Tremors s01e09 Episode Script
Graboid Rights
Howdy.
Hey.
Hey.
Just need you to sign these release forms and we'll be off on a Graboid adventure.
There's no adventure in the debasing of Graboids.
You a little grumpy this morning? Hey, what's that about? You're not the Stein family, are you? Howdy, folks.
Hello.
Hi.
Morning.
It'll just be a minute to get these nice people off my jeep.
We're not going anywhere.
Uh, maybe a few minutes.
I don't think so.
Shame on you.
Shame on all of you.
This isn't some trained dolphin raised for your amusement.
Wait! Wait! Oh, nice work.
You just ran my customers off.
He'll be scarce.
For a little while, at least.
Thank you.
Those are called wrist-seismos, the operative word being Wrist.
Yeah.
It was a little uncomfortable, so You let your guard down.
Not a good idea around here.
Burt Gummer, right? I've been told that you have a particular dislike of that Graboid.
Nothing personal.
I just like staying at the top of the food chain.
Me too.
I was just burying some instruments to monitor his movements.
I've been researching the effects of human encroachment on Graboid habitats for the last few years.
I'm familiar with your work.
But the fact is, we're not encroaching, we're coexisting.
What the hell? Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Hey, Burt.
Tyler here.
Come in.
Burt here.
What's up? Over.
We got a situation here, Burt.
Better come back into town, quick.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
What the hell is going on? We're being invaded.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
NEWDO has arrived in Perfection to protest the human incursion into this endangered animal's habitat.
We will stay here until the last human resident of Perfection Valley has left for good.
Yeah.
The cavalry has arrived.
Chad Ranston.
I would like to introduce an authority on human and animal interaction, Dr.
Ellie Bergen, who went to great lengths to bring this compelling evidence to our organization.
I saved her life.
After months of observing El Blanco in his natural habitat, as well as several years researching the normal living conditions of wild Graboids, I have come to the conclusion that not only is El Blanco suffering from diminished life expectancy, but he is in fact showing increased signs of stress and disorientation.
Okay, everyone has an assignment.
Let's get moving.
I wanna be set up by nightfall.
Hey, if I'm allowed to ask one question Yes? Where do you get off with this baloney about El Blanco? Mr.
Gummer, I can assure you that my research is quite well documented.
You can't hide the truth any longer, El Burto.
Murderer.
Come on.
Step back.
It's all right.
It's all right.
Mindy? What are you doing here? Mindy.
Hey, Burt.
Uh, this is where I'm from, isn't it? Well, I'm just a little surprised.
I didn't know you were coming home.
Mom, I want you to meet someone.
You remember Chad? Mmm? I thought that was you.
Nancy.
You know this guy? I knew his father, Scarecrow Ranston, a long time ago.
Father's named Scarecrow? So, Mindy, you wanna tell me what the hell's going on? Yeah, I'm all ears.
We're taking a stand of solidarity with El Blanco.
"We"? Chad, me, the organization.
The organization? The organization.
Nevada Environmental and Wildlife Defense Organization.
NEWDO.
That's us.
So, Mindy, where exactly did you run into Chad? Chad taught my Poli-Sci seminar last semester.
Contemporary Trends in Radical Politics.
Mindy was my star.
Uh, and you two are You got it.
You slept with your professor? Excuse me? I was more like an instructor.
And it isn't the point.
Oh, what is the point? That you can't let El Blanco's exploitation go on any longer.
We do not exploit El Blanco.
You think that military ordnance of yours is humane? You think these tourists each month are beneficial to El Blanco's environment? You think that the government scientists out in the valley are Graboid-friendly? Those scientists have nothing to do with us.
It's bad enough that El Blanco has to live in the vicinity of humans, coupled with the abuse Mindy, you know there's no abuse.
How would you like it if each time you went to the food counter to get a sandwich, someone tossed a grenade at you? If someone treated a dog the way you treat El Blanco El Blanco is hardly man's best friend.
Mindy, where the hell is this coming from? You never thought like that.
I've evolved.
Into what? Mindy was confused at first.
She grew up assuming that Graboids were to be destroyed or, at best, tolerated to uphold your code of frontier living.
She's realized the hypocrisy of your ways.
Now, let me tell you something.
I've lived with that Graboid a long time, and he is in the pink of health.
Dr.
Bergen's research.
This is not a joke.
El Blanco is dying.
And in light of these findings, it would be criminal if you continued to live here with El Blanco.
We're staying until you leave.
Not without federal permission.
And I guarantee you won't get that.
Burt Gummer relying on the oppression of the federal government.
And they said irony is dead.
Regardless, this is a peaceful demonstration.
If you want to call in the National Guard, be my guest.
You comfortable in there? I want to thank you guys for giving me a chance to do some long-overdue maintenance on my jeep.
Ma'am, please.
Thank you.
Thanks.
One worm, one world.
One worm, one world.
One worm, one world.
You guys look thirsty.
I have soda, bottled water, iced tea.
Five bucks each.
Come on, Jodi.
Supporting their cause like that.
One worm, one world.
Thank you.
Anyone else? Drinks, five dollars.
It's very hot.
Just put your stuff over there.
I'll be right back.
You are throwing your life away.
You're always saying, "Get out.
See the world.
"Do something important.
" And you took that to mean drop out of school, come back home and mess with our lives? God, you are such a hypocrite.
Chad runs the most effective animal rights organization in Nevada.
I'm like his number two.
I think that's more important than my GPA or whether my softball team makes the NC 2A.
You grew up in this town.
It's not my fault you decided spinning pots in the middle of nowhere was the only way to live honestly.
This is not about me.
No.
It's about saving El Blanco.
I mean, you taught me that all life is precious.
Or is that only when it suits you? Those dirty SOBs.
How are we supposed to run a protest out here if we can't get any cell service? What is all this? My communications center.
I was hoping I could set it up in here.
Sorry.
This is my communications center.
Yours will have to go elsewhere.
Okay.
Fine.
Uh, set it up in the truck for now.
I'll be out in a sec.
Is that any way to treat a guest? You're my guest because my daughter thinks you're a swell guy.
That doesn't give you the right to make my home into your headquarters.
Whoa, wow, you've changed, Nancy.
You used to believe in the struggle.
And what struggle would that be, Chad? The paying-the-bills struggle, or the keeping-my-daughter- in-college struggle? There are more important things.
Like what? Running for Congress on the green ticket? I'm about the issues, Nancy.
Is that so? Well, I read all about you on the Internet, Chad.
And you are about any cause that gets you the most press.
Indigenous birds in Lake Tahoe.
That was good for a few headlines.
Argenta Marsh deer.
Well, that put your face right on the front page.
State wildlife anti-cruelty legislation.
That got you on TV! Scarecrow would be so proud.
You're wrong.
I believe in this cause.
And getting publicity is what it's all about.
Go ahead and chase whatever cause fits your resume, but don't screw around with my daughter's life.
She's old enough to make her own choices.
It's you that I'm worried about.
The Nancy I remember would've been out there on the front lines with me.
What happened? Did you get scared? Or are you just complacent? Ray is looking for you.
Something about blocking the highway.
Mmm-hmm.
Don't worry, I'll talk him down.
What did you say to him? Nothing.
Yeah, right.
Mindy.
You know I love you.
If this is gonna be one of those for-your-own-good speeches, stop now.
This is about something more than my own good.
I am begging you.
Please read this.
Dr.
Bergen's research proves we're right.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Way to go, Chad! Whoo! So what do you think of our little circus? It's amazing.
You know, I'm just happy that I get to help somebody who's willing to put his beliefs on the line.
It's rare that someone in my line of work gets the chance to effect change.
Excuse me.
Yeah.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Phase Two's underway.
Okay, good work.
Now I need you to keep a low profile.
Sure.
Okay, don't take any risks.
Get out of my way.
Damn.
Who let the freakshow in? Twitch.
Twitch.
What do you want? I want you to do something about these idiots.
How am I supposed to run a tour like that? Give 'em a group rate, man.
You know, what about me? What about me, huh? Some of these pendejos got on my property and let my cattle out of their pen.
It took Harlow all morning to round them up.
Look.
I got everything under control.
You do? Yeah.
I do.
Okay? My department sent out a team of scientists to verify this Dr.
Bergen's research, see if there's anything to it.
All right? And that's gonna help us how? Hey, it's not all about you, okay? My supervisor's all over me.
Letting you people live out here was the worst career move I've ever made, okay? Bad PR, and it's my ass.
So back off.
Let me square this deal.
Whatever.
Yeah, my words exactly.
Twitchell, come in.
Yeah, Stan, Twitchell.
What do you want? El Blanco's completely whacked out.
You better come and take a look, ASAP.
Hey, Pearl Jam, off the car, will you? They're so proud of the First Amendment that they forget the other 26.
That's my private property, for God's sake.
I tell you, if I weren't a patient, peace-Ioving man Burt, maybe you wanna look at the report too.
You want a second opinion? Well, at first glance, the evidence seems pretty conclusive.
Yeah, that's what I thought, too.
According to this, El Blanco's in dire straits.
He might not even make it through the month.
Don't tell me you're buying into this.
It's all in the data, Burt.
If you wanna live in denial, that's fine, but, I'm starting to think that maybe we shouldn't be here.
You're that easily manipulated? Look, if El Blanco is dying because of the fact A handful of humans, a tiny research lab.
If that's enough to kill a Graboid, they'd have gone the way of the dinosaurs long ago.
We don't know that.
Most Graboids don't live more than a few months.
El Blanco is the only one we know of that has lived past his expected metamorphosis.
If Dr.
Bergen is right She's not.
I said "if.
" And I'm saying we're probably just dealing with some young twit zoologist who needs to justify her grant money.
Well, I'm open-minded.
And I couldn't live with knowing that I had killed off any creature.
Am I the only one cognizant of the fact that these people mean us harm? These people are standing up for what they believe in, which by the way, Burt, is what we used to believe in.
Keeping El Blanco alive.
Unless of course it was just for selfish reasons so that we could go on living here without ever having to face the real world.
Hey, Gummer, Twitchell here.
You out there? What is it? Take a look.
He's gone completely mad.
I'm thinking this is bad.
Gonna tell me I'm wrong? Never make it easy, do you, Gummer? How'd you find me? I stuck a small tracking device on your bumper about six months ago.
Just kidding.
Saw you parked out front.
Jesus.
What is this, Perfection? Trying to figure out if El Blanco's really sick.
We just saw him, didn't we? What's so interesting about EB's half-eaten lunch? Not half-eaten.
Regurgitated.
Look, Gummer, El Blanco's gone bad.
Yeah, but what's it mean? Means you and your friends have to start looking for real estate in Bixby.
Seriously, I mean, it was bound to happen at some point, right? Nobody's meant to live in a place like this with a thing like that.
We are.
Don't you worry, Gummer.
A plan's in the works at the highest levels.
DOI's got a strategy.
I'm familiar with it.
It's called guessing which way the political wind blows.
You just keep up your investigation.
I'll take care of our little activist friend.
Reporting live from Perfection, Nevada, I'm Kelly Lewis.
It's a day packed with emotion, here.
People, as you can see, passing out flyers.
Behind me, people holding posters.
You can see the conviction in their eyes.
Let's talk with one of the protesters now.
Why'd you let them in your house? Because they have a point.
Yeah, their point is they want us all out.
You didn't see it.
You didn't see what El Blanco was doing.
Well, maybe he's upset because of all these strangers.
I can't just sit on the sidelines, Rosalita.
I'm sorry.
Where is he? Burt's not here.
Not Gummer.
This new thorn in my ass.
Chad.
He's staying at Nancy's.
Hey, Mr.
Ranston.
How you doing? I'm Deputy Twitchell, Department of Interior.
Nice to meet you.
I know who you are.
What do you want? Well, I come in peace.
I'm here to let you know that we're here and we're on the case.
My team is out in the valley, observing El Blanco as we speak.
Now we know something's not quite right and we're gonna correct it.
Now what I need you to do, Mr.
Ranston, is call off the dogs.
Dogs? Press.
I said dogs Mind if I have one of these? Sure.
Yeah.
You see, my people, we don't take kindly to any sort of bad PR.
You know what I'm saying? I think you do.
So what I'm thinking here is if you help me out, I'll help you out on the other side.
Okay? Kind of a quid quo Quid pro quo.
Exactly.
Right.
Take care of this on the QT, on the lowdown.
Understand what I'm saying? Oh, I understand what you're saying.
I understand perfectly.
The TV cameras go away, so do you, and El Blanco continues to suffer.
That's not quite If you'll excuse me.
Oh, and Twitchell.
Breath mints, please.
Tell them if they have any questions about this information, they can speak to me or Chad.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Listen, kid, we've got a problem.
Your mother's a good woman.
She's treated me better than anyone I've ever met.
My relationship with my mother is none of your business.
She's done nothing but take care of you.
But this is her home, your home.
And you're throwing it all away because of some man.
Some man? I'm not here because of Chad.
We're both here because of El Blanco.
He's really sick if you haven't noticed.
What I have noticed is that you've turned Perfection into a zoo.
First Burt's place gets trashed, then my ranch.
What's next? I don't know what you're talking about.
Well, maybe then you should open your eyes a little wider.
Burt, come in.
Burt here, Rosalita.
What's up? Over.
El Blanco's making some kind of hideous noise.
Here, listen.
Sounds like he's gut shot.
Over.
Whatever it is, it's freaking me out.
Thanks for the update.
Burt, out.
What was that? El Blanco's howling now, like nothing I've ever heard before.
Sounds like Dr.
Bergen might not have been that far off the mark.
That's why I'm here.
I need you to take a look at something.
Here.
Ray, did you have anything to do with Burt's place getting trashed last night? Nope.
You sure? Yup.
What's that? Just something Dr.
Bergen requested from town.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Must be getting pretty ripe in there, blazing hot day like this.
We love the sun.
We're pumped.
Don't you guys want a shower or a bed? Or a toilet, at least? Everything we need is right here.
Everything? We got a bucket.
Did not need to hear that.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Leaving so soon? No, not leaving.
Going to check some equipment.
Let me ask you a question before you go.
Was ruining our lives part of your plan the entire time you've been working out here in the valley, or was it only after Burt saved your life? Hey, I'm sorry that this is hard on you, but El Blanco needs help.
Oh, he's a friend of yours? El Blanco? Yeah.
I just care.
Well, if you really care, you need to open your eyes.
The way we live out here may seem weird to you, but we protect that big dumb worm, risk our lives to keep him safe.
And sometimes it's like he does the same for us.
The last thing we're doing is hurting him.
I know it's easy for you to believe that, but I'm a scientist.
My only interest is in the truth.
Fraternizing with the enemy.
No, I'm not the one selling them imported beer at wildly inflated prices.
Hey, I'm just being practical.
Raising money for our defense fund.
You know, if they try to force us out.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Which sounds better, noble beast or noble Graboid? Noble Graboid.
Oh, Fox News is gonna eat this up.
Good.
Good? That's fantastic.
This is better than I ever imagined.
Yeah.
What's wrong? Someone's been destroying property.
I think it's Ray.
What? No.
No way.
I just don't trust those Animal Liberation people.
You kidding? Ray got tossed out of Animal Liberation.
Too dedicated.
But he's a true believer.
A good guy.
Let's just get this straight, for me.
You didn't tell Ray to do anything, right? Are you kidding? You and I agreed at the beginning.
Passive resistance.
Nothing extreme.
Hmm? Hmm? Okay.
I don't understand why you have to be so suspicious of everyone in the valley.
I'm not suspicious, I'm prudent.
Dr.
Bergen's working in good faith.
You know, not all scientists are out to get you.
That's interesting.
What? Well, it's just that I got a double positive on this.
That usually means What the hell? Oh, no! My equipment! Hold on.
No, don't get too close.
Wait a minute.
Damn it.
Oh.
There he is.
Get him, Burt.
Hey! Hey! Hold up.
I'm coming! Hold on.
Hold on.
I got you.
I got you.
Hang in there.
He went down in a cloud of purple dust.
He had to be packed with it.
Imagine it's a crystalline sulfate, or maybe potassium permanganate.
Homemade explosives? At least one of the ingredients.
I'll take a look at it.
Seems to be your fulltime job at the moment.
All right.
And you, what can I help you with? Hey, give me a couple of shirts over here, man.
If you're a believer, put it on your chest! Graboids have rights, too.
Fifteen bucks a piece, you guys.
All proceeds go to the cause.
Ray Maguire was a friend of mine.
His death is a tragedy.
A tragedy that the simpleminded will blame on the true victim.
The Graboid.
Ray died in an act of civil disobedience, boldly trying to protect El Blanco from the dangers brought on by our government's own scientists.
What exactly do you mean by that, sir? What he means is his late lamented friend was another radical monkey wrencher, destroying private property, and endangering peoples' lives.
Smooth talkers like Chad always need someone to do their dirty work.
In this case, homemade explosives.
Ray died with his pockets full of the stuff.
This from Burt Gummer.
Burt Gummer, the man who delights in tossing grenades at El Blanco every chance he gets.
Mindy.
I can't talk.
I have to deal with some reporters.
Mindy, hold on a second, will you? What? What? I want to know what happened.
Me too.
'Cause if they tried to pressure you into anything Mom, I swear, I had no idea what Ray was up to.
Okay.
What about Chad? I don't know.
Mindy.
I don't, Mom.
I'm gonna find out.
Hey.
Want some help? I'll take care of it.
Okay.
I got to go.
Okay, yeah.
Scrambled eggs, toast, $12.
95.
Sounds right to me.
Oh, wait a minute, you had butter with that toast.
Right? Mmm-hmm.
$14.
95.
Just so you understand, while I appreciate the business, it should in no way indicate that I am sympathetic to your cause, because, quite frankly, I think we're all pretty respectful of El Blanco.
And what are we supposed to do, I mean as a human species? Every time there's another species, we move out? Where do we go, Mars? To Mars.
Annoy the Martians.
Ah, jeez.
Hey, nature boys! Get your asses off that tower! Hey, bite me.
Tree-hugging SOBs.
What? What do you mean, what? When are you gonna get these people out of my town? Hey, manhandler is not part of the job description.
I'm just waiting for the marshals.
You do that.
I'm gonna go see how El Blanco's doing.
Please? Excuse me, boys.
Passive resistance, huh? Tell me you didn't send Ray to do your dirty work.
Mindy, this is guerrilla warfare.
When did it become warfare at all? Keep your mind in the game.
I'm just trying to figure out what game we're playing.
Trying to help an endangered species? And if a guy like Ray can put a little extra pressure on our enemies, where's the harm? In destroying my hometown? Look at the exposure.
We're huge.
What about Ray? Ray would've loved it.
You lied to me, Chad.
I thought we were partners.
We are.
You have a funny way of showing it.
I have a little more experience in this than you do, Mindy.
So either get with the program, or get out of my way.
What the hell's gotten into you? Burt, Tyler here.
You read me? Affirmative, Tyler.
Give me some good news.
Over.
Uh, sorry, Burt.
I've been tracking El Blanco.
Suddenly, for some reason I've lost his signal.
He must've gone deep.
Burt, you there? Yeah, still here.
And I got my suspicions.
Burt out.
Roger that.
What'd you learn, Casey? It's not quite what you thought it was.
But I couldn't figure it out until I realized that it matched exactly one of the elements in those El Blanco saliva samples that you gave me.
It's the same exact chemical structure.
So not likely it was used as an explosive.
No, not as an explosive.
It's a deadly toxic chemical.
Potassium permanganate.
It's poison? Happy now? No, but something tells me you are.
Should've let El Blanco get him.
Sorry, reflexes.
Tell us, Chad, since you care so deeply about El Blanco, exactly what kind of poison you've been using.
What? Your partner in crime, Ray, had his pockets full of the stuff.
Doc Matthews, here, just found traces of it in the Graboid's vomit.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
But you're good, Gummer.
Really, you are.
You hear this? This is the standard defense you'd expect from a scoundrel.
Try anything to discredit those who oppose you.
Sorry, but I've run the tests twice, and science doesn't lie.
Out of my way.
All of you! Get out of here.
Come on, guys, hurry up.
Where is he? Him! That's the one.
The one with the funny mustache.
Get him.
What? You're under arrest for endangering federally protected wildlife.
Are you kidding me? What did you do, pay this guy off? I am here because I care about that creature.
You actually think I would try to poison him? I don't know anything about poison.
Oh, you don't? You know something about trespassing and vandalism, and making homemade bombs? And some other stuff I'm gonna come up with.
What are you talking about? This is lunacy.
Mindy.
Mindy.
Mindy, tell them they're wrong.
The poison Ray was carrying wasn't for Chad.
It was for Ellie.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Really? He told me he went to pick it up for you in Bixby.
I mean, I'm sure they keep records of that kind of stuff.
Shall we make a call? We had to prove our point.
We had to make everyone see without any doubt that this cause was justified.
I knew my research had to stand on its own, especially in a scientific journal.
So, I had to make damn sure it was accurate.
So instead of doctoring your report, you doctored El Blanco? I never intended for him to get this sick.
That's not my fault.
I was very careful about regulating the amounts of chemicals I got him to ingest.
Just enough to make it obvious to even the most close-minded of you that you were harming him by invading his world.
So when Ray got swallowed, El Blanco got more than you bargained for.
Yes.
He had a mega dose of the stuff.
If you're so good with poison, you damn well better be good with finding an antidote, and fast.
The ingredients are common enough.
If you know the right combinations, it should do the trick.
I've already sent someone to Bixby for what I'll need.
Yeah, good luck, sister.
Got that highway sealed off.
Here.
Here.
Give me that.
Yeah, we got all this, including a pound of rock salt.
I got bags of it in my bunker for my water purification system.
Thanks to Ray, you'll have no trouble getting in.
All right, I'm right on it, Burt.
Get the hell out of my jeep now! And get that bucket.
Jodi, we got some shopping to do.
Cranberry juice.
Cranberry juice.
Top shelf.
Top shelf.
Okay.
Four ought to do it.
Got it? I got it.
Okay.
Do you need a syringe? No, we need a bigger pot or a bowl or something.
Got it.
Vinegar.
Vinegar.
It's on your right, Burt.
Right down.
So how do we get this antidote into El Blanco? We need a syringe? We have to give him a shot? Not me.
No, no, no, we need him to swallow it like a pill.
We need a container of some sort.
How about a baggie? Perfect.
Okay.
Um, family or small or medium size? Family size.
Big family.
Heads up.
I got it.
Okay, pour it in and we'll stir it up.
Whoa.
Oh, God.
Like most animals in their death throes.
Here, you want me to do it? No, forget it, Burt.
I'm faster.
All right, now don't get too close.
It's only got one shot.
All right.
Pitch it in.
Watch it.
Now go for it.
Well, come on.
He's dying.
Throw it already.
Forget this.
This isn't working.
Let me try.
What the hell are you gonna do? Fast pitch softball.
I made varsity this year.
What? Atta girl! Yeah! Whoa, okay, watch your step there.
Well, what's the seismo-meister say? Just tracked El Blanco up toward Cactus Flats.
Seems like his old self.
That's good news.
Think the others will tolerate me if I come home for spring break? Yeah.
If you come home alone.
Mom.
I'm an idiot.
Chad treated me like a fool and I bought into the whole thing.
But you figured it out.
And you figured it out so much faster than I did at your age.
I mean, I was a super idiot.
I fell for a guy named Scarecrow.
Come on.
And when I met him, he was leading a sit-in at Berkeley.
I mean, what a cliche.
You know? He did look like Peter Fonda.
He was standing on a stool and he was talking through a megaphone, and shouting All right, ladies and gentlemen, kids.
Now, El Blanco is a subterranean killing machine.
Hey.
Hey.
Just need you to sign these release forms and we'll be off on a Graboid adventure.
There's no adventure in the debasing of Graboids.
You a little grumpy this morning? Hey, what's that about? You're not the Stein family, are you? Howdy, folks.
Hello.
Hi.
Morning.
It'll just be a minute to get these nice people off my jeep.
We're not going anywhere.
Uh, maybe a few minutes.
I don't think so.
Shame on you.
Shame on all of you.
This isn't some trained dolphin raised for your amusement.
Wait! Wait! Oh, nice work.
You just ran my customers off.
He'll be scarce.
For a little while, at least.
Thank you.
Those are called wrist-seismos, the operative word being Wrist.
Yeah.
It was a little uncomfortable, so You let your guard down.
Not a good idea around here.
Burt Gummer, right? I've been told that you have a particular dislike of that Graboid.
Nothing personal.
I just like staying at the top of the food chain.
Me too.
I was just burying some instruments to monitor his movements.
I've been researching the effects of human encroachment on Graboid habitats for the last few years.
I'm familiar with your work.
But the fact is, we're not encroaching, we're coexisting.
What the hell? Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Hey, Burt.
Tyler here.
Come in.
Burt here.
What's up? Over.
We got a situation here, Burt.
Better come back into town, quick.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
What the hell is going on? We're being invaded.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
NEWDO has arrived in Perfection to protest the human incursion into this endangered animal's habitat.
We will stay here until the last human resident of Perfection Valley has left for good.
Yeah.
The cavalry has arrived.
Chad Ranston.
I would like to introduce an authority on human and animal interaction, Dr.
Ellie Bergen, who went to great lengths to bring this compelling evidence to our organization.
I saved her life.
After months of observing El Blanco in his natural habitat, as well as several years researching the normal living conditions of wild Graboids, I have come to the conclusion that not only is El Blanco suffering from diminished life expectancy, but he is in fact showing increased signs of stress and disorientation.
Okay, everyone has an assignment.
Let's get moving.
I wanna be set up by nightfall.
Hey, if I'm allowed to ask one question Yes? Where do you get off with this baloney about El Blanco? Mr.
Gummer, I can assure you that my research is quite well documented.
You can't hide the truth any longer, El Burto.
Murderer.
Come on.
Step back.
It's all right.
It's all right.
Mindy? What are you doing here? Mindy.
Hey, Burt.
Uh, this is where I'm from, isn't it? Well, I'm just a little surprised.
I didn't know you were coming home.
Mom, I want you to meet someone.
You remember Chad? Mmm? I thought that was you.
Nancy.
You know this guy? I knew his father, Scarecrow Ranston, a long time ago.
Father's named Scarecrow? So, Mindy, you wanna tell me what the hell's going on? Yeah, I'm all ears.
We're taking a stand of solidarity with El Blanco.
"We"? Chad, me, the organization.
The organization? The organization.
Nevada Environmental and Wildlife Defense Organization.
NEWDO.
That's us.
So, Mindy, where exactly did you run into Chad? Chad taught my Poli-Sci seminar last semester.
Contemporary Trends in Radical Politics.
Mindy was my star.
Uh, and you two are You got it.
You slept with your professor? Excuse me? I was more like an instructor.
And it isn't the point.
Oh, what is the point? That you can't let El Blanco's exploitation go on any longer.
We do not exploit El Blanco.
You think that military ordnance of yours is humane? You think these tourists each month are beneficial to El Blanco's environment? You think that the government scientists out in the valley are Graboid-friendly? Those scientists have nothing to do with us.
It's bad enough that El Blanco has to live in the vicinity of humans, coupled with the abuse Mindy, you know there's no abuse.
How would you like it if each time you went to the food counter to get a sandwich, someone tossed a grenade at you? If someone treated a dog the way you treat El Blanco El Blanco is hardly man's best friend.
Mindy, where the hell is this coming from? You never thought like that.
I've evolved.
Into what? Mindy was confused at first.
She grew up assuming that Graboids were to be destroyed or, at best, tolerated to uphold your code of frontier living.
She's realized the hypocrisy of your ways.
Now, let me tell you something.
I've lived with that Graboid a long time, and he is in the pink of health.
Dr.
Bergen's research.
This is not a joke.
El Blanco is dying.
And in light of these findings, it would be criminal if you continued to live here with El Blanco.
We're staying until you leave.
Not without federal permission.
And I guarantee you won't get that.
Burt Gummer relying on the oppression of the federal government.
And they said irony is dead.
Regardless, this is a peaceful demonstration.
If you want to call in the National Guard, be my guest.
You comfortable in there? I want to thank you guys for giving me a chance to do some long-overdue maintenance on my jeep.
Ma'am, please.
Thank you.
Thanks.
One worm, one world.
One worm, one world.
One worm, one world.
You guys look thirsty.
I have soda, bottled water, iced tea.
Five bucks each.
Come on, Jodi.
Supporting their cause like that.
One worm, one world.
Thank you.
Anyone else? Drinks, five dollars.
It's very hot.
Just put your stuff over there.
I'll be right back.
You are throwing your life away.
You're always saying, "Get out.
See the world.
"Do something important.
" And you took that to mean drop out of school, come back home and mess with our lives? God, you are such a hypocrite.
Chad runs the most effective animal rights organization in Nevada.
I'm like his number two.
I think that's more important than my GPA or whether my softball team makes the NC 2A.
You grew up in this town.
It's not my fault you decided spinning pots in the middle of nowhere was the only way to live honestly.
This is not about me.
No.
It's about saving El Blanco.
I mean, you taught me that all life is precious.
Or is that only when it suits you? Those dirty SOBs.
How are we supposed to run a protest out here if we can't get any cell service? What is all this? My communications center.
I was hoping I could set it up in here.
Sorry.
This is my communications center.
Yours will have to go elsewhere.
Okay.
Fine.
Uh, set it up in the truck for now.
I'll be out in a sec.
Is that any way to treat a guest? You're my guest because my daughter thinks you're a swell guy.
That doesn't give you the right to make my home into your headquarters.
Whoa, wow, you've changed, Nancy.
You used to believe in the struggle.
And what struggle would that be, Chad? The paying-the-bills struggle, or the keeping-my-daughter- in-college struggle? There are more important things.
Like what? Running for Congress on the green ticket? I'm about the issues, Nancy.
Is that so? Well, I read all about you on the Internet, Chad.
And you are about any cause that gets you the most press.
Indigenous birds in Lake Tahoe.
That was good for a few headlines.
Argenta Marsh deer.
Well, that put your face right on the front page.
State wildlife anti-cruelty legislation.
That got you on TV! Scarecrow would be so proud.
You're wrong.
I believe in this cause.
And getting publicity is what it's all about.
Go ahead and chase whatever cause fits your resume, but don't screw around with my daughter's life.
She's old enough to make her own choices.
It's you that I'm worried about.
The Nancy I remember would've been out there on the front lines with me.
What happened? Did you get scared? Or are you just complacent? Ray is looking for you.
Something about blocking the highway.
Mmm-hmm.
Don't worry, I'll talk him down.
What did you say to him? Nothing.
Yeah, right.
Mindy.
You know I love you.
If this is gonna be one of those for-your-own-good speeches, stop now.
This is about something more than my own good.
I am begging you.
Please read this.
Dr.
Bergen's research proves we're right.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Way to go, Chad! Whoo! So what do you think of our little circus? It's amazing.
You know, I'm just happy that I get to help somebody who's willing to put his beliefs on the line.
It's rare that someone in my line of work gets the chance to effect change.
Excuse me.
Yeah.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Phase Two's underway.
Okay, good work.
Now I need you to keep a low profile.
Sure.
Okay, don't take any risks.
Get out of my way.
Damn.
Who let the freakshow in? Twitch.
Twitch.
What do you want? I want you to do something about these idiots.
How am I supposed to run a tour like that? Give 'em a group rate, man.
You know, what about me? What about me, huh? Some of these pendejos got on my property and let my cattle out of their pen.
It took Harlow all morning to round them up.
Look.
I got everything under control.
You do? Yeah.
I do.
Okay? My department sent out a team of scientists to verify this Dr.
Bergen's research, see if there's anything to it.
All right? And that's gonna help us how? Hey, it's not all about you, okay? My supervisor's all over me.
Letting you people live out here was the worst career move I've ever made, okay? Bad PR, and it's my ass.
So back off.
Let me square this deal.
Whatever.
Yeah, my words exactly.
Twitchell, come in.
Yeah, Stan, Twitchell.
What do you want? El Blanco's completely whacked out.
You better come and take a look, ASAP.
Hey, Pearl Jam, off the car, will you? They're so proud of the First Amendment that they forget the other 26.
That's my private property, for God's sake.
I tell you, if I weren't a patient, peace-Ioving man Burt, maybe you wanna look at the report too.
You want a second opinion? Well, at first glance, the evidence seems pretty conclusive.
Yeah, that's what I thought, too.
According to this, El Blanco's in dire straits.
He might not even make it through the month.
Don't tell me you're buying into this.
It's all in the data, Burt.
If you wanna live in denial, that's fine, but, I'm starting to think that maybe we shouldn't be here.
You're that easily manipulated? Look, if El Blanco is dying because of the fact A handful of humans, a tiny research lab.
If that's enough to kill a Graboid, they'd have gone the way of the dinosaurs long ago.
We don't know that.
Most Graboids don't live more than a few months.
El Blanco is the only one we know of that has lived past his expected metamorphosis.
If Dr.
Bergen is right She's not.
I said "if.
" And I'm saying we're probably just dealing with some young twit zoologist who needs to justify her grant money.
Well, I'm open-minded.
And I couldn't live with knowing that I had killed off any creature.
Am I the only one cognizant of the fact that these people mean us harm? These people are standing up for what they believe in, which by the way, Burt, is what we used to believe in.
Keeping El Blanco alive.
Unless of course it was just for selfish reasons so that we could go on living here without ever having to face the real world.
Hey, Gummer, Twitchell here.
You out there? What is it? Take a look.
He's gone completely mad.
I'm thinking this is bad.
Gonna tell me I'm wrong? Never make it easy, do you, Gummer? How'd you find me? I stuck a small tracking device on your bumper about six months ago.
Just kidding.
Saw you parked out front.
Jesus.
What is this, Perfection? Trying to figure out if El Blanco's really sick.
We just saw him, didn't we? What's so interesting about EB's half-eaten lunch? Not half-eaten.
Regurgitated.
Look, Gummer, El Blanco's gone bad.
Yeah, but what's it mean? Means you and your friends have to start looking for real estate in Bixby.
Seriously, I mean, it was bound to happen at some point, right? Nobody's meant to live in a place like this with a thing like that.
We are.
Don't you worry, Gummer.
A plan's in the works at the highest levels.
DOI's got a strategy.
I'm familiar with it.
It's called guessing which way the political wind blows.
You just keep up your investigation.
I'll take care of our little activist friend.
Reporting live from Perfection, Nevada, I'm Kelly Lewis.
It's a day packed with emotion, here.
People, as you can see, passing out flyers.
Behind me, people holding posters.
You can see the conviction in their eyes.
Let's talk with one of the protesters now.
Why'd you let them in your house? Because they have a point.
Yeah, their point is they want us all out.
You didn't see it.
You didn't see what El Blanco was doing.
Well, maybe he's upset because of all these strangers.
I can't just sit on the sidelines, Rosalita.
I'm sorry.
Where is he? Burt's not here.
Not Gummer.
This new thorn in my ass.
Chad.
He's staying at Nancy's.
Hey, Mr.
Ranston.
How you doing? I'm Deputy Twitchell, Department of Interior.
Nice to meet you.
I know who you are.
What do you want? Well, I come in peace.
I'm here to let you know that we're here and we're on the case.
My team is out in the valley, observing El Blanco as we speak.
Now we know something's not quite right and we're gonna correct it.
Now what I need you to do, Mr.
Ranston, is call off the dogs.
Dogs? Press.
I said dogs Mind if I have one of these? Sure.
Yeah.
You see, my people, we don't take kindly to any sort of bad PR.
You know what I'm saying? I think you do.
So what I'm thinking here is if you help me out, I'll help you out on the other side.
Okay? Kind of a quid quo Quid pro quo.
Exactly.
Right.
Take care of this on the QT, on the lowdown.
Understand what I'm saying? Oh, I understand what you're saying.
I understand perfectly.
The TV cameras go away, so do you, and El Blanco continues to suffer.
That's not quite If you'll excuse me.
Oh, and Twitchell.
Breath mints, please.
Tell them if they have any questions about this information, they can speak to me or Chad.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Listen, kid, we've got a problem.
Your mother's a good woman.
She's treated me better than anyone I've ever met.
My relationship with my mother is none of your business.
She's done nothing but take care of you.
But this is her home, your home.
And you're throwing it all away because of some man.
Some man? I'm not here because of Chad.
We're both here because of El Blanco.
He's really sick if you haven't noticed.
What I have noticed is that you've turned Perfection into a zoo.
First Burt's place gets trashed, then my ranch.
What's next? I don't know what you're talking about.
Well, maybe then you should open your eyes a little wider.
Burt, come in.
Burt here, Rosalita.
What's up? Over.
El Blanco's making some kind of hideous noise.
Here, listen.
Sounds like he's gut shot.
Over.
Whatever it is, it's freaking me out.
Thanks for the update.
Burt, out.
What was that? El Blanco's howling now, like nothing I've ever heard before.
Sounds like Dr.
Bergen might not have been that far off the mark.
That's why I'm here.
I need you to take a look at something.
Here.
Ray, did you have anything to do with Burt's place getting trashed last night? Nope.
You sure? Yup.
What's that? Just something Dr.
Bergen requested from town.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Must be getting pretty ripe in there, blazing hot day like this.
We love the sun.
We're pumped.
Don't you guys want a shower or a bed? Or a toilet, at least? Everything we need is right here.
Everything? We got a bucket.
Did not need to hear that.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Leaving so soon? No, not leaving.
Going to check some equipment.
Let me ask you a question before you go.
Was ruining our lives part of your plan the entire time you've been working out here in the valley, or was it only after Burt saved your life? Hey, I'm sorry that this is hard on you, but El Blanco needs help.
Oh, he's a friend of yours? El Blanco? Yeah.
I just care.
Well, if you really care, you need to open your eyes.
The way we live out here may seem weird to you, but we protect that big dumb worm, risk our lives to keep him safe.
And sometimes it's like he does the same for us.
The last thing we're doing is hurting him.
I know it's easy for you to believe that, but I'm a scientist.
My only interest is in the truth.
Fraternizing with the enemy.
No, I'm not the one selling them imported beer at wildly inflated prices.
Hey, I'm just being practical.
Raising money for our defense fund.
You know, if they try to force us out.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Save the worm.
Which sounds better, noble beast or noble Graboid? Noble Graboid.
Oh, Fox News is gonna eat this up.
Good.
Good? That's fantastic.
This is better than I ever imagined.
Yeah.
What's wrong? Someone's been destroying property.
I think it's Ray.
What? No.
No way.
I just don't trust those Animal Liberation people.
You kidding? Ray got tossed out of Animal Liberation.
Too dedicated.
But he's a true believer.
A good guy.
Let's just get this straight, for me.
You didn't tell Ray to do anything, right? Are you kidding? You and I agreed at the beginning.
Passive resistance.
Nothing extreme.
Hmm? Hmm? Okay.
I don't understand why you have to be so suspicious of everyone in the valley.
I'm not suspicious, I'm prudent.
Dr.
Bergen's working in good faith.
You know, not all scientists are out to get you.
That's interesting.
What? Well, it's just that I got a double positive on this.
That usually means What the hell? Oh, no! My equipment! Hold on.
No, don't get too close.
Wait a minute.
Damn it.
Oh.
There he is.
Get him, Burt.
Hey! Hey! Hold up.
I'm coming! Hold on.
Hold on.
I got you.
I got you.
Hang in there.
He went down in a cloud of purple dust.
He had to be packed with it.
Imagine it's a crystalline sulfate, or maybe potassium permanganate.
Homemade explosives? At least one of the ingredients.
I'll take a look at it.
Seems to be your fulltime job at the moment.
All right.
And you, what can I help you with? Hey, give me a couple of shirts over here, man.
If you're a believer, put it on your chest! Graboids have rights, too.
Fifteen bucks a piece, you guys.
All proceeds go to the cause.
Ray Maguire was a friend of mine.
His death is a tragedy.
A tragedy that the simpleminded will blame on the true victim.
The Graboid.
Ray died in an act of civil disobedience, boldly trying to protect El Blanco from the dangers brought on by our government's own scientists.
What exactly do you mean by that, sir? What he means is his late lamented friend was another radical monkey wrencher, destroying private property, and endangering peoples' lives.
Smooth talkers like Chad always need someone to do their dirty work.
In this case, homemade explosives.
Ray died with his pockets full of the stuff.
This from Burt Gummer.
Burt Gummer, the man who delights in tossing grenades at El Blanco every chance he gets.
Mindy.
I can't talk.
I have to deal with some reporters.
Mindy, hold on a second, will you? What? What? I want to know what happened.
Me too.
'Cause if they tried to pressure you into anything Mom, I swear, I had no idea what Ray was up to.
Okay.
What about Chad? I don't know.
Mindy.
I don't, Mom.
I'm gonna find out.
Hey.
Want some help? I'll take care of it.
Okay.
I got to go.
Okay, yeah.
Scrambled eggs, toast, $12.
95.
Sounds right to me.
Oh, wait a minute, you had butter with that toast.
Right? Mmm-hmm.
$14.
95.
Just so you understand, while I appreciate the business, it should in no way indicate that I am sympathetic to your cause, because, quite frankly, I think we're all pretty respectful of El Blanco.
And what are we supposed to do, I mean as a human species? Every time there's another species, we move out? Where do we go, Mars? To Mars.
Annoy the Martians.
Ah, jeez.
Hey, nature boys! Get your asses off that tower! Hey, bite me.
Tree-hugging SOBs.
What? What do you mean, what? When are you gonna get these people out of my town? Hey, manhandler is not part of the job description.
I'm just waiting for the marshals.
You do that.
I'm gonna go see how El Blanco's doing.
Please? Excuse me, boys.
Passive resistance, huh? Tell me you didn't send Ray to do your dirty work.
Mindy, this is guerrilla warfare.
When did it become warfare at all? Keep your mind in the game.
I'm just trying to figure out what game we're playing.
Trying to help an endangered species? And if a guy like Ray can put a little extra pressure on our enemies, where's the harm? In destroying my hometown? Look at the exposure.
We're huge.
What about Ray? Ray would've loved it.
You lied to me, Chad.
I thought we were partners.
We are.
You have a funny way of showing it.
I have a little more experience in this than you do, Mindy.
So either get with the program, or get out of my way.
What the hell's gotten into you? Burt, Tyler here.
You read me? Affirmative, Tyler.
Give me some good news.
Over.
Uh, sorry, Burt.
I've been tracking El Blanco.
Suddenly, for some reason I've lost his signal.
He must've gone deep.
Burt, you there? Yeah, still here.
And I got my suspicions.
Burt out.
Roger that.
What'd you learn, Casey? It's not quite what you thought it was.
But I couldn't figure it out until I realized that it matched exactly one of the elements in those El Blanco saliva samples that you gave me.
It's the same exact chemical structure.
So not likely it was used as an explosive.
No, not as an explosive.
It's a deadly toxic chemical.
Potassium permanganate.
It's poison? Happy now? No, but something tells me you are.
Should've let El Blanco get him.
Sorry, reflexes.
Tell us, Chad, since you care so deeply about El Blanco, exactly what kind of poison you've been using.
What? Your partner in crime, Ray, had his pockets full of the stuff.
Doc Matthews, here, just found traces of it in the Graboid's vomit.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
But you're good, Gummer.
Really, you are.
You hear this? This is the standard defense you'd expect from a scoundrel.
Try anything to discredit those who oppose you.
Sorry, but I've run the tests twice, and science doesn't lie.
Out of my way.
All of you! Get out of here.
Come on, guys, hurry up.
Where is he? Him! That's the one.
The one with the funny mustache.
Get him.
What? You're under arrest for endangering federally protected wildlife.
Are you kidding me? What did you do, pay this guy off? I am here because I care about that creature.
You actually think I would try to poison him? I don't know anything about poison.
Oh, you don't? You know something about trespassing and vandalism, and making homemade bombs? And some other stuff I'm gonna come up with.
What are you talking about? This is lunacy.
Mindy.
Mindy.
Mindy, tell them they're wrong.
The poison Ray was carrying wasn't for Chad.
It was for Ellie.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Really? He told me he went to pick it up for you in Bixby.
I mean, I'm sure they keep records of that kind of stuff.
Shall we make a call? We had to prove our point.
We had to make everyone see without any doubt that this cause was justified.
I knew my research had to stand on its own, especially in a scientific journal.
So, I had to make damn sure it was accurate.
So instead of doctoring your report, you doctored El Blanco? I never intended for him to get this sick.
That's not my fault.
I was very careful about regulating the amounts of chemicals I got him to ingest.
Just enough to make it obvious to even the most close-minded of you that you were harming him by invading his world.
So when Ray got swallowed, El Blanco got more than you bargained for.
Yes.
He had a mega dose of the stuff.
If you're so good with poison, you damn well better be good with finding an antidote, and fast.
The ingredients are common enough.
If you know the right combinations, it should do the trick.
I've already sent someone to Bixby for what I'll need.
Yeah, good luck, sister.
Got that highway sealed off.
Here.
Here.
Give me that.
Yeah, we got all this, including a pound of rock salt.
I got bags of it in my bunker for my water purification system.
Thanks to Ray, you'll have no trouble getting in.
All right, I'm right on it, Burt.
Get the hell out of my jeep now! And get that bucket.
Jodi, we got some shopping to do.
Cranberry juice.
Cranberry juice.
Top shelf.
Top shelf.
Okay.
Four ought to do it.
Got it? I got it.
Okay.
Do you need a syringe? No, we need a bigger pot or a bowl or something.
Got it.
Vinegar.
Vinegar.
It's on your right, Burt.
Right down.
So how do we get this antidote into El Blanco? We need a syringe? We have to give him a shot? Not me.
No, no, no, we need him to swallow it like a pill.
We need a container of some sort.
How about a baggie? Perfect.
Okay.
Um, family or small or medium size? Family size.
Big family.
Heads up.
I got it.
Okay, pour it in and we'll stir it up.
Whoa.
Oh, God.
Like most animals in their death throes.
Here, you want me to do it? No, forget it, Burt.
I'm faster.
All right, now don't get too close.
It's only got one shot.
All right.
Pitch it in.
Watch it.
Now go for it.
Well, come on.
He's dying.
Throw it already.
Forget this.
This isn't working.
Let me try.
What the hell are you gonna do? Fast pitch softball.
I made varsity this year.
What? Atta girl! Yeah! Whoa, okay, watch your step there.
Well, what's the seismo-meister say? Just tracked El Blanco up toward Cactus Flats.
Seems like his old self.
That's good news.
Think the others will tolerate me if I come home for spring break? Yeah.
If you come home alone.
Mom.
I'm an idiot.
Chad treated me like a fool and I bought into the whole thing.
But you figured it out.
And you figured it out so much faster than I did at your age.
I mean, I was a super idiot.
I fell for a guy named Scarecrow.
Come on.
And when I met him, he was leading a sit-in at Berkeley.
I mean, what a cliche.
You know? He did look like Peter Fonda.
He was standing on a stool and he was talking through a megaphone, and shouting All right, ladies and gentlemen, kids.
Now, El Blanco is a subterranean killing machine.