The Outer Limits (1995–2002): Season 5, Episode 10 - The Shroud - full transcript

( laughing )

( heart beating )

I'm sorry.

I am so sorry.

I got held up
on a call.

How are you doing?

Do you know
any of these people?

I feel like everyone's
staring at me.

There's no one
staring at you.

Marie, there's nothing
to be nervous about, okay?

There's no one better
than Dr. Cowlings.



You said that yourself.

It's not that.

It's...

( phone ringing )

It's the same...

the same
old thing again?

How can having a baby be going
against God's will?

That's--

If god wanted us
to have a child,

why would we need all this?

We can have a child.

We're just getting
a little help, that's all.

In vitro
--Fertilization

feels like more than
just a little help.



I just hope
we're doing the right thing.

The right thing is
"To be fruitful and multiply."

We are doing the right thing.

And you are going
to be such a good mom.

( nurse )
Justin and Marie welles?

You're doing great, Marie.

I need you to relax
just a bit more here.

All right.

Now take
a deep breath.

Good.

Okay,

the speculum is in place,
and now we need the embryo.

Catheter, please.

Okay, now I'm going
to gently insert the catheter

into the cervix
and deposit the embryo.

And hopefully he'll find
a nice place to settle down.

He?

You think it's a boy?

Or she -- he or she.

You're doing just great, honey.

In about ten days

we'll do a beta H.C.g.
And if that's positive,

we'll wait a few weeks
and take an ultrasound

and try to find
a fetal heartbeat.

If we find one,

we'll consider you
officially pregnant.

And guess what?

We're done.

That's it?
That's it.

I need you to lie still.

I'm just going to make sure

the embryo is
out of the catheter.

Dr. Cowlings,

thank you.

( man )
What do you think?

She's an
excellent candidate

to carry full-Term,

if the embryo takes.

Don't worry.

He'll be
a perfect clone.

It truly is a Miracle.

After 2,000 years,

we'll only have to wait
another nine months.

Nine short months...

before He will once again
walk the earth.

( control voice )
There is nothing wrong with
your television.

Do not attempt
to adjust the picture.

We are now controlling
the transmission.

We control the horizontal

and the vertical.

We can deluge you
with a thousand channels

or expand One single image
to crystal clarity

and beyond.

We can shape your vision

to anything our imagination
can conceive.

For the next hour,

we will control all that
you see and hear.

( ♪ )

You are about to experience
the awe and mystery

which reaches from
the deepest inner mind

to
--The outer limits.

Man's empirical pursuit
of science has often been

at odds with his need
for religious faith.

But what happens
when these two beliefs collide?

"I am the light of the world.

He that followeth me
shall not walk in Darkness."

John tells us
that is what Jesus said.

God wants us to follow him.

Is that so hard?

Well, for some it is.

You know the kind --
If they can't see it,

touch it, taste it,
it doesn't exist.

I understand

the difficulty
the rational mind has

in absorbing the miracles
of religion.

I do, and that's why

Thomas tilford is
in the business

of shepherding those wayward
sheep back into the flock.

I don't wear a bad hairpiece,

and I don't dress
in sparkly jackets

to get their attention.

I don't deal in superstition

or desperation or despair.

I don't ask
for any giant leaps of faith.

I say,

"Go ahead --

Believe only in what you can see
and taste and touch."

I let scientific fact do
my preaching.

I let scientific fact address
the rational mind,

and that is guaranteed

to make a believer
out of a non-Believer

any day of the week.

That's what I deal in.

I deal in real.

As I said earlier,

today is an historic day.

I do not stand here
of my own will.

God has brought me
and all of you here together

for a very special revelation.

Today's sermon has been
all about proof.

Well, my friends,

I have something to show you.

Ladies and gentlemen,
I intend to offer up now,

to the faithful
and the faithless alike,

that Jesus Christ
actually walked the earth

2,000 years ago.

And here is where

I got that proof.

My god,

is that the real thing?

The shroud of turin.

At long last we have
empirical evidence

that this is not a fake.

Early dating placed
the origin of the shroud

around 1260 A.D.

But a biological varnish was
found on the fibers.

That varnish,
when stripped off, revealed

that the shroud is in fact
nearly 2,000 years old.

We have extracted actual dna

from Deep within
its holy fibers.

And we will prove

that this dna belonged
to the son of God.

In the coming weeks

the shroud must be returned

after being on loan to us
for nearly two years.

But I couldn't let it go back

without sharing this
exciting news with all of you.

God willing,

and with your continued prayers
and contributions,

the Thomas tilford Institute
will continue to do his work.

Bless you.

See you next time.

Ahh!

Honey,

are you okay?

Is it the baby?

( Marie )
if it's not labor, what is it?

What's wrong?

Is the baby okay?
Just lie still.

Please, don't let
anything happen,
Dr. Cowlings.

It's going
to be all right.

Why can't you just

tell me what's wrong?

B.P. -- 170 over 115.

Pulse -- 130.

What are they doing?

I need you
to calm down.

I think there's
something wrong with the baby.

Trust me --
I need you to listen.

The lord is watching over you.

Let him work through me.

God will guide you
and protect you through this,

as he always has,
as he always will.

He loves you and your baby.

He loves you
and your baby.

God won't let
anything happen to you.

God won't let
anything happen to you.

Every step of the way
there's been problems.

Well, we'll
get through it.

It'll be fine.

Well, we don't know
what caused the cramping,

but it didn't affect the baby.

Thank god.

( dr. Cowlings )
I want you to take it easy
for the next few days.

She will,
believe me.

Good.

Could I talk to you
for a minute, Justin?

Sure.
I'll be right back.

He'll tell you
what's going on
when he gets back.

No, he won't.

He doesn't want me
to worry.

You're supposed
to be taking it easy.

I want you to go home,

get some rest,
and stop worrying.

I told you, nothing is wrong.

Hello.

Marie?

There you are.

Sorry I'm late.

I had to go back
to the Office.

Budget things
couldn't wait.

Honey?

Hey, I said
I'm sorry.

You've been crying.

What's the matter?

The baby's not ours.

Honey...

what do you mean
the baby's not ours?

I saw the blood type
on the report today.

I'm "A" Negative,
you're "O" Positive,

the baby's
"A-B" Negative.

It can't be ours.

I looked it up.

How can they make
this kind of mistake?

What if someone else
has our baby?

Or they won't let us
keep this baby?

Or they'll take this baby away
because it's not ours?

We have to call Dr. Cowlings
and find out what's going on.

We have to get a lawyer.

We need to know our rights.

No, no,
I don't think

that we should
do that.

Did you hear
what I just said?

The baby's not ours.

The baby's ours.

The baby's...
it's ours, it's just...

it's not mine
biologically.

What are you talking about?

You know.

You know how much
we both wanted this baby.

What are you saying?

When I was tested I found out

that I couldn't father a child,

in vitro
or otherwise.

Then who's the father?

Does it matter?

"Does it matter"?

Yes.

I'm going to love
this baby no matter what.

I'm going
to be sick.Marie.

I can't even look at you.

Marie, stay where you are.

How could you
do this?

How could you do this to us?

Be quiet.

The neighbors will think I'm--

what?
That you're a lousy person?

That you practically
allowed them to rape me?

Stop it!
Ahh!

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

What is it?

( Justin )
Well, I'm not going anywhere
until I find out what happened.

It's not your child.
What do you care?

Marie, please.

What?
Please what?

I hope
I'm not intruding.

Dr. Tilford.

Justin.

Marie.

Reverend, it's...
nice to meet you.

I understand you've been having
a time of it.

I thought I'd come down
and say hello.

I understand you want to leave?

Yes.

I'd like you to stay.

The Thomas tilford
fertility program is

just getting off the ground.

I'd hate to see it marred.

At least let Dr. Cowlings

finish her exam,
won't you?

Honey,

Dr. Tilford was
kind enough to come down

and Offer us his blessing.

The least
you could do is stay.

I'm sorry.

Marie.

Marie.

I think it's time you knew
everything there is to know

about the child you're carrying.

Ladies and gentlemen,

if you'll stop
for just a moment,

I'd like to formally introduce
to you Marie welles.

Dr. Tilford--
It's all right.

It's time Marie understands

the Miracle the birth
of her child represents.

I understand the Miracle.
I know I.V.F. Is--

No, you don't
understand.

I'm not talking about I.V.F.

I'm talking about
a True Miracle.

Most of us

go through life
not knowing

what role we are intended
to play in God's grand scheme.

But you, Marie --

God has smiled on you,
and on me.

You are part
of an incredible project

designed to fulfill a prophecy.

That prophecy is

the second coming.

I don't...

I don't understand.

The child you carry belongs
to the world.

The child you carry...

is the son of God.

What are you talking about?

That's ridiculous.

These vials are holy.

They contain strands of dna

taken from

the shroud of turin.

Christ's dna.

What is this?

Try to understand, Marie.

This is the actual Strand
we used.

We removed the nucleus
from one of your eggs,

and replaced it
with dna from the shroud.

It's all part of the plan.

In partnership with you

and Justin,
this plan will come to fruition.

This, Marie --
This is the child you carry.

I don't believe you.

You...

you would have told me.

You wouldn't have
just done this to me.

You would have let me choose
whether or not to do

something like this.

Wouldn't you?

Justin?

( tilford )
You don't choose god.

God chooses you.

You have been blessed, Marie.

I don't believe you.

I don't believe you.

What's all this?

Come and sit down, my dear.

I'm, uh, afraid
I don't recognize you.

Have you been here
before?

No.

I'm not catholic.

Is there something
you'd like to talk about?

I don't know if I...

if I can be a mother
to this child.

Do you love this baby?

Isn't that
all that matters?

If it helps you,

feelings of inadequacy are
not uncommon for new mothers.

Is that what
this is all about?

You don't feel worthy
of this child?

When I was growing up,

I watched my dad...

watched him control my mom,

bury her self-Esteem.

I thought, "I'll never let
that happen to me.

When I get married,
things will be different."

But I was fooling myself.

My husband did the same thing
to me, only more artfully.

He made all the decisions,

but let me think
I had a say in them.

And now, after being lied to
by my father and my husband,

I find myself being lied to
by my faith.

I wonder if the church,

whose authority
I've never questioned,

is there to serve
God's purpose...

or its own.

So, do I feel

worthy of this child?

No, I don't.

He should have a mother

with a little more
strength of character,

don't you think?

It seems to me that you have
tremendous character.

And I believe

that you will
find yourself

the most
deserving mother

a Child
could ever have.

How can you be so sure?

As you have faith in him,

I have faith in you.

She's just leaving now.

I'll keep an eye on her.

What am I supposed to do?

( ♪ )

( ♪ )

show me.

( dr. Cowlings )
It's right in there --
we found it late last night.

Its probably been developing
for weeks, possibly months.

How did you let this
get by you, Gail?

We had stopped MONITORING
genetic material.

We were monitoring
fetal development.

Is this a naturally
occurring anomaly,

or was it brought on
by something we did?

It looks like
a natural occurrence.

I did run this
through our database

to see if we had
anything like it on record.

We found a match.

We ran a study
several years ago

on a man who claimed to have
telekinetic abilities.

He possessed
an ALMOST identical

genetic deviation,
although to a much
Lesser extent.

What are you
suggesting?

What if the person we cloned,

the person whose dna was
on that shroud, is just a man?

What if he possessed
that 1 in 10 billion chance

genetic anomaly that gave him
telekinetic abilities?

What if those abilities,
in ancient times,

were misinterpreted,

and people believed
he was the son of God?

This is the son of god!

Because you say it is?

You've engineered this birth
practically from day one.

Right down to
the date he was born.

For your information,

december the 25th is
an arbitrary holiday
based on a lie.

A birth at
any other time of year

would take the flair
out of things.

This...

is nothing short of a Miracle.

Are you saying
that an unborn child,

without consciousness,
but with telekinetic abilities

is making those
stuffed animals fly?

Or do you believe that Marie is
causing these events?

No, but I do believe
there could be a connection.

What if Marie's emotional
reactions are the input

and the child's involuntary
responses are the output?

That's
your explanation?

Whatever
the explanation,

if this mutation
evolves,

moving objects
will only be
a beginning.

Now you're proving
my point, Gail.

Christ performed miracles
of escalating proportion

as he got older.

This is
an interpretation.

Said the agnostic.

Do you need proof
because you doubt?

God knows, Gail,
you were not brought on board

for your beliefs,
or lack thereof.

But even you must be moved
by the discoveries we've made.

It's an incredible
scientific discovery,

but I think Marie Should know,

I don't believe
it's the son of God.

It's not your decision.

You should not be
quarreling with your wife.

I don't know if she's
going to forgive me.

Maybe she's better off
without me.

Absolutely not.

Mary was not
a single mother, Justin.

What does that mean?

Understand me.

I'm not going to let anything,

anything
--Compromise
this blessed event.

Whether you like it or not,

you are,
for all intents and purposes,

the Joseph figure in all this.

Joseph?

But if I'm Joseph,
who does that make you?

Go make up with your wife.

Think I will.

Justin...

watch your tone with me.

Hi.

Hi.

Can we, uh...

can we talk?

It's freezing out here.

What could you possibly have
to say to me

that you couldn't say inside?

It's bugged.

What?

Our house --
It's bugged.

Cameras, microphones.

I found one
in the kitchen
a few weeks ago.

I knew tilford wouldn't
let us out of his sight.

I didn't say
anything because...

Marie,
because I was blinded.

I know I don't deserve it,
but I want your trust again.

I want you to give me
another chance.

It's not that easy.

Nothing...nothing can
make up for what I did.

I know that.

I believed I was helping
to do god's work.

I got swept up in the whole--

You don't know what's going on
until you step back.

Tilford believes that god
is working through him,

and I thought
that too.

I was afraid
to think for myself.

But now I see.

Tilford is moving away
from god -- Away from god --

And he has been
for some time.

I don't want to follow him
down that path anymore.

I know you can't
forgive me.

I just want you to understand
why I did what I did.

I still love you.

Ahh!

Are you okay?

Oh.

We're going to get you
over to county.

We'd be better off
with Dr. Cowlings.
Absolutely not.

They have a vested interest
in this baby, Justin.

He deserves the best care
I can get for him.

Dr. Cowlings is it.

I don't want you anywhere
near those people.

Justin, if we're
going to be together,

you're going to have to stop
making decisions for me.

It could have been
false labor,

but I would like
to run more tests.

Welcome back.

I just wanted to stop by
and bury the hatchet.

This should be
a time of rejoicing,
not of strife.

If there's anything I can do.

I want you to leave.

I know about the surveillance,
the lies -- I know everything.

What makes you think

I won't go
to the police?

The police?

You don't understand this.

This has nothing to do
with the laws of man.

You don't have a clue, do you?

About what you've done,
what you're doing.

Marie, open your eyes.

Look out there.

Children are killing children.

Infidelity, divorce,

immoral lifestyles are rampant.

Never have we needed god
more than now.

It's not your place.

Let's find out what
caused her pain,

and then you can debate this
all night.

Marie, you're doing
so much better than the others.

How many people
have you done this to?

We have refined the process.

This baby is perfect, isn't he?

There's your answer.

Marie.

Wait, Justin,

think of her --
think of the baby.

That's exactly
who I'm thinking of.

Wait, you mustn't leave.

Please,
you mustn't leave.

Let go of me!

Dr. Tilford.

Dear God.

Please wait here.

Are you okay?

Mm-hmm.
Still a little dizzy.

Justin, Marie.

I need for us to come together.

The devil has gained
momentary ingress.

I felt his presence
in that room.

For the sake of the baby,

we have to put aside
our differences--

You wouldn't do anything
for the sake of the baby.

That's where you are wrong,
Marie.

Everything
I do is for him.

What's that?

A teaching tool.

Miraculous as cloning is,
it reproduces the body only.

He will need to be instilled
with all that he was

to fully become who he is.

He will rise to take his place
among the peoples of the world,

and then he will rule
from on high,

and everything will change.

Everything.

And what will our role be
in all this?

The same role
you're always going to play.

You're his parents.

What did you have in mind?

Weekend visits?

What if our child doesn't want
to be your puppet

and rule from on high?

What if he wants
to slip quietly

into the background
and have nothing to do

with Thomas Tilford
and his institution?

That is not god's plan.

Even you can see that.

I'll tell you what I see.

You want to raise this child,
influence him, manipulate him,

and stand at his right hand
when he grows up.

You want

to create god in your
own image, reverend tilford.

And there could not be
a more unholy act than that.

See that they return
to their room.

Have you thought about
what's going to happen to us

after the Baby's born?

Tilford knows we're not
going to keep quiet about this.

He's probably got
standby marys
and josephs

waiting to take
our place.

If anything
happens to us,

there'll be
no one but him

to take care of the baby.

We can't let that happen.

We won't.

Would you get me
a wet cloth, please?

Thank you.

Let's go, let's go.

No!

Justin!

Come on,
we're almost out.

It's locked.

No!

Go!

Consider yourself
blessed.

Oh, god,
I think I'm having contractions.

How far apart?

Five or six minutes.

We have got to find a hospital.

They'll be looking for us there.

No, no hospital.

( phone ringing )

Anything?

No, But they can't be
that far ahead.

I don't care

what you have to do--
Find them.

No!

Justin, I think
the Baby's coming.

There's a barn.
Hang on.

All we need is three wise men.

Okay, push.

Push, push.
Come on.

Come on, Marie,
push.

Come on, push.

Push.

Okay, breathe, breathe.

There's the head.
Here comes the head.

( baby crying )

Surprise, surprise --

It's a little boy.

Hello, hello.

Shh-Shh.

They're in the barn
along highway three,

about three miles
north of Anderson.

He's beautiful.

Where are they?

Chris, are they in there now?

They're in the barn
with the baby.

You saw the face of god?

He's not god.
Let me talk to them.

Leave them alone.

I have to see him.
I have to see the son of god.

They don't need you
and they don't want you.

He is who he is,
not who you want him to be.

Let me go.

Thomas!

You folks need a ride?

Yes, please.
Thank you.

( control voice )
in man's unending pursuit
of salvation,

the distractions of his science
or his religion

may be the very thing
keeping him from his creator.

Captioning performed by

Western Captioning service ltd.
Vancouver, B.C. 1999