Episode 10 · Lily, Mark, Vance
Vance and Sam show Mark a standing black bear that refuses to eat or lie down. Dr. Eric declares the curled-up animal ruined by training. Vance asks for fifty thousand dollars, but Mark turns down the offer. Meanwhile, Lily inspects the pen and sees math problems etched into the sand. Mark reaches for Lily, but she has entered the cage. The bear steps toward her as Mark screams.
A black bear stands on two legs inside the enclosure. Vance and Sam explain the beast has gone three days without eating or resting. Dr. Eric taps the fence. The bear curls up, and the doctor says it cannot be rehabilitated.
Vance offers to sell the bear to Mark for fifty thousand dollars. Mark worries the fasting animal will perish during transport home. Dr. Eric speaks up, maintaining that nobody can do anything to help the creature now.
Lily walks up to the fence to study the bear. She notices the beast is actively thinking instead of sick. Looking down, she spots detailed scratches drawn across the sand and identifies them as math problems.
Mark tells Vance to find another buyer and reaches for his daughter's hand. Lily is already gone. She steps inside the enclosure to speak to the bear. The animal walks up to her face, making Mark scream in terror.
“He's been overtrained to the point of behavioral collapse. There's no rehabilitating him.”
“Sorry, Vance. This one's too much for me. You're gonna have to find another buyer.”
“Wait, those are math problems.”
“Hey big guy, what are you thinking about?”
“Lily!”
Lily stands inches away from the massive black bear inside the cage. Mark grips the fence in sheer terror and screams her name as the animal approaches. Will the black bear attack Lily in the pen, or can she use the math problems in the sand to connect with it?