Original subtitles

It started as a light.

A strong, bright light.

I thought it'd blind me.

It made me think of my mom who used to talk

about how angels appeared to Ezekiel.

Burning coals of fire.

It hovered in midair,

about 500 feet at my two o'clock.

And then it

- moved. How fast?

High G, rapid velocity, acceleration.

My F-16 Falcon reaches speeds of Mach 2.

This was faster.

Five times as fast.

It flew straight at me, so fast it appeared to go through me.

And I was suddenly...

I was very calm.

All the fears I had... They were gone.

I... felt peaceful.

And you're thinking this was,

um, an angel?

- No. A UAS. - What is that... a UFO?

- Unmanned Aircraft System. - When did this happen?

February 18, 1633 Eastern time.

And why couldn't this object be another aircraft

or a drone or some other technology?

It flew at Mach ten, ten times the speed of sound.

And there was no sonic boom.

I can't say what it is I saw for sure,

but seeing it made me feel closer to God

than I've ever felt before.

She's a pilot?

A decorated fighter pilot.

She came to us not knowing whether she saw an angel

or... something else.

The Church is aware of its reputation for being

somewhat slow to investigate these kinds of issues.

: Is the Church really gonna consider

the existence of aliens?

The Church is keeping an open mind.

There's nothing in God's essential nature

that prevents Him from creating life where He sees fit.

These are other unproven accounts of similar encounters

by other parishioners, going back to the 1980s.

So you want us to assess the pilot's credibility?

Yes.

Hey, so I was checking out UFO websites

to see if there were any similar sightings

on February 18 at 4:33 p.m.

- And? Well, there was.

Someone with the handle "Inertia-negation-17"

at Syracuse University. He was alone on campus,

saw a burst of light in the sky and some kind of craft.

That's interesting.

A Syracuse professor would lend

the captain credibility. Can you get in touch with him?

Yup, I already e-mailed him.

I'm seeing him tomorrow on campus.

9:00 a.m., Engineering Quad. Do you want to meet me there?

Uh, no, I'm meeting

with Cassie's commander to check out her account.

Okay. Where are you now?

- When? - Home. Oh.

- I got to go. - How bad?

Okay, I'll-I'll call you back.

Business?

Yeah.

Hello.

A warning first.

Um... this is ill-advised.

I see Kristen individually.

Uh, there's a potential for a conflict of interest.

We're not looking for long-term, Kurt.

We just need some advice.

But if we do need long-term,

you could maybe help refer us?

As long as we know the limitations of this.

Uh, we do.

Okay. How can I help?

Uh, so I've been away for a few months,

uh, working on our business in Colorado,

and when I got home,

I noticed...

Kristen had changed.

- In what way? - Uh, shortness of temper,

anger, um, and issues of self-harm.

What kind of self-harm?

I told you those were accidental burns.

- Then why do they keep happening? - They don't.

- It was just once. - Wait.

What are we talking about here?

We're talking about burns on her skin.

From the stove.

Accidental burns on my stomach.

And what issues of anger?

She beat up a man at the supermarket.

Wow. That makes it sound

- more dramatic than it was. - It's online, Kristen.

- You knocked him out. - He hit his head on the counter.

Wait. What do you mean, online?

Someone had an iPhone and they recorded it.

Yeah, but it doesn't show what happened before.

This guy cut in front of me, called me a bitch.

- So you hit him? - I confronted him.

You knocked him out with a bag of frozen French fries.

Okay, um, let me stop you both there.

Kristen, y-your turn.

I don't deny that I've changed.

Six months ago if this man had cut in front of me,

I would've said, "Excuse me, sir. There's a line here."

And when he called me a bitch, I would've felt bad,

gone home, simmered about it for 48 hours,

thinking about how

I could've handled the situation differently.

And I would've developed a suburban ulcer.

Instead, I stepped up.

Now when I've been wronged,

I blame the person who wronged me,

and not myself.

- So you believe this is a good thing? - Yes.

It's empowerment. It's how I want my daughters to feel.

- Ugh. - So,

- without any judgement... Mm-hmm.

Why do you think you've changed, Kristen?

My work.

- With the Church? - Yeah.

Why is that?

It challenges me,

puts me in a proactive position to face down threats.

And this, uh, video online... Where'd you see it?

Where? It's on YouTube.

And have your daughters seen it?

- What? - Well, you said

you wanted your daughters to be more proactive.

Have they seen this video?

Oh, my God. It's over, bitch.

Oh, my God. Is that really Mom?

Yes. Can't you tell? There's your dad, right there.

- Whoa. - Wow. - She's really going for it.

Oh!

"Super-Mom takes out Line-Cutter."

- No. That's what it says? Yeah. - Super-Mom to the rescue.

- So that's what that guy did? He cut in line? - Yeah.

- How'd you find that, Grandma? - It's trending right now.

- Oh, wow! - Wait. Is Mom famous?

Is our family famous?

- Play it again. Play it again. That's super cool.

You know what I find interesting is why didn't

- your dad say anything? Maybe he did, after the camera

- shut off or something. - He probably did. - Yeah. Yeah, sure.

Oh, my God!

- - Oh! - Mom!

- I want to be just like her, too. - Oh.

Move out of the way, Laura.

No, then I won't be able to see.

I will smack you in the face, then.

On February 18, the 177th Fighter Wing scrambled three.

F-16s out of the Atlantic City Air National Guard Base

to investigate a UAP sighting picked up on our radar.

So there were two other pilots?

Yes.

Can you tell me what they saw?

At 4:28 p.m., the civilian corporation CongoRun

launched an informational broadband satellite in the area.

But Captain Sampson saw this craft

come at her and through her.

That is what she has stated.

- But you disagree? - I don't disagree.

The facts do, and that is why the captain has been grounded.

Thank you, Colonel.

You're welcome.

We're always here to help the Church.

Colonel, do you believe in UFOs?

Do I? No, not officially.

Unofficially?

Civilian aircraft and invention

has outpaced our ability to keep up.

So when I hear about a UAP, my first thought is,

civilians are crowding the sky with other crafts.

They're not from outer space.

They're from garages in Illinois and Wisconsin.

Oh. Hey. Hi. Ben Shakir.

Inertia-negation-17?

I sent you the email about the...

You're Ben? I thought you'd be older.

You're-you're...

Inertia-negation-17.

Hey.

So, on February 18, what did you see?

I'm sorry. First, what's your name?

Asha. Uh, I saw an aircraft accelerate straight

- into the atmosphere at Mach five or greater. - Mm-hmm.

- Mm-hmm. - It went from a standing position

to an accelerated vertical climb in a second.

You know the g-force would crush any living creature inside?

Unless it developed technology to counter the effects

of the inertial forces.

You think it was a technology not of this earth?

I believe I saw something alien.

But I also felt it.

- What do you mean? - It came down

towards me, and the light went... through me.

And it gave you a feeling?

This happened to you, too?

No, just another person we interviewed, an Air Force pilot.

It left me feeling good, happy.

- Joyful? - Sure.

But full disclosure... I had smoked a ton of weed that night,

so maybe I was just really stoned.

So you didn't think she was

credible?

Her colonel said a launching broadband satellite

from CongoRun Corp is what she saw.

I spoke to someone who confirmed Captain Sampson's sighting.

- Who? - A young woman named Asha.

She... saw and felt the same thing.

And why is that not significant?

Well, we discussed it, and the young lady is 17 years old

and was smoking marijuana.

Oh, I got it.

We'll move on. Thanks.

Please, God.

Where are you?

I don't get this.

It wasn't supposed to be this.

I don't even understand it.

Leland, I know you want me to ask you "what?"

But whatever you're gonna say here is a joke,

so just go home.

I don't have time for this!

Please help me.

: Make it go away!

What?

I was wearing your stupid rosary around my neck as a joke.

Then when I went to bed, it

it attacked me.

Some kind of a

winged thing.

Like a

vampire or a... monster.

It was

it was trying to pull me apart.

I screamed at it to stop,

but it...

I'm gonna need you to go.

Y-You're my spiritual advisor.

David, advise me.

Get the hell out of here.

Are you so worried about being conned

that you will ignore a cry for help?

- Yeah, yeah, okay.

It's me, Ben.

Hey. I need you to look at the hack in Leland's apartment.

- Do you have it recorded? - Yeah, over here.

All right, what time?

I don't know. Um, earlier tonight.

He came to my room around 2:00 a.m., so

try a half hour before that.

- There. - Mm.

- What are we looking for? - A vision.

His or yours?

Do you think that looks like

he's having a vision to you?

Or a nightmare.

Or

He knows we're recording him.

Why else would he have a laptop on the couch with him?

Did he believe you?

That I had a vision? Not at first.

But you were convincing?

Of course.

And were you convincing partly because it was true?

What do you mean, "true"?

Well, the enemy is subtle.

You're pretending to need an exorcism,

but in the process, are you secretly wantingan exorcism?

That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

What is that?

- A report. - To?

The Manager.

- Listen to me.

This is a con. It always wasa con.

I'm following the plan exactly,

so don't you dare question my dedication.

Not your dedication. Your will.

My will... is perfect.

I'm not seeing the blood to prove it.

Oh, you want blood?

I want to see you again in a few days.

And Leland, next session,

please remember to bring in your dream journal.

Look, I know what I saw.

It was a UFO.

I just don't tell anybody that anymore.

And why is that?

Because I'm sick

of people looking at me like I'm an unstable woman.

It's over, bitch!

I'll go.

No, we both will.

- Okay, family meeting. - What did we do this time?

You watched the video on YouTube?

Yeah. It was really cool.

You kicked ass.

- Don't say "ass." Laura.

- But you did. Um, look,

your father and I talked, and...

I've been under a lot of stress.

But I have not helped by being away.

W-We do not approve of what I did.

But Mom, people on the Internet want to be like you.

They shouldn't. I overreacted.

- Okay. So that's it? No.

We also want to talk about how all this works.

- How we work as a family. Yeah.

- What did we do? Nothing. This is about us.

You know, we-we both have jobs.

We need to keep those jobs.

And we expect you to hold it together here.

So I'm going back to Colorado just one more time

to shut down the trekking business.

- Why? - Because I want to be home more.

- I want to be with you guys. So this is the plan.

Dad's gonna go away for one more month, shut down the business.

- Starting when? In a week.

- Is Grandma gonna watch us? Yeah.

But just for... for-for a little bit.

But I think Lynn can be more in charge.

- No.

- Yes. No, decision made.

- Sit down. - Take a seat.

And also I think we should eat together more at dinner.

- Are we becoming Mormons? - People don't do that.

No, we're becoming a family

that eats together at dinner.

- Only Mormons do that, Dad.

- I got it. I got it.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

- No. You all stay! I'll go! You made her angry.

You tipped her over the edge.

- You tipped her over the edge.

Hey. I think we made a mistake.

I know. I think we did, too.

Okay, what was yours?

Discounting Captain Sampson.

I checked those other UFO accounts the parish discounted.

They're all from women, all written off as hysterical.

And I think that we should check

if there really was a CongoRun satellite launch.

I already did that. My neighbor works for them.

There was no satellite launch.

There were three birds up there that day.

- Sampson, Ruffins

and myself. We didn't see anything.

Captain Terrence, Ruffins, David Acosta.

Hey, guys.

They were flying at the same time as Captain Sampson.

Oh. I thought

the Air Force wanted to keep their names confidential.

We told Colonel Tremé the satellite launch didn't happen,

so she wanted us to see that Captain Sampson overreacted.

Is there any possibility that Captain Sampson

saw something that you didn't?

No, not to our knowledge.

- Captain? - Yes?

Do you agree?

Yes.

All right, well, thank you very much for your time, officers.

Uh, I have one procedural question for you, Captain.

- Yes, sir. - No. Sorry.

Not you. Captain Ruffins.

This is my email.

If there's anything, even a small thing,

I would love to hear it.

There's nothing, sir.

My father was in the Air Force.

He was a mechanic, so I understand.

You think he knows something?

I think he was particularly quiet.

What's up?

I think there's something wrong with my laptop.

Can you take a look at it?

It's at my two o'clock.

So, you're seeing this, too? Roger that.

What the hell is that thing?

Get your own dinner! It's my time!

- Ugh. God.

Sheryl.

Sheryl, one sec.

It's not about sex.

It's about blood.

- Leland, we're not getting

- back together. - I'm not here for that. I know.

Actually, I need a little

of your blood.

- Not a lot. - Why?

- I'm being attacked. - Oh, my God.

You are so predictable.

I'm telling you the truth. I need you.

I'll think about it.

Now go away and handle your own problems.

God.

So this is from the other pilot?

The silent one?

Yeah, I guess.

Show it again.

Did you send this to Bishop Marx?

Yup, last night.

What's going on? I don't know.

They told us to wait here in case they had questions.

Captain Sampson, I'm Father Katagas

from the Pontificia Accademia delle Scienze.

Although if you recognize the accent,

I'm actually from Brooklyn, 12 miles from here.

Captain, please have a seat.

Hey.

: What's happening?

: A meeting.

It's my understanding that this is what you saw

on February 18?

That is correct, Father.

And you expressed to our assessors that you felt

a sensation when this object apparently

flew through you, is that correct?

- Yes, Father. - Good.

And did you feel a tingling sensation in your feet

when this object flew through you?

No. Okay.

And did you feel a tingling sensation in your fingers?

- No. - But you say you felt joy and peace?

Yes, Father.

And did these feelings stay with you?

They did.

Did they stay with you in any way that could be quantified?

We have medical exams before we fly and afterwards.

My blood pressure after the flight was low,

and my hypertension was gone.

And that continues to this day?

Yes, Father.

Did you smell anything when this craft flew through you?

I'm not sure. I might have.

You see that device, Captain?

It will offer you 12 odors,

one after the other.

I want you tell me when the odor you smell is the one

that most closely matches the object that flew through you.

Yes, Father.

: This has happened before?

News to me.

Ready, Captain? When you smell something similar,

close your fist, okay?

First smell.

Your Eminence, has there been other identical sightings?

Yes.

The Church is taking UFOs seriously?

The Church takes every

scientific advancement seriously.

Well, then, we need to be brought in on this.

That's why you three are here.

No, you were gonna leave us in the hallway, Your Eminence.

The Church doesn't want to publicize its interest in this.

The Vatican, you may have noticed, tends to be private.

You're sure, Captain?

Yes, Father.

Is that the right one?

Father Katagas wants to meet with you three.

I want to talk

to this young woman, Asha, who you say saw the same thing.

- Why? - Because it will help the Vatican's investigation.

Has the Vatican had other reports of UFO sightings?

David, we don't need to...

The Vatican has had hundreds of thousands of reports.

We look at the most serious.

Does the Vatican believe in alien life?

The Vatican believes in what exists.

And if it does exist,

does it change the question of original sin.

- How so? - If there are other beings,

could they be free of original sin?

Would they not even be aware of what it was?

Or are we missionaries,

asked to share the gospel as we did

with the indigenous people in the New World?

- Look at how well that turned out. Yes.

It's an easy perch to occupy, with your ability

to buy what you want, eat what you want.

Please, give your property back to the indigenous people.

- It's an easy thing to do.

Give your deed to someone

who lived here originally.

Look into Landback.

I-I... I got to go. Sorry.

You can get me in touch with this young woman Asha?

Mr. and Mrs. Bouchard, thank you for coming in.

No problem.

- Uh, what's happened? - Laura.

She was showing a video to her classmates of a woman

getting in a fight, and she said it was her mother

sticking up for herself.

Mrs. Dean, her teacher, confiscated the phone,

and told Laura not to lie,

that the woman in the video was obviously a criminal.

Laura called Mrs. Dean a liar,

and that's why we're here now.

Um...

Laura was telling the truth.

- Mm. - That is me in-in that video.

- Oh. So,

uh, what do you need from us?

Well, to be exact,

Laura didn't just call Mrs. Dean a liar.

She used the "F" word.

Is that my computer?

Yup.

You took it apart?

Yeah. There was something in it.

Something planted.

How did that...?

I don't know. Did someone tamper with your laptop?

- Leland was here. - That's what I was thinking, too.

You know, we hacked his computer.

He may have hacked you back.

Should I dump it, get a new computer?

No. I have a better idea.

Act like you're working, working, working.

Good. Okay, now you forgot something.

Go to your bookshelf.

All right, you're looking for it. You can't find it.

No action too specific.

Okay, step off. Step off.

Good, good, good.

How much more of this?

Um, we need about ten minutes, and then I can loop it.

Have you ever thought,

if Leland did this to my computer, what makes us think

that Leland's hack hasn't been looped, too?

Yeah.

Kurt,

can you squeeze me in? No, it's gotten worse.

It's affecting my family, my girls. Okay, great.

- I'll see you soon.

- Excuse the melodrama, Mrs. Bouchard.

My driver only knows one way to get me anywhere.

I'm Edgar Loudermilk.

Could you ask your driver to move?

- I'm-I'm heading out. - I only need one minute, Kristen.

I'm no longer with the D.A.'s office. You should talk to them.

Oh, 18 more seconds.

Excuse me?

Oh, he's early.

Can you hear me well enough?

The jet video you received of a supposed UFO.

It is not alien technology. It's not even supernatural.

It is Russian drone technology.

We've known about it for some time,

but we've been avoiding any public acknowledgment.

We want the Russians to believe they've been undetected

in order to discover what they're doing.

In other words, ma'am,

you and your fellow assessors have stumbled upon a secret.

U.S. operation to uncover confidential foreign technology.

Your government is asking you to kindly stand down

in further investigating this flight.

Do you understand?

I'm not sure.

I understand.

Here's my card.

Call me if you or your team have any further questions.

And with that, thank you for listening.

- Are you serious? - That's what he said.

- Word for word. - And you believe it?

I don't want to believe him, but, um...

Occam's razor. Simplest and most direct explanation.

Okay. I'll, uh... I'll talk to the bishop.

I'm disappointed.

I kind of wanted it to be true.

I know. Me, too.

Are you coming? - Um,

not yet. Um...

So, what's up?

- Can we talk for a minute? - Sure.

We haven't talked in a while.

- We've been busy. - Yeah.

So, you're, uh

you're a month away from ordination.

How is that?

- Weird. - Hmm.

Any doubts?

: Oh, yeah.

I was gonna go to my therapist's office,

and then I realized I knew exactly what he was gonna say.

I could game it all out in my head.

And I just... I-I didn't want to hear it.

What was he gonna say?

That I should look for the underlying cause

of my... free-floating anger

and hostility and anxiety,

and find a positive way to channel it.

Sorry. I, um, stumbled into being nosey.

No, I came to you.

So, why are you angry?

Because I hate people.

You hate people?

Yes.

I really do.

I love my daughters, I... like you,

I tolerate Ben.

But I look at everyone in my day,

every single person,

and I realize that they're awful.

And I don't want to hear that people are essentially good,

or that they want to do good, because I don't think they do.

Why are you becoming a priest?

Now there's a segue.

My mom had me baptized.

My dad thought it was idiotic.

His life was art and sex.

Her life was prayer and Mass.

I was drawn more to my dad's life.

I followed it up until, uh,

I guess... five years ago?

Julia?

That's when I found, uh,

science didn't really explain life to me.

It was like having an instruction manual

on how to put together a bike, but

after the bike was together,

it didn't explain the bike.

Science is best used as science,

not as philosophy or religion.

That's when I was drawn back to my mom.

She seemed to understand.

What? Understand what?

People do bad.

People... are bad.

They-they try not to reveal it

because Americans are obsessed with purity.

They can't even let on that something is wrong.

And there's only one solution.

Jesus?

No.

Forgiveness.

People apologizing.

And that's it?

Yes.

It's harder than it looks.

Americans do not like to apologize.

They worry it shows weakness.

So you think I should

apologize?

I don't know what's hurting you, Kristen.

I know you're sad.

I know you're hurt.

But I can't tell you exactly what to do.

I don't think I helped.

I don't know.

Don't be a priest.

Why?

I'll miss you.

I'll still be here.

I'm sorry.

For?

Not being myself.

Be patient with me?

- Hey, 'sup, old man? - 'Sup?

Uh, Asha, this is, uh, David and Kristen.

Have you two met?

- Uh-huh. - Yeah, just now.

Uh, we'll be right back.

Excuse us.

Thank you for bringing in the two eyewitnesses.

You got our report, right?

It turns out it was Russian technology.

Yes, I saw your report,

and so did this gentleman, Victor LeConte.

- He's from Rome. - Hello.

David.

Kristen.

Ben.

- Hello. - Kristen...

Was this the man who approached you yesterday?

- Yes. - And did he tell you his name?

- He did. Um, it's Edgar... - Loudermilk.

Yes, he's with United States Homeland Security.

49 years old, Episcopalian. His wife is Jewish.

Only goes to services Christmas and Easter.

What's going on?

Mr. Loudermilk was not telling the truth

about this craft being Russian technology.

How do you know?

Ben, I work with intelligence services around the world:

America, France, the Eastern Bloc, Russia.

I cross-reference that information, and come up

with a more certain analysis than one country can on its own.

You're Vatican secret service.

I am a friend of the Vatican, David. That's all.

- It's called "The Entity," right?

I've heard other people call it that.

I haven't.

I have asked Cassie and Asha to accompany us

to Rome for further evaluation, and they've agreed.

We would also like to extend that invitation to you.

Us? The three of us?

- Correct. - All expenses paid?

I'll need you to sign these statements of confidentiality.

RSM Fertility?

You wanted me to see that, right?

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Let's handle one thing at a time, shall we, David?

So

Here we are.

Here we are together again.

Any more visions of angels?

No, actually. Thank you for asking.

Are you a Christian now?

Praise Jesus.

That was a joke.

Oh.

What are you doing?

- Uh, you asked for blood. - Ah.

You went to a supermarket and bought some pig's blood.

- No. Human blood. - Really?

- Whose? - Yours.

Let's see who the Manager listens to now...

The one eaten or the one eating.

What happened?

I don't understand.

We-we called Captain Sampson and Asha,

and they said it's been called off.

I am going back to Rome. No reason to stay.

- What about the investigation? They both admitted

- they were lying. No, they're lying now.

- You have the video. Yes, but

I needed the eyewitness accounts.

Is The Entity going after RSM Fertility?

No.

And I would drop it, too, David.

What do you want me to say?

I lied. Simple as that.

You did not. Is this Homeland Security?

Did they threaten you?

Or Helen? Did she say something?

I am flying again.

That's all that matters to me.

Goodbye.

What did they offer you?

Why'd you change your story?

M.I.T. I'm going next year.

- Pretty good, huh? - Come on. You're a smart girl.

You could have gotten there on your own.

Are you kidding?

Good luck.

You know you're gonna have to give that thing back, right?

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, tomorrow.

Tonight we have an important experiment to conduct.

- Here. - Hey, so I saw a UFO once.

- You didn't. Come on. What scent? - Yes, I did!

Roses.

Very good. Very good.

I was, um...

- I was climbing.

I was halfway up Lost Arrow in Yosemite.

- Mm-hmm. - I was sleeping in a portaledge.

And I saw... I saw this thing just shoot right past me.

- Mm. - Right at eye level.

And I didn't tell anyone about it,

because I didn't think they would believe me.

Mm. Did it have a smell?

- Strawberries? - No, your UFO.

Oh. No.

But you know what? I've changed.

I would tell everyone about it now, seeing that UFO.

That's what this job turned me into.

Turned me into a blabbermouth.

No, just honest.

Cotton candy?

That is the smell of their UFO.

Seriously? - Yeah.

The world is strange.

- Mm. - That's all I know.

Oh, I'll drink to that.

Yeah.

- I'm gonna go after RSM Fertility.

I'm sick of waiting on the Church.

You want to help?

Sure.

Why not?

Oh, thank you.

Go ahead. One pint only.

I don't need it anymore.

- I decided to go in another direction.

- Okay. - Wait, wait, wait. I made dinner.

And I want to talk to you about something.

It's a business proposition. Come on in.

- I have a knife in my purse. - I have a knife in my apron.

We'll keep each other on our toes.

: Wow.

Pretty presumptuous of you.

I knew you'd be curious.

Sit. Sit.

Here we go.

Do you like goat curry?

So what's the business proposition?

Opening a B&B together?

That would be fun.

Yeah, wouldn't it?

- Be right out. - Okay.

Oh, yeah.

- I hope you like it spicy. - Fine with me.

- I just don't like cilantro. - Ugh. Hate it.

Go ahead and open some wine.

Red or white?

Oh, I'm thinking red.

Feels... fitting.

And... voila.

Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org