The Lottery

Previously on "The Lottery"...

We choose two hundred biologically viable surrogates

from the thousands of women

who meet the agreed-upon medical criteria.

We invite those two hundred women to D.C.

We're looking for a Dr. Mark Kessler.

He died in a plane crash eight years ago.

Did your father have a specialty?

Fertility.

The president is making a mistake with the embryos you and Dr. Lennon created.

I know you're working hard to create more.

If you succeed, you need to let me know... me... and no one else.

Department of Humanity! Put the boy down!

Kyle: There's gonna be a custody hearing.

Elvis will become a ward of the state unless you come forward

and you can convince them into giving him to you.

President Westwood: Nathan Mitchell and four other diplomats

were just taken hostage in Shanghai.

- What do they want? - They want five embryos.

Please, don't shoot! No!

You sent him there.

You and your stupid lottery. This is on you.

You're the reason Nathan's dead.

Vanessa, there's something you need to know.

Conner, put the gun down, please!

No, no, no! L-leave her alone!

Darius: Conner set up Nathan.

He was behind the Chinese abduction.

Conner cared about Nathan.

He would never get involved in something like that.

Then what the hell was he doing walking around with a gun,

threatening to kill himself?

America, this is the day we've been dreaming about.

A new chapter in human history is about to begin.

These are the names of the two hundred lottery finalists.

Number one... Nora Robinson from Chicago, Illinois.

Mother: Nora is 19 and an English Major at Colorado College.

Gabrielle: Lottery finalist number 14...

Sharon Liberboim from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Sharon is 21 and a dental assistant who acts in the local theater.

Lottery finalist number 15...

Laura Shaw from New Haven, Connecticut.

Laura is 19 and single and a graduate student...

Hey.

- At Yale University. - Come on in.

Hannah is 19 and training horses on her parents' farm.

Lottery finalist number 18, Shin Peng from San Francisco, California.

Shin is 19 and is studying sports medicine at the Smith Orthopedic Clinic.

- Lambs to the slaughter. - Lottery finalist number 19...

- Linda Halpern. - Want a cup of coffee?

No, I'm, uh, I'm good.

Is Allison around?

- Lottery finalist number 20... - She's upstairs taking a shower.

Said to tell you she'd be down in a few minutes.

Crashing here till my son's custody hearing.

Cool.

Roberta Liberboim.

Hi. I didn't hear you come in.

So, there's an extra key on the table.

- Ready? - Mm-hmm.

Bye.

Onward, science.

President Westwood: Number 24...

Carla Davidson, from Gainesville, Florida.

Carla is a United States marine

who served on the humanitarian mission in Italy during the great Venice flood.

Number 87...

Katherine Visconti from Atlanta, Georgia.

Katherine is a general manager at McHale Furniture.

She delivers meals to the elderly and homebound.

Lottery finalist number 88...

Perry Sommers from Brenham, Texas.

Perry is 22, a part-time design consultant.

Man: Perry, you won! You won! You're in the lottery!

Yeah! That's our girl!

You show 'em! Go get 'em, Perry!

_ 198...

Karina Barry, from Wooster, Massachusetts.

Karina's 28 and an accountant who volunteers at a local animal shelter.

Man: Two more to go, Angela. Don't worry.

199... Phoebe Malette, from Webster Groves, Missouri.

Phoebe is 24 and an elementary-school teacher

who likes to run marathons.

And our last finalist... Number two hundred...

Angela Maria Perez,

- Man: Yeah! - From Los Angeles, California.

Angela, baby, you won.

Tomorrow, these two hundred lucky women will be invited to Washington, D.C.,

to begin the next stage of the process.

In three nights,

we will welcome them all in an opening ceremony,

and you will meet them personally.

You, the people, will vote for the one hundred best mothers.

But this is not merely a contest.

It is the beginning of the path to restore humankind.

Certainly, the women who are going to be...

I'm sorry. I still don't see how I can help you.

Dr. Kessler, your father was a fertility specialist

who just so happened to vaccinate two different patients

against something we believe...

May have caused the fertility crisis.

Y-you're saying my father is connected to the fertility crisis?

Maybe he knew it was coming...

Before his plane crashed.

This is really out of the blue.

I understand, but if you have any insight...

what he was working on before he died...

He used to joke that if he told me what he was doing,

he would have to kill me.

You became a doctor, like your father.

I mean, you must have watched him very closely.

My father never let anybody get close.

But I, uh...

If you know something, please... tell us.

He was working with monkeys.

- Monkeys? - Yes.

I'm sorry. I have an appointment.

Thank you for your time.

My dad sometimes published under the name Dr. Relssek...

his name, but spelled backwards.

Yeah.

It's funny... a couple days before he died,

he told my mom he felt like the world was going backwards.

We thought we could control her, but we were wrong.

I agree. We need to take a different approach.

I promise you... I'll do my best.

There's nothing more important to me.

So, the lottery's actually working?

Across the board.

The response has been ecstatic.

Given how fast we had to move and how many things could have gone wrong,

this experiment is kind of a miracle.

Not exactly the same kind of experiment the founding fathers had in mind.

Well, I don't know about that.

I'd consider this a contest by the people and for the people.

We've created a circus.

It's a good day, Darius. Enjoy it.

Except for this Conner Black thing.

The press is circling back.

Yes. I met with reporters about that this morning...

told them we were greatly saddened by the loss,

that he was a valued state department official.

What about the actual shooting?

I quoted the police report...

that Conner was threatening to kill himself,

refusing to cooperate with officers,

and they shot him in the chest.

He was a traitor.

He killed five of our diplomats.

They're ready for you, Mr. President.

Thank you.

My wife has me meeting with reporters about the qualities of a good mother.

What the hell do I know?

Vanessa, make this Conner Black thing go away.

Yes, sir.

Before he was shot, Conner called me.

There was something he wanted to tell me.

Probably wanted to purge.

Not easy living with that kind of guilt.

He got what he deserved.

My husband was gunned down in a fricking parking garage.

_

Why the hell can't this wait?

I'm so sorry, Charlie.

I can't imagine what you must be going through.

But Conner left behind a mess, and we need to clean it up.

The official statement from the White House

will be that Conner suffered from severe depression

and had recently gone off his meds.

We think this is better than the other explanation.

Which is...?

That Conner was about to be arrested

for helping to assassinate five diplomats...

his boss, Nathan Mitchell, being one of them.

Nobody else needs to know what really happened.

What really happened?

Do you really think he had anything to do with the terrorist attack in China?

I hate to say it, but I do.

I can't explain it, but the evidence against him is conclusive.

You were Conner's friend.

He was loyal to his country, to the people he worked for.

Something happened. I don't know what.

He was acting odd. He was stressed out, scared.

I'm as shocked as you are.

But, Charlie, Conner was involved.

And he was paid half a million dollars to do it.

That makes no sense. Look at our bank accounts.

Here... joint and individual.

And the second mortgage that he applied for five days ago.

You think that is someone who thinks

he's about to come into half a million dollars?

I'm telling you, something is wrong.

Charlie, if you cooperate with us,

you will be entitled to Conner's full pension.

Uh... are you trying to buy me off?

No.

I...

I'll talk to my lawyer.

I'm not gonna let you or that asshole from the Department of Humanity

cover things up.