The Odyssey (1992–1994): Season 1, Episode 11 - The Brad Exchange - full transcript

While Max and Val try more sensory stimulation on Jay in the outer world, in the inner world Jay and his friends arrive at the trading post where Jay is seized by Prop as a counterfeiter of checkpoint passes and sentenced to have his head shaved, but is saved by Frances X, Checkpoint Keeper, and passes through Checkpoint Three. Meanwhile in the outer world, Val reads Jay a birthday card from Jay's dad, and Jay rouses very slightly.

(suspenseful music)

(light suspenseful music)

- [Medea] Remember me? This is Medea.

I know you're out there.

Why don't you take some
friendly advice and give up now?

I'm not going to let
you burn down the tower

or poison our our cola reservoir.

Don't think you're going
to see Brad, either.

He doesn't want to see you. Give up now.

- Oh shut up! I got a right
to see Brad! I earned it!

What does she have against me?



- She thinks you're the
wrecker or something.

- I told her I didn't
want to wreck anything.

- Once you explained things to Brad,

everything will be all right.

- I got to find him first.

- [Medea] Or poison our cola reservoir.

- [Jay] You can almost touch it.

How do we get in?
(Medea continues on speaker)

(thumping)

Excuse me, I'm looking
for the tower main door.

Which way is it?

- Well, I could tell you,
but it wouldn't do any good.

- Why not?

- Well, if you're from the
tower, you wouldn't ask,



which means you're not,

which means you've got to
go through the checkpoints.

- [Medea] I'm not going to
let you burn down the tower

or poison our cola reservoir.
(Medea continues on speaker)

- Well, where's the other one?

- There's only two checkpoints on my map.

- No, there's one more.
The secret checkpoint.

- How do you know about it?

- Well, I'm a trader. I buy
and sell stuff. I hear things.

Information is a business. Did you know?

- Okay, so where's the
secret third checkpoint?

- I couldn't tell you,

but someone at the Brad
Exchange might know.

- What's the Brad Exchange?
- Come on. I'll show you.

- [Medea] Don't think you're
going to see Brad either.

He doesn't want to see you. Give up now.

There's nothing you can do. Hello Jay.

(suspenseful music)

- He's showing changes in blood pressure,

temperature, pulse, and
response to stimuli.

He's opened his eyes. He
swallowed, coughed, sneezed.

He's moved his arm. Squeezed your hand.

(Mom sighs)

- You did say it would take time.

- Yeah.

- Why do I have to sit way over here?

- This is my best equipment.
- Come on, Keith.

I'm not going to wreck anything.
This is for Jay's birthday.

We agreed to make his present together.

- Just cut those out. Okay?

- What are the skinny pieces for, anyway?

- The fence.

- How come I make the yard and
you get to make the building?

- Because I'm management and you're labor.

- That is so immature!

You have a severe adaptation problem.

- What does that mean?

- That means you have to let
me help make the good part

or you'll never have friends.

- Okay.

(announcer talking over intercom)

(overlapped chatter)

- Brad relics only! Traders only!

No tourists! Serious
traders only admitted!

(announcer continues on intercom)

(overlapped chatter continues)

- [Announcer] So strut your butt past

Clipper's Delectable Collectibles.

- What is this junk?

- Hand crafts by poor kids.

We're trading for clothes, not for profit.

- [Boy] Get it out a here.
(ceramic clinking)

- [Announcer] Brad's
buttons, thimbles and pants.

(announcer continues on intercom)

Or how about Brad's dead batteries

and burnt out light bulbs,
that were changed by Brad?

(announcer continues on intercom)

- Here, maybe this will get us in.

Brad's telescope and two
passes from Brad's checkpoints.

- Let me see the quality.

- [] You're not going to
find better stuff than that.

- [Announcer] Don't bring
your Brad pits here.

I don't want them.

- Hey, come on, hand them back!

- Get out of here slice, this is my job.

What a pain!

All right, happy trading. Next!

(announcer continues on intercom)

- By the world's supremist,
ultimist artist, Brad!

- Thanks for getting me
in. I never forget a favor.

- What is this place?

- Don't worry. You'll
catch on pretty quick.

- [Announcer] I've got a
painting that looks like a bird.

Another one that looks like another bird.

And lots of other stuff.

(dramatic music)

(birds chirping)

- Let's try something
different this afternoon.

- Oh.

- Hi. I got the party things.

Can I put them up myself?

- Here.

- Who can tell me where
the secret checkpoint is?

- Beats me. But if anyone does
know, it's gonna cost you.

- Why? It's just directions?

- Information is a
commodity. Did you know?

If you want something, you gotta cough up.

I mean, you can't get something
for nothing. Not here.

- But checkpoints aren't
just for the rich.

They said kids can earn
their way to the tower.

I thought that was Brad's law.

- Before maybe. Now the market's the law.

In fact, the tower monitors
don't even have power here.

Everything is controlled
by Prop, the Head Trader.

- Oh, sorry.
(dramatic music)

- Brad's way has been forgotten.

Now all people want are his things,

which is a joke, because
most of it's fake.

- I need to use my things.
I can't trade them.

- It's up to you.

(suspenseful music)

- How about one bracelet?

Two?

- Well, I'll trade you my jacket,

with all these, for that jacket and this.

- Three is my final offer.

(overlapped chatter)

Thank you.

- Special deal on the middle
finger of France Skiva.

(overlapped chatter)

- Get it here. Brad's own toothbrush.

- A day in the life of
Brad. A page of his diary!

(overlapped chatter)

(Jay knocking)

- What can I do for you, kid?
- I need information.

I wanna know where the
secret checkpoint is.

- A man who knows what
he wants. I respect that.

All about secret checkpoint.

On Brad letterhead, no less.

I doubt if I can let it
go, but what you got?

- An official tower map.

- I can top that!

What about a whole Brad skateboard?

- Medea!
- Hello Jay.

I guess this is the end
of the line for you.

(suspenseful music)

(suspenseful music)

(monitor beeping)

- [Jay's Mom] And this
is your telescope, Jay.

- [Max] Why is the
telescope special to Jay?

- [Jay's Mom] Oh, it
was his grandfather's,

and then it was his father's,

and he got it when his father died.

(monitor continues beeping)
It's kind of an heirloom.

- [Max] Blood pressure,
heart rate, both up.

- Oh.

This is your baseball glove.

(monitor continues beeping)

- [Max] Everything back to normal.

- Here. Try my crutch.
- Okay.

- This is Donna's crutch.

(monitor continues beeping steadily)

- Sorry, no change.

- Something should have happened.

- I'll take the skateboard.

Unless you can sweeten the deal.

- Come on! I've got a
right to see that envelope.

You've got the map. Now hand it over!

We better give him the checkpoint pass.

- But we need this to get to the tower.

- I have to find the secret checkpoint.

- Yeah, first things first.

We can get the checkpoint pass back later.

- Yeah.

(overlapped chatter)

- Checkpoint pass.

Brad doesn't exactly give these away.

- His guitar. It's signed.
I heard him play it.

(guitar riffs)

- Guess you're beat, kid.
This is practically sacred.

- Hold it. This is from
the second checkpoint.

Hardly anybody survives that one.

(suspenseful music)

- The briefs of Brad.

(crowd exclaiming)

- Hey, if these are really
the big guy's shorts,

you've got a deal.

- How do you know they're real?

I want you to prove that they're not fake!

- [Medea] Prove it?

I don't have to prove anything!

- [Jay] Hey! Why not?

(horn honking)

- I belong here.
- [Jay] So do I!

My stuff's real! You know it's good!

- Hey! Hey! No fighting!

It's bad for business.

- I'll bet you her Brad stuff is fake.

Make her prove it's real.

- Medea, he does have a right
to challenge your merchandise.

Could you offer up just one
authentic thing for us to test?

One?
- How dare you!

Check his first!

(horn honking)

- We're checking for forgeries!

(fast paced music)

I know all traders try to
achieve the highest standards

of excellence with their products,

but the integrity of this exchange has

been called into question.

Bring on the scales of Brad!

(monitor beeping steadily)

- [Max] One more thing, then we eat cake.

- This is your King Arthur book.

(beeping on monitor increases)

- Whoa! Highest numbers yet.

- But how does this help us?

Some things work and some things don't.

- How did Jay get the book?

- He got it for his sixth
birthday from his dad.

- How many other things in this pile

did he get from his dad?

- Just the telescope.

(monitor beeping steadily)

(suspenseful music)

- The scales of Brad.

First we test the scales of Brad.

Behold. A true tooth of Brad,

bestowed by Brad on a trusted advisor,

who traded it to me.

It is above suspicion, it is authentic.

(scales creaking)

They balance. The tooth is of Brad.

- Test the check point passes.

(crowd murmuring)

- [Boy] Hey, those passes aren't real!

- That's impossible!

- [Boy] He looks like a forger!

- The scales measure true Bradness.

(suspenseful music)

These have none.
- I earned them myself!

- Fakes!
(checkpoint passes clatter)

- I want real stuff for this.

- Here's something real.

- Hey! That's mine!

(scales creaking)

- [Girl] It must be Brad's!

(suspenseful music)

(crowd murmuring excitedly)

- Seize the forger!

(suspenseful music)

(suspenseful music)

- And we've made Jay a present.

- We?
- Keith and I.

We argued the whole time,

but here it is.
- Very nice.

- This is our house.

- Well, Keith says if you
can't be home on your birthday,

home should come to you.

Happy birthday, Jay.

- Why didn't Keith come?
- He says it looks feeble,

but I think it looks good.
- So do I.

- So did that machine prove that

this book's Jay's favorite thing?

- Not exactly. It was just an experiment.

- Did it work?

- Well, Jay reacts to
things his father gave him.

- Way to go, Jay!

- And we still got a bigger
reaction from the book

than we did from the telescope.

- Yeah.
- It is a good book.

(Max chuckles)

(suspenseful music)

- That's my telescope!

She stole it!
- [Prop] All right! Can it!

Seize him!
(suspenseful music continues)

You've been caught trying
to pass forged articles.

We take this offense seriously.

We'll confiscate your property,

you won't be allowed in here again,

and we'll shave your head.

(crowd clamoring in agreement)

And we'll also-
- Hold it!

- [Girl] Yeah, shave him!

- He got the checkpoint pass from me.

- And the other one from me.

We're responsible.

- Thanks guys, but stay out of this!

I made the trade.

It's obvious you're too gutless
to go after the real crook.

She's the liar! She's the thief!

- Oh, seize them all.

- No! Leave my friends out of this!

- [Boy] Don't let them get away!

(crowd murmuring)

- No map, no bracelets, no telescope.

Gee, you're gonna find it real hard

to get to the tower now, wrecker!

- Hey!
- Especially without this.

- Excuse me.

But this letter is forged.

(crowd clamoring)
- [Girl] What's going on?

- I know. I forged it. To prove a point.

You trade Brad's things,

but you don't even know
why they're valuable.

You worship his image,
but you ignore his ideas.

Brad made the checkpoints
so that ordinary people

who really wanted it and really tried hard

to get to be tower people,

they could learn stuff in the tower,

then go back outside and help others.

That's the way it's supposed to be.

- What do you know about it, lizard lips?

- Because I am Frances X,

Brad's checkpoint keeper.

(suspenseful music)
(crowd clamoring)

He told me to make sure the
checkpoints are done right,

and Jay has done them right.

Checkpoint one, you helped
two friends who turned

to enemies turn into friends again.

Checkpoint two, making a
sacrifice to get to the tower.

You gave up staying somewhere
that was important to you

so you could keep going to the tower.

You've got passes for those.

Now, are you ready for checkpoint three?

- You do know about
the secret checkpoints!

(crowd murmuring)

- It's been here all along.

- How come nobody told us about it?

- The door has been here long
before the Brad Exchange,

and Jay is the first
kid to make it in ages.

Spoiled, greedy tower kids like Medea

have purposely stopped kids.

Come on Jay. It's right through that door.

- Come on guys. We made it.

- Wait. They don't have checkpoint passes.

They can't go with you.
- But, we're together.

I couldn't have done it myself.

- Sorry.

- But-
- Go on, Jay.

We'll wait right here for you.

- Do it. I would.
- That's just not fair!

They deserve to go in as much as I do.

If we can't go this way,
then we'll find some other.

- Wait. You gotta love it.

Noble act number three.
- Huh?

- You gave up the tower out
of loyalty to your friends.

Way to go.

- [Girl] Way to go!
- [Boy] All right!

- You mean that's it? We did it?

(crowd cheering)

Oh man, at last! Tower, here we come!

(crowd continues cheering)

(light music)

(door whooshing)

(crowd murmuring)

(suspenseful music)

- Hey!

Look.

- Happy birthday, Jay. Love always, dad.

(Jay groans)

Jay!
- Jay!

Jay, can you hear me?

Jay, can you hear me?

- And you can take your guests with you.

You're a tower kid now. Congratulations.

(light suspenseful music)

- You just let the wrecker
right into the tower!

Who knows what he could destroy in there!

He could change everything!

- Let's hope so.

- Jay! Jay, open your eyes again.

Open your eyes!

Jay! Make another sound!

(light suspenseful music)

(suspenseful music)