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SEX AND THE CITY: "THE WIZARD OF GREENWICH VILLAGE" BY TYLER CRAFT CORMNEY FADE IN: EXT. MANHATTAN SIDEWALK AT RUSH HOUR - DAY A sea of MEN walking towards us. CARRIE (V.O.) The Emerald City of Manhattan is home to about 1.6 million single men. With numbers like that, seems like a gal could find just one who has it all. But take it from me, they're all missing some essential ingredient. EXT. WALL STREET SIDEWALK - DAY CARRIE (V.O.) There are the tin men who have no heart... A stiff I-BANKER type wearing reflective sunglasses marches by with mechanical precision. EXT. UNION SQUARE - DAY CARRIE (V.O.) ...Lions who lack courage... A LEONINE MAN with a mane of blonde hair struts up the sidewalk proudly. Up ahead of him, he sees A PURSE SNATCHER grab a WOMAN'S purse. The Leonine Man ducks into an alley as the Purse Snatcher runs past. EXT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY CARRIE (V.O.) ...And the beautiful scarecrows who, sadly, have no brain. A MALE MODEL type with wild straw-colored hair and nouveau scarecrow garb pushes and pushes at the door of a coffee shop. A WOMAN brushes him aside, pulls open the door, and enters. EXT. CENTRAL PARK - DAY CARRIE (V.O.) And don't get me started on the munchkins... A VERTICALLY CHALLENGED MAN makes an f-you gesture with his short arms. INT. THERAPIST'S OFFICE - DAY DR. MARCO GIACONNI listens intently to a COUPLE sitting next to each other on a couch across from him. Marco's late thirties, dark, and handsome. CARRIE (V.O.) Dr. Marco Giaconni was known as "The Wizard of Greenwich Village." He specialized in fixing broken men. Part therapist, part magician -- he'd saved more relationships than Viagra. THE FEMALE PATIENT is in tears. FEMALE PATIENT He met my parents and they love him. I know he loves me, but every time I bring up marriage, he freaks out- MALE PATIENT (a cowardly lion) It's only been f-ff-five years. FEMALE PATIENT (to the Doctor) Can you fix him? Dr. Giaconni smiles sagely. INT. CARRIE'S APARTMENT - DAY We travel through Carrie's apartment. It looks like a tornado hit - magazines, books, newspapers and Chinese takeout boxes are scattered everywhere. Carrie sits at her laptop keyboard. LAPTOP SCREEN We can hear the words as she types them. CARRIE (V.O.) 'If the man in your life is incomplete, should you go "off to see the Wizard" or just catch the next twister out of town?" OVER we hear-- SAMANTHA (O.S.) (orgasmic) Oh God! Oh Yes! Oh God! INT. SAMANTHA'S APARTMENT - DAY Samantha is having sex with DR. SHANE MACINTOSH. CARRIE (V.O.) Samantha's motto was "Who needs a wizard when there's Le Cirque, Cosmopolitans, and multiple..." Samantha CLIMAXES. CARRIE (V.O.) (cont'd) That afternoon after a light lunch and a few cocktails, she was enjoying the final ingredient in her feel-good formula. MACINTOSH So? SAMANTHA Just what the Doctor ordered. CARRIE (V.O.) Dr. Shane Macintosh also specialized in fixing broken men. He was a New York heart surgeon who, thanks to Samantha's PR work, was fast becoming the hottest knife in Emerald City. Since taking his post at New York general, he hadn't lost a single patient. Macintosh's BEEPER goes off. As he's getting up: MACINTOSH Gotta check in at the hospital. Samantha sighs with a sated grin. CARRIE (V.O.) He certainly had Samantha's heart pumping. EXT. COUNTRY CLUB - DAY Charlotte's taking a tennis lesson from PIERRE, a gorgeous French, tennis pro. She hits a powerful serve. PIERRE Tres bien, Charlotte! CARRIE (V.O.) Charlotte was also getting her heart rate up with a little one-on-one. She loved the fresh air... Charlotte takes a deep breath. Her eyes sparkle. Close On PIERRE'S ASS as he bends over to pick up a ball. CARRIE (V.O.) (cont'd) ...almost as much as Pierre's derriere. Pierre turns and catches her looking. He smiles and runs toward her. He vaults the net, but his shoe catches and he eats it hard. On Pierre laying face down on the tennis court. CARRIE (V.O.) (cont'd) (singing) "If he only had a brain..." INT. MIRANDA'S APARTMENT - DAY CARRIE (V.O.) Meanwhile, Miranda was trying to calm her little munchkin. Miranda sings the lullaby "Mockingbird" to her infant son, Brady: MIRANDA (singing to Brady) "And if that boss tries to fire you, Mama's gonna take him into court and sue." The Phone RINGS. Miranda answers. MIRANDA (cont'd) Hello. INT. CORPORATE LAW OFFICE - DAY WESLEY, an attractive attorney in his late 30s, holding the telephone. WESLEY Miranda. INT. MIRANDA'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS Miranda walks out of Brady's bedroom holding her cordless phone. She closes the door quietly. We can hear Brady CRYING in the background. MIRANDA Wesley! WESLEY (V.O.) Did I hear a baby crying? MIRANDA A baby...? Very funny. WESLEY (V.O.) I got the ticket, Miranda. I arrive at 11am Saturday into LaGuardia. MIRANDA Tomorrow morning...great... CARRIE (V.O.) Three weeks ago, Wesley and Miranda had met at a legal conference in Chicago, Wesley's hometown... FLASHBACK INT. CHICAGO HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT Miranda and Wesley stumble into the room. Wesley sweeps the lamp and telephone off the in-room desk. Miranda hops onto the desk and they undress feverishly. CARRIE (V.O.) They'd talked every night for the last three weeks. She'd told him all about her life-- except for one small detail. INT. MIRANDA'S APARTMENT - PRESENT DAY Miranda hangs up the phone. She opens the door into Brady's room. He's sleeping peacefully. We see the guilt in her eyes. INT. SAMANTHA'S APARTMENT - DAY Dr. Macintosh is on the phone. Samantha's still in bed. MACINTOSH (into the phone) Quadruple blockage. I see... (beat) No...No...I'm swamped. Give him to one of the residents. Macintosh hangs up. SAMANTHA Everything alright? MACINTOSH Very sick patient. Macintosh climbs back into bed. MACINTOSH (cont'd) Now, where we're we? SAMANTHA And you're handing him to a resident? Macintosh isn't happy with her question. He gets up and starts dressing. MACINTOSH Samantha, you're my PR agent. You know I'm batting a-thousand. SAMANTHA But that's because you're the best. MACINTOSH Right. And I got that reputation by choosing patients wisely. Off Samantha's troubled reaction. MACINTOSH (cont'd) Come on, Samantha! You wouldn't take on a client who had no chance, why should I? SAMANTHA Isn't that a little... MACINTOSH ... heartless? If either of us had a heart we couldn't survive in this town. Macintosh cinches his tie. MACINTOSH (cont'd) See you Sunday. He kisses her and leaves. Samantha shudders when the door SLAMS. INT. HOTEL COUNTRY CLUB - DAY Charlotte and Pierre walk off the court. PIERRE (French accent) Kassarian is a crook. CHARLOTTE Nick Kassarian is the most influential art critic in New York. PIERRE And he's a crook. CHARLOTTE Maybe you'd better stick to tennis balls Pierre because you obviously don't know anything about people. Excuse me. Charlotte leaves him. NICK KASSARIAN is waiting for her just outside the tennis court. She gives him a kiss and they walk together. NICK Anything wrong? CHARLOTTE No, he was just a little critical of my game. NICK Don't let a dumb jock get under your skin. CHARLOTTE I won't. Charlotte kisses Nick passionately. EXT. RESTAURANT - DAY The girls are having happy-hour cocktails. CHARLOTTE Tonight, we're having dinner with Otto Hengstmann from Berlin and Jacques Renault from Paris and tomorrow night I'm going to Le Grande Critique! MIRANDA What's 'ze big deal about 'ze grande crtique?' CHARLOTTE The decisions they make tomorrow night influence the direction of artistic taste for the next decade. CARRIE (sarcastically) Is that all? MIRANDA I suppose this means you can't baby-sit this weekend. CHARLOTTE Miranda, I'm sorry. MIRANDA Carrie? CARRIE Oh sweetie, I've got a deadline Monday. SAMANTHA What's the article about? CARRIE Dr. Marco Giaconni. CHARLOTTE (impressed) The Wizard of Greenwich Village? MIRANDA I'm so out of touch. SAMANTHA A wizard...Do tell. Is he a little old man with a big organ? CARRIE He's not old, and I have yet to see his organ. MIRANDA I'm such a chicken-shit. What am I going to do? I can't just spring it on him. "Oh, hi! Welcome to New York. By the way, do you change diapers?" CARRIE I wish I could help. SAMANTHA I'm free. The other three look at Samantha, shocked. MIRANDA Huh? SAMANTHA Shane's in surgery all weekend. I can baby-sit. MIRANDA Why is an image of Brady's face on a milk carton suddenly coming to mind? SAMANTHA (stung) Fine then, Miss chicken-shit. CARRIE Whoa! Play nice. MIRANDA I was kidding. I'd really appreciate it, Samantha. Across the bar, Nick waves at Charlotte. CHARLOTTE There's Nick. (standing up) Toot-a-loo, ladies. Carrie, stands. CARRIE And I'm off to see the Wizard. EXT. NEW YORK SIDEWALK - DUSK Storm clouds are gathering over the City. The wind whips leaves and garbage into tiny tornados. Carrie tries to hail a cab. Rain starts to fall. CARRIE (V.O.) Sometimes New York can embrace you like a warm hug. Other times it can snarl and bite you in the ass. Carrie races for a stopped CAB. A WOMAN holding a LITTLE GREY TERRIER cuts her off. The dog SNAPS at Carrie, and she stumbles backwards. CARRIE (V.O.) (cont'd) A freak summer rain storm is one of those times. Carrie makes her way back to the sidewalk and looks frantically for another cab. Upstream, all the CABS are engaged. Carrie's not paying attention and her RUBY PURSE dangles loosely from her shoulder. Suddenly, A MIDGET MUGGER runs by and grabs her purse. Carrie is spun around and has no choice but to release her purse. CARRIE (cont'd) Hey! She runs after him, but she's in high heels; he's in sneakers and surprisingly fast, for a midget. No one on the sidewalk tries to help or even pays attention. CARRIE (cont'd) (to passerby) The little guy! He stole my purse! He... No one cares. Carrie gives up. The RAIN starts to really pour. Carrie starts walking. Her high heel breaks and she stumbles barely catching herself. Carrie looks up at the sky which pisses on her from all directions. Her face says, "Why me, God?" INT. EXPENSIVE RESTAURANT - NIGHT Charlotte and Nick are at a table with MR. HENGSTMANN and MR. RENAULT. NICK Braddock's reign is over. Long live Lasconte. You heard it hear first! HENGSTMANN Agreed. Renault raises his glass. RENAULT A new era. The men toast. Charlotte doesn't raise her glass. CHARLOTTE I disagree. Braddock is still relevant. In fact, I feel he's just starting to hit his stride. The men's glasses hang in the air. They all look at Charlotte as if she has just passed gas. INT. CARRIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Carrie, drenched to the bone, enters. She throws her broken shoe across the room angrily. INT. CARRIE'S APARTMENT - A LITTLE LATER She's on the phone. CARRIE (into phone) Yes, 72nd and Third. (beat) No, I'm okay. Can you just send someone over so I can make a report? (beat) He was a little person...a dwarf. (beat) No this is not a joke! Carrie hangs up the phone and looks at the sheets of water cascading down her window. INT. CARRIE'S APARTMENT - LATER Samantha, Miranda, and baby Brady are just leaving. SAMANTHA Are you sure you're going to be okay? CARRIE Yeah. Thanks. Miranda cuddles Brady close to her. MIRANDA It's just frightening. This sort of thing seems to be happening more and more. CARRIE I'm more pissed about my shoe. All I had in the bag was an old piece of nicorette, an eyebrow pencil, and a tube of lipstick from the 80s. SAMANTHA If I see a dwarf wearing cherry bomb red, he's mine. They hug and kiss goodbye. EXT. NEW YORK STREETS - NIGHT The STORM is really cooking now. Thunder and lightening interplay. INT. CARRIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Carrie sits at her laptop. She has a cosmopolitan next to her. CARRIE (V.O.) Why do we put up with it - the exorbitant cost of living, the lousy people, the shitty weather, the thieving midgets? She takes a sip of her drink. CARRIE (V.O.) (cont'd) Maybe that munchkin took more than my purse. LAPTOP SCREEN We can hear the words as she types them. CARRIE (V.O.) (cont'd) 'Had I lost my heart for New York?" A loud THUNDER CLAP. The POWER GOES OUT in her apartment. Again, Carrie stares up into the heavens. INT. EXPENSIVE RESTAURANT - NIGHT Charlotte and Nick are getting their coats from the coat check. The storm is brewing outside and inside... CHARLOTTE Nick, I'm sorry. NICK You embarrassed me Charlotte. CHARLOTTE I think Braddock is a very important painter. I hate to hear anyone criticized unfairly. NICK Charlotte, if you want to come with me tomorrow night I have one rule-- Look good and keep that pretty mouth shut. He adds just enough charm to keep her from slapping him. CHARLOTTE That's two rules. NICK My whole career hinges on how things go tomorrow night. I need you on my side. Pause. CHARLOTTE (with difficulty) I'm sorry I embarrassed you. CARRIE (V.O.) Charlotte was starting to get the picture. Apparently, Nick liked his women like he liked his paintings - thin, beautiful, and speechless. Still, she felt she could prove to him that she had brains as well as beauty. INT. CARRIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT There's a knock at the door. Carrie goes to the door holding her cosmopolitan. CARRIE It's about time! Lightning FLASHES. It's Dr. Giaconni, the Wizard of Greenwich Village. CARRIE (cont'd) Dr. Giaconni! I'm sorry. I thought you were...Please come in. CARRIE (V.O.) (cont'd) Apparently, no yellow-brick road was required. In this day and age, the Wizard made house calls. DR. GIACONNI I was worried when you didn't show. I brought you the research for your article. CARRIE I'm so sorry, Dr. Giaconni. It's been one of those days. Please, come in. Carrie escorts the doctor inside. CARRIE (cont'd) (over her shoulder) My power's out, but my cocktail shaker appears to be operational. How about a drink? I've never had a real live therapist in here. I promise not to talk about my problems. JUMP CUT TO: CARRIE laying on the sofa staring at the ceiling. Lightening flashes. CARRIE (cont'd) I just don't think I can take it any longer. I mean I love this city. It's my home. I can't imagine being anywhere else, but it's just so hard sometimes. This is the second time I've been mugged in two years. Dr. Giaconni listens from an armchair. DR. GIACONNI What else has been going on in your life? CARRIE Oh the usual - inability to have a fulfilling relationship, broken off marriage engagements, neurotic friends, inadequate men, job anxieties, fears about the future, fears about paying the bills, a fear of dying bitter and alone with nothing to show for my life but a hundred pairs of Italian designer shoes. DR. GIACONNI Carrie, are you being honest? CARRIE Okay, maybe two hundred pairs. DR. GIACONNI No. I mean New York isn't the problem. Today it is, but what about tomorrow? CARRIE Huh? DR. GIACONNI Well for starters, look at this place. Is it always such a mess? CARRIE Hey! Too much honesty. DR. GIACONNI New York is the city you live in; it's not your home. This is your home. CARRIE Well, I'm so glad to find out that I don't need a Wizard just a Dirt Devil. They laugh. TIME CUT TO: ENTRY WAY - LATER Dr. Giaconni puts on his raincoat. Carrie holds the door. DR. GIACONNI You remind me of Dorothy. CARRIE A patient? DR. GIACONNI ...From the Wizard of Oz. Remember what she learned at the end of the yellow brick road? CARRIE --Beware of flying monkeys? DR. GIACONNI (laughing) That too. Thanks for the drink. Dr. Giaconni departs. Carrie walks into her apartment and the LIGHTS comes back on. She surveys the mess. EXT. MANHATTAN SIDEWALK - NIGHT As the Wizard moves up the sidewalk, street lamps click back on behind him as if by magic. CARRIE (V.O.) As the storm passed and the lights of New York began shining once again, I couldn't help thinking - 'Toto, we're not in Manhattan anymore.' FADE OUT. FADE IN: INT. MIRANDA'S APARTMENT - DAY It's a beautiful sunny day. CARRIE (V.O.) The next day Samantha showed up at Miranda's in her best Aunt-for-a-weekend ensemble. Miranda and Samantha are rushing around the apartment. We hear a Cabbie HONKING his horn outside. SAMANTHA I think that's it - clothes, diapers, wipes, baby powder, port-a-crib, carriage, and... She picks up the car seat. SAMANTHA (cont'd) ...car seat! MIRANDA (worried) He likes that "Hush little baby song." SAMANTHA Don't worry, Darling. Auntie Samantha's got it under control. Samantha kisses Miranda on the cheek and heads out the door with the car seat. MIRANDA Aren't you forgetting something? SAMANTHA I don't think so. We hear Brady's CRY from the back bedroom. On Samantha's embarrassed smile. INT. MIRANDA'S APARTMENT - LATER Miranda and Wesley are kissing and moving up the hallway. CARRIE (V.O.) Miranda spent two hours de-baby-izing her apartment. By the time Wesley arrived, everything that said single mom was hidden away in Brady's room. Wesley, his lips still locked with Miranda's, opens the bedroom door behind him. Miranda quickly pulls it shut before he can see the mountain of baby paraphernalia inside. MIRANDA Not that one. They resume kissing and stumbling up the hall. INT. SAMANTHA'S APARTMENT - DAY Samantha tries to quiet Brady who is crying. CARRIE (V.O.) While mama was putting the moves on Wesley, Samantha was entertaining her own weekend guest. Samantha sings to Brady. SAMANTHA "Hush little Brady don't say a word, Aunt Sammie's gonna buy you a..." (beat) "Aunt Sammie's gonna buy you a..." She can't remember the words. SAMANTHA (cont'd) Shit! (to Brady) Don't tell your mother I said that. Brady cries. TIME CUT TO: INT. SAMANTHA'S APARTMENT - LATER Samantha does a cheer with an old set of pom-poms. SAMANTHA Two, four, six, eight who's the quarterback's favorite date--? Samantha! Samantha! Woooo! Brady cries. Samantha's pom-poms droop to her sides. CARRIE (V.O.) Maybe, Brady was a basketball fan... INT. CARRIE'S APARTMENT - DAY KITCHEN Carrie opens the refrigerator. She grabs a take-out box from the shelf, smells it, and GAGS. She tosses it back in and slams the refrigerator door. Carrie leans her head against the cold surface of the refrigerator. CARRIE (V.O.) (cont'd) Then something strange happened. In the midst of a masochistic panic set in motion by a munchkin mugger and a way-too candid Ph.D., I did it-- I decided to clean my apartment. INT. CARRIE'S APARTMENT - A LITTLE LATER KITCHEN Carrie pulls on a pair of pink latex gloves, ready for battle. She opens the refrigerator door, grabs the takeout box and trashes it. Next, she throws out the empty soy sauce bottle. She looks down at the vegetable drawer. CARRIE (to herself) Don't do it, Carrie. She opens the drawer, SCREAMS, and jumps back. Moments later, Carrie returns. She pulls out the vegetable drawer and quickly dumps the rotting vegetables into the trash. LIVING ROOM Carrie walks in carrying a tall stack of shoe boxes. She searches the room for a place to store them. KITCHEN Carrie opens the oven and packs the shoe boxes inside. INT. MIRANDA'S APARTMENT - DAY Miranda and Wesley are in bed hot and heavy. Suddenly, a squeeze toy lets out a SQUEEZE-TOY NOISE. Wesley pulls a pink dinosaur out from under him. A tense silence. Miranda looks guilty. MIRANDA I can explain-- WESLEY I didn't know you had a thing for pink dinosaurs. That is so sexy. He kisses her. She heats up again, but then pushes him off and sits up in bed. MIRANDA I'm sorry, Wesley. Wesley collects his wits and sits up. MIRANDA It's... Wesley, I'm a...I have a-- I'm hungry. WESLEY Should we call for take out? She pauses. MIRANDA No. CARRIE (V.O.) At that moment, Miranda became a cowardly lion. MIRANDA Can we get out of here? EXT. COUNTRY CLUB - DAY Charlotte is taking another lesson from Pierre. He stands behind her directing her swing with his arm. CHARLOTTE Pierre, I understand you are French and therefore by nature rude and impetuous. Otherwise, I would have never spoken to you again. PIERRE Nick Kassarian is a disgrace to the art world. Charlotte steps away from him. CHARLOTTE Nick is the guest of honor at Le Grande Critique. You're a pretty-boy tennis teacher. Who are you to criticize him? PIERRE He's a pig, and tonight, I'll tell him so to his face. Charlotte laughs. CHARLOTTE They won't let you set foot in Le Grande Critique. PIERRE Wait and see. INT. CARRIE'S APARTMENT - DAY Carrie's on her hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor with a brush. CARRIE (V.O.) (cont'd) While Charlotte traded volleys with the frog with the Prince racquet, I was scrubbing my place so spotless that even Auntie Em couldn't complain. Surprisingly, a date with Mr. Clean started to lift my spirits. The phone RINGS. Carrie answers it with her pink-gloved hand. She blows the hair out of her eyes. INTERCUT with Dr. Giaconni in his apartment. CARRIE Dorothy speaking. DR. GIACONNI I deserve that. You had been through a lot yesterday, and I'm afraid I wasn't very understanding or helpful. CARRIE Guess what I'm doing? DR. GIACONNI What? CARRIE I'm cleaning my apartment. A beat. DR. GIACONNI I want to take you to dinner. CARRIE (playfully) Isn't that against the hypodermic oath or something? DR. GIACONNI Despite your taking my moronic advice, you're not a patient...so no. Carrie looks out the window at the dark City. She bites her lip. CARRIE Tell you what, I'll make you dinner. Come by at eight. Carrie hangs up. Her face is panicked. CARRIE (V.O.) (cont'd) What the hell? Was I high on Pinesol? I don't cook. Man, I was losing it. INT. CARRIE'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT Carrie tips a GROCERY DELIVERY BOY and lugs her groceries into her apartment. INT. CARRIE'S APARTMENT - LATER Carrie's dressed in an apron, her face covered in flour. The Kitchen is an explosion of bowls, pots, and pans. Carrie, reading a cookbook: CARRIE Pre-heart oven to 350. Check! Sift flour. Check! Separate egg whites from...? Carrie smells something burning. Smoke starts pouring out of the stove. CARRIE (cont'd) My shoes! Carrie opens the oven door. Flames and thick black smoke pour out. She grabs a boiling sauce pot of water from the top of the stove and dowses the flaming boxes and shoe leather. CARRIE (V.O.) Four-thousand dollars of Italian leather-- well done. Fungula! EXT. ROMANTIC RESTAURANT - NIGHT Miranda's enjoying her dinner with Wesley. MIRANDA So then I said "Well, if you want the next chapter in the company's history to have an eleven after it, go right ahead and counter-sue." They laugh. WESLEY You have great stories. MIRANDA So do you, especially that big-tobacco case. Who thought lung cancer could be so darn funny? More laughs. MIRANDA (cont'd) So why hasn't some hot mama scooped you up yet, Wesley? WESLEY Why hasn't some hot daddy scooped you up? Miranda pauses and then drops the bomb. MIRANDA Maybe because I'm a hot mama. WESLEY (flirtatiously) Oh, yes you are... MIRANDA (earnestly) I really am. WESLEY Vroom! Vroommmm! MIRANDA Wesley, I have a kid, okay. He's one. His name is Brady. That was his pink dinosaur you pulled out of your rear end...Is that a problem? Wesley shifts in his seat. WESLEY No...of course not. MIRANDA I knew it. I'm sorry. I was just enjoying myself for a change and I didn't want to ruin it. I'll save you the trouble-- (to the waiter) Check. WESLEY Miranda, wait! That doesn't matter to me. MIRANDA (hopefully) It doesn't? WESLEY I'll still have sex with you. MIRANDA Thanks. She stands. MIRANDA (cont'd) I'll leave your stuff with the doorman. Sorry. Miranda rushes out. INT. CARRIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Carrie is completely frazzled. Dr. Giaconni sits and watches her with a smile. CARRIE First, I get mugged and then I have this crazy urge to clean and cook. Look what I did to Manolo Blahnik. She holds up a charred open-toed pump. CARRIE (cont'd) They're melllll-ted. DR. GIACONNI No worries. We'll go out. Carrie looks at the door, fearfully. CARRIE No. DR. GIACONNI You've gotta do it some time. CARRIE I can't go out there, Marco! DR. GIACONNI I know a place in the village that makes the best pizza you'll ever taste. Carrie looks at him. Somehow he makes her feel safe. CARRIE If you see any midget muggers or witches on bicycles, shoot first, ask questions later. Holding up three fingers: DR. GIACONNI Wizard's honor. INT. SAMANTHA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Close on SAMANTHA'S TV-- The Wizard of Oz is playing. The Wicked Witch of the West is melting. Samantha has Brady on her lap. He's watching TV. She's unconscious. There's a KNOCK at the door. SAMANTHA (jolts awake) Who's melting?! Samantha looks around. Another KNOCK at the door. FRONT DOOR More POUNDING. Samantha opens it. Dr. Macintosh barges in. He's drunk. MACINTOSH I lost him. SAMANTHA What? MACINTOSH Routine by-pass, text book, and something went wrong. He died on my table. SAMANTHA Shane, I'm sorry. MACINTOSH I need something to take my mind off it. He starts to kiss Samantha and undress her. SAMANTHA If that will help...sure. He kisses her neck. Brady CRIES from off-screen. MACINTOSH What the hell is that? SAMANTHA I'm baby-sitting for a friend. I'll just be a minute. Kissing her shoulder: MACINTOSH Let it cry. SAMANTHA It's not an it, Shane. It's a he. Just a minute. MACINTOSH You heartless bitch, didn't you hear me? I just killed a man! Samantha recoils from him. Silence. SAMANTHA Shane, I think you should go. She walks over and opens the door. He exits and turns to her with an appealing look. MACINTOSH Samantha, my batting average is fucked. SAMANTHA And you just struck out again. Samantha shuts the door in his face. She leans against the door and clutches her chest. CARRIE (V.O.) Samantha's heart was racing which only goes to show you, she did have one after all. Brady CRIES. Samantha hurries toward the bedroom. INT. BANQUET ROOM - NIGHT The COCKTAIL PARTY for Le Grande Critique is in full swing. Charlotte walks through the room on Nick's arm. She's like a groupie. CHARLOTTE There's Oscar Melville from Sydney and Georgette Sands from Dublin. Oh my God, it Kishuro Moto from Tokyo! His essays on Chinese influence on Japanese painting in the Muromachi Period are ground breaking. NICK Charlotte, I know you're excited but please relax. Go over there for a second with the other gals. I've got to speak to Mr. Moto. Charlotte chafes at being brushed aside. NICK (cont'd) You're on my side right? I'll be right over. Then maybe we'll play a little hookie on the golf course. Charlotte joins a group of BEAUTIFUL WOMEN. One named VIVIEN comes over to speak with her. VIVIEN Nick Kassarian, huh? CHARLOTTE That's right. VIVIEN I was here with him last year. I'm with Moto. Has Nick invited you out to play the front nine yet? The second hole is legendary around here. CHARLOTTE Are you a...? VIVIEN ...A prostitute? Hardly, I have Ph.D. in art criticism from Brown. Of course, Kassarian was never interested in that. PIERRE (O.S.) Champagne ladies? Charlotte does a double-take. Pierre is dressed in a waiter's uniform and is holding a drink tray. CHARLOTTE Pierre?! Vivien departs. CHARLOTTE (cont'd) Pierre, I don't know how you managed this, but please don't embarrass me. PIERRE It's not you who I am going to embarrass. EXT. PIZZA JOINT - NIGHT The sign out front reads "Emerald City Pizza" INT. EMERALD CITY PIZZA - NIGHT MAMA GIACONNI gives her son, Dr. Giaconni, a big kiss on the cheek. Mama looks at Carrie affectionately and then goes back to the kitchen. DR. GIACONNI That's Mama. CARRIE How long has your family owned this place? DR. GIACONNI Opened in 1939, the year my Pop was born. I worked my way through school delivering pies. They called me the Wizard because I could get you your 'za in under thirty minutes. That was before Domino's. Laughing at herself: CARRIE I thought it was because you fixed broken men. DR. GIACONNI Nobody's broken, Carrie. I just help people see that. He stares into her eyes. Carrie looks at him for a moment and then looks away and bites into her slice. INT. SAMANTHA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT Peaceful scene of Samantha holding Brady against her heart. SAMANTHA (singing) "Hush little baby don't say a word. Sammie's gonna buy you a mockingbird, and if that mockingbird don't sing Sammie's gonna buy you a Harry Winston ring..." There's a KNOCK at the door. Samantha tip-toes out of the bedroom and closes the door softly behind her. FRONT DOOR Miranda enters. Samantha hugs Miranda and lets her cry. INT. COUNTRY CLUB CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT Nick is holding court in the center of MR. MOTO, MR. MELVILLE, MR. RENAULT, and MR. HENGSTMANN. NICK Braddock may have started the movement but he's lost his edge. The name to watch is Lasconte. Of course, I'll rave about him in my next column. (grandly) You heard it here first! Charlotte wants to speak up. Nick shoots her a warning glance and she bites her tongue. PIERRE (O.S.) Lasconte's paintings are very hard to come by. The Crowd parts. There are MUMBLES of surprise which intensify when people realize the words came from Pierre, a waiter. NICK Well, yes. Appears you know more than just how to deliver a highball. There is a TITTER of laughter at Pierre's expense. PIERRE An anonymous collector has been scooping up Lasconte's work for the last six months and unloading Braddock's almost as quickly. NICK (turning back to the others) As I was saying-- PIERRE You're the collector, Mr. Kassarian. A RUMBLE goes through the critic's circle. NICK Buzz off! PIERRE It'll be in the papers tomorrow morning. "You heard it here first!" Pierre heads for the door. Charlotte chases him. Nick looks ill. NICK Charlotte! Charlotte! THE HALLWAY Charlotte catches Pierre. CHARLOTTE Is that true? PIERRE C'est vrai. CHARLOTTE Are you some kind of FBI agent or something? PIERRE (laughing) I'm an art student at the Sorbonne. I was writing my dissertation on Kassarian's influence on the art world. He was my hero until I discovered his scam. CHARLOTTE You're not a tennis teacher. PIERRE That's just to meet women. CHARLOTTE And here I thought you were just another pretty-faced tennis bum. PIERRE I always knew you were more than just a pretty-face, Charlotte. Charlotte blushes. CHARLOTTE Have you seen the golf-course? I hear the second hole is really something. EXT. GOLF COURSE - NIGHT Deep in the wooded rough off the second hole, Pierre's head is hidden beneath Charlotte's dress. CHARLOTTE (moaning) Uh-huh! Uh-huh! (beat) Pierre?! Where are you putting your...? (surprised) Oh! CARRIE (V.O.) While Pierre was enjoying the second hole, I was falling in love again. EXT. ROOFTOP OF A SKY-SCRAPER - NIGHT Carrie and Dr. Giaconni admire the majesty and beauty of New York City. CARRIE It's just so beautiful. DR. GIACONNI So are you. He tries to kiss her. Carrie turns her head. CARRIE I'm sorry, Marco. I'm still not sure where I am right now. Marco takes it in stride. DR. GIACONNI It's okay, Carrie. I just hope you'll stick around awhile. Pause. Carrie looks at her City. CARRIE I'm not going any place. "Good-bye Yellow Brick Road" by Elton John begins under. Carrie breathes in the sweet summer night air. EXT. CENTRAL PARK - DAY "Yellow Brick Road" continues under. The four girls walk arm-in-arm down a path a la The Wizard of Oz. CARRIE (V.O.) The next day, we, the weary travelers of the yellow brick road, got together for a walk through our own Emerald City. The summer storm was a distant memory, and I think I learned Dorothy's lesson after all -- On Carrie's feet. She's wearing a pair of RUBY SLIPPERS. She races a few steps ahead, spins like a ballerina, and clicks her heels. CARRIE (V.O.)(cont'd) ...There's no place like home. FADE OUT. THE END. |