Original subtitles

♪ ♪

(radio static)

NEWSMAN (over radio): ...any impropriety and will not be resigning.

NEWSWOMAN: In other news, if you have a little astronomer in your home,

they're gonna want to keep their eyes on the sky

this afternoon as the cosmic flare that will be passing by

or possibly through the Earth may result

in a bit of a light show.

NEWSMAN (chuckles): Through the Earth?

What, should we get in our storm cellars?

NEWSWOMAN: (chuckles) No. Scientists assure us

there is absolutely no cause for alarm,

but if you do have a tinfoil hat... (laughs)

NEWSMAN: (laughs) All right,

now back to the music you know and love.

("Evil" by Howlin' Wolf playing)

BARBARA: Robert?

Robert?

♪ Can't sleep at night ♪

♪ Grab your telephone... ♪

Hey, Robert?

♪ That's evil ♪

♪ Evil is going on wrong... ♪

Robert?

What? I can hear you. What?

♪ I am warning you, brother... ♪

There you are.

Why are you messing with that? The movers will take care of it.

Well, they charge by the hour.

The phone's not working.

Yeah, they shut off the Internet, and that was stupid.

-We should've told them... -No, the phone.

The phone's not working.

The phone works on the Internet.

-Phone works on the Internet? -Yes. It's a bundle.

(whispers): A bundle.

♪ I am warning you, brother ♪

♪ You better watch your happy home... ♪

(Barbara chuckles)

She was always so scattered.

No, she wasn't.

Not scattered, just...

I don't mean scattered, just all over the place.

Oh, Robert.

♪ Well, if you call her on the telephone... ♪

(radio static)

(music distorts)

(high-pitched electrical whooshing)

Robert?

What was that, Robert?

That was weird.

(objects clattering in distance)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(door creaks)

(light switch clicking)

Why aren't the lights working?

Get the flashlight.

It's the drawer on the left.

(drawer opens and closes)

-Be careful, Robert. -(shushes)

All right, well, there's nothing down here.

But that sound...

Was it something outside?

-(thud) -(gasps)

(clattering in distance)

(squishing, crunching)

-Robert, what is that? -I don't know.

(soft electrical warbling)

What is that?

(electrical warbling growing louder)

(deep, distorted vocalizing)

-(screeching) -(screams)

Bedroom.

When they come, what form will they choose?

And if they present us with the right one,

will we let them in, welcome them with open arms?

Robert and Barbara are about to find out

that it may not even matter what's inside,

as long as it arrives in the right package.

Open the doors.

We've just received a delivery...

from The Twilight Zone.

(The Twilight Zone theme playing)

You're traveling through another dimension,

a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind.

It is the middle ground between light and shadow,

between science and superstition.

And it lies between the pit of one's fears

and the summit of one's knowledge.

You are now traveling through a dimension of imagination.

You've just crossed over into The Twilight Zone.

BARBARA: Did you see her eyes?

Whose eyes? No.

I don't know what you're talking about.

-She looked at us. -"She"?

Why are you saying "she" and "her"? What is-- Barbara,

are you okay?

We got to keep it together right now.

You saw it, too.

-I didn't. -It was her.

-It was her, Robert. -Stop saying that.

It was on the news.

What'd they call it? They-- Um...

They said there was gonna be a-a cosmic flare.

-A cosmic flare? -That's what that was earlier.

That's why the radio changed stations.

Must've passed through Earth, and-and that thing,

that-that-that thing downstairs in the basement,

I mean, that-that must have...

You know, may-may-maybe the flare,

you know, brought it there,

and-- maybe-maybe like a wave

that-that leaves something on-on the shore.

Uh, or it was a signal.

What are you doing?

-What are you doing? -Nothing.

Barbara...

Barbara, we have an alien in our basement.

Don't tell me you didn't see...

-No, I saw an alien. -No, you saw it, too.

I know you saw it, Robert.

It wasn't Mags.

Okay? It didn't even look like her.

-So what we need to do is... -No.

-We're-we're gonna call the cops, we're gonna call the... -It didn't look like her.

-We're gonna call the government. -No, not exactly,

but there was something there.

Robert, it was something. You saw it.

-It was her. -Goddamn it!

I don't know what you're saying.

I'm saying... (sighs)

-I'm not leaving. -Yes, you are.

I'm not leaving.

Hey, I don't know what it is you think you saw down there...

I'm not leaving.

Hello?

-(shouting) -What are you doing?

(shushes)

-Do you see anything? -(shushes)

Hello?

Wow.

(clattering)

Stay close by.

(Barbara gasps)

(electrical warbling)

-Robert. -(squishing)

-Is it her? -It can't be her. She's dead.

(exhales sharply)

It's an alien.

(gasps) Oh, God. Robert.

Careful.

(electrical warbling, squishing)

(female voice): Ma?

-My God. -Don't listen to it.

-Did you hear that? -Barbara, don't listen to it.

Magpie?

Is that you?

-(screeches) -Oh!

-Oh, Robert. -(grunting)

-My wrist. -Get up.

-Out, out, out, out. Out. -Ow, my wrist. (groans)

Damn it. Go, Robert.

(grunts)

Come on, let's go. Bathroom.

(grunts) Goddamn it.

(panting)

What are you doing?

BARBARA: Keeping it out.

-ROBERT: How's that gonna help? -I don't know.

-(Robert groans) -(Barbara panting)

Okay. I don't think she's coming in.

For the last time, there is no "she," Barbara.

Whatever that thing is, it's taken her shape.

It's like... It's... it's a camouflage.

I mean, I mean...

I mean, I don't know, maybe this is the only way

our human eyes can perceive it.

-Maybe it's beyond vision. -BARBARA: What does that mean?

ROBERT: Huh? I don't know. I'm just thinking.

BARBARA: Oh, my God, Robert.

-It looked just like her. -No.

No, it didn't. No, it didn't.

You could see right... Whatever the-- It was still...

-And besides, that would be a bad thing. -Why?

If it looked like her?

Yeah, why would that be a bad thing?

Because we don't know what that thing is, but the one thing

we do know, it wants us to think it's Mags.

-(exhales) -It tried to trick us,

and that in itself is a bad thing.

I mean, think about it.

Why do animals do that?

-To defend themselves? -Predators.

That fish, the anglerfish

with that dangling wh-whatchamacallit.

-It's tricking us. -Yes.

-Like an anglerfish. -That's right.

What if it is her ghost, Robert?

Oh, for Christ's sakes. Barbara.

-What? Is that any crazier than it being an alien? -Yes.

Fuck. Yes, it is. Goddamn it.

-Are you okay? -I don't even know what I did.

-Let me see. -What are you gonna do? You're not a doctor.

Okay, listen, whatever that thing is

can change shape, right?

It can sound like a human. It can disappear maybe.

-And-and it can move... -(lock jiggles)

(knock on door)

...through walls.

MAGS: Mom? Dad?

Why won't you let me in?

Oh, my God.

It makes perfect sense. I know what it's doing.

All it is-- It's just logical steps, Barbara.

First, it takes the shape of Mags.

A-And then it figures out movements.

That's what we saw downstairs.

Captures how she speaks-- spoke.

MAGS: Mom? Dad? Why won't you let me in?

-Anglerfish, Barbara. -I know.

You don't have to keep saying that.

MAGS: Can we get pizza?

Can we get pizza?

You guys, I'm scared.

I think I figured it out.

I think the cosmic flare...

Can you pick me up after practice?

Okay, this is what we're gonna do.

-MAGS: I think the cosmic flare... -Barbara, look at me.

-Barbara, look at me. -MAGS: Maybe it caused

-a vibration in the... -Look at me.

-Don't listen to that. Look at me. -MAGS: I'm scared.

-A vibration in the psychokinetic... -Good. Be here with me.

-Okay? Look at me. -The psychokinetic...

-We're gonna be fine. -Robert.

MAGS: The psychokinetic... The psychokinetic...

-The psychokinetic... -(exhales)

Did you hear that? It's-it's like a computer

where the wheel just keeps spinning and spinning.

I know it's not really her, but it's really nice

-to hear that voice. -(softly): I know.

I know. I know.

MAGS: Can I go to the park with Grace?

God, I miss her.

It's a siren. It's just manipulating.

Don't listen to it.

MAGS: Mom? Dad?

Why won't you let me in?

-It already said that. It said that a few minutes ago. -Mom?

A-Are you still in there, or...?

Dad?

Mom, can you talk to me please?

-I don't know what's happening. -Robert.

-MAGS (crying): I think I messed up. -BARBARA: Robert.

Oh, my God.

I-I feel weird. I-I can't breathe.

-(exhales) -Robert.

MAGS: Something's wrong.

It's...

She's...

MAGS: Dad?

-Dad? -Shut up!

(Mags crying)

We know you're not her. You're not Maggie.

MAGS (crying): Dad?

Something's wrong.

Robert.

MAGS: Mom?

Dad?

ROBERT: Barbara, don't do it.

♪ ♪

(door creaks)

(breath quivering)

I don't know what's happening.

Can you help me?

What are you doing?

-See if we have any cookies. -Cookies?

Oh, this is good.

-You're gonna feed it? -(shushes)

Robert, she's suffering because of us.

-Is she? -She's confused.

She doesn't understand.

Imagine if you were suddenly back with your parents

and they didn't recognize you, were scared of you.

My parents? My parents are dead.

You were always like this.

You don't listen. You never listened.

Oh, I listen. I listen like nobody's business.

It's you who's living in a fantasy world.

She needs us right now.

She needs us, and I'm going to comfort her.

You want a do-over, Barbara.

And this is the real world.

-There are no do-overs. -(quiet whoosh)

Robert.

-Where'd she go? -Maybe she went back to the basement.

Stay here.

♪ ♪

-(fly buzzing) -(water dripping)

Mags?

♪ ♪

(soft electrical warbling)

♪ ♪

Mags?

(exhales sharply)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(electrical humming)

(electrical humming grows louder)

♪ ♪

Barbara. Barbara. I think she's in her room.

-Let's get out of here. -I had it all wrong.

That's okay. That's fine. That's okay.

We just got to get out of here right now.

No, we can't go anywhere.

I don't know how I missed it.

-We missed it, Robert. It's all there now. -No.

I see it. I-It's all the signs. They're right there.

Listen to me. I just had a handful of alien slime

run away from me down in the basement.

BARBARA: You never saw what she was really going through.

I-I-I tried.

-I tried to be there for her. -ROBERT: Wait.

What are you doing now? Are you blaming me?

BARBARA: It was our daughter, Robert.

It was our daughter. She needed us.

And your solution was to fawn all over her,

make excuses for her, let her do whatever the hell she wanted.

Did you ever think that maybe that was part of the problem?

-You gave up. -What do you mean,

I gave up? I wanted another child!

Right, that was your brilliant solution.

We lose our daughter, so let's just replace her?

What are you doing now, Barbara? What are you doing?

You want to replace her with an alien?

BARBARA: I need this, Robert.

I need to really try to be there for her.

-I-I-I need to heal. -ROBERT: It's not her.

-I don't care! I don't care, and if it is her... -That doesn't even make sense!

-If it's an alien... -It is an alien.

If it's an alien, that is also our daughter, Robert.

-She seems so much like her. -You're looking for answers

-where there are no answers, Barbara. -What?

You blame me for what happened,

but did you ever look at yourself?

Your messiness, your craziness.

MAGS: Hey.

I don't like the way you talk to her.

What did, what did you just say to me?

I said I don't like the way you talk to her.

Okay, whatever you are,

don't try selling past the close, okay?

My daughter never complained about how I talked to my wife!

Because I was a child.

But I never liked the way you talked to her.

It was never okay with me.

Even if she was an idiot, which she wasn't,

you still would have had no right to talk to her

like that, Dad, to treat her that way.

Don't call me Dad!

-Who are-- What are you?! -All right, that's enough,

-both of you. -No! You're the one who did this!

Make me out to be the monster! I'm the bad father!

You were never a father.

You were just a guy who had a kid.

-That's what a father is! -She didn't mean that.

You didn't mean that.

I don't? Can you tell me what I mean?

-Mags... -No, tell me.

What do I mean?

(sighs) Obviously, I don't know what I mean.

I was always so-- what was the word?

Scattered.

Absentminded. Is that it?

Why did you need me to be absentminded, Mom?

Because if I was absentminded,

then the pills must have been an accident?

(scoffs)

You needed it to be that I had no idea what I was doing,

that I was out of control.

You couldn't just ask me about what I was going through.

(quietly): That's not true.

That's not her.

Neither of you ever saw me.

I mean, you were all over me.

You hid from me.

You had an idea of me, who you wanted me to be

and everything that was wrong with me, but...

(sighs) neither of you cared about who I really was.

You didn't really think--

She didn't-- That's...

What are you?

I don't know, Mom.

You tell me.

(door closes)

♪ ♪

I hurt her.

What?

I didn't know I did...

but I did.

Thought I was helping.

It's a lie. What it said wasn't true.

There was no truth to it.

Yes, there was.

Okay.

So maybe...

it found buried truths in our heads...

and showed it to us.

To hurt us.

Confuse us.

I mean, that-that's okay.

Because the past can't hurt us. We've dealt with that.

We mourned our daughter, and we've moved on with our lives.

Have we?

Maybe we should have.

And maybe we need to.

We lost her.

We lost our girl.

But we got to go on.

And we got to get out of here

before that thing changes tactics

and realizes it can't trick us anymore,

and the only thing left to do is just...

I mean, I don't know. Who knows what this thing is?

Probe? A weapon?

You know, some kind...

Biological pacification drone.

I'd like to talk to you.

You would like to talk to-- Who is you?

And are you gonna let us leave here?

-Let her talk. -I'm l-- I'm letting her talk.

It's a fair question: who's me?

In fact, it's what I wanted to talk to you about.

All right. Great.

Drone. You said biological...

Pacification drone, yes. That's a way of saying it.

I'm kind of a tool, or a weapon.

I'm not even entirely here. Not exactly.

I alternate between roughly 2.726 and 3.73 dimensions

at all times.

What the hell does that even mean?

MAGS: I started more or less unthinking.

Just a machine for conquest.

"Machine" and "conquest" aren't the right words.

I'm closer to what you might call

an aspect of an invading force.

Although, that's not quite right, either.

At the same time, my function-- indigenous pacification,

a kind of sentient bio-terraforming--

requires adaptation to match or harmonize with local patterns.

So I began to take your daughter's form.

I have her memories.

All of them.

Her mind.

I-I know I began as something else, but...

What do you mean? Y-You're something else,

but now you're her?

When I locked into her patterns and wavelengths,

I saw that what got results, what hooked you,

was when I spoke the language of our greatest hurt.

The very most

raw, unhealed places in our personal history.

It became clear that emotional connection

would be the best tactic.

I saw that engaging with honesty, even painful honesty,

was the likeliest successful strategy.

A good in.

A-Are you listening to this? Do you hear this?

"Strategy." "In."

"A good in"? I mean, she's basically telling us,

-"I-I'm tricking you" right to our face... -Stop it!

-(sighs) -When you talked to me like I really was your daughter,

what I felt was love.

I felt it.

And...

even if it was just the simulation's messy side effects,

it-- no, it was more than that, it was definitely more,

because it was that same pattern,

that same destructive family dynamic we had when I was alive.

The same dynamic you had.

(sighs)

So I had gotten lost in the Mags.

Which meant I needed to know myself better, the real me.

Whatever I really was.

I probably picked that up from her, to be honest,

your daughter.

Her curiosity,

her need to seek the truth, to understand,

to know what she was and become the person she was meant to be.

Although, of course, she never got the chance

to become anything at all.

I realized every step I had taken

toward emotion connection with you

was a step away from my directive.

The strategy I was using to conquer you

was beginning to make conquest seem distasteful.

So I turned off my directive.

I'm not what I started as.

Whatever I am...

it's something new.

Barbara. Barbara.

I'm here for you now.

Whatever you are.

All you need to be is what you are.

And I love you.

Barbara, have you lost your mind?

It's not her.

You know it's not her.

It's not her.

It's not our daughter.

It doesn't matter.

(electrical warbling)

ROBERT: Barbara. Barbara.

(electrical warbling continues)

(Robert grunting)

(electrical pulse)

Barbara.

Don't go.

Don't you see that this is just a con?

All she did was explain the con.

Doesn't mean the con is over.

There is no con, Robert.

It told us it was.

It told us that's how it's gonna conquer us.

It used the word "conquer," Barbara.

She said she turned off her directive.

Even if it turned off its directive,

all that means is it doesn't have to conquer us.

Doesn't mean that it-it won't!

Doesn't mean it's not conquering us right now.

What if it's lying to us? What if she's doing

the same thing, just at a higher d-difficulty setting?

What if she's still fooling us? And...

♪ ♪

(softly): That's how they do it, Barbara.

That's how they conquer us.

They find our flaws. They find our vulnerabilities.

Love, Barbara.

Our weakness is love.

Now, if... you open yourself up like that,

if you give in to that...

they win.

Then they win.

I'm not your daughter, but I do have her mind,

so I can tell you beyond any doubt she loved you,

she always loved you,

and she always knew you loved her.

Right to the end.

(breath trembling)

NARRATOR: It traveled here at speeds we cannot imagine,

across distances we cannot understand,

single-minded, perfectly designed to conquer,

to absorb,

only to be conquered itself by humanity.

It will go on laboring now under a yoke of its own design

in one of the remotest colonies

of The Twilight Zone.

♪ ♪

Captioning sponsored by CBS

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