01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft ACT ONE CLOSE ON - A BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO OF KURT COBAIN. Hunkered over a battered acoustic guitar. Stringy, blonde hair obscuring his face, those eyes. We are in -- INT. GARRETT HOUSE - NICK'S BEDROOM - DAY As the photo is removed from the wall. By NICK GARRETT, 18, attractive in a tortured-poet sort of way. Very clearly a case for cornflakes and classics... Nick slides the photo into a tatty leatherbound journal. And we see that he is packing. He holds up a stained Boston Red Sox baseball jersey... NICK The conundrum remains: to take or not to take? The rumors run rampant, you know, of a tremendous (and extremely violent) anti-Red Sox bias throughout much of Continental Europe... REVERSE ANGLE REVEALS: sitting on Nick's bed, looking somewhat doleful, is his girlfriend, HANNAH WILSON, 17. Hannah is the kind of girl you hoped you'd be dating by the time you got to high school, while you were suffering through the inequities of 7th grade. Blonde, open-faced, willful... HANNAH I think you gotta let your freak flag fly. Skinhead-Derek-Jeter-fans-in-Berlin be damned... Nick tosses the jersey onto an overstuffed BACKPACK. As they look at each other over the vast chasm of an uncertain future. But before any of this can be further masticated: EDDIE There he is! Woop! Entering is EDDIE LATEKKA, 18. Eddie is that rare small-town phenomena: the three-sport captain who hangs with the burn- outs. The all-important triple-G's of high school come very easy to Eddie: grades, ground-balls, and girls... EDDIE (CONT'D) This is very cool. This may be the coolest thing ever. Nicky Garrett. Heading out to the territories. To garner experience. Which he will put to good use upon his return... HANNAH God knows every doors, floors, and windows shop needs an owner/operator with impeccable knowledge of The Parthenon... (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: EDDIE Ours won't be just a doors, floors and windows shop. Right, Nicky? NICK Right. It'll be a doors, floors and windows shop with a historical perspective. For, those who ignore the past are doomed to install incorrect linoleum... He tries a smile. But Hannah continues her mournful mien... EDDIE Don't look so moony, girl. He'll be back in a few months... HANNAH That's what my Uncle Nate said. My Aunt Minerva is still sitting by the window in her shawl... Nick and Eddie exchange a look... And Nick takes a FRAMED PHOTO from a shelf: of 11-YEAR-OLD NICK, with a WOMAN, early 30s, with a pale, limpid beauty. His MOTHER. Nick surreptitiously slips the framed photo into his backpack. Eddie glances out one of the bedroom windows... EDDIE I never knew you could see The Doof from up here. Woulda come in handy the summer we had that sniper rifle... (to Hannah) Still can't believe you're actually gonna go there... HANNAH I know. Higher education. It'll never catch-on... Eddie shakes his head. But Nick is looking at Hannah... NICK Where did he go? Uncle Nate. And, as if it were the most ghastly thing imaginable: HANNAH He went: to find himself. EXT. GARRETT HOME - DAY A small, single family ranch in a lower middle-class section of Knight's Ridge, Massachusetts, a college town some 40 miles west of Boston... A pair of PICK-UP TRUCKS are parked out front... (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: Nick, Hannah and Eddie emerge from the house, Eddie carrying the backpack... Waiting for them are THREE MORE FRIENDS, 18: - IKEY is short and obnoxious and decidedly dim. He wears greasy coveralls, with Eichorn And Sons Service Station, stitched on the back... - PHYSICAL PHIL is pale and asthenic, and he crackles with a nervous intensity that belies an incredible stillness, a true economy of movement... - OWEN ROWAN is a big, guileless, gourd-shaped boy with a heart full of jelly beans... OWEN ROWAN All hail the conquering hero... ! Eddie brings the backpack over to an old Chevy Caprice Classic, depositing it into the car's open trunk... PHYSICAL PHIL Nicky. I’'m sure you know the thing. About the search for The Grail being The Grail itself... IKEY Why you poppin' daffy, freakshow -- ? PHYSICAL PHIL The journey is the destination. Never forget your Grateful Dead... Nick glances over at Hannah... PHYSICAL PHIL (CONT'D) “There is a road / No simple highway / Between the dawn and the dark of night / And if you go / No one may follow / That path is for / Your steps alone...” NICK Thanks, Physical Phil... When something occurs to Nick: NICK (CONT'D) I almost forgot... He darts into the garage. Reappearing, he holds an old- school wooden TENNIS RACKET. He gives it to Physical Phil... NICK (CONT'D) Take care of her for me? IKEY You're only gonna be gone for, like, six weeks, bro -- ! (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: (2) Another glance to Hannah. As Nick's father, 48, whom everyone calls THE COMMANDER, due to his gruff, stoic demeanor - earnest Hemingway that he is - comes out of the house, followed by RONNY, Nick's brother, who possesses the jittery energy of a demented lap dog... THE COMMANDER Let's go then. Traffic to Logan's bound to be grim... The Commander and Ronny get into the car... Nick bangs fists with Owen and Ikey and Physical Phil... Eddie gets a hug... EDDIE Hurry home, chief. And we'll make doors, floors and windows history. Nick goes to Hannah. Gathers her in a tight embrace... NICK I'l]l see you at the end of the summer... HANNAH Whatever you say. Uncle Nate. But before he can react, the OPENING CHORDS OF Boston's “DON"T LOOK BACK” CA-RANK... From Eddie’s truck... The stereo turned all the way up... And here come Owen and Physical Phil... Owen air-guitars on a shovel... Physical Phil uses the tennis racket Nick gave him to safe-guard... Ikey uses two screwdrivers as drum sticks... Wailing to the song... ("I don't mind/Where I get takin'/The road 1s callin'/Today's the day... " etc.) Eddie shakes his head. He don't play at this. Nick laughs. Kisses Hannah one last goodbye... And climbs into the car... THE COMMANDER What's the matter with those boys? But Ronny is rocking, too. And Nick looks back at his friends. At Hannah. As The Commander puts the car in gear. Nick presses the horn. The boys are still jamming ("I see beyond the road I'm drivin'/Far away and left behind")... Eddie and Hannah wave goodbye... As the car drives off... Missing him already... As Boston WAILS we -- DISSOLVE TO: BURN IN: TEN YEARS LATER (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: (3) A CD PLAYER. One of those space-aged Bang & Olufsen types. Playing the very same Boston song. Only we are in -- INT. NICK'S LOFT - MANHATTAN - TEN YEARS LATER - NIGHT Where the PHOTO OF KURT COBAIN hangs above the desk. A PILE OF BOOKS is stacked nearby. All with the same title: "TURTLE ON A SNARE DRUM" by Nicholson Garrett... WIDER STILL - crowded bookshelves. An iMac. A FRAMED MOVIE POSTER on the wall: “TURTLE ON A SNARE DRUM" starring Richie Peddler and Gwyneth Paltrow... "“From The Best-Selling Novel". And we are reunited with Nick Garrett. Ten years older. He appears a bit haggard. Exhausted. But still with the whimsical twinkle of a shimmer that refuses to fade... He leans back from his computer. Cursor blinking against a black screen of nothing... His PHONE RINGS. He answers. It is BERT GOLDMAN, mid-60s, his avuncular editor... He’s in his Park Avenue study. CROSS- CUT AS NECESSARY... BERT GOLDMAN How you doing, kiddo -- ? NICK Ever hear the one about blood and a stone? And the difficulty in extracting the former from the latter? And now we take a WIDER LOOK. And we see that Nick is in the back of an enormous LOFT-STYLE APARTMENT. It must be 4000 square feet. But there is very little furniture here. Very little to make this place a home. Aside from the cluttered office in which he is now perched... BERT GOLDMAN Dufresne College called. They want to know if you'd be interested in teaching a one-day intensive on The Art Of The Novel... ? NICK Not so much. BERT GOLDMAN Why not? Might be good for you. Get you off the schneid... NICK I've been on the schneid so long, I'm thinking about building a summer house there... (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: BERT GOLDMAN What do you think? NICK Dufresne College is in my hometown. I haven't been back in 10 years. And there are some people there that may not be happy to see me... BERT GOLDMAN You've got to get past your fears. G. Gordon Liddy was afraid of rats. So he cooked one up and ate it. Fear gone... Nick picks up a copy of his novel... NICK If you're suggesting I cook and eat my old friends, I can assure you: in their opinion - I already have. BERT GOLDMAN Think about it. It's this weekend. Short notice, I know. But John Irving dropped out. NICK Just as well. My friends wouldn't have been nice to him either... Nick hangs up the phone. And leans back in his chair. He sees his ANSWERING MACHINE light blinking. He presses play. STRATTON LORB (0.S.) Doctor. It's me. It's 10:30. I'm downstairs. I'm posting-up until you come out... Because we're having a big old party. And we're calling it "Life"! Nick looks at the clock on the wall. 1It's 12:30. He smiles. And we PRE-LAP The Libertines' "UP THE BRACKET" and CUT TO: EXT. NICK'S LOFT - NIGHT Where a man, 32, panthers the sidewalk. Take two scoops of The Mad Hatter, six ounces of Keith Moon, crumble-in four Dexedrine and play at fast-forward. This is STRATTON LORB, Nick's lit agent. A peripatetic blur in black-label Italian. Nick comes out of his building... STRATTON LORB Nicholson. Doctor. I'm standing out here. For two hours. Like the family schnauzer. You could have at least cracked a window. Allowed me to loll my tongue... (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: He puts his arm around Nick's shoulder, leading him over to a waiting TOWN CAR... As they go, Stratton dials-it-down, for: STRATTON LORB (CONT'D) Anything come out tonight? NICK Not even a predicate. INT. BUNGALOW 8 - LATER - NIGHT Hipster watering-hole nonpareil. Beneath the towering potted plants, a scrum of INTERNATIONAL BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS mingle with Midtown HEDGE FUND DUDES, on the hunt for Kate Moss; and the bedraggled SCENE-DEMONS who never venture north of 34th. Nick trails Stratton into the crazed celerity, thick with music and cigarette smoke. Stratton keeps up a machine-gun patter. He knows all. Mayor McCheese to the downtown set. We HEAR him more than we SEE him. Remaining CLOSE ON NICK: STRATTON LORB Hey, there! You remember my guy, Nicholson Garrett? Of course, you loved it. Everyone loved it. It's called mainlining the zeitgeist. Philip Roth, in his review for THE NEW YORK TIMES, called it "'CATCHER IN THE RYE' for the post-911 generation... !" So what if it was two years ago! Who died and made you the doyenne of pub dates... ? And Stratton actually goes after the guy. Again, we don't see this. Just HEAR SIGNS OF A SCUFFLE. Stratton re-appears back in frame. A little tousled. He fixes his tie... STRATTON LORB (CONT'D) What a toolio. Now I'm stoked I banged his sister and never called her... A table is cleared. Bottle service is brought over. A steady stream of PEOPLE offer-up obeisances... What follows is dizzying. A swirl. Of talk. Laugh. Smoke. Drink. The entire sequence should feel exaggerated. Unhinged. Elliptical. Nick drinks. FACES appear and disappear. A YOUNG GIRL is in his grille: YOUNG GIRL Will you sign my book? I ran home and got it when I saw you were here. It really changed my life. Kind of like "FLASHDANCE" did... - she hands him the book. But then she is grabbed from behind, by a skinny GUY in a porkpie hat... They start kissing... (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: Other FACES appear. Wittering on. A choric cacophony... Nick sees a GIRL across the room. She's impossibly tall. Thin. Built to prowl a catwalk. Early 20s, with long, profuse hair and the vague melancholy of the born beautiful. This is TAYLOR. And she sees him... He struggles to his feet... Walks over... She kisses him... TAYLOR I thought you were working -- ? NICK I was. Until Frenzy Boy came by. TAYLOR I should be done by 5 tomorrow... NICK Tomorrow? TAYLOR We're going to Rhinebeck? But then Taylor is goosed from behind. By another filigree- thin MODEL. She turns and erupts into a gale of giggles... Nick slips away, sitting back down. It seems to be getting louder in here. More discordant. The lights are hot. The voices maundering incoherently... Stratton leans into him: STRATTON LORB I was thinking: since you're having so much trouble with the follow-up. Maybe you just make it a sequel... NICK Stratton, Sebastian Grace, the hero of the book, dies at the end. Remember? The peanut allergy? STRATTON LORB oh. Right. He shrugs. But, ever the quick-thinker: STRATTON LORB (CONT'D) It can still be done. Two words: ghost story. Stratton turns back to the GIRLS he was dialoguing. And, as Collective Soul's "THE WORLD I KNOW" starts up on track, Nick gets unsteadily to his feet... A look over to Taylor, still yukking it up with Filigree Girl... (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: (2) STRATTON LORB (CONT'D) Where you going, Doctor? This night is in diapers -- ! But Nick fights his way through the tangled ravelment of the after-2:00 crowd... Bumped and jostled and spilled-on... EXT. MANHATTAN STREETS - NIGHT CONTINUE MUSIC. As Nick walks through the streets of the city. A light rain falls. He passes by a wall, posted with massive BILLS for the DVD-release of the filmed version of "TURTLE ON A SNARE DRUM". Nick walks on... Collective Soul warbles. ("I drink myself of newfound pity/Sitting alone in New York City/And I don't know why...") At last, he's arrived. Just past Tompkins Square Park. ALPHABET CITY. Grungy tenement houses shroud the moon. Nick goes to ONE BUILDING. The front entrance is unlocked... As the music FADES OFF ("So I walk up on high/And I step to the edge/To see my world below... "), Nick climbs the stairs. INT. TENEMENT HOUSE - ALPHABET CITY - SIXTH FLOOR - NIGHT Nick, breathless, arrives at the sixth floor landing. He goes to apartment 617. And knocks on the door... He waits. Knocks again. Looks at his watch. very late. Or very early, as the case may be... NICK Hello? Anyone home? After a bit, the door opens a sliver. And, over the thin security chain, a frightened PUERTO RICAN MAN, early 30s, looks out at Nick... NICK (CONT'D) I'm so sorry. I... Used to live here. In this very apartment. And I was wondering if... And the man hurls a gout of imprecatory Spanish at Nick and SLAMS the door. Nick knocks again... NICK (CONT'D) I know. It's late. This is awful. But I... Would love to just... He shakes his head. Not sure what he would love to do... After a beat, the door opens again. This time to a pretty PUERTO RICAN WOMAN, late 20s... WOMAN Are you a crazy? (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: NICK No. I just... I had great success in this apartment... And he has found the PAPERBACK COPY OF HIS BOOK. That the girl at Bungalow 8 asked him to sign... He holds it up... NICK (CONT'D) This is my book. Here... And it is the movie printing of the novel. The one with the one-sheet art on its cover. And the Woman recognizes it... WOMAN I see this film. You write book? Nick nods. She looks dubious. He takes out his wallet. Shows her his LICENSE. She compares it to the author's name. NICK I know it says "Nicholas" on my license. But the publishers had me change it to "Nicholson". They felt it was more... Uh... WOMAN Importante. NICK Exactly. The Woman closes the door again. Nick looks bereft. Until he hears the chain slide. And the Woman opens the door wide. INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT The Man stands there, baseball bat in hand. It is a small- studio. Exposed pipes. Water-stained walls. But the couple have managed to make it homey... NICK I wrote the book here. Three years ago. Over one long winter. Does the radiator still make that noise? Like four dogs eating a cat? WOMAN We thought it like four cats eating a dog... Nick nods. Smiles... WOMAN (CONT'D) You write another book? NICK Not so much. (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: WOMAN Writer block -- ? NICK Something like that. WOMAN You should write it here -- NICK Why? WOMAN This is where you did good. This is where you do good again. We make a space for you... Nick looks at her... The Man is still holding the baseball bat, still unsure as to this strange fellow's designs... WOMAN (CONT'D) My grandmother had an expression: "Es el tonto gque no puede volver al lugar de su felicidad pasada... " Nick has wandered over, to a spot on one wall. Just above where his desk had been. There is a HOLE. The former resting place of the Kurt Cobain photo, no doubt... WOMAN (CONT'D) "It is the fool who fails to return to the place of his last happiness”... Nick touches the hole. He looks up at the Woman... EXT. TENEMENT APARTMENT - ALPHABET CITY - NIGHT Where Nick paces, cell-phone ringing in his ear. The sun is just starting to come up. The phone is answered. By Bert Goldman. Asleep in his bed, his WIFE grumbling beside him... NICK Bert, it's me... ! BERT GOLDMAN Of course it is. Only you and Jerzy Kosinski ever call me at this hour. And Jerzy's dead. Ergo... NICK I'll do it. The one-day intensive. At Dufresne College... BERT GOLDMAN Okay. And this couldn't wait until the morning on account of how come? (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: NICK I should leave now. I have to rent a car. I suddenly feel imbued with... Possibility... BERT GOLDMAN I was thinking it was either that or gin... INT. RENTAL CAR PLACE - SOHO - DAWN Nick finishes signing the paper work. He appears to have a true spring to his step. The RENTAL AGENT, round and ebullient, digs his groove... RENTAL AGENT You sure got your rockets on, sweetie- pie. Where you off to... ? And Nick looks at her... NICK I'm going... And, as it hits him, he smiles, buoyant... NICK (CONT'D) Home. As we PRE-LAP Three Dog Night's "SHAMBALA" and CUT TO: EXT. NICK'S RENTAL CAR - MOVING - DAY Nick driving. He sings along with the music. Bellowing: NICK / THREE DOG NIGHT (singing) "Howwww does your light shine?/In the halls of Shambala" -- Caught-up in the sheer bravura of this enterprise... When, at once, it occurs to him. Just what it is, exactly, that's waiting for him at the end of this line... And he stops singing. Actually frowns. As a twinge of tension tweaks the tickle. But he steers the rental car north, anyhow. Away from the island of Manhattan... And on to the small town of Knight's Ridge, Massachusetts. A place he left oh, so long ago... END OF ACT ONE

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft ACT TWO EXT. KNIGHT'S RIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS - ESTABLISHING - DAY Nick arrives back in town. And, to the Gin Blossom's "LOST HORIZONS", we get the quickie tour: This is a place where the Ice Age left traces of its passage; sharply rolling with a series of wooded hills and drumlins. The center of town is five square blocks of storefront businesses, a fire station, a town hall, a church... But this is very much a college town. Bisected by OCTOBER ROAD, the two-lane, judiciously-stop-lighted blacktop, separating the college from the town... As Nick drives through, we take in the modest working-class tableau of faded clapboard houses; sagging two-families; more pick-up trucks than cars... We should also note several CONSTRUCTION SITES: with “CATALDO BUILDERS” signs on their chain-link fences... The place looks slightly bizarre to Nick. Slightly surreal. As if he cannot believe he's back. And, as he drives past PINELLA'S PACKAGE STORE, we'll REMAIN HERE... EXT. PINELLA'S PACKAGE STORE - DAY Where we are reunited with Nick's old friends, Eddie Latekka and Ikey. As Eddie pulls his GMC 3/4 ton pick-up into the lot. "LATEKKA LANDSCAPE AND DESIGN" stencilled on the doors. Eddie slots the truck beside a late-model BMW. He has managed to retain his rangy good looks, although there is something obdurate about him now. Hardened. Time and disappointment have conspired to form a crust... Ikey remains unchanged. Half-hyena, half-knucklehead. Although not without a certain doltish charm... Eddie eyeballs the BMW, as they enter Pinella's. INT. PINELLA'S PACKAGE STORE - DAY The local liquor emporium. It does a brisk business. Especially on Fridays after 5:00. Which it is right now. MR. PINELLA, 60, balding and beetle-browed, runs the joint. MR. PINELLA Fellas... They grunt hellos and head for the walk-in fridge. Passing a pair of STUDENTS from the COLLEGE, filling up a cart with premium vodka and tequila. Eddie glowers at them... Eddie and Ikey each grab three cold cases of beer... (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: A PRETTY GIRL has entered, early 20s, wearing a "Harvey's Hardware Store" apron. She buys two packs of Marlboro Lights from Mr. Pinella. Let's call her DARCY. Eddie and Ikey lug their cases to the register. When Darcy sees Eddie, she blinks. Looks stung... EDDIE Hey... She glances at the six cases... EDDIE (CONT'D) We're stockpiling. TIkey heard there might be a nuclear war this weekend... And Ikey goes into full-mack mode. It's clear he digs her... IKEY True dat. Darcy. What goes on? But Darcy's chilly blue eyes are fixed on Eddie... DARCY You weren't gonna ever call, were you? And Ikey's face falls... IKEY Aw, no... Not Darcy -- ? EDDIE What? IKEY Dude... I liked Darcy -- ! Darcy looks at Ikey. Mr. Pinella shakes his head... IKEY (CONT'D) Man, do you get around. You're like the flu. Only with a zipper. The college students are cackling about something, down one aisle. Eddie glances at them. Ikey turns to Darcy: IKEY (CONT'D) He don't call. What are you, new? This is Eddie Latekka. Repeat business makes him nervous. No offense. His bad, not yours... But Darcy just shakes her head. And storms on out. Ikey stares at Eddie, who pays the smirking Mr. Pinella... EDDIE What's funny to you? (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: (2) MR. PINELLA You're pushing 30. Are you ever going to get married... EDDIE When did that clearly-defined line between selling booze and being pals become blurred... ? MR. PINELLA I'm just saying, is all... IKEY Eddie's got a philosophy, yo. As it relates to the girlies. If you remain in your hometown, after high school, you spend 18-22 chasing the ones from your class that also remained. Then you spend 23-26 chasing the ones from the college. Then you spend 27-29 chasing the ones that are now divorced and have returned to The Ridge to lick their wounds. a simple system and it has served him well... (frowns at Eddie) Although, where Darcy, from the hardware store, fits into this system, I, for one, do not know... MR. PINELLA And what about now? What's next? Eddie sees the college students heading their way, pushing a cart laden with liquor for a party in the offing... EDDIE No idea. And he carries his cases out of the place... EXT. NICK'S RENTAL CAR - MOVING - OCTOBER ROAD - DAY Nick drives across October Road, and into the friendly confines of DUFRESNE COLLEGE, a small, private liberal arts school, established in the early part of the 20th Century... Brick and bramble. Ivy and a great lawn. STUDENTS walk to and from class. It's downright bucolic... INT. DUFRESNE COLLEGE - ENGLISH DEPARTMENT - DAY Where Nick walks with LESLIE ETWOOD, a black man, in his mid- 60s, who runs the English Department... LESLIE ETWOOD All we'll require of you is a five-hour session. Tomorrow afternoon. (MORE) (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: LESLIE ETWOOD (CONT'D) Beginning at noon. Who knows? Maybe you'll like it. Want to come on permanent... ? NICK I never taught anything before... LESLIE ETWOOD Keep it loose and informal and you'll be fine. The wattage of your celebrity will carry you swiftly through any thicket you may encounter. Speaking of thickets... For a MAN, approaches them. He's 38, tall and puffy, with the smug, officious air of a maitre 'd at Le Cirgue. This is GEOFFREY TREADWILL, creative writing teacher... LESLIE ETWOOD (CONT'D) Geoffrey, this is Nick Garrett. Nick, Geoffrey Treadwill, one of our esteemed writing teachers... GEOFFREY TREADWILL Haven't managed to read your book. Hoping to this summer... NICK No need. See the movie. Takes less time. And has nudity... LESLIE ETWOOD Geoffrey is writing a novel himself. I read his last one. Quite good. Shows promise. He nearly got it published... Geoffrey's chubby cheeks go a high, rosy red with ire... LESLIE ETWOOD (CONT'D) We've arranged housing for you, Nick. At Manning's. It's a B & B down the hill... GEOFFREY TREADWILL It's a boarding house, actually. LESLIE ETWOOD Well, yes. But Dot Manning keeps it nice... NICK I know Manning's. And she does keep it nice. But it won't be necessary. I'm going to stay with my father... LESLIE ETWOOD Oh, I keep forgetting. You're from Knight's Ridge. Wonderful. I'm sure they'll be happy to have you! (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: (2) NICK Not so much. Leslie laughs at what he thinks is a joke. As the three men walk off, two STUDENTS watch them go, both early 20s: The girl's name is AUBREY. She's very pretty, despite having chopped-off most of her hair. Hers is a Bohemian downtown swerve: funky hat, nose ring, thrift shop spoils. The boy's name is IAN, and he is thin and diminutive, with the furtive movements of a field mouse... IAN That's him. Nicholson Garrett. How cool is that? And check-out Treadwill: he so fully has his Salieri on... AUBREY I couldn't get past the second chapter. Pretentious hipster goo. IAN But you did sign-up for the course? AUBREY What else is there to do around here on a Saturday afternoon? Go down to fraternity row and watch the hung-over pledges puke... ? EXT. THE COMMANDER'S HOUSE - DAY The house Nick grew-up in. We remember it from our opening. Nick parks across the street. He gets out. He leans against the car. Staring at the house for a bit. Reluctant to enter. When A KID, 9-years-old, rides up on a BMX BIKE. He's small for his age. And skinny. But there's something almost preternaturally world-weary about him... This is SAM. SAM That house is haunted. You ever see "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD"? You know the Boo Radley guy? In that house, lives Boo Radley, Senior. And Boo Radley, Junior. NICK I know. I grew-up there. SAM What do you mean -- ? NICK I mean: Boo Radley, Senior is my father. Boo Radley, Junior is my brother. SAM Oh. Uh. Sorry... (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: NICK Are you apologizing for insulting my family? Or for my being to their weird manor borne... ? SAM Bit of both. NICK You live on this street? SAM My friend, Doodie, does. He moved here not long ago. It was hard for him to make friends. On account of it’d be easier to count the bricks left than the bricks missing. If you get my drift... And he points to his head, as if indicating Doodie's limited intelligence... Nick smiles... Just then DOODIE, also 10, comes out of his house. He's a thick boy, with the slate- dull eyes of a clod... SAM (CONT'D) Doodie, this guy grew-up there. With Freddy K and Leatherface... DOODIE You're the writer dude? NICK That's right. And this comes as news to Sam... Doodie shrugs... DOODIE My mother read your book. Said it was mostly crap... Sam shakes his head... To Nick: SAM Told you: he's Lenny to my George. DOODIE It wasn't "George", you dope. It was sSquiggy. Nick and Sam share a smile... NICK See you guys later... . As Nick crosses the street, we CUT TO:

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft INT. THE COMMANDER'S HOUSE - DAY The Commander opens the front door. To Nick. His face says it all. Nick gets it at once: NICK Ronny didn't tell you I was coming home... THE COMMANDER Nope. The long term effects of video games and marijuana have affected him in the short term... And his father embraces him. It's stiff, but it's an embrace... And one The Commander seems to instantly regret... THE COMMANDER (CONT'D) What are you doing here? NICK Teaching a thing. Tomorrow. At The Doof... Beat... The Commander eyeballs Nick's suitcase, as if it were a dog that may or may not be rabid... NICK (CONT'D) I was thinking I could crash here for the weekend -- ? The Commander frowns. At once, uncomfortable... NICK (CONT'D) What is it -- ? THE COMMANDER Your room. It's not the same. It changed... He says it like the room did this of its own accord... INT. THE COMMANDER'S HOUSE - NICK'S OLD ROOM - DAY The Commander leads him in. It has been turned into the TV room. Two La-Z-Boys and a wide-screen... THE COMMANDER We got a routine here, your brother and me. A pattern. We get up. He makes the coffee. I fry the eggs. We go to work. We come home. He makes the coffee. I fry the pork chops. We sit in here. few beers. Watch a game. Maybe a picture. I go to bed. He smokes the dope and fights a fake war on his player. We get up. Do it again. It ain't much. (MORE ) (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: THE COMMANDER (CONT'D) But it works. It's an apple-cart. And the one thing you don't want to go doing, after 10 years, is... NICK Upset the apple-cart. I know. No worries. I can stay at Manning's. The Doof got me a room... THE COMMANDER Nice lady, Dot Manning. Always very clean up there... Beat... The Commander stares at Nick... It’s been a long time since he’s seen his boy... Who was a child when he left... NICK What is it? THE COMMANDER You look tired... NICK I drove in from the city. The Commander nods. But before this can go further, the front door opens, and RONNY GARRETT, now 20, enters, in greasy coveralls, swinging his lunch cooler... When he sees his brother, he howls... RONNY NICKY -- ! ... and goes running in for the hug... THE COMMANDER Pretty happy to see him for a guy who forgot he was coming home! EXT. THE COMMANDER'S HOUSE - LATER - DAY Nick and Ronny share a beer on the dilapidated swing-set in the backyard... Ronny is shaggy-haired and smiles a lot... RONNY Hannah's still here, you know... NICK I figured. RONNY Works over at the veterinarian's. And she probably won't be too happy to see you. So you should just avoid it altogether. If your cat gets sick, let it die... Nick smiles... (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: RONNY (CONT'D) And if Latekka sees you? He's sure to beat you soft... He lives with Physical Phil now. In the old Serendello house... Nick nods... Ronny drains his beer... RONNY (CONT'D) A lot of people are pissed at you. I never got why. I mean, you'd think they'd be flattered to be in literature, you know? In a book. That's the way I felt. I mean, the brother character? Johnny? You describe him as "dizzier than a mongoloid on a merry-go-round". NICK (wincing) It was fiction, Ronny... RONNY Hey, it didn't bother me. told you this before. I thought it was funny. I'm a character in a book! Tom Sawyer. Oliver Twist. And Johnny The Moronic Kid Brother. What's there to get creased about? EXT. MIGHTY SUB - DOWNTOWN, KNIGHT'S RIDGE - LATER - DAY The local submarine shop. Nick waits. When Owen Rowan, whom we remember from our opening, walks up, with his wife, LIZ, 26, and their two kids, CONNOR, 6, and ALLY, 3... NICK Owen Rowan -- ! OWEN ROWAN Hey, there! I know we're a little late. But it takes a village to get this group to the village. Nicky, this is my wife, Liz. Liz, the great Nicky Garrett... ! Liz offers her hand. She is small, fit, pretty, although there is something slightly weary about her... NICK Good to meet you. Sorry I couldn't make it to the wedding... OWEN ROWAN We know how busy you are... Hey, kids! Say hello to your Uncle Nicky! This is Connor. And this one is Ally... NICK Hi, kids... (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: But the kids run off, into the parking lot... LIZ I'll get 'em. You guys grab a coffee. I'll see you at home, Owen... (to Nick) Nice to meet you... And she walks off after the kids... NICK Wow. Owen Rowan. She's hot... OWEN ROWAN Crazy, right? But it’s been an adjustment. She was working at my company and living in Boston when we met. Now she’s a stay-at-home-mom in The Ridge. So it’s not easy. The Ridge, doesn’t welcome outsiders gladly, you know —- NICK So they tell me. INT. MIGHTY SUB - DAY As they enter: OWEN ROWAN Hey, I just wanted to say: thanks for leaving me out of it. At first, I was insulted. But then I read how you made Eddie and Hannah look. And I was, like, "phew". Phew point-five, right? NICK They were fictionalized renditions, Owen. OWEN ROWAN Sure, buddy. Whatever you say. They pass a man, mid-30s. Tall and strong and tan. This is RAY "BIG CAT" CATALDO. Back in the day, Ray Cataldo made Nick and his friends' lives miserable. Cataldo is with his two SONS, 7 and 9... NICK Ray Cataldo. How you doing? RAY CATALDO Well, I ain't famous like you. But I am rich... OWEN ROWAN Big Cat's the man. Owns a huge construction company now, Nicky. (MORE) (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: OWEN ROWAN (CONT'D) The concrete castle king... Putting up coffee shops and juice bars and pizza barns all over The Ridge... Cataldo’s grin is smug... Nick's eyes tick to the two boys... NICK These your kids? RAY CATALDO Yep. Two sons. No daughters. Which means I only gotta worry about two penises, rather than a thousand... Owen frowns. Cataldo smirks. Winks at Nick... RAY CATALDO (CONT'D) Have fun, Garrett. C'mon, kids... And he ushers the kids out. Nick and Owen share a look... OWEN ROWAN 10 years after high school, he still makes me nervous... Nick nods. They go to the counter. Where MURPH, 52, the pudgy proprietor of Mighty Subs, makes the sandwiches... NICK Hey, Murph... MURPH Nick. I ain’t gonna ask why you felt the need to drop turds all over your hometown. That’s your business. But I would like to know: what’s with the “Nicholson” of it all? NICK Some people thought it sounded... Importante. Murph frowns. He’s not too happy with Nick. But: MURPH You want the usual? NICK You remember the usual? MURPH Egg and salad. Not egg salad. Sliced egg, lettuce, tomato, swiss. On a pretzel roll. NICK That's amazing... (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: (2) MURPH I ain't isolating the human genome back here. If I can't remember a sandwich order... NICK But it's been 10 years... MURPH You're my only famous customer. You and Frankie Lemlin, who shot a cop in Cambridge... NICK What was his usual? MURPH Cream cheese and pimento. Shoulda known then he was a cop-killer... The front door jangles open. And Sam, the little kid from in front of The Commander's house, enters... SAM Hey -- NICK Hey... Owen looks uneasy... OWEN ROWAN You two know each other? NICK We just met. What are you doing? SAM I'm here with my Moms... OWEN ROWAN Oh, boy. NICK What's wrong -- ? OWEN ROWAN Stay tuned. Nick frowns, puzzled. Until the front door opens. And she enters. And she sees Nick. And he sees her... NICK Hello, Hannah. END OF ACT TWO

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft ACT THREE INT. MIGHTY SUB - DAY We resume Nick and Hannah. Eyes locked. Sam surveying from below. And darn it if the years have only served to make her even more lovely... HANNAH I didn’t know you were back. NICK It was kind of last minute... She nods, staring at Nick for a moment. She’s the gal who was left behind. And he’s the jim that did the leaving... Sam senses the tension and suggests: SAM Whatever you two have going on, why don’t I delicately extract myself and order us some Dagwoods? OWEN ROWAN I'll go with you -- ! And they are off, leaving Nick and Hannah alone. NICK He's pretty amazing, your son -- HANNAH At first, they said he might be autistic. Then there was some discussion of a bipolar disorder. Eventually, the doctors diagnosed his condition as clinically wise-assed. Said they'd never seen a case so advanced... NICK You're a mom. I didn’t know... HANNAH There’s a lot of things you miss when you vanish into the ether. You've been gone how long now? NICK Ten years... HANNAH Right. I think it was two weeks before my 18th birthday you left. Yes, I'm quite sure of it. Cos I remember getting those roses and thinking they were for my birthday. But they weren’t. (MORE) (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: HANNAH (CONT'D) They were a goodbye present. As in: goodbye, I am no longer in your present. NICK I can explain... HANNAH Not necessary... NICK Hannah... HANNAH Nick. Truly. Don’t sweat it. not necessary... Sam calls from the counter: SAM Mom! I can’t drag this out any longer. The Murph must be paid... Hannah turns to Nick... HANNAH I should go. Are you staying long? - NICK I leave Sunday... They look at each other... Meaningful and strained... The road from lover to stranger is shorter than a sigh... NICK (CONT'D) How old is Sam? HANNAH He turns ten in two months. NICK Ten. HANNAH Ten. Goodbye, Nick. And good luck. Hannah heads off, but Nick is still focused on Sam. And then, as if answering the question rattling in his mind: HANNAH (CONT'D) And don’t worry: he'’s not yours. And she's gone. And Nick frowns. Because there's something about the math that doesn’t add-up...

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft INT. MANNING'S BOARDING HOUSE - DUSK Nick, carrying his suitcase, is led down a hallway by MRS. MANNING, 58, the rotund proprietor of this seven bedroom home turned lodging facility. MRS. MANNING Quiet hours begin at ten PM. And there'’s a seven AM breakfast seating downstairs. NICK Thank-you... They arrive at ROOM FOUR. As Mrs. Manning finds the key and unlocks the door. She hands him the key. Stands there, for: MRS. MANNING I play gin-rummy with Beatrice Latekka, Eddie’s mother. And it would suit you well not to run into any of the Latekkas during your time here. You know what I'm saying? Also keep away from Grizzly Felps at the dump. And Jerry Conway at the garden store. Heck, avoid nearly everyone, I were you, Nicky... NICK Yeah... I... MRS. MANNING Have a good stay. And she waddles off... Nick looks after her... Enters... INT. MANNING'S BOARDING HOUSE - NICK’'S ROOM - DUSK Nick takes a look around the small, quaint room... He sits on the bed and pulls out the SANDWICH Murph made for him. When his cell-phone RINGS. He checks the CALLER I.D. It reads: TAYLOR. Nick cringes as it occurs to him: NICK Rhinebeck. He forgot about his plans with Taylor. He braces himself and picks up the phone... NICK (CONT'D) Hey, baby... EXT. NEW YORK CITY - STREET - DUSK CROSS-CUT. With the CREW from a PHOTO SHOOT behind her, and ~ the bustling sounds of the city, Taylor says: TAYLOR We just wrapped. (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 CONTINUED: "October Road" - Network Draft NICK gonna kill me, Taylor... TAYLOR Stratton’s taking you to a cocktail party... ? NICK No, it’s... I had to go back home. TAYLOR That’s fine. swing by your place and we’ll-- NICK I mean home home. Massachusetts... But an ASSISTANT approaches Taylor... ASSISTANT He’'s ready for you... TAYLOR I gotta run, Nick... Is everything okay? NICK Yeah. It’s just... TAYLOR I thought you couldn’t go back there... NICK I know. I’ll be in the city on Sunday and I'll explain the whole thing. And I promise-promise-promise we’ll do Rhinebeck before the holidays... TAYLOR Where are you staying? It’s so quiet... Nick takes a beat, perhaps embarrassed by the truth... And she’s lies. He NICK At my Dad's, of course. ASSISTANT Taylor --— TAYLOR Coming! call later. Miss you... gone. And Nick hangs up the phone, bothered by the looks down at Murph’s sandwich and asks: NICK You still like me, right? (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: (2) Wary of the answer, he takes a BITE of his sandwich and the flavors wash over him. Murph’s egg and salad sandwich is just as he remembered... NICK (CONT’D) Thank God. Love you, too. A much-needed reminder that some things never change... EXT. BUICK CITY BAR - NIGHT A former car dealership turned watering hole. It’s one of the only decent bars in town, thus forcing a tentative nightly detente between the locals and the college kids... INT. BUICK CITY BAR - NIGHT Last Call. The place is emptying out, as we find JANET DOYLE, the 34-year-old bartender/manager. Janet is a heavy- set woman - her big frame and chubby cheeks have earned her the nickname “JANET THE PLANET”. But her eyes are luminous. And she’s got a smile pure sweetness and light... Eddie sits at the bar with a Jack and Coke. Ikey approaches him. He gestures over to a table, where two GIRLS in their early 20s, are putting on their coats... IKEY What do you think? They're from Longwell. Came all the way here to meet college boys... EDDIE So how do we fit in? IKEY From the looks of them, and the amount of vodka-grapefruits I been pouring down their gullets, I'd say we'll fit in verrry easily... Eddie regards them. The girls wave... IKEY (CONT'D) I mad hyped you up. EDDIE Why are you always doing that? IKEY Not all of us can represent greatness, Edward. But at least we can be associated with it. What do you say? Back to your nest with them? For grilled o cheese sandwiches and fellatio? (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: EDDIE I'll pass. You go ahead. Ikey looks suddenly panicked... IKEY I don’t think I have enough conversation in me for both of them... EDDIE Tell ‘em about the time you broke your collarbone trying to roof-ski... IKEY Yeah. That iIs a gem. Sometimes, I can make it funny, too. Hasta la Pasta... As Ikey heads off with the girls, Janet The Planet approaches Eddie, pouring him another Jack and Coke... JANET THE PLANET You okay, Eddie? Never seen you pass up an opportunity... Hope not getting old on us. EDDIE It’s not that. I’'m not too tired to do the, well, you know. But the legwork necessary to get to that place? The endless chit-chat about meaningless bock? You really got to be in the right frame of mind for that... JANET THE PLANET Maybe you should try out a different type of girl. Maybe somebody from The Doof... EDDIE Been there, done that. Presents its own brand of problems... JANET THE PLANET I'm just saying: maybe you should try something more nutritious... EDDIE “Nutritious”? ©Like full of vitamins? JANET THE PLANET No. “Nutritious”, like, good for your health. Helping you to feel the best you can, and live a long, happy life... . Janet The Planet shrugs... They are now the only two people % in the bar... (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: (2) JANET THE PLANET (CONT'D) Wish I could offer you better advice, Eddie. But what I can offer you... She comes around the bar and heads towards the JUKEBOX... We HOLD ON Eddie... As he considers her words... JANET THE PLANET (CONT'D) Is a little Glen Campbell! She plugs a quarter into the jukebox. And "RHINESTONE COWBOY" starts up. Janet The Planet begins to sing along: JANET THE PLANET (CONT'D) "I've been walking these streets so long / Singin' the same old song / I know every crack in these dirty sidewalks of Broadway... " And she really gets into it. Dancing and singing. Eddie laughs, as Janet The Planet climbs onto the bar, using a Bud long-neck as a microphone... Eddie claps. JANET THE PLANET (CONT'D) We call this “COYOTE VERY UGLY"! EXT. KNIGHT'S RIDGE - ESTABLISHING - DAWN The sun rises over the treeline, as the town slowly starts to come awake. At this hour, there’s only one place to get a good cup of coffee to start your day... Indeed, the parking lot is crowded with trucks... This is -- INT. BESS EATON DONUT SHOP - DAWN The Commander sips quietly on his coffee, the BOSTON HERALD sports page in front of him. At the counter, Eddie and Ikey try to burn off their hangovers... Ray Cataldo is at another table. He looks to The Commander: RAY CATALDO Nick’s back in town, huh? THE COMMANDER That’s right... IKEY He is? RAY CATALDO Oh, I forgot: you guys were close. I never read the book, Latekka. What with me hating books and all. But Joey Guarino read me the parts about you. Damn, son, Nicky Garrett didn't much like you so much, did he -- ? (turning to Ikey) (MORE) (CONTINUED)

01/26/2006 "October Road" - Network Draft CONTINUED: RAY CATALDO (CONT'D) And he didn’t mention you once. 243 pages of book and he couldn’t give you a sentence? That's gotta leave a mark... Ray Cataldo smirks. The Commander shakes his head. Eddie and Ikey just eat their crullers in silence... INT. DUFRESNE UNIVERSITY - HALLWAY - DAY Nick is being led down the empty hallway by Leslie Etwood... LESLIE We are at capacity. And they are looking forward to whatever you have prepared. And, as mentioned, if you find the interest, there’s always a spot for you here. Good luck... Leslie heads off... Nick frowns... Suddenly nervous... But then his cell-phone RINGS. He picks up... It is Stratton. In Bubbie's Diner, in Tribeca. CROSS-CUT AS NECESSARY... STRATTON LORB Doctor. Taylor told me where you are. What'’'s wrong with you? You can’t go home again. Everyone knows that. Norman Rockwell is dead. Spread the word... NICK I gotta run, Stratt... STRATTON LORB What for? This conversation is in diapers... But Nick hangs up. He steels himself and enters... INT. DUFRESNE UNIVERSITY - CLASSROOM - DAY Twenty or so STUDENTS are seated in a semi-circle. Amongst them 1s Aubrey and Ian, whom we met earlier. Nick stands at the front of the class. He smiles. Looks at a sheaf of pages he’s prepared. Coughs. Looks at the pages again... NICK Well... These aren’'t really... Coughs again. All those faces, shining like mackerels. Looking up at him. Eagerly waiting for him to indoctrinate them into the secret tribal rites of the successful novelist. The room becomes blurry. As a HAND IS RAISED. By Ian. Nick blinks. His eyes tick to Aubrey. To the others... ~. And Nick bolts for the door, racing from the classroom. - Leaving them to look after him in wonder... END OF ACT THREE