Original subtitles

Your transmission's got you down or your motor falls apart.

That's the time to come to Thunderbolt.

Hey, didn't see you there.

Stanley Stimple here. This is President's Day. Who'd have thought?

I'm calling the Stars and Stripes sale. This President's Day, we're popping off

prices. We got 40 % off. That's 55 % off original prices from 49%. We got so

many dead gum beds in here. We can't hold.

All the volume. You know what my daddy used to say?

Big men don't like little mattresses. It ain't true.

Some do. We're here to make your dreams become dreams.

And that's a simple, simple guarantee.

Come on now.

Daddy used to tell mama, don't ever sleep in a mattress that isn't mine.

That's my daddy. And this is his skirt. And this is our 20...

This

one

over here, this one, 74 % off. That is July the 4th.

That ain't today. Today's President's Day. But, you know, it's another one of

them American things. My daddy is dead, but his dream of making your dreams

become dreams, that's still alive.

We're still popping off prices. All you got to do is come down to the Simple

Mattress Temple and get some of these dang beds.

All right?

We'll see you soon.

Dr. Lorraine DuBarton, welcome back. This is Taking Control, a three -part

encouragement series aimed at assisting loved ones who may have drifted from

their predetermined path using Subconscious Coercion Therapy, or SCT.

Do you know the key to consciousness?

Of course not. And why would you? You haven't been given the proper training

resources.

As a non -medical doctor and pseudo -lectual hypothesis, I have nearly four

years' experience within my field of thought.

My goal is to inch you closer to the everlasting void of understanding

consciousness, which, after completing this series, culminates in our follow

six -part series, Maintaining Control.

In it, you will learn the philosophy of long -term essential life guidance

through SCT techniques.

for the low one -time fee.

When we last spoke, you were initiating SCT phase two. You should now be

anywhere between seven to nine days into treatment, depending on responsiveness.

Now, I should remind you how important it is at this stage for your subject to

have no awareness of the treatment, as it could result in unintentional mental

blocking during REM sleep, preventing that connection at all.

Sedation should only be used in exceptional situations.

Now that we're all caught up, Thank you.

Was that an earthquake?

I'm sorry, babe. I was trying to be quiet.

The whole world was shaking.

It's just my keys.

Are you sure it wasn't an earthquake?

In Houston?

It's probably on the nose.

I don't...

Morning, Randy.

Come here.

Come over here.

Take a look at this.

What's this look like to you?

You mean in contact?

Like as a whole?

It's rabbit shit.

Sure are you.

What else could it be?

Maybe a deer?

What, you can tell?

I have no idea.

They're fucking with me.

The deer?

What? No, I don't know who did it.

He does seem like an asshole.

He? You saw him?

No. It's just the likelihood of a deer being female is extremely slim.

Where do you even find a flag this tiny?

I don't know.

I guess the internet?

I guess.

How long do you think it takes to type flag on a keyboard?

With hooves.

How does this work?

Like day to day.

What do you mean?

You as a human.

In like a manageable way.

I don't know.

You're a difficult person to connect to.

I think it's difficult for anyone to connect nowadays.

This isn't about connection.

It's about basic functionality.

But I mean, that's the basis of all communication, isn't it? Man, you look

shit.

Thanks. Hey, how's your sister doing?

Heard from her lately?

Maybe. Sister?

Yeah, I spoke to her on Friday. We didn't actually speak, but I feel like

been avoiding me ever since.

I don't have a sister, Randy.

She's a little strange.

I think I might have confused her. Is this a joke? What is that?

I don't smell anything.

Is that patchouli oil?

It's just as the lotion. Get the fuck off of my yard.

You can't be serious.

Yeah, I'm fucking serious.

Get the fuck off my yard.

Hey, Miguel.

Slow down. I can't understand you.

What are you talking about a health code? We sell mattresses.

Don't you let them leave, Miguel.

This town needs them.

The simple... The fucking commercial.

Just don't let them leave.

Bed bugs.

They said that?

They were safe games.

Where are they?

The beds.

No, Miguel.

The health department.

Oh.

They leave.

Wait, why didn't you try to stop them?

I say, hey, wait.

But they say no.

My wife baked you some cookies.

She thinks they maybe cheered you up.

Cheered me up?

Yes.

It's chocolate chip.

Thank you, but I'm allergic to chip.

I let her know.

Why would she think I needed cheering up?

They're bed bugs.

Did you know about this already?

Yes. And you didn't think to tell me?

I leave a note on your desk Friday.

When you went for lunch.

There was no note on my desk Friday.

No, I leave it.

Oh.

God.

Your handwriting is terrible, Miguel.

I can't make out a word of it. It's Spanish.

Okay, whatever.

Look, nobody can make this out.

It says the health department called to say they have complaints from

customers about bed bugs.

They say they will come first thing Monday morning to inspect.

Also... Can I leave early Monday to take my brother to get his windows tinted?

Why can't he do it himself?

His truck is not working.

Where are the windows?

On his truck.

So how are you going to get them tinted?

They put the black tape on the window. I know how they do it. How are you going

to get them there?

We take the truck.

But the truck isn't working.

Yes.

Why wouldn't our customers come to us first about the death button?

Maybe they eat too much?

They leave this note.

They say, call you.

You call them.

for your inquiry at the Department of Health.

We are currently experiencing a higher than average call volume.

A representative will be with you momentarily.

You have four callers ahead of you.

What? What are you looking at?

your patience.

You have 12 callers ahead of you.

Hey, what does your afternoon look like?

That's kind of relative, isn't it, David?

Are you asking from my perspective or as an objective observer?

The question alone brings up a number of issues.

To perceive, we'd first need proof existence itself is not a false concept.

Some would argue that consciousness alone is proof from a philosophical

standpoint. Speaking purely scientifically, though... Do you want to

Shalom.

Do you think people notice how unaware they are?

What do you mean?

People.

Do you think they realize how oblivious they are to their surroundings?

All people?

Some people.

A lot.

Most of all the people.

I don't think so.

How can they not see a fucking point where they're all in? I think they're

preoccupied.

Is that our new jacket?

Yeah.

It's the one Randy Quaid wore on Independent today.

Got it for an easy 600.

I don't think it is.

I mean, he definitely wore it in the jet when he flew up into the alien. That's

not Randy Quaid's jacket.

Take her for example.

Every day I come in here, and every day she puts down a glass of ice water.

The glass that fits there.

I order coffee.

I don't touch the water.

I eat my meal, I pay, I leave.

The water sits there.

Does this affect you in a negative way?

Every day she smiles at me.

I don't look, but I can feel it.

Burning.

Hot enough to melt the ice.

What is that supposed to mean?

The water is not necessary.

It's intrusive and it makes it very difficult to maintain a comfortable

atmosphere with it sitting on this table.

Just ask her not to bring water next time.

I think you're missing the point.

I think it's just good customer service.

What is?

The water.

You have a very strange face.

Very elusive features.

Did it ever occur to you that people may avoid you because of it?

I hadn't considered it, Carl, no.

You should consider options.

For my face?

Yeah, I mean, you could just make it look, you know, somehow not so much the

that it does.

I haven't been sleeping well lately.

Where did that come from? What am I supposed to do with that?

I don't know. I'm just trying to have a conversation.

A conversation?

That's... That just does not suit you.

Carl, it's what friends do.

Is it?

I'm, uh, thinking about starting to smoke.

Interesting. Cigarettes?

Yeah.

How does this, uh, affect your level of awareness?

Maybe sometimes.

I just, you know, I have a lot of questions.

Kevin Sorbo was in this exact position once.

And then what?

And then nothing. What do you mean?

What happened?

With what?

Jeez, Carl.

Kevin Sorbo.

This is very crazy.

Things are just not progressing here.

Where one would expect a presence, in your case, for example, there's just a

consummate lack of imaginative intuition.

It's just not a clear reference, Carl. It doesn't seem relatable to anyone.

You're mad if you think I'm going to sit here and explain to you the entire

theory of cognitive realization in relation to your own insignificance. Is

about his work after Hercules?

What do you think about when people talk?

Them? People?

I don't know. Sometimes I wonder if they actually share an interest in what I'm

trying to say, or if they're just... waiting for their next chance to

You are drowning next to an empty boat, David.

Do you know why that boat's empty?

Not... yet.

The people in the boat... David,

this is exactly what I'm talking about. Where are you? What are you talking

about? I'm right here.

I'm in your fucking head.

Look, have you ever walked into a place and felt like everybody there knows

something that you don't?

Or, I don't know, like something just happened and you missed it?

No.

My self -awareness has become so distracting that I can't focus on

around me. Look at that.

Where are you going?

Tell me something, David.

How do you see time?

What kind of question is that? It's time. It passes.

It's exactly what I thought you'd say.

What, are you leaving already?

I need to reassess my approach.

Is this about my smoking?

No, Dave.

It's about relationships. Everything is about relationships.

You lack empathy, David.

And it's very disconcerting.

Empathy for what?

Don't. Fuck this up.

Sir, please.

They're holding up the line.

I'm the only one in the store.

There could be someone in the bathroom.

Is there?

No.

You have a weird presence.

I've never really done this before.

Been in a store?

No. Yes.

I mean, what would you suggest?

Well, we have a special on sodas.

Buy any two liter and get either powdered donut.

Our ginseng pills were two dollars.

Do you smoke?

No.

If you did, what would you recommend?

Are you okay?

Hey.

Sorry.

I think I'm going to start smoking today.

Oh.

You're at a crossroads.

Maybe just go.

What do you mean, go?

I mean, turn around and go out of the door.

Then what?

Then get in your car and go home. Which ones are the best?

There is no best here.

You know what these do, right? Okay. Which ones are the most popular?

Thinking about this in terms of popularity is somewhat ironic, don't you

What do you mean?

Smokers, by nature, are assholes.

People actively dislike them.

You seem like a smart guy.

Somewhat.

I find it hard to believe you would actively choose to be a piece of shit.

Look, you are clearly working through something right now. I mean, this isn't

even about me, is it?

Here.

Those are the words.

550.

How generous.

Yeah, I guess.

Hey.

Lighter than me.

Go fuck yourself.

Pass the salt

Thanks

Your

hair looks good today

That's what I mean

I like it.

Look bad?

I just said it looks good.

You smell like an ashtray.

I had a lot of unanswered questions today.

And how did that make you feel?

Not great.

They closed the store down.

The health department said we had bedbugs. Interesting.

And I don't think Quarrel cares for me much these days.

Well, he probably has his reason.

No, I don't think so.

It seems really out of character for him. He needs your intolerable

I think he equated me to Kevin Sorbo.

You've been a little hurtful.

Not all your fault.

Mostly. I mean, he's becoming increasingly excused during our

Don't say that.

What, without Carl?

Obstruse.

Why not?

Makes you sound like an asshole. Nobody says obstruse.

Okay, well, what would you like me to say? Conversations with you don't go the

way people want them to.

That's not what happens.

Not for you.

What about me?

When you're not paying attention, you act like you are.

Consulting. Does everyone think they can feel that?

No. Mostly.

Why is this here? It's a sitting

area. In the middle of a stairwell? It's decoration.

It's just... Take some space. Remember, you like it to be somewhere in a corner

all the way. Yeah.

That. What is the point in a chair if it's not going to be used as a chair?

Well, you have a vision.

Yeah. Stop wasting water.

Randy thinks there's a rabbit in the neighborhood.

Something keeps pooping on his lawn.

Did you see it?

Yeah.

I don't think it came from a rabbit, though.

It was too big.

I meant... Never mind.

Maybe it was a deer.

That's unlikely.

How so?

Deer don't just wander out of the woods and poop wherever they feel like. I

think they do.

Not in our neighborhood.

Maybe someone's messing with him.

He was pretty upset.

What did you say that upset him?

I didn't say anything.

I mean, he didn't like the way that I smelled, but that was later.

Was it?

Can you turn the light off?

I'm reading.

Do you even notice my tits?

Yes.

That's it.

What do you expect me to say? Why do you always have to make everything about

you? This is about us.

Then tell me why you don't want me.

You pull away from me every time I try to touch you.

So I just don't anymore.

I can't just be ready to go all the time. It doesn't work like that.

You don't look at me the same anymore.

I just want you to want me the way you used to.

You never let me see you naked.

My tits are out right now.

Are they?

You can almost see the nipple.

Stop treating me like I'm a piece of meat. You know I'm self -conscious about

body.

I want you to touch me.

What are you doing?

You just... My left breast.

Gently.

I'm not ready for this

That's more like it.

I'm going to start charging you an allowance for babysitting.

Randy.

What's wrong with you?

You're a grown -ass man.

How did I get here?

Sleepwalking. Again, Dave.

God, it was... It was so constricting.

I mean, there was all this pressure. That's drowning. You just described

drowning.

But it slowly...

Peeled away, and then it just... It's just like, look, you're gonna buy me new

plants? I'm not gonna go with you to pick them out, but they better not be

shitty.

Wait, what?

You mean these weren't here before?

Perhaps I was growing an underwater garden.

I mean, it was a... It was a void.

Non -existence, but... But not emptiness.

Go home.

What are you looking at?

What are you doing?

You have no right.

Where did you come from? They weren't yours.

I want them back.

Want what back? I have no idea what you're talking about.

My puzzles.

Ma 'am, I can honestly say that I have no idea about anything with your

Can I call somebody for you?

What is this?

You need to stop asking questions and start looking for answers.

I told you, I don't know anything about your puzzles.

You think this is about puzzles.

You just said it was about puzzles.

You don't even know when you are, do you?

Hey, mattress man, is that what you think it was?

Okay, so we're having a yard sale.

Wanna buy a chair?

For a Monday, I guess I could give you 30 bucks.

It is Monday, Randy.

There's something I gotta tell you.

Okay.

I was 12 my first time.

Locked away in my parents' bathroom after school with some magazine that I

behind a grocery store in a sewer drain or somewhere.

It was really disgusting.

Pages, stiff and brittle.

Some stuck together.

I guess it was S &M, but the women had penises. No, look, you really don't have

to finish this story.

So, my mother, she fashioned herself a hippie.

In the 90s. The fucking 90s.

I hate that woman.

She kept this big jug of patchouli oil on the counter.

Naturally, that was my first place to go.

Grabbed it, emptied into my hands, ruined the carpet, masturbated

vigorously.

I felt this new sensation.

I knew I had opened some door that I would never or could ever close again.

I felt so ashamed, but hell, that didn't stop me.

And as I started feeling that tingle, that amazing feeling, I panicked. I was

terrified. I felt this pain shoot straight up my spine and into my skull.

And I fucking lost it. I hit my head, fell down, passed out, fell asleep

or something.

I woke up to my mother and her John of the week just standing above me.

Staring at me.

Couldn't even look at my penis for months.

And it's the stench of that fucking oil.

And that bushy mustache.

I can't forget.

Mustache?

Yeah, you couldn't even see his mouth.

Which probably explains how they had so much... What did you use the oil for?

Lubrication.

To masturbate?

Yeah.

Oh. I knew you were a fucking weirdo.

Just dry choking your sad penis into chafed disrepair.

Crying in the corner. That seems excessive.

Alright, our sex life has been perfectly fine until recently. You and your

penis? Jess and I.

Jess?

She's my wife.

Nah, it doesn't ring a bell.

We've been friends for five years, Randy.

I wouldn't necessarily call us friends.

There was a woman in your yard. Now? She's there now?

Was. I said was, okay? What was she doing?

She was just standing there.

Just staring.

Staring at what?

I think she was trying to put a claim on your land.

What does that mean?

I don't know. She put another flag in your yard.

Yep, yeah, yeah, yeah. There's shit in my yard. Yeah, you showed me earlier.

No, I cleaned that shit. This is brand new shit.

Wait, that means that... Yeah, yeah, this old lady owns the fucking rabbit

No, that shit didn't come from an animal.

Oh, okay, so it's just... So you're just... There's an old woman. There's an

person, woman, shitting in my yard.

Is what you're saying to me.

I mean, to be fair, she probably thought it was my yard. How's that?

I don't know if she's angry and confused.

About where to put her shit?

I think she's testing me.

I just don't know why.

Oh, great. You're a fucking terrible neighbor.

Good night, asshole.

Figure your shit out.

It's getting really hard to be your acquaintance, David.

Hey, folks. Dave Simple for the Simple Magic Simple.

We're stripping down our prices by popping off our shirts, I guess.

Down and dirty.

I don't know how to be like that.

Just remember the simple, simple guarantee.

Where your dreams become dreams.

Are we done?

Welcome back to Taking Control. I'm Dr.

Lorraine Dubard. As phase two concluded, depending on how far your subject was

wavering previous to treatment, you should have begun to see acceptable

If not, we'll proceed into phase three, sensory isolation.

As we move along, much care should be taken as your subject is likely to be in

an emotionally vulnerable state due to the toll our treatment has had on their

mind thus far.

During a small independent study, 65 % of half the subjects reported having no

lasting residual effects.

However, it should be an irreversible psychological breakdown as plausible.

Proceed cautiously.

Are there any questions so far?

I shall try to answer them as best I can.

Alright then, let's get started.

What are you doing?

I'm not even sure.

Did you just discover something?

Maybe a new perspective?

You're 30 years old.

I mean, it's a sad looking thing.

Just hanging there, waiting.

Looking stranger by the day.

Do you mind if I join?

Almost.

Thank you for your inquiry at the Department of Health.

We are currently experiencing a higher than average call volume.

A representative will be with you momentarily.

You have nine callers ahead of you.

Thank you for contacting the Houston Department of Health.

My name is Angela. How may I assist you?

Hi, Angela. My name is Dave Stimple, and I have a question... Dave Stimple? The

Dave Stimple from the TV?

It's the simplest dimple, guaranteed. Yes, ma 'am. I have a question about...

What is it you sell again? Insurance?

Mattresses.

Mattresses? Are you sure?

Yes, ma 'am. Oh.

You should really say that in your commercial.

I do.

Multiple times.

Oh. Hmm.

I guess it's just not that memorable.

Listen, I need to know why somebody locked down my store yesterday. Oh.

I don't know, Angela. That's why I'm calling you. Sir, please calm down. Can

have your reference number?

I... I wasn't given one. I was just given this card with a number to call.

your business or any indication that an inspector has even visited your

premises. But that's not possible. I mean, I was there yesterday and there

lock on the door. Mr. Stimple, our inspectors don't physically lock down

properties. We provide a notice and it is the duty of the business owner to

properly comply.

I don't understand. We don't carry lock on our person.

Our inspector's job is to write citations, nothing more.

Then who locked down my store?

Sir, please calm down and I will... No, listen. I need to know why I can't get

inside of my goddamn store. Maybe you're behind on your risk because nobody can

make sense of your goddamn commercial.

You are very bad at your job.

I apologize, sir. That was rude of me.

Thank you for your call and have a blessed day.

Miguel, meet me at the store ASAP.

Something smells fishy.

Where's the ASAP? Is it you? I don't like fish, Senior Dave.

No. As soon as possible.

At my store.

There's no fish.

God damn it, Carl.

What the fuck is going on?

Let's go in.

But they locked, senior.

Take it off.

What do you mean, take it off?

I mean, don't you have tools in your truck?

My truck is not working. Remember?

Break it off?

It's too strong.

I see her before.

You know this woman?

Yes, I catch her sleeping in the back.

Wait, how long has that been going on?

Maybe one week.

I tell her to leave and not to come back.

The culmination is on the back.

Oh.

We find these for a couple of days.

So I come one night and I find her.

Why aren't you told about that?

Oh, I, uh, I get her to leave.

Here, I show you.

They never got you.

Did you record over the security footage?

It's okay. I record tonight.

Good as new.

Good as new.

Miguel? That's true. Es bueno.

Stop the tape.

You don't like the... the movie?

I just... I have to figure some things out.

Yeah, the first one was better.

Open the door, Miguel.

We're open.

But they're bugs.

There are no bugs.

will also die, and at some point down the line, most of your genetic code may

not even be present in any living being, and the human race may perish

altogether, and the Earth's very makeup may disperse into the galaxy, and your

life, nor anyone in human history's life will have had any point at all, so

yeah, just do whatever you want, call me back, I could eat, you know, just call

me for food, or whatever.

I can see you.

No, you can't.

I mean, I know that you're there.

I don't believe you.

What are you doing?

Sitting behind a tree.

No.

All of this.

Why are you doing it?

What do you care?

Can you please come out from behind the tree?

I would rather not.

Okay, I'm gonna sit down then, alright?

Alright.

You won't find what you're searching for here.

Why were you in front of my house last night?

I think you know the answer to that.

I think you have serious problems with your digestive tract.

You may be right.

You should really see a doctor. I don't trust doctors.

Why not?

They don't know anything.

They're all smoking mirrors and chanting theatrics.

That doesn't seem like an accurate depiction.

No one ever really gets healed, and those tents are too hot.

What you're describing is not a doctor.

Don't patronize me.

Every day you live is a smaller percentage of your total experience.

How can you even be sure this moment is relative to your path?

Wait, but... Isn't my path always

where I am, regardless of its relevancy to itself?

No, that doesn't make any sense.

Are these really the kinds of things you want to be concerning yourself with? I

want the truth.

You are very inefficient with your time.

I have doubts that you even properly understand.

The inefficiency of my time, or time itself?

Someday you'll age to a point in which no one will listen to you.

Your presence in a room will go unnoticed.

Your opinions, discarded.

It's already happened.

Our mattresses don't have bugs.

I know.

Your migrant worker doesn't.

He's, uh, not too bright.

I think he's smarter than he lets on.

I think you're a poor judge of character.

I think my friends and family are beginning to resent me.

Your main issue is performance.

Performance?

You are a bad actor, and you have too much on your mind.

I'm not acting. We're all acting.

Just some of us are better at faking it than others.

How do you think that my level of awareness will improve my present?

Poorly, probably.

It all depends on your perception.

I feel thematic.

Your relationships appear to be nothing more than a complex mockery in

tangibility. Which relationships?

All of them, David.

Nothing in your life.

It's real.

Wait, how do you know so much about me?

I've been watching you.

You've been stalking me?

For how long?

You and your wife have not been getting along recently.

She seems to have more in common with your friend next door, as of late.

Wait, what are you... What are you saying?

Is... Am I cheating on me?

You need to get out of your own way.

If you want to see what's coming next.

Oh, hello, David. Did you have sex with my wife?

We've been through this. You don't have a wife.

Come inside.

What the fuck do you think drives the other car in my driveway?

Your sister? That's my wife, Jessica.

Oh, what's -her -face is Jessica.

She told me she was your sister. Okay, but did you have sex with her? Yes,

obviously. But I... Ow!

Fuck, man!

Come on, man.

Hey, hey, man, I didn't even enjoy it. It was terrible.

I promise. I didn't mean it. It was like fucking a dusty brick.

Edges everywhere.

You know what?

Fuck you, man.

You guys are meant for each other. Why is there so much blood?

I don't want that.

No resale value on a broken heart.

It doesn't even work.

What's the matter?

Please say something. You're scaring me.

Did you know that Randy thought you were my sister?

What?

Honey? Can you please come inside?

I was just working out.

Not as well as I'd hoped.

Good.

Dave, please.

Dave, please.

How long have you been standing there? How long have you been standing there?

I don't... I don't know.

We have work to do, Dave.

What kind of work?

Carl.

Yes, you might come out like an asshole.

Let's go.

Let's go.

Let's go.

Let's go.

David!

I thought I'd lost you.

Sorry, I drifted.

Where did you go?

It was just a daydream.

I don't think you understand. You were not in the car.

What are you talking about?

This is going to be a much more formidable task than I initially

Look, I don't know enough about grammar to pinpoint where you went wrong in your

syntax, but... Syntax?

The fuck do you know about syntax?

You're barely in most conversations you're a part of. And now I feel you may

bleeding over.

Look, I've been tirelessly working for months to get

inside of you.

And right now, I am out of ideas, and I am out of options, to be quite frank.

I'm exhausted.

Have you tried, Rufy?

Of course not.

Are you giving me permission to roofie you?

No, that's not what I said.

Can I roofie you?

Why are we here?

Okay, fair question.

Your interior is much, much more complicated than I initially perceived,

given your less -than -preferable degree of discernment, your mind is like a big

ball of dog fur that I'm blindly trying to weave my way through.

Or better yet... Why are we here, Carl?

Your mind is like a cobble knot.

Hey, who are Billy and Jude?

A little kid who lived here before me, I think.

And how long have you lived here?

About two years.

Life isn't always a contest, David, but sometimes it's important to be on top.

I want to give you a bath.

I really don't think I need that right now.

but I need to isolate you.

This is supposed to help exactly.

You need to try to relax.

I need you to focus.

What are you doing with Sarah?

Where'd you come from, mister?

Where am I?

You're never going back.

That's not gonna happen.

Nothing really happens.

Well, some stuff does.

I don't think I'm supposed to be talking to you. I don't think I'm supposed to

be here.

You shouldn't take things that aren't yours.

You shouldn't leave your things laying in the woods.

I need to go home. Mom's gonna get mad.

Which way is home?

I can't who I am.

What's happening?

I feel some else is fucking talking.

Something's wrong with your face.

Nuh -uh. Your face is stupid.

He's right, David.

You do have a stupid face.

Fuck do you know about social norms?

I can only speak to what I see.

And what's that?

I see what you see.

You're looking at me.

Am I?

Yet. Your mind wanders before I am.

Where did he go?

He went back.

Back where?

After he was here.

Stop with the abstract.

Bullshit. Just tell me as simply as you can what happened to him. He's been

filed away. Filed away where?

You tell me.

Where are we? I've never even seen the place before.

Inside. Inside what?

Nothing. I am inside. You are simply here in place nonetheless.

I've never been here.

It never appears that way. Your feeling is the only constant.

You're not supposed to be here. There you go.

Nobody is.

How did you get in? Crafts into foundation. Must not let him in. Let

David. David!

I need you to help me in, please. I don't need it. I'm trying to help you.

Warning. Warning.

Warning.

Please do not be alarmed.

No,

no, no, no.

This isn't right at all.

Where are we even? I don't really know exactly.

We need to go back to the woods. We were very close in the woods. I don't think

that's such a good idea.

There's nothing here.

What were you expecting to find?

Whoa.

Whoa?

This is very discouraging.

This is safe.

It is very essential to your readjustment. We find the root of your

God damn it. All the other things you could put me in still with the dress.

Am I seeing the dress, or are you? Of course I'm seeing the dress. You see the

dress, I see the dress, everyone sees the dress. You're still acting of your

free will.

Of course I am, so what?

Is it fair to say all of the thought in my head is my own?

That was different.

And you have forcible attempted overhauled a mind from control.

Is that different? How is that?

That was not my intention.

I... I don't know if I can fix this.

David, I'm so sorry.

Sorry, sorry, sorry. David, I'm so sorry.

Welcome to the party.

Please, have a seat.

Thank you.

Hey! Think I'm playing? This ain't a fucking game.

What the fuck's wrong with y 'all? How did you get in here?

The front doors weren't open.

And you came out the back room looking like that, your fucking dick out, stupid

-ass look on your face. I've been trying to wake up you zombie motherfuckers for

the last five minutes.

You put me in a coma in your mind.

I couldn't move.

I can't tell what's real anymore.

Hey, where's the bike?

What bike? This asshole stole my little sister's bike. She's a fucking kid, man.

You sold me fake drugs.

I'm not a drug dealer.

Look, I'm at the bus stop. This guy comes up, said his head's killing him,

me to hook him up. I had some aspirin, so I gave him a couple. He gave me a

dollar. My mind. I said my mind was killing me. Who did you think you were

buying, Fanix?

Why?

For a dollar?

Admittedly, I'm not savvy to the exchange rate of drug transactions, but

crippled with anxiety over you, and I can't come to terms with my own failure,

and I needed a break.

I've been watching you, man. You're a fucking creep.

Shitting in people's yards.

Where are old ladies dressing?

What's wrong with you?

What I do with my time is of no concern to you.

I just want the fucking bike.

Fine.

I'll get the bike.

Got a lock for it?

Well, I didn't want it to get stolen.

Here.

Piece of shit.

Thanks for the hospitality.

How long have you been sleeping in the store?

I think I broke you.

I think I've been broken.

I don't know. I've done things I shouldn't have.

I've been a passenger to my life.

Things happen. I let things happen. Last night I went into the future.

It may have been a dream, but it's hard to tell.

Robots were everywhere.

Not a human in sight.

I ran for shelter, eventually finding a small shop that I entered.

The elderly man behind the counter said it had been this way for years.

The concept of years seemed debatable to me, but I digress.

Robot factories had become automated with improved AI for mass production.

The old man behind the counter, he spoke of the old times.

His eyes lit up.

Boys and men dancing hand in hand as one, laughing.

Touching. He longed for a return of his youth.

I didn't care much for his demeanor, so I ignored him mostly, but one thing he

said did stick.

The robot's reign could not last.

For one simple reason.

They're incapable of recognizing context.

You mean, situational context?

Exactly. There were three major companies producing robots.

They all spoke the same language, but processed the return data differently.

Two robots communicating would always turn into an endless cycle of processing

redundant data, eventually shorting out.

The fuck does Stephen Hawking know?

I don't think you have a clear understanding of artificial

This isn't about AI.

We all have faults, David.

And we will thrive because of our ability to distinguish and adapt.

I attempted to fix you because I felt we weren't the same, but totally ignorant

to my own ignorance.

I need to go back in.

I mean inside you.

Nope, we definitely don't.

I may have done measurable damage.

I don't think that you did anything that I can't handle myself.

This wasn't the first time, David.

What do you mean?

Welcome back to Taking Control.

We've now entered Final Phase, Conscious Dream Persuasion.

We'll cut right to the chase.

Phase 4 is only to be considered as an emergency solution.

All other options have proven unsuccessful.

And seeing as how let's assume you've done a poor job at following the simple

directions laid out, this technique will require you to manipulate your

conscious subject's awareness of reality.

Through this, you will induce a feeling of safety and healing. Simulated

collaborative maintenance exercise.

Done correctly, this exercise can act as a system reset, so to speak, hopefully

returning your subject to their previous still flawed state. It's important to

acknowledge your failure because you have, in all likelihood, destroyed the

of someone you hold dear.

As we conclude our session, let me once again state that we at the Research

Science Institute cannot be held liable to the is probably in your best interest

to dispose of this tape appropriately and attempt to move forward with your

life. It's been a pleasure. Thank you for assisting in the funding for

Dream Studies.

Good night.

Predicting dreams is a shared experience.

Achieving this was no walk in the park.

What is this? This would be best described as your control center.

I was immensely worried that I wouldn't make it back in here, but we got back

in.

I don't like this.

What do you mean?

I mean, it's not exactly what I expected.

We imagine things we can't see in order for it to make sense to us.

In order to rationalize something, we make it tangible.

It doesn't explain why we're in a public bathroom.

Your brain manifests a room full of toilets, because I'm guessing this is

you feel the most in control.

So if nothing is real, then how can anything be fixed?

The only thing here controlled by your imagination is the visual representation

of the space.

Despite its appearance, real work is done here.

Then where do we start?

The last time I was in here, I was somewhere around here before I was

out.

I may

have bumped it or

something on the way out.

Is that tape?

There. Who would have known it would have been that easy?

So were you pissing directly into my consciousness?

Let's take things one step at a time, okay?

Something is off here.

Or not so off.

The feeling of normalcy is a relatively new thing to you. You've been out of

sync for a very long time.

No, that's not it.

I'm not asleep, am I, Carl?

David, you are starting to panic.

You've been through a lot of emotional stress lately.

Why did you bring me here? This is not what I wanted to happen.

Why?

Things got carried away.

Take off the mask.

I don't want to.

It was only supposed to happen the one time.

I just needed to know that it worked before I could ask you willingly.

You would have thought I was crazy.

How many times, Carl?

I thought I'd count.

Maybe eight times this week.

Two times today, but that wasn't intended.

Jesus. Fucking Christ, are you kidding?

You could have killed me.

And then what?

You have to understand.

I was only trying to help you. Help me? How the fuck is that supposed to help

me? I realize now.

It was a terrible mistake.

Singular? The first thing that went through your head.

What I saw was terrifying.

Nothing made any sense to me.

And I was so worried about you.

To be worse.

And then you fell in your neighbor's pool.

Actually... It happened a few times. You were in my house?

I sat on your couch while you slept in your bed.

You're

fucking

insane.

You're an idiot.

Just let me finish.

As I continued to explore your mind, I became very determined.

To fix all your disconnects.

But every time I got more and more lost, it wasn't until you came here and let

me in that I realized the toll that I had taken on your mind.

And then I realized something that I had never considered before.

Give it a fucking point, Carl.

My conscious mind, while inside of your unconscious, was unable to make any

sense of anything.

It was impossible.

Because the two of them work on very different levels.

There's never anything wrong with you, David.

Of course there is.

My fucking wife is sleeping with the neighbor because I'm not a real person.

I mean, not one that does anything of any importance, at least.

I mean, Jesus, Carl, I can't even get the fuck out of my own head.

Jess is cheating on you?

You're the one who told me.

By the tree?

No, no, no.

You misunderstood.

I was merely trying to draw a connection between your relationships with them

and how they perceive you.

I never alluded to any affair.

Shit.

I've done something terrible.

Fuck you, Carl.

You want a ride home?

I am so sorry. I feel terrible about earlier. I just... I wish I could go

and... What are you talking about?

In the kitchen. When I came home... You got out of the car and stood in the

front yard staring at Randy. That doesn't make any sense. Then Carl showed

and you just left.

Is everything alright?

Is everything safe? I honestly don't know anymore.

We haven't been on the same page in a long time.

I just...

I want to feel something.

Not as much as you think.

For such an elaborate setup, it seems very poorly planned.

In hindsight, you might be onto something.

So unnecessarily complex.

I think you just failed to see how much I care about you, Dave.

Why didn't you just talk to me?

So why were we at the ballpark?

I needed you to believe that I fixed you.

It was selfish, but everything I'd done up to that point would have been in vain

unless you knew.

Fawn. What?

Nothing.

I was trying to strengthen our relationship.

You know, I don't lack empathy.

You see things from such a skewed perspective that I think it makes it

impossible for you to identify with anybody on just a very basic social

Just like Kevin Sorbo.

Like that.

Stop bringing up Kevin Sorbo!

I have no idea what the hell you're saying right now.

Yeah, I know.

Not having an opinion on something is...

Totally different than completely lacking.

You mistake my contemplation for disengagement.

We all communicate. We just do it differently.

Just because I don't function on the same wavelength as you where old dudes

kids in the robo -apocalypse or whatever, it doesn't make any of us

When you and Jess got married, I thought I was gaining more than just a brother.

You're my best friend, David.

I just don't know what the fuck that is.

Carl, you have good intentions, but... God, there's something wrong with you.

I know.

And I don't know if that can be fixed.

Do you wad?

Or do you fold?

What? When you wipe.

I don't know, Carl. I never... I get my wad.

It seems faster.

Try folding.

Look, Carl, I don't know if this is really going to solve this. Try it.

Try it.

Okay.

Goodbye, David.

What I said earlier, I didn't mean to... Shut the door, David.

What is it, Carl?

Are we still off for lunch tomorrow?

No.

Are you sure?

Yeah, Carl.

I'm sure.

Ha ha ha!