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Whenever a story
hits the airwaves, it is rarely what was written in the first
draft. Other writers have their input, actors' availability
chances, budgetary cocerns arise, and more. When Corey
Miller and Philip Chung first came up with the story that
eventually became "Seconds," you'll see that their
first draft was vastly different. Corey's
interview tells some of the reasons of the hows and whys
things changed.
This
isn't to say anything is better than the other; but it is an
interesting look at an alternate take. Thanks again to Corey
Miller for sharing. The outline is below, and is copyrighted
to its respective owners.
In
this second version of the story, Corey and Philip had to ditch
the alternate reality concept (since there had recently been
written a story called "Tempus Anyone" dealing with
the same subject), and they likely knew where in the "Clone
Arc" this story would be taking place. Their first "Beat
Outline" follows:
Read
the previous draft
Lois
& Clark
"Memory Lane"
episode 17
Beat Outline
1st Draft
11/28/95
TEASE
1.
INT. CLARK'S APARTMENT - Clark, with Martha and Jonathan, asks
Lois' clone if she knows where the real Lois could be. The clone
was one of the few people to have seen her. The clone says that
she recalls a bar in a low-rent area by Luthor's lair, but isn't
sure if that would be the place. Clark turns into Superman and
flies off.
2. INT. SEEDY BAR - The real Lois Lane, an amnesiac, enters
a grungy bar. She is immediately accosted by a variety of drunk
and dirty BARFLIES, who begin to get friendly with her. A MAN
saves her from their greasy clutches--the man is a quick and
efficient fighter, and easily kicks butt. The man, reassuring
Lois that she is safe now, grabs Lois and takes her through
a door marked "Janitor" which leads to a secret passageway,
missing Superman's entrance into the bar by mere seconds.
Superman
enters the bar and is greeted by drunken hoots and sneers from
the patrons. They know that Superman wouldn't hurt a fly. The
loud sound of a passing TRAIN BELL is heard. Superman approaches
a STOOLIE, asking him if he has heard anything on the streets
in regards to Lois Lane's disappearance. While this occurs,
one particularly drunk and irate WINO sees his opportunity to
try and kick some Superman butt, and tries in vain to hurt Superman--head-butting
him, smashing a bottle on his head, throwing a chair at him--but
Superman is obviously unaffected and shrugs the wino off as
if he was an annoying gnat. INTERCUT:
2B.
INT. CORRIDOR - The man leads Lois through a twisting corridor,
a lead-lined labyrinth.
2C.
INT. SEEDY BAR - Superman gets angry at the bar patrons, who
continue to mock him. The stoolie says that the word on the
street isn't so good--Lois Lane could be dead. Superman storms
out of the bar, angrily pushing a pool table across the bar
as the patrons laugh.
2D.
INT. UNDERGROUND BUNKER/MINDY'S LAIR - The man and Lois emerge
from the corridor and enter a secret warehouse serving as a
hideout. "Have I got a surprise for you," the man
says. From the shadows emerges MINDY CHURCH...smiling at the
discovery.
ACT ONE
1.
INT. CLARK'S APARTMENT - Martha, Jonathan, and Lois' clone are
in the living room, talking. The clone is sprawled out on the
floor, playing with some old toys (Martha brought them from
Clark's old toy chest). The clone has the wide-eyed innocence
of youth. While the clone plays, Martha tells Jonathan that
they have an interesting task ahead of them. Clark had told
them that the clone is crudely-mannered and childish, but seems
to have a grasp of basic reality-based concepts. It is their
job, Martha says, to mold the clone into a normal human being
and keep her under control. Jonathan asks Martha if she thinks
that it will work. Just as he does, the clone jumps into the
corner, comes out with a mouse and eats it. "First we'll
start her on a new diet," says Martha.
Clark
walks in, dejected, unable to find Lois. The clone perks right
up, overjoyed to see him. The clone starts hanging on his every
word, but he looks annoyed by her affection. He thanks Martha
and Jonathan for coming to help him--he can't look for Lois
and have to babysit the clone at the same time.
2.
INT. BUNKER/MINDY'S LAIR - Lois is seated at a table, voraciously
eating a plate of food. The man who helped her on the street,
MAX, stands nearby. Mindy looks Lois over, her mind obviously
overflowing from the possible implications of capturing such
a prize. She tells Lois not to worry, everything will be fine.
Aside
from Lois, Mindy talks to a THERAPIST. He tells Mindy that after
his analysis, he has determined that Lois is a blank slate.
Lois has no recollection of what happened beyond a few days
ago. Mindy is happy to hear this news. He explains that there
is a new type of therapy that he himself has used on a number
of patients--sonic suggestion therapy. Using hypersonic sound
waves, patients' minds can be manipulated for the desired effect.
Depressed people can be filled with happy thoughts, serial killers
can be retrained to become productive members of society, and
amnesiacs can have their missing pieces of memory filled in
to create a new memory bank. Mindy asks him if there are any
side effects. He says that there is a chance that the patient
can react to the suggestion and regress, ending up like a lobotomized
monkey(bring in the name Derek Camden from "Wall of Sound?"),
but that is the chance you take when dealing with new and innovative
psychiatric techniques.
Mindy
goes back to Lois, puts her arm around her and welcomes back
her "good old friend." Mindy has a plan.
3.
INT. DAILY PLANET - Clark comes into work, having to answer
a few uncomfortable questions. Perry asks him where Lois is,
and Clark says that she doesn't feel well, that she "hasn't
been herself" since the honeymoon. Clark speaks to Martha
on the telephone, Martha telling Clark that the clone is asleep,
and that Martha and Jonathan are going over to Lois' apartment
to get some more clothes for the clone. As if on cue, the clone
walks into the Planet, in an outfit that causes some commotion(mismatched
colors, flaming hat, etc.). The clone sees another mouse, and
quickly and secretly eats it, knowing that it's wrong. She barely
gets the tail into her mouth when Jimmy approaches her with
his GIRLFRIEND (Cindy Yee from episode 15?), asking for some
love advice. Jimmy asks "Lois" to solve an argument
between he and his girlfriend. His girlfriend's ex-boyfriend
was staying over at her apartment, and his girlfriend didn't
tell him about it. Clark sees the clone enter, and he rushes
over to intervene as Jimmy's girlfriend defends herself, saying
that the guy is just her friend now and he needed a temporary
place to stay--she didn't think it was such a big deal. The
clone, in all her lack of wisdom, tells Jimmy that he is wrong.
It is natural for people to hide things from their loved ones,
she says. Some things are better left unsaid. This is an awkward
moment for Clark, and he tries to get out of it. The clone could
also almost give away Clark's secret identity. Clark asks the
clone if he can have a moment alone with her, and she happily
follows.
4.
INT. LOIS' APARTMENT - The Kents grab some of Lois' clothes
to take with them. They are interrupted and surprised by Max,
who wears a utility belt loaded with various odds and ends.
He ties them up, all the while explaining that he needs to liberate
some of Lois' personal belongings so she feels more at home
with Intergang.
CUT
TO a few minutes later, as Jonathan and Martha are tied to a
chair, gagged. Max walks around Lois' place, putting personal
items (i.e., pictures of Lois, a Kerth award, books, etc.) into
a bag to take with him. Max says that he's sorry it had to end
this way--they came this far in life only to be in the wrong
place at the wrong time. Max takes a few things off of his belt
and rigs an explosive--a long piece of wick is tied around a
burner on the gas stove. Max turns up the gas supply and lights
the wick, saying that when the flame hits the gas it's buh-bye
for them. Martha warns Max that Superman will come in and save
them. "That's what I'm hoping for," Max says, and
he takes two small devices off of his belt. "Superman will
have your deaths on his conscience now," Max says, "but
I'm covered both ways." He puts one by the window and presses
a button on top of it, activating it(we see a red blinking light).
He puts one right by the front door, squeaks out, and from outside
presses a remote control device. We see the other device activate.
When Superman or anyone else enters, the bomb will be triggered.
Martha and Jonathan struggle to get free.
5.
INT. BUNKER/MINDY'S LAIR - Mindy talks to Lois. She tells Lois
that she is here to help her get back to normal. Mindy feigns
sadness, saying that she hopes that their friendship can be
like it once was. Mindy tells Lois that Lois was a spy who was
placed at the Daily Planet to gather and suppress information
for Intergang. Lois starts to ask questions, questions based
on the spotty bits of memory that she has. Mindy says that she
doesn't want to go into it fully yet, but she wants to show
her a tape, hoping it will jog her memory. Mindy shows Lois
the doctored videotape from episode 15, of Superman killing
a guard, and tells Lois that the guard is Lois' partner in Intergang,
and her lover to boot. Lois looks a bit skeptical, and Mindy
then brings out a doctored picture of Lois and the guard, in
a loving embrace. Mindy explains to Lois that the number one
mission Lois had dedicated her life to was to kill Superman.
Does Lois remember Superman? "Super-who?" says Lois.
ACT TWO
1.
INT. DAILY PLANET - Clark reprimands the clone for sneaking
out of the apartment, for making a scene and for giving Jimmy
bad advice. She takes it like a baby, turning huffy and aloof.
Clark and the clone, in the midst of leaving, are interrupted
when Clark hears the muffled cries of Martha and Jonathan. Clark
pulls on his tie, ready to become Superman, and tells the clone
to meet him at his apartment.
2.
INT. LOIS' APARTMENT - Jonathan and Martha are trying to get
out of their bind. Jonathan mumbles "My pocket! My pocket!"
but it is hard for Martha to hear him. After he motions with
his head and mumbles some more, Martha feels his pocket and
produces Jonathan's pocket knife. She begins to cut through
the rope. The wick is burning, almost up to the stove. Martha
and Jonathan struggle with the ropes, beginning to fray them.
Superman flies towards the window, and Martha's eyes widen.
Martha and Jonathan shake their heads and flail about, because
if Superman flies into the window a bomb will go off. Just when
Superman is about to open the window, the ropes around Martha
and Jonathan break apart, Martha stumbles forward, grabs the
nearest thing that she can find, and throws it at the explosive
device on the window, deactivating it in just the nick of time.
Superman puts out the wick and deactivates the other bomb.
3.
INT. CLARK'S APARTMENT - Clark, the clone, Martha, and Jonathan
are here. The Kents tell Clark that Intergang has Lois. It's
obvious that Lois is alive--otherwise why did Max only take
Lois' personal items and not any valuables? Clark thinks of
a plan--to use the clone as a decoy to lure Intergang to him.
The clone happily agrees, willing to do anything for Clark.
Clark picks up a random call for help with his superhearing
and takes off.
The
clone and the Kents talk. The clone feels remorseful for being
such a distraction in Clark's life. She mentions the Daily Planet
incident and how she cannot seem to do anything to please Clark.
The Kents give her some advice on life, something about how
love isn't about pleasing someone every moment, but being true
to them. The clone asks Martha what she would do if she had
just a few days left to live, and Martha says that she would
make sure that she stayed close to the ones that she loved.
4.
INT. BUNKER/MINDY'S LAIR - Mindy confers with Max. Max asks
her why he can't just kill Lois. Isn't this all too much trouble?
Mindy explains that first off, there isn't much Kryptonite available
to them, probably only enough to weaken him, so they need someone
who can get as close as possible to Superman in order to kill
him with normal bullets. This person would be Lois. Secondly,
Mindy tells Max that he is very narrow-minded. Black and white
issues are so cut-and-dried, so boring. There can be no greater
thing in life than to have Lois kill her good friend Superman,
a man who has saved Lois' life on more than one occasion. The
irony is too thick for him to comprehend. Max tells Mindy the
plan he has thought up. The low-grade Kryptonite has been made
up into a dust, which will be put into a "Bouncing Betty"--a
projectile that will shoot up from the floor when the time is
right, exploding in Superman's face, weakening him, even blinding
him for a few seconds, to the point that Lois can knock off
a few shots, effectively killing him. Timing is crucial. Max
is concerned that Mindy is telling Lois too much about Intergang.
Mindy tells Max not to worry. After Lois kills Superman, Max
will be out of sight, and he will shoot Lois dead.
The
therapist tells Mindy that everything has been prepared for
the brainwashing of Lois. The trick to the hypnosis/thought
suggestion is to make Lois so completely amoral that she will
not remember her old life or waver in killing Superman.
5.
EXT. SLUM ALLEY STREETS - Clark and the clone wander the streets,
making themselves as visible as possible. Clark and the clone
go up to a hot dog cart. Clark says that they need to keep walking
around for awhile, in order to attract some attention. The clone
sees Clark's hot dog and wonders how he can eat something so...dead.
She then takes what Clark said about making themselves visible
literally, grabbing hot dogs off of the cart and throwing them
into the street, laughing all the while. The hot dog vendor
fumes, Clark helps him clean up the mess...and the clone is
gone.
6.
INT. SEEDY BAR - The same bar as from the teaser. The familiar
train bell sounds. The clone walks in, a Curious George. The
same seedy barflies from the teaser eye the clone, approaching
her with "come back for some more?" She nods, oblivious.
One of them gives her a shot glass, obviously filled with Vodka,
and she gulps it down. This makes her hyperactive, like a bat
out of Hell. She acts strange, silly, flirtacious. This catches
the eye of Max, who was sipping a drink in the back. Surprised,
he goes over to the clone, thinking that she is the real Lois.
The barflies recognize this tough guy from before and back off.
Clark walks in, spies the clone, and starts to go to her. Thinking
fast, Max grabs a smoke bomb off of his utility belt and lobs
it discreetly in Clark's direction. In the confusion, Max grabs
the clone and leads her into the door marked "Janitor,"
which leads to the secret corridor going to Mindy's lair. The
clone, still hyped-up, quickly overtakes Max while in the corridor,
knocking him on the back of the head. The clone goes back into
the bar, the smoke starts to clear, Clark goes up to the clone
and grabs her, but not before she writes down the the word "Janitor"
on a piece of paper, referring to the secret door. Clark reprimands
her again, really pissed this time. If he is going to find Lois,
she has to cooperate. She can't run away all of the time and
she has to stop making trouble. In an act of defiance, the clone
eats the piece of paper on which she had written Lois' whereabouts
without telling Clark.
ACT THREE
1.
INT. BUNKER/MINDY'S LAIR - Max, nursing his head, tells Mindy
the story of how he found "Lois" in the bar. She tells
him not to be ridiculous, she's been here the whole time. She
tells him to concentrate on perfecting the Bouncing Betty. He
says that it's like money in the bank.
Lois
is asleep. Mindy, with the therapist, brainwashes Lois. Playing
a sound frequency in Lois' ears, Mindy plants information into
her brain. Superman is evil. Superman killed her partner/lover.
Intergang is her only home. Killing Superman is her only goal.
The doctored video repeats over and over.
The
therapist tells Mindy that Lois needs to act fast and kill Superman
in a day or less, before any of her previous morals or memories
come to the surface.
2.
INT. CLARK'S APARTMENT - In the living room, Martha consoles
an upset clone. Martha tells the clone that she knows the clone
has a good heart and good intentions--they just have to be pointed
in the right direction. Martha and the clone have a bonding
moment, and they hug. In the bedroom, Jonathan asks Clark to
be more understanding--the clone is like an infant who is in
the learning stages. Clark tells Jonathan how he feels completely
helpless--the woman he loves is now two women, both of whom
he cannot help.
3.
INT. BUNKER/MINDY'S LAIR - Mindy and Lois stage a mock Superman
confrontation. Mindy has a stopwatch. Lois is tied up next to
a stack of crates. Max, pretending to be Superman and wearing
a lame costume, enters and approaches Lois like he is going
to save her. A makeshift Bouncing Betty shoots up from the ground
in front of Max, and Lois shoots a paint gun at him. Lois misses
a couple of times. She is not very comfortable with the gun,
and gets frustrated--if she was such a great Intergang operative,
why can't she even shoot a gun? Mindy blames it on the amnesia,
and reassures Lois, saying not to worry
--Superman will be at very close range, and Lois has some more
time to practice. Lois has other questions for Mindy: Who was
her partner/lover? Why does she have reoccurring images of this
"Clark Kent" character? Where are her friends and
family? Mindy stammers off some answers adequately enough, but
Mindy knows that she has to get the show on the road.
4.
EXT. SLUM ALLEY STREET - Clark and the clone are back out on
the street, investigating/luring. A group of kids are playing
stickball nearby. Clark and the clone have more of a rapport.
The clone tells Clark what a special person he is--she wishes
she had more time to get to know him. She has a lot of love
to give. The sound of squealing tires is heard by Clark. Suddenly
a car screeches towards the group of kids--an old woman's brakes
have failed. Clark changes into Superman and stops the car.
The clone consoles the scared kids, and is a powerful and calming
presence. The warm, caring side comes out of her, and Clark
sees her growing humanity.
5.
INT. CLARK'S APARTMENT - Clark and the clone come back, having
spent some time together. They share a tender moment--the clone
tells him how she still feels like such an outsider, since she
lacks the fundamental human emotional range. Clark tells her
that she shouldn't worry--he has been here for years and he
still doesn't always feel like he has a grasp of it. He still
feels like an outsider occasionally. The clone tells Clark that
she has something to tell him, a secret that she has kept inside
of her(Lois' whereabouts). Just then, the telephone rings. It
is the real Lois. In the background you can hear the noise of
a train bell. "Help me, Clark! I'm being held at..."
But the line goes dead.
6.
INT. BUNKER/MINDY'S LAIR - Mindy puts her finger down on the
receiver, cutting off the phone call. Mindy has a tape recorder
in her other hand which had played the sound of the train bell.
Mindy says, "do you think he bought it?" "Completely,"
Lois says. Mindy says that when Clark gives him the message,
Superman should be smart enough to find them at the warehouse.
They are setting a trap. Mindy asks Lois if she is ready to
kill Superman. Lois turns abruptly and shoots at the target
three times, hitting Superman's head, heart, and groin. Lois
smiles, proud of herself.
ACT FOUR
1.
INT. DAILY PLANET - Clark is at his computer, serious and lost
in thought. The clone, Martha and Jonathan walk in laughing,
but stop short when they see Clark's demeanor. Martha tries
to perk Clark up by telling him that they've come to present
him with a new and revised clone. The clone tells Clark that
she has learned some valuable things from Martha and Jonathan,
and she has stopped eating things with heartbeats. Clark tries
to be enthusiastic, but it's just not in him. He needs to find
Lois.
Jimmy's girlfriend walks into the newsroom just as Jimmy runs
in from the back room. She asks Jimmy if he can go to dinner
yet. Jimmy is a little cold to her, saying he needs to finish
his work first. There is some tension between them. The clone
sees this and approaches Jimmy and his girlfriend and talks
to them. The clone says that if they can work out their differences
with an open and honest heart and ensure that they respect each
other's feelings, maybe they can put this in their past. The
clone has come full circle. Jimmy and his girlfriend soften
towards each other.
Jimmy
goes to Clark and explains that when Clark had asked him to
look through old Metropolis city blueprints to find underground
structures by the train tracks, Jimmy found a good lead. There
is a structure under a bar that used to serve as a speakeasy
during Prohibition. It remains a stable underground structure
because it is lined with lead. The clone suddenly pipes in:
"Old Town Road." Clark asks her what she means. The
clone says that she knows where the structure is--it's under
the bar on Old Town Road, the bar that they had been to earlier.
An angry and confused Clark pulls her into the conference room--"Why
didn't you tell me earlier?" he asks. The clone says that
she was afraid that he would find the real Lois sooner and not
pay any attention to her anymore. Clark blows up at her, snapping
that Lois could be dead because of her, and storms out of the
room.
Jonathan
stops Clark on his way out as Martha goes in to find the clone.
Jonathan tells Clark that the clone opened up and told him the
truth--can't he forgive her? "Forgive her? I can't forgive
her for that." Jimmy and his girlfriend hear this, and
are both more confused than ever, since it contradicts what
the clone just said.
Just
when Clark is leaving, Martha breaks in--the clone is gone and
had left a note behind: "I've ruined everything. I won't
get in the way ever again." Martha says that the clone
couldn't have gone far--can Clark find her? (If Clark doesn't
know this yet, Martha can add that the clone is dying.) No,
Clark says, he has made his choice, and he needs to find Lois.
Clark leaves.
Jimmy
puts his arm around his girlfriend. Jimmy says they'd be better
off not listening to any more advice. He offers to take her
to her favorite restaurant. She smiles and they exit happily.
2.
SLUM ALLEY STREET - Superman is in front of the bar. He TUNNELS
underground. A surveillance camera has caught this--Mindy sees
Superman approaching the lair.
3.
BUNKER/MINDY'S LAIR - Superman enters the lair from the roof,
debris falling around him. Lois is tied up by a stack of crates.
He goes to her to help. He steps on a marked spot in front of
Lois and the Bouncing Betty shoots up, exploding green Kryptonite
dust in his face. Superman yells in pain, blinded. He staggers
backwards. The ropes tying Lois up fall away and she grabs a
gun from one of the crates behind her. She aims a laser sight
on Superman's head, focusing...she hesitates...does she remember
something? Another laser sight appears, on the back of Lois'
head. Max comes into view--he is in a remote corner of the warehouse,
gun trained on Lois, an earpiece in his ear. Mindy comes into
view--she is very hidden and has a great view of what is occurring.
"Shoot him, shoot him," she whispers to herself. Lois
FIRES a slew of rounds. The warehouse is smoky, dusty. When
the dust clears, we see Superman is still alive. Lois has shot
around him on purpose and has dropped the gun. Mindy whispers
into a microphone to Max: "Kill her!" Max raises his
gun and SHOOTS. Right then the clone JUMPS in front of Lois
and takes the bullet, knocking Lois down in the process. Regaining
his strength and eyesight, Superman takes a piece of the Bouncing
Betty and throws it at Max, knocking him out. Pissed beyond
belief, Mindy slips out of the bunker unnoticed.
Superman
goes to the clone and takes her in his arms--the bullet tore
into her circuitry, and sparks come out of her. The clone says
that she loves him, and sacrificed herself so he could be with
Lois, the one he truly loves. She only wants what is best for
him. Clark thanks her, and tells her that he'll never forget
her. She did a good job being human after all. The clone dies.
Superman goes to Lois, sees how she is doing. He says "It's
me...Clark." There's only one problem--she has no idea
who Clark is. FADE OUT.
Now
you know you want some Lex Luthor action, right? Click
here to read the final beat outline, to see it become even
more like the "Seconds" that aired and to see
two L&C villains teaming up!
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