GUEST: Actor Chris Cooper

“I told you we didn’t know what we were doin’!” shouts Quentin, running away.

“Oh, no,” says Homer.

“God in heaven, I thought it was a guided missile!” says a miner.

“I thought the damn Russians were attackin’ us,” says another miner. “The boy’s in trouble now.”

John Hickam points at the rocket, stuck in the ground. “So this is what you been up to in the basement, huh?”

“Yes, sir,” says Homer, quietly.

“Damn, Homer,” says John. “You could’ve killed somebody with this idiot thing.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” says Homer.

“Homer here wants to be a rocket scientist,” laughs a mining executive. “Is that it, John?”

“He has no idea what he wants to be,” says John Hickam. “But I know what he is. He’s a menace, and he’s a damn thief.” John picks up the rocket.

“Dad–” says Homer, but is interrupted by his father.

“And so is whoever helped you,” continues John. He looks at the welds. “Ike Bykovsky did this, didn’t he?”

John points at the rocket. “Don’t you ever let me catch you with these fool things -” says John.

In This Episode

• Jake Gyllenhall as Homer Hickam
• Chris Owen as Quentin
• Chris Cooper as John Hickam