ADAM ADJUDICATOR ALISON ALISONS_MOTHER AUDIENCE BREA CROWD FAN KAYLA LAURA MAN MOTHER POLICE_OFFICER ROD WOMAN YOUNG_ALISON MAN First, No. 15; second, No. 7; third, No. 1 and fourth, No. 11. CROWD ALISON I just can’t believe I bonked. ADAM You ran out of gas. It’s not your fault. ALISON Yeah, it was. I pushed too hard on the bike. It was a rookie mistake. ADAM Maybe you’re overtraining. ALISON Maybe I’m not training hard enough. That was just the prep for the qualifier, and I didn't even finish it. ADAM Alison, it was only a couple of years ago the doctors weren’t even sure you’d ever walk again. ALISON But I did. ADAM I’m just saying… ALISON I know, but I set a goal in rehab that I was gonna qualify for Ironman Hawaii. And I... I know it's stubborn, but I can't stop. ADAM I know. ALISON KAYLA Mom, you scared me. ALISON I’m sorry. I didn’t wanna disturb you. KAYLA What? ALISON Oh, carry on. It sounds beautiful. KAYLA Mom, you know I don’t like people watching me play. ALISON Well, I’m not “people.” I’m your mom. And you’re about to play in front of an entire room of people watching you. KAYLA They already turned me down once. I don’t even know why I have to try out again. ALISON It’s the best conservatory in the state, and you’re a better player than you were last year. KAYLA Yeah, well, so is everybody else. ALISON Honey, I know this is stressful, but if you… I mean, if you tried acting like you've already accomplished it— KAYLA End-point visualization. I know. ALISON Before you knock it, have you tried it? KAYLA Did you try it during your last race? ALISON Oh God. KAYLA ALISON Oh gosh! KAYLA Did somebody die? ALISON Yeah. ALISON Delphine was a world-class triathlete. How could she drown? ROD I don’t know. I guess she was swimming… ROD …across the lake as part of some earlymorning training session— ALISON Well, didn’t they have a safety boat with her? ROD Look, all I know is that her dying may as well have drowned us too. ALISON Rod, we will figure something out. ROD Oh yeah? I’d love to hear how! Our entire next season’s campaign is built around a dead woman! ALISON I know that we are short for time, but we will just have to come up with something new. ROD With what money? The marketing company we outsourced this to already went over budget. ALISON Well, then we’ll have to do something inhouse. ROD You actually think that’s possible? ALISON Absolutely. ROD OK! I’m putting you in charge of making it happen. ALISON Well, I’m just the designer, so— ROD And who knows the product better than you, right? ALISON Rod, don’t get me wrong. I am willing to do whatever this takes, but I am only part of the solution. ROD You convinced me to take her on as our spokesperson. Now you need to fix this mess! ALISON No, I know it’s been the third time this week. ALISON No, don’t wait up. I love you too. Bye. ROD What the hell are you doing? Praying? ALISON That would probably be smart, but no. I’m stretching. ROD You know who Laura Stevens is, right? ALISON Yeah, of course. She was Delphine’s trainer, and the reason that she got good enough for us to want to sponsor her in the first place. ROD I didn’t realize you were the president of her fan club. ALISON I’m just saying that she’s on the forefront of peak-performance research. ROD Hmm. So you know she’s doing a seminar here in town this Saturday? ALISON I tried to get tickets, but they were sold out after, like, 20 minutes. ROD Well, turns out we get a couple comps. You want one? ALISON Definitely, yeah. Thank you. ROD No, thank you for all the hard work. ALISON You’re welcome. ROD And there won’t be any performance bonuses this year. ALISON We’ve hit all our sales targets. ROD I’m sorry, but everyone needs to sacrifice. ALISON So you’re not taking your salary bump? ROD You want the ticket or not? ALISON Are you using the other one? ROD Yeah! Gonna use it to make a couple hundred bucks on Craigslist. Night! LAURA Despite what you hear from… LAURA …conventional trainers, the secret to blowing away your personal best is not in the food that you eat or the weights that you lift. I mean, yeah, you gotta have that dialled in for sure, but the frontier to the truly exceptional lies in a place that you can't even see: the unconscious. And let me ask you a question… Alison. Have you ever had a conversation in your head where one voice is telling you to go to the gym and the other is telling you to stay on the couch and eat donuts? ALISON Yeah, like, every day. LAURA Right? So, the conflicts that form between these voices sabotage our ability to reach our full potential. Now, some people will tell you to just ignore those voices. I say embrace them. Use your hardships and your trauma to drive you, not just as motivation, but as tangible fuel, mental nitroglycerin. Now, how do you do that exactly? By using a very powerful form of hypnosis that I developed with my mentor, the late Dr. Charles MacDowell. Anybody scared yet? No? Really? 'Cause usually, as soon as I mention hypnosis, a few of you are running for the exits 'cause you think I'm gonna make you cluck like chickens, or... CROWD LAURA Well, the truth is you should be scared, because my methodology is both physically and mentally taxing. JAKE What about dangerous? Many experts believe that your psychotherapeutic techniques push athletes to train beyond their capabilities. LAURA You’re the blogger that’s been hounding me. JAKE No, I’m the journalist who’s been leaving you messages. So, what do you say to those who feel that you pushed her too hard and you may be responsible for Delphine's death? LAURA These experts that he’s referring to are the milkmen and the video-store clerks of my industry. They are dinosaurs who are on the verge of extinction because of their antiquated methods and who are exploiting a terrible tragedy in an attempt to demonize me. It is despicable, and so are you. That's how I respond. So, as your lack of a nametag suggests, you're crashing my event. Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out. AUDIENCE LAURA I’m sorry about that. But this can’t be the first time that you’ve heard somebody question my methods. “I—I—I brainwash people. I push them too hard, too fast. I don't care about the individual. I only care about results.” And those, those people are just my fans. CROWD LAURA None of that is accurate. But what is true is that extreme success is not for the faint of heart. So, if you are here because you wanna try the latest exercise fad or selfhelp book, leave. Save yourself the money, and me the time. This is not about trying something new. This is about achieving something great. LAURA All right, there you go! Good luck! FAN Thank you. LAURA You’re welcome. Hi! ALISON That was fantastic! LAURA Oh, good! I’m glad you liked it. ALISON I’m—I’m Alison Wynn, the head designer at Sonical. LAURA It was such a tragedy. I’m sure that Delphine’s death has caused you a lot of headaches. ALISON Oh no, I just feel bad. You know, I only met her a couple times, but she—she seemed really great. LAURA She was. ALISON Oh, uh… I—I’m also really interested in training with you. I’ve got a triathlon coming up, and— LAURA All right, well, everything you need is right here. ALISON Well, I was thinking more private coaching. LAURA I’m sorry. I only take on full-time athletes, and I’ve even scaled that back to work on developing my new module. ALISON Well, maybe just for ten weeks then? LAURA The home program is really good, I assure you. I made it myself. There you go. Good luck! Hi there! How are you? Clive… ADAM Hypnosis, huh? ALISON Oh, I know it sounds out there, but the premise really makes a lot of sense. ADAM I got hypnotised in high school by one of those comedy magician dudes. ALISON Oh yeah? Where every time he said “eggplant,” you took your pants off? I just don't think it's gonna be the same working off a recording. ADAM I’ll hypnotise you. Uh-oh. ALISON ADAM What’s happening now? ALISON Oh, honey, if your goal is to make me never wanna have sex with you again… ADAM What? ALISON …it is working! ADAM Come on now! ALISON ADAM Well, maybe this, uh, Dr. Stevens would dig my moves. ALISON Mmm, yeah, she has a PhD in human kinetics and psychology. ADAM ALISON She’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu. ADAM ALISON ADAM Well, I hope this self-hypnosis works for you. Now look into my eyes. You’re getting sleepy, very, very sleepy. ALISON : Yeah. ADAM Not—not sleepy. ALISON OK. ADAM You’re getting horny… ALISON Mm-mmm. Sleepy. ADAM …very, very horny. ALISON Sleepy. ADAM : Horny. ALISON ADAM Oh, come on. ALISON Oh. ADAM ALISON Oh, honey, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I know that it’s date night, but I'm exhausted, and I gotta be at work in a few hours. ADAM You could always, you know, take the morning off training. : I know. It's crazy talk. ALISON : Crazy. ADAM ALISON OK, let’s do this. LAURA Lie back and take a moment to arrive. ALISON LAURA Start by doing nothing. Notice your breath. How deep is it? ALISON LAURA How shallow? Where are you still holding on? ALISON LAURA See if you can feel the actual impulse to take your next breath. ALISON Oh, go away! Go away! OK, come on. Impulse to breathe. Let’s do this. Impulse… …to breathe. . LAURA Lie back and take a moment to arrive. Start by doing nothing. ADAM I just need to get something. Pretend I’m not here. ALISON Mm-hmm. LAURA Notice your breath. ALISON LAURA How deep is it? ALISON Ugh! ADAM I’m sorry. ALISON Oh, no, it’s not your fault. I— This whole self-hypnosis thing, it’s just not working for me. I need her. I need her to train me. ADAM Well, you need to ask her again. ALISON No, she made herself pretty clear. ADAM You said she’s a badass, right? ALISON Mm-hmm. ADAM Maybe you need to be more of a badass, not take no for an answer. ALISON LAURA ALISON Uh, you—you—you probably don’t remember me. LAURA Alison. I make it a point to remember all my stalkers. How can I help you? ALISON Take me on as a client. LAURA I already told you. I only deal with full-time athletes. ALISON You know, I did some research on Dr. MacDowell, and he refused to take you on as a protégée till you showed up at his office every day for a month. LAURA So, what, are you gonna come to my gym every day for a month. ALISON Yeah, well, I saw you posted an ad for grad students to be your test subjects. LAURA Yeah, I pay my lab rats $15 an hour, if you’re interested in the job. ALISON Yeah, well, how about I give you $100 an hour, and you experiment on me in ways that, um, improve my performance? LAURA That’s a very generous offer. Symbiotic relationship. ALISON Mm-hmm. LAURA Except that my private coaching starts at $1,000 per three-hour session for a minimum of four sessions a week. ALISON Well, yeah, I can agree to that. LAURA Look, no offence. I mean, you’re talking about a local triathlon. Why is it so important? ALISON Well… Four—four years ago, I was riding my bike. I got sideswiped by a truck and I, uh, I—I ended up in a hospital. I had a lot of broken bones, three fractured vertebrae, and the doctors said that I probably wouldn't walk again. And, um, I decided that I was gonna prove them wrong. And I set a goal to qualify for Ironman Hawaii. And, um… It's just no matter how hard I try, I just—I just can't reach it. LAURA Tell you what. You last 60 seconds on the mat with me, I’ll take you on as a client, I'll give you my friends-and-family rate of $2,000 a week. ALISON So, you—you—you don’t have too many friends, right? Sure, OK, let's do it. LAURA : Seriously? ALISON Yeah, if that’s what it takes, let’s do it. LAURA You would last 10 seconds with me, which is probably true of our sessions as well. ALISON I can handle it. LAURA I will break you down physically and mentally. You will want to quit. ALISON I won’t. Good. LAURA All right! ADAM Hi! ALISON Hi! KAYLA Hello! ALISON I did it! ADAM You did what? ALISON I was badass, like you suggested! KAYLA Uh, we can say “ass” now? ALISON Yes, today we can. ADAM Congratulations! ALISON Thank you! I think it’s gonna get pretty intense. KAYLA Yeah, well, if anybody can do intense, Mom, it’s you. ALISON Oh, thank you, honey! What do you want? KAYLA Mmm… A nose ring. ALISON Seriously? KAYLA Dad said I could if you said it was OK. ALISON Sure! KAYLA My God! Really? ALISON Yeah! KAYLA ALISON When you’re 18. KAYLA What? Why? ALISON Well, ’cause it can hurt your chances to get into the conservatory, or anywhere. KAYLA It’s not like I’m getting a tribal face tattoo. I can take it out. ALISON I’m not saying this to be mean, honey. Sometimes, it takes our loved ones to point out our blind spots. KAYLA Whatever! ALISON So, do I always have to be the bad guy? ADAM Oh! You’re not the bad guy. You’re badass! ALISON Yeah! I am! ADAM ALISON I am badass! Oh, I did it! ADAM So, what kind of time commitment are we looking at here? ALISON A couple times a week. ADAM Yeah, so what? Just two? ALISON Probably four. ADAM Mm-hmm. ALISON And weekends. ADAM Four or five times a week, though… ALISON But this is a world-class trainer. I mean, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. ADAM You really think you can pull that off? ALISON I don’t know. Every part of me tells me I gotta try. ADAM OK. ALISON -DAY LAURA I’m a fan of training outdoors wherever possible, but you can keep your routine up here as the weather turns. ALISON Wow! This is amazing. LAURA Before we start, I have some paperwork for you. ALISON A nondisclosure agreement? LAURA It basically says that you won’t talk to anybody about anything that we do here, and that includes your husband. ALISON And that’s necessary why? LAURA I’ve developed some training techniques with Delphine that I’m gonna be using with you, and I can't risk them being leaked before my book is released. So just have your lawyer go through that, and if you have any questions, just let me know. ALISON And would that hold up the start of our training? LAURA Unfortunately, yes. ALISON OK. LAURA Great! You just passed your first test. ALISON Which is? LAURA Putting your personal goals ahead of common sense. LAURA So, I’ve had a look through your training journal, your diet audit and your performance data. And I have to say, I think you're doing a really good job. You're dedicated, organized, focused… ALISON Great! Thank you. LAURA So is every other top competitor. But you know what you have that they don’t have? ALISON What? LAURA Me. So, we are gonna tweak your regimen a little bit, but most of our time will be spent in taking you to a place that most people never get to. ALISON With the hypnosis. LAURA Yes. Are you nervous? ALISON A—A little, yeah. LAURA Well, that’s normal. It will bring up feelings or memories that you’ve repressed that will make you feel uncomfortable. But hopefully at the end of it, you'll feel the way that you do after a really great run: exhausted, but glad that you did it. ALISON So, what do you want me to do? LAURA Start by lying on the floor. ALISON OK. LAURA Here, you can put this on. This will help you to immerse yourself in your imagination. OK. Take a deep breath… ALISON LAURA …and let go of all expectations. ALISON LAURA And with every exhale, feel yourself getting lighter and lighter, releasing layer of resistance upon layer. Now notice if there's any parts of your body that are holding on, and invite the breath to go there. Just let it go. Great. Now, when I clap my hands, I want you to allow your imagination to guide you to a place in nature. Just trust whatever image comes first. LAURA Now explore this place with all of your senses. What does it smell like? How does the ground feel? Allow yourself the feeling that something has been left just for you, buried under the earth. Follow your intuition and begin digging. You will find a box, and in that box is an object. Now open the box and see what it is that you were meant to find. Make contact with that object, and without thinking, allow it to transport you into a memory of your childhood. ALISONS MOTHER Now add a tablespoon of baking soda. ALISON : She meant baking powder. ALISONS MOTHER What was that? YOUNG ALISON Baking soda! ALISONS MOTHER I said baking powder! YOUNG ALISON No, you didn’t! ALISONS MOTHER Don’t you tell me what I said. It’s ruined! YOUNG ALISON But I need it for my bake sale tomorrow. ALISONS MOTHER I guess you’re just gonna have to tell them you’re too stupid to follow simple instructions. YOUNG ALISON ALISONS MOTHER Stop it! Unless you want me to give you something to really cry about. ALISON I’m sorry. I… LAURA It’s OK. I think we’ve done enough for today. ADAM Hi, hon! BREA Hey! ALISON Oh! Hi, Brea! BREA Hey! ADAM So, how was it? ALISON Uh, it was all right. ADAM Just all right? BREA Adam tells me you’re getting hypnotized. I tried that after my divorce to help me quit smoking. ADAM Did it work? BREA Only when I’m not drinking. ADAM ALISON So, this, uh, happy hour that you two have got going, it’s, um, it’s become quite a regular thing, huh? BREA Well, it’s wine o’clock somewhere! ADAM Actually, I’m helping Brea. She wants to open a wine bar. ALISON Be careful you don’t drink all your profits. BREA I know, right? ADAM So, I’m just giving her a crash course. BREA Adam’s such a good teacher. ADAM Actually, Brea was inspired by you. ALISON Really? BREA Well, you love to exercise, so you got a job designing workout clothes. And I love to drink… ADAM BREA …so… ADAM Pour you a glass? ALISON No, I’m good. Excuse me. ALISON Oh, where’s Brea? Beer run? ADAM She had to go. ALISON What a shame! ADAM If you don’t want me to help her, I’ll stop. ALISON No, it’s fine. ADAM So, how was training? Did you do the hypnosis thing? ALISON No, we didn’t get around to that. ADAM You OK? ALISON I’m tired. ADAM You want me to make you something for dinner? ALISON Mmm. Hold me. ADAM ALISON Mmm… LAURA First session with test subject seems promising. LAURA She’s motivated, suggestible, and most importantly, she has serious Mommy issues that I can exploit. I'm excited to see how far this one will bend before she breaks. ROD Alison, where were you? ALISON Uh, the gym. ROD Is it just me or does it seem like you’re there pretty much every day during your lunch break? ALISON Rod, you knew I was a triathlete when you hired me. ROD Yes, but I’m not paying you to be a triathlete. ALISON That’s why I’m working evenings and weekends. ROD Which I appreciate, but right now, I also need you working during work hours. ALISON OK. Then I will stop working out during lunch for a bit. ROD That’s all I ask. ALISON I thought we were supposed to be working out today. LAURA We are, but I just… I want to talk to you a little bit more about your mother. ALISON Oh. OK. What—what else do you wanna know? LAURA Is she still alive? ALISON No. LAURA How did she die? ALISON She had an allergic reaction to some medication. I was really little. LAURA Was that around the same time as the memory that we explored in our last session? ALISON Yeah, I guess. I actually really… I—I don’t remember much from that time of my life. LAURA Well, your unconscious hasn’t forgotten. ALISON Right. LAURA Let’s see what else it remembers. Lay down. ALISON OK. LAURA Where are you? YOUNG ALISON Mom! I’m home. And I did it! I won first place! ALISON Back at the home I grew up in. YOUNG ALISON Mom? Where are you? YOUNG ALISON Mom? Mom… Mom! Wake up! ALISONS MOTHER You’ve ruined my life. YOUNG ALISON Mom! Mom! ALISON LAURA She killed herself. ALISON I called for help, but… LAURA But what? Tell me what happened. ALISON She gave up her career when she had me. And then when my dad died, she got even more depressed. She started drinking everyday and she hardly ever left the house. And she just kept pushing me to be better at everything, but everything I did, it was—it was never good enough. And I just… I—I just wanted her to be happy. I just wanted her to feel proud. But she just wished I—I had never been born. How could I not have remembered that? LAURA Well, science would say that your psyche locked away the memory to protect you until you were old enough to handle it. ALISON I don’t think I am old enough to handle it. LAURA You’re gonna do more than handle it. You’re gonna use it. ALISON -DAY ALISON LAURA All right, we’re in the home stretch. How are you feeling? ALISON Good. LAURA You need some water? ALISON No. LAURA All right. ALISON LAURA You’re gonna finish off strong. ALISON Mmm! LAURA All right, pick it up! ALISON LAURA Come on! Why are you holding back? ALISON I’m not! LAURA Do you need me to get on the bike and peddle for you? Faster! ALISON LAURA What are you, deaf? ALISON LAURA I said faster! ALISON LAURA This is a waste of time. You know what? Maybe your mother was right. Maybe you are worthless. That's probably why she killed herself, 'cause she couldn't get far enough away from you. ALISON LAURA What, are you mad that I said it or are you mad that I’m right? ALISON LAURA Prove her wrong! Prove her wrong! ALISON LAURA Faster! ALISON LAURA Faster! You’re done. ALISON How could you use that? LAURA My job is to push your buttons. Nothing is off limits. You have a problem with that, take your participation trophy and go home. ALISON Oh God! What’s next? LAURA You think you beat your personal best? ALISON I don’t know. LAURA Well, you didn’t. You destroyed it. ALISON Oh my God! Oh my God! LAURA Right? ALISON LAURA I’m proud of you! Come on. ALISON Adam? Adam, where are you? Adam! Kayla? Kayla! Hey, honey! ALISON Honey! You know where your dad is? KAYLA He went next door to Brea’s. ALISON When? KAYLA I don’t know. A while ago. ALISON How are you feeling about your audition? KAYLA That I don’t wanna do it. ALISON “What would life be if we never had the courage to attempt anything?” You know who said that? KAYLA Mmm… You did, right now. ALISON Vincent Van Gogh, one of the greatest artists of all time. KAYLA Yeah, wasn’t he also crazy and, like, cut his ear off? ALISON Yeah. I’m just saying that not trying’s worse than failing. KAYLA No, um, failing and looking like a total idiot is definitely worse. ALISON You’re not gonna look bad, Kayla. You’re a really talented musician. KAYLA You’re just saying that ’cause you have to. ALISON Actually, no, being a mother does not obligate you to encourage your child, but I am starting to think that being a kid obligates you to be a pain in my butt. KAYLA So, what, now we can’t say “ass” anymore? ALISON KAYLA Bye! ALISON Adam… ADAM You’re asleep? ALISON I was. ADAM Oh! It’s only 10:00 o’clock. ALISON I have to be at work really early. ADAM Oh, I was hoping we could have some time. ALISON Well, if you’d been here when I got home instead of getting drunk with the neighbour who wants to screw you… ADAM That’s not fair, or true. Brea’s not interested in me. ALISON Whatever. ADAM You know, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to hang out at the end of the day. I'd rather be doing it with you, but you're never here. ALISON Oh, so you just find some other woman to hang out with. ADAM Oh, come on. Just ’cause you’ve decided there’s no room in your life for any fun, doesn't mean there's something wrong with me for wanting to have some. ALISON You know what? I will let you have fun if you let me sleep. Deal? ADAM Deal! ROD You’re late! ALISON I’m sorry. ROD In case you haven’t noticed, we’re still scrambling here. ALISON Oh, I have noticed. That’s why I’ve been busting my ass trying to catch us up. ROD OK. How are the new product descriptions coming along? ALISON They’re coming. ROD We needed them yesterday, Alison. ALISON You didn’t approve the catalogue mock until yesterday, Rod. ROD I don’t need excuses. I just need you to do your job. ALISON No, you need me to do my job and that of an entire marketing department. ROD If you don’t wanna be a team player, I’ll find someone who does. ALISON I will have it on your desk by the end of the day. ROD Good. JAKE Wow, you can really handle yourself. LAURA You looking for a sparring partner? ’Cause I’m happy to volunteer. JAKE Oh, no, no, no. I’m—I’m just here to ask you some more questions. LAURA Ah, too bad. All right, shoot. JAKE Well, I know that Delphine dumped you as her trainer. LAURA That’s not true. JAKE Well, I have evidence that says otherwise, and also that it wasn’t a very amicable split. LAURA Well, it sounds like you’ve got your story all worked out. JAKE No, not quite. If you were no longer working with Delphine, why were you at the lake at 5:00 in the morning? LAURA I got nothing else to say to you. JAKE Hmm. Because according to the police report, you were there to train her. And if her death was really such an accident, why would you lie to the cops? LAURA Oh! You change your mind about grappling, you let me know, OK? ALISON Screw it! -NIGHT LAURA Five more. ALISON LAURA Five, four, three, two… All right. ALISON LAURA Feel like you’re gonna throw up? ALISON No! LAURA Then I didn’t work you hard enough. ALISON LAURA Do you have one more circuit left in you? ALISON Do I have a choice? LAURA No. ALISON Yeah, that’s what I thought. LAURA We’re not gonna do it here. Let’s go. ALISON ALISON Wait! You want me to do sets at the…at the bottom of the pool? LAURA It’ll increase your VO2 capacity, like you’re training on Mount Everest. ALISON People die on Everest. LAURA Well, try not to be one of them. ALISON Right. ALISON I can’t do it! LAURA People make it through the desert without water and the Arctic without a coat. You know why? Because they don't have a choice. ALISON I can’t. LAURA You are not getting out of this pool until you finish what you started. ALISON I’m so tired. LAURA Do it or drown! ALISON ALISON LAURA You are not giving up on yourself, because unlike your mother, I am not giving up on you. ALISON ALISON I feel like I keep letting you down. LAURA Are you kidding me? You’re doing great! ALISON Really? LAURA Most athletes, by the time they get to me, are coached within an inch of their life. It's all about shaving tenths of a second off their time. But you, you're like a good piece of modeling clay. ALISON You mean like squishy and wet. LAURA Malleable. ALISON Oh. LAURA I mean, you’ve confirmed that my techniques are not only good for the general public, but arguably, that they're better for them, so thank you for being so average when you came to me. ALISON LAURA No, but seriously, we’re doing important work, groundbreaking work. And you’re an integral part, so thank you. Do you have any plans for the weekend? ALISON Well, I’m gonna have to reconnect with my family. That’s if I can get home from work before Monday. LAURA They’re working you really hard, huh? ALISON Oh, it’s just endless deadlines. LAURA As long as it doesn’t interfere with our sessions. ALISON No. No, it won’t. LAURA Because I won’t stand for it. ALISON No, I promise. How about you? Do you—do you have any plans? LAURA Oh, I’ll probably just work on my book. ALISON Shouldn’t you take some time for yourself? LAURA I haven’t really been in the mood to do much since Delphine. ALISON Right. Do you… Do you wanna come for dinner tomorrow night? LAURA Don’t you need a break from me? ALISON Well, as long as you don’t make me drop and do 20 in between courses, we're good. Come on, come! LAURA Yeah, I would love that. That sounds great. ALISON Great, yeah! LAURA So, Adam… LAURA …you’re really into wine? ADAM Alison enjoys abusing her entire body. I prefer to focus solely on my liver. LAURA ADAM Can I pour you a glass, babe? ALISON Mm-mmm. No, thank you. I’m good with this. LAURA Go for it. I won’t tell your coach. ALISON I already pulled an all-nighter. I think if I had one sip, I’d probably pass out, so… LAURA Alison, you need your sleep. ADAM Yeah, that’s what I was saying. LAURA It’s the only way that you can recover to do the work that we need to do. ADAM And for your family. ALISON I am fine. Thank you both for your concern, but I got it under control. KAYLA Can I have some? ADAM No. ALISON No. ADAM So, how’d you get into this whole hypnosis thing? LAURA Well, I met a professor when I was doing my PhD, and he started to develop the technique. I began working with him, and after he died, I just picked up the mantle. ADAM Any other crazy techniques you’ve experimented with? Sorry, I mean, uh, unorthodox? LAURA Have you ever heard of, uh, “excited delirium?” ADAM It’s exactly what I felt when I first met Alison. ALISON KAYLA Ugh! Barf! ADAM Aw! LAURA It’s a phenomenon where people experience superhuman strength in the face of extreme conditions. It's an automated response, but I believe that it's something that could be harnessed. ADAM Is that like when a mother can lift up a car to save her child? LAURA Yeah, exactly. It’s also common if people are fighting the police, say, and they're amped up on cocaine or some other stimulant. KAYLA Oh, cool! ADAM No! No, no, not cool. You should go do your homework or something. We’ll call you when dinner's ready. KAYLA ADAM We may not wanna glamorize hard drugs in front of our teenage daughter. LAURA Sorry, I’m not used to kids. ALISON It’s fine, trust me. She’s heard worse. BREA Oh, sorry! I didn’t realize you had company. ADAM No problem. What’s up? BREA I have a couple girlfriends over. And we’re having our weekly “bitch about our exes” meeting, and we're running low on supplies. ADAM Any requests? BREA Surprise me! ALISON Oh, um, Brea, this is my friend Laura. BREA Ah! So, you’re the woman Alison’s having her affair with. LAURA Excuse me? ALISON : What? BREA Adam just says she spends more time with you than she does with him. LAURA Well, luckily, Adam has you to keep him company. ADAM These should do the trick. BREA Oh, you’re a lifesaver! And I’ll be sure to replace these! ALISON No rush, Brea! BREA Hey, nice to meet you. LAURA You too. LAURA So, I don’t think that Alison has told me what you do for a living, Adam. ADAM Uh, I teach high school law and civics. LAURA Hmm. That must be rewarding. ADAM It is. Not financially, of course. ALISON Adam has a law degree. LAURA But you don’t practice anymore? ADAM Oh, I did for ten years. That’s what bought us this house. LAURA So, why’d you stop? ADAM Mmm, I was working 80-90 hours a week, never seeing Kayla or Alison. I was about to make partner, and I suddenly realized that not having a life was going to be my life for the next 20 years. I don't know. We'd already paid off the mortgage, so I decided it was time to get my priorities straight. ALISON LAURA I admire that. Not a lot of men would give up that kind of power. ADAM Yeah, well… What can I tell you? I was a sheep in wolf’s clothing. ADAM Well… ADAM …that was fun! ALISON You didn’t have a good time? ADAM No, I love all the veiled jabs at my manhood. ALISON Oh, come on. It wasn’t that bad. ADAM She has zero respect for someone who’d put his family ahead of his career. ALISON She’s just built differently to you, Adam. She believes in being the best and doing something special with her life. ADAM You mean like you. ALISON I’m just saying it isn’t a bad thing. ADAM As opposed to an ex-lawyer whose hobby is drinking with the neighbour. ALISON Can we drop this? It’s just I am really tired and I don’t have the energy to fight. ADAM Mm-hmm. I really hope she teaches you this “excited delirium” thing. It might come in handy if I get attacked by a bear or something. ALISON Mmm! You never know! ADAM ALISON ADAM LAURA Just returned from the test subject’s home. Her spouse is glib, unmotivated and has a clear affinity for mediocrity that is projecting a negative influence. Test subject will never be able to meet her full potential until he is out of the picture, permanently. LAURA Thank you so much for dinner the other night. ALISON Oh, it was so great to all get together. LAURA You’re a good cook! ALISON Oh, well, not really, but thank you. LAURA Here. ALISON Mmm. LAURA Did I sense some tension with you and Adam? ALISON Mmm! Well, we’re going through a little bit of a rough patch, but… LAURA Nothing too serious, I hope. ALISON No, just the usual, normal married-couple stuff. LAURA I’m sure that your commitment to your training is not helping. And it can be pretty hard when you're married to a spouse who's wired like Adam. ALISON Oh. Wired how? LAURA Well, I just mean that you’re very driven, and he’s more laid-back. ALISON Yeah. LAURA But opposites attract, right? ALISON Yeah. Everything was better after I caught up on some sleep, anyway. LAURA I’m glad to hear it. What was with your neighbour? ALISON Oh, she was totally flirting with him, right? LAURA It was so blatant! ALISON Yeah! I know. Adam’s teaching her about wine, but I just think it’s their excuse to get together and have these drinking sessions. I mean, I know nothing's happening, but… LAURA Well, I wouldn’t be so sure. ALISON Really? LAURA Yeah. I mean, I’m a therapist. I’m very in tune to body language. I—I would just say keep your guard up. ALISON OK. LAURA That is a great place for us to start our session today. ALISON My marriage? LAURA Yep. Sounds like fun, right? LAURA In front of you is a door. Open the door, and when you enter, find yourself in a memory of a time when you felt threatened in your marriage. LAURA What do you see? ALISON Adam on the sofa with Brea. ALISON She’s flirting with him. LAURA And what’s he doing? ALISON Loving it. LAURA And what’s the feeling like in your body? ALISON I feel sick. LAURA Let that feeling amplify and see where it takes you. LAURA Now take a deep breath and tell me, how do you feel? ALISON I feel angry. LAURA You should feel angry. Inhale. ALISON LAURA And exhale. ALISON Wow! You’re alone. ADAM How was your session? ALISON It was fine. You’re making cream sauce? ADAM Yeah. Is that a problem? ALISON Yeah, since I’m not eating dairy. ADAM Since when? ALISON Since I told you that I wasn’t. ADAM Well, I’m sorry I can’t keep track of your dietary restrictions. I’ve been kind of busy running a household while you pursue your hobby. ALISON It’s not my fault you’re not motivated, Adam. ADAM Pardon me? ALISON Well, you could join a gym, take up golf. But instead, you choose to get drunk with the neighbourhood skank and complain about your wife. ADAM The next time she hypnotises you, maybe she can turn you into less of a bitch. ALISON I’m sorry. I am. I’m… I’m really sorry. I—I don’t know what’s gotten into me. Well, I do, you know. I hate my job and I'm always tired. Everything's gonna get back to normal after the triathlon. I promise. I… I promise. ADAM ALISON : I love you. ADAM I love you too. ALISON ADAM LAURA Hey, Kayla! KAYLA Uh, what are you doing here? LAURA I was just dropping off some supplements for your mom. She gave me a key. Aren’t you supposed to be in school? KAYLA My audition’s tonight, so I’m home practicing. Which I should get back to. LAURA Good luck! ROD Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Alison, you’re leaving? ALISON Yeah, my daughter’s got her audition at the conservatory tonight. I told you about it last week, remember? ROD Did you settle on a new shoot concept? ALISON Uh, no. I’ve been busy doing all the other things you asked me to take care of. ROD I’m sorry, but I need it for the morning to give to casting. ALISON But I told you that I—I—I have to go. ROD But that was before this came up. ALISON No. ROD Pardon me? ALISON No. I’m not gonna do it. ROD Let me be clear. Either this is done before you leave, or don’t bother coming in tomorrow. ALISON Then I won’t bother coming in tomorrow. ROD Do you know how many designers there are out there that would do your job for free? ALISON Then you won’t have a problem finding one. JAKE Excuse me. ADAM Can I help you? JAKE Yes, I’m, uh, looking for Alison Wynn. ADAM Uh, she’s my wife. She’s still at work. Can I give her a message? JAKE My name’s Jake Dorsey. I’m a reporter. I’m working on a story about Laura Stevens. ADAM Sweetheart, will you wait for me in the car? KAYLA ADAM What about her? JAKE Just a few questions regarding a former client. ADAM You mean Delphine Ricard? JAKE Yeah. ADAM Alison only started training with her after the accident. What exactly do you wanna know about? JAKE It’s probably better if I talk directly to your wife. ADAM Well, I’m not sure what she’ll be able to tell you. She’s only working with Laura to get ready for this triathlon in a few weeks, then they're done. JAKE Well, for your wife’s sake, I hope that’s true. Thank you. MOTHER Oh, I’m so happy! You were so good! ALISON ADAM I need to talk to you about something— ALISON I quit my job. ADAM What? ALISON I ju— I couldn’t take my boss anymore. ADAM How could you do something like that without talking to me first? ALISON What do you mean? I… Adam, I thought you’d be supportive. ADAM Well, uh… I’m a little surprised. ALISON Well, I backed you when you quit your firm. ADAM Yeah, but we had talked about it for months, and I had something else lined up. Does Laura have anything to do with it— ALISON Oh, come on! ADAM Hey, sweetheart. How are you feeling? KAYLA I wanna throw up. Do I really have to do this? ALISON Yeah, you do. ADAM Alison… ADJUDICATOR We’re ready for you. ALISON Come on, you can do this. Stop thinking like a loser and just get in there. KAYLA ADAM What the hell has gotten into you? ALISON : I’m trying to motivate our daughter. ADAM By acting like a drill sergeant? ALISON : Clearly, the positive encouragement isn’t working. KAYLA ALISON That was a waste of money on piano lessons. ADAM You mean learning to play an instrument she absolutely loves… ALISON Oh, Adam… ADAM …or used to, anyway? ALISON …you are way too easy on her. ADAM And you are way too hard on her. ALISON I am not going to apologize for having high standards for our daughter. ADAM She obviously doesn’t want what you want. ALISON She doesn’t know what she wants, Adam! Our job is to prepare her to be a success in this world, not be her cool friends. ALISON Was Brea here today? ADAM No, why? ALISON Whose are these? ADAM I have no idea. ALISON Really? ’Cause they’re not mine. ADAM Well, I don’t know whose they are. ALISON No, well, I saw the way that Brea looks at you. Laura noticed the way that Brea… ADAM Alison… ALISON …looks at you. ADAM …if I was screwing around on you, why would I be doing it on the couch in my own house? ALISON You yourself said that I’m never home. ADAM Lately, I’m starting to wish you weren’t here at all! ALISON Have it your way. ALISON I found the underwear… ALISON …in the living room. LAURA And Adam says he has no idea how it got there? ALISON Yeah. LAURA ALISON I mean, he’s lying, right? LAURA In my experience, the most obvious explanation is usually the right one. ALISON What am I gonna do? LAURA Stay here for a couple of days until things cool off. Then, for the sake of your family, if Adam is willing to come clean and admit what he did, then you need to try to work things out. ALISON And if he doesn’t? LAURA Then he doesn’t deserve you. LAURA Twenty more to go! LAURA Come on, Alison, dig deeper! Let the negative in your life fuel you! Come on! LAURA Eight more strokes! Push harder! You’re almost done! Almost done! Almost done! Time! ALISON Ah! How’d I do? LAURA You shaved eight seconds off your time. ALISON Well, if my life continues to fall apart, I might actually qualify for the Olympics. ADAM Can I, uh, top you up? BREA Yeah. I should probably go before Alison gets back. I don’t think she’s a fan of our wine tutorials. ADAM What makes you say that? BREA ’Cause I don’t think she’s a fan of me. ADAM Oh! Alison likes you. She just doesn’t like you hanging out with me. BREA ADAM And she’s not coming home tonight. BREA Is everything all right? ADAM She found a pair of women’s underwear in the couch cushions last night. BREA And they’re not hers? ADAM Well, apparently not. BREA And they’re not yours. ADAM No. BREA Have you ever considered… No. You know what? Forget it. ADAM No, what’s… Go ahead. What? BREA Maybe Alison put them there? ADAM You mean like she’s sabotaging things? BREA Um, maybe she wants to end things and doesn’t have the heart to say it. ADAM Uh, I suppose it’s possible. BREA A big part of me was relieved when I found my ex cheating. Deep down, I think I knew my marriage was over, but I needed that push. ADAM Mmm… BREA Who is she saying she thinks they belong to? ADAM You. BREA Really? ADAM Yeah. She has this crazy idea that you’re interested in me. BREA Well, it’s not that crazy. Hey, if you’re gonna get blamed for it anyway… ADAM Brea, I can’t. BREA You like me. Admit it. ADAM I do. BREA You like me. ADAM I like you… BREA You do. ADAM …yes. BREA I knew it. ADAM But I love my wife. BREA I should probably head out. ADAM Yep. You probably should. LAURA All right, there we go. Organic cold press. ALISON Thank you. LAURA You’re welcome. ALISON It’s Adam. I just— I’m not ready to talk to him yet. LAURA Well, I can do it for you if you want. ALISON No, I’ll just let it go to voicemail. LAURA I can maybe gauge where he’s at, see if I sense any remorse. ALISON Yeah. Yeah, OK. LAURA Hi, Adam. ADAM Can you put my wife on the phone, Laura? LAURA Uh, I don’t think Alison… LAURA …is ready to speak with you just yet. ADAM Please, I really need to talk to her. LAURA OK, you need to calm down. ADAM What? LAURA Threatening me is not gonna help your situation. ALISON : What’s he saying? ADAM I am not threatening you! LAURA OK, if you continue to speak to me like this, you’re gonna leave me no choice but to involve the police. ALISON Oh my God! LAURA Uh— ALISON What happened? What did he say? LAURA I’m sorry, Alison. He… He just said that if I didn’t put you on the phone, he was gonna come over here and he was gonna bash in my skull. ALISON Oh my God! Adam? LAURA He was slurring his words. It sounded like he had been drinking. ADAM It’s like she’s been brainwashed. JAKE It’s because she has been. ADAM You mean the hypnosis. JAKE No, it—it’s not like she waves a watch in front of your face. Laura really gets in there. She creates this dependency. She did the same thing with Delphine, until somehow she—she broke the spell and fired her as a coach. ADAM I didn’t know that. JAKE Nobody does! But I have a copy of her journals right here. ADAM Shouldn’t the police have these? JAKE They do, but they figure this is just circumstantial. Look, it’s all right here: how Laura threatened her into keeping quiet, how she became unhinged, how Delphine was scared for her safety. ADAM Do you think Laura’s dangerous? JAKE I know she is. ADAM Alison, I’m sorry, but it’s not like Laura’s gonna let me come in her house… ALISON Oh, please stop blaming Laura! ADAM …to talk to you in person. I can’t even get you on the phone. ALISON Yeah, well, this is not her fault. And you cannot threaten people like that. ADAM I didn’t threaten her. She wants you to think I did. ALISON Oh, so you didn’t say that you were gonna smash her skull in? ADAM Of course not! Does that sound like the kind of thing I would say? Look… I just want you to come home. ALISON OK. Then admit you were having an affair with Brea. ADAM Alison, I am not cheating on you. ALISON OK, so this is all in my head. ADAM No. You were partly right. She did come onto me— ALISON I knew it! ADAM I turned… ALISON I knew it! ADAM …her down! Look, I spoke to a reporter who’s doing a story on Laura. ALISON Yeah, I know all about him. He’s trying to make a name for himself by dragging hers through the mud. ADAM I assume Laura told you that. ALISON So? ADAM She also tell you that Delphine dumped her as a trainer a few days before she died— ALISON Adam, that’s not true. ADAM He has Delphine’s training journals, which say it is. I saw them. ALISON OK! So what? ADAM They also say she thought Laura was becoming mentally unstable and dangerous. ALISON He’s a reporter! He is writing a smear piece on Laura. He’ll make up whatever he wants! ADAM Alison, if Laura was no longer training her, what was she doing up at the lake before the sun came up? ALISON What are you saying? ADAM She didn’t drown by accident. ALISON Oh, OK! I gotta go. ADAM Alison… ALISON No. ADAM Alison! ALISON No! ADAM Don’t— ADAM LAURA Hey! ALISON LAURA Something the matter? ALISON Yeah, I saw Adam. He spoke to the reporter, the one who ambushed you at the seminar. LAURA OK. ALISON Laura, he’s accusing you of killing Delphine. LAURA What? ALISON He says that she fired you, that you had no reason to be at the lake the morning that she drowned. LAURA She did fire me. That much is true. ALISON Well, what were you doing there? LAURA I was begging her to take me back, or at least that was the plan. ALISON What happened? LAURA When I got there, I saw her car, so I waited for her to finish her swim. And then when she never showed up, I got worried, and so I called the police. And then when it came out what happened, I was afraid of how it would look and… I was embarrassed that she fired me. ALISON Laura, he’s gonna expose you. LAURA Well, did he say if he has any proof? ALISON Yeah, he has her training journals. LAURA Well, maybe I should come out with the story first, beat him to the punch. ALISON Yeah, I think that would be smart. LAURA All right. I’ll serve the statement, tomorrow. Tonight, I need a glass of wine. What do you say to a cheat night? ALISON Yeah. That’s a good idea. LAURA Would you prefer red or white? ALISON Red, if you’ve got it. LAURA OK, I’ll whip something up. You go take a shower. ALISON OK. ALISON ALISON Not even one? LAURA No. ALISON Oh, no, I should probably, you know, pace myself. LAURA You should probably, you know, enjoy yourself. ALISON Yes. LAURA You’ve earned it. ALISON Yes. Correct. LAURA Mm-hmm. ALISON LAURA You know, I don’t know if this has been your experience, but I have a hard time making friends with women. So it's really nice to have a girlfriend to hang out with. Cheers. ALISON Cheers! Mmm. Mmm! Ah! LAURA Are you OK? ALISON Mmm. Yeah, yeah, I’m OK. If being in a constant state of soreness is OK, I’m—I’m great! LAURA I feel kind of responsible for that. ALISON Oh, kind of? Kind of? LAURA A little! Turn around! ALISON LAURA Let me see what I can do. ALISON Uh-huh. OK. LAURA All right. You know, I guess I just… I don’t feel like… ALISON That’s good! LAURA I have a lot in common with a woman who isn’t driven. ALISON Mm-hmm. LAURA You know? Like my book: I don’t want it to just be OK. I want it to be a best-seller. I want my methods to change the way that people think. And that takes dedication…and sacrifice and risk. LAURA Hi! I’m sorry. Did I wake you? JAKE What do you want? LAURA Uh, it’s kind of cold out here. Can I come inside? JAKE I’d rather we stay outside. LAURA I wanna talk to you, on the record. LAURA Nice photo. JAKE What’d you wanna— What’d you wanna talk about? LAURA What’s a reporter like you doing on a tabloid story like this? JAKE We both know that this kind of publicity would bury you, otherwise, you wouldn’t be here. LAURA Well, when you came to my gym, I got the sense you wanted me to come here. JAKE You should leave. LAURA How much will it take to bury the story? JAKE I’m not doing this for money. LAURA Delphine dumped me as her trainer. What’s the big deal? JAKE Your mentor, Dr. MacDowell, he died of an accident too, didn’t he? LAURA So? JAKE And just like Delphine, it was a couple days after he ended his working relationship with you. LAURA No law against coincidences. JAKE I don’t know about that, Laura. It’s starting to sound like you don’t take rejection very well. LAURA You’re starting to sound like a conspiracy theorist. And the problem with those people is that nobody believes them. JAKE Well, maybe they will once they hear how you tried to kill your stepfather, by stabbing him with a pair of scissors. You claimed it was because he was beating your mother, but she told the police it was 'cause you were afraid that he was gonna take her away from you and had you committed to a mental hospital. Didn't he also die of an accident last year after getting out of jail? LAURA Now, how did you find out about all of that? JAKE : It’s hard to keep secrets these days. LAURA : That’s true. But it’s still worth trying. LAURA You’re right. I don’t take rejection well. ALISON Good morning! LAURA Hey, sleepyhead! How are you feeling. ALISON Oh, you know, like someone dropped a kettlebell on my head. LAURA I’m not surprised. You were pretty drunk. ALISON Yeah, last thing I remember was being on the couch. LAURA Well, it’s no wonder it hit you hard, with all the clean living you’ve been doing. ALISON LAURA So, why don’t you have a good breakfast, and then go sweat it out in the sauna? ALISON That sounds good. I think I’m gonna just head home today. LAURA Oh? ALISON Yeah, try and work things out with Adam, you know? Like you said. LAURA Actually, what I said is only if Adam comes clean about his affair, but if you feel that's what you need to do… ALISON Yeah, I do. LAURA Well, why don’t you get your workout in first, and then you won’t have that hanging over your head. ALISON OK. Thank you. Thank you for being so supportive. LAURA I just want what’s best for you. LAURA We need to talk, in person. LAURA Hi, Adam! Thanks for coming. ADAM So, what do you want? LAURA You’re keeping Alison from reaching her full potential, so you’re gonna file for divorce. ADAM And why would I do that? LAURA Because if you don’t, I’ll destroy your life. ADAM Like you did with Delphine: stage it and make it look like an accident? LAURA You’ve been talking to that reporter. I have a feeling that he’s gonna have a change of heart about publishing that story. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he goes missing, along with those training journals. ADAM What did you do to him? LAURA I’d be more worried about what I’m gonna do to you. ADAM I’m warning you: Stay away from my wife. LAURA Or what? What are you gonna do? You gonna hurt me, Adam? Is that what you’re gonna do? You're a high school teacher. Or are you gonna kill me? 'Cause that's what you need to do if you wanna get me out of the picture. ADAM LAURA Here, take this. Nobody is around. Bash in my skull. Come on. Save your wife. Do it. Do it. Come on, come on. ADAM You’re crazy! LAURA I didn’t think so. So, you gonna divorce her or not? ADAM Go to hell! LAURA I didn’t expect you to take me up on my offer, but I figured that I owed it to her to ask. Oh! Ah! Ah! Ah! ADAM What are you… LAURA Oh my God! He’s hurting me! MAN Mister, are you OK? LAURA Please! ADAM I didn’t do anything! WOMAN Are you OK? LAURA Call the police! WOMAN Oh, my goodness! LAURA He’s trying to kill me! ADAM That’s not true! LAURA He smashed that bottle right… WOMAN Let me see. LAURA …into my head! MAN I’m calling 911! LAURA Help me! ADAM I didn’t do anything wrong. POLICE OFFICER Then why’d you run? ADAM A crazy woman was screaming. I panicked. POLICE OFFICER We have witnesses who saw you attack her. ADAM That’s not true! They only heard her screaming. POLICE OFFICER Sir, you need to lower your voice. ADAM All I’m saying is nobody saw me lay a finger on her because I didn’t. POLICE OFFICER Then how do you explain the gash on her forehead? ADAM She did it to herself. POLICE OFFICER Let’s go. ENTRANCE/TRAINING AREA -DAY ALISON Laura, what happened? LAURA Adam called. He wanted to speak with me in person. ALISON Wait, Adam… What? LAURA I just wanted to help you. ALISON What are you talking about? LAURA He started screaming at me that everything was fine before I showed up. And then, you know, I went to leave and he picked up a bottle and he smashed me in the head with it. ALISON Wait, Adam did this to you? LAURA And then the rest of it’s just a blur. ALISON My God, Laura! I’m… Come on, sit down. LAURA The police want me to press charges. I feel responsible. ALISON Well, don’t feel responsible. None of this is your fault. LAURA Maybe I’ll just get a restraining order. ALISON No, you gotta do whatever you need to do. LAURA Alison, I know that I said that I would support you in whatever you decided to do, but you have gotta get out of that marriage. ALISON Kayla… ALISON …is that you? KAYLA Yeah. ALISON Oh, Kayla, hi! KAYLA What’s going on? ALISON Honey, I need you to go pack a bag. You’re coming with me. KAYLA To that Laura woman’s house? ALISON Yeah. KAYLA Well, where’s Dad? ALISON Your father’s in trouble with the police. KAYLA What’d he do? ALISON I’ll tell you on the way. Just— KAYLA No! Tell me now! ALISON He assaulted Laura. KAYLA What do you mean, “assaulted?” ALISON Look, honey, you’re just gonna have to trust me right now, OK? Your father, he— he— he's not well. KAYLA OK, so then let’s take care of him. ALISON Well, I don’t know when he’s coming home, and you’re too young to stay here in the house on your own, so— KAYLA So then stay with me here… ALISON Kayla, why are you… KAYLA …at your home! ALISON …giving me such a problem— ADAM Alison! KAYLA Dad! Are you OK? ADAM I’m fine, sweetheart. KAYLA ALISON Go get your things. You’re coming with me. KAYLA No, I’m staying here with Dad. ADAM Whatever that woman says I did, she’s lying. Give your mother and I a minute. KAYLA ADAM ALISON : I saw what you did to her! ADAM She did it to herself. I never laid a hand on her. Seventeen years, you’ve known me. You ever see me lose my temper? Hit someone? ALISON OK, well, maybe you’ve never had your back against a wall like this before, Adam. ADAM Alison, this woman is brainwashing you. ALISON No, the reporter… ADAM It’s what she does. ALISON …is brainwashing you! ADAM That reporter has gone missing! ALISON What? ADAM I’ve been trying to call him all day. He’s not… ALISON Oh God! ADAM …answering his phone. ALISON So? ADAM Laura admitted to me she did something to him, right before she told me… ALISON This is exactly… ADAM …she was gonna break up our marriage! ALISON …what she said you were gonna do! She said you were gonna try and blame everything on her. ADAM Look, I can’t go near Laura because of this restraining order. And if you’re gonna stay with her, then I can't go near you either. But if that's the case, you are not going anywhere near Kayla! ALISON You can’t do that, Adam! ADAM I am not doing this out of spite! That woman is dangerous, and until you see that, I am not letting our daughter go anywhere near this mess! ALISON You’re not well, Adam. ADAM Yeah, that’s the problem. LAURA What do you mean, the reporter missing? ALISON Yeah, that’s what he said. LAURA Then he probably just got what he wanted and went home, or else he realized that there wasn't enough of a story and he gave up. ALISON Yeah, exactly. I know, but Adam’s even claiming that you… He’s claiming that you admitted to doing something to him and going over there. LAURA Alison, I was with you all night. If I was gonna hurt him, why would I admit that to your husband? ALISON I know. Nothing of what he’s saying makes any sense. LAURA I was gonna suggest that we postpone our session today, but I think it would be helpful. ALISON Oh… I don’t think I got it in me today, Laura. LAURA Your defences are down. We could dig deeper. ALISON OK. LAURA Allow an image to come into your mind of someone who cares for you unconditionally, watches over you. LAURA Do you see someone? ALISON I do. LAURA Reach out. Make contact with that person. Take their hand and place it on the part of your body that needs the support the most. LAURA This is the person that you should be with. ADAM Hey! Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes. KAYLA How long’s Mom gonna be gone for? ADAM I don’t know. KAYLA So, is she, like, a lesbian now, or… ADAM What? Why would you ask me that? KAYLA My friend’s mom left her dad to go live with another woman, and now she has two moms, so… ADAM Well, no, she’s not a lesbian. She’s just confused. That Laura woman is trying to turn her against us. KAYLA Then you should go over there and get her back! ADAM Oh, believe me. I’ve already tried that. KAYLA You need to try again, Dad, OK? ADAM I would, but that’s what I was doing when I got into trouble. There’s really nothing else I can do. LAURA How are you feeling? ALISON Better. Thank you. LAURA Did you gain any insight? ALISON Yes. And no. Yes and no. LAURA What’s the yes? ALISON That I definitely need to leave Adam. LAURA What’s the no? ALISON I don’t know where to go from here. LAURA You belong here, with me. ALISON You should get that. LAURA Kayla! Hi! Come on in. How are you? KAYLA I’m fine. LAURA I guess you wanna talk to your mom. KAYLA Yeah. ALISON Hi, honey! Hey! KAYLA I need to talk. ALISON OK. LAURA I’ll give you guys a few minutes. ALISON Did your dad send you? KAYLA No. He thinks I’m at Jen’s house. ALISON OK. KAYLA Look, Mom, when are you coming home? ALISON Honey, it’s complicated. KAYLA No, it’s not! Remember how you said we all have blind spots and we need the people who love us to show them what they are? OK, well, this Laura woman is messing with your mind. ALISON Kayla, that’s your dad talking. KAYLA Mom, you have to listen to me. There’s something about her. I—I don’t know what it is, but she's creepy! ALISON You’ve only met her two times! KAYLA This is the third time. I saw her that time she was at our house dropping something off for you. ALISON Wait, when was that? KAYLA You know, the day of my audition when you gave her the key to our house. The morning before you moved out. ALISON Yeah. Right, yeah, of course. Yeah. OK, honey, you know what? I don’t want you to worry about anything, OK? Just go home, and I'll meet you there. KAYLA So, you’ll come? ALISON Yeah. KAYLA OK. ALISON Just go straight home. KAYLA Dad needs you, and so do I. ALISON I know. I love you. LAURA You’re leaving? ALISON Yeah, Kayla’s having a really hard time at home, so I think she really needs me there. LAURA I heard what she said. Kayla is lying. Don’t you see that Adam is manipulating you? He's using your daughter to explain away his affair. ALISON Adam wouldn’t do that. LAURA He attacked me! He’s desperate! Of course he would! Do you really think that I would break into your house and put lingerie in your couch just to set up your husband? ALISON And I never told you exactly where that was. LAURA Yes, you did. ALISON No, I didn’t. Laura, please. LAURA Everything that I did, I did for you. So, let’s just lay down and have one more session. ALISON No, Laura… Laura, please. Just let me go. LAURA You’re not going anywhere! ALISON LAURA LAURA Get back here! You need to calm down. ALISON Ah! LAURA Get back here! LAURA You… You belong to me. OK. You are very, very, very ungrateful. ALISON Ah! LAURA OK. ALISON LAURA There we go! Shhh! There we go! ALISON LAURA It’s OK. Shhh! LAURA I put everything that I had into making you the best that you can be… LAURA …and this is how you repay me? You’re just like Delphine. You leave me at the first chance that you get! You used me! She was easy to drown. I'm gonna text Adam. He's gonna come and get you, and he's gonna violate his restraining order. -NIGHT ADAM Where were you? KAYLA Out. Where are you going? ADAM Your mother just texted me. She wants me to go pick her up. KAYLA Oh, can I come? ADAM I think she’d like that. KAYLA Think we can go for ice cream after? ADAM Yeah, I’d like that. ADAM I’m just gonna go up to the door. KAYLA No, but I thought you weren’t supposed to. Dad, I can go. ADAM No, you stay here. I’ll be right back. ADAM Alison? ADAM Alison. LAURA ADAM Oh! Ah! LAURA Hi, Adam! You got here fast! ADAM LAURA Now, remember, I gave you the chance to walk away. ALISON : Oh God! Let me out! Let me out of here! LAURA Hi, this is Dr. Laura Stevens. I’m at 6273 Maple Crescent. Adam Wynn has a gun and he's screaming that he's gonna kill his wife. Please hurry. ALISON Let me out of here! ALISON Let me out! Let me out! Let me out! Let me out of here! Let me out of here! ALISON Let me out of he— Kayla! Honey! Oh! KAYLA Mom! LAURA Listen, where’s your dad? KAYLA Uh, I don’t know. He came in ahead of me. ALISON OK. ADAM LAURA Stand up! Stand up! ADAM OK! LAURA This is what’s gonna happen: You’re gonna try to shoot your wife. I’m gonna wrestle the gun away from you, and kill you in selfdefence. How's that sound? ADAM No. LAURA ALISON KAYLA Oh my God, Dad! Are you OK? ADAM Alison! KAYLA : Mom! LAURA ADAM Alison! KAYLA Oh no! ADAM Oh! ALISON LAURA ADAM Stop! KAYLA Oh my God! Are you OK? ALISON ADAM Oh, thank God! ALISON