Friend In Need-Aftermath
The Ultimate Experience In Misplaced Trust
EXTERIOR - SUNRISE - MOVING SHIP
Close down to the ship’s deck. Gabrielle is standing alone holding the urn.
GABRIELLE: A life of journeying has brought you to the farthest lands, to the very edges of earth.
Gabrielle looks down at the urn. Wipe to close up of urn in her hands. (At this point we hear much sniffling and sobbing.) A hand appears on Gabrielle’s shoulder. Shot opens out to see it is Xena who continues Gabrielle’s thought.
XENA: …and to the place where I’ll always remain, in your heart.
Single shot of Gabrielle smiling. Open out to see both Xena and Gabrielle.
Xena: So where to now?
Gabrielle: I think we should go south to the land of the pharaohs. I hear they need a girl
with a chakram.
Sniffles and sobs increase and get louder .
XENA: Where you go, I’m at your side.
GABRIELLE: I knew you’d say that.
Xena kisses the side of Gabrielle’s head. The shot then rolls up and overhead showing Gabrielle is actually alone on deck holding the urn. Rolling up and over the ship to sky.
SOFTLY FADE OUT. DISSOLVE TO: credits roll.
There can be heard more sniffling, sobbing and now nose blowing.
Camera shot moves back from the rolling credits until we see credits are rolling on a large screen. The shot continues to move back and widens revealing a theater interior.
INTERIOR- Museum of Television and Radio in Beverly Hills, CA.- Tuesday June 19, 2001. The event is the showing and discussion of the final two episodes of XENA: Warrior Princess, entitled A Friend In Need. The action takes place between 8:30 and 8:45pm, after the viewing of the episodes and before the panel discussion. The theater holds 150 seats, and there is a 50-seat overflow room with closed circuit TV. Both full this evening.
Credits roll ends. Shot pulls back and slightly above the crowd stopping at the tenth row. Four people from the front row, two women and two men, go to the stage and take their places on the panel.
As the lights come up, there is more nose blowing, a smattering of applause and a chorus of boos from the crowd.
Camera pans through the main room to the overflow room.
Here the mood is morose. There is much crying. Some quietly have tears rolling down their faces, and some are openly sobbing. A few leave, obviously upset. Everyone here looks stunned and shaken, some look angry.
The camera pans through the overflow room and back through the main room to take note of some patrons writing questions for the panel on white cards with little miniature golf pencils. MTR theater personnel are collecting these cards.
The shot comes to a stop on the panelists.
On the panel are actors, Lucy Lawless, Renee O’Connor, Ms. Lawless’ husband/
executive producer/writer Robert Tapert, and producer/writer R.J. Stewart. Robert and R.J. are smiling but Lucy and Renee who are both wearing black, are not smiling. The panelists are seated in the order above.
All speak in hushed voices.
LUCY: My God! Xena IS gay!
RENEE: Duh, yeah.
Surprised look from Renee.
LUCY: That’s okay. But Rob, this thing put together is horrendous!
ROB: Huh?
LUCY: This ending is terrible, makes no sense, and it’s too brutal. Why did you show
Xena all bloody with no head twice? Rob!
ROB: Uh, now Luce….
LUCY: Xena’s head on a table - are you nuts?
RENEE: You didn’t know about that? I told you it was all too much, Lucy.
LUCY: Well it is all too much. Ren, I had no idea.
RENEE: Look, that lady in the third row is crying so hard she has the hiccups.
ROB: Well, in the Evil Dead we had some of the same…
LUCY: Evil Dead? What does Xena have to do with your stupid made by the seat
of your pants "B" horror flick?
ROB: Honey it’ll be ok, uh the fans won’t like it but it’s a great movie showcase for
the three of us.
LUCY: Movie showcase, uh huh, is that why people are running from the room.
Lucy punches Rob hard on the arm. Rob reacts with a combination grimace and face saving grin.
ROB: Oww! Uh, calm down, we can’t change it now….
LUCY: Hollywood might like it. What do they know about Xena. But, my fans,
Xena’s fans will hate us. The shows viewers will scream and they should.
R J: That’s the plan, Lucy, to have the fans screaming. Hollywood won’t even look
once at it unless we get some press from this.
RENEE: Leave me out of it. I didn’t even want to come today.
LUCY: Press huh. That’s why you did this, Rob?
Concerned look from Renee.
RENEE: I tried to tell you Lucy, but you said Rob knew best. Uh Rob, those people
over there are shaking their fists at you.
ROB: I do know best Lucy. You’ll see. We can take the heat from the fans….
LUCY: We? It’s my face up there. My fans. Xena’s fans. She went out like a punk!
RENEE: I told you.
LUCY: I promised them I’d pay more attention to the storylines. I was so tired and
tried so hard to give it my all, but I didn’t keep my promise, trusting you.
Xena fans must think I’m nuts. They know Xena’s not stupid. She could get
out of that situation alive, blindfolded.
Lucy shoots a look of disgust to Rob.
ROB: You read the script Lucy.
LUCY: Only my parts really. You know I do that. I trusted you. I’ll have your guts
for garters. You, you ass…..
RENEE: Sharon Delaney is bawling.
LUCY: This is rubbish, Renee. All our hard work. Now here they come with
questions and we have to defend this crap.
RENEE: Why do you think I didn’t do any P R Luce?
Rob attempts hesitantly to touch Lucy’s arm.
LUCY: (leaning away from him) Bugger off Rob, I mean it.
Renee scratches her upper lip, attempting to hide a chuckle.
Rob, red faced, forces a grin as the questions are about to begin.
ROB: Just wing it, please girls. Say it was a bold and defiant choice.
LUCY: Shut up Rob. Just shut up.
RENEE: (barely audible) Yeah.
Robert Tapert is introduced and promptly booed. On the mention of A Friend In Need, someone from the crowd yells, "it sucked."
Lucy raises one eyebrow and gives Rob a feral stare. She leans across Renee and speaks to Rob in a raspy whisper.
LUCY: You let Xena take the fall in that stupid plot, but I will not take the fall for this,
buddy. I will take my share of the blame, but you will take the heat and FIX
it. This is the last time I will allow you to screw my fans, and maybe me too.
FADE OUT
DISSOLVE TO: EXTERIOR - BUSY HIGHWAY - MIDDAY - MONTHS LATER
Overhead shot. Angle on large billboard in the distance
Close to tight on the billboard.
COMING SOON !
XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS, THE MOVIE
STARRING
LUCY LAWLESS RENEE O’CONNOR
Produced by Lucy Lawless Written by Melissa Good