Ep302

Episode 3.02
�Eli and Jealousy�

Teaser
(Day 1. We open from the �Sports Night� logo on Dana�s office. She is sitting in her chair, watching a baseball game on one of the T.V. monitors. Natalie walks in and stands on the other side of her desk.)

Natalie:
And?

Dana:
(Looks over at her, confused.) �And� what?

Natalie:
Hm?

Dana:
You said �And.�

Natalie:
(Beat.) I did?

Dana:
Yes.

Natalie:
Oh. Right.

Dana:
�And� what?

Natalie:
How are things between you and-

Dana:
Sam? They�re good. (Smiles.)

Natalie:
Really?

Dana:
Yes, Natalie, they�re good. Really.

Natalie:
Okay. If you say so.

Dana:
I do.

Natalie:
Okay.

Dana:
How are we on time for the sixties?

Natalie:
2:20 fat.

Dana:
Cut Q&A, move Rojas to the wood, and tease Vizquel.

Natalie:
Got it. (She leaves and goes through the hall to the newsroom.) Kim, Elliot, tease Vizquel, toss Q&A, Rojas gets moved to the wood.

Kim:
Okay.

Elliot:
It�s done.

Kim:
No, it�s not, but it will be.

Natalie:
Good. (She continues to Dan and Casey�s office. Dan�s perfecting a paper airplane, Casey is typing at the computer. Dan fires the airplane just as Natalie walks in. She catches it expertly and sends it back to Dan.) Casey, can I talk to you?

Casey:
Sure. (He gets up and follows her to the conference room.)

Natalie:
(As she sits down.) Is it just me, or is Dana a little too not mad at Sam?

Casey:
It�s not just you. (He sits.)

Natalie:
She�s as bad as she was before he left.

Casey:
Nearly giddy.

Natalie:
Following him around.

Casey:
Like he�s the captain of the varsity football team.

Natalie:
Exactly.

Casey:
And he barely acknowledges her.

Natalie:
Maybe he feels guilty for abandoning her, so he�s trying to hide it.

Casey:
Sam, remorseful? Nah.

Natalie:
She�s setting herself up to get her heart broken.

Casey:
Again.

Natalie:
Yeah.

Casey:
I�d figured she�d be ready to kill him.

Natalie:
I did, too.

Casey:
And yet she�s gone the opposite way.

Natalie:
She has.

Casey:
She�s about to get her heart broken.

Natalie:
She is.

Casey:
You know what we need?

Natalie:
A plan?

Casey:
You�ve got it.

(Fade to commercial. End of teaser.)

Act I
(Day 2, the conference room. People are filtering in for the 6:00 rundown meeting.)

Dana:
Oh, before I forget, we�re doing the 8:00 rundown at 8:30.

Natalie:
Another dinner engagement?

Dana:
Yeah. (She smiles across the table at Sam, who�s in Isaac�s chair. He smiles back, amazingly enough, and Casey and Natalie exchange a look.) So. Item One?

Casey:
My sources says Baltimore and Cleveland are arranging a date- (He quickly corrects his mistake.) A trade. Belle for Ramirez.

Dan:
My guy says there�s no way they�d bring Belle back to Cleveland.

Jeremy:
Not if they wanted any fans at all.

Casey:
Hey, I don�t make the trade, I�m just saying what I�ve heard.

Dana:
Get someone to go on the record, then we�ll see.

Dan:
It�d take a Rocker-Caliber doofus to send Belle back there.

Casey:
A big honkin� doofus.

Dana:
Why is it that you two insist on making so many Rocker jokes?

Casey:
We can�t help the fact that they�re so easy.

Dana:
True. Item 2?

(Cut to show time lapse to the end of the meeting.)

Dana:
�footage to Natalie by 7, that�s all.

Casey:
(Quietly, to Natalie.) I�ll take him, you talk to her.

Natalie:
(Also quietly.) Got it.

(She gets up and follows Dana into the newsroom.)

Natalie:
Dana?

Dana:
Isn�t it great?

Natalie:
Isn�t what great?

Dana:
He asked me to dinner!

Natalie:
I know.

Dana:
And?

Natalie:
And what?

Dana:
Isn�t it great?

Natalie:
No.

Dana:
What do you mean, �No�?

(They reach Dana�s office and she closes the door behind them.)

Natalie:
You know what I mean.

Dana:
(Pause.) Natalie, don�t start-

Natalie:
It�s a mistake.

Dana:
No, it isn�t.

Natalie:
He�s already broken your heart once, he�ll probably do it again.

Dana:
So did Casey, yet you still forced me to pursue him. And look how that turned out.

Natalie:
It was your own fault.

Dana:
How was it my fault? (Natalie starts to say something, but Dana stops her.) Still.

Natalie:
This is a bad idea.

Dana:
No, it�s not.

Natalie:
Dana, listen to me. I know you, remember? And you want commitment even more than I do. So what do you do when he leaves town without a word?

Dana:
That�s all over, now, Natalie! He�s not travelling from town to town, show to show, he�s assistant managing editor. He�s here to stay.

Natalie:
He told you this?

Dana:
Not exactly.

Natalie:
I�m just saying you should be careful �

Dana:
And I�m just saying I can take care of myself!

(Natalie looks slightly dejected and walks out of Dana�s office.)

(Cut to Sam�s office. Casey knocks lightly on the door frame.)

Casey:
Sam? Got a minute?

Sam:
Not exactly.

Casey:
Too bad. (He walks in and sits down.) So you�re taking Dana to dinner.

Sam:
Last time I checked, that wasn�t in any way your business.

Casey:
It is.

Sam:
You�re not her father, you�re not her older brother, you�re not her boyfriend. How is your business?

Casey:
Because she�s my friend, I�ve known her a very long time, and I like her a lot. And she�s been hurt far too much in the past. There are certain links I�d go to in order to avoid seeing her get hurt again.

Sam:
Why are you in here?

Casey:
I don�t want you to do what you did before.

Sam:
What did I �

Casey:
You abandoned her.

Sam:
I didn�t �

Casey:
Then what do you call it? You knew what she wanted, you promised her you�d stay, and you left without so much as a goodbye. Where I come from, it�s called abandonment.

Sam:
I did what I had to do.

Casey:
(Skeptically.) Right.

Sam:
If I�d stayed, it would�ve only been harder.

Casey:
For who? For her? Or for you?

Sam:
(Quietly, but with a very cold tone.) I asked her to dinner. Last time I checked, that wasn�t a matter of national security. Now get the hell out of my office.

Casey:
If you do anything that hurts her, I will personally come in here and beat the crap out of you. Don�t test me �

Sam:
NOW, McCall!

(After glares from both parties, Casey turns and heads out of the office.)

(Cut to: Day 2, Edit bay. Danny and Casey are sitting at the editing machine. Neither of them is actually working. They�re just sort of staring into space.)

Danny:
I�m gonna kill him.

Casey:
Me too.

Danny:
After what he did to her�

Casey:
Exactly.

Danny:
He deserves to die.

Casey:
Well, I might not go that far, but he definitely deserves to get the crap beat out of him.

Danny:
Absolutely. It�s good to see you�re with me on this one.

Casey:
I am.

Danny:
Good!

Casey:
If he so much as looks the wrong way at her, he�s gonna pay.

Danny:
Yes! I�m going to get revenge on Rebecca�s behalf.

Casey:
Absolutely. (Pause.) Wait�Rebecca?

Danny:
Who else?

Casey:
You�re talking about killing Steve?

Danny:
I�m talking about killing Steve. Who are you talking about?

Casey:
Sam.

Danny:
Why Sam?

Casey:
He asked Dana out to dinner.

Danny:
So?

Casey:
After he abandoned her.

Danny:
Right.

Casey:
Well?!

Danny:
I�m not quite finding the criminal offense here.

Casey:
It�s just that he�s�he�s Eli.

Danny:
(Skeptically.) He�s Eli.

Casey:
Both interpretations of Eli, actually.

Danny:
(Beat.) Start from the beginning.

Casey:
He�s an inveterate womanizer AND something bad, a darkness.

Danny:
�Right�Y�know, Casey, I�ve gotta say that it seems to me that it�s not so much Eli coming as much as it�s jealousy rearing.

Casey:
No.

Danny:
Yeah.

Casey:
This is not jealousy rearing. Why would it be?

Danny:
Because it�s Dana going out to dinner with a guy who isn�t you.

Casey:
Danny �

Danny:
Plus you think she deserves better.

Casey:
Well, that�s true.

Danny:
Someone who�s smart.

Casey:
Yeah.

Danny:
Funny.

Casey:
Right.

Danny:
Someone who understands how much she loves her job.

Casey:
Exactly.

Danny:
Someone anchored in the city.

Casey:
I couldn�t have said it better myself.

Danny:
Someone who loves her and who has for along time and would do absolutely anything for her.

Casey:
In a word?

Danny:
You.

Casey:
Damn straight.

Danny:
And you�re telling me that jealousy isn�t rearing?

Casey:
Well�maybe a little.

Danny:
No kidding.

Casey:
But definitely not all over the place.

Danny:
(Mockingly.) Of course not.

Casey:
I mean, it�s not eating Tokyo or anything.

Danny:
I should never have put that idea in your head.

Casey:
(Ignores him.) You know what?

Danny:
(Scoffing.) What?

Casey:
This isn�t just Eli coming OR jealousy rearing its ugly head. It�s Eli and jealously, hand-in-hand, working against me.

Danny:
Wow.

Casey:
What?

Danny:
You definitely have Sam issues.

Casey:
I do not have Sam issues.

Danny:
Man, if you didn�t have Sam issues, would you be obsessing like this?

Casey:
Probably.

Danny:
(Considers.) Ah, that�s true.

Casey:
Yes, it is. (He yawns.) I�m gonna stretch my legs. We�ve been at this too long.

Danny:
Yeah, go �head.

(Casey stands and starts out of the edit bay. He has just set foot in the studio when he hears Dana giggle. She�s walking through the studio, her coat on, Sam at her side. They leave via the exit.)

Casey:
(Quietly.) Eli and Jealously, hand-in-hand.

(Fade to commercial. End Act I.)

Act II
(Day 2. Dan walks down the hallway to Rebecca�s (old) office. He knocks on the door and he looks up.)

Rebecca:
(Grinning.) Hey, Danny!

Danny:
You�re back in your old office.

Rebecca:
Yeah. How�d you find me, anyway?

Danny:
I asked around.

Rebecca:
Because you�re friends with everyone who works down here?

Danny:
Because I am.

(He walks in and sits on the edge of her desk.)

Rebecca:
So how are things upstairs with the new guy?

Danny:
Calvin Tregor?

Rebecca:
Yeah.

Danny:
They�re okay. Sam�s back, which is making Casey crazy because Sam�s taking Dana to dinner�but ratings are starting to tick up, so it�s good, all things considered.

Rebecca:
Yeah. (She absently runs her fingers through her long blonde hair.)

Danny:
(Without really thinking.) I like it better red. (realizes how that sounded.) I�m not trying to say you need to change it or anything, I�m just saying that, for what it�s worth, I like it better red.

Rebecca:
(Quietly.) So do I.

Danny:
Then why don�t you �

Rebecca:
Steve doesn�t like it.

Danny:
Rebecca �

Rebecca:
He always liked long blonde hair�whenever I was with him, he made me wear it that way. So when we split up, I�I cut it and dyed it�To prove he couldn�t control me�but when I went back�He personally dyed it back and made me grow it out�

Danny:
(Gently.) He won�t know if it�s short and red now.

Rebecca:
I�I shouldn�t.

Danny:
Okay.

Rebecca:
Listen, Danny, I need to finish this, so �

Danny:
No problem. (He stands and walks to the door, then turns back.) I�ll see you later, okay?

Rebecca:
Yeah. (He leaves. Show Rebecca looking nervous and deep in thought as she watches him go.)

(Cut to the Edit Bay, Night 2. Natalie�s in there, editing tape, and Jeremy walks in, holding two tapes of his own.)

Jeremy:
I didn�t realize you were in here�I�ll do this later. (He turns to leave.)

Natalie:
Jeremy.

Jeremy:
What?

Natalie:
We can�t keep doing this.

Jeremy:
doing what?

Natalie:
Avoiding each other.

Jeremy:
We�re not �

Natalie:
Any time I�m in a room, you leave. You won�t even look at me during rundowns or the show.

Jeremy:
I�m trying to work.

Natalie:
(Sounding hurt.) And what did you do during the year and a half we went out? (She stares up at him.)

Jeremy:
Natalie, don�t do that.

Natalie:
Do what? (She stands.)

Jeremy:
Whenever you look at me like that, I� (He pauses, then kisses her long and deep.)

Natalie:
(Quietly.) Listen, neither of us has to work Saturday. Come over to my apartment around 7, I�ll make dinner.

Jeremy:
I�Okay.

Natalie:
So. No more avoiding each other?

Jeremy:
Right. But I really was just going to do these later, after you�d finished what you were working on.

(Natalie smiles.)

(Cut to: Night 2. The control room. It�s almost showtime, and everyone�s where they should be.)

Dave:
Two minutes to VTR, Three minutes live.

Dana:
Let me see 50.

Chris:
50�s up.

Dana:
Thank you.

Jeremy:
(Looking intrigued at his laptop.) Dana, we�ve got a new story coming in.

Dana:
Another Taiwanese swimmer named Ho Chi Minh?

Jeremy:
Cho Chang was Chinese, but no, it�s an L.A. sports caster arrested on abuse charges.

Dana:
Get the info, give it to Dan during the C-Break. (She leans forward and talks into her mike.) Guys, listen, there�s a story coming in, Jeremy�s gonna get it out to you during the C-Break Dan, open with it, keep it tight, and dump 14.

Danny:
What�s 14?

Dana:
Currently not there.

Danny:
Got it.

Dave:
Roll VTR, live in 60.

Dana:
Have a good show everybody.

Jeremy:
Good show.

Natalie:
(Leans over and whispers to Dana.) How was dinner?

Dana:
(Grinning widely.) It was great.

Natalie:
Really?

Dana:
Yeah!

Natalie:
What -?

Dana:
We�ll talk later, okay?

Natalie:
Sure.

Dave:
In 3�2�
(Cut to Studio.)

Casey:
Good evening, from New York City, I�m Casey McCall alongside Dan Rydell, those stories plus Tony Dinardio�s wearing red again, the ice is wearing thin under the Red Wings, and Yankees are wearing out the Red Sox.

Danny:
All that comin� up after this, you�re watching Sports Night on CSC, so stick around.

Dave:
We�re out.

(Cut to Control room.)

Elliot:
Two minutes back.

Dana:
Natalie, step outside with me?

Natalie:
Yeah.

(They walk out of the control room to the hallway just outside of it.)

Natalie:
So what happened?

Dana:
At dinner?

Natalie:
Yes.

Dana:
Well�He ordered the steak, and I had the Fennel salad, and �

Natalie:
Dana, we only have two minutes.

Dana:
Right.

Natalie:
Are your panties still where they should be?

Dana:
Yes.

Natalie:
Then he obviously wasn�t a staggeringly boring dinner companion.

Dana:
Not boring at all.

Natalie:
So what happened?

Dana:
He �

Natalie:
Bullet points, Dana.

Dana:
Right. He said to wait for him after the show, that he�d finish up whatever he was working on, then we�d go somewhere.

Natalie:
Where?

Dana:
I don�t know.

Natalie:
I know it sounds like a certain something to me.

Dana:
Yeah. (Grins.) Me too.

Natalie:
(Concernedly.) Dana �

Dana:
We�ve gotta get back.

Natalie:
(Beat.) Yeah.

(They go back into the control room. Jeremy hands a paper to Elliot, who runs it out to Danny. Dan doesn�t really look at it, he just sets it on top of his script. Elliot rushes out of the way.)

Dave:
We�re back in 3�2�

Danny:
(OTA) Welcome back, we�ve got breaking news. (He starts to read from the sheet he was given.) Los Angeles Lakers sportscaster (He pauses in shock, then continues.) Steve Sisco was arrested on abuse charges. The charges are being pressed by�by his ex-wife, Rebecca Wells. (He tries to regain his on-air composure.) IN other news�

(Cut to the control room. We continue to hear Dan speaking over the monitors. Dana and Natalie are staring at Jeremy.)

Dana:
THAT was the sportscaster?

Jeremy:
What?

Dana:
You could�ve told me so I could�ve given it to Casey instead!

Jeremy:
Why?

Natalie:
That�s Rebecca!

Jeremy:
DAN�S Rebecca?

Natalie:
Yes!

Jeremy:
Oh, God!

Dana:
Yes.

Jeremy:
I didn�t know!

Natalie:
It�s okay, sweetie.

Jeremy:
I�oh man, how did I NOT realize that was THE Rebecca?

Dana:
I do not know.

Dave:
We�re out.

Danny:
(On monitor.) Dana, how much time do I have.

Dana:
5:40 on this, then 2:20 for a C-Break.

Danny:
I�ll be back. (He gets up from the desk and rips off his mike and earpiece.)

(Cut to Rebecca�s office. She�s working as Danny storms in.)

Danny:
He beat you?

Rebecca:
Danny �

Danny:
That jackass husband of yours beat you?

Rebecca:
EX-husband �

Danny:
I mean, I knew he treated you like dirt and cheated on you, but you never told me �

Rebecca:
Why would I?

Danny:
What?

Rebecca:
What good would it have done?

Danny:
Rebecca �

Rebecca:
So then you could come in here and strut around, talking about how bad Steve was, then ask me out to dinner to make me �feel better�? You could say it all you wanted, Danny, but it still wouldn�t change what he did! (She starts to sob and Danny moves to hug her. She begins to push him away, then accepts his embrace.) Y-You�d talk about how it would be okay, but you wouldn�t know that. You wouldn�t know that because you hadn�t sat there on that couch and watched him finish his fifth beer in under an hour. You hadn�t cowered on the cold, filthy linoleum as he held a steak knife above you because you were in such a hurry to get his food on the table that you didn�t let his steak cook completely. You�You hadn�t laid awake at night, wondering if he was asleep enough in his drunken stupor that he wouldn�t hear the car engine starting. You didn�t have to drive in blind terror as far as you could from L.A. without stopping. You didn�t have to wait, holding your breath, while the restraining order and divorce were processed. (The last words come out in a choked voice, just above a whisper.) You didn�t have to go back to him out of fear for your life.

Danny:
(Whispers gently.) Oh, Rebecca�I�m sorry�

Rebecca:
Sorry?

Danny:
That you had to go through that, too.

Rebecca:
T-Too?

Danny:
My dad. He had quite a temper and no patience. Which didn�t work well with three boys.

(She nods against his shoulder. Danny hugs her tighter and gently strokes her hair.)

Danny:
It�s gonna be okay.

Rebecca:
Yeah�maybe�

(Linger on the shot a few seconds, music clearly heard in the background.)

(Cut to the end of the show.)

Casey:
I�m Casey McCall alongside Dan Rydell, you�ve been watching Sports Night on CSC. Thanks for joining us.

Danny:
(Sounding subdued.) G�night.

Will:
Music.

Chris:
Go.

Will:
Animation.

Chris:
Go.

Dave:
We�re out.

(Dana grins widely at Natalie, then stands and walks to Sam�s office.)

Dana:
Hey.

Sam:
(He looks up and smiles.) Hey.

Dana:
You ready to go?

Sam:
(Sets his pen down and stands.) Yeah.

(We hear the opening of �Somebody�s Eyes.)

When she set him free
He came to me
He came straight to me.

(Sam pulls Dana into a passionate kiss. She wraps her arms around his neck.)

She�s gonna find
The boy is mine.
He�s finally mine.

(Casey passes the office and sees them through the open door. He stops in his tracks.)

I�ve got a feeling she won�t let go.
�Cause every time I think that we�re alone

(Keep the camera shot on his face, in an odd mix of frustration, anger, and worry.)

Somebody�s eyes are watching.
Somebody�s eyes are seeing me loving him.
Somebody�s waiting to take him back again.

(Fade to SN logo.)

Love is no disguise for somebody�s eyes.
Love is no disguise for somebody�s eyes.

(End Act II.)

5 July, 2000

0:30 Teaser for 3.03 �The Good, the Bad, and the Lucky�

VO: Next week on Sports Night�

(Dan standing in a remote area of the newsroom with Natalie.)

Danny: What do you do when you think someone has a stalker? I�m not being stalked. Rebecca is being stalked. She thinks it�s me.

(Dana�s office.)

Sam: The report just shipped in, so I�ve gotta stay late. I�m sorry about dinner, but �

Dana: No problem. (As Sam�s leaving.) You�re really just working late, right?

Sam: What else would I be doing?

(Control room)

Dana: Natalie, start looking for a new anchor, one of them is about to be DEAD!

(Casey and another woman in his office.)

Casey: Lisa.

Lisa: Hello, Casey.

VO: An all new Sports Night next Tuesday on KBC.