Curses! (2023) s01e05 Episode Script

1
[watch ticking]
Come. Take it.
Our offering.
[child] Father!
No, stay there, Son.
Don't leave the light.
Whatever you do,
don't ever leave the light.
Take it.
[creature shrieks]
[yelps]
[screaming]
Father!
[Russ] The journal says the bowl
only works during a full moon,
and there's one tonight.
We should be able to use
this artifact called a scryer bowl
to scry or talk to Dad's spirit.
Don't say spirit. Dad is not dead.
We're not saying that he is, sweetheart,
but we need confirmation that
what we're doing is working.
Yeah. And if we can talk to Dad
with this scryer bowl,
it will prove our hypothesis
that we can still save him.
If there's even a chance, we have to try.
After dinner, we find that scryer bowl.
Admittedly,
I have never seen it in action per se,
but I am quite familiar
with where it is located.
[grunts]
Is this another security measure?
Indeed.
[grunting]
Most of these gates can only
be opened from the outside.
Voilà.
[groaning]
In there?
Uh, but it's so dark.
Not to worry.
Darkness can sometimes hold surprises.
I deeply dislike surprises.
[Sky] Wow. It's beautiful.
Welcome to the celestium.
All these artifacts deal with outer space.
I come down here quite often
to play my harmonica.
The acoustics are surprisingly crisp.
-Alex plays harmonica.
-Indeed.
-Who do you think I learned it from?
-Huh.
Is that the scryer bowl?
[Sky] Fascinating design.
Okay, so how do we make it work?
How do we talk to Dad?
Hmm, the journal says that to
speak to a loved one in another realm,
we need to fill the bowl with water.
Got it covered.
[Sky]
You're sure you know what you're doing?
[stammers] I'm reading
what's in the journal.
Okay.
Uh, nothing happened.
Why isn't anything happening?
Don't rush me.
Next, we need a personal object
of the individual being called.
This key chain was Alex's.
Aw, we gave him that
for Father's Day last year.
W-We'll get him a new one. I promise.
Toss it in the bowl.
[grunts]
[Pandora] Oh, it's working.
What's next? What's next?
Uh, well.
[groans]
Horus, what does it say in the journal?
[Russ] Um, there's some water damage.
I can't read the rest.
[sighs] Okay.
I'm putting the kibosh on this.
We should know better than to
proceed before reading everything.
But, Mom, the full moon is tonight.
Yeah, it'll be a whole month
before we get another chance.
-Mmm.
-We need to do this--
[screams]
[exclaims, groans]
[screams]
[yelps]
[yelps] Stay away from me,
whatever you are.
Everyone, this way.
[grunting]
[grunts]
What was that thing?
It came out of the bowl.
It didn't say anything about that.
Precisely why we shouldn't have
tried this without all the information.
If we don't talk to Dad now, we won't know
if what we're doing is working.
The risk parameters seemed acceptable.
It's okay, Russ. We'll fix this.
Let's just hope this gate
traps it in there until we do.
Stanley! Where's Stanley?
[Stanley] Um, please open the gate.
Stanley!
Do hurry.
Uh, that thing is still in here with me.
[grunts, strains]
It won't open.
[sighs] The briar's
tangled in the mechanism.
We're gonna get you out of there, Stanley.
Just hold on.
We need to find
something to cut through this.
I've got it.
[grunting]
[stammers] Any chance
you could do that faster?
I'm sawing as fast as these blades
will move.
You know how stubborn this briar is.
[yelps] He-- Hello?
[whimpering]
-[creature snarls]
-[screams]
I-I think that horrible thing that came
out of the bowl is afraid of the light.
Good. Back into a defensive position
and keep your electric torch pointed out.
I will do my best.
[creature shrieks]
[whimpering]
I can't believe I trapped him in there.
I'm the worst friend ever.
[sighs]
We all wanted it to work.
Sometimes hope clouds judgment.
Yeah. You guys really messed up.
[chuckles] Kidding.
I mess up all the time.
We need to figure out how to
get that thing back in the bowl.
But how? The instructions
in the journal are only half-legible.
Hmm.
I've got an idea.
Nice job, kiddo.
Can you make out any words?
[sighs] Some parts are still smudged,
but seems like moonlight
has something to do
with getting rid of that thing?
[whimpers]
[Stanley]
I can see an opening in the ceiling.
Almost like a shaft.
This must be why
Cornelius put it in there.
It's for the moonlight.
We need to find where
the other end of that shaft is.
But we still don't know
how this bowl works.
We need to track down someone who does.
What about your museum lady?
She helped with the Olmec Babies.
-You're right. Georgia might know.
-Great. We have our marching orders.
You go figure out that bowl.
I'll stay here
and figure out the moonlight.
[sighs]
Mmm.
We'll be back soon.
Good luck.
Yeah. Try not to die, bro.
Not helping, Pandora.
[sighs]
You can do this, kid.
That's right.
[sighs] I can do this.
[Stanley] But is there any way
you could please do it quickly?
-[creature snarls]
-[whimpering]
[Sky] Thank you so much
for staying after hours, Georgia.
We really appreciate it.
A scryer bowl.
So very interesting.
What is this for, by the way?
Uh, just some research for Alex's book.
Do you know anything about them?
Maybe how they work?
You mean in theory, correct?
I'm sure you don't actually
believe in magic bowls.
Why? It's not that wild.
[clears throat, chuckles]
[stammers] Of course, in theory.
Hmm. Unfortunately, no.
But I do know someone who might.
He's a specialist in divination artifacts.
Neil Peckmin.
I don't know him personally,
only by reputation.
Rumor has it that Neil
is a very peculiar fellow.
He never leaves his house.
Hmm. Noted.
Thanks again, Georgia.
Hmm.
[whimpering] Larry, are you still there?
This beast seems
particularly obsessed with me!
I'm here. Still sawing.
Keep talking, please.
The silence is beyond unnerving.
[Larry] I know what'll calm you down.
[exclaims] Larry, are you there?
[whimpering]
That is the opposite of what I requested.
[yelps]
[whimpering]
Here you go, pal. Your cure-all.
But you hate the sound of this.
I'll make an exception this time.
[playing upbeat song]
Farewell and adieu
To you, Spanish ladies ♪
Farewell and adieu
To you ladies of Spain ♪
We've received orders
To sail for old… ♪
[Larry singing indistinctly]
Hmm, that music.
I-It's coming from the observatory.
Of course!
[panting]
[harmonica playing continues]
[grunts, strains]
-[groans] I found it.
-[Larry singing indistinctly]
I'm at the top of the shaft.
Can you hear me, Stanley?
[gasps] Yes, I-I can hear you.
I'll get you some moonlight down there.
Just hang tight.
[exclaims] I could not be any tighter.
-[gasps]
-[person] Go away, little girl.
[gasps] Excuse me? I am not little.
[person]
Whatever size you are, please leave.
You picked the wrong night
to knock on my door.
Mr. Peckmin, please.
We need to speak to you about this.
[locks clicking]
[Pandora, Sky groan]
-[groaning]
-All these lights, so hot.
-[Neil] Here.
-[groans]
You get used to it.
Now, where did you find that bowl?
It was in our, um, basement.
We were told
you know something about them?
Oh, I know too much about them.
My family has all been cursed
by those dreaded scryer bowls.
Believe me, we know family curses.
Please, Mr. Peckmin.
[stammers] Neil.
We need your help.
Why should I help you?
Our friend is in danger because
something came out of this bowl.
It's got him trapped
and we don't have much time.
You released a messenger?
You didn't provide the offering?
What offering?
Oh, no, no, no. This is bad.
You made the same mistake we did.
-You didn't follow the rules.
-Rules?
There are two specific parts
of the process.
You activate the bowl
with a personal object
of who you want to reach.
We did that part.
And the most important part
is the payment of an offering.
Something meaningful to you inside
the bowl within the light of a full moon.
This appeases the messenger.
[gasps] An offering!
That must have been
what Russ couldn't read.
So now that the messenger is here,
how do we get rid of it?
By putting an offering in the bowl.
But at this point, it's not that simple.
My ancestor released a messenger long ago
and it's been haunting
every Peckmin since.
Tell us so we can understand.
Maybe we can figure out our solution
and help you too.
My family used to have that
very scryer bowl long ago.
All Peckmins had the gift of scrying.
It all started with my great-grandfather,
Arthur.
He used scryer bowls
with the pure intention
of allowing grieving people to
talk with their loved ones again.
All of that changed, however,
when he met an artifact collector.
This collector
twisted the purpose of these bowls.
He exploited them by disturbing the dead
in order to find
their unclaimed treasures.
He wouldn't let their souls rest
until he got what he wanted.
The collector coerced Arthur
into doing his bidding,
until he finally had enough.
Arthur agreed to one last scry,
then he was done.
But the collector double-crossed him
and stole the bowl
before the offering could be made.
So the messenger took Arthur
as punishment for his unpaid debt.
The messenger has been
living in the shadows ever since.
Every full moon,
it comes for the next Peckmin.
No matter where we go, it follows.
I watched my own father
attempt to make an offering.
This pocket watch.
But without the bowl,
the messenger wouldn't take it.
So that's why you live in constant light.
No shadows, no messenger.
But I can feel it watching me,
every moment, every day.
Ah, that's horrible.
Neil, I think that collector guy
was our ancestor.
He was?
Look, great-great-great grandpa Garbage
may have done some seriously uncool stuff.
And now it's our job to fix it.
There's no fixing this curse.
It consumed my father and my grandfather.
It's an endless cycle.
Says who? You can break the cycle.
That's what we're trying to do.
We can do it together.
Hmm.
[Stanley breathes shakily]
[whimpers, gasps]
[whimpers]
[screams]
Mate, you all right?
[pants, sighs]
[grunts, whimpers]
[shrieks]
[whimpers] Oh, dear.
-[Larry] What's going on in there?
-Uh, I must have broken the flashlight.
That thing made me drop it.
[grunting] We're coming!
[grunts]
Why isn't this working?
Any luck? I'm running out of light.
No. Every configuration I try
won't redirect the moonlight
down to the celestium.
It won't reach the shaft.
[Stanley] Perhaps the new telescope
isn't quite as long as the old one.
New telescope?
Yes. Your grandfather replaced
the old one back in 1969,
so he could watch the moon landing.
It's the wrong telescope.
It's not going to reach.
[gasps]
[panting]
[whimpering]
[screams]
[whimpering]
[playing upbeat song]
Ready, Mr. P?
[exhales sharply] I suppose.
First, pour in the water.
[Pandora] Now the personal object, right?
No need to throw in the personal object,
as that was done by my great-grandfather
all those years ago.
Now, to draw out the messenger.
[breathes shakily]
[inhales shakily]
[breathing shakily]
[breathes shakily]
[whimpers] It's coming.
-[ticking]
-[breathing shakily]
We just need it to get a little closer.
[inhales sharply]
[gasps] The moonlight!
[gasps] Oh, no.
[screaming]
No! Neil!
[grunting]
No! Let go of them!
-[messenger snarls]
-[groans, strains]
[whimpering, straining]
[exclaims]
[screams, strains]
[grunts] Let go. [strains]
[grunting]
[grunting]
Here's your offering! Take it!
[watch ticking]
[screams]
[panting]
[Sky gasps]
Did-- Did we get it?
It looks that way.
I knew you could do it!
Hmm.
[grunts] We have to take this
to save our friend,
but we'll return it to you
when we're done.
No. Keep it. I want nothing to do
with scryer bowls anymore.
We need to call Russ.
Tell him what we found out.
[sighs, grunting]
[gasps, screams]
[grunting]
[whimpering]
[messenger growls]
-[screams, whimpers]
-[messenger shrieks]
Stay away from me!
Yeah! Stay away from him!
-[panting]
-We know how to get rid of the messenger.
Great. Get in there and send it back
to where it came from.
[grunts]
Stanley!
[screams]
-[messenger growls, shrieks]
-[groaning, whimpers]
You're still with us, mate?
Barely.
Now toss in an object
that has personal meaning to you.
-Why me?
-Because you're the one who summoned it.
Hurry! Anything that means
something to you. Like an offering.
It'll act as payment
and that thing will leave.
This harmonica has brought me much joy.
I'd hate to lose it.
Not as much as we'd hate losing you.
You old softy.
[grunts]
[groans]
-[grunts]
-[grunts]
[snarls, shrieks]
Glad you're not dead.
It would have been a pain
to clean up this mess alone.
There is the Larry I know.
[pants] Is he safe?
Did I get Stanley the light in time?
-[panting] Mmm.
-[grunting]
[sighs] Great job, Russ.
Thanks, Mom. But I'm so glad you're back.
Uh, guys, the water in the scryer bowl
didn't turn clear
like it did at Mr. P's place.
It's still black.
[gasps]
Oh, no. Not again.
Let me at it.
I'll teach that inky blob
to come after my friends.
[Alex groans] Hello?
-Dad?
-Dad?
[Alex] Kids?
-[both] Dad!
-Is-- Is that you?
-It is!
-Hey, Dad!
Alex, it's so good to hear your voice.
Where are you?
[Alex] I-I-- I don't know.
I-- I'm in some kind of dark void.
I can't tell where I am.
Can you see us, Dad?
Can you see anything?
I can't see you, but I can hear you.
I can also hear other things out there,
almost like skittering.
Skittering? Like what?
I don't know.
But whatever they are,
I don't want them to hear me.
They're drawing closer.
No matter where I run I can't escape them.
We watched your video.
We returned an artifact and made
the hourglass sand reverse and fall up.
[Alex] You did?
I wondered if that would work.
Now you have to figure out
how it's all connected.
Connected.
Don't lose hope, Alex.
We're gonna get you out.
I know you will. I--
[gasps]
Mmm. Huh?
He's gone.
[sniffles]
Don't cry, Pan.
At least we know Dad is alive.
And we will talk to him again
at the next full moon.
A month from now?
It'll be here before you know it.
We can get a lot done in a month.
[sniffles] Mmm.