Rabbits

"**Rabbits**" is the second episode of the first season of HBO Max's *The Flight Attendant*. It was released on HBO Max on November 26, 2020, along with the previous episode "In Case of Emergency" and the following episode "Funeralia."

## Synopsis

Rattled by her own lies and under pressure from the FBI, Cassie goes against Annie's advice to lay low and tries to find some answers by digging into Alex Sokolov's work life — with bizarre and shocking results. After an unsettling meeting with Agents Hammond and White, Cassie meets the easy-going Buckley on a night out to forget her troubles.

## Plot

### Teaser

Cassandra "Cassie" Bowden is still inside her hallucination, watching her interrogation by the FBI agents Kim Hammond and Van White from the inside-out. She recalls Alex Sokolov telling her that a business associate named Miranda might stop by to chat about their meeting tomorrow, "just in case." Alex tells Cassie that if she does show up, it is not a weird threesome thing. "If my business associate shows up, it is," Cassie quips. "Miranda," she recalls as Van raps on the table, bringing her back to the present. Kim asks if Cassie is with them and Cassie says that the flights make her tired and she should get some sleep. Kim agrees that it would be good if she got some rest, that they are waiting on some information from Bangkok anyway, surveillance videos and such. "If you show up on those videos, we will need to speak with you again," Van tells her. Cassie leaves the airport with Shane and Megan, Megan cutting off Shane's attempt to talk about what they discussed. Shane says they have to talk about it, but Megan calls the FBI "frightening," not wanting to go there. Shane asks Cassie to weigh in and she says that it is shocking, but people get murdered every day. They stare at Cassie and she backs up, saying she doesn't know why she said it, that she is tired. Megan rubs her shoulder, understanding, and Shane tells them he is going to go to the restroom. Shane asks to see Cassie tomorrow for oysters and Megan tells her that she didn't tell the FBI anything about her going out with "3C." Cassie insists that she didn't, at which point Megan tells her not to be mad, but she implied that she did. They go back and forth a bit, and Cassie asks that they just leave it all behind them. Megan agrees they can and they walk off.

### Seeking Miranda

Cassie goes to bed in New York, but does not have a restful night's sleep. Cassie returns again to the flashback, out of focus, of the woman in red, Miranda. She recalls toasting with her. Cassie draws a bath and has some vodka, then some more vodka after having the flashback again. Cassie heads into the bath with the vodka, trying desperately to recall who the woman is and squeezing the glass so hard that she shatters it and cuts her hand. Cassie goes to the gym to work out, but ends up in another hallucination with Alex. Cassie rants about what Megan said to the FBI and he replies that he likes Megan. "Why is our night together such a blur?" she wonders. Cassie tells Alex she has to remember more about Miranda and get some answers from her before the FBI slaps her in handcuffs. Alex asks Cassie what she is wearing and Cassie asks him to be more helpful if he has to be there. Cassie asks why he didn't tell her more about her and Alex asks just what she wants - bizarre hobbies? Her ring size? Alex says he didn't know that Cassie had to track her down after his brutal murder. Alex wonders why he is even there. Alex asks what he told Cassie about Miranda and Cassie says that it is just that they were business associates. "And you still have my business card in your wallet," Alex points out. Cassie agrees this is true and she could go to his office. The hallucination ends and she finds herself back in the gym.

Card in hand, Cassie does just as she suggested and goes to his office. The card states that he is Alexander Sokolov, Vice President Operations at 2350 Park Avenue, New York, NY, with an e-mail address of alex.sokolov@UnisphereAssets.com. Cassie waits in the lobby of the company, Unisphere Asset Management. Cassie observes a statue of a rabbit, which the receptionist tells her is titled "Heroism in the Face of the Modern World In All of Its Very Many Hardships," a gift from a client. The two agree it's a "pompous name." A woman comes in for Cassie, who introduces herself as "Alessandra Ricci." Cassie claims that a friend recommended her to Alex, a friend who also knows Miranda. This seems to get a reaction from the receptionist, but both claim to not know Miranda. The other woman introduces herself as Jean Miller of Human Resources. Jean asks to speak with Cassie in the conference room. There, Cassie acts surprised to learn of Alex's death, saying that they bonded over Russian literature. Jean finds this surprising, saying Alex struck her as being more into outdoor sports or sailing. Cassie says it is a moot point since Alex is dead and turns the conversation to Miranda. Jean says she doesn't know of Miranda, asking if Cassie has a last name or needs her for some reason. Cassie says she doesn't want to overstep and Jean asks exactly what her investment is.

Cassie goes into another hallucination, begging Alex to help her. In a flashback in which the two of them are drinking together in a bathtub, Cassie asks Alex just what a hedge fund is. Alex quips that nobody really knows and it is how he gets away with things. Alex tells Cassie that people give him money, which he then invests. Cassie asks if this means he takes people's money and moves it around. Alex replies that most of their clients' money is invested in one of their funds, the Stalwarts Account. Back in the present, Cassie claims to have invested in this. Jean asks her to wait there, saying she is going to get a manager. Jean leaves and Cassie stands and paces, observing her talking with a couple of men. Cassie grabs her coat and bolts. Jean shouts after her, saying the men want to have a quick word with her. Cassie says she has another appointment and leaves, knocking over the rabbit sculpture on the way. Cassie races down a stairway and finds a door locked against her. Cassie has a flashback of her childhood, running through the woods with blood on her face and repeated flashes of a rabbit. Cassie finally makes it out of the building and, standing outside, receives a call from Van White of the FBI. Van asks Cassie to come in to meet with them again, asking to meet at 10 a.m. the next day and bring counsel if she chooses to retain one. Cassie asks if she is supposed to retain one. "Perfect answer, looking forward to it," Van replies and hangs up.

### "Let's take a run at her"

Meanwhile, Miranda Croft has a meeting with a bartender in Bangkok. Miranda claims that she was in his place two nights ago with "Cassie," who just got fired. Miranda says that they had drinks and Cassie insisted on buying, despite having lost her job. Miranda asks if he can refund Cassie and let her pay, that she wants to do something nice for her. The bartender tells her they are not supposed to do that after the fact, and Miranda pulls out a stack of cash, asking him to bend the rules for once. He grins and nods, taking the cash. He says that they don't have a record of "Cassie," but they do have a Cassandra Bowden. "That's her," agrees Miranda. He hands Miranda the receipt and she calls him her hero. Miranda snaps a photo with a phone. In New York, Cassie finishes telling her tale to Annie. Annie asks if Cassie is okay and Cassie says that she is, physically, but she keeps seeing his body appear. Annie agrees that Cassie experienced severe trauma and therefore isn't okay. Annie asks why she cleaned things up and Cassie admits she doesn't know. Cassie says that Amanda Knox came into her head and she panicked. Cassie breaks down, sobbing, and Annie tells her to take a deep breath, finally managing to calm her down. The conversation turns to Miranda and Annie chews Cassie out for going to Alex's office, saying it looks really bad. Cassie says that the FBI asked if she had a lawyer. "I'm your lawyer!" Annie shouts. Cassie replies that she hoped Annie would say that and she knows that Annie doesn't do pro bono, but Annie says she is her best friend and won't take her money.

Cassie thanks her and Annie says she will see what she can find out about Miranda and about Thai extradition laws. Annie says they will go to the FBI and that Cassie has to keep working, that the last thing she needs is to get fired. Annie tells Cassie to get some rest. That evening, Cassie is walking when she gets a text message on her phone with a news article - "Mystery Woman Sought in Bangkok Murder," and the message from Megan - "WOW. Isn't that your scarf?" Cassie calls Megan, saying it is not her. Megan tells her the FBI reached out to her again, saying they wanted more information on her. Megan has a brief chat with her husband, Bill, who comments on Cassie as being "the girl who slept with the dead Russian." Cassie asks if this is what Megan said to the FBI, and Megan says the photo on the Internet looks just like her. Cassie insists it is not her. Megan pleads with her, asking that if there is anything she can do to help, but Cassie tells her to stop helping. Cassie enters a bar, where she sits down at a table for "oyster night" with Shane. Shane and his friends thought Cassie wasn't coming, but Cassie says she just needed to shut her brain off for a few hours. Cassie meets a guy and shares a drink with him. He introduces himself as Buckley and Cassie asks just what kind of a name it is. Buckley says it's actually his grandfather's name and she gives her own name as Cassie. Buckley tells Cassie he is an unemployed actor and his schedule is open. Cassie takes a call from her brother Davey, asking about reservations at a sushi restaurant. Cassie says it is loud and she will call him back. Cassie hangs up, and then has another flashback of Alex's death. Buckley asks if Cassie is okay and she says she is and takes him onto the dance floor to dance. They dance and kiss, though Cassie has flashbacks of dancing with Alex the entire time. That night, Cassie and Buckley have sex.

Cassie wakes up to a text message from Annie: "DON'T BE LATE!!!!!!!!" Cassie leaves Buckley and meets Annie... late. Annie says she has a niece that goes to fraternity parties who is a little more together than Cassie. Cassie apologizes for drinking. Annie tells her to focus, saying that Kim Hammond seems like a nice lady but is not. The FBI wants her to fuck up and she can take the Fifth if needed. Annie says that the only problem is that the FBI might be doing what she is doing: fishing, and her taking the Fifth in that case would be a big red flag. Annie tells her to look at her before saying anything. If Annie smiles, tell the truth and if Annie nods, take the Fifth. Inside the FBI office, Kim reveals the footage they got from Bangkok to Van - specifically, there is none. Six hours before Alex's death, it all went dark, making for twelve hours of worthless static. Van comments that Cassie is there with her lawyer and must know more than she is saying. Van asks if there is any physical evidence and Kim tells him it is tied up in State. "Let's take a run at her, see if she tries to flee again," Kim says.

### "Go be a flight attendant"

The interview begins and Van asks if Alex ever mentioned any concern for his personal safety. Kim asks if Alex ever told Cassie where he was staying. Annie nods and Cassie pleads the Fifth. Van asks if she is really serious, Kim saying that she had she wanted to help. Kim asks if they really think that they or the Bangkok police think she did this. Annie asks if the question is rhetorical and Kim replies that it's a real question, that she is hoping to keep someone else from ending up dead. "Like this," comments Van, showing her the photo of Alex's heavily bloodied body. Cassie flashes back to that night and gasps. Alex appears by her side. "Here we go again. It's okay. It's just dead me." Alex says it's deja vu, the FBI not believing her. Annie chastises Van for doing that, asking if he is really serious. Kim pulls out another image, asking if it is easier to look at. It is Cassie in her scarf disguise. "It is a bad picture, but that's you," comments Alex. Kim pulls out another picture of Cassie at Unisphere. Alex says maybe they can help and Cassie admits that she went to his workplace. Cassie then admits to having met Alex on the plane and having had sex with him. "But when I left the next morning, he was very, very alive," Cassie tells them. Annie asks for a moment alone with Cassie, but Alex comments "What about Miranda?" and Cassie tells them there was someone else, Miranda. Kim asks what else she can tell them about the woman, but Annie advises her to stop talking.

Outside, Miranda watches from a vehicle as Annie chases after Cassie, asking Cassie why she did that. Annie says that if Cassie wasn't a suspect before, she is now. Cassie replies that they all know it is her in the picture. Annie replies that they they *don't know* what they know and that is why they were in there. Cassie says they probably already have her fingerprints, and her lip gloss that she left. Cassie says they think she's a crazy-drunk flight attendant and not a killer, but Annie replies that she can be both to them. Annie says they are lucky they let Cassie walk out of there, asking what she was thinking. Cassie says she is hoping Alex wasn't awake and didn't feel anything when they slit his throat. Cassie walks away, Annie chasing after her, as Miranda sits listening to affirmations in her car. Cassie and Annie sit together in a bar, where Annie says that Cassie "psychotically embraced honesty with the FBI," but didn't mention that she had left the hotel room. Cassie says she is not sure if she even really did, but Annie says that could have been when someone else entered. Cassie says that if what Annie is saying is true, then she was so messed up that she got back into bed with a dead man. Annie replies that it is the only thing that would explain why she is not dead too. Annie says Cassie was blackout drunk and it could happen to anybody, but Cassie replies that this doesn't just happen to anybody. Cassie doesn't want to be this person. Annie says it is a thing that happened and it doesn't define her. Cassie thanks Annie, and Annie asks why Cassie didn't simply take the Fifth when she nodded. Cassie asks if there is any way to fix this, to have another conversation with them. Annie says Cassie is getting obsessive, that she is her lawyer and she will be the one who's obsessive. Annie tells Cassie to go be a flight attendant, take her flight to Rome, and there is nothing she can do there.

Kim Hammond gets a hot dog from a street cart. Van White asks if Kim is having lunch by herself on the street and when she ignores him at first, he asks if she is upset with her. Kim replies that she just likes hot dogs and everything doesn't revolve around him. Kim admits, however, that she is disappointed with Van’s aggressive attitude during the interview, and in general. Kim chastises him for what he did with the photo. Van says someone must like his aggressive attitude and tactics because he has been there half as long, but they have the same job. Van says the pictures rattled Cassie into changing her story and Kim tells him she likes him, but he owes his job to the FBI's male culture, that he probably had a lacrosse scholarship. Kim says it is fine for him, but she is a black woman in a job that can feel like a boys' club. Kim tells Van that despite her credentials, she could never get away with the brash stuff he gets away with because he doesn't have to think twice. Kim asks him to tell him one more time how his attitude is how they have the same job. Van says he hears her, but he thinks they still should have arrested her. Kim tells him it is not the right call, that her attorney would get her statement thrown out due to diminished capacity. Kim says they have more resources at their disposal and winks at him.

### "I'm not saying stalker, but stalker"

Cassie packs for her next flight. As she does so, Cassie finds her copy of *Crime and Punishment* and goes into another hallucination. Alex asks her if she really thinks flying to Rome is just going to magically make things go away. Cassie tells him to stop, that she has to trust Annie and she has hit a dead-end anyway. Cassie packs the book and Alex replies that Annie doesn't have all the information she has. Cassie pleads with him to let her get back to her normal life. Alex asks if Cassie means normal like the rabbits, that he really wants to talk about the rabbits she saw when she was running out of the building. "You saw that?" Cassie asks. Cassie asks how Alex can possibly see that. Alex stammers, saying that it is trauma. Cassie says she broke a rabbit statue, and that is why she was thinking about it, and ruined a nice receptionist's day. Alex points out that the receptionist wasn't very nice and Cassie realizes that the receptionist had made a "kill me now face" when she mentioned Miranda. Cassie recalls the receptionist's name, Sabrina, saying that maybe she can help her get out of this. Alex says he still wants to talk about the rabbits. "Fuck off," Cassie retorts. Cassie says they have to find a better way to communicate, as it is not working for her.

Cassie leaves and she does so, Miranda breaks into her place. Miranda searches methodically, finding Cassie's passports. Miranda sees something that seems to startle her. Cassie stands outside Unisphere, and goes into a hallucination in which Alex quotes from Boris Pasternak's "The Weeping Garden." Cassie asks him to at least try to be a little helpful and Alex indicates some equipment, saying that he has never been on a stakeout before, so he is not sure how useful they will be. "Great, so I'm losing my mind," comments Cassie. Cassie says she has to talk to Sabrina, that she knows way more about Miranda than she is saying, though Sabrina probably thinks Cassie is insane. "Because obviously, I am." Cassie takes a call from her brother, Davey, who tells her that maybe her trip to Rome is a bad idea. Cassie says she has been a little bit crazy. Davey says they are not kids anymore and her lifestyle might be a little too intense for him and his family. Davey asks how many drinks cassie had today. "More than three? More than four?" Davey asks if Cassie is okay, that Davey needs to know before Cassie is around his girls. "Yes," she insists. Cassie tells Davey to come to New York and bring his beautiful family and she will be alert and it will be fantastic. "Okay," he agrees. As Sabrina steps out the door, Cassie tells Davey she will see him in a couple days and it will all be good.

Cassie follows Sabrina to a bar, asking the bartender for a vodka on the rocks. Cassie reminds Sabrina of who she is and Sabrina says she can't answer questions about work. Cassie says she wanted to apologize, and asks for one second. Cassie says that they mentioned Alex had died out of nowhere and it shook her. Sabrina agrees that she understands Alex's death was a real blow. They toast to Alex. Meanwhile, Megan calls Cassie, but she does not pick up. A man comes to Megan’s car. "You're 15 minutes late, Mason," Megan tells him. Mehan asks if he "has them" and he hands over a bag, saying none of the flash drives got scanned into inventory and got lost or something. Megan hands him some drugs in return. At the bar, Cassie and Sabrina are both drunk. They talk about the statue and Sabrina says nobody will admit it is actually a rabbit and she is glad that Cassie broke it. Sabrina says that Alex is really nice. Cassie starts to ask about Alex, but then says that she doesn't want to upset Sabrina. "Alessandra, you're great," Sabrina replies. "Ask me anything!" Cassie mentions Miranda again and Sabrina gives the full name of Miranda Croft. "Oh, my God, she is the worst," says Sabrina, apologizing if Miranda is Cassie's best friend. "No," says Cassie, asking if Sabrina knows her well. "I cannot believe he was dating her!" Cassie says. At this, Cassie goes into another hallucination, asking Alex if he was dating Miranda while they were in Bangkok. "Sounds like it," says Alex. Back in the present, Cassie says she didn't know Alex was seeing someone. "I think he broke it off recently," comments Sabrina. Cassie goes back into the hallucination. "There it is, see," says Alex. Sabrina says that when they were seeing each other, Miranda would call in, screaming and volatile, violent. Cassie says that Sabrina must be exaggerating a little, that Miranda must have some good qualities. "I'm not saying stalker, but stalker," comments Sabrina. In the hallucination, Alex comments that it sounds like Miranda is not going to be very helpful. "It sounds like"... "she killed you," finishes Cassie. Cassie leaves Sabrina and Miranda follows behind, pulling out a switchblade knife.

## Trivia

* Kim Hammond gets a hot dog from a street cart, Yockey Dogs. Steve Yockey is the writer of the episode, an executive producer for the series, and the adapter of the series for television.

## Cast

### Starring

* Kaley Cuoco as Cassandra "Cassie" Bowden

* Michiel Huisman as Alex Sokolov
* Zosia Mamet as Annie Mouradian
* T.R. Knight as Davey Bowden
* Michelle Gomez as Miranda Croft
* Colin Woodell as Buckley Ware
* Merle Dandridge as Kim Hammond
* Griffin Matthews as Shane Evans
* Nolan Gerard Funk as Van White

and

* Rosie Perez as Megan Briscoe

### Guest starring

* Yasha Jackson as Jada Harris
* Stephanie Koenig as Sabrina Oznowich
* Terry Serpico as William "Bill" Briscoe
* Cindy Cheung as Jean Miller
* Anne O'Sullivan as Woman in bar
* William DeMeritt as Rick Green
* Audrey Grace Marshall as Young Cassie

### Co-starring

* Sherin Shetty as Jennifer
* Hannah Tinker as Gillian
* Shyaporn Theerakulstit as Bartender
* Rob Morean as Shane's Guy
* Edan Heymann as Mason
* Julia Harnett as Cyclist