0:00

Bridgewater is a production of I Heart Radio

0:02

three D audio and Grim and Mild from

0:04

Aaron Mackey. For a full exposure

0:07

listen with headphones. Listener

0:09

discretion advised, a

0:21

Athanan baby,

0:24

where are you? Ethan? Hey,

0:27

we're going to find him. An. I know,

0:30

you know, I think about all the all the people that have gone

0:32

missing here that you have found. I

0:34

didn't find everyone I know,

0:37

but you are going to find Nathan. I

0:39

know it's

0:43

gonna be okay. Yeah,

0:45

yeah, no, we are going to find him. I'm sure that, but

0:49

it doesn't mean that things are going to be okay.

1:26

All right, let's go over it again. They

1:29

left for the trip on Friday morning. Everything

1:31

was fine Friday, Saturday night, the

1:34

trip. Woke up Sunday morning to find Ethan sleeping

1:37

bag empty and cold. This

1:39

morning. What Sunday

1:42

morning is? This morning? It's only been a few hours after

1:45

nine hours. Yeah, it's been nine hours. Yes,

1:47

and thank you. I'm aware that it is

1:49

still Sunday. I'm a cop. Specificity

1:52

is important to me, retired cop.

1:54

Excuse me, if you're retired, if

1:56

you can, if you care about specificity, I'm just

1:58

sorrying all right, Jesus

2:01

Christ Bradshaw my grandson is missing.

2:03

You really think this is an appropriate time to give me some

2:05

lip. I'm not trying. You're

2:09

right, I'm sorry, I'm just I'm wound up.

2:11

All right, it's been a stressful

2:13

thirty six hours.

2:18

Hey, how's it been doing. Oh, he's

2:20

all right. I guess I'm glad I insisted

2:23

on him staying at my place last night. I don't think waking

2:25

up in an empty apartment in the middle of the night it would

2:27

have been good for him. Nightmares, wake

2:31

up screaming, Yeah, how do you know that

2:34

the lights? That's what they do. The

2:36

same thing happened to Thomas, even what

2:41

my dad mm hmm. After

2:44

he saw the lights and heard the voice for the first

2:46

time, he didn't sleep a full night through

2:48

for months. He'd wake up

2:50

screaming. I don't

2:53

remember that. I don't remember him ever screaming

2:55

in the middle of the night. Wait,

2:58

and when you say no, he was just really good

3:00

at hiding things from you, not because he was trying

3:02

to lie to you or anything. He just wanted to protected

3:06

from the darker things. And I have

3:08

a feeling that we have differing

3:10

opinions about what the darker

3:12

things were. I knew

3:15

my dad. Okay, I knew that he

3:17

worked on murders and kidnappings

3:19

because he told me, and he told me all kinds

3:21

of other scary stuff. But he was my dad,

3:24

and so that made it all a lot

3:27

less scary. He was protecting

3:29

me, but he wasn't protecting me from sasquatch

3:31

or aliens or any of that other nonsense that

3:33

you seem to believe. Oh, come

3:35

on, I don't believe in aliens.

3:39

That's where you draw the line. Okay,

3:41

what you believe in aliens? No,

3:44

of course, Actually

3:46

no, I don't believe in alien abductions. But yes,

3:48

you know, in an infinite universe,

3:51

statistically it makes sense that there would

3:53

be aliens. Okay, of course,

3:56

yes, the statistics rely on the precious

3:58

numbers of it. All numbers

4:00

are reliable, and yeah,

4:02

so as hundreds of years of history, Jeremy,

4:05

so are facts and bigfoot

4:08

sightings are not history. Okay.

4:10

Well, don't you think it's a bit strange that

4:12

people have experienced the same things in the same

4:15

spot for centuries? I mean, doesn't

4:17

that tell you that there's something to all of it?

4:19

Or almost people just lying. I never said

4:21

that they were lying. I'm saying that humans are susceptible

4:24

to narrative. People haven't seen the same thing

4:26

for centuries. They've just experienced

4:29

things that they can't explain and they

4:31

don't understand, and then they latch on

4:33

to whatever the most common story

4:36

is that can fit around that. Great,

4:38

So you agree that there are events that are unexplainable.

4:41

Of course, there's plenty in

4:43

the world that we don't have answers for yet,

4:45

but most sightings or supernatural

4:48

encounters can be explained by people

4:50

in the past just not understanding

4:52

science, or people being

4:55

high or exhausted or mentally

4:57

ill. Okay, all right, So

5:00

which one of those categories does vipp And fit

5:02

into? And Vippin was

5:04

scared and he was filled with adrenaline,

5:07

and he's already inclined

5:09

to believe in fantastical things,

5:11

and that's a mental illness, isn't it?

5:14

Believing? That is not

5:16

what I said God, and every single

5:18

little thing. I'm not going to apologize.

5:22

I'm not for being rational

5:25

and for treating my own discipline and

5:27

my own work with serious

5:29

thought. Oh, serious thought. Of

5:31

course, this is all about serious thought.

5:34

Of course it is That is my entire

5:36

profession. And no,

5:38

it isn't excuse me. Do

5:41

you know why you're a folklore professor, Jeremy

5:44

Oh? I can't wait. Please tell me. Okay,

5:46

because you're a coward. You hide behind

5:48

myths to learn everything about them

5:50

so you don't have to face them head on. That

5:53

is a ridiculous assertion. I

5:55

don't Yeah, I don't think that you can

5:57

call someone a coward for not

6:00

believing in ghost stories. It doesn't work

6:02

like that. Look at where you are, No,

6:04

please, look at where you are. Look what's

6:06

happened in the past two weeks. You can't deny that

6:08

something's going on here that your book can't

6:11

explain. I can deny that.

6:13

In fact, I can offer several fact

6:15

based explanations. Sweetie,

6:17

all the facts in the world won't change the fact

6:20

that you are terrified and you're

6:22

not How could you not be terrified

6:24

right now? There's a kid in the woods, your

6:26

grandson who's missing. Don't

6:28

you dare throw that in my face. Look,

6:31

my dearest friend is lying

6:33

on a couch with a bloody head, and

6:35

there's potentially dangerous cult in the

6:37

area. I don't need supernatural

6:40

reasons to be stressed right now. There is plenty

6:42

piling up in the real world, And

6:45

none of those things are going to get better if you

6:47

keep your head buried in the sand. And

6:49

you're not going to find your grandson if

6:52

you think that he's been taken by Puckwages.

6:54

Well, thinking that hasn't slowed me down in the

6:57

past. I am sure that

6:59

hasn't helped. Well, I found you. What

7:03

the hell are you talking about? Nothing?

7:06

Just forget it? Just nothing, Athan

7:09

Man? What do you mean you found me? You

7:11

found me? I came to you.

7:14

You went missing for a bit when you were a kid?

7:16

Athan, What? No,

7:19

I didn't Yeah, okay, sure,

7:21

I'm sure you remember the seventies much better than

7:23

I do, So I don't know. I actually

7:25

don't know what you were smoking in the seventies.

7:28

Oh please, what did I say about

7:30

you giving me live? Tell me what you're talking

7:32

about? Anne, I didn't realize

7:34

that you didn't remember Okay. I always thought

7:36

that you became a folklore professor

7:38

because of what happened. I didn't you

7:40

know. But when you you said that you didn't remember

7:43

me from when you were a kid. And

7:45

if you didn't remember me, then chances where you've forgotten

7:47

everything else too, forgotten what else?

7:50

And it makes perfect sense right,

7:52

you're repressing the hell out of all

7:54

of it. That's why you're so obsessed,

7:56

and you know you just don't even realize

7:58

it, rep saying what

8:01

what happened to you? Oh? What

8:03

happened to me? Please tell you?

8:07

Got lost in the forest? This

8:09

forest? Yeah

8:12

right, I got lost once for

8:14

about two minutes, but my dad found me almost immediately.

8:17

No, no, that was just the first time they tried to

8:19

take you. Excuse me, you

8:22

got lost. You got genuinely lost for

8:24

a whole afternoon. Really, how did

8:26

that happen? I wasn't exactly taking myself

8:28

on hiking trips. When I was five years old.

8:30

I was with my dad. You were

8:33

four, actually, and you

8:36

were at my house. You were hanging

8:38

out in the backyard while Thomas and I went over some

8:40

case files, and something, something

8:42

just lured you into the woods. I mean,

8:45

why do you think your dad was so adamant about

8:47

figuring out what was in here? His son was

8:49

talking about floating nights and little

8:51

gray faced men reaching out their hands.

8:53

I mean he was, he was terrified.

8:56

What are you talking about? Plug

8:59

tookulately, That's that's what we think. I

9:01

guess they don't like hurting little kids,

9:03

because we found you seven hours later, happy as

9:05

a clam, playing with some sticks, and

9:08

I told you a story about a pub. Well

9:11

no, I mean you didn't really know what

9:13

to call it. You said it was a little man, that's

9:15

all you said. But one of the sticks

9:17

you were playing with had been sharpened into a sphere

9:19

and not something

9:21

a four year old could do. Wow, well

9:23

that sounds like irrefutable evidence.

9:26

You had nightmares for weeks

9:29

and weeks something

9:32

I got a hold on you and it just wouldn't let go.

9:35

I don't remember having Well,

9:37

I didn't have nightmares about that. Anyway.

9:40

You know your dad weren't missing a year later to the

9:42

day, So I'm guessing that's

9:45

what your nightmares became about. Yeah

9:49

they did. Wait

9:52

wait, Anne, my

9:55

dad not sleeping through the night. How did you know

9:57

about that? How did you know

9:59

about nightmares? My

10:02

nightmares? What you

10:05

said that he didn't sleep

10:07

for months? Did he did he

10:10

tell you that? Did? Did he tell

10:12

you about me? And how

10:14

else would I know? And

10:16

it's getting dark, so we

10:19

need to keep moving, Athan

10:22

and athenh.

10:29

It's probably just someone else from the search party. I

10:32

don't know. Come on, come

10:34

on, fuck

10:40

Jesus Hello, what

10:43

are you doing? Hello? Someone there?

10:47

Can you? Can you please point your flashlight down?

10:50

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That's enough money to use on something else, like

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11:56

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11:58

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Bridgewater. Mr

12:31

Bradshaw, Celeste Ah,

12:34

and Miss Becker. It's all

12:36

right, Katie, it's just other seekers.

12:40

Seekers. You're looking for the missing

12:42

boy, aren't you. What are you doing

12:45

the same, of course, but

12:47

you're looking for Ethan. We wanted

12:49

to be of service. Wait,

12:53

your Marts's girlfriend, right, that's

12:55

right. Well, why aren't you with her? Well?

12:59

She right, yeah, she doesn't want

13:01

the force to know that you're together, does she No,

13:04

especially after what happened with Daniel. Well,

13:07

it seems like anytime someone goes missing in this place,

13:09

one of the weirdos is nearby.

13:11

We're a tuned we can be of help.

13:14

Oh my god, attuned. We're

13:17

sensitive to the energies here, the

13:19

spirits. Do you think energies

13:21

are going to help you find Ethan? Oskins?

13:24

Has your skepticism let you much aid

13:26

in your search thus far? Come

13:28

on, Anne, let's keep moving. You

13:32

shouldn't be out here like this, and

13:34

your girlfriend should have told you that you're

13:36

lucky that we didn't report your little meeting the

13:38

other night, and yet you did go out

13:40

of your way to acquire the police file on me.

13:44

Batista told you didn't she We don't

13:46

keep secrets from each other, and

13:48

you don't keep secrets from your cult. It's

13:51

not a cult, you know. I

13:53

have half a mind to report Batista. No.

13:57

Please, She's good at her

13:59

job and confidentiality is

14:01

part of the job. So you don't

14:03

have a bunch of police files just sitting in

14:05

your home. Man, there's no privacy

14:08

in this time. Not to mention, you coerced

14:10

her into giving you confidential information about Celeste.

14:13

Don't we have a more important task to focus

14:15

on at the moment. You don't seem

14:17

particularly bothered by us looking into your past.

14:20

Why should I be? Did you find something?

14:23

No, it seems that other than cult

14:26

activity in the seventies, which was never

14:28

proven to be criminal. Right, so

14:31

your your record in Freetown is squeaky

14:34

clean, as it should be. I

14:36

have nothing to hide from those who seek the

14:38

truth. That's no more true

14:41

today than it was forty years ago.

14:43

You were hiding something back then, and you're hiding

14:45

something. Now what secret do you

14:47

think I have? You and your

14:50

friends, the other children?

14:52

I told you I found that group abhorrent,

14:55

completely against everything that the gathering

14:57

stands for. But you all did some

15:00

thing. Thomas new. He

15:02

knew that you were messing with things that you

15:04

could never hope to understand. And

15:07

you think you can understand them.

15:09

You think you're the one is going to selve the ancient

15:12

secrets of this world, of the world's

15:14

beyond. I'm going to solve

15:16

something, So you just better

15:18

hope it isn't whatever you've kept buried

15:21

for four decades. Celeste,

15:25

Yes, child, do you hear that? Oh?

15:28

Dear, what

15:31

what is it? The spirits? We've

15:33

lingered too long? Okay,

15:35

then let's get a move on. Jeremy,

15:40

Hello, who's there? They

15:43

won't answer you. Hey,

15:46

all we can see are your flashlights?

15:48

Whose art flashlights?

15:52

Oh? Come on, who's there? Will

15:54

you show your faces? Don't be

15:56

hostile to the spirits, dear, you won't

15:59

like what happens, Celeste.

16:01

They're not spirits, Okay, it's a person.

16:03

So someone is out there who's messing

16:05

with us? Who

16:07

are you? And what do you want?

16:09

You want? You Oh my god,

16:11

what is it? What? What are you saying? Everyone?

16:14

Stay prefoc is still. Don't look into

16:16

the lights, Katie, close

16:19

your eyes, child, what

16:21

the wait? Man,

16:24

don't look into the lights. And whatever

16:27

you do, don't listen to the voice.

16:32

Man, man,

16:36

god, damn it. Man.

16:42

And are you okay?

16:45

No? I am not okay. Those things

16:47

got away again. What are you talking about?

16:49

They've taken everything, because fucking

16:52

place is taken everything. Man,

16:55

it's okay. You gotta come down. Come no, no,

16:57

no, no, no no. Don't you tell me to calm down. Don't

17:00

you have no you have no idea, you have

17:02

no idea. What's going on here? We're

17:04

all stressed, and it's dark and it's windy in this place

17:06

is full of shadows, and I'm seeing it too. I get

17:08

it in for fuck's sake, Bradshaw,

17:10

open your goddamn head for once. What

17:13

do you think just happened? What did

17:15

you just see? I've

17:18

I don't know. I saw lights and there was a

17:20

voice, and it's all

17:23

power of suggestion. I don't know all

17:26

I've done for the past two days, and talk about lights and voices

17:28

in the woods. Of course, I'm seeing that,

17:30

right. And then you experience it yourself, and you

17:33

think it's just it's just because

17:35

you've heard a story. Okay, do you

17:37

think that that that your mind is that malleable?

17:39

I don't know, and I just think I am

17:41

stressed and exhausted and scared

17:44

for Ethan and oh no, no, no, you

17:46

you don't get to be scared for Ethan. I am scared

17:48

for Ethan. I am scared for him and Olivia

17:51

and my daughter and me. But but you

17:53

know who I'm scared for the most. You.

17:57

Your stubbornness is gonna get you

17:59

gone, just like it did with your father

18:01

if he hadn't gone out alone that night, if

18:03

he if he had just woken

18:06

me up. I

18:08

am telling you, what is happening again? That

18:11

is what the message said? What

18:14

what message? And Thomas's

18:17

Thomas's message. He said that it's happening

18:19

again. And something is broken here, Bradshaw,

18:22

something it's just not right in this forestingmore.

18:25

Yeah, I know it's full of

18:28

coltson frank Ster's

18:30

God knows what you really

18:33

think that that's what it was? Some teenagers were flashlights?

18:36

What else could it be? Reasonably realistically?

18:38

What could it be? Have you ever seen

18:41

anything move that fast. Do you

18:43

think a flashlight can move on

18:45

its own? I don't know a

18:48

drone? What about the pattern? Okay?

18:50

They were in the exact triangle that Vipen

18:52

described. Can you explain that? I

18:55

don't know? I can't. Everyone keeps

18:57

asking me to explain everything. I don't

18:59

know. And this isn't getting us

19:01

anywhere. We just need to keep looking. Don't

19:03

you think I know that? Well?

19:06

We were prepared, Bradshaw, just

19:08

just like you said. I was half

19:10

out of my mind with worry when I said

19:13

that there is no monstrous dog waiting to attack

19:15

us. Okay, no, that's not what I'm

19:17

talking about. Then what what

19:19

are we unprepared for? For something

19:22

to open and then never close?

19:26

What does that mean? You? Watch?

19:30

What the fund is that? Look?

19:34

Someone's over there. There's

19:36

someone over there on the shore. Hey, Hey,

19:40

who's out there? Ethan? Ethan?

19:43

Is that you? Who's

19:46

there? Radshaw?

19:48

Get the flashlight? Ethan?

19:52

Oh? Even what

19:54

shoe? Okay?

19:57

Oh Jesus and look at his arms, Ethan?

19:59

Are you honey? Are you all right? It's Nana

20:02

wants you Anthan?

20:04

Can you see us? Come here? Yeah?

20:07

No, stop? He is My grandson.

20:14

Athan Bridgewater

20:25

was created by Aaron Manky and written

20:27

and directed by Lauren Shippen, with

20:29

executive producers Aaron Manky,

20:32

Misha Collins, Matt Frederick and

20:34

Alex Williams, supervising producer

20:36

Trevor Young, editing and sound

20:38

designed by Trevor Young and Matt Stillo,

20:41

and music by Chad Lawson, Starring

20:44

Misha Collins as Jeremy Bradshaw,

20:46

Melissa Ponzio as Anne Becker,

20:48

Karen Sony as Vip and Corona, Laurie

20:51

Allen as Nancy Collins, Cheryl

20:53

Umania as Officer Bautista, Victoria

20:56

Grace as Katie Frank's Will Wheaton

20:59

as Captain had Hillary Burton Morgan

21:01

as Shelley Hoskins, Jonathan

21:03

Joss as Joseph Hoskins, Sabra

21:06

May as Olivia Hoskins, Samuel

21:08

Marty as Ethan Hoskins, Kristin

21:11

Bauer as Celeste, and Nathan

21:13

Fillion as Thomas Bradshaw, with

21:16

additional voice acting by Brigand Snow,

21:18

Andrew Nowak, Julia Maury Sawa,

21:21

Jarvis Johnson and Brielle Bresnan,

21:24

Kristen de Mecurio, James

21:26

Oliva, and Leron Amia.

21:29

Learn more about the show over at Grimm and

21:31

mild dot com, Slash Bridgewater,

21:34

and find more podcasts from I Heart

21:36

Radio on the I heart Radio app, Apple

21:38

Podcasts, or wherever you listen

21:40

to your favorite shows, and as

21:42

always, thanks for listening.