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Date: 25 Jan 97 18:40:44 GMT
From: kmp@harlequin.com (Kent Pitman)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv.soaps.cbs
Subject: Y&R: Another Way Out, episode 17
Message-ID: <KMP.97Jan25184044@romulus.harlequin.com>
"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
INSIDE... * What major character bites the dust?
* What of a minor character who wipes the dust?
* What character minor stirs the dust?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ANOTHER WAY OUT, Episode 17, 25-Jan-97 by Kent Pitman (kmp@harlequin.com)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kurt is sitting on the couch brooding over the numerous mementos of a
perfect marriage scattered about the room. His ghost wife, Linda (with an
L) seats herself comfortably at the other end of the couch while his ghost
daughter Sarah (with an S) mills around the room. He pats the couch,
inviting S to come sit in between him and L. However, before she has a
chance to respond in the stereotypically perfect way that only a dead
daughter's ghost could, Helen enters and sees his gesture. She responds
with the reverent allegiance you'd expect of someone who's weekly and
without solicitation dusted the abandoned house of a grief-stricken
neighbor. "Why of course, Kurt, I'd be happy to come sit with you. Look,
here, I brought you some tea." He smiles feebly, deciding not to admit
straight out that he had been motioning to someone more translucent.
"Thanks, Helen," he says as she sets a cup of hot tea in front of him and
seats herself at his side. "Are you ready to talk about it?" she asks. He
looks at her as if to reply, but then stops abruptly as if to say "can the
audience hear me with the FF button depressed that way?" Apparently the
director concurs because an abrupt snippet of canned music signals the
welcome relief of an oncoming commercial for those whose tired thumbs have
slipped from the button.
Victor is with Nick in his office. They have obviously been at it for a
while. "I OWN this company, do you hear? NO major decision is made around
here unless -I- make it," Victor shouts. Nick, fed up to the gills, says
"Oh yeah? Well, -I- quit. You gonna tell me I can't make THAT decision for
myself? Or is it just that you don't think that's a major issue?" Victor
is rendered speechless for a moment, so Nick continues. "Never mind. I
know you already think that nothing I do is a major issue. I'm just a kid,
right? And so I'll always be. You won't change until the day you die... So
I either sit around and hope for that lucky day, or I get out--NOW!" He
heads out the door as the fuming Victor finally speaks, yelling after him.
"You can't quit because you're fired. You hear that? You're--" He siezes
up and falls to the floor.
Helen has been telling a long story to Kurt. Mercifully, the commercial has
kept us from hearing part of it. At open, she is just finishing. "So
that's when I realized that my Freddy was having an affair with your Linda.
You remember I came and talked to you about it--and what you advised--that I
should cast all evil from my life?" "Helen, I was eating leftover chinese
food at the time--I think that little remark was from the fortune cookie."
She looks disappointed. "Well, it seemed like good advice to me. And so I
did it..." "You did what?" he asks. "I got rid of Freddy and Linda. I
arranged for twin car accidents, one for Freddy and one for your wife.
Sorry about the kid, though--poor planning on my part, I guess. But now
that they're all gone, we can finally be together."
Cricket is finishing up a phone call to a client we'll presumably never see
on the show. "Just tell them they have no right to be interfering with your
life in that way. If they keep hounding you with nuisance lawsuits that
way, tell them our people will counter-sue. ... Well, I don't know the
grounds, but we have access to the world's best private investigation
services, so I'm sure we can dig up some sort of dirt. The real point is to
keep them scared. ... Oh, it's no trouble. That's what the legal aid
office is for. ... You do? ... Well, you sure know how to flatter, but I
couldn't leave my job here at legal aid--people here depend on me. ...
Well, thank you, Mr. Presi--ok, thank you, Bill." Paul has entered while
she is talking but has waited for her to hang up. "All set to tell my
mother the big news?" Paul asks. Cricket nods. "I'm ready, but what about
Exhibit A?" Paul grins. "In the car, Chris." He takes a deep breath.
"This is going to be one heck of an evening--are you sure you're up to it?"
"``am I sure I'M up to it''? You mean ``are WE sure WE'RE up to it''--this
isn't something one can do alone," she says firmly. "Oh, I agree, Chris.
We BOTH started it and there's no backing out now. So let's go break the
good news to Mom....."
Kurt shakes his head at Helen. "Me? Stay here with you? It's not going to
happen, Helen. I don't know why you're saying those things, but I know in
my heart that you didn't kill those people." "You do?" He nods. "I do--
because -I- killed them. -I- arranged the car accident for those traitors.
-I- am responsible. And now--" "And now," she says, "you're going to sleep.
That tea I gave you was spiked with a strong sedative which should be taking
effect just about..." Her head slumps to the table. "Sorry, but I switched
the cups, Helen," he says to her motionless body. "Sleep well, while I
prepare a little accident for you to have." Suddenly there is the sound of
loud speakers outside--"Kurt Costner. This is the F.B.I (with an F). We
have you surrounded, and your confession to Helen on tape. Come out with
your hands up." He sighs, places his hands on his head, and moves toward
the door.
The hospital. Victor's women (Nikki, Victoria, Ashley, Hope) are clustered
around as a doctor comes out. "He's had a stroke and his speech centers
seem to be affected. He may be able to hear you, but it could be months or
years before he can speak." "Are you sure, doctor? Sometimes he speaks in
a mumble and it's just hard to hear him," Nikki asks. The doctor shakes his
head, "It's not that. He's been in and out of here for years and we're
familiar with that problem. This is the real thing and is going to be a lot
more complicated." "Now, you can visit, but let's go one at a time, ladies.
I suggest reverse order of marriage." "Uh, I'm his daughter--I was never
married to him," Victoria interjects. "Oh. Hmm. Well, why don't you go
first then. Oh, and I'm afraid I'll have to certify him as incompetent to
administer any business affairs, so you might want to talk to your family's
lawyer about who has the legal right to run his company; I'm afraid it may
be a long time, if ever, before he's up to that again..."
Mary Williams welcomes Paul and Cricket at the door and before they can get
past the welcome mat, she is already at work grilling them. "Christine,
Paul--you said you had news I'd been waiting forever to hear?" They nod in
unison. "Paul,..." Cricket prompts. "No, you go ahead," Paul says. "OK,"
says Cricket. "Mary, you're going to be a grandmother." "Oh, Christine,
you're pregnant!" Mary says with a happy squeal. "Not exactly," Cricket
says. "You're about to get pregnant?" Mary asks, confused. "Uh, not
exactly, Mom," Paul explains. Cricket finally blurts it out: "With our busy
schedules, we're not really up to eighteen years of raising a child, and
especially not a lot of diaper changing... Mary, meet our six-year-old
adopted son, Alejandro." They stand aside as a six-year-old Hispanic child
steps forward and proudly extends his hand to be shaken. "Hola, Abuela!"
he says gleefully.