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Date: 06 Dec 1998 13:41:09 -0500
From: pitman@anotherwayout.com (Kent M Pitman)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv.soaps.cbs
Subject: Y&R: AWO#117: "Out of Touch"
Message-ID: <sfwaf11f70a.fsf@world.std.com>
INSIDE...
* Gina's plan touches the lives of the Genoa City needy.
* Alice finally gets in touch with Cassie's family.
* Jill and Katherine enjoy touching memories of Phillip.
* Carl is touchy about Paul's attempts to touch base with him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ANOTHER WAY OUT, Episode 117, 06-Dec-98
by Kent Pitman (pitman@anotherwayout.com)
"Out of Touch"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The base of a phone sits on the floor of an otherwise empty office. The
cord is stretched as Grace paces back and forth angrily, talking into the
handset. "I can't believe what they did to me, Michael. I slept with
Nicholas and then--poof!" "They fired you?" he asks. "No, they
transferred me to a different job--same status." "They were clever to do
that," he says. "What's the new job doing?" "Well, it's basically an
empty room--no furniture, no papers, no fax machine. Empty--totally
empty." "An empty office? And that's the same status as you had before?"
he asks. "Well, I guess all this emptiness is to make me feel less like
I've lost something," she admits. "How so?" he asks, still confused.
"Well, I used to work with Nick. He's quite the stud in bed, but he's not
got very much upstairs, if you know what I mean. I guess they just
figured I'd miss having such a giant emptiness nearby..."
"Mother, will you just keep OUT of this problem between me and Sharon?"
Nick scolds Nikki. "I'm just trying to help," she insists. "It's MY
marriage. MINE. Does that word mean anything to you? MINE. MY problem.
I have to solve it. Get it?" He waits for Nikki to respond. She just
stares for a moment as if for once left with nothing to say. Finally she
says, "Well, we'll just see about that. Just wait until your father gets
home." And she huffs out.
Gina greets Paul as he comes into her restaurant. "I'm sorry, we're
closed tonight." "Again?" he asks. "This is the third night in a row."
"Sorry," she says. "There are a lot of homeless people in Genoa City and
I'm doing my best to take care of them." Paul shrugs. "Well, if you can
do it, so can I. Give me an apron." "All the aprons are taken," she
says. "We're really fine on the help part. We just need money for
supplies." He nods and hands her a fifty. "That's very generous," she
says smiling. "Well, the homeless people really need it," he says. "By
the way, I don't see any of them here." "Well, there aren't any right
now," Gina admits. "Aren't any?" "Not enough room. Too many
volunteers." "But there are people at the tables." "Yeah, those are all
volunteers--I have to feed them after all. I've got them working in
shifts feeding each other." "Each other?" Paul asks, still confused.
"Well," Gina explains, "there ARE too many to feed all at once." "But
what about the money I just gave you?" "I'll use it to buy supplies for
the volunteers. And what's left over will be profit." "Profit?" "I have
to make a profit, don't I? You can't expect me to just do this for free.
But just think of all the people I'm helping." "I don't see anyone you're
helping." "Don't be ridiculous, Paul. These people all feel terribly
guilty about the homeless--I'm helping them to feel less guilty." "But
it's not even Thanksgiving any more." "Why should people only feel guilty
on Thanksgiving? This is an everyday problem, so I'm providing an
everyday solution. Besides, I made more on donations on Thanksgiving than
I normally do on my normal menu. So I may just keep this up
indefinitely." "Even if no homeless come?" "ESPECIALLY if no homeless
come. Paul, this is a restaurant. You really can't have a bunch of
filthy people in and out all the time--it'd never get by the health
inspectors. This way, I have a clean client base. A regular source of
income. And I don't have to pay any staff."
Elsewhere that evening, a Genoa City policeman has let Katherine into the
house. "Could you leave me, please?" she says. He looks uncertain.
"Please," says Katherine, "what do you think I'm going to do? Steal this
place? Burn it? Oh, Dear Lord, I LOVE this place, don't you see? It's
all I have left of my late, darling Phillip. I just need to be alone with
my thoughts." The deputy nods and withdraws, leaving Katherine to wander
the halls reminiscing. Suddenly, though, she hears a rustle and turns to
see Phillip smiling behind her. "Oh, my dear, dear Phillip," she says.
He comes toward her and they embrace, hugging first, and then kissing
deeply.
It's later that night and Alice slips into Nick and Sharon's house. She's
wearing the kind of designer black leather slacks and jacket that's all
the rage for Y&R characters rescuing a family member. Her outfit glistens
in the moonlight coming in through the window, and she carries a
flashlight to help her see. Quietly she scopes out the area, checking
first the kitchen and then Noah's room. Then, suddenly, there's the sound
of a door opening. It's Nicholas. She hides in Noah's room and peeks
out, wondering why he isn't turning on the lights either. He heads
quietly up the stairs as she sits down to wait. "Great," she says in a
whisper. "The one night I pick to break in, someone else is burgling it,
too."
Back at the Chancellor estate, it's Jill's turn to be wandering alone in
the mansion, consumed by her thoughts of yesteryear. She sets aside the
crowbar she used to get in through the back entrance and wanders around
until she finds the ballroom. Phillip Chancellor, dressed in full formal
garb, awaits her arrival. They dance and dance until she collapses into
his arms and he carries her smiling body in his arms up the stairs toward
the bedroom.
Alice gets up from the bed in Noah's room and tiptoes quietly up the
stairs to the top, where she can hear Sharon fending Nick off. "Nicholas,"
Sharon says, "I told you to get away from me. You slept with Grace--go
find her if you want a good time." "But you're my WIFE," Nick says. "I
don't want Grace. I want you." Alice slinks back down the stairs and
sits in Noah's room eyeing Noah, who starts to make noise. She coos him
back to silence. "Hey," she says, "I was looking for my little girl, but
maybe I should start over with a little boy instead..." Just then there's
a sound outside and she ducks under some covers to hide. Nick peeks in to
see Noah in the dim moonlight. "Hey, big guy," Nick says. "Your Mom
won't let me touch her, can you believe that. And I really need--" His
eye catches on a shape in the bed. "Grace?" he asks. No answer. "Grace,
I know it's you--I just spoke to Sharon upstairs and I--Grace, I realize
I've treated you badly, but I was just--" A hand reaches out and pulls him
under the covers. "Grace!" he says. "You're not mad at me?" No answer.
"I guess NOT," he says excitedly as the covers swirl.
The next morning at the Chancellor estate, Jill awakens in bed. She is
curled up toward the window, with light streaming in. "Oh, Phillip, last
night was truly wonderful. I haven't had a night of lovemaking like that
since--since--" she rolls toward him. From the other side of the bed, "I
agree, that was an extraordinary night," Katherine says, rolling find
herself in a passionate embrace with Jill. "You!" Jill says. "You??"
Katherine says. "Oh, my god!" Jill says. "You don't think it was you
I--" Katherine pulls away and blushes. "No, of course not. It couldn't
have been. It was too good. I haven't had a night like that since--"
Jill nods, still very embarrassed. "It was really good, though, wasn't
it." Katherine nods back hesitantly. "Yes, well, it was probably just a
fluke. You know--one of those things that--" Just then, Esther enters.
"Mrs. C., I brought you some morning coffe--Mrs. C! Mrs. A!" In unison,
both Katherine and Jill say, "Esther, could you please learn to knock!"
On a plane to Norfolk, Paul is on the plane phone. "Lynne, what's
happening back there? Everything calm?" "Well, mostly. But Mr. Hansen
called and he's caught a thief at his factory--he wants to know if there's
a way to get a positive ID since the guy won't reveal his identity."
"Lynne--how long have you been in this business? Fingerprints. Did you
try fingerprints? He's probably done it before. They'll be on file."
"Sorry, boss. Ok. And the police called to ask your advice about a
slaying across town--they have a suspect, but--" "Blood samples? Hair
samples? Skin samples? Dental records? DNA testing? Lynne--there are
so many ways to prove the identity of someone when you're right there with
them. Am I going to have to send you back to Private Eye 101?" "No,
boss. You're right. I should know that. Well, that's it. Have a safe
flight." "Thanks, Lynne."
At the Genoa City courthouse, the camera trains on the judge, who bangs
his gavel and says, "Court is in session." "Ouch," we hear a small voice
say. The camera pans around to reveal Cassie and Nikki at a table
together. The judge asks, "Is there a problem?" "I'm sorry, Your Honor,"
Cassie says. "I'm having a disagreement with my client. Could we have a
moment?" The judge looks skeptical but nods and says, "Make it quick."
Cassie turns to Nikki and the camera comes in close to give the sense that
this is a private conversation. "Will you please stop kicking me," Cassie
whispers. "I just didn't want you to back down," Nikki says back to her.
She speaks also in a whisper, but the tone is clearly authoritative. "
"But you're going to get me disbarred," Cassie whines. "Well, if you
don't try, I'm going to talk to your mother and get you grounded."
"That's extorsion!" the little girl says, surprised. "Believe me, no jury
of my peers is going to convict me. The judge interrupts impatiently,
"Young lady--did you wish to address the court today?" "Not really, Your
Honor, but I'm told I have to or--" Nikki kicks her again and shs leaves
that sentence hanging. Getting suddenly more serious she says, "Well,
nevermind. Ok, Your Honor, here goes..." But we'll have to wait until
after a commercial to finally find out what's going on.
Back in the courtroom, Cassie continues, "The plaintiff would like to
petition the court to become part of the marriage between Sharon and
Nicholas Newman." The judge looks perplexed. "Isn't she already the
husband's mother?" he asks. Cassie nods. "She is. But my da--I mean,
Nicholas, the husband, keeps telling her that she should--" She pauses
again and whispers to Nikki. "Can I really use that word in open court?"
Nikki nods. "You're quoting, Cassie. It's ok." She turns back and says,
"that she should `butt out' because it's not her marriage. So she would
like to make it be her marriage, too." The judge shakes his head. "This
is pretty irregular--I'm not sure there's any precedent for this." "I
worried about that, too, but if I could just call one witness, I think I
could clear up that part of things." The judge sighs. "Call your witness."
In Norfolk, Paul comes face to face with his father. "Dad, is it you?"
"No, son, it's not me." "But you look like you, Dad," Paul says. "Sorry,
Paul, I've never seen you before in my life. Now head on home and tell
Mary I won't be home for sauerkraut and and spare ribs tonight because I
don't remember either of you." "Dad, I just know it's you, but I have no
way to prove it." "You're right, son. If I don't remember you, that's
that." "But--" "Son, I'm a career police officer--I outrank you. Now get
out of here and go back to Genoa City or wherever you came from." Paul
sighs. Cricket pats him on the back and they both walk out the front
door. "I'm sorry, Paul, I really am." "It's all right, Chris. He's
right: if he doesn't remember he doesn't remember. I guess that's that."
"We call Victor Newman," Cassie says. Victor stands and moves to the
front. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but
the truth so help you God?" he is asked. "I am Victor Newman," Victor
says. "Pity the poor person who tries to suggest anything I say is not
true." The bailiff looks to the judge to see if this counts. The judge
rolls his eyes and twirls a pen in a "just move it along" gesture. "Now,
Mr. Newman, you are recently an expert in the marriage code for the State
of Wisconsin?" "Indeed I am." "And could you explain how that happened?"
"Well, my darling wife Nikki came to me, you see, and she said there was a
problem with our son Nicholas, and that she wanted to interfere but that
our son was excluding her because it was not her marryage. That offended
me, you know, because as a Newman, I am used to interfering wherever I
want. So, of course, I immediately contacted the state of Utah and
arranged to lease their legal system." "Why the state of Utah?" "Well,
they have those polygamous marryages there--you know, where more than one
woman can be married to a man at one time. I figured it would help Nikki
in this case, and if it works out, I may just buy the whole damned lot of
laws for my own situation, so that I can just stay married to Diane and
Nikki at the same time, and get on with the business of cheating on both
of them without anyone complaining that something illegal is going on."
Just at that moment, Alice enters the courtroom. "Cassie!" she says from
the back of the room. "That's my little girl!" she says, pointing to
Cassie. Cassie looks over to her and starts running. Toward Alice.
"Mommy!" she says. "Thank goodness you've come. I've been held hostage
by crazy people but now I can go home." "Not so fast," Alice says.
"First I need you to represent me in a paternity suit against some guy
named Nicholas Newman."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Copyright 1998 Kent M. Pitman. All Rights Reserved.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Another Way Out" takes plotline state at time of publication and shows that
there are interesting places right around the corner. The goal, besides
having some fun with good-natured parody, is to challenge the notion that we
must be mired in certain tired plotlines for months just to have a good time.
There is always another way out...
Archives of this and older episodes of "Another Way Out"
as well as the more serious "morals" that underly them,
can be found at: http://world.std.com/~pitman/awo/index.html
Don't forget to try the "character index" and "ratings index"!