Prodigy

1

[Film projector starting]

[Music playing]

[Indistinct chatter]

Do you always play alone?

Challenging yourself can teach you

quite a bit about who you are.

Plus, I always win.

Or lose.

A matter of perspective.

Olivia.

Lovely to see you.

And you, Jimmy.

Hmm.

No one's called me Jimmy

in years.

Well, that's too bad.

It suits you.

Not so sure about that

these days.

Well, you'll always be Jimmy

to me.

Do you have time

to grab a cup of coffee?

Catch up a little?

I'm afraid we're on

a tight schedule.

No time for chit-chat.

All right,

just give me a moment.

How you feeling about all this?

Well, this process

is a little different.

But you think you're ready?

Well, I do think I'm ready

for anything at this point.

I hope so.

[Alarm blaring]

Wait. Pocket.

Again.

[Alarm blaring]

Arms up.

[Beeping]

Yeah, I'll be getting that back,

yes?

You are not to touch

the subject.

Do not leave anything

near the subject's hands.

If the subject makes a request,

you are to seek my permission before

granting the subject anything.

I, uh, I mean no offense,

but, uh, is all this

entirely necessary?

If you have a problem

following these rules,

then I suggest that you conduct

your evaluation

from inside the control room

per my original recommendation.

[Exhales sharply]

No, that won't be required.

Do not, for any reason, release

the subject from the restraints.

In the event the subject

escapes the restraints,

drop to the floor

and cover your head.

Do not attempt

to leave the room.

Do not attempt

to re-restrain the subject.

- Understood?

- Yeah.

- Understood?

- Yes, understood.

Dr. Fonda.

I see you've met colonel birch.

The military is assisting

in this case.

I hardly think "assisting"

is a sufficient term.

Thank you for that

clarification, colonel.

[Birch] All right, so show

me what we've got here.

This is Dr. Keaton,

our director of psychiatry.

Yeah, nice to meet you,

Dr. Keaton.

Always a pleasure

to meet a fellow shrink.

Well, I hate to disappoint, but, uh,

technically I'm a psychologist.

Oh. Oh, well,

we can't all be perfect, eh?

[Beeping]

When the light is green,

you are go to zap

that little f***er.

And this charming young man

is Ryan mccrosky,

our chief technician.

Ryan, this is Dr. Fonda.

Hey.

Dr. Warner is our resident

biochemistry expert.

Ah, nice to meet you,

Dr. Warner.

Likewise.

[Beeping]

It's time.

If you don't mind, colonel, I'd

like to walk Dr. Fonda over myself.

Be my guest.

You'll have to excuse them.

It's my fault they've had to

spend so much time

in that little room.

Well, you're the boss.

[Beep, door buzzes]

All clear, agent price.

Thank you, gentlemen.

[Squeaking]

I know this all seems

a bit strange, but...

Please try to go in there

with an open mind.

Well, if I couldn't do that,

I wouldn't be here.

Thank you, Jimmy.

Hello, Eleanor.

My name is James Fonda.

- I am here to...

- I love the sweater vest.

Well, thank you. I'm not all...

You have it all.

Worn loafers,

second hand slacks,

tattered briefcase.

I'm not quite sure I follow.

But the truth is in the details.

The lines on your face.

Your posture.

Distinct lack of concern

with your hairstyle.

Did miss Olivia send

a bargain bin find in with me?

How quaint.

You're a very observant

young lady.

I assume you have experience

with troubled youth.

Most likely

from bad neighborhoods.

What makes you say that?

That must be challenging work.

I imagine the return rate isn't

particularly high in those situations.

It must wear on you,

not being able to save them.

It does, but it also makes

each success

that much more satisfying.

And that's so conducive to a

satisfying home life, I feel, is it?

It is hard for me to imagine

your loving wife

allowing you out of the house

in your...

Current state.

My wife?

It is, unless she isn't

around anymore.

You shut her out, didn't you?

To look at you, I'd say

you shut most everyone out.

Is it easier to keep them away

than to risk getting hurt again?

That was quite an evaluation,

Eleanor.

Don't call me Eleanor.

What should I call you?

Ellie is better.

All right.

Ellie does suit you.

Spare me your pandering.

I'm well beyond your usual

trust-building exercises.

I agree, again.

Then let's skip the formalities and

get straight into it, shall we?

Into what?

You are an analyst, are you not?

[Exhales sharply] I am.

And you have my file?

I do.

And you've got nothing for me?

No diagnosis?

Well, perhaps I'm not

as perceptive as you.

But, uh, to be honest,

I haven't even read this.

[Ellie] Is that right?

Relax. He's bluffing.

He wouldn't go in there blind.

[Fonda] It ls.

Is this common practice for you?

Arriving woefully unprepared?

If I had read this, it would have colored

my perception of you before we met.

Now personally, I prefer to hear

from the individual in question

rather than focusing on a

particular problem they have

or mistake they made.

Even if said individual

is a maladjusted prepubescent?

All the more so with children,

as they aren't usually

given enough credit

when it comes to

expressing their own anxieties.

I was right about you.

You were right

about a lot of things.

I have worked with children.

Often from rough neighborhoods,

and I'm not particularly

concerned with my hairstyle.

I don't believe, however,

that qualifies me as a, uh,

bargain bin find.

The other shrinks

they brought me

wore designer suits

and fancy watches.

A watch is a, uh,

funny device these days.

I have a friend who is obsessed

with fancy watches.

Eventually,

after years of hard work,

he rewarded himself with one.

And it was beautiful.

But the problem was

after about a week,

it was nearly two minutes slow.

He wound it, set it.

Another week went by,

same problem.

He was always losing time.

Yeah, my father gave me

this watch a long time ago.

It's not flashy by any means.

But I'll tell you what,

it's never lost a minute.

Yeah, a time piece may have

aesthetic value.

At its core, though,

it is a single function device.

Shiny or dull,

all that matters is

how well it tells the time.

And you can tell the time?

Never lost a minute.

You stand to lose

more than time in here.

Well, I'm willing to take

that chance if you are.

Perhaps.

But certainly not on

an empty stomach.

You hungry?

Peanut butter and banana

on whole wheat with chips

or celery.

So specific.

I take it with apple juice.

I'll see what I can drum up.

- [Door buzzes]

- And Jimmy?

No crust.

[Door buzzes]

I assume you have the means

to prepare Ellie's lunch.

- Mccrosky.

- What the hell?

[Exasperated sigh]

What do you think?

She's an extraordinary child.

[Chuckles]

Well, perhaps this is old hat

for all of you,

but you can't deny

how remarkable her intellect is.

Her intellect is not

what concerns me, doctor.

What does concern you?

I'm more concerned with the

patient's personality disorders.

Disorders?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes