Written by: Winnie Holzman and Maggie Friedman
Directed by: Matt Shakman
Page 7 - The Kiss
Page 9 - The Goodbye
Mr. Dimitri sits in a chair in front of a three-person board. Behind him sit Jake, Lily, Rick and Grace.
FEMALE OFFICIAL: And how many times have you seen Ms. Manning off campus?
DIMITRI: Twice.
FEMALE OFFICIAL: I see. And your explanation for the� so-called date that occurred?
DIMITRI: Well, first of all, there was no date. I accompanied her to a film�for educational purposes.
FEMALE OFFICIAL: I see, and in choosing this particular film. I�m sorry, I don�t remember the name of the movie?
(Jake, Lily, Rick, Grace and Dimitri, in unison:) Rashomon.
FEMALE OFFICIAL: Right. This particular film does contain material of an explicitly sexual nature, does it not?
DIMITRI: I�I guess so.
FEMALE OFFICIAL: You guess so?
Jake to Lily: I�m okay, alright. Just relax.
DIMITRI: Well, it, it depends on your point of view.
MALE SCHOOL OFFICIAL #1: We could always screen the movie.
DIMITRI: Rashomon happens to be an extremely important film. It pertains directly to what we�re studying and I felt it would be valuable--
FEMALE OFFICIAL: Then why not arrange for the entire class to see it?
DIMITRI: Because I knew that only a few students would be able to appreciate the--
JAKE: Alright! You know what?
(overlapped)
LILY: Jake!
GRACE: Dad!
FEMALE SCHOOL OFFICIAL: Mr. Manning!
JAKE stands and says to Mr. Dimitri: You want to step outside?
DIMITRI: Step outside?
Bedlam ensues. Lily and Rick and Grace stand and try to stop Jake from continuing.
JAKE: We�ll settle this right now, okay? Come on!
MALE SCHOOL OFFICIAL #2: Mr. Manning.
MALE SCHOOL OFFICIAL #1: Mr Manning, sit down.
Rick takes Jake�s arm. �Why don�t we step outside?� Jake pulls his arm away. Rick says �No, no, no. Let�s just get some air.� Rick ushers Jake outside
LILY (to school officials): I�m really sorry, he�s just�
FEMALE SCHOOL OFFICIAL: No, wait, wait, before we go any further, I, I have to ask each of you if there�s anything, anything else that we need to be aware of. Because if there is, this is the time. Grace, this includes you.
GRACE (arms crossed): You don�t hear what I have to say.�
FEMALE SCHOOL OFFICIAL: I see. Well, are there any other incidents? Inappropriate gifts, for instance? Written communications of a questionable nature?
Grace looks at Lily. Lily looks at Grace.
FEMALE OFFICIAL: Mrs. Manning?
LILY: Sammler.
FEMALE OFFICIAL: I�m sorry, Mrs. Sammler? Was there anything else at all of that nature that comes to mind?
Lily pauses. Grace and Mr. Dimitri wait to hear what she�ll say.
LILY: No. Nothing.
FEMALE OFFICIAL: In that case �
LILY: �Wait. There is one more thing.� Dimitri turns his chair to look at her. �I just�this teacher changed my daughter�s life by believing in her in a way that�s really hard to describe , and rare, and really valuable. And that needs to be said too. That�s all.�
Grace looks at her mother in a new way.
FEMALE OFFICIAL: �Okay, well, I�ve heard enough.� She and the man next to her nod. Dimitri looks down at his hands for a moment, then at the school official. �Mr. Dimitri, I think under the circumstances we have no choice but to suspend you with pay for the remainder of the semester. At which point the school board will have a decision to make.�
Dimitri, Grace and Lily take this in.