The Stranger (Quibi) (2020) s01e01 Episode Script
7:00 PM
["CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'" BY THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS PLAYING]
All the leaves are brown ♪
All the leaves are brown ♪
And the sky is gray ♪
[OVER RADIO]
And the sky is gray ♪
I've been for a walk ♪
I've been for a walk ♪
On a winter's day ♪
[MESSAGE TONE PLAYING]
I'd be safe and warm ♪
If I was in L.A. ♪
If I was in L.A. ♪
California dreamin' ♪
Sorry that I'm late, exclamation point.
I should be there any second,
exclamation point.
[PHONE CHIMES]
Stopped into a church ♪
I passed along the way ♪
Well, I got down on my knees ♪
Got down on my knees ♪
And I began to pray ♪
I began to pray ♪
You know the pr ♪
[MUSIC STOPS]
[CRICKETS CHIRPING]
Holy shit.
I, um, I think I'm here.
[PHONE CHIMES]
[MESSAGE TONE PLAYING]
Take your time, smiley face.
[PHONE CHIMES]
P.S. How'd you get
your text tone on my phone?
[PHONE CHIMES]
[CLICKS TONGUE]
Oh.
Seriously?
[BAG THUMPS]
- Uh, you mind me sitting up front?
I'm gonna put my bag in the back.
- Uh
- I mean, I can, I can go in the back
if that's weird or whatever.
- No, no, no. No.
It's-it's totally fine.
[CHUCKLES]
[DOOR OPENS]
[EXHALES]
[DOOR CLOSES]
I am Clare, your Orbit driver.
[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
- I am Carl E., your passenger.
- [LAUGHS]
- Hi.
- Hi.
- Oh, you want me to Waze LAX?
- Oh, no, no, no. I-I can do that.
Um
[PHONE CHIMES]
It'll take 54 minutes.
- You're not from L.A.
- Uh
[CHUCKLES]
[ENGINE STARTS]
No, I'm not, actually.
[CHUCKLES]
You should probably put your seat belt on.
- Well, where are you from?
- I am from Wamego.
Wamego, Kansas.
I actually just moved here six days ago.
- Oh, wow.
- Yeah.
- Uh, you live with, uh, friends, family?
Boyfriend? Girlfriend?
- Mm, no, just-just, uh, me and my dog.
I don't know anyone.
I don't know anyone in L.A.
- Well, you know me.
- I mean
Well
[CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY]
- Welcome to the city of lights
or dreams or delusions or whatever.
- [LAUGHS SOFTLY]
- We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
- [LAUGHS AWKWARDLY]
- [CHUCKLES]
- Well, I-- actually, the line is,
"I don't believe
we're in Kansas anymore, Toto."
I've-I've watched the movie,
like, a million times
and, uh, Dorothy's actually from Wamego,
so they have this museum for her and, uh,
I-I would go a lot
and that's why I became a writer,
or, um, I'm trying to become a writer.
- And that's why L.A.
- Yeah.
- But why now?
- I don't know, I guess
I guess it was time.
So I packed everything up
and drove 1,617 miles
till I hit the ocean.
I've always wanted to see the ocean.
I've always wanted
to become a writer, too.
- Well, nothing's ever lost, you know.
Like time.
It might feel like it is,
like life might have passed you by.
It hasn't.
Um, you, uh
you have something right
- Oh, uh
[LAUGHS]
[BOTH LAUGHING]
- Like, um, burger mustard?
- Oh, yeah, it was a-a veggie burger.
- Yeah, with v-vanilla shake
and curly fries?
- No, actually not, I'm vegan.
Um, but yeah. I-I was, um,
I was running late,
so I didn't have time to,
you know, sit down and, um,
eat.
- Well, let's make time.
Fuck my flight, I can get another flight.
Right now all I want is to get a burger
and to get to know you.
- Um, yeah, okay.
- I'm serious.
This here-- Clare, Carl E.
I mean, our names are anagrams!
- [LAUGHS]
- I know that we were meant
to meet tonight.
Not to be stalker-y.
- No, um, you're not.
- Well, I kind of am, but
fuck it, I'm an open book.
Ask me anything.
- Are you famous?
[LAUGHS SOFTLY]
I mean, you don't have
to tell me if you are.
- Why would you think that?
- You live in a mansion
and you're-you're my age.
- Oh, no, that's not my house.
- Oh. Okay, do you,
do you live with your parents?
- No.
Actually, I have no idea who lives there.
- What do you mean?
- About 40, 45 minutes ago,
a sharing economy driver,
much like yourself,
dropped me off and I rang the bell.
When the woman that lives there
opened the door,
I shot her in the face.
- That's-that's funny.
- No, I'm not being funny.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
After I shot her, I went into the bedroom,
where I found the husband
watching basketball.
And I shot him in the back of the head.
[♪♪♪]
And then
I went looking for the children.
Keep your eyes on the road, Clare.
We don't want to have an accident.
[♪♪♪]
I found the little princesses
in the kitchen
crying, blubbering,
snotting all over the linoleum.
God, I hate that noise.
I didn't want to waste any ammo
on that hot mess, so
I used my hunting knife instead.
- [CLARE PANTING]
- Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.
Catch a princess by its toe.
If it hollers--
which it did, a lot--
cut its throat.
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.
Want to guess which one of
the brats is in the duffel bag
in the back?
- [EXHALES]
- Do you know what I really,
really, really want, Clare?
A good old-fashioned story.
You're a writer, you moved to La-La Land
to prove that you're employable
and not just some Kansas bumpkin
who won her high school poetry contest,
so here's the deal.
If you tell me a really good story,
then I will let you live.
Does that sound good, Clare Scheherazade?
I'll take that as a yes.
Okay.
As they say in the biz,
roll sound.
Roll camera.
And action.
["CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'" BY THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS PLAYING]
All the leaves are brown ♪
All the leaves are brown ♪
And the sky is gray ♪
[OVER RADIO]
And the sky is gray ♪
I've been for a walk ♪
I've been for a walk ♪
On a winter's day ♪
[MESSAGE TONE PLAYING]
I'd be safe and warm ♪
If I was in L.A. ♪
If I was in L.A. ♪
California dreamin' ♪
Sorry that I'm late, exclamation point.
I should be there any second,
exclamation point.
[PHONE CHIMES]
Stopped into a church ♪
I passed along the way ♪
Well, I got down on my knees ♪
Got down on my knees ♪
And I began to pray ♪
I began to pray ♪
You know the pr ♪
[MUSIC STOPS]
[CRICKETS CHIRPING]
Holy shit.
I, um, I think I'm here.
[PHONE CHIMES]
[MESSAGE TONE PLAYING]
Take your time, smiley face.
[PHONE CHIMES]
P.S. How'd you get
your text tone on my phone?
[PHONE CHIMES]
[CLICKS TONGUE]
Oh.
Seriously?
[BAG THUMPS]
- Uh, you mind me sitting up front?
I'm gonna put my bag in the back.
- Uh
- I mean, I can, I can go in the back
if that's weird or whatever.
- No, no, no. No.
It's-it's totally fine.
[CHUCKLES]
[DOOR OPENS]
[EXHALES]
[DOOR CLOSES]
I am Clare, your Orbit driver.
[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
- I am Carl E., your passenger.
- [LAUGHS]
- Hi.
- Hi.
- Oh, you want me to Waze LAX?
- Oh, no, no, no. I-I can do that.
Um
[PHONE CHIMES]
It'll take 54 minutes.
- You're not from L.A.
- Uh
[CHUCKLES]
[ENGINE STARTS]
No, I'm not, actually.
[CHUCKLES]
You should probably put your seat belt on.
- Well, where are you from?
- I am from Wamego.
Wamego, Kansas.
I actually just moved here six days ago.
- Oh, wow.
- Yeah.
- Uh, you live with, uh, friends, family?
Boyfriend? Girlfriend?
- Mm, no, just-just, uh, me and my dog.
I don't know anyone.
I don't know anyone in L.A.
- Well, you know me.
- I mean
Well
[CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY]
- Welcome to the city of lights
or dreams or delusions or whatever.
- [LAUGHS SOFTLY]
- We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
- [LAUGHS AWKWARDLY]
- [CHUCKLES]
- Well, I-- actually, the line is,
"I don't believe
we're in Kansas anymore, Toto."
I've-I've watched the movie,
like, a million times
and, uh, Dorothy's actually from Wamego,
so they have this museum for her and, uh,
I-I would go a lot
and that's why I became a writer,
or, um, I'm trying to become a writer.
- And that's why L.A.
- Yeah.
- But why now?
- I don't know, I guess
I guess it was time.
So I packed everything up
and drove 1,617 miles
till I hit the ocean.
I've always wanted to see the ocean.
I've always wanted
to become a writer, too.
- Well, nothing's ever lost, you know.
Like time.
It might feel like it is,
like life might have passed you by.
It hasn't.
Um, you, uh
you have something right
- Oh, uh
[LAUGHS]
[BOTH LAUGHING]
- Like, um, burger mustard?
- Oh, yeah, it was a-a veggie burger.
- Yeah, with v-vanilla shake
and curly fries?
- No, actually not, I'm vegan.
Um, but yeah. I-I was, um,
I was running late,
so I didn't have time to,
you know, sit down and, um,
eat.
- Well, let's make time.
Fuck my flight, I can get another flight.
Right now all I want is to get a burger
and to get to know you.
- Um, yeah, okay.
- I'm serious.
This here-- Clare, Carl E.
I mean, our names are anagrams!
- [LAUGHS]
- I know that we were meant
to meet tonight.
Not to be stalker-y.
- No, um, you're not.
- Well, I kind of am, but
fuck it, I'm an open book.
Ask me anything.
- Are you famous?
[LAUGHS SOFTLY]
I mean, you don't have
to tell me if you are.
- Why would you think that?
- You live in a mansion
and you're-you're my age.
- Oh, no, that's not my house.
- Oh. Okay, do you,
do you live with your parents?
- No.
Actually, I have no idea who lives there.
- What do you mean?
- About 40, 45 minutes ago,
a sharing economy driver,
much like yourself,
dropped me off and I rang the bell.
When the woman that lives there
opened the door,
I shot her in the face.
- That's-that's funny.
- No, I'm not being funny.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
After I shot her, I went into the bedroom,
where I found the husband
watching basketball.
And I shot him in the back of the head.
[♪♪♪]
And then
I went looking for the children.
Keep your eyes on the road, Clare.
We don't want to have an accident.
[♪♪♪]
I found the little princesses
in the kitchen
crying, blubbering,
snotting all over the linoleum.
God, I hate that noise.
I didn't want to waste any ammo
on that hot mess, so
I used my hunting knife instead.
- [CLARE PANTING]
- Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.
Catch a princess by its toe.
If it hollers--
which it did, a lot--
cut its throat.
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.
Want to guess which one of
the brats is in the duffel bag
in the back?
- [EXHALES]
- Do you know what I really,
really, really want, Clare?
A good old-fashioned story.
You're a writer, you moved to La-La Land
to prove that you're employable
and not just some Kansas bumpkin
who won her high school poetry contest,
so here's the deal.
If you tell me a really good story,
then I will let you live.
Does that sound good, Clare Scheherazade?
I'll take that as a yes.
Okay.
As they say in the biz,
roll sound.
Roll camera.
And action.