Glee 1x01 Pilot PDF
Glee 1x01 Pilot PDF
Glee 1x01 Pilot PDF
WRITTEN BY:
• RYAN MURPH
AND
BRAD FALCHU...-..--.
~
AND
(AN RENNAN
Al BLACKNESS . In the void, a sound ... CLAPPING. In SYNCOPATIONAl
wit h FOOT STOMPI NG... a crazed crowd demanding a show.
Sudden l y , a slit APPEARS in the b:ackness ... which we now
realize is a black velvet cur-~ . AS-~ ~ !2:RVOOSTEENAGE
BOY peers out . His POV: i.: ' s .:e=:..=:,·::..::g... a :!UGE SOLD OUT
AUDITORIUM,everyone vibra-::i..~g wi=~ =~=:..pa1:0=y frenzy .
TITLES OP: EPCOT CE!i'l'ER, GLll C:.C'S llA~~ OXU..S, 1993 .
1 EPCO~ :-F.2,;.'i'?-E --
INT . BACKSTAGE -:;;.x- :.:--=:::-.,ccrs 1
-
"Pilot" Blu e Rev i sions 10/21/08 2.
3 INT. SCHUESTERAPARTMENT
-- DINNERTIME- - 2008 3
r
"Pilot" Blue Revisions 10/21/08 3.
WILL
I wish you could have seen Glee
Club rehearsal yesterday, Terr .
The new number is going to take us
to nationa l s . I'm feeling it .
(then , sexy)
You know, the District pays for the
trip to Orlando. Maybe I could
convince them to l et you tag along
as my "assistant."
TERRI
Wow. Epcot. You don't th ink they'd
put us up in the Grand Fl orid i an do
you? The Polynesian's nice too .
WILL
I think they usually get us rooms
at the Motel Six. Maybe I could get
them to book us at the Floridian if
I of fered to pay t he difference?
TERRI
Sure, maybe we cou ld trade in some
of your stock options . All I'm
going to say is they're hiring at
HWMenken .. .
WILL
I'm not going back to accounting,
Terri . Remember what happened? The
fluorescent l i ghts gave me rickets .
TERRI
All I remember is your paychecks
were twice as big . You were an
economics major in college, Will.
WILL
And when I tried it I was
miserable . I need something
more . .. creative .
(notic i ng the Post - Its)
Why does the lamp get a r ed one?
TERRI
Red is for accessories , yellow is
l uxuries , green is for necessities .
Terri pours what's left of the DRESSING on her salad . Then ,
pissed --
"Pilot" Blue Revisions 10/21/08 4.
TERRI (CONT'D)
You need to get more when the
bottle i s half-empty .
WILL
Or half-full.
TERRI
Doctor Musky said I have to start
relaxing if we want to conceive.
You kn ow what s he told us about the
s hape of my uterus . I'm in charge
of two part-time employees . I don't
need the added stress of making
sure we have enough cond i ments at
home. Sometimes I think you care
more about those kids tha n you do
about me.
WILL
Baby , no . You're right. I'll stock
up on everything t omorrow .
TERRI
Don't go too crazy -- we need to
dip into the emerge ncy fund , the
muffler fell off the car again.
She exits wit h her cata l ogue, leaving him alo ne at the table .
4 EXT, MCKINLEYHIGH -- THE NEXT MORNING 4
Mckinley High's Glee Club sings "Sit Down You're Rocking The
Boat . " It's not much of a choir . Just five kids, all
OUTCASTS . One, ARTY ABRAMS,is paralyzed from the waist down.
Arty belts out his solo. The song ENDS, everyone turns to
Will for guidance . Until --
RACHEL
We suck.
WILL
It will get there we just need
to keep rehearsing .
RACHEL
Mr. Schuester -- do you have any
idea how ridiculous i t is to give
the lead solo in "Sit Down You're
Rocking the Boat" to a kid in a
wheelchair?
ARTY
I th ink Mr . Shue was using irony to
enhance the performance.
RACHEL
There's nothing ironic about show
choir!
She storms out. Slow PUSH IN on Will"s sad face as --
WILL (V .O. )
Rachel was right . .. we do suck. We
might have been the worst glee club
in the state.
(MORE)
"Pilot" Blue Revisions 10/2 1/08 7.
WILL (V . O. ) (CONT' D)
I mean, really -- i t' s an
unbelievable story how we ended up
the way we did . I guess i t all
started with Mrs. Adler's
replacement . . . sandy Ryerson.
9 INT . AUDITORIUM-- DAY -- FLASHBACK 9
I
"Pilot•• Blue Revisions 10/21/08 8.
SUE
(staring them down)
Don't disappoint me. Don't
disappoint me.
11 INT. CHOIR ROOM-- DAY -- FLASHBACK 11
r
"Pilot" Blue Revisions 10/2 1/08 9.
EMMA
Since when are cheerleaders
performers?
Ken and Will share a look, th is could get ug ly . A long beat.
SUE
Your resentment is delicious.
She smiles seductively at Emma, exits. Ken, wearing a latte
mustache, checks out Sue's ass as she goes.
Emma pulls a HANDYWIPE out of her purse, starts CLEANINGthe
table in front of her . Will watches as she meticulous l y
scrubs her place setting, then takes her own plastic
silverware, plate and cup out of her bag. She notices the
stares, smiles nervous ly ho ping they won't talk about her
OCD, then puts her LUNCHon her plate and starts eating.
KEN TANAKA
I didn't see you at the singles
mixer last weekend, Emma.
EMMA
Oh, yeah, I didn't go. A pipe
exploded in my building. It was
wild. Fire trucks, police . I think
it was on the local news . Did you
see it Will?
WILL
Sure, maybe.
EMMA
I hate those mixers, anyway . Just
a big meat market. I gave one of
the firemen my phone number, but he
hasn't called yet .
Eye contact. Tanaka notices chemistry there . Then
EMMA(CONT'D)
Hey, did you hear they fired Sandy
Ryerson?
WILL
Really? Who's going to take over
Glee Cl ub?
14 INT . PRINCIPAL FIGGINS' OFFICE -- DAY -- FLASHBACK 14
WILL
I'd like to take over Glee Club .
"Pilot 11
Blue Revisions 10/21/08 11 .
FIGGINS
You want to captain t he Titanic,
too?
WILL
I think I can make it great again .
There's no joy in these kids . They
feel invisible. That's why every
one of them has a Myspac e page .
FIGGINS
Sixty bucks a mont h . That's what I
need to keep the program up .
WILL
And you expect me to pay it?
FIGGINS
I'm certainly not going to . We're
not talking about The Cheerios
here , Will . They were on Fox Sports
Net last year . When Glee Cl ub
starts bringing that kind of
prest i ge to the school again, you
can have all the money you want .
Until then , sixty a month -- and
you've got to use the costumes and
props we already have. Oh, but we
need the stools for wood shop .
15 INT. SCHUESTERBEDROOM
- - THE MIDDLE OF THAT NIGHT 15
RACHEL(V. O. ) (CONT'D)
I am NOT homophobic . In fact, I
have two gay dads .
21 INT. MCKINLEYHIGH -- DAY FLASHBACK 21
WILL
You're the best kid in there,
Rachel -- but that comes with a
price. The other kids are looking
to you for guidance . You've got to
be more optimistic .
RACHEL
You sound like my dads -- "power of
positive thinking" and all of that .
I know I'm just a sophomore but I
can feel the c lock ticking away . I
don't want to leave high school
with nothing to show for it .
WILL
You get great grades, you're a
fantastic singer ...
RACHEL
Everybody hates me.
WILL
And you think Glee Club is going to
change that?
RACHEL
Being great at something is going
to change it. Being part of
something special ... makes you
special. Ri ght?
WILL
What if I give you all the solos?
RACHEL
Glee club i sn't about solos -- it's
about duets, it 's a team sport. I
need a male lead who can keep up
with me vocally.
WILL
Maybe if I tutor Arty a little ...
RACHEL
Look, Mr. Shue. I really appreciate
what you're trying to do, but if
you can't get me what I need , I'm
sorry .. . I'm not going to make a
fool of myself. I can't keep
wasting my time with Glee -- i t
hurts too much .
"Pilot " Blue Revisions 10/21/08 17 .
ACT TWO
WILL (CONT'D)
I'm moni toring a f ter-school
detention. I made a dea l with
Figgins so he wouldn't kill Glee
Club .
TERRI
I'm on my feet six hou r s a day
here , then you want me to come home
and cook dinner for myself?
WILL
Things are a l i ttle hard at school
right now. I guess I just wanted to
come by to talk to you about it .
Before Terri can respond , Howard returns .
HOWARD
This lady wants to return these
sheets, but something tells me
we've got another bedwetter .
He holds up t he sheet -- there's a HUGESTAIN in the middle.
TERRI
We'll talk about it over dinner ,
okay?
Will smiles, nods as they exit . Suddenly , as he goes to
leave, he hears a FAMILIARVOICE coming from the aisle .
MALEVOICE (O.S . )
And two-hundred is the highest
th r ead count you have?
Will peeks through a display to see Sandy Ryerson talking to
a STOCKBOY. Will tries to sneak out, but
SANDY
Will iam?
WILL
(faking it)
Sandy . Hey!
SANDY
Well hello . How are things? I hear
you took over Gle e Club .
WILL
Yeah, I hope you're not too upset.
"Pilot " Blue Revisions 10/21/08 20.
SANDY
Are you kidding? Getting out of
that swirling eddy of despair was
the best t hing th at ever happen ed
to me. Don't get me wrong, it
wasn't e asy at first . I mean, be ing
d ismissed for what I was accused
of? My lo ng dis tan ce girlfriend in
Cleveland nearly broke up wi t h me.
It 's taken me to/eeks to get over my
nervo us breakdown .
WILL
Did t hey put you on medication?
SANDY
Better -- medical mariJuana. It 's
genius. And as lo ng as I t ell my
Doctor Feelgood t hat I ca n 't sleep,
I can get as much as I want . I've
found the system to be qu i te
lucrative.
WILL
You're a dr ug dea le r?
SANDY
I make five times more than I did
teaching. I keep some for myself
and take money baths wi t h t he rest .
WILL
But who do you sell it to?
31 EXT. MCK
INLEY HIGH -- UNDERBLEACHERS- - DAY -- FLASHBACK 31
Sandy hands a BAGGYof weed to KEN TANAKA,who gladly pays
him while looking over his shoulder .
32 INT. SHEETS N' THINGS -- PRESENT DAY 32
SANDY
You want in?
WILL
No -- I mean I tried it once in
college, but you know, Terri an d I
are tryi ng to get pregnant.
Sandy tries to STUFF a bag of weed in Will's blaz er j acket.
WILL (CONT'D)
Sandy, no!
~---- -- ---- ---------·-·
SANDY
Take it -- I do the packag i ng
myself, and t he firs t sample's
free. You're coach i ng those tone
deaf spazcases, you're going to
need it.
(flirty)
Cal l me.
Wi l l , head down, sneaks out of t he store .
33 I NT. SUE SYLVESTER'S OFFICE DAY 33
TIGHT on a bot t le of PLEDGESPRAYEDon an already gl istening
TROPHY. Sue's pol i s hi ng one of her many pri zes . There's a
knock, Will enters .
WILL
Hey, Sue. Can I have a sec?
Sue's face contorts. Will is the enemy. As soon as she
spins around, though, a huge smile splays across her face.
SUE
Sure, buddy. Corne on in.
34 EXT. BREEZEWAY
-- DAY 34
SUE
You want to talk to my Cheerios
about joining Glee Club?
WILL
I need more kids, performers -- and
all of the best ones are in the
Cheerios . I figured that some of
them might want to double up .
SUE
Ok, so what you're doing r i ght now
is called "b lurring the lines . •
High school is a caste system . Kids
fall into certain slots -- the
jocks and the popular ki ds up in
the penthouse, the invisi bl es and
the ones who play World of Warcraft
on the bottom floor .
WILL
Where do the glee kids l ie?
SUE
Sub-baseme nt .
37 EXT. BREEZEWAY
-- DAY 37
Emma's on a bench, her fo ot up in Will's face as he SCRAPES
t he gum off the bottom of her shoe with a CREDIT CARD.
EMMA
Sue's not wrong -- but I don't
thin k anything is set i n stone .
Kids do what they think is cool,
which is not always who they are .
You just need to find a way to get
them out of their boxes .
WILL
How do I do t ha t ?
EMMA
They follow the leader . Get a
coup le of the popular kids to sign
up and the rest wil l fall in line .
38 EXT. TRACK -- DAY 38
WILL
Just let me ta lk to them.
Blue Revisions 10/21/08 23 .
KEN
I don't know, dude . I can't imagine
any of my guys wanting t o join Gl ee
Club . Last month t hey held down one
of their teammates and shaved off
his eyebrows because they found out
he watched Grey's Anatomy .
WILL
All I'm asking for is an
introduction .
KEN
Fine but you've got to put in a
good word for me with Emma.
39 EXT. BREEZEWAY-- DAY 39
SUE
If you really care about them,
you'll leave well enough alone .
Child r en like to know where they
stand . Let your glee kids have
t he i r little club, but don't
pretend that any of them are
something they're not .
Off Will, real i zing Sue's an obstacle he will always have to
go around, we CUT TO:
41 INT . LOCKER ROOM-- THE NEXT DAY 41
KEN TANAKA
Circle up. Mr. Schuester is going
to talk to you . You don't listen,
you do laps, you mouth off , you do
laps .
Will takes center stage . He's endearingly nervous .
WILL
Hey, guys . I think I know most of
you from Spanish class, but I
wanted to talk to you about
something e l se -- music . Who are
some of your favorite musicians?
PUCK
Lil' Wayne .
JOCK #1
usher.
WILL
Great . All o f those guys started
somewhere, right? I'm here to offer
you guys a chance to b e l i ke your
heroes, get up on stage .
ANGLE ON Fi nn ... silently rivete d ... i n s pired even . But he is
too afraid of peer pressure to show it .
WILL (CONT'D)
Gl ee Club needs gu ys .
The guys loo k at each other -- is this dude serious? Then --
PUCK
I can sing .
WILL
Really? That's fantastic .
PUCK
Wanna hear?
He gets up and stands next to Wi ll. He closes his eyes as if
about to sing, then FARTS. The c rowd goes wild . Puck FLEXES
his biceps . Ken glares at him and MOUTHS"Laps . "
WILL
I ' m going to hang a s i gn -up sheet
by the door to the locker room for
anybody that's interested .
"Pilot 1
' Blue Revisions 10/2 1 /08 25 .
WILL
I see a lot of myself in you. I
know what it's like to struggle to
make good life choices, and I don't
want to see you throw away
everything you have to offer t he
world . I just expected more out of
you, Finn.
FINN looks up, destroyed .
FINN (V .O.)
That really got to me, when Mr.
Schuester sa id that . Because every
day of my life, I expect more out
of myself. See, I might look
confident and everything? But I
really struggle with the same thing
others kids do ... peer pressure,
bacne ...
45 EXT. FINN'S HOUSE-- AFTERNOON-- FLASHBACK 45
QUICK CUTS: young Finn puts away the groceries, up set as his
mother battles a bill collector on their rotary wall - phone .
FINN (V .O. )
My mom and me, we're real close .
But being a single parent can be
hard. The only good time for Mom
was when we splurged a little bit
and ordered Emerald Dreams.
HEAR the doorbe ll r ing as --
47 INT. FINN'S HOUSE DAY -- FLASHBACK 47
WILL
Look. We have two options . I'm
running detention now, so you can
do six weeks after school . .. but
that'll be on your permanent
record .
FINN
What's the other option, Mr. Shue?
51 INT. AUDITORIUM-- DAY 51
MERCEDES
Ok, you're good white boy, I'll
give you that .
Rachel smiles up at him, totally smitten . Finn doesn't know
what to make of any of this, he is completely bewildered .
Will doesn' t care about any of the drama . He just sees, for
the first tim e, a glimmer of hope .
52 INT. TERRI'S CRAFT ROOM-- NIGHT 52
Half - fini s hed craft projects EVERYWHERE: raggedy straw
wreaths, a wan-looking gingerbread house, the Pi lgrims first
Thanksgiving in macaroni . Will and Terri silently put
together an AMERICANGOTHIC JIGSAW PUZZLE.
WILL
You usually don't l et me i n your
craft room .
TERRI
Isn 't this fun? And challenging!
Every Wednesday we' l l have puzzle
night . I know how important it is
for yo u to have a creative out l et.
Terri smi les sweetly, making the effort. A lo ng beat .
WILL
The kids have been working so hard .
I was thinking about taking them on
a field trip next Saturday . Carmel
Righ's perform i ng a showcase down
in Akron . Carmel's going to be the
team to beat at Regio na ls . I
thought you might want to come
chaperone it with me.
TERRI
Saturday? I can't, Will . We're
living paycheck to paycheck . I had
to pick up an extra shift at work .
WILL
How much of that paycheck goes to
your Pottery Barn credit card?
TERRI
(after a beat}
I don't know what you're talk i ng
about.
He gets up, walks towards the close t .
"Pilot" Blue Revisions 10/21/08 31.
TERRI (CONT'D)
Don't go in the Christmas closet .
WILL
I was looking for my jacket
yesterday . ..
He opens it up, it is filled to the brim with Pottery Barn .
WILL (CONT'D)
We can't afford this stuff, Terri.
TERRI
But we could, Will. I'm a shoo-in
to be promoted during the Christmas
rush at Sheets 'N Things, I reek of
management potent i al. And they're
still hiring at H.W. Menken, it's
not too late ...
WILL
My passion is teaching, Terri, for
the last time I don't want to be an
accountant .
TERRI
Dr . Phil says people can change.
(welling up)
I'm not wrong for wanting a real
life, Will . It's hard not having
the things you need.
WILL
We need three mahogany toilet brush
ho l ders?
TERRI
They're Balinese/ It's not a bad
thing to want more for yourself.
You said you needed an outlet . Well
this is mine. Pottery Barn is my
Glee Club.
Strangely, he feels for her. She leaves, then turns at the
door.
TERRI (CONT'D)
I understand your interest i n those
kids, sweetie, I really do. It's
about you, trying to recapture your
glory days . But I 'm not the hot
cheerleader anymore and you're not
the golden boy .
(MORE)
''Pilot' ' Blue Revisions 10/21/08 32 .
TERRI (CONT' D)
High schoo l is over, okay? For both
of us , It's time to move on.
She exits. Off Will, we CUT TO:
53 INT . TEACHER'S LOUNGE-- BULLETIN BOARD-- DAY 53
I
11
Pilot" Blue Revisions 10/2 1/08 33.
ACT THREE
...........
56 EXT. SCHOOLPARKING LOT -- AFTERNOON-- FLASHBACK 56
Emma is cleaning her door handle with Purell sanitizer before
she touches it . Ken suddenly sidles up .
KEN TANAKA
Hey , Eminem. Soooo ... I got me some
tickets to Monster Tr uc ks th i s
weekend .
(sexy)
Loge t i ckets .
EMMA
No thanks, not my thi ng .
KEN TANAKA
Truc kzilla vs . Truckasaurus . And
ge t t hi s ... the trucks breathe fire .
Emma pauses, wanting to be kind. Then with a deep breath --
EMMA
Ken, you know how every time you
ask me out I tell you I'm on my
period?
KEN TANAKA
Which doesn't bother me.
EMMA
Or I say I'm suffering from cluster
headaches? Or how I'm allergic to
ni ghttime? None of those th i ngs are
true. I'm just not intereste d in
dating you.
KEN TANAKA
What do I have to do ... to get your
f i ne behind i n my Scion?
EMMA
Fine Ken, make me say it -- I like
somebody else, okay? There's
nothing I can do about it , he's not
even available, it's just something
I have to deal with.
Ken suddenly real i zes who they're talking about. Hurt, he
turns to go, then comes back, LICKS HIS HANDand SMEARSIT on
her CAR DOORHANDLE . Off Emma's horror --
"Pilot" Blue Revisions 10/ 21/08 35 .
KEN TANAKA
You're right , I'm over-reacting .
The herd will take care of it .
WILL
The herd?
KEN TANAKA
The student body . The second
someone tries to rise above, be
different, the herd pulls him back
down . And hey, thanks for putting
in a good word for me with Emma,
dude. Guess you just want her for
yourself .
He exits. Off Wil l , confused -- does he?
ASS EXT. PARKINGLOT -- MORNING ASS
Arty is LIFTED into the bus with a HYDRAULICELEVATORas the
kids inside watch, disinterested.
58 INT. CARMELHIGH LOBBY-- DAY 58
RACHEL
Cheerleader Quinn Fabray? The
president of th e "Celibacy Club?"
59 INT . QUINN'S LIVING ROOM-- NIGHT -- FLASHBACK 59
FINN
Yeah, for like three months . She's
cool.
RACHEL
Like an icecube.
PULL BACKrevealing Emma and Will in l ine . Will sees someone
walk away wit h a frankfurter.
WILL
Those hotdogs look like th ey've
been there a while.
EMMA
You want to go halvsies on a PBJ?
WILL
That sounds perfect.
She reaches i nto her purse , puts on a PAIR OF RUBBERGLOVES
then pulls a sandwich out of a CAREFULLYWRAPPEDsheet of TIN
FOIL before ha nding half to Will . As they walk away, he
grins then takes a bi te .
WILL (CONT'D)
I haven't had one of these i n a
long time -- my wife is allergic to
nu ts .
EMMA
That 's sweet of yo u -- not eating
something because s he can't . How
long have you guys been married?
"Pilot" Blue Revisions 10/21/08 37.
WILL
Five years last March -- but we've
been together since highschool . She
was my first girlfriend, actually .
EMMA
Wow. Love at first sight.
WILL
For me it was. You know when I
really knew she was the one? I
failed my trig final senior year
and she literal ly covered my car
with those little smiley face
stickers. There must have been ten
thousand of them .
(then, wistful)
I drove that Geo until every one of
them fell off.
Emma smiles, somewhat disappointed -- how could she possibly
compete with this superwoman .
WILL (CONT'D)
She used to be filled with so much
joy . Like this ray of sunshine.
EMMA
And now?
WILL
You don't want to hear about my
marital problems .
EMMA
(too eager)
No, I do. I mean, people tend to
like to ta lk to me ... I'm a guidance
counselor.
WILL
Okay, here's the thing . Terri rides
me -- hard -- and I've always
appreciated it . I figure she just
wants me to be better. Lately
though I keep asking myself, better
at what? Making money? Being
upwardly mobile? I love her , but
we've .. . grown apart . We've just got
to get back on the same page ...
The house lights flash on and off. Showtime.
"Pilot" Blue Revisions 10/21/08 38 .
State of the art and PACKED. PAN DOWNto rev eal all the
Mckinley High Glee Clubbers, reading programs, a little
nervous. Will picks up on this, leans in to address the row .
WILL
Okay, now I've heard these guys are
pretty good, but I honestly don't
think t hey've got the talent we've
got. But let's be a good audience,
guys, give 'em some of that ol'
McKinley High respect.
Emma smiles shyly, Will is a great teache r. Suddenly, the
lights go down and the audience erupts with anticipation.
Lights start whizzing around as an announcer bellows:
ANNOUNCER
Ladies and gentlemen . .. welcome to
the Carmel Hi gh Fall Invita tional
Showcase . We'd like to remind you
that video-recording and flash
photography is prohibited.
The curtain rises and the Carmel High Glee Club is revealed
with their backs to the audience, they are wearing
stunningly beautiful couture dresses and black tuxes . The
Mckinley High Glee Clubbers share a worried look -- by
costume comparison, they look like homeless people .
ANNOUNCER(CONT'D)
AND NOW .. . let's give a warm Buckeye
State welcome to last year's
regiona l charnpions . . . Vocal
Adrenaline!
And the show begins. Vocal Adrenaline begins to roar thro ugh
"Rehab," the quick-paced Amy Winehouse number.
VOCALADRENALINE
"They tried to make me go to Rehab,
I said 'No, No, No .. . "
They look like they've been doing th is for years. All these
kids could be on Broadway . Rachel's eyes are sa ucers . This is
the most amazing thing she's ever seen.
The group splits in two, and the guys come down to the
center. THREE MIRROREDPANELS turn around from the back of
the stage, revealing THREE HORNPLAYERS, who blast the
trumpet part as the rest of the band pulls away .
"Pilot" Bl ue Revisions 10/21/08 39 .
ACT FOUR
The song con tin ues. Will belts i t out , confidence growing .
WILL
"So kiss me and smile for me. Tell
me that you'll wait for me . Hold me
like you'll never let me go . I'm
leavin on a jet plane . I don ' t know
when I'll be back again. Oh, babe,
I hate to go . "
-~
"Pi lot " Blue Revisions 10/21/08 42.
Will continues to sing, pou nding his boots in beat with the
rhythm as --
70 INT. HALLWAY
-- DAY 70
-- Emma races down the empty corridor on a mi ssion as --
71 INT. AUDITORIUM-- DAY 71
Will finishes the number. It was t he performance of his
life ... that no one hea rd. The curtain behind him is closed,
the music was all in his mind. As THE MONTAGE ends . ..
72 INT . AUDITORIUM-- DAY 72
Click . Will closes his Bic pen. His application is finished.
FEMALEVOICE
Need help grading those papers?
He looks up to reveal Emma standing there, a bit breathless.
WILL
It's an application to H. W. Menken.
They're hiring .
(self conscious)
C'mon ... accounting is sexy.
A moment, then with direct eye contact
WILL (CONT'D)
I'll miss you .
~ ---- -- ---- --- - - -------------------------------- -
EMMA
Before you leave, can you do me a
favor? I made an appointment for
you tomorrow . In the career center .
You need some guidance .
WILL
I'm hav i ng a kid, Emma. I need
better benefits, more money for
things I never had.
EMMA
Ju st come, Wi ll. For me?
He hesitates, nods. She exits. As he watches he r go --
73 INT . HALLWAY
-- DAY-- LATER 73
RACHEL
Your reputation? You've really got
something, Finn, and you're
throwing it away. It took years of
discipline and hard work to get
people to look at me. And all you
have to do is roll out of bed and
people can't take their eyes off
you . I'd kill for that.
FINN
I'm gonna be late ...
RACHEL
You can't worry about what people
th ink of you, Finn. You're better
tha n all of them .
She gently squeezes his hand, then walks away. Off Finn
74 EXT. FOOTBALLFIELD -- DAY LATER 74
Finn and Puck, in PRACTICE PADS, walk off the field. Tanaka's
pred ictio n proved to be correct -- Finn has rejoined the
herd.
PUCK
What do you want me to do,
apologize? That's not me, dude .
Look, if I joined the Flag Team,
you'd beat the crap out of me. I
just don't understand why you did
it .
FINN
Schuester told me he'd give me
enough extra credit to pass Spanish
if I joined the club -- I had no
choice. If I failed another class
I'd be off the team . But I quit,
okay? It's over.
PUCK
Cool . And as a welcome back to the
world of the normal, I got you a
present .
They arrive at a LARGE, BLUE PORT-A-POTTY surrounded by the
JOCK GANGwho threw Kurt into the dumpster.
FINN
What's that noise?
"Pilot" Blue Revisions 10/21/08 45 .
PUCK
We got that wheelchair ki d inside ,
we' re gonna flip it .
FINN
Isn 't that kind of dangero us?
PUCK
He's already in a wheelchair. Come
on, we saved you the first roll.
Everyone looks at Finn, waiting, laughing, exp ecting him to
follow through . Finn HESITATES as Arty continues his BANGING .
Is he going to do it? Then, after a few l ong beats, Finn goes
to the port-a-potty and OPENS THE DOOR. Arty wheels out.
ARTY
Thank you, thank you so much. Oh my
God, the sme l l ...
PUCK
What the hell. I can't be l ieve
you're helping out this loser .
FINN
Don't you get it? We're all losers .
Everyone in this school, hell
everyone in this town. No one has
any money, most of our parents are
divorced or hate each other . Only
half the kids who graduate ever go
to college and maybe two l eave the
state to do it . Our footbal l team
is one and seven and the only win
we have is against that school for
the deaf.
Finn's passion just roars out of him .
FINN (CONT'D)
I'm not afraid of be i ng called a
loser because I can accept that
that's what I am. I am afra id of
tu rni ng my back on something that
actually made me happy for the
first time in my sorry l i fe .
I
"Pilot" Blue Revisions 10/21/08 46.
KURT
You and your fr i ends t hrew pee
balloons at me.
FINN
I know .
KURT
You nailed all my lawn fu r ni t ure to
my roof.
FINN
I wasn't there for that, but I'm
really sorry. Look , tha t i sn't who
I am and I'm tired of it . This is
what I want to be doing . With you
guys . I use d to t hi nk that this was
l i ke the lames t t hi ng on earth. And
maybe it is, but . .. there's a reason
why we ' re all here . It's because we
all want to be good at something.
They're taken aback . Then :
FINN (CONT'D)
Arty, you play guitar, right? Think
you could recruit the jazz band?
ARTY
Sure.
FINN
Mercedes . We need new co s tum e s .
And they have to be cool . Can yo u
do t hat?
MERCEDES
DAMN, don't you see what I got on?
FINN
Great . Rachel, you ' re gonna
choreograph .
She smiles despite herself, thrilled to use her talents .
FINN (CONT'D)
Tina, what are you good at?
TINA
W- w- w- w-w-w- .. .
FINN
We'll figure out something fo r you .
"Pilot" Blue Revisions 10/2 1/08 48.
MERCEDES
What are you br ingin ' to the table,
Jus tin Timberlake?
FINN
I've got the mus ic .
Off the kids, their interest piqued , we hear :
EMMA'SVOICE
I want to show you something .
78 INT. EMMA'SGUI DANCEOFFICE -- THE NEXT DAY 78
WILL (CONT'D)
(then)
I need to provide fo r my family.
EMMA
Provide what? The understanding
that nothing is more important than
money? Or the idea that the only
life worth living is one t hat
you're passionate about?
That hits Will right where he lives . PUSH IN on his face as
the first notes of a Glee Club VERSION of "Don't Stop
Believin'" begins to play . . .
79 INT . HALLWAY
-- DAY 79
RACHEL
"JUST A CITY BOY/ BORN AND RAISED
IN SOUTH DETROIT • .. / HE TOOK THE
MIDNIGHT TRAIN GOING ANYWHERE • •• "
It's JOURNEY. And it's incr edib ly emotional ... beca use the
kids are really FEELING it . Arty wails a sick guitar lick,
and the JAZZ BANDsurges in . The choir starts to dance beh i nd
t hem . They look and sound really different ... what they lack
in expertise they make up for in sweet youthful enthusiasm .
Everyone starts to sing:
EVERYONE
"WORKING HARD TO GET MY FILL/
EVERYBODY WANTS A THRILL • •• /
PLAYING ANYTHING TO ROLL THE DICE
JUST ONE MORE TIME .. . "
END PILOT