Original subtitles

The door's still locked.

Explore the dollhouse.

Les shrunk everything.

Terry.

I didn't write the story. It's my student's work.

Then can you please fix this fucking mess?

We have 28 days,

or the tech, the lab, gone.

You know I'm gonna crack this wide open

and change the world, so join me.

Is that a cat?

I would consider lifting a few of the protocols.

- Les, five minutes. - No.

- Two. - One. Later. Maybe.

Done.

It'll only be a couple more days.

Eight packs of economy-sized toilet paper?

Couple of days, my ass.

Lulu, uh, you're home.

Hurricane Lindy is tracking northeast.

No. What category is she?

Don't say that.

I'm human popcorn.

How long until you can fix me?

I don't know.

Richie!

man: And now to deliver

our graduating class' valedictorian address,

Louise Littlejohn.

That's my daughter.

Valedictorian.

It's no big deal.

This place...

...is dead to me.

That's my daughter.

Richie?

Oh, my God.

Oh, I-I-I can't believe it.

I just-- Oh, my gosh.

Wait, you shrunk yourself?

I did.

I have so many questions.

- I have all the answers. - Oh, God.

I'm so relieved and excited.

Me too--ow. What is that?

- Oh, you'll get used to that. - That is loud.

- Shh. That's Les. - That's Les?

Yeah. He's walking around.

- What? - Shh.

- This is nice. - Okay. You need to hide.

- Huh? Where? - Get in the closet.

Oh, well, that says, "Do not enter ever."

Don't worry about it. It's fine.

Hurry, hurry, hurry.

And it smells really bad in here.

Hurry, he's coming right outside. Okay.

- Good morning. - Morning.

Coffee and a chat?

Yeah. Sure.

Oh. Right.

Is this really necessary?

I just want you to be safe.

Anything could happen.

Okay. Enough with that already.

Wait.

That was a red-light reaction.

My green-light response is,

I appreciate your concern.

Oh, and my green-light response is,

I know the circumstances are not ideal,

and I am truly, truly sorry about that.

Oh, um, the red lipstick

and toothpaste.

- Uh... - Oh, I--uh,

but I will miniaturize them when I can.

Um, uh, but I did get a travel-size, uh, toothpaste,

so it's a little bit smaller.

And Hilton has these new protocols,

so I will--I will find a workaround.

Thank you. Oh, and about Lulu.

I thought a lot about what you said last night,

and I will speak to her.

About the accident and about me.

About Hurricane Lindy.

It's inappropriate and it's hurtful.

Well, I appreciate that. Thank you.

About you and the accident.

Um, I do think that our current situation

would traumatize her, and sadly,

I could see her blaming you, if not handled properly.

And so, I would like to propose

accessing Dr. Carmichael's marital toolbox,

and employing the UPF tool.

Do you agree?

I agree. One condition.

Oh, I'm open and I'm present.

We stick to the definition

of United Parental Front,

no backdoor deals.

That was once.

I apologized and I have grown.

Fine.

This is kind of nice, isn't it?

Yeah.

Except for the tiny elephant in the room. Yeah.

Fair enough. And I promise I didn't forget

about the laptop. It's just--

New investor, new protocols.

Yeah. - Got it.

No problem.

Bye.

Okay. Okay.

Oh, is he gone?

Wait.

And...

Okay.

We're clear. - Do not go in there.

There are cameras though.

But we have time,

he takes a while before he checks them.

Let's go.

I should change.

Um, how did you get up here?

I'll show you.

Richie!

Oh, I could cry.

Hidden stairs?

You--you built this?

Well, you know,

I have a degree in engineering, too.

Of course you do.

Oh.

Follow me.

Freedom!

Oh, you're a genius, Richie.

I--well, I actually am.

Yeah. But there is more.

More? But I love stairs.

Huh? What?

- Uh-hmm. - What is this?

So we can get where we're going fast,

I brought Desdemona.

Where is Desi taking us?

All the way.

♪ In this life I've seen ♪ ♪ Everything I can see, woman ♪

♪ I've seen lovers flying ♪

♪ Through the air ♪ ♪ Hand in hand ♪

♪ I've seen babies... ♪ - You've thought of everything.

And I brought everything.

Everything?

Every... thing.

Wait, how did you get past the new protocols?

I don't know. Maybe I'm a badass.

Yeah, maybe you are.

Come on, Desdemona.

Give me a little more.

♪ Never seen ♪ ♪ Nothing like you ♪

In my sleep dreams last night, I had an epiphany.

It's the middle of the night and I wake up

to find a gun pointed to my head.

The assailant has one question

and I must answer correctly or he'll pull the trigger.

And the question is,

how do you, me,

overcome 30 seconds to fragmentation?

Isolation. - Isolation?

Isolation, Janet.

- It's Janet. - That's what I said.

Oh, um, yes, Janet.

Now, if we think of the equip-- where is Richard?

Um, he's taking a mini signed sabbatical

to care for a loved one.

I don't understand that sentence.

He's not here today, nor will he be here tomorrow.

He's absent for an indeterminate amount of time

until his loved one has recovered.

Can he do that?

According to the protocol manual, yes.

Who's the loved one?

Company policy precludes disclosure of said loved one.

I reject that. I need Richard.

I could be your new Richard.

Temporarily.

Reset.

Where was I, Richard--uh, Janet?

- Isolation. - Yes.

So if we think of the equation as a chain,

we can posit that a single counterproductive link

would be responsible for the regrowth instability.

So, we find that counterproductive link,

we isolate it, then we proceed from there.

In the principle of last action,

let us change epsilon to delta

and, uh, partial T to partial D.

Oh, maybe not H-hat.

Try four pi epsilon naught.

Try five pi epsilon naught.

No, no, no, seven.

Okay. You know what?

Make it a hundred!

Good. I've got your attention.

Uh, allow me to introduce myself.

I'm, uh, your new boss, Hilton Smith.

You know me from the world.

Pretty active out there. Uh, listen.

I just have one question

for each and every one of you.

Who's hungry?

Yeah. Yeah. Got you.

I got you. Yup.

Over there. This guy seems smart.

Hilton, good to see you.

We break for lunch in half an hour.

Oh. Yeah, but I-- I've had In-N-Out Burgers

flown in from California.

In half an hour, that sounds great.

Uh...

No one wants a cold burger.

We are on a very tight schedule in my lab,

every millisecond counts, as you can see

from the recently installed doomsday clock looming over us.

That's not a clock.

That's me looming over everything that's mine.

This lab, you, these people,

every millisecond belongs to me.

So I get to decide what to do with it.

And right now, it's burger time.

Fine.

We'll break now and we'll return 10 minutes early.

Okay? Great.

You hear that, everyone? Come on.

Let's go. Burger time.

Let's go. Science. Science.

You need to put some food in your mouth,

so science can come out your brain.

Oh, hey, I got animal style for you, Awesome Les.

My suggestion, eat every last bite of your burger.

Hilton [singing in distance]: ♪ Let's go, science ♪

♪ Let's go, science ♪

♪ Let's go, science ♪ ♪ Let's go, science ♪

♪ Let's go, science ♪

♪ Put some food ♪ ♪ In your mouth... ♪

Lulu?

- Steffy. - I'm gonna pull over.

Hi. How are you?

They still let you work there?

Oh, yeah. New management,

and I don't steal as much, so... - Oh, right.

I mean, I steal a little bit, but it's, uh--

I gotta keep this job, now that I'm like

a serious college student.

You're in college?

Don't--don't act so surprised.

Sorry, I didn't-- No, it's fine.

I, um--I go to Forest Park Community College.

It's, uh--I-- - Oh.

Yeah. Great.

So what are you studying? - Psychology.

Uh, gonna help people out with their bullshit.

You gonna start with yours?

Um, how's, uh...

Good. Made it through finals.

You know, it's so weird seeing you.

My mom was just asking about you.

She always liked you, you know?

Yeah.

Um, what did she say?

Oh, you know, she just asked

why we stopped hanging out.

Oh. What did you say?

I told her you turned into an asshole.

Hmm. Funny.

I wasn't kidding.

Okay. Yeah, I get it, okay?

You--you fit in. I didn't.

I think you didn't wanna fit in.

I think you wanted to be an asshole.

- Easy there, Psych 101. - I'm just saying.

I remember, you know, like before.

- Before? - Before you decided

you wanna get the fuck out of here.

We used to laugh a lot.

Mr. Jones.

Mrs. Spence.

Okay. Well, it was good to see you--

What are you doing tonight?

I know the door guy at Crabby Pete's.

No ID necessary.

Well, who's gonna be there?

Oh, everyone you shut out during high school.

Hmm. A warm room. Hard pass.

Come, meet my college friends.

They don't know you.

Clean slate.

You could, gasp, have fun?

Or I could,

ugh, feel miserable?

Yeah, but isn't that, like, your vibe?

You know it.

It's good to see you crackin' a smile.

Sardonically.

Right. Yeah. I'll text you.

Bye.

Is this how you got in?

Oh.

What is all this?

I recreated our first milestone date.

The bistro at WashU,

the campus square, the snowflakes,

the place that you said you were your happiest.

Sorry, what is going on right now?

Uh--oh, dang, I forgot one thing.

Ooh.

Richie, how did you get in the house?

Oh, I watched a YouTube video on how to pick locks.

You can learn, like, anything on YouTube,

like anything.

Oh, shit. Shit.

Just freeze.

- Okay. - That was a good idea.

Run! Go. Come on. Run.

What? Oh, no, geez!

Shit. It's a bug.

No, no, no. Close the door.

Close the door.

- Oh. - Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Let's--I know.

I present Jackie Baldwin.

Hi. Hi.

Take a seat. - Ms. Leyland,

the flight was just heavenly.

Oh, you got a little taste of first class?

Oh, Ms. Leyland.

- Oh, Terry. - Oh.

Whoa. I'm sweating.

Ms. Leyland, would you, um--I'm sorry.

Would you mind pinching me so I know I'm not dreaming?

This is crazy.

Give me just a little squeeze.

See, Jackie, this is real.

I'm real. The, uh, the six-figure book deal

I'm offering is very real. Oh, my goodness.

Professor Littlejohn sending me to you is just...

- Too real? - I mean, Ms. Leyland,

how do I even begin to thank her?

Oh, I should be thanking her for sending you to me.

Lindy is a once-in-a-generation writer,

a voice that cuts through the noise.

A book editor gets one of those, if she's lucky.

And here I am, sat in front of my second.

You are just one signature away

from adding your name to my own imprint.

Wow.

Oh, sorry.

You know, Terry,

I should probably have my lawyer look at this first.

You have a lawyer? Uh-hmm.

She's close by. - How close?

Because I, uh--I do need to be getting back to it.

She's in the hall, loitering.

Oh, I'm sure you have a minute

for a once-in-a-generation writer.

You're a quick study.

Uh, I unleash Hel.

No punch line.

You got my text.

Sure did.

Terry, meet Hel.

I'm her lawyer and her cousin...

once removed.

Oh, you might wanna check your phone.

Oh, I see.

Looks like we both have a Google Alert

for Professor Littlejohn.

Okay, here it is.

Buried. An NDA.

Good thing I know where to look.

We’re not total rubes.

Excuse me. I just need to use the restroom.

I won't be a moment.

The old heave-ho.

- Elevator or stairwell? - Elevator.

man: Tough day?

Takes the shine off the boot.

Go on.

- Don't. - You don't know

what I was going to say. - Enlighten me.

That was bullshit. both: This is still my lab.

I am the head scientist.

Follow me.

- Is this... - Allowed? No.

Does Hilton know?

No.

So I guess everybody does have secrets.

And now we have, too.

But...

In the name of science.

He looks happy.

Is that your scientific assessment?

Yeah. Observation is foundational.

So beyond observation, how's he doing?

Strong vitals, good appetite,

clean fluids, solid feces.

What more could one ask for?

Also noted increased speed and sensitive hearing.

Interesting. But not harmful?

Quite the opposite.

Happy, as you've observed, is accurate.

Don't waste your energy on Hilton's antics.

Think of him like an overbearing father

with a sense of humor akin to "pull my finger."

There is no pleasing him and he can only please himself.

I have been told that, um,

an overbearing father figure is a trigger for me.

A scientist who's been to therapy.

Uh-hmm.

Since we're getting personal, I have no, um--

have no problem admitting that I have been to therapy.

Couples therapy.

So, there you go.

You are surprising,

which is surprising.

I'll bite. I can do personal.

How did it go? - Okay. I'll bite back.

Um, it's ongoing.

Dare I say, complicated.

Vivienne, you have no idea.

Les, you got my name right.

You just called me Les,

which... please do.

Is this modeled after Union Station on Market Street?

- Richard? - Hmm?

What's the fuckin' plan?

- Got you. - Okay.

You've had a phone this whole time.

Okay. Because I asked for help

and you brought me a piece of fuckin' pie.

But we have a phone. Okay. So...

Here's the plan. Hit me.

I, Richard Paul Wear,

willingly sacrifice my natural size and myself

in the name of love... - Oh, fuck.

...for the greatest love story ever told.

You will pen our story,

inspiring lovers for generations to come,

thereby earning a second Pulitzer.

Then, we will live out our days in the dollhouse

as tiny people, but only in size,

not in spirit, not at heart.

Happily ever after.

That's--that's the plan, huh?

Yeah. That's the plan.

So you--uh, I just--when--

why, though, would you shrink yourself

without a plan

to make us big again,

Richard? - Well, I mean...

You have no fucking plan at all.

Do I have that right? - Well, no.

- Oh, my God. Huh? - No, no, no, no, no.

Why did I think that you would have any answers?

I thought you were gonna save me.

Oh, my God. - No, no, no, no, no, no.

Les and the team are gonna solve the formula, eventually.

Like, they're so close. They're--

No.

Once they solve it, we can choose.

Tiny bodies, big love, big bodies, big love.

Choose?

You think I would choose this?

Ah, it's run out of battery.

I should've... - Oh, my God.

I should've packed the charger,

but, uh, I put the pie in instead

because you said it was your favorite.

I'm walking away before I punch you

in the fucking throat. - What?

I--wait, should I follow you?

No.

The train has left the station.

Okay?

Uh, I'm gonna get the next train.

I'mma get the-- - No!

It's the end of the line, Richard.

All right. - And the end of the metaphor.

Okay? All right.

Do not fucking quote Shakespeare.

Lindy?

15 years of silence--

no, not 15 years of silence,

but 15 years of silence,

and now my dream, my imprint--

my publishing imprint,

Terry Leyland Publishing,

simple, elegant, dignified,

is slipping through my manicured fingers.

Does she care? No.

Does she demand more? Yes.

Are we still friends?

I don't know.

Hmm.

You help her.

Who helps you?

Me.

Transactional relationships are unsustainable.

And lonely.

You are good people.

I know at least 30 people

who would disagree with you about that.

More opinions don't equal truth.

You are so wise.

You got me in a twist.

I like that.

A lot.

May I--may I ask,

uh, are you married?

You may.

Oh.

Are you married?

- In a way. - Is he or she...?

- He. - He, he--is he, um...

Alive? In a way.

- Oh. - We're starting with alive.

Isn't the term alive binary in its nature?

A living organism is considered alive

if it exhibits certain characteristics

that differentiates it from non-living matter.

In a way, my husband cannot be differentiated

from non-living matter. - May, may I ask if he...

No, we're done here.

But it felt good to share.

- Oh no. - What?

I think Mr. Magoo is having a seizure.

A seizure? What?

She could die.

Okay, I can't lose her. - Her?

- I, uh, I--sorry, him, clearly. - Are you okay?

Yes, I just love the fucking cat.

Okay.

The seizure has stopped.

His heart rate is back to normal.

Okay, good.

My heart is racing.

Your pulse is excessively high.

The wrist, excessively sweaty.

I, uh--nothing can happen to that cat, okay?

Mr. Magoo is fine.

I'm more worried about you.

I appreciate your concern.

I, uh, have to go.

Excuse me.

Come on, come on.

Where is she?

Oh, come on. Where is she? Where is she? Where is she?

Where is she? Come on.

Oh.

I'm utterly alone.

I was just looking for you.

Why?

I wanted to tell you

how much I loved your speech.

What are your notes, professor?

No notes. Very efficient use of your words.

Yeah. Sure. Right.

Efficient again. Listen, I know that

you didn't wanna do anything for graduation,

but I wondered if you and I

could go get milkshakes at Mandy's.

I'm not 10.

Yeah, uh, I know.

I just thought it would be, you know...

Nostalgic?

Uh-hmm. Yeah, you busted me.

I'm so uncool.

So...?

It's just ice cream.

What do you think?

Okay, I can't.

Um, I'm leaving.

- For where? - College.

It's June.

College starts in the fall.

Didn't Dad tell you?

He got me, like, some internship

or observation whatever thing.

Uh, no.

No, Dad did not.

Dad did not what?

Lulu's summer plans?

I didn't tell you?

- No. - Well, it was very last-minute.

Um, I thought I told you.

Sorry.

Where are you going?

Didn't I tell you?

You're the second person today

drowning sorrows in a milkshake.

Oh, yeah?

Huh.

Was it another mother?

It was me.

How are you sad, ever?

I could ask you the same thing,

but I've read your work,

and I mean that with all respect,

and a hint of jest.

- Do I know you? - Nah. Nah, nah.

I know you and I love you.

In full transparency,

I work at the lab with your husband.

Oh, well,

too bad.

Yeah.

You know,

I would be remiss

if I didn't take the opportunity to tell you

how much I admire

and adore your novel.

But no, look,

your ability to capture the weight,

the burden of the mother's

complicated emotional relationship,

not only with the daughter, but with herself, come on.

That is a masterclass.

It is a masterclass in dimension,

and in heartbreak,

and in a lesser writer's hand,

it could come across as cartoonish or salacious,

but I was--I am, you know, it stays with you,

and, uh, it deeply moved by the daughter's ability

to thrive under the complex

emotional circumstances thrust upon her.

It is a hero's journey

underneath a comedic cry for help.

I just wanted to give that daughter a hug.

It's reductive, I know, but it's true.

I could really use a hug.

This might be overstepping,

but I would be happy to provide one.

Um, okay.

Is this okay?

That's perfect.

Your mom's here. - Yeah, okay.

Thank you, Barb.

I should--I should go.

Yeah. Okay.

She doesn't like to drive at night.

- The sun's out. - It's setting.

I am alone.

We're all alone.

No, no!

What are you doing? - I'm going home.

Because of the showdown at high noon over burgers?

In my lab, I am the sheriff, okay?

Great galloping God, what are you not getting here?

Okay. Listen, there is a new gun in town

and he's wearing a black hat, but he has got the money.

Fine. Whatever. He started it.

- That's adult. - I have to go home, Martin.

Okay. You know what?

Hey, hey. Hilton has not left the building yet.

This does not look good. - Oh, fuck him!

F him! F me!

- F everyone. - Okay. You know what?

You are tying your own shoelaces here!

Tell him it's a family emergency.

- What? Is it? - Yes.

People could be dead. - What--what people?

People! - Who? What?

People.

- Do we like that guy? - We might.

Okay. But do we have to, like, poke him a bit?

You know, I can pull up the presentation.

Watch him shake, bake, and shit.

Not yet.

He's not, not useful.

Okay. It's your call...

until it isn't.

That's not what we discussed.

As the brains and boots on the ground,

as you like to refer to me,

I have final say when it comes to the...

...talent.

The talent.

Sure.

But my guts say poke.

You can't help yourself, can you?

Neither can you.

Poke, poke.

Don't.

Poke, poke.

Do not.

What? I'm not touching you.

Oh, you gonna go? Oh, really?

Okay. Well, that's childish.

Oh, God.

Not now, Nils.

No time for questions.

No time for comments. Thank you.

No problem.

I'm onto something bigger. - Oh, yeah.

Bigger than me? I'm the story.

Not anymore.

What?

Whatever. I gotta go.

man: Come on!

Come on, come on, come on!

We're not bailing. We're here.

Look, we're walking through the doors.

It's gonna be fun. It's gonna be great.

You said you were coming earlier.

What happened? - This is earlier.

Wear a damn watch.

What's up?

Mike, this is my old friend, Lulu.

We go way back.

- Lulu, Mike. - Hey.

Come find me when you get a break, okay?

Anything for you, boss.

Wow.

You got ID?

- What? - ID!

Yeah. I--it's... I'm just kidding.

You look 21 to me.

Go.

- Cute, right? - I hate him.

I will save myself.

Come on, fucker!

This isn't goodbye, Space Colon.

It's over now.

- For me! This is for me! - Okay. Okay.

There we--there we go. Here we go. We're going in.

We're going in.

I can't believe you just did that.

woman: I did two shots. I did two shots, Mckenna.

Mic Drop!

Mic Drop.

You did the thing at graduation, right?

Yeah. Uh... - The mic drop?

Mic Drop.

Yeah. That was me.

My grandma hated your speech.

And, uh, I hate my grandma, so thank you.

Yeah, I told you, you stupid assholes.

It's her. It's Mic Drop.

all: Oh, Mic Drop. man: You rock, girl!

See? No one cares.

Fun, right? - Sure.

- Are you at Forest Park? - No.

Are you kidding? - It's just a question.

Uh, she goes to school in Manhattan.

Oh. Did you guys know

that her mom wrote My Rainbow Starts with Black?

That's your mom?

We read it in class.

Your mom's childhood.

The dinner table. Wow.

The class was Narcissism In Fiction.

And we know it's fiction.

There's a lot of truth in fiction.

Was your mom capable of showing you

any kind of affection at all?

What the fuck kind of question is that?

So defensive. Hmm, that tracks.

Hey, Mic Drop! Hey! - What?

Shots? Let's go. Shots. - No. Lulu.

Lulu. She--please don't. Let's go.

It's fine. No, it's not fine.

It's fine.

We're doing shots with Mic Drop.

Huh.

- You look, uh... - Filthy.

I was gonna say strong.

So that's my phone.

I'm impressed.

That, huh? Well, I hoped you would be.

I'm driving.

You're--you're what?

Wait--wait. We're leaving?

Yeah. We'll come back and loot the place.

Where are we going?

Into the sunset, Richie.

It's the dawn of a new day.

- So I'm a little worried--oh. - I miss you.

- What are you talking about? - Oh,

- we need to get you some water. - Water is dumb.

It's just stuff in the lakes.

- Okay. - "Was your mom

even capable of, like, showing any actual affection?"

- Funny. - She's drunk.

Steff, I'm gonna go.

I'll see you after the New Year. Okay.

What the fuck?

Psycho!

Let's go!

My God. Just--why?

Oh, my God. Why?

What is wrong with you? - I'm sorry.

I don't go to LOL University with all of y'all.

- You're acting like a bitch. - Me?

I'm a bitch?

I think you overreacted.

I get it, your mom's a trigger. But...

Wait, wait though.

Is that, like, your professional opinion?

Wow. Huh.

Okay. Look, you have to go to a better school

if you want people to take you seriously.

Okay? I'm just being real.

Hey, you ever read your mom's book?

No. Um, she wrote some shit about me one time.

So, um, I already know she hates me.

Hmm. Yeah.

Uh, well, you might wanna read it.

Oh? Why?

Because you're just like her.

Mic drop.

Word to the wise, if you wanna be liked,

don't be a dick.

Okay.

Word to the dipshit,

I don't give a fuck who likes me.

Uh, bullshit.

Fact.

Oh, you care too much.

And it's showing.

- Les! - Mom?

- What're you doing here? - What are you doing here?

- I live here. - Well, you're supposed to be

in Vermont, dear.

I'm here to catsit.

Where is Mr. Magoo? - Mom, Mom, stop!

Put everything down.

Put it down.

Well, I--I--I'm almost done.

Oh, my suitcase. It bumped the plant.

I don't care. I don't care.

Just leave it.

Don't walk or move

or do or touch anything.

Anything.

Les?

I--I--I just cleaned that up.

Here. Let me--Let me... - No, no, no, please!

Just don't, please, just stay where you are.

Do not move.

Stay.

Lindy?

Lindy, where are you?

Oh, fuck.