-Previously on "Sacred Lies"...
-We know she came from that cult.
What kind of nuts follow a prophet named Kevin, anyway?
-Speak now, and Charlie will forgive you.
But if you lie, then sweet Olivia Bly
will just be the beginning!
-Mom? -She's gone, baby.
-Tell me about Philip Lancaster.
-Do you know who I am?!
-Why'd you attack him?
-His eyes. They're green like God's.
I was trying to kill God.
**
[ School bell rings ]
[ Indistinct conversations ]
**
-Kevin Groth never fit in.
He was small for his age, sickly.
He had no friends.
**
But one day, at the end of school,
Kevin was drawn to a fateful door
that would change his life forever.
**
Kevin stepped across a threshold into destiny...
**
...and found himself standing in the presence of God.
**
God offered his hand
and, with his powerful green eyes fixed on Kevin,
waited to see if he was ready to know all things.
And he was.
And with that one touch, the boy was imbued
with all of the secrets of the universe.
**
From that moment, Kevin became the Prophet,
touched by the green-eyed stranger named Charlie.
Now the Prophet can hear Charlie's voice.
-So then what?
-Well, Charlie led the Prophet to find us,
to bring us here, to save us.
When the outside world is destroyed,
it will be our job to build a new one, a better one.
-So, is Charlie always just waiting in a bathroom somewhere?
-No, of course not.
But...
I mean, you could meet him anywhere.
Charlie walks the Earth in every generation.
He dies and is reborn over and over.
-So, Charlie's out there right now, walking around somewhere?
-Yes. He is.
The Charlie the Prophet met died about 18 years ago,
and a new Charlie was born,
which means He's about my age, and if you see Him,
you will know Him right away 'cause of His green eyes.
-Cole's looking at you again.
-Any more questions?
-What about Mommy?
When the old world dies, can she come with us?
**
-Of course she can.
Our loved ones' spirits live in nature all around us.
When Charlie comes for us,
they will rise beautiful and pure to join us.
-Prophet, are the stars really Charlie's eyes?
-Yeah. He watches over all of us every night,
both the living and the dead.
-But how are His eyes up in the sky
if He's really Charlie walking the Earth?
And why aren't all the stars green?
-Constance, that's enough questions --
-No, she's fine.
**
-Charlie's ways are mysterious.
Only He can answer everything.
Good schooling, though.
**
Keep on.
**
-What do you think about all that?
-I think it's quite a story.
-You think we were all crazy for believing him?
-No, I didn't say that. -You don't have to.
I'm not stupid. I know how it sounds.
That doesn't mean none of it's true.
-You re right.
The best lies always contain an element of truth.
-But can you prove he was lying?
The Prophet could've met Charlie,
and He could be out there walking around right now.
-Like Philip Lancaster?
What do we do, kick every green-eyed boy to death
till we find the fight one?
-I was confused.
But that doesn't mean Charlie's not real.
And if it is true...
...that means we're all doomed.
Just like the Prophet said.
-I think it's fair to assume
that whatever the Prophet told you is...unlikely.
-But you can't prove it.
**
[ Indistinct conversations ]
**
-"A."
**
-Come on, crazy.
Pill line.
Excuse you. -Whatever.
-Matthew 19:30 --
"But many who are first will be last.
And many who are last will be first."
-Mm-hmm, I heard that.
-Hi, Minnow!
Just wondering if you thought more about coming to youth group
just to check it out. -Hey!
She doesn't want to come to your lame-ass youth group.
That's Angel 1:1. Feel free to quote me.
-Why's everybody so scared of you?
-Been here since I was 12.
I learned real quick you get respect one of two ways --
love or fear.
Love doesn't work for me.
**
Time for my morning coffee.
Angel Trujillo.
-Prophet said all drugs are bad.
They're liquefying our brains and making men grow boobs.
-They wish.
Chewing them makes them work faster.
The Adderall tastes like Skittles.
-Minnow Bly.
-I've never seen that one before.
What is that, Trazodone, lithium?
No, it's Ativan.
Is it Ativan? -It's a multivitamin.
The girl's been living in the woods.
She's vitamin-deficient.
**
-So, you don't believe in God?
-Nope.
-Why not?
-Because I don't need God. I've got Google.
[ Birds chirping ]
-How do you know you can trust him?
-Who? -Google.
-Google is not a person. It's the Internet.
It's information from all over the place.
Facts.
-So, you don't believe in anything.
-I believe in things that you can see and prove.
Logic, patterns, rational thought, science.
Everything else is just superstition.
-Well, the Prophet always said that --
-You're pissing me off with, "The Prophet said this,"
and, "The Prophet said that."
He was just another old creep telling you what to believe.
People made up religion to explain all the crap
they couldn't understand,
but now we can explain everything with science.
What?
-Teach me science.
-I don't have time to teach you science.
Science is big a concept.
-You're locked up for 20 years, right?
What else have you got to do that's so important?
-I can learn Russian.
Or, like, crochet or whatever.
-Please!
I need to know for myself what's real,
not what somebody tells me.
I need proof.
And if that's what science can do, that's what I need.
-Okay, crazy.
Welcome to my church.
**
-Thank you for seeing me, Ms. Groth.
I'd like to ask you a few questions about your son Kevin.
-Kevin was 2 when his father died, and six months later,
he was diagnosed with IPF -- idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
-That's a very serious condition.
It's usually -- -Fatal?
Yes.
The doctors gave me no hope.
They said a few years at best.
But then one day Kevin was healed.
His lungs just opened up.
The doctors tried to explain it away,
but I knew it was a miracle.
God didn't take my son because he had a divine mission.
[ Coughing ]
-Mom, you shouldn't get worked up.
Her blood pressure's not great.
-I'm fine, Carl. I'm fine.
We're talking.
Kevin was a good boy.
He was kind and smart, and, oh, he had such a way with animals.
-How so? -Well, there was this stray dog
that Kevin found.
It was in terrible shape, near death,
and Kevin healed him.
He...nursed him, brought him back to life, just like Jesus.
That dog followed him everywhere.
It just adored Kevin.
Everyone did.
-Did Kevin ever mention someone named Charlie?
-Charlie? Hmm.
I don't remember that name.
Carl?
-Yeah, I heard him mentioned a couple of times.
Someone he knew in high school.
-I have a photo album in the other room
from when he was that age.
Would you like me to get it?
-Oh, that'd be great.
-[ Coughs ]
**
-That isn't really who he was.
-What do you mean?
-That dog?
Kevin beat the crap out of that dog just so he could save it.
That's why it followed him around.
That dog hated Kevin, but it was scared to death of him, too.
-Why do you think Kevin did that?
-To be admired, loved. Who knows?
All I know is Kevin didn't give a rat's ass about that dog.
It was all about him.
Hear the way she talks about him,
like he pissed wine and walked on water.
I'm the one who's been here taking care of her
all these years.
And where the hell was he?
Out finding more dogs to beat.
That's who Kevin was.
**
-Oh! S-Sorry, Rose. I...
-It's okay, Minnow.
Really.
-I'm sorry.
[ Liquid pouring ] -Constance!
Fill the cups on the left first.
How many times do I have to tell you?
-I can do it for her. It's -- -No!
Your sister needs to learn to do things the right way.
Not her way.
Great, now you're splashing everywhere!
God eyes, girl. Can't you do anything right?
-Don't talk to her like that. You're not her mother.
-If my mother had climbed out of a bottle long enough
to teach me the right way to do things,
my life would've been a hell of a lot easier.
-[ Sniffs ] Hm.
That fried chicken and chocolate chip cookies I smell?
-No, it's squirrel stew and nettle cake.
-What? -You're so silly, Daddy.
-Yes, I am.
That's why Mama Vivienne and I are such a good match --
'cause I make her laugh. -Mm.
That's not the only reason. -Mm.
-Now, give me these potatoes so I can finish.
And...
tell these girls to do what I tell them.
-Mm.
Girls, you listen to Vivienne.
She's the woman of the house now.
Hey.
Don't worry.
I'll talk to her.
[ Flame whooshes ] Hey.
Green smoke.
-Green smoke! -A sign.
-Charlie! -Charlie!
-Minnow.
Come on. Get up.
We got to go.
-Are we escaping? -Shh!
-Where are we going? -Shh!
-What will Mrs. New do to us if we're caught?
-How about we don't get caught?
-[ Crying ]
**
[ Buzzer ]
-God's eyes! I'm sorry.
-Quiet.
Keep a short leash on this one.
Come on, let's go.
**
You got 10 minutes. That's it.
-Thanks, Mom.
-Girl, did I push you out my body?
-Oh, gross.
-Exactly, so quit calling me that.
Goofball.
**
-It's wonderful.
-You ain't seen nothing yet.
Look. There they are.
So dope.
**
-[ Breathing heavily ]
-Hey. What's wrong with you?
**
[ Flame whooshes, crowd gasps ]
-Praise Charlie!
-Green smoke meant Charlie had a message.
-Charlie. -Charlie.
[ Indistinct talking ]
-Look up there. Do you see them?
Those streaks of light across the sky?
Those are Charlie's tears, falling on account of us.
-God was crying 'cause of the millions
that were going to have to die
to wash the outside world clean of all the filth and poison.
He said, "Charlie doesn't want to kill His own children, but...
He has no choice.
Can you feel it?
His sadness?
His pain?"
He said we all had to pray to dry Charlie's tears
to let Him know we believed with all our hearts.
We would never, ever doubt Him,
because only the true chosen survive.
**
[ Insects chirping ]
-Calm down, crazy.
They're just meteors.
It's the Geminid meteor shower.
They call it that 'cause it looks like the meteors
are falling right out of the constellation Gemini.
They get stronger every year as they get closer to Earth.
-The Prophet told us they were God's tears.
-Yeah, well, people believe
all kinds of things that aren't true.
They'd rather have a lie
than a question they don't know the answer to.
-Daddy, can I talk to you?
-What's up, little fish?
-I have this memory...
...from before.
Something we did together as a family.
With Mom.
-Uh-huh?
-We drove out into the country...
to watch the falling stars.
They looked the same as tonight.
So...
what we saw tonight...
...weren't they just falling stars?
-We were wrong before.
Everything we thought we knew we didn't.
Those stars are Charlie's eyes watching down on us.
Charlie's eyes can't fall.
**
Isn't it your turn to watch for Charlie tonight?
[ Blows ]
Here.
Keep you company.
-Thanks, Daddy.
But how?
How do you know that they're meteors?
-Telescopes have seen them.
People have studied them.
They found pieces of meteors in the ground,
and they put them in museums.
They're space rocks.
That's all.
Like I told you, there is a scientific explanation
for everything --
stars, planets, solar systems, galaxies.
All of it was created billions of years ago
in one big explosion called the Big Bang.
-What was there before?
-Before what?
-Before the Big Bang.
**
-We don't know.
Yet.
But someday we will.
[ Door opens ]
-Time's up, ladies. Let's go.
**
-That's Charlie?
-In the back on the right.
Charles Dunlap. I checked the records.
He worked as a janitor when Kevin Groth was a student.
This was taken 25 years ago for the school centennial.
-How long did Charlie work here?
-Almost 30 years.
But once the school board became aware of his...
predilections, Charlie was let go.
-What predilections?
-I don't know how much interaction
Kevin had with Charlie,
but there were some issues.
Complaints about inappropriate behavior with students.
No charges were ever filed.
This was years ago, before my time here.
-You know what happened to Charlie?
-He passed away shortly after his dismissal.
Cancer, I think.
**
-Monsters aren't born.
They are created.
Everything the Prophet said, what he did to Rose,
what you did to Philip,
it all started in a bathroom with a janitor named Charlie.
-So, am I supposed to feel sorry for him?
You're telling me the Prophet made everything up?
It's all just a bunch of lies,
but that's okay because something bad happened to him?
-No, I am telling you that
to show you that Kevin Groth was just a man,
and so was Charlie.
Not gods or prophets.
Just people.
People will invent entire worlds to hide their pain
or to share it.
It doesn't excuse it.
It just begins to explain it.
-Have you -- Have you ever felt something you can't explain?
Every night, we would take turns keeping watch
in case Charlie came.
**
We would cleanse ourselves to be pure for him.
**
And we would wait.
**
[ Crying ]
**
Mom?
Angel says everything can be explained by science,
but that night, I felt something I can't explain.
Do you believe me?
-I believe you experienced what is called pareidolia.
It's a phenomenon that causes people to see familiar patterns
where none exist.
You were cold, tired.
You looked into the darkness and saw what you wanted to see.
-I know what I saw.
-Minnow.
Is it possible that you're holding on
to what the Prophet told you because you're afraid
if you stop believing your mother won't come back?
-Even if none of it's true...
...when I saw her...
I felt...peace.
Like I was connected to something
so much bigger than me.
And I don't know what that was.
But I know... what I felt was true.
It was real.
**
[ Keys jingle ]
**
[ Door creaks ]
**
[ Engine revving ]
**
[ Tires screeching ]
**
-Next time on "Sacred Lies"...
You're a Rymanite.
-I'm Jude.
What's your name? -Minnow.
-You shouldn't be so close to the edge.
I care about you a lot.
[ Camera shutter clicks ] -Get me his camera.
We found it out in the woods.
Take the hint.
-His name is Jude.
-I know what it's like to meet someone
who changes the way you see the world just by being in it.
-I saw you looking at me in the shower.