Fredwynn?
Jejune, change your tune!
Fredwynn?
Ah, Fredwynn.
Look at the determination, the drive to power.
Self-will run riot.
Let's think of Fredwynn as you.
Fredwynn is you if you've ever obsessed over anything so badly
that it ached in your chest.
Fredwynn is you if you believed
that if you could cross the finish line,
solve that mystery, get that promotion, buy that house...
then perhaps you might just feel...
OK.
Fredwynn is you if your drive toward "it"
became so all-consuming
that it devoured everything that stood in its path -
relationships, family, friends.
Oh, and Fredwynn is also you
if you're currently locked in the trunk of my car.
We're coming, Fredwynn!
Please... do extract yourself.
At last we meet.
Put your hands down.
Well, here we are.
It's Fredwynn, am I correct?
You act like you don't know my name. You know.
You know all our names. You've harvested everything about us.
I'm not sure I quite understand.
You work for them.
You're not them, but you work for them.
I'm no fool.
-I'm sorry? -He's a hardcore.
"Hardcore"?
Someone who takes the game of life too seriously, Fredwynn.
-It's not a game. -Isn't it?
What is life if not a game?
Let's have more respect for each other than petty semantics.
I want the truth.
Unburden yourself, my friend.
Perhaps my associates are right about you.
Do you know the real problem with being a "hardcore"?
They spoil the game of life for everyone else.
Remember your induction?
Remember how much fun you were having?
No.
What about your friends?
You were having a good time with Janice and the others.
Where are your friends?
They'll catch up. Or they won't.
-It doesn't matter. -It does matter.
You will make a mistake, and I will find it,
and then I will know, and I will expose everything.
Expose what, exactly?
Fredwynn, help the Jejune Institute find Clara.
That's what really matters right now.
She's not real. She's a MacGuffin.
If she is real and you're looking for her,
it's because she knows.
I'm right, aren't I?
You work hard, don't you?
Harder than anyone else.
Sometimes too hard.
I see you.
You deserve something special.
-This is a closet. -It's a special closet.
-I think you're being sarcastic. -There were two envelopes, Fredwynn.
A blue one and a saffron one.
You were supposed to make a choice.
You chose yourself.
I know what you're doing!
You think that stowing me away in a broom closet
will quench my unquenchable thirst for truth!
You're sadly mistaken!
Hello?
No calvary coming, Fredwynn.
It's you and you alone.
Like always, Fredwynn.
Like always.
That's why there's a "win" in "Fredwynn."
I've escaped.
Who's behind all of this? If you tell me, I'll see you're safe.
I can't guarantee it, but I'll do my best.
Buddy, I just work here.
Who do you work for?
Theater union. Local 8. I don't know shit.
Right. OK, tell me this. If you had a question, who would you ask?
If that person had a question, who would they ask?
Where's that person?
Stage Manager. Production Office. Second floor.
Either she'll know it or it will be in the prompt book.
Prompt book.
Come on, come on.
Janice, don't talk. Just listen.
I'm safe now, but I was right.
This goes deeper than we ever imagined.
Octavio, he has the answers. There's an envelope in his pocket.
I need you to get that so we--
Pay attention, Fred.
Clues are all around you.
No, not here. Must go deeper.
Janice, I was hoping it would be you!
Ladies and gentlemen, big hand of applause for Janice.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome...
Intern.
-...the intrepid Janice. -OK.
Please be quiet.
We're about to pull off the impossible.
Now, Janice...
-What the hell are you doing? -Wanted to make sure...
Did you need help turning the pages?
I assume that's the prompt book. Am I correct?
What?
Just wanted to make sure that you could see it. The prompt book.
That is the prompt book, right?
Where's that kombucha I asked for?
It's fermenting.
-OK, just stay out of the way. -Sure.
I don't have to babysit right now.
Ready camera one. Go.
How are they doing--
A little social-media stalking and some VR magic goes a long way.
-Explore. Be brave, Janice. -This looks awesome.
So many friends.
I think that old lady is actually gonna cry.
So real.
Yes!
Rebecca. No, Rebecca, I'm telling you right now.
Walk away from Martin. He's a pig.
-Damn it! -It's OK. I got it.
My Dad! Hey, Pop.
Who are you?
I'm the intern.
Shit, you lost my place.
-You're 40. I'm the intern. -Go visual.
-You were fired. -I'm an intern. How did I get fired?
Delayed kombucha.
Hey, what's your name?
Fred...ora.
Your name's Fredora?
-Fredora Intern. -OK, can you two just go?
Fear not. This is the Elsewhere Society.
I am Commander 14.
Crap. I didn't mean for them to go.
Intern, you are fired!
Did we just lose?
Nope.
I told you. There's no winning. There's no losing.
This whole game is a distraction.
What flavor is that?
Efficiency.
So much stirring.
I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry I'm late.
I'm so, so sorry. So sorry.
-Hey. -Hey. OK.
He's just drinking that.
Right on time.
OK, so...
"Well, hello. I'm very excited to be with all of you.
Thank you for gathering promptly at the designated time."
Why are you reading that?
Because, Simone, I am enthused.
Sometimes when I'm enthused, I feel like I need to prepare my remarks.
Is that OK with you?
-Yeah. Cool with me. -All right.
"So, let us begin, shall we?"
Does the paper say, "Wait for them to respond"?
It does.
-Oh, God. -I see. Yeah, go ahead.
"So, up until now, you have believed that we were playing a 'game.'
I have contended that this is exactly
what whoever is behind this 'game' would like you to believe.
In all the fun and excitement, none of you have stopped to ask,
'What is the point of all of this?'"
-I'm pretty sure I've asked that. -Me, too.
Well, that's a very popular question, I think.
But now I have some answers.
Do you know what this is? Do you understand what that is?
That's the script you showed us last night.
No. It's more than that.
It's a manipulation to get hundreds of people
to go and hunt a missing girl.
But to what end?
-For a prize? -Or it's supposed to be fun.
You know what fun is, Fredwynn?
Lord in Heaven!
Just calm down. Calm down.
Fredwynn, take a breath. In.
Out. Good.
OK. OK.
-Sorry. I apologize. -That's all right.
-I get emotional about this thing. -Yes.
I feel very strongly.
I'm sure all of you can understand what that feels like.
OK.
"So, you all don't know this about me
because I have not revealed any relevant biographical facts,
but I graduated from Brown when I was 19
with a double major in philosophy and economics.
I used to work in data. Big Data."
-You know, Peter also works in data. -Yeah.
"And I am also incredibly wealthy.
I made my first million dollars by the time I was 21
using nothing but my understanding of mathematics,
complex systems, and human behavior.
I used to own 11 cars, including a Bugatti 1936 57SC,
which is made of porcelain
and very rare."
A porcelain car? Sounds dangerous.
I sold them all once I realized that I didn't really like driving.
Simultaneously, I got caught up in this honeytrap situation,
which is not important at the moment.
But what is important is that I have insight into a world
that none of you will understand,
including and especially you, Peter.
-No offense. -Well...
I've seen these data operations from the inside.
It starts off innocently enough.
You think you're signing up for a newsletter, or sharing a photo.
But every link that you click,
every item that you purchase is being logged.
That information is then being sold
and analyzed to make money for people like myself.
And I was fine with that because you all were so...
ignorant and so stupid.
Hey, hey. Easy, big guy.
But then I watched it change.
All of these companies utilizing your data
began consolidating, becoming one thing,
one entity.
And then suddenly, data was no longer being used just for money,
but for power.
Elections were being influenced,
economies were collapsed,
tribes were pitted against one another.
This consolidation continued and continued and continued.
Do your research, and you will find
the same group of very powerful people
own and control everything.
None of this is by mistake.
Not your Netflix "Because You Watched,"
not your Amazon "Suggested Purchases,"
not this game.
This is them.
I know it is. We just need to find them.
We need to stop being unwitting participants
and become detectives.
Detectives. Like Law & Order: SVU.
Oh, my God. My nana loves that show.
Oh, everyone loves that show.
Excellent! We're all on the same page.
These people, these kind of people,
these power-hungry sociopaths,
they crave credit.
They will have left their mark somewhere.
They can't help it.
I know you think that I'm crazy, and perhaps that is not untrue,
but I'm also right.
So stand with me.
Help me solve this puzzle. Please.
It is your duty. Say yes.
From what I know of your lives, you have nothing to lose.
-Fredwynn, where are you taking us? -To someone that has the answers.
-We're here. -Where exactly are--
-The letter from Octavio's pocket. -Yes, the one you stole.
I'm sorry. What is going on?
It's a list of participants' names. Janice was on it.
My guess is these were people
that they had the demonstration prepared for.
Octavio knew who to choose.
It wasn't random.
The letterhead says "New Noology Network."
It's a shell company, no infrastructure.
All leads were a dead end,
with the exception of this P.O. box.
Because I'm me, I was able to trace that box to this address.
We got them.
-What? -"We got them"?
No, Fredwynn. Wait a minute.
You can't just barge into someone's home.
There are rules.
Moats to be swum across,
castle walls to be breached.
-No. -No, no, no.
Hello!
Hi.
-Gesundheit. -Thank you.
When I get nervous, I sneeze.
All right, I think we should just back away now.
-No. -This feels very out of game.
No. No, no. This is out of game. It is.
And that is exactly why we need to stay.
-What are you talking about? -I feel... Fredwynn.
I don't...
Hello. Can I help you?
Ma'am, I'm gonna get straight to the point.
-We know. -I'm sorry?
Oh, no, we're sorry.
-Obviously, we got the wrong address. -I think it's that.
You know Octavio,
or whoever he really is.
You know him. I've seen you talk to him.
My practice is off, so I wasn't able to read your lips this time,
but I saw you give him this.
Now, everything will go smoothly if you just tell us the truth.
-I'm sorry, are you threatening me? -Absolutely not!
Don't look into my home. You crossed the line.
-Who do you work for? -My child is inside.
What is your name?
Do not come back, or I will call the police.
What is your name?
Look! Look, look!
You didn't see, but she gave me a signal.
-While you dragged me away. -Yeah.
She put her finger to her lips and she smiled like,
"Shh, Fredwynn. You're right.
Shh. You're always right, Fredwynn." Just like that.
You know what would have happened if she called the cops?
You can't just show up at some random person's door.
Please! I beg of you, don't be so easily dissuaded.
We are on the right track. I can feel it.
They will be watching us now, so we have to move quickly.
No. No, we have to slow down. This is crazy!
She's right.
Hey, you OK?
I feel excited but in, like, a negative way.
And I think that maybe we should take a beat
and think about what we're doing.
I'm with Peter on this.
I liked the magical realism stuff
much more than the "Illuminati data-mining my information" stuff.
OK.
All right, fine.
I'd like everyone to feel enthused, so, yeah, let's "take a beat."
Yeah, let's wait for our next instruction,
and we'll get back on game.
-Yeah. -I'd like that.
-OK. -Yeah.
You were right. I was confused.
I thought there was more, but there isn't.
So, thank you.
-I apologize. -Fine.
-OK, good. -All right, well, I'm out.
-Yeah. -I'm gonna go, too. I'll see you.
Good night.
-Thank you, Fredwynn. -See you later.
Good night, Fred.
Why do they want to stop now?
This is a big breakthrough!
I wish they would just trust me.
They don't want to finish. They can't.
Fredwynn, listen.
You had this all planned out in your head.
You were gonna bang on that woman's door,
and you never bothered to include us in any of it.
I didn't think you would come.
But shouldn't you have given us the choice?
No. I should have just come alone.
Oh, Fredwynn, listen to me.
Sometimes, it's more important to slow down and let people catch up.
More important than crossing the finish line first
and being all alone.
Do you understand?
I understand it conceptually, not viscerally.
Look, I need to go home. And you need to take a breather.
I don't need to take a breather.
We missed something.
-Maybe at the theater-- -This is a game!
It's a game. It's a game.
Fredwynn, go home and don't think about it any more tonight,
not one moment.
-Are you listening? -I'm listening.
Get some sleep.
OK, so, good night.
I don't know. What the heck?
Dear God, heavenly ball of fire,
great deity who governs all things great and so super small,
please hear my prayer.
It's happening again.
I haven't slept in two days.
My mind keeps racing with information.
I need your help.
Help me to expose these hucksters.
And maybe give me one night of effective sleep.
That would be very appreciated.
Your boy, F-to-the-red-to-the-wynn.
Also, can you help me to understand my teammates a little better?
That would be helpful to me.
OK. Bye.
To hell with sleep.
If I'm crazy, I'm crazy.
But they have to be stopped, and it has to be me,
or this never ends.
OK, Fredwynn, where do we go from here?
We start at the beginning.
What did you miss, Fredwynn?
What did you miss?
Relax your mind.
Remember. It is yesterday.
Enter the palace.
Release your mind.
Enter the palace.
Good.
Good, Fredwynn.
Now, what did you miss?
What did you miss?
Not here.
It's you.
Couldn't help yourself, could you?
You want to be found, don't you?
Come on. No!
Come on, Fredwynn!
Fredwynn, remember.
You weren't paying attention.
Too damn focused on the prompt book.
It was right there in front of you...
for everyone to see.
Especially...
Janice.
Thank you.
-Don't close the door. -Fredwynn.
-Fredwynn, what's going on? -I know.
I know I can be a lot.
But I'm trying to adjust my speed so we can walk...
so we can walk at the same pace.
Fredwynn, it's late. I'm tired. This is just not right.
-You've got to go home. -I know. I know I messed up.
But I did "hear you," as they say, but I'm trying.
I really am trying.
-I'm doing it again, aren't I? -Well...
I'm sorry to invade your personal space.
Janice, you're a great teammate.
Thank you for playing with me. I won't bother you again.
Fredwynn.
Come on.
Fredwynn.
Lev, sweetie?
I'm sorry to bother you,
but I want you to meet Fredwynn,
one of my teammates I was telling you about.
Fredwynn, this is my husband, Lev.
Hi.
May I ask why you're keeping this a secret?
I'm not.
What happened?
A stroke.
Late last year.
We have a wonderful nurse, Meredith,
who helps out during the day, five days a week,
but I really like taking care of him myself.
Every day is different.
He smiled once. I swear he did.
And he squeezes my hand every now and then.
One day, I was sitting, reading, and I looked up,
and his eyes were wide open.
He was staring at me.
I don't want to miss any of that.
My mother wasn't so good at taking care of us.
She always plied my brother and I with food high in sugar, salt,
and animal products.
He's now grossly overweight.
I only turned out fine because I'm extremely disciplined.
Well, taking care of someone is never an easy thing.
And this is the last thing on earth
that Lev ever would have wanted his wife to become.
Our son, Ben, he lives in Albuquerque with his family. He's a lawyer.
Just like his dad.
He's always telling me about these great places
that would take such good care of him, but...
But I... I can't.
I can't leave him.
Will he get better?
You're lucky to have found each other.
Yes.
Yes, we are.
Would you like a cup of tea?
Thank you.
Yes.
There you go.
The longest heterosexual relationship I've ever been in was three weeks.
Three weeks?
It wasn't a three-week relationship.
Just a few texts... a few dates.
A lot of texts, though.
I'm not good at letting things go.
I think she just liked me for my porcelain car.
Well...
three weeks or 50 years, heartbreak is heartbreak.
-When onstage with Octavio... -Oh, no.
...I think he showed you how to find them.
Oh, no. I don't want to talk about being onstage.
I don't want to. Let's talk about you.
What was it like in that trunk? I bet it was hot.
We had a moment of emotional honesty,
and I want you to know that I do acknowledge that,
but this is important.
I know it's hard to explain, but I need you to trust me.
Well, OK.
Take in these photos from your wedding.
OK.
-See them? -Yeah.
-You got them? -Yeah.
You got them? It's important you got them.
-OK, I do. -It's a lot.
Yeah, yeah. Got them.
OK, so, I read this book called Moonwalking With Einstein.
What we're going to do is enter what we call our memory palace.
You have one in your head. You just don't know it yet.
I have no palace in my head.
You do have a palace in your head.
I've spent hours on the Internet researching this.
You do. So, please, just try it.
OK.
Close your eyes.
-And listen to my voice. -All right.
Calm.
Stop laughing.
I'm not laughing.
Release your mind
and enter
the palace.
-You didn't enter. -I have no palace in my head.
-Yes, you do. Please, just try it. -OK.
-Please. Listen to my voice. -All right. OK.
Come on. Listen to me.
Release your mind.
Enter the palace.
All right, there's nothing. Now what do I do?
This is a memory palace.
Yours is empty because you never bothered to arrange your thoughts
in a way that you could easily retrieve them.
Those memories are all there.
Anything you've ever experienced
anything you've ever seen, it's all inside you.
You just have to pull it out.
OK.
Now, we're in the ballroom at your wedding.
Octavio has just sent you there.
I think I'm doing it.
What now?
I need you to take a moment.
Look around.
Tell me what you see.
There's Lev. I see my guy.
Good.
Now I want you to find a table stacked with gifts.
Do you remember?
I see it.
Yes, I remember.
Good. Pay very close attention now.
Do you notice anything odd?
One of the tags, it's glowing.
I didn't see that before.
Yes, you did, or you wouldn't see it now.
You just weren't focusing.
It's all in your mind.
That tag, Janice, is our answer.
I need you to dig it out for me.
Fredwynn, I don't know how.
Yeah, it's OK, Janice.
Just tell me what the tag says.
I can't.
I'm just not good at this.
You are. You just don't know it yet.
Try.
Oh, Fredwynn, maybe you should get Peter or Simone to help you.
No. It has to be you, Janice.
-It's you. -Yep.
What do you want?
I came here to help you.
But you're embarrassed by me.
Well, I am.
But I'm still here.
And frankly, I'm sick of you not listening to me.
All right, fine. I'm listening.
Great.
-May I? -Please.
I can read it, but it doesn't make any sense.
She can read it, but it doesn't make any sense.
"She"?
I can read it, but it doesn't make any sense.
What does it say?
It's just pictures.
No words, just pictures.
It's a puzzle.
Describe it to me.
So...
there's a gift tag with flowers in the corners.
There's a gift tag with flowers in the corners.
-One in each corner? -No, no. Different numbers.
No, no. Different numbers.
There's three flowers.
Then there's one.
Then two.
Then five.
What else?
Well, where the name should be,
there's, like, weather stuff.
Where the name should be, there's, like, weather stuff.
Explain.
-There's a sun. -There's a sun.
-A snowflake. -A snowflake.
Is there a raindrop?
No.
-It's a leaf. -A leaf.
Open your eyes, Janice.
You did it.
I did?
-What? It makes no sense. -It's an address.
An address?
Three-one-two-five Spring Street.
The powers of the palace.
Hi.
I got a message from Commander 14 with an address.
The game's back on.
He wants me to gather up all my teammates,
so I went to Fredwynn's first because I know him best,
and I gathered him up, and then we came here.
I didn't know your address, he did. And here we are, gathering you up.
The message is an address in Fishtown.
I was as surprised as you are to have Janice wake me out of my sleep,
speaking of clues and such,
but she's our teammate, so I think we should believe her.
Believing our teammates is the right thing to do.
-Are you being held hostage? -All right.
Tell me if you're being held hostage.
All right. Look.
I know this all sounds crazy,
but I honestly think he's onto something this time.
There was a clue in my memory palace.
Oh, boy. That sounds so strange coming out of my mouth.
It was in the demonstration.
I think we were meant to find this one.
Planning on confronting whoever lives at this address?
Not unless they confront us first
with hostile animals or weapons of some kind.
Well, what he means is, if perchance they might ha--
No, what I mean is that I'm protective and quick,
like a female cheetah.
-Good night, Janice. -Simone, no.
Listen, now.
I think you and I have something in common.
This game is the most fun I've had in a long time, and I need it.
Yes, yes, Fredwynn can be a bit of a loose cannon.
I'm sorry, but it's true. But I don't care.
We're going to this address.
I'm not asking you to come with us.
I'm inviting you to come with us.
So...
what do you think?
-Hey. -Oh, my gosh. Hey.
Hey. Wow. Hi.
Sorry to bother you so late.
I mean, it's not late,
but something tells me it's late for you.
Yeah, I mean, it's moderately late, yeah.
Could you open the door more?
It's hard to talk to you when I can't see your mouth.
Sorry, of course. There we go. What's up?
Great.
So, Janice found a clue,
and we are supposed to go to an address in Fishtown.
And it's not like the weird Fredwynn ambush thing.
It's totally part of the game this time.
So we haven't been kicked out?
Apparently not.
I don't know. Last time was really, like...
Petri Dish,
we're all standing here,
so could you just get dressed?
Like, dressed up?
No, like, clothes.
OK.
I want to say sorry I didn't let you guys into my place.
It's not really designed for guests.
-What is it designed for? -Residents.
-Here we are. -3125 Spring Street.
Yes.
-It looks empty. -Yeah, or everybody's sleeping.
There's only one way to find out.
Easy, tiger.
Cheetah.
When was the last time you slept, dude?
Oh, I only get short bursts of sleep.
Fifteen, 30 minutes max.
Watch your step.
-Watch your step. -Don't tell me what to do.
-Fredwynn. -What?
Guys...
it's her.
You were gonna let me fall in the hole?
-Yes. -Stop it.
Guys...
Clara?