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The "A" Pill

What It Stands For: A stands for Agonia, which means "struggle" in Greek.

What It Does: The A pill's effects are the most tangible. The pill is meant to reveal the single most significant trauma that has shaped a person's life.

What Happens When They Take It: We see the effects of the A Pill before we even enter the sterile, succulent-filled landscape of the U.L.P. trial facility. At the start of episode 2, Annie passes out while snorting the A pill. Then, at the episode's end, we learn why she's so addicted to the pill: It's a portal to her final days with her beloved sister, Ellie (Julia Garner). In the vision, Annie and Ellie are traveling to Salt Lake City, where Ellie's fiancé lives. Annie behaves abrasively towards her sister the entire time, which makes the next event all the more devastating. After a particularly bad fight, Annie and Ellie's car is rammed head-on by an 18-wheeler truck and sent hurtling off the mountain. Annie survives. Ellie does not.

After the trial, Owen recounts his A Pill experience to Ellie. When he was in high school, Owen had a crush on a girl named Olivia. Then, he became paranoid that Olivia was actually recording their conversations and giving them to his parents. This was his first manifestation of schizophrenia.