Strange Angel (2018) s01e02 Episode Script

1 [TAPPING IN DISTANCE.]
[INDISTINCT WHISPERING.]
BOY: If your heels are nimble and light, you may get there by candlelight.
[INDISTINCT WHISPERING CONTINUES.]
How many miles to Babylon? Three score and ten.
Can I get there by candlelight? Yes, and back again.
[CREAKING.]
If your heels are nimble and light, you may get there by candlelight.
How many miles to Babylon? Three score and ten.
Can I get there by candlelight? Yes, and back again.
If your heels are nimble and light, you may get there by candlelight.
How many miles to Babylon? Three score and ten.
Can I get there by candlelight? Yes, and back again.
How many miles to Babylon? Three score and ten.
Can I get there by candlelight? Yes, and back again.
SUSAN [DISTORTED.]
: Jack? What are you doing up? Look, there's a You must've been having a dream.
It's no wonder you're stirred up.
I wasn't able to sleep, myself.
JACK: Out of sight, out of mind.
We should try and get some sleep.
It's gonna be a big day tomorrow.
The rhythm is jumpin' Jump session, the rhythm is jumpin' Jump session, the rhythm is jumpin', jump session [SCAT SINGING.]
The rhythm is jumpin' Jump session The rhythm is jumpin' Jump session, the rhythm is jumpin' Jump session [SCAT SINGING.]
JACK: Boo.
[CHUCKLES.]
Sorry, I couldn't help myself.
Here.
That's it? All my promises are about to come true.
No more worrying about the mortgage, no more having to work for that S.
O.
B.
Let's see what they offer you before we start counting any chickens.
Jack, go on, before you're late.
[LAUGHS SOFTLY.]
Maybe we'll celebrate our next anniversary on the moon.
[ENGINE SPUTTERING, STOPS.]
[SPUTTERING CONTINUES.]
Come on.
Shit.
What time is it? - Sorry? - What time? He should be here any minute, sir.
Excuse me, would either of you like a refill? This is second cup, Alice.
If he's much longer, I will burst.
Sorry.
[PANTING.]
Hey! Off the lawn! I'd just like to thank you, again, Professor, for agreeing to sponsor our project.
I'm already starting to regret it.
[DOOR OPENS.]
Sorry.
Sorry.
I'm here.
I have seminar starting.
We need to be fast.
The professor's taking us to see our new lab.
Lead the way.
Thanks for starting without me.
What was I supposed to do? We had no idea when you were coming.
It's not my fault, my truck wouldn't start.
You think I'd be late today? Hey.
Smile, Rich, we made it.
You will be working here, under my guidance.
As I told Richard, before you made grand entrance, you need to figure out the basic science of your work.
Even Wright brothers tested over 50 models to establish new lift coefficient before they make plane that can fly.
Well, we're gonna make their plane look like a horse-drawn buggy.
What I mean is, uh, I expect the same theoretical rigor from you two.
Here we are.
Home of Caltech's first ever rocketry team.
Let us hope it is not also the last.
Fantastic.
So this is the room you're giving us? Once you clear out, of course.
Richard? What about the rest of it? My partner said sponsored projects get all the resources they need from the university.
Normally, that is the case, but yours is far from normal project.
[CHUCKLES.]
You were able to produce a-an impressive amount of thrust in the desert.
I'm giving opportunity to prove this was not a fluke.
That was no fluke.
It was a breakthrough.
Maybe.
But question is, uh, can you repeat result without killing anybody? Design a rocket motor that can sustain 200 pounds of thrust for at least a minute, then we can talk about additional resources.
How are we gonna build anything without any money? He said "design," not "build.
" [LAUGHING.]
: This is why he gets perfect marks.
Yes, Richard, there will be no tests on campus without my approval of a written proposal.
From humble beginnings, I expect great things.
Welcome to Caltech.
What do you think this does? No idea.
We should probably hold onto it, just in case.
We're supposed to be clearing the space out, not adding to your personal collection.
Whoa, look at this old accelerometer.
It's probably broken.
Besides, we're not gonna be measuring acceleration anytime soon.
Of course we will.
[SIGHS.]
Were you listening? We have to solve for the basic science before we launch anything.
Just because we're at Caltech now doesn't mean we have to completely change the way we work.
Listen, I know that explosion might've spooked you a little.
No, what-what spooks me is that it doesn't seem to have spooked you at all.
Well, we can either dwell on the past, or we can start writing the proposal for our next test rocket.
The sooner we do that, the sooner we get it built.
The sooner we get it built, the sooner we get funding.
No, Jack, we're not here to build rockets.
We're here to build rocket science.
- What's the difference? - The difference [SIGHS.]
Look, I don't think that we can do this alone.
I think we should fill out our team and find people who have an expertise that neither of us possess.
Fluid dynamics, physics, applied mathematics.
You don't think we're capable of figuring that stuff out? No, I don't.
We have access to some of the brightest minds on Earth, now.
Why wouldn't we take advantage of that? Because we got this far on our own.
You remember what von Braun wrote to me in his letter? He has, he has 20 people working under him.
It's just how things are done here, Jack.
What we're doing wasn't done here at all until today.
I got to get back to work.
My "doctor's appointment" was supposed to be over an hour ago.
So we're agreed, then, yes? Sure.
Whatever you say.
HUMPHREY: Parsons.
Don't care if you're sick, you're on the clock.
Plenty of other guys be happy for the work if you don't want it.
Hey.
Ah, I'm just about done here.
Just need that magic ingredient.
The key, see if she starts.
You fixed my truck? That was the idea.
Come on, get in.
See if she goes.
[ENGINE STARTS, REVS.]
[LAUGHS.]
Really gun her! Check she's firing on all cylinders! Ain't that the sweetest sound? What did you do to it? Opened up the venturis, draw some more air in.
A trick I learned when I used to race stock cars.
You are gonna notice a lot more power.
[ENGINE STOPS.]
What's going on? I went in to find what was broken, saw a way to make it even better.
Why? That's what neighbors do.
We keep an eye out for one another.
Is this about what I saw? Depends.
What did you see? - That woman.
- What woman? The one who almost had A knife put through her.
A human sacrifice? That'd be something.
She has been peeking out at me all afternoon.
Never came out to offer me a refreshment or even say hi.
Now, you can tell her from me, "I do not bite.
" [GROWLS.]
[ERNEST LAUGHS.]
You ever need anything, ever again, you know where to find me.
I think we should call the police.
And what? Have him arrested for fixing our car? He's probably the one who broke it in the first place.
Only to make it run better.
I can't figure out what this guy's after.
Well, it seems pretty obvious.
You saw something you shouldn't have, and now he's making sure you don't tell anybody.
Maybe it was a mistake to tell you.
Do you think he knows that I know? That's not what I meant.
I don't think he's trying to scare us.
Or at least, that's not all he's trying to do.
My father taught me about symbols like this.
Your father? This was before he left.
I was seven or eight.
Most parents teach their children the ABCs at that age.
Marvel wasn't most parents.
No, I suppose not.
He told me they're not all meant as hexes.
Some are gateways.
Gateways to what? Hey.
You know I'm not gonna let anything bad happen.
It's silly.
We should be celebrating.
Instead, we're talking about that creep across the way.
Then let's forget about all this and celebrate.
To all our dreams coming true.
FATHER SHELBY: What is weighing on you today, my child? How can you tell when you're in the presence of evil? I mean, did Eve know the serpent was evil, and that's what tempted her? Or was she so innocent that she just didn't know any better? I take it you're here on behalf of your husband again.
Yes.
What precisely are we talking about now? This new neighbor of ours.
I find his behavior repellent, but Jack he almost seems compelled.
What threat does this man pose? That is precisely what I would like to find out, but Jack refuses to listen to reason.
Susan, it has been a joy to see you grow up to be such an upright, responsible young woman.
Do you have anything to confess? I do, Father.
Jack and I are still taking precautions.
We talked about this.
I know.
You speak of Eve.
Do you remember the first instruction she was given? Be fruitful and multiply.
I know.
I am sorry for this and all of my sins.
What would you have me do? Simple.
A flower only opens for a bee who's come to pollinate.
RICHARD: There's a pecking order that must be respected.
Colleagues ask questions first, then the grad students, then, if there's time, - undergrads.
- [HORN HONKING.]
Where am I on that list? I doubt I'll have much to say about the laminar boundary layer around an elliptic cylinder.
The topic is not important.
Every student from GALCI will be there.
This is where we should be recruiting people.
Yeah, right.
This is where the best and brightest minds on campus congregate, right? We should be in there with them.
Don't, Jack.
The Athenaeum is invite only.
We'll see about that.
The lecture is in ten minutes.
Hold your horses.
I'm just gonna get a quick peek inside.
Good day, sir.
Is there something I can help you with? Uh, yeah, maybe you can.
I'm looking for the room my pal Bertie ate in.
Bertie? As in Einstein.
His friends call him Bertie.
Are you a member of the faculty club? You never know, I may be.
Well, the moment you're invited, you're more than welcome to look in any room you like.
In the meantime, please be on your way.
Your loitering is bothering our guests.
[CLEARS THROAT.]
Good afternoon, Professor Hammond.
Some day, this place is gonna be begging me to join, and I'll agree on one condition only: that they fire their fucking doorman.
In most cases, the boundary layer is turbulent over much of the airfoil.
But the properties of the small laminar region downstream from the stagnation point have a noticeable impact on the transition phenomena.
I would like to thank Professor Mesulam for his generosity in checking the mathematical derivations.
If there remains any questions that you would like to ask, I will now briefly open the floor.
Yes, you in the back.
Thank you for that illuminating talk, Professor.
I've learned everything I would ever want to know about laminar boundary layers, but I'm curious if you've ever given thought to aircraft that wouldn't experience that sort of air friction? I'm afraid I don't follow.
I don't mean aircraft designed to fly within Earth's atmosphere, but those designed to leave Earth altogether.
[STUDENTS MURMURING.]
Which one of my students put you up to this? No one did, sir.
I'm not interested in playing along.
Is there anyone who would like to ask a serious question? I am being serious.
My partner here and I are heading up Caltech's first project dedicated to the science of rocketry.
[STUDENTS MURMURING.]
This is the project you left the propeller team for, Mr.
Onsted? Speak up, Richard.
I don't think they heard you.
Um, yes, sir.
Yes, it is, Professor Tillman.
Because he realized the same thing I did, that propellers are a dying technology.
This institute prides itself on breaking new frontiers, and yet, I can't help but notice a certain acquiescence to the status quo.
The question you all must ask yourselves: do you wish to merely be technicians, - or are you innovators? - That's enough.
Rockets are the future, whether you want to believe in them or not.
And Mr.
Onsted and I are going to build machines that will allow mankind to explore the cosmos, and we're looking for a few fortunate souls to join our team.
Only the most brilliant and bold among you need apply.
No, no.
No, no, no.
What's your name? Parsons, sir.
Jack Parsons.
Are you a student? I'm entirely unfamiliar with you.
I'm not a student, no.
I'm a chemist, primarily.
- [STUDENTS SNICKERING.]
- MAN: You kidding me? TILLMAN: "A chemist, primarily"? Perhaps you're aptly named Jack, as in "of all trades" master of none"? [STUDENTS LAUGH.]
I'd venture to say I know more about chemistry than anyone in this room.
TILLMAN: I'd venture to say that you'd venture to say a lot of things.
[CHUCKLES SOFTLY.]
You claim you're working on the science of rocketry, but that's a contradiction in terms.
Rockets aren't science.
They're a harebrained idea fit only for Hollywood films.
And here's why.
I, uh, realize you're primarily a chemist, but a man working on rockets ought to be familiar with the basics of aeronautics.
Do you know what this equation suggests? Excuse me.
What's the matter? Surely a man as confident as yourself knows the fundamental equation of airplane performance.
Since we don't have all day, let me explain in terms a layman would understand.
From this equation, one could extrapolate that the amount of fuel needed for an aircraft to achieve thrust greater than the pull of gravity would be so heavy as to render such a feat impossible.
Or, unless you've come up with some kind of magical fuel that none of us have ever heard of? I haven't, but that doesn't mean I won't.
Excuse me? Just because the math doesn't exist for what we're trying to do, doesn't mean what we're trying to do can't exist.
And maybe gravity will reverse, and maybe the sky will turn purple, and maybe, just maybe, Santa Claus is real.
[STUDENTS LAUGH.]
This is Caltech, Mr.
Parsons.
We don't deal in fantasy.
We deal in hard facts.
[BOARD SLAMS.]
[WOMAN HUMMING NEARBY.]
[HUMMING GROWS LOUDER.]
[HUMMING CONTINUES.]
[DOOR OPENS.]
[HUMMING.]
[DOOR OPENS.]
[GLASS CLINKS.]
Jack? Why didn't you tell me you were home? What are you doing? I tried knocking.
Nobody answered.
So you just came in? Orange tree in my backyard is going bananas.
[LAUGHS.]
Anyway, I got more than I know what to do with, so thought I'd come over, make you some fresh-pressed juice.
Got to find a juicer.
Jack will be home any minute.
ERNEST: Don't worry.
There's plenty for everybody.
Ooh, got you.
You know, for someone who's married to a man who handles dangerous chemicals all day, I thought you'd have a thicker skin.
Come on.
Sit down.
Make yourself comfortable.
Do you mind if I ask you a personal question? Are you and Jack happy? Are you? Of course.
It's just, he's out of the house a lot, and he could be up to anything and you'd never know.
I know exactly what he's doing.
Well, I guess it cuts both ways.
You could be up to anything while he's out and he'd never know.
I don't I don't know what you're implying, but Jack and I tell each other everything.
Of course you do.
The lie of marriage.
You think you know somebody, but there are some things that you can never truly know.
Why are you doing this? Oh, I'm just curious.
You know, some people read books, and I read people.
ERNEST: on a farm just outside Creve Coeur, Missouri.
Now, I don't speak French, but supposedly that means brokenhearted.
No one's happy there.
Small-minded people living small-minded lives.
[SLURPS.]
Welcome home.
Just getting better acquainted with your lovely wife here.
Get out.
ERNEST: Excuse me? I said get out.
You can't just come into a man's home.
Do you only go places where you're allowed? A bit of the pot calling the kettle black.
[LAUGHS.]
I'm just trying to share my bounty, Jack.
I like to share things.
Let me ask you something.
When you were a boy and tried to summon the devil, you ever wonder what you'd have done if he'd actually shown up? SUSAN: We think he's part of one of those fringe religious groups that are popping up all over the city.
He stuck this to our door.
What do you think the "93" means? That we're gonna be the 93rd? 93rd? Victim, or something? Pretty sure if this guy had 92 other victims, we'd know about it.
Yes.
Of course.
He try something when he was alone with you? Uh, no.
Not exactly.
He was acting menacing enough though.
Asking all these strange questions.
But he didn't take nothin'? Not that we're aware of, no.
What are you going to do? Lot of kooks out there.
If we arrested every one, no space left for the actual criminals.
But what if he threatens us again? Well, like my pop always said, "Best way to stop a bully" "is to bully him back.
" [INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER.]
[CLUCKING.]
- Did you tell him? - SUSAN: What? About my dream? You think I'd tell that lunatic anything? How long was he in here before you came in? I have no idea.
Son of a bitch.
That must be how he knew! SUSAN: Knew what? Jack, what are you going to do? Howdy, neighbor.
How do you like having a fucking knife pointed at you? I've faced worse.
What're you looking for? What's the matter? You don't like people going through your shit? [WHISTLES.]
Fascinating read.
Too bad you're nothing like the man who wrote it.
I am the man who wrote it.
I don't think so.
The boy who wrote that knew who he was and what he wanted.
He wanted to perform magic, ride a comet, conjure the devil.
The man in front of me leaves in a three-piece in the morning, gets back at night in a goddamn monkey suit with his name stitched in it.
All these different costumes.
No fucking idea who he is.
You don't know what the fuck you're talking about.
Keep trying to work so hard to keep up the illusion that you matter, but you know you don't.
You know that if you died tomorrow, the world would just go on spinning.
I know, 'cause I used to be the same.
Then I found a different way.
The note I left was not a threat.
It was an invitation.
JACK: To what? A place where you can be the man you always dreamed of being.
I don't need help.
I just got my foot in the door at Caltech.
- [SCOFFS.]
- You don't believe me? Stodgy place like that'll never appreciate a man like you.
Everything you know, you learned in your garage.
So what? They're gonna do everything in their power To make you feel like you don't belong, if they haven't already.
You can stop proselytizing.
I'm not interested.
Really? Or are you just chicken? Call me that one more time.
Or what? You're gonna call the police on me again? How much longer do you need to keep working there? JACK: My boss asked me to stay until they can find a replacement.
I felt bad leaving them in the lurch, so I'm gonna work there weekdays.
Nights and weekends with Richard for a while.
I thought your position at Caltech would mean I'd get to see more of you, not less.
Yeah, it will, once Pueblo can find someone to fill my shoes.
Granted, they are pretty big shoes to fill.
Just make sure you keep this Sunday free.
We have dinner with my family.
[SIGHS.]
He specifically asked if you'd be there.
All the more reason to skip it.
I think we need to stay on his good side, don't you? He's keeping us in the bank's good graces.
Unless you think that's no longer going to be an issue? All right.
I'll go.
I'll even bring my mother.
Make Virgil think twice about inviting us next time.
Oh, and when you go out today, lock the doors.
I thought you dealt with him.
I did.
Just in case.
[DOOR OPENS.]
[GRUNTS.]
[WHISTLE BLOWS.]
RICHARD: My mailbox was stuffed full of them this morning.
You mean, what I did paid off? Sure did.
This is a promising CV from a Mr.
Gordon, first name Flash.
Uh, this one is from John Carter, sent all the way from Mars, apparently.
This one's from Buck Rogers.
Oh, that one should go to the top of the heap, - don't you think? - Mm-hmm.
This is quite a team that you have managed to assemble here, Jack.
What the hell are you guys doing here? We're here for the rockets.
JACK: Let me guess.
You're the Green Hornet, and he's Kato.
What? [CHUCKLING.]
: Oh, no.
This is just to keep the head warm and to attract the dames.
And Kato is Japanese, if I'm not mistaken.
Chiang here is Chinese.
Is that right? It's a good thing he doesn't listen to the Green Hornet, 'cause nothing pisses him off like people making that mistake.
Samson Hunt's the name, fluid dynamic's the game.
"Samson Hunt"? [GIGGLES.]
You know these guys? Uh, I know of them.
They've had some trouble getting onto any other thesis teams.
Well, that's because nobody gave Chiang the respect he deserves, but he sparked to what you said in Tillman's lecture about you guys not having the math for what you're trying to do here.
[BOTH SPEAKING MANDARIN.]
[BOTH LAUGH.]
What did you guys just say to each other? Inside joke.
JACK: All right.
Joke's over.
Tell him to put down the goddamn chalk.
I wouldn't, if I were you.
Wait.
This is incredible.
JACK: What is? Oh, don't you see it? May I? You're smart.
For an American.
[SOFT LAUGHTER.]
[CHALK SCRIBBLING.]
[CHOIR SINGING.]
[CHOIR SONG ENDS.]
Mother? Open sesame.
RUTH: Jack, my darling.
Mm, say something, I've missed the sound of your voice.
Are you ready? Come in for one moment, I have a surprise for you.
What kind of surprise? You're a Caltech man now.
That must be commemorated.
Guess which hand.
[LAUGHS SOFTLY.]
You always guess right.
That fob you wear ought to be attached to something.
[WATCH TICKING.]
Thank you.
How much did you pay for it? None of your business.
I won't be needing eight place settings anytime soon.
Besides, when we move back to the big house, we can buy a new set.
You spoil me.
We have to keep up appearances.
Especially around you-know-who.
I thought we were past that.
We'll never be past that.
The best defense against condescension is prosperity.
Which is why one always shows up bearing gifts.
You know, Virgil hates it when you bring flowers.
He's allergic.
Is he? [LAUGHS.]
RUTH: My gosh! In front of the whole department? - JACK: Yeah.
- SUSAN: You didn't tell me this.
JACK: Must've slipped my mind.
There's been a lot of exciting things happening.
It's hard to keep track.
We just had two geniuses join our team.
One of them comes all the way from China.
- How exotic.
- Patty.
Elbows.
Tell us more about this talk you gave.
It sounds fascinating.
Well, all of GALCIT was there.
Everybody was very keen to hear about our work.
VIRGIL: Sorry, a-am I correct in understanding that the-the university is funding you to design a rocket intended to reach the moon? That's the ultimate objective, yes.
Neat-o.
VIRGIL: That reminds me of an article I read, some years ago, about a man named, uh, Goddard.
Robert Goddard? He was an early pioneer of the field.
Yes, that's the one.
What did he do? Goddard was the first to successfully fire a liquid fueled rocket.
I thought you were the first? VIRGIL: No, I-I believe this man, uh, Goddard beat Jack by about ten years.
Shared many of the same aspirations, in fact.
- That's right.
- Now, forgive me, if-if I'm misremembering, This was The New York Times, mind you And-and I know I'm no scientist like our man Jack, here But this article made it seem like those aspirations were preposterous.
That a rocket stood no chance of working in outer space.
Something to do with the lack of air to push against.
Well, Virgil, that criticism grossly misunderstands Newton's third law of motion: that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
S-So you consider yourself more of an expert than The New York Times? When it comes to rockets, I do.
So you truly do believe, that you, Jack Parsons, can build a ship that will take us all to the moon? Yes.
Where do you get such faith in yourself? Where do you get your faith in God? Well, see, the difference is, other people share my faith.
Sorry.
Now, Lucifer's original sin was pride, hmm? Thinking that he was an equal of the Lord.
Now, remember, Jack, you are just a man, a man with responsibilities.
[DOOR CREAKS OPEN.]
So instead of attempting the impossible, you should focus on paying your mortgage.
Susan, go and fetch my checkbook.
Virgil.
VIRGIL: Now, I'm sorry.
When I married into this family, your mother was a widow and you were a helpless young girl.
I swore to ensure your well-being, and when Jack married you, he assumed that obligation.
We women can take better care of ourselves than you think.
Your father's money took care of you, until it ran out.
Now, I am making this out to the bank, so don't you get any ideas.
This is not a-a gift, mind you.
This is a loan.
It's time you two started facing [PEN SCRIBBLING.]
reality.
Don't let what he said get to you.
He's just jealous.
It's true.
He thinks he's smarter than everyone.
It needles him to know an actual genius.
Did you know? Know what? He said he just wanted to talk.
We don't have to deposit the check, if you don't want to.
[ENGINE STARTS.]
[CLATTERING NEARBY.]
[JACK SHUSHING.]
[FOOTSTEPS NEARBY.]
Wait there.
[CLATTERING NEARBY.]
[CLATTERING CONTINUES.]
[CLUCKING.]
[SIGHS.]
[SQUAWKING.]
[BANGING ON DOOR.]
You're right, okay?! I'm not the man I thought I'd be when I was eight fucking years old! No one is! You get married.
You get responsibilities.
We can't all be like you.
[CHICKEN CLUCKING.]
You can be exactly like me.
You just need to have an open mind.
Jack, please come inside.
ERNEST: How many miles to Babylon? What did you just say? I heard it's three score and ten.
How the fuck did you know about that? That wasn't written in any of my notebooks.
No.
It wasn't.
So how did you know?! Magic.