Synopsis of Pilot
Synopsis written by Az
Group
Dr. Harrison asks a discussion group of men to give an example of behavior that would frighten their loved ones. The men start to get excited and screaming. Lupinta starts screaming and yelling.
New York City 7am
We see the various characters doing their morning rituals. Dr. Matthews is
having sex with Aurora. Dr. Garrity is weighing herself and freaking out
about all of the weight gain from her pregnancy. Dr. Banger is getting his
two sons ready. Patients are meditating, brushing their teeth. Everyone is
drinking juice or eating breakfast.
Dr. Banger's residence
Dr. Banger is making pancakes for his sons and discussing the meaning of discipline and Bill Parcells and the size of his head. Mrs. Banger calls and very rudely asks him to have the kids ready when she gets there cause she is running late.
Dr. Harrison & Dr. Garrity's
Dr. Garrity is complaining about her weight to her husband, Dr. Neil Harrison. He tells her that she is beautiful and perfect.
Dr. Abe Matthews's home
As Matthews is getting ready for work, Aurora is lounging around in his bed saying she wants to hang out for awhile. He tries to tell her that Cort, his roommate, needs to be alone while he writes. She reminds Matthews that they've been together for a month now. He hems and haws and finally agrees to let her stay. She pulls out a cigarette, he tells her not to light it, but she does anyway.
Street
Dr. Banger is waiting for Tammy to pick up the kids. He explains to his sons that they are going to court today to decide where the kids are going to live and asks them where they want to live: with Mommy or him. Tammy pulls up and the kids get into the car.
Cort's bedroom
Abe wakes up Cort and tells him that Aurora is staying and that he shouldn't bee too friendly to her so she won't stay.
Diner
Garrity and Harrison are having breakfast and discussing the nannies that they interviewed. Garrity says she likes the Mexican girl, Patricia, but Harrison doesn't agree because she was too scantily dressed. Garrity admires the girl's decision not have kids before she turned eighteen like all her friends and to prioritize and education. Harrison can't help but be overwhelmed by her boobs and thighs. Garrity tells Harrison that he should get his head out of Patricia's breasts. Garrity and Harrison wrestle over Garrity's coffee cup. She keeps picking it up and he keeps taking it from her hand before she takes a sip.
Matthews's shrink's office
Matthews tells his shrink that he is afraid of things that married men do. He discusses his fear of commitment. He mentions that he thinks the smell of Wet Ones is the smell of death.
Banger's Car
Banger is rehearsing what he will tell the panel about his competency to keep his children.
Hospital
A patient is hallucinating a rhinocerous coming out from between his sandals.
Matthews's Apt.
Aurora is sitting in bed smoking.
A man is walking on Roosevelt Island, and we, the audience, can hear his thoughts. He says his name is Wendall Rickle. We see him going on the tram to Manhattann while he recites his ABCs. (See the quotes page for the ABCs.) He proceeds to open fire on Times Square.
Commercial
Times Square
Police and paramedics are tending to the wounded.
Hospital
Mrs. Lupinta is telling Dr. Banger that she wants to take her son home. Nurse tells him that Mrs. Lupinta wants him back at Rikers. Banger tells her that her son bit off her finger and ate it. She tells him that it was an accident. While she is screaming and yelling, Dr. Banger ask Dr. Harrison to cover for him this afternoon while he goes to a court-appointed appointment to play with his sons under observation.
Admissions
Mrs. Brown is admitting a psych patient who gives his name as Ronald Reagan McDonald Gulliani. Matthews is asking Garrity if sex dries up once you are married. She tells the sex actually gets better.
The paramedics are loading Wendall Rickle into an ambulance. He has a wound to the knee.
Psych evaluation room
Mr. Butowsky is talking to a resident. He starts kicking the door because he wants to leave.
Group
Dr. Banger and Dr. Harrison are talking to patients one on one. It's hard to tell what everyone is saying... someone is mumbling about losing a monkey.
The ambulance with Wendall Rickle is on its way to the hospital.
Dr. Garrity is talking to an elderly patient named Elizabeth about her leaving her shelter. Dr. Garrity promises to help her find a better shelter. Elizabeth tells Garrity that her eyes are sparkling, and they laugh together over their "loves."
Psych evaluation room
Matthews starts talking to Mr. Butowsky about having his evaluation while a patient who thinks he's a DJ makes a lot of noise in the background. Mr. Butowsky insists that he wants to leave, but after a little bit of coaxing he agrees to the evaluation.
Mr. Lupinta's room
Harrison and Banger are discussing Mr. Lupinta's condition. He's speaking about checking his mother for TB. While they try to figure out what to do with him he starts to scream for a cigarette. Harrison tells him the only way that he can get a cigarette is if he goes back to Rikers. Banger pulls his nicotine patch off of his arm and puts it on Mr. Lupinta's forehead.
ER
Doctors are working on Wendall. The cop that he shot is profusely bleeding and Wendall tells the medical staff that they should let the cop die because he got shot in the head. He tells them to stop helping him and that they should help the cop die.
Outside Rivervue
A press conference reveals that four males and one female were shot in the attack.
ER
Lyla asks what is going on and if there were any deaths in the Times Square shooting. ADA, Ruth Strictler tells Lyla that she wants to get videotape on Wendall for the confession. Lyla isn't sure if he is medically clear yet. She realizes that she knows Wendall. She asks him if he remembers her and he mumbles about how the NYPD has poor shooting qualities. He thinks they should have taken him out when they had the chance and starts saying he wants his money back. They reveal a leg wound on Wendall.
Court House
Bobby and Tammy Banger are discussing how long the psych evaluation is going to take. Tammy insists that she has to go first, because she has to be in Westchester by six. Bobby agrees and says she was supposed to go first anyway. He gives her Tucker's tooth and tells her that Tucker does not want the Tooth Fairy to bring him money. She asks what Tucker wants. Bobby hands her a YO-YO. They laugh and she starts playing with it.
Psych evaluation room
Abe asks Mr. Butowsky how old he is. He says forty, and reveals that he is an account manager at Morgan Stanley and has worked there for fifteen years. Abe asks him if his depression is directly related to his divorce and Mr. Butowsky replies that he has no idea. Abe then asks him if he is hearing voices or receiving secret voices form the TV. Again the answer is an angry no. Abe asks him if anyone has encouraged him to harm himself. He says no again. Abe asks Mr. Butowsky if he tried to kill himself last night. Butowsky screams no and says he wants to go home.
ER
Ruth introduces herself to Wendall and asks him if they are taking care of him. He says he is fine but he might have to go to the bathroom. She asks him if he knows where he is. He says 1st and 27th. She asks him if he knows why he is there. He replies that he shot a cop and the woman next to him. She tries to read him his rights and he starts saying that it is very noisy and he can't hear her. (It is incredibly noisy and chaotic.) Lyla is in the background looking very worried. Ruth asks him if he has ever seen someone get read his or her rights on TV. He says like on NYPD Blue. (Shameless plug) She tells him that she is going to bring in a video camera and ask him some questions on video. He agrees. She says she will explain his rights to him. He says come in.
Psych Evaluation Room
Abe starts to explain the various stages of suicide attempts and what they mean: pill-takers, hangers, jumpers. He says that wrist cutters are a "special bread of cat." (See the quotes page for more on special cats.) He unwraps Mr. Butowsky's bandaged arms to reveal his incredibly deep wrist slashes all the way up his forearm. Abe says that he thinks that he did this because his wife is leaving him and he wants to talk to him about it. He says if he does not talk to him he will go before a judge and ask that Mr. Butowsky be committed to the hospital.
Court psych evaluation room
Bobby tells the evaluators that he does Forensic Psych. The kids are tugging at his clothes and undressing him. He explains that they think it is play time and he gets out of his work clothes at home to play with them. He also explains that he does competency evaluations just like the evaluators. The kids are still undressing him.
ER
Wendall is rambling madly. Neil asks Ruth what is going on. She tells him that she wants to put a camera on Wendall and get a statement. Neil asks if he is competent and Ruth says that he knows who he is and where he is. Neil says that it looks like that is all he knows. Neil is informed that Wendall was in CPEP (Comprehensive Emergency Program) four days ago. Lyla asks to speak with Neil. She tells him that Wendall came in four days ago and she thought he was a drug addict. Neil asks if she admitted him. She says no because he was alert, responsive, coherent and dressed appropriately. Wendall is rambling about Hercules. Neil asks about his history. Lyla says that she doesn't remember. Wendall asks can the volume be turned down and then grabs a hypodermic needle and stabs himself in the stomach with it. Lyla goes rushing over to restrain him; cops run over, they go flying to ground. There is a pile up of cops and orderlies. When it clears Lyla has the needle sticking out of her pregnant belly. Neil rushes over. Neil screams for help.
Commercial
Private Room
Neil is on the phone asking that a test be done on Wendall's blood for hepatitis and HIV. He also asks them to page Bobby. Lyla is on the bed looking scared.
Court Evaluation Room
Bobby, half undressed by his kids, jokes with the evaluators that he's probably starting to look inappropriate. They laugh. They ask him what it is exactly that he does. He explains that he is the keeper if the gate. (See the quotes page for more on gate-keeping.) His pager goes off during his explanation and he ignores it. His kids are yanking on his bare feet.
Psych Evaluation Room
Mr. Butowsky is explaining to Abe that he can't function or breathe without his wife and that she is with another man. Meanwhile, the nurse in the next room gets a phone call for Abe and motions to him through the window. He motions to her to take a message, but then she holds up a sign to the window that says 911. Abe goes out to take the call and is accosted by an irate patient who tells him that he has to get out of there and has things to do. Mr. Giuliani is spilling lemonade out of the cooler onto the floor. Abe asks what is going on with him, a nurse informs him that they located his sister in Bridgeport and she is coming to get him tomorrow. Abe gets on the phone. Irate patient is rambling that some girl will tell him something. Cort is on the phone. He tells Abe that Aurora knows that he has been sleeping around.
Flash to Abe and Cort's apartment
Aurora is tearing apart the apartment. She is screaming that she counted the rubbers and he is three condoms short. While Cort begs her to put down the chair, she throws the chair through a glass table.
Private Room
Dr. Printer is examining Lyla with an ultrasound. She is nervously asking how bad it is. Neil and Dr. Printer tell her to calm down so they can get a good reading. Dr. Printer says that it might be possible that there is trauma to the baby's head. She sees some bleeding but the image is not clear enough. Neil wants to know if the needle went through the Baby's head. Dr. Printer suggests that they send for someone from neuro-radiology. They agree.
Flash between ER and Psych evaluation room
Mr. Butowsky is asking if Abe would ever let anyone get deep inside of him emotionally. He tells Abe that that's what he did. We see Neil going into the ER and attempting to choke Wendall. Neil is restrained by police.
Court Evaluation Room
Evaluators say that Tammy has told them that Bobbby is very busy at work. The phone rings. It turns out to be for Bobby. He is told about the situation at the hospital with Wendall. Bobby asks to speak with Ruth. Ruth tells him that Wendall has killed two cops and is going from the ER to the Chair. Bobby tells her that he is not going to do the "Giuliani death penalty dance" with her. The kids are screaming in the background. Bobby yells at them. He tells Ruth if they take Wendall to Rikers Wendall will hang himself but if they keep him in the hospital he will survive until sentencing. The evaluators are taking notes.
Press Conference
The press is informed that Wendall will be undergoing a psych evaluation. A reporter asks if it is true that Wendall was at the hospital a week prior. She is told that the allegations have not been confirmed.
Private Room
Dr. Printer tells Lyla and Neil that there has been significant contact with the baby's brain but there is no way to tell what the damage is. Neil asks what her recommendation is. She asks if it was easy for them to conceive, he tells her no. She tells them that they are dealing with the unknown, a game of chance, luck and faith if they decide to continue with the pregnancy.
Court Evaluation Room
Bobby tells the evaluators that his children mean everything to him and that he has a tremendous respect for the beauty of their minds. He asks them to let him keep his boys.
Private Room
Lyla tells Neil that she wanted to go look at Flying Saucer wallpaper for "his" room. Neil says,"his?" Lyla says that she cheated and the nurse told her that the baby is a boy. Lyla starts crying. She tells him that when Wendall came in last week she had been throwing up all day and she was tired and sick. She says she didn't listen to him because she didn't like him. She wanted him gone and out of there. She says that he asked her for help and she sent him away. And now she can't believe that she has the power over life and death. She tells Neil that she wants to have the baby. He says that he is with her. She says that is all she needs. She says that she has always been lucky, after all, she found Neil. They hug.
Psych Evaluation Room
Mr. Butowsky tells Abe that when he closes his eyes he sees his wife's eyes and her eyes know him and without her he is unknown. He says that she fed him his food, water, oxygen and she's his heart. Abe tells him that the only thing that will help him is time and does he want it. He begins to shake violently and says yes.
HEALING
Group
Patients are talking about their healing with Neil and Bobby. Mr. Lupinta tells the group that he feels Christmas and Love. He feels like it is hard to get in touch with his love. We see Wendall sleeping, Mr. Butowsky sleeping, Bobby looking at his sleeping children, Neil kissing Lyla's stomach, Abe in his destroyed apartment.
END
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