October 10, 2000 Teleplay by: Jim Hamilton Excerpts from: "Serious Moves" by Jill "Texas in New York" by Robin "Affairs" by Sary "The Whole Shebang" by Deanna "Long, Hot Summer" by Meggars Estimated Runtime: 22:26 ----- We open the scene in darkness, then we hear a familiar voice- Dana's. "Get out of the way!" As the scene comes into view, we see Dana in a slight panic and running down the hall. Dana: Outta' the way! Excuse me! Dana runs by Dan and Casey as they talk in the hall. Dan completely ignores her, while Casey looks on with concern as Dana turns the corner. Dan: Did you know about the Mesquite Rodeo at the Garden this weekend? Casey: Yeah. Casey peers over Dan's shoulder. Dan: We've been given permission to interview a few of the bull riders ringside. Casey: (distracted) Yeah. Dan: Probably because of our experience with Lone Star Sports. Casey: Uh-huh. Dan looks at Casey and is a little miffed because Casey seems preoccupied with Dana's predicament. He decides to play with Casey. Dan: So are you going to sing your rendition of 'Long Tall Texan' for all the folks at Madison Square Garden? Casey: Yeah. Dan: And you'll break out your ten gallon hat, cowboy boots, chaps, and lasso to make it look complete. Casey: Uh-huh. Dana runs back down the hall once again, this time holding a bottled water in each hand. Dana: Emergency coming through! Outta' the way! She buzzes right by Casey and Dan once again, and continues her sprint toward her office. Casey seems even more concerned. Dan looks at his watch. Dan: Hmmm. Only two hours, forty-seven minutes, and thirteen seconds before our first 'Dana-crisis'. It's good to have her back. Casey's attention is obviously diverted. Dan: Case? Casey: (still turned away) Yeah. Dan: What's romantic? The question causes Casey to focus back on Dan. Casey: Huh? Dana then comes running around the corner once again. Dana: Water! I need more water! Casey doesn't hesitate to take action. He spots the water cooler across the hall and a few feet away. He darts over to it and rips the water jug from the top of it. He starts spilling water on the floor as he flips the opening to face the ceiling. He starts running down towards Dana's office with the nearly-full jug cradled in his arms. Dana: This way! This way, Casey! Dan looks pleasantly amused and he decides to follow the pair down to her office just to satisfy his curiosity. A crowd of employees follow Dan. ----- We move to Dana's office, and we see smoke coming from her trash can. Casey bursts through the doorway and dumps the jug into the trash can. The sudden rush of water quickly puts out the fire in the trash can. Dana: Way to go, Casey! Way to go! The trash can starts to overflow with water spilling out onto the floor. Casey jumps over to grab the jug. He pulls it out of the can, and some water spills out onto the floor. The slick jug is difficult for Casey to handle as he tries to keep the container from pouring any more water out. Finally, the wet jug slips out of his hands and falls to the floor, spilling the rest of it contents out and soaking into the carpet. Dana screams while Casey tries to catch the bouncing jug. It bounces over and hits the full trash can, and it falls over spilling the rest of the water and charred pieces onto the floor. Dan then walks up, leading a group of employees, and assesses the situation. Dan: Fire Marshall McCall to the rescue. Way to be proactive by dousing the carpet before it actually catches on fire, Casey. Casey: Shut up. Dana: And what were you doing? Just waiting for a signal? Dan: Usually there would be bells and a siren during an actual emergency. Casey: Her trash can was on fire. Isaac: And how could that be? (emerges from the crowd) Dana: Isaac! You're here! Isaac: Usually when I see my executive producer running down the hall like a maniac, I become concerned. I decided to see what was going on. So, Dana, what is going on? Dana: Nothing Isaac. It is all under control here. Right, Casey? Casey looks down on the floor and tries to step over the huge puddle, but manages to step into it, causing a squishing noise. Casey: Yeah. Anybody got a mop or a towel? Isaac: And you two have the clean-up all under control, right? Casey: Who me? Isaac: Yes, you. And Dana. You were the one running down the hall like you were trying to score a touchdown, and it looks like you fumbled all over the floor. Jeremy walks in. Jeremy: What's going on? Dan: Dana had a fire and Casey had a flood. Natalie comes running in and out of breath. Natalie: Wh- What happened? Dan: (sexual innuendo) Casey had to put out Dana's fire. Casey: Enough with the wisecracks, already. Dan: Sorry. I'll go grab some paper towels from the snack room. (leaves room) Jeremy: I'll call maintenance to send up a wet-dry vac. Isaac: You do that. (turns to face everyone outside of the office) Okay, everyone. The show's over. Let's have the rest of us get back to work, and leave these two to clean up. Everyone starts to leave the area, and only Dana, Casey, and Natalie are left behind. Jeremy comes back in. Jeremy: Oh, I almost forgot, Natalie. Here's the tape from the Redskins game. (hands tape to Natalie) Natalie: Thank you. Jeremy leaves the room. Dana: I'll take that, Natalie. (takes the tape from Natalie) Natalie: You won't be needing that. (takes the tape back from Dana) Dana: And why not? (takes the tape from Natalie, again) Natalie: You've got work to do. (takes the tape back from Dana and points to the mess on the floor) This is smoker's punishment. Casey: Why am I involved with this? Natalie: You never got her to quit. Casey: And that's my fault? Natalie: No, but I'm blaming you anyway. Casey: Okay, fine. Natalie: Fine. (to Dana) It must be great for you to be covering the rodeo, just like the old days. Dana: Yeah, just like the old days. Casey: We are? Dana: Didn't Dan tell you? Casey: No. Dana: You're going to get to interview some of the bull riders ringside. Casey: Great. And I think there's going to be someone singing 'Long Tall Texan.' Dana: Good. Natalie. Natalie: Dana. Dana: What are you still doing here? Natalie: Standing in the middle of the mess you two made. Dana: You've got the Redskins tape, and I was already behind before this happened. So, I suggest you get moving. Natalie: (looks shocked) Yes ma'am. Casey: (looking down) Man, I need new pants. Dana: What? Casey: My pants are all wet. I need dry pants. Natalie and Casey both start to leave the room. Dana: Stop! They both stop in their tracks. Dana: Natalie, go. Casey, you are not weaseling out of this one. Stay here. Casey: I wasn't-- Dana: No excuses. Natalie gives a sympathetic look to Casey and leaves the room. Casey looks like he is being punished for the good deed he had just done. Casey: Dana. Dana: You'll be interviewing some of the cowboys. Terry Don West is pretty hot right now, so you'll interview him. Jeremy pops back in the room. Jeremy: Maintenance is sending up someone with a wet-dry vac. Dana: Thank you, Jeremy. (to Casey) When we get a roster card of who all will be participating, we'll decide who else you'll interview. Casey: It looks like you're deciding for us already. Jeremy: The rodeo, huh? Casey: Yeah, we used to cover some really wild ones back in Dallas. Jeremy: I still say bull riding is not a sport....it's an acceptable means of suicide! Casey shrugs his shoulders. Casey: It's a pretty cut and dried concept. You hang on for eight seconds and you win. You don't hang on and the bull wins. And even if you do hang on for eight seconds, the bull can still win if you don't get out of the ring fast enough. Casey and Jeremy laugh, while Dana rolls her eyes at their playfulness. Dana: Okay, guys. Casey: Just a joke, Dana. Dana: There's a ton of work yet to be done. Jeremy senses its time to leave. Jeremy: There's some hockey highlights I need to take care of, so I'll be going. Dana: See ya' Jeremy. Jeremy leaves the room. Casey: Got your postcard. Dana: What? Casey: The postcard you sent me while you were on vacation. Dana: Oh yeah. Right. Great. Casey: It was nice and everything. And the perfume was a nice touch. Dana: Glad you enjoyed it. Casey stands there speechless for a moment. Casey: It's good to have the rodeo back in town. Dana: Yeah, it's a great assignment. Dan comes back into the office with an armful of paper towels. He sets them on top of Dana's desk. We can see Dana say, "Thank you, Danny," and he leaves the room. A disappointed and confused Casey grabs a bunch of paper towels and he gets down on his hands and knees and starts sopping up water. Dana joins him on the floor as they clean up the room in silence. After the paper towels become saturated, they drop them into the now empty trash can. ...Is this the same woman I am madly in love with? Is this the woman whose scent electrifies my senses and makes me want to dance? Is this the same Dana? God, she looks beautiful right now. Her hair drooping over her shoulders, and dangling down. I could move right over and kiss her right now. Maybe that would bring her back. I should kiss her right now- so deep and passionately. Wait. I still have my plan. I'm going to follow through with my plan. Just clean this mess up and get away from this stunningly, gorgeous, smoky woman. Be strong, Casey. Be strong.... ----- We see Jeremy at his desk, playing with a deck of tarot cards. He starts placing them in different positions. Kim walks up behind him. Kim: Whatcha' doing, Jeremy? Jeremy: That rain thing last week caught me completely off guard. Kim: The weathermen predicted rain. Jeremy: But their prediction wasn't based on true facts. Dan joins Kim and Jeremy as Jeremy places a couple more cards on his desk. Dan: Isn't that redundant? Jeremy: (looks up at Dan) What? Dan: True facts. Facts are already true, so using the adjective 'true' is being redundant. Jeremy: I didn't say-- Dan: If they were untrue facts, then they would have to be falsehoods or lies. Jeremy: But-- Kim: You did say true facts, Jeremy. Jeremy: Okay. I was wrong. I am ignorant of the rules of proper grammar. Please forgive me. Kim: So, you are using tarot cards? Jeremy: There was an outside force acting against my prediction. I am trying to see if the true... answers lie here in the cards. Dan: Can't you just talk to your psychic friend? Kim: Well what do you see for yourself? Jeremy looks glum as Kim and Dan look over his cards. Jeremy: Nothing good. Dan: What's that guy with all the knives stuck in him? Jeremy: The Ten of Swords, only one of the worst cards to get in the whole deck. Natalie joins the group. Kim: Really. What does it mean? Jeremy: Total despair, financial ruin, death of a loved one. Everyone looks at Natalie. Natalie: Hey, don't look at me like that. You're not getting rid of me that easily. I'm in your future no matter what. Jeremy: (a little more positive) Yeah. Dan changes the subject. Dan: Kim, what's romantic? Kim: You're asking me? Dan: Jeremy, what's romantic? Jeremy: Eight letter adjective indicating a nineteenth century school of thought that did away with neoclassical ideals for a more relaxed and natural style. Dan: Seriously. Jeremy: I don't know. I'm a guy. I just do what I'm told. Dan: Natalie, what's romantic? Natalie: We can't tell you. Dan: We? Natalie: That's cheating. Think of it as a quest to understand the female mind. Dan: Did I do something? Natalie: Probably. Dan: Is this part of my quest? Natalie: Consider it officially begun. Kim and Natalie walk away, leaving Jeremy and Dan behind as we close out the scene. |