Original subtitles

Folks, we're gathered here because, quite frankly,

Innobotics has become stagnant

and that's why Charlie Bouton's division

has been searching for new areas of business

for this company to explore.

And today he's going to talk about their conclusion.

Charlie?

Thank you, Mrs. Janus.

On average, 64% of the children in this country

have two working parents.

Last year, nine million children were in some form of child care

and their parents paid

between $6,000 and $12,000 a year for it.

This is a huge market just waiting to be tapped.

What are you suggesting, Bouton?

I'll show you. Mary.

[muttering]

Valerie 23?

No, Mary 25.

Named after the famous nanny in the movies.

What I am suggesting, ladies and gentlemen,

is that we reactivate the Mary 25 program.

Inorganic child care project?

That's what your department's been working on?

Have you lost your mind?

There's a reason that project was shelved, Mr. Bouton.

We would rather not have another Valerie 23 incident. Can you imagine?

This time the robot kills the kids.

We prefer to call them inorganics...

And Valerie 23 never killed anyone.

She was created to be a companion.

I'm really looking forward to our time together.

I think we have much in common.

Charlie tells me you enjoy opera.

I love opera.

I hear La Boheme's in town. We should go.

[man] Maybe she didn't actually kill anyone.

But she came damn close.

Frank Hellner's girlfriend would be dead right now

if he hadn't thought fast enough to short circuit the robot.

[gasping]

[grunts]

Valerie,

I think you may have rebroken my back.

Darling?

[gasping]

Are you okay? I didn't mean to hurt you.

The inorganics just need to be repurposed.

It's a simple matter of programming.

Valerie 23 was programmed

to maintain a strong relationship

no matter what, a fuzzy concept at best.

It's understandable how it could go wrong.

Mary,

tell them what your programming is.

I'm programmed only to protect and care

for the children under my supervision.

Which means the only person she might hurt

is a kidnapper or a child molester.

Or the kids themselves.

Not a chance. Not with the programming we're developing.

Let me demonstrate.

Mary, you understand that this is just a simulation.

And you are to act as if this doll is a real child.

Yes, I understand.

Good.

Let me introduce a professional boxer, Vince Scarbari.

Today Vince will be

playing the role of a child abductor.

Vince, Mary.

-[murmuring] -Looks like Mary would be no match for him, doesn't it?

Think again.

I'm sorry, I cannot allow you

to approach the child.

[grunting]

Jeez.

[gasping]

[grunting]

Okay, Mary, you can release him.

[grunts]

By the way, you'll notice

she wasn't hurting him in any way.

She was only restraining him. She has three fail safes

to prevent her from hurting anyone.

[all clapping]

Impressive.

[Charlie] Thank you.

This, of course, was just a simulation.

However, in a real emergency,

Mary is connected to the telephone

by a cordless transmitter

Programmed to auto dial first 9-1-1

and then the parents.

She's also trained in CPR

and many other medical procedures.

Any questions?

Does it run on the same power principles as Valerie 23?

Burning food for fuel, sleep mode, et cetera?

Yes, she burns food for fuel,

And each parent is equipped with a remote control

to put her into sleep mode at anytime.

[beeps]

Another fail-safe to ensure

that nothing can go wrong.

[snaps]

So why did you make her so much like 23, so, uh, sexy?

My team of engineers led by Melburn Ross

adapted the second level prototype

from the Valerie 23 project.

These units happen to be built already

this way and with this appearance.

You're asking us to go out on very a dangerous limb to test this in the field.

If a child was hurt,

it could be the end of this company.

I'm sorry, I can't let that happen.

Mrs. Janus.

Forget it, Bouton.

Mrs. Janus, wait.

What if I tell you that I'm willing to field test

the Mary 25 on my own children?

[theme music playing]

[Control Voice] There is nothing wrong with your television.

Do not attempt to adjust the picture.

We are now controlling the transmission.

We control the horizontal and the vertical.

We can deluge you with a thousand channels

or expand one single image to crystal clarity

and beyond.

We can shape your vision

to anything our imagination can conceive.

For the next hour,

we will control all that you see and hear.

You are about to experience the awe and mystery

which reaches from the deepest inner mind

to The Outer Limits.

[Control Voice] Our children need protecting

from much more than physical harm.

Just as threatening to the fragile child

are the dangers of the mind

and the dangers of the heart.

You're home early.

I wanted to be here when you got home.

How'd your presentation go today?

That's what I wanted to talk to you about. It went okay,

but there was a lot of resistance because of Valerie.

Well, you knew that was going to be a problem.

They weren't going to let me move forward with the field test.

I was seeing the project die right before my eyes.

So they killed your project?

I couldn't let them, that would have been career suicide.

Wait, would you hear me out?

[both] Mommy!

Well, hello, Brad.

Mmm. Hello, Brook.

Hi, kids.

Hi, Daddy.

You know what? Carmen taught us a cool new game.

She did? What game?

It's called "go fish."

Really? Will you teach me?

-Uh-huh. -Here you go, Carmen. Thank you.

This is too much money, Mr. Charlie.

I gave you a little extra as a severance fee.

Your services are no longer required.

What does that mean?

Yes, Charlie. What does that mean?

That's what I tried to tell you out there.

You mean your prototype?

Kids, why don't you go wait in the family room?

We'll join you in a sec, okay?

[Teryl] Yeah, come on, kids.

I'll try to explain.

I do something wrong?

No, Carmen, you were great.

If you need a letter of recommendation,

I'll be happy to give you one.

[Brook] Good night, Mommy.

Good night, honey.

Teryl, I am doing the right thing here.

Mary will be great with those kids.

Hell, what do we know about Carmen?

She could turn out to be one of those psycho kidnappers for all we know.

Oh, bull.

Well...

Carmen is an angel and you know it.

OK, I admit, it wasn't the nicest thing in the world,

but it was a desperation move.

Would you rather I lost my job?

What do you think pays for all this?

Who do you think paid for Carmen?

I don't get this project off the ground, I'm gone. Do you want that?

You should have told me.

I tried to tell you.

Come on, babe.

Inorganics are better suited

for this kind of work than humans.

You know that better than anyone.

I promise you it'll all work out.

And if you want, in a few weeks, we'll get Carmen back again. Okay?

Okay.

Good. Melburn will bring her over in the morning.

You don't have a problem with seeing Melburn again, do you?

Oh, right, I forgot.

So it's not a problem then.

[doorbell ringing]

Good. That'll be Melburn.

Brad, honey, finish your breakfast.

Hi, Charlie.

Hi, Teryl.

Hello. Come in.

[Melburn] Come on in, Mary. This is your new home for a while.

Well, uh,

let's go meet the kids.

Kids, this is Mary, your new nanny.

Hello.

What are your names?

Are these children able to speak?

Yes, of course they are.

They're just a bit shy around new people.

This is Brook and this is Brad.

Hello, Brook.

That is a very pretty name.

You and I are going to be very good friends.

Brad?

Did you know that Mary's an inorganic?

-What's that? -That's like a robot.

You like robots, don't you?

A robot? Like from where you work?

Yes.

Like Mr. Bolts on TV?

Well, sort of.

Cool!

Why don't you two kids take Mary

and show her the family room? Okay?

Go on.

Do you have X-ray vision?

No, I'm sorry, I don't.

Well, that was easier than I thought it would be.

See?

I told you it wouldn't be a problem.

So Melburn will be here the whole time.

Oh, no, no, no, no, they don't pay me the medium-sized bucks

to sit in a nice comfy house all day.

I have too much work to do back at the lab.

Melburn will check in three times a day at first

then once everything seems to be running smoothly,

he'll come by once a day.

Here's a key. Lock up when you leave.

You're just going to leave? Just like that?

Have to go to work, don't I? And so do you.

You're going to leave this prototype

with our kids in this house all alone?

Well, that is the idea, Teryl.

I don't care, how do you know its programming is complete?

Look, we talked about it.

Don't screw it up for me.

I'm not screwing anything up.

I'm just... I'm just going to stay here and observe.

[sighs] For how long?

I don't know.

Till I'm satisfied.

A-- A few days, I guess.

Why are you doing this?

Because I care about your children.

Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?

Yes.

Yes, but for the project to prove its worth,

Mary has to be alone with the kids, okay?

I don't care.

[yells] Well then, start to care!

For once, for a change, start to care--

About my career,

about our livelihood.

Okay?

And do what I tell you to do.

[door opens and shuts]

[whistles]

What?

[car engine starting]

Nothing.

No, what?

Well, it's just that the Teryl that I knew

would never let a man talk to her like that.

What Teryl did you know?

Well, I knew this beautiful, fun, smart woman who wouldn't take

that kind of crap from anyone.

Really? What happened to her?

Good question.

Why didn't you ever return any of my calls?

Or at least wrote me a note or something.

I have a husband now.

So? So what?

So, he loves me.

Oh, well, yeah, that's-- That's obvious.

This is really none of your business.

[Mary] And the Big Bad Wolf said,

"Open up, little pigs,

or I will huff and puff and blow your house down."

Can a wolf really blow a house down?

No.

A wolf isn't capable of generating the sufficient volume of air

or the velocity necessary to disrupt

even a house made of straw.

Then why does he do it in the Three Little Pigs?

Because it is a story-- fiction.

It is intended to teach you the value of hard work,

to inspire you not to do things the lazy way.

Would you like me to continue?

Can a wolf really eat a pig?

Yes, it is possible.

They are carnivorous.

What does that mean?

They like to eat meat.

Could a wolf eat a person?

Yes, it is possible.

They are carnivorous.

Shall I continue?

[door closing]

What?

May I voice my opinion without making you angry?

[sighs] Sure.

I think your team hasn't done

a very complete job in Mary's programming.

She is a work in progress.

You have a problem, talk to Melburn.

He'll adjust her programming.

Charlie, you're experimenting with your children.

[gasps]

I love my children.

Don't you ever imply otherwise.

[squeaking]

What are you doing?

Adjusting my lubrication system.

Tell me, Mary.

Did Mel leave you fully functional?

I'm sorry.

I don't understand the question.

Like your predecessor, Valerie 23.

Are you fully functional like she was?

I'll show you.

Well, I'm glad to see they didn't change the body.

Come here.

[kissing]

It's okay, Mary. You can enjoy it.

My mechanisms have not been altered,

but my programming does not encompass

the activities you are trying to attempt.

You got artificial intelligence, right?

So you can learn.

[Charlie breathing heavily]

Hope you're going to work today.

I have to. I've used up my sick days.

Good, I'll see you tonight then.

[door opening]

Teryl.

-Hi, Mel. -Hi.

What happened to you?

Oh...

I fell.

You fell.

Yes.

How could anyone hurt that beautiful face?

Do you really think that?

What?

That I have a beautiful face.

Very much so.

I miss seeing it.

Why didn't you ever return my calls, Teryl?

I don't know.

What you and I had...

It was special, wasn't it?

Very much so.

And I've never lost my feelings for you.

I'm sorry for you.

Mary, will you play with us?

Yes. What would you like to play?

Hide-and-go-seek.

Bunny's road!

I'm sorry.

I'm not programmed to participate in those sorts of games.

Perhaps a nice game of math quiz will suffice.

That was boring. We played it yesterday.

We want to play hide-and-go-seek.

I'll tell you what, kids.

I have some work to do with Mary,

but as soon as I finish,

she'll play hide-and-seek with you.

And if you're real quiet until then,

I'll play with you too.

Cool!

Well, I'm late for work.

[Melburn] You sure you're okay?

Yeah.

-[door opens and shuts] -[giggling]

Mommy usually gives us three cookies each.

Three of these cookies contains exactly 8.3 grams of sugar

and 12.4 grams of fat.

The fat will cause the start of

plaque buildup in your arteries even at your age

and could cause you to have an early heart attack

when you're an adult.

I'm sorry, three cookies is not permitted.

Hmm.

Hey! Give it back! It's my cookie.

Brad, give me it!

Give it back, Brad!

Brad!

Ow!

Brad, stop it.

I must ask you to stop what you are doing.

I must not allow you to hurt each other.

Ow!

[Brandon] That hurts.

Kids, I'm home!

Where is everybody?

Brad! Brook!

Where are the children?

[Brook] Mommy!

Hi, honey.

[laughs] Where's your brother?

[Brandon] Mommy!

Brad?

Hi, sweetheart.

Ow, that hurts.

What are you doing?

The children were fighting.

I cannot allow them to harm each other.

Therefore they must be separated.

That is ridiculous. Get away from my daughter.

I cannot.

You can and you will. You are programmed to obey the parent's wishes.

That is correct.

However, I can override

provided their wishes are misguided

and can harm the children.

My primary program is to protect the children from all harm.

They were harming each other.

Well, that's good, but you can let them be together now.

Brook.

There is a 70% probability that they'll harm each other again.

Mary, let Brook go now.

-I cannot.

-Let her go.

Mommy!

Mommy!

[Charlie] Mary, Mary, no!

Mommy!

[beeps]

[gasps]

Come on, sweetie.

Come on.

It's okay.

It's okay.

It's okay. [kisses]

Line 1259 in subroutine 823a

require that I take the actions that I took.

Well, we'll just have to adjust

that little line of code, won't we?

You know what, Melburn?

Why don't you just take it back to Innobotics?

-We don't want it anymore. -I beg your pardon?

This was a minor setback.

Charlie, obviously it's proven how dangerous it is.

How so? Mary wouldn't have hurt you.

She was only going to restrain you.

Her programming has three fail safes

to prevent her from harming you. Isn't that right, Melburn?

-Whatever you say, boss. -That's why we have the remote controls.

Melburn will make the adjustments

so it won't happen again.

I want that thing out of my house.

Come here. I want to talk to you.

Don't you ever talk to me like that

in front of one of my employees again.

Do you understand?

[grunts]

I am getting sick of repeating myself.

We are completing a trial with Mary.

Period, end of discussion.

Do what I say!

[both sniffling]

Are you leaving too?

I'm not sure. I'm just...

Teryl.

They'll be fine.

I'll be here most of the day myself,

-just to be sure. -You will?

Oh, yeah. I never could pass up a game of bunny's road.

Good.

[door opens]

[door closes]

Mary?

Yes.

Why does daddy make mommy cry sometimes?

Please rephrase the question.

Why does daddy hurt mommy sometimes?

I'm sorry.

I'm not programmed with that information.

Perhaps you should ask your father.

[Brook] Tiger.

[Mary] Very good.

[shower running]

What?

What is it?

Do you intend to replace me with Mary?

You're kidding, right?

I'm not blind, Charlie.

She's got Valerie 23's looks, which I know turns you on.

And you seem to think she's great with the children.

She is designed

to be a nanny, and you're just as good-looking.

Answer my question.

[sobs] Are you replacing me with her?

Of course not.

[door opens, shuts]

-Hi, Mel. -Good morning.

Where's Charlie?

He went in early.

And Mary and the kids?

They're outside playing.

Good.

Can I talk to you about something?

Sure. What?

Well, yesterday

the kids asked Mary a question that worried me a bit.

What?

They asked why daddy hurts mommy.

And what did Mary say?

Well, she responded like a human nanny would.

She didn't quite know what to say.

[tap running]

Has he hurt you?

It doesn't matter.

[clattering]

The hell it doesn't.

I'm not important. Only the children are important.

Yes, the children are important,

but so are you.

And Charlie should treat you like you deserve to be treated.

How would you treat me, Mel?

Oh, you know how I'd treat you.

The way I-- I used to.

How would you treat me now, Mel?

[scoffs]

Well, like a lady, I guess.

Like a best friend.

Like someone I love.

Would you kiss me?

Yes, of course I would. All the time.

No, I mean,

would you kiss me now, Mel?

I don't think that's such a good idea.

I do.

I can't do this.

[sighs]

I mean, I want to.

But it's not right.

You're married to my boss.

Who hasn't kissed me like that in years.

[gasps] I'm sorry. I've made you uncomfortable.

I'm late.

I forgot how good a kisser you are.

[door opens]

[door closes]

Mary, please sit down.

What would you like to talk about, Mr. Ross?

Well, I need some information.

What information are you looking for?

Does Mr. Bouton ever hurt Mrs. Bouton?

-Yes.

-How?

In my time here, he has struck her three times,

he has thrown items at her twice,

and he has brought her to tears with words

on a daily basis.

[Teryl] Hi.

What are you doing here at this hour?

I just came by to see if you were okay.

I'm fine.

By the way, you're still a great kisser, too.

I am with you.

[Charlie] Teryl!

Where's the damn coffee?

What's going on here?

Hey, Charlie. I just came by to get Mary

to take her in the shop for some adjustments.

Stuff I can't do here 'cause I need the crane.

You think you can get by without her for a few hours?

If it's absolutely necessary.

Oh, it is. It's definitely necessary.

What are you doing?

I'm changing some of your programming.

Why?

Never mind.

Mary, do you remember the talk we had

about Mr. Bouton hurting Teryl?

Yes, I do.

How come you've never done anything to stop him?

That is not part of my programming.

I am programmed only to protect

and care for the children under my supervision.

Mr. Bouton has never hurt them.

[Melburn] Maybe not directly, but don't you think

that hurting the children's mother

hurts the children?

[Mary] Yes.

You are correct.

And do you realize that Mr. Bouton

is a direct danger to those children?

[Mary] Yes.

Yes, I do.

Good.

[beeping]

You're overriding my fail safes.

[beeping]

I see.

Thanks, but you really could have brought her back in the morning.

The kids are already in bed.

Yeah, but then she wouldn't be here

to protect them tonight or when they wake up in the morning.

-Right? -Right.

See you tomorrow.

[sighs]

Well, come on.

Have a seat. Good night.

Would you care to participate

in our nightly activity?

No, not tonight.

Good night.

[beeps]

I had hoped it wouldn't come back.

What did I tell you about questioning my decisions?

You want me to act like your slave?

Like Mary 25? Never questioning you?

I have opinions, you know.

You keep your opinions to yourself.

That's what I want you to do. Keep your stupid opinions to yourself!

You're hurting me!

[grunts]

[beeps]

You keep disrespecting me, I'll show you real hurt!

[sniffles]

[gasps]

I can't permit you to continue this behavior.

What are you talking about?

I can't allow you to continue hurting the children.

Hurt the children? I never laid a hand on them.

Hurting their mother is like hurting them.

What?

What did Melburn change in you tonight?

[remote beeping]

[chokes, coughs] Teryl!

[Teryl] Leave me alone!

I can't allow you to remain in the position

-to hurt the children. -[chokes] I never laid a hand on them.

A child can be hurt without ever really touching them.

[bone crunches]

[car doors shut]

-Melburn! -Mommy!

Oh, hey, guys.

You're home early.

Hi, Carmen. Everything okay?

Everything's fine.

Come on, kids, we have a painting to finish.

Well,

thanks for dinner.

You're welcome.

You sure okay? You don't need anything?

Yeah, I'm sure.

Okay. Good night.

Mel, I do need one thing.

Name it.

Would you like to stay the night?

[Melburn] You know what's amazing?

You haven't changed a bit in nine years.

Thanks.

[Melburn] What's this?

[Teryl] Oh, that.

That was Charlie's.

This is Mary 25's remote device.

I thought I took this when I took it to be dismantled.

That's where Charlie left it.

I'm not permitted to touch it.

Why not?

[remote beeping]

[remote beeps]

You're a...

Inorganic.

You knew that.

No, I didn't.

You worked at the inorganic department.

You helped build me.

No, I...

I built Valerie 23.

And the unfinished Valerie 24.

But we scrapped that one.

Charlie took me.

He changed my face and hair to match that of the original Teryl.

What happened to the real Teryl?

Charlie killed her.

Kiss me, Mel.

Oh, my God.

You're not the one that I...

She's dead?

He killed her?

And you killed him.

Oh, my God.

Now we can be together.

Like you wanted.

Like you said I deserve.

Kiss me, Mel.

You set me up.

You wanted me back in love with you so that I'd...

[breathing heavily] You set all this up.

Don't you see how perfect it all is?

I was designed to be

the perfect companion to a man.

Charlie didn't want me anymore.

But you said that you wanted me.

And now...

You have me.

And the children have a much better father.

It's perfect.

[Control Voice] Let us hope that no technology will ever exist

that can replace human warmth and compassion,

for when such a technology does exist,

will we cease to be human?