Original subtitles

[ Wind whipping ]

Jeff: ...and I've been having a lot of fun

with the little Zen garden you sent.

It-- It's weird.

I never would have thought to rake sand,

but every morning I'm reaching for that rake,

just out of instinct, making my neat little rows.

Anyway, boo, I just wanted to say

I think I'm finally getting a feel for things up here.

It's been a challenging few months, as you're all too aware.

Y-You just can't expect

to settle into a new job overnight,

but I-- I feel like I've finally crossed a threshold.

It's like, it's scary taking a one-way trip to Mars.

I-- I mean, we talked about it a million times.

But I made a commitment.

And here I am.

And I actually feel pretty great about it.

I got all the building blocks,

and now it's just a matter of doing the work.

You know, I got you.

I got my job.

And I feel good.

I feel really, really good.

♪

They had a pack of mineral-sniffing robotic dogs.

A music director.

[ Indistinct conversations ]

A saltwater pool.

A turbocharged sand ski.

♪

A baby.

[ Baby coos ]

They even paid a guy to sleep.

Ted. He got paid to sleep.

That's it.

But apparently they didn't have a need

for thoughtfully designed newsletters,

eye-catching logos,

calendars that made you look forward to each day.

Not to mention elegant new signage.

♪ In the desert sun ♪

♪ Every step that you take could be the final one ♪

[ Boing! ]

♪ In the burning heat ♪

Awesome to finally meet you, Jeff.

I want to start by thanking you for seven months

of truly kick-ass work,

like this org chart you made for the Comms department.

Look at this thing, it's gangsta.

But it's also why we brought you in this morning.

Sure, whatever you guys need.

I've still got the original files,

I'm more than happy to-- No, Jeff.

We're actually making a few tweaks to the structure.

[ Clicking ]

[ Pop, buzz ]

I'm not sure I understand.

We're putting your job on hold.

But-- Uh, heh, okay. It's just I--

I traveled over 200 million miles, so how can you--

Well, I mean-- [ Stammers ]

The thing is, I left my entire life behind

so I could be a graphic designer on Mars.

Mmmm... hm.

Yeah, the bean counters back on Earth don't get

why there's a graphic designer up here.

And look, I do understand where they're coming from.

Well, ha, I-- It just--

It seems like maybe this could've been sorted out

before sending me to Mars.

I mean, y'know, what am I supposed to do now?

We're gonna need you to trust the process on this one, bud.

Brandon: That's right.

Just hold tight while we figure out next steps.

♪

Every setback is an opportunity in disguise.

John Adams said that, and I tend to believe it.

Also, I wasn't fired, I was on hold.

And when I think about everything I'd accomplished

over the past few months,

my value to this colony was undeniable.

I was doing the best graphic design of my career.

♪ So now you're gonna shoot bullets of fire ♪

I was living my passion.

And more importantly, I was part of something bigger.

Every last one of us up here for a reason.

The rugged pioneers of interstellar travel.

The engineers who built this colony from the dust up.

The influencers re-born as ambassadors

for this new chapter of civilization.

The geologists, botanists, AI innovators,

biotech trailblazers.

Everyone had a purpose.

Mine was graphic design,

and nobody could ever take that away from me.

♪

[ Squeaking ]

♪

[ Dramatic music plays ]

♪

[ Clears throat ]

[ Chuckles ] Looking pretty good.

Thanks, Jeff.

Just wanted to let you guys know that, uh--

And I'm sure you might have perhaps already heard

that I'm not officially part of the team at the moment,

and, uh, I--

That's true, but I am still "open for business."

So, I just wanted to make clear to you as team--

I still think of you as teammates--

that if you need anything, anything at all,

just say, y'know, "Hey, Jeff. We need you."

Thank you, Jeff. Really appreciate the offer.

[ Marker squeaking ]

Looks like you guys are running low on markers.

Need a refill?

Thanks for the offer, Jeff.

I think we're okay.

I-I'm headed down to supplies,

I can just pick some up.

We're all set.

I'll just do it, and then you can decide

whether you want 'em or not.

Your decision completely.

Would you mind leaving right now?

Of course.

Okay, team, talk to ya later.

♪

[ Crunching ]

Jeff: See, the thing is, I still believe,

at the end of the day, building a successful career

in the creative arts is about tenacity.

Because if I had a nickel for every supervisor

who didn't "get" it, y'know what I mean?

I told you, Jeff. One a day.

Oh, yeah, sorry. I just thought

since I didn't come down here yesterday,

I could double up and it would--

Yeah, but you did, Jeff.

You did come down here yesterday.

And you were talking the same shit you've been talking

since you got shit-canned.

[ Electronic whirring ]

Your markers.

Look, man. I-- I know Mars.ly sucks, alright?

I get it. You think I want to fill out

six forms every time some yuppie

needs a screw to fix their glasses?

Oh. That reminds me.

If you could have any of those little--

No, Jeff! Get out of here.

Beat it. Go get a fucking hobby.

Raya: Oh, my God, yes.

He's like, "Um, do you need markers?

Do you need other stuff?" [ Laughter ]

I'm like, "Jeff, I don't need anything, okay?

I don't need anything from you."

♪

Huh.

♪

[ Sea gulls squawking ]

And just like that, I had purpose again.

♪

I'd always known something was wrong at the office,

but I just didn't have the vocabulary

to understand what it was--

a complete lack of respect

for the core principles of label theory.

Hey, Alejandro.

I know you're super busy,

so, look, I'm not gonna take up

too much of your time.

But I have noticed

that some of the objects in your area,

on your desk, they seem out of place,

you understand?

Almost like they don't know where they belong.

Are you familiar with the concept

of label-driven organizational analysis?

Jeff: Dr. Frei was right,

"Labels pull back the curtain on the theater of life."

I mean, two weeks ago, if you'd have told me

I'd free up 50% of my day by incorporating a label maker,

I'd say you were crazy.

Yeah, but Jeff, imagine someone coming into your room

moving all your stuff around and labeling everything...

Yes, exactly! I would love that!

Oh, and, before I forget, there's this couple's quiz

I thought we could take.

I'm pretty sure I know what labeling style you are,

but it'll be fun to see.

You gotta trust me on this one, Hannah.

Jeff: She was an account manager

fresh out of a long-term relationship.

I was a newly minted graphic designer in Creative Resources.

The rest?

Well, you can read about it in the history books.

So, we all know carbon footprints are a problem.

The thing is,

what are we supposed to do about it actually?

Nothing, right?

Unless...

we started by putting one foot in front of the other.

This limited-edition drop will generate

hundreds of millions of impressions

for the most important issue of our times.

Jeff: And in just a short 13 months and 11 days,

she was going to make the trip to Mars,

and our new life together would begin.

♪

[ Gasps ]

Jeff?

Wow.

[ Both inhale sharply ]

♪

Jonathan: [ Robotic voice] Grande iced coconut milk

caramel macchiato with extra shot incoming.

Oh, my God.

Thank you.

What's happening, spaceman?

Listen, thanks again for letting me

keep your partner around a little longer.

Oh. H-Hey, Jonathan.

Yeah, no problem, man.

We're all rootin' for you down here, buddy.

Well, I-- Yeah, no.

I appreciate that.

H-He's just getting you gifts, Hannah?

Jonathan gets everyone an ice blended

after Friday scrum, Jeff. God!

Anyway, babe, I wish I could keep chitchatting,

but we've got a karaoke brunch with the client tomorrow

and I'm way behind on the deck.

Well, don't wanna hold you up, and, hey, that's one thing

you can look forward to up here on Mars.

No more client brunches.

[ Chuckles nervously ]

[ Laughter ] [ Chuckles ] 100%.

Okay, I'll talk to you soon.

Love you so much. Gotta go.

Oh, okay. Well, talk to you later.

[ Inhales deeply ] Okay.

Martin: You mind telling me what the fuck's going on here?

I'm actually kind of in the middle of something.

You burned through three-quarters

of our label supplies, Jeff.

[ Chuckling ] "Burned through"?

Sounds like you need a refresher on label theory, my friend.

A biologist almost drank a cup

of Fluoroantimonic Acid

because she thought it was a ginger ale.

You stole labels from the biology department,

the legal department, and accounting.

All so you could, what, label coffee pods?

That are already labeled?

That's crazy, Jeff.

You're actually crazy.

Well, look I'm sorry that you don't understand

the significance of the project--

Gimme that! Hey! What the hell, man?!

Look around, dude.

It's over.

Well, Martin, if you'll recall,

it was actually you

that told me to get a hobby, okay?

And, really, I think what's happening here

is you're realizing change is hard.

It is. There's always an adjustment period.

"Rome wasn't labeled in a day", alright?

That's actually a joke from the book,

but it's true, and-- Oh, is it in the book?!

Ugh, look, I know you're sad,

but quit being fucking stupid.

♪

Jeff: I became a ghost, invisible to my coworkers,

invisible to myself.

[ Indistinct conversations ]

One day I went to lunch

and I never came back.

[ Clears throat ]

Just wanted to say I'm, uh,

gonna be moving my battle station elsewhere,

just for a bit,

so this isn't goodbye,

but if you do need to locate me--

Oh! David! [ Chuckling ] Ohhh!

That's when I started in on the DVD box sets.

And the chips.

Sorcerer: I am the light!

[ Goblins screaming ]

I have to say, I didn't miss the office.

Not at all.

[ Dramatic music playing ]

[ Chips rattling ]

When I got lonely, I'd go see Ted in the sleep tank.

♪

I'd look through that little hatch and wonder

what kind of heartbreaking, beautiful dreams

were running through that head of his.

[ Birds chirping, horse neighs ]

After a month, Brandon and Darren

stopped replying to my e-mails.

[ Keypad clacks ]

♪

[ Keypad clacking ]

Fuck!

♪

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

[ Computer ringing ]

Hannah: Hello? There she is!

Busiest woman at Mars.ly. [ Chuckles ]

Yeah, busy doing actual work.

Remember that?

[ Clears throat ] [ Chuckles nervously ]

[ Sighs ] Sorry I'm being mean.

I am just under a lot of stress.

I just feel like I need water,

I'm so parched! Hey, it's okay.

Just get some water. Let's--

We'll just-- We'll connect later.

[ Call disconnects ]

Somehow, Hannah just kept getting busier and busier.

Executive Leadership Committees,

brunches,

and of course yoga,

lots and lots of yoga.

♪

[ Crunching ]

♪

One afternoon, I got an all-company e-mail.

[ Cellphone vibrating ]

There'd been a gravity accident,

and Carol from the Dreamspiration department

had been decapitated.

By all accounts, Carol was a terrific woman,

but as you can imagine,

the first thing to cross my mind was--

job opening.

♪

Poor Carol.

The woman, Carol.

Who knew her?

Yeah, good.

Yeah, glad to see it.

♪

[ Door opens and closes ]

Sad day, such a sad day.

You can't ever be ready for moments like these.

Jeff, I'm actually in the middle

of something real important here, pal, so--

One minute. Just give me one minute.

So, obviously this is a transitional moment

with the Carol stuff.

But that doesn't mean the Dreamspiration department

can afford to hit pause.

I'd like to formally submit my application

to be Mars.ly's next Junior Dream Officer.

In a way, it's the culmination

of everything I've ever done.

Graphics. Design.

Symbols to create change.

Galvanizing people around a cause.

A cause? A dream.

Flashback to me, age 10,

my grandmother's sewing room.

Now, she'd been collecting embroidery patterns since--

Jesus. Okay. Enough. Enough.

You promised me if anything opened up,

I'd be first in line.

I need this, Darren.

I need this so bad.

How bad?

11 out of 10.

[ Chuckling ] Whoa! Big numbers!

Hey, if it were me, I'd hire you this second.

I really would.

But Dreamspiration is Reagan's show.

And she's a tough nut to crack, heh, let me tell you.

But you know what, Jeff?

I have a really good feeling about this.

Tell you what, why don't you haul your buns down there,

show the boss lady these charts and shit,

and we'll get this all wrapped up, right?

Darren, thank you so very much.

I will not let you down.

[ Door opens ]

Open or closed?

Closed, Jeff.

Jeff: I was on fire.

I just dropped the act and was like,

"Hey, dude, I want to make money for Mars.ly,

"you want to make money for Mars.ly.

Let's make money, Dare."

So, wait, how does this relate to the labels thing?

Oh, that-- that was just a little detour.

A-- A valid one, don't get me wrong.

Hm. Dr. Frei is a genius,

but this-- this could actually be "it."

Mm-hmm. The perfect fit.

For me. For us.

You know, and let's not forget Carol.

Sorry, Carol... the dead lady?

Jeff: She's a lot more than just a dead lady.

♪

[ Mouse clicking ]

♪

[ Mouse clicks ]

[ Lights flicking ]

[ Printer whirring ]

♪

You don't know me, but I just needed to stop by to say--

I'm sorry. About Carol.

She was one of the good ones.

She was a warrior.

♪

What did you say your name was?

Jeff.

And how well did you know Carol?

I-It's interesting you ask, it is,

because I was actually wondering the same thing--

like, how well can another person

know someone else, really?

Because it can be-- [ Sobbing ] I'm sorry.

This is devastating--

in the best possible way.

God, she was so sexy and messy and complicated

and powerful and strong!

♪

[ Sighs ] Look at her. Ah!

And you just whipped this up overnight?

God, what I wouldn't give to have one of you around here.

Well, strangely enough,

that's actually the reason I'm here--

Ted: Nah, hey, hey.

It's crooked, bro.

Bring it-- Bring it up on the left.

Oh, yeah, it is crooked.

And when you're done with that, you can, uh,

haul this trash out of here, okay?

Thanks, bro.

Ted?

Oh, you know each other?

That's so cool.

Nah, I don't know this guy.

Well, a-actually, when you were in the tank,

I used to--

Used to what?

I, uh-- I used to watch... you.

That's fucked up, my boy.

No, sorry, "watch" is the wrong word.

It was more of a walk-by, double-take sorta thing.

A double? Oh, naw, man. Naw, naw.

Not a double like that! It's--

I'm-- I'm not explaining it correctly.

So, sorry, Ted, what--

When did you wake up, by the way?

And-- And what are you--

what are you doing here?

♪

Oh, no. That's-- That's--

Yeah, that's not-- I--

Yeah, after Carol--

See, I-- I talked to Darren.

He promised me-- I mean...

Hey, I-I-I talked to Darren.

♪

Darren: Whoa! Nice shot, Brandon.

Wish I was there to see it in person.

[ Chuckles ]

[ Whooshing ]

♪

[ Electronic whirring ]

You gave Ted the job?!

Darren: Jesus, Jeff!

The guy who's been asleep for seven months?

Hey, I'm trying to hit a fucking golf ball here, okay?

You knew how badly I needed this,

and you lied to my face!

Jeff, out of my office now!

Everything okay in there, Darren?

You said I should talk to Reagan,

that it was her show.

I made a fucking poster!

Gimme that thing! No, Jeff!

Do not touch my computer!

Stop! Hey, Dare?

Let me grab the wheel here.

Jeff, let me be clear.

You deserve any job you want.

The thing is, this isn't about a job.

Now, you are immensely talented.

You can admit that, right?

Uh, I guess? Good.

Now it's my turn to get something off my chest.

When we met the other day?

I was intimidated.

I said to my wife, "Katie, I just met a real-life,

"dyed-in-the-wool game changer

"who scares the heck out of me in a good way.

And his name is Jeff."

That's when a lightbulb went off.

Big time.

Jeff: They told me there was a spot for me in the tank.

♪

[ Thunder crashing ]

♪

Turns out they weren't asking.

We're not offering you the sleep tank.

We're telling you-- you're in the sleep tank.

It's-- It's just, the idea of going in there.

I-- I don't know if you've seen my file,

but I was trapped in a very small closet as a child

and I'm-- I'm extremely uncomfortable in small spaces.

Mmm. Mm-hmm.

I-I mean, is-- is this even legal?

We don't want you to do anything you don't want to do.

If you decide you're not interested

in the sleep tank opportunity, we fully support you.

We just ask that you surrender all Mars.ly property.

And unfortunately, we won't be able to host you

in the residences any longer.

Full transparency-- access to food

is gonna be kind of a problem.

Brandon: Just want to reiterate,

we're behind you all the way here, bud.

[ Computer ringing ]

[ Beep ]

Hey, boo.

Not sure if you're back from your retreat yet

or-- or what, but there's been

another little, uh, hitch.

And, uh, it turns out I'm going away for a little while.

Well, more than a little while actually.

And I'm sad we didn't get a chance to talk.

But it's, uh-- it's okay.

Maybe you'll get this and, y'know, call me back.

[ Computer clicks ]

♪

[ Door closes ]

♪

So, who we got on the chopping block this morning?

Jeff Cooper.

And he is a graphic designer.

Graphic designer.

Isn't that, uh, Latin for "failed artist"?

[ Laughs ]

Ah, just kidding around, bud.

Bud?

Hey, bud?

Whoa!

What the hell?!

♪

I mean, try explaining gull-wing doors to a Golden Retriever.

Right?

But the vet says he'll be fine, so...

[ Alarm blaring ]

Uh, one sec, Brandon.

Dare, what's that sound I'm hearing?

♪ In the desert sun ♪

♪ Every step that you take could be the final one ♪

♪

♪ In the burning heat ♪

♪ Hanging on the edge of destruction ♪

♪

♪ You can't stop the pain ♪

♪ Of your children crying out in your head ♪

Hey!

♪

♪ They always said that the living would envy the dead ♪

♪

♪ So now you're gonna shoot bullets of fire ♪

♪ Don't want to fight ♪ [ Both grunting ]

♪ But sometimes you've got to ♪

♪ You're some soul survivor ♪

[ Electricity crackles ]

♪ There's just one thing you've got to know ♪

♪ You've got ten more thousand miles to go ♪

♪ Because you're one of the living ♪

[ Breathes deeply ]

♪ And if we can't stick together ♪

♪ Can't stick together ♪ [ Communicator ringing ]

♪ One of the living ♪

♪ Who's gonna make it tonight? ♪

[ Grunts ]

[ Ringing continues ]

Hey, boo.

Hannah: But it's like, is he the coolest guy

in the world? No. Hello?

Is he the most successful?

Obviously not.

Does he get along with my friends?

No. They hate him. H-Hello?

But what do they know?

You know? It's like-- Hello?

God, what do I do?

Hey, all I can do is listen.

Am I being mean?

No. You're being you.

Look, it's clear you love the guy.

We all do. He's Jeff.

And at the same time, he is "limited" in ways.

[ Whooshing ]

He's a baby soul.

Whereas you-- you've been doing the work.

And I guess the real question is--

do you want to travel nine million miles

to parent that baby soul?

Well, when you put it that way...

Don't get me wrong.

Mars is an amazing place...

for the right person.

Would I go? No. Never.

My home planet's California,

and my blood type's Pacific-O.

But, hey, that's just me.

[ Chuckles ] This is so hard.

♪

F-F-Fuck!

[ Glass crunches ]

♪

[ Sighs ]

♪

[ Crack ]

♪

Warning! Pressure leak detected.

[ Gasping ] Ahhhhh!

♪