Them (2021) s02e02 Episode Script

1
Took X-rays before I re-broke
some of the bones
in order to perform the autopsy.
Twenty-five fractures in all.
I've seen a lot in my time
It was multiple killers.
A 16-year-old foster kid.
He's built like Bo Jackson.
He's probably a banger.
Got some friends together,
went to town on her overnight.
You think a few high school kids
with lead pipes broke her coccyx,
sacrum, L1, L3, T6, C5, C6, C7?
What do you think?
Only bodies I've ever seen this broken
were run over by trains.
Obviously none of the injuries
are consistent with that type of trauma.
So I start thinking
what other machines might be
I went there first.
Some sort of commercial trash compactor.
But that would mean
the killer got her out of the house,
onto an industrial site, killed her,
returned with the body,
fit her underneath the sink,
all in one night, without alerting
any neighbors or the kids in the house.
Unless you consider the foster boy did it,
threatened the other kids
to keep them from talking.
But that wouldn't explain
the lack of bruising.
Could he have broken her bones
and posed her after he killed her?
That would explain it.
Once the heart stops beating,
blood pools in the lower dependent areas.
Someone could exert enough pressure
without showing any signs of bruising.
But from what I can tell?
- She died of neurogenic shock.
- What's that?
Deadly complications related
to spinal cord injuries.
Complication? So, are you
are you saying she didn't die instantly?
It takes a few minutes.
She had a house full of kids.
How did none of them hear her scream?
Vocal cord paralysis.
Her neck was snapped,
but not enough to kill her.
- [exhales softly]
- [Furrow] Once that happens,
all communication between
the brain and the body is lost.
I'd imagine Mott thought to scream,
but her lungs never got the message.
So she was awake for it.
It's like he made her watch.
♪
[horns honking]
[crunching softly]
[Dawn's recording] victim's right leg
has been broken, bent backward.
Complex fractures implied.
[McKinney] What are you doing?
Going over my crime scene recordings.
We need to check the registry from DCFS.
All records of visits,
everyone who has gone through that house.
They're just gonna give us the runaround.
They don't want the records
of all the times they were called
after that house making it into a trial.
So?
I'm just saying
the easiest answer
is usually the right one.
Meaning
the massive kid who had access to her.
[laughing]
Okay.
Paperwork it is.
Paperwork?
These are people's lives.
Mm. You know what?
Never mind.
You don't give a shit.
Oh, this is about?
Okay.
Okay, if you want
to make it about that, fine.
- Make it about what?
- [McKinney] Look,
my first girlfriend
was Black.
So
[laughs]
[scoffs]
[school bell ringing]
[playful clamoring]
[Natalie] Can you believe
that Rodney King shit?
[Kelvin] It's fucked up.
[Natalie] I hate cops.
Yeah, they're just another gang.
And they're always fucking
with my cousin Ernest.
And then they want to act like
that shit doesn't happen all the time.
- Yeah. It's, um it's-it's pretty bad.
- [Natalie] Pretty bad?
[scoffs]
They never fucked with you before?
Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah.
Okay.
You okay?
Yeah, I'm good. [chuckles]
[mumbles] I got to go, though.
♪
[indistinct chatter]
This has nothing to do with our case.
Same victim profile, five miles
from the Mott homicide. You never know.
[indistinct chatter]
[indistinct chatter continues]
[woman] Why y'all got
that poor girl's body laid out like that?
- Cover her up!
- [man] Exactly.
[woman 2] What you all doing?
Y'all back up.
[Marsh groans]
What are you doing here, Reeve?
M.O. is Southside. Not your concern.
We canvass witnesses yet?
Well, as you can see,
the natives are a little agitated.
Not cooperating.
[indistinct chatter continues]
Hey, don't feed the animals, Reeve.
- Damn, sister, you a pig?
- Fucking traitor.
Did you see what happened here today?
[woman 1] I didn't see shit.
Did you know the victim?
Hell no. All I know is,
he's the motherfuckin' Southside slayer.
[woman 2] He's out here killing sisters,
and y'all ain't doing shit.
[man 1] Not a damn thing.
[woman 1] Yeah, you know that.
She Hello?
[muffled chatter]
- [woman 2] Hello?
- Excuse me.
[overlapping chatter]
- Where she going?
- [indistinct chatter]
Excuse me.
It was him.
Did you know her?
You all are gonna die!
Hey, hey!
Stop running!
Shit.
- [tense music plays]
- Five-O!
Five-O!
Five-O!
[indistinct shouting]
Police!
- What'd he do?
- Get down! Get down on the ground!
- [Dawn] Show your hands.
- Hey, hey. Leave him alone.
- You trying to fuck with him for?
- Get back, get back.
- [screaming]
- [dish shatters]
[woman 3] Get out of my house!
Get out. What are you doing?
- Hands up!
- Oh. Oh. Oh.
- [clacking]
- [cartoon voices on TV]
- Put the gun down!
- [woman 3] Get the fuck out.
[man 2] Get the fuck up out of here.
Get back, get back!
[indistinct clamoring]
[grunts]
[Tony! Toni! Toné!: "It Never Rains
(In Southern California)"]
There's nothing else I'd rather do ♪
It never rains in Southern California ♪
Baby, baby, baby ♪
It never rains in Southern California ♪
I'll see you when I get there ♪
Now, it may be cold
on the East Coast
[banging]
- Why the fuck you in my house?
- [Dawn] Stand back!
- Stand back!
- You want to fight
- You want to fight me?
- Leave her alone!
Stand back.
Hey!
[yells]
[car alarm blaring]
You fucking pig bitch.
How much they paying you
to sell your soul? Huh?
[Dawn gasps]
Fucking pig!
[high-pitched ringing]
[loud, overlapping chatter]
[glass breaking]
[loud, overlapping chatter]
[high-pitched ringing continues]
[Dawn] Hey!
- [glass shattering]
- [indistinct, overlapping chatter]
- [glass breaking continues]
- [overlapping shouting]
- [door slams]
- [panting]
[host on TV]T, double O.
That's absolutely right.
[TV continues playing indistinctly]
- [contestant] Fourteen across.
- [host] Fourteen across
is a three-letter word. $30.
"Passing fancy."
- Fad.
- "Fad"? Would you please spell it for me?
- F-A-D.
- Nice choice.
[applause on TV]
[panting]
Show me your hands.
Show me your hands now!
Hands now!
[baby crying]
[panting]
Why did you run?
'Cause I'm scared.
If you'd stopped when I told you to,
you would have nothing to be scared of.
- It's not you.
- [baby fussing]
We're being watched.
I couldn't leave the house.
I just
- I had to get the baby formula. I
- [door slams open]
- Police!
- [baby cries]
Don't shoot. Don't shoot! He has a baby.
[baby crying]
This motherfucker.
No, don't shoot!
He has a baby! Don't shoot!
Where are the drugs?
I know you're cooking. Where's the stuff?
I was trying to get home to my son
before something happened to him.
You're gonna go through this whole place.
You're gonna flip the mattress.
You're gonna pull out all the drawers.
Now. Get up, now!
Flip the mattress and toss the drawers!
What the fuck is this?
No, no, no, no, no. Don't!
[groaning]
McKinney, stop! Stop!
- That's enough!
- [groaning]
- [McKinney grunting]
- Stop. That's enough.
- [panting]
- [baby wailing]
Sheets on the mirrors?
No, no, don't, don't. No! [groans]
Where the fuck's the stuff?!
[coughing]
No. No. S-Stop.
[panting] Hi.
[baby fussing]
Hi. Hi.
- [gasps]
- [McKinney] Don't you fucking move.
Is it in here, huh?
McKinney, that is enough! That's enough.
That's enough!
- [baby fussing]
- Shh, shh, shh, shh.
[Terrence] Sir?
[grunts]
Sir?
[baby crying]
[suspenseful music plays]
Fuck it.
Waste of our fucking time.
Hey.
It's okay. Daddy's got you.
Daddy's got you.
["Take My Breath Away" Muzak
playing over phone]
[bag crunching]
[hissing]
[muffled groaning]
[muffled groaning]
[song continues playing]
[muffled choking]
[agent] Hello?
Hello?
Hello, sir? Are you there?
[gasping] Oh, shit.
- No one talked
- Hello?
Hello. Hello.
Hello, sir.
Unfortunately, I was not able to locate
the information you were looking for.
- [coughing]
- [agent] In fact,
I wasn't able to locate the request.
When did you file that?
What what-what
What do you mean? I
I-I just spoke to a woman there last week
who was very helpful, and she said that
she said that it would
I'm sorry. Who did you speak with?
[labored breathing]
Uh [sighs, sniffles]
Um
[stammers] Marjorie.
I spoke to Marjorie on the 7th.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Marjorie doesn't work here anymore.
And there's no record of that request.
Would you like me to send out the forms
so you can make a proper request?
I-I've already filled out
all of the forms a-a month ago.
I-I spoke to Marjorie numerous times.
Sebastian, as well.
And he wasn't very helpful, but-but there
should be a record of the request.
Please. This [sighs]
This is very important.
Please hold.
["Take My Breath Away" Muzak
resumes playing over phone]
[agent] Hello, sir.
Yes. [clears throat] Yes.
I was able to locate your request.
[groans] Great!
But those types of requests
do take a significant
amount of time to fulfill,
if we are able at all.
Expect at least two to four weeks
W-What's your what's your name?
Beatrice.
Beatrice.
[quietly] Uh, Be
Okay, thank you, Beatrice.
It's, uh I-I'll check back in
n-next week,
um, but if there's anything
you can do to, um
- You have a good day, sir.
- [dial tone sounds]
[Rockwell: "Somebody's Watching Me"]
Who's watching? ♪
Tell me, who's watching? ♪
Who's watching me? ♪
One, two, three, four
One, two, three
One, two, three
I'm just an average man ♪
With an average life,
I work from nine to five ♪
Hey, hell, I pay the price ♪
All I want is to be left alone ♪
In my average home ♪
But why do I always feel ♪
Like I'm in The Twilight Zone and ♪
I always feel like ♪
- Somebody's watching me ♪♪
- [phone ringing]
Hello, hello?
[Rhonda over phone] Hey, Edmund.
It's-it's Rhonda, from Stella's office?
Oh. Oh, hi.
I was just calling because
I told you that I'd reach out to you
- if
- If Yeah, if you found something,
- for me.
- Yeah.
Well,
I came across something really different.
- But
- W-What is it?
A slasher film.
Yeah.
It's-it's the role of the killer.
- W-Who, me?
- I know,
it's not necessarily what I was thinking,
but, I mean, the script
doesn't really specify race.
And, I mean, the guy, he wears
a mask throughout the entire film.
And, I mean,
he's supposed to be this big guy.
- But, I mean, you're tall.
- Yeah.
And I don't know, I just thought
how cool would that be?
I mean, 'cause you-you never
really see a brother
in one of these serial killer roles.
- That's
- I know. It's not
I mean, you're such a sweet guy.
Well, don't-don't be fooled
by appearances.
[laughs] But I mean,
it-it might be fun, right?
- Worth a shot?
- Absolutely.
[crunches]
[soft squealing]
[soft squealing]
[rustling]
[squealing]
[clicks]
[ominous music plays]
[cups scrapes on table]
Thank you.
So [exhales]
How's work?
Really?
Sometimes I like to pretend to be
- to be normal.
- [Reggie] Well, in that case,
let's see.
Today, I paid out a settlement to a guy
who tripped on a cracked sidewalk
in front of the public library downtown
- Mm-hmm?
- and broke his foot.
- [chuckles] Really?
- [snoring]
Well, how was your day?
You know, work is work.
Must be crazy right now.
Whew!
Glad we're through with that shit.
[both laugh]
Shall we?
[Sade: "Your Love Is King"]
You're making me dance ♪
Inside ♪
Your love is king ♪
Crown you in my heart
[panting]
- Oh, God, watch it
- Don't you fucking dare.
Don't you fucking dare.
[moaning]
And round my head ♪
Touching the very part of me ♪
It's making my soul sing ♪
Tearing the very heart of me ♪
I'm crying out for more ♪♪
♪
- [insects chirping]
- [TV playing indistinctly]
[coos]
[grunts]
[gurgling, bubbling]
[hisses]
[laughter over TV]
[banging on door]
[officer] Police!
- Open the door!
- [groans]
[baby crying]
[officer] Open up or we're coming in!
Open the door!
[grunting]
[dark music playing]
[water gurgling]
[panting]
[baby babbling]
[loud crack]
[exhales]
Fuck.
[baby cooing]
[laughter on TV]
[baby cooing]
[water gurgling]
[TV playing indistinctly]
- [door clunks]
- [door creaks]
[panting]
[baby laughing]
[labored breathing]
[sniffles]
[baby laughing]
[water gurgling]
[ominous music plays]
[baby laughing]
[gasping softly]
- No, no
- [loud crack]
[baby laughing]
- [grunting]
- [cracking]
[baby crying]
- [groaning]
- [cracking]
[groaning, gagging]
- [sharp crack]
- [baby crying]
[woman sobbing] You see
what they did to my baby?
That's my baby.
Did Curtis have any enemies
that you know of?
Do you not understand
what went on in here?
That was not done by "an enemy."
No human is capable of that kind of evil.
The devil himself visited this place.
When when was the last time
you talked to your son?
Last night. [crying]
He was so scared.
He begged me to drive down.
[sobbing]
What time was this?
He told me y'all was here.
Before.
He didn't seem scared to you?
[ominous music plays]
Why the duct tape?
Force the baby to watch?
[woman] Do you have a boy?
You know what they do to our boys.
[dark music plays]
[wailing]
Okay. You need Be careful.
- Be careful
- [shouts] Go.
Don't you touch me.
Don't you take my baby!
[Dawn] So, you really don't think
that we have a serial out there?
- Did you not just come from the same
- I'm-I'm not saying they're not connected.
Given the similarities in the injuries,
they probably are.
I'm saying these are targeted killings.
These not victims of convenience
sex workers, runaways, homeless
these are two native Angelenos,
found in their own homes
murdered with a brutality
that suggests a personal vendetta.
I think the killer knew these victims.
He's posing them, just like Hillside
I think the killer knew these victims,
which is why I'm looking for a connection
between our latest victim and Malcolm.
- The young man from the foster home.
- [Dawn] Boy, sir.
16-year-old boy.
Curtis was a drug dealer.
Malcolm is very likely a drug user.
Waiting on toxicology.
A 16-year-old boy did not do that,
no matter what drugs he was using.
We have two crime scenes.
No prints, blood, hair, fiber. Nothing.
We are looking for
an obsessive, meticulous killer
who did this before,
and will do this again.
- Now, now, now. Hold, hold on, Reeve.
- She's getting that look again.
- What did you say?
- [Schiff] Look, look, one step at a time.
Uh, the last thing we need
right now is a serial.
- Well, that's what we got, sir.
- [Schiff] Look,
Reeve, let's be smart, act on the facts.
Okay. Okay, we'll just wait
for the next victim.
Or maybe the one after that.
[Schiff] All right, all right, okay.
What if I say you're right?
It is a serial killer. Now what?
- How does that change anything?
- More resources, sir.
I've pulled six detectives
to investigate our own cops
on this King shit.
I-I've got D-1s running patrols,
there's so much heat out there.
We get an FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit
to complete a suspect profile.
Yeah, and I could become fucking
president, but that's not happening.
[Dawn] We could do a news conference
- to warn the commun
- [Schiff] And when do we go on?
Before or after
the chief has spoken to the media
for the fifth time today?
That's what we'd say
if they were USC students?
[groans] This is what I'm talking about.
[Schiff] Really, Reeve? Really?
We had 50 detectives out there
when you were working on the Southside
- and you couldn't get him?
- And now we have two.
- And the killer is still out there.
- [Schiff] And you want to bring
- extra scrutiny on us right now?
- [Dawn] Is it really just about
- how it plays out for us?
- And panic the community
when there's fear and anger up to here?
[Dawn] Now is the time
to let people know that we care.
Level with them.
Be transparent.
We get crucified
for leveling with the people.
Every fucking media outlet,
every political sideshow,
- every city council meeting
- Because we don't tr
Look, we're done here.
I'm not indulging this any longer.
Ratchet down the emotions.
Follow McKinney's lead.
[dramatic music plays]
♪
[news anchor] The inaction
of the 17 officers may now be investigated
by the U.S. attorney's office
for possible civil right violations.
The video was filmed by George Holliday,
who lives across the street
- from where the incident took place.
- [door closes]
[TV continues playing indistinctly]
Do you want to talk about it?
Do you?
It is fucked up.
It happened, not e-exactly in that way,
but it happened to my friend Troy.
I was 14, he was 17.
And I thought they were gonna kill him.
So why'd you become a cop?
Well, um
I remember thinking that if
I'm the one with the badge
shit's not gonna go down on my watch.
[contemplative music plays]
[sighs]
[dialing]
[line ringing]
LA Weekly, Zabriskie.
Hello?
- I got something for you.
- Detective Reeve?
My name stays out of this.
There's a new serial killer
hunting in South Central.
First victim: Bernice Mott,
second: Curtis Maynard.
Both spoke of being followed
in the days before their murders.
Both said they saw someone
outside their residences at night,
watching them.
Why are you telling me this?
People deserve to know.
I want the community alerted.
And if anyone has any tips
that could lead to an arrest,
we want to hear them.
Why no press conference?
Not the approach the department
wants to take right now.
They're not going with you on this?
I can't give you any more details.
[phone clacks]
The term "deranged sociopath"
- [audience laughter]
- [chuckles]
gets thrown around a lot by the media,
but it really applies to my next guest.
Starting today, you can see him in
Friday the 13th Part VIII:
Jason Takes Manhattan.
Please welcome Jason.
[audience cheering]
[dark music playing]
[Arsenio over TV] How are you?
[audience laughter]
[Arsenio] That's good.
- [audience laughs]
- [Arsenio continues indistinctly]
[Aerosmith: "Walk This Way"]
[Edmund] Ah, yes, yes, yes.
[imitating Hulk Hogan]
Are you looking for me?
Are you talking about me, huh, brother?
Well, brother, know that
when you're looking at me,
know that you see a man
in a full transformation.
I'm not The Hulk anymore.
I'm The Hulkster. Yeah.
Hulkamania.
A-changing your ways ♪
I met a cheerleader ♪
Was a real young bleeder
Here we go.
It's a special moment here.
And when I tell you to do something,
you do it. [mock laughter]
[muffled] Excuse me.
Hey, hey, hey.
♪
Seesaw swinging
with the boys in school ♪
And your feet are flying up in the air ♪
Singing hey, diddle, diddle
with your kitty in the middle ♪
And you're swinging
like you just don't care ♪
So I took a big chance
at the high school dance ♪
With a lady who was ready to play ♪
It wasn't me she was fooling ♪
'Cause she knew what she was doing ♪
When she told me how to walk this way ♪
- She told me to walk this way ♪
- [dark music plays]
Talk this way ♪♪
[dark music playing]
♪
♪
[screams]
[tape squeals]
[clacking, squealing]
[clacking, squealing]
One, two, three
[clamoring on TV]
[dark music plays]
Ma?
Ma?
♪
♪
[scoffs softly]
[clicking]
[grunts]
[panting]
[door squeaking]
[indistinct announcement nearby]
♪
- [Technotronic: "Move This"]
- You got to groove it ♪
Come on and move this ♪
Shake that body for ♪
People don't you know
Hey, it's Cheddar.
Oh, Jesus.
Come on, go, go.
[games chiming]
♪
Hey, back up!
Back up!
[filtered breathing]
Come here.
Get back!
What the fuck are you doing?
Put the fucking knife down!
Are you crazy?
Idiot! What is wrong with you?
[Edmund] I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't
Wait, I-I-I didn't
- I didn't, I'm sorry. I
- [Rio] You know what?
You're fired.
Wait.
I'm calling the cops.
Sorry, folks. It's under control.
♪
[Guns N' Roses: "Welcome to the Jungle"]
Oh, my God ♪
[games chiming]
♪
Welcome to the jungle ♪
We got fun and games ♪
We got everything you want ♪
Honey, we know the names ♪
We are the people that can find ♪
Whatever you may need ♪
If you got the money, honey ♪
We got your disease ♪
In the jungle, welcome to the jungle ♪
Watch it bring you to your ♪
Shun-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n,
knees, knees ♪
Mwah, ah ♪
I want to watch you bleed ♪
Welcome to the jungle ♪
We take it day by day ♪
If you want it, you're gonna bleed ♪
But it's the price you pay ♪
And you're a very sexy girl ♪
Who's very hard to please ♪
You can taste the bright lights ♪
But you won't get them for free ♪
In the jungle ♪
Welcome to the jungle ♪
Feel my, my, my, my serpentine ♪
Mwah, ah, I want to hear you scream ♪
Welcome to the jungle ♪
It gets worse here every day ♪
You learn to live like an animal ♪
In the jungle where we play ♪
If you got a hunger for what you see ♪
You'll take it eventually ♪
You can have anything you want ♪
But you better not take it from me ♪
In the jungle, welcome to the jungle ♪
Watch it bring you to your ♪
Shun-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n,
knees, knees ♪
Mwah ♪
I'm gonna watch you bleed ♪
And when you're high ♪
You never ♪
Ever want to come down ♪
So down ♪
Yeah ♪♪