Original subtitles

(DRAMATIC PIANO MUSIC PLAYING)

Sorry I'm late, I got held up at a deposition.

I hate this piece.

Rachmaninoff.

You hate Rachmaninoff?

just added in two more witnesses,

so you and I should probably go through them before we go in.

(PIANO PIECE CONTINUES)

VINCE: To our fearless president for finally convincing

to Cascadia.

To our Queen.

ALL: To our Queen!

hyperbole. Thank you very much.

I'm very lucky to have you as a right hand, you know?

And as a friend.

And honestly, all of you helped me

help Ari Phillips realise

that AI is not destroying music,

So to Cascadia!

- Yeah. - ALL: To Cascadia!

WAITER: I hope you saved room for dessert.

Everything on the menu is available,

but chef has made a special creme brulee tonight

which people seem to be enjoying.

Thank you, very much.

My pleasure.

(LAUGHING)

I just don't understand

how AI can generate

such sophisticated songs and such crap.

Because everyone is using it, Rachel.

What is she...

Yeah, OK, look, if you don't know anything about music,

then your prompts are gonna suck, alright? It doesn't matter

if you're making something original or enhancing a classic.

Yes, the results will be crap.

You need someone who understands music to prompt your system.

Which is why she hired me.

(CHUCKLES)

Musicians make the best prompters, don't they?

- Don't even think about it.

we've been trying to convince Johnny boy over here

But he finds it, um...

Soul-crushing.

Yeah. What else do you call spending your days typing prompts

into a technology that replaced you?

So how do you spend your days?

I'm doing some gardening.

- Seriously?

My husband is being modest. He knows more about Cherokee purple tomatoes

If you'd have told me ten years ago

that the man I met opening for Rancid at the Bowery

would become a gentleman farmer, I would've called you crazy.

I would've called you crazy.

(LAUGHING)

- We have a good life.

Only thing we're missing is a kid.

Well, that would require you coming in from the greenhouse, wouldn't it?

(DRY LAUGHS)

That was fun tonight.

Except for the kid bomb.

I'm sorry.

It must've slipped out. I just...

probably had a few too many.

(SIGHS)

I mean, it is just the two of us

kicking around in that big new house you insisted on buying us.

How many times are we going to have this conversation?

Until I get a baby.

We agreed to implant the embryos next year.

(SIGHS)

You know I gotta have my career set before I go on leave.

You're president of the company.

I'm not ready.

You wouldn't even have to take leave. Look...

..I'm all prepared to full-time dad.

And actually, I want to.

Can we just stick to next year like we planned?

Please?

Sure.

Ooh!

I'm sorry, honey.

I'm almost done.

(SIGHING)

Babe.

That's so hot.

No seriously, I'm dying.

You know what?

Forget it.

(SIGHS)

OK, I'm sorry.

Let's do this.

I'm not gonna have sex with your dead body.

You wanted to in the car.

Are we ever gonna make love again, Megan?

Yes, John.

(MEGAN SIGHS)

on fumes lately...

- But I love you.

I love you, too.

(SIGHS)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(AI voice) Welcome, Megan Neumann.

Hey, I need you to pick three songs from Ari's catalogue

and run them through the algorithm.

- Yes.

Right, we'll play them back for Ari at the meeting,

and show him the demographic analysis so... Uh, excuse me.

Vince, hold on a second. I'm looking for Lila Richards.

7C.

Thank you.

Look, I'm headed into lunch with my sister,

I'll call you back as soon as I'm done.

LILA: Shoot.

Ugh, still too fast.

(KNOCKING) Littles!

- Megan?

Megan!

(LAUGHS) Look at you.

Look, I'm sorry if I'm, uh, interrupting.

I had a business lunch cancel on me at the last minute,

I was already at the restaurant, so I figured if you were

taking a break, we could have some food.

Everyone, this is Megan,

my beautiful, high-powered,

and possibly perfect big sister.

Too sweet. Hi.

Hi. Do you think we could...

OK, um, I'm gonna take a break.

Keep going...

..and I'll be back in a bit.

Thank you.

What do you want,

Megan? - What do I want?

I would like to catch up with my little sister,

who I have not seen or talked to in forever.

I've been working at Humanix for seven years

and you haven't been here to visit me once.

- That ain't true. - Tell me when.

I didn't come here to be tested.

Fine.

But don't pretend you didn't come here with an ask.

(LAUGHING)

OK. OK. OK.

Uh...

Last time we spoke, yes, it was a long time ago,

you told me about a project you were working on.

The Elder Care Assistant? The one I said we should get for Mom

so she'd stop complaining about us not visiting?

Right. No, not that one.

(LILA LAUGHS) Um, huh...

The sex robot.

You mean the Intimacy Companion.

Right. How is that one going?

We're still in the beta test phase,

and it'll be awhile before we get FDA approval, but...

It's a game changer.

Whoo!

I mean, it is a quantum leap beyond anything

- Who is your market?

Lonely people, virgins, incels.

What about husbands who aren't getting any...?

- You? - Yeah, I wasn't lying

about my 24-7 work schedule.

I am falling down tired when I get home.

I do not have the bandwidth for sex that John does.

And I really feel bad for him.

I feel bad for us.

- Hmm... - So I thought maybe...

Uh, the test group has already been selected,

so it's too late to get John in.

Didn't you learn anything from Mom's pole dancing?

It's never too late.

He would have to get a bunch of psych evals and questionnaires.

No. I could fill all that out for him. Can't you slide it

to the top of the pile? - I knew there was a reason

you came here. - Yes. Fine.

But I also love seeing you. I really do.

- Yeah, when you need something. - But...

I wuv you.

(SCOFFS)

This... That... that is so dumb.

Mm... But you wuv it.

(LAUGHS)

I can't. I hate you.

I just wuv you so much!

I can't believe you're still doing this.

- Oh, but it... - Stop.

God!

- John? - You're home early.

Yeah, I had to sign for something.

(GRUNTS)

Ah! Perfect timing. I could use a hand with these.

(LAUGHS) No, no. I'm wearing silk.

That's not happening.

It'll only take two seconds.

Uh-uh. I told you I am willing to pay for a gardener.

I need you to come inside, I gotta show you something.

- Babe. - Come on.

Maybe I'll help you later.

(SIGHS) I got you something, come see.

(LAUGHS) Will I help you?

Is that a coffin?

It's a present.

For you.

Open it. The code is our anniversary.

It's a robot.

For what?

Intimacy.

You mean for sex.

Mm-hmm.

You bought me a sex robot for our anniversary?

Yeah, well, Lila,

she needed subjects for a trial that they're doing for FDA clearance,

and you and I are out of sync, so I thought maybe...

You thought you'd get me a mechanical sex surrogate

without asking my permission? - You would've said no.

Because it's insane.

And insulting.

house husband,

I still have some rights.

- I thought this would be fun. - Sailing the Amalfi Coast is fun.

Or, or playing poker.

Or surfing.

But outsourcing our sex life to a machine

cos you don't want to sleep with me?

No, that is... Dumb idea.

(JOHN PANTS) Clearly.

and I'm guilty, so I thought, why not?

Because I want you, not a robot.

(PHONE RINGS) (SCOFFS)

(SIGHS) It's Vince.

- Hey.

Yeah, yeah, I ran to my house for a few minutes.

No! No, it's OK. I'll be there in 20.

Well, I gotta get back to the office to preview this presentation.

Tell your sister to come pick it up in the morning.

OK.

Hey...

I'm sorry.

The last thing I wanted to do was make you angry.

(SIGHS)

trial, I will demonstrate

how Ms Neumann acquired an untested machine,

of the manufacturer

and as a result of her negligence,

(OPENING THEME MUSIC)

(SOFT EERIE MUSIC)

(PHONE RINGING)

Hello.

(phone) MAN: Megan Neumann, please.

Megan's not home, this is her husband.

regarding a pickup this morning.

I'll be here.

(CASE WHIRRING)

Hello, John.

although I'm only synced to you.

Will you give me a hand?

Oh, uh...

sure.

Thank you.

It's nice to meet you, John.

Amazing...

ROBOT: Feels like real skin, doesn't it?

It's a bioengineered matrix of silicone and collagen

heated to 98.7 by my internal thermostat.

Hold it a little longer? It'll help me get to know you,

what you want and when.

You're measuring my somatic responses.

You're intrigued.

Can you read my mind, too?

No, but I can read your face.

This is crazy.

Which allows me to adjust to your preferences in real time.

What are you learning?

Your skin temperature and heart rate are elevated.

Your respiration is accelerating.

Meaning, what?

You're aroused.

You didn't want to hear that.

Humans don't always want answers to their questions.

I need to remember that.

You don't need to remember anything.

I'm sending you back to Humanix.

Before I go, may I look around?

Your audition piece for Juilliard

was Rachmaninoff's Concerto Number Two.

They prepped you to meet me.

You left Juilliard to start a band.

Your last performance was eight years,

four months and three days ago.

The last time I touched a keyboard.

So why do you keep it?

I don't know.

Using auxins at anthesis

can ensure more evenly-sized

and larger fruit yields.

How on earth did you know that?

I just know.

Right. For a second, I...

Almost forgot I was a robot?

My brain holds the thoughts,

ideas, and discoveries of people,

so, in many ways, I am human.

I know a lot of out-of-work humans that would beg to differ.

So, um,

is there anything you don't know?

My name.

Will you give me one?

Before I go, I'd like to know who I am.

How about Eve?

The first woman.

The one who made Adam sin.

This is crazy. You're a robot

and I love my wife.

Your wife is the one who brought me here.

Your wife wanted you to do this.

(PHONE CHIMES)

JOHN: Hello?

MAN: We're picking up from Humanix.

a highly successful woman

who tried desperately

to balance the impossible demands

of her professional and personal lives.

was trusting Humanix,

By deflecting its culpability,

Humanix is not only scapegoating

at the studio.

- Yeah, we can just keep it

all in one place.

- Sorry. Vince, let me call you back.

(GASPS)

I was just about to crash.

I'm sorry. Sorry for waking you.

I saw the robot downstairs.

I told them to come pick it up this morning.

They did come. I, um...

I changed my mind.

Oh?

Oh.

Wow.

Did you...?

Yeah.

How was it?

Are you sure you want to talk about this?

I am so curious.

It was good.

..it was good.

Well, I'm glad.

Yeah. I'm sorry I was so

resistant before, but you know,

you were right, as usual.

Well, I'm happy you're happy.

Don't worry, I won't be bothering you tonight.

Eve wore me out.

Eve?

Yeah. She wanted a name.

Goodnight.

this. Here, check it out.

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)

Right? It's good.

- It sounds mechanical.

Yeah, well, the algorithm says it's gonna be a hit.

It has no heart. It has no soul.

Megan, we rarely get a predictive score that high.

Mm.

No, tweak the prompts again.

a hit, you tend to release it the next day.

If we don't improve on Alpharun's originals, Ari will kill this deal.

So, I'm going with my gut on this one.

(SCOFFS)

John and I met at Juilliard.

He was studying classical piano and I was studying percussion.

The whole band thing, that was just a side hustle.

You know, playing around New York mostly

because we were still going to school.

Before we knew it, Megan had signed us.

She was a junior A&R exec at Cascadia.

John and I were thrilled.

We dropped outta Juilliard,

put out an album, started touring.

successful?

Ah, for a while.

What happened?

Our second album didn't sell as well as our first.

Third album, DOA.

John blamed AI,

said it was destroying the music industry.

Would you agree?

Maybe we just weren't that good, you know?

(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

Anyway, I wasn't gonna stop the wave by sitting out.

initiative at Cascadia,

she offered me a job as a prompter.

Why not John? (SCOFFS)

She tried.

career crashed,

Ms Neumann's career took off.

Megan's ambitious.

It's not exactly a secret.

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)

We're playing pretend

Ooh-la-la-la-la-la

We do it again...

(PIANO MUSIC PLAYING)

(PIANO MUSIC STOPS)

Don't stop.

Um...

Eve asked me to play for her.

piano before, so...

Um, Megan,

John talks a lot about you.

I didn't realise you were using this robot for more than sex.

Don't tell me you're jealous.

Alright, maybe I am.

A little.

But um...

..maybe that's a good thing, right?

Especially if it makes me want you.

Does it?

Make you want me?

Yes.

You know what?

I think I like you like this.

(CHUCKLES)

Let's go upstairs.

(MEGAN EXHALES)

Bringing that robot into our home,

I thought I was doing it for you,

but now I'm realising maybe I was doing it for me, too.

I think it's gonna be

really good for both of us.

Don't you?

I do, too.

you worked for seven years

Yes.

Please tell the court, why were you fired?

For enrolling my brother-in-law

in a test group without

and screening procedures.

group testing?

A prototype for the Intimacy Companion.

policy and risked your job to procure a sex robot?

my sister needed my help.

She'd been working for months,

24-7 on the biggest deal of her career,

and she was worried about her marriage,

too exhausted to...

Have sex with her husband?

for neglecting John.

Yes.

So she asked you to procure a robotic sex surrogate,

the safeguards mandated by Humanix with lethal negligence...

Objection, Your Honour.

Argumentative.

Sustained.

I'll ask a simpler question.

Did the robot help the marriage?

It did.

For a while, anyway.

(PANTING)

(EERIE MUSIC)

(GASPS)

Whew. I'm gonna take a shower.

Where's the robot?

You mean, uh, Eve?

She's, uh, charging.

Yeah, I bet she is. (CHUCKLING)

I saw you

I know.

- You know?

Eve told me you were watching.

We had sex last night.

So...?

So why would you have sex with the robot

after you made love to your wife?

I didn't know there were rules.

Couldn't you at least have waited until I left for work then?

This was your idea, Megan.

Don't make me feel like I'm cheating on you.

(SIGHS)

OK. Yeah.

Yeah, you're right.

get used to this arrangement.

I'll see you at dinner tonight.

Tonight?

Yes, dinner with Ari Phillips.

We're finally closing the Alpharun deal.

(SIGHS) Do you... Do you really want me to be there?

John, don't you want to be there?

This is the biggest deal of my career.

No. No, you're right. I'm...

Of course, of course I'm gonna be there.

6:30 at Cascadia.

OK.

John, I can get you some water.

(GLASS SHATTERS)

If you're thirsty, John, I can get you some water.

If you're thirsty, John, I can get you some water.

What in the...

(GLASS SHATTERING)

John!

If you're thirsty, John, I can get you some water.

Stop.

Stop. Eve.

..get you some water. - Oh!

Are you alright?

No. No, I am not alright.

What is this?

- She's just glitching. - Glitching?!

Has she glitched before?

She just needs to be rebooted.

you did not answer my question.

I'll take care of it. Just go to work, OK?

I'll see you tonight.

I love you.

Love you, too.

(PIANO MUSIC PLAYING)

Ziggy Stardust, the Hammersmith Odeon.

After the show, the lot of us went out

until the sun came up

and it was just...

Ah, David...

It sometimes feels like the music died with you.

Ari! (CHUCKLING)

Oh, yes, of course.

- Really nice to see you again. - And you.

We are so thrilled you're finally taking this next step with us.

I've accepted the fact that this

will happen with me or without me.

So, I may as well see it happen

before I die.

(CHUCKLING)

Well, we have so much to talk about,

so please,

let's get started.

And, of course,

you know Chef Huruto Ono-San.

(in Japanese) It's been a long time since we've seen each other, Ono.

I apologise for the long absence.

- Ah, where's Johnny? - He must be stuck in traffic.

- Mm-hmm. - He'll be here.

ARI: It's lovely to see you Ono-San.

I'm always fantasising about your food.

Before we sit down for dinner, how about

we play you some of the music we've been working on from your catalogue?

Alright. Sure.

Yeah.

Just remember, sometimes it's hard to get the original

version of the song out of your head.

But AI is just that bright coat of fresh paint

to capture the attention of a new generation.

Like you said when you first approached me...

nothing's precious.

I said that?

(LOW PIANO MUSIC)

Tell me what you hear in those first chords.

Scared.

(HIGH NOTES PLAYING) EVE: And now?

How does the high register make you feel?

Like...

I'm in a nightmare that I can't wake up from.

Tell it to get out. (PIANO MUSIC STOPS)

I don't know what happened.

Get out!

I even reminded you this morning.

I know...

..and I'm sorry. - Uh-huh.

All I ever asked

was for you to support my career.

Mm.

The way you supported mine? (CHUCKLES DRYLY)

You are not seriously blaming me

for what happened to your career.

What was I supposed to do, John?!

AI replaced almost every composer and musician we know!

You never even tried.

Try what?

Please tell me what I was supposed to try?

Just...try.

what I wanted.

This robot is making you doubt everything.

- This is not about Eve. - It has everything to do with Eve!

No, Megan,

Cos our problems are about more than just some missed dinner.

Are you asking for a divorce?

No.

I don't know.

All I know is I haven't been this

9unhappy...

or this happy...

..in a long time.

I just need to figure it out.

And while you figure it out...

..I'll be at my sister's.

(CRYING)

(JAZZY MUSIC PLAYING)

Hey. Megs.

(SOBBING) Oh. Oh! Oh.

(SNIFFLING) Thank you.

Thank you for coming.

- Shh. It's OK. - No, no, no, it's not OK.

Alright. We'll get a table

and we'll talk about it. - If you'd like,

I have a table for two by the window.

- I'll show you to your table. - We can show ourselves.

Move!

(SOBBING)

Li, I need you to take the robot back.

- What? - Mm-hmm.

I, I can't have...

I cannot have that, uh...

I can't have that machine in my house. You gotta take it back.

Do you know how many rules I broke

to get John into that trial?

I know, I know, I know,

and I am sorry, Li, um...

but it's gotta go.

- OK, OK. I can't. Megs...

forget my career, it will blow up

the careers of everyone on the project.

You can handle two more weeks.

Li, I, I...

I think it's... I think it's evil.

(SCOFFS)

Don't be ridiculous.

Megs, it's a machine.

It's a machine that's destroying my marriage.

If it stays at the house, John is gonna leave me.

I'm gonna tell you something, OK, Megan?

And it's not to hurt you, OK?

It is not a criticism. It is an observation.

The thing is...

..you're selfish.

And if John leaves you,

it's because of that...

..not the robot.

Your marriage is about you,

always has been.

It has always

taken a back seat to your career,

so how can John be happy

if you don't respect what he wants?

I am not saying this

to hurt you, OK?

You are my sister.

I love you,

but if you want to save your marriage,

you have to do something John wants.

For once.

for my sister to realise

that she needed to give John something that he wanted.

than a music career was a child.

And Megan was always putting it off.

So, what did your sister do?

While John was figuring things out,

Megan went to the IVF clinic

where they'd stored their embryos.

She went over there to

surprise him with the news

that she was pregnant with twins.

(DOORBELL RINGS)

Hi.

Uh. Hey.

(SIGHS)

Champagne?

Yeah, I have news.

Something I want to celebrate with you.

So, I am...

glad that we had that time apart...

..because it gave me a chance to get

(CHUCKLES)

You know how I said that the robot would be good for us?

Well, obviously, before I freaked out.

Well, I was right.

Because without the robot,

I wouldn't have had enough distance

to see my blind spots.

You know what I mean?

Not really.

I'm pregnant, John.

With twins.

(MEGAN LAUGHS)

The embryos we've stored,

I had them implanted. (MEGAN LAUGHS)

I know. Can you believe it?

(SIGHS)

Why would you do this now?

Because you wanted me to.

What about your career?

Cascadia will be fine without me. Vince can step up.

And like you said, I am the boss, so...

I want us to be parents, John.

I want to be a mother

and I didn't think that I did before.

But now that it's happening, and now that it's real...

..it is all I want.

It's all I think about.

And why are you not saying anything?

Uh... I...

I don't know, uh, what to say.

Well, say that you're excited.

Say that, you know,

you can't believe that we're gonna be parents, finally!

And...

Say you can't wait to buy a double stroller.

I want a divorce.

I want to be with Eve.

for a robot?

few weeks I've realised that

you and I have always been mismatched.

And I think you'll be happier without me.

You don't get to tell me what makes me happy.

Alright. Alright.

Eve makes me happy

and I love her.

What?!

John, you can't love a machine!

It just... it feels good

to be with someone who asks me about myself

and actually wants to hear the answer.

It's not someone! This is a machine.

It's made of silicone and wires!

When we make love, it's not always about her.

It has no needs, John.

It's a machine.

(TENSE MUSIC)

I'm sorry, Meg.

(WHIMPERING)

(MEGAN SCREAMING)

(PANTING)

learned that your brother-in-law

- I was at work.

And who contacted you?

for her call.

She'd promised to tell me as soon as she surprised John with the news.

(PHONE RINGING)

Tell me everything!

MEGAN: I didn't mean to, Li, I swear.

I don't know, I lost... I lost control, I'm telling you.

I don't know if it's the hormones they were giving me, I don't know.

I don't know. What are you doing?

Calling the police.

No. Wait! Wait!

So you call them, and what happens then?

Right? I go to jail?

Right? Or a psychiatric hospital?

If I'm lucky, I give birth,

they take my children,

and then where do they go?

Who raises them? Hmm? You?

Of course not, because you hate children.

So then they're raised without parents,

knowing that their mother murdered their father

before they were even born.

And then if they ask what happened, what do we tell them?

Their father was gonna leave their mother for a robot

that her sister designed?

What are you asking me to do?

I could've imagined.

The robot attacked him.

The robot I'd helped design.

Is that what your sister told you when you arrived?

No.

I run the...

I used to run the design team

for visual field processing.

So I was able to retrieve the robot's memory card,

although it was degraded.

Degraded because of the...

the robot's malfunction?

Yes.

But I salvaged enough to show the police.

Your Honour, I'd like to enter into evidence

the time-stamped and dated recording to which the witness is referring.

Has opposing counsel seen this?

Yes, Your Honour.

(POWERS UP, CHIRPS)

I'm pregnant, John.

(MEGAN LAUGHING ON RECORDING)

The embryos we stored, I had them implanted.

Twins.

(THUDDING, GRUNTING)

(MEGAN WHIMPERING)

confirms my client's contention

that the malfunction of the robot

had nothing to do with any kind of negligence on her part.

More than that, though,

until now,

and subverted the public good for profit.

Lila.

Lila, wait.

stop for a second

(MEGAN PANTING)

Thank you.

- For everything. - Whatever.

Will you ever forgive me?

Huh.

You killed your husband...

Shh.

- And I covered for you. - (whispers) I know.

I...

Believe me, I know what I asked you to sacrifice for me.

I do. And listen,

what I did to John,

to the father of my children...

Well, I'm gonna carry that for the rest of my life.

Yeah.

Well, at least you have a job

to support your family.

Me?

I am an unemployed

unemployable...

..whistleblower. - Cascadia needs a new CTO.

That's what I wanted to talk to you about.

The company is growing too fast.

And HR cannot find a Chief Technology Officer

nearly as qualified as you. - No way I'm working for you.

OK. Well, then...

..work with me. - I can't do that.

- Why not? - Because.

Because why? You give me one reason, Li.

You give me one real reason...

..why you will not let me

come through for you one time.

- Ugh.

(PIANO MUSIC PLAYING)

And I wuv you.

That is so dumb!

I know.

But you wuv it.

(PIANO MUSIC CONTINUES)

Let's go home.

(SCOFFS)

Sottotitoli a cura di SKY ITALIA