Written by Bruce Wagner Mni- Series (ParT I) Exee. frop, - oLveR STARS « JAMES BELUSH| DANA DELANEY May 18, 1992

WILD PALMS "Everything Must Go" ACT ONE FADE IN: EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET - CLOSE - PALM - NIGHT It FILLS the FRAME. FRONDS SCRAPE and shimmer against each other in the WIND. Foreboding and electric, unsettling. ROW OF PALM TREES the roaring, scary WINDSONG. SWIMMING POOL The dark trees reflected within its waters. INT. WYCKOFF HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT HARRY'S eyes open; perspiring and insomniac. The palms are calling him. He gets up from bed; BETH doesn't awaken. Harry slides open glass door of patio. Wind ruffles his hair. EXT. WYCKOFF HOUSE - BACK YARD - NIGHT Poolside. The palms' noisy, full-tilt war against the wind. Harry proceeds cautiously. A rhinoceros stands in the shallow end of pool. The waters around it are choppy like the sea. CLOSE - RHINO'S HORN CLOSE - HARRY He watches, mesmerized. A hoarse whisper: HARRY So, this is how it begins... COTY Daddy? He runs toward house, to voice. INT. WYCKOFF HOUSE - COTY'S ROOM - NIGHT Harry enters breathlessly. What he sees staggers him: COTY is suspended on an enormous crucifix in the middle of the furnitureless room. He wears a black Chanel T-shirt and smiles wickedly while he hovers -- and sadly sings: (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 4 COTY 'Never saw the sun shinin' so - . INT. WYCKOFF HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT 5 Harry awakens with a sweaty jolt from his dream. BETH (concerned) Darling? EXT. WYCKOFF HOUSE - MORNING A Wagoneer and a couple of Sixties cars -- including Harry's Corvette -- in the drive of the Spanish-style home. A light wind; a subdued row of palms, not up to last night's excitations. INT. WYCKOFF HOUSE - KITCHEN - MORNING A stylish cappuccino maker. Beth injects steam, foaming up the milk. She brings it to Harry, who sits in a black leather banquette; settles in beside him. HARRY Is that decaf? BETH Did you want decaf, darling? HARRY No, I'm fine. Hmmm -- good foam. You've got a real skill there. BETH You know I'm a damn household goddess, Harry. Bagel's on the way. HARRY What a night. BETH Remember your dream? HARRY It was weird -- I remember that much. BETH You scared the hell out of me. (CONTINUED)

7 CONTINUED: HARRY Where are the kids? BETH Little Buddha's getting her bath. I think Coty's got a bug, so I'm keeping him home. HARRY Why do bugs love that kid so much? BETH 'Cause he's so juicy. He had a call back for a toothpaste commercial. HARRY Should we have his tum-tum checked? BETH He just has a nervous stomach -- like his old man. HARRY Waitress? I think my bagel's burning. - Beth shrieks, retrieves smoking bagel from toaster. BETH It's sort of charred. HARRY I like it that way. BETH I'1ll put another one in. HARRY I said bring it here, woman. BETH Such a nasty man... TAMBOR, the nanny, enters, holding Deirdre -- swathed in towels. Beth takes Deirdre in her arms and babytalks. BETH There she is! Dere's duh wet wittle Buddha! HARRY I'm gonna look in on the stomachacher. We still have a date tonight? (CONTINUED)

7 10 CONTINUED: (2) 7 BETH Uh huh. The kids are staying with Josie. HARRY How's her face? BETH Thoroughly lifted. HARRY (kissing Deirdre) Morning, little Buddha. You are one helluva gorgeous old soul. 01' lSI'ID! was a scary ] and a scary 0l1' Soul was COTY'S BEDROOM - CLOSE ON TV SCREEN 8 A Sesame Street-style character waves good-bye to the camera as the WPN/CHANNEL ONE logo is SUPERED. Harry enters, turns OFF TV. Coty is asleep. He tucks covers under his son. COTY (groggily) I have a bug. HARRY Well, you gotta scare that bug away, Mr. Blue. COTY (rolling over to sleep) Love you, Daddy. Harry smiles, kisses him; exits. As soon as he leaves, Coty's eyes open. We HOLD ON them a beat. EXT. WYCKOFF HOUSE - MORNING 9 Harry kisses Beth good-bye as he leaves for work. BETH 'Bye, Baby. EXT. STREETS - MORNING 10 Harry cruises in his Corvette. He slows; sees two ment in suits beating a third man. He moves on. (CONTINUED)

10 11 CONTINUED: 10 A motorcycle cop appears, making way for motorcade: black Range Rovers, along with other unmarked vehicles, move slowly alongside white-haired jogger in his early sixties -- SENATOR ANTON "TONY" KREUTZER. He's surrounded by other joggers, obviously security. Kreutzer turns to glance at Harry, his gaze prolonged and strangely deliberate; then, the party disappears over a ridge. Harry shrugs it off and pulls onto road again. INT. BAUM, KLEIN AND MITRE - OFFICE/ANTEROOM - DAY 11 Harry enters office; PAULA, his assistant, greets him. PAULA Hi, Harry. HARRY Groovy dress. PAULA Does it rock your world? HARRY 'Fifties'? PAULA (nods) Got it at your wife's store. HARRY Things are just getting too incestuous: Paula, you're fired. PAULA Right before they make you partner? no fun. HARRY Who's making me a partner? PAULA Did I say that? Oh: forgot to tell you -- my kid's in a play today. I have to leave at four -- HARRY (mock brutal) You're not leaving anywhere at four. (then, light) Leave at three. What am I doing for lunch, Paula? MORTY WINAKUR, a ‘fellow attorney, enters. (CONTINUED)

11 CONTINUED: MORTY Hey, Jude. PAULA You have a one o'clock with Mr. Laszlo, at City. HARRY Is that Third or Sixth? PAULA AND MORTY La Brea and Second. MORTY (to Paula) So, when's the play? PAULA Today -- I have total butterflies. MORTY I went through the same thing with our kid's recital. HARRY (to Paula re: Morty's kid) Recited the alphabet -- MORTY Try Chopin. HARRY What's the play? Iceman Cometh? PAULA He's going to sing. 'Who Will Buy?' -- from Qliver! HARRY (sings) 'Who will buy this wonderful morning? Such a sky I never did see -- ' PAULA You should understudy. HARRY Buying a morning -- has to be one of the most perverse songs ever written. (CONTINUED) 11

11 CONTINUED: (2) MORTY (to Harry) So, when's the special day? HARRY Let's do it right away. (to Paula) Morty and I are getting married. MORTY You know what I'm talking about. HARRY You're so abstract... MORTY Not abstract enough to be made a partner. When are they announcing? HARRY It's rumor. Paula, what else do I have? MORTY You're so coy. PAULA Paige Katz just came in. Do you want to see her? HARRY Yeah. Great. MORTY Who's Paige Katz? HARRY 'Bye, Morty -- MORTY Did I tell you Ann was pregnant again? HARRY (sincere) That's terrific. MORTY A little girl. She's always talking about bloat, so I told her to start telling people she's 'retaining daughter.’ (laughs) Do you love it? (CONTINUED) 11

11 CONTINUED: (3) 11 HARRY Love it. MORTY Catch ya later -- partner. As he exits. HARRY This is going to be a weird day. Paula escorts PAIGE KATZ into the office -- Morty checks her out from b.g. Paula exits, shutting door behind her. Paige carries small portfolio; they kiss both cheeks. They both seem a little nervous. PAIGE I felt funny calling. HARRY No, no -- it was great to hear from you. They sit on the couch. HARRY Would you like a cappuccino? Some Evian? PAIGE No. Thanks. HARRY It was pretty out of the blue... PAIGE A blast from the past. HARRY How long has it been? PAIGE Fifteen years? (notes ring) You're married -- naturally. HARRY Yes. PAIGE Happily? HARRY Naturally. (CONTINUED)

11 12 CONTINUED: (4) PAIGE Kids? HARRY Two. You? PAIGE I have a son -- out of wedlock, I'm afraid. HARRY Are you working? PAIGE I'm a consultant for the Wild Palms Group. Two kids, huh. I always knew you were daddy material. HARRY There was something you wanted to talk to me about... PAIGE I want you to help me find someone. HARRY That's a little Raymond Chandler. I'm a patent attorney. PAIGE It's my son Peter. He disappeared five years ago... INT. HIROSHIMA - DAY Beth's store, on Melrose. She enters from back room in flurry -- OAKLEY, a young salesgirl, with a customer, who exits. BETH Hey, girl. OAKLEY Beth, what should we do with thesge There's like horsehair or something coming through the lapels... BETH Another return? (CONTINUED) 11 12

12 CONTINUED: Beth sees OAKLEY We've had three. The tailor is charging us half the price of the jacket. BETH That's insane. Boiserie, right? Call Lilith -- she's the one I talk to over there. she gives you any crap, I'll get on the phone. OAKLEY Your mom called. BETH (just remembered) No! I'm supposed to pick her up. Why am I doing this, Oakley? I'm an adult woman, I have a life -- why am I compelled to pick my mother up at the hospital after her fifty-seventh face-lift? OAKLEY Do you want me to answer that? BETH Not really. TABBA SCHWARTZKOPF staring into window. BETH Is that Tabba Schwartzkopf? OAKLEY The actress? BETH (excited) It is. She's coming in. Tabba enters. OAKLEY Easy, Beth. BETH Did you see her in Magnificent Obsession? OAKLEY Wasn't that like the tenth time they made that? 10. (CONTINUED) 12

12 13 CONTINUED: (2) BETH She was gg great... TABBA Hi! I need to ask something of you that might well arouse a kind of sickening contempt. BETH You need to use the phone. TABBA Worse. The bathroom. BETH I'm going to have to ask you to leave this store immediately. TABBA (laughs) I'm a terrible person. BETH But you break just like a little girl. (as Tabba cracks up) Oakley, would you please show Miss Schwartzkopf the communal loo? TABBA She even knows my pame -- it's so sad. BETH (a fan) I've seen all your movies. TABBA I've used all your bathrooms. As they laugh. EXT. BEVERLY HOSPITAL - DAY BETH (kissing her) You look fabulous. JOSIE Never again. 11. Beth gets out of car as her mother, JOSIE, exits building in wheelchair, pushed by NURSE. (CONTINUED) 12 13

13 CONTINUED: NURSE Doesn't she look great? JOSIE BETH They really did a terrific job -- JOSIE I told myself a long time ago that if it ever hurt -- po more NURSE (to Beth) She's got pills for the pain. JOSIE Good-bye, Cruella -- (to Beth, re: Nurse, affectionately) -- that's Cruella de Vil. My daughter Beth. NURSE Nice to meet you. BETH (helps her into car) Was she a horror? NURSE (shakes head) A fantastic lady. JOSIE They'll say anything -- they're so i you're leaving, it's like they're high on something... BETH (laughs; to Nurse) 'Bye, now! JOSIE (to Nurse) Never again! (beat) See you in six months! (as they pull away) Good-bye, Cruella! 12.

13. INT. CITY RESTAURANT - DAY Harry approaches maitre d' when he sees TOMMY LASZLO waving at him from b.g. CAMERA FOLLOWS Harry TO Tommy's table, where he sits. Harry slides in next to him. TOMMY You're late, you sonofabitch. HARRY Light of my Life. How the hell are you? TOMMY Starving. They got a monkfish today to die for. You're going in with me on a souffle, I already ordered. Takes forty minutes. HARRY Jesus. Maybe you have a parasite, Tommy . : TOMMY It's called HARRY How did a bachelor get addicted to 'mother-in-law jokes'? TOMMY It was either mother-in-law jokes or heroin -- HARRY Both can kill. TOMMY How goes it on the partner front? Any word yet? HARRY Nothing definitive. TOMMY It's a done deal. HARRY I'm supposed to hear within the week. TOMMY It'll happen. (serious) I made a decision: I'm unloading the store. (CONTINUED)

14 CONTINUED: As he talks, Harry notices two men in suits enter, HARRY You just opened it. TOMMY Harry: what am I doing selling thousand-dollar eyeglasses on Melrose for? pretentious. HARRY You're always like this when start something new. It was same with the travel agency, the tropical fish -- TOMMY Think that's all it is? HARRY That's all it is. Guess who today? (beat) Paige Katz. TOMMY From school? You're kidding. Where? HARRY She came into the office. TOMMY How does she look? HARRY Unbelievable. She had a kid disappeared or something. TOMMY A custody thing? HARRY I don't know -- she wouldn't me much about the father. TOMMY Very film noir. HARRY That's what I said. you the and I saw tell 14. scan 14 room. They walk through tables toward man in bow tie who The woman wears sits with distinctive red spectacles -- Sally Jesse Raphael-style. attractive woman, laughing. (CONTINUED)

14 15 15. CONTINUED: (2) HARRY Brought up lots of memories, though. I kept staring at the hair on her arms; she was telling me this terrible tale about a lost son, and all I could think of was bringing her down by the neck. TOMMY I've always found it a fine line between empathy and animal lust. Men in suits approach, seizing man in bow tie. He struggles; the table's upset as luncheoners react. After a beat, Harry impulsively intervenes. HARRY Hey, hold on! Harry's pushed aside as the other brutally punches the man in bow tie's head, bloodying him. They drag him out. Harry gets on feet and goes to window, where he sees men in suits put a hood on their quarry and shove him into a black Range Rover that speeds away. Harry returns to the table. The woman in red spectacles nervously gathers her scattered things; Harry helps, though she seems reluctant to accept aid. She hurriedly exits. Harry sits back down. TOMMY That was stupid. HARRY Who were they, Tommy, the police? I never saw that -- they really that guy. The vanquished table is reset; the restaurant quickly returns to normal, as if the event was commonplace. Harry is rattled. WAITER enters. WAITER (to Tommy) Do you need more time? TOMMY Tell me about that monkfish again. Harry, I'm telling you -- the sauce is killer. EXT. WYCKOFF HOUSE - DAY Beth and Josie pull into driveway. Deirdre and Nanny wait for them at front door. (CONTINUED) 14 15

16. 15 CONTINUED: 15 Coty runs out to greet them, hugging her. COTY Hi, Grammie! JOSIE Careful there -- your Grammie might just unravel. BETH Coty, you shouldn't be out here without a coat. She feels his forehead with her hand; he pulls away, clings to Josie. COTY I feel better. JOSIE Were you sick, darling? COTY I had a bug. TAMBOR He always gets better around 3:10 -- that's when school's out. COTY Shut up, Tambor! Josie grabs her granddaughter, playfully raising her into air. JOSIE (to Deirdre; babytalkish) Am I the ultimate Grandma? Huh? Huh? And are you the ultimate baby girl? BETH Careful, Mom. 16 INT. WYCKOFF HOUSE - LIVING ROOM/KITCHEN - DAY 16 They enter, walk to kitchen. JOSIE (still to Deirdre; playful) Do you have something to say to me, Buddha-girl? Do ya? Do ya? (CONTINUED)

16 CONTINUED: BETH Tambor, take her. (as Josie hands Deirdre to Nanny) Are their things together? NANNY Everything's packed. BETH Are you staying at the hotel, Mother? JOSIE Beverly Hills Hotel -- we're gonna be a big bunch of Beverly Hillbillies. BETH You spoil them. I just don't want him going in the pool, okay? COTY But I'm better! JOSIE If your mother says no pool, no pool. Deirdre and the Nanny exit. COTY Grammie, watch me skateboard! As he exits. JOSIE In a minute, darling. BETH Use the knee guards, Coty! JOSIE How's Deirdre's latest guy? BETH All the experts seem to have a different opinion. JOSIE That's why they're experts. Don't make yourself crazy. She'll talk when she's ready; comes from a long line of willful women, that's all. 17. (CONTINUED) 16

16 17 18. CONTINUED: (2) COTY (0.S.) Grammie! JOSIE Are you in trouble, Beth? BETH Trouble? JOSIE You and Harry. BETH We're fine. JOSIE Just a feeling. BETH Why do you ask? Well, it's a wrong feeling. JOSIE He still seeing the shrink? BETH Yeah. The palms shimmy in the wind. Coty skateboards around on its bottom. from house, watches. shallow end. He's having nightmares. . INT. WYCKOFF HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY The pool has been drained. Josie emerges She calls him and he skates over to JOSIE C'mere, you. COTY I had the dream again -- last night. JOSIE Tell anyone? The rhinoceros... (he shakes his head over and over) Not even your dad? COTY Can we eat by the pool, Grammie? JOSIE Yes, mankey-child. (CONTINUED) 16 17

17 18 CONTINUED: COTY I want what we ordered last time. JOSIE A Monte Cristo. COTY With French fries -- and the sundaes that come in little silver cups. JOSIE Oh, what a demanding monkey-child you are. (towels his hair) You're not afraid, are you, darling monkey? If you're afraid of the rhino, the dream goes away. Then you'll be like everybody else. And that's the most terrible thing in the world... TERRACE 19. Beth holds Deirdre, watching Josie and Coty from behind the living room's sliding glass doors. INT. THERAPIST'S OFFICE - DAY Cool, dark office. Harry sits in a leather chair opposite his therapist, DR. TOBIAS SCHENK. Behind Tobias is a Ruscha "Standard 0il" litho. HARRY Beth and I haven't made love in two months. That's a record, except for when she had her ectopic. TOBIAS It happens. Couples go through periods like that. HARRY An old lover came to the office this morning; awakened something. (beat) When I knew Paige Katz, I was king of the world! Nineteen years old -- sky's the limit. I still feel like that when I see her. But with my wife, it's... like that Beach Boys song: "I know perfectly well I'm not where I should (MORE) (CONTINUED) 17 18

18 19 CONTINUED: HARRY (CONT'D) 20. I couldn't even give Beth the money for her store. She had to go to her mother. TOBIAS Do you think Beth loves you any less? HARRY I wanted a beach house; we were supposed to have a beach house, by now. (beat) Something strange happened today, at lunch -- sorry I'm so unfocussed. These men came into the restaurant and dragged a guy out; it looked like one of those dumb Robert Longo paintings. Everyone went right back to the meals, like it was all staged o something; like it was nothing. TOBIAS You felt... vulnerable? HARRY No. I identified with the men. (beat) I was rooting for the attackers INT. WYCKOFF HOUSE - DINING ROOM - NIGHT Beth, in Harry's arms, before the fire. BETH I really like this. HARRY ir r Drinking wine. Maybe Josie could keep the kids. I'm only talking a year or two. BETH She'd love it. Darling... have you noticed anything about Coty? HARRY You mean the facial paralysis? BETH He seems... distant -- he's closer to mother than he is to me. (CONTINUED) 18 19

19 CONTINUED: HARRY That's normal. Boys his age start pulling away. BETH Oh do they, Dr. Bettelheim? HARRY Perfectly normal. Just different from boys my age. BETH Something about the look on his face when I touch him -- like he's... queasy. Guess I'm just paranoid. (excited) You know who came in the store today? HARRY Who? BETH Tabba Schwartzkopf. HARRY Pretty? BETH Hideous. No, she's gorgeous -- really sexy. And funny -- wants to have dinner with me. HARRY Should I be jealous? BETH Not yet. HARRY What else happened today? BETH What happened, what happened.. Deirdre talked. HARRY You're kidding. BETH I forgot -- right before she left with mother. 21. (CONTINUED) 19

19 20 22. CONTINUED: (2) HARRY How could you forget something like that? BETH I don't why, I just did. HARRY For chrissakes, Beth, what'd she say? BETH I went to kiss her. She looked at me and said, 'Everything must go.' HARRY Are you sure? BETH It's too freaky to make up, Harry. HARRY Evervthing must go... BETH Tell me that you love me, Junie Moon. HARRY I love you, Junie Moon. BETH Mean it? HARRY I really mean it. BETH Show me. MASTER BEDROOM - CLOSE ON TV SCREEN A late night Talkshow Host stands at his desk. The VOLUME is LOW; barely audible. TALKSHOW HOST (V.0.) A warm welcome for... Tabba Schwartzkopf! Tabba comes from wings to wild applause. She wears a very tight, very short black dress. CAMERA PANS 0.S. TO Harry and Beth, making love. We HOLD ON their efforts; after beat, Harry rolls off, frustrated. (CONTINUED) 19 20

20 21 22 23. CONTINUED: 20 Stares at ceiling. We hear the dull, tinny laughter of the TELEVISION O.S. BETH It's all right, darling. (as he doesn't respond) Darling? He turns away. Hurt, Beth lays on her side -- back to back. After a beat, Harry walks out of room past TV screen. We HOLD ON image of Tabba Schwartzkopf, laughing with forced hilarity at something Host said. INT. WYCKOFF HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHT 21 Harry goes to refrigerator, opens it. Removes carton of juice. Hears something that makes him pause; a confusion of ROUGH SOUNDS. Slowly, his hand goes to light switch. The overhead fluorescent lights flicker then hold, washing the room in brightness. CLOSE - JUICE CARTON hits the floor, explodes. CLOSE - RHINOCEROUS crammed into the small space. It faces him, impassively. Harry runs. MASTER BEDROOM 22 He turns on the light. Beth lays in bed on stomach, sheet over her. HARRY Beth! Wake up! Wake up -- In stirring her, he moves sheet. He notes detail of coloring on her back. He pulls sheet down to reveal massive tattoo: a palm tree, blurrily blown. 1Its base disappears at her buttocks. He gently turns her over -- revealing "rhino" tattoo, its massive horn bisecting her breasts. Beth's arms conceal her face. HARRY Oh God... Harry lifts the arms and gasps: it isn't Beth at all -- it's the jogger -- Senator Tony Kreutzer. Weirdly, the face begins to SQUEAL and tremble, as if an electric current surges through the very lips. The SQUEAL GROWS LOUDER, becomes piercing.

23 24. MASTER BEDROOM 23 Harry awakens with a scream -- apparently, all since his impotence was a dream. Beth turns on the nightstand lamp. BETH (frightened) Oh God! Baby! Harry! HARRY What's happening to me? Beth holds him in her arms. Staring impassively into space, she rocks him. FADE OUT.

24 25 26 FADE IN: ACT TWO INT. HEALTH CLUB - RACQUETBALL COURT - DAY Harry and bleeds. SHOWERS Tommy's fierce game. Harry stumbles; nose Harry washes blood away. JUICE BAR Harry and Tommy sit, opposite racquetball courts. He laughs. TOMMY You all right? HARRY Not really. TOMMY Tell papa everything. HARRY I just haven't been feeling well. TOMMY Like how? HARRY I've been having these nightmares. Only they're -- I don't want to talk about this... TOMMY You have to. Only they're what? HARRY They're real. I keep dreaming of this rhinoceros. TOMMY I feel a mother-in-law joke coming on. HARRY It's not like a dream, Tommy, not even c¢lose. I walk into a room, and it's there -- real as this. 25. 24 25 26 (CONTINUED)

26 CONTINUED: TOMMY I was reading an article -- if it's any help. Talked about schizophrenia as an allergy -- HARRY Now I'm schizophrenic? TOMMY Could be a diet thing. HARRY That's probably it. 1I'll just cut back on cholesterol. TOMMY The rhino: very sexual. The powder of the horns -- a heavy aphrodisiac. HARRY (re: his impotence) That's a hoot. TOMMY Have you seen a doctor? HARRY My internist says it's work stress. TOMMY You never knew your folks, did you? HARRY ‘What's that got to do with it? TOMMY Maybe it's a 'Bad Seed' scenario we're dealing with. HARRY Looney parents? TOMMY Son of Wacko. What does the venerable Dr. Schenk say? HARRY That I'm about to learn important childhood stuff -- I'm having some sort of breakthrough. 26. (CONTINUED) 26

26 CONTINUED: 27. (2) TOMMY Yeah -- a nervous breakthrough. (sees something 0.S.; urgently whispers) Harry! -- over there. Turn slowly... See it? HARRY (turns slowly) No... TOMMY There, beside the StairMaster -- HARRY The girl? What, Tommy? TOMMY The rhino... HARRY (pissy) I shouldn't of mentioned it. TOMMY You gotta joke about it, Harry. If you don't joke about it, you're going to wake up one day and find yourself at a watering hole, next to a gazelle. HARRY (stands) See you, Tommy. TOMMY (as they start to walk) You free tonight? HARRY What's goin' on? TOMMY I'm having a few people over. HARRY I don't think so. TOMMY Come on, man, you need to get out -- you're obsessing on this thing. Look, we're all a little crazy. Remember how I used to break into houses when we were kids? (CONTINUED) 26

26 27 28 29 28. CONTINUED: (3) 26 HARRY The only things you ever stole were mirrors. TOMMY See? Everyone's 'seen the rhino. So, why don't you come tonight? Nine o'clock; there's people you should meet. And B.Y.O.R. ' HARRY your own -- I get it. Funny. TOMMY (laughs) Just bring Beth! Harry exits. Tommy watches him go, expressionless -- their discussion's had an impact. He knows something... EXT. RONALD REAGAN ELEMENTARY - DAY 27 Beth enters hurriedly. INT. RONALD REAGAN ELEMENTARY - DAY 28 Beth enters counseling office. Coty sits glumly on a chair. She sits down, puts arm around him. He stares straight ahead. BETH (softly) Hi, darling. You okay? He shrugs. Dr. WESTON, the affable gentle-looking school psychologist, enters. WESTON I'm Dr. Weston. BETH I'm Beth, Coty's mother. WESTON (warmly) I gathered that. May we talk a moment ? INT. DR. WESTON'S OFFICE - DAY 29 He closes door, sits at desk -- Beth sits opposite. BETH What happened? (CONTINUED)

29 29. CONTINUED: 29 WESTON Coty got into a fight with one of the boys -- nothing serious, it's just our policy to send kids home when they act out like that. Gives them time to think about what they did -- and to cool off. BETH Coty's never been in a fight. Over what? WESTON His class was making family trees. -- you know, tracing history. One of the kids was teasing him. He hands her a large poster, with a small scraggly line drawn on it. Coty and Deidre's name written at bottom, Harry's faintly at top. WESTON 'What's wrong with this picture?’ BETH He left me off. WESTON Usually, that means a child's angry. Are there problems at home? BETH No -- I mean, it's not the Brady Bunch... He's been a little withdrawn. Do you think someone molested him? WESTON (smiles) I don't want to make this into something it isn't. Does he share things with you? BETH He used to. WESTON It's a difficult age. Talk to him, Mom. Talk to him -- he'll be fine. BETH I I'll try.

30. 30 EXT. SCHOOL - DAY 30 Beth and Coty walk past schoolyard to car. BETH You hit a boy, huh. COTY He hit me first. BETH Did you hurt him? (as he shakes his head) You mad at me, baby? (as he shakes head again) You left mommy off the tree. How come? COTY It's a stupid class. BETH Aren't you interested in where you came from? COTY I don't care. BETH If you ever want to talk to me about anything -- anything at all -- I'm here. I'm your mom. Okay? COTY Okay. Can I go to the movies? 31 EXT. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE - DAY 31 Harry enters. 32 INT. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE - MISSING PERSONS BUREAU - 32 DAY Harry makes an inquiry to a thin-faced BUREAUCRAT. HARRY I'm investigating a missing child. BUREAUCRAT Computers are down. HARRY Any way to look through the files? (CONTINUED)

32 33 CONTINUED: BUREAUCRAT You an attorney? HARRY Yes. BUREAUCRAT (pushing paper) Fill this out. He slides a form to Harry; Harry notes the Bureaucrat has a palm tattoo on one hand. STACKS The Bureaucrat leads him into room lit by flickering fluorescent tubes -- its size as yet unrevealed. BUREAUCRAT Name again? HARRY Harry Wyckoff. BUREAUCRAT (impatient) I meant the missing party. HARRY It's Peter Katz. BUREAUCRAT These are the children -- K through Z. They only go back fifteen years. We see for the first time the enormous stacks, filled with tens of thousands of files. CAMERA PUSHES IN ON Harry, shocked at the number. EXT. STREETS - DAY Harry drives along. He slips CD into the dash -- "BLUE SKIES." He slows; there's commotion on sidewalk. Police pin a group of three men and women to the ground, guns to heads. Harry winces at the violent tableau. HARRY Jesus. As he picks up speed, an unmarked car with uniformed men rushes to scene from opposite direction. Harry begins to sing -- out of sight, out of mind. (CONTINUED) 32 33

33 34 32. CONTINUED: 33 HARRY 'Never saw the sun shinin' so bright -- never saw love feelin' so right...' Something catches his attention. HARRY'S POV Paige Katz, at the wheel of a sportscar. A woman in scarf sits in the passenger seat. Harry pulls closer: the woman turns for a beat and stares at him, weirdly, the way the jogging senator did -- as if staring through him. The woman appears to be his mother-in-law. HARRY (to self) Josie? (speeds up) This is crazy. He tries to catch them, but can't. The valet takes Paige's car; the two women enter hotel. Harry pulls up, follows them in. INT. HOTEL - DAY 34 He enters lobby, sees them taking stairs to mezzanine. MEZZANINE He catches up with Paige -- the woman in scarf is gone. HARRY Paige? PAIGE Harry! What are you doing here? HARRY Are you with Josie? She's nonplussed. HARRY My mother-in-law... PAIGE (laughs) Your mother-in-law? HARRY I just saw you -- she had a scarf... (CONTINUED)

34 35 33. 34 PAIGE Harry, I'm late. Come with me, okay? BANQUET ROOM 35 They enter. The space is filled with tables of lunch- eoners; they sit. Onstage, a backdrop of an enormous palm tree -- across it, a banner reads: IS IT REAL OR IS IT MIMETEK? On the dais, a SPEAKER addresses the audience. SPEAKER ... Now, technology for cheap reality is here -- and the Wild Palms Group is in the eye of the postsymbolic storm. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honor, through the joint effort of our friends -- partners -- in Kawasaki and Kansai, to introduce a visionary: tomorrow's realitician and today's bridge between human wetware and high-end telepresence -- Senator Tony Kreutzer! - A burst of applause as the Senator takes the stage; Harry has a shock of recognition. SENATOR Thank you, and welcome. You know, I was in Tokyo just last week -- in Japan, they call me Fuii, 'cause I'm white on top. (laughter) To paraphrase Aristophanes, I have all the traits of a popular politico: bad breeding, vulgar manner, and a terrific head of hair. While the audience laughs uproariously, a samurai swords- man enters from the stage left, approaching the Senator. Kreutzer notices him and smiles, as if it's some stunt he's waiting to be let in on. The swordsman unsheaths his weapon and the room grows slightly apprehensive. Harry and Paige watch with interest. The swordsman charges: still half-thinking it's a gag, the audience gasps and nervously laughs at once. SENATOR Wha -- (CONTINUED)

35 36 34. CONTINUED: 35 He raises hands defensively as sword comes down -- and passes through him, as if he isn't corporeal. The swordsman slices again and again, to no effect. Sudden- ly, the samurai figure evaporates, causing another burst of audience emotion. The Senator faces them now, smiling. He speaks very quickly. SENATOR I'm not here, children: I am a synthetic hologram, talking to you real-time from the penthouse of this hotel. One day yery soon, this is what it's gonna look like, right in the living room -- you will co-star in weekly sitcoms; you will fight the samurai battles and experience the heartbreak of first love, all between commercials! If you've got a T.V., any old T.V., and an adaptor you get from Mimetek for under a thousand dollars -- then you've bought a ticket. I have seen the future, and it is Channel One! The audience is on its feet, roaring approval. Harry and Paige join the ovation. HOTEL HALLWAY - A WHILE LATER 36 Harry and Paige snake through crowded hall, toward the Senator's suite. HARRY That's who you work for? The cult guy who wrote all that crappy sci-fi? PAIGE Lighten up. HARRY The one who founded that religion, back in the Sixties -- PAIGE Synthiotics. . HARRY Right -- 'New Realism.' Very hip now. All the celebrities are heavily into it. PAIGE Don't be so cynical.

37 35. HOTEL SUITE 37 Harry and Paige enter an oasis of uncrowded rooms. The Senator's having a drink, surrounded by admirers. Paige drives a wedge into the small group; the others drift away. PAIGE Well, well -- quite a performance. SENATOR Did you really think so? PAIGE Very Orson Welles -- very Mercury Theatre. SENATOR 'Invaders From Mars.' We're bringing the whole dog and pony show to the F.C.C. next week. Think it'll play? PAIGE If they like Monopoly. Tony, I want you to meet a friend of mine -- Harry Wyckoff. SENATOR Hello. (to Paige) Close friend? PAIGE We went to school together. SENATOR See the show, Harry? HARRY It was mind-boggling. SENATOR What do you do, Harry? HARRY I'm a lawyer. SENATOR (nodding approval) 'The armies of the night.' (MORE) (CONTINUED)

37 38 36. CONTINUED: 37 SENATOR (CONT'D) (intimate) My father owned a little clothing store in downtown L.A., did you know that? Started out a tailor. Oh yes -- the Jews weren't the only tailors. My father was murdered by Recusants. What did they call them then, Paige? The 'homeless.' Well. They broke into his shop -- these homeless Recusants -- and stole his things, they defecated in his shop and they beat this old man, this maker of suits... They didn't kill him; that came months later. He stayed alive long enough to have a fire sale. A fire sale in an inferno, can you imagine it, Harry? 1I'll never forget the sight of him, death already in the eyes, slumped on a chair beneath a great colorful banner: everything must g0. An AIDE ENTERS FRAME. AIDE Mr. Murakami would like to say hello. SENATOR And you know, I feel the same way, Harry: everything must go -- Recusants, old merchandise, troublemakers and bad dreams -- a ‘clean sweep, to make way for the now. You follow, Harry? The Senator's hand is on Harry's shoulder -- Harry notices a palm tattoo. A group of Japanese businessmen interrupt; the Senator turns his back on Harry and Paige. PAIGE Let's go. EXT. LOS ANGELES Z0O - DAY 38 Uncrowded and overcast. They stroll the meandering walk- ways between cages and habitats. A mist falls throughout scene. (CONTINUED)

38 CONTINUED: PAIGE All he's saying is there's more than one reality -- that doesn't make Synthiotics any different from Buddhism. HARRY And Kreutzer just bought Channel One, right? That's a nice little temple. (beat) It's good to... be with you, Pdige. PAIGE Miss me? HARRY Yeah. PAIGE Liar. HARRY I wondered what happened to you. PAIGE A curiosity. HARRY More than that, and you know it. (beat) Can you tell me about the boy's -- Peter's -- father? PAIGE Relax, Harry -- it isn't you. HARRY I wasn't implying that. - PAIGE Someone I met in Washington. He's dead now. HARRY Is there something between you and the Senator? PAIGE No. HARRY Was there? 37. (CONTINUED) 38

39 38. CONTINUED: (2) 38 PAIGE - Maybe a flirtation, during the early campaign -- we shared a lot of small planes. It never went beyond that. They pause before the rhino habitat. The mist has become a drizzle, PAIGE It takes sixteen months for one of them to make a baby. Can you imagine? Of course, you can't. I only had Peter for nine... LOW RUMBLE of DISTANT THUNDER. He grabs her hand and runs. INT. REPTILE HOUSE - DAY 39 They run for cover. The day has darkened; just outside the enclosure, a downpour accompanied by THUNDERCLAP. Harry and Paige clench together. She kisses him, making up for all the lost years. He slowly disentangles himself. HARRY Paige -- I... I can't do this... PAIGE Can't blame a girl for trying. HARRY It's just that... Beth -- She silences him with a finger to his lips. PAIGE I know. The marriage. She kisses him gently on the lips. PAIGE Like the Senator and the Buddhists say: 'There's more than one reality.' She smiles, exits. Harry watches her a beat before following. FADE OUT.

40 41 39. ACT THREE FADE IN: INT. WYCKOFF HOUSE - DEIRDRE'S ROOM - NIGHT Harry's dressed to go out. He sits on daughter's bed; she's under the covers. HARRY Everything must go. Everything must go. Did you say that, Little Buddha? Huh? BETH (0.S.) Harry, come on! We'll be late -- He kisses her; DEIRDRE GIGGLES as he nuzzles. HARRY Nightie-night, sleep-monster. Tambor stands in doorway. Harry exits. HARRY (to nanny) Be home by midnight. INT. CORVETTE - NIGHT Harry and Beth, on their way to Tommy's party. HARRY Did you have your talk with Coty? BETH More like a monologue -- mine. HARRY Everyone reads too much into it -- the kid's just bored; way ahead of his class. BETH I guess. HARRY I thought I saw your mother today. BETH She's in Palm Springs. HARRY I know. But I thought I saw her in this car. I even followed it. (CONTINUED) 40 41

41 42 CONTINUED: BETH Where'd it go? HARRY Over a cliff. Just kidding. hotel. BETH Did she have a big horn? Harry doesn't laugh. BETH Sorry. it any better? HARRY Is what? BETH You know. The problem. HARRY (amusing) You have to be a little more 40. Some specific, honey. I mean, we got a lot goin' on here: nightmares impotence, trouble with the kids -- BETH (laughs) Okay, knock it off... He laughs with her. INT. TOMMY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Harry and Beth enter crowded house. Art BETH I don't believe it -- there's Tabba! They make their way over to Tabba and he TULLY WOIWODE, the famous artist. The girls scream when they see each other. BETH What are you doing here? TABBA Using the bathroom, what else. ist types. r boyfriend, (CONTINUED) 41 42

42 CONTINUED: BETH Tabba, this is my husband Harry. TABBA A pleasure, Mr. Wyckoff. WOIWODE (slightly drunk) Mr. Wyckoff Goes to Washington. Wasn't that a movie? TABBA Maybe in your mind, it was. This is my consort, Tully Woiwode. HARRY I'm a big fan. I was lobbying our firm to get one of your paintings in the atrium -- the 'Watchers, What of the Night?' triptych. WOIWODE (grandly) ... The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye: return, come.' TOMMY (enters; also drunk) Babylon has fallen! TABBA Help! The Revenge of the Spear and Sandal Players! WOIWODE " 'The dog is turned to his own vomit again...' TABBA -- that's disgusting! -- TOMMY ... and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.' ' BETH Tommy, we didn't know you knew these guys. TOMMY Eorever. 41. (CONTINUED) 42

42 CONTINUED: He starts (2) BETH (to Tabba) He's been hoarding you. HARRY Is there food? TOMMY Baby, is there ever! But first, there's booze -- gotta clean that palate. WOIWODE I got a palate so clean, I could eat off it. TABBA They're insane tonight. TOMMY Follow me, Mrs. Wyckoff. to exit. WOIWODE That was a movie, too: This Way, Mrs. Wyckoff -- Alec Guinness and Dame Edith Something... TABBA Somebody take him. He needs to eat. BETH (grabs his arm) Let's go. Move it out. WOIWODE (to Harry and Tabba, overpolite) May I bring back something? HARRY Litho? Watercolor? WOIWODE (to Tabba, sotto voce, re: Harry) Cheeky, that one, Harry. (sings, as he and Beth exit) I " i1d al H i 42, (CONTINUED) 42

42 CONTINUED: She nods, "UPTIGHT, (3) HARRY Happy guy. TABBA (smiles) Little too happy. HARRY Beth's been raving about you. TABBA buds. HARRY She's usually such a snob. TABBA Oh, so am I -- I'm That's why we're so good together. HARRY Everyone disappoints her. You know, I really like your work. I mean, I wanted to tell you that. TABBA Thank you. HARRY I saw that thing you did with Gary Bravo -- what was it? TABBA 'All Fall Down.' HARRY You were terrific. You know, my son acts. bored. HARRY Working on anything? TABBA Something for Channel One. OUTTA SIGHT" loudly on speakers. dancing; Beth pulls Tabba by the arm. BETH Come on! 43. People start (CONTINUED) 42

42 CONTINUED: They dance as Tommy enters; (4) Tommy as they move off. The party TOMMY Hot, isn't she? HARRY You never told me you knew Tabba Schwartzkopf... TOMMY Dated her, years ago. Loves Beth. Woiwode's far out, huh? HARRY Does he paint anymore? I thought he just sat at the beach designing restaurant menus. .- TOMMY He's a rich guy -- they don't call him the Merchant of Venice for nuthin'. The two of them know some pretty heavy people. HARRY Like -- TOMMY They've got 'Friends.' HARRY Recusants? TOMMY Whatever. VOICE (0.S.) Hey, Tommy, get your ass over here! is raucous now. Tommy moves off. Across 44, 42 CAMERA TRACKS WITH Harry and crowded room, Harry sees someone familiar -- the woman in red spectacles who he saw at the City. Harry until he reaches woman, AD LIBS hello. HARRY I saw you having lunch, at City. The man you were with... what happened to him? WOMAN (polite) You're ‘mixing me up with someone. We, TRACK WITH (CONTINUED)

42 43 45, CONTINUED: (5) 42 HARRY No, it was you. I just want to know if he's okay -- WOMAN (cold) It's a mistake. She abruptly tries to leave, but bumps into a drunken Woiwode. STEVE WONDER'S "Ma Cherie Amour" begins; Woiwode sings it to Woman. ’ WOIWODE 'Ma cherie amour --' Wyckoff: did you meet my sister Mazie? The Woman is Mazie Woiwode. Harry and Mazie AD LIB awkward hellos. WOIWODE Too bad you're married -- we're trying to find Mazie a suitable candidate for breeding. EXT. SKELETAL BEACH HOUSE - DAY 43 Harry and Beth and the kids exit Wagoneer. The kids romp as their parents walk through beach house in mid-construction. HARRY We're trespassing, you know. BETH They'll lock us up in an unfinished jail. HARRY I love Sundays. I wish life was one big fat Sunday. COTY Mom, can we run on the sand? BETH Take your shoes off -- and watch your sister! The kids run off. BETH Oh, Harry, I want a house like this! (CONTINUED)

43 CONTINUED: HARRY Dining room's a little windy. BETH Know what Tabba calls the Santa Anas? 'Menstrual winds' -- says she can feel them blow right through her womb. HARRY Charming. This would be a perfect workout room -- your free weights, your treadmill... BETH Don't forget I'll need a study. HARRY Very English -- lots of leather Dickens. BETH Sounds lurid. HARRY Have fun at the party? BETH Tabba's so great -- I haven't danced like that since I was twenty. HARRY I think Tommy's into some weird stuff. BETH Like what? HARRY He's so secretive -- was always like that. I lost touch with him after college. For years. Never told me where he was, what he was up to. BETH He's quirky that way. HARRY Ever hear of that political group the 'Friends'? 46. (CONTINUED) 43

43 CONTINUED: 47. (2) BETH Radicals? HARRY (smiles) I think Tommy's like, connected -- BETH Look how huge this closet's going to be! 1It's big as my store. (steps into another " rooml' This would be our bedroom. HARRY Do you know how many thousands of kids have disappeared in the last twenty years? And no one knows how or why? I'm telling you, Beth, I'm starting to feel senile. What do we really know? You know about your store; I know about Baum, Klein and Mitre -- BETH Baum, Klein, Mitre and Wyckoff. HARRY It's Rip Van Winkle time. Did you know there's this whole thing called the reality-industrial complex? There's a company called Mimetek that uses computers to make images -- they're working on 3-D sitcoms! BETH Now that's scary. HARRY It all has something to do with Synthiotics -- that religion. I'm telling you, Beth, there's stuff goin' on -- BETH (sings) And don't know what it is, do you, mister -- Tabba asked me if I wanted to go to one of the meetings. New Realism. This would be a great library, wouldn't it? [ (CONTINUED) 43

43 44 48. CONTINUED: (3) HARRY You can't have a study and a library. BETH (hugging him) You are so mean. HARRY Soon, we'll be able to buy a house just like this. He kisses her. BETH I'm so crazy about you. HARRY Even when the wind blows? BETH Especially when the wind blows. INT. BAUM, KLEIN, AND MITRE - DAY Harry enters conference room. TOM MITRE, and SEVERIN - KLEIN greet him. KLEIN Hello, Harry. HARRY Severin. KLEIN Joe couldn't make it -- he's still fly fishing in some top secret location. HARRY As long as he brings back a fish story. MITRE That he will. Joe Baum could bring back a fish story from the Gobi. KLEIN A woman came to see you -- Paige Katz. HARRY An old friend. (CONTINUED) 43 44

44 CONTINUED: KLEIN Did you know that Ms. Katz is a consultant for the Wild Palms Group? HARRY She may have mentioned it. KLEIN You know that we're preparing a suit against Mimetek on behalf of the Bull Stratton Company... HARRY I haven't been involved in that, but I heard something about it. MITRE It seems someone from Stratton found ou: Ms. Katz was visiting our offices. HARRY She came to me because of a personal problem. KLEIN (smiles) No one's accusing you -- or your friend -- of being a mole, Harry. HARRY That's comforting. MITRE Bull Stratton is concerned enough to have threatened to go elsewhere. KLEIN This account means a lot to us, as you well know. MITRE It would be impolitic for us to give you a full partnership just now. The timing isn't good. HARRY This is absurd. Paige Katz is in trouble. Her son disappeared -- 49. (CONTINUED) 44