EPISODE 3 -- OLD MEMORIES

SOMERSET EPISODE 3
Writer: Steve Ungrey

SCENE ONE

FADE IN -- Cleypool Mansion

We see a shot of an imposing Gothic-style mansion nestled on a hill with sweeping views of downtown Somerset. This is the Cleypool mansion, formerly the Moore estate. Emily Moore and Philip Matson owned the house before both left Somerset in the mid-1970s. The house sat vacant for several years before the Cleypool family bought the property.

It is now the home of George and Zachary Cleypool, a father and son duo who are responsible for the day-to-day duties of the Cleybank Corporation.

George is inside sitting in his richly decorated study, smoking a pipe and looking at what appears to be a legal document amid the darkly-lit room. His butler, Fenwick, interrupts.

FENWICK
Excuse me, Master Cleypool. You have a package waiting for you.

George looks up from his documents and sees Fenwick’s package, and a broad smile breaks out on his face.

GEORGE
Oh, good! I hope it's the special one I've been waiting on for a while. The guy that designs these said he could make one for me but it might take some time.

Fenwick lifts up the package to bring it in, setting it close to George.

FENWICK
It better be good, sir… because this is one of the heaviest packages I've ever seen you get. I swear your collection of packages has gotten heavier by the day.

George takes the pipe out of his mouth and shakes his head in mock disappointment.

GEORGE
Fenwick, you know I'll compensate you for it.

FENWICK
With combat pay, I hope. My wine collection could use a new bottle or two. (Dryly smiles) Will that be all, Master Cleypool?

GEORGE
Yes, Fenwick, you may go. (Laughs)

As Fenwick exits, a younger man enters the study. The young man is Zachary Cleypool, George’s son. After exchanging pleasantries with Fenwick, Zachary approaches his dad.

ZACHARY
Afternoon, Dad. I haven’t seen you this excited in a long time.

GEORGE
Wait until you see what this is. That is, if it’s what I think it is.

ZACHARY
Uh, Dad? You want to run that by me again? Define the word is for me.

GEORGE
Oh, no, son… we’re not going down that road again. Never mind.

George opens the package and pulls out a large model of a city. He sets it on the table. It is what George believed it was. Inside is a model of downtown Somerset.

ZACHARY
Dad, other millionaires collect model trains. Planes. Cars. What are you doing collecting miniature cities?

GEORGE
Son! Take a closer look at the city.

George points down at the model and Zachary takes a look at the landscape. Once he sees downtown, he recognizes it immediately.

ZACHARY
Uh, Dad… what are you doing with a model of Somerset?

GEORGE
Son. I’m playing God, that’s what. Playing God.

Somewhat sinister music plays as George and Zachary look over the model of the city. The picture fades to black.

We see an overhead shot of downtown as the camera is pulling away. The Somerset logo pops into position and goes toward the center of the screen as the familiar theme plays and announcer Bill Wolff speaks.

BILL WOLFF: From New York. This… is Somerset. This portion brought to you today by Lilt, the only home permanent with gripper sponges. The way to shiny, beautiful hair.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

SCENE TWO

FADE IN -- Grant’s Preserve

We see a tree-lined street with leaves blowing as the camera focuses in on Susannah’s house. Sam and Lahoma are there helping Susannah move packages into the property.

Sam brings in some small furniture and sets it down, while Lahoma is at the counter unpacking dishes and glasses for the kitchen. The moving van arrived yesterday, and the three are busy putting stuff in Susannah’s new house.

SAM
Susannah, honey, where would you like this picture?

He shows a picture of the three of them off.

SUSANNAH
Dad, that goes right where I can see it at all times. Put it on the table right there and I’ll do some straightening out later.

LAHOMA
Your dishes survived the move perfectly, honey. Hope the glasses did, too.

Susannah goes over and looks in the box.

SUSANNAH
Oh, we did a good job with the packing. Everything looks just fine. Dad, what do you think?

Sam is looking a little misty-eyed.

SAM
I think… it looks beautiful.

Susannah is a little puzzled why Sam looks that way, and then she realizes what Sam is looking at. In one of the boxes he has seen an old photo of him with Lahoma and Susannah. The photo is from the early 1970s, likely just after Lahoma gave birth.

SUSANNAH
Oh, Dad… you should know I kept that photo for a long time.

SAM
I know. I figured anything related to family you kept. Isn’t there a few teddy bears in your collection still?

SUSANNAH
Well, Dad… I don’t sleep with a bear if that’s what you’re asking me. It always helps to keep these around if I should decide someday to have children.

SAM
I see. (Pauses) Guys, would you mind if I took off for a bit and cleared my head?

LAHOMA
Honey, are you okay?

SAM
Oh, just getting a little… sentimental, that’s all. I won’t be gone very long.

SUSANNAH
We’ve got it covered here, Dad. Don’t worry.

SAM
Good. Figured you two would like a little girl time.

He laughs, takes the keys and goes out the front door.

Susannah looks a little concerned as music plays to close out the scene.

DISSOLVE TO -- Another street in Grant’s Preserve

A nice, three-story, unassuming middle-class home with a few Italian-inspired touches is the home of the Petterino family. The Petterinos live in another section of Grant’s Preserve, just around the corner from Susannah Lucas.

We see a car driven by Victoria pull up in front of the home. She gets out of the vehicle and goes inside.

CUT TO -- Petterino kitchen

Inside the family’s kitchen is Rose Petterino, the matriarch of the family. Actually, matriarch may be too rough a word because Rose is only in her early 50s, but she dotes on her three children. She’s especially doting on Victoria because she’s the only one of the children home at this time.

Rose is in the kitchen, testing a sauce in a pan when Victoria walks in.

ROSE
Mmm mmm. Tori dear, taste.

VICTORIA
Well, I can see I’ll have to go to the gym for a workout later. (Kisses Rose on the cheek) And hello to you too, Mom.

She tastes off the spoon and gives a thumbs up.

VICTORIA
How many different kinds of pesto can you make?

ROSE
Oh, honey, it’s not pesto. It’s a different sauce Giovanni is thinking about testing in one or two dishes. What do you think, is it good?

VICTORIA
Well, if you say it's not pesto then it's not... it's good.

Rose’s brow furrows in mock disappointment.

ROSE
Are we not a fan of pesto, Tori?

VICTORIA
Of course I am! I grew up on Dad’s cooking and yours. Heaven forbid I say anything bad about it.

ROSE
Oh, we’ve made our fair share of bad dishes once in a while. Now THIS one, I shall tell Giovanni it means with your seal of approval. How was work today?

VICTORIA
It was good, Mom! I got to sit in the vaunted nurses lounge for the first time.

ROSE
Alert the media. My stars… you act as if the nurses lounge is a state secret.

VICTORIA
Well, before this, the student nurses just had coffee in the hospital cafeteria. Now I feel like I’ve been admitted to the inner sanctum.

ROSE
Oh, dear, the other nurses will get to use that lounge too.

Victoria reaches for the cupboard to grab a cup and then gets coffee from the counter.

VICTORIA
Mom, trust me. Seeing the lounge for the first time is a big deal. After this it’ll be second nature.

Rose sits at the counter as Victoria sips from her coffee cup.

ROSE
Honey, I think Alana really likes you as a nurse. She's raved about your abilities every time she stops in for takeout.

VICTORIA
I like Alana too. She’s a great mentor. She and Annabella are good friends. They haven’t done a lot together lately with how their jobs have fared...

ROSE
Honey, with Annabella in Italy that’s very hard.

VICTORIA
I know. Annabella has mentioned going out for a girls night out with Alana when she returns.

ROSE
She’s almost like family to us, honey. And the family socializes very well. Alana's almost like a sister to both of you and another child to us with Johnny in Denver.

VICTORIA
Alana thinks I’m jealous of Annabella at times, that I’m in her shadow. I'm not... am I?

ROSE
Oh, Tori. It couldn’t be farther from the truth!

She stands, comes over and puts a hand on Victoria’s shoulder.

ROSE
I know it's been hard listening to Giovanni moan on and on about Annabella this, Annabella that. But Giovanni and I love our children equally.

VICTORIA
Trust me, Mom, I’m not complaining. It will show in the end. (Pauses) Need a hand with the sauce?

ROSE
Sure honey, roll up the sleeves.

Victoria rises from the chair and helps Rose prepare more sauce as we hear light music in the background. The picture fades to black.

BILL WOLFF: We'll return to Somerset in just a moment.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

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(We see “Somerset” title card and hear a soft version of the theme)

BILL WOLFF: And now, following station identification, we’ll continue with the second half of Somerset. This portion of today’s program is brought to you by Ivory, the soap without a lot of extra ingredients. For a pure, natural kind of clean… lather up with Ivory!

COMMERCIAL BREAK

SCENE THREE

FADE IN -- Susannah’s house

Lahoma and Susannah are sitting at the kitchen counter, surveying the scene.

SUSANNAH
When did I get this much stuff?

LAHOMA
You forget your apartment in Oklahoma City had a lot of knick-knacks in it.

SUSANNAH
Well, this is a house with a lot more room. It will look better when I’m finished with it.

LAHOMA
Of that I am confident, honey. (Pauses) Now why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind?

SUSANNAH
Why did Dad decide not to help us and take off with one of the cars?

LAHOMA
Oh, Susie… I don’t think it was anything you did. I think he got a little misty-eyed looking at Somerset and how much it had changed. Realizing these houses are built on top of the plant where he worked for so long took a little getting used to and he wasn't ready.

SUSANNAH
These are just houses. Admittedly, they’re nice houses, but…

LAHOMA
Well, they’re not just houses to Dad. This town was a big part of his life. OUR life. This is the town where you were born. I know you didn't live here too long, honey, and I really admire your desire to come back to Somerset and start a new chapter...

SUSANNAH
But you think coming back here opened up a lot of wounds?

LAHOMA
Not wounds, honey. Memories. We came here thinking things were going to be so good. Sam had a great job at Delaney Brands, all was right with the world, I became pregnant and we had you…

SUSANNAH
Okay, now you’re going to make ME misty-eyed.

LAHOMA
Relax, honey. This isn’t bad. It’s just we had some tough times here in Somerset, and most of them were connected with Delaney Brands. When you and I left town, I thought we'd have to start a new life without Sam.

SUSANNAH
Then you had second thoughts and told people where we were.

LAHOMA
It got to the point where I couldn’t live without Sam. Yes, he had an affair…

SUSANNAH
But it was very brief. And if I’m not mistaken, didn’t the mob have something to do with it?

LAHOMA
Yes. Good old Leo Kurtz tried to break up our marriage. But we became stronger in the end because of it. God… when I called Ada and said where we were, I swore Sam broke the land speed record getting back to Oklahoma.

SUSANNAH
And I have a faint memory of him arriving back in Oklahoma and the two of you dancing around our living room.

LAHOMA
It only showed how much he loved me and you. But for a long time in our household, Somerset was a bad word.

SUSANNAH
Well, I intend on making it a good one.

Lahoma and Susannah lean in and share a tight hug. Soft music plays and the picture fades to black.

BILL WOLFF: We’ll return to Somerset in just a moment.

SCENE FOUR

FADE IN -- Bernard’s

After going back to the office for a bit and finishing some work, Michael has returned to Bernard’s, this time for a beer.

Another gentleman, in his mid 30s, walks in. The man, Nick Barclay, bellies up to the bar for a beer.

MICHAEL
Well, if it isn’t Somerset’s youngest-ever city manager. Off duty?

NICK
Yes, I am. On the prowl for a story, Mike?

MICHAEL
Naa. I was here earlier talking with Scott Garfield on a story about crime in Somerset.

NICK
Or lack thereof. We’ve been very lucky there. (Raps the tabletop) Knock on wood, of course.

Michael comes over and knocks on Nick’s head.

NICK
Very funny, man.

MICHAEL
Relax, Nick. You’re well-liked by us. I wouldn’t joke like this if we didn’t care for you.

NICK
I’ll keep that in mind.

MICHAEL
Hey, I’m talking to Jack tomorrow and he mentioned his big project. Any light you can shed with me on it?

NICK
On or off the record?

MICHAEL
Your choice.

NICK
Well, either way I couldn’t help you out. Jack has yet to brief ME on what's going on and I'm like a son to him.

MICHAEL
Ahh, he’ll tell you what’s going on. I think we all will.

NICK
That’s Jack’s plan, anyway. I’ve heard about this grand scheme of his and the more I hear about it, the more I think he’s serious.

MICHAEL
Indeed.

As Nick and Michael sip their beers, the scene dissolves.

DISSOLVE TO -- Cleypool Mansion

Zachary and George have put the model on a table and are studying it.

ZACHARY
Dad, whoever worked on this model really knew what he was doing.

GEORGE
Pretty lifelike, isn’t it son?

ZACHARY
Soon I'm going to wonder if you've got little people running around this model.

Zachary takes one look at the model and realizes some buildings are there that do not belong.

ZACHARY
Wait a minute. These buildings aren't a part of downtown Somerset. Nor are those. (Looks at George) What is this?

GEORGE
Oh, don’t worry, Zach. It’s Somerset. (Pauses) When I’m done with it.

The music swells to its conclusion as the picture fades to black and the Somerset credits roll.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

BILL WOLFF: Furniture by Rooms Today. Automobiles furnished by Pontiac.

Join us each weekday afternoon at this time for the continuing story of Somerset.

This program was pre-recorded.