The Lateness of the Hour - Recap

Jana lives in an expensive manor with her mother and father, the Lorens. Mrs. Loren receives a neck message from the maid, Nelda, while Jana is going over the family photo and wonders when the pictures were taken. Jana notes that Nelda doesn't look any different then she did years ago. Jana's father, Dr. Loren, suggests that the maid can put away the photo album but Jana insists on doing it herself. Her parents insist that everything is perfect and object when Jana suggests they eat at a different time rather than at the proscribed time. When Mrs. Loren asks Nelda to continue, Jana snaps at her and tries to provoke her father into snapping at her. She insists that they're atrophying in the house but her father refuses to hear of it. Nelda leaves and Jana confronts her and asks her if she agrees. The other staff come out as does her father, and she accuses them of mindlessly serving them. When the maid confronts her, Jana shoves her down the stairs but she's unharmed. Dr. Loren says that he built the staff to be indestructible.



Later, the butler Robert attends to Dr. Loren and Jana insists on lighting her father's pipe. Dr. Loren wants to talk to Jana about her sudden bouts of rebellious behavior. He notes that he retired from the world long ago, and Jana accuses him of turning her into an unsocial freak. Dr. Loren insists that he protected her from harm and disease, from the sights of war and prejudice. Jana smashes a glass in rebellion and says that her father should dismantle the robot staff before the family becomes completely independent on them. Dr. Loren insists that his creations have lives and memories and are not just things. Jana insists they're just toys and gives them an ultimatum: either he destroys the robots or she leaves. She storms out past the staff which try to reassure her. Jana notes that while the staff are indestrutible, her father isn't. The robots consider the Lorens.



Later, Jana is packing in her room when her father comes to see if she's really leaving. She insists that he let the world into their house but he argues that he's done it as much for her as for him. He begs her to stay but she refuses, so he agrees to dismantle the robots. Dr. Loren goes downstairs and uses a remote to summon the staff, then sends them downstairs to his basement workshop to wait for him. They begin to challenge him, wondering how they've failed to do their duties, but he orders them to obey. Later, Dr. Loren returns upstairs to tell his wife that now it's just the three of them and it will take some time to become accustomed to being alone. jana runs through the house to make sure the stff are gone and then comes to embrace her mother and say they'll have normal lives. However, when Jana says she can now meet a man, get married, and have children, her parents are shocked. Realizing something is wrong, Jana goes through the family album and wonders why there are no pictures of her as a little girl. Dr. Loren finally admits that she's a robot, but it doesn't matter. She has memories of a childhood and they love her as their daughter. Jana doesn't accept that, realizing they built her as a daughter. She runs out to the stairs and bangs her arm on the bannister, but can't feel any pain... or love. Mrs. Loren wonders what they can do, and neither parent can stand being without her.



Later, Dr. Loren and his wife enjoy their peaceful, insulated lives with a new maid... a reprogrammed Jana.



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