- They say the greatest threat
to human existence on this planet is the virus,
We think it's from a prehistoric strain,
This virus is more deadly than anything
the world has ever encountered,
1/3 of the population was decimated within two months,
We are in quarantine,
It's life or death,
I have been singularly tasked with finding a cure,
I've been thrust into the spotlight,
The cure is close,
but I'm missing something,
- So yeah, what's our new normal gonna be?
I don't know, Not sure if I want to know,
Maybe we can call it a better normal,
As a society, we put our trust in others maybe too much,
We have representative government
that doesn't always represent the people who voted for them,
We must do better for the next generation
and generations to come,
Look, I'm not one to live in the past,
so let's just figure out how to move forward,
Speaking of the past, programming note,
this weekend is a flashback weekend,
We'll be playing mashups from the previous shows
and that does it for me tonight,
Ladies and gentlemen, it's sunrise somewhere in America,
Signing off day 608 in isolation,
- Oh!
- Are you ready, Alex?
I don't think you are,
- Ah!
Help!
Ow!
- Based on, you know, history,
we'll most likely be cooped up for a few days, maybe a week,
and then we'll all get back to our normal shit,
I say stock up on beer and chips
and re-up that Netflix subscription and binge watch,
- Oh!
Okay,
- You have reached Local 911
Mock Creek, New York,
Due to isolation protocols,
emergency service is no longer available,
We are sorry,
Okay,
- Ow!
Oh,
You so idealized her, didn't you?
She was your hero,
- You were my hero,
- What?
Oh, shit,
- Good morning,
- Hey,
- Hmm, I think our black bear is back,
- Really?
- Yeah, tripped the sensor way out the perimeter
of the property,
- Huh, that's strange,
- What?
- Well, if it's been tripped, it's yellow,
If it's offline, it's red,
- Hmm, What are you thinking?
- I think I'm gonna enjoy this cup of coffee
that my beautiful wife made
'cause it's way too early to be worrying
about a bear or a sensor,
- Ah, all right,
I love you, You're ridiculous,
- Love you too,
- Come on, Alex, there's nothing you can't do,
- I can't,
- Bullshit,
You're like a human boulder on fire,
rocketing down a hill,
exploding through any obstacles in your way,
- That is a shitty imitation of Dad, but thank you for that,
What the fuck?
- How is this different?
- What?
- How is this different?
- This already happened,
- Feels like that because we've been talking now
for over three hours,
- I'm still in the truck,
- You're where?
- Anyway, I appreciate what you're saying,
- No, you don't because you're not answering
my simple question,
- Enough,
- How is this different?
- I don't know, Lori, okay,
Frank and Millie are heading to Africa,
and if taking our nine-year-old halfway around the world
isn't fucking my head up enough,
the fact that I won't be there
because of my new position at the CDC
puts me right in front of the flaming boulder
I apparently am,
- Mom would be pissed,
That's some pretty messed up grammar,
- How do I let them go without me?
- Get your old position back,
- I can't, no,
- If it's a money thing,
- It's not a money thing,
It's a responsibility thing,
I keep my commitments,
- Then tell the CDC the Peace Corps
messed up Frank's schedule
and moved his trip up six months,
- That's an excuse,
I don't do that,
- Right, then you have to let them go,
- She's nine,
- Going on 19,
What's the real issue?
- I won't be there,
- Thank you,
I love you, sis, but you can't get over the fact
that you don't control all things,
- You don't get it, Lori,
You never did,
- Get what?
- There are constants, unchanging standards
that are used in determining varying outcomes,
- You're talking science,
You're talking about having a constant which can be used
to control variables in life,
- I am the constant,
Can't you see that by now?
- You cannot control everything, nearly anything in life,
It's a delusion, Alex,
- I'm delusional?
- Thinking you can control your life and others,
it's dangerous,
It's reckless and,
yeah, that thinking is a little fucking delusional,
- Wow,
- Sorry,
- How long you been holding onto that?
- Long fucking time,
- Anything else you're holding onto?
- You're not ready,
- To learn what, Lori?
- No,
Forget it,
- You don't get to start something like that
just to drop it like it meant nothing,
- Dad knew you were weak,
- Are you ready?
I asked, "Are you ready, Alex?"
- Ah!
- Those who embrace control
must also embrace the variables
that throw us out of control,
- You know, Dad,
looking back, I would've preferred
a nice conversation with you
rather than having to achieve,
Oh, geez,
First a memory, now an interpersonal debate,
- You were saying?
- Yeah, instead of having to achieve
a random objective every time we went
for a so-called walkabout about,
- Ah, well, this is how I express my love,
- The birch tree?
Oh, look, a birch tree,
Did you know that Native Americans use birch
to paper canoes and houses?
Let's randomly stop here,
peel this entire tree and build a yacht,
- Don't exaggerate, it was a simple passenger rowboat,
- What do you think gave it away, huh?
Maybe it was the tools you had stashed behind a log,
- They weren't all planned,
- Oh, please,
- Well, the bear,
- That was totally planned,
- No, it wasn't planned,
I thought it was just a really good idea
that you were alone and you could set yourself up
in the woods by yourself,
We've never had a bear on the property,
- First time for everything,
- Well, I thought you did a brilliant job,
I mean, you hoisted your bag 10' above the ground
and 20' from where you were sleeping,
It was brilliant,
My girl,
- It was cold, dark, wet, silent
until the sound of the bear sniffing around my tent
shit me straight to attention,
- Well, it focused you,
- Those times in the woods, Dad, they,,,
- They made you strong, resilient,
Without such traits,
you couldn't have graduated two years early
and you never would've gotten into Johns Hopkins,
Control,
- It made me fear you, not
respect you,
Not really,
- Well, I think all of that prepared you
for this exact moment,
- Say what you've been holding in all these years,
- What did Frank lie about?
- What?
- You heard me,
What did Frank lie about?
- How do you even know about that?
You've been dead for 15 years,
- You're just not ready,
- Why do you feign understanding certain things?
- Because it gives you confidence
and pushes you to learn,
- When I was nine?
- Human beings evolve,
We progress,
We move forward,
Well, we die,
- Well, I'm not moving forward anymore,
So, great,
Dead,
- You're not going to die,
- My bleeding leg differs,
- You're not gonna lose your leg
and you're not going to die,
- You don't know that,
- I do,
- How could you possibly know that?
- I've been dead for 15 years,
and here we are chatting it up,
I do know some things that can help you,
- How could you possibly help me at all?
- By being here,
But you're not here,
- Hmm,
Bet you wish you fixed the drone last month
when you said you were going to,
- Dammit, she's right,
- Ah!
Hello?
Hello!
- Amazonia?
- My friends, my family who know me,
the real me, call me Millie,
- Of course,
Memories,
conversations with the dead,
hallucinations, oh my,
- I wish I could help you,
It is what I do, but I can't this time,
You must help yourself or millions will surely die,
- Millions have already died because I failed,
I fail you in every way
that a mother could fail her daughter,
I had to bury you and your father side by side
at the same time,
I did try and I failed,
So much anger, so much regret, guilt,
So much self-pity,
When did you become this?
- I have no idea who I am,
- Fine,
I'll quit you then as you quit them,
as you quit me,
- No, wait,
Don't go,
Ah,
18 million dead,
400 million worldwide,
How did they become patient one and two?
Oh my God, okay, the pandemic,
Half a billion dead,
Ow!
God dammit,
1% natural immunity,
Mm,
That's so specific,
It's so specific,
Fuck,
I get a kick out of the people
who claim we might destroy our planet,
The planet will be fine,
It's us we've gotta worry about,
The earth has maintained far longer
than we've been in existence,
I wonder if the humans are the virus,
We multiply and destroy resources,
the same characteristics as the deadliest virus,
Perhaps the virus is the earth's defense against us,
Ah!
What is he talking about?
Ah!
- Dad never thought I was weak,
He gave you what you need to know,
just like he did with me,
- Bullshit,
- He talked to you about self-reliance,
being alone, handling situations as if you had no one else
to rely on except yourself,
He and I talked about music, films, the arts,
We took the bus into the city to watch "Rent" three times,
I broke the "Moulin Rouge" DVD
just by watching it over and over,
- I hated it,
Well, I still hate musicals,
And I profoundly love the isolation of the woods,
- You're making my point,
Thank you,
He took you hunting for those long walkabouts
in your beloved woods,
- Yeah,
- I hate bugs and he paid for my vocal lessons,
- Complete waste of money,
- My two Tonys and three Lincoln Center specials disagree,
- So Dad treated us differently
because he didn't know better?
- When Dad realized your aptitude for science,
he pushed you to go to college,
Me, he bought a bus ticket,
sent to Manhattan to live with Cousin Abby
to sing downstairs at her bar,
Dad treated us differently
because he knew we needed to be treated differently,
Dad, more than anyone, understood who we are,
and he also knew our weaknesses,
- Was that last one specifically for me?
- And I'll tell you Mom,
- No, don't bring mom into it,
- Mom knew what Dad was doing
and she completely supported him,
- Mom didn't know what Dad was doing,
- Completely supported it,
- Mom was all about treating her daughters equally,
- Oh my God, Alex,
How could you be so simultaneously brilliant
and fucking obtuse?
- Through very hard work,
- Treating people equally?
It's objectively crazy
because not any one person is the same,
We're all different with different needs
and Dad understood that,
- So, how does treating us differently
relate to him loving you more than me?
- Loving me more,
Did you just make that up?
- Yes, I did actually, because I,
I had no good rebuttal just then,
So, Mom really knew Dad's tactics?
- Mom understood Dad had unique insights about us
and she fully supported him,
Mom was amazing,
- Yeah,
Yeah, she was,
I wanna fully support Frank with what he's doing,
what he believes in and stands for,
despite being aware that he's taking risks
that he can no longer afford,
- He has responsibilities now,
- Yes, he does,
For Millie, if he wanted to go to the hardest places
on earth for the cause, great, I didn't care,
I mean, of course I cared, but he's a grown man
and doesn't need me micromanaging,
- So,
you're letting them go?
- I am,
My choice,
I am controlling the situation,
Back for a little more wax on, wax off?
Oh, hey,
Hi,
Hello?
Somebody with you?
Well, I'm sorry, I don't really have anything to give you,
but you know what?
There is something you can do for me,
Can you go to the nearest police station or hospital
and get someone and bring them back?
Can you do that?
No? Hmm, A little too much to ask?
Yeah, I guess so,
Come here,
Let me take a look at it, please,
God?
Your name is God?
God has found me,
Oh, yes,
Yes, you are very imposing,
Well, looks like you're lost out here like I am,
Nobody coming to look for you, huh?
And you know what?
I gotta be honest with you,
I'm not gonna call you God, okay,
because that just opens up like a whole
shipping container full of stuff for me,
so I'll just stick to calling you dog,
Huh?
No?
All right, fine,
I'll call you God,
So be honest with me here, God,
What are you really doing out here?
Because I know how I got out here,
I was driving recklessly and I flipped my truck,
but I have a feeling that that's not how you got out here
because you smell nice, you've got a clean coat,
I'd say you're primarily a house dog,
So what's the real reason you're here, God?
Mmm?
I am not gonna find my answers with you, am I?
Come here,
Come lay down next to me, huh?
Hey,
Wait,
No, come back,
Please,
God, come back,
No worries,
I'll be right here,
Ah!
- News update,
With 90% of the country in self-lockdown,
and so far according to the immunologists at the CDC,
Dr, Walden herself saying only 1% of the population
appears to be- - Enough,
- Naturally immune, her included,
- Shut up, - We all appear to be stuck
right where we are,
- Tell me about it, - I mean, I'm on board
with staying inside, not interacting with people,
but how long until the preventive measures become worse?
- None, - And the infection-
- There's no amount of time when the infection
becomes better than the treatment or the cure,
- But I'm just moving my mouth
as they didn't teach this stuff in my communications class,
- You got that fucking right,
Wait,
I feel like saying we should all aspire
to spread hope, not fear,
Convey truth, not lies,
And most of all, let's not forget the ones that have paid
and are paying the ultimate price, those bleeding life
so the rest of us won't have to,
Ladies and gentlemen, it's sunrise somewhere in America,
- There will be no more tomorrows like today,
For an eternity, I have battled, I have suffered,
I've bled for what I believe,
I have nothing left, nothing left to give,
- You are so very wrong,
Humans have the power choice,
the freedom of will,
the ability to forge ahead
and fulfill great destinies,
but you are choosing not to evolve, grow,
You are choosing to be still,
Stay this path and you will surely fail,
- I must move forward or we die,
- It's okay to let go
and look at things differently,
Consider what you never would have considered before,
Have you ever considered
that the prehistoric strain
was not the source of the pandemic?
- What?
Ah!
Shit,
History doesn't necessarily repeat itself,
but it does tend to rhyme,
You got saddled with two girls,
- I never regretted having you two girls, ever,
- I know,
- What do you think drove Frank to live you?
- Don't do that,
Why would you attack someone who can't defend themselves?
- I'm not attacking him, It's a question,
- Yeah, an accusatory question,
- No, it's not an accusatory question,
You're just answering it very defensively,
- I'm not being defensive, I know the answer,
- Well say it out loud,
- Frank didn't lie to me about anything, ever,
- Hmm,
Not in totality, no
I mean, he did go to Africa and work for the Peace Corps,
That part is true, 100%,
- Yes, he did,
- But where else did he go?
- Dad, can you just let this go?
Please,
- Honey, you do understand that it isn't only my voice
that's asking these questions,
Are you ready?
No, Alex, I don't think you are,
- No,
No,
No, the answers are here,
They've always been here,
Not it,
- Okay,
And here we
go,
- Nice, What else you got?
- It's time,
- No,
No, Daniel,
- Julia, it's time,
- I'm not ready,
- Glacial microbe of comparisons
of bacterial production on glacial surface,
Surfaces between the Arctic and Antarctica,
Tibetan Plateau,
China,
Climate change melts glaciers,
gives us access to viruses that have not been seen
in millions of years,
Ancient viruses provide-
- You know, I was thinking yesterday,
thinking how easy the top the food chain, us,
has been so easily laid low by this microscopic murderer,
Things are getting kind of biblical out there,
We think we have such control over our future,
our destiny, control,
Control is simply a myth,
People use it,
We try to convince ourselves
that control is something tangible,
as if we literally have any active choice
over the course of our lives, when we truly don't,
This is Michael Tanner signing off,
- And you are sure,
totally confident you're not making a mistake?
- You know well, I don't doubt my choices,
- You're a scientist,
You believe we have actual, tangible control over our lives?
- Control is choice based on research,
You look at the facts, you determine a course of action,
you execute that action and control the outcome,
- Control is an illusion,
You use it to deflect your insecurity,
You have no control over anything
and having no control frightens the shit outta you,
Life is not an equation,
It's not an experiment that can be tried
over and over again until it's successful or not,
- I weighed the risks of them going, I did the math,
I may not like it in my heart,
but my mind knows they'll be fine,
- Convincing yourself is not the same as accepting reality,
You're conning yourself into believing your husband
and daughter are gonna be in no danger
when you know different, and you're doing nothing,
- I am doing everything not to lose my mind!
Dammit!
- Yeah, you wanna tell me more about
how we have control over our lives
in three-dimensional thinking?
- No, I really don't, Lori, okay?
Frank and Millie are going to one of the most
dangerous places on earth right now
and I have to come to terms with the fact
that I am choosing to let them go
and I won't be there,
That's hard for me,
- I know,
It's not really that you believe
you can control our destiny,
It's that you'd rather, it's better,
easier for you as if all the choices are made are yours,
so if things go a little wrong,
you have no one else to blame other than yourself
because if someone else is to blame, well,
that unleashes your terrible demon,
- Nah,
No, this won't be that,
They are taking all possible precautions,
and yes,
I am okay not being able to forgive myself,
- I know,
That's right,
You're just not ready,
- The confidence of wisdom is not your problem,
It's the confidence of omnipotence you struggle with,
- How do I let that go?
- By letting go of the responsibility of us,
Do you remember that I told you the day Dad and I left?
- Alex, this is about what needs to be done
for this planet, for Millie,
It's about progress, evolution,
If we don't move forward, we die,
- And I wanna see the world
and all the people that are part of it,
- All the people,
Look what we did,
We gave our kid hope,
No worries,
You've done all you know to protect us,
- The only true constant in life is the unexpected,
- I couldn't protect you
from something that didn't exist yet,
- In this first verse, the soul tells the mode
and manner in which it departs, as to its affection,
from itself and from all things dying
a true mortification to all of them and to itself,
to arrive a sweet and delicious life with God,
- It's not my dark night, Dad,
- It is, but you don't understand yet,
- What don't I understand?
- You wake up every day angry because you survived,
You think of your natural immunity to this plague
as a punishment,
as a curse,
when it's a gift,
- Outliving my child is not a gift,
- This kind of anger will kill you,
- Oh, my bleeding leg is taking care of that,
And it's the anger that keeps me going,
- Well, maybe you should try love,
It's a little better motivator,
- Oh yeah? - Yeah,
- Do tell,
- Do you remember the rabbit?
- My big failure in the woods,
- How do you remember that day?
- I refused to kill the rabbit,
I let it go,
And that showed weakness and it pissed you off,
- It did,
but I was wrong,
- What?
- I was totally wrong,
- I'm sorry, one more time please,
- Wrong,
- You keep saying that word, but you're my father
and I have never heard you say that before,
- I have,
alone,
quite frequently,
- Really?
- Yeah,
But this time was different,
I was a fool to think that not killing a rabbit
was a sign of weakness,
- It wasn't,
- I didn't know,
I didn't think that then, but you did,
Until you can wake up every day
and not be fueled by rage,
we just won't be ready,
What did Frank lie about?
- Why keep asking that same question?
- Hoping to get to the truth,
Who's to blame, if not Frank?
- I'm to blame,
It's all my fault,
I don't wanna close my eyes anymore
and see them,
I can't 'cause I'm just,
I'm just sad and angry,
I can be with you now,
Ah!
- Alex,
What is that you keep missing?
- In 2013, a group of French scientists
discovered what is known as a Pandora virus,
These are ancient microbes,
viruses that predate humanity,
- A prehistoric virus
infected the planet
and caused the world to shut their doors
for nearly two years?
- Yes,
You see, the thing is,
prehistoric viruses have never seemed harmful to humans,
They're mainly found in marine environments,
infecting amoeba,
So how could a pure prehistoric strain,,,
That's it,
That's what I've always been missing,
What if, what if it was re-engineered?
It'd have to be done at its source,
- Why?
- To create a bio weapon to which there is no cure,
Before Frank left the NSA, there was a theory that they had,
They believed that a group of terrorists had gotten hold
of a prehistoric sample and weaponized it,
They thought it was spreadable through touch,
- So what you're saying is a group of terrorists
killed millions of people,
- No,
the CDC did,
Frank and I never believed the terrorist theory,
The more apt theory was that the CDC was experimenting
with a prehistoric strain,
and they accidentally got it right
and it got loose,
Frank's lie, his trip to Zambia
with the Peace Corps was 100% legit,
He would never put Millie in harm's way,
but I believe that he had a meeting
he kept off the record,
- With whom?
- His old contact at the NSA, who likely passed him a sample
that they didn't trust with the CDC,
He would then bring it home, give it to me,
I'd get to work on a vaccine in secret,
- Hmm,
So how did this affect Frank and Millie's death?
- Transporting a virus safely is like
keeping a raw egg from breaking while sitting on the nose
of a 747 flying at 35,000 feet,
- It's hard, - Yes, it is,
So the container must have gotten damaged
and Frank and Millie got exposed,
- By touching it?
- No,
It likely mutated to a respiratory strain
and became airborne,
Frank and Millie never had a chance,
They never had a chance from the start,
Pathology report showed
that they died from a prehistoric strain
and that's why I spent two years focused on it,
two wasted years,
Because if weaponized,
you can't create a vaccine from a pure prehistoric strain,
- Now that you know what to look for, can you fix it?
- Fix it,
- The virus,
Can you find a cure?
- Yeah, maybe,
But what difference does it make?
They're dead,
- The world still spins and it needs people like you,
Specifically you,
- I took control of everything,
I alone let this loose on everyone,
My arrogance killing millions,
- It wasn't your fault,
You had no control over this,
You never did,
Frank did what he thought was right,
He made a promise,
You told them you'd find a cure,
Now you've gotta keep your promise,
You're alive, You've gotta fight,
- I don't know how anymore, It's too hard,
- Life is hard, Living is hard,
But you have got to survive your dark nights
so we all can survive,
Wake up, Alex,
It's time for you to wake up,
Ah!
- Daniel, this is a mistake,
- It's been two years,
- The threat still exists,
- I'm aware,
- Not just from the virus, getting sick,
but remember the looters, the squatters,
- Can remember it was just kids and they were just looking
for shelter and we sent them away,
- It could be worse now,
- I thought it was the bear,
- Either way, it's dangerous,
- Look, a bear, a deer
would've tripped off multiple sensors,
This one single sensor is offline,
And I think that-
- What?
- I think it's someone who needs our help
and I wanna find out,
I need to find out what's going on out there,
Don't you wanna know?
- I do, but I'm scared,
- I'm scared too,
- It's time, isn't it?
- It's long past time,
- Let's go,
I'm driving,
- Straight onto Route 10,
- Why?
- Well, if you're right and someone needs help,
they'll know they're in good hands,
- We've been off the grid almost two years, Are they?
Keep straight,
Right on Route 10, just past where that open field is
where the loggers were before isolation,
Right here,
It's gotta be a person,
I can see the crash site,
- Go, I got the rest,
- Holy fuck,
Alex Walden?
Alex,
I'm not getting a pulse,
- Alex Walden?
Nothing, I've got nothing,
She's hypothermic,
- Dammit,
I'm sorry,
- We shouldn't have waited,
No,
Come on, Alex,
- I am so proud to be here,
- You're here,
- I am, to ask you what do you think you're doing?
Killing yourself?
- No, no, no, no, I'm letting go,
Like you said,
- No, this is giving up,
This is not letting go,
- But they'll find my notes,
They don't need me,
- Mom, of course they need you,
Your passion, your focus, your intellect,
Don't diminish your faith in others,
- No, Don't you see? I wanna be here,
I wanna be with you,
- No, Mom,
I'm not really here,
- What?
- I am so proud to have been your daughter,
Now feel me and hear me,
You are ready,
- Alex!
She's back,
- Alex, - Where am I?
- Alex, my name is Daniel,
This is my wife, Julia,
- You're gonna be okay,
- All right, I'm gonna underneath her,
we're gonna pull her out, all right?
- Okay,
- Move on one, two,
- Three,
- Let me check this,
- Hey doctor, we know who you are,
- Okay,
- Oh, what is this?
What are you looking for?
- My notes,
- Okay, we're gonna get you to the hospital, okay?
Here we go, Let's go, ready and up,
- Ah!
- Okay, - All right, I need that,
- What is this?
- It was my daughter's,
- Okay,
- You grab the bags, I'll drive, okay?
Hang on, I'm gonna come around the other side of you,
Here we go, hang on there,
- See you there,
- Ah!
- Go, go, go, go,
We're gonna lay her down in the back,
Here we go, Watch your head,
There we go, okay,
- You're gonna be okay,
- Thank you for saving my life,
- You're amazing,
These moments, we endure,
Sometimes they set us on a new path,
- Yeah,
Yeah, they do,
- We gotta move,
Are you ready, Alex?
- I am ready,
- Let's go,
- All right, now, let's scoot you back here,
You're all right, there you go,
Watch it,
All right, let's go,
- A new day, a new future,
One day it will all be a memory,
a painful one,
but also a memory of victory,
The human race lives on,