• Original air date: September 13, 2003
• Writer: Jeff F. King
• Director: Stefan Scaini

  Guest Stars:
  Actor's name	Character played
  Lori Hallier	Kelly Trent
  Talia Schlanger	Madison
  Darren Marsman	Worker
  Elizabeth Young (uncredited)	The Cooke

Continued from Shrink

 Last time on Strange Days at Blake Holsey High: Victor welcomes Kelly Trent to his team; Victor tells Principal Durst to keep the students away from the front of the school; Principal Durst announces Blake Holsey High’s first annual pizza night; the Science Club hides in the bushes and watches Victor’s investigation; Josie discovers her mother is involved in Pearadyne Industries.

  The group observes Josie's mom (Kelly) and Victor talking from the bushes. Professor Zachary tells her that here might be an explanation. They continue to watch when Kelly's scanner begins sparking and shoots "lightning" everywhere. Victor backs away from Kelly, who is still holding the sensor. Josie tries to run to her mother but the group pulls her back. They have to get away from what is going on. The group runs away, but Josie goes back. She calls to her mom. Kelly sees her but is unable to do anything about the device. Over by Josie, a bolt of electricity strikes in front of her and opens the wormhole. Josie is sucked in.

      Josie is dropped in front of the school, by the bushes where the wormhole sucked her in. It is during the day though. Josie walks up to the driveway as several trucks begin to drive up to the school. Josie tries to approach the trucks but a workman tells her that she shouldn’t be around them.
      Josie goes into the school. She is walking through the main hallway when she sees another Josie (hereafter referred to as JosieB), Corrine, Lucas, Marshall, and Vaughn coming down the stairs. Josie hides in one of the doorways as the others come to the bottom of the stairs. They are talking about how Josie tipped Vaughn’s dad off to how the business partner that Victor wanted could not be trusted. Josie realizes that she has been brought back to the past (to the events that occurred in Shrink). The Janitor watches from another doorway behind the one that Josie is standing in. Over the PA system, Principal Durst makes the announcement about Blake Holsey High’s first annual pizza night.
      Josie runs into Professor Zachary’s office. Professor Z inquires to why she has not yet headed to the party when Josie, hearing the voice of JosieB, hides behind an overhead projector table near a wall. Lucas, Marshall, Corrine, and Lucas walk in, followed by Josie. Professor Zachary is astonished to see two Josie’s in the same room. He looks at Josie, who is hiding at an angle that the others cannot see her, and tries to understand what she is mouthing as he walks toward her; she is trying to direct him to keep his focus on the others. JosieB, tells Professor Zachary that she thinks that the pizza party is a distraction for allowing Victor to investigate the school. Professor Zachary ends up leaning against the overhead projector table, providing extra protection so that the others won’t see Josie. Vaughn says that they don’t know if his dad is really the one who is up to something. JosieB apologizes but pushes the idea to Professor Zachary that they only way to find out is if they all skip going to the party and instead do some snooping around. Professor Zachary agrees but then tells them that they should go to the party since Principal Durst is being so insistent about it. Josie is still making signals to Professor Zachary but they are not working. JosieB asks him if they will see him at the party. Josie punches him on his lower leg when he makes a joke about seeing JosieB first a couple of times before the party. Professor Zachary leans against the table, trying to hold back the pain. The others look among themselves, trying to figure out why Professor Zachary is acting this way. Vaughn asks if everything is alright to which Professor Zachary replies that everything is fine and that he’ll see them at the party. The five leave the office, a bit confused. Josie then comes out of hiding and looks through the window to see if everyone else is moving away from the office. Professor Zachary limps over to his desk, asking Josie if she is aware that the shin, where Josie actually struck him, is the least protected bone on the body. Josie tells him that she was just sucked through the wormhole from three hours in the future.
      Out in the hallway, the five discuss what happened. Vaughn wonders if Professor Zachary will report them after Corrine says that Professor Zachary probably had an issue with them asking him to help break a lot of school rules. Josie doesn’t really care though, she is bent on seeing for herself what is happening. Suddenly, however, Principal Durst appears before them, in the hallway. She tells them that she has been looking everywhere for them and asks them if they will be at the pizza party. They tell her that they have a very important assignment to work on but Principal Durst, pushing them in the opposite direction, back towards Professor Zachary’s office, tells them that. She then orders them to go to the party; they comply. Principal Durst then knocks on Professor Zachary’s door and tells him to hurry up.

Inside Professor Zachary’s office, Professor Z finds it interesting that an accident opened the wormhole. Josie tells him that it was because a device that her mother was holding went ballistic. Professor Z tells Josie that, if the wormhole was opened by it, it released a lot of energy. Josie proposes that since the accident will occur in a couple of hours, she can simply warn her mother about it now. Professor Z tells her that she cannot do that. He goes into his desk and pulls out some string and weaves it around his fingers in the manor of Cat’s Cradle. He tells her that there are multiple Josies in multiple timelines and that Josie needs to get back to her own timeline; he uses the string as an analogy of a map of time. He tells her that each timeline can only support one Josie. If Josie does not return to exact same place in time when and where she came out of the wormhole, and if the accident does not give off the correct amount of energy to open the wormhole, this timeline that Josie is in could become corrupted and collapse into itself – destroying everything. An announcement over the PA system interrupts their conversation:

Professor Z tells Josie that he is on "pizza duty" but he will try to think of a way to help her. He reminds her to stay out of sight and get to the wormhole on time. He then leaves for the dining hall. Josie turns to the windows. She sees her mother talking with Victor outside. Josie cannot resist warning her though and leaves Professor Z’s office.
     In the dining hall, JosieB is eager to make a break for the exit but Vaughn is worried about his dad seeing them while spying on what Victor is doing. Corrine points that they’re going to have difficulty getting out of the dining hall with Principal Durst keeping a constant watch on the five of them.

Josie is sneaking around Victor’s home. She gets into his library, adjoining the office. She sees her mom walking into the office. Josie tries to whisper to her mother but Victor walks into the office. Victor is trying to convince Kelly to rejoin Pearadyne. Josie is disturbed by what she is hearing. Kelly wants to know why Victor needs to rebuild Pearadyne but Victor evades the question. Kelly asks Victor what he supposedly gets if she agrees to work with him. Victor smoothly replies that he will get "one of the brightest scientific minds" that he has ever known, and then offers her full partnership in the project. Kelly finally agrees. Victor is pleased. He begins to walk towards the library, where Josie is still watching from behind the doorway. Seeing him come towards her, Josie backs up into one of the displays holding a vase. The vase falls off the display and Josie is unable to catch it…

 A hand lunges to the floor, under the vase, before the vase makes contact with the floor. It is Professor Z! He is somewhat angry with Josie for not staying in his office. Kelly and Victor are still talking in the office. While Kelly negotiates having full disclosure and other contract items, Professor Z and Josie begin to leave through another doorway. But the floor squeaks, catching Victor and Kelly’s attentions. Victor goes to the library to search for the cause of the sound. While he is occupied, Kelly goes into Victor's suitcase, trying to find out his plans.

     Josie and Professor Z return to Professor Z’s office through a side door. He tells her that he will lock her in the room if he believes that she will run off again. Josie responds, angrily, that she does not care anymore now that she knows that her mother lied to her – she would be around Josie more but it means that she will be working for Victor. Professor Z tells her that there is most likely more to the story than what they heard Victor and Kelly say. Josie does not believe him. Unable to think of a reason to explain what is going on with Victor and Kelly, Professor Z heads back to the party; he orders Josie to stay in the office.

In the dining hall, some students are walking around, appearing bored, while other students are dancing. Corrine, Vaughn, Lucas, and Marshall are standing at the punch table, a punch fountain and food is on the table. Lucas spits out his punch back into his cup as Professor Z approaches them and asks them what they are up to – he is suspicious of the four of them. Vaughn and Lucas look the other way while Marshall looks down at the table. Corrine replies that nothing is going on. Professor Z swiftly walks up behind Lucas and Marshall. He sternly asks Marshall if Corrine is speaking the truth. Lucas instantly replies "yes" but Marshall, still looking down, tells Professor Z that it is a lie. Corrine asks Professor Z not to report them. Professor Z takes notice that Josie is not with the other four. He asks them, but directs the question at Marshall, where Josie is. Marshall, behind Lucas, points down to the floor.

     Under the table, Professor Z finds JosieB adding bags of bicarb and vinegar into the container of punch that feeds the fountain. The plan is that the pump action will force the bicarb and vinegar to mix, which will make their diversion to get away from Principal Durst. He tells her that the amount of bicarb she has could blow the fountain into Kamchatka and that he will be shutting down her experiment. JosieB recognizes her error but protests, saying that Victor is up to something and that they need to find out what he is doing. Lucas tells Professor Zackary that he could simply look the other way but Professor Z says that he cannot do that either. He instead offers to help them conduct the experiment safely. He tells JosieB a safe amount of bicarb to use that won’t make the fountain fly off the table.

Meanwhile, men in hazard suits walk around the upstairs floors. Josie is still hiding in Professor Z’s office. She sees a silhouette approach the door, through the door’s glass window, and tries to hide behind the desk. The Janitor walks in and sees her. Josie tells him that she is on her way to the party now but the Janitor tells her that she is already at the party. The Janitor continues to mop the office floor; Josie sarcastically comments that he knows everything in two universes, which the Janitor seems to ignore. Josie asks him what she is doing there if she cannot stop the accident from happening. He tells her that she should ask herself that question. Josie says that she doesn’t trust her mother and doesn’t want to talk to her. The Janitor seems offended by this and tells her that things are not always what they seem. Josie says that her mother lied to her but the Janitor tells Josie that she shouldn’t hold onto things that can hurt her. He adds that there may be someone that Josie should pass the advice onto.

After the Janitor leaves, Josie calls her mother using a cell phone on the desk. Josie’s mother, is out in front of the school, placing computer chips into a device. She tells Josie that she is really busy and asks if she can call Josie back. Josie tells her mother that she has a friend who is mixed up in something big and, asking her mother, if she had a secret then would she tell her friend. Kelly says that she would but it isn’t always possible. Her attention is now more focused on what Josie has to say but she hears Victor nearby asking for an update. Kelly tells Josie that she has to go. Josie quickly adds that she shouldn’t hold onto things that can hurt her and just throw it away. Kelly is confused by what Josie is saying but Josie only repeats herself, sounding somewhat cryptic. In the background, Victor seems annoyed, asking another person what they mean by something being blank. Kelly agrees and they hang up.

     In the dining hall, Professor Z nervously looks at his watch. JosieB adds the bicarb to the fountains storage container; Corrine keeps watch. With their job complete, Corrine and JosieB move away from the table as Madison approaches the table for some juice. She observes that they are leaving the area but doesn't make a big deal of it. Turning her attention back to the table, she sees the fountain now bubbling juice rapidly. It starts to spray foam everywhere. Principal Durst and the Cooke try swoop in to investigate and the Science Club takes the opportunity to leave the party.
      Outside, the Science Club is now positioned behind some bushes to watch what is going on in the front of the school. Josie is waiting in a separate set of bushes. JosieB sees her mother and is shocked that her mother works for Victor. Professor Z tells her that there might be another explanation. Kelly tells Victor that the sensor is blank and they begin arguing about the lack of readings. He accuses her of giving up too easily and tells her that he should probably rethink his offer to her. Annoyed, Kelly tells Victor that she is quitting the project. Josie smiles hearing this.

Victor asks her about Josie, saying that he thought she had come back to be closer to Josie. Josie’s smile fades until she hears Kelly tell him that she will be close to Josie no matter where she is and she wouldn’t leave Josie at the school if she thought that Josie was in danger from Victor. Josie feels good about what she has heard her mother say. Kelly begins to resume scanning the area but suddenly the scanner begins sparkling and shooting bolts of electricity into the air. Victor moves away from her, leaving Kelly to deal with the malfunctioning device. JosieB comes out of the bushes when the rest of the group runs away and Kelly sees her. Kelly, remembering not to hold on to things that cause harm, throws the scanner away from her. The others come back and pull JosieB away, enabling Josie to come up into position as the stray bolt of electricity hits the ground and opens the wormhole. Josie goes into the wormhole and appears in the correct time and place when she went back in time. As Josie runs off, she looks back and sees Victor staring in her direction.

  The next morning, Kelly tells Josie that her plans have changed, that she couldn't trust the person she'd be working with and trust is an important thing. She will unfortunately be leaving again. The two hug as Kelly gets into her car and drives off.

The rest of the Science Club is sitting on a bench in the front of the school. After Kelly leaves, Josie joins them. They ask what her big news is. They’ve already been informed that Josie went through a wormhole and saved her mother from Victor; Vaughn challenges the idea that Victor had something to do with the device exploding but they all look at him rather unsure of his opinion. Josie tells the rest of them that Victor might have seen her come out of the wormhole. They all look a bit worried by this.
     From Principal Durst's office, Victor looks out at the Science Club. Principal Durst is with him. He is holding a computer chip from one of his experiments and telling Principal Durst that it has been sabotaged. He now believes there is a spy at Blake Holsey High.

Episode notes:

• Janitor's secret message: "The greatest threat to Victor ... is Josie."

Personal thoughts:
If you were hanging around the Strange Days forum at the time, you might remember how much we thought, and anticipated, the second season. This one, like Wormhole, had me think about how the time travelling made sense. It took a while but I finally saw that how going back and forth in time worked along a linear timeline. But that's not how Jim Rapsas has the series planned out - multiple dimensions occur at the same time, as Professor Z explained with the Cat's Cradle.
It is strange how the consequences of time travel are paid more attention here than in the other episodes where it has happened.
Rating: 6/10