Monkey See
Let’s say you’re writing a thriller where your heroes are forced to take one of their own to a hospital, and for whatever reason the authorities MUST NOT KNOW whatever the hell they’ve been up to.
How d’you wanna play the hospital trip – straight or strange?
Straight:
INT. HOSPITAL – DAY
A REGISTRAR and a COUPLE OF NURSES push a gurney into the EMERGENCY ROOM, away from --
-- PATER FAMILIAS – yes, the rather bullish father of the victim in the E.R. – and his colleague, a scantily clad SEXPOT.
SEXPOT
(off Pater)
He’s in good hands -
The RECEPTIONIST approaches with a SHEAF OF FORMS.
PATER
(re. Receptionist)
Oh shit. What do we say?
Sexpot grabs his arm:
SEXPOT
(flustered)
I don’t know.
INT. ROOM – THE NEXT DAY
Dozing in a VISITOR’S CHAIR, Pater starts at the sound of --
-- his INJURED SON gaining consciousness with a groan.
PATER
It’s okay, son, I’m right here -
Injured Son sees his surroundings, eyes widening, and grabs his father’s arm:
INJURED SON
(remembering his injury)
What did you tell the doctors?
– or Strange:
INT. HOSPITAL – DAY
REGISTRAR and NURSES run a gurney into the EMERGENCY ROOM, away from PATER FAMILIAS and SEXPOT.
SEXPOT
(off Pater)
He’s in good hands -
The RECEPTIONIST approaches them with a SHEAF OF FORMS.
PATER
(re. Receptionist)
Oh shit. What do we -?
Sexpot squeezes his arm, silencing him as she smiles brightly at the Receptionist:
SEXPOT
Are those for us?
RECEPTIONIST
(startled)
Y-yes. Those were quite the injuries -
SEXPOT
Oh, young boys these days – juggling chainsaws. While bus-surfing. And mooning a van of nuns. I mean, REALLY.
What we have from the ’straight’ version is a worry-wart father and weak-sister girlie character – understandable but BORing.
But in the ’strange’ version, who’d've expected a ballsy quick-thinker underneath Sexpot’s push-up brassiere and peroxided bob?

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