The Bionic Woman (1976–1978): Season 1, Episode 10 - Canyon of Death - full transcript

(BOY CHANTING)

(BELL RINGING)

She's doing her funny writing again.

Okay, before we get to the work today,

we have a new student
in class with us.

His name is John Little Bear.

So, let's everybody say
hello to John.

(BEEPING)

There's a kid here.

HENDERSON:
- Has he seen you?

No.



Goodbye, Grandfather.
I'll be back next week.

HENDERSON: If he returns,
you know what to do.

Right.

MAN 1:Ventura Tower, this is Air Force Flight
Six Niner Zero,

with Oscar Goldman aboard.

We're requesting permission to taxi

directly to the security test
holding area. Over.

MAN 2: Roger. Niner Zero. - Security is expecting
Mr. Goldman.

(ALL CHATTERING)

Hi.

(ALL CHATTERING)

You must be John. I'm Miss SOMMERS.
I'll be your new teacher.

How'd you know who I was?

Just a wild guess.



We were expecting somebody named
John Little Bear.

At the reservation,
they called me Paco.

Okay, Paco. Come on down
and join us.

Hey, he'll run away.

I was expecting you about two hours ago.

I know. I would've been here on time,

but I had to go someplace first.

Then, a bear came out of the rocks.

A bear? Come on.

A great, huge bear.

Not too many bears around here
anymore, Paco.

I think maybe it was a ghost bear,

and my horse, Tanima, spooked,

and it took me a hard fight
to get him back here.

Sorry I was late, Miss SOMMERS,
but I couldn't help it.

You don't believe that shaggy bear story,
do you, Miss SOMMERS?

It's what happened!

Look, I don't know what they called you before,

but on this reservation, we're gonna call you
Throwing Bull.

(ALL LAUGHING)

(SCHOOL BELL RINGING)

All right. Come on.
Come on. Knock it off.

Everybody get back to class. Come on.
There goes the bell.

You gonna call me a liar, too?

No, Paco. I understand there's a lot of hazards
on the trail.

I thought I would just suggest that,
next time,

you leave a little earlier so you could
get here on time.

Jaime, a Mr. Goldman from the Base
Commander's Office called.

He wants you to phone him right away.

Really? Okay.

This is Paco, our new student.
This is Ms. Stone.

Hi there.

Would you mind watching my class
for a minute while I do that?

Sure.
Come on, Paco.

Thank you. Karen, you might have to
referee a little bit.

Watch out for low blows, okay?

Okay. Listen,
you gonna be long?

With Oscar, you never know.

(CHUCKLES)

(PROJECTOR RATTLING)

JAIME: - Oscar, do I really
have to watch this?

Parachute jumping isn't exactly my favorite
subject since the accident.

OSCAR:
- Just watch for a minute.

Oscar, are you trying to tell me

I'll have to hit the beach
at Normandy or something?

No, no, no.
Wait a minute.

This is really very interesting.
Now, you just watch this.

You see, victory in warfare has always gone to the
side with the most mobility.

Technology has taken us from the foot,

horse-drawn wagons,
trucks, helicopters

to air-cushion vehicles, to elementary
space platforms.

And now, we're gonna take a quantum leap
into Buck Rogers.

A degree of mobility
never before attained.

Individual self-contained
flying suits. Look at that.

Impressed?

Yes.

The power for these flying suits comes
from an atomic unit

that has a range of 400 miles.

It can go from zero to 30,000 feet altitude,

has the power to outrun a helicopter

and the maneuverability to give an eagle
an inferiority complex.

Oh, that's a nice little gadget.

You bet. The prototype arrives
in a couple of hours.

General Fuller will arrive shortly after,

and with luck, no hitches, the tests
will start tomorrow.

If you don't need me
any longer, Mr. Goldman,

I'm going out to check the perimeter
security arrangements.

Oh, excuse me.
This is Jaime SOMMERS,

this is John Mallory
of Thompson Aerospace.

Miss SOMMERS has top clearance.

She's been on secret missions
with me before.

Mr. Mallory is gonna be the security man
on this job,

and I understand he's the best
in the field.

I certainly have the years' experience,

but I'm afraid at the moment,
I'm really not up to my best.

What about that, Mr. Mallory?

Any word on those practice suits

that are missing from the Research Lab?

We're turning the base
inside out.

I think it's an inventory goof.

I mean, I can't believe
they were stolen.

I won't believe anything else until
they're returned, Mr. Mallory.

Anybody that has those practice suits
could fly the real suit.

Am I making myself clear? If they're not found,
I'll cancel the test.

I think that's a wise idea.
Good day.

Bye.

Oscar, what is it that you would like me
to do at this test?

Jaime, I had to get someone's permission
to make you bionic,

and that someone is General Fuller.

He'll be here later, and he wants to
meet you personally.

Besides, we're short on
security here and I'd...

Well, I just like to
have you around.

Sounds easy enough.

What I'd really like to know is why this is
bothering you so much?

I was just thinking,

any guerilla warfare unit got their hands
on that flying suit,

no anti-terrorist defense
could stop them.

(ALL LAUGHING)

PACO: I have gone through
the ceremony of manhood,

alone for three nights, on a high place
in the desert.

Lam an Indian.

Lam a man.

I've made the cuts.

I've dreamed of my totem animal,

the great bear.

I was barely able to bear listening
to those bare facts.

(ALL LAUGHING)

I go into the desert
all the time

to the burial grounds
of my people.

I can go there now or anytime I want

with nothing more than I have on me.

And in a week,
I'd still be alive.

By nightfall, you'd be
crying for your mommy.

By the next day,
you'd be dead of fright.

Hey, I heard what you just said.

You know, you can't go everywhere
you want around here.

There's a series of military exercises going on,
in a lot of restricted areas.

The Burial Grounds aren't restricted.

No, they're not. But the areas around it are,
so you stay clear.

You understand?

Don't forget it.

Are you gonna take that
from a long-knife, Chief?

Man, you should've taken his scalp.

(ALL LAUGHING)

You're stupid!
All of you, stupid!

Boy, is he on the warpath!

Go get 'em, Geronimo!

(CHILDREN LAUGHING)

It's fantastic!
It's absolutely fantastic!

Wait till you see this suit
in action, it's...

What in the world is going on out there?

That is Paco, he's a new
student of mine.

I'm gonna get the Air Police
on the phone.

Oscar, wait a minute.

Listen, we're having
a secret test out here,

we can't have a boy on a horse
trotting around here.

I can take care of it.
Huh?

Will you let me handle it? Okay?

(BEEPING)

(TANIMA WHINNYING)

(BEEPS)

(TANIMA SNORTING)

Hiya, boy. Where did
Paco go, huh?

Paco?

Paco?

(BIONIC POWERS ACTIVATING)

(BIONIC POWERS ACTIVATING)

Paco, come out of there, please.

What are you doing here?

Looking for you. Did you not read
that sign back there?

You're not supposed to be in this area.

I have a right. Our tribal burial ground
is out there.

I suppose you don't believe that either, huh?

Yes I do, Paco.

I know that they discovered that right after
the base was established.

But my grandfather's
buried there.

And I don't care what any of you say.

I'll go out there and see him anytime I want.

I'm not gonna argue with you, Paco.

I just want you to come back
to class with me now.

I'll go back for the rest
of the day, but that's all.

We'll talk about it.

Briggs!

I need one of the suits.

Why? We need 'em both to practice in,
get used to the weight.

You don't want me to look foolish

when we take the pilot's place, do you?

Only one of you is gonna have to
make the final switch.

Look, Goldman's threatened to
call the test off

if I don't find them.

Now I might smooth it over
as an inventory goof

if I can turn up at least one.

Come on. Hurry up.

Easy!

Okay. Now, the working model
arrives tomorrow.

The plan is still the same. You still make the
final switch with the pilot,

but when you take off...

I don't come back.
Right.

How much do you figure
it'll bring?

Well, there's at least
three guerilla groups,

one in the Middle East, one in Africa,
and one in the Caribbean,

who'd sell their mother
for that baby.

At least five million dollars

and nobody's gonna keep us from
that kind of money.

Listen, there was a kid out here today.

Yeah, I heard.

Look, don't take any chances.
If anyone shows up here again,

make sure it's a one-way trip.

MAN 1: Ventura Tower,
this is Air Force 614,

requesting landing instructions. Over.

MAN 2: Roger, 614. - You have priority clearance
for direct approach

by order of Oscar Goldman.

You must be carrying
something pretty valuable.

MAN 1: Affirmative, Ventura,
but it's top security.

We don't even know what it is.

Handle it carefully, men. The flying suit in that
case is worth millions.

There's your working model,
Mr. Goldman.

Good.

What's that? You found
the practice suit?

I told you it was an inventory goof.

The practice suits were in the research lab
all the time.

They got mixed up with some gear for
high altitude testing.

Where's the other suit now?

It's in the lab. I put it in the vault
with the rest of this suit.

You want to see it?

No, that won't be necessary, so long
as it's locked up.

Come on.
Let's unpack.

ELORA: I don't know if this
will help you, but...

JAIME: The Real West
by Marcus Carter?

"Manhood rituals.

"A young brave proves himself

"by spending three days and nights

"without food or water and dreams
of his totem animal.

"Some great War Chiefs counted more than 20 men
killed in a single battle."

I really appreciate the time you're taking

for my nephew, Paco,
Miss SOMMERS.

And I appreciate you coming down here
on your lunch hour.

Well, he never had a teacher before

that was this interested in him.

What about on the reservation?

He's never been on any reservation.

He gets all his information
about his Indian heritage from that book.

It's his bible.

Marcus Carter? Do you know
who this guy is?

He was a third-rate writer that never got out
of Brooklyn.

A white man?

You mean, Paco's learning
about his Indian heritage from a book

written by a white man who never even
saw the West?

I'm afraid so.

He laps it all up.

He goes out and lies about what a great
Indian he is.

I don't suppose then
that his grandfather

is buried in the Indian
Burial Grounds. No.

Is he telling you that one again?

No, he's buried in the county cemetery.

His name was Many Horses.

Kids used to call him Many Bottles.

Paco found him one morning,

dead of exposure.

Oh, boy.

Well, Mrs. Mitchell,

you know, I don't really think
that Paco's lying

as much as he is dreaming.

I think he's just really struggling for some kind
of an identity and...

I don't know.

Maybe now that I know all this,

I can figure out some way
to keep him in school.

I really appreciate it.

So do I.

Our test pilot's arrived, Mr. Goldman.

Oh, good.
Captain Phillips, sir.

How do you do, Captain Phillips.

Although I'm not sure driving that thing
qualifies as test-piloting.

It's more like a glorified flying broom.

A golden flying broom, Captain.

Men!

Handle it with care, Captain,
it's worth a fortune.

(ALL LAUGHING)

And that is how my grandfather
won the First World War.

JAIME: All right,
let's hear it for Andrew.

All right. Does anyone else have
a story about their family

during the First World War?

PACO: About the time
- Andrew's grandfather

was learning how to be a soldier,

my grandfather was a great war chief against
the United States Army.

You mean, he was a traitor?

No!

He fought with only a few braves against
a whole regiment of cavalry.

Paco, in 1917, I think the Indian wars
were about over.

(KIDS LAUGHING)

Not for him!
He was killed.

But he killed more than 20
before he died.

(BELL RINGING)

Bye.

Paco. Paco, would you
wait a minute, please.

I'd like to talk to you.
Come on.

I know about your grandfather, Many Horses,

and I know how he died.

He was a good man.
A good Indian.

He was fighting.

I know.

He was fighting to bring you up and
make you a good person,

and that's a wonderful thing. You don't have to
invent stories about him.

Hon, I guess what I'm trying to say, Paco,

is that you never have to lie about anything.

The truth really isn't
as bad as you think it is.

From now on, honey, I'd really like you
to try to...

This is the last time you'll ever see me
in this place!

Come on, Paco,
it can't be that bad.

Besides that,
where would you go?

Into the desert. I'm a good Indian.
I could live there.

We'd just have to find you
and bring you back.

You're kidding!
Who would find me?

Maybe I could.

You're telling me that you're a better
Indian than I am?

I didn't say that I was a better Indian
than you are.

You'd never even get near me.

All right, how's this?

If I can find you,
say within a half an hour,

then you promise to stay in school
and no more lies? Hmm?

Can I go into the desert?

Anywhere you like.

Can I get a head start?

(PHONE RINGING)

However long it takes me
for this phone call.

You'll never catch me.

Yes?

Jaime, Oscar. The test is on
for tomorrow morning.

I want you to report here at the test hangar at
09:00 tomorrow morning.

Oh, all right.
I'll be there.

Good. I'm about to button up
the whole base now.

Now?

Right. Maximum security.

Loaded weapons,
electric fences, everything.

Oscar, does that include the desert area over
by the Burial Grounds?

Everywhere, Jaime. I don't want anybody
walking around out there.

I'll call you back,
Oscar. Bye.

Jaime? Jaime?

JAIME: No, Paco.

(BIONIC POWERS ACTIVATING)

(BEEPS)

(HOOVES CLATTERING)

Now she won't have any tracks to follow, Tanima.

(BEEPS)

(HOOVES CLATTERING)

(BIONIC POWERS ACTIVATING)

(TANIMA SNORTING)

HENDERSON: Kid,
you're in a lot of trouble.

(WHINNYING)

It's that Indian kid again.

Yeah, I know.
I saw him, too.

Well, you know what Mallory said.
We can't let him get out.

Let's go up on that canyon rim.

Let's go!

(WHINNYING)

You shouldn't have come out here, Paco,
and you know it!

Back there! I ran!

What're you talking about?

A creature! Come on!

Paco, now stop it!
I won the bet.

You promised me, no more lies.

A silver man with a thing on his back.

What?

Where'd the girl come from?

It doesn't matter.
Let's go get it over with.

All right.

Wait a...
Wait a minute.

It's better if we make it
look like an accident.

(BEEPING)

(LOW RUMBLING)

Look out!

(RUMBLING)

(BIONIC POWERS ACTIVATING)

I'd better report this to Mallory.

(BIONIC POWERS ACTIVATING)

Are you all right?

You're a spirit.

Come on.
I saw!

You were sent by Sky Father.

A spirit pretending to be human.

Paco, I can do a few
unusual things, honey,

but I am very human.
Believe me.

Now, you're lying!

I am not lying, but I don't have time
to explain now.

Stand back.

Paco, listen to me! There's something
very dangerous going on here.

I want you to go back to the school,
find Ms. Stone.

Do you remember the teacher you met
this morning?

Uh-huh.

All right. Have her call
Oscar Goldman.

Tell him where I am and that there's a silver
practice suit out here.

He'll understand.
All right? Come on.

Okay, Paco, and you ride like you're going
for the cavalry, all right?

Uh, the Indians.
Go on.

Ventura Air Force Base, this is Zebra Nine
Watch Station.

Patch me through to Mr. Mallory, Security.

I'm sorry, I don't see you
on our roster, Zebra Nine.

Identify yourself further, please.

BRIGGS: Negative.

Repeat, negative.

Mr. Mallory kept our names off the roster
for security reasons.

Locate and ask him to take
confidential priority call.

Affirmative, Zebra Nine.

I'll switch you to the confidential channel
and contact Mr. Mallory.

Well, what do you think, Captain?

Does it live up to its billing?

And then some. You know, I think I could take on
a helicopter in this thing.

(TELEPHONE BEEPS)

Doesn't seem to be any problems.

The General's plane arrives in 20 minutes.

Mr. Mallory. For you.
Yeah?

This is Mallory.

We had some trouble.
The kid came back.

Some girl was with him.
We arranged an accident.

What girl?

(BEEPS)

BRIGGS: [don't know who she is.
Never saw her before.

MALLORY:
- Well, describe her to me.

BRIGGS: I don't know. - Five foot six,
mid-twenties,

blonde, pretty.

Did she look like a school teacher?

Not any school lever went to.

What difference does it make?

If it's a certain girl, it makes a lot
of difference.

They're gonna be looking for her.

Okay, we push the tests ahead.

We grab the flying suit today.

Right.

All right, I'll tell
Mr. Goldman. Thank you.

Bad news.

What?

That was Meteorology.

We've got a weather front moving in,

rain and gale warnings from San Diego
to Point Arguello.

Now, I sent for written confirmation,

but I don't think there's any
doubt about it.

So, unless we can do this test
in the next three hours,

we're looking at a four-day wait.

I can't tell you what that does to security.

Three hours.
That's tight.

I'd just hate to see the General have to
go back to the Pentagon.

Your safety's my concern,
not the General's convenience.

He'd be the first to agree.

Well, how do you feel
about it, Captain?

It's all right with me. I'm as ready
as I'll ever be.

Are you sure?
Sure.

All right.
We'll go ahead.

I'll button down the base.
Top Security alert.

I'll get Jaime SOMMERS.

I've got my car outside.
Good.

How'd she avoid the rocks?

I don't know.

The kid wasn't there?
No.

I should call Mallory.

How? He'll be starting
the test routines.

If anything else goes wrong,
we might need a hostage.

HENDERSON: - Well, we got nobody
to watch her.

We've got you.

Monitor the air base
frequencies on the radio,

so we'll know what's happening.
Let's go.

Ventura Tower, this is Captain Brandon,
aide to General Fuller.

MAN: Go ahead,
Captain Brandon.

BRANDON: The General and I are about two minutes
away from landing.

We understand the test
is being pushed up.

MAN: Affirmative,
Captain Brandon.

Oscar Goldman is making final
preparations at this time.

Paco, what are you doing here?

Miss SOMMERS told me to have you call
Oscar Goldman

and tell him about the silver man.
She's in trouble!

Oh, now, Paco...

I'm not lying!
Listen to me!

She's right out there
in the desert.

The silver man may be after her.

They tried to kill us
with an avalanche.

Boy, she swung her fist at a boulder
about this big

and broke it right in half!

Oh, forget it!

Now, I don't have Miss SOMMERS' patience
with this kind of thing.

I'm not lying. I told her
I wouldn't anymore.

Look,

this is what he looks like.

He had a shiny head

and a thing on his back and something
that looks like this.

I'll be right back.

PACO: - And there was something
in his hand like this.

I mean it!
That's enough, Paco.

Excuse me.
Is Jaime SOMMERS in here?

STONE: No.

Well, when she comes back, will you please have
her call Oscar Goldman?

It's very important.

Mr. Goldman?
I know where she is.

She's out in the desert.

Mr. Goldman, don't pay
any attention to him.

He has a tendency to stretch the truth.

I'm not lying! It's all true!
She chased me.

She told me to come back and tell you
about the silver man.

The silver man?

And I don't care if you believe me or not.

OSCAR: Is this what the silver man looks like?

Yeah, he had a thing on his head, and
funny things on his back.

And he had two things on his chest that
looked like handles.

Controls. Do you know
where this man is?

In the Indian Burial Grounds.
Miss SOMMERS is still there.

I believe every word
you're saying, son.

And if you are right, Jaime SOMMERS is
in a lot of trouble.

What?

Don't worry, I'll handle it.

Mallory, cancel the test.
I'm issuing a Red Alert.

I want the Air Patrol sent out to the burial
grounds immediately.

I don't understand, sir.
What's happening?

I don't understand either.

Jaime SOMMERS and a boy saw one of the men
in a practice suit

out by the burial ground.

And you yourself said that both the practice suits
were in the...

That's right.
I did tell you that.

We're not calling off any test.
Get in, Goldman.

Paco, you told Mr. Goldman
you'd stay here!

So I lied again.

(GROANS)

Now you just lie back.

Hmm?

What's Goldman doing here?

I've got him covered.

Henderson's watching the girl.

Is Jaime SOMMERS all right?

She's okay.

Okay. Let's get the flying suit.
Get in.

Goldman, you'll do exactly as you're told.

MAN 1: (ON RADIO) - All units standing by.
Base secured for test.

Tower, suspend all your normal flight traffic,
please, until further notice.

MAN 2:
- Roger, Communications.

All flights have been suspended
until further notice.

All personnel have been notified
of testing.

Base is now on maximum security.

Television and telemetry holding on
zero minus 15 minutes.

MAN 2: Roger, Communication Center.
We copy that.

Zero minus 15 minutes and holding.

(GUN CLICKS)

Now, you're not gonna toss that at me,
are you, little babe?

Put it down.

Now!

Is Captain Phillips suiting up?

Yes, he is, sir. We're ready to
transport him in the van.

(BEEPING)

(HOOVES CLATTERING)

(STATIC)

JAIME: You'll never get away with this.

HENDERSON: You just shut up and stay
where you are, little baby!

Don't move.

(HOOVES POUNDING)

(BIONIC POWERS ACTIVATING)

Paco! Paco.

Did I do all right?

Are you crazy? You saved my life.
Come on.

You may have saved a lot more than that.

It's a trick my grandfather
told me about.

Ventura Air Base?
Come in. Ventura...

(EXCLAIMS)
They must be on that radio blackout.

Paco, listen, I've got to
get you out of here, babe.

Now, I want you to promise me

that you will go straight
home and stay there, okay? Come on.

You want to use my horse?

JAIME: He's a little slow
for my needs right now.

PACO:
- Oh, yeah I forgot.

She is a spirit.

(WHINNIES)

MALLORY: - Okay. Once you get
the flying suit airborne,

you fly to where our
plane is waiting, right?

Don't worry. They'll never see
this flying suit again.

Goldman, if you foul us up,
Jaime SOMMERS is a dead woman.

Get in.

MAN: (ON PA)
- This is air police control.

The entire base is now
on maximum security

till completion of classified testing.

OFFICER: Here comes the test van now,
General Fuller.

Oscar, how are you?

Hello, Bill.

Well, General, are you ready to see
something you'll never forget?

I certainly am.

You ready, Captain Phillips?

Yes, sir.

All right, standby for launch.

Where did she come from?

(WHIRRING)

(BIONIC POWERS ACTIVATING)

(WHIRRING STOPS)

(GRUNTS)

Take him into custody.

Hey, are you all right?

I think you better call a blacksmith, Oscar.
Huh?

I hit so hard I'm bowlegged.

You know, Paco, I think that

learning about your heritage
is a good thing.

And I can certainly understand why you'd
want to be a good Indian.

Yeah, but I ought to start learning how to be
a good Paco first, right?

I agree wholeheartedly.

But what I don't understand
is about these because,

the Western Indians didn't build this kind
of a burial pier.

It was the Plains Indians.

Yeah. The guy who wrote the book said they did,

so I built them.

Well, we're just gonna have to get you
some authentic books

written by some real Indians.

Yeah, I guess it's about time.

Most of the stuff I read
was all wrong.

But I know one thing for sure.

What's that?

You're a spirit.

Oh, come on, Paco, I'm just
a space-age product.

I understand.

Spirits aren't supposed to tell
who they really are.

You know, Paco,

I know you've seen me do some pretty
unusual things...

Well, you're just gonna have to take it on faith
that I am not a spirit.

All right?

Yeah. Sure.

Well, tell you one thing. You're gonna have to
keep my secret. All right?

That'll be easy. Nobody would
believe me anyway.

Ah, come on.

(BOTH LAUGHING)