy
in the photo with her?

It's probably her dad.

Wait, so...

He'd be your grandpa.

My grandpubba?

Jepp, I have a grandpubba!

Yeah, that's nice.

Um...

We need to talk.

I heard you talking earlier,
and I know what you're gonna say.

You think this is a waste of time,

but you're wrong.

Look how far we've come.

We're standing
in the middle of my mom's house.

You never thought that we'd get this far.

Admit it.

I know you've given up on a lot of things,

but that doesn't mean
I have to give up too.

None of us should.

Uh, Jepp?

I think you need to see this.

What the hell is this thing?

The microbe I told you about?

Yeah.

We accidentally made a miracle...

and created this.

What...

My God.

Hey, buddy.

He likes you.

What is he?

G-U-S. It spells out my name.

"Genetic Unit Series 1"?

What does that mean?

It's nothing. It's probably nothing.

Well, what is it?

What's a genetic unit?

It looks like a project
your mom was working on.

What do you mean, "project"?

What is it?

That's me, isn't it?

I think so, kid.

Who are all the people with Birdie?

Where's Pubba?

Why are there tubes sticking out of me?
Was I sick?

Hi.

Morning, Gus.

Gus, meet Richard.

Hey, Gus.

What's up, buddy?

- Okay! Open it up!
- We have to get him out of here.

- They're outside the door.
- You don't understand.

If they get him on that truck,
they'll dissect him and experiment on him.

It's okay, buddy.

Look, I'll distract them. Okay?

What are you talking about?

I have a plan.

It's okay.

Hey, you!

Yeah, you. What the hell are you doing?

What's it look like?

I'm... I'm vacuuming.
These carpets are a lint magnet.

This is a classified area.

You need to leave now.

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but you know
what would be really great

is if you would stop, like,
walking where I'm cleaning.

Otherwise it's going
to take me twice as long.

All non-essential personnel
must leave immediately.

Okay, okay. You've just got
to take it up with my supervisor.

Who is this guy?

Richard. I'm... I'm Richard Fox.

Go, now.

Where's Pubba?

- Where's Pubba?
- Gus? I want you to listen to me, okay?

No, I need to find Pubba.

Gus. Listen to Bear.

I never told you this, but I was adopted.

Do you know what that means?

It means that
your parents aren't your parents.

No. No, no, no. It means they were
as much my parents as my biological...

Stop using big words!

It just means that
her parents didn't make her

the same way
other kids' parents made them.

What are you saying?

They're still my parents, right?

Right?

It's okay, sweetie. It's okay.

Everything's gonna be okay, okay? Okay?

Everything's gonna be okay.

We're gonna keep you safe,
all right? All right?

Me and that nice man.

You'll always be...

safe.

This way.

Come on! This is the way.

I have to go back.

Are you crazy?

No, you need to take Gus.

- You need to take Gus right now, okay?
- What?

It's okay. I need to go back.
I need to get all of my research,

and I need to burn the place down.

That research and what we've been doing,

in the wrong hands
will kill millions of people.

- You need to take Gus now.
- Listen, I just met you, all right?

And you seem nice, but I can't do this.

I'm nobody.

Exactly, you're nobody, they won't come
looking for you, so you can keep Gus safe.

- Oh, God.
- Did you hear? Keep him safe.

It's okay. You're going to be safe. Okay.

I don't know anything about babies.

I don't know anything
about saving the world.

I'll find you.

Tell me!

Don't ask questions
you don't want answers to.

Tell me.

It seems like these scientists

may have created you.

Hey. But this doesn't change anything.

Yes, it does.

It changes everything.

That's why he never talked about her.

Well, maybe he was trying to protect you.

If scientists created me,

I don't have a mom, do I?

Or a dad.

We don't know the whole story yet.

But he did raise you on his own
and kept you safe.

Most people wouldn't have done that.
Trust me.

He lied to me! About everything!

Gus, come on. Let's get some air.

No! I'm not listening to you anymore.

- You're not my dad, either.
- Gus.

Ah!

...before the emergency alert went out...

State emergency
operation center sent this message.

The H5G9 strain

is the most destructive virus
in our lifetime.

They're being called hybrids.

No one is safe as the first
hybrid roundups begin, and another dark...

Hey.

Hey, it's okay.

It's all right, buddy.

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, you're okay.

Hey, hey, hey. You're okay.

I'm gonna protect you now. Yeah.

And when the answers
you've been searching for

are finally revealed,

so is your purpose.

All right, you might like this one.

Once upon a bye, there was
a mischievous boy named Tom Sawyer,

who was always getting into trouble,
getting off on danger.

Oh, look at that.

But sometimes...

Well, sometimes the truth hurts.

And sometimes those answers
leave us more in the dark than ever.