The Pretender s04e03 Episode Script

Angel's Flight

I would like a double-dip vanilla with granola sprinkles, please.
- Truck ain't open.
- Uh, I have cash money.
It's 7:30 in the freakin' morning.
Why don't you try the Waffle House? Considering the iron, calcium and lactose in the ice cream the carbohydrate value of the cone and the fiber content of the granola one could, in reality, receive more nutritious ingredients in one Tasty Surprise than in an entire bacon and egg breakfast.
- Are you some kind of nut? - No.
I just like ice cream.
Yeah.
- Taxi! - [Man.]
I don't understand.
The police looked through my daughter's room once already.
- What did you say your name was? - Waxman.
Detective Jarod Waxman.
The other officer said a teenager missing less than 48 hours wasn't gonna be a high priority case.
We reconsidered the situation.
Was there anything out ofordinary going on in your daughter's life before she disappeared? Something bothering her? [Man.]
My wife passed away three years ago.
- Cancer.
- I'm sorry.
And it's been hard for me, but not like it's been for Jesse.
She just barely turned 15.
She was at an age where a girl really needs her mother.
And I guess I just didn't have the answers that she needed.
Maybe she went away with a friend, someone from school? Jesse's shy.
She doesn't have much of a social life.
I don't know.
It's like she just vanished into thin air.
She seemed to have a special interest in angels.
Yeah.
When her mother passed away Jesse started collecting them, reading books about them.
That one's her favorite.
- Have you seen this before? - No, never.
"Gates of Hell.
" That's Jesse's handwriting.
You've got to help me.
My daughter's life is in your hands, Detective.
[Man Narrating.]
There are Pretenders among us.
[Jarod.]
I was taken from my family.
Thirty-six hours and he's already demonstrating more talent than any of our others.
How many people died because of what I thought up? Since I broke out, I've spent every moment searching for my past.
[Miss Parker.]
He's a Pretender- A genius who can become anyone that he wants to be.
- The Centre wants him alive.
- Preferably.
- [Miss Parker.]
He defends the weak and abused.
- [Jarod.]
Life's a gift.
.
- You a doctor? - I am today.
A man with no face? It reminds me of a young man I recently hired to help restore a broken-down old wax museum.
- Mr.
Kleinman, I didn't even hear you come in.
- [Chuckling.]
Oh, a gift for a friend? More like a message.
Ah.
I brought you a snack.
- Ooh, I hope it's ice cream.
- Better.
A delicacy.
Alcatraz oysters.
These little beauties you can find only in San Francisco Bay.
Go ahead.
Eat.
Enjoy.
Yeah.
- Eh? - Mmm.
- They're very good.
- [Chuckling.]
[Sniffs.]
You know what? This just might do the trick.
You are a very strange young man, Jarod.
Not half as strange as the people I'm sending this to.
Jarod, are you sure you wouldn't want to stay upstairs? Actually, I spend a lot of time alone.
It's sort of nice to have the company.
-Ah.
-Mr.
Kleinman, have you ever seen anything like this before? [Gasps.]
My God! Where did you get this? A man I know is searching for his daughter.
- You have seen it.
- Yeah.
- I have seen it.
- You're a Holocaust survivor.
Members of the S.
S.
wore similar symbols on their uniforms.
- Devils.
Demons.
- This man- He's worried for his daughter's safety.
Oh, he should be.
He should be scared to death.
# [Techno, Man Singing, Indistinct.]
# [Man Screaming.]
# [Singing Resumes.]
Didn't your mother ever tell you it's rude to stare? I hardly knew my mother.
- See something you like? - I'm confused.
- Doesn't all that hurt? - That's the idea, slick.
So you enjoy self-inflicted pain? You're screwin' with my head, right? Actually, I'm looking for someone.
A young man.
A magician.
Throw a rock, baby cakes.
Yeah, I've seen Hawk handing these out to a select few.
He's holding court in the back room.
- You can't miss him.
- Thank you.
And when you're finished playing games with the bird man, come back.
- I'll show you a real magic show.
- That would be enjoyable.
Thank you.
# [Screaming.]
# [Singing Resumes.]
Most people can't comprehend the very world they inhabit.
They exist, but they don't experience.
They look, but they never see.
I believe that they're portals- windows to the body, the mind and the spirit.
Given the perfect exchange of energies, these windows can be opened.
Pass beyond.
I look at you.
I look into you and I see tremendous sorrow, emptiness.
I want you to think about what was taken from you.
I magine in your mind's eye the cause of your suffering.
- I- I don't- - Shh.
Trust me.
I want you to think about the object of your pain.
Can you see it? Yes.
I offer you this gift with all my love.
[Gasps.]
Oh, my God! - How could you- - Who is Clare? Sh-She's my- my twin sister.
[Murmuring.]
- And where is she? - She was killed in a car accident when we were two.
[Sobbing.]
But how could you know that? Simple.
Your heart told me.
Tell us again about the Angel's Flight.
What's Angel's Flight? It was a dream the great Houdini had repeatedly throughout his life.
Or nightmares, some believe.
Houdini felt, given the power of angels, he could break free from the boundaries ofEarth and soarin the heavens like a god.
But, unfortunately, he wasn't.
And when he died, his dream died with him.
Hawk says the Angel's Flight is attainable.
Close enough to touch.
I suggest we assemble again at midnight for a reading session.
Go with the angels.
- [Girl.]
This is too heavy for me.
- [Boy.]
This guy is awesome.
- They seem to be very loyal.
- I offer them something they need.
- Something their worlds have denied them.
- # [Techno, Woman Singing.]
- Magic.
- Love.
My name is Jarod.
I hear you have a great gift- the ability to touch people.
- And you desire this gift.
- I wish to learn from the best.
And why should I open myself to a stranger? # [Continues.]
[Blowing.]
The perfect exchange of energy.
Kessler will show you the way.
# [Continues.]
- Midnight.
- You don't seem to share Hawk's belief in the power of angels.
- Excuse me? - When the subject of Angel's Flight came up you seemed rather uncomfortable.
- # [Continues.]
- Midnight.
Where are you, fallen angel? Where are you? Don't even talk to me unless it's good news.
Broots? You're not gonna be happy.
It's not good news.
- Any sign of Jarod? - It's like he vanished into a black hole.
- Kind of like your personal life? - Tell me about it.
- [Sydney.]
That's odd, isn't it? - [Miss Parker.]
What, the girl? Cigar.
Lyle doesn't smoke.
Oh, yeah, that's a gift.
Jerry, the guy with the glass eye who works down in Transportation- well, he told me that Mr.
Lyle is expecting some Centre hotshot from the West Coast.
- [Miss Parker.]
Did marble-eyed Jerry give you a name? - Not that I can remember.
Hmm.
That makes him about as worthless as this shirt then, doesn't it? - What, did Don Ho have a garage sale? - Don who? The box.
What's in it? Oh, yeah.
Miss Parker, this box is for you.
Well, that's something you don't see every day.
- "Beware of strangers bearing gifts.
" - I bet it's from Jarod.
- Gee, you think? - Maybe he's talkin' about Lyle.
Uh-uh.
Cigars and champagne? Maybe.
What are you up to now, Jarod? What are you up to now, Jarod? [DoorKnob Rattling.]
[Hawk.]
Welcome, my friends, to the midnight session.
Let us begin.
Please stand.
Common, I know.
Read the date on this coin.
- 1994.
- 1994.
That has special meaning for you, doesn't it? - Yes.
- Why? Because that's the year my mother died.
Turn the coin over.
Oh! She-She used to call me her Puppy.
Yes.
She's with you.
[Sobbing.]
[Whispering.]
She'll always be with you.
Thank you.
[Applause.]
I see you found your way.
- I wasn't sure which way to go.
- Obviously not that way.
Tight security.
Protecting magic secrets.
Hawk likes to keep his personal life personal.
I suggest you join the others.
The reading's already started.
- Can I ask you something? - If I said no, would you walk away? Probably not.
- Look familiar? - Where did you get that? I like to keep my personal life personal.
You don't want to miss the session.
Of course not.
- [Hawk.]
Your name? - Uh, Scott.
Stand up, Scott.
It's all right.
I won't bite.
[People Chuckling.]
You can put that down.
- You're new here.
- Yes.
- You're nervous.
- [Chuckles.]
A little bit.
- You're also bleeding.
- Bleeding? Inside.
You were betrayed.
Hurt by someone you trusted, someone you loved.
- I don't know what you're talking about.
- Yes, you do.
It's all right.
It's all right.
- We love you.
- [People, Softly.]
We love you.
[Gasps.]
You couldn't believe it when it started.
You wanted to scream, but you were afraid.
- Confused.
- Please don't.
[Hawk.]
You were so young, vulnerable.
It was like a nightmare the way he came at you.
So much anger.
I can't do this.
You thought if you closed your eyes, it would stop.
But it didn't stop, did it, Scott? It got more violent and angry.
No.
No.
[Hawk.]
You were afraid to tellanyone.
Afraid to say the name, terrified that no one would believe you.
I was afraid.
[Sobbing.]
You were only a boy, and he was so powerful, so terrifying.
[Scott.]
I wanted him to stop hitting me.
I wanted to say his name.
I know you did.
And now you can.
Now you can say it for the entire world to hear.
- I can't.
- Say it.
- I can't.
- Say it, Scott! Say it and end the nightmare forever! I can't! [Sobbing Continues.]
I can't.
It's all right.
I'll say it for you.
- [People Gasping.]
- It was your father.
It was your father who beat you, Scott.
I never wanted it to happen.
I know you didn't, Scott.
I know you didn't.
You don't have to be afraid anymore.
It's okay, Scott.
You should try that on me.
- Maybe I will.
- You think you helped him? Everyone has secrets, demons they keep hidden.
And sometimes, if you don't stop them they eat you alive a piece at a time.
What about you,Jarod? What kind of demons are you hiding inside? That's all for tonight.
Mr.
Kessler will collect your offerings.
- Another rush delivery from Jarod? - Yeah, number three.
Great.
Now your boy's yankin' my crank on an hourly basis.
Jarod never plays these games without substantial motivation.
It's a head made of Sterno.
- What is it this time? - Wow! Another giant leap into the Twilight Zone.
You were saying something about motivation? Substance, Parker.
And there's another note.
"See no evil.
" In the box with the ears, the note was, "Hear no evil.
" Anything else on the identity of Lyle's mystery arrival? Nothing on the grapevine.
Well, at least we have Mr.
Potato Head.
Cool.
[Beeps.]
I finally found you, Jessica.
Kill the son of a bitch.
I was excited to get your call, even if it was a bit cryptic.
- Found something out about Jessica? - I'm still working on the case.
Mr.
Bracken, you told me that your wife passed away from an illness.
- That's right.
- That's not what really happened, is it? I wanna help you find your daughter, but we're running out oftime.
If I'm going to help you, you have to tell me the truth.
Okay.
Sarah was vibrant.
Shewas so full of life.
Then she got sick.
All that life just slowly drained out ofher.
She tried to take the treatment, but it was too late.
I don't know why she went out on that roof.
I don't know what she was thinking when she jumped.
The police found her body in the alley the next morning.
She was still clutching her angel pendant in her hand.
And that's how Jesse became obsessed with angels.
Yeah.
I'm sorry.
I should have told you the truth.
I just, uh, didn't think that it- Find my little girl, Detective, please.
She's all I have left.
[Broots.]
Speak no evil.
- Anybody recognize him? - He kinda looks like Gilligan.
- Gilligan? - Yeah.
You know, the Skipper and the Professor and Mary Ann and-and Ginger.
You grew up in a trailer park, didn'tyou? No, I did not.
It was a mobile home.
It's obvious Jarod is trying to keep us busy chasing Mr.
No Name's identity while he skips along free as he pleases.
- The question is, why all the effort? - What about the notes? - Jokes without punch lines.
- Maybe a warning.
- What is that? - It looks like a-a water stain.
[Sniffs.]
Ew! - Smells like low tide.
- [Sniffs.]
Wow! They all smell the same.
Maybe Jarod's just dropping breadcrumbs.
- Have these cards analyzed.
- Okay.
Who are you, pal? "A History of Fallen Angels.
" Fallen angels.
Hawk says the Angel's Flight is attainable.
Close enough to touch.
[Echoing.]
I don't know why she went out on that roof.
I don't know what she was thinking when she jumped.
[Squeaking.]
Jessica.
- [Gun Cocks.]
- I hoped you were smarter.
Why couldn't you just walk away and let this thing finish? The same reason that you couldn't sit at that table with Hawk and talk about Angel's Flight.
He did this, didn't he? What happened? Jesse Bracken didn't have enough to offer? Or she found the computer files that Hawk keeps on the others? The wealthy, disenfranchised, young people that were recruited off the streets by you.
That's the game, isn't it? Dazzle them with magic and then take them for every penny you can.
I told Hawk that we should just cut and run but it was never only about the money for him.
Angel's Flight was just the last act of the play.
I swear, sometimes, the guy really thinks he's gonna fly.
- What happened to her? - Hawk flipped out a couple of days ago and Jesse overheard us talkin' about the scam.
I just thought he was gonna talk to her.
- I never thought he'd kill her.
- He didn't.
- What? - She's still alive.
- Give me the gun and help me get her out of here.
- No.
Hawk- If you let her die, there is no magic in the world that's going to save you.
- Now give me the gun.
- All she wanted was somebody to care about her, somebody to watch over her.
Somebody did.
Now give me the gun.
# [Man Singing.]
# [Continues.]
Miss Parker, not only has Jarod topped off Mr.
Potato Head with a nice hairpiece I just found out that the stains on the cards were made by oysters.
- [Sydney.]
Oysters? - Mm-hmm.
What are you saying? Jarod was a sloppy eater? The residue was left by a very specific shellfish found only in the San Francisco Bay.
I think Jarod wanted us to find him.
San Francisco is a big city.
Well, I started thinking about the head Jarod left so I scraped some of the wax, and I had it analyzed.
It is used almost exclusively for the construction of human replication.
- Wax museum.
- [Broots.]
Touche, Syd.
So I called the Frisco area and found one defunct wax museum.
And when I called, this is what I got.
[Jarod.]
Hello, Sydney, Broots, and as always, Miss Parker.
I assume since you're listening to this recording you figured out my current location.
I realize things got a little fishy along the way but you realize timing is everything in the "run for your life" business.
I won't keep you longer than necessary.
I realize you have a plane to catch.
I just ask two things: First, bring along the wax head.
I think you'll find it enlightening.
And second, don't forget to buckle your seat belts.
Happy landings.
- Good work, Broots.
- Thanks, Sydney.
Let's not polish each other's doorknobs quite yet.
- Get the jet fired up.
We're going to California.
- Yes, ma'am.
- Broots? - Yes, ma'am? - Don't wear that shirt.
It makes me nauseous.
- Yes, ma'am.
It does.
[Boat Horn Blaring.]
- I have told you.
He is gone.
- Sweep it.
- Yes, Miss Parker.
- Was that a gun? Who are you people? You were saying that Jarod helped you to remodel the museum.
[Mr.
Kleinman.]
An artist he is, sent here by the angels.
- So I see.
- [Mr.
Kleinman.]
He redesigned the movie star exhibit the presidential study and my rose robe.
And he even added a new display.
-Jarod calls it Centre of Shame.
- Show me.
I have no idea what it is supposed to mean but something tells me you will.
Hey, it's us! [Chuckling.]
Incredibly life like.
[Miss Parker.]
It just gets weirder and weirder.
[Broots.]
Uh-oh.
This can't be good.
[Echoing Laughter.]
- I'll be damned! - [Broots.]
We just witnessed our own execution.
- Let's get out of here.
- [Laughter Continues.]
[Hawk.]
Welcome to the Angel's Flight.
As I look at you all tonight I'm filled with divine energy.
The belief in the possibility of the impossible.
That faith is what separates the leaders from the followers the enlightened from the blind, the gods from the mortals.
With your strength and spirit, all things are possible.
[Jarod.]
Looking for your safety line, Hawk? - Jarod.
- You seem surprised to see me.
I saw the shirt.
Kessler shot you.
Ah-ah-ah.
The first rule of Magic: Never believe what you see.
Hawk, what's going on? It seems our friend Hawk here isn't exactly the magic man he pretends to be.
You want to tell them? Or should I? - Go to hell.
- You first.
- What's that? - It's you.
And you.
And you.
It's all of you.
Go ahead.
Take a look.
Hawk had a personal file on each and every one of you.
He knew who you were, who you are, where you're from how much you had tooffer.
He knew your deepest fears, your darkest secrets.
He knew you better than you knew yourselves.
And in return for his amazing insights, you gave him whatever you had of value.
And why not? He saw into your souls, right? - Why? - Money.
Unfortunately, not all of you were so easily led.
That's why you killed Jesse Bracken.
She stumbled onto your computer room, discovered your little scam.
And that's it.
She had to go.
So you dragged her up here and you threw her off the roof.
- You can't prove anything.
- Can't I? Next time you toss someone off a building you'd better make damn sure you clean up after yourself.
So, you still think that you're worthy to fly with the angels, Hawk? Or is this just a pathetic curtain call ofa half-baked magic show? What are you waiting for? Divine intervention? [Hawk.]
My final gift to you.
Son of a bitch! You killed him! [Jarod.]
Ah-ah-ah.
Remember what I told you? The first rule of magic: Never believe what you see.
I hate to say it, but Jarod has me stumped this time.
There must be something that we're not seeing.
[Broots.]
Eyes, nose, ears, mouth.
It all seems to be there.
See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
I don't know what it means, but it gives me a bad feeling.
- Good.
You're all still here.
- Where else? As you may or may not know, the Triumvirate has decided to become more hands-on in the pursuit ofJarod.
And in an effort to protect the integrity oftheir pursuit an element has been added to act as a safeguard or a safety net, if you will.
Why don't you just say it? A new player.
You can think of him as a one-man Internal Affairs Division.
Mr.
Cox.
- Cox? - It's with an "X.
" [Chuckles.]
I hope we get to know each other better in the coming days.
- No doubt.
- I hate to be rude but we really have to leave if we're gonna make that next appointment.
That answers that.
Brings us to a bigger question.
Who is Mr.
Cox? Jarod already answered that.
He's the Grim Reaper.
- Hi.
- Hey, Detective Waxman.
I was hoping we'd see you again.
I was on my way out of town, and I thought I would stop by and say good-bye.
- You look good.
- The doctor said it's a miracle she wasn't killed.
My dad says that you saved my life.
I don't know how to thank you.
Seeing you sitting there smiling is thanks enough.
They said the man that did this confessed to running the scam all over the country.
It's good to know he won't be hurting anybody else's children.
Detective, I know it's not the same as saving your life but I thought maybe you'd like to have this.
It helped keep me safe.
I hope it'll do the same for you.
I'll keep it close.
Thank you.
- Bye.
- Bye.

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