Tower Prep (2010) s01e06 Episode Script
Book Report
Previously on Tower Prep Most of us are what you'd call special.
We can do something really weird in a really awesome way.
So where's home from here? Maybe we use the tunnels.
We haven't found any tunnels that lead to that part of campus yet.
I think I'm developing the ability to psychologically profile just by analyzing their handwriting.
Despite excellent leadership potential, subject prefers to go his own way.
[Suki.]
Even, like, spies have support teams.
It's a team effort.
Don't rush in.
I cannot let Archer's plans for escape interfere with my plans.
The Odyssey, the classic tale of one man's epic quest to simply make his way back home.
The story contains almost all, and some of the most exciting examples, of the archetypical characteristics of the hero's narrative.
To wit, the hero must journey, often with the help of a supernatural guide, through a strange, mysterious world, overcome a series of trials and tribulations, survive various encounters with monstrous creatures, undergo a symbolic death and rebirth before he can finally return home triumphant armed with a newfound wisdom gained from his quest.
Sir, you mentioned monstrous creatures.
Are there, by any chance, any vampires in this book? Dark, brooding vampires who know they shouldn't fall in love with a mortal female but do anyways, even though they know it's doomed from the beginning, because that's what love is really all about? No.
Werewolves? Any dark, brooding werewolves? Greek mythology is filled with many famous creatures.
There's Medusa.
Then there's the half man/half bull Minotaur.
But for your monster-loving pleasure, The Odyssey features a man-eating, one-eyed Cyclops.
- [murmuring.]
- Barf.
In fact, the hero of The Odyssey encounters many famous creatures.
There's the deadly seductive female Sirens, being another notorious example.
The important thing to remember is that the hero must not only survive these encounters but learn something from them.
Uh, sir? Can I get another book? This one's underlined and has scribbles all through it.
I'm sorry, Mr.
Archer.
The book is already registered in your name.
I wonder if that's because the book budget was spent on the massive wall around the school.
- There will be a test on it in two weeks.
- [murmuring.]
Consider having to read the book like a hero's call to adventure.
In a typical myth, when a hero is given his task, he initially refuses, either out of fear or immaturity.
[rock.]
[chattering.]
[Man singing.]
I heard your music on the radio I thought that gradual dissolution would be your way to go Where was the brain Where was the brain Where was the brain Where was my brain Modern agriculture gave me myself Until I saw that things are brutally killed Well, modern architecture gave me a kick Until I lived among the brutally [Literature.]
Good.
Just a reminder.
Tomorrow is your test on The Odyssey.
- [murmuring.]
- [clears throat.]
Tomorrow? Yes.
It's been two weeks since I assigned it.
I assume you've all finished your reading? [bell ringing.]
[chattering.]
Have you guys finished reading it? Finished? I haven't even started.
You're toast.
Roasted.
Excuse me, sir, but I was wondering, how much will the test count towards our final grade? If you fail the test, you are almost certain to fail the class.
I assume from your question that you haven't finished your reading yet.
Not exactly.
But it's only because I'm so into it.
See, I'm reading it really slow just to make sure I get every nuance.
In fact, is there any way I could be given more time to finish and maybe take a make-up test? You know, Mr.
Archer, in some ways you remind me a little of Odysseus.
Who? The main character of the book you're supposedly so into.
Oh, him.
Yeah.
I-- I didn't know that's how you pronounce his name.
How do I remind you of him? Although appearing to have a noble nature, you're both cunning.
You seem to have wandered a little off course.
The test is tomorrow.
And what if I fail the class? You will repeat the class until you do pass.
What if I never pass? How does the school respond if I just decide not to do any of my schoolwork, or I choose to drop out? One cannot choose to drop out of Tower Prep.
You do not leave Tower Prep until you graduate, and you do not graduate until you pass all of your classes.
And how long does it take to graduate? Let's hope it won't take you as long as it took Odysseus to return home.
How long was that? Okay.
[chuckles.]
I didn't even start the book yet.
- How long did it take him to get home? - Ten years.
Ten years? You're telling me I could be here for over ten years? Tower Prep 1x06 Book Report [Ian.]
Ten whole years? It's not-- I mean, when is graduation? - Where do they hold their ceremonies? - Ceremony? They don't have graduation ceremonies? So how do you know if anyone actually graduates? Every year, the seniors just are gone.
One day, the seniors just up and vanish? Come on.
You guys don't find that a little bit odd? But you know what's even weirder? Every year, when the seniors disappear, the cafeteria starts serving this, like, mysterious beef stew.
- I'm being serious.
- So am I.
We don't have time to worry about this stuff now.
- We have to focus on worrying about failing our test tomorrow.
- [sighs.]
We need one of those study guides that tells you what happens in the novel without having to actually read it.
[Gabe.]
Good luck trying to find a study aid like that here.
Whisper will block certain searches you try to do on topics we're studying.
[Ian.]
What if I'm trying to do legitimate research? Bro, that's not legitimate research.
You're trying to cheat.
Whisper doesn't-- Whisper doesn't know that.
[whispering.]
Whisper knows all.
But in this case, Whispers gonna save our butts.
[chimes.]
She's allowing me to download an audio book version of The Odyssey.
All we'll have to do is just sit around and listen to it.
All right! Boom.
[beeps.]
[Whisper.]
The Odyssey by Homer.
"Sing in me, Muse, "and through me tell "the story "of that man skilled in all ways"-- She's taking longer to read it than would actually take for us just to read it.
- [clicks off.]
- Is there any way to make it go faster? - A speed reader version? - I got it.
There's that kid down the hall, Flash McNulty.
[long, sustained sigh.]
- [sigh continues.]
- So the nickname's ironic, huh? So, uh, you'll help us out then? Huh? Sure.
I've always wanted to read The Odyssey.
I like things with lots of [clock ticking.]
[yawning.]
[sniffs.]
action.
Ooh.
He dies.
Well, usually we call that a "spoiler alert," but I guess that's what we're here for.
How does the hero die? Not the hero.
His dog.
Odysseus finally makes it back home after ten years, and the only one who recognizes him is his dog, Argus, who wags his tail, and then dies.
[crying.]
[C.
J.
.]
It's okay.
It's not real.
It's just a story.
Tell that to the dog.
[grunts.]
[crying continues.]
Look, Flash, I understand.
I had a dog that died once.
I miss Scrapper.
Oh, Scrapper.
Is that your dog back home? My turtle.
Of course.
Look, you just need to think about how nice it's gonna be once you graduate from here and you get to go back home, and see Scrapper.
And he's gonna wag his little tail, and hopefully not die right then.
You're gonna be home soon enough.
I guess you're right.
Now, do you think there's any way you could help us graduate by telling us what happens at the end of this book so we don't fail our test tomorrow? Mm-hmm.
[sighs.]
Yes.
[pages rustling.]
Okay.
[yells gibberish.]
The end.
I couldn't understand any of that.
Sorry.
I can input information instantaneously, but I can only output it the same way.
But you could talk about the dog dying in a normal voice.
Yeah.
I'm improving.
Being here at Tower Prep is really helping me.
[C.
J.
.]
What a freak.
Yeah.
He was like one of those weirdo creatures Literature's always talking about in class that a hero has to encounter in order to learn something.
Yeah.
Except we learned nothing.
- Actually, we did learn something.
- What? That we wouldn't have to go to freaks like him for help if we had just read the book like we were suppose to, which is what I'm going to do now.
I'm sorry.
Did you just say you're actually going to read the book? Yeah.
Dude, stop trying to be a hero.
I'm not trying to be a hero.
But we were given an assignment and failed to do it.
Now we simply just have to rise to the challenge.
Yeah.
That's pretty much trying to be a hero.
Come on.
It's just going to take a little effort.
Yeah.
Herculean.
[deep male voice.]
"What a lamentable thing it is "that men should blame the gods "and regard us as the source of their troubles, "when it is their own transgressions which bring them suffering that was not their destiny.
" Wow.
Who are you using for Zeus' voice? It's perfect.
My Uncle Orson.
He's the only person I know with a beard.
Okay.
Girls, can we please stay focused? I mean, they haven't even introduced the main character yet.
Yeah.
What's the deal with that? I think Odysseus finally pops up in the next chapter, and then tells all about the adventures he's been on.
- Guys, check this out.
- What have you been doing? I've been, uh [clears throat.]
- I've been reading.
- Reading.
What's in the sack? I can't tell you.
It could lead to all yr deaths.
Oh.
Okay? You can't just barge in here with a ripped shirt and your sweaty face and say we might die if you tell us but not tell us how we might die if you end up telling us, all right? - Tell us.
- All right.
I'll tell you the whole story.
I could actually use your guys' help.
But only advice.
You gotta promise not to get involved.
That's what could cause your deaths.
So it all began when I started reading the book, right? It's gonna take ten years to read this book.
"Home.
" [chuckles.]
[chuckles.]
Real insightful, dude.
[sighs.]
"Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story of that"-- Ah, the notes about who's talking in the story.
I get it.
"Hero meets supernatural creatures-- "i.
e.
Tower Prep students.
"But which am I, hero or weirdo? "Which are you? [sighs.]
Hero is an Archer.
" What? And the notes in the margins-- they seemed like they were talking to me-- to me specifically.
But how could someone write notes directly to you in a book they'd have no way of knowing you'd be reading sometime in the future? Maybe that's their ability-- knowing stuff like that.
- I don't know.
- What are the notes saying? "Goddess Athena guides Odysseus home.
"What will guide you home? "This book? Use these notes to escape from Tower Prep.
" The note writer's trying to tell me a way to escape from Tower Prep.
Well, what is it? That's the problem.
The notes are vague, and some are in some kind of code.
They're hard to figure out.
But others are very specific.
For example, [clears throat.]
"A hero must prove himself worthy.
Prove yourself worthy.
Use this book to find me.
" I figured if I listened to this one note and found the guy that wrote it, he could at least explain some stuff to me, you know? But how can you find him if you don't know who he is? Or if he's even a guy.
The goddess Athena guides Odysseus on his adventures.
These notes keep suggesting to me to use this book as my guide.
So I decided to track down everyone on this list of previous readers to see if any of them had written the notes.
I ended up wandering all over the dorms, and I met a bunch of strange, mysterious creatures, otherwise known as our fellow students.
[sniffing.]
Howdid you know I was about to knock on your door? I could smell you coming down the hall.
Your deodorant reeks.
It's odorless.
I know.
I could smell the odorlessness.
Um, I'm looking for the person - who wrote the notes in this book.
- [sniffing.]
Are you Hubert Kovalev? [sniffing continues.]
Yeah, I am, but I never cracked open that book, dude.
I just listened to the Whisper audio book version like everybody else does.
Of course.
I'm sorry to have bothered you.
Smell you later.
Now, some of these encounters seemed like no big deal, but others tried to steer me off course.
[wind whooshes.]
[wind blowing.]
Hey, are any of you girls Tawny Dvorchek? If I wasn't before, I am now.
You were assigned this book in lit class.
Did you write these notes? The only notes I write are love notes.
- Uh - Right now, I'm writing an essay for sociology on the history of kissing.
Do you wanna help me do a little research for it? [stammering.]
[voices vocalizing.]
[laughter.]
Who were these chicks again? - And what dorm were they in? - [laughter.]
You've got to understand, I wanted to keep looking for the note writer, but it was like I was under some spell or something.
I guess these girls can make a guy do whatever they want.
That's why they're at this school.
Every school has girls like that.
And it has nothing to do with the fact that they're hot.
- Mm-mm.
- I will admit, to some people, they might be considered not unattractive.
- Oh.
- But that doesn't explain why I went into their room.
No, but that does explain why your shirt's ripped shirt, tiger.
Hmm? Like I said, Gabe, I couldn't help myself.
[whispers.]
Totally.
[Women moaning.]
But I don't know anything about the topic.
That's okay.
It only needs to be 5,000 words.
And even though I hate writing essays, I felt like I wanted to write this one forever and never leave that room until Gotta go.
- [Women.]
Ohh! - [door closes.]
Now what are we going to do? I guess we'll have to get that dreamy Gabe Forrest to help us with our essay.
[sighing, chuckling.]
Wow.
She really said that? [sighs.]
No, they didn't.
I made that part up.
But the book saved me from who knows what.
It convinced me that it was guiding me down the right path.
So I kept going down the list, which just caused me to meet more and more of our bizarre students.
The last one was the worst.
I barely made it out alive.
[clears throat.]
What do you want? Get a life.
Have you ever seen a girl like that before? I mean, it was terrifying.
Bro, it's okay.
You're safe now.
So you never found the note writer.
He wasn't any of the names on the list.
So I had to search through the book for some other clue to follow.
That was when I noticed there were three dog-eared pages.
Page 14, folded to the left, and page 23 to the right, and then page 36, suggesting to me a combination lock number.
Where's the only place on campus with combination locks? - [Boy.]
All of you, on my shoulders.
- [girls laughing.]
Hey, great job, girls.
See you at practice tomorrow.
- [Girls.]
Whoo-hoo! Yeah! - [chuckles.]
- [feedback.]
- Hey, dude.
What's the deal? That's my locker.
Oh, uh, I'm sorry.
I was just looking for something important that I thought might be in there.
Think again.
Hey, look, I said I'm sorry, all right? You don't have to be a jerk about it.
Look, I just went through a real grueling cheer practice, okay? I'm a little too tired to be polite.
Cheer practice? We're in a secret school in the middle of who-knows-where.
I mean, why even bother having a cheer squad or a mascot? - What's our rival school anyway? - [growls, snorts.]
If you have a problem with school spirit, I got a problem with you.
[chuckles.]
No, buddy.
I think your only problem is that you like dressing up like a cow.
I'm a bull! [groans.]
[growling.]
You know, maybe reading all this Greek mythological stuff is, you know, starting to get to you.
What makes you say that? No reason.
You know what? Continue.
Okay.
It was whilst I was engaged in epic battle with the monstrous Minotaur that the Fates showed me an error in my calculations.
[Mascot laughing.]
How does that feel? Had enough? - [laughing continues.]
- 16.
[groans.]
[Mascot groaning.]
I can't see, I can't see! - [yells.]
- Now I can't hear.
[Mascot groans.]
What was in the locker? - Tell us.
- What was it? - [mutters.]
[sighs.]
[Ian.]
A Cyclops skull.
It can't be real.
Can it? There's no such thing as as Cyclops.
How could someone keep a skull in their gym locker? Because the note writer knew that I would eventually find it there.
He's trying to tell me that I'm on the right path to finding him, and a way to escape, but I don't know where to go from here.
Was there anything else in the locker? Just his gym clothes.
- [insects buzzing.]
- [gasping, coughing.]
Come on, man.
This is worse than the Cyclops skull.
Maybe he wrote his name on them.
- [clears throat.]
- [groans.]
"No man"? It's just a reference to the book.
Odysseus tricks the Cyclops by telling him his name is No Man, so when he pokes his eye out, the Cyclops starts screaming, "No Man is attacking me," and all the other Cyclops think he's crazy.
Sounds like a pretty good scene.
It's got a Cyclops in it.
How could it be bad? Hey, what if C.
J.
reads the notes and analyzes the writing? Maybe she can tell us something about him that could help us.
No.
No.
You guys cannot help me on this.
- I have to do it alone.
- What are you talking about? This is why I didn't want to tell you guys this stuff.
"Every member of Odysseus' crew ends up dead.
"All gruesome deaths.
Only the hero survives.
The hero must go it alone.
" You really think if we try to help you, we're all gonna die? That's what the notes are warning.
Ian, we're in this together.
If you're right, and these notes can lead us to finding a way to escape, then even if it does get dangerous somehow, we're all going to help any way we can.
Whoa, Ceej.
No offense, but whatever happened to voting? All right.
This is interesting.
He's incredibly smart and has a very heroic nature, but he doesn't think he's smart or heroic enough.
But he thinks you, Ian, might be.
He wrote these notes the way he did to test you.
Finding the Cyclops skull means you've passed that trial.
But now you have to retrace your journey in order to go forward and find him You got all that just from analyzing his writing? Plus, that's exactly what he's written on this page.
[chuckles.]
Oh.
[chuckles.]
I haven't gotten that far in the book yet.
"Retrace your journey in order to find him.
" What does that mean? How is going back over your steps supposed to help you track this guy down? Unless I'm not suppose to track him down myself, but I'm supposed to use someone I met while following the notes.
- [sniffs.]
What's that stench? - Hey.
It's me again.
I was wondering, your nose-- can you use it to track people down? You mean like a bloodhound? See, we're looking for this person, and we don't know who they are or where they are.
All we've got to go on is their gym clothes.
So let me get this straight.
First, you want me to smell someone's gym shorts, then you want me to run around like a trained dog? Dude, you're barking up the wrong tree.
[sniffing.]
[sniffing continues.]
[insects buzzing.]
Fetch.
[sniffing.]
What are you guys doing out? It's past curfew.
You're all supposed to be in your rooms.
[chuckles.]
Gabe.
[clears throat.]
Let us pass.
Um, excuse me.
I just told you to let us pass through.
And I told you it's past curfew.
[Gabe chuckles.]
I don't think you understand.
I can pretty much make you do anything I want.
No, you don't understand.
What you do has no effect on me.
Nobody can make me do anything I don't want to.
[clears throat.]
Right.
Just one second, please.
Hey, guys, have met my new arch-nemesis? Sorry, dude.
We were getting close, too.
Oh, no.
Don't you worry.
We're not done with you yet.
You're not the only person I've met recently who can help me.
[Women moaning.]
Excuse me.
It's past curfew.
You ladies are gonna have to-- Shh! [moaning continues.]
Thanks.
I owe you one.
You owe me a couple.
[moaning continues.]
I don't get it.
How come their hyper-suasion works on him but mine doesn't? I'm not sure they're even using hyper-suasion.
- [snaps fingers.]
- [clears throat.]
- [whistles.]
- [sniffing.]
[sniffing continues.]
Here.
This is where it leads.
Oh, no.
- Dude, this is the girl's room.
- What girl's room? The one with the face and the crazy hair.
My job's done.
I gotta go.
- What? - What's wrong? I can smell fear.
Oh, great.
He can smell fear.
Did you hear that? This is how the rest of the crew dies, okay? Can we please save ourselves? What are you doing? [panting.]
What are you doing with Norman's gym clothes? [insects buzzing.]
So, you know the person these belong to? Yeah, but where is he? Is is he alive? Uh Yeah, this is my book for a class a couple terms ago, but I never read it.
I didn't have to.
Norman read it for me.
He became obsessed with it before he disappeared.
He found some sort of weird parallel between the hero's journey and attending this school.
Yeah, I know.
I've been reading his notes in the book.
I gotta say, it's been kind of hard figuring out what he means, though.
Norman had a weird way of telling people things.
I sort of hoped he had sent you here as a message to let me know he's okay.
How could he have known I'd be assigned that book? Norman justknew things before they were ever explained to him, before they even happened.
He sensed, the whole time we were together, that we were destined to be apart.
And not in some relationshipy type of way.
He just-- He knew he'd have to go, and we'd It's kind of hard to explain.
It's like falling in love with a vampire.
You girls get it.
But knowing things-- That's why Norman was brought here.
But that's what drove him crazy.
Tower Prep was the one thing that he couldn't know.
Every question that he answered about this school only led to more questions.
Yeah.
I know how that feels.
But if he's trying to point you in some direction, maybe he thinks you'll find the answers that he couldn't.
Find answers? I can't even find him.
Well, if he guided you here, there's a reason for it.
Do you have anything of his? You know, maybe, like, a picture of him or something? He took the only picture I had of him just before he disappeared.
May I? - What are you doing? - I think there's something here.
This is what he wanted me to have.
He wanted you to have this? I mean, how could you possibly know that? I just know.
You remind me of him.
Do you have any idea why he would've wanted me to find this? Because it'll lead you to him.
When you find him, tell him I.
Never mind.
Don't tell him anything.
He'd already know anything I'd say.
Wow.
In real life, doomed romanticism is actually quite depressing.
Depressing? You know what's depressing? Is that we're not any closer to finding Norman.
Oh, yeah.
And a way out of here.
Should I even bother to point out that we're also not any closer to finishing the book for the test tomorrow? I didn't think so.
You know, I'm really starting to hate this Norman guy.
I give up.
This is the same size as the compass.
Hmm.
The odyssey ends here, which, on our map The secret he wants us to find is out here in the woods, near the perimeter wall.
There's probably gnomes out there this time of night.
Yeah.
That's fine.
I'll leave first thing in the morning.
Where should we meet? Oh.
No, no, no, no, no.
I'm going out there alone.
I've ignored the warnings of crew members dying long enough.
You guys are staying here.
Well, if you insist.
Right, ladies? Oh [Gabe.]
Um, Ian, a quicky real quick, just in case it's on the test, how do the rest of the crew end up dying? - In the book? - Yes.
- Uh, well, most drowned, actually.
- Oh, drowned.
Yeah.
Some got smashed by boulders thrown at them by giants.
Some get eaten by Scylla, a six-headed monster.
- [Suki.]
Ew.
- [Gabe chuckling.]
Monsters.
One guy forgot that he fell asleep on top of a house.
When he wakes up, he falls off the roof and, uh, breaks his neck.
Oh! The classic slapstick death.
Nice.
Why do I feel like I have that coming? Gabe, we're not going to die.
Oh, of course not.
Not now anyway.
How much farther do we have? Whatever we're suppose to find should be straight ahead.
[Suki.]
Wouldn't it be great if what we end up finding is a copy of the test with an answer key? [Ian.]
Well, you know where Odysseus had to go to find his answers.
Where does he have to go? Hades, the ancient Greek land of the dead.
He has to travel to the underworld and talk to a dead prophet to find out what he has to do to get home.
Oh, that must've been back before they had GPS.
Looks like we found the Land of the Dead.
I really, really hope that this is not last year's graduating class.
They're definitely gravestones, but what's with the crazy name? [reads.]
It's Latin.
Some sort of biological classification.
So this is the escape route Norman wanted you to find? It's a dead end, literally.
I Who do you think is buried here? I hope it's not Norman himself.
Maybe he was worried he might end up out here, so he left me clues in case he did.
But why would he be buried out here? Maybe it's where they bury the children who try to escape the school, okay? Now can we leave, please? Huh? Come on.
[cries out.]
- [screams.]
- [thuds.]
- Gabe! - Gabe! - [Ian.]
You all right? - Yeah.
My glasses broke my fall.
Jeez.
- Come on, come on.
Give us your arm.
- Come here.
Don't fall.
It's so cold down there.
- [Gabe panting.]
- Are you okay? [sighs.]
I'm suddenly over my thing for vampires.
[grunting.]
Come on.
[gasps.]
The rest of the Cyclops skeleton.
Do you think each of these graves has a different monster in them? But why bury them and give them headstones? I mean, that's like something you do for a pet.
What are you doing? It's a tunnel.
Guys, this is our way out.
I knew Norman wouldn't let me down.
How do you know it goes all the way down the wall? Gabe, the book, please.
He showed me.
Look.
I just didn't understand what he was trying to tell me at the time.
But all this stuff with the Cyclops and the graveyard-- What's it all mean? Apparently even Norman couldn't figure it out.
This must have been why he decided to leave.
Frankly, I'm with Norman.
Guys, who cares about what-- what all of this is, okay? We don't need to know what Tower Prep's all about now.
We can-- We can go.
We can leave all this behind.
No.
I can't ignore these warnings anymore.
- None of you can go.
- What? - What? I don't want any of my crew to die, let alone all of them.
This tunnel looks like it could collapse at any second.
Then maybe you shouldn't go either.
Ceej, I have to.
I'd give you a hug good-bye, but you're in a grave with a headless Cyclops skeleton.
[chuckles.]
Looks like I won't be needing this anymore.
I never did finish it.
Hmm.
Wouldn't you know it? Last page is missing.
I guess the journey never ends.
I'll be back to get you guys sooner than you think.
[grunting.]
Ian, what's wrong? There's something down here! [sighs.]
[grunts.]
It's collapsing! Get me outta here! Gabe! [gasps.]
Watch out.
[grunts.]
Help me! - Come on! - Ian! - Oh! - [panting.]
- You okay? - Yeah, yeah.
I'm fine.
[panting continues.]
Unreal.
[sighs.]
- Oh.
- What's that? It's the last page of my book.
It says, "My journey is not your journey.
Your odyssey is not the odyssey.
" That's good.
Now he tells you.
"Sorry about that last trial, "but I had to make sure you were hero material.
"Now I know you're the man to solve the school mysteries I couldn't.
P.
S.
, please give this to my first mate.
" [chuckles.]
What is it? It's a picture of Norman.
- Let me see.
- Not quite what I expected.
w.
To think you put your life in this guy's hands.
Here.
Let me see.
I guess Norman wasn't leading us out of here after all.
What? Now what do we do? [Ian.]
Now I guess the only thing left to do is be late for class.
Ah, Mr.
Archer and his merry crew.
Time is almost up.
We'd like to take the test, sir.
Did you even read the book? Read it? I've lived it.
Thank you, sir.
[voices vocalizing.]
Well, I didn't get an A, but I knew enough to fake passing it.
Hey, what was the name of the dog? - Argus.
- Oh! - Oh! - I wrote "Scooby.
" - [chuckling.]
- How'd you do, Ian? Well, I'm not sure how I did on the test, but I think I figured out what Norman was trying to tell me with his last note.
See, my odyssey is not the same as the odyssey in this book.
It's not about trying to find a way back home.
My odyssey is here at Tower Prep, and trying to figure out what's really going on at this psycho school.
[chuckles.]
Hey, uh, Norman wanted you to have this.
He's, uh, not quite what I expected.
[chuckles.]
He didn't want you to know where he was going, because he was afraid if you went, you might get hurt or even-- I know.
I know all that now.
You're gonna find out the things that Norman couldn't.
Be careful.
When the timing's right Thank you.
And the city light Shines upon your wall I can almost see - The smallest world - My hero.
That's dark inside of me
We can do something really weird in a really awesome way.
So where's home from here? Maybe we use the tunnels.
We haven't found any tunnels that lead to that part of campus yet.
I think I'm developing the ability to psychologically profile just by analyzing their handwriting.
Despite excellent leadership potential, subject prefers to go his own way.
[Suki.]
Even, like, spies have support teams.
It's a team effort.
Don't rush in.
I cannot let Archer's plans for escape interfere with my plans.
The Odyssey, the classic tale of one man's epic quest to simply make his way back home.
The story contains almost all, and some of the most exciting examples, of the archetypical characteristics of the hero's narrative.
To wit, the hero must journey, often with the help of a supernatural guide, through a strange, mysterious world, overcome a series of trials and tribulations, survive various encounters with monstrous creatures, undergo a symbolic death and rebirth before he can finally return home triumphant armed with a newfound wisdom gained from his quest.
Sir, you mentioned monstrous creatures.
Are there, by any chance, any vampires in this book? Dark, brooding vampires who know they shouldn't fall in love with a mortal female but do anyways, even though they know it's doomed from the beginning, because that's what love is really all about? No.
Werewolves? Any dark, brooding werewolves? Greek mythology is filled with many famous creatures.
There's Medusa.
Then there's the half man/half bull Minotaur.
But for your monster-loving pleasure, The Odyssey features a man-eating, one-eyed Cyclops.
- [murmuring.]
- Barf.
In fact, the hero of The Odyssey encounters many famous creatures.
There's the deadly seductive female Sirens, being another notorious example.
The important thing to remember is that the hero must not only survive these encounters but learn something from them.
Uh, sir? Can I get another book? This one's underlined and has scribbles all through it.
I'm sorry, Mr.
Archer.
The book is already registered in your name.
I wonder if that's because the book budget was spent on the massive wall around the school.
- There will be a test on it in two weeks.
- [murmuring.]
Consider having to read the book like a hero's call to adventure.
In a typical myth, when a hero is given his task, he initially refuses, either out of fear or immaturity.
[rock.]
[chattering.]
[Man singing.]
I heard your music on the radio I thought that gradual dissolution would be your way to go Where was the brain Where was the brain Where was the brain Where was my brain Modern agriculture gave me myself Until I saw that things are brutally killed Well, modern architecture gave me a kick Until I lived among the brutally [Literature.]
Good.
Just a reminder.
Tomorrow is your test on The Odyssey.
- [murmuring.]
- [clears throat.]
Tomorrow? Yes.
It's been two weeks since I assigned it.
I assume you've all finished your reading? [bell ringing.]
[chattering.]
Have you guys finished reading it? Finished? I haven't even started.
You're toast.
Roasted.
Excuse me, sir, but I was wondering, how much will the test count towards our final grade? If you fail the test, you are almost certain to fail the class.
I assume from your question that you haven't finished your reading yet.
Not exactly.
But it's only because I'm so into it.
See, I'm reading it really slow just to make sure I get every nuance.
In fact, is there any way I could be given more time to finish and maybe take a make-up test? You know, Mr.
Archer, in some ways you remind me a little of Odysseus.
Who? The main character of the book you're supposedly so into.
Oh, him.
Yeah.
I-- I didn't know that's how you pronounce his name.
How do I remind you of him? Although appearing to have a noble nature, you're both cunning.
You seem to have wandered a little off course.
The test is tomorrow.
And what if I fail the class? You will repeat the class until you do pass.
What if I never pass? How does the school respond if I just decide not to do any of my schoolwork, or I choose to drop out? One cannot choose to drop out of Tower Prep.
You do not leave Tower Prep until you graduate, and you do not graduate until you pass all of your classes.
And how long does it take to graduate? Let's hope it won't take you as long as it took Odysseus to return home.
How long was that? Okay.
[chuckles.]
I didn't even start the book yet.
- How long did it take him to get home? - Ten years.
Ten years? You're telling me I could be here for over ten years? Tower Prep 1x06 Book Report [Ian.]
Ten whole years? It's not-- I mean, when is graduation? - Where do they hold their ceremonies? - Ceremony? They don't have graduation ceremonies? So how do you know if anyone actually graduates? Every year, the seniors just are gone.
One day, the seniors just up and vanish? Come on.
You guys don't find that a little bit odd? But you know what's even weirder? Every year, when the seniors disappear, the cafeteria starts serving this, like, mysterious beef stew.
- I'm being serious.
- So am I.
We don't have time to worry about this stuff now.
- We have to focus on worrying about failing our test tomorrow.
- [sighs.]
We need one of those study guides that tells you what happens in the novel without having to actually read it.
[Gabe.]
Good luck trying to find a study aid like that here.
Whisper will block certain searches you try to do on topics we're studying.
[Ian.]
What if I'm trying to do legitimate research? Bro, that's not legitimate research.
You're trying to cheat.
Whisper doesn't-- Whisper doesn't know that.
[whispering.]
Whisper knows all.
But in this case, Whispers gonna save our butts.
[chimes.]
She's allowing me to download an audio book version of The Odyssey.
All we'll have to do is just sit around and listen to it.
All right! Boom.
[beeps.]
[Whisper.]
The Odyssey by Homer.
"Sing in me, Muse, "and through me tell "the story "of that man skilled in all ways"-- She's taking longer to read it than would actually take for us just to read it.
- [clicks off.]
- Is there any way to make it go faster? - A speed reader version? - I got it.
There's that kid down the hall, Flash McNulty.
[long, sustained sigh.]
- [sigh continues.]
- So the nickname's ironic, huh? So, uh, you'll help us out then? Huh? Sure.
I've always wanted to read The Odyssey.
I like things with lots of [clock ticking.]
[yawning.]
[sniffs.]
action.
Ooh.
He dies.
Well, usually we call that a "spoiler alert," but I guess that's what we're here for.
How does the hero die? Not the hero.
His dog.
Odysseus finally makes it back home after ten years, and the only one who recognizes him is his dog, Argus, who wags his tail, and then dies.
[crying.]
[C.
J.
.]
It's okay.
It's not real.
It's just a story.
Tell that to the dog.
[grunts.]
[crying continues.]
Look, Flash, I understand.
I had a dog that died once.
I miss Scrapper.
Oh, Scrapper.
Is that your dog back home? My turtle.
Of course.
Look, you just need to think about how nice it's gonna be once you graduate from here and you get to go back home, and see Scrapper.
And he's gonna wag his little tail, and hopefully not die right then.
You're gonna be home soon enough.
I guess you're right.
Now, do you think there's any way you could help us graduate by telling us what happens at the end of this book so we don't fail our test tomorrow? Mm-hmm.
[sighs.]
Yes.
[pages rustling.]
Okay.
[yells gibberish.]
The end.
I couldn't understand any of that.
Sorry.
I can input information instantaneously, but I can only output it the same way.
But you could talk about the dog dying in a normal voice.
Yeah.
I'm improving.
Being here at Tower Prep is really helping me.
[C.
J.
.]
What a freak.
Yeah.
He was like one of those weirdo creatures Literature's always talking about in class that a hero has to encounter in order to learn something.
Yeah.
Except we learned nothing.
- Actually, we did learn something.
- What? That we wouldn't have to go to freaks like him for help if we had just read the book like we were suppose to, which is what I'm going to do now.
I'm sorry.
Did you just say you're actually going to read the book? Yeah.
Dude, stop trying to be a hero.
I'm not trying to be a hero.
But we were given an assignment and failed to do it.
Now we simply just have to rise to the challenge.
Yeah.
That's pretty much trying to be a hero.
Come on.
It's just going to take a little effort.
Yeah.
Herculean.
[deep male voice.]
"What a lamentable thing it is "that men should blame the gods "and regard us as the source of their troubles, "when it is their own transgressions which bring them suffering that was not their destiny.
" Wow.
Who are you using for Zeus' voice? It's perfect.
My Uncle Orson.
He's the only person I know with a beard.
Okay.
Girls, can we please stay focused? I mean, they haven't even introduced the main character yet.
Yeah.
What's the deal with that? I think Odysseus finally pops up in the next chapter, and then tells all about the adventures he's been on.
- Guys, check this out.
- What have you been doing? I've been, uh [clears throat.]
- I've been reading.
- Reading.
What's in the sack? I can't tell you.
It could lead to all yr deaths.
Oh.
Okay? You can't just barge in here with a ripped shirt and your sweaty face and say we might die if you tell us but not tell us how we might die if you end up telling us, all right? - Tell us.
- All right.
I'll tell you the whole story.
I could actually use your guys' help.
But only advice.
You gotta promise not to get involved.
That's what could cause your deaths.
So it all began when I started reading the book, right? It's gonna take ten years to read this book.
"Home.
" [chuckles.]
[chuckles.]
Real insightful, dude.
[sighs.]
"Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story of that"-- Ah, the notes about who's talking in the story.
I get it.
"Hero meets supernatural creatures-- "i.
e.
Tower Prep students.
"But which am I, hero or weirdo? "Which are you? [sighs.]
Hero is an Archer.
" What? And the notes in the margins-- they seemed like they were talking to me-- to me specifically.
But how could someone write notes directly to you in a book they'd have no way of knowing you'd be reading sometime in the future? Maybe that's their ability-- knowing stuff like that.
- I don't know.
- What are the notes saying? "Goddess Athena guides Odysseus home.
"What will guide you home? "This book? Use these notes to escape from Tower Prep.
" The note writer's trying to tell me a way to escape from Tower Prep.
Well, what is it? That's the problem.
The notes are vague, and some are in some kind of code.
They're hard to figure out.
But others are very specific.
For example, [clears throat.]
"A hero must prove himself worthy.
Prove yourself worthy.
Use this book to find me.
" I figured if I listened to this one note and found the guy that wrote it, he could at least explain some stuff to me, you know? But how can you find him if you don't know who he is? Or if he's even a guy.
The goddess Athena guides Odysseus on his adventures.
These notes keep suggesting to me to use this book as my guide.
So I decided to track down everyone on this list of previous readers to see if any of them had written the notes.
I ended up wandering all over the dorms, and I met a bunch of strange, mysterious creatures, otherwise known as our fellow students.
[sniffing.]
Howdid you know I was about to knock on your door? I could smell you coming down the hall.
Your deodorant reeks.
It's odorless.
I know.
I could smell the odorlessness.
Um, I'm looking for the person - who wrote the notes in this book.
- [sniffing.]
Are you Hubert Kovalev? [sniffing continues.]
Yeah, I am, but I never cracked open that book, dude.
I just listened to the Whisper audio book version like everybody else does.
Of course.
I'm sorry to have bothered you.
Smell you later.
Now, some of these encounters seemed like no big deal, but others tried to steer me off course.
[wind whooshes.]
[wind blowing.]
Hey, are any of you girls Tawny Dvorchek? If I wasn't before, I am now.
You were assigned this book in lit class.
Did you write these notes? The only notes I write are love notes.
- Uh - Right now, I'm writing an essay for sociology on the history of kissing.
Do you wanna help me do a little research for it? [stammering.]
[voices vocalizing.]
[laughter.]
Who were these chicks again? - And what dorm were they in? - [laughter.]
You've got to understand, I wanted to keep looking for the note writer, but it was like I was under some spell or something.
I guess these girls can make a guy do whatever they want.
That's why they're at this school.
Every school has girls like that.
And it has nothing to do with the fact that they're hot.
- Mm-mm.
- I will admit, to some people, they might be considered not unattractive.
- Oh.
- But that doesn't explain why I went into their room.
No, but that does explain why your shirt's ripped shirt, tiger.
Hmm? Like I said, Gabe, I couldn't help myself.
[whispers.]
Totally.
[Women moaning.]
But I don't know anything about the topic.
That's okay.
It only needs to be 5,000 words.
And even though I hate writing essays, I felt like I wanted to write this one forever and never leave that room until Gotta go.
- [Women.]
Ohh! - [door closes.]
Now what are we going to do? I guess we'll have to get that dreamy Gabe Forrest to help us with our essay.
[sighing, chuckling.]
Wow.
She really said that? [sighs.]
No, they didn't.
I made that part up.
But the book saved me from who knows what.
It convinced me that it was guiding me down the right path.
So I kept going down the list, which just caused me to meet more and more of our bizarre students.
The last one was the worst.
I barely made it out alive.
[clears throat.]
What do you want? Get a life.
Have you ever seen a girl like that before? I mean, it was terrifying.
Bro, it's okay.
You're safe now.
So you never found the note writer.
He wasn't any of the names on the list.
So I had to search through the book for some other clue to follow.
That was when I noticed there were three dog-eared pages.
Page 14, folded to the left, and page 23 to the right, and then page 36, suggesting to me a combination lock number.
Where's the only place on campus with combination locks? - [Boy.]
All of you, on my shoulders.
- [girls laughing.]
Hey, great job, girls.
See you at practice tomorrow.
- [Girls.]
Whoo-hoo! Yeah! - [chuckles.]
- [feedback.]
- Hey, dude.
What's the deal? That's my locker.
Oh, uh, I'm sorry.
I was just looking for something important that I thought might be in there.
Think again.
Hey, look, I said I'm sorry, all right? You don't have to be a jerk about it.
Look, I just went through a real grueling cheer practice, okay? I'm a little too tired to be polite.
Cheer practice? We're in a secret school in the middle of who-knows-where.
I mean, why even bother having a cheer squad or a mascot? - What's our rival school anyway? - [growls, snorts.]
If you have a problem with school spirit, I got a problem with you.
[chuckles.]
No, buddy.
I think your only problem is that you like dressing up like a cow.
I'm a bull! [groans.]
[growling.]
You know, maybe reading all this Greek mythological stuff is, you know, starting to get to you.
What makes you say that? No reason.
You know what? Continue.
Okay.
It was whilst I was engaged in epic battle with the monstrous Minotaur that the Fates showed me an error in my calculations.
[Mascot laughing.]
How does that feel? Had enough? - [laughing continues.]
- 16.
[groans.]
[Mascot groaning.]
I can't see, I can't see! - [yells.]
- Now I can't hear.
[Mascot groans.]
What was in the locker? - Tell us.
- What was it? - [mutters.]
[sighs.]
[Ian.]
A Cyclops skull.
It can't be real.
Can it? There's no such thing as as Cyclops.
How could someone keep a skull in their gym locker? Because the note writer knew that I would eventually find it there.
He's trying to tell me that I'm on the right path to finding him, and a way to escape, but I don't know where to go from here.
Was there anything else in the locker? Just his gym clothes.
- [insects buzzing.]
- [gasping, coughing.]
Come on, man.
This is worse than the Cyclops skull.
Maybe he wrote his name on them.
- [clears throat.]
- [groans.]
"No man"? It's just a reference to the book.
Odysseus tricks the Cyclops by telling him his name is No Man, so when he pokes his eye out, the Cyclops starts screaming, "No Man is attacking me," and all the other Cyclops think he's crazy.
Sounds like a pretty good scene.
It's got a Cyclops in it.
How could it be bad? Hey, what if C.
J.
reads the notes and analyzes the writing? Maybe she can tell us something about him that could help us.
No.
No.
You guys cannot help me on this.
- I have to do it alone.
- What are you talking about? This is why I didn't want to tell you guys this stuff.
"Every member of Odysseus' crew ends up dead.
"All gruesome deaths.
Only the hero survives.
The hero must go it alone.
" You really think if we try to help you, we're all gonna die? That's what the notes are warning.
Ian, we're in this together.
If you're right, and these notes can lead us to finding a way to escape, then even if it does get dangerous somehow, we're all going to help any way we can.
Whoa, Ceej.
No offense, but whatever happened to voting? All right.
This is interesting.
He's incredibly smart and has a very heroic nature, but he doesn't think he's smart or heroic enough.
But he thinks you, Ian, might be.
He wrote these notes the way he did to test you.
Finding the Cyclops skull means you've passed that trial.
But now you have to retrace your journey in order to go forward and find him You got all that just from analyzing his writing? Plus, that's exactly what he's written on this page.
[chuckles.]
Oh.
[chuckles.]
I haven't gotten that far in the book yet.
"Retrace your journey in order to find him.
" What does that mean? How is going back over your steps supposed to help you track this guy down? Unless I'm not suppose to track him down myself, but I'm supposed to use someone I met while following the notes.
- [sniffs.]
What's that stench? - Hey.
It's me again.
I was wondering, your nose-- can you use it to track people down? You mean like a bloodhound? See, we're looking for this person, and we don't know who they are or where they are.
All we've got to go on is their gym clothes.
So let me get this straight.
First, you want me to smell someone's gym shorts, then you want me to run around like a trained dog? Dude, you're barking up the wrong tree.
[sniffing.]
[sniffing continues.]
[insects buzzing.]
Fetch.
[sniffing.]
What are you guys doing out? It's past curfew.
You're all supposed to be in your rooms.
[chuckles.]
Gabe.
[clears throat.]
Let us pass.
Um, excuse me.
I just told you to let us pass through.
And I told you it's past curfew.
[Gabe chuckles.]
I don't think you understand.
I can pretty much make you do anything I want.
No, you don't understand.
What you do has no effect on me.
Nobody can make me do anything I don't want to.
[clears throat.]
Right.
Just one second, please.
Hey, guys, have met my new arch-nemesis? Sorry, dude.
We were getting close, too.
Oh, no.
Don't you worry.
We're not done with you yet.
You're not the only person I've met recently who can help me.
[Women moaning.]
Excuse me.
It's past curfew.
You ladies are gonna have to-- Shh! [moaning continues.]
Thanks.
I owe you one.
You owe me a couple.
[moaning continues.]
I don't get it.
How come their hyper-suasion works on him but mine doesn't? I'm not sure they're even using hyper-suasion.
- [snaps fingers.]
- [clears throat.]
- [whistles.]
- [sniffing.]
[sniffing continues.]
Here.
This is where it leads.
Oh, no.
- Dude, this is the girl's room.
- What girl's room? The one with the face and the crazy hair.
My job's done.
I gotta go.
- What? - What's wrong? I can smell fear.
Oh, great.
He can smell fear.
Did you hear that? This is how the rest of the crew dies, okay? Can we please save ourselves? What are you doing? [panting.]
What are you doing with Norman's gym clothes? [insects buzzing.]
So, you know the person these belong to? Yeah, but where is he? Is is he alive? Uh Yeah, this is my book for a class a couple terms ago, but I never read it.
I didn't have to.
Norman read it for me.
He became obsessed with it before he disappeared.
He found some sort of weird parallel between the hero's journey and attending this school.
Yeah, I know.
I've been reading his notes in the book.
I gotta say, it's been kind of hard figuring out what he means, though.
Norman had a weird way of telling people things.
I sort of hoped he had sent you here as a message to let me know he's okay.
How could he have known I'd be assigned that book? Norman justknew things before they were ever explained to him, before they even happened.
He sensed, the whole time we were together, that we were destined to be apart.
And not in some relationshipy type of way.
He just-- He knew he'd have to go, and we'd It's kind of hard to explain.
It's like falling in love with a vampire.
You girls get it.
But knowing things-- That's why Norman was brought here.
But that's what drove him crazy.
Tower Prep was the one thing that he couldn't know.
Every question that he answered about this school only led to more questions.
Yeah.
I know how that feels.
But if he's trying to point you in some direction, maybe he thinks you'll find the answers that he couldn't.
Find answers? I can't even find him.
Well, if he guided you here, there's a reason for it.
Do you have anything of his? You know, maybe, like, a picture of him or something? He took the only picture I had of him just before he disappeared.
May I? - What are you doing? - I think there's something here.
This is what he wanted me to have.
He wanted you to have this? I mean, how could you possibly know that? I just know.
You remind me of him.
Do you have any idea why he would've wanted me to find this? Because it'll lead you to him.
When you find him, tell him I.
Never mind.
Don't tell him anything.
He'd already know anything I'd say.
Wow.
In real life, doomed romanticism is actually quite depressing.
Depressing? You know what's depressing? Is that we're not any closer to finding Norman.
Oh, yeah.
And a way out of here.
Should I even bother to point out that we're also not any closer to finishing the book for the test tomorrow? I didn't think so.
You know, I'm really starting to hate this Norman guy.
I give up.
This is the same size as the compass.
Hmm.
The odyssey ends here, which, on our map The secret he wants us to find is out here in the woods, near the perimeter wall.
There's probably gnomes out there this time of night.
Yeah.
That's fine.
I'll leave first thing in the morning.
Where should we meet? Oh.
No, no, no, no, no.
I'm going out there alone.
I've ignored the warnings of crew members dying long enough.
You guys are staying here.
Well, if you insist.
Right, ladies? Oh [Gabe.]
Um, Ian, a quicky real quick, just in case it's on the test, how do the rest of the crew end up dying? - In the book? - Yes.
- Uh, well, most drowned, actually.
- Oh, drowned.
Yeah.
Some got smashed by boulders thrown at them by giants.
Some get eaten by Scylla, a six-headed monster.
- [Suki.]
Ew.
- [Gabe chuckling.]
Monsters.
One guy forgot that he fell asleep on top of a house.
When he wakes up, he falls off the roof and, uh, breaks his neck.
Oh! The classic slapstick death.
Nice.
Why do I feel like I have that coming? Gabe, we're not going to die.
Oh, of course not.
Not now anyway.
How much farther do we have? Whatever we're suppose to find should be straight ahead.
[Suki.]
Wouldn't it be great if what we end up finding is a copy of the test with an answer key? [Ian.]
Well, you know where Odysseus had to go to find his answers.
Where does he have to go? Hades, the ancient Greek land of the dead.
He has to travel to the underworld and talk to a dead prophet to find out what he has to do to get home.
Oh, that must've been back before they had GPS.
Looks like we found the Land of the Dead.
I really, really hope that this is not last year's graduating class.
They're definitely gravestones, but what's with the crazy name? [reads.]
It's Latin.
Some sort of biological classification.
So this is the escape route Norman wanted you to find? It's a dead end, literally.
I Who do you think is buried here? I hope it's not Norman himself.
Maybe he was worried he might end up out here, so he left me clues in case he did.
But why would he be buried out here? Maybe it's where they bury the children who try to escape the school, okay? Now can we leave, please? Huh? Come on.
[cries out.]
- [screams.]
- [thuds.]
- Gabe! - Gabe! - [Ian.]
You all right? - Yeah.
My glasses broke my fall.
Jeez.
- Come on, come on.
Give us your arm.
- Come here.
Don't fall.
It's so cold down there.
- [Gabe panting.]
- Are you okay? [sighs.]
I'm suddenly over my thing for vampires.
[grunting.]
Come on.
[gasps.]
The rest of the Cyclops skeleton.
Do you think each of these graves has a different monster in them? But why bury them and give them headstones? I mean, that's like something you do for a pet.
What are you doing? It's a tunnel.
Guys, this is our way out.
I knew Norman wouldn't let me down.
How do you know it goes all the way down the wall? Gabe, the book, please.
He showed me.
Look.
I just didn't understand what he was trying to tell me at the time.
But all this stuff with the Cyclops and the graveyard-- What's it all mean? Apparently even Norman couldn't figure it out.
This must have been why he decided to leave.
Frankly, I'm with Norman.
Guys, who cares about what-- what all of this is, okay? We don't need to know what Tower Prep's all about now.
We can-- We can go.
We can leave all this behind.
No.
I can't ignore these warnings anymore.
- None of you can go.
- What? - What? I don't want any of my crew to die, let alone all of them.
This tunnel looks like it could collapse at any second.
Then maybe you shouldn't go either.
Ceej, I have to.
I'd give you a hug good-bye, but you're in a grave with a headless Cyclops skeleton.
[chuckles.]
Looks like I won't be needing this anymore.
I never did finish it.
Hmm.
Wouldn't you know it? Last page is missing.
I guess the journey never ends.
I'll be back to get you guys sooner than you think.
[grunting.]
Ian, what's wrong? There's something down here! [sighs.]
[grunts.]
It's collapsing! Get me outta here! Gabe! [gasps.]
Watch out.
[grunts.]
Help me! - Come on! - Ian! - Oh! - [panting.]
- You okay? - Yeah, yeah.
I'm fine.
[panting continues.]
Unreal.
[sighs.]
- Oh.
- What's that? It's the last page of my book.
It says, "My journey is not your journey.
Your odyssey is not the odyssey.
" That's good.
Now he tells you.
"Sorry about that last trial, "but I had to make sure you were hero material.
"Now I know you're the man to solve the school mysteries I couldn't.
P.
S.
, please give this to my first mate.
" [chuckles.]
What is it? It's a picture of Norman.
- Let me see.
- Not quite what I expected.
w.
To think you put your life in this guy's hands.
Here.
Let me see.
I guess Norman wasn't leading us out of here after all.
What? Now what do we do? [Ian.]
Now I guess the only thing left to do is be late for class.
Ah, Mr.
Archer and his merry crew.
Time is almost up.
We'd like to take the test, sir.
Did you even read the book? Read it? I've lived it.
Thank you, sir.
[voices vocalizing.]
Well, I didn't get an A, but I knew enough to fake passing it.
Hey, what was the name of the dog? - Argus.
- Oh! - Oh! - I wrote "Scooby.
" - [chuckling.]
- How'd you do, Ian? Well, I'm not sure how I did on the test, but I think I figured out what Norman was trying to tell me with his last note.
See, my odyssey is not the same as the odyssey in this book.
It's not about trying to find a way back home.
My odyssey is here at Tower Prep, and trying to figure out what's really going on at this psycho school.
[chuckles.]
Hey, uh, Norman wanted you to have this.
He's, uh, not quite what I expected.
[chuckles.]
He didn't want you to know where he was going, because he was afraid if you went, you might get hurt or even-- I know.
I know all that now.
You're gonna find out the things that Norman couldn't.
Be careful.
When the timing's right Thank you.
And the city light Shines upon your wall I can almost see - The smallest world - My hero.
That's dark inside of me