Black, two Splenda.
You rock!
You check the ward?
Like walking through a vegetable patch.
Hey.
Sweetheart? Sweetheart? You've been in a coma for a long time.
But everything's gonna be fine.
Listen to my voice. You were in a terrible accident.
- Let's go. - It's okay, Sara.
Six years is a long time.
We're transferring you over to our neuroscience wing.
What was that?
Thank you.
I felt like I knew you guys.
- Ew. - You don't just walk in.
Last time I talked to him...
Hey, guys.
Sorry, but the power outage messed up the machine. We can only take cash.
What's cash?
There's an ATM at the liquor store around the corner on Peachtree.
No, it's cool. Seriously.
We'll just hop on over to the bank and... No, really, it's no problem.
No, no. One of you has to stay.
- Run! - Oh, no!
Great.
...after us.
- I'm trying. I have heels. - Come on. Hurry.
Forget something?
- You kidding me? Give me... - Nuh-uh.
Pay up or get a new crusty bag.
Or how about I tell your manager you stole it?
Chill. Chill.
What's going on, Archie and Veronica?
- Hey, stay out of this, man. - Nah, why don't you pay the girl?
Cody, I don't need you saving me.
Oh, no, I'm not saving you. I'm saving them.
Yeah, that's right. I'm doing you a favor.
'Cause Alia here, she will kick all your asses
before you can call your mama and daddy for help.
So what do you say you just give her some cash, huh?
For the register and for you.
Now, will you go to prom with me?
I really could've handled things. I didn't need your help.
I mean, I guess. You know, force of habit, whatever.
But it was awesome. We probably could've gotten more out of 'em.
I'm just glad they didn't get me fired.
So what if they did? You're not gonna need this much longer anyway.
- Really? - Yes. Really. Check it.
Now look.
Gus' friend Stevie is selling this bad boy for only 1,700 bucks.
The only way to get to LA is to look LA.
Yeah, that and $3,200,
which we currently have 2,673.
So, best-case scenario,
I say we leave in... I don't know, ten weeks?
Someone else is gonna nab it by then.
Well, then we'll wait for the next one.
- Oh, my God. - We need an actual plan.
Why you always wanna wait?
I just want the timing to be right.
It's never gonna be right.
But it'll be a start.
Hello?
That's really good.
- Give me a squeeze. - Mom.
Mama.
It's me.
Alia?
- What's wrong with her? - She doesn't...
- She doesn't even recognize me. - Hey, come here. Let me talk to you.
This confusion, this memory loss, it's normal.
But she's speaking. Let's take that as a good sign.
It's actually kind of miraculous.
Miraculous.
When your mother was brought in six years ago,
you can see here that the damage was irreversible.
And over here, you can see... some of that damage has been repaired.
You mean she's gonna be okay?
I mean, I've never seen anything like this, but...
Be straight with me. What kind of recovery are we looking at? How long?
Alia, listen. The brain,
sometimes it has the ability to rewire itself.
Make the call now. - But it could be months before you even...
I need to make a call.
Okay, Sara. Who?
I need to make a call.
Who do you need to call?
Got a number?
404-555-0169.
Hello?
Who are you trying to call?
- Mom? - Alia...
Memory is a complicated thing. Just take it one day at a time.
And today is a good day. Let's start there. Your mother's back.
Ho, ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmakwanzakah!
Oh, my God. The new EV3 kit? Thank you, Mama!
You betcha, Bubba-diddle. Who knew my baby was such a nerd?
Hey. You got the videos I sent.
Hi. Yes. -Wow. Wow.
They help. Thanks.
So, it's time for your assessment.
Let's get you ready. Okay, hon?
Now, where did I put your shoes?
You left them under the chair next to the window.
Do you see them?
You speak Spanish?
I guess.
Excellent, Sara. I'm gonna take it up a notch, all right?
Green.
Angry.
Twenty-seven.
Man, woman, boy, girl.
That's correct. But what is their relationship to one another?
Father, mother...
I got a perfect score on the JFK Coma Recovery Scale and the Glasgow.
That's more than enough to release me to outpatient care.
Sara, you've made a truly miraculous recovery.
We are just trying to understand why,
when there is so much that is coming back to you, there are certain... gaps.
You said that being around family
exercises circuits in the brain responsible for long-term memories.
Let me go home with... my daughter.
Maybe then... I'll start remembering.
It's not like our old place, but I kinda rely on tips for rent, you know?
Do you have a father?
Well, that's kinda how babies are made.
I know how babies are made, Alia.
Sorry. Right.
I mean... I never knew him.
It's always just been the two of us. We liked it that way.
I upset you.
It's nothing.
So, are you sure you're ready to leave?
I mean, Dr. Koh is only trying to help you.
She's done everything she can.
I just want you to get better. Seriously, what's the rush?
I just can't be in here anymore. I'm going for a swim.
She's not my mom. Like, she's there, but she's not.
I thought I was gonna have to give my own mother the birds and the bees talk.
And then earlier, she spoke freakin' Spanish.
She spoke Spanish?
Yeah, which isn't half as weird as her calling me "Alia."
- I... - She never called me by my name.
It was always some new pet name.
Like, before the accident, she was stuck on "Junebug."
Alia, can I say something?
Her memories aren't the answer.
They're not?
Even if they all came back today, you would still be total strangers.
Think about it.
Aren't you a completely different person today than you were six years ago?
What you're feeling, it's not a medical issue.
It's about two humans getting to know each other again.
Helps, doesn't it? The water.
After what you've been through,
it's manna from heaven for those stiff joints, isn't it?
I thought that was you in the cafeteria.
Yeah, I got your call.
Then what took you so long?
Of course I checked for Stone. That was the first thing I did.
Think if they had one on record, I'd be holding back?
Hey, Mom.
Dr. Koh said your discharge papers will be ready in the morning.
I'll come get you then.
Alia, this is Wayne. He's...
I'm an old pal of your mom's.
Are you from the dance company?
No. No, from the same hometown.
Chicago? You don't sound like it.
Well, thank you, young lady. I worked overtime to lose that accent.
It's cool of you to stop by. How long are you in town for?
Depends on work.
Maybe we can all get together before you leave?
I'd love to learn more about my mom when she was my age.
Well, I'll come armed with many an embarrassing tale then.
See you at 9:00, 'kay?
Sharp little lady you got there.
She gonna be a problem?
Nothing I can't handle.
So, pretty crappy, but it's only temporary.
At least that's the plan anyway.
Sorry it's... so...
It's okay.
Just... Don't you have school or something?
No, I already graduated.
Are you hungry? I made some pimento cheese sandwiches.
Your go-to recipe. Your only recipe, actually. You weren't much of a cook.
Sit.
- Or maybe I'm the bad cook? - No, it's just really... strong.
- Do you mean... spicy? - Yes. Spicy.
Sorry. You kinda used to drown everything in hot sauce.
- Let me make you something else. - It's okay. I'm not hungry.
But I could use a nap.
I made up the bedroom for you.
I'll sleep on the couch until we figure out what's next.
U-235 is enriched to one to three percent...
and used inside the nuclear fission process.
Inside the process...
U-235 is enriched to one to three percent to be used in nuclear fuel bundles
to moderate the fission process.
A slow-moving neutron bombards the U-235 atom causing the atom to split.
She was a dancer, not a freakin' nuclear physicist.
I mean, she made a whole point of it.
I was the smart one. She was the fun one. It was her shtick.
Hear me out. When she got into the car accident,
do you know where she was going, what she was doing?
She was getting takeout.
Well, that's what she said.
Cody, stop.
All I'm saying is, parents hide stuff from their kids.
Like my dad. "Business trip" was code for
"I have a whole 'nother family I like more than you."
And then he bounced for good.
My mom's not like that.
Look, I'm just trying to protect you.
Like, last time you saw her, what, you were 12?
What did you really know?
Maybe when she got hit by the car, she was getting takeout.
Or maybe it was something else.
That's crazy. Her brain is just fried. All I gotta do is get her to remember.
What is this?
A tasting menu.
Sit.
I've been going about things all the wrong way.
Trying to force you to remember who you were before is way too much pressure.
I feel like Mrs. Danvers, and I'm sorry.
Mrs. Danvers?
The creepy housekeeper from...
Look, instead of fixating on old memories, we should work on making new ones.
So we can get to know who we both are now.
Hi. I'm Alia Jordan.
Eighteen years old, Virgo, INTJ. Ravenclaw.
I like to know how things work.
I like dragonflies and home makeover shows.
Big, huge fan of Drake.
Sara.
I don't know what I like.
Well, then dig in. You got your basic food groups.
You got your spaghetti, pizza, PB and J, pancakes, cookies, hot dogs.
Tater tots.
- This is good. - Yeah, no. I'm not buying that.
Try this.
Wait. You liked that.
- No. - Take another bite.
Fine. It's really good.
It's the gateway meat. No one can argue with bacon.
Plus, it goes really good with pancakes if you wanna just blend it all together.
Look, this is wonderful, but I have to get to my coma support group.
You're... in a support group?
Yes.
I thought it could help.
Yeah. That's... That's great.
Okay, well, I should throw this in the fridge and get ready for work.
Maybe we can have dinner with your friend Wayne.
I get free food at the diner.
He called. He had to leave town early. Work stuff.
Damn. Okay.
- Are you sure you'll be fine alone? - Yes. I've got the train schedule.
Thanks for this, Alia. This was so nice for you to do.
Yeah. Of course.
What if we went to see your old dance company?
What?
They're rehearsing, like, for a new show, and we used to go and watch.
I bet they'd still let us.
And, well, it could be good for us to go out together.
Right?
Got a lead we need to check out.
This is the place?
Yep.
It's not going to be easy.
That's what I got you for.
Hey!
You made it.
Never thought we'd be here again.
Do you mind?
I'm excited.
The dancers, they were, like, free and connected at the same time.
I didn't know bodies could do that. Mine feels like a trap.
Well, your body used to do that. Maybe it can again someday.
What about you? Do you dance?
No, no. You do not wanna see me dance. I'm a freak show.
I'm glad we went.
It's the most beautiful thing I've seen here, since I woke up.
What is it?
Someone's in there. I can hear 'em.
- How do you know? - Just stand behind me.
Keys.
Jesus, Cody. What are you doing here? What the hell happened?
You would know if you answered your phone. Where were you?
Cody, this is Sara... my mom.
This is Cody.
Hi. Nice to finally meet you, ma'am.
Now are you gonna tell me what the hell happened?
I'll give you some privacy.
Hey, look, we gotta get outta town.
What? What the hell did you do? What the hell happened?
I was just trying to make some money for the car, okay?
What did you do?
I was selling weed for a guy, no big deal.
Well, it is now. Who jumped you?
I don't know. But they took it all, and it was a lot.
Alia, I'm never gonna be able to pay him back. We gotta go.
This guy, Jasper, if I don't get his money,
I don't know what he's gonna do.
- What about this? - It's not enough.
And I'm not taking it from you. We need it. LA, no more winters.
Cody, I can't leave my mom.
- You mean Jason Bourne? - Stop it.
I'm sorry, but something is wrong with her.
You know, I'm the one who's been in your corner.
I could really use you in mine.
Cody, please.
Are you really gonna make me choose right now?
'Cause you know I can't.
Then I'll make it easy on you.
Why are you looking at me like that?
Yep, I'm underage and I get drunk. This is me.
I'm trying to understand.
You care about that guy,
but you don't wanna leave with him, even if I wasn't around.
You were listening?
Look, you have no idea what I've been through.
Cody, he knows me. He gets me.
I'm sorry for eavesdropping.
It's fine. Just...
I'm not who you think I am. Not anymore.
I don't think anything.
I'm not the girl with all those plans in those videos.
I lied when I said I graduated.
I was on scholarship at St. Alban's.
Like, best damn school in the state.
But I got kicked out.
Why?
'Cause I was alone and angry,
and there were lots of rich kids at school to jack their rich-kid stuff.
And Cody...
took the blame for me.
Said I was the one with the future. But I kept doing it.
Probably not what you expected when you gave up your whole life
so your genius daughter could go to college.
I know you don't think I understand what you went through,
and I can't, not really...
I know what it's like to be alone.
I know how far loneliness goes.
Is that what it was like to be in a coma?
Or... was there something before?
Something you never told me?
Let's just say...
before you came into my life, I was a bit of a loner.
But just because you're alone doesn't mean you should cling to the wrong person.
So now you know Cody is wrong for me?
I mean, he's wrong if he's driving you away from the girl with the plan.
The plan is a bust. I'm not gonna become some brilliant mechanical engineer.
I don't know about that. You said you're the one with the brains.
You'll figure it out. It's not written in the stars.
You're in control.
Not Cody...
Not anyone.
Thanks, Mom.
This episode is brought to you by Cloudspun.
Cloudspun was created with one goal in mind:
deliver a great night's sleep at an amazing price.
Okay. Where you going?
Wayne?
- Yeah? - Does Wayne Wilkes live here?
You're looking for Wayne?
He said he was a friend of my mom's. From Chicago.
Chicago?
He lived here in Anniston his whole damn life.
You're sure?
We grew up together. Prom king and queen, '95.
I knew him like a fish knows water.
Till he fell off that ladder fixing the roof.
He hit his head, split it nearly clean open.
Went right into a coma.
Wait, he was in a coma?
Yep. They told me he was brain-dead, a vegetable.
But I still visited him every day.
And then, five months later, outta the blue, he just woke up.
It was a miracle. Except for one thing.
- Yeah? - He woke up... different.
Different? Different how?
Different in that he wasn't him.
Started talking in his sleep,
nonsense about math equations, stuff he never knew or cared about before.
He just wasn't Wayne.
My Wayne, he loved me.
This Wayne...
This Wayne what?
He wasn't back two weeks before he ran off with some bitch he picked up at a bar.
Lexa. Lexi. I don't know.
Look, that woman, Lexa? Lexi? Do you know anything else about her?
Nope. No idea.
Of course I checked for Stone. That was the first thing I did.
Alexandra.
Alexandra. Alexandra Stone.
You got anything?
They're transferring her.
Tonight.
That's it, then. That's our chance.
Time to do your thing.
What were you doing at the CDC when she was caught?
Gathering information, same as always.
That's all over now. This program's been compromised.
We get her and we go. They're moving her tonight.
It's too soon. I can't access it all yet. I'm not strong enough.
Nah, that ain't it. It's the girl.
Look, I get it. You know I had a wife.
And I know what we do is... complicated.
These feelings, you can't just shut 'em off, but...
you have to.
Where were you?
Support group.
And then...
I went to the Legacy Mutual office for a while.
Here.
You took out a life insurance policy? Why would you do that?
Unexpected things happen, Alia, and I want you to be okay...
in case something were to happen to me.
Like if you were to suddenly, I don't know, disappear maybe?
I know about Wayne.
He didn't leave town. I saw you hop into his truck.
Alia.
You've been lying to me.
You know things you shouldn't. You're like a freakin' ham radio in your sleep.
What is it? What's happening, Mom?
- Just tell me. - Listen to me, Alia.
That woman that you keep hoping will walk back through that door is gone.
The coma, it changed things. I'm sorry, but it did.
And she isn't coming back. You understand?
I don't understand a thing.
Well, I'm really sorry. But I just need you to accept it and move on.
Move on?
You're grown up. You don't really need a mother.
You're right.
I don't.
I can take care of myself. Been doing it a long time.
Alia? What the hell?
Let's do it. Let's go. Can we still get that car?
Slow down. What? What about your mom?
I thought she was your ride-or-die now.
You were right. She was lying.
I was so stupid to think that things would go back to the way they were.
Well, what happened?
It doesn't matter. None of it. I was better off before.
Hey, look, I'm sorry. It's all right. It's okay.
You hear me? It's gonna be okay.
Let's get that car. No more winters.
Told you not to get attached.
No hostiles present.
Package secure.
Proceed on current route to appointed rendezvous.
Be alert.
Roger that.
We'll make contact when the package is transferred.
They're on the move. Good. Let's engage.
Go! Move, move!
Stay where you are! Put your hands over your head!
Only a few minutes. We'll be outta here with the 9:00 news.
You okay?
They gave me something. This body's not responding well to it.
The broadcast is going live. Now.
Okay, we only got a window of a few minutes, and once it closes, we're stuck.
So, ladies first.
What happened to no attachments?
You know I meant people from this world.
Potato, potahto.
I'll see you on the other side.
Quickly. You can't survive long in this atmosphere.
She's not breathing.
What happens is what was always gonna happen. You knew this.
But this body, it was alive when I came here.
Barely.
These casings were nothing more than empty vessels
being kept alive by people who couldn't let 'em go.
That's why we chose them.
Come on. Let's get back to where we belong.
No.
What are you doing?
They can only receive us for maybe another two minutes.
I'm not stopping you.
You're not Sara. You're not a mom.
The girl will figure it out eventually. So stop pretending and come home.
Maybe I don't wanna do what I do anymore.
You know we can't leave a trace. It's against the rules.
It's why they sent you.
I'm... staying.
We don't have time for this. We gotta go.
No.
They're never gonna leave you alone. You know that, right?
You stay here, they're gonna come for you and the girl.
Then tell them they'll have a fight on their hands.
Sara, we are outta time!
Son of a bitch.
I thought you said you knew the numbers.
I do. Just hold on.
We gotta go. Come on!
Hey!
This your girlfriend, bro?
Yeah. Who are you?
I'm the guy that your boyfriend owes money to.
Come on, man. What the hell?
How 'bout you bring that bag over here? Now!
Leave her alone.
What the hell?
You aren't my mom, are you?
Alia...
Mom. Mom, hold on, please. Hold on. Please, please, hold on.
I'm so sorry, Alia.
No, please. Please don't leave me. Don't leave me. Don't leave me.
Please. Inside, there's paddles. In the glass. Go get them.
Alia.
No.
No. No.
Okay.
Okay. Okay.
Come on.
- I don't think it's gonna work. - No!
Junebug?
Mom.
What's going on?
Mom.
Mommy.
Patriots, Eagles. Patriots, Broncos. Patriots, Seahawks.
Ron and Hermione.
Okay, that was way before your accident.
Okay. Don't judge. I was only on book four.
Can you sign this?
My application for me to repeat my senior year at public school.
- It's not exactly St. Alban's, but... - Hey.
You are more today than I could have ever dreamed of.
Thanks, Mom.
When was this?
At rehearsals. A few weeks ago.
What were they putting on? And did I like it?
It was Return to a Strange Land.
And yeah, you loved it.