Cliff House: Jeopardy

"Jeopardy"
Wednesday, March 3, 1993

SCENE: HOLLYBEND, late in the evening. MICHELLE is in HOLLY’S room, getting ready to watch a movie on the VCR. ROGER and HOLLY talk in the living room.

ROGER: I’ve lost my son.

HOLLY: Something’s happened to him?

ROGER: No, nothing like that. He’s back.

HOLLY: Here in Springfield?

ROGER: After all these months of searching, I find him here. But he hates me. He wants me dead.

At about the same time, at the COUNTRY CLUB, ED walks alone into the barroom. He goes to the bar, smells a bouquet of flowers, and sits down. ED stares across the bar at the alcohol and some elegant glasses.

Back at HOLLYBEND:.

HOLLY: You can’t be serious.

ROGER: Such pure hatred in his eyes . . . and not only for me.

HOLLY: What do you mean?

ROGER: For himself . . . I think . . . he didn’t realize his potential for violence. [HOLLY squirms a bit upon hearing this.] He had . . . absolute self-hatred. My boy . . . hates himself . . . because he’s my son.

MICHELLE runs into the room just as HOLLY sympathetically touches ROGER’S shoulder.

MICHELLE [coming into the room]: There’s something wrong with the timer-thing on the VCR. I tried to fix it—

MICHELLE freezes as she sees HOLLY and ROGER touching hands.

MICHELLE: Never mind.

HOLLY: Michelle, Mr. Thorpe was just upset about something.

MICHELLE flashes to a moment she witnessed between Ed and Lillian, when her father told her, “It’s okay, honey, Mrs. Raines was just upset about something.”

MICHELLE runs back to the bedroom and closes the door on HOLLY and ROGER.

HOLLY: Michelle? Honey?

ROGER: What’s wrong?

HOLLY: How do you deal with a little girl who’s just lost her mother? Where is Ed when I need him?

Standing behind HOLLY where she can’t see him, ROGER shakes his head in frustration and jealousy.

Immediate cut to the COUNTRY CLUB bar.

A BARTENDER places a drink in front of ED.

BARTENDER: Private reserve, thirty years old. Goes down real smooth.

ED [controlled]: I didn’t order that.

BARTENDER: Yeah, well, you looked like you could use one.

ED looks at the glass and picks it up. His wedding band figures prominently in the shot.

EVE GUTHRIE joins him at the bar.

EVE: Ed?

ED: I didn’t order this and I haven’t touched it. But . . . I sure as hell want it.

EVE [knowing what she ought to say, as one experienced]: Well, you had a tough day today.

ED: Yes, I had a day I’d like to forget. And see, that’s what this would do for me. Right here.

EVE: You were very good today.

ED [laughs mockingly]: But not good enough, huh?

EVE: Look, everything that could have been done, you did. Nobody could do any more. Nobody could certainly do any better than you did.

ED: I know the operation went wonderful—complete success—just a minor little glitch. Hello! The patient died!

EVE: Well, Lillian and I didn’t do anything to help.

ED: What?

EVE: We stood there like hawks watching for you to crack under the pressure. I mean we just expected it. And you didn’t. You were in control.

ED: Well, so what? Didn’t change anything.

EVE: Yeah, I know . . . I felt the same way when I couldn’t save Maureen. You keep thinking over and over, “If I had done this . . . “

ED [crisply]: You’re not to blame yourself for Maureen. There was nothing you could do to save her. If I could have had my choice of doctors, I would have picked you.

EVE [ashamed of herself]: Oh, terrific Eve! What are you doing, feeling sorry for yourself? I’m sure Ed has absolutely nothing better to do than reassure you.

ED [more self-mockery]: Well, if I do, I’m neglecting it!

EVE: It was okay with the husband. You tried.

ED: I stood there like a vegetable. I couldn’t tell an honest suffering man that he’d lost his wife, and maybe I couldn’t do that because I was afraid that I would spill the rest of it . . . which is that it’s an unbearable pain that never goes away. It is an unbearable pain that stays with you day . . and night. [The next three words are softly, sardonically sung to the Cole Porter tune . . . ] “Night and day.”

ED props his chin on his arms and looks more closely at the glass as he continues.

ED: Ah, it has been a long time, but I still remember what this beautiful stuff used to be able to do for me. No feelings, no guilt, no pain, no remorse, no nothing—would get me through . . . days like this . . . whew! Weeks like this . . . Has it really been only a few weeks?

EVE: You think maybe you should go to a meeting?

ED [“coming to”]: Yes, indeed! Yes, I should—and I will, just a little bit later. I have to go pick up Michelle. I left her with Holly.

ED looks at EVE and leaves. She lets out a sigh of relief as she looks at the still-full glass.

Immediate CUT to the hall of HOLLYBEND. ROGER and HOLLY stand in front of the door to HOLLY’S room, trying to persuade MICHELLE to come out.

ROGER: Michelle, please.

MICHELLE: I told you I didn’t care! It’s okay.

ROGER: Look I, I ... I just want to apologize for upsetting you.

MICHELLE: I’m missing my movie!

HOLLY: It’ll just take a minute. Oh, c’mon. Hear him out.

A stony-faced MICHELLE opens the door and goes to the living room. ROGER and HOLLY follow.

ROGER [he sits down on the couch]: Look, I mean, the truth is, I don’t really know how I upset you . . . uh . . . Want to sit down?

MICHELLE remains standing.

ROGER: Anyway, that’s not important. What’s important is that obviously I did upset you and . . . and I’m just so sorry. It’s the last thing in the world I want . . . to see you unhappy.

MICHELLE: Why?

ROGER: Why? Because you’re a wonderful, lovely young girl. And because of your mother. I was very fond of her. I’m not your father’s favorite person, I guess you know that.

MICHELLE: I know.

ROGER: But your mom and I, well, I mean, she was always kind to me. In fact, she was the nicest person I ever met in this town.

MICHELLE [now sitting down beside of him]: I heard Mom talk about you.

ROGER: Hey, let me tell you something. When my son and I were having major problems, do you know she was the one person in this town who just insisted on helping make things all right? I mean, she wouldn’t take no for an answer. She didn’t ask how, what, who was at fault, anything. She just jumped right in with both feet. I mean, Hart and I were both hurting, and she just . . . she just . . . her warmth and her generosity just made everything right ... if only for a little while. Anyway, that’s the kind of person she was. And I miss her so much.

MICHELLE: Almost no one talks to me about Mom anymore.

ROGER: I’ll tell you what. Any time you want to talk about your mom with anyone, I’m your man. Okay?

MICHELLE: I just think they’re afraid.

HOLLY: Why do you think?

ROGER: Well, I think they’re afraid that they’ll make you sad. But when they realize how much you want to talk about your mom, how much you need to talk about her, really, you’re not going to be able to shut ‘em up. I mean, that’s how much everyone loved her.

HOLLY: And that’s what’s going to happen. Your mother’s never going to be forgotten, because so many people loved her, and so many people miss her very much.

A little later, MICHELLE, HOLLY, and ROGER are sitting around the table at HOLLYBEND. .

MICHELLE: Can I go back to my movie?

HOLLY: What about homework?

MICHELLE: I don’t have any.

HOLLY gives MICHELLE a skeptical look.

MICHELLE: Well, not really, just some dumb capitals.

ROGER [teasing]: Oh, yeah. Those dumb capitals are easy. It’s the smart ones that cause all the trouble. What dumb capitals are you studying?

MICHELLE: Well, you know, like “Italy.”

ROGER: Ah, the city all roads lead to.

MICHELLE: What is Rome?

HOLLY: A game!

ROGER: Great! All right! Uhmm . . . Let’s see . . .ah, well, the Louvre is a very, very popular attraction there.

MICHELLE: Where is Paris?

ROGER: Absolument!

HOLLY laughs.

ROGER: Okay, and Paris is the capital of what country?

MICHELLE: France.

ROGER: This girl is a genius. All right—capitals for $300!

MICHELLE: Mom and I used to play this all the time.

ROGER: Your mom was a very smart woman.

MICHELLE [sad again]: She always got the last one, you know, the big question.

HOLLY: What was it . . . the question?

ROGER: Ah, capitals for $400. Uh . . [with a mock-British accent] Shall we have tea and crumpets at Buckingham Palace?

MICHELLE [floored]: What are crumpets?

ROGER: Eh—wrong!

ED enters the room without knocking.

ED: Michelle.

MICHELLE: Hi, Dad.

HOLLY and ROGER: Hi, Ed.

ED: What’s going on?

HOLLY: Uh, just helping Michelle with her homework.

MICHELLE: Playing Jeopardy. It’s a neat way to do it, Dad.

Silence.

ROGER: Well, I better be going. [turns to MICHELLE] I really enjoyed this time with you.

MICHELLE [charmed]: Thanks for helping, Mr. Thorpe.

ROGER: Call me Roger, please, and thank you, honey. Good-bye.

ROGER leaves.

HOLLY knows she’s about to get a lecture, and is already defensive.

HOLLY: Ed—

ED: Michelle, honey, would you go get your stuff? It’s time for us to go home.

MICHELLE leaves the room.

ED to HOLLY: How could you do this?

HOLLY: He was helping Michelle with her homework.

ED: Michelle doesn’t need that kind of help.

HOLLY: Michelle needs all the help she can get!

ED: She doesn’t need anything from Roger Thorpe!

HOLLY: You’re way off base, not to mention two hours late.

ED [sarcastically]: I’m two hours late? I’m sorry. I had a hard day, all right?

HOLLY: That’s not important to me. All I care about is that little girl in there who is having a terrible time. You should be grateful that somebody—that anybody—is trying to help her through it. She’s in trouble, Ed.

ED [losing it]: Of course she’s in trouble! She just lost her mother!

HOLLY: There’s something else.

ED [hysterical]: What else—what else could there be?!!!!

HOLLY: Well, you tell me.

MICHELLE comes back with her book bag and blue-jean jacket.

ED: Okay, let’s go. All right? Do me a favor and just go jump in the car. I’ll be right out.

MICHELLE: Thanks, Holly. Bye.

HOLLY: I’ll see you soon.

MICHELLE leaves.

ED: Okay. I don’t want Michelle going anywhere near Roger Thorpe. And I don’t know why you want to go anywhere near him, either.

ED leaves.

Next Scene:
Secrets