The OA (2016) s02e01 Episode Script
Chapter 1: Angel of Death
Oh, shit.
All right.
All right, all right, all right.
I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming.
Oh, ma'am.
Please, stop.
I don't understand a word you're saying.
In English.
Who are you? Granddaughter missing! No come home.
No text.
Need help.
I sent you email.
We email.
- You detective? - Yeah.
I told you to call the police.
- Did you call the police? - No.
No police.
Michelle invisible.
She's what? Invisible.
Are you Vietnamese? All right.
Wait there.
Don't go inside.
Duke! Duke! Yo, Duke! Didn't you surf in Vietnam for a year? - Yeah.
- Yeah, you speak any Vietnamese? Maybe.
Come.
Just ask her why she didn't go to the police, like I told her.
She says her granddaughter Michelle is invisible.
Uh-huh.
What's that mean? Uh, they're homeless.
They're immigrants.
And she says that police don't give a shit, which I'm sure is true.
If they're homeless, how does she know her granddaughter didn't come home? They're from Michigan.
Michelle's father disappeared, maybe died.
They were evicted, finished up in a shelter, and Michelle's been sending her grandma money.
Getting it how? Michelle's been getting money from her father.
I don't what that means, but it doesn't sound good.
So, the kid, Michelle, takes off for San Francisco because the money's better here.
She's sending more money, texting all the time, then two weeks ago, it just stops.
There's no more money, no more texting.
Grandma waits and then Then she gets on a bus and comes here.
Show me the texts.
Can you read that? No.
Very good.
Fast.
Best.
Karim? She wants to know if you'll help look for her granddaughter.
She got any money? - What is that? - Ether.
What's ether? Is that some kind of, like, digital currency? Is it like a bitcoin? She was getting it on her phone.
It's basically virtual money, but it says here she's got $31,000.
Then why is she homeless? Ah, she got it from Michelle, just before she vanished.
Ask her if she wants to know the truth.
Go ahead, ask.
Yes, she does.
You tell her most girls under 18 who go missing for 72 hours are never found again or they're found dead.
I can't say that.
I'm saying it.
You're translating.
Don't sugarcoat it.
Tell her.
You look.
You look.
I know you can do your job.
I'm just asking you to double check, because they might not have done theirs.
And what about the East Bay? Is that a morgue or hospitals? Yeah, because I'm getting paid.
Listen.
If she were a blonde girl from Mill Valley, the police would be doing it.
All right, great, thank you.
I owe you.
She says very kind of us to take care of her granddaughter.
In fact we did very little.
I need you to wait outside.
She says she must be here.
I'm sorry to have disturbed you.
We had a misunderstanding.
Mr.
Karim.
Mr.
Karim! You stay, I go! Well, I want you on the street, okay? Not here, listening at the door with your better-than-you-let-on English.
And give me your phone.
Give me your phone.
It couldn't have been easy for you guys to Taking a stranger here.
The church asked who can give shelter to Mrs.
Vu's granddaughter.
But we both work.
Long days.
Our son studies hard.
You know, her grandmother says Michelle sent her money.
Made it with her phone.
You know how she did that? - Was she hustling? - What is hustling? Was she selling her body? This is a Christian home! Yeah, well, Christians get desperate sometimes.
She was not like that.
She was very shy, always on her phone.
She tried not to be any trouble.
She did the dishes even when she didn't eat here.
Where did she eat? Can I see where she slept? This is all she had? Did she give you any money? Fifty dollars.
Twice.
- For food.
- And rent, of course.
Can you translate these texts for me? From Michelle to Mrs.
Vu.
"Grandma.
I want to come home.
But I'm afraid that's not possible.
Maybe one day I will have enough money to get us a house again.
" "I am strong.
I am your hope.
" Mrs.
Vu? Here.
Go back upstairs.
You'll sleep there, okay? I'll call you when I know more.
Come on.
Hey.
Hey, what's your name? Your Vietnamese name.
Thi'nh.
I don't use it.
What do you use? Donald.
What did you wanna tell me? Did you want to show me something? No one's lived here for a while, huh? Did she sleep here sometimes so she could be alone? - What about the construction crew? - They never come.
Did she bring boyfriends here? She was hanging out with older kids.
They were playing a game.
- What kind of game? - A game on the phone.
- Did you play it with her? - I tried.
I'm not smart enough.
You're not smart enough? When was the last time you were here? She liked it to be quiet, so she could think.
Fuck.
You thought she was doing bad things.
She wasn't.
How'd she get her money that she gave your mom? From the game.
What, a hundred bucks? More.
Thirty-one thousand bucks? Maybe.
From a game? Is this hers? What's the game called? She said the game didn't have a name.
So you don't talk about it.
Do you know the code? I won't look.
Is that the game? Let me see.
Hey.
- Hey.
- I've solved them myself.
- I've solved everything.
- Hey.
I'm not going to hurt you, okay? I'm just coming closer.
My brain can hold all the brains.
My thoughts can dry water.
I've seen a million versions of myself.
You look like you need help, bro.
Wanna eat something? Get some sleep.
These are mine.
I did this.
Is he okay? Look.
I I want you to go straight to school, okay? Don't talk to anyone about this.
I'm gonna come and talk to your parents tonight.
I'm gonna find Michelle.
All right? So, the kid just jumped? - He wasn't pushed? - No.
And you were in the house looking for this missing Vu girl? As I said.
"As I said.
" Isn't finding missing kids our job? Yeah.
And since I cost money and you don't, why'd the grandmother come to me? So she could pay somebody to give a shit.
Exactly.
Why didn't they find an Asian, Karim? Don't they not like blacks? Um, we've been seeing a new strain of meth on the streets, very toxic.
- Did the jumper appear - We checked his teeth.
He wasn't a user.
You're working real hard to give this guy an out.
Why don't you just kiss him and make it official? Rob, you wanna take a walk around the block? Maybe cool the fuck down? Seriously, you think this kid was on something? Yeah, but I don't know what.
Who do you think owns this house? - Someone with a lot of money to waste.
- Uh-huh.
Can I go now? Nah, you're gonna need to come downtown and make a statement.
That's fine.
Oh, that's fine, is it? See, that's exactly why Rob doesn't like you, Karim, you arrogant prick.
Oh! Is that the reason? Look, just be there by 10 a.
m.
, all right? Otherwise, Blindheim's gonna send a patrol car for you.
Yo! You recognize this girl? Gamers.
That way? Yo! I'm looking for gamers.
You know gamers? No? Okay.
Gamers! Gamers! - I'm deaf.
- Oh.
I'm looking for a game that pays money.
That's Q Symphony.
It has a name? No.
But that's what they call it.
And the idiots that play are called Q-kids.
Money? How much? And how do I find some Q-kids? There.
Somewhere there.
- Called Big Blue.
- Big Blue.
Who the hell are you? - You're the plumber? - No, I'm a cop.
No, you're not.
You recognize this girl? - No.
- Hey, hey.
Help me out, she's missing.
Anybody recognize this girl? No.
Whoa, whoa! You can't go in there.
Dude, what the fuck? I said you can't I'm not a gamer, okay? I hate games.
I'm not interested in what you're doing in here.
I'm looking for a missing girl.
- You need to leave, man.
- It's not a game.
It's a puzzle.
A game is one side against another.
There's a winner and a loser.
Puzzles don't have losers.
Well, you lose if you don't solve it.
No.
You're stuck if you don't solve it.
The designer wants the player to figure it out.
It's not a war it's a mystery.
You built this? We did, yeah.
Look, I'm looking for a girl who made $31,000 playing Symphony.
- Michelle.
- Yes! - You know her! - Yeah, she used to hang around here.
- Uh, she stopped.
- When? Don't know, a little over two weeks ago.
Symphony doesn't like people working together, - and after a while she didn't need us.
- Do you know where she went? If I did, would I be stuck in a house full of people who are stuck? Well, I I gotta find her.
I gotta find out what happened to her.
Well, then you need to go where she went.
Where did she go? At a certain point, the puzzle goes IRL.
What's IRL? In real life.
The early levels in the phone are just about weeding people out.
It's really about getting here.
And that's why Michelle came to San Francisco.
That's why we all come.
How much can you make playing Symphony, Fola? Well, there are five levels.
Level one, it's 50 bucks.
Level two, 500.
Level three, 5,000.
- How many people do that? - Not many.
You? - And they really pay? - Yeah, yeah, in ether.
- They want people to keep playing.
- Why? Level four is $50,000.
I don't know anyone who's made it that far, except for maybe Michelle.
Level five is a million.
Here.
Now that you have the puzzle on your phone, and I've gotten you to this level solve it.
"Above the sea, below the stars.
" Five-letter word.
Augmented reality.
There's hidden images in the stairs.
Yeah, I gotta find the patterns that fit the clue.
Birds.
I, uh, forgot to mention.
You only have three tries.
Then you gotta wait a week to try again.
Back at the house, the kids were working together, but you say the game doesn't like that.
Yeah, well, ultimately, a puzzle is a conversation between the player and the maker.
The puzzle maker is teaching you a new language.
How to escape the limits of your own thinking and see things you didn't know were there.
Sounds like God.
Except it's real.
What's above the sea and below the stars? Above the sea, below the stars.
Above the sea, below the stars.
Oh, wait.
It's planes.
Fola what am I not seeing? Above the sea, below the stars, - runway - You only get one more go.
You're not gonna help me? It's not planes.
But a specific plane, five letters.
BA411.
Now you know how good it feels.
What do you think of the clue? "Three wise, man?" This is as far as you got and you want a fresh brain to help you solve it.
No.
I want you to fall in love.
Yeah.
Like this kid fell in love? Liam was always unstable, okay? You try to climb a mountain, some people are gonna fall off.
- Did Michelle fall? - No, I think she won.
I think she solved the game.
Where's she now? Why didn't she call her grandma? Her grandma doesn't matter anymore.
What happens if you solve the puzzle? The people who can answer that question are the ones who've done it.
Or the person who built it.
Nina, where are you? How many were there? I know that you're upset, that you feel betrayed.
Yes, you betrayed me.
You've just been away.
We need to spend some time together.
I've seen things I can't unsee.
Did she send you photos or a video? In English, please.
How many were in the house and what did you do with them? - I want to know every detail.
- I understand.
I'm sitting at our favorite place, waiting for you.
Come, sit and talk with me.
We'll figure out a way to move forward together.
You are my partner in all things.
I am coming.
But I'm telling you now, I'm not your partner anymore.
And I don't want you anywhere near the house.
I've been shot.
I've been shot in the chest.
It's a heart attack.
Prairie.
Prairie? Prairie, can you hear me? Hold on, okay? Hey.
Stay with me.
Homer.
- Prairie.
- OA! OA! Hold up! Take me with you! They said it would be like jumping into an invisible current that just carries you away.
- Where is this? - The Mission.
- But where? - San Francisco.
These are not my hands.
I need a mirror.
I need to see my face.
Dissociative, depersonalized, manic behavior.
Okay, let's run for kidneys first.
All my I can't hear anything, my ears are ringing.
We need a scan for swelling in her brain.
Update her BP.
And let's run a blood panel.
She says she's been shot in the heart.
Hi, there.
Can you blink for me? Good.
That's good.
Can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up? Four.
And what year is it? - 2016.
- Yes.
Good.
- And who's the president? - Barack Obama.
Who? Barack Obama.
Can you tell me your name? Prairie Johnson.
Well, it says here your name is Nina Azarova.
Does that sound at all familiar to you? That's my birth name.
Can I please see a mirror? Oh, my God.
It's me, but it's not me.
There's no I did it.
I jumped! Oh, my God.
Is there a man named Homer here? I'll have someone check the waiting room.
Can you tell me about these bruises? Uh I don't know what that is.
What is that? Oh, it'll help calm you.
Oh, no, I don't I don't need any drugs.
I have to be able to think.
Well, it's standard procedure for all incoming patients like yourself.
- It's okay.
- No, no, I don't want any.
Combative patient, 5150! Let me go! Hold her.
No! Level five's a million bucks.
- A million bucks? No fucking way.
- I swear to God, man.
A homeless girl had over 30 grand.
Not from sex.
Come on, man, you assholes know about apps.
What is this shit? - It sounds like a recruitment tool.
- But with that kind of payoff? For a tech company to get a great hire or solve a big problem, 30K is peanuts.
It's meaningless.
- A million is meaningless.
- Yeah, but why not call Grandma? 'Cause she's driving a Maserati and getting more pussy and dick than she knows what to do with.
- Who needs Grandma? - Trust me, man.
This kid would call.
- I thought you never met her.
- I met the grandma.
- God, 30k? - 30k.
36k.
Hey, hey, hey.
Who's it really paying you to be here? This whole PI thing is a cover for corporate espionage? - Anyone can load pics on their phone.
- Yeah? But only some self-styled Pied Piper can create an app that disappears the kid.
You think someone designed this app to kidnap your kid? Yeah, it's my working theory.
What if the app isn't a recruitment tool? What if it's about crowdsourcing? What? Erase the boundary between work and play, - hide your sweatshop in the cloud? - Exactly.
But why? What's this invisible labor force accomplishing? - Or trying to accomplish? - I don't know.
Which is why this whole thing smells like Pierre Ruskin.
Is that Ruskin the rideshare guy? "The rideshare guy.
" More like "the holy prophet of the valley.
" He saw ridesharing before it happened.
He was the angel investor for both Uber and Lyft, plus six other earth-shattering things.
Blockchain, cryptocurrency.
- Ether? - Yep.
And with his first company, Ruskin didn't hire a soul.
Just posted a prize on some obscure message board.
Five grand for the best low-cost carbon panel.
Overnight, 200 people working for him without a soul on payroll.
How do you know all this? 'Cause I won the five grand for the best carbon panel and his name was on the check.
Thank you.
You want to thank me? Forget my name.
I don't know your name.
Perfect.
Hey.
I need an address.
Pierre Ruskin.
I'll tell her that you're waiting.
Please.
Nina, your boyfriend is here.
- Homer? - He's very anxious to see you.
And he's handsome.
I don't know that man.
I'm in love, so if you don't want him - Tina! - It's Pierre Ruskin.
I mean, I don't want him to see me this way.
Would you like me to tell him something for you? Just that I need time.
Okay.
- More for me.
- Don't say that.
Morning, Nina.
I've got good and bad news.
- That's what she said? - Which one first? Sir, calm down.
Calm down.
Tell her that I know what she's up to.
I'm sorry, sir.
I know exactly what she's doing.
I'll be back.
Bad.
I ran a check on Homer Roberts.
I didn't find anything in St.
Louis.
There are two in Northern California.
A psychiatrist in the Bay Area and a man in his 60s in Sacramento.
But the good news is, we finally got in touch with your other contact, and she's waiting to talk to you.
Mom! Can you see me? It's Prairie.
Nina.
Hi, Nina.
They told me that you lost your memory and that I might be able to help you.
I'm not sure how, but I'm happy to try.
You don't know me? I'm sorry, darling, I I don't.
Oh.
I I didn't ever live with you? So, you didn't adopt? I I did adopt.
Um I have a son.
A son? Oh, my God.
You adopted the baby boy.
From Zoya.
What? You chose the baby boy from Zoya, in Sheepshead Bay.
Who are you? I I'm trying to figure that out.
My aunt, she ran a whorehouse in Sheepshead Bay - I'll be disconnecting - Wait, wait.
Wait, I don't wanna cause you any trouble.
I just need to know if When you went to the orphanage, was there a little Russian girl there, age eight, blind? No.
- I I have to go.
- Nancy? I just wanted to say thank you.
I'm so sorry I didn't say that to you more.
I I hope that you find who you're looking for.
Me, too.
Nina.
I have to tell you something hard.
They want to monitor you for another 14 days.
I can't stand another day in this place.
I am not crazy.
I am just confused.
I understand, but when you threatened the nurse in - In self-defense.
- I know.
But that's not how they see it.
They were trying to help you.
Stay with me.
Instead of going into a psych ward, you can volunteer yourself for a 14-day stay at a private clinic on Treasure Island.
It's rare that a bed opens up there.
Someone's pulled some strings for you.
We can even stop by your apartment and collect a few things together.
And if I say no? It's a 14-day hold.
There is no "no.
" It's either-or.
Would I have access to the Internet? Patients have rec room time, yes.
And I'd be left alone, to think? It'll be like a vacation, away from the insanity of this world.
The clinic.
Good.
You just need to sign here.
Please.
Let me, Ms.
Azarova.
I live here? Yes, you do.
After the 14-day hold, I can come be here? Sleep here? It's your penthouse.
So, yes.
That's me! It's from the first day of school in Moscow.
I remember this.
I don't know any of these moments.
Papa.
But he's so old.
He's He's an old man.
She's had so much time with him.
Can we call him? I tried to contact him when I was first assigned to your case.
He recently passed away.
How did he die? You can tell me.
I can handle it.
He was shot while taking a bath.
You don't remember? No.
This one's Valari.
We were in school together.
She was my best friend in Russia, when I was a kid.
They all died in a bus accident.
Oh, my God.
She isn't blind.
Is there any record of blindness in Nina's chart? No.
Though I can understand how you probably feel blindsided.
Trauma can do that to a person.
They all died in a bus accident.
She isn't blind.
Oh, my God.
Maybe Maybe she didn't get on the bus that day, the day of the accident.
Maybe she never died and came back blind.
Let me help you put a few things together in a bag, so you'll be comfortable.
Where's your closet? I have no idea.
I was gonna see if you had any sweatpants but I don't think you do.
We have Bert Gabel in the studio today.
He's Pierre Ruskin's right-hand.
- Bert, thanks for being here.
- Thanks.
The Wall Street Journal called Pierre "the prophet of the valley.
" Clearly his investors think he can see the future.
So, how does he do it? Well, I guess you'd say Pierre knows how to listen.
And where to listen.
- Listen to what? - Hey, what'd you find? Listen to the world.
It's whispering its intentions all the time.
Now most of us, we don't know how to hear it, but Pierre does.
How many of them? Nationwide? Those five kids in the Bay Area.
What do you mean "fucked up"? All playing the game? All right, but how many have a prior history of mental illness? Yeah, so we don't know it's the game cracking them up.
Yeah, because there are like thousands of kids playing.
High-strung, spectrum-y, math types.
How many would crack up anyway? Look, I gotta go.
But thanks.
I owe you.
- I feel a pit in my stomach.
- It's going to be okay.
It's a much better place than a public hospital.
What did you do? What is wrong with you? You hit my van! I'm so sorry, man.
I don't know what I was thinking.
Here's my license, insurance papers.
Listen, listen.
I'll give you $400 to let me sub for one of your men tonight.
I do the cleaning, he gets the pay.
Why? I'm Karim.
I'm looking for a little girl.
She might be in there.
Ah! That's why he ran into us! Oh, you're smart.
Now get in the car and stay in car.
- What did you say? - Shut up.
Just go.
Five hundred.
Let's pull over here, where the cameras can't see, so we exchange paperwork.
Listen, I have an extra uniform and badge.
But you won't match the photo.
They will never look! - Hold it.
Arms up.
- All right, hold it.
Clear.
You're clear.
What are you doing in here? Ah, uh - Trash, uh - There are no trash cans in here.
Sorry.
My bad.
This way.
In the dream, I'm running I dreamt I was planting seeds somewhere.
.
Homer.
Call me Dr.
Roberts.
I'm a third-year resident here at the clinic.
I'm gonna be looking after you.
How are you feeling now? Homer, it's me.
Yes, Nina.
No, OA.
You call me OA.
Is that what you would prefer to be called? OA? We can do that.
Come with me.
Come on.
I'm taking you to meet the director.
No, no, no.
No, no.
He's a remarkable man.
I've been studying under him for my entire residency.
Uh I first read his book back in med school.
It's actually the reason that I chose psychiatry.
It's okay.
He's had tremendous success with his patients.
There is really no one like him in the field.
You're in good hands.
I'd like you to meet the head of the clinic.
Dr.
Hunter Percy.
Hi.
Thank you, Dr.
Roberts.
It is you, isn't it? Hello, Prairie.
All right.
All right, all right, all right.
I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming.
Oh, ma'am.
Please, stop.
I don't understand a word you're saying.
In English.
Who are you? Granddaughter missing! No come home.
No text.
Need help.
I sent you email.
We email.
- You detective? - Yeah.
I told you to call the police.
- Did you call the police? - No.
No police.
Michelle invisible.
She's what? Invisible.
Are you Vietnamese? All right.
Wait there.
Don't go inside.
Duke! Duke! Yo, Duke! Didn't you surf in Vietnam for a year? - Yeah.
- Yeah, you speak any Vietnamese? Maybe.
Come.
Just ask her why she didn't go to the police, like I told her.
She says her granddaughter Michelle is invisible.
Uh-huh.
What's that mean? Uh, they're homeless.
They're immigrants.
And she says that police don't give a shit, which I'm sure is true.
If they're homeless, how does she know her granddaughter didn't come home? They're from Michigan.
Michelle's father disappeared, maybe died.
They were evicted, finished up in a shelter, and Michelle's been sending her grandma money.
Getting it how? Michelle's been getting money from her father.
I don't what that means, but it doesn't sound good.
So, the kid, Michelle, takes off for San Francisco because the money's better here.
She's sending more money, texting all the time, then two weeks ago, it just stops.
There's no more money, no more texting.
Grandma waits and then Then she gets on a bus and comes here.
Show me the texts.
Can you read that? No.
Very good.
Fast.
Best.
Karim? She wants to know if you'll help look for her granddaughter.
She got any money? - What is that? - Ether.
What's ether? Is that some kind of, like, digital currency? Is it like a bitcoin? She was getting it on her phone.
It's basically virtual money, but it says here she's got $31,000.
Then why is she homeless? Ah, she got it from Michelle, just before she vanished.
Ask her if she wants to know the truth.
Go ahead, ask.
Yes, she does.
You tell her most girls under 18 who go missing for 72 hours are never found again or they're found dead.
I can't say that.
I'm saying it.
You're translating.
Don't sugarcoat it.
Tell her.
You look.
You look.
I know you can do your job.
I'm just asking you to double check, because they might not have done theirs.
And what about the East Bay? Is that a morgue or hospitals? Yeah, because I'm getting paid.
Listen.
If she were a blonde girl from Mill Valley, the police would be doing it.
All right, great, thank you.
I owe you.
She says very kind of us to take care of her granddaughter.
In fact we did very little.
I need you to wait outside.
She says she must be here.
I'm sorry to have disturbed you.
We had a misunderstanding.
Mr.
Karim.
Mr.
Karim! You stay, I go! Well, I want you on the street, okay? Not here, listening at the door with your better-than-you-let-on English.
And give me your phone.
Give me your phone.
It couldn't have been easy for you guys to Taking a stranger here.
The church asked who can give shelter to Mrs.
Vu's granddaughter.
But we both work.
Long days.
Our son studies hard.
You know, her grandmother says Michelle sent her money.
Made it with her phone.
You know how she did that? - Was she hustling? - What is hustling? Was she selling her body? This is a Christian home! Yeah, well, Christians get desperate sometimes.
She was not like that.
She was very shy, always on her phone.
She tried not to be any trouble.
She did the dishes even when she didn't eat here.
Where did she eat? Can I see where she slept? This is all she had? Did she give you any money? Fifty dollars.
Twice.
- For food.
- And rent, of course.
Can you translate these texts for me? From Michelle to Mrs.
Vu.
"Grandma.
I want to come home.
But I'm afraid that's not possible.
Maybe one day I will have enough money to get us a house again.
" "I am strong.
I am your hope.
" Mrs.
Vu? Here.
Go back upstairs.
You'll sleep there, okay? I'll call you when I know more.
Come on.
Hey.
Hey, what's your name? Your Vietnamese name.
Thi'nh.
I don't use it.
What do you use? Donald.
What did you wanna tell me? Did you want to show me something? No one's lived here for a while, huh? Did she sleep here sometimes so she could be alone? - What about the construction crew? - They never come.
Did she bring boyfriends here? She was hanging out with older kids.
They were playing a game.
- What kind of game? - A game on the phone.
- Did you play it with her? - I tried.
I'm not smart enough.
You're not smart enough? When was the last time you were here? She liked it to be quiet, so she could think.
Fuck.
You thought she was doing bad things.
She wasn't.
How'd she get her money that she gave your mom? From the game.
What, a hundred bucks? More.
Thirty-one thousand bucks? Maybe.
From a game? Is this hers? What's the game called? She said the game didn't have a name.
So you don't talk about it.
Do you know the code? I won't look.
Is that the game? Let me see.
Hey.
- Hey.
- I've solved them myself.
- I've solved everything.
- Hey.
I'm not going to hurt you, okay? I'm just coming closer.
My brain can hold all the brains.
My thoughts can dry water.
I've seen a million versions of myself.
You look like you need help, bro.
Wanna eat something? Get some sleep.
These are mine.
I did this.
Is he okay? Look.
I I want you to go straight to school, okay? Don't talk to anyone about this.
I'm gonna come and talk to your parents tonight.
I'm gonna find Michelle.
All right? So, the kid just jumped? - He wasn't pushed? - No.
And you were in the house looking for this missing Vu girl? As I said.
"As I said.
" Isn't finding missing kids our job? Yeah.
And since I cost money and you don't, why'd the grandmother come to me? So she could pay somebody to give a shit.
Exactly.
Why didn't they find an Asian, Karim? Don't they not like blacks? Um, we've been seeing a new strain of meth on the streets, very toxic.
- Did the jumper appear - We checked his teeth.
He wasn't a user.
You're working real hard to give this guy an out.
Why don't you just kiss him and make it official? Rob, you wanna take a walk around the block? Maybe cool the fuck down? Seriously, you think this kid was on something? Yeah, but I don't know what.
Who do you think owns this house? - Someone with a lot of money to waste.
- Uh-huh.
Can I go now? Nah, you're gonna need to come downtown and make a statement.
That's fine.
Oh, that's fine, is it? See, that's exactly why Rob doesn't like you, Karim, you arrogant prick.
Oh! Is that the reason? Look, just be there by 10 a.
m.
, all right? Otherwise, Blindheim's gonna send a patrol car for you.
Yo! You recognize this girl? Gamers.
That way? Yo! I'm looking for gamers.
You know gamers? No? Okay.
Gamers! Gamers! - I'm deaf.
- Oh.
I'm looking for a game that pays money.
That's Q Symphony.
It has a name? No.
But that's what they call it.
And the idiots that play are called Q-kids.
Money? How much? And how do I find some Q-kids? There.
Somewhere there.
- Called Big Blue.
- Big Blue.
Who the hell are you? - You're the plumber? - No, I'm a cop.
No, you're not.
You recognize this girl? - No.
- Hey, hey.
Help me out, she's missing.
Anybody recognize this girl? No.
Whoa, whoa! You can't go in there.
Dude, what the fuck? I said you can't I'm not a gamer, okay? I hate games.
I'm not interested in what you're doing in here.
I'm looking for a missing girl.
- You need to leave, man.
- It's not a game.
It's a puzzle.
A game is one side against another.
There's a winner and a loser.
Puzzles don't have losers.
Well, you lose if you don't solve it.
No.
You're stuck if you don't solve it.
The designer wants the player to figure it out.
It's not a war it's a mystery.
You built this? We did, yeah.
Look, I'm looking for a girl who made $31,000 playing Symphony.
- Michelle.
- Yes! - You know her! - Yeah, she used to hang around here.
- Uh, she stopped.
- When? Don't know, a little over two weeks ago.
Symphony doesn't like people working together, - and after a while she didn't need us.
- Do you know where she went? If I did, would I be stuck in a house full of people who are stuck? Well, I I gotta find her.
I gotta find out what happened to her.
Well, then you need to go where she went.
Where did she go? At a certain point, the puzzle goes IRL.
What's IRL? In real life.
The early levels in the phone are just about weeding people out.
It's really about getting here.
And that's why Michelle came to San Francisco.
That's why we all come.
How much can you make playing Symphony, Fola? Well, there are five levels.
Level one, it's 50 bucks.
Level two, 500.
Level three, 5,000.
- How many people do that? - Not many.
You? - And they really pay? - Yeah, yeah, in ether.
- They want people to keep playing.
- Why? Level four is $50,000.
I don't know anyone who's made it that far, except for maybe Michelle.
Level five is a million.
Here.
Now that you have the puzzle on your phone, and I've gotten you to this level solve it.
"Above the sea, below the stars.
" Five-letter word.
Augmented reality.
There's hidden images in the stairs.
Yeah, I gotta find the patterns that fit the clue.
Birds.
I, uh, forgot to mention.
You only have three tries.
Then you gotta wait a week to try again.
Back at the house, the kids were working together, but you say the game doesn't like that.
Yeah, well, ultimately, a puzzle is a conversation between the player and the maker.
The puzzle maker is teaching you a new language.
How to escape the limits of your own thinking and see things you didn't know were there.
Sounds like God.
Except it's real.
What's above the sea and below the stars? Above the sea, below the stars.
Above the sea, below the stars.
Oh, wait.
It's planes.
Fola what am I not seeing? Above the sea, below the stars, - runway - You only get one more go.
You're not gonna help me? It's not planes.
But a specific plane, five letters.
BA411.
Now you know how good it feels.
What do you think of the clue? "Three wise, man?" This is as far as you got and you want a fresh brain to help you solve it.
No.
I want you to fall in love.
Yeah.
Like this kid fell in love? Liam was always unstable, okay? You try to climb a mountain, some people are gonna fall off.
- Did Michelle fall? - No, I think she won.
I think she solved the game.
Where's she now? Why didn't she call her grandma? Her grandma doesn't matter anymore.
What happens if you solve the puzzle? The people who can answer that question are the ones who've done it.
Or the person who built it.
Nina, where are you? How many were there? I know that you're upset, that you feel betrayed.
Yes, you betrayed me.
You've just been away.
We need to spend some time together.
I've seen things I can't unsee.
Did she send you photos or a video? In English, please.
How many were in the house and what did you do with them? - I want to know every detail.
- I understand.
I'm sitting at our favorite place, waiting for you.
Come, sit and talk with me.
We'll figure out a way to move forward together.
You are my partner in all things.
I am coming.
But I'm telling you now, I'm not your partner anymore.
And I don't want you anywhere near the house.
I've been shot.
I've been shot in the chest.
It's a heart attack.
Prairie.
Prairie? Prairie, can you hear me? Hold on, okay? Hey.
Stay with me.
Homer.
- Prairie.
- OA! OA! Hold up! Take me with you! They said it would be like jumping into an invisible current that just carries you away.
- Where is this? - The Mission.
- But where? - San Francisco.
These are not my hands.
I need a mirror.
I need to see my face.
Dissociative, depersonalized, manic behavior.
Okay, let's run for kidneys first.
All my I can't hear anything, my ears are ringing.
We need a scan for swelling in her brain.
Update her BP.
And let's run a blood panel.
She says she's been shot in the heart.
Hi, there.
Can you blink for me? Good.
That's good.
Can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up? Four.
And what year is it? - 2016.
- Yes.
Good.
- And who's the president? - Barack Obama.
Who? Barack Obama.
Can you tell me your name? Prairie Johnson.
Well, it says here your name is Nina Azarova.
Does that sound at all familiar to you? That's my birth name.
Can I please see a mirror? Oh, my God.
It's me, but it's not me.
There's no I did it.
I jumped! Oh, my God.
Is there a man named Homer here? I'll have someone check the waiting room.
Can you tell me about these bruises? Uh I don't know what that is.
What is that? Oh, it'll help calm you.
Oh, no, I don't I don't need any drugs.
I have to be able to think.
Well, it's standard procedure for all incoming patients like yourself.
- It's okay.
- No, no, I don't want any.
Combative patient, 5150! Let me go! Hold her.
No! Level five's a million bucks.
- A million bucks? No fucking way.
- I swear to God, man.
A homeless girl had over 30 grand.
Not from sex.
Come on, man, you assholes know about apps.
What is this shit? - It sounds like a recruitment tool.
- But with that kind of payoff? For a tech company to get a great hire or solve a big problem, 30K is peanuts.
It's meaningless.
- A million is meaningless.
- Yeah, but why not call Grandma? 'Cause she's driving a Maserati and getting more pussy and dick than she knows what to do with.
- Who needs Grandma? - Trust me, man.
This kid would call.
- I thought you never met her.
- I met the grandma.
- God, 30k? - 30k.
36k.
Hey, hey, hey.
Who's it really paying you to be here? This whole PI thing is a cover for corporate espionage? - Anyone can load pics on their phone.
- Yeah? But only some self-styled Pied Piper can create an app that disappears the kid.
You think someone designed this app to kidnap your kid? Yeah, it's my working theory.
What if the app isn't a recruitment tool? What if it's about crowdsourcing? What? Erase the boundary between work and play, - hide your sweatshop in the cloud? - Exactly.
But why? What's this invisible labor force accomplishing? - Or trying to accomplish? - I don't know.
Which is why this whole thing smells like Pierre Ruskin.
Is that Ruskin the rideshare guy? "The rideshare guy.
" More like "the holy prophet of the valley.
" He saw ridesharing before it happened.
He was the angel investor for both Uber and Lyft, plus six other earth-shattering things.
Blockchain, cryptocurrency.
- Ether? - Yep.
And with his first company, Ruskin didn't hire a soul.
Just posted a prize on some obscure message board.
Five grand for the best low-cost carbon panel.
Overnight, 200 people working for him without a soul on payroll.
How do you know all this? 'Cause I won the five grand for the best carbon panel and his name was on the check.
Thank you.
You want to thank me? Forget my name.
I don't know your name.
Perfect.
Hey.
I need an address.
Pierre Ruskin.
I'll tell her that you're waiting.
Please.
Nina, your boyfriend is here.
- Homer? - He's very anxious to see you.
And he's handsome.
I don't know that man.
I'm in love, so if you don't want him - Tina! - It's Pierre Ruskin.
I mean, I don't want him to see me this way.
Would you like me to tell him something for you? Just that I need time.
Okay.
- More for me.
- Don't say that.
Morning, Nina.
I've got good and bad news.
- That's what she said? - Which one first? Sir, calm down.
Calm down.
Tell her that I know what she's up to.
I'm sorry, sir.
I know exactly what she's doing.
I'll be back.
Bad.
I ran a check on Homer Roberts.
I didn't find anything in St.
Louis.
There are two in Northern California.
A psychiatrist in the Bay Area and a man in his 60s in Sacramento.
But the good news is, we finally got in touch with your other contact, and she's waiting to talk to you.
Mom! Can you see me? It's Prairie.
Nina.
Hi, Nina.
They told me that you lost your memory and that I might be able to help you.
I'm not sure how, but I'm happy to try.
You don't know me? I'm sorry, darling, I I don't.
Oh.
I I didn't ever live with you? So, you didn't adopt? I I did adopt.
Um I have a son.
A son? Oh, my God.
You adopted the baby boy.
From Zoya.
What? You chose the baby boy from Zoya, in Sheepshead Bay.
Who are you? I I'm trying to figure that out.
My aunt, she ran a whorehouse in Sheepshead Bay - I'll be disconnecting - Wait, wait.
Wait, I don't wanna cause you any trouble.
I just need to know if When you went to the orphanage, was there a little Russian girl there, age eight, blind? No.
- I I have to go.
- Nancy? I just wanted to say thank you.
I'm so sorry I didn't say that to you more.
I I hope that you find who you're looking for.
Me, too.
Nina.
I have to tell you something hard.
They want to monitor you for another 14 days.
I can't stand another day in this place.
I am not crazy.
I am just confused.
I understand, but when you threatened the nurse in - In self-defense.
- I know.
But that's not how they see it.
They were trying to help you.
Stay with me.
Instead of going into a psych ward, you can volunteer yourself for a 14-day stay at a private clinic on Treasure Island.
It's rare that a bed opens up there.
Someone's pulled some strings for you.
We can even stop by your apartment and collect a few things together.
And if I say no? It's a 14-day hold.
There is no "no.
" It's either-or.
Would I have access to the Internet? Patients have rec room time, yes.
And I'd be left alone, to think? It'll be like a vacation, away from the insanity of this world.
The clinic.
Good.
You just need to sign here.
Please.
Let me, Ms.
Azarova.
I live here? Yes, you do.
After the 14-day hold, I can come be here? Sleep here? It's your penthouse.
So, yes.
That's me! It's from the first day of school in Moscow.
I remember this.
I don't know any of these moments.
Papa.
But he's so old.
He's He's an old man.
She's had so much time with him.
Can we call him? I tried to contact him when I was first assigned to your case.
He recently passed away.
How did he die? You can tell me.
I can handle it.
He was shot while taking a bath.
You don't remember? No.
This one's Valari.
We were in school together.
She was my best friend in Russia, when I was a kid.
They all died in a bus accident.
Oh, my God.
She isn't blind.
Is there any record of blindness in Nina's chart? No.
Though I can understand how you probably feel blindsided.
Trauma can do that to a person.
They all died in a bus accident.
She isn't blind.
Oh, my God.
Maybe Maybe she didn't get on the bus that day, the day of the accident.
Maybe she never died and came back blind.
Let me help you put a few things together in a bag, so you'll be comfortable.
Where's your closet? I have no idea.
I was gonna see if you had any sweatpants but I don't think you do.
We have Bert Gabel in the studio today.
He's Pierre Ruskin's right-hand.
- Bert, thanks for being here.
- Thanks.
The Wall Street Journal called Pierre "the prophet of the valley.
" Clearly his investors think he can see the future.
So, how does he do it? Well, I guess you'd say Pierre knows how to listen.
And where to listen.
- Listen to what? - Hey, what'd you find? Listen to the world.
It's whispering its intentions all the time.
Now most of us, we don't know how to hear it, but Pierre does.
How many of them? Nationwide? Those five kids in the Bay Area.
What do you mean "fucked up"? All playing the game? All right, but how many have a prior history of mental illness? Yeah, so we don't know it's the game cracking them up.
Yeah, because there are like thousands of kids playing.
High-strung, spectrum-y, math types.
How many would crack up anyway? Look, I gotta go.
But thanks.
I owe you.
- I feel a pit in my stomach.
- It's going to be okay.
It's a much better place than a public hospital.
What did you do? What is wrong with you? You hit my van! I'm so sorry, man.
I don't know what I was thinking.
Here's my license, insurance papers.
Listen, listen.
I'll give you $400 to let me sub for one of your men tonight.
I do the cleaning, he gets the pay.
Why? I'm Karim.
I'm looking for a little girl.
She might be in there.
Ah! That's why he ran into us! Oh, you're smart.
Now get in the car and stay in car.
- What did you say? - Shut up.
Just go.
Five hundred.
Let's pull over here, where the cameras can't see, so we exchange paperwork.
Listen, I have an extra uniform and badge.
But you won't match the photo.
They will never look! - Hold it.
Arms up.
- All right, hold it.
Clear.
You're clear.
What are you doing in here? Ah, uh - Trash, uh - There are no trash cans in here.
Sorry.
My bad.
This way.
In the dream, I'm running I dreamt I was planting seeds somewhere.
.
Homer.
Call me Dr.
Roberts.
I'm a third-year resident here at the clinic.
I'm gonna be looking after you.
How are you feeling now? Homer, it's me.
Yes, Nina.
No, OA.
You call me OA.
Is that what you would prefer to be called? OA? We can do that.
Come with me.
Come on.
I'm taking you to meet the director.
No, no, no.
No, no.
He's a remarkable man.
I've been studying under him for my entire residency.
Uh I first read his book back in med school.
It's actually the reason that I chose psychiatry.
It's okay.
He's had tremendous success with his patients.
There is really no one like him in the field.
You're in good hands.
I'd like you to meet the head of the clinic.
Dr.
Hunter Percy.
Hi.
Thank you, Dr.
Roberts.
It is you, isn't it? Hello, Prairie.