Original subtitles

While our compatriots fought valiantly

in the Whisperer War,

Ezekiel, Yumiko, and I embarked on a journey

to make contact with another civilization.

Charleston, West Virginia.

Southern Rail Yard.

About a mile south of the Kanawha River.

One week.

Hi!

We encountered a peculiar stranger

along the way.

You can call me Princess.

Volatile contentions were had...

Don't! -I'm kinda blowin' this, huh?

But, we defused with a hearty tête-à-tête.

This one time, someone told me,

you're hard to love, so maybe it's me.

I have an all-too-familiar sense of how you feel.

Arriving at the rail yard,

it seemed we missed our rendezvous...

Weapons down!

Hands in the air! Now!

This is your last chance!

...and caught ourselves in a precarious pickle.

Hands in the air!

Hey!

Wait. We're friendly. Wait!

Wait. Move, move, move.

Yumiko.

Move it!

Move! Let's go! Let's go!

Back up! Back up!

-Wrong move. -You're hurting me.

Stop or we'll shoot.

Get down -on the ground. Princess!

Get down -on the ground. -Drop where you are.

Leave her alone.

Freeze.

Yumiko.

Eyes over here.

Get down.

This is your last chance.

Yumiko.

Get off of her.

Don't hurt her, shit heads!

Separate them all.

Throw a bone, I'll cooperate.

No.

Where are you taking us?

Get your hands off of me.

We made a mistake.

We mean no harm.

Are they secured?

Man # She was a little feisty.

Train yard's clear.

Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco.

Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis.

Come on. Move.

Take it easy.

What do you -- What do you want?

W-Where are we going?

Albany, Annapolis, Atlanta, Augusta, Austin, Baton Rouge,

Bismarck, Boise, Boston, Carson City, Charleston,

Cheyenne, Columbia, Columbus, Concord, Denver, Des Moines,

Dover, Frankfort, Harrisburg.

Oh, hey, cool, I did know that one.

Come on.

Nothing.

Copy.

Copy.

Man # Copy that.

Princess, what are you doing?

Are you there?

Yumiko, is that you?

Shh. Yeah, it's me.

I'm inthe next train car over.

Okay, I'm gonna try to get to you.

I don't thinkthat's gonna be possible.

Can you move any closer?

Uh, maybe then I can see you kinda-sorta.

It hurts a little to move.

Oh, no, Yumiko, I'm so sorry.

I feel terribleif something I did got you hurt.

It's okay.

I'm gonna make it up to you.

I just gotta find a way through this wall.

No, don't do that.

I gotta help you. At least let me go get them.

-How exactly? -Bang on the door?

Scream really loud?

Get them over here so we can talk to them.

It's a good idea.

It's a terrible idea.

I have to do something.

No, please.

Please don't do anything.

You sound a little groggy. Did you hit your head?

Mm, I'll be fine.

That's a yes, isn't it?

Uh, how bad is it?

Are you bleeding?

No, I don't think so.

Princess, please calm down.

It's not gonna help if you get so upset.

I can't just sit here while you're hurt.

You can. I need you to.

Let me -- Let me try to -- No. Just do what they say.

Okay. Sorry.

Uh, it's just that it's dark in here.

Really small.

Yumiko?

Can you still hear me?

Yeah. I can.

Stay awake. Listen to me.

Listen to my voice, okay?

I'm gonna try to get in there to help you.

It's okay. No, just keep talking to me.

Okay? Okay.

S-So, when I was 14, I was in a similar spot.

I scratched at the inside doorjamb,

broke off a piece of it that nailed me.

Got a bad splinter.

Turned into a mess.

I got an infection in my hand.

I had to stay home from school.

Which sucked.

Yeah, weird.

I know.

Yumiko?

Mm. I'm here.

Good.

Uh, so, where was I?

Um, so home was no bueno.

And, uh, there were some -- some cool kids at school.

This one girl taught me how to dye my hair,

which totally changed my life.

I wonder where she is now.

If she made it.

Yumiko?

You still with me?

Mm-hmm.

Anyway, uh, I nagged my mom,

and she sent me back to school before my hand healed.

It got infected again

and swelled up like a birthday balloon,

like, oozing this gross pus

that made me feel like a swamp monster.

Um, my mom didn't seem to notice,

but my stepdad...

he wouldn't let me eat at the dinner table.

Aw, he even laughed about it.

This cold, mean laugh.

I said, "No way, man.

You can't push me away.

This was my house first."

He smacked me hard.

Right across my jaw.

Yumiko?

Mm.

So -- So I said to my mom,

"Are you gonna do something?

Anything?

Please don't send me out to the garage

to eat by myself."

So my mom said...

"Then don't eat."

Uh, I didn't know where that story was going

when I started.

Yumiko?

Yumiko, you okay?

Can you hear me?

Hey, wake up!

Yumiko! Hey, Yumiko!

Come on. Answer me.

Wake up. Open it up.

-Yumiko! -Open it up. Come on.

Hey! Hey!

You guys, you got to help my friend.

She passed out.

Hey, you hear me?!

Where are you taking her?

Hey! How is she?

Are you helping her?

Hey! Answer me.

Shut up!

Albany, Annapolis, Atlanta, Augusta, Austin,

Baton Rouge, Bismarck, Boise, Boston,

Carson City, Charleston,

Cheyenne, Columbia, Columbus, Concord.

I don't know about you. I've never seen one turn that fast.

Yeah, me neither.

Hey, Yumiko?

You back?

No way.

Come on.

Alright. Yeah.

Hey, stop. Eugene.

Go. Get back in there.

Oh, thank God.

Shh! Our armored chaperones

are making frequent checks on these vicinities.

What are you doing?

We gotta find Yumiko. I think she's hurt bad.

There's a similar portal on the other side?

Well, not exactly.

But I can hear her. Or I could.

-They took her somewhere. -We have to go check. On what?

You said our potential benefactors are providing her with assistance.

I said they took her. I don't know where or for what.

Come on.

-Stop that. -You're coming with me.

No, it's not a good idea.

Why not?

I spoke with Stephanie for many, many weeks.

Her good character is evident,

which can't be an anomaly among her people.

We'll see that

once we clear whatever process is required here.

You're betting Yumiko's life on that?

They're testing our mettle,

which means keeping us in good enough shape to talk.

I don't have to bet on anything.

All logic and reason points to Yumiko being okay.

Sorry, man, but that's batshit.

Stop it.

Negative on that.

Report of activity was over in the area.

Nothing on the north-side perimeter.

Cars "A," "B," and "C" are all quiet.

Moving on to check the south side.

Copy. Let's go.

Please go back in there, pronto.

If they'd caught you, the consequences for

our acceptance into their community could be disastrous.

But you just said they were nice.

My people back home need help.

We're in the middle of a fierce battle.

If it hasn't concluded already,

the need for significant aid is inevitable.

To be blunter, all my kinfolk

are counting on me to be a cross between

Santa Claus and a guardian angel, if you will.

You think I'm gonna mess things up.

Come on.

We have to present ourselves as worthy of allegiance.

There's no room for miscalculations. You hear me?

Do not make things worse.

Come with me. Hands up. Move slowly.

Where are we going? Walk.

What is this?

What are you gonna do to me?

What are you looking for?

Turn around.

If you're looking for bites, I don't have any.

But I got this splinter in my hand

that's driving me nuts.

Can you maybe take it out?

Please?

Please, tell me why I'm here.

Let's start with your name.

You don't know your name?

Princess.

You think -this is a joke? -How's my friend doing?

The girl. You took her.

You're helping her, right?

She's getting help now.

How old are you?

28, 29. I-I could be 50. I don't know, man.

I lost track a long time ago.

Can you just tell me how she's doing?

Where you from?

Where are you from?

Where is she?

Okay, fine.

Where were you when The Fall happened?

Why is any of that important?

Pittsburgh.

Can you just tell me if she's alive?

Why'd you come here?

She hurt her head pretty bad.

You're avoiding the question.

She might have a concussion. She's fine.

You don't believe me.

I want to.

Just let me see her.

Tell me about her.

What?

Tell me about your friends.

Start with the one you're worried about.

What's her name?

You won't tell me her name?

Why is she here?

The others. What are their names?

Can't you ask them that?

Tell me why they're here.

Where are they from?

Fine.

What do you want from me? We're done.

-I gave you answers. -Get her out of here.

Why can't I see her? What did you do with her?

Why can't I see her?

Because you're being a bitch.

I want to see her!

You should've answered our questions.

Yumiko?

Yumiko, I'm so sorry.

I tried to do like you said.

I didn't tell them anything, but maybe I still messed up.

They kept grilling me,

asking me up and down what I knew about you guys.

Like I'm some kind of narc.

"Friends", they said.

They used that word.

Psst. Eugene.

Shit.

What the...?

Ezekiel? Shh.

Took some epic maneuvering.

Might've been spotted.

Sorry. I'm all wet.

Oh, man, they got you, too?

Yeah.

Not the most fun interview I've ever had.

Been confirmed.

Man # Copy that.

Have any idea where the others are?

They're gone. I don't know.

We'll figure it out.

Let's get out of here.

Right now?

No, next week. Yes, right now.

Yumiko's hurt.

I-I think they took her to help her.

You think? Yeah, maybe.

But -- But what?

Listen, uh, I didn't do us any favors in my interview.

What did you do?

Nothing.

I mean, I got a little bit upset.

I might have...

The inquisition was aggressive.

They are toying with us.

Let's go.

What's wrong?

I don't think running will help right now.

The Guards will be back -any minute. -But what if they really are helping Yumiko?

Eugene said they would, and you trust him, right?

We don't know these people,

and we can't trust what we don't know.

We can find a way out.

You don't know that.

I made it here, didn't I? We'll be fine.

Nothing is fine.

Dickhead, uh, nailed me over an old fracture.

Let me see.

I'll be okay.

It's healed fine every time before.

No one is gonna hurt you anymore.

Not while I'm here.

We'll keep watch up top...

Ezekiel....wait for the shift to change,

and then we move.

How are we supposed to find Eugene and Yumiko?

If we get some of their weapons, we can even force them --

We can't just leave them here.

You don't think I know that? They're my friends.

I didn't mean it like that.

I know they're your friends.

You don't have to be an asshole about it.

Don't act like I don't know how to be friends with people.

I do.

I'm just trying to be helpful.

Fear brings out the worst in us,

as it just did in me.

I apologize.

What if Eugene trusted the wrong people this time?

People suck.

They say one thing but mean another.

They tell you they love you.

But they don't act like it.

People are assholes.

Especially family.

Not all family.

Most families.

I just want to do the right thing.

I know.

We need a better plan.

Hey, look, I'm sorry about before.

I didn't mean to be difficult.

This is all just a little scary.

You know what I'm saying?

The questions, the guns, the whole getup.

I mean, we roll up, and it was just --

The hell did you just do?

This is not what I meant.

I'm sick of this place.

Yeah, but now what are they gonna do to us?

To Yumiko? To Eugene?

This is not a better plan.

The opportunity presented itself,

so I took it.

How the hell are we supposed to explain this?

Who cares?

He's here now.

He has information we need.

Okay. Keep quiet.

Tell us what you did with our friends.

You don't have to do this.

Hey, hey.

Just let me do the talking.

I just need to know that my friend is okay.

Okay.

Your boss said she was getting help. Is she?

-Why wouldn't she be? -Then tell me where she is.

I don't know. She's probably with one of the medics.

We're supposed to believe that?

You think we're hurting her?

Ha. The thought has crossed our minds.

"For the benefit of all

and for all who seek solace at our gates."

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

It's what we stand for.

If your friend was sick, then she got help.

No, she's not sick. You guys beat the crap out of her.

I don't know anything about that.

Bullshit. -Look, I know this is a lot.

But isn't it possible,just maybe, that we're not the bad guys?

You separated us and locked us inside train cars.

It's intense. I get that, okay?

But if you just stay calm, we really can help you.

How? Let's just say we have access to things

that are valuable in times like these.

Food? Medicine? Ponies? What?

I'm not saying yes, but I'm not saying no.

You know what I mean? We're organized.

You should let us help you. That's why you came, right?

So let's say you're telling the truth,

and you're actually very helpful people

who like to help even if you look like

a bunch of scary action figures came to life.

What happens after this?

What are you gonna do with us?

I don't know.

-He's lying again. -I don't know exactly.

-You're messing with us. -Are you messing with us?!

-What would bethe point of that? -This is not our first time at the rodeo with people like you.

People do terrible shit to each other all the time.

I meant what I said.

What we stand for is real.

This -- all this -- is just standard protocol

on mission-based assignments.

We have paperwork to fill out, for Chrissake.

The place we live is a good place.

And it's our job

to keep the many, many good people who live there safe.

We're careful because we have a lot to lose.

Don't you get that?

I still need answers.

Like a goodwill gesture.

It's not hard. Just tell me where my friend is.

I can't do that.

See? -Why not? -Because I don't know.

My orders were to keep you fed until they were ready.

-Ready? -Ready for what?

You don't get it. I'm just a grunt.

I don't get the kind of intel you want, alright?

Three square meals and a uniform.

That's it. That's me.

Hey, alright, you have to believe me.

Look, I'm on probationas it is. They're gonna discharge me for this,

getting snatched up by some chick.

Maybe we need to start breaking some fingers.

I'm just a rookie.

I'm so new, that rifle isn't even loaded.

Ezekiel, stop!

Oh, my God! Stop. Stop.

You're gonna kill him!

Stop! Stop! Stop it, Ezekiel!

No one's gonna hurt me anymore!

No! You're gonna kill him! No!

Just listen!

Don't make it worse! Stop!

Just listen and do what we say!

Please.

Please.

Just do what they say.

Do not make things worse.

No one is gonna hurt you anymore.

Shit.

What's the matter with you?

Just go.

Come on.

Ooh, girl, get your shit together.

Don't be so hard on yourself.

This is new.

I get it.

But time waits for no one.

We start dying the day we're born.

So vámonos.

I don't think I can.

You can.

What about them?

-What about them? -They're my friends.

You met them a week ago.

That's a lifetime in apocalypse years.

Haven't you learned to trust your instincts by now?

You know better than that.

Yeah.

But...

You're good on your own.

I'm a Goddamn superhero on my own.

So let's go.

You wanna go.

Believe me. I know.

But if I leave,

it makes me just like her, don't it?

Yeah, it makes you just like Mom.

She was a survivor.

She was a monster.

But there are always monsters.

She was scared.

Everybody gets scared sometimes.

You remember what it was like.

We had to learn our lessons the hard way.

Take your freedom.

Ooh, but there were some good ones, though.

Maybe not Mom or Dougie, but not everyone was bad.

There was Mrs. Travis.

Sammy and his people.

And them.

There are the stories you tell yourself,

and then there's the truth.

Maybe.

But they came back for me.

I don't know my own strength sometimes.

Who you talking to now?

No one.

I mean, you.

I'm not crazy,

if that's what you're thinking.

I mean, there's the ADHD, the anxiety, the PTSD,

the depression, the crushing loneliness,

and the active imagination that helps me cope with all of that,

but, like, maybe that's the only sane response

to an insane world.

You know what I'm saying?

Small, dark spaces

just do bad things to my head because...

Well, I don't like them, but who does, right?

So screw you for judging.

I didn't say anything.

I-I'm sorry. I don't wan--

I don't wanna mess anything else up here.

You mind putting that down?

Um, I'm gonna hold onto it

just a little longer if it's all the same to you.

Can...

Can you at least...

Mm! What?

Nothing. The splinter came out.

Ah.

Thanks for not screaming.

Yeah, well, this doesn't exactly look good for me.

You're really gonna get busted for this, huh?

It'll be worse for you.

You're gonna have to explain this.

I'll figure it out.

Hand me the rifle.

I can tell them ...ey won't care.

...that sometimes I have this tic that makes me --

They won't care.

Maybe you can explain to them that you slipped.

No, no, no. I screwed up.

I have to face the consequences, okay?

And you and your friends? God bless you. Good luck.

You have to go back towhatever shitty corner of the world you came from.

There's gotta be a way we can help each other out.

I'm listening.

What if I answer your boss' questions?

I can work with that.

Would I be able to see my friends?

It's not my call.

But you heard my boss.

You answer, you see them. You can believe him or not.

Fine.

Uh, I just met them,

so I don't know how old they are,

but who cares?

If you're alive in the apocalypse,

you're like 150 years old anyway.

I don't know where they're from.

Nowhere and everywhere, probably,

just like everyone else.

I'm from Pittsburgh by way of San Juan,

but do cities and states and countries even exist

or matter anymore?

We've been on the road for a week.

We had bikes for a while.

Then we walked.

That's how we got here.

Why am I here?

To be with them.

And their names are Eugene, Yumiko, and Ezekiel.

But you already knew that.

And my name is Princess.

That's good. Thank you.

The rifle.

See?

Didn't have to be hard.

The rules are simple.

The questions are routine.

People just complicate them.

Just needed to know you could play ball with us.

So -- So when can I see my friends?

Right now.

I got her! Let's go!

Wait!

Ow!

This episode is called "Splinter,"

and there's a couple things going on there.

Princess gets an obvious, literal splinter,

and in some ways, that splinter triggers

all these other memories

and alternate version of reality that's happening.

Took some epic maneuvering.

Might've been spotted.

"Splinter" also refers to just that splintering

of the story line into something that is an objective reality

that's, like, sort of dark for her,

and just the way that she is coping with it

by imagining that something else is going on.

Albany, Annapolis, Atlanta, Augusta, Austin,

Baton Rouge, Bismarck, Boise, Boston,

Carson City, Charleston, Cheyenne.

Most of this episode takes place inside a train boxcar,

and we don't do a lot of stuff

that's just kind of in one location, largely.

It's challenging to shoot in a smaller space,

but we had a real train car

that was the exterior stuff with the train car,

and then they created a set of that boxcar on stage.

The majority of what you're seeing is actually a set,

and that way there was a little more flexibility

in terms of shooting.

You can kind of air out the space

so that the actor isn't, like, literally trapped with crew

inside this tiny, little box.

Turn your finger around

This is you looking at your finger,

your s-- your splinter.

One of the challenges of the episode

was to make it feel like it's not too confined,

you know, 'cause there's not, like, a lot that's going on

inside the boxcar itself.

Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco.

With an episode like this,

it's so strongly in Princess' POV

that I think a lot of the episode rests

on Paola's performance.

I think she does a wonderful job.

She's the kind of rare actress

that is legitimately incredibly funny

but can also play that kind of real vulnerability and darkness

when asked of her.

She shows all of that range here.

He smacked me hard.

Right across my jaw.

Yumiko?

There's just these moments where you see her

start to choke up and then she just -- she pushes it aside,

and I think that that's very, very much at the heart

of kind of what this character's had to do

to cope her entire life, and I really love, like,

kind of getting to peel back some of those layers of her

and see that she's not just all about big-personality Princess.

There's a real deep human being that's under there

that has had to go through a lot to kind of get where she is,

and I think she did a really wonderful job portraying that.

-What about them? -What about them?

They're my friends.

You met them a week ago.

That's a lifetime in apocalypse years.

Ezekiel in this episode is not entirely like Ezekiel,

and Khary had sort of the same reaction when he read it.

Like, the further you get in the scene,

the less it starts to feel like the Ezekiel we know,

which is by design.

It's definitely like Ezekiel here

is a little bit like the devil on her shoulder.

It's that impulsive side of her.

You're good on your own.

I'm a Goddamn superhero on my own.

So let's go.

You wanna go.

Ezekiel is an interesting person to use in this role

because, you know, we know Ezekiel

to be so humane and strategic.

Fear brings out the worst in us,

as it just did in me.

I apologize.

But, you know, we wanted to just show

that in Princess' active imagination,

people can take on a more colorful way of being

than they are.

But, you know, she also doesn't know them very well yet.

Wait. We're friendly. Wait!

Wait. Move, move, move.

We thought, we have to do some sort of story

related to this group and the Troopers

and feel like what the vibe of it is.

It's obviously unclear in places in this,

like, how much of that was what they really went through

and how much of it was her picturing the worst.

There's definitely this vibe of, like, "These guys are scary."

Like, "Look at these crazy suits."

Let's start with your name.

Princess.

You think this is a joke?

You take the helmet off,

and then you have to look in the eyes of a real human being,

and, suddenly, everything feels a little bit different.

But at the same time,

there's clearly a manipulation going on there, as well.

You mind putting that down?

Um, I'm gonna hold onto it

just a little longer -if it's all the same to you. -Can...

We thought it was a really fun way

to get deeper into the character of Princess

while just giving some little slivers

of a -- of a taste of who this new group is,

and there will be a lot more to come

once we get into the new season.

So when can I see my friends?

Right now.

I got her! Let's go!

Wait!