Arkansas, 1957
A young Kay Challis sits in her room working on a jigsaw puzzle. Her Daddy comes in and tells her to come give him a kiss. She tries to put him off but he warns her that he doesn't like to wait and Kay goes over to him.
Now
In Jane's subconscious--the Underground--Hammerhead drags Karen through the station as Jane's other personas look on. Pretty Polly tells Karen that she's had her fun, and Karen spits in the persona's face, and then sings. Polly screams at her to shut up and finally slaps Karen. Jane comes in and tells Polly to stop, and Karen insists that she did something and found true love. Hammerhead drags Karen away, and Jane starts to walk away when the personas see her. They surround Jane and ask why she isn't up there, insisting that someone needs to be on the surface and Jane is creating disharmony. The Secretary tells Jane that she's the primary so she stays on the top and that keeps the equilibrium in the Underground. Polly tells Jane to do her job, and Jane points out that Polly has never been "up there". The Secretary reminds Jane that each of them have a reason for being and they want Jane to respect that. After a moment, Jane agrees to go up.
Jane rides the train up, and Driver 8 comes over and says that she's happy with her job and doesn't want to go to the surface. Jane complains that everyone wants her there but it's not easy, and wonders what the point is. Driver 8 admits that she doesn't know, and Jane asks what happens if someone pulls the emergency brake. The driver says that pulling it would screw up the train until someone fixed it, and realizing why Jane is asking, asks her how much time she needs before it's fixed.
Cliff and Rita take the comatose Jane back to Doom Manor and try to wake her up. She refuses to wake up, and Cliff brings himself. Vic and Larry don't see the point in Rita trying, and Vic scans her and determines that there's nothing wrong with Jane other than heightened brain activity. When Vic suggests that they enter Jane's head, the Spirit leaves Larry's body and touches Cliff's head.
Walking along the Underground tunnel, Cliff realizes that he's human and can feel again. He continues on and comes to a subway train. There's no one inside, and Cliff emerges onto a station. Cliff finds Driver 8 and she explains that she's not Jane. She wonders why Cliff is human, and explains that they're in the Underground. Driver 8 says that he's not supposed to be there and Cliff explains that the Spirit linked his brain with Jane's. She doesn't know where to find Jane, warning that it's a big place. Driver 8 finally says that she'll make some calls to find someone to help Cliff find Jane.
Jane is standing on a lake plucking the petals off a flower. Penny Farthing walks up and sees Jane, and wonders why she's there. She's heard that the train is out of order and no one can go to the surface until Driver 8 fixes it. Penny figures that no one else knew about the memory they're inhabiting, but doesn't no whose memory it is. She says that the memories belong to everyone there, and some of the others are saying that Jane doesn't want to go back up. Jane wonders if Penny ever feels that things are spiraling out of control, and then turns and walks away. When Penny wonders where she's going, Jane tells her that she's going to find answers.
Cliff waits in the station for Driver 8 to make her calls. Hammerhead comes in and Cliff recognizes her from her attitude. She pins him to a pillar and says that he's not supposed to be there. Driller Bill comes up and punches Cliff in the side, and the two of them shove him away as Driver 8 gives him the finger.
Jane goes to a door in a hallway, and finds a number-dispensing machine. She takes the first number and goes through the door, and finds herself in a parlor. The three-headed Sisters are there and figure Jane is there to seek counsel.
Hammerhead throws Cliff into a cell next to Karen's. Another persona, Jack Straw, is in a nearby cell and Karen tells Cliff that she's harmless. She realizes who Cliff is and wonders why he's there. Cliff says that he's there for Jane and Karen wonders if it's a romantic gesture. When Cliff explains that it isn't, Karen tells him that Jane will never give him love like he wants. She says that the other personas are afraid to be normal.
The Sisters figure that Jane is lost and doesn't want to go to the surface, and tell her that she needs to go to the Well because the answer lies there. They point to a sign saying "No questions" and refuse to answer Jane's questions. Jane leaves and finds Penny waiting for her. Penny has heard the Sisters tell Jane to go to the Well, and warns that eventually they'll ask someone like her to go to the surface. Jane says that it sucks in the real world, and Penny tells her to take a break but not go to the well. She points out that Miranda went to the Well when the Sisters told her to, and Jane insists that she's not Miranda. Jane suggests that Penny go with her and Penny tells her that her job is to run from danger. Disgusted, Jane walks away.
Hammerhead comes in, asks Karen if she's cooled off, and releases her. Before she goes, Karen tells Cliff that Jane isn't worth it. Cliff punches the wall in frustration and makes a whole, and realizes that the stone easily crumbles. Jack Straw slides him an icepick, and Cliff uses it to break through the wall. He sees Jane sitting on a bed and tells her that he's sorry, but Jane doesn't hear him. Penny steps out and introduces herself, and helps him through the wall. She explains that Jane is in trouble, and the "Jane" on the bed is a memory. Penny tells Cliff that they have to stop Jane from going to the Well and they have to stop her before she does something stupid.
A memory of Jane walks down the memory of a city street and stops to feed a dog, and the real Jane watches her and smiles. The orderlies from the asylum pull up and tell the memory Jane that it's getting old, and one of them—Frank--tells her that it's time to go. Memory Jane gets in the van, and Jane hears Daddy in her head.
Penny takes Cliff through a memory of a school hallway and warns that the deeper one goes, the darker they get. She leads Cliff into a classroom where a teacher is saying that Lincoln was the cause of the Civil War. A young Kay is seated at a desk, and the teacher tells her to pay attention. Kay insists that her name is Miranda, and Penny tells Cliff that Miranda was a primary like Jane. Miranda whispers "shut the door". Penny goes to a door at the back of the class and tells Cliff to close his eyes because what's left of Miranda's station lies beyond. Cliff does so and Penny leads him through as Miranda screams at Penny to shut the door.
In Miranda's station, a man hangs by the neck and Cliff opens his eyes. Penny explains that Miranda threw herself in the Well: the last place in the Underground that Jane should go. They go through a door and find themselves at Jane's memory of Doom Manor. A memory Cliff is introducing himself to Jane as she paints, and Penny says that it was the beginning of everything going sideways... because Cliff gave Jane hope.
Jane looks at a memory of Niles telling her that she will eventually find people who will accept her for who she is, Memory Jane tells Memory Niles that he's nothing like her father and refuses to discuss Daddy. Penny and Cliff arrive and Cliff apologizes. Jane walks away and Cliff follows her, saying that it wasn't his idea to push therapy on her. He asks her to come back, and Jane tells him to get out of her head. Cliff says that she needs him, and Jane curses him and walks away. He goes after her, saying that he's trying to help her, and Jane hears Daddy calling to her. Cliff says that he knows about Miranda and the Well, and Jane complains that they're not Penny's memories to share. Jane asks Cliff to leave if he's her friend, and says that she can't come back because she doesn't see the point. She tells Cliff that he doesn't belong in her head and tells him to go if he wants to help her.
Jane comes to Black Annis, who invites Jane to come closer. When Jane does so, Black Annis says goodbye to her and tells her that she can pass. Jane walks by her and goes through a door.
Cliff and Penny go down the hallway and Cliff tells Penny that he's giving Jane space. Penny stops, saying that it's as far as she goes, and warns that there's nothing but darkness ahead.
Jane goes into Kay's memory room and sees Kay sitting on the floor, working the jigsaw puzzle. The jigsaw is a picture of the lake, and Jane realizes that it's where she began. She tells Kay that she doesn't know who she needs her to be, and that the girl is perfect. Jane wonders who she can trust, and doesn't know if she wants to try anymore. Daddy comes in and calls Kay to him, and she goes to him. Jane becomes Kay, and Kay tells her goodbye.
Black Annis smells Cliff and says that no man can pass. Cliff approaches her and Black Annis slashes him repeatedly, revealing the metal beneath his skin. He says that he's not a man and rips off his skin, and admits that he was a lesser person when he was a man. Black Annis taps his groin, says that he is no man, and tells him that he can pass. The robotic Cliff goes through the door.
Cliff walks across the ground, littered with jigsaw pieces, and comes to the Well. Jane is standing on the edge. She stares off into space and says that no one tells and there's nowhere to turn. Cliff grabs her arm and says that they should go home. Pieces spray out of the well and form into Daddy, who says that Jane is his. Jane tells Cliff that no one can fight Daddy until he's too strong, and Cliff tells her to wake up. Daddy grabs him and bites off his legs, then drops him. Cliff yells at Jane to save herself and run, and Jane yells at Daddy that he destroys everything and won't let him destroy Cliff. She screams that she's not afraid off Daddy, and Daddy separates into his component pieces which swarm back into the Well.
Jane and Cliff ride the train to the surface, Cliff staring at Jane. When the train stops, they walk up the tracks and wake up in the real world. Cliff looks around and sees the lab torn up, and Rita and Vic tell him that it's a long story. They ask Cliff what happened, and he says that it's not his story to tell. He thinks that Jane is better.
Jane goes to her room and lies down on her bed... and hears Daddy's voice in her head.
Written by Gadfly on Apr 13, 2019