Original subtitles

(beeping)

(explosion rumbling)

(dramatic music)

(squawking)

(dramatic music)

(radio static)

- [Man On Radio] Came to our planet thousands of years ago.

What people don't realize is that they irrevocably

altered our reality.

What was will never be,

and what will be isn't.

- [Man On Radio] I'm not sure I follow you there.

- Oops.

- [Man On Radio] They shifted the very fabric

of space and time.

- Ew.

- [Man On Radio] Time-traveling aliens.

- [Man On Radio] Are they aliens, Bob?

Or are they us.

- All right, goodbye.

(radio static)

- [Woman On Radio] You call it masculinity,

but what it really is, let's be honest, it's chauvinism.

- Here we go.

- [Woman On Radio] Men are taught to conquer.

You find it all across history and theology.

Hades abducts Persephone

and takes it to the underworld to be his bride.

Her father even allows it to happen,

and speaking of father,

Helen of Joyce was afraid her beauty

would start a war amongst her suitors,

only to have her abducted, raped

and to start a war anyway.

After that we have the Romans,

no improvement there. - Next.

(radio static)

- [Woman On Radio] It's not just about the orgasm for her.

- Now we're talkin'.

(chuckles)

- [Woman On Radio] It's intimacy she's missing.

She wants to be close to you,

not just sexually but emotionally.

That's the connection you need to build.

- [Man On Radio] So you mean like talk to her about

feelings and stuff while we're doing it?

(laughing)

- [Dispatcher] Harris, come in.

- You've reached the empty shell of the man

who used to be Harris.

How may I be of service to you, my liege?

- [Dispatcher] What's your ETA on that pick up?

- Fuck you.

- [Dispatcher] What was that?

- I'm here, I think.

Passenger give any better description than county line 10

north of 83?

- [Dispatcher] Like what?

- I don't know, mile marker, a sign,

maybe a cactus shaped like a giant dildo.

- [Dispatcher] They're all shaped like dildos.

- Well, that's true.

- [Dispatcher] Just drive around until you either find her

or the hill mutants descend upon the cab and devour you.

Make sure they don't scratch the interior.

- Roger that.

What do you know?

Not a prank after all.

(gentle music)

Call for a cab, Miss?

- I sure did.

Please tell me you have heat in there.

- As long as you don't mind the smell of burning.

- I'll take burning over freezing.

- Don't say I didn't warn you.

So where we headed?

- Corner of Elm and River Drive, please.

- One middle of nowhere comin' right up.

(laughs)

(gentle music)

(meter dinging)

- You're right, that smells like burning.

- You warm enough yet back there?

- I am.

- All right.

- So what's your name?

- Harris.

- Can I call you Harry?

- Please never do that.

- Okay.

Harris, how long have you been driving?

- 16 years.

Although some nights it feels like forever.

- You must like the road.

- I don't hate it.

- Does it ever get boring?

- Occasionally.

- What do you do to pass the time?

You know, when not engaged in riveting conversation

with one of your fares.

- Games mostly.

- What kind of games?

- Like, like I got this one where I see

how many green lights I can catch in a row

before hittin' red.

I never said there were fun games.

- 12.

- [Harris] Huh?

- 12 green lights in a row.

That's my record.

Your game's not original.

- It's respectable, not brag worthy.

- You've done more than 12 green lights in a row?

How many?

- See, if I told you you'll feel bad about yourself.

- How many?

- 23.

- Wow, I concede defeat.

- As you should.

- My name is Penny, by the way.

- Like the coin?

- Yeah, just like the coin.

(gentle music)

- [Harris] So what do you do, Penny like the coin?

- I'm sort of in between jobs.

Right now I teach part-time.

- Wait, wait, wait, don't tell me.

Literature?

Art, history of DC Comics

with the folks on the Jack Kirby years?

- Is that a real thing?

- It was a blow off course seniors could take

in my high school.

- Hey, I thought Kirby worked for Marvel.

- He was at Marvel first

but went over to DC in the early '70s.

Very good though.

- Well, thank you.

You obviously took that blow off class,

and you paid attention.

- So what do you teach, Penny like the coin?

- I teach dancing.

- Ah, so close.

What kind of dance?

- The kind where you take your clothes off.

It's funny, that's usually a conversation starter.

- I guess I never realized there was much of a demand

for teaching people how to strip.

I sort of figured, you know,

you just take it off and shake it.

- Next time you're in front of a mirror,

why don't you try that,

and then ask yourself how much would you pay to watch you.

- I would probably pay me to keep my clothes on.

- Maybe one day you should come by for a lesson.

I'm serious.

It's a confidence builder.

- So is gettin' drunk.

- Yeah, but who do you do your drinking with?

- Just me.

And you're right, it's the company

that makes the difference.

- I would say so.

- So, Penny like the coin,

you got a dance partner?

- [Dispatcher] Hey Harris.

- Go for Harris.

- [Dispatcher] Been some bad weather reports in your area.

- Yeah I see it looks like a thunderstorm.

(thunder rumbling)

- [Dispatcher] Come back to the city limits

after your drop off.

- Roger that.

- Is that your boss?

- Yeah.

Dispatcher.

- He sounds pleasant.

- He is not.

We're just a few minutes out.

Whoa.

Y'all right back there?

(thunder rumbling)

Goddamn piece of shit.

Harris to dispatch.

- [Dispatcher] Yeah, go.

- Ah.

- [Dispatcher] What is it?

- I'm not sure.

- [Dispatcher] My coffee's burning.

- My passenger.

- [Dispatcher] I'm enjoying this game as much as you are.

- She disappeared.

- [Dispatcher] She ditched?

- No, she...

- [Dispatcher] She what?

She sure as hell didn't beam out of there.

- She kinda did.

- [Dispatcher] You been hittin' the sauce?

- What do you think?

- [Dispatcher] Well, if you haven't been drinking,

then I guess she got abducted by aliens.

- Appreciate that.

- [Dispatcher] You sure she didn't ditch?

- I'm quite sure.

- [Dispatcher] I don't know what to tell ya.

There's no protocol for this.

Reset the meter and come back in.

Call this one awash.

- Wait, that's it.

- [Dispatcher] What else is there?

- I'm headed back.

- [Dispatcher] That's a roger.

(suspenseful music)

(meter dinging)

- [Man On Radio] What they don't realize

is that they irrevocably altered our reality.

What was will never be,

and what will be isn't.

- [Man On Radio] I'm not sure I follow you there.

- [Man On Radio] They shifted the very fabric

of space and time.

- [Man On Radio] Time-traveling aliens?

- [Man On Radio] Are they aliens, Bob?

Or are they us?

(radio static)

- Garbage.

- [Woman On Radio] Women have the right to be pissed off.

You call it masculinity,

but what it really is, let's be honest, is chauvinism.

Men are taught to conquer.

We find it all across history and theology.

Hades abducts Persephone and takes her to the underworld

to be his bride.

- I really hope that's soda.

- [Woman On Radio] Her father even allows it to happen.

And speaking of father,

Helen of Joyce was afraid her beauty

would start war monster suitors,

only to have her abducted, raped,

and to start a war anyway.

After that we have...

- All right, bye.

- [Woman On Radio] It's not just about the orgasm for her.

- Yeah.

- [Woman On Radio] You're focusing on the wrong thing.

It's the intimacy she's missing.

She wants to be close to you. - Of course.

- [Woman On Radio] Not just sexually, but emotionally.

That's the connection you need to build.

- [Man On Radio] So you mean like talk to her

about feelings and stuff while we're doing it?

(laughing)

- [Dispatcher] Harris, come in.

- You've reached the empty shell of the man

who used to be Harris.

How may I be of service to you, my liege?

- [Dispatcher] Do you even know what a liege is?

- Yeah, it's like a lord.

- [Dispatcher] What's your ETA on that pick up?

- Ooh.

Fuck me.

- [Dispatcher] Kiss me first.

- I'm here, I think.

Passenger give any better description

than county line 10, north of 83?

- [Dispatcher] Like what?

- I don't know, a mile marker, a sign,

maybe a cactus shaped like a giant dildo?

Actually, scratch that they're all shaped like dildos.

- [Dispatcher] Just drive around

like the idiot that you are,

'til you either find her or the ground underneath

breaks open and swallows you into its gaping mouth.

And don't let it scratch the paint job.

- Roger that.

Huh.

Not a prank.

(gentle music)

You call for a cab, Miss?

- Yes, I did.

Please tell me you have heat in there.

- As long as you don't mind the smell of burning.

- I'll take it over freezing.

- Don't say I didn't warn you.

So where are we headed?

- Corner of Elm and River Drive, please.

- So middle of nowhere.

- Yeah.

(meter dinging)

(dramatic music)

You're right, that smell's like burning.

So your name's Harris?

- Yes, ma'am.

- Can I call you Harry?

- Not if you want an answer.

- All right, Harris.

Do you like driving a cab?

- I don't hate it.

- Doesn't it get repetitive?

- Not when I'm engaged in riveting conversation

with one of my fares.

- Riveting, that's a lot of pressure.

- Ah, you seem up for the task.

- Okay.

What should this riveting conversation consist of?

- Whatever you like, miss, it's your ride.

- I'd like to know something about you.

- I drive a cab.

- See, I already knew that.

Come on, tell me something unique.

- Unique.

- Everybody's got something unique about them.

- Well, in high school I took a class

on the history of DC comics

with the folks on the Jack Kirby years.

It's unique.

- Yeah, well, that is unique.

Although it's also trivial.

- What, how so?

- Well, you completed the assignment by telling me something

about yourself that's specific and unusual,

and therefore you satisfy the definition of the word unique,

but in doing so you didn't actually tell me

anything about you.

- Except that I like Jack Kirby.

- Yeah, but, so do you like Jack Kirby

because you're a comic book fan,

or do you actually like Jack Kirby

because you yourself are a disenfranchised crank.

- Oh, whoa whoa whoa, feisty.

- That would have been something unique.

- How do you know so much about Kirby?

- Well, maybe I took that class too.

- Oh.

Well, all right then.

Well, what about you?

It's your turn.

- What about me?

What do you wanna know?

- Well, let's start with what is your name.

(tires screeching)

(glass shattering)

Shit.

Penny, are you all right?

- I didn't tell you my name.

I didn't tell you my name this time.

- We must've hit an animal or something.

- You remembered me.

Just now you remembered me.

Harris!

Do you remember me?

(dramatic music)

- [Dispatcher] Harris, what's going on?

Why are you stalled?

- We hit something.

It must've run off.

- [Dispatcher] Did it damage the cab?

Harris.

- Harris, remember me this time.

(gasping)

- [Dispatcher] What the hell's going on over there?

- Fuck it.

- [Dispatcher] Harris?

- I...

I don't know.

I lost my fare.

- [Dispatcher] What?

Did she ditch?

- Goddamn it, my seat belt's stuck!

- [Dispatcher] Whoa, all right.

Keep your shirt on.

Just call this one awash, okay.

Looks like you got some bad weather rolling in over there.

Bring the cab back into the city limits.

- That's a roger.

- [Dispatcher] You all right there?

- Not really.

- [Dispatcher] Don't forget to reset your meter.

(radio static)

(ominous music)

(dramatic music)

(meter dinging)

- [Man On Radio] Through government grants

we came to the conclusion that these

so-called extraterrestrials came to our planet

thousands of years ago.

What people don't realize is they

irrevocably altered our reality.

What was will never be,

and what will be isn't.

- [Man On Radio] I'm not sure I follow you there.

- [Man On Radio] They shift at the very fabric

of space and time.

- Time traveling aliens.

- [Man On Radio] Are they aliens, Bob?

Or are they us?

- [Dispatcher] Harris, come in.

- Go for Harris.

- [Dispatcher] That was fast.

What's your ETA on that pick up?

- ETA.

- Yeah, ETA.

What are you high?

Weather reports in your area aren't pretty

and they're getting uglier by the minute.

Hello.

- I'm here.

Yeah, I see the weather up ahead.

I'm almost to the pickup.

- [Dispatcher] Keep me posted.

- Will do, roger that.

Huh.

- Please tell me you have heat in there.

- As long as you don't mind the smell of burning.

- I'll take that over freezing.

- Where we headed?

- Corner of...

- [Both] Elm and River Drive.

- Middle of nowhere.

(meter dinging)

- You're right, that smells like burning.

Smells like burning.

Do you remember me?

- I'm sorry, but have we met before?

- I don't think so.

- It's just I'm pretty good with faces

and you seem so familiar.

- I do?

- Very much.

(laughing)

You know, I've had the worst deja vu all night.

Like I can predict what the radio is gonna say.

You have ever have one of those nights?

- Not really.

- Not really, okay.

- Harris, your name's Harris.

- Please don't call me Harry.

You were gonna ask me that, weren't you?

See, I knew that, how did I know that?

Were you gonna ask me that?

- No.

- No, okay.

What's your name?

- Penny.

- Like the coin.

- What?

- Like the coin.

That's what we always say, like the coin,

and then you ask me if I like driving.

And then we talk about Jack Kirby and traffic lights

and high school and stripping.

Ha!

I do know you.

We been here before, the two of us,

me driving you just like this.

And then we always hit bad weather,

and that's when you disappear from the cab.

Am I crazy?

- Do you think you're crazy?

- I sure as hell sound crazy.

- How are you doing this?

How is this happening all of a sudden?

You've never remembered anything about...

- So I'm right?

We been here before.

I am right, I am right!

Hoo, hoo!

(laughs)

What is this?

Did I volunteer for some science experiment or something?

Am I sitting in a lab somewhere

pumped full of cocaine and daffodil juice or something.

- Well, that I can't tell you.

- So you don't know why?

- How much do you remember?

- I remember driving this route with you before.

I can't...

(radio static drowns out dialogue)

It's like trying to remember a dream.

How are you so calm about this?

- I've had a lot of time to get used to it.

- Time?

Time, how many times have we taken this drive before?

Five?

10?

- A hundred.

Maybe more.

It was so many drives together that we started.

And you never remember,

and I never forget.

- So I've driven you down this same stretch of road

over and over again for a hundred times?

Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo, the fuck.

Are you happy about this?

- Yeah.

I've given up hope you'll ever remember anything.

- Who are you?

- I'm just your fare.

I just got in your cab one day.

- This is my fare, okay.

Well, that clears everything up.

(laughs)

- [Dispatcher] Harris, come in.

- Go for Harris.

- [Dispatcher] Weather's gettin' worse out there.

- I see it.

- [Dispatcher] Drop off your fare,

come back into the city limits.

- Roger that.

No, no no no no no no.

No.

Penny.

No!

Damn it!

Ah!

(thunder rumbling)

(meter rumbling)

Hoo!

- [Man On Radio] Extraterrestrials came to our planet

thousands of years ago.

(laughing)

What people don't realize

is that they irrevocably altered our reality.

What was will never be.

- Unbelievable.

Unbelievable.

- [Man On Radio] Shifted the very fabric of space and time.

- [Man On Radio] Time traveling aliens.

- Are they aliens, Bob?

Or are they us?

- [Dispatcher] Dispatch to Harris.

- Yeah, ETA on the pick up, almost there,

will keep you posted.

Over and out.

Mmm.

Fuck.

Get in, the heat smells like burning.

You know what, hey, why don't you sit up front this time?

- Is that allowed?

- Who's gonna tell on us?

We're apparently stuck in a time loop for all eternity.

Let's change it up.

(gentle music)

- Well.

Hi.

- Wow.

This is really real.

- I'm afraid so.

Shall we drive?

- We have to go in a different direction.

Don't ask to go to Elm and River,

pick somewhere else.

Anywhere.

- I already tried that.

Drives 12 through 22,

then again on 49, got desperate that time.

- [Harris] Well, what happened?

- Every road is blocked.

Or forced back that direction.

It's the only way we can go.

- Have we ever gotten out and walked?

- We get caught in the electric storm

and have to duck back in the cab.

- There has to be something we haven't tried.

- Tell you what.

If you come up with something, you make sure to let me know.

I've tried everything I could think of.

Why don't we just keep driving to Elm and River

and see where it takes us.

- All right.

We gotta figure this shit out.

(gentle music)

(sighs)

One thing I don't understand.

- Just one?

- Why can't I remember?

- I think a better question is

why did you start remembering.

- There was an accident and the partition broke.

- Oh yeah, I believe I put my face through it.

- I touched your hand.

- Was that it?

Well, whatever it was, I'm grateful.

I know you're anxious to get to the bottom of this,

but I am just happy to have the company.

Wow, that burning smell is way stronger up here.

- Shoulda warned ya.

- I am so sorry.

I put you through that so many times.

- It's okay.

I don't remember.

(laughs)

You were saying something about

how grateful you were for me.

- I was saying.

I am.

I'm grateful.

Until now I've been very alone.

- You're not alone anymore.

So, how do we beat this?

- I don't know if we can.

- You remember every drive, right?

What's something we never tried before?

- Harris, we're in a cab.

There's a finite amount of things we can do.

- Well, have we ever tried lighting the cab on fire

and running it off the road at 100 miles per hour?

- That'd be drive 64.

- Really?

- No.

Just nothing to light it with.

Well, if this is new for you,

and right now you've got the stamina for it,

but for me it's been a very long road.

Honestly, I'm just really happy to be able

to have a conversation with you

where we can finally move on

from tell me something about yourself.

I took a class on Jack Kirby.

Now tell me something about yourself.

- I told you about my Jack Kirby class?

- [Penny] Yeah, you mentioned it.

- I am so sorry.

- Don't be.

I actually know a lot about you.

Let's see.

I know where you were born.

I know the make and model of every car you've ever driven.

I know your high school mascot, go bulldogs.

I know your favorite album, first celebrity crush.

Oh, I even know your favorite breakfast cereal.

It's Cocoa Puffs.

- I'm...

I'm sorry, but I don't know you.

- I'm partial to Fruit Loops.

- Eh.

(laughs)

- Look, I can't imagine what this is like for you,

but if it helps, I consider us friends.

- Friends?

Okay.

I guess I got some catchin' up to do.

- Yeah, you do.

(thunder rumbling)

- Do you think has something to do with it,

this loop we're in?

- I don't know.

- I wonder what would happen if I didn't reset the meter.

- What do you mean?

- Nothin', never mind.

We'll think of something, I'm sure.

- [Dispatcher] Dispatch to Harris.

- Not sure why I'm bothering.

Go for Harris.

- [Dispatcher] Some bad weather reports.

- In my area, yeah, I see the storm.

Bring the cab back in after my drop off?

- [Dispatcher] That's a roger.

- Will do, my liege.

Harris out.

So, before you disappear.

(ominous music)

Or not.

(sighs)

(meter dinging)

(thunder rumbling)

What happens to you when you disappear?

Does it hurt?

- No.

It's kind of like falling asleep,

and then the next time I wake up

I'm out on the road in the cold waiting for you.

What about you?

- As soon as I reset this meter it's literally like I blink

and I'm back on the road at the very beginning

listening to the worst crap imaginable on the radio.

There we go.

- [Man On Radio] The grandmother is an alien.

We are the aliens.

I'm an alien.

- Do you remember the first time?

- Yeah.

- Did something happen to us that caused all this?

- Nothing happened.

We drove into some bad weather.

(lightening snapping)

That was it.

(radio static)

- Have you ever tried holding onto anything?

- Like what?

Like your hand?

You trying to get me to hold your hand?

- I never said anything about a hand.

- See now you're not even gonna get your hand held.

- For research purposes only.

- Oh.

- Wow.

You have very big hands.

- [Penny] Mmm!

All right.

(gentle music)

(radio static)

(thunder rumbling)

(radio frequency squealing)

(radio buzzing)

(ominous music)

- Hello.

Is someone out there?

Is anyone out there?

- [Man On Radio] I'm out here.

What the hell's wrong with you?

- Sorry.

- [Man On Radio] Jerk off.

(thunder rumbling)

- Miss me?

Hey, are you actually a stripper.

- Oh God, that you remembered?

No, I made that up.

By then I was just making stuff up

to get a rise out of you.

I was also an FBI agent once and I worked for NASA.

- How did I react to that?

- Not nearly as fascinated as you were

about the stripper one.

- Well, what do you actually do?

- Believe it or not, I'm in horticulture.

- Huh.

- It's plants and flowers.

I run a plant nursery.

- Ah, horticulture huh.

- Yeah.

See, when you tell people I'm in plants,

that's usually a conversation ender.

- I like fertilization.

- Is that a plant joke?

- I like plants.

- You've never had anything to say about plants.

Trust me.

- Okay, let's play marry fuck kill.

Marry, fuck, kill.

- 'Kay.

- Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus.

Go.

- Hey.

How come you don't like to be called Harry?

- I like to think I'm harry enough as it is.

I don't need it pointed out to me constantly.

- Do I have to?

- Yeah, that's the game.

What about you?

Penny short for anything like Penelope?

- No.

It's just Penny.

You know, like the coin.

- Like the coin.

- Yeah, like the coin.

'Cause she did Wrecking Ball,

and I would marry Selena Gomez

'cause she's such a good girl.

- Is she?

Okay.

You're trapped on a desert island.

- Or how about just in a car forever.

- Or that.

And let's say you can be trapped with anybody dead or alive,

who would you wanna be trapped with?

Tread lightly, my feelings are fragile.

- Marry, fuck, kill.

- [Harris] Okay.

- Penn Jillette, Teller, Criss Angel.

- Pet what?

- Let's see.

MacGyver probably.

I mean, I figure he'd, you know, build something

to get me off the island.

- [Harris] MacGyver.

- Yeah.

- Penn Jillette and Teller.

I don't know the difference between the two.

This is a hard choice.

This is the game though.

Brad Pitt.

- Ah, True Romance.

It's like the first thing he was ever in,

he had a tiny part.

Anyway, True Romance.

- Christian Slater.

- Isn't it like he always has like

a paperclip and a jar of peanut butter or something.

He builds a bomb out of it.

- Fair enough, it was your choice.

You wanted to get off the island.

I was thinking about maybe basking

in the glow of the island.

- Well, no.

- Just making the best of my situation.

But that's cool, that's cool. - Well, in that case.

In that case if we were to make the best

of our situation,

I would much rather be in a cab than on an island,

and there's no one I'd rather be trapped with than you.

- Thank you.

- [Penny] Mm-hmm.

Yeah, what about you?

- MacGyver?

- [Man On Radio] You know what you are?

You are one of those bullshit

sensationalist pseudo scientists.

- I didn't think he would say bullshit on the radio.

- [Man On Radio] Without having to take

any responsibility for anyone.

- I think Bella's marriage material,

but Jasmine's sexy.

Jasmine's very sexy.

Can I have like a Stepford wife of sorts,

like a robot?

- Why would your mind go there?

You just hate people, don't you?

- Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

- All right.

Well, he's already died.

I don't even (laughs) the other.

- [Man On Radio] Convincing some old lady in Iowa

that time traveling aliens are the reason

her grandkids don't visit.

Shame on you.

- [Man On Radio] But Bob, if you listen

to what I'm saying...

- [Man On Radio] What exactly are you saying?

- Actually, I think I finally figured out

what they're saying.

So, these time traveling us aliens from the future

travel back in time and created us in their/our image.

But in doing so altered our appearance

so that we look more like them.

Which is us.

- Yeah, but how did we turn into them in the first place?

For them to go back in time and create us.

See, that would have to happen first

for us to look like them,

if they're us.

Which is us.

- Wait.

Damn it, I had this.

- No, you didn't.

- [Man On Radio] Get out of my office.

- [Man On Radio] Could I just take the water with me.

- But why not me on the island?

Like you, is it...

- 'Cause can you build a raft

out of coconuts and dental floss?

- Why do you wanna get off the island?

Why can't we enjoy the island?

Why can't we be islanders.

It's our island.

No, that's cool.

It's cool, it's cool.

I'll just drop you...

Oh, this looks like a good spot,

it's the middle of nowhere, perfect for you.

- [Man On Radio] Got through government grants.

We came to the conclusion that

these so-called extraterrestrials

came to our thousands of years ago.

What people don't realize

is that they irrevocably altered our reality.

(lightening zapping)

- What happens to you?

No!

Penny!

- I'm doing it.

- We'll think of somethin'.

Miss me?

(thunder rumbling)

- It gets easier.

Come on, talk to me.

- It's nothin'.

What's at Elm and River Drive anyway?

- Honestly, I don't even remember.

Hey, why a cab?

You never told me.

Why do you drive a cab?

- Why does it matter why I drive a cab?

Or where I went to high school or my favorite Beatle.

None of it matters, nothing matters here.

We're just...

Sorry.

My Pops drove one.

32 years, right up until he croaked at the wheel.

- Did he like it?

- No, absolutely hated it,

complained about a sore ass all the time.

But that was the thing about him,

he just never had it in him to be anything else.

- Had it in him?

How?

- He was a simple guy.

Got up, did his job, came home.

Before he knew it he was old,

his life hadn't amounted to anything.

- You say that like you despise him for it.

- No, I just...

I didn't wanna be the same as him.

Joke's on me I guess.

Think you're up for rubbin' my ass a bit.

I'm just tired of drivin'.

- You feel trapped.

I know all about what it's like to feel trapped.

I'm married back in the world.

But it's...

It's not what a marriage should be.

It's not even close.

My husband, he's brilliant, but he's cold and he's cruel.

And his work always comes first, which is fine,

what he does is important,

and, honestly, I'm relieved not to have to

spend any time with him

outside of social functions and appearances.

But living like that, it makes you alone.

Even when you're around people.

See, you don't know what that's like,

you don't know what it's like

to live life out in the cold.

- Then why not divorce him?

- Because our families are influential

and our marriage is an alliance between them.

It's not something I can just file some papers

and walk away from.

So you see, you don't have to be in a time loop

to be trapped.

- I'm sorry.

- I'm not.

Not here.

Here I'm not alone.

You can judge me if you want.

As a matter of fact, you probably should.

But part of me, big part of me

is genuinely happy to be here with you.

So what about you?

Is there anybody special?

- Well, in high school my girlfriend dumped me

in front of the band and the dick playing the trombone

went wah-wah.

Everybody laughed at me and I wanted to die.

That was my last serious relationship.

- That can't possibly be it.

- No.

That's not it at all.

- Hey, I get it, it's okay.

We don't have to talk about that.

There's plenty of other subjects to discuss.

Hey, did you see that game last night?

- All right, smart ass.

There was someone.

- [Penny] How'd you guys meet?

- She got into my cab one day.

- Was she riveting?

- Very.

- Yeah, but was she asked you to turn the heat on riveting?

- No, not that riveting.

Plus we met in the summer time,

so ironically the first thing she asked me for

was to turn on the air conditioning.

We didn't end well.

I thought we were...

I was deluding myself.

- How so?

- She ran off on me one day.

- Did she tell you why?

- Probably didn't wanna be with a lowly cab driver.

- [Penny] I'm sure it's not like that.

- Well, whatever it was,

I guess whatever we had wasn't enough.

- Did you ever see her again?

- No.

- Well, suppose you ran into her again.

What would you say?

- Come on.

- What would you say?

(dramatic music)

- I'm sorry I didn't know how to fix it.

- What makes you think it's your fault?

- Had to be someone's fault.

- No, it doesn't.

And for what it's worth, I think it's quite noble

to transport people to their destinations.

There's nothing lowly about being a cab driver.

We all have to get where we're going.

- You say that except I can't for the life of me

get you to Elm and goddamn River Drive.

Some cabby I am.

(dramatic music)

(engine rumbling)

(dramatic music)

(suspenseful music)

I'll find you, Penny.

(dramatic music)

(thunder rumbling)

(lightening snapping)

(lightening crashing)

(radio squealing)

(thunder crashing)

What am I doing?

What the hell am I doing?

(thunder rumbling)

(engine turning over)

Come on.

(engine turning over)

Come on!

(engine turning over)

Come on!

(thunder rumbling)

- [Woman] Harris.

(ominous music)

(thunder rumbling)

Harris, come back.

(lightening snapping)

- Harris to Dispatch.

(radio static)

Harris to Dispatch, please come in.

(metal scraping)

(radio beeping)

(thunder crashing)

(ominous music)

- [Voice] Turn back.

- What?

- [Voice] Come back.

Turn back!

Turn back!

(meter chiming)

(thunder rumbling)

(engine accelerating)

- Hey, are you okay?

- Just glad to see you.

- Something happened.

What happened?

- Nothin'.

You're okay.

- Why wouldn't I be?

- I can't lose you.

- What do you mean?

We're stuck together, remember?

You're not gonna lose me.

(dramatic music)

(uplifting music)

- My seat belt's stuck.

(heavy breathing)

Wow, that's really impressive.

That was impressive.

(thunder rumbling)

(thunder crashing)

- [Penny] So what happened after we left

each other last time?

- [Harris] Doesn't matter, you were right.

- Well, I'm used to that.

But pray tell in what context are you referring?

- [Harris] At first all I wanted was to get out of this.

- [Penny] Go on.

- What if we were meant to be here with each other?

What if this is a gift?

Let's just stay here.

What do you think?

No more loneliness, no more empty lives,

just you and me.

- Are you sure?

You can live with that?

- I think so.

- And that'll be enough?

(gentle music)

(thunder rumbling)

(car crashing)

- Where did you get that scar?

- What scar?

- The one on your head,

right where it went through the partition.

If time was resetting, how did that heal?

You're not resetting.

That must mean neither am I.

What's going on?

That scar looks old.

Where did that time go?

Where was I?

- Harris.

- No, tell me the truth, Penny!

What is going on?

What don't I know?

- Don't ask those questions.

Don't pull on the thread.

- What don't I know?

- Just stay here with me, just be happy with me.

- Just be...

- Be here with me.

- Are you the one keeping me here?

(thunder crashing)

- No.

It was...

(whispers)

- What?

Who?

Who is keeping me here?

(groaning)

- Harris.

Harris!

Don't drink the water.

(thunder crashing)

(ominous music)

(meter dinging)

(radio squealing)

- [Dispatch] Harris, come in.

- Yeah, I'm here.

- [Dispatch] What's your ETA on that pick up?

- Any minute, I'll keep you posted.

Harris out.

(dramatic music)

No, no, no, no, no, no, no,

no, no, no, no, no, no.

(ominous music)

- Elm and River.

Elm and River Drive.

- [Penny] Come back to me.

- I'll find you, Penny.

Where is Penny?

- Who's Penny?

- Who is Penny.

There was someone.

- [Penny] How did you guys meet?

- [Harris] She got into my cab one day.

- [Penny] Was she riveting?

- Very.

We didn't end well.

(gentle music)

Hi.

- [Penny] Hi.

- You call for a cab, Miss?

- Yeah, I did.

Do you have air conditioning in there?

- I do.

We're fancy, it works and everything.

- That's awesome, thank you.

(gentle music)

You know, legend has it that the star Altair is a man,

and the star Vega is a woman,

and they loved each other very much.

But they weren't allowed to be together.

So the milky way was created as a barrier

to keep them apart.

However, every year their star paths would cross

and they would get to spend one moment together

as they passed each other by.

Isn't that romantic?

Are you gagging back there, how sappy this is?

- No, I'm not gagging, I'm bummed.

That's really sad.

- Love stories usually are.

(gentle music)

(rain pattering)

- For the ride.

(thunder crashing)

- [Dispatcher] Harris, come in.

Harris.

- Yeah.

- [Dispatcher] Did you make the drop off?

- What's happening to me?

- [Dispatcher] Nothin'.

You're doing your job.

- What is my job?

- [Dispatcher] You work for me.

- What is my job?

- [Dispatcher] Harris, you are the fairy man.

(thunder crashing)

Harris?

- No.

No.

I have a life.

I'm a cab driver, I remember that,

I remember...

Penny.

- [Dispatcher] Well, you had a life,

and I'm sure it was a moderately decent one,

but it's long over.

(dramatic music)

(car crashing)

(engine rumbling)

- Who are you?

- [Dispatcher] Really?

It's not obvious?

We're gonna actually do this.

Well, throughout the ages I've been called many things.

None of them positive.

I don't know why people hate me so much,

I'm sort of a necessary evil.

I mean, without me there would be

no turning of the tides, no progress.

Life as they all know it would cease to exist.

- So you...

- [Dispatcher] I am the receiver of many.

- Death.

- [Dispatcher] Personified.

- Penny.

What about Penny?

Where is she?

- [Dispatcher] Penny.

It's cute, right?

It's a cute name.

Your Penny, as she likes to be called these days,

is home right now.

- Home.

- [Dispatcher] You know, it's not your fault,

what happened with you two.

I don't actually blame you.

Persephone.

Penny and I have been havin' problems

for, let's see, ever.

I tried to make her happy, I really did,

but these arranged relationships

they just never work out, do they?

- So she's...

- [Dispatcher] Harris.

She's my wife.

- My husband, he's brilliant, but he's cold.

- Time, how many times have we taken this drive before?

Five, 10?

- And he's cruel.

- I don't wanna be the same as him.

- How much do you remember?

Don't drink the water!

Harris, remember me this time.

- [Dispatcher] She hates me.

I mean hates me,

and every year she takes these trips away from here,

away from me.

Up above.

She just can't wait, you know.

She just can't wait to get away.

And on one of those little trips

she met you.

Really did a number on you, didn't she?

- She...

- [Dispatcher] I'd like to point out right now

that I'm not the bad guy here, that I'm the victim.

You guys were the ones who ran around on me.

I was forgiving, I was lenient, I was merciful.

Yeah, so I sentenced you to an eternity

of being my fairy man,

but I took away your memory of that little trump,

and do I get to forget?

No.

I have to live with what you guys did, so to speak.

Oh, and by the way, she's still messing with you.

She just had to tell you about the water.

You wanna know something?

She's the one who put it there.

- So every year she takes a trip away from here,

and every year...

- [Dispatcher] You drive her back.

There are many ways for her to leave here,

but there is only ever one way back.

- The fairy man.

- [Dispatcher] You know, just because

you're aware of yourself now

doesn't mean you get to stop working.

Moonlight's burning, Harris.

Fares are piling up.

We have a job to do,

and we pride ourselves on our service.

So reset your meter.

Dispatch out.

(sobbing)

(sighs)

(meter dinging)

(dramatic music)

- You're such a jerk!

- It wasn't even me. - I hate you!

- It wasn't me.

- Yeah, it wasn't you. - I wasn't even there.

- It wasn't you, like, when you Mom came home.

- And just about then I started to expand my thinking.

Trying new places, high end groceries for example.

(speaking in foreign language)

- What?

- Ah.

Know where we can stop for a cheeseburger?

- I mean you can really clean up outside a place like that.

- Look what you did to my shoe!

You broke my shoe. - You did that yourself.

- These are the most expensive shoes I have.

(speaking in foreign language)

- I, I don't, I don't...

- Hey.

Cheeseburger.

- Spring break gone bad?

- Dude.

- Say no more, young squire, say no more.

I, I, I, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Stay in the cab, you don't wanna jump out, die twice.

Actually, tell me what happened.

- So I got locked in the bathroom for 45 minutes.

- People think the secret to panhandling

is having the right sign.

That's not the secret at all.

- You tried to get me... - Oh my God.

- You're so annoying. - This guy's gonna give you...

- [Woman] A lot of money, but he's not.

(whistling)

- Elm and River.

(speaking in foreign language)

- Elm and River.

Elm and...

Elm and River.

We actually don't eat down here at all.

I feel like I should warn you.

- So the secret is not to wear shoes, man.

- Oh.

(feet squeaking)

Oh.

Went out with a bang, huh?

(laughing)

- This isn't one of those like gas, grass or ass

kind of cabs, is it?

- I...

- Seemed to have left my wallet.

(speaking in foreign language)

- You know, we got radio.

I mean it's like XM.

Are you a vaper or a bonger?

- I'm a chonger.

That's a cheeseburger bonger.

- Yeah, I'm here.

- Wow.

- Yeah.

- Well welcome.

You know, if I could, if could, if I could just

for a minute.

It's some compelling stuff, like time traveling aliens

and I've listened to it like a hundred times.

(speaking in foreign language)

Elm and river!

- Yeah!

(yelling)

- Got my money on her.

¶ Hello my ragtime gal ¶

- Where the hell is this?

(gentle music)

(thunder rumbling)

(engine rumbling)

(gentle music)

- Please tell me you have heat in there.

- It smells like burning.

- Always does.

I'm sorry.

Was this presumptuous of me?

- Not at all.

It's been a long year.

(gentle music)

(thunder rumbling)

Why does that happen every time you get in my cab?

What's that about?

- That's just my husband getting ready for a fight,

which I will win.

- Ah.

- I looked for you,

then next year when I went back

I found your cab.

- Did you now?

- I had it restored.

I even drove it around a couple of times.

- [Harris] Oh, and how'd she treat ya?

- She didn't like me as much as she liked you.

- Well, who does?

- I'm sorry, Harris.

I'm sorry for everything.

- Wait.

It's been a year again here,

you really wanna spend it this way?

- You're right.

How do you wanna spend it?

- Well, my seat belt's stuck again.

- You can drink the water.

It's there so you don't have to remember.

- I know, but I'm always afraid I'll forget ya again.

Besides, I started to see the nobility

in getting people to their destination.

- Selfish.

I was selfish, but you started to remember me.

- [Harris] Stop, it's okay.

- I'm sorry.

- I'm eternally grateful for what you did.

- Eternal.

- Mm-hmm.

That's purgatory humor.

Look, I once told you that remembering you

was like waking up from a dream.

I've had a long time since then to make sense of it,

to think about why it even happened in the first place,

and one thing I know for sure is before that night

I felt like I'd forgotten my way home

even though it was right in front of me.

But when I remembered you and us that was home.

I remembered you because you're the one thing in my life

worth holdin' onto.

- It's 20 minutes a year.

Is it really worth that much to you?

- It's worth its price in gold, baby.

(laughs)

That's fairy man humor there.

- I got that.

- Many people go their entire lives

without finding any meaning.

Believe me, I've driven my share of them in the past year.

I consider myself lucky to get 20 minutes.

So come on.

This is our 20 minutes.

Let's talk about something more interesting

than eternal suffering.

I get enough of that in my day job.

- Okay.

- [Harris] Yeah?

- Yeah.

Yeah.

- Okay, marry fuck kill.

(laughs)

- You go first.

(gentle music)

- You would not believe the amount of ways

that people die naked.

Well, Miss, I believe this is your stop.

- Please reconsider.

- Penny, it's my choice.

This is what I want.

As long as I can remember you I got hope.

- Then I'll always be waiting for you.

- And I'll always be here to drive you.

(uplifting music)

(dramatic music)