War of the Worlds (1988–1990): Season 1, Episode 8 - To Heal the Leper - full transcript
ANNOUNCER: In 1953, Earth
experienced a war of the worlds.
Common bacteria
stopped the aliens,
but it didn't kill them.
Instead, the aliens lapsed
into a state of deep hibernation.
Now the aliens have
been resurrected,
more terrifying than before.
In 1953 aliens started
taking over the world.
Today, they're taking
over our bodies.
This is Harrison Blackwood.
These may be the last words
I ever speak on this Earth.
[ phone beeping
"out of service" tone]
Hey, Larry!
I got your favorite...
Bologna on white with mayo.
[ beeping continues] Ah.
Last of the great
absent-minded professors.
Always look your best
for the overnight guests.
Oh, my God!
Larry?
Larry?
[ grunts]
Larry...!
[ electronic buzzing, crackling]
[ electronic buzzing continues]
[ low growling]
The Advocacy is indivisible,
a trinity of undisputed
strength and wisdom.
But now we are less than three,
capable of only the
most simplistic activity.
The counsel we give
is less than perfect
and becoming
increasingly unreliable.
We took one brief
journey among the humans,
and now the
survival of our race...
A race superior to any
organism in this galaxy...
Is threatened by an
insignificant disease.
What is the diagnosis?
The disease... one the
humans call chicken pox...
Has been purged, Advocate.
You're saying that soon the
Advocacy will be three again?
Yes... if the final
critical procedure
with the human brain
matter is successful.
We don't understand!
It seems that the
degenerative effects
of the human disease
continue to plague
the sick one's mental capacity.
We're attempting to freeze
the degenerative cycle
so the healthy
cells can rebuild.
If we can reduce this
human brain matter
to its essence, we feel
we can accomplish this.
This healing must work.
If not, our invasion force
will be left without leadership,
without our counsel.
Proceed!
Suzanne. Hmm?
We got a problem.
Somebody call off
the reggae festival?
I said a problem.
That's it? That's
all you can say?
Well, if I could say much more,
it wouldn't be a
problem, now, would it?
Okay. I'll get the others.
Advocate, our resources
are woefully inadequate.
We have failed!
We must find more
power to heal us,
or our mission to
this planet will fail!
NORTON: Now, for
the last few weeks,
we all know that the
alien transmissions
have multiplied and increased
in number and strength.
The final push. I hate it
when you talk like that.
You're depressing me now.
Come on, Harrison,
they could be having
a very big problem.
NORTON: That's what
we all thought, Colonel.
But two hours ago,
it turned into this.
Weirdness.
It's the calm before the storm.
Are you sure this isn't
an equipment failure?
Maybe you're just
misreading these.
I mean, what about sun
spots or... interference from
ion storms in the
outer atmosphere?
Borrowing books from
my library, Colonel?
Just trying to keep up, Doctor.
Sorry folks, it
is not sun spots.
And it is not ion storms.
It's nothing we have
ever seen before.
And my equipment is
checking out 100%, Colonel.
Now, their transmissions went
from precise and predictable...
If you can call anything
alien "predictable"...
To totally random.
Like the coyote.
Winning the Obscure
Reference Award.
More reading? No. Living.
The Indians
understand the coyote.
The coyote, it seems to...
bark wildly, with
no rhyme or reason.
But it only seems that way.
The barking coyote
is really exercising
sophisticated communication
skills, about... protection,
about territory, about
mating, defense.
I thought research
hadn't proven any clear
communication pattern.
We really don't know
what they're saying.
You may not.
We do.
What's going on here?
What are they doing?
This is not working.
We have no other choice.
At least none that our reduced
mental capacity can figure out.
If we hope to cure the sickness,
we'll need more
brains... Living brains...
And we'll need more power.
That means moving
openly among the humans.
We will be vulnerable,
without any support.
How can we give
guidance to others
when we can barely
guide ourselves?
I'm only thinking
of the dangers.
The dangers of
failure far outweigh
any other consideration.
We are nothing without
your counsel, Advocate.
A most prophetic observation.
Originally we'd intended to put
your brain matter to good use.
Now you vile creatures
can serve a higher purpose.
Now we will use
your bodies.
Bring us the three strongest.
As you wish.
We aren't well... our collective
consciousness is wavering. Yes.
One dies, all die.
We're not doing this right.
We've made the wrong decision.
Yes. But what?
I think... I think we're walking
when what we really
need is a vehicle.
When we need our own
counsel more than ever,
we are increasingly indecisive.
Come.
This is too strange.
What?
They've stopped transmitting.
Not a peep. Nothing. Silence.
It's a silence like death.
How can they fill the sky
with transmissions one minute
and then nothing the next?
What the hell are they up to?
It's bad enough when
you can see them;
it's worse when you can't.
SUZANNE: Maybe they are gone.
Maybe they were infected
by the virus like in 1953
and they're all dead.
Maybe that last
flurry of transmissions
were their appeals for
help before they died.
What do you think, Doc?
I don't know. I don't
know what to think.
Maybe they...
they've gone back to
where they came from.
How? Walk?
[ phone rings]
Hello?
WOMAN: Dr. Blackwood, please.
It's for you.
Hello?
Dr. Blackwood, it's, uh,
Nurse Hamilton at Whitewood.
Yes. I-Is there anything wrong?
Well, there's been a change
in Miss Van Buren's condition.
Is there any way that
you could come up here?
[ crickets chirping,
owl hooting]
[ speaking alien language]
Evening.
I was wondering if
you could do us a favor.
Sure!
What do you
need?
[ roaring]
[ groaning]
[ engine starting]
[ high-pitched whirring]
[ crickets chirping]
IRONHORSE: Why am I
here?
Because I want you to
hear what Sylvia has to say
with your own ears.
I don't need to hear anything.
I've seen the evidence.
That's real.
Still think this
is all over, huh?
All over but the shouting.
Boy, I wish I could
buy that assumption.
Well, you'd rather buy an
old woman's nightmares.
Colonel, those nightmares
are alive and breathing out there,
and they're scheming
to take over this planet.
[ indistinct chatter]
It isn't safe out there.
Dr. Blackwood?
Surprise Harry,
Colonel Ironhorse.
Guess what!
What, Sylvia?
Wh-What's wrong?
Oh, come on, Harry.
Look!
Can't you see a difference?
Can't you see it in my eyes?
Oh, I haven't felt this
good in years. Look.
Look at my hands.
They're as steady as a rock.
I even gave myself a manicure.
Oh, Harry, what's wrong?
You look terrible.
IRONHORSE: He's been very
depressed, Miss Van Buren.
Oh, please call
me Sylvia, Colonel.
What's the matter?
What are you afraid of?
Aliens, Sylvia.
Oh.
[ laughs]: Yeah, I know.
I know, Harry.
God knows I know how that feels.
But you don't have
to worry, not anymore.
They're gone,
aren't they, Sylvia?
Can't you feel the difference?
God, I wish I could!
Oh, Harry, do you
know how long it's been
since I've been
out of this place?
Years.
Just years and years!
But that's all over with now.
Sylvia, where are you going?
I'm going out.
I'm going outside, and I'm...
Well, it's just for a few
days... But I'm going
to go out, and I'm going
to breathe it all in, and...
I'm free, Harry.
I'm free!
Now, of all people,
I would think you'd
be happy for me.
I am.
You feel better?
Why should I?
Now, wait a minute, Harrison.
You dragged me all this way
to hear what Sylvia had to say.
I heard it. It's over.
It's not over, Colonel,
until they're all dead.
Even the dead aren't safe.
Now, who in hell would
do something like that?
20 years on the force, Roberts!
I thought I'd seen everything,
but now, they're
stealing brains.
Oh. Counting the
murdered attendant
and, uh, and all those
rooms down here,
I make it an even three dozen.
Uh, plus they're
missing some bone saws.
What the hell is going on here?
What would you do if
you had all those brains?
Make detective, sir.
OFFICER: Well, at least we
don't have to take the bodies
to the morgue.
Blackwood!
I've heard of morbid
curiosity, but there is a limit!
Look at this.
It's incredible!
Who the hell are you?
Colonel Ironhorse.
Special Forces.
Special Forces, huh?
Somebody declare a
war and forget to tell me?
Now, listen, Colonel,
this is my investigation.
You don't just waltz
onto a crime scene.
Call the White
House. They'll clear us.
The top of his head
was literally torn off.
Thank you for sharing, Doctor.
Until the President
returns my call,
how about you two
getting out of here?
How many brains were taken?
Uh, three dozen.
And all they took were brains?
Right, except for
five they left behind.
The skull tops were removed,
but they didn't take the brains.
Do you mind?
I'd like to see
your identification!
Get the medical
histories of all the bodies.
Include the five cadavers
that still have brains.
Do you mind?
It's nice to see you up
and around, but now...
The intriguing thing is why
they left those
particular brains behind.
We can't go around
just jumping in...
It's fair to assume
they rejected them
for some reason.
I want to know why.
Are you telling me
that this was done by...
aliens?
Try and keep up, Colonel.
[ electrical crackling]
[ electrical popping, loud pop]
You coming? It's dinner.
Why don't you start without me?
Mrs. Pennyworth
has made a vegetarian
chili just for you.
Suzanne, there has
got to be a reason
why the aliens have
suddenly stopped transmitting.
Harrison, you have
to eat sometime.
Oh, it just means
more for us if he doesn't.
I've got the medical
reports of the
cadavers in the morgue.
Pretty gruesome stuff.
Harrison.
Look, why don't you
close the door behind you?
And I don't want to be disturbed
for any reason.
[ speaking alien language]
[ phone ringing]
You're Out of Your Mind.
[ upbeat electronic music plays]
Go on in.
Thank you.
You're Out of Your Mind.
What can I do for you?
I need brains.
This place is full of airheads.
[ laughs]: You're out
of luck today, honey.
[ laughs]
Don't count on it.
[ woman laughing]
[ indistinct chatter]
You're finished now.
I am?
I thought a perm
took a whole hour?
Not anymore.
We don't have time.
I hate it!
What are you
going to do with this?
[ alien accent]: How
about a little off the top?
[ high-pitched whirring]
[ birds singing]
IRONHORSE: Why don't
you just go in there and...
and talk to him?
Harrison said he did
not want to be disturbed,
period.
You know, if he keeps
acting like this, they're gonna
give him Sylvia's old room.
He's done this before.
Look, maybe he'll listen to me.
[ laughs]: Oh. I'll
pay to watch that!
[ laughs]
Fire!
Oh!
[ coughs]
SUZANNE: Oh my God!
Harrison!
NORTON: Is he all right?
Well...?
SUZANNE: I don't know.
IRONHORSE: Harrison!
Harrison, can you hear me?
SUZANNE: He's not
breathing, and I
can't get a pulse.
He looks dead to me.
I'll give him C.P.R.
Lasagna for lunch, Colonel?
Blackwood!
If this is your idea of
another practical joke,
it's not the
slightest bit funny!
Hey, it had its moments!
[ laughs]
You weren't even breathing!
I was, too,
breathing, and I was
breathing very slowly.
[ Suzanne scoffs]
It's an ancient Hindu technique
of lowering your heart rate to
become one with the problem.
SUZANNE: You are fixated,
a victim of your own obsessions.
[ sighs]
I'm fine, Suzanne.
I'm just trying to
figure all this out.
If I were you, I'd stop
worrying so much about me,
and I'd start worrying about
what the aliens are up to.
And what are the
aliens up to, Doctor?
Look, I was this close
to figuring it out
my own way alone
when suddenly the room
was filled with people.
You haven't figured
it out yet, Harrison?
You're losing your touch.
I'm afraid he's lost more
than that, Mr. Drake.
HARRISON: Look, Colonel,
I'm fully aware of your
opinions about my theories.
Now, either get out of my head,
or go with it, all right?
If you think that
will help, Doctor.
Thanks.
All right.
What's wrong with this picture?
NORTON: Well, if it is
the aliens, uh,
what do they need
human brains for?
Mm, prehistoric finds indicate
some cultures ritually
eat their enemies.
To celebrate victory,
warriors of certain tribes
would eat the liver of their foes.
Chopped or with onions?
Raw.
They did it to gain power.
That's it!
We've got it!
We do?
It has to be the aliens!
Don't you see?
The only common
denominator of the brains
that were left behind
are those brain diseases.
Why not a satanic cult?
Because devil-worshippers
and maniacs and wolves
have one thing in common.
They would have
taken all the brains.
But by process
of elimination, the only
ones on that list who would
limit themselves
to healthy brains
has to be the aliens!
Theoretically.
Sounds pretty
slim to me, Doctor.
IRONHORSE: What
do they want to do
with those brains
anyway, Harrison?
That's what I was
putting together
when you all got together
and decided to rescue me.
Hey.
Don't follow me, please.
DISPATCHER [ over radio]:
Units 31, seven, and 14,
report to Eastman
Street, north of Braddock.
Multiple DBs, perps
unknown and dangerous.
Proceed with caution.
Coroner's wagon is on its way.
Okay, step back.
Everybody back.
[ sighs]
Hey, hold on.
I want to ask you a question.
You any idea what's
going on around here?
I really don't.
I'm sorry.
OFFICER: Still two more
left inside the beauty parlor.
[ sizzling softly]
At last we've reached
our destination.
Let's hope there's
still time for the cure.
[ louder sizzling]
[ electricity crackling]
[ horn honking]
[ engine shuts off]
[ TV playing inside]
Uh, something I
can help you with?
Yes, I think there is.
[ growling]
OFFICER 1: You
want a cup of coffee?
OFFICER 2: You buying?
[ garbled radio transmission]
[ electricity buzzing]
[ buzzing, crackling]
[ buzzing continues]
[ speaking alien language]
[ buzzing and
crackling continue]
[ buzzing intensifies]
[ buzzing continues]
[ buzzing continues]
[ speaking alien language]
[ growls softly]
[ screaming]
[ electricity surging]
Frankly, we didn't
want to sedate her,
and she kept calling
for Dr. Blackwood.
[ Sylvia screaming] Any change?
She's barricaded
herself in there.
Okay, let's go in.
[ Sylvia screaming]
No, no,
no, no.
[ groaning]: Oh, no!
[ grunting]
No! No! No! Don't do it!
[ grunting hysterically]
Sylvia! Sylvia!
It's Suzanne
McCullough, Harrison's...
Harry's friend! Oh,
Suzanne. Oh, Suzanne.
I was free. I was free.
Oh, no, no free lunches.
There's no free lunches.
Sylvia, it's all right.
It's all right. It won't
be all right again.
I thought I was all
right, but I'm not.
I was wrong... oh, no, oh, God.
I-I can feel them.
I can feel them!
[ buzzing, crackling]
[ speaking alien language]
[ buzzing continues]
We're here. [ Sylvia groans]
It's all better now.
It's all better.
We're going to take
care of everything.
You have nothing to worry about.
It's all right.
I'm so tired.
I'm so tired.
Oh.
[ Sylvia sighs]
We've stepped in.
She's released
all responsibility
for this trauma to us now.
She'll sleep.
We should leave,
and let her rest.
Something has caused
her to react this way.
[ sighs]: Something
important is going on.
What would Harrison do?
Your guess is as good...
No, better than mine.
Maybe there's a clue here...
in something she's
written or drawn.
Do you remember that
speech you gave to Harrison
about obsessions?
What was the last thing
you remember Sylvia doing?
Maybe she was working
on a particular drawing.
The last thing that we caught
Miss Van Buren doing was that.
Had to take her crayons away.
Can't have the residents
drawing on the walls.
[ chuckling]: Even those
who have been here as long
as Miss Van Buren.
[ sighs]
[ opens door]
[ device clicks]
[ over speaker]:
This is Harrison.
Doc?
People have been
looking all over for you.
Hang on, I'll put
you on the box.
Go ahead.
I'm coming back.
Where are you?!
I'm at a beauty salon
at the west end of town.
They've struck again.
23 victims this time.
23 living victims.
I don't have a clue
as to what's going on.
I don't even know if
it's the aliens anymore.
Be sure.
Sylvia's had another relapse...
Bad anxiety attack.
She did? What did she say?
She said...
She said they're back.
Back.
Where?
Apparently, too nearby to tell.
But she's made some
drawings, Harrison,
a triangle with a kind
of lightning bolt inside.
SUZANNE: We can't figure out
what it means.
IRONHORSE: Or
if it means anything.
I think I might.
Doc?
Harrison.
Doc?
He hung up.
[ TV playing softly]
[ distant electric crackling]
[ electric sizzling]
[ speaking alien language]
[ generators whirring
increases in pitch]
[ electrical crackling]
[ high-pitched whine]
[ beeping and static]
Come on, baby, boot it up.
[ static]
Norton, the television.
I finally get five
minutes to my...
Norton, what's going on?
I'm working on it
myself, all right?
Did you guys mention
something about a lightning bolt?
IRONHORSE: This is
an awfully big coincidence,
even for a skeptic like me.
[ typing continues]
SUZANNE: Who are you calling?
IRONHORSE: Harrison.
You didn't get hold
of him, did you?
"We're sorry, your
party is away from its unit
or out of our service range."
[ moaning softly]
[ speaking alien language]
[ grunting]
[ speaking alien language]
Where is he?
SCOTT: We'll find him.
It's just a matter of time.
Isn't it more important for
us to go back to the cavern
so that we can lead our
followers back into battle?
The human bore
witness to our healing.
He needs to die.
Our brethren need us alive.
Let's do both.
First, we will
retrace our steps.
[ speaking alien language]
[ speaking alien language]
[ speaking alien language]
[ pounding continues]
[ speaking alien language]
Okay.
It's 3:13 on the seventh.
This is Harrison Blackwood,
and these may be the last
words I ever speak on this Earth.
Aliens in human bodies
are outside the door.
They're about to break
through my barricade.
The message that I want to get
to the people who
may come after me
in this fight against
these invaders
is that the aliens
can be beaten.
I know that now.
I've been watching them attempt
to heal one of their own.
That's what they've
been doing here.
Some microbe or disease
or virus or some bacteria
has infected them
and made them sick.
That means that
they are vulnerable.
It's up to the Blackwood project
to exploit this vulnerability,
whatever it may be,
and to continue this fight.
[ electrical crackling]
HARRISON: It may
be the end for me,
but I'm going to take
a few of you with me.
Whoa!
Ironhorse!
Where are they?!
We didn't see
anything or anyone!
You're all right!
When we didn't
hear from you, we...
Let's go!
They're gone.
What is that?
That's alien medical
science, Colonel.
It works like a distillery.
Somehow they're able
to reduce the brains
to their very essence,
and then one very
potent drop of this extract,
and the sick alien is cured.
This is a perfect example
of the alien logic systems
and problem-solving abilities.
It's absolutely amazing.
It's so complex,
and it's so simple.
I'll look around and
see what I can pick up.
Oh, Suzanne, look
at this container.
What could it
possibly be made of
to withstand so much voltage?
Something... not of this world.
I can't even tell if it's
elemental or synthetic.
We are going to learn so much.
[ tinkling]
experienced a war of the worlds.
Common bacteria
stopped the aliens,
but it didn't kill them.
Instead, the aliens lapsed
into a state of deep hibernation.
Now the aliens have
been resurrected,
more terrifying than before.
In 1953 aliens started
taking over the world.
Today, they're taking
over our bodies.
This is Harrison Blackwood.
These may be the last words
I ever speak on this Earth.
[ phone beeping
"out of service" tone]
Hey, Larry!
I got your favorite...
Bologna on white with mayo.
[ beeping continues] Ah.
Last of the great
absent-minded professors.
Always look your best
for the overnight guests.
Oh, my God!
Larry?
Larry?
[ grunts]
Larry...!
[ electronic buzzing, crackling]
[ electronic buzzing continues]
[ low growling]
The Advocacy is indivisible,
a trinity of undisputed
strength and wisdom.
But now we are less than three,
capable of only the
most simplistic activity.
The counsel we give
is less than perfect
and becoming
increasingly unreliable.
We took one brief
journey among the humans,
and now the
survival of our race...
A race superior to any
organism in this galaxy...
Is threatened by an
insignificant disease.
What is the diagnosis?
The disease... one the
humans call chicken pox...
Has been purged, Advocate.
You're saying that soon the
Advocacy will be three again?
Yes... if the final
critical procedure
with the human brain
matter is successful.
We don't understand!
It seems that the
degenerative effects
of the human disease
continue to plague
the sick one's mental capacity.
We're attempting to freeze
the degenerative cycle
so the healthy
cells can rebuild.
If we can reduce this
human brain matter
to its essence, we feel
we can accomplish this.
This healing must work.
If not, our invasion force
will be left without leadership,
without our counsel.
Proceed!
Suzanne. Hmm?
We got a problem.
Somebody call off
the reggae festival?
I said a problem.
That's it? That's
all you can say?
Well, if I could say much more,
it wouldn't be a
problem, now, would it?
Okay. I'll get the others.
Advocate, our resources
are woefully inadequate.
We have failed!
We must find more
power to heal us,
or our mission to
this planet will fail!
NORTON: Now, for
the last few weeks,
we all know that the
alien transmissions
have multiplied and increased
in number and strength.
The final push. I hate it
when you talk like that.
You're depressing me now.
Come on, Harrison,
they could be having
a very big problem.
NORTON: That's what
we all thought, Colonel.
But two hours ago,
it turned into this.
Weirdness.
It's the calm before the storm.
Are you sure this isn't
an equipment failure?
Maybe you're just
misreading these.
I mean, what about sun
spots or... interference from
ion storms in the
outer atmosphere?
Borrowing books from
my library, Colonel?
Just trying to keep up, Doctor.
Sorry folks, it
is not sun spots.
And it is not ion storms.
It's nothing we have
ever seen before.
And my equipment is
checking out 100%, Colonel.
Now, their transmissions went
from precise and predictable...
If you can call anything
alien "predictable"...
To totally random.
Like the coyote.
Winning the Obscure
Reference Award.
More reading? No. Living.
The Indians
understand the coyote.
The coyote, it seems to...
bark wildly, with
no rhyme or reason.
But it only seems that way.
The barking coyote
is really exercising
sophisticated communication
skills, about... protection,
about territory, about
mating, defense.
I thought research
hadn't proven any clear
communication pattern.
We really don't know
what they're saying.
You may not.
We do.
What's going on here?
What are they doing?
This is not working.
We have no other choice.
At least none that our reduced
mental capacity can figure out.
If we hope to cure the sickness,
we'll need more
brains... Living brains...
And we'll need more power.
That means moving
openly among the humans.
We will be vulnerable,
without any support.
How can we give
guidance to others
when we can barely
guide ourselves?
I'm only thinking
of the dangers.
The dangers of
failure far outweigh
any other consideration.
We are nothing without
your counsel, Advocate.
A most prophetic observation.
Originally we'd intended to put
your brain matter to good use.
Now you vile creatures
can serve a higher purpose.
Now we will use
your bodies.
Bring us the three strongest.
As you wish.
We aren't well... our collective
consciousness is wavering. Yes.
One dies, all die.
We're not doing this right.
We've made the wrong decision.
Yes. But what?
I think... I think we're walking
when what we really
need is a vehicle.
When we need our own
counsel more than ever,
we are increasingly indecisive.
Come.
This is too strange.
What?
They've stopped transmitting.
Not a peep. Nothing. Silence.
It's a silence like death.
How can they fill the sky
with transmissions one minute
and then nothing the next?
What the hell are they up to?
It's bad enough when
you can see them;
it's worse when you can't.
SUZANNE: Maybe they are gone.
Maybe they were infected
by the virus like in 1953
and they're all dead.
Maybe that last
flurry of transmissions
were their appeals for
help before they died.
What do you think, Doc?
I don't know. I don't
know what to think.
Maybe they...
they've gone back to
where they came from.
How? Walk?
[ phone rings]
Hello?
WOMAN: Dr. Blackwood, please.
It's for you.
Hello?
Dr. Blackwood, it's, uh,
Nurse Hamilton at Whitewood.
Yes. I-Is there anything wrong?
Well, there's been a change
in Miss Van Buren's condition.
Is there any way that
you could come up here?
[ crickets chirping,
owl hooting]
[ speaking alien language]
Evening.
I was wondering if
you could do us a favor.
Sure!
What do you
need?
[ roaring]
[ groaning]
[ engine starting]
[ high-pitched whirring]
[ crickets chirping]
IRONHORSE: Why am I
here?
Because I want you to
hear what Sylvia has to say
with your own ears.
I don't need to hear anything.
I've seen the evidence.
That's real.
Still think this
is all over, huh?
All over but the shouting.
Boy, I wish I could
buy that assumption.
Well, you'd rather buy an
old woman's nightmares.
Colonel, those nightmares
are alive and breathing out there,
and they're scheming
to take over this planet.
[ indistinct chatter]
It isn't safe out there.
Dr. Blackwood?
Surprise Harry,
Colonel Ironhorse.
Guess what!
What, Sylvia?
Wh-What's wrong?
Oh, come on, Harry.
Look!
Can't you see a difference?
Can't you see it in my eyes?
Oh, I haven't felt this
good in years. Look.
Look at my hands.
They're as steady as a rock.
I even gave myself a manicure.
Oh, Harry, what's wrong?
You look terrible.
IRONHORSE: He's been very
depressed, Miss Van Buren.
Oh, please call
me Sylvia, Colonel.
What's the matter?
What are you afraid of?
Aliens, Sylvia.
Oh.
[ laughs]: Yeah, I know.
I know, Harry.
God knows I know how that feels.
But you don't have
to worry, not anymore.
They're gone,
aren't they, Sylvia?
Can't you feel the difference?
God, I wish I could!
Oh, Harry, do you
know how long it's been
since I've been
out of this place?
Years.
Just years and years!
But that's all over with now.
Sylvia, where are you going?
I'm going out.
I'm going outside, and I'm...
Well, it's just for a few
days... But I'm going
to go out, and I'm going
to breathe it all in, and...
I'm free, Harry.
I'm free!
Now, of all people,
I would think you'd
be happy for me.
I am.
You feel better?
Why should I?
Now, wait a minute, Harrison.
You dragged me all this way
to hear what Sylvia had to say.
I heard it. It's over.
It's not over, Colonel,
until they're all dead.
Even the dead aren't safe.
Now, who in hell would
do something like that?
20 years on the force, Roberts!
I thought I'd seen everything,
but now, they're
stealing brains.
Oh. Counting the
murdered attendant
and, uh, and all those
rooms down here,
I make it an even three dozen.
Uh, plus they're
missing some bone saws.
What the hell is going on here?
What would you do if
you had all those brains?
Make detective, sir.
OFFICER: Well, at least we
don't have to take the bodies
to the morgue.
Blackwood!
I've heard of morbid
curiosity, but there is a limit!
Look at this.
It's incredible!
Who the hell are you?
Colonel Ironhorse.
Special Forces.
Special Forces, huh?
Somebody declare a
war and forget to tell me?
Now, listen, Colonel,
this is my investigation.
You don't just waltz
onto a crime scene.
Call the White
House. They'll clear us.
The top of his head
was literally torn off.
Thank you for sharing, Doctor.
Until the President
returns my call,
how about you two
getting out of here?
How many brains were taken?
Uh, three dozen.
And all they took were brains?
Right, except for
five they left behind.
The skull tops were removed,
but they didn't take the brains.
Do you mind?
I'd like to see
your identification!
Get the medical
histories of all the bodies.
Include the five cadavers
that still have brains.
Do you mind?
It's nice to see you up
and around, but now...
The intriguing thing is why
they left those
particular brains behind.
We can't go around
just jumping in...
It's fair to assume
they rejected them
for some reason.
I want to know why.
Are you telling me
that this was done by...
aliens?
Try and keep up, Colonel.
[ electrical crackling]
[ electrical popping, loud pop]
You coming? It's dinner.
Why don't you start without me?
Mrs. Pennyworth
has made a vegetarian
chili just for you.
Suzanne, there has
got to be a reason
why the aliens have
suddenly stopped transmitting.
Harrison, you have
to eat sometime.
Oh, it just means
more for us if he doesn't.
I've got the medical
reports of the
cadavers in the morgue.
Pretty gruesome stuff.
Harrison.
Look, why don't you
close the door behind you?
And I don't want to be disturbed
for any reason.
[ speaking alien language]
[ phone ringing]
You're Out of Your Mind.
[ upbeat electronic music plays]
Go on in.
Thank you.
You're Out of Your Mind.
What can I do for you?
I need brains.
This place is full of airheads.
[ laughs]: You're out
of luck today, honey.
[ laughs]
Don't count on it.
[ woman laughing]
[ indistinct chatter]
You're finished now.
I am?
I thought a perm
took a whole hour?
Not anymore.
We don't have time.
I hate it!
What are you
going to do with this?
[ alien accent]: How
about a little off the top?
[ high-pitched whirring]
[ birds singing]
IRONHORSE: Why don't
you just go in there and...
and talk to him?
Harrison said he did
not want to be disturbed,
period.
You know, if he keeps
acting like this, they're gonna
give him Sylvia's old room.
He's done this before.
Look, maybe he'll listen to me.
[ laughs]: Oh. I'll
pay to watch that!
[ laughs]
Fire!
Oh!
[ coughs]
SUZANNE: Oh my God!
Harrison!
NORTON: Is he all right?
Well...?
SUZANNE: I don't know.
IRONHORSE: Harrison!
Harrison, can you hear me?
SUZANNE: He's not
breathing, and I
can't get a pulse.
He looks dead to me.
I'll give him C.P.R.
Lasagna for lunch, Colonel?
Blackwood!
If this is your idea of
another practical joke,
it's not the
slightest bit funny!
Hey, it had its moments!
[ laughs]
You weren't even breathing!
I was, too,
breathing, and I was
breathing very slowly.
[ Suzanne scoffs]
It's an ancient Hindu technique
of lowering your heart rate to
become one with the problem.
SUZANNE: You are fixated,
a victim of your own obsessions.
[ sighs]
I'm fine, Suzanne.
I'm just trying to
figure all this out.
If I were you, I'd stop
worrying so much about me,
and I'd start worrying about
what the aliens are up to.
And what are the
aliens up to, Doctor?
Look, I was this close
to figuring it out
my own way alone
when suddenly the room
was filled with people.
You haven't figured
it out yet, Harrison?
You're losing your touch.
I'm afraid he's lost more
than that, Mr. Drake.
HARRISON: Look, Colonel,
I'm fully aware of your
opinions about my theories.
Now, either get out of my head,
or go with it, all right?
If you think that
will help, Doctor.
Thanks.
All right.
What's wrong with this picture?
NORTON: Well, if it is
the aliens, uh,
what do they need
human brains for?
Mm, prehistoric finds indicate
some cultures ritually
eat their enemies.
To celebrate victory,
warriors of certain tribes
would eat the liver of their foes.
Chopped or with onions?
Raw.
They did it to gain power.
That's it!
We've got it!
We do?
It has to be the aliens!
Don't you see?
The only common
denominator of the brains
that were left behind
are those brain diseases.
Why not a satanic cult?
Because devil-worshippers
and maniacs and wolves
have one thing in common.
They would have
taken all the brains.
But by process
of elimination, the only
ones on that list who would
limit themselves
to healthy brains
has to be the aliens!
Theoretically.
Sounds pretty
slim to me, Doctor.
IRONHORSE: What
do they want to do
with those brains
anyway, Harrison?
That's what I was
putting together
when you all got together
and decided to rescue me.
Hey.
Don't follow me, please.
DISPATCHER [ over radio]:
Units 31, seven, and 14,
report to Eastman
Street, north of Braddock.
Multiple DBs, perps
unknown and dangerous.
Proceed with caution.
Coroner's wagon is on its way.
Okay, step back.
Everybody back.
[ sighs]
Hey, hold on.
I want to ask you a question.
You any idea what's
going on around here?
I really don't.
I'm sorry.
OFFICER: Still two more
left inside the beauty parlor.
[ sizzling softly]
At last we've reached
our destination.
Let's hope there's
still time for the cure.
[ louder sizzling]
[ electricity crackling]
[ horn honking]
[ engine shuts off]
[ TV playing inside]
Uh, something I
can help you with?
Yes, I think there is.
[ growling]
OFFICER 1: You
want a cup of coffee?
OFFICER 2: You buying?
[ garbled radio transmission]
[ electricity buzzing]
[ buzzing, crackling]
[ buzzing continues]
[ speaking alien language]
[ buzzing and
crackling continue]
[ buzzing intensifies]
[ buzzing continues]
[ buzzing continues]
[ speaking alien language]
[ growls softly]
[ screaming]
[ electricity surging]
Frankly, we didn't
want to sedate her,
and she kept calling
for Dr. Blackwood.
[ Sylvia screaming] Any change?
She's barricaded
herself in there.
Okay, let's go in.
[ Sylvia screaming]
No, no,
no, no.
[ groaning]: Oh, no!
[ grunting]
No! No! No! Don't do it!
[ grunting hysterically]
Sylvia! Sylvia!
It's Suzanne
McCullough, Harrison's...
Harry's friend! Oh,
Suzanne. Oh, Suzanne.
I was free. I was free.
Oh, no, no free lunches.
There's no free lunches.
Sylvia, it's all right.
It's all right. It won't
be all right again.
I thought I was all
right, but I'm not.
I was wrong... oh, no, oh, God.
I-I can feel them.
I can feel them!
[ buzzing, crackling]
[ speaking alien language]
[ buzzing continues]
We're here. [ Sylvia groans]
It's all better now.
It's all better.
We're going to take
care of everything.
You have nothing to worry about.
It's all right.
I'm so tired.
I'm so tired.
Oh.
[ Sylvia sighs]
We've stepped in.
She's released
all responsibility
for this trauma to us now.
She'll sleep.
We should leave,
and let her rest.
Something has caused
her to react this way.
[ sighs]: Something
important is going on.
What would Harrison do?
Your guess is as good...
No, better than mine.
Maybe there's a clue here...
in something she's
written or drawn.
Do you remember that
speech you gave to Harrison
about obsessions?
What was the last thing
you remember Sylvia doing?
Maybe she was working
on a particular drawing.
The last thing that we caught
Miss Van Buren doing was that.
Had to take her crayons away.
Can't have the residents
drawing on the walls.
[ chuckling]: Even those
who have been here as long
as Miss Van Buren.
[ sighs]
[ opens door]
[ device clicks]
[ over speaker]:
This is Harrison.
Doc?
People have been
looking all over for you.
Hang on, I'll put
you on the box.
Go ahead.
I'm coming back.
Where are you?!
I'm at a beauty salon
at the west end of town.
They've struck again.
23 victims this time.
23 living victims.
I don't have a clue
as to what's going on.
I don't even know if
it's the aliens anymore.
Be sure.
Sylvia's had another relapse...
Bad anxiety attack.
She did? What did she say?
She said...
She said they're back.
Back.
Where?
Apparently, too nearby to tell.
But she's made some
drawings, Harrison,
a triangle with a kind
of lightning bolt inside.
SUZANNE: We can't figure out
what it means.
IRONHORSE: Or
if it means anything.
I think I might.
Doc?
Harrison.
Doc?
He hung up.
[ TV playing softly]
[ distant electric crackling]
[ electric sizzling]
[ speaking alien language]
[ generators whirring
increases in pitch]
[ electrical crackling]
[ high-pitched whine]
[ beeping and static]
Come on, baby, boot it up.
[ static]
Norton, the television.
I finally get five
minutes to my...
Norton, what's going on?
I'm working on it
myself, all right?
Did you guys mention
something about a lightning bolt?
IRONHORSE: This is
an awfully big coincidence,
even for a skeptic like me.
[ typing continues]
SUZANNE: Who are you calling?
IRONHORSE: Harrison.
You didn't get hold
of him, did you?
"We're sorry, your
party is away from its unit
or out of our service range."
[ moaning softly]
[ speaking alien language]
[ grunting]
[ speaking alien language]
Where is he?
SCOTT: We'll find him.
It's just a matter of time.
Isn't it more important for
us to go back to the cavern
so that we can lead our
followers back into battle?
The human bore
witness to our healing.
He needs to die.
Our brethren need us alive.
Let's do both.
First, we will
retrace our steps.
[ speaking alien language]
[ speaking alien language]
[ speaking alien language]
[ pounding continues]
[ speaking alien language]
Okay.
It's 3:13 on the seventh.
This is Harrison Blackwood,
and these may be the last
words I ever speak on this Earth.
Aliens in human bodies
are outside the door.
They're about to break
through my barricade.
The message that I want to get
to the people who
may come after me
in this fight against
these invaders
is that the aliens
can be beaten.
I know that now.
I've been watching them attempt
to heal one of their own.
That's what they've
been doing here.
Some microbe or disease
or virus or some bacteria
has infected them
and made them sick.
That means that
they are vulnerable.
It's up to the Blackwood project
to exploit this vulnerability,
whatever it may be,
and to continue this fight.
[ electrical crackling]
HARRISON: It may
be the end for me,
but I'm going to take
a few of you with me.
Whoa!
Ironhorse!
Where are they?!
We didn't see
anything or anyone!
You're all right!
When we didn't
hear from you, we...
Let's go!
They're gone.
What is that?
That's alien medical
science, Colonel.
It works like a distillery.
Somehow they're able
to reduce the brains
to their very essence,
and then one very
potent drop of this extract,
and the sick alien is cured.
This is a perfect example
of the alien logic systems
and problem-solving abilities.
It's absolutely amazing.
It's so complex,
and it's so simple.
I'll look around and
see what I can pick up.
Oh, Suzanne, look
at this container.
What could it
possibly be made of
to withstand so much voltage?
Something... not of this world.
I can't even tell if it's
elemental or synthetic.
We are going to learn so much.
[ tinkling]