1. FINALE
(ONCE AGAIN, WE HEAR THE SOFT FOLKY INSTRUMENTAL GUITAR OF "ONCE TOMORROW" BY JOSH WOODWARD.)
TONY
(IN NARRATOR MODE)
Most people who come to Selkirk, they're running from something. But when the thing you want to leave behind is yourself, what can you do? For most of my life, I thought the answer was nothing. But now I know...
The only thing to do is face it head on.
( MUSIC SOFTENS, SOFT BIRDSONG ALSO IN THE BACKGROUND. DIALOGUE FADES IN, SLOWLY BECOMING CLEARER. )
GARRETT
Are we sure that worked?
JODI
He's not moving.
GRACE Try kicking him?
GARRETT
No, look -- he's waking up.
JODI
Tony? Open your eyes.
TONY
(VERY RASPY, MUDDLED)
...did I kill it?
JODI
Yeah. Yeah you did, you idiot.
GARRETT
Don't try to sit up yet.
TONY
Hey, uh... why does everything hurt?
GARRETT
You... got a little banged up out there.
GRACE
Oh Christ, just tell him.
GARRETT
('ZIP IT' NOISE)
TONY
What does she mean?
JODI
You, ah...
GRACE
You've been dead six months.
GARRETT
Uh, welcome back?
(THE NON INSTRUMENTAL VERSION OF "ONCE TOMORROW" SWELLS UP AS THOUGH PLAYING OVER CREDITS.)
WHITNEY AND KATE
(INARTICULATE YELLING)
SOUND: A TV TURNS OFF.
(MUSIC CUTS OFF WITH TV. WE'RE IN A REGULAR SIZED ROOM.)
KATE
Did Garrett have an eyepatch?
WHITNEY
Did Jodi have a neck tattoo?
KATE
Tony's been dead six months?
WHITNEY
...they got renewed for a second season right?
KATE
Yeah. But not until next summer.
WHITNEY
We have to wait a year?
KATE
A whole entire year.
(BEAT)
SOUND: A GLASS PICKED UP OFF A TABLE
WHITNEY
...do you want more wine?
KATE
Dude, I want so much wine.
SOUND: TWO PEOPLE GET OFF A COUCH, START TO HEAD OUT OF THE ROOM.
WHITNEY
To the wine!
KATE
To the wine!
Best vacation ever?
WHITNEY
Best vacation ever!
(THEY IMPROV AS WE FADE OUT. BEAT OF SILENCE, THEN.)
2. IRL
(A RELATIVELY BUSY CITY STREET. CAR TRAFFIC, MOSTLY. GENERALLY NO NATURE.)
KATE
(UNDER HER BREATH) Okay. Okay, this is fine. This is cool. Just go inside and be... normal. Just a normal human person. Just a chill, normal human--
ELLA (CALLED FROM A LITTLE WAYS DOWN THE BLOCK) Kate?!
KATE
(SO LOUD) Oh shit!
(RECOVERING, LOOKING AROUND) Ella?
ELLA
(STILL SLIGHTLY FAR AWAY) Yeah! Hi.
KATE
Hey.
Did you just get here?
ELLA
(AT NORMAL CONVERSATIONAL DISTANCE) I did. Sorry, morning traffic was even worse than I thought it would be.
Um, if you want to go in you can. I still need to pay for parking.
KATE
No, it's cool, I can come with.
ELLA
The pay station is right next to you.
KATE
Right. Then I can stand right here I guess.
ELLA
Yeah. I'll just--
Actually, before that: Are you a hug person?
KATE
I -- yeah. Sure!
(BEAT OF SILENCE.)
ELLA
Uh, in that case--
KATE
Oh, yeah.
(THEY EMBRACE. A LITTLE SIGHING FROM BOTH. KATE LAUGHS SLIGHTLY.)
ELLA
It's... nice to meet you. Again.
KATE
Yeah, um. Same.
Congrats on still being a real person.
ELLA
You too.
(ANOTHER BEAT. YOU KNOW THEY'RE TOTALLY JUST STARING AT EACH OTHER AWKWARD-SMITTEN. KATE NERVOUS LAUGHS. ELLA JOINS IN. THEN ANOTHER SECOND OF SILENCE.)
KATE
So, you wanna go inside?
ELLA
That sounds good. Just let me do the parking--
KATE
Wow, sorry. Right. I have not had enough coffee yet.
SOUND: UNDER THE NEXT COUPLE LINES - A BILL BEING FED MECHANICALLY INTO A VENDING MACHINE. SOME BEEP-BOOPS, SEVEN BOOPS TO KEY IN A PLATE NUMBER, ANOTHER BOOP to REPRESENT 'OK'. A PRINTER SPITS OUT A TICKET.
ELLA
I guess we came to the right kind of place then.
KATE
Yeah, seriously.
How was your drive in? No, wait, you already said. Not great?
ELLA
Just slow. Coming into the city on a weekday is always a little intense.
KATE
Yeah, makes sense.
ELLA
And you said in your email your flight got in okay?
KATE
Yeah, it was super empty, so more leg room for me.
ELLA
Oh nice.
KATE
Yeah, no complaints. You good?
ELLA
Mmhm.
KATE
Cool. Let me--
SOUND: DOOR OPENS, A TWEE BELL TINGS AS WE MOVE INTO THE INTERIOR OF A SMALL COFFEE SHOP. ON A SCALE FROM FUL PODFIC FANTASY TO KATE'S PLACE, THIS IS SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE.
KATE, CONT.
Go ahead.
ELLA
Oh, thanks.
KATE
At your service.
(INSTANT REGRET) Uh, do you know what's good here?
ELLA
I was hoping you did.
KATE
Oh, right, yeah. Whitney recommended the double espresso and the energy bites? But she's intimidating like that.
ELLA
Have I mentioned that I'm really looking forward to meeting her?
KATE
Good, because she has a lot of opinions about that finale--
ELLA
So we have two things in common.
KATE
What's the other-- oh, no. Wait. Me. I'm the thing. Right, yeah. Uh--
I'm gonna get a cappuccino. Like, the biggest cappuccino. You?
ELLA
That sounds pretty good to me too.
KATE
You wanna grab us a table? I can treat.
ELLA
Are you sure?
KATE
You drove into the city. On a weekday.
ELLA
You literally flew across the country.
KATE
I like to go big.
ELLA
(A LITTLE FLIRTY) You do, huh?
KATE
I --
Oh my god, it's like eight a.m. on the west coast. I seriously wasn't kidding about needing this coffee.
ELLA
You're fine. I'll get us the table in the corner, okay?
KATE
Yeah, that sounds good.
ELLA
And then we're talking about that scene.
KATE
Oh my god, why do I already know what you're talking about?
ELLA
Eye. Patch.
KATE
Neck tattoo!
ELLA
Now that Tony's died, is he still cursed?
KATE
Probably not? I mean, what are they gonna do, kill him again in, what, two more months?
ELLA
They would.
KATE
God, they so would!
Okay -- you, table. Me, coffee. And then we are talking.
ELLA
Hell yeah we are.
(AUDIO DUCKS DOWN TO SILENT FOR A BEAT AS WE SCENE SKIP. PICK BACK UP IN THE SAME COFFEE SHOP AMBI, WHICH WE LISTEN TO FOR A MOMENT BEFORE ELLA SPEAKS.)
ELLA
I really thought I was going to be done with it before the end of the season.
KATE
Yeah, you said you were almost finished the last chapter a week ago. What happened?
ELLA
I keep going into the document to write the last few scenes and... then I stare at it until I lose my nerve and go do something else.
KATE
I mean, if you're worried about the research, I'm pretty sure there's no definitive way to catch a cryptid. So it's not like anyone's gonna be in the comments going "actually, you can only trap a real waheela with cage made of salt and inscribed with ancient runes."
ELLA
Oh no, that part was fine. I really enjoyed writing the action scene.
KATE
So what's got you blocked?
ELLA
...I can't get Tony and Garrett to kiss.
KATE
Oh nooo. That's the worst.
ELLA
Every time I think I've gotten to the right spot it just feels too -- too random. Like I'm trying to force it.
KATE
Force it? I was surprised they didn't kiss last chapter.
ELLA
Because I couldn't get them to do it then either!
KATE
Dude, you write them with insane chemistry. You can tell they've both been wanting to do it for ages. It's not gonna feel forced no matter how it happens.
ELLA
What if you're only saying that because you know they're supposed to wind up together?
KATE
Okay, I'm never the person who gets to say this, but you're way overthinking things.
ELLA
I just want it to be a satisfying conclusion.
KATE
Aw, hey--
ELLA
I should have had them kiss before the monster showed up. They could still have had the same fight about Garrett being a werewolf, and I could haven written a tender reconciliation with my eyes closed.
KATE
Okay, like, I would have still read that, but you've got this.
Whatever kiss you give these two is gonna be so hot it's gonna -- gonna make people swoon right out of their computer chairs.
ELLA
It is just a kissing scene. I'm not upping the rating.
KATE
Swooning, Ella. I'm calling it right now.
ELLA
Thank you. I'll... keep trying, I guess.
KATE
It's just all tension and release, right?
You have a big moment, you build up the emotion, you get both of the characters to the point where there's nothing to do but channel all that feeling into something. And then -- heyyyyy kissing.
ELLA
Does that work for you?
KATE
Uh... okay, honestly the last thing I tried to write is still sitting in my drafts because I couldn't think of a word for lips that didn't sound like... Lips.
ELLA
What's wrong with lips?
KATE
Lips. Like, listen to it. It's just so -- okay, not the point.
What I'm saying is, you're there. You've spent, like, half the summer building this up. You've got the tension. Now all you've gotta do is--
ELLA
(QUIETLY, INTENSE) Pay it off?
KATE
(YUP, VERY INTENSE, DEFINITELY STILL ABOUT FANFICTION)
...yeah. Pay it off.
(A PAUSE)
SOUND: A SPOON RATTLES IN AN EMPTY COFFEE CUP.
KATE
Hey. Do you want to get another round?
ELLA
How many have you had now?
KATE
Technically five-ish? I got extra shots in both of mine.
ELLA
That's kind of amazing. But I think if I have any more caffeine my hands might start shaking.
KATE
(DISAPPOINTED BUT TRYING TO HIDE IT) Oh, sure. You probably have other stuff you need to--
ELLA
Maybe we could go for a walk around here instead?
KATE
(NEVER MIND EVERYTHING IS AWESOME) Yeah, a walk sounds great.