The Lottery (2014): Season 1, Episode 5 - Crystal City - full transcript

Previously on "The Lottery"...

We choose two hundred
biologically viable surrogates

from the thousands of women

who meet the agreed-upon medical criteria.

We invite those two hundred women to D.C.

We're looking for a Dr. Mark Kessler.

He died in a plane crash eight years ago.

Did your father have a specialty?

Fertility.

The president is making a mistake with
the embryos you and Dr. Lennon created.

I know you're working hard to create more.



If you succeed, you need to let
me know... me... and no one else.

Department of humanity! Put the boy down!

There's gonna be a custody hearing.

Elvis will become a ward of the
state unless you come forward

and you can convince them
into giving him to you.

Nathan Mitchell and four other diplomats

were just taken hostage in Shanghai.

- What do they want?
- They want five embryos.

Please, don't shoot! No!

You sent him there.

You and your stupid
lottery. This is on you.

You're the reason Nathan's dead.

Vanessa, there's
something you need to know.

Conner, put the gun down, please!



No, no, no! L-leave her alone!

Conner set up Nathan.

He was behind the Chinese abduction.

Conner cared about Nathan.

He would never get involved
in something like that.

Then what the hell was he
doing walking around with a gun,

threatening to kill himself?

America, this is the day
we've been dreaming about.

A new chapter in human
history is about to begin.

These are the names of the
two hundred lottery finalists.

Number one... Nora Robinson
from Chicago, Illinois.

Nora is 19 and an English
Major at Colorado College.

Lottery finalist number 14...

Sharon Liberboim from
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Sharon is 21 and a dental assistant
who acts in the local theater.

Lottery finalist number 15...

Laura Shaw from New Haven, Connecticut.

Laura is 19 and single
and a graduate student...

Hey.

- At Yale University.
- Come on in.

Hannah is 19 and training
horses on her parents' farm.

Lottery finalist number 18, Shin Peng
from San Francisco, California.

Shin is 19 and is studying sports
medicine at the Smith Orthopedic Clinic.

- Lambs to the slaughter.
- Lottery finalist number 19...

- Linda halpern.
- Want a cup of coffee?

No, I'm, uh, I'm good.

Is Allison around?

- Lottery finalist number 20...
- She's upstairs taking a shower.

Said to tell you she'd
be down in a few minutes.

Crashing here till my
son's custody hearing.

Cool.

Roberta Liberboim.

Hi. I didn't hear you come in.

So, there's an extra key on the table.

- Ready?
- Mm-hmm.

Bye.

Onward, science.

Number 24...

Carla Davidson, from Gainesville, Florida.

Carla is a United States marine

who served on the humanitarian mission
in Italy during the great Venice flood.

Number 87...

Katherine Visconti from Atlanta, Georgia.

Katherine is a general
manager at McHale Furniture.

She delivers meals to
the elderly and homebound.

Lottery finalist number 88...

Perry Sommers from Brenham, Texas.

Perry is 22, a part-time
design consultant.

Perry, you won! You won!
You're in the lottery!

Yeah! That's our girl!

You show 'em! Go get 'em, Perry!

_
198...

Karina Barry, from Wooster, Massachusetts.

Karina's 28 and an accountant who
volunteers at a local animal shelter.

Two more to go, Angela. Don't worry.

199... Phoebe Malette, from
Webster Groves, Missouri.

Phoebe is 24 and an
elementary-school teacher

who likes to run marathons.

And our last finalist...
Number two hundred...

Angela Maria Perez,

Yeah! From Los Angeles, California.

Y-you won.

Tomorrow, these two hundred lucky women
will be invited to Washington, D.C.,

to begin the next stage of the process.

In three nights,

we will welcome them all
in an opening ceremony,

and you will meet them personally.

You, the people, will vote for
the one hundred best mothers.

But this is not merely a contest.

It is the beginning of the
path to restore humankind.

Certainly, the women who are going to be...

I'm sorry. I still don't
see how I can help you.

Dr. Kessler, your father
was a fertility specialist

who just so happened to
vaccinate two different patients

against something we believe...

May have caused the fertility crisis.

Y-you're saying my father is
connected to the fertility crisis?

Maybe he knew it was coming...

Before his plane crashed.

This is really out of the blue.

I understand, but if
you have any insight...

what he was working on before he died...

He used to joke that if he
told me what he was doing,

he would have to kill me.

You became a doctor, like your father.

I mean, you must have
watched him very closely.

My father never let anybody get close.

But I, uh...

If you know something, please... tell us.

He was working with monkeys.

- Monkeys?
- Yes.

I'm sorry. I have an appointment.

Thank you for your time.

My dad sometimes published
under the name Dr. Relssek...

his name, but spelled backwards.

Yeah.

It's funny... a couple days before he died,

he told my mom he felt like
the world was going backwards.

We thought we could control
her, but we were wrong.

I agree. We need to take
a different approach.

I promise you... I'll do my best.

There's nothing more important to me.

So, the lottery's actually working?

Across the board.

The response has been ecstatic.

Given how fast we had to move and
how many things could have gone wrong,

this experiment is kind of a miracle.

Not exactly the same kind of experiment
the founding fathers had in mind.

Well, I don't know about that.

I'd consider this a contest by
the people and for the people.

We've created a circus.

It's a good day, Darius. Enjoy it.

Except for this Conner Black thing.

The press is circling back.

Yes. I met with reporters
about that this morning...

told them we were greatly
saddened by the loss,

that he was a valued
state department official.

What about the actual shooting?

I quoted the police report...

that Conner was
threatening to kill himself,

refusing to cooperate with officers,

and they shot him in the chest.

He was a traitor.

He killed five of our diplomats.

They're ready for you, Mr. President.

Thank you.

My wife has me meeting with reporters
about the qualities of a good mother.

What the hell do I know?

Vanessa, make this Conner
Black thing go away.

Yes, sir.

Before he was shot, Conner called me.

There was something he wanted to tell me.

Probably wanted to purge.

Not easy living with that kind of guilt.

He got what he deserved.

My husband was gunned down
in a fricking parking garage.

_

Why the hell can't this wait?

I'm so sorry, Charlie.

I can't imagine what you
must be going through.

But Conner left behind a mess,
and we need to clean it up.

The official statement from the white house

will be that Conner suffered
from severe depression

and had recently gone off his meds.

We think this is better
than the other explanation.

Which is...?

That Conner was about to be arrested

for helping to assassinate
five diplomats...

his boss, Nathan Mitchell,
being one of them.

Nobody else needs to
know what really happened.

What really happened?

Do you really think he had anything to
do with the terrorist attack in China?

I hate to say it, but I do.

I can't explain it, but the
evidence against him is conclusive.

You were Conner's friend.

He was loyal to his country,
to the people he worked for.

Something happened. I don't know what.

He was acting odd. He
was stressed out, scared.

I'm as shocked as you are.

But, Charlie, Conner was involved.

And he was paid half a
million dollars to do it.

That makes no sense.
Look at our bank accounts.

Here... joint and individual.

And the second mortgage that
he applied for five days ago.

You think that is someone who thinks

he's about to come into
half a million dollars?

I'm telling you, something is wrong.

Charlie, if you cooperate with us,

you will be entitled to
Conner's full pension.

Uh... are you trying to buy me off?

No.

I...

I'll talk to my lawyer.

I'm not gonna let you or that asshole
from the Department of Humanity

cover things up.

Department of Humanity?

That guy who runs it.

Wait... you're talking about Darius Hayes?

Conner met with him a few times.

He was pressuring him to... Do something.

- To do what?
- He never said.

But Conner was terrified.
I could see it in his eyes.

So Conner knew Darius?

Yes.

They met the night before the...

Diplomats were kidnapped and murdered.

Better make sure all those
shakers are full before you go.

Can't believe you made
me come into work today.

Ah, I'm sorry.

I didn't find a replacement yet.

Not saying that you're replaceable.

- Oh.
- Hey.

Oh!

You keep doing things like that,

you're not gonna have
a job to come home to.

Do you really think I'm
coming back to Brenham, Texas?

I got my ticket out of this place, Luke.

Soon as I'm pregnant, I am going to be one
of the most famous people on the planet.

Wow.

Well, doesn't mean you
couldn't come back here, right?

I mean, look, I know I
don't say this too much,

but you and me...

We're a pretty good couple.

Yeah, but there's a big world out there.

I want to see it, you know?

I want to be part of it.

Mm.

What if you lose?

I won't.

Two hundred gals.

Only one hundred are gonna make
it, and let's face it, Perry...

you ain't exactly the mothering type.

I'm not really the
waitressing type, either.

What is it?

You know I'm gonna miss you, too.

It's not that.

You know, I was thinking...

I want you to win.

But would it feel strange...

it not being our baby?

It will be ours, Raul. We'll be raising it.

Doesn't matter where the embryo came from.

If God wants us to have a
baby, then we'll have a baby.

Even if we're virgins?

It's happened before, right?

Our goal is to vet the two
hundred finalists for motherhood...

ask questions, present challenges,

Give them tests.

We want the nation to have as
much information as possible

when they vote for the winners.

Madam First Lady, how
will you test the women?

Dr. Lennon?

Um...

We plan to test for genetic
markers of disabling diseases.

In addition to the tests already
conducted for eligibility,

we'll also be screening for
psychological and emotional stability.

Dr. Lennon, one more question.

It's all going to be a
very busy and exciting time.

Thank you all very much.

Madam First Lady. Madam
First Lady. Over here.

Dr. Lennon?

I know this part of the process
isn't terribly scientific,

but your involvement is crucial.

Thank you.

Happy to help.

Dr. Lennon.

We have your opening-ceremony
speech prepared,

if you'd care to take a look at it.

Oh.

I trust you always know what
exact words to put in my mouth.

If you'll both excuse me, I actually
have to go do some real work.

I think she prefers
science to public relations.

Yeah. Thank God.

Thank you again for agreeing to do this.

I'm doing it for Elvis.

I understand that.

Elvis still needs his mother, even
if he didn't have me for a few years.

It's my first custody hearing.

Do I look okay?

Great.

- Yeah? Not too fancy?
- No, no. It's good.

Well, my Legal-Aid lawyer told me
to dress like I was going to work.

And I said to her, "you
mean what? Like a waitress?"

Just tell them the truth...

that you love Elvis and I kept you away.

Between the two of us, you're the
only one that's got a shot at winning.

How'd it go with Conner's husband?

Well, he is threatening to hire a
lawyer and launch an investigation.

Why's that?

He thinks we're covering something up.

Did you tell him about the evidence?

I did, yeah.

But he's...

He's in denial.

Sometimes, the truth is tough to accept.

Sometimes, the truth can
be a little hard to find.

What do you mean?

I just mean things may
not be so black and white.

You need to help Charlie
accept what happened.

Show him the evidence, show him
how guilty his husband really was.

Think about the lives that were lost.

Conner was a good man.

It's hard to believe.

Did you know him?

Personally?

Yeah.

No, I...

I think I might have met him at
a state department function once.

So you didn't know him?

No.

No more detective work.

You're a scientist. You stick to embryos.

Got it?

I got it.

Wow.

This is lottery finalist
number 88, Perry Sommers!

Sign here, please, miss Sommers.

This is lottery finalist
number 89... Genevieve Geoghan.

Congratulations, miss Geoghan.

Excuse me, but I'm not
exactly sure where I should go.

That makes two of us.

Uh, you're... Perry Sommers.

Welcome. I'm Dr. Alison Lennon.

I've seen your face on the news.

You're the woman who caused all this.

I'll take the blame.

Well, good luck.

You'll be taken now to your room.

Okay.

Welcome, Perry Sommers.

Hi.

I'm Angela.

Perry.

Gosh. Will you look at this place?

This is just like college.

Not that I ever went.

Guess we're gonna be
roomies for a few weeks.

I pulled the file, like you asked.

So, these are the calls that Conner made.

And this is the transcript of the call
he made to the security team in Shanghai,

changing the scheduled arrival time.

Now, this is the wired money
transfer from a bank in Shanghai

to Conner's offshore
account in the Caymans.

And this is the confirming e-mail
from his bank to the bank in Shanghai.

It's all there in the file.

Thanks.

Do me a favor, George.

See if you can figure out where he
was the night before the abduction...

credit-card receipts,
surveillance footage.

And don't tell anyone about this.

Right.

Not a soul, George. You hear me?

Good afternoon.

This hearing has been convened to determine
the custodial rights of Elvis Walker.

Your petition is for joint custody?

No, ma'am. Miss Williams is
petitioning for sole custody.

We were only just informed of miss
Williams' intentions yesterday.

Why have you stepped forward?

Because I'm his mother.

And what is the department
of humanity's position?

Elvis Walker is the youngest
child in the country.

Because he is a precious
and irreplaceable asset,

the state has a compelling interest
in his health and well-being.

It is our opinion that the boy's
father is not capable of caring for him.

He has a history of violence,
alcoholism, and child neglect.

And what about miss Williams?

The mother's been absent
from the boy's life

and has a history of drug addiction.

That's not true.

It was alcohol. I-I wasn't
addicted to the drugs.

I was addicted to the alcohol.

But I'm clean now... one year.

Hmm.

There you are. Where have you been?

Hey. Just, uh... Got
into a little accident.

Hey.

You all right?

Yeah. No, I-I'm fine.

Have you seen your lip?

It's all good. What's going on?

All right. Well, check this out.

I found a paper Kessler published
with his name spelled backwards.

Yeah?

"Auto-regulated fertility
in spider monkeys."

Auto-regulated fertility?

He'd found a protein
that regulates fertility,

which means it can also shut
things down, force infertility.

Why?

Why would he develop something
that promotes infertility

and then inoculate against
it at the same time?

Exactly. Why?

Unless he knew what they were doing
could cause a worldwide fertility crisis.

Al, you got to stop this.

It's starting to get scary.

Scary?

This isn't us. We're not
a couple of detectives.

James, somebody knew the
crisis was going to happen.

They were planning for it.

Mr. Walker failed to pick up his son
from school on May, 12th of this year.

That same day, he assaulted a hospital
employee and kidnapped his son.

Clarification... Mr. Walker
did not fail to pick up his son.

He was 25 minutes late.

Mr. Walker, will you please stand?

I've been exploring the facts of this case.

- Elvis has juvenile diabetes, correct?
- Yes.

Which means you have to
monitor his blood sugar.

Every two hours.

Even at night?

Especially at night.

When was the last time you
slept through the night?

Since before he was born.

But now that he's gone,
I-I don't sleep at all.

Despite your sleep deprivation,
you managed to care for your son,

provide for him, get him
back and forth to school.

Except for that one day
you didn't pick him up.

Actually, Mr. Walker was 25 minutes late.

Let me tell you something.

What you've done...

I think it's extraordinary.

He's my son.

When are they bringing our stuff?

I want my guitar.

Whoa.

Hey.

Hey, come look at this.

It looks like a camera.

It is a camera.

In the bedroom?

Didn't you read the papers
that the lawyers made you sign?

Privacy rights.

Nobody reads that stuff.

Cameras, mama... 24/7.

So...

America is watching us?

They will be.

Screw that.

Stop.

Stop!

You'll get us disqualified.

Don't ruin this for me.

If you want to sabotage
yourself, go right ahead.

Don't take me down with you.

Okay.

I need a cigarette.

This is a smoke-free environment.

And a guitar-free environment.
Where is my guitar?

They said they would
provide everything we need.

I knew this was a dumb idea.

Then why did you do it?

Because everybody was doing it...

all the girls in Brenham.

You should've seen the lines.

And...

Why not me? You know?

Who's to say that I shouldn't have a kid?

Luke said that I wasn't the mothering type.

Well, what does he know?

Nobody's the mothering type
until you become a mother.

And then you just figure it out.

My mom figured it out. So did yours.

Oh, my mother never
figured it out. Trust me.

Hey.

Tonight's the announcement.

There's gonna be celebrations
all over the world.

So, are you ready to party?

Ladies, it is time to prepare
for the evening's festivities.

I truly believe that
I've turned a corner

and that I can take care of Elvis.

I don't know... That I was ready
to be a mom when Elvis was born,

and I felt sad about that.

And I still feel sad because
of all the time I lost.

There are so many women in the world
today who are desperate to have a child.

And here I am,

one of the very few who has one.

I have a good job and
everything that I need...

Except for the one thing that could
give me true meaning in my life...

My son.

But you did disappear from his life.

Yeah.

I did for a while.

For five years.

It was my fault.

Your fault?

I kept her away.

Never gave her a chance.

I told myself that it was in
Elvis' best interest, but...

Really, it was in my best interest.

I wanted Elvis to be with me.

I mean, even after Tracy got straight...

I never let her back
in, and that was wrong.

She was his mother.

Elvis needed her just
as much as he needed me.

Well, I got access to Conner's
car, tapped into his GPS.

There was one outlier address
he visited a few times...

in Crystal City.

Crystal City?

He went there the night before
the Chinese thing went down.

What's the address?

2218, June street.

- Yeah?
- Delivery.

For who?

For the person who lives
at 2218, June street.

Um... Okay. Let me get you a tip.

Only managed to get a few shots off.

Couldn't see much inside, either.

Did you run the address?

Yeah, it's owned by an LLC... TKT Holdings.

I'll try to get more, but it
might take me a day or two.

The big question is, who the hell is she?

He was in Crystal City.

That's where he went the
night before the abduction.

- Crystal City?
- Do you know anyone there?

No.

Maybe... That's where Darius lives?

No, he lives in Chevy Chase.

I had someone check out the address.
A young woman came to the door.

Did Conner say anything else?

Did he mention any other names, a woman?

Charlie, hello? You in there?

Charlie, it's the news.
Charlie, just a few questions.

What the hell did you do?

I'm sorry.

I was so upset, I had
already called the press.

I wanted to get some of this off my chest.

I know that you're suspicious. I get it.

But we need to keep this a secret.

Do you understand?

Charlie, you have a
daughter. You have a life.

You cannot take this on.
It's too dangerous. Trust me.

Look what happened to Conner... and Nathan.

What did you tell them? Did you tell
them why you wanted them to come?

No. I just said I wanted
to make a statement.

Okay, good. So you'll make a statement.

Go out there and tell them
that Conner was depressed,

that he went off his meds...

That he was threatening to commit
suicide, and that a policeman shot him.

Charlie.

Go and tell them exactly what I just said.

I have a brief statement.

My husband, Conner Black...

Was suffering from depression.

Unfortunately, he was off his meds...

And threatening to commit suicide.

I get why you're here...

you're the face of the lottery.

I just don't understand why I'm here.

How often do you get a
ringside seat at history?

Maybe I can find us a drink.

Evening, Dr. Lynch.

What happened?

You okay?

I'm fine.

We've been out of touch.

I've, uh...

I've been busy.

I apologize.

We haven't made any meaningful progress...

not yet, but we're trying.

Remember, Dr. Lynch...

focus on what's important.

Yes?

Sir, I don't know what happened.

She's going off script.

Can you put her on the phone?

Yes. She's right here.

Yes?

Elizabeth.

Hello, sir.

There's only one acceptable outcome.

Do you understand?

I thought we were supposed to be advocating
for the best interests of the children.

That's exactly what we're doing.

But...

In the wake of the fertility
crisis, laws were strengthened

to protect our children and our future.

It's been six years,

and we are still trying
to find the proper balance.

In a perfect world,

we wouldn't have to make
these kinds of decisions.

But we don't live in a perfect world.

Not even close.

This panel has decided to terminate the
parental rights of the father, Kyle Walker.

As for the mother, Tracy Williams...

the panel deems her to be an unfit parent.

That's not true.

Elvis Walker is now a ward of the state.

What? You can't do this.
Hey, you can't do this.

You know this is wrong.
Why are you doing this?

I am sorry.

Just five minutes with my son.

Please just give me five minutes.

Not for me... for him.

Please.

The night we've been
waiting for is finally here.

The long night of fear is
finally coming to an end.

It is my profound honor to
present to the American people

and to people in every corner of our planet

the two hundred lottery finalists.

History has chosen you.

Your destiny is the
destiny of all humanity.

The one hundred women who are
selected will not only carry babies.

You will carry the hopes
of our entire species.

The eyes of the world are upon you.

I wish you all the best of luck.

Thank you, and may God bless America.

And we're out.

Dear contestants,
you were all lovely,

and it was a wonderful evening.

Our security personnel will now
escort you back to your dwelling,

because tomorrow, we will begin.

What about the parties?

Remember, dignity at all times.

Good night, dear ones.

Okay. Okay.

It's quite a night.

It all feels a bit surreal.

Two hundred women just
got their marching orders

to go off and save humanity
while we go to a cocktail party.

At least we're starting
to fight the right wars.

Just to be clear,

one hundred embryos isn't
going to save the world.

It's a beginning.

Hi.

I'm Vanessa Keller.

Hi.

You're a lucky young
woman to be here tonight.

Excuse me?

Well, there are supreme court justices
who couldn't get this kind of access.

My dad loves to pull strings, so...

He thought that this would inspire me.

Your dad?

Mm-hmm.

I see you've met my daughter.

Your daughter?

This is Rose.

I-I d... I didn't even
know you had a daughter.

She's been living with her mother.

She came here for a fresh start.

But she... Likes to make things difficult.

I believe I had to make 25 calls today
to make sure she actually got here.

So, uh... Where are you staying?

I'm staying at my dad's
apartment in Crystal City.

You have an apartment in Crystal City?

For visitors.

Like my lovely daughter.

Want to meet the President
of the Untied States?

Why not?

Shall we?

Hey.

Hey, buddy.

Mm.

Listen.

We're not gonna see each
other for a little bit, okay?

How long?

Well... A little bit.

Not too long.

Thing is...

I've always tried to treat you like
you're just an ordinary little kid.

Only, actually, you're quite special.

And that's why they want to
keep you in a very special place.

Who will tell me stories at night?

I have a story for you.

Once upon a time, there was a boy.

He was actually a prince...

a strong, powerful little prince,

and he lived all alone
in this great big castle.

And then one day,

he found out that he wasn't really alone.

His mom and dad were there,

and he could see them whenever he wanted.

How?

It's the oldest magic trick in the world.

Just close his eyes.

Whenever things got hard...

Whenever he felt alone...

all the little prince had to
do was just close his eyes,

and then he was always safe.

And he was never alone.

# But I'm ready now #

Double bourbon.

# Yeah, I'm ready now #

# Yeah, I'm ready now #

# For you #