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Post by topbilled on May 16, 2023 14:30:15 GMT
096 The Salerno Legacy
Outline written by Jarrod McDonald, c) 2023
We start with two sequences intercut. One involves Berto’s henchman who arrives at the D’Amico home to kill Felicia. But she has her own henchman who gets the jump on Berto’s guy and kills him. Then she texts a photo to Berto of the dead body with the caption: “Your guy failed to do the job.”
Meanwhile the other sequence involves Tony going to the Salerno home. Naldo and Sandra have just returned with Vito from being out of town. Sandra is taking Vito up to put him to bed. But she is stopped when she sees Tony up on the landing. She screams out and Naldo hurries in from the other room. Tony says he’s here to take his son, and it will be futile for them to try and stop him. Tony is aiming a gun that belongs to Naldo.
In the next scene Sandra is about to hand Vito over to Tony, but Naldo tells her not to do that. He says the gun doesn’t work. Tony doesn’t believe him and tries to fire a shot, but Naldo is right. The spring is broken. Tony then tries to strong arm Sandra into handing the boy over.
By this point Naldo has raced up the stairs and fights with Tony, while Sandra hurries up to the landing with Vito, to get out of the way. Tony loses the fight and falls down the stairs. Sandra covers Vito’s eyes and takes him to his room. Down below Naldo checks to see if Tony is still alive. After detecting a pulse, he dials Ryan.
Schuyler is upset that Ryan is going off on police business. This is their honeymoon and their first night as a married couple. Ryan explains that it involves Tony and quickly takes off. Schuyler dials Berto to tell him what’s going on. Berto is at the airport, skipping the country.
At the Salerno mansion, Ryan has shown up. Tony is now conscious, but he’s been tied and gagged by Naldo. Ryan will take Tony to the precinct. After Ryan leaves with Tony, Naldo tells Sandra it’s over and Tony will never bother her and Vito ever again.
At the precinct, lawyer Blake McCandless shows up to represent Tony, but Tony dismisses Blake. The captain is going to have Amanda book Tony, but Ryan insists he can do it. Amanda calls Jude and tells him that Ryan brought Tony in under arrest. Jude thanks god.
Dissolve to a few weeks later. Tony represents himself and pleads guilty to everything. Amanda is in court with Ryan, who’s looking on. Ryan asks to speak to the judge. He says his father did not order the death of Nola Camden, Ryan’s mother, whom Tony always loved. The judge takes it into consideration, but there are numerous other killings for which Tony is responsible. He will be going away for a long time.
As the judge gets ready to pronounce sentence, Amanda gets a call and steps out. It’s Birdie who says she found out the person who planted the bomb on the yacht was working for Felicia D’Amico. Felicia wanted to kill Tony whom she blamed for indirectly causing A.J.’s death.
Amanda goes to pick Felicia up. Felicia is in a drunken stupor at a big fancy nightclub she owns. It’s the place where she first met her dead husband Ernie, which she had remodeled. She says she used to be a singer in this joint, it’s where she first caught ole Ernie’s eye.
Felicia then admits to trying to kill Tony Salerno, all the Salernos. She was wondering what took the cops so long to arrest her. She is expecting a medal because ridding Chicago of Salernos is a public service.
Amanda reads Felicia her rights, and as she drives Felicia to the precinct they go by the courthouse. There are demonstrators outside hoping Tony does not evade justice. Felicia shouts out the open window she’s with them. Let that bastard get what he deserves!
Amanda arrives at the precinct with Felicia, where Felicia is booked. The secretaries in the precinct are watching the TV screen where Ashley Clark is telling viewers that the judge just gave Tony life in prison. Tony is being led out now. The captain is glad to see the good guys win.
We cut to a scene at the courtroom, where in the ensuing pandemonium, Tony has collapsed while being taken to jail. He’s had a heart attack. This is also on the news, which is still broadcasting on screen in the precinct. The captain and Amanda realize Ryan stayed at the courthouse. We cut to Ryan getting into the ambulance which is taking Tony to the hospital.
Later in Tony’s hospital room. Adrian is there administering last rites. Ryan steps over and holds his father’s hand. In the next shot Schuyler has shown up and takes a place beside Ryan at Tony’s bedside. Tony takes his final breath, as Ryan takes a deep breath, trying to fight back the emotion of what he’s feeling. He gently sets his father’s hand down, and Schuyler reaches out and takes Ryan’s hand, so he won’t feel alone.
Afterward, Ryan and Schuyler are driving back to their place. Ryan is still fighting his emotions. Instead of going directly home, they stop off along Lake Michigan. Schuyler stays in the car and watches Ryan on the shore, pick up a stone and skid it across the water’s surface. Then Ryan lets out a loud shout, cursing at the universe.
The last part takes place at home. Ryan thanks Schuyler for being with him when his father died, but says their marriage is a farce and is now over. Schuyler is thrown for a loop, since this is the last thing he expected to hear. Ryan admits he was just using Schuyler all along, to get close to Berto and nab Tony. He tells Schuyler to take his things and go.
In the final shot, it is a few hours later. Schuyler has left. Ryan is sitting alone. He looks at some photos Bernice sent him: the one that was taken of him and Schuyler with Berto and Tony on the yacht; and the one on the pier where he and Schuyler kissed after the bomb was deactivated.
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Post by jamesjazzguitar on May 17, 2023 19:08:13 GMT
TB; is the writers' strike impacting you?
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Post by topbilled on May 18, 2023 13:52:19 GMT
TB; is the writers' strike impacting you? |
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Post by topbilled on May 18, 2023 14:35:59 GMT
097 Birdie’s Latest Engagement
Outline written by Jarrod McDonald, c) 2023
The episode begins with Birdie realizing she needs to get back to living her life again, which she really hasn’t done since she was shot. She decides to dress up and go down to the lounge to see a new act Jarrett told her about. Jarrett comes by her room every so often to talk about performing, since he’s studying to be an actor and he also sings a little.
Birdie gets dressed to the nines and goes down to the nightclub that Fronklin’s just opened on the main floor, with funds that were sent by their new owner, a Mr. Dolph Mobley, who is based out of Florida.
Fronklin learns that Dolph has sent up one of his right hand men, Chaz Damone, to check on things and see how improvements at the hotel are being carried out. To say Fronklin feels stressed is an understatement.
When Birdie arrives inside the lounge, she learns the jazz singer backed out due to a bout of laryngitis. Fronklin’s beside himself. But when Chaz shows up and Birdie sees that Fronklin’s job is on the line, she tells Jarrett to introduce her as the star attraction. Jarret goes to the mic.
In the next scene Jarrett’s introduced Birdie and handed the mic over to her. She starts to sing. To Fronklin’s astonishment Birdie is a hit with the crowd. More importantly, she is a hit with Chaz Damone who reports back to Dolph Mobley that everything’s wonderful. Jarrett is happy for Birdie’s new success.
We dissolve to a few nights later. Birdie is once again performing, and this time Chaz seems to be smitten with her. Adrian shows up with Agnes to catch the set, and they learn Birdie is romantically involved with Chaz. But that Birdie really knows nothing about the guy.
The next day, Adrian stops by Birdie’s suite to quiz her about how serious her relationship is with Chaz. She admonishes Adrian and says if he’s not careful people will think he worries about her like a son would.
Birdie has to finish getting ready since she is going out for a drive with Chaz. Adrian takes the elevator down. When he steps outside to walk back to the church, he sees Chaz in a car kissing another woman.
When Adrian gets to the church, he tries to tell Agnes about what he saw but realizes she can’t help. He has to decide what to do about it himself.
Meanwhile Birdie has met up with Chaz. He is in the car without the other woman, who legged it when they saw Birdie exit the hotel. Birdie hops in and as they take off, she asks if Chaz wouldn’t mind stopping somewhere first. He says sure.
In the next scene, we see that he’s driven her to Jude’s place. Birdie heard from Amanda that Jude was released from the hospital and is at home resting. She remembers what it was like recuperating after being shot. Jim doesn’t think all the excitement from Birdie’s visit is good for Jude. Jim tells Birdie that they appreciate her thoughtfulness, but Jude is tired from a bunch of meds he took.
Birdie understands and is going. But before leaving, she introduces Jude to Chaz. There is something about Chaz that seems familiar to Jude.
After Birdie and Chaz continue on their drive out to the country, Jude falls asleep. While Jude’s napping, Jim has a quickie with Mrs. Lee. The noise from the bedroom wakes Jude up. As Jude is about to yell at Jim and the landlady, Jude realizes why Chaz had looked familiar. He dials Amanda at the precinct.
In the next scene Amanda shows up at Jude’s. He says Birdie’s hanging out with a guy named Chaz, whose real name is Charles Damone, and is wanted on money laundering charges. The guy is considered dangerous.
At the same time Adrian has called Birdie and says he needs to see her and it is urgent. Birdie thinks Adrian is ready to be her son, so she has Chaz turn around and take her back to the city.
When Birdie shows up at the church office, she is wearing a ring that Chaz gave her. Chaz proposed and she said yes. Adrian says he saw Chaz kissing another woman. Birdie is flabbergasted that this is why Adrian called to see her. She thinks it’s ludicrous and insists Chaz loves her. Adrian tells her she doesn’t know the guy and she’s making a mistake.
In the next part Birdie gets back to the hotel and tries to find Chaz. Amanda is there arresting Chaz on the charges Jude mentioned. Chaz claims he is innocent, but Birdie can tell he’s lying.
As Chaz is led off, Birdie sees the other woman who steps out of the shadows. She says she's Chaz's long-time secretary and had hoped Chaz would marry her. Birdie feels as if she was deceived. She takes off the ring Chaz gave her and hands it to the woman, and says she can do what she wants with it.
Birdie then gets the elevator to her room. She feels dejected and is now back to square one. But Jarrett reminds her she got her career back. Tonight’s show is sold out.
We cut to Birdie getting ready for the evening’s show. Then we see her performing. She scans the crowd, checking if Adrian showed up. He isn’t there. He is in the lobby looking at the new poster that Fronklin just had put up. He can hear the music emanating from the other room.
Amanda shows up late, with a date. She spots Adrian and asks if he’s coming inside. He can join them at their table. Adrian decides to take them up on the offer. As they step into the lounge, Adrian makes eye contact with Birdie who is singing ‘God Bless the Child.’ She is glad he is here, and this will be a wonderful time for them all.
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Post by topbilled on May 20, 2023 7:49:06 GMT
098 Night Plane to Manila
Outline written by Jarrod McDonald, c) 2023
We start with Jude in the middle of a grueling physical therapy session. He is still determined to regain the use of his legs. Ryan is visiting him, and he tells Jude that things are over with Schuyler. Jude recalls ending things with Sonja.
This is intercut with Jim who is at the coffee shop talking to Dewey about Jude and Sonja’s relationship, which Sonja overhears as she comes in for work. She doesn’t appreciate Dewey gossiping about her behind her back. Jim takes the blame and asks her not to be hard on Dewey. Sonja says the only one who’s hard on others is Jude, who still won’t answer her calls and texts.
Jim is sure Jude will come around with time, but Sonja isn’t convinced. All the time in the world may not help her and Jude overcome what’s separating them. We go to Jude who has just taken his first steps with Ryan looking on. Ryan thinks this is great and Jude should call Sonja. But Jude says this is a baby step and he’s not ready to talk to Sonja just yet.
Later Jim has returned to Jude’s place and learns from Ryan who’s just leaving that Jude took some steps. Jim wastes no time dialing Sonja, who quickly comes over. In the next scene Jude is upset about all the fuss, and he tells Jim he wasn’t ready to see Sonja. But Jim pushes them together anyway, and barricades them in the living room, forcing them to talk.
Jude and Sonja have a heart to heart and start to resolve their issues. He shows her that he can walk now. It looks like he will fall, but then he manages to remain upright and take more steps. Sonja rushes into his arms. They both have tears streaming down their cheeks. Outside the door Jim, who’s been eavesdropping, is happy. He tells Mrs. Lee that the wedding is now back on track. She reacts.
Two days later Jude shows up at the precinct with a cane and everyone is surprised how well he is getting around on his own now. He wants to come back to work, but the captain won’t okay this until Jude’s doctor signs off. Jude reacts.
At the coffee shop Sonja tells Bernice how Jude started walking again. She says they’ve completely reconciled and the wedding is on. Bernice is happy for her. Bernice notices a text from the captain. It says he heard from Kokoy and is on his way to meet him.
The next part is the captain meeting up with Kokoy at the park. Kokoy has decided he doesn’t like working for Sugar, and that he will help take the captain to Nenita and Shannon for the money the captain offered.
After leaving the park, the captain returns home where Bernice has shown up and is waiting for him. He says Kokoy agreed, and that he will be heading to Manila with Kokoy tonight on a red eye flight. Bernice hopes he will be careful. He assures her that he will. Still she can’t help but worry. The captain realizes he won’t be here to give Bernice away when she marries Hugo. She says Heidi will fill in for him.
Meanwhile Sonja’s parents have come downtown for shopping and stop at the coffee shop. They learn about Jude and the wedding. Karl Sr. is supportive, and Sonja’s mother tells Sonja they have a lot to do before the ceremony. Dewey says his wife is willing to help, too.
We cut to the precinct. Jude has been catching up with Amanda and the others. But he is on his way to get a document signed by his doctor, so he can return to work. He leaves, and we pan to a nearby office where Ryan has been doing some paperwork. Amanda pokes her head in the door to discuss something, but Ryan realizes the time and has to go.
He’s on his way to see a lawyer about his situation with Schuyler. Amanda tells him not to rush into any irreversible decisions. Ryan will keep that in mind. As Ryan exits, a woman enters and says she’d like to talk to the captain. Amanda says the captain is out, and she starts to write down a message. But then, they notice the captain has returned.
In the next scene the woman is inside the captain’s office introducing herself. She says her husband died in Manila. The captain is slightly confused and asks what this has to do with him. The woman says her husband was the detective, Ortiz, that the captain had recently hired.
The captain reacts and tells Señora Ortiz to sit down. He had not heard from Ortiz recently and thought Ortiz gave up. He is heading to Manila tonight to take over the search for his wife and child himself, with his wife’s cousin. He learns that Ortiz was murdered. He offers to bring the investigator’s body back, so the wife can oversee a proper burial.
We cut to Biggie’s bar and grill where Bernice is meeting with Schuyler. They have dinner and discuss his ill-fated marriage to Ryan. She wants to know if it is truly over, and Schuyler thinks it is. He says it was never built on trust or anything real. But Bernice isn’t so sure it wasn’t real.
We intercut Bernice’s chat with Schuyler, with scenes of Ryan meeting an attorney to discuss the end of his marriage to Schuyler. It’s clear they may both want to stick with it and not give up. But ultimately Ryan feels a lot of it was wrong and it’s best to end it.
As Ryan leaves his attorney’s office, we see the lawyer contact Schuyler who is just finishing his dinner with Bernice. Bernice comforts him.
We go back to the captain’s office at the precinct. Ortiz’s wife has left. The captain has had Amanda verify what the wife told him. The story checks out. A man identified as Ortiz was killed in Manila under rather mysterious circumstances. The captain processes this, as Kokoy comes in. Kokoy is told the detective died. This is something he already knows.
In the last scene, the captain and Kokoy have arrived at the airport. They board a midnight flight to Manila. As they buckle up and the plane starts to take off, the captain looks at photos on his phone. There is a picture of him with Bernice, Heidi and Lance from years earlier. And then there is another picture, a more recent one, of him with Nenita and Shannon.
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Post by topbilled on May 21, 2023 15:28:42 GMT
099 Weddings
Outline written by Jarrod McDonald, c) 2023
Heidi is staying at Captain O’Reilly’s place, while her father is in Manila with Kokoy searching for Nenita and Shannon. Heidi came back to town for her mother’s marriage to Hugo Dunne. Bernice is also staying at the captain’s place with Heidi, since her own home is being remodeled to Hugo’s specifications.
Heidi has definite feelings about her mom moving on with Hugo. As she explains to Amanda, she has decided it is best to keep the peace and not show these feelings, as they might cause Bernice to cancel the wedding.
Meanwhile, Bernice has received a phone call from the captain, who has arrived in Manila and doesn’t go into a lot of detail about his search for Nenita and Shannon. The captain wishes Bernice and Hugo well, but has to go. We stay with the captain for a moment, who is starting to suspect that Kokoy is leading him on a wild goose chase.
Back in Chicago, Heidi and Amanda learn that Bernice got a call from the captain. The wedding ceremony will start soon at the church. Bernice, Heidi and Amanda get into a limo that Hugo’s sent for them.
We cut to the marriage ceremony at the church. Amanda’s mother Gisselle joins everyone. So does Schuyler. While Adrian officiates and Bernice marries Hugo, she has a vision in which Hugo’s face turns into Colm’s. In her mind she’s remarrying the captain. She snaps out of it. After the ceremony, Heidi, Amanda,Gisselle and Schuyler congratulate Bernice and Hugo.
We then cut to the precinct. Ryan is on duty and realizes he has still been wearing his wedding ring. Since he’s divorcing Schuyler, he decides to take it off and put it into a drawer. Jude shows up and says the doctor finally signed off and he’s been cleared to return to work tomorrow. He asks where Amanda is. Ryan says Amanda is at Bernice and Hugo’s wedding reception at Biggie’s.
Jude has something on his mind he’d like to discuss. He says Marty is going to be his best man, but he’d also like Ryan to be in his wedding and to help Marty throw the bachelor party. Ryan would love to do that.
This conversation is interrupted when they get news that Jude’s old nemesis Judge Harry Greenwood has been released from prison on a technicality. He will be back in Chicago tomorrow, after leaving Joliet. Jude is not happy about it, and Ryan says he wouldn’t be either. Jude recalls some of the past issues he and Judge Greenwood had.
We then cut to the next day. Judge Harry Greenwood is indeed back in Chicago. But very quickly he finds that his personal and professional life cannot be reclaimed. His wife of many years divorced him, and his children and grandchildren will not talk to him. His legal career is over.
He has flashbacks of when Jude arrested him (in season 2’s ‘Requiem for a Lost Soul’), and he is filled with bitterness and hatred. He goes to see Jude who is now back on duty at the precinct, but Jude refuses to see him. Amanda runs interference and tells the judge to leave before things happen that he regrets. The judge will leave but it’s not over. Far from it.
After the judge exits, Jude comes out of his office and Amanda tells him what the judge said before he left. Jude tries not to think about this. He wants to focus on his upcoming wedding to Sonja. He gets a call from her saying how much she loves him and can’t wait to be his wife. She is at a dress shop with her mother getting refitted.
As the call ends, Jude sees a text from Marty who’s on his way up from Kankakee for the bachelor party. Jude replies back to Marty.
We dissolve to the party that evening at Biggie’s. Biggie and Shorty and helping Marty and Ryan give Jude a bash he’ll never forget. Jim has just arrived. He hears loud retro music playing and sees a female stripper he hired. This is his kind of party. He joins the others and gets a drink. The men play a game and have fun.
We cut to the precinct. Amanda is on duty. Someone comes in and tells her that Jude’s truck, which is in the parking lot, was vandalized. She wonders if it was some kids, or if it was the judge. She debates sending Jude a text about it. She doesn’t want to interrupt the bachelor party.
A few hours later, the bachelor party is over. The guys are outside getting ride shares. They will see each other in the morning. Marty is going to spend the night at Ryan’s, which used to be Marty’s place.
In the car on the way to his place with Jim, Jude sees a text from Amanda about the damage to his truck. He shows it to Jim and says he is sure the judge was responsible. Jude searches his contacts list, finds a number then dials it. He’s reaching out to a contact known as Sally ‘Slim’ Larson. Slim is a female officer that was assigned to Harry Greenwood’s case.
Slim picks up. Jude says he knows Greenwood is out and thinks Greenwood has been targeting him. Slim received a call from Amanda, but there is no evidence the judge had anything to do with Jude’s truck being vandalized. She knows Jude’s feelings run deep, and so do Greenwood’s. She heard about Jude’s nuptials and says he should focus on that. She’ll keep an eye on Greenwood. The ride share is now pulling up at Jude’s place. He and Jim get out and go inside.
We cut to Ryan’s place. Marty observes how different the place looks from when he lived here. Ryan admits some of the changes were not his idea, but Schuyler’s. Marty asks if Ryan regrets splitting from Schuyler.
We cut to Jude at his place, trying to unwind after speaking to Slim. His phone rings. It’s Amanda. He tells her he spoke to Slim and Slim assured him Greenwood won’t pose a problem. Amanda hopes so. Amanda won’t be at the wedding tomorrow. She’s in charge of the precinct while the captain’s in the Philippines. She wishes Jude the best.
The next morning Jude wakes up with a hangover. Jim is giving him some horrible concoction made in the blender, which is supposed to cure a hangover. Jim can see Jude’s distracted and hopes it’s about the wedding and not about Judge Greenwood.
We cut to Harry Greenwood meeting Slim Larson, who says he had better not have been behind the damage to Jude’s truck. She tells him he needs to stay away from Jude Anthony. Greenwood threatens to have Slim brought up on charges of harassment if she doesn’t leave him alone. She will back off but says the victim act doesn’t suit someone like him.
At the same time Jim and Jude are picked up by Marty and Ryan. They are heading in Marty’s minivan to St. Florian’s church in Hegewisch.
This is intercut with scenes of Sonja at her parents’ house. Dewey shows up with his wife Sadie. Though she’d been mentioned before, this is the first time she’s shown on screen. They learn Sonja is still getting ready, and wants to text Jude. Her mother and sister-in-law have taken her phone and are hiding it from her. Dewey and Sadie laugh.
We go back to Harry Greenwood, who’s gone to see his ex-wife Ruth, while his daughter Lauren and son-in-law Chad are there celebrating the ninth birthday of Harry’s grandson, Jordan. The boy is happy to see grandpa, but nobody else is.
Harry then stops at Biggie’s for a drink. He overhears Jude is getting married in Hegewisch. He decides to go to the wedding. But first he stops at a bank to get something out of a safe deposit box. It’s a grenade.
In Hegewisch, everyone is arriving at St. Florian’s church. Jude is glad to see Gloria Dawson’s daughter Rebecca, who flew in from Nebraska without her husband who couldn’t get away. Jude wasn’t sure Rebecca would make it. But Rebecca wouldn’t have missed this for the world. There is a brief flashback that Jude has about the time Greenwood told him that Rebecca was his daughter, not Jude’s. Rebecca still doesn’t know the truth.
Everyone is seated, and the organ music begins. Jude is nervous and so is Sonja, but they are both eager to marry. The time has come.
We cut to Harry Greenwood in his car. He looks at the grenade on the passenger seat. He says he is going to kill Jude and make sure that Jude cannot have any happiness, the way he doesn’t have happiness.
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Post by topbilled on May 21, 2023 18:29:59 GMT
Note...tomorrow I will post the outline for episode 100, the finale for season 4.
Then I will take a slight break to polish the episodes for season 5.
There will be a preview for season 5, and actually, I am excited by how season 5 is shaping up.
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Post by topbilled on May 22, 2023 14:24:19 GMT
100 Jude Gets Married
Outline written by Jarrod McDonald, c) 2023
We start at the precinct. Amanda is on duty, when she gets a long distance call from Captain O’Reilly who is in Manila. He asks how Jude’s wedding went. Amanda reminds him she’s at the precinct covering for everyone, and that the wedding should be starting any minute. The captain got confused with the time zone differences. He hopes Jude and Sonja have a wonderful day.
Amanda doesn’t mention Harry Greenwood, but instead asks if the captain and Kokoy located Nenita and Shannon. The captain says he and Kokoy are supposedly getting close to finding them. Amanda wishes them luck. Amanda has to take another call and must switch over.
We stay with the captain in Manila. Kokoy denies he’s leading the captain on a wild goose chase, and he insists Nenita and the baby are staying in an apartment building down the street. He leads the captain there. But as they arrive, the captain realizes he’s being led into a trap.
Kokoy says that while he likes Colm, he cannot let Colm find Nenita or Shannon or else Shiro, who still has men loyal to him, will have them all killed. He then locks the captain in a room with very little air and no way out, before he takes off. There are a series of shots of the captain, trying to figure a way out.
We go back to Amanda at the precinct in Chicago. She’s off the phone and having some cinnamon buns with the other office staff. The women mention Ryan’s marriage, and now Jude’s marriage. They ask when it will be Amanda’s turn. Amanda’s mother Gisselle has just shown up and she says she would also like to know the answer. Amanda says she was married when she was 19. It was when she was in college, before she went to the police academy. This is news to Gisselle.
We then go to the church in Hegewisch. Jude and Sonja’s wedding is about to start. Jude is at the altar with Marty and Ryan alongside him. Sonja is coming down the aisle with her father.
This is intercut with Harry Greenwood heading to the church in his car to kill Jude. He looks at the grenade on the passenger seat while he is stopped at a red light. The light turns green and he resumes on course to St. Florian’s. In the next shot he sees the steeple and turns down a street in that direction.
While driving, Greenwood has a flashback of when he first met Jude, during a case involving some notable underworld boss. That was when Harry first went bad. There are other scenes, where Harry is under the mob’s control and hates himself for it.
Meanwhile, at his family’s house, Harry’s son-in-law Chad talks to Harry’s ex-wife about how Harry came by earlier for Jordan’s birthday. Ruth Greenwood asks Chad to find Harry and convince him to stay away. Upstairs Jordan is telling his mom Lauren he was happy grandpa visited.
Back downstairs Ruth tries to reach her ex-husband on the phone. He finally picks up and says he’s on his way to see Jude and take from Jude the joy of living, which was taken from him. Ruth pleads for Harry to stop, before it’s too late. Chad takes the phone and also tries to appeal to Harry’s good sense. But Harry won’t listen. He is angry and hangs up.
Lauren comes down and learns what is happening. Chad tells Ruth and Lauren they need to call the police. Ruth dials the precinct and tells Amanda what may happen. Amanda then quickly dials Slim.
We cut to Harry’s car which has reached the church. He is in the parking lot, summoning the nerve to go inside. He takes a sip of whiskey from a flask, then grabs the grenade and heads to the front door of the church.
Inside, there is some comic relief when Marty can’t find the ring, then he remembers giving it to Ryan. But Ryan can’t find it. Dewey has found it and brings it up. Marty then hands it to Jude, who tries to put it on Sonja as vows are exchanged. But this is the wrong ring and it doesn’t fit.
The camera pans to guest of honor Robert Arden (a.k.a. TV detective Steve Cade) who is sitting next to Jim and munching on CrackerStax in the front pew. He hands them a plastic ring he found inside the box. Jude smiles and puts it on Sonja’s finger. Sonja thinks it looks beautiful.
At the same time Harry Greenwood has just entered the vestibule in the rear of the church. The priest pronounces Jude and Sonja man and wife. They kiss and everyone applauds. But the organ music stops when Harry advances down the aisle preventing the couple’s exit. He tells everyone he has a grenade in his hand, and he will pull the pin if they don’t keep quiet. Everyone reacts in horror.
Meanwhile Slim Larson is on her way there with Ryan’s cousin Sean after receiving the call from Amanda. We show Amanda and the others at the precinct downtown waiting for news.
Back at the church, people are praying as madman Harry steps closer to Jude and Sonja. Sonja is crying softly, trying not to make any noise as that may set Harry off, who is still threatening to pull the pin and blow them all to kingdom come.
Before pulling the pin, Harry wants to conduct a mock courtroom session and tell everyone why he is going to convict Jude to die. Jim tells the judge he’s crazy, and he needs to let Sonja and the others go.
Harry sees Ryan and Marty off to the side. He anticipates they’re going to jump him and he starts to pull the pin. Until Jude tells the guys to back off. Jude will listen to Harry now, they all will listen to him now.
Harry then holds the mock court session, taking over at the altar. He notices Rebecca in one of the pews and can’t stop looking at her. He goes over all of Jude’s supposed crimes, which are really his own. Meanwhile Slim and Sean have shown up outside with other officers. Slim and Sean are making their way in through a side entrance.
Harry tells everyone the worst thing Jude did was keep the truth from his daughter. This doesn’t make sense to the others, but Jude knows he’s referring to Rebecca.
As Harry is about to pronounce sentence and condemn Jude, he sees Slim. She tells him to hand over the grenade, before he hurts himself and others. He starts to go off the rails and mistakes Slim for his daughter. He says he never should have gone to prison. He only ever wanted to give her, Lauren, Chad, Jordan and Ruth every happiness.
Slim pretends to be his daughter and as she slowly advances, she calls him daddy and says she just needs to be held by him again. He recalls when she was little and he held her tight. The same way he held Jordan after Jordan was born. At the same time Jude looks over at Rebecca.
Slim finally reaches the altar. She gets Harry to hand over the grenade and they embrace. Then she hands the undetonated grenade to Sean and quietly walks the judge out the side door to where the other officers help put him into a squad car.
Back inside the church, Sonja asks everyone to pray for the judge. Then she and Jude walk down the aisle together and out of the church without any music. As they reach the front steps outside, they watch Harry Greenwood being taken away.
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Post by topbilled on Jun 1, 2023 15:18:36 GMT
Note: This weekend, I will post the previews for Season 5. But I am still editing some of the Season 5 outlines, and I will not start posting Season 5 until July. Consider this a summer 'hiatus.' LOL
Thanks for reading...!
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Post by topbilled on Jun 3, 2023 20:44:03 GMT
Preview: Season 5
While the arcs have a serialized quality to them, there will still be some self-contained episodes because those are fun to do. And since the precinct is the main set, every storyline involves crime/police elements.
Here’s what is in store for the main characters in season 5:
JUDE & SONJA
Jude finally married Sonja in the season 4 finale. But they will not settle into dull routines, since they are two very dynamic people whose lives are busy and far from simple.
Jude’s mother died midway through season 2...but I never fully addressed who his father was…I had an idea who he was, and might have suggested something…but it played better in the beginning if his sole attachment was to the mother he loses. Now is the time to start exploring who his father was/is. This begins to occur in season 5 at the same time that Jude and Sonja discover they are expecting a child. We will have Jude grapple with the identity of his father, while his own identity is changing because he's becoming a father himself.
There is also going to be a slight throwback to Sonja’s previous marriage with Marek, whom she divorced in season 3 after he was sent to prison. Marek is still in the state penitentiary, and he reaches out to Jude for help. Will Jude help him? How does this affect Sonja when she finds out Jude’s been in contact with Marek? I didn’t just want to forget about Marek since he is part of Sonja’s history and evolution on the show.
JIM
In the early seasons Jim was more of a special guest character, who appeared every season but in small doses. He still appears on a limited basis but in season 4, he became more of a recurring character. He will continue to be featured in season 5 but nothing is ever easy where Jim’s concerned. Jim is going to feel like a third-wheel living with newlyweds Jude and Sonja. He admits he cannot go back to San Diego, where he had retired, because he lost everything there in a bad investment. But when he hears from an old fishing buddy who lives in Tombstone Arizona, he decides to leave Chicago and join up with his old pal. While he’s away, Jude & Sonja learn they are going to have a baby. So Jim misses a few important developments.
But Jim will come back when Mrs. Lee is in an accident. They have had a playful relationship without any strings, but her injuries affect Jim…and Mrs. Lee would like Jim to marry her, though Jim who has always been a bachelor, may not be willing to actually tie the knot with her. Jim’s return to Mrs. Lee’s bedside coincides with Jude starting to find out about the identity of his father, something Jim is able to shed considerable light on.
AMANDA
I think what I am most excited about in season 5 is that Amanda's backstory finally comes into focus. Up to now, all we know about her is that she has a fashionista mother (Gisselle) whom she doesn't really get along with, and that Amanda had gone to college for a year before she dropped out and went into the police academy. We will learn in season 5 that something big happened to her during that fateful year in college, which changed the direction of her whole life. And in the season 4 finale, it was revealed that she had been married during that year, at the age of 19…something she neglected to tell her mother!
In season 5, things start to come full circle for Amanda, as there are loose ends from that period of her life…several items she still needs to deal with. Her mother will try to run interference and help "fix" Amanda's life which always makes for good drama.
While Amanda’s tiffs with Gisselle play out, Amanda gets reacquainted with a man from her past, an attractive doctor. Dr. Ross Jax is a psychiatrist who helps on a few police cases, so he will interact with Amanda from time to time, and as this occurs, Ross has more than a slight romantic interest in Amanda.
The audience won’t know until midway through season 5 just what sort of real connection Amanda and Ross have, and how this is related to the man she married. At first this story plays like a mystery. In addition to Amanda having been married, there’s another secret she’s been keeping. All of that comes out at the end of season 5.
My goal is to flesh Amanda out more. She is more than just a career policewoman, she is deep down a sensitive woman who has needs like any other woman. But she’s been forced to make sacrifices in her life, and she may still continue to make those sacrifices if she has to put her job first.
RYAN & SCHUYLER
At the end of season 4, Ryan and Schuyler broke up shortly after their wedding. They were said to be divorcing. I am going to keep Schuyler off screen for a bit at the beginning of season 5, leaving the audience to wonder what happened. Is it really over between them? In the fifth episode of season 5, we learn Ryan missed a deadline to finalize the divorce…and Schuyler contacts him, thinking this means there is still hope for them to reconcile.
Of course Ryan remains fairly conflicted about Schuyler and gives another reason why he failed to finalize the divorce. He can’t bring himself to admit he actually does need Schuyler.
They will run into each other here and there, and the audience will know that they are still married. Just not living together at this point in time. Schuyler’s aunt, Bernice, is a sounding board and plays matchmaker with the captain’s help to get the two back together at Thanksgiving. And for a short time, the couple seem to be back on track. However, their reunion is short-lived, when Schuyler misreads a situation a few weeks later, that involves Ryan and an old friend of Ryan’s who happens to be a female.
Ryan and Schuyler break up again on New Year’s Eve, and so midway through season 5, Ryan is back to square one. As Ryan moves on with his life in January, he agrees to help his female friend and her new husband fulfill a request of theirs, without telling Schuyler who is now out of the picture. But towards the end of season 5, a tragedy occurs which brings Schuyler back into Ryan’s storyline. They are far from over.
I thought it would be ‘too easy’ to just have Ryan & Schuyler divorce. I wanted to keep Schuyler on the show, at least in a semi-recurring capacity. However their marriage is not at all conventional and the ‘happy ever after’ seems to elude them right now.
CAPTAIN COLM O’REILLY
At the end of season 4, the captain’s fate was left hanging. He’d gone to Manila to track down his estranged wife Nenita and their infant son Shannon. He was joined by Nenita’s shady cousin Kokoy who led Colm into a deadly trap.
At the beginning of season 5, Colm O’Reilly is back in Chicago with his son but the audience doesn’t know what happened to Nenita or Kokoy. All of that is revealed in the second episode, which draws a line under that storyline. As the season progresses, Colm becomes involved with a woman named Morgana Ellison, who helps look after young Shannon. Meanwhile Colm’s ex-wife Bernice adjusts to her marriage to mysterious businessman Hugo Dunne.
Everything will be rather quiet for these characters until around Christmastime. Colm begins to suspect Morgana is not telling him something, and he’s right. We will learn that Morgana is dealing with a life-threatening situation. As this occurs, Bernice starts to learn a few secrets about Hugo that she’d probably be better off not knowing. Also, we bring up what really happened to Bernice’s missing son Lance, who’s been referenced several times in the earlier seasons.
In fact there is a two-part episode about Lance in the second half of season 5 and a short time later there is a follow-up episode regarding that plot line. I wanted to have Colm and Bernice in new relationships in their lives, but yet they still interact because of their daughter Heidi and the unresolved issues surrounding Lance. The audience may guess Bernice’s marriage to Hugo will end badly, and that Colm’s happiness with Morgana won’t last either. At the end of the day, Colm and Bernice have each other.
BIRDIE CONWELL
Birdie’s life continues to experience some interesting ups and downs. She has now resumed her singing career at the hotel and she’s a hit with crowds. But all this success is not really enough for her, because she’s still quite lonely. Birdie doesn’t have an easy relationship with her biological son, Father Adrian Delacruz, and that bothers her.
Also, her last attempt at romance flopped. But in the first half of season 5, she catches the eye of two men. One is the hotel’s new owner, Dolph Mobley. Dolph is a man from Florida who may be using his ownership of the hotel for a money laundering scheme. And the other guy is Dolph’s meek and mild-mannered brother Dieter who typically experiences life on the sidelines.
Birdie will receive marriage proposals from both men, but she makes the wrong choice and her wedding day does not turn out as expected. In the second half of season 5, she is regrouping from this latest romantic setback. She also has a health crisis that must be addressed.
While these issues get sorted, a dramatic incident involving Adrian signals a turning point in his relationship with Birdie. Their rocky relationship is finally smoothed out.
SUGAR
I didn’t feature Sugar in too many episodes during season 4, and she will not be too prominent in season 5 either. But she is still an important supporting character. There will be one special episode in which this character takes center stage. I’ve always thought of Sugar as being like Miss Kitty in ‘Gunsmoke.’ As a motel owner/madam, she is a likable gal in a not so respectable business.
Part of Sugar’s ongoing story is her goal to be accepted in society. She has become a very successful businesswoman but the other wealthy women in the city look down on her. In the special episode I have planned for Sugar, she gets a chance to finally enter upper society and reinvent herself. Only it doesn’t quite turn out as she had planned, and like Birdie, Sugar also has to deal with some setbacks.
But we can be sure that Sugar learns from what happens to her, and she will bounce back stronger than ever.
VARIOUS RECURRING CHARACTERS
We will see many recurring favorites like Sister Agnes at the church, as well as Father Adrian (mentioned above). Plus: Biggie the bar owner and his partner Shorty; Amanda’s mother Gisselle (mentioned above); the captain’s daughter with Bernice, Heidi (mentioned above); the captain’s son Shannon (mentioned); Bernice’s husband Hugo (mentioned); Sonja’s parents; Dewey the guy who helps run Sonja’s coffee shop; Marek, Sonja’s ex-husband (mentioned above); Fronklin Pangborn the manager of the hotel and his assistant Jarrett; Schuyler (mentioned above); Mrs. Lee (mentioned above); Ashley Clark the news reporter; and Ashley’s friend Yvette who previously appeared in one episode, and was also friends with Ryan; Ryan’s cousin Sandra & her husband Naldo and their son Vito; as well as Rebecca, the daughter of Gloria Dawson whom Jude had thought was his daughter; and Harry Greenwood, the disgraced former judge who still has a score to settle with Jude.
New recurring characters during season 5 include: Dr. Ross Jax (mentioned above); Bradley Conrad, a student at the Catholic school; Trish Conrad, the woman who’s been raising Bradley; Lance O’Reilly, Bernice’s long-lost son (mentioned above); Blane Murdock, Yvette’s husband; Morgana Ellison (mentioned above) who’s the new woman in the captain’s life; Dolph Mobley, the new owner of the hotel and his brother Dieter Mobley (both mentioned above).
Also Marty Fredericks, Jude’s best friend who previously worked at the precinct and now lives in a rural area south of Chicago, will make a special appearance in the episode when Jude becomes a father.
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Post by topbilled on Jul 31, 2023 16:55:33 GMT
Season 5 Index
Where’s Amanda?
Flashbacks
A Flawed Human Being
The Bus Driver’s Story
The Last Minute of Sunlight
Don’t Go in Blindly
False Alarms
Sugar’s Sweet New Life
A Talk with Marek
Jude’s Son
The Birth of Jesse
Altar Ego
Law and Order in Tombstone
The Shopping Spree Killing Spree
Troubled Souls
Ancient History
Lance Part 1
Lance Part 2
On the Edge
Teacher of Guilt
Bradley
Fools Always Get Hurt
Jim and Nathan
Fatherhood
Sons
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Post by topbilled on Jul 31, 2023 16:57:38 GMT
101 Where’s Amanda?
Outline written by Jarrod McDonald, c) 2023
It’s been three months since Jude and Sonja married. They spent the first half of the summer remodeling Jude’s apartment, with help from Jim and Mrs. Lee. Now Sonja has finished moving the rest of her things from her father’s place in Hegewisch. However, their happiness has had a cloud over it, because Jude’s distracted by thoughts about Amanda.
We reveal that the week after Jude’s marriage to Sonja, Amanda had a falling out with the new mayor about how to run the precinct while Captain O’Reilly was still away in the Philippines. There was also a disagreement about a case that Amanda was overseeing with Ryan's help.
Ultimately, Amanda was suspended when the case hit a big snag, and she took off on a vacation. While she was gone, the captain returned a changed man, with his son Shannon in tow. But the captain wouldn’t open up to Jude or Ryan about what really happened in Manila, except that Kokoy and Nenita were now both dead.
The captain’s daughter Heidi took a leave of absence from her job in Boston and she stayed on to help look after Shannon. The captain would not even talk to Heidi or Bernice about how Kokoy and Nenita died. Instead he focused his attention on appealing to Mayor Henry Clovis on Amanda’s behalf, so that her suspension would be reversed.
However, the mayor refused to go easy on Amanda. On the day when Amanda was supposed to return from her vacation to go before Internal Affairs, she failed to show up. Nobody’s heard from her since, except one poorly composed text that she supposedly sent to the captain and Jude in late June indicating she had no plans of coming back.
It is now early August, and Jude is thinking about Amanda again because Birdie claims to have had a vision of her. Normally Jude would not really believe in this bunk, but Birdie is convinced that Amanda did not stay away voluntarily and that she’s in danger.
After speaking to Birdie, Jude has a long talk with the captain and Ryan, asking that they investigate leads as to where Amanda may now be. At first the captain is reluctant to allocate department time and money on this, since the text indicates Amanda is staying away of her own volition. But when Birdie comes to see the captain, he finally consents.
In the next part, Jude has gone to the hospital because of a detail in one of Birdie’s visions. He learns that a patient named Amber Fleming is on the floor that corresponds to the number Birdie saw in her vision. Birdie has another vision, about the room Amber’s staying in. When she tells Jude this, he decides to have a talk with Miss Fleming, though he’s had Ryan do some digging, and Amber has no past criminal history.
Jude is surprised to learn that Amber Fleming appears to have amnesia, which is confirmed by her doctors. However, if Amber had anything to do with Amanda’s disappearance, then it’s possible she is faking memory loss and knows where to find Amanda. Jude talks to Dr. Ross Jax, the hospital psychologist who has been having sessions with Amber.
Jude is frustrated when they seem to be getting nowhere with Amber. Birdie is also frustrated because she fears Amanda may die if Amanda is not found soon. Birdie poses as a hospital volunteer and goes to Amber’s room when Amber is off at therapy. Birdie does some snooping and finds a drawing that Amber did. A place Amber drew looks familiar to Birdie.
In the next part Birdie’s gone to the precinct with the drawing she took from Amber’s room and shows it to Jude and Ryan. Birdie then has a vision that tells her the drawing is about an old nightclub where Birdie performed years ago when she came to Chicago. The club has been closed for several years and is unoccupied.
We cut to the abandoned nightclub which is locked up. We reveal that Amanda is indeed being held there, and she had been locked up there with one other person who is now dead.
At the same time Amber is having a break through with Dr. Jax the shrink at St. Joseph’s hospital. She remembers how she had kidnapped Amanda on the day Amanda was leaving for vacation. This is followed by short scenes of how Amber had a key to the club which her grandfather owned before he died and left to her. She took Amanda there and held Amanda prisoner with a guy named Dell Jonas.
We reveal that Dell was Amber’s boyfriend who broke off his engagement to her because he was infatuated with Amanda. Dell never knew Amanda except by watching Ashley Clark’s reports on Amanda’s daring work as one of the city’s top female officers. Dell developed a fixation on Amanda, which caused Amber to become unhinged.
Amber and Dell got into a fight, which left Dell dead and Amber with blunt head trauma. After Amber left the nightclub and locked it up, two months ago, she experienced blackouts that led to her hospitalization and amnesia. Now it is all coming back to Amber in her latest session, while Jude and Ryan arrive at the old nightclub and rescue a delirious, malnourished and near-dead Amanda.
In the last scene of the episode, the captain learns Amanda’s been found and taken to the hospital. He goes to visit her. They are both glad to see each other. The captain says the mayor was told about the situation, and the mayor put pressure on Internal Affairs to drop their investigation. As soon as she is well enough, Amanda will return to work.
Amanda wants to know if the captain got his son back, and he says yes. Amanda would like to hear all about what happened in Manila. The captain isn’t quite ready to go into it, and he tells Amanda to get some rest. He then leaves and goes home.
At the captain’s home, Bernice is there. She tells the captain that Heidi’s employers in Boston said they cannot continue to hold Heidi’s job for her. The captain says he spoke to an employment agency and that he’s going to hire a full time nanny for Shannon. Heidi has mixed feelings about this, but Bernice insists it will be for the best.
As Heidi goes up to check on Shannon, Bernice says it’s time the captain told someone exactly what happened when he was in Manila. He reacts.
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Post by topbilled on Aug 1, 2023 15:42:24 GMT
102 Flashbacks
Outline written by Jarrod McDonald, c) 2023
We start with the captain telling Bernice how Kokoy and Nenita died. In an extended flashback, he reveals he found a way out of the room that Kokoy locked him inside (seen in “Jude Gets Married”). The captain then caught up with Kokoy on the docks, where Kokoy was meeting with Nenita who still had Shannon with her. Kokoy was telling Nenita that he made sure the captain could not cause any more trouble since Shiro’s men were still watching.
In the next part of the flashback the captain approaches, and he tells Nenita he wants his son back. Kokoy tells the captain to leave, or they will all end up dead. Just then Shiro’s men come out of the shadows. Gunfire is exchanged and Kokoy is killed. The captain fires back some shots and he kills the two thugs that worked for Shiro.
Meanwhile Nenita had tried to run off with the baby, but one of the thug’s bullets had struck her and she went down. As she lay dying in a pool of blood she tearfully handed Shannon over to the captain, who promised he would make sure Shannon had a good life.
Out of the extended flashback, Bernice comforts the captain and says she is sorry he went through all that. But she’s glad he told her. They notice Heidi in the doorway who has just heard all of it. She steps forward and hugs her dad.
The next morning, Heidi is a getting a flight back to Boston. She meets a woman named Morgana, who has impeccable credentials and applied for the nanny job. Bernice is also there and she helps interview Morgana. After the interview, Bernice is satisfied and hires Morgana on the spot. This all happens fast, but now Heidi can get back to her regular job and the captain can get to the precinct.
We go with the captain on his way to work. He stops by the hospital to see how Amanda is doing. Birdie is there visiting Amanda. Amanda has heard that Amber is still at the hospital and wants to go up to the floor she’s on to talk to her. But Birdie doesn’t think that’s a good idea, and neither does the captain.
In the following scene Ryan has shown up in the hallway. While Birdie finishes chatting with Amanda, the captain steps out to talk to Ryan. He tells Ryan to go arrest Amber and get her out of Amanda’s reach.
We cut to the precinct a bit later. Jude has clocked in. He finds the captain and Ryan and learns that Amber was arrested.
Back at the hospital Amanda is still with Birdie. She describes how she could not get out of the boarded-up nightclub, locked in a back storage room with bottles of water and Dell’s rotting corpse. She had no food. After five days she killed a mouse and ate it. Then a week later, she was forced to start eating Dell’s decomposing flesh, just to stay alive.
Birdie tells Amanda she doesn’t have to relive that anymore. Amber Fleming will be going away for a long time. Amanda cries on Birdie’s shoulder, as Bernice shows up to visit. Bernice helps Birdie comfort Amanda and she asks Amanda to come stay with her and Hugo in their guest room, after she is released from the hospital.
Amanda says she heard from her mother Gisselle who had been in Europe and did not know about any of this. Her mother is insisting that Amanda move back into the Fallon family home which has been vacant while Gisselle was away.
The subject changes to the captain. Amanda asks if he opened up about what happened in Manila. Bernice says yes and explains Kokoy and Nenita are dead, but Shannon is perfectly fine. And Bernice thinks the captain will be fine, too. She then says the captain hired a nice live-in nanny to take care of Shannon, so Heidi would not be burdened with looking after the child.
We cut to a quick scene of the captain in his office at the precinct. He dials his home to speak to Morgana and see how Shannon is doing. Morgana is still finding where everything is placed in the house. She says Shannon is doing just fine. The captain is glad.
We cut back to Amanda’s hospital room. Birdie realizes the time and has to get to the hotel. She says Dolph Mobley, the new owner, is flying up from Florida to watch her rehearse a new set for her act. She’s nervous and wants to make a good impression. As Birdie leaves, Bernice repeats her offer of Amanda coming to stay with her. But Amanda insists she will be fine.
Bernice is grateful that Amanda survived such a horrible ordeal. Amanda tells Bernice that she and Birdie care more for her than Gisselle ever does. But Bernice knows Gisselle loves Amanda in her own way. She gives Amanda a hug and says things will only get better now.
In the next shot Bernice has just left. Dr. Ross Jax the psychologist comes in. He has been assigned to do a few counseling sessions with her. They both seem to know each other, from years ago.
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Post by topbilled on Aug 5, 2023 2:08:26 GMT
103 A Flawed Human Being
Outline written by Jarrod McDonald, c) 2023
We start in Dr. Ross Jax’s office. He is counseling Rex Darren is a well-known Olympic athlete who is in town to promote a book he wrote about physical fitness. During this session, Rex admits to learning recently he’s HIV positive. Nobody knows about this yet, except his sister Julie who attends college in Maryland.
Rex tells Ross he has been dealing with the situation but doesn’t go into details. He notices the time and realizes he has to get to a book store signing, which will be followed by an appearance on a radio show to promote the book. As Rex leaves Dr. Jax’s office, the next appointment shows up for their counseling session. It’s Amanda.
Amanda is ushered inside and we reveal this is not exactly a typical counseling session. They know each other from when they were both younger. We let the audience find out more how Amanda had been married when she was briefly in college. It was before she joined the police academy. She’s already referenced this marriage in a previous episode (“Jude Gets Married”).
As the dialogue in this scene continues, we learn that the guy Amanda had been married to was pre-med, and he was Ross Jax’s brother. So he and Amanda are apparently former in-laws. The conversation switches to Ross asking Amanda how she’s been doing since she recovered from her recent traumatic ordeal. She says she’s coping. He’s glad.
We then cut to scenes of Rex Darren the former Olympic athlete at a bookstore on State Street, signing autographs for fans. One of the fans is Jude’s uncle Jim. Jude has the day off and he’s humored Jim by coming along with him. Rex finds Jude attractive but since Rex is closeted he quickly refocuses his attention though Jim has detected a vibe.
In the next shot Jude and Jim are exciting the store with the signed book. Jim says he thinks Rex may be gay. Jude says he didn’t notice anything like that. They get into Jude’s truck and head to the coffee shop to show Sonja the autographed book.
Meanwhile Amanda has left Dr. Ross Jax’s office and she’s stopped by the hotel to see Birdie, before heading to the precinct. Birdie finishes with a rehearsal. A nice but nervous man is watching. He really likes Birdie’s act. Birdie thinks this is Dolph Mobley the new owner of the hotel who’s flown up from Florida, since everyone’s calling him Mr. Mobley.
But Amanda realizes that this guy is not Dolph, but Dieter Mobley, Dolph’s brother. Birdie feels embarrassed. Dieter says it’s rare that anyone would mistake him for Dolph, and he kind of likes it. He has to go over some stuff with Fronklin but would like to drop by Birdie’s suite later. As Dieter exits, Amanda and Birdie sit down for some tea.
Amanda tells Birdie she’s undergoing counseling. She wanted to come by and think Birdie for all her support when Amanda was hospitalized. Birdie says she considers Amanda like a daughter. Amanda asks how things are going with Adrian. Birdie says she and Adrian are still playing their little charade, but she’s okay with that. Amanda reacts.
We cut to Adrian at the church. He’s in the confessional. On the other side of the screen is Rex Darren who wants absolution for something he’s done and will continue to do. Adrian tries to counsel him, but Rex gets flustered and leaves.
In the next part Rex has gone to the radio show, to talk about his book. One of the deejays is an attractive gay man, and after the broadcast, they leave the studio together.
Soon they are at the hotel, in Rex’s suite. They kiss and engage in some foreplay. When things start to get hot and heavy, the deejay pulls out a condom. But Rex does not want to use a condom. The deejay always uses one. Rex tells reminds the deejay he is known for fitness. Surely he’d be clean. The deejay ends up having sex with Rex without a condom, then leaves.
As the deejay gets on the elevator, Dieter Mobley gets off. He finds Birdie’s suite and knocks. She has just gotten out of a bath and is afraid she is not quite presentable. Dieter thinks she looks beautiful. Birdie blushes and invites him inside. Dieter explains that his brother Dolph could not make it up from Florida just yet, so he is here looking over his brother’s new business interests in Chicago.
Dieter seems to be socially awkward but Birdie can tell he has a shrewd mind for business. Dieter has suggestions for how she can improve her act, and these are good suggestions. He ends up staying for dinner in her suite, and they have a nice time. It all stays platonic.
We then cut to Rex. He has left the hotel and is cruising for more sex in the Boys Town area. He picks up a male hooker and again refuses to use a condom. We see that he is knowingly infecting gay and bisexual men as a way to make other people as miserable as he is, since he cannot really accept the fact he’s HIV positive and that this has now changed his life.
The next day a new guest arrives at the hotel. The guest, a man named Vance Rutherford, keeps inquiring about Rex, which Jarrett finds a bit suspicious. But Fronklin says Rex has a lot of admirers and it’s probably a fan who wants a book autographed.
In the next part Vance has caught Rex coming out of the lounge where Birdie’s just performed a set with Dieter’s help. At first Rex does not recognize Vance, but Vance gets into the elevator with him and reminds him of who he is.
As they reach Rex’s suite and Vance forces his way inside to continue this ‘chat’ with Rex, we find out that Vance is one of Rex’s recent victims.
Last month Rex was in Tulsa promoting his book and he picked Vance up outside a club. Vance explains he only had unprotected male on male sex once in his life, and it was with Rex. He just found out he’s HIV positive, and he knows Rex is the one who infected him, despite Rex’s lies to the contrary. Vance starts to become violent, and Rex motions for the phone to call for help. But Vance grabs the phone out of Rex’s hand.
This leads to a huge struggle, where despite Rex’s fitness, Vance manages to overpower him and snaps Rex’s neck.
The chambermaid discovers Rex dead the following morning. Jude is on duty with Ryan, and they are called on to the scene. Ryan is led off to look at security camera footage, and they see Vance forcing his way into Rex’s room the night before. Fronklin identifies Vance, and in the next scene, Ryan and Jude go to Vance’s suite.
Vance is devastated at what he did, and he has just come back from the church where he confessed everything Adrian who suggested he make the same confession to the police. Vance explains that Rex was evil, and why he “had to kill” Rex. Jude has Ryan arrest Vance, and they lead him off.
Vance soon gets out on bail, and we dissolve to a day or two later. He is on the same radio show Rex was a guest on, and Vance is now telling his story. Julie Darren, who has come to claim her brother’s body, is the other guest and she says her brother was a flawed human being but he was a great athlete and should be remembered for that. The episode ends with Jim at Jude and Sonja’s place. He is listening to the broadcast. As it ends, he throws the book that Rex signed into the trash.
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Post by topbilled on Aug 6, 2023 15:43:25 GMT
104 The Bus Driver’s Story
Outline written by Jarrod McDonald, c) 2023
Edna Rafferty is an African American bus driver in downtown Chicago. She has seen it all in her eight years behind the wheel. She tells a tourist who asks if this city is safe about the time she had to kill a passenger who wouldn’t sit down. An extended flashback begins…
In the first part of the flashback, we see Edna driving her bus a year ago. She is telling a middle-aged man named Clarence Halverson to sit down, but he doesn’t want to sit down. Edna doesn’t like it when people refuse to follow her orders. “Jesus Mary and Joseph, give me strength,” she says.
She pulls the bus over and tells Clarence to get out. He is drunk and verbally abusive, calling her names. Another passenger tries to help Edna get Clarence off the bus, but Clarence starts laughing like a hyena.
When the other passenger grabs Clarence’s arm to help escort him off the bus, Clarence goes ballistic and shoves the other passenger to the floor. Then he pulls out a gun and aims it all the other passengers. He refuses to let any of them get him off the bus. “Jesus Mary and Joseph,” Edna says again under her breath. “Why do all the crazies get on my bus!”
It is late in the afternoon, and these people are on their way home from working downtown. Edna has returned to the driver’s seat. Clarence wants her to start the engine back up and keep driving. With the gun now focused on her, she doesn’t have a choice. A dispatcher’s voice is heard on the radio, wanting to know why Edna’s behind schedule.
She takes the call and gives a vague answer, and she discretely tries to suggest a need for help in a way the dispatcher might catch on but Clarence won’t.
Meanwhile, a female rider in the back of the bus is discretely on her phone calling 911. Clarence realizes what is happening. He pivots with the gun, runs up to her and tells her to hang up. But when she refuses to hang up, he shoots and kills her on the spot. He tells Edna and everyone else no more calls. He then shoots the security camera so it cannot record or transmit anything.
We cut to the bus company where they see what has just happened. Jude is called and soon Jude is with the dispatcher. He is now on the radio with Edna. He tells her to keep driving, but hand the call to Clarence.
Clarence is not letting Edna make any of her scheduled stops, meaning people at those stops are angry when the bus keeps going past them. And he is still not letting anyone else off the bus. He has a list of demands, and he wants Edna to drive the bus to where his daughter Melanie lives with his ex-wife Arlene. He has been denied custody or visitation and he is very angry.
In the next part the media find out about the story. They learn where the bus is headed and they are soon camped out at Arlene Halverson’s place, waiting for the bus to arrive. Jude has sent Ryan there.
Meanwhile Jude is still at the bus company headquarters on the radio, trying to convince Clarence to give it up. At the same time, a disabled passenger seems to be having a heart attack. Clarence can’t hear Jude on the phone and shoots and kills the guy in the wheelchair. The other passengers are hysterical at this point, but Edna is calm and she drives down the streets towards Arlene Halverson’s place.
They finally reach the house and the bus stops. Clarence wants Arlene to bring Melanie out, but Arlene says Melanie is not here, she’s staying out of town at her grandparents’ place. Clarence doesn’t believe her and thinks it’s a trick.
He’s right, because Melanie is inside with her mother and Ryan. But Melanie sneaks out and she runs to the bus to see her daddy. At this point, a gang member with a knife has managed to surprise Clarence from behind.
Edna has just enough time to take Clarence’s gun that he dropped. She has no choice but to shoot him, when he gets the kid’s knife and is coming at her. The little girl, Melanie, sees all of this while her mother runs out after her. Ryan has moved Melanie out of the way and is on the bus handcuffing Clarence who is still alive. Edna hands the gun over. She and the rest of the passengers are glad it’s over. Ashley Clark and the media are getting shots of what’s happening.
Later at the precinct, Ryan explains to Jude and the captain how the girl ran out of the house. In the next room, the girl and her mother are speaking to a psychologist. Edna Rafferty is there also, providing a statement.
We then cut to the present day as Edna finishes telling her story to the tourist. She says the mayor gave her a plaque and she was hailed as a hero. They get to the end of the line, and she shows the tourist a picture on her phone of the plaque. He is glad he took her bus and thanks her for sharing his story. He gets off, and new passengers board the bus.
One is an unruly wino. Edna shouts at him to sit down, and we see him put his hand in the pocket of his trench coat. Does he have a gun in there? Edna eyes him in the rear view mirror as she drives on.
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