Sunday, July 7, 2013

Vegas: Luck Be A Lady (Spec Idea)

This is only the beginning of an idea I had for the show Vegas which has been cancelled.


Synopsis: 
Vincent Savino (Michael Chiklis),
Ralph Lamb (Dennis Quaid)
A young gambler/con artist/thief named Jason who is a friend of Dixon’s from high school sees Dixon in Vincent’s casino where Vincent sees them talking, maybe having a drink. 
Vincent meets up with a guest named Mr. Huxley who it turns out wants to have his wife murdered.  The next morning Mr. Huxley is found dead in his room, his wife gone.  
About the same time Jason is caught counting cards and brought to Vincent for some justice.  Vincent can do little with the cops around but looking to score points with Dixon he has him pick up his old friend.  
Dixon and Jason end up in a bar where Jason attempts to hustle a pool game but ends up starting a bar fight.  The antics continue for Jason and Dixon.
Mr. Huxley’s wife returns with her lover from across town where she had been all night.  She has an alibi.
Lamb investigates only to discover the killer might be Jason who has been running around with Dixon causing trouble. They must find the two before something worse happens...
SPEC SCRIPT BEGINNING
Int. SAVOY Casino Lobby - EVENING
Vincent stands waiting for someone as he spots Dixon across the casino shaking hands with a young man, Jason, in a Navy uniform.  They are friendly but part ways.  Vincent is snapped from his observation by an employee who informs him that his guest has arrived.
The guest, a mobster from Chicago, Huxley, enters with his wife, both in good spirits, Huxley requests to speak with Vincent in his office.
INT. VINCENT’s OFFICE - 
Huxley stands pouring himself a Scotch.
Vincent
What can I do for you?
huxley
My wife wants to divorce me and take the kids. She knows a lot about the business. She needs to go and I want you to help me find someone to do it.
--break--
int. savoy hotel room - early morning
There is a click of cameras and the movement of people as it is revealed that the center of attention is Huxley’s dead body.  The man has been beaten, stabbed, strangled, and shot several times.
R. Lamb
Doesn’t look like he went easy.
JACK LAMB
Torture? 
r. lamb
(indicating a dress hanging from the closet door)
Who was here with him?
J. Lamb
His wife, we haven’t talked to her yet. They just got into town for an anniversary.
R. Lamb
She’s missing? Kidnapped? Put out a bulletin.
Int. vincent’s office
Vincent stands while holding the phone to his ear as he is on a call to Chicago.
Vincent
They just found his body. No, I don’t know who did it but Carol is missing.
Ralph Lamb enters.
Vincent
Look the sheriff just walked into my office. Maybe he’s got some details. Okay.
Vincent hangs up the phone.
R. Lamb
Important business?
Vincent
The man had friends.

Lamb
What about his wife?

Vincent
She has friends too.

R. Lamb
What kind of cooperation are you going to give me?

Vincent
My full cooperation.  There was a murder at my casino.  No one wants this solved more than me.

Lamb
I can think of one person.

Lamb leaves as Vincent enters and closes the door behind him.  

Vincent
I need to talk with you.

Vincent
Did you find her?

Vincent
No, something else.  We caught someone counting cards. He had over ten grand on him.

Spaceballs 2: The Search For More Money (fan fiction pitch)


Synopsis - The lowly science officer finds himself at odds with the system when the ship he is on is sent to mine the resources of a planet so he decides to warn the people whose planet is about to be ‘developed’ by the Empire.

He steals a vessel that had been seized for smuggling, pilots his way through the asteroids then uses hyper-drive to travel to the planet where he crashes in a remote swamp.  He is found by rednecks who take him into town where he meets a wise man at a cigar shop.

After warning the people the Princess comes up with a plan for him to detonate a bomb on the ship but he refuses because he knows the people on board.  After he refuses she sends one of her own people using his identification and ship.  He must stop the person and find a way to save the planet.

SPEC SCRIPT BEGINNING

EXT. ASTEROID FIELD
From a vast open shot we get close to where miners are extracting minerals from an asteroid.

Everything looks rugged and second hand.  The men wear spacesuits, not far away is a camper, they are working a drill.

One of the men signals to the other and points out into space where the camera pans to see an asteroid explode.

Miner 1: Who do you think it is?

Miner 2: Who do you think?  Assholes.

We see more high powered laser blasts destroying a path through the asteroid field and then a large ship.  The ship passes by then at the very back of the ship we see a vanity license plate that reads SP_BALL2 then down to a pair of Truck Nuts hanging off.

Title Sequence: Spaceballs 2: The Search For More Money

In a Galaxy far, far, far away a young prince rescued a princess from the tractor beam of an evil man then blew up his ship and married her rescuing her from her ultimate enemy, boredom (Prince Valium).

This is not their story nor the story of their adventures.  It is the story of their child...

INT. SPACEBALLS 2
Captain Schlitz is in his throne drinking a glass of juice, a bottle sits nearby “Rare: Agave Nectar” as he ruminates about his plans.

Not far away stands his assistant giving a presentation using a projector.

Assistant
We drop the equipment onto the planet.  We take all the plant life, separate it out.  We take every berry and put it into the juicer.  The planet should yield enough pulp to make paper for one Congressional session.  Then there’s the oil, Helium, and other gases trapped in the rock.

Captain Schlitz
In no time we will have sucked everything out of the place leaving it a husk.

INT. SPACEBALLS 2
A gunner sits playing a 3D version of asteroids at his station which is really a representation of him shooting the asteroid field.

Not far away a Chad, lowly science officer, sits at his monitor leaning against one hand as he watches Youtube clips of something funny when he gets an alert that a new video has been posted by his favorite user Princess Earth.

He is about to watch when a movement makes him close the window.  He looks up to see his friend Kevin.

Kevin
Too bad they’re all going to be breathing canned air soon.

Chad
What do you mean?

Kevin
You haven’t heard?  Two weeks from now where going to the planet and set up a full-scale mining operation.  Out next stop is to get the equipment.

Chad
What?  We can’t.  It’ll ruin the planet.

Kevin
Too late everything is already in motion.

Random Ideas:

The actor who plays the villain has a double who wears the suit and he/she is sitting off stage when he/she interrupts the filming to criticize the actor.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Shameless (Spec Idea) - Ian in Abusive Relationship


INT. GALLAGHER HOUSE

Ian stands wearing sunglasses and concealer to hide the bruises on his face.  Fiona sees him and goes to hug him then she steps back to appraise him and sees that he is trying to cover something.

Ian
It’s not as bad as it looks.

Fiona
What happened?

Ian
Doug and I were goofing around and he caught me off guard.

Fiona
He hit you?

Ian
It’s different with guys.  We were both going at it.

Fiona
Then you started it?

Ian
(shrugs shoulders)
We don’t have to talk about it.

Fiona
No, I want to talk about it.  Were you hitting him and he struck you back?

Ian
I’m not, I mean it’s nothing.  Just uh, rough play is all.

Fiona
Did he hit you anywhere else?

Fiona grabs at his shirt and tries to raise it but he stops her and pulls away.

Ian
It was my fault.  I taunted him and we started arguing.

Fiona
You sound like every domestic abuse case I ever heard.

Ian
It’s not that.

Fiona
Then what is it?

Ian shrugs and walks away into the kitchen and Fiona follows.  Ian starts to clean up.

Fiona
I’m serious.

The front door opens and Lip yells into the house that he has arrived.

Ian
Don’t say anything to Lip.

Fiona
Why not?

Lip enters the kitchen carrying bags of groceries.

Lip
Are we ready for a feast?

Fiona looks to Ian who turns away to the sink.

Fiona
Show him.

Lip
Show me what?

Ian
Nothing.

Lip
What don’t you want me to see?

Lip steps to Ian but his smile fades when he sees Ian’s bruise.

Lip
What the hell is that?

Lip grabs Ian’s shoulder and turns him making Ian wince.

Ian
It’s nothing.

Fiona
Show him the rest.

Lip
The rest?

Ian
It’s nothing.

Fiona
He’s got other marks on his body he doesn’t want me to see.

Lip
Who did this to you?

Ian
It’s nothing.

Fiona
That piece of shit Doug beat him up.

Lip
Your boyfriend?

Ian
No.

Fiona
Show him the rest.

Lip
There’s more?

Ian
No.

Lip
(turns Ian and pulls off his glasses)
Let me see.

Ian struggling to keep composure and not lose his temper begins to lift his shirt.

Lip
Take it off.

Ian pulls his shirt over his head and off.  He has several black and blue marks over his body from fighting with Doug.

Lip
Is this the first time?

Ian looks away.

Ian
When it happened before--

Lip
Hold on, it happened before, your boyfriend kicked your ass?

Ian
We were goofing around and it got out of hand.  It was as much my fault as his.

Lip
Your fault?

Ian
We were goofing around and he apologized.

Lip
Why didn’t you tell me?

Ian
Because I didn’t want you to do something.

Lip
Oh, I’m going to do something.

Ian
Don’t.

Lip
This isn’t getting mugged.

Fiona
We worked too damn hard to have a safe home all these years.  You shouldn’t have to go back to this.

Ian
We aren’t together right now.  He’s at his mother’s place for a few days.

Lip
A few days?

Ian
I don’t want you to try and do something like you always do.

Lip
You’re my brother.

Ian
I’m your brother.

They all stand looking at each other when Carl walks into the room from upstairs.  He is shocked to see Ian shirtless and with bruises over his body.

Carl
What happened?

Ian
Nothing.

Carl
Were you in a fight?

Ian pushes his way past Lip and walks into the living room.

(or else Carl overhears the conversation from the stairs and confronts Ian about it later)

Carl
Your boyfriend beat you up?

Ian
It’s not like that.  We were fighting.

Carl
Why were you fighting?

Ian
It’s complicated.

Carl
I’d never fight with a girl I was dating.

Ian
That’s very good of you.

Carl overhears Lip and Fiona talking about Ian an abusive relationship...

Lip
What was he thinking?

Fiona
It’s not easy.

Lip
The guy beat the shit out of him.  Not once, maybe not even twice, we don’t know how many times it happened.

Fiona
Think about all the shit we put up with each day of our lives.

Lip
No one would ever treat me like that.

Fiona
Think about all we’ve been through.  None of us have had good role models.

Lip
What’s that supposed to mean?

Fiona
We normalize abuse.  It’s not just the family.  It’s life.

Lip
I don’t.  Never.

Fiona
Think about when you got into a fight with Mikey Drisk in the the first grade.  You made up with him the next day and then you two were inseparable for that whole summer.

Lip
Until he stole my GI Joes.  It’s not the same.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Incomplete Psych (Clue Homage): Mr. and Mrs. Body


Introduction- when a show does something better than you had imagined you know you are on the right path. I had thought about a Clue homage for sometime with Psych and had been working on a script but I was beaten to the punch.

I thought I would post this incomplete writing anyway. It was fun to write and maybe it'll be fun to read.

I had imagined the butler played by Ryan Cartwright (Bones, Mad Men).

FADE IN...

INT. Dining Hall- Evening

Shawn, Gus, Lassiter, and Juliet sit across from each other at one end of a long dining table while on the other end is a group of people dressed distinctly as weekend actors: Mrs. Peacock, Mrs. White, Colonel Mustard, Professor Plum, Mr. Green, and Miss Scarlet.  Shawn is very happy, Gus distracted by his food, Juliette overly suspicious, and Lassiter is angered.

Shawn
I’m so excited I always wanted to attend an murder mystery weekend.

Gus
Shawn it seems like we deal with real murder every week.

Shawn
But these people have costumes and are dressed like the characters.  Look, Mrs. White is wearing white, Professor Plum is wearing purple, Mr. Green is wearing green.  You know that was something I never understood about Reservoir Dogs.

Gus
Those were aliases so they didn’t have to use their real names. And Professor Plum is wearing mauve not purple.

Shawn
Huh.

Lassiter
Just where did you get the tickets to this thing?

Shawn
I won them in a radio contest.  I was the thirteenth caller.

Juliet
Thirteen?

Shawn
Yeah, you know after twelve.

Gus
Even if the costumes aren’t very good the food is delicious.

Gus raises his glass in a toast when the butler (Ryan Cartwright) enters.

Gus
My compliments to the chef.

Butler
I will make sure to pass along your kind words.

Lassiter
It’s not going to be very difficult to figure out who the murderor is when we make up half the people here.

Shawn
Not very difficult?  Then perhaps a gentleman’s wager of say one dollar?

Gus raises an eyebrow.

Lassiter
One dollar?  What kind of wager is that?

Gus
It was good enough for Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd in Trading Places.

Shawn and Gus clink glasses.

Lassiter
Okay then one dollar but we all know the butler did it.

Everyone looks to the butler who look uncomfortable.

Butler
Well, time for dessert.

Gus
I ordered the chocolate pudding.

SHOT- Ext. Mansion Midnight-
A clock begins to chime twelve times.

Int. Shawn and Juliet’s room-
They are both sound asleep.

Int. Lassiter’s room-
He is also sound asleep and clutching his gun.

Int. Gus’s room-
Gus is sound asleep.

Int. Billiard Room
Mr. Green leans against the pool table.

Mr. Green
This weekend is going to be so easy.  Three days and two nights with bed and breakfast it’s the best job yet.  Have our employers decided who dies yet?

Whispered Voice:
You.

Mr. Green is then attacked by someone wielding a rope.

Int. Study- night
Colonel Mustard is reading a book with a snifter of Brandy and cigar by his side.  He is struck from behind with a wrench.  The cigar is extinguished in the Brandy.

Int. Kitchen
Miss Scarlet enters the kitchen where she sees a garbage can overflowing with takeout containers and guffaws at the sight of it.  She lights a cigarette at the end of a long holder in front of a large pantry before she moves to a stool and sits.  The pantry is a cover for a secret door which opens quietly.  Miss Scarlet is hit over the head with a candlestick.

Int. Greenhouse (raining)- night
Mrs. White stands appreciating the flowers when the door opens and she turns on the person entering.

Mrs. White
Have they all been taken care of?

Whispered Voice:
Yes.

Mrs. White is shocked and begins to step back.

Mrs. White
What are you doing with that gun?

Mrs. White is shot.

The interiors of Shawn and Juliett’s, Gus’s, Lassiter’s rooms are all shown in turn where each character still sleeps.

Break

SHOT Ext. Mansion Early Morning
There is the sound of birds.

Int. Long Hallway Early Morning
Lassiter exits his room and goes down the hallway to the restroom.  Shawn steps out of his room and goes to Gus’s room, knocks on door but when there is no response he goes down to the restroom where Lassiter is exiting.  As Lassiter passes Gus’s room Gus opens the door and see Lassiter who indicates Shawn passed him.  Gus spots his polished shoes as Juliett opens her door.  They spot each other and Gus holds up his shoes proudly.  Lassiter returns to his room.  Juliett shuts her door.  Gus shuts his door.  Shawn steps out of the restroom and walks back to his room where he closes the door behind him.

The butler steps into the hallway dressed in a bathrobe and in a panic.  He knocks on each door in succession until he reaches Shawn’s door which opens promptly then the other doors follow so that Gus and Lassiter can peak out.

Shawn
Mr. Pennyworth what is it?

Butler:
Sir, there’s been a murder.

Shawn
Our first clue and the butler is telling me about it so I don’t think he did it.  Lassie you may want to get your wallet ready.

Butler
No sir, this isn’t part of the game.  It’s Miss Scarlet in the kitchen with the candlestick.  She’s really dead.

Int. Kitchen
Miss Scarlet is facedown on the floor as Shawn, Gus, Lassiter, Juliett, and the Butler enter.  Shawn spots the takeout containers in the trash.  He also spots the candlestick.

Lassiter
No one touch a thing.  Juliett go call it in while I take a look around.

Juliett leaves the room.

Shawn
Why the candlestick?

Lassiter
The murderer picked it up on the way here.

Shawn
(to the Butler)
Do you know where this candlestick is from?

Butler
I believe the Study sir.

Shawn
I’m going to check it out.

Lassiter
Not without me, you two come with us.

Int. Study
Shawn, Gus, Lassiter, and the Butler enter the study and approach Colonel Mustard who looks as if he is sleeping.

Butler
Sir, time to wake up.

Lassiter
Come on wake up Colonel.

Shawn sees blood then spots the wrench on a nearby table with more blood on it.

Shawn
Wait, don’t get any closer.  He’s dead.

Lassiter turns on Shawn.

Lassiter
What exactly is going on here?

Shawn
I’m getting a strange feeling about this.

Shawn has a flash of memory from his dream.

Shawn
Does anyone else remember a sound in the middle of the night?  I remember having a dream about setting off a M-80 in the girl’s lavatory.

Gus
Lavatory?

Lassiter
I dreamt I was at the shooting range but I usually have that dream.

Shawn
A gunshot, but so far we haven’t found anyone with a gunshot wound?

Lassiter
Another victim?

There is a scream but they realize it is Shawn’s ringtone for his phone.

Shawn
Sorry about that.  Hello.  It’s Juliett.  We’ll be right there.  There’s been another murder.

Int. Greenhouse
Miss White lays facedown as Juliett stands over her.

Lassiter
This is mass murder.

Gus
Or maybe a serial killer.

Butler
We need to check on the other guests.

SHOT -- Ext. Mansion Late Morning

There are several police cars in front of the mansion as police officers work to secure the perimeter.  Mrs. Peacock and Professor Plum actors stand in their robes.

Ext. Mansion Near Police Cars-
Lassiter stands with a notepad and pen interviewing the Butler as Buzz stands nearby waiting for orders.  Shawn and Gus are in earshot.  Juliett walks up to Lassiter.

Juliett
They just found another body.  It was Mr. Green in the Billiard Room with the rope.  Everyone seems to be accounted for now.

Lassiter
Thanks O’Hara.

Juliett
No problem Lassiter.

Lassiter
(to the Butler)
And what’s your name?

Butler
Edmond T. Harris sir.

Lassiter
What’s your job here?

Edmond
I’m an actor who is playing the butler.

Lassiter
And what exactly were you supposed to do this weekend?

Edmond
Butle sir.

Lassiter
But you’re an actor.

Butler
I am very committed to my role.

Lassiter
What can you tell me about what was supposed to happen?

Butler
I don’t know sir the writer wasn’t supposed to show up until this morning.

Lassiter
Uh huh, now tell me, yes or no was anyone else in the house?

Butler
No.

Lassiter eyes him suspiciously.

Butler
I mean yes.  I mean no, well, maybe.  There could have been.  It is a very large place.

Lassiter
How many people total?

Butler
Counting the six actors, four guests, and myself?

Lassiter
Yes.

Butler
Eleven sir.

Lassiter
(to Buzz)
Six actors, four guests, one butler, well that’s what he says but I don’t know if we can trust him.  Search the rest of the house with caution two to the basement, two to the first floor, two to the second, and two to the attic.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Teen Wolf - Spec Script - Wolfman Dream

Jeff 'Dekal' Becker (http://www.jeffdekal.com/)

Disclaimer: No shipping here, though I appreciate the concept.  This is something I thought of and had to put down on paper, uh, my computer and decided to post it here today.

I had been thinking about it for a while, wrote out some notes and such but basically wrote it all out in two days.


Fade in...

EXT. TRAVELING CARNIVAL - EVENING
Sounds of carnival: small traveling roller coaster and screaming, barkers calling out for contestants at booths, a ferris wheel, and other elements.

Scott moves through the grounds in a hurry looking for a specific booth.

He finds Stiles at a charity dunk tank for cancer waiting to go up to be dunked.  It is clearly urgent but Stiles is being called up to take his spot.

SCOTT
Hey wait up a minute.

STILES
Just a minute.

SCOTT
No, now, I need to speak with you.

Stiles smiles to Scott then climbs up to the spot and sits.  Scott moves around to the front of the tank where he watches a young boy throw balls to try and dunk him.

As Stiles sits on the board he spots an old gypsy woman in the audience staring at him.  There is a strange connection that is broken when a young gypsy boy pulls her away.

When the boy fails Scott picks up a ball and throws it dunking Stiles instantly.  Scott then runs up to the tank as Stiles emerges from the water.

SCOTT
I need to speak with you.

STILES
I’m supposed to go again.

SCOTT
It’s an emergency.  It’s your father.

Stiles signals to someone behind stage that he would like off the board but a ball flies and he goes under again.

INT. TENT BEHIND DUNK TANK
Stiles and Scott enter and pick up towels for Stiles to dry himself.

STILES
What’s going on?

SCOTT
Your father shot someone.  I think the guy died.

STILES
When was this?

SCOTT
Earlier today, it’s been on the news.  Did he try and call you?

STILES
I’ve been busy with the booth.  I had to turn off my phone.

SCOTT
Well turn it on.

STILES
Have you seen him?  Is he okay?

SCOTT
No, it’s been pretty crazy since it happened.  When I found out I headed straight here.

Stiles turns on his phone and checks it for messages.  He scrolls through them until he finds the last one which reads that his father had been involved in a shooting but that he is fine and there is nothing for Stiles to do.

STILES
I’m never turning this off again.

SCOTT
What do we do now?

STILES
There’s nothing we can do right now I think.  I’m going to send him a text back.

An organizer asks if Stiles is okay and Stiles says that he is.  The organizer asks him if he is coming back to the booth and he looks to Scott.

SCOTT
Do you have an extra pair of trunks?

STILES
Yeah, there’s some over there in my bag.

Scott retrieves a pair of trunks and begins to change.

EXT. DUNKING BOOTH - IMMEDIATELY AFTER
Scott sits on the dunking board waiting while Stiles stares at his phone trying to find news about the shooting.

INT. DUNKING BOOTH TENT
Stiles and Scott have just dressed in dry clothes and are helping clean up.  The rest of the county fair/carnival has been shut down.

STILES
Let’s get going.  I didn’t find much about the shooting except it was at a jewelry store in town.

SCOTT
I heard it was a kid not much older than us.

STILES
Nineteen.

SCOTT
Can you imagine that?  Do you think he shot at your dad?

STILES
He had to have shot at him.

They leave the tent, walk through the empty grounds, make their way to the back where a few vendors have set up trailers and campers.  They are walking past them when Stiles spots the gypsy woman on a porch sitting in rocking chair.  The young boy, her grandson, plays at her feet with toy cars.  She stares back at them.

SCOTT
Do you know her?

STILES
I saw her earlier.

The boy looks up them.

GYPSY BOY
Hello.

SCOTT

Hi there.

STILES
Hey.

GYPSY BOY
Do you want your fortune read?  It’s free.

Stiles and Scott look at each other.

SCOTT
Come on that’s ridiculous.  It’s not real.

STILES

You’re a freaking werewolf.

SCOTT

Good point.  Well, it’s free.

Scott and Stiles walk to the porch where the old woman stares at them.

STILES
Okay, let’s have it.

GYPSY BOY

Not here silly, inside.

STILES
What was I thinking?

INT. GYPSY TRAILER
The trailer is full of decorations and furniture.  There is an old wooden table in the middle of the room.  The gypsy boy leads his grandmother to the table and retrieves a deck of tarot cards for her.  She sets them down and turns over the first card which is the death card.  Stiles and Scott are immediately frightened by the act.

GYPSY WOMAN
The way you walked was thorny, through no fault of your own, but as the rain enters the soil, the river enters the sea, so tears run to a predestined end.

SCOTT
What does that mean?  Who are you talking to?

GYPSY WOMAN
There is change in your life.  Rites of passage, endings and new beginnings, but you are afraid.

Stiles is transfixed by the woman but Scott is repulsed because he doesn’t want to hear what she has to say.

GYPSY
My vision has mostly gone but I can still see you for who you really are.  You worry that you are evil but you are not though you may do evil things your heart will be pure.

SCOTT
These are all just generalizations that are supposed to scare us.

GYPSY WOMAN
Maybe, but they are also true.

SCOTT
(trying to drag Stiles)
This is creeping me out.  Come on.

STILES
Go outside and wait for me.

Scott leaves and Stiles moves to the chair in front of the old woman where he sits.

GYPSY WOMAN
Those of us who have been tainted by the world do not want to believe the reality of it because that means it burned us and we have scars from it but you are different.  You have not been burned, yet, but you bare a heavy load.  There is fear in you.

STILES
What do you know?

GYPSY WOMAN
(picks up an amulet from nearby and carries it to Stiles)
Take this.  It will help you.

STILES
It will protect me?

GYPSY WOMAN
Sometimes we do not need protection.

Stiles looks to the old woman’s wrinkled hands where she holds the amulet then he takes it from her.  He is about to put it around his neck when a young woman, the daughter, enters the trailer.

DAUGHTER
What is going on in here?  Mother you allowed strangers in the trailer with our son?

GYPSY WOMAN
They are harmless now.  They are just boys.

DAUGHTER
Get out.

STILES
I was just leaving.

EXT. TRAILER PORCH
Scott stands with his hands in his pockets as Stiles exits the trailer and stuffs the amulet in his pocket.

SCOTT
What happened?

STILES
Let’s get out of here.

INT. STILE’S BEDROOM- IMMEDIATELY AFTER
Stiles empties his pockets on his night stand, among the items is the amulet which he sets upon his wallet and touches briefly before turning away and undressing for bed.

-DREAM-

INT. AIRPLANE IN FLIGHT - EVENING
Scott and Stiles sit next to each other by a window, there is another seat beside them but the occupant keeps changing between an extra and one of their friends.

STILES

Where are we going?

SCOTT
Vegas.

STILES

Really?

SCOTT
Yeah, it’s going to be lots of fun.

Stiles smiles and looks out the window where he can see the sun setting in the distance.

STILES

Vegas.  That sounds fun.  Show girls, magic, and all of that.

SCOTT
It’s just too bad everyone else had to come along with us.

STILES
Who?

Stiles looks around the plane.  Not far from them Derek raises a glass of champagne to them.

STILES
There’s a werewolf on the plane.

SCOTT
He’s not the only one.

STILES
(motioning to Scott)
Of course.

SCOTT
No, I mean look around.

Stiles gets up from his seat and moves to the aisle.  As he looks around in turn: Jackson, Peter, and Isaac all raise glasses to him.

STILES
(whispering)
There are mother fucking werewolves on the fucking plane and they’re drinking?

SCOTT
It’s worse than that.

Stiles looks around the plane again but this time sees the Argent family in turn spread out through the plane but they all have crossbows and other weapons in their hands.

STILES
(whispering)
They have weapons?  What’s happening here?

SCOTT
I’d be concerned but this is a dream.

STILES
Right, I knew that.  What day is it?  Is it a full moon?

SCOTT
Better look and see.

Stiles climbs to the window where he looks out to see the sun is gone and he can see the full moon out in the sky.

The lights in the plane go out and all around him there are glowing eyes of werewolves.  The emergency lights kick on and Stiles realizes Scott is gone.  He hears commotion and violence all around him.  He steps into the aisle, something flies past his head so he gets down to his hands and knees and crawls to the front of the plane.

STILES
(to himself)
I have to tell the captain.  I have to tell the captain.

Stiles gets to the cockpit where he finds the door open and inside he finds Scott standing looking at a dead flight crew.

Stiles closes the door behind him.

STILES
What are you doing here?

SCOTT
I thought I could help them but I killed them instead.

STILES
You killed them?

SCOTT

Sorry.

STILES
What are we going to do?

He looks to the controls and sees that the plane is beginning to descend.

SCOTT

We could turn on autopilot or else see if someone else can fly.

STILES
They’re all killing each other.

SCOTT
Right.

STILES

I have to think.

Stiles looks around at the controls and moves into the pilot seat, straps himself in as the plane continues to descend.

STILES
We’re going down.

SCOTT
Can you fly?

STILES

One winter I spent like all of December in my room with that flight simulator.

SCOTT
I remember that.

STILES
Okay, I just need to think.

Stiles closes his eyes and grabs hold of the controls.  He pulls back on them and begins to steady their decline.

SCOTT
Look.

Stiles opens his eyes to see they are headed straight for a gas station.

SCOTT
That would be a big explosion.

STILES
Think of all of the people.

Stiles pulls down hard and grabs for the throttle control and pushes it to the limit making the plane miss the gas station.

SCOTT
That was close.

STILES
How are we going to land?

EXT. CA AIRPORT PARKING LOT LONG TERM PARKING - EARLY MORNING
Stiles and Scott walk through the parking lot towards Scott’s Jeep.

STILES
I thought we were going to Vegas?

SCOTT
No, we went already remember.

STILES
Oh yeah, right.

SCOTT
We have to get to class.

STILES
I don’t remember it much.

SCOTT
You landed the plane, we had a good time, and now we’re back.

STILES
The return flight was uneventful?

INT. ASTRONOMY CLASS - LATER MORNING
The classroom is decorated for an astronomy class.  On the chalkboard is a message saying today is presentation day.  Stiles sits at his desk not far from Scott who sits staring into space.  The rest of the class is blurred, so is the teacher.

STILES
When did we start taking astronomy?

TEACHER
Stiles no talking unless you’re presenting.  Scott it is your turn.

Scott gets up from his desk and walks to the front of the class.  We see that in the process he has lost his clothes and stands in front of the class in his underwear.  He has a star chart painted on his chest.

SCOTT
(pointing to chest)
There are many myths about the moon.  The most popular of course being the werewolf.

Stiles is troubled by what he is watching and hearing.

STILES
This is my dream.

SCOTT

Weird huh?

STILES
So why are you in your underwear?

SCOTT
It should be you.  You should be the one up here.

STILES
I don’t want it.  It’s not me.

SCOTT
Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.

Stiles gets up from his desk and walks to the classroom door.  He looks back at the class where Scott has continued with his presentation.

STILES
It’s not me.  I’m not the one.

He leaves the class and begins to walk.  He is walking through the hallway when he hears his name over the loud speakers being called to the principal’s office.

INT. PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE-
Stiles walks into the principal’s office.  The man stares at him with concern.

PRINCIPAL
It’s your father.

STILES

Right, I remember that.  What happened again?

PRINCIPAL
He shot someone.  He was hurt.

STILES
I have to help him.

PRINCIPAL
(raises a silver headed cane into the air)
Take this.

STILES
Why?

PRINCIPAL
He’ll need it.

EXT. SCHOOL - NIGHT
Stiles is walking from the school.  He pulls his jacket close around himself to keep away the chill as he walks with the cane in hand.

EXT. WOODS - NIGHT
Stiles and Scott walk through the woods.

STILES

Where are we going?  I thought I was headed to see my father.

SCOTT
You are.

STILES
Something about this is familiar.  It’s like the night you were bitten.

SCOTT
I thought it was familiar.

STILES
Why are we walking out here?  Don’t I have a Jeep?

SCOTT
You’re father went out to a cabin.  He’s hunting.

STILES
I thought he shot someone.

SCOTT
(shushes Stiles)
Something is about to happen.

STILES
Aren’t you a werewolf?

SCOTT
It’s not me.

STILES
Who then?

SCOTT
You get bit.

STILES
Me?

SCOTT
We should split up.

STILES
Why?

SCOTT
So we can take it by surprise.

STILES
What are you talking about?

Stiles continues to walk and realizes that Scott is gone from his side.  He continues to walk when he hears a girl scream in the distance so he runs toward it.  He finds Lydia trapped against a tree with a werewolf approaching her.

STILES

Scott man if that’s you this isn’t funny.

Stiles raises his cane but realizes the he needs to get the wolf’s attention so he picks up a rock and throws it at the wolf hitting it in its side.  The wolf turns towards him.  He begins to back away.

STILES

Run away Lydia.

The werewolf lunges at him and he holds out his cane.  The wolf tackles him to the ground, bites through the cane and right into his chest.  Stiles screams in pain but manages to stick part of the broken cane into the werewolf making it flinch.  He then smacks it across the face with the silver head.  Stiles uses a tree to get to his feet and begins to beat the wolf until it whimpers and dies.  He looks to Lydia who is horrified.  He then sinks back on the tree.  He looks out into the darkness and sees glowing eyes, several dozen, approaching him.  He faints from the pain.

INT. STILES’ BEDROOM - NIGHT
Stiles awakes in his bed.  The room is mostly dark but we see a figure in the corner of the room.  He turns on a nearby light and we see Lydia staring at him.

STILES
What happened?

LYDIA
You were attacked.  You saved my life.

STILES
Oh good, it hurts.  I was bitten.  Am I going to become a werewolf?

LYDIA
What’s that?

Stiles looks at her strangely.

LYDIA
Is your name really Calvin?

STILES
Why would you think my name is Calvin?

LYDIA
It’s sewn into your underwear.

STILES
My underwear?

Stiles lifts up his blankets to see that he is dressed in his underwear and suddenly realizes Lydia must have undressed him.

STILES
Where am I?

LYDIA
You should rest.

Stiles shakes his head and begins to push away the covers.

STILES

I have to get out of here.

LYDIA
Where are you going?

STILES
I have to find my father.  I was supposed to take him something.

LYDIA
(holds up an unbroken cane)
Here it is.

STILES

Right I have to take that.

EXT. WOODS - NIGHT
Stiles walks through the woods using the cane as he is holding his side where he was bitten.  Scott runs out of the woods to him.  He is happy and full of energy.

SCOTT
I found you.

STILES
I have to find my father.

SCOTT
Not anymore.  We did it.  Look I got bit too.

Scott raises his shirt to show his wound.

STILES

What’s wrong with you?

SCOTT

Come on, it’s a full moon.  We have to go kill some people.

STILES

No, I’m not a monster.

Derek appears not far from them standing against a tree.  They stop walking.

DEREK
You’re not a monster.  You’re one of us.

STILES
No, this is all wrong.

DEREK
Where are you going to go?  Be one of us.  You can feel it in your blood.

Stiles looks to them then turns a different direction and tries to walk away but begins to change into a wolf.  As he changes he falls to the ground and looks up to the sky, to the moon.  The moon fades into an eye.

EXT. WOODS - NIGHT
We see three wolves running through the woods at first then several others.

EXT. GRAVEYARD - OPEN GRAVE - NIGHT -
A grave digger is down in the ground squaring off the corners with a shovel.  Above him a back hoe sits empty, not far from the machine a young man, the digger’s assistant, lounges on a pile of dirt covered in sweat and dirt.

DIGGER’S ASSISTANT
Why do we have to work at night?  It’s so creepy.

GRAVE DIGGER
Because no one wants to see this done during the day.  You know you should be down here doing this.

There is a sound of the assistant being taken down quickly and the Grave Digger peaks over the top of the hole only to scream out and fall backwards trying to get away but he hits the wall of the hole and looks back terrified.

EXT. CEMETERY - AFTERNOON
Stiles is dressed in his clothes and lies face down on the top of a mausoleum, silver headed cane beside him, watching the police who are investigating the found bodies of the Grave Digger and his Assistant.  Sheriff Stilinski arrives at the scene.  He gets out of his car and walks over to where an officer shows him two body bags.

OFFICER 1
The Caretaker and his assistant, Father O’Connor over there found them when he came to inspect the grave.

SHERIFF STILINSKI
The call said it looked like animal attacks.

OFFICER 1
That’s right.

SHERIFF STILINSKI
Better get them to the morgue so we can get them processed.  Any tracks or hair left behind?

OFFICER 1
Yeah there were tracks.

SHERIFF STILINSKI
Alright, let’s get a mold of them.  I have to find my son.  If you or anyone else sees him let him know I want to talk to him.

Stiles continues to watch from his spot as he can hear and see everything with his mystic wolf vision and hearing he looks saddened.

STILES
I’m right here dad.

EXT.CAMPSITE CLEARING WOODS - AFTERNOON
Derek and Scott sit by an old camp site of tree logs and ashes.  Stiles approaches them limping on his cane and they stand.  He is angry, irate.  He goes to Derek and shoves him.

STILES
I thought I killed you.

DEREK
It wasn’t me.

STILES
You bit me.  You made me just like him.

SCOTT
Stiles I’m the one who did it.

STILES
You did it?  You betrayed me.  For what?

DEREK
Stiles it’s a dream.

STILES
I know.  I want it to stop.

DEREK
How?

SCOTT
We’ll help you.

STILES
I have to think.  The gypsy woman, I have to find her.

DEREK
Good, we’ll find her and kill her.

STILES
No, don’t you get it.  I need her to help me.

EXT. COUNTY FAIR GROUNDS - AFTERNOON
Stiles walks alone through the empty grounds as he is looking for the gypsy woman.  He is unable to find her until he sees a Palmistry Sign and sees a store front unlike anything else at the carnival.  He goes to the store front and opens the door.  He looks inside to see the interior of a building.  He looks back out at the carnival as this shouldn’t exist here but it does.  He enters.

He turns a corner in the shop to see the gypsy woman in fortune teller garb sitting at a table behind a glass ball.

STILES
I have to talk to you.  My friends-

GYPSY WOMAN
Come in and sit down.

Stiles moves to the table and sits across from here.

STILES
We don’t have much time.  I think my friends are coming.

GYPSY WOMAN
And I should be afraid of them?

STILES
They may try to kill you.

GYPSY WOMAN
Why?

STILES
It’s what they do.  I have been turned into a monster.

There is a knock at the door.

STILES
That may be them.

GYPSY WOMAN
Your friends, one is tall and dark, the other is shorter and very handsome.

STILES
How did you know?

GYPSY
You didn’t know they are my friends too?

STILES
What?

GYPSY WOMAN
I see all.

STILES
Then you know what I became?  I killed someone last night.

GYPSY WOMAN
The police have found the bodies?

STILES
Yes.

GYPSY WOMAN
They are at the door.  They are looking for you.  They know you killed the men.

STILES
I didn’t do it.  I mean it wasn’t me exactly.  I wasn’t like this.  I used to be good.

GYPSY WOMAN
(laughs)
Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.

STILES
Help me.

Derek and Scott enter the room behind her and signal for him to follow them.

GYPSY WOMAN
Go now.

Stiles stands on his cane.

GYPSY WOMAN
Give me that.  You don’t need it anymore.

STILES
But the bite, I’m hurt.

GYPSY WOMAN
You are healed.

Stiles hands over the cane and begins to leave with Scott and Derek but stops just outside of the room, behind a curtain where he decides to listen.  Sheriff Stilinski and another officer enter the Fortune Teller’s shop.

SHERIFF STILINSKI
Where is he?  We have a report he came in here.

GYPSY WOMAN
He left.  You just missed him.

SHERIFF STILINSKI
I need to help him.  Where can I find him?

Stiles behind the curtain is about to reveal himself when Scott and Derek stop him.

SCOTT
It’s not just you anymore.  We’re all apart of this.

GYPSY WOMAN
Don’t worry officers he will find you.  When the moon is full and it is dark he will hunt you down and suck the marrow from your bones.

STILES
Harsh.

SCOTT
Let’s go.

EXT. WOODS - NIGHT
Stiles, Scott, and Derek walk through the woods.

STILES
I hate these woods.

DEREK
They are where we are safe.

SCOTT
Besides everything will change tonight.  We are going to your father’s cabin.

STILES
He has a cabin out here?

SCOTT
Don’t you remember?

STILES
No.

DEREK
It won’t matter anymore.  He’s going to die in it.

STILES
Whose going to kill him?

SCOTT
We are.

STILES
You can’t.

Stiles reaches out to stop them but they are quick to run from him.  He gives chase in human form as they transform into their wolf bodies.

He chases behind them to the cabin.

EXT. CABIN IN WOODS - NIGHT
The cabin is small and the windows glow in a dark yellow color.

STILES
Please, I know you’re safe in there but I have to save you from them.

Stiles runs to the door.  He knocks.  The door opens and Sheriff Stilinski stands there using the silver cane as a crutch.

STILES
Dad.  You have to listen to me.

SHERIFF STILINSKI
Come inside.

STILES
No, wait, the full moon, I can’t.

SHERIFF STILINSKI
Get in here.

Stiles enters.  The cabin is small.  He sees several guns and animal heads inside on the walls.

STILES
Dad, my friends, they are going to come here tonight.  You were trying to find me but they are trying to find you.

SHERIFF STILINSKI
I know.

STILES
You know?

SHERIFF STILINSKI
I only have to kill the head werewolf then you change back.  I did it before.

Stiles looks around the room and the animal heads are now those of all wolves.

There are scratches at the windows and the handle to the door is turned.  Stiles and his father arm themselves and move to the far wall nearly back to back.  As Stiles waits he begins to think of the fact that it is night and there is a full moon.

STILES
Dad, I can’t stay.

Stiles begins to grow hair, his nails form, he runs for the door and opens it.  He is knocked down by two werwolves who storm the room and attempt to tackle Sheriff Stilinski but he manages to keep them at bay with his stick and a chair.

STILES
Dad!

Stiles tries to resist the change as he watches his father fight with and defeat the two werewolves until he himself changes and attempts to attack his father.  He pins his father to the ground with a chair between them when his father clobbers him in the face with the head of the cane killing him.

INT. STILES BEDROOM - NIGHT
Stiles awakes in his bedroom and turns on the nightstand light.  He sees the medallion on the stand and picks it up.  He is sweaty and uncomfortable.  He gets up from his bed and walks to the back of the door where he pulls on a bathrobe.

INT. STILES HOME -
Stiles walks through the hallways and rooms until he finds his father in the living room in a recliner.  His father has a glass of Scotch in hand and a bottle at his side.

SHERIFF STILINSKI
What time is it?

STILES
I don’t know.

SHERIFF

What’s that in your hand?

STILES
This?  It’s just uh, something I got at the carnival, from a gypsy woman actually.

SHERIFF STILINSKI
Don’t trust carnie folk they’ll rob you blind.

STILES
Tell me about it.

SHERIFF STILINSKI
What’s wrong?

STILES
I just had the strangest dream.

Stiles walks to the couch and sits.  He thinks for a moment to tell his father about the dream but it is quickly escaping him and he sees the bottle at his father’s side.

STILES
I heard about what happened.  I’m sorry.

SHERIFF STILINSKI
(raises glass)
Well, what are you gonna do?

STILES
I’m just going to sit here for a moment.

They sit quietly as we fade out.




Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Shameless US Spec Script - "Welcome to the Machine"


Act I

Fade In...

EXT. DEBBIE’S CUPCAKES - EVENING

Frank watches as a young man, Brady, dressed in his Debbie’s Cupcakes uniform, stands hitting and shaking a cola machine outside of the cupcake shop.  The man gives up and Frank approaches the machine.  He tries all the buttons, smacks the machine, and pressing the coin return but nothing works as the machine reads that it has the $1.50 needed to buy something.  He walks away.

INT. BAR - EVENING

Kevin serves a beer and a shot of whiskey to a Brady who has just sat down at the bar.  He downs the whiskey in one gulp then signals for another.

Kevin hesitates for a moment.

Brady
Don’t worry I’m not driving anywhere tonight.

Kevin pours another then looks up to see Frank enter.  Frank approaches the bar.

Frank
Maker’s Mark.

Brady downs the second shot.  Frank downs his first.

Frank
Hey, I saw the way you were hitting that machine out there.  You should take it easy.  You’ll live a lot longer.

Brady
I’m trying to get my hand to stop hurting.  What’s it to you?

Frank evaluates the situation and decides there might still be something to gain from the young man.

Frank
You seem to be trying to get as much alcohol in you as possible.  Do you like drinking games?

Brady
You mean like beer pong?

Frank
Kind of like that.

Brady
Alright let’s do it.

Frank
Hey barkeep, couple of drinks over here.

Kevin
What’ll it be Frank?

Frank
Two beers for me and one whiskey for my friend here we’re going to bet on who pays.

Kevin gets the drinks.

Brady
What’s the game?

Frank
Well, I am going to bet you the tab for these drinks that I can finish these two beers before you drink that one measly shot.  The rules are that you have to wait until I finish my first beer then set it down on the bar, you have to leave your glass on the table, and you can’t touch either of my glasses.  This is very serious business and I need to concentrate.  Are you good with that?

Brady
Yeah sure.

Frank picks up his first beer and begins to drink slowly first as if he is savering it then he downs the beer as quickly as he can.  He then takes the empty glass and turns it over to cover Brady’s shot glass on the bar.  He picks up his second beer and raises it to Brady who is amused.

Frank
My friend here is paying.

Brady
Alright, you got me on that one.  But I got some bad news for you, my friend is coming.

A gruffer looking man, Doug, with two days growth of beard steps up to them as Frank begins to chug his beer.  Brady points to his glass.

Brady
Would you take that beer glass off my drink?  Hurry up.

Doug reaches for the glass and picks it up.

Doug
What like this?

Frank finishes his beer and sets the glass down.

Frank
(patting Brady on the shoulder)
Thank you gentlemen but that’s the only trick I know.  I’m going to take my next drink and slide on down the bar to that machine over there.

Brady
Hey, why don’t you stick around and drink with us?  First pitcher of beer is on me.

INT. BAR - MUCH LATER
Frank, Doug, and Brady are all in a booth on their third pitcher of beer as they talk and laugh with each other.  Frank is keeping them amused because so far he hasn't had to pay for anything.

Far away from them sits a cute, young man, Zack, with an open laptop, several open books, and a half-full bottle of beer.

Ian enters the bar and walks to where Kevin is mixing a cocktail.

Kevin
What brings you by our humble establishment?

Ian
I was on my way home and Fiona said you bought some cookies or something from Debbie.

Kevin
Oh yeah right, here I can’t believe the cost of fundraiser cookies these days.

Kevin pulls out his wallet and begins to count cash.  Ian spots Zack at his own table.

Ian
Who’s that guy over there?

Kevin
He’s been coming here about once a week for the last three weeks.  He just showed up one day.  He doesn’t drink much, just enough so I don’t have to kick him out.

Ian stares at Zack who looks back in his direction and smirks.

Ian
You know what I think I’ll take a drink.

INT. BAR - FRANK’S TABLE

Frank pours out the last of the beer in the pitcher amongst the three glasses then raises it up to the two cheerful and drunk men.

Brady
I don’t know if I got another pitcher in me.

Frank
No problem, I should be going anyway.  The little lady is probably up waiting for me.

Brady
Besides I have to make it to work tomorrow morning and I should probably be approaching sobriety by then.

Doug
You should just quit your job.

Brady
Not everybody can do that.

Doug
They could if they listened to their friends.

Brady
You’re not a millionaire yet and probably never will be with your plan.

Frank
Plan?  Are you an entrepreneur?  Something on the internet?

Doug
(shakes head)
Nothing like that.  No, it’s better than that.

Doug leans down to the table and signals that the others should get closer.  Both Frank and Brady get closer.

Doug
I want to rob the Sagan bank.

Brady
You shouldn’t be talking like that.

Frank
Yeah, people take things very seriously these days.  Not me, I mean I know you’re kidding but still.  Why would you rob a bank?

Doug
Because I used to work for it and I know the delivery schedule, and the pay was shit.

Frank
You know if I robbed a bank I wouldn’t try to speed away.  I’d drive to one of those parking garages where I had a second car and trade them out like in the movies.

Brady
That’s all it’s ever going to be for this guy over here.

Frank
I’d get me a wheel man like Sam ‘the Nose’ Gunther who just got out on parole, plus another guy, one of us would have a shotgun for crowd control.  I’d make sure they left the last bill in the slot, no dye packs, and no silent alarms.

Doug
That’s the best part.  The money would be still in the bag.  We’d just intercept it from the truck to the bank.

Brady
Keep talking and keep drinking then maybe none of us will remember this in the morning.

INT. BAR - IAN AT BAR

Ian finishes his drink as he has been cruising Zack and Zack has been cruising him in return between trying to do his homework.  Zack signals to follow as he heads to the restroom.

INT. MEN’S ROOM -

Zack walks to the urinal and Ian follows shortly behind him and steps to the urinal beside him.  Ian smirks then unzips his fly.  Zack smiles back then looks at Ian’s dick as he begins to urinate.

Zack
Do you want to go back to my place?  No one else will be home.

Ian
What’s your name?

Zack
Zack.

Ian
Ian.

Zack
Follow me, I have to get my books.

EXT. SHOT OF LARGE SUBURBAN HOUSE

INT. BEDROOM - LARGE SUBURBAN HOUSE - LATER SAME NIGHT

Ian and Zack begin to kiss and strip each other of their clothes.

Ian
Are you sure no one is coming home?

Zack
My mother is a night nurse and my father is away on business.  I used to stay up all night playing video games but this is so much better.

Ian pushes and pulls Zack to the bed where they continue to kiss and grab at each other.

Ian
Have you been tested?

Zack
Yeah.

Ian
When?

Zack
Last week.  Are you a virgin?

Ian
No.  You?

Zack
I’ve done it all.  Fuck me.

INT. BEDROOM -

Ian and Zack are fucking missionary position with Ian on top.  Zack begins to cry.  Ian becomes concerned.

Ian
What’s wrong?  Does it hurt?  Do you want me to quit?

Zack
No.  Fuck me.

Ian continues but Zack’s crying worsens until he is heaving with emotion.  Ian stops but Zack is quick to wrap his legs around Ian’s back and lock his ankles together.

Zack
Do it.  Fuck me.

Ian is bothered by the proposal but there is little he can do and Zack has not only given his consent but ordered that Ian finish.



Act II

INT. ZACK’S BEDROOM - EARLY MORNING
Zack lies awake in bed next to Ian who stirs and awakens.  

Zack
Hey, how’s it going?

Ian
Good.  How long have you been awake?

Zack
Not long, I couldn’t sleep much.  Do you want breakfast?

Ian
I’m not much of a breakfast person.  What time is it?

Zack
Not even six o’clock.

Ian
Hmm, well I have to get going.  I have work today and I need to get back to my place to get some fresh clothes.  Is your mother home yet?

Zack
She’s not due back until after seven.

Ian begins to get up and sees Zack is contemplative.

Ian
What’s wrong?

Zack
Do you know that crazy group that says they’re Christians and they go around protesting funerals and things?  Well they’re coming to town tomorrow and I was just thinking I wished I had the balls to do something about it.

Ian
You should protest.

Zack
I will if you will.

Ian laughs.

Zack
No really, we should do it.

INT. GALLAGHER KITCHEN - LATER THAT MORNING

Carl sits at the table in his pajamas drawing a Rube Goldberg influenced machine on a piece of paper though he already has several others completed and in a pile.  The previous one ends with a cartoon looking person in an electric chair being shocked.

The rest of the kitchen is in its usual chaos as everyone else is getting ready.  Debbie sits with a ventriloquist’s dummy practicing trying to make it speak without moving her lips.  Fiona is keeping them in motion to get prepared when she sees Carl’s drawing.

Fiona
Nice drawing Carl but you can’t take the one where the guy gets electrocuted to school.  They’ll think you’re a nut.

Carl
I know that’s why I’m drawing a new one.

Fiona
You’re not even dressed.  Debbie would you take over drawing his picture so he can get dressed?

Debbie
Yeah, if you take me to Debbie’s Cupcakes after school.

Fiona
What’s that?

Debbie
I saw it this weekend.  It’s perfect.  It’s cupcakes and it has my name on it.

Fiona
We’ll see.  Carl go get dressed.  And Debbie make sure this one doesn’t end with someone dying.  

Frank enters the house through the kitchen door still partially drunk from the night before and singing a song.

Ian enters through the front of the house and seeing everyone else he sneaks upstairs to change clothes.

Lip enters the kitchen and spots the ventriloquist’s dummy.  He moves about the kitchen along with everyone else as he hears Frank singing.

Lip
(to Fiona)
What’s with him?

Fiona
He came in like that, looks like he bit the hair of the dog early.

Lip 
Have you noticed how the dummy’s eyes follow you around the kitchen?

Debbie
He’s for my talent contest later today.

Fiona
I didn’t notice.  Frank why are you singing?

Frank
I was just trying to remember the commercial to that bank.

Fiona 
What bank?

Ian enters in new clothes and looking pleased with himself.

Frank
You know the Sagan Bank.  I was talking to two guys last night who said they wanted to rob it.  And I was just trying to remember the jingle they used to have.  You know I think someone opened a bank there for one of you kids.  If I could only remember who?

Fiona
You’re remembering now?

Ian
It’s called state-dependent learning.

Frank
Well, I’d say get your money out soon.  Although they didn’t seem that serious about it.

Lip
The money is FDIC insured.

Frank
Well, okay then. No one remembers who? I'm tired.

Fiona
Not here.  You have your own house for that.

Frank
Right.

Fiona
Ian would you make sure Carl and Debbie make it to the bus on time.  We’re running late.

Ian
Yeah sure, I’m headed out.

Ian helps them in their last actions then ushers them out of the house.  Lip is also getting ready and walks out with them.  

EXT. - ON WAY TO BUS - MORNING
Lip and Ian have fallen back to talk as Debbie and Carl are walking.

Lip
Late night?

Ian
I met a community college student.  He told me all about classes.

Lip
I’m sure he did.

Ian
Hey Lip.  It's, kind of weird--

Lip
You can tell me.

Ian
While you were fucking a girl did she ever cry?

Lip
Did you cry?  Did he cry?  He cried didn’t he?

Ian
It’s never happened before this.

Lip
I’ve heard of guys crying after, you know, climax, but still I thought it was a joke.  Was he a virgin?

Ian
I don’t think so.  

Lip
You were.  And he was.  I mean isn’t it sometimes painful?

Ian
Not like that.

Lip shrugs his shoulders and begins to walk in a different direction.

Ian
Hey, the bus?

Lip
I didn’t say I’d get them there.  And besides I have something else to do.

INT. DEBBIE’S CLASSROOM - PUBLIC PERFORMANCE CLASS
Debbie sits in front of the classroom trying to perform her act but she messes up her lines and keeping herself from moving her lips.

EXT. ALLEYWAY BEHIND CHINESE RESTAURANT - AFTER SCHOOL
Debbie throws the dummy away in the dumpster.

INT. DEBBIE’S CLASSROOM - PUBLIC PERFORMANCE CLASS
Debbie sits in front of the classroom trying to perform her act but she messes up her lines and keeping herself from moving her lips.

EXT. ALLEYWAY BEHIND CHINESE RESTAURANT - AFTER SCHOOL
Debbie throws the dummy away in the dumpster.


EXT. BEHIND CHINESE RESTAURANT - EARLY MORNING

Debbie is trying to climb into the dumpster to retrieve her dummy when a garbage truck pulls into the alley, the driver is Sam ‘the Nose’ who is angered by the sight of her trying to climb inside.

Sam
Hey kid get away from there.  Don’t you know any better?  

Debbie refuses.

Sam
Hey kid, I said get the hell away from there.  It’s dangerous to climb on those things.  

Debbie is defiant.

Sam
If you don’t move I’ll put you in the back of my truck with the garbage.

Debbie moves down the alley but watches as Sam picks up the dumpster with his truck and dumps it.  She begins to cry.  Sam sees her and suddenly feels bad.

Sam
What is it kid?

Debbie
My friend, you dumped him in there.

Sam
Your friend?  You friend?  Oh shit.

Sam (thinking he just dumped a little kid into the back of his truck) climbs out of the cab and goes into the open back unit looking for a child.

Sam
Come on kid.  Where are you?  (Shouting to Debbie) What did he look like?  What was he wearing?

Debbie
He was short and dressed in a suit and bow tie.

Sam tosses garbage aside until he see the doll, recognizes the costume, and angrily pulls it from the trash.  He climbs down to Debbie who is happy to see her friend.  

Debbie
(holding out her hands)
Thank you mister.

Sam
(hands over the doll)
No problem, now get the hell out of here.


EXT. SHOT BAR - NOON


INT. BAR - NOON

Sam sits drinking a beer at the bar.  Doug enters and goes to Sam.

Doug 
So you had time to think over my proposal?

Sam
I went digging through the garbage this morning because some kid told me I had thrown away her friend but it turned out to be one of those dummies.

Doug
What?

Sam
Yeah, I had time to think it over.  Where’s your friend?

Doug
He’ll be here.  He doesn’t work far from here.  He had a bad day at work yesterday as well.

Act III

EXT. BANK - EARLY MORNING
Fiona is approaching the bank when she sees the parked car and Doug and Brady approach the security guards with guns and ski masks.  She turns away and begins to walk the other direction as she phones the police.

INT. ROBBER’S CAR
Sam is sitting in the driver’s seat when he spots Fiona turning away and calling on her phone.  He thinks to try and stop her but realizes he can’t.

EXT. SECURITY TRUCK
The two guard are going about their business when one of them sees the robbers too late and freezes with his hand on the handle of his gun.

Doug
Give us the fucking money and there won’t be no problems.

Guard #1
Doug?

Doug
Shut the fuck up.

Brady
Shut the fuck up and hand over the money or I blow your fucking brains out?

The guards hand over the money and the two run to meet Sam as he pulls up beside them.  They get into the car and drive away.

INT. ROBBER’S CAR
Brady
He knew your fucking name.  I told you I should have done all the talking.

Doug
We can’t go back now.

Sam
He knew your name?  You fucking moron.

Doug
What did you want me to do shoot him?

Brady and Sam together
Yes.

EXT. SIDEWALK - EARLY MORNING (SAME TIME AS ROBBERY)
Ian, Zack, and Lip stand watching church group of about a dozen people and a smaller counter-protest group of LGBTQ representatives.  

Lip
What’s your big plan?

Zack
I don’t know.  I was thinking Ian and I could kiss or something.  There’s a counter protest group.  They could take our picture or something.

Lip
Kiss?  That’s it?  Why not go get a paintball gun and drive by them real slow.  Plow, plow, plow.

Ian
No violence.

Lip
Then you have to do something more than kiss.

Zack
I’d like to punch them.

Lip
Good start.

Ian
No violence.  If we hit one of them it’s trouble.  They’re all lawyers or something.

Lip
What about streaking?

Zack
(laughs)
Run naked past them?  What will that teach them?

Ian
Are there any kids around?

Lip
I don’t see any.

Ian
Alright but one of us has to be the getaway driver.

Zack
I’ll do it.

Ian
No, you have to run with me.  It was your idea.  Lip get the car.

Lip
I need the keys.

Zack hands over the keys to his car to Lip.

Lip
Wait till you see me.

Ian signals for Zack to follow him to a secluded spot where he begins to strip out of his clothes.

Zack
I didn’t think I’d be getting naked in public.

Ian
You have nothing to be ashamed of, just keep your underwear on until last.  We run by then jump into the car.  

Zack
You’ve done this before?

EXT. SHOT - THE ROBBER’S CAR SPEEDS THROUGH TRAFFIC

INT. ROBBER’S CAR - AFTER ROBBERY
Sam drives.  Doug in the passenger seat with the shotgun between his legs.  Brady is in the back seat looking around nervously.  A cop car with sirens on passes them in the oncoming traffic.

Doug
Slow down, slow down.  

Brady
Shit they’ve seen us.  They’ve seen us.  They’re turning around.

Doug
Alright get us out of here.

Doug winds down the window readying himself to lean out and shoot back at the cop cars.

EXT. IAN AND ZACK RUN BEING CHASED BY CHURCH GROUP ON SIDEWALK

Zack
I didn’t think they’d chase us.

Ian
They rarely do.  Look there’s Lip with the car.

EXT. SHOT- LIP’S CAR IN RELATION TO ROBBER’S CAR

INT. LIP IN CAR

Lip 
Come on guys give it up.

EXT. SIDEWALK IAN AND ZACK

Ian
We have to make a break for it.  Go now there’s a clearing of parked cars.

Zack follows Ian through a group of parked cars as Lip slows the car.  

INT. ROBBER’S CAR
Brady
Watch out man.  What the hell is going on?

Sam
I see ‘em.

EXT. LIP’S CAR
Ian and Zack dive inside.  The church group begins to bang on the car making Lip pull away into traffic.  The robber’s car nearly hits them but swerves away nearly hitting oncoming traffic Sam cuts the wheel hard, the car hits the sidewalk, Sam hits the breaks, and they slide into contact with the cola machine in front of Debbie’s Cupcakes.

INT. ROBBER’S CAR

Brady
I don’t believe this.  I’ll never get away from this place.  It’s like Hell.

Sam
Not yet.

EXT. SHOT - ROBBER’S CAR
Two police cars pull to a stop close to the car.

INT. ROBBER’S CAR

Sam
Now it’s like Hell.  We should just give up.  Five years in jail for robbery is better than dying.

Doug
Five years?

Sam 
With good behavior.  Of course I’d do more because of my previous conviction.

Brady begins to cry.

EXT. SHOT - THE COPS SURROUND THE CAR SHOUTING AND POINTING GUNS

EXT. EARLY EVENING
Ian and Zack walk along the sidewalk where they had been previously been running naked, Debbie ahead of them walks into Debbie’s Cupcakes.  Zack and Ian stop outside the store at the cola machine where they see the scrape from the car on the cola machine.

Zack
Holy shit I can’t believe we missed it.

Ian
We got lucky.

Zack
Hey, want to see if it works?

Zack goes to the back of the machine where he plugs the cord from the machine into the wall.  The machine lights up.

Ian at the front of the machine sees that there is over ten dollars worth of credit.

Ian
Hey it looks like the first couple are free.

Ian presses the button for cola several times and several bottles fall into the dispenser.

Ian
Hey it works.

FADE OUT

Act III Shameless US (Spec Script) - "Welcome to the Machine"


INT. DEBBIE’S CLASSROOM - PUBLIC PERFORMANCE CLASS
Debbie sits in front of the classroom trying to perform her act but she messes up her lines and keeping herself from moving her lips.

EXT. ALLEYWAY BEHIND CHINESE RESTAURANT - AFTER SCHOOL
Debbie throws the dummy away in the dumpster.


EXT. BEHIND CHINESE RESTAURANT - EARLY MORNING

Debbie is trying to climb into the dumpster to retrieve her dummy when a garbage truck pulls into the alley, the driver is Sam ‘the Nose’ who is angered by the sight of her trying to climb inside.

Sam
Hey kid get away from there.  Don’t you know any better?  

Debbie refuses.

Sam
Hey kid, I said get the hell away from there.  It’s dangerous to climb on those things.  

Debbie is defiant.

Sam
If you don’t move I’ll put you in the back of my truck with the garbage.

Debbie moves down the alley but watches as Sam picks up the dumpster with his truck and dumps it.  She begins to cry.  Sam sees her and suddenly feels bad.

Sam
What is it kid?

Debbie
My friend, you dumped him in there.

Sam
Your friend?  You friend?  Oh shit.

Sam (thinking he just dumped a little kid into the back of his truck) climbs out of the cab and goes into the open back unit looking for a child.

Sam
Come on kid.  Where are you?  (Shouting to Debbie) What did he look like?  What was he wearing?

Debbie
He was short and dressed in a suit and bow tie.

Sam tosses garbage aside until he see the doll, recognizes the costume, and angrily pulls it from the trash.  He climbs down to Debbie who is happy to see her friend.  

Debbie
(holding out her hands)
Thank you mister.

Sam
(hands over the doll)
No problem, now get the hell out of here.


EXT. SHOT BAR - NOON


INT. BAR - NOON

Sam sits drinking a beer at the bar.  Doug enters and goes to Sam.

Doug 
So you had time to think over my proposal?

Sam
I went digging through the garbage this morning because some kid told me I had thrown away her friend but it turned out to be one of those dummies.

Doug
What?

Sam
Yeah, I had time to think it over.  Where’s your friend?

Doug
He’ll be here.  He doesn’t work far from here.  He had a bad day at work yesterday as well.

EXT. BANK - EARLY MORNING
Fiona is approaching the bank when she sees the parked car and Doug and Brady approach the security guards with guns and ski masks.  She turns away and begins to walk the other direction as she phones the police.

INT. ROBBER’S CAR
Sam is sitting in the driver’s seat when he spots Fiona turning away and calling on her phone.  He thinks to try and stop her but realizes he can’t.

EXT. SECURITY TRUCK
The two guard are going about their business when one of them sees the robbers too late and freezes with his hand on the handle of his gun.

Doug
Give us the fucking money and there won’t be no problems.

Guard #1
Doug?

Doug
Shut the fuck up.

Brady
Shut the fuck up and hand over the money or I blow your fucking brains out?

The guards hand over the money and the two run to meet Sam as he pulls up beside them.  They get into the car and drive away.

INT. ROBBER’S CAR
Brady
He knew your fucking name.  I told you I should have done all the talking.

Doug
We can’t go back now.

Sam
He knew your name?  You fucking moron.

Doug
What did you want me to do shoot him?

Brady and Sam together
Yes.

EXT. SIDEWALK - EARLY MORNING (SAME TIME AS ROBBERY)
Ian, Zack, and Lip stand watching church group of about a dozen people and a smaller counter-protest group of LGBTQ representatives.  

Lip
What’s your big plan?

Zack
I don’t know.  I was thinking Ian and I could kiss or something.  There’s a counter protest group.  They could take our picture or something.

Lip
Kiss?  That’s it?  Why not go get a paintball gun and drive by them real slow.  Plow, plow, plow.

Ian
No violence.

Lip
Then you have to do something more than kiss.

Zack
I’d like to punch them.

Lip
Good start.

Ian
No violence.  If we hit one of them it’s trouble.  They’re all lawyers or something.

Lip
What about streaking?

Zack
(laughs)
Run naked past them?  What will that teach them?

Ian
Are there any kids around?

Lip
I don’t see any.

Ian
Alright but one of us has to be the getaway driver.

Zack
I’ll do it.

Ian
No, you have to run with me.  It was your idea.  Lip get the car.

Lip
I need the keys.

Zack hands over the keys to his car to Lip.

Lip
Wait till you see me.

Ian signals for Zack to follow him to a secluded spot where he begins to strip out of his clothes.

Zack
I didn’t think I’d be getting naked in public.

Ian
You have nothing to be ashamed of, just keep your underwear on until last.  We run by then jump into the car.  

Zack
You’ve done this before?

EXT. SHOT - THE ROBBER’S CAR SPEEDS THROUGH TRAFFIC

INT. ROBBER’S CAR - AFTER ROBBERY
Sam drives.  Doug in the passenger seat with the shotgun between his legs.  Brady is in the back seat looking around nervously.  A cop car with sirens on passes them in the oncoming traffic.

Doug
Slow down, slow down.  

Brady
Shit they’ve seen us.  They’ve seen us.  They’re turning around.

Doug
Alright get us out of here.

Doug winds down the window readying himself to lean out and shoot back at the cop cars.

EXT. IAN AND ZACK RUN BEING CHASED BY CHURCH GROUP ON SIDEWALK

Zack
I didn’t think they’d chase us.

Ian
They rarely do.  Look there’s Lip with the car.

EXT. SHOT- LIP’S CAR IN RELATION TO ROBBER’S CAR

INT. LIP IN CAR

Lip 
Come on guys give it up.

EXT. SIDEWALK IAN AND ZACK

Ian
We have to make a break for it.  Go now there’s a clearing of parked cars.

Zack follows Ian through a group of parked cars as Lip slows the car.  

INT. ROBBER’S CAR
Brady
Watch out man.  What the hell is going on?

Sam
I see ‘em.

EXT. LIP’S CAR
Ian and Zack dive inside.  The church group begins to bang on the car making Lip pull away into traffic.  The robber’s car nearly hits them but swerves away nearly hitting oncoming traffic Sam cuts the wheel hard, the car hits the sidewalk, Sam hits the breaks, and they slide into contact with the cola machine in front of Debbie’s Cupcakes.

INT. ROBBER’S CAR

Brady
I don’t believe this.  I’ll never get away from this place.  It’s like Hell.

Sam
Not yet.

EXT. SHOT - ROBBER’S CAR
Two police cars pull to a stop close to the car.

INT. ROBBER’S CAR

Sam
Now it’s like Hell.  We should just give up.  Five years in jail for robbery is better than dying.

Doug
Five years?

Sam 
With good behavior.  Of course I’d do more because of my previous conviction.

Brady begins to cry.

EXT. SHOT - THE COPS SURROUND THE CAR SHOUTING AND POINTING GUNS

EXT. EARLY EVENING
Ian and Zack walk along the sidewalk where they had been previously been running naked, Debbie ahead of them walks into Debbie’s Cupcakes.  Zack and Ian stop outside the store at the cola machine where they see the scrape from the car on the cola machine.

Zack
Holy shit I can’t believe we missed it.

Ian
We got lucky.

Zack
Hey, want to see if it works?

Zack goes to the back of the machine where he plugs the cord from the machine into the wall.  The machine lights up.

Ian at the front of the machine sees that there is over ten dollars worth of credit.

Ian
Hey it looks like the first couple are free.

Ian presses the button for cola several times and several bottles fall into the dispenser.

Ian
Hey it works.

FADE OUT