WHAT IF? - SEASON 4 EPISODE 4 - SPREAD YOUR WINGS
A FEW DAYS AGO, THE SERIES HIT A MILESTONE WITH TEN THOUSAND VIEWS! THAT IT MANAGED TO GET THERE IN ONLY A LITTLE OVER ELEVEN MONTHS IS PRETTY AMAZING TO ME AND I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN GETTING THERE!
1. Int. Rehearsal Room. Evening.
"Two of Each", who have been joined by Sav on bass and Danny on the drums are rocking out, but they´ve more or less reverted to where they were, before half of their members graduated. They finish the song, but none of them look too pleased.
Darcy:
I think that´s our sign to call it a night!
Danny:
I should be getting home anyway.
Sav:
Can´t we play a few more songs? That first one didn´t go all that bad, the last time we payed it.
Jane:
This wouldn´t have anything to do with you not wanting to go home, Sav?
Sav:
Just one more?
Darcy puts her guitar away and gives him a small kiss.
Darcy:
You´ll have to go home sometime. Everyone except for you is tired and we all have school tomorrow.
Sav:
When you put it like that ...
Darcy:
We´ll have plenty of time to enjoy each other, after we´ve had a good night´s sleep.
Danny:
Plus, who else is gonna give me a ride home?
Sav nods and gives in.
2. Int. Bus. Evening.
Jane and Darcy are riding on the bus home.
Jane:
What´s the deal with Sav´s home life? My mom can be a pain once in while too, but I´ve never felt that kind of reluctance to come home.
Darcy:
The short answer is that it´s not working. Him and his dad are like night and day and his mom always takes his dad´s side, whenever there´s an argument, which has been frequently lately.
Jane:
And you get a front row seat for all of it?
Darcy:
Whether I want to or not! I like Sav a lot, but I´ve heard enough moaning over how his dad doesn´t understand him. to last me at least one lifetime! It doesn´t matter what I try to talk to him about, he´ll turn the conversation to it in no time.
Jane:
Are you considering breaking up with him?
Darcy:
I´ll have to, if things don´t change soon. It´s not that I don´t want to play the part of the supportive girlfriend, but having to deal with it all the time is too depressing.
Jane:
Have you told him?
Darcy:
Countless times, but it goes in one ear and out the other. To him, we´re making a stand for inter racial couples everywhere. After all the drama with Rick, I just wanted a nice, uncomplicated boyfriend, I could have some fun with!
Jane smiles at her.
Jane:
There are guys out there, who don´t have a ton of parental issues. Not among those we know obviously, but I´ve heard that they exist!
Darcy smiles back at her.
Darcy:
Wouldn´t it be nice to find one of those? I´m giving Sav one more chance and that´s it. If he´s gonna keep bringing me down all the time, then I can do without him!
She looks determined to go through with it.
OPENING CREDITS
3. Int. Car. Morning.
Sav is dropping his little sister Alli off at her Junior High School.
Alli:
Thanks. This was really nice of you.
Sav:
Don´t get used to it. Because I have my driver´s license now doesn´t mean, that I´ll be your personal taxi service. You have dad for that.
They smile sadly at each other.
Alli:
Can you at least try to get along with him for Diwali? You know that it´s my favorite time of the year.
Sav:
I promise not to do anything, that can ruin Diwali for you. I´ll do my hardest to show up and smile, when I have to and pretend, that everything in our little family is perfect, so mom and dad don´t lose face.
Alli:
Is it always going to be like this? I don´t want to spend the rest of my life being the rubber ball, that you and dad throw at one another, when you can´t get along.
Sav:
If that´s how you feel, then I can´t tell you how sorry I am. This thing between me and dad, is only about him and me. It has zero to do with you.
Alli:
Do you even believe that? Try to have a good day, Sav. Misery doesn´t become you.
She leaves the car and he looks annoyed, that she´s so smart for her age.
4. Int. Hallway. Day.
Sav is talking it over with Anya on the way to class. Even she looks like she´s getting tired of hearing about it.
Sav:
Diwali is the perfect event to stick it to him. When the rest of our family see me and Darcy making out, he´ll be humiliated!
Anya:
Have you bothered to ask her, if she wants to be in on your devious plan?
Sav:
Sha said yes to going with me.
Anya:
Yeah, to a fun event, where there´s great food and dancing! I´m sure she didn´t say yes to being the white girl version of Rosa Parks!
Sav:
She was the one who ... ?
Anya:
Refused to sit in the "Colored Section" on the bus and sparked the civil rights movement. If you tried thinking about anything besides you feud with your dad, you would have known that! It was literally mentioned in history class yesterday!
Sav:
It´s not that I don´t want to, but I can´t! Every thought I have, when it´s not a sexy one about Darcy, is about how I want to change him, so he´ll see things from my point of view. With a guy like him, the only way is through extreme measures.
Anya:
I´m well aware, that you don´t want to hear it, but he has tried to make peace with you.
Sav:
If I bend now, then we´ll be back to him having his way and none of the rest of us getting a say, in no time.
Anya:
What about the fact, that you´ll end up losing Darcy over it?
Sav:
Darcy is on board with me on this one hundred percent!
She looks less than convinced. He´s too far gone to think otherwise.
5. Int. Classroom. Day.
Darcy is pleading with her friends to come with her to Diwali.
Darcy:
From what I´ve heard, it´s fun for the entire family. From the youngest to the oldest.
Chantay:
It´s basically like the Hindu Christmas?
Jane:
It´s not a bad comparison. Only they spend almost an entire week celebrating it, sort of like the Muslims do with the Ramadan. The big Diwali party is the highlight.
Chantay:
Aren´t you the religious expert?
Jane:
I´ve always found these things fascinating.
Mia:
What do they celebrate?
Jane:
It´s about celebrating Lakhsmi, the Goddess of Prosperity.
Chantay:
We´re celebrating a God of Prosperity and it´s a woman? You can count me in!
Jane:
I´m definitely coming, if nothing else to see what´s it´s like.
Mia:
I guess if you guys are going, then I´m going too!
Darcy:
Thanks, you guys. I have a feeling that Sav has something up his sleeve, he´s not telling me. With you there as my back-up, I´ll feel safer.
She still looks a bit worried, though.
6. Int. The Dot. Day.
Anya and Holly J are enjoying a milk shake after school is over.
Holly J:
Are we going to this Diwali thing?
Anya:
We can, if you want to. I´ve gone these past three years with Sav and they´re welcoming to everybody.
Holly J:
It could also be a chance for you to meet someone of the opposite sex.
Anya:
Or you, for that matter!
Holly J:
I´m not sure that I´m ready to start dating again, unless it´s someone, who´s my perfect match. But you!
Anya takes a sip of her shake and smiles in a passive/aggressive way at her.
Anya:
What about me?
Holly J:
Anya, you turned 16 more than a month ago and how many real dates have you been on so far?
Anya:
None.
Holly J:
Is that the same number you want it to be, when we leave Degrassi?
Anya:
No. Even though, I´m sure there´s lots of great people, who didn´t get a single date in high school! Take Bill Gates, for example. I can´t imagine that he got any action, can you?
Holly J:
We´re not talking about Bill Gates, who I´m sure has made up for lost time BTW! We´re talking about Anya McPherson. A wonderful girl, who sadly has the same amount of self esteem, as a piece of cardboard!
Anya looks annoyed at having to discuss it, but lights up in a smile, when a nerdy looking boy with black curly hair comes in, looking a little out of place among the "Cool People".
Anya:
Hi, Wesley!
Holly J turns around to see, who she´s talking to, as a nervous looking Wesley comes over to them.
Wesley:
Hi, Anya. Is this a friend of yours?
Holly J:
Holly J Sinclair and you are?
Anya:
This is Wesley. We grew up playing in sandboxes together.
Wesley:
Are the shakes here good?
Anya:
The best. You should get one and sit with us.
Wesley looks all taken aback by the invitation.
Wesley:
Yeah, definitely. I mean, if you don´t mind, Holly J.
Holly J:
Why would I? If you want a recommendation, get the strawberry shake. It´s almost as sweet, as Anya is.
Wesley:
Cool, I will! I´ll be back in a minute, or however long it takes them to make it. It could be two minutes or even three, if there´s a queue ...
Anya:
It´ll be even longer, if you stand there talking about it all day!
Wesley and Anya smile at each other, before he goes to get his milk shake.
Holly J:
An old pal, huh? It couldn´t be, that he´s more than that, could it?
Anya:
Wesley is like a cute little Teddy Bear, that I want to hug all the time for how adorable and kind hearted he is.
Holly J:
But?
Anya:
I´m not sure, if I like him that way. Plus he´s a year younger than I am.
Holly J:
You could try asking him to come to Diwali with us. It´s a way to find out, anyway. If we spin it right, we could call it date number one and get that ugly zero erased off the board.
Anya doesn´t look dismissive of it in any way.
7. Int. Ballroom. Evening.
The Diwali party is well underway and the place is filled to the brink with mostly Indian families. Most of the adult women wear the traditional Indian Sari, where as the dress code is a little laxer for the younger segment. A stage has been set up, where a group of six well dressed dancers are doing a traditional Indian dance to a Raga song, while kids and adults alike down in front of the stage have fun trying to follow their moves. Alli is clearly a master at it though and looks like she´s thoroughly enjoying herself, while also teaching it to Clare, who isn´t as used to it, as Alli is. She´s still having fun, though.
There´s plenty of great food too and among those getting stuck into it are Mia, Chantay and Jane.
Mia:
Can I reserve a seat for next year now?
Chantay:
If only they would play anything else ...
Jane:
Raga isn´t your thing?
Chantay:
To me, a long song is five minutes and if it´s that long, then it has to have some sort of variation! When it comes to songs that are half an hour long and sound like it´s the same ten seconds played over and over again, it´s a little much for my western ears!
Mia:
In that case, I´d give the whole Dub-Step genre a miss, if I were you!
Jane:
You can´t complain over the food though.
Chantay:
I wouldn´t dream of it!
Mia notices something.
Mia:
Look, there´s Darcy and Sav!
We cut to Darcy and Sav, who come in together. Darcy looks impressed.
Darcy:
You told me that it was big, but I wasn´t expecting this!
Sav:
There´s a big Indian minority around here.
He notices Chantay, Jane and Mia and looks a little annoyed with Darcy.
Sav:
Did you ask them to come?
Darcy:
I told them about it and they thought it sounded fun. Anyway, why do you care, if they´re here?
Sav smiles at it off, but she can see that it´s still bothering him.
Sav:
You´re right, I don´t. We should see, if we can find my parents and say hi.
Darcy:
Yeah, sure. If you promise, that I won´t have to listen to any nasty remarks.
Sav:
I can try ...
Darcy:
Trying isn´t enough, Sav. Promise me.
Sav:
Alright, I promise.
She still isn´t sure, that he´ll live up to it, but goes along with him.
Darcy and Sav come over to where his parents are sitting, along with Indira´s parents, who we met in an earlier episode.
Sav:
Mom, dad. you remember Darcy.
Darcy:
Hi, mister and missus Bhandari.
Indira´s Dad:
I don´t believe, we´ve met.
Sav´s Mom:
Darcy is a friend of Sav´s from school.
Sav:
That´s one way of putting it.
Indira´s Mom:
Is this your first time celebrating Diwali, Darcy?
Darcy:
I have to admit, that it is. Before I got to know Sav, I was more or less clueless on Indian culture.
Sav´s Dad:
It´s good that you´re broadening her horizons, Savtaj.
Sav sees his opportunity and seizes it.
Sav:
That´s the way it is, when you´re boyfriend and girlfriend. I´ve learned a lot about her culture too.
Indira´s parents look shocked. Sav´s parents look disappointed in him, but he couldn´t care less.
Indira´s Mom:
How long has this been going on?
Sav´s Mom:
Sav is kidding, of course!
Sav:
No, I´m not. If you can´t handle me dating a white girl, that´s your problem!
Darcy has had enough of being forced to be a part of his war and storms off. Sav goes after her, leaving his parents to deal with the embarrassment afterwards.
Indira´s Dad:
Did you know about this?
Sav´s parents look like they´d rather not answer them.
8. Ext. Ballroom Building. Evening.
Anya and Holly J come up the entrance, where Wesley is waiting for them. Him and Anya look pleased to see each other again, even if it´s only been a few hours.
Anya:
Hi again!
Wesley:
I´m so glad, you came!
Holly J:
Isn´t that a surprise?
They´re interrupted by Darcy, who comes running out of there. Sav follows, ten seconds after.
Sav:
Did you see Darcy coming out?
Anya:
She went that way (points). Is everything okay?
Sav:
No, I don´t think it is.
He follows after Darcy.
9. Ext. Street. Evening.
Darcy is calling a cab, when Sav comes over to her.
Darcy:
Save it, Sav. You promised.
Sav:
Will you put the phone away and hear me out, at least?
She gives in and hangs up, before putting the phone in her pocket.
Darcy:
I can probably get my spot back as number six waiting in line anyway. Do you have anything to say in your own defense?
Sav:
I´m not trying to hurt you, Darcy, but this has become part of who I am.
Darcy:
Would you like to know what the sad part is? I really liked the Sav, who asked me out, the guy I laughed with and made me feel like everything was okay again. Before you decided to make me into a weapon in your arsenal, for this on-going war of the generations between you and your dad.
Sav:
I didn´t mean to ...
Darcy:
You never do, do you? You might think that you´re the nicest guy at Degrassi and you can fool everyone else, but when it comes down to it, you´re as selfish as one of those jerks, who sleeps with a girl, only so he can dump her right afterwards.
Sav:
You don´t mean that, do you?
Darcy:
Do you have any idea, how demeaning it was to hear you refer to me as a "White Girl" like that in front of your parents, like the only reason you´re with me is to piss them off? Go to hell!
Sav tries to approach her, but she moves away from him and turns her back on him.
Darcy:
If you want to do one final thing for me, you can leave me alone. You´re the last person on earth, I feel like talking to right now.
Sav is hurt by her words, but tries to take it in stride.
Sav:
Okay, Darcy. All I can say is that I´m sorry. I hope that it´ll be enough, to make you forgive me.
He leaves her and although part of her doesn´t want to, she still turns her head to watch him walk away.
10. Int. Ballroom. Evening.
Sav comes back inside, looking very down over his fight with Darcy. He sees Holly J over by the food stands and his curiosity gets the better of him, so he walks over to her.
Sav:
I didn´t have the time to say anything outside, but I wasn´t expecting to see you here!
Holly J:
Anya told me about it and it sounded like fun.
Sav:
It usually is. When you haven´t just been dumped for being the world´s biggest moron, that is!
Holly J:
Have you tried these Samosa´s? They´re sure to cheer you up!
She hands one to him and he tries it. It makes him smile.
Sav:
Almost as good as my moms.
Holly J:
So you are willing to admit, that being Indian isn´t all that bad?
Sav:
Things like Diwali, it´s impossible not to love. Then there´s some things I don´t get, probably because I´ve never lived in India. Bollywood movies, for example.
Holly J:
Too weird for you too, huh?
Sav:
Alli and my parents love them, so I´m the odd one out.
Holly J:
As if I´m not the odd one out in my family? You´ve met them, they´re either freaks or A-Holes, the lot of them! I was thoroughly impressed that you didn´t run away, the first chance you got!
The two of them laugh.
Sav:
I guess that compared to you, I got off easy. Where´s Anya, by the way?
Holly J:
She´s dancing with Wesley.
They look over at Wesley and Anya making an adorable, but in all honesty quite pathetic attempt at doing the traditional dance moves with the rest of the crowd in front of the stage. They look like they´re having a blast though and that´s all that matters.
We cut back to Sav and Holly J, who look happy for their friend.
Sav:
Would you look at that? It finally happened!
Holly J:
Do you know the guy, she´s dancing with?
Sav:
I´ve talked to him a few times. Come to think of it and looking at them, he could be the best first boyfriend, she could ask for.
Holly J:
There´s no jealousy at all?
He shakes his head. By the way Holly J is smiling, it looks like that was the answer, she wanted to hear.
11. Int. Sav´s Room. Evening.
Sav is talking to Alli before bedtime.
Alli:
Are you happy now? You´ve probably broken things beyond repair with Darcy and you embarrassed mom and dad.
Sav:
I don´t expect you to understand. I feel like a prisoner in my own home.
Alli:
I get it, it´s not that. But the only one you´re hurting is yourself.
Sav smiles at her.
Sav:
What did I do to get a kid sister, who´s as clever as you?
Alli:
Have you considered that it could be you, who´s really dense?
She smiles back at him.
Sav:
Right now, I wouldn´t bet against it!
Alli:
You´re gonna have to kiss some serious butt, if you´re gonna get her to forgive you!
Sav:
What do you think my chances are?
Alli:
You tell me.
He isn´t looking all that hopeful.
12. Int. Hallway. Morning.
Darcy is getting things from her locker, when Sav cautiously approaches her.
Sav:
Are you still mad at me?
Darcy:
Yes.
Sav:
I deserve that. If you want to break up, I understand.
She closes her locker and looks him in the eyes.
Darcy:
It´s not that I want to, Sav. It´s that I don´t believe, you can change, that´s the problem.
He doesn´t look too surprised.
Sav:
Again, Darcy, I´m really sorry. I never meant for it to end this way.
Darcy:
Neither did I.
He leaves her, but this time she doesn´t watch him walking away from her.
13. Int. Classroom. Day.
Sav is sulking over breaking up with Darcy and is trying to pay attention to the English lesson, that´s being taught by Miss Oh. The subject they´re discussing is "Gone With the Wind".
Miss Oh:
This is where Scarlett is at her lowest. Rhett has left her to fight in the war and returning to her hometown has only led to bitter disappointment, now that she has to struggle every day to survive. But it in this moment, that she finds out, who she truly is and that she´s capable of overcoming much more, than she ever thought imaginable.
We cut down to Sav, who sitting next to Holly J. Seeing that he could use some cheering up, she sneakily writes him a note and passes it to him.
It reads:
If Scarlett can get over Rhett, then you can get over Darcy.
He smiles to himself, as he reads it and quickly writes back to her.
It reads:
I had fun with you last night. Maybe we should hook up LOL?
She sees it and smiles back at him, before writing two quick words.
It reads:
Why not LOL?
They make eye contact and neither of them are looking dismissive of it.
14. Int. Hallway. Day.
Darcy, Mia, Jane and Chantay come out from their classroom with the rest of their class mates. Darcy is looking kind of down too.
Jane:
Cheer up, Darcy! Boyfriends come and go.
Chantay:
Boys are like buses. If you miss one, another one will stop by five minutes later.
Mia:
Now you can find someone, where it really is nice and simple, like you wanted with Sav.
Darcy:
Are you sure, such a thing exists?
They manage to get a small smile out of her.
Jane:
It does in movies.
Chantay:
I wish that my life was more like a romantic comedy.
Mia:
If this was a romantic teen comedy, then right about now would be where you´ll meet your endgame boyfriend, Darcy.
Darcy:
My boyfriend´s name will also be Darcy? That could get confusing!
Mia:
You know what I meant!
The girls laugh.
Jane:
If you believe in it, then it will happen for you.
Chantay:
There´s no doubt tons of boys, who´d love to take you out on a date!
Darcy:
I know. But none of them are Sav.
Despite her friend´s best efforts, she´s still a little heartbroken.
CLOSING CREDITS
ONE FINAL NOTE: I DID A BIT OF "DEGRASSI-ING" WITH THE TIMELINE HERE, SINCE DIWALI TAKES PLACE IN OCTOBER AND THIS EPISODE WOULD HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN LATE JANUARY/EARLY FEBRUARY. IN RE-READING THE SAV STORY, I THOUGHT THAT IT HAD BEEN TOO NEGATIVE IN IT´S PORTRAYAL OF INDIAN CULTURE AND I WANTED TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE UP FOR IT BY HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THE GOOD ASPECTS OF IT. IF ANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH LIKE ME, TO HAVE ATTENTED AN INDIAN CELEBRATION LIKE DIWALI, THEN YOU ALSO KNOW THAT IT´S FULL OF SMILING FACES AND IS A TREMENDOUS CELEBRATION OF LIFE, FRIENDSHIP AND FAMILY. IT´S ONLY THAT DAMN RAGA, I´M NOT SO CRAZY ABOUT!
HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYONE AND I HOPE TO SEE YOU AGAIN IN THE NEXT EPISODE!