Touched by an Angel (1994–2003): Season 4, Episode 15 - Doodlebugs - full transcript

Touched By An Angel #407
"Doodlebugs" Closed Captioned

Dang it.

What you doing, Bits?

Catching doodlebugs. Trying to.

You stick a cheese
square on your pine needle.

Some of that Monterey
Jack... They love that.

There's nothing
sadder than a church

that has been deserted, Tess.

Nothing left in
there but the bugs.

Oh, there's a
caterpillar on this book.

The poor wee fella's
moving so slowly.



I think I'll call you Moses.

Forget the caterpillar.

You've got a lot of
reading to do, angel girl.

Don't want to read.

I want to get on
with my assignment.

This is your assignment.

What? The caterpillar
or... or Plato?

The book.

Man gives information
and God gives inspiration,

and you're going
to need both of them

before this case is over.

But Tess... You go
ahead and be a bookworm.

We've both got a puzzle
to solve this time, baby.

Yours is in the book,



and mine is out in the
field... With the bugs.

What is your assignment?

That's the puzzle.

God has given me
a challenge this time.

I got a whole town
out there in a malaise.

First, the church got shuttered.

Then they lost
sight of the light

and they became afraid to
take responsibility for themselves.

So, they're all hunkered
down like doodlebugs,

waiting for God to
pluck them up and out.

And you know
something else, angel girl?

I don't like bugs.

Hello.

Pearhead?

You got him.

You live in a trailer,

you sell ice cream
out of a broken van.

You don't know where your
next dime's coming from.

Who is this?

You can't see a way out.

Here's what you do.

Go to Sis N' Vinegar's.

Look under the watering
can on the bench in front.

You'll see a lottery ticket.

It's been scratched off.

It's worth $20.

It's the start of your nest egg.

Twenty... Son of
a... Who is this?

This is not yet for you to know.

I'll call back.

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♪ When you walk down the road ♪

♪ Heavy burden, heavy load ♪

♪ I will rise and I
will walk with you ♪

♪ I'll walk with you ♪

♪ Till the sun
don't even shine ♪

♪ Walk with you ♪

♪ Every time, I tell
you I'll walk with you ♪

♪ Walk with you ♪

♪ Believe me, I'll
walk with you. ♪

Hey, y'all.

I won the lottery!

All things come to
him that waits, Ada,

and I've been waiting
for this a long time.

I believe your ship's
come in, Pearhead.

Well, you going
to retire in style?

Let me see.

This voice told me
I'd find it right outside.

20 bucks?

Pearhead, you're going
to retire on 20 bucks?

It's the start of my nest egg.

I'm fixing up my ice cream van.

Then you watch those

frozen novelties
fly off the shelf.

Vinegar.

Look-a here, I'm a winner.

This town got a winner.

Lord have mercy, you
could have fooled me.

This voice tipped me off.

This week he's hearing voices.

Well, I don't see
you winning nothing.

Just digging a hole... A
grave of debt around here.

Six feet deep, and
since I'm the only one

doing any work around here...

I'm working, Sis.

I'm working on my birdhouse.

I need to win me a big lottery.

Oh, there you are.

So you think you can
get rid of these ants?

I think I can handle it.

Okay, go on, move out.

Get your little ant
butts out of here.

Go around the corner.

I got a hole for you.

Go now. Go. Go now.

That's amazing.

They're leaving.

See? Anything can happen.

Ants can turn around and leave.

The strange voice
on the pay phone

clues me into winning 20
bucks... It's like a miracle.

So you think that pay phone
is a pipeline to Heaven, huh?

Really?

Your smoked ribs are
heaven... Right here in Georgia.

Thank you, Erskine.
Good morning.

Morning.

Hi, Ada.

Well, morning,
Andy. How are you?

Well, the symptoms keep up,

I might be having
chemo next week.

Andy... our microwave broke.

Can you come take a look?

Sure.

How you doing, Ada? I'm fine.

I'm looking for a
place in Atlanta.

I've got a waitress
job lined up,

and maybe they've got
room for one more singer.

I hope they do, Ada.

So, you getting along okay?

I'm just waiting to see
what God has in mind for me.

Oh, I'm sure something good.

Maybe there's another church
that needs a good pastor.

There's nothing wrong
with driving a truck.

Maybe that's all God
really wanted me to do.

Oh, Erskine...

Hey, Vinegar.

That your latest?

It's supposed to be
for a blue warbler,

but you never really know
who's going to move in.

Never really know much
of nothing in this life.

That's right, Vinegar.

Ants are marching,
phones are ringing,

God only knows.

Apparently so.

All right, Pearhead, let's
check this out right now.

Yes, Operator, can
you trace the call

that just came to
this pay phone?

What you doing, sugar?

Trying to catch doodlebugs.

That's interesting.

I'm an entomologist myself.

What's that?

A person that studies bugs.

I'm studying doodlebugs.

So you know what
they really are.

Yeah... they're bugs.

They're really ant lion larvae.

They burrow in the sand
and wait for the ants to fall in.

Ants are their breakfast,
lunch and dinner.

That's why they grab
onto your pine needle.

Yeah. I knew that.

Uh, your mama
teach you all that?

I live with my aunt.

She said in a few weeks
the doodlebugs will transform.

They spread their
wings and fly away.

I'm expecting to see
some transformation

right around here.

You can't do that?

All right, well, thank
you very much.

Hello.

Is Sis there?

It's for you.

Me?

Hello.

My child, when you
were growing up in Detroit,

you knew something

was wrong with
your brother Vincent.

He was different...
Not quite right.

Who is this?

Then your grandfather wrote you

about how nice
people were in Georgia.

When he died and
left you his restaurant,

you brought Vinegar
down here with you.

You hoped he'd
have an easier life.

Now you feel trapped.

Can't get out of the restaurant.

Have to take care
of your brother.

And I don't know what to do.

First things first.

I know you had a fight
with Vinegar last week.

What you need to do is go to him

and say you're sorry.

Then he'll hug you
as he always does,

and you'll both feel better.

Do that, my child.

Then I'll call back.

He said something, didn't he?

See?

See? Who is that?

It's getting late,
Andy. School night.

Okay, okay, I'm just downloading

one more thing.

That's what you said before.

What are you looking at, anyway?

Liver cancer?

They say it could be genetic.

Andy... when your mother died,

it was a horrible
thing for all of us.

But it's not inherited.

You're not dying.

Thanks, Dad. Nice try.

Vinegar...

I'm sorry about the fight

that we had last week and...

what I said about that cow
having more sense than you.

I just...

Sorry.

Sis.

Hello?

Hello, Ada.

I know you bought
a ticket to Atlanta.

You want to move there
and sing in a cocktail lounge.

That's your dream.

Who told you? Who is this?

Wasn't there someone
in town you always loved?

Don't leave for Atlanta.

Tell him what you
feel in your heart.

I'll call back when you do.

You enjoying the book, Moses?

Huh? It's all about Mr. Plato.

See? Right here.

Do you see it?

Plato's famous simile.

"Humanity is like a
group of prisoners

"chained inside a cave.

"They see their
shadows on the wall

and think that's reality."

Pearhead told me about
this, uh, phone thing.

Don't you think

you're getting a
little carried away?

Who do you think's
making these calls?

I can't figure it
out to save my life.

Nobody could know
all that stuff it knew.

Maybe it's...

I'm gonna see
what this is all about.

Hello. This is Erskine Hughes,

and no, we don't have Prince
Albert in the can. No, don't.

Erskine!

Your wife passed away.

'Cause of that,
you left the ministry.

Return to it.

You're going to need it.

Find love where
you can, Erskine.

Amy deserves a mother now.

There's someone
here waiting to be that.

What'd he say?

What'd he say? What'd he say?

Nobody could've known that.

Nobody except... God.

Folks...

The voice on that
phone is God Himself.

It's... it's God himself!

Listen to this, Moses.

"God is truth, and
light His shadow."

I think Mr. Plato was inspired.

Are you talking
to a caterpillar?

Uh, no, I was reading to it,

and I think he was enjoying it.

See that wriggle?

How are you
getting on out there?

Not good. I got a problem.

People think that God's on
the other end of a pay phone.

And is He? Maybe
He is and maybe not.

We're not the only
ones He speaks to.

Folks.

What are we doing
sitting out here?

We have to keep this a secret.

If word gets out that
God's on this phone,

the whole county'll
be standing in line.

Golly, she's right.

We got to shut our dang
cakeholes and get out of sight.

Well, what if the phone
rings and nobody's here?

We'll take shifts... I'll stay
at the barbecue tonight.

Can't hardly sleep anyway.

Might as well do
something useful.

That's a good idea.

Good plan.

Bye.

Are you sleeping, Moses?

No? Good.

Listen to this.

Then Plato suggests,

"What if one man
escaped outside the cave,

"and he saw the real
world bathed in light,

"and he went back
inside to tell the others,

but they all thought
he was deranged?"

What an unhappy ending.

Poor philosophers.

They mustn't sleep very well.

Hello?

Sis, this is your salvation.

Oh, my God.

Down Main Street,
there's an old brick building.

The old bar?

Take this building and
make it come alive again,

you and the others.

Each one has a job there.

You can run the restaurant.

Pearhead can manage the bar.

Ada can sing.

You can do it.

Okay.

Okay.

We can do it.

Okay.

Okay!

Pearhead!

Pearhead, come! Come!

Ada! Come! She got the call!

Oh!

This is our salvation.

Where's all the
money coming for this?

Sis is getting a mortgage
on her restaurant,

and Pearhead's selling his van.

You putting up money?

Well, with everyone doing
it, I had to put some in.

Don't you see,
Erskine? I can sing there.

And... well...

the hand of God
is in all of this.

The hand of God?

Ada... I don't know.

To give God a human
voice diminishes Him.

I don't think that was
God on the phone.

But... He spoke
to you, didn't He?

Someone did.

Maybe the folks in this town

believe in a little more
down-to-earth God than you do.

I guess they do.

You know, Erskine,

I really miss going to church,

sitting in that second
pew by the window

and hearing those beautiful
things that you had to say.

Maybe that's why I listen
to a voice on a phone...

Because I don't have
you to listen to anymore.

Well, I think people
would rather hear

easy lies than hard truth.

Well, if that's what you think,

then you're a
coward for quitting.

You should hang
in there and fight

instead of giving up your faith.

I never lost my faith in God.

Well, you lost your faith in us.

Hi.

Ah! Ow!

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

It sure is pretty.

Hello!

Hello?

Oh, no.

Well, it's dead all right.

I'll have to replace
it with a new one.

No, no.

Don't do that.

Can you rewire it?

Yeah, but a new
phone will work better.

You'll get a cleaner connection.

Oh, we really like
this connection.

Couldn't you just
tape it back up?

I got some electrician's tape.

Yeah, I'm... I-I can fix it,

if that's what you want.

Yes. Thank you.

Do that, and then

come to our grand
opening tonight.

You won't want to miss it.

Yeah, see, I got this call
coming in, real important call.

I gotta hear what He had to say.

Who's that? God.

Pearhead.

Really?

Uh, I mean, uh... this guy.

Yeah, I just gotta know
what he had to say.

I know what God
was going to say.

That Pearhead broke the phone.

It still works!

He fixed it!

Hello.

Pearhead?

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, it's me.

It's me.

You've done well, Pearhead.

Enjoy your opening night.

Andy.

That's your voice on the phone?

Yes.

Yeah.

Thank you. Thank you.

Hi.

Welcome, everybody,

to the grand opening
of Gem's Bar & Grill.

Whoo!

Thank you. Thank you.

Well, my name is Ada
Dobbin, and I want to say

that it sure means a lot to
have all of you folks here.

We really put our hearts
and souls into this place.

And everything else.

Well, yeah, I guess it kind of

looks like we took a chance,

but we never thought so.

We had all the faith that
everything was gonna work out.

So, anyway, thank you.

And, uh, here's a nice old
song to kind of kick things off.

Harry.

♪ You'll never know
just how much ♪

♪ I miss you ♪

♪ You'll never know
just how much ♪

♪ I care ♪

♪ And if I tried, I
still couldn't hide ♪

♪ My love for you ♪

♪ You ought to know ♪

♪ For haven't I told you so? ♪

I knew it wasn't God
on the phone all the time.

I admit I didn't
know who it was,

and I certainly didn't
think it was you,

but I knew it wasn't God.

You want to know how
I knew it wasn't God?

Because He doesn't go around
messing in people's business.

He gives them a choice.

He shows them the difference
between right and wrong

and then he lets them
make up their own mind,

make their own decisions.

Well, what if they
make the wrong ones?

Then they just have to
live behind a bad decision,

but God is always there
to see them through.

Who do you think
made a bad decision?

Whose mind were you
trying to change, baby?

♪ You'll never know ♪

♪ If you don't know now. ♪

Fire!

Fire! Fire!

Come on, this way, this way.

Come on. Don't panic.

This way.

No.

No... Come on.
This way, this way.

Come on. Don't panic. This way.

Let's go.

Come on.

Where's Ada?

Oh! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

Ada! Ada!

Oh, my God!

Go! Let's go!

Right here.

Come on. All right.

Ada, you okay?

Whoa!

Oh, my God!

You okay?

Call an ambulance!

Andy, you've got
to tell these people

what you've done.

I can't.

Yes, you can.

You just don't want to.

And seeing as how mad
they're all going to be,

I can understand that.

There's a fire!

The club is on fire!

Hi, everybody.

Ada.

I was running up

a hospital bill that I
knew I couldn't afford,

so I figured I'd just
leave as quick as I could.

You okay?

Good enough.

Um, I came to say that...

I think I'm going
to try Atlanta.

But I'm going to get my
baby back ribs tomorrow.

Then I guess I'll hit the road.

Hello.

Hello, baby. You all right?

Is Ada all right?

Yeah, she's up and around.

She's home, and I think

I can get her job
back in Atlanta.

Can we fix the club?

No, baby, it's gone.

Andy, I know you're scared,

but you cannot keep
this secret inside.

It'll eat you up.

Now, I know it's hard to
tell these people the truth,

but remember our deal.

I'm going to be there
with you all the time.

Now you come on down here.

I'm waiting on you, okay?

Okay.

Shouldn't you be
getting some rest?

I'm waiting for God to
call and explain all this.

God is not going to call
you on this phone, Pearhead.

He never did.

It's not his voice you heard.

That's not the way he works.

Don't say that.

Don't take this away from me.

Don't you see, I...

My whole life,
I've been a loser.

I've... never made any money.

I-I never had a girl and...

everybody makes fun of me.

I know that.

And then one day,
God picked me...

me, to call up on
that phone and talk to.

And it made me feel...

like there's some
reason I've been born.

I mean, nobody's...

Nobody's born just...
just for some people

to make fun of them.

Are they?

No, baby.

You are one of God's creations.

And He loves you, Pearhead.

Whether He ever calls
you on this phone or not,

God loves you!

Oh, Father.

There he is.

He's the one that
started all this.

Me?

You're the one who
said to rebuild that bar.

God said to!

This is ridiculous.

Ada almost lost her life
because of this stupidity.

'Cause of her stupidity.

Hey, don't you talk
that way about her.

If anybody's stupid, it was
me for listening to you and Sis.

How dare you.

We lost everything
we had in that fire.

Our whole future!

Now we're stuck here forever.

Stuck until we die.

We're never gonna get out.

What about me?

I lost my truck.

My-my nest egg is gone.

I'm as good as buried.

Maybe God'll call.

Huh! Great.

Maybe he'll have a new idea

that'll just kill us
all completely.

Miss Ada, this is from Andy.

Erskine.

It's his handwriting.

It's addressed to you.

"Dear Ada," It's me, Andy.

"I guess we're
both leaving town.

"I wanted to tell
you and everybody

"that it wasn't God on
the telephone, it was me.

"I was the voice on the phone.

"I never meant to hurt anybody,

"but it looks like I
ruined everybody's life.

"Anyway, I did
have a good reason.

"I did it because...

"because, well, I
had a good reason.

"At least I thought so.

"Anyway, maybe I'll
see you on the road.

Give my dad a kiss
good-bye. Andy."

I can't believe that was
Andy's voice on the phone.

And what was he thinking?

Why did he do it?

He said he had a good reason.

I'm sure he did.

Nothing excuses this.

I'm so sorry, everyone.

I've got to find him.

I don't know what else to do.

Yes, you do.

Everybody around here says
you used to be a man of God.

You can still be
one if you want to.

You know the best way
to get that boy back home.

Every worthwhile
search starts with God.

'Cause whatever you're
looking for and wherever it is,

God is already there.

The real one.

Lord... I'm going
off to find my boy.

Take care of him,
please. Protect him.

Send an angel right now to
find him and bring him home.

Thank you.

Amen.

Amen, Lord.

Well, you're a little rusty,

but it's good to hear you
praying again, Preacher.

Yes, indeed.

Let's go.

I'll go east.

Sis, you and Vinegar head west.

Ada, south. Okay.

Father...

I know you'll send an
angel to that little boy...

one who won't
disappoint you this time.

Tess, what happened?

I blew it, that's what happened.

What?

You?

Yeah, me.

I was trying to lead
a little boy to the truth

and I pushed when
I should've pulled

and I pulled when
I should've pushed.

Now some people
have some of the truth

and nobody has all the truth.

Tess, you know how you always
say that man gives information

but God gives
inspiration? Mm-hmm.

Well, I think God just
turned on a light for me.

Mr. Plato says that humans

are like people stuck in a cave
looking at shadows on the wall,

believing the shadows are real.

But they're just things
that get in front of the light.

You sent a little boy
outside to face the light

and that was a good place
to start, but it wasn't enough.

Now you have to let
light in for a whole town.

You can start with Andy.

Andy ran away.

But where did he run to?

Where do people go

when they can't
stand too much light?

Into the dark.

Mm-hmm.

And I can think of
one place around here

that definitely has
been missing the light.

You used to come here
all the time, huh, baby?

Yeah.

And then your
whole world fell apart.

Why do you care?

Just leave me alone.

I can't do that, Andy.

Why not?

Everybody else does.

I'm alone all the
time. No one cares.

You feel like you're alone,

but that's not for real, baby.

That's just a
shadow on the wall.

God always has a plan.

But he doesn't always hand
it to us on a silver platter.

Sometimes we have
to learn the hard way.

All of us have to.

How do you know?

I'm an angel, Andy...

sent by God to tell you that
he loves you, sweetheart...

through your loss, every
fire and each mistake.

God loves you, baby.

He must be the only one.

Uh-uh, no, no, no.

There are a lot of people
right here that love you.

Take a look.

Oh. Thank God, you're all right.

That was a terrible
thing to do, son.

Andy, you ruined us.

Somebody ought
to kick your behind.

Andy, why?

Why did you do this, Andy?

Because... because
Ada loves you, Dad.

What?

I can tell.

Nobody makes her smile like you.

But you wouldn't
let her get near you.

She couldn't even see
you on Sundays in the choir

after you closed down
the church, so she gave up.

She's moving to Atlanta.

So I figured if she had a
real good reason to stay here,

like singing, maybe
she wouldn't move.

'Cause whether you want
to believe it or not, I'm dying.

And after I'm gone, I
don't want you to be alone.

You are not dying, Andy.
You're not, you're not.

I am!

I'm just like Mom;
it's in the genes.

No! No! No!

Oh, my Lord.

I'm an angel sent
by God to Erskine.

God has returned to this church.

Well, He never left.

But some of you
have been missing.

You've all been hunkering down

in your holes like doodlebugs,

expecting God to pull you out

instead of reaching up
to Him with your faith.

So that's it, then.

We let somebody
else do our thinking

and our praying for us,

now everything's a mess.

Well...

God has a way of taking
a mess and cleaning it up.

Think about it.

Sis... you did something big.

Don't forget that.

And, Pearhead,

you found out that the
company of your friends

is more rewarding than money.

And, Vinegar, you
saved a woman's life.

You're a hero,

and you got all the respect
you've always wanted.

Erskine, a good woman loves you.

And an empty church misses you.

And you, Andy,

believe me when I tell you this,

you are not dying.

A lot of children feel that
way when their mama passes.

But you're going to live
a long and wonderful life

with your father...
and, uh, whoever else.

Ada?

Oh, Andy!

Oh... You're all right.

I read them all your letter.

Well, except for
part of it, though.

I know about the other part.

I guess I've known about
the other part for a long time.

Ada, I... I hope you'll stay.

I hope you mean that.

He does.

Hello?

So, Bits, what did God say?

He told me how to
catch a doodlebug.

See?

Cool.

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