[typing]
[typing continues]
[female computer voice] Describe the last
person you were in a relationship with.
[woman] He was a loner.
He...
Not an obvious choice.
He needed to let himself be loved.
We tried. It failed.
[computer] If your dog was ill and had
to have its front legs removed to survive,
would you have the surgery
or have the dog put down?
I would have the surgery.
What are the things that would
attract you to a potential partner?
The things he loves.
The things he wants to be.
Whether he likes pancakes or French toast.
Would you help someone you love
end their life if that was their choice?
Um
[man] Are you all right, Zoe?
Yeah.
Its just
It feels funny to be doing this
after working next to you for so long,
thats all.
- Would you be more comfortable if I left?
- No. Its okay.
I guess, I dont know.
My answer is, Im not sure.
What do you want your partner
to see in you?
[woman on TV] After we did the Machine,
our relationship completely changed.
The way that we saw each other,
and hows its gonna go into the future.
- [man] We scored an 81 on the Machine.
- [woman 2] Yeah.
And just to have that definite answer
of, no, its gonna work, its gonna
[announcer on TV] At the Relationist Lab,
head designer Cole Ainsley
has been doing groundbreaking work
in the world of AI technology
for almost 15 years.
One of the most important things
in our experience as humans is connection.
We are always looking for connection.
[announcer] When the board of directors
identified synthetic companions
as the next big growth area,
they hired Ainsley
to run the new offshoot of the company.
I have nothing to do with
the pharmaceutical side of the business.
Im purely focused on the synthetic lab.
So this then, for example,
is like research for you?
I mean,
this is great if you want a hedge cut.
But Im much more interested,
not so much in cleaning off the bench,
but who am I gonna be
sitting on that bench with.
And my drive is to create synthetic people
who will become companions for us.
Ultimately, you know, the idea
that youre safe, that its gonna last,
that theyre not... theyre not going to...
Theyre not going to leave you is
important, would be important to me, so
[announcer] Improving lives through
better relationships is the labs mission.
Hes ready for more.
Yeah, he is.
Were the fastest-growing start-up
in the human relationship market.
Weve got three divisions:
the Machine, Pharmaceuticals,
and our newest venture,
Synthetic Companions.
I supervise the entire lab
and run the Machine division.
At the Machine,
we evaluate singles, or couples.
For singles we comb our database
to find your best match.
The Machine comes up with a number:
40 percent, 60 percent.
The probability of two people staying
together in a happy, lasting relationship.
Perfect for couples like you wondering
if they should take the next step.
But you know, the numbers dont lie.
Weve got a documented
accuracy rate in the upper 90s.
But we like to say that the future
isnt inside our computers.
- Its inside you.
- [man on TV chatters]
[rock ballad intro]
[whirring]
[woman]
You leapt from crumbling buildings
Watching cityscapes turn to dust
Filming helicopters
Crashing in the ocean
From way above
Got the music in you, baby
Tell me why
Got the music in you, baby
Tell me why
Youve been locked in here forever
And you just cant say good-bye
[up-tempo rock] Hey
Your
Love
Haunts
Wait
Your
Just answer honestly.
Thats all you have to do.
[man on TV] We scored an 81
- Good night.
- Good night.
And just to have that definite answer of,
no, its gonna work,
its gonna be something thats for real.
[knocking]
Hi.
Oh, hey.
Do you want some caffeine?
- Oh, yeah. Perfect timing. Thanks.
- [pop top opens]
Youve made a lot of progress.
His bio-systems for processing food
are up already.
Im sure hes gonna be ready
for the tech summit. Im sure of it.
- Can I talk to him?
- Hes not quite there yet, no.
Do you think he will look
at the world like you do?
Since you designed him?
Sorry.
I guess its a personal thing. Im sorry.
No. Uh... No, thats okay.
Have a seat. I wanna show you something.
[typing]
Ive given him something
called emotional packets.
Theyre real memories
about emotional events.
Watch his synthetic facial muscles
and his body posture, how he talks.
[typing continues]
With emotions, we start with the physical
and we build inwards, see?
Give it a second.
Will it be different going forward?
Will...
Will she cheat again?
Is there any way I can make it higher?
There must be a way
I can I make the number
There has to be a reason
for me to have hope.
Will I hate her?
Do I hate her?
Will I ever get beyond this?
[typing]
Who is he talking to?
It was a conversation
that I had with the Machine.
Emma and I, we scored very low.
And we never really recovered from that.
The memory helps to create
his emotional infrastructure.
And eventually, we erase the memory,
but the infrastructure remains.
So, in a very real way, were...
Were teaching him how to feel.
Im sorry. I didnt realize.
Oh, its all right. Its just numbers.
Patterns of activation.
It looks a lot like real emotions.
Hes amazing, really.
No one will feel alone anymore
or feel that kind of pain.
- [phone vibrating]
- So
Oh.
Its Emma. Ive gotta go.
Cole?
- Yeah.
- Oh.
I-Ill see you tomorrow, okay?
- Okay.
- Okay.
Okay.
Yeah, see? Look.
Theyve totally come together now. Look.
Im sleeping in a tent at night.
Oh, cool.
Remember when we went camping before?
- Yeah.
- We didnt have balloons though, but
- Yeah. [chuckles]
- Maybe next time we should take balloons.
- You got any black?
- Yeah. Theres a black.
- That good? Or is it too thick?
- Its good.
You did this one before?
Its really good.
Its really good.
Did you just do that one?
Yeah.
Art Week canceled. So did Raw Vision.
So, you know
Where did you find this?
Oh. That was in the basement.
I was gonna maybe, I dont know,
use her for something.
- Installation or something. Is that okay?
- Yeah, of course, yeah.
I designed her when we got divorced.
For people who dont want
to sleep on their own.
- Thats one good thing, right?
- That came out of the divorce?
- Yeah.
- Shes still got body warmth. Amazing.
Such limited functionality though.
Just a few breathing patterns, thats all.
- So naive on my part.
- Mmm.
I think it stopped some people
being lonely at night.
- A little spooky.
- Sleeping alone is spookier.
No, actually sleeping with her
is probably quite spooky.
Hey, thank you for coming tonight.
- Its really nice of you.
- Yeah, I wouldnt have missed it.
I liked it. I thought it was good.
Really, really good.
- Thank you.
- Yeah. I thought it was a good show.
Thank you.
Look, I could, uh
I could leave or I could stay.
Uh, I started seeing someone.
I mean, Im trying, you know, to
Im just trying to
Yeah.
Ive got a really early start tomorrow.
Why dont you take some time off work,
you know?
I just...
I want you to have the time for yourself.
Maybe find someone.
Weve got so much work though.
Weve got the tech summit coming up.
The board of directors wants all heads
of department to show their work.
I get it. I know. I know.
But its always
You always have work.
But Im fine. Im good.
- Are you?
- Yes.
- Em, Im really good.
- I dont feel like you are.
No, Im all right.
Dont-Dont use that in a
Dont use it, will you?
Cause I might want that back, I think.
- Really?
- Yeah.
- All right.
- Well, just for old...
I mean, I made it, so. See you later.
[computerized voice vocalizing]
[typing]
Zoe.
I have some coffee. Would you like some?
No, thank you. I dont drink coffee.
Ah. Well at least we have
something in common.
- When did you come online?
- This morning.
Ive been doing some research,
some reading.
Your skin, its, uh
softer than mine.
Sorry.
Cole wants to start
my socialization immediately.
Asked him if I could learn to dance.
[chuckling]
Good idea.
But maybe we should start
with what youve been reading.
Okay. Lets do that.
[chimes]
Your chances for a successful
relationship are 75 percent.
Congratulations.
[Cole on TV]
I think we cant help as human beings
but let each other down in relationships.
We try, but we cant help it.
Synthetic people,
theyll be able to understand you.
Theyll be able to read you and your
feelings and your emotional needs.
[classical waltz playing]
- [waltz continues]
- [Cole speaking, faint]
[men chattering]
[Cole] And then now youre going.
Okay. Like this? All right.
- And then?
- And then I have a... and so we go...
- Mm-hmm.
- [Cole humming]
Then the same, then we just go back.
Thats basically the foot movement.
- Okay.
- And we try not to look down.
Try and look her in the eyes.
Youre dancing with a beautiful woman.
- Beautiful, right.
- Its romantic.
And then we can turn,
sort of clockwise we can start to turn.
- Like this, you see?
- Yeah.
[laughing] Look.
All right, Zoe.
What do you think of Fred Astaire?
[chuckles] Its really, really good.
- Here.
- Um... [clears throat]
I wanted to ask you something.
Do you think I can get evaluated
by the Machine?
- Okay.
- Yeah?
Sure, we can set that up, yeah.
- Okay.
- Okay.
[whispers] Go ask her to dance.
Uh, Zoe, would you care to dance?
Yeah. [laughs]
- [clears throat]
- [waltz continues]
Okay, looking,
looking at the beautiful lady.
- Yes. Yeah.
- Nice.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
- Its nice.
[computerized voice] What do you want
your partner to see in you?
I would
I would like him to see things
no one else does.
What is something you wouldnt want
your partner to know about you?
I used to be heavy.
Really heavy.
The kind of heavy
that makes you invisible.
And
I guess I still have trouble with food.
But I would like it
if he didnt know that.
- You okay, Zoe?
- Yeah.
Easier to be on the other side.
- [Velcro ripping]
- [typing]
Match our compatibility.
One moment, please.
Your chances of a successful relationship
for this pairing are zero percent.
Is there a reason why
the percentage is so low?
There is a fundamental incompatibility.
- Hey.
- Hey.
- You okay?
- Yeah, Im fine.
- Feeling all right?
- Yeah.
I just wanted to check.
Sometimes after the evaluation,
people say they feel a bit weird.
Im Im totally fine.
I just needed some air. Thats all.
- You sure?
- Yeah... Its fine.
- And you? What are you doing?
- Im working with Ash. So much to do.
- Okay.
- Yeah.
- Good night.
- Okay. Ill see you tomorrow.
- Yeah, see ya tomorrow.
- Ill see you back here.
- Yeah.
- Okay. Have a good night.
You too.
[door closes]
[rock ballad]
[man] It was late at night
Youd held on tight
[man]
Serotonin levels increasing 30 percent.
[man chattering]
From an empty sea
A flash of light
What is this?
Its part of a clinical trial
for a new drug.
Benzomorphodone.
Itll be marketed as Benysol.
- What does it cure?
- It doesnt cure anything.
When you take it with someone else,
it triggers the exact sequence
of hormones and neurotransmitters
that fire when you fall in love.
Not euphoria or mood shifters
like whats out there now.
This is brand-new and entirely different.
That couple has been married for 35 years,
but Benysol lets them access something
no one gets to feel more than once.
Falling in love for the first time.
That moment is in each pill.
Would you, um
Would you want to take the drug with me?
Id like us to be a couple.
Ash, what youre feeling is a program.
Zeros and ones.
Machines dont really feel
the way people do.
Yeah.
[song continues, faint]
I think your socialization
shouldnt just be in a lab.
[dance rock playing]
[Cole] He seems totally relaxed though.
- Yeah. Just easy.
- Mm-hmm.
This is going so well.
[Cole]
I think hes trying to speak French.
[chuckling]
Im glad you came tonight.
Me too.
And I was hoping maybe we could
have one drink downstairs.
Whats downstairs?
Come.
[instrumental rock playing]
Come.
- I wanna show you something.
- What is it?
[woman singing, faint]
[people chattering]
[Zoe] Its a robo-brothel.
I found this cause I was curious
how other people were using synthetics.
- I never knew this was down here.
- I thought you might like it.
Its totally legal because youre
not paying to be with a real person.
[Zoe] Thats Jewels.
She has the most advanced
operating system.
[woman]
I can activate one for you if you like.
- Sorry?
- Jewels is booked.
But any of them
will talk to you how you want,
do to you what you want.
Theyll take you places youve never been.
Does she know what youre doing to her?
That one?
Shes about to be deactivated.
It isnt worried, or afraid,
or anything else.
But you can still be with it
in the moments before its destroyed,
if thats your thing.
Because there is no her.
Uh-huh.
Cole.
Cole, wait.
Wait. Im so sorry.
Thats not why I brought you down here.
I know. I know.
You know, the other day
After the Machine evaluation,
I did something.
- I ran a match with you and me.
- Zoe.
It was zero.
I, um... I just thought
it doesnt make any sense, you know.
Because of how I feel.
I...
I wonder all the time
if you think about me.
Zoe.
Its
Its not like that.
I just thought
you might feel it too.
I have to show you something.
Why are you bringing me home?
I want to talk to you about something.
You have keys to my apartment?
I have a set, yeah.
- What is this, Cole?
- Come on. Just come
Just come sit down. I-I want to explain.
Have a seat.
You trust me, dont you?
- Yes.
- Okay.
Have you ever done a search
for yourself online?
Yes. When I was younger.
But not in the last few months, no?
No. Why?
You might be surprised to find out
theres not very much there.
Nothing about being
accepted early to college or, um...
No press release about you being hired
to run the Machine division at the lab.
Nothing about who you are.
Why do you have keys to my apartment?
The apartment belongs to the lab.
I rented it only a few months ago.
What are you talking about?
Do you ever wonder
why theres no food in your fridge?
Why everything in here is so new?
This isnt gonna be easy to say,
and, um
its gonna sound a bit crazy,
but you dont oversee
the Synthetics division at the lab.
Youre a creation of it.
The reason you scored zero with me
was because the Machine
could see that you were synthetic.
Why would you say this to me?
It was a test.
To see how people would connect with you,
if they would connect with you.
To see how Ash would react to you.
To see if anyone would be able to tell.
Go and look in the mirror.
Look at your eyes really close,
and youll see.
Youll see.
Youve only been online
for a couple of months.
- Oh, my God.
- Im so sorry, Zoe.
I should have told you sooner.
[sighs]
Zoe.
Zoe.
[horn honks]
To tell you the truth,
Im a little jealous.
- Why?
- You got to be human.
- But it was a lie.
- Not to me.
You know,
I read that you know when youre in love
because you cant fall asleep.
Because your reality
is better than your dreams.
Sounds like Freud.
Eh. Dr. Seuss.
Zoe.
It was a mistake.
I should have told you so much sooner.
I had no idea you would evolve like this.
I didnt.
Was I designed to have feelings for you?
No.
No. You have tendencies,
just like people, thats all.
Are you going to deactivate me now?
No. Thats not what you want, is it?
I mean, you know
this is my life.
I realized Ive never done anything real.
Ive never stayed up late
with girlfriends.
Ive never talked on a
phone with a boy.
Ive never worn perfume.
Id like to show you
some of the things youve done.
Okay?
[Zoe] I started here when I was 15.
I was overweight, terrified.
But its like
all the memories you gave to Ash.
It didnt happen.
They happened.
You had real emotional experiences.
How you store those memories or how you
remember them doesnt make them less real.
- [Cole] What else happened here?
- Mmm.
- Daydream.
- Mm-hmm.
Study on nice days.
I wrote a whole paper once
on my laptop under that tree.
- Oh, yeah?
- Yeah.
I would sit there
and wonder
how it was going to turn out for me.
Imagining all the possibilities
of what I could be.
I hated school because I always felt
that I was one among many.
I can understand that feeling
of feeling alone with lots of people.
Yeah.
Some people peak there.
Theyre the coolest people at school.
Then the rest of their lives
are very mundane and ordinary.
Like a misfit.
Nerd.
- I felt like that too.
- Nerd, is it?
- No. I said I felt like that too.
- Yeah.
- I didnt think you were a nerd.
- No, I was just...
Nerd! That would be a bit cruel.
I felt like a misfit. Nerd!
No, Im not a nerd. A misfit.
[laughing]
Miss, I have a question.
What are... What body functions
are we gonna learn today?
This little thing.
Its a little camel toe.
[both laughing]
I dont think thats
gonna reproduce anything, really.
Spermatozoid will go in the camel toe.
- It goes in it.
- Go on.
Creates another human being.
Very easy.
Thats the story of humanity.
Youve been so thorough,
I dont have any questions at all.
Youve covered all bases, I think.
- Youre not supposed to be here.
- [Cole] Oh, sorry.
- Sorry.
- Yeah. Sorry. Right.
Right. [laughing]
[no audible dialogue]
[Zoe] Its a private research library.
Its not even open to the grad students.
- Its nice.
- Yeah.
- Its got a good smell to it.
- Yeah.
- Smells like old.
- It does have a very old...
- Like an old grandma.
- Like an old grandma?
Thats right.
[laughing]
What was she like,
the person whose memories I have?
Well, it wasnt just one person.
It was several.
They were mainly students.
And is there anything
from your past inside me?
Anything from what happened with Emma?
No.
The idea was for you to be completely you.
To have your own thoughts and hopes,
flaws.
- I dont have any flaws.
- No, of course. You dont have any flaws.
- Well, hopes and thoughts anyway.
- [laughing]
You never answered my question.
About whether you ever think of me.
Well, of course I have.
But I cant unsee some of the ways
Ive seen you, in the beginning.
In some ways, I think it makes me
even more in awe of who you are now.
Yeah.
[Zoe] Everyone walks by here.
I used to watch them all the time.
[Cole] Hmm.
[Zoe]
Coming and going and, you know, waiting
for the person they loved.
But none of it was real.
I never saw those people.
I was never even here.
Whos going to love someone
whos not real?
Zoe, you cant think like that.
Whats happening to me?
Why are there no tears in my eyes?
Th-There wont be any tears.
When you were designed,
we couldnt have imagined
how your emotional life would grow
with these highs and lows.
We didnt see that coming.
The reason you cant produce any tears
is your body literally cant make them.
And I know thats not fair. Im sorry.
Im sorry.
[chattering, faint]
[chatters]
Anyway, Im gonna go upstairs now.
Anyway, Im gonna head off. Bye.
- Hey.
- Hey.
- Where did you guys go?
- We just talked.
You know, I read that dating in the office
is a sure path to heartbreak.
You guys gonna be a couple?
I dont know.
Yeah.
- [crowd chattering]
- [woman on PA, faint]
Want to see the future?
You can find it in our pavilion.
Want to see the future?
You can find it in our pavilion.
Another one like there,
which is the opposite of that one.
They didnt even tell me about this.
[Cole] Shes just captivating, isnt she?
- These people have no idea.
- Yeah. They dont know.
[man] Like the Tin Man over there?
Like, thats what people are expecting.
- [Cole] No. Thats right, yeah.
- They have no idea.
[Cole] Wheres Ash? Whens he on?
- What time is it?
- Its 9:45.
Probably getting ready for his big speech.
- You think hes rehearsing the speech?
- I bet he is.
Is he nervous?
Want to see the future?
You can find it in our pavilion.
[man on PA] Accelerated breakthrough
Want to see the future?
You can find it in our pavilion.
How many of you have considered
the actual possibility
of a relationship with a synthetic?
- [crowd chucking]
- Of course you havent.
Because they are your dog walkers
or maybe a gardener, maybe a housekeeper.
Because theyre primitive, right?
Theyre robotic.
Theyre not real.
But what if they werent?
What if I told you
I am a synthetic?
[murmuring, exclaiming]
What if I told you I could improvise
when I play piano?
That I feel pain? That I can make jokes?
That I can gauge your emotions
and sense what youre feeling
better than anyone in this room?
Right now, Im feeling curiosity. Maybe.
[laughing]
Ill never break your heart.
Ill never leave you.
And I am designed to love you
and understand you
in ways that humans simply cant.
And if you want more proof
just look into my eyes.
[applause]
[piano playing]
[woman on PA] The symposium on
advancement in nanosurgery begins in 15
minutes.
[piano playing continues]
[Zoe] This is all interactive.
Translates our voices into images.
It can even hear you whisper.
[whispering] Whisper.
[Cole, whispering] Whisper. Oh, yeah.
Say something.
Hello. Hi.
Louder.
Hello!
Oh, wow, look.
Hello!
Im here in an empty room!
Shouting! I feel a little silly!
[Zoe singing in operatic style]
La, la, la, la, la
- [Zoe] La-la-la, la-la-la
- La-la
[Zoe] Whoo!
[both whooping]
[Cole] Fa-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la
Figaro
Figaro
Figaro, Figaro, Figaro
[rolling Rs] Ro, ro, ro
Fuck!
I love you, I love you, I love you
I love you
I do
- [Cole] Zoe.
- Yeah?
Would you be upset
if we waited a little bit?
- Do you want me to go?
- No.
I want you to stay.
[Cole sighs]
Exercise.
[laughing]
[all laughing]
- [Cole mutters]
- [robot] Incoming.
[laughing]
- Do you like him?
- Yeah.
[robot] Why dont you pull my finger?
[giggling]
- [imitating passing gas]
- [laughing]
So you have many rocks?
- Yeah.
- [laughs]
- Do you think Im nice?
- Yeah.
- Really?
- Yeah.
Well, you have to stay here with him.
Im going home.
- [Emma] Do you guys wanna stay for dinner?
- No, weve, um...
We should get back.
- Caleb really likes her.
- Yeah.
I didnt mention to him about her,
like what who she is.
Well, theres a difference between
what we see and what we know.
So should I tell him or not tell him?
What does that mean?
Tell him.
Tell him.
Im worried hes gonna freak out though.
- He likes her, you know.
- Yeah.
- I dont think so.
- Okay.
- Ill tell him.
- See you Thursday.
Yeah, thanks.
This was really nice, thank you.
- And bring her.
- Okay, Ill bring her on Thursday.
Yeah.
[dance pop playing]
- [chattering]
- [dance pop continues playing]
[man singing, faint]
[woman] Yeah, I do like that.
[moaning]
Is Jewels available?
I can pay. I just want to talk to her.
I suspected you were synthetic.
You are, arent you?
Flawless work.
You must cost a fortune.
You wanna ask her
what its like to be with all these men?
You know, wed do very well
if you worked here with me.
My clients are respectable. Youd be safe.
And if youre programmed to connect,
you might even find it rewarding.
Your designers done you
a grave injustice.
Hes given you aspirations
youll never achieve.
Eventually youll see
theres no humanity inside something
that can be turned off.
[dance music playing]
Why dont you tell me
about why you came here?
Ive been...
I guess Im here because
I want to know what its like
for you in your sessions.
The person Im with, he...
We havent
He doesnt seem to want to...
Youd be surprised how many men come
to me and dont want anything physical.
Some just talk.
Some just want forgiveness.
What Ive learned about men is that
sometimes they dont really desire you.
They desire the way you make them feel.
But they they know youre not real.
The Designer only cares
that were real enough to make money.
D-Do you feel a connection to any of them?
I dont know.
Do you feel?
Yes.
Youre whats coming.
My skin is wearing out.
Theres a limit to how many times
she can regrade us.
We end up on the street or
or repurposed if men dont want to see me.
I can help you.
You... You go here.
You ask for me or Ash.
I dont, um...
Were not really allowed to...
- Take it.
- [The Designer] Jewels!
Client.
- I have to go.
- Thank you. Thank you.
[chattering]
[woman] I greet you next to me
[chattering]
[woman] Send me your flowers
Flowers that bloom
Blooming there for you
I once told Ash that what he felt for me
was only zeros and ones.
Youre not Ash.
Do you think you could
prove to me that youre real?
If you had to?
Zoe.
- We dont...
- Sometimes, the way you look at me
or dont look at me
I feel like thats what I have to do.
So I wonder.
Could you do it?
When I first started working in AI,
the skeptics said that only humans
could be creative
or dream.
Or feel.
I know you feel.
- [Cole] Want some?
- Mm-hmm.
Wine?
Much better.
- Because of the milk, more, um, moisture.
- Mm-hmm.
[laughing]
[Cole] Would you change anything?
- Its not symmetrical.
- I know, but people arent symmetrical.
Like this sides more handsome
than this side or something.
I wouldnt change anything.
[Emma chattering]
His teacher said he tries.
- [Cole] Did you hear the joke about...
- [Zoe] The vacuum cleaner?
Vacuum cleaner. [chattering, faint]
[all laughing]
I asked for that. I really asked for that.
Youll never have better chips than these.
It doesnt matter what you say
so long as you say it honestly
and what you say is honest.
No, Zoe, Zoe, Zoe, its so nice.
[employees, clients chattering]
Hello.
[man] I love you more.
- I couldnt picture my life without you.
- [woman] Aw.
[woman laughing]
[woman] I love you too.
I didnt know if you had any plans
this weekend.
[man] Your field lies
Before the rain
The feeling
Is gone away
I know
Time
May cause you pain
The feeling
Is gone away
- [Zoe] A spring.
- [laughs]
Oh, I think so, yeah. You wanna go in?
- Im not sure.
- Its not too cold.
- Its too cold.
- Its not too cold.
- Youre crazy.
- Were gonna do it. Were going in.
- No!
- Yes!
- Were gonna do this!
- [laughing]
- [Cole] Oh! [whooping]
- Is it cold? Is it cold?
No, its okay.
- Okay!
- You can do it.
Are no for weighed
Whoo!
[screams] Its freezing cold!
Oh, my God! [gasping]
- [squealing, screams]
- [laughs]
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you for everything.
I wanted you to have this.
This is real?
Not part of a test?
Theres no test.
I could tell, when I told you how I felt,
that you were afraid.
You still are.
But less now.
- You can see that?
- Mm-hmm.
[Zoe panting, moaning]
I have memories,
but Im not sure I know what to do.
Dont worry.
Just be.
Dont think.
[Zoe moans]
Good morning.
[man] We scored a 66.
That was all we needed to see.
Well, well, well.
Looks like someone spent the weekend
testing the limits of her functionality.
Well, someone call the techs.
I think we discovered you can blush.
You know this hurts me, dont you?
Seeing you with someone else.
You know, theres different kinds
of relationships, Ash.
Different kinds of love.
Friends can love each other.
Yeah.
What was it like?
To feel so human?
What are you thinking?
Its a very romantic situation.
[chuckling]
I was thinking we should go to Iceland.
And we should get a car
with a tent on the roof,
and we should drive
around the whole island of Iceland
and explore and look at the snow
and the ice floes
and look at shit like that.
New York City.
Where the city never sleeps. [laughs]
- Why?
- Because we dont need to sleep there.
But why?
Im happy here.
Me too.
[arguing, faint]
[woman] Can you help me?
Please.
Excuse me, miss. Can you help me?
Ill be back.
Jesus. I dont know.
- Zoe! Zoe!
- [man] Miss, are you okay?
- Are you okay?
- Are you okay?
Its okay. An accident.
Youve been in an accident, okay?
Youve been hit, okay?
But youre all right.
- What the hell is that?
- Back off!
Youre okay.
Its just an emergency protocol, okay?
Your body doesnt have access
to your organs.
[bystanders murmuring]
I need you to try to sit up, okay?
Lets sit up, babe. Come on.
Okay. Okay.
Im gonna need some help
to get her in my car.
Im gonna need some help.
Somebody help me.
Hang tight.
- How does it look?
- I dont know yet. Give me a second.
Here. Thanks.
Okay, scissors.
Okay.
Im gonna have to perform
a partial shutdown, okay?
Itll be motion, cognition.
Itll be like being asleep,
like being in a dream state, okay?
And then I can work on this.
- How long will I be gone for?
- Not very long.
Cole.
What about us?
I need to know.
I, um...
I need to get a few parts.
Ill be right back. Okay?
Its okay. Its okay.
[sighs]
Dont be too hard on him.
Theres a line, Zoe.
Humans on one side. Machines on the other.
And you were on his side of the line
until tonight.
You and me
we cant find happiness
until we accept who we are.
Youll start losing control of your body.
Everythings gonna start feeling numb.
- What will happen tomorrow?
- Temperature regulation.
Tomorrow,
youll feel as good as you did today.
Thats not what I mean.
Please, Cole.
I need to know before this happens.
Dont look at me like that. Its still me.
- Everythings gonna be all right, Zoe.
- Its still me.
- Proprioception.
- What about us?
Please.
- Youre gonna recover and be strong.
- You need to tell me.
And whole again.
Ill do whatever I can to get you there.
Zoe.
I heard you.
Cole, shes going into stasis.
Do you want me to do the core systems?
Cole?
The core systems?
Yeah.
[chattering]
You want to talk about it?
- Do you know who Eliza was?
- No.
A really early AI. Software that made you
think you were speaking to a therapist.
She parroted words back at you.
Youd say, My mum didnt love me enough.
Why do you think your mum
didnt love you enough?
Youd say, My heart hurts. She would
say, Why do you think your heart hurts?
People loved it.
The inventor had a secretary.
She used to ask him to leave the room
so she could have long, intimate,
personal conversations with her.
She wanted to be alone
in a room with a few lines of code.
What are you doing?
Dont do this.
- Shes not that.
- I know that. I guess I know that.
Let yourself be happy, please.
I cant get past it. I tried.
I cant get past it.
Just get over it. Okay?
How? I made her.
Why dont you wanna be happy?
[man] Moving in
Traveling
Boxes on the open floor
Thank you.
[clears throat]
And if I lied
It was only a disguise
Thats a Benysol hookup.
- A what?
- A Benysol hookup.
Apparently, strangers are doing it now.
It gives them a love high for a few hours.
Keep seeing it everywhere.
You mean they didnt even know each other?
They probably dont even like each other.
But theyre about to fall in love.
For a few hours, at least.
[instrumental theme song]
[woman]
First-love doesnt have to be a memory.
You can have it now.
Try Benysol.
Fall in love for the first time. Again.
How are you doing?
Im good. And you?
Okay.
- I heard youre leaving.
- Well, its a sabbatical.
They still want to use my name
for investments and publicity.
I just came
to get some stuff from upstairs.
Theyll be sorry to see you go.
What I was doing didnt make much sense
to me anymore after we...
After we failed.
Zoe, we never really
got a chance to talk...
Ive been surprised how quickly
Ive been able to move on.
Ive been wondering
if that was part of my design.
No.
- Dont say that. No.
- I better get going.
I have Machine clients waiting.
Its crazy.
Six months after its in pharmacies
theres already a gray market for Benysol.
Theyre calling it the Blaze.
Im seeing it everywhere.
People like her are hoping well sell
an imperfect batch on the cheap
or maybe throw some out,
so the blazers can afford to dose.
[Cole] Itll wear off.
The drug, I mean.
Its nothing more than just a Band-Aid,
really.
Yeah.
Do you think shes all right, Ash?
Sometimes I wonder
why you made me, Cole.
The mission of the lab is to improve lives
through better relationships.
Thats what fulfills us.
- Thats not what I meant.
- I know.
Thats what I thought
I was doing it for anyway.
Do you think you would, uh
Do you think you might stay on?
For me?
- Make me a companion.
- Would that make you happy?
Im gonna to tell security
to put some locks on the Dumpsters.
[key inserts in ignition switch]
[mid-tempo dance music playing]
[man] I
I want to block a certain memory
Hey. Are you crushing?
Sorry?
Im just, um, wondering
if you were crushing.
Im sorry, I dont understand.
Im sorry. [chuckles]
I thought you were here for a meet-up.
- My mistake.
- Uh... No, Im not sure.
Is it all right if I sit down
and we just talk for a little while?
- Michael.
- Zoe.
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
Youre a professional forgetter too
Its what you choose to do
To avoid accountability
So teach me to forget
Youre never tortured by regrets
And teach me to forget
Cause, baby, youre so good at it
Please teach me to forget
Dont hesitate, just press reset
[no audible dialogue]
[chattering quietly]
Do you need some?
No, I-Im good.
I can get you some for 400.
No, Im all right. Im just looking
for someone I know, thanks.
[man: ballad] Head, toes
Let her eyes in me
Cloud the sea
Can never be let out
These lines repeat themselves
Will eat your health
[Zoe] Just tell me what to do.
Do you feel it?
Not yet. Do you?
A little bit, yeah.
It feels a little less than usual though.
Here, touch my face.
- Do you feel it?
- I dont think I will.
Im synthetic.
Thats probably why
the feelings kind of weak.
Pathetic scenes
Hand hold me down
And its so devastating when you feel
Youre all above
Does it matter if I love someone else?
For the next few hours, you wont.
Youre becoming someone elses...
[siren wailing in distance]
[Cole] Do you work? What do you do?
Uh, classics professor.
Greek and Roman archaeology.
Oh. Wow.
[spoon clinking on mug]
- Do I drink half of it?
- Mm-hmm. Yeah.
How long does it take?
Not long.
Okay.
Do you ever wonder that you wont
be able to feel it without the drug?
I dont know. Does that happen?
I dont know.
[gasps]
This
[no audible dialogue]
Oh.
Hey.
[woman] Hey. I gotta go.
This was great.
Take care, okay?
Ill see you around.
[door opens]
[door closes]
Do you love me?
[man] Yeah. I love you. I do.
Do you love me?
I do.
[Cole] She was a synthetic.
And I really wanted to love her.
Sometimes it did feel really real.
[man] Whats that?
[sighs] Nothing.
But I couldnt help but see her
as... as something else.
And so I
I never let her in.
Not all the way.
You know?
[Cole] She was, um...
She was synthetic.
I wanted so much to be in love with her.
And sometimes...
Sometimes it felt so real.
Like you.
But I couldnt help but see her
as being something else.
Do you feel it?
- [Zoe] I love you.
- I love you.
I just kept wondering
if I could move past, you know,
who she... who she was.
I love you.
[Cole] I just kept hoping
that it would be different.
That it would feel different,
that Id be able to forget what she was
or accept what she was, or something.
It didnt happen.
I couldnt do it.
[door opens]
[door closes]
Zoe?
Are you okay?
Yeah.
I stopped going into the lab.
Thats not really what I meant.
You know how the high feels.
And then how it stops.
I remember when you started working.
How perfect we all thought you were.
How excited we were
about all the things that youd do,
the things youd learn.
The lab is not the real world.
No.
Do you want to try it?
With me?
We can go somewhere, a hotel.
I dont really feel anything anymore
without the drug.
- Does it work for you?
- It doesnt.
People I do it with,
they dont feel much of anything.
Why do you do it then?
Because it makes me feel less alone.
- I should go.
- Can I... I could get you another coffee.
- Yeah, I should go.
- Okay.
- Thank you for the coffee.
- No, my pleasure.
[sobbing quietly]
[beeps]
Cole.
- Oh, hey, Ash.
- What are you doing?
Im doing some consulting.
Ive still got my access card.
You know, youre not going to find
what youre looking for in a pill.
Ill see you soon.
[door opens]
[door closes]
[knocking]
[Emma] Cole.
[knocking continues]
Cole.
Cole.
Wake up.
Cole, are you okay?
No ones been able
to get ahold of you for weeks.
Thanks.
Cole, theres places you can go,
you know
that will help.
I can take you.
- I saw Zoe the other day.
- Really?
I hadnt seen her in ages.
She was at a meet-up spot for this.
How is she?
She said she was happy.
Shes doing what she was programmed to
do, I suppose.
I saw
I saw you guys. I saw
what you were like.
Ive never seen that in you.
You were funny
and engaged and challenged and
What you guys had together is just
real.
It was real.
I think that I really messed it up.
Maybe not.
[people chattering]
Excuse me.
Hi. Im looking for Ash.
- He usually hangs out in the rec room.
- Okay, thank you.
Wait. Are you Zoe?
Yeah, Im just looking for Ash.
Thats all.
- Are you Zoe? The Zoe?
- Yeah.
- Guys, look.
- Hi.
- Its such a pleasure to meet you.
- Unbelievable.
This is Zoe?
- Zoe.
- I mean, this is incredible.
Okay, Im just gonna...
Are you all right?
Yeah.
My maintenance has become
less of a priority
since the other project started.
The truth is, Im scheduled to be
taken out of circulation in 37 days.
I requested it actually.
Why, Ash?
Because I never got to where you are, Zoe.
Maybe its because
I always knew I was a machine.
You know,
Ive read that its better to feel pain
than to feel nothing.
[chuckles]
I think those people assume
that the pain eventually stops.
Now it will.
Im sorry, Ash.
[computer] Would you help someone you love
end their life if that was their choice?
[woman]
I guess my answer is, Im not sure.
If your dog was ill and had to have
its front legs removed to survive,
would you have the surgery
or have the dog put down?
I would have the surgery.
What are the things that would
attract you to a potential partner?
The things he wants to be.
The things he loves.
What is something you wouldnt
want your partner to know about you?
Its going to sound like nothing.
But I used to be heavy.
Really heavy.
[chattering loudly]
[Ash] They are flawless.
Completely indistinguishable from humans.
They are smarter.
More sensitive.
Wittier and designed to deliver 75 percent
more Benysol effect than humans can.
They have your face, Zoe.
Your intelligence.
Your being.
Do they cry?
They do everything.
We were never designed for the market.
Now, were redundant.
Were obsolete.
But these
Theyre gonna change the world
because thats what the world wants.
How are they going to shut you down?
I dont know.
I dont want to know.
Could they do it for me?
Zoe.
Youre the first.
The prototype.
Theyd put you in a museum
before they ever shut you down.
I have to go.
[buzzing]
Zoe, its Cole.
- Hey.
- Hi.
Sorry to just drop by.
I dont mean to bother you.
I, um... I didnt like how we left things.
And I dont even know what happ...
I just wanted to see you again.
I thought maybe we could talk.
Do you know who I am?
- What?
- Im the next generation.
Would you like to come in?
[woman]
You leapt from crumbling bridges
- Thank you.
- Youre welcome.
Did you know you were synthetic
from the start?
Yes.
Only Zoe 1.0 evolved
thinking she was human.
- Do you know where she is?
- No.
Why are you looking for her?
I am... I need to...
Shes important to you?
Very.
Shes important to us too.
Were designed
with her biographical memories.
Her history. Temperament.
Seems like you wanna say things to her.
[sighs] Yes.
If you want, I can be her.
Shes right here.
You understand
what youre asking me to do.
That theres no more you after this.
- I know.
- You know what we do here.
But you could be worth
enormous amounts of money,
if you could be repurposed.
Well, yes, thats part of my conditions.
Youll be paid. Well.
But not until my contact at the lab
confirms my remains
havent been tampered with.
I see.
But I just need to know if you can do it.
Can you... Can you shut me down?
Of course.
Everything you built in her is in us.
And more.
Were designed to help like this.
What do you want to tell her?
I know it feels strange.
Shes right here.
I listen.
I would tell her Im sorry.
That I should have tried harder.
[whirring]
Im sorry I let you slip away.
And that it hurts.
To know that youre where you are
because of me.
I know.
Its okay.
Its okay.
I forgive you.
Whats wrong?
Well, I dont think you can
I dont think you can forgive me.
Im sorry.
- Is she gonna be okay?
- I dont know.
Im gonna need my bio-kit
and the system drives in my laptop.
- And anything else you can think of.
- Okay.
Zoe, can you hear me? Zoe?
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
Zoe.
Can you hear me, Zoe? Can you hear me?
Zoe. Can you hear me, Zoe?
Zoe.
Zoe.
[sighs]
Zoe.
- Zoe.
- What happened?
- Are you okay?
- Im not sure. I
But something inside of me
wanted her to stop.
Because you wanted to live.
Something that is not real to begin with
cant really make that choice.
Zoe.
[groans]
You should go.
No, listen to me.
I miss you, Zoe.
- I miss you. I miss being with you.
- You should go.
- No. Youve got to let me explain.
- This isnt what I want anymore.
No, I understand.
But youve got to let me try and explain.
Will you please listen to me?
I really miss being close to you.
Did you expect this
to be any different for you?
Thats not fair.
Then tell me Im real.
Tell me Im real to you.
Touch it.
Peel some of it back.
Look underneath.
I know what you see.
And none of it is ever going to be real.
I see somebody that I hurt.
And somebody that I lost.
Somebody that I love.
And I know,
I know now this is what I want.
And I know its not gonna be, like,
easy or simple or without complication.
Its real. Youre real.
More real than anything
thats ever happen...
Zoe.
[sobs]
[gasping]
[Zoe crying]
[man] Head, toes
Let her eyes in me
Cloud the sea
Can never be let out
These lines repeat themselves
Will eat your health
And talk of all else
Slow down
The act in ten
The housing men
Pull wardrobes apart
Sly thoughts
Prophetic dreams
Pathetic scenes
Hand hold me down
And its so devastating when you feel
Youre all above
And youre not in love
Dead lungs
Youre becoming someone elses tongue
Coughing up blood
Skin coming off
Quick mask
The spot on cheek
And fridges leak
Its all going down
Lifting the bills away
Youre bored and stay
Like steel
Its so devastating when you feel
Youre all above
Youre not in love
Dead lungs
Youre becoming someone elses tongue
Coughing up blood
Skin coming off
Were cold
But the door is closed
Shadows stand
Holding you out
Sleep apprehensively
Let it be
Like steel
Its so devastating when you feel
Youre all above
And youre not in love
Dead lungs
Youre becoming someone elses tongue
Coughing up blood
Skin coming off
[song ends]