Scene One: Mike's Classroom
Show opens with the sound of a school bell ringing and a shot of a classroom at William Henry Harrison High School, a public high school in the rural town of Bear Run, Pennsylvania. The classroom itself is a typical American classroom that looks slightly beat up. However, it is nicely decorated with posters and memorabilia. In front of the classroom, Mike Larson, a young 25 year old teacher, is reading the final page of the novel "Watership Down".
As he reads, there are shots of Lexi Clemens, Connor Richmond, and Rocky Vance, all 16 years old, reading along intently while Jordan Everman, also 16 years old, has his head on his desk, clearly bored out of his mind and struggling to pay attention and read long. Rocky and Lexi are sitting on opposite ends in the front row while Jordan sits three rows back in the middle of the classroom. Connor is tucked away in the back corner.
Meanwhile, William Coleman, the principal of the school who appears to be in his early sixties, is sitting in the back observing the class and taking notes. Coleman has a cold and judgmental look on his face, very clearly unimpressed with Mike.
Mike
(quoting the end of Watership Down)
"'You needn't worry about them,' said his companion. 'They'll be all right -- and thousands like them. If you'll come along, I'll show you what I mean.'
He reached the top of the bank in a single, powerful leap. Hazel followed; and together they slipped away, running easily down through the wood, where the first primroses were beginning to bloom."
(Closes book)
Alright, what do you guys make of that ending?
A couple of students raise their hands, including Rocky and Lexi. Meanwhile, Jordan is looking at his feet, trying to avoid being called in. Mike quickly takes notice and decides not to let Jordan off the hook.
Mike
Jordan, what do you think about how it ended?
Lexi, Rocky, and the others drop their hands while Jordan looks up in shock.
Jordan
Oh...umm...good question, the ending, uhhh, I thought it was...sad.
Rocky laughs at that in disbelief.
Mike
You thought it was sad?
Jordan
(hesitantly)
...Yeah.
Mike
Okay, what exactly about it did you find sad?
Jordan
Well, cause, you know, Hazel died, and he's the main character, so...yeah, it was sad.
Rocky
(Still snickering)
So wait, that's your main takeaway from that ending: that death is sad?
Jordan
Yeah.
Rocky
(clapping sarcastically)
Wow, that's just genius. Who else would ever think of the possibility that death could be sad? That's really some Ernest Hemingway level of thinking there, real groundbreaking.
Jordan gives Rocky a dirty look.
Mike
Rocky, please. (Turning to Jordan) Thank you for your answer, Jordan. Anyone else?
Lexi raises her hand.
Mike
Lexi, what do you think?
YOU ARE READING
Prose: Season One, Episode One: "We're Joining the FBI!" (TV Episode Script)
Teen Fiction"In short, Forensics is Speech and Debate. The title originates from Aristotle's 'The Rhetoric'. In this book, he divided all forms of rhetoric into three different categories: epideictic, deliberative, and forensics which referred to speech pertain...
