[mysterious music playing]
[static warbling]
[boy] Hey, Mom, why do these cookies taste so good?
[announcer] Kids, they're made with lard.
♪ Legum Lard
[boy] Boy, that's crisp.
[announcer] Cunningham Spray Starch,
for shirts as crisp as the bacon he brings home.
[man] Anthony.
[static buzzing]
[music playing on radio]
[upbeat music playing on radio]
[vehicle approaching]
[grunts softly]
[man] Anthony.
- [Anthony] Mr. Banner. - [chuckles]
- How are things? - Copacetic, Mr. Banner.
Copacetic.
Little something for the wifey?
[Anthony] Yeah, I just stopped off.
So how does the missus like my neighborhood?
- Oh, she's on cloud nine. - Ah...
[exclaims]
Whoo-hoo! Oh...
[Anthony] It's... it's sleek.
She's quite a possession.
She is.
Uh, Mr. Banner,
I probably shouldn't keep, uh, Joanne waiting.
- Mm-hm. - Excuse me.
Alright...
[bird squawking]
[door opens]
[Anthony] Hi, doll.
[Joanne] What took you so long?
Frederick... Banner.
[sighs]
He cornered me again.
He's off.
I caught him staring at me while I was in the garden the other day.
What?!
Joanne, I said I didn't want you to speak to him.
Seriously.
- How was your day? - It was okay.
I wish I was out and about like you, having adventures.
- I did get you something. - You shouldn't have.
[exhales] Did you get me a new drill to fix the dishwasher?
- No... - [package rattles]
You got me books.
Did you find a copy of the Naked Lunch?
Open it.
Nope.
Undies.
[laughs]
Come on, Joanne, don't be a wet rag.
Go put 'em on.
Am I just here for your amusement?
Sometimes.
[Joanne laughs]
[bottle sprays]
Margie Grady said the new pulp novel by Robert Bloch was good.
[whimsical music playing]
You're gonna like what you see!
♪ This is where you belong
♪ Here I have the keys
What are you doing here?
You and Anthony look so happy together.
I admit, I haven't felt like that since my Alice passed.
[tense music playing]
You sure do look lovely, Joanne.
Anthony!
Lower your voice, please.
- Don't make me take off my belt. - [belt unbuckles]
Anthony!
[mysterious music playing]
[narrator] These are the first of the Banner homes.
Built in the late 50s by architectural icon Frederick Banner.
Beautiful on the outside,
but step inside and the picture darkens.
[phone chimes]
[sniffs]
You smell nice tonight, Alice.
Two COVID patients, two cardiac patients.
Prepare for a long night.
- [pager bleeping] - [man on PA] Paging Doctor Volker.
Don't go anywhere.
[woman on PA indistinct]
[phone chimes]
[woman on TV] Keep your eyes on clear skies tonight
for this lunar event that hasn't been visible for decades.
The National Weather Service says that tonight
the Southland will be able to witness
a rare lunar eclipse of the blood wolf moon.
Your place is amazing.
You know, Frederick Banner inspired me
to study architecture.
Alice might have mentioned that.
[laughing]
[laughs]
You never thought about going into medicine, Tom?
Oh, he faints at the sight of blood.
Mm. I couldn't stare death square in the face.
Not like you superheroes.
So, Tom, you're thinking of, uh, relocating your practice?
We're still working out the details.
But if I had to be stuck in a house...
we could do worse than this.
- Cheers. - [Alice] Cheers.
[glasses clink]
[woman] We're so glad you could stop by.
It's not often we get to have docs try out ER call.
[man] Get a good nap in.
It's gonna be busy tonight with a full moon.
[exhales] Thank you.
- Good to see you! - So good to see you, too.
- Buy, guys. - Pleasure. Okay.
Put yourself in my shoes.
I don't know, they don't look comfortable.
[laughs]
- You insisted I wear them. - Mm-hm.
Mm.
Kerri and Hal are sweet and this job's perfect.
And the firm's finally taking off.
Six years of work out the window.
And Beverly Gordon will be thrilled.
[birds squawking]
[Alice] I know how hard you worked and you can do that here.
I work harder just to be taken seriously.
Hey, believe me, I want you far, far away from that creep.
Okay?
Maybe this is our opportunity
to start a family.
I trained for a decade,
became an expert in the middle of a pandemic,
all while getting nasty looks from wrinkled, White,
thirsty docs who were more interested in my heels
- than in what I was saying. - Mm.
So, right now, I'm not dropping everything to change diapers.
Can you think about me too, honey?
I mean...
[car door opens]
[door closes]
Damn it.
Alright.
[Alice] It's this one here.
What?
See? I'm always thinking of you.
You're right and I'm so sorry.
I've just been under a lot of pressure lately.
Pull an all-nighter, I won't be here to bother you.
- Okay. - Okay.
Right here. Thank you.
- You're welcome. - Let's go check it out.
Okay.
[alarm beeping]
Wow. [chuckles]
- Here? - Yeah.
Oh, uh, alarm code's star 237.
- Star 237. - Yes.
[alarm blaring]
- Star 237. Got it. - [alarm stops]
Got a note.
"Welcome to your home away from home.
This modest dwelling was one of the first built
by architect and builder Frederick Banner in 1955."
- What? - [laughs]
"Please make yourself comfortable and enjoy Saturday's eclipse.
Call with any questions. Eldridge."
Frederick Banner. This is killer.
- [both chuckle] - Oh, my God.
"After shuffling off this mortal coil my temple remains.
Frederick Banner."
It's a bit extra.
Frederick Banner.
Whoa.
Dude's temple isn't the only thing that remains.
You'll love that.
- [sniffs] Ooh! - That's the good stuff.
[mysterious music playing]
[Alice] This is a mood.
- [Tom] Yeah, it is. - [Alice] Mm-hm.
That's an Emil Larson.
- Oh. - Mm.
Maybe we put a bedsheet over it?
[needle hits]
[whimsical music playing]
♪ This is where you belong
♪ Here I have the keys
♪ Step into your new home
♪ I'll care for all your needs ♪
♪ This is where you belong
♪ It's where our life will begin ♪
Okay.
[birds chirping]
[life support machine beeping]
[woman] Hi, my sweet baby.
Mommy loves you so much.
I'm-I'm gonna be home soon. Okay?
I just wanna see my family.
Do you think...
[breathes deeply]
...I'll see them again?
Somewhere else, do you believe in that?
[Alice] I don't know, Marley.
[rapid beeping]
[gasps] Mm...
You mean you didn't hear me?
- Mm-mm. - Mm-hm.
- There you go. - Thank you.
Thank you for this.
I don't know, do you think I can really create something truly iconic?
If we're talking about your bartending skills, then, yes.
Yeah.
[laughs]
Look, the mid-century was great.
I think I just missed my time.
Don't go there with that shit.
No, no, no. I'm talking about the style.
Real talk, this reminds me of my gram's photos from in the day.
She would have been redlined right out of this neighborhood, you know.
But go ahead and be the man of the house she cleaned.
Light up a Pall Mall, sip some bourbon--
Okay, real talk. I didn't mean it that way.
You can go live in any time, but you can't bring me.
Which is exactly why I'm staying right here, honey.
[bang on window]
- [softly] Jesus. - [softly] Oh, my God.
[normal voice] It came from outside.
[tense music playing]
Ah, hell.
Poor bird.
Hand me the shovel.
[Tom] A shovel?
Yeah.
[bird chirps]
[exhales]
I can't believe you killed that bird.
The window killed it,
I just shuffled it off the mortal coil.
[Tom] See that?
[Alice] Do you think he's watching us
in a lounge chair in the Caribbean?
Ooh...
Yeah, yeah. Um...
Let's definitely not skinny dip.
[jazz music playing on record player]
- Mm, wait. - What, what, what?
Wait, wait, wait. [laughs]
Are you gonna move here if I get it?
Um... can it be a Banner home?
Just not this one.
- Sold. - Deal.
[laughs]
- [Tom] I love this place. - [Alice] I'm glad.
Mm.
I'm glad you're here.
I still can't get over the way
you straight up murdered that bird.
[both laughing]
Death doesn't faze me.
I see it every day.
The real struggle is living
with people that don't respect me.
Well, I respect you.
I've been there for a lot of people at the end.
They just wanted to be seen and to feel safe.
Taking this job would make me feel safe.
Well, let's hope they offer it to you.
- I'm not saying take the L. - Mm.
Maybe this is a fresh start for you, too?
Maybe.
- [chuckles] Order food. - Yes, Doctor.
- Doesn't get old. - I know it doesn't.
- Say it again. - Yes, Doctor.
- Okay. [laughs] - Okay. [laughs]
[mysterious music playing]
[coughs] [laughs]
[doorbell rings]
Hey...
Oh, hey, you're not the regular dude.
No. No, um...
We're just renting it for the weekend.
Hey, uh, so Eldridge is a regular, huh?
Regular? [laughs]
Yeah. Normal, not so much, bro.
Okay, uh... [chuckles]
What's so strange about him?
Just the way he looks at me.
I can't put it into words, man. But I'm telling you bro, like--
Sleep with one eye open.
Okay, I'll tell him you said hi.
Bon appetite. [laughs]
[jazz music playing on record player]
- Hello. - Hello. Thank you.
You're welcome.
Let's build a fire tomorrow night.
Crack open one of Eldridge's bottles
and watch this eclipse everyone keeps talking about.
[laughs]
You're really taking his
"make yourself comfortable" seriously.
Mm.
[dog barking in distance]
[upbeat music playing on radio]
[tire punctures]
[mysterious music playing]
[crickets chirping]
A fucking flat?
[man] Eldridge?
[groaning]
[Eldridge] No one can know.
[Alice] Will you look around for new places for sale?
Is there something you wanna say?
[Tom sighs]
Hey...
Honey...
Oh, come on, you don't have to be at the hospital until 7:00.
Hey, I didn't say no.
There's just...
[sighs]
There's a lot to consider, you know.
Grams used to say, "Love is showing up and sticking around."
Hey...
I...
Show up and stick around.
[door opens, closes]
[door locks]
[door creaks]
[tense music playing]
[door creaks]
Hello?
Wow...
Jesus.
Frederick Banner.
[tense music sting]
[door opens, closes]
[Kerri] Was San Diego worse than here?
I held a lot of hands in their final minutes.
[Kerri] Hm.
But the hard part was our Head of Trauma.
[woman on PA indistinct]
Couldn't keep his hands off me.
- [exhales] - Yeah.
We've all been there. But honestly not at this job.
Would that affect your decision?
[sighs]
Tom would rather me start a family than work.
[chuckles] Hal, too.
He's been trying to get me pregnant,
but I have lupus.
Sticking up for yourself in a relationship never feels good.
Yeah. I mean, Hal comes from a dysfunctional family
- and wants a "do over". - Mm.
And he's convinced himself
that we both want the same thing.
You have family?
Mine passed.
Uh, but Tom has family in Arizona.
Mm.
How's the Banner house?
I mean, Hal thought that would, you know, convince Tom.
Uh, no, the home rent thing worked out great.
It's perfect for Tom.
'Course I'd be more comfortable pretending it's not 1955.
No! [laughs] I mean, I sure as shit don't wanna go back.
- [laughs] - I am way too into my birth control pill.
[laughs] Yeah.
[owl hooting]
[mysterious music playing]
"The missing husbands of Mandarin."
[typing on phone]
[mysterious music continues]
[woman on phone] I'm leaving any minute now.
[Tom] Yeah, I figured you'd still be there.
[woman on phone] Beverly Gordon has called twice.
Listen... I need a favor.
Are you procrastinating or did you miss me?
If I tell you I miss you will you do me the favor?
I need you to look for a book
with the orange binding.
You're procrastinating.
Why can't we just Wikipedia him like normal people?
I did. A lot was missing.
Beverly Gordon is going to kill you
if you don't finish her plans.
The Strange Life of Frederick Banner.
Yes. Yes, yes, yes, that's it.
Now I remember there being, um,
a lot of photos of Banner in his home.
There are a lot of photos in front of houses.
Okay. Well, look for a photo
of him standing in front of an old Ford Thunderbird.
[woman on phone] This is probably it.
What's the address of the house?
[woman] 1960 Marion Lane.
I knew it.
I'm in his actual house.
[chuckles]
What's it like?
Well, it's like stepping back in time.
Only... smaller than I thought, but lived in.
Probably died in, too.
Flip to the table of contents.
I-I remember reading years ago that Banner
was obsessed with the occult.
You don't pay me enough
to read the whole goddamn book
on a Friday night.
Hannah, Just find the chapter
and what was so strange about the dude.
Okay, um... His wife Alice
disappeared under mysterious circumstances in 1958.
- Her name was Alice? - Looks like it.
Uh, rumors he was polygamist.
He was technically married twice.
Second time to a Joanne Waxtan-Banner until his death in '83.
How did Banner die?
Um, at home.
His wife died from a heart attack a month later in the same house.
His young son went into foster care.
A chunk of this is about Emil Larson
and his influence on Banner.
Well, Larson looks super sketch.
You should see his paintings. [chuckles]
Contemporaries said Larson and Banner
started a secret society, The Brotherhood of the Orange King.
Blah, blah, blah. Some garbage called "human transmutation".
"To bring forth an immortal being."
[laughs] Look...
These guys were obviously bananas.
Can I go now?
No. Um, um... Send me all the photographs
in that book of Banner with women. Okay?
[groans] I'm missing happy hour.
Well, in a few minutes you can bounce.
How's it going? You kill Alice yet?
I think they're gonna offer her the job.
So...
what do that mean for us?
Well...
I guess I have to consider
becoming a Mandarin County housewife.
Want a change of scenery?
I thought things weren't going well between you two?
Sometimes you have to make sacrifices.
Sounds like you're done with me.
Finish the Gordon project.
[dial tone]
[phone hangs up]
[mysterious music playing]
[exhales]
Multiple wives, multiple lives.
Eldridge.
Marie Verdin.
[sighs]
[tense music playing]
Prep bay five. Grab two units of O negative.
Patient found in vehicle with multiple stab wounds to the neck and abdomen.
- Total blood loss? - There were two liters left
- on the floor of the ambulance. - Let's move.
[monitors beeping]
He's lost too much blood.
The dude said, "No one can know"...
[mutters]
[flatline sound]
[crickets chirping]
[Beverly] Oh, a seamless integration of indoor and outdoor space.
I see you were inspired by Frederick Banner.
That's right, Ms. Gordon.
Banner Homes are built for entertaining.
[Beverly] Yes, well, I'm looking for something
that lasts for more than just a handful of parties.
I need something that will last for decades.
An iconic home, that generations from now
will stand out as a true achievement.
Mr. Levin, I motivate people for a living.
Clearly you knew what you were getting into.
[exhales] I appreciate your patience, ma'am.
Maybe I'm just, uh, the wrong guy for the job.
Don't give me that. Now you haven't lived
until you've created something that will last.
Ms. Gordon, we would be more than happy to reassess the property.
[chuckles]
Were you really under the impression
I was spending ten million dollars
to have a place to stuff my furniture?
Look at your initial proposal.
And read the Warhol quote you included!
"The idea isn't to live forever,
but to create something that will."
You feel me?
[tense music playing]
Oh, I must be losing my shit.
[chuckles]
Oh, what the fuck?!
[exhales]
Hi, this is Dr. Alice Dodgeson.
If this is a medical emergency please hang up and dial 911.
[answering machine beeps]
[phone vibrating]
I'm gone. Headed to the Gaslamp.
Hey, look... [sighs]
I just wanted to apologize.
You sounded mad.
So this is just a job for me?
Hannah...
I think we have a great working relationship.
And so what I'm trying to say--
Think about someone besides yourself for once.
I think I saw someone in this house.
[Hannah on phone] I've got two martinis waiting.
[phone clicks off]
[sighs]
[crickets chirping]
I noticed your tire's low.
I know that it's low. Thanks.
No one can know.
Excuse me?
[yelping]
[screaming]
[arms flailing against seat]
[phone vibrating]
Alice.
Kerri told me about that patient.
I'm so sorry.
Thanks.
Hasn't been an easy night...
but I've seen worse.
Yeah, me too.
Look, I hope you consider staying with us.
Could really use you around here.
Thanks, Hal.
[clears throat]
If you'll excuse me?
[mysterious music playing]
Do you live here?
I used to.
I've been waiting for someone like you.
[woman] There are multiple stab wounds to the abdomen.
[woman 2] Knife?
No.
Puncture wounds, see...
by two fine points.
Are we talking vampires, Doc?
Not a thirsty one.
He was covered in blood.
Um... is there any ink in the wounds?
Um...
Let's wait for the labs.
Looks like a painful way to go.
[female officer] Alright, thank you so much.
Mm-hm.
[door opens]
[door closes]
Oh...
[whimsical music playing]
♪ This is where you belong
♪ Here I have the keys
♪ Step into your new home
♪ I'll care for all your needs ♪
♪ This is where you belong
♪ It's where our life will begin ♪
[door creaks]
♪ Whenever you're by my side
♪ You'll never...
[music stops]
[tense music playing]
Jesus!
I've been waiting for someone like you.
Aurantiaco Rex.
By Emil Larsen.
[Emil] The mid-century modern home
is built so that no one even can see beyond the walls.
You want me to dig a hole?
[scoffs]
- [music lyrics indistinct] - [man choking]
Frederick!
[choking]
♪ The perfect life we have built ♪
Goodbye, Graham.
[groans]
Where's my damn phone?
[dial tone]
[rotary phone whirrs]
[line ringing]
[woman] 911, what's the nature of your emergency?
Um, hi... Uh...
I-I don't know if it's an emergency
but I-I really would like to talk to someone.
What's the nature of your emergency?
I think I found some human remains.
Hello?
Hello?!
[static screeching]
[dial tone]
His last words were,
"Dude said no one could know."
Do you think the dude he was referring to was your husband?
I don't think so.
It was probably just a coincidence.
We don't believe in coincidences.
Tell us about your husband, ma'am.
Doctor.
He's an architect.
We've been married three years.
[male officer] Is your husband a violent man?
No.
You two getting along okay?
Mm-hm.
[siren blaring in distance]
Will you check in on Tom?
I'm kinda worried about him.
You bet.
[Officer Dorado] If you have any concerns, don't hesitate to call.
Thank you.
[mysterious music playing]
[Frederick] Don't make me take off my belt.
Anthony!
[Tom gasping]
[grunts]
[belt rattles]
[dramatic musical sting]
[grunts]
This asshole's never giving our cleaning deposit back.
- Peek-a-boo! - [Marie giggles]
Let's see who can get a taller one.
Hey, buckaroo!
[laughs]
Look, you're finally wearing the dress
and it looks quite lovely on you.
I'll be staying for dinner.
Did you get the chops I sent over?
You know, I bought that dress for my Alice more than 20 years ago.
Mm-hm.
Hey, hey.
Oh, I got your nose!
[both laughing]
[Frederick] Have you been a good boy this week?
[upbeat music playing]
[Frederick laughs]
What about you Marie? Have you been a good girl?
[chopping]
Considering the circumstances.
Such as... this house, which I bought and paid for,
the groceries, the diapers that are delivered to you seven days a week.
You might wanna be a little careful.
I'll get the impression that you're not very grateful.
Please try not to overcook the chops.
Otherwise, I'm gonna have to dine at Joanne's.
I hope you're not jealous of her.
You know, Joanne... [sighs]
she's not very good at keeping a clean house.
Or keeping secrets.
[clicks tongue] If I were you,
I wouldn't be sharing anything with her
that, well, unless you want the whole neighborhood to know about it.
I didn't say anything to her.
If you truly believe what Joanne says you believe,
well, you really should notify the authorities.
You look like you've seen a ghost.
- Oh! - [knife rattles]
Why did you do that?
Hm?
Everything was perfect.
Just like I imagined.
My orange queen.
Please. Please. Please.
I'm afraid we're gonna spoil this dress.
I took Graham, now I'm taking Eldridge.
- [gags] - [knife slices]
[upbeat music playing]
[tense music playing]
- Hm. - [Eldridge mutters]
Shh. Mommy's sleeping.
[retching]
- [breathing heavily] - [knocking on door]
[tense music playing]
[Tom] Eldridge?
You never left.
[exhales]
[phone rattles]
[whispering] Come on, come on...
[woman] 911, what's the nature of your emergency?
Hello, 911.
[whispering] Yes, uh, please send a car to 1960 Marion Lane,
Mandarin, California.
I'm sorry, I can't hear you. Can you speak up?
[quietly] Can you hear me?
[door opens]
[tense music playing]
[house alarm blaring]
[grunts]
[keys beeping]
[alarm stops]
[man on dispatch] Car 22, we have reports of a 911 call from 1960 Marion Lane.
Copy that. On our way.
Down the road from our 419.
I hate coincidences.
[engine starts]
[doorbell rings]
[Eldridge] Oh, fuck.
Evening, sir. I'm Sergeant Choe.
We received a 911 call from this address.
You know I...
I think I accidentally knocked the phone off the hook.
I probably autodialed you.
[Officer Dorado] What's your name, sir?
Eldridge Banner.
Oh. Hey, Mr. Banner.
We didn't realize you lived here.
Do you rent this home on Home Rentz?
You know, the Mandarin police just keep getting prettier.
Well, Mr. Banner, uh,
there seems to have been a big mix up.
We were told there was a Tom Levin at this address.
No, I think you're mistaken.
Did you order any takeout tonight?
No, I cook.
Tonight was, uh, grass-fed liver with broad beans
paired with an '09 Amarone.
It was truly exquisite.
[inhales deeply]
[Sergeant Choe] That sounds delicious.
Got me hungry.
Are you sure there's no one else in here?
No sweetie, not a soul.
Would you mind if we come in and take a look around.
Uh, that won't be necessary.
Uh, we're really sorry to trouble you, Mr. Banner.
We'll be on our way.
No problem at all officers.
I'll see you at the, uh, next fundraiser.
- Yeah. - Alright.
Have a safe night.
[grunts]
Where the hell did this hole come from?
- [door closes] - Dude, what the hell was that?
He wrote a ten million dollar check to bail out the department.
Dude holds a lot of weight around here.
We have a witness and a delivery slip
that places our vic at this house.
What if Dodgeson faked the receipts?
- Or Banner's lying! - Come on.
Williams and Cryer can follow up with the restaurant owner.
[tense music playing]
Yo, hold on a sec.
What?
What is going on?
[Officer Dorado indistinct]
- [muffled shouting] - [car horn beeping]
Come on, if we hurry we can get some fried chicken wrapped tacos
before the drive-in closes.
[sighs] Fucking moron.
Don't even think about it.
I wanna see the footage from earlier.
[scoffs] You can run that by Chief Grady.
Are we gonna serve and protect or what?
The only thing I want served is a greasy fried taco.
Come on. Let's go.
[engine starts]
[car drives off]
[line trilling]
[sighs]
[cart wheeling]
[automated voice] Please, leave your message for 3-0-3-6-1-0...
[beep]
Hey. I'm worried.
Just let me know you're okay.
[phone clicks off]
[grunts]
Ah, shit.
[jazz music playing]
[grunts]
[chuckles]
I saw him kill you.
I-I felt like I...
like I was you.
[Marie] He welcomed us to the neighborhood with a smile.
And then one by one he took our husbands away.
He's still here.
Plotting his return.
Return?!
Come on, the dude's dead.
That won't stop him.
He's stuck in the house he died in.
Help me put an end to him.
I think I'm just gonna call an Uber
and introduce your son's face to this shovel.
I designed you. I built you.
You have a purpose.
I have a purpose.
[tense music playing]
[softly] Keep drinking, fuck face.
[breathing deeply]
[door creaks]
[car door opens, closes]
[car engine starts]
[car drives away]
[water dripping]
[door creaking]
[gasps]
[wolves howling]
[engine starts]
[elevator dings]
[phone ringing]
- Alice. - Hey.
I just submitted your recommendation.
Hm.
[exhales]
Thank God.
- I so need this. - I know. I know.
[exhales]
[tense music playing]
Tom?
Tom.
Tom?
[line trilling]
[automated voice indistinct]
Hey, it's me.
I had a tough night.
I need you to try and understand what it's like to be me.
How tough this move is for me, too.
And if you leave after I've asked you
to show up and stick around
it just tells me you're not invested in us.
[phone clicks off]
[muted dialogue]
She's not safe here.
[Tom] Can you warn her?
She doesn't believe in the hereafter.
I don't remember.
He drowned you.
[Tom] Show me how to stop him.
Nice police work.
[phone clicks]
[line trilling]
[Officer Dorado] Hey, Manny, um, I think I found the murder weapon.
It's an architectural bow compass.
What the hell's that?
It's a-- it's a metallic instrument.
Dual pointed. Architects use it.
[scoffs] So Levin or Banner?
Banner.
[Sergeant Choe] You got a motive?
I'm working on it.
Raquel, both of our salaries
are pretty much covered by Eldridge Banner.
Call Chief Grady before you do anything stupid.
Okay.
[phone clicks off]
Forget about your hand.
It's not really there.
Know you're moving the piece before you even try.
You have to focus.
It's hard.
Our minds are...
what's left of them are always hazy.
Maybe I'm just a checkers guy.
My husband and I never finished this game.
It must have been hard watching Eldridge...
turn into his father.
Drove me mad.
I didn't have the strength to stop him.
No, but you had the guts to grab that knife and try.
You tried to be a good mother.
- What was your mother like? - She had a great laugh.
A mountain of curly black hair.
When I was seven we went for a car ride.
No seatbelts.
I stumbled out of the car and, uh...
she was laying there in a sea of broken glass.
I was scared a lot growing up.
Feelings were something that...
real men ignored.
Feelings are all that's left of us.
Not exactly.
[phone ringing]
Officer Raquel Dorado.
[Alice on phone] Hi, Officer.
This is Alice Dodgeson.
Did you and your partner speak with my husband last night?
Your husband wasn't at the address you provided,
uh, the owner was.
- What? - Eldridge Banner.
He said he'd never heard of a Tom Levin.
[tense music playing]
Are you sure you had the right house?
One-nine-six-zero Marion Lane.
Eldridge was in this house last night?
He was. I saw him myself.
Officer, I have a bad feeling my husband didn't just leave.
Can you come here now please?
Yes, of course. I'm on my way.
[Marie] This is how we can warn her.
- [Frederick on film] If I may? - [Emil on film] Be my guest.
The purpose of architecture...
The purpose of architecture is that after one has, um...
moved on from this plane... Hm?
One has created something that will live forever.
[Emil] This is true.
You've gotten more professorial in your age.
- [Frederick laughs] - You, uh...
You, uh, have a tendency to be good at lecturing.
I knew what you were saying.
However, what if I were to tell you
you're looking at it all backward.
[Frederick laughs]
My blueprints, I insisted that you used
for a reason far greater, uh, and consequential
than maximizing the square footage of a home.
Years ago, I came upon a grimoire,
and it told about
the ancient wraith of the blood deed.
During a rare blood wolf moon,
it's possible to impregnate a woman
with an inhabitant...
of the underground.
The spirit is able to escape death
and gets reborn.
Requisite is a proper architectural space.
A man and a woman.
The vessel is the woman.
[Emil continues on film indistinct]
[knob rattles]
[door opens, closes]
Tom?
- Hello. - Oh.
I must have gotten the days mixed up.
Uh, we have it booked till tomorrow.
Were you here last night?
You must be Alice. I'm Eldridge, the owner.
Why are you here?
My husband'll be here any second.
I doubt that.
You know, I'm automatically attracted to beautiful women.
[grunts]
[tense music playing]
[Eldridge grunts, shouts]
Alice!
Please! Somebody help!
Please!
Please...
- Oh, please! - [horn honking]
[muffled screams]
[syringe hisses]
[grunts]
[panting]
She took you over. Don't blame me!
[Marie] You blacked out by the pool and I-I just...
I fell into you.
I didn't even know that I could.
[Eldridge] Who are you?
[Marie's voice] Elly.
I'm your mother.
Bullshit.
Your father murdered me.
She left him.
That's how he knew women couldn't be trusted.
No, no. He trusted the nanny and maids to raise you.
My nanny was a mother to me.
Your nanny was a prisoner.
She knew he slit my throat in front of you.
You're not her.
I possessed this body.
And I didn't-- I didn't mean to.
But I'm here,
and I beg of you to please put down that knife.
Whoever you are, if you die in another body
you'll plummet into an abyss of excruciating madness.
I've already had a lifetime of that.
Elly, don't be like him.
You're not like him.
I'm just like him.
He was a great man.
He's going to be great again.
[grunting]
[knife clatters]
[Marie] I was trying to stop him.
- I can't believe you! - [Marie] It was a mistake!
I...
What the hell was your plan?
I put on your clothes, I... I wanted to stop him.
To try and save you two from being here forever.
I left your body right before he...
drowned you. I'm so sorry.
Help me finish what you started.
[Marie] I think as long as he's unconscious you can possess him.
I guess it's my turn to drive.
[moans softly]
Tom?
[Tom] I'm here, honey.
Was so worried about you.
He drugged me.
[Tom] I'm taking care of him.
Just rest, okay?
[Alice] Where's your ring?
[Tom] Don't worry.
[digging]
[mysterious music playing]
[whispers] Doctor... Are you okay? Are you hurt?
[moans softly]
Eldridge... drugged me.
- Find Tom. - Okay.
- Please find him. - Okay. Just stay here.
Don't go anywhere, okay?
[tense music playing]
[Officer Dorado] Drop the shovel and put your hands on your head.
Put your hands on your head.
Let me handle this.
So who's pretty now?
Have we met?
I'm the cop you said was pretty.
Look... I'm not who you think I am.
I think you're a piece of shit
burying some dude in your back yard. Get on your knees.
Well, you're not entirely off.
Technically, I'm unburying him.
Is that Tom Levin?
Sort of.
Look, I'm-I'm doing this
to show you what he's...
what I've done.
[doorbell rings]
You expecting someone?
Chief, I found him burying a corpse in the backyard.
This true?
Arrest me.
Just take care of Alice.
You don't wanna hurt her? You care about her?
- Where's Dr. Dodgeson? - [Officer Dorado] She's in the bedroom.
She was tranquilized.
But she's-she's stable and she's semi-conscious.
You've got some explaining to do.
It's Tom Levin.
Banner was throwing dirt on him when I arrived.
My father committed multiple murders.
This whole property's a graveyard.
Get on your knees.
- Sir, what are you-- - On your knees, I said.
- What are you doing? This-- - It's okay, Dorado.
I wanna know what in the hell is going on.
- Chief, what-- - [gunshot]
Now tell me why you don't recognize your goddamn brother.
[scoffs] So much trouble to cover our tracks.
Took care of anyone who knew you were here.
Yet somehow you got the upper hand, Mr. Levin.
You learn quickly, Mr. Levin.
Utilizing the space inside our creations
is the hallmark of a great architect.
[grunts]
[choking] Leave my wife alone.
You are no longer of the world.
She is mine to claim.
Despite my instructions to find a fiery haired vixen,
Eldridge chose your Alice as my vessel.
Women were put here to tempt us, to vex us.
The true work of man is to shut Pandora back in her box.
Some things like you, Mr. Levin, were not built to last.
Oh... my God...
How many years has it been? Hm?
You been watching the whole time.
Scheming, muck up my plans.
You don't have power over me anymore.
You already took everything.
No, it was you that took from me.
You ungrateful trollop.
You never loved me. [laughs]
[Marie] See you in hell.
You'll have to wait another lifetime, dear.
I plan to stay a while.
[distorted yelling]
[Marie] Tom?
Tom?! Where are you?
[yelling]
[Marie] Tom?!
[Tom] Marie?!
[gasps]
[Tom] Marie?!
What is this place?
Where are you?
[yelling]
[Marie] He trapped us here. Can you find me?
Follow my voice.
Tom... reach for me.
[chanting in foreign language]
We have reached the equinox of the blood wolf moon.
The time to conjure our father back into this world.
[chanting in foreign language]
[Marie] Tom, reach for me.
Don't look back.
How did we escape?
Same as Frederick.
My eavesdropping finally paid off.
She'll be unconscious.
Possess her and you can catch them off-guard.
[Tom] She didn't train ten years
just to change his diapers.
Let our brother Eldridge receive the wandering ghost.
Wraith of the blood deed.
Our father who has been with us from seed... to soul.
[man] Let us imbibe the blood of our vessel's lover.
[Alice moans softly] No, s-stop...
I wouldn't wanna sleep through this either.
[Alice grunts softly]
She's about to become part of history.
Consecrate her to our orange king.
[cup clatters]
[Alice breathing shakily]
My boys.
Let us summon my perfection back...
into the world of matter.
Behind these walls
surrounded by looking glass we do as we wish.
[Tom] She's awake!
[chokes]
[Alice] Don't!
[Marie] She needs to be unconscious.
[all] Blood and honor. We do as we wish.
[tense music playing]
[grunts]
Father! Father!
Stop her!
[screaming]
[Tom] She came to!
You've ruined everything!
[Alice screaming]
Get off me! No!
[grunting]
Why don't you try on hot head over there?
[groaning]
[dramatic music playing]
[screams]
[groans]
[panting]
[groans]
Why are you struggling?
[groans]
Through the ages
you've been good for only one thing.
The thing I need.
To give me more time.
[grunts]
Your time's up, motherfucker!
[groans]
[woman] 911, what's the nature of your emergency?
- Tom? - Yeah?
What happened to you?
Don't worry about me.
Help is on the way.
[exhales] Hold my hand.
[Tom] Okay.
Pressure's falling.
No, hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey...
You're not dying tonight.
Hey... Okay.
I'm sorry I wasn't here for you when I should have been.
I could have listened to you more.
I could have put myself in your shoes.
[soft chuckle]
You would have hated those shoes.
[both laughing]
I'm glad you're holding my hand.
You're holding mine.
I don't wanna live in a Banner house.
No, no. Absolutely not.
Maybe a... Paul Williams if it's on the market.
If you're looking for modernism. But not a troubled architect.
Shut up.
Hey.
- Mm. - Mm.
It's gonna be okay.
Yeah.
I love you.
I love you, too.
[people chattering]
What a shit show.
What are my vitals?
Hey, you're gonna be okay.
Take me to the hospital please.
[siren blaring]
[monitor beeping]
[Tom] The truth was staring at me through the glass.
But I didn't see it.
[Marie] Love is showing up and sticking around.