02x03 - Empathy for the Devil

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Extant". Aired July 9, 2014 – September 9, 2015.*
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"Extant" is about an astronaut who struggles to learn how she became pregnant while on a 13-month-long solo space mission.
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02x03 - Empathy for the Devil

Post by bunniefuu »

Molly: My name is Molly Woods. I'm an astronaut. My husband John, a robotics engineer, created a lifelike robot called a Humanich. We adopted the prototype as our son. His name is Ethan. Everything changed when I went to space on a 13-month solo mission. I didn't come home alone.

I'm pregnant.

How is that even possible?

The child, part human, part alien, was unlike anything the world had ever seen.

How did you get so big so fast?

And he was dangerous.

Eventually...


Run!

I lost both of my sons.

Ethan!

Mom!

And my husband.

[train horn blaring]

Some people say I've gone crazy.


This is a cover-up! That's what this is!

Get your hands off of me!

I say there's more to the story.

It's up to me to find the truth... before it's too late.

Previously on Extant...


This isn't a m*rder investigation. It's an invasion.

Shepherd: We thought he was dead, but we were wrong.

We've used an accelerated aging program to create an image of what he looks like now.

Molly: I think I'm going crazy.

I'm blacking out and I'm ending up in places that I have no idea how I got there.

Get dressed!

You're not my mom!

Anna: If you cannot get him under control, we will give him to someone who can.

Julie: Okay, I can reprogram him.

Good night, Rabbit.

Good night, Mom.

Anna: We would like this new breed of Humanichs to be stronger than we are.

[shouting] Let go!

Taylor recommended a drone strike.

Give me eyes on the target.

Velez: There's Molly Woods.

Stop!

Sir, what do we do?

Launch.

[Rock music playing]

Some things are better left alone! That's all I'm saying.

Analog audio technology was developed at a time when people cared about warmth and depth.

It came of age when music defined people's lives and foreshadowed the alienation of modern man.

Something must be pretty special here.

They're sending in the government spooks to pick him up in the morning.

I got something more mellow right here.

This is a classic.

You like sad songs?

I work in a morgue, don't I?

Here, take that off.

[sloshing sounds]

[cracking]

[sloshing]

[thuds]

Oh, dude...

[crying]

[indistinct chatter]

Just put your eye up here for the key scan and it's all yours, Mrs. Nelson.

This matter is, uh, well, uh, delicate.

Ha! Isn't it always?

Oh, I should've known you'd laugh at me.


[crying]

[slapping sound]

Pull yourself together. I can't stand...

Man: AG5, an asteroid 140 meters wide...


[overlapping voices]

[overlapping voices continue]

[overlapping voices continue]

Man: American West. A lone coyote hunts for prey.

[g*nf*re]

[overlapping voices, g*nf*re]

[dance music playing]

Is this seat taken?

It is now.

Man: Drone on final approach.

Icarian-4, inbound 90 seconds.

[loud clinking]

You haven't told me your name.

Ahdu.

That's beautiful.

I'm Molly.

It's good to see you, Molly.

Have we met before?

It's a small universe.

♪ Ah...

We've lost visual, sir.

Shepherd: I need eyes. Get me that picture back.

Working on it, sir.

Seems to be some sort of interference.

Maybe we should go somewhere a little more quiet?

Lead the way.

[talking indistinctly, laughing]

Come here.

Just when I thought we had something special going on.

Hey, Molly.

You move, I sh**t your kneecap off.

You think I was gonna let you get away from me twice?

Now, the way I got it figured, you either really needed to get laid or you know who the k*ller is.

Hell, maybe you're even in on it.

Put the g*n down.

I don't think so.

Oh, my God.

It's you.

But how could this be possible?

Oh, no, no, no! Don't... don't hurt him!

Stop it! Stop it!

Right now.

[panting]

What is that sound?

[drone approaching]

Down!

[expl*si*n]

[woman screaming in distance]

[coughing]

Are you okay?

Where is he?

[grunting]

Who is he?

[panting]

My son.

Man: Don't move! Put your hands in the air!

Right now.

Clear the area.

Sir, we have Dr. Woods.

You've got an artifact in her scanning process that's generating noise.

It's just a simple question of turning down the volume.

Cool?

Problems?

Problems are just possibilities.

Ethan: Hey, Mom.

Can you come help me with this?

I'll be right there, Rabbit.

The ethical adapter's installed.

You got a second adapter you can install on yourself, Mom?

That's not fair, Charlie.

You think I wanted to wipe his memories of Molly?

He was in a lot of pain. I did what I had to do.

So lay off, please.

Let's get this show started, shall we?

Velez: Let's try this again, Mr. Richter.

You took Molly Woods from RestWell Recovery Center with a fake court order.

So, what do you know about the man Molly Woods was with in the bar?

The first I've ever seen of him.

What were you doing with her?

I'm just a cop working a homicide.

You were in Second K.

Good for you. You can read.

Didn't do too well there.

I have a problem with authority.

Apparently.

Dishonorable discharge two months in.

I also have a problem with innocent people dying in pointless wars.

This spray induces the feeling of three days' sleep-deprivation.

So, what is your association with Molly Woods?

I'm just a cop on a case.

What were you doing outside that bar?

Cop on a case.

What was Molly Woods doing there?

I know you're gonna bruise.

Bones in the hand, there's no cushion.

You're holding back information that could save innocent lives.

Now, what did Molly Woods tell you about the man in that bar?

Bone bruises are the worst.

Oh, that sucks.

Now... you think you can help me out?

Yeah, I totally would... except for now I'm too tired to talk.

Sweet dreams, Mr. Richter.

You won't be smiling for long.

[lock beeps]

Man: Who is JD Richter to you?

Okay. You were in that bar. Why?

Was it a prearranged meeting?

The fruit.

That's how it starts.

[inhales deeply]

Are you trying to remind me of spring?

Better days, blue skies.

Skies you took away?

'Cause in space, we didn't have fruit.

We only had these little blue, green and yellow pills.

They tasted like fruit.

But they weren't fruit.

Mmm.

Dr. Woods, this can go on another few hours, or you can cooperate.

I will cooperate.

As soon as those cowards come out from behind that glass and answer my questions.

Like... how come they decided to blow up a bar full of innocent people?

Do you even have the balls to come from behind there and tell me to my face?

Whoever you are?

Toby... what good can come from going in there?

More than you think.

[lock beeps]

Toby.

Hello, Molly.

You son of a bitch!

How could you do this...

Stand down.

A.I., privacy mode.

A.I. Voice: Privacy Mode engaged.

I'd like a word with Dr. Woods. Alone.

[lock beeps]

[door closes, locks]

If I were you, I wouldn't be alone with me right now.

Charlie: Here we go.

Four, three, two, one.

[soft beep, whirring]

Hi, Lucy.

Sorry about the hand.

Must've really hurt.

Lucy.

Do you know who I am?

Yes, ma'am.

You're Anna Schaefer.

You're in charge of the program for which I am the prototype.

Your image is one of 923 million memory implants that have been encoded onto my neural net.

Very good.

Can I see myself?

Uh, sure.

Huh?

Ethan. This is Lucy.

Lucy, Ethan.

I already know her.

I just don't know her in this body.

Hi, Ethan.

Still playing Space Battle?

I leveled out. Now I'm more into Robotrap and Spherical Chess.

Want to come see it?

I have a good chess program.

Come on.

Lovely.

When can she perform her field test?

Julie: We have to run through her protocols first.

She wasn't able to learn by experience like Ethan did.

So we've incorporated an empathic response algorithm, an ethical adapter.

It's designed to mimic human complexity when it comes to moral decisions.

You do know what we're fighting here?

An alien life form.

Julie: Of course.

A hybrid's resting body temperature is 84 degrees.

And Lucy can detect that from a distance of up to 100 feet.

Her wiring makes her immune to their screening capabilities.

And her human appearance allows her able to blend in with a crowd.

Correct.

She can identify, get close, then terminate.

I still have no idea where ethics comes into play here.

For morally ambiguous situations that involve more than sh**t or don't sh**t.

To reduce human casualties.

Fine. Let's see how she performs on her protocols.

Of course.

Are you trying to get yourself thrown off this project?

She's our boss.

[door closes]

Doesn't mean I have to like her.

Shepherd: When I asked you to adjust your testimony to congress, I swear I thought he was dead.

Adjust my testimony?

[laughing]

Whose testimony did you adjust to get me committed?

I had nothing to do with that.

So you don't think I'm crazy?

You were... distraught, rightfully, and your brain scans showed abnormalities.

Whether that was the radiation, I don't know.

But your behavior was erratic, Molly. You can't deny it.

Oh, I'll show you erratic, you keep lying.

We had the boy's body in the morgue.

It was in some sort of stasis.

Like an insect...
in a larval state.

Then the larvae emerged and we lost him, Mol.

All we had was the shell he left behind.


Now, we knew he grew at an accelerated rate.

We did age projections, computer extrapolations.

And then...


You found him.

Yeah.

And you.

What were you doing in that bar, Molly?

Did you arrange the meeting?

I had no idea he was at that bar.

In my business, there's no such thing as coincidence.

You think I'm lying?

I only lie, Toby, when my country asks me to.

I thought you were my friend.

I am.

Really?

Well, you're my first friend that ever tried to blow me up in a drone strike.

I had to make that call.

You, more than anyone, know what we're up against here.

Which makes you an asset.

Okay.

Well, if you want me to help you, then you better tell me everything.

Shepherd: There are 29 known deaths in the United States in the last six months.

All women who d*ed from accelerated pregnancies.

All of which trace back to the target.

Your son.

Show me the projections.

In six weeks, this many deaths.

In six months...

And for each one of them, a birth.

And what happens to these babies?

Who knows what's out there now.

We've tried to stop him. But you know the scenario.

When my people get close, something happens.

Yeah, they turn on each other.

We can't get close.

But now we know that you can.

He trusts you, Molly.

We're running out of options here.

Help us.

"'Does it hurt?' asked the Rabbit.

'Sometimes,' said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful.

'When you are real you don't mind being hurt.'"

It's an exciting day, meeting Lucy.

I like having a sister. She's fun.

She says she's going to be a soldier.

Yeah, she is.

Am I going be a soldier, too?

You have to grow up first.

But you weren't built to be a soldier.

What was I built for?

To be you.

To be Ethan.

Good night, Rabbit. Sweet dreams.

Ethan.

[distantly]: Ethan?

[crackling] Are you all right?

[distantly]: Ethan. Are you...

[normally]: all right?

Yeah, Mom. I'm all right.

Okay. I'll see you in the morning, then.

You are putting our fate in the hands of a woman of questionable stability.

Who happens to be our best hope right now.

We've tried drones, we've tried SEALs.

Sometimes the lone assassin is more effective than ten battalions.

Yes... if that assassin can get the job done.

A g*n is much more powerful than you.

The only part you control is pulling the trigger.

If you do it right, nothing else moves.

Eye on the target, feel your finger moving smoothly...

Just make sure you don't set your sights on the wrong target.

Got it.

Nice sh*t.

You sure you haven't done this before?

When I set my sights on a target, I nail it.

[g*nf*re]

Julie: I'm going to present you with a series of statements, and I want you to tell me whether you agree or disagree. And I want you to answer truthfully, not how you think I want you to answer, okay?

[tablet chimes]

"It would be inappropriate to cheat on an exam, even if it meant I would get a better grade."

Agree.

[chimes]

"If I caught someone stealing from a bank, I should call the police."

Agree.

"You're with a group of people exploring a cave. One of them is pregnant. She gets stuck in the mouth of the cave. You're running out of oxygen. You have a stick of dynamite. If you use it, the woman will be k*lled. If you don't use it, everyone else will suffocate. You should use the dynamite."

[sighs]

Pregnant woman in a cave. Wedged in the exit.

[Lucy laughs]

Lucy... here's a better one.

You are a soldier assigned to k*ll a t*rror1st responsible for thousands of deaths. You have eyes on your target, but he's taken refuge in a school, and is surrounded by small children. You should blow up the school, k*lling the children.

Agree.

Thank you, Lucy.
k*lling a bunch of school children.

She didn't even flinch.

She made the tough call, quickly and efficiently.

Now, those are the very calls that she'll need to make in the field, so, we shouldn't shy away from them.

Yeah, and she probably would have made the tough call to launch nukes in the Cuban m*ssile Crisis, without blinking an eye sensor.

I don't have the luxury of discussing b*ttlefield ethics, as I have two colonels and a senator breathing down my neck.

Now, they would like to know what all their research money has amounted to.

So, we're gonna do a bit of a bot and pony show.

Buy Lucy something nice to wear.

And congratulations.

She is spectacular.

Charlie, we can fix this, tweak the algorithms.

Keep telling yourself that.

[lock beeps, door opens]

[door closes]

I'm General Tobias Shepherd.

Yeah, I know who you are, General.

I'm familiar with your work.

Second K, right?

Second Kuwait w*r, yes.

But you and I had very different wars, Mr. Richter.

I'll say we did.

So I see you've just kept on doing what you do.

Your case has been officially closed, so you're all done here.

Damn it.

Just when I was starting to enjoy the amenities.

Go home, Mr. Richter.

Go quietly about your life.

And if you're quiet enough, maybe I won't hear you.

Funny. You know, that is exactly what my C.O. told me when he handed me my discharge papers.

Should have listened.

Listening to bullies isn't my strong suit.

Hey, General?

What have you done with Molly Woods?

I recommend that you leave here, forget you ever met Dr. Woods.

And that is a strong recommendation.

[lock beeps, door opens, closes]

Which one do you prefer?

I don't know.

Can I try on both?

Sure.

There's a mirror over there if you want to see how you look.

It's kind of nice having another female around.

It can get pretty man-cave when Charlie and Ethan get together.

How about this one?

Where did you get that?

Your closet. Why?

Because it wasn't an option.

Sorry, I just thought, you have a closet full of things.

It's nice, but it's... inappropriate.

You need to wear something professional.

This isn't professional?

[laughs]

No.

Why don't you just go put on the blue one?

Ethan: I love the tapioca balls.

Oh, dude, you got to love the tapioca balls.

I wish Lucy could taste 'em.

We can get her one if you want.

Okay.

[stuttering]: This one-one is for you.

Ethan?

Ethan?

This one is for you.

- CHARLIE: You okay, bud?

Ethan!


[whirring]

Ethan?

Ethan? Ethan?

Hey, buddy? Hey.

[whirring]

Charlie... who's Molly?

Do you like my outfit?

I don't know a lot about girls' clothes.

If you don't like it, you can print clothes right here.

Really?

Julie does it all the time.

She printed me this T-shirt.

That's pretty cool.

You pick the design?

Yeah, of course.

[chimes] Check.

Mm.

[chimes] Checkmate.

You're good.

I told him he must have seen her face on TV or something, but I think he still may be glitchy.

I took care of the immediate memory stammer.

You deleted the memory?

Julie, Ethan knows something's going on here.

These glitches... I don't know if I can fix what you've done.

Charlie, he was about to k*ll himself.

Look at him now. Glitches and all, he's happy.

You can't argue with that.

Just seems like we keep making excuses for ethically-ambiguous choices here, don't you think?

What are you saying?

I'm saying...

I've got my own ethical adapter, and its little alarm bells keep going off, over and over again.

Sometimes you have to make choices for the greater good, Charlie.

The greater good? Julie, you wiped Ethan's memory.

Lucy's k*lling school children without even hesitating.

And now you're letting her bond with Ethan. It's like...

If you have a problem with the way I run this operation... you can go find yourself another job.

I promised Ethan I'd stay.

I wanted to stay for you, too, because I cared about you.

You were kind, you were brilliant.

You were so damn perfect, I couldn't even tell you how I felt about you.

But now, I can say it to your face, 'cause you're not that person anymore.

Shepherd: We know he'll seek you out.

We're running facial recognition against his image with every surveillance camera within a thousand-mile radius.

The moment we know he's coming, you'll know.

Meantime, go home and wait.

What about RestWell?

I made that go away.

And JD Richter?

Did you make that go away, too?

Because, you know, this was his case.

Not anymore.

We need to keep the circle tight to get the job done.

Yeah. I understand.

Molly... that call, the drone... it was the hardest thing I ever had to do.

I just want you to know that.

Sir?

They're asking for us in Surveillance.

Thank you, Shayna. I'll be right there.

You be ready for my call.

You keep your phone on you, and the g*n.

Molly...

I need to know when the time comes... you'll be able to pull that trigger.

[elevator chimes]

We'll find out, won't we?

I remember the arguments when we introduced the self-driving car.

Mm.

It was so hard to convince people that the most dangerous factor on the road was human error.

Well, the same can be said of the b*ttlefield, which is why what we have here is so extraordinary.

And here we have the woman of the hour.

One of them anyway. Julie Gelineau.

This is Senator Blake Stone.

We have Colonels Davis and Cramer and Gianna Pelton from Yolodyne.

Julie here has done incredible work under incredible pressure.

So, where is she?

Lucy's getting ready. She'll be out in a minute.

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Lucy, the future of Humanichs?

[applause]

What's up, bud?

You want straight Scotch or gin and tonic?

Ginger ale.

Ginger ale's more your speed, I think.

[clears her throat] Did you steal that dress from my closet?

No. I printed it out.

Ethan showed me how. Is there something wrong?

I specifically told you it was inappropriate.

Anna: My people are blown away.

They can't believe how human she feels.

[laughs]

We all agree we'd like to see a field test right away, so, I assured them that there wouldn't be a problem with that.

I...

I'll tell Charlie.

Julie, congratulations.

You and Charlie have really outdone yourselves.

Hey. Nice dress.

You made quite the entrance.

Well, I think Julie's mad at me.

Oh, well, that won't last long.

I think you look pretty.

Thanks.

They said I'm ready for the field.

I want to learn, Charlie.

I want to get all of the answers right.

[laughs]

[insects chirping]

[sighs]

[door opens]

[floorboards creaking]

[gasps]

What's up, Doc?

You know how to use that thing?

You want to find out?

Why don't you do us both a favor and put that down.

Nope. Not just yet.

What can I do for you?

[chuckling]: What can you do for me?

[sighs] I was just interrogated and roughed up by some government spooks.

Kind of thought maybe the same thing had happened to you, and I was worried. But now that I see you, well, you look positively glowing.

So what I'm wondering is why some people get the Shinola and other people get the sh...

All right, look, you stepped in this mess all by yourself.

You know what I suggest you do?

Clean off your boots and find yourself another case.

You know, I would take that advice.

I really would.

The problem is, Big Brother not only took my case but he also took my license.

Really?

Really.

I'm so sorry.

Sorry doesn't keep me in beer and cowboy boots.

You sort of buried the lead there, Molly.

You failed to mention that we were looking for your 30-year-old son.

Which, by the way, how is that even possible?

It's complicated.

Here's what I know.

I'm outside a bar talking to you and... your son, and the next thing I know I'm back in Kuwait, watching my company drop to friendly fire.

And when I wake up, I'm holding a g*n to my head.

Let's just say my mind has been expanded by my evening spent in Oz.

So, Molly, if you want to claim flying monkeys...

I'm listening.

Ethan: Good night, Charlie.

[chimes]

Julie: Thanks for coming over.

Ethan likes it when you put him to bed.

I like putting him to bed.

Congratulations on a successful night.

Thanks. You, too. [chuckles]

All right, I should go.

Charlie, did you... mean all those things... that you said?

The good, the bad, and the ugly.

I was angry.

I mean, I said things I regret.

But, um...

I thought a lot about what you said about me quitting, and... if you think that's for the best...

No, I didn't mean any of those things.

Don't leave Ethan.

Or me.

Why not?

All right, let me... let me get this straight.

You're saying that you went to space alone for 13 months and you came back pregnant.

Yes.

And they took my baby from me prematurely.

He had accelerated growth.

But I really... thought he was dead.

And now your grown half-alien son is our perp.

He's getting these women pregnant, which is, in fact, k*lling them.

Yes.

[groans]

You're right.

You're right. My mind is blown.

Now I need a drink.

Or ten.

You want one?

Uh, no.

JD, I'm really sorry you got involved in all this, but you're gonna have to go now.

What are you talking about?

You just told me we're in the midst of an alien invasion, and I actually believe you.

If ever there was time for a drink, it's now.

Hey.

Hey, are you all right?

You're gonna have to go now.

No. No, I'm not gonna go.

We're not done here.

Yes, we are.

Whoa, whoa. Hey, hey.

I liked it a lot better when that was on the table.

[panting]

Get out of my apartment, right now.

[g*nsh*t]

Go!

Nice knowing you, Molly.

[door closes, electrical crackling]

[panting]

[power winding down]

Gina: System on battery backup power.

Sir, there's some sort of surge.

The whole neighborhood's gone dark.

20 square blocks. There's a blackout.

Molly Woods' apartment is dead center.

He's there.

[line ringing]

Toby, he's coming for me.

I know.

You asked me if I could pull the trigger.

But I don't know if I can.


Molly, you know what's at stake here.

It's the right thing. It's the only thing to do.

I know.

But he's my son.

Molly.

Molly!

[shuddering breaths]

Hello, Mother.

Is that what you want, to k*ll me?

[shuddering breaths]

What I want is to know what the hell is going on here, why you're here, and what you want.

You want to know why I'm here?

I'll show you.

Or you can just pull the trigger.

k*lling people isn't the nature of my mission.

Then what exactly is your mission?

Because people are dying, Ahdu.

You don't understand, Mother.

What more is there for me to understand?

So very much.

See for yourself.

[eerie whispering]

Oh, God.

[eerie whispering]

[shuddering breaths]

Behold a vision of our destiny, Mother.

Oh, God.

This can't be happening.

This is the future, Molly.

You're gonna have to make a choice soon.

Are you with them... or us?

Oh, no, God.

[revs engine]

[cocks g*n]

Keep your hands where I can see 'em.

Whoa. Don't sh**t.

Kelsey?

Hi, Dad.

You know, if today's the day you've come to tell me what I crappy father I am or to borrow money... let me tell you something, you picked the wrong day.

I'm pregnant.

[g*nshots]

I'm sorry, Ahdu, but I'm with them.

[panting]

[shuddering breaths]

Oh, my God. Toby.
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