I'm Tom Swift. Inventor, billionaire,
shoe collector extraordinaire.
But none of that was good enough for my dad.
I thought if I built him a spaceship to Saturn,
I could earn his love,
but his mission ended tragically.
Or so I thought.
Turns out it was sabotage.
My father survived the attack
and sent me a message capsule
with the data I need to rescue him from space.
But it exploded when it entered the atmosphere.
Now I have to find the pieces
of that capsule and reassemble my dad's message.
A global conspiracy called The Road Back
is standing in my way,
so I can only trust my squad:
my best friend, Zenzi,
my bodyguard, Isaac, my adopted brother, Lino,
and my AI, Barclay.
Together, we're going to find my father
and bring him home.
TOM (echoing): Isaac.
ZENZI: Isaac, please stay with us.
BARCLAY: He can't hear you.
The thallium-based toxin I detected
is causing swelling in his brain.
No response from the Swift family doctor yet.
I am going to find an antidote for this poison.
Barclay,
what did the GPS on Isaac's car say?
Last night, Isaac drove to a parking garage in Flatbush,
then to his own residence at midnight
and then to Swift Manor.
Well, um, could someone have poisoned him
right before he got here?
Not necessarily.
Thallium is notoriously slow.
The poisoning could have happened any time
within the last few days.
Or last night. Uh...
What was so important in Flatbush?
It was Rowan's parking structure.
He went to Rowan's apartment?
It was probably because Rowan's DNA
was on the packaging of the capsule piece
he anonymously sent.
Rowan sent the capsule piece?
How does Rowan know about the capsule piece
in the first place?
IDK, but the last person who questioned Rowan
ended up with thallium poisoning.
(phone ringing, buzzing)
Dr. Kay is returning your call.
(chimes)
I'm an hour away. How are his vitals?
AUTO-ATTENDANT: Blood pressure 145/95.
Respiration shallow.
Should we take him to the hospital?
Any movement could cause a stroke.
(sighs)
The Road Back might have people at the hospital, too.
KAY: Isaac will need
potassium chloride and Prussian blue
to flush the thallium from his body.
I can get those in the lab at Swift Enterprises.
I'll see you there, Dr. Kay.
(phone ringing, buzzing)
Hey. This is not a good time,
Quinn.
And you have a visitor.
Congress guy. Eskol. He's asking
about the Hudson River clean energy project.
Is-is Rowan with him?
you mean "the baddie with the earring..." (chuckles)
Hello?
You know, it's hard to understand
why Quinn feels so underappreciated.
Look, we don't have time for Eskol right now.
We have to save Isaac.
The Hudson River project is huge PR for us.
We need to go to the office and keep up appearances.
Okay.
Um...
We need to put on an outfit that says "business"
instead of "our friend is dying."
You take care of Eskol.
I'll go to the lab
and then get what we need.
Okay.
I got you. Okay?
(sighs)
Barclay, text Lino.
(sighs)
"Isaac needs you.
And bring Mom."
Tell Reverend Jones our timetable needs to accelerate.
I can't say more. I...
I received some information that makes me believe
our project is in danger.
Thank you.
(phone beeps off)
something happened.
there are secrets being kept in this house.
How long have you known Barton was still alive?
Tom told me a few weeks ago.
I'm glad he finally told you.
Aren't-aren't you happy?
Yes, happy can't even begin to describe it.
But I am afraid of what might come next
from the people who wanted my husband dead.
That's what I came to tell you.
They hurt Isaac.
Wait, what?
Zenzi found him in the observatory.
Wait a minute. What was Isaac doing here?
I let him go after the cotillion.
What?
Lino, he wanted to tell you himself.
You fired him because he found my real mom?
He was helping me!
you better take that bass out of your voice when you speak to me.
I do not have to explain myself to you.
Did we just lose power?
(phone chimes)
Heartbeat is abnormal.
Uh, maybe we climb up the outside wall
and break in through a window?
the observatory becomes a panic room.
The windows can withstand
a missile strike, and this fire door
is impenetrable.
The lift is our only way to reach Isaac.
So, if we can't open this, we are f...
But yes.
♪ ♪
(chimes)
on the brain's memory center.
(lighter clinks, flicks)
♪ ♪
Keke's like a sister.
After my girlfriend, Marissa, died,
Keke helped me get through it.
But last week,
the cops came to break up a party she was at,
and someone dropped coke in her bag.
She can't make bail, so she's locked up until her hearing.
(wind gusting)
WOMAN: The wind is really picking up.
MAN: Aah! Hold down the picnic blanket.
(people shouting)
HOODED MAN: Barton! Barton Swift!
MAN 2: Barton, watch out!
Watch out!
MAN 3: What the hell was that?
Are you okay?
Yeah, I'm fine. Yeah, I'm good. Yeah.
Thanks.
I'm Barton Swift.
Isaac Vega.
Army Ranger.
Where'd you serve?
Honorably discharged two years ago.
You ever consider being a bodyguard?
You know someone looking for one?
How's Isaac doing?
Let's deal with Eskol.
Now, are you ghosting or busy with work?
I need to know for when he asks.
Listen, you worry about Isaac's antidote and Rowan,
I'll worry about Nathan.
(whispers): Nathan?
I mean Congress.
I mean Congressman. Eskol.
(singsongy): Nate-Nate.
Ah,
just the man I've been looking for.
Nice to see you again, Tom.
Ms. Fullington.
So, uh, about that Hudson River
clean energy project.
My constituents are hounding me for updates.
And I want in.
TOM: Susannah Robb.
SUSANNAH: Tom Swift.
and unannounced.
Thank you. Claire said I should stop in here,
check in on things while she's in Boston.
Oh...
Congressman Nathan Eskol,
this is Susannah Robb.
Hi.
who has almost as many followers as me.
Pleasure to meet you.
I appreciate what you're doing for your district.
ESKOL: Thank you.
for the energy project.
Speaking of that, I need to step away
to set up the conference room for a meeting,
and I could use a hand moving around some furniture.
(gasps softly) Rowan.
You're... good with your hands.
Huh?
Got permission? Okay.
Meanwhile, my excellent colleagues
will update you on our progress.
(chuckles softly)
If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna take this quickly.
shall we?
(phone chimes)
Hmm. Waiting for him to text you back?
(phone beeps)
Um, just checking on my incubator.
Mm.
is gonna represent us
at the Black Tech and Engineering Conference.
Yeah. And waiting for him to text you back.
I get it. (inhales)
Just remember, the good ones, they don't leave you on read.
Excuse me.
Love the nails.
QUINN: Trans rights, baby.
(inhales) Um, so,
allow me to show you the rest of the office.
Mm-hmm. Okay.
Isaac went to ask you why you sent that capsule piece.
(exhales)
Now, you're gonna fix it.
Calm yourself.
(scoffs) Your boss will notice?
Maybe I should let him know you've been playing both sides.
Or you can give me some answers.
I didn't poison anyone.
But from what I gathered
in Eskol's conversations this morning,
Isaac wasn't the target. You were.
AUTO-ATTENDANT: Blood oxygen level below 85%.
Hypoxemia warning.
(thuds)
There's someone in need...
He did not just hang up on me.
Some people don't like being yelled at.
Yeah, well, I wasn't yelling. I was trying to help Isaac.
Oh, now you care about him.
I've always cared.
He was just an employee, right?
BARTON: Ah. There she is.
You must be our new hire.
Mm. Hi, darling.
Allow me to introduce my bride.
Ma'am.
Darling, you need to return the book from Reverend Jones.
You left it in the study.
Lorraine is protecting me.
The reverend is particular about her lending library.
(chuckles) That she is.
Uh, headed to church?
Oh, yes. Every Sunday. Mm-hmm.
You'd be welcome to join us sometime.
Let's just say it's not for me.
(door closes)
BARTON: Okay.
In the meantime, please acquaint yourself with our son.
The lift at the end of the hallway
will take you directly to Tom's workshop.
He told me he's busy
on some kind of special project. Confidential.
♪ Time don't wait for no one ♪
♪ Better get the ... show on ♪
♪ Heat it up like a sauna ♪
♪ Oh, nah, nah, holla if you know how, hear me now ♪
♪ Time don't wait for no one ♪
♪ Better get the ... show on ♪
♪ Heat it up like a sauna ♪
♪ Oh, nah, nah, holla if you know how ♪
♪ Pick up the pace, hands on my waist ♪
♪ Gotta confess, yes, you rocking with the best ♪
♪ When I take it to the left, bend me ova on the right ♪
♪ You know is no case, I take you to space... ♪
Tom Swift?
(exhales, chuckles)
♪ You can get it, get it... ♪
Why do you still have your clothes on?
I'm your new bodyguard.
BARCLAY: Your full-time vibe killer has arrived.
Isaac Vega starts today. Whomp, whomp.
Another bodyguard? Okay.
Let's see how long this one lasts.
I'll be over there if you want
to guard my body.
♪ Make what I want, make what I want... ♪
Oh, damn.
Somebody stole my watch.
♪ Take it up high, the tide is high ♪
♪ But I'm-a dive in ♪
♪ Make a big splash and catch a new reviving... ♪
All right! All right! Party's over!
Yeah.
Come on, you got to get out.
Let's go.
Et tu, Parker?
Hey, hey, hey. Wh-Where y'all going?
Y'all, don't listen to him. I'm Tom Swift.
Go on home, man. Put some damn clothes on.
MAN 2: It's called fashion.
You should be praying instead of twerking.
Bye, Rashad.
The hell you got on?
Setting aside the fact that The Road Back wants me dead,
we're looking for Prussian blue and potassium chloride
to help Isaac.
My physician says those should flush the poison out.
I checked the lab's stock report,
but somehow nothing's in the lab
even though the inventory was just there this morning.
Barclay, get an ETA from Dr. Kay.
In the meantime, Prussian blue and potassium chloride
are the best chemicals,
but they're not the only ones that we can use.
The lab has no supplies, though.
Then we need to clear out the offices instead.
Look inside the employees' personal medicine cabinets.
Tom's been working on a prototype called Swiftsight.
It will be his most cerebral invention yet.
(phone chimes)
(beep)
and we still can't open the fire door.
We could really use you and Tom. Get to Swift Manor
as soon as you can.
(chuckles softly)
Yeah.
Look, uh,
the way our dinner ended the other night was, um...
not ideal.
But I must say that I haven't been ghosted
since Jane Vasquez
in high school.
I think I like Jane.
Can we move past this?
I've always found that the second date
is the true barometer.
Your persistence is noted.
So is your hesitation.
Look, how can I put your mind at ease?
What have you been up to these past few days?
Uh, Congress. (chuckles softly)
But I-I must say that I am skilled
at balancing work and pleasure.
Mm. With all your trips outside of D.C. and New York?
Look, I-I conduct business for my district when I travel,
but I'm seeing family.
I mean, I-I have a cousin in Dallas,
an uncle in Portland...
So you're visiting family when you take trips.
Family is very important to me.
This world
doesn't value human connection as much as it should.
Could I borrow Zenzi? I'm having
some issues with the presentation.
Her passwords are a lot more complicated than mine.
Isaac's running out of time.
I have a plan, but I need this building to be empty.
It's the middle of the workday.
(scoffs) Do I need to explain work to you again?
Okay, tell everyone there's a heating emergency
and that they need to evacuate now.
Barclay, commence Operation "Hot in Herre."
BARCLAY: Temperature rising.
I am getting so hot
♪ I wanna take my clothes off. ♪
(scoffs)
(alarm blaring)
ZENZI: Quinn. What are you doing?
Did you not hear the announcement?
The heating system is in overdrive.
Well, I actually kind of like it warm.
Uh, BT dubs, I'm totally allowed
to be in here.
I'm actually working
on that clean energy press release
in Canva.
Yeah, I'm gonna go.
Okay.
(grunts)
Okay. Uh... (hums)
Thank you.
(alarm continues blaring)
Okay, Barclay. Turn the heat off.
(beeping)
Barclay, turn the heat off!
(lock clicks)
(grunts) Somebody!
(muffled): Quinn?!
Quinn!
Barclay, why can't you hear me?
(coughing)
Barclay!
(door handle jiggling)
Barclay!
(gasping)
Zenzi.
Zenzi!
(pounds glass)
(glass shatters)
(indistinct chatter)
Can I get a doctor?
Need a doctor over here, please.
Hey. You okay?
Yeah, you're gonna be okay.
All right.
why can't we get this temperature back to normal?
BARCLAY: The building's thermostat hasn't responded to my attempts.
It's odd.
We're looking for anything that shares ingredients
with Prussian blue and potassium chloride.
To create a stopgap antidote.
It's the best I can do until Dr. Kay shows up.
(exhales) Ooh!
Look, I can't do this if I get a heatstroke.
(zipper rasps)
Per the auto-attendant,
Isaac is on the brink of organ failure.
Hurry!
(grunts)
(exhales)
You've been here for two whole weeks,
and you still haven't taught me any self-defense moves.
I'm dealing with the insurance claim
for your stolen watch.
(exhales) Wouldn't it make your job easier
if I knew how to fight?
(sighs) Fine.
Come on.
All right. Shift your hips to one side,
giving an opening to the groin.
Focus.
Just getting my footing. That's all.
Now raise your opposite elbow to turn.
All right. And then I...
All right. Like this?
(grunts)
Oops.
Uh, no.
No, I don't mix work and... this.
Ugh. Hang on a second. There's something in the couch.
Huh. I guess it wasn't stolen.
I must have forgotten it here before the party.
My bad.
That watch is worth 50 Gs.
I know. I bought it.
More than a year.
Now you're mad because I'm rich?
My best friend Keke is locked up for something
she didn't even do.
If I had 50 Gs in my couch cushions,
I could bail her out.
But you'll never know a pain like that.
Okay, you need 50?
Got you, bro.
What's your payment app?
I don't want your charity.
Okay,
I think I misheard "thank you."
I'm just trying to be a friend.
From what I can tell, you don't have friends.
Oh, baby, my place is packed with friends all the time.
And nobody gets arrested.
News flash. Those people are not your friends.
You surround yourself with little boys in underwear
who just want to have some free drinks,
take a picture with Tom Swift, and maybe
steal a few souvenirs.
If you had a real friend, they'd tell you that.
And maybe you wouldn't be missing so many watches.
Also, this is my notice. I quit.
Okay, you're overreacting.
How can I make this up?
Uh, what about a raise?
How much?
Come on.
Why don't we...
I don't know, play spades?
Hmm? You like spades?
We already paid you for the day.
This way, I get my money's worth,
and you keep your word, Mr. Vega.
Well, looks like you and me are partners.
I'll tell you, I haven't lost a game of spades
in 20 years, and I'm not losing one today.
Please. I came out the womb with the ace of spades
in my back pocket.
Oh, okay.
I'll believe it when I see it.
I learned to play in church.
Hmm.
And I play spades with the wrath of hell.
(chuckles) They wouldn't let me back into church
if they saw me like this.
Are you okay playing spades with someone like me?
The church I was raised in didn't respect
my, uh, lifestyle.
Well, I won't apologize for believing in a higher power,
but for those who call themselves religious
while using that word to exclude others,
to justify being transphobic...
I believe those people are missing the point of Jesus.
TOM: Girl, hurry up.
Bowleggedness is not an excuse for tardiness.
Hey.
Okay, let's go.
Hi, I'm Zenzi.
Hi, I'm Isaac.
Hi, I'm bored.
LORRAINE: Come on. Let's play.
LORRAINE: All right. Nice shuffle.
The game is spades.
ISAAC: Barclay.
ZENZI: I know you did not just play that...
LORRAINE: Learn from the best.
ZENZI: Damn!
(overlapping chatter)
ZENZI: You just learned how to play.
(laughter)
No one spades like the Swifts.
You all might as well just give up.
Me and Isaac got this in the bag.
ZENZI: Yeah, we'll see about that, Aunt Lorraine.
♪ When he ain't appealing... ♪
One more game.
If you win, Isaac keeps the watch
and leaves forever.
If we win, Isaac keeps working for us.
♪ With something a little mo' betta ♪
♪ Something a little mo' ♪
♪ Something a little mo' betta... ♪
All right, bet it.
What are you bidding, Tom?
Six books. (Zenzi hums)
♪ Deliver me from this partner. ♪
AUTO-ATTENDANT: BP 220/150.
Patient is in hypertensive crisis.
Atrial fibrillation detected.
Imminent risk of stroke.
Sweetheart, I know you're worried,
but the truth is...
The truth? Since when is that your thing?
You do not speak to me that way.
My whole life, you made me believe a lie.
You told me my mom asked you to adopt me
when the truth is you took me away from her.
Your mother was a danger to you.
Now, you saw her at the cotillion.
Maybe if you hadn't thrown her out,
then she would be okay.
Okay, because...
because I do not want you to hate your mother,
I'm going to spare you the reality
of how I found you and what she did to you.
She owned up to her mistakes.
She wasn't fake and weak, like you.
You think it's weakness
that holds this family together?
Do you think it's weakness that handles every aspect
of your pampered, privileged and coddled life?
I rescued you from a situation
where you would have died if I had not intervened.
Right. Bring on the guilt.
You do not understand what I've been through.
You're not the only one who's in pain.
The love of my life, the man who helped me to raise you
is dying alone,
and he needs you right now.
I need you, too.
You can't imagine what it's like to be me.
And you can't imagine what it's like to be me!
Wait.
I think I can.
(straining, electricity buzzing)
That shouldn't have been possible.
Thanks.
(exhales sharply)
Hi.
Hi. How are you?
(soft chuckle)
Thank you.
Hey, it's not how I pictured
having my arms around you, but... Stop it.
Just...
You know, first you threaten me with your bodyguards,
and then you literally save my life.
I don't-- I don't know which side you're on.
I don't want to be your enemy.
Consider this a peace offering.
You and I do agree on this:
Jesmyn Ward is, uh, not as bleak as Richard Wright.
You probably already have a copy of this,
but my favorite essay is "Cracking the Code."
"Cracking the code..."
You're scared of losing Isaac.
I get that.
But you can invent anything.
So what are you gonna do?
(exhales)
My PrEP will prevent further infection from the, uh, poison.
Uh, let's contain this thing to one major organ at a time.
♪ ♪
Quinn's anti-inflammatory pills for their carpal tunnel
will reduce the swelling of Isaac's hippocampus.
All right. Hmm.
Never thought I'd thank Claire, but her ginkgo
will help prevent memory loss,
and her activated charcoal will flush enough thallium
to buy us a few more hours.
BARCLAY: A Hail Mary. Better than nothing.
♪ ♪
BARCLAY: This antidote is only a halfway measure.
Just trying to slow down the poison
while we wait for the doctor to arrive.
♪ ♪
I present Swift nanobots.
Organic polynucleotides.
They fly medicine into the nasal cavities
and dissolve into the bloodstream.
Antidotes go in the vials, but nanobots don't come out.
Like a good condom.
What's wrong with syringes?
Needles? No.
Let's just say I don't like anything poking me
that's not six-three and good-looking.
How tall are you?
♪ ♪
Look, every minute counts,
so we'll have to take the fastest car in the world.
Isaac's gonna wake up in a new Bugatti.
(tires screech)
As for the shoe, I went with something
a little more old-school: Air Jordan 12s.
According to Lino, MJ scored 38 points
with food poisoning while he had these on.
And right now, we have our own poison to handle.
Come on.
(indistinct chatter)
BARCLAY: Wait, there's a huge gridlock
due to rush hour traffic.
Okay, what if we...
The helicopter is with Claire.
Per my calculations, we won't make it to Isaac in time.
We won't make it in time, but you can, Barclay.
(drone humming)
Isn't that Zenzi?
Is she okay?
Go ahead, Barclay. I'll be right behind you.
BARCLAY: What are you doing?
I have to go save Isaac.
What happened? Are you okay?
Yeah, no, I'm-I'm fine, I'm fine.
I just... (clears throat)
Aren't you gonna ask how I'm doing?
I apologize for all the chaos.
Your staff did an amazing job of showing me your work.
And, um, well,
if your inventions keep on changing the world...
Swift Enterprises can be as chaotic as you want.
Let Claire be the boring one.
(both chuckle)
BARCLAY: Let me go. Tom gave me an order.
(whispering): Override command Alexandra 927.
BARCLAY: Administrator override accepted.
(electronic chirp, drone humming)
Barclay, it's good to see you at full strength.
Go.
BARCLAY: Lino, get the dome open, please.
I'm on my final approach.
Barclay's flying in with the antidote.
There should be a manual release switch somewhere around here.
Hey, how were you able to open the door like that?
It was like you had super strength.
(gears humming)
When things get intense, my body takes over.
It started happening a couple of weeks ago.
Well, you should have told me.
You had enough going on.
Nothing gets in the way of me taking care of you.
Understand?
(dome clacks)
Hey.
I said, do you understand?
Yes, Aunt Lorraine.
I call you my aunt...
...but you are my actual mom.
You know I know that, right?
I know that, baby.
And we're gonna figure out what's going on with you,
together.
BARCLAY: Incoming.
I'll reboot the power grid. Administer the antidote.
Let me help. Let me help.
(laughs) My bad.
It's all good, man. Knicks or Nets?
Knicks. Come on, now.
All right. I'm Lino.
You the new bodyguard?
Uh, not anymore. Didn't work out.
I won Tom's watch in a game of Spades, though.
Tom is trash at spades. Always has been.
Why would he bet you his watch?
Because he knows I'll use it to help a friend.
And he knows I won't take charity.
Not many people can bring out that side of Tom.
Just saying.
TOM: Isaac.
Stay with us.
(door bursts open) TOM: Isaac.
(Isaac gasps)
I'm so happy that you...
Welcome back.
Um... I'm glad that you're feeling better.
I was wrong to fire you.
I know you were only doing what you felt was right,
and after you came through for Tom
during his trial yesterday,
it just reminded me that you're part of the family,
so please stay. Stay on with us.
There's nowhere I'd rather be.
How you feeling?
Honestly? I'm starving.
(laughs)
Let's get this soldier some dinner.
Yeah?
So, uh, are we not gonna talk about that moment
you just had with Isaac?
Talk about what?
(device shuts off)
Barclay, I just ran a DNA test on my
stopgap antidote to find out why it worked
so much better than I expected.
It looks like something was added.
I compared it to everything in our database,
and the new element...
was Rowan's blood.
BARCLAY: Sorry, Tom, I have to power down now
due to an override command.
Wh-What?! No one overrides me.
ISAAC: Rowan.
I saw him.
While I was out, I-I had these intense memories.
The day I met Barton, I-I saw Rowan.
Watch out!
(muttering in Swahili)
ISAAC: I don't know why he was there,
but it wasn't a coincidence.
How can you be sure that it was Rowan?
The medical scan showed that the poison inflamed
his hippocampus; the brain's memory center.
Maybe that heightened your clarity.
I'm just glad I remembered.
We should thank whoever poisoned me.
Oh, my God. I have a lead on that.
Eskol gave me this book today,
and I took a picture of his markings,
and they spell out the word "cotillion."
Rowan said that The Road Back tried to poison me.
At the cotillion.
While I was wearing your face filter device.
ISAAC: Can you call up the surveillance footage from the cotillion?
TOM: Stop. Next angle.
I've seen that man before.
I have, too. He works for Eskol.
And The Road Back.
So we find this man, then what?
Then...
...we get payback.
I was able to slow down Tom's efforts
by causing a power outage at Swift Manor,
and we delayed his search for the antidote chemicals.
But we were still not successful.
Turns out it's for the best.
While I was in the offices today, I was able to hack
into the main system.
I learned that Tom is developing a revolutionary neurotechnology.
He'll be much more useful to us alive.
Right.
I also learned...
you've grown very fond of your crush.
So I engineered a little number on the heating and lock system.
Which proved to me you'd be much more focused
if Zenzi were out of the picture entirely.
No?
(muffled cries)
SUSANNAH: It's the Swift's family doctor.
I can provide safe passage for Zenzi
if you reaffirm your loyalty.
Her life or his.
(muffled pleading)
Your choice.
(pleading continues)
(beeps)
(doctor cries out)
(pained groaning)
Okay.
We're good.
Captioning sponsored by CBS
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org
(dings)