Synopsis: Cole obtains a tape made at the train station when the alien-intercepted 805 train arrived and identifies one of the disembarking passengers as Yhir, Zin’s Desserian confident. Yhir is in the body of Rudy McMannas, an escaped mental patient who has since been recaptured and is now in the Folcroft Psychiatric Institution. Cole believes that Yhir has information about the metal triangle that Mel found in her grandmother’s things and vital knowledge of Zin’s plans. He wants to interrogate him and, to that end, he decides to create a profile indicating that he himself is an escaped mental patient and allow himself to get captured and committed.

While the premise here is very interesting, there was far too much unnecessary filler shown at the front of this episode. There should’ve been more of Cole in the mental hospital and certainly more of him struggling under the influence of the drugs. Once he had the sodium penathol in him, one would have thought he was going to profess his love for Mel – or at least open up to her and talk more about his life and about Migar.

———————————————————————

The teaser opens with Nestov ‘interviewing’ a very buxom and sexy knockout named Bunny for a job at the Watchfire.

[Note: The opening few moments of this episode are missing from my tape. This may not be the complete text].

Nestov: "Is that a nickname or does it refer to a special skill?"

Bunny: "My mother was a Playmate."

Nestov, nearly choking on his drink: "A Playmate!? Oh, wow! Nice!"

Bunny: "She met dad at the mansion."

Nestov: "You know, I’ve always wanted to go to the mansion."

Bunny: "She could get you in ... She still has contacts."

Nestov, leaning in closer: "Whoa! With that kind of talk, I’m going to have to give you the job."

Bunny: "Are you serious?"

Nestov: "Oh, yes."

Bunny: "Oh my God! This is great! How can I thank you!?"

Nestov, ogling her body: "Well ... I think you already have..."

Bunny: "So, when do I start?"

Mel: "Start what?"

Nestov, jumping up: "Oh! ... Hi, Mel ... Hey! He nervously laughs. I thought you were doing inventory downstairs..."

Mel, smiling, knowing something’s up: "Yeah. I was."

Nestov: "Yes!"

Mel: "Now I’m done."

Nestov: "I can see that."

Mel: "Uh huh. Who’s this?"

Nestov: "Who?" Mel points. "Oh! Her!" He nervously laughs again. "Okay, uh ... This is Bunny ... Bunny, Mel ... She answered the ad in the paper."

Mel, extending her hand: "Oh! Hello, Bunny."

Bunny, shaking her hand: "Do you work here, too?"

Mel: "Work here?"

Nestov: "Um ... Actually ... she ... um..."

Mel: "I own the place."

Bunny, turning to Nestov: "Then ... who are you?"

Nestov, hurriedly putting on his coat: "Ooo! Look at the time! I gotta run! Nice to meet you, Bunny. Give regards to your mom..." He flees.

Bunny, to Mel: "Does this mean I don’t have the job?"

At the front door, Nestov collides with Cole, who’s just coming in.

Cole: "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Easy, Nestov!"

Nestov: "Cole! Good to see you, man!"

Cole: "Why are you running away so fast?"

Nestov, stammering: "Well, I was just going to get some..."

Just then, Mel rushes up and fiercely hugs him.

Cole, surprised: "You seem very happy to see me!"

Mel: "I am!"

Nestov: "She is!"

Mel: "I’ve just been very concerned! You’ve been away for three days! Where were you!?"

Cole: "I was hunting an Enixian."

Nestov: "Anyone I know?"

Cole: "Bennil."

Nestov: "Ooo! Bad mother! Nasty habit of making Orsians disappear! Hope you fried his ass!"

As Cole and Nestov discuss ‘alien business’ with the forgotten Bunny right there, Cole keeps trying to move further into the bar but Nestov remains in his way, so he has to push him along with Mel tagging along behind.

Cole: "I didn’t get the chance. He escaped before I found out where he was hiding, which happens to be in the body of a woman called Sheryl Vandeross, who moved to California last week."

Nestov: "California!? That means a road trip! I’ll get the munchies, you get the car!"

Cole: "Not yet!"

Nestov: "What about Bennil?"

Cole: "He can wait. This can’t." He holds up a VHS tape. Nestov reaches for it, but he moves it out of his grasp. "Uh uh! I got it from Sheryl’s boyfriend. He was at the station the day the 805 pulled in."

———————————————————————

Upstairs in the War Room, Cole pops the tape into the VCR and shoos Nestov off his chair.

Mel, looking at what’s on-screen: "This is amazing, Cole! ... The ATM machine tape you had showed only one or two faces ... But this has ... every one of them..."

Cole, stunned: "I can go home."

———————————————————————

The next scene is a pointless yet funny one as Bunny gives a very happy Cole a lapdance. That goofy but innocent little boy smile he had throughout was adorable. One could tell that the only thing going through his mind was probably something like: ‘Gee, Humans sure go through some strange but fun rituals. Wonder what the point of this one is?’

Mel, just coming downstairs, brought up short by the spectacle: "Cole!"

Cole: "Hello, Mel."

Mel: "Uh ... what’s going on!?"

Cole: "It’s called a lapdance."

Mel: "I know what it is! That’s not exactly what I meant!"

Cole: "But she’s really good, Mel! You should try it!"

Mel: "Don’t you have a video to play out?"

Cole: "Oh. Yes ... I came down for some tools, but Bambi needed me."

Bunny, correcting him: "Bunny!"

Cole, grinning: "Bunny needed me."

Bunny: "I have some new moves! Watch this!"

Mel, turning off the music tape: "Uh, I think we’ve both seen enough moves, thank you."

Cole, getting up and awkwardly smoothing the back of his hair: "Uh, thank you ... Bunny." He goes to get his tool case from behind the bar.

Mel: "Bunny ... You know, I don’t think this is going to work out."

Bunny: "What did I do?"

Mel: "You told me that you had bartending skills."

Bunny: "I told you I could get people into the bar. Anyone can mix a drink, Mel. What I do keeps them drinking. Isn’t that what you want?"

Cole, leaning in and grinning as she adjusts her mini halter top: "I thought you were very good, Bunny."

Mel glares at him, so he gets this guilty look on his face and hurries back upstairs.

[Mel’s reactions to Cole’s complete innocence in such things are always wonderful].

———————————————————————

Cole, entering the War Room: "So, you done?"

Nestov: "Done? I haven’t even started logging people!"

Cole: "You’ve had over an hour."

Nestov: "Yeah, well, I could have two hours, the whole twenty-four, for that matter! It won’t make a difference! There’s something wrong with the tape!"

Cole, going to check the VCR: "It was working perfectly well before!"

Nestov: "Right! That’s before it went all freaky on me. Now all I got is static!"

Cole, realizing: "You pressed ‘record’ instead of ‘play’!"

Nestov: "I did not!" He gets up to see.

Cole, showing him: "Play. Record. Play. Record. Play."

Nestov: "See, that’s not my fault! You didn’t show me how to use this thing! I mean, how am I to know which button to press? ... I did set the time, though, which was easy! See? It’s not saying 12 o’clock anymore."

Cole, ejecting the tape: "Oh great! Luckily for you, the guy who gave me this has the original."

Nestov, laughing: "Ooo! Ooo! Now, that’s a load off! ‘Cause I know if this was messed up you’d be blaming me and zapping my ass for cashing your ticket home!"

Cole, as Nestov goes to sit down: "Uh uh!"

Nestov: "What?"

Cole, gesturing out the door: "Come on!"

Nestov: "Come on what!?"

Cole: "Well, you don’t think I’m going to leave you in here so you can push some more buttons."

Nestov: "I got a job to do, do I not?"

Cole: "Well, you can tell Mel that I’ve stepped out."

Nestov: "That’s it?"

The two of them leave, Cole apparently going to get another copy of the tape.

[Did Nestov sabotage that tape? Probably. He knows that once all the other fugitives are Collected, his stay on Earth will be over as well].

———————————————————————

That night, a mortified Mel is working the packed-with-men Watchfire while a barely-dressed Bunny dances to their loud and lascivious approval.

Mel, to herself: "I can’t believe I agreed to do this. But we’re making money. We need the money. We’re making money." She downs a fortifying shot, then sees a cop come in.

Mel, sliding up to Bunny: "Bunny! Stop!"

Bunny: "But I’m in the middle of something!"

Mel, tightly: "We have a bit of a problem here."

Bunny, noticing the cop: "Maybe he wants a dance."

Mel: "Does it look like he wants a dance?"

Bunny, wrapping her open blouse closed: "You have a license for this, right?"

Mel, turning to the cop with a bright smile: "Good evening, Officer!"

———————————————————————

Later, a depressed and exhausted Mel comes into the War Room and leans against the wall.

Cole, working at his computer: "How’d it go tonight?"

Mel: "We did all right."

Cole, nodding: "Bunny worked out, then."

Mel: "We made enough money to cover the citation fines I got because of her." Cole turns to look at her as she comes over. "Never mind. On the bright side, I’m not homeless ... Yet ... How’s your little project going?"

The computer screen shows a man on the train platform with a German Shepherd dog just behind him.

Mel, sitting down: "I remember the dog ... He was taken over by a Vardian. Right?"

Cole: "Yes. Mederan." ["The Beast"].

[Blooper Note: By law, the dog would’ve been caged for transport and would’ve never exited the train on his own four feet. Further, if one assumes that one of the other fugitives released him from his cage, then he would’ve never been delivered to his new master, Stan Robert. Hence, "The Beast" wouldn’t have happened].

Mel: "And who’s that next to him?"

Cole: "Well, Zin never traveled without Mederan, or a Desserian named Yhir. He was his most trusted confident ... I ran that picture through the system ... Came up with this."

Cole leans over to tap in a command. Mel looks up at him as if she’s about to cry.

Cole, moving away: "His name is Rudy McMannas. He escaped from a psychiatric institution, somehow found his way on the 805 train the day the fugitives arrived."

Mel: "Where is he now?"

Cole: "Back in the institution. The police found him two days later and returned him there."

Mel: "And he went willingly?"

Cole: "They probably forcibly drugged him. Yhir would never submit easily."

Mel: "Well, Cole, you know where he is ... If you can find a way to get to him, you can interrogate him and maybe find some answers."

Cole: "Find out what Zin’s planning ... And why he’s buying up all the property around town."

Mel: "And what’s the deal with my grandmother’s artifact."

Cole: "Yhir is the key."

Mel: "But, Cole ... How do we get to him? It says here that they upgraded the security system since his escape. The place is like a prison."

Cole: "I have an idea."

[This scene is quite interesting. Although conversation between Mel and Cole seems as easy as always, their body language now screams that they’re both uncomfortable when they’re alone together and in close proximity. Each of them is now thinking that his job will soon be over and he’ll be returning to Migar. In that neither ever wanted their arrangement to become emotionally involving, this is forcing them to confront their feelings for each other and it makes for a degree of real awkwardness between them].

———————————————————————

The Folcroft Psychiatric Institution. Head Nurse Price and Dr. Patterson (who’s apparently also the Hospital Administrator), are walking down the hall and discussing their new arrival.

Nurse Price: "So, what do you know about him?"

Dr. Patterson: "Well, not much. I did a prelim on him when he arrived." He hands her the new patient’s chart.

Nurse Price, looking at the chart: "Let’s see what it says here ... Signs of manic depressive tendencies ... Potential for violence..."

Dr. Patterson: "Yep."

Nurse Price: "It says that he was here before, but I don’t know him. It was before my time."

They enter an examination room where a straitjacketed Cole is sitting on an examination table. He lifts his head as they enter the room behind him but doesn’t turn his head around to look at them.

Nurse Price: "Could you give me a couple of minutes with him?"

Dr. Patterson: "Sure." He leaves the room.

Nurse Price, coming up to him and speaking very gently as she evaluates him: "Hello ... It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you, Cole ... My name’s Miss Price. I’m the Head Nurse ... How are you feeling? ... You must be uncomfortable ... Let’s get you out of this thing..." She unbuckles the straitjacket and frees him. "There you go ... That must feel better, huh?"

Cole, very soft: "Thank you."

Nurse Price, gently: "You’re welcome, Cole." She takes his hand. "Let’s take a walk."

[Why did Daggon use his real Human name for his commitment? He might have had fun with an alias. After all, it’s not like he needed ID to get in there!].

Nurse Price leads him out of the examination room, apparently taking him on a tour of where he’ll be staying, finally bringing him to the Day Room where the patients watch TV, play games and socialize. She then leaves him, encouraging him to meet the other patients and reminds him that his first group session is in two hours.

Looking around, Cole picks up on the mannerisms of some of the other patients, starting with spastic hand movements close to his chest. He espies two inmates playing a card game of War and, just beyond them his quarry, a very drugged Rudy/Yhir just sitting and nearly nodding off.

Before he can make a move in that direction another officious patient comes up and begins circling him.

Rappaport: "Hey."

Cole: "Hey."

Rappaport: "You look lost."

Cole: "Not any more."

Rappaport: "My name’s Fred. Frederick J. Rappaport."

Cole, holding out his hand: "Cole Hauser."

Rappaport, ignoring Cole’s hand: "Are you a doctor?"

Cole: "No." He pulls at one of the pens in Rappaport’s breast pocket. "Are you?"

Rappaport, reclaiming his pen: "You’re a patient?!"

Cole: "Yes."

Rappaport: "No one cleared it with me!"

Cole: "Why?"

Rappaport: "Clearly, someone is going to lose their job over this ... Nurse! Nurse! ... Do you know who I am?"

Cole: "Frederick J. Rappaport."

Rappaport: "That’s right! ... Frederick J. Rappaport. Facility Liaison, Omnibusman, President of the Patient’s Committee." He hands Cole his card. "Nurse!! NURSE!!!"

Nurse Price, coming over: "What is it, Mr. Rappaport?"

Rappaport: "This man’s admittance wasn’t cleared with me!"

Nurse Price: "We sent you a memo along with the monthly budget report."

Rappaport: "You followed protocol."

Nurse Price: "Yes, we did. Just as you instructed."

Rappaport: "Very good. Carry on." Then turning his attention back to Cole, "So, Mr. Hauser. You’re on temporary probation..."

Nurse Price, interrupting to lead Cole away: "Maybe you should meet some of the other patients, Cole."

Rappaport, snatching back his card and shouting: "I’ll be keeping my eye on you!"

Nurse Price, taking Cole over to where the two men are playing War and introducing him: "This is Andy. Maybe he’ll let you play cards with him."

Rappaport comes over as soon as Nurse Price walks away and grabs the deck of cards from Andy’s hand.

Rappaport: "You guys! Time for Fifty-Two Pickup!"

Andy, protesting: "Those are my cards!"

Rappaport, throwing the deck of cards on the floor: "Well, pick them up!" He sits down next to Cole as soon as Andy vacates his seat. "So, what’s your damage?"

Cole: "Damage?"

Rappaport: "Yes, damage. Brain drain ... Why you locked up, Cochise?"

Cole: "The doctors think I need help."

Rappaport: "So they sent you here?" He laughs.

Cole: "What’s so funny?"

Rappaport: "Look, you promise to keep it between you and me, pal? I’m Undercover. Joint task force between the CIA/FBI/ABC, trying to figure out what they do here. Not much, let me tell you."

Cole: "How long have you been here?"

Rappaport: "Four ... No ... Five years ... Almost done my report."

Cole, getting up: "Keep up the good work. Good to meet you."

He picks up a deck of cards and goes over to Rudy.

Cole: "Hello. My name’s Cole." He fans and snaps the deck of cards without getting a reaction. "Want to play some cards? I know this game called War." He sits down opposite Rudy, all the while closely observed by Rappaport. "Know how to play? It’s easy. Highest card wins ... I’ll go first." He turns over the top card. "Okay. Turn over a card ... Go on. Give it a try." The Desserian is far too drugged to respond. "All right. I’ll turn it over ... Queen! You win!" He holds up the cards to show him. "You won."

———————————————————————

Mel now makes the first of several visits to Cole under the guise of being his half-sister, and he gives her the information he’s been able to come up with at each point. Always observed, the two of them have to interact lovingly together. Their frequent hugs are a way for them to whisper information while running a louder conversation said for the benefit of Owen, the always present orderly/guard.

Mel, as Owen allows Cole into the visiting room: "Hello, Cole."

Cole, rushing up to hug her: "Mel! It’s good to see you!"

Mel, whispering: "How are you doing?"

Cole, whispering: "Fine."

Mel, louder: "I brought you some clothes."

Cole, louder: "Oh! Thank you! I like it here. I’ve made some new friends here."

Mel, as they walk to the opposite side of the room from Owen: "Tell me about them."

Cole: "Well, there’s Rudy and there’s Fred..."

Mel, whispering again: "So it’s working?"

Cole, whispering: "Yeah, I told you it would. Did you have any trouble getting in here?"

Mel, whispering: "I told them I was your half-sister like you put down on the profile in the system." Louder, "Don’t worry. I just have to fill out some forms."

Cole: "Well, take your time."

They hug again.

Mel, whispering: "When are you coming home?"

Cole, whispering: "Not for a while. It’s taking some time getting through to Rudy. He’s so full of drugs he’s no use to me at the moment."

Mel: "I don’t like the thought of you staying here, Cole." She holds up a sweater and speaks louder, "Do you like this one?"

Cole: "Yes, that’s very nice."

Mel, whispering: "It’s dangerous."

Cole, whispering: "I don’t have any choice. I need to find out what Zin wants."

Mel, whispering: "So what’s the next step?"

Cole, whispering: "I have to get Rudy lucid enough so I can interrogate him and get some answers."

They hug yet again.

Mel, whispering: "If he regains his facilities completely he’ll come after you."

Cole, whispering: "He might." Then louder, "Thank you, Mel ... I’ll see you soon."

Mel: "Okay, Cole."

With a final good-bye smile, Cole heads back to his ward, carrying the duffel bag of clothes Mel brought him.

[Note: Owen’s name isn’t given in the episode but it’s listed as such in the guest cast].

———————————————————————

Now wearing a sweater and slacks instead of hospital-issue pajamas and robe, Cole raises a hushing finger to his lips to Stevie, a deeply disturbed inmate who hasn’t spoken in years. He wears a pillow-case tied around his shoulders like a cape and has an ‘S’ on his shirt. Stevie stares at him big-eyed but doesn’t do or say anything as Cole lets himself into the normally locked pharmaceutical room where all the drugs are kept.

Cole switches the medication in Rudy’s dosage cup in the hopes that he’ll then be able to reach the other man.

Nurse Price catches him just as he’s exiting the room.

Nurse Price: "What are you doing over there? Hey, Cole. Patients aren’t allowed in there."

Cole, throwing a mini-tantrum as cover, playing as though he was trying to enter the room: "No one told me! No one t - t - told me I - I couldn’t go there! No one ... No one said anything!"

Nurse Price, calming him and taking his arm: "It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s all right. Come on. Why don’t you come with me and ... It’s okay, Cole. Why don’t you play a game? Hmm? There’s a nice game right here. Why don’t you try this one. Do you know how to play?"

Cole: "No."

Nurse Price: "Here." She drops a disk into the slot. "Just like that, okay?"

[There were stereotypes here, but one must agree with the portrayal of staff as caring and sympathetic].

As soon as Nurse Price walks away, Rappaport again approaches Cole.

Cole: "Hello, Fred."

Rappaport: "Sssshhhh!! Don’t use that name!"

Cole: "Why?"

Rappaport: "Fred’s my real name. The name I use around here is Albert ... I told you. I’m undercover." He then becomes distracted by something else going on in the Day Room.

Cole: "Well, Albert ... Albert ... Albert!" Finally attracting the man’s attention. "Do you know how to play this game?"

Rappaport, nodding: "Hmm."

Cole: "Do you play this game?"

Rappaport: "No."

Cole: "Why not? Why don’t you play games with other patients?"

Rappaport: "With them? I don’t like to mix with the crazies. I don’t like to get too close, have some of that loon vibe rub off on me." As an example, he points out Rudy being given his medication. "That’s Rudy."

Cole: "Yeah, I know."

Rappaport: "The boy flew the coop a couple of months ago. Came back with some big ideas. The white coats immediately put the kibosh on that by doubling his dosage ... Between you and me, I think he’s possessed."

Cole: "Hmm. Interesting."

Rappaport, becoming excited, pulls Cole to his feet: "I’m going to introduce you to some of your fellow nut jobs. I know them all pretty well." He points out a big, beefy man. "That fellow there, that’s Malcolm. ‘A’-one nut case. Stay away from him! If he starts eyeballing your jello, you’d better finish it before he finishes you. Enough said ... Coming this way, that’s ... Hey! Who are you today?"

Andy: "Andy!"

Rappaport: "Sometimes he’s Amy! ... Amy’s actually the more pleasant of the two!"

Cole, pointing out Stevie: "Who’s this?"

Rappaport: "That’s Stevie. He’s a superhero junkie."

Cole: "Hello, Stevie."

Frightened, Stevie gets up and starts to move away, clutching his radio.

Rappaport: "Forget it. You’re wasting your time. The kid doesn’t talk, hasn’t since he got here ... Isn’t that right, Stevie!?!" Stevie moves further off, seeming to focus his attention on what he’s hearing in his earphones.

Cole: "What is he listening to?"

Rappaport: "Nothing. That radio hasn’t worked for three years. Doesn’t stop Stevie, though. He still hears the music." He starts to shout to the room at large. "Besides! No one here cares, do they!?" He walks away.

———————————————————————

Cole approaches Rudy again and sits down opposite him at the table with his dinner tray.

Cole: "Hello, Rudy ... How’s your food?"

Rudy, after a very long pause: "Good."

Cole notices that Malcolm, seated toward his left, is eyeing his jello and hands it to him, then gives him a second one.

Cole: "I got you an extra one, too."

Malcolm seems startled at that, not knowing what to make of such kindness, while off to the side Rappaport busies himself with taking notes.

Rudy, just as Cole begins to eat: "Your name is Cole?"

Cole: "That’s right."

Rudy, digging in the pocket of his robe for a deck of cards: "War?"

Cole, realizing that the Desserian’s head is beginning to come together, pushes their meal trays aside: "Love to."

Malcolm then swipes Rudy’s jello as well.

———————————————————————

That night, Cole sneaks out of his ward and goes down the hall to visit with Rudy in his room. Rudy is fast asleep and quite out of it, so he has to constantly cradle the man’s head to hold his attention.

Cole: "Rudy! Rudy! ... It’s me! Cole! ... Rudy! Look at me!"

Rudy, bleary: "Cole..." He starts to doze off again.

Cole: "Yeah ... Yhir! Yhir!" Rudy opens his eyes again and Cole grabs a marker and a porcelain tray. "I need your help. I’m going to draw you something ... No, no, no. Look at me ... We’re going to play a little game. I’m going to draw something and you’re going to tell me what it is. All right?" He quickly sketches a triangle with a round hole in the center of it on the bottom of the tray. "Do you know what this is? ... Look."

Rudy makes an inarticulate grunt.

Cole: "You remember, don’t you?"

Rudy: "Yes ... I remember..."

Cole: "Good! What is it?"

Rudy: "It’s the Key."

Cole: "The Key to what?"

Rudy: "It’s very important, Cole..."

Cole: "Yes, I know. Zin needs it for something."

Rudy: "Yes ... He must have it ... It’s the reason he’s here, the reason we’re all here..."

Cole: "What’s the reason, Rudy?" He starts to doze off again. "Rudy ... Rudy ... Rudy ... Think. Think hard."

Rudy: "The Key will take us home."

Cole: "How?"

Rudy: "It is our destiny, the Key ... The Key ... will take us home..."

Cole: "Rudy..." But the Desserian has fallen asleep.

Out of time, Cole wipes the tray clean and sneaks back to his ward in zip speed behind and around the patrolling orderly/guard so that he’s present and accounted for in the bed check.

Rudy, in his sleep, after Cole leaves: "The Key will free us all..."

———————————————————————

The next morning a smiling Nestov arrives at the Watchfire with a big paper bag full of bagels as Mel is pouring herself a cup of coffee.

Nestov, vaulting up to sit on the bar: "I brought you breakfast!"

Mel, startled: "Aw, Nestov. That’s sweet."

Nestov, handing her one: "Enjoy."

Mel: "Um, it doesn’t feel very fresh."

Nestov: "That’s why Mr. Bendenni gave them to me for free. He said he used to sell them for half price the day after he bakes them, and the day after that, he just throws them away! I told him that was a waste, I’ll be by every few days to pick them up." He happily starts chowing down on the paper bag, saying as he chews, "Now, that’s fresh ..." Then he notices that Mel hasn’t taken a bite out of her bagel. "Uh ... You’re not ... You’re not eating."

Mel, putting the bagel down: "Um ... I lost my appetite."

Nestov: "You’re not still mad about Bunny, are you? ... Look, I’m sorry I got so carried away, but could you blame me? Did you see what she looked like? Hel-lo! Grab a bucket, five-alarm fire! ... You know, I never had an appreciation for the Human body till now ... I mean, I never knew there was so much ... activity ... below the waist!"

[Interesting! Much of Nestov’s behavior up until now, like that of a dog in heat eagerly sniffing around every reasonably attractive Human female he sees, has actually been that of his chameleon-like Desserian psyche being subsumed to that of his Human host in this regard. He’s first now becoming psychologically Human enough to honestly be reacting beyond the body he finds himself in as himself. This exact same thing is true with Cole. It takes time for one species to be able to view a completely different species within a sexual context!].

Mel, appreciating his honesty (for a change!) and recognizing the peace-offering: "Nestov ... I accept your apology."

Nestov, nodding: "So, um, how’s our boy doing?"

Mel: "He found Rudy."

Nestov: "And?"

Mel: "And he needs to get him off his medication so that he can interrogate him." A visual of Cole again switching medications in the drug room as Mel continues in voice-over, "And that could take some time."

———————————————————————

Not too long after Cole watches Rudy take his reduced medication, it’s lunchtime again in Folcroft.

Cole, carrying his lunch tray and approaching his quarry: "Can I sit here?"

Rudy, sorting playing cards: "Sure."

Cole leaves his tray and makes a detour to give Malcolm his applesauce dessert, then sits down.

Cole, quietly: "We need to talk."

Rudy: "What about?"

Cole: "The Key." He draws it with his plastic knife in Rudy’s applesauce.

Rudy: "That was you last night ... I thought I was dreaming."

Cole: "It wasn’t a dream."

Rudy, becoming edgy: "Who are you?"

Cole: "Do you know who you are?"

Rudy: "I’m Rudy."

Cole: "Are you sure about that?"

Rudy gets up and leaves, ignoring Cole’s "Wait."

———————————————————————

Again Mel visits with Cole. She’s sitting with a jigsaw puzzle at a table in the visiting room.

Cole, running up and hugging her from behind: "Oh, Mel!" Whispers, "How are you?" Then louder, "Oh! You found the corner I was looking for!" To Owen, "Mel found the corner I was looking for!" He makes a big show out of assembling that piece of the puzzle.

[Note the mingled pleasure/pain expression on Mel’s face as Cole hugs her. And also note how much Cole seems to enjoy being free to hug Mel].

Mel, whispering as they start to work on the puzzle together: "How’s it going?"

Cole, whispering: "Rudy’s beginning to remember. I told him about your grandmother’s triangle."

Mel, whispering: "What did he say?"

Cole, loudly, holding up the puzzle piece to Owen: "It’s the Key!"

Mel, whispering: "The Key ... Like my grandmother wrote in her journal."

Cole, whispering: "He said the Key would take them home."

Mel, whispering: "Take them home how?"

Cole: "I’m not sure. I’m going to have to find out more ..." Then almost as an afterthought, "I think he’s coming off his medication faster than I thought."

Mel: "Then you don’t have much time."

Cole: "Bring me your grandmother’s artifact. Let’s hope it triggers that part of his memory before he becomes fully aware."

Mel, getting up to leave: "Please be careful."

Cole: "Bye, Mel."

Mel: "Bye, Cole."

———————————————————————

Now there’s some gentle interactions and sweet moments as Cole makes friends with Stevie.

Cole, sitting down opposite the man: "Hello, Stevie." Becoming nervous, Stevie turns away. "What are you listening to? ... I can fix that." Now frightened, Stevie rises to leave and Cole claps his hands together to catch his attention. "I’m really good with my hands."

Rappaport, coming over and butting in: "You’re wasting your time!"

Cole, assuring: "It’s all right, Fred. It’s okay." He goes over to Stevie while Fred scribbles on his clipboard. "Why don’t you let me have a look at it? It’s only going to take a moment."

He gently smiles and holds out his hand for the radio. Hesitantly, Stevie hands it to him.

Cole, as he fixes the radio under a glow from his hand: "You don’t have to be afraid of me ... Here. Try that."

Again Cole gently smiles at him then goes to sit down as Stevie again dons his earphones. To his amazement, his radio is now working.

Stevie, shyly turning to Cole: "Thank you."

Cole: "You’re welcome."

Rappaport: "My God ... Stevie talked ... Stevie talked! ... I don’t believe it! Son of a gun! ... I always knew you had it in you, boy!" As Fred becomes increasingly excited, Cole holds up a hand for calm but to no avail. Fred starts to shout, exciting the other patients. "Stevie talked! Everyone! Stevie talked! The boy said ‘thank you’! It wasn’t much, but it was something! Whoo! Whoo! Stevie talked! Stevie talked!"

Nurse Price, coming over: "Okay, okay. Calm down. Calm down, everyone. Calm down."

Rappaport, bellowing: "Stevie talked!" He points at Cole. "All his doing!"

Cole: "I just fixed the radio."

Rappaport: "Oh, you fixed it all right! You did something no doctor ever could! The boy’s got a magic touch!"

Loved the way all the patients excitedly celebrated, Rappaport whooping and yelling and dancing about, Nurse Price repeatedly asking for calm.

During all the hubbub Cole notices that Rudy is observing all of this from the other side of the room before thoughtfully turning to stare out the window.

———————————————————————

When Mel shows up for evening visiting hours, Cole is pretending a depressive state so that they may stand close together and speak, her hugging him and messaging his arms and shoulders.

Mel: "It’s okay, Cole ... It’s okay." She slips him the Key from out of her purse. "It’s okay..." She then asks in a whisper, "So what’s with Rudy?"

Cole, softly: "He knows."

Mel, whispering: "You’ve got to get out of here!"

Cole, loudly: "NO!" Then whispering, "He’s on enough of his medication to stop him from using his cloaking abilities. I can handle him from there ... Meet me in the parking lot tonight." He playfully, reassuringly, winks at her then pulls away, yelling, "I don’t want to talk anymore! Don’t ... Don’t come back!"

Owen takes Cole back to his ward.

But Cole has miscalculated. Rudy can now use his Desserian blending-in abilities. He materializes after Owen and Cole have left, watching Mel leave the building through the door’s glass panel.

———————————————————————

Again, and for the last time, Cole starts to sneak out of his ward to go see Rudy only to be followed on his way out the door by Stevie.

Cole: "Stevie, what are you doing out here?"

Stevie: "Who are you?"

Cole: "What do you mean?"

Stevie: "You’re ... You’re not just a patient."

Cole: "Yes, I am. Why don’t you go back inside."

Stevie: "No. You’re some kind of superhero, aren’t you?"

Cole: "I’m just a man."

Stevie: "A man on a mission ... You’re here for a reason, aren’t you?"

Cole: "Why don’t you go back inside. We’ll talk about this later. Go on."

Stevie: "Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone."

Cole: "All right. Go on."

Stevie goes back into the ward as requested.

When Cole enters Rudy’s room, he finds his bed empty. Unfortunately for him, the Desserian then manages to turn the tables, sedating him with an injection of thorazin in the shoulder as he turns around.

Rudy: "If you thought you could trick me ... you’re mistaken."

Cole falls bonelessly on the bed, unconscious.

Rudy: "Good night, Tracker!"

Rudy leaves.

———————————————————————

Mel is anxiously nibbling on the thumb of her glove, waiting in her car in the parking lot.

Mel, to the air: "Cole, where are you?"

———————————————————————

Dr. Patterson and Nurse Price come hurrying into the Institute from outside wearing their coats, obviously having been called to come in due to this emergency.

Dr. Patterson: "Who found him?"

Nurse Price: "One of the orderlies."

Dr. Patterson: "How did he get out of his room?"

Nurse Price: "We have no idea!"

Dr. Patterson: "Well, I want to see him right away!"

Nurse Price: "Yes."

After getting rid of their coats they enter Rudy’s room where Dr. Patterson briefly examines the unconscious Cole lying on Rudy’s bed.

Dr. Patterson: "What about Rudy?"

Nurse Price: "We’re still looking."

Dr. Patterson: "He’s escaped once before. We can’t afford to let it happen again."

The orderly standing watch hands Nurse Price an empty vial and she hands it to Dr. Patterson.

Nurse Price: "Thorazin."

Dr. Patterson, to orderly: "Find him!"

———————————————————————

In the outer corridor, a worried Mel is ringing the bell to be let in.

Mel, into the speaker: "Hello! I need to speak to somebody! Please! It’s really important!"

Nurse Price comes out.

Nurse Price: "Miss Porter! What are you doing here!?"

Mel: "Well, I saw you and the Doctor running into the building and..."

Nurse Price, starting to steer her out: "Visiting hours aren’t until nine a.m. You’re going to have to come back tomorrow."

Mel: "Well ... well what’s going on? Is Cole okay?"

Nurse Price: "Why don’t I have Dr. Patterson give you a call first thing in the morning?"

Mel, stubbornly digging in: "Actually, I’ll stay here and see him in person, thank you."

Nurse Price: "Dr. Patterson is very busy."

Mel: "Well, if something has happened to Cole, I have a right to know."

———————————————————————

Cut to a barely conscious and incoherently mumbling Cole being held up in a sitting position by the orderly while Dr. Patterson is encouraging him to sip from the cup he’s holding for him.

———————————————————————

Nurse Price: "We think your brother had something to do with the patient that’s missing and, until we can question him, I’m afraid no one can see him."

Mel: "Is it Rudy McMannas who’s missing?"

Nurse Price, surprised: "How did you know?" Mel stares at the floor and doesn’t answer. "Why don’t you stay right here. I’m going to see if Dr. Patterson can speak to you."

Mel: "Thank you."

Nurse Price hurries off to get the Doctor.

———————————————————————

Nurse Price, meets up with the doctor as he comes out of Rudy’s room: "Dr. Patterson, Cole’s sister is here..."

Dr. Patterson: "No visitors!"

Nurse Price: "Well, she insists on seeing him. She won’t leave."

Dr. Patterson: "Not until I find Rudy!"

Nurse Price: "Well, I spoke to the gate. They said that there’s no way he’s left the facility."

Dr. Patterson: "He’s still here?"

Nurse Price: "Yeah. He must be hiding somewhere."

Dr. Patterson hurriedly sounds the alarm and calls for an immediate full lockdown of all wards. Orderlies come on the double to do so, having a somewhat difficult time of it with Stevie, Malcolm, Andy, Fred and the other men in Cole’s ward, who are quite upset and demand to know what’s happened to him.

[Blooper: At the first sign of trouble the police would have been called].

Nurse Price, meanwhile, again goes to speak with the waiting Mel.

Nurse Price: "You have to leave now."

Mel: "No. What about Cole?"

Nurse Price: "The orderlies are taking him back to his room ... Miss Porter, I promise, you’ll be notified when things have settled and you can see your brother ... Good night."

Mel now has no choice but to leave.

Going back in, Nurse Price can’t get the inner door to completely close and she goes off calling for an orderly to come take care of it. As soon as she’s gone, the door opens all the way, then closes tight.

[Blooper: Nurse Price wouldn’t have left that door unsecured; she would have waited until help had arrived].

Hearing the door closing behind her, Mel turns to look, but there’s nothing to be seen. As she turns away and heads for the stairwell down to the outer door, Rudy emerges from the wall and starts following her out.

———————————————————————

Dr. Patterson is trying to bring a completely disorientated Cole around to find out what happened to Rudy.

Dr. Patterson: "Cole! Can you hear me? ... Where is Rudy? ... You know where he is, don’t you?"

Cole is whimpering and moaning, looking at his own fingers and hands as if he’s never seen them before, shaking his head, gasping and covering his ears, holding his head.

Dr. Patterson: "Are you hiding him, Cole? ... Was he in this room when you came in?"

Cole, mumbling: "Don’t remember..."

Dr. Patterson: "Think hard, Cole. Was Rudy in the room when you entered?"

Cole, mumbling: "I don’t know..."

———————————————————————

Rudy, meanwhile, is following Mel down the stairwell.

———————————————————————

Dr. Patterson, as an orderly prepares a hypodermic: "I need you to cooperate with me, Cole."

Cole, murmuring over and over again: "I don’t know ... I don’t know..."

At Dr. Patterson’s nod, the orderly gives Cole the injection of sodium penathol ["truth serum," which removes his normal censors] in his right shoulder and through his sweater.

[Two bloopers here: Orderlies do not give shots nor are shots ever administered through clothing].

Dr. Patterson: "Relax, Cole. I’m only going to try and help you remember."

Cole reaches up a hand to touch Dr. Patterson on the head; the Doctor gently grasps his hand and stops him.

Dr. Patterson: "Now, Cole ... Cole ... This is important. Did you do anything to Rudy?" Well out of it, Cole just smiles. "Did you try to harm him?"

Cole, gesturing as if there was a mini-model of his solar system in front of him: "Capture Rudy..."

Dr. Patterson: "Capture him? Why?"

Cole: "Desserian..."

Dr. Patterson: "Desserian?"

Cole: "Planet six ... Desseria ... Planet six..."

Dr. Patterson: "Planet ... Oh, so Rudy is an alien."

Cole, shaking his head: "Must stop ... Dangerous ... Must stop..."

[He not only means that Rudy is dangerous, but that he’s aware enough to know that it’s dangerous for him to continue talking! Cole’s just lucky he didn’t reveal too much!].

Dr. Patterson: "Oh, no. We haven’t finished talking yet, Cole."

Cole: "Must stop Yhir..."

Dr. Patterson, realizing he’s becoming agitated: "You need to rest."

Cole, getting up: "NO!" He pushes Dr. Patterson down as the man tries to calm him. The orderly immediately tries to grab and restrain him and is thrown across the room.

Cole begins staggering for the door as two more orderlies come in.

Dr. Patterson: "Orderlies! Restrain him! Quick!"

A wide restraining belt is looped around Cole’s arms and body as he ineffectively grapples with them.

Cole: "No! No! Let me go! He will kill!"

Dr. Patterson: "Take him downstairs."

[Note: Wouldn’t there have been a big chance that the drugs given to Cole and Rudy would affect them differently than Humans? Definitely! And of course the drugs did seem to act more quickly on Cole than they should have. He was loopy less than five seconds after getting that shot. The tranquilizer he was given also wore off pretty quickly. This may be dramatic license, or may be related to Cirronian metabolism].

———————————————————————

Mel is now leaving the building and walking toward her car.

———————————————————————

Strapped down onto a gurney, a protesting Cole is being rolled down the hall.

Cole: "No! Please! No! Mel is in the parking lot! Yhir will kill her!"

Cole’s friends in his ward watch him being taken away through the door’s glass panel.

Stevie: "Where are they taking him? Where are they taking Cole?"

Rappaport: "Where do you think they’re taking him?"

Stevie: "The basement!"

Malcolm: "That’s where they take you when you’re bad."

Rappaport: "They’re going to fry his brain."

Stevie: "We can’t let them do that!"

Rappaport: "What are you saying, kemosabie?"

Stevie: "I’m saying we gotta help Cole!" He starts rousing and exhorting the others. "Come on! Come on! We gotta help Cole!"

Rappaport, to Malcolm: "Break down the door!"

The big dude does so. Easily.

———————————————————————

Mel gets into her car, the only one in the lot, and sits there waiting, not knowing what else to do.

———————————————————————

A dozen milling inmates in the corridor provide a distraction to the orderlies as they back them off, then lock them off in a wing, giving Cole the opportunity he needs to snap his restraints. Stevie watches in astonishment through the door’s glass panel as, in bursts of zip speed, Cole tosses and knocks out both orderlies in front of a helpless Dr. Patterson. Snatching the keys from off of the belt of one of them, Cole quickly joins his friends in the locked-off wing as all celebrate and Stevie then dangles those keys in front of the glass for Dr. Patterson to see.

———————————————————————

Mel is still anxiously waiting in her car when Rudy emerges from the back seat and seizes her from behind. She gasps in fright, then gets hold of herself.

Mel: "What do you want?"

Rudy: "Drive."

Mel, stubbornly: "No!"

Rudy: "Well, we’ll see..."

He has a hypodermic to her neck when he’s frozen for a moment in hyperspeed as Cole comes around and flings open the back door. In real time, Rudy spins to take on Cole, but he’s too slow. Cole yanks him from the car and throws him to the pavement. Then, holding him down with his foot, he Collects him.

Mel climbs out of her car and rushes over to him.

Cole, still disoriented, grasping her shoulders: "Are you all right?"

Mel: "I’m okay. Are you?"

Cole, backing her up to the car: "Ooh, my head feels funny..."

Mel: "What did they do to you in there?"

Cole, as they bump up against the car: "Thorazin and sodium penathol."

Mel: "You’re amazing."

Cole, smiling at her: "And so are you ... Let’s go home." He helps her into the car.

Mel, quietly, glancing skyward: "Home is up there."

Cole: "Home is wherever you are."

Mel: "That’s the drugs talking." He squeezes her shoulder, closes the door, and goes around to the passenger side as she sadly murmurs, "Too bad you’re not going to remember that in the morning."

The look on Mel’s face says it all.

Then again, maybe he will remember, but just won’t let on to her that he does. It was so sweet, and one could tell that Cole meant it. It really was the truth serum drugs talking. Cole definitely feels something for Mel, even if he didn’t realize what he was saying because the combo of drugs hadn’t completely worn off yet. The Tracker is going to have some seriously hard choices to make once he catches the last of his fugitives!

———————————————————————

It’s very early morning by the time Mel and Cole return to the Watchfire.

Mel: "I need to go to bed."

Cole, depressed, going to sit at the bar: "Good night."

Mel: "Cole ... What’s wrong?"

Cole: "Oh ... Yhir was supposed to give us the Key but ... now he’s gone..."

Mel: "It’s not a total loss. Those people that you told me about in that institution ... You helped them."

———————————————————————

Cut to the Day Room at Folcroft, where life goes on.

************************

Cole just left the asylum, went home and disappeared. A plot hole here is that one would think that the hospital would report a missing patient to the police. He was brought in by the police in a straitjacket, so it wasn’t like it was a voluntary commitment. But several things to consider: ‘Cole Hauser’ doesn’t really exist. He has no papers, no ID, no nothing. Or rather, what he does have, like his passport (and, one assumes, a driver’s license by this point), is forged. How are they going to find someone who doesn’t really exist? And although Mel gave her real name (which was dumb! After all, just how many Mel Porter/Cole Hauser couples can there be in Chicago?), surely she wouldn’t have been so stupid as to give her real address when she signed the visitor’s log. Moreover, Cole likely erased all information from the data base once he got home. He may be an ‘innocent’, but he knows how to cover his butt, and Mel is learning fast.

Yet there are people who know who Cole Hauser is. Vic, for one. Also, Cole knocked orderlies all over the place when he escaped and he left Rudy’s body where it fell in the parking lot. If Vic ever gets it into his head to do a background check on the weird guy living with his lady love, he’s going to have a field day ... In addition to having been accused of murder, he’s been committed twice, Mel is his half-sister and, oh, by the way, he went to a sex-seminar with her, too. If Vic thinks their relationship is questionable now, what’s he going to think then?

———————————————————————

Note: Richard Yearwood as Nestov is back to opening-credit status, although he had less screen time here than he did in "Eye of the Storm," where he only got a guest-starring credit.