Adaptation means changing to increase your chances of survival
in a specific environment.
Animals are way better at that than us humans. Way better.
I don't get it.
Why did you get suspended and not me?
Maybe it's 'cause you organized it?
Yeah, maybe.
What?
I'm just thinking about how she's not gonna be surprised.
Who?
My mom.
In second grade, I had this really cool Matchbox car.
It was a Camaro.
And at recess, this boy James took it, and he wouldn't give it back.
Did you murder him?
-I pushed him. -That's my girl.
I was sent to the principal, and they called my mom.
And I thought I was gonna be in so much trouble.
But you know what she did?
She laughed.
Oh.
She expects me to get kicked out…
and here I am.
Hey, you didn't get kicked out.
You're just taking a mandatory rest
from your exhausting work as a crusader for justice. That's all.
I'm just scared I'm gonna miss everything.
Classes, track,
all the crazy stuff you get up to.
[chuckles] Don't worry about that. Elsa grounded me.
I mean, I'm still allowed to run, and go to school, and go to practice,
so it's basically meaningless. But still, how dare she?
Promise you won't have any fun without me.
I couldn't.
[uplifting music playing]
[Sam] Okay, pretend I'm Little Dude.
To begin, one of you will drive me
to the JFK International Airport in New York,
where I will fly,
with a brief stop in Buenos Aires,
here to Ushuaia, Argentina.
-Wow, Argentina, that's cool. -[Sam] Cooler even than you think.
It's the southernmost city in the world.
Its nickname is "the End of the World."
Also interesting, in the 1940s,
Canadians brought beavers there to establish a fur trade, which failed,
but now the city is overrun with beavers.
Uh, I dispute the use of the word "interesting."
Do I need to be here?
Yes. There may be times on my trip that I'm unreachable,
so it's very important that you all know my itinerary in case I sink or freeze.
What?
From Ushuaia, it's a two-day, 620-mile journey
across the Drake Passage through hazardous waters
to the Antarctic Peninsula.
I will land at Paradise Harbor and train at Brown Station
before heading to field camp at the Brunt Ice Shelf.
Of course, in the beginning,
I will spend much of my time at the Union Glacier Camp.
Of course.
[Sam] Then I will arrive at the Halley Research Station,
a mere mile from an emperor penguin colony.
This is where my work truly begins.
-So you figured out your project? -[Sam] Yes.
My proposal centers around this colony.
The emperor penguins in Antarctica
are in danger of extinction due to climate change.
I will document this colony using my art
in order to capture their essence.
In 80 years, they might not exist.
That sounds like a long time, but it's not.
I'll be dead, but just by a little. You two will be long gone.
Wow, this is really cool, Sam.
It kind of makes me want to go to Antarctica.
Thank you. I still have a lot to do to prepare.
I have to read over all my biographies of polar explorers.
As my crew, I will need you to help me train.
Not it.
Dad, you did such a good job with the tent. You're on survival skills.
I'll need you to teach me how to survive in the wild and not be killed.
Thanks. I'll do what I can.
Casey, I'll be hiking with a heavy pack, so I need to get in shape.
-I'm gonna run with you. -Hilarious.
And, Mom, food availability is very limited in Antarctica,
so I need to expand my palate.
Here are some recipes. Please make them for family dinner this week.
What is pemmican?
It's paste made from fish and other meats.
[gags]
And what is hoosh?
It's an Antarctic stew made from meat and snow.
Traditionally, the meat would be penguin or seal, but please don't do that.
Okay. [sighs]
Does everyone know their jobs?
[Zahid] So, what's my role?
Elsa's the cook. Doug's the survival guy.
Casey's got the wisecracks. What about me? I want to be in the crew.
I don't know, but I have bigger fish to fry.
Look what I have to do for the program application. Question 9.
"Are you in fair health? Please attach a physician's report." So?
So it says I have to get a physical.
I hate physicals.
More specifically, I hate having my blood drawn.
Even more specifically, I'm scared of having my blood drawn
ever since I learned that one tiny air bubble can kill you.
Well, speaking as a medical professional,
the whole air bubble thing is pretty darn rare.
I'd prefer impossible.
Wait, this is it. This is my role.
I will be your very own personal medical consultant.
All the big-time explorers have one. I'm sure.
I'll make the appointment for you. I'll even go with you.
-I'm overdue for a physical anyway. -I guess it could help to have you there.
Heck yes, it will. I'm a blast at the doctor.
I got no less than 14 catheter jokes that absolutely kill.
I still don't like this.
But won't it feel nice to cross it off your list?
It will. It will.
[Zahid] Mm-hmm.
[Sam] You probably already know this,
but the fish in Antarctica are evolutionary wonders.
Over 90% have developed an antifreeze protein in their blood
that prevents them from freezing to death in the icy water.
Now that's what I call adapting.
So I just ran it over with my car. [chuckles]
I mean, what else could I do?
Awful thing.
Um…
Well, not to change the subject--
No, please, change the subject.
Um, well, Sam's--
Sam has some very ambitious plans lately,
and it's got me thinking about dreams,
a young person's dreams.
We all had them. We were all that starry-eyed kid, right?
So, we know what happens. They die.
Dreams die.
They get crushed under the bootheel of real life.
That's why they're called "dreams" and not "what actually happened."
None of us get what we want. We all end up disappointed.
And that's okay. That's reality.
Maybe we should go back to Kathy's horrible story.
I don't think I'm legally allowed to tell the next part anyway.
It's like how all kids say they wanna be an athlete, or a rock star,
or the president when they grow up,
and not a paper pusher at some soulless corporation.
No-- No offense, Kevin.
Dreams, they're just the starting point.
They're a place to fall from.
Vivian, you know.
You thought you were marrying your soul mate,
and he stole your life savings.
So…
I just…
I need to figure out a way to communicate that to Sam.
Aw.
Look at you without your other half. So sad and pathetic.
Like when you find one sock randomly lying in the street without its match.
Thank you.
[Zoe] How is Izzie?
Did she die of loneliness yet or what?
She might have. I haven't heard from her in three minutes or so.
Oh, I'll let you know. I'm gonna see her today.
Oh, you are?
Yeah. She asked me to bring her homework. We have a physics test, and it's brutal.
[Zoe] She asked Hazel and not you? Uh-oh.
That does not seem like a good sign.
[scoffs] Shut up.
So, is Hazel your new girlfriend or what?
I had to ask her to bring it. You're grounded, remember?
Hmm. You didn't answer my question. That worries me.
Is that my take-home test?
I'm holding it hostage till you tell me I'm your one and only.
[scoffs]
[Casey] Wow.
You realize this is the first time I'm seeing your room.
I love it. It's so you.
Nice YA collection.
Whoa. Is this a secret box of jelly beans?
Shh! Do you want three kids busting in and tearing that box to shreds?
[whispers] Sorry.
Can I have some jelly beans?
Uh!
-You're my one and only. -All right.
Ugh. I suck at physics.
-[woman] I'm back! -[door closes]
-Oh no. -Oh my God. Is that your mom?
-Can I meet your mom? -Please, no.
[Casey] We're in here!
Casey.
-Look at you. -[giggles]
I am so glad to finally meet you.
-This one's been keeping you from me. -Hi, Mrs. Taylor.
-Sasha. -Okay.
Oh wow.
[Casey whispers] Oh.
Wow, you have amazing energy.
Like, your aura is really stunning.
You're glowing.
Oh, I jogged here, so just sweaty.
[both chuckle]
I like you. You're a good one. I can tell.
[gasps]
Ooh, can I do your tarot?
-Nope. -Sure.
-I'll go set up the space. -[Casey] Okay.
Come on, it'll be fun.
That has not been my experience.
-Have a jelly bean and be happy. -I don't want a jelly bean.
[Paige] Gosh, aren't we just the cutest?
You learning how to draw in gloves,
while I write letters of gratitude to women of greatness.
Each of us bettering our individual selves
while still staying close enough for the occasional nuzzle.
You smudged my humpback whale.
-That's a whale? -[Sam] I'm still learning.
[phone dings]
Well, I just finished my fourth letter this month.
Sometimes I mail them across the fruited plains to Washington, DC,
and sometimes I just take them across the street from Sal E. Sour Cream
and drop them off at City Hall in person.
Sam?
What's wrong?
They found Niles Blanderman.
Oh.
-Who? -Niles Blanderman.
He was an Australian polar explorer who went missing in the 1950s.
They found him frozen under eight feet of ice.
His corpse was almost perfectly preserved.
Yeesh. Does that happen a lot?
Freezing, yes.
Finding, no.
I've read all about him in my explorer books.
He was supposed to be really tough.
There's a rumor that he would go fishing and use his own fingers as bait,
so it was easier for him to throttle his catch.
His nickname was "the Fingering Fisherman."
Oh.
Well, that is unfortunate.
[Sam] Adaptation happens when there's no other choice,
when it's change or die.
Us humans, we usually just die.
This is exciting. I've never done tarot before.
Is that even the right way to say it? "Done tarot"?
No. The right way to say it is, "Let's go hang out in my room instead."
Izzie thinks that this is all very silly. She's always been very literal.
[chuckles] Well, I don't think
you're a magical fairy who can tell the future.
-So if that's literal, I guess I am. -[Casey laughs]
Place them into one deck, please.
Oh.
Oh wow! I knew it.
Oh, Izzie, you're so lucky to be under her canopy.
What? What do they mean? They're pretty.
I have a lot of homework, so--
Please.
Here's what I see.
Adventure, hope, positivity.
And you'll never be alone.
You have a quiet power that other people wanna follow.
Now, it may not end up like you expected it to,
but your path ahead is full of light and luck.
And this, my dear, is you.
Why haven't I done tarot before?
I didn't know it was just free compliments. [chuckles]
-All right, your turn. -No.
Come on.
Fine.
[Casey] Oh boy.
Oh wow. Those look really different from mine.
Did that poor buffalo get stabbed in the eye?
Look at that darkness.
I mean, it explains the attraction.
The light and the dark.
I'm done.
Her cards are always like this.
I started doing her readings when she was seven years old,
and there was so much anger and bitterness, even then.
Why would a seven year old be bitter?
[gasps] Oh, maybe it's because she's busy making her sister a bottle
while her mom sleeps one off.
Izzie.
Well, I have had my hard times,
but I certainly did everything I could.
No, you haven't.
And I'm done here.
[door slams]
[scoffs] Um…
I'm gonna sage you before you go.
[exhales] A lot of intense energy in here, huh?
[quietly] Okay.
[door opens]
She makes me crazy.
That's not an expression.
She makes my brain break, and then I go crazy.
Yeah, I get it.
But, I mean, it's just stupid tarot.
You don't get it,
because you're a fawn in the woods, and I'm a bison with swords in its eyes.
I don't think I'm in the mood to hang out.
Maybe you should go.
I can sit here quietly.
I'll be a very quiet fawn in the woods.
No, Casey, please.
Please leave.
Come on.
Don't take out your anger at your mom on me.
Actually, I think I might also be angry at you.
What? Why?
I told you I didn't wanna hang out with my mom.
Okay, well, I wanted to meet her.
And you did, and of course she loves you.
What does that mean?
It's the same reason why I got suspended and you didn't.
You have this charmed life.
And usually it's whatever, but right now it's really hard to deal with.
That's why I asked Hazel to bring me my test and not you.
-What? That's not even-- -Just go. Please.
I need some space.
[door closes]
Check this out. Look what came in.
Oh, that looks useful.
It's for Sam's trip.
I'm taking my job as survival man very seriously.
Whoa, that's a big knife.
Oh, this is great. He's gonna be able to do so much with this puppy.
Chip ice, tighten a screw…
Cut off his foot?
No, he'll be fine. He's responsible.
Okay, sure, but
we really need to get on the same page about this trip.
Okay.
I know since Chuck died, you feel like we should all seize the day,
but there's just no way he's gonna be able to do this Antarctica thing.
It's too far, it's dangerous,
and as his parents, we have a responsibility to be honest with him.
I agree.
You do? You got him that big, scary knife.
I agree we need to get on the same page. And you need to get on board.
Look, I love you, but you have to start believing in Sam.
That's not fair.
I mean, you are so great with him.
You're so helpful, and you're so protective,
but you're constantly doubting him.
-You need to look at that. -Doug.
Look how much work he's put into this. Look how much he's thought it through.
It's a lot, sure. It's bold, yeah.
But he's doing this,
and we could either help him or not.
[Sam] But as the emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica
face greater danger of extinction,
the question becomes,
will they change?
Can they change?
Why do some species adapt, and others don't?
I wish I knew.
Hey, homie.
What you doing in the thinking tub?
Did you know they inspected Niles Blanderman's corpse
from head to toe,
and the only thing wrong with him was a sprained ankle?
That's all it took to do him in.
Oh.
How long have you been reading about this carcass?
I don't know. Hours.
Okay, hand it over. You need to get to bed, young man.
I need you rested. We have our physicals tomorrow.
-Capisce? -Capisce.
-[door opens] -[Zahid] I'm sorry I'm late.
But check it, penguin scrubs!
Your personal medical consultant also dresses the part.
Nice. If you get an air bubble in your veins,
at least you'll look fancy when you're dead.
Okay, so you're still nervous.
Of course. I don't understand why people do this.
They do it to get to Antarctica.
[door opens]
Okay, are we all set?
Yes, we are, madam.
And may I say, as a fellow medical professional,
your positivity is infectious.
[chuckles]
Pun intended.
[suspenseful music plays]
Nope!
I'll get him.
[Elsa] Can you believe that?
I mean, he's basically saying I'm this big wet blanket
that doesn't believe in people. Me.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's sort of what I wanted to talk about.
-That speech you gave. -Mm-hmm.
"Dead dreams, life is a burned-out shell of desolation and negativity."
-That's not what I said. -It really bummed people out.
I cried in my car, and I know for a fact I'm not the only one.
Sheldon's back on his Lexapro. Anyhoo.
[inhales deeply] Several group members have indicated
that they no longer want to attend if you are,
so… we'd like you to take a break.
You--
You're kicking me out of the group?
No. Never, of course not.
Just consider it a sabbatical.
Those are restful.
Bye, hon.
-What are you doing here? -It's family dinner night.
Oh, fine. You can stay.
Oh, honey, I've been meaning to ask you.
How's Izzie? How's she taking suspension?
-I don't wanna talk about it. -Okey-doke.
Sam, how's trip preparations going?
[Sam] Terrible.
I couldn't get a physical
because I was too scared of the blood test.
As soon as I saw the needle, boom. I just walked out like a baby.
Sounds like everyone could use some nice food in their tummy.
[Doug] Yes.
What's this?
-Taco fixings. It's taco night. -It's Taco Tuesday.
Where's the pemmican and hoosh?
[Elsa] The what?
The pemmican and hoosh.
Oh, the-- The meat soup?
And fish paste.
Yeah. Yeah. Um, I'm really sorry, honey. I-- I forgot.
It's-- It's just-- It's been a big day.
You forgot? You had one job.
Sam, I do not like your tone.
I don't like your lack of help
in preparing for the most important journey of my life.
Sam.
No, you said you'd do it, and you didn't do it.
And now I'm gonna be even further behind.
No, I didn't agree to make fish paste or meat soup.
You just ordered me to.
You are so unhelpful.
Now I see why Roald Amundsen had to wait until his mother died
before he went to Antarctica.
I mean, that was a sick burn.
-Should we go after him? -No. He's being an asshole.
It was a hard day.
Let's eat.
[banging]
-Oi! Oi! -[wind howling]
Wakey-wakey.
[chuckles]
You yelled at your mum, mate. Not cool.
Who are you?
Wait.
Niles Blanderman?
Mm, good evening.
I thought you were dead.
[chuckling] Well, obviously, mate.
Frozen like an ice pop.
Hoo, hoo, hoo! Yeah.
Yeah, Antarctica is brutal.
Even I couldn't hack it, and I'm exceptional.
You? That place is gonna eat you alive.
But I'm preparing.
Well, you know who else was prepared?
The emperor penguins.
The ice is still melting from under them, Sam.
They're still going extinct, and there's nothing they can do,
just like you.
-That's not true. -[Niles] Isn't it?
Every time you go somewhere new, you need to case the joint.
You can't case the Arctic Circle, Sam.
Dead meat.
Ooh. [chuckles]
Son of a seal, I'm cold. Mind if I jump in there with you?
[phone buzzing]
Hello?
[Elsa] Sam, I'm outside.
Why?
[Sam] What is this?
[Elsa] It's pemmican,
sledging biscuits.
I can't remember what that is.
And that's hoosh.
Come on, let's try it.
I made it.
Well, it's too late. I don't need them anymore.
I was wrong. I can't go to Antarctica.
I can't even get a physical.
Niles Blanderman is right.
I'm not adaptable.
I brought you something else.
-You left him at the house. -Oh, thanks.
Do you remember when you first started drawing that guy?
Little Dude?
Not really.
I do.
It was right after your dad left, when you were a kid.
That was his nickname for you.
Little Dude.
Oh.
He was gone a while,
and you didn't talk about it, but you were upset.
You were acting out a lot.
I couldn't-- I couldn't help you.
But he did.
Little Dude?
Well, as soon as he showed up, you calmed down.
You-- You created a new way to express yourself.
You would draw him in all these different situations,
and I would know how you were feeling. It helped me help you.
I didn't know that.
And do you know what that was?
That was adapting.
You found a new way to communicate.
-I guess so. -[Elsa] Yeah.
And I-- I think that anyone that's adaptable enough
to create a cartoon character to help them deal with their dad leaving
is adaptable enough to eat gross food, and survive the Drake Passage,
and get their blood drawn. [chuckles softly]
-Thanks, Mom. -[Elsa] Of course.
So… Mmm.
Should we try it?
You wanna go get pancakes?
Yes, please.
[chuckles]
It smells worse than it looks.
[Izzie] Are you the girl I gave my test to?
My brother scribbled all over this one, but you can still read it. [chuckles]
I'm sorry.
I feel like I'm always saying that to you.
I'm sorry I'm always saying that to you.
It's okay.
I pushed to meet her. Maybe I shouldn't have.
You're my girlfriend.
Of course you should meet my mom.
I just feel like I'm going crazy not going to school.
It's so hard to do anything at home. I can't focus.
Yeah. Yeah, I get it.
So,
you think I'm some golden child that everyone has to tiptoe around?
I know your life isn't perfect.
I know you're not perfect.
It's just,
you have these parents that support you so much, it drives you nuts.
It's the opposite for me.
You have a support system.
I am a support system.
I'll be your support system.
I'll do whatever you need.
-Can you help me get good at physics? -[chuckles]
'Cause I think I blew this test.
I was thinking something more like…
-Casey! -[giggles]
Look at me, I'm supporting!
Here.
Sam and I got pancakes.
I got you a muffin. Lemon poppy. Nothing major.
Thank you.
[sighs]
And don't get all cocky about this, but I think you're right.
I have some issues around ambition that I think connect to my mom.
It has nothing to do with Sam,
and the last thing I wanna do is underestimate him.
So you're on board with Antarctica?
I don't-- [sighs]
I made the gross food.
I'm trying my best.
Well, that's all anyone can ask.
-[Sam] Being adaptable is important. -[sighs]
[Sam] It can mean the difference between failure
and success.
[sighs]
Good news.
Turns out Niles Blanderman's actual cause of death was food poisoning.
They think he ate bad hoosh.
That would never happen to me. I hate hoosh.
Well, look at you, turning a cadaver into cadaver-ade.
Antarctica is very dangerous, and so I was wondering,
will you be Edison's caretaker while I'm away,
and also if I should perish?
Do you mean,
I'm his godfather?
Exactly. Is that a yes?
Yes! Hey, now I have two roles! Take that, everyone else in Sam's life.
-All done. -Your turn, Sammy.
["Count on You" by Banoffee playing]
♪ We can weep till the salt runs dry… ♪
[Zahid] You ready?
♪ On our cheeks ♪
♪ Make a cocktail from the tears you cry ♪
I'm ready!
♪ Raise a glass ♪
♪ And drink ♪
♪ 'Cause we are safe, and we are free ♪
♪ No one touching our bodies ♪
♪ We can learn to be with ease ♪
♪ Even when they're around ♪
♪ 'Cause I know I'd be nobody ♪
♪ Without all the things I've seen ♪
♪ We can turn the tears to tea ♪
♪ Oh, you can count on me now ♪
♪ You know ♪
♪ Me now, you know ♪
♪ You can count on me now, you know ♪
♪ Me now, I know ♪
♪ I can count on you now, I know ♪
♪ I can count on ♪
♪ You ♪
-♪ You can count on me ♪ -♪ Na na na ♪
-♪ I can count on you ♪ -♪ Na na na ♪
-♪ You can count on me ♪ -♪ Na na na ♪
♪ I can count on you ♪