The Man Who Fell to Earth (Two)

An Earth 2 Episode Summary
by Ariadne [June 25, 1995]

CONTENTS:

• Previously
• Teaser
• Act I
• Act II
• Act III
• Act IV
• Act V

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Screenplay by: Mark Levin
Directed by: Felix Enriquez Alcala

Previously

The crew discovers the robbed cargo pod; O'Neill follows the tracks and is shot by the Koba; Danziger tells Adair they have crashed on this planet and lost most of their cargo; Yale says Commander O'Neill died because he forgot that they are in a new place now where everything is different; Gaal stands on a hill.

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The Teaser

Grendlers dig up O'Neill's grave; Gaal, watching, says those fools will pay their toll yet. They unearth O'Neill, who is alive.

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Act I

Danziger, in narration, says they've been there 3 days and some strange part of him longs for the space stations. He has no idea why - there was no there there, nothing was real; even in his own bed, his own unit, he never felt that he was home. He wanted to run away and start over with a whole new hand. 22 light years from nowhere, on some planet dancing circles around some scorching sun, and him, some nomad on a six-wheeled camel looking for shade. Not exactly the new hand he was looking to be dealt.

Danziger stops the transrover for a break. He tells Adair it wasn't designed for long hauls; it's a mining vehicle, and he's damned if he's going to burn it out on the first day. Adair calls to Alonzo to halt.

In narration, Danziger says their pilot is a different man now. When he met him, he was fearless, he sucked the marrow out of life. The kid thought he could outrun gravity forever. Gravity caught up with him.

Julia brings Alonzo painkillers and asks if he's had more dreams. He says he's not going to have them anymore. She asks how he knows - whatever they are, they contact him. He stares off into the horizon.

Someone uses an Eden project scope to watch the group and sees True with her Koba.

Morgan sees Yale looking at a hologram. He tells Bess Yale is a cyborg; it's not safe to have one of those things with them; the Yales are defective. Only the richest families had them as tutors. A kid in his sector had one that committed suicide by jumping 41 stories; they're loose cannons. All the Yales were supposed to have been recalled when he was a kid. How come this thing's still around?

Danziger, in narration, says none of them knows what they did to that kid Ulysses, those creatures that stole him underground. Maybe they're too afraid to ask.

The group prepares to start off again after their rest. Adair tells Uly, who is walking around carrying a beribboned stick, to get into the vehicle; he says he's not tired yet. Yale comments that Uly has her stubborn streak. She asks Uly when he last had his vitals checked; she wants them taken every hour.

The group travels on. Danziger, in narration, says with the setting up of camp at the end of the day comes the new unknowns life on the stations never prepared them for - the coming darkness, the chill of night, the terror of sleep. How will the Terrians visit them next - from below their feet, in their dreams, will they reach out to their children?

Zero, True and Uly head out from camp to search for wood. True sees something and screams. Everyone comes running. Gaal lies injured on the ground.

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Act II

Night. Gaal is lying in a tent and everyone watches him. Adair reassures him; Danziger asks if anyone else is here. Gaal says he is all alone; he knew they would come for him.

Yale catchess True and Uly peaking at Gaal under the tent and yells at them for not following directions. Uly asks about Gaal; True worries the Terrians will come up when they're sleeping and get them. Uly scared of that - the Terrians are his friends. Yale, unnerved by the remark, sends the kids to bed.

In narration, Danziger says the stranger travels light and carries only a story. His name's Gaal and he says he was an astronaut on the Pontel 7 project. Cold-sleep timer malfunctions, ship drags him to this sun's orbit and crashes, the guy thinks he's headed home but wakes up here - no people for a billion miles, stranded 15 years on this unknown planet, just the horror of loneliness to keep him company. Now he's found them to welcome him. Someone should tell him Danziger's not the welcoming kind.

Alonzo guards Gaal. Gaal notices that he can't sleep either - the god-forsaken planet won't let him sleep. Alonzo asks how he knows. Gaal says he can feel a kindred spirit; have the Terrians found him yet - do the monsters visit in his dreams? Alonzo asks how he can get them to stop. Gaal wishes he knew.

The next morning Gaal stands in the sun. He says to Adair that they didn't come to rescue him. She says they came to found a colony and build a hospital for the children who can' survive on the space stations; they hope to traverse this continent and establish a colony in New Pacifica in 11 months. They can't offer him a way home for some time but would like him to come with them. Gaal would like that very much.

Bess wonders what being trapped here for 15 years must have been like. Yale says Gaal probably doesn't know how long he's really been here because the days are shorter and the years so much longer. Bess doesn't know what Pontel 7 was. Yale explains it was a galactic exploration project with one-man vessels exploring an 11 light-year radius from the sun. It was essentially a pork-barrel and made the defense contractors happy for a couple of decades. The mission was scrubbed in 2168; there were 3000 missions and not one shred of usable reconnaissance data. Bess comments that Yale knows a lot.

Gaal washes his hands in a bowl; Julia asks him how he got so hurt. He says it was the Grendlers. That's what he calls them - slobbery rodents who wouldn't blink to rip the arm from your shoulder. Morgan, overhearing the conversation, thinks he's seen one of those short, squat, ugly things; he introduces himself as Morgan Martin, Deputy Secretary of Interstellar Development. Gaal says last night when he saw the lights from their camp, he thought it was a mirage, then two Grendlers ambushed him. Julia asks about their cargo pod. Gaal says the Grendlers are traders by nature, but are not above a little larceny. Julia is called away and leaves. Gaal drinks his wash water. He watches True and guesses she steals extra rations out of hunger, hiding them away in that satchel of hers. Morgan is outraged.

Morgan pulls True's satchel off the Transrover and says she has to play by the rules; she can't keep secrets from them. They fight over the satchel. The Koba rips through it and fires a claw at Morgan's hand. He collapses. Everyone gathers around. Julia is unable to prevent him from dying. Danziger attempts CPR - an old-fashioned military method.

Gaal tells a crying Bess that her husband will pull though. There are secrets to this planet they do not yet understand; Morgan is not dead. Gaal himself has been stung by those rodents a dozen times, and he's still here to tell the tale. The worse effect the stings have on humans is to put them in a state of coma for a day or two; Morgan will wake up. In horror, the group thinks of O'Neill.

As the group travels back at night, Danziger, in narration, says the chances that O'Neill was still alive, buried under 5 ft of earth, were probably 6 million to one, but they weren't going back for him - they were going back for themselves. They couldn't live not knowing.

In the morning, they reach the grave; it's empty. Gaal tastes slime left there and says it's his worst fear - Grendlers got there first.

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Act III

Through jumpers, Danziger spots Gaal coming down a hill.

Yale tells Adair that preliminary resonance scans of the area show no signs of human body warmth, at least above ground. Adair tells him to organize a search party immediately.

She enters her tent, where Julia is checking Uly. He asks if they think he's becoming part Terrian or something. They could ask the Terrians to help them find O'Neill; he could ask them because they probably think he's their prince or something and he can command them. Adair wants Uly to take it easy so he doesn't have a relapse.

Gaal is eating. Danziger asks him where he went - he saw him coming back from the north that morning. Gaal says he was looking for O'Neill. Danziger wants him to let somebody know when he decides to go wandering off. Gaal talks about the Grendlers. They're like ants - strong, ruthless, they can carry 7 times their own body weight and could crush a man's skull with one hand. He's managed to trade with some of them over the years. He asks if Danziger would give his permission to contact them in the search for their good commander; he speaks their language.

Bess prays over Morgan. True enters the tent and says she didn't mean for anything to happen; the Koba was her friend. Bess tells her she's a smart person; she's trusting she doesn't have to learn her lesson a third time. True asks if she can wait there with her.

Gaal blows into a whistle. Everyone is confused by the sound.

Later that day, Danziger gives Uly running lessons. Adair is alarmed and sends Uly to have a scrape checked out. Danziger says Uly's healed; she should let him breathe a little. She says he shouldn't tell her how to be parent; she's seen how he manages his own daughter. Danziger asks what that's supposed to mean. She says she thinks she would know what pets her kid was keeping. Danziger says they're all doing this for the first time - she should stop making assumptions about how people raise their kids. The arguement stops when they spot a Grendler.

Gaal talks to the Grendler. Baines, looking at it though the sight of O'Neill's rifle, says it's the mangiest looking thing in the whole universe - it wouldn't even wipe its mouth. Yale says they shouldn't judge these Grendlers by their standards of good hygiene.

Gaal reports back that the good commander is still alive and the Grendlers want three power generators in trade; he talked them down to one.

Walman, Danziger, Baines and Gaal take a power generator to the designated location. Gaal calls the Grendlers with the whistle.

That night, Bess sees Morgan move his hand. She begs him to wake up. She and True are relieved when he comes to. The hear a loud noise outside and Bess goes to check it out. Morgan begs her not to leave him with True. Bess says she's good people and leaves.

Bess checks the camp and runs into O'Neill. He says they shouldn't have buried him like that.

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Act IV

O'Neill tells the group around the campfire that he doesn't know where they kept him, but it seemed like it was underground. If he thought any of them had any guts, they'd hunt them down tonight. Adair suggests he get some rest. O'Neill says he heard the Grendlers utter words that didn't make any sense to him - they can talk. Gaal says he taught a few of them a handful of jargon over the years - it spread like the wind. O'Neill calls Uly over to him; he's surprised he's healed and welcomes him into the world of the breathing. Julia checks on Alonzo, who is in the ATV, sleeping.

In the dreamplane, he runs from Terrians and then sees people who wear metal collars. One is shocked by it and collapses momentarily.

Gaal wakes him from his dream; Alonzo thanks him. Gaal says who else to rescue him from his demons?

The next morning, Morgan asks O'Neill where he went when he was dead. Morgan was in a scary place with bright light and a scratching sound, constantly gnawing; he can't imagine any place worse. O'Neill went to a better place - he finally felt like he was home. He thinks Morgan just wasn't ready to die yet.

Bess, warming up for a run, asks Uly what he's doing. Uly is looking for Terrians; next time he sees one, he's going to make friends with it. Bess invites him to join her on her run.

Gaal says to O'Neill that he never made it to earth to see a land vehicle like the dune rail. O'Neill made it back only once, in '64, Indian Ocean. He comments on Gaal's being with Pontel 7, working for his old pal Laraby. Gaal says that must have been after his time. O'Neill asks about the fuel source of those Pontel ships - antimatter? Gaal smiles and says he's been alone for so long, he's forgotten his days as an astronaut.

Adair comes up to speak with O'Neill; Gaal leaves. She's worried about him; she knows his every instinct is to be out there seeking retribution. He says she's thinking he's a loose hinge and will allow himself to get killed again. She thinks he feels invincible and asks him to use caution.

Bess and Uly are running. He runs ahead and bumbs into a Terrian; he smiles at it. It sinks into the earth on Bess' approach.

O'Neill tracks Gaal through the woods

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Act V

Uly returns from his run, and feeling like he'll get in trouble for it, he promises his mother he'll take better care of himself. She asks him to get his immuno-suit. He worries she thinks he'll have to wear it again. She tells him they have a space problem and he needs to find a place to put it; now he can take care of himself, he must also take care of his things. He's pleased. She looks up and closes her eyes.

O'Neill walks into a cave and trips over equipment from the cargo pod. He hides from Grendlers and finds a human skull. In an open area, he finds metal shock collars. Gaal comes out and says he should just call him a magpie. O'Neill says his gut told him he wasn't Pontel 7; how did he get here? Gaal says he's just a poor boy being punished; he was sent here with others like himself that the space stations didn't want around anymore. They sent the undesirables, the killers, the rapists; it was a penal colony. They were craven, only Gaal was just a tad more craven than the others; he won the survival contest. He asks why O'Neill doesn't have a weapon - if he did, he would have used it already. O'Neill pulls out his pistol, and the Grendlers grab him. Gaal says if he wants to die, he can accommodate him; he's killed 26 - 20 on the stations and 6 here. O'Neill's friends are in peril; in time the women, in need of guidance, will follow Gaal, and the men will follow O'Neill. The Grendlers choke O'Neill.

Dusk. Gaal returns to camp. He tells them that the Terrians got O'Neill; his body's in the woods.

Danziger, in narration, says everyday they discover only how much more they have yet to learn about this planet and how to survive here. Commander Broderick O'Neill learned his lessons twice; maybe now he knows something they don't. New Pacifica still beckons. For some it's the place that holds the promise of Eden; for others it's their best hope to get home. They don't know how they'll get there, or what dangers lie ahead, but at least they have a guide now.

As the group travels on, Gaal stands in the back of the transrover, laughing.

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