The Time Traveler's Wife (2022) s01e01 Episode Script
Episode 1
1
Why is love intensified by absence?
How does it feel? (EXHALES)
(SMACKS LIPS)
Hmm.
How does it feel?
- (INHALES DEEPLY)
- (OMINOUS TUNE PLAYING)
Normal. You know. Like nothing.
Like your attention wandered
for a moment, and
suddenly the book
you're reading is gone,
your coffee's gone, the room is gone,
and you're ankle-deep in a ditch
(OMINOUS TUNE INTENSIFIES)
or in the middle of a highway
(GROANS)
(HORN BLARING)
HENRY, 28: Oh, shit!
or in a field full of cows.
(MOOS)
And of course (SIGHS) you're naked.
Back in time, and naked.
- (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
- (HENRY, 28, GROANS)
(GROANS)
(GUNSHOTS)
The bedsheets will go slack.
Or the shower will keep running,
or the bacon will keep frying,
or you'll hear a coffee
cup smash on the floor,
and you realize, he's gone.
(WATER POURING)
CLARE, 34: It's happened again.
He's just a pile of clothes.
(OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING)
(SIGHS)
CLARE, 34: And then it starts. (SIGHS)
The waiting.
Time travel. It's not a superpower.
It's a disability.
It's what's wrong with me.
(INHALES)
I can't keep hold of the current
moment, I just slide off.
I fall back in time.
When he's gone, I wait and I worry.
I wonder where he is, when he is.
If he's in danger.
Now, sometimes you ping
straight back to where you were.
You know, to your book,
to your coffee, and it's fine.
It's nothing. Five minutes, a nap.
- (WHOOSHING)
- (HENRY, 36, GROANS)
(PANTS)
Sometimes it's days, weeks,
months, and you have to survive.
Now, three things I got good at.
Running, fighting, and stealing.
(INHALES DEEPLY)
You have to be good at those,
when wherever you go,
you're naked.
- (TECHNO MUSIC PLAYING)
- (BOTH GRUNT)
Fuck.
(MAN GROANS)
(TECHNO MUSIC ENDS)
(MACHINE TIMER BUZZING)
(GUN COCKING)
(CHUCKLES)
Well, that's a difficult question.
Seriously, you're asking me that?
When did we first meet? (EXHALES)
(SMACKS LIPS) First meet?
Define "first."
I married a time traveler.
It's complicated.
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
("TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE"
THEME MUSIC PLAYING)
("TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE"
THEME MUSIC CONCLUDING)
CLARE, 34: If you're
not a time traveler,
- the past is what you're stuck with.
-
If you're an artist,
or think you might be,
the future is what you're gonna make.
Sometimes, you can see
the future in a bowl of slop.
Other times
(INHALES DEEPLY)
- Clare? You okay?
- You know what I need?
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
Dr. Felman, I need to go to the library.
- Okay.
- The Newberry Library.
- What's there?
- Porn.
CLARE, 34: Other times (SIGHING)
other times, you remember that
the future is just what shows up
when you're looking for something else.
OLDEST HENRY: People think
libraries are quiet places.
To me a library is a crowd.
If you're a time traveler,
the past is alive.
It's still happening,
still dangerous. (INHALING)
All those books on all those shelves
are like the bars on a cage,
and the beast inside is pacing.
For everybody else, the past is over.
For me, well, I'm still
trying to survive it.
Are these yours?
I found them in the stacks.
Uh yeah, thanks.
Henry. I've been meaning to ask you.
Why do you leave piles of
clothes all over the place?
- Doesn't everyone?
- No.
It's complicated.
(SIGHS) Okay. I'm listening.
(SIGHS)
- It's a long story.
- Time isn't a problem for me.
Lucky you.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
WOMAN: Henry.
(MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING)
Hey.
(LECTURER SPEAKING GERMAN INDISTINCTLY)
LIBRARIAN: the language of
Ah, excuse me.
- LIBRARIAN: You okay?
- Yeah, no, I'm good.
What's going down here?
LIBRARIAN: Presentation
on rare dictionaries.
Oh, God.
I love dictionaries. You know the
best thing about a dictionary?
It's the only book with
words in the right order.
Yeah, we're good here. Thanks, Henry.
- The right order is very important.
- (CHUCKLES)
You can trust me on that.
If you wait just one moment,
perhaps Mr. DeTamble can help you.
CLARE, 20: Thank you.
- Ah, Isabelle?
- Hmm?
There is a young woman
in Presentation Two.
Could you maybe shake her awake
when Tom's done boring her
and kind of mention my name with
general overtones of enthusiasm?
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- The Kelmscott Press Chaucer.
- What about it?
- You know what it is?
- Yeah. It's Chaucer. Illustrated.
(BREATHES HEAVILY) Basically porn,
but you're allowed to
read it on a train. Why?
That young lady would
like to see the porn.
Okay. (EXHALES)
Hi. (SIGHS) Can I help you?
(ROMANTIC MELODY PLAYING)
HENRY, 28: Uh, The Kelmscott
Press Chaucer, right?
- Henry.
- HENRY, 28: Oh
hello. (CHUCKLES)
- Sorry I I don't know
- Clare. Abshire.
Clare Abshire.
You okay?
I think so, yeah, why?
Uh, you've got a, kinda
look on your face.
- What kind of a look?
- HENRY, 28: Um
Trying to think of a better
word than concussion.
Sorry. (CHUCKLES) I, uh
I wasn't expecting to
meet you today, um.
I mean, definitely not
in a library. Wh
You're a librarian?
Well
- Yeah.
- A librarian.
Uh-huh.
CLARE, 20: And your name is DeTamble.
That's gonna take a
bit of getting used to.
(INHALES)
Sorry, I I don't really understand
CLARE, 20: You have a birthmark?
Like a strawberry?
Like you stood on a strawberry,
and squished it?
On your left foot?
Also, you've got a scar
just below your hairline.
You can't see it right now,
your hair is too long.
Actually, your hair is really long.
Is that on purpose?
You've never told me
how you got the scar.
I've asked, but I don't think
you like talking about it.
(CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY)
So, we've met then?
Yes.
(CHUCKLES)
Well, no. I've met you.
I saw that birthmark 14 years ago.
I've known you for 14 years,
and now (INHALES DEEPLY)
you're standing there looking
like you've never seen me before.
- I haven't.
- I know.
You're so young.
You're younger than I've ever seen you.
(PAPER RUSTLES)
Okay, do you understand
why I don't recognize you?
- Yes.
- So, you know about my, uh, you know
Problem. Yes.
- HENRY, 28: Who told you?
- You told me.
Okay, we can't talk here,
we should get a coffee.
- Or a drink.
- Okay, a drink.
Dinner!
That escalated quickly.
Fourteen years.
-
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- So, tonight?
- Uh, yeah.
- Yeah, tonight.
- HENRY, 28: Yeah.
Sorry, I'm not exactly sure how to
(CHUCKLES) No, me neither.
Usually I'm pretty good
at reading women.
- Women?
- Uh, people.
Both.
Okay. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY)
Yeah, later.
(SOFT TUNE PLAYING)
Both.
(CLARE, 20, EXCLAIMS)
(CHUCKLES)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(DOOR CLOSES)
- (SIGHS)
- (ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYING)
(VACUUM CLEANER WHIRRS)
(FLIES BUZZING)
(ORCHESTRAL MUSIC CONTINUES)
(SIGHS)
All right.
(SIGHS)
(SIGHS)
(OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING)
- (PANTS) Hi.
- CLARE, 20: Hi.
You've never brought me flowers before.
- Do you think that's gonna work?
- Work in what sense? I mean
(BREATHES DEEPLY)
what are we trying to achieve?
Is this a date? Are we
on a date right now?
- (AMBIENT MUSIC PLAYING)
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
What's that?
Dates, 152 of them.
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- (PANTS)
A hundred and fifty-two.
Have you been in a fight?
Sure. How do you think I
got the flowers? (PANTS)
Uh
Who uh who wrote this list?
Me. When I was a kid.
You, uh, you dictated it to me.
- I did?
- Mm-hmm.
So, I'd know when you'd be showing up.
Oh, you told me a few years
ago that you memorized it
from the list that I'm giving you now,
which you dictated to
me in the first place,
so I'm really not too sure how
the information even exists.
- It's just like some kind of Möbius list
- Okay, just stop!
Please.
Just slow down.
Sorry, it's, uh, it's confusing.
I've had longer to think about it.
So, has this never
happened to you before?
Like meeting someone in the wrong order?
HENRY, 28: No.
CLARE, 20: Didn't he warn
you about this kind of thing?
- Didn't who warn me?
- The guy who trained you.
I know there was a guy
who, like taught you all
the time-travel stuff.
Like all the rules,
when you were little.
Another time traveler.
- Did I tell you who it was?
- Not so far. No.
- Right.
- (PAPER RUSTLING)
- (AMBIENT MUSIC PLAYING)
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- So (GULPS) getting this straight.
- Hmm.
HENRY, 28: In the future
(BREATHES HEAVILY) in my future
I'm gonna start showing up in your past.
- Yes.
- For 14 years.
One hundred and fifty-two times.
Uh, how old was I? Back then?
I mean, oldest I've seen
you is like 40 something.
And youngest maybe about 30.
How old are you now?
Uh
I'm 28.
You look so different.
It's like you've been all,
tightened, you know.
Renovated.
- That must be kind of weird?
- Hot.
- Hot?
- Yeah, hot.
Somebody pimped my date.
Is that what we're doing
here? We're on a date?
- Yes.
- Like a date-date?
- Yes.
- Oh, how am I doing?
- Astonishingly well.
- Oh.
Well, I mean, about as
well as it's possible
for a human being to do, in fact.
(LAUGHS)
Great. (SIGHS)
No more questions?
Hmm, all of a sudden, I'm distracted.
Concentrate.
- Ask me something.
- HENRY, 28: Okay.
Why you?
Why would I go see you so many times?
(SIGHS)
We're gonna have to
come back to that one.
- But there is a reason?
- There's a reason. Yeah.
Next question.
Okay, uh
Any hobbies? Any favorite books?
Any unusual sexual proclivities
I should be aware of?
(CLEARS THROAT) One.
What's that?
I'm going to marry you.
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
I was gonna build up to that.
But, uh there it is.
I'm your future wife.
- Who said it?
- CLARE, 20: You do.
You told me.
You explained, you were visiting me
from a time in the future,
when we're married.
I'm sorry, I I don't mean to,
uh, spring it on you like that,
but, in the future,
we're a married couple.
Congratulations. (CHUCKLES)
- Seriously? Congratulations?
- What
What am I supposed to say?
Ah, you don't think much
of yourself, do you?
I don't know, I can't even begin
to answer something like
- "Congratulations" though?
- There is literally no precedent
- for this conversation
- That's for sure.
I'm sorry, it's just a
lot to to process.
Take my hand when you say process.
- I've been married?
- Yes.
- You're my
- Yes, I am.
- You're my wife?
- Your future wife. Yes.
I met you four hours ago,
we haven't even ordered yet.
(LAUGHS)
I know. I know. I do.
I mean, I I get it.
I get it. It's like 14 years for me.
Just earlier today for
you, it's it's a lot.
HENRY, 28: Yeah.
So ask me questions.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Okay, well. (SMACKS LIPS)
Seeing as we're gonna be married,
and, uh, no offence, I've only
got your word for that.
Well, technically, I've only
got your word for that,
but, if you think about it what
does any couple ever have
- Please, don't do that.
- Do what?
Swallow when I say the word "couple."
- Did I just swallow?
- CLARE, 20: Yeah, audibly.
- The next table looked over.
- Oh.
So, come on, questions.
How did we meet?
You mean, how was it for me?
- (BIRDS CHIRPING)
- (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
Hmm.
- (DRAMATIC MUSIC FADES)
- (HENRY, 36, RETCHING, COUGHING)
(RETCHING)
- (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING)
- (HENRY, 36, COUGHING)
CLARE, 6: Mark.
Mark, is that you?
This is my place.
You're not supposed to come here.
HENRY, 36: Ow!
Hello, Clare.
- Who are you?
- HENRY, 36: Well, it's Henry.
Henry?
HENRY, 36: Yeah, I'm
just, uh, being sick.
Travelling makes me sick
sometimes, you know that.
Who are you?
HENRY, 36: Uh, don't you
know me yet, Clare?
- Haven't we met yet?
- No.
HENRY, 36: Oh, well.
That's okay. That's okay.
Uh, 'cause you're meeting me now
and you know I'm a friend, okay?
I promise you I'm a friend.
My name's Henry.
I don't have any friends called Henry.
HENRY, 36: Well, you do now.
Hey, could you do me a favor
and go and get me some clothes?
Why?
HENRY, 36: 'Cause I don't have any.
And I bet you are amazing
at choosing clothes.
(ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYING)
NELL: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
What's all this running around indoors?
Nell, you know what an
imaginary friend is.
- True.
- I found one in the woods
and I'm gonna dress him
up 'cause he's naked.
- CLARE, 6: Hi.
- Hi.
So, right there.
Yeah, just label it, Earth's axis.
MARK: Oh, okay.
- (KEYBOARD KEYS CLACKING)
- Earth's axis.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING)
(DOOR CREAKS)
(ORCHESTRAL MUSIC CONTINUES)
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
HENRY, 36: Okay, I'm ready.
- CLARE, 6: That was quick.
- I've had a lot of practice.
You're bleeding.
- Well, you threw a shoe at me.
- I'm not saying sorry.
- Why should you?
- What's that mark?
HENRY, 36: Oh, that?
That's just a birthmark.
Don't worry, it doesn't hurt.
It looks like you stood on a
strawberry and squished it.
Someone else said that.
No. (CHUCKLES)
- What's wrong?
- Well, it wasn't someone else.
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
Have you seen dinosaurs?
I tickled a dinosaur's tummy once.
Twice actually, but it was in
the Natural History Museum.
Real ones.
Well, I travel in time,
but not that far back.
I tend to stay in the same
time since I was born.
- Is that not dinosaurs?
- (CHUCKLES) No, Clare.
That is not dinosaurs.
Do you have kids in the future?
Uh
No. I'm afraid not.
Do you have a wife?
- Yeah.
- Is she pretty?
- She's very pretty.
- What's her name?
Well, funnily enough, her name's Clare.
- Like me.
- Yeah. (CHUCKLES) Like you.
Was it love at first sight?
- God, I hope not.
- Do you kiss her?
Uh (SIGHS) yeah.
Why?
Because it's nice, and
because I love her.
Why do you like kissing people?
Why do you like brushing
your horse's hair?
It's not brushing, I'm grooming her.
Okay, moving on.
Uh, Clare, in a little while,
I'm gonna disappear.
- Can I watch?
- Yeah, you can.
But I'd like you to do
me a little favor.
See, when I go, I'm gonna
leave my clothes behind.
But I'd like you to take them,
and put them somewhere safe.
Maybe, um, under this rock.
And if you could put them in a box
for me, they'll be nice and dry.
Are you coming back?
Yeah, I'll be back lots of times.
Some of those times have
already happened for me,
you'll see me looking younger.
Maybe older.
Can't you bring your own clothes?
I can't bring anything.
Those are the rules.
Why are there rules?
- I don't know.
- Who told you the rules?
You ask a lot of questions, don't you?
You said I could.
Well, the very first time
it happened to me,
- there was, uh, a man.
- Who?
Another
another time traveler, but
it's a very long story, Clare.
Good.
I like stories.
Come on, Henry.
It's closing in a minute.
- (SIGHS)
- MAN: (OVER PA) And Chicago's
Come on, you two. Let's go. Let's go.
MAN: (OVER PA)
We will be closing shortly.
Please make your way
toward the exit at this time.
- Ah!
- RICHARD, 36: Let's go.
What do you think, Henry?
First museum, you like it?
- Mm-hmm.
- Oh, he loved it.
- Didn't you, Henry?
- Mm-hmm.
HENRY, 7: Yeah.
MAN: (OVER PA)
toward the exit at this time.
(IMITATES DINOSAUR ROAR)
-
- (SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
- Can we go back?
- Of course we can.
- Tonight?
- (CHUCKLES) Soon.
(KISSES)
Sleep tight.
(DOOR CLOSES)
(SOFTLY CHUCKLES)
(SOFT MUSIC FADING)
(WHOOSHING)
(GASPS, PANTS)
- (BEASTS GROWLING)
- (ELEPHANT TRUMPETING)
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING)
- HENRY, 28: Hey, kid! Henry.
- (GASPS)
Put this on.
You've time traveled back,
about three hours.
There's a trash can in front of you.
Now, I say that because in a minute,
you're gonna be sick.
(RETCHES)
How did you know I'd be sick?
'Cause I'm a time traveler, too.
-
- I've had a lot of practice.
Thought you might look
a bit more surprised.
- About what?
- Suddenly showing up here.
It's my first museum.
I thought I might have a dream about it.
Sorry, Henry, no. This isn't a dream.
Do you work here?
No, I don't work here.
I stole these clothes
like I stole you that t-shirt.
See, I time travel, too.
You came back about three
hours. I came back, uh
- Remind me, what year is this?
- 1987.
Yeah, 21 years.
Are there lots of time travelers?
Hey, big guy. Hey, how
you doing up there?
(GRUNTS) Tickle, tickle, tickle.
He's not really ticklish,
is he? You wanna try?
Come on.
Whoop!
(GRUNTS)
No sense of humor.
No wonder they all died out.
When do I meet the other ones?
The other time travelers.
You're hungry now, right?
Time travel always makes you hungry.
Come on.
- (MACHINE DOOR RATTLES)
- (GLASS SHATTERS)
(CRUNCHING)
HENRY, 28: Okay.
Eat up.
In a minute you're gonna
feel a little sick again
and then you're gonna
snap right back home.
That's how it works.
HENRY, 7: Okay.
(SIGHS)
(SIGHS)
So
Today's the day, I'm gonna
start teaching you.
(EXHALES DEEPLY)
I must be feeling very grown up.
- (SLURPS)
- How do I get back home?
It'll just happen.
Sometimes you don't go straight back.
You go to another time first.
Once I went to three
different times in a row,
but mostly you ping straight back home.
- Can I go to the future, too?
- Yeah.
Sometimes. Not so often, but it happens.
- What do we do?
- What do you mean, "What do we do?"
- (CRUNCHES)
- (GULPS)
We're time travelers.
Do we solve crimes?
Uh, no, Henry, sorry.
We don't solve crimes,
we (SIGHS) commit them.
We run, we steal, we fight.
Wherever we show up in time,
we're naked (EXHALES)
and we're sick.
We don't get a choice.
Are we the bad guys?
Survivors are always the bad guys.
That's why it's my job,
to teach you how to be
the baddest guy out there.
So, I'm gonna see you again?
Yeah, lots of times.
- Do you promise?
- Yeah, I promise.
In fact, when I was your
age, exactly your age,
there was a guy who came back
in time and he trained me.
So now, it's my turn to train you.
So, there's lots of us?
Yeah.
There's lots of us time travelers.
Good.
How does that all sound, Henry?
Me training you.
Scary.
Well, the world's a scary place.
So you know what you gotta be?
You gotta be scarier.
Yeah, suddenly I'm not
sure. I think that
I am having a very grown-up
day. What is up with that?
(COUGHS)
It's okay.
You're going home. Next time.
(WHOOSHING)
(SIGHS HEAVILY)
Okay.
- (COUGHS)
- (WHOOSHING)
(TRAIN HORN HONKS)
HENRY, 28: Oh, shit.
(SCREAMS, GRUNTS)
(GROANS, PANTS)
Oh, shit. Carry on. Don't mind me.
What the fuck are you doing?
Now, just just give
me a moment, okay?
- (VOMITS, GRUNTS)
- What the fuck?
Yeah. Could you give me the
date and the time, please?
- What are you saying?
- Uh, just the date
and the fucking time, that's all I need.
Oh, shit. This is gonna be a big one
(VOMITS, GROANS)
- Uh June 26.
- (PANTS) Thank you.
Yeah, it's 8:15 p.m.
Shut up talking to him. He's naked!
2008?
Huh, okay, okay. That's uh
I've been gone two hours,
my clothes won't still be here.
- Your clothes?
- (EXHALES)
(PANTS)
I'm gonna need yours.
- You're gonna need what?
- This is gonna hurt. You, not me.
- (BOTH GRUNT)
- (ELECTRICITY ZAPS)
(GRUNTS)
DONNA: Oh, my God!
- (SCREAMS)
- (GRUNTS)
- (GROANS)
- (HENRY, 28, GRUNTS)
DONNA: Ah!
(PANTS) What's your name?
- Donna.
- HENRY, 28: Uh, Donna. (GRUNTS)
What's gonna happen now is I'm
gonna take your boyfriend's clothes
and just go.
If you like,
you can put him in the recovery
position and call the cops. (GRUNTS)
Give them my description by all means,
but I'm naked,
you'll find details surprisingly
difficult to remember.
(PANTS)
Did he give you those flowers?
- Yeah.
- Oh, that's nice.
He doesn't seem like the type.
- (CHUCKLES)
- Seeing as he's kind of an asshole
and this is a shitty date anyway.
Mind if I take them?
I'm late for someone.
(PANTS)
- Hi.
- CLARE, 20: Hi.
You've never brought me flowers before.
Do you think that's gonna work?
No, I just think that your
apartment might be a bit nicer.
- Well, what's wrong with yours?
- Well, I live in it.
I live really badly in it, it's
like a farm for one human.
You know it's funny, I've
known you almost all my life
and you're not what I was expecting.
- Am I a disappointment?
- No, no.
Oh, you're just, uh
Well, you're different.
Well, different good or bad?
Just different.
(DOOR UNLOCKS)
Oh, no. It's got a lot worse.
You are gonna have
to count to a million.
(CHUCKLES) Eighty-five, 86, 87
(CHUCKLES) 88, 89, 90, hurry up.
- Keep counting.
- Jesus! Fourteen years.
Count, come on. Count, count, count.
(GRUNTS) Ninety,
91, 92, 93
- (BOTTLES RATTLE)
- 94, 95, 96,
97, 98.
- You still there?
- Yeah, one more minute.
- Count, come on.
- Ninety I mean, where? What?
Ninety-seven, 98,
- 99, 100.
- Shit.
CLARE, 20: One hundred
and one, 102, 103,
104, 105,
- 106, 107
- (INHALES DEEPLY)
CLARE, 20: 108, 109, 110.
- (SIGHS)
- (CHUCKLES)
(SIGHS)
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
(WIND WHOOSHES)
This is not the apartment of a grown-up.
Oh, that's not fair.
This is the most grown-up
I've ever been.
(BOTH PANT)
Always been me who makes that move.
Yeah, it never will be again. (PANTS)
(BOTH SMOOCH)
(PANTS)
Wait, is that what I think it is?
- (GLASS RATTLES)
- (SIGHS)
Oh, yeah. That's one of
my baby teeth. (EXHALES)
- Wait, you kept your baby teeth?
- No, it just appeared.
It'll go in a minute. Back under
my pillow from when I was a kid.
All of me time travels.
Even my nail clippings.
- Hmm, that's gross.
- You know what's even grosser?
The haircut that follows you home.
- Is that why you keep it long?
- Well, I like it long.
And, uh, sometimes (PANTS)
I should probably warn you about this,
sometimes there's blood.
(BREATHES HEAVILY)
Just, like, a pool of blood.
Which means somewhere out there,
in another time, I've been hurt,
or, you know, maybe I got a nosebleed
- I know.
- (EXHALES)
Wait, you know. How?
- I, uh, one time, I I assumed
- Uh, no. Stop, stop, stop.
If it's something I'm not
supposed to know yet,
it's probably best I don't. (EXHALES)
That's what you said the last time.
Good old me.
Why aren't you permanently terrified?
There's always gonna be
days that you bleed, right?
(BREATHES DEEPLY)
That's true for everyone, not just me.
All you can do is be
happy it's not today.
- Henry.
- Yeah.
It's not today.
(PANTS, SMOOCHES)
- Wow, she's forceful, isn't she?
- Mm-hmm.
Well, I decided we need
a change of mood.
Yeah. Do you always get what you want?
Oh, always, I mean, I am horrible.
It's okay, you're horrible, too.
- I'm horrible?
- Yeah.
You have been a perfect
gentleman for 14 years.
- Are you sure that was me?
- Yeah, homework,
board games, heart-to-hearts,
French verbs, and checkers.
You have been unbearable company
throughout a very horny adolescence.
- (PANTS) It was a whirlwind.
- (PANTS)
Well, you know, you were a kid.
(CLARE, 20, GROANS)
(BOTH PANT)
Haven't I grown?
- I'm not the only one.
- (HENRY, 28 CHUCKLES)
(CHUCKLES)
- You think?
- Yeah.
(BOTH BREATHING HEAVILY)
(GROANS) I'd say, tall enough
to do the scary rides
at Disney without a parent.
(BOTH GROAN)
Oh, Henry! You're so young!
- (SHRIEKS, GROANS)
- (CLARE, 20, SCREAMS)
(BOTH SIGH)
(SIGHS, BREATHES DEEPLY)
(GRUNTS, KISSES)
- Hey.
- Hey.
I'm going to the bathroom.
(BREATHES HEAVILY)
- Okay. It's over there.
- (BREATHES HEAVILY)
I fully understand if
you put the lights on.
- Hmm, why?
- CLARE, 20: Hmm.
- I'm naked.
- Oh, yeah.
Good tip. Thanks.
(DOOR CLOSES)
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
(GRUNTS)
(SIGHS)
For the record, Henry.
For future reference,
the bottom drawer was the
very first one I looked in.
- (EXHALES)
- Uh
I'm not going to ask her name,
I don't need to know.
- Okay.
- CLARE, 20: That's your business.
HENRY, 28: Uh, it's not like you
asked if I was seeing anyone.
Uh, yeah. But you are allowed
to mention the fact.
Preferably somewhere between
the restaurant and the mattress.
I didn't wanna do that
for a very good reason.
- CLARE, 20: Oh, which was?
- I really wanted to have sex with you.
Oh! What, are you joking now?
- You trying to be funny?
- Bit funny, bit flattering.
Flattering? Jesus!
- HENRY, 28: Ingrid.
- What?
Her name is Ingrid and
she's my girlfriend.
Well, bad luck, Ingrid,
'cause I'm here now.
Jesus Christ, do you know how you sound?
How I sound? How I sound?
I've never seen you before in my life,
and now you're telling
me you're my wife.
Doesn't that sound a tiny
bit scary mad to you?
Well, if I'm a scary mad person,
why did you have sex with me?
Well, to be honest I'd never
need that good a reason.
- Fuck you! (GROANS)
- (GROANS)
So, you're happy to fuck crazy women?
Well, it would seriously limit
my options if I wasn't.
- Wouldn't it!
- Fuck you!
None of which means I
don't wanna see you again.
- When will I see you again?
- Soon.
Six days. September 29th.
Now, don't worry.
I always get like this when
I'm about to disappear.
But you'll get used to it.
You'll see it lots of times.
Bring a notebook next time,
I'll give you a list of dates
(WHOOSHING)
(GASPS)
- (WHOOSHING)
- (GROANS)
(COUGHS)
Fuck.
- (GROANS, PANTS)
- (HENRY, 28, SPEAKING IN DISTANCE)
- CLARE, 20: Fuck you!
- HENRY, 36: Ah!
- Jesus Christ
- CLARE, 20: So you're happy to fuck crazy women?
HENRY, 28: Well, it would seriously
limit my options if I wasn't.
- CLARE, 20: Fuck you!
- Fuck, fuck, fuck
- (DOOR CLOSES)
- Fucking asshole.
Fucking men.
(SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING)
Fucking asshole. (GRUNTS)
- HENRY, 28: Clare!
- Clare!
- Asshole.
- (SCOFFS)
- (SIGHS)
- Asshole.
Asshole.
- ("ELECTRIC FEEL" BY MGMT PLAYING)
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Shock me like an electric eel ♪
Baby girl ♪
(BARTENDER SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)
Turn me on with your electric feel ♪
BARTENDER: Here you go.
Thank you.
- Hey.
- No.
All along the Eastern shore ♪
Put your circuits in the sea ♪
This is what the world is for ♪
Making electricity ♪
You can feel it in your mind ♪
No.
HENRY, 36: Well, I didn't mean
any of those things I said.
Yeah, you did.
HENRY, 36: So I ran all the
way here to tell you that,
but then, uh
being stupid, I just stood outside
and watched you at the window
for about ten minutes.
Ten minutes? I only just sat down.
("SHAPE OF MY HEART" BY STING PLAYING)
Hi.
He deals the cards as a meditation ♪
(SIGHS)
How are those French verbs coming?
And those he plays never suspect ♪
- I've missed you.
- Well, you just slept with me.
- No. No, I didn't.
- Hey, come on.
You just got yourself a new young man.
What kind of guy do you think I am?
As it turns out, an asshole.
Was that the big secret, you were
keeping from me all these years?
You're a secret asshole?
It's kind of every man's secret.
- Was that me?
- Oh.
Yeah. The first time you
threw a shoe at me.
CLARE, 20: I'm still not sorry.
I grew up waiting for you.
Longing for you.
- I know.
- No, you don't.
I formed myself around you.
The idea of you.
And you're an asshole.
Money for this art ♪
- That's not the shape ♪
- Well, here's the thing.
The man you formed yourself around,
shock twist, formed himself around you.
- That's fucked up.
- Yep. So fucked up, it has a name.
Marriage.
He may lay the queen of spades ♪
Two people trying to be the person
the other one already thinks they are.
Love, basically.
You didn't hear what he just said.
Clare, I said what he just said.
You wanna know why I said it?
Because time travel is awful.
It is shit scary.
It is waiting for the next storm to hit.
Wondering if this time
it's gonna kill you.
That boy out there.
Time travel has never done
one nice thing for him.
And find out to their cost ♪
Until today.
Today he gets the
winning lottery ticket.
- So, why is he being such
- You know what's even worse
than being terrified all the time?
The future.
The future is the scariest
thing in the world.
Because suddenly, you are all in.
- No choice.
- Swords of a soldier ♪
Anyone can stand any kind
of torture, except hope.
Why didn't he just say all that?
He did.
It just took me a while.
That's not the shape of my heart ♪
That's not the shape of my heart ♪
That's a shit jacket.
(CHUCKLES)
Well
Muggers can't be choosers.
(COUGHS, INHALES DEEPLY)
And now you're off home.
(INHALING DEEPLY)
In a minute, yeah.
- To older me?
- To my wife.
- Bitch.
- HENRY, 36: Sorry?
Older me gets you.
And I get younger you, who's a dick.
- It's not fair.
- No, he's not a dick.
And you know that.
He's not you.
Seriously, how does he get to be you?
What happens to him? Does he
Does he get hit by a fucking meteorite?
Yeah, going by the name of Clare.
That a compliment?
I just called you a meteorite.
Take it any way you like.
Hey. Look on the bright side.
He is way hotter than me.
- No, he's not.
- Sure, he is.
It's okay. I don't mind.
In fact, I agree with you.
I've fucked him, too.
I'll have a whiskey and soda.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- Henry.
- Henry.
- How's Ingrid?
- Good.
Might go see her tonight,
since this isn't working out.
I thought it was working
out pretty well already.
- (SCOFFS) Mind your own business.
- Hey!
(SIGHS)
- Not that I'd ever offer advice.
- God forbid.
HENRY, 36: But a boring
old man told me something
a very long time ago.
He said you have two things to
do with your time on this Earth.
One, find the love of your life.
Two, die as slowly as possible.
You did part one tonight.
Part two starts now.
Play time is over. (GRUNTS)
Do you ever get bored of
hearing yourself talk?
I don't know. (SIGHS) You tell me.
No more time to waste, junior.
You've seen the blood, you
know something's coming.
- Yeah. But not today.
- (COUGHS)
Oh. Time for you to fuck off then.
Get a haircut.
(WHOOSHING)
- (WHOOSHING)
- (GROANS, COUGHS)
(INSECTS CHIRPING IN DISTANCE)
(GRUNTS, PANTS)
(SIGHING)
(CLARE MOANS GENTLY)
- When were you?
- (EXHALES)
(SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING)
- (KISSES, SIGHS)
- Oh. (SIGHS DEEPLY)
I'm sorry I threw my shoe at you.
(CHUCKLES)
(BOTH SIGH)
- Well, it's about time.
- Hmm.
(SIGHS)
(MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING)
-
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
-
- (DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE)
(WHOOSHING)
- (SOMBER MUSIC FADING)
- (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING)
(CAR ENGINE REVVING IN DISTANCE)
Hello.
Henry?
CLARE, 34: Long ago, men went to sea
and women waited for them.
Standing on the edge of the water,
scanning the horizon for the tiny ship.
Now, I wait for Henry.
Not today.
(BREATHES HEAVILY)
Not today.
I hate to be where she is not.
And yet I'm always going
and she can't follow.
Why does he always go
where I cannot follow?
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
(PANTS)
(DRAMATIC MUSIC INTENSIFIES)
(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)
(THEME MUSIC CONCLUDES)
Why is love intensified by absence?
How does it feel? (EXHALES)
(SMACKS LIPS)
Hmm.
How does it feel?
- (INHALES DEEPLY)
- (OMINOUS TUNE PLAYING)
Normal. You know. Like nothing.
Like your attention wandered
for a moment, and
suddenly the book
you're reading is gone,
your coffee's gone, the room is gone,
and you're ankle-deep in a ditch
(OMINOUS TUNE INTENSIFIES)
or in the middle of a highway
(GROANS)
(HORN BLARING)
HENRY, 28: Oh, shit!
or in a field full of cows.
(MOOS)
And of course (SIGHS) you're naked.
Back in time, and naked.
- (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
- (HENRY, 28, GROANS)
(GROANS)
(GUNSHOTS)
The bedsheets will go slack.
Or the shower will keep running,
or the bacon will keep frying,
or you'll hear a coffee
cup smash on the floor,
and you realize, he's gone.
(WATER POURING)
CLARE, 34: It's happened again.
He's just a pile of clothes.
(OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING)
(SIGHS)
CLARE, 34: And then it starts. (SIGHS)
The waiting.
Time travel. It's not a superpower.
It's a disability.
It's what's wrong with me.
(INHALES)
I can't keep hold of the current
moment, I just slide off.
I fall back in time.
When he's gone, I wait and I worry.
I wonder where he is, when he is.
If he's in danger.
Now, sometimes you ping
straight back to where you were.
You know, to your book,
to your coffee, and it's fine.
It's nothing. Five minutes, a nap.
- (WHOOSHING)
- (HENRY, 36, GROANS)
(PANTS)
Sometimes it's days, weeks,
months, and you have to survive.
Now, three things I got good at.
Running, fighting, and stealing.
(INHALES DEEPLY)
You have to be good at those,
when wherever you go,
you're naked.
- (TECHNO MUSIC PLAYING)
- (BOTH GRUNT)
Fuck.
(MAN GROANS)
(TECHNO MUSIC ENDS)
(MACHINE TIMER BUZZING)
(GUN COCKING)
(CHUCKLES)
Well, that's a difficult question.
Seriously, you're asking me that?
When did we first meet? (EXHALES)
(SMACKS LIPS) First meet?
Define "first."
I married a time traveler.
It's complicated.
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
("TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE"
THEME MUSIC PLAYING)
("TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE"
THEME MUSIC CONCLUDING)
CLARE, 34: If you're
not a time traveler,
- the past is what you're stuck with.
-
If you're an artist,
or think you might be,
the future is what you're gonna make.
Sometimes, you can see
the future in a bowl of slop.
Other times
(INHALES DEEPLY)
- Clare? You okay?
- You know what I need?
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
Dr. Felman, I need to go to the library.
- Okay.
- The Newberry Library.
- What's there?
- Porn.
CLARE, 34: Other times (SIGHING)
other times, you remember that
the future is just what shows up
when you're looking for something else.
OLDEST HENRY: People think
libraries are quiet places.
To me a library is a crowd.
If you're a time traveler,
the past is alive.
It's still happening,
still dangerous. (INHALING)
All those books on all those shelves
are like the bars on a cage,
and the beast inside is pacing.
For everybody else, the past is over.
For me, well, I'm still
trying to survive it.
Are these yours?
I found them in the stacks.
Uh yeah, thanks.
Henry. I've been meaning to ask you.
Why do you leave piles of
clothes all over the place?
- Doesn't everyone?
- No.
It's complicated.
(SIGHS) Okay. I'm listening.
(SIGHS)
- It's a long story.
- Time isn't a problem for me.
Lucky you.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
WOMAN: Henry.
(MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING)
Hey.
(LECTURER SPEAKING GERMAN INDISTINCTLY)
LIBRARIAN: the language of
Ah, excuse me.
- LIBRARIAN: You okay?
- Yeah, no, I'm good.
What's going down here?
LIBRARIAN: Presentation
on rare dictionaries.
Oh, God.
I love dictionaries. You know the
best thing about a dictionary?
It's the only book with
words in the right order.
Yeah, we're good here. Thanks, Henry.
- The right order is very important.
- (CHUCKLES)
You can trust me on that.
If you wait just one moment,
perhaps Mr. DeTamble can help you.
CLARE, 20: Thank you.
- Ah, Isabelle?
- Hmm?
There is a young woman
in Presentation Two.
Could you maybe shake her awake
when Tom's done boring her
and kind of mention my name with
general overtones of enthusiasm?
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- The Kelmscott Press Chaucer.
- What about it?
- You know what it is?
- Yeah. It's Chaucer. Illustrated.
(BREATHES HEAVILY) Basically porn,
but you're allowed to
read it on a train. Why?
That young lady would
like to see the porn.
Okay. (EXHALES)
Hi. (SIGHS) Can I help you?
(ROMANTIC MELODY PLAYING)
HENRY, 28: Uh, The Kelmscott
Press Chaucer, right?
- Henry.
- HENRY, 28: Oh
hello. (CHUCKLES)
- Sorry I I don't know
- Clare. Abshire.
Clare Abshire.
You okay?
I think so, yeah, why?
Uh, you've got a, kinda
look on your face.
- What kind of a look?
- HENRY, 28: Um
Trying to think of a better
word than concussion.
Sorry. (CHUCKLES) I, uh
I wasn't expecting to
meet you today, um.
I mean, definitely not
in a library. Wh
You're a librarian?
Well
- Yeah.
- A librarian.
Uh-huh.
CLARE, 20: And your name is DeTamble.
That's gonna take a
bit of getting used to.
(INHALES)
Sorry, I I don't really understand
CLARE, 20: You have a birthmark?
Like a strawberry?
Like you stood on a strawberry,
and squished it?
On your left foot?
Also, you've got a scar
just below your hairline.
You can't see it right now,
your hair is too long.
Actually, your hair is really long.
Is that on purpose?
You've never told me
how you got the scar.
I've asked, but I don't think
you like talking about it.
(CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY)
So, we've met then?
Yes.
(CHUCKLES)
Well, no. I've met you.
I saw that birthmark 14 years ago.
I've known you for 14 years,
and now (INHALES DEEPLY)
you're standing there looking
like you've never seen me before.
- I haven't.
- I know.
You're so young.
You're younger than I've ever seen you.
(PAPER RUSTLES)
Okay, do you understand
why I don't recognize you?
- Yes.
- So, you know about my, uh, you know
Problem. Yes.
- HENRY, 28: Who told you?
- You told me.
Okay, we can't talk here,
we should get a coffee.
- Or a drink.
- Okay, a drink.
Dinner!
That escalated quickly.
Fourteen years.
-
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- So, tonight?
- Uh, yeah.
- Yeah, tonight.
- HENRY, 28: Yeah.
Sorry, I'm not exactly sure how to
(CHUCKLES) No, me neither.
Usually I'm pretty good
at reading women.
- Women?
- Uh, people.
Both.
Okay. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY)
Yeah, later.
(SOFT TUNE PLAYING)
Both.
(CLARE, 20, EXCLAIMS)
(CHUCKLES)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(DOOR CLOSES)
- (SIGHS)
- (ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYING)
(VACUUM CLEANER WHIRRS)
(FLIES BUZZING)
(ORCHESTRAL MUSIC CONTINUES)
(SIGHS)
All right.
(SIGHS)
(SIGHS)
(OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING)
- (PANTS) Hi.
- CLARE, 20: Hi.
You've never brought me flowers before.
- Do you think that's gonna work?
- Work in what sense? I mean
(BREATHES DEEPLY)
what are we trying to achieve?
Is this a date? Are we
on a date right now?
- (AMBIENT MUSIC PLAYING)
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
What's that?
Dates, 152 of them.
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- (PANTS)
A hundred and fifty-two.
Have you been in a fight?
Sure. How do you think I
got the flowers? (PANTS)
Uh
Who uh who wrote this list?
Me. When I was a kid.
You, uh, you dictated it to me.
- I did?
- Mm-hmm.
So, I'd know when you'd be showing up.
Oh, you told me a few years
ago that you memorized it
from the list that I'm giving you now,
which you dictated to
me in the first place,
so I'm really not too sure how
the information even exists.
- It's just like some kind of Möbius list
- Okay, just stop!
Please.
Just slow down.
Sorry, it's, uh, it's confusing.
I've had longer to think about it.
So, has this never
happened to you before?
Like meeting someone in the wrong order?
HENRY, 28: No.
CLARE, 20: Didn't he warn
you about this kind of thing?
- Didn't who warn me?
- The guy who trained you.
I know there was a guy
who, like taught you all
the time-travel stuff.
Like all the rules,
when you were little.
Another time traveler.
- Did I tell you who it was?
- Not so far. No.
- Right.
- (PAPER RUSTLING)
- (AMBIENT MUSIC PLAYING)
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- So (GULPS) getting this straight.
- Hmm.
HENRY, 28: In the future
(BREATHES HEAVILY) in my future
I'm gonna start showing up in your past.
- Yes.
- For 14 years.
One hundred and fifty-two times.
Uh, how old was I? Back then?
I mean, oldest I've seen
you is like 40 something.
And youngest maybe about 30.
How old are you now?
Uh
I'm 28.
You look so different.
It's like you've been all,
tightened, you know.
Renovated.
- That must be kind of weird?
- Hot.
- Hot?
- Yeah, hot.
Somebody pimped my date.
Is that what we're doing
here? We're on a date?
- Yes.
- Like a date-date?
- Yes.
- Oh, how am I doing?
- Astonishingly well.
- Oh.
Well, I mean, about as
well as it's possible
for a human being to do, in fact.
(LAUGHS)
Great. (SIGHS)
No more questions?
Hmm, all of a sudden, I'm distracted.
Concentrate.
- Ask me something.
- HENRY, 28: Okay.
Why you?
Why would I go see you so many times?
(SIGHS)
We're gonna have to
come back to that one.
- But there is a reason?
- There's a reason. Yeah.
Next question.
Okay, uh
Any hobbies? Any favorite books?
Any unusual sexual proclivities
I should be aware of?
(CLEARS THROAT) One.
What's that?
I'm going to marry you.
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
I was gonna build up to that.
But, uh there it is.
I'm your future wife.
- Who said it?
- CLARE, 20: You do.
You told me.
You explained, you were visiting me
from a time in the future,
when we're married.
I'm sorry, I I don't mean to,
uh, spring it on you like that,
but, in the future,
we're a married couple.
Congratulations. (CHUCKLES)
- Seriously? Congratulations?
- What
What am I supposed to say?
Ah, you don't think much
of yourself, do you?
I don't know, I can't even begin
to answer something like
- "Congratulations" though?
- There is literally no precedent
- for this conversation
- That's for sure.
I'm sorry, it's just a
lot to to process.
Take my hand when you say process.
- I've been married?
- Yes.
- You're my
- Yes, I am.
- You're my wife?
- Your future wife. Yes.
I met you four hours ago,
we haven't even ordered yet.
(LAUGHS)
I know. I know. I do.
I mean, I I get it.
I get it. It's like 14 years for me.
Just earlier today for
you, it's it's a lot.
HENRY, 28: Yeah.
So ask me questions.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Okay, well. (SMACKS LIPS)
Seeing as we're gonna be married,
and, uh, no offence, I've only
got your word for that.
Well, technically, I've only
got your word for that,
but, if you think about it what
does any couple ever have
- Please, don't do that.
- Do what?
Swallow when I say the word "couple."
- Did I just swallow?
- CLARE, 20: Yeah, audibly.
- The next table looked over.
- Oh.
So, come on, questions.
How did we meet?
You mean, how was it for me?
- (BIRDS CHIRPING)
- (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
Hmm.
- (DRAMATIC MUSIC FADES)
- (HENRY, 36, RETCHING, COUGHING)
(RETCHING)
- (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING)
- (HENRY, 36, COUGHING)
CLARE, 6: Mark.
Mark, is that you?
This is my place.
You're not supposed to come here.
HENRY, 36: Ow!
Hello, Clare.
- Who are you?
- HENRY, 36: Well, it's Henry.
Henry?
HENRY, 36: Yeah, I'm
just, uh, being sick.
Travelling makes me sick
sometimes, you know that.
Who are you?
HENRY, 36: Uh, don't you
know me yet, Clare?
- Haven't we met yet?
- No.
HENRY, 36: Oh, well.
That's okay. That's okay.
Uh, 'cause you're meeting me now
and you know I'm a friend, okay?
I promise you I'm a friend.
My name's Henry.
I don't have any friends called Henry.
HENRY, 36: Well, you do now.
Hey, could you do me a favor
and go and get me some clothes?
Why?
HENRY, 36: 'Cause I don't have any.
And I bet you are amazing
at choosing clothes.
(ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYING)
NELL: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
What's all this running around indoors?
Nell, you know what an
imaginary friend is.
- True.
- I found one in the woods
and I'm gonna dress him
up 'cause he's naked.
- CLARE, 6: Hi.
- Hi.
So, right there.
Yeah, just label it, Earth's axis.
MARK: Oh, okay.
- (KEYBOARD KEYS CLACKING)
- Earth's axis.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING)
(DOOR CREAKS)
(ORCHESTRAL MUSIC CONTINUES)
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
HENRY, 36: Okay, I'm ready.
- CLARE, 6: That was quick.
- I've had a lot of practice.
You're bleeding.
- Well, you threw a shoe at me.
- I'm not saying sorry.
- Why should you?
- What's that mark?
HENRY, 36: Oh, that?
That's just a birthmark.
Don't worry, it doesn't hurt.
It looks like you stood on a
strawberry and squished it.
Someone else said that.
No. (CHUCKLES)
- What's wrong?
- Well, it wasn't someone else.
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
Have you seen dinosaurs?
I tickled a dinosaur's tummy once.
Twice actually, but it was in
the Natural History Museum.
Real ones.
Well, I travel in time,
but not that far back.
I tend to stay in the same
time since I was born.
- Is that not dinosaurs?
- (CHUCKLES) No, Clare.
That is not dinosaurs.
Do you have kids in the future?
Uh
No. I'm afraid not.
Do you have a wife?
- Yeah.
- Is she pretty?
- She's very pretty.
- What's her name?
Well, funnily enough, her name's Clare.
- Like me.
- Yeah. (CHUCKLES) Like you.
Was it love at first sight?
- God, I hope not.
- Do you kiss her?
Uh (SIGHS) yeah.
Why?
Because it's nice, and
because I love her.
Why do you like kissing people?
Why do you like brushing
your horse's hair?
It's not brushing, I'm grooming her.
Okay, moving on.
Uh, Clare, in a little while,
I'm gonna disappear.
- Can I watch?
- Yeah, you can.
But I'd like you to do
me a little favor.
See, when I go, I'm gonna
leave my clothes behind.
But I'd like you to take them,
and put them somewhere safe.
Maybe, um, under this rock.
And if you could put them in a box
for me, they'll be nice and dry.
Are you coming back?
Yeah, I'll be back lots of times.
Some of those times have
already happened for me,
you'll see me looking younger.
Maybe older.
Can't you bring your own clothes?
I can't bring anything.
Those are the rules.
Why are there rules?
- I don't know.
- Who told you the rules?
You ask a lot of questions, don't you?
You said I could.
Well, the very first time
it happened to me,
- there was, uh, a man.
- Who?
Another
another time traveler, but
it's a very long story, Clare.
Good.
I like stories.
Come on, Henry.
It's closing in a minute.
- (SIGHS)
- MAN: (OVER PA) And Chicago's
Come on, you two. Let's go. Let's go.
MAN: (OVER PA)
We will be closing shortly.
Please make your way
toward the exit at this time.
- Ah!
- RICHARD, 36: Let's go.
What do you think, Henry?
First museum, you like it?
- Mm-hmm.
- Oh, he loved it.
- Didn't you, Henry?
- Mm-hmm.
HENRY, 7: Yeah.
MAN: (OVER PA)
toward the exit at this time.
(IMITATES DINOSAUR ROAR)
-
- (SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
- Can we go back?
- Of course we can.
- Tonight?
- (CHUCKLES) Soon.
(KISSES)
Sleep tight.
(DOOR CLOSES)
(SOFTLY CHUCKLES)
(SOFT MUSIC FADING)
(WHOOSHING)
(GASPS, PANTS)
- (BEASTS GROWLING)
- (ELEPHANT TRUMPETING)
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING)
- HENRY, 28: Hey, kid! Henry.
- (GASPS)
Put this on.
You've time traveled back,
about three hours.
There's a trash can in front of you.
Now, I say that because in a minute,
you're gonna be sick.
(RETCHES)
How did you know I'd be sick?
'Cause I'm a time traveler, too.
-
- I've had a lot of practice.
Thought you might look
a bit more surprised.
- About what?
- Suddenly showing up here.
It's my first museum.
I thought I might have a dream about it.
Sorry, Henry, no. This isn't a dream.
Do you work here?
No, I don't work here.
I stole these clothes
like I stole you that t-shirt.
See, I time travel, too.
You came back about three
hours. I came back, uh
- Remind me, what year is this?
- 1987.
Yeah, 21 years.
Are there lots of time travelers?
Hey, big guy. Hey, how
you doing up there?
(GRUNTS) Tickle, tickle, tickle.
He's not really ticklish,
is he? You wanna try?
Come on.
Whoop!
(GRUNTS)
No sense of humor.
No wonder they all died out.
When do I meet the other ones?
The other time travelers.
You're hungry now, right?
Time travel always makes you hungry.
Come on.
- (MACHINE DOOR RATTLES)
- (GLASS SHATTERS)
(CRUNCHING)
HENRY, 28: Okay.
Eat up.
In a minute you're gonna
feel a little sick again
and then you're gonna
snap right back home.
That's how it works.
HENRY, 7: Okay.
(SIGHS)
(SIGHS)
So
Today's the day, I'm gonna
start teaching you.
(EXHALES DEEPLY)
I must be feeling very grown up.
- (SLURPS)
- How do I get back home?
It'll just happen.
Sometimes you don't go straight back.
You go to another time first.
Once I went to three
different times in a row,
but mostly you ping straight back home.
- Can I go to the future, too?
- Yeah.
Sometimes. Not so often, but it happens.
- What do we do?
- What do you mean, "What do we do?"
- (CRUNCHES)
- (GULPS)
We're time travelers.
Do we solve crimes?
Uh, no, Henry, sorry.
We don't solve crimes,
we (SIGHS) commit them.
We run, we steal, we fight.
Wherever we show up in time,
we're naked (EXHALES)
and we're sick.
We don't get a choice.
Are we the bad guys?
Survivors are always the bad guys.
That's why it's my job,
to teach you how to be
the baddest guy out there.
So, I'm gonna see you again?
Yeah, lots of times.
- Do you promise?
- Yeah, I promise.
In fact, when I was your
age, exactly your age,
there was a guy who came back
in time and he trained me.
So now, it's my turn to train you.
So, there's lots of us?
Yeah.
There's lots of us time travelers.
Good.
How does that all sound, Henry?
Me training you.
Scary.
Well, the world's a scary place.
So you know what you gotta be?
You gotta be scarier.
Yeah, suddenly I'm not
sure. I think that
I am having a very grown-up
day. What is up with that?
(COUGHS)
It's okay.
You're going home. Next time.
(WHOOSHING)
(SIGHS HEAVILY)
Okay.
- (COUGHS)
- (WHOOSHING)
(TRAIN HORN HONKS)
HENRY, 28: Oh, shit.
(SCREAMS, GRUNTS)
(GROANS, PANTS)
Oh, shit. Carry on. Don't mind me.
What the fuck are you doing?
Now, just just give
me a moment, okay?
- (VOMITS, GRUNTS)
- What the fuck?
Yeah. Could you give me the
date and the time, please?
- What are you saying?
- Uh, just the date
and the fucking time, that's all I need.
Oh, shit. This is gonna be a big one
(VOMITS, GROANS)
- Uh June 26.
- (PANTS) Thank you.
Yeah, it's 8:15 p.m.
Shut up talking to him. He's naked!
2008?
Huh, okay, okay. That's uh
I've been gone two hours,
my clothes won't still be here.
- Your clothes?
- (EXHALES)
(PANTS)
I'm gonna need yours.
- You're gonna need what?
- This is gonna hurt. You, not me.
- (BOTH GRUNT)
- (ELECTRICITY ZAPS)
(GRUNTS)
DONNA: Oh, my God!
- (SCREAMS)
- (GRUNTS)
- (GROANS)
- (HENRY, 28, GRUNTS)
DONNA: Ah!
(PANTS) What's your name?
- Donna.
- HENRY, 28: Uh, Donna. (GRUNTS)
What's gonna happen now is I'm
gonna take your boyfriend's clothes
and just go.
If you like,
you can put him in the recovery
position and call the cops. (GRUNTS)
Give them my description by all means,
but I'm naked,
you'll find details surprisingly
difficult to remember.
(PANTS)
Did he give you those flowers?
- Yeah.
- Oh, that's nice.
He doesn't seem like the type.
- (CHUCKLES)
- Seeing as he's kind of an asshole
and this is a shitty date anyway.
Mind if I take them?
I'm late for someone.
(PANTS)
- Hi.
- CLARE, 20: Hi.
You've never brought me flowers before.
Do you think that's gonna work?
No, I just think that your
apartment might be a bit nicer.
- Well, what's wrong with yours?
- Well, I live in it.
I live really badly in it, it's
like a farm for one human.
You know it's funny, I've
known you almost all my life
and you're not what I was expecting.
- Am I a disappointment?
- No, no.
Oh, you're just, uh
Well, you're different.
Well, different good or bad?
Just different.
(DOOR UNLOCKS)
Oh, no. It's got a lot worse.
You are gonna have
to count to a million.
(CHUCKLES) Eighty-five, 86, 87
(CHUCKLES) 88, 89, 90, hurry up.
- Keep counting.
- Jesus! Fourteen years.
Count, come on. Count, count, count.
(GRUNTS) Ninety,
91, 92, 93
- (BOTTLES RATTLE)
- 94, 95, 96,
97, 98.
- You still there?
- Yeah, one more minute.
- Count, come on.
- Ninety I mean, where? What?
Ninety-seven, 98,
- 99, 100.
- Shit.
CLARE, 20: One hundred
and one, 102, 103,
104, 105,
- 106, 107
- (INHALES DEEPLY)
CLARE, 20: 108, 109, 110.
- (SIGHS)
- (CHUCKLES)
(SIGHS)
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
(WIND WHOOSHES)
This is not the apartment of a grown-up.
Oh, that's not fair.
This is the most grown-up
I've ever been.
(BOTH PANT)
Always been me who makes that move.
Yeah, it never will be again. (PANTS)
(BOTH SMOOCH)
(PANTS)
Wait, is that what I think it is?
- (GLASS RATTLES)
- (SIGHS)
Oh, yeah. That's one of
my baby teeth. (EXHALES)
- Wait, you kept your baby teeth?
- No, it just appeared.
It'll go in a minute. Back under
my pillow from when I was a kid.
All of me time travels.
Even my nail clippings.
- Hmm, that's gross.
- You know what's even grosser?
The haircut that follows you home.
- Is that why you keep it long?
- Well, I like it long.
And, uh, sometimes (PANTS)
I should probably warn you about this,
sometimes there's blood.
(BREATHES HEAVILY)
Just, like, a pool of blood.
Which means somewhere out there,
in another time, I've been hurt,
or, you know, maybe I got a nosebleed
- I know.
- (EXHALES)
Wait, you know. How?
- I, uh, one time, I I assumed
- Uh, no. Stop, stop, stop.
If it's something I'm not
supposed to know yet,
it's probably best I don't. (EXHALES)
That's what you said the last time.
Good old me.
Why aren't you permanently terrified?
There's always gonna be
days that you bleed, right?
(BREATHES DEEPLY)
That's true for everyone, not just me.
All you can do is be
happy it's not today.
- Henry.
- Yeah.
It's not today.
(PANTS, SMOOCHES)
- Wow, she's forceful, isn't she?
- Mm-hmm.
Well, I decided we need
a change of mood.
Yeah. Do you always get what you want?
Oh, always, I mean, I am horrible.
It's okay, you're horrible, too.
- I'm horrible?
- Yeah.
You have been a perfect
gentleman for 14 years.
- Are you sure that was me?
- Yeah, homework,
board games, heart-to-hearts,
French verbs, and checkers.
You have been unbearable company
throughout a very horny adolescence.
- (PANTS) It was a whirlwind.
- (PANTS)
Well, you know, you were a kid.
(CLARE, 20, GROANS)
(BOTH PANT)
Haven't I grown?
- I'm not the only one.
- (HENRY, 28 CHUCKLES)
(CHUCKLES)
- You think?
- Yeah.
(BOTH BREATHING HEAVILY)
(GROANS) I'd say, tall enough
to do the scary rides
at Disney without a parent.
(BOTH GROAN)
Oh, Henry! You're so young!
- (SHRIEKS, GROANS)
- (CLARE, 20, SCREAMS)
(BOTH SIGH)
(SIGHS, BREATHES DEEPLY)
(GRUNTS, KISSES)
- Hey.
- Hey.
I'm going to the bathroom.
(BREATHES HEAVILY)
- Okay. It's over there.
- (BREATHES HEAVILY)
I fully understand if
you put the lights on.
- Hmm, why?
- CLARE, 20: Hmm.
- I'm naked.
- Oh, yeah.
Good tip. Thanks.
(DOOR CLOSES)
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
(GRUNTS)
(SIGHS)
For the record, Henry.
For future reference,
the bottom drawer was the
very first one I looked in.
- (EXHALES)
- Uh
I'm not going to ask her name,
I don't need to know.
- Okay.
- CLARE, 20: That's your business.
HENRY, 28: Uh, it's not like you
asked if I was seeing anyone.
Uh, yeah. But you are allowed
to mention the fact.
Preferably somewhere between
the restaurant and the mattress.
I didn't wanna do that
for a very good reason.
- CLARE, 20: Oh, which was?
- I really wanted to have sex with you.
Oh! What, are you joking now?
- You trying to be funny?
- Bit funny, bit flattering.
Flattering? Jesus!
- HENRY, 28: Ingrid.
- What?
Her name is Ingrid and
she's my girlfriend.
Well, bad luck, Ingrid,
'cause I'm here now.
Jesus Christ, do you know how you sound?
How I sound? How I sound?
I've never seen you before in my life,
and now you're telling
me you're my wife.
Doesn't that sound a tiny
bit scary mad to you?
Well, if I'm a scary mad person,
why did you have sex with me?
Well, to be honest I'd never
need that good a reason.
- Fuck you! (GROANS)
- (GROANS)
So, you're happy to fuck crazy women?
Well, it would seriously limit
my options if I wasn't.
- Wouldn't it!
- Fuck you!
None of which means I
don't wanna see you again.
- When will I see you again?
- Soon.
Six days. September 29th.
Now, don't worry.
I always get like this when
I'm about to disappear.
But you'll get used to it.
You'll see it lots of times.
Bring a notebook next time,
I'll give you a list of dates
(WHOOSHING)
(GASPS)
- (WHOOSHING)
- (GROANS)
(COUGHS)
Fuck.
- (GROANS, PANTS)
- (HENRY, 28, SPEAKING IN DISTANCE)
- CLARE, 20: Fuck you!
- HENRY, 36: Ah!
- Jesus Christ
- CLARE, 20: So you're happy to fuck crazy women?
HENRY, 28: Well, it would seriously
limit my options if I wasn't.
- CLARE, 20: Fuck you!
- Fuck, fuck, fuck
- (DOOR CLOSES)
- Fucking asshole.
Fucking men.
(SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING)
Fucking asshole. (GRUNTS)
- HENRY, 28: Clare!
- Clare!
- Asshole.
- (SCOFFS)
- (SIGHS)
- Asshole.
Asshole.
- ("ELECTRIC FEEL" BY MGMT PLAYING)
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Shock me like an electric eel ♪
Baby girl ♪
(BARTENDER SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)
Turn me on with your electric feel ♪
BARTENDER: Here you go.
Thank you.
- Hey.
- No.
All along the Eastern shore ♪
Put your circuits in the sea ♪
This is what the world is for ♪
Making electricity ♪
You can feel it in your mind ♪
No.
HENRY, 36: Well, I didn't mean
any of those things I said.
Yeah, you did.
HENRY, 36: So I ran all the
way here to tell you that,
but then, uh
being stupid, I just stood outside
and watched you at the window
for about ten minutes.
Ten minutes? I only just sat down.
("SHAPE OF MY HEART" BY STING PLAYING)
Hi.
He deals the cards as a meditation ♪
(SIGHS)
How are those French verbs coming?
And those he plays never suspect ♪
- I've missed you.
- Well, you just slept with me.
- No. No, I didn't.
- Hey, come on.
You just got yourself a new young man.
What kind of guy do you think I am?
As it turns out, an asshole.
Was that the big secret, you were
keeping from me all these years?
You're a secret asshole?
It's kind of every man's secret.
- Was that me?
- Oh.
Yeah. The first time you
threw a shoe at me.
CLARE, 20: I'm still not sorry.
I grew up waiting for you.
Longing for you.
- I know.
- No, you don't.
I formed myself around you.
The idea of you.
And you're an asshole.
Money for this art ♪
- That's not the shape ♪
- Well, here's the thing.
The man you formed yourself around,
shock twist, formed himself around you.
- That's fucked up.
- Yep. So fucked up, it has a name.
Marriage.
He may lay the queen of spades ♪
Two people trying to be the person
the other one already thinks they are.
Love, basically.
You didn't hear what he just said.
Clare, I said what he just said.
You wanna know why I said it?
Because time travel is awful.
It is shit scary.
It is waiting for the next storm to hit.
Wondering if this time
it's gonna kill you.
That boy out there.
Time travel has never done
one nice thing for him.
And find out to their cost ♪
Until today.
Today he gets the
winning lottery ticket.
- So, why is he being such
- You know what's even worse
than being terrified all the time?
The future.
The future is the scariest
thing in the world.
Because suddenly, you are all in.
- No choice.
- Swords of a soldier ♪
Anyone can stand any kind
of torture, except hope.
Why didn't he just say all that?
He did.
It just took me a while.
That's not the shape of my heart ♪
That's not the shape of my heart ♪
That's a shit jacket.
(CHUCKLES)
Well
Muggers can't be choosers.
(COUGHS, INHALES DEEPLY)
And now you're off home.
(INHALING DEEPLY)
In a minute, yeah.
- To older me?
- To my wife.
- Bitch.
- HENRY, 36: Sorry?
Older me gets you.
And I get younger you, who's a dick.
- It's not fair.
- No, he's not a dick.
And you know that.
He's not you.
Seriously, how does he get to be you?
What happens to him? Does he
Does he get hit by a fucking meteorite?
Yeah, going by the name of Clare.
That a compliment?
I just called you a meteorite.
Take it any way you like.
Hey. Look on the bright side.
He is way hotter than me.
- No, he's not.
- Sure, he is.
It's okay. I don't mind.
In fact, I agree with you.
I've fucked him, too.
I'll have a whiskey and soda.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- Henry.
- Henry.
- How's Ingrid?
- Good.
Might go see her tonight,
since this isn't working out.
I thought it was working
out pretty well already.
- (SCOFFS) Mind your own business.
- Hey!
(SIGHS)
- Not that I'd ever offer advice.
- God forbid.
HENRY, 36: But a boring
old man told me something
a very long time ago.
He said you have two things to
do with your time on this Earth.
One, find the love of your life.
Two, die as slowly as possible.
You did part one tonight.
Part two starts now.
Play time is over. (GRUNTS)
Do you ever get bored of
hearing yourself talk?
I don't know. (SIGHS) You tell me.
No more time to waste, junior.
You've seen the blood, you
know something's coming.
- Yeah. But not today.
- (COUGHS)
Oh. Time for you to fuck off then.
Get a haircut.
(WHOOSHING)
- (WHOOSHING)
- (GROANS, COUGHS)
(INSECTS CHIRPING IN DISTANCE)
(GRUNTS, PANTS)
(SIGHING)
(CLARE MOANS GENTLY)
- When were you?
- (EXHALES)
(SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING)
- (KISSES, SIGHS)
- Oh. (SIGHS DEEPLY)
I'm sorry I threw my shoe at you.
(CHUCKLES)
(BOTH SIGH)
- Well, it's about time.
- Hmm.
(SIGHS)
(MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING)
-
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
-
- (DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE)
(WHOOSHING)
- (SOMBER MUSIC FADING)
- (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING)
(CAR ENGINE REVVING IN DISTANCE)
Hello.
Henry?
CLARE, 34: Long ago, men went to sea
and women waited for them.
Standing on the edge of the water,
scanning the horizon for the tiny ship.
Now, I wait for Henry.
Not today.
(BREATHES HEAVILY)
Not today.
I hate to be where she is not.
And yet I'm always going
and she can't follow.
Why does he always go
where I cannot follow?
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
(PANTS)
(DRAMATIC MUSIC INTENSIFIES)
(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)
(THEME MUSIC CONCLUDES)