01x05 - Reader Beware

[bunniefuu]

[PHONE RINGING]

- Margot.
- [MARGOT] Hey, Mom.

Some really scary stuff
has been happening.

It has something to
do with Harold Biddle.

Do not talk to anyone else about this.

The other parents can't be trusted.

I will be back as soon as I can.

- Wait, Mom.
- [PHONE BEEPS]

[TENSE MUSIC]

[MARGOT] Previously on Goosebumps...

Just tell me what's going on.

You two have this secret thing,
and I'm just not in on it.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

- What?
- I'm really sorry.

I can't believe he
would do this to my mom.

[COLIN] Lucas, listen to me!

You're gonna get hurt.

[ENGINE REVVING]

- [CROWD] Whoa!
- No!

My car!

[NORA] I'm telling the truth.

There were giant worms everywhere!

And this all has to do with
the ghost of a dead kid.

Why is nobody listening to me?

You brought her to the right place.

- [DRAMATIC MUSIC]
- I'll take care of her now.

[NORA] I just wanna know
when I can talk to my son.

- Take your meds, get some rest...
- [NORA SIGHS]

... and you'll be back with
your son before you know it.

Fine.

[DARK MUSIC]

[MAN] Hey.

Hey, you're sawmill
lady, right? That's you?

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

- [FINGERS DRUMMING]
- [SIGHING, GROANS]

Can you please stop doing that?

[FINGERS DRUMMING INTENSIFIES]

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

[GASPS]

Oh, no.

I want him back.

[SCREAMING]

[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS]

[GENTLE MUSIC]

[NURSE] Excuse me? Can I help you?

Uh, yes.

Hello, I'm here to donate blood.

The blood drive is on the second floor.

Oh. [CHUCKLES]

Sir, this is the psychiatric ward.

Oh, yikes. [CHUCKLES]

I guess I'm in the wrong place.

[EERIE MUSIC]

She doesn't look so good. Ooh.

["ABSOLUTELY STORY OF A GIRL"
BY NINE DAYS PLAY ON CAR RADIO]

♪ This is the story of a girl ♪

♪ Who cried a river and
drowned the whole world ♪

- ♪ And while she looks so sad photog... ♪
- [MUSIC STOPS]

Is this all your stuff?

Yeah, I really wasn't
focused on packing.

Oh.

Well, not to worry, we can always

go get more if we need it, right?

Oh, you okay?

Yeah, I'm still sore from the like,

you know, the thing.

Oh, when you smashed my car, yeah.

Still gotta call my insurance company.

Premiums, right?

What is that?

Never mind.

Welcome to our humble abode.

And, Lucas, I just wanted
to say that, you know,

you're welcome to stay here with us

as long as Nora needs you to.

Yeah, cool. Thanks.

This is a safe space...

Dad.

This is not about to
be a feelings session,

so I will help you to the guest room.

Cool, cool, cool.

I'm gonna make dinner.

[LUCAS] Why are there like six towels?

Um... It's just three and a hand towel.

Oh... 'Kay.

[SIGHS] So are you okay?

I know it's just been a lot, so...

[GROANS] I... I wish I
could see my mom, you know?

I can only talk to her on the phone,

but I'm like the one person in the world

that she actually wants to see,

it just feels like
really, really like and

- messed up.
- [MARGOT] Yeah.

I'm really sorry, Lucas.

It's like, dumb, like
talking about my mom

and there's like all this other
really important stuff going on.

No, no. It's your mom.

Of course, it's important.

It's sort of funny though.

You know, our parents are
like sleeping together.

There's a ghost kinda haunting us,

and I'm like vomiting up worms.

And now we're having like
a sleepover or something?

Yeah, throw in a long-lost sibling

and a rich grandmother and you've got

a soap opera on your hands.

[BOTH LAUGH]

Um...

I'm really glad that it's you.

[GENTLE MUSIC]

Like, glad that it's
you that's here with me.

If that makes sense.

Yeah, that makes sense.

I mean...

I'm glad I'm here with you, too.

[GENTLE MUSIC]

Ooh, well, at least it
can't get any more awkward.

[CAR ENGINE RUMBLING]

[CAR DOOR CLOSING]

[LUCAS] Who is it?

It's my mom.

[CUTLERY CLINKING]

So, um, are you like,

living in Seattle, like, permanently?

Oh, no, no, that was just temporary.

I'm back now.

Like back back?

I wanted to tell you in person.

I thought it would be a fun surprise.

Surprise.

- Huh.
- That is fun.

[CLEARS THROAT]

Would anybody want some wine?

Yes.

- Please.
- Margot? Lucas?

- No, Dad, I'm in high school.
- I don't drink.

That's just doing the old
guidance counselor test.

Okay.

Okay, Mom, what's going on?

We haven't talked to the other
parents like you asked, so...

I can't get into it right now.

There's some other things that
I need to take care of first.

- [WHISPERING] Are you serious right now?
- Should I go?

- No.
- Yes.

You cannot possibly comprehend
how complicated this is.

Yes, I can. Believe me, I can.

Okay, well, I can't
talk about it right now.

- You can never talk about it.
- He's coming back.

[TENSE MUSIC]

[COLIN] The, uh, cork
broke off in the bottle.

I was trying to get it out.

- Oh.
- [COLIN] Just bear with me here.

[SARAH] Colin, please be careful.

Ah, there you go.

[COLIN] Would you like some?

Yes, I would, thank you.

[SIGHS]

That's just the cork,
it's... it's gonna...

[SARAH] Thank you.

[COLIN] What were you talking about?

Oh, nothing, as usual.

Can I be excused? Thanks.

Yeah, so I'm gonna go unpack.

I got nothing.

Damn cork.

So, that's it.

I ended things with Allison.

Finally!

- Oh, the curse has been broken.
- What, really?

Yes, Isaiah, come on.

She wasn't... the worst.

Yeah, no, I know that.
The girl gave us nothing.

- [ISAIAH SCOFFS]
- Literally,

Allison was not even interesting
enough to be the worst.

- [SCOFFS] Damn.
- Come on.

This breakup was inevitable.

Like a millennial saying words

they don't understand but
heard one time on TikTok.

And you are all over
this relationship stuff

because, what, you know me so well?

Duh. Soulmates, okay?

You, me. I got your back.

And also, hello, gay,

- so I'm all over this romance stuff.
- It tracks.

You are like my own personal
season of The Bachelor.

- [LAUGHS]
- Have you told Margot yet?

I was planning on telling
her when she gets here.

But you know that Lucas is staying

at her house right now, right?

You don't think I got like,
anything to worry about,

do you?

You know, I think Lucas
is straightforward.

You, on the other hand,
have been convincing everyone

for years, including Margot,
that you guys are just friends

and you don't have feelings for her.

- And it's okay if you do.
- [DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES]

Crisis makes me hungry.

Is Margot still not here?

- This is her meeting.
- I'll...

I'll text her again.

[FOOT SQUISHES]

Oh, are you kidding me?

- There's dupe soup on my Chucks!
- [LAUGHS]

Okay, I really don't feel
comfortable with us calling it that.

I mean, I wanted to
call it "James' Jam,"

but you vetoed that one, too.

Okay, but dupe soup
just sounds intimate.

[MARGOT] And after all of that,

she says that it's complicated.

Like, yeah, Mom, I know.

I'm the one who's
actually dealing with it.

It's just always an
obfuscation with her.

- Obfuscation?
- Like, she goes away

to Seattle, and she doesn't tell me why.

Fine. And she never
tells me anything, fine.

But now there are actual
haunted objects trying

to ruin our lives and she
knows something about it,

and she still won't talk to me.

And that's just, that's just not fine.

I'm done being fine for her.

You don't, you don't have to be fine.

It's just that, like,

she could actually come
through for me right now,

and she still just chooses not to.

I feel like she started
being really distant

after I started high school.

Like, she was just
waiting for me to grow up

so she could finally be free.

Maybe she just, like, hates teenagers.

Or me.

That's, that's not possible.

[CLEARS THROAT] So is this
the way to James' house?

Yeah, it's just, it's a way.

It's the long way.

I kinda wanted to show
you something first.

Okay.

[LUCAS] Ta-dah.

It's a playground.

It's actually the spot

where I've broken every bone in my body.

Really?

No. But it kinda sounded
cooler if I said it like that.

It's really just like the
six in like my left hand.

Wow.

So why is it that you took me here?

I guess I just want
you to know that like,

even when it feels
like, totally hopeless

and you're hurting, you know,

stuff gets better.

Stuff eventually heals.

Um, and also, um...

I think you're really cool...

and so funny without trying to be...

and so smart.

And you make me feel dumb,

but like, not in a mean way,

like, literally everybody else.

I'm kinda, just kinda
like rambling and I,

I really want to kiss you,

but I'm not gonna kiss you,

'cause that feels like...

[GENTLE MUSIC]

[DOOR OPENS]

Hey guys, sorry we're
late. [CLEARS THROAT]

Hey.

Uh... where were you guys?

- We just took the long way.
- Mm-hmm.

Okay, well, this is your meeting.

Yeah, what did your mom say?

Nothing.

Which I probably
should have just texted,

but we already had this planned, so...

Hang on, wait. She really said nothing?

Like, "Don't trust
anyone", and then nothing?

Yeah, no, she gave me this excuse

about not wanting to say
the wrong thing and then...

But you couldn't have
just like, I don't know,

grabbed her by what I'm
assuming is a very stylish blouse

and like made her tell you
what the hell's going on?

She did say "yet",

so maybe later, she'll
tell us something.

Guys, I don't know. I'm
sorry. This is just my mom.

She's extremely good at disappointing me

and never answering any of my questions.

[ISABELLA] I understand.
I mean, my mom sucks, too.

I've literally dreamt about
murdering her in her sleep.

When I had the mask on.

I told you guys about that, right?

[ALL] No.

Yeah, you got some
serious rage inside you.

I do, you know.

And my therapist tells
me the same thing.

My mom is making me see
her friend, Elizabeth.

Sounds ethical.

Yeah, for sure.

So what are we supposed to do?

Just like, go to school?

[ISAIAH SIGHS] I mean,
what else can we do?

Wait for the next bad thing to happen?

I mean, that is the teenage years,

- according to Elizabeth.
- [OBJECT CRASHING]

Sorry.

[SOFT POP MUSIC PLAYS]

It's time for them to learn the truth.

[SPOOKY MUSIC]

[EXHALES]

She's on a lot of medication,

so she's a little woozy.

Okay. Thank you.

Nora?

Sarah?

You're back.

Yeah.

Does Colin know?

Yeah.

Yeah, he knows.

So how'd you get yourself in here?

I was trying to protect the kids.

Something you know nothing about.

- What does that mean?
- When I called you...

I told you I saw him,

and now everybody thinks I'm crazy.

[TENSE MUSIC]

You told the police
that you saw giant worms.

I told everybody the truth.

I told Eliza and Ben and Victoria,

and now I'm in here.

And I saw Biddle again.

- You saw Biddle in here?
- Yes.

He asked me where he is.

He said he wants him back.

[DARK MUSIC]

He's looking for him, Sarah.

And he's coming for our kids.

He's looking...

for him.

[DARK MUSIC]

[SCHOOL BELL RINGING]

- Hi, Mr. Bratt.
- Your mom's name's Sarah, right?

Your dad said she went to school here?

Yeah. Why do you ask?

Oh, no, just 'cause I was
cleaning out my basement

the other day and found
this scrapbook so...

The Biddle basement?

Yeah, so I thought
maybe you could show it

to your mom, just
'cause there are photos

of her from high school in there.

And I just thought she'd
get a kick out of it.

You could look at it, too.

- [MARGOT] Okay.
- Okay, cool.

- I'll see you later.
- [MARGOT] See ya.

[CURIOUS MUSIC]

[SPOOKY MUSIC]

[YOUNG BEN] Hey, Sarah,
will I see you at practice?

[YOUNG SARAH] Yeah, I'll be there.

["TODAY" BY THE SMASHING PUMPKINS PLAYS]

- [YOUNG BEN] Bye, Sarah.
- [YOUNG SARAH] Bye, Ben.

Mom?

Hey, Harold.

- [MUSIC CONTINUES]
- You coming?

- Photo club?
- Yeah.

- [SARAH GIGGLES]
- [MUSIC CONTINUES]

♪ Today is the greatest ♪

- Darkroom in ten.
- ♪ Day I've ever known ♪

♪ Can't live for tomorrow ♪

[MRS. DOWLING, ECHOING] Margot? Margot?

[WOMAN] Margot!

Are you okay?

You've just been staring off into space.

[WHISPERS] Are you on dr*gs?

What? No, no, I just...

If you're on dr*gs, you
need to talk to someone.

Your father would
probably have a pamphlet.

No, no, I'm not on dr*gs.

I just... wait,

you've been here forever.

Where was the darkroom in ?

Oh...

Yes, it was, uh...

Where are you?

Where the AV room is now.

[LIGHT BOUNCY MUSIC]

Okay.

This is a great idea.

Margot, do this again.

And alone this time.

Okay, I'm in the darkroom.

Let's see if this works.

[YOUNG SARAH] Harold, this is amazing.

Did you make that?

[HAROLD] Oh, um... yeah.

Like another hobby, I guess.

[YOUNG SARAH] God, this is really cool.

[HAROLD] These are a lot
of my favorite things.

[CURIOUS MUSIC]

I don't know, maybe that
doesn't make any sense to you.

I think it makes sense.

They're parts of your life.
Art is in the ordinary.

Who said that?

- Me.
- [BOTH LAUGH]

Look, I know you said no,

but I really think that
you should come hang

with my friends this weekend.

You're cooler than you think.

Maybe.

[YOUNG SARAH] Maybe that's yes?

- [HAROLD] Maybe yes, yeah...
- [DOOR OPENS]

Hey.

What are you doing in here?

Biddle and my mom were friends.

Cool.

Can I just get a projector?

[GENTLE MUSIC]

[ISAIAH SIGHS]

Hey.

Hey.

[ISAIAH] What's going on?

Oh, you know, Stokes
told me to meet her here.

Well, I'm meeting Margot here.

Cool flower.

Hey.

Margot call you guys, too?

Yeah.

Looks like she reached
out to everyone... equally.

Yeah, but I think she
reached out to me first.

I don't think she did.

Did we miss something?

You guys...

my mom knew Biddle.

Wait, how do you know that?

It's all in here.

[EERIE MUSIC]

You're drugging her?

Keep your voice down.

Shut the door.

[SIGHS] I thought I put a
visitor hold on Nora's chart.

Does the chart say to drug her?

She is sedated

because she was reported
to be a danger to herself.

- Nora's under my care, Sarah.
- Oh, please, Victoria.

"Oh, please"?

You waltz into town and
think you can call the sh*ts?

She was at the sawmill
talking about haunted worms.

She's having a nervous breakdown.

What do you think happens to people

when they say something
like that to the police?

So you expect me to believe that
you actually think you're helping her?

I'm trying to handle the situation.

She's agitated.

She's talking to cops about ghosts.

Where do you think that's going?

She said she saw Biddle,

that he's looking for him.

[TENSE MUSIC]

Exactly why she needs to be helped.

Do you believe her?

Of course, I don't.

But this is dangerous, Sarah.

The lives we built.

Her life too.

It all goes away if she
can't keep it together.

We lose everything.

Okay. The way that it
works is that if I'm

in the location that the page is about,

I see the vision. I
see the past perfectly.

So all the information that
we need is in the scrapbook.

- That Bratt gave you.
- Do we not think that it's a little weird

that all of this started happening

at the same exact time that Bratt moved

into the Biddle house?

Hmm, okay, me either.

- This ends badly.
- [SIGHS]

Trust me, it's too dangerous!

Yeah, but she can decide for herself.

Uh, yeah... that being said,
he is kind of right though.

It's a little dangerous.

Yes. Thanks, Lucas, I am right.

Okay, it's getting
really cis-het up in here.

I promise you, my mom is not
going to tell us anything.

So this, this is the one
chance to finally know the truth.

[TENSE MUSIC]

So I have to do this.

I have to go back in.

Whoa, wait, where's that?

It's right here.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

[YOUNG SARAH] Harold, why
did you wanna meet me here?

I'm scared. I'm really scared.

Scared of what?

What's going on with you?

I think someone's trying to hurt me.

Hurt you?

Uh, what does that mean?

- Did someone thr*aten you?
- Yes.

No, look, I can't explain.

I gotta go. Okay?

Ben's waiting for me.

I'm sorry.

We'll talk about this later.

- Please.
- What are you doing, Harold?

- Don't leave me.
- Let go of my arm!

Sarah. Sarah!

[TENSE MUSIC]

You can't go either, Margot.

I'm not gonna let you leave me.

[SPOOKY MUSIC]

Come with me.

[JAMES] Uh, what's up with her eyes?

[PAGES FLIPPING]

[SPOOKY MUSIC]

- What the hell is happening?
- Hey, Margot?

- Margot, Margot.
- What's going on?

Margot, come on, wake up!

- Margot!
- [DRAMATIC MUSIC]

Hey.

What are you doing here?

I was, uh...

I was visiting Nora.

[GENTLE MUSIC]

Why were you visiting Nora?

Yeah, we should probably talk.

So you're sleeping with Nora?

I mean, I was using vaguer language,

but... yeah.

I thought we were on a trial separation.

We were.

We are...

separated.

I thought we were gonna
at least have a talk

before a verdict?

I thought the separation
was the verdict.

- Really?
- Yes, Sarah, you left us months ago.

I wanted you guys to come with me.

If we had all just moved together,

none of this would be happening.

So, what, I would just leave my job

and my pension and career,

and we would just pull our child

out of high school and away

from all the friends that
she's known her whole life?

- Great plan.
- I told you that I needed to leave,

that I couldn't stay here anymore.

But you didn't tell me why!

I can't tell you why!

You won't tell me.

Sarah, I hate that this
is happening like this.

I love you, and I'm
always going to love you.

But I don't see how
this is gonna work out.

So this is over?

Yeah.

[MELANCHOLY MUSIC]

[THUDDING]

[SOBBING]

[NURSE] Miss, visiting hours are over.

Colin told me everything.

What everything?

You're sleeping together, Nora.

[NURSE ON PA] Attention,
visiting hours are over.

It's okay.

It's not okay, but it will be.

[SARAH SOBS]

Ma'am, you can't be here.

I'm sorry. I just have
to tell her something,

and then I'll go.

Listen to me, Nora.

You're not unwell.

They just want you to think you are.

The medication they're giving you

is for people who are seeing
things that aren't there.

But that's not you.

If you wanna get out of here,

you have to stop taking the pills

and stop talking crazy.

They don't understand.

They don't believe you.

But I do.

You're right. We need
to protect our kids.

- We'll figure this out.
- Okay.

[NURSE] Ma'am.

[GENTLE MUSIC]

[SARAH] I'm leaving.

[SOBS]

[NURSE ] Take them
while I'm here, please.

[GENTLE MUSIC]

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

[JAMES] I can't believe
we let her do this.

- Have we learned nothing?
- She gave us no choice.

- Whoa!
- Whoa.

What?

Okay. Okay, wait.

She told us we need to be in
the same place that connects

with the scrapbook page, right?

And it flipped to this page.

That's the Biddle house.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So that's how we gotta get her out.

We gotta use the scrapbook
at the Biddle house to get in.

[ISAIAH] But how are we
gonna get her out of school?

- [ISABELLA] I have an idea.
- [ROCK MUSIC]

- Drama kids, am I right?
- [ALL LAUGHING]

♪ Yes, when we step in the place ♪

♪ See the crowd get loud
with a smile on their face ♪

♪ True ♪

Get her in.

♪ And the love and culture ♪

♪ Make the people combine ♪

♪ Yes ♪

♪ Take you to a place where ♪

♪ The feel-good starts out ♪

- [GRUNTING] Easy, ooh.
- Watch the neck.

Neck, neck, neck.

Sorry, Margot.

♪ Show you what this life's about ♪

♪ Movin' on up is the
name of this thing ♪

♪ Came to raise it up ♪

♪ We ain't playing no games ♪

- [ZIPPER ZIPS]
- [SPOOKY MUSIC]

[MUSIC STOPS]

[MARGOT] Please stop! Please let go!

What do you want from me?

- [PEOPLE WHISPERING]
- [DOORBELL RINGS]

Who are they?

[HAROLD] Who's there?

[TENSE MUSIC]

What is this?

Hey, what is this?

[HAROLD GASPING]

[EERIE MUSIC]

[VOICES WHISPERING]

[INDISTINCT WHISPERING]

- [CUCKOO CLOCK CHIMING]
- [HAROLD GASPS]

[YOUNG BEN] Come on, let's go.

Who are they? Who are they?

- Who are they?
- [HAROLD] Let me out!

- Stay away from me!
- [FIST POUNDING]

[DOORKNOB RATTLING]

[GASPS, GRUNTING]

[FIRE ROARING]

- [COUGHING]
- [DRAMATIC MUSIC]

Oh, my God.

[GASPS] No.

[COUGHING]

Margot, we got you! Come on!

Get her, get her, come on.

- Give me a hand, man.
- [LUCAS] I got you.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

We got you. We got you.

- [MARGOT COUGHING]
- You're okay.

- Sit her down.
- Gentle, gentle.

You followed me into the scrapbook.

[LUCAS] Yeah.

There were other people in the house.

[DOOR OPENING]

[ALL COUGHING]

[YOUNG BEN] I found it.

Huh?

We have to get him out.

- [FIRE ROARING]
- [YOUNG SARAH] No!

- [YOUNG BEN] Hey!
- He's gone.

Harold's gone.

[ISAIAH] Dad?

I told you. You didn't believe me.

[YOUNG BEN] Not now, Nora.

Now what? Do we call someone?

No.

Biddle's dead, okay?

It doesn't mean we have
to ruin our lives, too.

I can't go to jail, okay? Grab the case.

[SAD MUSIC]

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

You guys, did we just find
out our parents are murderers?

No. No, no, no, that's not possible.

- How?
- It all makes perfect sense.

I mean, that's why all of
this is happening to us.

The camera, the mask.

Biddle is getting back at us

for what our parents did to him.

He's getting revenge.

Oh, my God, we're m*rder nepo babies.

No. Okay, yes, our
parents have hidden things,

but they wouldn't just k*ll someone.

Yeah, except they literally just did.

No, Margot's right.

There's gotta be way more to this story.

Like, what the hell was in that case?

Do you guys wanna know
what's in the case?

Come inside. I'll tell you.

I'll tell you all about it.

["RUNNIN" BY DEBBY FRIDAY PLAYS]

♪ See, I got pleasure ♪

♪ I got pain and I've
got fever in my veins ♪

♪ And I got spice, and I'm not nice ♪

♪ But that's the way you like to play ♪

♪ I ate the food, I told the truth ♪

♪ And then I gave it all away ♪

♪ I kiss your mouth, I grab your g*n ♪

♪ 'Cause that's the
way you like to play ♪

♪ I'm runnin', I'm
runnin', I'm runnin' ♪

♪ I'm runnin', I'm runnin',
I'm runnin', I'm runnin' ♪

♪ I'm runnin', I'm
runnin', I'm runnin' ♪

♪ I'm runnin', I'm runnin',
I'm runnin', I'm runnin' ♪

[PULSING MUSIC]

♪ See, I got sweet and I got heat ♪

♪ I got exactly what you need ♪

♪ And I got smoke, I take it slow ♪

♪ Don't b*at your chest
just bend your knee ♪

♪ I dropped the juice,
I called a truce ♪

♪ That's not the way you like to play ♪

♪ I kiss your book,
you're such a crook ♪

♪ And that's the way you like to play ♪

♪ I'm runnin', I'm
runnin', I'm runnin' ♪

♪ I'm runnin', I'm runnin',
I'm runnin', I'm runnin' ♪

♪ I'm runnin', I'm
runnin', I'm runnin' ♪

♪ I'm runnin', I'm runnin',
I'm runnin', I'm runnin' ♪

♪ I'm runnin', I'm
runnin', I'm runnin' ♪

♪ I'm runnin', I'm runnin',
I'm runnin', I'm runnin' ♪

♪ I'm runnin', I'm
runnin', I'm runnin' ♪

♪ I'm runnin', I'm runnin',
I'm runnin', I'm uh-oh ♪

[PULSING MUSIC]

♪ I'm runnin', I'm runnin',
I'm runnin', I'm runnin' ♪

♪ I'm runnin', I'm runnin',
I'm runnin', I'm runnin' ♪