So do we know what's wrong?
No. Seems above our pay grade.
Does David seem distracted to you?
- What? - Kristen, okay, what is going on?
Both of you seem someplace else.
No, I just...
Sometimes I wonder why I'm doing this.
Well, what would you do instead?
I don't know.
My husband suggested I go climbing again.
Seriously? That I do not get.
At least here, you're keeping David sane.
Their parents have been called.
I just want to get some sense of the school's liability.
So, what is it?
How long have they been doing it?
- Two hours. - Uninterrupted?
They stop when I tell them, but then they start up again.
What's going on?
These are the two who work with David.
I thought it best they talk to them.
In here.
Emma, Olivia,
that's enough now, ladies.
Stop.
These folks are from the rectory
and they have some questions for you.
Hey. Hi.
What's that song you're singing?
- Ladies. - I don't know.
Ladies, we need you to stop.
That's enough!
You don't know the words?
No.
- And why don't you stop? - We do stop.
But then you just start back up again?
Why?
It feels good.
Can you stop right now?
Are you hearing the song in your heads?
- I do. - Yeah.
Okay, can you do this for me?
Do you know the words to "Jingle Bells"?
Great.
Can you sing it for me?
? Jingle, jingle bells ?
? Jingle all the way ?
? What fun it is to ride. ?
Okay, sorry, that's not it.
Um, it-it's like this.
? Jingle bells, jingle bells ?
? Jingle all the way ?
? Oh, what fun it is to ride ?
? In a one-horse open sleigh ?
? Hey, jingle bells, jingle bells ?
- ? Jingle all the way. ? - Great.
Now, stop for a second.
Can you hear it in your head?
Perfect.
Sing it again.
Go ahead, sing it.
? Jingle, jingle bells ?
? Jingle all the way ?
? What fun it is to ride ?
? In a one-horse open sleigh. ?
It's stuck song syndrome.
An auditory form of OCD.
- These girls have OCD? - Not necessarily.
I mean, you should talk to their parents.
Basically, the song is just stuck
like an earworm in their head.
What is the cure?
Well, the simplest treatment is distraction.
I gave them gum.
Gum? Why gum?
Well, sometimes the distraction of gum chewing
can keep the mind from obsessing on the song.
And if it fails?
There's ERP... exposure and response prevention".
It's about changing the response
when the song pops in their head.
But that is beyond what I can offer.
Kristen, was it?
It was.
Thank you.
It's good to have you involved in this.
Okay, there's a possession we need to discuss.
We've been having some difficulties...
Teacher's pet.
Hey, hey, slamming? Really?
Hi.
Ha ha. Lexis?
Lexis?
What's going on? What's the problem?
Nothing.
Well, you're crying, so... something.
What?
A girl in school. She lives next door.
Who?
Sami.
She pushed me down and she did this to me.
Oh...
Oh, baby.
Can I give you some grandmotherly advice?
Uh-huh.
You take a brick and you hit her in the face.
What?
This is where it hurts the most, right here.
You take something heavy, and you smack her.
Right there. She bigger than you?
Yeah. That's good. She won't expect it.
Okay, here.
Wrap your hand around this.
She'll think you're just hitting her with your fist,
but you'll really have the thrust of a rock.
What's her name again?
- Sami. - Sami.
Sami's gonna bleed just a little bit,
but she'll think it's just from your fist.
Then you just drop your arm down by your side like this,
and let it slip out.
And people will never know you had a rock in there at all.
I can't.
Oh, sure you can, sweetheart.
I thought I couldn't either.
You know what I found out?
You either make 'em your bitch or they make you theirs.
In the name of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.
It's been two weeks since my last confession.
These are my sins.
I slept with a woman.
Someone I know from my past.
She's the sister of my fiancée.
Have you told your fiancée?
No.
She died.
Some years ago.
Do you think a relationship might be developing
with this other woman?
I...
She-she and I have talked about it.
But there are just too many...
complications.
We've agreed not to see each other again.
Is there something else?
Yes. I...
I'm in my third year at...
Your third year at...
Nothing.
Okay.
Then I ask you to reflect on the act of contrition.
Can I help you with something?
Hello?
? Hark, the herald angels sing ?
? Glory to the new-born king. ?
? Jingle bells, jingle bells ?
? Jingle all the way. ?
What is that?
- What? - That song.
- I don't know. It's stuck in my head. - Yeah.
It's familiar.
I know, it's something that these schoolgirls
kept singing today. They said they couldn't stop.
It's "Pudsy's Christmas".
- What? - It's "Pudsy's Christmas".
What?
What's "Putty Christmas"?
A cartoon online.
- How do you know it? - I don't. I just know the song.
- Oh. - How do I find it?
There's this thing called the Internet, Mom.
_
? Santa got high, now everything is funny ?
? Someone had a gummy ?
? He thought he might try ?
? His mouth is so dry ?
? His teeth are kind of itchy ?
? How'd he ever get so high? ?
? Ho, ho, ho, just a taste of a yummy gummy ?
? Ho, ho, ho ?
? Yummy, yum in my rummy tummy ?
? Oh, ho, ho ?
? Gum, gum, tummy, funny gummy ?
? Oh, God, everybody knows ?
? La, la, la, la ?
? La, la, la, la, la, la, la ?
? La, la, la, la, la, la ?
? La, la, la, la, la ?
? La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la ?
? La, la, la, la, la, la, la. ?
It's from an Internet video called
"Pudsy's Christmas". It's an edgier version
of Charlie Brown's Christmas.
It's just a meme. It'll be gone in a week.
And you think it's harmless?
I do.
- ? All is calm ? - Then explain this.
- ? All is bright ? - ? La, la, la, la ?
- ? La, la, la, la, la, la, la ? - ? Round yon... ?
- ? La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la ? - Quiet. Stop!
- Shh! - ? La, la, la, la ?
- ? La, la, la, la, la, la, la ? - Stop.
? La, la, la, la, la, la, la ?
? La, la, la, la ?
? La, la, la, la, la, la, la ?
? La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la ?
? La, la, la, la ?
? La, la, la, la, la, la, la ?
? La, la, la, la ?
? La, la, la, la, la, la, la ?
? La, la, la, la, la. ?
- Synced and corrected by Firefly - - www.addic7ed.com -
How is this possible? It starts with four girls,
then it spreads to 50? Is it contagious?
I don't know. I mean, it could be a psychogenic illness.
- What's that? - Mass hysteria.
Illness-like behavior that quickly spreads
- to a whole group. - Even behavior like singing?
Uh, in 1962, there was a laughter epidemic in Tanzania.
Three students at a boarding school
started laughing uncontrollably,
and then 159 others seemed to catch it.
And the school couldn't control it. In fact,
the more that they tried, the worse it got.
It spread to three villages in the area.
Why?
There were a lot of theories.
Emotions are contagious,
so many believe it to be an extreme emotional contagion.
What stops it?
Nothing.
I mean, nothing in Western medicine.
It usually just dies out on its own after a few months.
And it's harmless?
Well, there was a dancing plague in 1518.
400 people in France could not stop dancing.
In fact, many of them died of starvation and heart attacks
because they couldn't stop.
Sorry, just...
Half of the things you talk about sound made up.
Are we thinking there could be
- a supernatural dimension to this? - Maybe,
but first, we should consider the psychological.
- And the physical. - What's the physical here?
- Well, it could be asbestos. - I doubt that.
- Why? - Because the school's been checked.
Never hurts to check again.
Listen, I've worked in a lot of these older buildings,
and I'll tell you, there is always some asbestos
- hiding in the soundproofing. - _
I'd rather focus on the psychological.
No computer, no TV.
For a month?
Okay. I guess.
I mean, yeah.
God, I hate this.
I know.
What?
Parenting.
- I'll go get her. - Yeah.
? La, la, la, la, la, la... ?
What?
That song.
? La, la, la, la, la, la ?
? La, la, la, la... ?
Why are you singing that?
What?
"Pudsy's Christmas". Why are you singing it?
- Lynn taught it to us. It's fun. - Yeah.
- Don't you like it? - Okay.
- I need you guys to stop singing it. - Why?
It's a Christmas song.
I don't like it. Okay? Just sing something else.
Here. Uh...
? Away in a manger, no crib for a bed ?
? The little Lord Jesus ?
? Lay down his sweet head... ?
That's beautiful, Mom.
Lexis,
can we see you for a sec?
Good luck.
Okay. Why did you hit her?
She was bullying me. She pushed me down.
But you don't hit, Lexis.
You never do.
That's not what Grandma said.
What?
Grandma said the only way for her to stop bullying me
is if I hit her back.
Grandma said that?
And it worked.
Sami said sorry and the other girls
wanted to be my friend again.
Yeah, but we don't hit.
Okay? Kristen?
Mom, you can't do that.
Hmm? I'm sorry, what?
Sami almost went to the hospital.
Okay, I-I'm confused. Who's Sami?
The girl Lexis hit.
The girl you told Lexis to hit.
Kristen, I'm sorry,
But I have no idea what you're talking about.
You didn't tell Lexis to hit Sami?
No!
Of course not.
Oh, my God.
Look, I-I don't want to get Lexis in trouble,
but I didn't tell her to hit anyone.
Are you telling me Lexis is lying?
No. No, I'm not. I just... I didn't say anything.
So...
Ben,
go ahead and check for asbestos.
Hey, let me call you back.
Let's talk.
So I thought we were trying to stay away from each other.
I thought so, too.
So didn't you call me?
What is this?
Note you left on my pillow.
What?
Like a high school crush?
No. No, I did not leave this on your pillow.
It's not even my handwriting.
I know.
So why call me?
Because you know whose handwriting it is.
Julia's.
Oh, my God.
You think I would save one of Julia's notes
to put on your pillow?
- How else would it get there? - Okay.
You know why I really think you called?
Because you're not over this.
Because you said we should stay apart,
but you're the one who called me.
- Renee. - What is the other option here?
You thought I was teasing you with my sister's handwriting?
How does that even make sense?
Okay. I should just go.
David.
David, some people are not meant for the priesthood.
Take care.
What is this?
The food served here.
Okay, you were right. There's no asbestos issue.
But the vendor who supplies your vegetables, DFC Veggies,
they have some pesticide issues.
They are fighting off lawsuits.
And I found traces of
anhydrous ammonia on the produce.
It's a pesticide.
It's one of the reasons that their produce is so cheap.
You think the girls were affected by the pesticides?
Yes.
What do you need?
Well, we need to question the girls who were affected again.
Okay. Give me a minute.
My girls aren't at this school,
yet they're humming the song, too.
- Why is that? - I don't know.
Why do people sing "It's a Small World"
months after they've gone through the ride?
It's simple, it's repetitive.
Stop! Stop!
- Stop! Stop! - Stop!
Stop it!
You told me to hit Sami.
- Prove it. - What?
Prove that I told you to do that.
But you did.
Mm, I think you're mistaking me with someone else.
Why are you doing this? You're lying.
Lexi. Lexi, sweetheart.
Listen to me.
There's snitching and there's lying.
And snitching is far worse.
Okay, I'm gonna tell you something
that you're gonna find out when you're an adult.
And it's probably the best Christmas present
I could ever give you.
You ready?
Everybody lies.
Yeah, I lie.
But so does your mom and your dad and all your teachers.
So next time,
tell them whatever it takes to keep you and me out of trouble.
And here's the most important thing:
you never, ever, ever snitch.
You got it?
I love you.
Oh, I love you so much.
Ooh. I got to get this.
Hi. What's going on?
Just finishing up with a patient here.
I wanted to know whether I could see you tonight.
Yeah, yeah.
I'm just finishing up with my babysitting duties.
An hour?
Sounds good.
Oh, how did the talk with the granddaughter go?
Good. Good. Thanks for the advice.
No problem. Just giving back. Love you.
Love you, too.
Hi.
Can you hear me, Emma?
Yeah.
Why did you put scissors in your ear?
The noise.
It just kept getting worse.
Have you ever heard of anything called "Pudsy's Christmas"?
No.
The school's given us permission to check
your browser history. Are you okay with that?
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, it's in my bag.
What about school lunches?
Have you been eating a lot of the salads?
No.
No?
What do you eat at the cafeteria?
French fries.
That's all you eat, French fries?
- Yeah. - Everything else is gross.
Okay.
We really need your help
getting to the bottom of this.
Emma, what is Malindaz?
"Malindaz"?
Influencer, talks about clothes and makeup and stuff.
Is that where you heard the music?
I don't know.
Hey, guys! Today's video is especially for you.
I'm calling it "Malindaz Challenge".
- This can't be the reason, can it? - Hmm.
It's an amazing 95 minutes long.
And anybody who watches the whole thing
and says "Malindaz Challenge" three times at the end
will go crazy!
No joke, girl, completely insane.
So don't do it!
Only three people have ever done it,
and they ended up in Bellevue.
So stop at the two mark...
? And don't you dare say ?
? "Malindaz Challenge" ?
... three times.
You have been warned.
She's trying to make the site sound dangerous.
The less their parents would approve,
the more kids will want to watch it.
Listen. Background music.
- The shade that might be best for you... - There it is.
That's it.
That's where they heard it.
If you've got, like, freckles,
you want to kind of use it sparingly.
Okay, all right.
I will make the sacrifice and watch the whole thing.
Well, this is no time for bravery.
- I'm gonna let you. - Thank you.
Come look for me in Bellevue.
But, first...
Oh, what is this?
... presents!
Are we supposed to open them right now?
You can open them after I leave.
Merry Christmas, both of you.
Merry Christmas.
We should've gotten her something.
Okay, let's do this!
So first, foundation.
Ooh, this is a shade
that might be best for you.
It's a bit glowy, so if you've got, like, freckles,
you want to kind of use it sparingly.
'Cause you know what I always say!
Use what you naturally have.
Whatever distinguishes you.
And maybe for you, that's freckles,
so make sure we can see them.
I'm not in love with the texture of this brand as it goes on,
but I am all about some of their colors,
especially when I use it with my usual foundation.
And that's liquid foundation, right?
Never Stick... check it out.
You know me; I can sometimes be
all about my neutral look.
_
And you can go for something more dramatic, of course,
but remember...
? You'll stand out! ?
Heavier coverage concealer can be your best of best friends
when you've been out till dawn.
I know you know what I'm talking about.
Don't overdo it.
One dot is all it takes.
A good concealer can literally cover all your sins.
? Good King Wenceslas looked down ?
? On the feast of Stephen ?
? I don't know the rest of the words ?
- Yes, you do. - ? La, la, la, la... ?
- Lynn. Lynn. - Yeah, Mom?
Do you ever visit makeup sites? Makeup and clothes?
- You said I was too young. - I know, I know.
But have you ever heard of the site called, um...
Called what?
Nothing, sweetheart.
Never mind.
- Okay. - Good night.
Good night.
... a little too much.
No, actually...
I kind of like it. What do you think?
What are we hiding?
Nothing, just something from work.
Porn?
Oh, seriously?
Yeah.
If you listen to it all the way to the end,
it's supposed to make you crazy.
Yeah, I can believe that.
Then you're supposed to say
"Malindaz Challenge" three times.
I actually think it really works...
Your work is insane.
My favorite new late-night club in Williamsburg.
Have you checked it out yet, seriously?
Anything dangerous?
Okay.
- Don't overdo it. - No, nothing I can hear.
Hmm, that's weird.
What is that?
What?
Do you hear that?
Yeah.
A good concealer can literally cover all your sins.
It's a man.
I don't like it. It's scary.
That's not Daddy's voice. Who is it?
That's the challenge!
You made it all the way to the end with me.
You're definitely one of the special ones.
Only one more step.
Are you sure you want to do it?
You know what to say, right?
Three times?
Okay, but remember...
You have been warned.
Malindaz Challenge.
This is insane.
Malindaz Challenge.
Malindaz Challenge. Malindaz Challenge.
But remember...
You have been warned.
Malindaz Challenge. Malindaz Challenge.
Malindaz... Challenge.
Yes, I am an idiot.
_
What the hell are you doing, David?
What?
These pictures of you and me.
You're Wi-Poking them?
What, are you following me?
It's not me.
You're not doing this?
No!
David...
what's happening?
I don't know.
We need to talk.
I agree.
Mom!
Mom! Mom!
Stop, Lila, stop! Mom!
- It's in her ear! I don't know what to do! - Oh, my God!
- What happened? What's going on?! - Oh, my God!
- I don't know. - The voice is in my head!
- Oh, Mommy! - It's okay. It's okay.
I'm sorry.
Is she all right?
Kristen?
Lila, um...
Yeah, she's-she's all right.
Doctor thinks her eardrum will recover.
What I don't understand is how this happened.
Did your daughters hear anything
- in that Malindaz Challenge video? - Yes.
They said they heard a voice
coming from my room while I was watching the video.
I listened to all 95 minutes of that stupid video,
and there was no voice.
Yes, there was.
Listen to this.
You guys hear anything?
- No. - Good.
Because that is at 17,000 hertz range,
which is the range that only people under 16 can hear.
Are you kidding?
Those are sounds that only teenagers can hear?
Yep. Science is weird.
Now, this is what they're really hearing.
Across for attention, down for results.
Across for attention, down...
- What the heck? - That is a voice
that is encouraging kids on how to commit suicide.
Oh, my God.
That is a suicide instruction meme
that only teenagers can hear.
Why?
Because some people like to do bad things.
They're clout chasing.
- Clout? - Yeah.
Getting attention on the Internet.
Sometimes it comes from being a good influence,
sometimes it comes from being a bad influence.
Is Malindaz the one doing this?
No, not necessarily.
Can you find out?
Yeah. Doing my best.
Oh, um, Kristen,
uh, I'm not sure there's a right time to do this,
but, um, here.
It's from both of us.
Aw. You didn't have to.
I know. We'll take it back.
No!
Uh, look, can you, uh,
open that when we're not here?
Because it's too much mush.
- Merry Christmas. - Merry Christmas.
David, thank you.
Are you okay?
I am.
Ben thought you... seemed a bit sad.
I've got some things to figure out about my life.
But... I'm okay.
Good.
I'm okay, too.
Good.
- Merry Christmas. - Merry Christmas.
- They merged together. - The cats were...
- Yes. - They merged a brother and a sister together?
- No. - What, like in a test tube?
- No, they... - This sounds weird to me.
- They were in their mother's stomach. - Hey.
- Hi.
You okay?
- Better. That was weird. - Yeah?
- What did you hear? - Same song, playing over and over.
And there was this voice
asking if I wanted to be part of the army.
- What army? - I don't know.
Just someone who's strong and could fight.
- Fight who? - Other people.
I don't want to think about that.
Let's see your thumb, please.
One, two, three, four,
I declare a thumb war.
- I won. - No!
And then you strike.
No, you can't bring this in yet.
I can. I'm allowed.
No.
? Does she wake up, put on makeup ?
? In the bathroom ?
? And go to work and stay real late ?
? And text you she'll be back soon? ?
? But her boss runs his fingers round her pretty ?
? Blonde platinum do ?
? I bet you never thought about that, did you? ?
? And it's none of my business ?
? And I don't wanna get involved ?
- ? If you're thinking that she's good... ? - Yeah?
Across for attention, down for results.
Across for attention, down for...
Look, I'm just an influencer.
I didn't produce it. I didn't do that.
Yeah, so who produced it?
Someone who was given to me.
Some guy named... Mike.
You know this is going to ruin you.
You're encouraging kids to kill themselves.
No, I'm just showing them makeup.
Not my daughter.
My daughter almost destroyed her eardrum.
Yeah, because there's a tone in there,
along with the voice... it's annoying as hell.
Honestly, if you listen to that thing long enough,
- you'd want to poke out your own eardrums. - But that wasn't me.
- Mm. It was Mike. - I just want girls
to have more power through their looks.
I like your earrings.
Yeah, thank you.
We need you to take down that video.
Because our next stop is to the police.
Girls are hurting themselves.
It's just so horrible.
I don't know what to do, but they're threatening me.
Did you tell them that a producer did it and not you?
Yeah. I said Mike did it,
but they're forcing me to shut down my site.
Even if they could force you to take it down,
you'd have it back up in two months
under a different name.
But they'll embarrass me.
They'll say that I was using that track you gave me
to make people crazy.
That track I gave you?
Are you threatening me?
What? No.
Sounded like you were preparing a defense.
No, I was just saying...
Because when you first came to me,
how many followers did you have?
- I don't know. - 2,000.
You were a micro-influencer.
And now how many do you have? Two million.
Let's not lose track of that.
- I won't. - Good.
Now, here's what you're going to do.
Take down the site and apologize.
What? But that's what they want.
And that's what they'll get.
In 1785, the king of France found
that potatoes were the most economical way
to feed the peasantry.
The problem was peasants hated potatoes.
So the king has his servants build a big brick wall,
and behind it he plants potatoes in his secret garden.
The peasants grow curious and then upset.
They climb over the wall and steal
all the food planted there.
And that's how potatoes became a staple
of the French peasantry.
What does that mean?
The forbidden is always desirable.
I'm just so sorry, guys.
I want you to know I'm better than this.
One of my producers uploaded my challenge online
and added something.
Something that can make it dangerous.
I don't want any trouble with the police or anything,
so I'm gonna take it down by the end of the day.
But please, please, please don't share this video.
Oh, come on.
Don't download it. Don't share it.
Oh, this video is gonna be everywhere
- by this time tomorrow. - Just like she wants.
I will not abandon you ever.
For you.
Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.
It's been four days since my last confession.
- Four days? - Yes.
You know, you don't need to come every day, son.
I know.
It's been four days since my last confession,
but I didn't tell you everything.
Okay.
I confessed that I slept with a woman...
but there's something else.
I'm in my third year of seminary.
And I'm training to be a priest.
I don't want to hide anything anymore.
I'm sorry.
Anything else?
No.
Will you avoid any situation
that might lead you to temptation again?
Yes.
Good.
Then you are forgiven.
? Hark, the herald angels sing ?
? Glory to the newborn king ?
? Peace on Earth and mercy mild ?
? God and sinner recon... ?
No.
No, please.
_