Moore to Love

10 "Drowned" excerpts + LA photographs

CHUCK
It’s just, uh, well- we think it might be better if Jensen actually takes the review.
(beat)
He’s been looking to take on something big since getting here, and uh, well-I-mean-you’ve-done-a-lot-of-our reviews lately, so we figured it’d be-

ARTHUR
(caught off-guard)
Oh, sure-

CHUCK
You know, for him, to kinda-get going on something, you know, since he’s still pretty new here.

ARTHUR
Sure...(shifts his tone) hey, this-aint an April fools joke, is it?

Arthur laughs and forces an uncomfortable laugh of agreement out of Chuck.

ARTHUR (CONT’D)
(still laughing)
Eh?

CHUCK
(still trying to force a smile but barely can)
No, it’s not a joke.
(beat)

ARTHUR
Okay.
(laughs some more, beat)
Well, I was just kidding.

CHUCK
(begins to leave, tries to smile)
I know. Anyway, try to get the itinerary to Jensen sometime today, if you don’t mind.

10 "Drowned" excerpts + LA photographs

 INT. BEDROOM - LATER THAT EVENING

Philip, now in bed, tosses and turns, as the voice over continues uninterrupted, sans the sound of the typing.

VOICE OF MENELAUS
...He has been gone so Long, and we do not know whether he Is alive or dead. Old Laertes must Mourn for him, Penelope too, and Telemachus, who was an infant when He left.

NARRATOR VOICE-OVER
(Philip’s own voice, narrating as though from a different time)
At this, Telemachus begins to weep. Hot tears fall from his eyes when he hears his father’s name, and he pulls his purple cloak over his face.

10 "Drowned" excerpts + LA photographs

Philip eats a seaweed salad out of a Whole Foods box on the train ride home. The train is crowded. A man approaches him. He wears a backpackers’ backpack, and has long, light brown hair. His pant knees are dirty.

STRANGER
Is anyone sitting here?

Philip’s mind is elsewhere.

PHILIP
Oh - no, it’s fine.

STRANGER
Thanks a lot.

He places his bag in the space overhead, almost leaning into Philip with his waist while reaching for it. He sits down next to Philip and removes an apple from his bag. Philip looks at him and realizes he has two different color eyes, one green and one blue.

STRANGER (CONT’D)
Making me hungry...watching you eat, that looks good-

PHILIP
Oh, right, yeah.

Philip turns back to his salad. The stranger examines Philip carefully. He wants to spark a conversation with him, but waits, first taking a few bites from his apple.

STRANGER
Half-day in the city?
(beat)
Visiting someone, er-

PHILIP
Something like that, yeah.

Philip turns back to his salad again. He appears disinterested in the conversation. The stranger looks away for a moment then back at him. He appears ready to say something, but stops himself.

10 "Drowned" excerpts + LA photographs

SOPHIE
Oh, that was just my friend.

He nods his head and walks back in the bathroom to rinse out his mouth.

SOPHIE (CONT’D)
Actually someone I might be working with...on a play, I mean-

MAN IN APARTMENT (O.S.)
Cool, very cool!

Sophie perks up at his interest.

SOPHIE
Yeah...yeah, I mean he’s trying to do something pretty interesting, you know? He’s adapting the Odyssey, but he’s um, an experimental director, so he’s trying to take on this more traditional narrative, you know it’s sort of this challenge-

MAN IN APARTMENT
(speaks over the sound of running water)
Hey, sweetie, if you’re trying to say something to me, I can’t hear you ‘cause the water’s running!

Sophie stops herself. She doesn’t move from the bed but stares at a pile of laundry in the corner of the room.

The man appears from the bathroom, wearing only briefs and a t-shirt.

MAN IN APARTMENT (CONT’D)
So what were you saying - I’m interested, I’m, you know, I’m here, I’ll all ears.

SOPHIE
Oh, it’s - (nervous laugh) it’s, nothing, I was just saying this guy, I just talked to, he’s trying to direct a play. A rendition of the Odyssey.

MAN IN APARTMENT
(looks at her and shakes his head over and over again)
Odyssey, whatever it is, you know, you just need work. If it has to be that, it has to be that, you know?

She looks up at him, her lips pursed. He leans in and kisses her neck.

10 "Drowned" excerpts + LA photographs

PHILIP
No, I’ve worked at all the places. The thing is-
(beat)
No one wants to host it because my last play received a pretty bad review in the Times. They don’t want to risk it, I guess.

The waiter comes by and refills their waters.

SOPHIE
Really? You didn’t mention-

PHILIP
Yeah, I know. I don’t like to talk about it - that situation - I spend too much time thinking about it as it is.

SOPHIE
Sure, I understand. Do you think the review was at all valid, at least?

PHILIP
No, actually I don’t.
Sophie motions to the waiter, and raises her beer to suggest she wants to another one.

SOPHIE
Then I wouldn’t dwell on it. Half-the-time I don’t agree with the Times critics anyway.

PHILIP
(with difficulty)
Well, I actually know the critic.

SOPHIE
Really? Like...well?

PHILIP
Not really. He’s my father.

10 "Drowned" excerpts + LA photographs

INT. PANTRY - MOMENTS LATER

He goes to the sink to wash a cup to use for tea. While washing it, he hears the sound of another worker in the kitchen. Without turning his body fully around, he turns his head about forty-five degrees to see who the person is. The man is filling a cup at the water cooler but is turned away from Philip so all that is visible is about half of his profile. Almost immediately after Philip turns his head to look at him, the man finishes filling his cup and turns fully away from Philip and leaves the room. Philip never sees his face.

10 "Drowned" excerpts + LA photographs

Philip hobbles around the dock as though he has hurt himself. The dog backs off.

SOPHIE
Oh - are you okay?

PHILIP
(in pain)
Yeah, ‘ts just my feet fell asleep, that’s all...and my legs.

He hobbles over to the benches and holds onto one to anchor himself. The dog rushes over to Philip again and paws at his legs.

10 "Drowned" excerpts + LA photographs

A Hispanic busboy appears with a cheese grater. He stands near the table and waits without saying anything.

DOLORES (CONT’D)
I wish I could have been there.

PHILIP
You had to work, I totally understood.

DOLORES
(to the busboy)
Yes?

BUSBOY
Cheese.

DOLORES
No thank you - (to Philip) I wish it had been this weekend.

BUSBOY
(to Philip)
Cheese?

PHILIP
No thanks - (to Dolores) You work six days a week, the timing was not great, I understood.
(beat)
Don’t feel bad. You always came to my baseball games when I was a kid.

DOLORES
I had time to do it back then.
The busboy hesitates.

PHILIP
(to the busboy)
I’m sorry...

The busboy leaves.

DOLORES
If it’s not Greek, he doesn’t like it...

PHILIP
The busboy?

10 "Drowned" excerpts + LA photographs

WARREN
I’m really sorry I couldn’t make your play last night-

PHILIP
(without looking up)
Oh, don’t worry about it-

WARREN
You know Leilah was there, but-

PHILIP
Yeah-

WARREN
She was raving about it. (bangs his head symbolically) I’m kicking myself now for not trying to get a cover earlier-

PHILIP
Really, it’s-

WARREN
(removes a bouquet of flowers from the bag)
I know it’s not like giving them to you if I was there, but-

PHILIP
(takes them, is coming apart)
Aw, Warren you shouldn’t-

WARREN
I’m sure you knocked ‘em off their feet, buddy.

PHILIP
Thanks, thanks a lot.
(beat)

PHILIP (CONT’D)
(realizes)
...Hey, how did you know I’d be here this morning? I mean at this exact time, I’m usually not-

WARREN
That’s the thing...I’m not going to fool with you since you’re my friend.
(beat)
Those were actually for Leilah. We got in a fight late last night, after your play.

Philip looks down.

WARREN (CONT’D)
But don’t worry, cause you deserve ‘em anyway! (examines his watch, plastic with a James Bond logo) Hey, I gotta run, but good to see you - and good job!

He walks off towards the counter and brushes shoulders with a busy graduate student on his way out. Warren turns and watches the student exit. He smiles and shakes his head. Philip sits with a stillness and continues to stare at the page, reading and re-reading the review as his tea grows cold.

10 "Drowned" excerpts + LA photographs

MAN #1
I dreamt yesterday that I was drowning. I was laying down outside, gazing up at the stars, you know, it was a nice night. It began to snow.

MAN #1 (CONT’D)
But the snow felt fake, it felt like it was paper, confetti or something. That was the first weird thing I noticed in the dream. Things became stranger after that. More snow came down, and it changed colors, and all the while I felt myself coming apart, my weight bringing me down, like I was drowning or something. And I realized then, that the ground below me was sort of giving in.
Reaction shots of Maggie, Arthur, Philip and various audience members.

MAN #1 (CONT’D)
I was drowning. The snow started falling more and more rapidly, and it felt heavier. White-colored snow, peach-colored, black-colored, brown, blue, yellow, I felt my legs collapsing and sinking, and then my chest, then even my shoulders and my head started to collapse. I realized I was sinking beneath the ground, into a kind of hole. It was horrifying. I was falling. I was lost...but, I don’t know. There was...there was something liberating in the um, letting go.