The Outer Limits (1995–2002): Season 5, Episode 8 - Blank Slate - full transcript

( heavy breathing )

( screaming in pain )

( tires screeching )

damn it.

The shape he's in,

he couldn't have
gotten far.

We'll find him.

We better --
Before he finds himself.

Yeah, right.

That's it?

This isn't enough
for dinner.



Yeah, brunch maybe,

but definitely
not dinner.

Yeah, I know guys.

Our last food drive didn't
go as well as we'd hoped,

and we have to--

We have to make do
with Fresh vegetables instead.

Courtesy of
Gino's market.

Okay, just give us
a minute here.

There's enough for everybody,

I promise.

Courtesy of Gino?

What did this cost you?

Just a drink on Friday.

And dinner.



And nothing else.

Did you have
another, uh,

tough night last night?

I slept almost an hour.

Why don't you go home?

We'll handle it.

( choking sound )

or maybe not.

Starting early
tonight.

Get off, get off!

You don't touch that!

Guys, guys!
I just want
to see--

Okay, okay.

Everything's under control.
It's all right.

What's going on?

What happened to you?

How did you

hurt yourself?

I fell...I...
they were chasing me, and...

they were chasing you?
Who was chasing you?

It doesn't matter.

Okay, what's your...

what's your name?

Don't be frightened.

I don't know who I am.
I don't know where I am.

I don't know who's chasing me!

Wouldn't you be frightened?

Wouldn't you be frightened?

This is the only thing
that matters.

What is it?

Everything I am.

Everything
--I am is
inside these tubes.

My memory is in here.

( groaning in pain )

( 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.

Do our memories define
our identity?

If we are merely
the sum of our experiences,

what do we become
if those experiences are lost?

How's he doing?

Well,
his colour's coming back.

He should be able
to sleep it off.

I think he just fainted.

Did he have any I.D.?

no, no, just this.

I found it tucked inside

his jacket.

He was probably mugged.

What do you think he meant

when he said
his memories were inside that?

Oh, I think that he shot up.

( woman )
I've never seen that before.

No, me neither.

Maybe it's some
new type of Crank

with a fancy skin-Popper.

He's somebody
at the cutting edge.

We should have
the police look at it.

I'll drop it off
in the morning.

Yeah, okay.

I'll put it
in the box.

No.

Four down, one to go.

( panicked groaning )

Calm down.

All right, all right.

It's all right,
you're all right.

Where am I?
Where am I?

You're at
the goodwill house.

It's a homeless
shelter.

I work here.
My name is hope.

What's your name?

I can't remember.

I...I...

I don't know.

I, uh...I...

where's my case?

Where's my case?
Where's my case?!

( hope )
Okay, listen, listen.

Where's my case?

Where's my case?

Listen, listen --

We had
to confiscate it.

I need it, please.

We don't allow
drugs here.

No, they're not drugs.

They're
my memories.

Really?
And how do you remember that?

What is this?
What is this?

Uh, I don't know.

It looks like

a burn, or...

a circle
with holes in it.

Hope, can you give us

a hand over here,
please?

Yeah, I'm coming.

Okay, I'll be back
in a few minutes.

Stay here.
We'll talk some more.

I'll be right back.

Please.

Check on him
in 20 minutes.

I'll call Washington,

tell them
the package is wrapped.

( rapid breathing )

Call the Delaware office
and tell them--

hey!

No, no!

Ahh!

Did you check his apartment?
Uh-huh.

What about his gym?
Uh-huh.

Nobody's seen him in six hours.

Where would you go
if you were him?

He probably doesn't know
he's him.

Unless he's used the injector.

So tell me,

if somebody brought something in
that was dangerous,

where would it end up?

Like Kurt's knife
and Tara's medicine?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

In the cabinet in Jack's Office.

Good idea.

Yeah, clever.

You know, it's not just
that weird mark on his neck.

There's something
different about him.

His hands are really soft,

and his fingernails
are manicured.

And that shirt
he's wearing

would cost me
about a week's salary.

People fall from the top,
as well as the bottom.

Yeah, I know.

Hope, we're here
for everybody,
remember?

Yeah, and sometimes a little
extra attention pays off too,

remember?

Yeah, just don't get

too attached.

Hey, I learned
from the master.

Where did he go?

Here, hold that for me.

What are you doing in There?

Hey, open this door now!

Open this door now!

Damn it.

Jack, come here, I need you.

Hey, hey!

What are you doing?

Come on!

Jack!

Open up, right--

( Jack )
Open this door!

( hope )
Hurry, he's getting the case.

Unlock this door now!

Open it.

Let me in my office,
right now!

Put it down.

( Jack )
You don't need to do that.

Hey,
what are you doing?

Put it down,
put it down!

Don't do that.

Let me in my office!

( Jack )
Stop, stop!
Don't do that.

Don't do it, don't do it.

Ahh!

Come on, get in there.

Okay,

give me the case.

My name is Tom Cooper.

I know who I am.

You have to believe me.

I
am
--Tom Cooper.

You ever seen this guy?

No?

Thanks.

Here's a little something
for you and your friends.

Even if he's figured out
how to use the injector,

he can't be back yet.

We can't afford
to give him that chance.

( Jack )
You say your name is Tom Cooper.

You expect us to believe

that thing just gave
your memory back to you?

How else can you explain
that I suddenly know my name?

I can remember my Dad.

He smoked a really fat cigar.

( father )
Hey, Tommy.

Every night after dinner.

You want a cigar?

It was like honey.

And...uh...

we moved around a lot.

Always changing schools.

( woman's voice )
and this is your room.

New bedrooms,
different houses.

A lot of small towns,
like, um, Milton and, uh,

and Barrie and haliburton.

Haliburton?

That's not far from here.

And Paula...

Gilchrist,

she lived next door.

God, she was so pretty.

Deep blue eyes.

And my brother--

My brother had a thing for her,

but she liked me better.

She liked me better.

And she...She, uh...

what? What?

I can't remember.

There's nothing after that.

It stops there.
It just stops!

Open up.
Come on.

Why won't they open up?

( hope )
Please, wait.

Do yourself a favor,
let this one go.

I'll be okay.

Where are you going?

Haliburton.

Why?
I lived there once.

I know I did.

Maybe somebody will recognize me
and tell me who I am.

You're not making this up?

You really believe
this can manipulate memories.

You sound like you want
that to be True.

Well, maybe I do.

Well, we're not going
to find out here.

( hope )
it can be hard for people
to get away from their past.

A device that could
take away bad memories,

put better ones
in their place,

could do a lot of good.

Maybe that's what it's for.

I don't know.
I don't know.

Recognize anything?

No.

I wonder if they're still alive.

Who?

My parents,
my brother.

See, right now, in my mind,
they're all...

they're all right there.

But after 10 or 11 it just...

gets Real fuzzy.

It just goes Blank.

Do you have
any family?

Parents, brothers, sisters?

I have a sister, but we don't
really keep in touch.

Yeah.

Marine garage --
Wait, wait!

I remember that gas station.

Right there,
right there.

My house was only...it's
a couple of blocks from here.

Go down here
and take a right.

It's close.

There! There!
It should be right over there.

Stop, stop, stop.

No!

My house was here.

I lived here.

I lived here.

Tom, I'm sorry.

I lived here.

There.

You see?

Tom Cooper and Paula Gilchrist.

My brother was so jealous.

He was so jealous
that she liked me better,

so I carved our initials
in this tree to rub it in.

This is where I kissed her,

for the first time.

We were sitting close together.

It was an autumn evening.

Oh,

the air was cool and Crisp,
and it was perfect.

Okay, maybe
we could talk

to the people
in the neighborhood.

See if
they remember you.

I want my memories back.

Give me your keys.

Give me your keys.

Please, please.

Okay.

Come on, you don't know
what you're doing.

I don't care!

I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

Grab the crystal.

Please, I need
to know who I am.

Grab the crystal.

Ahh!

Oh,

Tom.

What happened?

It didn't work
like before.

I'm getting flashes,
bits and pieces,

but something went wrong.

( beeping )

the tubes --
they must be on a timer,

like an automatic
drug dispenser.

Maybe I forced the information
into my mind

before my mind

was ready for it.

Dr. Cooper!

Dr. Cooper.

Dr. Cooper?

Do you know them?

I don't think so.

Get in.

We thought you'd come here.

Get in, go!
Dr. Cooper, wait!

We need
to talk to you.

Wait...

a minute.

Damn.

( Tom )
They're not the same guys.

( hope )
Whoever they are

they won't
look for you here.

I need to lay low,

long enough to take
the remaining crystals.

Mommy.

( screaming )

What did they do to you?

Hey?

Hey, my, uh,

my pants? My shirt?

Oh, I threw them

in the wash.

They'll be ready in an hour.

But you can wear these.

Thanks.

And that card is
on the counter.

I thought you lived alone.

I do.
They're leftovers.

Oh, and Mr. Leftover,

he's not going to walk in here
and demand these back?

No, I doubt it.

It's been a while.

I see.

( deep voice )
I see.

I didn't say anything, I--

Yes, you did, you said,
"Oh, he dumped you, he--"

no, no.
You said, "I see."

Really,
it's none of my business.

So what happened?

( kettle whistling )

I'm making some tea.

Do you want some?

Sure.

If you don't want
to talk about it,
just tell me.

How big was this guy?

Big enough.

I, um, I couldn't find

a listing
for Dr. Tom Cooper,

and I called
a friend downtown.

As far as missing persons is
concerned, you aren't missing.

I've been missing from my life
for at least 24 hours.

Somebody must have noticed.

If anybody cared.

Yeah, if anybody cared.

I keep getting flashes
of fragmented memories

from the second crystal.

My parents --
Mom drinking, dad yelling.

And my brother,
he's jealous all the time.

It gives me
an empty feeling inside,

a deep sadness,
and I don't like it.

So, what happened?

I think my mom was frustrated.

She had ambitions
she could never meet,

or dad provide,

so she drank.

And then dad,

he lost his job,
and that left him frustrated.

They were going to conquer
the world together.

But they got beat.

And I vowed I never would.

And Paula Gilchrist?

I really don't know.

Thank you...

for believing me.

You're welcome.

So why aren't you
running a corporation
or something?

What do you mean?

I mean, you are
smart, beautiful,

and you've got
a great personality.

And I can make tea.

Exactly, so how did
you avoid law school,

or business school,
or astronaut school,

I don't know?

Well,

I was, uh,

I was living
on the street

when I should have
been in tenth grade.

That's how I met Jack
at
the goodwill house.

Why did you run away?

You have to believe me.

I love Joanne,

my sister.

If it weren't for her,

I don't think I would have
lasted as long as I did.

Even though it was happening
to both of us.

You see, our...

our father...

he used to...

mom wasn't around,
so what were we supposed to do?

So...

we made a pact, me and Joanne,
that we would run away together.

And I got scared...

that I wouldn't be able
to take care of Myself,

much less the two of us,
so...

I left her behind,
with him.

All I have is

this picture of her.

You were just a kid.

Yeah, well, so was she.

So was she.

I keep telling myself
that I shouldn't feel guilty

for saving myself,

But, uh,

sometimes I just wish
I could forget.

Tom?

You did another one?

Hey, hey,
are you all right?

Yeah, I'm fine.

I finally left home.

I left behind
that living hell for good.

You see that scar?

I stepped in front
of a flying bottle

to protect my brother.

That is the last time I stuck
my neck out for somebody.

After college
I went to med school.

Those goons were right.

I am a doctor.

I spent my residency
at Washington, D.C.

And that's, that's...

what?

What is it?

I'm married.

Yeah, that's...
that's him all right.

He looked like
he'D seen better days.

That's definitely him.

And he was here
last night?

That's right.

He came in around dinner time.

Oh, he's real messed up,

he was shooting up--

Where is he now?

Oh, I don't know.

He left early this morning.

Did he leave alone?

He didn't seem dangerous.

Yeah, yeah, he left alone.

Did he say
where he was going,

or make any calls?

Uh-Uh, so...

What'd this guy do exactly?

I just happened to run
into Paula one day in D.C.

Hadn't seen each other
in years,

but it was like
we'd never been apart.

We were married
a month later.

You weren't wearing a ring.

Maybe it was stolen,
along with my wallet

and the other stuff.

I can see her.

She's walking towards me
on our wedding day.

We're outside.

The sun is just so warm.

God, she's beautiful.

Are there children?

No.

I don't think so.

Oh, my God.

I didn't plan this.

( phone ringing )

if you're looking for hope,
you're not alone.

Leave me a message,
and I'll get back to you.

Hope, it's Jack.

You there?

Hope, I know you're

a big girl now
and you can look after yourself,

but that guy you went with

Could be real trouble.

There were some men
in the office,

federal agents.

They said

he escaped from some

high security
mental institution.

They said he's psychotic.

Now, I didn't tell them
that you left with him.

But, hope,
this guy is bad news.

If you know where he is,
I think you should turn him in.

Got it.

And please be careful.

Call me as soon as you get in.

You can't believe that.
You can't believe that.

Just stay away
from me.

Stay away from me!

No, no, no, wait.

Get the hell
away from me!

listen to me!

Please, they're making
that story up.

You just discovered
you're married.

Anything with you
is possible.

You're right,
you're right.

But do you
really believe
I'm dangerous?

Do you?

I don't know what
to believe anymore.

All right,
all right, all right.

Then you phone
the police,

and you turn me in.

Thank you.

Just let me call Jack.

He'll worry about me.

Sure.

( beeping )

Only two more left.

Hey...Hey, Tom.

Are you okay?

Tom,
we've got to go.

Come on, come on, Tom.

I'll drive.

Are you sure?

Dr. Cooper?

Car!

Damn, they took off.

Ahh, Tom!

No!

Who the hell are you guys?

You still don't know?

Tell me, now!

Tom!

I know
I'm dr. Tom Cooper,

and you're going
to tell me what you did,

and then you're going
to take me to my wife.

Paula?

She's dead.

No.

You're lying.

Paula's been dead for years.

Truth hurts, doesn't it?

She was mugged, raped.

She died on the way
to the hospital.

I'm sorry.

There's more.

When I was in Washington
I started doing memory research.

I figured out a way
to manipulate brain cells

to access and delete
their contents.

Are you saying that

you may have had something to do
with this injector?

I invented it.

Then why would someone want
to use it on you?

I think I know where to find
the answer to that.

I know this place,

but I didn't know there was
any research being done here.

I know, but I'm sure
I worked here.

It does seem Like pretty
high security for a clinic.

This is where
they took my memories.

This is where I escaped from.

Right here.

What were you
doing here?

I don't know.

I don't--

look, isn't he
from
goodwill House?

Yeah, that's Mickey.

"Test subjects wanted
for clinical trials.

We pay you."

son of a bitch.

What?

What are they doing
in There?

Wait.

Wait.

Maybe we can find out.

Wait.

You wait here,
and keep a lookout.

And hold onto this.

Last crystal.

Please, hold onto it.

No, please!

I'm sorry.

Tom, are you
all right?

Are you all right?

Stay away from me.

What? What?
What happened?

What did you see
in there?

It's my fault.

It's all my fault.

( mumbling )

They're using the injector.

My
--injector.

They're experimenting on people,

erasing memories.

You've built a weapon.

No, it's not possible.

I couldn't.

( beeping )

No, don't do it.

I have to prove
I'm not a monster.

No, no, no.

You don't have
to prove anything.

I care for you.

The man you are now.

Not the man you were.

And what if this turns you back
into that person?

That person wasn't me.

You don't know that.

You don't know who he was.

Are you willing
to take that chance?

There's a whole part
of my life that's gone.

I don't know
if I'll ever Stop wondering...

who I was.

That doesn't matter.

You have a chance that
most people only dream about.

Do you understand?

You have a chance to start fresh
with a Blank Slate.

We have a chance.

We can both start over.

If you want.

When Paula died

a part of me went with her.

She was my conscience.

And after she was gone
I...I think I stopped caring...

for anybody,

until I met you.

Why don't we go find
your sister?

I'd like that.

I'd like that too.

Good evening, Dr. Cooper.

You finally remembered
the clinic.

You're too late.

He destroyed the last crystal.

I'm no use
to the department now.

You think
we're with your old employer?

The ones that
had you erased?

You've got it backwards,
Dr. Cooper.

We're with
the crovus corporation.

Your new employer.

My new Employer?

You wanted to defect
to the private sector.

For a very high price,
I might add.

But those black-Op types
you worked for

didn't want the technology

you developed
to get out.

They had you erased.

But you had made
a copy of your memories,

a back-up,
and sent it to us.

Just in case
something should happen.

You're here because

you made it through
the first four crystals.

We're following
your orders, sir.

Remember?

I'm sorry.

If you don't,
you will.

Let her go.

No can do, doc.

I'm sorry, miss -- We need
Dr. Cooper the way he was.

Not the way he is.

No! Ahh!

No!

Tom?

Don't worry, hope,
this will only take a minute.

Don't do this, please.

Considering how awful

most of your memories are,

you should be thanking me.

I'm making
the pain go away.

No, please don't do this.

Don't worry.

You won't remember a thing.

( control voice )
The same qualities
that make each of us unique

can also prevent us
from changing who we are,

even if it might be
a change for the better.

Captioning performed by

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