Now and Again (1999) s01e15 Episode Script

NARRATOR: An ordinary man,
insurance executive,
45 years old,
stumbles to his death on a
subway platform in New York City.
Or does he?
Unbeknownst to his wife or child,
his brain is rescued
from the accident scene
by a secret branch
of the United States government,
and put into the body of an
artificially produced 26-year-old man
who has the strength of Superman,
the speed of Michael Jordan,
and the grace of Fred Astaire.
The only catch,
under penalty of death
he can never let anyone from his past
know he is still alive.
And that, my friends, is a problem,
for this man is desperately in love
with his wife,
his daughter and his former life.
MORRIS:
Before on Now and Again:
LISA:
I want you to hear me, Mr. Newman.
I want you to hear me loud and clear.
I know who you are.
I know where you live.
I have witnesses now.
The girl in the flower shop, the bank
manager, they can identify you.
From this moment forward,
Mr. Wiseman,
until such time as I receive word that
our funding for next year is in place,
you will not leave this townhouse
under any circumstances.
Okay.
I want you out of my life, Mr. Newman.
I want you out of my head.
MORRIS:
And not only that,
I or someone under my command will
be with you every minute of every day.
Are you clear?
Absolutely, I'm clear.
I'm totally clear.
Good.
[WHIRRING]
He's not gonna drink that, you know.
He might.
If you don't sell him
off the idea first.
Does it have active cultures in it?
He once told me he doesn't trust
anything with active cultures in it.
Thank you.
[LISA SIGHS]
I think it might have
a little too much yogurt.
Honey.
Breakfast.
[CLEARS THROAT]
Mm. Something is amiss.
I don't smell bacon.
Isn't there a law
in the state of New York
where it can't be called breakfast
unless there's bacon, or sausage
or some sort of fried meat?
- What is that sludge?
- Heh.
Is that a crafts project?
- Are you grouting the sink, darling?
- That's very funny.
Go ahead, make fun. Go ahead.
Well, okay,
but only because you insist.
Did you make these?
Really, they look excellent.
I always thought it was just a big act.
That speech you made
about watching what you eat.
No, honey, it wasn't an act
but couldn't I watch myself
eat a couple of fried eggs
and two strips of bacon?
Oh, by the way,
I'm taking my car to work today,
and I won't be home for dinner.
I have to drive to Somerset and
wine and dine some VP of finance.
[MICHAEL SIGHS]
You're not talking to me?
I kind of like it.
Ha, ha, ha.
You know all that money that we spent
on that time-share in Florida,
I'd just like to have
someone around to share it with.
Is that so crazy?
Yes, totally crazy.
What are you talking about?
What is she talking about?
Honey, I'm gonna be around
for a while, all right?
You're stuck with me for life.
- You think so, huh?
- I know so.
LISA:
Hmm.
[CROSSING BELL RINGING]
Hey, Rog. It's Michael.
Yeah, the dinner went great. I had him
eating out of the palm of my hand.
Speak of the devil,
he just pulled up behind me.
Yeah, I'll give you
the gruesome details tomorrow.
[TRAIN HORN WAILS]
[HORN HONKING]
MAN:
Hey, yo. You!
Come on!
[HORNS HONKING]
Hey.
Oh, my God. Michael.
MORRIS:
Mr. Wiseman?
Mr. Wiseman?
Are you asleep?
Oh, yeah, out like a light.
Must be the complete
lack of stimulation.
Something about never being allowed
to leave this place.
Never being alone.
At the end of the day, my head hits
the pillow and all I wanna do is die.
Oh, wait.
I already did that.
You see that?
All work and no play
makes Michael a very dull boy.
Yeah, I can't sleep either.
I guess I'm nervous
about tomorrow too.
Well, calm down.
Nothing's gonna go wrong.
We couldn't possibly practice
any more than we've practiced.
It's not you I'm worried about.
It's the politics of it all.
In 30 days,
this project runs out of funding.
And believe it or not,
there are those at the Pentagon
who would gladly let us die.
One little slipup tomorrow,
one little gaffe
Hey, doc, are you forgetting?
I've got a lot more to lose if they stop
bankrolling this shindig than you do.
I mean, yeah, you gotta find
another impossible scientific challenge
like making dogs talk
or curing the common cold,
but, hey, at the end of the day,
if they clean out the lab
and send everybody home,
I'll actually be in that giant Hefty bag
they leave by the curb.
You're right, Mr. Wiseman.
We just have to have
a positive attitude.
I just have to have a positive attitude.
Tomorrow, you're gonna demonstrate
your powers for General Irving.
The chairman of the Pentagon
committee that funds us.
And it'll be a snap.
And two days later,
our budget will be approved.
I'll beat up some bad guys, lift some
heavy stuff just like we practiced.
Then it'll be back to business as usual.
Absolutely. You'll see.
Faster than you can say:
"Government pork barrel",
we'll be up to our eyeballs
in fruits and veggies again.
My stomach's growling
just thinking about it.
Hey, maybe they'll even give us a new
bulb for that damn light in there.
What do you think, doc?
Well, obviously, you never dealt
with a federally funded agency before.
Towards the end of a budget year,
routine maintenance
tends to be put on hold.
Thank you, Mr. Wiseman.
I don't know what came over me.
I feel better now.
Let's try to get some sleep.
We're gonna need it
for that demonstration tomorrow.
Yeah, right.
A scientist works from sun to sun,
but his lab rat's work is never done.
MICHAEL:
Where am I?
You're in a hospital, Mr. Wiseman.
In Somerset, New Jersey.
What happened?
Well, we're not sure.
You were unconscious in your car.
What are you telling me?
I passed out?
Seems that way.
I'm guessing for about, uh,
45 minutes or so.
The problem is,
we can't seem to determine a cause.
I mean, frankly, from everything
we've been able to determine,
you seem perfectly fine.
Well, that's good, isn't it?
Well, it's good you came out of it.
But, uh, as a general rule, people don't
just lose consciousness without cause.
It usually suggests that
there's something else going on.
Problem with the heart,
problem with the brain.
Good. As long as it's nothing major.
Well, I'd like to hold on to you
for about another hour or so
just to be sure that you're fine,
and then I'll let you go.
But there are a series of tests
that ought to be performed.
Now, you can come back here
and have them done
or I can contact your personal
physician and he can do them.
That depends.
Uh, does anybody know I'm here?
Have you called anyone?
I didn't. No.
But the police might have
when they brought you in. Why?
I don't wanna panic anyone.
I mean, I'd rather come back here.
That's fine. That's fine.
I want you to take it easy
for the next couple of days.
No exertion, no exercise.
Eat lightly, no sex.
Come back here and see me
Friday at 3
and we'll run you
through these tests.
- You want an appointment card?
- No, I've got it.
Okay.
- Shoot.
- Dr. Francis, 3 p.m., Friday.
- So how'd it go?
- Oh, man.
- Lisa.
- What?
- You're gonna give me a heart attack.
- Should I put the light on first?
It went fine, it went fine.
Well, it sure went late.
What time is it?
- Almost 1:00.
- Wow.
What did you do?
- You know.
- Uh-huh.
Well, you missed
sophomore-parents night.
Sophomore-parents night.
You lucky devil.
Heather and I met up
with her ninth-grade English teacher
and we shut the place down.
[MICHAEL SIGHS]
LISA:
Mm-hm.
Mm-hm.
- I missed you.
MICHAEL:- Mm.
LISA:
What?
Something I said? What?
Well, you know.
I got to get up in five
and a half hours.
Right.
Great.
Don't let it be said I kept you
from a good night's sleep.
MICHAEL:
Oh, come on, listen. Don't do this.
Just give me a couple of minutes,
I'll come back in there
and we can cuddle or something.
Cuddle?
I'm offering you the full American plan
and you wanna cuddle?
What's wrong, Michael?
What's wrong?
I'm under a lot of pressure at work.
Okay. Fine.
[LISA SIGHS]
Mr. Wiseman?
Goodness.
Of all the mornings to oversleep.
Mr. Wiseman?
[WATER SPLASHING]
Mr. Wiseman?
I think I may have
left my watch in there.
Mr. Wiseman, I need my watch.
Mr. Wiseman, it's 20 after
and I still need to get in there.
Mr. Wiseman?
DOCTOR: What do you make
of the latest data, sir?
MORRIS:
I don't know.
Worst-case scenario
is the host body rejecting the brain.
Mr. Wiseman, this is Dr. Morris.
I'm gonna try something
that may help you get better.
The only thing is it may also hurt.
I'm sorry.
The paddles.
Give me 75 joules.
[MACHINE WHINES]
[BUZZING]
A hundred.
[MACHINES WHINES]
[BUZZING]
DOCTOR:- More?
- No.
We'd kill him.
I don't know.
I think he's already brain-dead.
Now, you listen to me,
there's a person there.
And I'm not sure, but I'm betting and
hoping that that person can hear us.
And the last thing he needs right now,
the very last thing he needs
is to hear you give up on him.
Do I make myself clear?
Yes, sir.
And this is where we actually house
and train the, uh-- Mr. Wiseman.
Ah. Right in the middle of Manhattan?
Sort of a hide in plain sight philosophy.
That and the proximity to the U.N.
and Washington.
You must be very proud.
I hear he's quite something.
I must tell you, every day
I'm more amazed than the last.
Every day I'm more excited
than the day before.
IRVING: Boy, you sound
like a proud new father.
So, uh, now, uh
Where is he? Where's, uh?
Where's our boy?
[MORRIS SIGHS]
Dr. Morris?
My God.
You have to understand that this
condition's only four or five hours old.
We've really just begun
the diagnostic process.
Well, if I were you,
I would hurry it along.
I'm supposed to brief the president
about this in the next 24 hours.
ROGER: Anyway, I thought I'd have
Legal come into my office.
We'd hash out a way
to separate underwriting the bridge
from all the other construction projects
and that way we'd be able to
Hey, hey, Michael.
You okay?
Yeah. Yeah.
So, what do you think?
Huh? Oh, it's good.
It's real good.
Okay. So, uh,
shall we meet with Legal?
Now?
I can't do it now, I gotta go.
I gotta step out for a while.
In the middle of the day, what for?
I, uh, gotta go meet Lisa
about this thing we're doing.
- Oh, well
- You know.
No big deal.
I'll catch you later, buddy.
Yeah. Yeah, uh,
good luck with that, uh, thing.
So how have you been feeling,
Mr. Wiseman?
Any more episodes?
Not that I'm aware of.
Of course, I wasn't aware
of the first one till it was over.
You ready for some tests?
I wanna run every test
known to medical science.
So, Mr. Wiseman, I'll need the name
of your personal physician
so I can have a look
at your medical records.
I want you to find
Mr. Wiseman's physician.
Maybe his medical records
can tell us something.
I'd rather not, if you don't mind.
My wife lost her brother and her father
to heart attacks at a young age.
And our family physician is a friend of
ours, so if he finds out, she'll find out.
I'd rather not upset her.
I can get you the records
from the insurance company. Okay?
All right. Well, hopefully
I'll find what I need there.
Now, try and relax, Mr. Wiseman.
We're gonna make you
as comfortable as we can.
MICHAEL:
It's, uh, the MTV shot.
[PLAYING "HEART AND SOUL"
ON PIANC]
Ooh. Okay, Mom.
Ready? You're Daddy's little genius.
Smile.
- Okay.
- That's great.
- Come on, honey, sit down.
- What?
- Go and sit down. Come on, let's play.
- Michael
- Come on, it'll be great.
- We have 35 tapes of us doing this.
We'll get 36. We'll get it right.
Come on.
Yeah, sure.
Ah. I feel a song coming on.
[LISA LAUGHS]
[PHONE RINGS]
- Hello?
LISA:- Roger, it's Lisa.
Hey, Lisa. What's up?
I'm sorry to bother you,
but I'm looking for Michael.
And, uh, nobody seems to know
where he is.
He's not in your office, is he?
Uh-- Uh, no. Uh, no, he isn't.
He left about 2:00.
I thought he was going somewhere
to meet you.
You did?
Did he say that to you?
Uh, you know, I can't remember
if he actually said it
or if I imagined it.
Let me look around and see if he's
here. I'll have him give you a call.
Thanks, Rog.
I'd appreciate that.
Yeah.
[PHONE RINGS]
Yes.
We located Michael Wiseman's
family physician.
Nothing unusual on his records.
Nothing at all.
[SIGHS]
Thank you for flying in this morning,
doctor.
I believe I have
some good news for you.
Good news?
Well, good news is always
worth flying in for, sir.
Please.
You look tired.
Any progress on the diagnostics?
[SIGHS]
I can't lie to you, general.
There have been no changes.
But I'm begging you, sir,
this project is far too important
to mothball.
There's no need to beg, doctor,
I agree with you.
So does the president.
We have no intention
of shutting you down.
[CHUCKLES]
We believe in this project.
Well, we believe in you.
Well, thank you, sir.
And please let the president know that
I appreciate his confidence as well.
Well, he already knows that.
In fact, he wanted me to make it
a priority that you continue your work
in the most expeditious way possible.
So, what's our next move?
Our next move?
Well, clearly, we need to continue
our diagnostic panels.
And I know this must seem endless,
but every time we can eliminate
a possible systemic basis,
we actually narrow the locus
of the actual probable cause.
Come now, doctor, I think
the probable cause is fairly obvious.
Or for that matter,
the most expedient
and cost-effective solution
is fairly obvious as well.
Heh. I'm sorry.
Clearly, doctor, we need a new brain.
[SIGHS]
Mm! I know that smell.
Hmm. I'm just trying
to comply with state law.
And I know what kind of pressure
you're under at work.
I'd go for it, Daddy,
before she whips out the blender.
Maybe I'll just have some coffee.
I was, um, thinking of driving into
the city today, meeting you for lunch.
- What do you think of that?
- Today?
Oh, God, I'd love that.
But I can't make it work today.
No? Ah.
Well, what about yesterday?
Would it have worked
if I came in yesterday?
Would you excuse us, please?
I have to talk to your father.
It's okay. I'm not 10, you know.
Do you wanna live to be 20?
What are you talking about yesterday?
Why are you upset
because I can't arrange my schedule
at the drop of a hat
to have lunch with you?
Who's Francis at 3 p.m.?
- Who is this?
- Nobody.
Nobody?
Well, heh, if she's nobody,
why weren't you in your office
when I called yesterday at 3 p.m.?
First of all, it's not a she.
Second of all,
you're gonna have to trust me.
Well, I do trust you.
I trusted you when you were two
and a half hours late from dinner.
I trusted you when you said,
"No, thanks" to sleeping with me.
And I trusted you
when I found this note.
Well, then, what's the problem?
You know, you're right.
There's no problem.
Good. I gotta go.
Mm-hm. Thank you for working
through this with me.
[TAPPING ON DOOR]
What? Come on in.
Close the door.
[MICHAEL SIGHS]
[MICHAEL CLEARS THROAT]
[SIGHS]
I'm a pretty honest guy, right?
Yeah.
Perhaps a little too honest
for your own good.
Why?
I need you to help me with something
that's maybe slightly dishonest.
Oh, well, I'm flattered
that you think so little of me.
[CHUCKLES]
What can I help you with?
I wanna buy another half million dollars
worth of life insurance,
but I'd like to duck the medical.
You know,
the physical exam and stuff.
I'd sign it myself,
but I'd set off all sorts of alarms
and I need you to
walk it through for me.
What do you say?
You wanna tell me what this is about?
No.
Okay.
Wanna buy me a drink?
[SOFT ROCK MUSIC
PLAYING OVER SPEAKERS]
And, uh, they don't know what it is?
Not yet.
Can I give you some advice?
Sure.
Tell Lisa.
She called the office the other day
and I just
I can hear it in her voice.
She knows something's up.
She doesn't know exactly what it is.
Yeah, I know. She really let me have it
at breakfast this morning.
The thing is, her father and her brother
both died--
Oh, yeah, right, right, right.
And, I don't know.
Until I'm sure what it is,
I think I just ought to let it go.
- Yeah.
- I don't know.
[MICHAEL SIGHS]
There's always another thing.
What do you mean?
Well, it's like I remember
when I was a kid,
always getting myself
in some nutty situation
like going down a hill
in my brother's wagon backwards,
thinking, "Lord, don't take me now.
I haven't even kissed a girl yet."
[ROGER CHUCKLES]
Well, when I was in college,
one night I was blind drunk.
I mean, I was so drunk I was afraid
of forgetting how to breathe.
And I realized I'm laying out
in front of my dorm in the snow,
without any clothes on
and I can't move, probably gonna die.
And I'm thinking,
"Lord, don't take me now."
"I haven't accomplished
a damn thing yet."
- Sorry.
- It's okay.
Well, when Lisa was giving birth,
I was driving her to the hospital
just feeling so responsible.
I'm thinking,
"Lord, I really want this child."
"Just get us to the hospital
in one piece."
"Don't let me hit anything.
Don't let anything hit us."
"And I'll never bother you again."
"I'll never ask you for another thing."
But there's always another thing,
isn't there?
AGENT:
Sir, after the brain is removed,
I have special orders
to convey it directly to Langley.
The president wants an
independent team to do the pathology.
Is the replacement brain here yet?
It's in OR.
Twenty-seven-year-old Boston cop.
Killed in the line of duty.
Right.
Shall I shave his head
and prep him now?
No.
I'd like to do that.
Give me a chance to say goodbye.
This is very odd.
I can't find Dr. Morris anywhere.
[PATIENT GROANING]
Keep your seatbelt buckled,
Mr. Wiseman.
I have a feeling
we're in for a bumpy ride.
What are doing to find
my very expensive mannequin?
We've got teams searching 500 miles
in every direction.
I'm confused.
I was under the impression
there was some sort of
a tracking device in its head.
- Why can't we get a read from that?
- Yes, sir, normally we could.
But apparently,
Dr. Morris is jamming it somehow.
We get a signal,
but it doesn't stay around
long enough for us to triangulate.
We are working our way
around that problem.
What would make a brilliant doctor
throw away everything like this?
Well, I just
I don't understand that.
Do you think perhaps he's taken
the prototype to a foreign agent?
General, I've known the doctor
for years.
He's a patriot.
His work, it's all documented.
I mean, uh,
you know, if need be, someone
with the proper education and training
could theoretically pick up
where he left off?
Good.
Then let the search team know they
can proceed with extreme prejudice.
DR. FRANCIS:
Mr. Wiseman?
Mr. Wiseman? Hello, Mr. Wiseman.
- How have you been feeling?
- Fine.
Good.
Well, um, I'd like to do one last test.
- Are you up for it?
- Sure.
As long as I don't have to put
that gown on again.
Heh. All right, now, lay back.
Now, Mr. Wiseman, we're gonna
flash some lights in your eyes.
- Lights?
- Yes.
So try and relax
and look directly into them.
[CROSSING BELL RINGING]
Photo what?
DR. FRANCIS:
Photosensitivity syndrome.
Do you remember hearing about those
kids in Japan a few months back?
How thousands of them got sick
from watching a cartoon
that featured a kind of flashing light?
That's photosensitivity syndrome.
See, some people just react to
flashing light of a certain frequency.
It sets off something in the brain.
You're one of those people.
- That's what caused me to black out?
- Without a doubt.
The pathology takes different forms.
One time you could black out, another
time you go into a catatonic-like state
where you appear to be awake.
Sometimes the same flickering lights
that put you into the state
can actually jolt you back out.
Well, so, what do I do?
Walk around with my eyes closed
for the rest of my life?
A simple prescription
takes care of the whole thing.
There's nothing else wrong with me?
No heart attack? No stroke?
No brain tumor?
Well, you weigh too damn much.
But that's, uh, completely curable too.
[CHUCKLES]
- Thanks.
- Sure.
- Thank you very much.
- Sure.
Oh, and, Mr. Wiseman, I noticed that
your cholesterol is a little high.
So in addition to everything else,
you might wanna cut out
the bacon and eggs in the morning.
No problem. My wife makes
a delicious breakfast drink.
Thank you.
NURSE:
Oh.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
MORRIS:
You okay?
[MORRIS CHUCKLES]
I keep thinking you can hear me.
They're coming, you know.
The microwave signals
in my cell phone
will only jam the homing device
for so long.
They'll find us.
Then they'll kill us.
And the worst part about that?
I'll never know.
Is it something in you
or something I did?
Wouldn't it be funny, Mr. Wiseman,
if you knew?
If you knew and you couldn't tell me?
[HELICOPTER WHIRRING
NEARBY]
They're gone. For now.
But we should move soon.
Make it interesting at least.
Where do you wanna go,
Mr. Wiseman?
Most of us poor pathetic souls
only have to die once.
Since you have to go through it
a second time, you get to choose.
Where do you wanna die?
You want to go home?
[SIGHS]
Here we are.
And you could care less.
[MORRIS CHUCKLES]
I am truly a fool.
You know,
maybe coming here
is not about you at all.
[HELICOPTER WHIRRING
NEARBY]
Mr. Wiseman,
I need to leave you here for a moment.
I don't know how long we have,
but it occurs to me
if I don't tell your wife who you are
and what you've become,
she'll never know.
And she ought to know.
Don't you think?
[SIRENS WAILING NEARBY]
Can I help--?
Oh, my God.
Dr. Morris?
I've been ordered to tell you
to surrender yourself
and the government property
that you have stolen
to me and these marshals
immediately.
Mrs. Wiseman.
Please, Mrs. Wiseman,
can you hear me?
Go away. I don't wanna hear
anything you have to say.
MORRIS:- But, Mrs. Wiseman.
- Go! Go!
Go.
Please, Mrs. Wiseman.
Mrs. Wiseman, please.
Well, don't you understand?
I don't wanna see you
and I certainly don't wanna see him.
Him?
Tell her it's okay.
Not to be scared.
Tell her we're going to go.
Welcome back.
Oh, yeah.
We got to stop by a drug store on
the way back, pick up a prescription.
I'll explain later.
[HELICOPTER WHIRRING]
They're going now, Mom.
Are you okay?
I miss your daddy.
[SIGHS]
I'm going to play the piano.
Okay.
['HEART AND SOUL"
PLAYING ON PIANO]
[SIGHS]
MICHAEL:
Lisa?
Honey?
[PLAYING "HEART AND SOUL"]
Are you looking for me?
Yeah, come on and do this with me.
No. I have things to do.
Oh, come on, it's not gonna kill you
to sit down for a minute, come on.
Do this with me.
You start.
[PLAYING "HEART AND SOUL"]
What's this?
My prescription from Dr. Francis.
- Francis, huh?
- Yep.
What's wrong with you?
He said it was nothing.
It's no big deal.
But I was really scared.
And I'm really sorry.
It's no big deal?
No big deal.
He did say I could stand to lose
a few pounds.
Really?
You want a second opinion on that?
You know,
it's that kind of smart remark
that's gonna break up the band.