"No Brain, No Pain": The Script Post Part II

[deifire]

So when last we left Our Heroes, Simon had just become Charles Furnell.

Most of the beginning of Act II appears exactly as scripted, but it's show much funnier onscreen, because Justin Shenkarow is brilliant.

Minor differences:
In the script, after acknowledging he's the smartest man in the world, Simon/Charles checks himself out in the mirror and adds: "And I've aged rather nicely, as well."

Marshall checks Simon's answer to 42 * 106 on a calculator.

A couple of minor differences here:


In the final episode, the boys try to sneak out of the house with no advance warning, and Marshall's VO here is missing.

Also, this bit is cut:


"Dash" again. And, honestly, would Simon's parents really notice?

And another line cut from the same VO on the next page: "But before we got to the mill, we had one little obstacle."

And that's when we see Eunice having tea with Marshall's parents.

A couple of minor differences here:


Simon's "tiddley winks" and the last scene with the Teller parents are missing in the final episode.

From the script, at the car: "Marshall hops in as Simon/Chappy fiddles with the "hot wires" more confidently than Alexander Monday [I think they meant Mundy here] himself."

Marshall's VO is completely different as the car pulls away:


As scripted, it sounds like Dash is in the habit of kidnapping people. Which is totally unfair! This is the first time we've seen him do it. (Also, "brain of a toaster"?)

As aired, "If there was a buck to be made by kidnapping Charles Furnell, the grey-haired kid was sure to be in on it. Even though we weren't friends, it still bugged me that all he cared about was money."

(Still somewhat unfair, but for different reasons.)

In the script, brainless!Charles is mumbling "Motor run -- motor run -- motor run" when they find him tied up.

Also, the upload/dowload process is slightly more complicated in that it involves a second 8-track: "Now let me see if I got this straight. I down-load your brain onto this tape, "The Village People", then put the head set... (re: Chappy) ...on him, switch to "upload" and then hit the power."

Because of this, brainless!Simon has a bit where he mumbles "It's fun to stay at the YMCA" later in the scene.

Cut Charles line after Dash reveals the story Eunice told him: "Behind every great man, there's a great woman. Is that it? She probably told you that I was nothing until she met me as well."

Slight line changes as Eunice comes in:
Charles, as scripted: "Eunice. After all these years." In final cut, it's "Why, Eunice."

As scripted, Eunice tells Dash "Looks like I owe you a little something" instead of "Here's your Christmas bonus" and hands him an envelope instead of pulling money from her top.

A couple of differences here:


Dash doesn't make it as far as the tree before the change of heart.

Eunice and Charles have some added lines in the final episode. Also, here Eunice deliberately switches the Brainalyzer to the Potpourri setting. [Not sure if she meant for the body swap to happen, or if it was supposed to do something else.]

The lines in the next bit are scripted. The body language isn't:


And in the original script, Dash has a whole stunt! (Also, a longer line.)

In the final episode "I knew you'd do the right thing" [Aww, Marshall. Really?] is changed to "Way to go."

And some more changes:


As aired, Dash doesn't wonder if he's done the right thing here. Also, Marshall's VO is different: "You can't underestimate anyone. The guy everybody else thought was a bum turned out to be the smartest man in the world. And that homeless kid showed that he had a heart after all. Still it wouldn't be over until we re-united everyone with their proper brain, a process that took a while."

The background dialogue/action in this scene is unscripted.

The "It's you!" dialogue between Marshall and Dash in the final episode is not in this draft. (Although, as scripted, Dash does say a couple of those lines to Eunice/Mars earlier.)

Instead there's some more math:


And at some point, Dash possibly gets Brainalyzed? At any rate, someone is touching his hair on the next page, and he doesn't like it.

Also, in the episode, Eunice has a sudden change of heart, and she and Charles wind up moving to the country to work things out. [I always wondered how that was going to work out, and years later would write fic about it.] Anyway, the original script had a very different ending:



Of course, as a result, Marshall's end VO is completely different in the script. Notably missing: "...Dash showed that despite whatever he'd been through in the past he was actually quite human..." [But we really don't know he's human, do we? In fact, by the next episode, we have good reasons to doubt that.]

I like that, as scripted, Charles also thanks Simon for helping him out instead of just Marshall. Poor, unsung sidekick.

Comments

[froodle]

So, was this supposed to air after Dash names himself in Loyal Order, because as scripted Mars is using his name here?

Also, I really wish they'd kept Dash's "dont touch my hair" line when Mars-as-Eunice is all "way to go" and puts an arm around him.

[deifire]

So, was this supposed to air after Dash names himself in Loyal Order, because as scripted Mars is using his name here?

I cannot figure it out, because this is the third revision and Marshall uses Dash's name multiple times in the VOs, so if it was a continuity error, you'd think someone would have caught it at that point.

So either it was originally meant to air after--in which case you get weird continuity with Dash being their "semi-friend" there and "not really friends" here--or maybe there's a draft of "Mr. Chaney" where Dash names himself there instead? (Presumably at some point after the lottery drawing.)

I obviously need more scripts.

Also, I really wish they'd kept Dash's "dont touch my hair" line when Mars-as-Eunice is all "way to go" and puts an arm around him.

That would have been hilarious!

[froodle]

I obviously need more scripts.

Clearly, you do. FOR FANDOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!

[deifire]

I keep telling myself I need to stop, but I already have a list of the remaining episodes in the order of which I want to acquire the scripts for them.

[froodle]

Whats top of the need list? The Losers? Heart on a Chain? Lost Hour?

[deifire]

Foreverware! I want to see how the very first script ever compares to what actually aired, and how everyone is introduced.

After that, in approximate order from "really, really want" to "would be cool to have, especially if there were notes":
Lost Hour
Heart on a Chain
Loyal Order of Corn
Mr. Chaney
ATM with a Heart of Gold
Broken Record
The Losers
Zombies in PJs
Who’s Who?
America’s Scariest Home Videos
Tornado Days
The Retainer
Dead Letter
Just Say No Fun

I have put way too much thought into this for somebody who is self-banned from eBay.

[froodle]

I would love to see the descriptions of the Foreverware ladies, and some notes on the song!

[slinkhard.livejournal.com]

Was the acrobatic massage bit in the original airing? I totally didn't notice that!

I wanted to help / I knew you'd do the right thing is adorable. As is the arm on Dash.

'Whatever he'd been through in the past' is interesting, as is the human line. Although I guess Marshall's POV isn't canon.

[froodle]

The acrobatic massage thing is totally in the ep, and it's even funnier than on the age,because Justin Shenkarow.

Dash's wire stunt sounds SO DUMB but SO FUN, i kinda wish we'd seen that.

'Whatever he'd been through in the past' is interesting, as is the human line. Although I guess Marshall's POV isn't canon.

Iwonder if they were setting something up for the season two we never got or if it was just a throwaway line that ended up being cut.

[deifire]

Dash's wire stunt sounds SO DUMB but SO FUN, i kinda wish we'd seen that.

Yeah, I'm not sure why it makes sense, when it would be so much easier for him to just walk into the scene, but the visual probably would have been awesome.

It reminds me of reading somewhere that one of the books has a Dash stunt involving a hang glider and a chainsaw or something, which sounds so ridiculous and kind of makes me want to read it.

[froodle]

YES I REMEMBER READING ABOUT THAT! I wonder if the person who wrote it also worked on this script, created that scene, it got cut,and then YEARS LATER managed to make their dream a reality in the book series.

[deifire]

Was the acrobatic massage bit in the original airing? I totally didn't notice that!

It is! Simon/Charles is very shout-y by that point. :)

It was one of those lines I only noticed for the first time after I was an adult with a DVD set...and then I had to pause, because I was laughing so hard.

I wanted to help / I knew you'd do the right thing is adorable. As is the arm on Dash.

Yeah, I'm glad we got the "It's you!" scene, but keeping those in would have been so sweet...

'Whatever he'd been through in the past' is interesting, as is the human line. Although I guess Marshall's POV isn't canon.

It's things like this that make me believe the writers had ideas for Dash--possibly multiple ideas they weren't quite settled on--that we may have found out about if not for the untimely cancelation.

[froodle]

I wanted to help / I knew you'd do the right thing is adorable. As is the arm on Dash.

Yeah, I'm glad we got the "It's you!" scene, but keeping those in would have been so sweet...

I think my little fangirl heart would have exploded.

It's things like this that make me believe the writers had ideas for Dash--possibly multiple ideas they weren't quite settled on--that we may have found out about if not for the untimely cancelation.

Or maybe they never were going to settle and it would be like how the Joker has eight million fake backstories.

[deifire]

I think my little fangirl heart would have exploded.

If I'd written it, there would have been a whole extended bit with Eunice in Marshall's body being flirty with Dash, and Dash--as well as the real Marshall observing the whole thing--not being quite sure how to process it.

Or maybe they never were going to settle and it would be like how the Joker has eight million fake backstories.

"Do you want to know how I got this grey hair...?"

[froodle]

Both of those scenarios make me simultaneously super-happy to think about, and sad that they did not actually come to pass...