DEGRASSI: AFTERMATH - S08E13 - HOLLYWOOD PART 2
Disclaimer: I don´t own Degrassi or the characters from it.
1. Int. Spinner and Paige´s House. Day.
Jay is about to give his wedding speech for Manny and Eddy.
Jay:
I´m not much of a speaker. Which some of you might dispute, but speaking in public in something different. Plus, I forgot my speech at home, so I´ll have to wing it.
He gets so nervous that he starts sweating and has to wipe his brow with his napkin.
Jay:
For a long time, I thought I would be the one to marry Mammy, I mean Manny, someday! But I´m glad, things turned out the way they did. I found an amazing woman in Maya, who rocks my world just Manny once did. There´s some things, she will do, that Manny wouldn´t. Like this one time, we were lying in bed after we´d just had the wildest sex, you can ever imagine and ...
Maya (sitting next to him) pulls his jacket and he bends down to hear her. Sally and Chrissy are fighting hard not to giggle.
Jay:
I´m being told, that I should stay clear of that subject, or I´m never having sex again. Anyway, back to what I wanted to say. That Eddy and Manny are even better together, than me and her were and I didn´t think, that would be possible. If I hadn´t messed it up with her, then they never would have had their chance. I still love Manny and that won´t ever change...
A hush goes over a few of Manny´s family members, who aren´t used to Jay´s way of being.
Jay:
As a friend! She´s very near and dear to me, so I´m glad, that she found a nice, decent guy, who won´t mess things up all he time, like I did. I mean, you won´t believe the dumb things, I came up with! Like this one time ...
He looks over at Manny, who´s vividly shaking her head at him.
Jay:
But that´s a story for another day.
He raises his glass.
Jay:
To the bride and groom!
The guests toast and drink. He sits down and wipes his forehead again, before taking a sip of wine.
2. Int. Chrissy´s Room. Evening.
Sally and Chrissy are with Jay and Manny.
Sally:
That was some toast, Jay!
Manny:
It was more or less what I expected, when he said, he had to wing it!
Jay:
You still know me better than anyone.
Sally:
I´ve been kept in suspension for three hours. I have to know, how the story ends!
Jay:
Are you sure, you´ll be able to keep up, Chrissy?
Chrissy:
Paige has already told me the the objective version. I want to hear your sides of it.
Manny:
How far did you get?
Sally:
He´d just woken up and was getting dressed, so he could go and save your job.
Jay:
Get comfy, becuse you´re about to be told a wild tale. I assure you, all of it really happened.
The girls get comfy.
OPENING CREDITS
3. Int. Van. Night.
Jay is driving his wreck of a van. He´s in tears at "Un-Break My Heart" by Toni Braxton, playing from the radio.
Jay (voice over):
I needed some hard rock to wake me up, so I put on some Pantera!
The song ends and he wipes his eyes.
Jay:
Why does that song get to me, every time I hear it?
A police motorcycle pulls up behind him and signals him to pull over.
Jay:
Not now!
He pulls the van over.
4. Ext. Road. Night.
Jay gets out and walks over to the traffic cop.
Jay:
What´s the problem, Officer?
Cop:
You have no rear lights and you´re driving a piece of crap, that looks like, it could fall apart at any moment.
Jay:
I´ll get those lights fixed.
Cop:
I can´t let you keep driving this thing! I have no idea, how you awakened it from the dead and managed to get it driving again, but it´s a death hazard on wheels!
Jay:
It just needs a little TLC.
Cop:
It needs a lot of it, by the looks of it. Why don´t you get a real car?
Jay:
I´m strapped for cash and I needed something to drive. This was all I could afford.
Cop:
Here I thought, we were underpaid! Look, I sympathize with you and you seem like a nice enough guy. But if I added up all the things, I could give you fines for on this hunk of junk, it would cost you a thousand times more, than it´s worth. We´re talking at least two grand.
Jay:
Thanks, I guess.
Cop:
We´re taking this to the nearest car junk yard, so they can put it out of it´s misery. Follow after me.
Jay gets back in the van, while the cop walks back to their motorcycle.
Jay (voice over):
That could have been the end of it. If only, it had been.
Sally (voice over):
At least, the cop was nice.
Manny (voice over):
Two dollars was way too high an evaluation!
5. Int. Jay and Manny´s Apartment. Morning.
Manny is looking over the note, Jay left for her.
Manny:
Goon two saiv yer job. The boy really needs to learn how to spell! What´s he come up with this time?
She grabs her phone and tries calling him, but there´s no answer. She calls Paige in stead.
Manny (voice over):
Even I wouldn´t have thought, that he would do something as stupid, as what he had planned.
Manny:
Jay has left early. I´m afraid, that he´s going to do something he regrets ... again.
Manny (voice over):
If I only knew, how right I would be!
6. Ext. Car Junk Yard. Morning.
Jay is saying goodbye to the cop.
Cop:
I have to go and stop people from driving like lunatics, but I trust you to do the right thing. If I catch you in it again, I´m pulling out the ticket book.
Jay:
Thanks again for being nice about this.
Cop:
I´m nice to those, who look like they deserve it. Have a good one.
The cop drives away on their motorcycle. Jay looks at the queue in front of him. There´s four in line and it makes no semblance of starting to move. He walks up to the driver in front of him, a guy in his 50´s.
Jay:
How long have you been waiting?
Driver:
Three hours. I´m still in the same spot, I was in, when I arrived.
Jay:
Dammit! I have places to be.
Driver:
It´s no use, getting upset over.
Jay:
I guess not.
Driver:
I have a cooler with a few beers it in. Do you want one?
Jay:
A beer, at 8 in the morning? It can´t hurt!
He gets in the guy´s car with him.
Jay (voice over):
Getting in that car was another MAJOR TACTICAL ERROR!
7. Int. Car. Morning.
Jay is drinking a beer with the driver. "Run through the Jungle" by Creedence Clearwater Revival is playing from the stereo.
Jay:
Why are you getting rid of this?
Driver:
It was used for ... let´s just say transportation of passengers, who weren´t keen on going for a ride, if you catch my drift.
Jay gulps and takes a sip.
Jay:
I´m getting rid of mine, because the cops made me. It´s probably for the best. My girlfriend hates it with a fiery passion!
Driver:
Girlfriend, huh? I had one of those once. How I loved that woman!
Jay smiles at the sight of him reminiscing.
Driver:
She was gorgeous. Had long, brown hair and a body, that would make the God´s themselves weep with joy! The sex! My God, the sex! She could ride you like a jack hammer all night long, until you were so sore, that you couldn´t put on a pair of pants the day after! When she gave you a blowjob, it was like attaching some sort of heavenly hoover to your junk!
Jay gets emotional and has to wipe a tear away.
Jay:
That´s beautiful, man!
Driver:
There´s not a day, that goes by, where I don´t regret letting her go. Before I knew it, she was with some other man and my heart was left eternally broken. Do you love your woman?
Jay:
She´s my angel.
Driver:
Then grab a hold of her tightly and do everything you can to keep her! I wish, I had with mine.
Jay looks resolved all of a sudden.
Jay:
I woke up today, determined on saving her career and making her the happiest girl in the world. I can´t let a little thing like this stop me!
Driver:
That´s the spirit!
Jay:
Thanks, mister. I´m going to do something crazy, but I´m doing it all for love!
He downs the rest of the beer and gets out. The driver wonders to himself.
Driver (to himself):
Maybe, I could have gotten her back, if I hadn´t shot her? Oh, well! Win some, lose some!
He leans back, takes a sip of his beer and rocks along to CCR.
8. Int. Van. Morning.
Jay is driving.
Jay (voice over):
I´d found an L. Howard, who lived in Bel Air, in an on-line street directory. I figured, that had to be him.
He pulls it over to the side of the road and looks at the entrance. It has a huge gate.
Jay (voice over):
Of course, I hadn´t planned on them having a gate! I could have tried ramming it, but since it was mostly rust keeping it together, I was afraid, the van would fold up like an accordion. I decided to wait, until he left in stead.
Manny (voice over):
It hadn´t occurred to him, that it was 9 o´clock by this point and I arrived at work at 7 every day!
Chrissy (voice over):
I think, you´re being a little hard on him.
Sally (voice over):
I hope, I´ll meet a guy someday, who´s willing do all that for me.
Manny (voice over):
He was on his ump-teenth chance by this point. I loved him, but you wouldn´t believe how forgiving I´d been, up to this point.
9. Int. Studio. Morning.
Manny is in the make-up chair, being made ready for the shoot.
Manny (voice over):
I didn´t expect them to make a fuss over me leaving, but lo and behold.
Lawrence and two female actors come in with a gift basket for her. Manny is delighted.
Lawrence:
Hi, Manny. I wish, we could give you a more proper send-off, but the network wants us to bring the new in and get the old out, as soon as possible. Thereby not meaning, that you look old, but you know what I mean.
Actress #1:
We all think, that you deserve better.
Actress #2:
Without you, the last seasons wouldn´t have been the same.
Manny:
You don´t have to humor me. I know, I´m not a great actress or anything.
Lawrence:
You´re good enough, that I would always want to hire you.
Manny:
Thanks, Lawrence. I guess, it´s back to waitressing. If I´m lucky, I can get my old job back.
Lawrence:
Wouldn´t you rather continue on a different soap? Like "Years of Our Lives", for instance?
Manny:
Of course, I would, but I don´t see them lining up to hire me. Especially not, now that my movie career tanked!
Lawrence:
At least, you´ve starred in one! What did I tell you about Hollywood, when we first met?
Manny:
It´s all about, who you know.
Lawrence:
And you know me, who happens to be a dear friend of the woman, who casts the show. I can get you an audition, no problem! I´ll also make sure that she knows, what a delight you are to work with.
Manny smiles.
Manny:
You´d do that for me?
Lawrence:
You´re a sweetheart, who gets along great with everyone, you never come in unprepared and I don´t remember us ever having the slightest issue with you. These roles don´t last forever, but it is possible to move on from them.
Actress #2:
You could be the female version of Brad Pitt. He started on a soap too.
Manny:
I can settle for less! Maybe a Sarah Michelle Gellar kind of career.
Lawrence:
With the vampire craze, who knows? You could be slaying vampires on the CW, before you know it!
Actress #1:
With that out of the way, we can concentrate on giving you the best last day ever!
Actress #2:
I bet, you thought that this day would suck, huh?
Manny:
Kinda.
She looks pleased, that it looks like it won´t.
10. Int. Van. Day.
Jay is looking bored and looks at his watch.
Jay (voice over):
After several hours, it occurred to me, that I might have been too late in getting there. Then ...
The gate opens and a car drives out. He grabs his toy gun and gets out of the van.
11. Ext. Street. Day.
Jay runs over to the car and points the toy gun at the driver. It´s a very shocked teenage girl, who puts her hands up. Her 10 year old little sister, in the seat next to her, screams.
Older Girl:
Please, don´t hurt us! You can have the car!
Sister:
Not again!
She starts hyperventilating and Jay looks apologetic.
Jay:
I thought, you were someone else.
Older Girl:
Try to breathe, Honey.
The girl is having trouble breathing and Jay looks worried about her.
Jay:
Is she gonna be alright?
Sister:
Her and my mom had their car jacked, when she was little. It´s still deep in her.
Jay:
The gun isn´t real. Look, it´s a toy.
He shows it to girl, who starts to breathe a little easier.
Jay:
I would never hurt either of you! I´m really sorry, that you got scared.
Older Girl:
Why did you do it, then?
Jay:
I thought you were a Hollywood showrunner named Lawrence Howard.
Older Girl:
That´s our Uncle.
Jay:
Does he live with you?
Older Girl:
No, he lives a few miles away. We only live with Leia, our mom.
Jay looks annoyed with himself.
Jay:
That´s where the L, in L. Howard comes from.
Older Girl:
If you don´t mind, I have to get her to her therapy session.
Jay:
Why would a kid need therapy?
Sister:
You would too, if you´d found your dad, shot in the head!
The girl starts crying and Jay backs away.
Jay:
I´m just gonna wish you both a nice day and ask you to forget about this. I really hope therapy works for you, because man, you´ve had it rough!
He runs back to the van.
12. Int. Van. Day.
Jay tries desperately to start the van, but it won´t start.
Jay:
Come on!
Manny (voice over):
You probably added a couple of years to her therapy!
Jay (voice over):
Most likely, yes.
Chrissy (voice over):
That didn´t happen! You´re making it up!
Manny (voice over):
I had to apologize to both of those girls in person, so they wouldn´t file a police report against him. Trust me, it happened!
Sally (voice over):
How did you manage to get him off?
Manny (voice over):
I told them, that he was mentally unstable and off his medication.
Chrissy (voice over):
How did they take it?
Manny (voice over):
They wished me luck with him and the older one slyly added, that I would need it!
He gives up and rolls down the window. The handle breaks off, when it´s half way down. He indifferently throws it over his shoulder.
Jay:
CAN YOU GIVE ME A JUMP START?
He makes a frowny face, as the girls drive off.
Jay (voice over):
Their neighbor gave me a jump start a short while later, on the condition that I never came back. I was more than happy to get out of there.
13. Int. Studio. Day.
Manny has just finished filming her final scene and is applauded by the crew and the other actors. She´s smiling.
Manny:
Thanks, guys. I just want to say thanks for these past years. You´ve all become like family to me and I can only hope, that I´ll get to work with you again.
Lawrence:
We just hope, that you won´t forget us, when you´re rich and famous.
14. Ext. Gate. Day.
Jay is arguing with the gate keeper.
Jay (voice over):
The van somehow made it to the studio, but the guard proved to be a problem.
Jay:
I have to get in! They´re expecting the props, I have in the back!
Keeper:
The firm that transports them for us don´t use vans, that look like, they pre-date world war 2! Try finding another sucker!
Jay:
It´s a loaner. I´ll get fired, if I just leave.
Keeper:
Get them to call me. They have my number.
Jay looks annoyed.
Jay:
I will! Your superiors will hear about this!
Keepers:
That I did my job? If I´m lucky, I´ll get a raise!
He walks back into the booth.
Jay (voice over):
Most people would have given up by this point, but I´d come this far, so I figured, I might as well go all the way. I was gonna grab that guy, put the toy gun to his head and force him to keep Manny on the show.
Sally (voice over):
Your brain doesn´t work like everyone else´s, does it?
Chrissy (voice over):
I´m gaining more respect for Maya by the minute!
Jay gets back in the van and rams it through the gate. It makes the front bumper fall off and when he drives over it, the shaking makes the muffler fall off too. The Gate Keeper comes out and tries to run after him.
15. Int. Van. Day.
Jay is smiling, as he keeps accelerating to get away from the gate keeper. His smile disappears though, when he realizes that the brakes have stopped working.
Jay:
Oh, oh!
He tries turning the steering wheel, but it breaks off in his hands.
Jay:
YOU JUST HAD TO PICK THIS MOMENT TO COMMIT SUICIDE!
He throws the steering wheel away and brazes for impact, as the building comes closer.
16. Int. Studio. Day.
The crew is taking a short break, as they say goodbye to Manny, when Jay´s van comes crashing through the wall! The impact finally manages to stop it though. A concerned Manny runs to the front door. She opens it and it falls off it´s hinges. Lawrence comes to her aid and they drag Jay out of it. He looks very dazed.
Manny:
Are you alright?
Jay:
I´m alive.
Lawrence:
You know him?
Manny:
He´s my boyfriend.
Jay:
I wanted to save your job by kidnapping ...
He sees that Lawrence is the one helping him and points at him.
Jay:
You. I´m sorry, I messed up again, Honey.
Manny:
I´m just glad, that you´re alive.
The van starts to catch fire and they get him out of the studio, as the sprinklers go off.
17, Int. Chrissy´s Room. Evening.
We´re back in Chrissy´s room.
Manny:
Once the rumor spread, that I had a crazy boyfriend, opportunities started being fewer and fewer. I never did get that audition.
Jay:
Manny dumped me and I was on a plane back to Toronto a few hours later. I figured, it was best to distance myself from my crimes.
Manny:
So, girls. Can you tell us, what the moral of the story is?
Sally:
You get what you pay for?
Jay:
That too, but besides that.
Chrissy:
That if a plan is bad, you shouldn´t do it?
Manny:
Exactly. Jay was sweet in his intention, but he should have known when to call it a day.
Jay:
I never blamed her for dumping me.
Sally:
Weren´t you devastated? You career was in tatters.
Manny:
Thankfully, I had someone to console me.
Manny smiles to herself.
18. Int. Manny´s Apartment. Evening.
Manny is crying in Eddy´s arms.
Manny (voice over):
Paige had to work, but Eddy, even though we´d never talked, unless Jay was there, saw me crying at the grocery store and we spend the rest of the day together,
Eddy:
You´ll get past it. I´ve managed to get over Maya.
Manny:
I really thought, he was the one.
Eddy:
It´s probably for the best. He told me, that he hated living here.
Manny:
I know, he only did for me. He knew, I only had him and Paige as close friends.
Eddy:
Is there room for another one?
They smile at each other.
Manny:
There is, when it´s you.
Eddy:
I know, that I´m no Jay. But I´d like to think, that I have my qualities.
Manny:
What are mine?
Eddy:
That you´re you.
She snuggles up in his arms.
Manny:
I think, I´m gonna like being friends with you, Eddy.
Eddy:
Same here, Manny.
He gently strokes her hair. She closes her eyes and looks very satisfied.
19. Int. Chrissy´s Room. Evening.
We´re back again.
Chrissy:
How long did you manage to stay "Just Friends"?
Manny:
Around a week and a half! We then dated for a few months, broke up and stayed platonic friends for ten years, until we tried again. That turned out to be the one, that stuck.
Jay:
And around the time, they got back together, I met Eddy´s ex, Maya. Four days later we had our first date and we haven´t looked back since.
Maya comes in.
Maya:
What are you doing up here, when the party is downstairs?
Jay stands up and gives her a big kiss.
Jay:
Thanks for putting up with me, even if I can be a dope sometimes.
Maya:
Honey, if you weren´t a little dopish now and then, you wouldn´t be you. I´d hate it a lot more, if you went and changed on me.
They kiss again. Sally smiles to herself, as she looks at them.
CLOSING CREDITS
