Heroes Unmasked (2007) s01e07 Episode Script

Food in your teeth? Perfect! Ooops sorry.
There's some on the screen, there.
Oh, yeah.
Greg Grunberg is the life and soul of the Heroes' set, with a joke and a smile never far away.
But for Matt Parkman, the hapless cop, mind reading is no laughing matter.
If you woke up and you actually thought that you could hear someone else's thoughts, that would not be a good thing.
No, I'm a cop.
You would think you're crazy.
It's okay.
In the real world there is no such thing, at least as far as I know, as telepathy, otherwise I would know what you're thinking right now.
But when you then manifest that into a character, it's important that that character takes you on a journey.
I get the one ability that a police officer would want, which is the ability to pull information and hear everything.
But it's really to be careful about you wish for a moment, because, you know, you don't wanna know what everyone's thinking all the time and with it comes headaches and puts my characters in such amazing situations that he only dreamt about being in but he may not be prepared for.
I'm hearing things that I should not be hearing.
Trying to hear my thoughts, Matt? Please don't hurt me.
It was like someone was talking to me, except it was into my head.
Makes a move and I blow his head off, then clean everything off the register.
- Stop! - I know what you're going through! Yeah, sure you do! - Don't do this.
- The hell what you know! - Who's Claire? - Go deep and clean him out.
I love this idea of the everyman, the character that you woud root for.
He's the lowliest kind of cop that you could ever find, in fact, when we first meet him, he's litteraly directing traffic outside of a crime scene that they won't let him into.
So he's that far down the ranks on police force.
The original idea was that he would rise up the ranks, through this new-found ability that he would have, and I started to think what would be that ability that would allow him to rise up the ranks and I thought that it would be nothing more useful for a cop than the ability to hear people's thoughts.
Please, don't hurt me.
I'm not gonna let anybody hurt you.
No, no, no.
Come on, take my hand.
It's ok, come on.
As there is a lot of these powers, they have a kind of dual edge to them.
There's a scene where he goes to see his wife and they have a fight.
You waited up all this time so that you could tell me you don't want to talk to me? Look, I really don't want this to turn into a fight and if I say anything else it will.
And he hears in her head I wish he would just leave.
Fine.
I will.
And so he leaves and she is left going "why did he leave? I didn't say anything!" When you can hear what people think, sometimes they think things that you don't want to know and so, even if you have the power, it's not necessarily a good thing.
He knows.
Damn it, I knew it! When we come to meet Matt Parkman, he's definetely going through some sort of marital strife and what we realize very quickly is that his wife is begging him to just be satisfied with his life, "Why can't you just be happy?", and like we all feel, he just feels he's destined for more.
Was supposed to be a good thing when I made as an associate and you was supposed to be happy for me, but ever since it's like you're mad at me for getting what I wanted, because you haven't! Through the very early part of the show he hears things he shouldn't be hearing and at first it's wonderful, because he takes advantage of it, I mean he's able to satisfy his wife.
What is all this? This is the Serat, from that great place in the Sonoma Valley, remeber we went there a million years ago and you were thinking about going back? How do you know that? He's able to, you know, really take the relationship to a whole new level.
Wait! I've had that song in my head for days! Oh, I know.
Imagine being able to hear your wife's every thoughts and desires and dreams and jump on them and satisfy them without her telling you.
Everything I can think of, you thought that first.
You're able to say: "Oh, sure, I knew you were thinking of that song", or "I knew you wanted to go to that restaurant", or what we do on the show is satisfy her in bed.
I mean, is that not just the greatest? It's just so cool.
When my character gets the balls to tell his wife that he's got this ability, which is a really tricky thing to say, I mean, are you gonna tell your wife that you can actually read minds? There's something that we need to talk about.
Something that I've discovered.
The writers just find the greatest way to build this relationship up, and right up when he's gonna tell her: "I read your mind".
I thought I've been so careful.
And I find out she's having an affair.
What? What is it? Oh, God, he knows.
This ability to rise up the ranks and to control your destiny and your career, has the opposite effect in your personal life.
My buddy, we were in the same car together for three years: I practically read your mind.
He hears his partner, the guy that he trust more than anyone else, the guy he would think would take a bullet for him, he's not only taking a bullet, he's taking something else.
Loser.
I'm nailing your wife and she is so fine.
When I just get to punch him out it's, again, using the ability in a way that, you know, normally am I drag this for months and months and months and be depressing, but no, he gets to find out, take care of the problem.
What's up?! Come on! Yeah, it leads to a whole mess with his wife, but it's exciting and thrilling and it's one of those satisfying situations for the audience.
I think people were cheering, you know, when I got to punch him out.
How you doin'? Well, I'm That was a rethorical question.
Just say "fine" and order your drink.
The idea that we explore the fun aspects of these powers is something that is incredibly appealing to the audience.
What am I doing here? This is a prick.
She's digging me.
I'm in for sure.
It's kinda cool.
And he's sitting at the bar, and he's getting a kick out of hearing all these thoughts.
He looks at a guy down the bar and knows he's having marital problems.
That shrew is sucking my life out of me.
That guy thinks he's hitting on him.
Barking up the wrong tree, pal.
He's enjoying it and then immediately comes to the Haitian.
And the Haitian's blocking.
And there's that interference, he's not picking up anything.
And he passes out.
So, just when he's enjoying it, bam! He gets hit.
Just when I'm enjoying it with my wife, and I'm satisfying her at the dinner, I make her favourite meal, and I'm just really loving it, using my powers to better my relationship, she hits me with So, who is she? Can't even believe it?! I can't catch a break, you know! No respect! Ok, sorry.
I thought this was what you wanted.
That's one of those things that it's just a fun side to the powers and, you know, it can't last very long in a show like this, because we have the end of the world coming, but, it's fun to see.
From television shows like "Alias" to film such as "Hollow Man", Greg Grunberg is no strange to working on productions both big and small.
But nothing could have prepared Matt Parkman for his new found skill.
When my character first realizes his abilities is when he's out in the street, and he's just directing traffic, there's a homicide that had happened, a murder in a house, and he knows nothing of what's going on, he just tells his partner how frustrated he is.
They don't pay us enough to be where the action is.
And he's hearing voices.
Please don't hurt me.
Please don't hurt me.
And he realizes that the voice that he's hearing is not matching the partner.
Please, don't hurt me.
And he, for the first time, follows those voices and tries to figure out where they're coming from.
And what is great about it is this beat cop walking past the yellow tape, past the SWAT team, past the detectives.
He's getting their attention at the same time because he's not where it should be.
You're not supposed to be in here.
And he finds this little girl whose parents have been murdered.
Please, don't hurt me.
But how could he possibly know that? And so immediately raises suspicion.
How the hell did you know that the girl was in there? I don't know And they think he's got something to do with this.
A house full of cops but you're outside and you just heard her whisper? He's stuck between "I can't tell them" and at the same time "They think I'm crazy and they think I'm part of this".
You think I killed these people? I didn't kill these people, Sylar did.
Agent Hanson thinks he's part of what had happened in that crime scene.
Six people assigned to this case know the name Sylar.
How the hell did you know that? I heard it.
From you.
Like you heard the girl whisper? - Yeah.
- Then hear this one: - you're under arrest.
- What? But very quickly, when they butt heads, he hears something and hears her frustrations.
Parkman, I need this more than you do.
Nobody believes in me.
Nobody believes in you.
I know what that's like.
She shows her vulnerability.
Not 'cause she wants to, but because it's in her mind and she's pulling from him to give the answers that she wants.
How do you like to work with the FBI? She knows that it's got to be the case, there's got to be this guy Sylar out there that's more that just your "run-of-the-mill" serial killer.
And she's really wanting to get this from him and he hears that and he's able to pull from her and she suddenly has to roll with this, so she takes a chance on him.
And suddenly you've got this great team.
These two people that would not be able to stand up if they weren't leaning on each other.
She hasn't said a word since we brought her here.
Why do you think she's gonna talk to me? Well, if you're really a mind reader, she won't need to.
That is fantastic to me.
She's vulnerable, she's got her job, her career is on the line for this relative nutcase, I mean, she really is counting on this guy to do the impossible.
- It's Sylar.
- Freeze! How do you hear what people are thinking? This is really a kind of Mulder and Scully relationship and one I think people will love.
Eight deaths and I have no clue how to explain.
Trust me, this one's number nine.
You did a great job in there.
She wants him to use his powers, he can't control them.
I have no idea how this happens.
She really wants him to be able to be beyond where he is, but at the same time he's got headaches and is frustrated with his personal life.
I'm gonna need you to get inside his head.
Hearing what he's really thinking, it can be ugly.
Parkman and Hanson, the new cop show.
What is this all about with you? You're an idiot, Parkman.
You know that? For Parkman and Hanson, their investigative trail has led them straight to the door of a rather firy new arrival.
Theodore Sprague, a.
k.
a.
Sylar.
Everybody in the show is dealing with powers like, you know, "I can fly!" or "I can regenerate".
Something's burning.
Radiation? This guy's dealing with something that, you know, basically he's toxic.
What the hell happened here? Come on, let's get outta here! The character of Ted Sprague is one of the most thankless heroes of the entire show.
You burnt that doctor to the bone.
Probably gave your wife cancer.
How'd you do it? He makes the love of his life sick.
Look what I've found in the bedroom.
Look at this.
Methotrexate.
This is chemotherapy in a pill.
This is prescribed to Karen Sprague and it's current.
When I read the mind of his wife in that hospital room, right before she dies, I thought that's was one of the most brilliant ways of using this power that we could have possibly done.
Take it easy, Ted.
We just want to ask you some questions.
I didn't mean to kill him.
When you find me my wife is dying and nobody can help her.
Doctor Frescoe said there was nothing he could do to save her.
And I tried to convince him, you know, there must there must be something else that he could do.
They come in and ther're gonna take me away, and they're gonna take me away from my wife before she dies and that is really the thing that creates the most desperation.
Hey! Let her go.
You let her go or I'll shoot you! Do you have an idea of what will happen to you if you do that because I don't.
And there's also a very real sense of shame and betrayal that I feel, like I've wronged her.
- Leave me alone! - We can't do that! Not only by killing her but by killing this doctor, you know, it's like what might she think of me? Don't, Ted.
Don't! Because Greg character can read thoughts, my dying wife is communicating with him.
Karen want you stop.
How can you say that? She's saying that you need to listen, Ted.
You never listen.
You're too damn stubborn.
And gives me this fabulous gift before she dies.
How could you hear that? He's telling the truth, Ted.
It was so sad, it was defusing this intense situation.
She's saying she she doesn't blame you.
Someone who's in a coma, who's about to die is able to have her last conversation with the man that she loves because of me? She's saying it's not your fault, Ted.
That's just genius! She shouldn't be here.
He's got stuff going on, I mean, he's afraid of losing his wife.
So I think is incredibly sensitive to that whole idea, you know, it's a great moment.
When I've read that in the script I thought wow! They are really taking this power and my character to a place I could have never imagined.
It's so satisfying.
Step outta the car, now.
I think you really want to eat some doughnuts.