Prodigy (2017) Movie Script
1
[Film projector starting]
[Music playing]
[Indistinct chatter]
Do you always play alone?
Challenging yourself can teach you
quite a bit about who you are.
Plus, I always win.
Or lose.
A matter of perspective.
Olivia.
Lovely to see you.
And you, Jimmy.
Hmm.
No one's called me Jimmy
in years.
Well, that's too bad.
It suits you.
Not so sure about that
these days.
Well, you'll always be Jimmy
to me.
Do you have time
to grab a cup of coffee?
Catch up a little?
I'm afraid we're on
a tight schedule.
No time for chit-chat.
All right,
just give me a moment.
How you feeling about all this?
Well, this process
is a little different.
But you think you're ready?
Well, I do think I'm ready
for anything at this point.
I hope so.
[Alarm blaring]
Wait. Pocket.
Again.
[Alarm blaring]
Arms up.
[Beeping]
Yeah, I'll be getting that back,
yes?
You are not to touch
the subject.
Do not leave anything
near the subject's hands.
If the subject makes a request,
you are to seek my permission before
granting the subject anything.
I, uh, I mean no offense,
but, uh, is all this
entirely necessary?
If you have a problem
following these rules,
then I suggest that you conduct
your evaluation
from inside the control room
per my original recommendation.
[Exhales sharply]
No, that won't be required.
Do not, for any reason, release
the subject from the restraints.
In the event the subject
escapes the restraints,
drop to the floor
and cover your head.
Do not attempt
to leave the room.
Do not attempt
to re-restrain the subject.
- Understood?
- Yeah.
- Understood?
- Yes, understood.
Dr. Fonda.
I see you've met colonel birch.
The military is assisting
in this case.
I hardly think "assisting"
is a sufficient term.
Thank you for that
clarification, colonel.
[Birch] All right, so show
me what we've got here.
This is Dr. Keaton,
our director of psychiatry.
Yeah, nice to meet you,
Dr. Keaton.
Always a pleasure
to meet a fellow shrink.
Well, I hate to disappoint, but, uh,
technically I'm a psychologist.
Oh. Oh, well,
we can't all be perfect, eh?
[Beeping]
When the light is green,
you are go to zap
that little fucker.
And this charming young man
is Ryan mccrosky,
our chief technician.
Ryan, this is Dr. Fonda.
Hey.
Dr. Warner is our resident
biochemistry expert.
Ah, nice to meet you,
Dr. Warner.
Likewise.
[Beeping]
It's time.
If you don't mind, colonel, I'd
like to walk Dr. Fonda over myself.
Be my guest.
You'll have to excuse them.
It's my fault they've had to
spend so much time
in that little room.
Well, you're the boss.
[Beep, door buzzes]
All clear, agent price.
Thank you, gentlemen.
[Squeaking]
I know this all seems
a bit strange, but...
Please try to go in there
with an open mind.
Well, if I couldn't do that,
I wouldn't be here.
Thank you, Jimmy.
Hello, Eleanor.
My name is James Fonda.
- I am here to...
- I love the sweater vest.
Well, thank you. I'm not all...
You have it all.
Worn loafers,
second hand slacks,
tattered briefcase.
I'm not quite sure I follow.
But the truth is in the details.
The lines on your face.
Your posture.
Distinct lack of concern
with your hairstyle.
Did miss Olivia send
a bargain bin find in with me?
How quaint.
You're a very observant
young lady.
I assume you have experience
with troubled youth.
Most likely
from bad neighborhoods.
What makes you say that?
That must be challenging work.
I imagine the return rate isn't
particularly high in those situations.
It must wear on you,
not being able to save them.
It does, but it also makes
each success
that much more satisfying.
And that's so conducive to a
satisfying home life, I feel, is it?
It is hard for me to imagine
your loving wife
allowing you out of the house
in your...
Current state.
My wife?
It is, unless she isn't
around anymore.
You shut her out, didn't you?
To look at you, I'd say
you shut most everyone out.
Is it easier to keep them away
than to risk getting hurt again?
That was quite an evaluation,
Eleanor.
Don't call me Eleanor.
What should I call you?
Ellie is better.
All right.
Ellie does suit you.
Spare me your pandering.
I'm well beyond your usual
trust-building exercises.
I agree, again.
Then let's skip the formalities and
get straight into it, shall we?
Into what?
You are an analyst, are you not?
[Exhales sharply] I am.
And you have my file?
I do.
And you've got nothing for me?
No diagnosis?
Well, perhaps I'm not
as perceptive as you.
But, uh, to be honest,
I haven't even read this.
[Ellie] Is that right?
Relax. He's bluffing.
He wouldn't go in there blind.
[Fonda] It ls.
Is this common practice for you?
Arriving woefully unprepared?
If I had read this, it would have colored
my perception of you before we met.
Now personally, I prefer to hear
from the individual in question
rather than focusing on a
particular problem they have
or mistake they made.
Even if said individual
is a maladjusted prepubescent?
All the more so with children,
as they aren't usually
given enough credit
when it comes to
expressing their own anxieties.
I was right about you.
You were right
about a lot of things.
I have worked with children.
Often from rough neighborhoods,
and I'm not particularly
concerned with my hairstyle.
I don't believe, however,
that qualifies me as a, uh,
bargain bin find.
The other shrinks
they brought me
wore designer suits
and fancy watches.
A watch is a, uh,
funny device these days.
I have a friend who is obsessed
with fancy watches.
Eventually,
after years of hard work,
he rewarded himself with one.
And it was beautiful.
But the problem was
after about a week,
it was nearly two minutes slow.
He wound it, set it.
Another week went by,
same problem.
He was always losing time.
Yeah, my father gave me
this watch a long time ago.
It's not flashy by any means.
But I'll tell you what,
it's never lost a minute.
Yeah, a time piece may have
aesthetic value.
At its core, though,
it is a single function device.
Shiny or dull,
all that matters is
how well it tells the time.
And you can tell the time?
Never lost a minute.
You stand to lose
more than time in here.
Well, I'm willing to take
that chance if you are.
Perhaps.
But certainly not on
an empty stomach.
You hungry?
Peanut butter and banana
on whole wheat with chips
or celery.
So specific.
I take it with apple juice.
I'll see what I can drum up.
- [Door buzzes]
- And Jimmy?
No crust.
[Door buzzes]
I assume you have the means
to prepare Ellie's lunch.
- Mccrosky.
- What the hell?
[Exasperated sigh]
What do you think?
She's an extraordinary child.
[Chuckles]
Well, perhaps this is old hat
for all of you,
but you can't deny
how remarkable her intellect is.
Her intellect is not
what concerns me, doctor.
What does concern you?
I'm more concerned with the
patient's personality disorders.
Disorders?
I think we can both agree
that she suffers
from a severe
superiority complex.
Well, given her advanced
intelligence,
one might excuse
some feelings of superiority.
Oh, not when it escalates to...
You really didn't read the file.
No. Like I, uh, told Ellie,
I like to hear the individual's
version of things first.
Professional
irresponsibility aside,
I think you owe it to yourself
to understand the violence
this patient is capable of.
Well, I trust it'll become clear
in talking with Eleanor.
We would prefer that it didn't.
- [Door opens]
- Man slave reporting for duty.
You told me you were ready.
And you told me you needed
someone with an open mind.
Dr. Fonda, I have a lot
riding on this,
and I don't like the feeling that
you're not taking it seriously.
Everyone has a process, Olivia.
Mine can rub people
the wrong way,
but it is effective.
I need you to trust me on that.
Hey, doc,
celery's not gonna chop itself.
So, uh, how long do you think
this is gonna take?
'Cause, uh,
I got a hot date tonight,
and I am, like, 85% sure that this girl
is a freak, you know what I'm saying?
I'm... I'm sorry.
I'm not sure I follow.
Uh, let's just say I plan on
dipping into the sauce, you know?
I think what he's trying to ask is how
long you think your evaluation will last.
Uh, hard to say. Ellie knows
why I'm here, which, uh,
complicates my approach.
How long does progress in a
case like this usually take?
The walls are built high. They may
prove difficult to pull down.
Well, a meal fit for a Princess.
Or a spoiled little psycho.
[Laughter]
[Door buzzes]
[Door locks]
That looks like orange juice.
You don't like orange juice?
I said apple.
I thought we might try
something different today.
Juice is juice, I suppose.
Excellent.
Let me get you started here.
The situation would be much improved
for everyone if I can use my hands.
I've been emphatically warned
against that.
Open up now.
I suppose you are
more comfortable with this?
Servant of the peasants
that you are?
You seem quite fixated
on socioeconomic status.
I have had enough exposure to you
working-class folks to know what you are.
What are we?
A lost cause.
I don't believe you're qualified to
condemn and entire class of people.
The number of dumpy towns we
pass through might surprise you.
We?
My mother and I.
I see.
And your father?
No one told you?
Colonel birch is my father.
[Laughter]
[Chuckles]
That, uh,
certainly complicates things.
The good colonel
wasn't around much, you see?
Sounds rough.
And you and your mother couldn't
settle into any of these dumpy towns?
In spite of her deficiencies,
she knew that if people
understood what I was capable of,
I would end up
in a place like this.
She didn't want that for you.
Where is she now?
She's dead.
Oh.
I'm sorry.
Why?
Because it sounds like
she loved you a lot.
I don't like that term.
"Love." it's vague, overused.
How so?
Love is the guise under which
selfishness operates.
Parents only love their children so long
as they maintain control over them.
[Chuckles]
And the other side of that,
as a child, did you, uh,
love your mother?
At one point, I was convinced the
affinity I felt for her was love.
However, now I realize
the Harmony our lives shared
was closer to what one might
share with a common house pet...
A realization
that didn't make it easier
when the time came
to put her down.
Put her down?
That's right. You should have
read your file, Jimmy.
So, you, um...
She had become more a hindrance
than the catalyst at that point.
She was holding you back.
That's right.
I'm not sure I follow you.
That doesn't surprise me.
Were you ever in a place
like this with her around?
I was under the impression ink blots
were out of favor in your community.
A lot of people
have given up on them.
Not you.
Well, you find they still hold
value in certain situations.
Let's try a few.
I assumed you were beyond
such rudimentary techniques.
Afraid you might not like
what I see?
All right.
I'm going to hold up a card.
I don't want you to think too...
I know how it works.
Right.
Looks like a dog I found
on a street once.
It had been run over,
its blood running
into the gutter.
World war ll gas chamber,
naked emaciated bodies
piled high.
Ugh. What the...?
[Phone vibrating]
Oh, shit.
Gotta take this.
[Door opens, closes]
Hey, anybody else notice that
sudden rise in temperature?
[Laughter] -[Ellie] They're
removing blackened gloves.
But it's messy.
Blood everywhere.
The girl is clearly
toying with him.
Yeah, what is this guy?
An amateur?
Well, she wouldn't have brought him in a
this point if she didn't have a good reason.
She's grasping at straws.
That one looks just like
colonel birch's swollen eye.
Shit.
Oh, relax, colonel.
Just a couple of more hours
and we're free.
At the rate he's moving, we're
going to be here all night.
All night? Well, pull him out of there.
We don't have time for this.
[Ellie] A pack of chimpanzees tearing the
flesh off their young and eating it.
Ryan has a point, colonel.
We're moving in circles
with all this.
This is agent price's
little experiment, not mine.
Yeah? Well then, why doesn't she
just adopt the little antichrist
- and let us off the hook?
- Give it a rest, mccrosky.
- [Ellie] Judas hanging himself.
- If I miss this date,
I am going to be
very unpleasant to work with.
[Ellie]
He has been disemboweled.
His intestines dangle with him.
- What do you think... about all this?
- [Ellie] Car accident.
The driver has gone
through the windshield.
His heart is pumping blood
onto the hood.
We won't learn anything significant
about the patient this way.
[Ellie] That one looks
like a battered woman.
Actually it resembles
miss Olivia.
Oh, here we go. -[Ellie] She is
bruised and scarred on her face.
She is moving forward, but I see blood
running down her legs from under her skirt.
[Door opens, closes]
What did I miss?
- [Exhales deeply]
- [Ellie] It is you, Jimmy.
You are sinking into a bog
of some kind.
I'm not sure
you are going to make it out.
- Last one?
- Mm-hmm.
My mother's head
split down the middle.
Blood trickling down
over her face.
How did I do?
There was a distinct trend
in your answers.
You don't say?
It's one of the reasons
I still like this test.
Even if the subject is being
purposely disingenuous,
patterns still arise
within their responses,
which shed light on certain
aspects of the psyche.
This should be interesting.
The dark shapelessness
of the blot
often leads people
to their own fears.
I see.
You, uh, specifically used the term
"blood" four times in ten cards.
It was five times, actually.
Does blood frighten you?
- No.
- What do you fear?
Only what I don't understand.
So you understand blood?
- Certainly.
- Do you have experience with it?
- A little.
- Human blood?
Enough to know
it doesn't make me squeamish.
What about your mother's blood?
That's the obvious encounter.
Was your mother afraid of blood?
Not that I'm aware of.
Was she afraid of you?
No.
But she should have been.
She believed the mundanities cf
everyday life could apply to me.
Right, wrong, good, evil.
The inventions
of an inferior breed of man.
You're above all of that?
My existence is elevated, yes.
How does your, uh, current situation
factor into that elevation?
My fate ends here,
it always has,
no matter what ideas
of salvation
you or anyone else
may have for me.
What is it you need
salvation from?
Miss Olivia.
Naughty, naughty.
Let me ask you a question,
Jimmy.
What possible reason
could they have
for strapping a nine-year-old
to a chair like this?
What is it people do when they
happen upon something different?
Something they can't comprehend?
In there,
they can't comprehend me,
and it terrifies them.
But what if they were able
to get a closer look at me?
Say at my brain chemistry?
They might be able to understand
just how different I am.
And how to control me.
That warm blanket of comfort comes
at a relatively small cost.
You aren't the first of your kind
miss Olivia has sent in here
in an ill-fated attempt
to justify my existence.
However, I am fairly certain
you will be the last.
[Door opens, closes]
Is it true?
I thought if you knew,
then you...
Is it true?
It's all right, agent price.
Dr. Fonda is a smart man.
I'm sure he can see the logic
in our decision.
You were going
to cut that girl open?
Yes.
I don't believe it.
The patient's assertions
are correct.
This mutation is something
the scientific community
and the world
can't afford to ignore.
The only way to be thorough
in such matters...
Is from the inside out.
That is worth her life?
The threat she poses far
outweighs any potential benefit.
And all of you condone this?
That's right.
You must understand none of us
are keen on euthanizing a minor.
Euthanasia is a method reserved
for animals.
Ellie's a child.
No. My grandkids are children.
That thing in there is nothing
more than a ticking time bomb.
What is she capable of
that warrants this fear?
That's classified information.
Given the circumstances, I
believe I have a right to know.
No. No, you don't.
Eleanor can do things...
That we've never seen before.
Things that have proven
dangerous.
Dangerous enough
to justify murder?
Ask her mother.
It is an extremely unfortunate situation.
No one is denying it.
Each of the analysts I brought in
came away with the same conclusion.
- Which is?
- Social detachment.
Lack of empathy.
Manipulative tendencies.
Girl is a sociopath.
Her intellect only amplifies her
already troubling behavioral patterns.
With all that intelligence,
you don't find this suspicious
that she is telling us
exactly what we need to hear
to draw that conclusion?
How much time do I have?
The execution is tomorrow.
- Jimmy?
- I need a minute.
[Door opens, closes]
Uh, this probably isn't
the best time, but, uh,
I need to leave in, like,
15 minutes, so...
I realize I should have been
upfront with you,
but I don't have time for
long-winded apologies right now.
You don't have to play
the boss with me.
We have been in that room
day in and day out for the year
trying to figure out
what to make of her.
And this is what you settled on?
It's been several months
since this...
Autopsy was proposed, and the
others' minds are made up.
But the decision
has to be unanimous.
Ellie's given me no reason
for my continues support.
I can't hold them off any more.
I agreed to change my vote
if they gave me one last chance
to get through to her.
Me.
They don't see her
for what she is anymore.
And if we don't make them see,
she dies.
I'm sorry, Jimmy, but you're
the best chance I had.
[Exhales deeply]
The guards took something
from me when I came in.
I need to get it back.
[Door beeps, buzzes]
Thought I lost you for a minute.
I'm not so easy to get rid of.
Do you know chess?
Are we resorting to such unorthodox
analytical methods already?
Chess is my favorite game.
I thought I might teach you.
[Scoffs] I doubt there's much
of anything you could teach me.
Then you know how to play.
I found the game quite boring.
Within a week, I set speed records
against a master computer.
Oh, there's your problem.
You played against a computer.
A game against a person
is much more stimulating.
And I take it your vast psychological
prowess gives you an advantage.
There's only one way
to find out.
All right,
but I'll need my hands.
Calling out the moves
is easy enough.
I'll help you
with the rank and file, and...
How do you expect your patient
to trust you
if you won't trust her?
[Exhales deeply] We both know
it's against the rules, Ellie.
Desperate times
call for desperate measures.
Oh, boy.
What does he think he is doing?
Son of a bitch.
Boom goes the dynamite.
That's it.
I'm shutting him down.
No, you're not.
He's gonna get himself killed.
Dr. Fonda knows what he's doing.
- Actually, he doesn't.
- Ryan, ready the pulse.
Colonel, you don't have
the authority...
If this situation
becomes hostile,
I do have the authority
to override your command.
Ryan, the pulse. Now.
Shit just got real.
[Powering up]
Are you waiting for something?
Oh, no. [Chuckles] Sorry.
Here, let me move the board
so we ca...
Your move.
Yes, it would appear so.
I've always found the early
moves to be the most important,
and they shape the face
of the game.
If you say so.
You know,
the computer moved instantly.
- And?
- And I was led to believe
this would be
a more stimulating experience.
Uh, stimulations lies in
the analysis.
Chess is not a game of speed.
Not for some, clearly.
So why you? Now?
After all the stiffs?
Is this a reevaluation?
Perhaps I've, uh,
graduated from the, um,
bargain bin to the sales rack.
You're right.
I shouldn't risk
slowing you down.
No, I think I can multitask.
You know, agent price and I were
schoolmates at university. That's where...
You were schoolmates, huh?
Mm-hmm.
And that's why she was keeping
such close tabs on you?
What is it you're implying?
Simply put, miss Olivia is
a reasonably attractive woman
for her age.
I'm sure that at university,
she was quite a dish.
I can only imagine
the canoodling that took place.
[Chuckles]
Eyes forward, gentlemen.
Sorry to, uh, disappoint,
Eleanor,
but I don't canoodle and tell.
And what would your wife think of
this liaison with an old flame?
I don't think my wife would
think anything of it any more.
You don't realistically
expect her to return, do you?
No. That, um,
that part of my life is over.
Really?
King without his queen.
Check.
Perhaps you can answer me this.
Why is it always trinkets when someone
wants to hold on to the past?
My mother, she used to
wear this little trinket.
What was it?
It was this inane fox pendant
I made when I was very young.
And, uh, that bothered you?
It was crude. Rudimentary.
In spite of my obvious talents, it was that
she insisted on displaying to the world.
Do you know why she wore it?
She told me
I was very proud of the piece.
It was the only reminder
I was ever just a child.
Physical manifestation
of my being in a lesser from.
I doubt there was
so much analysis involved.
All this ring does for me is remind me
of the joy I experienced with my family.
I think she wore it to remind
herself how much she loved you.
You should worry less about love and
more about the hole you are in.
I don't see what hole you mean.
You must be blind. I have
complete control of the board.
Just by nature's defensive game,
to protect what is important,
we build walls.
But I can understand how and why
my opponent builds their walls up.
It gives me an advantage
when I want to break them down.
At that point, what matters isn't
the quantity of pieces you take,
but the quality of those you do.
Check... mate.
No!
Hit the pulse, Ryan.
- Wait.
- If that wasn't hostile, I don't know...
Look.
[Heavy breathing]
Another game.
No.
Afraid you might not be
so lucky this time?
[Door buzzes]
I'm not afraid to lose.
But if I did, I certainly hope I
would do it with a bit more grace.
- What the hell do you think this is?
- Birch!
Do you think this is a game or are you too
stupid to know what's good for you, huh?
Colonel, this is unacceptable.
This son of a bitch put every single
person in this compound in danger.
You call that acceptable?
This situation called
for extreme action.
Disobeying a direct order
is inexcusable.
- Spare me your orders!
- No, no, no, no.
The colonel is... is right.
The rules are in place for a
reason, and I violated them.
For that, I apologize.
We, uh, do, however,
need drastic results,
and I'm not going to get them
with a set of ink blots.
I hope it was worth it.
Do you, um, have access
to Ellie's mother's effects?
Yeah.
I'll need to see them.
You know, doctor,
we all have to thank you.
That little stunt you pulled in there
proved how volatile the patient is.
I didn't see it that way.
There's no denying the threatening
nature of that outburst.
I'm sure we've all seen a child
throw a temper tantrum before.
Not one that ripped a steel
table clean off its bolts, no.
You only saw her reaction.
You didn't see how
she played the game.
Oh, this should be good.
Please, enlighten us
on what we missed.
It's small moves that determine
the outcome in chess.
Ellie was in control and had
the opportunity to finish me,
but it meant sacrificing
her queen.
She didn't make the move.
She chose to protect her queen.
Okay. So the kid sucks at chess?
I believe that Ellie
subconsciously linked her queen,
that trinket,
to the memory of her mother.
[Laughing]
- Wow.
- What a joke.
We don't have to stand here and listen
to this bullshit. Can we call this?
It was an elementary move.
One that someone with Ellie's
intellectual prowess wouldn't pass up.
Could be a mistake.
Even geniuses make mistakes.
It wasn't a mistake.
The child made several
counterintuitive moves,
each of which
protected her queen.
Not that it validates
the girl's reaction,
but Dr. Fonda's proposed
attachment to the piece is,
well, not entirely
without merit.
Thank you, doctor.
Fine, the kid loves queens.
Take her to a drag show.
I have to agree.
That proves nothing.
Dr. Keaton, what is the one
thing a sociopath lacks?
Uh, empathy.
Attachments.
Uh-huh. [Chuckles]
I gleaned much more from the
way Ellie played the game
then the way she responded
to losing it.
And we're all thrilled
for you, doctor.
We're talking about a threat
to national security.
The girl's reaction is in line
with all previous data.
That's what I'm talking about.
Let's get the hell out of here.
I need more time.
We're all in agreement.
Your time is up.
Hold on.
I think it's worth giving
Dr. Fonda another chance.
- What?
- You got to be kidding me.
I don't know if it will make
a difference,
but he has progressed
much further than the others.
By risking the security
of this entire compound.
I will not stand idly by
and allow that to happen again.
That is not your call, colonel.
Oh, you don't think so?
I'd say that last outburst
was contentious enough.
And how contentious
is the situation now?
If you're gonna play that card,
you better be damn sure
you're able to justify it.
Let's not forget that
that is a killer in there.
I'm starting to think that this
may have to end in blood
for you to acknowledge
her as such.
[Door opens, closes]
Olivia, she's lost.
And she's angry.
But she is in there.
[Sighs]
Give me time. I'll find her.
[Door buzzes, opens]
Feeling better?
We made quite a mess, didn't we?
[Exhales deeply]
A bit off the top,
but no harm done.
Can't say the same
for your file.
[Exhales sharply]
[Exhales sharply]
You know, you could be
a big help if you wanted.
That might constitute a threat.
I'm beginning to understand
why your wife left you.
You don't say?
Your persistence,
it's intolerable.
Late nights in the slums
instead of dinner at home.
That's the kind of thing
that poisons a marriage.
I'm afraid we don't have time
to discuss...
Correction.
You don't have time.
Must we play this game?
Children like games.
If you don't want to play,
the door is right there.
I know where it is.
[Ellie] Hold on.
Do you see that?
It looks different from before.
It looks like your wife, yes?
She's at home, tucked into bed.
With a new man.
If you turn it this way,
it's a bit more abstract.
It's your ideals, the same
persistence that tore you two apart.
[Paper ripping]
Work wasn't the reason
my wife left.
Tell me more.
We lost a child.
Our daughter.
Several years ago.
And, uh,
my wife didn't cope well
with her death.
Eventually, she left.
Now we are getting somewhere.
Tell me what happened.
She was playing in the yard
and was hit by a car.
Oof, damn.
Was it quick?
No. She was very strong.
And you were there, by her side?
Every day.
But you couldn't save her.
No.
And that was when you started
working with children.
More so, yes.
And consequently,
why you are here now.
I am here to help you, Ellie.
It isn't really about me,
though.
It's about the return rate.
You think that if you can
save enough of us,
lt'll wash away your own pain.
It's pathetic.
Inn:
Doubt there's anything more painful
than losing someone we love.
I remember combing through
the events of that day
a hundred times trying
to make sense of it.
I was so overwhelmed by the feeling
that her death was my fault.
Rightly so.
She was yours to protect.
Yeah, I believed that
for a long time.
It was easier for me
to punish myself
than to accept that I was
somehow powerless.
Running from that truth...
Is what makes us
believe these things.
Things that... lead us down
a destructive path.
Takes a...
A different kind of courage
to stop running.
To face that truth.
The pain may never
go away completely.
But if you let go of the guilt,
it does get better.
Did the colonel ever tell you
how he got that nasty scar?
I'm not interested in...
Birch really is the epitome
of what I despise in people.
[Table slams]
So set in his antiquated ways.
He can't see he's spent
his entire life
marching to the beat
of someone else's drum.
Sticks and stones, colonel.
When I first arrived,
he was determined to be the one to
access the potential locked within me.
After dozens
of unsuccessful probes,
his frustration ballooned.
One day, he unbound me.
Pulled out a pen
just like this one.
He told me he wasn't afraid.
That he didn't believe
I had any control over my power.
You don't have to do this,
Ellie.
I wonder...
If he is afraid now.
- [Pulsing]
- [Grunting]
Ellie?
Can you hear me?
[Grunting]
Olivia, what's happening?
That's enough.
[Powering down]
That was unnecessary.
It was a warning.
The patient knows the rules.
Ellie, can I help you?
No, you can't. None of you can.
You pushed them, Ellie.
Now you're on their side?
- Here, let... let's...
- Get off me!
- Let me at Lea...
- I said get off!
That's it! 50%.
[Powering up]
- [Pulsing]
- [Groaning]
[Ellie groaning]
Holy shit.
I see you, colonel.
75%, mccrosky.
[Pulsing intensifies]
[Glass cracking]
[Alarm blaring]
[Telepathically]
I don't wonder anymore.
I know you are afraid.
- Give her everything.
- No. It'll kill her.
What is it you think
she plans to do to us?
- Crank it, Ryan.
- Don't.
Agent price is no longer
in command.
- [Pulsing]
- [Alarm blaring]
[Groaning]
Now!
- [Pulsing intensifies]
- [Alarm blaring]
[Grunts]
[Groans]
You okay?
I'll live.
What happened?
She's been prepped
and is awaiting transport.
Transport? Where?
But she's still here now.
Fonda-.
If I could just get
a few more minutes...
I'm afraid I'm no longer
the authority here.
There must be some way
we can, uh,
appeal to your superiors.
I have poured almost all of my
professional credibility into that room.
I got to take the little
I have left to walk away.
The facade was crumbling.
Doesn't matter. Not after that.
Everyone in the control room
must have seen it.
- If... if we were...
- Jimmy.
It's over.
Her mother's effects.
I'm sorry I got you caught up
in all this.
I heard about your daughter.
Yeah. That was a very
dark time for me.
Yet, um, every year since,
I've become more convinced that
it's those moments that define us.
That our struggles are...
Simply questions life asks.
At the end, all that
matters is how we answer.
[Chuckles]
You're just the way
I remember you.
You aren't so different
yourself.
You were the boss then, too.
[Chuckles]
Why was it you, um,
thought to call me?
I knew you had been working
with kids ever since...
What happened.
Anyway, when all this
came up, I, um...
Inn:
[Sighs]
You found yourself in a position
to help a little girl.
Yeah.
Anyway, I've spent the last
year of my life
throwing away everything
I've worked for for nothing.
I don't know. I couldn't, um...
I couldn't just...
Stand by and, um...
Let that girl die.
Maybe you won't have to.
Would you look who is up
and about.
[{door opens, closes] - What the
hell does he think he's doing?
He needs another chance.
Another chance?
What's going on here?
Colonel was clear. He said
nobody goes in, nobody goes out.
And where is birch now?
Now those were strict orders.
Yeah, I don't know about you,
but I can't get fired again.
Fired? We're talking treason.
I'll take full responsibility.
Tell him I forced you.
Do you really think
he's gonna buy that?
Agent price?
I know this is hard.
Maybe we need to accept that colonel
birch is doing the right thing.
We all witnessed
how violently Ellie responded.
To provocation.
Does that make her
any less dangerous?
I saw something
before that response.
A crack in the persona Ellie has
spent so much time building.
And I know both of you
saw it, too.
We are sending that girl to die.
If there's even the slightest
chance that she can be saved,
I think it's a chance
worth taking.
I just... I'm not sure we can.
[{beeps] - [Alarm blaring]
Thank you.
Well, missed my date anyway.
I hope you're right about this.
Me, too.
[Door buzzes, opens]
The hour is lit, doctor.
This won't change anything.
It is worth trying.
And if you succeed,
what then?
Ellie gets a chance at life.
What kind of life?
Life in a cage?
Never knowing any existence
beyond isolation?
Given what humanity
stands to gain,
the solution
is mutually beneficial.
I don't see it that way.
That's unfortunate.
I'm afraid the colonel does.
It's about time.
Eleanor.
Ever the idealist, aren't we?
I see now why miss Olivia was so
keen to acquire your services,
besides her obvious desire to
rekindle an old flame, that is.
We don't have much time, Ellie.
Looks to me like
you're already out of time.
[Exhales deeply]
I need you to tell me
what happened to your mother.
Read the file, James.
It's all there.
I want to hear it from you.
Too bad. I'm far too consumed
with my own execution.
[Exasperated sigh]
That's a shame.
I'm gonna be in big trouble
for breaking in here.
So leave.
No, I'll just, uh, wait.
You know, maybe birch
will let me accompany you.
You know he won't.
[Swans]
What ls it you want to know?
Just what happened.
I killed her...
In cold blood.
That doesn't seem logical.
She was the person
who cared for you most.
There's your problem.
Your perspective is clouded by the
cumbersome weight of emotion,
without which,
my logic is perfectly sound.
What the hell is going on here?
Colonel, it was my call.
I will personally see to it
that you burn for this.
That's fine.
This isn't about me or you.
I need three men and a ram now.
Colonel, please just let him have a chance...
- Enough! Sit down.
- [Fonda] What do you mean?
- Or what?
Or you will have
a much less comfortable seat
for the remainder
of this demonstration.
[Fonda] I don't think I can get
into your head if I wanted to.
[Ellie] Maybe you think you
can change things around.
Until you get the results
you seek.
This is over.
Ryan, hit her with a pulse.
- No.
- [Fonda] That is just not true.
- Excuse me?
- [Stammers]
It's still charging
from the power overload.
How long?
Uh, three minutes. -[Ellie] You still
have yet to tell me what you do think.
I think you're lying, Ellie.
To me, to everyone else.
To yourself.
Is that your diagnosis?
That I'm a liar?
No. I think you're lying
because you feel guilty.
I think you loved your mother
very much.
Back to love again, are we?
It must be easy to hide behind
an intellect so powerful.
I'm not hiding.
How did it happen?
I told you.
Was it an accident?
Like with me earlier?
No. I murdered her.
I meant to do it,
and I'd do it again.
All so you would end up here?
Correct.
So you killed her
in insure your own death.
My actions simply expedited
the inevitable.
Then why not take care
of it yourself?
Deny them the pleasure
of cutting you open.
You'd prefer I had?
No, but it would have made
more sense given your, uh,
self-destructive agenda.
You must have known this process
would involve a great deal
of deliberation.
There was no rush.
So you were resolved
to suffer through
the psychological scrutiny.
I wasn't going to deny myself
a last vestige of fun.
Maybe you thought one
of these experts could help you.
I assure you that thought
never crossed my mind.
Were you afraid?
Of what?
Behind all your understanding,
is there no fear
of your own mortality?
I'm not afraid to die.
I believe you.
I think you're afraid
to live with yourself...
After what happened.
I'm not afraid of anything.
One minute.
Colonel?
When it's hot, you fire up. -[Fonda] You
can't afford to keep doing this, Ellie.
Neither of us have the time.
[Ellie] Finally. Something
we can agree on.
- Time's up.
- [Banging]
You have everyone fooled, Ellie.
But when I lock at you, I still
see a scared little girl.
- [Banging]
- Then you are blind.
- [Banging]
- This numbness,
this anxiousness
to hurt yourself,
all feelings we experience
in times of trauma.
Like losing someone you love.
[Rumbling, banging]
I've heard enough about love.
You have given in.
You let guilt turn your
wonderful gifts against you.
I said enough.
Do you miss her?
You still wake up
in the night, don't you?
- Shut up.
- Do you call out to her?
Shut up!
- You're still expecting she'll come and hold you.
Shut up!
Do it.
What are you waiting for?
I... can't.
It's her.
What if you can't tell the time?
After all,
what if my disdain for
humanity's inferior existence
was becoming too much for me...
[Grunts] - And my self-destruction
was an act of mercy?
What if your provocation
backfires
and convinces me to turn
on both sides?
[Grunting]
To become the monster
they would so like me to be?
[Gasping]
You decide what you become.
[Grunts]
Where did you get that?
[Music playing]
[Crashing, glass shatters]
[All grunting]
Clear! Move in!
[Ellie sobbing]
[Sobbing]
It was my fault.
I didn't mean it.
I know.
I know. It was an accident.
[Sobbing]
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
It's all right, Ellie.
Everything is gonna be
all right.
[Sobbing]
[Groaning]
[Humming]
Check.
[Chuckles]
I only have so much time
away from the facility.
I'd prefer to make
the most of it.
Chess is not a game of speed.
So I've heard.
Perhaps you could benefit from a
little practice in your free time.
Free time?
Dr. Werner isn't working you
too hard, I hope.
He's having trouble keeping up.
[Chuckles]
How's agent price?
Pardon?
I haven't seen her around.
I thought maybe you had.
She's, um,
she's fine.
I'll give her your regards.
Careful, doctor,
you're slipping.
I'm not so sure about that.
Check.
[Music playing]
[Film projector starting]
[Music playing]
[Indistinct chatter]
Do you always play alone?
Challenging yourself can teach you
quite a bit about who you are.
Plus, I always win.
Or lose.
A matter of perspective.
Olivia.
Lovely to see you.
And you, Jimmy.
Hmm.
No one's called me Jimmy
in years.
Well, that's too bad.
It suits you.
Not so sure about that
these days.
Well, you'll always be Jimmy
to me.
Do you have time
to grab a cup of coffee?
Catch up a little?
I'm afraid we're on
a tight schedule.
No time for chit-chat.
All right,
just give me a moment.
How you feeling about all this?
Well, this process
is a little different.
But you think you're ready?
Well, I do think I'm ready
for anything at this point.
I hope so.
[Alarm blaring]
Wait. Pocket.
Again.
[Alarm blaring]
Arms up.
[Beeping]
Yeah, I'll be getting that back,
yes?
You are not to touch
the subject.
Do not leave anything
near the subject's hands.
If the subject makes a request,
you are to seek my permission before
granting the subject anything.
I, uh, I mean no offense,
but, uh, is all this
entirely necessary?
If you have a problem
following these rules,
then I suggest that you conduct
your evaluation
from inside the control room
per my original recommendation.
[Exhales sharply]
No, that won't be required.
Do not, for any reason, release
the subject from the restraints.
In the event the subject
escapes the restraints,
drop to the floor
and cover your head.
Do not attempt
to leave the room.
Do not attempt
to re-restrain the subject.
- Understood?
- Yeah.
- Understood?
- Yes, understood.
Dr. Fonda.
I see you've met colonel birch.
The military is assisting
in this case.
I hardly think "assisting"
is a sufficient term.
Thank you for that
clarification, colonel.
[Birch] All right, so show
me what we've got here.
This is Dr. Keaton,
our director of psychiatry.
Yeah, nice to meet you,
Dr. Keaton.
Always a pleasure
to meet a fellow shrink.
Well, I hate to disappoint, but, uh,
technically I'm a psychologist.
Oh. Oh, well,
we can't all be perfect, eh?
[Beeping]
When the light is green,
you are go to zap
that little fucker.
And this charming young man
is Ryan mccrosky,
our chief technician.
Ryan, this is Dr. Fonda.
Hey.
Dr. Warner is our resident
biochemistry expert.
Ah, nice to meet you,
Dr. Warner.
Likewise.
[Beeping]
It's time.
If you don't mind, colonel, I'd
like to walk Dr. Fonda over myself.
Be my guest.
You'll have to excuse them.
It's my fault they've had to
spend so much time
in that little room.
Well, you're the boss.
[Beep, door buzzes]
All clear, agent price.
Thank you, gentlemen.
[Squeaking]
I know this all seems
a bit strange, but...
Please try to go in there
with an open mind.
Well, if I couldn't do that,
I wouldn't be here.
Thank you, Jimmy.
Hello, Eleanor.
My name is James Fonda.
- I am here to...
- I love the sweater vest.
Well, thank you. I'm not all...
You have it all.
Worn loafers,
second hand slacks,
tattered briefcase.
I'm not quite sure I follow.
But the truth is in the details.
The lines on your face.
Your posture.
Distinct lack of concern
with your hairstyle.
Did miss Olivia send
a bargain bin find in with me?
How quaint.
You're a very observant
young lady.
I assume you have experience
with troubled youth.
Most likely
from bad neighborhoods.
What makes you say that?
That must be challenging work.
I imagine the return rate isn't
particularly high in those situations.
It must wear on you,
not being able to save them.
It does, but it also makes
each success
that much more satisfying.
And that's so conducive to a
satisfying home life, I feel, is it?
It is hard for me to imagine
your loving wife
allowing you out of the house
in your...
Current state.
My wife?
It is, unless she isn't
around anymore.
You shut her out, didn't you?
To look at you, I'd say
you shut most everyone out.
Is it easier to keep them away
than to risk getting hurt again?
That was quite an evaluation,
Eleanor.
Don't call me Eleanor.
What should I call you?
Ellie is better.
All right.
Ellie does suit you.
Spare me your pandering.
I'm well beyond your usual
trust-building exercises.
I agree, again.
Then let's skip the formalities and
get straight into it, shall we?
Into what?
You are an analyst, are you not?
[Exhales sharply] I am.
And you have my file?
I do.
And you've got nothing for me?
No diagnosis?
Well, perhaps I'm not
as perceptive as you.
But, uh, to be honest,
I haven't even read this.
[Ellie] Is that right?
Relax. He's bluffing.
He wouldn't go in there blind.
[Fonda] It ls.
Is this common practice for you?
Arriving woefully unprepared?
If I had read this, it would have colored
my perception of you before we met.
Now personally, I prefer to hear
from the individual in question
rather than focusing on a
particular problem they have
or mistake they made.
Even if said individual
is a maladjusted prepubescent?
All the more so with children,
as they aren't usually
given enough credit
when it comes to
expressing their own anxieties.
I was right about you.
You were right
about a lot of things.
I have worked with children.
Often from rough neighborhoods,
and I'm not particularly
concerned with my hairstyle.
I don't believe, however,
that qualifies me as a, uh,
bargain bin find.
The other shrinks
they brought me
wore designer suits
and fancy watches.
A watch is a, uh,
funny device these days.
I have a friend who is obsessed
with fancy watches.
Eventually,
after years of hard work,
he rewarded himself with one.
And it was beautiful.
But the problem was
after about a week,
it was nearly two minutes slow.
He wound it, set it.
Another week went by,
same problem.
He was always losing time.
Yeah, my father gave me
this watch a long time ago.
It's not flashy by any means.
But I'll tell you what,
it's never lost a minute.
Yeah, a time piece may have
aesthetic value.
At its core, though,
it is a single function device.
Shiny or dull,
all that matters is
how well it tells the time.
And you can tell the time?
Never lost a minute.
You stand to lose
more than time in here.
Well, I'm willing to take
that chance if you are.
Perhaps.
But certainly not on
an empty stomach.
You hungry?
Peanut butter and banana
on whole wheat with chips
or celery.
So specific.
I take it with apple juice.
I'll see what I can drum up.
- [Door buzzes]
- And Jimmy?
No crust.
[Door buzzes]
I assume you have the means
to prepare Ellie's lunch.
- Mccrosky.
- What the hell?
[Exasperated sigh]
What do you think?
She's an extraordinary child.
[Chuckles]
Well, perhaps this is old hat
for all of you,
but you can't deny
how remarkable her intellect is.
Her intellect is not
what concerns me, doctor.
What does concern you?
I'm more concerned with the
patient's personality disorders.
Disorders?
I think we can both agree
that she suffers
from a severe
superiority complex.
Well, given her advanced
intelligence,
one might excuse
some feelings of superiority.
Oh, not when it escalates to...
You really didn't read the file.
No. Like I, uh, told Ellie,
I like to hear the individual's
version of things first.
Professional
irresponsibility aside,
I think you owe it to yourself
to understand the violence
this patient is capable of.
Well, I trust it'll become clear
in talking with Eleanor.
We would prefer that it didn't.
- [Door opens]
- Man slave reporting for duty.
You told me you were ready.
And you told me you needed
someone with an open mind.
Dr. Fonda, I have a lot
riding on this,
and I don't like the feeling that
you're not taking it seriously.
Everyone has a process, Olivia.
Mine can rub people
the wrong way,
but it is effective.
I need you to trust me on that.
Hey, doc,
celery's not gonna chop itself.
So, uh, how long do you think
this is gonna take?
'Cause, uh,
I got a hot date tonight,
and I am, like, 85% sure that this girl
is a freak, you know what I'm saying?
I'm... I'm sorry.
I'm not sure I follow.
Uh, let's just say I plan on
dipping into the sauce, you know?
I think what he's trying to ask is how
long you think your evaluation will last.
Uh, hard to say. Ellie knows
why I'm here, which, uh,
complicates my approach.
How long does progress in a
case like this usually take?
The walls are built high. They may
prove difficult to pull down.
Well, a meal fit for a Princess.
Or a spoiled little psycho.
[Laughter]
[Door buzzes]
[Door locks]
That looks like orange juice.
You don't like orange juice?
I said apple.
I thought we might try
something different today.
Juice is juice, I suppose.
Excellent.
Let me get you started here.
The situation would be much improved
for everyone if I can use my hands.
I've been emphatically warned
against that.
Open up now.
I suppose you are
more comfortable with this?
Servant of the peasants
that you are?
You seem quite fixated
on socioeconomic status.
I have had enough exposure to you
working-class folks to know what you are.
What are we?
A lost cause.
I don't believe you're qualified to
condemn and entire class of people.
The number of dumpy towns we
pass through might surprise you.
We?
My mother and I.
I see.
And your father?
No one told you?
Colonel birch is my father.
[Laughter]
[Chuckles]
That, uh,
certainly complicates things.
The good colonel
wasn't around much, you see?
Sounds rough.
And you and your mother couldn't
settle into any of these dumpy towns?
In spite of her deficiencies,
she knew that if people
understood what I was capable of,
I would end up
in a place like this.
She didn't want that for you.
Where is she now?
She's dead.
Oh.
I'm sorry.
Why?
Because it sounds like
she loved you a lot.
I don't like that term.
"Love." it's vague, overused.
How so?
Love is the guise under which
selfishness operates.
Parents only love their children so long
as they maintain control over them.
[Chuckles]
And the other side of that,
as a child, did you, uh,
love your mother?
At one point, I was convinced the
affinity I felt for her was love.
However, now I realize
the Harmony our lives shared
was closer to what one might
share with a common house pet...
A realization
that didn't make it easier
when the time came
to put her down.
Put her down?
That's right. You should have
read your file, Jimmy.
So, you, um...
She had become more a hindrance
than the catalyst at that point.
She was holding you back.
That's right.
I'm not sure I follow you.
That doesn't surprise me.
Were you ever in a place
like this with her around?
I was under the impression ink blots
were out of favor in your community.
A lot of people
have given up on them.
Not you.
Well, you find they still hold
value in certain situations.
Let's try a few.
I assumed you were beyond
such rudimentary techniques.
Afraid you might not like
what I see?
All right.
I'm going to hold up a card.
I don't want you to think too...
I know how it works.
Right.
Looks like a dog I found
on a street once.
It had been run over,
its blood running
into the gutter.
World war ll gas chamber,
naked emaciated bodies
piled high.
Ugh. What the...?
[Phone vibrating]
Oh, shit.
Gotta take this.
[Door opens, closes]
Hey, anybody else notice that
sudden rise in temperature?
[Laughter] -[Ellie] They're
removing blackened gloves.
But it's messy.
Blood everywhere.
The girl is clearly
toying with him.
Yeah, what is this guy?
An amateur?
Well, she wouldn't have brought him in a
this point if she didn't have a good reason.
She's grasping at straws.
That one looks just like
colonel birch's swollen eye.
Shit.
Oh, relax, colonel.
Just a couple of more hours
and we're free.
At the rate he's moving, we're
going to be here all night.
All night? Well, pull him out of there.
We don't have time for this.
[Ellie] A pack of chimpanzees tearing the
flesh off their young and eating it.
Ryan has a point, colonel.
We're moving in circles
with all this.
This is agent price's
little experiment, not mine.
Yeah? Well then, why doesn't she
just adopt the little antichrist
- and let us off the hook?
- Give it a rest, mccrosky.
- [Ellie] Judas hanging himself.
- If I miss this date,
I am going to be
very unpleasant to work with.
[Ellie]
He has been disemboweled.
His intestines dangle with him.
- What do you think... about all this?
- [Ellie] Car accident.
The driver has gone
through the windshield.
His heart is pumping blood
onto the hood.
We won't learn anything significant
about the patient this way.
[Ellie] That one looks
like a battered woman.
Actually it resembles
miss Olivia.
Oh, here we go. -[Ellie] She is
bruised and scarred on her face.
She is moving forward, but I see blood
running down her legs from under her skirt.
[Door opens, closes]
What did I miss?
- [Exhales deeply]
- [Ellie] It is you, Jimmy.
You are sinking into a bog
of some kind.
I'm not sure
you are going to make it out.
- Last one?
- Mm-hmm.
My mother's head
split down the middle.
Blood trickling down
over her face.
How did I do?
There was a distinct trend
in your answers.
You don't say?
It's one of the reasons
I still like this test.
Even if the subject is being
purposely disingenuous,
patterns still arise
within their responses,
which shed light on certain
aspects of the psyche.
This should be interesting.
The dark shapelessness
of the blot
often leads people
to their own fears.
I see.
You, uh, specifically used the term
"blood" four times in ten cards.
It was five times, actually.
Does blood frighten you?
- No.
- What do you fear?
Only what I don't understand.
So you understand blood?
- Certainly.
- Do you have experience with it?
- A little.
- Human blood?
Enough to know
it doesn't make me squeamish.
What about your mother's blood?
That's the obvious encounter.
Was your mother afraid of blood?
Not that I'm aware of.
Was she afraid of you?
No.
But she should have been.
She believed the mundanities cf
everyday life could apply to me.
Right, wrong, good, evil.
The inventions
of an inferior breed of man.
You're above all of that?
My existence is elevated, yes.
How does your, uh, current situation
factor into that elevation?
My fate ends here,
it always has,
no matter what ideas
of salvation
you or anyone else
may have for me.
What is it you need
salvation from?
Miss Olivia.
Naughty, naughty.
Let me ask you a question,
Jimmy.
What possible reason
could they have
for strapping a nine-year-old
to a chair like this?
What is it people do when they
happen upon something different?
Something they can't comprehend?
In there,
they can't comprehend me,
and it terrifies them.
But what if they were able
to get a closer look at me?
Say at my brain chemistry?
They might be able to understand
just how different I am.
And how to control me.
That warm blanket of comfort comes
at a relatively small cost.
You aren't the first of your kind
miss Olivia has sent in here
in an ill-fated attempt
to justify my existence.
However, I am fairly certain
you will be the last.
[Door opens, closes]
Is it true?
I thought if you knew,
then you...
Is it true?
It's all right, agent price.
Dr. Fonda is a smart man.
I'm sure he can see the logic
in our decision.
You were going
to cut that girl open?
Yes.
I don't believe it.
The patient's assertions
are correct.
This mutation is something
the scientific community
and the world
can't afford to ignore.
The only way to be thorough
in such matters...
Is from the inside out.
That is worth her life?
The threat she poses far
outweighs any potential benefit.
And all of you condone this?
That's right.
You must understand none of us
are keen on euthanizing a minor.
Euthanasia is a method reserved
for animals.
Ellie's a child.
No. My grandkids are children.
That thing in there is nothing
more than a ticking time bomb.
What is she capable of
that warrants this fear?
That's classified information.
Given the circumstances, I
believe I have a right to know.
No. No, you don't.
Eleanor can do things...
That we've never seen before.
Things that have proven
dangerous.
Dangerous enough
to justify murder?
Ask her mother.
It is an extremely unfortunate situation.
No one is denying it.
Each of the analysts I brought in
came away with the same conclusion.
- Which is?
- Social detachment.
Lack of empathy.
Manipulative tendencies.
Girl is a sociopath.
Her intellect only amplifies her
already troubling behavioral patterns.
With all that intelligence,
you don't find this suspicious
that she is telling us
exactly what we need to hear
to draw that conclusion?
How much time do I have?
The execution is tomorrow.
- Jimmy?
- I need a minute.
[Door opens, closes]
Uh, this probably isn't
the best time, but, uh,
I need to leave in, like,
15 minutes, so...
I realize I should have been
upfront with you,
but I don't have time for
long-winded apologies right now.
You don't have to play
the boss with me.
We have been in that room
day in and day out for the year
trying to figure out
what to make of her.
And this is what you settled on?
It's been several months
since this...
Autopsy was proposed, and the
others' minds are made up.
But the decision
has to be unanimous.
Ellie's given me no reason
for my continues support.
I can't hold them off any more.
I agreed to change my vote
if they gave me one last chance
to get through to her.
Me.
They don't see her
for what she is anymore.
And if we don't make them see,
she dies.
I'm sorry, Jimmy, but you're
the best chance I had.
[Exhales deeply]
The guards took something
from me when I came in.
I need to get it back.
[Door beeps, buzzes]
Thought I lost you for a minute.
I'm not so easy to get rid of.
Do you know chess?
Are we resorting to such unorthodox
analytical methods already?
Chess is my favorite game.
I thought I might teach you.
[Scoffs] I doubt there's much
of anything you could teach me.
Then you know how to play.
I found the game quite boring.
Within a week, I set speed records
against a master computer.
Oh, there's your problem.
You played against a computer.
A game against a person
is much more stimulating.
And I take it your vast psychological
prowess gives you an advantage.
There's only one way
to find out.
All right,
but I'll need my hands.
Calling out the moves
is easy enough.
I'll help you
with the rank and file, and...
How do you expect your patient
to trust you
if you won't trust her?
[Exhales deeply] We both know
it's against the rules, Ellie.
Desperate times
call for desperate measures.
Oh, boy.
What does he think he is doing?
Son of a bitch.
Boom goes the dynamite.
That's it.
I'm shutting him down.
No, you're not.
He's gonna get himself killed.
Dr. Fonda knows what he's doing.
- Actually, he doesn't.
- Ryan, ready the pulse.
Colonel, you don't have
the authority...
If this situation
becomes hostile,
I do have the authority
to override your command.
Ryan, the pulse. Now.
Shit just got real.
[Powering up]
Are you waiting for something?
Oh, no. [Chuckles] Sorry.
Here, let me move the board
so we ca...
Your move.
Yes, it would appear so.
I've always found the early
moves to be the most important,
and they shape the face
of the game.
If you say so.
You know,
the computer moved instantly.
- And?
- And I was led to believe
this would be
a more stimulating experience.
Uh, stimulations lies in
the analysis.
Chess is not a game of speed.
Not for some, clearly.
So why you? Now?
After all the stiffs?
Is this a reevaluation?
Perhaps I've, uh,
graduated from the, um,
bargain bin to the sales rack.
You're right.
I shouldn't risk
slowing you down.
No, I think I can multitask.
You know, agent price and I were
schoolmates at university. That's where...
You were schoolmates, huh?
Mm-hmm.
And that's why she was keeping
such close tabs on you?
What is it you're implying?
Simply put, miss Olivia is
a reasonably attractive woman
for her age.
I'm sure that at university,
she was quite a dish.
I can only imagine
the canoodling that took place.
[Chuckles]
Eyes forward, gentlemen.
Sorry to, uh, disappoint,
Eleanor,
but I don't canoodle and tell.
And what would your wife think of
this liaison with an old flame?
I don't think my wife would
think anything of it any more.
You don't realistically
expect her to return, do you?
No. That, um,
that part of my life is over.
Really?
King without his queen.
Check.
Perhaps you can answer me this.
Why is it always trinkets when someone
wants to hold on to the past?
My mother, she used to
wear this little trinket.
What was it?
It was this inane fox pendant
I made when I was very young.
And, uh, that bothered you?
It was crude. Rudimentary.
In spite of my obvious talents, it was that
she insisted on displaying to the world.
Do you know why she wore it?
She told me
I was very proud of the piece.
It was the only reminder
I was ever just a child.
Physical manifestation
of my being in a lesser from.
I doubt there was
so much analysis involved.
All this ring does for me is remind me
of the joy I experienced with my family.
I think she wore it to remind
herself how much she loved you.
You should worry less about love and
more about the hole you are in.
I don't see what hole you mean.
You must be blind. I have
complete control of the board.
Just by nature's defensive game,
to protect what is important,
we build walls.
But I can understand how and why
my opponent builds their walls up.
It gives me an advantage
when I want to break them down.
At that point, what matters isn't
the quantity of pieces you take,
but the quality of those you do.
Check... mate.
No!
Hit the pulse, Ryan.
- Wait.
- If that wasn't hostile, I don't know...
Look.
[Heavy breathing]
Another game.
No.
Afraid you might not be
so lucky this time?
[Door buzzes]
I'm not afraid to lose.
But if I did, I certainly hope I
would do it with a bit more grace.
- What the hell do you think this is?
- Birch!
Do you think this is a game or are you too
stupid to know what's good for you, huh?
Colonel, this is unacceptable.
This son of a bitch put every single
person in this compound in danger.
You call that acceptable?
This situation called
for extreme action.
Disobeying a direct order
is inexcusable.
- Spare me your orders!
- No, no, no, no.
The colonel is... is right.
The rules are in place for a
reason, and I violated them.
For that, I apologize.
We, uh, do, however,
need drastic results,
and I'm not going to get them
with a set of ink blots.
I hope it was worth it.
Do you, um, have access
to Ellie's mother's effects?
Yeah.
I'll need to see them.
You know, doctor,
we all have to thank you.
That little stunt you pulled in there
proved how volatile the patient is.
I didn't see it that way.
There's no denying the threatening
nature of that outburst.
I'm sure we've all seen a child
throw a temper tantrum before.
Not one that ripped a steel
table clean off its bolts, no.
You only saw her reaction.
You didn't see how
she played the game.
Oh, this should be good.
Please, enlighten us
on what we missed.
It's small moves that determine
the outcome in chess.
Ellie was in control and had
the opportunity to finish me,
but it meant sacrificing
her queen.
She didn't make the move.
She chose to protect her queen.
Okay. So the kid sucks at chess?
I believe that Ellie
subconsciously linked her queen,
that trinket,
to the memory of her mother.
[Laughing]
- Wow.
- What a joke.
We don't have to stand here and listen
to this bullshit. Can we call this?
It was an elementary move.
One that someone with Ellie's
intellectual prowess wouldn't pass up.
Could be a mistake.
Even geniuses make mistakes.
It wasn't a mistake.
The child made several
counterintuitive moves,
each of which
protected her queen.
Not that it validates
the girl's reaction,
but Dr. Fonda's proposed
attachment to the piece is,
well, not entirely
without merit.
Thank you, doctor.
Fine, the kid loves queens.
Take her to a drag show.
I have to agree.
That proves nothing.
Dr. Keaton, what is the one
thing a sociopath lacks?
Uh, empathy.
Attachments.
Uh-huh. [Chuckles]
I gleaned much more from the
way Ellie played the game
then the way she responded
to losing it.
And we're all thrilled
for you, doctor.
We're talking about a threat
to national security.
The girl's reaction is in line
with all previous data.
That's what I'm talking about.
Let's get the hell out of here.
I need more time.
We're all in agreement.
Your time is up.
Hold on.
I think it's worth giving
Dr. Fonda another chance.
- What?
- You got to be kidding me.
I don't know if it will make
a difference,
but he has progressed
much further than the others.
By risking the security
of this entire compound.
I will not stand idly by
and allow that to happen again.
That is not your call, colonel.
Oh, you don't think so?
I'd say that last outburst
was contentious enough.
And how contentious
is the situation now?
If you're gonna play that card,
you better be damn sure
you're able to justify it.
Let's not forget that
that is a killer in there.
I'm starting to think that this
may have to end in blood
for you to acknowledge
her as such.
[Door opens, closes]
Olivia, she's lost.
And she's angry.
But she is in there.
[Sighs]
Give me time. I'll find her.
[Door buzzes, opens]
Feeling better?
We made quite a mess, didn't we?
[Exhales deeply]
A bit off the top,
but no harm done.
Can't say the same
for your file.
[Exhales sharply]
[Exhales sharply]
You know, you could be
a big help if you wanted.
That might constitute a threat.
I'm beginning to understand
why your wife left you.
You don't say?
Your persistence,
it's intolerable.
Late nights in the slums
instead of dinner at home.
That's the kind of thing
that poisons a marriage.
I'm afraid we don't have time
to discuss...
Correction.
You don't have time.
Must we play this game?
Children like games.
If you don't want to play,
the door is right there.
I know where it is.
[Ellie] Hold on.
Do you see that?
It looks different from before.
It looks like your wife, yes?
She's at home, tucked into bed.
With a new man.
If you turn it this way,
it's a bit more abstract.
It's your ideals, the same
persistence that tore you two apart.
[Paper ripping]
Work wasn't the reason
my wife left.
Tell me more.
We lost a child.
Our daughter.
Several years ago.
And, uh,
my wife didn't cope well
with her death.
Eventually, she left.
Now we are getting somewhere.
Tell me what happened.
She was playing in the yard
and was hit by a car.
Oof, damn.
Was it quick?
No. She was very strong.
And you were there, by her side?
Every day.
But you couldn't save her.
No.
And that was when you started
working with children.
More so, yes.
And consequently,
why you are here now.
I am here to help you, Ellie.
It isn't really about me,
though.
It's about the return rate.
You think that if you can
save enough of us,
lt'll wash away your own pain.
It's pathetic.
Inn:
Doubt there's anything more painful
than losing someone we love.
I remember combing through
the events of that day
a hundred times trying
to make sense of it.
I was so overwhelmed by the feeling
that her death was my fault.
Rightly so.
She was yours to protect.
Yeah, I believed that
for a long time.
It was easier for me
to punish myself
than to accept that I was
somehow powerless.
Running from that truth...
Is what makes us
believe these things.
Things that... lead us down
a destructive path.
Takes a...
A different kind of courage
to stop running.
To face that truth.
The pain may never
go away completely.
But if you let go of the guilt,
it does get better.
Did the colonel ever tell you
how he got that nasty scar?
I'm not interested in...
Birch really is the epitome
of what I despise in people.
[Table slams]
So set in his antiquated ways.
He can't see he's spent
his entire life
marching to the beat
of someone else's drum.
Sticks and stones, colonel.
When I first arrived,
he was determined to be the one to
access the potential locked within me.
After dozens
of unsuccessful probes,
his frustration ballooned.
One day, he unbound me.
Pulled out a pen
just like this one.
He told me he wasn't afraid.
That he didn't believe
I had any control over my power.
You don't have to do this,
Ellie.
I wonder...
If he is afraid now.
- [Pulsing]
- [Grunting]
Ellie?
Can you hear me?
[Grunting]
Olivia, what's happening?
That's enough.
[Powering down]
That was unnecessary.
It was a warning.
The patient knows the rules.
Ellie, can I help you?
No, you can't. None of you can.
You pushed them, Ellie.
Now you're on their side?
- Here, let... let's...
- Get off me!
- Let me at Lea...
- I said get off!
That's it! 50%.
[Powering up]
- [Pulsing]
- [Groaning]
[Ellie groaning]
Holy shit.
I see you, colonel.
75%, mccrosky.
[Pulsing intensifies]
[Glass cracking]
[Alarm blaring]
[Telepathically]
I don't wonder anymore.
I know you are afraid.
- Give her everything.
- No. It'll kill her.
What is it you think
she plans to do to us?
- Crank it, Ryan.
- Don't.
Agent price is no longer
in command.
- [Pulsing]
- [Alarm blaring]
[Groaning]
Now!
- [Pulsing intensifies]
- [Alarm blaring]
[Grunts]
[Groans]
You okay?
I'll live.
What happened?
She's been prepped
and is awaiting transport.
Transport? Where?
But she's still here now.
Fonda-.
If I could just get
a few more minutes...
I'm afraid I'm no longer
the authority here.
There must be some way
we can, uh,
appeal to your superiors.
I have poured almost all of my
professional credibility into that room.
I got to take the little
I have left to walk away.
The facade was crumbling.
Doesn't matter. Not after that.
Everyone in the control room
must have seen it.
- If... if we were...
- Jimmy.
It's over.
Her mother's effects.
I'm sorry I got you caught up
in all this.
I heard about your daughter.
Yeah. That was a very
dark time for me.
Yet, um, every year since,
I've become more convinced that
it's those moments that define us.
That our struggles are...
Simply questions life asks.
At the end, all that
matters is how we answer.
[Chuckles]
You're just the way
I remember you.
You aren't so different
yourself.
You were the boss then, too.
[Chuckles]
Why was it you, um,
thought to call me?
I knew you had been working
with kids ever since...
What happened.
Anyway, when all this
came up, I, um...
Inn:
[Sighs]
You found yourself in a position
to help a little girl.
Yeah.
Anyway, I've spent the last
year of my life
throwing away everything
I've worked for for nothing.
I don't know. I couldn't, um...
I couldn't just...
Stand by and, um...
Let that girl die.
Maybe you won't have to.
Would you look who is up
and about.
[{door opens, closes] - What the
hell does he think he's doing?
He needs another chance.
Another chance?
What's going on here?
Colonel was clear. He said
nobody goes in, nobody goes out.
And where is birch now?
Now those were strict orders.
Yeah, I don't know about you,
but I can't get fired again.
Fired? We're talking treason.
I'll take full responsibility.
Tell him I forced you.
Do you really think
he's gonna buy that?
Agent price?
I know this is hard.
Maybe we need to accept that colonel
birch is doing the right thing.
We all witnessed
how violently Ellie responded.
To provocation.
Does that make her
any less dangerous?
I saw something
before that response.
A crack in the persona Ellie has
spent so much time building.
And I know both of you
saw it, too.
We are sending that girl to die.
If there's even the slightest
chance that she can be saved,
I think it's a chance
worth taking.
I just... I'm not sure we can.
[{beeps] - [Alarm blaring]
Thank you.
Well, missed my date anyway.
I hope you're right about this.
Me, too.
[Door buzzes, opens]
The hour is lit, doctor.
This won't change anything.
It is worth trying.
And if you succeed,
what then?
Ellie gets a chance at life.
What kind of life?
Life in a cage?
Never knowing any existence
beyond isolation?
Given what humanity
stands to gain,
the solution
is mutually beneficial.
I don't see it that way.
That's unfortunate.
I'm afraid the colonel does.
It's about time.
Eleanor.
Ever the idealist, aren't we?
I see now why miss Olivia was so
keen to acquire your services,
besides her obvious desire to
rekindle an old flame, that is.
We don't have much time, Ellie.
Looks to me like
you're already out of time.
[Exhales deeply]
I need you to tell me
what happened to your mother.
Read the file, James.
It's all there.
I want to hear it from you.
Too bad. I'm far too consumed
with my own execution.
[Exasperated sigh]
That's a shame.
I'm gonna be in big trouble
for breaking in here.
So leave.
No, I'll just, uh, wait.
You know, maybe birch
will let me accompany you.
You know he won't.
[Swans]
What ls it you want to know?
Just what happened.
I killed her...
In cold blood.
That doesn't seem logical.
She was the person
who cared for you most.
There's your problem.
Your perspective is clouded by the
cumbersome weight of emotion,
without which,
my logic is perfectly sound.
What the hell is going on here?
Colonel, it was my call.
I will personally see to it
that you burn for this.
That's fine.
This isn't about me or you.
I need three men and a ram now.
Colonel, please just let him have a chance...
- Enough! Sit down.
- [Fonda] What do you mean?
- Or what?
Or you will have
a much less comfortable seat
for the remainder
of this demonstration.
[Fonda] I don't think I can get
into your head if I wanted to.
[Ellie] Maybe you think you
can change things around.
Until you get the results
you seek.
This is over.
Ryan, hit her with a pulse.
- No.
- [Fonda] That is just not true.
- Excuse me?
- [Stammers]
It's still charging
from the power overload.
How long?
Uh, three minutes. -[Ellie] You still
have yet to tell me what you do think.
I think you're lying, Ellie.
To me, to everyone else.
To yourself.
Is that your diagnosis?
That I'm a liar?
No. I think you're lying
because you feel guilty.
I think you loved your mother
very much.
Back to love again, are we?
It must be easy to hide behind
an intellect so powerful.
I'm not hiding.
How did it happen?
I told you.
Was it an accident?
Like with me earlier?
No. I murdered her.
I meant to do it,
and I'd do it again.
All so you would end up here?
Correct.
So you killed her
in insure your own death.
My actions simply expedited
the inevitable.
Then why not take care
of it yourself?
Deny them the pleasure
of cutting you open.
You'd prefer I had?
No, but it would have made
more sense given your, uh,
self-destructive agenda.
You must have known this process
would involve a great deal
of deliberation.
There was no rush.
So you were resolved
to suffer through
the psychological scrutiny.
I wasn't going to deny myself
a last vestige of fun.
Maybe you thought one
of these experts could help you.
I assure you that thought
never crossed my mind.
Were you afraid?
Of what?
Behind all your understanding,
is there no fear
of your own mortality?
I'm not afraid to die.
I believe you.
I think you're afraid
to live with yourself...
After what happened.
I'm not afraid of anything.
One minute.
Colonel?
When it's hot, you fire up. -[Fonda] You
can't afford to keep doing this, Ellie.
Neither of us have the time.
[Ellie] Finally. Something
we can agree on.
- Time's up.
- [Banging]
You have everyone fooled, Ellie.
But when I lock at you, I still
see a scared little girl.
- [Banging]
- Then you are blind.
- [Banging]
- This numbness,
this anxiousness
to hurt yourself,
all feelings we experience
in times of trauma.
Like losing someone you love.
[Rumbling, banging]
I've heard enough about love.
You have given in.
You let guilt turn your
wonderful gifts against you.
I said enough.
Do you miss her?
You still wake up
in the night, don't you?
- Shut up.
- Do you call out to her?
Shut up!
- You're still expecting she'll come and hold you.
Shut up!
Do it.
What are you waiting for?
I... can't.
It's her.
What if you can't tell the time?
After all,
what if my disdain for
humanity's inferior existence
was becoming too much for me...
[Grunts] - And my self-destruction
was an act of mercy?
What if your provocation
backfires
and convinces me to turn
on both sides?
[Grunting]
To become the monster
they would so like me to be?
[Gasping]
You decide what you become.
[Grunts]
Where did you get that?
[Music playing]
[Crashing, glass shatters]
[All grunting]
Clear! Move in!
[Ellie sobbing]
[Sobbing]
It was my fault.
I didn't mean it.
I know.
I know. It was an accident.
[Sobbing]
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
It's all right, Ellie.
Everything is gonna be
all right.
[Sobbing]
[Groaning]
[Humming]
Check.
[Chuckles]
I only have so much time
away from the facility.
I'd prefer to make
the most of it.
Chess is not a game of speed.
So I've heard.
Perhaps you could benefit from a
little practice in your free time.
Free time?
Dr. Werner isn't working you
too hard, I hope.
He's having trouble keeping up.
[Chuckles]
How's agent price?
Pardon?
I haven't seen her around.
I thought maybe you had.
She's, um,
she's fine.
I'll give her your regards.
Careful, doctor,
you're slipping.
I'm not so sure about that.
Check.
[Music playing]