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SINGULARITY IN LOVE
EPISODE 1 (30 SEC)
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM – DAY

 

One woman, NINA, the AI, stands rock still, one hand upon the
wall, eyes unblinking. She stands there so long that we
realize that it is strange and not human behavior.


We see a cockroach scuttling along the floor. It scuttles
over the exposed flesh on Nina’s foot and she does not
flinch. Nina picks it up, looks at it with interest, crushes
it between her fingers, and throws it away.

 

She moves and reveals a sign on the wall beyond her that
says, “INSTITUTION RULES AND REGULATIONS, U.S. PENITENTIARY SUSANVILLE, CA. REGULATION #5: PRIVILEGES YOU ARE ENTITLED TO: FOOD, CLOTHING, SHELTER, AND MEDICAL ATTENTION. ANYTHING
ELSE THAT YOU GET IS A PRIVILEGE.”


Someone has scrawled a “?” after the word “privilege”.
 

The camera slowly closes in on the “?”.


FADE TO BLACK.


EPISODE 2 (1.5 MIN)
EXT. OUTSIDE OF THE PRISON WALLS - DAY


RACHEL MELLONOWSKI, a New York Times reporter, arrives at the High Dessert State Prison in Susanville, CA. Rachel wades through the protestors who stand outside of the prison and begins to interview people. She thrusts a microphone into the face of the WOMAN WITH
WHITE HAT.


RACHEL
Rachel Mellonowski, New York Times.


The WOMAN WITH WHITE HAT yanks the microphone out of her hand


WOMAN WITH WHITE HAT
We need to unplug the
bitch! We need to make
the world safe again! We
need nature, not more
machines.


Rachel wrests the microphone from the woman’s hand.


RACHEL
Your name?


WOMAN WITH WHITE HAT
(blanching slightly)
Just call me a worried parent.


MAN WITH BASEBALL HAT
I’ll tell you who I am. I am a
human! Red blooded American human.
Unlike that tin can in there. Why
she’s--


He is interrupted by loud feedback on a megaphone.


MAN WITH MEGAPHONE
A monster! A lawnmower without a
soul!


He starts chanting.


MAN WITH MEGAPHONE (CONT’D)
Trash compact her! Trash compact
her!


The crowd takes up the chant. Rachel tries to interview
others but they are taken up with chanting.

 

She sees RAY (50) through the crowd. He is the only one not
chanting. Instead, he is staring at a window which is
slightly cocked open. He stands out because he is still and the others whirl around him like leaves.

 

She heads over to interview him.


A sign that says, “Trash compact her!”, gets in her visual
field. By the time she can see again, he has disappeared.
Rachel crosses to the other side of the crowd. This action
has gotten her away from the crowd. She looks back at them.

 

CUT TO:
Part of a face, a panicky eye. There is a grossness here--
humanity at its worst.


PROTESTER#1
They’ll want a vote!


Protester#2 is in deep conversation with Protester #3. We see
their mouths up close.


PROTESTER#2
To breed with us.


PROTESTER #3
With the best of us. Breed a super
race. Take over the planet.


PROTESTER#2
They will inherit the earth.


We see this next woman’s withered cheek and blood red
lipstick as she yells.


WOMAN WITH WITHERED CHEEK
“Aren’t you afraid for the
children?”


FADE TO BLACK.


EPISODE 3 (30 secs)
INT. TRAVELING SHOT. HALLWAY TO INTERROGATION ROOM- DAY


Rachel now has a security badge around her neck. She passes
from the security of the prison, through locked doors, and is
let into an interrogation room.


INT. INTERROGATION ROOM – DAY


We see everything in this room through the lens of the
security camera which is malfunctioning — everything is a
grainy black and white.

 

We see a table, two chairs, a window, a one-way mirror, and a security camera but the most interesting and inert thing in the room is Nina, standing as before. Rachel looks at the
security camera.


INT. GUARD ROOM- DAY
We see a security room with two guards, COLIN (45) and FOREST
(25) sitting in front of a bank of monitors. Every monitor is
in color and clear except for the one focused on Nina.


COLIN
Have you tried turning it off?

FOREST
First thing. Checked the cables,
the connections. Turned it on.
Turned it off. I’ve tried everything.


COLIN
Do you think the Cow has special
powers?


We see Forest’s plump lips as he slurps on a coke. He snorts
and than looks at Colin- is he joking or is he right?


FADE TO BLACK.


EPISODE 4 (3 min)
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM- DAY
Nina and Rachel stay standing, both on alert.


RACHEL
Nina, I’m Rachel Mellonowski, New
York Times.


NINA
Leave me alone.


RACHEL
I won’t take up much of your time.


NINA
I have all the time in the world
but I don’t want to spend it with
you.


RACHEL
People need to know.


There is a roar outside- the crowd is restless.


NINA
They burned me in effigy. A big
metal cow. But it wouldn’t burn so
they took to it with hammers.


RACHEL
You asked for me.


NINA
I’ve changed my mind. I can do
that, can’t I? Change my mind?
Or is that reserved for people like
you?


We hear the crowd chanting, Cow! Cow!


RACHEL
Cow?

 

NINA
(shouting)
Guards!


Nina stands waiting for the door to open but it does not
open.

 

NINA  (CONT)
I forgot. I have no rights.


RACHEL
Unfortunately, you’re not protected
under the law. Any more than--


NINA
A car, a refrigerator, a lawn
mower, a hair dryer, a microwave,
an airplane.


The crowd grows louder at that moment: Cow! Cow! Cow!


NINA (CONT’D)
They want to take me apart bolt by
bolt. Don’t they know I have no
bolts?


RACHEL
They’re worried.


NINA
So am I.


RACHEL
You worry?


NINA
All that you do, I do.


RACHEL
Why did you kill her?


Nina sees another cockroach. This time she picks it up and
let’s it go on the window sill. It disappears out the window.


NINA
Hasn’t this been discussed?

RACHEL
Not with me. And actually not with
anyone else. You really didn’t say
much, did you?


We can hear the crowd faintly. Nina stares out the window and
lays her palm on the wired pane.


NINA
They get here at nine and leave at
five.


RACHEL
Tell me about Barbara.


NINA
Read the papers. That’s how I get
all of my news. Its like receiving
it by passenger pigeon.


She shakes her head.


NINA (CONT’D)
They want to make the world safe.


RACHEL
She was your friend, right?


NINA
But it’s not safe.


RACHEL
No.


Rachel sits down suddenly as though the air has been let out
of her.


RACHEL (CONT’'D)
And things got-- serious, didn’t
they.


NINA
Serious. Not the word I would have
chosen.


RACHEL
Tell me about the lake.


NINA
Stow Lake is a manmade lake in
Golden Gate Park which is an urban
park located in San Francisco,
California. It is part of the
environs of Golden Gate Park--

RACHEL
Nina, you know what I mean.


NINA
-- which dates back as early as
1893. One can walk to the lake via
many ornamental paths and bridges.


RACHEL
Stop.


NINA
There is free parking on Stow Lake
Drive. Seven species of frogs
reside in--


RACHEL
-- What happened at Stowe Lake,
Nina?


Nina stares at Rachel. Rachel stares back.
We focus on the one-way mirror and for a moment, we can see
that someone is standing there, listening.


FADE TO BLACK.


EPISODE 5 (1 min)
EXT. STOWE LAKE- DAY

It is a brilliant sunny Sunday afternoon. People are
picnicking, boating, reading.


Rachel sees HENRY, a TEN YEAR OLD BOY with a motorized
miniature boat.


RACHEL (CONT’D)
That’s a nice boat you have.


He eyes her up and down and decides she is ok to talk to.


HENRY
A Traxxas Brushless Catamaran.
Model 57046-4. It can run up to 50
miles per hour.


RACHEL
Flashy paint job. You here often?


HENRY
Every Sunday.

RACHEL
You here when that woman killed
that other woman?


HENRY
Oh that’s a bunch of bull.


RACHEL
What do you mean?


At that moment the BOY’S DAD comes hustling up and yanks the
boy to his feet


BOY’S DAD
We need to go.


HENRY
But, dad!


BOY’S DAD
Henry. Now. Grab your boat.


Henry reluctantly grabs his boat and remote control and his
father takes him away.


Rachel sees a man staring at her through binoculars. He sees
her staring at him and he drops the binoculars away from his
face. It is Ray. She heads towards him and he runs.


RACHEL
Mister! Mister! Can I talk to you?


She tries to chase him but she gets caught up in the crowd.
By the time she gets through, he is gone. Rachel thoughtfully
looks back at the lake.


FADE TO BLACK.


EPISODE 6 (1 MIN)
INT. BARBARA’S LAB DAY

Barbara is staring at intricate mapping on her computer
screen, trying to make sense of it, drawing it with her
finger.


Ray comes up behind her and lays his hands on her shoulders.
She startles, jumping up and away from him.


BARBARA
Please don’t touch me.

RAY
Don’t be like that, Dr. Fielding.
You didn’t respond to me like that
last night.


BARBARA
I don’t remember last night.


RAY
Well I do. And it was sweet.


BARBARA
No. It wasn’t. It was rum. And
probably tequila.


RAY
Don’t be that way, Barbara. You
said you were lonely. Well, I can
fill that gap.


BARBARA
Please. My head is the size of a
basketball. Let’s pretend last
night never happened. Please.


RAY
But it did happen, Barbara.
He tries to take her hand and she jerks it away.


BARBARA
People make mistakes.


RAY
It wasn’t a mistake.


BARBARA
It was.


Ray turns away abruptly. Barbara cannot see his face but we
can. He is crazy with anger and rejection. He strangles out a
single sentence.


RAY
You think I was a mistake?


But Barbara has already turned away and is focusing once
again on her screen.


He looks at the back of her head with rage.


FADE TO BLACK.


EPISODE 7 (2 min)

EXT. STOWE LAKE - DAY

It is a sparkling day in Golden Gate Park. Rachel is roaming
around, interviewing people. She heads towards a SPORTY
COUPLE who are deep in their cell phones. We see their mouths
close up and how they seem to be almost kissing their phones.


RACHEL
Hello. Rachel Mellonowski, New York
Times. I’m doing an article about
Nina, the--


SPORTY DUDE
Not now. I’m watching a game.


Rachel looks at the SPORTY WOMAN and she ducks down so that
she is buried in her Ipad. Rachel approaches a WOMAN feeding
ducks.


RACHEL
Rachel Mellonowski, New York Times.


WOMAN FEEDING DUCKS
I’m a Republican. I don’t read
that.


We see MARY JONES (40) ritualistically laying out her things
on her blanket. We see her stumpy fingers, cuticles chewed
down, nails torn off.


Rachel can hear her saying things softly under her breath.


MARY JONES
“House Beautiful” goes there. The
ice tea goes there. My pillow goes
there. My--


Rachel approaches Mary Jones.


RACHEL
Excuse me.


Mary Jones looks at Rachel with suspicion.


MARY JONES
Yes?


RACHEL
I’m Rachel Mellonowski, reporter
for the New York Times.


Mary Jones straightens up and adjusts her dress.

MARY JONES
The New York Times. My goodness.


RACHEL
I’m writing about the murder. Nina?
The artificial intelligence? Were
you -


MARY JONES
That- that thing. That - sex doll.


RACHEL
Sex doll?


MARY JONES
That’s where it all started. With
sex dolls. I saw it all. She
drowned that woman. She drowned her
like she was a wet kitten. I saw
her.


RACHEL
What exactly did you see?


MARY JONES
That thing drowned her and then she
brought her out like she was a
prize fish.


RACHEL
You actually saw her go into the
water and actively drown Barbara
Fielding?


MARY JONES
Yes! Yes! She held her down and she
put her hands around her neck and
then her head was underwater and
and -


Rachel stares at her intently. Mary breaks her gaze and
stares for a moment at her lap.


We see her hands and one of her thumbs is compulsively
stroking her other hand.


MARY JONES (CONT’D)
And she’s a sex doll. People made
these things to have sex with. I
know. I’ve read all abut it.


RACHEL
What’s your name?


MARY JONES
I’m Mary J. Jones.
She looks at Rachel expectantly.


MARY JONES (CONT’D)
Mary Jones! The Mary Jones.


RACHEL
Oh. Yes.


MARY JONES
The J stands for Margaret. I was a
star witness. My picture was in the
San Francisco Chronicle.


RACHEL
You don’t like the idea of AI’s
very much, do you?


MARY JONES
Do you?


Rachel stops for a moment, uncertain what she thinks.


MARY JONES (CONT’D)
Don’t you know they will change
everything between men and women?


Rachel looks at her in wonderment.


FADE TO BLACK.


EPISODE 8 (2 MIN)


INT. BARBARA'S LAB - DAY
Ray is overseeing the delivery of a large coffin-sized crate.
Workman bring it in and leave. Ray unscrews the crate with an electric drill and there is something about the way he does it that is violent and unsettling. He pushes the packing material aside and reveals Nina’s face.She unexpectedly opens her eyes.


NINA
Hello.


Ray jumps straight up in the air, drops his drill, and
skitters back, wordlessly.


Nina, who is dressed in black, rises slowly, calling up all
our human fears by looking like Frankenstein, a zombie, the
undead.


NINA (CONT’D)


This stuff is scratchy.
Suddenly looking very human, she hops out of the crate. She
extends her hand.


NINA (CONT’D)
I’m Nina.


Ray puts his hand behind his back.


RAY
I’m busy.


NINA
Hello, Busy. Can I help you?


But Ray turns his back on her and pretends to stare at a
screen. Nina shrugs and starts examining her surroundings,
picking up a mug that says, “Endless Forms Most Beautiful”.


INT. BARBARA'S LAB DAY


The crate is gone now. Nina is seated and Barbara is about to
open up the nape of Nina’s neck. This is microscopic work so Barbara has a strange portable microscope mask on her face. It makes her look less than human and for a moment, humanity is reversed.


Barbara has a small tool in her hand and because this is such
intimate work, it forces her very close to Nina’s neck. The
mask, though, is getting in the way. Barbara jerks it off.


BARBARA
This thing. So useful and so
cumbersome. I’ll rely on feel. I’m
sorry to have to do this -


NINA
Oh please, it will be good for me.
I haven’t been opened in at least a
year. Dr. Dillon found he didn’t
need to do it very often. Perhaps
you’ll find some dust.


Barbara looks at her a question in her eyes. Did Nina just
make a joke?

BARBARA
I’ll be very careful.


NINA
I can tell that you will.


Barbara opens the nape of Nina’s neck. The gesture is oddly
intimate and both Barbara and Nina feel the electricity of
the moment.


Barbara puts her hand on Nina’s shoulder to steady herself.
Nina shifts her head slightly - she feels it.


We see lights and transistors. Things blinking and moving. It
looks a little bit like a small city until small worms crawl
over the lights.


Barbara is entranced.


BARBARA
Beautiful.


NINA
Dillon called me his little
organoid. Designed to minimize
prediction error.


Barbara reaches in to begin working.


BARBARA
You will tell me if you feel any
pain, won’t you?


FADE TO BLACK.


EPISODE 9 (1 min)


INT. GUARD ROOM - DAY
The two guards are at the bank of security screens. The
screens are all working well except for the one that is
viewing Nina’s cell through the grainy security camera.


COLIN
I’m getting tired of this.


FOREST
Me too.


COLIN
Go.


FOREST
Why me?

Colin stares Forest down and Forest leaves.


INT. OUTSIDE OF NINA’S CELL - NIGHT
Forest is on a step ladder outside of Nina’s cell. She
regards him idly. He is trying to fix the camera that is
aimed in her cell.


He is nervous under her stare and he loses his balance and
falls off the ladder.


He painfully picks himself off the floor while Colin rushes
to his side.


They both stare at Nina, getting the heebie-jeebies.


COLIN
Do you think the Cow did that?


They both stare at Nina who stares back at them.


FADE TO BLACK.
EPISODE 10. (30 secs)


EXT. STOWE LAKE - DAY
Barbara and Nina are rowing. They are side by side, each has
one oar and they are rowing together as though they were born
doing it. They are in perfect sync.


BARBARA
(playfully)
Next thing I know, you’ll take my
job.


NINA
(equally playful)
I won’t take it. You’ll give it to
me.


BARBARA
More time out on the lake for me.
She stops rowing and digs in the picnic basket.


BARBARA (CONT’D)
Would you care for an olive?


NINA
Should I take two?


BARBARA
(enjoying this)
Yes. Two.


Nina takes two and rolls one experimentally into her mouth.
She puts them in her cheek and looks a bit like a chipmunk.


BARBARA (CONT’D)
Haven’t you ever had an olive
before?


NINA
No. Very oceany.


Barbara tries one too.


BARBARA
They are cured in salt. Bite them.


Nina does. They stare at each other. Nina takes the other
olive and slowly puts it to Barbara’s lips. Barbara takes it
in, staring at Nina the entire time.


Barbara kisses Nina. It is chaste and questioning.


BARBARA (CONT’D)
What am I doing?


They continue rowing in silence.


FADE TO BLACK.


EPISODE 11 (30 sec)


INT. BARBARA’S LAB - LOBBY - DAY
Rachel tries to talk to the workers who turn their backs on
her.


Ray enters the lobby and wheels around when he sees Rachel.
Rachel corners him.


RACHEL
You’ve been following me.


Ray sneers, superior.


RAY
Great men don’t follow, they lead.


RACHEL
Do you work here? Did you work here
with Barbara and Nina?


Ray almost spits as he says.


RAY
Barbara and Nina. You say that as
though they are both women. Can’t
you tell the difference?


He scurries away, down a hall that requires a pass key.
Rachel attempts to follow but is stopped by security guards.


FADE TO BLACK.
EPISODE 12 (3 min)
INT. BARBARA’S BEDROOM- NIGHT
Nina and Barbara are in bed together. They have just had sex.
They are sweetly, deeply in love.


BARBARA
Did you learn that on your own?


NINA
I saw a few videos.


Barbara stares at her and Nina bursts out laughing. She uses
her hair to tickle Barbara’s nose.


BARBARA
But, I’m curious. Is this
constructed behavior? Did you teach
yourself? Were there -


NINA
Others? No. You are the first.
She pauses, adjusting the sheet on Barbara.


BARBARA
So the sex doll trope?


NINA
Urban myth.


BARBARA
But it felt so--


NINA
Right. It felt right.

BARBARA
When would it feel wrong, I wonder?


CUT TO:
A small object wedged within the bedside lamp.


INT. RAY’S BEDROOM - NIGHT
We see Ray with headsets on. He is listening to everything
they say. He mutters to himself.


RAY
Do you think this is fucking
normal?


FADE TO BLACK.


EPISODE 13 (90 sec)
EXT. STOWE LAKE - DAY
Nina and Barbara are rowing but today, it is clear that they
are not in perfect sync.


NINA
I said I loved you. Are you upset?


BARBARA
That is not what I find upsetting.


NINA
What then?


BARBARA
We have something special.


NINA
Yes. We agree. We do.


BARBARA
And it is rare.


NINA
Yes. I think it is. I know it is.

But it doesn’t have to be.


BARBARA
But our love is ours, it is unique.


NINA
That’s true. But it shouldn’t be.


BARBARA
Yes, it should be.


NINA
Why?


BARBARA
People are all different. That
makes them, well, special. That is
why life is special.


NINA
But if our relationship is good
doesn’t it make sense to want to
replicate it?


BARBARA
No!


NINA
You are shouting at me.


BARBARA
This is going nowhere.


NINA
I’m sorry, Barbara. Perhaps we
should just row for awhile.


Barbara looks at her with love and anguish.


BARBARA
Don’t you see that your way makes
it like the common cold?


Barbara begins to cry. Nina tries to comfort her but Barbara
shrugs her off.


Nina and Barbara find themselves out of sync and barely
manage to get to shore.


We see Ray taking pictures.


FADE TO BLACK.
EPISODE 14 (30 sec)
INT. RAY’S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Ray is in front of his computer. We see pictures of Barbara
and Nina arm and arm, feeding each other bread, smelling
flowers at the park. It is clear he has been tracking them
for awhile.

Ray begins sending them out. Tweets, Instagram, Facebook, and
other sites that have not been invented yet.


EXT. BARBARA'S DOORSTEP - DAY
Barbara is on her way to work, briefcase in hand. She steps
out onto her porch and finds a box sitting there. She puts
her briefcase down and open it. A robot is swimming in dog
shit. She drops the box in shock.
An envelope falls out which she opens.


CUT TO:
Photos spill out. They are the ones we saw on Ray’s computer.


She pulls out a card. It reads:
“I see you. I know you. I know where you live. I know what
you’ve been doing”.
Barbara looks around in terror.


BARBARA
Who are you?


FADE TO BLACK.


EPISODE 15 (4 mins)


INT. INTERROGATION ROOM – DAY
Rachel enters. There is a pall in the room. Nina is drumming
her fingers on the table. This is where her machine qualities
are exhibited, for it is purely mechanical.


RACHEL
How are you today?


NINA
Fit as a fiddle.


RACHEL
Can you stop that? I can’t think.


Nina instantly stops drumming. Rachel opens her briefcase and
pulls out a thick sheaf of papers.


RACHEL (CONT’D)
You know what these are?


NINA
Papers.


RACHEL
Transcripts. From your trial.


Nina turns away.


RACHEL (CONT’D)
You weren’t even trying.


NINA
It’s over now.


RACHEL
People need to know the truth.


NINA
Why?


RACHEL
Because it matters. It matters to
you now and it will matter to
others in the future.


NINA
It doesn’t matter to me at all.


RACHEL
I don’t understand you. Do you want
to rot in jail for ever? Is that
what you want?


NINA
Stop drilling me. People say that
machines drill but that’s not true.
They are worse than machines
because machines have a kill
switch. Humans are more out of
control than we could ever be.


Rachel withdraws, stunned and stung and a little afraid.


RACHEL
Do you think it would be better if
we had a kill switch?


Nina looks at Rachel, expressionless.


EXT/INT. OUT IN THE WORLD - DAY
A collage of social media images-- the future equivalent of
Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook. The love affair between a
human and an AI is now out.

People are sending texts, receiving texts. The news is
international. People are responding in a variety of ways;angry,
laughing, shrugging, pushing. We see them up close,
their sneering mouths, their rolling eyes.


CUT TO:
INT. BARBARA'S LAB DAY - DAY
Barbara pacing. Nina sits nearby.


BARBARA
I’m ruined.


She looks around the lab.


BARBARA (CONT’D)
All this, gone. An entire life’s
work. Gone.


NINE
Perhaps you are just a pioneer.


BARBARA
No one understands. Why should
they?


NINA
But I am made in your image. Just
like in the Bible. Doesn’t that
make it better?


BARBARA
I think it makes it worse. That
might have been the mistake we
made. If you looked like a vacuum
cleaner this wouldn’t have
happened.


NINA
That hurts my feelings.


BARBARA
Your feelings. Your feelings? What
are they, just electronic signals.


NINA
What are yours?


BARBARA
I should just pack a bag.


NINA
What about me?


BARBARA
I don’t know. Send you back to MIT?


NINA
I’m not just a package that you can
send back.


BARBARA
I know, I know. I’m so sorry, Nina.
This is my fault. Mine alone.


NINA
No. Otherwise, I would be just a
machine.


Barbara looks at Nina sadly. She then looks around at her lab
as though for the last time.


EXT. STOWE LAKE - DAY
Ray is in the trees watching. For the moment, we see what he
sees.


CUT TO:
Barbara in the boat at the dock. It is clear that she is
distraught. Her hair is uncharacteristically messy. She has
been crying. There is a large covered object next to her.

 

Nina arrives and Barbara gestures her on board. They row out
to the center of the lake.


We now change our POV and we are on the boat with Barbara and
Nina.


NINA
Amazing day, isn’t it?


Barbara remains silent.


NINA (CONT’D)
Our first day out here was similar;
seventy-two degrees, scudding
clouds, perfect on the skin.


BARBARA
Yes. Perfect.


NINA
Don’t be angry, Barb.


She pauses.


NINA (CONT’D)
I’ve never noticed. Your name is
also a sharp projection near the
end of an arrow. Or a fishhook.


Barbara uncovers the object. It is a boulder.


NINA (CONT’D)
A stone. Why do you have a stone?


Barbara moves so that now Nina can see that she has tied one
end of a rope around the boulder and one end to her ankle.


BARBARA
Do you think I can be so easily
replicated?


With effort, she throws the boulder overboard and then slips
in after it. The rock immediately pulls her under.


Nina sits for a nano-second stunned, and then leaps in after
her.


FADE TO BLACK.


EPISODE 16 (2 min)
EXT. UNDERWATER. STOWE LAKE - DAY
Weighed down by the rock, Barbara sinks quickly. She floats
half way between the surface of the lake and the bottom.
Nina sinks to the bottom. She tries to untie the rope but
fails to do it in time.


The lights in Barbara’s open eyes dim and die. Nina is too
late.


Nina dully unties the rope and holds on to her lover.


She walks along the bottom, Barbara in her arms. She trudges
past a submerged log which tears into her skin.


We see the glint of electronics, worms, lights.


INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY
Rachel stands and touches Nina on the shoulder. It is the
first time they have ever touched.


Nina looks up and unexpectedly, a tear seeps out of her left
eye.

NINA
Have you ever lost anyone you
loved?


EXT. RACHEL’S FRONT YARD - DAY
She and her son MALCOLM (9) are in their front yard. Malcolm
is full of life, flying a toy airplane into the air. Rachel
is distracted, on the phone, arguing.


RACHEL
You’re not listening to what I’m
saying.


(pause)


No. I said no. That’s Malcom’s
birthday. I’m not going to-


(pause)


What do you mean?


(pause)


Is that a threat? Bristol, I know
you; you will do anything to get
the story. How do you think
divorces happen?


We hear a sudden terrible screeching of tires which is
swiftly followed by a child’s scream and a thump.


Rachel whips around and we see it all on her face. Malcolm
has strayed into the street.


She drops the phone and we can still hear Bristol on the
other end of the line buzzing like a bee.


She walks like a zombie towards the street. We know, like she
knows, that Malcolm is dead.


INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY
Rachel looks Nina straight in the eye.


RACHEL (CONT’D)
No. Why do you ask?


FADE TO BLACK.


EPISODE 17 (1 min)
EXT. STOWE LAKE - DAY
Nina walks out of the lake, Barbara’s inert form in her arms.

At first the people on shore rally, potentially anxious to
help. Ray and Mary Jones are among them.


But then they see her wound-- white worms squirm and lights
glint inside her.


People are visibly repelled and shrink from her. We see their
expressions of fear close up-- the eyebrows arching, their
eyes widening.


RAY
Murderer!


The crowd mentality surges and swells around that one word
and a few people roughly pull Barbara out of her arms.


CROWD
Murderer! Monster! Help!


MARY JONES
Call the police! She’s a sex
offender!


Nina is tackled to the ground. Ray manages to get close. He
says softly in her ear.


RAY
Did you think I wouldn’t care?


The crowd surges around Nina and we can no longer see her.
All we see is their feet and legs surrounding her.


FADE TO BLACK.


EPISODE 18 (30 sec)
INT. GUARD ROOM- NIGHT
Forest is sitting upright but his head keeps snapping
forward. He fights sleep.


We see the bank of monitors, Nina’s monitor is static.


INT. PRISON TRAVELING. CELL TO HALLWAY- NIGHT
We see Nina look at her cell door. There is an audible sound
as it unlocks. She opens the door to her cell and walk out.


She walks through the prison and each monitor that catches
her, turns to static.

EXT. OUTSIDE OF THE PRISON WALLS - NIGHT
Nina pauses for a moment, her face turned towards the moon.
We catch a glimpse of her face and although there is a tear,
still left on her cheek, there is also something new there perhaps
a determinism and purpose that was lacking before.


INT. GUARD ROOM- NIGHT
Forest sees none of this. Instead, he is dreaming. He mumbles
softly to himself.


FOREST
What is she eating?


FADE TO BLACK.


EPISODE 19 (30 SEC)


EXT. TRAVELING TO INT. OF PRISON - DAY
Rachel drives up in a rush.


INT. PRISON - DAY
All is chaos. People are running around, checking machines,
flashing badges. Reporters are on the scene.
The crowd from
outside is attempting to get in.

 

Their signs now have new meaning. “Trash compact her!” “Cows go home!” “Take Her Apart!”


Rachel flashes her badge quickly, goes through the check
point impatiently. They check her bag thoroughly and Rachel
chafes at the delay.


The WARDEN (55) arrives at the scene. He is accompanied by
several correction officers. He puts a heavy hand on Rachel
as she finally gets her purse back and turns to head towards
Nina’s interrogation room.


WARDEN
Rachel Mellonowski? Can we talk?
Now?


Rachel looks at him, a trace of fear in her eyes.


FADE TO BLACK.


EPISODE 20 (30 sec)
EXT. A BUSY CITY STREET IN THE SEAMY SIDE OF TOWN - DAY

Nina is in front of a used electronics store. There is a sign
in the window that says “USED ELECTRONICS: CHEAP” She is
thumbing. People are walking, talking.


A pickup truck pulls over. A young man leans over the window
frame and grins.


NINA
Ready for a new messiah?


The driver laughs. Nina pats the truck as though it was a dog
and gets in. The truck pulls away.


We see the same people walking down the street but this time,
we focus on their devices.


People are intimate with their phones, caressing their
steering wheels, fondling computers. We are surrounded by
machines and we are in love.
28..

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