Haptic Drift

**Haptic Drift** is the third episode of the first season of *The Peripheral*. It premiered on October 28, 2022.

## Synopsis

Flynne and Wilf work together to find Aelita. Meanwhile, Burton takes steps to eliminate a new threat.

## Plot

The episode opens in Clanton in the year 2015. A younger Corbell Pickett runs a car dealership. A local biker gang comes to buy a few cars from him. He offers them a lifetime guarantee of free fixes on the cars and encourages them to hop in to give them a try. Corbell locks them in the bulletproof car from the outside, letting them die as the cars heat up inside from the sun. He sets up crosses, in plans to crucify them, in order to take over control of the illegal trade in the town from the competing gang. A young Jasper watches it all happen.

In the present, Corbell talks to his wife about the proposition to kill the Fishers. He received a 2.5 million dollar deposit and is debating just taking the money and running or taking the offer and killing the Fishers for the rest of the money. They decide to think on it while they weigh their options.

The next morning, Flynne walks in to see her mom reading the paper. She’s amazed at her ability to see again, but Flynne understands this didn’t come without a price. She opens up to her best friend Billy Ann about everything that’s been going on. She then goes to talk to Burton to discuss how they’re going to explain what’s really happening to the rest of their friends. Burton is mad at Flynne for telling Billy Ann what’s going on since she’s married to Corbell’s nephew, Jasper.

Flynne goes back to London in the year 2100 to talk to Wilf. Wilf informs her that Mariel (the woman who lost her eye) was an assistant security manager at the Research Institute. Ash asks Flynne about Corbell Pickett and warns her that he is possibly the Fisher family’s next adversary. She requests an hour to notify her brother of this development and heads home.

In a flashback, a young Wilf and Aelita got adopted by a wealthy family. In 2100, Wilf visits his estranged foster mother and asks her about Aelita. She tells him she saw Aelita a month before and she said she was staying “where snow last fell in London”. She says she has no time for cryptic clues and ends the visit abruptly.

Back in stub timeline present, Burton wants to kill Corbell but Flynne tells him not to because "they aren't those kind of people". Instead, Burton goes to Corbell and offers him 200k a week to stay out of their business. Burton intimidates Corbell by using his haptic connection to his marine friend, who shoots Corbell's glass from a sniper location. Corbell agrees to his proposed deal. Tommy Constantine watches and sees them shake.

In the future, Flynne and Wilf decide to retrace Aelita’s steps. They link up by haptic connection, which allows a merging of their perceptions. A robotic policeman follows Flynne and questions who she is, since her peripheral has unauthorized mods. Wilf lies about the identity behind the peripheral and kisses her to wade off any suspicion.

Cherise pressures Daniel to handle the Flynne/Burton situation faster, or else she might kill him. Cherise kills off another of her employees, Grace, by giving her pheromone-laden tea. She did this because she gave Aelita West sensitive information, and as a warning to Daniel.

Back in present, Burton explains to Flynne what “haptic drift” is. It regards the merging of minds and can lead to someone believing that they are falling in love.

Jasper drops off Billy Ann after doing a pickup from Burton's place to deliver to his uncle. Out of curiosity, they discover the bag is full of a lot of cash. Billy Ann asks him to find out what it's for. Jasper delivers the bag and Corbell hands him part of the money, then tells him it's payment to find out what the Fishers are up to to get so much money.

Flynne thinks on the clue Wilf gave about Aelita's location, and asks if it could refer to a person. Wilf deduces "snow" may refer to Aelita's intellectual hero, Dr. John Snow, a physician. Flynne and Wilf go to where the historical figure died and discovers a hidden location. They find hidden rooms and the surgery room where Easy Ice’s eye was taken out. Daniel and a robot find them but Flynne and Wilf defend themselves and ask Daniel why he’s hunting her. Under threat from the sonic weapon, Daniel says Flynne has something she took from them. Suddenly, the robot kills Daniel himself. Cherise watches from afar, having likely ordered the murder to keep him revealing more.

## Quotes

> Well, two souls coming together as one can kind of feel a lot like love if you don't know any better. Haptic drift, that's what they call it.
>
> Burton

## Cast

### Starring

* Chloë Grace Moretz as Flynne Fisher
* Gary Carr as Wilf Netherton
* Jack Reynor as Burton Fisher
* Eli Goree as Conner
* Charlotte Riley as Aelita West
* JJ Feild as Lev Zubov
* Adelind Horan as Billy Ann Baker
* T'Nia Miller as Cherise Nuland
* Alex Hernandez as Tommy Constantine
* Austin Rising as Leon
* Amber Rose Revah as Grace

### Guest Starring

* Louis Herthum as Corbell Pickett
* Chris Coy as Jasper Baker
* Melinda Page Hamilton as Ella Fisher
* Katie Leung as Ash
* Alexandra Billings as Detective Ainsley Lowbeer

### Additional Cast

* Julian Moore-Cook as Ossian
* Austin Rising as Leon
* David Hoflin as Daniel
* Miles Barrow as Macon
* Gavin Dunn as Edward

...