The Colony (2009–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Arrival and Survival - full transcript

We are on the edge of a global
catastrophic disaster.

Human conflict.

Nuclear bombs.

Natural disasters.

Chemical and biological warfare.

Without warning, the world as we
know it can come to an end.

NARRATOR: It's the near future.

A viral outbreak

Decimates the world's population.

Your home...

Your workplace...



Your friends and family...

gone.

Los Angeles is one
of many cities left devastated.

Infrastructure breaks down.

Chaos reigns.

This is the setting
of the colony.

The colony
is a controlled experiment

to see if 10 strangers
can rebuild society

in the wake
of a global catastrophe.

The backgrounds and expertise
of these 10 volunteers

represent a cross-section
of modern society.

For 10 weeks,
they'll be isolated,

with no electricity
from the grid,

no running water,



and no communication
with the outside world.

All they'll have to work with
are their skills,

the tools and supplies
inside an abandoned factory,

and whatever they can scavenge

at a handful
of cordoned-off locations.

As part of the experiment,

an outside gang of looters
and thugs

will challenge the colonists'
resources and security.

Throw him out!
Get him out!

The world of the colony
has been designed

using elements
from both historical disasters

and models of what
the future would look like

after a global viral outbreak.

Throughout the series,

a group of experts will put
the colonists' challenges

in the context
of these real-world disasters.

The volunteers at the colony
have an amazing opportunity

to teach all of us

how to survive
after major disaster strikes.

The experiment begins now.

The volunteers' journey begins
with a shock to the system.

To simulate the stress

experienced in the aftermath
of a disaster,

they're kept awake for 30 hours
with almost no food or water.

We're all exhausted.

We're all beat.
We're all hungry.

Mentally drained,
they're then given 15 minutes

inside an abandoned
department store

to scavenge
whatever they can carry.

I'm finding a whole bunch
of ramen up here, guys!

You guys clear?

After only 10 minutes, marauders
and looters are sent in

to steal
the volunteers' supplies.

Hey!

You're done!

You're done, man.
You're done.

Let's go! Let's go!

We got a week here.
I think we got just a week.

We'll make do for now.
We'll find something else later.

The final phase
before arriving at the colony

is lugging the 200 pounds
of looted supplies

8 miles
down the los angeles river.

Now for the next 10 weeks,
they're on their own.

In an experiment
of this scale and detail,

the constructed world can
actually become the real world

for the people living in it,

and they begin
to internalize the experience,

because they realize that
there is a certain reality

and the potential
and possible destruction

of what's familiar
and what's known to them.

We went across the bridge.

I'll never forget that scene...

not seeing
a single living thing.

After a disaster,

one of your first priorities
is going to be shelter.

You need a safe place to stay

from the elements
and from hostile forces.

If you can find a place to stay

that has some
basic resources inside,

you're well on your way
to rebuilding what was lost.

You know, my heart leapt.

You know, i thought,
"sanctuary. That sounds great."

And then my first reaction was,
"could be a trap."

Here.

Looks okay.
It looks okay.

We ought to pull that shut.

We don't have the key.

The sanctuary is
an 80,000-square-foot warehouse

on a 3-1/2-acre plot of land.

My god.

Thanks.

Wow.

Oh, my god.

Old manufacturing plant
for something. It's huge.

Oh, my god.

The volunteers finally
arrive at their home

for the next 10 weeks...
an abandoned factory

supplied with rudimentary
materials and tools

and a small amount
of food and water.

Use of these supplies
is entirely up to the colonists.

It's a large, old warehouse.

There's a large yard,
a large area to work.

There's a few old cars.
There's an old boat.

You know, actually,
that makes you think

that someone has been here
and has been here recently.

Man, we got all kinds
of stuff.

Metal to play with.

I'm Morgan,
and i am an aerospace engineer.

I never really thought
about the end of the world.

But in the back of my own mind,
i always kind of thought,

if it came down to it,
i could survive.

I definitely would consider
what I'm about to do

a challenging experience.

That's the big room.

We're not even
in the big room yet.

You sure
nobody lives here?

So, i walk in e main room.

I see tools. I see cars.

I see a lot of things
that we can use.

It was really a blessing.

Has anyone tried
to light this place?

Where's the switch?
Nothing.

Whoa, flashlight...
working flashlight.

Oh, yeah!

I think we found a bathroom. No water.

There's no way this was gonna have
water in it. All right, all right.

It's power storage, kids.

We can literally power
this entire place.

Propane tank.

My name is John,

and I'm an electrical engineer
for ibm.

The stuff that i know how to do
with computers and electronics,

is there a place for that
in this new world?

You guys,
we found a first-aid kit.

I am an emergency room
nurse, and no matter what,

when it comes down to disaster
or anything,

i have to go, and i have to
help everybody else.

Inverter!
A.c. Inverter! Tools!

This little machine
converts 12 volts to 120.

All right, kids,

the last place we haven't looked
is up there.

There's a big, old catwalk
all the way around.

There's food up here,
guys.

People are living here,
or were living here.

Yeah, my name is michael.

I think I'm gonna be

the handyman,
go-to guy for the group.

I equal two people when i work,

so i always bite off
more than i can chew,

but i still get it done.

Discovering the warehouse

will be an ongoing process
for the next 10 weeks.

The colonists have food
and shelter,

but one basic
is in short supply.

Well,
first things first.

We need to have a group
go down to the water,

because we're running out
of time every second we wait.

Who's going to get water?

I am, George.

Everybody else is cleaning
and organizing, basically.

We'll be okay.

I'm going to the river
with John and Morgan.

We're gonna fill up a bunch
of coolers, five-gallon buckets.

I'm ready.
Okay.

Okay, let's do it.

After a disaster,
public utilities will go down,

but the survivors
are going to need

a secure, safe,
reliable source of water.

Close proximity to a lake,
reservoir, or river

will be critical
to their long-term survival.

You can survive
4 minutes without oxygen,

4 days without water,
and then 40 days without food,

and maybe less, depending on the
amount of strenuous activity.

Where's the channel?

Is that what color
this water is?

We're gonna
purify it all.

We should go
to the deeper water.

Water from the los
angeles river is a toxic soup.

It's full of metals,
pesticides, algae,

bacteria,
runoff from automobiles.

It's completely unsafe to drink
without some form of filtration.

That one will
almost be full,

and then we'll get
this one full,

and we get
on out of here.

That should be enough water
for a few days.

Just a few more
of these 5-gallon buckets,

and we should be good.

I think this is us,
actually.

We should try banging
and see if anyone can answer us.

What the hell was that?

Hey! Hey, guys!

Ah, awesome.

There we go.

Get inside. Get inside.
Get it inside.

You can actually see...

oh, there's some stuff swimming
around in there right now.

Scientist John c.
Finds that his computer skills

aren't the only asset
he brings to the colony.

Start with a 55-gallon drum,

and then we'll put
a layer of sand,

we'll put a layer of charcoal,

put a layer of sand...
several layers.

His understanding
of water filtration

could be the key
to a safe water supply.

The plan is to clean the water
in three stages.

First, a layer of sand
sifts out large impurities,

such as rocks and algae.

Then a highly porous layer
of charcoal

traps smaller impurities,
such as lead and e. Coli.

The final step is boiling out
any remaining bacteria.

Then they'll have
safe filtered drinking water.

Using sand and charcoal
they find in the yard,

the colonists get to work.

One of those, and then we are
going to have the proof point.

- This is huge.
- This is a very special moment.

Guys, i want to
tell you something.

I had a son,
sam, who was 14 years old,

who was killed
in a traffic accident.

He was hit by a car
crossing the street.

Soon after his death,
we started making these stones.

They're just simple,
made out of clay,

and they have his name
written in them.

We were just thinking
about giving this a test.

I figured, well,
what could we do

to make the water
taste better?

I'm gonna stick one of these
in there for sam.

All right, there, sam.
Get that.

Help us
make that water good.

All right, let's do this.

All right!

Ooh, it is! Listen to it!

I just can't wait
till everything is filtered.

Now we have water.
It's great.

I knew you guys
were so smart.

I love it.

Next, on "the colony"...

- we got fire!
- Fire!

...the first night...

I'm scared of how long
this is gonna last.

...and the first intruder.

The 10-week experiment
at the colony has begun.

A group of volunteers are
living in an abandoned factory

with no electricity
and no running water

as they try to rebuild
after a disaster.

In their first few hours,
they've explored their new home

and built a functioning
water filter.

Matches and fuel.

As the first night falls,

the worn-out colonists turn
to other basic needs.

Hey, we got fire!
Fire!

Come and warm
your wet socks!

After marching 8 miles
in the water...

mmm, listen
to that crispy sock burn.

That's like dinner.

You guys, be careful
with your bare feet.

With their shoes wet
and their socks on the grill,

the colonists need protection
for their feet.

I think
these are shipping envelopes

for something
that's somewhat fragile.

You guys, we found
some kind-of sock stuff,

and we're gonna improvise
a little.

What do you think?

I'm just
experimenting here.

Got to tell you,
i love your brain.

Well, don't say it yet.

Ah, it just feels so good
to have dry feet.

They feel like
I'm walking on air.

Oh, really? Yeah, so,
you might want to do that.

Be a little careful,
'cause i wouldn't think

they're glass-
or nail-proof.

Fabulous!

Meat, vegetables.

Bon appetit!
Dinner is served!

Chicken vienna sausage?
This tastes like filet mignon.

I'm looking forward
to this piece of peanut butter.

First dinner
was a collective mash

of just whatever
canned foods we had.

It was the worst thing
i ever had, but it's food.

We have food stocked
for a while.

But it's not gonna last us.
It's not sustainable.

So we're gonna have to come up
with something real fast.

We have a lot of stuff
in front of us.

We each know some stuff.

We each don't know
a lot of stuff.

Somehow, we're gonna
have to figure out

how to make that work.

Oh, this is great.

After dinner, the colonists
tackle their next challenge...

the bathroom.

There's a number of
communicable diseases that we can acquire

if you don't have
proper plumbing...

e. Coli, salmonella, shigella,
campylobacter, hepatitis.

When you're living
in unsanitary conditions

and you're living in such close
proximity to other people,

any of these
communicable diseases

can spread like wildfire.

We're filling it
to see if it overflows,

so we're gonna dump
the whole bucket down the toilet

and see if it
takes it all down.

If it takes it all down,
we're golden.

If not, we run,
because it's gonna overflow.

When there's no running
water, toilets can be flushed manually

by pouring in enough water

to force the flow through
the syphon tube in the back.

Okay, here she goes.

Just swe're clear,

we're all wearing
styrofoam shoes,

so if this goes horribly wrong,
we're gonna kill you.

It's heavy. You got it. You got it.

Until it flushes.
You'll know.

Got to pour it vigorously.
Quick. Quick.

Whoo!
It's going down!

- Makes a syphon.
- We have a crapper.

It's a magic moment.

Let's just do it
together.

There's so many ways
we can do it.

John and George improvise
some bedding for the whole crew.

I think
we could probably get by

with just the pallets
and the box springs.

George and i got kind of
pulled in to helping build a bedroom.

It was pretty minimal.

Let's just bring them.

We can put them on the side
if we don't need them.

Are you guys gonna be
sleeping on those?

So are you.
Oh.

Fabric. You know what?
We could use this.

And the styrofoam.
Yes.

There was cardboard
for some pallets.

I had found two box springs,
which where pretty clean,

and between those, we managed
to lay out a huge, monster bed,

which all the six of us
could sleep in at once.

I'm thinking
we all sleep...

that way?
One, two, three.

Our feet can go off.

Drapery.

It'll certainly do tonight.

With water, fire,
and sanitation in place for now,

the colonists organize
an overnight security watch.

I run security
from now till midnight.

I'll be staying up
from 12:00 to 2:00.

Morgan, 12:00 to 2:00.

I'm 2:00 to 4:00,
and then i wake George.

4:00 to 6:00.
Okay.

You want to do morning?

Yeah, i'll do the morning,
'cause I'm gonna be up by then.

I've seen people live like this.

Now I'm living like they are,
in a third-world condition

or a homeless condition.

And I'm scared.
How long this is gonna last.

The colonists are
finally getting their first sleep

in 40 hours,
with michael on watch.

There is no security
in this time.

You sleep with one eye open.

I got goose bumps.

I... don't get goose bumps.

After a catastrophe,

people uprooted from their homes

will attempt to acquire
resources and shelter

by any means possible.

For survivors, security will be
a constant test.

As part of the experiment,

an outside intruder attempts
to break into the colony.

Who's there?

We scared him off.
He's running away.

If i would caught the

that came
through that back door,

god help him
if i would have caught him.

You're messing with my reality,

I'm gonna mess
with your reality.

So, what actually happened?
I was still half asleep.

We heard a loud banging.

It was the front door
trying to be opened.

- The gate was not compromised, huh?
- The front gate? No.

We're always gonna have to be
on our toes about that here.

Like, we're squatting here.
You know, we're the marauders.

Does that get to you?
Like, we're them?

We're someone else's
marauders?

Isn't that weird?

I think there are a lot
of people out there

who are just trying to
stake out their own turf,

and maybe they're good people,
maybe they're not.

It's not something
I'm used to worrying about.

The intruder's visit has
michael thinking about security.

Do you see that hole
in the wall there?

No, show me.
That door...

so, that could have been
the noise we heard last night

along with whatever else.

What i found earlier
is some welding sticks

we can use
with jumper cables.

You want to weld it? No,
i don't. We may need it.

We may need to
use this door later.

A simple, little loop
of small chain

so i can go all the way
around the "i" beam.

I'm gonna punch a whole
through the wall.

So, a little longer
than my arms.

5, 6 feet is fine.
Okay.

I want to keep
this place secure.

They're nice people.
They don't know about security.

I mean, i used to work
in the fabrication business.

I built gates, security windows.

I know what secure is.
This place is a beer can.

Moving on.

In any situation of
scarcity, assume you're not alone.

You will have other survivors
to contend with.

Unbeknownst
to the first group of six,

four new volunteers are being
introduced into the experiment,

and they're headed
to the colony.

Like the others, they've been
kept awake for 30 hours.

In survival mode,

there's a lot of things
that you need to let go of

as far as a moral compass goes,

and sometimes it has to be
every man for himself.

The compassion part of it...
you have to kill that.

I am actually
a martial arts instructor

and a personal trainer,

but i feel that
I'm probably one of the people

least prepared
for something like this,

and i have no idea if the skills
that i have now

will actually help me survive.

When you go through
a huge change in life,

there's always
a transition period,

there's always a period
of shock.

You've got a whole new situation
in front of you,

a whole new family,
a whole new set of rules.

You're just vulnerable.

You don't know how
you're gonna react to things.

If the world
would come to an end,

i will protect
whatever i consider mine.

You have to stay safe.
You have to have food.

Those would be
the important things.

Is it locked?

Yeah.

Inside, the colonists
are taken by surprise.

What the hell?

Hello!

Hey!
We'd like to come in!

I hear you!

Somebody stand
right there.

No, i understand.
Let them talk.

Hey, come over this way.

Yo, hello?
Hi.

How you doing?
How are you?

What's going on in here?

It's all on you.
You're the one inside.

I'm the one outside.
Yeah.

We need to talk to them,
at the very least. Let them in.

Nope, wait, wait.
We do this as a group.

Got to do this
as a group, okay?

Don't open the door!

What are you doing?

Let them in.
They want a place to stay.

Let's just have a talk
with them.

We don't have to let them
in the door.

Let's open the door
and talk to them.

I can't, in all good
conscience, turn away people

unless they've proven
that they want to do us harm.

Well, then, let them in!

It's tough enough
with the people we got inside.

This isn't a welfare house.

Listen, you're obviously scared
about something. You got stuff.

Look, one sec, and we'll
show you everything, okay?

And I'm not gonna lie.

- I got a small, little pocketknife
right here. - Drop it.

Drop it! Drop it!

Pat him down as soon
as he mes in the door.

He ain't coming
in the door.

Joey. I'm Joey.
What's your name?

Mike.

You're obviously in there,
you're in charge.

You got a few things. You're
worried about a few things.

I am not in charge.
I'm just an angry, ugly monkey.

I am not in charge.

You can be whatever
you want to be, all right?

What I'm saying is you guys
are in charge right now,

'cause
we're on the outside.

You're in charge right there.
Look at that

what the
am i gonna do right now?

You guys come in.

Put all your bags right there. Absolutely.

Put your jackets right there,
and we'll all talk.

Joey, I'm George.

I understand we're in
a very difficult environment.

Resources are limited.

But there's four people
that didn't have any shelter.

They had no place to go.

They had no food,
they had no water,

and they came to our doors
asking for a sanctuary.

It wasn't a difficult decision.

I felt like
it was the right thing to do.

Empty out your pockets.
Leave all that stuff there, too.

John, they seem nice.

Have a seat on the ground.

How about if we stand
over there?

I'm not gonna sit on the ground
while you guys hold pipes.

How about that?
You wouldn't do the same thing.

There we go.

Even ground.
Even ground.

Come on, guys. How long
you guys been here? Awhile.

A long time?

You guys have any water
or food or anything?

You been able to scavenge
in the area or anything?

Yes, we've been able to
get water from the river.

How far are you guys
from the river?

Not very far.

We've got
some food supplies

that we've scavenged
from an abandoned store.

And then we also
have some more

that we found
when we arrived at sanctuary.

Someone was living here
before us.

Well, we have no plans.

I don't want them
bringing in anything.

Clothes, shoes.

More stuff on the top.

Hey, yo!

You know what? I need to check
you out. No, no, no, no, no.

But that looks
like stealing to me.

I put your stuff right back

exactly where it was,
in its container.

Let's just do it all
in front of everybody.

You see what I'm saying?

I totally understand why
we had to leave this stuff here.

But you have to observe
some common courtesies.

We're not animals.

As much as i wish

we could have given the new
colonists an open-arms welcome,

that would have been
an unrealistic thing to ask

of anyone in this situation,

though we did not
have to be rude,

we did not have to infringe
on their rights as human beings.

Some of the stuff
that michael did,

some of the stuff that John did
were completely unacceptable.

Next on "the colony"...

the lights come up...

but nighttime intruders return.

Everybody up!

As the experiment's
second night falls,

the four new arrivals have
changed the survival equation.

So, basically,
this is all we have so far.

Here's a big one.
That should be half of us.

So, tonight, it's pasta,
vegetables, and peanuts.

Just having a roof
over our heads.

We got to get through
the rough patch, you know?

And it's
going to be rough.

I just feel the heat,
and it's in the can, so...

in many cultures,

a shared meal is a key step
in integrating newcomers.

Thank you,
heavenly father,

for bringing us today
together,

and help us
with our friends,

and hopefully we can
call them friends in the future,

and we took a chance,

and hopefully
you'll guide us in that.

After a period of time,

people really start
to internalize these roles,

and it becomes real to them.

It's almost as if
they really are living

in a post-apocalyptic world.

Amen.
Amen.

Right now, every little
thing we have is real important,

even down to the things
that are in the trash can.

If you have a strong faith,
you want to help the poor,

you want to help the needy,

but you have to take care
of your own first.

First of all, let's just
get to know each other.

So, I'm Allison.

I'm Vladimir.
I'm an engineer.

I'm a fisherman.
I'm a hunter.

I can help you out
quite a lot.

The apprehension, i think,
is equal on both sides.

They were inviting us in,
six of them,

not knowing who we are.

Are we going to be friendlies

or are we just going to
want to take over?

Are we gonna try
and grab their goodies?

I'm Joey,
and I'm a contractor...

mostly framing, concrete,
some electrical, plumbing.

Hi, my name is Leilani.

I'm a physical-fitness coach
and a personal trainer.

My name's Amy.

Yeah, so,
I'm a marine biologist,

and I'm just really grateful

to have a place
to put my head down tonight.

Thank you.

Everybody has a past.
Everybody does.

We'll all discover more things
about each other,

and we'll just take it
as it comes.

I'm an ex-convict.
I've done about six years.

I was a trafficker.
Okay.

Yeah, and i would like you
to know that

because I'd rather you know
that's what i did it for

than anything else.

I've never hurt anybody.
I've been inside.

I'm not who i used to be,

but i've had to be somebody else
in my life before.

Joey told us
he did six years in prison,

and i thought that was
really brave of him,

so he has factual... you know,

he's directly experienced
this other world

that i hope never to experience.

What am i saying?
I am in the middle of it.

And this, then,
goes on top of that.

After dinner,
the new arrivals get settled in,

but as part of the experiment,

a new set of intruders
are sent in

to threaten the colonists'
resources and stability.

In an apocalyptic
or catastrophic event,

there are going to be
individuals with the intent

of either stealing what you have
for their survival

or just causing mayhem
for their entertainment.

Everybody up!

Marauders have instructions

not to harm the colonists
physically,

but the volunteers
don't know that.

I hate it. I hate being angry.
I hate being scared.

I don't hold it against them
personally.

They're just trying to do
what they're trying to do,

which is survive,
but they want to survive

by taking
what's keeping me alive.

An attack from outside

can reveal the cohesiveness
of a group

or it can expose the weak links.

I saw two
on bikes!

Anger can be difficult
to control.

It's a useful survival response,
but can also be destructive.

There's only two of them!

We should have gone out there
and kicked some butt!

I could
have that bike now!

Do not yell between us!
We only yell at them!

Come on, Mike, control yourself!
My goodness!

Now they have you riled up,
not thinking.

You fight fire
with fire.

If you went outside
and got hurt,

what good would that
have done for us?

What good
would it have done?

Now you're out.
Now what do we do?

You have to think
about that.

It's tough enough
i have to kick cigarettes.

It's tough enough i have to kick
the booze, kick the coffee.

That's enough
to drive anyone up the wall.

And now here
you've got to starve,

and you got to go
find your food,

and you have to
build your shelter,

and you have to sleep
on the ground.

If that doesn't stress out
anybody, then they're not human.

The experiment
enters day three at the colony,

and the recent arrivals awake
to their new home.

With basics like shelter,
food, and water

temporarily taken care of,
next on the agenda is power.

This is the basic, simple system
we need to get done today.

Me and John
are gonna start working

on linking
all the batteries together.

If you guys think
that electricity

is that important to you,

then let's scramble right now
and collect all the batteries.

Handyman Mike puts to use

the batteries found
on the first day.

It doesn't look like much,

but each one of these batteries
are around 60 to 80 pounds.

Okay, here we go.

2, 4, 6, 18, 20.

20. okay, so,
we have 20 batteries.

Mike's plan is
to daisy-chain the batteries

in parallel to maximize
the available amperage,

then convert the direct current
to household a.c.

Using an inverter.

The main job here is now wiring
all these batteries in parallel,

and then we can run a.c. Up
and along the pipes

and throughout the building
for emergency lighting.

If we just get power tonight
for emergency lighting,

it'll be good enough for me.

Next one.

Good one.

Yeah, that's good.
12 1/2.

That's good.
Next one.

13... whoo-whee!

We're rocking.

I'd say that's a bad one.

Okay.

I'm going to use this wire,
Mike, on the negative side.

We're going to now hook it up
to our inverter

that's going to take
our 12-volt batteries into 110

and give us electricity,

so close your eyes
for the sparks.

All right.
Okay, here we go.

Lights.

Whoo!

All right, all right.

Okay, okay, okay.
We have light.

We still need a generator
to recharge them,

so we have three
to seven days

of minimal lighting
with three fixtures.

Michael found an inverter,
which will give us lighting,

but unless
we can figure out a way

of recharging those batteries,

that's gonna be
a very short-lived idea.

The typical american
uses 144 gallons of water a day.

The colonists are budgeting
one gallon per person.

Keeping a supply of
filtered water will be crucial

to the colonists' survival.

All the water
that we've been collecting,

we're not actually
adding enough, right now,

water supply per day to make up
for how much we take in.

This big thing right here
holds a lot of water. Right.

And, of course,
secure it up a little bit.

We put the filtrate system
on top.

It flows down,
and we keep this filtering,

filtering, filtering,
filtering.

Hoping to guarantee
a steady supply,

machinist John v. Has an idea

to give the charcoal-and-sand
water filter a sturdier home.

We'll have more water
than we know what to do with.

Okay, stick it up
against the wall.

You're gonna have to chalk
those up with wood or something.

Heads up.

See the giant thing,
weighs about 400 pounds?

There we go.
Okay.

You're good.

One of their last
buckets of river water

goes in for the test.

Everybody drink.

The colonists have
a working storage unit.

Now all they need is more water.

I probably lost half my water,

so I'm gonna say I'm gonna use
twice as much water today.

Next on "the colony"...

go time is go time
is go time is go time.

...a hard rain falls...

that is crazy.

...and the colony
tries to catch it.

Okay, go, go, go.

It was like
a religious experience.

As day four begins
at the colony,

engineer Vlad has a surprise
for everyone.

Hey, Vladimir, come here.
Look at this.

Come here.
This will work, actually.

He's come with coffee
in whole beans.

But brewing it will be
a project all its own.

More, more, more,
more, more, more, more.

Using cheesecloth as a filter

and parts
from a broken coffee machine

they find among the junk,
they produce their first brew.

Be able to do everything else
on the priority list.

Don't knock it.

All right, cheers.

Let's do the taste test.

Ooh, careful!

What do you think?

Ah, ooh!

Can i have about half a cup
of that sugar?

It's coffee.

It's real coffee.

Oh, my god.

That is so good.

It's like having a thorn
in your head,

and then finally pulling it out
after three days.

Ahh!

Well, i got to help the boys.
Coffee break's over.

Four days in,

the colonists still have
six days of power,

nine days of food,
but only one day of water.

As the colony's spirits rise,
a rare l.a. Storm is gathering.

Let's go outside and see what
we can do for a rain gutter.

Hoping to increase the stock
of fresh water,

Mike and John decide
to investigate

the factory's rain gutters.

That...
is the gutter line.

...is the gutter
from the roof.

Wait, wait, wait,
wait, wait.

Wait.
What's that?

Sewer pipe.
No.

Drop pipe?
No.

That big, old pipe...
big, old pipe... yeah, baby!

It's rainwater.
There's our rainwater.

In a sense,
the roof of a large building

is a rainwater collector,

but it's designed
to channel that rainwater

to the storm drains.

Right there.
It's right there.

Oh, this one goes
into the street.

That's right.
All we got to do is cut it.

We collect all our water
right there.

That's collecting from
this whole section of roof.

We'll have more rainwater
than we know what to do with.

It's raining.

It starting
to rain right now.

It's raining right now.
Let's get to work.

Grab the pipe and cut.

Okay.

Ow.

Go get 'em.
Go, go, go.

Kids! Kids!
We need help!

It's raining,
our pipe is cut,

and we need to start
collecting water.

We got to line the barrels
with plastic

'cause they're dirty.

All right!

Where do they need to go?
All the way in the corner.

It's gonna be coming out
right through here.

It's gonna come flowing.
Here it comes.

Here it comes.
I told you.

I wasn't sure if the system
would even work,

and there it is
working, see?

That is crazy. We need to change the bucket.

Okay, go, go, go.

The colonists realize
that gathering buckets of rain now

can save them several trips
to the river.

When it's pouring like that

and you're like,
"wow, look at what we got"...

in two minutes, we're gonna
pull this one off. Okay.

...it was go time.

Go time is go time
is go time is go time,

and i think that's what people

really need to get
through their head here.

I was hustling my ass
the best i could.

I saw in their eyes
they were trying

and struggling to try and get
as much water as they could.

I just want my socks
and underwear washed right now.

I don't want to take away the
water from what we need it for,

but if i can get by,
I'd be happy.

The first part of the
collected rain is too dirty to drink

because of the grime
on the roof,

but it is suitable for laundry.

So,
should i use this water?

Amy, should i use
this water to wash

since it's
the dirtiest water?

This is the first runoff,
yeah.

It's not dirty dirty,
you know?

Lacking detergent, they add
baking soda to the rainwater

to clean the clothes

with a piece of corrugated steel
as a washboard.

Just rub it
back and forth.

You'll get some of the dirt out
without having to squeeze it.

John and Mike unearth a locker

full of old work clothes
to change into.

Oh, man!

That's not cutting it, is it?

Yeah, we're doing
everyone's clothes.

Just put them over here.

But i like this.
Guys, girls. Guys, girls.

There's all these little chores
that most of the guys

haven't actually gotten...
things like cooking, cleaning.

Anything that's not involving
a tool and hammer and a nail,

they don't seem to
want to do it.

It's almost like
we're back in the dark ages.

Shh. Shh. Shh.
They're doing our laundry.

Leave them alone.

Please.
I want clean undies.

Look at this.

Standing still...

...and stuff's getting done.

This week has been
very difficult for me.

It's tougher than i thought
it was going to be.

I think we're gonna continue to
shock the hell out of ourselves.

It might be the end of the world
as we know it,

but we need to build
something new,

and being sad
about what's around us

or what we used to have

is not going to bring light
into what the future holds.

Oh, this is great.

This is truly, truly,
truly great.

I forgot what clean felt like.

It was like
a religious experience.

I just could feel the stink
coming off of me,

and it was just liberating.

It was the first time i laughed
since we got here.

This feels wonderful!