ACT ONE

FADE IN:
EXT. SOME PLACE IN TUCSON/LA - NIGHT
Some HOMELESS DUDE rustles through a dumpster and finds a
human hand. He reaches out to it, and it ends up grabbing his
face. Yay.
INT. DAYCARE PLACE THING - DAY
We cut to ECHO as SUSAN, a volunteer for helping kids blah
blah blah. She is reading the book with the story Briar
Rose to the kids.
ECHO
As soon as the prince kissed her,
the spell was broken and Briar Rose
opened her eyes.
Most of the kids look content with the story, except one
girl, who is also named SUSAN. Goddamnit Topher.
ECHO (CONTD)
And as she looked at the face of
the handsome young prince, the
whole kingdom began to magically
awaken all around them. The cooks
in the kitchen and the boys in the
yard all rubbed their eyes and
looked around them.
SUSAN
This is crap.
Im sorry?

ECHO

SUSAN
Crap. Dont you know what that
means?
ECHO
You dont like the story but the
others are listening, so maybe we
could talk about this afterwards.
SUSAN
The spell was for 100 years. So he
shows up on the last day and takes
credit for saving her?

2.
ECHO
(now interested)
Okay. Whats your name?
RANDOM KID
Thats Susan.
ECHO
Really? My names Susan, too.
Thats a really good point, Susan.
SUSAN
She knew the curse. You will touch
a poison spindle on your 15th
birthday.
Right.

ECHO

SUSAN
So, if its me, Im not exploring
the castle on my 15th birthday
groping any spindles I find lying
around, especially when I think she
mightve actually had a vague idea
what the hell a spindle is!
Susan has caught the attention of the caretakers.
ECHO
I dont think her parents told her
about the curse.
SUSAN
(Really engaged)
If she knew, maybe they couldve
hid her. Or she could have just run
away! Or what about this? She
couldve just woken herself the
hell up!
ECHO
(completely serious)
It was a curse. She couldnt-SUSAN grabs the book and starts ripping out the pages.
SUSAN
Just woken herself up!
One of the caretakers, a MAN, grabs her.
MAN
Susan, stop it! Thats enough.

3.

Let me go!

SUSAN

MAN
Come with me.
SUSAN
Leave me alone! Let me go!
The other CARETAKER tries to cut the tension for the other
kids benefit as the man drags Susan away.
CARETAKER
Okay, thats it for today. Everyone
back to your rooms, and I will
check.
The kids all begin to leave. Echo gets up, holding the book.
ECHO
Well, guess I hit a trigger.
CARETAKER
Yeah, something reminded her of
what shes been through.
ECHO
Im not surprised. That story
always bugged me, too. Why I picked
it. Sorry if I blew your routine.
CARETAKER
You thought that could happen?
ECHO
Someone told me I could help her. I
was gonna ask you to point her out.
We see a shot of the ripped page from the book on the floor,
which shows a picture of the prince.
ECHO (CONTD)
Guess I didnt have to.
INT. BOLUDOS APARTMENT - DAY
BALLARD (AKA BOLUDO) is packing his stuff. With him is MELLIE
(or NOVEMBER), who is trying pretty hard to be optimistic.
MELLIE
But when are you going? Where?

4.
BALLARD
I dont know.
MELLIE
Is this about Caroline? Did you
find her?
No.

BALLARD

MELLIE
Were you going to tell me? If Id
come by tomorrow instead of
today...
(beat)
Paul, talk to me.
BALLARD
What is there to say?
MELLIE
Just tell me why.
Ballard sighs.
BALLARD
Were not good for each other.
Around you...
(beat)
Were not good for each other.
MELLIE
No. No, Paul.
Mellie gets in front of him.
BALLARD
Youre in my way.
Mellie moves, defeated.
MELLIE
Youre under a lot of stress. Ive
been smothering you. Ill back off.
We can take a break. Probably a
good idea. But just a break is all
we need. Can you talk to me anyway?
Ballard sighs again.

5.
MELLIE (CONTD)
You think you cant trust me, and
youre right to pay attention to
that feeling, but you need to make
sure that youre laying the blame
where it deserves to be.
(beat)
Look at me!
He does, albeit reluctantly.
MELLIE (CONTD)
Look at the real me and really
think about whether Ive ever told
you anything I didnt believe with
all my heart.
BALLARD
You know, you just said exactly
what I needed to hear.
Mellie tries to smile, a little confused.
BALLARD (CONTD)
And thats why Im leaving.
No trace of smile there.
MELLIE
What? No. Stop. Please, this is...
Ballard pushes Mellie away, who is on the brink of tears.
MELLIE (CONTD)
Stop being so cruel. Cant you see
this is killing me?
BALLARD
Youll get over it.
INT. ADELLES OFFICE - DAY
ADELLE is holding a memory stick.
ADELLE
Whats on it?
BOYD
We dont know. It was handdelivered for Mr. Dominic today. We
havent been able to unlock the
data thats inside.

6.
ADELLE
You think its from the NSA?
BOYD
We know he was their inside man.
With him suddenly off their radar,
this may be them reaching out,
trying to find him.
ADELLE
What do we need to open it? A tech
expert? I mean, surely we can
imprint an Active with the skills
wed need.
BOYD
I think we can assume theyve taken
precautions so that Mr. Dominic is
the only one who can retrieve the
data without corrupting it.
BOYD takes the memory stick back, ready to leave.
ADELLE
Well youd better ask Mr. Dominic
then.
Boyd turns back around.
BOYD
(jokingly)
Right.
Right?

ADELLE

BOYD
Mr. Dominic is in the Attic.
ADELLE
You dont really think we should
let that stop us, do you?
INT. DAYCARE PLACE THING - A LITTLE LATER
Susan is scribbling things out in the book of Briar Rose.
CARETAKER
We keep placing her in foster
homes, and she keeps bouncing back.
She cuts school and gets in fights.
(MORE)

7.
CARETAKER (CONT'D)
Weve taken five knives off of that
girl. Different times. I dont even
know how she gets those.
ECHO
Steals them off other kids,
shoplifts them, some delis just
have cups with steak knives in them
on the tables. You can get in and
out.
CARETAKER
The mother died of a drug overdose
when she was very young. And the
girl was left with the womans
boyfriend, a small-time drug
dealer, part-time pimp. Probably
thinking that she could start
earning money for him when she got
older, but turned out that last
part wasnt necessary. Half the
age, twice the price.
ECHO
You know anything about Susan that
wasnt in the report when they
handed her to you? Id be shocked
if you did. Shes not gonna tell
you. She lies to her therapist,
shes useless in group.
CARETAKER
Thats pretty specific for someone
whos known Susan for all of five
minutes.
ECHO
Ive known her much longer than
that.
INT. TOPHERS OFFICE - A LITTLE LATER
TOPHER is showing IVY two brain scans, Susans and Echos.
IVY
Theyre not the same.
TOPHER
They kind of are.
(beat)
Look closer.
Topher zooms into the scans.

8.
TOPHER (CONTD)
This one is the imprint I gave Echo
this morning. This one is the 11year-old.
IVY
Yeah, I see similar response
patterns, signs of depression and
instability. So, whats the deal?
TOPHER
The kids a mess. Past trauma has
her emotions, reactions,
intellectual development all
frakked up beyond recognition. But
if she gets help, really works,
deals with the soup of her life...
(points at Echos scan)
She gets to be the nice lady with
the tragic past but the healthy
head.
IVY
Echos imprint is the kid grown up?
Topher nods.
TOPHER
Names and dates, tiny details
changed, but in general, yeah, this
is her. If she grows up okay.
Echos like the living example of
the kids best possible future. So,
she thinks shes a volunteer
helping a kid like her...
IVY
But she knows exactly what to
expect, and the kid sees that maybe
theres a decent future for her.
TOPHER
Whole approach, my idea. Whole
engagement, actually.
IVY
Howd you sell DeWitt on it?
TOPHER
Everybody wants to be righteous
when they can afford it.
IVY
Even Topher Brink.

9.
TOPHER
This feeling, it is not unlike
pride.
The phone rings. Topher picks up.
Topher.

TOPHER (CONTD)

Listens.
Uh-huh.

TOPHER (CONTD)

Topher sighs.
Okay.

TOPHER (CONTD)

He hangs up, his smile faded.

TOPHER (CONTD)
End of the pride parade.
(beat)
Tell them to bring up Victor.
EXT. LA BRIDGE PLACE - DAY
Mellie is walking on the bridge, crying. She looks down,
clearly (apparently) thinking of jumping straight off. Then
her Handler gets her attention and escorts her to the black
van.
INT. BLACK VAN - CONTINUOUS
Mellie is in the van crying.
MELLIE
I dont know. I dont know what I
did wrong.
NOVEMBERS HANDLER
(softly)
Its okay.
MELLIE
I tried so hard. I did everything I
could think of.

10.
EXT. BLACK VAN - MOMENTS LATER
We watch as the black van drives towards the Rossum Building,
and soon we see that Ballard is following them.
BALLARD
Right here. It was right here.
Ballard sees the security cameras and decides to back off for
now.
INT. DAYCARE PLACE THING - DAY
A shot of a picture of the castle in the book Briar Rose.
MAIN TITLES
INT. DAYCARE PLACE THING - A LITTLE LATER
Susan is still scribbling that damn book. Echo approaches
her.
Can I?

ECHO

Susan shrugs and Echo sits down next to her. She keeps
scribbling.
ECHO (CONTD)
You keeping that book?
SUSAN
Im fixing it.
ECHO
I see that. You know, they call
that editing. You could make a
living out of it.
Susan looks at Echo with an expression that says Really?,
then goes back to scribbling.
ECHO (CONTD)
You really hate that she didnt
save herself, dont you?
(beat)
Of course, she was 15. Thats
pretty big. If she was littler, say
six or seven or eight...

11.
SUSAN
You can always run away.
ECHO
Really? I couldnt.
SUSAN
When did you wanna run away?
ECHO
In the middle of the night, it
always seemed like I could run away
when it would get light. Sometimes,
Id get dressed and lie there,
waiting for the sun. But when it
came up, hed be there, pretending
things were normal. And it seemed
so much better to just pretend, you
know? It seemed like Id imagined
all the other stuff, and I really
wanted all of that to be something
Id imagined. And I ended up
feeling like I was just as guilty
as he was, like it was a crime we
were committing together. And every
time someone calls me a victim, I
feel like Im the biggest liar in
the world.
Susan nods.
EXT. FBI PLACE - DAY
To establish.
INT. FBI PLACE - CONTINUOUS
Boludo is doing stuff on computers even though hes
suspended.
LOOMIS
You cant keep coming down here.
Directors already giving me
suspicious-eye.
LOOMIS is on watch for people that might come by.
BALLARD
Im aware of that, Loomis, but this
is huge. Look.

12.
Loomis goes over to see what the hell hes on about. She sees
this huge file hes holding.
LOOMIS
You carry all this stuff with you?
BALLARD
All this stuff that led me nowhere.
Hilarious.
He opens the file and shows Loomis a picture of Lubov, AKA
Victor.
BALLARD (CONTD)
Lubov, my connection to the
Russians. He knew nothing.
He continues to look through the files frantically.
BALLARD (CONTD)
All dead ends.
Hey, hey.

LOOMIS

BALLARD
The farther I reached, the worse I
did. But then, they came to me.
He shows Loomis a picture of Mellie.
LOOMIS
Your neighbor? The one you
fingerprinted?
Ballard nods.
LOOMIS (CONTD)
Youre certain now that shes...
A doll.

BALLARD

LOOMIS
Well, I was gonna say a victim.
BALLARD
I followed her to 23 Flower. The
Dollhouse.
LOOMIS
What, you just flashed your badge,
swooped in on them like Prince
Valiant?

13.
BALLARD
I got no badge unless I swipe
yours. Besides, I didnt need it. I
pulled a hat over my eyes and went
right in, and I rode all around on
their elevators, checked out the
stairs and the conference rooms.
Oh yeah?

LOOMIS

BALLARD
Wrong building. But I figured it
out. I was in the building you can
see. Ive gotta get in the other
one, the one thats invisible.
LOOMIS
Well, sure.
BALLARD
No, no, no, listen to me. This
isnt crazy, okay? Look, under the
one building theres another.
Underground. Look, Caroline said
she was underground, right? So, I
looked at all the records for the
building at 23 Flower. They had all
the normal contractors and such,
but they also had an environmental
systems consultant.
Ballard goes to the computer and finds a file that reads,
Eco-Designer Wins Award with a picture of a guy, identified
as STEPHEN J. KEPLER.
BALLARD (CONTD)
This guy. Why would they use him?
He does one thing. Hes an expert
in buildings that recycle their own
air and water and power. Closed
systems.
Uh-huh.

LOOMIS

BALLARD
Theyre underground, drawing hardly
any power, so its like... Its
like theyre invisible.
LOOMIS
Its a good thing Im relatively
sure youre not crazy.

14.
INT. IMPRINT ROOM - DAY
VICTOR is strapped in the Chair, imprinted with LAURENCE
DOMINIC. Boyd, Ivy, Topher, CLAIRE SAUNDERS and Adelle are
with him.
BOYD
We have a job for you, Mr. Dominic,
if you dont mind.
DOMINIC
Oh, Im in the chair. Of course.
ADELLE
Mr. Dominic, please. A
communication has arrived for you
from your handlers at the NSA, and
were rather curious.
DOMINIC
...Whose hands are these?
Topher flinches.
DOMINIC (CONTD)
Whose body am I in?
(beat)
Victor?
TOPHER
Okay, okay-No. No!

DOMINIC

Dominic screams.
DOMINIC (CONTD)
So, me, my body, Im... Im in the
Attic.
(beat)
I knew it. I knew it! And now you
want me to help? After doing that?
Dominic struggles.
ADELLE
Doctor, sedate him, please.
Saunders hesitates.
DOMINIC
No. Topher.

15.
Topher tries to ignore Dominic.
DOMINIC (CONTD)
Adelle, please, come on, dont...
Dont give me the shot, please!
Saunders goes to sedate Dominic.
DOMINIC (CONTD)
Dont give... Whiskey.
Saunders gives Dominic the shot.
SAUNDERS
He wants a drink instead.
ADELLE
Im not surprised.
No! No...

DOMINIC

A beat.
TOPHER
Oh, God! That was...
ADELLE
Necessary.
(beat)
Doctor, hes calm now. Is there
perhaps something else we can give
him to make him more receptive to
our questions?
DOMINIC
No. No, Id rather not.
Saunders reluctantly gives Dominic another shot. Dominic
exhales as Boyd brings out the memory stick.
ADELLE
Right. Lets get started.
INT. DAYCARE PLACE THING - A LITTLE LATER
Echo is talking to Susan.
ECHO
I know. I know. They always think
that. Tell and adult. Tell a
teacher. Tell a priest.
(MORE)

16.
ECHO (CONT'D)
But if he says he knows them all,
that they wont believe you...
SUSAN
He said he knew the cops. All of
the cops.
ECHO
Did you have a chance you didnt
take?
SUSAN
...Four times. Four times I saw a
way to go, and I didnt go.
ECHO
You couldnt have gotten away. He
was bigger and stronger and older.
Its okay. Its okay to get rescued
by someone else if youre young or
small or you just cant do it
yourself.
(beat)
Hey, you know this story?
Yeah.

SUSAN

ECHO
Read it again, okay? But this time,
think of yourself as the prince.
SUSAN
I didnt save anyone.
ECHO
Hey, remember what you said. The
prince shows up at the last minute,
takes all the credit. That means
Briar Rose was trapped all that
time sleeping and dreaming of
getting out. The prince was her
dream. She made him. She made him
fight to get her out.
(points out)
Prince.
SUSAN
The prince was a boy.
ECHO
Yeah, but thats not his fault.
They both smile. The caretaker enters.

17.
CARETAKER
Susan? Theres a van here for you.
And its the kids dinner time.
ECHO
I gotta go.
Okay.

SUSAN

ECHO
Ill come back.
Okay.

SUSAN

Echo turns to leave, but waits.

ECHO
Susan. You let me sit here very
close to you. You felt safe, which
tells me you got a blade on you
somewhere, so just give it to me
now, and I wont tell anyone.
Susan hesitates, but gives Echo the knife without the
caretaker seeing.
Thank you.

ECHO (CONTD)

Echo walks away, over to the caretaker.

Good talk?
A start.

CARETAKER
ECHO

CARETAKER
Well, did you tell her youre gonna
come back?
ECHO
Yeah. Itll be a little while,
though. Just be ready. Shes close
to moving forward, but its gonna
hurt.

18.
EXT. KEPLERS APARTMENT - LATER
Loud rock music can be heard coming from Keplers apartment.
Ballard approaches the door and knocks. Kepler opens the door
and looks at Ballard.
BALLARD
Are you Stephen Kepler?
KEPLER
Okay. Hi. What was that name again?
BALLARD
Stephen Kepler. Is that you?
KEPLER
Well, theres a lot of aspects to
that question.
Kepler comes out of his apartment.
KEPLER (CONTD)
Youre not from the Thai place, are
you?
Ballard flashes his badge. Or actually, its probably
Loomis. This causes some visible effect.
KEPLER (CONTD)
Yeah. I wanted tofu satay.
BALLARD
Dont worry. Youre not in any
trouble, but you are an expert in a
field I am interested in. Can I
come in and talk for a minute?
Kepler closes the door.
KEPLER
Lets talk out here. Its nice. The
hallway goes down there all the
way, and theres lots of spacious
air.
(beat)
Am I still breathing?
Kepler opens the door and breathes deeply in his apartment
when Ballard pushes him aside and comes in.

19.
INT. KEPLERS APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS
No--

KEPLER

Ballard sees a huge plantation of marijuana all around the

room.
KEPLER (CONTD)
Carrots.
(beat)
Medicinal carrots. Personal use
medicinal carrots that were here
when I moved in, and Im holding it
for a friend.
BALLARD
You design environmental systems.
KEPLER
Oh. Yeah, thats my thing. The selfcontained, renewable everything. I
mean, the ultimate goal is complete
self-sufficiency, but without a lot
of money, you know, the best you
can hope to do is to offset your
carbon footprint. You know, I care
about my carbon footprint, but most
people out there are making carbon
snow angels. You know Earth Day was
last week?
BALLARD
No, I havent been...
KEPLER
Hilarious! Earth gets one day. All
right, the other 364, were
cranking the AC in our Hummer, and
then, one day a year, separate the
plastic.
Kepler pours coffee.
KEPLER (CONTD)
You know what I think?
Drinks it. Spits it out.
KEPLER (CONTD)
I think that once we die out, a
couple hundred years, Earth is
gonna have a People Day, you know,
to remember us.
(MORE)

20.
KEPLER (CONTD)
One day a year, she is gonna laugh
and laugh and shake our bones.
Kepler gets a jar from the fridge.
KEPLER (CONTD)
Recycled urine?
Ballard frowns.
KEPLER (CONTD)
(laughing)
Im kidding. Its not fully
recycled. Im tinkering with that.
I also have POM.
Kepler puts the jar back in the fridge.
BALLARD
Lets say I do have a lot of money.
You could design a truly selfcontained system?
KEPLER
Air, water, heat. You wouldnt even
have to use the grid... Maybe a
little, depending on how big it is.
BALLARD
So, you can make a building
disappear?
KEPLER
Mmm... Only if you paint it exactly
like whats behind it, and then you
stand...
BALLARD
But you could bury it underground.
KEPLER
Underground, its best. You know,
insulation, structural integrity.
(beat)
You dont have a lot of money.
BALLARD
Im looking for something.
KEPLER
...Yeah, no. You need to make an
appointment with Stacy.
(beat)
(MORE)

21.
KEPLER (CONT'D)
You could e-mail me-- Dont e-mail
me. You know, Im not comfortable
having people in my home that
arent delivering me Thai food, and
Im not talking about past clients.
BALLARD
Tell me about the Dollhouse.
Oh, man.

KEPLER

BALLARD
I told you, youre not in trouble.
KEPLER
Oh. You are naive. They will kill
me and you and then kill me again-Please. I shouldnt have said
anything.
Ballard unholsters his firearm.
KEPLER (CONTD)
And now theres a gun.
BALLARD
You built the Dollhouse.
KEPLER
I built the shell.
BALLARD
Can you open the shell?
KEPLER
What if I dont tell you?
Ballard cocks his gun.
KEPLER (CONTD)
Probably. But I dont know where it
is. It was years ago. You know, I
designed it from here. I never
leave here, man.
BALLARD
Then thisll be a real adventure
for you. Youre coming with me.
KEPLER
Why would I choose to do that?

22.
BALLARD
I dont remember using the word
choose. There is a girl named
Caroline being held there against
her will. Now, Im the only person
who knows how to find the
Dollhouse, and youre the only
person who knows how to get in. And
as much as it pains me to say it-Ballard hands Kepler a hoodie.
BALLARD (CONTD)
That makes you my new partner.
Ballard opens the door and drags Kepler with him.
KEPLER
Then can I hold the gun?

END OF ACT ONE

23.

ACT TWO
FADE IN:
INT. IMPRINT ROOM - A LITTLE LATER
Boyd is showing Dominic the memory stick. Saunders is no
longer in the room.
DOMINIC
Never saw it before.
ADELLE
Come on. Its from your best
friends and handlers at the NSA.
DOMINIC
No, it isnt. We didnt communicate
that way. We have phones.
BOYD
It came in an envelope. It was handdelivered. Who else would be trying
to contact you covertly?
Alpha.

DOMINIC

Alpha.

ADELLE

ADELLE (CONTD)
Guess he didnt hear about the
regime change. Lets open it.
Boyd hands Topher the memory disk, who plugs it in.
BOYD
Whats it gonna be?
DOMINIC
I dont know. He never sent me
anything before.
ADELLE
Whether its from the NSA or from
Alpha makes no difference. Its
intended that you should be able to
open it, therefore you should be
able to open it!
BOYD
We just need a password that you
would guess. It shouldnt be hard.

24.

Alpha.
Too easy.
Try it!

DOMINIC
TOPHER
ADELLE

BOYD
If were wrong, it could all
disappear.
ADELLE
Wait.
(to Dominic)
Alpha? Just like that? Alpha?
DOMINIC
He used to sign his stuff in art
class like that. They thought it
was a fish, but it was his name,
over and over again. The first sign
something was different.
ADELLE
He means the Greek letter. Try a
Greek alpha.
How...

BOYD

TOPHER
Change font.
Topher enters a Greek alpha into the computer and the file
opens. A picture of a Paul Bunyan statue pops up.
BOYD
Paul Bunyan?
TOPHER
Did not anticipate that.
BOYD
Theres a lot of those statues in
Northern Plains cities, Wisconsin,
Michigan, Minnesota...
Tucson.
What?

ADELLE
BOYD

25.
ADELLE
Ive seen that dreadful statue from
the window at the Center in Tucson.
TOPHER
Whats the Center?
ADELLE
Never you mind.
TOPHER
Is that the Dollhouse HQ? Because
Ive always wondered...
Boyd opens more files. We focus on one that reads Slashed
Body Found in Tucson.
ADELLE
Ive got to make some calls, get
them to increase their security. If
Alpha is in Tucson... God!
BOYD
There was a body found in an alley
in Tucson this morning. Slashed
with a knife.
ADELLE
Send Sierra.
Adelle exits.
TOPHER
So...
(points at Dominic)
Back on the shelf?
EXT. THE ROAD THATS PRETTY MUCH RIGHT NEXT TO THE DOLLHOUSE CONTINUOUS
Ballard is driving with Kepler in the back seat. He parks.
KEPLER
Look, if we could take some time,
then we could prepare. We could get
some supplies. We could get some
rope, rope is always good.
BALLARD
We have to go now.
KEPLER
Uh-huh. Because why?

26.
BALLARD
They had a spy watching me, someone
close to me who turned out to be a
Doll.
KEPLER
Is this the fabled Caroline?
BALLARD
Someone else. So I figure Ive got
a day or two before they figure out
what I know and kill me.
KEPLER
This other Doll, are you gonna save
her, too?
BALLARD
No. She told me herself she cant
be trusted. She warned me. After I
get Caroline out, I can come back.
Come on.
Ballard exits the car, opens the door for Kepler, who backs
away.
KEPLER
Were here? So soon.
(beat)
Lets go around the block.
Come out.

BALLARD

KEPLER
Come on, man! This is like one of
those buddy cop movies where youre
the hard-nosed FBI agent and Im
the guy who hates buddy cop movies.
Ballard closes the door and opens the door on the other side.
BALLARD
Get out of the car or I show the
DEA your carrot plantation.
Kepler shrugs. Ballard drags him out of the car.
KEPLER
Okay. Okay.
BALLARD
I am sorry to do this, but weve
gotta get in there and save her.

27.
Ballard grabs a gun from the trunk.
KEPLER
...Then what? We go in there, then
were in there. Theres... Theres
more people in there. Im not good
with people.
BALLARD
Theyre not people.
KEPLER
Im not good with that sentence,
either.
INT. IMPRINT ROOM - EVENING
The Chair tilts forward as SIERRA wakes up. Her HANDLER is
waiting for her. She talks as the two of them head to the
elevator.
SIERRA
The helicopter better be waiting
because whatever is up with this
body of yours, its changing every
minute. Tissues breaking down from
bacteria, the bodys own chemicals.
Youve got putrefaction,
fermentation, not to mention the
effects of insects and other
animals. Then youve got the
elements, rain, condensation...
Her voice fades as the elevator goes down. Topher laughs
uncomfortably.
TOPHER
One FBI-trained forensic
specialist. Its a tall order for a
rush job.
BOYD
Sorry about that.
TOPHER
Its all right. Its a quiet night,
anyway. Echos just coming in, and
then were sleepy-bye.
EXT. DOLLHOUSE GARAGE - MOMENTS LATER
The black van comes in.

28.
EXT. ON THE ROOF OF THE DOLLHOUSE? - A LITTLE LATER
Kepler is leading Ballard on the roof to the entrance of the
Dollhouse. They find the entrance.
How far?

BALLARD

KEPLER
Ten stories.
(beat)
Its the best way in. Im sorry,
man. Its just how it is.
Lets go.

BALLARD

KEPLER
No. No way, youd go down there?
BALLARD
You showed me this thinking Id
give up?
KEPLER
I was nurturing a tender, throbbing
hope that youd give up, yes!
BALLARD
Well, Im not. Show me the real way
in!
KEPLER
No, thats the real way in. I just
thought that youd give up.
Ballard shakes his head and pulls off the cover of the
entrance.
BALLARD
Wish we had rope.
INT. IMPRINT ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
Echo is being wiped in the Chair. The Chair tilts back up.
TOPHER
Hello, Echo. How are you feeling?
ECHO
Did I fall asleep?

29.
INT. SECRET ENTRANCE - MOMENTS LATER
Ballard jumps down. Kepler is still up above.
KEPLER
Falling!
(beat)
Falling now!
BALLARD
Youre not falling.
Ballard gets up and grabs Keplers ankles.
BALLARD (CONTD)
I have your ankles.
Let go!

KEPLER

Ballard lets go.

KEPLER (CONTD)
Okay, no, no, no, no. Dont let go.
Ballard grabs Keplers ankles again.
KEPLER (CONTD)
Ankles, ankles, ankles, ankles!
Why?
Ballard drags Kepler down.
KEPLER (CONTD)
Oh, no, no. No. Riding up, its
riding up. Im getting a wedgie.
Ballard gets Kepler down and drops him gently in the corner.
KEPLER (CONTD)
Say, this is clean and enclosed.
Im staying here.
Ballard kicks the hatch open.
Come on.

BALLARD

Ballard exits through the hatch.

KEPLER
What? Just because we can move
forward, we must?
(MORE)

30.
KEPLER (CONT'D)
You know, this is the same
expansionist thinking that led to
the Trail of Tears, man!
Carrots!

BALLARD (O.S.)

Kepler sighs and hits his head on the wall.

Ow!

KEPLER

INT. DAYCARE PLACE THING

We cut back to scenes of Susan reading Briar Rose.
SUSAN
One day, 100 years later, a young
prince heard about Briar Rose,
INT. SECRET ENTRANCE - CONTINUOUS
Kepler is following Ballard places. Then Ballard is following
Kepler places.
SUSAN (V.O.)
And of the deep sleep and the
sharp thorns. The prince said, I
will not let this stop me. Im as
strong as any spell.
INT. SLEEPING PODS - CONTINUOUS
We see Echo and the other 4 Actives entering the pods.
SUSAN (V.O.)
I am as strong as any thorns. I
wont let anything stop me from
reaching her and saving her.
INT. THE DOLLHOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Ballard and Kepler finally manage to get inside the
Dollhouse.
SUSAN (V.O.)
I will go and rescue this
sleeping beauty.

31.

Its real.

BALLARD

END OF ACT TWO

32.

ACT THREE
FADE IN:
EXT. TUCSON HOSPITAL - NIGHT
To establish.
INT. TUCSON HOSPITAL - CONTINUOUS
A MORGUE WORKER has set out the unidentified body presumably
killed by ALPHA. Sierra enters wearing plastic gloves.
MORGUE WORKER
You know, this is pretty unusual,
federal agents in the middle of the
night shift.
Sierra inspects the body.
SIERRA
Its a high-priority case. This
thing hit the system and bells went
off all over the FBI, from Quantico
to the tiny telephone in Hoovers
casket.
MORGUE WORKER
So, its a signature youre looking
at?
SIERRA
Yeah. Someones getting slash
happy.
MORGUE WORKER
All homeless guys?
SIERRA
Clearly not. Homeless people smell
primarily like human excretions,
sweat, urine. This guy...
Sierra sniffs the body.
SIERRA (CONTD)
This guy smells like garbage over a
layer of clean skin. Not even old
garbage, either.
(MORE)

33.
SIERRA (CONTD)
He smells like yesterdays
breakfast, not last weeks.
A beat.
SIERRA (CONTD)
I think Ill take it from here.
INT. ENCLOSED SPACE IN THE DOLLHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER
Ballard and Kepler are in hiding.
KEPLER
(whispering)
They told me this was gonna be the
new Eden.
BALLARD
(whispering)
Eden wasnt a prison.
KEPLER
What, are you kidding?
(beat)
The apples were monitored. Plus,
they didnt have a steam room that
could re-circulate human sweat and
put it right back...
BALLARD
Were gonna be on camera the moment
we set foot in there.
KEPLER
But remember my plan where we
dont?
BALLARD
Can you do anything about their
surveillance?
KEPLER
From a computer, probably. Their
fail-safe should be on the same
system as the life-support cycles I
designed, but wed have to access
one, and until then, we suffer from
unsightly visibility.
Wait here.
Ballard exits.

BALLARD

34.
INT. THE DOLLHOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Ballard waits for an ACTIVE who is coming up the stairs.
BALLARD
If youll come this way, please.
The Active does as he is told and makes his way to the
enclosed space.
INT. ENCLOSED SPACE IN THE DOLLHOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Ballard enters with the Active.
KEPLER
Not good with people. Not good with
the blood and viscera of people,
okay?
BALLARD
(to Active)
Take off your clothes.
The Active does so.
KEPLER
What, youre gonna dress like a
doll? Those probably wont even fit
a guy-Ballard motions for Kepler to come.
KEPLER (CONTD)
Oh, no, come on.
INT. THE DOLLHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER
Ballard and Kepler, now dressed as an Active, exit the
enclosed space.
KEPLER
This is... I am not comfortable. My
arms are chilly.
Shut up.

BALLARD

Ballard drags Kepler along.

KEPLER
Change is good. Go change. Yes, we
can!
(MORE)

35.
KEPLER (CONT'D)
You know, this cotton, its
organic, Im pretty sure. Thats a
plus.
We see Topher walk straight past them. Kepler hides behind
Ballard. It takes a moment for Topher to see Ballard.
Hey!

TOPHER

KEPLER
Im gonna die. Im gonna die in
pajamas.
TOPHER
Person I dont know.
BALLARD
Actually, Im from upstairs.
Security review.
Ballard comes in close.
BALLARD (CONTD)
I have a work order here. Maybe you
can...
Ballard tazes Topher with a stun gun. Topher falls
unconscious.
KEPLER
What the hell was that? Is that
some kind of, like, joy-buzzer stun
gun?
Ballard drags Topher towards Tophers office.
KEPLER (CONTD)
I mean, officially, I deplore
violence, but that was totally
worth the loss of karma points.
Help.

BALLARD

INT. TOPHERS OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

Kepler helps Ballard drag Topher into the room before he
leaves him again.
Hey.

KEPLER

36.
Kepler goes to Tophers computer.
Computer.

KEPLER (CONTD)

Ballard dumps Topher onto the sofa.

BALLARD
You can take down security from
there, right?
KEPLER
Uh... I mean, I could, if this guy
wasnt a paranoid freak. Theres
like a thrillion layers of
passwords on here. This isnt
company stuff, this is his own
personal minefield. I need a
different computer.
Lets go.

BALLARD

KEPLER
Wait, wait. Hold on. Let me watch
for a minute, see if I can notice
any pattern, security patrols,
anything.
Ballard notices the Chair in the Imprint Room.
KEPLER (CONTD)
All right, would you look at this
place! I mean, first of all, feng
shui up the ying-yang.
We see a shot of Actives walking around the Dollhouse.
KEPLER (CONTD)
Also, I designed parts of it, but I
did not design the stone-cold foxes
in the small clothes and the ample
massage facilities.
Kepler laughs. Ballard is in the Imprint Room, looking at the
Chair.
KEPLER (CONTD)
I mean, dont get me wrong, I heart
my porn, but this is cool.
BALLARD
This is a bad place.

37.
KEPLER
Bad people, maybe. Good place. This
is the future. The machine feeds
them what they need, the machine
takes away what it needs. A closed
system, the Earth is not harmed.
Yeah, were all just cells in a
body.
BALLARD
Cells in a body? Thats the future?
Were all functional,
interchangeable?
KEPLER
(chuckling)
We already are, man. What, you
didnt know that? I mean, I was
trying to tell you. You know, were
all just atoms in the big
continuous universe and the best...
The best we can do is to try not to
kill it from the inside.
BALLARD
No. Theres more we can do.
KEPLER
Yeah, okay. If you really think you
have a choice. Lets go. Theres a
lull in traffic. Come on.
Kepler and Ballard exit Tophers office.
INT. THE DOLLHOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Kepler leads Ballard towards the stairs.
KEPLER
(whispering)
There should be offices down this
way if I remember correctly.
Kepler starts to go down the stairs but comes back up in
panic.
What?

BALLARD

KEPLER
The stairs lack risers.

38.

What?

BALLARD

KEPLER
The vertical part that makes the
back of each stair is called a
riser.
BALLARD
I know what they are.
Ballard attempts to go down the stairs but Kepler stops him.
KEPLER
Okay, wait, hold, hold. Please,
see, sometimes when I go on stairs
that dont have riser, I get this
feeling, this awful sensation, that
somethings gonna reach out and
grab my ankle like a claw or
tentacle.
BALLARD
This is life or death.
KEPLER
Could be a hand, could be an
ordinary hand!
Come on!

BALLARD

Ballard goes downstairs, dragging Kepler with him.

INT. DR. SAUNDERS OFFICE - SIMULTANEOUS
We see Saunders in her office, oblivious to the noise Kepler
is making outside.
INT. THE DOLLHOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Kepler is slowly going down the stairs with Ballard pushing
him.
Hurry up.

BALLARD

Kepler stops as we see Saunders walk out of her office. They

wait for her to leave.

39.
KEPLER
(points at Saunders
office)
Theres a terminal in there. If I
can get to that, I can shut down
all the security.
Kepler starts going down the stairs at a quicker pace.
KEPLER (CONTD)
I can open this place up like an
oyster. We can go out in the
elevator, as pretty as you please.
BALLARD
Okay, fine.
Ballard stops when he sees Victor, whom he recognizes as
LUBOV, walk across the hallway.
BALLARD (CONTD)
Oh, God. I know that guy. Lubov.
(beat)
My whole life. My whole life isnt
real.
KEPLER
Its a small world, right? I went
to grade school with Jenna Elfman.
INT. DR. SAUNDERS OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
Kepler and Ballard enter. Kepler goes straight for Saunders
computer.
BALLARD
Just point me to where they sleep.
Is it that way?
KEPLER
Cool off. Man, think. You know,
compose yourself mentally, man.
Prepare.
BALLARD
What are you doing?
KEPLER
The best that I can, Mr. I-stun-allmy-problems.
(MORE)

40.
KEPLER (CONT'D)
I dont know how to slam all the
doors shut on the security areas,
but I do know how to adjust the
oxygen-nitrogen-CO2 mix in their
rooms so they wont wake up if the
alarms go off.
BALLARD
Okay. Do that.
KEPLER
Now, the Dolls, I designed the
sleeping compartments that collects
the carbon dioxide and methane Everybody farts - and cycles it all
into the environmental controls.
What?

BALLARD

KEPLER
You need to know this. The pods are
locked.
BALLARD
Shes locked into a pod?
KEPLER
There are lights inside. If the
light is on, the pod is locked. Do
not try to open a locked pod. All
hell will break loose, my tall man.
As I unlock each pod remotely, the
light will go off.
Ballard turns to go.
Wait.

KEPLER (CONTD)

He stops.
Go.
Okay.

KEPLER (CONTD)
BALLARD

KEPLER
I said go. The course is clear. Go
now!
Ballard opens the door.

41.

All right.

BALLARD

KEPLER
Down... Since were...
(points)
That hallway.
Ballard exits.
KEPLER (CONTD)
Wait.
(beat)
No, thats right.
INT. HALLWAY TO THE PODS - MOMENTS LATER
Ballard walks through the hallway.
INT. SLEEPING PODS - CONTINUOUS
Ballard finds the pods. He looks around first, then watches
the lights turn off one by one.
He opens one of the unlocked pods. November, sleeping
soundly.
BALLARD
They flip a switch, youll kill me
without even knowing it.
(beat)
Im sorry.
He closes the pod and opens another one. Echo. He smiles.
Caroline.

BALLARD (CONTD)

Echo wakes up. A gun cocks; Boyd is behind Ballard.

BOYD
Sorry, Agent Ballard. You dont get
the girl.

END OF ACT THREE

42.
ACT FOUR
FADE IN:
INT. THE DOLLHOUSE - NIGHT
We see various shots of the inside of the Dollhouse: the
bridge, the rock pool, an unconscious Topher on the sofa.
INT. SLEEPING PODS - SIMULTANEOUS
Now were back to Boyd having a gun on Ballard.
BOYD
Give me your gun.
BALLARD
I dont have a-BOYD
You didnt come in here without
one. Put it on the floor now.
Ballard does so, with Echo watching him intently.
ECHO
Who are you?
BALLARD
Im Paul. You called me. You asked
me to come get you.
BOYD
Echo, why dont you go for a swim?
BALLARD
Your name is Caroline. Youve been
brainwashed.
Echo, go!

BOYD

She gets up just as Ballard intercepts Boyd. Boyd knocks

Ballard down on the floor.
ECHO
You hurt Paul.
Echo...

BOYD

Boyd motions for Echo to leave.

43.
BALLARD
What are you, then, her pimp? You
get her ready, send her out, clean
her up after?
BOYD
I keep her safe. You think youre
helping her. Youre wrong. You
cant get her out.
Ballard gets up.
I got in.

BALLARD

BOYD
I couldve brought the whole House
down on you, but Im giving you one
chance. Go back the way you came.
Now.
Ballard attempts to hit Boyd, who dodges and hits Ballard
successfully. Boyd kicks Ballard to the ground.
Ballard recovers and pushes Boyd into one of the pods,
dragging himself in with him. The glass shatters and Victor,
who is inside, screams. Echo is still there. Ballard gets out
of the pod.
Echo, run!

BOYD (CONTD)

Echo runs through the blurred glass. Ballard chases after her
as Boyd gets out of the pod and goes after them both.
INT. THE DOLLHOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Ballard calmly stops Echo from running.
ECHO
Im supposed to go swimming.
BALLARD
Caroline, you dont have to do what
they tell you.
Ballard leads her upstairs.
BALLARD (CONTD)
I know youre scared, but its
okay.

44.
A flash; Echo sees, remembers when she fought Ballard, back
in the Chinese restaurant.
Let me go!

ECHO

Ballard does so, confused.

BOYD
You heard the lady.
Boyd points his gun at Ballard, who turns. Echo knocks him
off the stairs, landing on and breaking a table. Boyd
approaches him and Ballard throws pieces of the broken table
at him. He sees an opening and kicks the gun out of Boyds
hand. Boyd punches, he dodges. They continue to fight with
Echo watching.
Ballard gets Boyd in the throat and kicks him into a lamp.
INT. DR. SAUNDERS OFFICE - SIMULTANEOUS
Kepler is disabling the security systems on Saunders
computer.
KEPLER
Alarms. Off. Backup alarm. Calling
out. No. Calling in. No. Motion
sensors disabled. Manual alarm
disabled. Pod locks switched.
INT. SLEEPING PODS - SIMULTANEOUS
Saunders is walking through the hallway when she sees Victor
sitting outside his pod, dazed and injured. She runs over to
him.
SAUNDERS
Victor, what happened?
VICTOR
People were fighting on me.
INT. THE DOLLHOUSE - SIMULTANEOUS
Ballard continues to fight Boyd.
INT. DR. SAUNDERS OFFICE - SIMULTANEOUS
Kepler continues to disable the security systems.

45.
KEPLER
Backup doors reinforced. Security
team, sawing wood.
INT. THE DOLLHOUSE - SIMULTANEOUS
Boyd gets the upper hand and starts choking Ballard.
BOYD
Think theyll just let her go? Let
her live outside?
BALLARD
(with difficulty)
Shes not living now.
BOYD
Even if you got her out alive,
theyd hunt you down and kill you
both!
Ballard escapes Boyds grip but is punched in the face.
INT. DR. SAUNDERS OFFICE - SIMULTANEOUS
Kepler continues to disable the security systems.
KEPLER
Lower oxygen, up the CO2. Stay
asleep. Stay asleep...
INT. THE DOLLHOUSE - SIMULTANEOUS
Ballard goes for the gun thats in the rock pool. Boyd stops
him from reaching it, but Ballard grabs a rock instead and
hits Boyd in the face.
Echo watches helplessly, but remembers her encounter with
Boyd in the woods. She remembers him telling her to run.
BOYD
Echo, run. Run!
Echo runs up the stairs, with Ballard catching up to her and
Boyd following closely behind. Ballard grabs her but Boyd
climbs onto the stairs and pushes Ballard, making Echo fall
down the stairs.
Ballard gets the upper hand on Boyd, who then attempts to
push Ballard off the stairs. Ballard pushes Boyd away, and
they both lunge at each other.

46.
Ballard goes to hit Boyd but is stopped by Echo, who grabs
his leg through the lack of a riser, making him fall down the
stairs, unconscious. Boyd goes to make sure he stays
unconscious.
BOYD (CONTD)
Stay here. Wait for me. Ill come
back to get you.
ECHO
I trust you.
Boyd is somewhat surprised.
INT. DR. SAUNDERS OFFICE - SIMULTANEOUS
Saunders leads Victor inside and closes the door behind her.
SAUNDERS
All right, well have you fixed up
in-Kepler appears and slashes Victors face up. Victor falls to
the ground and Saunders recognizes Kepler as:
Alpha.

SAUNDERS (CONTD)
END OF ACT FOUR

47.
ACT FIVE
FADE IN:
INT. DR. SAUNDERS OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
Kepler, now identified as ALPHA, grabs hold of Saunders and
looks at her scars.
ALPHA
Well, you kept my gifts.
He grabs her head and makes her nod.
ALPHA (CONTD)
Yes. Of course. Now you.
SAUNDERS
(crying)
Yes. Of course.
Alpha smiles.
ALPHA
Theyre unique, you know.
He feels them.
ALPHA (CONTD)
Turns out different every time.
Victors, for example... theyre
much deeper.
Victor is on the floor. Alpha kicks him, then goes back to
Saunders.
ALPHA (CONTD)
Have you always wanted to be a
doctor? Its a simple question.
Answer now.
Yes.

SAUNDERS

ALPHA
Thats a lie. Lets try another.
INT. ADELLES OFFICE - SIMULTANEOUS
Boyd opens the door and enters, holding a cuffed Ballard.

48.
ADELLE
Did you really think you could just
walk into the Dollhouse when
everyone knows it doesnt exist?
INT. DR. SAUNDERS OFFICE - SIMULTANEOUS
Alpha is questioning Saunders, who is terrified.
ALPHA
Tell me about the first time you
met me.
SAUNDERS
You were new. You had signed the
agreement, and theyd just... youd
just been wiped for the first time.
Your Handler brought you to me for
an exam.
ALPHA
And did you examine me? My whole
body?
...Yes.

SAUNDERS

ALPHA
And was I fine? Healthy? Intact?
Yes.

SAUNDERS

ALPHA
This is so interesting. I wish we
had more time.
SAUNDERS
We dont have time?
INT. ADELLES OFFICE - SIMULTANEOUS
Ballard is cuffed and sitting in front of Boyd and Adelle.
BALLARD
You are digging yourselves in so
deep, you have no idea. Im a
federal agent-ADELLE
Youve been suspended!

49.
BALLARD
The penalties for interfering with
a federal agent-ADELLE
You are no longer protected by
those laws!
BALLARD
--are substantial. You really
justify this? What you to these
people, you can live with this?
BOYD
Youre the one who came in here and
assaulted one of our residents.
ADELLE
Yes, theres indignation enough for
everyone to have seconds.
BALLARD
If you really didnt want me here,
then maybe you shouldnt have
filled my life with so many
interesting lies!
ADELLE
You have been quite a challenge.
BALLARD
Is that why you tried to kill me?
Twice?
ADELLE
It might be good for us both that I
failed.
BALLARD
I dont even care that these people
signed themselves over to you.
There is no provision for... for
consensual slavery!
Adelle rolls her eyes and goes to look out at the skyline.
BALLARD (CONTD)
It is wrong. You know its wrong.
You feel it in your bones. What you
did to Caroline is wrong.
ADELLE
Oh, you know so many things.
Facts... and names.

50.
Adelle goes over to her desk.
ADELLE (CONTD)
What do you think, Mr. Langton?
BOYD
What do you mean?
ADELLE
Shall we put him in the Chair?
INT. THE DOLLHOUSE - SIMULTANEOUS
Echo is still waiting for Boyd to return.
SAUNDERS (O.S.)
(nervously)
Echo? Come here, please.
Echo hesitates, but goes to Saunders office.
INT. DR. SAUNDERS OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
Alpha has Saunders up against the wall. Echo enters and sees
Victor on the floor moaning in pain.
Alpha pushes Saunders away and Echo acknowledges him for the
first time.
Echo.

ALPHA

ECHO
Oh... I know you. I remember
something about you.
ALPHA
I remember everything about you.
INT. THE DOLLHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER
Alpha is bringing Echo with him upstairs.
ALPHA
Its okay. Itll be all right.
INT. ADELLES OFFICE - SIMULTANEOUS
Ballard watches nervously while Boyd and Adelle discuss his
fate.

51.
ADELLE
You know I dont need your consent.
BOYD
You asked my opinion. In my
opinion, this man hasnt agreed to
this, and his crime isnt-The phone rings. Adelle looks almost disappointed. Boyd hands
it to her.
DeWitt.

ADELLE

SIERRA (O.S.)
Yeah, this is Special Agent
Gerhardt calling for the Director.
Go ahead.

ADELLE

INT. EXAMINATION ROOM, TUCSON - SIMULTANEOUS

Sierra on the phone.
SIERRA
Didnt want you to have to wait for
my report, Madam Director. The M.O.
Is right for your suspect, thats a
positive. The name we got on the
vic is Stephen J. Kepler.
INT. ADELLES OFFICE - SIMULTANEOUS
ADELLE
(to Boyd)
Stephen J. Kepler.
Got it.

BOYD

SIERRA (O.S.)
He was some kind of specialist in
environmental design.
INT. EXAMINATION ROOM, TUCSON - SIMULTANEOUS
SIERRA
The interesting part is that he
wasnt killed in Tucson.
(MORE)

52.
SIERRA (CONT'D)
He was killed in Los Angeles and
planted here.
INT. ADELLES OFFICE - SIMULTANEOUS
Boyd has tracked Keplers records on the computer.
BOYD
Keplers in our system. Hes got a
subcontractor number from 10 years
back.
Adelle puts the phone down.
BOYD (CONTD)
He helped build the Dollhouse.
Adelle watches the security footage on the monitor which
shows Alpha and Echo in the Imprint Room.
ADELLE
Alpha isnt in Tucson.
INT. IMPRINT ROOM - SIMULTANEOUS
Echo arches back in pain. The Chair tilts back and the light
turns off. Alpha approaches her.
ECHO
Oh, I know you.
ALPHA
Of course you do.
Echo passionately kisses Alpha.
ALPHA (CONTD)
I told you Id come rescue you.
My prince.

ECHO

The elevator opens and Alpha leads Echo inside. They begin to
kiss again as the doors close.
BLACKOUT.