Original subtitles

♪

[mouthing]

[camera shutter clicking]

DIRECTOR:Beautiful, Fiji. You're a star.

Now you're slowly coming out of your shell.

Move your arms a little bit more.

Incredible!

Yes!

Now look down.

And then look right into the barrel of the camera,

but this time, you're in the water.

You're floating in the water.

You're a beautiful octopus.

Use your tentacles.

You're about to feed

on your prey.

You've got fire in your belly.

You're looking

at your prey from above,

and you're just trying to imagine

who you're about to devour.

Perfect!

-You're gorgeous. Okay, cut! -[applause]

[bell rings]

[cheering, whooping]

DIRECTOR: Great job, Fiji.

-[cheering] -This video's gonna break the Internet.

It was such a pleasure working for you.

JENNIFER: Fiji, the song is incredible, and that video

is clearly gonna be a huge hit.You must be so excited

to share it with the world.

Anyway, I wanted to say thank you

for letting me follow you around today.

The article should be out next month.

Cool.

Can't wait to see what you do next.

-Yeah, it's gonna be a really big hit. -[Jennifer chuckles]

SANTINO: Car's out here, Miss Fiji.

I think I'm gonna walk today, Santino.

[indistinct chatter]

[dog barking]

[siren wailing]

[guitar playing]

-Nice song. -JASMINE: Thanks.

Hey.

You, uh...

-Yeah, it's me. It's me. -Holy shit! [laughs]

I love your music.

Thanks.

So, what do you want?

Huh? What do I want?

What do you want? With all this?

[chuckles softly]

Hell, I-I guess I want what you have.

What do I have?

WOMAN: Oh, my God!

It's Fiji! It's Fiji, everyone!

I love you!

-Can I get a selfie? -MAN: Fiji!

-Oh, my God.-MAN: Fiji, can I get a selfie?

-Oh, my God. -You don't understand.

-Your music has changed my life.I-I can't... -Fiji, Fiji!

[overlapping fan chatter]

[applause]

[phone camera shutters clicking]

♪

[overlapping fan chatter]

-[all gasp] -[screaming]

[alarmed shouting, screaming]

[siren wails]

[indistinct conversation]

ZARA: How long is this gonna keep going on?

How-how long are you gonna keep encouraging her?

DELANCEY: Look, it's hard, Zara. Eh...

You're not a parent.

[Zara scoffs]

[water running]

ZARA: Well, you know what she did today?

She spent all day singing on the street like a bum,

begging for change.

DELANCEY: Your Uncle Vin

-said he had a receptionist position open. -Mm.

But I can't just make her call him.

I-I'm just trying to be supportive.

ZARA:Right. Well, if you really wantto be supportive,

you should probably stop encouraging

this ridiculous dream of hers.

I mean, it's just... It's never going to happen.

[keys slam loudly]

-Hey, Jas. Uh... -Hey, sweetheart.

-If you're hungry, I'm making curry. -[door shuts]

♪

♪

[indistinct chatter]

[horn honks]

♪

♪ She dances for me♪

♪ All that is she I long to be♪

♪ They silence her voice, but I hear her sway♪

♪ Within the sea of their shame♪

♪ Fire lady, all you are♪

-♪ What you battle in your heart♪ -[applause]

♪ Has left me scarred.♪

[all cheering, whooping]

[laughs]

NARRATOR: Jasmine Delancey has spent her entire life

in search of one thing:

applause.

Now that she's found it, it's given her

a new sense of meaning.

But what, exactly, is the value

of an ovation so loud it drowns out the performance?

Jasmine's about to find out here...

in The Twilight Zone.

[The Twilight Zonetheme playing]

You're traveling through another dimension,

a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind.

It is the middle ground between light and shadow,

between science and superstition.

And it lies between the pit of one's fears

and the summit of one's knowledge.

You are now traveling through a dimension of imagination.

You've just crossed over into The Twilight Zone.

JASMINE: Thank you so much.

♪

Pardon me, ladies.

Hi, how are you? Hi. Excuse me.

Uh, let me just real quickly grab my jaw... [chuckles]

...off the floor.

-[laughs] -You are good.

-Really? -Yeah.

-Think so? -I know so.

You know who I am, right?

-Yeah. -Yeah?

You're that guy that hosts that show.

[laughs]: Oh! Undersell it.

Ovation with J.J. Malloy.

The highest rated show on broadcast television.

-My dad watches it. -Everybody's dad watches it.

You know I could make you a star, right?

Huh?

What's your name?

ANNOUNCER [on TV]: Get ready for an all-new season ofOvation,

where your applause equals stardom.

Join your host, J.J. Malloy...

MALLOY: Did you miss me, you guys? I missed you.

ANNOUNCER: ...as he introduces you to this year's wannabes

and will-never-bes.

-If you want to make it... -[door closes]

...you can't fake it.

It takes real talent to survive.

You know that corny-ass dude J.J. Malloy from Ovation?

Oh, yeah, the weirdo with the mustache?

Hands me his card, tells me

-he wants me to come on the show. Mm-hmm. -What? Really?

I don't know what happened, but something shifted,

and the universe was like, "Hi, Jasmine."

Ovation?

I know, Ovationis cheesy, but

auditions are tomorrow. You got to come.

Oh, tomorrow? I don't think I can.

-I have to work. -Uh-uh, Z.

I mean, I need you there.

What are you talking about? Just find

-a sub or something. -It's cardiac surgery.

I don't exactly have anunderstudy waiting in the wings.

Yeah. No, you're right.

Well, if I make it to the finals next week,

can you please come?

"If"? How about whenyou make it to the finals?

And when you win this whole thing,

you can finally start paying me rent.

-I'll pay you rent. -Halle-fucking-lujah.

I'll buy you a car.What kind of car you want? Hmm?

Right now I want more of my carrots back.

-[laughs] -You ate all my carrots.

[quietly]: Ovation.

ANNOUNCER: Welcome to Studio 5.

Before you can sing for America,

you have to get through our panel of industry tastemakers.

♪ What is havin' faith, if you don't exercise it?♪

DIRECTOR: And ready, camera one?

♪ I feel your pain♪

D.P.: Roger.

♪ But I need you to change.♪

[drumroll]

[scattered applause]

-Ooh. -[Price Is Righthorn plays]

I liked it,

Davood, but the Sound-O-Meter doesn't lie.

-So sorry. Better luck next time. -[warbling horn]

And now, our next contestant I found when I was

on my way to get some Thai food.

But I ended up getting something much spicier.

Jasmine Delancey.

♪

-DIRECTOR: Okay, camera three. -D.P.: Copy that.

-[coughing] -[yawning]

-So do I just start singing? -Yeah.

-Like, now? -That's the idea. Yeah. That'd be great.

[clears throat]

-Jasmine Delancey. -[exhales]

[guitar playing]

♪ She dances for me♪

♪ All that is she I long to be♪

♪ They silence her voice♪

♪ But I hear her sway♪

♪ Within the sea of their shame...♪

♪ Fire lady, all you are♪

-[scattered applause] -♪ What you battle in your heart♪

♪ Has left me scarred♪

♪ In your...♪

[applause grows louder]

[singing indistinctly]

[whoops]

[laughs]: Whoa, whoa!

Bravo!

Wow!

The ovation tells it like it is!

I've never actually clapped on this show before ever.

-[laughs] -That was fantastic.

Jasmine Delancey.

[phone clicking]

[chimes]

[Jasmine chuckles]

JASMINE: Hi. I'm Jasmine Delancey.

[sighs] You know,

I first learned how to play the guitar from my mom.

You know? She taught me how to play at our lake house

on her old guitar, which I still have.

[chuckles]

And my sister Zara and I would

sit by the fire and make up songs.

When my mom passed away, I was asked to sing at her funeral.

I sang a song that Zara and I had wrote for her.

Everyone was looking back at me, and they weren't crying.

Like my music had stopped them from crying.

I'll never forget thinking, "Wow.

[laughs] I did that."

My music did that.

Hey, Jasmine!

I'm rooting for you. [whoops]

JASMINE: Hey, thanks.

-Who was that? -I don't know, it's just... weird.

[panting]

Oh, wait. Come on. I need a break.

-ZARA: Are you serious? -Yeah.

-What...? -Let me get one of them, man.

-Oh, very heart-healthy. -You got any cash?

Here you go.

It's on the house. Big fan.

-Of mine? -Yeah.

I mean, if you feel likefollowing me on social media...

Hi. Excuse me.

I'm so sorry to bother you.

Can I get a picture? I'm a huge fan.

[laughs] Sure.

Perfect. I hope you win.

Thank you.

ZARA: What is all this?

I sing pretty good.

I... Not that good.

[light applause]

[exhales sharply]

JASMINE: Zara!

[both laugh]

I mean, she looks pretty great,doesn't she?

She looks... chilly.

-Hmm?-Is that the front of the dress?

-Yeah. -Oh. Okay.

No, it's, um...

It is... blah.

-It's called fashion, Zara. -No, it just, it doesn't...

It doesn't seem like your style is all.

You're cool. You should be you.

The hell are you talking about?I am me.

Imagine if I wore this to surgery. Right?

Yeah, I'm just saying, like, you should look like yourself.

I am myself.

Ooh.

I'm Jasmine.

Okay, Jasmine.

You doing one-name status now? You like Prince or Beyoncé?

I just, I mean, look at those.

I-I just think you should wear something

that makes you feel comfortable.

The hell are you talking about, Z?

Comfortable? I'm not trying to be comfortable up there.

Nobody's comfortable.

You're standing in front of hundreds of people

who are just staring at you.

Millions more on TV watching you.

[quietly]: I'm wasting my breathtrying to explain this to you.

-You're just a doctor. -I'm justa doctor?

Yeah, you're a doctor. I'm the artist.

Yeah, I save lives.

-I make life worth living. -How exactly do you do that?

By singing from my soul.

Cool. Um, well, that's not only pretentious,

it's also scientifically impossible.

[sighs] All right, Jas.

Well, uh, can't wait to see how far you get

-on your meaningless little singing show here. -Meaningless?

Okay, yeah. 12 million people watch this meaningless show.

I'm just saying thatat some point, you're gonna have

to come back down to Earth and figure your shit out.

You sound real jealous, Z.

Why would I be jealous of you? You're broke.

I'm broke? What the fuck is wrong with you?

-I'm sorry, I... -Shit.

You know what? Y-You don't haveto come tonight, okay?

Just stay home.

-Jasmine, that's not what I meant... -No, I think...

I think that's best.

Don't come. Just stay.

It's fine.

Hell, just gonna be more nervoushaving you there anyways.

Judgmental ass.

-Okay. -[cheering, applause]

ANNOUNCER: Ovation,

your host J.J. Malloy.

Brought to you by Mr. Diggle's Ice Cream,

It's so good you'll die for it.

-Did you miss me? [laughs] -[cheering]

It's the finals on The Big Ovation.

You know, most of the stars that you can see from Earth

died out millions of years ago.

But tonight, with your applause,we're gonna make

one of these three young peoplea brand-new star.

I'm J.J. Malloy, and this...

[drumroll]

...is Ovation.

[cheering, applause]

[guitar playing]

-[applause] -♪ She dances for me♪

♪ All that is she♪

♪ I long to be♪

[mutters]

-Sorry. -[applause continues]

[guitar playing]

♪ They silence her voice♪

♪ But I hear her sway♪

♪ Within the sea of their shame...♪

[clears throat]

-[applause continues] -[exhales] Sorry.

[chuckles]

[applause, cheering]

[speaking indistinctly]

[laughs]: Whoa!

[echoing]: Ladies and gentlemen,

Jasmine Delancey is the winner of Ovation!

[whistling, applause]

[chiming, vibrating]

[grunts softly]

[cheering in distance]

[phone continues chiming]

[cheering, applause]

[exhales]

[phone chiming, vibrating]

[cheering, applause]

ZARA: That's right. It's the winner of Ovation!

[mimics crowd roar]

ZARA: You see them?

-They've been out there all night. -Mm-hmm.

Hey. Peace offering.

I'm really sorry I missed it last night.

Clearly, you were amazing.

Yeah, no, I wasn't.

I was actually pretty awful.

-No. -I was,Z. I-I sang off-key,

I forgot the frickin' chords, and-and yet they clapped.

I mean, even Dadclapped. That man's got perfect pitch.

Well, you must have done good, 'cause you won, right?

[faint cheering, applause]

Okay, I'm gonna say something,

and it's gonna sound like I'm crazy.

I'm aware of that. Um...

But I just need you to stay open, you know,

and not give me any of that,

"Well, this is scientifically impossible" bullshit

-that you like to say. -Okay.

Fiji gave me this coin right before she died,

and ever since then... I don't know, man.

I-I-I-I, I mean, like,

people listen to me. They hear me.

And even, like, I'm wondering, you know, is it this coin?

Is there something in this coin that's, like,

making all this happen?

Because prior to this,

no one saw me or even paid attention to me.

And-and now

they frickin' love me.

I mean, like, who claps for someone when they suck?

'Cause I sucked last night.

I don't know.Is there something in this coin

that's making all this happen?

Yeah. No, I mean...

it actually makes a lot of sense.

Yeah, right?

Yeah, like, why would all these people

be clapping for someone who just won

the world's biggest singing competition?

Yeah, no, why, why? Why would they like that?

[chuckling]: It's just a very popular program.

I'm sorry, I didn't know

that you were gonna get all superstitious

and weird, Jas.

Are you gonna be like those Red Sox people,

the ones that wear the same underwear at the World Series?

'Cause that is nasty.

No, girl, they like you,okay?

And that is why they're clapping.

-Look, look, look. -[faint cheering]

Look at your people.

[cheering, applause]

-That's for you, girl. -[cheering continues]

Damn, it is pretty sweet.

-WOMAN: Jasmine! I love you! -MAN: Jasmine!

-Is that really you? -[indistinct chatter]

-[applause] -Jasmine.

WOMAN: You're my hero.

[overlapping fan chatter]

Thank you...

[cheering, applause]

[rhythmic applause]

"Invenibus...

in aliis vero."

[cheering, rhythmic applause]

Go home!

[cheering, applause]

-[rhythmic applause] -Come on! Go, run!

[applause continues]

Holy shit, Jas, what the hell was that?

I'm telling you, it's this frickin' coin.

Okay, I can't believeI'm even entertaining this idea,

but if you really think it's the coin,

then you've got to get rid of it.

[exhales] And then what? Huh?

What, I'm supposed to go back to just singing on the street?

JIMMY: Well, I am thrilled

to welcome this next guest to the show.

She is the winner of the world's

most famous singing competition, Ovation.

Please welcome Jasmine Delancey!

[cheering, applause]

There she is! [laughs]

-Ah, look at you, you look gorgeous. -Oh, thanks, man.

-Of course! Of course! -Thank you for having me.

-[cheering, applause continue] -Of course. Wow. [chuckles]

[chuckles] Thank you, thank you.

Well, this does not happen to every guest,

I just want you to know. [chuckles]

Are people clapping at home?

-[applause continues] -Oh, okay, all right.

It is a talkshow.

-Right, right. [laughs] -I think

there might be a little bit of talking.

The-the first question I have to ask you:

What was the inspiration for your famous song?

Ah, you know,

Fiji inspired "Fire Lady."

I wouldn't be here without her, you know?

[cheering, applause]

JASMINE: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah. No, Fiji was special.

-She was... she really was. -[cheering, applause continue]

I think they're saying you'respecial.

This is...

This isn'tevery guest gets this, you know.

These-these people love you.

-Wow. Wow. -JASMINE: Okay.

Stop it, stop it. Stop it.

Well, you know, I mean,

we're riding a wave here.

I got an idea.

Would you sing your song for us?

What's that?

-[cheering, applause continue] -[speaking indistinctly]

But, Jasmine, they want this. They need it!

[Jimmy laughs]

Okay, guys.

You can't even hear us.

Come on.

[Jasmine speaks indistinctly]

[feedback screeching]

[cheering, applause]

[rhythmic applause]

Hey, Ms. Delancey. They're playing your song.

-♪ She dances for me♪ -Turn it off.

Turn it off.

-♪ All that is she, I...♪ -[tires screeching]

-Hey, turn it off! -♪ They silence her voice♪

-♪ But I hear you...♪ -Turn it off!

[horn honks]

-What the hell are you doing? -♪ Within the sea♪

-♪ Of their shame♪ -Drive!

[tires screech]

Hands on the wheel! [screams]

[horn honks]

-♪ All you are♪ -[grunting] Turn it off!

-Turn it off. -♪ What you battle...♪

♪ As you bare your burdened soul♪

♪ Please don't.♪

[radio turns off]

[tires screeching]

Ms. Delancey, I am so sorry.

["Fire Lady" playing]

♪ As you bare your burdened soul♪

♪ Please don't ever hide your glow♪

[applause]

[muffled]: Zara!

-Zara! -[mouthing]

[Jasmine screams]

-Zara... I can't escape it! -What are you doing here?

-What is going on? -I can't escape this thing, this thing, uh,

I can't control it, it-it's out of control.

[applause]

[rhythmic clapping and cheering]

[exhales]

[breathing heavily]

[exhales]

Come on, girl, I don't--I do not understand that thing,

but you've got to get rid of it.

[whispers]: I can't, Z, I can't.

Why?

I'm nothing without it.

Are you kidding me?

You're you.

You always will be you.

[Jasmine sniffles]

[sighs]

-Ah! -And then you can just go.

-Okay. Okay. -Go to the lake house.

You do it. Take it. Here, you do it. Just...

-Okay, okay. -Go. Just...

[birds chirping, ducks quacking]

[quacking]

[whistling]

[birds singing]

[sniffles]

[sets down kettle]

[ducks quacking]

[birds singing]

[vehicle approaching]

♪

[vehicle drives off]

[humming idly]

[playing lively melody]

♪

[mutters indistinctly]

[birds chirping]

[fly buzzing]

Shit.

[kettle whistling]

[engine humming]

[vehicle pulls away]

♪

♪

♪

Shit.

[laughing]

[screaming]

[panting]

[chuckling]

[laughing]

[muffled]: Go, Mynx.

[sniffles]

[crying out]

♪

[quacks echoing]

[screaming]

[applause]

[thunder rolling]

[rain falling]

♪

♪ Oh, yeah♪

♪ Oh, fire...♪ Wait.

♪ Fire lady...♪

[off key]: ♪ Fire lady, oh, you are.♪

-Like a stray fucking cat. -[man laughs]

J.J. J.J.

I don't have any money.

J.J., it's me. [laughing]

-J.J. -I...

-It's me, Jasmine. Come here!-Please, please, please, please!

Please, please don't do this.

-J.J.! -Please don't do that.

[indistinct chatter]

♪

[cheering, applause]

[applause continues]

♪

[wild cheering]

♪

♪

[Jasmine crying out]

-[panicked shouting] -[Jasmine laughs maniacally]

[Jasmine growling]

[gasping]

[rapid heartbeat]

Zara?

[gasping]

Z?

[muffled shouting]

You got to get her a doctor!

[Jasmine panting]

Let go of me!

It's my goddamn sister!

[applause]

Z!

[louder applause, cheering]

Zara!

[rhythmic applause]

Captioning sponsored by CBS

Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org