♪ ♪
Report!
Isaac: all sections reporting.
Numerous minor injuries, no major structural damage.
Gordon, why the hell aren't we out of here yet?
Working on it, captain.
I'm transferring an updated plasma distribution map
-to your console. -Got it.
Looks like a big screen saver, doesn't it?
Oh, crap. Everybody, hold on!
Major structural damage reported in engineering, sir.
An explosion of some kind.
Lieutenant, I'm transferring auxiliary power to your station!
Got it, sir!
Newton, what's happening down there?
Sir, we've lost both quantum phase inducers
in the upper engine!
I need to divert all available power
to the containment regulators now!
Acknowledged.
Isaac's transferring access to your station.
-Phase inducers are stabilized! -Good work!
Oh, my god! Give me a hand over here!
(Straining)
(Screaming)
My leg!
Newton to bridge!
We have a crewman pinned under a bulkhead!
We can't move him!
We need lieutenant kitan down here!
-Alara! -I'm on my way.
Lieutenant, it won't budge!
Okay, step back, chief!
♪ ♪
Lieutenant!
♪ ♪
Losing a crewmate
is something that every officer is always prepared for.
And many of us have felt the pain firsthand.
But you never get used to it.
Lieutenant Payne's death
is a loss that is deeply felt by all of us.
And we will be forever indebted to him
for his sacrifice.
Now to deliver the eulogy
is lieutenant Payne's friend and commanding officer,
chief engineer Newton.
Hey, guys.
Thanks for coming.
Harrison was a great guy.
We met at camp the summer after eighth grade
when he gave me the heimlich maneuver
after I accidentally swallowed a wine cork.
Harrison and i went through a lot together.
He was my best friend.
And it's fitting that his last name was Payne
because he probably died in a lot of it.
Which is exactly the kind of thing he would find funny,
in case anyone was planning on getting mad at me.
Anyway...
Rest in peace, Harrison.
You were the best.
(Grunting)
(Yells)
Kelly: alara.
(Panting)
How long have you guys been standing there?
Long enough.
End simulation.
Alara, we know you're upset about what happened.
But we also know, as you should,
that it's not your fault.
Yes, it is.
Claire: not according to the autopsy.
The first bulkhead that collapsed
caused massive internal injuries.
It's unlikely he would have survived,
and if you had gone in there, you'd probably be dead, too.
Well, we'll never know 'cause I didn't even try, so...
You did try.
It was just too late.
And we could have lost our chief of security, too.
But we didn't because you made
the responsible command decision,
no matter how hard it was.
You don't understand. I froze.
What do you mean?
(Sighs)
I was running towards him.
I was gonna grab the fallen bulkhead,
but when the fire started, i just... I froze.
I have no idea why. I just...
-I've never been so scared in my life. I... -Okay,
okay, I understand.
But you're being too hard on yourself.
(Scoffs)
Lieutenant Payne's kids probably have it harder.
His wife.
His parents.
Oh, hey. We have the simulator at 3:00.
How much longer are you guys gonna be?
Just give us a minute, okay?
-Oh, yeah. No, it's fine. -Yeah.
Why even have reservations?
Alara, it might be helpful for you to talk about this.
Reset program.
I don't think this is a healthy way to...
Get out. Please.
Am I early?
Uh, it's a little short for a condolence letter.
I know. I suck at these things.
I don't want to make it sound too generic,
but I hardly knew the man, so i-i just got nothing to go on.
Yeah, but look how you open it:
"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Payne, I'm deeply sorry
"for your loss.
Your son was such a neat guy."
I mean, that's-that's terrible.
I'm not a writer, okay?
Yeah, well, w-why don't you say,
"your son was a brave and accomplished man,"
and then pull up his personnel records
and put his résumé into sentences.
Gordon, for god's sake, the guy gave his life
in the line of duty.
Fine, go with "neat guy."
He was a neat guy.
-It's not like I'm making that up. -(Door chimes)
Come in.
Captain, may I speak with you?
In private?
Yeah, sure. Um, Gordon, can you...
-Go ask Kelly to write the letter for you? -Yeah.
Just have her do, like, an outline,
and then I can fill it in later.
-On it. -Thanks.
Sorry, lieutenant.
What's on your mind?
Captain, I would like to submit
my official resignation.
What?
I am neither fit nor qualified to be chief of security
aboard the Orville or any other starship.
Look, I understand you're feeling guilty
-about the whole... -Lieutenant Payne died
because I was too afraid to do my job.
No, he died because in a crisis situation,
things happen that you can't control.
Payne knew the risks of this uniform,
-just like the rest of us. -Captain, I could've moved
that bulkhead with one arm.
But I didn't.
Because I was scared.
Harrison is dead because I was scared.
People seem to think
that being brave means not being afraid.
The way I see it,
if you're not afraid, there's nothing to be brave about.
Tell that to Harrison's parents.
You know, I remember
the day I came aboard the Orville and I met you,
I was really skeptical.
I thought to myself,
"she's too young. She's inexperienced.
"There's no way she can run a whole department,
let alone security."
Well, six months have passed, and I'll tell you this:
If I was being rushed by an angry moclan
who wanted to kill me,
the one person I would want between him and me is you.
I do not accept your resignation.
-Captain, you don't understand... -Alara.
What happened to you could have happened to anyone.
And it has happened to many of us.
But if this thing is really gonna eat you alive inside,
I would suggest doing a little psychological digging.
Find out why you were afraid of the fire.
Talk to Dr. Finn.
Talk to your parents.
Maybe they can offer some insight.
Take any time off you need,
but you are still my chief of security.
I don't want anyone else.
Hear me?
Yes, captain.
Dismissed.
Oh, sweetie, I am so very sorry this has happened.
-Thanks. -the thing is,
you knew this was a risk when you decided
to pursue such a... Physical line of work.
I know.
Maybe this is a sign.
What do you mean?
I mean that maybe it's time to come home
-and get your degree. -Oh, god.
Dad, don't start with that, okay? Please.
-Not now. -I'm just saying it's possible.
Just because you're a little slow
doesn't mean you can't get there
if you work hard enough.
A lot of intellectually deficient people
find a place for themselves here.
-That is the beauty of xelayah. -You know what?
Can we just have one conversation
where you don't attack my choice
to join the fleet? Please?
We just want what's best for you,
and we feel the military is beneath you.
It's what any parent would say to their child.
Any parent on xelayah.
You do realize that there are planets
where a military career is a very honorable thing.
The humans view it with great respect.
Well, yes, the humans.
The hillbillies of the galaxy.
Dad, can you just can it for one second, please?
That's not why I called.
I need to know why I got scared of that fire.
Is there anything you guys can think of,
anything that might have happened,
maybe when I was a child?
Actually, yes.
It was late evening.
Your father was attending a symposium at the university,
and I fell asleep in the living room with you in my arms.
You were less than eight months old.
The fire began in the kitchen
and then spread to the living room.
They told us later that it was due
to a surge in the power generator.
It was your cries that woke me up.
Almost as if you were screaming to me that we were in danger.
The flames were all around us.
I climbed out the window and got us both to safety.
And you never... thought to mention this to me before?
Honestly, the whole thing upset me so much,
I didn't like to talk about it.
And you were a baby.
You didn't even remember it happening,
so what would have been the point?
Oh, hey, settle an argument for us:
Do I look like I've put on weight?
(Indistinct chatter)
Wait!
Captain.
I need you to relieve me of duty right now.
Alara, we talked about this. I thought...
Just trust me, I am not well
and I am going to check myself in
for psychiatric treatment at the next union outpost.
But until then,
I need to be confined to sickbay.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down.
What makes you think that you're not well?
I just saw a clown on deck c.
What?
-A clown? -Mm-hmm.
Like a... a clown clown?
Yes! and when I chased him down the hallway,
he disappeared.
I am obviously losing my mind.
I don't like clowns.
What is... a clown?
Big red 'fro. Lots of makeup.
Big ol' floppy shoes.
Scary as balls.
Wow, you're describing my mom.
Did the clown speak?
-No. -was it like a...
Circus clown
or a hobo clown, or what?
What's the difference?
Hobo clowns are the most dangerous,
'cause they're hungry.
Captain, I really need to go to sickbay.
You know, usually when someone has the presence of mind
to ask themselves if they're going crazy,
it suggests they're not.
What are you saying?
I'm saying, let's check the security logs.
Search deck c logs, beginning with time index 468.2--
the past 30 minutes.
I-i don't, I don't want to look.
Wh-what do you see?
I see the clown.
Ah, damn it, man! No, man! Come on.
I don't believe it.
Go to deck c, section 4.
Continuous time index.
That's impossible. There's no other outlet
in that part of the corridor.
It just... vanished.
Then it was real.
Could it be an alien life-form of some kind?
Internal scans confirm that there was indeed
an unidentified human on deck c at the time.
What about now?
Negative.
Could he be... Hiding from the scans somehow?
Only one way to find out.
We'll divide into teams.
Isaac will remain on the bridge and continue to scan.
All weapons are to be kept on stun.
We want the clown alive.
-Gordon: captain? -Yeah.
I think it's only prudent to caution everyone
to watch out for pies.
At this point, anything is possible, so yes.
Pies, seltzer bottles, balloon animals... be alert.
All right, let's go.
♪ ♪
Check the cargo hold.
The lieutenant and I will search the shuttle bay.
(Keypad beeps)
Lights on.
Clown?
I will check the upper level.
All right.
♪ ♪
(Footfall approaches)
(Clown whoops)
(Laughing wildly)
(Alara grunts)
(Clown laughs wildly)
I apologize, captain.
When he got ahold of my weapon,
he turned the setting up to kill.
I didn't have time to lower it.
It's all right, better the clown than you.
Isaac, do the scans still read as human?
-Yes, captain. -I'm telling you,
there was nothing human about this thing.
I should've been able to snap him like a twig,
but he was strong.
Those fangs...
Vampire clown.
Shut up.
Captain, I recommend that we take the ship to yellow alert.
Until we know what the hell is going on, that's a good idea.
All right, notify the crew.
There's nothing else we can do right now,
but in the meantime, everyone stay on the lookout.
For what?
More clowns.
I wish I could have captured that stupid thing alive.
Honestly, I'm almost glad you didn't.
I don't know if I'd want to see it up close.
Kelly... what the hell is happening?
I don't know.
Everything in my gut is telling me
that we're dealing with an alien presence,
but the scans don't lie.
Listen, I'm gonna shower and change,
but you feel like a drink in the mess hall?
Yes. a drink sounds amazing right now.
Okay. I'll meet you there in 20.
(Keypad beeping)
(Gasps)
(Kelly screams)
Alara!
Alara, help me!
(Kelly shrieks)
Aah!
(Panting)
What in god's name was that?
I don't know.
Were you able to get any scans?
No, sir. I was just trying
to get the commander out of there alive.
Ed, what we saw was like looking into infinity.
It's impossible.
It defies every law of physics.
Well, if it's impossible,
then it doesn't really exist.
And if that's the case...
There's something wrong with us.
You both saw it.
Saw it. Felt it.
Almost got swallowed up by it.
Doctor, these things cannot possibly be real.
Is there a chance we're dealing with some kind of...
Collective insanity?
A... a brain virus of some sort?
Could somebody have put peyote in the food synthesizers?
Maybe we're all just really stoned.
Well, you all saw the clown.
On the monitor, at least.
But so far, only two of you
have had direct physical experiences.
There is an alligator in the cargo bay.
I successfully crushed it with a chair.
Where did it come from?
I do not know.
Regardless, it is crushed.
Doctor?
All right. I'll do a brain scan
on each of you, just to be safe.
Take off your jacket and lie down.
This will take about 20 minutes.
Okay?
Comfortable?
Yeah.
Good.
Where's... where's your staff?
Everyone's at lunch.
All at once?
What if there's an emergency?
Doctor?
Yes?
What are the restraints for?
The brain scan requires a high degree of precision.
It's easily affected by the smallest movement.
I just want to make sure you lie still.
I will. You don't need to strap me down.
Hey, who's the doctor here?
(Grunts)
You're wondering why you can't break free, right?
Super-strong alara kitan
can't bust through those restraints.
I had them quadruple-fortified just for you.
Why?
-I'll be right back. -What?
I just need to get my instruments.
What?
(Grunts)
Hey, lieutenant.
Oh, nurse park.
Can you unlock these restraints?
Why are you in restraints?
Dr. Finn said I needed them
for the brain scan.
That doesn't make any sense.
Something's not right. Get me loose.
-I don't-- I don't understand this. -What?
She must've changed the code.
Why on earth would she...
Alara: Claire!
Oh, my god, what are you doing?
Surgery.
Claire, what the hell is wrong with you?
I understand what you're feeling.
Nobody likes going to the doctor.
But I'm here to make you better.
What? what are you doing?
The best way to get accurate results
with a brain examination
is to go in through the abdomen, up through the chest,
-and through the base of the skull. -No.
No, Claire, this is insane.
Something's happened to you.
Just think for one second.
Help!
Someone help me!
(Grunts)
(Panting)
Alara to bortus.
Request security detail immediately.
Ed: I'll ask you one more time.
Why did you kill nurse park?
Why did you try to kill alara?
Why not?
Look, Dr. Finn, you're obviously not yourself.
But if you ever want to see the outside of that cell,
you'll tell us what the hell is going on.
Did anything happen to you that you can recall
prior to the killing?
Anything strange? Did you see or feel
-anything out of the ordinary? -I'm hungry.
Will somebody get me a pizza?
What kind of pizza?
No, she's not getting a pizza.
All right. Why don't you call us
-when you're prepared to talk. -Captain.
Do you ever sit in your quarters
and look out the window?
Do you ever stop and watch
the darkness out there?
It's very, very dark in space.
Looks so empty.
But there are terrors lurking all around us
in the infinite shadows.
You can't see them,
but they're there.
If you are attempting to frighten us,
you have failed.
What are you talking about?
You have no idea...
...what's coming for you.
(Laughing)
All right, I need answers, and I need them now.
What the hell is happening on this ship?
Scans show no record of the vortex
commander Grayson encountered,
nor were there any anomalous readings
in or around sickbay.
That's not good enough.
We have clowns, we have bottomless pits,
and our chief medical officer has lost her mind.
Wait, what if we all died in that plasma storm
and this is actually
some kind of purgatory?
How would we know we were in purgatory?
What's purgatory even like?
-You ever been married? -No.
-It's like that. -Wait.
Isaac, what about the plasma storm?
Is it possible that it affected us
or the ship in some way?
How so, commander?
I'm not sure.
This is gonna sound like I'm talking out of my ass.
Then please try to enunciate.
No, it's a figure... Never mind.
Is it possible that the damage to the ship
was more than just structural?
Could the storm have...
Frayed some boundary
between reality and something else?
Thoughts, maybe?
Your ass might be on to something.
An interesting hypothesis.
I suppose it is not impossible.
Was anyone thinking about clowns
or bottomless pits before you saw them?
Captain.
Where'd that come from?
Oh, my god.
They cannot be real.
(Screams) get it off!
Get it off! Get it off!
Get it off!
What the hell?
Isaac, how much of a risk would it pose to the ship
to reenter the plasma storm?
There is considerable risk, captain.
It's the only lead we have right now.
And it might provide a clue to what's going on.
That storm nearly totaled the engineering deck.
Perhaps we could fortify the deflectors in some fashion.
Scanner log data could give us a frequency window
for the plasma charges.
We could modulate the deflectors
to provide better protection.
However, it would not last long.
We have crew members trying to murder each other.
All right, let's do it.
Alara, you and Gordon report to engineering
and help chief Newton get working
on the deflectors.
John, set a course back to the plasma storm.
Push quantum drive to the limit without breaking the ship apart.
Will do, captain.
From this point forward, i want everyone to carry weapons
at all times.
All right. Let's go.
You know, I'm not gonna lie to you.
I'm pretty scared.
Join the club.
That spider was real.
I could feel its hairy stomach on my face.
Oh, my god. What-what if it laid an egg in my nose
and then my head swells up with a big egg sac
and then it explodes and all these baby spiders
come rushing out of my brain?
Gordon, just don't think about it, okay?
Just let's focus on our jobs.
You're right. If we start to panic,
we're in big trouble.
Believe me, I know.
Oh, hey, alara, i didn't mean it like that.
I'm sorry. I...
I'm just a little freaked out, you know?
No, it's okay. I know. I am, too.
Look, I know everybody's been telling you this,
but you know it wasn't your fault, right?
(Shrieks)
What do we do?!
Run!
(Shrieking)
Okay, I quit. I quit right now.
I cannot work here anymore!
-Gordon! -(screams)
(Burps)
(Panting)
Kitan to anyone who can hear me.
Gordon is dead.
Kitan to bridge. Do you read?
Kitan to engineering. Do you read me?
If anyone can hear me, there's nobody on the bridge,
and we are approaching the plasma storm.
I need to know if the deflectors are ready.
Can anyone hear me?
Is there anyone on board?
♪ ♪
(Electricity crackling)
♪ ♪
Hello, alara.
Oh, Isaac.
I've been all over the ship. It's completely deserted.
Yes. I was on the bridge,
and I suddenly found myself alone.
I came down to engineering
to determine the status of the deflectors.
Me, too. We're headed straight into the plasma storm,
and without the deflectors, we're gonna be shredded.
Ship's power is completely off-line.
However, the comscanners are functioning.
Perhaps we can transfer enough power
to access the main logs.
That might tell us what happened to the crew. Do it.
Isaac, what the hell is going on?
Why are we the only ones still here?
I do not have any more data than you at this time.
Perhaps the scanner logs will provide a clue.
How long is the power transfer gonna take?
I would estimate approximately four minutes.
(Sighs)
I watched Gordon die.
I am very sorry to hear that, lieutenant.
There was nothing I could do.
I couldn't save him.
We must remain vigilant
in case the alien creature returns.
Minimum systems online.
We will need to work quickly,
as the power supply is limited.
I never told you how he died.
I only told you he was dead.
How did you know about the creature?
We do not have much time.
We must review all the scanner logs
if we are to find out what happened to the crew.
You didn't answer my question. How do you know?
It's you, isn't it? You're behind all this.
(Cries out)
(Plasma burst strikes)
Alara: don't make me use this.
It's set on maximum, and we both know that's enough
to vaporize even you.
I do not believe you would shoot me.
Believe me, you son of a bitch.
Now, tell me what's going on.
Where is everybody? What's happening to the ship?
Foolish little girl, you cannot stop me.
(Voice slowing): Soon, this ship will run red with your blood.
(Plasma burst strikes)
Female computer voice: Inner hull compromised.
Evacuate ship immediately.
Inner hull compromised.
Evacuate ship immediately.
Inner hull compromised.
Evacuate ship immediately.
Captain, we need to shut this down now.
We have to stop this now.
Isaac, shut it down.
I am afraid we cannot
end the simulation at this time.
Isaac, look at her bio-signs.
Her adrenaline levels are through the roof.
Isaac, shut it down, now!
I am sorry, captain.
I do not have the authority to do so.
Lieutenant kitan has exercised
directive 38 in the execution of this program.
No bare feet in the engineering section?
-What does that have to do... -No, 38.
Oh, 38.
Wait a minute, she exercised directive 38 for this?
What does that mean?
It's an extreme crisis-only regulation
that allows the chief of security on board a starship
the ability to override all other clearance.
-Including the captain's. -What in god's name for?
In the rare case that the captain has been compromised
in some way-- alien influence,
extreme drunkenness, that kind of thing.
If they use it and they're wrong, it's a career-ender.
And it's definitely not meant to be used for something like this.
She was afraid we might try to shut it down.
So what do we do now?
Lieutenant kitan must complete the program.
Female computer voice: Inner hull compromised.
Evacuate ship immediately.
(Cries out)
Oh, god, no.
♪ ♪
(Door whooshes open)
What...?
Alara, are you okay?
What... what's going on?
What's happening?
You have successfully completed the simulation.
Simulation? what are you talking about?
None of it was real, alara.
Wait, you mean I've been
in the simulator this whole time?
Yes, you have.
Why?! why would you do that to me?
-We didn't. -Well, then, who did?
You did, lieutenant.
What?
Alara, do you remember coming back to my office
after you talked to your parents?
No.
You told me you asked your parents if there was
anything else they hadn't told you about, aside from the fire.
They said no, but you didn't believe them.
So you asked permission to have Isaac create a simulation
that would help you uncover any additional fears
that might be lurking beneath the surface
so that you'd never be caught off guard in a crisis again.
I tried to talk you out of it,
but you threatened to resign against my wishes.
Isaac: you asked to be subjected
to a variety of frightening situations,
so I designed a program based on inquiries conducted
with the crew, in order to select a number of baseline
phobias with which to populate the program.
The simulation began in the corridor,
right before you saw the clown.
But how did you... (Sighs)
A memory wipe.
If you knew you were in a simulation,
the fear wouldn't be real.
So you needed a short-term memory wipe
to erase any knowledge of the request.
It's a risky procedure, but you told me it was essential
for the protection of classified security material.
I ought to write you up for lying to a medical officer.
Wait... so who's afraid of clowns?
That's me.
You really are afraid of clowns?
Yes. please stop saying the "c" word.
-And the abyss? -Heights. My phobia.
-What about the sickbay mess? -That's me.
Scared to death of surgery.
I had a skin tag removed once--
total panic attack.
The spiders came from me.
I'm a bit of an arachnophobe.
Isaac: commander Grayson cited a fear
of isolation, with which i conceived the empty ship.
That just leaves crazy, psycho Isaac.
You can thank bortus for that one.
Fear of being conquered by a superior enemy.
I am feeling very self-conscious.
May I leave?
Uh, sure.
Isaac, i-i guess i should say thank you.
You made it an order, lieutenant, I had no choice.
Alara, you invoked directive 38 to prevent us
from shutting down the program when it got too hot in there.
I ought to court-martial you on this very spot
for the position you put us in.
We were really worried about you.
Captain, I am so sorry.
I mean, I don't... I don't remember it,
but still, I'm sorry.
I'm letting it slide because no one got hurt.
And also because you owned
every crisis Isaac threw at you.
Every insane situation you were up against,
you handled like a first-rate officer.
There should be no doubt in your mind
that you are capable of doing your job.
See you in the morning.
(Sighs)
(Door whooshes shut)
Captioned by media access group at wgbh