Tower Prep (2010): Season 1, Episode 5 - The Rooks - full transcript

Previously on Tower Prep...

Tower Prep was built
for students like you.

You can achieve more than you
can imagine at Tower Prep, Ian,

You seem different than
all the other teachers here.

I think there's been
a huge miscommunication here.

He can talk his way
out of anything.

Why would a school be built
over a laboratory?

I thought this building was used

for medical or
psych experiments with students,

unless Tower Prep
isn't a school.

- Hey. Meet you over there?
- Mm-hm.



So what signals
am I sending now?

I'm on your path,
and you're on mine.

I almost peed my pants.
What is wrong with you?

I'm sorry, man.

There was these mutant gnomes

or something wearing robes--

And bird masks?

Oh, my God, the Rooks.

Must be pledge week.

Did you see them?
Where were they?

Yeah, one went down the hall.
Why?

Down this hall?
Whoo-wee!

Rooks rule!
Yes!

- What are Rooks?
- "What are Rooks?"



Only the most slammin'
fraternity at Tower Prep.

I'm telling you.
The Rooks are sick.

Only the coolest of cool
get tapped to join.

Wait, you said that they--

- ...they were in our dorm?
- Yeah.

Oh, my God, they were
probably trying to find me

to come tap me in.

♪ Tower Prep 1x05 ♪
The Rooks
Original Air Date on November 16, 2010

So they have fraternities here?

No, Rooks aren't
part of the school,

but they're, like, this
super-secret awesome society

of... awesomeness.

And Headmaster allows this?

No. No, he hates them,
but he can't stop them.

They're too powerful.

They say if you become Rook,

you're pretty much set
for life.

Yeah, well,
I say I'm set for bed.

Not me.

I'm going to wait up for them
to come get me tonight.

I'm so excited.

Yeah, you do that.

Rooks rule, bud!

Huh? You say something?

First period will begin

in 15 minutes.

- The Rooks come?
- Uh, no.

And neither did Santa
or the Tooth Fairy, buddy.

Ugh, too salty.

Hunky-boo.

Hey, Noelle.

- Want to see a magic trick?
- Mm-hm.

Oh, my God.
It disappeared.

Come on, guys.
You know the deal.

What? We're just dancing.

Dancing is not encouraged
either.

That was close, man.

Good thing you don't have
to worry about any dances.

They don't allow them here.

Why not?
What happens at dances?

- Oh, the best--
- They're so lame.

You get all dressed up--

The guys dance over here.
The girls dance over there.

- Totally just be yourself.
- And the music is so bad.

You're just like all guys.

You can't dance,
so you trash it.

Uh-uh, I like dancing,

just not dances.

I've got moves.

Yeah, right.

First warning, guys.
I said no dancing.

It looks like so much fun.

Not allowed,

and that's just
a taste of what I can do.

Hey, I could teach
you some time,

but I don't know anywhere
we can, you know?

Attention, all students.

Good morning.

There's been a lot of
commotion in recent days

about the activities
of a certain student society,

and I want to make Tower Prep's
position crystal clear.

The Rooks are not sanctioned
by Tower Prep.

Make no mistake.

If the Rooks disrupt
Tower Prep in any way,

the students involved
will be immediately transferred

to West Campus.

Please, who'd want to join
the Rooks in the first place?

Right. Oh, wait, I know--
people who are awesome.

You mean people
who are sexist?

Oh, this again.

It's a fraternity,

no girls allowed.

I don't even think
that's legal.

First of all, of course it is.

And second of all, listen.

Bros just need a place

where they can, like, chill
and hang with the bros.

Big talk from a bro
who plays with dolls.

Okay, whoa, whoa.
Okay, uncalled-for.

She doesn't-- She doesn't know
what she's talking about.

Señor Guapo
is an action figure.

He just happens to have
button eyes and a...

cute, squashy bottom.

I've gotta run, get to class.

I'm going to put
on a school-approved activity

where guys and girls
can hang out together,

be themselves.

Yeah? Like what?

A dance.

You really think Headmaster will
give you permission to do it?

Why not?

Why not?

Because dances
are a distraction.

Or a perfect opportunity

for us to round out our
first-rate educational experience

by practicing
our social skills--

assimilation, etiquette, uh...

Hand-eye coordination?

I'm owed this...

sir.

If--
If I let you do this,

I will expect you to hold up
certain standards of behavior.

Ready.

♪ My life is going
on the radio ♪

♪ Comin' at you
with a brand new sound ♪

♪ Turn it up and see
your parents hit the ground ♪

♪ You can't ignore us anyhow ♪

♪ My life is going
on the radio ♪

♪ My life has got
its own radio show ♪

♪ Uh-oh ♪

♪ Comin' at you
with a brand new sound ♪

♪ Everybody in the world
will go wild ♪

♪ Here comes a car,
let's do it now ♪

♪ Oh ♪

Two guns?
That's cheap.

Just wanted to see
where you are.

I'm nowhere.
We do the same drill every day,

and it still makes
no difference.

You know that's not true.

If you could compare
yourself today

to when you first got here,

you'd be blown away.

Your preflex can't process
multiple input sources,

but it will...

in time.

Dude, you know he's right.
You are getting better.

Yeah, better at getting hit.

I'm serious.
I mean, look at me.

When I first got here, I could
barely talk myself into anything.

Now I can pretty much talk
anyone to do anything I want.

Even the Rooks?

Trust me, if I
could hyper-suade the Rooks

into letting me become
a member,

I would...

if I knew where to find them.

Those guys are like
friggin ninjas.

Actually it's funny.
I heard, when they want to tap you,

they just swoop in and grab you
like you're being kidnapped.

You don't even hear
these guys coming.

How awesome... is... that?

Ian?

Ian?

Ian?

All right, Rooks rule.

Dude, we're totally in.

Yeah, and now we're out.
Come on.

Hold on, hold on.

Please, for me, just... stay.

Okay?

Each autumn, a handful of
the top students at Tower Prep

are tapped for membership
into the Rooks.

Your chance to become
part of that legacy...

is now.

I am the highest-ranking
member of the Rooks.

Call me Odin.

Thought your name was Jeremy.

I am also your pledge master.

Although the five of you
have been chosen

to join our brotherhood,

you are at this moment
worthless squabs.

A baby Rook is a squab,
and that is what you are.

You'll undergo
a series of initiations.

If you prove
yourselves worthy,

you will be reborn as a Rook,

one of the elite.

Fortius quo fidelius!

Only then will our mysteries
be revealed to you.

Only then will you share
in our power.

Aeternum vale.

Maori warriors believe,

by consuming
of their fallen heroes,

they would absorb their powers.

Raven's blood--

to give us loyalty,

bravery, and power.

We begin each meeting the way
generations before us have--

by taking a blood oath.

Live by the wing.

Die by the talon.

But if you ever betray us,

you'll find that our talons
are swift

and merciless.

You don't think you have
the courage to become a Rook,

then you can walk out
that door right now

with no repercussions,
no retributions,

but--

...if you stay...

you are mine.

Squab!

Are you willing to endure
the rights of initiation,

to become part
of our sacred brotherhood?

You bet!

You will address me

as Most Exalted One.

You bet, uh,
the Most Exalted One!

Then drink the blood
and take the vow.

Drink the blood.

Uh, live by the wing
and die by the talon.

I think
it's just fruit punch--

Live by the wing.

Die...

by the talon.

♪ This is the sound ♪

♪ Of desperation ♪

Missed a spot.

Yes, Exalted One.
Sorry, won't happen again.

♪ This is the sound ♪

♪ Of me wearing thin ♪

Forty-three...

forty-four...

forty-five...

forty six...

forty-seven,
forty-eight, forty-nine,

fifty...

fifty-one, fifty-two.

Squab, come on,
a little drink?

♪ Of me wearing thin ♪

Yep.

You have to become a brother
before you can learn our secrets,

secrets that extend
to the very foundation

of Tower Prep itself.

You're the one who put the gnome
helmet on the flagpole, right?

Quite a feat.
That's why we tapped you.

Rooks--
we catch entire gnomes.

I have preflex, Ian.

just like you.

The only difference
between us--

I'm a Rook.

Yeah, sure, Headmaster,
Tower Prep,

they'll help you reach
for your potential.

The Rooks will help you
surpass it,

but we know the things
they don't want you to know.

Hah.

What was that all about?

Odin says the Rooks
can improve our abilities

even better
than the school can.

He says the Rooks' secrets
reach all the way

to the foundation of Tower.

- You buy that?
- I don't know.

I think they said that, like,
Senators and Presidents

and stuff like that
were Rooks.

I think we should wait
till the end of pledge week

and see if our abilities
have gotten better.

Maybe it will pay off
to make the Rooks.

Yes.

We can find out the specifics

of what the school
doesn't want us to know.

- No.
- The Rooks can tell us why we're here.

Okay, Ian, I did not come here

to go undercover.

I want to be Rook.

Thank you, sir.

Rooks rule.

I'm so excited.
What's your favorite part of--

Uh, Headmaster sent us to meet
with the dance committee?

That's us.

We don't like this
any more than you do,

but we suck it up and run
the play that's been called.

All right, ladies, let's keep
this short and sweet.

Chapter nine-- dances.

All the regulations
you'll need to follow.

But this was written
in the '50s.

Everything in here's
completely out of date.

Ms. Sato,

do you really wish to engage the
debate teacher on this matter?

Headmaster wants
this dance done by the book,

and that was the only book
we could find.

Look. We just want
a normal dance.

You want to play, you've
got to play by the rules.

Now, quit whining
like a couple of girls.

But we are girls.

Then you're going to be
girls running laps

if you don't take that book

and get to understanding
your parameters.

- That went well.
- Hm.

Nutrition is over.

Please proceed to class.

Everyone at Tower
has special skills.

You're not really anything.

Every brother is dedicated
to accelerating his abilities,

going farther
than the school even knows.

That is what makes us

the most exclusive students
at Tower.

You can't, however,

be exclusive

unless you exclude someone.

After tonight,

only one of you
will be a Rook.

If you wanna be a Rook,

you have to prove
yourself worthy.

We accept very few.

Some years
we don't accept anyone.

We liberated these
from the skills lab.

These blue paintballs,
they pack more of a punch

than the balls
you may be used to,

but they won't kill you--

...unless you get hit
with this--

the blood ball.

Anyone here
with a red paintball

is out of the Rooks.

Come on, squabs, run!

Get 'em!
Get 'em!

Hey--
I don't want to be hit.

I can't be eliminated.
I'll never beat you.

It's not a competition
between me and you, Gabe.

Where you hiding, squab?

Just do your best.

Shoot him!

Nice shot.
You're dead.

Out.

- Oh, man, I'm dead.
- All right, bro.

The last one.

I don't want it coming
anywhere near Archer.

Get him. Get him!
Shoot him.

Caught it?

Nobody's ever caught one
before.

Then we both stay.

Dude, that was insane.
How did you do that?

I have no idea.

But I'm going to find out.

This is crazy.

They've got rules
for everything.

Look. From the style of font we
need to use for the dance cards

to the type of refreshments
we're supposed to serve?

What in the world
is a finger sandwich?

Oh, there's Noelle.

She said she'll help us
with all the planning.

She's got perfect taste.

Oh, my God,
I'm so excited for this dance.

Jordan says
he's been practicing.

Lucky. Wish I had someone
special taking me to the dance.

Looks like you could.

Hey, CJ.

Heard about your dance.

Maybe I'll let you get me
out on the dance floor...

if you ask nicely.

Gee, Jeremy,

I don't know.

I might be pretty busy
taking care of all the details.

In fact, I'm pretty busy
right now,

so I should get back to work.

Thanks.

Bye.

Well, don't wait too long.

You, uh--

You don't want me
to lose interest.

Ew.

You know,
I like his approach.

But I like his departure
even better.

Is there a girl alive
who would fall

for that egotistical,
hound-dog routine?

Seriously, what am I,
the Humane Society?

What are you doing?

What am I doing?
What are you doing?

You look like Velma
from Scooby-Doo.

Why would you want to join anything
that would humiliate you like that?

Look, not the point. I think they're going
to do a lot more than humiliate you

when they find you snooping
around through the Rooks' Lair.

I mean,
what are you looking for now.

They know how to accelerate our abilities,
and I want to know how it is.

I never should've been able
to catch that paintball today.

Yeah, well, guess what?
You did.

And I would actually concentrate
on getting accepted first

before you start
snooping around.

Yeah, but what if--
what if we don't make it?

We've got to make use of the
chances while we have them.

"Don't make it."
You caught the paintball.

Oh.

I get it.

Spark, spark, poof.

You mean, and you're
implying, me, aren't you?

You think
I'm not going to make it.

Is that what you're saying?

Someone's coming.

Archer, have you finished
doing my laundry yet?

Uh, no, Most Exalted One.

Then hop to it.

Right away.

Oh, hi there,
Most Exalted One.

Really enjoyed the outfit
you picked out for me, sir.

Really came dressed
to impress.

Just kidding.
Just...

a little initiation humor.

Hi.

According to this stupid book,

the world comes to an end

if the punch bowl sits
on a bare table.

I feel like Cinderella.

At least the dance she went
to turned out awesome.

I just asked Coach Wood Shop

if we could maybe play music
from this century,

and he told me to pull
myself up by my jockstrap

and drop the sass.

This is nuts.

I only even started
this whole thing

so I could get a chance to
hang out with this guy I like,

but I have to say
that now the dance itself,

it's really becoming
important to me.

Wait, wait, wait, backtrack.
Which guy?

No. What I'm trying to say
is that--

- Uh-huh.
- ...throwing this dance

has really given me a glimpse of
what my life could've been like.

If you never came to Tower
and were just a normal girl.

Yeah, yeah, I get it.

Now, Ceej,
which guy do you like?

Oh, Cal's
a really good dancer.

But I bet you Ian's
got some moves, too.

You like him.

Oh, my Gosh.
I'm so excited.

"Corvus H-40."

You two, cover the doorway.

You've reached
the end of your journey, squab.

What?

Quote the raven, "Nevermore."

Live by the wing,
die by the talon.

Take this squab away.

Out with the squab.

- Say your prayers, squab.
- What are you doing?

- Bury him.
- Hey!

Bury him six feet deep.

You'll never be a Rook.

Say your prayers, squab.

- Enjoy the light while you can see it.
- Let me out of here!

- Live by the wing...
- Let me out!

Die by the talon.

Live by the wing,
die by the talon.

Get me out of here!

Pray for the squab.

Take your last breath, squab.

He's worthless.

The squab Ian is dead.

You've been reborn as a Rook.

Fortius quo fidelius!

- Whoo-hoo!
- Yeah!

A toast to our newest member.

Where's Gabe?

Well, look, I know how much it
meant to him to become a Rook,

but Gabe-- nice kid--

but nothing that would
really mean anything to us.

Who needs the Rooks
when I got you?

Stupid action figure.

You, Ian,
I believe that one day

you could be...

Odin.

With our help,
you become more powerful

than you ever dreamed.

And no doubt you'll be
a good teacher.

Now, just tell me
how to accelerate my abilities.

What's the hurry, Brother?

You're going to be a Rook
for the rest of your life,

starting tonight.

Let me refill that for you,
Brother.

Gabe?

First period will begin in 15 minutes.

You look terrible.

Yeah, thanks.

I was up kind of late.

Where's Gabe?

Mm-mm.
I figured he'd be here.

I've got to find him.

What's that?

Suki Sato,
did you make me breakfast?

They're samples of the
refreshments for the dance.

All right.

What is that, PB and dirt?

It's watercress.

Eck, yeah, good luck
with that.

I followed the recipe
in the book.

Oh, God.
That's disgusting.

Good morning, Suki.

Good morning, Whisper.

I'm going to be working
all night.

- Oh-Oh...
- I just can't promise

I'll have time to dance
with you.

Come on, why do you
got to make me beg?

What am I, the Humane Society?

I mean, is there a girl alive who'd
fall for your hound-dog routine?

Suki.

Are you talking trash
about me behind behind my back?

Better than your front.

Seriously, you're such a tool.

Jeremy, I'm so sorry.

Yeah?

- You're gonna be.
- Okay, thanks. Bye.

What is wrong with you?

I don't know.
I-- I can't help it.

It's like my abilities
are in overdrive or something.

What could've caused it?

Mm-hm. I had a couple of sips

right before we went
to the cafeteria.

Yeah, and I had some right
before I caught that paintball.

I thought it was fruit punch.

I thought
it was just fruit punch.

That one was on purpose.

Of course it's more
than just punch. Duh.

Okay, so how do we find out
what's really in it?

I know.

Taste this
and tell us what's in it.

Okay.

Mm. Grape juice,
ginger ale...

Gross-- saliva?

Both from a girl
and from a guy.

How can she tell all that?

Noelle has perfect taste.
That's her special skill.

Of course.

There's something else
in here,

some kind of chemical,

I don't know what it is.
I've never tasted it before.

Was it this?

Corvus H-40.

Yeah, that's it.

God, what is that stuff?

I can taste the watercress
in your saliva now.

- Are you okay?
- Yeah, I'm fine.

- You sure?
- I need a napkin.

Maybe the Rooks stole it
from the chem lab.

There's nothing called
Corvus H-40 in the chem lab.

Okay, then where could it
have come from?

The Rooks' secrets reach all the
way to the foundation of Tower.

Down in the tunnels.

Whoa, whoa.

Back when this used to be
a laboratory,

they must've manufactured
all kinds of freaky stuff.

Hey, maybe Corvus H-40

was part of some secret
medical experiment.

The Rooks must've discovered
a cache of it left down here.

No.

They're responsible for it.

This is the Rooks' sign--

a raven sitting on a "T".

It was on
the box of raven's blood.

I've seen it
somewhere else, too.

I'm just coming up blank
on where.

I see two letters.

The "C"
is in the raven's back.

"CT." Does it stand
for the Rooks' motto?

What's a rook or raven
in Latin?

Um, corvus?

And the "T"
could stand for "Tower."

You know, like Tower Prep,

not after the buildings,
but after a man's name--

Corvus Tower,

which means the school and the
Rooks are connected after all.

So the school must know
about the Corvus...

and its effect
on our abilities.

There's got to be some evidence
that links the Rooks to the school.

That's assuming the Corvus
was made down there.

"Corvus--
Initial Clinical Trials."

Look at this.

Bingo.

There's Coach,
when he was a student here.

Those aren't students.

They're guinea pigs.

They tested the Corvus
on them?

Are they still doing it?

I mean, now? To us?

I don't know, but...

We need proof.

I just remembered
where I saw that symbol.

Ian, what's up?

Hey, Coach, the other day
when I asked you

if there was any way
to speed up my training,

why didn't you tell me
about the Corvus H-40?

Corvus what?
What are you talking about?

Coach...

what time is it?

I saw that symbol on your
watch in the Rooks' Lair.

The Rooks are using Corvus?

That's impossible.

They stopped manufacturing
it decades ago.

What is it?

Corvus H-40
is a performance enhancer,

an early type of steroid,

a sort of high-octane
caffeine.

It's pretty nasty stuff.

- How so?
- Addictive.

You grow so dependent on it

that your abilities
stop working without it.

Well, say I took some...

or a lot over the past week?

Should I be worried?

It takes months
for enough of the hormone

to build up
to cause any trouble,

but it's a huge infraction
of the school rules

and could get you a permanent
spot on the West Campus.

I keep your secret,
you keep mine?

- Hey.
- What do you want?

- Oh, I'm just looking for Ian.
- Oh.

Well, he's not here,
and you shouldn't be, either.

Uh--

Actually I just had
one more thing to ask.

Can you just tell me?
Why didn't you take me?

You still don't get it.

It was never going to happen.

- My abilities--
- Are worthless

compared to our speed
and strength

because no matter how good
you get at hyper-suasion,

anybody can stop you
just by doing this.

Well, I still don't get it.

If you never wanted me, why would
you make me do all that stuff?

Huh?

Ian.

You wanted Ian the whole time,
and I was just the bait.

One word
about what you learned here,

and your life at Tower
won't be worth living.

We will shut you down.

You'll spend
the next three years a pariah.

You know what, though?

Better a pariah than a bully.

Well, better a Rook
than a Gabe Forrest.

Hey, why are you still here?

The dance is starting.

I don't feel like dancing.

Come on, CJ's expecting you,

and I want you there, too.

Yeah, well, I'm not going.

I think I've had enough
rejection for one week.

Okay.

♪

Odin, we got a big problem.

I know. That little poe humiliated
me in front of everyone.

What? Who?

The Rooks are going
to trash CJ's precious dance.

I want every decoration
torn down,

every record smashed.

Set the dining room on fire
if you want to,

but I want it destroyed.

No, you're not doing this.

You should've heard
what she said about me.

Look, I know her.
You're just overreacting.

You're a Rook now.

That means you stand
by your brothers.

The brother I stand by
is the one you rejected.

Kick it, Odin.

What are you going to do
when the Corvus wears off?

This.

All right, Rooks.

Let's dance.

Whoo! Great party.

Yeah. I mean it.

These decorations are cool,
and your music's got a--

It's got a good beat.

Sandwiches are
a little bit fertilizer-y,

but we have lots of them.

Seriously, it's a hit.

No one's even dancing.

Well, maybe we can do
something about that.

Know what, poe?

You're about to learn
a whole new meaning

of break dance.

- Hey, what are you doing?
- I warned you.

Wait, please,
you can't do this.

I can't?
You gonna stop me?

No.

I am.

You see, CJ here happens
to be my friend.

She cares about me,

and I care about her,

and not because I had to pass some
weirdo, power-trip initiation.

So this
is not going to happen.

I mean,
you all must really feel

like you need to protect
your identities.

You worry that, what,
Headmaster or all of us

are going to figure out
who you are?

I mean, you must feel that way,
wearing such a ridiculous mask.

And, by the way,

just to let you know,

it doesn't make you look
like a raven.

It makes you look like a chicken.

So go ahead.
Take the mask off.

Oops.

Probably should've covered
your ears.

Who else do we have here?

Wait-Wait,
where you guys going?

We just got started.
Hm.

And, by the way,
I just rejected you.

Headmaster, now.

Live by the wing.

Die by the talon!

Yeah, well,
I just clipped your wings.

Where's Ian?

Oh, man.

Well,
this is just embarrassing.

I'm just saying. You call yourself Tower elite.
This is just pitiful.

Dude, save the jokes for
after you get me out of here.

The Rooks are going to try and ruin CJ's dance.
We have to stop them.

Well, that would be the case
if I hadn't already done it.

You stopped them?

Yeah, but, really
anyone could've done it.

- It's not a big deal.
- I couldn't.

I tried to stand up to Odin
and wound up like this.

- Come on.
- And...

So Headmaster cancelled
the dance anyways,

but at least Odin got
in trouble.

Let's go.

Hey, bro, dude,
that was awesome.

You stopped them solo.

Well, Rooks drool.

Ceej, I'm so sorry
about your dance.

It was a stupid idea
to begin with.

I don't know what
I was trying to accomplish.

No, it wasn't stupid.
It sounded great.

I told Ian that the Corvus H-40
was just a performance enhancer.

And he believed you.

Yes.

Well, this was cutting it
close.

I want you to keep an eye on Ian
for the next couple of days.

If you see any sign,
anything,

that makes you think he
still might be investigating

the Rooks or Corvus H-40,

alert me immediately.

I cannot let Archer's plans
for escape

interfere with my plans...

for him.

Yes, Most Exalted One.

Oh, my God.

What did you guys do?

Surprise.

You wanted a dance.
Now you got it.

Without all of those rules
and restrictions

from that stupid book.

We didn't want
to crank the music up

in the observatory, so we thought
we would do it down here

where no one can see us
or hear us.

- We can be ourselves.
- ♪

You want to dance?

Thought you'd never ask.

Crank it up, Gabe.

- Absolutely.
- ♪

♪ Keep it, keep it,
keep it movin' ♪

♪ We got to keep it movin' ♪

♪ We got to never stop ♪

♪ We got to keep it movin' ♪

♪ Make sure that we take it
to the top ♪

♪ We got to keep it hot ♪

♪ We got to keep it movin' ♪

♪ Make sure
that we take it to the top ♪