Original subtitles

I'm out now.

I was just an average kid until an accident changed my life.

And since then, nothing's been the same.

My best friend Ray thinks it's cool.

My sister Annie thinks I'm a science project.

I can't let anyone else know.

Not even my parents.

I know the chemical plant was to find me and turn me into some experiment.

But you know something?

I guess I'm not so average anymore.

I need you to drive me to the library, like, immediately.

Oh, Alex, I can't do it, honey. After this, I have 120 pages not only read but

memorized in time for my sociology midterm tomorrow morning.

Well, I have two tests tomorrow, English and math.

I'm sorry, Alex. I can't give you a lift. Can't you study here, honey?

No, I can't just study here.

I have research to do.

Your father will be home any minute. Maybe he can drive you. That's not fair.

Dad's been working all day.

Didn't you at least go to the store?

We're like out of everything.

No, we're not.

I left the groceries in the car.

You can help me unload it.

Come on, Alex.

Move! Could you grab the dry cleaning in the back, please?

Wow, Mr.

Corporate. You haven't worn this in a long time.

Yeah, I have a job interview tomorrow.

Hi, sweetheart.

I thought we decided you'd focus on your studies for a while.

I know, but it's a work -study program, so I get to study and make some money.

I just feel terrible that your salary has to pay for everything.

Well, it isn't necessary. You won't be in school forever.

Sure seems like it.

All I'm saying is that at least you have the choice to go back to school.

You're not trapped like I am. You can do whatever you want.

Alex, what are you talking about?

I have an enormous amount of responsibilities.

I have responsibilities, too.

Oh, Alex, please.

I trade places with you in a second.

Anytime you want.

Yeah? So, are you getting excited about school yet?

I'm not really sure yet. I was just curious as to whether you'd chosen your

classes yet.

I don't know.

Maybe I can help you.

Dad, this is college we're talking about.

Don't you think it's time that I started to make these decisions for myself?

Yeah, I know, but... Can we talk about this later?

I guess so.

Are you angry with me?

No.

Why?

It's just that you've seemed a little distant or something lately.

Everything's fine. I just, I really need a few minutes to be alone.

Is that okay?

Let's talk about Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis.

It's a masterpiece.

Now, metamorphosis literally means to change form, as if by magic.

Hey, you're metamorphin' all the time.

Kafka wrote Metamorphosis in 1912.

He was born in Prague in 1883.

Alex, uh, Alex, pick up a job for me, please.

Mom, I can't. I have to study this. I'm way unprepared. Ray should have been

here five minutes ago.

Alex, it'll take you 50 seconds. Just do it.

Oh, Alex. Alex.

Hey.

Come on.

Mom,

you okay?

What is this?

I look like Mom, but I'm Alex.

You're definitely not going to believe this because it's totally, totally

freaky, but I'm not Mom.

I know I look like Mom on the outside, but on the inside, I'm really Alex.

I swear.

Please, I'm late.

I mean it, Annie.

I morphed in the kitchen to get away from Mom.

Did you just say morphed? Yeah.

And then Mom. Not me.

Mom. accidentally stepped in the puddle, and then I kind of sort of, you know,

covered us up, and then we un -morphed. And then you were formed into her?

This is ridiculous!

How is this possible?

Okay.

Prove to me that you're Alex. Tell me something that Mom wouldn't know.

Um, okay.

Well, oh, how about last month when you broke that lamp and then you glued it

together and then you lied to mom and told her you didn't know how it

And then how about that time you lied to mom again when you told her that you

sent that thank you note to grandma for sending you the $10 for your birthday

present? And how about the fact that I can turn into liquid? Is that enough?

What are you going to do?

You're asking me?

You never ask me.

Mom said that if she didn't take the exam, she would flunk the course.

Well, you know, Annie, maybe I could take it for her.

I took sociology.

I believe that was social studies.

Oh.

Alex. Huh?

If you're not mom, then does that mean that mom is...

is going on. I look like Alex. I sound like Alex.

But I'm definitely Barbara.

Barbara Hoffman Mack, right?

Yeah. Yeah, that's right.

Alex! Not only am I going to fail, I'm also going to be late.

Less time to get more answers wrong.

I'm not Alex.

No? Well, you sure are doing a heck of an imitation of it. I'm very serious,

Raymond.

I may look like Alex, but inside I'm Barbara.

Mrs. Mack.

Get out of here.

I'm completely and totally serious, Raymond.

I'm Mrs. Mack.

How old are you?

Son of your business.

How could this happen? Did you morph or something?

Morph? What does that mean?

Did you step in a puddle?

Well, come to think of it, there was some sort of puddle in the kitchen that

stepped in.

Well, if you're not Alex, you can't go to school like this. Maybe you should go

home and wait for Annie or something.

Well, I'm still Raymond Alvarado, and I gotta get to class.

So just go home and wait for Annie, alright?

Mrs. Mack?

Ah, let's see, I'm not the only one running away late this morning.

Hello, Lewis, I'm not feeling very well, and I think I'm going to go home. Ah,

come on, Alex.

Nice try, but you and I both know that the old I'm not feeling well deal isn't

going to fly on this or any other morning.

Lewis, please let me go.

No, I'm just protecting you. You know that tyrant you call a mother will just

send you right back, so why even bother trying?

Lewis, dear, my mother is not a tyrant. She simply does what's best for me.

Wow, you really aren't feeling well today, are you?

Well, come on, Alex. It's back to the world of reality for both of us.

I haven't read this in over 20 years.

This is the one where the guy turns into a giant bug, right?

I see you've been studying hard, Alex.

Oh, you're Kelly Phillips.

I know your mom.

Miss Mack, would you care to share your thoughts with the entire class?

No, I don't believe that would be necessary.

I have to call George.

Mr. Mack.

Since when do you call your dad Mr. Mack?

Where do you think you're going without raising your hand?

May I use the restroom?

No, you may not.

Excuse me, but I'm a grown woman.

I need to use the restroom and I find it very difficult to believe that you are

going to try to prevent me from doing so.

Miss Mack, I suggest that you sit down and work on your exam.

Do you understand?

I assume this is normal procedure?

You are one word away from detention.

Sorry, I'm late. I didn't hear the bell ring, and I couldn't find anyone to give

me a late pass.

Oh.

This is college, right? So, like, no bell.

Cool.

This is insane.

I need to call George.

Hey, Miss Mack, where are you going? You can't leave. You need a pass.

I do not need a pass. Where do you think you're going?

Um, I'm having a personal emergency. I'll need to leave a bit early today.

Then I can assume that this emergency is accompanied by your parents' permission

to leave the premises.

You don't understand. I am my own parent.

But I guess you need something from my mother or father.

I don't have anything.

Then may I suggest that you take your personal emergency back to class, Alex.

Now.

If I don't hand something in, Mom's going to fail for sure.

How can I do this to her?

Unless I just sort of loaded one of those exams over here for a little help

her sake.

I wouldn't copy it word for word, and technically it wouldn't even be me

cheating, because it's not for me.

That guy looks kind of smart.

I wonder what he got for question one.

Now you know what it's like.

Miss Mac.

Oh, my God. What's happening to me? Miss Mac. Miss Mac. Calm down.

Whatever you do, don't think about water.

Okay. It's not water.

What on earth just happened to me?

You morphed.

Alice? Mom, we have to talk.

Mom, just calm down, okay?

Stop it!

Okay, on my way here, I stopped at Annie's school and I talked to her and

going to meet us at home.

I need an explanation now.

Mom, Annie will explain everything.

Right here.

Excuse me, young lady, we'll only be a minute.

That's it. I'm leaving right now. We're going to see your father immediately.

Mom, take a look at yourself.

Look, all Alex has to do is go to the principal's office, pretend to be Mrs.

Mack. Mrs. Mack, you pretend to be Alex. Then you both go get Annie.

No, we take George.

Uh, Mrs. Mack, I think Annie would be better.

Come on. Come on, stop.

Sorry I didn't let Alex out before you arrived, but you know how tough we have

to be when it comes to students leaving the school ground.

Oh, yeah, that's cool. No problem.

And I, too, apologize. I'm sure I overstepped my boundaries when I asked

leave. I'm aware of the difficult position I may have put you in. Thanks a

for all your help.

You run a totally rad school.

Miss Doak! Miss Doak!

May I help you, Miss Phillips?

Something really strange is going on here with Alex Mack.

Um, I happened to overhear a conversation between her and her alleged

It seems that they've switched bodies.

Oh, is that so? Doubt me if you want, but I've been keeping my eye on this

for some time now, and I honestly believe she isn't even close to normal.

I've seen her lift a tractor off the ground. She once told me she was going

turn me into liquid, and now this.

Kelly, I believe the school psychologist at the Malamud has some time available.

It's true.

Alex has some sort of supernatural powers.

Thank you for your concern, Kelly dear, but you should save some of those

thoughts for creative writing.

Back to class.

Paradise Valley Chemical Plant.

Daniel Atron, please.

Yes, this is Mary Delk at Paradise High.

Would you tell her that...

I believe her ship has just come in.

You got drenched with GC -161. You've developed superpowers, and you kept it

to yourself?

Is this what you're expecting me to believe here? We also told Ray.

Look, Dad's going to be home in a few hours, and things are going to get

confusing. I say we simply try to replicate whatever happened this

Mom, you morph.

Alex, we'll have you step into her, and hopefully I'll come back as yourselves.

I mean...

How exactly do I morph again?

Think about water, Mom. Water.

There it is!

This is fun!

All right, step into her.

This isn't going to work, Annie. Mom doesn't have any clue.

That didn't work?

Then we're not discussing it any further. We're telling your father.

Mom, what about your interview?

Well, I assume I'm not going, Alex.

I mean, I obviously can't go like this.

It's gonna look horrible for me to cancel ten minutes before my

I could take the interview for you.

Good afternoon. I'm sorry to keep you waiting.

That's okay.

Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?

Well, before I came back to college, I worked at PV Chemical Plant and Public

Relations. But Miss Daniel Atron was so mean that I just couldn't take her

anymore.

Well, Miss Mack, this position will demand a significant amount of your

Are you certain that you're able to take on such a commitment?

Oh, sure, no problem.

See, because I just go to school, like, until 2 o 'clock, and then, well, then I

have to study for a few hours, and then by 5, hey, I'm done.

This isn't going to be any big major deal, is it?

Yes, I do think it will be a major deal, honestly.

Do you have any time for yourself now, any time at all?

No, not much.

And I don't imagine that your 15 -year -old daughter helps you out much with

your responsibilities.

No, she doesn't help me out much.

Ms. Mack, what you're trying to do is extremely admirable.

But in my opinion, you cannot do it all.

I'm sorry, I don't think this is going to work out.

Sorry. Welcome back to consciousness, Ms. Mack.

Now that you're awake, perhaps you'd like to tell the whole class your

interpretation of Kafka's metamorphosis.

Well, in the book, Gregor Samza transforms into a giant

insect because of all the pressures in his life.

So I guess what maybe Kafka's saying is that people's lives aren't always what

they seem.

and nobody can really tell what anybody's feeling on the inside.

Just in time. Want to lick the bowl?

No, thanks.

Okay, but this is probably the last time you're going to get to taste my famous

macadamia nut fudge brownie batter for a long time.

What's the matter?

Nothing. I'm fine.

You're not fine.

Come on. Talk to me.

I'm scared, Dad.

Scared of what? Of everything.

Of MIT.

Of being away from home.

I'm not going to know anyone, and I've relied on you my whole life.

Annie, you've been a successful person all your life. It wasn't me.

But you've always been there to encourage me.

As soon as you start your classes, you're going to meet a lot of smart,

interesting people, and you're going to fall in love with your work. You always

have.

It's just that I'm going to miss you so much.

I can't believe I'm not going to have you to talk to anymore.

But that's ridiculous, honey. I'm only a phone call or an email away.

And we're going to work on GC -161 together, aren't we?

We're always here for you.

And when you miss us too much, you can come home and see what you're not really

missing.

Here, come on.

Hey, Mom made you some coffee.

You did?

Why?

Well, I thought I'd help out for a change.

Oh, well, thanks. That's so sweet.

But I can't. I don't have time. I've got to go to the post office. I've got to

go to the bank. And then I have to go to school. I can't believe I have another

exam today.

Oh, honey, would you do me a favor, please?

Would you do a lot of laundry when you get home from school? You know I don't

ask you for much. Sure.

Sure.

Wow.

What's gotten into you?

I thought you said that I had it so much easier than you.

Let's just say I woke up.

Hmm.

I was probably a little unfair to you.

Well, thanks.

Maybe I was a little unfair to you, too.

You were.

Maybe I'll give you a lift to school.