01x05 - Mookie and Pookie

[bunniefuu]

[theme music playing]

NARRATOR:
Man lives in the sunlit world

of what he believes
to be reality.

But... there is,

unseen by most, an underworld.

A place that is just as real

but not as brightly lit.

A dark side.

Okay, I've got it.

I've got a great word.

G-L-I-T-C-H.

Glitch.

What kind of a
word is glitch?

It's a computer word.

Mookie uses it all the time.

There's no computer words
in this game.

It's a foreign
language.

It's a perfectly good English
word, isn't it, Mookie?

[static crackles]

Mookie?

BOY:
What, glitch?

That's a great word.

What does it mean?

It's a hang-up
in a computer program.

You know, um... a glitch.

To him,
English is a foreign language.

Well, you know you can't argue
with twins.

They always stick together.

That's 39 points.
We're way ahead.

Pookie, come upstairs for a sec?

Okay.

It's your turn, dear.

Right, I know,
I know.

We're ahead two points.

Yeah, I know.

You look awful.

Listen, Pookie,

I want you to make me
a promise--

twin to twin.

Why?

Because I'm asking you to.

All right, what is it?

I'm finishing up this
very important program

on the computer.

I thought I'd have time
to finish it,

but now, I'm not so sure.

What are you saying?

I'm saying...

that I want you
to finish it for me, Pookie.

No. That's not what
you're saying.

Listen to me, Pookie,
there's not much time.

No. I won't listen to you.

You've let this damn machine
take over your entire life,

and I hate it.

Pookie, you promised.

I don't care.

I'm gonna switch it off.

No, don't, please!

Look,

I know you hate computers,

but that's because you don't
know anything about them.

There's a whole world in here
just waiting to be discovered.

I don't know anything
about computers, Mookie.

Don't worry.

I've prepared a whole special
set of instructions

just for you.

How special?

Very special.

Sorry it took so long.

We're playing "comeback."



I knew it.
[chuckles]

[rhythmic buzzing]

[rhythmic buzzing continues]

[rapid footfalls]

Kevin!
Mookie.

[rhythmic buzzing]

♪ ♪

MOM:
Susan.

Susan?

Judy and Allison
are downstairs.

Why don't you see them?

It might make you
feel better.

I feel fine, Mom.

What are you looking for?

I'm looking for some notes
that Kevin left for me.

What notes?

He asked me to finish something
for him, before...

Oh, sweetheart.

Sweetheart.

Why don't you
just let it be.

I can't, Mom.

Mookie said it
was important.

Okay, I, uh...

I left some notebooks
down in that...

in that chest there,
in the first drawer.

Thanks, Mom.

Susan, we all miss
Kevin very much.

[electronic tones bleep]

Oh, I forgot to tell you.

Dave at the office
is looking for a computer.

I'm gonna ask him
to look at ours,

and possibly get it
off our hands.

Well, I think we should
wait a little longer.

Hon, she's been up
there all summer.

She sits there

just reading those manuals
and punching in those programs.

She never sees anybody.

She's hardly been out
of the house since the funeral.

Well, I guess it's
just her way

of working
through her grief.

Must be the hardest thing in
the world to lose a twin.

I think we just have
to try to be patient

and help her
through this.

Honey, the longer we wait,
the worse it'll get.

Oh, let's give
her more time.

We'll talk tonight.

Bye.
Bye.

[beeps]

This must be it.

[beeps]

Come on, Mookie, come on.

[printer clattering]

[doorbell ringing]

Who is it?

MAN:
Delivery.
Hmm.

Hi. I have a package
for Susan Anderson.

Well, I'm her mother.

Good. Would
you sign, please?

Thanks.

Who's it from?

I don't know.

Be careful, it's heavy.

Thank you.

[printer clattering]

[keyboard keys clacking]

Susan.

Hi, Mom.

I had a real breakthrough
this morning.

I got into a
humongous data bank.

I think I'm really
getting somewhere.

This package
arrived for you.

Do you know
anything about it?

No. Just put it
on the bed.

Oh, it's heavy.

Don't you want to know
what it is?

I'm in the middle of something.

Uh, do you mind if I open it?

If you want.

You know, that, uh, riding camp
that you wanted to go to,

and I said you couldn't
because Kevin was so sick?

Well, I don't see why

you couldn't go now.

No use sitting around
all summer.

I've, um...

signed you up for the next
two week session.

Isn't that great?

Mom, it's the voice synthesizer.

I can't believe it.

What is it?

The voice synthesizer.

Uh, it-it's kind
of a talk box.

He knew I was ready for it.

Who knew?

What are you talking about?

Mookie.

He's in the network,
in the computer.

He ordered it for me.

Susan...

You can't be serious?

But who could've
ordered it?

Did you?

Of course not.

I don't know, she...

she could've done it
herself, you know.

Harold, that's a terrible thing
to say.

Well, couldn't she?

Ruth, we've got to
put an end to this.

I worked out a deal today with
Dave Meltzer for the computer.

So, let's just go up there,
unplug the thing,

and take it out of there.

Just like that?

Yeah, just like that.

We've got to make
a clean break now.

Believe me, we won't
have a problem.

♪ ♪

[electronic alarm blaring]

SYNTHESIZED VOICE [distorted]:
Pookie.

[alarm stops]
Mom, what's going on?

Susan, we've

decided to...
Dad, what are you

doing there?

Did you hear Mookie?

Yes, of course we did.

No, I didn't hear anybody.

What I heard was a computer
controlled electronic voice.

No matter how fancy
a computer is, Susan,

it's still only a machine.

It was Mookie calling me.

He's out there
in the network

and he needs me
to get through to him.

That's why he left me
his notes.

Mom, tell him.
Let's talk sense, Susan.

Kevin is not
inside a computer.

And he's not on any network.

You don't understand.

Kevin's my twin brother,
I know he's in there.

Susan, you've got a choice.

You either stop this
nonsense right now,

or I'm gonna have this computer
disconnected and taken away.

Sweetheart...

Mom, don't let him do it.

I can't leave Mookie stranded.

Honey, are you sure that...?

How do you explain the voice

and the word on the computer?

Uh, I don't know.

SYNTHESIZED VOICE:
Let Pookie finish.

That's it, Mookie, I'm done.

[computer trilling]

Come on, talk to me.

[printer clattering]

Susan, sweetheart...

Oh, Mookie, no.

Mookie, no.

What is it?

Oh, darling, you
look exhausted.

Why don't you stop
for a while?

Mom, something
terrible's happened.

I just finished the program,
and I found out...
Well, Susan?

[computer trilling]

Did you sell the computer
to a Mr. Meltzer?

Who told you?

Mookie.

He found the check in
the computer network.

Come on, Susan.

Did you sell it?

As a matter of fact, I did.

Harold, how could you?
Why?! Why did you do it?!

I told you I would.

I warned you, Susan.

When is he gonna
take it away?

Sometime this afternoon,
I think.

Oh, Harold.

Dad, what am I gonna do?

Look, I'll prove to you
that Mookie's in here.

[sighs]

If I prove it to you,
will you change your mind?

Okay. Okay, I will.

On one condition.

That you
change yours

if you fail.

Okay.

Okay.

Punch in a question,
any question at all,

he'll answer you.

You go first.

Oh, no.
No, you're the believer.

You try it.

Uh, what do I do?

Just type out
any question.

Like on a typewriter.

You'll see.

"Kevin,

are you there?"

[beep]

He won't answer you.

Why? He answers me.

Try again.

You, you do it.

"Are you...

really Kevin?"
[beep]

Maybe he's mad at you
for selling the computer,

and he won't answer you.

He answers me.

We made a deal, Susan.

I know, but I can prove it, Dad.

I swear, I just need
a little more time, okay?

Harold, we've
waited this long.

A couple of days won't
make any difference.

I'm sorry.

Mom!

I'll see what
I can do, Susan.

Where are you when I need you?

Thank God.

Who's not ready?

SYNTHESIZED VOICE:
Dad.

DAD:
We're going to lose her, Ruth.

But what if she's
telling the truth?

What if she has
reached Kevin?

I heard him up there,
it was real.

You heard something,
sure, a gimmick.

A preprogrammed electronic
voice synthesizer.

Every kid on the block
can do this trick.

It's no big deal.

What about
Dave Meltzer?

How do you explain that?
She doesn't even know him.

Simple. She broke
into some data bank

and came across
the check by chance.

No, I don't think
it's that simple.

Ruth, come on, there's
no magic in computers.

But there is for me.

Okay, I'll tell you what.

I'll give her
one more chance.

[printer clattering]

Susan...

I've got good news.

You changed your mind?

No, not that.

Uh, here.

"Hi, Pook, I'm fine now.

"You've done a good job.

"It's time to let Dad
unplug the computer,

"and sell it to Mr. Meltzer.

Mookie."

Mookie didn't write
this, you did.

How could you think
I could believe this?

And how could you expect me
to believe that?

Because that is real,
and this isn't.

Prove it!
What's happened?

Mom, Dad tried to trick me.

Harold, you said you'd give her
another chance.

I've had enough of this.

We'll settle this
once and for all.

Now you tell Kevin that I'm
going to unplug his computer.

If he has something to say,
now's the time.

Please, Dad, don't.

SYNTHESIZED VOICE:
Don't do it, Dad.

Listen to Pookie.

How did you do that?

Don't you understand?
It's Kevin.

My son is not a computer.

Well, he's in there somewhere.
He isn't.

He is.
He is not.

[Kevin's voice synthesized]:
I'm right here, Dad.

Kevin, you stay out of this.

And as for you, young lady...

I think I'll go downstairs
for a while.

Dear, I think we'll
have to use the timer.

Harold, you're only supposed
to take two minutes.

Well, I can't help it if I don't
have any vowels, can I?

Mom, I'm going to go riding
with Allison,

tomorrow afternoon, okay?
Wonderful, darling.

All right, all right.

Here's "gable" and "wing."

That's the best I can do.

Bravo.

14 points.

You're way behind, Dad.

It's your turn.

[Kevin's voice synthesized]:
Guess what, Dad.

"Voyager."

Seven letters. Triple word.

50 points bonus.

V-O-Y-A-G-E-R.

NARRATOR:
The dark side is always there.

Waiting for us to enter.

Waiting to enter us.

Until next time,
try to enjoy the daylight.