01x01 - Episode 1

[bunniefuu]

[birds cawing faintly]

[menacing music building]

[menacing music intensifying]

[music trails off]

[energy thrumming]

[grunts]

Ooh.

[shadowy figure]
Well, this is awkward.

I didn't realize the heist had
such a specific dress code.

And here I came
in my Easter best.

What the f*ck is that thing?

It's a rabbit?

I don't care what
it is. k*ll it.

Oh.

There's no need for that.

Americans, the most
dependable of your species.

Anything that doesn't fit
your narrow understanding,

you sh**t, b*mb, or
burn without hesitation.

[chuckles wryly]

And look where it's gotten you.

Four so-called
soldiers of fortune

stealing common stones
for a mere 2.5 million,

when there's something
right in front of you

that is beyond earthly value.

Wait. How do you know the
price we were offered?

I was the one who offered it.

[glass cracking]

[energy thrums]

[klaxon wails]

The Force Edge.

Sword of the demon
knight Sparda.

Ironic, isn't it,

that such a holy place would house
the most powerful weapon of Hell?

Then again, Hell,
as you call it,

has always been the true
heart of human religion.

You can curb the worst
of your savageries

only through collective fear
and hatred of another world.

My world.

You talk a lot for a rabbit.

Take what you want, long as you
still pay Rampart for this operation.

Rest assured, you will be
paid everything you're owed.

[gagging]

[dark, brooding music playing]

[agents gasping]

[b*ll*ts ricocheting]

[rabbit giggling]

[gasps]

Here we stand together on
the threshold of a new age,

the age of the Demon.

This world is about to
become much, much larger.

Well, not for you.

[sinister choral music playing]

[music halts]

[ambient street noise]

[cooing]

Sorry.

So... [grunts]

Hey, excuse me.

Excuse yourself, lady.

as*h*le!

[shrill stinger plays]

g*dd*mn it, Ellie. What now?

[uneasy rustling, clattering]

[sighs] You always pick the
worst possible time, don't you?

If I didn't know better, I'd
swear you did this on purpose.

[distressing music playing]

[throaty gurgling]

[woman screams]

- [woman straining]
- [shadow gurgling]

[choking] Please, take me.

Don't hurt my daughter.

What daughter?

Hey, look! The Three
Stooges came out to play.

[rowdy rock music playing]

Jackpot!

[woman coughing]

[heavy metal music building]

[song halts abruptly]

Eh, the way this usually goes is, I
do that then drop a k*ller one-liner.

But I'm drawing a
complete blank now.

This never happens
to me, I swear.

Okay, wait.

I got one. Pretend I
just shot that guy.

Bang!

Man, Skeletor did not
hold up since the '80s.

Not my best work,
but you get it.

[sighs wearily]

Um, I don't know
how to thank you.

You saved our lives.

That is why you're
here, right? To save us?

More or less.

There have been other attacks in the
area. My client hired me to look into it.

Your client?

What kind of work
do you do, exactly?

Demon hunting.

[woman] Wait, you're telling
me they were actually…

What, those guys?

Those are just low-level demons.

Nothing to worry about.

[ominous music droning]

[music halts abruptly]

Cute kid.

[sputters]

We really should be
getting home now.

Shouldn't we, Ellie?

Say goodbye to the nice man.

[giggling]

[demonic shrieking]

[rowdy rock music building]

[shrill yowling]

Stop! What are you
doing? That's my baby!

No, it's not...

[music halts]

[grunts]

Damn it.

["Rollin’ [Air Raid Vehicle]"
[by Limp Bizkit playing]

♪ Throw your hands up ♪

♪ Your… your… your hands up ♪

♪ Throw your hands up
Throw your hands up ♪

♪ I move in, now move out
Hands up, now hands down ♪

♪ Back up, back up Tell me
what you're gonna do now ♪

♪ Breathe in, now breathe out
Hands up, now hands down ♪

♪ Back up, back up Tell me
what you're gonna do now ♪

♪ Keep rollin', rollin'
Rollin', rollin' ♪

♪ Keep rollin', rollin'
Rollin', rollin' ♪

♪ Keep rollin', rollin'
Rollin', rollin' ♪

♪ Keep rollin', rollin'
Rollin', rollin' ♪

♪ Hey, ladies, hey, fellas ♪

♪ And the people that
don't give a ♪♪♪♪ ♪

♪ All the lovers,
all the haters ♪

♪ And all the people That
call themselves players ♪

♪ Hot mommas, pimp daddies ♪

♪ And the people
rollin' up in Caddies ♪

♪ Hey, rockers, hip-hoppers ♪

♪ And everybody all
around the world ♪

♪ Move in, now move out
Hands up, now hands down ♪

♪ Back up, back up Tell me
what you're gonna do now ♪

♪ Breathe in, now breathe out
Hands up, now hands down ♪

♪ Back up, back up Tell me
what you're gonna do now ♪

♪ Keep rollin' Rollin',
rollin', rollin' ♪

♪ Keep rollin' Rollin',
rollin', rollin' ♪

♪ Keep rollin' Rollin',
rollin', rollin' ♪

[song trails off]

[synth jingle plays]

[muffled explosions, screaming]

This is the first image released from
last night's Vatican City bombings

that have shocked and
horrified the entire world.

The suspect appears to have two
strange protrusions on his back

that are shaped
almost like wings.

[reporter 1] A
world in mourning.

One question weighs
on the minds of all.

Who could be responsible?

The radical left is already
using this to push their agenda

that America should step
down from our role as,

quote-unquote,
"global policemen."

But as the greatest country on Earth,
we have a moral responsibility to lead.

Not to mention,

the surveillance image clearly shows
some sort of weaponized wing-suit.

That is not any US military
technology that I know of.

Exactly. With tech like that,
it was probably the Russians.

[commentator] Now,
the government,

the corporatists that own it,

and their loyal propagandists
in the news media

want you to blame the Russians.

[scoffs] How stupid do they
think we are, folks? Hmm?

This was a strike
against God himself!

Carried out by a sophisticated
network of t*rror1st demons.

From Hell!

[studio audience laughing]

Uh, t*rror1st demons.

[chuckles] I don't…
You hear about this?

I think I missed that
one in Sunday school.

- [audience laughs]
- Ever heard of a t*rror1st demon, Phil?

Sure. My ex-wife.

[audience laughs]

[rimshot]

[man] The attacks
were perpetrated

by what appears to be a sophisticated
network of t*rror1st demons.

This can't be serious.

Bad enough our Rampart boys were there.
Now we're gonna really entertain...

Dr. Fisher is one of the foremost
theoretical physicists in the world.

I assure you, he is serious.

My apologies,
Mr. Vice President.

Let me wrap this
around my brain.

How can you be sure
that these things were…

Demons?

The same way that any criminal
is identified, Mr. President.

My team tested DNA
samples from the scene.

And you know what
demon DNA looks like?

Demons, since we're using
the colloquial term,

are a related but separate
evolutionary branch from h*m* sapiens.

They are natives of
another universe,

one that exists
parallel to our own.

My current hypothesis is that
one of our common ancestors

found their way into
this other universe,

where they adapted
and became stronger,

able to survive the more
hostile environment.

You mean Hell.

Just to be clear, the hostile
environment you're talking about is Hell.

[chuckles]

Mythology exists
to explain reality.

Why do you think
every culture on Earth

tells the same stories about
demons and the underworld?

We've discovered an
interdimensional rift

that acts as a bridge
between the two universes.

However, it has been blocked for millennia
by a field of quantum interference.

Naturally occurring
disruptions in this field

sometimes create what
one might term portals,

which allow lesser demon
types to enter into our world.

Luckily, these portals
aren't stable enough

to accommodate larger, more
complex molecular structures.

Uh-huh, right.

Which means?

Which means the big demons
are stuck on the other side.

Who do you work for
exactly, Doctor?

Dark Realm Command.

DARKCOM, as our PR department
insists we call it.

DARKCOM is an independent
dimensional security firm,

funded by private
investments, such as my own.

Sir! You have to see this!

[rabbit] Sword of the
demon knight Sparda.

Sparda?

Now that's interesting.

It looks like that
sword is all he took.

[soldier struggling]

The gates of Hell will
be open soon enough.

To any sapiens wishing
to join the celebration,

if you want to catch a
rabbit, find the hunter.

Hope to see you all there.

[soldier screaming]

[haltingly] My God.

All the last guy had to worry
about was S*ddam Hussein.

I've already got bio-organic
weapons I've got to deal with.

And now you're telling me there's
demons crawling up out of Hell?

You heard the doctor. This is
no longer a matter of religion.

It's science.

The word of the Lord has
been proven beyond dispute.

Hell is real.

And the Holy w*r is here.

[Dr. Fisher] "If you want to
catch a rabbit, find the hunter."

I believe the demon
is toying with us.

Giving us a clue
to its next move.

We need to figure out who this
hunter is, which can only mean…

A demon hunter.

Find every demon hunter you can.

And bring them to me.

What he said.

[mellow music playing]

Right on time.

Your usual's waiting on the bar.

Thanks. I need it today.

[distorted whooshing]

[music warps, slows down]

[Dante grunts]

Get them out of here. Go!

[man] Dante.

Leaving so soon?

We have much to
catch up on, brother.

No.

[mysterious music playing]

You're…

[ethereal metal music playing]

…dead.

Oh, I'm here…

in the flesh!

[grunts]

[frantic electronic
music playing]

You're that demon
baby from earlier.

[priest] In nomine
patris e filii

et spiritus sancti.

Amen.

I don't know anything
about any of this.

I just dress up to scam people.

[grunts]

A rabbit demon, eh?

Yeah, maybe I heard
something like that.

Talk.

[foreboding music playing]

I know a guy.

He's a broker for demon
hunters and mercenaries.

A hustler who feeds off the
bottom of the bottom feeders.

Last time I saw him, he told me how he'd
set up this job for a talking bunny.

I didn't give him much thought,
coming from a serial liar and a drunk.

But maybe he wasn't lying.

[Dr. Fisher] If we
can corroborate this…

[vice president] It means the White
Rabbit was operating here, in New York.

Give me a name.

- [officer 1] Enzo Ferino!
- [officer 2] Go!

Huh?

[club music pulsing]

Coming through! Coming
through! Move it! Move it!

Nice dress. Uh, ooh!
Sorry, sweetheart.

[Ferino panting]

[cackling]

- [clang]
- Ow!

[handcuffs clinking]

[Ferino sputtering]

Before we start, you should know

I'll tell you anything you
ask me about any subject.

Now, let's talk compensation.

- [electricity crackles]
- Okay.

Ugh. I'll do it for free.

You guys should learn how
to negotiate properly.

[vice president] Tell us
about the White Rabbit.

[chuckles] That's
what this is about?

Yeah, I know who you mean.

He showed up at my office with
a job that needed expediting.

And that didn't
seem strange to you?

A six-foot talking rabbit.

Ha! In my line of work,
that's a slow Tuesday.

Some demons making noise over on the
west side that he wanted clipped.

Calling too much attention
to themselves and whatnot.

[vice president] Why?
What did it matter to him?

[Ferino] I saw the price he was
offering and I must have forgot to ask.

One thing about it that
struck me as funny,

he had a particular demon
hunter he wanted me to hire.

- Wouldn't take anyone else.
- [vice president] Who?

Kid named Dante.

Ah, sweet kid.

Bit of a troubled past, though.

You know how it is.

Dad not around.

Mom and twin brother
brutally m*rder*d by demons.

You know, that sort of thing.

Listen. The White Rabbit
told us to find the hunter.

Stands to reason it's the same hunter
that the rabbit personally requested.

Dante. Last name unknown.

Looks like he also works
as a standard hired g*n.

Oh! And if half of what
I'm reading here is true,

his capabilities
are extraordinary.

What else do we have on him?

Anything that explains
the rabbit's interest?

Hmm. He's recorded as going
AWOL from five separate jobs.

Why?

It just says, uh…

"Got bored"?

[rowdy rock music playing]

Hand over the amulet!

Whoo-hoo!

Dressing up as my dead
brother, a little bit much.

Personally, I would have
stuck with a creepy baby.

It was working for you!

[demon trills] Huh?

[Dante straining]

You've been trying really
hard to steal my necklace.

Why is that?

The irony that I'm
the shapeshifter,

and you're the one who
doesn't know what you are.

[energy crackling]

[demon pulsating wetly]

[demon trills]

[sighs] Every time.

I heard a rumor once about demons
who were too powerful to cross over,

so they learned how to
project their consciousness

into our world and possess
stuff, poltergeist-style.

You ask me, that's what
this White Rabbit is.

A possessed kid's toy.

Now, from what I sensed,

he's way more than just
a regular Hell dweller.

I didn't ask.

Look, look, that's all I know.

If you're after his
location, I can't help you.

- I only saw him the one time.
- [vice president] We know his location.

A man-sized rabbit can only
avoid notice for so long.

Even in this labyrinth of sin.

[Ferino] You don't say.

So, you sent a team in
after him then, huh?

Let me guess.

There were no survivors.

Only one.

[gasps]

[panting]

I have an idea.

Ask him about the sword, sir.

[vice president] The Sword of
Sparda. What do you know about it?

Sparda! Ha, boy,
that takes me back.

All I know is the old story.

Sparda was an ancient demon,

back in the days when the two realms
were still joined, who sided...

Who sided with humans
to fight his own kind,

the champion of Hell,

until he turned
against its king.

I know this story.

What does the sword have
to do with it, though?

I'm getting to it!

So, being such a swell guy,

Sparda takes it on himself to
protect humanity by casting a spell,

creating a wall between
the realms, so to speak.

It was the power of his sword,
apparently, that let him do it,

with the help of a magic amulet,

which he splits in two pieces
to make it harder to find.

Ugh, smells like some
millennial bullshit to me.

That's it. Of course. Look…
Look at this sword here.

See that slot in the hilt? Though
it was meant to hold something?

I theorized that the quantum interference
blocking the rift between realms

was broadcast by some
form of transmitter.

Demon technology
may look medieval,

but their understanding
of quantum principles

is far more advanced
than our own.

This amulet is the transmitter.

Each half of it generates
one half of the signal,

and Sparda's sword
is the decoder.

If one were to bring both
halves of the amulet together

and place it into the sword,
the transmission would cease.

There'd be no more interference.

No more wall. The realms would be
open to each other without limit.

You're talking about Armageddon?

Yes. You must understand
what would happen.

The demon who makes other
demons wake up in a cold sweat

will be on our doorstep.

We'll throw everything
we have at it,

only to discover that
it's not just him.

It's a world full of them.

Our civilization
will be overrun.

We won't let it be.

This is DARKCOM's purpose.

This is our divine charge.

To be the last line of
defense against the Inferno.

Right. Our divine charge.

If the rabbit was after the sword,
he must be trying to open the rift,

which means he'll also
need the two amulet pieces.

He already has one.

And not to be an alarmist, but
he's about to get the other one.

Mr. Sir Vice President. Baines.

- [Fisher] Anders, from J-Squad.
- Mr. Vice President, sir.

- The one who survived.
- Good to see you up, soldier.

What did that to your face?

Rabbit claws, sir.

Who let you down here? Why
aren't you in the infirmary?

I have extremely sensitive
information pertaining to… Uh…

Concerning…

Regards to the end
of the world, sir.

I had to deliver it,
sir. As in, in person.

To your person.

Sir.

I heard the rabbit say
something after he'd done this.

He was pissed off.

He was furious, sir.

He knows where the other
half of the amulet is.

And he tried to get it back
already. But his plan failed.

He's gonna try again. Soon.

His plan?

What was the plan?

I don't know. Something about
hiring someone for a setup job.

Or something.

Whoever it was, that's who
has the other piece. Sir.

[frenetic, intriguing
music playing]

Dante.

Heh.

[chipper dance-pop
music playing]

[singer] ♪ Okay ♪

[singer] ♪ Okay ♪

[music swells, trails off]

[console beeps, thuds]

[applause]

[game announcer] Game over!

[Dante] Aw!

[energy thrumming]

["Devils Never Cry" plays]

♪ Bless me ♪

♪ With the leaf
off of the tree ♪

♪ On it, I see ♪

♪ The freedom reign ♪

♪ We are falling ♪

♪ The light is calling ♪

♪ Tears inside me ♪

♪ Calm me down ♪

♪ Midnight calling ♪

♪ Mist of resolving ♪

♪ Crown me ♪

♪ With the pure, green leaf ♪

♪ Praise to my father ♪

♪ Blessed by the water ♪

♪ Black light, dark sky ♪

IN MEMORY OF KEVIN
CONROY [1955-2022]

♪ The devil's cry ♪