Signs of Life

Signs of Life is the fourth episode of Season 1 of Amazing Stories. It premiered on March 27, 2020.

Synopsis
When her mother awakens from a six-year coma, teenage Alia struggles to reconnect with this stranger who can’t remember her old life.

Plot
A storm rages outside as two nurses work by the desk, remarking that the ward is still like a vegetable garden. A line of patients is in the comatose ward, though one woman's eyes snap open. She lurches upwards and pulls out the incubation tube. Alarms ring throughout the hospital. The nurses rush to the ward to find the patient, Sara Jordan, awake but incoherent. They help her to the bed, assuring her that she's okay. The doctors transfer her to another wing, remarking it's been six years since her accident.

Alia Jordan works in a diner waitressing tables. She looks over at a group of teens coming from prom. She tells them their card didn't work due to the storm. They rush out of the diner to avoid paying the bill. Alia chases after them, holding one of the teen's clutches. She leverages the clutch for the bill, but the teen threatens to tell Alia's manager that she stole it. A teen named Cody intervenes in the conversation, calling them Archie and Veronica. Alia presses that she doesn't need saving, but Cody is adamant he's saving them from her. He tells them to give her cash before she kicks their asses. The boy drops some cash on the ground and walks off. A white rose drops to the ground, too. Cody pins it to her apron, joking about taking her to prom. She thinks she could have handled that alone even if she's grateful to not be fired. He doesn't think she'll need the job much longer, showing her a red car that is selling cheap. He references their plan to get to LA, but she is practical in thinking of the financial risk. She wants everything to be right before they leave. He knows the timing will never be right, but it will be a start. She answers her ringing phone.

Alia rushes to the hospital to see her mom with Dr. Koh. Alia greets her mom happily but Sara doesn't recognize her. Dr. Koh assures Alia that this is normal, and the fact that Sara's even speaking is miraculous. Sara is taken to an MRI. Dr. Coh compares scans that show Sara's brain has managed to repair some of its damaged parts. The brain sometimes can rewire itself, but it can be months before it recovers. Sara wants to make a call. Alia puts the number in her phone and calls, though the person hangs up. Sara is unresponsive to her communicative attempts, even jerking her hand away from Alia.

She goes home to sleep but returns the next day. Sara watches videos of herself and Alia from Christmas. She is taken back to the day the video was recorded. Alia is happy to see that Sara got the video she sent. Sara remarks that they help. The nurse searches for shoes, with Sara responding in Spanish that they are under the chair. The fact she can speak Spanish is surprising to everyone in the room.

Sara is taken to her assessment where she runs on a treadmill. She then looks at flashcards that show different situations. She identifies one as, "man, woman, boy, girl". Dr. Koh asks for the relationship the figures have with one another. Sara responds that she has a perfect score in the JFK Coma Recovery Scale and the Glasgow so she should be okay to switch to outpatient. The doctor explains that Sara has gaps in her memory. Sara wants to go home with her daughter to see if that makes her remember.

Sara and Alia sit for lunch as Alia explains the new apartment she has, but she relies on tips for rent. Sara bluntly asks about Alia's father but doesn't appreciate the humorous remark from Alia that fathers are how babies are made. Alia corrects that she never knew him. It's always been them. Sara believes Dr. Koh has done everything she can but hallucinates a man standing across the cafeteria. She abruptly leaves for a swim.

Alia vents to Dr. Koh about her mother being different. Koh believes the memories aren't the answer. Even if she remembered everything it wouldn't change the distance they feel - Alia isn't the same person she was six years ago either. They are two humans who have to get to know each other again.

Sara swims in the hospital pool, letting herself float at the edge. She opens her eyes to see a man above her, remarking that the water must help her, especially with the stiff joints. Sara climbs out of the pool, as she thought she saw him earlier in the cafeteria. He got her call. She asks what took him so long.

Alia stands at the door then comes in to see her mom and the man talking about searching for Stone. Alia tells Sara that her discharge papers will be ready in the morning, so she'll come to get her then. After a moment of silence, Sara introduces Alia to Wayne, an old friend from the same hometown. Alia is surprised he's from Chicago given his Southern accent, which he appreciates as he worked hard to lose it. Alia wants to meet with him before he leaves and he agrees. She gives Sara an unreciprocated hug. When she's gone, Wayne asks if she'll be a problem. Sara can handle it, though.

The next day, they arrive at their apartment. Sara thinks she has school but Alia already graduated. Alia made sandwiches that Sara used to make, offering her one at the table. Sara tries the sandwich but cringes that it's strong. Alia apologizes as Sara used to drown everything in hot sauce. She offers to make her something else, but Sara refuses as she isn't hungry. She wants to take a nap. Alia shows her the bedroom, as she'll sleep on the couch until they figure something out. Sara closes the bedroom door and looks at everything in the room. She takes down a box from the closet that is full of award ribbons. It contains a picture of them and a red ribbon. She flashes back to a memory of Alia laughing with the ribbon in her hair. Sara texts Wayne that she needs to get out of there as she can't take much more. He assures her it won't be much longer.

That night, Alia brushes her teeth when she hears her mom whispering about nuclear fuel bundles. Alia goes outside to call Cody about her mother's weird behavior. He believes she might not have known everything about her mom, as "going for takeout" that night may have meant something else. His father used to say "business trip" for having a "whole other family". He reminds her she hasn't known the woman since she was 12. Alia thinks his theory is crazy and she just has to jog her mom's memory.

By morning, Alia has cooked up a tasting menu for Sara. Instead of fixating on old memories, she wants to make new ones so they can get to know one another. She introduces herself as Alia Jordan, extending her hand. She spouts off facts about herself. Sara states her name but doesn't know what she likes. Alia offers the food for tasting, but Sara doesn't like the tater tots despite her best efforts to lie. She tries bacon and is surprised that she likes it. Sara thinks the morning is wonderful but she has to get to her support group. The group is news to Alia. She wants to have dinner with Wayne, but Sara says he had to leave early. Alia offers to take her to the dance company which surprises Sara. She reluctantly agrees.

Sara waits on the corner for Wayne, who pulls up in a truck. He has a lead for them to check out. He takes her to a field that is blocked with barbed wire.

Alia waits outside a studio for her mom. She sees a call from Cody, while Sara watches from across the street. She calls her mom over before she can walk away. They take a picture together. Sara sees the red ribbon in her hair and flashes to a child laughing. In the present, the women enter the studio to watch the ballet dancers rehearse. They become entranced with the performance. They exchange a look with Alia taking her hand.

As they walk home, they discuss the dancing and how it made them feel. They return to the apartment building. Sara is glad they went since it was the most beautiful thing she's seen since waking up. She suddenly stops on the steps, able to hear someone inside the apartment. Sara asks for the keys so Alia complies. They carefully enter and find Cody in the kitchen with an ice pack. He snaps that she would know what was going on if she answered her phone. She carefully introduces him to Sara, with him politely greeting her. Sara leaves the room to give them privacy. Cody closes the front door, too. He tells her they have to leave as he was trying to get money for the car. It wasn't a big deal at the time, but someone jumped him. From the other room, Sara recites their conversation verbatim. If Cody doesn't get Jasper's money it'll be a problem. Alia offers the money in her fridge but it isn't enough. She can't leave her mom, but he thinks something is wrong with Sara. He's been in her corner and needs her in his now. She can't choose between them. He makes it easy on her by leaving.

Alia drinks liquor on the roof when Sara joins her. She's trying to understand why Alia wouldn't leave with him, even if she wasn't around. Alia remarks that she's been through a lot, but Cody knows her, gets her. Sara apologizes for eavesdropping. Alia isn't the same girl as before. She lied about graduating from school as she got kicked out. She was alone and angry with a bunch of rich kids. Cody took the blame for her as she had a future, but she kept doing it. Sara can't fully understand what she went through, but she knows what it's like to be alone. How far loneliness goes. Alia asks if being in the coma was like that or if it was before. Sara merely says she was a loner before Alia came along. Just because she's lonely doesn't mean she should cling to the wrong person. Especially, if that person is going to drive her away from her plan. Alia thinks the plan to be a brilliant mechanical engineer is a bust. Sara reminds her that she's the one in control, not anyone else. Alia thanks her, calling her mom.

By morning, Alia is preparing for her day when she hears Sara in the other room. She's rapping in unison with the rap song Alia is playing through her earbuds. To test this, Alia switches to a podcast. Sure enough, Sara begins to repeat the ad read associated with the podcast episode. She goes through her mom’s journal and tears out a page. That afternoon, she watches her mom leave with Wayne. She searches the number her mom called in the hospital, finding it belongs to Wayne Wilkes of 4728 Collins Avenue, Anniston, Alabama.

A greyhound bus drives through the woods and into Anniston. Alia is a passenger. She gets out at a trailer park and knocks on the door. She asks the woman if Wayne lives there. Once inside, the woman is sure that Wayne has lived in Anniston his whole life. They grew up together and were prom king and queen. He fell off a ladder in a work accident and split his head open, which put him in a coma. He was brain-dead but she visited every day. Five months later, he woke up perfectly fine physically. He was different as he wasn't himself. Spoke about math problems in his sleep, and then ran off with a woman from a bar. Alia wonders if she knows anything else about the woman he ran off, but she doesn't. Alia leaves and looks at the paper, piecing together Alexandra Stone from her mom's notes. She learns the Bay Area woman miraculously woke up from a coma.

Wayne and Sara go back to the area. Sara uses her powers to look inside the building. She finds out that Stone is being transferred that night. Wayne remarks it's time to do her thing. She asks what he was doing at the CDC when Stone was caught. He was gathering information, same as always. But it's over since the program was compromised. Sara thinks tonight is too soon as she can't access it all yet. Wayne doesn't believe her, thinking Alia is too blamed. Wayne understands as he had a wife. What they do is complicated but they have to shut off their feelings.

Sara returned to the apartment, examining the water. Alia confronts her mom on where she was, hearing a lie that Sara went to support group. She shows Alia a life insurance policy that she took out that morning. She wants her to be okay if something happens. Alia knows about Wayne as she saw them leave together. Alia demands to know what is going on. Sara tells her the woman she knew is gone as the coma changed things. Alia doesn't understand. Sara's sorry but she needs Alia to move on as she doesn’t need a mother anymore. Alia emotionally states that she doesn't as she can take care of herself as she has for a long time. She leaves the apartment.

Alia goes to Cody wanting to leave. She was stupid to think things could go back to the way they were. But it doesn't matter now as she's better off without her. Cody tells her it's okay and holds her hands. She wants to get the car.

Wayne and Sara sit in the truck as he reprimands her for getting attached. Sara tunes into the frequencies of the radios the guards are using, relaying all information to Wayne. She sends high-pitched ringing through the comms. Wayne blocks the road with his truck. He holds out his hand and then flips it, causing the car to flip and roll. Soldiers pour out of the truck with guns. Sara closes her eyes and the soldiers drop their weapons, unable to move. Wayne opens the transport to find Alexandra in the back.

The trio heads to a satellite field where Alexandra is having trouble with her body. Wayne remarks they only have a few minutes before their window closes and they’re stuck. Wayne and Alexandra touch foreheads before she walks off. Sara calls him out on forming attachments, but he only meant people from this world. Alexandra tells Wayne she'll see him on the other side. Seconds later, a glowing golden light transcends from her body. Her physical form falls to the ground as the energy, shaped like a person, floats into the sky. Wayne tells her to move quickly as she can't survive long in this atmosphere. The spirit enters the satellites and a beam of light and energy shoots into the sky. Sara walks to the unconscious body of Alexandra, who is not breathing. Wayne reminds Sara that she knew this would happen. She has doubts as to whether the body she's inhabiting was alive. He reminds her it was barely alive as the casings were nothing more than empty vessels being kept alive by people who couldn't let go. That's why they chose them. They have to go back to where they belong. Sara refuses and leaves. Wayne argues as they can only be intercepted for another two minutes. She isn't stopping him from leaving but wants to stay. He calls out that she isn't Sara or a mom. Alia will figure it out so Sara should come home. She isn't sure she wants to do what she does anymore. He uses telekinesis to throw her through the gate and into the fence. They can't stay or leave a trace, that's why they sent her. She is adamant about staying. She pulls free from his grip to throw him backward with her powers. She refuses to go. He reminds her that they'll come for her and the girl. She scoffs that they'll have a fight on their hands if they do. Wayne follows Stone's movements and his physical body falls to the floor.

Cody and Alia break into the diner's safe as she knows the combination. When she opens it, an alarm sounds. She grabs the money and runs out. A boy stops them as he's the one that Cody owes money to. He has a gun and points it at Alia. Cody stands in front of her. He demands the bag. Suddenly, he can't move. Sara appears and is holding the gun down. She throws the boy through the diner window. Alia realizes the woman isn't her mom. A gunshot rings out and Sara falls to the ground. Alia stands over her mother as she tries to help her. Cody calls 911 then runs inside to get paddles on Alia's request. Alia tries to shock her mom back to life to no avail. Cody tries to stop her but she refuses. Golden energy leaves Sara's body, changing to a bright red then back to yellow. She enters the electricity lines then shoots into the paddles. Alia presses them to her mom's body. Energy fills Sara's body, the lights around them flickering. Sara lurches awake. She then calls Alia Junebug. From the paddles, the energy appears before dissipating. The police arrive followed by paramedics.

In a flash-forward, Alia and Sara are unpacking boxes as her mom recants some of her memories, including reading Harry Potter. She was on book four before her accident. Alia asks for her signature to repeat her senior year at public school. She knows it isn't St. Alba's but is still okay. Sara smiles that Alia is more than she could have ever dreamed. She then finds a photograph of herself and Alia in one of the boxes. It's from the rehearsal a few weeks ago. Sara doesn't remember that. Alia assures her that she loved it. She takes the photo to the kitchen, where she places it on the fridge.

Starring

 * Michelle Wilson as Sara Jordan/Otherworldly Being
 * Sasha Lane as Alia Jordan
 * Josh Holloway as Wayne Wilkes (body) /Otherworldly Being

Guest Starring

 * Linda Park as Dr. Koh
 * Jacob Latimore as Cody
 * Barret Swatek as Mrs. Wilkes

Co-Starring

 * Lesa Wilson as Alexandra
 * Tyler Graham as Jasper
 * Rose Bianco as Inez
 * Fallyn Brown as 10 year old Alia
 * Moses Dav as Dev
 * Drew Scheid as Milo
 * Gabriella Garcia as Promo Girl
 * Nicholas Stargel as Prom Guy
 * Erik Bello as Guard #1
 * Eric Esquer as FBI Agent
 * Deborah Bowman as Director

Trivia

 * This episode opens with an episodic title card, making it the second episode to ever do so. It follows only Dynoman and the Volt.
 * Popular comic book characters Archie and Veronica are mentioned. The characters are also protagionists in The CW series, Riverdale.
 * The character of "Mrs. Danvers" is mentioned. Mrs. Danvers is the main antagonist of Daphne du Maurier's 1938 novel, Rebecca, and it's 1940 film adaptation of the same name by Sir Alfred Hitchcock.
 * Ron and Hermionie are mentioned. They are titular characters in the Harry Potter franchise.