The Institute (2025) s01e02 Episode Script

1
[Tim] Previously on The Institute
- Mom?
- Sure, kid. Whatever you want.
[aerosol hissing]
Welcome to the Institute.
Your name's Luke Ellis.
You're from Minneapolis.
And you're smart.
Are you TK or TP?
TP is telepathy. TK is
Telekinesis.
Well, sometimes things move around me.
But-but that can't be enough to
To land you here?
We're in Front Half right now.
- Is there a Back Half?
- Yeah.
Where we go when we graduate Front Half.
Welcome, Luke.
You've met Mr. Stackhouse,
Chief of Security.
And this is Dr. Hendricks.
He's the architect of the
cutting-edge science we do here.
My name is Ms. Sigsby, and I'm
The boss, I know.
You are, without question,
about to participate
in saving the world.
And then, when you come
to the end of your service,
we'll wipe your memory, send you home.
We're not monsters.
Well, Son,
you are ridiculously
overqualified for this job.
Thing is, we're a good crew.
You're just some guy off the street.
People joke about a night knocker,
but it's key for a force
as small as ours.
There are things going on
every day in this world
that you would not fucking believe.
You're right. She was unreliable.
"Was"?
[Kate] It's taken care of.
Uh, Luke, meet Nicky.
Yeah, we want out, we get ourselves out.
So, Smart Kid,
how do we get the fuck out of here?
["Shout" performed
by The Lumineers plays]
♪♪♪
Shout, shout ♪
Let it all out ♪
These are the things
I can do without ♪
Come on ♪
I'm talking to you ♪
Come on ♪
In violent times ♪
You shouldn't have to sell your soul ♪
In black and white ♪
They really, really ought to know ♪
Shout, shout ♪
Let it all out ♪
These are the things
I can do without ♪
Come on ♪
I'm talking to you ♪
Come on ♪
♪♪♪
By the way,
have you ever had chicken pox?
- Mom?
- Sure, kid. Whatever you want.
[aerosol hissing]
[noisemaker blaring fanfare]
Up and at 'em, sleepyhead!
Party's started.
You don't wanna miss the fun!
Goodbye Front Half for you ♪
Goodbye Front Half ♪
For you ♪
Goodbye Front Half ♪
Dear Iris ♪
[noisemaker blaring]
Goodbye Front Half ♪
For you ♪
[noisemakers blaring]
Am I supposed to make
a wish or something?
If you'd like.
How about I wish you got my age right?
There's only 13 candles.
Oh, sorry, honey.
These are for your 13 days
in Front Half.
But now you're on your way.
[scoffing]
[noisemakers blaring]
[staff applauding]
Birthday cake at eight in the morning?
"Pleasure Island," remember?
Yeah, but it doesn't mean
I want frosting for breakfast, you know?
It's fucking creepy.
[breathing unsteadily]
[whispering] Hey.
You have your first day
of tests today, right?
- Yeah.
- Eat the cake. Sugar helps.
- Helps what?
- Just trust me.
[breathes unsteadily]
[whispering] Everything's
gonna be all right.
[sighing]
So, Nicky
Nicky says you're gonna find
a way to help him?
Gonna find a way to help us all.
You're that sure of yourself?
Must be nice.
Iris, it's time.
She's so into him.
You know, it's funny.
She goes to all this trouble
to try and hide it from me
in her head, but
I'm like, "Babe,
I can see it on your face."
So, you're together? You and Nicky?
Yeah, I-I wasn't sure.
I guess that makes the two of us.
Truth is, I don't know
if Nicky and I are together.
I don't know what we are.
I mean, I haven't even
known him two weeks, so
[breathing shakily]
I guess I'll see you guys in a few days.
- Yeah.
- Okay.
Yeah. See you soon.
- [popping]
- [Luke] Jesus!
Big first day, huh, tiger?
You get yourself ready.
I'll be back for you in an hour or two.
Come on, Iris.
"We will see her no more."
[elevator bell beeping]
[breathing unsteadily]
[exhaling sharply]
- Hi. Morning.
- Hey, can you give me a hand?
- Ah, well, I was
- Please.
- I was, uh
- Great, if you could.
- I was
- Yeah.
just about to grab
- Okay. Okay.
- Hold her, yeah.
- There she is.
- That's a yup.
- Yeah.
- Yup.
Hey.
She likes you.
She is single.
Hoping it'll give our regulars
some peace of mind having
a lawman living in their midst.
Although it may cut back
on prom-night business
and local kids checking in
for weed and pillow fights.
Yeah.
Believe our friend Officer Gullickson
used to be a part of those
revelries not so many years ago,
if memory serves.
Oh, that reminds me.
She called a little bit ago
and asked me to have
you go down to the station
as soon as you were up and about.
Well, I should probably go
Actually, at first,
she wanted to be put
straight through to your room,
but you had the Do Not Disturb on.
And we at the Stanton Hotel
pride ourselves on never
contravening our guests' wishes.
Okay, see you.
- Ain't that so, Bedelia?
- See you.
- All right.
- [door opening]
- There you go.
- [door closing]
Home sweet home.
We got a flash
from the Staties this morning.
Two-man stick-up crew they think
might be headed this way.
They hit a convenience store
down in New Hampshire a week ago,
then a place in Kittery Monday morning,
then last night just outside Bangor.
Running for the border?
Possible. Unless they cut east,
Route 1 should
bring 'em right up our way.
Got it.
So, you called me
down here just to warn me?
Couldn't have done that on the phone?
That the kind of observation
they teach you to make
at big-city cop school?
Chief told me to see if you
wanna be carrying a gun.
Just till we catch 'em.
We got a couple of extra Glocks
in the safe.
I'm all set on that front.
You have your own weapon?
I do not.
Suit yourself.
And, obviously, if anything goes down,
your only job is to call it in.
Yes, ma'am.
There is one thing you might
be able to help me with.
Where's a fella supposed to get
an oat milk latte in this town?
There's a Starbucks down in Waterville.
It's about 98 miles.
No, that was a big-city cop joke.
I don't drink lattes.
Phew. That's a relief. Look
just be careful tonight.
Those punks do roll through here,
chalk's not gonna do much good.
Maybe. But don't worry.
They'll be no match
for my wit and charm.
You want some jet fuel,
try the Sunrise Diner,
couple blocks down on the right.
Thank you, ma'am.
"Ma'am"?
Miss?
Officer.
Got it.
[man on phone]
She was a snatch team leader?
Yes, sir. Promoted last year.
Obviously, our vetting procedures
need some improvement.
Sir, as Ms. Sigsby and I have discussed,
vetting is all about time.
She's made me aware
on a number of occasions,
her staffing needs require expediting
No. What I require is more kids.
And as a snatch team leader,
she was privy to all aspects
of our mission?
No, sir. Front Half access only.
That's hardly comforting.
And you followed this woman how long?
That's for you, Mr. Stackhouse.
We beefed up
passive surveillance in March.
Active measures
were authorized last week.
"Active measures," meaning
your reporter?
Sir, I don't believe everyone on
this conference has clearance
Mr. Stackhouse,
if I wanted Ms. Sigsby absent
on this conversation, she would be.
Now, you're confident your
reporter was the only person
that this traitor
tried to have contact with?
- I am.
- Now, Ms. Sigsby,
I recognize that the snatch team is not
your direct responsibility.
But obviously, the most efficient way
to fill this vacancy
is for you to move someone
over from your in-house staff.
You you know we're
undermanned as it is.
Yes, I do.
But you said so yourself.
With all the new keyholes coming up,
what you really need are more kids.
So what I really need
is for our snatch teams
to be at full strength.
Now I'm going to ask you once again
to give me more for less.
Or I could simply tell
the Committee that you were
unable to handle the amount of
targets you've been assigned.
No, no, no. No. Of course not.
We all have to do our part.
What about Mr. Stackhouse's reporter?
I presume she's been
through some vetting.
What if she filled in on the snatch team
until we had a permanent replacement?
And how's that, Mr. Stackhouse?
I'll make it so, sir.
Very good.
[beeping]
So, you actually managed
to turn a reporter?
I got her the job three years ago
just for this kind of eventuality.
Thought you'd appreciate my foresight.
And I do.
What I don't appreciate
is you questioning
my security status on that call.
Easy. You know how worked up
he gets about clearances.
- I was just throwing him a bone.
- By throwing me under a bus.
That's funny.
I forgot how funny you could be.
Not that funny.
You don't really think I'd
compromise this place, do you?
I know you wouldn't.
Well, that's somewhat comforting.
Oh, not because I trust you.
But because I know that you know
that if ever any of this comes out,
you'd be just as screwed
as the rest of us.
[door opening, closing]
How much do you know
about what to expect today?
Surprised you actually care.
Are we gonna have to have another talk
about you being a good cooperator?
Look, I know you're gonna try
to get a baseline of my TK.
I'll save us both some time.
I can't do it on demand, okay?
Only when something activates it.
Well, then we'll just have to
find a way to activate it, huh?
And let's take the "can't" out
of our vocabulary, huh, champ?
"Can't's a fucking beta word.
[beeping]
Ah, I'm Dr. Hendricks,
head of Medical Operations.
We met briefly in Ms. Sigsby's office,
but you weren't at your best.
[chuckling]
Oh, Luke doesn't shake.
That's all right, perfectly all right.
He does, however, hop up
in the chair when I say.
Spare us another teachable moment.
[machine beeping]
[machine beeping]
[beeping continues]
So, you're, uh, really a doctor, huh?
Of course.
But a medical doctor?
Not, like, Dr. Phil?
Yes.
What about all those oaths
they make you take?
"Primum non nocere"?
How does that square with kidnapping
and testing without consent?
Oh, right. You're the smart one.
And yet, not the first
to think he can stump me
with Hippocrates.
I assure you, I've been all through
the morality of the work we do here.
The ends more than justify any means.
[Luke] Really?
- "Saving the world," right?
- As a matter of fact.
Hippocrates never
actually said it, you know?
"Primum non nocere'?
Everything just sounds better in Latin.
- It's more official.
- Latin or not,
I hope you're smart enough
to realize it's meaningless.
"First, do no harm."
All surgery is harm,
just harm in service of a greater good.
- Hold still now.
- What's in that?
[scoffing] What do you care?
It's going in my arm, man.
That's right. It's going in,
whatever it is. Hmm?
Now hold still.
Only reason you wanna know the name
is so you can go on
feeling smarter than everybody.
I assume your bunkmates
have told you about the dots.
Hmm?
Yeah, a little.
And how important it is
to tell us when you see them?
- Yeah, they they told me.
- [feedback screeching]
Very unlikely you'll see them today.
Today is about getting your baselines.
All you gotta do is sit back and relax
and follow instructions.
[beeping continues]
Hmm.
[rapid beeping]
You need to know!
Zoe needs you to know the truth!
Stop saying her name!
I'm just trying to tell you the truth!
- Get the hell out of my way!
- Zoe!
Hey, hey, what's going on?
She's crazy! She's fucking crazy!
Stay away from me!
You can't keep ignoring it anymore!
Easy. Easy, Annie. Everything's okay.
What are you doing here?
Well, I'm just on my way
to the Sunrise, grab a coffee.
You had breakfast yet?
I hear they make a mean omelet.
Huh, I've gotta warn her.
I know. I know, I know,
but you gotta eat something first. Okay?
Tell you what.
Tell you what, it's on me.
Hmm?
- [muttering]
- I get it.
- Everything all right?
- I need
Dispatch just got a call.
Mrs. Sloane?
Yeah, yeah, everything's
everything's fine.
All under control, right? Right?
Nobody's safe. Nobody is safe.
[Drew] Annie, I know Chief's
tired of going over this.
You cannot be bothering
the Sloanes anymore.
Damn Chief could be in on it
for all I know.
- For God's sake, Annie.
- You all could be in on it!
Even me?
Well, I You're new here, so
But you'll learn the truth
soon enough. You'll see!
Annie, you wanna come down
to the station,
talk to Chief Ashworth?
Oh, I don't think we need to do that.
Annie and I were about
to go get some breakfast.
No, thank you, both of you.
I-I got errands to run.
All right, well,
as long as those errands
don't involve going anywhere
near poor Mrs. Sloane.
Careful with him.
They look just like us.
Sound like us, too.
Except for the toes.
You gotta look at the pinky toes.
They're they're bent all funny.
Oh!
Suppose you think you're being
some kind of humanitarian?
Make nice with the crazy lady?
Tell you the truth, Drew, I, uh
I guess I hadn't
really thought about it.
Okay. Well, now that
we're thinking about it,
why don't we think about what
it's like for Mrs. Sloane?
Bad enough she had to bury a child.
Now she's got your crazy friend
trying to convince her
it wasn't an accident.
You're gonna have
to fill me in here, pal.
No. Not my job.
You just make sure she stays
away from Kelly Sloane.
[car door opening]
- [electronic beeping]
- I'm telling you,
You guys are setting yourself up
for disappointment.
Let us worry about that.
Just try as hard as you can.
[beeping continues]
[beeping continues]
I'm really trying. [breathing heavily]
Well, try harder. Hmm?
[steady electronic beeping]
Anything?
I'm sorry. I'm really trying.
We're really scraping the bottom
of the barrel here, huh?
Concentrate, Luke.
[beeping continues]
Ah, Tony, give him a boost.
No. No, no. No more, please.
Like I said, it's very unlikely
you'll see the lights today.
On the off chance you do, though,
I need for you to let us know
immediately,
for your own safety.
For my safe
Also, do try to keep
your teeth clenched.
I'd hate for you
to bite off your tongue.
[beeping]
[rattling]
All right.
[rapid beeping]
♪♪♪
Huh! Told ya you could do it, champ.
No one's gonna believe in you
if you don't believe in yourself.
I
I think I'm going to be sick.
[retching]
Okay, uh, let him sit here
a few minutes,
give him a glass of water,
clean him up.
[elevator beeping]]
Easy. First time is rough.
Here, this'll help.
Spearmint.
You see the dots yet?
That's okay. You will,
then you'll feel better.
Speaking of which,
you should eat something,
settle your stomach.
You look like shit.
[sighing] Thank you.
Had my first shots for dots.
Tell me about it.
You know, first time for me,
I ripped the needle out with my teeth
and jabbed it right
into Hendricks's balls.
Did you really?
Nah.
I wanted to, though, and I still may.
Truth is, I barfed
all over my new Chucks.
[Kalisha] Careful, George.
Just take it slow.
Hey! Hey!
Guess it was nothing compared to
what George just went through.
What's that?
It's called the "Dream Box."
It's the final test in Front Half.
Expecting it any day now.
Any idea what it does?
From what I'm told, it shows you
all kinds of bad shit it dredges
up from your subconscious.
Iris calls it your
own personal horror movie.
Only way to make it stop's
by lining up the lights.
Shows 'em you're ready for Back Half.
Can you fight it?
Well, I mean, you can try.
Hey, lovebirds.
See any dots lately?
You got dots for fucking brains.
You and me, kid. Anytime.
Hmm? [chuckling]
Oh.
[beeping]
[beeping]
[door opening]
I'm sorry.
- [door closing]
- You're late.
Yes, I-I-I'm sorry. I don't
Did you take your pill?
- Can't you tell?
- I don't wanna look at it.
"Better living through chemistry."
There you go.
You have that jump rope?
Could you not talk?
Roger that.
Don't leave me in suspense.
Is there a way out of here?
Look, there's always a way.
It's pretty much a strategy game.
The challenge is thinking
of a way they haven't
or, at least,
one they don't think we'd try.
Okay, I'm all ears.
We're not we're not there yet, okay?
We're still gathering data.
Now, the security cams I've seen
look like they were maybe
state-of-the-art ten years ago.
One in every communal room
and one on either side of every
hallway, all motion-activated.
Guessing they're linked into the Wi-Fi,
but, you know, there's
probably a hardwire backup.
Okay, so, how do we knock 'em out?
I don't know. Have you got maybe
a Wi-Fi jammer lying around?
Or, I don't know,
a Class 4 laser pointer?
[sighing] Fresh out.
My guess is that main server
is locked up tight.
So, we can't knock them out?
What's so funny?
Yeah, Tony says "can't's" a beta word.
Fucking hate that guy.
Still doesn't get us past the cameras.
Well, the easiest way to do that
would be to recruit an inside man.
An inside man? Here?
Look, all organizations
have weak links. Okay?
People have secret resentments,
secret lives.
There are a lot of good books
on spy recruitment.
M-I-C-E MICE.
Money, Ideology, Coercion, Ego.
The only problem we have
is we only get one shot.
We recruit one of the staff,
get turned down,
and they report it
to Sigsby or Stackhouse.
Yeah. No second chances.
Plus, we don't have a lot of time.
Kalisha said the average Front Half stay
of any kid she's seen is about 15 days.
What we really need
is a super powerful TP.
See inside the minds of the staff,
even the stuff they're hiding.
Maybe scramble their brains
without them realizing it.
Even Kalisha's
not strong enough for that.
Plus, by the time anyone
develops any real power,
they get shipped out.
[fence rattling]
What the fuck is that?
Nobody knows.
It happens every week or so.
Doesn't look very eco-friendly.
Yeah, why don't you report 'em?
[chuckling]
Drew told me what happened
with Annie today.
Sounds like you really calmed her down.
- That's not easy.
- Yeah, well, um,
I have some experience
with that kinda thing.
- Oh, yeah?
- Yeah.
Yeah, my mom.
I'm sorry. What about your dad?
Oh, um
Yeah, he he tried
to look after her for a bit.
But after he left,
she started going off her meds.
Basically became my job to defuse her.
Hmm.
I bet you were good at it.
Well, she just needed
someone to listen to her.
Her delusions might've seemed crazy,
but I usually found there was
some grain of truth to 'em.
Like Annie and Kelly Sloane?
What do you mean? It wasn't an accident?
What wasn't an accident?
Whatever happened
to Kelly Sloane's daughter.
Place is called the Red Steps.
- Mm-hmm.
- Not really steps,
just a rock formation
in the middle of a river.
Not really red either.
Something about the iron content
in the soil.
Anyway, all the time I was growing up,
our parents told us never
swim near the Red Steps.
Something about the way the
current gets around the rocks.
It can pull you under,
even when the surface is calm as glass.
We, uh, we had a place like that.
Abandoned granite quarry.
Kids used to call it
'the drowning machine'.
When I was in ninth grade,
a few seniors went drinking
up at the Red Steps
night before homecoming.
Maybe they got tipsy and fell in,
or maybe they got drunk enough,
they actually decided to go for a swim.
Either way, their bodies
washed up four days later.
Two boys, two girls.
One of the girls was Zoe Sloane.
Kelly's daughter.
Jesus.
I didn't realize that
Annie was here back then.
No, she wasn't.
She must've heard the story,
convinced somehow it wasn't an accident.
I don't know. It's all
messed up in her head now,
combined with her
other conspiracy stuff,
but it's been very upsetting
for Kelly Sloane.
I can imagine.
Annie's got her good days and bad.
Yeah. Yeah, something
she said she, um
She knew what my mother used to call me.
Yeah, Annie'll say some pretty
mind-bending shit time to time.
She's tuned into
some strange frequencies.
Well I'll go by tonight,
check on her, see how she's doing.
Well, that's good of you.
I guess every town's got one.
Yeah.
No, I didn't mean
Oh, no, that's okay.
It was a long time ago.
Thank you for the coffee.
You literally have one guess left.
- P.
- No!
- Okay.
- Dead.
You suck.
Off the bat. Start a new round. Come on.
Okay. fuck. Wait. What word?
Come on.
- [coin clinks]
- I'm trying to think.
Amazing.
- [Luke] Hey, man.
- Hey. Check it out.
[coin clattering]
[beeping]
[whirring]
[clattering]
[high-pitched whining]
[coin clinking]
Holy shit.
Impressive.
Very impressive.
Dream box sucks, but it's
done wonders for my TK.
Is that the, uh is that the purpose?
To amp the TK?
Amps everything.
How are you feeling?
Like someone turned
my brain into a smoothie,
but otherwise, all good.
Mm. And how about your TP?
Did you, uh, make those lights move?
I think so.
I don't really remember.
What can I get for you?
Uh
[clicking tongue]
Give me, uh, Almond Joy, D3.
Huh. I had you for a Mounds kinda guy.
[Luke] Well, you know,
I'm full of surprises.
[beeping]
[whirring]
[clattering]
[high-pitched whining]
[coin clinking]
- Thank you.
- Any time.
- Y.
- Yes! Yes!
Sometimes it works.
It's a vowel.
[Nicky] Not that bad. Come on.
[clears throat] Hi.
Hey.
Uh, George seems a little better.
- Okay.
- Yeah, not for long.
If he was able to move those
lights in the dream box,
he's the next up for the BH.
And you're 100% sure
that isn't a good thing?
Oh, here we go again.
I'm telling you, Sha,
don't drink the red Kool-Aid.
Anything anyone tells you
in this place is a lie.
Period.
What about Maureen?
Fucking spare me.
All right, how about some ping-pong?
- Come on.
- Okay.
Uh, yeah, gotcha.
[sighing] Luke, help me out here.
I know you're not buying Maureen's whole
go-along-to-get-along spiel.
I don't know, man.
Feels like there may be
a real person in there.
- See?
- Yeah.
If Maureen weren't for real,
then why would she tell us
about all the spots where
the cameras can't hear us?
Far as I'm concerned, with Iris
gone, the only people
we can trust are in this room right now.
Plus one more.
They're getting a new kid tonight.
His name's Avery Dixon
from Salt Lake City.
They're gonna put him in Iris's room.
You gonna work your usual magic
on him, Sha?
Fuck off! I really had the chicken pox!
I don't know.
Judging by this kid's room,
looks like he may be
a little young for "magic."
Okay, both of you need
to just drop this.
Seriously, this is ridiculous.
Look what I got.
Oh, come on.
No! No!
[Nicky] It's mine too.
- I can't
- Uh, George?
Instead of using it to give you
tokens to get the sodas,
why don't you use the machine
to give you sodas without tokens?
- Hey, who asked you?
- Just sayin', man.
Let's have a game. Guys, come on.
I don't need yours. Mine's better.
- [Nicky] Rally for serve.
- [Kalisha] All right.
To ten, okay?
- Let's start.
- [Nicky] Yeah, in your dreams.
- Oh!
- [Kalisha laughing]
[door chiming]
[door chiming]
Hey, you're, uh
you're out of half-n-half!
Can you leave a note on the counter?
Oh, here, let me help you with that.
First there was Coke,
then Diet Coke, then Coke Zero,
and now I have to order something
called Coke Zero Sugar.
Aw, late-stage capitalism, right?
Actually, it's not.
Consumerism stands apart from
any predictive economic model.
Yeah. Yeah, okay, sure.
I know Keynes would say otherwise,
but anyone with half a mind
knows it's production,
not consumption, that drives an economy.
But you clearly have
more than half a mind.
I was three years
into my economics doctorate
at Jaamacadda University in Mogadishu.
In 2007, Al-Shabaab
came after my family.
We had to leave.
Sorry. That must have been hard.
Two years in a refugee camp
in Kenya was hard, yes.
But here, now, in Maine,
it's like a new beginning. Praise Allah.
Praise to you and your brother too, man.
The coffee is on us from here on out.
Have a good night.
Thank you.
[crickets chirping]
[guards chattering]
[guard] Come on, girl. Come on.
♪♪♪
[concertina playing]
[concertina continues
playing discordant notes]
[concertina playing discordant note]
Oh, hey.
Look what some dipshit
tossed in the dumpster
out behind Larson's Hardware.
It's a concertina, so don't go
mistaking it for an accordion.
Oh, I-I won't.
One of my sisters used to
- [concertina playing softly]
- play a little.
[concertina playing softly]
Clearly not me.
But she wouldn't have
been able to tell you
about that Institute,
what they really do up there.
[gunshot]
[dog barking]
- You stay right here.
- [gunshots]
Stay there, Annie!
[concertina playing discordant note]
[indistinct shouting]
[indistinct shouting]
Police! Get down on the ground!
[gunshot]
Come on, man! Let's go!
[man] Hurry up! Get in! Close the door!
Shots fired!
Shots fired!
Dobira Brothers' Gas Station!
[labored breathing]
At least one down!
Uh, plainclothes police officer inside!
Hey, hey, Mr. Dobira.
- [moaning]
- It's Tim.
It's Tim. Can you hear me, man?
I'm gonna have to turn you over, okay?
- No.
- I've gotta turn ya.
- I know, I know, I know.
- It hurts.
I know that it hurts, okay?
I've just got to take
a look at you, buddy.
Breathe for me.
[groaning]
Here, give me your hands.
Put pressure on that, okay?
Pressure on it. I got you, man.
Okay? Keep pressure on it.
I'll be right back.
I will be right back, okay?
[labored breathing]
You got any alcohol, Mr. Dobira?
[labored breathing]
Alcohol?
No?
[labored breathing]
I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm right here.
I'm right here. I'm right here.
Let's see what we've got.
Move your hands for me.
Move your hands. Okay.
[groaning]
Breathe, breathe, breathe.
That's my man. Okay.
Let's get it in there.
It's gonna be okay.
It's gonna be okay. Help is coming.
Daniel, burning the midnight oil again?
Uh, setting up for tomorrow.
I think we're one dream box
session away with Mr. Iles.
Good news.
We're gonna need him,
all the keyholes coming up.
We'll be ready.
Couple more right behind Iles, so
What about the Ellis kid?
Well, his initial tests
indicate pretty low TP.
Not surprising,
given his moderate BDNF levels,
but we'll get him there.
Good to know.
Of course, it must have occurred to you
that even a moderate BDNF score
[beeping]
together with
the Ellis boy's superior IQ,
might make him uniquely valuable.
My job is to actuate
and invigorate his TP
to the point where he can
contribute to the Hum.
Of course, Daniel. That's all our jobs.
But you do know, in certain cases,
our subject's true value
an infinitely higher value
might lie elsewhere.
Ah
Uh
Don't worry.
The microphones on this corridor
are experiencing
a temporary malfunction.
- Mr. Stackhouse
- Trevor, please.
Trevor, look, I don't know
what Sigsby told you,
but I'm not using
my position to scan for PCs.
Not only is that outside
our mission purview now,
but I'm also very aware
that there are other
facilities so tasked.
Well said.
Complete bullshit,
but well said.
Excuse me?
It's okay. It's okay. I got you, man.
- [siren blaring in distance]
- I'm right here.
- [siren approaching]
- Come on, come on.
Come on, come on, come on.
- [door chiming]
- [labored breathing]
Hands! I wanna see hands!
Drew, we need an ambulance here, man.
- Drew, now!
- Uh, what okay, what do we
Get on your radio. Call Wendy.
Tell her we need an ambulance.
Got a GSW to the stomach.
And tell her we need an APB
on a Jeep, I think, um, Compass,
North Carolina plate starts with WTB9.
- That's what I got.
- A Jeep, uh
Drew, ambulance, man. You got this, bro.
Uh-Uh-Uh, yeah. Wendy,
uh, we're gonna need an
ambulance to the Dobiras' place.
Mr. Dobira, um
[Wendy] Already on the way
15 minutes.
- It's on the way.
- APB.
Only Chief's supposed to put out an APB.
Tell him I fucking forced you.
Wendy, we're also gonna need an APB
You've got this, okay?
on a late-model Jeep Cher Compass.
I'm not going anywhere. Breathe.
[Drew] Uh, NC plate!
- NC plates!
- WTB9, then three more.
Plates are WTB9.
- Uh, color?
- Uh, dark. I think
I think black. Both guys in it
were late teens, early 20s,
white, both armed.
Uh-uh, vehicle's dark,
two male suspects, white,
20-something, armed
Ambulance is coming. Save your strength.
Dad. Dad.
Dad, we chose Fabienne because
she knows what she's doing.
Remember her patient ratings?
Yeah, the highest
of any aide with the agency.
No. No, I don't think
she's hiding your glasses.
Okay.
Thank you.
What? Oh!
I have such a terrific class this year.
Yeah, I really think third grade
is my favorite age to teach.
Because Yeah, their minds
are developing so fast,
and you can have so much impact.
We're finishing A Wrinkle in Time,
which, of course,
they can't get enough of.
And I thought, next semester,
we'd try The Phantom Tollbooth.
Well, why not?
You read it to me when I was nine.
Well, because how could I forget?
Oh, okay.
Okay.
Love you.
[phone beeps]
Sigsby's only directive
is to keep the conveyor belt moving,
stay ahead of the keyholes.
Right.
But there's another perspective,
one, I think, you and I share,
and that perspective takes in
the almost incalculable value
of identifying individuals
with genuine PC potential.
You and I may share
that larger perspective.
But I understand from Sigsby
that the Institute Group does not,
at least as far as the work we do.
She's sure as shit right about that.
[voices speaking
indistinctly in distance]
[voices speaking
indistinctly in distance]
[voices continue speaking]
Wait. Are you saying
there's a third party?
Not a third party.
Multiple.
All willing to funnel
astronomical sums of money
to whoever can provide them
with that kind of competitive advantage.
So what do I do?
Exactly what you've been doing
find a kid with potential
for PC development
and develop him.
Ellis, you mean?
You tell me, Doc.
Identifying and developing,
that's your department.
Ah.
All I'm offering is room
for you to work.
And a buyer.
[chuckling]
And what about Sigsby?
What about her?
I'd say watch your pillow talk,
but I can't imagine she's much for talk.
I'll see you tomorrow, Doctor.
[crickets chirping]
- [medic #1] Left side?
- [medic #2] Okay.
- Here.
- Ready?
- [medic #2] Okay. Two, three.
- [medic #1] Up.
You need to keep the scene secure
until the CSI team
gets here from Bangor.
I'm supposed to get an ETA shortly.
- [Ambulance doors shutting]
- Damn it.
Mr. Dobira gonna be okay?
EMTs have him stabilized for now.
He's been awful lucky so far.
Let's hope it holds.
Not just luck, sir.
Help arrived pretty quick.
Nice job, Drew.
Thank you, Chief. [clears throat]
With the APB, too.
Word got out quick enough,
the Staties could run roadblocks
both ways on the interstate.
They figured they've got
the assholes cornered.
Well, I should, uh, tape up
so I can start my report.
Yours, too, Tim.
You wanna be sure you get
all the details right.
Got a few more doors
to get to tonight, boss.
Okay, if I give it to you
in the morning?
Just don't forget to include the part
where you chased off two
armed robbers with no weapon.
[police radio chatter]
[exhaling sharply]
- [Drew] Thank you.
- Nah, you were great.
No, I wasn't.
But next time,
diapers and Vaseline. Who knew?
Next time.
[door chiming]
[boy sobbing loudly]
[sighing]
- [sobbing continues]
- Jesus Christ. Hey.
Hey, hey, hey.
Hey, don't cry. It's gonna be okay.
[Kalisha] Oh, my God.
- Hey.
- It's okay.
Shit. Can we get him some new pants?
- Yeah, I'll go.
- [Kalisha] Thank you.
[Luke] You're gonna be okay.
Hey, you're Avery. Right?
You're from Utah?
I know. It's gonna be okay.
It's gonna be okay.
[whimpering]
- You want a Reese's?
- No.
He's allergic.
- Hey, it's okay.
- How do you know that?
He told me.
[sobbing continues]
Okay, here we go. Come on.
- You're okay. You're okay.
- Thank you.
[sobbing]
[Nicky] Oh, yeah.
[Kalisha] Here you go.
Let's get you back to your room.
It's not my room.
[sobs]
- This one's strong.
- [sobbing]
I've never felt one so strong.
How How strong?
Well, let's put it this way.
If my TP's a D-1 swingman,
this kid's Michael fucking Jordan.
Ask and ye shall receive.
♪♪♪
♪♪♪