Original subtitles

(film projector whirring)

Reporter: Let's talk a little more about your followers.

What do you think draws them here, to you?

They come because they want to belong.

To be a part of

The unconditional love, the acceptance that I offer.

I offer them my family.

Reporter: Billy, what do you say to critics who accuse you

Of preying on individuals at their most vulnerable?

I don't prey on anyone.

I seek out no one.

I hear from every tiny,

Grim little corner of the world.

It is they who are seeking.

Seeking connection.

Which I provide.

(car engine revving)

Man: Come on, kelly.

Even if this place is billy's,

It doesn't mean he has your sister or her son.

Kelly: Well, if billy didn't take meadow, then who did?

What was it that latest vic kept repeating...

Before he died?

It was really weird. He said,

"these things snap off." what things?

No... No, no, that wasn't it; not exactly.

It was, "well, hey, these things just snap right off."

Billy grimm and his wack jobs

Are always spouting some nonsense, like they're

Revealing secrets to the universe.

With billy, every word means something.

Like that map.

He wants me out here tonight.

He's never forgiven me for leaving him.

Kelly: I've seen that car at billy's compound.

Kelly, don't make this personal.

(cocks gun)

(door creaks)

Kelly: That's definitely the work

Of billy's followers.

I'm calling for backup.

Phones won't work out here.

That's why billy chose it.

(gasps)

(moans)

Cover me!

(cocks gun)

(grunting)

Come on! Come on!

It's meadow's husband.

Douglas, douglas, where's meadow?

Where's my sister? Where's meadow and andy?

(gasping)

It was billy grimm's people, wasn't it?

Where did they take them?

Douglas!

Well, hey...

These things just snap right off.

Man 1: Oh, dude, douglas is dead!

Man 2: Cult's got him now.

(indistinct chatter)

Man 3: All right, everybody, another great episode of cult.

Don't forget tomorrow

Is viewer's choice at the fan domain café,

So get your votes in now.

Announcer: ...And then some,

This week on the cw.

Merriam.

Merriam! Nate? What?

I've... Unlocked it.

The man in the wall-- that's the clue I needed.

Seriously?

Next level?

You can reach them?

I think so.

What are you doing? It's just...

Go home to your husband.

♪

(buzzer sounds)

(indistinct chatter)

Mr. Fisher.

Morning, skye. You're in early this morning.

Yeah, I've got some research on blood splatter patterns

I need to get to the art department.

How's the job working out for you?

Second week and I couldn't be happier.

Glad you're happy.

Hey, mike. Morning, gary.

Numbers were good last night.

Um... Something else?

Well, actually, yeah.

Um... I was surfing the web last night,

Checking out sites devoted to the show,

The ones made by the fans...

Our fans put up some wild stuff.

Yes. Most of the fan sites are amazing and cool and fun.

But then there are...

The other ones.

What other ones?

The ones that you find if you follow certain links.

The ones that actually make it hard for you to find them.

We put up all sorts of special web content specific...

Yeah, no, I'm not talking about the official sites.

The people that posted these hard-to-get-into sites,

They seem to have some sort of...

Of special connection

To the show.

Some of them actually seem kind of...

Scared.

Scared?

Scared of what exactly?

The show.

Other fans.

Maybe both.

I'm not really sure.

(sighs)

I just thought... You know, we might want to know

A little bit more about these... Skye,

We're just a television show. They're just fans.

You're right.

You're absolutely right.

Good. Good, good. And I got research

And blood splatter and...

Yeah.

(sighs) come on, bert,

I wrote it the way you wanted me to-- with that sunshine

In every line, relaxed kind of feeling.

You wrote it like you're still covering d.C. For the post.

There are political reasons why the parking in this town

Is all screwed up, bert, and you know that.

(phone ringing) jeff, the word isn't the same paper anymore.

I only added two paragraphs.

I only cut two paragraphs.

Hey, nate.

Jeff! Thank god I got you. Where are you, man?

What's the matter, nate?

I'm... Still freaking out here a little.

Definitely freaking out. (sighs)

Come on, man. I thought we talked about this.

I have to see you.

You should be at work. Jeff, for god's sakes, you got to meet me.

Someplace public.

At the diner.

Promise me you'll come.

Come on, man. You're my brother.

Okay.

Half hour.

(phone beeps off)

(sighs)

(phone beeps)

Nate: All right, man, I don't want to get you mixed up in this.

I really don't. I swore I wasn't gonna come to you again.

Not like this. But this is... Different.

Nate, damn it, I... I know

You did your part--

More than your part--

After mom and dad died.

You are 20 years old.

When I was your age, I was in college.

I had... I'll never be you...

Jeff.

Don't say that.

That's not what I meant.

(sighs)

It's just that I have my own problems these days.

I... I know. Your... Your job and...

Brenda.

Brenda's over. (sighs)

Just tell me what the problem is, nate.

You have no idea how much I don't want

To get you mixed up in...

Nate.

I made contact with them last night,

And I think they're after me now.

Who's after you? Uh...

Wait, don't tell me,

Don't tell me... No, it's not that.

I'm totally clean. I swear.

(chuckles) then what is it?

A-a tv show--

And I know how this sounds--

It's called cult.

(chuckles)

Oh, man... (chuckles)

Cult?

But it's not just a tv show. It goes... Beyond that.

Mm. Mm-hmm. Way...

Beyond that.

That car.

Yeah, what about it?

Please help me get away from this.

From a tv show?

I even tried contacting the people who make the show.

Nobody would talk to me. Nate, when I came back from d.C.,

We agreed things between us would be different,

Okay? Now, call me crazy,

But I was hoping that I'd actually get just...

A little support from you. Just a little, nate.

Just let me explain.

It all changed

For me in episode 9, when billy told kelly...

No, nate. Yeah, yeah, it's...

No. You see, I have been through

These obsessions of yours before,

And I'm not gonna do it.

I-if anything happens to me, find merriam.

Talk to merriam. Merriam?

(chuckling): Geez.

What the hell are these?

(whispers): Just take them.

Please?

You're killing me.

You really are, nate.

Jeff.

Skye: Look, I'd love to come, but I'm still working.

Woman: How can you still be working?

Come on, skye, it's gonna be a great party.

Not tonight. There's still some stuff here that I want to do.

Tell me this isn't about those fan web sites.

You're obsessing!

I'm not obsessed. I'm just...

Interested.

They're not fans. They're freaks.

Once again, you're gonna miss a great party.

Woman: At this point, a minimal,

Small chance, but we do have a shot at rain.

Mostly likely, it'll be Sunday night into Monday morning.

(woman screams)

So, don't worry. Your weekend plans

Are not going to be ruined by this.

(laughter) but it is going to cool us down

And give us cloudy skies.

Man: Hey, you!

Yeah, I'm talking to you.

My name is billy.

Billy grimm.

People say I'm dangerous.

Me?

I'm completely harmless.

As for my followers-- well,

I can't always vouch for them.

And they seem to be everywhere.

Some at your work, neighbors,

Your friends.

Maybe in your very own family.

And you know what?

It could just be that

You're next.

Male announcer: All new episodes this week on the cw.

♪ rumba, rumba

♪ rumba, rumba...

(phone ringing)

♪ rumba, rumba...

Hello? (indistinct male voice over staticky phone line)

Hello?

Nate: Jeff?! Jeff, listen!

Hey, nate?

(high-pitched static)

Hey, this connection sucks.

I have... (static) ...Warn you!

Hey, where are you?

(staticky): Will... Be... Just... Right off.

What?

Hey, these things just snap right off.

Jeff?!

(static, click)

(hangs up, then dials)

(line ringing)

This is nate. Leave a message.

(phone beeps off)

(door squeaks open)

Nate?

(door creaks shut)

Nate, are you here?

Nate?

Not nate...

Nate? Nate?!

Nate?

(distant): Nate!

Listen, he called me around, uh, 11:00.

It-it was a bad connection. He was...

He was really freaked out.

And then, the called ended, and...

Man: That area clear.

It was cut off. I... Woman: So, you think

The call was cut off?

It could have been. I-I really don't know.

But there's no sign of forced entry,

Or any aggressive contact.

The blood is contained, there's no splatter, so...

I'm a reporter, okay?

My first job out of college was covering homicide in boston.

Look, when are you gonna get the dna back

On that blood, so we know whether it's nate's or not?

Soon enough.

You and your brother get along?

Fine. We get along just fine.

(indistinct radio communication)

Look, my brother was capable of getting caught up

In some really screwy things, all right? When I talked to him

Earlier today, he was convinced people were after him.

And he kept talking about this tv show.

Hey, lieutenant?

Lookie, lookie.

Found it behind a heating grate

In the bedroom.

Your brother into street pharmaceuticals, mr. Sefton?

Listen, he's been clean for over a year, okay?

I don't know what that is.

Maybe it's a stash he forgot about.

Pissed-off drug dealers love to leave messages.

This is not about drugs.

Then what?

Man: You turn this on?

No.

It was on when I came in.

Yeah. Oh.

It's playing something he recorded.

(rhythmic clacking)

♪ ah, the calm below

♪ that poisoned

♪ the river wild

(indistinct chatter)

(crow cawing)

♪ you and I...

Kelly, kelly, kelly.

Ignoring your captain's warnings about not harassing me?

Kelly: Where are they, billy?

I heard about your missing sister and her son.

How very distressing that must be for you.

It was your people, wasn't it?

Joey keller and his group?

Joey took my sister to protect you.

To get me to stop.

Joey knows you made me your very own little personal cop mission.

Joey took them because he'll do anything you say.

Just as you used to.

(crow cawing)

You came to me at 17.

I was always there for you.

You were obsessed with me then, and you're obsessed with me now.

Because I know what you're capable of.

Joey will return my family, if you tell him to.

Joey is very loyal,

But you have no idea how many followers are out there now.

What you have

To understand is, even I have

No idea the full number.

This is between you and me, billy.

Don't make my family a part of it.

I sincerely wish you all the luck

In the world finding them.

Take them.

Billy: You never know when something like these

Might come in handy.

(buzzer blares)

Marc, what are you saying?

It's all about the numbers, my friend. Only the numbers.

Our audience is crazy passionate.

Oh, sure. Sure, sure, sure.

The network loves the fan passion. Yeah?

Marc: Loves it.

Look, admittedly,

I'm new to the network and new to the show,

But at fox, I was the guy

Who kept joss on the air for more than one season, and...

And I've got some definite ideas on how to course-correct cult

So it doesn't just end up a cult show.

A cult show. Look, marc?

Yeah? You know steven, you know how he works.

You buy a show like this, you're buying one man's vision.

Especially on this show.

I know. Steven's got

This whole man-of-mystery,

Never-seen-in-public thing. Correct.

But it would be in everyone's best interest

For steven to hear what I have to say.

And the sooner, the better.

I'll pass that on.

Oh, uh, uh, tell steven

That I definitely look forward to getting creative with him.

Creative? Good.

Woman: I must say, mr. Sefton,

I'm so glad the post is willing

To give a close look at our show. Oh, well, I'm

Happy to do it.

I'm particularly interested in the show's

Impact on the people who watch it.

Oh, our fans are the greatest.

Word of mouth on the show is fabulous.

Makes my job as a publicist so much easier.

Are you aware of any particular... Influence,

You know, the show has, beyond the show itself?

Beyond the show? I'm not sure what you mean.

Maybe if I could talk to steven rae.

Mm-hmm.

Ann here tried to send you some promotional materials,

But the washington post e-mail

On your business card is no longer valid,

So she called the post.

You don't work for the post anymore.

Look, I'm sorry, but I just need a few minutes

To speak to mr. Rae about his show.

You damn fans will do absolutely anything

To try and get to steven.

Call security, get them here now.

Listen, I honestly could give a damn about the show.

It's my brother who's the fan, and he's...

He's gone missing.

It's a new one.

Handle this.

(quiet laugh)

Quite a hurry there, friend.

(indistinct chatter)

Man: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Uh, excuse me. Hey. (sighs)

I heard what you said about your brother.

Man: Jerry?

Jerry: Yeah? She's over here.

Come on. In here.

(door squeaks shut)

Is this all for the show? Yeah. You don't watch?

No. My brother does.

Apparently... A lot.

And he's disappeared?

Yeah. So, you-you work on cult?

Yeah, researcher. Well, then you might know.

I mean, is there any reason for me to believe

That my brother's disappearance is related

To this show? Um...

When I last talked to my brother,

He was scared, and according to him,

It had everything to do with this show.

I, uh...

I hung on to his phone.

I-I thought there might be something, but all the calls

And texts have been deleted.

Can I?

(quietly): Yeah.

See, delete doesn't mean permanent,

Not if you know what you're doing.

I used to work on a bruckheimer show.

Huh.

Who's meadow?

Meadow?

Recent call history and texts

All from somebody named meadow.

"where are you? Call me.

"don't do this.

You don't know what they'll do to you."

Who the hell is meadow?

(sighs) well, there's a character on the show,

The sister of the main character-- her name is meadow.

She's missing, too.

Look... I'm all my brother has.

If I don't try to find him,

Nobody will.

Look, there's a place that you might want to check out.

I can show you.

Come on.

♪

Jeff: The fan domain?

Skye: It's where fans come to watch their favorite shows.

Especially cult.

So, what is it about this show

That has everyone so... Hooked?

It's not like any other show.

It totally gets under your skin.

Come on. The hard-core fans are this way.

(quietly): What exactly are they doing here?

Watching.

Looking for clues, connections.

They believe there are messages coded in the show.

There's this whole other level of mystery thing that the fans love.

What kind of mystery thing, exactly?

That's my brother.

Skye: He's dressed like a... Billy grimm guy.

♪

Jeff: Hey, skye.

What was it you said about this green dress again?

It's meant to be like

The dress worn by the character meadow

In the show-- she was wearing it

When she was abducted.

One second. Nate said if something happened to him

I needed to find someone named merriam.

What are you looking for? (sighs) role players.

Web sites devoted to fans who dress up like the characters.

And they like to get together, have these events.

It's... All extremely underground.

Kelly (on video): Damn it, joey, where is my sister?!

Where is she?

Joey: If billy knew that you found me,

(trembling): He's gonna be mad at me, really... Mad.

I'll see that you're protected.

Joey: You'll...

Protect me... From billy?

What have you done with my sister

And her son?

(trembling breaths)

Joey...

(sniffles)

Storage shed.

(crying): Myers woods.

I've been to that shed, and they're not there.

But you didn't really see!

(panting): You know billy.

You need to look beyond what's right in front of you...

...Or you will never find his answers.

(sniffles)

I don't want billy

Mad at me.

Joey, don't! No!

(gunshot echoes) (people gasp)

(low, excited chatter)

I got it.

Wh-what is it? A site dedicated to role players.

Jeff: They're talking about an event.

Yeah, a role-playing event.

It's going on right now.

Where are you going?

I'm going with you.

Really?

You kidding?

♪

So, you are a reporter?

Yeah. Yeah.

Oh. My father was a newsman.

Oh, yeah?

Yeah, but not in print; he worked in television.

Ah. He worked the local news here in los angeles.

Quentin yarrow.

Oh, yeah. I remember him.

He was good. (chuckles)

I remember something about him around the time I was going to college.

Yeah, I was still in high school.

He was working on a story on union corruption.

Everybody told him to back off, but my dad?

(chuckles) no way.

And then one night...

He just didn't come home.

Never was a clue to what happened to him.

To this day, my mom and I don't know if he's alive or...

I know what it's like to have somebody you love go missing.

We're here.

This is from the show.

I remember when we shot out here.

(excited shouting)

Man: Now! Come on!

(men and women shouting indistinctly)

Woman: Get out of my way!

(indistinct shouting)

Man: Go! Let's go!

♪

(woman sobbing) hello?

Is everything okay in here?

Leave me alone!

We don't know you.

(sobbing): Who are you? I don't know you!

Merriam?

Merriam, my name is jeff sefton.

I think you know my brother; my brother, nate?

(panting)

How can we help you?

(crying): Nobody can help me.

Do you know where nate is?

Merriam, is he all right?

(sobbing): He's not all right.

I never should have gotten involved

In any of this.

They'll be coming for me next.

(sobbing, gasping) oh, god... Oh...

Who? Who will be coming for you?

Well...

Hey...

These things just

(cocks hammer) snap right off.

(gunshot)

Listen, I told you.

He name is merriam and she knew my brother.

And she killed herself? Right in front of us.

Yes.

And your brother knew this merriam because they...?

Because they watched this-this...

This show together.

Woman: The victim's husband--

We asked him about this television show of yours.

It's not mine.

He said his wife never watches tv.

Well, he's lying.

(quietly): Maybe he watches, too.

Listen, I know how this sounds, okay?

But I am telling you, there is a connection between this show

And what just happened.

Yes, you are telling me

All of this.

And I have a big problem with that.

You used to work for the washington post.

A reporter.

Very well regarded. A real comer.

That is, until they fired you.

You lied on a story,

Just completely fabricated the source.

Six decent cops went to jail

Because of that story. They went to jail

And they're still in jail because they're dirty.

But in order to get that story, you lied.

And now here you are

With a missing brother, a woman with a bullet

In her skull, and you're telling me

Everybody else is lying.

(quietly): Listen...

Everything she said about my story, about the cops... Hey.

You don't owe me any explanations.

What was it that merriam said,

Something about things snapping off? "well, hey

These things just snap right off."

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, my brother said the same thing.

That's from the show.

Hey.

Thanks for everything.

You sure know how to show a girl an interesting time.

(wry chuckle)

♪

(grunts with frustration)

The essence of simplicity.

All these you see living here now,

They're just the tip of the iceberg.

Hey!

(tires squeal)

I've been to that shed, and they're not there.

But you didn't really see!

(panting): You know billy.

You need to look beyond what's right in front of you...

...Or you will never find

His answers.

Forensics was all over

This place-- if your sister was here,

They would've found something.

Come on, kelly, this is crazy.

Look beyond what's right in front of you.

What do you see?

(door creaks open)

Andy!

Auntie kelly.

Come here.

(kelly grunts)

(sighs)

(mutters): Uh...

♪

♪

(paper crackles)

It's not meadow.

Billy grimm likes his boxes; that body was in a box.

It's a barrel, it's not a box.

Billy's far more precise than that.

Whether it was billy or not, it's our case now.

Just give it to someone else.

Captain assigned it to us.

Can't. Meadow's still out there.

This is our case.

Yeah. Yeah, I told you, I'm on it.

What?

Marc: Yeah, yeah, you should see

All the crazy fans out here.

If steven would just listen to me, the show would be huge.

Yeah, I-I put fisher on notice.

There's a new marshal in town.

(cell phone rings) director: That's great.

Back to one, let's take it from colin's first line.

Reset the body.

Uh, yeah, this is skye.

(sighs)

Jeff, hi.

Any word from nate?

Uh...

Yeah, I could probably get away.

Why? What...

I'll be right there.

Yeah?

Hello. Yo. What's up?

Yup, I'll see you at the club in an hour.

Director: All right, here we go. Ready?

And, same place, and...

Action.

So, tell me.

Well, dead less than 24 hours.

Massive blood loss.

Blood drained out pretty fast.

Didn't happen here, though.

Lots of blood at the missing kid's apartment

This morning, too.

The dna came back on that.

The blood in the chair wasn't the kid's.

Zavala: Could be this guy's.

Could be.

Something tells me the older brother--

The reporter...

Is gonna connect to all of this.

(knocking on door)

Oh, thank god you're here.

Listen...

I'm really sorry I keep involving you in this.

I'm already involved.

So, where is it?

Nate hid it in a place

He knew only I would find.

So... What's on the disc

Kelly finds on the show?

When kelly puts it in, it...

(computer beeps)

...Co-opts her computer.

Uploads all of her personal information.

It lets billy grimm's people totally hook into her life.

Then what?

Nobody knows, steven hasn't sent us that part yet.

He's the one I have to get to.

You'll never get to steven.

Watch me.

Is this nate?

Yeah.

What is that?

What do you see?

It's, uh, it's a bunch of blank spaces.

What was it nate said, again?

"well, hey,

"these things just snap

Right off."

You sure that you want to do this?

Whatever it's gonna do... Let it.

(computer whirs)

(cell phone ringing)

Hello? Jeff?

(staticky): Jeff, it's me. It's nate.

Thank god. All you all right?

You put in the disc? Yeah.

How did you know?

Where are you, nate?

I had no idea what it really meant.

You never should have put it in.

Tell me where you are.

Walk away, jeff.

Whatever you do, do not try to find me.

Don't even think...

Nate? Nate!

Look at it.

You're next. You're next.

You're next... Next...

Next... Next... Next...

Next... Next... Next...

♪

My name is billy.

People say I'm...

Dangerous.

(alarm chirps)

(grunts, laughs)

♪

Captioned by media access group at wgbh access.Wgbh.Org