WHAT IF? - SEASON 4 EPISODE 8 - THE LOSER IN THE END
1. Int. Eli´s Room. Morning.
We open on a stereo, that´s in sleep mode. It turns on, the display reads "Hello" in digital letters and we hear a CD start to spin. "Real Thing" by Alice in Chains starts playing and Eli begins to wake up.
Montage
We see Eli pulling away the curtains and looking out the window. He sees a couple that look like they´re hammered drunk stumbling away from their house. He just shakes his head at it, since he´s used to it. Still drowsy from his sleep, he gets out his "morning cocktail" of pills to supposedly keep him from going insane and swallows them dry quickly, one after one.
We see him looking himself in the mirror after his morning shower. He makes various faces, switching from extremely happy to looking like he could kill someone, right then and there. He slaps his own face violently, to try to make himself feel something, but it´s to no avail. In stead, he ends up staring himself in the eyes with the look of one, who could crack at any moment, but is forcing himself to stay strong.
We see him walking through their living room, where the table is full of empty beer cans, while his parents have fallen asleep spooning on their couch. The ashtray is full of cigarette butts and Eli finds one, that´s only barely been smoked from, then uses a lighter to light it with. He pulls his shirt sleeve up and holds the cigarette down towards his skin, to where he can clearly feel the heat from it burning him without it actually touching. After a few seconds of considering it, he snaps out it, closes his eyes and in stead takes a deep, calming drag from the cigarette, letting the smoke pass through him and exhaling it through his nose before putting it out again.
We see him riding on the school bus, far off in his own world. While other students are laughing and having fun, all he does is stare into space with a blank look on his face. The final line that we hear is the one in the chorus that goes: "I´m going down the steps of a white line, straight to nowhere". It certainly fits him well!
OPENING CREDITS
2. Int. Classroom. Day.
Eli is quite interested in the topic being discussed in this freshman English class. Snake is their teacher.
Snake:
What is Edgar Allen Poe trying to tell us with "The Telltale Heart"?
Eli is among those who raises his hand and Snake points him out.
Snake:
Yes, Eli?
Eli:
That you can´t run away from a feeling of guilt. The still beating heart is a metaphor for the murderer´s own heart beating faster, because he can´t contain his guilt over what he did within himself anymore. It has to come out, so he can free himself.
Snake:
Excellent analysis, mister Goldsworthy! I see that someone is looking to earn himself an A plus in this class! Does anyone have other interpretations of the story?
The hands of other students go up and he picks out one of them.
We however, cut to Katie and Marisol, who can´t keep her eyes off Eli.
Marisol (whispering to Katie):
Did you hear that? He´s so smart!
Katie (whispering to Marisol):
Since when has that been a turn on for you?
Marisol (whispering to Katie):
Since now!
Katie (whispering to Marisol):
I bet that he sleeps in a coffin or something like that!
Marisol (whispering to Katie):
I wouldn´t mind sharing that coffin with him.
Katie giggles, busting them to the rest of the class.
Snake:
Anything you feel the need to add, Katie?
Katie:
I remembered a scene from "The Office" and it made me laugh. I´ll try not to let it happen again.
Snake:
It happens to me too sometimes! Back to what we were discussing ...
Marisol (whispering to Katie):
Nice save!
They smile at each other.
3. Int. Auditorium. Day.
Rehearsals for the play are going on and it´s going pretty well. It´s Ralphs´s introduction scene, where the panel (for these rehearsals only consisting of Sav and Eli) are asking him questions. JT looks totally in tune with the wise-ass Ralph, down to the cocky "I couldn´t care less, what you think" attitude, while dressed in a leotard.
JT:
Yeah, my father taught me. I'm not supposed to talk about him right now. He's doing a little bit of work for the government, but my father is very, very famous. He danced with the Rockettes.
Sav:
Would you begin, please?
JT:
I´ll be doing Swanee River for you.
He does what has to be some of the worst ballet moves ever (like he´s supposed to) and it´s impossible for everyone to keep a straight face, even though he has to for the scene to work. JT looks to them.
JT:
How was that? You´re in a better position to judge, than I am.
Eli:
Not too bad.
Sav:
You´ve got the comedic side of him down.
JT:
It´s not that side, I´m worried about portraying.
Eli:
Four and a half weeks is a long time. We´ll get there.
They´re interrupted by the sound of someone walking down towards them. We see that it´s Marisol.
JT:
Who´s she?
Eli:
A girl from my class. Her name is Maribel or some other weird name.
Marisol comes down to the stage, smiling at them in a friendly way.
JT:
This is a closed rehearsal.
Marisol:
I´m not here to watch. I want to be in your play.
Eli:
What are your qualifications?
Marisol:
Let´s see. I did ballet from age six to ten, when I switched to figure skating and ice dancing. I did that competitively for a few years, until I got tired of spending my weekends on it. I also used to be a cheerleader at my old school, which I hope to do here too, once a spot on the squad opens up. Anything else, you want to ask?
JT:
Can you act?
Marisol:
As well as 99 percent of the other high schoolers of this world!
JT, Sav and Eli look at each other and all of them seem to like her spunk.
Sav:
What´s your name?
Marisol:
Marisol Lewis, at your service!
JT:
We don´t have any major roles left, I´m afraid.
Marisol:
It´s okay. I´ll take, what I can get.
She looks pleased, that her approach worked.
4. Ext. Degrassi. Day.
Eli leaves school for the day. Marisol hurries to catch up with him.
Marisol:
Wait up, Eli!
He stops walking and pulls the ear buds out of his ears.
Eli:
Sorry, Maribel. I had music in my ears.
Marisol:
It´s Marisol, not Maribel.
Eli:
I´ll try my best to remember.
Marisol:
It´s okay. The usual response I get is "What kind of weird name is that"?
She gets a small laugh of of him and it breaks the ice a little.
Eli:
Does it bother you?
Marisol:
I try not to get hung up on what other people think. You seem like you´re the same.
Eli:
I can´t deny that there´s some truth to that. See ya tomorrow.
Marisol:
Do you maybe wanna hang out after school sometime?
Eli:
We´ll be hanging out plenty at rehearsals, won´t we?
She´s clearly a little disappointed with him answer, but hides it well.
Marisol:
I guess so! Have a nice day.
Eli:
You too. It was nice meeting you.
He leaves her and she smiles to herself, as she watches him leave. Katie comes up to her from behind.
Katie:
Any luck?
Marisol:
Not yet, but it won´t be long.
Katie:
What makes you so sure?
Marisol:
Katie Kins, I´ve been waiting patiently for the right boy, who´s good enough to be my first boyfriend. That Eli was sent to me is a sign, that it´s meant to be.
Katie rolls her eyes at her friend´s lack of sense of reality.
Katie:
And you have the nerve to call my crush hopeless!
Katie walks on and Marisol quickly follows after her, after taking a moment to imagine being with Eli in her head.
5. Int. The Dot. Day.
Sav is waiting at a table by himself, phone in hand. He smiles at the text he´s reading and we see what it says:
From Holly J:
I was thinking about you last night.
He texted back to her:
In what way?
She texted back:
A naughty way. Only you weren´t here, so I had to settle for playing with myself.
We cut back to Sav, who smiles goofily to himself, before being joined by JT, who has a pair of sodas for them.
JT:
There you go. How´s the music coming along?
Sav:
I´ve been thinking that we could do a mix of a live band for the easier songs and playback for the rest.
JT:
You´re the music man. If that´s what you think will work, it´s what we´ll do.
Sav:
Can I ask you a girl question?
JT takes a sip of his soda and nods.
JT:
I don´t claim to be an expert, but sure.
Sav:
There´s a girl, I REALLY like. I mean REALLY LIKE! I can think about anything aside from how much I want to make out with her!
JT:
Those girls will do that to you!
Sav:
Darcy was great for a first girlfriend, but us breaking up was a blessing in disguise.
JT:
You´re ready to move on to something more?
Sav:
With this new girl, I feel like we would end up staying together for a long time, if not forever. We get each other, we have the same sense of humor, she likes the same music as me and she´s even turned me onto to a few bands, I´d never heard of. Not to mention, that she´s insanely sexy!
JT:
What´s the problem? If she wants you, like you want her, then give her a call and start getting horizontal with this girl!
Sav smiles to himself.
Sav:
It´s not that easy. I´m afraid that Anya will get jealous and it´ll come between us.
JT:
Didn´t you have those same worries, when it came to you and Darcy?
Sav:
Not in the same way. The way I see it, I have three options. One, I start something with this new girl and I come clean to Anya right away.
JT:
The "Rip off the band aid" technique. Time tested, but potentially brutal.
Sav:
Two, I start something with her and I don´t tell Anya. Not until I´m sure that we´ll last for a while, anyway. Finally, there´s the choice of trying to forget it and moving on with the girl as friends.
JT:
Do you think, you can?
Sav shakes his head.
Sav:
I don´t want to. At the same time, I´d hate to see Anya get hurt because of something, I did. It´s not like I wasn´t aware, that she had a crush on me. I´ve just never seen her that way. She´s my best friend and I´d like things to stay that way.
JT:
There´s always going to be one variable, you can´t predict how will go. The human variable. If Anya loves you like a best friend should, then she´ll be happy for you no matter what.
Sav:
What if she isn´t?
JT:
You have to ask yourself, if that´s a risk, you´re willing to take.
Sav takes a sip of his soda and ponders it.
6. Int. Psychiatrist´s Office. Day.
Eli is lying on the couch. His psychologist is a woman in her late 30´s.
Woman:
Do you still have nightmares about that day?
Eli:
Every night, more or less. Sometimes I save her and the first moments after I wake up, it feels like she´s still alive. Then it hits me like a kick to the head, that she´s gone.
Woman:
What about the flashbacks? How often would you say, you have those?
Eli:
Sometimes, I can´t control it and I get them twenty, thirty times during a day. A great day is when it only happens once or twice.
Woman:
How do they make you feel?
Eli:
Angry. Powerless. Weak, because I didn´t save her, like I should have.
Woman:
Julia had a multitude of deep rooted psychological issues. Her suicide, tragic and sad as it is, can´t be your fault. You were a light in her otherwise dismal life.
Eli:
Then why can´t I stop feeling, like it´s my fault, that she did it? If I hadn´t been so selfish that evening and let her win that argument, then she would have slept at my house, like we´d planned. She wouldn´t have been anywhere near the highway or the car, that hit her.
Woman:
Eli, these are only the first steps on a long road back to something resembling normality. I can´t sit here and tell you, that it won´t stay with you for the rest of your life, because it will. Anything else would be un-natural in your situation. What I can tell you, is that it´s true that time heals all wounds.
Eli scoffs.
Eli:
No offense, but you can´t have any idea what it´s like to be me right now! To have every moment of every day feel like you´re walking a tight rope in your mind, that you can fall off at any time and tumble into despair!
Woman:
We know what works. Trust me, Eli. I´ve helped others in your situation back to life and I can do it for you, if you´ll let let me. Will you?
Eli sighs.
Eli:
Yeah, alright. It´s not like I could be doing worse, right?
Woman:
I think that we should leave it here for today. Spend the evening stressing as little, as absolutely possible. Invite a friend over, for instance.
Eli:
I don´t have any friends anymore. It doesn´t feel like any of my old friends, the few there were, understand who I am anymore. I´ve only talked to a few at my new school, but I can´t say that I know them yet.
Woman:
Make a new friend, in that case. Being lonely all the time won´t do you any good, I can assure you that much.
Eli nods (somewhat reluctantly) in understanding.
7. Int. Car. Evening.
Eli is being driven home by his father Bull Frog, who we´ve already seen, when we emceed the battle of the bands in season two of this series. He´s a friendly looking guy with shoulder long hair and a look that screams, that he hasn´t left the hard rocking 80´s behind just yet.
Bull Frog:
How did it go with your shrink?
Eli:
She tells me, that I should keep what we talk about private.
Bull Frog:
She does, huh? Well, she´s the expert!
Eli:
An expert in stating the obvious!
Bull Frog:
We can find you a different one.
Eli:
Nah, it´s okay. She seems like she cares.
Bull Frog:
We all do.
Eli:
So much, that you had to celebrate "Little Thursday" with an all nighter?
Bull Frog waves him off.
Bull Frog:
Don´t gimme that! Would you rather have a pair of boring squares for parents?
Eli:
Compared to you and Cece? Ten percent more normal wouldn´t hurt!
The two of them laugh.
Bull Frog:
What do you say, we settle on five?
Eli:
What do I get for that?
Bull Frog:
A quiet night tonight and for most of the weekend. I´m still so hung over, that I don´t want to smell any alcohol for a day or two.
Eli:
Since I don´t think, I´ll get a better offer, I´ll take it.
Bull Frog:
We don´t want to put pressure on you or anything, but it´s been a long time since you went out in the evening or had someone over. You know how your mom gets. She worries about her little boy.
Eli:
I´m not her "little boy" anymore! That boy died, the same moment Julia did.
Bull Frog looks worried about his son, who turns away from him to stare emptily out of the window.
8. Int. Sav´s Family´s Living Room. Evening.
Alli is joyfully watching a Bollywood movie on TV with her parents, when Sav comes in. They´re glad to see him.
Sav´s Mom:
Come to join us for once, have you?
Sav:
It´s been a while, since we all watched a movie together.
Alli:
Sit with me, Sav.
He sits down next to Alli, who scooches over to make room for him.
Sav´s Dad:
Does this mean that for once, I haven´t done anything to upset you?
Sav:
Maybe I´m starting to see, that us fighting isn´t doing anyone any good.
Alli looks up at him and smiles.
9. Int. Sav´s Room. Evening.
Sav is getting ready for bed, when there´s a knock on the door.
Alli (off screen):
It´s only me!
Sav smiles to himself and opens the door. She comes in, still smiling and he closes the door after her.
Alli:
You totally made mom and dad´s evening! Thanks.
Sav:
Did I make yours?
Alli:
You know how I hate it, when there´s fighting in our little family.
He gives her a nice brotherly hug.
Sav:
That´s one of the main reasons, why it´s time to make peace. I wouldn´t be much of an older brother, if I kept making my little sister feel down all the time.
Alli:
It doesn´t have anything to do with a girl, that you have romantic feelings for?
Sav:
Why would you think that?
Alli:
Because the last time you were this happy, was after your first date with Darcy. Nothing could wipe the smirk off you for days!
Sav:
It´s not something I´m comfortable discussing with you.
Alli:
Is it because you think, I´m not old enough to understand? I get told all the time, that I´m wise beyond my years.
Sav:
That´s definitely true! It´s more that I don´t want you to get worked up, over what could be nothing. Love works in mysterious ways. You´ll find that out too, when you reach my age.
Alli:
When I start dating, I´m only making smart choices! If a boy doesn´t have a perfect GPA, then he doesn´t stand a chance!
Sav:
That´s what you say now ...
They hug each other tightly, both glad that the family feud is on hold, for now at least.
10. Int. Eli´s Room. Evening.
Eli is chilling out and has just started watching the first "Nightmare on Elm Street" movie on his small TV. He´s clearly a horror fan and is soaking it up. He hears the doorbell ringing and looks a little annoyed, that it´s pulling him out of the moment.
Bull Frog (off screen):
ELI, YOU HAVE A VISITOR!
He looks surprised and puts the movie on pause with the remote.
Eli:
Who could that be?
He looks puzzled, as he gets up and leaves.
11. Int. Eli´s Parent´s Living Room. Evening.
Eli comes down to see Marisol holding what looks like a present and already getting the 3rd degree from Eli´s parents, his mom in particular.
Cece:
You brought him a present! That´s so cute!
Marisol:
It´s nothing big, really!
Bull Frog:
Oh, it is! It´s not every day that a sweet girl like you brings presents to our son!
Eli and Marisol make eye contact and he doesn´t look annoyed at seeing her there.
Eli:
Marisol?
Marisol:
You remembered my name!
Eli:
How do you know where I live?
Marisol:
I live four houses up the street.
Cece:
You hadn´t noticed her?
Eli:
We´ve only lived here for two weeks. Don´t take it personal, I haven´t noticed a lot of things here yet.
Marisol:
I won´t. Anyway, I was sitting at home bored and I thought of our conversation today.
Cece:
What conversation?
Eli:
About us hanging out together.
Marisol:
I have a feeling, that we could be friends, if we gave it a chance.
Eli:
What´s in the box?
Marisol:
Something I´ve had lying around, I figured you would get a kick out of.
Bull Frog:
What are you waiting for? Invite her up to your room!
Marisol smiles to herself at how "unusual" Eli´s parents are, while he tries his best not to get too embarrassed.
Eli:
I´m just begun watching a movie. Wanna join me?
Marisol:
Absolutely!
Cece:
Have fun!
Eli and Marisol head off to his room. Bull Frog puts his arm around Cece and they watch them leave.
Bull Frog:
Remember when that was you, coming over to meet my folks for the first time?
Cece:
Like it was yesterday!
They kiss. As far as unusual parents go, they´re definitely up there, but they are in their own way a loving pair of parents to Eli.
12. Int. Eli´s Room. Evening.
Eli quickly clears off his sofa, so Marisol has a place to sit.
Eli:
Sorry that my room isn´t up to code. I wasn´t expecting company.
She sits down and looks okay with it.
Marisol:
You´re only saying that, because you haven´t seen my room! Your parents are ... how do I put it?
Eli:
Oddballs?
Marisol:
Unusual, but it a good way. They sure know how to make you feel welcome!
Eli:
It´s one of their specialties.
Eli sits down next to her and she hands him the box.
Marisol:
To you from me.
Eli:
You go all out, when you´re trying to make friends, don´t you?
Marisol:
Only in special cases.
He opens it and takes out a Michael Myers action figure, that´s still in it´s original wrapping. He smiles widely at the sight of it.
Eli:
The Michael Myers figure from part 6! How did you get this?
Marisol:
I wanted a "My Little Pony" figure for my fifth birthday. However, my mostly deaf great grandma, rest her kind soul, somehow heard it as Myers and the rest is history!
Eli:
They only made a few hundred, since the movie flopped. Are you sure? It could be worth a nice bit of pocket money, if you auction it off.
Marisol:
I´d rather that he has a home with someone, who I know will appreciate him.
Eli:
I don´t know what to say. If there´s anything you want in return, all you have to do is tell me.
Marisol:
What I want is the chance to find out, what kind of a boy the mysterious Eli Goldsworthy is.
She smiles at him and he can´t help being a little flattered.
Eli:
I´m not sure, that you´ll like him, if you got to know him.
Marisol:
I´m old enough to make up my own mind!
Eli:
To start off, he wants to make movies someday, which is why he´s watching "Nightmare on Elm Street".
Marisol:
Your parents are okay with you watching horror movies?
Eli:
They know that I see them from a film maker´s point of view. Have you seen it?
Marisol:
I´ve heard about it. It´s about the guy with the finger knives?
Eli:
Freddy Kruger. It´s called a landmark in film making, considering how much they got out of a small budget. It´s my first time watching it too.
Marisol:
Can we go back to the beginning, so I can keep up?
Eli:
Sure. It´s only a few minutes in anyway.
He grabs the remote and restarts it from the beginning. She snuggles up close to him, without actually touching just yet.
Marisol:
I have a confession to make. I´ve never seen a horror movie before. My parents are nothing like yours and would freak out, if they found out I was doing this!
Eli:
If you get too scared, repeat to yourself "It´s only a movie". It sounds corny, but it works.
They get settled in and it´s not many moments, until Marisol starts looking scared.
Marisol (whispering quietly to herself):
It´s only a movie. It´s only a movie.
Eli can´t hide, that he finds it very adorable.
13. Int. Living Room. Evening.
Bull Frog and Cece watch from the couch, as Eli gallantly opens the door for Marisol.
Marisol:
I don´t know if I´ll be able to sleep tonight!
Eli:
Me neither. But I´ll admit that watching it with you was a lot more fun, than it would have been to watch it alone.
Marisol:
I´m glad. See ya.
Eli:
Get home safely.
Marisol leaves and he shuts the door.
Cece:
You´ll be making out with that girl within a week!
Bull Frog:
If you´re not already?
Eli rolls his eyes at them and decides to get it over with.
Eli:
How many times do I have to say it? I´m not ready for a new girlfriend yet!
Cece:
That´s not what it looks like!
Bull Frog:
You´ve found yourself a real little cutie pie there! We´d be glad to call her our daughter in law.
Eli:
It´s only been three months, since I buried the last one. Starting something with a girl like Marisol, who´s practically her complete opposite and this soon after. would feel like I was disrespecting her memory.
His parents get serious and look at him with sympathy.
Bull Frog:
Julia loved you. If she saw how you´ve been doing since her death, she would want you to try to move on.
Cece:
Having the influence of someone who´s different than you in your life, isn´t a bad thing either. It wouldn´t hurt you to look on the bright side a little more.
Eli:
That´s easy for you to say. I´m hitting the hay. Goodnight.
Bull Frog:
Sleep tight, Pal.
Cece:
Don´t let those bed bugs bite!
Eli leaves them and they smile at each other.
Bull Frog:
I give it three days!
Eli (off screen):
I heard that and you´re wrong!
They hear the door to his room shutting and laugh a little.
14. Int. Eli´s Room. Evening.
Eli looks out his window, this time down at Marisol. who´s walking away from their house. He has a slight smile on his face, as he watches her head up the street.
Eli:
If only I thought you could handle the darkness inside of me ...
He turns to looking sad, thinking that he´ll never get over what happened.
CLOSING CREDITS
THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING THE SERIES FOR IT´S FIRST ONE HUNDRED CHAPTERS! IT´S CRAZY TO THINK THAT WE´RE AT THIS POINT ALREADY AND I STILL FEEL LIKE, WE´RE ONLY GETTING STARTED!