Problem: Walter’s Pilot buddy comes by to watch the game and there is a class warfare that ensues because they still see Amanda as a flight attendant who takes care of them. Walter is on board at first then when Amanda protests and the Pilot buddy continues, Walter realizes how bad it was. He’s torn between his buddy and doing the right thing
Twist: Amanda gets them to cook her dinner and wait on her while she watches the ball game.
Episode: Coffee, Tea or Me? Problem: Walter sits down at the computer him and Amanda share and it’s on a escort site. Walter assumes that Amanda is an escort. He has a difficult time asking her about it especially after she has a male guest overnight. The conversation goes through a “who’s on first” type of routine where Amanda realizes what Walter is suggesting and she’s pissed.
Twist: An ex-flight attendant friend who became an escort approached Amanda about being an escort and for a minute Amanda was actually considering it.
Episode: Black or with Cream? Problem: Walter sees a black man being arrested on TV and asks Amanda the question; “why are there so many black men in prison?” Amanda schools Walter about race but Walter is oblivious to it being a racist question.
Twist: Amanda assumes something that is stereotypical of white people and asks Walter: “Why do white people prefer boxed Mac N Cheese, and why do white people let their dogs mess all over the house and why do white folks like Mexican food and Karaoke and why don’t you all put sugar in your spaghetti sauce and why do white people on TV always mess with their food?” Walter says “what?” Amanda says, “You know they sit down to eat but get up and leave without eating, they just leave all that food sitting there.”
Episode: Dream or Nightmare Both Amanda and Walter have sex dreams about the other. When they wake up and are having coffee together both keep saying things that keep each other remembering the dream they both would like to forget.
Twist: Do they really want to forget?
Episode: OCD is DOA? Walter’s can’t deal with his marriage being so final that his OCD really ramps up, driving Amanda nuts. She decides the only way to break him of it is to mimic everything he does and becoming a SUPER OCD. It appears to work.
Twist: Walter’s OCD isn’t DOA but now he’s obsessed with keeping it a secret.
Episode: City Mouse vs. Country Mouse Walter makes an off handed remark about people in the south, such as, inbreeding and that sets Amanda off to prove that she’s very sophisticated but it just makes Walter tease her more.
Twist: Walter comes home with the owner of a rival airline trying to butter the owner up for a job only to find the apartment looks like a white trash village with laundry hanging from wall to wall. Amanda comes out dressed like a hillbilly.
Twist: The airline owner is from Butcher Hollar Kentucky and gets offended.
Idea #1: Pity Party – Version 1 After Walter's Divorce is finalized, Amanda brings home a couple bottles of Two-Buck Chuck to help ease Walter's pain. They drink them both and begin to bond over airline war stories: worst flight, most disgusting hook-up, favorite run, the baggage handlers, blaming each other for pay cuts. The topic turns to their career and plans for life, an emotional topic for both. And in a vulnerable moment, they kiss. Amanda freaks out, leaves the apartment and doesn't come back for several days.
Idea #2: Pity Party – Version 2 After Walter's Divorce is finalized, Dirk Dirkson, Walter's “Wingman” brings over a bottle of Jameson to ease Walter's pain. Not to be shown up, Amanda joins the party and keeps up with the guys. They drink the bottle dry and begin to bond over airline war stories: worst flight, most disgusting hook-up, favorite run, the baggage handlers, blaming each other for pay cuts. The topic turns to their career and plans for life, an emotional topic for all three, even Dirk's retirement is not all it's cracked up to be. Walter falls asleep on the couch. Amanda and Dirk flirt. When Walter wakes up the next morning, he realizes Dirk slept with Amanda.
Idea #3: Itch to Scratch With the small amount of savings Walter has left, he splurges and rents an hour with a plane at a small local airport. He misses flying so much he's almost at the point of having the DTs. Noticing Amanda was down lately, he reluctantly asks her to come with. She can't understand why flying would make her feel better, she hates flying. But Walter insists it's different up front. Amanda is first terrified, then has the time of her life.
Idea #1: Stephanie Amanda's sister Stephanie shows up at the crash pad after being fired from a sous-chef position at an upscale Miami restaurant. Stephanie was not expecting Amanda to be camping out at the crash pad with Walter. Stephanie is hot-headed and like most restaurant workers, has a little substance abuse problem (her drug of choice is a vicious cocktail of OTCs and Marijuana). Unlike Amanda, who parties with control, Stephanie parties hard with no control and tries to take Amanda down with her, leaving Walter to step in. This is a wake up call for Amanda who starts to really think about what she wants to do with her life.
Idea #2: Poor Man's Dinner Walter and Amanda are so strapped for cash, they can't go out to eat or buy food to cook. They have to improvise a dinner together from all the mini condiments, drinks and food packages stolen from their flights and whatever else they can find around the crash pad, some of it left by previous owners.
Idea #3: Notice Amanda is contacted by the owner of the building, evicting her for no longer having a job with the airline. Amanda and Walter have to act fast and find a way to either get jobs with another airline, or fake their way out of eviction.
I love the idea of Amanda being mistaken for an escort and then considering it. There's potential for hilarious moments and it would certainly reveal a lot of the character's personalities with a subject so personal.
I also like the idea of Amanda's sister Stephanie crashing the place and causing tension with everyone. What if Stephanie decided to give up cooking all-together and have a sudden desire to become a pilot? Then, Walter can try to talk her and Amanda into letting him be Stephanie's flight instructor.
Going off of the "New Story" with Walter's Hospital trip, this could be the following episode after that where Amanda feels responsible for helping Walter out with the bill. Maybe this is when David's idea of Amanda considering becoming an escort comes in. She seeks it out in order to make a lot of money very quickly for Walter? And when Walter finds out what she almost did to help him, he gets really mad at her over it, maybe he's even the one to find out and stop her from going through with it. But he forgives her for the hospital bill because she was willing to go to such lengths for him.
Premise: Walter and Amanda are broke as they wait for their severance pay. The cupboards are practically bare so Walter drags out his supply of Airline nuts, chips and drinks that he stole of the years. Amanda surprises him by pulling out her stash. When Walter looks to Amanda to play her usual role of waitress in the sky the battle of the classes & sexes ensues. Things couldn’t get more intense when Walter’s reaction to Amanda’s anger is bringing up an article that he read about more black men in prison and “why are your people so aggressive?” Amanda points out how ridiculous the notion that she speaks for all black people is when she turns the tables on Walter by asking questions about white people for Walter to answer. In the end the find they have more in common despite their differences.
Notes: I think that this is a great way to combine some of our better ideas and sticking with the idea that two people are in a situation that has changed their lives and how they are coping.
Fade in:
INT. KITCHEN
Walter is going through the cupboards looking for food, slamming doors and drawers.
Amanda comes in annoyed by the noise. They argue about nothing being in the kitchen and its revealed they are both broke because their last pay hasn’t come in yet and they’ve either gone through their savings (Amanda) or money tied up in divorce (Walter).
Walter rushes into his room and comes back with a travel bag full of chips, nuts, mini sodas and liquor. Its not much so both stare depressed. Amanda unveals a secret compartment in the kitchen where she’s kept a few small airline dinners.
Walter is feels great and leaves the kitchen telling Amanda to call him when dinner is ready.
INT. LIVING ROOM Walter sits putting his feet up and reading one of his many stolen papers from the plane. Amanda tears into him that she’s not his wife and why shouldn’t he cook dinner. Walter points out the class difference in him being a pilot and she would be more natural at it seeing how she’s a flight attendant.
Amanda lays into him about how they are in the same boat and there is no longer a higherarchy like that anymore. She starts to get really pissed and starts to go around the house messing up things that are perfectly placed. This drives Walter nuts because of his OCD.
Walther then brings up an article he just read about more black men in prison and why are all black people more aggressive. Amanda is speechless except for something about him being racist and storms back into the kitchen.
INT. KITCHEN Amanda slams plates down, starts to poor on to the snacks onto plates, pouring sodas into glasses and puts the fits dinner into the microwave.
Walter comes in feeling like his must defend himself.
Amanda order him to sit and she slams down one of the dinners in front of him. Walther is still dumbfounded by her anger so Amanda turns the tables on him and starts asking questions about behaviors that white folks have. One of the questions is why white people on TV always sit down to eat food but end up leaving the table without even eating anything.
Walter is flustered and storms off. Amanda throws her hands up pointing out Walther just stormed off without touch his food.
Walther comes back into the kitchen, Amanda points to the food, Walter is speechless then he starts to laugh. Amanda starts to laugh as well. Walther cooks Amanda’s dinner and they both sit down to have a meal together.
INT. LIVING ROOM. DAY Amanda is visited by a sister Stephanie who’s an escort. Amanda is talking about how they are to be evicted if they don’t come up with money soon. Stephanie suggest she come into her line of work. Amanda is immediately freaked out and she’d never be a hooker. Her sister is offended and makes it clears she’s not a hooker, she’s an escort, accompanying rich men to important functions or dinner. There’s no hanky panky. Stephanie shows Amanda her companies website on Amanda’s laptop that’s on the coffee table.
Amanda gets a call from their mother and Stephanie avoiding the mother rushes out and Amanda takes the call in her bedroom.
Walter comes home after buying a used Playstation with a flight game. He sets it up to play and notices the escort service website on Amanda’s laptop.
Amanda comes back in flustered by talking to her mother and notices the Playstation that Walter bought and gets on him for spending money on that while they are having trouble coming up with rent. He goes off on her becoming an escort.
The argument is full of subtext because Walther doesn’t come right out and say he saw the website and Amanda doesn’t directly mention the Playstation. While both are making their case and it seems like they’re on the same page about either Escort or Playstation they aren’t. Walter is arguing about her being an escort and Amanda is arguing about the Playstation yet the subtext makes them think they are discussing the same thing.
The race one could be very interesting to play out. It would add another layer of tension to Walter and Amanda's conflict and a chance for a great challenge with dealing with a sensitive subject in a real way.
I also really love the idea of Amanda's sister being an escort and that's where the idea comes from. That seems like an organic way to bring it up and have Amanda consider it. What if Amanda didn't know that's what Stephanie did? But Stephanie tells her when one of her clients flies her out to Miami and Amanda forces her into admitting where her formally broke sister was getting so much money.
Here's just a couple quick what if thoughts with that idea. Stephanie could take her on a "date" with her, and maybe things get weird and Amanda is no longer comfortable anymore. And then she wants to leave, but leaving would jeopardize Stephanie's job, so she somehow uses Walter to get out of it? Or Walter sees the website on the computer, realizes what Amanda is doing and runs to "save an innocent young girl from sexual slavery" or something ridiculous like that. Makes a total scene, embarasses Amanda and Stephanie and gets them kicked out of wherever they are. And Walter and Amanda end up owing Stephanie $4000 (what she would have made for the night) further amassing their debt.
David, I love your first premise, the class warfare one. You should pitch that in class. Maybe not as a whole episode, but it would be a good element in one.
Problem: Walter’s Pilot buddy comes by to watch the game and there is a class warfare that ensues because they still see Amanda as a flight attendant who takes care of them. Walter is on board at first then when Amanda protests and the Pilot buddy continues, Walter realizes how bad it was. He’s torn between his buddy and doing the right thing
ReplyDeleteTwist: Amanda gets them to cook her dinner and wait on her while she watches the ball game.
Episode: Coffee, Tea or Me?
Problem: Walter sits down at the computer him and Amanda share and it’s on a escort site. Walter assumes that Amanda is an escort. He has a difficult time asking her about it especially after she has a male guest overnight. The conversation goes through a “who’s on first” type of routine where Amanda realizes what Walter is suggesting and she’s pissed.
Twist: An ex-flight attendant friend who became an escort approached Amanda about being an escort and for a minute Amanda was actually considering it.
Episode: Black or with Cream?
Problem: Walter sees a black man being arrested on TV and asks Amanda the question; “why are there so many black men in prison?” Amanda schools Walter about race but Walter is oblivious to it being a racist question.
Twist: Amanda assumes something that is stereotypical of white people and asks Walter: “Why do white people prefer boxed Mac N Cheese, and why do white people let their dogs mess all over the house and why do white folks like Mexican food and Karaoke and why don’t you all put sugar in your spaghetti sauce and why do white people on TV always mess with their food?” Walter says “what?” Amanda says, “You know they sit down to eat but get up and leave without eating, they just leave all that food sitting there.”
Episode: Dream or Nightmare
Both Amanda and Walter have sex dreams about the other. When they wake up and are having coffee together both keep saying things that keep each other remembering the dream they both would like to forget.
Twist: Do they really want to forget?
Episode: OCD is DOA?
Walter’s can’t deal with his marriage being so final that his OCD really ramps up, driving
Amanda nuts. She decides the only way to break him of it is to mimic everything he does and becoming a SUPER OCD. It appears to work.
Twist: Walter’s OCD isn’t DOA but now he’s obsessed with keeping it a secret.
Episode: City Mouse vs. Country Mouse
ReplyDeleteWalter makes an off handed remark about people in the south, such as, inbreeding and that sets Amanda off to prove that she’s very sophisticated but it just makes Walter tease her more.
Twist: Walter comes home with the owner of a rival airline trying to butter the owner up for a job only to find the apartment looks like a white trash village with laundry hanging from wall to wall. Amanda comes out dressed like a hillbilly.
Twist: The airline owner is from Butcher Hollar Kentucky and gets offended.
Idea #1: Pity Party – Version 1
After Walter's Divorce is finalized, Amanda brings home a couple bottles of Two-Buck Chuck to help ease Walter's pain. They drink them both and begin to bond over airline war stories: worst flight, most disgusting hook-up, favorite run, the baggage handlers, blaming each other for pay cuts. The topic turns to their career and plans for life, an emotional topic for both. And in a vulnerable moment, they kiss. Amanda freaks out, leaves the apartment and doesn't come back for several days.
Idea #2: Pity Party – Version 2
After Walter's Divorce is finalized, Dirk Dirkson, Walter's “Wingman” brings over a bottle of Jameson to ease Walter's pain. Not to be shown up, Amanda joins the party and keeps up with the guys. They drink the bottle dry and begin to bond over airline war stories: worst flight, most disgusting hook-up, favorite run, the baggage handlers, blaming each other for pay cuts. The topic turns to their career and plans for life, an emotional topic for all three, even Dirk's retirement is not all it's cracked up to be. Walter falls asleep on the couch. Amanda and Dirk flirt. When Walter wakes up the next morning, he realizes Dirk slept with Amanda.
Idea #3: Itch to Scratch
With the small amount of savings Walter has left, he splurges and rents an hour with a plane at a small local airport. He misses flying so much he's almost at the point of having the DTs. Noticing Amanda was down lately, he reluctantly asks her to come with. She can't understand why flying would make her feel better, she hates flying. But Walter insists it's different up front. Amanda is first terrified, then has the time of her life.
Idea #1: Stephanie
Amanda's sister Stephanie shows up at the crash pad after being fired from a sous-chef position at an upscale Miami restaurant. Stephanie was not expecting Amanda to be camping out at the crash pad with Walter. Stephanie is hot-headed and like most restaurant workers, has a little substance abuse problem (her drug of choice is a vicious cocktail of OTCs and Marijuana). Unlike Amanda, who parties with control, Stephanie parties hard with no control and tries to take Amanda down with her, leaving Walter to step in. This is a wake up call for Amanda who starts to really think about what she wants to do with her life.
Idea #2: Poor Man's Dinner
Walter and Amanda are so strapped for cash, they can't go out to eat or buy food to cook. They have to improvise a dinner together from all the mini condiments, drinks and food packages stolen from their flights and whatever else they can find around the crash pad, some of it left by previous owners.
Idea #3: Notice
Amanda is contacted by the owner of the building, evicting her for no longer having a job with the airline. Amanda and Walter have to act fast and find a way to either get jobs with another airline, or fake their way out of eviction.
Thank you so much, David, for posting all the ideas!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of Amanda being mistaken for an escort and then considering it. There's potential for hilarious moments and it would certainly reveal a lot of the character's personalities with a subject so personal.
ReplyDeleteI also like the idea of Amanda's sister Stephanie crashing the place and causing tension with everyone. What if Stephanie decided to give up cooking all-together and have a sudden desire to become a pilot? Then, Walter can try to talk her and Amanda into letting him be Stephanie's flight instructor.
Going off of the "New Story" with Walter's Hospital trip, this could be the following episode after that where Amanda feels responsible for helping Walter out with the bill. Maybe this is when David's idea of Amanda considering becoming an escort comes in. She seeks it out in order to make a lot of money very quickly for Walter? And when Walter finds out what she almost did to help him, he gets really mad at her over it, maybe he's even the one to find out and stop her from going through with it. But he forgives her for the hospital bill because she was willing to go to such lengths for him.
ReplyDeleteEpisode A Outline
ReplyDeletePremise:
Walter and Amanda are broke as they wait for their severance pay. The cupboards are practically bare so Walter drags out his supply of Airline nuts, chips and drinks that he stole of the years. Amanda surprises him by pulling out her stash. When Walter looks to Amanda to play her usual role of waitress in the sky the battle of the classes & sexes ensues. Things couldn’t get more intense when Walter’s reaction to Amanda’s anger is bringing up an article that he read about more black men in prison and “why are your people so aggressive?” Amanda points out how ridiculous the notion that she speaks for all black people is when she turns the tables on Walter by asking questions about white people for Walter to answer. In the end the find they have more in common despite their differences.
Notes: I think that this is a great way to combine some of our better ideas and sticking with the idea that two people are in a situation that has changed their lives and how they are coping.
Fade in:
INT. KITCHEN
Walter is going through the cupboards looking for food, slamming doors and drawers.
Amanda comes in annoyed by the noise. They argue about nothing being in the kitchen and its revealed they are both broke because their last pay hasn’t come in yet and they’ve either gone through their savings (Amanda) or money tied up in divorce (Walter).
Walter rushes into his room and comes back with a travel bag full of chips, nuts, mini sodas and liquor. Its not much so both stare depressed. Amanda unveals a secret compartment in the kitchen where she’s kept a few small airline dinners.
Walter is feels great and leaves the kitchen telling Amanda to call him when dinner is ready.
INT. LIVING ROOM
Walter sits putting his feet up and reading one of his many stolen papers from the plane. Amanda tears into him that she’s not his wife and why shouldn’t he cook dinner. Walter points out the class difference in him being a pilot and she would be more natural at it seeing how she’s a flight attendant.
Amanda lays into him about how they are in the same boat and there is no longer a higherarchy like that anymore. She starts to get really pissed and starts to go around the house messing up things that are perfectly placed. This drives Walter nuts because of his OCD.
Walther then brings up an article he just read about more black men in prison and why are all black people more aggressive. Amanda is speechless except for something about him being racist and storms back into the kitchen.
INT. KITCHEN
Amanda slams plates down, starts to poor on to the snacks onto plates, pouring sodas into glasses and puts the fits dinner into the microwave.
Walter comes in feeling like his must defend himself.
Amanda order him to sit and she slams down one of the dinners in front of him. Walther is still dumbfounded by her anger so Amanda turns the tables on him and starts asking questions about behaviors that white folks have. One of the questions is why white people on TV always sit down to eat food but end up leaving the table without even eating anything.
Walter is flustered and storms off. Amanda throws her hands up pointing out Walther just stormed off without touch his food.
Walther comes back into the kitchen, Amanda points to the food, Walter is speechless then he starts to laugh. Amanda starts to laugh as well. Walther cooks Amanda’s dinner and they both sit down to have a meal together.
FADE IN
ReplyDeleteINT. LIVING ROOM. DAY
Amanda is visited by a sister Stephanie who’s an escort. Amanda is talking about how they are to be evicted if they don’t come up with money soon. Stephanie suggest she come into her line of work. Amanda is immediately freaked out and she’d never be a hooker. Her sister is offended and makes it clears she’s not a hooker, she’s an escort, accompanying rich men to important functions or dinner. There’s no hanky panky. Stephanie shows Amanda her companies website on Amanda’s laptop that’s on the coffee table.
Amanda gets a call from their mother and Stephanie avoiding the mother rushes out and Amanda takes the call in her bedroom.
Walter comes home after buying a used Playstation with a flight game. He sets it up to play and notices the escort service website on Amanda’s laptop.
Amanda comes back in flustered by talking to her mother and notices the Playstation that Walter bought and gets on him for spending money on that while they are having trouble coming up with rent. He goes off on her becoming an escort.
The argument is full of subtext because Walther doesn’t come right out and say he saw the website and Amanda doesn’t directly mention the Playstation. While both are making their case and it seems like they’re on the same page about either Escort or Playstation they aren’t. Walter is arguing about her being an escort and Amanda is arguing about the Playstation yet the subtext makes them think they are discussing the same thing.
Thank you for these excellent premises, David!
ReplyDeleteThe race one could be very interesting to play out. It would add another layer of tension to Walter and Amanda's conflict and a chance for a great challenge with dealing with a sensitive subject in a real way.
I also really love the idea of Amanda's sister being an escort and that's where the idea comes from. That seems like an organic way to bring it up and have Amanda consider it. What if Amanda didn't know that's what Stephanie did? But Stephanie tells her when one of her clients flies her out to Miami and Amanda forces her into admitting where her formally broke sister was getting so much money.
Here's just a couple quick what if thoughts with that idea. Stephanie could take her on a "date" with her, and maybe things get weird and Amanda is no longer comfortable anymore. And then she wants to leave, but leaving would jeopardize Stephanie's job, so she somehow uses Walter to get out of it? Or Walter sees the website on the computer, realizes what Amanda is doing and runs to "save an innocent young girl from sexual slavery" or something ridiculous like that. Makes a total scene, embarasses Amanda and Stephanie and gets them kicked out of wherever they are. And Walter and Amanda end up owing Stephanie $4000 (what she would have made for the night) further amassing their debt.
David, I love your first premise, the class warfare one. You should pitch that in class. Maybe not as a whole episode, but it would be a good element in one.
ReplyDelete