Jeremiah (2002) s02e06 Episode Script

1 Previously on Jeremiah When I was in charge of the prison break in Milhaven, you told me to pick lieutenants I trusted.
This guy that calls himself "Mr.
Smith," thinks god talks to him? He saved my life, Markus, twice.
So where are you from? - Portland.
- I'm from Portland.
That makes us practically, like, homeboys.
It's a pinhole camera.
I use it to chronicle where I've been, what I've seen.
I'd like to put you in charge of putting this place back together.
This was a transit point for Valhalla Sector, which means a lot of people will come through here all the time.
I keep hearing about this guy, uh, Daniel They say he's got these slave-labor camps going, and anybody who goes into his territory without any kind of resources, they grab 'em up and put 'em to work.
Kurdy, all I'm saying is that if you're happy with Smith as your partner, that's what matters.
There's no rule saying I have to like everybody that works here.
Yeah, but you said he was a nut.
Yes, but he's your nut, not mine.
The guy hears voices, Kurdy.
Hey, that's not true.
It's just one voice.
God.
The scientific term for that is a psychosis, auditory hallucinations.
So you're saying everyone through history who said they heard god talking to them was crazy? You saying they weren't? Look, all I'm saying is there's more to Smith than that god stuff, all right? He's a good guy.
You should talk to him, get to know him.
He can talk about a lot of other stuff besides that stuff.
Okay, okay.
Hey, Kurdy.
How's it going? Good.
Good, man.
You? Good, good.
Oh, God.
What? What what? What'd he say? What'd who say? - God.
- About what? You just, um - I forgot the salt.
- Oh.
Oh, I I I thought i thought that you were, um You thought that I was what? That you were, uh, you know uh, salt saltless.
No, that's what we were doing.
We were just commenting on your saltless ness.
Are you all right, Markus? Is there anything I can do for you? No, I I I'm fine.
I, uh, should go now.
Is he all right? He's a nice guy.
He just seems a little messed up, that's all, but I suppose anybody can look a little crazy in the right circumstances.
You did that on purpose, didn't you? Did what? So you're still lugging that camera around, huh? What kind of stuff do you take pictures of, anyway? You know, just, uh birds, trees.
You know, stuff.
I like to keep it around, though.
You never know what might be coming your way next.
(dogs barking) (crowd screaming) (machine guns firing) We have to go the other way around.
No.
It's just too long, they'll catch us.
Leah I am not going back to that camp.
- I won't let them take me back.
- It's our only choice.
We have to risk it, all right? We have to tell the world what we've seen, or else the truth dies with us.
Now, go.
Go.
It's been 15 years since a strange disease wiped out all of the adults and left us kids to fend for ourselves.
Now I'm moving ahead, through the past.
I can't let go I'm holding hope so tight It's hard to breathe when the whole world falls I'm gonna put the stars back back up in the sky Let them all just shine down I'm gonna try I believe we'll find the world together Through your eyes That's all I can see I believe we're looking at forever In a world where we can be free I believe So aren't you excited? Excited about what? It's your first day.
You're in charge of all of this.
Do you really think these people are gonna let me run this place - just 'cause Markus said so? - Yeah.
Come on, you're rebuilding.
You're putting in stuff.
These people are finally free from Valhalla Sector.
Will they let you run this? Absolutely.
Hell, they'll probably give you a fruit basket.
Oh, good, a fruit basket.
That's what I need.
Then I'll have fruit and nuts, 'cause I don't know if I've told you this lately, Libby you're nuts.
Okay, look around.
People are pouring into this town, okay, because they've heard it's going to be a centerpiece for the alliance.
Plus, you know, I'm here.
Yeah, and you're here.
See, I always put the obvious thing at the end, because - Because it goes without saying.
- Because it goes without saying.
- So I'm not saying.
- What? - The obvious thing.
- And what is that? You know, for someone who's going to be in charge of all this, you're a little slow some days.
I'm not in charge, all right? I'm just helping out.
I don't even know that i want to be in charge.
Of course you do.
You just have to have the right attitude.
Hello.
Welcome to Milhaven.
So, are you here with a lot of people, or A lot fewer than we left with.
Oh, are they still coming, or They're dead.
Check this out.
Smith then says, "Is there anything I can do for you?" Man, it was the funniest thing I've seen in a long time.
Try that again.
- You call that a shot? - The basket's too small.
It's cold down here.
It makes the metal shrink.
Yeah? I felt a warm draft.
Anybody else feel a warm draft? I don't know about that, but there's a lot of hot air passing through.
Anyway, Smith's a funny guy.
He's weird, but funny.
Turns out we're from the same town.
You said you were from Portland.
- Yeah.
- Smith's from New Orleans.
- No, he's from Portland.
- I'm just saying.
I know what I heard, all right? Now, he might've passed through New Orleans, but he's from Portland.
That's what he said.
Trust me, I know, because I almost smacked him when he said we were practically homeboys.
He told me he was from San Francisco.
- What? - Yeah.
He said when he was a kid he used to hang around down by the pier in Ghirardelli Square, same as me.
He tell the rest of you guys different stuff about where he's from? - What the hell's with that? - Don't know, man.
Maybe Markus was right about your pal after all.
And we've fixed up the place real good for you.
Just made sense, 'cause the last guy that ran Milhaven lived here.
There's just the one working bedroom upstairs, but I figured that you two probab Um, Jeremiah's sleeping on the couch.
Sleeping on the couch.
Listen, thanks for all your help Nonsense.
In 10 years of Valhalla Sector running this town, we've learned one thing Whoever's got the power makes the rules.
They're gone, Thunder Mountain's in.
You got the power.
You make the rules.
Yeah, well, I don't like rules.
I don't even like my own rules.
Yeah, I understand.
Still, we all took up a collection, and we got you this, as our way of saying thanks.
Oh, wow, a fruit basket.
Told you.
Yeah, and it's got a big green, flaky Artichoke! My wife did the same thing.
I don't understand it, but it makes them happy, so I'm not going to question it, right? Anyway, like I was saying, the town's become a lot more stable lately.
We've fixed up the church and the tavern kind of like society's bookends, aren't they? We even, uh, we even got a little marathon poker game going on.
Yeah, I just hope that, we can, uh, keep it all together.
What's to stop us? Well, there's been a lot of new people showing up lately, taking up space, resources.
See, some people are trouble, and some people just kind of bring trouble with 'em.
So I'd be careful, if I were you.
Poker Hey, Kurdy, how's it going? Good.
You? Good.
A little restless, looking forward to getting back out on the road.
Yeah, me, too.
I ever tell you that I made it back home to Portland last year? Really? How'd that go? Okay.
The place sure has changed a lot, though.
What part of town did you say you were from, again, Smith? Laurelhurst.
We had this great big house right on the park, dated back to the 1920s.
On either side of us, there were houses that were even older than that.
That's right.
That was a pretty cool neighborhood, Laurelhurst.
Your parents ever take you down to Powell's bookstore? The main one, downtown, or the one near Washington Square? - Downtown.
- Yeah, all the time.
My mom used to take me there to get pop-up books.
I love pop-up books.
And every saturday they had a reading there with that that lady, what was her name? She wore purple sweaters and smelled of lavender - Mrs.
Haversham.
- Yeah.
That's the one.
I'll never forget the killer winds in the wintertime.
Yeah, or the smell of roses in the summer.
Happiest years of my life.
- Why do you ask? - No reason.
- Just asking.
- Oh.
Anything else you want to know? Yeah.
Why do you always carry that bag around with you? How come you don't just leave it in your room? Oh, uh you do have a room here, don't you? Uh, yeah, you know, I'm just sort of around.
I better go.
I've got a couple things I've got to do.
See you in a little bit.
Excuse me.
Hey, I wondered where you went.
You know how hard it is to find a good poker game? Some of these guys have been here for days.
- Raise you five.
- See it.
I'm sure that finding a good poker game is at least as difficult and rewarding as discovering radium, say Look, Libby, listen.
I spent 15 years of my life looking for my dad.
That's a long time, okay? And I got pulled into a lot of weird stuff along the way, believe me.
I mean, put my neck out over and over again, and that part of my life is over.
I found my dad.
Now I want to find me.
I don't want any quests.
I don't want to have any responsibilities, I just I want to have a little fun, you know? What's wrong with that? You don't think helping Milhaven come back could possibly be construed as fun? Yeah, for you, maybe.
Somebody who has fun putting books in alphabetical order, when you're not starting little fires and stealing Excuse me.
You Jeremiah? I'm playing cards.
Yeah.
Name's Frank.
Listen, uh, I've been trying to get this old printing press going and it occurred to me, what Milhaven needs is a newspaper.
Help encourage trade, help people find each other.
So what do you want me to do? Well, you're in charge.
I need your your blessings.
You you do not need my Okay, all right, fine.
Fine, whatever.
There you go.
Go forth.
Great.
Thanks, Jeremiah.
See? That wasn't so hard, now, was it? It's fun being mayor.
- Easy, too.
- Later.
Later.
Jeremiah? Okay, I see that, and, uh, I'll raise you, uh this, right here, this molar.
It's my best one.
You win, you can have it.
Just come across the table and get it.
Jeremiah? Hey, Jeremiah.
Hey, Steve, how you doing? What can I do for you? It's Dave.
Right, right.
It is.
Absolutely.
And don't you let anybody tell you any different.
Listen, we're doing the best that we can to fix those sewer lines, you know, but it's really tough.
We're fresh out of diesel for the bulldozer, plus we gotta tear up streets, drill holes.
There's no way we can do it with the tools we got.
Uh, get more tools.
That was my thought.
Now, we can bring up more fuel and more equipment from the Mountain, but it's gonna take all of us to bring everything from there to here.
Now, there's a few depots along the way, but I don't know for sure what they've got.
Well, you just do what you gotta do.
- It'll be okay.
- You're sure? Oh, yeah.
You're gonna be on your own for at least a few days.
I've got it all under control.
- All right.
Take it easy.
- Yup.
Damn it, I told you to stop bothering people.
You don't understand.
Out! We need help! We need to tell someone who can do something.
I'll do something in a second.
Hey, hey.
Whoa, whoa.
No, no.
Don't, don't, don't.
It's all right.
I'll get rid of 'em.
Just go back in.
I'll do it.
You guys okay? - You all right? - Yeah, thanks.
Yeah.
We didn't think we'd make it this far.
They've been following us since we saw it, but dad says we lost 'em, so Wait, wait, wait.
Back up.
What's he talking about? We were being held in a forced labor camp on the eastern Kansas border.
Is this one of Daniel's setups? I hear he's building up pretty big back east.
Yeah, he is, but the camp's not the worst of it.
We were lucky, we got out with our lives But a lot of people didn't.
The people in charge wanted it to look like they escaped, but they didn't.
They've been killing people, anyone who doesn't agree with the way things are being done.
Hundreds, maybe thousands.
I'd like to help you guys, but I'm I'm fresh out.
We can prove it.
We can take you to where it happened.
That's why we need help.
They don't want any witnesses getting this information outside.
I think they've picked up our trail again, and if I'm right about that, then there's a world of trouble coming right behind us.
Hey, Markus, you got a second? - Sure, why not? - It's about Smith.
Have you assigned him a room yet? Can't you ask Erin that? I can't find Erin, and I figured it'd be in the computer system.
You do realize i just turned the computer off? It's always a hard-knock life with you, ain't it? Smith Smith.
Mr.
Smith.
Nope.
He doesn't have a room assignment.
Anything else? 'Cause they're serving salisbury steak in the cafeteria.
They're always serving salisbury steak.
I know.
It's depressing, isn't it? - That's interesting.
- Security log says he's been in and out of here every couple of days.
Usually at night.
Where the hell do you think he's going? Out.
Which is where I'm going right now.
Anything else, you can ask Smith.
Ante up.
Ante up.
Look, why don't you shuffle? Bet I know what you're thinking.
You know how I know that? 'Cause I was about your age when all this happened.
You know? You're probably thinking that this isn't how it was supposed to turn out.
Am I right? It'll get better.
I promise.
Hey, Jer! It's your deal! Go ahead.
Do you think, uh you think you could find your dad for me? Libby? Libby! What's wrong? We got a situation in here.
Look, this is James, Leah, and Madison.
Right.
Madison.
I brought 'em down the back alley.
I don't think anybody saw us crossing out in front, so they couldn't see us coming up the outside stairs.
Is any of this the answer to "what's wrong?" Or has Mr.
Dictionary deserted us again? Do you remember the stories that we heard about the labor camps in Daniel's territory, about people being killed? Yeah.
Well, these guys know where the bodies are buried, literally.
(tires squealing) All right, you guys, come on, let's go.
Get upstairs, now.
- You Jeremiah? - Last I checked.
Daniel says hello.
My name is Charles, and we hate to intrude, but we believe some people that we've been looking for might be here in your town.
Well, it's possible, Charles.
A lot of people pass through town.
They're free to come and go as they please.
We're looking for three people three people.
A father, a mother, and their kid.
The father's name is James.
They would've arrived either today or yesterday, and we're willing to reward whoever turns them over to us.
Hey, Charles.
I said that when people come here, they're free to come and go as they wish.
What part of that don't you get? Well, Jeremiah, there's free, and there's free.
Free to make trouble? Free to spread lies? Free to cause problems for innocent bystanders? Best thing if you just turn them over to us.
We'll take them, be on our way.
Daniel would be most appreciative.
Daniel Mmm.
Can shove it.
Maybe we should talk about this in private.
Maybe you ought to just get back in the car.
There's nobody here that you want.
Tell you what.
You take the night and you think about it.
Come back tomorrow, and I'll ask again.
After that, we're done asking.
I'm sorry to bring this trouble to your front door No, no.
It's okay, really.
It's just that the people from Thunder Mountain have all taken off and we're sort of on our own until they get back.
Except for the rest of Milhaven.
I'm sure they'll help us out.
Maybe we should leave now, No.
No, you can't do that.
They watch all the roads in and out of here, and it's way too steep a climb to try going through the woods at night.
You mentioned work camps.
What exactly did they have you doing? Construction, mainly.
Buildings, roads, anything they needed done, we did it.
They grabbed us as we were passing through on our way south.
Kept to the back roads, and we traveled only at night.
We were almost outside Daniel's territory when we stumbled across the Daniel's big on making sure people do what he tells them to.
Most just go along.
He brought back order, and there's building going on.
Lots of cities have the power on again, but if you don't agree with how he's doing it, or why, or what's really happening You disappear.
Most folks figured they got exiled, but we know better, we saw it, and we have to make sure the truth gets out there, Jeremiah.
We have to.
(knocking) Just stay by the door.
Don't leave until you hear trouble.
Sorry to bother you, Jeremiah It's okay, Richard.
What's up? We saw what happened earlier, and we're a little concerned.
I mean, those guys were packing some pretty serious hardware.
Yeah.
We don't know these, uh, these other people.
We don't have a vested interest in, uh, them.
But you have a vested interest in turning them over to guys who'll probably kill them? They're drifters.
I mean, they have no business getting us in trouble for something they did somewhere else.
It's just not our problem.
- Uh-huh.
- Somebody could get hurt.
So what do you suggest? Well, we took a vote, and we'd like for you to, uh, turn them over.
Is that so? That's so.
I mean, it seems reasonable.
I think it's fair.
Yeah.
Well, Richard? Yeah? Get the fuck off my porch.
You know, everybody in this town is proud of the fact that we take care of our own, but strangers, trouble-makers, not a chance.
If this goes wrong, Jeremiah you're on your own.
They're asleep.
Good.
(cocking gun) In the morning, before it gets light, I want you to take them away from here.
Just take them somewhere.
Okay, I can take them to I don't want to know where that is, okay? Just in case.
And what are you going to do? I'm gonna stay here.
I want to keep these guys busy until our guys get back.
That could be a little while, could be days.
You know, if you're doing this to try and impress me, it's unnecessary.
I'm not.
Aren't you? No.
Yes.
What's that? For good luck? Jeremiah? Get a clue.
(Smith): And then Kurdy, who I've told you guys about before, he leads his men into the helicopter, and they fly to the Valhalla Sector.
They don't have a chance in hell of winning, but they go, because they've got to create a diversion to allow the Big Death to slip inside and wipe out everybody in there without harming anybody on the outside.
I trusted you, you little twerp! I vouched for you.
I went up against Markus for you, and you're out here rattin' us out.
- Kurdy - Now, I'm not done! I can explain There is no explanation to cover what I just saw.
Well, then, you got nothing to lose by listening, and I got something to gain.
- What? - My teeth.
I'm kind of attached to them.
All right.
Then you tell me why you've been lying to me.
Like how you're from Portland when you talk to me.
You're from New Orleans when you talk to Clete, - or you're from San Francisco - I can't remember where I'm from.
Bullshit! I've tried, I swear, but I some part of my brain, it just doesn't want to go there.
So I I learn from other people.
I adopt their stories.
That's how I get to have a home.
I'm not a big guy, Kurdy, but I found out early that if I'm from where the big guys are from, guys like you, then they like me a little better, and that's kept me alive more than once.
What about the pictures? I saw the house.
You've been taking pictures of us and not telling anyone.
It's a little difficult.
I mean, that and this, it's kind of the same thing.
Everywhere I go, I try and remember everything I see.
I take pictures of what's happening, and then I I keep them.
I put 'em in a safe place, and I've got setups like the place you saw all over.
I figure at some point I'll go back to each of them and I'll And what? What's it all for, Smith? You one of those guys who likes to spy on people for kicks? Not for kicks.
For history.
Let me show you.
I'll prove it to you.
If you're still pissed off, then we can go our separate ways, but at the very least, you should understand why.
The tellers go all over the country gathering stories of the world in the days after the Big Death.
For what? Because we have to remember our history.
We have to pass that knowledge on to the next generation, so they won't make the same mistakes we did.
These guys are like living books, chroniclers of the new world.
They keep memorizing the stories and telling them to each other so if something happens to one of them, the stories can go on and then, when the time is right, they'll be here, and their stories, our histories'll be here with them.
This is Kurdy, the one I've been telling you about.
He needs to know.
So, if you wouldn't mind, please show him.
Here begins the story of the world after the Death.
The birth of the new out of the ashes of the old.
(two tellers): The first great fire claimed the city of Atlanta, which burned for 17 days.
David, of Peachtree Avenue, organized an escape from the fires, and saved the lives of thousands, (three tellers): Though he lost his life saving the lives of others.
(four tellers): We remember his life.
(all tellers): We remember his death, we remember his dreams, we remember his name.
In the fourth month of the Death, the roads to New York were closed, and nothing moved.
(Smith): I thanked them for the demonstration.
They don't usually like to do that, even for people like me, who bring them information.
But why were you telling them about me? You just don't get it, do you? There are two kinds of people in this world, those who survive history and those who make it.
You, Kurdy, are one of the latter.
You know you're out of your mind, right? Doesn't change the facts.
That's why God sent me to find you.
You're gonna make history, Kurdy.
You've already started, and I'm gonna be there to make sure that that history gets preserved for future generations.
I'm like your scribe, dude.
Huh.
I don't think I ever had a scribe before.
Well, there you go.
Is there some kind of hat that goes with that? Yeah.
It's in my other bag.
So are we okay? I don't know, Smith, I don't know.
I I guess so.
This whole thing's just kind of weird, you know.
Come on.
We better get back.
So you tell these guys about Jeremiah? Yeah.
Is he gonna make history too? Yeah, only in a different way.
How? I don't know.
I only repeat what I'm told.
Well, only a fool believes everything he's told.
Are you gonna write that down? Maybe later.
(thudding) "Jeremiah endangers town.
" "Man of principle or well-intentioned idiot?" Great.
Frank! Open up.
I know you're in there.
Frank! "Well-intentioned idiot?" Or or "man of principle.
" Look, I just report what people are saying, and that's what people are saying.
It doesn't draw any conclusions.
You said it was okay to start a newspaper, and I think it's important to show that we're objective.
It sucks.
Well, hey, that's freedom of the press, man.
You can stop it if you want, but then, you know, what are you fighting for? (vehicle approaching) Do you know how to use this? - Uh - Do you? - Yeah, yeah, but - Take it.
You've been drafted.
All we gotta do is just hold 'em off until reinforcements come.
Journalists are supposed to be non-combatants.
Take it up with your editor.
- I am the editor.
- That's not my problem.
What the hell We've come for what's ours.
So what's it gonna be? Are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way? Okay, so it's the hard way.
- Jeremiah? - Yeah? - This is bad.
- Yeah.
(creaking) I think we're going to need more than guns.
I know.
We are the hand of Daniel.
We wish you no harm.
We are the hand of Daniel.
We wish you no harm.
Turn over the people we've asked you for, and we will leave in peace.
- Okay, so what's plan "b"? - I don't know.
I'll let you know as soon as I get plan "a" figured out.
Jeremiah.
We we saw what was going on.
I barely managed to get past the guys they've got covering the road.
What what do you want me to do? I don't know.
What'd you bring back? Any weapons, anything I can fight with? No, I'm sorry, man.
We got some, uh, some handguns, but they won't do any good against that thing.
What'd you do, Dave? Go all that way for a hammer and some binoculars? Hey, we got tools, all right? Equipment.
Jackhammers, drills, some gas.
What about this flare? Is it any good? They should be.
Well, you know, maybe.
Flare? What is a flare going to do against that? I got three words for you gas tank.
That's two words.
What's the third? The third one's yours distraction.
Let me out of here! Put it down! Put it down now! Put it down! - Everybody else okay? - Just fine.
You got the rover standing by? Ready to go when you say the word.
Okay.
Here's the deal.
You tell your guys we're gonna make a break for the south road and to stay there until you say different.
That way my people can get moving on the north road.
When they're out of here, and they're out of here safe, then we let you go, and you say you got bad information.
- Or? - Or Or we shoot you in the head.
(radio crackling) When you get to Thunder Mountain, ask for Markus.
If anybody can help you prove what you've seen, it's him.
This is your ride, so get in it.
Don't stop, don't look back.
Thank you.
Hey.
It's gonna get better.
Promise.
Bye.
Take care.
That headline a little more to your liking? It'll do.
Hey, come on.
Cheer up.
Why the long face, huh? We won.
Yeah, sort of, but they'll be back, and we still have an important question to answer.
How did Daniel even know those people were here in the first place? You wanted to see us? Yes.
I have a job for you, both of you.
We just had some people arrive, courtesy of Jeremiah, with a pretty disturbing story.
I understand you have a camera.
Yeah.
Are you good with it? Yeah.
You'd better be, 'cause we've only got one shot at getting what we need.
All right, the coast is clear.
Start digging.
(Markus): There could be as many as 500 bodies buried here.
We have to be their witness.
original source: peritta synced and corrected: quinnell