Uglies (2024) Movie Script
1
[girl] All my life, I wanted to be Pretty.
I thought it would change everything.
[solemn music playing]
My story today began in the past.
Hundreds of years ago, people became
overly reliant on fossil fuels.
They squandered Earth's natural resources,
and the planet quickly descended
into chaos and war.
We call those people Rusties.
A few of the very best scientists
were tasked with salvaging
what was left of civilization.
And they came up
with something revolutionary.
A plan for a truly renewable power source.
But this didn't solve
the world's biggest problem.
Human nature.
People's differences continued
to create classes, clans, countries,
which prevented them
from their shared humanity.
So they came up with a radical solution.
The transformation.
Everyone, on their 16th birthday,
undergoes a life-changing operation
to become their most perfect self.
And when everyone is perfect,
conflict melts away.
Everyone is healthy, happy, Pretty.
But then there are the rest of us,
awaiting our operation.
Until then, we're less than.
Ignored.
People call us...
Uglies.
[deep warbling]
Mirror, make me Pretty.
[wallscreen] Sure, Tally.
This is Morpho version 732.
[alert chiming]
[distant explosions]
[ambient music playing]
[grunting]
- Yep. Got it. There it is.
- Yeah, I got it.
- What took you so long?
- My legs are shorter.
- For now...
- What night is it?
Uh, I think it's Casino Night.
They're having so much fun.
[distant dance music playing]
Not one single person looks awkward
or left out or just... isn't smiling.
I wish I was there so much it hurts.
I mean, you will be there,
in exactly three months.
Yeah, but not tomorrow. Like you.
I know. I kind of can't believe it.
[laughs] I don't even
know this place without you.
Do you remember
when we first hacked the dorms?
Mm-hm. Then you made me do my first trick.
- I didn't make you do anything.
- Yeah, you did.
- No, I didn't.
- Oh, yes, you did.
Are you... Are you, like, dying?
Are you so excited?
Yes, I mean,
but what if I don't recognize myself?
Oh, come on.
No matter how beautiful they make you...
Mm-hmm.
...the ghost of that giant nose
will haunt you forever.
Just like I'll always be Squint,
even when my eyes fit my face.
Yeah, but I like your eyes.
I mean, that's what makes you you.
[laughs]
We'll still be ourselves, just...
We'll just be better.
Just don't forget your old life, okay?
Really?
You're not gonna let them
take your scar, right?
I made a promise.
You've always been
the best part of this place.
And you still are.
- There's something I wanted...
- Ever thought about...
- I'm sorry, you should go first.
- No, no, no. You... You first.
Okay, um...
Have you ever thought about
when we're finally Pretty...
if there's a world
that...
maybe you and...
[deep warbling]
- Okay.
- That was...
- That was close.
- Really close. We should go.
Yeah. Okay.
Wait, just promise me that you're
not gonna get in trouble while I'm gone.
All right? Look.
I don't know if I can take it
if you're not there on September 9th.
Me neither.
What about this?
Meet me at the bridge in one month.
And I will tell you about everything.
Really?
[boy] Really.
- Okay.
- All right.
[bright music plays]
[wallscreen] Tally, time to wake up.
[grunts]
Tally, time to wake up.
Tally, time to wake up.
Good morning.
Today is Friday, June 18th.
[voice on PA] All dorms
report to Farran Auditorium.
The graduation assembly
will begin in five minutes...
Just because you're Ugly
doesn't mean you gotta be slow...
When I get longer legs,
I'm going to destroy you.
You saw them, Skinny?
They really ran away to The Smoke.
- Yesterday.
- I didn't think they'd do it.
- I don't think they'll make it.
- 'Cause The Smoke doesn't exist.
You don't know
what you're talking about, Dex.
- David took them, personally.
- The David?
- I heard he's dangerous.
- He's a revolutionary.
- He's seven feet tall and walks on water.
- Shut up, Dex.
[voice on PA] Please welcome
District Governor Dr. Nyah Cable.
[cheers and applause]
[hopeful music playing]
For those of you turning 16 today,
you are truly on the cusp
of a metamorphosis.
That change starts
with one elegant procedure
that will make you perfect,
both inside and out.
You'll be beautiful and free
from hatred and discrimination
based on the way that you look.
I am so excited for you
to take your place in the city
and live the life
you have been waiting for.
Will tomorrow's
Pretties please come forward?
[loud cheers]
Woo-hoo!
[hopeful music fades]
Peris...
[soft music plays]
The bridge. One month.
Don't be late, though. Okay?
Deal.
[chuckles softly]
See ya, Squint.
See ya.
Excuse me. Sorry.
Hey.
Boyfriend?
Uh...
Best friend.
[hydraulics hissing]
Give me the toothbrush pill, please.
[wallscreen] One toothbrush pill.
[energy thrumming]
[distant banging, fizzing]
[voice on PA] Welcome, new students,
to your first year at the dormitories.
[soft music playing]
[boy] Are you new here?
Yeah.
I'm Peris, but everyone calls me Nose.
I'm Tally.
But what are we going to call you?
You'll certainly be prettier
without those squinty eyes.
Squint.
Nose and Squint, I like it.
What's wrong, Tally?
Don't you want gold eyes, like mine?
[young Peris] It's like we're invisible.
- Let's make a promise.
- [young Tally] What kind of promise?
[young Peris] While we're still like this...
Squint!
...we won't be Ugly.
Squint!
[Peris] Ah!
To each other, we'll be...
Enough.
Wait, Squint... Wait, wait.
[glass clinks]
[young Peris] Best friends forever.
[sighs]
[banging continue]
[soft music fades out]
During the time of the Rusties,
dependence on fossil fuel
decimated the Earth,
poisoning our air, soil,
and our water supply,
which resulted in division,
conflict, and their ultimate collapse.
But, thankfully,
our team of finest bioengineers
created a genetically modified flower,
the White Tiger Orchid.
This miraculous plant decorates
our countryside and powers our cities.
[pensive music playing]
- [clanging]
- [whirring]
[wallscreen] Commencing scan 196.
In two months, 12 days,
you will be Pretty.
Tally, time to wake up.
Tally, time to wake up.
Tally, time to wake up.
In two months, three days,
you will be Pretty.
Asymmetry noted for corrective procedure.
Preferred eye color?
Gold.
[wallscreen] Scan 200 complete.
The procedure is the great equalizer.
[presenter speaking indistinctly]
[trilling]
[ethereal music builds slowly]
["The Top" instrumental playing]
Open, please.
[wallscreen] Exits are forbidden
during curfew hours.
Windows are prohibited from...
[warbling] Op... Op...
Op... Open window.
[grunts]
[breathing heavily]
["The Top" instrumental continues]
[deep warbling]
Nose!
Nose!
Nose? Where are you?
[grunts]
[grunts]
[light music plays]
[conga party beat playing]
- [bright trilling]
- [ethereal music playing]
["Such Great Heights"
by MILCK X BEGA plays]
[chuckles softly]
I am thinkin' it's a sign
That the freckles in our eyes...
- Sorry.
- Hello, Pretty.
Are mirror images and when we kiss
They're perfectly aligned
And true, it may seem like a stretch
But it's thoughts like this
That catch my troubled head
When you're away
And when I'm missing you to death
They will see us waving
From such great heights
"Come down now," they'll say...
Excuse me. Um...
Do you know where Garbo Mansion is?
[laughs] It's right there.
From far away
Come down now
But we'll stay
Ooh
[singer vocalizing gently]
... quite a few times and...
I mean, it's beautiful.
[song fades]
Peris?
[distant dance music playing]
[chuckles]
Hey, um...
- That's a... That's a great costume.
- Thanks!
Yeah, except the Safari Party
is actually down on the square.
Nose...
- [dim trilling]
- It's me.
Tally, uh...
What are you... What are you doing here?
Well, you weren't at the bridge...
Yeah, so you snuck in?
I was worried, and you're never late.
Yeah, I don't know.
Things are just different here.
I didn't really know what we'd talk about.
I mean, you'll get it, when you're Pretty.
We said, "Best friends forever."
Maybe we will be.
In what? Two months?
[somber music plays]
Your scar.
You promised me.
I woke up from surgery,
and then I realized I just...
didn't really want it anymore, Tally.
Don't call me Tally.
You... call me Squint.
- Yeah.
- [warbling]
[voice on PA] An unwelcome
individual has been detected.
- [tense music playing]
- [loud chattering]
What is she doing?
[voice on PA] This is the warden.
An unwelcome individual has been detected.
- [bright trilling]
- [explosion booms]
[warden] You are not authorized
to be here. Stop.
Get back from the ledge.
- [panting]
- [people exclaiming]
[screaming]
[panting]
[music builds]
[shouting]
[energy bounds]
[gasping]
[music pulsing]
[tense music resumes]
Excuse me.
- [music fades]
- [distant warbling]
[panting]
- [splashes]
- [gasps] Oh...
[warbling halts]
[gulps]
- [warbling resumes]
- [gasping]
[over PA] This is the warden.
Stay where you are.
[muffled gasps]
Get on or we'll both get caught.
[tense music picks up]
[whooshing]
[Tally grunting]
[both shout and grunt]
[warbling, thuds]
- [laughing]
- [panting]
That was insane!
I thought you were gonna fall off
at that U-turn.
Yeah, so did I. And I don't have
a bungee jacket on this time.
Wait, what?
I jumped off Garbo.
That's why they were chasing me.
- Wait, in a bungee jacket?
- Yeah.
- From how high?
- Too high.
[both chuckle]
[grunting, panting]
You're way cooler than you look.
Are you kidding me?
You just lost a warden!
- Ordinary Tuesday.
- What were you doing by the river anyway?
Uh...
Just... tricks. [chuckles]
- Do you want to go to the kitchen?
- It's locked.
So?
[scoffs]
How are we not already friends?
- [upbeat music playing]
- [can rattling, spraying]
But, like, don't... Okay.
- Wait, there's cupcakes in this one.
- This one? Okay.
How did you figure this out?
Cheers.
Mm. So good.
[squealing]
- [music stops]
- [Skinny] What was it like?
- [Tally] Which part?
- The party, the city, all of it.
You seem like someone
that woulda snuck in before.
The Pleasure Gardens once, but...
[chuckles] The city city?
No one does that.
[sighs]
It's like...
It's everything they promised us.
What about your friend?
Was he the same, just Pretty?
I mean... it's got to be
kind of hard to see a face like this
after a month of not, you know?
It hurts being left behind.
You've got like a million friends.
I've seen you.
All the ones I care about are... gone now.
Well, Skinny, you got me.
Well, for two months, anyway. [chuckles]
- Wait, September?
- Ninth.
[chuckles] No way.
We have the same birthday.
Stop. What?
Yeah!
Well, then you have me forever.
What's your real name?
- What are they gonna call you after?
- Shay.
- Tally.
- Mm.
- What color eyes do you want, Shay?
- I...
I don't know.
I'm gonna get gold to match my hair.
Your hair is brown.
Not for long. [chuckles]
[wallscreen] Your metamorphosis class
starts in ten minutes.
- [knocking at door]
- Hey.
- Let's go.
- I know. We're gonna be late for class.
Oh.
We're not going to class.
Oh.
Yeah, is there, like,
a beginner course? Or...
The more you ride,
the more it learns your style.
- Just gotta lean in and commit.
- You make it sound so easy.
Get on that board, Tally.
- And these work? For...
- Yeah.
Once you get going,
the crash bracelets work.
You got this. You'll be a natural.
Whoa, that's different.
- [chuckles]
- Yeah.
- Yo, whoa... Okay...
- Ooh. Hey.
Squeeze that core.
- Okay.
- Yeah.
- You got it. Ready?
- Okay.
Three, two, one...
- [rapid warbling]
- [grunts, groans]
[wheezing]
- Yeah, not like that.
- Oh my God.
[Shay] Walk it off.
You have to commit and believe,
then it'll happen.
But it's mind over matter.
I can't figure that...
Like, how do you not be afraid
even though you're...
- Skinny, hey!
- Yeah. What's up?
- [laughs] It was incredible.
- [Shay] I told you.
[reader] Is this really
what The Smoke is like?
Is that a... a book?
You wanna read it?
[Tally] Um...
[laughing] Yeah, I want to read it.
Okay, whoa. Careful.
He trusted me with that.
Who?
- Wait, you're Tally.
- [bag zips shut]
- Right?
- Yeah.
Did you really jump off Garbo?
That's...
Um...
Who did you tell?
- Oh. Only... everyone.
- [group chuckling]
Oh my God...
[Dex] So badass.
[chuckles]
- What? It is badass.
- They could deny my surgery.
They're not gonna keep you
from being Pretty.
- You don't know that.
- They want you to be Pretty.
We all do with that face.
[chuckling]
[pensive music playing]
If you want to learn how to fly,
you gotta learn how to fall.
Besides, I only know
four kids who died from this.
- Okay. Let's go!
- Why would you say that?
Hey. Focus.
- Lean into it.
- [chuckling lightly]
Find your balance.
Hey, Tally! You're doing it.
Oh my God.
[both laughing]
[inhales] Whoo!
Wanna see a trick?
Uh... Yes. [chuckles]
Cup of water, please.
[wallscreen] Cup... Cup... Cup... Cup... Cup...
Cup... Cupcake.
[energy thrumming]
[dramatically] A cupcake.
- [chuckles]
- [laughing] Oh my God.
You should have seen the birthday party
that I threw for Peris last year.
It was amazing.
[both laughing]
[Shay grunts softly]
Should I double my left side?
'Cause my right side is...
I... I hate it. [chuckles]
- Symmetry is overrated.
- No, it's not.
It's an indication of health.
We're biologically programmed
to prefer it.
I like that. That's good.
What's your anonym? I want to add you.
I took down my account. I'm not on there.
What? Why?
- It's a time suck.
- [laughs] What else do you have to do?
[chuckles]
["Be Yourself" playing]
I don't give a what'd you say
This is my life anyway
I don't give a what'd you say
This is my life anyway
I'mma keep on doing what I wanna...
- [deep warbling]
- [ground rumbling]
I know I'm not the only one
It's feelin' like I wanna run
Know I'm not the only one
It's feelin' like it's one-on-one...
[Tally yelps]
Oh my God... [gasps]
- Whoo!
- [board whooshing]
[laughs]
I make 'em say my name
Ooh-ooh!
And I won't feel ashamed
Be yourself
Can't be no one else
[board thrumming]
- Ooh-ooh
- [chuckles]
- I make 'em say my name
- Whoo!
Ooh-ooh
See that, Tally?
Be yourself
Can't be no one else
Be yourself
Be, be yourself
Hey! Ooh-ooh!
Ooh-ooh!
[song ends]
[Tally] I can't believe we finally
get to start our lives tomorrow.
Oh, by the way,
I loved it.
- Yeah?
- Yes, the seasons and then the water.
It sounds so beautiful.
It makes me wish I could visit.
[inhales sharply]
Would it be so bad not to do it?
The surgery?
[Tally] Shay, don't talk that way.
We have to.
Do we?
What's the alternative?
Become all moldy and crinkly?
That goes against
everything we've been taught.
- I think age lines are kind of cool.
- No, you don't.
- I do.
- No, you don't!
Tally. I do.
So you become a freak?
And live on a pond by yourself,
harvesting beans like Thoreau?
Maybe I'd go to The Smoke.
That place is a myth, Skinny.
It's not a real place.
We've been at this school four years,
and we are by far
the trickiest people here.
If The Smoke was real... we'd know about it.
Do... Do you know about it?
- Meet me at the Greenbelt in two hours.
- No. Wait, why? What are we doing?
One last trick.
[Tally] Shay. Shay!
What's in the pack?
[tense music building]
Hey, you can't go over there.
The towers will detect us.
It's okay. I've done it a bunch. Come on.
All right.
- What are you doing?
- Drop your ring on the branch.
They'll think we're having a picnic.
Our boards aren't gonna work there.
There's no grid.
They're magnetic.
There's metal in the river, minerals.
Just stick to the water. It'll be fine.
Okay.
- Where are we going?
- You'll see.
[adventurous music plays]
[chatting indistinctly]
[laughs] Oh, hoo-hoo!
- [Shay howling]
- [shouting] Whoo!
[laughs]
[Tally] I've never been
in the Rusty Ruins before.
What is that?
Rusties called it a roller coaster.
Doesn't work anymore,
but it's killer boarding.
Come on.
- Trust me.
- Okay.
[both laughing]
We have to head back soon.
We're gonna miss curfew.
Forget curfew.
Look at the ruins from here.
[music fades]
[quietly] Wow.
Tally... I need you to promise
you're not gonna tell anyone.
- Tell anyone what?
- Anything.
How to get here, how to call him.
- Call who?
- Just... promise.
Shay, you're my friend. I promise.
Then here we go.
What is that?
Flint and steel.
Bang them together, they spark.
[flames whooshing]
[tools clattering]
Shay, who are you calling?
- David.
- What?
He's real, Tally. The Smoke is real,
and he'll be here any minute.
Are you kidding me? If we get caught,
our surgeries are canceled,
and we'll be completely alone.
I'm not getting the surgery.
I thought you were
messing around this morning.
I wasn't.
Okay, look. The Smoke?
It's... an alternative.
A different way of doing things.
Nobody judges you for how you look.
It's about who you are on the inside.
There are a lot of kids there
from all different places.
That book you read? It's like that.
- It's simple and beautiful. And...
- Wait, you've been there?
Well, no. I... I mean,
I met with David a bunch of times here.
But... the night you jumped off Garbo,
I was supposed to go
with some of my friends.
I chickened out.
But then I met you,
and we did all those tricks,
and I liked the way that felt.
I like reading books and making things,
and they don't do any of that in the city.
You get the procedure,
they tell you what to do, and that's it.
Shay...
Shay, I just think
that you're afraid to grow up.
I'm afraid to stop growing.
And I want you to come with me.
- No.
- Tally, look.
I have food for both of us.
From the kitchen, like you showed me.
- That's not what that was for...
- It's four days away.
And they grow their own food there, Tally.
And I've heard it smells like the sea.
- Shay...
- And there are no Morphos or tablets.
I like tablets, and I like Morphos.
And everyone is exactly who
they're born to be. They're free.
I don't want to be free.
I want to be Pretty!
That's... I can't.
- I can't.
- Tally, please...
I'm so sick of feeling like I'm less than.
But you're not.
I want people to see me.
I see you.
[solemn music playing]
[breathes deeply]
[sniffles, sighs]
I wrote directions,
in a code only you'll understand.
Just in case.
[Tally sighs]
That's him.
Please don't leave me.
Please.
[Shay] I have to.
[poignant music rises]
[music fades out]
- [chiming]
- [wallscreen] Good morning, Tally.
Congratulations.
[distant cheering]
[Cable] Beautiful and free
from hatred and discrimination
based on the way that you look.
You've waited your entire lives
for this moment.
[deep warbling]
[soft, uplifting music playing]
Ledger Hart.
Zayd Reyes.
Imani Badu.
Kalen Forsberg.
[music fades out]
- [sighs]
- [footsteps approaching]
[deep voice] Tally Youngblood?
Um, is something wrong?
[deep thrumming]
Would you tell me
where we're go... going, please?
Because if this is about
the bungee jacket thing, then...
then I can explain that.
[dramatic music building]
[warbling]
[deep thrumming]
[music fades out]
[automated voice]
Special Circumstances. Level 7.
[Cable] Hello, Tally.
I'm Dr. Cable. Please come in.
You know who I am?
I'm so sorry to delay your surgery.
I know how excruciating that can be.
But we need your help.
Shay's missing. Please have a seat.
[Tally] Um...
That's terrible.
You did realize
she wasn't in the waiting room.
I thought she must have been sick,
you know, or something like that.
Is that what you thought?
[heartbeat thumping]
[Cable] Shay's in danger.
I don't know where she is.
We believe she's been brainwashed.
By a man named David.
He gets people to trust him,
and then holds them against their will.
Help us.
The sooner you do,
the sooner we can get to your procedure.
We have facilities right here.
Do you remember anything she said
that would help us find her?
I wish I could help.
Well, maybe a night back at the dorms
will help you remember?
Something may jog your memory.
[Tally] Um...
You're...
You're gonna send me back to the dorms?
Only until you can help.
Just try to remember.
[somber music playing]
[girl 1] Hey, look who's here.
Why is she back?
- [girl 2] She's gonna be here forever.
- [girls laughing]
[knocking]
Open, please.
Nose? Oh my gosh.
[laughs emotionally]
You just had to do it different,
huh, Squint?
You have no idea
how much I needed to see you.
[Tally sighs]
They're after me about my friend Shay.
And apparently I can't get the surgery
until I tell them where she is.
So just tell them everything you know.
Well, yeah, but I made a promise to her.
But you also made a promise to me.
What am I supposed to do?
Squint, we spent every day for four years
dreaming of what
it would be like in the city.
You're supposed to be with me.
You haven't even pinged me
in three months,
and you were so weird last time.
It's... It's just different there.
You'll feel different there.
Yeah, you said that already.
[sighs] Come on, Squint.
What are you gonna do?
Refuse to help? Not get the surgery?
You would be a freak. A total outcast.
And besides,
it sounds like she's in actual danger.
[exhales sharply]
You're not breaking a promise
if she needs help.
[deep warbling]
I'm glad you decided to help us, Tally.
I'm going to tell you something
only a handful of people know.
This man, David? The Smoke?
They're developing a weapon to attack us.
[pensive music playing]
Why... Why would they want to do that?
They've decided their way of living
is more worthy than ours.
So much so, they want us gone.
They plan to use this weapon
to wipe out our city,
to destroy our way of life.
Shay is not... part of any of that.
She is now.
Don't underestimate David.
He's brainwashed her.
Shay is under his power now.
And if she tries to leave,
he will hurt her.
Or worse.
I need you to find The Smoke.
[tense music builds slowly]
[Cable] We need you to become one of them,
so we can find this weapon
before it's too late.
You have a choice to make, Tally.
You can get the procedure,
as you've always wanted.
Or you can head into the unknown.
Save your friend.
Save us all.
[adventurous music playing]
"Take the coaster straight past the gap
until you find one that's long and flat."
Look up.
- [pulses]
- Oh, wha... Ow!
[Cable] Once you've found the weapon,
signal us with this necklace.
[grunting]
And we'll be with you
as swiftly as possible.
Shay needs you, Tally.
So do we.
[adventurous music rises]
[whooshing]
- [yelps, gasping]
- [board whooshing]
- [thrumming]
- [gasping heavily]
Oh my gosh. [exhales shakily]
[soft music plays]
[panting] "Until you find one...
that's long and flat."
I'm gonna find her,
and I'm gonna kill her.
["Overdrive" by Maggie Rogers playing]
[whooshing]
[singer vocalizing]
Whoo.
[sighs deeply]
[Tally grunts]
[Tally] "Find the wall
and weigh the face."
"Don't look down and do not haste."
No!
[whimpering]
[sighs]
No.
...I was running
And I could go for miles
Give me a reason
Now I'm in overdrive
[Tally] "Cold is the sea
and watch for breaks."
"At the second... make the worst mistake."
[exhales]
Put me in overdrive
Oh, I'm in over
[whooshing]
- [sparking]
- [gasping heavily]
[screaming]
You told me that
I was all you could see
But you kept me in the dark
Whoo! Yes!
[whooshing]
[slow whooshing]
Put me in overdrive
Put me in overdrive
[Tally] "Your journey ends
in a sea of white."
"The Smoke will find you in the night."
[singer vocalizing]
[song fades out]
[sighs deeply]
[Cable] Thank you
for coming to see me, Peris.
[Peris] You're welcome, Dr. Cable.
I so appreciate your help
convincing Tally.
- She really needed you.
- So she's here?
No. She's helping with one more thing.
Oh.
How did it... feel seeing her?
It actually felt
kind of good being back there.
When I saw her,
the strangest thing happened.
I started... feeling things.
[ambient music rises]
Things I hadn't felt
since before my surgery.
She reminded me of the way that I was.
Who I was. And I kinda missed that.
I... I know it sounds stupid.
Because I'm here now.
But I'm still connected to her.
It doesn't sound stupid, Peris.
And you're not alone.
There are always
a select few who need... more.
We've been working on a brand-new path
for a select few just like you, Peris.
One that promises real clarity of thought.
I can make you very Special.
- [music turns ominous]
- [thrumming]
- [Cable] How does that sound?
- Sounds great.
Thank you, Dr. Cable.
[ominous music rises]
[beeping]
[music fades out]
[coughing]
- [flames roaring]
- [Tally coughing]
[tense music building]
[grunts]
[music recedes]
- [panting]
- [Tally coughing]
[coughing, wheezing]
Who are you?
I'm David.
I need your pack.
You're lucky we found you.
[adventurous music plays]
[beeping, trilling]
[beeping]
Oh. Tracker.
I had no idea that was there. I promise.
They always put trackers on boards.
That's how I found you.
Arms out.
[trilling]
Turn.
[gasping softly]
[trilling]
You're clean.
Let's go.
Yeah, okay.
[trills, beeping]
[music fades out]
We picked up the tracker
from the hoverboard.
It seems to have been removed.
[Cable] Send two Specials.
Ten-kilometer radius.
She's made contact.
Is this The Smoke?
It's an outpost. Smoke's still a day off.
We don't take newcomers
to The Smoke right away.
Why is that?
We need to vet them first.
[overlapping chatter]
- Tally, this is Croy.
- Hi.
[light music playing]
- Tally?
- Shay.
Shay!
Oh my gosh!
Oh my God. I'm so happy to see you!
- I didn't think you were coming.
- Are you okay? Are you all right?
- Am I okay?
- Yeah.
Look at you, like you went to war.
I did! "The worst mistake."
Are you kidding me?
Yeah, honestly, I gave you
like a 7% chance of getting it.
Whatever. God.
- Come on. Let's get you cleaned up.
- I'm so tired.
- [giggles] I can't believe you're here.
- I know.
No one's ever made it alone.
Nope.
You don't find that suspicious?
Of course it is.
But if she did do it alone, we need her.
[music fades out]
[Tally] Like, my whole body hurts so bad.
[laughs] Hey, I tried to get you
to come with us.
[groans]
So you gonna tell me about that necklace?
Someone gave you that.
Who?
Uh... [chuckles]
Uh...
- Peris came by my room that last night.
- Wait.
- I thought you guys were just friends.
- We are.
But he gave you jewelry.
[chuckles]
It's...
He wanted, just... He just wanted a way
to recognize me after the surgery.
It's not a big deal.
Okay. [chuckles softly]
You seem happy.
[inhales deeply]
I am.
I wasn't expecting that.
What do you mean? Why not?
Well...
I... [sighs]
There's something about this place, Shay.
It's just... It's not what it seems.
Whoa, you... just got here.
- No I know, but...
- Wait.
- Who even told you that?
- I'm just scared for you. Okay?
[tense music playing]
Did you come here...
to try to bring me back?
[sighs]
You need to leave.
First thing.
If you want to be Pretty, Tally,
go be Pretty.
[Tally] No, wait. Wait, just wait.
Maybe I just need some more time.
[Shay] No, that's not how it works.
[Tally] Just give me a few days.
[sighs sharply]
[Tally] I'm sorry.
I am. I...
It's just a lot to process, I guess.
I don't know.
This is what we're gonna do.
I'm not gonna tell them about this.
It's our secret,
but you have to get to know these people.
Get to know The Smoke.
I know this is the right place for you,
but you have to give it an actual chance.
- Okay?
- Yeah.
You'll find what you're looking for.
- Okay?
- Yeah.
Okay.
[bird squawking]
[David] This will be our last burn
before we head back.
Okay, Croy, you're spotting.
And Ryde, you're my co-pilot.
- I'll get started on the pre-flight check.
- I'll get some more supplies.
What's happening?
We need to light some fires
in the West Pass before we head home.
Wait, you set the fires?
Those orchids are toxic.
They pull all the nutrients from the soil
and destroy everything in their path.
No. Those are the clean solution
to the oil that the Rusties used.
[David] That's what
they want you to believe.
Those flowers are turning the planet
into a wasteland. Killing everything.
Forcing everyone to live in the city.
Come with us. See for yourself.
Sure you want to take her up?
We don't know this girl.
It'll be good for her to see the truth.
With her own eyes.
[chuckles lightly] I vouch for her.
[David] Come on.
It's an old Rusty war machine.
Retrofitted with solar.
Now it's perfect for spreading fire.
- [energetic music plays]
- [helicopter whirs]
[David] Approaching West Mountain Pass.
Look down! You can see
the line where the flowers end.
That was all once green.
[music intensifies]
Clear the field.
Yeah, all clear.
- All right, Shay, you're up!
- All right.
[flames roaring]
[rapid beeping]
David. David, I see movement in the field.
[David] Are they ours or theirs?
Everyone, hold on. I'm going lower.
- [screams]
- Shay!
Shay!
- Shay!
- [Ryde] David, look down!
Wait, are those scouts?
They're running into the flames!
They're going after Shay!
Wait, wait, wait!
[music turns dramatic]
Tally, no!
[grunts]
I can't see them. Get me lower.
[grunts]
Shay! Shay!
[alert whines]
David, we gotta pull up!
We're losing lift.
We are not leaving them.
Shay! [coughing]
Tally.
Tally!
[panting]
[grunts]
[groans]
[clanks]
Come on!
Pull up! Let's go! Go! Go!
[clanks]
[music becomes solemn]
[music becomes heroic]
We got 'em!
[gasping]
Oh God.
[coughing]
- [music fades]
- [both coughing]
I just want to know
how the scouts found us.
Right after... Miss Solo here
makes her journey.
- What?
- Are you sure you didn't have any help?
- Are you kidding me, Croy?
- These people want to end us, Shay.
[Croy scoffs]
Am I the only one
that's worried about all of this?
Huh?
You're right that
we don't know about Tally.
But I just saw her risk her own life
to save someone who we all care about.
Nobody dives
out of a helicopter into fiery hell
unless they believe in something
bigger than themselves.
That's the cornerstone of The Smoke.
Pack up. We leave tomorrow.
[gentle music plays]
[Tally] But I told Shay
I didn't want to go.
And then I just show up by myself?
Why would they believe me?
People believe what they want to believe.
Use that to your advantage.
[water splashing quietly]
[David] Voil.
[softly] Wow.
Welcome to The Smoke.
[chuckles lightly]
- Hold on.
- Let's go.
[hopeful music plays]
- [David] I'm starving.
- Yeah, me too.
[Shay] It's harder
than living in the city.
We grow our own food.
But you'll be surprised how much better
it tastes when you grow it yourself.
Everyone has to work, even our elders.
We don't have money,
so we share things and trade.
- Stay warm.
- Thank you.
Come on.
[Shay] But the most important thing?
Everyone is here
because they choose to be here.
It's exhilarating. And it's real.
You keep your supplies in a cave?
It's a safe house too.
Tourmaline blocks their scanners.
[Shay] They used to be train tracks
in the time of the Rusties.
- But now we're recycling the rail ties.
- [Tally] To use it for what?
[Shay] Everything.
Pots and pans. Gardening tools.
What about stuff like weapons?
[chuckles] I mean, in theory,
but it's not really our style.
[door creaking]
- [Croy] Can I help you?
- [gasps]
No. No, um...
I was... I was just looking for some water.
Water's in the back. In the canteen.
Right. That makes sense.
Um...
- This is...
- Not your business.
[Shay] The change we're after
isn't about guns or bombs.
It's much bigger than that. You'll see.
- [metal squeaking]
- Oh wait, hold on.
Hey.
Hey.
All right, your turn.
[music fades out]
- What?
- [both laugh]
Move a muscle, change a thought.
Your culture,
they trap you in front of screens.
You never move.
- I move.
- [Shay] Hmm...
I snuck out, like,
almost every night in the city.
- [David] Oh, my bad.
- Yeah.
[both chuckle]
- Okay, fine.
- Why don't you give it a shot?
- All right.
- Put your foot here, hold it steady.
- And crank it.
- What do I... Is it okay to hold this?
- Yes. Mm-hm.
- Okay.
- [ratcheting]
- [clanking]
- Wow.
- That's tough.
- Really good.
- Yeah, well, have at it.
I gotta feed the rabbits anyway.
- See you in a little bit.
- Okay.
[Tally grunts]
- I move! [chuckles]
- Ah...
See? I stand corrected, wow.
- Is it what you pictured?
- [indistinct chatter]
Um... not at all, actually.
[girl] Dinner is served.
Everyone come and eat.
- [chuckles softly]
- [Croy] Shay. Here.
Thank you.
- Here you go, Tally.
- Thank you so much. Thank you.
- Yo, Len. Those carrots?
- [man sighs]
[Len] Yes?
[coughing lightly]
- [Shay] It's not like the dorm food.
- [coughs] I'm sorry.
I've just never had anything so spicy.
I used Croy's hot chili.
Hey, that powder is only good
for veggies, chili, and bear attacks.
Bears?
- [Croy] Yeah.
- [laughter]
Can I have everyone's attention, please?
- Shh...
- Quiet.
Guys, guys...
[chattering stops]
Scouts were spotted
in the West Pass last night.
That's the closest they've ever come.
We stopped them.
[solemn music playing]
But it wasn't easy.
The city is not going to stop.
Because The Smoke is a threat
to everything they stand for.
Our time here is limited.
We must achieve our objective.
Where we believe in
preserving what's natural,
they believe in manipulation.
Before you came here, how many times
a day did you think about how you looked,
what's wrong with you?
They make us feel so alone and so insecure
that we don't have time
for things that actually matter.
Thinking, reading, learning, dreaming.
Choosing who you become.
[music builds intensity]
And I'm not okay with that.
[muted cheers]
[David] And you're not okay with that.
And we will do whatever it takes
to protect that.
[Croy] Yes!
[cheers and applause]
[music fades out]
Close one eye.
Aim it just above the center.
- All right?
- Okay.
Okay. Here.
Okay.
[David] Yes. Safety. Yep.
Okay.
Okay. So... hold it like...
- Ouch.
- Oh...
- Those are some serious blisters.
- [Tally] Yeah.
That from the jack?
Well, you know, using a Morpho-pad
doesn't exactly require a thick skin.
- We could come back when you're healed.
- No, no, no.
I... I really want to get this.
All right.
- [arrow whistles]
- [bird chirps]
- You know, maybe close the other eye.
- Rude.
[chuckling]
[light, pensive music plays]
- We could come back.
- No, we're going again.
All right.
[music stops]
Yes!
[laughs] Ooh!
Wow. That was nice!
Thank you.
You never quit, do you?
Do you ever miss the city?
I've never lived there.
- I was born here.
- Your parents live here?
Raised me themselves.
I barely know my parents.
Last time I saw them
they asked for my Morpho
so they could find me after surgery.
I'm sorry.
It's normal for parents to want that.
It's not, Tally.
Wait just one second.
[gentle music plays]
In place of that thick skin.
- For me?
- Mm-hm.
Thank you.
Of course.
These are amazing. Thank you so much.
[Len] Hey! Make some room!
- [Croy] David!
- [Len] Make some room! We need help here!
- [grunting, groaning]
- It's okay. I got you.
- You okay?
- Yeah.
- What happened?
- We got company while burning the flowers.
- But we drew them as far away as we could.
- Sailor?
- Scouts.
- It's all right. We're safe now.
These weren't normal scouts.
They weren't regular Pretties.
They were fast. Too fast.
I've never seen anything like them.
I saw them run through fire.
You need to wrap that and help it clot.
- Here.
- Thank you.
Is this the fire jumper? Croy said
you made it here by yourself.
You sick of telling that story yet?
- Are those David's gloves?
- Yeah.
I had, um,
started getting blisters on my hand.
Wait, he gave them to you?
Yeah, is that...
I don't understand.
Objects have
a different value here, Tally.
He made those.
They didn't come out of some wall.
People think really hard
about the gifts they give.
He likes you.
What?
It's time for you to make a choice.
Are you staying or not?
I'll, um... I'll give these back.
- I don't need them.
- It's not about that.
Keep them. Give them back.
Wear the necklace. Don't.
Choose The Smoke. Don't choose The Smoke.
I want you here.
But it's not fair to me or David
or anyone else for you to have one foot in
and one foot out anymore.
[solemn music plays]
- [Croy] Long day, huh?
- Right? [chuckles]
[indistinct overlapping chatter]
[David] What made you change your mind?
Shay told me you didn't want to come.
And then you did.
[music fades out]
Um, I guess I just want to choose
who I become. You know?
Wasn't easy, though.
Some say that you radicalize people.
[David chuckles]
That's fair.
All social change
is seen as radical at first.
That's not what I mean.
What do you mean?
They say that you have a weapon.
[tense music builds slowly]
That...
That you're planning to wipe out the city.
Come on.
[light music playing]
[music fades out]
David?
David! Hey.
- What, you miss our cooking or something?
- [chuckles] Tally, these are my parents.
Hi, nice to meet you.
You too.
[David] Tally thinks we have a weapon.
- I'll put the kettle on.
- [dad] Come on in.
Wait, this was yours?
You should read "Civil Disobedience."
It's even better.
- [mom] You need a haircut.
- [David] Dad needs a haircut.
[dad] Hey, don't encourage her.
Last time I let her trim it,
I nearly lost an ear.
[mom] Not true!
Kind of true.
[both chuckle]
Sorry, I'm sorry.
It's okay.
[Tally] But you both
look so much like David.
I've just never really seen that before.
Your eyes, and your smile.
- That's why he's so handsome.
- Ah... Okay...
I didn't say you were perfect.
You still got the family freckles.
- [all chuckling]
- Have a seat, love.
Thank you.
So... what can we help with?
[David] Um...
I want to tell her.
Son, I don't... I don't think
she's been here long enough.
She can handle it.
I trust her.
Before The Smoke, they were doctors.
[mom] Cosmetic surgeons
working for the State.
The last year we lived in town,
I was appointed to the committee
for morphological standards.
So I had access
to the entire medical database.
[dad] Meanwhile, I was trying
to make the operation safer.
What do you mean?
[exhales]
We were seeing several deaths a year.
That's not bad for a surgery that serious.
But I wanted to do better.
People have died from it?
I...
I never knew that.
They keep it quiet.
That's when I first noticed
this pattern of lesions in the brain.
These lesions in the frontal cortex,
they dull you.
You don't care about anything.
You can't think clearly.
You're sedated into
a false sense of happiness.
I... I don't understand.
They erase who you are.
[mom] And when we realized that,
Cable showed up,
told us to stop digging,
and took all our research.
That's when we knew the lesions
were not a side effect of the surgery.
They were the purpose.
But...
But why would Cable do that?
To control us.
[mom] Cable wasn't always like this.
We were colleagues. Friends.
We'd all been given
the surgery at the same time,
but we were strong-willed, rebellious.
So we were invited to the inner circle
where we were given a cure
to make us whole thinkers again.
Not everyone is that lucky to be doctors.
Others get additional surgery,
and become mindless soldiers.
Az and I couldn't sit back
and watch it happen.
We knew it was wrong. So we fled.
We stopped getting the surgeries
and decided to age naturally.
And here we are. Offering free thought
and self-acceptance as an alternative.
And dedicating the rest of our lives
to recreate the cure.
So have you... have you found...
Have you found it?
Can you cure the lesions?
We're close.
But there's still that synthetic component
we just don't have out here.
But... we have created,
in our lab, the base serum.
When the two are combined properly,
we'll be able to heal the lesions.
It would be the ultimate weapon
against Dr. Cable.
They have the nanosynth in the city,
but it's too dangerous to get in there.
Az is working on a substitute.
When we find it, we'll have to run tests,
and find volunteers for the trials.
Why don't you just kidnap some Pretties
if they're not in their right mind anyway?
No, we can't force this on them.
And we don't even know if it's safe.
[mom] This is the brain we're
talking about, alright? It's complicated.
There's all kinds of side effects.
Seizures, brain damage...
Death.
[mom] For the last 20 years, we've been
working on replicating this cure.
And Cable knows it.
It's why she's closing in.
[dramatic music builds]
[music fades]
David, um...
I haven't been completely honest with you.
I didn't come here for The Smoke.
I mean, I came here for myself.
I don't know how to say this. I just...
I was told these lies my whole life,
and believed every word.
- And I have done things and...
- Tally...
I brought you here and told you everything
tonight because I know who you are today.
Stop being so nice to me.
Stop thinking about
what your parents want.
What the city wants. What The Smoke wants.
What do you want?
I've just done so many bad things.
I just thought in all the wrong ways.
It makes me feel like
maybe I am just Ugly.
No.
What you do,
the way you think,
makes you beautiful.
[crackling, sparking]
[birds chirping]
[deep warbling approaches]
[Tally panting]
[teen 1] Scouts!
[tense music playing]
Scouts! Scouts!
- [clamoring]
- Tally! David!
Tally, come on!
Get over here.
[both grunt]
[shouts]
[grunts, groans]
[both panting]
- We gotta do something.
- No, no, no. David! David!
They're too strong.
We need to find another way.
[shouting]
[deep thrumming]
[distant screaming]
[teen 2] Get your hands off me! [grunts]
[panting]
Let me go!
- Get down.
- [exhales]
[music turns ominous]
[breathing shakily]
[mom] Nyah!
- Get off me.
- This is enough!
It's time to let people choose.
[Cable] I've seen your lab, Maddy.
You only want there to be one choice.
Yours.
- [David] We gotta do something.
- Stay... Stay here, please.
Where is he? Your son.
The leader of this rebellion.
He has nothing to do with this.
He has everything to do with this.
He's trying to destroy
everything we've built.
Where is he?
[Croy breathes heavily]
I'll ask you one more time.
[slowly] Where is your son?
Just him.
[trembling] No, wait.
- Nyah, wait. Don't do this.
- What are you doing?
Peris...
- [Maddy] Nyah, please...
- What are you doing?
Peris, don't! Peris, don't!
[David] No! No! No!
- Get your hands off me.
- No, please!
- [cracks]
- [all screaming]
[David] No!
- [crying]
- [clamoring]
[Maddy sobbing intensely]
[gasping sobs]
Peris...
[Maddy sobbing] No...
[Cable] Thank you for joining us, Tally.
[crying] You... You didn't tell me
that you would hurt anyone.
You didn't tell me.
[gasps] Tally...
I vouched for you.
[captives exclaiming]
[overlapping shouts]
You performed beautifully, Tally.
I knew you would.
Your procedure has been scheduled.
In fact, all of your procedures
have been scheduled.
[captives protesting]
Traitor!
[tense music builds]
[Maddy] Wait, no. No.
- [pounding]
- [door rattling]
[grunting]
David, run! Run! Go!
Let her go.
She'll come to me.
- Round up all the prisoners.
- No!
Smash Maddy's lab, and everything in it.
Destroy The Smoke once and for all.
[deep warbling]
[breathing deeply]
[music fades]
[thrumming fades to distance]
David...
- [grunts] Why?
- Listen. I tried to destroy the pendant.
I didn't know that it would call them.
I didn't know!
I'm sorry.
Croy was right. You... You lied.
Every word was a lie, Tally.
They made me. They threatened me.
What did they threaten you with?
Did they say they would hurt Shay?
They said that you would hurt Shay.
That you would hurt everyone.
I didn't mean for any of this to happen.
I fell in love with this place.
I never knew that there was a way
that you could live, and be yourself,
and that would be enough, or that the cost
of becoming Pretty was your mind.
I would die before
I'd let them turn me now.
David, I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
What's your plan?
I'm going to get them.
- I'm coming with you.
- No, you're not.
David, you've never been to the city.
I have.
Your mother is being taken
to a building I've been inside of.
A building I know how to get into.
Please, let me make this right.
I don't trust you.
You don't have to trust me.
You just have to follow me.
[dramatic music builds]
[heavy whirring]
[music fades out]
- "Library." You're missing the first "R."
- Libraries...
- "...braries." Yeah. And books were free.
- Sussy. Sussy!
Tally! We heard The Smoke was destroyed.
An and I lit the flame in the ruins
two days ago. No one came.
- Because it isn't real.
- Dude...
David!
- You don't exist.
- Don't hurt me.
- You're David? That's David?
- I'm David.
We need your help.
Okay, guys, listen.
Sussy, I need your interface ring, please.
I need you guys to gather as many kids
as you can and create a diversion.
- Okay?
- [Sussy] Okay.
- Yeah.
- Okay.
You wanna be rebels? Today's your day.
"The Smoke Lives."
Write it in the sky. Come on.
- [chuckles] Let's go!
- I knew it!
That was... That was David!
["Seize the Power" by Yonaka playing]
I don't need lessons
I do what I want, it's refreshing
As soon as you taste independence
You start living life in the present
Hey there, how you been?
I'm the voice in your head
And I know you've been aching
When you find me, let me in
I got power in my hands
And it's yours for the taking
[thrumming]
Now.
[whooshing]
[intense instrumental playing]
This power's yours for the taking
- [song ends]
- [panting]
Pretties have a couple cool things.
[whispers] Okay. Come on.
[suspenseful music playing]
Okay.
It's just like breaking into the kitchen.
Open, please.
[beeping]
- [distorted voice] Access... Access...
- Hang on.
- Access... Access denied.
- No.
Wait.
[beeping]
I don't...
[chokes]
- [tense music plays]
- [grunting]
Give me his hand. Give it.
- [David] Here.
- [Tally grunts]
[beeping]
I got it!
- [alarm blaring]
- Mom! Mom!
Shay? Shay!
Croy!
- Croy!
- Shay!
- [indistinct shouting]
- Here!
Come on. There's a door key.
I'm gonna put this in.
Turn this on my count.
Okay? One, two, three.
- [blips]
- Yes!
Yes. That way.
- Go left. Turn left.
- Yes, I'm fine.
- Move. Come on, guys.
- [Tally] Shay? Where's Shay?
- You traitor!
- Hey! Listen. Listen. Croy!
Listen, listen. Croy!
She's the only chance we've got, okay?
- David!
- Wait. Oh Mom!
- I'm here.
- [sighing]
[Ryde] Turn left. Your left. Left, go.
Wait... Where's Shay? Where's Shay?
- They took her to surgery.
- No.
[Croy] We're too late. It's over.
No, it's not.
I know...
I know you have no reason to trust me.
But we have to save Shay.
I have an idea.
And it's gonna take all of us.
- [alarm blaring]
- Shay? Shay?
- [tense music playing]
- Shay?
Right here. Here. Here.
- This way. Right here.
- Shay!
Right here. Right here.
[blips]
[music peaks and fades]
Tally!
Do you love it?
I got to be first
because I made the most trouble.
You should have seen me
kicking and screaming.
I nearly scratched out a nurse's eye.
Tally... Breathe. [chuckles]
Shay, your eyes.
Golden. Just like you always wanted.
You're not jealous, are you?
[softly] I'm so sorry, Shay.
Don't apologize.
You were right.
It is the most... incredible feeling,
looking this way.
[chuckles]
[door whirring]
Peris.
[Cable] She is breathtaking, isn't she?
You have a choice to make.
I suggest you choose surgery.
[slow, tense music playing]
All right. I'm going.
[energy pulsing]
Freethinking is a cancer, Tally.
Leave people to choose for themselves,
and they'll destroy the world.
They nearly did.
Freeing them of choice saved them.
Humanity needs to be led.
And there are those of us
who are fit to lead.
People are so much happier this way.
You'll be happier this way.
But I won't be me.
No.
But you sure will be Pretty.
- [ratcheting]
- [clanking]
- [gas hissing]
- [music turns ominous]
- [whirring]
- [clanking]
[screeching]
[helicopter whirring]
[gasps softly]
[music intensifies]
- [music halts]
- [exhales sharply]
[flames roaring]
[screams]
[automated voice] Chamber compromised.
[screeching stops]
- Please evacuate.
- [alarms beeping]
[whooshing]
[shouts]
[glass shattering]
- Chamber compromised.
- [all coughing]
Please evacuate.
[Tally] Shay!
Shay!
- Come here.
- [David] Mom!
Chamber compromised.
Please evacuate.
I'm coming.
Chamber compromised.
- Where are we going? [laughs]
- Let's go!
Come on. Over here.
Come on.
[tense music fades]
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
[musical flourish rises and fades]
- No, Tally. Wait!
- No, let me talk to him, please.
Nose...
[gentle music playing]
Peris, your hand...
[sobbing softly]
Squint and Nose.
Forever. Do you remember that?
Come on. I know you're still in there.
[suspenseful music builds]
[grunts]
David!
[music intensifies]
[grunting]
- [groaning]
- [high-pitched ringing]
[grunts, groans]
David!
Mom, go!
[grunting]
[groaning]
[exhales forcefully]
[groans, grunting]
- Peris, stop!
- [whooshing]
Tally!
Nose.
[music turns solemn]
Squint...
No!
[David] Tally.
Tally, come on. We gotta go.
- Okay.
- Come on.
Come on.
[dramatic music builds slowly]
Come on. Come on. Let's go.
[whooshing]
[warbling]
[clanging]
[splashing]
[dramatic music continues]
[warbling]
[crackling thrum]
[whooshing]
- [overlapping chatter]
- [music recedes slowly]
Oh man...
All right, Croy.
- Is everybody all right?
- Yeah. Thanks to you both.
But, guys. We got it.
We got what we need for the cure.
No, they destroyed your lab, Mom.
The research is gone.
No. Your pouch.
- What?
- Your pouch.
Enough to replicate. I grabbed
the nanosynth from Cable's lab.
So I think I can complete the formula now.
Does that mean...
Well, does that mean we can cure Shay?
But I don't want to be cured.
No, you're... you're...
This isn't you, Shay.
[scoffing] Me? Look at you guys.
Running around these ruins
like a bunch of Rusties.
You're all... full of paranoia,
fear, jealousy...
You weren't always like this, Shay.
No.
I used to be Ugly.
I'm only here
because I feel bad for Tally.
If I hadn't told her about The Smoke,
you would be Pretty. Right now.
[Croy] We don't have time for this.
Why don't we take her with us
and make her take it?
- No.
- We can't. We don't know if it's safe.
She's not herself, Mom.
Honey, we are not gonna perform medical
experiments on an unwilling subject.
That's the difference between us and them.
I'll do it.
What?
I'll be your test subject.
They'll turn me
and... and then you'll turn me back.
Tally, no.
Maddy, please.
Shay can't choose anymore, but I can.
And I want you to do it.
Cable could kill you, Tally.
I know.
Honey, there are risks.
You have the cure. And if it works,
then maybe we could convince Shay,
and maybe we can convince everybody else.
That's how we change the world.
It's worth it.
No.
- We'll lose you like we lost Shay.
- [sighs] No, you won't.
I'm strong.
It took me a long time,
but I... I know who I am now.
I'm not gonna let them
take that away from me.
How will we know it's still you?
I'll leave you a sign.
I'm sorry you were right about me.
I wasn't, actually.
Thank you.
[Maddy] They're coming.
If you come back,
then I'll know that you've forgiven me.
[breathes deeply]
You are so beautiful.
Go.
Go.
[suspenseful music builds slowly]
I'm so sorry, Shay.
I'm gonna make this right.
- [deep thrumming]
- [epic music rises]
I'm Tally Youngblood!
Make me Pretty.
[music peaks and fades out]
[gentle music plays]
[footsteps approaching]
[wallscreen] Welcome to your new home.
Would you like the lighting adjusted?
[Tally] No, it's perfect as it is.
I'd like to check
your health and wellness status.
- Would that be all right?
- Go ahead.
Are you healing properly
from your procedure?
Yes.
Are you experiencing
any anxiety or discomfort?
No, none at all.
And how do you feel today?
I feel at peace.
Are you satisfied
with the outcome of your surgery?
Yes.
I love the new me.
I love being Pretty.
[music distorts and fades]
- ["The Top" by Natalie Jane plays]
- Take a deep breath of the fire
Just to prove I have good lungs
Bow down to the new empire
Diamonds in the rough
Everybody waits for disaster
Don't believe in Wonderland
Don't, don't even know what I'm after
Formula abandoned
Infinite, imaginary lines
Brainwashing prison
We're all going blind
Sooner or later
Just turn on the lights
And realize
It's all in your mind
Just watch
Just watch
Just watch
'Cause I'll be waving at you
From the top
Just watch
Just watch
'Cause I'll be waving at you from the...
Top
I don't mind
Keeping my enemies
Close my eyes
They're all right next to me
Tempted by familiar shadows
Every day's an uphill battle
I'm immune to poison apples
Won the raffle
[singer chuckles]
Infinite, imaginary lines
Brainwashing prison
We're all going blind
Sooner or later
Just turn on the lights
And realize
It's all in your mind
Just watch
Just watch
Just watch
'Cause I'll be waving at you
From the top
Just watch
Just watch
'Cause I'll be waving at you from the...
I will
I will be waving at you from the top
'Cause I'll be waving at you from the...
From the top
I will be waving at you from the top
[song fades out]
[atmospheric music builds slowly]
[warm string music plays]
[up-tempo string music plays]
[string music fades]
[electronic music builds slowly]
[warm atmospheric music plays]
[warm string music builds slowly]
[gentle string music plays]
[music fades out]
[girl] All my life, I wanted to be Pretty.
I thought it would change everything.
[solemn music playing]
My story today began in the past.
Hundreds of years ago, people became
overly reliant on fossil fuels.
They squandered Earth's natural resources,
and the planet quickly descended
into chaos and war.
We call those people Rusties.
A few of the very best scientists
were tasked with salvaging
what was left of civilization.
And they came up
with something revolutionary.
A plan for a truly renewable power source.
But this didn't solve
the world's biggest problem.
Human nature.
People's differences continued
to create classes, clans, countries,
which prevented them
from their shared humanity.
So they came up with a radical solution.
The transformation.
Everyone, on their 16th birthday,
undergoes a life-changing operation
to become their most perfect self.
And when everyone is perfect,
conflict melts away.
Everyone is healthy, happy, Pretty.
But then there are the rest of us,
awaiting our operation.
Until then, we're less than.
Ignored.
People call us...
Uglies.
[deep warbling]
Mirror, make me Pretty.
[wallscreen] Sure, Tally.
This is Morpho version 732.
[alert chiming]
[distant explosions]
[ambient music playing]
[grunting]
- Yep. Got it. There it is.
- Yeah, I got it.
- What took you so long?
- My legs are shorter.
- For now...
- What night is it?
Uh, I think it's Casino Night.
They're having so much fun.
[distant dance music playing]
Not one single person looks awkward
or left out or just... isn't smiling.
I wish I was there so much it hurts.
I mean, you will be there,
in exactly three months.
Yeah, but not tomorrow. Like you.
I know. I kind of can't believe it.
[laughs] I don't even
know this place without you.
Do you remember
when we first hacked the dorms?
Mm-hm. Then you made me do my first trick.
- I didn't make you do anything.
- Yeah, you did.
- No, I didn't.
- Oh, yes, you did.
Are you... Are you, like, dying?
Are you so excited?
Yes, I mean,
but what if I don't recognize myself?
Oh, come on.
No matter how beautiful they make you...
Mm-hmm.
...the ghost of that giant nose
will haunt you forever.
Just like I'll always be Squint,
even when my eyes fit my face.
Yeah, but I like your eyes.
I mean, that's what makes you you.
[laughs]
We'll still be ourselves, just...
We'll just be better.
Just don't forget your old life, okay?
Really?
You're not gonna let them
take your scar, right?
I made a promise.
You've always been
the best part of this place.
And you still are.
- There's something I wanted...
- Ever thought about...
- I'm sorry, you should go first.
- No, no, no. You... You first.
Okay, um...
Have you ever thought about
when we're finally Pretty...
if there's a world
that...
maybe you and...
[deep warbling]
- Okay.
- That was...
- That was close.
- Really close. We should go.
Yeah. Okay.
Wait, just promise me that you're
not gonna get in trouble while I'm gone.
All right? Look.
I don't know if I can take it
if you're not there on September 9th.
Me neither.
What about this?
Meet me at the bridge in one month.
And I will tell you about everything.
Really?
[boy] Really.
- Okay.
- All right.
[bright music plays]
[wallscreen] Tally, time to wake up.
[grunts]
Tally, time to wake up.
Tally, time to wake up.
Good morning.
Today is Friday, June 18th.
[voice on PA] All dorms
report to Farran Auditorium.
The graduation assembly
will begin in five minutes...
Just because you're Ugly
doesn't mean you gotta be slow...
When I get longer legs,
I'm going to destroy you.
You saw them, Skinny?
They really ran away to The Smoke.
- Yesterday.
- I didn't think they'd do it.
- I don't think they'll make it.
- 'Cause The Smoke doesn't exist.
You don't know
what you're talking about, Dex.
- David took them, personally.
- The David?
- I heard he's dangerous.
- He's a revolutionary.
- He's seven feet tall and walks on water.
- Shut up, Dex.
[voice on PA] Please welcome
District Governor Dr. Nyah Cable.
[cheers and applause]
[hopeful music playing]
For those of you turning 16 today,
you are truly on the cusp
of a metamorphosis.
That change starts
with one elegant procedure
that will make you perfect,
both inside and out.
You'll be beautiful and free
from hatred and discrimination
based on the way that you look.
I am so excited for you
to take your place in the city
and live the life
you have been waiting for.
Will tomorrow's
Pretties please come forward?
[loud cheers]
Woo-hoo!
[hopeful music fades]
Peris...
[soft music plays]
The bridge. One month.
Don't be late, though. Okay?
Deal.
[chuckles softly]
See ya, Squint.
See ya.
Excuse me. Sorry.
Hey.
Boyfriend?
Uh...
Best friend.
[hydraulics hissing]
Give me the toothbrush pill, please.
[wallscreen] One toothbrush pill.
[energy thrumming]
[distant banging, fizzing]
[voice on PA] Welcome, new students,
to your first year at the dormitories.
[soft music playing]
[boy] Are you new here?
Yeah.
I'm Peris, but everyone calls me Nose.
I'm Tally.
But what are we going to call you?
You'll certainly be prettier
without those squinty eyes.
Squint.
Nose and Squint, I like it.
What's wrong, Tally?
Don't you want gold eyes, like mine?
[young Peris] It's like we're invisible.
- Let's make a promise.
- [young Tally] What kind of promise?
[young Peris] While we're still like this...
Squint!
...we won't be Ugly.
Squint!
[Peris] Ah!
To each other, we'll be...
Enough.
Wait, Squint... Wait, wait.
[glass clinks]
[young Peris] Best friends forever.
[sighs]
[banging continue]
[soft music fades out]
During the time of the Rusties,
dependence on fossil fuel
decimated the Earth,
poisoning our air, soil,
and our water supply,
which resulted in division,
conflict, and their ultimate collapse.
But, thankfully,
our team of finest bioengineers
created a genetically modified flower,
the White Tiger Orchid.
This miraculous plant decorates
our countryside and powers our cities.
[pensive music playing]
- [clanging]
- [whirring]
[wallscreen] Commencing scan 196.
In two months, 12 days,
you will be Pretty.
Tally, time to wake up.
Tally, time to wake up.
Tally, time to wake up.
In two months, three days,
you will be Pretty.
Asymmetry noted for corrective procedure.
Preferred eye color?
Gold.
[wallscreen] Scan 200 complete.
The procedure is the great equalizer.
[presenter speaking indistinctly]
[trilling]
[ethereal music builds slowly]
["The Top" instrumental playing]
Open, please.
[wallscreen] Exits are forbidden
during curfew hours.
Windows are prohibited from...
[warbling] Op... Op...
Op... Open window.
[grunts]
[breathing heavily]
["The Top" instrumental continues]
[deep warbling]
Nose!
Nose!
Nose? Where are you?
[grunts]
[grunts]
[light music plays]
[conga party beat playing]
- [bright trilling]
- [ethereal music playing]
["Such Great Heights"
by MILCK X BEGA plays]
[chuckles softly]
I am thinkin' it's a sign
That the freckles in our eyes...
- Sorry.
- Hello, Pretty.
Are mirror images and when we kiss
They're perfectly aligned
And true, it may seem like a stretch
But it's thoughts like this
That catch my troubled head
When you're away
And when I'm missing you to death
They will see us waving
From such great heights
"Come down now," they'll say...
Excuse me. Um...
Do you know where Garbo Mansion is?
[laughs] It's right there.
From far away
Come down now
But we'll stay
Ooh
[singer vocalizing gently]
... quite a few times and...
I mean, it's beautiful.
[song fades]
Peris?
[distant dance music playing]
[chuckles]
Hey, um...
- That's a... That's a great costume.
- Thanks!
Yeah, except the Safari Party
is actually down on the square.
Nose...
- [dim trilling]
- It's me.
Tally, uh...
What are you... What are you doing here?
Well, you weren't at the bridge...
Yeah, so you snuck in?
I was worried, and you're never late.
Yeah, I don't know.
Things are just different here.
I didn't really know what we'd talk about.
I mean, you'll get it, when you're Pretty.
We said, "Best friends forever."
Maybe we will be.
In what? Two months?
[somber music plays]
Your scar.
You promised me.
I woke up from surgery,
and then I realized I just...
didn't really want it anymore, Tally.
Don't call me Tally.
You... call me Squint.
- Yeah.
- [warbling]
[voice on PA] An unwelcome
individual has been detected.
- [tense music playing]
- [loud chattering]
What is she doing?
[voice on PA] This is the warden.
An unwelcome individual has been detected.
- [bright trilling]
- [explosion booms]
[warden] You are not authorized
to be here. Stop.
Get back from the ledge.
- [panting]
- [people exclaiming]
[screaming]
[panting]
[music builds]
[shouting]
[energy bounds]
[gasping]
[music pulsing]
[tense music resumes]
Excuse me.
- [music fades]
- [distant warbling]
[panting]
- [splashes]
- [gasps] Oh...
[warbling halts]
[gulps]
- [warbling resumes]
- [gasping]
[over PA] This is the warden.
Stay where you are.
[muffled gasps]
Get on or we'll both get caught.
[tense music picks up]
[whooshing]
[Tally grunting]
[both shout and grunt]
[warbling, thuds]
- [laughing]
- [panting]
That was insane!
I thought you were gonna fall off
at that U-turn.
Yeah, so did I. And I don't have
a bungee jacket on this time.
Wait, what?
I jumped off Garbo.
That's why they were chasing me.
- Wait, in a bungee jacket?
- Yeah.
- From how high?
- Too high.
[both chuckle]
[grunting, panting]
You're way cooler than you look.
Are you kidding me?
You just lost a warden!
- Ordinary Tuesday.
- What were you doing by the river anyway?
Uh...
Just... tricks. [chuckles]
- Do you want to go to the kitchen?
- It's locked.
So?
[scoffs]
How are we not already friends?
- [upbeat music playing]
- [can rattling, spraying]
But, like, don't... Okay.
- Wait, there's cupcakes in this one.
- This one? Okay.
How did you figure this out?
Cheers.
Mm. So good.
[squealing]
- [music stops]
- [Skinny] What was it like?
- [Tally] Which part?
- The party, the city, all of it.
You seem like someone
that woulda snuck in before.
The Pleasure Gardens once, but...
[chuckles] The city city?
No one does that.
[sighs]
It's like...
It's everything they promised us.
What about your friend?
Was he the same, just Pretty?
I mean... it's got to be
kind of hard to see a face like this
after a month of not, you know?
It hurts being left behind.
You've got like a million friends.
I've seen you.
All the ones I care about are... gone now.
Well, Skinny, you got me.
Well, for two months, anyway. [chuckles]
- Wait, September?
- Ninth.
[chuckles] No way.
We have the same birthday.
Stop. What?
Yeah!
Well, then you have me forever.
What's your real name?
- What are they gonna call you after?
- Shay.
- Tally.
- Mm.
- What color eyes do you want, Shay?
- I...
I don't know.
I'm gonna get gold to match my hair.
Your hair is brown.
Not for long. [chuckles]
[wallscreen] Your metamorphosis class
starts in ten minutes.
- [knocking at door]
- Hey.
- Let's go.
- I know. We're gonna be late for class.
Oh.
We're not going to class.
Oh.
Yeah, is there, like,
a beginner course? Or...
The more you ride,
the more it learns your style.
- Just gotta lean in and commit.
- You make it sound so easy.
Get on that board, Tally.
- And these work? For...
- Yeah.
Once you get going,
the crash bracelets work.
You got this. You'll be a natural.
Whoa, that's different.
- [chuckles]
- Yeah.
- Yo, whoa... Okay...
- Ooh. Hey.
Squeeze that core.
- Okay.
- Yeah.
- You got it. Ready?
- Okay.
Three, two, one...
- [rapid warbling]
- [grunts, groans]
[wheezing]
- Yeah, not like that.
- Oh my God.
[Shay] Walk it off.
You have to commit and believe,
then it'll happen.
But it's mind over matter.
I can't figure that...
Like, how do you not be afraid
even though you're...
- Skinny, hey!
- Yeah. What's up?
- [laughs] It was incredible.
- [Shay] I told you.
[reader] Is this really
what The Smoke is like?
Is that a... a book?
You wanna read it?
[Tally] Um...
[laughing] Yeah, I want to read it.
Okay, whoa. Careful.
He trusted me with that.
Who?
- Wait, you're Tally.
- [bag zips shut]
- Right?
- Yeah.
Did you really jump off Garbo?
That's...
Um...
Who did you tell?
- Oh. Only... everyone.
- [group chuckling]
Oh my God...
[Dex] So badass.
[chuckles]
- What? It is badass.
- They could deny my surgery.
They're not gonna keep you
from being Pretty.
- You don't know that.
- They want you to be Pretty.
We all do with that face.
[chuckling]
[pensive music playing]
If you want to learn how to fly,
you gotta learn how to fall.
Besides, I only know
four kids who died from this.
- Okay. Let's go!
- Why would you say that?
Hey. Focus.
- Lean into it.
- [chuckling lightly]
Find your balance.
Hey, Tally! You're doing it.
Oh my God.
[both laughing]
[inhales] Whoo!
Wanna see a trick?
Uh... Yes. [chuckles]
Cup of water, please.
[wallscreen] Cup... Cup... Cup... Cup... Cup...
Cup... Cupcake.
[energy thrumming]
[dramatically] A cupcake.
- [chuckles]
- [laughing] Oh my God.
You should have seen the birthday party
that I threw for Peris last year.
It was amazing.
[both laughing]
[Shay grunts softly]
Should I double my left side?
'Cause my right side is...
I... I hate it. [chuckles]
- Symmetry is overrated.
- No, it's not.
It's an indication of health.
We're biologically programmed
to prefer it.
I like that. That's good.
What's your anonym? I want to add you.
I took down my account. I'm not on there.
What? Why?
- It's a time suck.
- [laughs] What else do you have to do?
[chuckles]
["Be Yourself" playing]
I don't give a what'd you say
This is my life anyway
I don't give a what'd you say
This is my life anyway
I'mma keep on doing what I wanna...
- [deep warbling]
- [ground rumbling]
I know I'm not the only one
It's feelin' like I wanna run
Know I'm not the only one
It's feelin' like it's one-on-one...
[Tally yelps]
Oh my God... [gasps]
- Whoo!
- [board whooshing]
[laughs]
I make 'em say my name
Ooh-ooh!
And I won't feel ashamed
Be yourself
Can't be no one else
[board thrumming]
- Ooh-ooh
- [chuckles]
- I make 'em say my name
- Whoo!
Ooh-ooh
See that, Tally?
Be yourself
Can't be no one else
Be yourself
Be, be yourself
Hey! Ooh-ooh!
Ooh-ooh!
[song ends]
[Tally] I can't believe we finally
get to start our lives tomorrow.
Oh, by the way,
I loved it.
- Yeah?
- Yes, the seasons and then the water.
It sounds so beautiful.
It makes me wish I could visit.
[inhales sharply]
Would it be so bad not to do it?
The surgery?
[Tally] Shay, don't talk that way.
We have to.
Do we?
What's the alternative?
Become all moldy and crinkly?
That goes against
everything we've been taught.
- I think age lines are kind of cool.
- No, you don't.
- I do.
- No, you don't!
Tally. I do.
So you become a freak?
And live on a pond by yourself,
harvesting beans like Thoreau?
Maybe I'd go to The Smoke.
That place is a myth, Skinny.
It's not a real place.
We've been at this school four years,
and we are by far
the trickiest people here.
If The Smoke was real... we'd know about it.
Do... Do you know about it?
- Meet me at the Greenbelt in two hours.
- No. Wait, why? What are we doing?
One last trick.
[Tally] Shay. Shay!
What's in the pack?
[tense music building]
Hey, you can't go over there.
The towers will detect us.
It's okay. I've done it a bunch. Come on.
All right.
- What are you doing?
- Drop your ring on the branch.
They'll think we're having a picnic.
Our boards aren't gonna work there.
There's no grid.
They're magnetic.
There's metal in the river, minerals.
Just stick to the water. It'll be fine.
Okay.
- Where are we going?
- You'll see.
[adventurous music plays]
[chatting indistinctly]
[laughs] Oh, hoo-hoo!
- [Shay howling]
- [shouting] Whoo!
[laughs]
[Tally] I've never been
in the Rusty Ruins before.
What is that?
Rusties called it a roller coaster.
Doesn't work anymore,
but it's killer boarding.
Come on.
- Trust me.
- Okay.
[both laughing]
We have to head back soon.
We're gonna miss curfew.
Forget curfew.
Look at the ruins from here.
[music fades]
[quietly] Wow.
Tally... I need you to promise
you're not gonna tell anyone.
- Tell anyone what?
- Anything.
How to get here, how to call him.
- Call who?
- Just... promise.
Shay, you're my friend. I promise.
Then here we go.
What is that?
Flint and steel.
Bang them together, they spark.
[flames whooshing]
[tools clattering]
Shay, who are you calling?
- David.
- What?
He's real, Tally. The Smoke is real,
and he'll be here any minute.
Are you kidding me? If we get caught,
our surgeries are canceled,
and we'll be completely alone.
I'm not getting the surgery.
I thought you were
messing around this morning.
I wasn't.
Okay, look. The Smoke?
It's... an alternative.
A different way of doing things.
Nobody judges you for how you look.
It's about who you are on the inside.
There are a lot of kids there
from all different places.
That book you read? It's like that.
- It's simple and beautiful. And...
- Wait, you've been there?
Well, no. I... I mean,
I met with David a bunch of times here.
But... the night you jumped off Garbo,
I was supposed to go
with some of my friends.
I chickened out.
But then I met you,
and we did all those tricks,
and I liked the way that felt.
I like reading books and making things,
and they don't do any of that in the city.
You get the procedure,
they tell you what to do, and that's it.
Shay...
Shay, I just think
that you're afraid to grow up.
I'm afraid to stop growing.
And I want you to come with me.
- No.
- Tally, look.
I have food for both of us.
From the kitchen, like you showed me.
- That's not what that was for...
- It's four days away.
And they grow their own food there, Tally.
And I've heard it smells like the sea.
- Shay...
- And there are no Morphos or tablets.
I like tablets, and I like Morphos.
And everyone is exactly who
they're born to be. They're free.
I don't want to be free.
I want to be Pretty!
That's... I can't.
- I can't.
- Tally, please...
I'm so sick of feeling like I'm less than.
But you're not.
I want people to see me.
I see you.
[solemn music playing]
[breathes deeply]
[sniffles, sighs]
I wrote directions,
in a code only you'll understand.
Just in case.
[Tally sighs]
That's him.
Please don't leave me.
Please.
[Shay] I have to.
[poignant music rises]
[music fades out]
- [chiming]
- [wallscreen] Good morning, Tally.
Congratulations.
[distant cheering]
[Cable] Beautiful and free
from hatred and discrimination
based on the way that you look.
You've waited your entire lives
for this moment.
[deep warbling]
[soft, uplifting music playing]
Ledger Hart.
Zayd Reyes.
Imani Badu.
Kalen Forsberg.
[music fades out]
- [sighs]
- [footsteps approaching]
[deep voice] Tally Youngblood?
Um, is something wrong?
[deep thrumming]
Would you tell me
where we're go... going, please?
Because if this is about
the bungee jacket thing, then...
then I can explain that.
[dramatic music building]
[warbling]
[deep thrumming]
[music fades out]
[automated voice]
Special Circumstances. Level 7.
[Cable] Hello, Tally.
I'm Dr. Cable. Please come in.
You know who I am?
I'm so sorry to delay your surgery.
I know how excruciating that can be.
But we need your help.
Shay's missing. Please have a seat.
[Tally] Um...
That's terrible.
You did realize
she wasn't in the waiting room.
I thought she must have been sick,
you know, or something like that.
Is that what you thought?
[heartbeat thumping]
[Cable] Shay's in danger.
I don't know where she is.
We believe she's been brainwashed.
By a man named David.
He gets people to trust him,
and then holds them against their will.
Help us.
The sooner you do,
the sooner we can get to your procedure.
We have facilities right here.
Do you remember anything she said
that would help us find her?
I wish I could help.
Well, maybe a night back at the dorms
will help you remember?
Something may jog your memory.
[Tally] Um...
You're...
You're gonna send me back to the dorms?
Only until you can help.
Just try to remember.
[somber music playing]
[girl 1] Hey, look who's here.
Why is she back?
- [girl 2] She's gonna be here forever.
- [girls laughing]
[knocking]
Open, please.
Nose? Oh my gosh.
[laughs emotionally]
You just had to do it different,
huh, Squint?
You have no idea
how much I needed to see you.
[Tally sighs]
They're after me about my friend Shay.
And apparently I can't get the surgery
until I tell them where she is.
So just tell them everything you know.
Well, yeah, but I made a promise to her.
But you also made a promise to me.
What am I supposed to do?
Squint, we spent every day for four years
dreaming of what
it would be like in the city.
You're supposed to be with me.
You haven't even pinged me
in three months,
and you were so weird last time.
It's... It's just different there.
You'll feel different there.
Yeah, you said that already.
[sighs] Come on, Squint.
What are you gonna do?
Refuse to help? Not get the surgery?
You would be a freak. A total outcast.
And besides,
it sounds like she's in actual danger.
[exhales sharply]
You're not breaking a promise
if she needs help.
[deep warbling]
I'm glad you decided to help us, Tally.
I'm going to tell you something
only a handful of people know.
This man, David? The Smoke?
They're developing a weapon to attack us.
[pensive music playing]
Why... Why would they want to do that?
They've decided their way of living
is more worthy than ours.
So much so, they want us gone.
They plan to use this weapon
to wipe out our city,
to destroy our way of life.
Shay is not... part of any of that.
She is now.
Don't underestimate David.
He's brainwashed her.
Shay is under his power now.
And if she tries to leave,
he will hurt her.
Or worse.
I need you to find The Smoke.
[tense music builds slowly]
[Cable] We need you to become one of them,
so we can find this weapon
before it's too late.
You have a choice to make, Tally.
You can get the procedure,
as you've always wanted.
Or you can head into the unknown.
Save your friend.
Save us all.
[adventurous music playing]
"Take the coaster straight past the gap
until you find one that's long and flat."
Look up.
- [pulses]
- Oh, wha... Ow!
[Cable] Once you've found the weapon,
signal us with this necklace.
[grunting]
And we'll be with you
as swiftly as possible.
Shay needs you, Tally.
So do we.
[adventurous music rises]
[whooshing]
- [yelps, gasping]
- [board whooshing]
- [thrumming]
- [gasping heavily]
Oh my gosh. [exhales shakily]
[soft music plays]
[panting] "Until you find one...
that's long and flat."
I'm gonna find her,
and I'm gonna kill her.
["Overdrive" by Maggie Rogers playing]
[whooshing]
[singer vocalizing]
Whoo.
[sighs deeply]
[Tally grunts]
[Tally] "Find the wall
and weigh the face."
"Don't look down and do not haste."
No!
[whimpering]
[sighs]
No.
...I was running
And I could go for miles
Give me a reason
Now I'm in overdrive
[Tally] "Cold is the sea
and watch for breaks."
"At the second... make the worst mistake."
[exhales]
Put me in overdrive
Oh, I'm in over
[whooshing]
- [sparking]
- [gasping heavily]
[screaming]
You told me that
I was all you could see
But you kept me in the dark
Whoo! Yes!
[whooshing]
[slow whooshing]
Put me in overdrive
Put me in overdrive
[Tally] "Your journey ends
in a sea of white."
"The Smoke will find you in the night."
[singer vocalizing]
[song fades out]
[sighs deeply]
[Cable] Thank you
for coming to see me, Peris.
[Peris] You're welcome, Dr. Cable.
I so appreciate your help
convincing Tally.
- She really needed you.
- So she's here?
No. She's helping with one more thing.
Oh.
How did it... feel seeing her?
It actually felt
kind of good being back there.
When I saw her,
the strangest thing happened.
I started... feeling things.
[ambient music rises]
Things I hadn't felt
since before my surgery.
She reminded me of the way that I was.
Who I was. And I kinda missed that.
I... I know it sounds stupid.
Because I'm here now.
But I'm still connected to her.
It doesn't sound stupid, Peris.
And you're not alone.
There are always
a select few who need... more.
We've been working on a brand-new path
for a select few just like you, Peris.
One that promises real clarity of thought.
I can make you very Special.
- [music turns ominous]
- [thrumming]
- [Cable] How does that sound?
- Sounds great.
Thank you, Dr. Cable.
[ominous music rises]
[beeping]
[music fades out]
[coughing]
- [flames roaring]
- [Tally coughing]
[tense music building]
[grunts]
[music recedes]
- [panting]
- [Tally coughing]
[coughing, wheezing]
Who are you?
I'm David.
I need your pack.
You're lucky we found you.
[adventurous music plays]
[beeping, trilling]
[beeping]
Oh. Tracker.
I had no idea that was there. I promise.
They always put trackers on boards.
That's how I found you.
Arms out.
[trilling]
Turn.
[gasping softly]
[trilling]
You're clean.
Let's go.
Yeah, okay.
[trills, beeping]
[music fades out]
We picked up the tracker
from the hoverboard.
It seems to have been removed.
[Cable] Send two Specials.
Ten-kilometer radius.
She's made contact.
Is this The Smoke?
It's an outpost. Smoke's still a day off.
We don't take newcomers
to The Smoke right away.
Why is that?
We need to vet them first.
[overlapping chatter]
- Tally, this is Croy.
- Hi.
[light music playing]
- Tally?
- Shay.
Shay!
Oh my gosh!
Oh my God. I'm so happy to see you!
- I didn't think you were coming.
- Are you okay? Are you all right?
- Am I okay?
- Yeah.
Look at you, like you went to war.
I did! "The worst mistake."
Are you kidding me?
Yeah, honestly, I gave you
like a 7% chance of getting it.
Whatever. God.
- Come on. Let's get you cleaned up.
- I'm so tired.
- [giggles] I can't believe you're here.
- I know.
No one's ever made it alone.
Nope.
You don't find that suspicious?
Of course it is.
But if she did do it alone, we need her.
[music fades out]
[Tally] Like, my whole body hurts so bad.
[laughs] Hey, I tried to get you
to come with us.
[groans]
So you gonna tell me about that necklace?
Someone gave you that.
Who?
Uh... [chuckles]
Uh...
- Peris came by my room that last night.
- Wait.
- I thought you guys were just friends.
- We are.
But he gave you jewelry.
[chuckles]
It's...
He wanted, just... He just wanted a way
to recognize me after the surgery.
It's not a big deal.
Okay. [chuckles softly]
You seem happy.
[inhales deeply]
I am.
I wasn't expecting that.
What do you mean? Why not?
Well...
I... [sighs]
There's something about this place, Shay.
It's just... It's not what it seems.
Whoa, you... just got here.
- No I know, but...
- Wait.
- Who even told you that?
- I'm just scared for you. Okay?
[tense music playing]
Did you come here...
to try to bring me back?
[sighs]
You need to leave.
First thing.
If you want to be Pretty, Tally,
go be Pretty.
[Tally] No, wait. Wait, just wait.
Maybe I just need some more time.
[Shay] No, that's not how it works.
[Tally] Just give me a few days.
[sighs sharply]
[Tally] I'm sorry.
I am. I...
It's just a lot to process, I guess.
I don't know.
This is what we're gonna do.
I'm not gonna tell them about this.
It's our secret,
but you have to get to know these people.
Get to know The Smoke.
I know this is the right place for you,
but you have to give it an actual chance.
- Okay?
- Yeah.
You'll find what you're looking for.
- Okay?
- Yeah.
Okay.
[bird squawking]
[David] This will be our last burn
before we head back.
Okay, Croy, you're spotting.
And Ryde, you're my co-pilot.
- I'll get started on the pre-flight check.
- I'll get some more supplies.
What's happening?
We need to light some fires
in the West Pass before we head home.
Wait, you set the fires?
Those orchids are toxic.
They pull all the nutrients from the soil
and destroy everything in their path.
No. Those are the clean solution
to the oil that the Rusties used.
[David] That's what
they want you to believe.
Those flowers are turning the planet
into a wasteland. Killing everything.
Forcing everyone to live in the city.
Come with us. See for yourself.
Sure you want to take her up?
We don't know this girl.
It'll be good for her to see the truth.
With her own eyes.
[chuckles lightly] I vouch for her.
[David] Come on.
It's an old Rusty war machine.
Retrofitted with solar.
Now it's perfect for spreading fire.
- [energetic music plays]
- [helicopter whirs]
[David] Approaching West Mountain Pass.
Look down! You can see
the line where the flowers end.
That was all once green.
[music intensifies]
Clear the field.
Yeah, all clear.
- All right, Shay, you're up!
- All right.
[flames roaring]
[rapid beeping]
David. David, I see movement in the field.
[David] Are they ours or theirs?
Everyone, hold on. I'm going lower.
- [screams]
- Shay!
Shay!
- Shay!
- [Ryde] David, look down!
Wait, are those scouts?
They're running into the flames!
They're going after Shay!
Wait, wait, wait!
[music turns dramatic]
Tally, no!
[grunts]
I can't see them. Get me lower.
[grunts]
Shay! Shay!
[alert whines]
David, we gotta pull up!
We're losing lift.
We are not leaving them.
Shay! [coughing]
Tally.
Tally!
[panting]
[grunts]
[groans]
[clanks]
Come on!
Pull up! Let's go! Go! Go!
[clanks]
[music becomes solemn]
[music becomes heroic]
We got 'em!
[gasping]
Oh God.
[coughing]
- [music fades]
- [both coughing]
I just want to know
how the scouts found us.
Right after... Miss Solo here
makes her journey.
- What?
- Are you sure you didn't have any help?
- Are you kidding me, Croy?
- These people want to end us, Shay.
[Croy scoffs]
Am I the only one
that's worried about all of this?
Huh?
You're right that
we don't know about Tally.
But I just saw her risk her own life
to save someone who we all care about.
Nobody dives
out of a helicopter into fiery hell
unless they believe in something
bigger than themselves.
That's the cornerstone of The Smoke.
Pack up. We leave tomorrow.
[gentle music plays]
[Tally] But I told Shay
I didn't want to go.
And then I just show up by myself?
Why would they believe me?
People believe what they want to believe.
Use that to your advantage.
[water splashing quietly]
[David] Voil.
[softly] Wow.
Welcome to The Smoke.
[chuckles lightly]
- Hold on.
- Let's go.
[hopeful music plays]
- [David] I'm starving.
- Yeah, me too.
[Shay] It's harder
than living in the city.
We grow our own food.
But you'll be surprised how much better
it tastes when you grow it yourself.
Everyone has to work, even our elders.
We don't have money,
so we share things and trade.
- Stay warm.
- Thank you.
Come on.
[Shay] But the most important thing?
Everyone is here
because they choose to be here.
It's exhilarating. And it's real.
You keep your supplies in a cave?
It's a safe house too.
Tourmaline blocks their scanners.
[Shay] They used to be train tracks
in the time of the Rusties.
- But now we're recycling the rail ties.
- [Tally] To use it for what?
[Shay] Everything.
Pots and pans. Gardening tools.
What about stuff like weapons?
[chuckles] I mean, in theory,
but it's not really our style.
[door creaking]
- [Croy] Can I help you?
- [gasps]
No. No, um...
I was... I was just looking for some water.
Water's in the back. In the canteen.
Right. That makes sense.
Um...
- This is...
- Not your business.
[Shay] The change we're after
isn't about guns or bombs.
It's much bigger than that. You'll see.
- [metal squeaking]
- Oh wait, hold on.
Hey.
Hey.
All right, your turn.
[music fades out]
- What?
- [both laugh]
Move a muscle, change a thought.
Your culture,
they trap you in front of screens.
You never move.
- I move.
- [Shay] Hmm...
I snuck out, like,
almost every night in the city.
- [David] Oh, my bad.
- Yeah.
[both chuckle]
- Okay, fine.
- Why don't you give it a shot?
- All right.
- Put your foot here, hold it steady.
- And crank it.
- What do I... Is it okay to hold this?
- Yes. Mm-hm.
- Okay.
- [ratcheting]
- [clanking]
- Wow.
- That's tough.
- Really good.
- Yeah, well, have at it.
I gotta feed the rabbits anyway.
- See you in a little bit.
- Okay.
[Tally grunts]
- I move! [chuckles]
- Ah...
See? I stand corrected, wow.
- Is it what you pictured?
- [indistinct chatter]
Um... not at all, actually.
[girl] Dinner is served.
Everyone come and eat.
- [chuckles softly]
- [Croy] Shay. Here.
Thank you.
- Here you go, Tally.
- Thank you so much. Thank you.
- Yo, Len. Those carrots?
- [man sighs]
[Len] Yes?
[coughing lightly]
- [Shay] It's not like the dorm food.
- [coughs] I'm sorry.
I've just never had anything so spicy.
I used Croy's hot chili.
Hey, that powder is only good
for veggies, chili, and bear attacks.
Bears?
- [Croy] Yeah.
- [laughter]
Can I have everyone's attention, please?
- Shh...
- Quiet.
Guys, guys...
[chattering stops]
Scouts were spotted
in the West Pass last night.
That's the closest they've ever come.
We stopped them.
[solemn music playing]
But it wasn't easy.
The city is not going to stop.
Because The Smoke is a threat
to everything they stand for.
Our time here is limited.
We must achieve our objective.
Where we believe in
preserving what's natural,
they believe in manipulation.
Before you came here, how many times
a day did you think about how you looked,
what's wrong with you?
They make us feel so alone and so insecure
that we don't have time
for things that actually matter.
Thinking, reading, learning, dreaming.
Choosing who you become.
[music builds intensity]
And I'm not okay with that.
[muted cheers]
[David] And you're not okay with that.
And we will do whatever it takes
to protect that.
[Croy] Yes!
[cheers and applause]
[music fades out]
Close one eye.
Aim it just above the center.
- All right?
- Okay.
Okay. Here.
Okay.
[David] Yes. Safety. Yep.
Okay.
Okay. So... hold it like...
- Ouch.
- Oh...
- Those are some serious blisters.
- [Tally] Yeah.
That from the jack?
Well, you know, using a Morpho-pad
doesn't exactly require a thick skin.
- We could come back when you're healed.
- No, no, no.
I... I really want to get this.
All right.
- [arrow whistles]
- [bird chirps]
- You know, maybe close the other eye.
- Rude.
[chuckling]
[light, pensive music plays]
- We could come back.
- No, we're going again.
All right.
[music stops]
Yes!
[laughs] Ooh!
Wow. That was nice!
Thank you.
You never quit, do you?
Do you ever miss the city?
I've never lived there.
- I was born here.
- Your parents live here?
Raised me themselves.
I barely know my parents.
Last time I saw them
they asked for my Morpho
so they could find me after surgery.
I'm sorry.
It's normal for parents to want that.
It's not, Tally.
Wait just one second.
[gentle music plays]
In place of that thick skin.
- For me?
- Mm-hm.
Thank you.
Of course.
These are amazing. Thank you so much.
[Len] Hey! Make some room!
- [Croy] David!
- [Len] Make some room! We need help here!
- [grunting, groaning]
- It's okay. I got you.
- You okay?
- Yeah.
- What happened?
- We got company while burning the flowers.
- But we drew them as far away as we could.
- Sailor?
- Scouts.
- It's all right. We're safe now.
These weren't normal scouts.
They weren't regular Pretties.
They were fast. Too fast.
I've never seen anything like them.
I saw them run through fire.
You need to wrap that and help it clot.
- Here.
- Thank you.
Is this the fire jumper? Croy said
you made it here by yourself.
You sick of telling that story yet?
- Are those David's gloves?
- Yeah.
I had, um,
started getting blisters on my hand.
Wait, he gave them to you?
Yeah, is that...
I don't understand.
Objects have
a different value here, Tally.
He made those.
They didn't come out of some wall.
People think really hard
about the gifts they give.
He likes you.
What?
It's time for you to make a choice.
Are you staying or not?
I'll, um... I'll give these back.
- I don't need them.
- It's not about that.
Keep them. Give them back.
Wear the necklace. Don't.
Choose The Smoke. Don't choose The Smoke.
I want you here.
But it's not fair to me or David
or anyone else for you to have one foot in
and one foot out anymore.
[solemn music plays]
- [Croy] Long day, huh?
- Right? [chuckles]
[indistinct overlapping chatter]
[David] What made you change your mind?
Shay told me you didn't want to come.
And then you did.
[music fades out]
Um, I guess I just want to choose
who I become. You know?
Wasn't easy, though.
Some say that you radicalize people.
[David chuckles]
That's fair.
All social change
is seen as radical at first.
That's not what I mean.
What do you mean?
They say that you have a weapon.
[tense music builds slowly]
That...
That you're planning to wipe out the city.
Come on.
[light music playing]
[music fades out]
David?
David! Hey.
- What, you miss our cooking or something?
- [chuckles] Tally, these are my parents.
Hi, nice to meet you.
You too.
[David] Tally thinks we have a weapon.
- I'll put the kettle on.
- [dad] Come on in.
Wait, this was yours?
You should read "Civil Disobedience."
It's even better.
- [mom] You need a haircut.
- [David] Dad needs a haircut.
[dad] Hey, don't encourage her.
Last time I let her trim it,
I nearly lost an ear.
[mom] Not true!
Kind of true.
[both chuckle]
Sorry, I'm sorry.
It's okay.
[Tally] But you both
look so much like David.
I've just never really seen that before.
Your eyes, and your smile.
- That's why he's so handsome.
- Ah... Okay...
I didn't say you were perfect.
You still got the family freckles.
- [all chuckling]
- Have a seat, love.
Thank you.
So... what can we help with?
[David] Um...
I want to tell her.
Son, I don't... I don't think
she's been here long enough.
She can handle it.
I trust her.
Before The Smoke, they were doctors.
[mom] Cosmetic surgeons
working for the State.
The last year we lived in town,
I was appointed to the committee
for morphological standards.
So I had access
to the entire medical database.
[dad] Meanwhile, I was trying
to make the operation safer.
What do you mean?
[exhales]
We were seeing several deaths a year.
That's not bad for a surgery that serious.
But I wanted to do better.
People have died from it?
I...
I never knew that.
They keep it quiet.
That's when I first noticed
this pattern of lesions in the brain.
These lesions in the frontal cortex,
they dull you.
You don't care about anything.
You can't think clearly.
You're sedated into
a false sense of happiness.
I... I don't understand.
They erase who you are.
[mom] And when we realized that,
Cable showed up,
told us to stop digging,
and took all our research.
That's when we knew the lesions
were not a side effect of the surgery.
They were the purpose.
But...
But why would Cable do that?
To control us.
[mom] Cable wasn't always like this.
We were colleagues. Friends.
We'd all been given
the surgery at the same time,
but we were strong-willed, rebellious.
So we were invited to the inner circle
where we were given a cure
to make us whole thinkers again.
Not everyone is that lucky to be doctors.
Others get additional surgery,
and become mindless soldiers.
Az and I couldn't sit back
and watch it happen.
We knew it was wrong. So we fled.
We stopped getting the surgeries
and decided to age naturally.
And here we are. Offering free thought
and self-acceptance as an alternative.
And dedicating the rest of our lives
to recreate the cure.
So have you... have you found...
Have you found it?
Can you cure the lesions?
We're close.
But there's still that synthetic component
we just don't have out here.
But... we have created,
in our lab, the base serum.
When the two are combined properly,
we'll be able to heal the lesions.
It would be the ultimate weapon
against Dr. Cable.
They have the nanosynth in the city,
but it's too dangerous to get in there.
Az is working on a substitute.
When we find it, we'll have to run tests,
and find volunteers for the trials.
Why don't you just kidnap some Pretties
if they're not in their right mind anyway?
No, we can't force this on them.
And we don't even know if it's safe.
[mom] This is the brain we're
talking about, alright? It's complicated.
There's all kinds of side effects.
Seizures, brain damage...
Death.
[mom] For the last 20 years, we've been
working on replicating this cure.
And Cable knows it.
It's why she's closing in.
[dramatic music builds]
[music fades]
David, um...
I haven't been completely honest with you.
I didn't come here for The Smoke.
I mean, I came here for myself.
I don't know how to say this. I just...
I was told these lies my whole life,
and believed every word.
- And I have done things and...
- Tally...
I brought you here and told you everything
tonight because I know who you are today.
Stop being so nice to me.
Stop thinking about
what your parents want.
What the city wants. What The Smoke wants.
What do you want?
I've just done so many bad things.
I just thought in all the wrong ways.
It makes me feel like
maybe I am just Ugly.
No.
What you do,
the way you think,
makes you beautiful.
[crackling, sparking]
[birds chirping]
[deep warbling approaches]
[Tally panting]
[teen 1] Scouts!
[tense music playing]
Scouts! Scouts!
- [clamoring]
- Tally! David!
Tally, come on!
Get over here.
[both grunt]
[shouts]
[grunts, groans]
[both panting]
- We gotta do something.
- No, no, no. David! David!
They're too strong.
We need to find another way.
[shouting]
[deep thrumming]
[distant screaming]
[teen 2] Get your hands off me! [grunts]
[panting]
Let me go!
- Get down.
- [exhales]
[music turns ominous]
[breathing shakily]
[mom] Nyah!
- Get off me.
- This is enough!
It's time to let people choose.
[Cable] I've seen your lab, Maddy.
You only want there to be one choice.
Yours.
- [David] We gotta do something.
- Stay... Stay here, please.
Where is he? Your son.
The leader of this rebellion.
He has nothing to do with this.
He has everything to do with this.
He's trying to destroy
everything we've built.
Where is he?
[Croy breathes heavily]
I'll ask you one more time.
[slowly] Where is your son?
Just him.
[trembling] No, wait.
- Nyah, wait. Don't do this.
- What are you doing?
Peris...
- [Maddy] Nyah, please...
- What are you doing?
Peris, don't! Peris, don't!
[David] No! No! No!
- Get your hands off me.
- No, please!
- [cracks]
- [all screaming]
[David] No!
- [crying]
- [clamoring]
[Maddy sobbing intensely]
[gasping sobs]
Peris...
[Maddy sobbing] No...
[Cable] Thank you for joining us, Tally.
[crying] You... You didn't tell me
that you would hurt anyone.
You didn't tell me.
[gasps] Tally...
I vouched for you.
[captives exclaiming]
[overlapping shouts]
You performed beautifully, Tally.
I knew you would.
Your procedure has been scheduled.
In fact, all of your procedures
have been scheduled.
[captives protesting]
Traitor!
[tense music builds]
[Maddy] Wait, no. No.
- [pounding]
- [door rattling]
[grunting]
David, run! Run! Go!
Let her go.
She'll come to me.
- Round up all the prisoners.
- No!
Smash Maddy's lab, and everything in it.
Destroy The Smoke once and for all.
[deep warbling]
[breathing deeply]
[music fades]
[thrumming fades to distance]
David...
- [grunts] Why?
- Listen. I tried to destroy the pendant.
I didn't know that it would call them.
I didn't know!
I'm sorry.
Croy was right. You... You lied.
Every word was a lie, Tally.
They made me. They threatened me.
What did they threaten you with?
Did they say they would hurt Shay?
They said that you would hurt Shay.
That you would hurt everyone.
I didn't mean for any of this to happen.
I fell in love with this place.
I never knew that there was a way
that you could live, and be yourself,
and that would be enough, or that the cost
of becoming Pretty was your mind.
I would die before
I'd let them turn me now.
David, I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
What's your plan?
I'm going to get them.
- I'm coming with you.
- No, you're not.
David, you've never been to the city.
I have.
Your mother is being taken
to a building I've been inside of.
A building I know how to get into.
Please, let me make this right.
I don't trust you.
You don't have to trust me.
You just have to follow me.
[dramatic music builds]
[heavy whirring]
[music fades out]
- "Library." You're missing the first "R."
- Libraries...
- "...braries." Yeah. And books were free.
- Sussy. Sussy!
Tally! We heard The Smoke was destroyed.
An and I lit the flame in the ruins
two days ago. No one came.
- Because it isn't real.
- Dude...
David!
- You don't exist.
- Don't hurt me.
- You're David? That's David?
- I'm David.
We need your help.
Okay, guys, listen.
Sussy, I need your interface ring, please.
I need you guys to gather as many kids
as you can and create a diversion.
- Okay?
- [Sussy] Okay.
- Yeah.
- Okay.
You wanna be rebels? Today's your day.
"The Smoke Lives."
Write it in the sky. Come on.
- [chuckles] Let's go!
- I knew it!
That was... That was David!
["Seize the Power" by Yonaka playing]
I don't need lessons
I do what I want, it's refreshing
As soon as you taste independence
You start living life in the present
Hey there, how you been?
I'm the voice in your head
And I know you've been aching
When you find me, let me in
I got power in my hands
And it's yours for the taking
[thrumming]
Now.
[whooshing]
[intense instrumental playing]
This power's yours for the taking
- [song ends]
- [panting]
Pretties have a couple cool things.
[whispers] Okay. Come on.
[suspenseful music playing]
Okay.
It's just like breaking into the kitchen.
Open, please.
[beeping]
- [distorted voice] Access... Access...
- Hang on.
- Access... Access denied.
- No.
Wait.
[beeping]
I don't...
[chokes]
- [tense music plays]
- [grunting]
Give me his hand. Give it.
- [David] Here.
- [Tally grunts]
[beeping]
I got it!
- [alarm blaring]
- Mom! Mom!
Shay? Shay!
Croy!
- Croy!
- Shay!
- [indistinct shouting]
- Here!
Come on. There's a door key.
I'm gonna put this in.
Turn this on my count.
Okay? One, two, three.
- [blips]
- Yes!
Yes. That way.
- Go left. Turn left.
- Yes, I'm fine.
- Move. Come on, guys.
- [Tally] Shay? Where's Shay?
- You traitor!
- Hey! Listen. Listen. Croy!
Listen, listen. Croy!
She's the only chance we've got, okay?
- David!
- Wait. Oh Mom!
- I'm here.
- [sighing]
[Ryde] Turn left. Your left. Left, go.
Wait... Where's Shay? Where's Shay?
- They took her to surgery.
- No.
[Croy] We're too late. It's over.
No, it's not.
I know...
I know you have no reason to trust me.
But we have to save Shay.
I have an idea.
And it's gonna take all of us.
- [alarm blaring]
- Shay? Shay?
- [tense music playing]
- Shay?
Right here. Here. Here.
- This way. Right here.
- Shay!
Right here. Right here.
[blips]
[music peaks and fades]
Tally!
Do you love it?
I got to be first
because I made the most trouble.
You should have seen me
kicking and screaming.
I nearly scratched out a nurse's eye.
Tally... Breathe. [chuckles]
Shay, your eyes.
Golden. Just like you always wanted.
You're not jealous, are you?
[softly] I'm so sorry, Shay.
Don't apologize.
You were right.
It is the most... incredible feeling,
looking this way.
[chuckles]
[door whirring]
Peris.
[Cable] She is breathtaking, isn't she?
You have a choice to make.
I suggest you choose surgery.
[slow, tense music playing]
All right. I'm going.
[energy pulsing]
Freethinking is a cancer, Tally.
Leave people to choose for themselves,
and they'll destroy the world.
They nearly did.
Freeing them of choice saved them.
Humanity needs to be led.
And there are those of us
who are fit to lead.
People are so much happier this way.
You'll be happier this way.
But I won't be me.
No.
But you sure will be Pretty.
- [ratcheting]
- [clanking]
- [gas hissing]
- [music turns ominous]
- [whirring]
- [clanking]
[screeching]
[helicopter whirring]
[gasps softly]
[music intensifies]
- [music halts]
- [exhales sharply]
[flames roaring]
[screams]
[automated voice] Chamber compromised.
[screeching stops]
- Please evacuate.
- [alarms beeping]
[whooshing]
[shouts]
[glass shattering]
- Chamber compromised.
- [all coughing]
Please evacuate.
[Tally] Shay!
Shay!
- Come here.
- [David] Mom!
Chamber compromised.
Please evacuate.
I'm coming.
Chamber compromised.
- Where are we going? [laughs]
- Let's go!
Come on. Over here.
Come on.
[tense music fades]
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
[musical flourish rises and fades]
- No, Tally. Wait!
- No, let me talk to him, please.
Nose...
[gentle music playing]
Peris, your hand...
[sobbing softly]
Squint and Nose.
Forever. Do you remember that?
Come on. I know you're still in there.
[suspenseful music builds]
[grunts]
David!
[music intensifies]
[grunting]
- [groaning]
- [high-pitched ringing]
[grunts, groans]
David!
Mom, go!
[grunting]
[groaning]
[exhales forcefully]
[groans, grunting]
- Peris, stop!
- [whooshing]
Tally!
Nose.
[music turns solemn]
Squint...
No!
[David] Tally.
Tally, come on. We gotta go.
- Okay.
- Come on.
Come on.
[dramatic music builds slowly]
Come on. Come on. Let's go.
[whooshing]
[warbling]
[clanging]
[splashing]
[dramatic music continues]
[warbling]
[crackling thrum]
[whooshing]
- [overlapping chatter]
- [music recedes slowly]
Oh man...
All right, Croy.
- Is everybody all right?
- Yeah. Thanks to you both.
But, guys. We got it.
We got what we need for the cure.
No, they destroyed your lab, Mom.
The research is gone.
No. Your pouch.
- What?
- Your pouch.
Enough to replicate. I grabbed
the nanosynth from Cable's lab.
So I think I can complete the formula now.
Does that mean...
Well, does that mean we can cure Shay?
But I don't want to be cured.
No, you're... you're...
This isn't you, Shay.
[scoffing] Me? Look at you guys.
Running around these ruins
like a bunch of Rusties.
You're all... full of paranoia,
fear, jealousy...
You weren't always like this, Shay.
No.
I used to be Ugly.
I'm only here
because I feel bad for Tally.
If I hadn't told her about The Smoke,
you would be Pretty. Right now.
[Croy] We don't have time for this.
Why don't we take her with us
and make her take it?
- No.
- We can't. We don't know if it's safe.
She's not herself, Mom.
Honey, we are not gonna perform medical
experiments on an unwilling subject.
That's the difference between us and them.
I'll do it.
What?
I'll be your test subject.
They'll turn me
and... and then you'll turn me back.
Tally, no.
Maddy, please.
Shay can't choose anymore, but I can.
And I want you to do it.
Cable could kill you, Tally.
I know.
Honey, there are risks.
You have the cure. And if it works,
then maybe we could convince Shay,
and maybe we can convince everybody else.
That's how we change the world.
It's worth it.
No.
- We'll lose you like we lost Shay.
- [sighs] No, you won't.
I'm strong.
It took me a long time,
but I... I know who I am now.
I'm not gonna let them
take that away from me.
How will we know it's still you?
I'll leave you a sign.
I'm sorry you were right about me.
I wasn't, actually.
Thank you.
[Maddy] They're coming.
If you come back,
then I'll know that you've forgiven me.
[breathes deeply]
You are so beautiful.
Go.
Go.
[suspenseful music builds slowly]
I'm so sorry, Shay.
I'm gonna make this right.
- [deep thrumming]
- [epic music rises]
I'm Tally Youngblood!
Make me Pretty.
[music peaks and fades out]
[gentle music plays]
[footsteps approaching]
[wallscreen] Welcome to your new home.
Would you like the lighting adjusted?
[Tally] No, it's perfect as it is.
I'd like to check
your health and wellness status.
- Would that be all right?
- Go ahead.
Are you healing properly
from your procedure?
Yes.
Are you experiencing
any anxiety or discomfort?
No, none at all.
And how do you feel today?
I feel at peace.
Are you satisfied
with the outcome of your surgery?
Yes.
I love the new me.
I love being Pretty.
[music distorts and fades]
- ["The Top" by Natalie Jane plays]
- Take a deep breath of the fire
Just to prove I have good lungs
Bow down to the new empire
Diamonds in the rough
Everybody waits for disaster
Don't believe in Wonderland
Don't, don't even know what I'm after
Formula abandoned
Infinite, imaginary lines
Brainwashing prison
We're all going blind
Sooner or later
Just turn on the lights
And realize
It's all in your mind
Just watch
Just watch
Just watch
'Cause I'll be waving at you
From the top
Just watch
Just watch
'Cause I'll be waving at you from the...
Top
I don't mind
Keeping my enemies
Close my eyes
They're all right next to me
Tempted by familiar shadows
Every day's an uphill battle
I'm immune to poison apples
Won the raffle
[singer chuckles]
Infinite, imaginary lines
Brainwashing prison
We're all going blind
Sooner or later
Just turn on the lights
And realize
It's all in your mind
Just watch
Just watch
Just watch
'Cause I'll be waving at you
From the top
Just watch
Just watch
'Cause I'll be waving at you from the...
I will
I will be waving at you from the top
'Cause I'll be waving at you from the...
From the top
I will be waving at you from the top
[song fades out]
[atmospheric music builds slowly]
[warm string music plays]
[up-tempo string music plays]
[string music fades]
[electronic music builds slowly]
[warm atmospheric music plays]
[warm string music builds slowly]
[gentle string music plays]
[music fades out]