Digman! (2023) s01e01 Episode Script
Pilot
RIP DIGMAN:
Mount Quiquaran.
One of history's most
lethal supervolcanos.
In 200 BC, a series
of deadly eruptions
had decimated the local tribe.
So the elders turned to the
great artisan Tiliktakorkatan,
who sculpted an offering
to the gods
the Molten Idol.
- It's beautiful.
- And yet
not so beautiful as you,
love of my life,
keeper and tender-to
of my loins.
I thought it'd be
more impressive.
Because you have no appreciation
for true beauty, Zane!
You know, legend has it
that removing the idol
will cause Quiquaran to erupt.
'Tis true. But as we
all know, legends
are rarely real.
Oh, fuck, I don't want to die!
Get the fuck out of the way!
I guess that legend was real.
Shut the fuck up, Zane.
Swooper, get us out of here!
No can do, boss.
That volcano's hotter
than Andy Capp's wife
when he's been out
at the pub all night.
Meet me on the other
side of the jungle.
But that jungle's filled with
Corpus floraria.
- The death flower.
- The death flower.
Jesus, Zane, don't interrupt me.
- [screeching]
- [Rip laughing]
That bird got bonked. Uh-oh.
Looks like the natives
are restless.
Hello, I'm an attorney
representing
the Mondonesian tribe.
We respectfully ask that you
don't steal the Molten Idol
as it's a culturally sig
We're off the hook!
And we'll never have to
think about the questions
they were raising
or ponder the ethics
of what we're doing ever again.
Power slide!
Everybody lay a patch or we'll
be riding the pale horse.
Nobody understands your
old-timey lingo.
That's horsefeathers!
[screams]
Bella! Whip!
Don't panic,
the death flower's poison
takes 30 minutes to set in.
There's a hospital with the
antidote ten minutes from here.
Thank God. I wouldn't be
able to live without you.
I can't die yet, babe.
I still haven't seen The Artist.
Oh, man, it looks so good.
I can't imagine a better movie
will come out in 2011.
The current year? Yeah. I agree.
- [gun cocks]
- ZANE: All right.
- Enough 2011 talk.
- Zane.
What the hell are you doing?
Oh, I'm taking the idol.
It'll be my first acquisition
as the new head arky of The Met.
But we work for the Smithsonian.
Not anymore, Rippy.
I'm sick of you
treating me like shit.
What? You're the best
inferior I've ever had.
I always tell you that!
Consider this my resignation.
Fuck that, you're fired.
Fine. Have fun paying
my unemployment.
No, no, no, you quit,
everyone heard it.
Follow that speedboat.
You sure? You don't
look so good.
The important thing is the idol.
We have enough time to grab it
and get to the hospital.
Whip! Swooper, I'm out
of whip range.
We got to get closer.
Whip! Whip!
[grunts]
Almost got him.
[bird screeches]
[laughs]
[gasps]
Oh, I can't see anything.
Did you get the idol?
Yeah, I got it, babe.
[coughs]
I'm dying, Rip.
Goodbye, my love.
Tender-to of my loins.
No, I will not let you die.
I will not let you die!
It's been 12 years
since Rip Digman
let his wife Bella die,
and in that time Rip's
former assistant Zane Troy
has gone on to become the
greatest arky in the world
while Rip, who was fired
by the Smithsonian,
is now a has-been, a nobody,
a real "Where are
they now?" situation.
I'm sorry to keep going on,
my producer's telling me
we're running short
and I need to stretch.
You have to wonder what Rip
is even up to these days.
I mean, my guess, he's just
sitting at home, jacking off.
Yes, jacking off.
And then crying because he feels
like he's somehow cheating
on his dead wife,
whose death
he was responsible for.
And then jizzing.
You know, one of those
lame halfway ones
where you're somehow out
of rhythm with yourself.
I don't know, maybe
I'm projecting now.
Either way, the guy's a loser.
RIP:
Morning, Agatha.
Any museums call for an arky?
No museum has called
in ten years, Rip.
Well, excuse me
for being hopeful!
There's no need to yell.
You're right. My many apologies.
You're just lonely.
You should start dating again.
Thanks, Agatha, but the only
dating I'm interested in
is carbon dating.
[Rip humming]
I cleaned your jeep, Rip.
Man, there sure were
a lot of tear stains
on the steering wheel.
You must've been crying a lot.
[chuckles]
Yeah, thanks, Swooper.
If anybody needs me, I'll
be in my secret chamber.
You mean you're going
into your private bathroom
for your morning dump.
No.
The Holy Grail.
The term people use
to describe the coolest thing
in every other profession
is that thing in archaeology.
- Ooh, ooh.
- Yes, Saltine?
Have you ever tried
to find the Holy Grail?
Well, every shovel bum worth
their salt has given it a shot.
But its location is
archaeology's greatest mystery.
They say that just one sip
from it can heal any ailment.
So, if someone in
the class found it,
would we get extra credit?
- [chuckles] Yeah, sure.
- Great.
No need to invite me
to any parties
this weekend, classmates.
I've got plans.
Eat a pile of shit, nerd.
I'd rather sift
through said shit
to discover secrets of the past.
Wow, you're awfully
cheery, aren't you?
Why wouldn't I be?
I'm studying to be an arky,
the greatest job in the world.
Don't you ever miss it?
Of course I miss it.
The glory. The fame.
I yearn for it still.
Much like the wolf whelp yearns
for its mother's tough
yet glossy teat.
But now I've been reduced
to the most degrading
job there is.
Teaching.
STUDENT: Then maybe you
shouldn't have killed your wife.
I didn't kill my wife!
A bird did! -[laughter]
[gulps, sighs]
Another RumChata. Neat.
Professor, over here.
It's me, the student you hate.
Oh, man. What
are you doing here?
Okay, I was thinking about
how sad you were in class,
so I started digging around,
and I know how you can
become an arky again.
Quail Eegan.
The long-haired billionaire?
The very same.
He's building a new museum
and he needs a head arky,
so he's holding
a big competition to find one.
The whole thing
kicks off tonight.
You. Should. Go.
Huh, an intriguing proposition.
Right? And you can bring me
as your assistant arky.
Ha! No dice.
Rip Digman rolls solo.
But the arky union says
you have to have an assistant.
Ugh. Stupid union coming up with
stupid rules so I don't die.
But I'm still
not going to hire you.
We don't even know each other.
I mean, I don't even know
If you like jazz ♪
I really don't.
But I've wanted to be
- an arky all my life.
- Okay.
- I'm an amateur inventor.
- Okay.
- I love Latin.
- Go on.
Or should I say
"Amo linguam Latinam"?
- [laughs]
- Oh, yeah, I don't get it.
Oh, and my parents disowned me
because they hate archaeology.
A de facto orphan. ♪
You spin a good yarn, kid,
but I'm still not sure
we connect on a cosmic level,
at the base of the neural queue.
Avatar ref.
The event starts in 15 minutes
and you have to have
an assistant.
You're hired.
Whoa. Every arky
in the world is here.
Felix Cadbury, Kate Kwan,
Indiana Jones.
And Zane Troy.
- Wow.
- RIP: Ugh.
- Come on.
- Sorry. I know he betrayed you,
but he's like the most
famous person on Earth.
Oh, fuck, don't look.
Don't look.
Rip Digman.
I guess the rumors were true.
You have gotten fatter.
What are you doing here, Zane?
The Met not paying you enough?
I'm a businessman, Rip.
I have to keep my options open.
Besides, loyalty's overrated.
Well, yeah, I agree with that.
Wait, that was a reference
to how you betrayed me.
Saltine, punch this guy
in the nuts. -What?
Forget it.
You blinked. It's over.
- Sorry.
- You know, Rippy,
we always did do
great work together.
If you'd be interested
in becoming partners
with a 50-50 split,
give me a call.
Wait, really?
Oh, son of a bitch!
I'll just put it
in this pocket, though.
No, don't keep it, Rip.
It's an insult.
You must be new.
Rip can't throw anything away.
He's less of an arky
and more of a hoarder.
- That's never been diagnosed!
- [laughter]
ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen,
please welcome
Quail Eegan!
Showmanship.
Now, as you all know,
I'm the best at everything.
I've created
the best electric car,
the best rockets, and the
best hologram of myself.
[gasping]
[laughing] But now I have
my sights set even higher.
The Eegan.
Upon completion, it will be
the largest museum in the world.
The only thing missing is
A Froyo machine.
a collection.
And that's
where all you come in.
I'm holding a contest.
Can anyone tell me what this is?
Ha! Too easy.
That's Hammurabi's hat.
Rip Digman.
What a blast from the past.
Oh, the pleasure
is mine. [gasps]
Nothing personal. I swear.
this one is the real me.
- [gunshot]
- [screaming]
You won't be rid
of me that easily.
- [crowd cheering]
- But you're right, Rip.
4,000 years ago, Hammurabi
conquered Mesopotamia.
All while wearing this hat.
But it has never been found.
And I want it as the centerpiece
for my new museum.
Whoever brings it to me
will be named head arky.
A position that comes
with a generous salary
and hella bennies.
Now, let the competition begin!
And begin it shall.
- Put 'er there. [yells]
- [thudding]
Full disclosure:
I am in Iceland.
DIRECTOR:
And you're clear.
Wow. They couldn't tell
you were a hologram?
Yes, and neither could you.
Well, time for bed.
Move to your left, Shelly.
- [alarm blaring]
- [screams]
[jets whirring]
Aah! My ears are bleeding!
HOWARD TOE:
Our top story tonight:
Arkies across the globe
are competing to head up
Quail Eegan's new museum.
Zane Troy is the odds-on
favorite to win the job,
while Rip Digman is the
favorite to accidentally
stumble off a cliff
and die a horrific death.
Here's a sneak peek at
his "in memoriam" segment.
[comical music playing]
Ugh, what the hell
is that music?
Don't let them play
that when I die.
This is so exciting.
I can't believe
I'm an assistant arky.
Let's be clear. You're
my temporary assistant.
If I get back in the game,
I'll have my pick
of the top assistants
in the biz.
[screams]
What is that thing?
Saltine, meet Fleety,
my fast loris.
I've heard of a slow loris
but never a fast one.
What's the difference?
A raging addiction
to methamphetamines. -[snarls]
So, Saltine, you ever
heard of Wendell Banks?
He's that arky who went
missing a couple years ago.
Precisely. Wendell was
one of my many male mentors.
And what nobody knows but yo soy
is that he actually went missing
while hunting
for Hammurabi's hat.
Wendell was a bit
of a warrior poet,
always leaving cryptic hints
as to where he was going.
In fact, this is the last
voice mail he left me.
WENDALL: My dear Rip,
I'm off to find Hammurabi's hat
in a land where the sky
is as blue as
[birds screeching]
I can't make out
what he was saying.
His hint was covered
by the incessant squawking
- of a meridian warbler.
- You're right, Rip.
That squawking
was a meridian warbler.
But the balking
was an Ecuadorian sea hawk.
My God. You're also right.
The other bird call was
fucking tucked under there.
And there's only one
place in the world
where their migratory
patterns overlap.
Looks like we're
headed to Indonesia.
♪
Yeah, he was here,
but he didn't find any hat.
He did steal some
ornamental robes, though.
[chuckles]
Classic arky move.
Never leave a place
empty-handed.
Did he say where he was going?
Yeah, a place where
"water falls from on high,
like tears from
the angel of sadness."
Looks like we're heading
to Venezuela.
♪
He was here,
but he didn't find a hat.
Stole a bunch of
secret ceramics, though.
That's Wendell for you. So cool.
Did he say where he was going?
Something about
"where haggling means hello
and Mehmet's merchants mingle"?
Looks like we're heading
to Istanbul.
♪
Yep, he was here
and swiped our
Byzantine sarcophagus.
Ha! I love that.
Rip, that's not good behavior.
He said he was hungry,
and I told him there's
a Hardee's nearby.
Looks like we're
heading to Hardee's.
- ♪
- Yeah, he was here.
Asked for a water cup,
then filled it with soda.
Did he say where he was going?
No, he didn't say the name.
Damn. After all that,
a dead end.
But he did say the latitude
was 22 degrees,
46 minutes, 54.8 seconds south.
And the longitude
was 81 degrees, 45 minutes,
43.2 seconds east.
Does that help?
No, that doesn't.
Oh, no, wait, it does!
♪
Rip, I'd like to show you
the first of what I like to call
Saltine's Cool Inventions.
Wow. Great name.
Voilà. It's a mirror that,
when a cat looks into it,
it reflects the image of a lion.
I based it on a poster I had
in my bedroom growing up
that had the caption,
"What matters most
is how you see yourself."
So it reads your brainwaves
and shows you a reflection
of your inner self?
Not at all. It can
just tell when a cat
is looking at it and then
it reflects the image of a lion.
Good night, Saltine.
Ah! No!
♪
Have fun. I'll be
here with the plane.
These mountain walls
must block all radio waves
and satellite signals.
We're in a true dead zone.
So they've never heard Stern?
[both gasp]
And now we see how
Wendell Banks met his fate.
Looks like a tiger got him.
He must have been cornered.
There's no way out of here.
It's a dead end.
There's always a way,
even if you have
to make it yourself.
- And here it is.
- [gasps] Oh, God.
It's filled with snakes.
Let me guess. You hate snakes?
- Nope, I love them.
- Oh.
Yep, I love them,
and I always have,
because I'm my own
unique character.
- Okay.
- I'm not based on anyone else.
- Didn't think you were.
- And since I am legally
my own person who is
not afraid of snakes,
I'll just reach into this alcove
and move some of them aside.
Yep. Pardon me, nice snakes.
Hi there. [chuckles]
And pull the lever.
Now you're on the trolley.
[wildlife chirping]
[drumming]
My God.
An untouched civilization.
These Neanderthals could be
a whole tribe of missing links.
And look.
I spy with my little arky eye
- Hammurabi's hat.
- SALTINE: That's it.
Let's wait for them
to fall asleep,
then we can sneak in
And there he goes.
[drumming]
[screams]
They somehow noticed me. Run!
[growling]
Well, we're fucking dead.
Rip, look. They're
all staring at the hat.
- Oh.
- Put it on.
That's interesting.
Huh?
Huh.
[grunting]
It almost seems
like they won't attack
when I'm wearing the hat.
Yeah, when you're wearing it,
they clearly worship you.
- Now let's get out of here.
- Whoa, whoa, wait a minute.
They worship me?
Yes. Now let's go.
Actually, I want
to hang here a while
- and-and see how this plays out.
- What?
Rise, my people,
and gaze upon
your glorious leader.
[cheering]
Oh, shit, man.
Saltine, check it.
This cat knows English.
- Sup?
- His name is Kurt.
Rip, this is crazy.
Let's just take
the hat back to Eegan.
Wh-What's your hurry?
We've got it made here.
Around-the-clock adulation,
free refills on coconut water.
Plus, they're grinding
up this emerald forest shit,
and it packs quite a wallop.
[snorts]
Wa-ha!
Okay, I get it.
You're feeling good.
But we'll leave soon, right?
Sure. Or, hear me out,
we never leave.
Hear me out. We live here
for the rest of our lives.
Hear me out. We get more
of this green stuff.
Hear me out. We snort it all.
Hear me out. And then we die!
Goodbye, Rip.
Okay, but you're gonna miss
my new leader ceremony.
Kurt says it'll be the
biggest party in many moons.
Hey, Saltine, where's Rip?
- Oh, my God! He's dead?!
- What?
No, he's just not coming.
I'm sorry. That was confusing.
Oh, thank God.
I thought we'd lost him.
You can't do stuff like that!
KURT:
So, this is where we perform
- the new leader ceremony.
- Great.
And what are my duties?
You have sex with
everyone in the village.
[laughs]
Say that again,
Kurt the talking Neanderthal.
Sorry, sometimes
my diction is a little off.
I said, you have sex
with everyone in the village,
- and if you don't, we kill you.
- Huh.
Let me just take a look here.
[gasps]
Holy hell.
Uh, not to give you
the wind, Kurt, old pal,
but this is giving me
a real case of the zorros.
I mean, not to sound
pigeon-livered,
but the bank is closed,
if you take my meaning.
[chuckles] Sorry.
I turn into a real church bell
when I've got the zorros.
I'm sure you're like,
"Who is this
canceled stamp?" Am I right?
[nervous giggling]
Okay, I think I know
how to convince Rip
to come back with us.
Saltine, stop.
We can't make him leave.
But what about
the arky competition?
The arky world treated
Rip like dog shit.
They stomped on him,
then they chewed him up,
and spit him out.
Just like you do with dog shit.
So if he's found a place
where he feels happy
and respected, who are we
to ask him to give that up?
That's a good point. I just hope
he's, to quote Pharrell
- happy.
- [Fleety chitters]
- Fleety? Where's Rip?
- [sad mumbling]
- Oh, my God, he's dead?!
- [mumbling]
Come on!
You guys got to stop doing that!
Rip, are you in here? Rip?
RIP:
Oh, yeah. Fill me up, stud.
Crush me out, stallion.
Oh, my God.
- Saltine!
- Aah!
You got to get
me the fuck out of here.
Rip? But I thought you were
Getting my backyard churned
into a DQ Blizzard?
Luckily, they're so dumb,
I've been tricking them
with a sex doll
I made out of straw.
- [thumping]
- [rustling]
So, uh, you're
rescuing me or what?
Heck, yeah, I am. It's time
for Saltine's Cool Inventions.
Oh, damn it. Not the cat mirror.
I made a few modifications.
Now, it doesn't
just reflect, it also
projects holograms.
Check it.
- [meows]
- [confused grunt]
- [screams]
- [grunts]
- [meows]
- [screams]
- It's working.
- I know.
RIP [over recording]:
Ooh, that hit the back wall.
- [roaring]
- [screaming]
[meowing]
Roar! Roar!
[chuckles] This way!
It works. Okay, I got to ask.
Where did Fleety find a kitten
in the middle of the jungle?
- [roaring]
- Oh, I see. It's a tiger cub.
And now its mama's pissed.
Fleety, you suck.
Uh, that's not good.
[Fleety grunts]
Uh Okay.
That's normal.
[scoffs] Said no one ever.
- [laughs]
- [growling]
Let's move!
[roaring]
Keep running!
[roars]
Ah!
[confused snarl]
[sympathetic growl]
Huh.
Well, that's odd.
Yeah
Got to say, though
I don't hate it.
Swooper! Fire up the plane!
Sorry, boss,
I couldn't stop him.
I'll be taking that hat, Rip.
You'll have to suck
my dick first.
- No, I think I'll just take it.
- Right, well,
I guess I can see
your point also.
Got to hand it
to him, he's good.
- How did you even find us, Zane?
- The business card I gave you.
The one that said "fuck you"
on it and you kept it anyway
because you're a hoarder,
it was a homing device.
Oh, the fucking card?
Unbelievable, man.
I'll just put it
in this pocket, though.
Oh, I knew Wendell Banks disappeared
searching for that hat,
so I figured I'd be like you
and follow the trail
of my male mentor.
Wow, Zane, you are
a world-class bum nickel.
Rippy, that really
hurt my feelings.
- It did?
- No!
I was being sarcastic.
Your dry British wit
makes it impossible to tell.
Now, the hat.
Okay, fine. You win, Zane.
No. Zane Troy, if you want
to take that hat from Rip,
you're going to have
to go through
his temporary assist
[grunts]
Saltine!
Corpus floraria.
Ring a bell, Rip?
Anyhoo, antidote's on the beach
two klicks thataway.
I'm headed thisaway.
You get it. Ta-ta.
Don't worry about me, Rip.
- Get the hat back.
- No, boss!
We got to get her
to the hospital.
SALTINE:
The dart is my fault.
Should've seen it coming.
- Saltine, no, hang on.
- [coughs]
Oh, God. It's happening again.
Would going after
the hat be repeating
the mistakes of my past?
Am I being given an opportunity
to make a better choice?
Or to make the same choice
as before but in hopes
of a better outcome?
Either way, will I live
to regret my decision,
or will I revel in the glory
of a choice well made?
And is this an act of free will,
or am I fate's unwitting pawn?
If I seize the hat and return
to glory at the cost
of Saltine's young life, will
I be able to live with myself,
or if I save her life
but return to obscurity,
will I forever be filled
with resentment?
I don't know what to
fucking do, God.
This! Is! Hard!
[thunder crashes]
And so I'd like to
introduce my new head arky,
the man who brought me
Hammurabi's hat
Zane Troy.
[cheering and applause]
Thank you. I just want
to say I would never
have found the hat without
my old friend Rip Digman.
Well, that sucks.
Thanks for saving my life, Rip.
Of course, Saltine.
There was never a question
of what I would do. -What?
I want to say I'm sorry.
I dragged you into all of this,
and it amounted to nothing.
I hope your next assistant
will make you proud.
She already has.
Surprise! I'm hiring you
as my permanent assistant.
Seriously? But we lost
the hat because of me.
We lost the hat because of Zane.
But you, you helped me get back
on the proverbial arky horse.
I know your family
doesn't approve
of your lifestyle, Saltine,
but they can go to hell
and burn there
for a thousand years
as we laugh at them and spray
our hot, frothy oat piss
all over their charred corpses
with the force of a thousand
beer-bloated stallions.
That was a really nice speech.
Thanks. I wrote it on
this piece of toilet paper
while you were unconscious.
Swooper even took
an uncredited pass.
Happy to help.
So, what's next for us, boss?
I'll be in touch.
♪
I trust this will
be to your liking.
Rip, I'm so glad you're back.
The phone's been
ringing off the hook.
With job offers?
No, there's
a problem with the phone.
It keeps ringing off the hook.
I called the phone company
and they're gonna
fix it tomorrow.
[ringing]
- See?
- Oh, yeah, look at that.
- That's freaky.
- Also
you're getting a bunch
of emails with job offers.
Really?
I guess some smaller museums
saw Zane say nice things about
you in his press conference.
Because his dry British wit
makes it impossible to tell
when he's being sarcastic.
Good God, Agatha.
Do you know what this means?
[snorts]
Rip Digman is back!
Hey, Swooper. I'm heading
into my secret chamber.
Have a nice shit.
- [clicking]
- [rumbling]
Hey, babe.
Things are finally looking up.
Soon I'm going to find
the Grail and bring you back.
But in the meantime,
don't you worry
about me being faithful.
Because the only dating
I'm interested in
is carbon dating.
Chirp.
Mount Quiquaran.
One of history's most
lethal supervolcanos.
In 200 BC, a series
of deadly eruptions
had decimated the local tribe.
So the elders turned to the
great artisan Tiliktakorkatan,
who sculpted an offering
to the gods
the Molten Idol.
- It's beautiful.
- And yet
not so beautiful as you,
love of my life,
keeper and tender-to
of my loins.
I thought it'd be
more impressive.
Because you have no appreciation
for true beauty, Zane!
You know, legend has it
that removing the idol
will cause Quiquaran to erupt.
'Tis true. But as we
all know, legends
are rarely real.
Oh, fuck, I don't want to die!
Get the fuck out of the way!
I guess that legend was real.
Shut the fuck up, Zane.
Swooper, get us out of here!
No can do, boss.
That volcano's hotter
than Andy Capp's wife
when he's been out
at the pub all night.
Meet me on the other
side of the jungle.
But that jungle's filled with
Corpus floraria.
- The death flower.
- The death flower.
Jesus, Zane, don't interrupt me.
- [screeching]
- [Rip laughing]
That bird got bonked. Uh-oh.
Looks like the natives
are restless.
Hello, I'm an attorney
representing
the Mondonesian tribe.
We respectfully ask that you
don't steal the Molten Idol
as it's a culturally sig
We're off the hook!
And we'll never have to
think about the questions
they were raising
or ponder the ethics
of what we're doing ever again.
Power slide!
Everybody lay a patch or we'll
be riding the pale horse.
Nobody understands your
old-timey lingo.
That's horsefeathers!
[screams]
Bella! Whip!
Don't panic,
the death flower's poison
takes 30 minutes to set in.
There's a hospital with the
antidote ten minutes from here.
Thank God. I wouldn't be
able to live without you.
I can't die yet, babe.
I still haven't seen The Artist.
Oh, man, it looks so good.
I can't imagine a better movie
will come out in 2011.
The current year? Yeah. I agree.
- [gun cocks]
- ZANE: All right.
- Enough 2011 talk.
- Zane.
What the hell are you doing?
Oh, I'm taking the idol.
It'll be my first acquisition
as the new head arky of The Met.
But we work for the Smithsonian.
Not anymore, Rippy.
I'm sick of you
treating me like shit.
What? You're the best
inferior I've ever had.
I always tell you that!
Consider this my resignation.
Fuck that, you're fired.
Fine. Have fun paying
my unemployment.
No, no, no, you quit,
everyone heard it.
Follow that speedboat.
You sure? You don't
look so good.
The important thing is the idol.
We have enough time to grab it
and get to the hospital.
Whip! Swooper, I'm out
of whip range.
We got to get closer.
Whip! Whip!
[grunts]
Almost got him.
[bird screeches]
[laughs]
[gasps]
Oh, I can't see anything.
Did you get the idol?
Yeah, I got it, babe.
[coughs]
I'm dying, Rip.
Goodbye, my love.
Tender-to of my loins.
No, I will not let you die.
I will not let you die!
It's been 12 years
since Rip Digman
let his wife Bella die,
and in that time Rip's
former assistant Zane Troy
has gone on to become the
greatest arky in the world
while Rip, who was fired
by the Smithsonian,
is now a has-been, a nobody,
a real "Where are
they now?" situation.
I'm sorry to keep going on,
my producer's telling me
we're running short
and I need to stretch.
You have to wonder what Rip
is even up to these days.
I mean, my guess, he's just
sitting at home, jacking off.
Yes, jacking off.
And then crying because he feels
like he's somehow cheating
on his dead wife,
whose death
he was responsible for.
And then jizzing.
You know, one of those
lame halfway ones
where you're somehow out
of rhythm with yourself.
I don't know, maybe
I'm projecting now.
Either way, the guy's a loser.
RIP:
Morning, Agatha.
Any museums call for an arky?
No museum has called
in ten years, Rip.
Well, excuse me
for being hopeful!
There's no need to yell.
You're right. My many apologies.
You're just lonely.
You should start dating again.
Thanks, Agatha, but the only
dating I'm interested in
is carbon dating.
[Rip humming]
I cleaned your jeep, Rip.
Man, there sure were
a lot of tear stains
on the steering wheel.
You must've been crying a lot.
[chuckles]
Yeah, thanks, Swooper.
If anybody needs me, I'll
be in my secret chamber.
You mean you're going
into your private bathroom
for your morning dump.
No.
The Holy Grail.
The term people use
to describe the coolest thing
in every other profession
is that thing in archaeology.
- Ooh, ooh.
- Yes, Saltine?
Have you ever tried
to find the Holy Grail?
Well, every shovel bum worth
their salt has given it a shot.
But its location is
archaeology's greatest mystery.
They say that just one sip
from it can heal any ailment.
So, if someone in
the class found it,
would we get extra credit?
- [chuckles] Yeah, sure.
- Great.
No need to invite me
to any parties
this weekend, classmates.
I've got plans.
Eat a pile of shit, nerd.
I'd rather sift
through said shit
to discover secrets of the past.
Wow, you're awfully
cheery, aren't you?
Why wouldn't I be?
I'm studying to be an arky,
the greatest job in the world.
Don't you ever miss it?
Of course I miss it.
The glory. The fame.
I yearn for it still.
Much like the wolf whelp yearns
for its mother's tough
yet glossy teat.
But now I've been reduced
to the most degrading
job there is.
Teaching.
STUDENT: Then maybe you
shouldn't have killed your wife.
I didn't kill my wife!
A bird did! -[laughter]
[gulps, sighs]
Another RumChata. Neat.
Professor, over here.
It's me, the student you hate.
Oh, man. What
are you doing here?
Okay, I was thinking about
how sad you were in class,
so I started digging around,
and I know how you can
become an arky again.
Quail Eegan.
The long-haired billionaire?
The very same.
He's building a new museum
and he needs a head arky,
so he's holding
a big competition to find one.
The whole thing
kicks off tonight.
You. Should. Go.
Huh, an intriguing proposition.
Right? And you can bring me
as your assistant arky.
Ha! No dice.
Rip Digman rolls solo.
But the arky union says
you have to have an assistant.
Ugh. Stupid union coming up with
stupid rules so I don't die.
But I'm still
not going to hire you.
We don't even know each other.
I mean, I don't even know
If you like jazz ♪
I really don't.
But I've wanted to be
- an arky all my life.
- Okay.
- I'm an amateur inventor.
- Okay.
- I love Latin.
- Go on.
Or should I say
"Amo linguam Latinam"?
- [laughs]
- Oh, yeah, I don't get it.
Oh, and my parents disowned me
because they hate archaeology.
A de facto orphan. ♪
You spin a good yarn, kid,
but I'm still not sure
we connect on a cosmic level,
at the base of the neural queue.
Avatar ref.
The event starts in 15 minutes
and you have to have
an assistant.
You're hired.
Whoa. Every arky
in the world is here.
Felix Cadbury, Kate Kwan,
Indiana Jones.
And Zane Troy.
- Wow.
- RIP: Ugh.
- Come on.
- Sorry. I know he betrayed you,
but he's like the most
famous person on Earth.
Oh, fuck, don't look.
Don't look.
Rip Digman.
I guess the rumors were true.
You have gotten fatter.
What are you doing here, Zane?
The Met not paying you enough?
I'm a businessman, Rip.
I have to keep my options open.
Besides, loyalty's overrated.
Well, yeah, I agree with that.
Wait, that was a reference
to how you betrayed me.
Saltine, punch this guy
in the nuts. -What?
Forget it.
You blinked. It's over.
- Sorry.
- You know, Rippy,
we always did do
great work together.
If you'd be interested
in becoming partners
with a 50-50 split,
give me a call.
Wait, really?
Oh, son of a bitch!
I'll just put it
in this pocket, though.
No, don't keep it, Rip.
It's an insult.
You must be new.
Rip can't throw anything away.
He's less of an arky
and more of a hoarder.
- That's never been diagnosed!
- [laughter]
ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen,
please welcome
Quail Eegan!
Showmanship.
Now, as you all know,
I'm the best at everything.
I've created
the best electric car,
the best rockets, and the
best hologram of myself.
[gasping]
[laughing] But now I have
my sights set even higher.
The Eegan.
Upon completion, it will be
the largest museum in the world.
The only thing missing is
A Froyo machine.
a collection.
And that's
where all you come in.
I'm holding a contest.
Can anyone tell me what this is?
Ha! Too easy.
That's Hammurabi's hat.
Rip Digman.
What a blast from the past.
Oh, the pleasure
is mine. [gasps]
Nothing personal. I swear.
this one is the real me.
- [gunshot]
- [screaming]
You won't be rid
of me that easily.
- [crowd cheering]
- But you're right, Rip.
4,000 years ago, Hammurabi
conquered Mesopotamia.
All while wearing this hat.
But it has never been found.
And I want it as the centerpiece
for my new museum.
Whoever brings it to me
will be named head arky.
A position that comes
with a generous salary
and hella bennies.
Now, let the competition begin!
And begin it shall.
- Put 'er there. [yells]
- [thudding]
Full disclosure:
I am in Iceland.
DIRECTOR:
And you're clear.
Wow. They couldn't tell
you were a hologram?
Yes, and neither could you.
Well, time for bed.
Move to your left, Shelly.
- [alarm blaring]
- [screams]
[jets whirring]
Aah! My ears are bleeding!
HOWARD TOE:
Our top story tonight:
Arkies across the globe
are competing to head up
Quail Eegan's new museum.
Zane Troy is the odds-on
favorite to win the job,
while Rip Digman is the
favorite to accidentally
stumble off a cliff
and die a horrific death.
Here's a sneak peek at
his "in memoriam" segment.
[comical music playing]
Ugh, what the hell
is that music?
Don't let them play
that when I die.
This is so exciting.
I can't believe
I'm an assistant arky.
Let's be clear. You're
my temporary assistant.
If I get back in the game,
I'll have my pick
of the top assistants
in the biz.
[screams]
What is that thing?
Saltine, meet Fleety,
my fast loris.
I've heard of a slow loris
but never a fast one.
What's the difference?
A raging addiction
to methamphetamines. -[snarls]
So, Saltine, you ever
heard of Wendell Banks?
He's that arky who went
missing a couple years ago.
Precisely. Wendell was
one of my many male mentors.
And what nobody knows but yo soy
is that he actually went missing
while hunting
for Hammurabi's hat.
Wendell was a bit
of a warrior poet,
always leaving cryptic hints
as to where he was going.
In fact, this is the last
voice mail he left me.
WENDALL: My dear Rip,
I'm off to find Hammurabi's hat
in a land where the sky
is as blue as
[birds screeching]
I can't make out
what he was saying.
His hint was covered
by the incessant squawking
- of a meridian warbler.
- You're right, Rip.
That squawking
was a meridian warbler.
But the balking
was an Ecuadorian sea hawk.
My God. You're also right.
The other bird call was
fucking tucked under there.
And there's only one
place in the world
where their migratory
patterns overlap.
Looks like we're
headed to Indonesia.
♪
Yeah, he was here,
but he didn't find any hat.
He did steal some
ornamental robes, though.
[chuckles]
Classic arky move.
Never leave a place
empty-handed.
Did he say where he was going?
Yeah, a place where
"water falls from on high,
like tears from
the angel of sadness."
Looks like we're heading
to Venezuela.
♪
He was here,
but he didn't find a hat.
Stole a bunch of
secret ceramics, though.
That's Wendell for you. So cool.
Did he say where he was going?
Something about
"where haggling means hello
and Mehmet's merchants mingle"?
Looks like we're heading
to Istanbul.
♪
Yep, he was here
and swiped our
Byzantine sarcophagus.
Ha! I love that.
Rip, that's not good behavior.
He said he was hungry,
and I told him there's
a Hardee's nearby.
Looks like we're
heading to Hardee's.
- ♪
- Yeah, he was here.
Asked for a water cup,
then filled it with soda.
Did he say where he was going?
No, he didn't say the name.
Damn. After all that,
a dead end.
But he did say the latitude
was 22 degrees,
46 minutes, 54.8 seconds south.
And the longitude
was 81 degrees, 45 minutes,
43.2 seconds east.
Does that help?
No, that doesn't.
Oh, no, wait, it does!
♪
Rip, I'd like to show you
the first of what I like to call
Saltine's Cool Inventions.
Wow. Great name.
Voilà. It's a mirror that,
when a cat looks into it,
it reflects the image of a lion.
I based it on a poster I had
in my bedroom growing up
that had the caption,
"What matters most
is how you see yourself."
So it reads your brainwaves
and shows you a reflection
of your inner self?
Not at all. It can
just tell when a cat
is looking at it and then
it reflects the image of a lion.
Good night, Saltine.
Ah! No!
♪
Have fun. I'll be
here with the plane.
These mountain walls
must block all radio waves
and satellite signals.
We're in a true dead zone.
So they've never heard Stern?
[both gasp]
And now we see how
Wendell Banks met his fate.
Looks like a tiger got him.
He must have been cornered.
There's no way out of here.
It's a dead end.
There's always a way,
even if you have
to make it yourself.
- And here it is.
- [gasps] Oh, God.
It's filled with snakes.
Let me guess. You hate snakes?
- Nope, I love them.
- Oh.
Yep, I love them,
and I always have,
because I'm my own
unique character.
- Okay.
- I'm not based on anyone else.
- Didn't think you were.
- And since I am legally
my own person who is
not afraid of snakes,
I'll just reach into this alcove
and move some of them aside.
Yep. Pardon me, nice snakes.
Hi there. [chuckles]
And pull the lever.
Now you're on the trolley.
[wildlife chirping]
[drumming]
My God.
An untouched civilization.
These Neanderthals could be
a whole tribe of missing links.
And look.
I spy with my little arky eye
- Hammurabi's hat.
- SALTINE: That's it.
Let's wait for them
to fall asleep,
then we can sneak in
And there he goes.
[drumming]
[screams]
They somehow noticed me. Run!
[growling]
Well, we're fucking dead.
Rip, look. They're
all staring at the hat.
- Oh.
- Put it on.
That's interesting.
Huh?
Huh.
[grunting]
It almost seems
like they won't attack
when I'm wearing the hat.
Yeah, when you're wearing it,
they clearly worship you.
- Now let's get out of here.
- Whoa, whoa, wait a minute.
They worship me?
Yes. Now let's go.
Actually, I want
to hang here a while
- and-and see how this plays out.
- What?
Rise, my people,
and gaze upon
your glorious leader.
[cheering]
Oh, shit, man.
Saltine, check it.
This cat knows English.
- Sup?
- His name is Kurt.
Rip, this is crazy.
Let's just take
the hat back to Eegan.
Wh-What's your hurry?
We've got it made here.
Around-the-clock adulation,
free refills on coconut water.
Plus, they're grinding
up this emerald forest shit,
and it packs quite a wallop.
[snorts]
Wa-ha!
Okay, I get it.
You're feeling good.
But we'll leave soon, right?
Sure. Or, hear me out,
we never leave.
Hear me out. We live here
for the rest of our lives.
Hear me out. We get more
of this green stuff.
Hear me out. We snort it all.
Hear me out. And then we die!
Goodbye, Rip.
Okay, but you're gonna miss
my new leader ceremony.
Kurt says it'll be the
biggest party in many moons.
Hey, Saltine, where's Rip?
- Oh, my God! He's dead?!
- What?
No, he's just not coming.
I'm sorry. That was confusing.
Oh, thank God.
I thought we'd lost him.
You can't do stuff like that!
KURT:
So, this is where we perform
- the new leader ceremony.
- Great.
And what are my duties?
You have sex with
everyone in the village.
[laughs]
Say that again,
Kurt the talking Neanderthal.
Sorry, sometimes
my diction is a little off.
I said, you have sex
with everyone in the village,
- and if you don't, we kill you.
- Huh.
Let me just take a look here.
[gasps]
Holy hell.
Uh, not to give you
the wind, Kurt, old pal,
but this is giving me
a real case of the zorros.
I mean, not to sound
pigeon-livered,
but the bank is closed,
if you take my meaning.
[chuckles] Sorry.
I turn into a real church bell
when I've got the zorros.
I'm sure you're like,
"Who is this
canceled stamp?" Am I right?
[nervous giggling]
Okay, I think I know
how to convince Rip
to come back with us.
Saltine, stop.
We can't make him leave.
But what about
the arky competition?
The arky world treated
Rip like dog shit.
They stomped on him,
then they chewed him up,
and spit him out.
Just like you do with dog shit.
So if he's found a place
where he feels happy
and respected, who are we
to ask him to give that up?
That's a good point. I just hope
he's, to quote Pharrell
- happy.
- [Fleety chitters]
- Fleety? Where's Rip?
- [sad mumbling]
- Oh, my God, he's dead?!
- [mumbling]
Come on!
You guys got to stop doing that!
Rip, are you in here? Rip?
RIP:
Oh, yeah. Fill me up, stud.
Crush me out, stallion.
Oh, my God.
- Saltine!
- Aah!
You got to get
me the fuck out of here.
Rip? But I thought you were
Getting my backyard churned
into a DQ Blizzard?
Luckily, they're so dumb,
I've been tricking them
with a sex doll
I made out of straw.
- [thumping]
- [rustling]
So, uh, you're
rescuing me or what?
Heck, yeah, I am. It's time
for Saltine's Cool Inventions.
Oh, damn it. Not the cat mirror.
I made a few modifications.
Now, it doesn't
just reflect, it also
projects holograms.
Check it.
- [meows]
- [confused grunt]
- [screams]
- [grunts]
- [meows]
- [screams]
- It's working.
- I know.
RIP [over recording]:
Ooh, that hit the back wall.
- [roaring]
- [screaming]
[meowing]
Roar! Roar!
[chuckles] This way!
It works. Okay, I got to ask.
Where did Fleety find a kitten
in the middle of the jungle?
- [roaring]
- Oh, I see. It's a tiger cub.
And now its mama's pissed.
Fleety, you suck.
Uh, that's not good.
[Fleety grunts]
Uh Okay.
That's normal.
[scoffs] Said no one ever.
- [laughs]
- [growling]
Let's move!
[roaring]
Keep running!
[roars]
Ah!
[confused snarl]
[sympathetic growl]
Huh.
Well, that's odd.
Yeah
Got to say, though
I don't hate it.
Swooper! Fire up the plane!
Sorry, boss,
I couldn't stop him.
I'll be taking that hat, Rip.
You'll have to suck
my dick first.
- No, I think I'll just take it.
- Right, well,
I guess I can see
your point also.
Got to hand it
to him, he's good.
- How did you even find us, Zane?
- The business card I gave you.
The one that said "fuck you"
on it and you kept it anyway
because you're a hoarder,
it was a homing device.
Oh, the fucking card?
Unbelievable, man.
I'll just put it
in this pocket, though.
Oh, I knew Wendell Banks disappeared
searching for that hat,
so I figured I'd be like you
and follow the trail
of my male mentor.
Wow, Zane, you are
a world-class bum nickel.
Rippy, that really
hurt my feelings.
- It did?
- No!
I was being sarcastic.
Your dry British wit
makes it impossible to tell.
Now, the hat.
Okay, fine. You win, Zane.
No. Zane Troy, if you want
to take that hat from Rip,
you're going to have
to go through
his temporary assist
[grunts]
Saltine!
Corpus floraria.
Ring a bell, Rip?
Anyhoo, antidote's on the beach
two klicks thataway.
I'm headed thisaway.
You get it. Ta-ta.
Don't worry about me, Rip.
- Get the hat back.
- No, boss!
We got to get her
to the hospital.
SALTINE:
The dart is my fault.
Should've seen it coming.
- Saltine, no, hang on.
- [coughs]
Oh, God. It's happening again.
Would going after
the hat be repeating
the mistakes of my past?
Am I being given an opportunity
to make a better choice?
Or to make the same choice
as before but in hopes
of a better outcome?
Either way, will I live
to regret my decision,
or will I revel in the glory
of a choice well made?
And is this an act of free will,
or am I fate's unwitting pawn?
If I seize the hat and return
to glory at the cost
of Saltine's young life, will
I be able to live with myself,
or if I save her life
but return to obscurity,
will I forever be filled
with resentment?
I don't know what to
fucking do, God.
This! Is! Hard!
[thunder crashes]
And so I'd like to
introduce my new head arky,
the man who brought me
Hammurabi's hat
Zane Troy.
[cheering and applause]
Thank you. I just want
to say I would never
have found the hat without
my old friend Rip Digman.
Well, that sucks.
Thanks for saving my life, Rip.
Of course, Saltine.
There was never a question
of what I would do. -What?
I want to say I'm sorry.
I dragged you into all of this,
and it amounted to nothing.
I hope your next assistant
will make you proud.
She already has.
Surprise! I'm hiring you
as my permanent assistant.
Seriously? But we lost
the hat because of me.
We lost the hat because of Zane.
But you, you helped me get back
on the proverbial arky horse.
I know your family
doesn't approve
of your lifestyle, Saltine,
but they can go to hell
and burn there
for a thousand years
as we laugh at them and spray
our hot, frothy oat piss
all over their charred corpses
with the force of a thousand
beer-bloated stallions.
That was a really nice speech.
Thanks. I wrote it on
this piece of toilet paper
while you were unconscious.
Swooper even took
an uncredited pass.
Happy to help.
So, what's next for us, boss?
I'll be in touch.
♪
I trust this will
be to your liking.
Rip, I'm so glad you're back.
The phone's been
ringing off the hook.
With job offers?
No, there's
a problem with the phone.
It keeps ringing off the hook.
I called the phone company
and they're gonna
fix it tomorrow.
[ringing]
- See?
- Oh, yeah, look at that.
- That's freaky.
- Also
you're getting a bunch
of emails with job offers.
Really?
I guess some smaller museums
saw Zane say nice things about
you in his press conference.
Because his dry British wit
makes it impossible to tell
when he's being sarcastic.
Good God, Agatha.
Do you know what this means?
[snorts]
Rip Digman is back!
Hey, Swooper. I'm heading
into my secret chamber.
Have a nice shit.
- [clicking]
- [rumbling]
Hey, babe.
Things are finally looking up.
Soon I'm going to find
the Grail and bring you back.
But in the meantime,
don't you worry
about me being faithful.
Because the only dating
I'm interested in
is carbon dating.
Chirp.