X-Files Logo 'Sunshine Days'

Story Code '#9X18'
by Vince Gilligan
X-Files Cast

SCENE 1 - VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA, 11:52 PM

(BLAKE MCCORMICK and his friend MICHAEL DALEY are sitting on top of their car drinking beer. BLAKE whistles the theme to ‘The Brady Bunch’. He looks across the street at a house)

BLAKE:
So, what do you think, man?

MICHAEL:
What do I think about what?

BLAKE:
That's the ‘Brady Bunch’ house. That's the house where they shot the Brady Bunch.

(DALEY looks at the house. He thinks it's ridiculous)

MICHAEL:
What, are you on crack? Does that honestly look like the ‘Brady Bunch’ house to you?

BLAKE:
From inside it does. Straight up, dude - I was there delivering a pizza last night and the guy who lives there is all, like, trying to crowd the door so I can't see inside; but then, he drops his crazy bread, and bends down... and boom. I see it all, man. The ‘Brady Bunch’ house.

(BLAKE crushes his beer can and heads to the house. A sceptical MICHAEL gives chase)

BLAKE:
I'll prove it.

MICHAEL:
Dude, wait!

(BLAKE knocks on the door)

MICHAEL:
Dude, what are you doing?

(BLAKE knocks louder. MICHAEL tries to stop him, obviously uncomfortable with doing this)

MICHAEL:
Blake, it's midnight, man.

BLAKE:
My honour’s at stake, man.

MICHAEL:
Right, nobody's home. Let's go. Come on.

(BLAKE opens the door and enters)

BLAKE:
It's not even locked.

(MICHAEL follows cautiously)

MICHAEL:
You're tripping, dude. Huh?

BLAKE:
See? I told you.

(They look around, and MICHAEL is amazed by what he sees. Everything is exactly as it was on the ‘Brady Bunch’ television show. BLAKE and MICHAEL move around quietly as they look around)

BLAKE:
This is exactly like the show!

(BLAKE picks up the sculpture which has long resided at the foot of the stairs. MICHAEL moves around in awe)

BLAKE:
Look at this. That weird horse sculpture. And the vase that Peter broke. (Imitates Peter Brady) “Mom always said, 'don't play ball in the house’.” You remember that one?

MICHAEL:
I don't understand this.

(MICHAEL is spooked by what he's seeing but BLAKE is just excited to be experiencing it)

BLAKE:
Who's on crack now, huh?

(They look up as a football begins rolling down the staircase. MICHAEL is scared but BLAKE still seems a little delighted to be in the house)

MICHAEL:
H-Hello..?

BLAKE:
Remember the episode where Marcia broke her nose? She got hit with a football, right?

(As BLAKE holds the football, he stands there almost like he is praising it for being part of the show. MICHAEL begins to move away, it's freaking him out too much)

MICHAEL:
Screw this, man. I'm out of here.

(MICHAEL runs out. BLAKE doesn't follow)

BLAKE:
Daley... don't be a puss. Daley.

(BLAKE sits the football down and hears giggling from the second floor. He can't resist it so he moves up the stairs)

BLAKE:
Hel-hello?

(Too little children, a blonde girl and dark haired boy meet him round the corner but they run into a room and close the door)

BLAKE:
Bobby? Cindy? Wait. Wait.

(BLAKE chases them and opens the door, shocked, this time, by what he sees inside. Meanwhile, MICHAEL is waiting outside for BLAKE inside the car)

MICHAEL:
Come on, man, come on.

(MICHAEL hears explosions from the house; he looks around to see what is happening, just as something smashes into the roof of his car. Still alive, MICHAEL crawls out of the window, and sees that it is, BLAKE who has landed, dead, on top of the car)

MICHAEL:
Oh, god. Oh, my god. Oh, my god.


OPENING CREDITS


SCENE 2 - OLIVER MARTIN'S RESIDENCE

(Day. DOGGETT is standing there, looking up at something)

DOGGETT:
I'm telling you.

(REYES enters the picture and stands, next to him, studying the same thing as he is. They move their hands over their eyes to shield them from the sun)

REYES:
No. I don't see how.

DOGGETT:
Well, how else do you explain it? A guy falls from a plane or, I don't know, maybe a helicopter out the door and then... bamm. As simple as that.

(The car, now minus the body, is still parked there. DOGGETT looks in through the window)

REYES:
And how, exactly, did he wind up in a helicopter? Supposedly he was busy breaking into someone's house at the time.

DOGGETT:
Details.

(DOGGETT looks over at the roof of the vehicle and spots something small and black on top)

REYES:
What you got?

(DOGGETT picks up what looks like a small piece of asphalt shingle used on roofs and puts it in a small plastic evidence bag)

DOGGETT:
Maybe nothing.

(A police car pulls up. MICHAEL, with bandages on his head, approaches)

MICHAEL:
Are you the people from the FBI?

REYES:
Michael Daley?

MICHAEL:
Is someone finally going to arrest that freak?

(MICHAEL points toward the house across the street)

DOGGETT:
How about you tell us what you witnessed and then we'll go from there.

MICHAEL:
What I witnessed was Freaksville, man. My friend was murdered. Who would have thought this could happen at the ‘Brady Bunch’ house?

(REYES seems confused)

REYES:
That's not the ‘Brady Bunch’ house.

MICHAEL:
Yeah, it is. I mean, I know it doesn't look like it, but it is. That's where they shot the show.

REYES:
No, they shot the show on a sound stage in Hollywood. The house they used for the exteriors is a split-level in studio city. I took a picture of it once.

(DOGGETT turns to look at REYES, surprised to find out that she is a fan of the show - it is something he clearly didn't know)

MICHAEL:
I'm telling you. It's like some kind of creepy ‘Brady Bunch’ museum in there. I told the cops to search the place but they wouldn't listen to me. But whatever the hell happened to Blake, it happened right in there.

(MICHAEL points at the house. DOGGETT and REYES prepare to investigate. DOGGETT knocks on the door and stands back. OLIVER MARTIN, the owner, comes out and DOGGETT and REYES show him their badges. MICHAEL tries to see inside)

DOGGETT:
Oliver Martin?

REYES:
Mister Martin, I'm Agent Reyes. This is Agent Doggett. We're with the FBI.

OLIVER MARTIN:
This is regarding the death that happened across the street?

DOGGETT:
Yes, sir. May we come in?

OLIVER MARTIN:
I, uh, I already talked to the police about this.

REYES:
Yes, sir, we know.

OLIVER MARTIN:
As I told them, I didn't see or hear anything. I wasn't home at the time.

MICHAEL:
This guy's stonewalling. Kick the door in.

DOGGETT:
Shut up.

OLIVER MARTIN:
I'm... really kind of busy.

REYES:
Mister Martin just five minutes and we'll be out of your hair.

DOGGETT:
Unless you want us to get a warrant and then... we could be here for hours.

(OLIVER is thinking about his options when MICHAEL pushes through and runs inside)

MICHAEL:
Right in here, see?

(MICHAEL stops, as he looks around. Something is wrong)

MICHAEL:
What happened?

(MICHAEL continues into the house, as REYES, DOGGETT and OLIVER enter. The house looks nothing like the house from the pre-title sequence - it is just ordinary)

MICHAEL:
This isn't what I saw. None of it. It's all different. Where'd it all go?

(MICHAEL, REYES and DOGGETT turn to look at OLIVER)

OLIVER MARTIN:
I'm not following.

MICHAEL:
What happened to all the ‘Brady Bunch’ stuff?

(MICHAEL spins around confused. DOGGETT inspects the ceiling closer)

REYES:
Mister Daley was under the impression that your house was used for the filming of the Brady Bunch, the television show.

OLIVER MARTIN:
Well... it wasn't.

(MICHAEL is shocked that this is happening. REYES looks over at him, wishing he were right. DOGGETT continues to inspect the ceiling. We cut to MICHAEL, DOGGETT and REYES exiting. MICHAEL is still sad over the change)

MICHAEL:
I know what I saw.

(MICHAEL walks away. DOGGETT turns and looks out the house, standing on his toes to see something. REYES turns and spots him)

REYES:
What are you looking at?

DOGGETT:
I want to check something out.

(REYES follows as DOGGETT looks in the trashcan, happy with whatever he finds)

DOGGETT:
A-ha.

(DOGGETT pulls out a big piece of roofing material, comparing it to the sample from the car roof. They are the same. He hands it to REYES)

DOGGETT:
Hold this, please.

(DOGGETT climbs on top of the trashcan and hauls himself up to the roof, he finds a new patch of green roof patched onto the old. REYES stands below, holding the roofing material)

DOGGETT:
A-ha.

REYES:
Twice with the ‘A-ha's.’

(DOGGETT lets go of the roof and climbs down)

DOGGETT:
Roof's been patched. When I was inside, I knew I smelled fresh plaster.

REYES:
So, are you going to fill me in?

DOGGETT:
‘A’: our eyewitness places the deceased inside this house just prior to the time of his demise. ‘B’: We found a fragment of roofing shingle at the scene of the impact. It would seem it matches the discarded piece you now hold in your hand. ‘C’: There's a hole in the roof, recently patched this big around.

DOGGETT:
Connect A to B to C.

REYES:
Much in the fashion of, say, Daffy Duck or Wile E. Coyote, the deceased shot straight up through the roof, flew high into the air, and landed on his buddy's car.

(REYES smiles at DOGGETT laughingly but DOGGETT is full serious)

REYES:
You're serious?

DOGGETT:
A to B to C. What can I tell you? I think I'm finally getting the hang of this job.

(REYES has no answer)


SCENE 3 - FBI ACADEMY, QUANTICO, VIRGINIA

(Inside the autopsy bay, SCULLY is preparing to autopsy BLAKE. He still has the piece of roof in his head. SCULLY has her autopsy gear ready and a file)

SCULLY:
Case number 14-308. Blake McCormick, a well-nourished Caucasian male twenty-four years old. I will begin with my external examination.

(SCULLY moves to the victim's head)

SCULLY:
…and here is a likely place to start.

(SCULLY prepares to remove the piece of roof when a rattling sound makes her turn. SCULLY moves to the side-tray, where a scalpel is clattering. SCULLY touches the scalpel and it gives her an electric shock. SCULLY cries out and then looks down, wondering what happened)


SCENE 4 - FBI FIELD OFFICE, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, 7:08 PM

(DOGGETT and REYES are having a computer video conference with SCULLY, from Washington. REYES moves close to DOGGETT to watch the screen)

DOGGETT:
Help me out here, Agent Scully. Monica thinks I'm losing my marbles

(REYES glances at DOGGETT)

DOGGETT:
What can you tell us about what happened to this guy?

(SCULLY responds from Washington)

SCULLY:
Well, for starters, Mister McCormick was dead before he landed on the car. His skull was pulverised from a previous impact and judging by the roofing material that I found in the wound, I'd say that Agent Doggett's theory holds water.

(We cut from SCULLY to DOGGETT and REYES. DOGGETT smiles and looks at REYES, she is confused)

REYES:
Well, like I asked Agent Doggett, how exactly can that be?

SCULLY:
Electricity.

DOGGETT:
How's that?

SCULLY:
Or maybe electricity is only a by-product. I'm not really sure, but look, I had an odd experience today and, uh, and it made me think to try something unusual. I borrowed an E.E.G. machine and I wired Mister McCormick to it. And for the last few hours he's been putting off a faint reading.

REYES:
Are you saying he's alive?

SCULLY:
No, he's dead as a hammer. What I'm reading is some sort of residual electricity like a... like a battery that's draining off its charge. It's fascinating. I mean, I've never seen anything quite like it.

REYES:
But what does it mean?

SCULLY:
Well, if Mulder were here, I'd imagine he'd talk about research linking electromagnetic fluctuations to levitation, poltergeist activity, ghost sightings...

DOGGETT:
Ghosts and poltergeists? That's what Mulder would say?

SCULLY:
At the end of the day I wouldn't have any theory that was any better and I don't now.


SCENE 5 - OLIVER MARTIN'S RESIDENCE

(Night. Outside, we see two feet, and a liquid pouring between them. We see it is MICHAEL emptying out a can of beer)

MICHAEL:
Here's to you, buddy.

(MICHAEL drinks and tosses the can away, making his way to OLIVER MARTIN's house. MICHAEL creeps along the side of the house and looks through the curtains. He sees ALICE, The Brady family’s maid; she takes dinner out of the oven and takes it to the dining room)

ALICE:
Here ya go, folks, my famous pork chops and apple sauce...

(We can hear the BRADY KIDS inside. MICHAEL moves and is shocked to see CAROL and her family: GREG, CINDY, BOBBY, PETER, MARCIA and JAN, all eating dinner. It is now the Brady House again. MICHAEL dashes to the front door and runs inside. It is exactly as he first saw it - minus the family. MICHAEL looks around, confused. Behind him, OLIVER approaches from the den. MICHAEL turns and sees him)

MICHAEL:
What is this, man? What in holy freaking hell is this, man?

OLIVER MARTIN:
Please. Leave.

MICHAEL:
They were here. I saw them! I saw them all!

(OLIVER tries calmly to get MICHAEL to leave but MICHAEL won't)

OLIVER MARTIN:
Leave. Before it's too late.

MICHAEL:
I saw the Brady Bunch.

(OLIVER shakes his head as MICHAEL begins to rise off the ground)

MICHAEL:
Oh, my god. What are you doing?! Oh, my god. Oh, my god!

(MICHAEL screams as he rises higher and higher. He bursts through the ceiling and goes flying out. OLIVER stands unhappily, as bits of roof fall to the floor)


SCENE 6 - NEXT DAY

(A POLICE OFFICER removes a white sheet on the lawn to show us MICHAEL. His body is indented into the grass. DOGGETT and REYES approach and look at the body. Reporters and T.V. Cameras gather as close as the police will let them)

REYES:
Smile. All of Southern California's watching us scratch our heads in confusion.

DOGGETT:
So let's go get some damn answers.

(DOGGETT allows the OFFICER to replace the sheet. They move towards the house. OLIVER is on the porch)

OLIVER MARTIN:
I said all I'm going to say to you people! You don't like it, go get your warrant!

(OLIVER goes inside. DOGGETT and REYES stand there, nonplussed)

REYES:
He called your bluff. Maybe we can get a warrant.

(They both start to move away)

DOGGETT:
Yeah. ‘Judge, I want to toss the house of a man who makes people magically zoom into the sky. It has something to do with electricity and poltergeists and whatnot.’ Yeah, that'll fly.

(A blue tarp is covering the new hole in the roof. DOGGETT answers his cell phone. It is our good friend, DANA SCULLY)

DOGGETT:
Doggett.

SCULLY:
So the owner won't talk, huh?

(DOGGETT is surprised that she knows this. We cut to where she is, the L.A. Field Office. She is watching the Television, which shows DOGGETT and REYES)

DOGGETT:
Excuse me?

SCULLY:
Smile, you're on T.V.

(SCULLY smiles, and DOGGETT groans)

SCULLY:
I'm in Los Angeles at the field office. I've called in someone whom you'll both want to meet.


SCENE 7 - LOS ANGELES FIELD OFFICE

(The office is dark, and a video plays on a T.V screen. On it, a boy, ANTHONY FOGELMAN is sitting at a table, with four wooden blocks in front of him, of all different colours. DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ, whom we can't see, is conducting a session with ANTHONY)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
(On film) April Fourth, 1970, 10:36 A.M. Present for this test are John Rietz, speaking and Anthony Fogelman, age eight.

(ANTHONY waves at the camera)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
(On film) Hello, Anthony. Are you ready to begin? Good. Now, relax, relax and focus.

(The boy closes his eyes)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
(On film) Almost immediately the E.E.G. is registering an increase in fast beta wave activity on all leads. Theta activity is rising as well. Oh, my goodness!

(One of the blocks moves)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
(On film) Oh, my goodness!

(The screen has interference now so SCULLY turns on the lights. DOCTOR RIETZ, DOGGETT and REYES have been watching)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
Well, there you have it. My right hand to god. All four blocks rose off of the table and spiralled halfway to the ceiling before they fell.

REYES:
Too bad that wasn't on film.

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
The understatement of a lifetime. Whatever phenomenon caused this I also believe that it radiated an electromagnetic field strong enough to fog the image. Well, don't be polite. Call me crazy. Everybody does.

DOGGETT:
I believe you.

(REYES is simply stunned to hear DOGGETT say such a thing)

DOGGETT:
You recognise that kid? That's our suspect, Oliver Martin, right?

SCULLY:
I went through Mulder's reference books. Van Nuys, California, 1970: One of the best documented cases of what was initially thought to be poltergeist activity. It focused on a young boy, Anthony Fogelman, who has since changed his name. And Doctor Rietz was the parapsychologist who investigated it.

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
Objects flew around the house. Rooms would grow inexplicably cold. Strange voices would be heard. Anthony's mother was at the end of her rope. I spent six months with her and her son. Six astonishing months.

REYES:
What did you learn?

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
That Anthony was as bewildered as everyone else but that he was responsible for all of it.

SCULLY:
He was psychokinetic.

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
He was the Mozart of psychokinesis.

REYES:
Sir, in your line of work why would you fall out of touch with the Mozart of psychokinesis?

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
Over time, Anthony's abilities faded. The last few months I was with him there were no manifestations of it whatsoever.

SCULLY:
He lost his power.

DOGGETT:
We're looking at this guy for two murders. What can you give us that we could actually take to a judge? Was he an angry kid? Was he violent?

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
I can't say what he grew up to be. I haven't spoken to him in thirty years but the Anthony I knew was a lonely little boy.


SCENE 8 - OLIVER MARTIN'S HOUSE

(OLIVER has just finished fixing his new ceiling. He climbs away and stands all alone. He looks out the window and closes his curtain, and then closes his eyes, concentrating. The house transforms itself into the Brady House. Running down the stairs, as they do in so many episodes of the show, are the children. They wave goodbye to OLIVER who smiles, perhaps nostalgically, perhaps just happy to have friends. The phone rings and OLIVER loses concentration. The room transforms back to the real one. The answering machine picks up the phone)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
This is a message for Oliver Martin. Oliver, I believe I knew you years ago as Anthony. This is Doctor John Rietz calling. Remember me? It's been far too long and I'd love... I'd love to talk to you. I'd really like to catch up. Obviously, you're all grown up now. It's funny. I have trouble picturing that. My god, how time flies. But anyway, you can reach me any time on my cell phone: seven-one-four-five-five-five-oh-one-four-six. I look forward to hearing from you. Bye, now.

(The ladder begins to tremble. A knife flies across and hits the phone, which smashes to the ground. OLIVER walks away)


SCENE 9 -LOS ANGELES FIELD OFFICE, DAY

(DOCTOR RIETZ hands up the phone. DOGGETT and SCULLY watch)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
I guess he's not home.

DOGGETT:
He's home.

(REYES at the computer, catches their attention)

REYES:
A-ha. I was wondering why a man with no criminal record would change his name. And then I thought about the name itself Oliver Martin. It sounded familiar so I ran it.

DOGGETT:
Through what? N.C.I.C.?

REYES:
No, a ‘Brady Bunch’ web-site. It popped right up.

(DOGGETT, SCULY and DOCTOR RIETZ move closer. It is a ‘Brady Bunch’ fan site, open at the page on Cousin Oliver, played by Robbie Rist in the television show)

DOGGETT:
‘Cousin Oliver’? Who the hell's that?

REYES:
Carol Brady's nephew. He came to live with the Brady's during the last season of the show.

DOGGETT:
You're speaking Greek to me here. What's this case have to do with an old T.V. show?

REYES:
You remember what Michael Daley claimed he saw inside that house. He said it was the ‘Brady Bunch’ house. He seemed certain of it. And now this name, Oliver Martin - just connecting A to B to C.

(DOGGETT smiles and then turns back to the others)

DOGGETT:
Does this make any sense to you? When you knew Anthony, was he nutty for the Brady Bunch?

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
We'd watch it together.

DOGGETT:
Okay, say he is. What's it mean?

REYES:
Well, why name himself after cousin Oliver? None of the other Bradys particularly liked Oliver. He was a self-described pest.

SCULLY:
A jinx. Cousin Oliver, the jinx.

(DOGGETT can't believe it, is the world obsessed with this show?)

SCULLY:
Oh, so maybe I watched an episode or two. So what you're saying is that his choice speaks to Anthony Fogelman's character; how he views himself- unlucky, star-crossed, a danger.

DOGGETT:
Okay, so be it. Just tell me how this helps me bust him and uh... I'm happy.

SCULLY:
Well, I'm staring to hope that it doesn't come to that. Well, the power that this man seemingly possesses is extraordinary. It needs to be studied.

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
It could expand the scope of human knowledge. It could change everything.

SCULLY:
It very well could. I've been working this unit for nine years now. I've investigated nearly two-hundred paranormal cases. We are due for some incontrovertible proof. I want vindication for Mulder and for all of us.

(The investigation is being changed, it seems)


SCENE 10 - OLIVER MARTIN'S HOUSE

(DOCTOR RIETZ, and DOGGETT knock on the door. DOGGETT sees something through the window)

DOGGETT:
What in the hell?

(DOGGETT rushes to the door but it is locked. He picks the lock)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
What is it? Agent Doggett, what?

(DOGGETT continues urgently picking the lock. Inside, DOGGETT steps in)

DOGGETT:
Wait here.

(DOGGETT closes the door, looking around amazed at the house - which is once again converted into the ‘Brady Bunch’ house. DOGGETT hears a sound upstairs)

DOGGETT:
Oliver Martin, FBI!

(DOGGETT goes upstairs and sees OLIVER in the hallway. He stands looking at DOGGETT)

OLIVER MARTIN:
Get out of my house.

DOGGETT:
Oliver, there's someone here that wants to talk to you - Doctor Rietz. You remember him?

(OLIVER shakes his head in exasperation)

OLIVER MARTIN:
Why won't you people just leave me alone? Please, get out.

(DOGGETT begins to rise of the ground, DOGGETT tries to keep himself down but it isn't working. He goes flying out the ceiling leaving OLIVER there by himself)


SCENE 11 - ATTIC

(Doggett is unconscious, and pinned upside down on the ceiling… He comes to, and looks ‘up’ to the floor below)

DOGGETT:
Oh, crap.

(DOGGETT stands, upside down, on the ceiling. He jumps up and down but the gravity, or whatever force it is, is holding him the other way. Down below, DOCTOR REITZ tries to see the rooftop)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
Oliver?

DOGGETT:
Doctor Rietz? I could use some help up here!

(DOCTOR REITZ runs around, looking for a better way to get up to the roof. Inside, DOGGETT is pacing the wooden ceiling)

DOGGETT:
(Yells) Oliver!? You up there!? Down there? Whatever the hell...

(DOGGETT continues along, to look down through the hole he recently came up in. OLIVER is staring looking at him)

DOGGETT:
Oliver. Oliver!

(OLIVER walks away, leaving DOGGETT standing there, confused. DOCTOR REITZ arrives at the stairway and moves through the hall)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
Anthony?

(DOGGETT calls out to REITZ, who practically ignores him and moves on to OLIVER)

DOGGETT:
Hey! Hey! I'm up here! Doctor Rietz... help me out here!

(OLIVER is huddled in a ball)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
Anthony?

DOGGETT:
Come back here, man! He's dangerous!

(DOCTOR REITZ moves closer to OLIVER, who is scared)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
Anthony? Anthony...

(OLIVER stands up. DOCTOR REITZ moves towards him to calm him)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
Anthony... let him go.

OLIVER MARTIN:
I can't.

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
Sure you can.

OLIVER MARTIN:
No. I don't know how.

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
Anthony... you're a good person. I know that hasn't changed. Relax... and focus. Remember?

(OLIVER nods)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
Good. Relax... and focus.

(OLIVER begins to cry. DOGGETT comes crashing down with a thud)


SCENE 12 - LIVING ROOM

(Later. DOGGETT is holding ice to his head. OLIVER and DOCTOR REITZ are sitting near him in the chairs that the family have used so often. SCULLY and REYES enter and notice instantly the surroundings. SCULLY is surprised but moves to DOGGETT first. REYES looks around, transfixed by the house, walking in amazement and wonder)

REYES:
Oh, my god. This is... Are you all right?

DOGGETT:
Yeah.

(REYES moves around looking at all the Brady artefacts. SCULLY checks DOGGETT)

SCULLY:
Just minor bruising.

DOGGETT:
Dana Scully... meet Oliver Martin.

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
Uh... Anthony Fogelman.

(OLIVER shakes his head)

OLIVER MARTIN:
Oliver.

(SCULLY sits next to DOGGETT, awe inspired at the proof of an X-File. REYES examines the horse statue and vase)

SCULLY:
Oliver, it's a great pleasure to meet you.

REYES:
Where did all this come from, Oliver? How did you make this come to be?

OLIVER MARTIN:
I think about it, and it's here.

SCULLY:
Can you think about other things?

(REYES replaces the vase and sits next to DOGGETT)

SCULLY:
What happens if you... think about another place .. a nice place?

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
Can you do that, Oliver? Please?

(OLIVER looks hesitantly at DOCTOR REITZ)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
It's important to me.

(The agents and RIETZ stare apprehensively at OLIVER , as he concentrates. The Brady house vanishes and we see instead green grass and blue skies, with the furniture still intact)

SCULLY:
(Quietly) Oh, my god.

(The four of them stand and move around in wonder as they take this in. SCULLY stares at the ocean and the waves. The house slowly morphs back into the ‘Brady Bunch’ house)

OLIVER MARTIN:
Mainly... I like to be here.

(OLIVER is puffing a little. DOGGETT stares around slowly. SCULLY moves back to OLIVER)

SCULLY:
Oliver... with your help, we could learn so much. I would love to take you back with us to Washington.

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
It would mean so much to me, Oliver... to show the whole world.

(OLIVER looks at DOCTOR RIETZ and after a moment, he nods)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
Wonderful. Let's go get you packed.

(OLIVER and REITZ leave. SCULLY is so happy to have this chance)

DOGGETT:
We've got a tiger by the tail.

REYES:
Do you believe he intended to kill you?

DOGGETT:
He wanted me out of his house, and away I went. It was involuntary, like a sneeze. What the hell difference does it make? It means he's not in control of this power of his.

SCULLY:
I think that's where we can help him. I mean, he needs to learn how to control his powers. I mean, my god... there's no end to what he could accomplish.

DOGGETT:
And there's no end to the harm he could cause if he goes off the deep end which isn't too long a walk for this guy in case you haven't noticed. I mean, this whole ‘Brady Bunch’ thing... I'm not so sure about this.

REYES:
Well, we can't keep him here. Two people are dead. Clearly, this isn't working.

SCULLY:
And besides, I mean... as grand as this may sound,... we owe it to the world.

DOGGETT:
Maybe. Except that I can't shake this feeling that the other shoe's going to drop... that there's something Oliver's not telling us.

(OLIVER steps into the hallway. He has been in the bedroom and he is now clutching a backpack and a football)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
Oliver? Coming?

(A electrical current startles OLIVER. He drops the football and looks scared all of a sudden)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
Oliver?

(OLIVER looks at DOCTOR REITZ, the electricity clearly isn't the first time it has happened but he goes with REITZ anyway)


SCENE 13 - A.D. SKINNER'S OFFICE

(Close up of SKINNER's face. He is surprised, and looks around in happy shock. He looks at DOGGETT and REYES who are both watching him, laughing and happy with whatever it is that is happening. SCULLY is also smiling. We see SKINNER, standing there, above the ground. OLIVER is concentrating on levitating him. DOCTOR REITZ, and DOCTOR HENRY JACOCKS are in the room. JACOCKS looks underneath SKINNER's feet where there is a large gap between them and the floor. SKINNER does a backward somersault in the air and SCULLY bursts out laughing as SKINNER touches down on the ground)

SKINNER:
Wow!

(OLIVER is out of breath, it is clearly painstaking)

OLIVER MARTIN:
May I have a glass of water?

(In the outer office, ARLENE pours OLIVER a glass. He drinks. SKINNER stands watching him)

SKINNER:
We'll only be a minute. Anything you need, uh, just ask Arlene.

(SKINNER goes back inside)

SCULLY:
So what do you think, Doctor Jacocks?

DOCTOR HENRY JACOCKS:
What do I think? I think there's a hell of a lot of physics books that are due for major rewrites. And I think a year from now you and Doctor Rietz will be in Stockholm accepting the Nobel prize. This will change everything.

(DOGGETT is the only one who doesn't seem happy)

DOCTOR HENRY JACOCKS:
May I use your phone?

SKINNER:
Yeah.

DOGGETT:
So you're on board with this?

REYES:
What happens next?

SKINNER:
I want Kersh to see this. I want the Director himself in here. Do you realise what this means? This kind of proof? It insures that they can't shut you down. It means the X-Files will go on forever.

(A loud thud outside the door stops everyone. ARLENE rushes in)

ARLENE:
Agent Scully!

(Everyone rushes out to where OLIVER is on the floor having a seizure, the water glass in his hand)

ARLENE:
He's having a seizure.

(SCULLY goes to OLIVER to help him)

SCULLY:
What happened?

ARLENE:
I saw a big spark and he collapsed.

(DOGGETT reaches for the phone)

DOGGETT:
We need an ambulance. We got a man having a seizure. Fourth floor, A.D. Skinner's office. Make it quick.


SCENE 14 - HOSPITAL

(OLIVER MARTIN is in bed)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
It was just all the excitement. A little bed rest will do him wonders. And we'll get things right back on schedule.

(REITZ, DOGGETT and REYES are watching OLIVER. SCULLY enters and calls them out)

REYES:
What do his doctors say?

SCULLY:
Oliver's electrolytes were severely imbalanced - that's what sent him into shock. They've stabilised his fluids...

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
When will they release him?

SCULLY:
Well, there's other problems. His thyroid level is elevated. His glucose is low. C.P.K., liver enzymes and BUN... they're all elevated.

DOGGETT:
Which, in a nutshell means...

SCULLY:
It points to a multi-system organ failure. Gradually his body is consuming itself. It's been going on for months... and maybe even years.

(REITZ looks over at OLIVER. REYES is a little confused)

REYES:
What's causing it?

SCULLY:
His doctors have no idea but I think I'm starting to.

DOGGETT:
This power of his - it's eating him alive.

SCULLY:
And if so, it follows that the more he uses it, the more his health will decline. Until finally...

(REITZ is clearly saddened by this - but for OLIVER or for his research? REYES looks into the room and notices something)

REYES:
What in the hell?

(SCULLY turns around to look. The Brady family are gathered solemnly around OLIVER's bed - CINDY is carrying Kitty Carry-All, her beloved doll)

SCULLY:
Oh, my god.

(Everyone rushes in to where OLIVER is lying awake. The Bradys are gone)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
Oliver?

REYES:
Oliver, those people just now - was that...? Were they...?

DOGGETT:
Why were they here?

OLIVER MARTIN:
To say good-bye.

SCULLY:
Why good-bye, Oliver?

(OLIVER looks sadly over at SCULLY)

OLIVER MARTIN:
Because I'm dying.

(Everyone is affected by this)


SCENE 15 - FBI HEADQUARTERS, WASHINGTON D.C.

(In the X-Files office, DOGGETT is watching the footage of DOCTOR REITZ from 1970. SCULLY, REYES and REITZ walk in and DOGGETT turns off the projector)

DOGGETT:
Any change in his condition?

SCULLY:
They're trying everything they can think of. Experimental drugs, plasma transfusion...

DOGGETT:
None of that's going to work.

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
Why not?

DOGGETT:
Because they're treating the symptoms not the cause.

SCULLY:
What do you have, John?

(SCULLY and REITZ sit down near DOGGETT. REYES stands up the back)

DOGGETT:
One big question. Why the Brady Bunch? Seriously, you two are fans. Why are people still watching a thirty-year-old T.V. show?

REYES:
Because they're the family everyone wishes they had. Loving parents, lots of brothers and sisters everybody getting along.

SCULLY:
They're the perfect family. And since Oliver didn't have one as a child he... created one.

DOGGETT:
Sure, I buy all that but in this case, why ‘The Brady Bunch’? Why not ‘The Partridge Family’? Why not ‘Eight Is Enough’?

(SCULLY can't answer. REYES can't answer. Can DOCTOR REITZ?)

DOGGETT:
Where was Oliver when he first saw the Brady Bunch? He was with you, right?

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
He'd always insist that we watch it together every week I was there.

DOGGETT:
And the longer you two were together the more his psychokinetic power faded until finally it went away completely. Now, why do you think that was?

(All three of them realise DOGGETT's point)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
Because for the first time in his life, he was happy.

DOGGETT:
Because he was with you.

SCULLY:
What are you suggesting as the course of action, John?

DOGGETT:
‘A’: Oliver's going to die if he continues to use his power. ‘B’: His power goes away when he's happy. And ‘C’: You're the father he never had, and he loves you. A to B to C

(All of them sit there, realising that there is something to be done now, to save OLIVER's life)


SCENE 16 - OLIVER'S ROOM

(An ORDERLY feeds OLIVER green jelly. But OLIVER isn't interested)

ORDERLY:
Come on, Oliver you've got to eat something, man. Doctor's orders.

(REITZ enters. The ORDERLY hands him the food and walks out)

ORDERLY:
Talk to him, will ya?

(The ORDERLY leaves. DOCTOR RIETZ remains standing by the bedside and puts the jello container on the nearest table. They need to talk)

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
Oliver. You have to understand - my life's work; the vindication of it - it's so important to me. I let it blind me. I treated you like a lab rat and not a man. And thirty years ago, I left with barely a good-bye. I am sorry for that. You can't use your power. Not ever again. I forbid it.

OLIVER MARTIN:
I can't be alone.

DOCTOR JOHN RIETZ:
You won't be. You've got me. Can you forgive me, Oliver?

OLIVER MARTIN:
Anthony.

(DOCTOR RIETZ smiles at the implications of that one word. Outside, DOGGETT, REYES and SCULLY watch as REITZ feeds OLIVER / ANTHONY)

DOGGETT:
So close, Dana. I'm sorry you don't get your proof.

SCULLY:
Me, too. Well, maybe I've had it these past nine years. If not proof of the paranormal, then... of more important things.

(OLIVER is smiling now, happier than he has been all episode. SCULLY gives him one last look and walks away)

DOGGETT:
Here's hoping the T.V. stays off and he learns how to love the real world.

(DOGGETT looks across at REYES and they look back to OLIVER. REYES reaches for DOGGETT's hand and he gives it to her)

REYES:
I think you are getting the hang of this job.

(The two of them turn back to look at OLIVER and REITZ)

[THE END]



Gillian Anderson (Special Agent Dana Scully), Robert Patrick (Special Agent John Doggett), Mitch Pileggi (A.D Skinner), Annabeth Gish (Special Agent Monica Reyes), John Aylward (Doctor John Rietz), Jack Bensinger (Bobby Brady), Stephen W Bridgwater (Doctor Henry Jacocks), Nick Campisano (Greg Brady), Eric Don (Anthony Fogelman), Michael Emerson (Oliver Martin), David Faustino (Michael Daley), Keith Forster (Mike Brady),Nolan Irwin (Peter Brady), Damon Kaylor (Orderly), Stephanie M Herrera (Cindy Brady), Sharayah Montgomery (Jan Brady), Arlene Pileggi (Skinner's Assistant), Marcie Lynn Ross (Alice), Danielle Savre (Marcia Brady), Robbie Troy (Carol Brady), Tyson Turrou (Blake McCormick)

Directed by Vince Gilligan

TX:
US TX - 12th May 2002

Notes:
*Featuring Special Special Agent Dana Scully, Special Agent John Doggett, Special Agent Monica Reyes and A.D. Walter Skinner

*The title refers to those childhood day’s of one’s life, the memory of which is often evoked by sounds, smells, or, in this case, the memory of a television programme

*‘Oliver’ chooses his new name as a reference to the cousin who appeared in the final episodes of ‘The Brady Bunch’