03x01 - Across the Universe

[bunniefuu]

And that is Hera.

Incredible. I am blown away.

- Thanks. Thank you.

- Thank you.

If your game is half as exciting

as that pitch, we'd love to invest.

- What?

- This is just a vertical slice.

So So the full game will

be much more impressive.

Amazing. You two have built the

Model prisoner.

You have a spotless record.

You volunteered in the library.

You even taught classes in finance

to prepare other

inmates for their parole.

- Yeah.

- Honestly, Mr. Bakshi,

it's a shame to lose you.

No, I don't think you're gonna lose me.

No, but seriously, I sit

before you a changed man.

We see that.

You are proof that reform is possible,

because prisons only work when

Costs are down, numbers are up.

Excellent work, David.

Well, thank you, Jacques and Jean-Luc.

Yeah, I can't take all the credit.

As we know, it takes a village,

and, uh, I think these

prof reports will show you

just how well this village was run.

Uh, streamlined, responsible. It is

The most complex game

engine ever conceived.

This is our masterpiece.

Yes, and we are solely

focused on the now.

So forget about our past

Indiscretions.

If you give me another

chance, I swear I will never

Toot my own horn. I'll let

the numbers do that for me.

But the truth is

I am Way better off

- Without them.

- Damn straight.

- Jo.

- Sorry.

Now, let's talk about our future.

How long do we wait?

How How long are we supposed to wait?

Ian!

- Are you Are you talking to me?

- Who else would I be talking to?

You're the only other person

that works in this office.

Can you get off the stupid VR game?

I'm not playing a stupid VR game, Poppy.

I am navigating,

and quite possibly building, a very

small subsection of the Metaverse.

No, no. No more speeches

about the Web3 frontier

- and and "non-fungal tokens."

- Non-fungible. Non-fungible.

Which means "unable to be

replaced by an identical item."

Much like your kidneys, but

keep drinking that green soda.

I saw you injecting yourself

with horse hormones this morning.

Okay. First of all, those were

amino acids, and secondly

Shut up, shut up. Their offer's come in.

- The They've emailed their offer. Yeah.

- Really? That was fast.

That's a good sign.

Okay, bef before we open this,

I think we should make a pact.

- Okay.

- We don't take less than 25.

Twenty-five is is what we asked for,

and that's what they have to pay.

I like this Poppy.

Go big or don't go. Twenty-five it is.

- Okay. Okay.

- Okay.

"Ian and Poppy, everyone is

buzzing over your presentation "

Blah, blah, blah.

" excited to move forward

with an offer of 50 million."

Fifty million?

Is this Is this real?

Yeah.

- This is my dream.

- Yes!

- This is the greatest day of my life!

- Yes.

- And we did it! We really did it!

- Yes!

We just made $50 million!

No.

What?

We didn't make $50 million because

we're not gonna take the money.

What? What?

- But we asked for 25

- Right.

- and and they offered us, um, 50.

- Correct.

But we're not gonna take it?

No.

No.

No.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Yes.

Look, Pop, there are

reasons to take the money.

There are reasons not to.

It just doesn't feel right in my gut.

Your gut?

Your g

We, um, spent all our

seed money on this game,

in this stupid spaceship office.

I mean, I've been

struggling to pay my rent,

but we're not gonna take double what

we asked for because of your gut?

Did you want me to say "yes" again,

or can you infer based

on the conversation?

Your gut is always

making these decisions.

You You said that we would make

GrimPop Studios to develop my game!

So this is not for your gut to

decide. My gut is making this call.

You're right. You're totally right.

This is your game, and

you should make the call.

So what do you wanna do?

I think that we should take the money.

You think we should take it?

I wanna take the money!

Take the money? Okay.

That's a lot of money.

- Yes!

- All right. Let's take it.

- Yes!

- All right. Good call.

- Congrats, Pop.

- Okay.

Take Take the money.

It's It's a big win.

That's That's That's

That's a big win, Poppy.

And I do ♪

Don't know this part ♪

And pretend it was you ♪

And lose control ♪

There'll be some lovemaking ♪

Heartbreaking ♪

- Soul-shaking ♪

- Soul-shaking love ♪

Lovemaking ♪

Heartbreaking ♪

- So

- Ugh.

Jo.

She's just gonna keep calling.

- Hi, Jo.

- Where are you?

- Mmm.

- Good to hear your voice too.

We're on the 5.

We just left San Francisco,

and we are en route.

You just left? You're gonna

be late for C.W.'s party.

He's flying in from Europe for this.

If he can make it here

on time, so can you.

Sorry. Rach got hungry, so

we stopped to get a muffin.

I don't wanna hear what

you put your muff in.

- Why?

- Ew, Jo. Ugh!

Why you are so gross all the time?

I promised C.W. I would get

everybody here by seven o'clock sharp.

As in if you aren't here on time,

I will cut you with

something sharp. Goodbye.

Carol's got issues.

I mean, don't get me

wrong, things are good.

I got a new job title, and a raise,

and they backed

that ol' dump truck up

against Carol's house,

but I don't do anything.

Then again, I've been

underpaid my whole life,

so if these dumbass French Canadians

wanna give me beaucoup bucks

for doing nothing,

then I should just take it, right?

I don't know. What do you think?

I think you jump from the

first to third person too often.

It's hard to follow.

Mr. Brittlesbee is very busy.

If you're mentally ill,

I'd be more than happy

- to drive you to a nearby asylum.

- Jo, please.

Uh, Carol, look, you're more

valuable to this company than ever.

I mean, Montreal made you Head

of Diversity and Inclusion.

- I don't even know what that means.

- Uh, well

I'm just trying to justify a job

where I'm overpaid but do nothing.

How do you do it, David?

Me? Uh I do a lot.

I Carol, I-I manage

the crazy creatives.

I'm, uh, producing significant

content for a massive video game.

The crazy creatives are gone.

We aren't really producing

any more significant content.

Well, still. I I do a lot.

My days are filled

with endless meetings.

Oh, and you have C.W.'s event tonight.

Yes. Thank you, Jo.

C.W., who's returning from his

yearlong, whirlwind book tour,

is hosting an event tonight.

Everyone's gonna be there.

And guess who has to manage it all?

Me. I had to organize the entire event.

Well, yes, but I manage you.

- Jo, can you get me some tea, please?

- Of course.

You see, uh, Carol, the

This corporation is

a complex system

of operations that

Okay, she's gone. Uh, yes. My

job is basically nonexistent.

All I do is tread water, and

just hope that nobody notices.

See? I knew it. I'm getting a

peek behind the white curtain.

Thank you, David.

It's not a white or Black thing.

It's a red tape thing, and I've

been navigating it for years.

I can help you, but I'm gonna

need a little bit more information.

Um, did they give you any

actual responsibilities?

- No.

- And who do you report to?

No one.

- And what's your budget?

- Nothing.

Ooh, yeah. Well, that's right on track.

David, what is happening?

Oh, you're a figurehead. Yeah.

Look, you're given just enough

resources and power to make zero impact.

Your job is to provide cover.

You know, maintain the status quo.

It feels empty,

but they give you that salary, and

it fills that hole in your soul.

Carol has always

wanted golden handcuffs.

It is a conundrum. David

wrestles with it every day.

- It don't work when you do it.

- I thought I had it.

- No, you do not.

- Yeah? All right.

Well, either way, uh, if

you wanna keep that gold,

you gotta move those papers around,

you know, fill your

calendar with meetings.

I like to call it the

"hokey-pokey," right?

You put your right foot in.

You put your right foot out.

You turn it all about.

You do the hokey-pokey,

but you always stay in

the exact same place.

- You do not move, right?

- Okay.

I do, uh, feel like we've talked

about everything we need to.

So, um, why don't you, uh, get

back to me with your progress?

- Sounds good.

- Productive talk.

Why don't we put a weekly

meeting in the calendar?

In the calendar. All right.

I'm gonna get back to work.

Back to work.

- Here's your tea, boss.

- Thank you, Jo.

You have a meeting

in five minutes, boss.

I sure do.

Poppy?

Poppy?

Where are you?

We're gonna have to leave soon if

we wanna make C.W.'s thing tonight.

Jo won't stop texting me just to

confirm that we're actually coming.

These losers are so desperate

to see us. It's pathetic.

Poppy, where are you?

I'm in here.

- Where's here?

- The bathroom.

Where is the bathroom? I I

can never find this damn thing.

You're the one that didn't want

lines anywhere in the office.

Poppy, lines are so Web1. You

don't wanna be in Web1, do you?

I have no idea. What

web are we in right now?

Well, the whole office

is outfit for Web3,

but most of the world is in

Web2 transitioning to Web3.

If I have to be honest,

I'd say I'm actually Web4.

- Uh, metaphorically speaking, of course.

- Wow, okay.

Well, the toilet's clogged

so call the Imagineers

to come flush my sh*t.

Hey, are you okay? You were in

there for a really long time.

Yeah. My gut is, um, not good.

I really thought that taking

the money was the right call,

but then I thought, "Well,

this morning I thought

that taking 25 was the right call,

and that would've been the wrong call.

So maybe we should hold

out for more money,"

but then I thought, "Well, what

if I was right about the 25?

And And holding out is is

only gonna give them more time

to realize that that

they made a mistake."

And so we we sh We

should just take it, right?

But then I thought, "Well, it's

not even really about the money.

It's about finding the

right partner to work with."

And I don't wanna work with

someone that that offered 50

but only thinks that we're worth 25.

And that's when I had

to run to the bathroom

and have expl*sive diarrhea.

Wow. Okay.

So anyway,

I think it's good because

'Cause now our guts agree.

We should not take the money.

Yeah, oh, sorry. Um, now my

gut's telling me to take it.

- What?

- Yeah.

My gut is telling me we should

definitely take the money.

But just yesterday you

said that we shouldn't.

But that was yesterday.

A whole day has passed since then.

Yes, I know how days work.

What I don't understand is how

you can be so sure of something

when you believed the exact

opposite the day before.

Oh, well, yesterday I was right too.

It's only now that I realize

yesterday I was wrong,

but I'm right today.

That's insane.

Maybe, but I've always led by my gut.

But what if you make the wrong call?

Oh, it can't be the wrong call.

It might not be the call

that yields the best result,

but that doesn't make it wrong.

Look, take these people for example:

Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt,

Nelson Mandela, Henry Ford.

These are leaders who listened to

their inner voice and made a call.

Then they let the chips

fall where they may.

If your gut is right 51% of

the time, that's a good gut.

Oh, you gotta be kidding me.

I cannot believe I am listening to a man

who thinks he belongs on the

same wall as Mother Teresa.

You don't like Mother

Teresa? What's wrong with you?

No, I'm saying that you

Uh, you shouldn't be

Look, Poppy, it doesn't matter

what I believe about myself.

What matters is what you

believe about yourself.

And my gut tells me that

you belong on that wall.

What does yours say?

- Hi, Jo.

- Where are you?

We We're, uh, close.

Um, well, we're We got

hung up in Central California.

C.W.'s currently over the South

Pacific Ocean and closing in fast.

- How do you know that?

- I'm tracking him.

He set up an app

I don't have to explain

myself. Explain yourselves!

We got pulled over.

You're getting a speeding ticket?

We were. But then Rachel

got into it with the cop.

I was ju I I spoke

a little truth to

Truth to power.

And now he's running our plates.

Give me to him.

- I'm sorry?

- Hand him the phone.

O Officer? Excuse me.

Yeah.

Our friend wants to

talk to you for a second.

Hello?

Seems weird.

- Sorry. I

- He has a g*n.

I know he has a g*n.

And I just thought I was being helpful,

'cause he was being a little rude.

And now I'm realizing

that was very ill-advised.

- Mm-hmm.

- I'm just very sorry.

Here.

You're free to go.

That's some Illuminati sh*t.

Let's go.

Let's go and never

talk about this again.

Hey, David, you got a minute?

Several, yeah.

I'm just walking the

halls at a brisk pace

to give the appearance I'm busy.

- Pro tip.

- Thanks.

So, I was thinking about

what you were saying.

- You know, about treading water?

- Mmm. Ripples, not waves, baby.

Yeah, but the thing is, I really

do wanna make a difference.

Oh, yeah, we all do. And

hopefully, someday we will,

but until then just, uh,

you know, hokey-pokey, Carol.

Well, actually, I had an idea.

Or should I say, one came into

my office, and I hired him.

- Well, that's kind of a big move.

- No. No. Small salary.

And I'm giving an opportunity to someone

from a traditionally marginalized group.

Yeah. Okay, great.

Yeah, you managed to pokey while

still effecting change. Bravo.

Thank you.

Now I'd like to introduce

you to our newest employee.

Hello, David.

Brad? What are you doing here?

Carol hired me.

No, no. No.

I mean, I'm sorry, but

we cannot rehire an employee

who's been convicted for insider trading

to be our Head of Monetization.

He's not. He's our new janitor.

I'm excited to get cleaning.

Okay.

What? What's your angle?

Oh. There's no angles.

I've gone straight.

Oh, please. I mean, look at

your body. You're all angles.

David, look, I've paid my dues.

I've recognized the error of my ways,

and I'm just trying to enter

back into society honestly

as a reformed man.

And as a brown felon, which

is two for the price of one.

Or really, two for the price of half,

because we get a subsidy for hiring him.

- So, doing good, saving cash.

- Love a good coupon.

Look, David, I know you don't trust me.

It's gonna be a process, but

I just hope to earn your trust

one clean urinal at a time.

C.W.'s getting here any minute.

- Hello.

- Hello.

I'm reformed now.

So am I.

- I'm working a menial job at Mythic Quest.

- So am I.

Menial? Uh She's my

assistant, to be clear.

- Good.

- Good.

To that I say, "Great."

I'ma put this on the website.

'Cause that's what it's all about ♪

Wow.

It's really strange to be back

after all this time, isn't it?

Yeah.

Yeah, it's kinda like, you know

when you go visit a childhood home

and you're different but it's the same?

And it just kinda feels, like, smaller.

- Yeah, it feels smaller, doesn't it?

- Yeah.

Well, well, well.

David, it is nice to see you.

Is it?

MQ's doing well and

probably stings a little bit.

I know you guys didn't

think I could do it.

No No, no, we

I mean, we literally haven't

said your name in a year.

- Oh.

- Yeah. In fact, when I think about you,

- all I feel is

- Jealousy?

- No.

- Rage?

- No.

- Sad?

- No.

- Wistful?

- Mmm. Apathy? Yeah.

- I'm Yeah, apathy.

So, I guess you can't

really feel apathy.

- It's sort of a lack of feeling.

- Ditto.

You know, I don't feel that way

Or not feel that way either.

And frankly, you guys

would just drag us down.

The way we are running right now

you wouldn't recognize the place.

Oh, we got a new staff.

We got a whole new culture.

You know, i-it's It's

completely different.

- Hey, guys. Nice to see you again.

- Oh. Hey, Brad. You out of prison?

- Yeah. Working here again.

- Oh.

- Looks the same to me.

- Okay, yeah.

You guys have it all

figured out, don't you?

You're the cool, sexy mavericks

who are changing the world.

Kind of. I'll have you know that we

just took a $50 million investment.

And shoved it up their asses.

Now that's a little confusing.

We took a $25 million offer that we had

and we shoved that up their asses,

- but $50 million is what we actually took.

- No. I turned the 50 million down.

- You turned down $50 million?

- Actually, I turned down $60 million,

which is what they countered

with after I passed.

You would've loved it.

I told them to "suck my duck,"

which obviously isn't what I meant,

but autocorrect boned me.

- Are you serious?

- Yeah.

- Even after we discussed

- We said we weren't gonna take it.

No. We said we were

gonna take it, because

- My gut said "turn it down". My gut

- But your gut f*cking sucks.

Seems like you two

have it all figured out.

- I said tomorrow, my gut

- All right, look.

There are no lines in the office, David.

- We're here!

- We made it! We're here.

Oh, hooray. Why don't you

sit down? He's almost here.

Hi, everybody. Long time no see.

- Who are you?

- That's funny.

Are you serious?

- Hey, I'm Ian Grimm.

- I know.

- This is my girlfriend, Rachel.

- Oh, hey, Dana.

- Hey. How's it going?

- You've gotta be kidding me.

Everyone, shut up. Shut up.

I have strict instructions

from C.W. that at exactly 8:15,

I am to deliver this letter to David.

- Me?

- Mm-hmm.

Oh. Okay.

In 20 more seconds.

Seriously?

- He was very precise.

- Well Okay.

- David, I have a question.

- You don't have to raise your hand.

- Uh, where's C.W.?

- I don't know where he is.

- He's not showing up for his own party?

- I don't know.

Does he think we're just gonna

sit here and wait for him?

She called my name, I

came up. That's all I know.

We don't have time for this.

We should just go, right?

- Yeah. Let's just go.

- I'm gonna go too.

- We didn't wanna come in the first place.

- Three, two, one. Read.

He's not even showing up to his

own party? I mean, this is bizarre.

"If you're hearing these

words, I am already dead."

Wait, what?

"That's right. Dead

as Dillinger, daddy-o."

Come on.

I don't know. I'm just reading it.

Well, keep going.

"Some time ago I was given a

rather unfortunate prognosis,

and I decided to script the

conclusion of my own story.

In a moment, I shall climb

into a Ford Thunderbird

and drive off into the Grand Canyon,

knowing I ended my story like

no other. A true original."

That's the end of Thelma and Louise.

"My remains will be retrieved,

placed into a satellite,

and launched into space.

Josephine has unwittingly been tracking

my celestial path across the globe,

and soon I will be directly

above you in the night sky."

Wait. Wait, wait a

second. This is bullshit.

He's in a satellite, David?

Again, I am just reading the piece

of paper that was just handed to me.

- But this is f*cking nuts.

- This is crazy.

- He didn't actually do this, right?

- It's C.W. Who knows?

- Is he actually dead?

- Yeah, David, is is he really dead?

I don't know.

I am experiencing this

with you at the same time.

- Well, is there more?

- Let's find out together, shall we?

"I do apologize for

keeping you in the dark,

but like any great story,

mine had to be unexpected and

inevitable at the same time.

I stole that line from

a writer I once knew.

I stole a lot of things.

But worse than that, I let my hubris

convince me that I didn't need friends.

That success was the

only thing that mattered.

That I was better off alone.

I was wrong.

And if I had to do it all over

again, I wouldn't change a thing.

Because that mistake led

me to you, my MQ family.

You gave me a second chance,

and the friendship I had with you

has been the greatest

success of my life.

Do not weep for me, for I go

to my rest as so few men do.

Content.

So, if I may, one final word of advice.

Hold onto each other

for as long as you can

'cause that's all there is."

It's time. We're

supposed to look up now.

There!

You know what that old bitch said?

He actually had the temerity to

say that leaving copies of Swank

all over his desk was

his First Amendment right.

Gross.

And weird.

What does C.W. call this drink again?

It's called a Rutger Hauer.

It's all about getting the right

coffee-to-cough-syrup ratio.

- Cough syrup?

- Mm-hmm.

Maybe that's why he was always

drunk, wired, and never sick.

Crazy old bitch.

Anybody want some more?

- Mmm, no.

- Uh-uh.

It's getting kinda late.

Yeah. We should probably

head back to our place.

- You're calling it?

- Yeah.

Yeah.

All right.

Weird day.

Well goodbye, again.

You know, it was actually

kinda nice seeing you again.

Yeah, it was.

Maybe, uh, maybe we do it more often?

Yeah, yeah. Maybe we will.

Bye.